Smartie Had a Party...

...and Kendra and I went :)

Kendra drove 50 minutes south, and I drove 45 minutes north,

and we wound up at the Potteigers'. We joined them for a church picnic,

complete with games and enough food to feed a major work crew.

These two have a special place in my heart. After serving in ministry-- as teenagers on Navajo land in New Mexico, and as a couple in multiple pastorates scattered throughout Pennsylvania, plus a handful of years in Romania, and also with a church in Alabama-- the Potteigers gave five years of dedicated service to our small congregation at Bethel in Michigan.

In 2010, they moved back to the hills of Pennsylvania, which is right where I found them on Saturday, just up the road from a place accurately named, "Pleasant Valley."

you say tomAto...

I spent a couple recent Saturdays with tomatoes-- first in my sister-in-law's kitchen, and then in a friend's kitchen. Salsa, ketchup, pizza and spaghetti sauce were all end products of our labors.

Biking Buddy

Malinda and I went for a 7 mile bike ride last night after work.

The sky was stunning,

and we had a fabulous time.

just because

I love zinnia bouquets.

(this one was Zambian)

New

I've been having a blast with this month's wellness challenge at work:
Try 1 or 2 new recipes each week.

Friends, this garden pizza was AMAZING. Wish I could have shared...

(oh- and as for the recipe... I made it up.)

Nine

It's been nine months since I moved back to the States.

Nine months of a lot of new things...

{job, house, weather, car, state, church, roomies (well, two of them!), grocery store, schedule, gym, phone...}

I still have to call my heart back to the here-and-now when I email with friends or hear stories about life across the ocean.

I still cry (sob. really quite dramatically) every time I have to part with my parents and siblings back home in Michigan.

I still get lost periodically when navigating Central Pennsylvania.

I still have a Michigan license plate on my car, though I have secured a Pennsylvania driving license.

and I still have four toothbrushes. Yes. four.  {is it normal to have four toothbrushes?!?}
(1 at my house, 1 at my parents', 1 at the house we rent in Pennsylvania, and 1 in my travel bag...)


Two life quotes that brought me chuckles over the past couple months are:

Normal is just a setting on your dryer.

and...

Item #4 on the list titled: Ten Ways International Volunteers Know They Have Readjusted

(from the book The Art Of Coming Home, by Craig Storti)

4. Other people no longer avoid the dish you bring to potluck dinners.

I'm finally feeling settled enough to look beyond the current week or month (...and maybe to also create yummy food that Americans appreciate-?!?).

I have favorite places-- like the local farmers' market, and Spanish church Sunday afternoons, and of course the amazing ice cream shop just around the corner.

I set goals at work (looking into the future instead of just focusing 100% on the present), continue connecting with friends and exploring the area, and as usual always look forward to my next time home with family.

p is for pleasure

I recently stopped at a farm market and bought some bruised peaches.

I had a lovely time baking a peach pie.

The crazy thing is...

I live with three people who don't really care for pie.

(I really have a difficult time writing that fact. It's almost impossible to believe.)

I never realized how much I appreciate a good, homemade fruit pie...

until I lived away from home.

I have three pie discoveries to share:

1) Some people don't like pie

2) Many people have only eaten "bad" pie (store pie = "bad" pie)

3) Very few people make their own pie crust

Thanks to Naomi's recommendation I also baked a little hand pie...
which I ate
all.by.myself.

Anyway- I found pleasure in taking my peach pie to work to share with my colleagues... 

I figured I could find at least 6 or 8 people in the office who would LOVE a piece of homemade, fresh peach pie.

and,

I did.

from Grandma

Years ago Grandma cut magazine pictures and created twenty-odd paper globes.

Last month at the international dinner I helped to host we used Grandma's globes as centerpieces.

there were around 300 guests!

Maple Banana Bran Muffins

If you like a healthy, homemade bran muffin from time to time, I highly recommend this recipe. One thing to love about Maple Banana Bran Muffins is that these little treats are sweetened naturally-- using maple syrup and bananas and NO sugar :).  Please don't let the "missing" sugar and scant oil scare you away from these nutritious gems, though. They are full of health and yummy-ness.

Maple Banana Bran Muffins
~ I was delighted with the results when I recently tinkered with my banana bran muffin recipe.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

½ cup maple syrup

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

½ cup sour milk

1 cup wheat bran

1/4 cup oil

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour

½ cup oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional:

Blackberries (or other berries)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Whisk eggs, maple syrup, bananas, milk, wheat bran, oil and vanilla.
• Separately, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. 
• Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in berries (optional). Scoop the batter into 12 prepared muffin cups (they’ll be quite full).
• Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

PS- if you don't have time to bake your own, just stop by... I have a couple muffins stashed in the freezer and I'm happy to share.

indulgence

I bought bouquet of flowers last weekend,

And soaked in their fleeting beauty.

Emma

What an absolute delight to recently introduce Emma to my workmates here in the US. 

Emma has faithfully ministered at the Nahumba guesthouse for over 30 years. In July, she had the opportunity to travel to Pennsylvania to attend Mennonite World Conference and to visit many of us who have partnered with her in service over the years at Nahumba. 

She asked for a photo with Sara and I-- two of her "daughters."

Though we spent portions of nearly every day together for two years, I have very few photos of Emma, and even fewer with both Emma and I. So these snapshots are extra special.

I wish I could share a tribute that would honor Emma at least in part for the amazing woman she is. I wish more people could know Emma and be touched by her life... even though I'm pretty certain half of Choma already knows her :). If you don't get to know Emma here and now, you should definitely mark her down as one of the saints you'll want to spend time with in eternity.