Memorial Day 2010

Tiebreaker

Last chance to voice your opinion (if you have not already). New votes, only, please. There is a tie between the Mitford Cookbook and the Vegetarian Cookbook. I could go with either one, but I want you all to decide. I look forward to beginning from the winning choice sometime this week!

Because I Don't Have Enough to Keep Me Busy

Yes, I'm adding another thing to the list, by choice. Am I crazy?

Most of you have probably seen Julie & Julia. Well, I knew nothing about Julie and her blog until I saw that movie. Ever since then (certainly I'm not the first to think this), I thought it would be fun to pick a lesser-used cookbook of mine to cook all the way through.

I've picked three books out of my collection that, for various reasons, I have not used much, yet. I will present each of them below, and then it is up to you to leave your comment, voting for which you think I should journey through.

 A few important notes to consider:

• Regardless of book choice, it is going to take a while to 'cook through' it. I doubt I will be able to do one recipe per day, and also, I'm sure some of the ingredients will get a little pricey, so I'll have to spread out the recipes.
• Some recipes will be easy for me to adapt based on my son's food allergies; others will not. Whenever possible, I will make adaptations to recipes, and note them accordingly.
• Some recipes will completely gross me out; while the idea is to get out of my comfort zone, if Dave is not available to help with some particular gross-ness, we may have to 'table' a few recipes (I will try to keep that to a minimum though). I know which cookbook will involve most of this, but I will refrain from swaying your decision, as I will enjoy cooking from any of these three.

The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook
Vegetarian food has come a long way since the days when it was regarded as the province of faddists. Now it is fresh, modern and young - an exciting and sophisticated cuisine enjoyed by an increasing number of people who appreciate fine food. This book contains a wealth of superb vegetarian recipes, from snacks to substantial meals, desserts to drinks. Drawing on flavors from around the world and using fine, fresh produce, vegetarian food will never again seem second best.

Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader
Millions of Mitford fans will agree - it's easy to put on a pound of two reading a Mitford novel. In scene after scene, you find colorful characters enjoying ravishing dishes like Puny's golden-crusted cornbread and Father Tim's baked ham with bourbon glaze. And before you know it, you've read several pages by the glow of the refrigerator light bulb. 
Now, when you read about a dish that starts a craving, you can go to the kitchen and create it yourself. Gathered here are recipes for 150 dishes that anyone would be thrilled to put on the table.

Memories of a Cuban Kitchen
"The best foreign cookbook honors go to Memories of a Cuban Kitchen. The book rings wonderfully true, both in its recipes and its evocations of pre-Castro Havana as recalled by author Mary Urrutia randelman with heartfelt affection. This beautiful book is a memory piece as much as a cookbook." --The Washington Times
"Memories of a Cuban Kitchen will be and added treasure in any cook's library and a must in the kitchen of any American of Cuban Heritage or anyone who's interested in exploring Cuban cooking more fully at home." --The Miami Herald 

DON'T FORGET to leave your comments and vote on your choice!

Enjoying the Gulf

We are, quite literally, soaking up the beach as much as possible right now. I even made one trip the other evening by myself with both boys (something I would not even consider under normal circumstances!). I grew up in Southwest Florida, and have lived here my whole life. Dave has always lived on the coast, also - part of his life on the east coast, the rest on the west. We have both always had the wonderful gift of the beach. All the memories, the fun, the experiences... it was such a large part Dave's childhood, and mine. It saddens us to think it could be taken away from us. At the risk of sounding dramatic, it breaks our hearts to consider the possibility our children may not have the blessing of the beach for any portion of their childhood. We are praying against any harm from the oil spill in the Northern Gulf, but we are most definitely taking advantage while we can, just in case we can't in the near future. And, we ARE enjoying every second of it!

Even SuperHeroes Need Rest

Oh, sometime in the last ten days, Drew insisted it was not a day to wear normal clothes. Instead, only Superman garb would do. So, on the costume went and my energetic son set off to save the world. He was fighting off dragons, keeping me safe from intruders and protecting his little brother from harm. He was building massive structures and leaping over them. He didn't need food or water either. Each of my offers for nourishment were met with this response: "Superman is SO strong he doesn't need food, OR water, or guess what, Mommy? Superman doesn't need a NAP either!" Well, you all know that a nap is required for the Drewster, and I told him that he needed to start quieting down, because before too long, I would put him to bed for naptime. Well, shortly thereafter, the phone rang, and I was occupied for about three minutes before I realized "Hmmm, it's gotten awfully quiet around here." I walked into our bedroom and peeked around the corner to see this, complete with some pretty intense snoring.



I chuckled to myself, and grinned uncontrollably. Hah - he thought he didn't need any rest. Then I got to thinking - just like when I tell God that "I've got this. Thanks, but I'm not tired. I'm... not... w e a r y. " Sure. Okay. But then, before we know it, we've burned out. We crash. Our body demands rest to the point where we have no choice. We succumb to that which our frame requires. I do it. I hear God telling me that now is not the time. You need not do this right now. You can't do everything. No, but I can sure try. I'm telling you to rest, be still. How can I be still? Look at all that needs my attention. REST, NOW. Who needs rest? Only the weak, and I am not weak. Oh, my child. Even I needed rest. The 7th Day. Remember?

A Tender Heart

I was tucking Drew into bed tonight and I was telling him how much I loved him. Then, after a short pause in our conversation, he started to cry. I said, "Andrew - what's the matter? Why are you crying?" He mumbled something through his crying, which was hard to understand, because he was crying as he said it. I said, "Andrew - Mommy is right here. Why are you crying?" He said, "Because I love you."

Me: "You're crying because you love me?"
Drew: "Yes. Waaa, aaa, aaa. "
Me: "Oh, Drew - you have such a tender heart."
Drew: "I have a what?"
Me: "A tender heart."
(Pause)
Me: "Do you know you gave you that tender heart?"(Now this is where I was going to explain to Drew that Jesus is the one who gave him that tender heart because Jesus created him.) But before I got that far...
Drew: "You, Mommy."

Wow - I didn't see that coming. A mile away - not even in sight. I then went on to explain how Jesus was, in fact, the one who gave Drew his tender heart. But I was humbled that my three-year-old can see past all my yuckiness to think that his tender heart came from me. He taught me a lesson in love tonight. Because my children and my husband know that no matter how hard I try, I am human and, therefore, my heart is not always as tender as it should be.

I Love This Man!

Happy 8th Anniversary to THE MOST AMAZING man in the world!

Boys in My House

There are boys in my house – and Spiderman shoes
And 200 papers in various blues.
There's Bob (he's a builder) and Thomas the Train,
There's a fireman coat to wear in the rain.
They have cars on their shirts and frogs on their hats
There's a glove and a ball and a red plastic bat.
There's dirt on a face and a smudge on a nose;
Grass stains on knees and sand between toes.
There's bathtime at night with bodies to scrub,
And when we're all done there is dirt in the tub!
There's bandaids and bruises and curious bumps,
There's smiles and laughter and sometimes there's grumps.
There's odors most icky; there's boogers so green
There's more yucky things than I'll ever get clean.
There's piles of laundry; there's stories at night;
There's bedtime and bathtime and dinnertime fights.
There's cars and there's trains and there's books about trucks
There's Scoop, Lofty, Dizzy, and Travis, and Muck.
Sometimes there are bugs, and sometimes there are frogs;
Sometimes they are lions, or dinos, or dogs.
There are cute little vests and darling neckties
Dragged right through the mud – oh what a surprise!
There's running and climbing and jumping and falling
And laughing and crying and hugging and brawling
And rolling and losing and finding and creeping
And whining and stealing and sometimes there's sleeping.
There's tantrums and time outs and extra loud noise –
There's love in my house shaped like two little boys.
Author: Erin Jo Kilmer

Do All the Ladies Do This?

For the last four-ish years of my life, I generally always stayed up very late, well past midnight to tend to chores that did not get completed during the day and projects that keep getting put off. Now, granted, a significant contributing factor to those late nights were because I was (or would be) up anyway taking care of one of my babies. However, Bradley is a more-than-decent sleeper, and has been for some time (yah, don't hate me - it started when he was 5 weeks old). Not to worry though- I paid my dues in the sleep department with Drew. He did not sleep through the night until he was almost 3 years (not months, years) old and he still has sleep 'disorders.' Anyway, I was explaining to my sis tonight how I have reached the point where it is no longer worth it to me to stay up every night until 12, 1 or 2 am. I have decided if it can't get done before midnight, it can just wait until tomorrow. It just seems backwards and abnormal for me to always be up so late. If I can't call it quits at a decent hour (and we all know I am not the busiest person in the world), than who can? So, I want to know - do you have a cut-off time beyond which you will not continue? Or, do you just always stay awake, late, later, way later, until it 'all' gets done?

Drew's New Haircut

Andrew has always had home haircuts. However, I have never been able to use scissors. I have always had to use clippers only. Over the last year, Drew has definitely become more comfortable with the clippers; however, it is never an easy task.

I have always joked with myself in my mind that if, because of Drew's refusal to hold still during haircuts, the cut itself was a tragedy, I might consider putting a sandwich sign on him that said something like: If you think my haircut is terrible, it's because I refused to cooperate. My momma did the best she could.

Anyway, over the weekend, I was able to get the scissors out. I don't like using the clippers because they take so much of the length off, when I really just want to trim the edges and take a little bit off. I like the length of his hair - it just needed some 'cleaning up.' Dave came home while I was finishing this cut, and we were both rather pleased with the outcome. As you will see in the AFTER photo, Drew is covered in hair and baby powder (the powder makes it easier to wipe the hair off).


BEFORE


AFTER

Mother's Day 2010

Dear Andrew and Bradley:

Today is Mother's Day, and I want to share some special words with you. I am in love, crazy love, with your Father. He encourages me to be the best mother I can be, and he is a wonderful example of a godly parent. I love the two sons he gave me more than I thought I could love two little human beings. There will never be enough time or words to cover all the emotions and sentiments I have for you, my family. But this is my attempt to give you a little glimpse.

There is not a single day that goes by where I do not thank God above for giving each of you to us, and to me. I now understand so much more of God's purpose for my life because of my boys. I will never forget each tender moment we have shared, from the first time I laid eyes on each of you, the sleepless nights (more with one of you in particular), the bonding, the cuddles, coos and kisses, the baths, the baby food, and on it goes. Each time I touch your skin and look in your eyes I am reminded of God's design and miracles.

Sure, some days are slightly more challenging than others. Some days I let the house go and we just play, all day. There are a few days when I just can't keep my eyes open. And some days I don't always feed you the best things. Some days I don't say the right things. Some days I don't do the right things. Those days are the days where I know, most assuredly, I am not capable of anything without God.

I also want to tell you that I do not see my being home with you and caring for you as my 'job.' You both are my joy, and caring for you, and our home, is something I desire to do, as best I can, every day. Before beginning this journey of motherhood, I wondered if any of it would come naturally, if I had any mothering instincts. The girl I was before both of you came along longed to be a mother, for so long, but was very unsure how my business-minded self would function outside of a career focus. Oh, how I adjusted- there were days that weren't easy, but generally because I had to realize how selfish I was and that there wasn't room for that anymore. Now, four years into the journey, I hardly recognize that girl in the pumps and glasses. She was part of me, but not all of me.

You will never owe me anything for being your mom. The Lord called me to mother each of you. He did not present a transaction to me where I agreed to fulfill certain responsibilities in exchange for something else. One day, when you are old enough, I hope you will understand that gifts, brunch or dinners out, pampering treatments and the like are not my desire- they are not my style. I do not wish to spend Mother's Day apart from you. Sure it's nice to be appreciated and it's nice to hear thank you once in a while. There are days where I need a little bit of a breather, but not to get away from you, but rather to re-focus myself on my priorities and tend to myself for a short time. The greatest gift you will always be able to give me on Mother's Day is your time. Mother's Day is a day I will always look forward to spending with my boys, that is, until you have families of your own and therefore, time or distance may determine otherwise.

Rest assured this Mommy could not be more fulfilled in her God-designed role to be entrusted with your lives. Overwhelming, and sometimes frightening as it may be, I do not desire to be outside of where God has placed me. There were days, early on, where I could not have said this. But because I've been in that place, I can now look back and see how the Lord has changed, and continues to change, me, to be the Mom I am called to be. None of us ever arrive - we are always works in progress. Mommy will always be a work in progress. There is a song that I hope you will both always keep close in your memory:

He's still workin' on me, to make me what I ought to be
It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars
The sun and the earth, and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
He's still workin' on me.

I know I will make mistakes. I know I won't always be the best example I could be, or should be. I know there will be days when I drive you crazy. But I promise to give it my best, and when I don't, I will ask for the Lord to re-direct my steps. Be forewarned- I will never stop loving you. I could never possibly understand accurately how our Heavenly Father loves and feels for us, but motherhood has given me more of an understanding than I had before. What a privilege and a gift each of you are to me.

Papa and His Boys

A few weeks ago the boys and I took Dave's car to get the new tires put on (thank you, TireRack.com ). The dealership is up by where my parents live, so my Dad (aka Papa) came to visit us while we waited. My Dad works very long hours, and the only time he is usually home is when the boys are sleeping, so we don't get to see him as often as we would like. But, clearly, you can see by these photos that Drew and Brad could not get enough of their Papa - it had been about 3 weeks since they had seen him last. We all laughed and giggled endlessly together. I'm not sure Papa was prepared for the boys' literally climbing all over him as much as they did, but he loved every minute of it, as did they.

See the Two Teeth on the Bottom?

I'm Pathetic, Really

A while back (a long, long while back), I commented on Facebook that I was finally packing up the bassinet, after struggling for months with not wanting to put it away (even though Brad outgrew it within two months). Well, I couldn't bring myself to do it... and so then I became a liar. A liar because I said I was doing it, and then, well, I didn't do it.

I don't know why I am having such a hard time putting it away, but can you blame me? I have such precious, wonderful memories of my sweet babies sleeping in this thing.

Who would want to put it away? My sentimental attachment to it has been bordering on (okay, we've blown past bordering and soared right smack into the middle of) ridiculous.

So, about 11 days ago, I left for my Sunday morning trip to the grocery store. I told David I had started to take it apart, after I took two more photos of it put together (really? YES, really!), and I just couldn't go through with it. This was as far as I got, and this was only the top half.



I asked him to please have it disassembled and removed from our room so as to end this silly nonsense. So, he was happy to oblige and now it is sitting in the garage, right by the door to the house, where I walk past it every day, thinking about how sad it is that it is packed up in a bag, sitting where I can see it.

Bounty from the Garden...

... of one of David's students. YUM-O! It would take way too many words for me to tell you why this was an extra special blessing this week and provision directly from the Lord.



*Missing from these photos are the yellow squash and green beans we devoured at dinner last night! :)