jennifer, Author at Hopeful Homemaker

Turkey

May 26, 2009 jennifer Color

I know that these guys are usually discussed only at a different time of year.
But I just have to comment on them for a minute.
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Look at the wattle on these turkeys!
Sometimes God’s love of color really catches my attention.
The blue head and red wattle are quite the combination, wouldn’t you say?
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Something about the brightness of the color combination was really beautiful to me.
I’ve always loved red, white and blue. They’ve been my favorite colors for years, but in the past year or two I’ve come to really like the tomato red with a lighter, brighter blue or even aqua color.

It’s not a color combination that a lot of people around me use much. But I love it.
And here I was, staring at it on a turkey, of all things!

For the past year or so, I’ve engaged in a casual observational study that I call Observations in God’s Use of Color. I love to pause and look around and learn a little about how colors coexist in the natural world.
I’ve learned that nature isn’t very matchy matchy. Sometimes it’s very understated. Sometimes it’s anything but. And sometimes the most average seeming things are punctuated with amazing flourishes.

I guess that’s what grabbed me about these turkeys.
We don’t think of them as beautiful creatures. But what a colorful flourish!
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I really love color. Since I’m on the subject of turkeys, I guess it’s ok to say that every Thanksgiving when I ponder the things I’m grateful for, color is always on my list. I’m just so grateful that we have such a simple thing as color to enrich life so much. Being grateful for color reminds me to give thanks that I can see, as well. Simple gifts. It’s a wonderful life, isn’t it?!

If you’ve had an experience when a glimpse of unexpected color stopped you in your tracks or made you catch your breath for the sheer beauty of it, please share. If you haven’t, start watching for one.

You’ll be surprised.

Happy observing!

Decisions

May 25, 2009 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

If there’s one thing I didn’t anticipate about parenting, it is all the decisions that need to be made.
I didn’t foresee how difficult it would be to choose which activities to involve my children in, how much to push them, how to maintain a balanced life for each of them individually and somehow find a balanced lifestyle for the family as a whole.

This week would be the week of decisions.
It doesn’t help that most of the year is decided in May, when you’re most exhausted and least able to really perceive how things will work out.

Gymnastics. Soccer. Piano lessons.
Scouts. Church activities. Swimming lessons.

What about time with friends? Time to ride your bike? Time to read a book?
What about time to work around the house? Homework? Time to go on an outing with Dad?
What about time for good, old-fashioned childhood?

You want them to develop their talents, to give them opportunities to stretch and find new strength deep inside them. But you don’t want it to come with a price tag that ends up being too high. You don’t want to burn them out or have them gone so much that you lose your opportunities to just be a family.

I have an old friend whose least favorite words are “missed opportunity”. She makes many decisions with the assistance of these words. As a mother, though, I’ve learned that every thing we choose to do means there are many other things we’re choosing NOT to do. It’s important to grab opportunities when they come, but if we grab too many of them, we miss the opportunity to live a balanced life, or we miss the opportunity to gather at the kitchen table for family dinner (the studies regarding the importance of family dinner are amazing!). So I guess my own question isn’t so much about whether this choice will turn out to be a missed opportunity as much as whether it is the RIGHT opportunity at the RIGHT time. And you hope so much it will be a positive experience.

This is what you want to see.
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My husband took this picture on his phone at my daughter’s last gymnastics meet of the season.
She looks so happy, and so at home. My eyes tear up a little because I’m so grateful it turned out to be such a great experience for her.

You hope your decisions feed them, make them happy in the true sense of the word. You hope they will feel a sense of accomplishment because they’ve invested so much.

So with a deep breath and a prayer in my heart, we push forward with our choices for next year.
And oh, how I hope it will all work out! Through the grace of God, I know it can.

Jennifer

HH’s Cinnamon Rolls

May 25, 2009 jennifer Breads and Rolls

Also up for breakfast this morning: homemade cinnamon rolls.

Rather than walk you through the entire experience, I will refer you to my recipe for homemade rolls, as that is what I use to make my cinnamon rolls.

Hopeful Homemaker’s Homemade Rolls

Follow this recipe right up until you roll the dough out into a big rectangle.
Then, instead of cutting it into triangles to form rolls, spread about 1 Tablespoon of softenened butter over the rectangle. I just use the back of a spoon to spread it all over.

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Next, pour 1/2 cup packed brown sugar over the dough and spread out.

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Now sprinkle cinnamon all over the sugar.

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Next, begin with a long side and carefully roll up.

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Continue rolling until it’s all rolled up.

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Now you need to cut it into slices. You can use dental floss, or you can try a shortcut.
I love to use my handy dough scraper Have I mentioned that my dough scraper is one of my all time favorite kitchen tools? If you bake bread or rolls at all, you’ll love one.
I just press down hard and very quickly to separate the dough.

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Continue until all the rolls are sliced and on the cookie sheet to rise.

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See how the dough scraper kept them nice and round?

Let rise for 10-15 minutes (remember, we’re using the SAF yeast so it doesn’t take too long) Then bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until they’re turning golden brown.

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Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then frost with whatever frosting you like.
I used a cream cheese frosting this time.

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Grab a fork and enjoy! These are delicious. Make some today!

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