Mexican Un- Stuffed Peppers!

Lydia's garden produced bountiful supply of peppers this year. 

Green bell peppers, red bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers.

We've been using these in our cooking over the last couple months.

Still we have an abundance of peppers in our downstairs refrigerator.

I turned to the Pinterest to begin a search for recipes with a

 plentiful amount of peppers.

My discovery:

 Mexican Un-stuffed Peppers. 

Lots of peppers.

Quick and Easy.

Ingredients on hand.

Adapted to fit our taste buds.

• Fry 1 pound of grass-fed beef with Taco seasonings, salt, and pepper added.
• Cut up plenty of peppers 4-5 large bell peppers(red, yellow, green) plus 3 jalapenos . Place in a bowl.
• Add 1 red onion diced
• Mix in two cups of Chunky salsa   
• Gently mix in two or so cups of cooked brown rice.
• All the meat. Mix
• Place everything in a 9x13 sprayed or oiled pan.  I used a Pampered Chef stoneware pan.
• Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle 1/2 Cup of shredded cheddar or montery jack cheese on top. Bake 5 more minutes.

This serves about 6-8.  Depends on how hungry folks are!

This is fairly low carb.  

There are 44.8 grams of carbs in one cup of cooked rice.

 Because I used two, our total is 89.6 grams for the rice.

If 6 people eat ALL of this dish, each would consume about 14.93333 grams.

But if 8 people eat ALL of this dish, each would consume only 11.2 grams of carbs.

There is still small amounts of carbs in onions, peppers, and salsa --but not much.

I served this meal to only five people(about 18 carbs per person!!) today with a big green salad.
 (They ate the WHOLE dish!)

The verdict: Delicious. Filling. 

We will make it again!

It was time to take this elm tree down.  It didn't leaf last year or this year. Elm trees are gnarly hard wood-- a bit hard to cut. 

David Becker and David Bascom (a logger) came over with their chain saws to fell this big tree for us. (Notice the leaves behind the tree)

Once the tree was down, then the really hard work began.   Cutting in all into log lengths, cutting off the small branches.        Stacking and re-stacking.  The work began about 1:30 in the afternoon.  Steve was still out working about 6pm.  When I arrived home, I noticed the splitter in the field, so I guess that means we will be splitting wood during the week.

  Chain saw, Chain saw, Chain saw.

Cut, Cut, Cut!

 The tree lays up hill ready to be brought down to size.

 Such beautiful rings.

They were able to cut up some of the wood.

Some logs were brought to the top of the drive.

I'll go out tomorrow and take a few pictures of the logs, branches, and split wood. 

I am thankful that this will add to our firewood after it dries out.

Food for the Body

Our health is affected by so many things:

stress, sleep or lack of sleep, food or non-food, 

exercise  or the lack of movement, air, genetics, and the list goes on.

There are somethings we just can't change about our health--it is genetics.

But there is much we can do to improve our health.  

Food is something we all have control over. 

Food is the center of much of our social life.

Food is what builds and nourishes our bodies.

It effects how we feel, how we think, and how we sleep.

Steve is taking a good amount of higher education nutrition courses and 

we all have been delving into books and watching videos and webinars.

Slowly we have changed our diet.

We have taken on a very low grain, low carb, low sugar(or any sweetener)

and high quality fats, high vegetable, high quality grass-fed meats and dairy. 

We sit down to enjoy a dinner of wild caught salmon, buttered steamed broccoli, roasted cauliflower, and baked sweet potatoes. 

Filling and nourishing. 

Healthy.

Dessert is always so delicious.  Chocolate Avocado pudding.

Avocados, dates, raw cacao powder, coconut oil. -- Healthy!

Thankful for the foods that God has supplied!

Pumpkins and Grands

Rebecca came up with the children to spend a few days this week.

Whenever they come the time is always busy doing a little of this and a little of that.

Often times "The Little People" don't get to spend much time with 'Grandma' - ME!

I had to run some errands..I told Abigail and Stephen they could go with me. 

Our first stop was Harlow's Farm Stand to pick up some kale and onions.

But what we discovered was pumpkins lining the walks, walls, and shelves just waiting for a photo shoot.

Then we were off to Allen Brothers Farm stand to purchase fall flowers for our deck.

 A stop at the grocery finished up our shopping list.

 Since Wednesday was "Gas" day, Stephen helped me pump gas into the Outback.

 Our final stop of this morning was the Post Office.  

Abigail help me mail my package and retrieve our mail from the box.

I am thankful for the little bits of time I get to spend with these "Little People" who are so dear to my heart!

Celebrate -- First Day of Fall

Summer Garden Vegetable with Herb Dumplings-- the cook was Lydia

This smelled and tasted so wonderfully good. 

 A couple wonderful apple pies with apples from right here in Walpole--

 the baker was Moriah.  

Isn't it just so beautiful.

I am thankful that my girls like to cook and bake. 

They like to try out new recipes and repeat the ones we love.

Deer are all over the USA. But I rather think that we have a special viewing area to see deer. Since our house is high on the hill, we have a view all down around us. 

Early in the mornings we will often see a deer or two.  

There's times when we see more and even some young fawns. 

As I was getting breakfast going this morning, one of the girls called out to me that there were three deer in our field --two bucks.

With camera in hand (the zoom lens on), I propped up in front of the dining room window and began "shooting" a few shots.  

These pictures are not the best I have taken...

since it was early and I was shooting through the window.

But this was the first time I have see a deer fight in our field. 

They are real young bucks because they do not have any spots.

But I don't think they are real mature bucks either, because their racks are small.

We watched them until they were tired of playing this game.

 I am thankful for this five minute nature scene that we were able to witness. 

Somehow watching them, helped our day get started with 

a little extra enthusiasm.   

A Special Place in the World

This space  has been created to record special adventures or maybe just day-by-day adventures of our family.  Here, on this page we hope to share pictures and stories that tell something about us and our world. Distance often limits the amount of time people can spend together. But through our high technology of the World Wide Web it doesn't matter if you are in Florida, Nebraska, Texas, or Japan we are only a click away!!  We will write the stories and post the pictures, but we want to hear from you. So be sure that you leave some gracious words for us.  

Keep an eye on this journey with Pena Family Adventures...as I will continue to write little snippets of life.

The Old and the New

We have had several different cars in our 36 years of marriage.

I brought a standard Toyota Corella (approx 6 years old) into our marriage and Steve brought a orange Maverick(approx 8 years old).

When Rebecca came along we sold the Maverick to buy a Green Dodge Aspen(newer?).

Then the Toyota died and the Dodge was disagreeable.

We sold them.

We bought a standard Datsun 510 (3 years old) with sunroof and nice trim package...

..9 months later we totaled the car in a major accident.

We bought a little Isuzu Sudan- diesel(4 years old) and standard to replace the Datsun. 

Tabitha was born.

We drove this little car to our new home in New Hampshire.

Susanna was born.  Car was a little squishy

We celebrate 10 years of marriage..

and were expecting Nathanael(4th child).

This little Isuzu wasn't going to be big enough-- we were ready for a mini-van. 

 Dodge Caravan -- nearly new --just 1 year old.

We also bought a rather old Renault --  problem car.

Nathanael was born 1989

Christianna was born 1991

That makes 5 children plus 2 adults.  

Time to look for a full size van.

Our first Ford Club Wagon(4 years old)-- 8 passenger.

Lydia was born.

We celebrated 20 years of marriage.

Deborah was born.

Mom and Dad Hillis sold us their Honda Accord(4 years old). We sold the Renault!!

We had a back seat put into the van so it would sit more people

Moriah was born.

Keziah was born.  

Now there was enough room to sit everyone...but no room to put groceries..we were squished once more.

In the spring of 1999 we bought our 1998  15-passenger Ford Club Wagon.

Just 1 year old and still under warranty.

The Honda was totaled.  We fixed it.

We Celebrated 30 years of marriage.

The Honda was totaled once again...

In 2006 we bought a 1999 Subaru Outback -- only 7 years old.

The year is 2014.

We have owned 11 vehicles over the pass 36 years. 

We have owned them for a very long time.

We have not been in a hurry to buy new--we take a long time to change.

The Van is 16 years old and the Outback is 15 years old.

It is time to update.

New Red 2015 Subaru Legacy comes into the picture on September 18, 2014.

We will still keep our old vehicles--

they have been in the family for a long time and they still work.

Steve will ride to work in style!

In this year of 2013, the Lord gave our family many blessings, adventures, and opportunities along with a few character-developing trials. Between February and November, we attended thirteen conferences or seminars. Each month we opened our house to have fellowship with other Christians. Paul Meehan (a missionary to Hungary) visited our family and presented the Gospel in our home twice during the year. Lydia was able to minister to a family in Japan. Steve and I were able to make a few trips alone this year, both for business and for pleasure. We took a tour of DHART, a medical helicopter. We finally sampled New England lobster rolls at a waterfront restaurant in Plymouth, MA. Both a bathroom and a bedroom experienced some remodeling. In addition to all these, we had many opportunities to help others with projects they were working on throughout the year.
Steve's Chiropractic office continues to remain open year around. =) He pursues his education in specific Chiropractic techniques, nutrition, and other health care services. His many DAD responsibilities of five stay at home daughters keep him busy, from reading to them books, to exploring with them their new iPods. And Grandpa is a name he is proud to wear!
Although I am no longer a consultant with Creative Memories, I do teach digital scrapbook classes with Panstoria. And while I no longer need to teach the school lessons, I still oversee the home education of Keziah, Moriah, and Deborah. This year I was able to help Rebecca a lot while she was carrying her precious twin babies.
We also had a few car trials...vehicles breaking down, being towed, and not passing inspection. Each and every month, from January through November! The last month of the year has passed without incident, leaving us with our 1998 van and 1999 Subaru in workable condition! We have been learning patience.
Then there is our house...it was Lydia who discovered the problem when she decided to repaint the ceiling in her room. Oops, her hand went through the wallboard, into the insulation in our attic, creating a hole. It seems that the roof has been leaking; softening the ceiling in the girls’ bedroom...this problem was discovered in December with 15 inches of snow on the roof. A temporary fix to the roof took care of the leak. When the spring arrives, we will be able to put a new roof on! Our 27 year old house is beginning to show it's age with many little problems showing up here and there, keeping us busy tending to them.
Travels/Conferences/Events: Steve attended many chiropractic and nutritional seminars this year in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and even Wisconsin. Several of the seminars I attended with him, while the whole family also joined him for a couple. Our nutritional highlight was the plane trip for Steve and me to Standard Process Farm and Processing Center in Wisconsin! The conference and trip were wonderful, and while there, Nathanael brought his family from SD to eat dinner with us before we returned home!
In May, our family along with the Galla's enjoyed the annual Memorial Day Bible Conference in Worcester, Massachusetts under the teaching Warren Henderson and Mike Attwood.
The month of June brought the Inspire Conference with the Maxwell family in New Hampshire for us to both learn from, and enjoy the fellowship of the Greg Moore family.
Early in July, the History of America Mega-Conference spread a feast of information before us in Harrisburg, PA. This year was the 150th Anniversary of Gettysburg, which brought the largest reenactments of the battle. Our family was able to join a tour group to witness one of many historical battles on July 4th.
August brought a busyness of its own. The girls and I entered quilts, crochet, and projects of handwork in the Country Fair, all receiving awards on our various items. Steve and I took our 35th anniversary trip to the Castle in the Clouds! We arrived home from our trip to find that our children managed to throw a large (80 guests) surprise celebration party that included many friends from the surrounding states and family from both near and far. The girls at home, along with Rebecca, did most of the planning, organizing, and preparation---concealing it from their parents for about 8 months!!!  We were delightfully surprised to find that Nathanael, Jesharelah, and Meleia had flown in from SD and my parents drove up from Florida. While they were here, we brought my parents to the Living History Event in Hillsborough, NH. Steve's parents flew up for a two-week visit at the end of August. My parents were still visiting with us, and so we appreciated the time with both sets of grandparents together. The family also gathered for a birthday celebration in honor of Deborah (18) and Abigail Galla (5).
In September, we traveled down to Plymouth, MA for the Plymouth Freedom Tour with Paul Jehle.
Our Married Children:
Rebecca is happily wed to Chris Galla. On October 31, her twin babies, Jonathan Micaiah and Emma Kesediah, arrived in the world to meet us. With Abigail and Stephen, they have four children to bring enjoyment and laughter to train for the Glory of God.. Presently they reside in Connecticut.
Tabitha married to Chris Batchelder, works as a LNA at a nursing home in Keene. They live here in Walpole, NH.
The MacPhail's: Susanna, married to Scott, is a stay at home mom to two little ones Ashlyn(5) and Kamran(1, nearly 2), expecting another baby in May 2014. They live in Swanzey, NH.
As for our son’s family, Nathanael and Jesharelah recently moved to Lincoln, NE, where they live with their little girl, Meleia(1), and are expecting a little boy in April! Currently Nathanael is employed as a customer service representative at Verizon.
Our Girls still at home:
Christianna (22) assists us as the office manager of Steve’s chiropractic business. She is also studying various subjects. This year she went through Understanding the Times, by David Noebel. Recently she began an Aromatherapy Course by the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy. Christianna enjoys planning creative projects to do with her nieces and nephews when they visit; i.e.: making their own silly slime, oobleck, and others. (The adults love this too!) This year she was able to minister by sewing clothes for a couple missionary families, as well as both Rebecca and Abigail.
Lydia (21) was called upon to serve a missionary family of eleven in Japan. She spent 90 days abroad as a mother's helper while they were expecting their 10th child. After arriving back in the States, she planted our garden, contributed to the many projects we always have going on and decorating the house. She frequently went down to CT to help the Galla family while Rebecca was expecting the twins. Yet, she still made time to enter a project in the County Fair and plan a surprise anniversary party for us with her sisters.
Deborah (18) is my master organizer. She not only creatively organizes freezers, cabinets and closets, but she keeps a mental inventory of what is there and exactly where it is. She has a very good eye for photography and especially enjoys still (nature) photography. Although she is still working on her High School subjects, she enjoys studying Essential Oils, health, and nutrition.
Moriah (16) keeps busy in many areas of life. Christianna is teaching her to take over several aspects of the business. She enjoys baking for our family; her chocolate chip cookies and brownies are famous even with those outside our family! This June, she played several pieces at the recital including a trio with Deborah and Keziah and the grand finale. She has been diligently pressing on with her High School subjects. Photography, especially candid portrait shots, and pencil drawings rank among her hobbies.
Keziah (15) certainly qualifies as a book lover. She reads plenty of historical fiction and biographies. Often you will find her “reading” a book on Librivox. My old Dell computer is her new best friend, listening to CD’s or online books, or writing a paper for World History or Biology. She enjoys baking cookies and preparing appetizers for us. This summer she took over using the gas-powered tiller for the garden and the small mower for the lawn. Keziah also began making her first large quilt to be entered into the fair this summer.
We hope you enjoyed these little snippets of our life from 2013. We look forward to all the adventures that the Lord will bring our way during 2014. May God bless your family with many joys in the coming year.

Steve, Mandy, Christianna, Lydia, Deborah, Moriah, and Keziah Pena

A Hymn by Daniel Mark (1816-1909)

Hark, the voice of Jesus calling,
“Who will go and work today?
Fields are ripe and harvests waiting,
Who will bear the sheaves away?”
Long and loud the Master calls us,
Rich reward He offers free;
Who will answer, gladly saying,
“Here am I, send me, send me”?

If you cannot cross the ocean,
And the distant lands explore,
You can find the lost around you,
You can help them at your door;
If you cannot give your thousands,
You can give the widow’s mite;
What you truly give for Jesus,
Will be precious in His sight.

If you cannot speak like angels,
If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus,
You can say He died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked,
With the judgment’s dread alarms,
You can lead the little children
To the Savior’s waiting arms.

If you cannot be the watchman,
Standing high on Zion’s wall,
Pointing out the path to heaven,
Offering life and peace to all,
With your prayers and with your bounties
You can do what heaven demands;
You can be like faithful Aaron,
Holding up the prophet’s hands.

If among the older people,
You may not be apt to teach,
“Feed My lambs,” said Christ, our Shepherd,
“Place the food within their reach.”
And it may be that the children
You have led with trembling hand,
Will be found among your jewels,
When you reach the better land.Let none hear you idly saying,
“There is nothing I can do.”
While the lost of earth are dying,
And the Master calls for you;
Take the task He gives you gladly;
Let His work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calls you,
“Here am I, send me, send me.”

This year I have enjoyed working at our kitchen table

instead of my desk downstairs.

Why?

The birds of course.

This morning I saw 10-11 different bird types...

both the male and females.

Here's just a few photos I captured.

But I was able  to photo shoot another 

of God's creations.

 Actually we were visited by two young squirrels.

 Attempting to reach the bird feeder.

 It's a bit too hard, so looking for an alternative.

 Onto the deck, and he found bird seed 

under the feeder!

He's standing on the deck looking in on me!!!