Divinely Appointed Superhero

Pay It Forward

2009-06-23T08:44:00.001-07:00

Popping in with a special offer for my blog readers...

Random acts of kindness have turned into little gifts for you. A great opportunity to get something handmade just for you and pay it forward. I would especially like the opportunity to create for people I've never met (but I'll make stuff for the people I love too!!)

The first five (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.

2. What I create will be just for you, with love.

3. It'll be done this year (2009).

4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5. I reserve the right to do something strange.

6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to blog.

7. Send your mailing address - after I contact you.

IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if I do not see you post your own blog to pay this forward.

I've Lost It...

2009-06-20T06:59:00.001-07:00

...the will to blog, that is.

I just haven't done it. It isn't for lack of ideas, or lack of photos, or lack of anything really. It just hasn't been really high on my priority list lately.

I'm sure at some point I will pick it back up again. Until then, you can catch me on facebook.

Kitchen Tip: Washing Grapes

2009-05-26T06:29:00.000-07:00

I've discovered an easy way to wash & measure out grapes for lunch boxes or snacks. My Pampered Chef can strainer is just the thing! It holds just the right amount and I can rinse & drain them easily. It's small too - doesn't take up much room in the drawer. I thought it was just for straining tuna, so I'm glad to have another use for this little tool!

Broccoli Slaw Omelet

2009-05-22T07:37:00.002-07:00

So, I had a Pampered Chef cooking show a couple of weeks ago. We made this yummy recipe, Thai Chicken Stir-Fry served over rice and a salad (for more meal options!) It was the perfect recipe for me. Most of the PC recipes call for boxed mixes and prefab foods. This one was all fresh whole foods. Perfect!

One of the ingredients that I bought was broccoli slaw. It's a prepackaged salad mix (which is technically prefab, but still a whole real food). I had never heard of it before. But it was on the list, so I bought it.

After the party, there was half a bag of broccoli slaw left. Upon further discovery, I realized that broccoli slaw is just shredded broccoli stems with a few shredded carrots thrown in for color. Well, now that I know that I can totally make my own this summer when the broccoli is garden fresh. But I digress...

I had to figure out a way to use up the leftovers. I've been eating eggs for breakfast a lot lately. One morning as I opened the refrigerator to grab an egg, I saw the broccoli slaw and was hit with inspiration. Of course! A broccoli slaw omelet!!

(Now, technically, it is actually more of a scramble than an omelet, but it's my recipe, so I'm calling it an omelet anyway.)

First, melt some REAL butter in a hot skillet. Then throw in a handful of broccoli slaw. Cook until the broccoli slaw is crisp-tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Break your egg (or eggs) into the pan and stir them up real quick to scramble. (I used 3 "banty" eggs from Tanna - they are half the size of normal eggs and have very yellow yolks an account of the chickens being free-range and grass fed.)

When the eggs are mostly set, flip over and cook until done.

Finally, butter up a slice of homemade bread and pan-fry it while the pan is still hot. Sprinkle the eggs with a little seasoned salt and enjoy!

Pampered Chef has landed!

2009-05-21T06:22:00.002-07:00

I love me some new kitchen toys... I mean tools.

This is what I got for hosting my cooking show. Pampered Chef is really good to their hostesses. The boxes landed yesterday. I got my guests' orders sorted & packed before dinner. I told myself I couldn't sort through my goodies until all the kitchen work was done for the day. Nothing like incentive to get the job done!

I'm very pleased with everything I got. I'm using my new stone baker to roast a chicken for dinner. I can't wait!

The T-shirt Dress

2009-05-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

I love a little girl in a dress.

One of the things I had to come to terms with when Jade was smaller was her lack of girlishness. She hated wearing dresses. It just wasn't in her programming. When I had Ruby and then Hosanna, I immediately began dressing them in pink, ruffles, and all manner of girly things. Then I waited to see if it would stick.

It did.

Ruby loves dressing up, and even Hosanna now enjoys wearing pretty dresses.

And I love that my little girls look like little girls. Even covered in dirt, there's no denying the girly-ness of a little girl in a pretty dress.

As spring approached, I began to evaluate the girl's clothing needs. Hosanna needed some summer clothes because I had nothing left in storage after last summer's clean out. And that was okay with me because it gave me an excuse to make her some cute little dresses.

I got some shirts on clearance at Walmart, and one brand new (with tags still on) at a rummage sale. I have tons of fabric in my stash, so I just went out to the bins and dug around until I found something that matched. Here is the finished results. Each dress took about 30 minutes to put together.

The one on the left is for Hosanna, and the one on the right is for her cousin, Abby.

These are made from the same yard of fabric that I got on the clearance table at Hancock fabrics a few years ago. It matched both t-shirts so well! But since one has the teacup border, you can't really tell. And she's not going to be wearing them both at the same time anyway.These will fit her all summer, though the skirts may be a bit shorter by fall than they are now. Each dress cost less than $5. And they are much cuter and more modest than the summer dresses I've seen for sale lately. I may make a few for Ruby too.

I love a little girl in a dress.

Garden '09: First Sprouts

2009-05-20T06:56:00.002-07:00

I planted my first seeds of the year on April 30. I started with nice, cold-hardy crops: spinach & sugar snap peas. It's a good thing I didn't plant anything else... we've had a number of frosty nights since then.

The spinach was up first, on May 8. It looked at first like little green hairs coming up through the wood chips.

Next came the peas. They took a bit longer. I spotted the first sprout on May 11.The peas are big enough now that I need to get them a trellis. I noticed the first little tendrils yesterday. I bought some bamboo u-hoops at Menards that I am going to use to build a pea fence. That is my project for today.

Hey, It's Me

2009-05-19T16:19:00.002-07:00

Well, howdy! It's been like 2 weeks, so I figured it was time to get back to my blog. I have all these ideas running around in my head just waiting for time to sit down and do something with them. I'm working on a few posts about my garden, cooking, sewing, and parenting. For now, some cute shots of the kiddos!

Well, just of the two little ones. (Why is it the little ones get all the camera time, huh?)

Ruby & Hosanna got some new kitchen tools during Rummage-O-Rama a few weekends ago. They have quite the collection now. Ruby is always cooking up something interesting, and teaching little sister too.

I tried to put Hosanna's hair in pigtails. It kinda worked. Of course, she's had a haircut since then as we continue to "blend in" Ruby's handiwork.

Check out the peepers on that kid! Wow!

Again & Still, Plus Other News

2009-05-05T07:45:00.003-07:00

I thought I should pop on and let everyone know what's up.

Last week Ruby & I came down with strep throat AGAIN. That made 4x for me and 3x for Ruby. The wise nurse practitioner we had seen each time finally brought in the rest of the family for testing. As it turns out, Teagan & Kordell were carrying it without symptoms. So, we didn't have it again, we STILL had it, as in, it never went away. They put the whole family on antibiotics and we are getting retested next week. Hopefully it is gone for good.

We are STILL working on the new garden. We brought home a load of black dirt from the in-laws yesterday, so we are getting closer. I planted spinach & snap peas in the other garden. No sprouts yet, but hopefully by the weekend there will be signs of life.

My camera cable is STILL missing, so that's why there have been no photos lately. I found one that might work at a rummage sale, but I have not had time to try it out yet.

Kordell went to an art class last week and learned some awesome techniques for improving his drawings. I'm hoping the desire to continue improving will get him interested in learning (in general) again.

Jade went to her first sleepover party last weekend. The mom of one of her friends just happens to be Jade's former speech therapist, and she wanted Jade to come to her daughter's birthday party so badly that she organized the whole thing, food and all, to accommodate Jade. So Jade got to be normal for once. How awesome is that!

Ruby is pushing every button there is to be pushed. She is wearing us out.

Hosanna is very glad that it is spring and she can play outside again. Daddy's tractor is her favorite thing right now.

Teagan has too many projects going. Radios, antennas and gardening... oh my!

I am hosting a Pampered Chef party on Friday so this week is all about finding my house again. I spent all weekend rummaging and ignoring the housework, so it's time to buckle down and whip this place into shape!

Coming Home

2009-04-24T16:54:00.003-07:00

I had a great day today. I got to hang out with one of my best friends and work on a sewing project. The project went well, and we had a great time. Then I got to make a couple of t-shirt dresses for Hosanna & her cousin. And they went well too. It all came together, my machine behaved, it was all good.

Sitting at my sewing machine felt like coming home after a long absence. I haven't done much sewing since Christmas and it felt great to sew again. Putting fabric to machine is such a relaxing activity. I need to do it more often.

Homemade Mayonnaise: FAIL

2009-04-22T10:54:00.003-07:00

Just so you all don't think everything I touch in the kitchen turns to gold (so to speak), I wanted to share today's disaster.

I was trying to make bacon mayonnaise because well, I like bacon and I like mayo and the two combined sounded mighty tasty. (Read the recipe. It will make the rest of this post make sense.) I had bacon grease left from making baked beans on Monday that I had saved for just this purpose. I got out my blender and set to work.

Problem 1: When I started the blender, the egg & stuff that was in there splashed immediately up onto the sides, making it impossible to see what was actually going on in there (other than splashing).

Problem 2: I wasn't watching the clock. Since I couldn't see whether of not my egg and little bit of bacon grease was emulsifying, I just sort of guessed that it had been about 2 minutes, and started pouring in the rest of the bacon grease.

Problem 3: It hadn't emulsified yet. So adding the rest of the bacon grease just assured my doom. It will not now emulsify and turn into mayo.

I tried another method. I put the mess into a wide mouth jar and tried this method with my stick blender. My hand was numb by the time I gave up. It will not emulsify. So no bacon mayo for me.

Bacon Mayo: FAIL

I Could Be a Vegetarian

2009-04-22T06:53:00.002-07:00

For the record, I am not a vegetarian. I never have been. I never will be. I like cheeseburgers too much.

But there are days that I contemplate becoming a vegetarian and making my whole family suffer with my veggie ways.

Like yesterday.

I was ill-possessed of mind or something, and I decided to cook a whole chicken. I don't know what I was thinking. I don't like cooking meat at all, really. Not because of any misguided love of animals or anything, I just think it's kind of icky. The cooking part. Not the eating part. Because I love a good roast any day of the week.

So here I am, with a whole chicken. I took it out of the freezer Monday, with intent to cook it Tuesday. Tuesday morning comes along, I pull out my chicken, and it was pretty firm for a thawed chicken. I guess I should have gotten it out on Sunday. It was still awfully frosty. I knew I had to take the giblets out of the middle, but which end were they on??? The whole thing was frozen shut anyhow.

Henny Penny took a warm bath while I made a few calls to try and determine a course of action. 2 mothers later, I had enough information to continue. Lots of prying, wiggling, dunking in water, wretching noises, and hand-washing ensued and I finally got the bird in the cooker.

The good news is... we had delicious juicy chicken for dinner. My carnivores were happy. I was happy. The bad news... I'm too frugal to pitch what's left, so I have to spend today picking the carcass and making chicken stock.

I could be a vegetarian. I really could.

Fingers in the Dirt

2009-04-15T12:53:00.003-07:00

IT'S FINALLY SPRING!!!

(Can you tell I'm excited? Because I really really am!)

Spring has finally sprung here in the great white north of Wisconsin. The snow is melted and gone and little green things are finding their way through the dirt. And my fingers are finding their way into the dirt!

I spent yesterday raking out the flower beds in front of the house and raking along the edge of the fence. Ruby helped me load up the leaves in the wagon and take them to the compost pile. Then I started raking around the edge of the rock garden. But I couldn't finish that because the pile of wood chips we took to the garden last year was still spilling out into the yard. They had never gotten raked into the garden like we wanted. So Teagan raked them out over the garden. A few of the rocks on one side had gotten moved last year (to dump out the wood chips) and never got put back in place. Well, we started moving rocks, and pretty soon we had almost doubled the size of our little garden! It's amazing, but when we rearranged the rocks, we had enough for a much bigger circle! We raked up the piles of leaves from last year's raking (which were mostly decomposed) and put that in the new garden area. Then we spread out the wood chips over that. We will add some more something to the new area of the garden, but we've got a good start so far!

Today I went out to re-consider some lilies that grew around the edge of the garden. They were beautiful, sure, but I got tired of pulling lilies out of the eggplants. I dug up all I could, about 40 little lily shoots, plus as much of the root system as I could get. Those things are tenacious! We worked up a little dirt on the edge of the woods and threw them in there. I didn't go through a lot of trouble for them. From what I've heard they will grow anywhere. I lightly spread dirt over them and threw leaves on top. If they grow great, if not, oh well.

All in all, I am growing to love my yard & garden. I love going out there and digging around in the dirt. It's very satisfying.

We Be Jammin'

2009-04-14T06:33:00.002-07:00

Remember the strawberries I got last week? They became jam yesterday!

5 pints, and 4 half-pints, plus a bit more

In my quest to improve the nutrition of the food we eat, I chose not to use white sugar to make my jam. I used raw honey instead. I had tried to make peach jam with honey last fall, but it never jelled. I wanted to try again.

Tanna gave me some Pomona's Pectin that she had bought but never used. Pomona's is a different kind of pectin which can be used with low-sugar, no-sugar, honey, any sweetener or none at all! It's a great product for those of us who want to ditch the white sugar. This was my first time using it, and I was very pleased with my results! All of the jam jelled perfectly as it cooled.

Another great thing about Pomona's pectin over traditional pectins... you can double or triple the batch! I used 12 cups of mashed berries and 2 1/2 cups of honey to make my jam. And I did it all at one time.

It tastes wonderful on hot pancakes!

So, how does it taste? In a word: Fresh! Instead of being overly sweet, it tastes like fresh delicious strawberries. We ate it on our pancakes this morning and it was delicious! Without all that sugar, you could actually taste the pancakes, the butter, and the strawberries. The flavors swirled around each other, doing a little dance on my taste buds. Mmmm...

Bottom line: I will be using Pomona's again. It worked great. I plan on making more jam this year with honey or other alternative sweeteners. I have some Bing cherries in the freezer that would be delightful and Teagan has requested that I try raspberry jam this summer. We'll be jammin' again soon!

Our Easter

2009-04-13T11:31:00.003-07:00

Happy Easter! He is Risen!

I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the Resurrection with your families. We were able to attend church on Sunday - everyone was mostly healthy- and then we spent the rest of the day with Teagan's parents & brothers and their families. It was a very nice day.

Here are a few pictures from the day...

All dressed up for church

My poor children had to pose for pictures outside in 32 degree temps with no coats and the early morning sun blazing into their eyeballs. Because I'm mean like that.

This is my favorite. The 3 older kids were all looking down at Hosanna telling her to stand still and look at Mommy...

While we were at Noni's, Hosanna got her first real haircut. Mostly to attempt to blend in Ruby's haircutting job. It kinda worked.

Would you believe I forgot to save a lock of her hair?? What kind of mom am I anyway?? Oh yeah, the busy distracted kind...

And in case you're wondering what happened to Hosanna's nose...

She fought the sidewalk. And the sidewalk won.

My Presentation

2009-04-08T13:52:00.003-07:00

I didn't talk much about it here, or anywhere really, but I gave a presentation yesterday. It was kind of a big deal. To me anyway.

Our parent's support group asked me to give a presentation on Jade's diet. We invited people from all over the area. I baked and bought food and researched. I'm a little obsessed with food (if you haven't noticed) so it was pretty fun for me.

Last night was the night. We had 17 people in attendance, not including me. 3 parents of kids with autism, and 14 therapists and staff from local schools. I talked for a little over an hour, covering the basics of how the diet works and talking a whole lot about food.

I baked peanut butter cookies, spice cake (with sprinkles!), strawberry-banana muffins, and brownies! I made a lot. There were leftovers....

Jade spent the whole weekend eyeing up my tote full of treats. I promised her that on Wednesday she could eat her treats. She's been snacking all day. Breakfast, lunch, and 2 snacks worth of treats so far....

I think I may have gotten a bit carried away with the food part of it. But I really wanted to give people a feel for what the diet is really about. Going into the natural foods aisle for the first time is daunting, and I wanted people to be armed with information. I also sent everyone home with a list of resources and some recipes.

It went very well. I was a little nervous going in, but this really is a topic I know well. Once I got going, it was all good. Those in attendance said they learned a lot, and I was able to encourage one mom to keep trying... the rewards are worth it. My whole intention was to inform and encourage, so mission accomplished.

Strep & Strawberries

2009-04-07T10:41:00.002-07:00

Yesterday was interesting. I woke up with a familiar feeling...

A visit to the doctor confirmed my suspicions. I have strep throat again! For the third time this year! And Ruby has it too, for the second time. What in the world?! Craziness.

On our way home from the doctor, we picked up 16 lbs. of fresh strawberries. My fruit co-op friend called Sunday night with a great deal on berries. I didn't know I would have strep throat the next day, so I ordered 2 flats! They were really gorgeous, and a really super deal. But they needed to be done up right away. If I were to wait until after my presentation and do them on Wednesday, I would have had a lot more go south. As it was, I only had about 4 berries that I couldn't use.

Look at those beautiful berries!

I ended up just capping them and running them through the food processor. I put half of them in a big bowl in the refrigerator. They will become jam on Wednesday. The rest I measured in 1 cup increments and put in baggies to freeze. The plastic boxes that the berries came in worked perfectly to hold the baggies of puree. These will be perfect for smoothies, strawberry bread & muffins, and who knows what else!

I was super-duper excited about the strawberries, because I just last week used up the last of my berries from last year. I was expecting to wait until the end of June for good fresh strawberries, but the Lord blessed us with these right after we had run out. What a good God!

Popcorn for Breakfast

2009-04-03T06:33:00.003-07:00

The kids & I had a new taste sensation for breakfast today.

Popcorn Cereal.

I popped up some popcorn, put it into bowls and poured milk on it, just like cereal. We topped it off with sucanat & cinnamon. It was SO tasty!! It tasted like Corn Pops, but not quite as sweet. I wonder if that's how Corn Pops started? Hmmm...

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised with how good this was. Cheap & easy. And more nutritious than any box of cereal (especially Corn Pops).

Look Closely...

2009-04-01T05:56:00.001-07:00

Something's different about Hosanna. I didn't notice at first. Look closely...

If you click on these you can get a closer look...

The second picture is pretty telling...

See that bare patch in the middle?

Unbeknowst to me, Hosanna got her first haircut. Courtesy of Ruby. And I didn't notice until the next day.

We met Noni in town and went to lunch. As we were waiting for our food, Noni looks at Hosanna and says, "She looks different. Did you cut her hair?" No, I say, it just looks different because it's laying down. After her bath last night it hasn't been sticking up anymore. No, she insists, the hair is shorter on top. I look again. Sure enough.

Suddenly, I have a flashback to Monday afternoon. I had picked up a pair of scissors from the kitchen table and put them in my pocket. I didn't know where they had come from. I figured Ruby got them out of Kordell's room.

I turn to look at Ruby. Ruby, I say, did you cut Hosanna's hair? Ah, the mischievous smile told all. She did indeed cut Hosanna's hair. Thankfully, she didn't cut it quite to the scalp. It's still a whole half inch long. Noni said to just leave it and we'll gradually blend it in as she gets haircuts.

No more fountains for awhile. I'm sure glad I took pictures of it while I had the chance.

Ruby's Angeled Eggs

2009-03-31T17:51:00.002-07:00

Ruby did such a good job helping make the "angeled" eggs yesterday that I wanted to share a picture! She was so proud of herself. She peeled the eggs, mixed the filling, and filled the eggs. Mama put on the "sprinkles".

What a big helper! I think I'm working myself out of a job. At least I hope I am...

PS... If you look really closely at her left hand, you can see the scar from her bagel-cutting incident a few weeks ago. It's looking pretty good now.

Suzy Homemaker Hard at Work

2009-03-30T14:19:00.003-07:00

We're all finally feeling better, so it's back to the normal routine around here.

Having been sick myself or taking care of sick little ones for the last two weeks, I haven't done much more than the bare minimum required to keep us all from starving. But today I plowed into my kitchen with renewed vigor!

For breakfast, I made strawberry bread with chilled strawberry soup. (Because yesterday I was looking longingly through my Simply in Season cookbook longing for spring vegetables and decided to splurge and use my last bag of strawberries from the freezer to make something springy!) I also made spaghetti for Jade to take in her lunch.

For lunch, Ruby & I whipped up some "angeled" eggs and served them with cheese and leftover strawberry bread from breakfast. (Because while I was surfing the internet this morning, reading about Laura's Angeled Eggs, Ruby came in and said they looked yummy and we should make some, so we did!)

After lunch, I decided to make bread. We'd been out for a few days. I'm not sure what I changed or what I'm doing wrong, but the last few rounds of bread-making have been a bit dangerous! During the kneading (which my mixer does for me) big hunks of dough are coming to life and flying out of the mixer and across the kitchen!! It's a little scary! Plus, my dough consistency just hasn't been right the last 3 times or so. Hmmm. I'm still learning all the science of bread making. I'll keep tinkering with it. Anyway, I made 3 loaves of bread and a pan of cinnamon rolls.

While I was making the bread, a pot of black beans simmered on the stove. I cooked up 2 pounds of beans with intentions of freezing them for future use. From the 2 pounds, I got 6 cans worth of beans (6 2-cup portions) and 3 cups of bean broth. So easy... the beans don't need much babysitting. The hardest part was bagging them up for the freezer.

On the menu tonight... Black beans & rice, of course!

11 years ago...

2009-03-26T06:18:00.002-07:00

Who are those kids!? Man, we're getting old...

Eleven years ago today, I married my sweetheart. We were just babies, at 18 & 19 years old, having no idea what lay ahead. "For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health" - though we mostly assumed that meant richer and in health. Because the world is full of optimism when you are young and in love.

The last 11 years have held a lot of excitement. We have moved 6 times. We've welcomed 4 children into the world and let one go on to heaven. Gone through 2 surgeries, and more doctor visits than I can count. Endured disability and bankruptcy. Yet the Lord has always provided for us. He has kept us close to each other and close to Him through all of it.

I love Teagan more now than the day we married. I have seen him grow into a mighty man of God, an amazing Daddy and a wonderful husband. I can't wait to see what the next 11 years hold.

Quiet, but not in a Good Way

2009-03-25T07:10:00.002-07:00

Well, we never did get to go out on Saturday night. Kordell took a turn for the worse, as did a few other children, and we called it off. The night wasn't a total loss though. We tucked the kiddos in early and watched a DVD at home. All the entertainment, none of the driving.

Over the next couple of days, it was one sick kid after another. One would get better while another got worse, and they just went round and round. I was sick again on Monday. Thankfully, it was short lived. Yesterday we finally decided to take Ruby & Hosanna in to the doctor. They both have this junky sounding cough and a fever that won't let up. Ruby's strep test was negative, and she has no bacterial infections, just a nasty virus. Hosanna has another ear infection, and likely the same virus as Ruby - a double whammy. Teagan & I have been up with them two nights in a row.

On the positive side, sick children are quiet children. It has been a nice reprieve for a couple days. We've spent a lot of time snuggling and reading books. It's been nice. But I am ready for everyone to be healthy again. We've had our fair share of this germy stuff and I'd rather have healthy kids than quiet ones.

His Compassions Never Fail

2009-03-21T11:00:00.002-07:00

Sometimes God is just sweet to us. (If you're in my Bible study, I totally stole that line from Beth, but it's so good!)

It's true! I know, cerebrally, that God is good and faithful and mighty and all that, but sometimes He's just sweet to me. He knows that's what I need Him to be sometimes. I might be able to ignore or take for granted His goodness, but His sweetness just touches me and lifts my face up to His.

A few days ago, I was really mad at God. Really mad. Like whiny kid whose plans got spoiled mad. Pouting and whining and I told Him so. God, this is not fair. What kind of cruel joke is it to perfectly arrange 2 date nights in a row (which are desperately needed) and then have the kids & I get sick?? I am so mad! This stinks! Part of me wondered if it was even okay to be mad at God. But I figured telling Him I was mad was better than just stewing in it.

Over the next day and a half, the Lord just poured out sweetness on me. He used Ruby and our family memory verse to soothe my aching heart. Just try to stay mad at God with your 3 year old telling you this at each meal (and in between):

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
- Lamentations 3:21-23

I finally accepted the fact that we just weren't going to get to go on our dates. But, can you guess what happened? Yesterday morning, we got up and Jade wasn't coughing. Hosanna wasn't throwing up. I was feeling better. We were able to take the older kids to our friend's house and go to the concert last night, like we'd planned! And today, things are okay. Kordell was a little under the weather, but already feeling better this afternoon. We might just get to go out again.

And not only did we get to go last night, but we were really blessed by the concert. Andrew Peterson's music and storytelling just have a way of getting right into your heart and touching those hurt places with the soothing balm of Jesus. I wanted to share with you a song that really touched my heart last night, courtesy of youtube.

Thank you Lord for being so sweet to me! I pray that all of you reading this will be blessed by the sweetness of our faithful, compassionate God this week.

Sick Again

2009-03-19T13:20:00.002-07:00

AGAIN!

We all took turns a few weeks ago, and Teagan was the last one still fighting it. Not anymore! I came down with strep throat yesterday (again!), Jade has been coughing non-stop, and Hosanna has a tummy bug of some kind.

The worst part...

Teagan & I were going to go out on a date not one night, but 2 nights in a row! The babysitters all fell into place and we were so excited. But unless we have a miraculous touch from God overnight tonight, we aren't going anywhere.

I'm so bummed.

It's Almost Spring!

2009-03-18T08:35:00.002-07:00

Spring is so close I can almost taste it.

We've had gorgeous weather here the last few days. Well, for March in Wisconsin anyway. All you southern people, I don't want to hear about how it's 75 and sunny!! It's been 50-60 here and sunny and the snow is melting away! There's grass in my yard! Brown grass, but grass nonetheless.

I'm so excited!!!

The little Green Project: Cheesy Broccoli Penne

2009-03-14T06:35:00.002-07:00

For today's installment of The little Green Project, I wanted to share a recipe.

Lately I've had a hankering for macaroni & cheese. I used to love that blue box stuff, but the more I know about food, the more unappetizing it is. I started making my own macaroni & cheese, using real, good for you ingredients. Yesterday I decided to take it up a notch and add a green vegetable. So "Cheesy Broccoli Penne" was born.

Cheesy Broccoli Penne

8 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
1/4 cup or so chopped onion
1 T. butter
1 T. flour (soft white wheat works well)
sprinkle of pepper
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 cups frozen broccoli, thawed or fresh broccoli, steamed

Cook the penne in a large pot. While it is cooking, in a 2 qt. saucepan, saute the onion in the butter. Add flour & pepper. Mix well. Add milk all at once. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add broccoli and cook, stirring often, until broccoli is warmed. By this time, the penne should be all cooked & drained. Add the broccoli cheese sauce to the penne in the larger pot. Stir to combine. Serves 4.

I was actually surprised at how fast this was to put together. It didn't take much longer than boxed mac & cheese and it is so much better for you!

For more green ideas, check out Heavenly Homemakers little Green Project!

Good Clean Fun

2009-03-11T05:36:00.001-07:00

Hosanna got to take a bath in the sink a few weeks ago. Every kid has to have a sink bath at least one time in their life, right? Well, she loved it. It was super cute and she had a blast. (Sorry no pics of the actual bath.)

Well, Little Miss I-Can-Climb-on-Anything decided she wanted to do that again. Upon hearing strange noises from the kitchen, I walked out of the office to see this:

Cute! But naughty!! Now we can't keep her out of the sink!! Every time I turn my back she is trying to get in there. She's going to keep me on my toes, that's for sure.

Bad Mom Award

2009-03-10T12:59:00.002-07:00

I get the Bad Mom Award for today.

It's just been a bad day all around.

I was awakened by my husband saying, "I'm sorry I let you oversleep and Jade is wet." Which means the whole bed is wet. And all her clothes that she had picked out the night before to wear today. And she was even more unhappy about it than I was. After a harrowing 40 minutes, we got her safely on the bus. Whew.

Teagan left to go to a friend's house for coffee like he does every Tuesday. I was in the office catching up with Facebook and my blog reader, printing out Kordell's school work for the morning, and shopping for the best price for coconut flour. Ruby came into the office crying and holding her hand... which was bleeding.

She had tried to cut a bagel with the big (sharp) bread knife. It had slipped and sunk deep into the top of her left hand. I applied pressure and called Teagan. He came blazing home to rescue us. He bandaged it the best he could, but we decided that she really should go get it looked at. I was really thinking she needed stitches. I called Noni and she headed right over.

At that point, I started to feel a little woozy. I tried to relax, take some deep breaths, but it wasn't working. I said, "I think I'm going to faint". And sure enough, I did! Let me just say that the only superhero in this house today is Teagan. He did a great job getting Ruby finished up and out of the way so he could take care of me. I don't know how long I was out, but I had no idea what was going on, and I felt really terrible for a long time after I came to. Noni arrived, and Teagan left with Ruby, and I was too out of it to go with them.

As it turns out, she didn't need stitches. But the doctor said it was close. She almost cut her tendon. And if Teagan hadn't bandaged it as well as he had to start with, she would have needed stitches. Praise the Lord! She has to wear a splint to keep her pointer finger straight so the top of the hand will heal properly. But otherwise, she is okay.

I am also okay. I didn't break my glasses or bang my head or otherwise hurt myself when I fainted. And that is good. However, I feel like a really bad mom. I should have been in the kitchen instead of the office. It's a laptop, for pete's sake, I didn't have to be in the office. I'm in the kitchen now and they are still getting into trouble! That's kids for you though. I will be more conscious of things in the future.

Shoes of Doom

2009-03-10T06:16:00.001-07:00

I got Hosanna some new shoes. What a meanie I am.

Up until this point, she has only worn soft shoes - more like slippers than shoes really. They are better for babies learning to walk because the soft leather bottoms don't interfere with proper technique. Or something like that. Soft shoes=better. BUT... she is an accomplished walker now and it is time for shoes. Spring is coming and she will need shoes to walk outside.

A group of friends online got together and ordered squeaky shoes. We got them at wholesale since there were so many of us. The shoes ended up being ridiculously cheap. So I got 5 pairs in different sizes for her to grow into. I was so excited!! They arrived and I put a pair on her right away.

She was absolutely horrified!! She cried and cried and cried some more. She refused to walk in them! She just stood there like a statue (a crying, screaming statue). We thought maybe she was afraid of them because they squeak when she walks. But we discovered it wasn't the squeak she was afraid of, it was the shoes themselves. She is such a sensitive little bug. She just didn't like the feel of real shoes.

Well, I feel sorry for her in a way, but she must learn to wear shoes. So we had some shoe training. It was kind of humorous, though I felt kind of bad for laughing at her. She would just stand there and cry every time we put them on her. I did figure out though, that the shoes made a great baby-sitter. After all, you can't get in trouble standing in one place.

As I tried to make dinner one day, I stuck her in her shoes and stood her out on the back porch. It was nice outside, and Teagan & the older kids were out there. She just stood there while I cooked. She didn't even cry because she was so busy watching the other kids.

See how cute the shoes are? Scary, huh.

We kept putting them on her. Eventually she would have to get used to them. And sure enough, she did. The night of the science fair I put them on her. I thought how handy it would be to have her stand in one place and not run around. But when she saw all the other little munchkins running around, she overcame her fear of shoes and ran with them. And she has been cool with them ever since.

Pics You Missed

2009-03-09T05:52:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is another update of what you missed while I was gone. This time, it's in pictures!

Kordell was in the science fair! Our homeschool group has a science fair every year, but this was his first time participating. His project was on Ham Radio. He made a diagram of how ham radio works. We also brought along some radios. Teagan wired up an antenna on the bottom of the table so we could listen to Morse code signals. It was cool! Kordell did a wonderful job explaining his project to everyone.

I rediscovered the library. It's been there the whole time, but I just haven't taken the time to go. Even when we went to the library, it was to the children's section. But this time I made sure to allow time to explore Non-fiction. I found all kinds of good books. There's no way I'll be able to read all of these in the 3 weeks I have them, but I have enjoyed skimming them, and have even knit a project from one! While we were there Kordell got his own library card. He was very excited! The stack above is just what I got. He had his own big stack! Man, I love the library.

Jade got a new shirt! Thank you Noni! She loves it!

She also rediscovered her love for creating power poles and sticking them in the binding of books and perching them all over my countertops and walking back and forth all day straightening them. *sigh* Look how happy she is. Unfortunately, she gets very mad and throws a big fit when they get bumped, knocked over, or moved so I can cook. I hope this phase is short lived.

And lastly, Hosanna got her first fountain! Oh the cuteness!! I can hardly stand it!

Missed Excitement

2009-03-08T06:27:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to bring you up to speed on the excitement you all have missed in the last 3 weeks.

2 weeks ago, I took my test to become a licensed amateur radio operator. I passed with a perfect score. Praise the Lord for blessing me with a mind like a dry sponge. I can just soak up the information quickly and wring it back out on the paper. They publish all of the test questions and answers, so it's just a simple matter of memorization (for me anyway). Anyhoo, I got my call sign (KC9PDP) and I'm on the air. I've had a whole 2 conversations so far.

1 week ago, I had a lovely day away with some ladies from church. I came home and was telling Teagan all about my day. While I was blabbering, Ruby found and ate a moisture-proof tablet from a package of new shoes. You know, those things that say "DO NOT EAT". I called poison control, and they said those are usually non-toxic so she would be fine. But while I was talking to poison control, Ruby started to turn red and blotchy. Upon hearing this, poison control sent us straight to the ER. They even called ahead. Upon arriving at ER, they took us straight back and gave her some cortisone and benadryl. Praise the Lord that her breathing was not restricted. They didn't have to give her adrenaline or epinephrine. But we did have to sit there for 2 hours while she returned to normal color. Her official diagnosis was "allergic reaction". As long as she doesn't eat any more of those things, she will be just fine.

This past week, we spent one entire day going back and forth to the doctor's office. Hosanna has a double ear infection and slight bronchitis, and Jade has a UTI and an ear infection. But of course, the timing was such that we were running back and forth all day trying to figure all of that out. Ugh. Thankfully, they are both on the mend now.

There's more, but I'll save it for next time...

The little Green Project: Green Scarf

2009-03-07T08:50:00.003-08:00

Since I really wanted to participate in The little Green Project over at Heavenly Homemakers, but my brain is really fried and I couldn't think of anything else green, I decided to share something green that I am knitting!

This is my clapotis scarf. The pattern is free, thereby saving me some green. The yarn was, well, not free, but it does have all sorts of lovely shades of green! The colorway is Fruitful Vine (vines are green!) and it was dyed by Lamar at ...a time to dye.

This is my purse project. I keep it in my purse and knit on it when I'm out and about. It's half done. I can't wait to wear it when it's all done. I'll make everyone green with envy! LOL

3 Tenses

2009-03-07T07:12:00.002-08:00

I took this picture yesterday morning after I took Jade out to the bus. I was walking back to the house very carefully, watching every step because the driveway was glare ice. As I looked down I saw these 2 leaves. They were frozen in the ice, but surrounded by a puddle. I thought it was so neat, so I had to go back out onto the ice to get a picture.

Here's what is so cool... There are fall leaves, frozen in winter's ice, surrounded by spring's melting. 3 seasons in one picture. Past. Present. Future.

It made me think about God. How He sees things. He sees all of the world and time itself as 3 tenses all at once. What was, what is, what is to come. It is all in His Hand. What was He has not forgotten. What is does not surprise Him. What is to come He has planned and known before the beginning of the world.

What a comforting thought. Oh, if I would just trust Him more completely! I AM, Creator of heaven and earth, Keeper and Sustainer of life. Who is more trustworthy than Him?

Dear Readers...

2009-03-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Lonely Abandoned Blog Readers,

I am so sorry for my absence these last weeks. I know you are missing me terribly and anxiously awaiting my return. We have been sick, busy, etc. Plus winter is really getting me down.

I have so much to tell you! I will return very soon with a bunch of updates. Until then, think warm sunny thoughts!

:-)

Winter Begone

2009-02-19T06:56:00.003-08:00

I'm so done with winter. I know it's only February and I know I live in Wisconsin, but I really want it to be spring. Like now.

I present to you my really good reasons for spring to come now...

10. Everyone is sick. We need some fresh air to blow these germs out of the house.

9. The baby wants to play outside. She is just not big enough to play outside yet, and she wants to.

8. Ice is dangerous and I'm tired of walking on it.

7. I miss my garden. Fresh vegetables from Walmart in the middle of winter just are not the same.

6. We're all getting sick of each other in this little house.

5. My feet are longing for some flip flops.

4. Jade needs monkey bars. The lack of those big movements is making her SO squirrely!!

3. We need a good excuse to drink lemonade. It's just not the same in the winter.

2. We're all turning pasty white. Need. more. sunshine.

And the number one reason...

1. I'm sick of all the winter gear!! Snow pants, snow boots, coats, hats, mittens, scarves... they're everywhere!!! We don't really have anyplace to put them. The main entrance comes right into the kitchen. There is no entryway or mudroom or closet or anything of the sort. So the winter gear just takes over. It's everywhere!!! Make it stop!!!

More Help Than I Need

2009-02-17T13:00:00.002-08:00

Little Miss learned how to climb on the kitchen chairs.

And she saw how Ruby pushes chairs over to the counter to help Mommy.

And she decided to help too.

I think I have more help than I need right now.

What do you think?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T08:20:00.002-08:00

Jade's Valentine

I just wanted to wish all my friends, family, and faithful blog-readers a Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you get to spend the day with those you love. And don't forget to celebrate the greatest love of all - God's love for you!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Handsome Lad

2009-02-09T08:34:00.001-08:00

Kordell got a new haircut.

He's had either a buzz cut or a grown out buzz cut for most of his life. This time he didn't really want his hair cut, but he was growing wings out the sides and I insisted he get one. So, we headed to Noni's house. And of course, Noni saved the day! She gave him this stylin' shaped haircut. It looks so nice! He looks older now.

Mom, would you please stop with the pictures already!

You're going to put this on your blog aren't you?

Why yes. Yes, I am. :-P

Baby Love

2009-02-08T05:13:00.001-08:00

Hosanna is only 13 months old, and she does stuff that I've never seen a baby her age do.

Her latest development...
She's started carrying a baby doll around. She hugs her baby and kisses her baby and rocks her baby. She has a favorite baby even! It is just the sweetest thing ever!! I've never seen such a little girl take a liking to baby dolls so young. She is just amazing.

I am so thankful.

I always wanted a little girl. I was so heartbroken because Jade didn't (and still doesn't) like or do anything girly. I thought it was some cruel joke that I had a girl that wasn't girly. But the Lord is gracious. He has given me two more girls and they are so girly! They more than make up for Jade's lack of girly-ness.

Hello Lambeau

2009-02-07T04:38:00.001-08:00

Like I mentioned yesterday, we took a trip to Green Bay to visit Lambeau Field with Mom & Chuck. Can you believe I'd never been there?? Even though I grew up in Wisconsin, and have been a Packer fan for over 10 years now, I had never been to the Mecca of Packer-land. My dear sweet husband doesn't like football, so it had never been very high on the list of things to do. But my step-dad, Chuck, is a huge Packer fan and he wanted to visit the Packer Hall of Fame. I gladly agreed to go along. It worked out well, actually. Teagan stayed home to get Jade off the bus and got to spend the day in a quiet house talking to far distant lands on the radio. So it was a win-win!

We drove over to Green Bay, getting there just in time for lunch at Olive Garden. The kids were surprisingly well behaved. See?

Isn't this the best picture ever!?

Anyway... after lunch we headed to the stadium. As we approached it, I was filled with awe and the prospect of actually being in Lambeau, the same Lambeau that I see on TV where my beloved Packers actually play! I was like a giddy schoolgirl when we got there, jumping out of the truck and running to take pictures. In fact I took so many pictures that I thought a slideshow was in order...

We got to take the tour of the stadium! We sat in a skybox like a bigwig. We walked The Tunnel. We got to go out on the field. Well, not all the way onto the field - they'll arrest you if you walk on the grass. But we got to look at the grass up close. It was so cool.

After the tour, we went down to the Hall of Fame. There was so much to see, and I was wearing one child, while chasing 2 others, so I didn't see a lot of it. You could spend most of a day there listening, reading, and watching films. We spent most of our visit there in the kids fun area. They have games & activities for the kids, including doing the Lambeau Leap and dressing up like a Packer! Kordell got me to try on a Packer helmet (a kid-size one) but the picture is a little blurry. The highlight of the Hall of Fame (for me anyway) was the trophy room. The history is so thick you can cut it with a knife. I got my picture taken next to the 1996 Lombardi trophy - the one I actually watched them win. How fun is that!?

We had a great day. It was a long one, but fun. I'll take the kids back when they are bigger, or maybe go with grown-ups next time, but I will be back.

Visit from Mom

2009-02-06T06:08:00.002-08:00

Last week my Mom & Step-dad were able to come and visit with us! They live in St. Louis, and we only see them a couple of times a year. The kids were so thrilled to see them and we had a nice visit.

We had a belated Christmas celebration since we hadn't seen them over the holidays. It worked out well all around because Mom waited and bought things the kids had wanted but not gotten at Christmas. Smart Grandma!

Hosanna got her own fancy water bottle so she can be like her big sisters and brother now.

Jade got a REAL pencil sharpener! You have no idea how excited she was. She is slightly obsessed with sharp pencils.

Ruby got a princess dress-up outfit. Which she wore for 2 days until she got it all wet and I had to peel it off her and wash it (by hand).

I don't have pictures, but Kordell's favorite was a Jonathon Park CD set which he has listened to over and over since he got it. He has been wanting that for awhile, so it was good.

Other than that, we mostly hung around the house just visiting. Here's a cute picture of Mom with Hosanna...

Oh, and we went to Lambeau Field... but that really needs a whole post of it's own, so stay tuned!

Brotherly Love

2009-01-29T06:23:00.000-08:00

As the only brother of 3 girls, Kordell has learned to do things most boys his age can't do.

Like painting fingernails.

He's a good brother.

My Friend, the Coconut

2009-01-28T05:03:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to muddy up Jade's birthday post with my love for the coconut, but I had to tell you about it! I've always liked coconut but we've reached a new level in our relationship. I made Jade's birthday cake & ice cream almost entirely out of coconut products.

Coconut flour is gluten free and bakes up moist and fluffy with a lovely crumb. Coconut milk is a good substitute for milk in baking and in ice cream! Coconut oil is a good sub for butter and has numerous health benefits!

I found recipes online, and was pleasantly surprised by the outcomes. Here is the cake recipe. I made the yellow cake. The muffins from that page are also very good. I used coconut oil instead of butter, and sucanat instead of sugar. We all agreed that this was the best Jade-safe cake that I've made yet. Not a hint of grainy texture that usually accompanies GF cakes. And look at that moist crumb! It looks just like a real cake.

Don't look too close though... the frosting came from a can...

I made ice cream as well. The recipe is found here. I used honey instead of agave nectar and it worked just as well. The only problem I had was freezing it. I didn't read all the directions for the ice cream machine before I started, so it was my bad. I had read online that adding vodka to ice cream would prevent it from turning into a impenetrable brick in the freezer. What I didn't read was that you shouldn't add the vodka until the ice cream was mostly frozen in the machine. Oopsie! However, it was about soft serve consistency by party time thanks to my deep freezer. Everyone agreed that the ice cream was great! Jade wasn't crazy about it, but might have gone for a fruit flavor instead of the chocolate. I will make it again, probably with strawberries or raspberries next time.

I need to buy more coconut flour! It's expensive, but a little goes a long way. I buy it at the local health food store. The coconut milk is widely available, thank goodness. I found mine at Walmart in the Asian food section. And I got 10 pounds of coconut oil from my food co-op this month at a very good price. Otherwise it can be found at the HFS as well. Go try some coconut! You'll thank me. :-)

Jade's Birthday

2009-01-27T06:48:00.002-08:00

Last weekend we celebrated Jade's 8th birthday. Can you believe she is 8?! It is amazing to me how far she has come in the past year. Sometimes she's just like any other kid, doing normal kid stuff. It's wonderful!

We asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday. She said she wanted blue cake at Noni's and Culver's for dinner. Okay, she told us what she wanted! That in itself is amazing! Anyway, we did exactly what she asked for on her day. I made a blue cake, chocolate ice cream, and we went to Noni's to celebrate. After the party, we took everyone to Culver's for dinner. She had a great time.

Blowing out 8 candles!

Enjoying her blue cake

Enjoying one of her presents

After the party. What a beautiful young lady!

Sticky Situation

2009-01-22T05:37:00.003-08:00

I forgot to tell you the best part!

The EKG lady gave Hosanna a sucker. She's never had a sucker before. I was hoping she'd be a little older before getting one, but we were desperate to finish the test!

Poor baby didn't know what it was and didn't really care, so it didn't help us anyway. Hosanna just held on to it (and wiped it all over me) during the EKG ordeal.

However...

By the time we got down to peds, she had discovered the sugary deliciousness. I let her keep the thing. It was a safety pop after all. She had orange sticky goo all over herself by the time we were called back. As we sat answering family history questions, she proceeded to smear her lovely stickiness all up and down my arms. The nurse says with a sigh and a shake of her head, "EKG always gives them suckers!" Thankfully, she dropped it on the floor while I was taking her shirt off. Oh shucks, we had to throw it away.

And the moral of the story is, don't leave home without baby wipes and lots of 'em!

Photo courtesy of Spangler Candy.

White Coat Syndrome

2009-01-21T18:37:00.002-08:00

I had to take Hosanna to a pediatric cardiologist today. She had a slight heart murmur at her 9 month check up, and it was slightly louder at her 1 year visit, so her doc referred us to a specialist. Just to be safe.

We got there and checked in, but at the wrong place. They didn't tell us we had to get the EKG done first. So, up the elevator to cardiology for the "simple" test. I wonder how often they do EKG's on 13 month olds. My guess is not too often. The nurse tried first using these little stickers that the wires clip on to. Hosanna is so sensitive. She started to panic before we even got all the stickers on. The little clips kept falling off the stickers and Hosanna was freaking out!! The nurse gave up, took all the stickers off, and left so I could calm her down. Eventually the nurse came back with a helper and a different set of wires. These had the sticker attached to the wire. It took no time at all using those and even though she screamed through it, we finally got the test done. Whew. Why on earth didn't they start with the one piece set-up??

Then we headed back to peds for the actual dr. visit. Hosanna was just starting to warm up when we had to get her weight, height, and blood pressure. She was semi-okay until the blood pressure part. They were supposed to get readings from her leg and arm. The nurse managed to get one reading from her leg, but by that point she was screaming and freaking out again so the reading was really high. No point in even trying the arm. This was not going to work.

Thankfully the doctor was very respectful of my poor sensitive baby and moved very slowly and gently and tried to make Hosanna feel comfortable. That part went a bit better and the doc was able to get a good listen to her heart.

In the end, it was good news. It's a simple heart murmur. Nothing scary. We will recheck it in a couple of years to be absolutely sure, but the doctor was very confident that this was no big deal. Praise the Lord!

However, I don't think Hosanna will ever trust a medical professional again.

3 Going On 13

2009-01-18T08:27:00.000-08:00

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Yeah, I'm going to be in a lot of trouble in a few years.

I guess she gave Grandma quite the ear-full.

Busy Day in the Kitchen

2009-01-17T05:44:00.000-08:00

Monday was a day of "firsts" in my kitchen. I had a bit of motivation, so I ran with it.

I decided to try my hand at bread making. I ground up some flour and was ready to go. I used the bread recipe that came with my mill & mixer. I figured it was my best shot. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised!! It was easy, fast, and so delicious!! I think I will stick with that recipe in the future. I made the 4 loaf batch (the recipe went up to 8 loaves) only to discover that I don't have 4 loaf pans that are all the same size. So, I used half the dough for cinnamon rolls. Oh, it was a good day to be at my house. Teagan thought he missed our anniversary or something. lol Here are some pictures of my bread baking:

The Bosch hard at work, mixing the dough for me.

Letting it rise.

Loaves fresh from the oven.

It's better with butter!

The ooey, gooey cinnamon rolls. The pan was half gone before I got a chance to take a picture! My family loved them.

I also decided to make yogurt on Monday. It is something I had been meaning to try for years, but just hadn't. I got a yogurt maker from someone, but it didn't have instructions and I didn't know how to use it, so it has just been sitting in my basement. Then I came across this recipe. Yogurt in the crock pot??? Now, that, I can do! So, I tried it. Followed the directions exactly, only I wrapped it in a second towel to account for my chilly kitchen. The next morning I was greeted with this:

Perfect, thick, creamy yogurt!! I am so excited! The kids love it. Ruby has been eating it plain. We've made smoothies and mixed it with blueberry pudding cake. It's yummy. I will definitely do that again.

And, because I don't want any of you to think that I actually have it all together, here is what my children were up to on Monday...

Kordell & Ruby were parked in front of the computer watching a movie. Jade was at school, so she was no trouble. And...
Hosanna was trashing the place! But, the mess was all worth it. I got a few things done, I tried something new, and I lit a fire of motivation under my rear. It was so satisfying to know I was doing something really great to nourish my family. And now that I know how easy it is, I will be more likely to do it again.

Little Character

2009-01-16T07:19:00.001-08:00

Hosanna is becoming quite the little character! She has such a fun personality. I can't remember my other kids being quite so funny and charming at such a young age. (They are all funny and charming, but at 13 months?)

She loves the outdoors, so this winter has been really hard for her. She's too little and it's been too cold to play outside. But she tries, oh she tries, to get us to take her outside. She put a scarf on (put it on herself!) and got her coat and brought it to me.

Look at that face. "What do you mean I can't go out? I got my stuff! Oh man, it works for the big kids..."

Then she got some boots. Maybe that'll work.

Well, it made us all smile, but she still had to stay in the house.

So, she figured, if she can't go outside, she may as well have some fun inside. That little goofy girl learned how to climb up on the couch.

Look how proud she is!! She was laughing and giggling and having a good ol' time. And guess what? She can stand on the couch and look outside! She loves to watch out the window, especially at bus time. She thinks Jade's bus is the greatest thing. She giggles and babbles and points excitedly at it. We tell her to go look at the bus and she runs to the window (at 13 months old!!)

In other Hosanna news, we figured out why she had been so grumpy over the holidays. She's cutting 4 molars! At once! That would make anyone crabby. The first one is officially through, so only 3 to go.

Frozen

2009-01-15T19:06:00.003-08:00

Ice glazed trees in my front yard.

I'm back. Sorry to disappear like that. I was trying to think of a really lyrical, fascinating way to say, "I don't feel like doing anything." But I didn't come up with much. Obviously.

The first week back to "normal" was a rude awakening after vacationing and laying low for 2.5 weeks. I felt shell-shocked and exhausted pretty much the whole week. Like I was frozen in time as the world spun around me. (See, that was kind of lyrical!)

This week has been better, and I am slowly gaining traction. I have lots to tell you about! We've had more than one "first" this week, so that has been exciting. Stay tuned!

Laying Low

2009-01-04T09:09:00.002-08:00

Not much going on here. We are laying low.

The stomach bug has been slowly working it's way through all of the children. Today is Hosanna's turn. I was up half the night with her and she is still not doing great. I know it will pass soon so we are biding our time, keeping up with tylenol, and pushing fluids.

The weather is also keeping us inside. We got an ice storm last night that glazed everything.

I'm bummed that we had to miss church again. Between the weather and illnesses, I haven't been in a month now. I miss it terribly.

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-02T07:25:00.002-08:00

I'm not one to make resolutions for the new year. I used to. But I never attained them. Never. I don't have the self-discipline to "lose 50 pounds" or "exercise every day" or "read the Bible in a year". I just don't. I do really well for about a week. Sometimes not even that long. I have decided that it's better not to make these huge overdone resolutions in the first place.

What I am doing this year, instead of resolutions, is some simple goals and a verse for the year.

The verse is recycled, but the Lord led me back to it recently.

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength...
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
~Isaiah 30:15, 18

Pastor Israel made Is. 30:15 our church's verse for the year in 2008. He had a picture that went along with it. It was of a very tiny baby cradled securely in a pair of large hands. I wish I could find the picture because it fit perfectly. Anyway, like I said, I was led back to this passage recently. The verses "in the middle" (16-17) describe Israel depending on their own power and the strength of Egypt to save them. And the Lord chastises them for not depending on HIM. Ah, but then v. 18 comes in! The Lord longs to be gracious and show you compassion! I want the Lord's grace. I want His compassion. I want to rest and wait in Him.

So that is goal #1: Repentance. Rest. Quietness. Trust.

Goal #2: I want to be in the Word more. But more than that, I want to learn to love God's Word! I want to savor it and desire it. A timely post from the Holy Experience blog has inspired me even more to embrace this goal. Read it here.

Goal #3: I want to learn to bake bread. Now that I have the tools, I want to start using them. I want to bake fresh, delicious, nutritious bread for my family with an end goal of giving up store-bought bread completely. It's the only health-related goal on my list, but I feel it is important enough to add.

And that's it. I think these 3 goals will be plenty. I will still be working to maintain the progress I made last year and not lose traction. Hopefully at the end of 2009 I will be able to look back and see new tracks made as I forged ahead toward my goals.

Christmas Camp

2009-01-01T19:04:00.002-08:00

Every year around New Years my Dad & Karyl rent a big cabin somewhere so that all of our family can get together for a couple of days. It's becoming quite the tradition. Last weekend was this year's camp-out. We had a GREAT time!! Everyone was there except for Raymond (my nephew). We had a gift exchange, and played lots of games, and just hung out together. I only see my step-sibs once a year, so it was great to see everyone and just catch up on the past year. This year we were at a new camp. It was a lot closer to home, and less driving for everyone. I think we will be back there next year. We are already looking forward to it!

Happy New Year?

2008-12-31T17:57:00.001-08:00

Well, we got strep for Christmas, so guess what we got for New Year's?

A stomach bug. Yuck.

Teagan is very sick and I am kinda sick. So we have to skip the New Year's party we were planning on going to this evening. What a bummer.

I am going to go to bed early and try to sleep this off. See you all in 2009.

Crafty Christmas

2008-12-28T14:28:00.001-08:00

As you can see, I was a crafty mama this year. Actually, there are a few last-minute things that didn't make it into the picture. But this is the bulk of it. I had a lot of fun creating gifts for our family. It didn't cost as much money and everyone seemed to appreciate their gift.

My only regret... not starting sooner!! I was at my sewing machine for a week straight right in the thick of the season. At least I had finished the knitting ahead of time. I will probably do many homemade gifts next year as well. Maybe I should start planning now though...

White Christmas

2008-12-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

Well, it certainly was a white Christmas this year. We had record snowfalls all month and record cold too, so none of it melted away. The kids have been so excited about the snow, but it's been too cold for them to go out and play. How terrible!

As I mentioned yesterday, it finally warmed up enough on Christmas Day for them to play outside. And it stayed warm enough for them to play outside yesterday too! Woo-hoo!!

Teagan has been blowing all the snow in the backyard into a pile again this year. The kids love it because then they can go sledding, even though we don't have a real hill. The snowpile is bigger already this year than it has been in the entire winter in years past. They are loving it!

Of course, it was 40 + degrees last night and the yard has turned to puddles and mud with a snow island in the middle. No playing out there today, I'm afraid.

Christmas at Our House

2008-12-26T15:25:00.003-08:00

Merry Day-After Christmas! I hope you all had a blessed day with those you love!

We had a great Christmas Day. I slept in. Notice I didn't say "we slept in". No, the kiddos were up early. But Teagan is an early riser so he let me sleep. That was a great present. I love my sleep! Anyway, once everyone was up we assembled in the living room. Teagan said a prayer and I read the Christmas story from Luke 2. Then we sang a few carols and finally got to the presents. The kids got some good stuff, mostly practical things.

Hosanna's favorite was the packaging. She just had fun carrying around the gift bags and putting things in them. As always, the "box" is better than the present.
Ruby being the exuberant little kid she is, just loved every single thing! Even the socks were exciting to her. Here she is in the hat I made her.
Jade got another shirt. I made it to look like the pictures she always draws. Her "perfect" shirt, so to speak. She put it on as soon as she opened it and hasn't taken it off!
Kordell, being a 9 year old boy, didn't appreciate anything he got. At least that is how he acted. I know deep down inside he secretly liked his gifts. He just didn't want us to know he liked them. sheesh.
We had cheese fries for lunch and then everyone played outside. It was actually warm enough to play outside!!!! It's been so cold they haven't been able to go out for over a week. So that was a great treat. I baked up a nice ham dinner and we ate on the "good dishes" with candlelight and everything. The kids thought it was funny.

We had such a nice day. The whole Christmas vacation so far has been very nice. The kids made cookies on Christmas Adam (all by themselves!) On Christmas Eve, we spent the day with Teagan's family for the annual gift exchange and snack buffet. Christmas Eve night was the only bummer. Ruby ended up in Urgent Care with strep throat. But so far everyone else is okay. We are gearing up to spend the weekend with my Dad & Karyl and all my step-sibs and their families. That will be fun. I'm preparing some posts to go up while I'm gone so you all aren't lonely here without me. I'll be back for New Year's.

See you then!

The Reason

2008-12-25T09:34:00.005-08:00

Since today is Christmas, I wanted to share with you the reading I compiled and performed for the church talent show a few weeks ago. Not because I think I did a wonderful job presenting it, because I really didn't even do it justice. No, I share it today as my way of shifting the focus. The cookies are fun, the presents are great, time with family is wonderful, but this is what it's all about. The REAL Reason for this Season. Have a blessed Christmas everyone!

The Reason

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule...over all the earth.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

And Mary gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him, shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Scriptures taken from Genesis, Isaiah, Luke & John.
New International Version.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Strep for Christmas

2008-12-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Yup, that's right. I have strep throat. I feel icky and am going back to bed. My Christmas presents are not all going to get done. I'll have to send Teagan to the store for some last minute shopping. Poor guy.

Does anyone know how long strep is contagious?

Do You See What I See?

2008-12-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

Because I see cookies! Lots and lots of cookies!

34 dozen cookies plus a batch of fudge, to be exact.

Last Monday was just frigid, so I decided to stay in the house and do my Christmas baking. We baked and baked and baked. Ruby helped with the sprinkles, of course.
And Kordell was the cookie arranger... Kordell Wallace, Cookie (ar)Ranger. Okay, well we thought it was hilariously funny. He was named after Walker, Texas Ranger, after all.
Looks like the Ranger snuck a cookie. Are they allowed to do that?

And, in case you were wondering, NO we did not keep all 34 dozen for ourselves. I had a cookie exchange to go to last week, plus we gave away cookie plates to some of our friends and neighbors. Share the cookie love, man. ;-)

Winter Celebrations

2008-12-21T07:31:00.003-08:00

Last week we got to see what Jade has been doing to celebrate Christmas at school. I mean, celebrate "winter holidays". It is a public school after all. *rolling eyes*

I attended her "Winter Program". Tolerance! Tolerance! Fa la la la la! *ahem* They had arranged a conglomeration of generic celebration songs, Santa songs, Hanukkah songs, Kwanzaa songs, Chinese New Year songs, Los Postadas songs, and oh yeah, a couple of actual Christmas songs. They ended the program with a "why can't we all just get along" song and the music teacher gave this big speech on how we all should be united to celebrate the same thing.... world peace. *rolling eyes again* I wanted to scream. We all should be united to celebrate the same thing! And that "thing" should be JESUS!! I guess I should be happy that they sang Christmas songs at all... *sigh*

That same day Jade brought home all her Christmas art projects. And I got a good laugh. The handprint tree was cute and all, but check out the angel with feet and, my favorite, technicolor Santa & Rudolph in his party clothes.

Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!! I laughed so hard I cried. I can just hear the teachers, watching her work... "she's putting feet on the angel! Is the angel supposed to have feet? What do we do?" "What is she doing to Rudolph?? Oh the horror!" *snicker* *giggle* *snort* What a hoot. I love that kid. She is too funny.

Basketball, Cappuccino, and a Bear

2008-12-20T15:14:00.002-08:00

A few months ago, Shelli asked me to share the story of how Teagan & I got together in the first place. Well, today is the day! It's the 13th anniversary of the day we became a couple.

Back in 1995, I was a senior in high school. I went to a teensy little school - 20 in the high school and 3 in my class! But we had a basketball team, and I kept the books during games. Teagan's mom was the basketball coach, and Teagan & his brothers all played. So, we all spent a lot of time together in the school van going back & forth to games. That's where it started. Conversations in the dark, on opposite sides of the back seat. (It was a Christian school you know.) After every game, we went to Culver's. One particular December night, Culver's was shutting down but Teagan, his brother Willie and I were still talking. With permission from his mom, we hopped in the car to hang out around town.

The three of us went to Walmart, Shopko, Kwik Trip (for cappuccinos, of course) and just drove around. Willie mostly listened to his walkman. Teagan & I talked and talked. It was 2 o'clock in the morning when they dropped me off at Grandma's house.

Unbeknownst to me, Teagan smashed up their car on the way home. OOPS! Not my fault...

The next week at school we started hanging out more. It was the last week before Christmas vacation. On Wednesday he slipped me "the note". You know, the note saying "please be my girlfriend". We were in high school. LOL He called that night to get my answer. Of course I said yes. On Friday as we were leaving school, he gives me this huge box. It was a Christmas present. I wasn't supposed to open it until Christmas Day, but I did. Inside was a big squishy teddy bear... one of the bears we had seen at Walmart the week before. Awww...

That's how it all started. We saw each other on the weekends, and sat together at lunch. No one at school knew we were "a couple" for months. We were mostly friends and then we fell in love. And life was forever changed.

So, Shelli, now you know the rest of the story. ;-)

Busy, Busy, Dreadfully Busy

2008-12-18T06:06:00.001-08:00

I am running like a madwoman this week, so forgive my lack of posting. We have 4 things on the calendar just for today! This week has been cram packed! But be patient... I have blog posts coming up! Before Christmas I will be showing you homebaked goodies, crafty presents, and pics of the kiddos too! We'll even take a trip down memory lane. Stay tuned!

Merry Christmas to Me!

2008-12-14T18:15:00.002-08:00

I got my Christmas present last week.

Yeah, I'm spoiled.

Actually it's a gift for our family, but since I'm the one who gets to use them, it's really for me.

A member of our family who shall remain nameless bought us the Bosch mixer and the Nutrimill for Christmas. I used my Bosch fund money to order the slicer/shredder and cookie paddles for it.

And there they are.... In MY kitchen!

I was a little afraid to use them at first. But last night I ground up some flour and made cookies. It was great! Today I made 3 big batches of cookie dough to bake tomorrow. Double and triple batches were no match for my Bosch!! It's SOOOOO nice!!!

Birthday Outfit

2008-12-14T18:10:00.002-08:00

Just wanted to show you all Hosanna's new outfit that I made for her birthday. I didn't dress her in it for her party because I didn't want to have to wash frosting out of the wool. Anyway, I knit the pants and made the shirt. Doesn't she look so cute?

Happy Birthday Hosanna!

2008-12-10T09:40:00.002-08:00

My baby is one today!! I can hardly believe it. Where on earth did the year go?? She is becoming such a delightful little person.

Here are the pictures from her birthday party. We just had a small party. She was such a little ham though. And she was so careful when eating her cake. Like she didn't really want to get messy. I barely had to clean her up afterwards. Anyway...

Coming Soon...

2008-12-08T18:14:00.004-08:00

I will post about Hosanna's 1st Birthday Party! I have a ton of pictures to show you, but I am tired and my computer is tired. Tomorrow I will work on uploading. For now, here is a preview.

Oh yeah, it's good to be one!

Our Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T12:46:00.002-08:00

I'm a few days late with this, but better late than never!

This year, the week of Thanksgiving, we made a "Thankful Tree". Each member of the family made handprint "leaves" and we wrote on it what we were thankful for. Kordell made a lovely tree trunk for us.

Thanksgiving Day we spent with Teagan's parents. I didn't realize until almost dinner time that it was Hosanna's First Thanksgiving!! I was still pregnant last year at this time. Here she is, ready to feast...

Giving Daddy some love...

Ruby & her cousin Jacob got to sit at the counter for dinner. They're big kids now.We made sure to have plenty of goodies for Jade. Here she is getting her self some milk. She also had cornbread, mashed potatoes, jello and a little turkey. Mostly just jello.

Kordell and Logan took over the kids table. Looks like it was a hostile takeover...After feasting with the Anthony's we went to a friend's house for an evening of games & snacks. It was a very nice day.

How was your Thanksgiving?

RIP Mr. Blender

2008-12-01T06:08:00.002-08:00

Well, I killed my blender today.

I was making this recipe and it started to fade. By the time I added the final ingredients, it refused to blend any longer. I wasn't surprised. I knew it was on it's last leg.

The good news: the pancakes were almost worth it. They were SO yummy!! If I can get a new, more power blender by Christmas, they would be a perfect Christmas morning breakfast.

And now I have more motivation to save my pennies for this beauty...

The Universal Plus Bosch with blender attachment. Oh yeah baby. It's on sale with the Nutrimill right now. Saving my pennies. Rubbing them together.

It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine. ;-)

Red Baby

2008-11-30T05:02:00.000-08:00

Did you have a favorite toy as a kid? I did. It was a bear named A.G. and I loved it. I took it with me everywhere.

Ruby's favorite toy is her heavy baby waldorf doll. She named it "Red Baby". She treats Red Baby like a real baby. It is so sweet to see her natural mothering skills coming out at such an early age. She nurses her baby, feeds her baby, takes her baby for stroller walks, even wears her baby in a sling. She's going to be a great mom someday.

Poor Hosanna!

2008-11-29T01:16:00.000-08:00

In this season of family get-togethers, it's a joy to see cousins playing together... right?

Well, not so much.

Hosanna just wanted to play with her cousin Abby. (Abby is 5 months younger than her.) Abby was in the walker playing with some toys. Hosanna walked up, smiled, said something in baby language and started playing with one of the toys on the tray. See, nice cousin fun.

Abby did not like Hosanna playing with her. She cried and flailed and threw a giant fit whenever Hosanna came over to play.

Poor Hosanna!!

She just wanted to play nice. She didn't hit or bite or anything. She was a good girl and kept getting in trouble for it.

I hope this is not a sign of things to come...

The Thankful List

2008-11-27T04:50:00.002-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I've had trouble this year getting into the mood for Thanksgiving. I remember when I was a kid being SO excited about it, waking up on Thanksgiving morning SO happy that the day had finally arrived. It was almost like Christmas! Even as an adult, I've always loved Thanksgiving. But this year was different. For whatever reason, the excitement just wasn't there.

I happened upon this blog post the other day and was inspired. I made plans to sit down the night before Thanksgiving with my tea and write down what I was thankful for. Then last night, shortly before my "thankfulness appointment", I read this post. What glorious perspective!! If my thanks is not going to God, then I may as well not even bother being thankful.

So, with a prayer of thanksgiving to God, here are a few things I am thankful for:

Potty training! 3 out of 4. I never thought I'd see the day.
Hot tea on a cold night, the warmth rising up to steam my glasses
A happy baby, even if it is after bedtime
Clean countertops after a long day of cooking
A home warmed by more than just the furnace
Children laughing together instead of fighting
My husband's smile
A son still young enough to want his mom to tuck him in
Warm cornbags at the foot of my bed
Handpainted yarn and smooth bamboo needles
Books strewn around the living room by my exuberant "reader"
A comfortable chair
Casual conversation in the grocery store -a miracle from the child who didn't say mama until she was 4
Food in my cupboards
Clean water in abundance
Indoor plumbing
Laundry
2 cars in the driveway
Healthy children
A faithful husband
Close knit extended family
Restored relationships
Forgiveness, given and received
Grace like rain
Mercy, new every morning
Trials, for testing produces faith
Lean times, for they bring creativity
Sovereignty of the Almighty, working all things to His glory
Perfection soiled by earth's dirt to feel what I feel
Sacrifice, His life poured out for mine
Victory! O death where is thy sting?
Savior, taking my hand in His
Hope that there is more than this
Life, eternally
Joy, forevermore

Oh, yes. There is much to be thankful for.

May you all have a blessed day of giving Thanks to our Glorious God.

If the Pilgrims Could Eat Popcorn on the first Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T18:27:00.002-08:00

Then we can eat pretzels!

Especially turkey shaped pretzels!!

I made these fun, yummy pretzels to take to a friend's house for Thanksgiving tomorrow. They were pretty easy, all things considered, and they are so tasty! I got the recipe from Laura over at Heavenly Homemakers.

I am, however, sorry to report that the turkeys didn't make it. Their feathers were a bit fragile and they didn't survive packaging for travel. Oh well. They will taste just as good dismembered.

My First Co-op Order!

2008-11-26T06:03:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to join a food co-op with some friends of mine. I can get all kinds of bulk grains, flours, dried fruit, natural sweeteners, etc at much lower prices than the local health food store, and in many cases, even cheaper than Walmart!

Being the healthy-cooking nut that I am, I was SO excited to place my first order. And here it is...

25 lbs. of brown rice, 5 lbs. of soft white wheat berries, 5 lbs. of steel cut oats, 5 lbs. of organic cane juice crystals, 2 lbs. potato starch flour, 2 lbs. tapioca flour, 5 lbs. whole grain cornmeal, 1 gallon of honey, and a 5 lb box of date coconut rolls!

These foods will go a long way toward healthier eating for my family! Plus, it's easier on my budget. I am so grateful that I got to join this co-op!!

Wagon Train

2008-11-25T13:56:00.003-08:00

Proving once again that children do not need toys to have fun...

Ruby pulls a laundry basket which Jade hangs on to while riding in a plastic tote and Hosanna chases along behind them.

Actually this was quite entertaining for the adults too...

Oh That's Not Good

2008-11-25T12:53:00.002-08:00

This was the scene last Friday.

You know when a major appliance is undergoing surgical procedures that it can't be good.

My washer stopped working while I was washing diapers. (of course it was diapers... couldn't have been just sheets or something, no... diapers) It smelled hot and I feared the worst.

Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. Teagan took it apart, unjammed the spinny thing and it worked! Whew, that was a close one.

Hopefully it won't happen again. We create a lot of laundry around here.

Go Play This!

2008-11-20T17:09:00.001-08:00

I found this link at Rocks in my Dryer. It is hilariously fun!! So go play already!

Line Rider

Finger Food

2008-11-20T06:35:00.002-08:00

I don't really consider mashed potatoes a finger food...

Apparently, Hosanna disagrees with me.

Spoons are overrated anyway.

Love and Lentils

2008-11-17T07:17:00.003-08:00

We've been a bit under the weather this weekend. Wednesday night Jade got sick, but was better the next morning. Friday night Ruby was sick all night, and continued to be sick Saturday and Sunday. Hosanna got sick Saturday and Kordell got sick on Sunday. And by sick I mean...well... let's just say I've been doing a WHOLE lot of laundry.

We stayed home from church yesterday and had a quiet day at home. When lunchtime rolled around I wanted to make something nutritious, something that would help Teagan & I stay well and maybe help the kids get well. Of course, I reached for the onions & garlic. Garlic is our magic cure-all around here, and onions have similar properties. I looked around for a recipe and ended up combining a couple different ones. I didn't have any chicken for chicken soup, so I went with a lentil stew instead.

First the onions (4) and garlic (20 cloves) ...

Ruby helped me add some carrots. A lot of them. She kept bringing me carrots! I think there were 6 or 8 in the pot.
Then tomatoes, lentils, water, and some spices. I used paprika, ginger, pepper and salt. 30 minutes later I had a delicious steamy bowl of nutritious soup. Just leaning over the pot and taking a whiff made me feel better!

Teagan loved it! It was really really good. And we felt much better after having some. Soup does that. And I know all those yummy, nourishing ingredients will help our bodies fight off this sickness that the kiddos have.

Yay for soup!

A Different Christmas

2008-11-14T10:50:00.002-08:00

I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas.

I love spending time with my family. I love baking cookies - and giving them away! I love the sparkle of Christmas lights in the dark. I love cracking open the Bible and reading the Christmas story. I love singing songs about that Holy Night in Bethlehem.

But here's what I don't love... Materialism, greedy corporations, Santa Claus, overblown gaudy decorations, gifts bought out of obligation, toy catalogs, greedy kids, credit card debt, greedy grown-ups, stress, crowded stores... forgetting the REAL reason for the season!!

Last month, as I began to think about Christmas, a sense of dread began to settle upon me. We don't have money to spend on people, on our kids, on ourselves and how was I going to make it all work? I was frustrated by the thoughts in my own head telling me all the worldly things that Christmas is supposed to be, and yet knowing that Christmas is about something so much bigger than presents and decorations.

Then I stumbled onto this little video. Please take the 2.5 minutes to watch it.

My heart leapt! YES! That's it exactly! Less Spending. More Giving! More Worship!

Teagan & I resolved to do things differently this year. Instead of a big tree, we are doing a Jesse Tree. Instead of going out and buying cheaply made, expensive, mass-produced stuff for our loved ones, we are making gifts ourselves and trying to give things that are practical, needed, or will be greatly cherished. If we must buy a gift, I will try to buy handmade whenever possible. We are also planning on giving to Samaritan's Purse and/or World Vision. We plan to have the children help us choose a gift or two to give through one of those organizations. We want them to learn that giving is as much fun as receiving!

We will also be doing nightly devotions as part of our Jesse tree. I also want to incorporate Scripture memorization from Luke and Isaiah. I want our Christmas season to be saturated and rooted in CHRIST. After all, He is what it's all about.

Mr. Dishwasher's Vacation: Week 3

2008-11-09T16:43:00.002-08:00

Did you know that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit?

We have just completed week 3 of hand washing the dishes. As expected, the "I don't wanna do that" attitude picked up in force this week. Well, for Kordell anyway. I'm still plugging along.

I'm not sure if our little experiment really accomplished the goal with Kordell. He still doesn't really seem to get it. Or he just doesn't care. He doesn't like work period, so it doesn't really matter what form it takes.

As for me... I like having a clean kitchen. I like having all the dishes available for food prep at each meal. I like having the dishwasher out of the middle of my kitchen. I don't like Mr. Dishwasher clogging up my newly acquired wide open spaces, namely the office formerly known as the sewing room. I'm not sure where we go from here. Mr. Dishwasher may soon be looking for a new home...

The "S" Word

2008-11-08T06:25:00.002-08:00

That's right, SNOW.

We had our first real snow of the year overnight. I'm not ready, but the kids are loving it. Here is the conversation I heard while in bed this morning...

Ruby: (excitedly while looking out the window) It's snow!! There's snow on the ground!!! It's absolutely perfect!!

Then thump thump thump as she runs to look out the windows on the other side of the house...

Ruby: (more excitedly) There's snow in the backyard! There's snow on my bike!!!

Thump thump thump as she runs to look out the window in the office...

Ruby: (even more excitedly) Dad! There's snow on your TRACTOR! There's snow on the truck!! There's snow on the car!!!

Thump thump thump as she runs to the back door, then the door opens... She runs outside in her rain boots, then a minute later the door shuts...

Ruby: (a little upset now) DAD!! There's big huge snow all over your MOTORCYCLE!!!

Teagan: Yes, Ruby. Take off your boots.

Jade: (dressed in shorts and tennis shoes) Outside!

Teagan: No outside. It's cold and wet.

Jade: Outside!

Teagan: No Jade. No Outside.

Jade: (yelling very loudly) OUTSIDE!!

Teagan: No! No Outside!

Jade: Teagan! Build a cave! Outside!

Teagan: No, Jade, there's not enough snow for a cave.

Jade: (lots of loud screaming...)

In years past Teagan has blown all the snow in the backyard into a big pile, complete with slides and "caves" (which were hollowed out of the side, not really caves). She figured that if there was snow, Daddy could make a cave.

Let me add that there was like 1/4" of snow on the ground. Just enough to cover everything very lightly. I'd show you a picture, but I'm having battery issues with my camera. Believe me, it was not very much snow for all the excitement around here.

It Is What It Is

2008-11-06T08:01:00.002-08:00

I wasn't going to post about the outcome of the election, but here I go anyway. Are you ready? This is going to be deep...

It is what it is.

Yeah, I'm not thrilled about Obummer, I mean Obama, being the president elect. I am concerned for the state of this great nation in the coming years. But it is what it is. There is nothing to be done about it now. No amount of sharp-tongued complaint or criticism will change anything. We just need to continue living our lives the best we can for God's glory and the good of our families.

Striving for self-sufficiency wouldn't be a bad idea either. ;-)

Gratituesday: When It's Over

2008-11-04T06:22:00.003-08:00

Today is Election Day. Duh. Like anyone in the United States could forget. We've been bombarded with advertisements, yard signs, and media about this election for over a year now. The date November 4th has been burned into our brains.

There is a lot of anxiety surrounding this election. There is much at stake. I admit that I also have concerns about what will happen. But there is still much to be grateful for, no matter who is elected.

Blessing 1: The election will finally be over. No more political ads. Thank the Lord. Can I get an AMEN?

Blessing 2: (This is the important one) When it's all over, no matter who wins, no matter if I like the elected person or not, this I know...

GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE.

The following verses came to mind this morning as I was preparing to go to the polls.

Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:
"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.

He changes times and seasons;
he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.

He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him

I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king."

~Daniel 2:19b-23

"He sets up kings and deposes them" That goes for presidents too. The Sovereign One who has set up and taken down every king in history is in control of this election too. We cannot fathom the mind of God. We do not know what He is orchestrating through the events that unfold today. But I know that He will work them all for His glory and for our good.

Find more to be grateful for at Heavenly Homemakers!

Mr. Dishwasher's Vacation: Week 2

2008-11-02T04:33:00.000-08:00

So, here we are at the end of week 2. Mr. Dishwasher is enjoying his time off. He is dutifully holding up my green tomatoes, a basket of squash, rutabagas & onions. He likes all the colorful vegetables. Vegetables are quiet, he says, and he likes the quiet after so long in the middle of the noisy kitchen.

I am still enjoying our little experiment. Dish washing duty is becoming routine, so that's good news. A couple of meals were saved over to the next time because I didn't want to run water for just 3 or 4 items. But, all in all, the counters are always free of dirty dishes. And I just love that.

I've also acquired a dish helper. (Are we surprised?) Ruby is learning to wash the dishes (though she mostly just plays) and Jade has taken a turn as well. I'm glad that they are learning these very important life skills. Kordell only grumps about it occasionally, so we're still good there.

On to week 3...

Fall in the Garden

2008-11-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

My tender summer vegetables are long gone. The last of the green tomatoes are ripening in my laundry room, the green peppers are tucked away in the freezer, and the eggplant are but a memory. However, there are still vegetables to be had! My kale and swiss chard are still green as ever, despite the freezing temperatures we've been having. Ruby & I were out in the garden earlier this week gathering kale for dinner. It's s strange thing harvesting fresh garden greens while all bundled up, but what a wonderful thing!

Praise the Lord for His bounty in my little garden!

Vintage

2008-10-31T05:18:00.000-07:00

My parents will appreciate this. (I am not trying to make you guys feel old, really.)

Mom, Dad, do you remember this dress?
Let's get a closer look shall we?
Yup, that's a vintage frock my Hosanna is wearing. It came from a box of my baby clothes that we found when Dad & Karyl moved a few years ago. And now my baby is wearing it.

Isn't she pretty?

For the Love of Pie!

2008-10-30T19:33:00.002-07:00

Laura at Heavenly Homemakers recently hosted a contest for pie recipes. She compiled all of the recipes into a free ebook on her website. I have 3 recipes featured in the book, but there are many others that sound delicious too! So, go to the Heavenly Homemakers site and download your free pie ebook!

Make a Shirt

2008-10-30T07:53:00.003-07:00

Jade is very particular about her clothes. When she finds something she likes, you better have more than one or she will wear that one item of clothing until I can't take it anymore and have to peel the grubby thing off her (kicking and screaming) so I can wash it. *ahem* She has this one green shirt that she just loves. It is from a rummage sale though, so I can't just go buy another. So the thought occurs to me, maybe I can find a pattern that is similar and make one! I went to Hancock Fabrics and sure enough, there was a shirt pattern that was the same exact style as her green shirt.

(And the clouds roll open, sunlight beams down on me...) HALLELUJAH!!

She found the pattern on the counter and started asking...

"Make a shirt."

"Make a shirt please"

"Sharm, make a shirt!"

"Mom, Sharm, make a shirt please!"

I could go on, but you get the idea. So yesterday I made her a shirt. I had some bumps in the road. A little misreading on my part, not quite enough fabric, coudn't find my bias tape, etc, but I eventually got it done. I need to add that Tanna had the pattern for a few days earlier in the week to size it down. The only size in stock when I was shopping was the 10 1/2 - 16 1/2 girls plus. Jade is anything but a plus, but I was desperate. So, thank you to Tanna for helping me resize!

Jade was very pleased with her shirt. She had to wear it right away. She didn't even let me cut off all the little threads. Impatient much? I'm just glad she likes it. This is the first homemade item of clothing that she will actually wear.

Mr. Dishwasher's Vacation: Week 1

2008-10-26T15:16:00.002-07:00

At Bekah's request, I'm going to do weekly updates on Mr. Dishwasher's time out. So here we go...

Week 1:

It was pretty entertaining on the morning following the dishwasher's disappearance. Kordell was all "where'd the dishwasher go?" And we were like, "If you don't appreciate the dishwasher, you can do them by hand!"

I decided to try something new in order to keep me sane. We are washing the dishes after each meal instead of trying to do them all at the end of the day. It only takes a couple inches of water to wash a meals worth of dishes, so we aren't using any more water doing it this way. And it only takes a couple of minutes each time, so it doesn't feel like such a huge chore. I actually don't mind handwashing this way.

Kordell has put up a stink a few times, but as we have gotten into the routine and he knows how little time it takes, he has been more compliant. Plus, I think he enjoys babbling on to me while we work. I'm glad it doesn't take too long because my tolerance for hunting/guns/bows/deer/etc. chatter is rather small. I love my son but ugh. I can only take so much. Anyway, he usually has everything put away in a timely manner with not too much grumbling.

I hate to say this, but I almost kinda sorta like not having the dishwasher. There's more room in my kitchen (it's a big ol' portable). The dishes actually get *clean*. I don't have to fiddle around with all kinds of detergent trying to find one that works without filling my home with noxious toxic chemicals. My counters are clean all day and when I get up in the morning. It's rather nice. I was so glad to get the dishwasher because I have always struggled with the dish job myself, but now that I am getting in the groove, it's not too bad going without.

We will see how the situation progresses. Tune in next week!

I Love Free Concerts

2008-10-25T06:04:00.002-07:00

Especially when it's a free Andrew Peterson concert!!

One of the local churches hosted a free concert last night with one of my very favorite music artists. I don't listen to much music anymore, but if I had an iPod, this guy would be in it. Anyway, I have been planning for weeks to go to this concert, strategizing so we would get good seats and everything because I knew it would be packed. The plan was to leave really early, get a $5 pizza at Little Caesar's, and sit in front of the church until the doors opened so we could get the best seats. We had a little hang up with our plan... Our babysitter forgot. We called him Thursday night to make sure everything was good and he had forgotten. He had to work until 6:00, drive 20 minutes to our house, and then we had to drive 20 minutes back to town for the concert (doors opened at 6:30, it started at 7:00). I was absolutely panicking thinking that we weren't going to make it in time.

Somehow though, it all worked out. He was able to switch with someone else for closing duties, and get to our house in time for us to get there at 6:45. I'm glad we weren't any later!! It was packed already but we found two seats on the far side, in the middle of the auditorium. When it was done and we were leaving, we saw that there had been people sitting outside the auditorium! There were SO many people that they had to set up a dozen rows of chairs out there! So we were very blessed to get there when we did.

The concert was AMAZING!!! It was a one man show, just Andrew with his guitars, a piano and a mic. He sang all of the songs from his brand new album, plus a few old favorites. It was cool to hear all the stories behind the songs. Andrew is a very talented songwriter and each song touched the heart and moved the soul. My favorite was "Hosanna". He talked about how misused and misunderstood the word "Hosanna" is. It is not a name for God, and in the original usage, it was not a word of praise. It's meaning is "Save us" or "Save us now!" It became a word of praise because of the triumphal entry, but the people that day were crying out for salvation! There is so much wrapped up in that one word... a cry for salvation and praise because He has saved us!! Anyway, it was great. All the songs were great, the stories were great, yeah...

At the end of the concert, the crowd gave him such a rousing ovation that he came out and did an encore of 3 more songs! He was pretty funny. He said that he doesn't plan an encore and didn't know what to sing! Apparently, he's not used to playing for people who know who he is, so he usually just gets polite applause and that's about it. But our local Christian radio plays his songs, so he's very popular here, and the audience couldn't get enough. He said we were his favorite audience ever. LOL

I wish I could have bought a CD, or all of them... They had a great deal, 2 for $15, but we couldn't do it. So, if anyone needs birthday or Christmas ideas for me, go here and buy me an Andrew Peterson CD! I will listen to it over and over, I promise.

The best part of the night was getting to be alone with my hubby. It doesn't happen very often, and it was wonderful. He did enjoy the concert, even though music isn't really his thing. And afterward we got cappucino and cookies at the gas station, which is how this family started in the first place... cappucino late at night from Kwik Trip almost 13 years ago....

Pinto Bean Week & A Recipe

2008-10-24T13:36:00.002-07:00

Building on the Stretchy Beans concept, I made this week Pinto Bean Week! You are all SO excited to read about beans again aren't you? It is exciting because this week I cooked meat too! *gasp* A friend of mine actually thought I was a vegetarian. I assure you, I do enjoy a good hunk of meat now and then. But, boy, meat is expensive! Thus the stretchy beans...

One of the local grocery stores had bone-in ham portions on sale this week for $0.99 per pound - that's half price! I bought a big ol' 9 pound ham and cooked it up on Tuesday. Wednesday I cooked up 2 pounds of pinto beans with the ham bone. I took out 2 pints and a quart of beans & bean broth from the pot before dinner. Then the rest of the week's meals are planned around the extras.

Here is this week's bean plan:
Meal 1: Bean & Ham Soup (boy was that good with real ham bits!)
Meal 2: Kitchen Sink Stew (recipe to follow)
Meal 3: Bean & Rice Tacos
Meal 4: Autumn Vegetable soup

It's a lot of soup, but the weather is cool and damp, so soup is so good and warming!

Here is the recipe for Kitchen Sink Stew. It was originally called Mexican Pumpkin Chili, but there's nothing Mexican about it and by the time I was done I felt like everything but the kitchen sink went in the soup pot! It had a very unusual flavor, unlike anything I have ever made before. Strangely delicious!

1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
dash nutmeg
4 c. water + bouillon to make broth
1 butternut squash, peeled, gutted, and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 c. salsa (hot as you want, I used mild)
7-8 drops stevia or a pinch of sugar
2 c. pinto beans
1-2 c. frozen corn
1 can coconut milk

Saute onion & garlic in a little oil until soft. Add spices and warm until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, squash, and sweet potato. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until veggies are soft. Mash vegetable chunks with a potato masher, or use a hand blender to puree them. Add salsa, stevia, beans, corn, and coconut milk. Simmer until warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Blessings of the Harvest

2008-10-22T18:56:00.002-07:00

We were blessed last weekend with some garden bounty! Tanna harvested her squash & onions last week. She sent me home with a few...

Look at the size of those squash! The spaghetti squash in particular were huge this year.
We've been enjoying the butternuts already. Jade really likes it!! I think I will have to get some more while they are in season. I even got Kordell to like it. It's amazing what a little brown sugar and cinnamon will do. :-)

Tanna also let me pick some apples right off her tree. She hasn't picked any yet, so I got first dibs. They were decent size, especially considering that she doesn't spray her trees at all.

I decided to make apple butter with the apples. I filled up my slow cooker with sliced apples and added lots of yummy spices. It cooked on low all day and made the most delicious apple butter! No pot watching required!
I should have taken a picture of the finished product. But I think the scrap bowl with all the curly apple peelings is pretty in a weird sort of way.

Upwardly Mobile

2008-10-21T10:58:00.003-07:00

My baby girl took her first steps last night!

Part of me is hugely excited about it!! And yet...

Part of me could just cry and cry.

As I look at our family, I wonder if Hosanna will be my last baby. She may be my last baby for awhile, at any rate. And while I love to see her grow and learn new things, part of me is really sad that she is growing out of the baby stage so quickly. I LOVE nurturing babies. It's completely what I was made for. I just love every part of it. And I'm not ready to let go of that just yet. I guess this is the part where we wait and see what God has in store for us.

Despite my sadness over the whole affair, I am very thankful for a few things:

- I was there to see her first steps! I wasn't at work (Praise the Lord for allowing me to be a stay-at-home mom!) and I hadn't left for my homeschool moms meeting yet (but I was practically walking out the door.)

- Her first steps were to her daddy. He wasn't at work either. One of the biggest blessings of his disability is that he doesn't have to miss these special moments!

God has certainly blessed us. I am so thankful for my little girl and for the joy she brings to our lives.

Find more to be thankful for at Heavenly Homemakers!

Mr. Dishwasher Gets a Time Out

2008-10-19T12:49:00.002-07:00

No, he wasn't naughty. But he was so tired of causing fights that he asked for a time out. And we gave him one.

Actually, we took the dishwasher away to *attempt* to teach our son a lesson. He complains every. single. day. about loading and unloading the dishwasher. We have tried to convince him that this is not hard work. But he insists that it is, and takes hours to complete the job to prove to us how horribly hard it is. So we gave Mr. Dishwasher a time out. Maybe he will be back when he feels more appreciated.

Until then, I am washing and Kordell will be doing the rinsing, drying, and putting away. Why am I washing? Well, you see, I like dishes that are actually clean. And I don't want to fight for my clean dishes. I'll just fight to get them dry and put away. *sigh*

I really don't know what to do to get through to this kid. Shipping him off to military school sounds loverly right about now.

It's Black Bean Week!

2008-10-16T09:09:00.002-07:00

You probably all remember the Lentils & Rice Experiment. I've decided to build on that concept and experiment with different kinds of beans. I've always been a bit leery of beans, even had an all out hatred of them for awhile. But now that I'm a grown-up, and I see how nutritious and frugal they are, I am learning to like them. And, more importantly, I'm teaching my children to like them.

My focus this week was black beans. I started with them because I already use them in a lot of recipes and they are familiar to Teagan & the kids. I started with 3 cups of black beans (because that's how much fit in the jar I took to the co-op when I bought bulk goods last time.) Here's what I ended up with after they were cooked. 2 pints, 1 quart, and a cup or so for use in dinner. That's about 5 cans worth. I probably saved about 50-75% by cooking my own beans instead of buying them. Plus, I know exactly what is in those beans.

Our menu plan for the week looks like this:

Day 1: Black bean & veggie quesadillas
Day 2: Spicy Black beans & Rice
Day 3: Black bean Soup with cornbread
Day 4: Corn & Black bean Chili with leftover cornbread

These are all meals that my family already eats, the difference is that I saved a bunch of money cooking my own beans and we ate the meals all in a row instead of spreading them out over a few weeks time. I could also have canned or frozen the extra beans for later use, but I save time and packaging (freezer bags or jar lids) by just putting them in the fridge and using them right away.

I am calling black bean week a success! Next week is pinto beans. I'll start out with Mom's Bean & Ham Soup and go from there. Anyone have a recipe to share?

Who Needs a Portrait Studio?

2008-10-15T19:19:00.002-07:00

Packrat Much?

2008-10-13T10:19:00.002-07:00

Yikes.

I've been working on our big house shuffle and can I just say that I am SUCH a packrat?! I'm getting so much better, but wow. The stuff I've found...

I spent the whole morning going through cookbooks and recipes. 3 BOXES FULL!! I had more recipes stashed than I could possibly cook in my entire lifetime. I've pared it down to a very small selection of old favorites and really good sounding new ones to try.

The other thing I realized this morning...

I've come a LONG way baby!!

Not just in the packrattery department, but in the food department. All of the recipes I found were either for sugar-loaded desserts or unhealthy "real" meals. Any recipe that called for bisquick, velveeta, or canned soup as a main ingredient was tossed. That was almost all of them. Yikes again. It was amazing to me to realize that was how I used to cook every meal! There was nothing real about our food back then at all. Now we eat actual real food. Whole grains, beans, vegetables... everything as close to original form as possible. Real food tastes so much better and we feel so much better when we eat it. And you know what else? It's cheaper too.

Teagan says if he would have known how much better the food was when we had to "make do" we would have started making-do a long time ago! LOL

Well, I got completely off topic there, so it's time to sign off and get back to work. More on the "Big Shuffle of 2008" later...

I've Created a Monster

2008-10-10T19:28:00.002-07:00

So, it started with the chocolate cookie. And then I found this...

Apparently Hosanna has a thing for chocolate! That's right, she chewed open a package of hot chocolate! Yikes!

You're all wondering how a thing like that happens. Well, we're smack in the middle of a home re-organization project, stuff is everywhere, and we're all a bit distracted. It's not always like this...