Christmas 2021

               We had signed up to feed the missionaries at 4:00.  We watched “An American Christmas Carol” and Jenna and I took Bonnie for a walk.  I think we talked with all three boys before Roland started dinner.

          Jenna says it’s tradition that we always have a breakfast meal for our Christmas Eve dinner.  So guess what the elders got? It wasn’t the traditional breakfast that we normally have.  Roland started cooking the meal just after 3:00.  Our meal consisted of steak, eggs, cornbread and hash browns with bacon.

Three elders arrived shortly before 4:00.  We put Bonnie in my room and fed the elders in the back room where we have the tree. Jenna does not like steak and could have made a meal out of corn bread alone. I think she had at least four pieces.

After the elders left we watched “Encanto” – well, Jenna did.  Roland and I watched part of it and fell asleep during most of it.  Shortly after 5:00 Jenna announced that she’d be going in her room.  Still tired, I asked Roland if he thought it was too soon for me to fill stockings and place the rest of the gifts under the tree. 

Jenna knocked on our door at 5:00 a.m. the next morning and told us that Christmas had officially started as she believes our waking up at 5:00 is also family tradition.  I guess it is, but then so is going back to bed after all gifts have been open – at least for the older folks.  But only Roland went back to bed and I fixed a light breakfast as I didn’t want only candy.

Jenna and I had learned to play a new game which Roland had received from Tony and Rochelle’s family.  It was fun.  We took Bonnie for a walk.  We each wore Santa caps and I wore a new outfit that I had received for Christmas and she was dressed as an elf. Jenna pointed out the snow capped hills behind the clouds that surrounded their base.  The rain has washed it out since our walk. 

At 4:00 Roland started getting hungry and we had our simple dinner of sausage and cheese.  Another tradition as of Christmas 2018 (see here).

Finishing Saturday

          We had signed up to feed the missionaries for Saturday.  Roland had requested them to come at 4:00 but they said they could not come until 5:00 – which is their normal eating time.  We were doing another breakfast dinner but with a few changes – such as having waffles. Roland believed he could start the dinner at 3:00 and have it ready by 4:00.  I think with the amount of time he spent trying to repair the cable, he would just assume have not had to deal with the missionaries at all.  However the arrangements had already been made.

With the cable disconnected and his working to get it repaired, I started a countdown which I don’t think helped his mood at all.  I thought it would be nice if he showered before our breakfast dinner got started.  I ran over the list in my mind – eggs, waffles, sausage and bacon.  It seemed like there was something else but I could not figure it out otherwise I would have started the hash browns right away as they seem to take the longest to cook. But Roland had me start on the waffle batter while he was in the shower.

 Before I had even started my foot found some water which I slipped on.  I did the splits before falling onto my behind – which is not the only part of me now bruised.  My arm hit a spindle on the chair as I was falling down.  I think that hurt more than my butt.  Jenna was in a panic.

“MOM!  Are you okay?”

“No,” I was upset about how my day had gone.  I was on the floor crying and she offered a prayer that we would continue to get through the day and that we could keep focused on the positive.   was NOT a good day overall.  I suppose there were a few perks to it – like when Jenna offered a prayer that we would focus on the highlights and not allow the day to get us down.  I made the batter before Roland returned and Jenna started in on the waffles.

I then took my shower and returned to set up the chairs and food outside.  I was on eternal hold with the cable company when the elders arrived and Roland was still cooking dinner.  They had arrived early. Jenna took the dog outside and kept the missionaries company until Roland and I were able to join them.  I brought out the waffles and hash browns and told them to go ahead and bless the food and get started – which they did.

Meat still in the oven eventually made its way out and the eggs were still on the stove.  We brought the dog inside so that the Elders could enjoy their food without her lustful looks.

Roland made a temporary switch over to the local antenna.  I rolled my eyes as TV just isn’t that important to me.  It didn’t do anything for the internet.  Roland watched TV while I went into our room to type some thoughts for the missionaries as they had requested.

Steak is Not a Lap Food

Roland accepted another opportunity to feed the elders. 

This time we will be feeding four of them.

Roland wants to provide them with a steak dinner. 

That means we will have to use real plates instead of paper. 

Hey, wait a minute . . .

last time we had the Elders over we put all

the food on the table so that they could

load up their plates with whatever they wanted. 

 

Each of us held our plates over our laps. 

That isn’t going to work with steak. 

The missionaries are not allowed to come inside or

even knock on the door. 

It’s not like we have extra tables hanging around that

we can take outside.

 

Roland had suggested a barbeque with

hamburgers and hotdogs.

Jenna and I were hoping for Hawaiian haystacks. 

They’ve been to other barbeques.

For the most part when we’ve had haystacks it

Has been a new idea to at least one elder.

I think Jenna and I may have won out.

Roland is now purchasing toppings for haystacks.

Wahoo!

 

I suppose we could make steak dinner and

just drop it off to them. 

But we would rather have their company than

just feed them.

 

 

Social Media Missionaries

          We haven’t fed the missionaries since the pandemic began until this past week.  For a while they were grounded to their apartment and the rule was to drop off food at the church and they would pick it up.  Perhaps that was easier for many members who unable to have missionaries come due to circumstances – for instance there are many single sisters and the missionaries serving in Myrtle Creek have always been Elders. 

           The person who was called to find families to feed the missionaries is quite diligent with her calling and somewhat aggressive as I’m certain she has roped people into feeding them when they may not have chosen to do so on their own.  The rules are quite different now due to COVID.  I don’t know how it is in each mission but in Oregon they are no longer allowed to knock on doors.  They have to stand outside until they are summoned.  They can visit with people outside of their homes but may not go inside. 

           They had the wrong address.  I had "hacked" the deck early with essence of peppermint oil in order to keep the flies away.  Roland joked that it would attract the bees.  Jenna spotted the elders in front of our neighbors and I told them to park in our driveway.  We had dinner on our brand new deck.  Jenna, Roland and I sat near the door and the three elders were near the steps – table of food between us.  Roland had made hash browns, pancakes, blackberry syrup and omelets.  There were three or four wasps or hornets that seemed interested in our breakfast also.

    Two of the elders were from Utah and we discussed the luxury of purchasing blackberries from Logan, Utah as opposed to the blackberry bush growing wild and viewed as the Oregon state weed. They’re pioneers is this “new normal” each having had to join facebook (if they did not already have an account) so that they can set up virtual lessons and teach six feet apart whenever they are physically able to do so.  Before March it was a requirement for a person to attend at least three sacrament meetings before he or she could be baptized.  Now baptisms take place without their ever setting foot in the Church prior to baptism because meetings just are not happening right now – at least in our county which has been a major discomfort for so many members.  I can’t even imagine being baptized into a faith without attending at least one meeting. 

          One elder was called to serve his mission in Japan.  He was there for four months before the missionaries were pulled out and returned to the states.  He was so in tune with the spirit, it was amazing.  All three of them shared spiritual thoughts and it was so awesome having them here and sharing His love and having such great power on our brand new deck.  Very nice visit and another huge admiration for those who continue to serve full time.  What tremendous faith!

Stickler for Recipes

            Roland brought some ham home the other day and thought about making a sweet and sour with some of it.  We already had sweet and sour chicken leftover in the fridge.  I told him to make ham fried rice.  He said he needed a recipe.  I could not find one that listed all ingredients that we had on hand, and so I printed a couple in order to demonstrate that not all recipes contain the ingredients and that it is possible to alter ingredients.  People make mock recipes all the time. 

  

          I am a substitute who works with what I have.  Roland is a letter-to-the-law recipe follower - even down to the measurements.  I told him to half the recipe that he chose, but no.  He insisted on four cups of rice.  And yet we are only two people - sometimes three, but mostly just two as Jenna is a fussy eater.  The end result was enough to take to a ward potluck - which won't be until next week.  Don't really want a dish to sit around that long before allowing others to partake.

            Fortunately, the missionaries contacted us the following day.  We had forgotten we had signed up to feed them.  In addition to the ham fried rice, Roland was able to make his sweet and sour ham (which is almost gone) and we had watermelon for dessert.  Light and healthy. 

Fall Activities and Ghost Pancakes

          Four years ago yesterday, our friends Cheryl and Miguel decided to take their niece Payton to the Cornbelly's activity at Thanksgiving Point.  They asked if they could take Jenna with them.

          Jenna and Payton got along well together.  Payton was two years older than Jenna, but shorter.  Many people who saw them together believed they were sisters.  I did not go with them, but had remembered the event as Cheryl had tagged me in several photos on facebook.  I had the opportunity of seeing them again when facebook memory page showed me the photos.  

Cheryl had taken quite a few pictures;  I

don't have permission to post the ones

she took - there were several of Jenna

and Payton.

          I thought it fitting to see the photos while thinking about Jenna and commenting about the weather I hoped wouldn't spoil yesterday's plans.  She did get to go to the corn maze after all, and rode the hayride and brought home a huge pumpkin that she had retrieved from the pumpkin patch.  It was a great day.

          Roland started breakfast/dinner early as his clock is on mountain though we live in Pacific.  After the oven was warmed up (guess we did use it after all) and had cinnamon rolls ready to go in, he looked at the clock in the kitchen and realized that the missionaries wouldn't be arriving for almost two hours.  Whoops.

          I love to watch Roland cook.  He is so thoughtful and so precise.  He made everything on the small skillet, though I had found a much larger pan to use.  He ended up using it to put all back into the oven just to keep it warm.

          Dinner was wonderful.

transferring the potatoes from Stove to oven

keeping potatoes and meats warm

ghost style pancakes with blueberry faces

scrambled eggs made last

you can't tell, but the gravy boat contains

fresh blueberry syrup 

dinner table ready to serve yourself

yum

One Piece Might Not Protect Me - I Need It All

          Almost two hours after Jenna left for school, I looked outside the window to see a fog so thick it had nearly swallowed my view of the houses across the street.  Normally I don't get so excited by something that has impaired my vision, but unlike the hazy smoke that had lingered at the beginning of the month, I knew that the fog was clean and moist and would lift and be gone until another morning.  I've never seen the clouds so closely to my face.  It was pretty awesome.

          Right now the sky is clear and blue.  It is a sunny day.  There is no evidence that the fog had descended so low.  The scenery is clean.  There is nothing to impell my vision or breathing.

          Last night we fed the Elders.  The sun was beating on our house and shining through the windows.  The kitchen is always so hot without it.  Roland had the A/C on high and a fan had been set up to blow the cold air into the kitchen.  What cold air?

          We have a skylight in the front room, but Roland had covered it last year when the sun was pounding through - thus the room is not as well lit as the kitchen or our bedroom.  But I decided that we would eat in the living room as it was cooler than the kitchen. 

          We had Hawaiian haystacks and visited for a while before the elders excused themselves to go to their appointment. Elder Mafi left us with a thought about putting on the armor of God - a topic which I have taken all too lightly this month - and especially this week.  It's my final week for the two classes I am currently taking and I have been lacking ambition and motivation.  I haven't been wearing my entire armor of God - perhaps a piece here and there.

          Elder Mafi compared each part to an action such as scripture study or prayer.  I've only been wearing pieces of the armor - or worse - only just trying it on and not long at that.  I thanked him for the reminder.  This morning I woke up thinking about this song.  I also looked up images and subject to strengthen that which I would like to embrace and apply.

          Just as an orange without peel (it's armor, see here) I will sink in the waters of despair.  I want to wear my armor in order to stay afloat. 

          I also looked up and watched this video

Breakfast For Dinner

        Missionaries appreciate not only meeting the members, but having someone cook dinner for them - or at least I did.  Depending on the area,  I suppose there are some meals that can get tiresome for missionaries.  Spaghetti seems to be a huge staple.  Missionaries seem to get their fill of pizza in the ward I currently reside.  In my mission, the meal that was overdone always included fried chicken and some unidentified vegetable that had been boiled beyond recognition. 

        Serving chicken was so overdone that before my mission ended,  I was certain that I wouldn't care if I ever ate chicken again. And I think it was seriously a couple of years before I willingly ate it again.

        Roland always likes to do something different for the missionaries - something original that they (the missionaries) don't get very often.  We've had Hawaiian haystacks (we've actually had other members tell us how much the missionaries raved over that one), steak, meatloaf and one Jenna's favorites: breakfast.

        Although we weren't signed up to feed the missionaries until last night, Roland thought we should time ourselves the night prior just to see how long it took to make it all.  We had blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, hasbrowns, assorted muffins and juice.  Elder Campbell gave us the thumbs up.  The meal was quite a success.  Jenna missed having French toast, but really . . . that was a lot of food.

        We used paper plates and cups but not  disposable pans or serving dishes.  The sink was quite full like would be on Thanksgiving.  I haven't yet finished the dishes.