Heading for Haiti Hodgepodge

I am glad to be sharing in the Wednesday Hodgepodge this week. I won't be able to participate next week, as I will be out of the country (see #8 below). I doubt that I will be able to do any blogging at all while I'm gone, but you can be sure I will have several (hundred) pictures to share when I return. :)

Be sure to pay a visit to Joyce, and check out the other Hodgepodgers who are participating. It's fun!

1. Who taught you how to cook?

Well now, that question is making the assumption that I actually know how to cook. I have said it before, I know how to make about three things. After your third meal at our house, you will have tasted my entire repertoire. I don't cook well. I don't cook often. And I have absolutely no idea how to cook for two. Food for the basketball team? No problem. (Spaghetti is one of the three things.)  A meal for Jim and me? Not so much.

2. Have you been told you think too much? Are too much of a perfectionist? Are too sensitive? Were they right?

I have never been accused of thinking too much. I'm not sure I have ever been told any of these things. I guess I'm sometimes a bit of a perfectionist. There are a few things I would rather do myself. Other things, like my laundry room or my closets, are about as far from perfect as you can get.

3. As a child did you have a favorite blanket or toy? Tell about it.
No, I don't really think I had one special toy or blanket. More of a series of things, including an old feather pillow that my grandma always referred to as "that disreputable pillow" because it was so squishy and flat. I'm pretty sure it went to college with me.

4. What 'institution' do you have the most faith in?

Well, after the news this week about Kim K., I don't think I can choose the institution of marriage. I'll choose the church. What better to have faith in?

5. Chrysanthemums-pansies-burning bush-ornamental cabbage...your favorite in an autumn garden?

Chrysanthemums.

6. What superpower do the kids in your neighborhood seem to posses?

I live in the country, not a neighborhood, so no kids around. I wish I had neighborhood kids with barn cleaning superpowers. :)

7. Are you a fan of the cranberry?

Yes, I like cranberries. I remember grinding cranberries with my grandma at Thanksgiving, which was always quite fascinating to me. I don't so much like cranberry relish, but I do have a favorite cranberry recipe to share.

Cranberry Apple Bake (or as we now call it, Cranberry Crumble)

3 cups apples, chopped but not peeled

2 cups raw, whole cranberries

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 stick melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup oatmeal

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup chopped nuts

Place apples, cranberries, white sugar & 1/3 cup brown sugar in 8X8 casserole dish. Pour mixture of melted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, oatmeal, flour and nuts over fruit. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Easy and yummy. I try to keep a bag of cranberries in the freezer to have on hand for this recipe. This may also be frozen ahead of time and baked when needed.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

On Sunday, I will be traveling to Haiti. It will be my fourth trip, and my first since the earthquake of January 2010 that destroyed much of the little community I have come to know. I am sure it will be emotional to see piles of rubble where buildings once stood.

I will look to the beautiful mountains and witness the resiliency of the Haitian people, and I will see hope.

 I will see hope in these beautiful children who persevere through unimaginable hardship.

Who continue to learn and grow even after their school building was destroyed.

I will see joy in their faces as we share a few small gifts, take 600! school pictures, and help with some construction projects. I will experience the warmth of the sincerest hospitality, when those who have so little welcome us to their homes to share a meal or a cup of coffee.

And I will be blessed. 

Won't you pray with me for our friends in Haiti, and for safe travels for our group? 

God bless you.

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
         From whence comes my help?
  My help comes from the LORD,
         Who made heaven and earth. 

~Psalm 121:1