My Life For Yours: A Mother’s Pondering About Her Body

I cannot help sharing another post from the same blog I last mentioned. All you moms must must must go read today's guest post My Life For Yours: A Mother’s Pondering About Her Body.

An excerpt:

“Our bodies are tools, not treasures. You should not spend your days trying to preserve your body in its eighteen-year-old form. Let it be used. By the time you die, you want to have a very dinged and dinted body. Motherhood uses your body in the way that God designed it to be used. Those are the right kind of damages…We are not to treat our bodies like museum pieces. They were not given to us to preserve, they were given to us to use. So use it cheerfully, and maintain it cheerfully. You want to fix your body up in order to be able to use it some more. We should not be trying to fix it up to put it back on the shelf out of harm’s way or to try to make ourselves look like nothing every happened. Your body is a tool. Use it.” -Rachel Jankovic, Loving the Little Years


Wow.  just, wow.

Fun on the Web Wed #3: Running on empty today?

There is a new blog on my sidebar I discovered recently, and BOY do I like the mom who writes it.  She is mommy in the trenches, adopting kids "from the hard places" and not pretending everything is hunky-dory, but on her blog is real and vulerable and honest and, thusly, truly encouraging.  Her writing today was so, so good:

Motherhood is often placed on a pedestal. We are told that being a Mother is the greatest thing we will ever do. That being a Mother brings the ultimate joy and fulfillment.


Then why does it feel so empty at times? . . .

I don't want to post the best parts of what she wrote because her train of thought is just brilliant.  I strongly urge all my mom friends to go over and read the rest.  I had NEVER thought of her conclusion, but immediately recognize the Truth in it. 

Fun on the Web Wed #2: cake, for my readers who are trying to watch their weight

You're welcome.

Fun on the Web Wed: Are you familiar with exploding Pyrex?

One of the awesome Moms on my sidebar, Urban Servant, posted the other day about a dinner tragedy that would have had me sobbing in despair.  Not only did she laugh, but she ran with it, and now her kids are looking to use Exploding Pyrex as a science fair project!  So if any of you readers have ever had a Pyrex (or perhaps other tempered glass pan or bowl) crack, break, or explode under cooking and handling, would you please be so kind as to visit her blog and tell your story for their science project? 

Your sharing with them would not only help the kids with their research, but would also be like a little note of encouragement from afar!  (And as this is a family of 13 who has just moved from CO to MN, and who are currently staying in a 900 sq. ft. house, and weathering all kinds of hardships these days, your encouragement would surely mean a lot! : )

Dinner 3: Mexican Chicken and Rice Pot with Almond Milk Smoothie

**Please see DISCLAIMERS on the post for Dinner #1.

For Stacy, who had lots of good stuff available, but who specifically had the following Foods To Use Up: almond milk and pre-seasoned chicken fajita strips.  That she did not want to use in fajitas.  Oh, and she doesn't like soup.  She was clearly out to get me.  But the ingredients she had seemed to lead to the following simple meal, which should not be too foreign for a typically meat and potatoes kind of family. 

MAIN DISH: Mexican Chicken and Rice Pot

Ingredients:

--rice, any kind, already cooked, enough to feed your family tonight with a little left over
--at least ½ a large onion (white, yellow or red), chopped (I would use a whole onion—is that too spicy?)
--no garlic because DJ’s not a fan (but anyone else reading this, I would put in about 3 large cloves ; )
--pre-seasoned chicken fajita strips, chopped
--2 cans diced tomatoes
--1 can tomato sauce
--1 small can diced green chilis (optional)
--1 can kidney beans and one can black beans (if you are not a fan of beans, at least use the one can of black. Trust me.), rinsed and drained.
--frozen corn (roasted, if possible)
--ground cumin, oregano, black pepper

In a big pot, sauté the chopped onion (and optional pressed garlic) in olive oil on med. high heat, for about 5 minutes, until slightly soft and translucent. Add chicken strips and sauté for several more minutes, adding about a tablespoon of water if necessary to keep from sticking.

Add cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir.* (Also stir in the chopped green chilis, if you care to use them.) If it looks like you will have proportionally too much tomato for the amount of chicken, then only use one can of the diced tomatoes. But if you are not sure, you can always toss in the second can just to be safe—always better to have a saucy rice dish than a dry one! *I always swish a little water into my tomato sauce jars/cans and dump it in the pot too—better to “rinse” out the last bits of food into my pot than down the drain.

Stir in beans. Add dried cumin and oregano and black pepper, to taste (about 2 tsp. cumin, 1 ½ tsp oregano, healthy peppering).

Cover and bring contents of pot to simmer (might need to bring up temperature under the pot for a minute to help). When bubbly, add what looks like a good amount of frozen corn. Stir, and then cover again and simmer until the corn seems done.

At this point you can choose to either add your cooked rice to the pot and mix it all together and heat until warmed through (ideal when you are using leftover rice cold from the fridge) or bring your pot to the table and serve it over freshly cooked rice. Stacy, I think your family would like the first option—it’s a little more homey in my opinion and more authentic to the Blessed Table experience ; ).

Serve into bowls and top with shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, Colby—or any “Mexican” mix will be fine)


My family would probably eat this with corn tortilla chips (blue corn! Yum!) and no side dish. But if you want a side, I would recommend a salad with ranch dressing, and if you want a veggie on the side, I would choose steamed fresh broccoli or carrots.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

ON THE SIDE: Almond Milk Smoothie


(Hope you have a good blender!)

Into your blender, put your frozen berries and banana chunks, in that order. (optional: add ice or ice cream next if you want.) Pour almond milk on top of fruit. (optional: can also add honey if you like.)

Blend and serve!

 
Yes, Stacy, please do tell me if you make this dinner (or a part of it).  And if you blog about it, I assume you will be nice--but you can also be honest. : )  Thanks for playing!  Oh, and while you listed all the ways you cook, you did not mention sauté.  Ack, that's all I know how to do--sauté and soup!  I hope you didn't consider sauteing the same as frying. Please forgive me if you meant you don't cook on the stovetop and if you don't have a good blender.  I guess then I'll owe you dinner. ; )

Dinner 2: Big Cozy Beef Pot with Sautéed Veggie Polenta

**Please see DISCLAIMERS on the post for Dinner #1.

For Aubrey, who had typical pantry goods and the following Foods To Use Up: carrots, celery, asparagus, ground beef, quinoa polenta. Gluten free and dairy free!

Main Dish:  Big Cozy Beef Pot 

Ingredients:

--1 big onion (yellow or white)
--celery, chopped
--mushrooms (optional, if you have them and like them)
--carrot, chopped
--Better Than Bullion or broth of some kind
--1 can tomato sauce
--1 can diced tomatoes
--1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
--Approx. ½ tsp. garlic powder, or more to taste
--1-2 Tsp. Rosemary, or more to taste
--1 bay leaf
--pepper (lots!)
--frozen green beans or peas (optional, I recommend using if NOT using mushroom)
--fresh parsley if you have it (optional, I recommend using if NOT using peas)

In your big pot, sauté the onion and celery (approximately similar amounts of each veggie) in olive oil for a few minutes, until soft and translucent, adding tablespoon of water if necessary to keep them from getting too brown. Add mushrooms if you like, and sauté a few minutes more.

Add carrot and along with it about 1-2 inches of water and a little "Better Than Bullion" (or just use the broth of your choice) in your pot. Crank up your heat and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until carrots are mostly done.

In the meantime, (or before, depending on how well you multi-task, or don’t) cook your ground beef in a separate skillet however you like. (You can use the same pot as the veggies, if you like, just cook the meat first, then remove and set it aside until you need it again.)

When carrots are almost done, uncover and add the cooked ground beef, the tomato sauce and canned chopped tomatoes, the kidney beans, the garlic powder and herbs. Stir well and re-cover. When the ingredients reach a simmer, add the frozen green beans if you want them. Stir well and cover and cook at a low simmer for about 5-15 minutes, however long seems right, stirring as necessary.

When ready, remove bay leaf and stir in pepper. If adding frozen peas, add them here at the end and stir well—they will get cooked just enough by the heat of the other foods. If you did not use peas and have fresh parsley, snip some into the pot and stir in.  Pepper (and salt) to taste.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Side Dish: Sautéed Veggie Polenta

Ingredients:

--chopped onion (any will do, even green)
--diced garlic
--asparagus, snapped into approx. 1 inch segments
--sweet red pepper (if you have it), cut into one-inch long strips
--mushrooms (if you have them and if you like them), sliced thinly
--1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (if you have them and like them)
--a little broth
--dried basil, pepper, salt if you like

In skillet, sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes, adding a tablespoon of water if necessary to keep from sticking. Add red pepper and mushroom if you have them, and sauté for a few more minutes. Add asparagus and sauté for just a few minutes—no longer than 3 minutes!

Meanwhile, crumble the quinoa polenta in a bowl—use a fork or potato masher if necessary. If you like the consistency as is, then great. If you think it is too dry, add a little warm broth (can use some from main dish) and mash together. (The goal is a grainy texture, but not too dry—if it ends up mush that will not be as nice on the tongue but should still taste great!)

When veggies are ready, add polenta to skillet along with just a little broth and stir well.

Add garbanzo beans. Add a sprinkle of dried basil and pepper (salt if desired), put the lid on the pot and set heat to low. Let asparagus and veggies steam for a few minutes, and the quinoa get warm throughout. But do NOT let the asparagus get overdone! This will be the trickiest part of the meal to time, because overcooked asparagus is just no good. So if you are worried about the timing, don’t sauté the asparagus with the other veggies, but just add it to the pot with the quinoa polenta and add a bit more broth so they can steam fully. Remember the asparagus will continue to cook after you turn off the heat as long as the lid is on the pot, and time things accordingly.

(I apologize, Aubrey, if you know all about cooking asparagus—some of the people who read this may not!)

If you have fresh basil, use it instead of the dry, but just snip it into the dish at the very end and mix it in before you serve. Or you can snip green onion or fresh parsley on top too! OR chop some fresh diced tomato on top before you serve. . . a little fresh taste with a hot grainy dish does amazing things!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

There you are, Aubrey! I think these two dishes would taste good served together, but you could omit the beans from one of the dishes if you do. (They should be really good with this dish if the polenta turns out more grainy than mushy—if the polenta is mushy, omit the beans and leave them in the entrée.) A green salad would be perfect on the side, but you already have so many beautiful veggies represented that if you are tired of chopping after you have made these dishes, they will be fine on their own.

Please let us know if you actually make either of these! : )

Blessing of the Week: one good nostril

I started writing this post in my head about a month ago, when I first got this really bad cold.  It lingered for WEEKS, finally waned, and has reared its ugly head again this week. UGH!  I think I may have to actually go to the Dr for this one--something must be up. So really, this topic is my Blessing of the Month, because I have been aware of this blessing (or in need of it!) for at least that long.

It started with allergies--seasonal, I assume, because I did not feel sick, but then just had the runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing, tiredness, that I sometimes get from seasonal allergies.  There must have been trees mating or something.  So actually the nose issues started even before the cold (and I have a suspicion they are linked too).  And let me tell you, I don't usually pay much attention to colds.  Eh, they are life, they are bad for a couple of days, then they go away.  I have never--that I recall--had a cold so bad for so long. 

If there is one thing that really drives me crazy about a cold, it is not being able to breathe through my nose at night.  Esp. when my throat is already scratchy and painful--to wake up in the night because I've been sleeping with my mouth open and it feels like terra cotta in there and my throat is practically on fire with dryness.  UGH!  Even worse is not being able to get back to sleep because of the pain in my throat and the knowledge that my mouth is drying out all over again with every breath, no matter how many glasses of water I just drank.  Impossible to sleep! 

I have devised a way to trick my brain into relaxing and not focusing on the drying-out mouth just long enough to go back to sleep.  And it really says something about my lack of innate survival skills that I did not come up with this solution until I was pushing 40.  I take a small, thin cloth handkerchief and wet it near one side, the wet spot being about the same size as my open mouth.  I make myself comfy on the pillows (likely elevated in the hopes that it will help my sinuses to drain) and then smooth the cloth over my mouth.  The damp will stick to the skin just a little, which helps it stay in place, so if I am on my back I may not even have to hold it.  If I need to hold it, I turn on my side so my hand is comfortable.  The damp cloth REALLY helps the mouth not to dry out!  At the very least it is a placebo, and my brain is very happy for it, and I can fall asleep much more readily.  I mean, I don't care what happens to the cloth/my breathing once I am asleep--just please Dear Lord help me go to sleep!

The praying helps too. : )  Even in my own mind, when I cannot sleep I try to start praying for whomever comes to mind, and will always fall asleep eventually.  And who knows who might have needed the prayers!  My dear Becky was the one who once advised me to try this, saying she figures she'll fall asleep once she prays for the person she was brought awake to be praying for.

(For those of my readers who are not praying folks--it is really eerie to hear stories later about prayer seeming to have a real life impact.  I shared one such story a while back, when I woke up in the night praying for my dear Rosa, who unbeknownst to me was that very night going through an emergency C-section, and she and her husband confirmed later that the times when her baby was most in danger or the situation was otherwise dire, were the times I woke and prayed!  I have heard of other true stories too, of people waking in the night and praying for a specific person half-way around the world from them, only much later to learn that the person's life was in danger at that moment in time.  Gives me the goose-bumps.  God is at work, people, and He is constantly inviting us to join Him in it!)

OK, so I have my coping strategies for the stuffed nose.  But still, there is literally nothing as sweet to me this month as the sweep of air through my own unclogged nostrils.  The stuffedness comes and goes, so sometimes I find myself walking around the house breathing through my mouth, only to close it and realize--my nostrils are open!  Oh, it feels soooooooo goooooooood.  At night, when I am dreading the whole stuffy sleep thing, to try to arrange my head and shoulders ideally for drainage, and then wait patiently--almost expectantly--for one good nostril to open. . . it usually does.  And one, my friends, is enough.  Just one good nostril and I can sleep easily.  Oh, the comfort, of the quiet bliss.

It may seem really silly to some of you that I am going on about breathing through nostrils.  Yes, it is a little silly.  But it is such a Good thing, and something I usually take completely for granted.  Now this past month, being aware throughout the day and night of my nostrils is almost like a parallel with being aware constantly of God being with me, and blessing me.   And me trusting constantly of Him being with me and blessing me. Throughout all this illness, I have only had two nights' sleep of complete stuffiness.  And probably only two or three nights of being completely clear.  Most of this past month I've been working with one nostril, and it is enough.  And enough is wonderful.

Dinner 1: Savory Cabbage and Potato Pot

Our first dinner in the Blessed Table Dinner Challenge!

DISCLAIMERS: I cook on a gas stove, and whenever I cook on someone else’s electric I am always completely flummoxed by how long it takes for the burner to respond to my changes on the dial, so I apologize right now if my instructions for managing temperature don’t work with your stove. Think about how you normally cook, how your stovetop normally responds, and modify my instructions as needed!

You are always welcome to chop your veggies into whatever shapes are most pleasing to you—I made suggestions here that seem to fit the flavors and feel of the dish, and that look pretty together. : ) Just remember to keep your chopped veggies roughly the same size, so they cook about the same length of time.

And remember, I am making this up in my head, but I am a visual person and cook best with the ingredients in front of me. So, do what seems logical! If I say half a cabbage and your cabbage is small and you have a lot of the other ingredients, then use the whole cabbage. Keep things proportional—that’s the key. : )

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Anon’s list of Things to Be Used Up: Ground turkey, cabbage, Maui Onions, spinach, carrots and regular pantry staples on hand. Given this combination—esp. the sweet nature of those Maui onions and sautéed cabbage—I immediately thought of Eastern European flavors.


Savory Cabbage and Potato Pot

Ingredients:
--ground turkey (don’t know how to approximate amounts of this—one package? Eye-ball it so you don't end up with proportionally more meat than the amount of veggies)
--One large Maui onion (or 2 small), sliced in thin rounds
--About ½ a medium green cabbage, chopped
--About 3-4 carrots, quartered lengthwise and then cut into 1 inch pieces
--About 2-3 potatoes—red, gold, russet—chopped into pieces 1” or smaller (you want to end up with proportionally a little more potato than carrot, so adjust the # of potatoes you use depending upon how big they are)
--garlic powder, pepper, dried dill weed (if you don’t have dill, go with crushed dried rosemary and thyme)
--a lot of fresh spinach, rinsed and sorted (I dunno, about ½ a bag? Remember, it will reduce drastically, so always add a little more than you think you need) If the leaves are really big, then tear or chop. If baby spinach, just toss in as is.
--OPTIONAL but recommended: sour cream, yogurt, or sharp cheddar cheese (any cheddar will do, but sharp is best)

Cook your ground turkey in a skillet however you like. (That’s as close to instructions as this vegetarian can get!)

(To save washing an extra pot, you can cook the meat and then transfer it to another dish and use the same pot for the next steps. Or if you prefer to be cooking them at the same time, you can use two pots.)

In large pot, sauté onion and cabbage in olive oil for a few minutes until transluscent, adding a tablespoon of water every now and then, as necessary, to keep them from sticking and getting too brown.

Add a little water—about ¾ cup--and add your chopped carrots. Cover the pot and crank up the heat, bringing the contents to a simmer. When simmering, add the potato and stir, adjusting the temperature under the pot to keep the food simmering, but not boiling. Cover and let cook for at least 5 minutes. When potatoes and carrots feel mostly done (fork prick test), add ground turkey and stir well. Sprinkle liberally with garlic powder and pepper and LOTS of dried dill. (Can salt too, if you desire, just go easy. : ) Cook, uncovered now, for about 5-10 minutes, until everything is hot and cooked through.

When it all looks good, toss in your fresh spinach and stir it in. Put on the lid, set to low heat, and let it cook for about 2 minutes more. Uncover, turn off the heat, stir, and sprinkle one last round of dill. (Can’t have too much dill!)

At this point you have options—you can mix in a couple tablespoons of sour cream or yogurt right there in the pot and serve it like that (not too much, now!). You can add some grated sharp cheddar cheese on top. You can deliver it to the table as is, and allow people to add sour cream/yogurt/cheese if they desire. You can even do a little of both your creamy white and your shredded orange! You can serve this over or alongside egg noodles or brown rice, or just have garlic bread on the side. Make a nice green salad and some applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon and you have a beautiful, healthy meal!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Here you are, Anon! You did not say the color of your cabbage, so I just assumed green. Red won’t be as nice in this dish, if that’s what you have—I usually reserve red cabbage for salads—but you can use it, or leave it out and just use the other ingredients. If you use rosemary instead of dill, might want to add it when you add the water, to let it cook longer. You did not say what kind of spinach you had, so I guessed fresh. If your spinach is frozen, just thaw it out beforehand, and then add it when you add the ground turkey, to let the flavors meld a bit longer. And if your spinach was frozen, add more dill, and go with the grated cheddar on top instead of the sour cream.  And if you didn't have potatoes, no worries!  Just use all that cabbage, and be sure to serve alongside a starch, like rice. 

Please let us know if you actually try this dish!  : )

The Blessed Table Dinner Challenge is on!

Since only three brave souls wanted to play, everyone's a winner!  So, Aubrey, Stacy, and Nydia, you're on!  (Except, um, Stacy?  If that mac n cheese is a week old, I am barring it from the game--just my luck it would give you food poisoning and everyone would blame ME! ; )

So here's what you do:
1) leave a comment here telling me what you have in the fridge that you really want to use up, and what foods your family loves (i.e. Mexican, Italian, etc.) and what foods they hate, and any particular dietary needs of your family.  (don't worry, I'm not asking you to be exhaustive--just give me the basics)

2) I will try to "make" you a dinner from your list!  I'll assume you have staples like milk, some cheese, basic veggies like potatoes and carrots and some basic canned goods like tomato sauce, so be sure to tell me if you are out of something you think I might use.

If you leave your list by Friday noon, I will "make" your dinner that afternoon!   If you don't see this or have a chance to comment by then, don't worry, just post your list when it is convenient, and I will respond as soon as I can!  (DH's parents might be coming for this 3-day weekend, and we have a birthday party AND the start of a homeschool "camp" here!  Whew!)

Thanks for playing, ladies.  This just might be fun!

Oh, and Stacy, thanks for the game name idea--your explanation is good, and I love the additional implication that my whipping up dinner is sometimes a "miracle."  too true.  But I am balking at there being the least thought in anyone's minds that I think what I come up with is anything even remotely close to what Jesus would.  ; )  (WWJD? Not put that ricotta into a soup with that pumpkin and that oatmeal, is what y'all would be thinking!)

I'm really excited about this!  Thanks for humoring me. : )

It's (ok, was) my 2nd bloggiversary! Who's up for a game? (UPDATED)

I realized just yesterday that my blogger anniversary was around now--looks like it was on the 21st of Jan.  Whoops!  How time flies!

So, thank you all for sharing in this online adventure.  I have really enjoyed the outlet for creative expression, and, this past year, for indulging my aesthetic sensibilities with visual feasts of etsy beauty.  ; ) Writing helps me work through things, and I pray some of what I write is helpful in the hearts and minds of some of my readers.  I love being part of a virtual village--thank you, fellow villagers, for sharing it with me!

And, even though I never think of this as any kind of food blog, some of my favorite posts have been about the crazy dinners I make from whatever I can scrounge up in the kitchen.  I seriously never thought of myself as a cook, until I honed my kitchen gleaning skills these past two years and started blogging about it.  Partly from your comments, I have realized this is not just a regular thing that everybody does, and it has seriously made me feel so much better about my cooking skills.  So thank you for the fun and encouraging comments!  I am enjoying cooking now more than I ever have, and am approaching dinners with more confidence and enthusiasm.  I give you all half of the credit for that!

So I was saying to my dear Becky just yesterday that in honor of my bloggiversary this year I thought it would be fun to see if anyone wants to play a virtual game, where I will "create" a dinner for you out of what is in your fridge!  Becky was sweetly enthusiastic and told me there was a lady who regularly does this, in a spot called "Stump the Cook" on her public radio cooking show.  Well, if thousands (hundreds? ; ) of public radio fans enjoy it, maybe some of you will too!

So, who wants to play?  (And who can come up with a catchy name for the game?  It's not leaping out at me. . .)  If you do, just leave a comment to this post.  One week from today the game will be on!  I'll select a "winner" from those who want to play, and tell you who won.  You then have to tell me some of the things in your fridge you want to use up, and what frozen/canned goods you have.  If your family has special dietary needs, be sure to say so!  It's ok to tell me you have meat to use up--I'll do the best I can with it, but just be warned that is not my specialty.  ; ) 

UPDATE:

You folks crack me up.  The silence in here is deafening!  You are all totally and completely quaking in your boots at the thought of what I might come up with and that you would have to COOK IT and EAT IT.  Uh-huh, now I REALLY know what you all think of my creative cooking skills! ; )

I realize I did not make this clear in the above post, so let me do so now:
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ACTUALLY COOK WHAT I COME UP WITH.  Of course, you could always try it, and then you would truly have the Blessed Table experience, which might be fun and might even be tasty--wait, did I just name the game?  I think I did!  I know you Midwesterners in particular might be really nervous about the thought of eating the weird combinations I come up with (maybe Scottish Twins aside).  But think about this--since the food selection will be coming from YOUR fridge, how weird could it be?  (I doubt most of you have on hand in your fridge the things I routinely do, like kalamata olives and feta and artichoke hearts and. .  i'm making myself hungry. . . but you get the idea)

So, NO PRESSURE!  No one has to want to play the game--I will not be the least bit offended, although I will be quite amused. : )

Much love to all of you this Friday!

"my" new bathroom floor

Yes, pennies.  This pic is from the floor of the new restaurant at New York's Standard Hotel.  Beautiful!

And I even have online tutorials to show me how to do it myself!

Before anyone asks, from what I understand this is not illegal.  And it works out to cost about $2 a square foot, WAY cheaper--and way cooler--than any tile we could use!

I want to pair it with stained wood wainscotting.  DH likes the floor, but also wants to tile the walls. I say if you tile the walls you have to tile the floor too.  So, we shall see what we end up with!

update on the weekend: blessings and bummers, but mostly blessings

a)
God is faithful, as always.  MIL and I packed our days this weekend with lots of positive activities and even though I was exhausted all day Sat, and even more Sunday, I just kept moving and doing and not reacting to things spoken and all was fine.  In fact, maybe being so tired was a blessing--I was way past the edge, irritable tired stage, and was using all my energy just slogging through whatever task was before me while trying to pretend I was not.  And so I had no reserves left for any kind of spirited response to anything MIL said.  I just would not answer, maybe look at her and smile gently in acknowledgement that I heard her, and while in the past any empty quiet space between MIL and I might feel strained, I did not have the energy yesterday to care, and I think it was actually a very comfortable silence for both of us.  I would never have expected that--normally I am afraid of long silences between us, afraid MIL is feeling uncomfortable or will read something negative into my silence, or start thinking of negative things which will then be said--so normally my strategy is to fill silences between us with safe topics, like how her extended family is doing, her work, Survivor, etc.  Of course, this does not always work either, and sometimes a topic I thought was foolproof ends up studded with landmines and something blows.  So I think this experience of positive silence was good--maybe it is a good sign of some slight comfort in familiarity between us.

Overall, this was a nice visit from them, and MIL was showing real consideration and restraint in how she used her words.  So, not a stress or pain-free weekend by far, but SO MUCH better than it could have been. I am thankful!

b)
DH's parents came this weekend to help us out with house projects.  So FIL and DH worked on leveling the house under the kitchen and bathroom and building up the foundation there, which needs to be done before we can start our bathroom project.  They also bought some parts from Home Depot and hooked our old bathroom sink back up so we could use it.  I am trying to be happy about this.  You see, I had been without any working bathroom sink for two years.  The first year was not my choice--while the sink was finally completely unusable, we could not move forward on the project because we had not found a faucet we both liked, and I had not yet sold DH on the idea of the remodel to gain us more usable space.  I was willing to be patient to get what I really wanted. 

Then last summer DH's parents brought us a sink from a garage sale that we could hook up in place of our broken one.  So thoughtful of them.  But my point of view was, I have suffered with potty germs in my kitchen sink for a whole year--I don't want it to be for nothing.  I know full well if we take the time and effort and $ to install that sink with an el-crapo Home Depot faucet, it will be the only bathroom remodel sink I get.  So that sink is coming into this house over my dead body.  I did not actually say this, but did firmly request to DH that we not take them up on the offer, and I am very thankful he acquiesced, and his parents respected our wishes without major issue.  The sink has been sitting in our front side yard since then, a gleaming white eye-catching focal-point in our current white trash landscaping, reminding me that the threat to my remodel dreams was not over.

So now it has been two years without a sink, but we have made progress.  DH finally caught the vision of the bathroom remodel and he and his dad even drew out rough plans for it.  Yay!!!!!  We found our new faucet. We bought our new sink. We have researched windows.  We settled on stained wood instead of painted.  I saw my dream bathroom floor, and DH likes it too--although we disagree about what to do with the walls if we do the floor that way. . . . We even drove to San Francisco to select the soapstone slabs and tile we would need for the counter and backsplash.  The bathroom project is underway--very, very slowly, but forward motion of any kind is great.

But this past weekend DH and his dad ran to Home Depot and bought the small parts needed for one last patch job on our old sink, which has been hanging there in the bathroom all this time, used mainly to hold the toothbrush basket and the occassional magazine.  They did not say one word to me (hmmm, wonder why?) but went about "fixing" the sink to make it usable once more.

Yes, it is nice to have a working bathroom sink, and the girls think it is so novel to wash their hands in the bathroom that they are mostly remembering to use it and not the kitchen sink.  : )  I'll be happy with that.  And they did not install the garage sale sink, so I'll be happy about that too. (It's a nice sink, don't get me wrong, much nicer than our current one, but it is a potentially permanent stop-gap.)   But I have to admit, what made me happiest was that the faucet started dripping and the plumbing started leaking onto the floor within a few hours of the repair.  That sounds warped, I know--but it's like a promise that this "fix" is truly only temporary and my modest but so needed bathroom remodel will not be set aside. 

c)
This weekend we had the most amazing weather.  Upper 70's, sunny blue skies, the most gorgeous weather--and it's February.  I am sorry for the rest of you who are experiencing real winter--I invite ANY of you to come out and visit us! : )  What is truly funny, though, is hearing locals in the library and groccery store complaining about the heat.  We are just too spoiled living in paradise. 
------------------------------------

Most times after we have had a weekend with DH's parents I find I need a "mental health day."  Today the girls played in their bedroom until 1:30.  Then they ate "brunch" and moved out to the back deck to play the rest of the beautiful afternoon.  No official school today. I did some fun things around the house--I'll show you tomorrow!--and otherwise spent the whole rest of the day on the computer, checking out new blogs.  It actually felt really productive, and God even spoke to me through a few of the things I read--I'll be sharing some of them with you later this week!  So it was overall a good day.  Now if DH and I can smooth our feathers, so to speak--we have not had a chance to really talk to each other since our argument Fri night, and I know things are still sensitive. . . .

Or maybe this is a great night to avoid any conflict and watch Netflix instead! ; )

Wishing you all a beautiful and peace-filled week.

update: my neckwarmer!

OK, so I don't yet have it in hand, but look at the pic the seller sent of my custom neckwarmer:

Ahhhhhhhhhh. She sent me the pic to show me the button options.  I chose the faceted jet black one on the very botton, left, which she said is vintage glass.  Perfect!

And yes, I know I am a little too excited.  Clearly I don't buy much for myself that falls into the "fun" and not just "practical" category.  I have to admit I'm enjoying the fun. : )

Joy of the Redeemed

DH's parents are here this weekend, and we are having a fine time so far.  Except for one unexpected and unfortunate (and thankfully brief) incident yesterday evening that MIL and I got over--but about which DH and I somehow ended up fighting in bed until 1 a.m. So I got up and sat in front of the fire to pray and calm my mind and heart until 1:30.  And then as soon as I was back in bed trying to settle down to sleep, the new neighbors set off fireworks from their back deck--the really loud, fast Chinatown kind. And again five minutes later.  Then at 2:30 Happy kicked down the protective bar from the top bunk in her sleep, so I had to go re-position her and her sisters, deciding to leave down the bar.  At 3:00 Sunny fell out of the high bed with a big thump--but was perfectly ok, since she had pulled all the bedding with her and landed on it.  But after getting her back settled in bed, I realized something was going on.  Seriously, my friends who believe such things can happen, it really felt like spiritual attack, like something was actively trying to keep me (and DH) from being one spirit together, and from getting any sleep.  At 6:30 Smiley got out of bed and came into the living room, where our bed is, and I had to escort him back, telling him to go back to sleep (he just started waking up earlier a few night ago, sometimes at 4 in the morning, sometimes at 6:30--what is up with THAT?) but it did not work and he was walking around again at 7, and woke up his sisters.  That's ok with me, 7 is a perfectly reasonable time to get up, esp. when we need to get up and dressed before Oma and Opa come in.  But because of all these strange things happening in one short night, I only got maybe 3 1/2 hours of sleep--and oh, my readers, my sisters, my friends, I am like a zombie this morning, numb and scratchy, and completely inadequate in spirit and strength for having a positive day with any people who are themselves in a poor spirit place.

(DH always struggles when his mom and I clash, a whole childhood of conditioning coming back to him, and his distrust of my desire to act righteously--and not self-righteously--not always allowing him to believe the best of me in difficult moments.  I feel badly for him about it, when I'm not being mad. ; )

There is no way I will make it through this weekend, this day, this morning, on my own.

Good thing I am not on my own.  I desperately reached for my Bible this morning, knowing I would need some Truth to start the day with, before DH's parents come in.  Opened it randomly, and here, oh here, is the living, loving Word God gave me for today:

Isaiah 35 "Joy of the Redeemed"

The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord.
the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you."

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it;
it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there,
nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
and the randomed of the Lord will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

one last neck warmer--for now

here is one more scarf I wanted to show you:

found at this etsy shop

Totally cute!!!!  And reasonably priced!  But what most intrigues me about this scarf is that I think I could actually do this myself!!!!

I am slightly artistic, meaning I can dabble in just about anything, but not at all crafty.  Knitting and crochet and felting just seem way beyond my current mental abilities, time availability, and patience level.  But this I can get my brain around--it is clear how it is made, and I know I could at least try!  Maybe it would not turn out as clean as this one, but I am sure the pleasure of wearing my inperfect try would make up for it. : )

thank you to my fashionistas

I had to really restrain myself from responding to your comments to my post about getting some warm neckware.  I didn't want to skew the results with my feedback.  I completely agree with the consensus, that the cotton warmer will be ultimately more wearable, but I must admit I was secretly hoping someone would urge me to get the black one. Which is cashmere, my favorite favorite.  And which is upcycled, which I also love!  And which is so so cute. . . But I see I have a lot of cool heads in my readership, and tight pocketbooks (since no one actually urged me to get both, clearly we are all being grown-ups about it.  Sigh. ; )

So, the charcoal grey one it is!  Let's see if I can get a good pic of that when it arrives. . .

Thank you for your comments--I really do value your opinions. (Yours included, mom!  I have not been a teenager for a while now, and even if you and I might not choose the same things, we can safely agree we both have excellent taste. : ) 

And Stacy, thank you for giving me a clear picture of why NOT to covet the black cashmere neck warmer--because while Sweeney Todd is neo-Victorian (the roots of Steampunk) it is also completely revolting.   (ok, ok, I have not actually seen it, but even though I really like Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, I am turned off by celebrations of the macabre, Lost Boys excluded).  So, thank you for giving me a reason to steel my heart against its decadence. ; )

Finally, in celebration of my new neck warmer, I can't resist sharing with you a few more images of gorgeous and warm pieces for the neck that I found on etsy:

look, my cashmere upcycled beauty comes in purple too!

this one might have been my first choice, if not acrylic--so pretty!

this one is another by the seller that is making my new neck warmer-gorgeous style!

Here is a similar one by a different seller. So dramatic! if I were braver, and could wear wool, I would be so tempted!

love the color on this one

ruffly!  pink!  so not me!  love it anyway!

this one is not my style either, but embodies "cozy"--and such a pretty pink

oh, how i love upcycled cashmere! and this scarf 

i could NEVER wear this color, but it is so so pretty, esp. in this delicate pattern!

this one is my favorite color, and a wee bit Steampunky!

this one is truly amazing--but a bit bulky for the neck.  anyone need a hand-made table runner at an excellent price?

how's this for gorgeous?  and perfect for Valentine's Day! (and why it is already sold)

Ah, how I enjoy beautiful, well-crafted, creative things.  One of these days I'll have to take the time to learn how to make some. In the meantime, I'm so glad there's etsy.

the evolution of a dinner--a "How To" for you

First, run errands with your children around lunchtime.  On the way home, pass Taco Bell and get everyone in the mood for Mexican-ish food. Resist the strong temptation to stop at Taco Bell, instead congratulate yourself mentally for your will power and actually having rice in the house, and tell the kids you will make them burrito bowls for lunch instead. 

At home, be thankful for the white rice that you got at Winco with MIL, which is not as good for you as brown, but which only takes 15 minutes to cook.  And is really yummy. While the rice is cooking, search the fridge and freezer for any suitable veggies with which to make fajitas, and come up empty handed, since you have not been back to Safeway since that terrible morning three weeks ago when the express clerk scolded you for violating the sanctity of her zone with more than 15 items, an event which you are clearly long over.

Also while the rice is cooking, have the children come to the table and eat the last pieces of dry Crispix and raisins still in their bowls from when you had to rush away from the breakfast table to make it to martial arts at 10:30 (dry cereal because you ran out of milk yesterday).  When the rice is done, and the bowls are empty, put a generous helping into each child's bowl.  Top the rice with a little salsa, some canned black beans (rinsed and drained), and shredded cheddar.  Give them tortilla chips to scoop it up with.  Savor the moment, as your children devour your "efforts" and praise your culinary "skills."

Don't put the food away, because you are not quite ready to eat but will as soon as the kids are settled for naptime shortly.  Then, make up your bowl of food and put away the cheese, since you have to, but leave the rinsed beans in the collander and the cooked rice in the pot, because you can and you are lazy and just want to go sit down and eat in peace in front of the computer and worry about cleaning up the mess later.  Eat, rest and refresh, but be sure never to go back into the kitchen, lest you see the mess and feel the need to do something about it.  When you do have to pass through the kitchen, carefully avert your eyes and keep your mind otherwise occupied.  After all, your toddler really needs a nap, and although he is currently kicking the bars of the crib and happily yelling, you don't want to keep him from sleeping by making noise in the kitchen.

When naptime is over, get involved in a massive purging effort under the house.  Keep it up until it is way past time for you to be cooking dinner.  When you have procrastinated as long as you can, head back to the kitchen while trying to think what you could make for dinner that does not involve milk or bread or fresh fruits and vegetables, and see the rice and beans you never put away.  You will be inspired! 

Grab a big pot and start heating a couple of inches of water in it.  (Normally you would have sauted some onion in the bottom of the pot first, but you ran out of onion last Friday).  When the water is boiling, toss in about 4-5 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed.  Cover and let boil until almost cooked. 

Then remove the lid and add the leftover black beans (and rinse and add one more can of black beans too). 

Also take the jar of salsa you had emptied at lunch, put a little water in it and shake it up really well, then pour that into your pot (Frugal Tip!).  Then get out a new jar of salsa and add some of that to the pot, whatever amount looks good. Add some cumin too, about 1-2 tsp. again, whatever looks good.

Also add some frozen corn--Trader Joe's roasted corn is ideal--and dump in the rice leftover from lunch. Stir well, put the lid back on, and cook several minutes more, until it is all hot and bubbly.

Also snip the last of the green onions into the pot, about 3. 

Also at this point, use your kitchen scissors to snip into the pot some thin strips of the last of your fresh greens (kale or spinach or chard--any will do) and cook for *just* a minute or two--make sure the greens are still bright green and not sickly when you are done! 

Thanks to the salsa, no need to even add pepper or salt, unless you really want.

Serve to your children, who will oooh and ahhh over the beautiful arrangement of colors in their bowls, and proclaim you a wonderful cook. 

So there you have it, my friends, how to be a desperate amazing, lazy resourceful, laughable inspired rockstar in the kitchen!

(Don't be put off by the humor--it WAS really yummy, and really easy! : )