Racetrack

Kevin took Allyson, Kaleb, and Travis for a ride on the fast grown-up track.



Allyson and Kaleb on the kid track

Good ol' Times

How many times do you think we Bentley's and Merkesdal's have eaten here? Guesses, anyone?
I want you guys to tell me at least one memory you have about our times in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg w/Bestefar and Mormor. (for nonNorwegian blog readers: Bestefar means Grandpa and Mormor means Grandmother in Norwegian)


Something you would find only in the South...

Our Friday

Since Kevin had off today, we made the most of this beautiful crisp clear Friday! Here we are w/breathtaking views of the Smoky Mountains. We rode the chair sky lift to get up here...something I know Mama would have thoroughly enjoyed! :) haha
I will be posting more pictures soon of our day in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

Yet again?

This was our view from the front door this morning. The snow stopped falling a couple of hours ago, and we have nothing to show for it now! Gotta love that! :)


I want to share w/you a part of our family devotion we had today...and will copy just some of what Kevin read to us in our bulletin devotional.
Dependability - Genesis 18:23-33
Why did Abraham stop at ten? A careful study of Lot's family in Sodom indicates that Lot very likely had at least ten family members. Abraham thought for sure that he could depend on Lot to have instructed his family in righteousness. Surely the LORD would find ten righteous, even if He looked no further than Lot's family. Obviously, Abraham was wrong to think he could depend on Lot. Though sin brought God's attention upon Sodom, an undependable Lot sealed its fate.

How would the Bible story of Sodom be different if Lot would have been dependable? How would the fate of others be different if you were dependable?

Daddy's "Food for Thought" question (located at the end of his last Bible answer in "Archive of Bible Answers from Daddy" )

My little answer: Since many of those verses are talking about someone being here before anything was...sounds as if it has to be referring to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I'm sure someone else can give a much more elaborate answer than me.

Everyone! Daddy has just posted his answer to the latest Bible question...be sure to read it!

Omega-3, Vitamins, and Minerals

Salmon Burgers

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
• 3/4 cup panko
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds salmon fillets, skinned and finely chopped
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (of course use fresh ground sea salt)
• Cooking spray(or you can use veg or olive oil)
• Sesame Mayonnaise, recipe follows
• 8 buttered and toasted sandwich buns
• 8 lettuce leaves
• 8 slices tomato

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine peppers, panko, garlic, and salmon.

In a small bowl, combine egg, soy sauce, lemon juice, and salt; add to pepper mixture, tossing gently to combine. Form mixture into 8 patties.

Lightly coat a grill pan or skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Grill or cook patties, 5 minutes per side, or until desired degree of doneness. Spread Sesame Mayonnaise evenly over toasted buns. Top each with a lettuce leaf, tomato slice, and salmon patty. Cover with tops of buns.

Sesame Mayonnaise

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and chill.

Usually once a week, I serve my family fish (hey, we need the brain food!) ...and it's usually either salmon or halibut, our two favorite kinds of fish. Fortunately, everyone in my house LOVES fish...so, that helps. However for anyone who might not particularly care for it, this is a great recipe! You get your needed nutrients that fish provides us, w/out the fishy taste!

We all certainly enjoyed our Salmon Burgers for lunch today! And of course, it's a recipe from Paula Deen. :)

A picture a day!

Hey everyone, I am giving myself a photo challenge where I have to at least take one picture every day, and I want to share what ever comes from it . So I will post the picture here, but it will be down where the Bible question archives are at. So let me know your thoughts on the pics. :-)

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Yes, we are singing the "Hallelujah Chorus" in our house this evening...because!


A slideshow of just a few of the goodtimes we had in Homestead, IA.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

James Boone Bentley...
the best Christian, the greatest Daddy, and my HERO!

Proverbs 17:6b "...and the glory of children are their fathers."

Please enjoy the following:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IapYbXJclblmgO5hSHgEpA?feat=directlink

UUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

A stroll in the snow

This morning, we woke up to a pretty blue sky and 3" of snow.

About a quarter of a mile down a steep hill from where we live...

About 200 yards up a steep hill from where we live...

Around the corner from where we live...

WONDERWORKS

The upside down building of Wonderworks...

The group...

Walking single file...

The excitement builds! :)

I took a lot of pictures, but they didn't turn out that well...so I just made a collage of the best. I guess I was too busy chasing after Travis to focus on taking good pictures.

A supersize piano and bubbles...an earthquake stimulator...and many many other things to see and do...

Then after our field trip, the kids and I went to Miss Lois and Steve's house to visit and have supper w/them. Melissa, her husband, and two children came over also. We had such a good time reminiscing about old times together! Steve told me some interesting stories about Daddy and Mama that I had never heard before. Melissa and I talked alot about you, Katie. Miss Lois cooked homemade lasagna, garlic bread, veggies, and coleslaw...delicious brownies and ice cream for dessert.

I give thanks unto the LORD for a safe and perfect day! :)

Mera loves doing the dishes

And she loves being naked too.!

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

These "stick figure" families are all the rage around here. You see them on everyone's vehicle. This is what our stick family would look like...it was fun making it! Click on the link and make yours...and then post it! :)

A Chuckle

Inside our Sunday bulletins is a layout for the next week's family devotions. This afternoon, Kevin was reading us the Devotional Thoughts and one of the questions was "Who is to be blamed if you are discouraged?" Kaleb piped up first and answered, "Daddy and Mama!"

A hearty winter soup

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Makes 4 to 6 servings

6 slices bacon, finely chopped(I use thick sliced bacon)

1/2 cup chopped onion(I always use more onion and don't chop into small pieces)

3 cloves garlic, minced

4( 15.25 oz) cans black beans, drained

2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder(I use a little less chili powder, and grated some fresh sea salt into the soup)

Garnish: sour cream, minced chives (or your favorite cheese)

In a medium Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, or until just beginning to brown. Add onion and garlic; cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is tender. Add beans, broth, cumin, and chili powder. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.

In the container of a blender, spoon half of soup; process until almost smooth. Return processed mixture to Dutch oven, stirring to combine. Garnish w/sour cream and chives, if desired. Serve!

We enjoyed this soup for lunch today, and found ourselves going back to the soup pot on the stove for seconds and then thirds! I served w/corn and hash browns. This recipe, like much of my cooking, comes from Paula Deen!

W/a little help from Daddy...

On Sunday, the kids and I tried to build a snowman; however, we just never got anywhere w/our attempts. Then, Kevin joined the kids outside Monday morning...and in about 10 minutes, Allyson called me to come outside and take a look at their snowman! I guess being a Yankee has it's advantages...they sure can make a snowman fast! :)

A hungry Silas