Sunshine Through the Windows

Some thoughts on meal planning

2012-01-31T08:25:00.002-05:00

(this is a current picture; yes there is a string of Christmas lights in the background because I left them up in my kitchen because I thought they were pretty and they make me happy)

I love to cook. I love to bake. I take great enjoyment out of spending my time preparing food that is not only nutritious but that my family enjoys eating. It's even better when my children help me because of their shared love of being in the kitchen preparing food. With that said, here is my confession: I have typically not been good at actually doing that consistently. I am not a planner. I have tried multiple times to get a good meal planning system down and always failed, usually due to my already stated planning problem.

Here are some things that I have learned along the way that do not work (for me) when it comes to meal planning:
*just planning to sit down with some paper and a few cookbooks to peruse through to come up with a 2 week plan will not happen successfully
*just going to the store (because of first point happening and me getting to pay-day without meals planned out) and buying a bunch of things I know we like and telling myself that I will just remember what I have and plan accordingly each day will not happen successfully
*having more than 2 or 3 cookbooks that I pull from when actually sitting down to plan my meals is too much to look through
*putting tabs within my cookbooks to mark recipes that look yummy will not actually make me remember that there are recipes in there that I would like to try
*first beating myself up after a failed attempt at a decent 2 week set of meals and then telling myself I will do better next time does not work. I always forget by the next time

Tomorrow, I will tell you the things that I have learned along the way that make meal planning successful, and I will share with you my current, fool-proof system. It's easy (though it takes a little bit of beginning work to get everything the way you like it), it's quick, and if it works for me it should work for you.

2012-01-30T10:34:00.000-05:00

Remember me? It has been a very long time since I have written in this space. A lot has happened in my family, including the addition of another daughter, a dog, and two school-carnival fish that just won't die. I have been contemplating taking this space back up, and I have decided to just go ahead and do it. We'll see how it goes :)

I am still trying to sort out in my mind what topics I would like to write about, but I think some of it will include things I have learned in the last few years about relationships, cooking, and living a life fully focused on God. I am homeschooling Libby (my oldest daughter who was just a little thing the last time I posted is now a kindergartener!), trying to keep a smoothly running home and well-fed family, and taking time to enjoy all the blessings I have been given.

Signs of Spring: 5

2009-03-29T12:21:00.002-04:00

Rain

Beautiful: Green and Blue

2009-03-27T08:18:00.002-04:00

This is part of that ginormous tree that I told you about last Fall that I never got around to showing you (because it didn't end up changing colors like I thought it would). The picture of the red bird a few days ago also contained this tree. It is huge, and it has green ivy completely covering it almost to it's very tips.

Signs of Spring: 4

2009-03-26T08:22:00.003-04:00

My neighbor's lilac tree is getting ready to bloom. When it's done blooming, my lilac bush blooms, so we get double the sweet-smelling goodness.

Signs of Spring: 3

2009-03-22T10:10:00.001-04:00

Anticipation

Beautiful: The songs of Spring

2009-03-21T11:53:00.002-04:00

When I was outside yesterday looking around at all that was blooming (and getting my hands in the dirt of my vegetable garden for the first time this season, yay!), this beautiful guy was singing his heart out to his maiden (who I finally found in another tree a little ways away). The color of the sky was amazing, and he was just so red. The two just sang back and forth to each other, each with a different but similar melody. Beautiful.

Signs of Spring: 2

2009-03-13T14:50:00.002-04:00

Signs of Spring: 1

2009-03-12T09:57:00.001-04:00

An early Spring walk

2009-03-11T09:25:00.004-04:00

We went for an Early-Spring walk yesterday, in the beautiful 76 degree weather (tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 40s, that's Spring for you).

It was wonderful to see our neighborhood clothed in various shades of bloom.

(This is weird, because this picture looks like my head on Libby's body)

Beautiful: Such a good Mama

2009-03-10T12:32:00.001-04:00

Beautiful: The golden light of a summer afternoon

2009-03-07T10:45:00.001-05:00

Beautiful: The strength of the sun

2009-03-04T08:03:00.001-05:00

Beautiful: Winter holds her ground

2009-03-03T08:12:00.002-05:00

Beautiful: The way this guy learns

2009-03-02T09:35:00.004-05:00

The One Word Project

2009-03-01T13:35:00.005-05:00

Thank you all for your kind words over this past week. It turns out that everything is alright. I have had migraines since I was a teenager, and the results of a recent MRI of my brain showed some unusual things. I went to a neurologist Friday morning, and everything seems to be okay. It turns out that my increase in migraines is "normal" in people who have had them long term. They have also been compounded by the fact that I have not slept well in over 3 years. My brain needs good, long sleep to produce what it needs to fight back against migraines, and since it has not been getting it, the migraines have been getting more frequent and severe. So, off I go to try to figure out how to make my little guy (who, mind you, woke up 4 times last night, one of the times being for an hour and a half) sleep better so I can get more sleep. For me, it is survival (if I leave things as they are, my migraines will increase from one a week to every day). Good luck with that, right?

The result of all of this, as well as the week off from blogging, has been a quieter me. I have totally put myself in God's hands, no matter the outcome. But, I have fewer words, as I watch my babies play, as I watch my husband come home from work and the resulting joy on everyone's faces, and as I quietly fight through another migraine.

I contemplated taking a whole month off of blogging. I have contemplated stopping blogging altogether. But, I want to be true to the reason I started this in the first place.

So, my solution is something I just discovered over on the Shutter Sisters blog. It is the One Word Project. Each month they come up with a word, and people enter pictures that they think capture that word. This will be a way for me to still keep this blog active, and still maintain my quiet (which I feel like I really need right now). Each day I will post a photograph of what I think is beautiful. And when I come out on the other side of this, whenever that may be, I will be stronger, because God will make me so.

I will still keep up with the blogs that I love to frequent, especially as garden season rolls around again. Our seeds are here, and my friends and I will be sorting through them all to start growing them very soon. As the cold accepts it's defeat and the sun grows stronger, many lovely pictures will emerge on this here blog. Just be patient with me=)

Here's to Beautiful! Feel free to share what is beautiful to you in the comments section!

Another pause

2009-02-23T14:20:00.002-05:00

Sorry to not be posting my menu today. I got some health news this morning that is probably fine (throw up a prayer for me and my family if you want), but I am doing some research, loving on my babies, and trying my best to trust God with all things.

I will get back to posting when things get back to normal, but please forgive me for taking a few days.

Enjoy these next few days, and I promise I will be back soon.

Pepperoni rolls!!

2009-02-19T10:08:00.005-05:00

I am, at last, posting the recipe for my pepperoni rolls. I know at least several people have been waiting anxiously, and I apologize for making you wait!

This recipe makes a dough that will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days. I have tried to make bread with it (it's actually a recipe for loaf pan bread), but mine came out crumbly, and I don't actually use it for bread anymore. I simply make up a batch and make several pepperoni rolls over the 5 days. If you plan to do this, find yourself a good, deep container that will allow air circulation (it's important that it not be airtight).

I got mine from the kitchen store in our mall. It's actually sold as a container to store things like cereal or dry noodles.

I will post the original recipe for the dough, and then specify how I personally do it.

100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

1 1/2 C lukewarm water
1 1/2 C lukewarm milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 C honey
5 Tablespoons neutral-flavored oil (I use extra virgin olive oil)
6 2/3 C whole wheat flour (I use 4 C whole wheat plus 2 2/3 C unbleached flours) ** Do not use whole wheat pastry flour **

Mix the yeast, salt, honey, and oil with the milk and water in a lidded, but not airtight, container.

Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, until it is all incorporated.

Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top); approximately 2 to 3 hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold.

((If using for bread: On baking day, lightly grease a nonstick bread loaf pan. Using wet hands, scoop out a 1 1/2 lb handful of dough (the dough is pretty sticky and it's easier to handle with wet hands). Shape the dough into a ball and drop it into the pan. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Flour the top of the loaf and slash, using the tip of a serrated bread knife.
20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread.
Place the loaf on a rack near the center of the oven. Pour 1 C of hot water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm. Allow to cool completely before slicing.))

For the pepperoni rolls:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the pan that you will be using in there to preheat with the oven. I find that this helps the bottom of the roll cook faster and not get soft.

Once the dough has risen initially (whether it has been in the refrigerator or not), cut out a chunk of dough about 1 1/2 to 2 times the size of your hand. If it is too wet to handle, sprinkle some flour to incorporate into it to make it more workable.

(A helper is nice, but not mandatory.)

Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to form a wide oval, paying attention to making it the desired length and also wide enough to be able to cover your ingredients as you roll it.

Put your layer of cheese down first. I find it easier to buy the sealed packages of pre-sliced cheese (in Colby/Jack and Mozzarella). When I made this particular one, I used the rest of my dough, and so this one is wider than usual (usually I only have one row of whole slices and one row of half-slices).
Cover the cheese with pepperoni (again, usually there isn't this much, as this is more dough than I usually use).
Fold up the two short ends, followed by the bottom edge.
Roll the whole length of pepperoni roll, making the rolled part about 2 1/2 to 3 inches (look at the picture if my instructions are confusing)
Roll it again until all of the pepperoni and cheese are covered. Trim the top edge to make it straight.
Fold the top edge down over, and seal the seam. You will also need to seal the ends by squeezing the folds together.
Carry the pepperoni roll over to your oven and lay it on the preheated pan. Cook until the top is nicely browned and firm. I have never timed this, but my guess is it would be about 15 to 20 minutes. Usually by the time it's done there will be some cheese seeping out. I haven't yet made one where none of the cheese came out. The cooked cheese is the best part, though.
When it is finished, place it on a cooling rack (you may have to use two spatulas and some practice to do this) for a few minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-18T07:47:00.001-05:00

Tuesday Truth

2009-02-17T08:06:00.004-05:00

From Daily Wisdom for Mothers

"A gentle answer turns away wrath." Proverbs 15:1

I recently saw a T-shirt with the printing "Love is my final answer" on it. I thought that was pretty good.Think about it. When you answer with love, you give strife no place to go.

The other day, Abby wanted to go boating with her friend. Normally we would say yes to this request, but this was a holiday weekend. And, according to the news reports, there would be many alcohol-filled boaters on the lake. We just didn't have peace about it, so we told Abby, "No, not this time."

Abby really wanted to go, so she began retaliating in a big way. It was ugly. As she huffed and puffed, I decided to try out the "love answer." So I said, "Abby, honey, we love you too much to let something bad happen to you. There will be lots of drunken boaters out there today, and we just aren't willing to take that chance. You are too precious to us." To my surprise, she was okay with that answer. While she was disappointed that she couldn't go to the lake, she understood our reasons and resumed normal behavior. Wow! I didn't even have to raise my voice or threaten to ground her!

Let love be your final answer today. It really works!

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Though it isn't always this easy with little ones, reminding yourself to answer with love is always a great thing to strive for. If I tried to explain something like this to Libby, she wouldn't fully understand. What she does understand, however, is my tone and my face, and whether I am speaking in love or in frustration or anger.

What a great reminder! I encourage you to make love your final answer, hard as it may be sometimes. For me, it may mean going into my pantry, sticking my head out the window to breath in the cold air and praying for a few minutes, and then coming back to answer with love.

How do you make love your final answer?

Is it a bad Mama...

2009-02-16T12:02:00.004-05:00

Is it a bad Mama who, upon hearing her wandering baby boy's, "Help, I'm stuck" cry and subsequently finding that he has fallen victim to the empty laundry hamper trap, rushes downstairs to grab her camera and takes a few pictures before freeing him? Is it a bad Mama who does that? Hopefully not. Is it a bad Mama who then posts those pictures for everyone to see? Maybe.

Monday Menu

2009-02-16T10:11:00.004-05:00

Sorry about missing last week's menu. It was a good week, but a week where I didn't have much time to sit down at the computer. Like I said before, we watched Fireproof last Sunday night, and once I missed my opportunity to sit down and make the menu, I never got back around to doing it. That resulted in more eating out then we wanted (or could afford), and my renewed determination to menu plan. I can see the difference even this week. I didn't get around to making a menu last night, but I made myself sit down and make one up this morning. So, here it is!

I am making an effort to make every other meal without meat. I have never eaten or cooked vegetarian before, so I am lacking in meatless meal ideas. If anyone has any good recipes, please share in the comments section!!

Monday: Marriage Monday (I'm taking tortellini with pesto and feta cheese)
Tuesday: Grilled chicken with roasted brussel sprouts (the sprouts are from our Farmer's Market; I've never made them before or even tried them, but I want to grow some this Fall, so hopefully I like them!)
Wednesday: Bean burritos with rice
Thursday: Toaster oven baked tilapia with roasted brussel sprouts & asparagus
Friday: Vegetable and barley soup with biscuits
Saturday: Dinner in a package
Sunday: Dinner at my mom's house for my brother's birthday

I hope you have a great week! We are having a snowy start, but hopefully it will warm up again by the end of the week.

Tell me, are you ready for Spring yet? Since I have some green coming up already, the countdown to blooms has begun. I'll keep you updated on the progress!

Our week in pictures

2009-02-14T20:39:00.005-05:00

Oh my, we have had a wonderful week! We have had a week full of friends! Yay! We had friends over to our house Monday and Friday, and we went to a friend's house Tuesday (to pick out our seeds for this year's garden!!). So, this week there was...

Lots of little ones walking, running, wrestling around...

Lots of dress-up...

Lots of interaction, even with the littlest ones...

Some walks, and bird watching...

Some little girl minds planning together...

And some tired tired little feet...

Some more of Libby's photography...

Some enjoying Daddy being home...

And look! Look at this!!! Can you believe it? (Look, Kendra, do you believe it?)

After I took these pictures I had to gather up the mulch around these cold little green beauties. I can't believe they are coming up already. I didn't even notice them until I pulled the car farther up the driveway than usual to make room for some friend's cars.

What a week full of love, laughing, and so much play.

How was your week?

Those eyes

2009-02-11T21:28:00.006-05:00

They tell so much.

Octamom issued a challenge of sorts, to shed some light on your eyes. She has some amazing green eyes, and her husband has blue. This resulted in a beautiful array of color in the eyes of their children. You should hop on over and check them out.

Scott's eyes are green, but when I enlarged the picture of his eyes, I discovered some hidden brown.

I come from a family of crystal blue eyes, and my eyes also have a hint of green.

When Libby was born, her eyes were so dark blue that they almost looked black. They lightened up to a clear grayish-blue, with that beautiful dark blue ring around the outside.

Hudson was also born with the almost black eyes, and now he has the bright bright blue.

Alright, let's see yours!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-11T14:03:00.002-05:00

Monday Menu, soon

2009-02-09T08:08:00.002-05:00

I have a delay on the Monday Menu today because Scott and I spent the evening watching Fireproof, and I didn't get the menu planned. I have some wonderful friends coming over today for our knitting group, and then once that is over I will plan the menu and get it up here.

I had lots of comments about the cheeseburger soup. I really hope it stands up to my praises for it. If you try it, leave me a comment and let me know how it went over!

If you have time, I encourage you to check out the Fireproof link. There is a trailer for the movie right there on the site. If you are married or about to be married or plan to be married some day, I encourage you to watch at least the trailer. The movie came out in select theaters, and is now on video.

Have a wonderful day!

Our week.... in pictures

2009-02-07T12:00:00.004-05:00

Our week? It was full of....

Smoothie faces,

Libby's first attempts at photography (picture is of Hudson sleep-nursing, I had to push the shutter when she told me she was ready, because her hands are too small to hold the whole camera),

Lots of dress-up,

Me thinking, "Just when I thought he couldn't get any more comical,"

And finding beauty in the bits of sun shining through our windows.

Today it is supposed to get up close to 60 degrees! You can bet we will be outside!

Have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy your loved ones, and be renewed!

Finally, the Cheeseburger Soup!

2009-02-06T08:18:00.003-05:00

As promised, a long time ago, here is the recipe for the cheeseburger soup.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
3/4 C chopped onion
1 quart chicken broth
2 C water
4 1/2 C diced raw potatoes
1 1/2 C shredded carrots
1 1/2 C diced celery
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper

White sauce:
1/2 C butter
3/4 C flour
3 C milk
3 C processed cheese, cubed

Brown ground beef with onions; drain. In large saucepan, combine broth, water, vegetables, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. To make white sauce, melt butter in saucepan; add flour and stir until smooth. Slowly add milk and cook until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Combine sauce with vegetables and ground beef and onion. Do not boil after sauce is added to the soup.

And there it is! It is sort of like a potato soup with beef in it. It's very yummy! Especially with warm bread or biscuits. Or, here is the recipe for Red Lobster's cheesy garlic biscuits (a little bonus for making you wait). They are to die for!

Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits

Dough:
1 1/4 lbs. Bisquik
3 oz. freshly shredded cheddar cheese
11 oz. cold water

Garlic Spread:1/2 C melted butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley

To cold water, add Bisquik and cheese, blending in a mixing bowl. Mix until dough is firm.

Using a small scoop, place the dough on a baking pan lined with paking paper (I just put them on my well seasoned/greased cooking stone). Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. While biscuits bake, combine spread ingredients.

Brush baked biscuits with the garlic topping.

Hey, I never said it was healthy ;)

For all of you homeschoolers out there, hop on over to Octamom's blog. She's giving away a really cute homeschool T-Shirt.

My little fireball

2009-02-04T21:39:00.002-05:00

Notice the subtle movement of his arm as he smacks at me. This time? He wanted the phone.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-03T21:50:00.002-05:00

Tuesday Truth

2009-02-02T21:50:00.007-05:00

Here are some pretty pictures of the recent snow storm we had. It has mostly melted away during the day, but at night it freezes, leaving everything treacherous. Scott's school was canceled every day last week.

Today's truth (not out of Daily Wisdom):
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

I don't know about you all, but I am weak. I try to tell myself that I am a strong woman, but the truth is, I'm not. I am emotional, I am unsure, and I am tired.

I remember distinctly something that occurred a few days after I had given birth to Libby, with no medication, in my mom and dad's house, surrounded by strong, encouraging women. I was on the phone arguing with someone who, after discovering that I had given birth to my baby at home said, "On purpose?!?", about getting Libby's PKU test done, and I was in tears and shaking. Granted, I had just given birth, but I sat there and told myself, "You just did an incredibly strong, gratifying, amazing thing! Don't let this person push you around!"

But that is me. That is my nature. I am weak.

And that's, apparently, right where I need to be. As long as I am weak, God can work in me and through me.

When I am working too hard to be everything to everyone and for everyone, when I am working my brain trying to figure everything out, and I am trying to save the world (or even just my little part of it), God can't work through me. It's just not worth it to try to be the one in charge but miss out on His grace.

When I sit back and realize that I am not strong enough to do His job, then I can receive His grace.

And what sweet grace it is, no?

Are you feeling weak? Let God's grace fill you.... and be renewed!

Monday Menu

2009-02-01T20:43:00.004-05:00

I have to appologize for my lack of posting the last few days. Libby caught, or rather re-caught the cough (she actually had it before we all got the flu right after Christmas) that Hudson has had. He is finally almost over it, and she is finally on the upswing from it. There for a bit, Scott and I actually wondered if she might have bronchitis, but today she seems to have turned a bit of a corner. I have been treating her with several different natural remedies, and they are working. She is still coughing, but not nearly as hard nor as frequently, and she hasn't had a fever since last night.

For the last several many nights I have had to hold (a sleeping) Hudson right up until the time that we went to bed because, on the nights that Libby actually made it upstairs to bed before us, we have had the monitor in the room with her so we would know if she was coughing and would know if she coughed herself into vomiting. So, I haven't been able to blog in the evenings, and during the day I have been holding, now, both of my babies.

So, my apologies =)

On to this week's menu (this should tell you that things are getting better: They are both asleep, in bed, and I can actually make a blog post!)

Monday: Marriage Monday
Tuesday: Cheeseburger Soup (I promise I will get the recipe for this up, I really really am sorry I haven't done it yet.)
Wednesday: Chicken and Noodle Casserole
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Bean Burritos
Saturday: Chicken and Spinach Risotto
Sunday: Leftovers

I also plan to post a tutorial on the yummy pepperoni rolls that I make. Every time I make them, they get raved about up and down, so I thought I would share the recipe for the dough and the rolls themselves. Stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-28T17:29:00.002-05:00

I am cheating on my very first (but probably not my last) Wordless Wednesday to say that I am switching Wednesday Web to Wordless Wednesday. It will be a way to keep me taking photographs, and showing them to you.

Also to say this, "What a difference a few hours make!"

Ice covered tree...

now covered in ice and snow!

Tuesday Truth

2009-01-27T17:04:00.004-05:00

Excerpt from Daily Wisdom for Mothers:

"I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand." Isaiah 42:6

Even now, I instinctively grab Abby's and Allison's hands when we cross the street. At ages ten and eight, my girls do not think this is cool, but I can't help myself. By taking their hands, I feel I am protecting them from traffic, strangers, and all other dangers. I bet you do the same for your children. As I often tell my daughters, it's a mom thing.

I'll probably be reaching for their hands until they leave the nest. But you know what? That's not such a bad habit. In fact, if I could get in the habit of reaching out to God and taking hold of His hand more often in day-to-day activities, I'd be farther down the road in my faith walk.

I'm not sure why I neglect to reach for His hand when I'm crossing the busy streets of life. I guess, like my daughters, I think I'm mature enough to handle it on my own. Or, as my mother would say, I get "too big for my britches." I'm so thankful that we have a loving heavenly Father who reaches down to take our hands when we need Him the most. If you haven't taken hold of God's hand in awhile, why don't you grab it today?

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When I was in college, Scott and I broke up for a little while. It was during that time that we both did a lot of soul searching and faith searching. I remember one evening when I was feeling particularly emotional, confused, and scared. As I lay down on my bed, I physically lifted my hand up to the ceiling and begged God to take hold of it. As I held my hand up, I prayed that God would take it and lead me in the direction that He wanted me to go. I prayed that as He held my hand, He would hold me and comfort me during that difficult time.

I remember the peace I felt in that simple act. He did hold my hand, and He did hold me, and we danced together (in my mind I often picture myself dancing with my heavenly Father, and I know that when I see Him one day, we will dance) and He whispered that He knew the plans He had for me, and that I would be alright.

It shouldn't take that much to get me to give Him my hand, though. It should come as easily as breathing. Oh, we would all be much better off if we weren't so stubborn.

Give Him your hand, let Him lead you, or just love on you, and be renewed!

Monday Menu

2009-01-25T20:27:00.003-05:00

No pictures of yummy snacks this time. I'm fasting for bloodwork tomorrow morning. I'll dream of those cinnamon rolls from last week. Yum.

I didn't get as much dinner made as I wanted to this past week because I was holding Hudson all day, so a few of the meals will be repeats these next two weeks.

Here is what I have planned for this week:

Monday: Marriage Monday (I'm taking homemade pepperoni rolls)
Tuesday: Hearty chicken and noodle soup w/ garlic rolls
Wednesday: Dinner in a package (burger, potatos, and carrots all cooked together in aluminum foil)
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Split pea and potato soup
Saturday: General Tsao's chicken
Sunday: Leftovers

Have a great week, friends! Grow (yes, grow!), and be renewed!

Friday Fam part deux..... some pictures!

2009-01-23T21:06:00.004-05:00

I realized today that I haven't taken any pictures the last several days, mainly because it would be all snot and drool. But, with the beautiful sunshine coming through the windows this afternoon, I just couldn't help but capture some of the creativity.

For example: henna shmenna, who needs fancy henna ink when you have markers? If you enlarge this picture you will see the beautiful artwork on miss Libby's hands, and some on her face as well.

And then after the art session, Libby decided that it was her birthday today, so she made her own cake, put her own candle in it, and sang her own birthday song.

And then blew out the candle.

When I asked her how old she is on this birthday, she told me that she is 1.

And 5.

And throughout all of this fun, Hudson looked the same as he has looked the last several days..... pathetically adorable. Ps. that's not drool on his shirt, he moved when I was trying to have him drink his probiotic and I spilled it all over him. That is a tear in his eye, however. And, yes, snot in his nose.

And just because he's the family clown, no illness would keep him from giving me a smile or two...

or hitting the camera. Yes, he's a hitter.

And now, have a wonderful, renewing weekend!

Friday Fam...... Our week

2009-01-23T08:24:00.003-05:00

Remember this chair? This week has sort of slipped by for me, because I have spent most every minute of every day in that chair. I am so thankful for my mom, who has come over to help hold Hudson so I could get some things done, and she helped to get some of the clutter picked up. Thanks, Mama!

Hudson is starting to feel better, though nights are still hard and he still has some congestion and coughing. Hopefully in a few more days we will all be free from illness and we'll all feel good for the first time since Christmas! We've had a little break from the frigid weather (it got up to 40, I think, yesterday, which is about 40 degrees higher than it's been), so we've been able to breath a bit.

I hope you have had a good week!

Wednesday..... Right now...

2009-01-21T15:17:00.003-05:00

A break from Wednesday Web, because my day is consumed with right now...

cuddling: a sick baby boy

nursing: a sick baby boy and his sister who has done a very good job of entertaining herself but still needs some moments with Mama

rubbing: my feet together trying to get them to finally warm up

dreaming: of snow melting and soil warming and seeds that are beckoning to go into the ground

smiling: at my little guy who, though he feels miserable, still wants to laugh at his sister

loving: this cuddly, snuggly, comforty, healing moment here right now

Tuesday Truth

2009-01-20T10:14:00.011-05:00

I meant to post the recipes that my friend Jessie asked about yesterday, but I ended up holding and rocking and nursing Hudson for about 10 hours straight and didn't get anything done. He and Libby both have had runny noses and coughs, but Hudson's turned infectiony and he had a fever and wanted nothing but Mama. So, I will get to the recipes soon (sorry, Jessie!).

Now, for some truth!

Excerpt from Daily Wisdom for Mothers:

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life.'"
John 14:6

Do you ever get lost? I am what you might call "directionally challenged." My children think it's pretty funny, seeing their old mom talking to herself in the front seat, repeating directions in chantlike manner, and praying quite a lot. Still, it seems that no matter how I try, I get lost on a regular basis. Of course, in my defense, Texas is a big place, and you can never return the same way you arrived. It's never a matter of simply reversing the directions.

Getting lost used to really frustrate and frighten me. Now, I consider it more of a fun adventure. I find that something good usually comes from it. For example, recently when I lost my way, I discovered this great garden shop with the most beautiful iron bench. Now that bench adorns our yard - it was meant to be! Other times, these extended trips in the SUV give us more family time - precious moments to laugh and share.

You see, it's all in the perspective. I no longer worry when I'm lost. I just enjoy the journey. Life is the same way. There's no sense worrying your way through each day - just enjoy the trip. After all, if we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we're on the right road because He is the Way!

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Boy, this really spoke to me. I am not a good passenger when I get lost. I get impatient and I get snippy and I just want to get back on track. It is especially annoying that my husband thinks it's funny if we get lost.

When I really think about it, this is true even in our everyday lives. My husband is the one who is cool as a cucumber, and I am, well, the opposite of that. I get stressed out when my day doesn't go as planned, when the house is messy, and when the kids are grumpy (so, I have basically been stressed since before Christmas). I have been really trying, on this renewal journey, to focus on life, on my children, on my husband, and on Jesus (and, of course, on me!). After all, He is the way and the truth and the life. And, oh, the life that he gives is so sweet, isn't it? It is so sweet, when you allow Him to make it be.

I encourage you today, to go to Him, and see what He can do in your life.

Be still, enjoy today, and be renewed!

Oh, and my blog is being featured over on Crunchy Mama's blog today. I couldn't get the link to work right, so I'll just post the address here: http://www.crunchymama.co.uk
Go over and check it out! It's the second one down.
(Okay, I can't even get that to work. I guess her site is having some trouble. Try it, and if it doesn't work, try it again later.)

Monday Menu

2009-01-18T20:11:00.003-05:00

Once again, cinnamon rolls and milk have nothing to do with this week's menu, but, they're oh so yummy!

I have to say that last week went very well. Scott was home several days for delays and classes canceled, and those days are always a bit off (in a good way! we love having Daddy home). So, not every day went quite as planned, but overall it went well. I stuck to the menu except for a few days when we celebrated Hudson's birthday (though those days were still home cooked meals at my mother's house). Thanks for taking this renewal journey with me! I hope you are getting a bit of renewal yourself!

So, here we are:

Monday: Marriage Monday
Tuesday: Split pea and potato soup w/ warm homemade bread
Wednesday: Chili casserole
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Cheeseburger soup
Saturday: Laura's casserole
Sunday: Leftovers

Again, if anyone wants recipes for any of these meals, I'll be happy to share! Just leave me a comment specifying which meal!

Have a wonderful week, my friends. Go and be renewed!

Friday Fam.... A week in our home

2009-01-16T20:05:00.004-05:00

We have had some very very cold weather this week, including below zero temps. Libby still wanted to go outside, though, so a very good friend of mine came over with her two girls, and the two older girls went out to play in the snow (Hudson and I were out there, too, but he was on my back). Once they were chilled to the bone (which didn't take very long) we all came inside and the girls warmed up under a blanket. I find it very comical to see pictures of Libby and Mallie together, because though Mallie is so much taller than Libby, she's only 3 months older.
And today we went to see our wonderful chiropractor, Dr. Letty. This is a monthly thing, and Libby does really well. Hudson still cries, but he'll get used to it. Our visits to Dr. Letty are life savers, because by the time that four weeks roll around, boy we all need it.

Have a great weekend! Try to stay warm, and if you live in warm weather, I wish I was there!

Thursday.... uh.....

2009-01-14T20:57:00.004-05:00

Well, it happened. My baby boy is a year old. I have spent the day remembering that snowy day a year ago when my fair headed boy was gently breathed into our lives. A year later, he is the family clown, the hot tempered boy, and the joy in all of our hearts. He adores his sister, adores hitting his sister, and stops whatever he's doing (even if he's nursing) to crawl over to meet her at the bottom of the steps when she wakes from her nap. Happy birthday, big boy! You are so very loved.

Wednesday Web

2009-01-13T20:18:00.005-05:00

For my very first Wednesday Web, I'm going to talk about Mothering Magazine's website. I receive the magazine in the mail, and am signed up to receive weekly emails from Mothering as well, but the website itself is full of interesting articles regarding all aspects of natural living and attachment parenting.

There is also a discussion board where people go to discuss a full range of things from parenting to gardening to living off the grid to spirituality and anything you can imagine in between. You have to have an account to post your own questions or responses to others' questions, but anyone can go to the discussion board and read what other people are saying.

So go, check out their website. If you are interested in reading any of the discussions, click on the "discuss" link on the left of the banner on the top of the page.

Happy reading! Take a moment, take a breath, and be renewed!

Tuesday Truth

2009-01-13T08:59:00.004-05:00

From Daily Wisdom for Mothers

"I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer." Psalm 17:6

When Allyson was only 3, she encountered an eight-legged friend who wasn't so friendly. That spider left it's mark - a large, black circle on my little girl's right calf. I hadn't noticed the bite that morning because Allyson had dressed herself. But shortly after I arrived at work, the phone rang.

"Michelle, you need to get Allyson to a doctor right away," urged my day care provider. "I think she's been bitten by a brown recluse."

Quickly, I drove to the day care, scooped up Allyson, and headed for the doctor's office. Panicked, I called my husband and unloaded. Then, I called my mother and cried some more while Allyson sat calmly in her car seat - no tears, no fears.

Then I heard her sweet voice say, "Don't cry, Mama. I prayed and Jesus is taking care of me."

In all of the confusion, I had neglected to call on the Great Physician. Thankfully, Allyson hadn't forgotten. She knew who to go to, even if her spastic mother didn't.

Allyson taught me a lot that day. She showed me that prayer should be instinctive. God should be the first one we "call" in every situation. Make sure He is first on your speed dial.

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I find that I let my mind get filled with so many things in the course of a day, that I automatically get in the, "I have to fix this, I have to do that..." mode, even when it comes to things that are better left to God.

When Libby knocked her tooth out, there was a good 10 minutes of me trying to keep everyone else calm and trying to figure out what in the world I needed to do, before I finally realized that I needed God to help me. Finally, I prayed, "Lord, please clear my mind and tell me what I need to do here." Just that short prayer was enough to help me take my mind away from the chaos and focus enough to think.

I encourage you, through things big and little, to remember (even if it takes you 10 minutes or a whole day) to call on God for wisdom, for comfort, or even to cry out in dispair. He knows, He is there, He will listen, and He will provide comfort.

Go in Truth, and be renewed!

Technicalities - Comments

2009-01-12T08:43:00.002-05:00

I received an email from a kind person (thanks Katrina!) saying that she could not post a comment on here since she doesn't have a Google account. You should have two options if you don't have a google account. You should either be able to post anonymously and include your name at the end of your text, or click on the Name/URL option, put your name in the Name line and just leave the URL blank, since it's optional. I think that should work, but if not please let me know! I want it to be easy for anyone to leave me a comment if you want to!

Monday Menu

2009-01-11T21:00:00.004-05:00

So a piping hot cut of chamomile tea and some skittles have nothing to do with this week's menu, but they've got me munching and sipping while I type.

I think the way I'm going to do this menu planning is to just list my menus, and if anyone would like a recipe for a specific meal just leave me a comment and I'll be happy to oblige. Most of the recipes I use I have on paper, but if they do happen to be online I will include the link.

So, here's my menu for this week:

Monday: Marriage Monday Group (theme: Breakfast for dinner - I'm making cinnamon rolls)
Tuesday: Chicken Stew with homemade Red Lobster cheese biscuits
Wednesday: Beef and Noodle Casserole
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Vegetable Soup
Saturday: Chicken Tacos
Sunday: Leftovers

There you go! I did my shopping today, and I'm excited to return to making yummy homemade meals for my family.

Have a wonderful, renewing week!

Embracing the soft

2009-01-08T21:58:00.004-05:00

The theme over at Shutter Sisters on Tuesday was A Softer Side. The idea was to take a second glance at those blurry/out of focus/not quite right pictures instead of just deleting them or throwing them away and seeing if maybe, just maybe they hold something beautiful. Or even better yet, making a photo soft (read out of focus) on purpose to see just what turns out. I actually did this on purpose several weeks ago. Libby had taken the cushions off the couch (a regular occurrence) and was jumping back and forth between them on the floor. I wanted to get a shot of her that showed her movement from one cushion to another (although a still shot of her in mid-air would have been cool, too). Here is how it turned out. Once I looked at these I thought, "Hmmm, I wonder if this is how people get those 'there's a ghost in my house!' pictures."

And, just for smiles, I thought I'd show you how Libby was helping me vacuum the floor yesterday evening. She gets out her popper and goes throughout the room with me, popping right along. My little helper =) And don't miss the little guy, peeking over my shoulder!

Have a wonderful day, friends!

Renewal

2009-01-07T12:07:00.005-05:00

Octamom passed on a challange that was issued to her a few days ago to describe your thoughts for 2009 in one word. When I read that post, my thought was, "No, too difficult, don't think I'm gonna try it." However, in the time since then I have thought over my goals and hopes for 2009, what I feel like I and my family need out of this next year, and a word pops, unbidden, into my heart. That word is renewal.

Whenever we have a new baby enter our family (all 2 times now ;)), it seems like it takes the whole first year for me to get back on my feet. With Libby it was because she cried the whole first year (no kidding or exagerating at all). With Hudson it has been a year-long healing from the above-average amount of blood that I lost during his birth combined with Scott's former-former job working shiftwork (leaving me alone through the night with a newborn and a 1 and then 2 year old) and then his former job that was very stressful on our whole family. As soon as Libby turned 1, I got pregnant with Hudson, so I feel like I haven't slept or had energy since before she was born.

So, as we shrug off our family-wide illnesses, ponder on and set aside 2008, and walk towards 2009, I anticipate the renewal of myself as a follower of Christ, a wife, a mama, a friend, a keeper of my home, and even a blogger.

Now, I'm not under the delusion that I will be getting more sleep (I'm 2 for 2 in bad sleepers) or more hours in the day, but it is time for me to look up and around me. It's time to breath and walk forward, out of "new babyhood" (yes, even though he will be a year old in a week!!), and into renewal.

What does that mean for you (the few people who look at my blog regularly, and those of you who peek but don't comment;) )? Well, the layout of my blog will be changing a little bit to help me keep on track with this renewal. Part of my renewal as a keeper of my home is to get back into menu-planning and to keep a home management journal. I got lots of great tips over at Simple Mom. Every Monday, I will be posting my menu for the week. (Monday Menu, get it? ;))

To help me keep on track as a follower of Christ, I will be getting back to having a time where I read the Word and nourish my relationship with Him every day. So, on Tuesdays I will share an experpt from my Daily Wisdom for Mothers book that I am reading as part of this time. (Tuesday Truth, are you catching on?)

On Wednesdays I will write about a certain website that I find encouraging as a mother, or inspiring as a wife, or helpful as a keeper of my home, or just one of the many blogs of my friends that I love to keep up with. (Yep, your're right... Wednesday Web)

On Thursday, I'm still not sure what I am wanting to do, maybe something from the garden once the weather warms up (I wait with such anticipation). Though, yeah, Thursday and Garden don't start with the same letter.

On Friday, I will be posting something about my family, either something like 'a day in the life' or some recent pictures, or a 'corners of my home' or something like that. (Uh-huh, you're ahead of me aren't you? Friday Fam).

And on the weekends I will either not blog so I can spend more time being a mama or wife or home-tender, or I will blog about whatever comes to mind.

One thing that will be different as well is that I will probably be adding new posts in the evening for the next day. Mornings just aren't good times for me to blog, because it throws everything else in the day off. So, I will probably post the Monday Menu on Sunday evening, for example.

So, friends, this is how I plan for renewal. I hope you are renewed in some way yourself as you travel through this year with me, or at least get a few good recipes ;)

I will start this new blog layout next week (in true "resolution" form, lol) and in the mean time I will be updating some things on the physical layout, and I'll post a few things as well.

Oh, by the way, I have no idea how the giveaways work, but I'd love to be able to host some here and there. If anyone is still reading this post and knows how that works, could you share your knoweledge?

Have a wonderful day, and here's to renewal!!!

Climbing our way out

2009-01-06T12:13:00.005-05:00

We are still recovering here, and boy it is an uphill battle. Libby was stick for quite a while (for her), and still gets sick here and there. She's eating and nursing alright now, but her body is still programmed to gag easily, and she has a cough that very effectively hits the trigger (I'm trying to use polite words=)). I am trying to be as patient as I can, but she has been pretty belligerent (boy that sweet little face can scream!), is whining most of the time, and Hudson has been really cranky as well. I finally told them both this morning that they had to stop whining, because I'm going to pull my hair out. They got the message. Now they're both sleeping, so hopefully this afternoon will go a little more smoothly.

In the meantime, I'm going to share a few pictures from before everyone got sick, because I haven't touched the camera since (you really wouldn't want to see what I could photograph, anyway).

This is a "castle" that Libby built with her cars and wanted me to photograph. Yes, I realize that it is horizontal and not vertical, but, hey, give her a break...she's 2 =)

And this is Hudson's new favorite game, and it has everyone wanting to play along and giggle their hearts out. He will crawl over the the bottom of the stairs and pull himself to standing, and as you crawl, or walk, or even look in his direction, he starts to giggle. The closer you get, the more he giggles, until you are both cracking up. Then right before you get to him he gets down and starts charging towards you, head down, hands and knees a'going. You wrestle for a bit, and then he crawls back to the stairs to start over. Notice he still has a purple mouth. We're still dealing with the thrush (which is also why he's in a disposable diaper and not cloth).

I hope you get to giggle today, because it's very good for the soul.

A Year in Review

2009-01-04T11:31:00.007-05:00

I apologize for being fairly absent over the last week. As you know, we got sick, but Libby really got it bad. We finally took her to the doctor to get some medicine to stop her vomiting after 4 days of her not being able to eat anything without throwing up. That was Thursday, and she's still trying to get some energy back. She still isn't eating much, but she is at least able to nurse a lot and is keeping it down.

Anyway, since I didn't get this out before the New Year (did that really happen? It is a fog in my memory), here it is now. Here's a bit of a recap of our last year, beginning with little Libby, at barely 21 months old, "listening" to her soon-to-arrive sibling's heartbeat.

This is Scott and Libby near the end of my labor with Hudson. The looks on their faces pretty much sum up the way everyone present feels at the end of my long, drawn-out home births.

And so our family's third (first one being Daddy and Mommy's, second one being when Libby was born) love story began on the snowiest day in January. As you can tell, my pelvis was very unkind to his poor face.

We have had a year full of growth, blessings, love, giggles, tears, and sleepy mornings. I look forward to this next year of more growth, new adventures, lots more giggles, lots more love, and many more blessings. I wish you a very happy New Year, and I pray that your next year will be full of whatever you wish it to be full of.

My 100th post! And what an unusual sight

2008-12-30T16:38:00.004-05:00

So this is my 100th post, and boy is it worthy! We had some very unusual weather the Saturday after Christmas. These pictures were taken in my back yard, in the end of December, in Southeastern Ohio, in 70 degree weather.

Scott was still recovering from the virus that has run through all of us but Hudson so far (poor Libby is still recovering today), so Libby and I took advantage of the beautiful weather to get some way over-do stuff done in the yard and garden. Libby took her shoes off after, ohh, 10 minutes outside, and then her shirt followed about 20 minutes later.
She helped me pull up dead flowers, a few weeds, and then ran off to do some much needed outside play.

And look what we found! A long forgotten potato! You'll have to look sideways, because for some reason it got uploaded sideways.

Have you had any unexpecteds happen this Christmas?

Yuck

2008-12-29T08:56:00.002-05:00

Well, whatever Scott had, I got. I spent the day yesterday sick, and am recovering today. Libby, too, has been "spitting up" as she calls it, but not with exactly the same thing Scott and I had. We're just waiting to see what will happen with Hudson. In the meantime I have a nice post in the making (my 100th post!) and will get it up as soon as I can sit here long enough.

Have a great day!

What we've been up to (lots and lots of pictures!)

2008-12-26T09:38:00.009-05:00

Lots of posing... (ps. these matching shirts are the brain child of my mother-in-law; every family has their own color; ours is red (yay! Go Bucks!))
Lots of playing...

(Libby actually posed for this picture. She was getting me food and drink while I baked (below) and she said, "Mama, take a picture of me getting your drink," and then she held this pose while I shot the picture. How funny is that?)
Lots of baking...

More posing...
Libby's pretty Christmas dress (if you enlarge the picture above you can see her pretty sparkly shoes that she kept pulling up her dress to show everyone)
The anticipation on Christmas morning!!!...
And possibly her favorite gift...
Sorry it's taken me a while to post. It's been a little hectic around here with Christmas starting last weekend for our families. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We had a great time with family, and we're ending it with a bang with a missed weekend trip to my Dad's house because Scott is upstairs puking. Big bummer (truly!). It's time for the children to make up lost sleep, and for me to clean this house!

How did you celebrate this year?

One of those mornings

2008-12-18T07:57:00.003-05:00

This morning is one of those mornings. It's one of those mornings where Scott wakes me up before he leaves for work and I had just gotten settled into the best sleep all night. One of those mornings that follow a night where Hudson cried all night long. A night where at one point Hudson slept for 17 minutes before waking up again, and then slept another 20 minutes. It was a night where he gets mad because he's not getting much milk, but that's because he had been nursing hourly the whole night. This morning follows a night that followed a day where Hudson tried to poo all day pretty much unsuccessfully due to his body trying to handle the increasing amount of food he has been demanding from me. This is a morning where I can hear Hudson sleep hiccuping on the monitor because of all the crying he did last night (in our bed...beside me...in my arms...just had to add that). It's a morning where the minute I come downstairs Libby says she wants to nurse, which she does every morning, but this morning follows a night where I nursed all night long. And this morning has me nearly falling sleep nursing said little girl while her baby brother sleeps soundly all morning to make up for the sleep he didn't get all night. Sigh.

Do you have mornings like this?

A Christmas tradition

2008-12-15T08:04:00.004-05:00

Every year since the first Thanksgiving and Christmas since Scott and I got married, on the weekend after Thanksgiving we decorate the house for Christmas and take a family picture to put on our Christmas cards. This year things were a little off with Scott having to work different hours, and I just got around to taking our picture a few nights ago. It actually went a lot better than I imagined it would go with two kids under 3, especially with a 12 second timer! If I didn't say anything and left the eye directing to Scott, they both looked at the camera perfectly. If I even breathed loud, Hudson looked around at me, and Libby started moving. I love her big girl forced smile! =)

Happy memory building!

Edited to add: Scott and I are on our knees in the picture. Our tree is not nearly that tall, and I am not that similar in height to Scott=)

Violet, you're turning violet, Violet!

2008-12-11T08:22:00.003-05:00

This is what my kids looked like yesterday, and this was after most of it wore off during the night and morning. They both had thrush, and I had gotten it too on my, uh, "nursies." It was getting really bad on Hudson's bottom, and mine was so bad that I had two cracks, so I said "enough's enough." The natural remedies that I was trying weren't getting the job done, so I turned to Gentian Violet. It took care of the thrush in their mouths and on me, but I and Hudson's bottom are still healing. Gentian Violet is the "big gun" when it comes to thrush care, and I hated that I had to turn to it, but it was really bad. As you can tell, it stains everything a pretty violet color. It stains mouths, skin, clothes, blankies, you name it.

And for your daily smile, I just had to share this picture of Libby after she finished drinking her yogurt out of a cup.
Have a wonderful day!

Hey, I wanna come out, too!

2008-12-09T14:20:00.003-05:00

Hudson had a great time the other day watching Libby play out in the snow. One day soon he'll be out there with her.

Random goodness

2008-12-08T12:18:00.005-05:00

Here are some random pictures from the last few weeks. I took some pictures for my in-laws of them with Libby and Hudson and my nephews for my in-laws to use for their Christmas card this year. It was a beautiful day, so I took advantage of the great lighting. Hudson's face had varying degrees of this same expression in all of the pictures.

Hudson enjoyed checking out his very first Christmas tree, though he didn't enjoy the million pictures that Mama had to take to get a good one (hence the tear in his eye)

We got some snow the last few days, and Libby just had to go out and help Daddy shovel the walkway. Her cheeks were red as can be when she came back in. Oh, the biting cold goodness of winter.

And this was Libby's creation the other day when I was nursing Hudson to sleep. I heard her talking about it being her (imaginary) friend Dah Dah's birthday, and when I went in to check on her she had made this birthday cake.
Have a great week, friends!

The fingers are a'flying

2008-12-03T08:27:00.004-05:00

And now we eagerly count the days until Christmas, the season that celebrates the birth of our Savior. We are trying even more this season to not commercialize Christmas. We are trying to get the big things that the babes need/want (like a car seat for Hudson, a bike for Libby) from grandparents, and to handmake the things that they will be getting from us. I am making a whole slew of knitted farm animals for Libby and I am making play silks for her. I will be dying one green for grass with a blue "pond" for ducks and a brown "mudpit" for piggies. Then I'm going to go out to my parents house and gather small twigs and sticks to make a fence to house all of the animals. I am finishing up my first horse (I had to pause that project to hurry and retry his mittens so he could wear them when we go out hiking today, they are turning out better this time). I'll share pics when it's finished. There are also plans for making felt balls, and some teddy bears and rabbits for Hudson and friends. I've also got something special up my sleve for my knitting buddies, but I can't share that here, cause they read this=) I've got to get to work! If I don't post as frequently these next few weeks, it's because I am trying (and thoroughly enjoying) making these gifts for the people that I love. Enjoy this season, friends, for it truly is magical.

The joys of Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T09:33:00.002-05:00

Here are some shots from our Thanksgiving. It's all about family at Granny's (my Grandma, Libby's Granny) house, and the dolls at Granny's house.

A quiet moment with a cup of coffee and a glance out the window.

A moment of pure baby-loving bliss for Libby, as she cuddles her baby cousin.

And a little Guitar Hero.

So very thankful!

2008-11-27T10:18:00.002-05:00

May you share some love this Thanksgiving. We are truly blessed, especially this Thanksgiving and Christmas season. For us, it is a season of laughter, renewal, and reunion (mixed with a few tears). God is so very good. Please take a moment today and through the rest of the Christmas season and remember what you are thankful for.

Rainy days

2008-11-24T09:58:00.004-05:00

It's a cold, rainy morning in these parts, perfect weather for staying inside and playing with toys. The toy of choice for the babes? Barbie dolls (these are the Barbies that I had when I was just a wee one).

The toy of choice for me? Mittens.

Poop on Michigan

2008-11-22T09:03:00.006-05:00

Q: Why did they change from real to artificial grass at the Michigan football stadium?

A: Because they couldn't keep the Michigan cheerleaders from grazing at half time.

Ba ha ha ha. This is just one the jokes that my wonderful, football fanatic husband told me this week. You see, it's Michigan week. It's only the biggest game (other than the Bowl game) of the season for Ohio State and Michigan fans (though Michigan won't go to a Bowl game this year, hmm, bummer). If you're from Michigan and got offended by this joke, sorry, but I'm sure you probably told it this week substituting Ohio State for Michigan.

Ever since the first Ohio State/Michigan game after Libby was born I have been taking pictures of my kiddos in these Poop on Michigan onesies. I had to look hard for them, and even had to order the one that Hudson is wearing (which is the one I got for Libby in her first picture) online.

Watch a good game today!

Go Bucks!!

A little help?

2008-11-21T13:34:00.002-05:00

Sorry, no new pictures. What I'm trying to figure out, though, is how to get video from my video camera onto my blog. Anyone know how and care to teach me? My video camera is just a regular hand-held one with a tape, but it's got lots of cords that came with it, maybe one to attach it to the computer? Any ideas? I'm dying to show you all a few snippets of the tape that I just watched that goes back to when Libby was 14 months old. Thanks!

Libby 2 yr 7 month, Hudson 10 months

2008-11-19T15:39:00.003-05:00

Ever since Hudson was born, I have tried to take regular pictures of Libby and Hudson together. It is so hard for me to believe how much littler she was then than she is now. I just finished up a tape in our video camera today, so I rewound the whole thing and Libby and I watched it from the beginning. She loved seeing herself, of course, and I couldn't believe how little she was! She was 14 months old when I started the tape, and she was just learning how to walk. It was fun to see her progress in her movement and words. I'm so glad that I have that video record of her (and him, of course), because the pictures just don't do it justice, for me. So the above picture is when Hudson was a week old, and Libby was 21 months old. The pictures below are from a few minutes ago. Libby is 2 years and 7 months old, and Hudson is 10 months old. These were just 10 months ago, and look at how they have changed! Man, oh, man, I can't believe how time flies! I would really be blown away, I'm sure, if I got out the tape from her first year and watched it as well.

And Libby can't be near Hudson for more than a few minutes before this happens...

Just in time

2008-11-18T14:16:00.003-05:00

This was the view out our windows this morning. They even canceled school where Scott teaches. It's nice that he's home today, but it's not even Thanksgiving, and they only have 4 snow days left!

Well, I finished Hudson's hat this morning, just in time for this snowy weather. I still have to add a button to close it, though. I am pretty proud of it, since it's only the third thing I have made (Libby's scarf, below, and a teddy bear being the first two things). I am going to start next on some mittens for him.

Enjoy the snow if you've got it!

The inevitable

2008-11-17T08:05:00.005-05:00

The snow has come. It greeted us this morning with a light blanket of white on the grass and bushes. Ahhh. It's finally here. So, on this cold snowy morning, I will warm my hands and body with a cup of coffee, and hold on just one more time to the warmer (though still chilly, on this particular day) days of Fall. As you can see above, the kids loved throwing the biggest rocks they could into the puddles.

And finally, on our way back, the Mamas gave in and let the kiddos do what they had been wanting to do the whole time. We let them run and jump in the big puddles until they were laughed out and chilled to the bone.

This is when you know they've had a great time...

Bundle up, and let the cold weather come, my friends =)

~30~ The Grand Finale

2008-11-11T09:00:00.009-05:00

They are all hodgepodge here, and one of the pictures is here twice, but I can't fix it=) I hope you enjoy it anyway! I've had fun recording these 30 days of Fall. I hope you have been inspired (or at least gotten a smile or two) as I have.

Now, what to do next?

~29~

2008-11-10T08:02:00.005-05:00

Farewell to the days in the park when the weather was just perfect (the days in the park from now on will be slightly uncomfortable, to say the least).

ps. Can you tell that Hudson was in desperate need of a nap?

And for tomorrow, the finale!!

~28~

2008-11-08T07:29:00.003-05:00

This is the view that we are seeing more and more now. Trees that are all or mostly bare.

And that means we see a lot of this...

Leaves everywhere!

~27~

2008-11-07T07:18:00.005-05:00

I will miss you the most, vibrant red. During the season of blankets of beautiful, snowy whiteness, I will long for your return.

~26~

2008-11-06T07:19:00.002-05:00

Enjoy your rest, happy jack-o-lantern orange.

~25~

2008-11-05T10:32:00.004-05:00

As we head into November and the weather gets colder (though we have been having beautiful 60s and 70s here), our thoughts linger less and less on the beauties of Fall, and more and more on the upcoming Thanksgiving and...gasp!... Christmas. So, with 6 photos of Fall left, I begin my farewell to the most colorful, if not most beautiful, of our seasons.

So long brilliant, sun-catching yellow...

In response...

2008-11-04T16:33:00.001-05:00

Wow, I sure did get a lot of comments=) And here I will respond...

My intention in the last post was to offer hope to those who may be unsure about the future. The Bible says that we can find our Hope in Jesus, and that we can trust Him with our tomorrows. I can only speak of the religion in which I know, and that is through Jesus. There are a lot of other religions our there, and people have been doing their own thing since the very beginning (God gifted us with free will, after all). That can't be denied. But, if you look at all of the different countries, the one that is deemed as the leader of them all, and the most successful, and the one that everyone else comes to, is the one that was founded on Christian principles. There is no state mandated religion, for sure, but each and every dollar that is printed in the United States says, "In God We Trust." Our forefathers began this country trusting in God, and the further we get from Him, the worse off society is. Just look around to see the proof. If you want peace, if you want love, if you want assurance of eternity in Heaven, Jesus offers it. He paid the ultimate sacrifice, but it is free for the taking for you and me.

May you be blessed this Election Day, and every day after.

A short break and a beautiful Selah

2008-11-03T08:18:00.010-05:00

I am taking a short break from Fall's 30 beautiful things (only a few more to go!) for a brief talk about politics. I know it's not 'politically appropriate' to talk about politics and religion, but I'm going to tak about them both right now =)

Sarah Palin came through our town yesterday! I went with a few of my friends to see her, but we didn't get there in enough time to get close. These pictures were actually taken by my neighbor. There was a huge spotlight that was wreaking havoc on my camera, so I didn't get any good shots!

Here's the thing. This is a really tough time right now in the economy and in life in general, and it is leaving everyone wondering what the future holds. It is so easy to get caught up in the hype of one thing or another, and to leave a huge chunk of our lives in the hands of politicians. This is where the religion part comes in, and I don't mean mind numbing religion. I mean an active and real relationship with Jesus. This is where our hope lies. Octamom posted a wonderful reminder of this yesterday. The reality and truth is that no matter what, God holds our future. The Bible says that God knows the plans He has for us (Jer. 29:11), and it says that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38 & 39). Those words are true and everlasting. We don't have to worry about them bankrupting, or changing, or leaving. No matter the results of the election (and trust me, I do worry about certain "changes" that will happen if Barack Obama becomes president, I really worry), we can trust that God will not leave us, He will not forsake us, and no matter what, He holds our future in His hands. And the good thing about that is that He promises good things for those that follow Him (Jer. 29:11). Even if that means things getting worse and everything falling apart. He knows, and He is here, and even if it isn't good again until Heaven, boy it will be worth the wait.

So as you go to vote tomorrow, vote in peace knowing that no matter what happens, if you are a follower of Christ, you will be okay whatever the outcome. He promises it and He doesn't lie.

Oh, and speaking of wreaking havoc, my boy is finally crawling!!!!

~24~

2008-10-31T09:28:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween, everyone! (Scott will probably tell me that I should have at least fixed the one ear before taking the picture, but it was this morning, and my bare feet were too cold to do anything but take the shot. Sorry, Honey)

~23~

2008-10-29T09:25:00.002-04:00

Coming up to this tree was such a delight. It was just so full of these bright red berries. I mean look at how many there are on just this one branch! I'm not sure what kind of tree it is (any ideas?) but it is just beautiful and brilliantly red.

The leaves are starting to fill up the ground, my friends! Oh, the smell, the crunch. Take it all in before we are forced inside for the cold, cold winter!

~22~

2008-10-28T07:53:00.002-04:00

For those of us who love Fall for it's color, there is the Sweet Gum tree. This tree is like the grand finale in fireworks. It has so many colors on one tree, even on one branch. This picture here is just the end of one branch and it has green, red, yellow, orange, and purple. If you enlarge the picture, you can see the seed balls at the end, too. My niece used to have nightmares about these prickly guys when she was just a few years old. They sure can hurt if you step on them in your bare feet.

Only 8 pictures to go! Have you enjoyed this as much as I have?

~21~

2008-10-27T08:45:00.002-04:00

I started this post at about 8:00 this morning, got sidetracked, and didn't realize that I forgot to finish it until now. Sorry=)

Anyway, I love this picture because most ones like it have random brilliant red or orange or yellow leaves, but this one is as green as can be! It took me by suprise. I just took it the other day, too, so it's not even from early in the season.

What has taken you by suprise this fall?

~20~ (and some)

2008-10-24T13:51:00.008-04:00

Above many other things, Fall means LEAVES!!!! And lots of them, unless you live in a tree-less city, I guess. Around here, though, there are leaves in the grass, in the street, falling and flowing over your car as you drive, in the water, in the drains, in your gutters, anyplace you can imagine, there will most likely be leaves there. And what do you do with leaves?

You run through them (especially when your friends are trying to put them all in a pile, that little stinker)...

you jump in them...

you grab the biggest handfuls of them that you possibly can...

and then you throw them up in the air!!

Oh, the fun that can be had with just a small pile of leaves. Our walk got cut short yesterday because we came up on a space with a bunch of leaves, and we just couldn't leave them unhandled. We left with itchy, scratchy, crunched up leaves all over us, carrying home the earthy smell of fall. We will miss this when the snow comes.

~19~

2008-10-22T08:57:00.006-04:00

While we're talking about jammies, here's Hudson in his this morning. It's not a great photo, because he's sitting on his potty and I could only get his upper half, but I didn't think to take a photo until I was putting him on the potty and I changed his clothes afterwards because he had wet through his diaper. The thing I love about him in these jammies is how it thins out around his, well, chubbiness. If you click on the picture and look around his arms you can see how the material thins out and looks whiter than the rest. It especially does this around his thighs, and his belly when it is all zipped up. You've gotta love healthy chubby babies (and, yes, there are unhealthy chubby babies)!

~18~

2008-10-21T11:40:00.003-04:00

Who doesn't love these footy jammies? By the time the really cool weather comes, the novelty of them sort of wears off, but those first several times they wear them it just makes me giggle because they are so darn cute! It has to be fairly chilly at night before I can even put night clothes on my hot blodded babies. In the warm weather they don't wear any clothes to bed. I guess maybe that's why these jammies look so cute to me.

Anyone else love these?

~17~

2008-10-20T09:15:00.003-04:00

It frosted for the, I think, 2nd time last night. I caught these frosted flowers just before the sun got to them (it was coming in behind me). It's always funny to me to look outside as the sun comes up and see the yard in part shade and part sun, the shaded parts still frosted and the sunny parts melted. It has been typical Fall weather here, frosted at night and in the low-to-mid 60s during the day.
It has been said that you know you live in the Mid-Ohio Valley when you have to turn on your heater and air conditioner in the same day. For us, that applies mostly to when we're in the car. Is it like that where you live (if you live outside of the Mid-Ohio Valley)?

~16~

2008-10-17T08:01:00.002-04:00

This is one major thing that Fall means for me. Getting older! This birthday day brings the end of a warmish week, and the beginning of a chilly chilly weekend. Bundle up! The cozy Fall days are running out!

Have a great weekend, everyone =)

~15~

2008-10-16T15:45:00.003-04:00

Speaking of red and orange. Almost as bright as the leaves outside, check out this boy! Look at that orange hair! All offset by those blue eyes.
My good friend Leslie and I went walking the other morning with our crew (5 all together between the two of us). Walking down the bike trail in town with the leaves crunching under our feet, were were reminded of last year, where we were doing the very same thing, both of our bellies great with baby, and less two babies in our slings. To us, Fall meant nesting, and now means wandering babies.
Does Fall bring any specific memories for you?

~14~

2008-10-15T07:53:00.002-04:00

Here is a sneek peek at that huge beautiful tree that I was talking about. The poison ivy is starting to turn, and there are just so many things growing up through. It is truly a sight when it has all turned.

~13~

2008-10-14T07:50:00.003-04:00

Goodbye loud honkers. Enjoy the warmth and sunshine. See (and hear) you again next year!

Does anyone else have children who must stop what they are doing and look to the sky to find these flocks and they fly by? Hmm, that rhymed and I didn't even mean for it to =)

~12~

2008-10-13T08:30:00.002-04:00

My azalea bush out back. Beautiful in Spring....way beautiful in Fall. I am just realizing in the last few years how we get to enjoy these things twice!

~11~

2008-10-11T08:23:00.003-04:00

Beautiful, strong sunflower, you have done your job. You can rest now. But would you mind picking up all of the seed shells that litter the driveway, or shoud I ask the squirrels?

~10~

2008-10-09T20:10:00.003-04:00

Well, I had the chance. It was sitting there, waiting to become picture number 10. It was a huge orange leaf with a little puddle of water in it, laying on the ground of the very same park where I took this picture. It's almost like it looked at me and said, "Well, where's your camera?" Sorry friends, I dropped the ball. I will try to make it up to you here...

I cannot point the camera at Hudson now without him making this face...

I tried again...
Finally I had to distract him by looking around the side of the camera. Then I got this goofy grin. I guess it's better than "the face."
And just wait, my dear friends. The biggest, fullest tree I have ever seen is in the alley behind my house. It's the kind of tree that had me peeking out the back window every day or so during our first Fall here. It has thick poison ivy twisting and wrapping it's fingers all the way up and througout the tree. It's starting. In a few more weeks, it will be a glorious display of color that will be the picture of all pictures, here in 30 Days of Fall land.

Are you giddy with anticipation? You should be. It will be worth it.

~9~

2008-10-08T18:56:00.002-04:00

This is one thing that I love about Fall. Randomly placed little gifts, like this vibrant leaf in the middle of the mulch at the playground, or a leaf laying on the ground with a small puddle of water in it. During this season my eyes are constantly roaming the land for beautiful leaves, both on the trees and off. My favorite colors are the oranges and reds.

Which colors of Fall do you like the best?

~8~

2008-10-07T20:43:00.004-04:00

We were in the car today heading to the park, and Libby started sqealing with laughter. I turned around to see this. The windows were down, the air was cool, and she was loving it.

On a side note, you may notice that she is still rear facing and in a car seat with a 5-point harness. She can safely rear face in her car seat until she reaches 33lb. and can forward face in a 5-point harness until 80 lb (there are also height limits on those, but she is unlikely to reach the height before weight). Please check out the two videos linked above (especially if you have young children) to see why that is so important to her safety.

You will have to excuse the bad quality of this picture. I wanted to post it anyway because of the look on her face. Sheer joy!

National Midwifery Week

2008-10-06T14:42:00.004-04:00

This week is National Midwifery Week. This was the most useable picture of my dear midwife, Sandra, from Hudson's birth that I could find. In all of the other pictures I was naked because, well, I was giving birth, and my pictures from Libby's birth aren't on my computer. In the bottom left of the picture is my aunt, Miriam, who used to be a midwife. I don't have enough words to say about Sandra. She is the most caring, knowledgeable, calm, sweet woman I know. She is more than our midwife, and I hope that the friendship that we have formed since we met her 3 years ago continues forever. She has helped me as I delivered my two babies, and she has been a calm presence during my two high energy labors. Thank you, San, for all you have done. I love you and love the role you play in our family.

If you have a midwife, make it a point to show her some love this week.

Edited to add: I guess this is actually National Nurse-midwifery Week. A nurse-midwife is different from a midwife. Nurse-midwives are licensed to practice in the realm of a hospital, and midwives (both CPMs and direct entry midwives) attend births in the woman's home (among many other differences).

~7~

2008-10-06T14:26:00.004-04:00

The cooling weather of Fall just demands that you cuddle, doesn't it? I hope everyone has someone to cuddle with this season.

More of outside and a funny face

2008-10-03T09:13:00.004-04:00

As you can see, the brewer's yeast is Libby's favorite part, too. She's running her finger through it and putting it in her mouth.

And I thought I would share Hudson's favorite face to make. It's his I-want-that-pick-me-up-I'm-excited face. He makes it for everything. Mouth open, arms and legs straight out and stiff as a board.

And just to show my point, here are more...

Enjoy your day!

~ 5 & 6~

2008-10-03T07:42:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd give you two pictures since I had to take a little break. That guy got caught after a full day of running from the police. He's now behind bars, thank God. Yesterday we finally felt safe enough to wander outside, though the wind was a little chilly! This first picture you will have to enlarge to see. Back under the marigolds sits the mama rabbit. I haven't seen any sign of the babies yet, but she's been under there for quite some time. After I took this picture, Libby tried to get a look and scared her off. On another note, I told you my marigolds were crazy! Plus, the rabbit has them all smashed down.One day I will be good enough to knit a hat like this one. It came with a matching sweater, and I just can't wait to see them on her together. Adorable! And the little strings tie together under her chin. We were outside snacking on our favorite snack of popcorn (I know, choking hazard) with brewer's yeast on it. If you haven't tried it, you must.

Pause

2008-10-01T13:30:00.003-04:00

Sorry, no picture so far for today. We have stayed indoors with locked doors and windows today. Earlier in the day, a man abducted a woman in Columbus (2 hours away) and then stopped for gas at a station right down the road. The woman escaped the car and ran in and called the police, causing the man to flee on foot straight into our neighborhood. The last we heard he had made his way across town, but we've not had any updates as to whether he has been captured or not. If we make it out later today, I'll share pics. If not, you'll have to wait until tomorrow.

While I take this pause, I would like to ask something of you. If you take the time to check out my blog, I would like to know about you. Could you take a second to tell me who you are, where you live, and what you fill your day with? My inquiring mind wants to meet you. Thanks!

~4~

2008-09-30T08:09:00.003-04:00

If you knit, I am betting that for you, Fall means knitting! It is the end of the warm weather where all you want to do is touch some cool cotton, and now you want to cozy up next to some warm wool. I recently taught myself how to knit, and this is my first project beyond playing around with different stitches. I am making a scarf for Libby, and while I am discovering that I got a little carried away on my cast on and it will be too wide, it is turning out rather lovely for my first thing knitted. I plan to add some flowers of different colors on the ends as soon as my friends in my knitting group teach me how=) I love to sit down with my children playing at my feet, a hot cup of peppermint tea beside me and my knitting needles in my hand.

Do you knit? What ways do you feel like creating this season?

~3~

2008-09-29T09:01:00.003-04:00

Leaves leaves everywhere (even in Hudson's diaper and neck)! And it's not even October (yet)! I love the crunch of leaves under my feet as we go walking through the park in the cool breeze. I love jeans and bare feet. I love comfy pants. Ahh. I love Fall.

Yes?

~2~

2008-09-27T19:46:00.005-04:00

Around here, Fall means football. Not just any football. Buckeye football. You can enjoy the beauties of the season all week long, but on Saturday, you are in the house sitting in front of the television watching the Buckeyes (or knitting, as I was doing today). One of the first things Libby said was "touchdown" (I think in her one year pictures that I took she was doing the arms up "toughdown" signal) followed by, "Go Bucks!" and "Brutus". Yeah, it's like that.

How about you? What does Fall mean in your family?