Daily Life

We're just getting the essentials done around here lately. Blogging has taken a backseat, but for some reason, I miss journaling, at the very least. I want to savor these years with my children and husband in the midst of the every day humdrum. Fleeting beautiful moments today include:



-holding a sleeping Kade just a few moments longer and marveling at how little he is (compared to how he will be someday)

-laughing tonight with the girls while eating ice cream

- totally amazed at the appetite of DJ today...3 eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 bananas, and a bowl of yogurt (at breakfast), only to be hungry for a snack an hour and a half later

-watching Levi's HUGE smile while playing in our cardboard box "house"

-seeing Kade change his "hitting" to gentle pats and strokes on Levi's head when I told him "gentle"

-hearing DJ's prayer at breakfast about God's faithfulness

-seeing the girls' eagerness to help put the boys to bed so Kent and I could have a last-minute date tonight





My last blog post I've made some progress:



I've purposefully been reading to Kade, and he loves it (for short bursts)



My friend from Haiti has heard from her family and they are alive (although living on the streets)

Thinking about...

finishing my thank-you notes

helping the boys clean the basement

having company over tomorrow after church meeting

off-loading pictures off my camera

drinking more lemon-honey stirred into hot water

working on memorizing Col 3:1-17 along with the girls

Haiti and the devastation and praying for a Christian sister whose mother and family lives there

writing a note to myself to read books to Kade every day

a lovely/much-needed evening I had at Olive Garden with Kent last week (and wishing I could do it again and again, but then it wouldn't be a treat...or cheap!)

how much I enjoy reading my friend's blogs

It's a new year and...

-I'm just not into blogging right now, but hope to find inspiration soon!
-I'm thankful for the loads of company and holiday get-togethers we had
-I'm enjoying a clean storage room, new shelves in our game closet, a new freezer (this wasn't in the plans!), a working kitchen faucet...thanks to a very busy husband and my dad
-I'm trying to help my two sick boys feel better and hoping for better days (and nights) soon
- Lovin' my new heated mattress cover for our bed on these cold winter nights. Ahhh! (Thanks, honey)
-I was inspired by our recent reading of Psalm 119 (not read in one sitting!) and how much we need to make God's Word a priority in our hearts and lives!
-I enjoyed a beautiful snowfall this morning
-I've rediscovered an old love...Bengal Spice Herbal Tea made by Celestial Seasonings Yum!
-I'm appreciating having my parents here. They've helped out so much and spent lots of time with our children
-I'm glancing at my corner of scrap booking stuff and wondering when I'm going to get a streak going again!
-Feeling challenged to check my heart when the words I say aren't uplifting or kind or necessary rather than just biting my tongue and thinking that's good enough!
-My husband says maybe, just maybe, I'm obsessed with the game Blokus! :) Will someone come play with me?

Thanksgiving Turkeys

Grandpa Stacy and Grandma Carol like to stop by our house for a few hours before our annual fundraising auction for our bible camp. And with them usually comes a fun, kid-friendly project to make and donate...something cute and edible. Here's what happened on our kitchen island the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

DJ had also been working on these hotpads to donate to the auction, too (with some help from sisters now and then).

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancake Mix

These are a wonderful variation from the typical pancake. And you can make them in a jiffy with this easy mix you make ahead.

Mix:
4 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups all-purpose flour (or 3 cups wheat and 1 cup white)

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 cup packed brown sugar (I usually do 2/3 - 3/4 cup)

1 cup instant nonfat dry milk

3 tablespoons baking powder

2 tablespoons cinnamon

5 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Pancakes:

2 eggs

1/3 cup canola oil (I have substituted half of this with unsweetened applesauce)

2 cups pancake mix

1 cup water

1. Mix all ingredients together well. Store in a sealed gallon-size plastic storage bag or airtight container. Yield: 10 cups of pancake mix.

2. To make pancakes, beat eggs in a large bowl. Gradually beat in oil. Alternately add pancake mix and water to mixture. Blend well. Preheat and oil griddle. Pour 1/3 cup batter per pancake onto griddle. Pour 1/3 cup batter per pancake onto griddle. Cook until bubbles form around edges, turn and continue to cook until done. Yield: about 10 pancakes.

This makes up to five batches of pancakes and is great to give as a gift along with a printed recipe.

Boys in action

Any idea who this might be?





Yep. It's Levi with a wig on. He got quite a kick out of seeing himself in the mirror like this!


Kade's favorite new item to carry around - popsicle sticks! And this is how I usually see DJ when I have my camera ready. He's running by.Or he's making volacanoes early in the morning...so busy he doesn't even have time to get dressed! Or he could be taking pictures with my camera....multiple pictures of random items such as his math papers. I picked only the choicest of the many!

Or I get something like this. He's getting tricky!

Food is for nourishment...at least some of the time

I don't know how it is at your house, but at my house, meals aren't always a culinary experience! And when I say "culinary experience," I'm speaking of it in a very positive light! In fact, sometimes, it's just about getting leftovers out of the fridge, cooking the fastest meal possible to ease hungry little tummies, or scrounging together whatever we have in our near-empty fridge to make a meal.

Now, I would like to make every meal not only a delight to the taste buds, but also one to the eyes. But, I've accepted the fact that it's not always to be. Sure, many days I manage to get it all right, and everyone around the table seems to savor every morsel, but there are moments when we just have to realize that food doesn't have to be all about our enjoyment and entertainment



I think our society actually makes it very hard for eaters to be thankful for something that is merely nourishment and isn't perhaps the most delicious thing ever eaten. (Note: I don't believe nourishment excludes delicious, rather it can be quite the opposite!) With "have it your way" fast food, to the myriads of grocery store choices, to the many times a month an average family eats out, we have grown a society that finds it difficult to give thanks if we have to eat the same meal two weeks in a row (or maybe twice in one week!!), or if we have leftovers frequently, or if the new food or recipe just isn't something that would make our mouths water if it were made again.



Just in case you wondered...this case of culinary disappointment never surfaces at our house! :) (note sarcasm) But I'm hoping to figure out ways to help my children give thanks...for those fantastic meals and those not so fantastic meals. I want us to learn balance...that we can totally be thrilled in God's amazing creativity to have made so many foods for us to enjoy, experiment with, combine, etc., but I also want us to realize that we live not for food merely to selfishly enjoy, but rather food enables us to live...and to live a life pleasing to our Father.

Yeah...maybe a weird post, but this topic has been on my mind. You know, I'm actually feeling kind of hungry. Some popcorn sounds good!