Friday, June 17, 2016

Facebook Fridays. (A weekly round up)

Often life is so busy that I don't get time to write full blog posts but I do post smaller blurbs on Facebook and Instagram. Since one of the reason's I started blogging in the first place was to have an online journal of family life, I've decided to have Facebook Friday's here on the blog. It will be a place to gather my weekly social media posts together and make them easier to look back on. Some weeks you my even get the 'Directors Cut/Extended Version of those posts!

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I'm going to be spending the next few days cooking and baking to get ready for Amelia's baptism on Sunday.  I hope you all have a blessed weekend.

June 11:

After a difficult battle with cancer, one fought with dignity, grace and the sure knowledge of God's steadfast promises, the Lord called home my dear father-in-law (Corky Veldkamp) in the early hours of Friday morning.

So many of you have been keeping him in your thoughts and prayers. It has been a true comfort to all of us. We are so thankful to experience the communion of saints in this way.

17. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4: 17-18






 June 14:


Because sometimes you just need a sweet baby pic . . .




June 15:



We laid Henry's dad to rest yesterday. We had a beautiful service with a consoling message, Olivia's lovely voice and music from a packed church that brought me to tears.
It was a time for family and friends to take comfort from God's promises and each other.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct you paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Dad is in his heavenly home now but before he left he met one last great grandchild . . .
I'm sharing about the day Amelia was born over on the blog today.



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It's been a challenging week but, with God's help, in the company of family and friends and lifted up in prayer by those far and near, we have been comforted and strengthened.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 New International Version (NIV)




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Thursday, June 16, 2016

The Day Amelia was Born.

It was 6 am. As one does, I grabbed my phone to see what might have gone on during the night.

 A text from Morgan, and I had missed it!

 Kim's water had broken and they were on the way to the hospital. I texted him back and discovered  they were already checked in.

I threw some clothes on and asked if I could bring them anything. "Coffee and oatmeal from Tim Horton's please!"

Off I went, filled with excitement and joy. My first grandchild was on the way! I prayed all the way to the hospital.

After a quick hello to Morgan and Kim as I dropped things off, I went downstairs to sit with my father-in-law for a while before I went back home. He had been waking up less and less over the last few days. Henry's youngest brother Colin was already there, keeping his dad company. We chatted quietly while his dad slept on.

Time to head home. I needed to pick my mother-in-law up from her quarterly chemo treatment. I packed my bag with the quilt I was working on, a book, some snacks and . . . at the last minute . . . my small point and shoot camera. I didn't expect anything with the baby any time soon, things were in the very early stages. But, something said, take a camera.

 I picked up Henry's mom and brought her home. We had a lovely, peaceful lunch and sat out on the deck until we were ready to get back to the hospital to sit with dad for the afternoon. Just before leaving the house I got another text from Morgan. Things were moving fast! It looked as though the baby might be born that afternoon.

Mom and I quilted and knitted while dad slept, both of us excited at the thought that a new baby was about to join the family.

And then the text . . . .'Amelia Rose had been born at 1:30 that afternoon.'

Such joy.

I had to go home, but came back to sit with mom and dad. (And hoped I might be able to sneak a peak at my new granddaughter . . .)  Colin had come while I was out and his dad had woken a bit when he got there. While he slept again, Colin, his mom and I visited.

A nurse pulled aside the curtain hiding the hallway from view.

There was Morgan with baby Amelia!

He took her out of the bassinet and put her in his grandma's arms.

"Cor! Wake up! The baby's here! Morgan's baby is here!"

As mom leaned over his bed with the baby, dad woke up. And he was there. Truly present in that moment. With a big smile he reached out and touched that sweet, new life. His ninth great grandchild. After a few words to mom and then Morgan, making sure that both Kim and the baby were alright, he fell back asleep, still smiling.


There were tears that day. Tears of sorrow, yes, but mostly tears of joy as we witnessed this beautiful meeting. One of God's children came into the world as another was preparing to leave it.

God is good.

 John 14:1-4 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”


 We are thrilled to welcome Amelia Rose Veldkamp into our family. She is a rich blessing from the Lord.

Henry and I went back later that evening for a proper visit with Morgan, Kim and Amelia. And this time I brought my big camera! 






 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…my frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place” (Psalm 139: 13, 15).
 
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Friday, June 10, 2016

Facebook Friday (a weekly round up)

 Often life is so busy that I don't get time to write full blog posts but I do post smaller blurbs on Facebook and Instagram. Since one of the reason's I started blogging in the first place was to have an online journal of family life I've decided to have Facebook Friday's here on the blog. It will be a place to gather my weekly social media posts altogether and make them easier to look back on. Some weeks you my even get the 'Directors Cut/Extended Version of those posts!

Have a lovely weekend.

 Monday June 6:

 The view from my kitchen window this morning . . .
I can't believe it's only the beginning of June!


*blog extras . . .



Tuesday June 7:

I've joined the grandma club!
God has richly blessed Morgan and Kim with the sweetest baby girl.
Meet Amelia Rose. Born June 7 at 1:30 in the afternoon. 7 pounds 14 oz and 20 1/2 inches long.
Not only am I thrilled to be a grandma, Henry's thrilled to be a grandpa! :D



Wednesday June 8:

Grandma and Amelia.


Thursday June 9:

 Well... It took us an hour to find it, and that was using 3 different GPS's.... But we are here on a food adventure at the Little Brick restaurant. (Blog post coming. The food will make you drool. So, so yummy!)


I hope you all had a wonderful week, one filled with good food, good friends and maybe even an adventure or two.

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Wednesday, June 1, 2016

In Search of the Perfect Cinnamon Bun


I love bread. All kind of bread.

 Unless it's filled with whole grains and it's good for you . . . Then, not so much.

If it's made with white flour, and butter and eggs happen to be involved, I know I'm going to love it. I am not a third generation baker for nothing . . .

I've been making bread for years and over time I began to make a simple cinnamon bun as a treat, using some of my bread dough. They are pretty yummy.

But . . . by no stretch of the imagination can they be called the perfect cinnamon bun!

And that's what I began to crave.

Jesse's idea of a perfect cinnamon bun would be a Cinnabon cinnamon bun. I find them too spicy. I like my cinnamon in moderation. In Henry and Jesse's opinion, it's too moderate . . . To them, my idea of moderate is their idea of bland.

And so, the search for the perfect cinnamon bun recipe began . . .

My first stop is chef Michael Smith's cinnamon roll recipe. He starts with sweet dough which I haven't done up until now. People . . . he uses 2 tablespoons of vanilla and a stick of butter! How could you go wrong with that?? And just to note: I always use butter when I bake, never margarine. It's more expensive for sure, but I figure if I'm going to take the time to bake I may as well use the good stuff. (that said, when my kids were little and I went through a lot of baking I used margarine and saved the butter for special occasions)

Chef Michael's recipe is a little involved, and it takes longer than my bread recipe, but oh my, is it worth it! So, so yummy!

I did tweak his recipe a bit though. He used an icing glaze on his rolls but, since I'm in search of the perfect rolls, I substituted my own recipe for butter icing. And yes, I use real butter in that too. ;D

You can find chef Michael's recipe here: cinnamon rolls

And this is my recipe for Butter Icing:


 Rosa's Butter Icing
1 cup softened butter
2 2/3 cups icing sugar
1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla (to taste)
2-3 tablespoons milk or unwhipped (35%) cream

Beat butter til nicely softened. Add in icing sugar, vanilla and milk. Mix until icing sugar is incorporated.  Beat 3-5 minutes on high. Icing gets light and fluffy and increases in volume. (Of course if, like me, you go off to work on a new fantasy piece on your computer and then lose all sense of time, you will come back to overly warm, rather thin icing. Still yummy, but not perfect.) *The one pictured is just about right though.

Enjoy! We sure did . . .















Do you have a better recipe? Is it your idea of the perfect cinnamon bun?? I'd love to try it out if you're willing to share.

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