My Dream

I have a dream. I'm just in the planning phases now, but I'd like to plant a little vegetable garden this spring. I'd also like to have pots of herbs on my deck this summer. I've been out in the yard thinking and writing down vegetables I'd like to try to grow. Do you think I can grow all of these? Beets, onions, peas, buttercrunch lettuce (these are my early crops), and then carrots, cucumber (bush variety), pole beans, tomatoes, and maybe butternut squash as my slower yielding crops. I'd also like rosemary, dill, cilantro, sweet basil and chives in some pots on the deck. I may have to cut down on these ideas once I stake it out and all. Last summer I was heavy with child :) and just couldn't do any type of gardening. This summer I'm determined to give it a go. Any experienced gardeners out there? You know... isn't it funny how as you grow older you really want to start gardening and canning and that type of stuff? I think I'm getting old. Tonight I bought jeans with an elastic waistband. I don't care... at least I'll be comfortable bending over and grabbing my fresh veggies in my own garden one day.

This Guy Is Amazing

Meal Plan

A little late in coming...but here it is:

black beans, rice, corn- no, we don't eat that many black beans... I actually AM going to make it this week
potato soup & salad with chicken- made last night
indian chicken and rice casserole
veggie enchiladas, green beans
homemade pizza, salad, hominy (still didn't have that)
quiche (didn't make from last week either)

baby food- peas

review from last week:

Amish potato casserole: it was ok, it made a TON
chef mis-er-ly beefy mac was received well by all.. also made a LOT
eggplant parmesan- I've discovered that eggplant is like a sponge and soaks up all the olive oil in the skillet. I felt like I was making pancakes, which I stink at. It came out ok. I wasn't too thrilled with my first experience cooking with eggplant.
jerk chicken- as my brother said "what IS this?" I told him it was supposed to be jerk chicken and we both were amazed at the spicyness of this dish. Loved it with all the ginger.
Hummus came out better this time. It's really easy to make and I like that.

Olive Ewe (I love you)

Some more Ben moments tonight...

He's recently added one to the silly family I mentioned before. It's "Dear Gus".

He uses "shenanigans" all the time now. He says it with the emphasis on the she part... like "SHEnanigans". According to Webster.com it means 1. a devious trick used especially for an underhanded purpose or 2. tricky or questionable practices or conduct.

He has got to be the funniest person I think I've ever met. I love him.

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Hawk with Psoriasis

This photo was taken today in our backyard. A hawk in our backyard! I love those birds!

Today I also went to see a reumatologist. I hope I'm spelling that right. Remember the admission that I made to having psoriasis of the scalp? Well... it turns out after I've gone to an orthopedic doctor and had some blood drawn that my knees are swollen for a reason. I thought it was because I taught some kids to square dance in Miami...but no. The psoriasis has given me arthritis. That's right... it's called "psoriatic arthritis." Only 10% of us lucky people with psoriasis develop arthritis as a result. When he told me I just sat there in stunned silence. It only has affected my knees...they feel tender and I can't bend them all the way. Here's the crazy thing.. I can't take the major drugs for this because I'm breastfeeding. He prescribed a medicine for me to see if he can help it out....but the drawback is it will make me more hungry. MORE HUNGRY??? Wouldn't you know that the very moment he said that to me my stomach growled loud enough for him to hear. Talk about embarrassing. He doesn't know it, but I'm sitting there thinking, "I'm not going to take that pill." G.I. Joe always said "knowledge is half the battle"... well, maybe he's right. :)

Would You Look At That!

Just this morning Gwen woke up with the ability to sit up.

Recent Discussions and Happenings

Ben is a "manager of fun" at work. I know, the title is a bit.. well... but anyway what that means is that he helps organize things to boost morale in the office. One thing they came up with is the ugly holiday sweater contest. Ben had to have an ugly Christmas sweater by today and we both didn't have any, so he went off to Goodwill last night to find one. Tonight he was telling me about his experience in the Goodwill store at 8pm. Not to be mean, but he said that the people in there must have all been ex pirates. He finally found a Christmas shirt mixed in with all the other shirts in the ladies XL section. Here it is!

Oh the things you can learn from children's literature! I try to read to Gwen every day, not to mention that Ben reads to her before we put her down for the night. We have this one book that has animals A to Z in it and we came across these two entries.


What in the world is a vicuna and what is a xylo? I wouldn't accept that a xylo is an actual animal. I looked up Vicuna and it is kin to the Llama. I'm still not sure about the xylo.

Have you ever seen a tortoise shell like that? wow!


Ever seen a bush baby? :)

Here is a page devoted to things on the farm. I thought it was amusing that on this page they have "rubber trees". I haven't ever seen a rubber tree, but I'm sure there are farms with them in it.


Tonight I made the Swedish Rye Bread. Ben's Grandmother is famous for it. Just what I need...more carbs in my life. P.S. It's snowing

The Audacity Of It All

Today is a historic day. I'm going to get a paper for Gwen tomorrow to keep. I know, you don't want to hear my political views or a rant... so I won't subject you to that. Here are some of my thoughts from the day though. I'm glad our country has gotten to this point where a black man can be President. I wonder what Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Lincoln would say if they could see it. I think Obama is remarkably poised. I would be blubbering through the whole swearing in. I don't like calling it swearing in. It sounds like you are going to swear. I like this picture of Obama and his family. I wonder what it would be like to not drive for the next four years. I wonder what it's like to have secret service around all the time. George H. Bush.. what old man do you know that skydives? Can anyone say awesome? I wonder what Barbara Bush said to her son this morning. I wonder what George W. Bush said to his wife as they flew away in that helicopter. I heard a story on the news this morning that said when Reagan flew away in the helicopter he turned to Nancy and said "there's our old shack." He was a trip.

Today I was at the bank waiting for a "personal banker" (whatever that is) and an elderly gentleman walked over and admired Gwen. He asked me how old she was and how much she weighed at birth. He told me he was one of 6 kids... two boys and four girls. I asked what it was like growing up in a larger family and he said "well... I was born just 40 days before the stock market crash... and well, it was a different world back then." I would have loved to talked with him more but his notary person came over. What stories he must have.

Meal Plan

asparagus quiche and Ellie Krieger's cucumber soup
Ben's favorite potato casserole (from Amish book), meat of some sort, green beans
chef mis-er-ly beefy mac (from Miserly meals book), hummus and peppers
eggplant parmigiana, salad
jerk chicken, rice, peas
skillet pasta florentine, hominy (the hominy is to represent the Indian book I got from the library.. cause you know I'm not going to make something from a cactus plant)

*Swedish Rye Bread- Ben's Grandmother's recipe
*Baby Food- Carrots

Dinner At Our House

I was making dinner and this is what Ben was doing with Gwen. The beautiful thing is this was totally unstaged fun.

The Farm

Today we went to Ben's Grandparent's place. She has an orchid in bloom that we've waited a year to see. It's called a lady slipper orchid because of the bulby thing that looks kind of like a lady's slipper.


Anyone remember that huge sweet potato that I took pictures of? Did you wonder its fate? Well... here it is. I found it in their fridge and they are eating it little by little. If you missed it in an earlier post this sweet potato was the size of a football.

Cereal and Date Night

Anybody else think this is funny? I mean, when is the last time you bought cereal with the word "spheres" on it? In the lower left hand corner it also touts it being a cholesterol free food. I'm so glad these food companies are looking out for my health. (actually... I eat oatmeal and Ben eats this)

Last night my mother-in-law came over unexpectedly and we went out on a little date. I requested that we go to the library and get stamps. I know, I'm a wild woman. Well...before you judge let me tell you the books I got last night at the library. It is an AWESOME place to go people! Here are the books that I chose:

A Medieval Home Companion- Housekeeping in the fourteenth century- I mean... what WAS homemaking like in the fourteenth century? sweep the floor, kill the boar... I don't know...but I'm going to find out.

The Amish Cook- 'cause you know me and the Amish... I'm fascinated.

Miserly Meals- need I say more?

American Indian Food and Lore- it says it has 150 authentic recipes. I hope I don't have to go bow hunting. I went through a phase where I was fascinated with Indians too.

and last but not least....
My Big Book of Everything- a picture dictionary for Gwen to look at pictures. I'm going through and pointing and naming things.

Queen For A Day

Create your own FACEinHOLE

Silly Family

You want to hear something silly? There is a whole group of people that we reference in this house that don't live here.

Anita- any time anyone says "I need ta do this or that" Anita is mentioned.

Justin- Justin case

Mikey- My keys

Shirley- surely not

We need therapy.

Food and Baby Thoughts

I don't know what it is...but I've got a thing for sweet potatoes recently. Last night I tried the "chicken and sweet potato stew" and it was great. I thought I'd share pics and the recipe in case anyone else is "into" sweet potatoes too. Surprise, surprise, here's Ben being goofy. :)


Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

1 1/2 pounds chicken (I used breasts that were frozen and I cut them into strips)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 T olive oil
3 med sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 medium onion, sliced
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
3 T natural peanut butter (I used reduced fat natural peanut butter)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I used a bit more)
2 garlic cloves, peeled (I used diced)
1/4 C packed fresh cilantro leaves, plus some for garnish

1. Rub chicken with cumin and cinnamon; set aside.

2. In nonstick 12 inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes and onion and cook until onion is tender, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer sweet potato mixture to plate.

3. Increase heat to medium high. Add seasoned chicken, and cook 5 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned on both sides.

4. Meanwhile, drain tomatoes, reserving juice. In blender (or food processor) blend tomato juice, peanut butter, salt, crushed red pepper, garlice and 1/4 C of cilantro and blend.

5. Add sweet potato mixture, peanut butter sauce, and chopped tomatoes to skillet with chicken; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft. We served over brown rice.

I'm taking a Bible study all about the essentials of discipline. I'm trying to stay ahead of the game a little bit so I can have a plan when stuff happens. Boy, I get so nervous hearing about other children misbehaving. I am realizing more and more how much parents influence their children. It is a huge task that God has given us. There was this one story about how James Dobson said he was in a grocery store with his wife grabbing something quick and he saw a kid throwing a fit over something he wanted. The mother handled it well and James Dobson praised her for being a good mom. I told the class that if I ever was in Aldi's with a kid throwing a fit and I look up to see James Dobson rounding the corner we are running to the exit.

I came home and (Ben's working from home today) was telling him about the study. The topic today was the difference between childish irresponsibility and defiance. I told him "yeah... it's like the difference between when a kid leaves his bike out in the rain and.." and then Ben interjects, "and when he sets his bike on fire." I laughed and said "yeah... I think that's it."

The book "the no cry sleep solution" that I've been reading says that parenting is like a dance. I agree.... two steps forward, one back, one sideways, and then sometimes.... just sometimes... an air guitar solo.

Meal Plan

chicken and sweet potato stew
swedish meatballs with sour cream sauce, egg noodles
hamburger cornbread casserole
goulash
black beans, 3 pepper corn pudding

Let me know if you want a recipe people!

Sleeping Like A Baby II

Just when I boast to everyone that I think we've got the sleep thing figured out I am humbled. I'm writing this down not to rant or feel sorry for myself...but to remember. Gwen has some spectacular nights like the other night when we put her down at 7:45 or so and she didn't wake again until 5:05am! and then went back to sleep and slept until 9:30!! She's never done that before. Then we have last night where she woke every 2 or 3 hours and threw fits to be picked up and refused to go back to sleep. I'm not sure if I'm sending her mixed messages. I told Ben I don't think she's diabolical or anything...but maybe she's smarter than I give her credit for. I'm amazed at how much sway this little person has. I want to be a wise mother and not give in to her every whimper, but I want her to feel safe. Well... as little orphan Annie would say "the sun'll come out tomorrow"... but I may be a little grouchy when it does. :)

Moon Watching

see the little tiny ball of light? That's the moon... OK?


Tonight Ben and I went driving a bit to look at the moon and also just to get out a bit. (with Gwen of course!) The moon is supposed to be the brightest that it will be all year tonight. I don't know about you, but I am a moon watcher. Luner eclipses (my personal favorite), harvest moons, little crescent moons... all thrill me. I just so happened to see Apollo 13 today too, so I had the added awe of knowing people have actually stepped onto the moon. Incredible! It makes me think of that scripture in Psalm 8:

"When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?"

Also tonight we ran across this street sign. Not quite "mean puppies" Leah, but close. :)

Little Rhymes

Lately Gwen has enjoyed little rhymes such as these:

This little piggy went to market,
this little piggy stayed home,
this little piggy had roast beef,
this little piggy had none,
and this little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home.

Have you ever stopped to think about that? There is just something fundamentally wrong with a pig eating roast beef. Well.. at least it wasn't a pork chop right?

All around the garden,
like a teddy bear,
one step, two step
tickle under there.

This one is done by making circles in the palm of the hand and then on the step part you walk up the arm and tickle under the arm. Ben's mom taught us this one.

I'm looking for more of these types of things that maybe your parents taught you. If anyone knows of any drop a comment would you? THANKS!!