maybe it will come to me

I signed on here so that I could post about something that Andy and I were talking about this morning. I can’t remember what it is though. I thought that maybe if I signed on and started typing it would come to me. But I’ve got nothing.

So I guess I’ll share with you some of the Joys I’ve been having lately in the kitchen and beyond.

Yesterday I was busy making large amounts of food for my Meal Swap group. We make lots of food at once and then swap with eachother. I made Sloppy Joes and Pizza Pasta. I was stirring up the 3 pounds of cooked beef when our vegan friend came over to do some repairs for us. I was flattered when he said it smelled good.  He was probably smelling the yummy spices in my pizza sauce.

This morning the family enjoyed the pancakes with fresh pineapple and coolwhip.  Quite the treat indeed.  I like to use a master pancake mix that I found in my More with Less cookbook:

• 3 c. ww flour
• 3 c. white flour
• 6T. baking powder
• 6T. sugar
• 2 c. powdered milk
• 1 c. wheat germ (optional)

Then when you make the pancakes, you use 1 1/2 cups of the master pancake mix with 1 c. water, 1 egg and 1 T. oil.  Yummy yummy yummy.

YAY!!! I just remembered what I wanted to say.  I knew it would come to me.  I was so tickled this morning when I realized that Deacon has asked to call my mother every day since my grandma (her mother) died.  This morning before we had gotten him out of his crib, I could hear him in his room talking about her.  He said “Judy, love talking grandma Judy”.  It’s so neat how the Lord has used him to bring her joy during her grief of losing both of her parents this past week.  Oh what wonderful therapy little ones can be.

 

Yesterday, I recieved one more call

Yes, it’s true.  Yesterday, my mother called me to tell me that her mother, my Nanny, had passed away.  Now all of my grandparents are with the Lord.  My nanny died only weeks after her twin sister and only days after her husband.  I’m sure that she is so glad to be reunited with them.

Nanny, here are some of my fondest memories of you:

-Your gifts were always never-ending and original.  You liked to shop at garage sales and send me the collection of eclectic treasures that you would find.  They were so fun.

-The 5 dollar bills that you sent to me in my birthday cards were the most crisp and valued pieces of paper I ever owned.  5 dollars was a fortune to me.

-You were so crafty and loved to make things for us.  I still have the doll quilt that you made for me so long ago.  It is well loved.

-Some people say that I look like you, and I think that is really special.

As I think about all of these grandparents (3) that have passed on to glory within the past month, I was comforted by the words of this song.  We will miss them all dearly, but are so glad that they are no longer suffering in their old bodies.

 

trying to catch my breath

Our family has been SO busy the last few days. Here’s a few highlights of the things we’ve done over the past few days.

SATURDAY

Played music at a park for an event called “Pickin’ and Piggin’”. There was music provided by local musicians and BBQ vendors from all around the state. After I was done playing music, I tried so many different kinds of barbecue. I never knew that it could be so good until I moved here. I’m a big fan of the vinegar-based BBQ. I’m embarrassed to say that before I moved here, I thought Barbecue was synonymous with cooking hamburgers and hot-dogs on the grill. Boy, was I ever wrong

SUNDAY

I got a double-dose of my husband’s preaching. He preached in the morning at a church about 45 minutes south of here and then in the evening at our home church, First Presbyterian. I thought he did a great job. If you’re interested, you can hear the sermon on our church’s website: http://firstprescolumbia.org/Media/Audio/Audio_Evenings.asp

MONDAY

I tried to catch my breath yesterday, but that didn’t really happen. The boys were quite a handful. They were probably so exhausted from the big day on Sunday. Church is a big event for such little people. In the evening, we all went to the SC Musicians and Songwriters Guild. It was great, we got to hear about different events that are happening in the area that I can possibly become a part of. Also, there was an open floor where musicians could share their songs with us. I would have liked to play, but Owen was sleeping so soundly in my arms and I didn’t want to disrupt that. Deacon enjoyed the music too. Andy didn’t get to hear much of what was being said because he was too busy drawing cars and trucks for Deacon.

TUESDAY

This morning, I woke up and got both kids into the car by 8:00. We went to the food Co-op that I am a part of. I am the nursery worker, so I watched the kids while the other ladies sorted and bagged the food. I really regretted that I didn’t get up a bit earlier to make a cup of coffee. I needed it! I was watching 11 children and 8 of them were little boys between the ages of 1 and 3! Needless to say: it was a madhouse! We got home and I’ve been trying to fit all of my fruit and veggies into the fridge. We are so excited to have such yummy food available to us at such a reasonable price.

I’m hoping that things slow down for us soon. I can’t believe how big the difference is from 1 to 2 children when you have a full schedule.

I’m off to enjoy some yummy pineapple. I’ll have to save some for tomorrow’s breakfast though. One of my new favorite things is pancakes with fresh pineapple and cool whip on top. Andy always makes fun of me because Cool-whip is such an artificial food with no real substance. But I just love the stuff. It’s so girly and light. There is nothing like it. Besides, I am terrible at whipping cream. I can never get it right.

 

Another one of those awful calls.

I just got the news that my Grandfather who was about to turn 92 went to be with the Lord. He was one of those people that you thought would live forever because they were in such great health. Unfortunately, after a car accident over the weekend, he had some spinal injuries which led to his death. My Grandmother is also in hospice because of a stroke, and she is not expected to live much longer. Our family anticipates a joint funeral for them; would have wanted this.

Their love for each other was unmistakable. My grandfather took such amazing care for my grandmother for so many years. Even after a long, healthy, full life, death is hard to witness.

This is a picture of Grandpa and Grandma with Deacon at his 90th birthday party in May of 2006.

Grandpa, Here are some of my favorite memories of you:

-I loved it when you chattered your dentures. I didn’t know they were dentures, and I tried to do it with my teeth, but I couldn’t ever get it right.

-You could fix anything. Your house is filled with so many things you’ve fixed over the years. I loved to count the clocks that you’ve bought from garage sales (broken) and fixed. It was especially fun at 12:00 noon.

-I thought it was the coolest thing in the world that you had a drinking fountain in your house.

-I really enjoyed the metal puzzles that you would make. I would spend hours at your house trying to get them apart and back together again.

A couple of months ago, my grandfather mailed me one of his clocks. Nanny (what I call my grandma) wanted him to send a clock to each of his grandchildren. My clock is a simple desk clock. It is set to western time because they live in Arizona. I still haven’t fixed the time on it and I don’t really want to. Every time I look at that clock, I think of my grandparents and it makes me smile.

 

on earth as it is in heaven

This video was just too adorable to not share.

 

An unexpected birthday celebration

Monday was my dear husband’s birthday. One year older. I just love birthdays. They make me feel like a little kid again. Andy doesn’t have the same enthusiasm about them as I do, but he still had a great time celebrating his birthday with those he loves. Since we were in Ohio, we were able to celebrate his birthday with family and our favorite friends around. It was such a nice evening.

I made Chicken Cilantro Enchiladas for everyone for dinner along with a side of Vigo rice and beans. The enchiladas recipe was the best one that I’ve tried yet. It’s a pretty inexpensive meal if you’re able to get the chicken on sale, or use a whole chicken. Here’s the recipe:

Chicken Cilantro Enchiladas

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or you can use a whole chicken)

2 c water

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro

2 10 oz cans mild enchilada sauce

4 c grated monterey jack cheese

8 green onions, sliced

2 T. chopped cilantro leaves

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Tabasco sauce, to taste

10 corn tortillas

Bring chicken breasts to boil in water with onion, garlic, and cilantro sprigs. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from broth; reserve 1 and 1/3 cup broth and combine with enchilada sauce and save remainder for another use. Cool and shred meat.

For filling, combine chicken, 2 cups cheese, green onions, and chopped cilantro leaves with salt, petter, and Tabasco sauce to taste. Add 1 cup enchilada sauce/broth mixture to moisten filling.

To assemble, warm tortillas on hot skillet or microwave (15sec) until flexible, turning once. Dip each corn tortilla in enchilada sauce mixture until coated on each side and lay flat. Fill with 2-3 T. chicken filling and roll tortilla. Place filled tortillas, seam side down, in lined 9×13 baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over filled tortillas; sprinkle with remaining 2 cups cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes, until sauce bubbles and cheese is melted. Top with your choice of lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and sliced avocados.

The bonus to this recipe is that you can make extra and throw it in you freezer for future use.

 

tomorrow, we get to try it all over again

Yesterday I got pretty exhausted with mothering. It was just one of those days where things keep happening one after another. As much as I love having an infant, there are times that can be really trying on me. Owen was so run down from being over tired yesterday that he had quite the meltdown. Deacon, too, was acting very much his age when I tried to take him (and Owen) shopping. That was a bad idea. One should never attempt shopping with a grumpy two year old and two month old.

When we were at the store, Deacon saw a soccer ball on the ground and insisted on me bouncing it. Well, soccer balls don’t bounce very well. D didn’t really like that. Then he wanted to get out of the cart (or buggy as they say in SC) and hold the ball. He held the ball and started pacing around the store saying “find basket”. I found a real basket and told him to put the ball inside the basket. But D said “scared basket”. For some reason the basket frightened him. Then I had to go to the grocery store to buy some beer for Andy’s birthday. It’s special beer you can only get in Ohio. I must have looked so strange with a toddler in the cart (but trying very hard to climb out) and a baby in the sling and my 12 pack of beer. But we made it through the check-out. They didn’t even card me, I must be getting old!

This morning the boys were back to their joyful selves. Smiling and playing like two sweet, normal children. They are both taking naps now and the house is eerily quiet. I’m thankful for good nights of sleep and new mornings. When they smile at me, I seem to forget all about the stress they put me through the day before.

 

waiting for that phone call

It’s the call that you dread, but you know is coming.  I just got that call.  Andy’s Grandfather has gone home to be with the Lord.  He was an amazing man and a tremendous example to Andy and his family.  He will be so greatly missed.  We were so fortunate to be able to spend time with him, really on his last day that he was really well last Monday.  That’s when I took this great picture of him with his newest great-grandson, Owen.  We Love you, Papa Sam.  We look forward to seeing you in glory.

 

My to do list

So, I keep on reading different sites that make me want to make things. I’m going to jot them down here so that I know where to look when I actually get around to doing them.

Make White Bean Soup

Dye Play Silks with Kool-Aid -this one would be great to do with my sisters next time we get together

Rainbow in a Bag

A Pillow like this - Maybe a good one to handsew on a roadtrip

Fabric Balls 

T-Shirt Stencils -These are way too cool!

 

three ball cascade

We are on a two hour delay here at my house. Everybody went to bed last night two hours later than normal, woke up later, ate later etc. I’m still in shock that it is already 3:30 in the afternoon. I just finished lunch! Things in our house have been a little bit strange lately. We got back from our Ohio trip almost a week ago. South Carolina weather has been so great. We were even able to spend a good bit of Saturday doing some spring cleaning while the boys took wonderfully long afternoon naps. I can now see most of the floor and walls of the sun room of our house. This is quite an accomplishment.

I’ve been really jealous of Andy lately because he could juggle so well. Deacon really likes to watch him juggle things and often hands him three balls to juggle. When Andy wasn’t around, he would ask me to juggle and I would try to throw two balls in the air, my sorry excuse for juggling. Eventually, I would actually try to juggle and fail miserably time and time again. After chasing balls all over the house, under couches and chairs, i decided that I wouldn’t learn to juggle without some proper juggling balls. So I got some balloons and rice and made my own juggling balls. I even enlisted Deacon’s help with making them. He thought it was so much fun. I wouldn’t say I’m a pro, but I have been practicing for a few days now. I am not too shabby… for a girl.