Flower Girl Again

How many times as a little girl did I get to be asked to be a flower girl?  Exactly 0.  So far, Gwen has been asked twice and the first go round didn't go exactly as planned.  (she refused to go down the aisle)  So... we are giving it another shot in September with Uncle Jake and Melody's wedding.  She got the dress in the mail the other day.  Here she is modeling it.  Oh, and one more thing about Gwen.  She is now diaper free I am proud to say... at night too.  She has been potty trained during the day for some time now, but just recently got off of a diaper/pull up at night.  Can I hear an AMEN?

She told me today she "almost has milk in her boobies."  I told her she has to have a baby first.  She laughed at that.  She also heard the locusts tonight and said, "they are all looking for husbands.  That's why they make that noise."

Our fairy houses.

The Poor

So here's a verse that has been spinning around in my mind and heart these past few weeks.

He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses. Proverbs 28:27


So I've been asking God what it is that He wants me to do.  So, I've been looking.  Looking for people to serve at Aldi, looking at the guy with the sign by the side of the road wanting lawn care jobs when all the lawns are burnt to a crisp here, looking at homeless men and women downtown.  I've been looking.  I still don't know exactly what's going on, but I've been able to sort some clothes, give a guy a job for a few hours and let a pregnant lady in front of me in line.  


I've been studying Nehemiah.  I want to know what I am doing on a daily basis matters.  I know raising children matters.  For some reason I feel moved to serve people that don't look like me.  I'm not talking racially here, I'm talking in all aspects. 


One thing I've been telling the Lord is "Lord, don't let me close my eyes to them... whoever they are." 

Pet Peeve

Things misspelled on purpose.

Things That Make Me Smile

In this kinda heat here in the midwest, you gotta find things to smile about.  I will say, I do thank the Lord for AC every day.  It is too hot for the kids to go outside for very long at a time unless they are getting wet.  So... we've been having play dates and read plenty of books.  

  

Here they are writing together.  This is not a staged photo.  Zeke follows Gwen around like a shadow.

The miracle pumpkin vine is growing into my parched yard!  I water it daily.

Baby pumpkin

Bed Buddies

Last night before I went to bed I peeked in Zeke's bedroom and couldn't find him.  Low and behold, he was in Gwen's room again.  Here's what I came in to see... 

Zeke's Favorite Pass Time

Vanilla Making

My two helpers this year making vanilla extract.

even daddy got in on it this year.

vanilla beans on the face.

I told him I wanted a picture of his mouth.  Well... here ya go.

I made two gallons this year.  Lots to give away and use myself.

Katlyn and the Impromptu Pumpkins

My friend Janna gave me this doll.  Her mom was having a garage sale and she found this doll and thought I'd get a laugh out of it.  Someone gave it to her mom and said it reminded them of her(!)  What amuses me about Katlyn is the tag that describes her.  She resides on my mantel just to give me a laugh every now and again.   

Here is my pumpkin vine with lots of blooms on it.  Maybe, just maybe, can I hope for a pumpkin???  I went and bought some watermelon plants to plant beside it.  It's too hot to plant anything decorative right now.  I thought it would burn up.

Recipes

ok, so when it's 107 degrees outside I don't feel like cooking much, but I've been trying to do a little here and there and have some frozen for the crockpot when I do not feel like cooking.  This first one for chocolate graham crackers I've probably made 3 or 4 times in the last month.  The kids love them and I love them.  In fact, it is quite possible for me to overdose on them.  The second one I tried from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine because I adore corn salads.  This one didn't disappoint.

Chocolate Graham Crackers

1 C whole wheat flour
1 C all purpose flour
1/2 C raw cocao powder (what I've been using lately and it's tasty) or cocoa powder
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 C butter, chilled and cubed
1/4 C honey
1/4 C water

Put dry ingredients in food processor and mix well.  Add wet stuff and combine until lump of dough forms.  Flatten out dough between two pieces of parchment paper.  Cut out into fun shapes and bake for 15 min at 350 degrees.  Let cool on the cookie sheet to crisp up.

Fresh Corn Salad

1/2 C cider vinegar
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4 ears fresh corn (I boiled for 3 min before cutting off cob)
1/2 C finely diced red onion, soaked in ice water for a bit and patted dry
1/2 C cucumber, seeded but not peeled, diced
1/2 C red or orange sweet pepper, diced
1/2 C cherry or pear tomatoes, halved or quartered
3 T parsley, finely torn (don't skip this... added lots of flavor)
1 T basil leaves, pulled apart
1 T fresh jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, very finely diced (this is not too spicy so it's ok for kids)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 to 2 C small arugula leaves (I didn't have these so I didn't put these in)

1.  For dressing, in a glass bowl whisk together vinegar, sugar and the 1 tsp kosher salt, and black pepper until sugar is dissolved.  Allow dressing to stand while preparing salad.
2.  For salad, cut corn kernels from cobs. In large bowl toss corn and remaining ingredients except sea salt and arugula leaves.
3.  At serving time, transfer corn mixture to serving bowl.  Season with the 1/2 tsp sea salt.  Add the dressing ; gently thread in arugula leaves.  Serve immediately.  

4th of July

You are looking at what we've been doing lately.  It is very hot here and has been over 100 for many days now in a row.  Let's just say summer isn't my forte.  I took out the broccoli and brussels sprouts in the garden and so now all I have is tomatoes.  My tomatoes have blossom end rot, but we can still cut off the bad places and eat them.  I learn something every year of gardening.  Like blossom end rot is a lack of calcium in the soil and it's very hard to fix once that happens.  I also learned that brussels sprouts like a lot of fertilizer.  Oh well.... there's always next year.  And low and behold some mysterious pumpkin vines have appeared where our hedges used to be.  So maybe God will give me a pumpkin as a consolation for the brussels sprouts and rotty tomatoes.

Kingsville baby doll... enough said.

fun with daddy and Uncle Jake.

It's too hot even to go fishing, but we made a paper fishing set and the kids have loved it.

4th of July at a friend's house.  We had a good day.

The darling Holly Ann.

Waiting for fireworks.  Gwen was SO excited to see fireworks.  How come even when they go to bed two hours late they wake up at 7am?  MYSTERIOUS!