Calling all Miracles

We are having a rough day at our house. I have tried to keep our blog happy, hence why we haven't had any posts for a while. I have held the opinion "If you can't say something nice..." but we are feeling lost right now and since the only people who follow our blog is family, I figured it was okay to share.

Bruce had an interview on Wednesday for a teaching position. He felt so good about the interview and we were finally feeling optimistic that things would change for the good. It would have provided us with insurance in time for our little girl to be born. It would have put us in a position to get out of debt (which we have accumulated more of since being out of work for nearly a year). It would have answered our questions on what to do. But this morning, he received a phone call telling him that they had chosen someone else. He is very discouraged. I am very discouraged. We don't really know what to do at this point.

We felt so strongly in March that we were making the right decision with me being a stay at home mom. It really honestly felt like that was what we were supposed to do. We felt the same way when we found out we were pregnant. It wasn't the best circumstances, but we believed that Heavenly Father would take care of us. Nine months sounds like forever and we figured that Bruce would most assuredly have a job by then. We are now nearing the deadline for him to get a job with the wonderful 90 day waiting period that most jobs have for insurance. And there is nothing in sight. Part of the problem is that my going back to work now is a little harder. Who is going to hire a woman who is almost six months pregnant? I really don't want to go back to work, either. I feel like that is giving up on what we felt was right. So what do we do?

How do you maintain your faith when it feels like nothing is happening in the way you need it to? We keep getting blessing that just tell us to be patient and faithful, but how long can we do that? Bruce is at the end of his rope and is honestly thinking of giving up his dream of teaching. I hate to see him do that because he is so wonderful at it and I feel like that is what he should do. At what point, though, do we face the reality that this isn't working for us?

I guess I need some faith affirming miracles in our life. We have such a sweet little boy and we want our family to continue to grow and develop. That is extremely hard, though, when we are living with family because we can't afford housing right now. It is even harder to develop our own family traditions and practices when you are living with other people. We are ready for our miracle. We are in desperate need of our miracle.

Enough of the negative. No more complaining. I know that compared to a lot of people, we are so lucky. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.

Year End 2011

So, we haven't updated our blog in a while. I thought it might be time now, with Christmas just past and the end of the year around the corner. We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It is so much fun now that our little man is big enough to really enjoy it. We are so thankful for our wonderful friends and family that made it such a special day. We had a couple of surprises this holiday season. Early in the season one night we received a gift card from an anonymous neighbor, which really helped with some of the holiday expenses. Then, on Christmas Eve, we received another package. Inside it was a little gift for Gideon and stuff for Mom and Dad. What a special thing to feel that loved, especially when Bruce is still unemployed.

Our other exciting news is that we are expecting a little girl in April. We are excited to have her join our family. It is a little bit stressful to be facing this without a job, but we know that Heavenly Father will help us in this wonderful opportunity. Gideon will be such a great big brother and Daddy is excited to have a little girl to spoil!

The Legacy Left Behind

I have often thought about what kind of legacy I want to leave behind. This question has come more to my mind these last two weeks as we celebrated my grandmother, who passed away on August 27, 2011 at the age of 88. So I get to share a few of my fondest memories of her and how I hope that when I have reached that age, I can leave the kind of enduring legacy she has.

My grandmother was a farmers wife. Even in the years when they didn't farm. I hear stories of how thrifty she was, how she loved life even when life didn't seem to love her back. She was the proud mama of 10 children, 48 grandchildren, and 85 and counting great grandchildren. I am so sad that my children won't get to know her, but I am so grateful that I have some pictures of her and Gideon. Her funeral was a celebration for all of those people. My father says that he suspects the number of people celebrating her on the other side was probably a lot higher, and I tend to agree. After ten years, she gets to join her sweetheart on the other side, plus two of her boys who preceded her in death.

My memories of my grandma are simple. She was the most amazing cook. I really believe that her motto may really have been "Only cowards cook on low!" When we would visit her farm as kids, she would make the most amazing breakfasts. The kind that as a kid make you so excited. Pancakes, homemade syrup, oatmeal, cold cereal, eggs, bacon, sausage, orange juice, fresh milk, and all of the other foods you could possibly hope for. To this day, I miss those breakfasts. She also made these amazing Christmas tins for the holidays full of her fudge, brittle, and all of her wonderful candy. I will admit that her fruitcake is the only fruitcake I have ever cared for. At her funeral, though, I found out that even though this was her specialty, she never really cared for it. She made it because she knew her family loved it.

She was a woman of faith. I remember her playing the piano and singing. She was always singing. I remember kneeling down for family prayers with her and the way her hands felt when she would hold mine while we prayed. I remember the wonderful birthday cards that she sent me every year, with their words of encouragement. Her promises that if I kept living faithfully all of my righteous desires would happen. She was right. Maybe not when I wanted things, but she was right.

I hope someday that I can leave behind the same legacy she leaves. I hope someday that people will look at me and say "You remind me of her." As I raise my children, I hope that I can have that same strength of character and conviction that she had. It's funny how much a funeral can make you reevaluate your own goals and desires. I hope that I can be the same kind of wife and mother that she was!

Life Ain't Always Easy...

My goal in starting this blog was to tell about our little family. All of our ups and downs (with more ups, preferably). We have had a wonderful summer. But interlaced with all of the good things came the hardest part of our summer. Bruce is still looking for a job. With graduation in May came the hard part of him finding a teaching job. He still hasn't found one and most schools start in a week. I am so grateful for my husband, for his hard work and his willingness to do whatever it takes to take care of our family. Unfortunately for him, this may mean not being a teacher for a while as he has not received any job offers. I hate the fact that he has to give up his dream a little. It is not what we planned for our little family. I know that Heavenly Father is taking care of us, though, so I have to trust that there really is a reason behind this. We have had so many prayers offered from family on our behalf in the search for a job and we really appreciate this. Keep 'em coming. Hopefully the Walther household will be gainfully employed soon and Bruce can get back to doing what he wants to do!

Gideon turned one at the end of July. What a fun time! It's hard to believe its been a year since this boy who is so full of energy came into our lives. We've spent two weeks partying for him. He had a party at Grandma and Grandpa Walther's house, cupcakes at camping, and another party for my mothers family (the Cressall Clan). Now we can post all of these fun pics and celebrate what a wonderful boy we have. We also got to go on several camping trips this summer. It was more of an adventure than I imagined. Taking a one year old camping requires a lot more packing than I knew was possible. But we had a blast. We went to Moab, to the Olpin reunion, and to the Loveless reunion. I am excited and sad to say our camping season has pretty much come to an end.

Gideon got to experience a lot of firsts this summer too. His first trip to the zoo with Mor Mor. His first train ride. His first fireworks show. How fun it was to see it all through his eyes. I was positive that he would be scared at the fireworks. Nope. He just sat in his dads lap and watched with wide eyes. No scaredy cat at our house! It reminded me of what a great thing it was seeing all of that when I was growing up. I hope that our kids (future one's included) can really learn to enjoy life and find wonder in the experiences. Thank you, baby boy, for reminding me of that.

Last- the cookie count. After taking cookies to every major family event this summer, our cookie count is now at 906. I am well on my way to my 2000 goal. I have a couple of major cookie events (yes, that is how I calculate events by; can I bring cookies to that?) coming up, so hopefully that number will jump above 1000 by the end of August. Again, any recipes would be welcome!

Big day!

We have had a great couple of weeks. This Friday, Bruce graduates from the U with a degree in Elementary Education. We are so excited to celebrate this wonderful event. He has been such a great husband and provider and we know that he will continue to do great. There are certain people that are made to do a certain profession. For Bruce it is teaching. I am so pleased with him. We will take lots of pictures and be sure to share them with all of our family and friends.

We also had our first Easter with Gideon. While we tried to focus as a family on the Resurrection, it was a special day. What made it even more special was the opportunity to spend time with our family. We got to spend the day with Bruce's parents. Gideon got to go on his first Easter Egg hunt thanks to Mor Mor. We are so thankful for our little family. We are thankful for this wonderful time of year, for spring renewal and for Easter and the wonderful promise that it brings to us.

My cookie count for the year is 341. I have made several different types of cookies, but I wanted to share two of my recent recipes with you. I have to admit that my favorite one has been the carrot cookies. However, Bruce is more fond of the traditional. One of these days I'm going to find a super great recipe that is new and exciting and that he will love.

The carrot cookie is a citrus flavored cookie that is light and super moist. I made them fairly small so that they could be almost a one bite cookie. Yummy. It is a little time consuming due to having to cook the carrots and mash them as well as having to frost the cookies, but so worth the effort! The recipe is courtesy of food.com as well as my grandma. She used to make these cookies and they remind me of my wonderful Grandma Loveless. So, Dad, this cookie recipe is for you. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

2 lbs carrots
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups shortening
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. lemon extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
2-4 Tbsp. orange juice

1. Prepare carrots: wash, peel, and coarsely chop about 2 lbs of carrots. Boil in water until tender, usually about 20 minutes. Drain water from carrots then mash. Allow to cool to room temperature or refrigerate if you are going to prepare the cookie batter later. Measure 2 cups of
carrots for recipe.
2. Preheat oven to 375 f degrees.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
4. Cream together sugar, shortening, eggs, vanilla, and lemon extracts with a mixer in a large mixing bowl
5. Add in combined flour, baking powder, and salt
6. Add cooled mashed carrots and mix in, being careful not to over mix
7. Drop cookie dough by tablespoons onto ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet, at least one inch apart.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the surface looks dry. While the cookies are cooling, prepare the frosting.
9. Mix the powdered sugar with the butter then add the orange juice a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.
10. Frost cookies and store in the refrigerator with layers separated by waxed paper.

Enjoy these cookies. They are amazing. I will post my recipe from today for Zucchini Cookies in the next several days.

Cookie Count

189 cookies for the month of April. We're getting there! Now all we have to do is make 61 sugar cookies for Easter and we'll be set. Such a hardship to make all of those cookies. ;)

My New Goal

Bruce has finished his student teaching. Happy day for us. He was blessed to be with a wonderful teacher and had an awesome experience. Now he's trying for substitute teaching jobs and still working his part time job. This week he should get his final letter of recommendation and hopefully will finish his applications for all of the school districts in our area. Let's pray that something comes up quick so that our family can be gainfully employed!

I am loving being a stay at home mom. It has been so much fun to watch Gideon grow and develop. He has two teeth now! In one week, both of them came up. At this rate, he will have a whole mouthful within a couple of months! He is such a sweet, happy boy. I hate to see him in pain with teething, but it has been so nice to have him cuddle up to Mama. It's the best part of the day. We went and had pictures taken with the Easter Bunny at the mall and I'm already planning on how to scrapbook them. Unfortunately, they are copyrighted, so none of you get to see them. But I have some other fun pics to add today.

As part of being a stay at home mom, I have had the opportunity to spend more time doing the hobby I love; cooking! I have had a blast trying out new recipes and having my nephew help me make cookies. He is going to be one heck of a cook by the time he is three! :) This got me thinking. Last year I had a co-worker who made a goal of making 2000 cookies in a year. She didn't quite make it, but I rather enjoyed tasting the fruit of her labors. So this year, I'm doing the same thing. And I'm trying all sorts of new recipes. For the few people who actually read my blog, and would like cookies, here is the rule: I'll make cookies if you provide me with a new recipe to try. But let's be honest. Even if you don't provide a recipe, you may still end up with a plate on your doorstep. I would just like to try new recipes. And I'll share the recipes on here that I've tried and my family has enjoyed.

Today's recipe is Applesauce Chocolate Chip cookies. They are super moist and have a fluffy texture. So far, I'm a fan. Thanks to my mom's ward cookbook for providing the recipe!

Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c. applesauce
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. shortening or butter (I made it with butter)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. sifted flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pkg chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

In a small bowl, combine applesauce and soda. Let stand. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in applesauce. Add sifted ingredients along with chocolate chips and nuts. drop from teaspoon onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 8 to 12 minutes. (I have a convection oven and found the magic number on my oven to actually be 7 minutes. So watch them carefully!) Makes between 4 to 5 dozen small cookies.

Total count for cookies for the month of April is 93. I'll update it at least monthly, but with Easter this month, I think I can easily double this number before the end of the month. My goal is about 250 cookies a month to reach the goal for the year!