Merry Christmas!

"And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace." 

Merry Christmas Everyone! 

May you have a joyous, safe Christmas as you celebrate the birth of Jesus.

CAFE SPECIAL OF THE WEEK - Turkish Delight

The special this week at the Cafe will satisfy the chocolate lovers in the group and was a family favorite when our boys were still at home. As a matter of fact, our son, Scott, named them. I called it Erma's Yummy Brownies since I got the recipe from my good friend Erma. But as Scott ate one square, then another, and another, he said, "This should be called Turkish Delight."

"How did you come up with that?" I asked.

"You know, like in Narnia when Edmund met the White Witch, she gave him a round box tied with a green silk ribbon. Inside was Turkish Delight. It was so good he couldn’t stop eating it. Just like these, they’re so good, I can’t stop.”

So, although this recipe is nothing like the "real" Turkish delight, you'll be tempted to reach for another serving before the first has melted in your mouth. Perfect for the special Valentine in your life.

TURKISH DELIGHT

(Formerly known as Erma’s Yummy Brownies)

1 German Chocolate cake mix (with pudding in the mix)

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1 cup pecans

1 stick margarine, melted

Mix the four ingredients together. Press half into the bottom of a 9 by 13 pan. Bake eight minutes at 350 degrees.

Sprinkle one cup chocolate chips over crust.

Melt together one bag caramels and one-third cup evaporated milk. Pour over chocolate chips.

Dob remaining cake mixture on top and bake 15 – 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cut into squares when cooled and serve.

Q4U: What are your Valentine's plans? Do you have a chocolate lover in your family?

A Celebration Worth Noting

Last spring, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer during routine mammography. To say we were shocked and devastated goes without saying. The latest technology, pinpoint accuracy in locating the nodes closest to the tumor, microcellular examination of tissue, and a bevy of amazing doctors became a part of Donna’s life in this most unexpected interruption.

She had surgery, a course of chemo, went wig shopping, and got a Mohawk haircut to put a little funky spin and humor into the grueling process. I went for her last chemo the early part of September. And now, two weeks ago, Donna finished the last of 30 radiation treatments. The staff at the cancer center celebrated the final treatment with a special gift, and I wanted to share it with you for a couple of reasons.

Breast cancer is curable with early detection. The path to the cure is not always easy, but for all of us, and Donna in particular, we have learned to cherish each other more, to be thankful for small things, and to love with abandon. Our faith has grown and our joy is greater because of the journey.

The gift Donna received – these five charms that came in a small drawstring pouch with the following note:



TO KEEP IN YOUR POCKET

A heart, to remind you that you are loved.
An acorn, for your continued strength.
A peace sign, for trust in the future.
An angel to watch over you.
The world, because you make it a better place.





To all who stop by the cafe, my wish is for you to be well, and lest I sound like a broken record, don’t forget to schedule a mammogram if you’ve not had one in the past year. Your family and friends will thank you.

Welcome to the Family

On August 2, 2008, Allison Janan Danielle Garner repeated her I Do’s and became Mrs. James Stewart, the lovely wife of our youngest son. It was a beautiful ceremony in the Rose Court Garden at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. There were so many tender, beautiful moments. Lovely music. The sacred vows sealed with holy communion. The gathering of family and loved ones to wish these two precious people well.

Coming from a family with only her parents, one brother and a sassy sister-in-law, Allison committed an act of great bravery entering our family of countless in-laws, aunts, uncles, grandparents, nephews, nieces, and cousins. What a girl! We are thrilled to have her and celebrated with her and James last weekend. So, for family and friends, to those who have endured our endless litanies about wedding and travel plans, we love you. Enjoy the wedding pics.

Nancy and Jan, Allison's gracious and wonderful parents

Carla and Max (who are fortunate to be the parents of four great boys!)

The glass carriage for a fairy tale wedding, of course.

Members of the wedding party. They're not as innocent as they look :-)

Ceremony in the Rose Court Garden

The bride and groom at the sweetheart table at their reception

The Mad Hatter Wedding Cake

The groom's cake. The recessional at the ceremony was "Boomer Sooner" - what else? They're both University of Oklahoma grads. Sure makes us proud, don'tcha know?

Allison and James Stewart

I'll have another post soon about a VERY bizarre thing that happened at the wedding reception. Stay tuned!

My Review of LOVE STARTS WITH ELLE

I love the title of this book. Catchy with a twist on the meaning. Very clever.

In Rachel Hauck’s newest release, the South Carolina low country setting layers the story with the richness of family and small town values. Rachel does a great job of bringing these front and center as she weaves the characters’ stories together.

Elle Garvey, a wannabe artist, gives up her art gallery business to follow her fiancé, a wannabe pastor of a mega church in Dallas. In doing so, she also gives up a part of her soul. When the relationship fails, she is inconsolable and at loose ends, having sold her business and rented her cottage to a New York attorney—widower Heath McCord—who is on his own grief journey with his young daughter.

In the ensuing months, Elle and Heath learn about giving flight to their dreams, praying through the healing process, and falling in love all over again. But, having painful pasts to deal with, they struggle with letting go and committing to the future. Through pursuit of their own creative passions, they both encounter failure and self-examination and must choose whether to trust and love again.

The characters have a very real feel to them, with superb dialogue and a fast clip as the story unfolds. No cookie-cutter romance here. It all feels just right with the balance of believable conflict and secondary characters who add to the themes without taking over the story.

Nice job, Rachel.

You can read more about the author and the book here.

Wedding Fever

This past year has been a whirlwind of weddings for the friends of our youngest son, James. Over the weekend, we attended that of Tanessa and Braden, two sweet kids who attended our church when we lived in the Panhandle.

What made this wedding unique is that Tanessa (the bride) and James (our son) have been good friends since second grade—through church, school, AND college. They fight like brother and sister and defend and protect each other in the same way. When Tanessa transferred to OU and needed a roommate, James’s girlfriend, Allison, became the logical choice, so the three of them were then best friends. Tanessa even chose Allison to be her maid of honor, and James, a groomsman.

Tanessa and James

Allison’s parents came from California for their first ever trip to the area where James grew up, and we got to be their official tour guides and introduce them to the many people they’d only heard tall tales about.

Of the two hundred or so people at the wedding, we knew probably three-fourths of them and have special memories with each one. Mark and Becky, the kids’ former youth pastor came so Mark could perform the ceremony, and hearing Tim and Margie Ramsey sing together once again was, in itself, worth the trip. Love, love, love those two songbirds and can’t even begin to tell you how much mischief we’ve been into over the years with them.

Also, our former family hairdresser, Kevin, was there (doing hair for the entire bridal party, and I heard it was QUITE the party), and his and Dyan’s children participated in the ceremony by reciting I Corinthians 13—absolutely enchanting.

Most of James’s guy friends from the youth group graduated before him, so by his Senior year of high school, it was just him and a slew of girls. They’ve all stayed in touch and were in the wedding party. Max and I had so much fun catching up with them and their parents and letting Allison’s parents get to know them. It felt a little like a family reunion, only better. We are related by our love of Jesus and each other. Precious memories intertwine our lives, and while we’ve walked through various trials and victories together, this was one of the loveliest of times.

James and the girls (his fiancee Allison 2nd from left)

Jan and Nancy (Allison’s parents) and Max and I are counting down the days until James and Allison’s own fairy tale wedding at Disneyland (less than two months). Lots of these same folks will be there to share in our joy as our kids repeat their vows. My eyes are tearing up already in anticipation.

Love. Honor. Cherish. Don’t you just love a good wedding? Any advice for this soon-to-be mother of the groom?

SPECIAL DAY

Today is a special day all around. First of all, thank you to all who serve in our military to keep our world a safer place--Huge wave to my son, Brett, who serves in the US Coast Guard! We are very proud of you! To those who gave their lives for our freedom as well as loved ones who've gone on before us, there is nothing we can do to pay our debt of gratitude, but we do remember all of you today--Memorial Day.

Thirty-six years ago today, the most significant event of my adult life took place. Max and I were married in a small-town Lutheran church (which had no air conditioner, and we have never forgotten that bit of trivia!). We thought we knew everything then--all about love and life. Boy, were we naive. God blessed our vows, though, and it has been a wonderful ride, loop-de-loops and all. Max was then, and still is, my best friend. For you honey, thanks. I love you and want to grow old (very old, not just middle-aged old) with you.

We've celebrated our anniversary in a variety of ways over the years. Hot dogs and wine for the first one. That was the best we could do since we had moved on that day and didn't have the energy to go anywhere and couldn't have found clean clothes anyway. We fared better in other years. Once Max took me to New Orleans, and we enjoyed hanging out on Bourbon Street and going on a moonlight Riverboat ride. I'm so glad we had a couple of great visits to that mesmerizing city before Katrina came along.

Most years, though, we've had a dinner in a nice restaurant followed by watching the movie, Fiddler on the Roof, which we saw on our honeymoon. This year, we're going to splurge and go to the new Indiana Jones movie--after a nice dinner, of course.

The other reason today is special is that it is my youngest sister, Marsha's birthday. She's forgiven us (I think) for scheduling our wedding on her special day, but it's a handy way to remember her birthday. Hope it's a good one, Sis!

Have a safe and happy holiday everyone!

To My Valentine

Today is the 38th anniversary of my first date with my incredible husband, Max. So, to you honey, I love you. You're my best friend, the one who makes me laugh and love and cry, the one who believes in me, and who I choose to grow old with. Thank you for all the memories and mostly, for putting up with me. You are a treasure.