Becka's blog

I'm going to do a few posts to document the last few weeks. This one is about my last week at work. It was bittersweet in many ways. I know I will greatly enjoy being at home and babysitting baby Ryan, but I also know I will also greatly miss my friends at work.

It has been a tradition in our office when someone has a birthday to take them out for lunch. Since my birthday was the Monday after I finished working my co-workers took me out to lunch on Tuesday at one of my favorite restaurants, Seasons Restaurant in Flat Rock, North Carolina. The restaurant is on a property which has been many things over the years, including a camp and a school. It's just a short (but beautiful) drive away and is just down the road from Carl Sandburg's house.

Here's a picture of my friend Judy at Seasons:

It has also been a tradition in our office to bring in refreshments for the birthday person. On Wednesday my co-workers brought in a variety of special treats and we celebrated again!

My friend Susie is one of the most creative people I know and this is the lovely gift wrapping she used for my birthday present:

My coworkers totally surprised me Thursday with a farewell party and a very generous gift. Here are pictures from the event:

My family were all in on the surprise and did a thorough job of keeping me in the dark!

Here are some of the ladies that I worked with everyday:

Here is Mr. R who helped prepare the beautiful and delicious food for my surprise party:

Isn't this a lovely fruit tray?

I could not have asked for kinder, more generous friends to work with. I have truly been blessed in the years I have worked with them and thank the Lord for each one of them.

Becka

In my last post I posted what I consider to be a good recipe for Rice Krispie Treats. The recipe for today's treats is a superlative one. Years ago I read an article by Peg Bracken entitled "When you want to hang a ruffle on." Her article described ways that you could add a little flair to an ordinary meal when you had unexpected guests. Well, if you want to hang a ruffle on your Rice Krispie Treats this is the recipe for you. I found this recipe recently on a delightful website called Mennonite Girls Can Cook. It reminded me of a recipe from my childhood neighbor, June. Her bars were called Special K Bars. I believe back in that era Special K cereal was similar to Rice Krispies and not flaked as it is today. Anyway, this recipe is delicious and you might want to try it if you need a dessert and don't feel like heating up the oven.

Superlative Rice Krispie Treats

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips

In a saucepan combine the sugar and light corn syrup and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Add the Rice Krispies and stir well to combine. Spread into a buttered 9" x 13" pan. Melt together the butterscotch and chocolate chips and spread over the Krispie layer. (You can melt them in the microwave in three 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval.) Let cool and cut into bars. Enjoy!

We made a whirlwind trip to Ohio over the weekend where we were met by our son-in-law who came to take Megan and Drew home. We had a rather pleasant trip with no delays and beautiful green landscape all along the way. Unfortunately Meg, Jim, and Drew were delayed quite a bit by a horrendous rain storm that has left them without power for over twenty-four hours. Then to make it even worse Drew got sick during the night and threw up and they had to try to clean things up in the dark. Tonight they are staying with Jim's sister and brother-in-law and we are praying that their power will be restored very soon. On a more positive note Megan had a good check up at the doctor today and got to hear the baby's heart beat.

Becka

You may remember several years ago there was a commercial about making Rice Krispie Treats. In the commercial the woman making the treats was out in the kitchen reading a novel after making the treats while her family was in the dining room asking if they were ready yet. After she yells "These things take time," she finally puts down the novel, throws some flour on her face, and enters the dining room with a platter of the treats, much to the delight of the family.

Rice KrispieTreats are quick and easy to make in the microwave and they are very tasty. Here's a recipe for my favorite version:

Marshmallow Treats

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
4 cups of mini marshmallows
5 cups chocolate krispies (I got these at Aldi -- most stores have their own brand)

In a large bowl or measuring cup (I use a 6 cup measure) melt the butter and peanut butter on high for 35-45 seconds. Add the marshmallows and microwave for 1 minute at 70% power. Stir in the krispies and coat throughly. Press into a buttered 9" x 13" pan. Cool and cut into squares. Enjoy your quick and easy treat!

While Drew has been with us this week he has been helping with a variety of chores around the house. Here he is washing the bench from our front porch:

Here he is rolling out some dough for Gorditas with his mom. He said he was "doughing." We've been having fun.

Becka

The day after I retired we left for a trip to Ohio and Michigan. We were able to see many friends and family members while we were up there and I hope to write a few more posts about some of these events in the near future. We spent the majority of the week at Megan and Jim's house and then Megan and Drew came back home with us this week. We are enjoying having them here and have been keeping busy with a variety of activities.

We called Megan when we were pretty close to her house, and when we walked in the door Drew greeted us wearing this shirt:

Megan is expecting baby #2 sometime in the early spring. This is considered a high-risk pregnancy, and she has been to the doctor several times and has already had her first ultra-sound. She has another one scheduled for the week she returns home. Needless to say we were all thrilled by this news and would appreciate your prayers for a strong healthy baby and a safe delivery.

We were able to visit with Rob's mother on her birthday and take her out to dinner at Cracker Barrel. We all enjoyed the meal and we discovered that they will give the birthday person a complimentary dessert. Megan and I made her this wreath (Megan did most of the work) for on the door of her room at the nursing home. She loves purple.

Megan has a link on her blog which gives the instructions for making this wreath if you are interested.

I had several posts in the works before we left on our trip but we accidentally left the pictures here at home. So, I should have plenty to talk about in the near future.

Becka

Do you remember hearing that phrase early in life? I know that there are people in the world who do have to work extremely hard in deplorable conditions, but most of us today don't have to work very hard very often. Our homes are filled with labor saving devices and we can purchase many ready to wear clothes and household items and even ready to eat food items.

A friend of mine sent me a subscription to Ladies Home Journal magazine for Christmas and in the July issue was an article entitled Want to Be Happier? Try Making Your Life a Little Harder. The basic idea promoted in this article is that we derive joy and satisfaction from meaningful, productive work such as baking bread, mowing the grass, or hemming a skirt.

This article reminded me of one of my favorite books, The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer. I have seen her book mentioned on many other blogs, so I know it is a favorite for many women. It is one I have read and reread several times. Her basic premise is that we were created by God to create and we can be creative in many everyday tasks of life such as cooking, decorating our homes, gardening, working with children, making music, etc. Creating a pleasant home for those you love can be very satisfying.

So, I would encourage you during these days of summer to create something by hand or to do something the old-fashioned way just for the joy and the fun of it.

Becka