Weekend Kindness
Reaching Others Through Kindness

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Last weekend with the forecast predicting our first real heat wave of the year, I planned an icy surprise for my husband. One of his favorite summer refreshments is my mom’s citrus slush…and the past two summers, I’ve forgotten to make it until late summer. Used to be something I always kept on hand, in fact, my father-in-law who farms around us, would stop by unannounced once or twice a week to visit what he termed, “The Slush Shop”.

This recipe takes a couple of days to freeze and serve, so as I taught my girls how to make it, we planned to keep it a secret from daddy…to save it for the best possible moment when he’d appreciate it the most. Our moment came on Monday afternoon. We’d all been working on building a chicken house, and between the dust of old boards (we’re recycling) and the hot sun, slush was just the ticket. And did it ever make my dh’s day…

Here’s the recipe for you. My mom and dad taught Bible studies in the home of the lady who sometimes served this after class. Everyone loved her slush. I know you will too!

Slush

Mix this simple syrup and allow to boil until clear. Let set until cool.

• 4 cups sugar
• 6 cups water

Combine the following ingredients, add to the syrup mixture, and freeze 18-24 hours.

• 5 bananas, mashed to a pulp
• 1 large (46 oz) can pineapple juice
• juice of 2 lemons (or the equivalent of Realemon)
• 1 small can frozen orange juice concentrate
• 3 cans (from orange juice) of water

About an hour, perhaps two, before you want to serve the slush, remove it from the freezer and mash it into a slush. If you have frozen it overnight, it will require more time to become slush. Add 4 quarts ginger ale or 7-Up. Mix well. Serves 40.

The above instructions assume you are serving it all at once to a crowd. We actually keep our slush in a 5 quart ice cream bucket, already “mashed” and dip out individual servings–much as you would make an ice cream float. The initial mashing part sometimes means letting it thaw a little on the counter…then I criss-cross it with one of my long sharp cutlery knives and use a potato masher or a Pampered Chef “Mix and Chop” to finish the job. This way, at serving time, you can scoop it out effortlessly, rather than hacking at a solid bowl full of slush. Another tip, freeze it in a large bowl and after mashing, transfer it into an ice cream bucket. It makes a little too much to fit into an ice cream bucket…so you might want to serve up that extra immediately!

While I was at it, I filled a bucket for my father-in-law. Wish you could come to my slush shop too!

Words of love are great, but showing your heart says it best.

There’s much to be said for a little consideration and unselfishness. Remember how passionate we all were about every little detail concerning each other in the early days of engagement and newlywed life? We all prefer being seen over being invisible, and being cherished over being taken for granted.

If rescuing the beauty is tantamount to winning the war, then let me remind you that it’s the battles which wage a successful campaign, one bleeding heart at a time!

A few simple ideas:

• Save the last piece of dessert for him
• Warm the car up for her on a cold winter morning, scrape the frost off the windows, etc
• Bring him or her a cold/hot drink when you know it would be appreciated, without asking first
• Remember birthdays and anniversaries
• Bring home his favorite magazine
• Help carry in the groceries
• Help clear off the supper table
• Rinse out the tub after your showers and baths, and the sink after shaving
• Say please and thank-you
• Give an unsolicited shoulder rub
• Grab your wife and waltz her around the house
• Hang out in the kitchen with her
• Hang out in the garage or shop with him

When my husband helps me in the kitchen, I feel so cherished! It says to me: “I’d rather be with you than snoozing in the recliner or surfing the net, etc.” Similarly, when I’m not afraid to dig in and get dirty helping my man with his truck projects, or working cattle, he’s practically giddy. You’d think I was his girlfriend all over again!

When we take a special and unselfish interest in our spouses’ lives it speaks volumes. It’s too easy after several years of marriage and two or three kids to relax and grow almost numb to your partner’s passions and desires. Examine your heart and motives. Could you care less about their interests? If so, chances are good that you’re too immersed in your own.

And don’t forget the main things most men and women want are pretty simple. A little extra love can go a long way. What speaks love to you?

When I dally with memories of childhood, it’s not music lessons, or time spent “on the go”, or birthday and Christmas gifts that come to mind. It’s all the simple things. Helping my grandma rake leaves into big piles, riding my bike to the library with my dad, enjoying my mom’s fresh baked breads and the feel of her hands playing with my hair during church…

I think sometimes organized activities take away more than they give. In making each moment count for something, we lose track of what’s sacred. We fill our lives and our minds, but what about our souls? Sometimes you have to have *time* to stop, in order to recapture the magic of “appreciating the ordinary”.

Here are some places to start, a word of warning though: Plans very often need adjusted, and sometimes the best memories are messy. (more…

Friday night found us watching Pollyanna together…the old Disney version starring Hayley Mills. Now, we all agree that dear Pollyanna wouldn’t recognize a “real problem if she tripped on it”. *smile*

Be that as it may, this is such a great movie for families. Pollyanna exemplifies the “best” in our hopeful striving to teach our children the “good~better~best” lifestyle.

(more…

Hurray! It’s December, and Christmas is coming! Are you crossing off items on your shopping list, getting cards in the mail, and baking holiday goodies?

I’m not. Yet. I still have almost two weeks, right? Anyway, I think this year will find our family celebrating simply, which is fine with this mommy. Last year we had all the fuss and tinsel, and found it’s not all its shined up to be.

I personally can get carried away planning things. Too many lists. The Shopping List (and all its versions). The Christmas Card List. The Holiday Baking List. The Christmas Breakfast/Dinner/Supper List. The Christmas Party List, which includes games, crafts, and grocery supplies. Add two children involved in two Christmas Programs apiece, and myself helping with a third one…well, I’ll not bore you with the associated itemizations these involve!

The worst of it is, I get so busy I don’t have energy or the *desire* to focus time for the real reason behind Christmas. The celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth, God’s special gift to us, His people.

So here are some ways I’m carving out extra time this year, as well as saving money and stress:

• Buying most of my gifts at the same store, ie: a book store, a kitchen store, or online (how about magazine subscriptions for those nieces and nephews?)
• Hubby and I are saving up for some exercise equipment, so we’re not exchanging gifts. We’ve decided on only two gifts apiece for our girls.
• I vetoed my own “homemade” Christmas gift ideas. I didn’t start early enough and don’t need the stress this close to Christmas. I may do peanut brittle, as it’s a favorite with the in-laws, but it’s pretty simple.
• No UPS packages to extended family. Cards and money–they can have a family movie night with it or put it towards their New Year’s Eve celebration.
• The girls and I are doing the bare minimum of school this month, keeping to the major subjects. As a result, we have more time for their Christmas “projects”. We’re also playing more games like Scrabble, Progressive Rummy, Candyland (Toddler’s favorite!), and Scattergories…
• Instead of making Gingerbread Houses, we’re talking about making a 12 Days of Christmas Lapbooking project from the Homeschool Share website. Check it out, it’s a free download, and the focus is on displaying the Christian symbolism behind the 12 Days song…

I’d love to hear your ideas on simplifying the glittery side of Christmas and magnifying the truth that Jesus really is the best gift of all!

All my life I’ve had penpals. Emails are grand, but nothing equals finding a personal letter in the mailbox…its pages filled with hand-written warmth.

Recently, a friend of mine, whom, incidentally, I haven’t seen since 5th grade, sent me a letter. Over the years our correspondence has dwindled, but we still manage to exchange Christmas cards and the occasional newsy letter. Pictures of the kids, details of life, chatty idealisms.

This missive delivered on all the above counts, so much so, that it lifted my spirits as a mini-care package would have.

It also contained three of her family’s favorite recipes–perfect ones for autumn cozies. I wanted to share one of them with you, and encourage you to sit down with a few lovely pages of stationary and the friend of your heart. It will do you both good…to know, that across the miles, someone is thinking of them and taking a few moments to let them know.

Wendy’s Pumpkin Soup

1. Melt 2 TB butter or margarine in a large kettle
2. Add 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper (optional) and 1 small chopped onion
3. Saute bell pepper and onion in melted butter till soft, not brown
4. Blend in 2 TB flour and 1 tsp salt
5. Add 2 cups chicken stock, 1 15 oz can unsweetened pumpkin, 2 cups milk, 1/8 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp parsley, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 1/2 cups precooked poultry (chicken or turkey), 1 cup precooked brown rice.
6. Cook till heated through and enjoy!

I’ve made this three times already–we love this recipe.

And each time we sit down to this specialty, I wonder perhaps, several states away, if my good friend Wendy is dishing it up for her loved ones?

What a great quote, right? How many of us withdraw when the going gets tough…or, even when the going gets…stinky?

A few days ago I was enjoying a quiet house one afternoon when hubby called from work.

“Got anything special going this afternoon?”

Hm. Just a couple hours of “time off” in the middle of a super hectic schedule. And three year old was napping.

“Um, no, not really.” I replied, mentally ‘cowboying up’.

Little did I know how on target that would be. Soon I was directing the older girls to don their jeans and boots, and bundling three year old into her carseat, half-asleep for the 45 minute jaunt to dh’s workplace–The Ranch.

A cattle pot with 130-some head of calves was running really late and the boss and other hand had out-of-town ball games to attend for kids and grandkids, so dh thought it would be a grand adventure for our whole family to help “work calves”. Believe it or not, it was.

I’ve helped before, but this time–can you hear the snap of my surgical glove?–I got to give shots! 130-something of them…

What fun we had. My oldest, armed with a hot shot, kept them coming into the holding pen and down the alley toward the chute. My 7 year old removed their ear tags with a handy little knife-like tool, gingerly at first, I might add. 3 year old bopped around “helping”7 year old, telling her when another calf with an eartag was on the way. Hubby branded, I put on the wormer and we both vaccinated from our respective sides. This went on for hours.

Past supper time. Past the point of fun. But nobody complained. It did something to me to see those three girls so happy to help their daddy in that dusty, branding-smoke filled environment. Even three year old kept a smile on.

When we kicked the last calf out of the working chute, oldest daughter and I got to “play cowboy”, moving the calves by horseback to their new home, almost a half-miles winding around pens and pasture. Dh follwed the herd on 4-wheeler with our two youngest girls.

By this time it was about 7:30 P.M. Sundown. Cool. Peaceful.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve gotten the call. Hubby and I have spent hours working hard together and have the great memories to treasure as a result. “Remember the time we dug out a half acre of musk thistle in such and such pasture?” Boy do I. My handsome hunk of a man sweating it out with me through the birth of each daughter. Etcetera.

Next time your friend or spouse calls you up and suggests something less than exciting, feign some enthusiasm. You never know what ’sitting in the truck’ might cost you!