New Shoes

Dan has been growing so fast! Look at these shoes!

Hahaha!

I crack myself up.

But seriously...

Remember when Dan rode his bike to church?

According to Google Maps--we live 1.2 miles from the church building. This is what he looked like after riding his bike those 1.2 miles.

On Monday, Dan was determined to walk home from school by himself. The thought of our little boy walking by himself petrified me! I want to allow him to be strong and independent--but he's so little!

Well, I determined he needed the chance to prove himself.

We live 1.4 miles away from the school.

This is what he looked like after walking the whole way by himself!

No tears. No sweat. Just a happy, tired kid.

(For those of you concerned... I checked on him 3 times during his walk to see if he wanted rescuing. And we won't be making this a habit because I do think he's too young. But every month or so, he can walk home by himself--with a cell phone in his back pack.)

I can't believe what a difference a year makes!

Family Recipes: Time for PIE!

From the Kitchen of Grandma Tommy Kirkpatrick! (shared by her great granddaughter Eve Garcia)

Lemon Meringue Pie

Preparation:

Slightly beat 3 egg yolks in a small bowl.

In a separate bowl—Lemon prep.

Grate 1 1/3 Tablespoons of lemon rind

4 Tablespoons of lemon juice.

Set aside.

In sauce pan:

Mix 1 ½ c sugar

1/3 c corn starch

Whisk together.

Gradually stir in 1 ½ c water.

Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, till thickens and starts to boil.

Boil for 1 minute—stirring constantly.

Slowly stir in ½ of the boiled mixture into the egg yolks. Pour back into pan on stove.

Boil 1 more minute—stirring constantly.

Remove from heat.

Beat until smooth.

Add 3 Tablespoons of butter.

Add lemon prep.

Stir until smooth.

Pour into 9 inch pieshell that’s already been baked.

Meringue-

4 egg whites into a clean bowl. The egg whites won’t rise if there is grease on the bowl or if there's any yolk in the mixture.

Mix egg whites and ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar.

Gradually add 6 tablespoons of sugar.

Beat beat beat until the meringue rises.

Seal meringue on top of the pie.

Bake pie at 400 F for 8-10 minutes. Cool pie away from drafts. Let it sit for at least an hour before serving. The longer, the better.

Eat!

Fresh Peach Pie

1 cube of butter softened

½ c flour

1 c sugar

Cut together.

Sprinkle ½ of mixture on bottom of unbaked pie shell.

Cut up 3 large peaches to taste.

Sprinkle ½ of mixture over and around peaches.

Bake pie for about 1 hour at 350 F or 40 minutes for 400 F.

Eat!