Ginger Molasses Cookies

Why I always choose a hot day to bake is beyond me. Of course, if I waited for a cold day, we may never get cookies till winter hit :) I love food blogs and could spend hours browsing all the delectable sites, but have to limit that. Sigh. Anyway, this is not my original recipe, but definitely a keeper if you like semi-crunchy ginger cookies. Thanks to Jess for the recipe. Her pictures are way better than mine, btw. ;) 

Ginger Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

Additional sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt, and gradually add to the creamed mixture until well mixed. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls, then roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Dy!

Today is my sister, Dyanna's, 24'th birthday. She's one for trying out new things (such as kelp & kimchi, pictured below), coercing me to join her on a wild ox cart ride throught the African bush, amazing us with her sewing creations, out-planking her boss, traveling the world (well, almost). She's a great entertainer, secretary, cook, etc. So glad she's my sister (no one tell her I said that!) Happy Birthday, Dy!!!
 

Happy 14'th Birthday, Joel!

We're celebrating Joel's 14'th birthday, today! Oh the memories this guy made...he used to run through the bus as a 2 yr old, snapping the sliding doors in half, leaving screaming sisters in his wake. Our little bowlegged man was on track to be 6 ft, according to his pediatrician. What? A tall Wilhite? Hey, greater feats have been made! Dad took the boys over to the mall this afternoon to pick up some clothes for Joel (who's siblings are tired of him wearing mid-drifts! He grows way too fast!). They, of course, couldn't refuse an offer of free ice cream afterwards :) 

This boy loves to eat. He's always up to being my taste tester for new recipes. When asked what he wanted for his birthday meal, he him-hawed around and finally said, " I dunno. Knock yourself out. Outdo yourself!" Oh, great. Thanks. The Boston Creme Cake decided to "undo" me and promptly began to fall as soon as I took it out of the fridge. Err! But, as a friend reminded me, "As long as it tastes good..." 

Homemade Bread Sticks

Joel doing was he loves. The kid's a pro at flips. Well, close. He bears the marks of those "almost" flips :)

University Outreach

Yesterday afternoon, the family headed off to the University of Limpopo (20 minute drive away) to do a bit of outreach. The University hosts roughly 6,000 students from all over Southern Africa. Saturday afternoons are a great time to catch students heading back on campus for another week of studies. Just about everyone took one till we ran out of gospel booklets. 

We rarely stand together as a group, but rather team up and hit a larger area. Joel was my partner. Glad to have that guy around. Aka. Bodyguard. Thankfully we didn't have to deal with any drunks, but the bloke standing nearby selling his icees kept yelling "wa reka na?" (you buy it?) and dancing about. Somehow his screaming and efforts didn't make me crave ice, but rather earplugs :) 

The Lord allowed me to meet these two sweet girls, Viola & Nyiko. Nyiko means Gift in Tsonga. My Sotho name, Mpho, also means gift, hence, a great conversation starter. Over the next 20 minutes, we chatted cultures,  college studies, but more importantly I was able to share the gospel and my own salvation testimony. I love it when those opportunities are presented! Nyiko was tickled pink to meet a "real American!" Imagine how exciting it would be if she met the real God! Pray to that end, eh?

As a special treat, Dad took us to a nearby KFC for some icecream. Amazingness! I guess Josh figured he'd get twice the amount of icecream if he used 2 straws :). Don't think it worked, as he was the last to finish and had 4 guys breathing down his neck for the very last bit!

Mail Day!

In a country where mail service is not always reliable, there's a lot of excitement going around when Dad brings home a mail package shipped in from the States. As soon as the bills are sorted though, it's fair game and hands go flying. "Did I get anything?" "Did Lily write?" "Where's my birthday card?" It doesn't matter if it's a letter from a friend, a sticky note from a sibling, a school newsletter, or a new bank calendar. We love 'em all! So, if you ever wanna make a missionary kid's day brighter, jot them a note. Trust me, it won't get thrown away for months (or years, in the case of a pack-rat sibling!), and will be read over and over. 

Mail from home coupled with a skype chats from siblings, make for many smiles. 

My mail comes in a slightly different form and is not hung onto for very long. Part of my "job" is grading the numerous correspondence courses from our vast Bible correspondence school. With coffee and Christmas music (yes, all yr round) to keep me company, it usually takes an hr (+ -) to grade a stack. 

In Grade 12, I took a World Views class . Probably the most helpful extra curricular class I ever took (besides Bible class, of course). Dealing with differing cultures, language barriers and people who simply do not know God in a personal way, has been such a learning experience. After a day of grading, all I can do is thank God for the Godly upbringing my parents have sought to give me & the salvation He gave me 10 yrs ago. 

Let the Adventures Begin...

Okay, so the adventures began long ago, but now I'll attempt to share them in blog form. Warning: I’m not exceptionally talented with words as some, but hopefully you’ll get the gist of what’s being written J.  Living in Africa is far from dull. Just to clear matters up…No, we don’t have lions in our backyard. Yes, English is the trade language. No, we don’t live in a hut. Yes, it’s hot (roughly 9 months of the year). No, I don’t eat bugs. Yes, I love it here! Who wouldn't?

Africa isn't all about the spectacular sunsets, wild game, or even the sweltering heat. To be honest, when we moved here close to 12 yrs ago, I was caught up in the "American" mentality that everyone lives in huts, they're all dark skinned, no one speaks English, and surely they have wild animals just roaming the plains, right? Though still considered a 3rd world country, this is my home. There's no place like being in the center of God's Will, even when it means being 10,000 miles from "home".