like a brook

tales from an evening gone awry

2012-01-27T14:55:00.001-06:00

Life promises never to be dull when you have three small children. This past Wednesday our small groups were starting up again but we decided not to attend since we had missed some sleep during the week and had some sniffly noses. We would later wish we had chosen otherwise. (How's that for foreshadowing!)

I had bribed the children with some Sesame Street on Hulu during dinner to keep them seated. I was putting the little X man to bed, the girls were still watching SS and my husband was in the kitchen cleaning up. Just as I was entering the final stretch of the bedtime routine I heard some screams from downstairs. Since that is not uncommon I thought nothing of it and just wished they would be more quiet so I could get the kid to bed.

Then my husband comes charging up the stairs carrying our middle daughter, the Lulabee, he kicks open the door of the baby's room and says, "She fell and cut her head!" (We later found out that our first thought had been, "If we'd gone to group this wouldn't have happened.") So, he takes little X and I take Lulabee to the bathroom to check the damage. It didn't seem too bad but we thought we'd go the ER just in case.

I hopped into the car with our daughter. It was a lovely rainy and chilly night. Perfect for ER runs. As we got onto the highway little miss seemed her normal self chatting away as if nothing had happened. I think she was excited that it was her turn to get a hospital visit (the big sister was first and that's a whole 'nother story). I was wishing we had a nurse for a neighbor.

That's when I realized that our nurse friend who happens to be married to a paramedic was at small group which happens to be on the way to the hospital. So, I took a little detour. Our friend looked at my Lulabee's head and said that though he's supposed to tell us to get medical treatment it didn't look like something we couldn't take care of at home. Some gauze, antibacterial cream and a large bandaid later she was none the worse for wear.

The next day Papi brought her a balloon and a candy bar for her bravery.

The little X man didn't want to be left out so the next morning he fell and got a bloody nose.

Never. A. Dull. Moment.

Pins I want to make come to life

2012-01-20T13:59:00.000-06:00

Just have to share these because I like them so much and I really want to do them sometime soon.

Source: artprojectsforkids.org via Sara on Pinterest

Source: alittlelearningfortwo.blogspot.com via Sara on Pinterest

Source: artsonia.com via Sara on Pinterest

Source: familyfun.go.com via Sara on Pinterest

Source: cottonandcurls.blogspot.com via Sara on Pinterest

How's that for a To Do list? I might try to whip up those scent cards this afternoon. That looks not too hard.

Update: Nevermind. I actually read the instructions and I need little baggies for the scents to go into. I guess it'll have to wait.

I could get used to this

2012-01-17T12:47:00.000-06:00

Now I just need to teach them to feed me bon bons while they fan me as I lay on the couch.

From Pin to Palm

2012-01-13T21:50:00.000-06:00

Depending on the addictive nature of your personality you might enjoy Pinterest (or you might become addicted). I tried to avoid it but eventually fell prey when I was looking at ideas for the X man's room. I didn't want to just keep bookmarking all these different sites. The idea of having it all nicely pinned in one spot was too tempting so I bit the bullet and asked for an invite. Now I'm hooked. If you've never heard of Pinterest I'm not going to explain it that's already been done other places (like here and here) so you can check those if you're curious.

It's all well and good to have pretty pins to look at but really what's the point if you're not going to do something with them. So, I'm going to attempt to bring at least one pin to life each month. I don't think that's too lofty of a goal. I mean, It's not like they have to be major project pins. I've got every thing from homeschool room ideas to dishwasher soap.

With out any further adieu I present to you my first Pin to Palm, (sorry, I couldn't come up with anything else catchier) roasted broccoli. The caption is, "the best broccoli of your life", how could I pass that up?

Source: amateurgourmet.com via Sara on Pinterest

I'd read about this somewhere else awhile ago but lost the link or forgot or something. I really wanted to try it though so was happy to see it pop up the other day on Pinterest. See, it's practically a necessity. Sort of. Maybe not. But it is handy.

Here's what we ate last night. Or maybe it was the night before. They all run together. It was quite yummy.

I may have eaten better broccoli in my life but I'm not recalling it at the moment. The smaller pieces were definitely better so if you try this at home (or the office, or wherever) make the florettes somewhat the size of that one there in the upper left hand corner. Or the right hand corner, that one's good too.

There you have it folks. Virtual becomes reality and a tasty reality at that.

A bit of a meal plan

2012-01-10T14:50:00.001-06:00

We're off to the store shortly and I'm quickly making up a list and a sort of menu. Yes, there are better ways to do this. (I've also just decided within the past hour or so that we're going to go all out budget and start using cash for food again and that will mean more meal planning is needed. But that's for another post.)

So, since it's already afternoon, today we'll be having stromboli from mostly purchased ingredients. Hum, that's not what I mean to say. I mean I'm going to buy the pizza dough, meatballs and cheese. I already have sauce. I think I mean stromboli from mostly premade ingredients. Or something like that. Anyway.

Our other meals in no certain order (because that's just how I roll) are:

Tacos with mac n cheese and salad?

Roast Chicken with potatos

image from Home-Ec 101 I hope mine looks this good!

Lasagna (thank you Jo-Lynne for the idea!)

That's only four meals but it's going to have to do for the moment. The sun is beginning to set.

Olive oil: To saute or not to saute, that is the question

2012-01-01T16:36:00.001-06:00

photo source

By way of fats in my kitchen you will only find olive oil, coconut oil and butter. I've been using butter to saute and the coconut oil for baking mostly. I have sauteed with the coconut oil on occasion but mostly use butter. I guess really it's frying that I do with the butter. Is there a great difference? Now I'm not sure. So, more specifically I cook eggs in butter but have done veggies and chicken in coconut oil. Anyway, that isn't the point.

My husband has eggs for breakfast, and God bless him, he usually makes his own on weekday mornings. He uses the EVOO we have on hand to cook his eggs. I hadn't thought much of it until a fellow ballet mom mentioned that olive oil should never be heated. I hadn't heard that before and was a bit surprised since one of my favorite recipes in Nourishing Traditions calls for baking with a butter/ olive oil combo. So, I've decided to get to the bottom of the issue, or at least try. I've been doing a little research which I will attempt to regurgitate here mostly to help me remember and to have what I'm learning all in one place.

Katie over at Kitchen Stewardship is always a wealth of information and this topic is no exception. She did some delving into the olive oil issue and it doesn't seem to be all that cut and dry as one would hope it to be. She has a few posts on the topic of EVOO but I think I found my answer in one of her responses to a comment at the bottom of this post. (This is my comment on the comment. To see the original scroll up.) The commenter asked if it was harmful to saute with EVOO and Katie's response was that it's not as good for you but not harmful. When EVOO is heated some of the nutrients will be damaged but the real trouble comes when you reach the smoke point of the oil. For EVOO that's over 300F so a non aggressive saute should be ok, I think.

Basically it's really bad when an oil, any oil, reaches its smoking point. If your oil starts to smoke throw it out and start over!

Here are some other good sources:

Vital Choices Newsletter : Can Extra Virgin Olive Oil Stand Your Kitchen's Heat?
This article seems to say much of the same thing. Heating EVOO will take away some of it's good properties but will not make it harmful.

Teatro Naturale: The scientific truth on cooking with extra virgin olive oil. This article suggests that frying with high quality evoo is best. (It's a longish article and I skimmed the first part but read more in detail the last part.)

To sum up what I've been reading. EVOO cold = best. EVOO heated = not great but not harmful. EVOO smoking = horrid!

So, after all of that I think I feel safe letting my husband prepare his breakfast in EVOO. Definitive, huh.

Goals 2012

2011-12-31T16:13:00.002-06:00

Another year is fast approaching. As a matter of fact it's already arrived for some. Always a strange thought for me that somewhere on the other side of the world it's already tomorrow. For us though it's still today. Our this year, their last year. Our today, their yesterday. Anyway, enough pontificating. (I'm not really sure what pontificating means but it seems to fit.)

So, last year I made some goals. I had forgotten that I'd done that until the other day when I thought I should make some for this new year. As it happens I half completed a goal. Come to think of it I may have half completed both of my goals. I wanted to learn to roast a chicken and I think I can say I've successfully done that. I have not however, taken a good picture of one of my roasted birds. So, half point there. I did learn more about skin care for my fairest one of all sort of by accident but I really haven't implemented any of what I learned. Also I really wanted to learn about sun skin care which I did not, just about soap skin care. Even so I'll give myself a half point for that as well. (It pays to be the point giver outer in these instances).

This year I'll start off small as well, just two goals. Two is good.

photo credit

Goal one: Learn to bake a really good loaf of sandwich bread that my husband will willingly eat with joy. (This one may be a bit lofty).

Goal two: Finish the year without glasses. For years now I've wanted to have lasik done (or whatever it is called these days) but have either been pregnant or nursing. We're not looking to increase the flock anymore and the nurslings days as a nursling are numbered and hopefully so are the days of my glasses.

There you have it folks. I hope it's not too overwhelming. When I go, I like to go all out.

I hope you all (all 5 of you) have a very Happy New Year!

For unto us a child was born!

2011-12-23T13:59:00.002-06:00

Coooffeeeeeee

2011-12-13T14:10:00.002-06:00

Not Pangeo beans! Just some dusty ones I had around and took a pic of awhile back.

I do like me a hot cuppa joe in the mornings. I've even considered buying myself a little programmable coffee maker just so that it's waiting for me when I come downstairs in the morning. I'd like to think it would be motivational to get me out of bed! It's just so much work to heat up the kettle and French press me some coffee. If that sounds lazy you'd be right.

So anyway, since I like coffee so much I'm excited to have just become a part of an affiliate program with Pangeo Coffee. I first heard about them from MckMama's blog from her trips to Africa. Pangeo's goal is to see poor villages become self sustainable and they are using their passion for coffee to help reach this goal. To really get a feel for them you can read their story and check out the FAQ's on their website. Their coffee is Fair Trade and promised to be wonderfully tasty. I have yet to try some myself so until I do you'll have to take their word for it. (So, yes, before getting behind something it probably would have been good to actually try it first but I do really appreciate their "teaching a man to fish" philosophy, marry it with coffee and well... I was sold).

Right now through the end of December you can receive $2/bag discount using the code BROOK when you order. If you order 3 bags shipping is free. Think Christmas gift for the coffee lover in your life. Think gift to your self the coffee lover. Think gift to those half way around the world who are benefiting from our black gold ~~addiction~~, er, passion. I can't speak for you but I sure wouldn't mind finding a bag of coffee in my stocking Christmas morning!

I am now an "affliate" of Pangeo coffee and by using the BROOK code I will receive a small compensation. Thanks!

a little bit of nothing

2011-12-02T15:31:00.001-06:00

Some random thoughts from a distracted mom to distract you.

Today we were waiting at a red light when I noticed a van a few vehicles ahead of us with the saying, "turning sinners into saints" on the back. I thought that was an interesting sentiment for a church van assuming that's what it was. Then I noticed above those words it said "please enjoy responsibly". Not exactly a church van after all. I just looked it up and turns out it's a local brewery.

The other day the girls were looking at my baby book. On the back of the little card they put in the bassinet with the baby's name and stats is an ad for ready made formula. It's sold by the quart, in nursing bottles and in 8 oz cans "for modern mothers who want convenience".

There was also a pamphlet from my pediatrician that lists all the vaccines in the back. Counting them up between the second month and 24 months there are 11 vaccines given. Counting quickly I came up with 27 vaccines now given between birth and 24 months according to the CDC's chart.

I'm trying to come up with something else good for you but am drawing a blank so I'll have to leave you with that.

Happy December 2nd!

Passing on a deal

2011-11-24T11:04:00.001-06:00

Katie at Kitchen Stewardship is offering some Black Friday sales on her e-books. I have the Everything Beans book and the Healthy Snacks to Go book and we have enjoyed recipes from both of them. I made the Cabbage Soup with Secret Super Food from the Everything Beans book for some friends and she said she liked it so much she couldn't get the spoon to her mouth fast enough. We're also big fans of the rice pudding from the snack book.

So, if you'd like to try them out she's offering 55% of The Everything Beans Book with code BFBEANS and 25% off Smart Sweets OR Healthy Snacks to Go with code SWEETSNACKS

Being a sweet tooth I'm rather tempted by the Smart Sweets book.

These are affiliate links so if you choose to purchase I'll receive a small commission. Thanks!

last night's pork loin

2011-11-03T10:09:00.000-05:00

As is usual on the weeks that I don't plan out what we will be eating yesterday late afternoon rolled around and I realized we would be needing some dinner to eat yet again. I'm not sure why an activity we participate in every day seems to catch me off guard so often. You'd think by now it wouldn't be so surprising.

Last night what fell out of the fridge was a pork loin. I had purchased it thinking of the crock pot but as you may well know 3pm is too late for the crock pot. That's when I remembered my dutch oven. I had been waiting on cooler weather to break it out again. So I set to checking a few of my favorite blogs to find a recipe. I ended up with this one for herbed pork roast from Cooking Traditional Foods blog and this one for braised pork shoulder with tangy barbecue sauce from Simple Bites blog (it's at the bottom of the post).

I kind of combined them and threw in a leek I had in the fridge and it turned out rather tasty. I didn't take any pictures to show off and I'm not sure if it can be replicated since it was kind of thrown together. For what it's worth here's more or less what I concocted:

Last Night's Pork Loin

1 Pork loin of whatever size it is that they sell them at Trader Joe's
1 Tbs Coconut oil
1 Tbs Butter
1 Onion chopped
4 Carrots chopped
2 Leeks chopped
Swig of Apple Cider
2 Cups Chicken Broth
Salt
Pepper
Thyme

Salt, pepper and thyme (yes, I'm verbbing thyme) the pork then braise in the coconut oil and butter in dutch oven. Remove pork and set aside. Add onions, carrots and leeks to pot. Cook until softened. Return pork to dutch oven. Add Chicken Broth and Apple Cider (unless you forget you wanted to add the apple cider then wait awhile and add later). Let it simmer on the stove for over and hour then realize that you can put it in the oven. Put in the oven at 350 for another long period of time until the pork is fork tender (I think that means that it falls apart with a fork, at least that's what I want it to mean.)

When it was done I shredded the pork and added it to the Tangy Barbecue sauce which I made mostly following the actual recipe. I just traded the shallot for onion and left out the garlic and dijon. Oh and used sucanat instead of brown sugar. We ate it over rice (made using the leftover liquid in the pot and some added water) with a salad on the side.

Side note: we eat really late so if you want to eat at a normal dinner time you should probably start earlier in the day than I did.

What do you do with your pork loin? What do you do with your dutch oven?

encouragement for those who need it

2011-10-14T16:26:00.001-05:00

Nature Dying

2011-10-12T16:22:00.000-05:00

Not to be confused with dying nature.

A while back our science lesson (which came from Mudpies to Magnets: A Preschool Science Curriculum) was to dye cloth with items from nature. I really liked this lesson because it integrated various activities. The entire lesson took us about a week to complete.

One day went on a nature walk to collect acorns. On our walk we learned about the different type of oak trees, who eats acorns, how old a tree has to be to have acorns and tried to find some rings on a cut down tree.

The next day we boiled the acorns to make a dye. I decided that it would be interesting to have some other colors so we scrounged around the house to find some other things that would make a good dye. We came up with red onions and coffee. As it turns out acorns, coffee are about the same light brown color and red onion is yellow. I could have integrated tasting into this part of the lesson to see what red onions and coffee taste like but I didn't think of that until just now.

We let our dyed cloth dry.

Then we made a little weaving craft with our strips. By we I mean mostly me but at least there was some child involvement. A good fine motor skill and handicraft activity.

In the end we are left with a mat of sorts. In all reality it doesn't serve much purpose in and of itself but it's more interesting than a worksheet or random paper plate craft quickly destined to the trash can. I actually thought it would make a nice mattress for our baby bed but my idea was vetoed.

The book link is an Amazon affiliate link if it works correctly. Should you purchase, I will receive a small compensation. I do however love this book for a Preschool/ Kindergarten science curriculum and would recommend it regardless.

Not me or my child!

2011-09-26T15:11:00.000-05:00

Yup, it's back. Not me Monday. I don't know that I'll be participating all the time but what didn't happen this week was just too much not to write about. (Not Me Monday is a time to admit the parts of the week probably better forgotten by "not" admitting to our follies. But wait, there's more, just click over to MckMama).

The other day after little man woke from his nap I did not let him cry for awhile so I could finish up what I was doing. When I realized that the crying had stopped I did not have slightly paranoid thoughts of what could have happend. When I got to his room I did not find him (gack!) playing with the poopy diaper. It had to happen sooner or later I guess. That night he did not throw up a little bit in his crib necessitating a second change of sheets for the day. A bit after that as I contemplated the day whilst getting him back to sleep I did not think, "Well, at least I didn't get peed on today, oh wait, there was that overly leaky diaper in the morning." Ah yes, parenthood.

the offender, his bed head and part of his sister

no wheat pumpkin pie muffins

2011-09-22T19:59:00.001-05:00

Inspired by this recipe post and an open can of pureed pumpkin (used to make a recipe from this cookbook) I thought I'd try to make some muffins. I'm hoping to do a wheat/gluten free trial period* to see if it helps with some "issues" with the kiddos and it'd be nice to have some things to munch on that aren't too removed from the normal fare of wheat eaters.

*Yes, I've been talking about this for ages. Yes, eventually I'll get around to it. Probably.

So armed with a ~~wealth~~ small amount of knowledge I forged ahead this morning and if I do say so myself the results weren't all that bad. Hum, how's that for marketing.

I started by mixing a cup of the pumpkin with two cups of almond meal. I've been wanting to try actual almond flour for some time now but it's rather pricey and I can get the meal relatively cheaply at Trader Joe's so meal it is.

Two eggs went in then some coconut oil for fat because fat is good. Especially good fat.

I threw in some pumpkin pie spice, a bit of vanilla, a couple tablespoons of honey and some molasses for good measure.

My tip of the day is to dip your tablespoon measure in your oil so that sticky ingredients slide right off. I'm clever like that aren't I. (You can take that with a grain of salt considering I almost wrote "cleaver").

Going, going...

gone!

Line a muffin tin ( I really love silicone baking cups, you could try these, Wilton Silicone Pastel Standard Baking Cups ). I had a helper but you could also do it yourself.

Bake and enjoy. Making whipped cream and butter as your homeschool science experiment as toppings is optional.

Here's the recipe:

No Wheat Pumpkin Pie Muffins

2c almond meal
1 tsp baking soda
1c pureed pumpkin
1/4c coconut oil melted
2 eggs
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs molasses
2 Tbs honey (they're not very sweet so if you'd prefer sweeter add more)

Mix all in a big bowl.
Fill muffin cups.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Enjoy!

I would like to try these with flax meal and maybe less pumpkin because they are rather smooshy. They might even be good with dried cranberries. If you try them and/or tweek them let me know what you think.

The amazon and Everything Beans links are affiliate links. If you purchase via the links I'll receive a small compensation. I'd recommend both though even if I weren't to receive anything in return.

Mommy's first day of Kindergarten

2011-09-01T16:13:00.000-05:00

I didn't really think that dropping my daughter off for her first day of Homeschool Community Day Kindergarten would be that big of a deal for me. I mean, it's only one day a week and just four hours. That's almost like dropping her off for a play date. It shouldn't be that different right?

Turns out I'm one of those moms who would drive down the street to park and cry after the famed first drop off. Had I dropped her off all by my lonesome I probably would have done just that. However, my husband came with us for the big day and I would have felt silly sniffling in the passenger seat so I pulled myself together.

It did make me think about my mommy feelings though. Of course there's the usual bittersweetness of seeing your child move on to the next stage of life. Wasn't she just born? How did these past five years go so quickly?! Sometimes I think growing up is harder to do for mommy than child.

I also realized that it feels strange to leave her someplace where I'm not in control. I'm a bit of a control freak. Control freaks don't really like to let go. Even for four hours.

The day is and enrichment day which means they'll be doing all the fun stuff like music and art. It made me a little sad to realize that I won't get to be there to see her do the fun stuff. Obviously we'll still do fun stuff at home but not the really cool fun stuff they'll do in school. Yeah, that's probably just more of the control freak coming out.

It's good though. My first little course in learning to push her out of the nest. She'll be 35 before we know it and asking to date so I need to get ready.

the road to good intentions

2011-08-25T16:28:00.000-05:00

is paved with languishing vegetables

and crispy bacon!

Need a sidewalk moved?

2011-08-24T22:08:00.000-05:00

I've got just the thing for you. Well, I don't actually have it but I've seen it in action.

Awhile back there was some work being done on the gas lines in front of our house. In order to move the sidewalks they brought in the big guns for the job. Or should I say the Big Sidewalk Sucker.

Yeah, it's actually called that. Made me laugh.

They just stick it on the sidewalk...

Then it's up, up...

and back down again.

It created hours (or at least a half an hour) of window watching entertainment.

interesting report on raw milk

2011-08-03T15:25:00.000-05:00

I just read this post at Food Renegade about the government's data showing raw milk to be safer than most other foods. Well now, isn't that interesting.

We're not raw milk drinkers here although I am intrigued. Maybe some day.

Maybe some day I'll live on a farm and have my own cow. Probably not but a girl can dream can't she.

Yeah, I know it's a strange dream.

reviving the mojo

2011-08-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

Somewhere along the way I've lost my creative mojo. Maybe the heat just sucked it out of me. Or maybe the sleepless nights have finally caught up with me. Or maybe it's because I cut down on the coffee intake. Or maybe my brain is on summer break. Whatever the cause this has been a pretty creativity lacking household for the past few weeks. Well, you know, aside from the five year old who can't help but draw and the three year old who dances all day long and the husband who is cranking out another painting. At least the baby isn't showing me up. So, I'm on a mission to revive the mojo.

I started a little diy project to spiffy up the girls room a little over a month ago. It's still not done but at least it's on the way. I'm lacking a dresser for that project though so it might be awhile before I can call it finished. Here's a little sneak peak at that...

A few days ago I saw a project on the Crafty Crow blog that I thought would be fun to try with the girls. It wasn't quite the hit I was hoping for. Someone needs to tell them that getting sticky whilst doing craft projects is fun. Seriously, what's up with them! My middle love finally got more into it when I put the glue on for her, this one is hers...

Today I was inspired by Impress Your Kids (again) with her link to this little project...

Her post is full of other cute hand print ideas. I hope to do some more later on.

Who knows, maybe I'll even blog more too.

words I thought I'd never utter

2011-07-05T11:30:00.000-05:00

"I made liver with onions."

photo credit

And now that you've heard them you'll never hear them again.

I wouldn't call it an epic fail because there was some pretty darn good Greek potato salad.

It wasn't that it was all that untasty. The onions were actually really good.

Mostly it was the process not the product that made it a first and last all in one.

And if your husband ever requests liver make sure he specifies which animal's liver he's thinking of.

photo credit

This, That and a couple of links

2011-06-26T15:13:00.001-05:00

This:
Whoa Nellie! I just did Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred for the first time. If the letters look wobbly it's because my arms are shaking. I haven't hit every day like I had hoped to but at least I haven't given up yet!

That:
We're thinking of rearranging the living areas of our home to make room for a homeschooling area. This means we'll "need" (as in we'd like to have one not we'll die without it) a new table to fit the area better. We're looking at something like this...

eclectic dining room design by san francisco interior designer Niche Interiors

or this...

where to get this table

And by looking at them I mean my DIY husband will craft one like it not that we'll be shelling out $1,500 + for a store bought model.

I'll let you know how the rearranging goes. It takes some effort for us to change things up because my dear husband is ascetically challenged. By that I mean it's a superb challenge for him to live with anything he does not find ascetically pleasing. He's also a bit of a perfectionist. Poor guy got stuck with a closenoughist.

And a couple of links (or maybe three):

At Raising Homemakers - Have You Had a Date With Your Daughter Lately?

At True Woman - Submission Is a Thing of the Past!

At Food Renegade: Scientists Create Meat Out Of Feces

In order to be a mother you must...

2011-06-21T15:46:00.002-05:00

... be a contortionist able to maneuver your arm to the back seat to deliver snacks (or smacks, whichever is necessary) all the while maintaining adequate driving ability.

... be able to carry a squirming baby and a bag of books while fishing the keys from your purse and not lose anyone or anything in the parking lot.

... be organized enough to remember that every day you have to make dinner.

... not care about privacy and enjoy carrying on conversations while in the bathroom.

... smile when you want to scream.

... thrive on sleepless nights.

... know how to get yourself ready for an outing in the 10.3 seconds left after getting everyone else up, dressed and fed.

... be humble enough to ask forgiveness when you forgot to be patient, again.

... get over your aversion to bodily fluids.

... be a library of stain removal remedies.

What did I miss?

I tried the ketchup

2011-06-17T09:59:00.000-05:00

Remember I mentioned a bit back that I was trying my hand at making ketchup? Well, it's done, has been for awhile, and I tried it.

It's lactofermented ketchup. Wierd, I know. I first found a recipe in Nourishing Traditions but it calls for fish sauce, which I don't have and can't easily find in either of the two stores I frequent. Then I saw a recipe at Nourished Kitchen which had easily accessible ingredients. So, I set to work only to find that in fact, I do not own allspice. So, instead of loading the three amigos in the car for a quick (can I get an uproarious laugh for anything quick involving three children) run to the store for the elusive allspice, I improvised. A pinch of cinnamon and a shake of clove and couple of others should be about the same right?

I was rather nervous to try it but surprisingly it's not that bad. It does have a different spice taste than normal ketchup. We've had it with hamburgers and some other sort of pork sandwich and it worked well in both situations. My oldest didn't like it as a stand alone condiment (nor did she like the beet soup last night) and I'm not sure I'd like it with french fries but it was alright with the potatoes. So anyway, I think I'll call it a success. The lactofermented part is supposed to be good for us and it works well on hamburgers. That'll have to be enough.

A month of commitment

2011-06-07T10:03:00.001-05:00

Alternately titled: June 7th, the new January 1st

I don't know how to make an interesting start to this post. I probably had one yesterday while I was washing dishes and thinking about it but now it's gone. Lost in the hinterlands of momnesia. So, I guess I'll just get right to it.

Yesterday I started the 30 Day Shred work out video challenge, again. This time I actually want to do it for 30 days. I might post photos. I might not be that brave. Now that I've said it out loud though I might have more motivation to stick to it. Or I might not, I guess we'll see. That's commitment number 1. (Not number 1 because it's the most important just because it's the first I mentioned).

Tomorrow I begin the 21 Days of Prayer for Sons using the book Warrior Prayers written by Brooke Mcglothlin. For everything about that and more click the button below...

Like I said, it starts tomorrow, so there's still time to jump in if you're a mom to boy(s). (That's commitment number 2)

Today I got out of bed about half an hour earlier. Don't be too impressed. It was still only 7:30ish (and I'm being generous. I've already forgotten the actual time. It's that momnesia again I tell ya.) I really want to start getting up earlier again. Like before my children. Maybe have a few minutes to myself. Hopefully, I'll eventually be getting up early enough to work out, read my Bible and drink some coffee ALL. BY. MYSELF. (That's number 3).

So, there you have it. Feel free to comment. Or not.

they're baaaaa-aaaack

2011-06-06T14:01:00.000-05:00

Ants.

Yuck.

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Ug.

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Errrr.

I'm all for "green" non-toxic ways of de-anting a home but I'm just going to the big guns this time around. I've got three crumb makers now, that's a lot of crumbs to be sweeping or vacuuming. I'd pretty much spend my day cleaning up after them, oh wait, that is what I spend my day doing. Anyway, I just don't have the energy to launch an all out anti ant campaign this time around. Don't fret, I'm not going to be pouring chemicals on my crawled on floor. However, the foundation is fair game.

Watch out ants, here I come. Mwaa ha ha ha ha...

2011-05-31T11:13:00.000-05:00

I just "found" this blog the other day and it looks very encouraging. They're celebrating their first blog birthday this week and have some giveaways going on if you'd like to check them out...

For better or worse

2011-05-26T13:07:00.002-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to share with someone some of my thoughts about being married. Well, I guess I wouldn't really call it that, more like some advice that I didn't make up on my own but am able to regurgitate from other sources. This friend is going through a tough season and this advice is for the wife that has lost that loving feeling towards her husband.

photo credit

We all know that verse, or maybe we don't, that says " Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife." (Proverbs 21.19) Or this one, "A foolish child is a father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof." (Proverbs 19:13) Although there might be times when we think we'd be better off if our husbands were living in the desert I'm sure we don't want to be the ones to drive them there. If you've got complaints about your husband's character take them first to the Lord. He'll make sure that you see that big ol' plank in your own eye more clearly as you try to pick the sawdust out of your husband's. If there is something you need to chat about better to do it after God's had a chance to soften your heart.

As much as you might want to vent to your friends, family, neighbors, the mailman about your husbands failings, don't. Complain to God and work out your differences together (or with professional help if you need it). Speaking negatively of your husband to others is a surefire way to knock him down and it will be hard for him to get back up again, whether that be in the minds of others or in his own mind. Even if it pains you to do so speak complimentary of your husband when he's there and when he's absent. Build him up in front of others, men thrive on respect.

I don't know about you but sometimes I just want to sit in the nasty spiral of complaint. You know how good sin feels at the time. Yuck. The more you dwell on the negative the more negative and bitter you will become. Again, even if it make you wince from the pain find one good thing each day about your husband. Tell him about it and thank God for it. Start small if you have to, "Those socks go well with your shoes." or "I've always liked that shirt." If you want to go all out something like, "My don't you look handsome today." will work.

So, there you have it. Advice that at one time or another I have read and has stuck in my mind. I'm not a counselor, nor do I play one on TV, but I hope these words of wisdom (again, not mine) can be of some encouragement to someone somewhere.

Here are some books I've enjoyed:

Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney

Creative Counterpart by Linda Dillow

The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian

I'm making ketchup

2011-05-25T17:40:00.001-05:00

I'll let you know how it turns out.

dear me!

2011-05-19T14:46:00.000-05:00

It's been a horrendously long time since I've posted anything. I've got all these blog post ideas floating in my head but finding time to actually formulate a real live post is obviously all but impossible.

It's not that there isn't free time just there are other things that end up filling the free time. Well, that and even in my "free time" there are usually little people around and it's hard to complete a thought with near constant interruptions. For example, this little ditty is being brought to you by Angelina Ballerina and some make believe play time. Ah, and just as expected I am being summoned. Interruptions by a curly headed five year old bearing "gifts" won't be around forever so I should relish them while I've got them.

So, some random thoughts to fill your free time with. Isn't it funny that we spend "free" time.

Speaking of Angelina Ballerina, sort of, I'm really not too keen on the updated Angelina. I don't know, I liked the mouse looking Angelina in her little cottage and ballet school. First Thomas was CG animated and now Angelina, what is the world coming to.

Have I mentioned that I bought myself a cast iron dutch oven with my birthday money? I've wanted a dutch oven for awhile now so I'm pretty excited about it. However, now that I've got it I can't remember which recipes I've been wanting a dutch oven for. Any suggestions? Mine is a double dutch oven (not to be confused with the jump roping type) so it's like getting two for one. While my parents were here visiting (side note: my parents came to visit!) I made an asparagus frittata that I found at Musings of Housewife. It was quite tasty but I might put a bit more cheese next time. I'm a bit of a sucker for cheese.

Well now, I've filled enough of your time with nothing at all. Maybe one of these days I'll find some time to post something "real". I've got ideas I tell ya!

Something I found interesting Part VI : hormones in milk

2011-04-27T15:00:00.001-05:00

photo credit: manyaseema

I just read a very eye opening article about the growth hormones used on milk producing cows:

Raging Hormones? at Allergy Kids

Makes me wish I hadn't been such a milk lover as a teenager. Thankfully though my kids can benefit from hormone free milk and cheese. One commenter pointed out that since most stores are now stocking hormone free milk it is probable that the hormone laden milk is being used in other dairy products. I've been diligent with the milk I purchase but have gone slack on the cheese opting for the less expensive. Guess that will change. (Bye bye cheap Aldi cheese.) Guess we'll also be eating less cheese.

Why is it that so many nutritional "advances" actually put us behind?

I like to snack

2011-04-26T23:06:00.000-05:00

Yes, I admit it. Snacks and I are good friends. Probably too good. So, awhile back when I came across the Healthy Snacks to Go eBook at Kitchen Stewardship (side note: if you're at all interested in traditional/real foods Katie has a wealth of information) I was tempted. The recipes all sounded pretty yummy and they were supposed to be easy to make. Oh, and good for you too. What's not to love. I eventually bought the book and then eventually got around to actually making some of the snacks.

My first try was some of the Reverse Engineered Lara Bars. They didn't exactly come out in bar form but as a ball they were quite tasty. I've since made some more and they did stay more bar like. Ooo, and today I finally got some more unsweetened coconut so I can try the power bars and something else that calls for that ingredient.

Our favorite might be the rice pudding which I have been making with brown rice although next time I think I'm going to try it with white.

I made the crackers which I thought might be tricky but really were quite easy and lasted about as long as it took to make them. Double batch next time for sure!

If you're wondering what else there is check out the table of contents:

Sorry, I'm not sure how to make it bigger you'll have to get your magnifying glass out.

I've been really pleased with the snacks in Healthy Snacks to Go and am now being tempted by one of Katie's other eBooks, The Everything Beans Book. (She's also got one for camping but since we're not campers that one hasn't so much caught my eye as much.)

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Kitchen Stewardship’s eBooks, which means I’ll earn a small commission from any sales made through these links. However, we really do love these snacks and I'm already dreaming of the Peanut Butter Kisses I might make tomorrow.

I want to live in a small town

2011-04-26T16:49:00.000-05:00

I'd also like it to be perfect.

I'd like to live someplace where the stores I need are no more than ten minutes away and if a store doesn't have the product I want then I'm out of luck. I don't have to wonder if the bigger version of the same store across town might have be carrying said item. ( I would still like the internet so that if I really really need/want something I can find it.)

I want there to be one (maybe two for a little variety) city park with a nice play ground and a medow in which to run free. It'd also be great if it were in walking distance. Not upteen from which to choose.

I'd like all my friends to live with in a five minute drive.

I'd like there to be farms within a short drive where I can purchase eggs and meat.

I'd like a homeschool group.

I'd like low crime.

I'd like to be close enough to a big city that we can go to the fun things like the zoo and museams without too much trouble.

I'd like the zoning laws to be lax enough that we can build a home of my husband's design choosing.

That's about it. For now.

Am I asking too much?

and one more

2011-04-18T10:46:00.002-05:00

because I can't resist the cuteness.

because if this doesn't make you smile nothing will

2011-04-15T13:43:00.000-05:00

on feeding children

2011-04-05T03:23:00.001-05:00

I like this quote,

I don’t know about you, but I am more likely to have a cow, pig, or olive orchard than a genetically engineered field of canola.

from this post about children needing fat in their diets at Simple Bites.

Better late than never, right?

2011-04-04T15:09:00.001-05:00

I actually had finished what I was going to do for the Project Simplify on Friday but haven't had time to download/upload the photos and write up a little diddy about it. This is going to be short, sweet and to the point so that I can (hopefully) get to the cascade of dirty clothes coming down the basement stairs before the next millennium. This week I cleaned out our fridge!

I thought I might do something with my pantry shelves but I didn't get to that. It's not really all that cluttered anyway it just has some things that should be housed somewhere else. However, I don't really know where that place is so it'll have to wait. In the meantime I'm enjoying my clean fridge!

details of a day

2011-03-29T01:51:00.002-05:00

What happened to Spring?

2011-03-26T22:03:00.000-05:00

See that picture up there in the header? That picture was taken on Wednesday after a nice morning spent at the Botanical Gardens and playing outside. Beautiful short sleeve weather. Well, this was today...

This week it was the toys!

2011-03-25T10:53:00.000-05:00

I was really excited when this week's Project Simplify was announced. Declutter toys and kids clothes. This was something I was wanting to do anyway and now I've got some external motivation as well.

I was hoping to pare down some of our toys and store others. My goal is to only have out a few toys at a time in hopes that absence will make the heart grow fonder. We have a shelf under the stairs that used to look like this...

My goal was to end up only using the shelves and that bin in front. Most things went into storage (a few steps to the left) and couple ended up in the donate pile. I would like to involved the girls more in the purging phase they're not quite at the age to be brutally ruthless yet. So, while they helped deciding about a few things the donate pile has to be hidden then covertly transferred to the trunk. Hopefully that will be done by tomorrow. This is what the shelf looks like now...

I guess the little bench stayed too.

We had a spot that looked like this...

Now it looks like this...

And the girl's room looks like this...

We had to move the tree tent out of the room to add the house so now the tree is in the basement and has yet to find a permanent home. The basement is a bit of a fluid area at the moment. At least we did declutter a bit even if it's not perfectly set up yet. Will it ever be?

Now I'm off to Simple Mom to see what others have done!

Project Simplify: Paper Clutter

2011-03-18T17:15:00.001-05:00

This week's Project Simplify was paper clutter. It appears that I must be so busy decluttering that the blog has been sadly neglected. If only that were the case. I did not get to do as much paper decluttering this week as I had hoped but I did at least get one area done that needed some help.

We have a TV armiore turned craft cabinet that has a paper problem. It has a tendency to propagate artwork. Lots and lots of artwork. Or maybe it's just where the artwork lands because it's all too precious to go straight to the trash can. Or maybe the artists would be sad to see their work so arbitrarily relegated to the waste heap so it sits awaiting a moment when it can be deftly relocated to the great art museum in the land fill. (I think I should just move on to the pictures before I try using anymore big words.)

My motivation came from an avalanche of paper. No time like the present to sit down and declutter. So some popped popcorn later I got started.

It got a little worse before it got better.

But better it did get. I moved a paper tray that wasn't really being used to it's full potential to house paper to reuse and coloring pages. The green box is craft paper and books. I want the books someplace else, maybe on the other side of the radio but for now that's the home of the sewing machine. The brown box is for little notepads and homemade books. The blue box is our nature box.

So, there you have it. I still have bills to be filed but at least the cabinet is organized, for the next five minutes.

Simplifying the Wardrobe

2011-03-11T17:57:00.000-06:00

This was week one of Simple Mom's Project Simplify and the area was your wardrobe. I was glad for this since I recently went through my things and weeded out a lot of stuff. It meant my task for the week wouldn't be as involved.

I cleansed the closet of a few more shirts that I don't think I've worn since #2 was born, actually since being pregnant with her, and tossed a bunch of socks. I weeded out some of the post pregnancy clothes and finally said good by to a beloved t-shirt...

it was so comfy but will make a nice rag now

I did keep a bunch of socks to re-purpose into something. I may end up tossing these later if there is a craft hot spot decluttering but I couldn't bear to do so yet since I'd love to see these fun socks turned into a monkey or something. Then again that will just create more stuffed animals to declutter so maybe they'll end up trashed sooner than later. (I'll probably have to make at least one monkey.)

Here's my before sock drawer...

note the decluttering list and super cute mug of coffee

and after...

There doesn't look to be much difference but there really is. I promise.

My closet before...

and after...

And the bags...

So, there you have it!

If you're in the mood to be inspired there's a whole buncha links at Simple Mom. Good ideas too, like flipping hangars to see if you actually wear something.

On coconut oil and other healthy fats

2011-03-08T16:52:00.002-06:00

As a small child I had the privilege of drinking coconut water and eating coconut jelly straight from the coconuts in our backyard. Hum, I wonder if I have a picture of that around here, I'll have to check. (I did have a picture and you can see it below. That was our house, see the trees in back?) Now I'm using coconut oil in our kitchen.* Mostly for cooking. I did try to tame some frizzies with it one day but I must have been a bit overzealous since all I got were greasy locks. And I guess I was in the bathroom when I did that so really I only use it for cooking in the kitchen. So, now that that's settled.

There were also mango trees in front!

I want to share with you, my dear readers**, why coconut oil is good for us. I'd love to be able to summarize it all in an eloquent summary right here for you but there's a lot out there and I don't have a firm grasp on it myself, summarily, I'll just pass on some good links. (And aren't you glad after the eloquence of that sentence! I aim to please.)

So, without further adieu, drum roll please, and now I present.....

A New Look at Coconut Oil from the Weston A. Price foundation

Healthy Fats: Is There Such a Thing from Food Renegade Blog

The Wonders of Coconut Oil from Simple Organic

Food for Thought: What's the deal with coconut oil? from Kitchen Stewardship

There, that should get you started. There are links within those links that can link you to other links that will eventually create a long chained fatty acid and just by reading you'll gain health benefits, or not, but I do hope those help learn you some on the goodness of coconut oil. (Again, aren't you glad I refrained from being eloquent.)

* I also use lots of butter but we didn't have a cow so no cute segway there.
* *Please dear readers, don't be shy, I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

I've linked to the coconut oil that I purchase from Amazon. If you sign up for the subscribe and save option you can save even more, which is what I do. It's not a bad deal since I'm pretty sure I've seen this particular brand in the store for $8.99/ 15oz and even with out the S&S this is just under $7/15oz.

Cones of silence and other things

2011-03-04T16:24:00.001-06:00

I'm seriously considering investing in some cones of silence. I hope they come in family packs. One for me so I can just sit for awhile and not have to hear the never ending questions. A couple preschool sized ones so that the girls can't hear each other and get annoyed that the other is talking while they're trying to talk. (I guess it's only the almost 5 year old who gets annoyed that her sister won't stop talking so she can say her very important things.) And a crib sized one so that Mr. Xman can't be heard every hour on the hour all night long. My husband would probably like to get in on it too so he can get some things done on the weekends.

photo source

We need a double one too like this one to have an adult conversation.

Starting next week I am going to participate in Simple Mom's Project Simplify. We had been considering adding a largish room on the back of our home but have officially tabled that project for the foreseeable future. Now I'm the rearranging warpath. I want to make our spaces more our family friendly. You know, make sure we're getting the most out of our space. I'm hoping this will help.

For those of you who would like to know more about coconut oil (cough, mom, cough) I'll be posting next week something about our new oil of choice.

living on the edge

2011-02-25T18:25:00.002-06:00

It's been one of those days. The kind preceded by late to bed, early to rise and not much sleep in between night. The kind where the edge of sanity looms near. The kind where you're not sure if more caffeine will drive you over the edge or away from it. What do you do on those days?

Turn up the music, dance and play a little air guitar.

Give your son a girly toy to keep him occupied

and finish whipping up some of Jo-Lynn's chocolate chip cookies*.

Realize the baby is tired and put him down for a nap. Then grin and ~~bear it~~ enjoy playing airplane in the dining room. (Bonus points if you don't lose your sanity during the extremely drawn out flight to Mexico where the sheep purse MUST be stowed beneath the seat and Oh No! No one used the bathroom we have to go back on the plane and use the bathroom. At least we got a snack!)

Be disappointed that the cookies did not turn out as expected.

Realize that the parchment paper was more than a mere suggestion.

Eat the "cookies" anyway.

Decide that maybe they can watch another movie afterall.

Blog about it.

* On most days where the edge looms I'd just go straight for the chocolate chips from the jar where I store them but today I happened to already be making cookies.

I made yogurt!

2011-02-25T10:13:00.001-06:00

In the past I've considered making my own yogurt but always thought it would be a big chore. I thought I'd need a yogurt maker and goodness knows I don't have space to store another small appliance. I thought I'd have to use raw milk and I can't afford that. I thought I didn't know what a starter was. Well, I thought wrong.

The other day I found this post at heartland Renaissance about making yogurt in a crock pot. I was so excited as I read the post I was ready to throw out the stuff I had simmering in my pot and start right away. I did restrain myself and waited until the next day to experiment.

So the next afternoon I poured in my milk and let the crock pot do the work. It's so super easy peasy and the result was yummy yummy yogurt (although my husband would beg to differ, he's partial store bought stuff). I'm so excited that it worked so well. I never want to buy yogurt again!

I ended up with about 48oz of yogurt for the price of a half gallon of milk. This is definitely cheaper than the 32oz that I usually buy and, I would contend, much tastier. Never mind that I have more options with this yogurt. I can strain it and get Greek style yogurt or strain it longer and get yogurt cheese. I've never had yogurt cheese and I want to try that soon. I'm also inspired now to learn how to make kiefer. The girls like to drink the strawberry "yogurt drink" (our pet name for kiefer) that we have now and I feel good that they are getting good nutrients and good bacterias from something they actually like. (Hum, in looking for a link for kiefer I'm seeing that it might be a bit more complicated than I thought so it might still be awhile before I get to that.)

So, I leave you with this, go make yogurt. Try it. You'll like it.

I didn't used to like asparagus

2011-02-22T22:09:00.000-06:00

photo credit

...but now I do. Tonight I tried a recipe I found at Musings of a Housewife and really liked it. I'm adding it to asparagus recipes I like.

If you're not fond of the green stalk either you might try out roasting them as I did tonight or maybe sauteeing them in butter then salting and a squirt of lemon. Also good.

I was thinking that it'd probably be good sauteed in bacon fat. Yum. How can anything that touches bacon not be good.

photo credit

for the mommies

2011-02-15T14:54:00.001-06:00

I happened to catch the radio broadcast of Focus on the Family today and found it really encouraging. I thought I'd pass on the link so that if you didn't happen to hear it you could download it. Their guest was the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa TerKeurst and she was talking about Mommy Stress: Finding Peace in Your Parenting Journey. She made one little statement that I tried to remember to share but I've since forgotten (sleep deprivation will do that to you) so I'll probably listen again. Her book, Am I Messing Up My Kids?, sounds like it would be an interesting read as well.

I think it would also be helpful for the fathers out there (ha, for all those male readers I have) to get a bit of insight into the mommy heart.

How well do you know your 80's PBS Children's programs?

2011-02-10T16:33:00.000-06:00

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Back in the day before PBS Kids there were just some kids shows on PBS. Or at least that's how I remember it. I can still recall some of the tunes and plot lines from the programs that I most enjoyed. These are a few that I remember off the top of my head. Did you watch PBS as a kid? Can you name the shows that go with these quotes?

Name that show...

1) "Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high..."

2) "________ ___, _________ ____ magic and wonder are waiting for you. So come on with us now and discover what's waiting for you, here at ___________ _____"

3) "To conjugate and to solve"(This was from a show about math that had various vignettes)

4) "Won't you be my neighbor?" (Does anyone NOT know this!)

Go ahead, guess, I double dare you! (Ah, Double Dare, I loved that show!)

toad in a hole

2011-02-08T13:16:00.000-06:00

A long time ago in a land far away I was introduced to the toad in a hole. I have no idea why it's called a toad in a hole since, thankfully, no toads are involved. All you need for this kid friendly breakfast (or lunch, or dinner) is bread, butter, eggs and a way to make a hole (cheese and jelly are optional).

I like to use my handy dandy Christmas present griddle that I totally love to make these. I butter it up good then nestle in my slices of holed bread. I've been using cookie cutters but a glass or fingers work just as well. Carefully break the egg into the hole.

When you think the underside is sufficiently cooked flip the bread with egg over. This can prove to be tricky
(or maybe it's just me).

I like to sprinkle some cheese on top (because life without cheese really isn't much fun) and "jelly" the hole. Then it's time for little (or big) hands to enjoy.

My girls are not huge fans of meat so I like to try and get them to eat eggs (eggs are good!) and this is a fun way to do that.

If you like eggs you might like this cook book. Fair warning, it's not politically correct...

Mothering and Serving: Part 3, Closing comments and reading recommendations

2011-02-04T13:01:00.001-06:00

So many wise words were already written by my friends I'm having a hard time thinking of anything else to add to the discussion. My daily prayer for my children is that Christ would draw them to Himself and give them servant's hearts. I think that as mothers it's important to find ways we can demonstrate serving to our children without neglecting our duties at home. Service to our family I think is as important as serving others. It says that the arms of the Proverbs 31 woman were open to the poor and needy (Prov. 31:20) and that she took care of her household. (31:27). She was called blessed because she did both with out neglecting the other (my thought).

As mothers we need to let go of any guilt we may feel (or inadvertently be made to feel) for not being able to be as busy at church as we once were. Mothering small children is a season like no other in life and we need to give it the importance it deserves. It is our job to train up our children (Proverbs 22:6), to instill the Word of God in their hearts (Deut 6: 4-9), and to make our home a haven for our husbands and children and these are important duties.

At the same time we must not turn completely inward and ignore the needs of those around us. As has already been mentioned there are many ways to model service where we can include our children (as we well should). Meals can be made together while talking about who and why you're making it. Letters can be written to missionaries. Notes of encouragement can be sent. Children of others can be cared for. Nursing homes can be visited. Administrative duties for the church can be done at home. Food can be coordinated for special events. Be creative and you will be able to find many a way to serve those around you while involving your children.

We should feel a burden to serve but serving should not become burdensome. If it does become burdensome maybe it's time to take a step back and reevaluate our motivation. Are we serving as an outpouring of the joy of the Lord in our hearts or because we feel obligated or guilted into "doing" something? Is it a heart issue or are is the schedule too full? It's always a good idea to ask God where we can best be used by him.

I guess it wasn't that hard to find words after all. I hope that these posts have been at least a little bit helpful to someone out there. I really would love to hear your comments on the topic. Don't be shy!

If you'd like to continue mulling the subject in your mind you might be interested in these resources:

(These books were recommended by Christy whose comment appeared in the past post)

Family Driven Faith – Voddie Baucham ...he takes an in depth look at the family unit and what our responsibilities are, no sugar-coating!

The Excellent Wife – Martha Peace ...studded with scriptural references about our role as a woman, not something to read in one sitting, but a good book to keep coming back to

Large Family Logistics – Kim Brenneman ...i just recently discovered this and am loving it, she goes through the proverbs 31 woman in detail and talks about how we can be incorporating these aspects into our daily lives. And she is practical – I love that she recognizes that there are good days and bad days and sometimes we get overwhelmed. I often feel guilty for taking breaks, but she encourages those periodically to reconnect with your kids, to take time to pray, to assess your priorities and refocus your energy.

From John Piper at Desiring God: Honoring the Biblical Call of Motherhood

From Jani Ortlund at 9Marks: For the Young Mother: Ministry, Guilt, and Seasons of Life

From the Mars Hill Church blog: The Wife of Noble Character

Part 1: Scripture

Part 2: Wisdom from Moms (mostly)

Mothering and Serving: Part 2, Wisdom from Moms (mostly)

2011-02-02T14:20:00.001-06:00

photo credit

I asked the following question to several mommy friends. Their wise responses were so encouraging it was hard to choose which part of their emails to quote for you. I hope you will also be inspired by what they have to say.

Do you think there is a season for a mother with young children when she should or can step back from serving in the church community to make her home a priority? Is that Biblically supported?

I can't think of one verse that specifically tells mothers to serve in the church, but I can think of many that call us to train/raise our children, look after our household affairs, honor our husbands, do good to our neighbors, etc.... Now I don't think there is anything wrong with continuing with teaching Sunday School, etc... after having children, BUT only if it doesn't interfere with the raising of those children. I would add that now that I've got four little ones and we are homeschooling, anything I do for ministry MUST be something I can do from home or with all my kids in tow (helping out if possible.) Making meals for the sick, writing letters to missionaries, or visiting elderly neighbors are things that come to mind. As mothers we have little souls trusted to our care and that's a much bigger job than most of us realize. (Bekah, mother of 4)

You asked, is there a season in which mother’s should just be mothering – and to this I say, wholeheartedly: ABSOLUTELY! What is your priority as a wife and mother? To help your husband, and to raise God-fearing children. Those should be your first goals – everything else comes second. Your job is to help your husband to be more effective in his ministry, and to be effective together. Your job is to teach your children diligently who the Father is, and what our relationship with him looks like. If you are stretched too thin giving your help and expertise and knowledge to other committees and charities and such, HOW CAN YOU BE EFFECTIVE AT HOME? Now, I’m not saying that you need to say no to everything, in fact, I would suggest staying involved in SOMEthing just for support, encouragement, fellowship... And, take a look at the Proverbs 31 woman: she did all things well at home, and still was able to reach the community, feeding and clothing the poor.(Christy, mother of 3 and one on the way)

I am at a season right now where my kids are my number one ministry. Their souls are eternal and are my eternal treasures...I need to make sure that I am putting their walk with the Lord first. That being said, I have also realized that I am in a season where I cannot take on “large” responsibilities or ministries at church, HOWEVER, I do feel that I’m in a season where I can take on smaller things as I feel that God places in my hands...such as taking a meal to someone in need, taking the preK class once a month during worship, taking food to needy families during Thanksgiving, taking care of the kids so that [my husband] can serve, taking the toddler class occasionally, helping to get ready for a Christmas dinner, going to a nursing home worship service as a family once a month. (Angie, mother of 4)

It can cause deep, contagious joy to have the privilege to serve others with my girls serving beside me, and they learn in action how to serve others with work, time, and love. Serving others can happen outside of home or happen when we invite others in, and while I find that most of my energy and time and thoughts go towards raising my 5 daughters, it does not benefit us, nor is it biblical, to leave out serving others, inside and outside of church. When we serve someone else, we come back together refreshed with a wider, less self-centered perspective, and find more willingness to give or sacrifice from what we've been given. I am finding that the best way my girls will learn how to love others with their actions is to do it myself in front of them on a regular basis, so that it becomes natural and second nature to them. And it can be in simple, small ways, and it can happen with babe in sling and toddler in hand (but not at naptime ). (Heather, mother of 5 beautiful girls)

This last quote is not from a mother of small children but it is from a very wise and special man.

The answer to your question is yes. Unless of course you are a "superlady" and can leap tall buildings in a single bound with two papooses tied to your back and carry the third cherub in your left hand. For instance in Proverbs 31 the superwoman describe there is family focused. It sounds like she is pretty good at real estate and a few sideline business, but it would seem that the role most important is caring for the family. ... the focus is on the home and that can be seen in different references to women in the bible. Once children get older you will have plenty of opportunities to help the church. To try to do both with small children is asking a bit too much and will lead to exhaustion and burn out all around. You have to set the pace. Just learn to say no to the many opportunities that would sweep you away. (Hugh, Prison Chaplain, grandfather to 3 and my wonderful dad)

I would love to hear your comments or answer to the question.

Part 3 (and probably the last) in our series will include some final comments and some helpful article and book recommendations.

Other parts in this series:
Part 1: Scripture

Mothering and Serving: Part 1, Scripture

2011-02-01T10:45:00.001-06:00

photo credit

To start out the series on Mothering and Serving lets look at some of what the Bible has to say on the topics. These are by no means all of the verses about serving, women or mothers but they are some of the more "popular" ones. Feel free to comment sharing other passages that you feel relevant.

On Mothering

Titus 2:3-5 (ESV)
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Provberbs 31: 10-31 (ESV)
10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

On Serving

1 Peter 4: 8-11
8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Galatians 5:13-14
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Just Encouraging

Proverbs 11:25
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.

Other posts in this series:
Part 2: Wisdom from Moms (mostly)
Part 3: Closing comments and reading recommendations

Mothering and Serving

2011-01-29T12:43:00.000-06:00

I'm working on a series of posts about being a mother and serving in and outside of the church. I was inspired by my own current events and this blog post, Finding Fulfillment in Being a Mother Only, at Keeper of the Home. So, hop on over there if you like and stay tuned here (if you like) for some thoughts on Biblical mothering.

Pork, Potato and Green Stuff Skillet

2011-01-26T11:33:00.000-06:00

I had some random ingredients the other day and made this for dinner. I wish I had a nice picture of it for you but alas you'll just have to use your imagination. Here, I found some potatoes and zucchini for you and so this post doesn't seem so lonely and left out.

A bunch of potatoes cut into 1/8ths or somewhat bite sized pieces
1lb ground pork
Chopped onion (one or 1/2 of one, whatever you like)
About 1/2 package of chopped frozen spinach
1 zucchini cut into pieces
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Sage
Feta (the rest of the container or however much you like, or none if you don't like feta)

Boil potatoes until done. Salt and butter them. Lots of butter. The more the merrier.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, while the potatoes are boiling:
Brown the meat and spices with the onion.
Add frozen spinach and cook until not frozen.
Add zucchini.
Simmer until it all looks cooked to your satisfaction.
Add feta cheese and simmer a bit longer.

Serve the meat mixture over the potatoes and enjoy.
(Unless you're my husband who I don't think enjoyed it so maybe it's really not any good but I liked it. Let me know if you try it.)

My first Menu Plan Monday

2011-01-24T10:18:00.000-06:00

This is my first time linking up to Menu Plan Monday and I'm rather excited about it. It just a nice little warm fuzzy to actually have an idea what we'll be eating this week. Hopefully it will help the hours between 4-9 run a little more smoothly around here.

Monday: Chicken - Spinach pie with mashed potato crust

Tuesday: Orzo and chicken (interestingly done for the grown ups) with ranch dressing for the kiddos ( I may or may not make this buttermilk ranch dressing)

Wednesday: Pork Roast with White Beans and Cranberries with something green

Thursday: Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake

Friday: Grilled Tomato, Smoked Turkey and Muenster Sandwich with Bacon and Cabbage Home Fries

I also have these other recipes that I want to try but I'm not sure where to put them in I didn't realize how many potatoes I have till I typed it all out. I got these three from the book Superfoods: For Babies and Children.

Crispy Cheese, Cabbage and Potato Bake
Cheesy Baked Potato with Butternut Squash
Mixed Berry and Peach Crumble

Well now, this has been fun. Hopefully this will help our week run a little more smoothly. Of course this all hinges on tomorrows weather and the ability to get to the store for all the needed ingredients.

I reserve the right to switch days or foods or to just eat eggs all week when I run out of energy due to my non nighttime sleeping infant.

Book link is an Amazon affiliate link.

I want to build this bed!

2011-01-21T15:25:00.000-06:00

I discovered this site awhile back and was just reminded of it by a friend who's cousin is building one of her plans. I'll warn you, you'll get hooked as soon as you see all the things you could potentially build.

We've wanted a daybed type thing for the basement and I now totally want to build this one...

photo courtesy of Kara's Korner

I would definitely be considered a novice although I have sat on the sidelines and watched my husband create multiple projects. I think with a little help I could do it. The only thing holding me back right now are six small arms and not having the space to actually build it. Maybe when Spring rolls into town again I can break out the tools on the deck and whip one of these babies out.

I had mentioned to my friend that we should have a build it party where we all get together and build our projects. Like a craft party on steroids. We can pool our tools, at least one of us should have a good space to work in, one of us can play with the kids (or better yet the dads can play with the kids) and we can build things, lots of things. It would probably be quite therapeutic.

a trip down memory lane

2011-01-20T12:08:00.000-06:00

photo credit fatcatphotobuzz

When I was eight we lived in a smaller town in Western North Carolina and I went to a smallish Christian school in the nearby "big" city. It was a good school, I liked it for the most part. The gym had a rubbery floor and once I got hit in the face with a basketball and it knocked out a lens in my glasses, but I digress. This little school had a bus to take the out of the smaller town kids home. There were three stops, if I remember correctly. Mine was the last and at the Baptist church parking lot where the moms waited to pick us up at the end of the day.

This bus was not new fangled by any means. It was the consistently inconsistent type. The type small Christian schools had back in the day.

This particular day it was snowy and cold when the bus decided to break down somewhere on the side of the road. Remember, these were the days before cell phones so there we were, a bunch of kids and a bus that didn't work.

Remember folks, this was a good 25 years ago in small town southern America, things were way different. Random people stopped to see if they could help. (I told you things were different). The solution, which someone would totally get fired for today, was to divvy us up among the cars of the well meaning folks who stopped and they would take us to our bus stops. I ended up in the back of a soft sided jeep with two other friends. All I really remember from the ride was it being very cold.

I wish I could remember my mother's face when we arrived. I wonder if it was even a big deal.

it wasn't a great evening

2011-01-17T16:23:00.001-06:00

So, last night little miss #2 got hold of the camera and dropped it. Girl has slippery fingers. It happened to be on at the time so the lens was out. The drop was just perfect to cockeye (can I verb that?) the lens so that it could no longer retract. Lovely.

Apparently you can't download your photos when the lens isn't working. So, I was upset. Mr. Dad was upset and Little Miss #2 was upset that we were upset. Even more lovely.

Thankfully after a little finagling, and managing to strip one of those little phillips screwdrivers, the lens popped back to normal. Phew.

I decided to download the photos (including a whole bunch of really cute ones of all three kids, I know, it's an anomaly). Yeah, well, I got all cocky thinking myself download, copy, paste savvy and ended up deleting all but a few (of the less interesting) photos on the now fixed camera. Loveliest of the lovelies.

So, this morning (after the throwing up - but that's a different story) we recreated the photos from yesterday. Not quite as nice but they'll do.

HA! You're totally not going to believe this, or maybe it's me that's not believing it. I just set up the camera to download the retakes and ALL the pictures are there. Well now, that's exciting.

So now you can see the original ...

Yes, I redressed him in the same outfit because it's so stinkin' cute and that was the whole point of the original photo shoot.

tangible goals

2011-01-15T13:06:00.001-06:00

Since my New Year goals were so generic I've decided I want a goal or two to work towards. So much of my life as a stay at home mom is repetitive work (dishes, laundry, diaper changing, referee) I thought it would be nice to have something that I could check off as accomplished . Although I guess you can always improve and learn more at least these goals won't be like the dishes and laundry, done and not, at the same time. So, here goes,

My Tangible Goals

1. Learn to roast a rockin' chicken and take a really good picture of it.

2. Learn about sun skin care for my fairest one of all child.

There, I'm starting out small and will add to my list as things get checked off. Don't worry, I'll be sure to ~~bore~~ engage you with the details of my goal meeting.

Paperback Swap

2011-01-13T19:55:00.001-06:00

If you enjoy reading books you need to learn about Paperback Swap if you haven't already. I stumbled upon the site awhile back via another blog but did not sign up myself until recently. It's nice. You find 10 books you no longer want and list them to trade. They give you a couple of free credits for signing up and whenever someone requests one of your books you get another credit. The credits are good for choosing any book in the system that suits your fancy. You pay for the books you ship, not for the ones shipped to you.

I've found some good books for my homeschooling collection as well as just some fun ones to read. Go ahead, check it out, I know you want to.

Waking to a Winter Wonderland

2011-01-11T08:40:00.001-06:00

I woke to a couple of inches of snow on the ground and more coming down. Now, to some these are mere flurries but it's enough to cancel schools around these parts. That means no ballet for us today. Last year we took ballet on Thursday and it seemed that every Thursday it was either snowing or raining. I guess the weather followed us. I bet Thursday is going to be sunny and lovely. Yup, just saw the forecast, partly sunny.

Yesterday we were leaving a friend's house when the flakes were beginning to fall. We got to see some little six pointer flakes on the back bumper of our car. It seems I must have seen this as a kid but I don't remember being able to see flakes so clearly. When we got home we spent a bit of time outside with magnifying glasses trying to get a better look. It's fun. I also decided that snowflakes are another good reason that I totally need a really cool DSLR camera.

As far as I know I'm the only one out of bed and it's nice. I should do this more often. One of my goals is to be able to wake up before my children wake me up. I'm reserving this goal for when I get to sleep through the night. I think I also need a coffee maker with a timer so that the smell drags me out of bed.

So, today will be a mostly inside day. I should have bought bird seed to make some bird seed crafts. (Which, in case anyone is interested, I saw a five pound bag for less than five dollars at Aldi the other day.)

Well, my time is short. I hear action on the monitor. Here we go day!

New Year Enchiladas

2011-01-06T15:33:00.000-06:00

We rang in the new year with great festivities. I made some enchiladas and we drank wine with some shortbread cookies while we watched a movie. We were looking at something online, I can't remember what now, when I realized that it was midnight so we called Mexico to wish them all a Feliz Ano Nuevo. Then we listened to the gun shots and went to bed. It truly was a sterling evening.

We used to eat enchiladas more every couple of weeks. I'm not sure why I've stopped making them so often because we do like a good enchilada. So without further adiu I share with you our ...

New Year Enchiladas a la Gringa .
(because really, is it possible for a gringa to make truly authentic enchiladas)

Ingredients:*
Flour Tortillas (around these parts Trader Joe's sells the best flour tortillas)
Boiled Chicken, whichever cut you prefer (baked is better but I didn't have the time to bake as the year was soon ending)
Can of green chilies
Whollop** of sour cream
Cheese of your choosing
Salt
Cumin
Enchilada sauce (For these I just used store bought sauce but you could also use this sauce.)

Shred the cooked chicken.
Mix together the rest of the ingredients up to enchilada sauce and set aside.
(These next two steps are important to take your enchiladas up a notch from regular gringa enchiladas)
Heat the tortillas one at a time on a thin pan.
"Fry" them in the sauce. To do this I heated a small amount of the sauce in a frying pan and dredged the heated tortillas in it then placed them all on a plate.
Place a whollop of the chicken mixture on a tortilla and roll up.
Make as many as you have mixture and tortillas for.
If you desire pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top then cover with cheese.
Bake at 350 covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 10 (or there abouts.)

* You will notice I do not include measurements. I don't like to be restrained by numbers. Or maybe I just threw stuff in the bowl as I went. One of those.
**A whollop is considerably larger than a dollop.

Something I found interesting Part V

2011-01-04T17:57:00.000-06:00

Upon opening my yogurt I learned that "The President's Cancer Panel recommends reducing cancer risk by choosing foods produced without pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics and growth hormones." As was suggested I went to Stonyfield.com to learn more. I couldn't actually find that statement on their site but they did have a link to NIH but it was no longer valid. I tried checking out the actual Presidents Cancer Panel site but it would have taken a lot of digging to find where they drew that statement from so I'm just going to trust that the PCP does in fact say that.

What I find interesting is that the FDA states that "No significant difference has been shown and no test can distinguish between milk from rBST treated cows".

It seems that government entities seem to be a bit at odds.

So some of my taxes have shown that I am not harmed in the consumption of hormone laden milk while another part of my taxes have shown it could give me cancer. Oh the conundrum.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T14:39:00.000-06:00

Big Her's depiction of the new year. A lady pregnant with the new year baby.

I had this great word for my three non resolutions for this year and I've totally forgotten it. I resolved to not actually resolve to do anything but instead I picked three areas where I'd like to grow or change from last year.

One: I'd like to not lose my temper as much with my children.
Two: I'd like to love my husband better.
Three: I'd like to worship God.

Without a doubt I need to work on three first then the other two will fall into place.

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree

2010-12-30T23:12:00.000-06:00

How plastic are your branches.

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree,

How plastic are your branches.

Now that the new year's drawing nigh,

It's time for us to say good bye.

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree,

With lovely plastic branches.

nicknames

2010-12-30T13:52:00.000-06:00

Help me think of some blog nicknames for my kiddos. I've thought of giving them colors or spice names or random names. Any ideas?

voice activated blogging

2010-12-29T13:32:00.001-06:00

A while back I heard an advertisement on the radio for voice activated software. You know, the kind where you speak in to a ~~dorky~~ nifty little headset and the computer types your words. I thought that might be kind of nice for blogging. I could just sit or stand or walk and say whatever it is I feel like babbling about and viola, there it is. It would take multitasking to a new level. This was an exciting idea. I could wash dishes and blog, do laundry and blog, walk the dog and blog (oh, wait we don't have a dog and even if we did the cord might not be that long). So anyway, the possibilities could be endless. I might actually get to blog and I might actually get some housework done.

Then I remembered that I have small children. So instead of a nice cohearent blog entry they'd probably all end up something like this:

"I made some cookies today. No honey, I'm talking to the computer. It's a new recipe that I'm trying to invent. In a minute. Like a healthy cookie snack. Later sweetie, we'll have the cookies later. Why don't you finish your game you were playing upstairs. I tried soaking the grains and using honey instead of sugar. Please don't hit your sister. I even added some ground flax seed for good measure. Ok, seriously, can't we all just get along for five minutes. Ug, how do I erase this? No, stop writing. I'm not talking to you I'm talking to the computer! I said don't hit your sister. Well, that time I was talking to you. The computer can't hit. Maybe I should add some wine to the cookies. "

So glad I figured that out. It wouldn't have been too pretty.

Wouldn't it be fun...

2010-11-30T13:28:00.000-06:00

to win something for Christmas. Yeah, I think so too. It's been awhile since I've won anything on a blog. I'm going to be trying over at 5 Minutes for Mom and also on the Simple Living sites.

juxtaposition*

2010-11-23T13:53:00.001-06:00

Today I was driving behind a Lexus SUV with a peace sign bumper sticker, a "one human race" sticker and one like this..

I'd expect it from a Subaru but not usually from a Lexus.

*I'm not sure I've ever used this word in normal conversation. Does a blog count as normal conversation. Probably not. So I still haven't used it in normal conversation but I did blog it. I hope I used it correctly!

Image credit

unseasonal bean planting

2010-11-15T11:51:00.000-06:00

This morning in an attempt to occupy the middle member of the littles I brought out some beans to play with on the table. Soon, after both girls had their little trays of beans the idea of "planting" beans on a plate was brought up. Since I'm always on top of things and had planned this activity out in advance with the intent purpose of teaching a lesson I brought out a book we have about planting beans and watching them grow. (What's that? This was totally spur of the moment? Oh. Anyway.) Before long we were outside "planting" the beans in our little garden bed.

I didn't really take into account what we'll do with the beans now that they're all scattered and buried in the dirt. Maybe we'll have some surprise bean plants next year. Yeah, I doubt it too.

At least they had fun and we learned a little bit about roots and sprouts and mud.

We finished by eating breakfast on the deck. Ravoli, the breakfast of champions. (And a quesadilla for the little miss who later brought it in still uneaten. She didn't leave it outside, "Because the sqr-uls will eat it".)

green enchilada sauce

2010-08-31T21:19:00.003-05:00

In the past weeks I've had the Nourishing Traditions cookbook checked out from the library. I had to return it this Saturday. I wanted to try the green enchilada sauce recipe but I forgot to copy it before returning the book. I had already purchased some of the ingredients and had made the red sauce so had somewhat of an idea how it was supposed to be done. So tonight I tried my hand at it from what I could remember. It turned out pretty good so I'm recording it so I remember it (and you can try it too if you want).

Sara's Green Enchilada Sauce

1 serrano pepper
2 light green longer peppers that I think were labeled sweet peppers but I'm not really sure what they are.
1/2 of a leftover green bell pepper
A bunch of tomatillos (maybe 7 larger ones) cut up
big onion chopped
2 cups chicken broth
cumin
pepper
salt
olive oil

Broil or char the peppers to remove skin. (Better to do this before you begin sauteing the onion)
Remove skin.
Remove seeds and veins of longer light green peppers (since we don't know if they're hot or not) and chop
Remove seeds and veins from serrano if you want it milder and chop
Saute onion in a fair amount of olive oil
Add peppers and saute awhile
Add tomatillos and saute until they begin to break down
Add salt, pepper and cumin. You know, just shake some in there. (I didn't think to do this at this point when I made it but it would make more sense now than later.)
Add 2 cups of broth
Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer while you give your kids a bath.
Puree.
You're done.

I made chilaquiles tonight and have enough left over for some enchiladas maybe tomorrow or the next night.

Buen Provecho

Not Me! Monday

2010-08-23T11:42:00.002-05:00

Monday, lovely Monday. Or not. At least we can choose to laugh at ourselves on this most loved day of the week. More funnies can be found by visiting MckMama's blog...

Being the good mother I am we visit the library pretty regularly. Being the suburb mother that I am we always get movies to watch (because only suburb mothers let their children watch too many movies, anyway). My oldest and youngest and I went to the library Saturday. Being the totally in control mother of my excellently disciplined children I prefer to leave the 2 year old at home asleep (no, not alone silly) when we go to the library. Seeing her just sitting sweetly reading books and hardly making a peep is just too much for other mothers of children who run all over the place to take so to spare them the embarrassment I leave her at home. (cough, cough) Since I was carting my rather heavy baby I just plopped myself down in front of the DVDs in order to pick out our highly educational movie(s). When I sat the thought did not cross my mind that the floor was so cold it actually felt wet. I did not sit there anyway for a few minutes thinking the whole time that my backside actually felt wet and how odd that was. When I finally stood I did not realize that I had in fact sat on a wet not a cold floor. I was not then faced with the task of walking across half of the library with a soaked wet end. I did not just suck it up and go. It was not embarrassing at all.

itty bitty garden bed

2010-07-28T16:42:00.000-05:00

Here's my little garden in the back yard. I've got one huge tomato plant with one slow growing green tomato. Two tomatillos, one jalepeno (I think, maybe it's serrano), one red bell pepper and one cucumber. (Oh, and a plastic ball and potting pot). Totally random. Don't really have much of an idea what I'm doing.

I've harvested two cucumbers so far.

I hope I get to harvest some tomatos. I did start a bit late so I still hold out hope.

Hopefully next year we'll get an earlier start. Not having to give birth just prior to planting season will probably help. I hope.

Now I need to go check on the laundry. I think I forgot to leave the washer open so the shirts could soak. Stink.

veggies n' cheese

2010-07-26T19:57:00.000-05:00

I just didn't invent something. In a completely non-novel manner I just combined the beloved mac n' cheese with veggies and came up with tonight's child dinner. (So, yes that means we don't sit down to a lovely family meal together recounting the day's activities. The children eat. They go to bed. The grown ups eat. Right now that's how it works. Sometimes they eat what we do but honestly, not usually.)

The big her had asked if corn was a real food and if she could have it for supper. I had thought of combining corn, peas and beans with some cheese sprinkled in. As I cooked up the ~~freshly plucked from the garden~~ frozen veggies my subconscious was at work. Earlier today I was reading through the cookbook Nourishing Traditions and saw some cream sauces. I also read this post at Musings of Housewife (see peas in cream). When the veggies were sufficiently not frozen they looked too good to just throw beans and cheese into because really, that doesn't sound all that appetizing does it? That's when I thought ah ha, cheese sauce. So I made up a cheese sauce like I would for mac n' cheese and smothered the peas and corn in it. It's yummy. What with cheese isn't. Heaven is made of cheese.

I'd do it for grown ups too but maybe substitute a stronger cheese than the Mexican blend I used tonight and probably not smother it so much. (Well, if it were for me I'd totally smother it but you know how we like to project the image that we would never actually eat creamy cheesey food when we're with other adults, it's that image thing, oh, you don't do that, anyway.).

I wish I had a picture to entice you with but the batteries are charging and it's not like I'd actually download the pictures right now anyway. They need to steep in the camera for a couple of days at the VERY least before they can be downloaded.

And yes, I just wrote a whole post just about veggies n' cheese

my marriage advice for my brother in law

2010-07-20T13:55:00.000-05:00

My brother in law is getting married this weekend. I sent him an email with my advice for marriage. As I stated to him, I give this advice not because I'm the super wise woman or anything just married and I've read a few books.

1. Never yell at each other. (When I called to cancel a credit card before getting married the guy on the other end of the line gave me this piece of advice.)
2. Learn to fight well.
3. Don't ignore problems. Confront them immediately so that they don't grow.
4. Pray together every day.
5. Listen to your wife when she talks.
6. If you're not interested in what she talks about learn to be interested.
7. Don't interupt when she's talking to say something that is totally off subject or it's obvious that you're not listening.
8. Tell your wife she's beautiful every day for the rest of your life.
9. When you have children they belong to the both of you. Even if she does not work outside of the home does not mean that it lays completely on her to raise them. It is 100% the job of both of you.
10. If your wife does not work outside of the home when you have children she is still your wife and a mother not your maid. Giving birth makes you a mother not a maid.

If you'd prefer to read them as written in Spanish see below. Strangely my wording seems to flow better in Spanish. It's usually the other way around.

1. Nunca griten uno al otro. (eso me dijo uno del banco cuando llame para cancelar mi tarjeta porque me iba a casar).
2. Aprender pelear bien.
3. No ignoran problemas, enfrentenlos inmediato para que no crescan.
4. Orar juntos todos los dias.
6. Escuchar cuando Karla esta hablando.
5. Si no estas interesado en lo que dice aprender estar interesado.
7. No la interrupes para decir algo que no tiene nada que ver porque entonces es obvio que no estas escuchando.
8. Dile a Karla que esta hermosa todos los dias por el resto de tu vida.
9. Cuando tengan hijos son los hijos de los dos. Aunque ella no trabaja fuera de la casa no significa que es el trabajo de ella sola criarlos. Es 100% trabajo de los dos.
10. Si Karla no trabaja fuera de la casa cuando tengan hijos sigue siendo tu esposa y una madre no una siervienta. Dar la luz te hace madre no sirvienta.7

things I didn't know I could do with one hand before having children

2010-07-19T13:54:00.000-05:00

~ vaccuum
~ vaccuum a cluttered basement store room
~ cook eggs
~ crack eggs
~ laundry
~ read a hardcover book
~ grocery shop
~ cook various other meals
~ eat all meals
~ drive (just kidding)
~ type

2010-07-14T14:32:00.002-05:00

"What is it that affectionate parents require of their Children; for all their care, anxiety, and toil on their accounts? Only that they would be wise and virtuous, Benevolent and kind." --Abigail Adams, letter to John Quincy Adams, 1783

It's been awhile since a real post... and I guess it'll be awhile longer.

family verse

2010-06-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

I think this needs to be our family verse:

Romans 15:5
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.

I could use some endurance and encouragement and the girls could use some unity. Today started well with happy children and a happy mama. I'm not sure what happened but it had all gone to pot by 9am. So I reset and sat outside on the first nice morning in quite a few days and read my Bible. (Had to blow some dust off of it unfortunately). The girls are watching Sesame Street. (Didn't have to blow any dust off the TV, unfortunately). We'll see if we can reset the day and do something fun and worth a memory.

almond butter, or not

2010-06-20T15:24:00.001-05:00

I like almonds, they make a good snack. I read somewhere that 14 almonds constitutes a good snack. I probably eat more than that at at time.

A while ago I thought I'd try to whip up some almond butter. It didn't quite work. I just used my food processor but apparently a grinder is needed. Makes sense. It's not like those peanut butter machines in the natural food stores are just food processors. That and my food processor isn't really all that great. I did end up with some nice processed almonds though that worked well for oatmeal and baked goods.

Later I remembered that my parents got me an attachment for my mixer (Kitchen Aid, only the best mixers in the world) that grinds. I'm not sure how it would work on nuts but I'll let you know if I try.

is it bad that

2010-06-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

I often hope that ~~bad~~ idiot drivers get into an accident to teach them a lesson. You know the ones that swerve between cars with just about an inch of space so they can end up at the stop light at the same time as you. Or the ones who are so anxious to change lanes after leaving the on ramp they almost sideswipe you and you have to blow the horn to alert them of their horrid driving then they pass you blowing their horn.

I don't wish them bodily harm or that of anyone else, maybe just a telephone poll or median accident, just enough to put them in their place and make them rethink their cocky driving ways. But not while they're in front of me on the highway because I don't want to be waiting in traffic.

My dad used to call them ding bats or Charlie Browns.

grocery trip

2010-06-07T18:36:00.000-05:00

(yes, I know I said I wasn't going to do any media today, I'm going to have to start tomorrow)

Since we like to eat we went grocery shopping today. If you have one or more children you know this can usually be an interesting experience. We went to the store with the yellow car carts. They're hard to steer but I really like the way they keep my girls occupied, they're also preparing me to be a semi driver one day.

As we were getting out of the car Mr. X was on the verge of waking up. He doesn't really enjoy sitting in his seat while awake. I thought I'd chance it anyway hoping that he'd drift off again with the cart movement and I left the Ergo in the car. We maneuvered around the produce section quite with only some minor fussing. While I was searching for Marsala wine though he'd had enough so I pulled him out of the seat and carried him the rest of the time. I did at one point remember that I have my friends Hotsling in my purse for such occasions. Unfortunately I'm not a pro at it yet and the cereal isle is not a good place for a baby to become accustomed to a baby carrier.

We got through the store fine and were waiting in line, there was a sudden rush so they opened some more check out stations (what are those called?). I recognized one of the checkers and knew that she's friendly so we moved to her isle and were her first customers. She saw me holding Mr. X and said, "Oh let me help you unload the cart, better yet, I'll just unload the cart for you." We didn't have a bagger at our station and I considered helping to bag but then decided not to since I was still carrying Mr. X and was rather trapped by the semi cart in the lane. (Lane, that's what there called isn't it?)

An older couple came in line behind us and after noting the situation the gentleman came around and began bagging my groceries. I thanked him and he said jokingly. "We're the ones behind you who says I'm thinking about you!"

Aside from having to carry a baby around the store it was a superb grocery experience. The girls were so well behaved I bought them apple juice at the Starbucks on the way out (and a Chai Frapp for me). God was good to us today.

of this and that

2010-06-06T17:31:00.000-05:00

I've been making lists for this coming week. I think the list of things to do when we don't have anything to do will come in handy. I foresee many a craft in the coming days. Uh, we already seem to be doing many a craft so many more I guess. We'll need to eat more eggs so we can have more cartons with which to construct random things.
I also made a week and month menu plan. I've never planned out a month before so we'll see how it goes. I haven't made a complete list for shopping yet just for next week that might be as far as we get. If I had my plan here with me I'd share it with you but it's upstairs and that's too much work.
---
I joined Paper Back Swap and have already had 4 of the books I listed requested. I really didn't think anyone would be interested in what I had but I'm happy they were. I'm hoping to get some homeschooling books this way. I already have one, Rosie's Walk, on the way that I'm excited about because it's bilingual.

When I Googled that image I came across this Etsy store, Fun Felt Stories. Looks like we can get a good craft out of this book too. But, if you know me you know we'll be making our own. Not because I'm all crafty like that but because I'm all ~~cheap~~ frugal like that. It's a cute store though so you should check it out.
---
I'm considering doing the 30 Day Shred. Anyone want to join me?
---
I need to go change a diaper so that's that for this and that.

the culprit

media fast

2010-06-04T16:31:00.000-05:00

Next week I'll be on a media fast for a few days. I haven't decided yet if it'll be three or four days. It's going to be interesting. Pray for us. I'm even cutting the tube for the girls. I've become too too too dependant on it to occupy them when I need to get something done. So, yeah, not sure how I'll get things done next week but we'll see.

I'm inspired/challenged to do this by a book I'm reading now by Chip Ingram of Living on the Edge. called, oddly enough, Living on the Edge Becoming a r12 Christian (r12 being Romans 12). It's good. I recommend it. It's sort of a study book that can be used in small groups or alone so the end of each chapter has some application points and one of the chapters points is to do a media fast in hopes of cutting out the messages of the world to aid in the transforming of the mind.

(Can I just mention as a side note that I'm entirely over the semi constant bickering and am not so secretly hoping that somehow the cutting out of TV and video will help in that department.)

Anyway, just wanted to put that out there.

exoskeletons and deeper meaning

2010-05-30T15:40:00.000-05:00

I have wondered in the past if God lets pastors have interesting things happen to them so that they can glean some interesting sermon illustration from the situation. You know, something like, " I was canoing with my family when the sun shone on the lake just so and I could see below the surface as if it were glass. It made me think about how the light of God shines on our hearts to expose what's really inside." Something like that but way more profound and theologically beautiful.

More often than not though it's just some ordinary happening that the pastor pulls some deeper meaning from. Like, "My son hit his sister and it reminded me of total depravity..." (again, put a bit more eloquently). I guess it's really more that he's looking for deeper meaning in the small things of life or maybe what makes a good pastor/teacher is that he is inclined to see more in the ordinary. I'm sure "real" people glean deeper meanings from life's moments we just don't get to hear them because they're not behind a pulpit weekly.

Are you wondering what this has to do with exoskeletons?

I kind of am too.

Ah, yes, now I remember. The ants are beginning to lay their siege on our house so we've been in squishing mode. Those little buggers can be hard to squish. I've stepped on more than one only to have the girls say, "He's still alive!" As I squished the latest one I began to think about how even though they get squished they keep going. I figured you could probably find some great meaning in life relating to squishing ants.

I'm not in need of sermon material though so I just left it at that. Another squished ant.

things that warm my heart

2010-05-24T11:19:00.000-05:00

spontaneous sister hugs (that don't end in fighting).

finding a little plastic Elmo covered in a blanket on the couch.

"I want to snuggle with you." statements

little baby smiles

sweet emails from my sweetheart

"When I get to heaven I'm going to play duck, duck, goose with Jesus"

when big her offers to help little her without prompting

the mispronunciations of little her

ode to a radio*

2010-05-19T18:16:00.000-05:00

I had a little radio that went in and out with me.
We bought it a few years ago on a TJ Maxx shopping spree.
It sat on the window sill above the kitchen sink,
The perfect way to fill my day with grown up voices I did think.

Of my little red companion very fond I did grow,
I listened to NPR and many a family show.
Its three triple A did give it power to be heard by one and all
Until just yesterday into the watery sink it did fall.

Good bye my friend, I will miss you.

*Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's My Shadow

mommy whisperer

2010-05-18T14:54:00.000-05:00

I would like to have a mommy whisperer.

You know someone to whisper in my ear the right words to speak in any given instance. What to say to calm the tantrum, or to stop the sibling rivalry, or to explain what self control is without losing mine, or to remind me to get down on the floor and play because this time is short, or to... the list could go on.

Daily I am reminded I have no clue what I'm doing in this parenting game. The list of all I need to know seems so long and I can hardly get a handle on a tenth of it before someone grows into a new season of life with an entire new list of things to know. I regularly screw things up and need to apologize. Unfortunately, I don't always apologize. My self righteousness gets in the way of being humble in front of my kids. That in itself is screwed up. How in the world do I expect to teach a child to be humble if I myself cannot be. (And you can change out humble for other words like kind, generous, compassionate, self controlled). It would be so handy to have a little whisper in the ear before I ever get myself into a mess to set me in the right direction or for the times when I ignore the whisper to return and apologize in humility.

Oh to have a mommy whisperer.

Ahh, but I do have One. The Holy Spirit longs to be my mommy whisperer I just need to listen. I need to take time to stop daily and seek His face and search the Scriptures then I'll be able to hear the mommy whisperer. I'm sure He's been speaking to me but my ears are so full of myself I haven't been able to hear clearly.

Oh Lord, that you would open my ears to hear so I can be the mommy you made me to be to my precious three.

A Confession

2010-05-17T11:32:00.001-05:00

I am not a germophobe.

I do not always wash my children's hands when we return from somewhere.

I do not sanitize my kitchen floor.

I eat chocolate off the floor (seriously, it's chocolate!)

My toilet seat tops get moldy. (I do at least think it's gross)

Sometimes I pick my nose.

My children play in dirt.

Not Me Monday

2010-05-17T11:11:00.004-05:00

If you thought you saw me walking around Target this week with chocolate on my chin you must be mistaken because that was not me. Or maybe it was me, but I'm sure there wasn't chocolate on my chin because I did not stop at Starbucks to take advantage of the half price Frappuccino happy hour and get a Java Chip Frappuccino.

I wouldn't have planned our afternoon around going to the Target with Starbucks. Since happy hour is only 3-5 I would have had to wake Little Her from her nap in order to get us out the door in time and my motto is "let sleeping babies lie" so I surely woudn't have woken her just for a chocolaty, sugary, cheap coffee drink.

Of course, that didn't happen, so Mr. X wasn't crying in the car on the way to the store. But if he were I wouldn't have stopped at the drive through on the way just to be sure that I wouldn't miss the happy hour by nursing him in the car when we arrived at Target. If I had done all that I certainly would not have forgotten to buy diapers either.

And as a side note, Little Her did not wear the same pajamas for about 72 hours straight.

If you want to read more Not Me Monday foibles check out MckMama.

seventh grade English

2010-05-14T13:51:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about my lack of basic grammar skills (and spelling for that matter) and I stumbled across this memory....

My seventh grade English teacher, Mr. Garis, had the desks in his room set up in two rows of semi circles. (He also had one of the few white boards in the school which was pretty cutting edge at the time). I can't remember if I sat in the first or second row, I'm tempted to think it was the second row but I can't be certain. I sat next to my friend Katie. One day in particular either Katie or I found a diagram of a bird in our brown paper bag covered English text book. No, I don't know why there was a diagram of a bird in our English book. I'm sure if I did I'd be much more adept at the use of semi colons and know what an adverb is. (And I wouldn't end a sentence with "is" or start it with "and", ahem, I digress).

So anyway, the bird's hind quarters were labeled as "bum". This struck both Katie and I as extremely humorous and we began to giggle. (We were pretty mature for our age.) It was that giggle that grips you and the more you try to stop the more you laugh. So, there we sat shoulders shuddering in laughter right in the middle of class. Then it happened. I snorted. Loud.

At then end of class I went up to Mr. Garis and apologized for laughing. I said, "It was really funny." He said, "It must have been." I wonder what he really thought of us.

Extra Credit: One bonus point for each of the grammatical errors you can find in this post.

stoplight sightings

2010-05-07T16:41:00.000-05:00

Sitting at a stop light today as garbage truck passed and I noticed written on the side it said something like "Landfills create 17 million acres for wildlife to live on." * So, go ahead everyone, throw out your trash, it's good for the wildlife.

* I'm not sure of the exact quote but it was something like this. Maybe I'll see one again sometime.

lunch

2010-04-29T15:44:00.003-05:00

where did you say?

2010-04-28T15:49:00.001-05:00

Updated : I emailed Trader Joe's and asked about the corn. It's grown in WA and roasted in Mexico. I guess it doesn't actually say that it's roasted in WA just sounds like it.

We love us some Trader Joes around here. Especially their flour tortillas (and Joe Joe's). They're the closest to the real thing in this town . We enjoy our weekly trips to TJ's quite a bit. We usually get a kid cart to push around and have just recently begun to find the hidden elephant which is rewarded by a treat at the check out. Oh, and the balloons. We LOVE the balloons. We've lost a couple to the skies. It was a travesty.

So, awhile ago. I was cooking up some of the very yummy roasted corn and while I stood around waiting for water to boil I read the package. This is what I found...

I wonder if they pick it in Washington then ship it to Mexico to roast? Or maybe it's picked and roasted in Washington then shipped to be packaged then shipped back? I've been wanting to get in touch with TJ's just to see where the corn is actually from. Mostly just out of curosity because either way it's pretty darn yummy.

Not Me Monday

2010-04-26T10:09:00.000-05:00

I'm guessing if you're here reading this you're already familiar with "not me" Mondays but just in case you aren't click on over to MckMama's blog here or up there on the Not me "button" and you'll be completely filled in.

This is not my first Not Me Monday (I think) I am posting here on my "other" blog. I'm not not sure why "other" needs to be in quotes. (It probably doesn't need to be.)

This morning I did not turn on the heat. It was not 63 degrees in our house and I was not cold. I do not hate being cold enough to turn on the heat in April.

I do not still have dishes on my counter that are not mine from meals people brought us. They have not been there for something like a month. My baby is not old enough for me to have had dishes on my counter for almost a month.

I do not occasionally remind God that I asked for a baby that sleeps easily if I were to have another. (It's not that he doesn't sleep he just seems to wake up a lot and want to eat, a lot. I still wouldn't trade him though.)

We do not have cardboard boxes for window dressing in our basement window. This is not redneck.

The baby is not waking up and the girls are not asking for fruit and cheese. I should not go take care of that....

Happy Monday to All!

Two of 1 and one of the other

2010-04-23T16:25:00.000-05:00

Today we went to play at the mall play place. A good rainy day get the energy out kind of activity. Through out the morning we got various comments such as, "Oh, you got your boy." Or "Finally the boy, huh?"Um, we only have three kids. It's not like we have seven girls and one boy.

It's not like we had the girls but didn't feel complete so we went for a third. If you know our story you know it's so not like that! We were actually quite content with "just" the two girls. We thought our family was fine as it was. It's God who knew we needed a little boy. We weren't "trying" for a boy, in fact we weren't "trying" for anything

I don't know. I just find it odd and slightly annoying that everyone seems to think that now we must be fully complete and happy because we have a boy. We do feel complete and happy and I'm sure we would feel teh same way had we had a third girl. This line of thinking implies that if we had had a girl that we would feel as if something were missing. Would the question then be, "Are you still going to try for a boy?

I saw another mom with a cute little baby girl and we chatted a bit. I noticed she had two older boys so I asked if she had the two boys and a girl thinking that we were a sort of opposite having two girls and a boy (that still seems strange to say). She actually had three older boys and the baby girl. I wish I'd been thinking about this then to see if she gets the same comments. I'm sure she does along with the obligatory, "Oh you have your hands full!" Don't get me started on that one.

patience is a virtue

2010-04-20T16:26:00.000-05:00

This is not in fact the makeover I was referring to but to keep my readership happy I'm giving you something new to look at for the moment. Unless it is going to cause great weaping and gnashing of teeth I'm going to try and bring more traffic to this blog. I'm not sure if there's anyone out there (present readership excluded) who is at all interested in reading my drivel but I guess we'll see. I've considered making the "other" blog private just because it might be prudent on a blog that shares photos of one's children, or in this case, my children.

So, eventually I hope to babble on more over here. You know, after all the laundry is folded, the O's are vaccumed off the floor and the baby is attended to then I'll sit down and write something. So, maybe never

makeover

2010-04-13T14:36:00.002-05:00

be on the look out for a makeover here. not now since i've only got one free hand, you know, newborn and all.

what I need to hear

2010-03-13T10:05:00.000-06:00

I may (or may not) wax not so eloquently about my thoughts on this post here a little later on when my back isn't hurting from sitting here too long and my floors, are vaccuumed, and the swing is up, and, and, and... Anyway, it was good for me to "hear", nice to know I'm not the only one who struggles with being a mom, not that I really thought I was but it's still nice to hear about more who feel the same way. Ok, done for now.

(It's a little long but it's good, well, for me it was good to hear)