Mountain Musings

Happy Thanksgiving!

All of us here at Mountain Musings would like to wish all of our friends a very Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for this year....family, friends, our health, a warm home, plenty of food, and I think we could go on and on naming the abundant blessings we enjoy.

My mom and sister arrive today to spend the holidays with us, and we are soooo excited that they're coming! So much still to accomplish before they get here!

And what's going on in the Girotti kitchen, you ask. Here's what we'll be cookin' up for tomorrow!

Thanksgiving 2008 Menu:

• Herbed Turkey Breast
• Aunt Rhonda's Old-Fashioned Dressing (see 4th comment)
• Turkey Gravy
• Perfect Mashed Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Holiday Green Bean Casserole
• Cranberry Relish
• Marinated Carrots
• Whole Wheat Rolls
• Pumpkin Pie
• Peach Pie or Green Tomato Pie
• Key Lime Pie

Sounds like we'll have enough to feed all y'all, doesn't it? Come on over! We'll see you back on the blog next Monday! Have a wonderful holiday!

 

~Deb

Last Day for Free Shipping from Vision Forum

Receive free shipping on all orders from Vision Forum through midnight (CST) tonight, November 25th, PLUS free gifts the more you buy!

Go here to download recipe and craft ideas for your family's Thanksgiving celebration.

It's Pepper's Birthday!

Today is Pepper's 10th birthday! She's getting up there in doggie years. In honor of her day, I'm filling out a dog meme that's been floating around the blogosphere.

1.  What breed is your dog?  English Springer Spaniel.
2.  How old is your dog?  As of today, 10 years old.
3.  What is her full name?  Pepper Girotti, if we have to fill out forms at the vet.
4. Does she have any nicknames?  Sweetie, Girlie, Baby, Pookers, Snookums...when we're in a gushing mood.
5.  Where does she sleep?  In a crate in the garage at night, unless it's under 20 degrees. Then she stays inside in the laundry room, which is where she is during the day.
6.  What is her favorite thing to do?  Play with rocks, go on walks, chase bunnies, deer, and kitty cats, and be curled up asleep beside her humans.
7.  What is something unusual or interesting about her? She has a heart-shaped patch of fur on her left side - we can always pick her out of her litter in her puppy pictures. She prefers rocks over balls, and she likes carrots and apples.
8.  Who is her best friend? Well, I would say me, but I think that Jonathan, Mom, and Dad would dispute that. She IS officially my dog, though. :)
9.  Did she go to obedience school...if so was she "Top Dog" or would she flunk out?  She never went to obedience school. She only obeys when she thinks she's going to get some type of food. *sigh*
10.  Can she do any tricks?  She sits, lays down, shakes her paw....and sort of rolls over. Not quite, but almost. :)

We'll celebrate her birthday tonight by giving her a special doggie treat.

~Sarah

One Thanksgiving--Long, Long Ago

Twenty-eight years ago I guess I wasn't as into taking pictures to document every aspect of our lives as I am now. This is the only picture I have of me in our first kitchen at Armistead Townhouses in Hampton, Virginia, our home for the first four years of marriage.

Back in those years, Tom was part of the Navigators' Military Ministry and was active in Bible studies on base. He developed friendships with lots of the military guys, and they often dropped over to visit.

Boy, did I panic when he said he'd like to invite a few over for Thanksgiving dinner! I had never cooked a turkey before! In fact, I had never cooked much of anything! I was a just-learning-to-cook bride at 28 years old!

Thankfully, my friend Carol came over to lend a hand. We cooked up a storm in that kitchen! I wish I had pictures of that first bird (cooked with the bag of giblets inside--uh-oh!) or my decorated table, or the young guys who came who were so thankful for a home-cooked meal...Toby, Russell, Chevy, and another guy who I can picture coming in the front door with his contribution of a jug of apple cider. 

What memories I have of that Thanksgiving. I wonder where those guys are today, what families they have, and if they even remember us and that first bird we shared together.

"That I may make known with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Thy wondrous works." ~Psalm 26:7

This post is part of Kelli's "Giving Thanks" series all week over at There Is No Place Like Home. Check out what other bloggers are thankful for, their menus and decorating ideas, and anything having to do with Thanksgiving.

~Deb

Potato Leek Soup on a Rainy Day

Today was a rainy day for relaxingly catching up on inside chores. Our house needs cleaning as much as Aunt Bunny's apartment did yesterday...

For lunch, I made some Potato Leek Soup, and as Mom tends to suggest when we try new dishes, she said this time: "Take a picture and do a post on the blog!" :)

Following is the recipe, which is a combination of a couple of different ones from my Simply In Season Cookbook. The leeks were a gift out of a friend's garden and added a great onion-y flavor to this soup.

• 3 T. butter/olive oil
• 3 cups leeks, chopped (tops and root ends)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 cups hot water or broth
• 2 large potatoes, scrubbed and diced
• 2 T. yogurt or sour cream
• milk/water/broth
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper to taste

Saute leeks with butter and oil in stockpot, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Add potatoes and broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft.  Remove half of the potatoes and puree with cooking liquid. Return to pot. Stir in yogurt and seasonings. Add milk or water to achieve desired consistency and heat gently until hot. Serves 4-6.

~Hannah

What is a Family-Integrated Church?

If you've heard the term "family-integrated" and wondered what was meant by it, this message is for you. Free for downloading today and tomorrow, November 11th-12th, from Behemoth.com.

Scott Brown, director of the National Center for Family Integrated Churches, points out 14 characteristics of family-integrated church life.

"Family integration is only one architectural element of biblical church life, but if you lose that one element, you lose much."

Download his message for free here.

The NCFIC is hosting a conference coming up in December with the theme: "How can the Church Strengthen the Family in the 21st Century." This ministry has been an encouragement to our family with its refreshing biblical teaching and networking opportunites.

~Hannah

If My People...

"...which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

~2 Chronicles 7:15

Aunt Bunny

July 12, 1918 - November 2, 2008

Thank you all so much for your emails, thoughts, prayers, and loving support during these last three months of Aunt Bunny's surgery, recovery, and her recent unexpected ICU stay. We appreciate it so much!

We will miss her!

~Deb