A Covenant Life

A Puritan Prayer

2011-05-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

I approach thee with encouragements derived from thy character, for I am not left to feel after thee in the darkness of my nature, nor to worship thee as the unknown God. I cannot find find out thy perfections, but I know thou art good, ready to forgive, plenteous in mercy. Thou hast displayed thy wisdom, power, and goodness in all thy works, and hast revealed thy will in the Scripture of

Eating Grapes in Heaven

2011-04-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

In the Wallowas spring comes late. I know this and yet every year hope but not spring is eternal within me. There are many signs spring is lurking; yet, in my heart I know that more than likely it will pass and suddenly...summer. One of the many signs that gives me a slight hope spring may be upon us is the Golden and Bald eagles, who gather together in a field--like a clatch of old gossiping

The Ghost of Christmas Past

2010-12-27T12:00:00.001-08:00

The aroma of steaming hot Chai floats out of my new "Olaf" Christmas mug, filling the kitchen with a warm and cozy feeling of all things winter. I lovingly grasp the handle of this handmade mug remembering its giver—Henry—my Secret Santa for Christmas 2010—now already just a memory. Having long been a fan of our own Wallowa County Ted Juve's famous pottery (Olaf), whose earthy creations

Thanksgiving Manifesto 2010

2010-11-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Hostetter Thanksgiving Manifesto 2010I couldn't resist using this wonderful photo taken by friend *Jessica of Zac's beautiful family to illustrate the Thanksgiving Manifesto for 2010! (To see even more great photos be sure to jump over to that darling pinkpeppers girl blog. You'll just love all their super posts http://www.pinkpeppers.com/) And here's the line up of foods,

Words Fitly Spoken

2010-11-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today I ordered four new books from Amazon.com. They were “The Secret Life of France”, by Lucy Wadham (I gave away my copy to a friend I met while in France, and I wanted another on hand.), “The Secret of the Seven Pillars” by Daniel A. Biddle, P.H.D., “Stepping Heavenward”, by Elizabeth Prentiss and “Laddie” by Gene Stratton Porter. Yes sir, it’s a red letter day when I get to order books. I

Les Fleuers

2010-10-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Though we've been home more than a month now, our memories of France are still fresh. And none more so than les fleurs Francais! In every nook and cranny we encountered in the country of France there are flowers--beautiful and copious quantities of flowers. They spill over windowsills, rock walls and terraces. They wind their way up balconies and trellises and just about anywhere they can get

A Day in the Life of Clara Bae Knecht or Oh Baby!

2010-10-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that just a little over a week ago on a sunny and gorgeous Saturday morning a phone call came that changed our lives--again. "Hi Mom," my youngest child, Anna, said. "I'm calling to ask if you can give me a recipe." For the past few days she was in a flurry of cooking freezer meals, getting ready for the birth of her first child. Of course, I was more than happy to give her

And the Winners Are!

2010-10-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

Wow! Thanks for the wonderful response to my free give away and for all of you who joined my blog. You've inspired me to continue on and to deliver even better writing and better photos portraying this wonderful covenant life with its many facets and layers. (Just so you know, in the months ahead I plan to do even more promos, so be sure to check back often.) The give away is officially over

Upping the Anti--Two for the Price of Nothing!!

2010-10-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

So far, Congratulations are in order to Lorraine, Terri, Jessica, Beka, Katie and Carol for becoming a "follower" and winning a free Principia Reddo undereye creme. Your eye creme is coming soon.) In addition, I just want to let you all know the free offer is still available and I'll even up the anti! If you post it on your web/facebook page, I'll add another free skin care item! Yep, two

Marmee's Halloween Gift

2010-09-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

Look what Marmee's getting for Halloween? And I bet you thought it was a pumpkin...No! Its a Munchkin! And I can't wait to see what this little Korean Kross will look like!!We're taking bets on gender. What's your vote?? A boy or girl? Hurry up!! Only 23 days to go. (Be sure to click on my baby widget. It's fun!) Let me know soon!!

2010-09-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Where does a month go? When last I blogged the locale was in sunny Southwestern France, sitting on the top of the world in the village of Beynac, gazing at pie-plate-sized raspberry flowers and watching a matching colored hot air balloon floating past my cafe table. Ahhh, the memories linger and don't worry, I have more journals to post about France in future days! But today, I am sitting on

Raspberry Heaven

2010-08-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

Sitting in a little cafe at the top of the world in Beynac, France (at least our world of the moment) were flowers bigger than pie plates in a bed next to our table. Their papery thinness made me suspect they were fake--they had to be, right? Wrong! In all my life I don't believe I've ever seen a more lucious shade of raspberry on anything, including a raspberry! But wait! There it goes

French Blues

2010-08-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

As I lie in the warm afternoon sun I gaze lazily towards the sky. White clouds piled up like baked meringues at monsieur’s bakery shop in Saint Cyr (Sahn Cyr) float through a sky of the deepest blue. Now I understand why the color description “French blue”. The contrast of white clouds against the sky is startling and appears deeper on a hillside in Lyon, France than at home. I can only imagine

C' Est a Mourrir

2010-08-24T03:41:00.000-07:00

Death by Pleasure My friend Lindsay asked me if I would blog about French fashion; and I hope to. At the moment, however, I am having an outrageous love affair with the French bakery shops and particularly the one located in our little village in Saint Syr. This hamlet sits on the side of the mountain and overlooks Lyon, a most beautiful view. We go there nearly every day (except their days

Gatwick or Bust!

2010-08-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

We taxied to Victoria station without incident and found our way to the “Gatwick Express” which leaves at regular intervals to that airport. As luck would have it, the Express had not left yet. We quickly purchased a ticket and hopped on board. My nerves were strung tighter than a Stradivarius with Rahn wondering what was wrong with me. He said we were in good shape, but like I said, "Murphy’s

2010-08-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

(July 29, 2010) Singing the Blues over Red TapeBelieve it or not (and here, I want to give Rahn ALL the credit) we easily navigated Heathrow to London via the underground, making the appropriate changes in between. Rahn is simply brilliant with maps and the like. I, on the other hand, am “geographically challenged”. (We already had an address for the Embassy, thanks to the very helpful

Do NOT Pass Port

2010-08-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

Greetings, dear reader. Finding Wifi in France (pronounced wee fee here) is a little like finding a needle in a haystack, not that I am complaining. Actually, I've been frantically banging away at ye olde typewriter keys, but alas, no easy way to post. Our home has internet but the French keyboard is a killer. At any rate, at last I have found a spot to hit the internet waves while touring the

Our French Connection

2010-07-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

Off the Hostetters are about to go on their month long vacation in France where they will, no doubt, butcher that beautiful, romantic language. But we will try to speak it despite our severe limitations. (Anna and Julie could tell you stories about our pathetic attempts to speak Italian!) Just like in the movie, The Holiday, we are about to embark on our very first home exchange through http:

Good Food Served Here

2010-07-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Grandma Wenzel, my mother's mother, was notorious for her wonderful food. So much so, that during the depression era the hobo's who passed by their Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Dutch farm left a red bandana dangling on the gate--code for: "Good Food Served Here". Other train hoppers knew what it meant and stopped there for a meal. Grandma always delivered. Grandma Wenzel pictured here on

Cait the Great!

2010-07-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

As daughter-in-laws go, I think I got the cream of the crop. I would have to say that at 23, Caitlin Grace Hostetter has more wisdom and good stuff in her little pinkie than many woman ever have in their whole body. I'm proud of her (as I am of all my girls) and thrilled with the wonderful, delightful dimension she brings to the Hostetter family. She is a cook extraordinaire, a loving and

Du, Du, Du Lookin' Out My Backdoor

2010-04-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

When it comes to views, I have to say, there's nothing like the view out the back door of our destination restaurant, The RimRock Inn. It sits on the breaks of Joseph Creek Canyon here on The Shire in Northeast Oregon. The RimRock is thirty-four miles from Enterprise on Highway 3. It's a twisting, turning track--more rattlesnake than road--linking Oregon to Idaho. The scenic pathway throws

Anna + Henry + Baby Makes Three!

2010-03-04T13:17:00.000-08:00

Finally! The promised EXCITING NEWS I hinted at in my last blog post.....Another drum roll, please...........ANNA AND HENRY ARE PREGNANT!!! Yep, it's true, and we couldn't be happier! I guess the pressure got to them and now I also guess I'm gonna have to eat my words. Those words--more or less--came after they announced their engagement and Henry said he owed me everything. (Come to think

A Common Place

2010-02-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

Has anyone out there in blog land missed me or wondered where I've been? Oh, please, tell me you've missed me! Are you still there? Well, there is a reason for this silence and...have I got stories for you--Heap big happenings here, my friends. I'd love to tell you all about them now but I can't. Tomorrow is Senior Thesis Class and its calling me. So, stories will have to wait for a day or

A Case for Curiosity

2010-02-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

"The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings..."--Robert Louis StevensonCuriosity is a curious thing. I'm full of it and I wonder if its innate. If not, where does it come from? Who has it? How do you get it? And most importantly, why does it matter...or does it?When it comes to the natural world I've been a curiosity seeker since I was a littl girl.

In Brief...

2010-02-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

Bleh and boring Tuesday here, so I'm basically taking control of The Mouse (no pun intended) while Becky nurses a slight cold. Actually, my main goal of the day is devising new ways of appearing incognito from YOU KNOW WHO. (AKA One Whose Tongue is Infinite). Hence, ye olde briefcase trick. That tongue slobbers all over my extremely neat and altogether tidy person, ruffling my immaculately