gathering up the fragments

Sometimes you hit "post" and nothing happens!  This was one of those times, when I thought I'd posted Saturday, but chrome crashed and lost a third of my post.  ah, well...

I thought we should have some well-rounded, home-making bloggy fare for a bit before I launch into the next exciting trip journals!  This is a post I've been thinking about for a while, and I'm actually borrowing the phrase "gathering up the fragments" from the old More with Less Cookbook.  My mother regularly relied on this Mennonite book, and she kindly found me a copy when I was in college. It's full of budget-friendly, use-what-you-have recipes, and many of them are vegetarian.  That's about as connected this post will be to that book, though, because this is my own giant list of what I do with leftovers!  (I'd love to see yours!)  And just for fun, I'm including some really old, unedited food-related photos of Gemma Grace.  (Ruthie wears those clothes now!)

Of course, I will happily reheat leftover meals for my lunch, or even make extra on purpose to freeze for other days.  This list is less about fully-prepared meals and more about, say, leftover rice.  So let's start there.

Leftover Rice

• Rice pudding
• Fried rice
• Casseroles that require cooked rice, like Chicken/Broccoli/Rice or pizza rice casserole
• Also, Gemma will gladly eat cold rice for lunch . . . 

Stale or Leftover Bread

• French Toast
• Bread pudding (I make a marvelous Blueberry-Lemon bread pudding.  It's a Southern Living recipe!)
• Cube it, toss in some oil and seasoning and roast on a cookie sheet to make croutons or stuffing mix.
• Crumble or zap in a food processor to make bread crumbs for chicken parmigiana, etc.

Leftover Potatoes

• Slice them and fry them up for breakfast :)
• Or if they're already mashed, form them into little pancakes and fry them up for breakfast
• Mash them up with some milk and use them as the topping for shepherd's pie (I often freeze them and do this later).
• Add to chowders, or make extra potatoes on purpose to make potato soup!
• Sweet Potatoes:  make muffins

Leftover Meats

There are, of course, many recipes that call for cubed, cooked meat.  If I have only a little bit, I usually slice it up for pancit or stir fry . . . in fact, we're having steak stir fry tonight!  :)  There are always sandwiches, too.  Whenever I have a bone with some meat on it, though, I make soup.

Ham

• Slice and fry for breakfast along with eggs
• Quiche
• Hawaiian Pizza
• Ham and dumplings
• Chicken Cordon Bleu
• With a ham bone, I usually make Lentil Soup

Chicken/Turkey

• There are lots of recipes for cooked chicken, so I'll just include a link to chicken pot pie
• With a chicken carcass, there's always chicken noodle soup, but my husband prefers thick soups like white chicken chili.  

Red Meats

• Hot roast beef sandwiches, especially if you have leftover gravy
• I've dabbled in curry, but need to practice some more
• My favorite soup for beef and venison is barley soup! 

Miscellaneous

• Waffles - I make up all my batter and save the rest for a quick breakfast for my children later in the week.  They're very tasty warmed in the toaster-oven.  (I hear they can be frozen, too, but we never get to that point!)
• Pancakes - these I don't care for as much on the second day, so I tend to just refrigerate remaining batter and use it as soon as possible.
• Oatmeal - Make oatmeal bread!
• Boiled eggs:  Egg salad, or add to many cold salads
• Scrambled eggs:  Add to fried rice
• Coffee:  Make a chocolate cake.  (But usually I just reheat and drink!!)

How's all that for gathering up the fragments?  I still have no good uses for leftover pasta . . . are there any out there?  Pasta salad, maybe?  I suppose if all else fails, there's composting, or maybe you're one of those happy people who have chickens.  :)

My Jethros

"Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good. You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone." Exodus 18:17-18

All the family birth visits are over, and we've been on our own as a little family of four for a few weeks now.  It is tiring, but we are loving it!  We'd stocked up on some disposable newborn diapers for the early days, but I was excited to get my girls into cloth once again--and for the first time, in Ruth's case.  :)

It's a good thing that I enjoy laundry, because there is so much now!  It's funny how just one new little person can make that job so mountainous.  I love it, though--I love hanging the diapers out in the sunshine while Ruth sleeps in the Moby wrap and Gemma runs around the yard.  I love making pancakes on my new cast iron skillet, and having homemade muffins around to snack on.  I love sipping tea and reading to my girlies on the couch.  There are many, many things to treasure about this season.

My Mom and sister are wonderful.  Besides John, they're my best friends and favorite people to talk with on the phone.  Lately, though, they've both been giving me advice like Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, gave to him.  "Are you sure you're ready for cloth diapers?" and "if both babies are sleeping, why aren't you sleeping?"  

It's a little difficult to take Mom's advice very seriously.  She had two in cloth diapers, and didn't have a weekly "Thai night" to give her a break from cooking.  She had a baby with colic!  She had to iron Dad a shirt every day, while my husband stays home with me!  Somehow she kept her cookie jar stocked with homemade cookies.She also wore herself out . . . but not until she had three little ones.  

Surely, they're just saying these things because they love me, and that's what you're supposed to say to a mother of a newborn.

But, as our house got dirtier and our freezer stash of meals started dwindling, I started re-thinking some of my priorities.  I appreciate the financial and environmental aspects of cloth diapering, as well as putting my babies in fewer chemicals, but John has assured me more than once that he's willing to pay for disposable diapers.  And I'm not exactly blessing him by making muffins when they're almost exclusively for me.  Gemma likes them and he'll eat one out of courtesy, but I did not marry a muffin-man.  And, perhaps the time has come for simpler breakfasts while I spend more time cleaning the house, which does bless him.  

For a few weeks, I'm taking a break from social mediia and simplifying home life while endeavoring to get our priorities back in order.  In the grand scheme, it's more important for Gemma to see her mommy reading her Bible than baking, and certainly more important than scrolling through facebook!  



Thanks be to God for my Jethros . . . and for our little ones who make them necessary.  :)

(photos by Madeline Christoph Photography, artismad.com)

Supper this week (and part of next!)

Well, yesterday I pulled some tortilla dough out of the freezer and cooked up enough for the three of us, then cooked up a chicken breast in homemade taco seasoning (recipe found via pinterest!).  We added lettuce, cheese, salsa and refried beans (canned this time) to our tacos, and they were yummy!

And today I roasted a chicken.  I haven't done that in a while.  :)  This time, I stuffed it with an onion and a  little bouquet garnier of rosemary and thyme (my remaining living herbs!).  I rubbed it down with some olive oil and sprinkled on dried parsley and sage. The potatoes and vegetables got drizzled with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper, too.  It smelled so yummy cooking!  It's so much fun that fall is coming, and oven-season and chili and stew season is almost here!

So, the plan for the rest of the week is . . .

Wednesday:  {Thai}
Thursday:  Lasagna (with noodles and riccotta leftover from Sunday!)
Friday:  Salmon and Rice
Saturday:  Chicken pie?  Or something else with chicken leftover from today.
Sunday:  We're having company!  We've found that it's easy for John to grill chicken and have mashed potatoes, salad, probably carrots, and probably some sort of pie for dessert.
Monday:  Rachel Ray's pasta with bacon, tomatoes, and cheese (but I use red pepper instead of the tomatoes; just our personal preference)

I guess this week is a bit chicken-heavy!  But it is my sweetie's favorite meat . . . and it's cheaper than beef . . . and doesn't have pink slime in it . . .

I share my plans partly for accountability, and partly to share my ideas!  But I'm always interested in new ideas!  What are you making for dinner this week?

Supper This Week

Monday:  "Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage with a Riccotta Surprise" (A Rachael Ray dish which will be an experiment!)
Tuesday:  Salmon and Rice
Wednesday:  {Thai}
Thursday:  Chicken Marsala and Cacio e Pepe
Friday:  Black Beans and Rice
Saturday:  Grilled Chicken and Mashed Potatoes
Sunday:  We're helping with a college lunch at church, so I'm making lasagne and brownies!

We never made beans last week because John took us to Moe's!  That's always a fun treat!  So, they're on the menu again for this week, once I do major grocery shopping on Thursday and get everything we need.  :)

On English Muffins

 During pregnancy, I generally try to follow the Brewer pregnancy diet, because it's much easier than trying to count grams of protein, calcium and iron!  One of the diet's recommendations is that I eat two eggs each day . . . easy, I love eggs!  Still, five months of only a few different preparations can get a little bit old.  So, I decided that poached eggs on English muffins sounded scrumptious, and set about learning how to make my own English muffins and poach my own eggs!  I've seen my mother do both years ago, but until a few days ago I had never tried either myself.  

So, I found recipes for English muffins in both Joy of Cooking and More With Less Cookbook and ended up following the latter, which was easier to understand.  I did add part whole-wheat flour, though, and I think I was a tad short on yeast.  They came out ok for my first try, but I think I need to keep working on them!  They still don't have all those delightful nooks and crannies like the ones you can buy at the store!

And yesterday morning, I turned to Betty Crocker for help with poaching eggs for the first time.  I thought they were quite delicious (my sweetie thought they were somewhat better than Mushroom Moussaka, but still toward that end of the spectrum!).  Since we have so many homemade English muffins now, I ate poached eggs again today for lunch, and will probably continue doing so for a while!  

While we're talking about muffins, perhaps you'd like a recent picture of our little baking muffin . . . 

22 weeks!

Adventures in Up-cycling

Thinking about Gemma's fall wardrobe has spurred me on not just to do some thrifting, but some sewing, too.  :)  There are some fun tutorials I've been excited to try, and have finally gotten around to doing!  So far, it seems like tutorial-sewing is much more fun than sewing from a pattern, not only because they're usually free :), but also they have such great pictures!  And, I suppose in order for a tutorial really to work without a pattern, it can't be that complicated to begin with . . . 

Source: rufflesandstuff.com via Gretchen on Pinterest

I really liked this jersey-skirt tutorial from Ruffles and Stuff, so I decided to make Gemma little bubble skirt from one of John's old tee-shirts!  This shirt was in near-perfect condition but he hadn't worn it in our entire three years of marriage.  (Don't worry . . . I got his permission first!)

You might notice that the shirt is missing a sleeve . . . that's because I used it for something else that I never got around to blogging about.  Maybe someday.  :)  But for now, here's the finished product:

It seemed silly to cut into the body of the shirt in order to get a large rectangle when I was just going to put a seam back in it, so I modifed the directions a bit in order to avoid that seam.  This complicated matters a bit . . . but it eventually turned out.  The major problem is that since my old, old Singer doesn't zig-zag, the seam to attach the skirt to its waist-band rather undermined the stretchiness of the waistband.  Oh well.  Gemma can still wear it, but it won't stretch over her bulky cloth diapers, so I have to put it on before her diaper.  

Source: cally-cruze.blogspot.com via Gretchen on Pinterest

My next little project was these easy-peasy baby legs!  Skirts and baby legs . . . aren't they a fun combination for fall?  I actually picked up the green and gray knee socks from Target back in April when they were on a St. Patrick's Day clearance for $1.25, and then I bought the polka dotted ones more recently for the same clearance price.  

In case you didn't look at the tutorial, all you really have to do is cut off the feet and do a zig-zag around the raw edge while you stretch the fabric to bring it to a finished, curly look.  I experimented with the foot-ends of the socks trying to see if I could achieve the same effect with my straight stitch, but it didn't work.  I just ended up folding the edges under and stretching the fabric while I hemmed them.  

You can see that the hems aren't perfect . . . but they're good enough.  :)

Gemma loves these!  Well, she loves dress-up and pink, anyway, and she likes wearing the baby legs on her arms, too.  :)  They were so easy and fun to make that I picked up a pair of striped knee socks, too, and made Gemma a third pair.  And then I decided that I should stop.  :)

It turns out that not only are funky knee socks on clearance at Target right now, but brightly colored jersey-knit bubble skirts for toddlers are, too.  Yes, and they're only $1.50 right now.  At least Gemma's skirt was free?  And, despite the brightly colored baby-legs, I still haven't bought into the trend of dressing my children or myself in neon and sequins.  Whoa, boy.  Every time I walk into Gap, I just gravitate toward the baby clothes because that's the only section where the colors aren't shocking and overwhelming!  Grey is a bit more subdued.

Supper This Week

I never got around to posting this yesterday . . . oops.  ;)

Monday:  Mushroom Moussaka (from the Moosewood Cookbook)
Tuesday:  Salmon and Rice
Wednesday:  {Thai}
Thursday:  Not-Sagna Pasta Toss (from Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals)
Friday:  Hamburgers with Sweet Potato Fries (and I want to make English muffins from scratch for the hamburgers and for eating with my eggs this week!  This will be an experiment!)
Saturday:  Black Beans and Rice
Sunday:  TBD . . . probably grilled chicken

So.  We've already had the mushroom moussaka.  It took me hours to make, and when it was all said and done, I was wondering why I had decided to do that to my husband.  I love eggplant, but he doesn't . . . and to make matters worse, this was a vegetarian version which basically loaded up the red sauce with mushrooms instead of ground beef.  Sorry, sweetie . . .

At least on Thursday we're having one of his favorite meals ever.  :)  And I'm really excited to try making English muffins!  I think I'm going to use the recipe from More With Less.  They always look so good at the store, but then I read the label and want to faint . . .

Green is in

 . . . that is, in the smoothies this season!  It's time for our annual summer smoothie post, and this year I have a sipping partner:

It started when she was interested in my smoothie, so I let her have a sip, and she quickly monopolized the glass!  So, now I fill up her straw cup with her own.  

Since that picture was taken, however, my sweetie and I have watched two documentaries, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, and Forks over Knives.  (Both are available on Netflix, which is how we watched them.)  I came away with the conclusion that at the very least, we should be eating more vegetables.  And so green is in!

The first time, I threw in a bunch of spinach leaves, but now kale is on the weekly shopping list and I appreciate its milder taste.  Besides that, lately I've simply been throwing a frozen banana, strawberries (or a peach or other berries), a big scoop of plain yoghurt, half a dozen ice cubes, about a tablespoon of coconut oil and enough fruit juice to make it blend nicely into our ordinary old blender, and they come out so yummy!    I guess they've gotten quite a bit fancier since last year and especially the year before!

Supper this week

Monday:  Refried Bean Enchiladas
Tuesday:  Pancit
Wednesday:  {Thai}
Thursday:  Pizza (mushroom and pepper for me, pepperoni on John's half, and I may finally try this crust recipe)
Friday:  Salmon & Rice
Saturday:  Chicken Marsala with Cacio e Pepe
Sunday:  Chicken Fajitas

The pancit got moved to this week because we didn't end up having the pancit last week.  I was tired and just made some pasta with jarred sauce and threw some sausage in it.  The crock pot macaroni and cheese was a mixed success; John actually loved it but I wasn't as thrilled.  I think I prefer recipes where the noodles are pre-cooked.  And yesterday afternoon, we had honey baked chicken over brown rice.  :)

supper this week

I have been meal-planning lately!  I've just forgotten to tell you about it . . .

Monday:  Chicken Tikka Masala and rice
Tuesday:  Black bean/veggie burritos on homemade tortillas
Wednesday:  {Thai}
Thursday:  Crock Pot Macaroni & Cheese (plan to try this recipe, found via pinterest)
Friday:  Salmon and rice
Saturday:  Pancit
Sunday:  Not yet decided ;)

Supper this week!

We stuck to our plans last week!  The only change was that we didn't actually eat the chicken cordon bleu yesterday, because at the last-minute we were invited to lunch by a family from church.  :)  It's all cooked and in the fridge, and we'll eat it at some point.

Plans for this week!
Monday:  Black bean/veggie burritos on homemade tortillas
Tuesday:  Pizza (pepperoni for my dearly beloved's half, peppers and olives for mine!)
Wednesday:  {Thai}
Thursday:  Shrimp Scampi

And . . . that's it!  Lord willing, on Friday morning Gemma and I fly to NY for my sister-in-law's baby shower. She's expecting twin girls this summer, and we are filled with joy for her and John's brother.  :)  I'll probably pull some pork barbecue out of the freezer for my sweetie while I'm gone, but he already has plans for Sunday afternoon and also tends to like eating out.  :)

Supper this Week

Happy Tax Day!

Last week, I'd planned to make Chicken Tikka Masala on Saturday night, but we ended up just have ziti and jarred sauce!  Thankfully, my husband is always up for pasta!  We were kind of busy getting the house and dinner ready for our company on Sunday, to whom we served baked spaghetti, salad, easy french bread (made into garlic bread!) and chocolate cake.  Oh, and green beans for the babies.  It was yummy.  :)

Here's the plan for this week:
Monday:  Chicken Tikka Masala and rice
Tuesday:  Lentil Soup (from ham bone)
Wednesday: {Thai}
Thursday: Chicken Broccoli Alfredo (I plan to try this recipe, found via pinterest)
Friday:  Salmon & Rice
Saturday:  Chicken Marsala with Cacio e Pepe
Sunday:  Chicken Cordon Bleu with rice

It seems this week is heavy on chicken . . .

Supper this Week

I thought it might be fun to start sharing my meal plans.  :)  It might not happen every week (probably won't!) but here's a start!

I usually check the next week's ads on Wednesday, plan the next week's meals and shop on Thursday.  And we usually aim for one fish meal, one bean meal, and possibly one additional meatless meal, especially if the bean meal isn't a meatless meal, like chilli, for example.  And I'm a very spoiled wife in that we always order Thai food on Wednesday nights.  Yes, that's the square I always fill in first.  ;)

Monday:  Black beans & rice
Tuesday: Pancit (A Filipino stir fry/noodle dish)
Wednesday: {Thai}
Thursday: Salmon & rice
Friday: Something with our leftover ham from Sunday
Saturday: Chicken Tikka Masala (& rice)
Sunday: Chicken Cordon Bleu & rice

Of course, it's always subject to change.  In fact, we'll probably do something different for next Sunday since we're now planning on having company.  But we'll see.  :)

Do you plan your meals?  Do you assign them to specific days?  Hmm, it seems that we're a bit heavy on the rice this week!  I hadn't noticed until now. And now I think I need to go get those beans cooking while the baby is still asleep.  ;)

A Lavender Bath

Well, our master bath room is finally almost finished.  :)  When I looked through last year's posts to link up to this one when we first got our new pipes, I could hardly believe that it was back in August!  We were without that bathroom in working order for quite a while.

But, at length, the ceiling was patched, the tile work in the shower was fixed, and we could finally use the paint which I purchased for it, oh, back before we did Gemma's nursery.  Of course the bathroom hasn't been out of commission for quite that long, thankfully, but it felt good to finally work on it!  

I thought we had more "before" pictures, but apparently there's only this one.  Like most of the rooms in the house, the walls were sort of a nondescript off-white.  It's probably a good choice of color when you're putting a house up for sale, but we don't plan on doing that for a while . . . and since our shower curtain and all our linens are white, the room seemed like it needed more color.  

I love herbs, especially lavender.  :)  It was lavender that the flower girls in our wedding dropped on their way down the aisle, and lavender which our guests pelted at us as we ran off to our honeymoon.  We decided a couple of years ago that this would be our lavender room, and the paint color we chose was indeed called "Brushed Lavender" (by Valspar).

This is a wider view of the same sink!  It actually looks better now because John has put the light fixture back, though!

Panning left, here is the shower!  All the expense of this room was in the plumbing and tiling fixes.  The shower curtain came from my hope chest (and originally from a garage sale!) and the bath mat was a wedding shower gift from Target's Simply Shabby Chic line.

Continuing left, we have the second sink!  The lighting in these photos probably isn't the best, but there are no windows in this room, so daylight is no help.  Thankfully there are two beautifully big mirrors!  The hamper was also a wedding gift.

A different shot of the same sink.  I originally took down the two Norman Rockwell prints, thinking they were "old person's art," but John liked them, so they're back up.  I just spray painted the frames white first.  The funny circular thing on the wall is a candle holder I made in Interior Design class in college.  It's nice to finally use it somewhere!

Fun little details!  The clock was John's and the soap and dish were a gift from my college roommate (Sarah, of course!  We have the same taste!).  The vintage glass medicine bottle came from Grandma Smith when she was cleaning things out a couple of years before she was forced to leave her home.

The picture above was taken shortly before John purchased the house.  It came furnished and included all these kitchen things, in particular the wire basket in the corner below.  It looks like it was intended for milk bottles.  I finally found a place for it in the bathroom and an arrangement I'm happy with.

John had the Mason jars and the little package of soap is from Williamsburg.  :)  I'm thinking of adding some color or texture to the handle with a ribbon or bit of fabric, but I'm not sure yet.

So . . . that's our bathroom!  Finally almost done . . . the ceiling still needs painting.  But we're quite happy with it!

Monday, Wash Day

The old poem goes,

Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Mend on Wednesday,
Churn on Thursday,
Clean on Friday,
Bake on Saturday,Rest on Sunday.


Have you heard it before?  It's been stuck in my head, but I googled about a little for a source.  Perhaps the most legitimate-looking one was at  this library's website.  The library credits the Little House books for one version of the poem, and some more googling revealed that an alternate line is "Thursday Market Day."  How fun.  :)  

Monday used to be my exclusive wash day!  It was just how I organized my week.  But now that our family is bigger, and one of us wears cloth diapers and gives sweet hugs to Mommy with her food-covered hands, there is simply more wash to do.  So, I do as much as I can on Monday, but there are always a few more loads during the rest of the week.

Mostly, I'm here to tell you that I finished felting my dryer balls!  Here they are . . . 

Don't they look cute in the basket of cloth diapers?  They're covered with fuzzies because I've been using them.  When I first pinned the idea, friends shared some conflicting comments . . .

Source: goodmama.typepad.com via Gretchen on Pinterest

But mine came out well, if less colorful than the ones in this picture!  And do they work?  Well, I haven't been using much fabric softener lately anyway, so I haven't done clinical trial comparisons . . . but I like them.  :)  And they're natural and green.  If you decide to make them, I do recommend that you follow the directions closely, including binding them tightly in an old panty hose.  I felted mine on two wash days and just kept throwing them in the washer with warm loads.  Both the cores and the full balls were probably washed 3-4 times. 

We've been phasing out the Downy and Tide lately . . . the Tide was completely phased out, but my dear John bought some more for us, and you just don't complain when your husband brings home laundry detergent of any sort.  :)  Now we mostly use Trader Joe's plant-derived powder detergent not only for the cloth diapers but also for all our clothes.  I've also switched to an oxygen bleach, occasionally use the Borax, and now the dryer balls . . . step by step . . . 

But it's always good for me to pause and remember, No matter how natural, healthy, frugal and green you try to live, Gretchen, what really matters is how much Jesus loves you, and there's nothing you can do to add to that.  And without trusting in His atoning work, the most natural, healthy, frugal and green person will suffer the same eternal death as everyone else . . . 

What's your favorite laundry detergent?  Have you tried dryer balls?

Summer Drawstring Dress

I mentioned that I've been sewing a dress. Well, it's done!

As I was unpacking my summer clothes this past spring, I realized in dismay that I wouldn't be able to wear any of my dresses. There was no simple way to nurse without completely disrobing! I really wanted to make a dress, and though I've only made one before, I picked up a pattern and fabric . . . and it sat while our busy lives rolled on!


Suddenly it was August! Somehow I survived dressing for church with my skirts, and I realize that I could have just been content with those. Still, it was fun to do!

Since I still love everything Regency, I chose the Drawstring Dress from Sense & Sensibility Patterns "The Elegant Lady's Closet" pattern. The neckline opens up wide enough to allow for nursing access (not for discreet nursing, however, I might add!). The skirt is also gathered in front. I think it will actually flatter me more as a maternity dress in the unknown future. :) I simply shortened the hem so that it would look less costume-y.

The back details are my favorite

There's enough fabric left to make something more . . . perhaps a dress for a little girl who grows too fast, or perhaps a curtain for the guest room. We shall see!

A Set of New Pipes

When I think about new pipes, the first thing that comes to mind is a fresh young singer. :) Our new pipes are quite literal, however. Last week, we had every pipe in our home replaced. In spite of it being a huge project, thankfully the plumbers finished it within two days.

John has been in our home for about three years, and in that time there have been four leaks. After the second or third leak, he did some research and learned that our home was piped with "Quest," the popular but bad piping of the 1980's in our area. Everything he read seemed to agree that "It's not a matter of 'if' something will go wrong. It's a matter of 'when.'" Since our home is heated with a heat pump, working hot water is indispensable to a heated home in the winter time, so leaks are doubly bad. The only sure fix seemed to be to replace all the bad piping with new, and after our fourth leak in January, we decided to do it.

And so, in August, we finally did it, haha!

I'm looking forward to our bathroom ceiling not looking like this anymore:


We've had paint picked out for the bathroom for probably about a year! It sat in its can until the hole in the wall from the third leak could get patched up in November, and then we welcomed our little one in December, and then made the decision to re-pipe in January . . . it's about time to get painting!

First, though, I need to clean up all the white dust. John's been patching, mudding and sanding the holes the plumbers left throughout the downstairs, and there is a steadily decreasing layer of white dust on just about everything.

yes, everything!

A Smoothie a Day?

It's smoothie season again. :) By that, I mean that once again this year I've marveled at how quickly the bananas on my counter turn brown, and started popping them, peel and all, into the freezer. However, unlike last year's simple additions of berries and milk, the smoothies this year have gotten a little fancier. :)

Now that I'm regularly making my own yoghurt, it's not such a big deal to dump in a good bit with the frozen banana and extra fruit of choice. Then, about four nice ice cubes and just enough 100% fruit juice to make it blend . . . oooh, they are lovely!

This summer's favorite combinations have been strawberry/banana with apple juice, and lots of peach/banana with "fruit punch" (and occasionally a little plop of coconut oil to add to the tropical twist! yum!). I've done no-dairy smoothies with just the juice, fruit and ice, which are lovely, too. And one afternoon when I had a banana but no extra fruit around, in went some peanut butter and chocolate syrup. Ooooh. I think I am addicted!

They really are a great way of satisfying one's sweet tooth, though, without the added sugar. In fact, I tried a smoothie sample at the mall recently and it was just too sweet. Mine are better. :) I still haven't thrown any greens in mine . . . but I have now tried the green smoothie by Naked, so I know that it is, indeed good! Maybe next year . . .

It will almost be a shame when peaches and berries are out of season and apples are in! Almost . . . I've already told John several times how excited I am for fall. :)

The Rest of the Swiffer Story

"Pride goeth before a fall," so the old Proverb goes. Thankfully there was no literal fall involved this time, but a bit of an ego fall. Just when we had escaped the keep-buying-Swiffer-supplies trap by knitting our own Swiffer socks and outsmarting their "nonrefillable" Wet Jet bottles, the following happened:


Yes, my Swiffer handle snapped. It was a sad day. My darling husband, however, rigged it back together with duct tape. I didn't take a picture. You know what duct tape looks like. ;) So, it works once again, but it's a little shaky. We conquered our Swiffer but then it wimped out on us! I still love my reusable knit Swiffer, socks, though. They have some great scrubbing ability! So, we'll continue to use it, albeit more gently.

And because every day is a good day to see a picture of a baby, here you go:


Gemma love playing under her mobile! If you can't tell, she's grinning behind her paci. The squinty-eyed grin has been something new in the past month. ;)

Little Thoughts on Love

Yesterday afternoon found me boiling up potato chunks and trying my hand at making potato salad for the first time ever. If my mother knew it, her jaw would probably have dropped right open, because when I was little I couldn't stand potato salad. Believe me, we were expected to eat what was put before us when we were growing up, but Mom and Dad did mercifully tend to allow each of us an exception to that rule. I didn't like peas but I ate them anyway, but potato salad absolutely made me gag. I still remember throwing it up as a four year old and getting it on my Care Bears shirt! (You're welcome for that!) And now here I was, not only attempting to make it, but also planning to eat some of it. John likes it a lot. And that's what love can do to a person.

Before we had a baby, John declared that he was not looking forward to changing diapers. I was impressed that he even expected to help with that job! But I, too, certainly didn't offer to do diaper checks during my nursery duties. Now that we have Gemma, diapers are no burden. John doesn't mind changing her cloth diapers, and we even almost get to the point of fighting over who gets to do it sometimes! That's what love can do to a person!

I know of a King whose people all hated Him and for thousands of years were not loyal subjects. Yet the King finally went and lived with the poorest of them, and taught and loved and healed them. And when their crimes warranted capital punishment, He offered to be killed for their sakes and to let them go free. He endured unspeakable agony in that death. But it was necessary for them to live with Him--risen again--in paradise someday, so it was completely worth it to that King.

And that's what love can do.

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Philippians 2:5-11