Pumpkin Cake and a Pumpkin Poem

1 c. flour
1/2 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter

Mix together till crumbly and press into bottom of 13 X 9 1/2 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

2 c. pumpkin
1 c. canned milk
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. cloves

Mix together and pour over crust and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.


1/2 c. chopped nuts
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. butter

Mix together and sprinkle on filling. Bake 15 to 20 minutes more at 350 degrees.

This was a recipe of Grandma Lee's.


Below is a silly poem. It was in a schoolbook of Jeff's. Enjoy.


The Biggest Pumpkin That Ever Lived

by Crystal Bowman


I went down to the pumpkin patch to see what I could find,
and there I saw some pumpkins, growing on their vines.
But then I saw a pumpkin that was different from the rest.
So big and round and shiny, I knew it was the best.
I paid a dollar-fifty and took my pumpkin home.
But then in just a little while, it seemed like it had grown.
I took it off the table and then it grew some more!
Before the day was over it was bigger than the door!
But I can tell you something neat as weeks and months went by--
We always had a great supply of homemade pumpkin pie!

A Post From Judy

Jeanette is coming……….Home!

By: Miss V. Judith Cole

Jeanette my sis,

Oh! The bliss,

Of seeing her here,

So close, so near,

She is err so sweet,

As a birds sweet tweet,

Oh girls! Oh boys!

She will be here…in Illinois!

I cannot bear,

To wait anymore…

So see you soon Jeanette

And don’t mind the rain oh so wet.

The Kitchen

I love the sunshine in the kitchen,
The glory of the light awakens
All the familiar textures of pot and china.
This is the home of the house,
The center of its warmth,
The articulation of its love,
In the rise of bread, the crust of pie,
And the richness of gravy.
It is the place of your caring,
Fleshed out in the daily details,
Too small to be noted one by one,
But each constructing the heart of the house.

Your delight in us is incarnated here,
And this is the place of our true receiving.
Here we come hungry, thirsty and in our need,
To meet the kindness of your hands.
And your friends came,
Finding a warmth they sought and a love they craved.
Not a pretentious place,
A good cause or a moral crusade.
If you will, another Nazareth,
Hidden in the wilderness of the world,
Where kindness feeds a poor Christ and his friends,
And bids them come in from the dark.

-Tim Marks

Of Ladles and Poetry

We were privileged to go and spend Sunday evening with the Harrison family. In the midst of the socializing somebody left the Harrison's ladle in our soup. We discovered it in our bowl upon returning home. Joanna used her creativity to alert Mrs. Harrison:

Walking into your house was such a pleasure

To see your smiling faces it was joy beyond measure

We talked, we sang, and we prayed

We ate food that we brought and some that you made.

And then to my surprise out you came with lighted candles

It was so kind and thoughtful that when we left we took a handle

What I am really trying to say…

Is that we took your ladle and hope to return it long before May.

Mrs. Harrison caught on quickly and responded with this:

Oh, what a joy your message was to read,

To delight in the fun of your fine poetic deed.

To remember the sweetness of being in His presence,

To share both in song and prayer filled with reverence,

To eat at the table spread with food and with love,

To laugh and to talk of things below and above,

We hope your return is far sooner than May.

A pleasure it would be to have you any day.

Just bring your smiling faces, each one a gem to us,

But, now, about the ladle, please don't make a fuss!

Add it to your kitchen, this would be our plea,

To have our ladle serving, a privilege it would be.

We have other ladles for serving up the soup,

So may it join the ranks of the Cole family troop.

We can't close this little ditty, before our thanks we share,

For Love's Abiding Joy, your friendship, and your prayer.

Apparently I didn't realize what wonderful poets surround me. We all thought these poems were neat. Now, how do we respond to her last poem with a poem of our own?

Mother Mine

O Mother mine, when I was small,
You seemed to me my all in all;
The sunshine shimmered in your face;
The flowers blossomed in your grace.
You laughed with me when I was gay
And kissed my childish tears away-
Mother dearie, Mother cheery, Mother mine.

O Mother, as the years rolled o'er
Our heads, I loved you more and more.
When weakness laid its hand on you
You were so patient, brave, and true;
You seemed the sum of all things good;
My dream of perfect womanhood-
Mother dearie, Mother cheery, Mother mine.

O Mother mine, if I can be
To little ones who look to me,
A mother half so sweet and wise
And tender; if they but surmise
That in your likeness I have tried
To grow, I shall be satisfied,
Mother dearie, Mother cheery, Mother mine.

Unknown

Happy belated birthday Marmee!

Caption: Mom at Jeremy's wedding...crying tears of joy.

For our 31st Anniversary

I was excited when Jeanette told me she was going to start the Cole-inary Artist blog.

I plan on posting recipes that have been a part of Brad’s and my family’s menus, and also some poems and writings that Brad has written through the years.

My first entry came to me on July 13, 2005 during the celebration of our 31^st wedding anniversary.

These are the words in the card Brad gave to me:

I never thought that having my world turned upside down

Could be such a wonderful thing,

Until you came into my life and showed me

What I was missing.

Sweetheart, you are and always will be,

The answer to my every prayer.

This is the poem Brad wrote for me:

For thirty-one years a privilege I’ve had

Of knowing you better in the good and the bad,

How often I’ve enjoyed you laugh, smile (and frown)

As you helped God turn my world upside down.

Oh, it’s not a really bad thing to

Have someone your life “undo,”

At least when they from the start

Are helping God remake a heart.

So if our journey in life has been

Less than perfect since way back when

Know it’s all part of a turn-around

To get us turned right from upside-down.