Twilight

Here's a shot of the moon shining through the trees in our front yard last night. It was warm and windy and I couldn't resist taking a picture of the full moon after an evening walk with Randy, Abbey, and Mr. Higgins. The photo's a bit blurry because of the darkness and my camera's limited abilities, but I love the ambiance and I will always treasure the memory of yesterday.

Isn't she lovely?

After nearly three years of wearing braces, Megan's smile is perfect! So is the dimple, so is the cowgirl shirt, so is the ponytail - the perfect picture of a sweet, sweet girl!

Gettin' in on the goodies...

Bella and Annaleise (far left and far right) were in the office Sunday night to collect on Randy's promise to give anyone who finished their worksheets from Sunday School a special treat. Megan (right in the middle) and Madelyn just happened to be there too, and even though they didn't have worksheets, Randy let 'em get in on the goodies. I mean, just look at them, how could anyone say no???

Uncommonly good!

Here's a recipe for the best banana bread you will ever eat! The recipe doesn't call for walnuts, but if you like 'em, add 'em. I do-about ½ cup.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup coconut milk
1¼ cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
4 very ripe bananas, mashed



1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a standard loaf pan with cooking spray. (Or you can use 4 to 6 small loaf pans.)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spices. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter, coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each. Add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add the bananas; mix well.
4. Bake in loaf pan until firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool completely in pan. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Pumpkin pie spice lends a rich and sweet flavor to this banana bread. Don't be afraid to try it - it really is delicious. Frontier is a very good brand and inexpensive, too. You can find it at most health food stores.










Be absolutely sure to use unsalted butter in this recipe!
Salted butter adds moisture to any recipe, and this banana bread is very moist without adding any extra salt.














Always buy Rumford baking powder. It doesn't contain aluminum - a harmful ingredient that is thought to cause Alzheimer's disease. Domino sugar now comes in a handy, plastic tub. I love it! And remember to use unbleached flour; no-one needs chlorine in their food.







Here's what's left of the coconut milk (Goya brand) that I used for my banana bread this morning. Since the recipe only calls for one fourth cup, you can store the rest in a Mason jar or other air-tight container of your choice in the refrigerator. Abbey makes coconut whipped cream from the leftovers.

Four for Fun!

The weather on Tuesday was warm and wonderful! Jen, Madison, Abbey, and I drove to Riverhead for some shopping and lunch. Jen knew of this nostalgic little lunch counter in the oldest part of the town; the food was so good and we enjoyed ourselves immensely! We were so tired by the time we got home and Josh, great guy that he is :o) bought Italian food from Papa Nick's for both our families. This photo was taken after dinner, on our way downtown for Italian ices...

It's a first...

Jeff and Cheryl invited us over for the very first barbeque of the season last night! We had a wonderful time fellowshipping and having a delicious meal together. Looks like the summer is gonna be a good one! This is not the very best photo, but it was taken at night around a roaring fire...

7:30 am

With a leaf on his lip, Mr. Higgins forced me to take this photo while I was still in my pajamas and drinking my first cup of coffee this fantastic Monday morning. He was just way too cute to NOT take a picture! Already nine-years-old, I think Higgins with be with us for six or seven more...

Vacancy

Mrs. Jones gave our family this colorful, handmade birdhouse. Randy nailed it to a tree right near our picture window on Saturday afternoon. So far, it remains empty. It should be fun to watch a brood of baby birds hatch and learn to fly.








Too bad cardinals, blue jays, and robins don't build their nests in birdhouses. They're called "open-nesters," which means they build their homes in the trees or brush. I imagine our little birdhouse will be home to a family of happy little song sparrows.

Until we meet again...

We said goodbye to Bro. Martin on Sunday night. He left behind a church who only wished he could've stayed longer! Here's a picture of him right before he left, standing with Pastor Graf in the church foyer and speaking on the phone with his wife...

Signs of Spring...

On Friday, the temperature rose to nearly 70 degrees on our end of Long Island! Abbey and I celebrated the delicious warm weather and walked for awhile down the avenue that leads to the time and temperature sign. Here's what we saw...














Budding trees and bushes...





























and dandelions-resilient little things!















And then... Randy drove up and said, "I'm off for the rest of the day; meet me at home and I'll take you shopping." The most pleasant surprise of the day!

Practice, practice, practice!

Stephanie, Melissa, Emily, Sarah, and Abbey have all worked hard on their special music for Friday night. The choir specials for our Missions Conference have been such a blessing this week. On Sunday night, the choir will being singing a missions cantata called So Send I You.









I know it will be wonderful and our church family is really looking forward to it. A very loving "THANK YOU" to all our dedicated choir members who have given their very best for our music program this week and every week!

Missions Conference 2007

Our beloved Missionary, Milton Martin, is with us this week for our Missions Conference. It's wonderful to see him again and to be challenged through his preaching. Bro. Martin is a dedicated servant of the Lord. Our church holds him in the highest esteem and consider ourselves privileged and blessed to have him in our lives.







Madison meets Bro. Martin for the first time...
















Signing Bibles for Justin and Marcus...
















Noel's turn...

Aren't they pretty?

Linda and Megan left these beautiful tulips on my front porch last Saturday... what a lovely and thoughtful birthday present! They are starting to open now and are the most beautiful shade of red. In the fall, I will plant the bulbs beneath our October Glory tree and when they bloom again next spring I'll remember my two friends and all their love and kindness to me!

Nor' Easter

The great Nor' Easter of April 2007 was kind to our end of the island. Abbey and I went down to the bay to check out the damage. The ocean was up and over the road causing some mild flooding. Not too bad; a lot LESS WORSE than what we expected for which we are very thankful!





































My girl...

Japanese T-shirt folding - in ENGLISH!

Abbey and I recently learned a really neat way to fold T-shirts from watching a video presentation in JAPANESE! We thought it would be fun to share it with you in English. Here goes...



Try it - it's really kinda fun!

Celebration at Starbucks!

Randy and Abbey took me to the Steam Room in Port Jefferson for my birthday! Afterwards, we sent to Starbucks for coffee and pleasant walk around the village. What a lovely day I had!

Happy Day!

Thank you everyone, for all your kindness, love, and friendship to me. The Lord has richly blessed my life with so many fantastic people! My life is very, very good with each one of you in it!

Always, on every birthday, there are roses...


Thank you so much Randy and Abbey! You know how much I love roses...

More history...

These are my great grandparents (my mother's grandparents), Harold and Charlotte (Merryman) Widmer. It has been said that Harold was a stately gentleman and Charlotte a "party on wheels." Imagine!!!

This is their daughter, Charlotte (my mother's mother and my grandmother). I have many more photos of her to scan and publish.


Charles Jonas Salak, who married my grandmother, Charlotte. You can read about his grandfather here. I wish I had more photos from his side of the family.


This is their daughter and my mother, Virginia Ann. I have so many pictures of her! Her father adored her and took countless photos - which I will publish later.

Need a GOOD carpenter?

This one is phenomenal! He has done work for us personally and we'll never have anyone else. He is very thorough - measures everything, buys just enough materials, pays attention to detail, and CLEANS UP after himself. Now tell me, where on earth can you find that kind of carpenter in this day and age? Check out his blog and see if you don't agree! His pictures tell the whole story:

Integrity Custom Carpentry

Madison rides again!

Ride 'em cowgirl!

A very happy Easter to you!

Abbey never ever liked her Easter "glubves," and cried when she had to wear them.
Here's me not liking my gloves very much either!

I find it so amazing that people in the same family often have the same likes and dislikes even when they are very, very young! (Yes, I was crying too. Sorry about the condition of this photo. It's one of two that exist of me as a baby.)

The truth of the matter is...

Josh is still a mid-westerner at heart!

Josh, we all think you're the greatest! You deserve a casserole made with cream of mushroom soup,'tater tots, and lots of mid-western love!

Hey Josh!

Glad to see you've had a change of heart... (literally)
Always remember, "When in Rome, do as the Romans." Love - Mrs. E.

Abbey drives...

Sometimes, if I'm really tired, I let Abbey drive to the church - it helps wake me up : )


Of course I'm not serious - Abbey is a really good, conscientious driver! I mean, isn't it obvious? Just look at the expression on her face in the first photo!

We had the same snack!

Shayna, my bubbly and brilliant little friend, came to visit me today. Apples in hand, we soon realized our mid-morning snack was the same! Cheryl caught this serendipity moment with my trusty Kodak.

You really must try this...

If you have ever experienced restless sleep (who hasn't?) you've just gotta try this tea! Now, of course I'm not into yoga, but I am ever in pursuit of deep, REM sleep. You know, the kind where you actually sleep through the night? Discouraged with Celestial Seasoning's Sleepy Time tea, I decided to try this. I'm here to emphatically tell you that this stuff WORKS!

Hello Tadd in Texas!

These are for you... enjoy them and look for more as time goes on!

Here are your grandparents, Charles Jonas Salak and Charlotte Ann Widmer Salak. I think this is an anniversary picture - not sure. It might even be an engagement photo. Circa 1920s.

House in Racine, Wisconsin where your Mother grew up. Late 1930s.

Her father, Charles Jonas Salak and their little dog, Dutchess. He was a real man's man, who served in WWI. 1920s.

Her sister, Carol Blair Salak. Graduation photo - 1948.

I'll post more pictures for you soon - I just have to find them...