Makers, Bathers, Besties, Growers - Our Story

Makers...

Bathers (Rose's first time with a party watie. She loved it!) ....

Besties...

Growers (We have actual vegetables, people!)...

Then What Are You Going To Celebrate?

I love Easter. It's long been my favorite holiday. We haven't really put any umph into celebrating it since we got married and started our family. I'm not really sure why. I'm mean if you aren't going to celebrate the conquering of sin and death and the triumph of good over evil then what are you going to celebrate? Anyway, we decided this year that we had gone long enough without celebrating the greatest event in human history and it was time we did it up a little around here. So we put on our Sunday best, filled some baskets with delectable goodies and beloved little notions, threw a ham in oven and some other yummies on the stove top, hid some plastic eggs and gathered together with family to party like it was AD 33.

Of course no human party could ever be party enough to be worthy of what our Savior did for us on those blessed days so many years ago and what He is still doing all around us as He works so masterfully to make all things new in this broken world that He redeemed on that day. But He knows that. That is what is Easter is about partly...Jesus knowing what it means to be human. He knows that when we humans are happy about something we throw a party. I know Jesus enjoyed a good party.

We are really happy around here that God loved this world even though it was full of sin. That He loved us humans even though we hated him. We are happy that He sent His Son down here to live among us. To know what it is like to be frail and small and weak and surrounded by loud and fearsome temptation. We are happy that His blessed Son lived perfectly among us, knowing all of our temptations but never once giving in to them. We are so humbled and happy that this sinless Man, God's own Son, laid down and died at the hands of sinful men for the sin of the world. For our sin. For our sin upon sin. And we are really happy that this Prince of Life didn't stay dead, but rose from the dead three days after His beautiful sacrifice crushing the power that death and evil have over the world and that since we believe in him we are no longer subject to those terrible tyrannts. We have a new King. A good King. A King who is making all things new. We are really, really, really happy about that. So today we had a long overdue party to celebrate.

And for me it was my best Easter ever...

Well, except for maybe that one seven years ago when this man among men...

...took me to the top of a mountain at sunrise and gave me this:

Like It Was Yesterday.

This is Afton yesterday:

I distinctly remember taking this picture yesterday morning. She was having her first solid foods and loving it. No surprise. She loves loving things. I know it was just yesterday. Maybe the day before.

But then this morning this happened:

That same little baby that I had been feeding yesterday, with all her characteristic zeal, and as you can see, with no lack of panache or style, fed her sister breakfast while I made breakfast for everyone else. Well, while I made breakfast for everyone else, ran upstairs to tell her daddy to come down and see, took a million pictures, and rejoiced in the fact that I had a child old enough to help me. To actually help me.

But wait. When did my baby get old enough to feed babies? How did this happen?

Those old ladies in grocery stores and cheesy country songs aren't kidding around when they say stuff like:

"Don't blink."

"The days are long but the years are short."

"Enjoy them. They grow up so fast."

Because, boy, it really does feel like it was yesterday...

Chances to buy back a bit of your childhood wonder don't come around everyday.

This plate may not mean much to you. For me it is the joy of childhood. Being loved, belonging, the world being right.

My Nana had this china when I was a kid. I have eaten an untold number of Sunday dinners, Thanksgiving turkeys, and Christmas hams from plates that look just like these. Not the mention all the chocolate pie I have eaten off of this plate's baby brother. These dainty blue flowers bring with them a stampede of memories. My dad and Papa discussing theology and politics at the table. My brother saying "Nana, you really outdid yourself this time." and then looking anxiously around the table to see if he had used that phrase properly. My Papa giving my Aunt Debby a hard time "It's gravy night on Debby's shirt!" and Debby squealing at him and appealing to Nana, "Mom, make him stop!" We would eat and eat and eat until we were full and then we would have dessert. Nana would ask who wanted dessert and without fail Papa would say, "I don't ever remember turning it down except the one time I misunderstood the lady." When we were done my mom and Aunt Debby would fight over which one of them got to do the dishes for Nana. They both wanted to. From my childish point of view we were all unspeakably happy and this unspeakable happiness was all I knew for a long, long time.

In the years since big kid realities like disease and divorce have dismantled this happy scene. One by one those dainty blue flowered dishes all broke or were given away. Some perhaps were placed in storage and forgotten. My memories of those days were placed in storage and forgotten. New dishes replaced the old ones and my grown up reality replaced my childhood.

Until a couple of weeks ago when I was wandering aimlessly around my church garage sale. A pitcher caught my eye. Actually it was those dear blue flowers on the pitcher that caught my eye. The lady selling them must have seen it in my face...the look of seeing a long lost friend somewhere you would never have thought to look for her. She pulled the box out from under the table. A full set of the very same china my Nana had. She would sell it to me for fifty dollars. Chances to buy back a bit of your childhood wonder don't come around everyday. A quick trip to the ATM and they were mine.

Once they were home I left them on the counter like this for days. Every time I passed them feeling gleeful that they were mine to make glorious memories on with my children. Seeing my children celebrate with these loved old dishes and their big innocent eyes will be beautiful marriage of the past and present. An experience I am so thankful I will likely be able to have many times over in the coming years!

Possibly Nothing To Dread

1. Today for lunch we had grilled cheese sandwiches. Rose had Tender Sweet Peas. She loves eating food. It is so adorable.

2. Tonight for dinner I am making "balsamic chicken with baby greens and sun-dried tomato gnocchi". It is from a recipe card I got at Publix. I adore Publix. I have long prided myself on not being a fancy pants. The first time I stepped into Publix those days were over. I love that place so much as soon as I am done grocery shopping I start thinking about the next time I can come back. It is pretty out of control!

3. I will be honest. I am dreading cold and flu season. Last year we were whammied. Here is a partial list of the illnesses we encountered: Hand Foot & Mouth Disease, mysterious purple ailment, H1N1 x 2, pneumonia, strep throat x 2, not to mention the numerous bouts with ear infections and tummy bugs. Oh yeah and pregnancy. Not an illness, but you get the idea. Anyway, so forgive me if I am already bracing myself for this year. We have all been healthy now since April. I am enjoying it but in the back of my mind the closer we get to fall I keep picturing a conveyer belt trying to pull us into sicko land. We are walking along in the opposite direction just fine right now. Still I keep thinking any day now one of us will drop off and then another and then another. And then medicate, rest, repeat until spring gets here. I know. Such a terrible, unpositive way to think. I just have that conveyer belt in my mind. We are blessed that we have never had to face any truly terrible illnesses and we are blessed that we have access to medical help when we need it and we are blessed that we all feel great right now. I am indeed thankful deeply for those things. I guess when I see that conveyor belt in my mind I will battle it away with that list of blessings. It is impossible to feel thankfulness and dread at once and I have so much to be thankful and possibly nothing to dread.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

1. For lunch today the kids had turkey and tortilla rolls ups. Our dining room table is out of commission for the time being so we are down to eating things that have no possibility of making a mess.

2. Having Roman Pasta for dinner.

3. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

4. I have a lot of work to do but I am going to sleep. Nigh nigh.

I May Not Know Everything, But I Know Myself

1. Today for lunch my kinds had provolone and whole wheat tortillas.

2. Not sure about dinner again. My menu system is in a tailspin right now. I hope to regain control of it tomorrow after a nice trip to the grocery store.

3. I do know that tonight my new treadmill is arriving. Many who have been to my apartment have expressed concerns about where I am going to put it. No worries, friends! Ron and I are both very good at Tetris and we have a plan. I will post pictures when it is all set up. The fact of the matter is that exercising outdoors with three little ones is not very likely to happen. (At least not for me. I may not know everything, but I know myself.) A bigger concern than how I am going to fit the treadmill in here is how I am going to fit in here without one!

I Think It Is Finally Sinking In.

1. Today for lunch my kids had bananas and peas and milk.

2. Not totally sure what we are having for dinner tonight. I am leaning toward black bean stoup. Here is the recipe. It is really, really good. I never have tried the Monte Cristos in the recipe, but I am sure they are probably good too.

3. The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the best books I have ever read half of. If it is so good why don't I read the rest? Not sure. Its moment kinda passed. It may have another moment again someday.

4. I can't wait to have this baby. Somehow I lost weight from this week to last. (Let me assure you it was not from not eating whatever I want or doing any physical activity beyond that which sustains my life and preserves the lives of my children.) I read that weight loss can be a sign of impending labor. "A loss or leveling off of weight may occur in the last few days before labor starts..." I think was the exact quote. My question is what is meant by the last few days? Like 3 days.....awesome. Like 20 days.....no duh. It's the last month of pregnancy. In that sense, of course, it is the last few days. I have been googling everything else I feel to see if it is a sign of impending labor as well. Pretty much it is all just symptoms of pregnancy. Yep, I am pregnant alright. Anyway, I am thankful that this pregnancy has been smooth and that all signs point to a healthy baby girl. I can't wait to meet her. I feel more ready to mother this child than I have with any of my other pregnancies. I have gotten a chance to see twice now how fast babydom slips away, so I plan on savoring this infancy rather than being eager for the next milestone or my first chance to sleep all night. One of the (many) things that makes baby-ness so precious is how quickly it is gone. "Enjoy them. They grow up so fast." I can't go to the store with my kids without an old lady coming up and telling me that. I think it is finally sinking in.

Spring Won't Let Us Down

1. Today for lunch we ate at Chipotle with Ron. I love days when we go out to lunch with Daddy. Such joy. My love for Chipotle is well documented.

2. Tonight for dinner we are having spaghetti and garlic bread.

3. Here are a couple of interesting statistics. I read that only 2% of babies are born at home. That seems quite low and yet I knew five babies born at home within six months last year. Also I am pretty sure I can see about 70% of my yard now. Spring won't let us down!

Hmmm.

1. My kids don't eat chicken nuggets for lunch everyday or even every week. Just everyday that I have time to write my blog. Hmmm.

2. Tonight for dinner we are having good old fashioned loaded baked potatoes. Potato based dishes always so go badly for me, so we will see.

3. Today at the obstetricians office the receptionist told me that the doctor said to go straight to the hospital to have the baby. "That sounds awesome," I told her, "but are you sure that is my chart?" It wasn't. Bummer.

Spice Is my Favorite.

I mentioned earlier I wanted to to do a lot of baking this holiday season. I did as much as I possibly could but I didn't really do much in the end. Still it was lots of fun and very yummy. I think I want to make it a tradition every year. Much more convenient when I am pregnant and all those extra calories don't matter as much, but hey, that is what my new treadmill is for, right? Anyway I didn't fall in love with any new recipes during my experience, but I re fell in love with one that I learned last fall. I love it for two reasons -- because it is ridiculously easy and amazingly delicious. Easiness is a feature I appreciate in my extra curricular activities at this time in my life. So here is my go to pumpkin muffin recipe (if you are indiginified by the use of box mixes read no further) :

Take any box cake or muffin mix (I have used yellow, chocolate, and spice. Spice is my favorite.) Follow the directions on the box replacing the oil with a can of pumpkin. How easy is that. And it is SO yummy and SO moist. Love it. Also good with chocolate chips! Yum!

Just Getting Excited.

1. Today for lunch the kids had chicken nuggets. Yes, again.

2. Tonight for dinner we are having what I call Aimee's chicken. I got the recipe from my friend Aimee. She has her own home business cooking so as you can imagine it is quite good. I will just say it involves chicken, garlic, basil, and yes, cream cheese and bacon. Yes, maam! Check her out .

3. We got our new portable crib in the mail yesterday. It is where baby Rose is going to sleep while she is little and still sleeping in our room and as long as we live in this house. I adore it. Strong words, but I do. It's nothing fancy, but I love how it matches our bedding and I just can't wait to put a sweet baby in there. No, I really can't wait. I took one of Afton's baby dolls and wrapped it up in a receiving blanket last night and put it in there. I know....out of control. Just getting excited. That's all!

4. This month I have been reading Matthew 5 to the girls at lunch. Today, for the first time in my life, the Beatitudes cut me to the heart with conviction. I guess I had never paid too much attention to the meaning. Today I really heard the words. Wow.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called the sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

~ Matthew 5:3-10

Way, way, WAY too much.

1. Today for lunch my kids had chicken nuggets. I had them too.

2. Tonight for dinner we are having homemade pizza made from all the ingredients I have leftover from my meal at the Christmas cabin. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you are making pizza for 22 people and you are wondering how much pizza sauce you will need let me assure that two six pound cans in way too much. Way, way, WAY too much.

3. Speaking of Christmas I am usually a very strict adherer to the no Christmas music, decorations, etc. before Thanksgiving rule. I just like to keep Christmas Christmas to keep it feeling as special as it is. This year I cheated, though. I started a week early. I had swine flu about a week and a half before Thanksgiving and it was a pretty gloomy place around here. I decided to brighten it up by busting out the Christmas music early. I feel like it really got us through. Still the day Christmas was over I was over it. Couldn't bear to hear another fa la la. That has never happened to me in my life. So I think I will stick to the not before Thanksgiving rule from now on. No regrets about this year though. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

4. Speaking of swine flu. It wasn't so bad. The fear of it before it hit was worse than the actual sickness. Two out of four of us got it. Those two were the two in the high risk categories. Me'n Ponder. (A child under two and a pregnant lady.) I mean I definitely don't want it again and it was sad seeing my baby so sick but in comparison to what so many people suffer we were lucky. I am trying to find a balance between not taking my children's health for granted and realizing what a gift it is (I know there are parents all over the world with truly sick children who would love to trade places with me on my children's sickest days.) and not fretting over it in a fruitless and faithless way....worrying. I think the happy medium between complaisance and worry is gratitude and I think that is where we are meant to live as Christians. May God give us the grace to do so.

Do Not Be Overcome With Evil But Overcome Evil With Good

1. Today for lunch my kids had apple sauce, provolone, and turkey. With milk. Afton calls provolone "holes cheese". Some might think that is swiss cheese, but not to Afton. For some reason that is the name she has given to provolone.

2. Tonight for dinner we are trying a recipe I got from my friend's blog. Brie Chicken. Oh my goodness that sounds so yummy. Find the recipe here. Not sure if I should use my whole wedge of brie or just part of it. Is there such a thing as too much brie? I doubt it.

3. I've been reading Romans 12 everyday with the kids at lunch. Wow.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil: cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep you spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:9-21

I Must Have Been a Pill for my Mom to Feed.

1. Today for lunch the kids had bananas, carrots, and yogurt (or yotes as we like to call them around here). Ponder is getting so good at feeding herself. Not only did I not have to feed her I even went to my bedroom to change clothes while they were feeding themselves lunch....ALONE! This is huge! Ponder also climbed the stairs leading up to our house today all by herself. Also huge. Don't tell her Daddy. :)

2. Tonight for dinner we are having chicken pot pie. I can hardly wait. Another thing I used to HATE as kid, but love now. I must have been a pill for my Mom to feed. Bless her heart. I remember when my family would have hotdogs she would make me a hotdog bun with peanut butter on it. What a sweetie! Our recipe tonight belongs to my mother who somehow made it through 18 years of finding something I was willing to eat.c

3-4 cooked (boiled) chicken breasts, cut up into bite size pieces.

2 cans cream of potato soup

Bag of frozen veggies

About 1/2 cup of milk

Pepper

Two pie shells (the kind you can roll out like Pillsbury)

Put a pie shell in a Pam'd pie plate. In separate bowl combine chicken, potato soup, veggies and milk. Add more milk if you need to ... you want it moist but not running over the edge and swimming in liquid. Pepper everything -- no need to salt it because the soup is salty enough. Put the other pie shell on top. Trim the edges and crimp them shut. Poke several steam holes in the top.

Cook at 375 for about 1 hour, 15 minutes or until the crust is brown.

Like I said I can't wait!

How Cute is She?

1. Today for lunch my kids had apple sauce and carrots. Apple juice to drink.

2. Tonight for dinner we are having Roman Pasta.

1 lb pasta (supposed to be linguine, but I usually use spaghetti because who has linguine lying around and this definitely a meal of things I just have lying around.)

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

2 T minced garlic

Heat the oil in a pan. Add garlic. Cook it until it is light brown. Toss it with the pound of cooked pasta. If it seems too dry add some of the pasta water. Couldn't be easier. Super yummy. Obviously this is easy to fancy up if you want to....add chicken, add basil or choped green onions... add anything! We like to have ours with fresh tomato slices.

3. How cute is she?

Almost three years old. WAY too big for her britches. Knows how she thinks things should be and demands that they be that way. Very intense. Loving, tenderhearted, so smart it surprises me everyday. Loves to have fun. Loves to be noticed. Loves to be loved. A very good big sister. A daughter so preciously eager to please, eager to learn, eager to understand. An exquisite little eager spirit that I pray for the patience to always treasure and never to squelch. I am blessed beyond accounting to have such a dear soul as my own sweet baby girl.

All in Time.

1. Today for lunch my kids had peas and apple sauce. Separately, of course. Mixed would be disgusting. I hate mixed food which is why I have a really hard time with casseroles. For dinner tonight we are having vegetarian chili. My chili recipe is the epitome of nothing fancy, but it is yummy to me. Here it is:

1 large can tomato sauce.

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can red kidney beans

1 can black beans

2 packs chili seasoning

In a crock pot on low all day. Serve with shredded cheese, diced red onion, and sour cream. You can also add a can of corn if you feel like getting crazy. And I would totally add jalepenos if my family would let me. They won't.

Someday I would like to make my own tomato sauce and dice my own tomatoes for the the chili. Maybe it could even be from tomatoes I grew myself. Maybe I could even develop my own chili seasoning. All in time. Not there yet.

2. If anyone needs a new Pandora station for the day I recommend starting one with the artist Jay Ungar. Let me know what you think!

It's Nothing Fancy.

1. Today my kids had yogurt and whole wheat tortillas for lunch. They had milk to drink. Afton drank hers out of a big girl cup. I am trying to eliminate sippies from her life by the time she turns three.

2. I started a new menu planning system this week. I think it is actually too mundane and obvious to share, though if anyone wants to know what it is I will gladly do so. Anyway I am pumped about it. I feel like it is going to make dinner time so much more fun and also make eating out so much more fun because we won't be doing it out of desperation but because we want to.

Tonight I am making Continental Chicken. It was classic around my house when I was growing up. I hated it then, but I love it now. I have enjoyed my friends sharing recipes and meal planning on their blogs lately so I will give you this recipe. It's nothing fancy...just like me.

Family size can of cream of mushroom soup.

8 oz. Sour Cream

Four chicken breasts.

Pop all that good stuff into a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Voila. Super yummy and super easy. I love crock pots. I just hate cleaning them. Serve over rice.

They Make Everything We Already Enjoyed So Much More Enjoyable.

1. Today for lunch my children ate cooked carrots and whole wheat tortillas. They had water to drink, which they hate, but I am trying to teach them to love.

2. Here is a thought that has been bungling around in my head for a few years and I have decided to release and share. When your loyalty to someone or something for whatever reason requires you to hate or at least not to love someone else (particularly another Christian) I think it stops being loyalty and starts being sin. I would like to hear other thoughts on that.

3. Ponder is obsessed with feeding herself now. Pretty soon I won't have anyone to feed at the dinner table. I will just sit there and eat. Amazing thought really! I haven't done that since August of 2007. Even after the baby is born I will have six good months where my only responsibility at a meal is to eat it. Pretty exciting!

4. I caramelized my own onions last night. They were quite good, thanks for asking. The thought of doing that a year ago would have terrified me just because it sounds fancy and I am afraid of doing fancy stuff. I have learned, though, pretty much everything I ever try ends up being easier that I thought it was going to be. Except labor. That was much, much harder.

5. We are going to "make puckins" with Afton tomorrow. That's make pumpkins for those of you who don't speak two year old. I love how easy it is to get her excited about things. She is pumped about "fall time". All she knows is that involves "puckins" and "rainbow trees". What a precious delight having little children is. They make everything we already enjoyed so much more enjoyable. Well, maybe except for sleeping.

My Weak Spot For Chipotle Has Developed Into A Passionate Love

 I am getting dangerously obsessed with Chipotle.  Ron and I have always had a weak spot for it in our hearts and our eating out budget, but since I have been pregnant and eating (and on bad days even  cooking) a lot of our regular foods grosses me out my weak spot for Chipotle has developed into a passionate love with which there is no reasoning.  I said this to Ron last week, "When Chipotle is SO delicious, SO affordable, fills you up so SO well, and serves wholesome food you can feel good about putting into your body and feeding to your children why would you ever eat anywhere else including your own home?"  He just looked at me for a long time and said "You are making me nervous."  Don't worry, baby, I am making myself nervous too.