Rachel’s Weblog

February 14, 2009

Ice Skating

Filed under: Uncategorized — by rlaughlin @ 4:04 pm

Margie’s troop went Ice Skating on Friday night. She had a great time and she did a good job skating too.
I had a great time watching her and everyone there. It was so fun to watch everyone skating, they were all smiling and laughing. I found my self smiling and laughing right along with them, of course I was safe on a chair in the heated room but I still had a great time!
m-on-ice

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Happy Valentine’s Day

Filed under: Uncategorized — by rlaughlin @ 3:58 pm

ms-vday-box

Margie’s Valentine Box

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We had a fun time making it and we both learned a little bit more about a glue gun. That glue is HOT!

January 30, 2009

Hooray for Furnace Repair Men

Filed under: Uncategorized — by rlaughlin @ 1:37 am

My furnace wouldn’t kick on yesterday around 6pm so it was a chilly evening, luckily we have some electric heaters.  This morning was very cold!

The Luikart man came out and fixed it right up! Now it’s toasty warm!

Here’s 2 pics from Crest View;ice-sickles

purty-snow

January 29, 2009

The snow finally stopped…

Filed under: Uncategorized — by rlaughlin @ 2:07 am

The snow finally stopped and the sun came out

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The snow plows finally came to our road!

4-pm-and-a-plow-came

My wonderful brother came and plowed the driveway!

dan-with-the-plow

We cleaned off the car

margie-cleaning-car-1margie-cleaning-car-2margie-cleaning-car-3

Had some time for some photo shots

margie-with-scraperOf course the typical ice storm photo…I think they are so cool!typical-ice-photo

And then I locked the keys in the car, lucky for me that Margie is a wiz getting keys out of cars!

break-in-911And that was a snow day afternoon.

January 28, 2009

Winter Storm

Filed under: Uncategorized — by rlaughlin @ 9:09 pm

My alarms were going off and then the phone rang.  I thought it would be the recorded voice of Scott Prebles telling me that school was canceled but it wasn’t, it was my boss from work.  I sleepily said hello, realized that there was a real, live human being on the other end and frantically turned off my three alarm clocks.(those of you who know me can appreciate that detail)

“We’re closed?” I said

“Yes, closed”

I said, “Like an inclement weather day?”

He said, “No, like closed”

I scrunched my face and tried to comprehend what that meant

“So, I shouldn’t come to work?”

“No, the building is closed!”

“Closed? Oh…okay…well, Thank you for calling”

The Mechano-Scott Prebles called a few minutes later to tell me that school was closed too.  Should I clean my car off?  Or have another cup of coffee and look out my window, willing the snow to stop.  Praying for mercy!  Below is what I see when I look out my windows because I’m not ready to go outside yet.  And a picture of the kids doing the paint by number thing which last like 2 minutes!

Hankerin’ for cookies…

Filed under: Cooking Food — by rlaughlin @ 7:20 am

Yesterday at work I had a low blood sugar attack and by time I got home I was ready to pass out.  I ended up eating some marshmallows and ice cream to bring it back up but not before I got a hankerin’ for some Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies.

I was going to make some of them but took a nap instead.

So tonight, after dinner, I made some.  Now, the important part here, is that it was after dinner.  After the oven cooked dinner.  At 450 degrees.

I mixed up the cookie dough and set the oven to 375, as it was called for in the recipe that I got from Cindy McCain herself.  (Google Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies and read how Cindy stole the recipe from Nestle…probably cost her husband the election…you don’t mess with the Toll House)  So, put dough on pan, pan in oven, set timer for 9 minutes and wait.

Beep…Beeeeep….Beep…Oh! Scurry to oven, open door and look in.  They look a little bit overdone, that’s okay, because, ta-da!  I followed the directions!

Okay, so taking the cookies off the pan was a little difficult.  This isn’t lifting the cookie – this is scraping…in fact the last one was chiseled off the pan (that pan is still soaking) and only the top part came off.  It’s the one on the top right in the picture below;

granola

I consider all experiences an opportunity for learning, so you ask, “What did you learn?”  I’m glad you asked…

1. To make a tasty granola; heat oven to 450, mix up some Oatmeal Butterscotch cookie dough, change oven temperature to 375 right before you put the pan in the oven  and bake for 9 minutes.  This is a tasty granola that makes a wonderful snack on the back packing trail. (Yea, I don’t know so much about the whole trail thing but it is a tasty, granola like snack)

2. When chiseling cookies off a baking pan do not press your side against the pan for leverage.  The pan is hot and will burn you.  If you let the pan cool you can place it against your side, however you will need a Dremel Multi-Max Grout Removal Power Tool at this point because the cookies will harden after cooling.

3. A good activity while waiting for an oven to cool down is reading The Tale of Despereaux to your kids.  It’s a great book, only 10 minutes of reading time turned into 25, but I was able to start with a cool oven and heat up to 375.

4. When the recipe instructs you to cream the butter and sugar together, I’m pretty sure it means that the butter should be softened to room temperature, not melted.  I’m guessing this because even after changing oven temperatures from 450 to 375 the cookies taste a bit dry.  I’m gonna try the softened butter thing next time.

Finally the last thing I learned…nothing beats a warm cookie!  The light at Krispie Kreame or the beep of my oven? I’d take the beep over the light any day or night.

And if you want the recipe for these cookies just google Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookie, read about the Cindy McCain cookie scandal, then back up and go to the Nestle site.

December 9, 2008

Christmas Gift Ideas

Filed under: Uncategorized — by rlaughlin @ 6:10 am

Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

-Unknown

New Sunday School Lessons!

Filed under: Uncategorized — by rlaughlin @ 3:13 am

I’m excited to start a new Sunday School series.  The previous series was From the Garden to Egypt.  It was good to read through Genesis with my newly renewed mind, I admit I’ve never read the Bible like that.  I always read assigned passages looking for the answer to the questions in the lesson.  This time I read through it like it was the first time I’d heard the stories…I was missing so much.

This new series is about the Messiah and we started our first lesson with the book of Isaiah, which I’ve never read.  (I memorized verses in chapter 53) I’m looking forward to the new study.

My life verse

Filed under: Uncategorized — by rlaughlin @ 3:02 am

I used to have a life verse and to be honest I cannot remember what it was, is that a clue?  I have found a passage of scripture that I always come back to when I’m leafing through the Bible.  Each time I read it I find something new, a new application a new way to see things.

Psalm 139

1O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

18If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

19Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.

20For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

21Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

22I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

I love this Psalm!

September 12, 2008

First Football game!

Filed under: Uncategorized — by rlaughlin @ 4:21 am

Noah played his first official school football game against the Heath Bulldogs.  He plays offense but likes defense better. He’s # 93

I like this picture.  It’s Noah, his best friend, cousin and team mate walking out for the play.

Here he is on the sideline taking a rest

Waiting to go in

Getting a drink and talking

Little fans enjoy the game

The score (Noah’s team was the Guest)

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