Delayed Carving

by Marci

Even as The Soldier ran dozens of errands while packing for deployment, we could not remember to have him purchase pumpkins to carve for Halloween.  So, as I drove our kids home from dropping him off I stopped at a fall harvest stand on the side of the highway.  I hoped to calm (or at least distract) some devastated children, two of whom were screaming, "I don't like the Army.  I wish Dad would just quit his job!" It worked quickly, as each started pointing out what he or she thought was the largest pumpkin.  I chose a Cinderella gourdish one.

For family home evening last night, we finally carved the pumpkins.  The kids seemed just as excited as if we would have pulled it off in time for Halloween.  Our method (which I remember from my dad) includes cutting out the top, carving out the guts, designing the face on a scratch paper, cutting out the paper design, and lightly straight pinning it to the pumpkin for a successful cut out.  Before I could blink my oldest had dozens of straight pins punched through the paper and "hammered" all the way through the thickness of the pumpkin.  Wish I had a picture of that.

Hi Dad

by Marci

Our new primary communication.  It's already a fight to get it away from her OR to convince her that not every ring means The Soldier is calling.

New Items for Sale!

Hi family and friends!

We've been working hard to get more items on our website this year so go check it out:

seefishcreate.bigcartel.com

There are Christmas cards and great Christmas gifts.


I'm excited to announce that this year we are having a special on our website until December 31, 2012—

100% of the proceeds from the sale of The Gathering of Friends cookbooks,

100% of the profits from the sale of Christmas cards and word art by Candace,

and 25% of the profits from the sale of calligraphy by Julia

will be donated to benefit Natalie & Alice Fish

Read their story at fishesformarrowwishes.blogspot.com


Want to help but don't want to buy anything?

Feel free to send this email on to your friends or pin some of our items on your Pinterest boards so we can get the word out.


One more thing...we always love custom work so if you want something and don't see it on our website let us know!


THANKS and Merry Christmas!
candace & julia & maggie

And "Kri" We Did

by Marci

The Soldier left today to Ft Dix for training prior to his 9-month deployment to the Horn of Africa.

Packing for 10+ months in 3 bags is a little tricky.

Northeastern Leaves

by Marci

For each extended training or deployment, The Soldier has asked me to make him a quilt. This time he scoured Google images for a pattern that would remind him of home.  The colorful New England fall was in full swing, and we were beginning the annual process of leaf blowing, so it seemed fitting that he found this pattern.

The Soldier helped choose the fabrics, then I worked on it diligently for about three weeks (between outdoor leaf blowing and periods of household catch up).  I even worked on it during our three-day, no-child Cape Cod getaway.

(I must insert here that he gave me very strict instructions that I could only work on the quilt when I had love in my heart for him, so that would transfer to the finished product.)

I took a week break...huhah!--not for lack of lovey feelings--then finished the tag on the back, just in time to take it to the machine quilter.

Planning and sewing in my formal dining room.  

Does anyone in my phase of life actually use a formal dining room for formal dining? 

The Soldier's Insanity workout while I completed leaf row #8 of 11 at 

a friend's cottage in Cape Cod.

 I've hardly bordered any quilt and was surprised how long it took to 

center the seams and make the corners just right.  I should have planned better 

before I jumped into it.  Typical.

Somehow this dear couple agreed to long-arm quilt this for me in a 24-hour period.  And when they discovered the quilt's purpose, they upgraded the design and refused to take a cent for payment.  An unforgettable gift from strangers.  I still get a little weepy thinking of their kindness.

They delivered the quilt, and I finished the binding within 14 hours of The Soldier's leaving. Plenty of time, right?

Front

Zoom

Check out the variegated thread.

Back

Silly that I didn't even see the pattern in this flannel to match the center seam
until someone held it up for me.  A lesson in working too quickly
and looking too closely.

 Zoom

When I saw the scrap in my stash, I just had to add the rooster, hen, and four chicks 

to represent our family.  Big D is still bothered that his place is as a chick 

and not the rooster.

The quilters insisted that the quilt have a name for their records.  The Soldier decided on "Northeastern Leaves." Not much of that where he's going.

Happy Birthday, Amy!

by Marci

I'm not sure how this one didn't make the cut last year.

Go Cougs!

Going Away

by Marci

So, The Soldier is getting ready to deploy and church friends wanted to surprise him with a goodbye party.  They pulled off the surprise, even with three of our four young children knowing about it in advance.

Adults and kids wrote notes on patriotic cards that were compiled in this album.  The message below is from our Sweet #2.

Thank you for a memorable night and such a thoughtful, lasting gift!

SEE FISH SALSA

by Stefanie

Well, I wish I was coordinated enough to do the salsa.  Zumba has taught me that it's not exactly my forte...but this is a salsa I can do:

There is nothing better to do with fresh, summer tomatoes than making salsa.  We make it in LARGE batches at our house with really no set recipe but here is the gist:

In a food processor we blend 6-8 tomatoes, a handful of parsley, two handfuls of cilantro, one large onion (yellow or red or a little of both), several cloves of garlic, 3 or so stalks of celery, a sweet pepper, a hot pepper (if you want--we often don't), two or more tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (or lime or a combination of both), and sea salt to taste.  You really can't go wrong--unless your onions are strong and you put in too much.  Sometimes I don't have all the above veggies.  Today I made some and was lacking sweet peppers.  I had some radishes, so I threw several of those in.  It's just kind of whatever--  although I would say the essentials are tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and lemon.  Make it for your taste and how it looks.  I personally like to see a lot of green in mine; I don't want it to look like straight tomatoes.
Enjoy!

FISH FAVORITES

by Stefanie

My favorite thing to eat--hands down--is a cookie.  (Actually not a cookie, but cookies--one is never enough.)  I think most of my family would say cookies are one of their favorite things as well.  We didn't have a lot of store bought treats growing up, but my mom did make homemade cookies and pies.  She loved to make chocolate chip cookies and eat the dough...who doesn't?!  She always had a stash of chocolate chips in food storage room--I think specifically for cookies--and I stole more than my share for midnight snacks.

Unfortunately, cookies are not the most healthful thing, so I've tried many recipes of healthful alternatives--none so great that I would make them again and again.  When we are hunkering for a treat at our house, we default to our Mrs. Field's oatmeal, chocolate chip recipe.  I've made it so many times I can do it without the recipe, with my left hand, and with my eyes closed.  Tonight I experimented (again) with the recipe trying to make it a little more nourishing.  A woman told me about a flour mix--equal parts of spelt, barley, and brown rice--that she uses in place of white flour in all her cookies and cakes.  She claimed her kids love the substitution, and she never makes her cookies with white flour anymore.

Well, I thought I would give it a go since I will eat just about anything that has chocolate chips in it.  I happened to have those three grains on hand, so I ground my own instead of buying the flour.  (For those of you in Utah, you can get the flour mix at the Bosch kitchen store.)  I didn't want to chance ruining a whole batch of cookies, so I still used half of the white flour.  And...THEY TURNED OUT DELICIOUS!  Here's my modified recipe:

3 cubes of butter, softened
1/4 cup coconut oil
4 eggs
2 cups organic sugar (at Costco!)
2 cups brown sugar (and if you're daring you can substitute sucanant)
1 T real vanilla
Cream together in a Bosch or Kitchen Aid mixer.  Then add:
2 cups organic white flour
2 cups of the spelt-barley-rice flour
(The original recipe calls for 4 cups of white flour.  I've also modified it by doing 3 cups of white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour without my kids noticing.)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
Mix. Then add:
4-5 cups of rolled oats (part of this can be quinoa flakes!)
2 cups coconut (raw, shredded, unsweetened to be most healthful)
1 1/2 - 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Then if you wish, you can add raisins if you are weird like me or if you are like my mom, you would add nuts.  If you do add these extras, I would stick with only 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips.
Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 9 minutes.  Enjoy!

SEE FISH FEAST

by Stefanie

How fun is a post with no pictures? NOT! But I ate my salad so fast--and am now so full--that I forgot to take a picture.  However, I still wanted to share this amazing entree salad with you.  I'll call it Ginger Steak Salad.  The dressing is where it's at so, make it up first:

1/2 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
2 T fresh ginger root (finely grated or just peeled and coarsely chopped if you are making this in a high powered blender that will blend it smooth)
3 T honey
4 cloves of garlic (minced or blended)

On a bed of your favorite organic greens add all or some of the following chopped veggies:
cucumber
red onion
avocado
zucchini
sweet bell peppers
mushrooms
cilantro
sprouts

Then cook up some high quality steak, cut it into strips and toss into the salad.  I marinated and cooked my meat in teriyaki sauce.  Here is a recipe for homemade teriyaki:

1/4 c Bragg Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 c water
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t garlic power
5 T sucanant (or brown sugar)
1-2 T honey
Begin to heat on stove and add 2 T cornstarch mixed with 1/4 c cold water as a thickening agent.

Well, of course the last thing you do is pour your delicious dressing on your salad.  You might want to make extra because you'll be craving it the next day!  Enjoy!

See Fish Celebrate Lincoln

by Julia

Guess who made the paper? My very own Abe.

David is an attorney and a member of the Indiana Bar. The Indiana Bar Association asked for volunteers to present for their community outreach program "Why Lincoln Was a Lawyer." Since David is a Lincoln fan and has read big thick books about the 16th president, he readily volunteered. An added bonus was that he gets two paid days per year to do community service, so this certainly qualified.

David had to come up with his own hour long presentation to do for groups of elementary school kids. Being a trivia lover, he decided to do a Family Feud style game with questions about where Lincoln lived, when he was born, what his favorite hobby was, jobs he held, where he was shot, etc.

David drove two hours away to present to three different school groups and had a fun day (certainly different than reading documents at the office). He was featured in an e-newspaper and as the top story in the local paper, which a teacher sent us a copy of. "Lincoln comes to life" the headline blares. I think the beard and hair need a bit of work to be more lifelike, but the whole outfit did what it needed to do. This all went down on a Friday and David did not have to turn in the costume until Monday. I persuaded him to wear this outfit to the tri-stake youth valentine dance we were chaperoning on Saturday night. We got some serious looks! Once the youth got more comfortable with Abe dancing in their presence, some wore his hat, some wished him happy 206th birthday, and one guy even wanted his autograph.

SEE FISH REPURPOSE

by Stefanie

I meant to post this in December but never took the time, but since I took the pictures...well, here it is:

These are some mice I made out of old wool sweaters. I found the idea here: http://mossymossy.com/?p=313

I went to a thrift store and found 100% wool sweaters. Then I washed and dried them a couple of times. On the link above she gives you an idea of a pattern, but you'll have to draw one yourself. I started big and then kept cutting the pattern down for the smaller mice. I made a little bean bag to put in the bottom of each that helps them sit better. Then I bundled them together along with a made-up "Christmouse" game and gave it to a family with little kids. This is something that can spur on your creativity--like why not use the same concept to make bunnies for Easter?

HAPPY MONTH OF VALENTINES AND LOVE!

BY STEFANIE

I went to Costco and found the most delicious organic granola called “Love Crunch.” As I was examining the contents I was thinking, “I can make this, AND I can make this more healthful and nutrient-packed!” So that’s what I set out to do. Here is my own version of “Love Crunch.”

Combine well in a large bowl:

10 cups of rolled oats

2 cups raw, unsweetened coconut (large or small flakes—or both)

2 cups quinoa flakes

1 cup sprouted almonds, chopped (raw almonds soaked overnight and then dehydrated until crisp)

1 cup chia seeds

1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1 cup flax seeds, freshly ground

½ cup raw cacoa powder

On the stove over low heat, melt—do not boil:

2 1/2 cups raw honey (you can substitute agave and/or molasses for part of this)

1/2-3/4 cup extra-virgin coconut oil (I’ve made this without the oil and it turns out good—just not as many clusters to crunch on.)

1t salt

1 cup water

2 tablespoons vanilla

Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well. Spread contents evenly into 3 sheet cake pans. Convection bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, stir, then bake for another 10 to 20 minutes depending on how crunchy you want it.  I've also dehydrated it at about 115 degrees.  It takes much longer but helps preserve the nutritional value of it that high heat destroys. Cool. Mix in freeze-dried strawberries and raspberries and chunks of high-quality dark chocolate to your taste.  I like to store mine in the freezer.  I also love it with almond/coconut milk (Almond Breeze brand) and fresh bananas.

*Always use organic ingredients when possible. Not only is it so much better for your health, but it supports farmers and others who are trying to supply us with higher quality, sustainable foods.

ENJOY!

Winter Beach Party

By Marci

So my cousin Melanie lives 75 minutes south of us, and we're really far away from most family members, so we have to arrange to see each other at least once per month.   My Soldier is off at training in Georgia for two weeks, and her daughter had a half day at school, so we just had get together to play for the day.

My oldest daughter has been concerned recently that she is missing out on all the fun at home while she's at school.  So, Melanie planned a great surprise for when she got off the bus.  Welcome to the [sun] + E Beach Party.

This one's for the Cornell graduate.

And here's a snippet of Big D from the party that went on earlier in the day.

When it was all said and done: "That beach party...I just didn't even expect it.  It was fantastic!"

Amish Time

by Julia

Ahhh . . . more cheese. Our family took a trip to Holmes County, Ohio over the Christmas break. I'm told that this area has the highest concentration of Amish in the country. My husband's parents have a little timeshare over that way that we have been to a handful of times. When we go, we like to see Heini's Cheese Factory and I thought you might want to drool too.

I took photos of all the beautiful hand painted signs but I will spare you the others. The amazing thing about this particular cheese factory is that all the milk processed here is hand milked. No machines. The Amish aren't into electricity.

Our wonderful tour guide, Atlee.

You walk down two long isles before getting to the checkout. It is slow going because there are samples of all these cheeses available to taste. Of course you and the scores of others who have made the pilgrimage want to try all the cheese. David always walks out with something really flavorful (this time it was bleu and some fire hot pepper). Those of you who know David could have called that.

I think the Amish farms are beautiful. They keep up their property, whether the homes are small or large, and it feels orderly and serene.


Even in December their clothes are out drying on the line. We have seen men out in their fields, behind one horse or a team, gathering in corn and other crops. This time we happened upon one farmer spreading manure, which our noses verified.

On this trip we also saw lots of these corn stalk piles. Remember all of this happens with a man and his scythe--no machinery.

This trip was our first time to drive all the way to Lehman's in Kidron, Ohio. (Note the British style phone booth out front because the Amish do not have phones in their homes.) This store is a destination and I thought it was worth the drive. It is huge. It carries all kinds of non-electric products that Amish people want to buy and that we want to buy too if we are getting really serious about self-sufficiency or disaster preparedness. Wood burning stoves, gas appliances, washboards, composting toilets, oil lamps, wringer washers, every kitchen item you can think of, yard and garden tools and supplies, food, candy, furniture, hardware, and tons of toys are a sampling of what you can find.

O and I thought the pig-loving Grandpa Merlin should have this grill.

While he is at it, Mer ought to get his ice cream production really going with this contraption.

Gratefully Merlin already has his own Swiss cowbell but if anyone else wants to get one to join in the chorus, Lehman's can hook you up.

All chicken owners alert! Check out the egg storage and hot water incubator.

Stef needs several of these German Sauerkraut crocks to do all her fermenting. David could help with some kimchi as long as it was super spicy. Some of these were big enough to hide three small children. Don't forget the wooden lid.

After three hours of looking around, it is time to sit--in a hand made rocker.

When we pulled into Kidron, there was some kind of outdoor market or auction going on. The obvious thing being sold was hay. Here is how the parking lot looked.

I doubt there is an automatic car wash close by to help with the mud.

I am pretty sure this man saw me and purposely turned his head. I was sorry to make him uncomfortable. This is why I could not be a photojournalist; I get nervous prying with the lens.

Who wants to go back with me? We might have to take some green drink to have between those Amish buffets.