Thankful Thursday

This week, I am thankful for:

1)  Caramel Apple Cider.  We have a Keurig machine.  I drug my heels just a bit when Shawn suggested we get one because I was afraid we wouldn't use it very much.  Neither of us are big coffee drinkers.  But let me just say, I use that sucker almost every single morning.  The great thing is you can also use it to brew hot tea or...apple cider.  Just a spoonful of caramel ice cream topping, my apple cider brewing while I load the car, and a travel mug & I'm in business. 

2)  Freezer meals.  Shawn has been working late this week.  On a normal day, he always gets home before I do so he has supper pretty much ready to go when I walk in the door.  This week, Sam and I have been exploring our frozen casserole supply.  It's nice to have a home-cooked meal without having to cook it!

3)  Pinterest.  I have a friend who is always telling me how creative I am.  (Hi, Tonda!)  I always argue that I am not creative, I am just really good at copying other people's ideas  searching the internet for inspiration.  Pinterest has ideas for everything.  Cooking.  Fashion.  Decorating.  Crafts...  A word of warning:  it will give you lots and LOTS of ideas.  It's got this unorganized, un-crafty girl mentally redesigning a walk-in closet and turning it into a sewing/crafting room.  And I don't sew.  Like, seriously, sewing machines are a complete mystery to me.  I don't even know where to start.  But I figure it's just because I don't have a sewing room in which to sew.  If I had one, that would probably make all the difference in the world. 

Linking up to Black Tag Diaries today.

Day Off Diddies

Sam continues to help himself to a snack whenever he wants one.

This window looks into Shawn's Man Cave.  During a recent UK football game, Sam and I decided our time would be better spent making laps around the house, and we stopped on one trip around to peek in at Daddy.  Now, every time we walk by this window we have to stop and yell, "Da-da!!!"

Sam also helped me pick a few tomatoes.  Before I could stop him, he took a big ol' bite out of this one like it was an apple.  Come to think of it, it kinda crunched like an apple, too.  When I tried to pry it out of his mouth, he locked jaws on me so I just let him eat it.  He did.  Then he proceeded to pick about three more and take bites out of them as well.  True story.  When I told him to eat his green vegetables, I didn't mean green as in unripe.  But at least he was listening. 

Day Off Diddies

I am fortunate to have a job where I work four 10-hour days, so I get an extra day off every week.  I try to text Shawn pictures throughout the day of cute things Sam is doing or things that I think will make him smile. 

But why should he get to have all the fun???

So I thought I'd try to post a few pictures from my day off every week to share but also to help me remember that there is a little bit of wonderful in the everyday.  

Remember how I said that Sam is walking now?  No easing into something new here...he literally woke up Thursday morning last week and said, "I'm going to stop crawling today" and he has been upright ever since.  As soon as he finished breakfast this week, he immediately started asking to "goashide" so we had to get dressed and take a walk.  And walk, and walk, and walk....

He's got this whole Godzilla/Frankenstein thing going on that I just love.

How many times over this kid's life will I see him from this vantage point with tears in my eyes???

We're also perfecting our step-climbing technique.  It's pretty cute.

Oh, look!  Mom put out some fall decorations.  I'm sure she wants my help in rearranging them. 

Molly, ever the devoted friend, was eager to help with this part...

Buddies... 

What's a day off without a lunch date with one of my favorite men?

And can I just say God TOTALLY knew what he was doing when he gave us a little boy?  If we had a daughter, we would be broke.  But she sure would look cute in this little dress. 

It' so funny to see what Sam mimics nowadays.  We have never really had any luck getting him to wear sunglasses on his eyes, but he's more than happy to wear them on the top of his head like Daddy.



It Is Well

Music has always held an important place in my life. Some of my earliest church memories involve my dad and aunt singing while my grandmother accompanied them at the piano.  Those old hymns were ingrained in my memory.  Long before I could quote a Bible verse, I could sing the choruses of Count Your Blessings, Standing On the Promises and What A Friend We Have In Jesus.  Even today, while I enjoy the praise and worship music that many churches are transitioning to, I often long for the beloved old hymns that I sang from those musty hymnals in my childhood.  There is a beautiful poetry in their words. 

I have no idea when I started, but at a very young age I would sit for hours at my aunt's piano, banging out what I was sure were beautiful concertos but what were, in reality, probably comparable to cats howling.  When I was in the first grade, my cousin let me tag along to her piano lesson, and a love affair was born. 

By the time I was in junior high, I was playing frequent specials at church and school functions.  In high school, I became my small church's regular pianist.  I remember practicing at my piano at home, working out different chord combinations, experimenting with different runs, trying new ways to play old favorites.  I enjoyed trying new songs that I had never heard before, but I had a few treasured songs that I always came back to.

A few months ago, my cousin sent me an email saying she had ordered a gift for me but wanted me to personalize it.  On a previous trip home, I had admired her Bible carrier that was embroidered with her favorite Bible verse.  When she told me that it was actually a thirtyone cosmetics case, I was super impressed with her ability to repurpose.  (I'm terrible at that.)  She had attended a thirtyone party and was going to get me my own cosmetics case/Bible carrier, but she wanted me to pick out a verse for the front of it. 

I thought and thought, but I just couldn't come up with that one perfect verse.  Some people have "life verses"--verses that they feel like define their life or where they want their life to go.  But I've never really run across a verse and thought that one is my favorite.  But songs?  There are so many songs that speak to my soul each and every time I hear them. 

It Is Well is one of them.  I cannot hear that song without breaking out in goosebumps and feeling tears sting my eyes.  It moves me every time I hear it.  If it is being performed by a large choir accompanied by an entire symphony orchestra where the timpani roll and the trumpets sound in the last verse...it leaves me spellbound.  If it is sung a capella...I am mesmerized by the words.  If it is played instrumentally...I can do nothing but sit in silent worship.  

I think perhaps the reason I love this song so much is because I love the story behind the song.  Horatio Spafford was a wealthy and well-known Chicago lawyer in the 19th century.  After losing his son to scarlet fever and most of his real estate investments in the great Chicago Fire, he decided his family needed a vacation.  They were to set sail to England together, but a last-minute business need kept Horatio behind.  He sent his wife and four daughters on, but a few days later he received a telegram from his wife that read, "Saved alone."  The boat had sunk, and his daughters had drowned. 

Horatio boarded a ship that would take him to be with his grieving wife, and at some point in his voyage he penned these words:

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows, like sea billows, roll,
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well...it is well with my soul."

I know I'm not there yet, but that's what I want my life to be like.  When my son is smiling at me and the house is clean...it is well.  When I feel like I'm doing nothing right...it is well.  When I'm missing my mom...it is well.  When I need a little more grace...it is well. 





Every day I'm learning to say, "It is well with my soul."

Acorn Squash

I love all of the colorful squashes of fall.  I always think they're so pretty in the store.  But to be honest, other than pumpkin, I don't think I had ever actually tasted any of them.  Did you know these things aren't just for decorating with?  You can actually cook them too! 

We have been in a food rut lately.  It feels like we eat the same things over and over again, so I hit my cookbooks for some inspiration on how to shake things up a bit.  When I saw a recipe for acorn squash, I felt like it would be a fun, seasonal dish to try.

To be honest, I figured Shawn would turn his nose up at this because it doesn't look as pretty as what I had hoped.  I really thought the "sauce" would bake down into the squash a bit more.  Maybe my squash wasn't big enough?  I'm not sure, but it was still pretty good, and he was actually pretty impressed.

Acorn Squash

-1 acorn squash

-2 Tbsp butter (I may or may not have used just a teensy bit more)

-2 Tbsp brown sugar or 1/3 cup maple syrup (I couldn't make up my mind so I went 1/2 on each)

-1/8 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 tsp orange zest (I forgot to buy an orange so I used just a drop of orange extract that I already had)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Cut the squash in half and scoop out the guts.  Bake it skin side up for 40 minutes then remove the squash and flip it over (so the halves make little bowls).

Mix all of the other ingredients and pour it into the squash bowls.  Baste the sides with the glaze.  Put them back in the oven and bake for another 25 minutes, basting frequently.

As you can imagine, this is really sweet.  It almost reminded me of a sweet potato.  I would probably omit the orange next time...I didn't really feel like it had to be there, but other than that I would make this again. 

What fall recipes are you whipping up this year?



Walking...Again

Shawn and I really thought Sam would just pick up walking right where he left off before he broke his leg. 

He didn't. 

I don't know if it was fear of hurting himself or if his leg/foot were still sore or it was just plain ol' stubborn habit that kept him crawling, but after he got his cast off, he flat out refused to walk.  He would stand up and cruise along our furniture if there was something too high for him to reach from the floor, but don't even think about getting that kid to stand up and walk while holding your hand.  Ain't gonna happen!  We had been periodically testing him to see if he would walk with us, but it resulted in such fussing and crying that I had finally just decided he would walk when he was good and ready but not a moment before.  We weren't really concerned--we knew he physically could walk--for whatever reason he just didn't want to.

Last Wednesday night, I gave it another try and just attempted to get Sam to hold my hands and take a few steps.  He was literally pulling down into the floor and screaming his protests.  Then, Thursday morning our babysitter sent me a text saying he was starting to walk a little bit at her house.  By the time I got there to pick him up that afternoon, he was able to stand up on one side of her living room and walk to greet me, unassisted.  Delighted, I grabbed his hand and helped him down her steps and watched in amazement as he toddled off towards my car.  When I went to pick him up to put him in his seat, he through one of those good ol' back-arching, red-faced, screaming fits. 

Can someone tell me how, in the span of about 12 hours, my child went from, "Why are you trying to make me walk?" to "Why won't you meanies ever LET me walk?" 

Pictures to follow...

Hide And Seek

In a couple of days, when I'm frantically banging through kitchen cabinets and drawers screaming, "Where are the oven mitts?!", will someone please call me and remind me that my son felt like they would be more appropriately stored here?

Come And Get It!!!

Remember how I talked about independence?  Um, yeah...

Sam decided one day this week that he wanted a snack.  So he crawled over to our pantry, extracted a box of Apple Jacks and just helped himself.  Momma heard Molly crunching away on something and peeked around the corner to investigate:

They were livin' it up, just enjoying a grand buffet right there in the middle of the kitchen floor.

Right now, I am choosing to NOT think about all of the disgustingness that lives on my kitchen floor and choosing TO think about how cute the whole scenario was.



Caprese Salad

My tomato plants are gasping their last breath.  I'm sad to see them go, but we had a HUGE success this year.  I'm so glad I decided to have my little garden.  I almost chickened out, thinking that I wouldn't put the time into it that it required.  And while there are some changes that will have to be made next year (Hello, zucchini plants that took over the entire space), I think we'll be having fresh veggies on our table again for years to come.

Last week, I thawed out some spaghetti sauce I had frozen for a quick dinner.  I wanted to do something with a few of our last tomatoes, but I didn't have any good bread, so bruschetta was out.  Caprese salad, anyone? 

This is something really great to serve if you're having someone over for dinner.  It's super easy, and it looks really pretty on a plate.  Everything in my salad was fresh from our little garden...except for the mozzarella cheese.  I think Lowe's must have been out of the cheese seeds the day that I picked out my plants. 

Anyway, here's what you do:

Caprese Salad
-2 or 3 large tomatoes, sliced in thick slices
-log of mozzarella cheese, sliced
-fresh basil (I left the leaves whole because I thought it was pretty that way)
-fresh parsley, chopped
-extra virgin olive oil

Arrange the tomatoes on a plate, then place the cheese slices over it.  Sprinkle with basil and parsley.  Just before serving, drizzle lightly with olive oil. 

Sam was literally bucking in his highchair because I wasn't cutting it up fast enough for him.  Sorry, Molly...there will be no sharing this one with you.

A List About Molly

1)  She loves Sam.  Like really loves him.  When he's sitting in the floor playing, she wants to lay right beside him.  She chases him around sniffing his bottom when he's crawling (while he howls with laughter).  She noses his bedroom door open when he's napping and sneaks in to stick her nose between the slats on his crib.  They are best buds. 

2)  She is not food motivated.  I'm not really sure how I feel about this yet.  Maddie was so easy to train.  We could have taught that dog to stand up and wash dishes if she thought it would mean she'd get a bite of something...anything.  But she was also very protective of her food.  While Sam could literally take food out of Molly's mouth while she's eating it (and has), we haven't quite figured out the best way to teach her things yet.  Frankly, she couldn't care less if we give her a treat so why should she learn to roll over? 

3)  She does this thing when she's scratching her ear where she kinda growls.  It's almost like she's saying, "Oh yeah...that's the spot." 

4)  She doesn't bark that much.  Occasionally she'll bark at one of the cats if she's really wanting to play.  (In response to which they hiss and Sam giggles.  Shawn thinks she does it specifically for his entertainment.  I think he might be right.)  But she doesn't bark when someone knocks on the door or if we meet another dog on a walk.  She's actually very quiet.

5)  She's a bed hog.

6)  In the evenings, she will come sit beside me on the couch, but somehow she always manages to be not so much beside me as she is on top of me.  She just gradually inches herself closer, little...by little...by little...until she is literally in my lap. 

7)  She weighs 70 pounds.  (See #6.)

8)  She doesn't know how to play ball.  We throw a ball in the yard and she just gives us this blank look that seems to say, "Well that was dumb.  Now you're just gonna have to walk out there and get that."

9)  She does, however, love stuffed animals.  I am constantly walking into Sam's room to find a dog's rump sticking out of his toy box as she digs through it looking for a teddy bear to rip to shreds.  Bonus for her if it's a musical or talking toy.  She squeezes those with her mouth then runs in circles around our living room, whimpering while they sing their songs.  Again...in response to which Sam laughs hysterically. 

10)  She has never so much as taken a bite of Pooh.  He smells faintly of soured milk and peanut butter.  In reality, she probably thinks he stinks (as do I), but I tell myself that she knows he is Sam's favorite and she's being considerate.