The Kohlmans

Well, things are getting a little bit crazy here on Rushwood Dr. This is my third post today. Our dining "room" is basically officially done. (Well, someday I want some sheers to cover the doors - the sun gets bad right around supper time. But other than that, it's done.)  This is the only before picture I have of the dining room area. And here is the after. Sorry it's a little dark - I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to take pictures and post. If you look closely, you can see the chair rail we cut, painted, and put up this weekend (and you can see Susan's painting - a wedding gift from my siblings). We love our finished product!

I don't know why, but this is my ultimate in comfort food/meal. This is the perfect time of year for it, too. I remember always thinking that mom didn't make enough biscuits.... sooooo I'm not gonna tell you how many I ate tonight. Baking Powder Biscuits 2 c. sifted flour 3 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt 1/3 c. shortening 3/4 c. milk Mix dry ingredients with a fork. Cut in the shortening until coarse crumbs. Make a well; add milk all at once. Stir quickly with fork until dough follows fork around bowl. Turn onto lightly floured surface. (Dough should be soft.) Knead gently 10-12 strokes. Roll or pat dough 1/2-inch thick. Cut into circles (2 1/2"). Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 450 for about 12 minutes. Makes 10-12. Oven Stew 1 1/2 lb. stew meat (I use minute or round steak, cut up) 3 carrots 3 potatoes 3 celery stalks 1 large onion 1 can cream of celery soup 2 beef bouillon cubes in 1 c. water 1 can tomato soup 1 can water Salt and pepper ...

I'm feeling random today. Isn't my title great?! I looked up synonyms for random on dictionary.com because I wanted some alliteration. House Hunters drives me crazy. Seriously... people my age looking at 3,000 square foot $400,000 houses in Florida. Their comments? "I like the pool, but it doesn't have a waterfall or anything." "I wish those appliances were stainless steel." "There's no fireplace." What reality do you live in?! Certainly not mine. Could I have about five more hours in the day?! Seriously. I could get so much more done. Or get so much more sleeping in. I wish I had known to wear purple on Wednesday. I even stood in my closet and considered the purple shirt. Why am I always a day or two behind on these things?! We had a discussion the other day at work about the origin (and relevance) of the rule that you shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition. Preliminary research demonstrates that it is actually a per...

One of my "list" tasks was to make something old/ugly/cheap into something nice. Before... After... It's not perfect (the door doesn't quite close from years in non-climate-controlled storage and we haven't figured out how to replace the legs, which were not repairable.. and, okay, we haven't bought, painted, or put in the two shelves, but I just so excited I had to post), but it's a definite improvement - and a place to store Grandma's Christmas dishes during the ten months of the year we don't use them. The run-down: cabinet: free (from storage at the farm) paint: free (leftover from painting our living/dining/kitchen) knob, hinges, and shelf supports: $10 back: $5 shelves: $10 (we haven't actually bought the wood yet, but it shouldn't be more than 2x the back) total: ~$25

I've decided that the #1 Rule of Entertaining is to make good food.  If you do that, people will have a good time and want to come back.  Right?! We had some friends over for the ( awful! ) KU-K-State game on Thursday. We made a little food... I've always been self-conscious about having people over... for lots of little reasons. But we are now working to be more intentional about hospitality, to enjoy fellowship with others, to build new and strengthen existing relationships, to open our home and our lives to others. So our new philosophy?! If you cook it, they will come.

Can you spot the differences?! So, that's what's new in the Kohlman house.

"Chase" or "Yet not" Warm autumn sun  pierces my windshield as I drive. Soybeans dry in the field, a neat row of round bales marking their boundary. Milo shoots skyward ramrod straight and step ladder tall though some strange stalks rise above all the rest. Crooked hedgewood fence posts, splintering, strung together with barbed wire, fly by my windows. Cars like mine tear down the dirt roads, dust clouds billowing behind. All things familiar. Yet not. Beautiful church building rises up from the flat land; the house across the dry dirt road is absent, prairie grown in its place. There is the ditch where the wildflowers spilled over one another freely, tangled together in a rainbow of blooms; now shaved smooth by a lawn mower. The walnuts still fall from the tree at the bend in the road but the house just beyond stands stoically empty (and no dogs chase my car). Warm autumn sun pierces my windshield  as I drive by all things familia...