Of Baked Pancakes, Comfort and Keeping Your Eyes on Him

 Comfort foods.  The old standbys through the ages are the comforting and familiar. 

When I was in junior high school, Mrs. Albee taught us to make what she called Baked Pancakes.

I think some people call them Dutch Boys.

 Melt a 1/4 cup of butter and pour into a large pie plate.

In a little bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup milk, 2 eggs and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg.  Pour into the butter but DO NOT STIR.

Bake at 425* for about 17 or 18 minutes.  Mmm.  Smells good!

 Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cut into wedges and (here's that word again...) VOILA!  You can call it whatever you like.  I call it Breakfast.  Pour a cup of coffee and you're all set.  

Must be good, we've been eating it for 42 years....

 My passion in collecting is people-powered sewing machines; treadles & handcranks.  I've got not a few.

For Christmas I bought myself.......a personal quilting machine.  New.  White.  Plastic.  Oh, dear.
Well, my husband (enabler) bought me a quilting frame and I bought this mid-arm quilter so I'll be able to finish my own quilts at my own pace on my own quilting machine.  I've wanted one for simply ages, ever since I first saw one at the country Fair many years ago.

 Here's my latest quilt block from our monthly $5 Quilt Club.  I'm using "In the Beginning" fabrics by designer Jason Yenter.  It's going to be a lovely Christmas quilt when it's all finished!

 During the holidays and after, as I've been battling diverticulitis, I've left only my ongoing listings up.  They are primitive rabbits, pigs and fat lil birds.  It hasn't slowed anything down much and I've been swamped with trying to keep up and keep my store going while I'm under the weather, so to speak.

It's actually about 8:15 in the evening as I type this and I have a load of rabbits and pigs in my oven, drying the paint so I can finish them before tomorrow.  My ma has an oncology appt. at 8:30am, which means we leave the farm here at 7:30am.  Ugh.

 I'm trading milking times with my daughter - she'll milk for me in the morning so I don't have to get going quite so early!  (I'm getting the better end of THAT deal....the goats give way less milk at night!)

The fog we've had for the last week or two finally lifted this morning so we were assured that the hills are still there!  You can see just wisps of clouds still rising off the trees.

 A familiar trek for me here.  I walk to the barn to milk my goats every morning.  Right now just two are in milk - Shiloh and Maryanne.  I'm hoping that two others are actually pregnant, but time will tell.

Every day I look at the hills and this hilltop farm and thank God for allowing me to live here in this beautiful place!  I love every mud puddle, every bunny, every fir & maple tree on these 81 acres!

 Here's my 'selfie'.  I take horrid pictures.  Scrooge is a beauty queen compared to me.  I always look sad, mad....just plain bad :-)   My shadow looks ok, though.....I'm not fat, I'm just wearing a Carhart jacket.....

I just realized it's time to prune all the fruit trees.  We've got about 20 or so of them and it's time to get at it.  Well, not today.

You've heard of dog bones, of course.  Well, this is a bone dog.  Doesn't it look like a little dog?
I found it on the beach where the mighty Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean.  I guess it's a fish or whale vertebrae.   It still looks like a little dog to me...

Well, that's what I'm up to.  I realized today as I whined and whimpered, worried and waffled that it's much easier for me to be upbeat and cheerful when it's someone else's health in question.  I'm usually like Pollyanna saying there's always something to be glad about.  Then I started having the current health difficulties and straight away became fearful.  Tonight I was listening to an old CD (1993) by Christian artist Buddy Houghtaling.  The song that really spoke to my heart is one he wrote called Keep Your Eyes on Me.  It's based on Matthew 14 and is the story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus until he took his eyes off Him and went down.  It's awfully easy to follow Peter's example and take my eyes off Jesus.  When I do, I flounder.  When I keep my eyes on Him, He is the shelter in every storm of life and calms my troubled seas and heart.   "There is shelter in a storm, When it's me you're looking toward.  When you travel a troubled sea, Be keeping your eyes on me.  When you travel a troubled sea, Keep your eyes on me."