Sweet Corn!

One of the joys of living in the Mid-West is the great abundance of harvest "goodies" available each fall. The annual Sweet Corn Festival in Normal marks the beginning of this delightful season, and we await it each year with eager anticipation. What a wonderful way to bid the summer "good-bye".











The sweet corn is cooked in this old steam-engine- converted- roaster. It even makes the whistle noise of an old steam engine train... how fun!


All the corn is piled into the middle of the street for shucking, cleaning, and cooking by a team of workers. They keep cooking for two days 'till every last ear is gone.












Kyle enjoys his hot, freshly-steamed corn. We had to bring our own pepper grinder to add to the flavor this year.






My favorite part of the festival is the lemonade shake-up, which I talk about for weeks prior to the event. The enjoyment of each delightful sip was everything I had hoped.

And so begins the harvest season in Central Illinois...

Blessed

As I sit at my kitchen table tonight, I am struck with a sense of blessing. What good things God has done for us! When I think of who I would be without the grace of God, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and thanksgiving. May my life be lived fully for His glory... no matter the cost!

Kitchen Moments

I truly enjoy baking. Cooking dinner? Not so much fun. But give me a vision for a beautiful confectionery and I am in bliss.

Through the purchase of Kyle's espresso maker, our name has ended up on the William-Sonoma catalog list. While this can often be a dangerous thing, I saw a fabulous new toy in the most recent edition... and for once it was actually in our price range! This last week I became the happy new owner of a lattice pocket pie mold.

Behold the results...

Kyle has graciously offered to be my "critic" in evaluating the results of my labors... grudgingly, of course! :)

Memories...

It's strange the memories we cherish. Though there are many wonderful, serious, important moments of my life that include my grandfather, it was the little snapshots that ranged at the forefront of my mind this past weekend.

... bags of circus peanuts... snapping his belt above our heads... the wonderful sandbox he painstakingly created for us on the lake... trips in the boat... "learning" to ski & "learning" to dive (two things I still NEVER attempt)... a tall glass of water with no ice each night at dinner... throwing us in the water ... mechanical toys... practical jokes... raisin bran cereal... his ongoing battle with the beavers... getting letters from the great Grand PAW Oz....

Why is it that the seemingly insignificant moments are the ones we cherish most in life?

A Pale, Yellowish-Green Thumb

Despite my unhappy attempts with several other houseplants who were sent off to the garden gods with a memorializing sigh, I am going to attempt the growth of something green in my home. Thus motivated, I have begun an herb garden!

Having decided that the unfortunate end of my other snapshots of nature was largely due to lack of direct sunlight in our energy-efficient, cleverly-built home, I invested in a grow-light for my birthday.

Thus far, my culinary herb collection consists only of rosemary, which I have carefully placed in perfectly blended soil just as my research indicated. Rocks at the bottom f
or good drainage... to prevent root rot. A misting bottle... to prevent underwatering. Placement near the light... to help growth. Placement far enough away from the light... to keep the leaves from being dried to a crisp. Perfect home temperature... to ensure healthy growth. At this point it occurs to me that I have known new pets that require less maintainence.


I am looking forward to picking out at least two more plants at our local farmer's market this week. Basil, mint, chives, and thyme have made the final cutting list.


Any suggestions for deepening the shade of green in my thumb would be greatly appreciated. Until that occurs... say a gardener's prayer for the lives of my unsuspecting new houseguests.