Tent: GP Medium

After borrowing a military tent to host our tea and skeet shoot, Sir Knight and I knew that we wanted a tent of our own.  We host numerous events every year and the military tent seemed to be the perfect venue.  The tent we used for the shoot was a GP (General Purpose) Large.  It was 18 feet wide and 52 feet long.  Although perfect for that event, it was really too big for the majority of our needs.  It was old (read HEAVY) and so cumbersome that it took at least 4 of us to effectively put it up and take it down. 

After returning the tent, Sir Knight and I began to search for a more manageable structure.  What we found was a GP Medium.  It is a much more realistic (for us) size (16" x 32") and constructed with rubber coated nylon versus cotton canvas. 

At first, I was concerned that the nylon would be a very light duty, not at all suited to our windy prairie.  My concerns were unwarranted.  The fabric is plenty heavy (although nothing like the heavyweight canvas) and imbued with waterproof rubber.  The fabric, combined with the size, make the GP Medium easily managed by two of us.  Not to mention, it takes up much less space to store when dismantled.

Our tent did have a few holes, two the size of quarters that were chewed by rodents, but most were the size of pin pricks.  Before we even stood the tent up, Sir Knight made patches (using the tent fabric and rubber cement) to patch the tent on the outside.  After we erected the tent, we made identical patches and patched the inside in the tent.  We still have to replace some of the ropes and get a few more stakes, but the tent is now officially in service!

Ready for patches

A rodent hole

Marked and glued

A patch ready to adhere

On the outside....

And the inside

Although we are planning a fall tea and shoot, we put the tent into immediate service to host an upcoming wedding shower.  Miss Serenity is the Maid-of-Honor for her best friend and her soon-to-be husband, and as such, had the joy of hosting her bridal shower.  Our shouse is much too small to host an event of that size so we decided to put the tent into service.  It was perfect!  The tent was just the right size (easily hosting 45 ladies) and the atmosphere lovely.

With one side rolled up

Filled with chairs

Ready for a shower!

On the outside looking in!

I forsee many wonderful events in our tent's future, as well as camping excursions and training exercises.  When all is said and done, I believe our investment in a GP Medium will prove to be money well spent!

Practical Hospitality

Have you ever noticed that the root word of hospitality is hospital?  Can you think of any better place to minister to the needs of your family and friends and others in need of comfort than the welcoming embrace of your family home?  I can’t either!

The truth of the matter is that our homes provide the perfect environment to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of our family and those that enter our home’s sheltering embrace.   And as women, we are the administrators of this institution – the home, mankind’s first “hospital”.

In this modern age, true hospitality is quickly becoming a lost art.  We have given up the throne of our home for the lure of a corner office, and in the process, we have forgotten how to serve our family and everyone else within our sphere of influence. 

When I was a little girl, I loved getting coffee for my daddy.  I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to learn to make it and once old enough, I took great pleasure in making sure he had fresh coffee before he even knew he needed it.  A number of times, ladies that were visiting our family would say cutting things like “your dad can get his own coffee – his legs aren’t broken!”, and for a moment, just a moment, I would wonder if somehow I was breaking some cardinal rule, serving my father.  And then, I would take a breath and remember – serving was my calling.  I was just being hospitable.  I was ministering to those within my sphere of influence – and those old biddies could just go flour their eggies!

Over the years I have learned that hospitality truly begins at home.  My husband is the king of his castle and I do everything I can to make him feel welcome and honored in his own home.   I have found that I have many opportunities throughout the day to minister to my husband.  I rise first in the morning, kick the wood cookstove in the guts and put water on for tea.  I light candles on the tea table (a trunk in the middle of our kitchen), set tea cups and creamer and sugar out and fill the tea pot with hot water to heat it before setting the tea to steep.  I mill around a bit, picking up little things that the children left out the night before, put the dog outside and generally get the house ready to greet my husband.  As soon as tea is done steeping, my husband settles himself in the big rocking chair opposite the love seat and warmed by the heat of the cookstove, we enjoy a few cups of tea before he braves the elements of a new day.  We discuss our plans for the day, funny little things the kids have said and problems we are not looking forward to having to handle.  Essentially, we arm each other for the day ahead and then we pray together.  This is practical hospitality.

During the day, as my children and I hurry from one task to another, I make sure to set aside some time to read to the littles or play a game.  I spend much of my day talking to the older children – about everything from their favorite animals to the character qualities they want in a future mate.  This is practical hospitality.

When a car drives up our driveway, I immediately have one of our older daughters put on the tea kettle or fill glasses with ice in anticipation of lemonade or iced tea.  The younger children scurry around putting away toys or clearing away school books.  Our entire focus becomes welcoming our guests.  We do our best to minister to their needs, whatever they may be.   We laugh with them, cry with them, rejoice with them and mourn with them – whatever the occasion calls for.  We keep confidences and bandage wounds.  We speak words of encouragement and words of truth. This is practical hospitality.

More often than not, hospitality is all about binding the wounds of life.  It’s about building marriages and building relationships.  It’s about smoothing over hurt feelings and drying tears with words of comfort.  It’s about hugging someone who needs a hug and gently speaking to the truth to someone who is in the wrong.  Hospitality is much more than nourishing the body.  Hospitality is ministering to the soul.

When my husband returns from work, I have tea waiting for him.  We reconnect.  Talk about our day.  We share our highs and lows.  There are no children allowed.  Just my husband and I.  I minister to him.  He ministers to me.  This is practical hospitality.

I still love to get coffee for my daddy.  I love to get coffee for my husband as well.  But now, my daughters often beat me to it.  They too, have learned to love serving the people in their lives.  Any more, I don’t even have to ask to have the kettle put on or the glasses filled with ice – they just do it.  And it is not only my daughters.  My sons will quietly whisper “aren’t you going to invite them in for tea, mom?”, when an unexpected visitor shows up at our door.  Hospitality, it seems, is catching.

In a world filled with “entertaining”, true hospitality is a life-giving breath of fresh air.  True hospitality will build new relationships and strengthen old ones.  True hospitality will bind wounds and strengthen bonds.  True hospitality isn’t fancy and doesn’t put on airs – true hospitality is practical hospitality.

Our Life in Pictures

These are snapshots of our life - days full, bringing joy and contentment and LOTS of good food!  Enjoy your visit.

Blackberry Crumble

Individual Blackberry Crumbles (can be made with any in season fruit or fruit from your freezer or canning jars) is a perfectly simple ending to a summer meal.  I make the crumble ahead and keep it in the refrigerator, waiting to adorn fruit at a moments notice.  The crumbles take about 20 minutes to cook, making them perfect to pop in the oven when dinner comes out so they are ready to eat when the meal is finished.  I love blackberry and raspberry crumble best, although apple and pear make a fabulous fall treat.  The crumble topping is infinitely flexible, adding or subtracting ingredients depending on what is in your pantry.

Crumble
1 C cold butter
2 C flour
2/3 C sugar
2/3 C ground almonds (I used pecans)
pinch of salt

Combing flour, sugar, ground almonds and pinch of salt.  Cut in butter with a pastry cutter.  Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Cutting in the butter

Adding a little sugar and cinnamon to the berries

Berry mixture in ramekin pots

Going into the oven (350° for 15-20 minutes)

Ready for a summer picnic

Perfect topped with whipped cream

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Bacon and Cheese Frittata

When I was a girl, my dad made the most wonderful omelets in the world.  They were light and fluffy, packed with all kinds of good things.  When I grew up and went out in the world, I ordered an omelet in a restaurant, and much to my great surprise and consternation, they brought a flat, folded thing that bared no resemblance to the omelets of my youth.  Years later, I came to find that the omelets my father had made were in fact not omelets, but frittatas.  With our overabundance of eggs, frittatas are on our regular menu.  Leftover bacon, sausage and ham are regular features, as are onions, green pepper and cheese.  Whatever we happen to have in the fridge ends up in the skillet.  I love making these on the wood cookstove best, but they work well in a regular oven as well.

Frittatas
Eggs (I used 14 for a 10" skillet)
Cooked meat (bacon, ham, sausage etc)
Veggies (onions, peppers, mushrooms etc)
Cheese (whatever suits your fancy - cheddar, swiss, pepper jack etc)

Melt a tablespoon (or so) of butter in a cast iron skillet.

Mix eggs with a bit of milk.  Beat well.  Add meat, vegetables and cheese.  Stir well.  Pour into heated skillet.  Cook (without stirring) over medium low heat until the eggs begin to set around the edges of the skillet.  Put skillet into at medium oven (350°) and cook until eggs are set (eggs don't jiggle when you shake the skillet).  The frittata will be huge and puffy but will deflate as it cools.  Slice and serve with toast and potatoes.

Beaten eggs with bacon pieces

Adding chives and cheese

Pouring the mixture into the skillet

Transferred into the oven

Breakfast is served!

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Carmel Corn

Years ago, I went to a tupperware party at a friends house.  Now, truth be told, I am not a tupperware kind of girl, so I didn't come home with any new plastic gadgets, however, I did come home with a killer recipe.  Our hostess made carmel corn - in a MICROWAVE! no less, and it was awesome.  I wrangled the recipe from her and have been spoiling my family with it ever since.  It always turns out perfectly, takes very few ingredients and is lightening fast, and really, is better than any recipe we have tried.  It is cheating, I suppose, using the microwave, but it sure is convenient, especially if you are feeding hoards of locusts (our pet name for children when we have large gatherings).  Try it - you won't be disappointed!

Carmel Corn
1 C popcorn (popped)
1 C brown sugar
1 cube butter
1/4 C corn syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 paper grocery store bag

Pop popcorn and pour into a paper grocery bag.  In a large, microwave safe bowl, combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup.  Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to mixture and stir.  This will significantly change the consistency of the carmel.  Pour carmel mixture over the popcorn in the paper bag.  Stir through the popcorn.  Fold the bag and put in the microwave for 1 minute.  Mix popcorn again and put in the microwave for 1 more minute.  Pour the popcorn in a serving bowl.  Allow the carmel corn so sit for about 1/2 an hour to harden.  Break into chunks and enjoy.

The brown sugar, butter and corn syrup

Stir half-way through the cooking time

Ready to add the baking soda

After the baking soda was added

Carmel on top of the popcorn (in the paper bag)

Stirring carmel into the popcorn

Folding the paper bag to go into the microwave

Mixing at 1 minute (push around from the outside of the bag)

Ready to serve

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!