Easy English Trifle

I know, I am so bad about posting to my blog. I wanted to share the recipe with you of a dessert I made last night to take to Gerry's bike club Christmas potluck.

Here's the recipe:
1 pkg (8 oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
2 cups cold milk, divided
1 pkg (4 oz) Jello-O Vanilla flavored instant pudding
2 1/2 cups cubed prepared pound cake
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1 can (15 1/4 oz) peach slices, drained, chopped

Beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup milk in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add dry pudding mix and remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk, beat on low speed for 1 minute.

Layer half each of the cake, preserves, peaches and pudding mixture in 1 1/2 quart serving bowl, repeat layers.

Cover surface with waxed paper or plastic wrap.

Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.

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This is a Kraft Foods recipe. I love their recipes, they are quick and easy. Here are some changes I make to the recipe.

The grocery store that I shop at sells the pound cake already sliced. I purchase 2 containers and use 1 whole container and 3 or 4 slices from the second one. I use 1 large can and 1 small can of peach slices that I drain really good and cut up in pieces. I like lots of fruit. I use about 1/2 to 3/4 of a jar of strawberry preserves. The last layer is the last of the pudding mixture. I smooth it over the top so the cake and fruit is completely covered.

Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday Denise Noe'lani

I am celebrating the 40th anniversary of the birth of my daughter today!!

I am not sure where the past 40 years have gone. However, I can honestly say Denise has brought great joy to my life. I like to say she is the sunshine in my life. Even during the dark days of when she and I were by ourselves, the mere mention of her name or to look at her dear face, gave me the assurance that everything would be alright.

Her father wanted a boy and was convinced that I was going to have a boy. I prayed for a girl. I remember I started crying when Dr. Shean told me I had a girl. My heart was filled with thanksgiving that God had answered my prayer.

After she was cleaned up and brought to me, I couldn't believe my eyes -- she was beautiful!! She had light skin, dark brown hair and lots of it. The nurses had combed her hair into a beautiful wave and there were blond streaks through the wave. It looked like someone had taken a paint brush and painted the streaks in her hair. In fact, I asked the nurses who had done that and I was assured it was natural! She also had blue eyes. My prayer had been for a girl with dark hair, fair complexion and blue eyes!!

As Denise got older, her hair turned to a beautiful auburn color. When she was about 5 years old, I took her to my hairdresser for a hair cut. I asked my hairdresser what color would Denise's hair be called. She told me it was like spun gold, it had a lot of red in it and highlights of blond. She said it was a color that couldn't be gotten from a bottle.

Today, Denise and her husband are ministering in Enterprise, AL. They have a coffee shop called Boldly Going and have a Calvary Chapel fellowship going on. She keeps herself busy with making all kinds of yummy home baked goods for the coffee shop. About a month ago she shared some news with me.

About June 7th of next year, she and Stephen will welcome another child to their family. Yes, she is expecting another child!! This was exciting news to receive. Just when we thought there would be no more grandchildren, Denise gives me this news. Her children are 22, 19 and 16, so it will be starting all over pretty much. She is doing good, just tired and a little morning sickness.

So to my sweet daughter, a very Happy Birthday to you. Your voice this morning brought a smile to my face. I am so thankful God answered my prayer and gave you to me to enjoy for a while. Words can not express how blessed I feel to say you are my gift! May God continue to bless your life and give you the desires of your heart. I will forever love you!! Your mother.

Memories

From about the 6th of November through the 11th, every year, I do a lot remembering. Why, you ask?

Well, because my due date to deliver my baby was November 6th. It was a Thursday and I didn't want to deliver on that date. I wanted to deliver on November 11th because it was a Tuesday. I was born on a Tuesday, I conceived on a Tuesday so Tuesday had to be the date. My then husband wanted November 10th, the Marine Corp birthday (he's a Marine).

Labor pains began sometime on the Saturday. They weren't very intense and in fact, I don't think I really knew what they were. My mother had come to stay and help me. It had been so long ago for her, she didn't remember what labor pains were like. Then on Sunday the pains became stronger and more intense. My neighbor and dear friend came over and we started to time the pains. They subsided and I felt okay. Mom had fixed a fantastic dinner of shoyu chicken. It was so good. The pains started up again, a bit stronger and were close together.

We lived 6 blocks from the hospital. I had been in contact with my doctor and I called him again about 9 pm that night. He told me to go to the hospital and he would meet me there. I was checked and unfortunately, the pains had stopped. They decided to go ahead and admit me. I heard one nurse saying "she seems very frightened, let's just keep her and see what happens". The pains were off and on through the night.

The next morning after my doctor saw me, he told me that if I wasn't in active labor by lunch time, they were going to induce labor. That was started after lunch. Labor began in earnest, however nothing was happening. I wasn't progressing. The doctor was quite concerned when he checked on me that evening.

Finally, about midnight when nothing had changed, the doctor decided to do a C-section. I had in labor some 30 plus hours. He had told me early in my pregnancy that if my baby was more than 7 lbs, I may have problems. I had a very narrow cervix and he wasn't sure I would be able to have a natural delivery. I took fertility pills (Clomid) to conceive. I was the first patient in North San Diego County to take the drug. I also had to have a hormone shot each month so I wouldn't miscarry. Towards the end of my pregnancy I had a shot weekly. Sometimes I had to have two shots because my backside was so punctured, the serum would just run out. So I was a high risk patient.

So finally, at 2:47 am on November 11th, a Tuesday, I delivered by C-section my beautiful daughter.

This was 40 years ago.

Yesterday

We spent a quiet anniversary yesterday. Gerry went to church in the morning. He's been going to Trinity church which is about two blocks from us. Its Pentecostal and a rather large church. More on this later.

We were going to go to Outback to eat. Gerry has a $50 gift certificate, however he couldn't find it. We went to The Elephant Bar instead. They were very busy and so we had to wait for a bit. I had short ribs in a Char Sui BBQ sauce. It was very good and I ate them all. Gerry had Jambalaya We came home after eating to rest for a little bit.

We then went to a Singspiration that Trinity Church was having. As I mentioned, the church itself is huge. The sanctuary holds up to 2400 people. The attendance is around 800. As what happens with a lot of churches, they went through some changes. They lost their pastor and the numbers dwindled. Two years ago they called Glen Cole out of retirement to be their pastor. Glen Cole pastored Capital Christian another mega Pentecostal church that is located in Rancho Cordova off of Highway 50. When he retired, his son took over the leadership of Capital Christian. In the two years that he's been at Trinity, the church has made substantial growth. I have not been feeling well so have yet to attend worship services there with Gerry.

Along with a singspiration time, they had a brass band performing. They are from the Redding area and are very good. The music played and sung were the old hymns of the church. It was very good and glad we went. I was very tired by the time we got home. Gerry put a DVD on after we got home and after it was over, I went to bed.

So, no big celebrations for us. I guess it is a sign that we are getting older. :))

Happy 29th Anniversary

Today, November 1, 2009, at 2:22 pm in Sacramento, CA, Gerry and I have been married for 29 years. It was a dreary Saturday 29 years ago. I was surprised at the turnout for our wedding since Denise and I had not lived in Sacramento very long. Most of the guests were church family and friends of Gerry. A friend, Larry Bowler told Gerry after the ceremony that we were pronounced man and wife by Gerry's dad at 2:22 pm. Through the years I have been reminded of the precise time in numerous ways.

I remembered it was a very busy morning. All of Denise and my belongings were moved to Gerry's apartment that morning. Then I had to get things set up for the reception and in the church besides getting 5 girls dressed. Gerry had the responsibility of making sure 3 boys got dressed.

A friend, Rita, made our cake for us and got it set up. She was a big help in helping me to get what was necessary for the ceremony and reception.

We were married at Arden Church of the Nazarene, Gerry's dad performed the ceremony and our eight children were the wedding party. It was quite a task finding outfits for 7 of them. Our oldest son got his own suit. Gerry found a 3 piece cordoroy suit at Sears in a rust color and so Erik got a beige one. Our colors were peach, rust and ivory. I found a really nice peach colored gown at a bridal shop in Town and Country that needed very little alterations. The four youngest girls dresses were found at Sears. Surprisely enough we were able to find sizes to fit them all. They were ivory and our oldest daughter wore a long ivory colored gown. I think we found it at JC Penney's. Matching shoes was another story. I had to go to the Naturalizer store to get Denise's shoes. The other girls shoes were bought at Sears. The two boys wore khaki pants with a printed western style shirt.

The ages of the children were 19 years to 9 years.

It is hard to believe that 29 years have passed.

San Luis Obispo Trip

Sorry, I've been MIA. We had a great time in SLO. As I mentioned in my previous post, Gerry rode with the SLO bike club. They ended up in Avila Beach for coffee and then made their way back to SLO. After he got cleaned up, we went in search of lunch and a grocery store. We found a Japanese place and had a teriyaki chicken rice bowl. It was good, there just was a lot of it and I couldn't finish mine. We went to the Kitamura's Friday evening. Bob & Janice had catered some sandwiches from a local deli. Janice made a huge assorted fruit salad. She also got some pies from a local place, the pies are put together then have to be baked. She had apple and ollalieberry. The berry pie was excellent. Two of Bob's sisters were there also. Josh and Becca came over later. Becca's dad had a bad cold and her mom was tired so they didn't come over.

On Saturday morning after breakfast we drove down to Avila Beach. There was a walkathon going on so there was a lot of people down on the beach. We shopped in a few shops, I bought a Tshirt and then we stopped at the coffee shop where the SLO bike club goes to. Its called The Hula Hut and is right across from the beach. Very nice place.

Josh and Becca's reception was at 4 pm at the church where the Kitamura's attend. The church is on the south side of SLO, up on a hill. The rooftop can be seen from the freeway. The view around it is beautiful!! The reception was catered. There were appetizers first and then dinner was tri tip, bbq chicken, oven roasted potatoes, a mixture of vegetables that had been grilled, baked beans, green salad and then a sundae bar for dessert. There was punch, iced tea and water to drink.

We were introduced to Becca's parents and so enjoyed visiting with them, Francis and Brenda Pieprzyk. (Please don't ask me to pronounce their last name, I have no clue. I believe its Polish). In conversation with Brenda, she commented on the excellent job Stephen did performing the ceremony and how beautiful and gracious Denise is. I was happy with the compliments, I had been praying for my kids that whole day.

Sunday morning we all met back at the church, Mountainbrook Community, at 11 am for worship service. We enjoyed the service and noticed there is a beautiful view of the surrounding area from the sanctuary.

Later we met at the Apple Farm for lunch. The Apple Farm is right across the street from the La Cuesta where we were staying. It is quite a large complex which includes a hotel and a huge waterwheel. There's a gift shop down there along with one that is a part of the restaurant. I didn't think the food was as good as its been in the past.

After we ate, we all went over to Bob & Janice's. Most of Bob's family had gone home except for his sister and her husband that live in Portland. They were staying at the La Cuesta too. The family had met at the Apple Farm for breakfast. As we were finishing lunch, Bob's sister called and they came over.

Janice does several boutiques this time of year so after we got over to their house, she showed me some of the things she had made for the boutiques. She sews childrens clothing, knits; she also had some purses she made, aprons, kitchen towels. I love tote bags and she had one that I fell in love with. It is an autumn print. She wouldn't let me purchase it from her, insisted that I just take it. I love it and look forward to using it. I haven't taken a picture of it, I will and will have it on facebook.

Everyone started getting hungry so we ordered take out from Mo's BBQ which is downtown. Gerry and I shared a pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw. It was outstanding. After a fantastic evening, we all said our goodbyes. Bob's sister and her husband had an early flight Monday morning for Portland, Josh was going to take Becca's parents sightseeing on Monday and we were going to drive down to Solvang.

Solvang is about an hour or so south of SLO. We found a parking spot very close to the windmill and walked around. We stopped at the Solvang Bakery and got some goodies. There are tons of bakeries and restaurants in Solvang. We stopped at one restaurant and had some lunch - well, Gerry had pancakes. I just had an egg salad sandwich with cole slaw. On the way back, we drove down to Pismo Beach and walked out on the pier. It was pretty cold walking out there. It was amazing to watch the pigeons, pelicans and other birds. They are so use to having people around that they don't fly off when you approach them. I got pretty close to a pelican to take its picture. We then drove through Shell Beach and parked along the beach and just enjoyed. It is so pretty down there.

For dinner that night we found a little tacqueria and had a very nice inexpensive dinner, cheese enchiladas for me and chile rellano plate for Gerry.

Tuesday morning we were heading home, we decided to walk across the street to the Apple Farm for breakfast. I think it was after 9 before we got on the road. We drove up 101 for a change and before we got to Salinas, there was a truck with 2 trailers and a load of onions that toppled over on its side. Surprisely enough the traffic flowed without any stops. When we got to San Jose we took 680 over to 580 and I-5 home. Got home just before 4 pm.

Josh gave me a DVD of the wedding. It was being played throughout the reception so before we left, he gave it to me. He had told me previously that he had it for me. I am so thankful to have it.

I enjoyed getting to know Becca a little, she is a lovely girl. It seems a little strange to say I have a granddaughter-in-law. I got the impression they want to start their family soon. It will be nice to have a great grandchild. :))

Here's a link to see the pictures I took:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37617&id=1040101927&l=aacb1ba2f2

Enjoy!!

San Luis Obispo, California

Greetings from SLO! We are arrived here yesterday afternoon about 1:30 pm. We didn't leave North Highlands until 7:15 am and made several stops along the way. The temps were in the 60's and 70's, however we had the warm morning sun shining through the front of the van, so it was pretty warm while driving.

We are staying at the La Cuesta Hotel. It is right off of Highway 101, in fact there is a freeway on and off ramp right here so we hear all the freeway traffic. Although, with the slider closed, it was pretty quiet. We have a double queen room. The pictures you see on the internet of the rooms are really deceiving. The room is not as big as it appeared in pictures on the hotel's website. Its okay, I sat out on the balcony yesterday for a little bit.

Last night Josh and Becca came up to the hotel, picked us up and we met his parents down at Farmers Market in downtown SLO. They close 4 or 5 blocks for the market. There are all kinds of farmers selling their fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers, vendors selling all kinds of other stuff and then there are the food vendors. Josh's folks were standing in the line at McClintock's. They serve the best ribs and a whole lot of other stuff. The interaction between the people working the booth is quite entertaining. Gerry and I had a combo meal, with a pork rib, tri tip on a stick and a pork bundle which is the bottom part of the rib. It was all so good, Gerry got some beans. I brought some of my dinner back to the hotel. We sat out in front of a place that made and sold frozen fruit, which was like a slush. A girl came out with samples and so later Janice went in the store and bought some to bring back. I got a pint of the peach and ate some of it last night. It is so good, very refreshing. Bob & Janice had to leave early so Josh & Becca and us sat around for a little bit then made our way back up towards where the car was parked. It was very crowded by then. I stopped and got some really yummy grapes, don't remember the variety of them.

This morning Gerry is riding with the SLO Bike Club. Then tonight we are going over to the Kitamura's for dinner. Josh & Becca are driving down to Irvine to pick up Becca's parents that are flying in from Pennsylvania. They'll be back in time for dinner.

Well, I better go get myself ready and go downstairs for some breakfast.

Talk to you later! Have a great day!!