Goldie had a 3rd birthday recently

We've had sickness in our house for a very long time, ever since Goldie's birthday. Millions of loads of laundry and many sleepless nights later I think we are over it. I've got energy and willingness to post anyway.A couple of days before Goldie's birthday we went on a hike at Ma Maw's Here is Goldie looking cute during our walk.
Here she is with her cake near Ma-Maw's house. Her dress and her doll were both birthday presents that she opened before we went to her party.
I made the cake in West Virginia and we took it to Virginia for the party. I was sure it wouldn't make it, but I was pleased and suprised that it did. This is the first time I used fondant to cover the cake and it sure made it BEAUTIFUL! I was suprised at how simple this cake ended up being. Goldie painted her letters on the the cookie sheet. Aren't they awesome!

We joked that Goldie counldn't have her princess cake and that we were going to give her a monkey cake instead. Well, it ended up she got both. Mike said the Princess cake wouldn't be enough for everyone to eat so I put the monkey on this cake and then Goldie and I decorated the rest with all the leftovers from her princess cake. We had way to much cake. But it was a fun birthday anyway!

Our First Camp Creek Adventure

There are two state parks within twenty minutes of our home. We've been exploring Pipestem since the weather got warm. But because I'd never been to Camp Creek, I waited until Mike was able to go with us so we could experience it together for the first time. We went up Wednesday and took these pictures. We liked it so much we went back up the next morning for more.

You may also click here to see one more picture and read about our hike in Pipestem last week: http://walkwithchristva.blogspot.com/

Once Upon a time...

Goldielocks came to live with the three bears, Daddy Bear, Momma Bear, and baby Josiah bear. Or did Goldielocks just come home to Daddylocks, Mommylocks and Josiahlocks after being in the bears house. I guess it depends upon the version Goldie Emma chooses to tell.

Pancakes

This is what I make once or twice a week for my family now...can you believe it?

I, Rishi, have disliked pancakes for more than twenty years. My memory claims that as a child I was fed pancakes every morning for one year. I think it was the baking powder or something, but by the end of the year I wanted to puke and did so quite often. I know, I know, it was all in my head, but after awhile I just refused to eat them anymore.

...until now. A few months ago, as Josiah was getting old enough to eat from the table, I was getting tired of the same thing again every morning for breakfast so I began experimenting and got brave enough to try pancakes.

They weren't to good at first and the first couple of attempts were a month or two apart. But eventually I got better. That was in part due to my father Arrel. He came to visit and suggested that I beat an egg and put it in the batter, making the pancakes fluffier. He also suggested I put some powdered milk in the batter to make them darker.

Both suggestions have been great and now we are happy with our experimintation. So here is hurray for pancakes and two little kids who were the only ones who could make me try them again.

Princess for a Day

Princess Goldie got up this morning and went to the library for a special tea time story hour. She got peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with princess fruit snacks.













She hob-nobbed with princesses from the surrounding community.












This particular princess is one with whom she has created a special bond at storytime. Notice the magic princess wand she created.












It was the Fairy Godmother, Miss Lisa, who conducted the story hour, taught princess manners and told royal stories.








After story hour was over she stopped off for a visit at the local Dollar General. She brought a library book to show it where her dad worked and tried to convince Josiah that he should be a prince. But I don't think he was too interested. It was an exciting day!

I love mountains. My mom always told me that it didn’t matter where I lived as long as I lived right. I could never agree with her. I love the family I grew up in, indeed there are times when I desperately wish to be closer in proximity to them.

However, in January 2002, with the help of my mother I moved in my little blue Toyota Corrolla. I left the Wellsville Mountains and traveled to Idaho where the Tetons “almost” reside. Then a couple of days after Christmas I left for Johnson City, Tennessee.

We traveled down to Interstate 40 and then cross country until we reached Tennessee. I remember passing through the western states where the tall mountains loom off in the distance. At times we’d respectfully travel up, up, up into the high mountain passes.

Then there was Texas and Oklahoma where the land lay flat. There was a fierce snowstorm during our travels, but we drove on, getting through about one state every day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Our muffler broke at the top of one mountain near the beginning and after that we had to yell in order to be heard over the racket it was making.

When we got across the Mississippi River at Memphis, I knew we were in a different place. The land had already been changing. There began to be trees on either side of the road. Not pine trees or aspen, but deciduous trees. As long as these trees are green you can’t see anything hidden behind them.

Also, the land began to roll. It went up and down not like my mountains that I loved so well back home, but just enough to make you know you weren’t on flat land anymore.

I was interested in these mountains. After my mom left Tennessee I started school and in my spare time I began to get to investigate them up close. They smelled different. At first I didn’t appreciate that. But a friend told me that these eastern Appalachian Mountains were like a sweet old grandma who takes you in and loves you, enfolding you in her arms.

He also said the Western Mountains, which he’d visited, where like a young stripling warrior proud and standing tall. I liked that assessment.

Eventually, I married and for three years Mike and I lived in a home in Jonesborough, TN. While I loved many things about that place, I did not love the mountains I saw every morning out my front windows. They did not communicate with me except on rare occasions.

I remember being in Logan, Utah and watching the first snow storm of the season descend upon the valley. The clouds were broken up and hung upon the mountain changing it from blue to white. They stood there all day. If it wasn’t so cold I could have watched their dance all day.

The clouds in Jonesborough didn’t talk to their mountains. Each fall season the leaves left them and I finally could see their outline, but then in the summer season they seemed to be green, content to soak up the sun and live a small life.

I suppose that is what I should not have expected more from them, but I continually wished them to communicate with me more. I was asking them to be something different than they were. I thought I was lost to the magnificence of mountain grandeur.

Then I moved to West Virginia.

Because these mountains are also low I did not expect much from them, but I determined to take what they offered. And they surprised me.

They speak to me. I have once again found Mountain Bliss. I see frost on them. I see the clouds rolling in to have a private conversation. I see the sunlight fade upon their stark tree tops. I’m not sure what summer will bring. But the winter has brought a wonderful, magical connection that I thought was lost to me.

I’ve decided that West Virginia deserves its title as “The Mountain State.”

Flat Stanley Came to Visit

Flat Stanley came to visit us. Can you see the deer in the background? We were delighted by them.
Or should I say, Mike and I were delighted?
'Siah and Goldie just fell asleep.
We stayed at my friend Connie Jo's house when I went to defend my thesis. We took our visitor with us and showed him around Connie's farm.
Goldie, Josiah and Flat Stanley rocking out together in the barn.

When we got home we sent him vack to Virginia. It was a fun visit.