The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Dinnertime

Dinner was a sacred institution in my home growing up. At 5:00 our family gathered around the table for a home-made-from-scratch meal. It didn't matter what we were doing, everything was put on hold for supper...it was the best time of the day.

My dad is a minister and as I was growing up, a home missionary...a church planter. Our income was never large, but mom had a way of making everything seem special and taste good. When I think of the time that she spent transforming meager ingredients into the wholesome, comforting food I ate as a child I am amazed. Mom worked, was a busy pastors wife, helped support the church with candy sales (candy that she made herself every Thursday in our kitchen) and was very hands-on raising my sister and me. AND you could perform open heart surgery on her bathroom floors any day of the week. So, the time spent on dinner could have easily been spent on many other worthy things...but mom and dad knew the importance of connecting with their girls and dinner is one of my most treasured memories.

After dinner we very often pushed the plates back and sat at the table for an hour or longer just talking. It was during these "table talks" that my parents gently probed into our lives and extracted the joys and hurts of the day. They encouraged us, cried with us, laughed with us, reproved us and prayed with us. The nuggets of wisdom that were mined during these conversations have benefited me all my life, and I am thankful that my parents had the foresight to realize that dinner was not just a time to fuel the body with nutritious food, but an ideal time to feed the souls of their children with acceptance and gentle correction. In our home the dinner table wasn't the place where we children were taken to task concerning our report cards or untidy bedrooms...that sort of correction was done privately, preserving in us a sense of dignity. Table time correction was more direction...coaching, if you will.

Dinner guests always marvelled at our family's tradition of extending the "eating hour" with conversation. They joined in and enjoyed it...and left commenting that they felt satisfied in body, and in spirit. My dad, loving the Bible as he does, always managed to throw in a bit of the Word during our table talk. His word pictures and object lessons stay with me to this day.

So...what is my point? I want to give my family the same sort of warm, comforting dinnertime experiences that I had as a child, but I realized a little while ago that I wasn't succeeding. Dinner is so often eaten "on the fly". Every evening is packed with church activities, social obligations or homework. The leisurely hour spent around the table is non-existent in our home. We come to the table (which we do set with a cloth and nice dishes) and eat quickly. Our conversation centers around the activities of the evening or the next day. With 7 children at home everyone is always going in a different direction, and coordinating transportation and schedules can be a challenge. Sometimes we rush in from the afternoons activities with only enough time to change clothes and give the little girls a snack before we race out again...always running just a little behind schedule. "Dinner" is then eaten after we return, and eaten quickly so that we can all get to bed and start another busy day a few hours later.

I made a commitment to myself a few years ago that we would have 2 or 3 meals a week that were eaten calmly and leisurely...that we would take the time to enjoy the food and each other. I quickly found that the issue at stake wasn't a LACK of time, but a mismanagement of my time. That with a little forethought and planning we could have the same home-cooked-from-scratch meals that my mom made. Now we try to have dinner on the table by 5:00...just like my mom did...at least 3 days a week. I also worked out a series of menus...no more "Auuugghh...it's 5:00...WHAT is for dinner???" And I discovered freezer meals (Dinner My Way) which gave me many great ideas for pre-planning.

This is not to say that we always succeed in having Norman Rockwell dinner every day...but we do manage to spend quality time together eating well-planned, nicely presented meals at least 3 times each week. I have quit feeling guilty about the other 4 evenings. Our meals on those nights are usually crockpot meals or casseroles that are ready whenever someone is hungry or has time. And while we sit down together most nights, we are only able to linger at the table once or twice a week.

Has it made a difference? Yes. Have I re-created my childhood utopia? No. But it is my hope that my efforts are translating into warm family memories my children will carry with them into adulthood. Time marches on so quickly, and the days we spend together are priceless. I am determined to enjoy them to the fullest.

Lemon Bars and more...

Since I haven't blogged since July I am not even going to try to catch up on everything! Let me just say that I had an absolute blast with my dearest friend on earth and was able to stay for NINETEEN DAYS!!!! It was amazing, relaxing, busy (being involved with all they do), and a time for re-evaluating. My kids could not have given me a better gift for my birthday! Thank you to Victoria, Susanna, Alyssa, Franklin, Olivia, Julia, Nina and Ryan!

For Christmas they did it again! A wonderful gift in the form of MAGNIFICENT portraits by the unparalleled Sam Hassas. I don't have any of these images to share online, but here is the link to Sam's post: Beth's Christmas Pictures You have to scroll down the page a bit to find them! While this project was Victoria's brain child, everyone contributed. Ryan, however, put the wheels in motion. He got the shoot with Sam, got everyone safely to and from San Jose, fed all my kids pizza and more.

My friend, Christa was also a co-conspirator. I did think it was odd that she wanted to go to breakfast and spend the day together EARLY one Thursday morning. The funniest thing was that a few minutes after I left with Christa I got a text: "Ok, guys...she's gone. EVERYONE UP!" Hmmm...confirmed suspicions! Something WAS up! Obviously, I was not supposed to be on the receiving end of that text!

A public thanks to EVERYONE involved in this fabulous surprise...I will treasure these photos all my life.

One more thing about the pictures...most of you know that we have a disabled daughter. Julia is six years old and we have thousands of pictures of her, but we have NO PICTURES as beautiful as the ones that Sam took. It is amazing the way he captured her personality and the relationships she has with her siblings. THANK YOU, SAM HASSAS! Getting great pictures is a challenge, but getting great pictures of Julia is next to impossible. YOU ARE AMAZING!

SO...on to the lemon bars:

These are truly the most fabulous lemon bars on the planet! Two things are very important: USE REAL BUTTER and FRESH LEMONS! Don't try to cheat and use bottled lemon juice or margarine. The lemon zest is part of the unbelievable lemon flavor. These are sweet, tart, tangy, buttery...in a word: delicious!

CRUST:
1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (25 grams) confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar
1 cup (140 grams) all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

FILLING:
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (approximately two large lemons)
1 tablespoons (5 grams) grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons (25 grams) all purpose flour

TOPPING:
Confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar
Lemon Zest- The yellow outer rind of the lemon that contains the fruit's flavor and perfume.

TIP: Always remove the zest first before halving and squeezing the lemon. Use a fine strainer to remove the seeds and pulp from the juice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter the sides and bottom of an 8X8 pan.

FOR CRUST: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together. Press into the bottom of your greased pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

FOR FILLING: In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until nice and smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Fold in the flour. Pour the filling over the shortbread crust and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
To serve: Cut into squares or triangles and dust with powdered sugar. These are best eaten the day they are made but can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few days.
Yield: 16 - 2 inch (5 cm) squares or 32 triangles.

Enjoy!