Thankful Thursday- Pumpkin Scones!

I know this may sound silly, but I love fall because pumpkin is one of my favorite foods. It doesn't matter if it is pumpkin scones, cake, cookies, pies, custards, soups, seeds...Yum! My cousin Shelley sent me a pumpkin scone recipe that I tried last week. Wow! I have never had anything more pumpkinly amazing. It is one of my top favorites. So I thought that I would pass it along to you. Enjoy!

PUMPKIN SCONES

Makes 6 large or 12 small scones

Scone Ingredients:

2 cups flours

7 Tbl sugar

1 Tbl baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp ginger

6 Tbl cold butter

1/2 cup canned raw pumpkin

3 Tbl half and half

1 large egg

Sugar Glaze:

1 cup and 1 Tbl powdered sugar

2 Tbl milk

Spice Glaze:

1 cup and 1 Tbl powdered sugar

2 Tbl whole milk

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 pinch ginger

1 pinch cloves

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease cooking sheet or line with parchment paper.

3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl.

4. With a fork, or pastry cutter, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter remain. Set aside.

5. In a separate mixing bowl, mix pumpkin, half and half, and egg.

6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

7. Pat dough out on lightly floured surface and form into a 1" thick rectangle (about 9" long and 3" wide).

8. Use a large knife and divide the dough into three equal proportions. Cut diagonally to produce six triangular slices of dough.

9. Place on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

10. Place on wire rack to cool.

Glaze Instructions:

1. Sugar glaze- Mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Brush glaze over the top of each cooled scone.

2. Spice glaze- As the sugar glaze firms, combine all spiced glaze ingredients. Use a whisk to drizzle over each scone and allow to dry before serving.

**I personally think that it is too much with the spice glaze. I like it best with just the sugar glaze. If you like a strong spice flavor as well as really sweet, then use both glazes.

A Summer-y

And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:24-25

Thank you all for your faithful prayer as we traveled across the country! We thank the Lord for our safe, uneventful travels. The only bump in the road was a flat tire, which occurred one mile from Jeremy's uncle and aunt's house in Kansas. Uncle Ron had just changed a friend's tires and had two to spare. They just "happened" to be the exact size of our Honda. We praise the Lord for his provision! Every step of the way, we saw the Lord's hand upon us: safe travels, opportunities to share about the ministry at Spokane Turbine Center to which we've been called, hospitality and generosity of family and friends, quality time together while we were driving, wonderful conversations with everyone with whom we visited, new partners in ministry...The list could go on. As we were preparing for this road trip, our prayer was that it would be a time of encouragement and fellowship with friends and family. The Lord answered that prayer above and beyond what we could have imagined. How privileged we are to be a part of the body of Christ- to serve, encourage, worship, support and fellowship together in unity!

We weren't able to capture in pictures every highlight; such as, sharing Spokane Turbine Center's vision of missionary aviation training with supporting churches and supporters, enjoying time with friends and new friends, visiting the headquarters of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and JAARS, helping Greeley Mennonite Church prepare corn to send to Jeremy's parents in Arizona (which is an annual event), catching up with family at BBQ's in Kansas and Virginia, and touring a little along the way (Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Niagara Falls, and the Rocky Mountains)...Here are just a few pictures:

We had a wonderful time working at the EAA Air Venture in Oshkosh. We enjoyed meeting new people, sharing what the Lord is doing in missionary aviation training at Spokane Turbine Center, and just looking at lots of planes and attending incredible air shows.

After being on the road for over a week, it was great resting at Grandma Foote's house in Michigan for a few days.

Welcome to the world, David Gene Toews! We are so glad that we had the opportunity to meet our new nephew when he was just a few days old. Congratulations, Luke and Melissa!

Good friends were also traveling in New York, and our routes overlapped in a small town. It was an encouragement and blessing to have dinner with Nathan and Jessica Cooke!

Thank you, again, for all of your prayers!

Sustainer. Friend. Provider.

Before Jeremy and I got married, people would tell me that adjusting to married life can be a challenge. Well, adjusting to married life has been a wonderful, natural process and not the big challenge like the picture people were painting. I thank the Lord for this blessing! But what I am still learning to thank the Lord for is moving to Spokane.

Moving to a completely new place is hard. Harder than I ever thought it would be. Learning how to find my way to the grocery store, constantly meeting new people, adjusting to a new church (which is a wonderful church, by the way), adapting to a new "culture," being a stay-at-home wife, just discovering where I fit in here -- I had no idea how challenging all of this would be. I would love to say that after five months I feel right at home now, but I am still struggling. During this challenging transition, the Lord has reminded me to completely rely on Him because He is the only one who can truly meet all of my needs.

The Lord has been my Sustainer. "Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul" (Psalm 54:4). Sustain means to lean, lay, rest, support, uphold. On those days that are hard for me to keep going, His strength gets me through.

The Lord is my Friend. One of the hardest parts of the move is not knowing anyone. It has been an odd experience to never be happier in my life (because being married to Jeremy is amazing!), but at the same time, I have never been lonelier. Through this, I have learned in a new way what God meant when He said in Hebrews 13:5, "...I will never leave you nor forsake you." When friends back at home seem distant and new friends here only know my name, I have come to realize how much I depended on others when I should have been solely looking to the Lord. Thank you, Lord, for teaching me that You are the only friend I truly need!

The Lord is my Provider. "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). When I'm feeling down and just want to complain, I have learned the best medicine is to stop and think about what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection, for my husband, for my family, for healthy food to eat, for a place to live....the list is endless. It is in this that I realize how blessed I am and how the Lord has provided for me. It leaves no room for complaining or dissatisfaction with where I am in life. I'm thankful for...

• Our long road trip this summer was great! Traveling went smoothly. We were blessed and encouraged by all the family and friends with which we visited. It was wonderful to not only share about where the Lord is calling us to serve but to also see how the Lord is working and using our friends and family for His glory. I'm thankful to be a part of the body of Christ!
• The Lord is continuing to provide funds for us to serve at Spokane Turbine Center as well as strength for us as we continue support raising.
• Mike, Jamie and the boys came and visited us in Spokane over Labor Day Weekend. I'm thankful for the encouraging, fun time we had together as family!!

Though these past five months have been challenging, I wouldn't trade them for anything. I love being married, and I'm thankful for the Lord using this transition time to teach me, refine me, and draw me closer to Himself.

"I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." (Psalm 9:1-2)