Notes from Marg

Thursday, August 20, 2009 ;

3:44 PM

Fresh Blueberry Pie and Scrapping

Today I want to talk about scrapping, not the fighting kind, but the "paste it in an album" kind. For years as we traveled from church to church, we lugged along boxes and boxes filled with "the stuff of our lives"--pictures, kids' drawings, school papers, more pictures, trophies, awards, more pictures...you get the idea. I know Jim was aggravated moving so many boxes of "Marg's Stuff", thinking it would never make it out of a box and into something permanent. And I always felt guilty, which is something I do quite well, worrying that precious memories were being ruined in damp boxes cause I couldn't find the time to do something with them.

In Calgary I visited with a friend who had chronicled her family's vacations in wonderful scrapbooks full of pictures, stickers, artwork, little boxes of dialog; gorgeous books that were fun to look at and full of memories for her family. That evening got my brain working. Soon after, she asked me to help her start a scrapbooking class at church, as an outreach to our community. That was the beginning. Ruth has kept it going, expanding, holding all-day workshops in the church foyer, ladies meeting ladies from outside the church, developing friendships and inviting people to be a part of their lives and their church life, if they don't have one.

Meanwhile, my mom was approaching a milestone birthday, and so was Jim's mom. What better gift for a huge birthday than a memory book? I emailed all the sisters and begged for photos, anything they were willing to part with of their kids, especially pictures of them with the Grandmas. I already had 20 years' worth of school pictures, plus occasional family reunion or holiday photos. I set up plastic containers labeled with my kids' names, the cousins, Christmas, reunions, etc. Then I sorted, sorted, SORTED! It actually was fun, and felt SO GOOD to get the pictures out of boxes and into my plastic bins.

The next part is history. The completed books of their lives, starting with baby pictures and moving through the years, mostly focusing on the grandkids, those books were a HUGE success. But something else happened. I found that "scrapping" as I called it, put me in touch with the little Margie I used to be! I felt creative again, excited to be doing something fun and rewarding and GETTING RID OF THE GUILT! It was a win/win situation. Yes, the books and supplies cost money. After awhile I quit keeping track. I decided you can't put a price tag on memories! And when a person is gone, all that is left is pictures and memories, right? (No one has left yet, but I know someday I'll have to face that.) After the moms, I moved on to do a book for Jim on his 60th birthday. It is precious to him, showing the "days of his life." And of course, it is expandable! There are more days coming.

So--this is to encourage those of you who have boxes of memories. There never really is a good time to stop housework, leave the outside flowers, forget the laundry and go do some scrapping. That's why I had been married 29 years before I tackled those boxes. Somehow I thought I was supposed to get all my "work" done before I could do something fun like play with memories. You know what? That never happens. You NEVER get it all done. And there will come a time when you will be too old, too tired, too crippled, too SOMETHING to even care about pictures any more! So, my challenge to you is...stop putting it off and start scrapping! Do something once a week. Find your local store and buy that first album. Go to Wal-mart and check out the scrapbook aisles to get you excited. There's a whole world out there waiting for you, and a family who will absolutely love your books when you start making them. It's worth it.

Did you think I forgot about the blueberry pie? No, it's a recipe I got at the Scrapbook Shoppe last week. It's wonderful for a summer evening, perhaps a treat while you sort through photos!

Fresh Blueberry Pie (or strawberry, or peach)

8" graham cracker crust, or a baked crust (make sure to let it cool)
3 cup fresh blueberries, washed and dried
1 cup sugar
3 TB cornstarch
1 cup water
3 TB lemon jello powder (or strawberry, or peach)
(Note: DON'T use sugar-free. It doesn't come out right.)

Brush the crust with a thin coating of corn starch to keep the pie from getting soggy. Place berries in the cool crust, making a nice mound. In medium pan combine the sugar and cornstarch, stirring till there are no lumps. Add the water and stir till dissolved. Cook this liquid over medium heat, stirring constantly about 5 minutes until it starts to boil, gets thick and clear.
Remove from heat, cool slightly. Stir in the jellow powder till dissolved. Pour this cooled filling over your fruit, tilt and tap the pie pan until the filling has settled evenly in the pie. Chill at least 3 hours, then serve with Cool Whip or vanilla ice cream. Or plain, with coffee. It's delicious!

Labels: Recipe, Scrapbooking

♫♫♪♫♪ from Marg

Marg Marshall, 3:44 PM | link | 1 comments |

Tuesday, August 11, 2009 ;

1:44 PM

TOM'S SPRIGHTLY SPROUTS

I know there are people out there who like Brussel Sprouts. My niece here in Columbus has the good fortune to be dating a master chef, and Tom's Sprouts are something to write about. So I am.

2 lbs. Brussel sprouts, washed and trimmed
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 small yellow onion (sweet)
1 lemon (using the zest + the juice)
1 Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (less than)
salt, pepper
1/2 stick butter

Slice onion, melt butter, then carmelize onions in butter. Cube apple (peeled, cored). Add apple, apple juice, raisins and lemon zest to the carmelized onions. Simmer to reduce by half, about 4 minutes. Turn the fire off and add the nutmeg.

Cook sprouts with the juice from the lemon added to the cooking water. Drain, mix with the sauce. Serve with ham and scalloped potatoes for a fabulous meal!

Labels: Recipes

♫♫♪♫♪ from Marg

Marg Marshall, 1:44 PM | link | 1 comments |