Undecorating

I have started to UNdecorate for fall in order to start decorating for Christmas. This process began last night as I took down the fall garland I had up and put it in a large plastic bag and then into the trunk that I have my decorations stored in. I went to get another decoration off the shelf and came back to the trunk, as I was putting it in the trunk I noticed a rustling sound coming from the plastic bag, I look in the bag and there looking back at me is Princess. She's lucky she didn't get shut in there and taken down to the basement!! Yet she looks at me as if I'm disturbing her when she knows she's the one who is not suposed to be there! Cats have this attitude as if they rule the world and we serve them. I read a quote once that said cats have never gotten over being worshiped as gods in ancient Egypt. I think it must be true because they are the snottiest creatures alive!!

Almond-Apple Coffee Cake

Almond-Apple Coffee Cake




1½ cups thinly sliced, peeled, tart apples

3 T brown sugar

1 T lemon juice

¾ tsp apple pie spice

2 T butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

½ tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

½ cup buttermilk

1 T sliced almonds

Glaze

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 tsp buttermilk

¼ tsp vanilla


In a large saucepan, combine the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, and apple pie spice. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until syrup is thickened and apples are tender, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar, beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Spoon batter into a greased 9 inch springform pan. Arrange apple mixture over top; sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack, Remove sides of pan. Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over top. Yield, 8 servings.

So Much To Do And So Little Time To Do It All In

Hello to everyone who actually reads this when I bother to update it, I apologize for not writing sooner, but.... life tends to get in the way. Today began early as the alarm went of at 6:30 am, I groaned and whined about getting up but I still had to shower and mix up the glaze for my Almond Apple Cake that I was taking since it was my turn to bring a snack for our Sunday School class, not to mention deciding what to wear and we were leaving early so Chris could get to church early and practice his duet. I finally managed to drag myself out of bed and into the shower, got dressed, made the glaze, and got everything ready ON TIME for ONCE in my life. Chris said he was going out to the car to wait for me-like always, I couldn't find my keys but I knew I could depend on Chris to have his keys. I walk out the door and lock it behind me remembering to bring everything I needed with me, not having forgotten anything, I get to the garage and meet Chris coming towards me, "Tell me you have your keys with you", he begs. I say "No, why should I?"  "Because I forgot my keys!" I empty out my purse just to be sure, shivering in the frigidly cold wind, no keys. He calls his family who live 15 minutes away and his father drives into town with car keys but we had not gotten around to giving an extra set to his family just to be on the safe side like we meant to. We had also meant to hide a spare set under a rock or something but that never happened either. Here we are suposed to be at church at 8:15, I make a HUGE effort to get out the door on time and we're stuck, no keys to the house or the car!!! His father came and we were able to get into the car, but there were no house keys hiding in there, the landlord live outside of town too and he wasn't about to drive all the way into town just to unlock our front door for us. We hopped into the car and headed out to church at 8:17, no breakfast, no morning coffee, and two very grumpy people. We made it to church finally and did have a wonderful worship service and sunday school, my cake was a hit and so was Chris' song, although he thought he bombed, those of us in the congregation thought he sounded good. :-) We picked up the keys from the landlord and I got my HUGE cup of the sustenance of life otherwise known as coffee. Chris has forgiven me for being on time for once in my life and I have forgiven him for not remembering his keys and getting upset at me because of it. :-) Of course now when he complains about me being late I have the perfect excuse!!!     

What does a Cat-Lizard look like?

I just finished re-reading David Weber’s By Heresies Distressed the third book in his Safehold series. Basically, the planet of Safehold is the last hope for humanity’s continued existence. A hostile alien race called the Gbaba has mercilessly destroyed all the rest of humanity including the planet earth. There had been a previous attempt to establish a colony on a planet far far away from the rest of the planets that the people of Earth had settled, but the Gbaba had found them and destroyed them as well and the theory was that they had found them through the traces of energy that their technologically advanced society had put out.

A new fleet of ships was arranged to take humanity’s remnants to a safe place and due to the fear of the technological giveaway the colonists agreed to stay a low tech society for at least three hundred years. Unbeknownst to them, however, some of the leaders of the expedition mind wiped them and created this idea that they were Archangels of God and the colonists were each Adams and Eves of the new society that was designed to stay low tech forever. They destroyed those others of the leadership who disagreed with their megalomaniac idea.

Those in opposition had seen what was coming and put a few backup plans in motion, after all, even if they stayed a low tech society there was no guarantee that the Gbaba wouldn’t eventually find them. The only hope would be for humanity to take to the stars again and obliterate the Gbaba. To this end they left behind a PICA, a high tech robot that looks, sounds and acts human, that you can download your personality into and then go do dangerous things and experience them firsthand as a part of the robot. “Merlin” was set to awaken several centuries after the colony was started, and he alone knows the truth of the founding of the planet. He is tasked with destroying the “church” that controls the entire planet they have severe restrictions on new technological improvements and keep the planet at a level equivalent to the middle ages of Earth. There is also a system in orbit that has the power to destroy anything that comes close to its technological level.

I read the latest book in the series A Mighty Fortress (Safehold Book 4) not too long ago when it finally reached the Boone Library, but realized that due to the length of time between book releases, I needed to go back and re-read the series to update myself on certain details. Something that has me curious is what a cat-lizard looks like. A lot of the planet’s creatures are reptilian in nature and they have a pet called a Cat-Lizard that acts and apparently looks a lot like a cat, but I just can’t wrap my mind around the lizard/cat combo. The first book of the series is Off Armageddon Reefand By Schism Rent Asunder (Safehold 2)  is the second book in the series.

Labor Day Weekend Musings

We had a fun and exciting Labor day weekend. After church on Sunday we went out to the King farm to have our pre-labor day celebration with Chris' family as we had our own plans for Monday. We had yummy brats, Grimes Sweet Corn, and Mom King's baked beans for lunch, we hung out for a while then headed back to Boone around 4 at which time Chris said, "Oh by the way, we were invited to Henriksen's for a barbecue tonight around 6." Needless to say we had a discussion about his timing, but he did tell me he forgot until we were in the car on the way home. So after an hour or so at home we headed back out to Madrid.

It was quite an eventful trip as I saw lightening bolt after jagged lightening bolt hit the fields around us and even on the highway out in front of us. It was especially odd because I could see the sun shining through and blue sky on either side of us and then the patch of storm clouds overhead and in front of us. We got out to Tim and Cassie Henriksen's house just as it started pouring. We had a fun time hanging out with the youth group kids and some other adults from church who were there.

When we came home for the final time that night, Bogey escaped out the door as we were coming in. Trying to find a gray cat on a dark night is not fun. We gave up and decided to let him roam for the night figuring he'd come back eventually and wait at the front door to be let in like he has before. Unfortunately we had forgotten that we left the kitchen window open so when Bogey wanted in he climbed up the wall of the house and broke through the screen window. Chris found him taking a nap on the couch as if he'd never been gone and there was a huge hole in the screen window. We do know a guy in Ogden who fixes windows so Chris took out the screen and is going to drop it off after work tonight.

I caught Princess yesterday with her body halfway through the hole trying to escape. She had also gotten out on Sunday as we were heading out the door to go to church-perfect timing, but she only got off the front porch and down to the sidewalk where she froze in a panic and I just scooped her up and dumped her back inside the door. She likes the idea of going outside but once she's out there she doesn't like it and doesn't know what to do so she just whines for me to rescue her!!

I just finished reading Gail Fraser's latest Lumby book,  Lumby on the Air (Large Print: Lib. Bdg.: Alk. Paper) it's the fifth book in the series.
Pam and Mark Walker the owners of Montis Inn, a remodeled monastery, decided to renew their vows on their 25th wedding anniversary and combine it with a family reunion as well. In the nearby town of Lumby, the largest property owner in the area decides to sell his thousands of acres of real estate to the highest commercial bidder. Fearing their town being turned into a ski resort the Lumby residents are in a panic. Nationally known controversial radio talk show host Carter Reed happens to be the brother in law of Mark Walker and comes to Lumby for the week of the family reunion. Broadcasting live from Montis Inn he gets involved in the debate of commercialism versus quality of life and enjoys stirring the pot.

I love Hank, the plastic Flamingo who is the town mascot and thinks he's an Alaskan Eagle and suffers from acrophobia. If you go to the lumbybooks.com website you can visit Hank's page and get caught up on what the nutty bird is doing now. I laugh so hard when I read these books, Gail Fraser is one of my all time favorite authors. Lumby is somewhat like Jan Karon's Mitford so if you like Jan Karon you will LOVE Gail Fraser. I stayed up until 2:30 last night finishing this book.

Her first book is The Lumby Lines Lumby is a little town in the northwest up in the Rockies. Mark and Pam Walker, a vacationing couple from the East Coast, decide to restore Lumby's ramshackle Montis Abbey and turn it into an inn. It takes a while for the town residents to warm up to the outsiders, most especially William Beezer, owner of The Lumby Lines the local paper. The Walkers and the town residents gradually learn to get to know each other and the newcomers discover that Lumby isn't just a town, it's a way of life.

The second one in the series is Stealing Lumby In a small town like Lumby everyone knows one another and crime is practically nonexistent. So when a famous and very valuable 50-year-old painting of two local barns is stolen en route from New York City to the British Museum, the townsfolk are in an uproar as the media descend on Lumby, digging up whatever information they can about the artist and his stay in their humble town years ago.

The third is  Lumby's Bounty The mayor's teenage son commits the town to building a balloon for the regional festival it must host in twelve short weeks. Knowing nothing about hot air balloons and being unable to back out of the deal, the town's worthies take up the challenge, wreaking havoc along the way as test balloons suffer hilarious fates. But two foreigners who are visiting the monks Saint Cross Abbey come to their rescue; Kai, a sincere young man who discovers his destiny is not in the priesthood, and his brother, Jamar, who brings his own brand of charismatic mischief to the scene and involves several locals in a wildly romantic real estate venture. As the festival approaches, the monks of Saint Cross Abbey, now nationally known for their good works, struggle to deal with the masses of devotees-and more than a few nutcases-flocking to take up residence on the monastery grounds. But in the end, the skies clear and The Bounty of Lumby, breathtaking in color and size, lifts off the ground and floats gently over Montis Inn.

Fourth in the series is The Promise of Lumby
When their beloved veterinarian decides to retire, Dr. Tom Candor applies for the job and is embraced by the town. But when one distrusting journalist digs up Tom's past, Lumby turns its back on him. Only after Dr. Candor leaves with one of their most beloved residents do the townsfolk pause and consider the consequences of its actions: after all, who will care for Hank the plastic flamingo if he falls ill? While some residents concoct the wildest of schemes to charm the vet back, Pam and Mark Walker respond to the Montis Inn being unexpectedly thrown into the limelight. And in Franklin, the monks of Saint Cross Abbey open their doors to a group of religious vintners, the Sisters of St. Amand who have vine roots and cases of award-winning wine in tow.

Spicy Apple Cake

½ cup butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 ½ cups peeled chopped apples
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground allspice
1/3 cup water
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 cups flour
1/3 cup raisins


Combine butter, sugar, eggs, salt, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. Stir in apples and raisins. Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add to first mixture. Stir in water. Spread in well-greased 9” square baking pan. Bake in 350 oven 40 minutes or until done.

Topping

3 T butter
¾ cup brown sugar firmly packed
1/3 cup nuts-optional
3 T milk
1 ¼ tsp light corn syrup.

Combine butter, brown sugar, milk and corn syrup in saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add nuts. Pour over hot baked cake. Makes 9-12 servings.


King Family Baked Beans

1 big can Van Camp's pork and beans drained
½ bottle ketchup salt and pepper to taste
6 slices bacon cooked and cut into small pieces
1 cup brown sugar

Pour beans, ketchup sugar, salt and pepper into a large oven safe bowl, mix and add cooked bacon pieces to top. Bake at 325º to 350º until bacon is brown, About 45 minutes to an hour.

Fall is Here!!!

It's been some time since I last updated this blog, life just has a way of flying past so I am trying to slow down and enjoy each day that God has given me. It's 59 degrees outside and I am enjoying the sunshine and cooler weather today.

I am between surveys right now so I am getting caught up on my reading. Yesterday I finished three books. :-) I'm currently re-reading Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the Kremlin. I do start a new survey sponsored by Dartmouth about the media influence on teenagers soon, that sounds like it should be fairly interesting.

Chris and I are planning a lovely Labor day picnic here in our front yard. I plan to make Iowa sweet corn for the last time this year, we'll grill some steaks and have his mother's baked beans recipe and twice baked potatoes and stuffed mushrooms from Hy -Vee-yum!

We are down one cat since I last updated this blog. We found a home for Gizmo on a farm in the country and dropped her off never to be seen again. The people we left her with say that she took off and they haven't seen her since. I feel bad that she is missing, but ever since she got fixed she has not been the same cat. I have suspicions that she was under the anesthesia a tad too long because she was a very energetic fun loving kitten but then she turned into a brainless fat lump that didn't like to do much of anything but gobble down her food and puke it back up again. The final straw for me was when she puked on edge of the bed and it went all the way down to the floor. We found her a new home shortly after.

Today I am baking a Spicy Apple Cake for our young adult Sunday school tomorrow. I got the recipe out of my Apple Lovers Cook Book that I got at the Iowa Arboretum. It's a really cool place. If you've never gone there you really should-that is if you're in Iowa of course.

I'm in the mood for Fall, I have already started putting out my Autumn decorations. I went to Hobby Lobby the other day and they had all of their seasonal items on sale. It was hard not to go crazy but I get my thriftiness from my mother who always asked us "Now, do you really need that?" whenever we started whining about stuff we wanted to get. Even if we used our allowance she would always ask us that question. it was annoying when I was a kid but now that I'm an adult I realize the value of it. Of course, no one beats Karen Conkle when it comes to being cheap, but I'm still in training :-)

I just heard from my baby sister who is in language study in the country of Guinea. She writes that their language teacher is going to teach them how to use the squatty potty, now being an MK, I would think that she doesn't need lessons in this, but perhaps she has forgotten the lessons of her childhood. It reminded me of something I heard on WHO Radio on Thursday, the host of the show was talking about Drew Barrymore and some other Hollywood stars who recently spent a week or so in a remote village in Chili with no electricity or running water. Ms. Barrymore spoke about taking a dump out in the woods and how thrilling it was. Now me, I wondered, how did the villagers take having her poop out in the woods in the middle of nowhere where anyone could walk into it instead of using the facilities that I'm sure the villagers had set up. I mean I've been to remote villages in West Africa where they had a specific place set up for bathroom facilities, it was a squatty potty but it was still a potty, you didn't just go anywhere you felt like!

One of my other sisters-I have three altogether-Becky, is a missionary in Mali, West Africa. She is 7 1/2 months pregnant is hosting a sleep over for Ella, her oldest while her youngest, Lydia has bronchitis. She claims her middle child, Aiden, is just like me as he constantly walks into walls and things, she says this because on Wednesday I managed to trip over the floor fan in our living room and take a flying leap. I now have carpet burn on both knees, elbows, and wrists.

My other sister, Becky's twin, Rachel, is currently suffering for the Lord in Paris with her family visiting her in-laws who are missionaries to France.

My youngest sibling and only brother, Ben, is currently getting ready to enter med school in the Caribean. Apparently you have to be 100% healthy to enter med school, he just had to get tested for HIV and is now getting tested for TB. My mother is concerned because he is the only one of us without a spouse, she found what she thought was the perfect wife for him once but he would have nothing to do with the poor girl!!! Ben has inherited the full strength of Conkle stubbornness. If he doesn't want to do something there is no way you can make him. I still remember when he was a little boy and Mom made something he didn't want to eat he would sit at the table all day with the food in front of him and still not eat it, the rules being if you didn't eat it the first time around you had to eat it for the next meal. I also remember a time when he smacked Abby for something-she was great at provoking him until he snapped and then running crying to Mom and Dad that Benny had hit her, what a brat! So Dad would haul Benny off to get a spanking and I'd hear him yelling, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry"-meaning he was sorry he was getting spanked, not that he was sorry for hitting Abby. Of course Abs would also get a spanking for bugging him.