Simple game

I have been waiting for Easter clearance since last year, when I missed it, to make this game. Two packs of eggs cost me $0.89. I owned the Sharpie already. 

First, Martin lined the big ones up. 

And then he found the matches.  I tried to make similar letters on different colors. 

He finishes them all, but he takes a lot of breaks in between letters to roll around the floor and sing the alphabet song again or sit in my lap. 

And sometimes he does this and laughs. 

I wish the colors were not as similar. I should have bought a pack of pinks and traded them out for some of the blues. But otherwise, it works as well as I had hoped. 

And this is probably my Friday post, but if I wait until Friday I will probably forget. So, I am just posting today. :) 

These chickens...

Half fluff and half feathers is a bad look for anyone. I can't believe they grow so fast. Today is their two week birthday. 

They try to hide from me behind their waterer. 

Look, I got a group shot. 

Grow, chickens! Grow!

In only a week they have almost doubled in size. They are also starting to get ugly feathers that are popping out of their fuzz. 

I spend most of my time cleaning out the wood shavings from their waterer and feed dish. Silly birds. They love to practice scratching. I can't wait until they eat bugs in my backyard! 

They have started practicing flying and they jump on the waterer quite often. Sometimes two of them jump up and push each other around.  

And they eat all the time, which I guess is why they are growing so much. We bought them a 50lb bag of feed today.  It is supposed to last until they are almost ready to lay eggs...in another 18 weeks. :) 

It has been such beautiful weather this week. I spent the afternoon edging some of the flower beds and trees, after I replaced the wheelbarrow's wheel, which I broke on Thursday trying to clean out some of the flowerbeds. 

And I've been trying to finish a Charles Dickens book, Martin Cuzzlewitt. I finally finished last night! That makes my 12th book of the year. I need to update my book list. 

So, those are my excuses for not having a post up yesterday. 

Chickens

Look who is here! 

Spring forward

I have a question today. If you wake up in the middle of the night, do you look at the clock? 

I do not. It stresses me out knowing what time it is, how long it was since I was last awake, and how long I have until I have to wake up. 

Jared, I find out this morning, is stressed out by not knowing what time it is when he wakes up. He likes to know if he has 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or several hours of sleep left. 

So, which camp do you fall into? Do you avoid the clock or look for it? 

Friday post

The boys had colds and fevers again. I've been doing a lot of this and reading books. So, maybe I'll have a real post next week. 

The chickens are coming!!

I went around the front to pick up the mail and when I came back I found this. It was a gorgeous day to spend outside and burn extra energy. 

He probably worried about being replaced by our latest additions. We are finally getting chickens. I am so excited!  We (Jared) is working on building the coop this weekend and next. He has some extra time since they just live in a plastic tub for the first few weeks. I can't wait to for my first eggs ... In about 20-30 weeks... 

Green smoothie

I made strawberry banana smoothie yesterday. I didn't have any spinach, which I normally add to all smoothies.  Martin told me, "I don't want a pink smoothie. I want it to be green. I don't like this."

Ha ha. I guess this isn't a bad problem to have. 

Black Apple Doll

This is supposed to be my Friday the 4th post, but since I loaded the pictures last Sunday, it keeps moving my post to that day. Oh, well. 

I made this doll for a birthday party Martin was invited to. I have had the pattern printed out for over four years now. I found it on Martha Stewart's website. 

It took me fewer than two hours to make her. I look forward to making more (in another four years probably - ha). 

Diapers

I told myself I would at least publish something on Fridays and I had some post set up ahead of time, but they are all saved in drafts half finished. So, instead you get a few photos off my phone and some notes about diapers. How exciting. Maybe on my next free night I'll finish the posts. I have a bunch of projects and recipes that need to be posted. 

Sometimes your sister tells you about a really good diaper deal and you drag the baby out into the misty night to pick them up (we were at the Target end of town using our Chick-fil-A calendar cards - a Christmas gift from my parents every year - thanks, mom and dad. It is always a treat to not have to cook once a month).  Instead of $19.99 a box they were $8.77. 

Diapers don't go bad, thankfully. I won't need any for a while since we only use disposables at night and when we are out of the house. I am still in love with my Bum Genius cloth diapers when we are at home.  I calculate I have saved about $2000 between the two boys. That's not to shabby. It is a little work, but I also like not throwing so many diapers away. It is amazing how fast diapers fill up the trash can. However, it is also nice to not have to worry about cleaning a cloth diaper while out in public and knowing your children will sleep dry through the night. I am not firmly in either diapering camp (like so much of my parenting, I find benefits from both sides). 

Also, Target has the best, deepest child seats! But even still, the baby was less than thrilled. 

I love these two.

Some days they play together and get along for a bit. The baby unconditionally adores Martin, even when he is pushing him over and taking toys from him. 

I have to sneak pictures of them getting along. :) 

Today they stared out the window together at the cars driving past. Then they took all the shoes off the shoe rack and put them back on (with some prompting). 

Jeremy Fisher

Again, sorry about the night pictures. I always forget to take pictures until right before bed. 

This is Mister Jeremy Fisher from Beatrix Potter. I hand sewed him the night before Christmas. Ugh, why did I wait so long to start?!?

Martin loves this story.  It is his absolute favorite book.  He would have it read several times a day to him if I agreed to it. He loves all of the Beatrix Potter books (we only have the first 11). Maybe I will buy the rest of him for Christmas this year.

Favorite quilt (nautical themed - Daysail by Moda)!!

Well, I finally finished the quilt for my new niece. First it was a shower gift. Then it was bumped to a second shower gift. Next I moved it to Christmas. Finally, I buckled down and finished it for my sister's birthday (last Sunday).  I feel like I have been working on it forever, but it has only been seven months.  FYI: These pictures are in reverse order.  

I started the design of this quilt back in the spring. My mother-in-law bought me a bunch of the fabrics (mostly from the Moda Daysail collection) for my birthday and I started the actual sewing shortly after that. I already have a Moda problem. So, it is good that no shops around here sell it. However, this may be my favorite line Moda has ever made. I am in love with almost all the fabrics and it was hard to narrow them down to a few for the quilt. I ended up giving my sister the charm pack and having her select her favorites.

The background fabric actually has all sorts of nautical terms printed all over it. They call the fabric grey... Originally, I had planned to have a more greyish feel to the quilt. Then the fabric showed up and it was cream... I ended up liking that better. I can't believe how much background fabric I used up.  I ended up having to order even more of it. I think I used 2.5 or 3 yards of it. Crazy. Thankfully, when I reordered it was on clearance because it is the fabric that no one wanted out of the fabric line.    

When I picked the pattern for the quilt, I didn't realize how hard it actually was, which is good because I probably never would have attempted it. It is from the Moda Bake Shop called Stacks of Stars (I first saw it here with Daysail fabric). 

I really wanted to end up with the light blue flowers as the wide boarder. I thought it would be more girly, but it just didn't look right. It clashed with the greeny/teal anchor blocks on the inside of the quilt. So, while I love the dark blue, I never intended it to be the outside board. But I do love the way it turned out.

I also only intended on having two boarders, but it needed to have all three colors.  The reds got lost without a thin pop of red around the outside. It was too distracting to bind it in red. It took forever to figure out what colors and where to use them as boarders. Thanks to my patient husband who measured and cut them all for me. 

Also, thanks to me other sister who helped me figure out what blocks to put where. I send her pictures of the blocks before I sewed them together and we moved them around over text message. I really like the way the colors all ended up balanced (you know me, I love symmetry). And I love how some of the blocks pop out and some fade into the background. 

Okay, enough rambling about how much I love it. :)   

This is the back. Please, forgive the night time pictures. I was just about to wrap it up and I remembered that I hadn't taken pictures and the sun had already gone down. :( 

My awful "handwritting". I need to stop free handing these. I should write them first with a pen and then stitch them.  Oh, well.  It is character. 

Here it is being quilted. I stand up and quilt. I love it. Jared made me my quilting table over the top of our stairs.  It is one of my favorite places in the house. 

Here is the top just finished. 

Here are the blocks just finished and I was trying to decide which anchor block to use and what the boarders should be. 

Here are stacks of little blocks being turned into big blocks. 

The first four blocks I finished. I was so tired of sewing these blocks at the point. I remember thinking that I would never finish another 8 of them.

I hope my niece gets many years of use out of it and can even have it when she starts a family of her own. It has won over the place of favorite quilt. Happy birthday (three or four months late), Julianna! We are glad to have a girl cousin that lives close by. I hope you like nautical themed stuff like your parents. :) And we all can't wait until you are big enough to play with us. 

Tomorrow he is 3...

Tomorrow he will wake up and he will be three.  I have had the privilege of being his Mom for three whole years. Tonight I tucked him into his bed for the last time tonight as a two-year old, a toddler, the last little bit of baby. He is now almost all boy.

He can almost dress himself consistently. He puts on his own shoes. He is potty trained. And he talks up a storm about everything. He asks why more times a day then I can answer, but I always try (because I know what it is like to be curious). I try not to give him too hard of a time when he breaks something or ruins something when I can tell he was "just figuring it out". His brain will stop absorbing information at such a rapid rate now. I hope I have taught him everything he needed the first three years.

It is a whole new adventure for all of us (it always is, but this one is hitting me harder than the rest). The side will be taken off his crib. He gets actual sheets and pillows. We will put away the little potty.

I wonder sometimes when he will stop wanting to read books in my lap. I wonder when he will stop running up and randomly saying, "hey, I love you!" throughout the day. When will you not want hugs at night?  I try not to think about it. Will you still hug me when you are grown? Please, do.

Martin, I love you. As you have gotten in the habit of saying recently, "I love you forever!" I pray for you often. I don't know what the future holds or how long I will be allowed to be your mom. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with time with you. You are the best oldest son I could have ever imagined. You have taught me so much about life, about depending on God for strength and wisdom, you challenge me to think about more than myself, and especially you have shown me how to rediscover my sense of wonder for the little things in life. Look to Jesus in everything you do. He will always be there for you, even when I am not (or when you don't want me). Love Him. Cling to Him. Depend on Him. Trust Him.

Happy Three day!
I love you, Mr. Baby.

Finishing up some quilts

148 blocks all ironed flat. Now on to sewing them into bigger blocks. 

This is while I was in the process of sewing the blocks. 

Sewing is like boating

You say to yourself, "what a beautiful day, I should spend the day boating (or sewing). My machine was working perfectly last time I used it. What could go wrong?"

Half an hour later, after you have troubleshooted everything twice and reloaded your machine multiple times, it finally started working and you have no idea why...or what was wrong... Or how to solve it if it happens again. 

While I had my machine apart I decided to remove all the lint and oil it. And then since I had the oil and other tools out, I took apart and oiled my quilting machine. I hope both machines are happy now.  

It was probably all the sewing I did this weekend that did them in. 

 The snowy weather was perfect to finish two quilts, four table runners, four burp clothes, two bibs, and four diaper covers.  I am currently finishing some blocks for a quilt I started four years ago. Once that is finished, I will have nothing sitting around half finished!! What a great feeling. A clean slate. The sky is the limit. What should I make next?!?

Update: I found one other quilt I was in the middle of. So, I have two quilts worth of blocks to finish and quilt. 

Day 13

We are going on day thirteen of illness around here. That is just the baby. He finally seems to be back to his normal self, but still has a running nose. Martin is running about five days behind him. Maybe he will get better faster. I am really missing Sunday services. Sitting at home with sick children is not the same.  Unfortunately, I have nursery next Sunday morning.  So, I am eagerly awaiting Sunday evening service.

Do you like the empty salt container in my aloe plant? The baby pulled it out of the trash can and carried it around the house yesterday. I suspect that Martin was behind putting it in the plant. 

God wants to give you a real an eternal happiness!

I am currently reading God in the Dock for my reading list this year (side note: for the longest time I thought the title was God on the Dock... I kept wondering what the story was going to be that had God sitting on a dock staring out at the water... Anyhow, several months ago I realized my mistake, but I still look at the book title and laugh. My engineering brain amusingly mixes words up all the time). This gem was hidden in a question and answer session with C.S. Lewis. I have always found his answers on suffering and difficulties to be helpful. I highly recommend his book, The Problem of Pain for more on the subject.

Q: Many people feel resentful or unhappy because they think they are the target of unjust fate. These feelings are stimulated by bereavement, illness, deranged domestic or working conditions, or the observation of suffering in others. What is the Christian view of this problem?

Lewis: The Christian view is that men were created to be in a certain relationship to God (if we are in that relation to Him, the right relation to one another will follow inevitably). Christ said it was difficult for "the rich" to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, referring, no doubt, to "riches" in the ordinary sense. But I think it really covers riches at every sense – good fortune, health, popularity, and all the things one wants to have. All these things tend – just as money tends – to make you feel independent of God, because if you have them you are happy already and contented in this life. You don't want to turn away to anything more and so you try to rest in a shadowy happiness as if it could last for ever. But God wants to give you a real an eternal happiness.

Consequently, He may have to take all these “riches” away from you: if He doesn't, you will go on relying on them. It sounds cruel, doesn’t it? But I am beginning to find out that what people call cruel doctrines are really the kindest ones in the long run. I used to think it was a “cruel” doctrine to say that troubles and sorrows were “punishments”. But I find in practice that when you are in trouble, the moment you regard it as a “punishment”, it becomes easier to bear. If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad.

Poor snowman.

His head melted and his arms drooped in the rain yesterday. I've been laughing at him all afternoon out my kitchen window. 

I need more space...

...Not for the boys to run around in, but to spead my quilts out in. 

Ha ha ha. 

I made this quilt top when I was 16. Someone gave me a bunch of old fabric scraps for Christmas one year. It has been sitting on my sewing table since I married Jared. I keep meaning to finish it.  

For a while now I have wanted a picnic blanket to keep in the car (for beach trips or to throw over picnic tables or to watch fireworks). I have been trying to figure out a good design. But then I realized I already had the perfect quilt top finished! It is going to be quilted tomorrow. :) 

I already love it. 

Bread

It makes even the sick baby happy. 

Planning & Simple Shredded Chicken

This is not an exciting picture. It is really ugly. 

However, it is a great example of a tip I thought I'd share today. 

There are some days I don't feel like cooking dinner. Nights that we have meetings planned or days that we have been running around all day. On those days I want to throw in the towel and go get Chipotle. But I know that ruins my budget and isn't all that healthy. So, I try to avoid it. Here are a few tips I have learned over the years. 

1. Prep meat in batches. See the ugly picture above. This morning I took a giant pack of chicken and cooked 2/3rds of it, shredded it, and put it in containers with the amount for each recipe. The bottom container has raw chicken (the last 1/3 of the pack) that I trimmed and cut into manageable chunks to speed along cooking times. It really didn't take me any more time than prepping just part of the meat. I already had the pans, scissors, and cutting boards out. I am saving myself two washings in the process. 

2. Meal plan. I used to think meal planning was silly. I didn't do it. But then I would panic each night when faced with cooking dinner. All of the sudden I would lose all inspiration. Now I meal plan, but I don't plan a meal for ever night. I usually leave in a night or two to eat leftovers or once in a while a night at a restaurant. 

3. I have a few quick go to meals in case everything fails. 

Pancakes and eggs

Tomato soup and grilled cheese 

And if all else fails yogurt and granola. :)

4. I invested in a cookbook filled with meals in under 45 minutes. Best idea ever. In case you want to buy it, it was on sale at Americas Test Kitchen's store. It is called the Quick Family Cookbook. 

There are a few tips I use to avoid eating out and food waste. I am slowly learning the longer I cook. And here is my new favorite way to cook chicken for casseroles or chicken salad, etc. :

Simple shredded chicken

(Makes 3 cups)

1T oil

1 lb. chicken breast

Heat oil in pan. Salt and pepper chicken. Place in pan. Brown first side.  (This gives the chicken a much better flavor). 

Flip chicken. Add 1/2c. Water. Cover an dinner until chicken reaches 160 degrees. 

Let cool. Shred into pieces. 

Sleepy

We've been doing a lot of this. The baby spends his nights waking up and barking like a seal. We've spend a lot of our nights sitting in the bathroom with the shower running to give him some moist air to breath. Martin has been extra tired. He's taken two naps. He fights colds off pretty well. I am thankful that he usually just exhibits mild symptoms. 

I started reading Seabiscuit to them Friday. Today Jared read Winnie the Pooh to Martin. I am glad my kids love books. 

We were able to enjoy this beautiful January day and take a walk around the campus where I teach. It was lovely. It was especially great to have Jared with us. 

Reading Challenge

I keep meaning to post that I am doing this book reading challenge this year:

http://www.challies.com/resources/the-2016-reading-challenge

I will post more about it on the books page of my blog. 

Monday Get Ahead Day

Coffee cake for Bible study. 

Do you know what is great about this coffee cake recipe? The pecans are only put on the top. This means they are toasted on the top and don't get all mushy and soggy on the inside of the cake. Brilliant. 

Also in the kitchen today:

Cheeseball for Bible study

Chex Mix for Hope

Cheesy Grits for dinner (recipe on recipe page - if you still haven't tried it, you should go any do that). 

French toast for dinner 

What do I have planned for meals this week? These are what I have planned, but things always get all switched around and bumped to next week. 

Breakfast for dinner (cheesy grits, French toast, and eggs)

Chicken hibachi, veggies, and rice 

Chick away (yes, I meant to spell it that way, it is name Martin calls it. We will use our calendar cards for free nuggets!!)

Christmas Chili and rice (recipe coming soon) and salad

Calzones and salad

Maple orange chicken, green beans, probably fried rice (to use up the leftovers from the week) 

German chocolate cake (for Sunday evening dinner, probably with coconut milk)

In high school I had to memorize this for English class. I memorized a lot of things as a child. I should spend more time on memorization. There is something special about carrying a passage or song or verse in your brain and having it always with you. I need to do more. 

I play with the baby for an hour or so after Martin goes to bed. He Explores the   house and plays with everything he doesn't get to during the day. It is one of my favorite times of day. For some reason I started thinking of this poem last night while we played (between the dark and daylight...). I love the whole thing, but especially the last line:

And there I will keep you forever. 

Yes, forever and a day. 

Til the walls should crumble to ruin. 

And moulder to dust away. 

It is impossible to keep my children from growing older. I can't keep them for forever. Sometime I feel like I want to. But then I have to remind myself that I am just a steward of my children (like so many things in my life - house, money, car, talents, health, etc.). God has given them to me to use for His glory. It makes me think differently about parenting when I remember this. I want my children to realize that this life is short and to make it count. I want them to realize life isn't about them and their things. I want them to spent their time on what matters. I want them to serve others. 

I am still learning. God keeps teaching me things. I am so thankful He doesn't give up on us. I am learning to look to the gift giver and not the gift for satisfaction. It is hard sometimes not to worship the gift. 

I didn't mean to say all of that. It doesn't really apply to the poem. :) I was in a rambling mood this morning.  

Enjoy. 

The Children's Hour

BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

Between the dark and the daylight, 

      When the night is beginning to lower, 

Comes a pause in the day's occupations, 

      That is known as the Children's Hour. 

I hear in the chamber above me 

      The patter of little feet, 

The sound of a door that is opened, 

      And voices soft and sweet. 

From my study I see in the lamplight, 

      Descending the broad hall stair, 

Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra, 

      And Edith with golden hair. 

A whisper, and then a silence: 

      Yet I know by their merry eyes 

They are plotting and planning together 

      To take me by surprise. 

A sudden rush from the stairway, 

      A sudden raid from the hall! 

By three doors left unguarded 

      They enter my castle wall! 

They climb up into my turret 

      O'er the arms and back of my chair; 

If I try to escape, they surround me; 

      They seem to be everywhere. 

They almost devour me with kisses, 

      Their arms about me entwine, 

Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen 

      In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine! 

Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti, 

      Because you have scaled the wall, 

Such an old mustache as I am 

      Is not a match for you all! 

I have you fast in my fortress, 

      And will not let you depart, 

But put you down into the dungeon 

      In the round-tower of my heart. 

And there will I keep you forever, 

      Yes, forever and a day, 

Till the walls shall crumble to ruin, 

      And moulder in dust away! 

Want to know if a recipe is great?

Look at the page for notes and splatters. This sweet potato pie is AMAZING!!

Wise Living

Ephesians 5:15-17
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

I think a lot about this. If you were to go back to old blog posts from when I was in college, you would probably see that I was wrestling with the same thing back then. What is the will of God for my life? What does He want me to be doing? The phrase, "making the best use of time..." sticks out to me. What is the best use of my time? 

I know that being a Godly wife and mother is a wise use of my time. But what about all those free moments that I have? Do I spend time reading books or watching movies? Do I browse websites? Do I do craft projects? Are those to the glory of God or does it mean something more? I know there is a balance, but I am still struggling with what that balance is. How do I honor God with my free time? Should it be free time or should I fill it with some worthwhile cause?

Every year I struggle with the question (because the Chemistry department asks), should I teach more college classes? In all honestly, I love teaching. It makes ME feel important. But is that what life is about? Is it about me feeling important? Each year I come back to asking, "is the best use of my time?" And each year, so far, I have decided that I can use my time more wisely for His kingdom in another way. I feel like all the grading and class prep (as much fun as it would be) would take away time that I could use for other things (ESL prep, Bible study prep, making meals for people, etc.). It would also be too ME centered. I would become to absorbed in Faith the college professor and fail to be Faith the imitator of Christ (Eph 5:1). 

I don't really know the point of this post... I will probably explore this topic some more in the coming months. I have been thinking a lot about it recently. What does wise living look like? I know I am not doing enough of it. 

Books

We have a bunch of Jared's old history textbooks sitting upstairs. I should have tried to sell them years ago. I finally listed about 20 of them two months ago for a potential earnings of $200. History books are cheap. I am used to $150 engineering textbooks. Those add up more quickly. 

I have sold five so far. :) Turning five useless books into $50 makes me happy. Jared says I am wasting my time and should just donate them. I'll give them a year and donate whatever doesn't sell. 

I enjoy visiting the post office to mail them. The postman is very jolly. The boys just stare at him. When do children learn it is rude to stare? If it were warmer I would walk over to the post office, which would be even more satisfying. 

Happy 2016!

Happy New Year!

The boys are still playing more with the boxes and ribbons instead of all their new toys. Children don't need much. I am glad they are easily amused and enjoy each other's company. 

We are thankful for another year. We were able to see a lot of our families, we spent time with friends, We were able to serve at church, we ate good food, and went on a few fun day trips.  I keep typing things like, "it was a good year" or "God was so good to us". But I know that it would be a "good" year and God would still be good even if things didn't go the way I planned or wanted. I am thankful for small opportunities to depend on God more each year. I am thankful that I can always depend on Him and that he is faithful even in the small things. 

I wonder what 2016 will hold for us? I have always liked odd year years better, for no other reason then that they are odd numbers. I have liked odds numbers since I was a small child. There is something more interesting about them. 

More Family

I love having lots of siblings. It is so much fun to see everyone. 

Uncle Josh and Aunt Sarah came for dinner last night. As soon as Martin heard they were coming he ran to his closet and found "them". He set them at their places around the dinner table so they would know where to sit when they arrived. 

My sister made these for Martin this year so he would remember them while they are far away. Aren't they great?!? 

Street Sweeper

Why does the street sweeper always come the day before they collect the trash? 

Jelly!

What do you do with lots of new homemade jelly to use? 

You make your husband's favorite Christmas cookies!