Special Day

Today is a very special day in our house. It is Miss Pear's 5th birthday!

In January before her open heart surgery it seemed a lifetime away, and I knew that it would have to be a special day once it arrived. And it is.

Last night we decorated with a penguin theme - black white and pink balloons, a homemade penguin birthday banner, streamers.

For breakfast we had Blueberry Overnight French Toast and then opened presents. The morning was spent playing and watching a penguin themed movie because it was raining.

For lunch we had cheesy noodles and chicken fingers, strawberries, chocolate covered strawberries and cake...with chocolate milk.

This afternoon after naps will be scootering on the new 3 wheel scooter, playing with toys, and be topped off with Chinese food - Miss Pear's favorite.

All her favorite foods, presents carefully chosen to delight her and lots of fun.

A perfect way to celebrate!

But the best gift is a healthy Miss Pear - that is a miracle that never gets old and I just cannot seem to get over! We are so thankful.

So Pretty

On the island in the kitchen sit 10 loaves of bread.

• 2 traditional french bread loafs
• 4 half loaf french breads
• 4 oatmeal bread loaves

And they look so pretty. Too bad I can not find my camera cord.

Over time I have learned to stop and appreciate how pretty the fruits of my labor are - especially loaves of bread and canning!

This morning I also finished putting away my huge stocking up Costco shop from last night. I bought a package of pork chops - well, actually my MIL did - but they were so thick we cut them in half length wise and then froze them in meal sized portions. I took the package of sirloin steak and cubed in for Asian Beef, but could not make the marinade as Costco here did not have the teriyaki sauce I wanted (they had the marinade one with lots of extra stuff). Finally, the 6 pound package of ground beef was divided into 3 packages.

The freezer is full again, the pantry is full again, and that makes me feel very contented...

...that and the 10 loaves of bread on the counter.

Did I mention there is home made strawberry jam in the fridge....

A deep sigh

Sometimes I catch myself doing it before it comes out.

And sometimes it just comes.

That deep sigh.

Sometimes it is one of contentment.

Sometimes of fatigue.

Sometimes of frustration.

And sometimes of having no idea what to do.

Yesterday I was waiting for a phone call, one I had to be home to answer, it was that important to us. So my MIL took the girls out to play with the promise to ring the bell if they needed me or could not close the garage door. Shortly after they went out the doorbell rang. I did not run to the door because I did not hear the garage close, and I did not hear any crying or yelling. When I opened the door Miss Pear said her grandmother had fallen, and there she was coming up the drive holding her nose with a kleenex.

I did what anyone would do - I ran out in the rain in my socks to get Baby and usher everyone in.

My MIL is fine, she is skinned and bruised, and deeply, highly embarrassed. You see, she fell on the flat street, she just tripped over her feet. And she she says she "landed on her head because it is too big" which Miss Pear thinks is a hysterical description. Today she is stiff and sore, she is tired from laying in bed last night thinking it through and trying to figure out how she managed to do that, but she is fine. Much to proud and embarrassed to admit she might need more than a nap, but fine.

But I find that I hurt.

But here is what hurt me the most.

I did not know what to do. Not really. I knew to get ice and clean clothes. I knew to pray.

But she is on medication that could have made this scary, and I did not know what to do, what to watch for, when to call for help despite her protests not to.

From the time the girls were born I have been meaning to refresh my CPR and to take a good first aid class. And I never get further than saying I should do it.

I talked to my husband last night in the dark and confessed how annoyed I was with myself. I could hear his smile in the dark as he said he would sign me up for a class first thing. That and the "what to do in the case of a local and regional emergency class" our local fire department offers a few times a year. I asked if he would take the classes too, and he agreed he would take the sessions following mine so that we did not have to worry about babysitters.

In the dark I smiled and sighed deeply.

Settling In

More and more, as the days combine to make weeks, and we have almost been here a month I am finding that this feels like home. We expect our old house to close today and in some ways it is bittersweet. That is the home we brought Baby home to, where we settled her into this world and nursed her through meningitis, hip dysplasia, a cyst removal from her mouth and the variety of childhood illnesses. It is where Miss Pear really came into her own and was nursed after heart surgery and she grew in her roll as big sister. On the other hand it is wonderful to be out of that part of Southern CA were we never really seemed to belong even though we had a great church and friends.

But it is nice to know that the house is closing, it almost makes it easier to really launch our new lives here.

There are still boxes to unpack and things to do, but I find my mind racing ahead to planning projects and getting organized. To settling in here and restocking the pantry and other supplies that were run down.

And it is a great feeling.

Chicken Enchilada Chili

I have really enjoyed reading the blog "A Year of Slow Cooking" and she is truly more ambitious with her slow cookers that I am! It has been fun to try a few of her recipes, and they have turned out well.

One of my favorites that I made this week is Chicken Enchilada Chili. I throw in frozen chicken breasts at the beginning and about half way through pull them out and shred them before throwing them back in for the rest of the time. Also, I use my enchilada sauce and skip adding the extra chili powder and garlic.

This is delicious over corn bread or rice and topped with cheese.

Wednesday Wanderings

It occurs to me that there is lot s to say and nothing to say all at the same time.

We are settling in nicely and working our way through the boxes. Downstairs we are almost down to only the china hutch boxes and picture boxes. Upstairs the girl's rooms are done, our room as 2 rogue boxes I just have to suck it up and deal with, the office is mostly full of boxes and the guestroom/craft room is on it's way...

Funny thing is we are only in this house for a year, so I will no sooner finish unpacking that I will start packing again. Weird.

We made strawberry jam today - 11 and a half pints of red deliciousness. We are hoping to make another double batch next week too.

The days here are weird. Often we have bright and sunny, overcast, and rainy all in the same day. It is such a welcome relief to the unrelenting sunshine. Yes, you read that correctly. We are loving it.

We have a almost night visitor. We knew he was in the area when we heard the large cat growl. Early Monday morning he was spotted on our drive way. A bobcat. At first I was a bit freaked until I realized he was afraid of us....and until I realized it could be worse, it could be a cougar. So this is good, I can deal.

Although if the back hoe operator does not learn to load up his stuff without wrecking nap time every 2 days I will not be able to deal. Oh well, maybe there are almost done!

Enchilada Sauce

I have a confession to make - I have been negligent is sharing with you my top secret weapon in mexican cooking.

The secret is that I stopped buying enchilada sauce in the can and started making my own.

You can find the recipe here.

Please proceed with caution because if your family is like mine they won't care how good the sale is, unless they are playing you $20 a can to take it out of the store it is too expensive, just make the recipe! So delicious. Best made a day ahead of time and kept in fridge overnight.

I share this tidbit to celebrate that my back is now friends with me again. Thx for praying.

Quick Break

I managed to strain my back with moving, not major, just need rest, so will be back next week when it calms down.

Not All Days Go Smoothly

Last night we had supper with new friends. It was wonderful. So wonderful that all of a sudden I looked at my watch and commented how sorry I was that it had suddenly become so late! Our wonderful hostess commented that I was not to worry, we just had to watch for 7. It was 8. We had a great time.

But this morning, I had Grumpus 1 and Grumpus 2 on my hands rather than my sweet girls.

That's what we get for going out and having too much fun.

But in the craziness God spoke to me.

This afternoon life was suddenly getting to me in a big way. Miss Pear who DESPERATELY needed a nap did not nap. The afternoon was difficult.

But I was proud of myself, I got supper on the go! And it was perfectly on time!

But life was still nuts, so I was not too proud. And all of a sudden I could feel the day slipping in a direction that was not good for any of us.

So I stopped. Found my Kitchen Bible where Miss Pear had returned it after borrowing it, and flipped open to my spot in Psalms. And in Psalm 37: 3-4 I read:

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

And I stopped. I knew that this was a passage that was for me in this moment.

I let it roll around in my brain and heart as I opened some windows for fresh air and the girls watched out the front window for Daddy.

When the timer beeped I pulled out supper from the oven. I put the casserole down, and while I was still standing in front if it, it shattered. It literally split in 2 with such force I could hardly breath for a moment. I was shocked and afraid all at the same time. Supper was ruined. My casserole was destroyed. But there was no damage to anything else...namely me.

I was in that after state when your heart rate is still up and you still feel anxious even though it is over when my husband came home a couple minutes later. He had one question: was I okay? Of course I was, just feeling silly for still having the bejeebers scared out of me.

Then we pulled out the money we had been given to go out for supper on a night we needed it, we loaded the girls up into the car, and headed for our new favorite burger place. After our gift money we paid a whole $0.45 for supper. We had a great time, and stopped at the park on the way home.

When we got home the broken casserole was still on the counter as it had been too hot to do anything with.

I looked at it and was not the least bit anxious because in the scheme of things it did not matter. It could have pushed my day completely over the edge, but I had the "double edged sword" to do battle with, I had the Word in my heart and in my brain directing me.

Trust in the LORD, and do good;... feed on His faithfulness.
Ps 37:3

Multitude Monday 14

This year I knew what I was getting for Mother's Day, in fact, I got it early!

131. We moved to our new home as a family, I did not stay behind to sell the house, my husband did not go ahead to start work. My husband did come up for 2 nights to find our new home, but that was all the separation. We moved as a family, we stayed together.

132. We stayed together - our family does much better when we are together. When Daddy returns home at the end of the day you would think he was gone for weeks the way he is greeted. We are funny that way. We love being together.

133. Plus my family made all the meals, and a cake for me.

134. They did not do the dishes at the end of the day, just like I asked. I asked for them to be left, dishes can be washed any time, but let's play now. So opposite of what I usually do, the usual let's get the work done so we can play. A special treat.

But there was one gift I did not expect or know about, one gift that not even my husband knew about:

135. While the details are just for us, our almost 5 year old made it clear that Jesus is her's, and she is His. No prompting, nothing fancy, just the innocent questions and words of a child with Love in her heart.

136. A small glimpse from the Father that the seeds we carefully and deliberately sow into our daughters are already yielding great fruit. Such encouragement. Such confirmation of the words that apply for parenting: Do not let your hands grow weary, do not tire of doing good.

137. I have a family who loves God and each other.


We moved, and

138. We love our new home.

139. We can see the snow covered mountains out the windows! Something I always wanted, but had only told God.

140. We live so close to my husband's work that he can come home for lunch any time he wants.

141. Miss Pear is delighted that she can see "Christmas Trees" growing outside her window. For a girl who has only lived in Southern CA, this is huge.

142. We have a lovely yard for the girls to play in. Yesterday I put bubbles in the water table while we were playing outside and they had great fun flinging them around the yard.

143. We may have found our new Church home already. We love it, and plan on continuing to attend. If the Lord confirms this is the one, we will take the membership class in October. (Yes, we will take that long, we will not rush.)

144. The Lord moved us to a new home, a new city, a new state, and is already helping us to love it.

Wise Words

I have a friend who likes to speak God's love and truth into the lives of those around her. Life is not always easy, and that truth helps clarify our perspective.

I hear her say things to me like:

God loves you!
God is with you in this.
God is proud of you, you are His daughter!
I know you are confused, but God has one opinion on this, and He will tell you - go ask Him! (Okay, maybe this one is more of a push in the right direction).
You are precious to God.
Your family is precious/important to God.

You get the picture?

Here is what I hear. We are good enough friends that she wants to be certain I am listening to the truth and not the lies that go through my head some times. And she wants to encourage me.

Lord, help me to be an encourager to those around me with Your truth!

Can I tell you something?

God loves you very much. You are important to Him.

Boxes Everywhere

I am beginning to wonder if boxes are multiplying while I sleep, or if someone is slipping in extra boxes when I am not looking...except for the Diapers.com order, that was me.

Somehow it feels like I am working hard but not making progress.

But I am making sure to take lots of time with the girls.

Call it a coffee break, call it a mental break, or just call it fun. It is great to watch the NHL playoffs with the girls and see them both having so much fun.

Bible in about 120 Days

I missed the end of March completion date to finish reading through the Bible - a quick move kind of took the wind out of my sails! BUT I did finish while on my moving bloggy break.

Reading the Bible in 120 days was incredible. There is something to be said for devouring large quantities of the Bible with no agenda other than to simply meet with God and see what He has to say. It will be offered again starting July 5, and with my 35 birthday being mid-July I am thinking a do over is in order.

Will you consider joining us?

Lord's Provision

Sometimes things happen in weird ways. While we chose to move the Pacific Northwest believing that it is clearly God's will for us, it meant saying no to companies in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Had we accepted the position in Tennessee we would have been in Nashville in the midst of the terrible flooding.

This time it is clear almost immediately that one option was better than another for our family, but that is not always the case. In our time in Southern California I learned that I may not always understand what God is doing, or what His plan is, and while I like to have the whole map in front of me, God rarely works that way. While I may not know the path, I know the One who is leading, and His ways are always the best ways.

Honey Mustard Sauce

We are still surrounded by boxes - about half are gone with the stubborn and harder to empty ones being left. So I have nothing intelligent to write. But I have a great frugal tip.

With our house in CA not yet closed, our reimbursements from our new company just requested and rent to pay here, we are being careful about expenditures. But it is worth it, we got to move as a family rather than some staying behind, which is all I wanted, and a pretty phenomenal Mother's Day gift if I do say so myself!

A quick and frugal treat meal for us is chicken fingers and fries (with homemade pickles), but only if you make the sauce yourself. Usually I make BBQ sauce, but the recipes was in one of those boxes I mentioned. Instead, I made the easiest and most delicious Honey Mustard Sauce.

Because you are dear to me, I wanted to share:

Plain Honey Mustard Sauce
1 part honey warmed
1 part plain mustard

mix well, serve, store in fridge.

Fancy Honey Mustard
2 parts honey, warmed
1 part plain mustard
1 part dijon mustard

Mix well, serve, store in fridge.

I made the fancy mustard and stored it in the honey bear I had just emptied. It worked GREAT! Plus there was no honey waste as we just shook the bear to mix in any honey that had been left in the container. It was a huge hit with the family, and I anticipate keeping it in rotation as we liked it and the girls could not get enough of it!

And because I bought all the ingredients on sale it was MUCH cheaper than buying Honey Mustard sauce in the store, and more delicious!

More and more I find that if I can find a recipe to do it myself that is my preference, and not necessarily for the cost savings, even if that is a nice perk. More often that not if I make it myself it is fairly simple and better than what I can buy at the store! This explains why I was making taco sauce today. Tomorrow I HAVE to make BBQ sauce and bread!

What condiment and dressing recipes do you make?

For more kitchen tips, head over to Tammy's!