A Wedding

We've been absent for a few days...that's because our brother/brother-in-law got married!!

The Groom

The Bride

The Couple

The wedding was in San Diego, California and it was fabulous. We'll get some pictures up soon.

Blessings, 

Jordan and Missy

Pear Muffin Recipe

Hello All!

So, with the lack of posts that we've put up, I thought I would post a recipe I started using a few months ago but just haven't put up on here yet! The great thing about this recipe is that it is super flexible and you can add just about whatever you want and it will turn out great. The recipe is originally from here  AND here - basically I mixed them both to get more of an oatmeal-based muffin. These are great for snacks or breakfast treats!


So here is more or less what I've used:

2 c. oats (quick or regular work)
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. soft butter
1 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. chopped peeled pear (1 or 2 lg.)
1/2 c. milk (skim = healthier!)
2/3 cup plain non fat yogurt (I have also used strawberry - adds a bit more flavor without being too strong)
1 egg 

Combine oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Remove 2 1/2 cups to large mixing bowl. Combine soft butter with remaining oatmeal mixture (I use VERY little butter, the oats and sugar stick to the top of the muffins pretty well once baked); set aside. Stir flour (again, you can use more oatmeal, less flour - whatever ratio you want), baking powder, and salt into oatmeal mixture in large bowl. Combine milk, yogurt, and egg. Pour into dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Stir in pear (as much as you want! The more the better!). Spoon into 12 greased or lined muffin cups filling 1/2 full. (I usually have enough extra for 6 more muffins) Sprinkle reserved oatmeal mixture over tops. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees. (They may take longer, I know my bake time is closer to 20 minutes, but most of my recipe times are different down in Chile....not sure why)

 Mixing the Oats

 Batter

 Pears

 Chopped Pears

 Muffin Tops

Enjoy!

Blessings All,

Missy

Una Visita

Here we've been home for about 2 weeks now, and haven't really posted anything on what we have been up to! Thought I would share some photos from my dad's house -- we got to go up there for a visit a the beginning of our time home, and it was great! 

Dad and Stepmom

 Just in time for beautiful cherry trees in bloom!

 Dad warming up the truck

 Making muffins

 Lizzy dog

 Super furry cat

More pretty flowers in bloom

 Jordan doing some moves

Practicing karate...or something

 We helped my dad move a bunch of lilac plants

Can you spot the peacock?? 

Blessings All!

Jordan and Missy

Home!

Hey all, just a quick note to let you all know we arrived safe and sound in Portland last Wednesday. We've been pretty busy with family and friends lately, but we'll be sure to get back on track with the updates soon. While you wait, here are a few pictures.

- Jordan and Missy

Our awful visa photos

An ostrich named Dave we encountered on one of our trips

Sea anemone at the beach

Inundation

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Well, you can't leave a country without some sort of crazyness, and ours happened the night before we left Tome. I, Missy, in my desire to get the house spic-and-span before we left decided I just had to fish out some spoons that had fallen behind the sink in between the wall. Of course, moving the sink out (it isn't attached to the wall just a free-floating furniture piece) I pulled out one of the pipes from the faucet – thus spraying water EVERYWHERE.

Yes, there was yelling, yes there was running around trying to stop the flow with towels, napkins, all those ridiculous things that don't really help anything, yes tempers were high - when I remembered to turn off the water at the shut off valve outside (this is my second time breaking a pipe in Chile, the Capstone team can vouch for another caper I had breaking a pipe). Did I know where the valve was? Nope. Did Jordan? Tampoco. (No) Was it pitch dark? Yep. But after running around in the dark, coming back in for a flashlight, then running around some more, we found it, turned it off, and looked at the damage.

Mind you, I had JUST finished cleaning the house for our departure, ready to go to bed, get some sleep, all that great stuff. And I had just flooded the kitchen with a good inch of water. Great. And to top it off – I had actually broken the faucet, so that had to be fixed before we left.

Now, I had to wait about a day to be able to write about this, because we both had to come to the place where we could laugh about it...it had been a little stressful getting ready to go, it had been a long weekend, and we'd been working hard. Needless to say, at the time it wasn't at all funny. But, we've moved on, chalked it up to a good experience as a married couple, and can appreciate how the other handled the situation. I mopped water, Jordan got some tools, I mopped some more water, Jordan fixed the pipe, we both mopped more water, and eventually were able to get to bed.

Great adventure, great company, glad we laugh and Jordan can forgive me for being the insane cleaner that I am (we did get the spoons by the way, when we had to move the sink to mop up water and mess with some pipes – and you better believe I made sure I cleaned back there when I had the chance as well – that's how insane my cleaning gene is). And, I think I really learned my lesson about what is worth it when you are trying to leave a house for 2 months – and spoons – are not.

Have a great day – we'd of course love to hear other stories of madness you've experienced!

Missy (and Jordan)

Coming Home

Well, with the Easter service came our time to hop on a bus and head out to Santiago to return home. We are leaving on Tuesday evening, and arriving in Portland on Wednesday. 

It seemed to come out of nowhere (minus the fact that we have been working super hard to prepare the house for winter while we are gone) and it was hard to say goodbye. We've made some amazing friends down here, and it is honestly difficult to believe that we've only been here a little over 7 months, because we simply feel so close to everyone. 

We got to say some goodbyes at church, everyone gave us lectures that we must return, and both of us cannot imagine saying goodbye for good. It is incredible how much we have grown together here in Tome, but also how serving this group of believers and their community has made us feel so connected, so blessed, and so much apart of them. We are going to miss life down here in Chile, but at the same time are excited to come home and share with all of you the mountains God is moving down here!

May you have a blessed day, and if you think of it – pray for our travels!

Jordan and Missy