Chasing Rainbows

Many mornings in the pre-early dawn my mind hovers around a hazy place that threatens to engulf me in self pity, doubt and defeatism. I’m only half awake but awake enough to feel overwhelmed at the day before me. I, dear reader, am one of those who often takes on too much—or at least I think I do.
So, I lay there for a few hours more--not awake and not asleep-- because... darn it...it’s too early and I don’t need to get up yet! Tossing and turning doesn’t really thrill my husband (or me), so I eventually give up, kick off the covers and drag myself to the shower. By now, the sun is shining and I am fully awake because--for one thing--I’m freezing!
It doesn’t happen very often, but once in a great while a little rainbow in miniature appears on the tiny squares of tile that litter my shower’s floor. It bounces around like an errant school boy, almost willing me to catch it. I wouldn’t be surprised if a little giggle actually burbled out of the mini arc. I can not help but smile, but I am puzzled as to its appearance, although I do have a small, square patch of skylight installed above the shower. I have never regretted that. I love looking up through it on a day when clouds and blue are scattered about profusely. It’s my... Ahhhhhh, Calgon, take me away...moment.

I know that, simplistically, water and sunlight help make a rainbow, but it seems absurd that a tiny little arch of technicolor should appear in my shower at that precise moment. It was as if Tinkerbell were there with me! I feel silly as I look around my watery chamber, somewhat furtively, to see how it could be. And though I’m still not sure, it probably has to do with the thick glass door on the shower—mimicking a prism. Nonetheless, it’s simply beyond my understanding how that all lines up at precisely the right moment and place to produce the multi-colored swatch on the wet floor.
Naturally, the whole presence of the rainbow throws my mind into overtime thinking about a God who’s brain can dream up rainbows (especially in my shower) and how the fracturing of light produces a wholeness in the color scale. (Don't you just love oxymorons and their contrasting ideas?)
All this chasing after rainbows makes me think of friends of ours who lease summer rangeland to run their cattle on a place called “The Cat’s Back on the Divide here in Wallowa County, Oregon. It’s about the most beautiful spot on God's green acres, in many people’s opinion—including my husband's. The older couple were out riding their horses there one day when after a pouring rain, a huge over-arching rainbow suddenly appeared before them. To their surprise, amazement and sheer ecstacy they actually rode right under it or through it--I’m not sure which--the colors drenching their clothes and faces in multi colored hues of radiance. It must have been an awesome experience in the truest sense of that over-worked word, and I’ve never heard of such a thing before or since.

For most of us, rainbows are elusive and no one I know (besides my friends mentioned) ever really reaches one. All too soon my little fellow disappeared as well, but not before making me smile as I remembered it was God’s promise—and that is the point of a rainbow! Its very presence is to make us remember that He has not forgotten us.

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.--Genisis 9:13-16
Right there in my shower I said an out loud thank you to God for giving me this little happy remembrance that He is indeed there and that He provides. Suddenly I realized I was not only going to make it through the day, but do so triumphantly, knowing He had something worthwhile for me to accomplish and was there to help me do it.  I know it may have been a flight of fancy,  but I wanted to believe that the little rainbow’s reflection, which turned up in my shower, shown on my face all that day long.  It was enough.

the end!

*If you're needing a "Calgon take me away" moment,  jump on over to www.kenbushe.co.uk and take a look at his gorgeous artwork for sale on the site. 

The Thanksgiving Manifesto 2009

As usual (this time of year) here at Full Circle Ranch Ma and Pa are gearin' up to do  the Turkey Trot. Big plans are already brewing  for the Thanksgiving Holiday. There's nothing we LOVE better than building traditions into these covenant homecomings and this season is proving to be extra special with the whole gang assembling-- including our latest new family--Henry and Anna Knecht. During the holidays I put together a manifesto (subject to approval) for each particular season, assigning a break down of tasks, food and activities! I thought ya'all might enjoy taking a peak at this year's, although it isn't yet finalized. (Please check back to this post for updates/changes.)

Thanksgiving Manifesto 2009

THURSDAY

The Menu

(asterisk denotes information and/or recipe below)

*****

Appetizers  Variety of Luscious Northwest Cheeses-Caitlin

Main entree *Roast Organic Turkey-Marmie & Papa 

Sides Pennsylvania Dutch Filling-Marmie

Brussel Sprouts w/ Toasted Hazelnut Butter-Christi

*Mashed Potatoes--Mounds of Mashed Potatoes-Marmie

*Creamy Baked Leeks w/ Garlic,Thyme and Parmigiano-Hurleys

Yams-Robertsons

*John Cope's Baked Corn-Marmie

Salads  Claudette's Cranberry Apple Relish-Christi

*Roasted Baby Beet and Orange Salad w/ Champagne Vinaigrette-Marmie

Desserts  *Grandmother Engle's Pumpkin pie

*Custard Tart w/ Wine Poached Cranberries, Old fashioned Apple Pie w/ Crumb Topping, *Caramel Pecan Pie-Anna

Beverages  assortment of our finest Northwest Wines,

*Irish Car Bombs-Matt B., pop/juices, Panna bottled waters-Matt, Marmie 

The Table

namecards Caitlin

centerpiece-Christi

tablesetting-Meredith

*(stencils for children to color on brown butcher paper tablecloth)

The Activities

Feasting

Special reading-Anna

Special entertainment-Back by popular demand:

House-buzzing and fly-by, compliments of those great folks at Tundra Tires! http://www.akbushwheel.com/ (Maybe we can get them to land in the field this year!)

Silhouettes-photography Nathaniel, Jordan, all cut out their silhouettes

Games  Settlers of Catan-Zac and Cait bring extension

Cranium

 Special children's activities-Marmie, Hurley girls

Butter making for Wee Ones

all you need is cream, container with lid and

wee ones with wiggles and jiggles to shake, rattle and roll...butter!

Various children appropriate games

Spades

FRIDAY

breakfast Zac and Cait

lunch  Left overs, everyone for himself!

dinner Terminal Gravity

activities Girls hit Joseph for Black Friday shopping

Video adults- "The Brain in Love"

children-New Wallace and Grommit "Shawn the Sheep"

Games-more of the same!

Saturday

breakfast  Henry and Anna

lunch  Left over, everyone for himself!

dinner  *Dutch Oven Flatbread Pizzas,

pepperoni, sausage, sage and goat cheese,

veggie, plain (each family assembles their own)

Sunday

breakfast Darrell and Christi's home

Everyone off to Church

lunch To be announced

Pack up and say goodbye 'til Christmas!

*****

Recipes and Other Useful Information

Roasted Baby Beet and Orange Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette (serves 6)recipe from the girl and the fig36-40 baby beets

¼ C olive oil
½ C Champagne Vinaigrette
(recipe follows)
3 oranges, segments only (grapefruit works too)
3 fresh tarragon sprigs, leaves only
½ pound watercress, well washed, leaves only (arugala could be substituted)
¼ c fresh Italian parsley, leaves only
salt and pepper
¼ pound hard cheese, such as dry Gouda or Parmesan, thinkly shaved
zes of 1 lemon, grated
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the beets in a roasting pan ad toss with the olive oil. Cover with foil and roast for 1 ½ hours Let cool. Peel off the skins and cut the beets into quarters or halves, depending on th size of the beets.
In a large bowl, toss the beets with the vinaigrette, oranges, herbs, and watercress and season with salt and pepper. Serve in a large bowl and garnish with the shaved cheese and lemon zest.
Creamy baked leeks with garlic, thyme, and Parmigiano (serves 8) from Fine cooking
1 t butter
8 medium-large leeks
2 t lightly chopped fresh thyme
1 c heavy cream
2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
½ c finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the bottom of a shallow 10 x 15 rectangular baking dish with the butter. Sprinkle ¼ t salt over the bottom of the pan. Cut the dark-green portion and all but about 1 inch of the light green off the top of the leeks. Peel away any tough or damaged outer leaves. Trim the ends by cutting the roots but leaving a bit of the base intact to hold the leek together. Cut each leek in half lengthwise. Gently wash each half under running water, fanning open the layers to rinse as thoroughly as possible. Pat the leeks dry and then arrange them cut side down in the baking dish. They should all fit snugly, but if they are crowded, turn a few on their sides. Sprinkle the thyme and ¼ t salt over the leeks.
Heat the cream and garlic in a small saucepan over high heat. As soon as the cream comes to a rolling boil (watch carefully and don’t let it boil over), remove the pan the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour the cream and garlic evenly over the leeks. Cover the leeks with a piece of parchment cut to fit inside the pan. Bake the leeks until the thickest ends are tender all the way through when pierced with a paring knife and the cream is almost entirely reduce, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle the leeks with the Parmigiano and salt to taste. Bake just until the cheese melts, and additional 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to serving platter.
Custard tart with wine-poached cranberries
For the crust
7 T chilled butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces more for the pan
¾ C flour
1/3 C toasted silvered almonds
¼ C sugar
½ t salt
1 large egg yolk, chilled
For the filling:
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
½ C sugar
3 T fresh lime juice
3 T dry white wine, preferably Sauvignon Blanc
½ C heavy cream
For the topping:
½ C dry white wine-Sauvignon Blanc
2 T honey
2 T sugar
1 T fresh lime juice
2 ½ C cranberries (maybe a little more to cover tart)
Make the crust:  Butter a 4 x 13 in rectangular fluted tart pan with a removable bottom (may use round). Combine flour, almonds, sugar, and salt in a food processor and process until almonds are finely chopped. Add the butter and pulse until the mix resembles coarse meal, about 15 seconds. Add the egg youlk and process until moist clumps form. With lightly floured hands, press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the prepared tart pan. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.  Position rack in the center of oven and put rimmed baking sheet on the rack and heat the oven to 357*. Bake the crust on the heated baking sheet until light golden on the bottom and golden-brown on the edges about 14 minutes. Cool completely.
Make Filling:
In a medium pan, whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, likme juice and white wine until well blended. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking frequently, until the mix bois ad thickens about 3 minutes. Transfer the filling to a medium bowl and let cool until warm. Whisk the cream into the filling and pour the mix into the baked tart shell. Bake at 355 until the filling begins to slightly puff and bubble around the edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temp.
Make the Topping:
In a medium pan boil the wine, honey, sugar, and lime juice over the medium heat until the mix reduces to a thick syrup and begins to darken slightly 4-5 minutes—about ¼ C. Reduce heat to low, add cranberries and poach gently over low heat until tender or starting to burst skins. Continue boiling til liquid is syrupy about a minute. Randomly place cranberries on top of tart, pressing slightly into the filling. Brush glaze over tart. Let cool cmpltely at room temp for at least 4 hours before serving.


Mother Engle’s Pumpkin Pie
2 eggs, beaten
 1/4 t ginger
1/2 C white sugar
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 C brown sugar
 1 C pumpkin
2 T flour
1 C milk
1 t cinnamon
 1/2 C cream or evaporated milk
3/4 t salt 1 unbaked 9” pie shell
Blend all ingredients together, in blender, in order given. Pour into the pie shell. Bake at 400* for 15 min, then 375* for 35 minutes or until set. Top with freshly made whip cream.

Baked Corn Supreme
Grind contents of John Cope’s dried corn package in a blender or food processor. Add 4 cups cold milk, ½ C heavy cream 3 ½ T melted butter, 2 t salt, 3 T sugar, and 4 well beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly and pour into buttered baking dish. Bake at 375* for 60 minutes
Irish Car Bombs
Can of Guiness and 1 shot of Bailley's Irish Cream. Pour Guiness in a glass and carefully drop shot glass and all into beer.  Drink all at once!

To order dried corn: http://www.zingermans.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Anatomy of A Covenant Wedding

The latest issue of Christianity Today featured an article entitled "Lord of the Wedding Dance" which spoke to my heart and mirrored our view of what a wedding should be. The article quoted John Witte, a legal historian who has written much on marriage and family. He said:

The Reformers saw marriage as "a covenantal association of the entire community," wherein the pastor, families, witnesses, and the couple commit to a contract before God. Like the covenant between Yahweh and the Israelites, the marriage covenant establishes a bond that withstands all the difficulties of human life ("for better, for worse," and so on). God is present in the covenant bonds and becomes "party, witness, and judge" to the union; leaving out any of the parties is to effectively "omit God from the marriage covenant".


Having just experienced our youngest daughter's wedding on August 29th held at our restaurant, The RimRock Inn http://rimrockrestaurant.com, the memories are still fresh and delightful in my mind. I am definitely a partial observer, but judging the many comments we've received about Henry and Anna's day, something about this particular wedding was extra special.

I've scratched my head trying to figure out just what one thing made the day so unique. It's hard to say, probably because it was the whole of it and not the part. Still, each piece deserves mention. It could have been the crazy weather with thunder rolling and lightening flashing through Joseph Canyon right when the bagpiper opened the ceremony...the canyon's ethereal backdrop...the joy everyone found in watching and witnessing Henry and Anna's courtship and apparent love for each other...The fathers giving their children a "charge"...the purity seeing their first real kiss which happened on the wedding day (it was quite the kiss)...all our children performing beautiful sacred music during the wedding...the gorgeous decorations and flowers...the amazing food...the upbeat recessional while Jordan sang "For Once in My Life"-- complete with sunglasses...the incredible reception band,music and the dance floor groovin into the night...and the list goes on!

While we'd love to take all the credit for the day, I would like to think the real success lies in the fact that we desired it to be a covenant wedding, the thesis of Christianity Today's article.

"As it turns out, the key to a properly ordered wedding ceremony has less to do with us than we think. It begins with the Holy spirit, giving all the parties in the marriage covenant a desire to honor God, admonish and encourage one another, and invite to the day those who do not know the gospel, allowing the celebration to become a witness to Christ and his Bride and their own wedding day in the new kingdom." So, the article went.


In this spirit, a unique feature of the weddings performed by our Pastor, Terry Tollefson, is that after each vow uttered by the couple, Pastor Terry prompts the entire congregation to refrain a hearty "Amen!" This makes the group gathered not only witnesses, but part of the covenant community which--in a sense--holds the couple accountable.


These kinds of weddings are beautiful for all the reasons noted, but especially so because they demonstrate the anatomy of a covenant wedding. I, for one, am looking forward to many more taking place in our church in the years to come.

A FAITHFUL FATHER'S CHARGE

Anna. You were first placed in my arms in Seoul, Korea under the name Bae Yun Mee. They told me and your Nana, who was with me, that name meant “Forever Beautiful”. My charge to you is related to that name. Some will say you are the woman you are now in part because of me and your mom. And to the extent that is true I give all the glory to God. But I say I am what I am in part, because of you. What a blessing you have been to me from the first day you became a Hostetter.

I mean, look, I get to stand here and look at my daughter dressed in pure white, knowing that for you the white dress is not just a tradition or a symbol of purity…in your case it reflects what is true. You stand here a picture of faithfulness, obedience and purity. But this day did not come without pain. I think you understand that the pain that accompanies living unto God is temporary, while the pleasures and joy of doing so are everlasting. And the opposite is true; the pleasures of living not unto God are temporary (and there is pleasure) but the pain is everlasting. So, you stand here now ready to have your faithfulness translated this day into great pleasure and great joy. Today you are dressed in white and tomorrow you will be whiter than snow.

The Preacher asks in Proverbs 31:10 “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” Henry, I think you found one. Now Anna you will be what you are not because of me or your Mom, but in large part because of Henry. And I know he is ready to follow his father’s good counsel. And Henry will be what he will be in large part because of you.

Here is my counsel. (And in saying this I already know you will be faithful to your pledges and vows—I know that.) But do it not out of obedience or duty, as good as those character traits are in a noble woman, but out of gratitude and thankfulness to please a Savior who gave His life for you and to please a husband who loves you and is ready to give his life for you. The Preacher also says: “charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

That is what will enable your husband to be respected in the city gates, that is what will cause your children to arise and call you blessed, and that is what will cause you to be what the Lord ordained when before we knew you, you were called Bae Yun Mee.


*****