About

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Oh, how I love this man!

Oh, gosh maybe 20 years ago I saw a commercial on t.v.  I don't remember what the ad was for, but there was a couple standing in a public square, or maybe it was something like the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Anyway, there they were, people passing by, and he shouted out for everyone to hear that he loved her, but she was embarrassed by his public display.  It kind of made me sad to see that.

Well, today, in honor of our golden anniversary (27 years on the 27th) I thought I would shout out to Eric (for the whole world to hear) I love you!

To my dragon slayer, my knight in shining armor, Eric,
Sometimes I forget the tough work that you do in the corporate world because I see your tender side.
When I am tired, discouraged, weary, and needy you are there to step in.  You've changed diapers, rocked fussy babies, you've made countless meals, and tackle my never-ending Honey-Do list with tireless energy.  You've shown me what a servant looks like and your strength is a constant for me.

Your perspective has helped me see things in new ways.  You balance me.
Because you are adventurous and spontaneous, you encourage me to try new things and push past my fears. I know you'll be there to keep me safe.

And then I am reminded of how much you do, the stresses you face that I never see and will never know.  I'm reminded of how hard you are pushed and how much is demanded of you in the hours that you are away.

Thank you for going to work every day and coming home too.
Thank you for leaving the stresses of work... at work.
Thank you for being all in all the time.
Thank you for chasing adventure and for taking me along for the ride.
Thank you for loving me - selflessly and unconditionally, just as Christ does.
Thank you for protecting me.
I want you to know I believe in you.  I believe in us.

I know that it is by God's pure grace that we share this beautiful relationship of husband and wife.  By His grace alone.
He will always be our anchor.
You will always be my captain.
I LOVE YOU!






Friday, August 21, 2015

Little Letters Vol. 4


Dear You:  Thank you for stopping by, reading this little blog, and for your kind comments.  You'll never know how much that means to me.

Dear Summer:  Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Dear Pride:  Sadly, you are a master of disguise.

Dear Suitcase:  What would you say if I told you to dust yourself off and take a little trip with me?  Wouldn't that be fantastic?

Dear Cashew butter:  You are amazing.

Dear Wisdom:  Please take care of my boy when he is away.  Always point him to things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and praise worthy.

Dear Stars:  I just adore you and how you light up the night sky like dozens and dozens of twinkle lights.

Dear Self:  My, you are fickle.  Full of faith one moment and fearful the next.

Dear Farm:  Your peace and quiet are such a gift in the midst of this crazy, busy world.

Dear Camera;  You are a fun companion, and I hope to spend more time with you.

. . . . . 








 

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Gushing on TJ's again

I was talking with a friend recently and mentioned a much needed shopping trip to Trader Joe's (or TJ's as we affectionately call it.)

Having never been there (GASP!) She said to me, "So what do you buy at Trader Joe's?"

Seriously, it's the only way I can feed our large family organic, clean food.

Where do I start?
organic pasta sauce, organic diced tomatoes, brown rice pasta, mayonnaise (it's soy free), organic ketchup, organic mustard, baking cocoa, organic basmati brown rice, all manner of organic produce, tea, Iserno's nitrite free hot Italian sausage, European cheese (which are predominately grass fed) and even greeting cards (They are only .99!)

Here are a few more of my favorite must haves. 

balsamic vinegar
 I adore a simple olive oil/vinegar salad dressing. 
I use this balsamic vinegar because it is clear.


 cashew butter
Love. love. love cashew butter


taco seasoning mix
Only spices - no preservatives. 
It's hot.  I recommend using 1-2 tsp. for your recipe, and not the whole packet


coffee
Cold brew is all the rage, and Stumpton is superior. 


skin care
 Love the smell of this.  I use it to refill my hand soap dispensers.


bacon
Because... BACON! 
And bacon without nitrites is best.


chocolate
This huge thing is only $4.99.
It is scored so I cut it up, and add a couple of squares to Eric's lunch. 
Everyone needs a little afternoon pick-me-up.


 coconut milk
This is the base for our homemade dairy-free ice cream
Also - all cans at TJ's are BPA free.


unusual, fun finds!
We had it on steak.  Just YUM


But if all this wasn't enough, meet Tina. 
This little lady brightens our day every time. 
She is super sweet and VIVACIOUS!

So why haven't you shopped at Trader Joe's?

. . . . .

Here are two of our favorite recipes for you with ingredients entirely available at TJ's.


Sunshine Chicken
Chicken thighs/breasts (your preference - enough for 8)
1/4 c. pineapple juice
1/4 c. yellow mustard
1/2 c. honey
bacon (8 slices to a package)

Combine the pineapple juice, mustard, and honey.  Wrap 1 slice of bacon around the chicken thigh/breast and secure with a toothpick.  Place in an appropriately sized glass baking dish.
Pour the juice mixture over the top.  Marinate for 4 hours.
Grill until done. 

. . .

Homemade Chocolate (Coconut Milk) Ice Cream
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/3 c. unsweetened baking cocoa
3 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whisk cocoa in a small amount of coconut milk till smooth.  Then mix everything together with a stick blender.  Add to the frozen bowl of an electric ice cream maker. 
Press start and run for 30 minutes.
Yields a very soft serve ice cream, but you can transfer it to a freezer safe container to harden.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Happy Birthday, Sarah

Hard to believe she's 24 today!
 
 
Most moms approach a birth day with a little anxiety and a lot of excitement and joy.
24 years ago the picture was a bit different for us. Very scary!
 
I had been admitted into the hospital the day before for severe pains in my side.
Even after a battery of tests, they didn't have a diagnosis so specialists were called in to evaluate.
 
I distinctly remember the doctor entering the room and looking us square in the face.
 
"I've determined it to be one of two things: fatty liver of pregnancy or HELLP syndrome. The only course of action is a cesarean.  You have about a 20% chance of survival.  We just don't know about the baby."
 
I was 36 weeks.
 
Later that evening at 8:38 a 4 lb. 5 oz. little baby girl arrived with a hearty, strong cry.
 
 
We were overjoyed and filled with hope. 
I am beyond thankful that God has his own statistical data!
 
I took a trip down memory lane this morning.  Here are few photos to enjoy from my digital archives.
 Honey Bunny, her first pet
 

riding horses at a nearby stable

 working hard on our little family farm.


 Big-sistering


Here are 24 words (in no special order) that describe this remarkable young woman.

strong
determined
early-bird
independent
generous
tender-hearted
creative
beautiful
hard-working
fun
silly
book-enthusiast 
unique
embroiderer extraordinaire
animal-lover
photographer
petite
tea-drinker
nerdy
Whovian
hiker
adventurous
sock-lover
inquisitive
 
 
 
We've had a few bumps along the way in our parenting journey.
I am thankful for love.  For God's love - unmerited, undeserving, unconditional, unbridled, and unlimited!
I pray for this kind of love as we work towards restoration.
I am thankful for forgiveness and grace too.
"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."  Ephesians 4:32
 
Happy Birthday, Tiny Might!


Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Life Lately

Helloooooo, is anybody there?

Sorry for the unexpected absence.  Our internet was down.  Like really down.  Like Z.E.R.O. connectivity.  (Ahh, the joys of country life sometimes.)  I suppose I could have used my phone, but I'm pretty much all thumbs when it comes to typing on such a small keyboard, that I risked any entry looking cryptic.

I've discovered I am a bit of a personal paradox.  While I am somewhat melancholy about the lack of handwritten, REAL letters in colored envelopes delivered to a personal curbside mailbox, I am dependent upon the instant connection to the real world through the internet.  For the last week, the running joke in our home was..."Oh, right, we don't have internet." 

"Mom, what's the weather going to be like on Sunday?"
"Let me check the weather forecast... oh, right, we don't have internet."

"Dad, the movie from Netflix paused up so I'll pop it in the mail and just order it from the library... oh, right, we don't have internet."

"I really need to order myself a 2016 planner from Amazon...oh, right, I don't have internet."

It was sort of shocked by how I've come to rely on it so much.  
Well, as you can see, the repairman was here, and we are up and running again.  Yay. YAY. YAY!

Here's a glance at what we did with a little extra time on our hands.  (Another eye opener... computer time - even little bits here and there - add up quickly.)

We worked a couple of puzzles.


(Sorry it's blurry, it loaded wonky for some reason.)
 
Ellie worked on some drawings.


I did a mini photo shoot with Hannah. 


We made zucchini bread (and LOTS of it)  Someone from Caleb's work sent him home with a monstrous size zucchini and they nominated me to make the bread

 
How nice of them.


I did have eager helpers.


 
Good news!  Everyone at his work raved and claimed it was the best they had ever tasted. 
The credit goes to Gramma's old fashioned recipe (you know, white flour and equal amounts of sugar and grated zucchini!)

I went to a garden tea party at a friend's house.  What a lovely afternoon that was.


We picked blackberries and made a batch of loose-set jam.




We found Peter Rabbit's home too.


 We harvested pickling cukes from the garden.


and made the most delicious refrigerator pickles.
 

This small batch recipe, is perfect, because even though we planted plenty of plants to yield lots of pickling cucumbers, they are not coming on all at once.


Oh, and we put the cupboard doors back on below the sink instead of the sink skirt.  The skirt kept getting hung up and it made it hard to get to the trash can.  So then the trash was kept out and seemed to always be in a different place.   I think the practical side of me won because I really like that I can wipe the doors clean and the trash is hidden under the sink.  (where it belongs.)

I've begun planning for our new school year too.  I am so thankful for the privilege to be home with my children.  It's a daunting task though.  I have to be a student myself... of my children.  What are their interests? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses?
How can I encourage spiritual growth and explain Biblical truths in ways that they'll understand? 

We have homeschooled from the beginning.  Our oldest turns 24 this month.  That means we've been officially homeschooling for 18 years.  Of course, if you view homeschooling as life-learning then it's been 24 years! 

Our youngest is 4 and is just now working on preschool/kindergarten.  So we have 12 -13 more years.  But rather than looking at it that way and becoming overwhelmed, we just need to commit our path anew to the Lord, and put one foot in front of the other.  Slow by slow, line upon line, building a strong foundation on the Word of God and a love for learning.

Fall is around the corner.  I can feel it.  The shadows are getting longer, the nights are getting cooler.  Soon, it will be sweater season.  But until then, enjoy these last couple-three weeks of summer. :-)













Sunday, August 2, 2015

A family visit

Since Eric has family in Eugene, Oregon, and since it is only a couple of hours south of Portland, we made plans to see them.  After fighting traffic for way too long, we finally rolled into Eugene.  We were pooped, but it was so great to see everyone.  (By the way, how is it that you get so tired from just sitting in the car?)
 
It was late evening, but the Aunts ordered pizza from the Pizza Research Institute.  Both the food and the conversation were so satisfying after such a long day.  In spite of 10 hours in the car (when it should have been 6) the kids did SO great.   
 
The next morning they took us to their favorite spot for breakfast called the Hide Away Bakery. 
 
 
I'm a sucker for outside dining! 
 
Eric with one of the aunts and his 2nd cousins. (His cousin's kiddos)
 
Elaina is an artist.  The Eugene vibe suits her well.
 


After breakfast, they took us to their favorite park (which happened to be Makeda's old school that has been shut down.)

It was just what the cousins needed... active, outside play time together.

 









 










 

 
It was such fun to see them, even if it was just for a short time.  It sure made for some good memories and a great start to our Oregon road trip.