Joy Comes in the Mourning

News from Ezekiel's Garden...

2007-06-20T15:59:00.000-04:00

It is with great sadness that we have to share sad news with happy news. It is also the reason for the name change from Ezekiel's Garden to Joy Comes in the Mourning. David James "Garden" was born May 5, 2007. He was born at home into his daddy's arms because the midwives were 5 minutes away. It was a truly wonderful experience, however nervewracking it was at the time. The sad news is that he was infected with Group Beta Streptococcus and passed away due to overwhelming sepsis just 30 hours after his birth. I will post the story in greater detail at a later time. Through the Lord's tender care and merciful planting of us in a wonderful church, we are pressing on. There are sad days and happy days. Most days are just "okay." However, we are discovering that joy truly does come from mourning, and our Eternal Hope is the means through the pain to that joy.

We're moving

2006-07-26T13:54:00.000-04:00

Over the course of the next week, I am going to be moving my posts over here. Keep checking over there, and I'll let you know when I start posting over there full-time.

Thanks!

WFMW - July 26 (Making Stock)

2006-07-26T10:10:00.000-04:00

Hello! It's time, once again, for Works for Me Wednesday, hosted by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

Now, I love to cook, and I have fallen in love with the more expensive, better tasting aseptic boxes of broth. Every once in a while, it's okay, but usually they are too expensive for me to buy as many as I need, especially during soup season, which encompasses all but the hottest part of summer. To remedy that, I switched to a more whole foods, less prepared foods way of doing things, which didn't really add all that much work to my food prep, but more on that later, if you want.

So, I now had bones and chicken/turkey carcasses to dispose of, and always veggie parings leftover. Since I don't have a compost bin yet, I was throwing them away. Until, one day, I read about how to make stock and use up those bits and bones and all. It's really simple, and I wish I had done this a long time ago. Are you ready? Okay.

Keep two 1-gallon or 2-gallon freezer bags in your freezer. Label one poultry and one beef. You could do a third for pork, if you wanted to have some pork stock for ham and beans, but just using water with ham hocks are my mode. In each bag, put some of your veggie scraps. I put in leftover bits of certain herbs (thyme, sage, used bay leaves), carrot ends, celery trimmings, onion ends, sometimes garlic papers, leek tops, squash ends, green bean bits, etc. I also put in any bones from either before or after cooking, putting them in the appropriate baggy. A few days before you need the stock, or when your bag gets too full, make the stock.

Making stock is really simple. You empty the contents of your bag in a big pot (or sometimes I use my BIG crockpot), pour in a bunch of water, add salt and some peppercorns, maybe some whole garlic cloves, adjust herbs, if desired, and add a splash of apple cider vinegar, about 2-4 Tbsp. The acid in the vinegar helps bring out the calcium from the bones, which adds a nutritional punch to your stock without affecting the flavor. Another nutritional boost that I sometimes do is to add a strip of kombu (seaweed) and/or some dried mushrooms, but that is more for the cold season and immune boosting. Bring it all to a boil, then simmer on the lowest heat for at least 2-4 hours, skimming any foam from the top. For my crockpot, I put it on low for 12-24 hours, which gives it such a deep taste.

When you are satisfied with your stock, pour it off into a container (I have 2 sterilite pitchers that I use for this), and let cool. If you stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours, any fat will rise to the top and you can easily skim it off. If my bags get too full, I'll make the stock then stick the pitchers into the freezer like that because they are so sturdy. One thing I do to help the strain-off process, which is the most time-consuming and messy, IMO, is to put a square of fabric inside a colander and pour through that.

Other uses for your yummy new stock include making your rice, couscous, potatoes, etc. with stock instead of water. Delicious!!!

It's easy. It's delicious. It's very nutritious. And, it works for me.

Ahh! Little boys are so funny

2006-07-25T21:53:00.000-04:00

For some time now, Bubba, who is a very curious 5 year old, has been wondering about "Egypt." In his mind, this is a place of mystery, myth, and adventure. It is the place of Indiana Jones, Jonah, and Jesus, so evidently it is the Holy Land in general. "Egypt," it seems, is on another planet and a bit heavenly in character, too. It has been really funny seeing him try to figure out just where "Egypt" is, and how it fits in with our lives.

Here are a few of his questions regarding Egypt.
~ Mom, in Egypt's world, do they get hurt? 'Cause in Nineveh, they do get hurt.
~ Hey, Mommy, what do they use to measure in Egypt?
~ Is Tarshish in Egypt, too?

I can see where we are going to have a lot of fun doing some minor geography this fall, especially given his interest in that area.

Another geographical area of interest is China and India. We eat Chinese food probably at least 5 times a month, so they are familiar with it. Indian stars at least once a month, if not more often. The poor little guy gets Chinese, ethnic Indian, and American Indian all confused. Tonight he was practicing his "Indian exercises" so he'd be ready when HOH brought home the Chinese food (Daddy's night to cook). I could barely keep a straight face.

Teflon, the baby, is also a funny little guy. While weeding in the garden this evening, he wandered into the lot next door. This is usually fine, because they are still building the house, and there isn't anything to hurt him there. There is, however, much goopy, gloppy mud near where the sump pump pipe drains out (I can't wait until they bury the thing!!!). I found this out because he was squealing and having a grand old time. His brand new baby shoes had a 2-inch thick coating of mud all over them. His little diaper was also very muddy, and he had mud caked all over his legs. Thank goodness for Bubba's help. When we got in the house, he started the bath water and got it the right temperature for baby.

Timex was also in rare form this evening. He had spent a large portion swinging outside, but when HOH went in, he followed. After we got in and Teflon bathed, we came in and showed HOH his war wounds (skinned his nose trying to escape outside again). Liam pipes up from the computer chair, "Go 'way. It's Liam time." HOH had put in a DVD in the computer and he got to watch Indiana Jones on the computer. It was so cute to see that little guy up in the big computer chair, and also hearing him defend his time alone with "Dad."

WFMW - July 19

2006-07-19T11:39:00.000-04:00

In honor of sick kiddoes, I'm going to review our diarrhea protocol.

Depending on the type of runnies we have, our treatment methods change. For acute cases that last maybe half a day, we usually just treat with nutmeg and eat lighter foods.

However, for cases like the poor little guys, we usually change the diet fairly radically for a few days.

We put them on the BRATY diet.

Bananas
Rice (with a small amount of honey, Earth Balance margarine, and rice milk)
Applesauce/apples
Toast (sometimes dry Cheerios too)
Yogurt (optional, depending on which end/s are affected)

We also do gatorade, diluted white grape juice, or herbal tea (both chamomile and mint are tummy soothers).

We put cinnamon and nutmeg into the applesauce (sometimes rice, too), since only Bubba can swallow capsules.

One fun way to get the bananas and yogurt down the kids is to make a smoothie with some honey or maple syrup.

For their poor sore bums, witch hazel compresses after wiping help, and I've also been known to put some of my homemade diaper cream on it, too.

Finally, we read books, watch movies, and listen to audiobooks while resting.

Works for me!

Currently...

2006-07-17T12:22:00.000-04:00

I just have to share some of our family current events.

Me-
~Finalizing homeschool ideas for fall
~Organizing house and routine for getting it clean (http://www.largefamilylogistics.com)
~Becoming more strict on daily read-aloud time

Boys-
~Matthias has new shoes, which are so very very cute!
~Tommy is really interested in Bible stories and "heroes" of the Bible
~Liam is singing Gaither Vocal Band songs ("God is good, all 'a time, He good all 'a time!")

HOH-
~Eating very small amounts of cheese (big deal!!! Can't wait to add in some cheesy cream soups this winter!)
~Starting his own business with a friend from church - the Lord is blessing this in that both men are now self-employed and supporting our 2 families.

Family-
~Reading or listening to the audiobook of "Hank the Cowdog" series by John Ericson.
~TV back downstairs in the armoire - have only seen 2 movies on it in the week it's been down there
~Hiding from the heat during the day, but in the garden in the evening - lots of baby cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and beans - can't wait until they're ready to harvest! :)

What are you currently doing?

WFMW - July 12

2006-07-12T14:11:00.000-04:00

All my good ideas have left me, but I managed to come up with something...

HOH is allergic to dairy products, although we are finding that he can eat a tiny amount of cheese or other cultured dairy about once a month (after almost a year of dairy-free cooking). So, I had to change my cooking significantly in a hurry. Here are some things that have really really helped me in our quest for DF foods for him.

The staples of our pantry, at least where it concerns HOH.

Earth Balance in the tub for buttering toast, sauteeing, etc.
Earth Balance sticks for baking
Olive oil or canola oil
Coconut oil
Coconut milk (Indian, Thai, or desserts)
Rice Milk (cereal)
Unsweetened soy milk ("cream" sauces, soups, etc)
Silk Creamer
Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (it truly is, even for this cream cheese lover)
Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream (trans-fat free, although its sister product Sour Supreme isn't)

These form the basis of our family meals. This is even to the point of using the Earth Balance sticks in place of butter for shortbread and other baked items (even though there are dire warnings on the recipe about substitutions). By the way, nearly all margarines have dairy in them, but Earth Balance and Smart Balance do not.

One of our favorite desserts is to take a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread and use coconut milk in place of cow's milk for bread pudding - yummy!!! Another thing is that the unsweetened soy milk makes a wonderful base for cream soups, especially clam or corn chowders.

I have to read labels religiously, but most labels now have allergenic ingredients highlighted in some way. Aside from the obvious milk, milk solids, butter, etc, we also screen for whey, casein, and words with derivatives such as lact- and casein- in them.

I have recently branched out into trying to make my own dairy-free cheese substitutes, as the ones on the market are either nasty or have casein in them. My favorite recipe is the Lesserella recipe here. I have used it quite successfully in a Mac "un" Cheese recipe that HOH raved over (his greatest regret of being dairy-free is the lack of mac and cheese). I look forward to trying the other recipes as time goes on.

It's what "works for me"!!!

WFMW - Jul 5

2006-07-05T16:42:00.000-04:00

Here it is, time for another Works for Me Wednesday, and even though I had intended to post something other just my WFMW tip this week, somehow time slipped past me.

On to my WFMW tip. My family is nuts over eggs. We go through about 4 dz eggs each week for our family of 5. That's a lot of eggs!!! One thing we do that uses up so many eggs is to eat egg salad sandwiches. I'll hard-boil at least 1 dozen and them make them into egg salad. While I'm still perfecting the whole hard-boiling process, I do have a good tip for mashing the eggs. Sometimes, I use my pastry blender. It allows me to get my eggs as fine or as coarse as I want. Another tool that I use more frequently is my potato masher. Its holes are perfect for the consistency we want in our egg salad. Because it is plastic, cleanup is a breeze too - just a run under some really hot water, a drop of soap swished around, and a rinse.

That's my WFMW tip!!

BTW, my family secret for our standard egg salad is to add a small spoonful of miracle whip to our mayonnaise for a hint of sweet/tangy. We also jazz it up on occasion. Mashing in 2 avocadoes with 3 eggs and 2 Tbsp of mayo, 2 Tbsp of lemon juice (keeps the avocadoes greener), and some finely chopped onion or chives makes a great dip. For a southwestern flair, some ground cumin is good in egg salad (with or without the avocadoes). We also like to put curry powder in it sometimes.

WFMW June 28

2006-06-28T14:44:00.000-04:00

It's that time again. Works for Me Wednesday from Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer. So far, I've gleaned many wonderful tips from some really neat ladies. I hope I've been as helpful to others as they have from me.

This week, we're going into my kitchen. I've learned a few things over the years that help me with food prep. One of those is to buy meat on sale in bulk and store it in my freezer. I usually have 1 turkey, 2 chickens, bags of drumsticks, bags of boneless/skinless breasts or thighs, packages of chicken parts (usually thighs) and multiple packages of beef - steaks, ground beef, stew meat, etc. We usually buy 1/4 beef and keep that in the fridge, but in between beeves, I stock up with the store has a meat sale. This week, I've expanded on that because the store had a stupendous sale on ground round - $1.89/lb. Now, I have 5 lbs worth of meatballs in my freezer, which ended up being about 160 meatballs. I love meatballs. They are so versatile. You can make chili with them, spaghetti, meatball soup, and meatballs with rice. Those are just the top 4 recipes we use them for.

Here's what I did. I took my biggest bowl - a Tupperware "Thatsabowl" - and put my beef in it. In the meantime, I had cleaned about 4 carrots and cut them into chunks. I also cleaned about 4-5 stalks of celery and cut them into chunks, and 1 onion peeled and quartered, plus 4 garlic cloves. I stuck these into my food processor and made a slurry. I added a bunch of quick oats to the beef, probably 3-4 cups, and probably 3 Tbsp salt. When the veggies were all liquefied, I poured them in as well. Then, I mixed and mixed. When it was all incorporated well, I shaped a meatloaf from about 2 lbs of the meat and left the other 5 for the meatballs. Then I spread out some wax paper on cookie sheets and grabbed my small scooper thing from Pampered Chef (about 1" dia). I just started plopping beef onto the sheets and covered with more wax paper when done. It was a cinch, especially since I didn't have to make the meatballs by hand, and the cleanup was easy as well. When the meatballs are frozen, I'll just stick them in a freezer bag and pull out as I need. The cookie sheets are covered with wax paper, so I don't have much cleanup on them either.

That's my tip, and it works for me!

Let's Get Real Monday - shoes

2006-06-26T21:47:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I participated, but I love shoes, so I had to join in!

Since getting married and having kids, my feet have grown. I went from a 9.5-10 to a 10.5-11. So, my shoe collection has greatly diminished. Now, although I adore shoes, I am much more selective, especially because I prefer to have supportive shoes that are comfortable. I tried to wear a pair of heels about 2 months ago, and was miserable for 2 weeks afterward because I'm not used to wearing them anymore.

My main pair of shoes is a basic New Balance shoe - 336. I love these shoes!

My other pair of favorite shoes is a pair of Men's Skechers. I can't find a pic of them online anywhere, so they must be discontinued, much to my chagrin. They are dark brown leather clogs. I got them when I was largely pregnant with Teflon and I needed a pair of slip-on shoes that I wouldn't fall off of like I do my Eastland clogs. After searching high and low in the women's section, I could only find a few (Clark's) that I liked, but they were out of my price range. When I went to retrieve DH, I stumbled across those shoes, and fell in love - comfort, price, and fit. I still wear them a lot. In the winter, I pair them up with my wonderful handknitted socks and stay quite toasty. In summer, I just slip them on and go!

Next comes my dressier and summery shoes.

I like to wear these, only mine are in a tan nubuck.

I also have a pair of black dress shoes that I got when pregnant with Timex - Strictly comfort brand from JC Penney. I coveted the Mary Janes, but we didn't have the extra money to buy that style, so they are very sensible flats with a funky toe, and I love wearing them to church in winter. My only real pair of sandals are a pair of Earth sandals that I got in Massachussetts 2 1/2 years ago. I was wearing DH's Birk's at the time, but he ruined his shoes in the ocean and took them back, leaving me unshod. We passed by a shoe store that had their sandals on clearance, so I got them for a steal - $20. While I don't wear them often, I still love them and the way they make my feet feel. They are thongs, but have this fringe on them, and that fringe keeps them from making my feet look like skis.

I have two other favorite pairs of shoes, but can't wear either of them. One was a pair of Rockport walking shoes that I got before going to college. I wore them until they stank so bad that DH demanded their removal from our family. I have never found another pair like them, which is too bad. The other pair is my Birks, which I wore the soles out on them. I kept them for the longest time, thinking I'd eventually resole, but now my feet are just a smidge too long, so I eventually threw them away too.

So, that's me. I love shoes, especially sturdy, sensible, "granola" shoes (that happen to cost an arm and a leg!). I like my feet to feel supported and comfortable. It's ironic that my dress style reflects this. I prefer to wear khakis, jeans, or jean skirts (capris and shorts in summer) with t-shirts, sweat-shirts, or casual sweaters. If I wear a dress, it is often compatible with my clogs or black flats.

Sad state of affairs - buyer beware

2006-06-23T21:38:00.000-04:00

To me, this article represents the sad state of affairs in the U.S. today. The basic premise is that we spend enormous amounts of time working to make enough money to spend it on a small amount of time saved in the form of convenience items. Not to mention the health costs of eating so much "convenience" food in our diets. Another thing, my time with my husband is too precious to cause him to waste 5 hours to save me 1. I'd rather forego my blogging time to make it up than that. I'm going to start buying less convenience food and see how much we save. Maybe that is the reason I've not been able to keep the grocery bill as low as I thought it could be. Anyway, it just flummoxes me. I mean, yes, things like baby carrots are handy, but does it really take that long to clean and cut carrots into sticks, especially when you enlist your kids to help peel? And, with a pressure cooker, you can cook beans in bulk in very little time. I think they taste better too, even though I often buy canned just so I don't have to plan ahead (which is my own laziness & lack of self-control). Those are just a few examples, and even in my own fairly healthy cooking, I know that there are plenty more where the 2 above came from! My challenge to myself is to cut out as many convenience items as possible and see where the real costs and savings are - time, money, or both?

Perhaps we are becoming the stereotype of a "fat, stupid, lazy American"? Something to think about.

VBS

2006-06-21T19:11:00.000-04:00

This week is VBS week for our church. What a busy, happy week! I'm working snacks, so Teflon is in the nursery, Timex is in a special Pre-K class for VBS worker's children, and Bubba is in regular VBS. We're having a grand old time back in the kitchen. It has been a fellow young mom and 2 of our seniors (both 84, I think) and I. Not only are we enjoying our work and the good company, but also the different age groups. Each brings its own unique set of challenges, but they also have something special about them that makes them so enjoyable. I'd say the miniature table full of Pre-K is my favorite, though. Those tiny little bodies sitting up so straight and trying to do such a "big kid" job of eating their snack without a mess - really cute! It's also fun to see the Kindergarten group at the bigger table trying to act bigger than the little ones. The little ones' prayers have been cute as well. The older grades are so appreciative of the snack and cold drinks right after recreation time, and they love to help clean up. The middle grades are equally sweet, and sometimes they try to out-do each other with politeness.

In my own family, I'm seeing 2 little boys wrestle with sin and salvation. They have been talking about how we all sin and that sinners go to hell, but Jesus loves us and died for our sins so we don't have to. It's hard to convey the doctrine of election to such small ones, so we're not really focusing on that. It is enough that they know that they sin, but that Jesus' work on the cross "fixed" our hearts so we can live with Him in heaven. I'm also amazed to hear my 5 year old express such sadness that many people in our neighborhood do not go to church and that so many people in the world don't know Jesus. He knows that reading the Bible is very important to us as Christians, and he thinks that if someone knows the Bible, then s/he is saved. I haven't been able to find the right words to explain that one to him, but hopefully the Lord will bring the right words at the right time.

Today was "hump" day, so now that we're over the "hump," I'd love to see us finish the week with a flourish! Our job isn't done until Friday night after the closing ceremony. We have enough leftovers, however, to keep extra work at a minimum.

WFMW June 21

2006-06-14T15:00:00.000-04:00

Trying to teach kids their phone numbers can be a challenge. I had not been able to get my 5 year old to do so. That is, until I came upon this little trick. We took our home phone number and put it to music (Old McDonald). He now gleefully sings it whenever you ask. The 3 year old almost has it down, too. To avoid confusion, we put HOH's and my cell numbers to different tunes, and they are gradually learning these as well. In time, I will get creative enough to put our address to music, as they don't know this either, but for now, we're working on significant phone numbers.

Of course, the song trick is not limited to phone numbers, or even addresses. We have also used it successfully for a little ditty to remind the boys that all of need to strive to please God not ourselves. There's only two options on the shelf: pleasing God or pleasing self. That is the saying, and we made up our own song and words to elaborate on it (not just me - Bubba helped too). But, that saying is for another post.

WFMW June 14

2006-06-14T07:31:00.000-04:00

My headache protocol

I get headaches on a nearly daily basis. In fact, I've just been diagnosed with atypical migraine.

Here is my headache protocol that I use every time to nip these boogers in the bud. It doesn't always work, or work right away, but it gets me to a point where I can function, and that's something.

1. Drink a big glass of water or 2; wait about 10-15 minutes to see if it goes away. Many headaches have their root in dehydration, so I always do this to ensure that I'm not taking medicine for something that just needs water.

2. If possible, lay down and rest in a dark room for 15-20 minutes.

3. Sniff some lavendar essential oil. Something about this relaxes me and often helps relieve my headaches.

4. Take apple cider vinegar tablets. I don't know, but something about this also helps sometimes.

5. Now we are at the medicine point. Sometimes, er, usually, I have to take medicine to help, even though I don't like it. Usually by this point, it's a pounder, so I take 2 tylenol together with 2 aspirin, and I try to make sure to drink something caffeinated with it (aka Amy's mock Excedrin). This will normally do the trick.

6. In the rare case that the above protocols don't work, I will take 2 liquid-filled ibuprofen gel-caps about 2 hours after I've taken the mock Excedrin combo.

***NOTE*** I've been told by my doc, however, that as soon as I feel the migraine coming, I should take medicine and prevent a day of misery. Sometimes I'm not that smart, and sometimes I am. If it feels particularly bad, I have a prescription (Relpax) that I can take that will stop it dead in its tracks. I prefer to do things naturally, but this drug works and it works well, which is something that I've not found with any of my natural remedies. For the first time in years, I can be virtually pain-free when I want to be (meaning when I'm not trying to go days between taking the drug)!

Summer Reading Filch

2006-06-13T22:22:00.000-04:00

So, I've read about the summer reading challenge at several blogs (I remember Good Soil, Quiet Life, and Well-mannered Frivolity in particular), but didn't sign up for it. I did, however, filch several interesting-sounding titles - ones that were outside my usual repertoire of reading. Boy, so far, I'm really glad that I did! :) So far, I've read The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim, which was very enjoyable to read, especially in the evenings before bed. The imagery is quite vivid and the descriptions rich enough to aid in peaceful dreams. The other book I've read is Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. While it is not a slapstick, laugh uproariously book, it was very amusing and I loved the tongue-in-cheek humor.

Next on the list is The Hawk and the Dove trilogy by Penelope Wilcock. I'm only a few pages into it, but I can already tell that I'm going to be hooked. The other one that I got from the library is by Elizabeth Gaskell, whom I saw on someone else's list. I just didn't get the same book that she is reading (which I can't remember). I'm reading North and South. The last book that I have for this round of library books is by Amitav Ghosh, The Glass Palace. The title and description intrigued me, so I picked it up. Hopefully I can get them all read before they need to be renewed, but no harm in doing so as it is free. I think I have about 10 books total that I'd like to read this summer, so we'll see if I can meet my personal reading challenge.

How does your garden grow?

2006-06-12T21:03:00.000-04:00

A lot of blogs are prompting me to "brag" about the beautiful garden I'm being blessed with. It is pretty empty right now, but I have grand plans for it. Here's what I do have so far, though.

I have 3 tomato plants out, and 2 have a couple of pretty yellow blossoms. I have an heirloom Wisconsin 45, a Plum Dandy, and a Viva. The latter 2 are plum tomatoes.

My squash has about 5 leaves. I have some Hubbard squash, Little Jack pumpkins, and Rond de Nice zucchini planted, too, but they have yet to come up.

I've picked peas twice now, and have almost a cup of peas (they're a dwarf variety, so cute!). I am thinking that I need to buy 2 packets of seed next year, though, because it's just not enough for this pea-eating bunch around here.

My herbs are taking off. The lovage is nearly as tall as I am, and flowering. I have 6 volunteer cilantro plants that have really taken off. I'm really excited about this because I absolutely adore cilantro. My thyme, chives, oregano, sage, and tarragon are doing well, too. I also have a volunteer chamomile that came up in a pot. I'm excited because we love chamomile tea. I recently planted some rosemary that is really healthy and happy. I have a couple of herbs that aren't planted yet, too, but maybe I can do that tomorrow (and perhaps even take pics!). They are lemon balm, which I will be planting in a pot since it is so invasive otherwise, and a basil so I can put it fresh into sauces.

Today, I also planted 2 new scented geraniums and a tiny lavendar plant. I also planted some seeds for teeny roses from Renee's Garden, called Angel Wings - hopefully these will grow because Teflon has decided that he needs to taste the dirt in their pot. These will go into our front flower bed with some lavender (maybe a blend of Munstead, Hidcote, and fern-leaf). There's a lot of work there - digging out the existing soil, adding some topsoil and peat moss, getting lavender that will overwinter, and getting the roses to grow. I think it will be worth it, though. I am considering adding some Enfant de Nice carnations too. I just love the smell of old-fashioned carnations! Just thinking about the beautiful colors and smells that will come from out front! I'll need to get some nice furniture for my front porch so we can enjoy it even better. ;) I'm getting some ideas about the rest of the landscaping, too. I have seeds from Renee's garden on my "covet" list for this: Fragrant Stock, Forget-me-nots, Alyssum, Sweet William, Sweet peas (for hanging baskets in spring), Nigella, and a wildflower from the Pacific NW called Clarkia.

I also want to build a berm on the low side of our yard and plant a cypress or two. Then, I plan on putting hostas, painted ferns, lily of the valley, and perhaps some of the above flowers who are on the covet list.

I could go on and on, but it might get boring for you. ;)

WFMW June 7

2006-06-08T07:24:00.000-04:00

I know this is a day late, but Blogger was acting up every time I tried to post yesterday.

My tip is very simple. It is how to get salt, pepper, or peppercorns from their storage containers to their shakers or grinder.

I take off the lid to the shakers or open the grinder door (have a nifty hand-squeeze grinder). Then, I put this teeny tiny funnel into the hole. It is no bigger than 3 inches across at the widest, and I think the funnel spout is about 1/2" dia, if not 1/4" across. Then, I just pour my salt, pepper, or peppercorns into it and close it up when done. The peppercorns sometimes get a bit fiddly and clog up the spout, but a few taps against the side of the grinder resolves this easily. Even with the fiddly peppercorn part, it is so much easier than trying to get the kids quiet and out of the kitchen long enough to wrestle with everything. Works for me!

I'd like you to meet an incredible lady!

2006-06-06T15:44:00.000-04:00

She goes to my church, and I'll call her K to protect her privacy. This lady just had triplets 6 weeks ago, and she's already back and at 'em bringing them to church (just started last Sunday evening).

What makes her so amazing? I'm not sure. I know that her love of God plays a huge role in this. Did you know that she prayed for twins this last time she and her husband started trying to have another baby? She already has 3 older children - 6, 3 1/2, and 20ish months. Her mom was one of 2 sets of twins, and I think there is a history of twins on her husband's side, so they definitely had the multiples issue covered. Anyway, I'm rambling. She is just really neat. Such an amazing picture of trusting in the Lord, and He has been her strength.

Anyway, I just wanted to put a public kudos up for K. I saw her out with 5 of the kiddos today. With her mom's help, she had taken 2 of the triplets to their doctor's appointment & then to Fazoli's for lunch. I tell you, it was such a joy to see them today. The last triplet is supposed to come home this week. Let's pray that he (Baby K3) can stay out of the ventilator tent for 48 hours so he can be welcomed home.

Eat your heart out, Miracle Grow!!!

2006-06-02T12:56:00.000-04:00

I raise big babies. It's just a fact of my life. All of my boys were over 8 lbs at birth (Timex was over 10 lbs). I'm used to lugging 25+ lb toddlers around and have the biceps to prove it. However, my darling 14-month old Teflon takes the cake. He had a well-baby checkup today and tipped the baby scales at 27 lbs 12 oz. His height is even more astounding. He is 34 1/2 in tall. No wonder I've been noticing that I can't carry him as well anymore! I'm still in shock at his stats. His feet and hands ("man hands" as the doctor called them) are really large, too. I think he is going to be tall like my husband's youngest brother. Uncle Andy is over 6'4", and there is a grandfather or great-grandfather who was something like 6'7" on that side, too. Not to mention that we are tall willowy people on my dad's side.

Go breastmilk and cheerios!!!

2006-06-01T13:44:00.000-04:00

1. What is your life verse?
Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

2. Give a bit of your testimony. (fuller testimony here)
You may or may not know that I come against pentecostalism & charismania pretty harshly. The reason I do so has a lot to do with my background. My parents are ones who are looking in the clouds for Jesus to come, and think that he will return during Rosh Hoshanah of this year or next (been saying that for about 3 years now). As a child, I was always afraid that when I couldn't find them, they had been raptured & I was left behind because I was such a bad person. Let me tell you the damage that this mindset creates can take many many years to heal. As a result of this, I still tend to be more of a "pan-millenialist" - no matter what happens, it will all pan out in the end (pun intended, but I'm serious, too). The most freeing moment that I can remember, however, was the dawning realization that, yes, I am indeed really really bad. I deserve to be "left behind." But, that because of Christ's redeeming work on the cross, I am saved from the fires of Hell and guaranteed eternal life. The reason why it is so freeing is that I now know that I have to rely on Jesus to get me into heaven. I won't be "left behind" as long as I remain in Him. That realization has done more to help heal the damage than anything else, and I praise God that He showed it to me!!

3. Do you have a favorite preacher?
I have a lot of favorites. I really enjoy listening to our pastor. I also like James McDonald, Ravi Zacharias, and Alistair Begg.

4. What's the best Bible study you've ever done?
The Elizabeth George Philippians study we did in the fall at church.

5. What do you feel God's calling is on your life?
"To glorify God and by enjoying Him forever." (From John Piper's book, Desiring God) I love the slight change in semantics that Piper puts forth. Somehow, it reminds me to take an active role in enjoying and glorifying God.

WFMW May 31

2006-05-31T10:30:00.000-04:00

Ahh! It's time for another "Works for Me Wednesday," the part of the blog where Amy comes out and gives a WFMW tip.

In honor of our lack of A/C, which is currently being looked at right now (and while you're at it, please say a prayer that we do not need to replace our 18 month old heat pump), I am going to post a few "keeping cool" tips that I've learned in the last few days.

Foiling your windows (this is an elaboration of tip #3 from yesterday). DH used to do this at college, and surprisingly, it helped enough that the back of the house (west-facing) stayed nice and cool all afternoon long - even upstairs! I took the cheapest aluminum foil I could find, DH's masking tape from the garage and had at it. I left a few holes for light, but it still helped. I'm sure the neighbors thing we're wierd, but what's new, eh?

Fan positioning. We have a 20" fan tilted up the staircase, so it is blowing cool air from downstairs into the upstairs. I think I'm going to continue doing this trick, as it is making our loft so nice and cool. The other fans are positioned in the bedroom doorways, so we're constantly pulling the cooler air blown up the stairwell into our bedrooms.

Run the heat pump fan constantly, even without the A/C running. This helps bring the hot air downstairs and the cool air up and makes the temperature more even. Otherwise, upstairs is around 85 degrees and downstairs stays a comfortable 78 degrees.

Those are the biggest helps, but I'm so thankful for the fan positioning tips from my parents. They've really helped keep us as cool as anything.

Beating the heat

2006-05-30T17:08:00.000-04:00

Well, our A/C conked out over this nice hot humid long weekend, and it's going to be at least Thursday for anyone to come look at it, or next week if we wait for the company that installed our A/C to come out. So, in honor of the heat, stickiness, and general overdependence on conditioned air, I thought I'd write out my suggestions for things to do. Given the situation, I think it is a good idea. I might otherwise forget a few of my ideas and get desperate.

1. Run fans. Lots of fans. Moving air is much better than still air.
2. Popsicles, watermelon, and crushed ice in our water.
3. Foil on the west-facing windows - keeps the back of the house cool.
4. Stay downstairs as much as possible.
5. Don't use the oven.
6. Nurse as little as possible, give sippy with ice instead.
7. Library - A/C, books, and a play area.
8. Acclimate.
9. Be grateful when it is fixed!

Meme fun

2006-05-25T14:40:00.000-04:00

Got this from Kim at Hiraeth

20 years ago I . . .was only 8, and dreaming of what I was going to be when I grew up - a nurse, a ballerina, a teacher, and most definitely a mom

10 years ago I . . .had just graduated from high school, and I was dreaming of my plans to pursue a special education degree from Ball State University

5 years ago I . . .had my first baby, only a couple of months old; we lived in an apartment, and I thought I was going to have to work my whole mothering career

3 years ago I . . .had my second baby, and he was only a couple of months old; living in a duplex and scared that I would go insane from battling my challenging oldest child.

1 year ago I . . .had my third baby, only a month or so old, plus settling into our new house - such a blessing!!! We also were getting ready to leave our PCA church and start going to a Reformed Baptist fellowship.

So far this year I . . .have become a member of said Baptist church, started to develop a much closer walk with the Lord, and bought seeds for a big garden (that is still unplanted due to rain and cool temps), still getting settled into our house & now trying to figure out how I want to decorate things inside and out.

Yesterday I . . .got the 2 big boys back from mom's, went to MIL's for supper, and finished reading Tracy Groot's book Madman, which is a fictionalized account of the demoniac of Gerasene

Today I . . .did laundry and cleaned up the play room. Still need to bake bread, and want to sew some (maybe due a tutorial of yesterday's WFMW tip or the cloth napkins that Kim has mentioned).

Tomorrow I will . . .go to the chiropractor and get groceries to prepare for the busy weekend

In the next year I will . . .begin my homeschooling journey in a more formal manner, possibly get pregnant again (feeling the call that our quiver isn't quite full), and maybe help HOH start a consulting business with another couple at church.

In the next minute I will . . .hit "publish post" and get off of here to change Teflon (aka Short Stuff) as he has stunk up his diaper for the 4th time today - must be teething from the smell.

WFMW May 24

2006-05-24T08:31:00.000-04:00

Getting more mileage out of your clothes.

Let's face it, even moms get holes in the knees of their favorite pants. I can't tell you how many pairs of pants have done this traitorous thing to me in the past 5 years. Normally, my first course of action is to make shorts out of them, cutting them off above the hole. Now, however, I've taken to making them into capris. You might ask, "Capris? With the holes in the knees?!?"

This is where it gets creative and works for me. Cut them off right at the top of the hole(s) or just slightly above. Then, cut strips of a contrasting fabric (this is where the remnant section of JoAnn's is fabulous) as wide as you need it to be to make capris (I usually like my capris between mid-calf and my knee, so I'll usually make my band 6-8 inches, minus the hem). Sew the strip together to make a band of fabric the same width as your pant leg and hem it before putting it on the pants. Then, attach the band of contrast fabric to the leg of your pants and voila! You have some really cute capris! If you want to get really creative, you can buy about 1/2 yard of fabric from the fabric store, instead of the remnants, and use the leftover scraps to applique patches up the legs, on the pockets, make a kerchief or even a belt. I've even considered (haven't done it yet) tacking on some rickrack where the pants and the contrast fabric meet for even more cute flair.

Now, this can also be done for little girls pants, but I don't recommend this course of action for boys. They're not so appreciative, nor are their dads. :-P Their pants are better suited for shorts or very boyish-print patches on the knees until the poor knees can't take anymore patching, in which case they're probably ready for the trash anyway, not a makeover into shorts.

Prayer requests

2006-05-19T07:11:00.000-04:00

I've had a lot of prayer requests lately, and I want to share a few with you.

Firstly, momrn2 just got back from a trip, and her daughter is really sick. Here's the post that tells about it.

Secondly, a good friend of mine, RW, from the PCA church we attended has suffered her second miscarriage in less than a year. This time, she was about 15-16 weeks along when they found out the baby was dead. Fortunately, she was able to deliver it without needing a D & C, so they got to bury it in their yard under a rosebush. My heart is just heavy for her. She has 2 sweet boys - a 3 year old and an 18 month old, and they want many more children so badly.

Thirdly is a selfish request from me. I need wisdom in speaking with my family members who don't agree with my faith views. So often, I feel like "muff" it when speaking to them, to maintain peace in the family. I try to not be hard on myself with the things that don't matter, but both parties to which I'm referring hold some very erroneous beliefs that I simply cannot condone. I need strength to hold to my convictions and lovingly (in God's timing) explain my beliefs.

I appreciate all the prayers, and I'm sure momrn2 and RW would be especially grateful for them!

2006-05-18T21:57:00.000-04:00

I've been struggling a lot lately to find something worthy to talk about. I don't just want to be some self-absorbed fluffy blogger, and I really want to touch my readers' lives the ways that some of my favorite bloggers have touched mine. My faith journey looms very large in my mind right now because of the tremendous journey I've been, especially the past few years.

I also wanted a place to showcase my knitting adventures, but there's not a lot to talk about there, either. I like to knit socks and get a pair done in about a month to six weeks - need to post my Thuja-inspired socks. I'm addicted to wrap patterns and have started one (Cozy from Knitty), only now I'm nursing an injury in my left hand, so I shouldn't be knitting at all until it heals up.

I think for now, aside from my WFMW tips, I may try to post about different issues that are near and dear to my heart and my Christian walk. If you have any suggestions about how you come up with blogging topics, please feel free to leave me a comment! I'd appreciate it!

Works for Me Wednesday, May 17

2006-05-17T08:27:00.000-04:00

You know, I had this great WFMW tip all in my head, but didn't immediately write it down. So, of course, I don't remember it now. It wasn't anything to do with natural health, but that doesn't help me, so I'm going to post something different. If I do happen to remember what it was I was going to post, then you'll get 2 for 1 today! LOL!!

Meal-planning helps
HOH has started going with some other men to do prison ministry on Monday nights. He doesn't really have time to eat with us, so I'm officially making Monday "Breakfast for Supper" night. It's quick, delicious, and we get to eat some of our favorites that are usually too time-consuming for me to fix the hungry pirhanas, er, boys in the mornings. Wednesday nights can get hectic, too, so I almost always make that my leftover night - quick, easy, and frugal, too! Another "leftover" time is lunch on Sunday. We live 30 minutes from church, and get back home right at lunch time. To ward off any "let's-just-eat-out-itis" having leftovers planned works, and if the "let's-just-eat-out-itis" does indeed strike, then we can always eat the leftovers another day. If we're going to have company over after church, however, I almost always fix something that can be cooking in my oven while we're worshipping. That way, my family and guests arrive to the wonderful smell of warm food that's ready to go as soon as we set the tables. The other option is to stick something in the crockpot on high, but that is rare.

Part Two
Reading Holy Mama's fast-food-in-the-minivan post sparked the memory of the forgotten tip(s). So, here's two more for today!!!

#1 - We try to keep a few small toys from the dollar section (usually of the local Christian book store) in case the toys in the kid's meals are inappropriate for our children. This works really well when HOH tells the boys they can have a kid's meal and the toy that goes with it, only to find out that the toy is some grotesque thing that we don't want in our house or van.

#1b - Well, along those lines, I often do not get them a kid's meal. They can split a medium drink, medium fries, and get more chicken nuggets for less dinero if I order off of the value menu. The toys are great for cases like this. Yet another thing, I try to keep sippy cups sans the spill-proof part in the van for this purpose, so that they don't think they're sharing a drink.

#2 - When HOH cooks (aka, Chinese takeout), the boys all love fortune cookies. Sometimes I find the sayings to be a bit confusing, or too much like horoscopes, so I will "read" them to the boys and substitute Scripture, an attribute of God/Jesus, or other helpful "tip" for the Christian walk. Not only do they get their "fortune," but they also get a theology lesson! Sneaky, eh? And, I just thought about using some key questions from the Westminster Confession! Like "What is the chief end of man?"

Happy Mother's Day!

2006-05-14T07:16:00.000-04:00

Happy mother's day!

My favorite proverb.

Proverbs 31 (ESV)

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

Works For Me Wednesday

2006-05-10T13:45:00.000-04:00

Another natural health "works for me" tip!

Instead of using Immodium AD or Kaopectate, we use ground nutmeg in our house for diarrhea relief. Up until the great discovery of empty gelatin capsules, we would just take a swig of water, hurry up and pour about 1/4 tsp of nutmeg down, and chase it with copious amounts of water. That does work; in fact, it worked for us for many years. Now, however, we just fill a handful of capsules every once in a while and use those. It takes about 1-2 capsules per dosage. Sometimes, we have to take 2-3 doses (after each trip to the bathroom) to see any relief, but it usually works after the first dose, with maybe one "accident" after the dose. What I like about this is that it doesn't leave you with the exact opposite problem the next day or week. Nutmeg is evidently an antispasmodic, which is why it works - it calms your colon down. I have read that adding cinnamon can also be beneficial, and have used it a couple of times, but I'm not sure to what degree it helped.

2006-05-04T21:51:00.000-04:00

This may seem a bit silly to rejoice over, but today I wiped Timex's nose for the first time in over a year! He seems to finally have gotten the sniffles that the rest of the family has been battling for a week now, and his little nose is running. He didn't remember how to blow, though, and has spent the greater part of the day fetching kleenex for me to help him out. I'm so glad that his tonsillectomy has helped out. Oh, and another praise on that note - it was billed as a $12,000 surgery, and we're only responsible for $500. We were expecting to pay much much more, so we're grateful.

Works for Me Wednesday

2006-05-03T13:27:00.000-04:00

This is from Shannon's blog. I think it is a great idea! :)

If you're into "natural health" type topics, you probably have heard the hoopla about how good apple cider vinegar is for you. From my reading, I don't see how it could hurt, at the least, and I've used it to help cure a nasty case of heartburn that OTCs just didn't hurt. Now, why am I waxing poetic over apple cider vinegar? I can't stand the taste, and can only get it down if it is in something. However, at the handy dandy little local health food store, they have apple cider vinegar tablets! Yup, little tablets that smell like vinegar, but aren't nearly as nasty to taste. What's even better is that a small bottle costs about $5 and lasts quite a while. I think the brand that I use is Nature's Sunshine, but there could be others out there. So, that's my tip. If you can't stand apple cider vinegar, but want the benefits, try the tablets. In addition to the heartburn episode, I've found them to help keep candida (thrush) infections at bay while nursing.

Currently reading

2006-05-02T07:30:00.000-04:00

I just had to put a little blurb on here about one of the latest books I'm reading - one that I will be buying very soon. Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher is an absolutely fascinating book! A lot of what he says rings true with me. Apparently HOH and I are not as much in a minority as I had previously thought! In fact, there are several "crunchy cons" in our church, which is tremendously delightful to me. I get along well with the wives, and for once I don't feel the need to skirt around certain issues or explain myself for some of the things we choose - especially the ones like choosing not to vaccinate our children according to the AAP schedule, using nutrition, chiropractic care, and herbs as a first line of defense in our health care, and cloth diapering. One comment he makes, that has stuck with HOH and I is that the economy should serve us; we shouldn't serve the economy. Our consumerist culture is being driven more and more to serve the economy, and it has frightening implications for the family & society in general. Not to mention that this consumer-driven mindset is completely contrary to historical Christianity (and, as Dreher makes note of, many of the other major world religions). Oh, I could go on and on, but I'd rather encourage you to read the book if you're interested.

The other books I'm reading are interesting, too, but they fall into the following categories - mindless fluff and Bible study. In my mindless fluff stack are several John Grisham novels, and maybe some medieval mysteries will fall into the library bag today. In my Bible study bag, I have Martha Peace's The Excellent Wife that I'm doing with our associate pastor's wife; I also have Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp and something by John and Susan Yates about a home of grace. Our Ladie's Bible study group is on the last lesson of Seeking Him, too, so I have that to finish up, but it is in such doable sections, that I just plug away a little bit every day.

Week 1 sans TV

2006-05-02T07:14:00.000-04:00

This week went pretty well. The only time I really missed it was last night. It has been chilly and rainy a lot this week, and last night was the coldest & rainiest. However, HOH quickly remedied that by taking us all out for a drive while he returned some stuff at Best Buy. The boys are doing well without it, too. Timex sometimes forgets that we don't have the TV in the cabinet and asks for VeggieTales. I may cave tonight and let them watch a VeggieTales DVD on the computer with me, if HOH is gone tonight. Then again, maybe not. We've spent several enjoyable nights together in the master bedroom reading, and one family game night where Timex soundly skunked everybody at Hi Ho Cherry-O! I am looking forward to it warming up and drying out just a bit so we can swing, sit around the fire pit, or otherwise enjoy the outdoors.

I've also been cutting down on my Internet time significantly. In all my "spare" time I found yesterday, I made bread from scratch (and even hand-kneaded it), homemade jelly - black raspberry, and finished some craft swap items that are now overdue. Of course, I did forget the laundry for a few hours, but that's forgiveable, right? Today's plans are much lighter. I'm going to put supper in the crockpot, make 2 more craft items to include in the swap packages, and then mail those suckers. If the boys do a good job at the P.O. for me, we'll go to the library and get some books and audio books/Adventures in Odyssey CDs.

ch-ch-ch-changes

2006-04-25T19:25:00.000-04:00

I'm going to be scarce this summer, starting now. We are going on a media blackout this summer. The TV has already been packed away for the next few months, and the computer is being strictly limited. We are seeking to use this time to spend with one another and learning to enjoy each other as family. In just 3 short days, we're seeing how addicted we are to the television. We're also seeing just how much we can get done without the TV and the Internet. I'm going to use some of my Internet time to post progress, maybe even a few pictures of what we get accomplished. We're hoping to get a fence up in the back yard, grow a nice garden this year, and get more landscaping stuff done around the yard, and probably other projects, as money and time allow.

Update as a reply to a comment:

Thank you, momrn! :) The only things I miss about TV are being able to see live local radar during storms, Jeopardy, and "The New This Old House Hour" (which is pretty much commercial free anyway). But, I don't watch them religiously, either, so I'm not missing them much. We've been pretty much free of programming, with the exception of said shows, for a year now. DH took the satellite away (darn, no more Alton Brown!) about a year ago, and while it was really difficult to adjust to, I'm so glad for it because we were watching too much TV! Since then, our main source of TV watching has been DVDs and VHS. But, that's okay to be without even that because of the fact that will stay light well past bedtime very soon. When it gets too cold and dark to play outside in the evening and we're tired of playing Candyland for the umpteenth time, we'll drag the TV out and stick on some VeggieTales or Pink Panther or something else that we enjoy as a family.

I keep meaning to mention this...

2006-04-14T08:23:00.000-04:00

I came across a contest hosted by Melissa on Lucia's forum for the month of March. The details are here. Even though the contest is long over, it is still a worthy cause that I will be donating to as I am able. I got a really nice letter from the social worker yesterday, thanking me for donating. I wasn't expecting it, and it made my day. I loved how she described how knitting is so therapeutic to the residents going through the program. I know this to be true from personal experience. Knitting has been what has really helped me deal with getting off of my PPD medicine. Well, knitting and praying both helped, but when you knit, there is a lot of time to quiet yourself and pray! I'm so happy that I had some yarn laying around that could be put to good use! It's great that not only are these ladies learning healthy anxiety-relieving strategies, but they are also learning a skill that they can use to sell items.

As a result of my shopping my stash and donating what I wouldn't use, my stash has been diminished to the point that once I get some projects done, I can buy more yarn - that's what the HOH says anyway. Another thing that I got, which I wasn't even expecting, was some gorgeous stitch markers made by Mel herself! No more yarn loops for me! I'll try to get some pics up later. I used one doing the heel of my latest sock. Anyway, I just wanted to encourage you to donate any yarn, needles, or other items that are knitting or crochet-related to a program like Interim House. If you know of one different from Interim House, please e-mail me or leave it in my comments. I'd love to support as many as I can!

2006-04-10T15:21:00.000-04:00

My heart is really heavy right now. It involves a childhood church and the direction it is taking. I'm working on a more detailed post about it, but I need time to prayerfully put my thoughts into words.

On a more lighter note, this week is supposed to be gorgeous. I'm so very excited. There is baby grass in the backyard, so maybe we'll have a nice backyard this year! :) If it stays dry long enough, FIL will come over and till my garden for me, so then we can plant peas! I need to start some seeds and put them in my loft's window seat so that I can transplant the seedlings into my garden in a few weeks. I'm very excited about this year's garden. I am planning lots of beans, so I need to start thinking about where to put them and what kind of pole/trellis mechanism I'm going to use. My uncle suggests using panels of hog fence, as you can maximize space. Hmmm... I may have to look into it.

On another note, I'm trying hard to determine exactly how/what to teach Bubba come fall. I'm seriously considering the Sonlight curriculum. It looks like a good blend of "school in a box" and independent learning, plus it is Christian and literature-based, which is very appealing to me. My biggest problem is where should I start Bubba. I'm looking at the K stuff, and I don't think he is quite ready. The Pre-K stuff looks like it might be a little young for him, but there seems to be things that we should probably do from it before we really get into K for him. I'm seriously considering starting the Pre-K program now and working through it at Bubba's pace. Then, when we're done, we can always order the K curricula. I guess there's nothing that says you have to start in September, huh? Fun stuff, eh?

By the way, does anyone need any Easter candy? It's not even Easter yet, and my children's gleanings are threatening to overrun the candy/cookie jar (the cookies are already displaced). We still have another side of the family to go, too, and that side is even more into candy! Oh no!!!!

Mommy's TV choice night

2006-04-03T22:08:00.000-04:00

Tonight was mommy's choice for television viewing. I was so excited. HOH has been trying to make sure that I get to watch what I want sometimes instead of always watching what he and/or the boys want - or nothing at all, if I so choose. Normally, I pick something that we all enjoy rather than something that appeals mainly to me. Tonight, though, I felt a little selfish, and I chose to watch PBS. There was a wonderful Live at Lincoln Center on, celebrating Julliard's 100th birthday. 90 minutes of unadulterated high culture. I mainly listened as I worked on the mate to one of my single socks. It was such a joy. I have to say that there were many wonderful performers that thrilled me, including Beverly Sills and Itzhak Perlman. However, this little 13 year old boy Peng Peng really took my breath away. He played the first movement of Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto. I did watch that bit, and to see his fingers fly, dance, and frolic over the keyboard was truly awe-inspiring. I can't imagine how good he is to be able to play so well at such a young age - and with as much expression as a musician much older than him. I am so happy I was able to listen to/watch this show. Thank you HOH and boys! :) Thank you Lord for giving us classical music and gifting performers to play it so well.

Pictures! :)

2006-04-03T14:27:00.000-04:00

I'm so proud of myself. I finally figured out how to get pictures off of the digital camera. Now, you will not be spared the photos of such things as really cute babies, goofy preschoolers, finished objects, etc. :) Here are some pictures of the finished objects of 2006. This is not complete because I have 2 socks that are currently mateless (FOs #3 and #4); they haven't had their photo op yet. I think a paired photo shoot is better than posting about 2 lonely singletons. *wink*

My very first FO of 2006, and my first pair of socks! They don't look too hot on the short row heels, but I don't care. I'm still proud of them!

These are my second FOs of 2006. They were my sister's birthday socks, and my first attempt doing a traditional heel.

52 Things meme

2006-03-31T20:08:00.000-04:00

1. FIRST NAME? Amy

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not my first name, but my middle name (Jonna - joe-NAY) is after a girl my parents knew when I was a baby.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? I can't recall, and that's a good thing. I tend to cry very easily.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes. It's unique to me, but also reminds me of my mom and grandma's

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Turkey ham on whole wheat with Miracle whip and Muenster

6. KIDS? 3 boys, ages 5,3, and 1.

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I'm not sure. Probably, just because I would love to have more friends

8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Only if blogs count

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Yes, unfortunately

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope.

11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Never in a million years. It just strikes me as too dangerous.
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I like steel cut oats for hot cereal and homemade granola for cold cereal.

13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Always. I like my shoes very snug, and I could never get them off if I didn't untie them.

14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes, about average on physical, but above average in mental.

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Homemade vanilla like dad makes.

16. SHOE SIZE? 10 1/2 or 11

17. RED OR PINK? a very pale shade of petal pink

18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I obsess over stuff too much.

19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My nan - mom's mom.

20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Leave me a link in my comments

21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES YOU ARE WEARING? Blue jeans and white socks.

22. LAST THING YOU ATE? dairy-free kheer (Indian rice pudding)

23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Short Stuff fussing and Veggie Tales from downstairs.

24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Magenta (my favorite color in childhood).

25. FAVORITE SMELL? That special baby scent that all newborns have.

26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mom.

27. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their eyes, especially if they look at me when they talk to me.

28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I think so. I'm just getting to know her through her blog, but she seems to be such a very neat lady! :)

29. FAVORITE DRINK? Almost any hot beverage - hot tea, chai, or lattes. I think I need to try MissM's fave. It intrigues me

30. FAVORITE SPORT? Soccer

31. HAIR COLOR? Blonde, but it is getting darker with age, just like my mom's did (and at 65, she still has very little gray - she highlights it to make it look like she has more gray than she really does, lol).

32. EYE COLOR? Brown

33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? I have contacts but rarely wear them as they really bother my eyes. I normally just wear my glasses when I need to drive.

34. FAVORITE FOOD? Almost anything. My short list is lasagna and beef stroganoff.

35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy ending.

36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Great Outdoors, but the last one I watched that I truly wanted to was Luther.

37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? navy s/s tee

38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter, in all its snowy glory.

39. HUGS OR KISSES? Both.

40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Mom's homemade Black Forest Torte, tiramisu, or a good old-fashioned custard pie.

41. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No clue

42. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I have no idea.

43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Seeking Him, Bible, Gideon's Torch, A Return To Modesty.

44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't have one. I use an optical mouse.

45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? I don't think I did...

46. FAVORITE SOUNDS? a sleeping baby's breathing, birds singing, babies jabbering

47. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Definitely Beatles.

48. THE FURTHEST YOU BEEN FROM HOME? California when I was 5

49. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? singing
50. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? December 23, 1955

51. WHAT CONDITION ARE YOUR HANDS AND FEET IN? Dry with peeling nails - both

52. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR? A lot, but I really like C.S. Lewis, so I'll just say him.

Links to other 52 things lists:

Kim at Hiraeth
Kim at The Upward Call

2006-03-29T22:22:00.000-04:00

Today was somewhat of a rough day. I'm not sure why, unless it is just from the cabin fever that seems to strike in late winter/early spring. At any rate, the afternoon started to go much better. I was able to take a nap, a rarity. Then, I had plenty of time to start one of our favorite suppers, which we don't get often simply from the amount of cooking to be done. We were going to have Indian - complete with cilantro chutney and idlis (puffy rice pancakes). I decided to pressure cook the chickpeas for our curried chickpeas, but guessed at the time, since it wasn't written in my cooker manual. I started the rice, and began preparations for the chutney while the beans came up to pressure. The rice was done a little before the beans, and it turned out wonderful. I do believe it was the best I've ever cooked rice in my life. Consistency that even HOH raved over!

The beans, however. Let me tell you about those beans. I have enough very soft chickpeas to keep us in hummus for 2 months! Good thing I was planning hummus next week, eh? I cooked them too long. So, it ruined my plans for dinner tonight. And, I worked hard at this because cooking Indian takes a while (which is why I usually use canned chickpeas for this). I was so tempted to complain or be mad or throw myself a good tantrum. But, I didn't. I couldn't. I just kept thinking of how grateful I am that HOH makes good money and we can afford to eat out on occasions like this. At least I didn't have to wrack my brain to try to come up with something for my hungry kids to eat out of the mess I made. It is all a matter of perspective. Yes, I'm disappointed in my supper that wasn't, but I can buy a can of chickpeas at the store and start over again in a few days. At least I have my perfect rice already made. And I'm really looking forward to the chutney and idlis. And, HOH's fix for our supper dilemma was excellent, too!

Currently...

2006-03-27T15:58:00.000-04:00

Linda at Soli Deo Gloria sparked this idea for me! :)

Current Bible study: Seeking Him by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Current fiction book(s): Lynn Austin's Chronicles of the Kings series, Sharon Kay Penman's Justin de Quincy mysteries, Frank Peretti - I think The Oath is next if the library has it

Current nonfiction: The Bear in the Attic by Patrick F. McManus

Currently listening to: WISG 93.9 "The Song" or WGNR 97.9 "Light for the Crossroads"

Currently watching: Lady and the Tramp, all of the Pink Panther movies with Peter Sellers, Sheerluck Holmes or The Ballad of Little Joe - until another VeggieTales video gets remembered

Currently praising the Lord: that Timex's tonsillectomy & recovery have gone so well, for HOH's new job that starts next Monday, for our new church and how supportive they are

Currently giggling over: Short Stuff's baby jabbering, Timex's vivid imagination, Bubba's counting the letters on the bathroom sign (didn't have a lady or man silhouette on it) to make sure he went into the right one

Currently celebrating: the herbs that survived the winter and are poking their heads up in my garden, crocuses and even daffodils beginning to bloom, Short Stuff's birthday

Currently planning: supper (dairy-free Beef Stroganoff), my garden (peas will go in as soon as the soil dries a bit), organizing my kitchen with MIL

Post and Run: Timex's update

2006-03-23T08:24:00.000-04:00

Timex did very well with his surgery. He ate the nurses out of popsicles yesterday - he had 12. They have fallen in love with my funny little boy. My MIL stayed the night with him, because Shor Stuff still nurses at night - a lot. So, Short Stuff and I will be heading out as soon as we get dressed and eat breakfast. Hopefully we'll be bringing Timex home around noon, unless he refuses to eat and drink today. He is very homesick. I think he thinks that home will help him feel better, and who knows, maybe it will!

Praise the Lord for the good surgery!

Updated: We are home now. He is doing much better now that he is home. He has eaten so much, and drank a lot of water, too. He even took a good nap on the way home. He had a rough night last night, being so homesick. I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep for him and a resulting good day tomorrow.

Brief update

2006-03-20T23:18:00.000-04:00

Thanks for prayers. Timex is still healthy, and the rest of us seem to be getting better. Short Stuff had a wonderful birthday party. My parents didn't stay as long as they had planned, due to a huge snowstorm headed our way tonight, but it was long enough. My mom brought me her sock to turn the heel for her, which I got done today. I'll have the gusset decreases done by tomorrow, so she'll get it back on Saturday when she and dad bring Bubba back to us.

I don't think I'll get my "M" for the Sock-a-month Knitalong that Knittin' Mom has started. I did one anklet sock with lots of cables on size 2s, which hurt my hands tremendously, so I'm not going to do the second sock for a while. I recently started a pair of Thuja socks (knit with my preferred yarn, gauge, and needles), but I'm not going to get that pair done before the deadline either. I'll probably have 2 mateless socks and an extra heel turn/gusset decrease for the month. But, that's okay. I can always get my "A" for April on the Thuja's, maybe even a brownie point for the cabled anklets. My "break" knitting is some yummy Karabella Aurora 8 in a chocolate color on 10.5s. That will be a shrug when it is done, and the yarn is so soft. If I ever knit a sweater, it will be in this yarn, or at least something similar in feel. I could wear that wool next to my skin any day!

I've been tagged! :)

2006-03-19T14:08:00.000-04:00

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:
1) Irish Hills
2) Dominionfamily
3) Just Janet
4) Good Soil
5) Ezekiel's Garden

Select Five People to Tag
Anyone who wants to join.

What were you doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago, I was finishing up my senior year in high school. I was in the middle of deciding where to go to college. I decided to go to Ball State University in Muncie, IN. We also moved the fall of my 18th year, next door to the house in which I grew up. That was 2 weeks before I went to college, so I kept myself packed up and only enough clothes out to get me through that last 2 weeks.

What were you doing one year ago?
A year ago, I was waiting on baby Short Stuff to arrive. He arrived on the Wednesday before Easter. It was a very quick labor & the Lord really helped me keep from delivering him in the parking lot of the hospital. I swear that if I have another baby, I am demanding another homebirth (Timex was born at home) because of the precipitous labor. I much prefer laboring in a tub vs. while going 100 mph on the interstate & kneeling on a blanket on the floor of a minivan while holding tightly to the toddler's car seat. At least Short Stuff was born in a birthing tub.

Five snacks you enjoy
1) Nutella and pretzels
2) Homemade chocolate chip biscotti
3) Guacamole and blue corn tortilla chips
4) Popcorn and chocolate
5) Banana and blueberry smoothies

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics
1) Be Thou My Vision
2) Amazing Grace
3) The Hairbrush Song
4) The Bunny Song
5) Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody
The kids don't know about the Queen song. They do, however, really appreciate the fact that I can sing many VeggieTunes at will, lol.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire
1) 10% tithe right off the top
2) Support international missions
3) Adopt several more children
4) Invest
5) Build a modest house nestled in some woods in the country with lots of land that is wooded and enough cleared to have a huge garden and woodshop for DH

Five Bad Habits
1) French Press coffee
2) creating and maintaining piles around the house (ditto)
3) sitting at this computer (ditto)
4) leaving my car a mess (I do make my bed)
5) not putting laundry away

Five things you like doing
1) Ladies' Bible study on Thursdays
2) knitting, especially socks
3) watching the Food Network, especially Rachael Ray and Alton Brown
4) gardening
5) reading - I love going to the library to check out new medieval mysteries

Five things you'll try not to wear
1) low cut or too tight pants
2) too tight or too low shirts
3) hairspray
4) too much jewelry
5) short skirts

Five favorite toys
1) computer
2) French press coffee pot
3) serger
4) new chef's knives
5) elliptical trainer

Busy, busy, busy...

2006-03-16T23:26:00.000-04:00

We've been a bit busy around here, which accounts for the lack of posting. Next week, Short Stuff turns 1. However, his exact birthday is the day we're bringing Timex home from the hospital. He's having his tonsils out. So, we're going to do Short Stuff's party on Sunday afternoon so there won't be any temptation for a 3 year old to be too active so soon after surgery. This leads to a prayer request. Short Stuff, Bubba, and I are all coughing and hacking like a pack of dogs. Please pray that Timex's immune system functions properly & spares him this so that he can have his surgery as planned. Short Stuff even had to go to the doctor for his cough. Poor baby! He is on prednisone, which seems to have given him a headache, as he has been extra clingy, fussy, and nurse-y lately. I definitely don't want Timex to get this, either before or after the surgery.

I'll be back as soon as I can, but may have to take a break for a week or so until things calm down around here.

"Let the Children Come to Me"

2006-03-10T22:37:00.000-04:00

I think I understand why the Father loves children so much. As crazy as I get at my kids, I'm even crazier for them. Each one is special in his own way - the baby for his sweet trusting and cute antics; the middle one for his derring do and the way he marches to the beat of a different drummer; and the oldest one for his sweetness & caring.

Bubba is a lover. He loves people, and he always has, even from babyhood. He has been so worried lately that a little boy he knows is going to hell because he doesn't know Jesus. We pray for this boy lots, just because Bubba knows the power of prayer & knows that it is what C needs. We will probably never see C again. It's a tragic situation. Bubba says that he will share the Gospel with him if we ever see him again, but since we probably won't, he says he's going to pray for C and his mom every day. Isn't that sweet? So far he has, too. I'm so proud of him, and his sensitivity to the things of the Lord. I never thought I'd see this day, especially when we were Catholic.

The responsibility to shape and mold these creatures is so staggering. I'm so thankful that God is there every step of the way for us, and that there are such things as unconditional love and grace. My prayer today is that the Lord gives me the words to teach these little ones as I help form them into godly men.

Slacker accountability

2006-03-07T21:38:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been doing a bit better in the slacking area, but it's not at all what I outlined! The bedrooms are about 50/50 most days - some days the beds get made and sometimes they don't. However, I've been doing really well at the laundry and the kitchen. Go figure! I'm just pleased with myself that I'm getting motivated to try to get this place tidy. It's only a little over a year old, so there's hope while it's still young! I can't remember if I've mentioned it, but HOH also suggested hiring someone to help me with the vacuuming and dusting a couple of times a month, since that seems to be my worst pitfall. I was delighted at the suggestion, and after I get my new "un-slacker" self down better, we'll see if I still need that help.

I hope I'm not too ambitious with my garden this year. I just ordered quite a few seeds from Seed Savers Exchange. I have 5 different kinds of dried beans coming, carrots, brussels sprouts, leeks, peas, peppers, winter squash, and some herbs. This is in addition to the tomatoes and summer squash that my mom will be starting for me and bringing up later this spring. I'm very excited. I can't wait for it to warm up so I can work the soil. I'm really excited about the beans. I love beans, and it is a bit disheartening that my sons all look at beans like they are some sort of alien life form. Oh well! I guess that means I only have to fight DH for them.

A bit of an update on the "library" project that HOH has going - he is putting the facing on the cabinets right now with Bubba. They're about to quit because it is late and the two babies are sleeping, or were before that last round of banging. I'm really excited about how it is turning out. I think it will be beautiful. His friend from work is supposed to come over tomorrow night and help him make the top for it - yay!!! Can't wait to see it!!! :) We may be able to install the new floor (Pergo or hardwood; we're still undecided) this coming weekend! This is particularly exciting because I may actually get all the book boxes unloaded and out of the way before Short Stuff has his birthday!

Bible meme

2006-03-04T21:51:00.000-04:00

1. Who is your favorite Biblical personage, other than Jesus?

Esther or David. God used them both so mightily. Two very great stories of providence. :)

2. What is your favorite book of the Old Testament?

Probably the Psalms because they are so deep. I also like Esther, Ruth, both Samuels, and the minor prophets I've waded through.

3. What is your least favorite book of the Old Testament?

I have only read about 1/3 of the OT, but Ecclesiastes has always been difficult for me. So, that or Numbers (so dry).

4. What is your favorite non-gospel book of the New Testament?

Again, not read a lot in here, either. Last semester our ladies' Bible study went through Philippians using Elizabeth George's book as a taking-off point, & I loved it. I've also enjoyed Ephesians, Galatians & Hebrews.

5. What is your life verse?

Jeremiah 29:11

It seems to me that my plans may not always be His plans, but His plans always lead me to someplace better than my plans would. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, I visited a new LYS. I am so in love. It is teeny compared to the other I normally go to, but it is closer, they have a great selection of superwash wool in all different sizes, and they are so friendly (which is a big changeup from the other one). They have these 2 adorable little pomeranians, and the little girl, Fiona was absolutely beside herself trying to love on my boys, who, I might add were very well-behaved & the darlings of the half-hour I spent there. :)

Faith sure is a journey

2006-03-01T15:54:00.000-04:00

God has certainly led me on quite a journey in my faith life! From a Charismatic Protestant to a conservative Roman Catholic to a reformed paedobaptist to a reformed evangelical.

I grew up in a charismatic/pentecostal home. My parents are still very much charismatic, although they attend church at a Church of God (Anderson IN) in their home town. In addition, they are more than a little supportive of the Word-Faith movement, also known as "name it, claim it" movement. It never sat right with me, and I still don't think it encompasses what God wants His children to believe, but I leave that between them and God. To that end, when I got out into college, I went through a period of testing - going to different churches, not going to church at all, attending campus fellowships, etc.

Ultimately, though, I met HOH at the beginning of my sophomore year, so I really only searched for maybe 12-18 months at most. When I met HOH, he had just taken some time off from Catholic seminary to discern God's will for his life. He met me, and the rest was history. The way he explained his faith, it just seemed so much more "real" to me than all the talking in tongues, "if you're not healed it's because you have hidden sin in your life because God doesn't want His children to be hurt, poor, sick, etc.." or anything else I had experienced. So, shortly after we got married, I was confirmed in the Catholic church. Things went along fairly well for a few years, going to mass, learning that there was a lot more to faith than what I was raised with, and just plain growing up.

The bottom fell out of my nice little world when I was pregnant with Timex, though. HOH felt a pull out of the Catholic church and decided that we should join an Anglican splinter group. The particular group we were in was extremely small with no real pastor (not to be demeaning to our friend who had started this church). I finally convinced HOH to come back to the Catholic church, and there we stayed for another year or so, where I was desparately trying to put down roots in a church that was so big that if you were gone for 2 years, nobody noticed.

One day, HOH decided that we should go to Bloomington IL to meet PastorK, whom he had met on the foray with the Anglican splinter group. As an aside, PastorK is a reformed Baptist minister in Bloomington, and a wonderful dear friend of our family. I was very resistant to this visit, because I knew HOH wanted out of the Catholic church so badly, and I couldn't understand it, at the time. I have since realized why, and obviously I agree now. This visit was very painful to me. I was scared of being ripped up by my roots and trying to fit into yet another church group, especially when I have so few friends anyway. There were many tears at this visit with PastorK and his lovely family. Finally, I awoke the final morning, and God had completely changed my heart. I know that this was God because I certainly wasn't going to budge if it was left up to me (thank you God that it wasn't!).

We came back from that visit with a firm resolve to find a good Bible believing church. PastorK suggested the PCA so that HOH wouldn't have to deal with the minor issue of infant baptism vs believer's baptism while there were other, more major theological issues with which to grapple, like justification, double imputation, free will, predestination, and all the other terms that good Calvinists like the throw around. ;) We found the right PCA church on the very first try, and we enjoyed a little over a year of great spiritual growth there. We also have some very dear friends from that church. Then, a little over 6 months ago, HOH felt that something wasn't quite right with his baptism, and that it wasn't necessarily because it was a Roman Catholic baptism. So, we went to Bloomington IL again, and PastorK had the honor of baptizing HOH this summer. After this trip, it became obvious to our family that our PCA church was no longer the place that God wanted us to call our church home. Thus began the church for a reformed body that held to believer's baptism.

Praise to the Lord that we found a good church, First Baptist, fairly quickly. Since then, we've been blessed even more richly in our spiritual lives than ever before, or at least I have. God has really used our pastor, our ladies' Bible study leader, and our Sunday School teachers to grow my faith. I have a desire to study God's word, which I had never had prior to this, even though I always considered myself a Christian from childhood. I yearn for a closer walk with Him and to please Him more than any other person in my life, even my family. I want to plumb the depths of Him and His mysteries, drinking of the fullness of His mercy and goodness. God is so good, and I'm so happy that He chose me! It is with excitement that HOH and I approach our upcoming membership. There are only 2 steps left in our process - giving our testimonies in front of the church and being voted in. If you remember, please pray for us the evening of March 12. Pray that I remember all that I want to say about my testimony!

Thus ends the story of my faith journey to this day, although I know it will continue for many years to come! While I don't always understand why God had me in some of the places I've been, I'll thank Him for the blessings that it has yielded.

Kitchen meme

2006-02-28T12:06:00.000-04:00

I got this off of Donna's blog.

1. How many meals does most of your family eat at home each week? How many are in your family?

We eat most of our meals at home. Occasionally, we eat at Chik-fil-A for either lunch or supper, but that is fairly rare. There are 5 of us, but Short Stuff is still really attached to mommy milk, so he doesn't eat a lot yet.

2. How many cookbooks do you own?

I can't remember, but I think it's around 8-10.

3. How often do you refer to a cookbook each week?

Depends on the week, sometimes only once, sometimes none, and sometimes several times.

4. Do you collect recipes from other sources?

Most of my recipes are from websites, my mom, or friends.

5. How do you store those recipes?

I have one small binder filled with recipes, and I have 2 folders crammed with recipes. I really need to organize them, throw away all the ones I can't convert to dairy-free, and make them more accessible.

6. When you cook, do you follow the recipe pretty closely, or do you use recipes primarily to give you ideas?

It depends on the recipe. A lot of my cooking is "30-minute seat-of-the-pants gourmet." Some recipes I follow very strictly, and others are used for their ideas only.

7. Is there a particular ethnic style or flavor that predominates in your cooking? If so, what is it?

Nothing predominates. We eat such a wide variety of food - Middle Eastern, Mexican, Italian, French, Indian, Chinese, and southern American (aka down home).

8. What's your favorite kitchen task related to meal planning and preparation?

Whacking the garlic cloves with the blade of my chef's knife & then mincing.

9. What's your least favorite part?

Putting the leftovers away.

10. Do you plan menus before you shop?

Yes! Back when I started staying at home with Bubba, we were really really really poor. We had a very strict grocery budget, and I found that planning meals helped me stay within that budget very well. Even though we're not in that same financial position, I use a weekly menu to help me keep from overspending on groceries. I usually only plan dinner, unless HOH is going to be home for lunch. Breakfasts are traditional, so I just make sure I have Trader Joe's O's, rice milk, eggs, and bread on hand.

11. What are your three favorite kitchen tools or appliances?

Fridge
Dishwasher
Chest Freezer

12. If you could buy one new thing for your kitchen, money was no object, and space not an issue, what would you most like to have?

A gourmet gas stovetop like MIL's, only with an indoor grill

13. Since money and space probably are objects, what are you most likely to buy next?

A milk frother or an espresso machine. MIL introduced me to a Starbucks' latte with cinnamon and brown sugar. I'm addicted, but too cheap to go to Starbucks and get one when I could buy a frother and make them to my heart's content!

If I don't get that, I really really want a programmable pressure cooker. My brother has one, and it rocks! Imagine the beans I could cook!

14. Do you have a separate freezer for storage?

Yes. It has been so nice. We put produce in it (vegetables from my parents' garden and fruits), chicken that I get on sale, and also a quarter of a beef, not to mention a few freezer meals for those times when I don't feel like cooking.

15. Grocery shop alone or with others?

Almost always with Bubba, Timex, and Short Stuff. Until you've been grocery shopping with 3 active boys under the age of 5, you don't know the meaning of fun. :-P In reality, they are normally exceptionally well-behaved throughout the trip, and we have a lot of fun. We go to Trader Joe's and Meijer (a department store with a great grocery) at the end of every week.

16. How many meatless main dish meals do you fix in a week?

I strive for one or two, but usually only do a meatless dish once every few weeks. Back when we still ate dairy, we had meatless dishes more often, sometimes 4-5 times a week.

17. If you have a decorating theme in your kitchen, what is it? Favorite kitchen colors?

No theme yet. We do have black appliances, reddish oak cabinets, and dark gray countertops. I haven't really decided on colors yet.

18. What's the first thing you ever learned to cook, and how old were you?

Cookies. I think I was 8 or 9.

19. How did you learn to cook?

I watched my mom, who is an excellent cook. I don't know that she specifically showed me anything, but she cooks so much that I just absorbed it from watching her. I also love watching cooking shows whenever we're near a TV that has the Food Network on it. I learned a lot from Alton Brown when we had cable.

20. Tag two other people to play.

Not sure. If you want to play along, just leave me a comment!

Getting Real

2006-02-27T12:18:00.000-04:00

This is for Randi. I don't know how to post pics yet, and DH has promised a tutorial this evening, so maybe I'll get pics up by then, but here is a word picture about my life and house.

I am somewhat messy, and am comfortable with the level of messiness that I usually keep. HOH (head of household) is also messy, but he desires tidiness to a degree that I don't. We won't go into that, but let's just say that the only times the house is as tidy as he likes is when he does it. Because cleaning up after 3 children and myself is enough tidying for me. I do desire a somewhat tidier house, especially before homeschooling hits full swing, but I do what I can.

I am, however, organizing a slacker challenge. I did one in the past, and it helped. Neatniks need not apply. The premise is that you start out and try to improve one part of your life that you really slack on per time period (usually a week or two), and it is cumulative. By the end of the challenge, you should have some really good habits down! :) So, I'm thinking 2 week time periods are good, and we'll start out slow and easy. Anyone in with me?

So, for the first two weeks, I'm going to focus on the bedrooms. Easy, I think... I just need to make sure the beds are made and the laundry in the baskets in my closet, everyday.

The next two weeks, I think I'll try to tackle laundry. I am terrible at getting the job completely done. Sometimes we run out of underwear, and sometimes it just sits in baskets for weeks before getting folded. This is not even touching the diaper laundry or jeans.

The third two weeks should probably be the kitchen, as it's another place where I slack so badly. The floors are almost always crumby, unless Short Stuff has been on a feeding frenzy & has cleaned up the worst of the cheerio mess. The counters are piled with junk - mostly from HOH, but since it is in the kitchen, I think he thinks that I am the one that needs to clean it up?

Maybe this is bad, but I am going to save up vacuuming and dusting for the fourth two-week period. This is an area in which I fail miserably. I don't like to vacuum because the 3 boys hate it, and I don't like to deal with the crying and constant "Are you done yet?" questions.

So, that is a "real" picture of my house, and how I'm trying to improve.

As far as my life, I'm trying really hard to keep up every day with our ladies' Bible study. Sometimes, though, I end up doing 4 pages on Wednesday night because I get caught up in other stuff during the week. I don't really do anything else, devotionally, because I just don't seem to have the time. I do try to pray when I have to get up and nurse Short Stuff in the night, but sometimes I fall asleep.

More Lessons in Quietude

2006-02-23T15:42:00.000-04:00

Today, as I read momrn2's My Quiet Corner, I was both blessed and challenged by her post and Shannon's Rocks In My Dryer post. What powerful lessons in quietude! How much have I missed because I was too busy complaining about the wilderness instead of focusing on the journey? I cannot express this any better than these two wonderful ladies have.

Thank you Lord for carrying us through the wilderness!

On Knitting Gifts

2006-02-22T22:51:00.000-04:00

I have finally finished the gusset decreases on the second of my sister's belated birthday socks. These are only the second pair of socks I have knitted, and a different heel method than the first, so we'll see how they turn out. So far, though, I am liking the traditional heel flap really well, and my only problems are the tiny holes from picking up the gusset stitches. So, it's about 5 inches of straight stockinette before I can decrease. Then, I get to kitchener again!!!! Yippee!!!!

I think I have finally discovered the outlet to needing to knit so much - gifts. I'm really liking the fact that I'm making something that my sister will like and use. Bubba and Timex picked out the yarn. It's Lion Brand Magic Stripes in the Jelly Bean colorway. It's fun, funky, and very suited to Umbrella (my sister) and her personality. So far, the process has been very rewarding. Maybe it is just that I know it will be appreciated. Maybe it is because it is for my dear sister. Maybe it is just that I am knitting socks, which are easy, quick, and very addictive.

God's sovereign work in our lives

2006-02-21T22:31:00.000-04:00

I'm constantly amazed at how God works. He never ceases to amaze me. The way He works things together, the various threads of our lives that don't seem to have anything in common with one another intertwined in amazing ways.

To look back on things in the past and see how, at the time, it was nearly unbearable. Yet, if those things had not happened, our lives wouldn't have been shaped into where they are today. All that maturity and growth would be missing. It is awesome to ponder the marvelous works of our heavenly Father. Praise the Lord for His tender care!!!

Keeping a Quiet Heart

2006-02-17T22:35:00.000-04:00

Well, I think I've finally learned the lesson that the Lord has been trying to teach me this week. I don't think my week could've gone any less the way I planned it if I had tried. Monday, I was really peevish and grumpy about it, not enjoying it at all. Tuesday, I decided to make the best of it, especially so I didn't take it out on Bubba, Timex, and Short Stuff, when it definitely wasn't their fault. So, I relaxed. I changed my attitude. I actually enjoyed it! I saw my wonderful mother-in-law every single day this week, and we visited a lot. Even though my in-laws live only 10-15 minutes away from us, it seems like we're both so busy going our separate ways that we see them even less than we see my parents who live 3 hours away. Other positives from my disjointed week are that my bed finally looks finished with the new quilt and bed skirt I bought. My van has new tires, and I got to do my weekly grocery shopping with only Short Stuff.

I feel like I missed out on Monday's unexpected blessing because my heart was not quiet. I was agitated, irritated, and focused on myself. I was able to listen to Revive Our Hearts today. Nancy was wrapping up a series about how to have a quiet heart. I'm going to be reading the transcripts, and possibly getting the whole message series. As always, it hit home for me. Such excellent suggestions. Something I've been missing. It also ties into other things I've been hearing/reading/discussing. Another thing that jumped out at me, was, as I was meditating on Jer 29:13, I was thinking. The Lord knows the plans He has for us. They are good plans, and will benefit us. Even if they aren't the plans that we have for ourselves. It is so tempting to complain about our plans being thwarted, even if we remember that the Lord works good for all those who trust Him. Part of my journey to keeping a quiet heart is to remember this truth and be Christ-centered. I hope you'll join me.

Introducing Ezekiel's Garden

2006-02-15T20:47:00.000-04:00

I'm Amy, a stay-at-home mom to 3 boys - Bubba, Timex, and Short Stuff (aka Timex 2). We live in the Midwest. Besides spending time with my family, I also like to knit, sew, and read. The boys are looking forward to being homeschooled in the next few years, too, so that will add to our busy schedule. We attend church at a Reformed Baptist church, and love to serve the Lord there.