Recipes

Ok these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are all my friends favourite…I get asked for the recipe everywhere so here it goes, I also play with the recipe to switch it up, replacing the oatmeal for Red River Cereal (hot grain cereal) I think it makes it healthier or using whole wheat flour instead.

Joelle’s Famous Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 ¼ cups margarine/shortening (room temp)
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
3 cups Quick Oats
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375
Cream margarine with sugars. Beat egg and vanilla in. Stir flour with baking soda, salf, cinnamon, nutmeg add to the margarine mixture. Stir in Oats and fold in chocolate chips. Spoon on to baking sheet. Makes about 60 cookies.
Bake 8-9 minutes

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I love Ginger snaps, but not the hard crunchy ginger snaps…mmm chewy goodness delight in your mouth ginger snaps.

GINGER SNAPS

¾ cup margarine
1 cup sugar
½ cup molasses
2 ½ cups flour
2 tsp Baking soda
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Cream margarine and sugar together, beat in egg and mix in molasses.
Sift flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt together, mix well.
Shape into 1” balls, roll in ¼ cup of sugar and place on greased cookie sheet.
Bake 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, makes about 6 dozen.
For chewy goodness, make the balls of cookies about 1 ½” and bake for slightly less time about 8 minutes.

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Ok…these are my “special brownies” that turned into a chocolate cake…so I renamed it! Mmm chocolate!

CHOCOLATELY CHOCOLATE CAKE

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter
4 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 teaspoons milk
4 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12x18 inch jellyroll pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and baking soda. In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cup margarine, 4 1/2 tablespoons cocoa, and 1 1/2 cup water to a rapid boil. Pour over the flour mixture and stir until combined. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract; mix well.
3. Spread batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Cool before frosting.
4. Frosting: In a small saucepan, melt 1/2 cup of margarine. Stir in the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla, in that order. Beat by hand until creamy, then spread onto cooled sheet of brownies. C

Cut into squares and enjoy.

And the winner is...

Well it is not all about winning as they all say! But this last weekend I got the chance to get up to see the family at RVA and I walked into a busy weekend. The excitement of the weekend event of the Pinewood Derby was all in the air.


We quickly arrived on campus mid afternoon, after playing with Ella for a while we headed over to the gym to check out the excitement of all the students and teachers weighing in their cars, and getting a chance to view them. I forgot to bring my camera, but there were designs from fast sports cars to an Outhouse, a shopping cart full of food and someone even built a tent trailer, complete with the canvas that closed up for the races. It was pretty cool to see the creativity of the students.

Saturday started early as Cassidy's race was the first one of the day, Todd's was later in the afternoon. So we all made it down to see Cassidy race her car, now I would say that something runs in the family, her car placed first 7 times out of 8 races.

Todd's car was pretty neat, all slick and fast. His car did really well the first heat. Then something happened and the speed was out of the car. It was surprising to watch it do so well and then sizzle out.

Well it made for a fun day which ended with an Awards ceremony, the highlights of that:

1st Place Grade Four Speed - Cassidy Dubber
3rd Place Womens Speed - Joanne Stenstrom
Best Engineered Mens - Todd Dubber

So it was a great weekend, getting to spend it with the family. I am hoping to get up there more before Christmas. I am realizing the need to get out of Nairobi as often as I can. Oh should I mention that I watched the Hannah Montana movies...and my recommendation...it isn't that bad.

Thanks to the fam for an exciting and busy weekend like usual.

One sock on ...one sock off!

So yesterday was a national holiday here in Kenya, yep a day off mid week, what a pleasure! It also was nice as I am still healing my sprained ankle, so I got to rest it without too many stairs. My day was uneventful, though I got lots done. I did get a last minute dinner invite, which was nice and turned out to be a funny reason why! But it is good to hang out with families and their children, makes life interesting.

I was able to get in some God time and to work on a few projects that I had been putting off for a while. It was overall really good.

We have had a few days of rain here in Nairobi, but still not enough rain has come, some parts of Kenya still don't have any moisture to hit the ground running. Today it is sunny and clear...yesterday was the same, it has really cooled down here too this last week, but I don't have the heart to say how cold really is in respect to my Canadian friends, that have been blessed by winter.

Little random facts:

- Did you know that it is 65 days till Christmas???
- Only 204 more days to go!
- I have been here for 161 days
- Next moving day...79 days away!

The Adventures of Miss Accident Prone...

Well, so just as you think it cannot get worse, the prognosis is a high ankle sprain, the prescription: pain meds and plenty of rest.

So yeah, my week got progressively worse as by the end of the week I could barely walk, it was terrible, my leg was so swollen, the pain so intense that I took a sick day on Friday, to rest my leg. I could not believe how much pain I was in.

By Saturday the doctor came to check it out, good news is that there is no broken bones, bad news is that this takes time to heal...like a good week and a half. So I did a good tear of the muscles.

How you ask???

Well only the ultimately talented me, can sprain my ankle tripping up the stairs. What I managed to do was my shoe got caught on the lip of the stair, so I instinctively was stepping down, my toe caught the stair and jarred it up, stretching out the muscle in my ankle. Yes, surprisingly, it did not hurt after I did it, and it did not hurt before I went to bed that night, but come the morning I woke up with an incredible pain in my leg, but do you think that stopped me??? I still was able to run up and down the stairs at work numerous times until Thursday night came, my ankle looked like I had an apple attached to it...it was that swollen, I was almost in tears it hurt so much.

Doctor came and said that I need to rest it, it should be in a cast but not likely for me right now.

So prayers for fast healing...and as I am making lemonade out of the lemons right now!

Have a Bad Day!

Ok...you know it is a bad day when...you get to work and know that you should've stayed home.

That is me this morning!

To start my day, I woke up with this pain in my leg, the funny thing is that last night I was running upstairs and I tripped and jammed my toes. My toes hurt before I went to bed last night, this morning my leg hurt...tell me why again?

So then I was in my office and I am preparing for a board meeting, when I go to move the water glasses...they all sway...and then tip...smash...there for four glasses...smashed to the floor! I couldn't believe what was happening.

So I thought if I left it behind...I would be fine so I went to head downstairs. Not a big deal...until I hit the first step, slipped and fell. Now my pride was wounded, thankfully no one saw me. But I was hold a cup of coffee, which by this point I had baptized myself with, just a sprinkle of coffee all over me.

I just can't believe it...who could be so accident prone??? Clumsy??? All in a matter of 24 hours...I have fallen up the stairs, fallen down the stairs, broken a few things, and smell like I had a coffee bath.

Congratulations to me!

Birthday Week, worth celebrating!

So, this past week it was my birthday, but birthday's are just a day...the week is full of celebrations!

So as I look upon the year ahead of me, really don't know what is in store, last night I had a thought, it is through faith that I have come here, and through faith and trust that I should live each day. I truly don't know what to expect, a life unknown is a new season for me, I use to be comfortable in what I did and how I did it.

This year I celebrated my birthday with my new friends, a dear family that lives down the street from me cooked me my favourite, tacos and chocolate cake. I got birthday smacks...from the little girl and a pinch for good luck. I tried to get away with only 19 but that didn't work either. We had fun and played bananagrams, for those that don't know it is kind of like 'pick up two' with scrabble tiles. We then watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Then on the weekend, it was a day of celebrations, Kate and I went for pedicures, mini golf, dinner, and a movie. With only just a little excitement during the day, ok we had loads of fun, the pedicures were amazing and relaxing. I had a guy doing mine and with my feet super ticklish I had a hard time trying not to kick him.

Mini golf, I shot my ball hard into a thick dense bush, Kate found it...I crawled in to fish it out. We won't say the score but I would say that Kate won, or it was fairly close but she did get the only 'hole in one' of the day.

We then made our way for dinner, at this cute Lebanese restaurant. I had never had Lebonese food before but found out that this might be one of my new favorites too. The food was very Mediterranean, then I learnt that Lebanon is on the Mediterranean Ocean, it was delicious. Kate was a little obsessed with the food, she kept asking for more food, and pita's, that when we asked for it to be wrapped up...we ended up with a stack of extra pita's. We then went home to watch a movie, that is when the excitement commenced, who knew that you could have so much fun in the house.

Well, when we walked in the house, Kate was like...it smells in here, and I was like, I know, I haven't quite figured it out yet, it just started to smell last night. She suggested it smelt like cat urine, I was like really I thought it smelled like a dead fish, or rather that...the dead mouse.

So, as I was dealing with a situation on the phone, and making coffee at the same time, while the coffee pot was running over and making a mess, I hear 'Ah... Joelle, I found the dead mouse.' I was like no way, really? Of course I ran and took a look, and immediately got on the phone to have my friends come take care of it. Sadly enough they were busy and couldn't help me out, they were like you can do it, all you need to do is get a napkin and pick it up.

Seriously!

Me get a napkin and pick it up....ewww yuck gross! So after a lot of encouragement, and reassurance that I was on my own on this one, I hung up the phone. I got a napkin, went over and took a look...this poor mouse was lying there dead...paws up in the air looking so sad but smelling terrible. So in its time of sorrow, I got the camera and took a picture of it. Then I went back to the kitchen got an oven mitt, a plastic bag, and the napkin, prepared myself to pick up the dead, smelly mouse.

I did it!

And, then we went back to our evening and watching the movie, but all the while...still smelling the stinking mouse, don't worry we lit smelly candles...and smelt the smelly candles burn.

The funny thing is that the dead mouse was in the house for a few days, one of the cats brought it in...on Monday. She was so excited to show me, that she came upstairs meowing like crazy, I saw it in her mouth and was like oh my go and take it outside. That is when she went and took it downstairs behind the couch. I went down looking for it, every light in the house was on at this point, I couldn't find it anywhere. I looked again, nothing. So I left it, I did mention to someone that I thought that there was a dead mouse in the house...but I wasn't sure where it was. Oops!

Even funnier on that, the couple that I called for help, was out with about 15 others from our AIM community, so everyone heard about it, lets just say it made it interesting to come to work on Monday morning.

So that was my birthday celebrations, all fun...all good, with the right amount of entertainment.

Sorry no costume parties, no fun embarrassments this year, it was all good 'clean' fun!

A Day of Thanksgiving!

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares." ~Henri Nouwen

Well, figure I would be thankful today, in life times there is hardship but to bring joy in the midst of hardships...its life with God. After all of you have celebrated and fully stuff yourself with Turkey, I got a different perspective, from life of observance in truly being thankful this week.

This week I am thankful for friends like you, you are a dear support in the times that I need a pat on the back and a push forward. Times right now are not easy and not fun, but when you all are cheering me on...I feel the love and am reminded in being here, half way across the world that living a life towards the greater things are more important. Thank you all for the encouragement, the notes of love, and the general reminder that friends are a great addition to life, even though I am not there physically, you are all there in my mind and more than a memory. Friendships are memories that follow with you no matter where you go.

I am thankful for provisions, yes there is not everything you need at the grocery store and yes the power did go out for most of the weekend. But I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food and water in the fridge. More than what some people have in any place in this world.

I am thankful for fun and laughter, yes you all know that I love to laugh but lately I have noticed when I laugh because it is not so common. But when you find a dead mouse in the house, or ten zillion ants in the meat, God gives you something to laugh about.

I am thankful for life, for living a life holy and pleasing to God, for walking with Him in obedience and for trusting in Him as He is always there, He will never leave me nor fore sake me, He will lead me and guide me, He loves me for who I am and is my heavenly Father.

I am thankful for another year given to me, for the past 30 years of seeing God working to get me to this point, has taking refining and molding, there is still more for me to do and to learn. I pray that this year will be more than a blessing that God would continue to guide and direct me in all that I do, where ever I end up.

Thank you to all that have been a true friend, to all that even read this as being a supporter, and cheerleader (even you guys - you just don't have to wear the short skirt), thank you to new friends, and to the oldest of old friends (not talking age matters here, but some of you have known me all my life).

thanks⋅giv⋅ing   /ˌθæŋksˈgɪvɪŋ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [thangks-giv-ing]
–noun
1. the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, esp. to God.
2. an expression of thanks, esp. to God.
3. a public celebration in acknowledgment of divine favor or kindness.
4. a day set apart for giving thanks to God.
5. (initial capital letter) Thanksgiving Day.

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 4:14-16

Surrendered

So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I’ll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all

So I’ll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

“The Stand” - Hillsong United

Hey I was just going through some old post that I didn't blog yet, this one was from two days before the AIM Air accident...I really felt that week that God had put my life on a whole new level of surrendering my life to HIM!

Frustrations

Well, I know that I haven't blogged all week, not even about my adventures last weekend.

I have to be honest it has been a frustrating week, I found myself steamed with frustrations yesterday. It is not like everything is going wrong is coming against me it is just situations that I know can be handled a little differently instead of having a negative effect on me.

I am reminded of this

Matthew 6:25, 34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?"

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I know that in all things that I don't have to be frustrated with life little worries, it is hard not to get caught up in them but to see how God is using you in the small stuff to grow and sharpen you, you are special to God.

Quotes or very wise words of wisdom that aren't mine!

This week I have found some cool quotes, they are a reminder of things we take for granted.

"A true friend is one who knows you as you really are, understands where you've been, accepts who you've become, and still gently invites you to grow."

"Peace it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work, it means to be in the midst of those things and till be calm in your heart."

"Live the life you want to live. Be the person you want to remember. Make decisions, make mistakes. If you fall, at least you tried."

"Embrace those that love you and whom you love, and rid yourself of those that will only bring you down"

"Love me without fear, trust me without wondering, love me without restrictions, want me without demand, accept me how I am"