Weekend recap: Fire trucks, bibs, and a new egg

Today was open house at the fire station. He was a bit excited to go! Thanks to my Mom for taking us so that Jared could work on the bunk bed in peace (which he finished today - pictures once the matters arrives next week). The tour of the fire station was super cool (and was air conditioned) and the boys adore climbing all over trucks. I love being the mom of boys. 

10 bibs and 2 burb clothes. Quilted. Washed. Ready for future showers.

See the egg on the front right? Our biggest chicken started laying eggs today. Her egg is way bigger than the other chicken that has given us 15 eggs so far. Also, note how from one chicken we have gotten lots of shades of brown eggs. So weird. 

 

A Sewing Break from Books

I had high hopes for the end of July and August for my reading goals. I was on such a good roll in June and July. Sewing and cooking have taken the lead in the pass few weeks though. 

And Jury Duty hasn't done anything to help my reading goals. I've gone in once and am excused to possibly go in next Wednesday or Thursday (if my number comes up). So, two times in 20 days... That won't add up to much reading. 

One of my sewing projects...

Made from some fabric Jared and I found on our trip to Denver a few years ago. And look, I used snaps!!

They are reversible strap covers for my ergo. Warren chews on everything. He left watermark stains on both straps. I meant to make these for him, but never got around to it. Thankfully, I washed my ergo last week and all the stains came out. When you look close the fabric is more worn around those parts. This should help. 

I've also:

* made 11 new bibs

* made 2 burb clothes

* replaced 2 diapers' elastics

* converted 4 diapers from Velcro to snaps

* started a new quilt top (it is about halfway finished) 

I'm working on cleaning up my sewing room by completing half-made projects and scraps of fabric that were sitting around. You probably couldn't tell a difference, but I can. 

I'm almost 2/3rds through converting my diapers from Velcro to snaps. I have five diapers left with failing Velcro. The last third has Velcro that still works. So, it is scheduled for replacement in another 12-18 months or so. 

So, maybe I'll be back to books in September. :) 

Tamales (and menu for the week)

Look! I am trying a new ATK recipe. I rolled all my tamales for dinner tonight. It is clear why people cheat and make tamales pie. Rolling these is so much work. It is probably easier with the dried corn husks, but we ate corn last night and I couldn't resist using the green husks. 

I'll be serving these with homemade pico de gallo and guac. 

Menu for the week

Monday - Grilled Peach and Jalapeño Chiken thighs, spinach salad, watermelon, and corn. 

Tuesday - Tamales, guac, pico, watermelon. 

Wednesday - Grilled Kelbasa, onions and peppers, corn, spinach salad. 

Thursday - Tacos

Friday - Homemade Pizza and watermelon

Saturday - Pancakes and Eggs

Sunday - Brown Butter Fish, potatoes, and green beans. 

Not a Baby and Jury Duty Update

He's not a baby anymore. We call him by his real name. He loves to pitch in and help (carrying trash cans, loading dishwasher, putting clothes in dryer, etc.). He is entering the terrible twos and showing his independent streak more than ever. Overall, he's a sweet little boy. I'm so thankful he loves to play with his brother. 

Also, sidenote, if anyone ever sees these Fisher Price Trio Blocks at a yard sale or consignment shop, please buy them for me. The boys love them, but when I wet to buy more they are discontinued and super expensive. :( so sad. 

Jury duty day one update: There were two trials. Before we even made it upstairs to jury selection they both pled guilty. We were sent home. Boring. I'll be going in next week again sometime, hopefully.  

Two complaints: 

1. Women my age showing up to jury duty in yoga pants (especially ones with see-through panels on the side) and a t-shirt (which is specifically not allowed in the rules they send you). You have to own some sort of professional clothing or a dress or something. 

2.  People complaining about jury duty.  It is free time to read a book. Plus, most jobs pay you for your time at jury duty.  Also, if you choose to play games on your phone while you wait, please, please, turn off the sound. 

Bunk Bed Project in the Boys' Room

New babies inspire us to start new projects. 

With baby 1: we painted our room, the baby's room, and the bathroom. 

With baby 2: we tore down the wall In the kitchen and repainted. We also repainted the bathroom. 

With baby 3: we are building a custom bunk bed for the boys. Oh, and we painted and redid the bathroom (those pictures will come soon). 

More pictures when we finish in a few weeks. And by we, I mean Jared. I just dream up this stuff. :) 

A few before photos to intrigue you while you wait. :) 

Chickens and Mystery

Spot all five chickens. 

Hint. The three black stars always hang out in a group. Spot one and you see them all. 

They are eating something out of the rain spout. Apparently, there are a lot of Bugs around our house. They have spent most of the last two days eating things right outside the door. 

Jared had a haircut after work tonight and so we had pancakes and eggs for dinner. Martin told me that we had to try the brown eggs to make sure they were good. So, the boys had the first half dozen of eggs, scrambled with cheese. 

We are still only getting one egg a day (come on other four chickens!!), but it is super exciting to find the egg each day. Martin loves it.  And as much as I would like to be the one that goes out and gets the eggs, I am letting him because he takes such joy and pride in picking it up and carrying it inside. 

It is the same feeling as when bread rises or yogurt ferments or you pick produce from your own garden. There is something magical and mysterious about it. It doesn't get old. It is a marvel. Ask Jared, I still get excited every time my bread rises. :) 

I guess it is a good reminder to be amazed and awestruck at the provision and wonder of God. He has provided so much for us and in incredible ways. We lose sight of that while grocery shopping. An egg is just an egg. It seems so much crazier that a chicken lays an egg almost every day to provide for you. It is unbelievable. It is crazy. 

It seems as if you were trusting God to make a chicken lay eggs and a cow make milk and grain to grow in your fields, you'd appreciate the verse about God always providing for the birds and clothing the flowers. Why worry? He just made a chicken lay an egg!! What! That is crazy. An egg that can be used to make bread more delicious and sweet cakes and that you can whip into meringue. The God who can do that can also provide everything else you need. His provision is beyond imagination. He is  all powerful and wonderful. Be in awe of His mighty works. 

Praise God for chickens and eggs and the simple lesson to trust Him more. 

We spend a lot if time watching the chickens eat and walk around the yard. It is way more interesting then you'd think. 

...That is until they eat your thyme and hostas and you have to chase them away. 

First Egg!!!

I found the first egg this morning!! 

Here is a comparison with a large white store-bought egg.  They get bigger as the chickens mature.  

So exciting!! 

Now we just need to convince the other four to start laying. Jared and I have bets that Runt won't be laying eggs for at least another ten weeks. She is so far behind developmentally. But a few of the others look like they are getting close...

Silence

Sorry I haven't posted much. 

It was VBS week. I co-taught the first and second graders. They have a lot of energy. :) It was over 90 degrees each day and snack and games were outside. I skipped those some of the days. :) 

You know it is going to be a long week when on Tuesday you are cooking dinner and panic and suddenly think "oh no, I need to turn on the radio. I am missing my favorite Friday show (Sci Fri - Science Friday)!!" And then you realize that it is just Tuesday and no where close to Friday. 

My sister was visiting from North Carolina and my sister-in-law was visiting from Wyoming with their husbands and kids. So, we were trying to squeeze in visits to everyone (and various combinations of cousins) before they all left. That added up to some late late nights. But lots of fun. 

And my sisters threw me a baby shower on Monday, which was lovely.  More on that later. It included lots of good food and Legos. Martin had a blast. 

So, I'll be back to blogging in a few days when I recover from all of that. And then in August I have jury duty... I hope to read lots of books while I wait around at jury duty. We'll see.

Bibs and a teething toy

This is a teething toy that I made for my sister. 

I made a few bibs for my other sister.

And I used these fun new snaps that GC gave me for my birthday.  :) 

I was in a bib making mood. I made two of the ones pictured, two other floral bibs, and four cowboy/western bibs (the later two I forgot to take pictures of). I have done quite a bit of sewing in recently.  I made the case for my camera, fixed a bunch of my cloth diapers, and I helped two girls at church each make a runner (it took us two 6 hour days). 

Camera Case

My family bought me a video camera for my birthday!!! I am very excited to take videos of special events in my family's life: days with cousins, birthday parties, holidays, and the first time the boys meet their new brother (it will either be very sweet or we will look back and laugh about it later). 

I sat down and sketched up a camera case based off a little bag pattern that I found online, which I can no longer access.  :(  I changed some of the dimensions and added an extra pocket inside. 

Here is the bag finished. 

Here is my pattern that I sketched.  Yes, that is an old wedding runner that I use for patterns. 

I sewed the pattern together loosely, just to check the overall size.  

Here are my fabrics and lining cut. 

And there is the finished inside. I doubled up the quilt batting to make the padding nice and thick. The pocket in the back is for the charging cord if I am on a trip. I am pretty happy with how sturdy it turned out.  I finished it in under two hours a few Saturday nights ago.

Stamps

A trip to the post office is always fun!! I couldn't decide what stamps to get. It won't take long to use these up. 

More Popsicle stick fun

A few popcicle sticks and some masking tape can be so entertaining. 

First, we just rolled the marbles down the track. Now we are trying to aim them into containers and predicting where they will land. 

Who needs real toys? 

Seven Years!!

Yesterday was our seventh anniversary!! It has been a wonderful 7 years. 

We spent the day visiting with 6 of the 9 other cousins on Jared's side of the family. So, 9/12 grandkids (I count the new baby as being present even though only I can feel him) were in one place. That might be a record. The boys had a wonderful time. 

In typical Faith fashion, I caught a cold for our anniversary. I usually am sick for all big events and holidays. 

And Jared was diagnosed with mono, which is actually great news. He has been exhausted, worn out, and has had no energy for 2-3 months now and we couldn't figure out why he was feeling poorly. He's been to the doctor twice and had two blood tests. We are so glad to actually know the reason. Now we know why he has been going to bed so early and I have been able to read so many books. :) 

Hopefully, we will celebrate once our energy returns, ESL training is over, and VBS week ends. 

Cars

While this one was napping yesterday Martin started asking me how everything works. 

It started off like this: "why gas burns under our hood? I want you to teach me how a car works." 

Seriously? What thee year old asks these kind of questions? Boy, am I glad I am an engineer. I am way more fit to answer these type of questions than playing dress up. :) 

So, I pulled out a book that explains how various things work and we sat and looked at it for almost an hour. We learned about most of the parts of the human body and many different vehicles. 

Last week the boys were sick. Thankfully, I had ordered a new toy for them. Popsicle sticks, clothes pins, and binder clips! We had a blast putting together shapes and structures. I am sure you will see more of these in the future. So much fun! 

Chicken Coop

I keep forgetting to post pictures of the chicken coop (I will post pictures once the nesting boxes are complete - we put that off until the chickens were closer to laying eggs) and run that Jared made me. Isn't it lovely? 

It is attached to the side of out shed.  Yes, our shed has two doors.  We turned one third of the left side into the coop and then added the run on the outside.  And by we, I mean, mostly Jared.  I did help cut, drill, and screw in some of the wood pieces that cover the edges of the wire, but that is all.  Oh, and I made the ramp. :)

Book Update

I have been doing a lot of reading in June (5 books) and July (4 books so far).  Jared has been fighting a virus and has been super tired recently.  This has left me with lots of reading time. I have updated my list here. 

Since, six out of the last nine books I have read have been Biblical based, I have noticed something about reading. It influences the way I think about life. It reminds me of that verse (1 Cor 15:33), "bad company corrupts good character." The reverse is also true. Good company builds up good character.  And that is the way it is with a good book. 

I think that is why I tend to read mostly non-fiction. I don't find a lot of fiction helpful it developing my world view (as much as I love Sherlock Holmes, he isn't teaching me anything about Godliness).  There are books out there that can influence you positively, that are fiction, but my brain doesn't find the hidden truths in books well.  I need books that just tell me how it is.  :)  

I have more to say about this, but the words aren't coming right now.  I just want to encourage you to keep reading good books. God definitely uses them in our lives. 

I also encourage you to read hard books for your devotions, as suggested by C.S. Lewis (here). I just finished Future Grace by Piper. At first when I tried to read it, I found it was too much to read straight through it, but when I switched it over to my devotions and only read a chapter or part of a chapter, it was much easier to digest, understand, and apply.  I am looking forward to digging into some Puritans and Packer in the next few months.  

Blueberry Buckle

This is my new favorite recipe to use up blueberries. It is cross between a blueberry muffin and coffee cake. I am posting the original recipe and the ways I changed it. I made it the recipe the first time, but it was too sweet. So I reduced some sugar, substituted some applesauce for butter, and used half whole wheat flour the second time. Still great!!

Note: This is better served the day it is made.  The second day is okay.  By the third day the topping gets mushy.

Strusel ingredients:

1/2 c. Flour

1/2 c. Brown sugar

2 T. Sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch salt

4 T. Butter

Mix everything but butter in mixer for 30-60 seconds until combined. Add butter and mix until it resembles wet sand (about 2-3 minutes). Set aside. 

Cake ingredients:

1-1/2 c. Flour (can use up to half whole wheat without noticing)

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

10 T butter (or 4T butter and 6T applesauce)

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 c. Sugar (or 1/3-1/2c.) 

1/2 tsp. lemon zest (I haven't used this because I haven't had any lemons)

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

4c. Blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9" cake pan (I have also made this in a 13x9). 

Cream butter, sugar, salt, and lemon zest about 3 minutes. 

Beat in vanilla. 

Best in eggs one at a time. 

Add flour and baking powder. Stir about 20 seconds. Don't overbeat!! Fold in blueberries with spatula. Batter will be very thick. 

Push batter to edges of pan with spatula.  Sprinkle with strudel. 

Bake 55 minutes (or 30-40 if using bigger pan).  Cool 15-20 minutes. Invert on  cookie sheet. Invert a second time in plate (so strudel is on the top). Or just serve out of pan. :) 

Peach Pie and Whipped Cream

It is an ATK recipe. Look how it stays together. They drain the peaches and only use some of the juice to help it not be watery. That makes so much sense. I cut out some of the lemon juice because I find some of their recipes to be too lemony (I am looking at you blueberry pie). 

Look at this fun bowl one of my friends gave me for my birthday!! Isn't it great? It goes well with my vintage Pyrex pie plate. I love it. 

I made this pie to go to a friend's house tonight for dinner, but the second child has come down with a mysterious fever.  It is the only symptom and then it is gone in 24-48 hours. I don't know if it is better to be staggered or both be sick at the same time.  

Two for the puddles

The second son started jumping in puddles today. I guess we need another pair of rain boots. :) 

At first, when I had my camera out, he was a little timid. After 30 minutes he was splashing everywhere after his brother. 

We were soaked. One of our favorite activities today was dropping leaves in the gutter and watching them float away. Number two thought that was hilarious. 

On days like today I wish we lived on a nice peaceful court so that the boys could run and jump in the gutters. Cars go down our street so fast that it isn't a possibility. And the muddy driveway is only going to appease them for so long. 

Martin is a little over protective of The baby. A car was parking five houses down and he didn't want him anywhere close to the road. He is sweet. The baby didn't think so.

Frugal Things

1. I made Greek yogurt!! It is so easy. You just strain regular yogurt through a cheesecloth to drain the extra liquid. It reduced in size by half! So creamy! So delicious. 

2. I made a padded bag for my camera. Pictures coming in a future Friday post. 

3. I am wearing a hand-me-down maternity dress! It is super comfy!! 

4. I chopped up a bunch of tomatoes that were marked down at the produce stand because they had bad spots. Some went to Warnie, who likes to eat them plain. Some went in dinner last night, Feta Cheese Chicken. Some went in my Sunday dinner, baked ziti, that I already put together (bonus points! I don't like having to cook on Sunday). The rest I am taking to a friend's house for tacos!! 

5. I also bought peaches that were bruised and marked down. I made a jar of jam, that will be used to stir into Greek yogurt for Jared's lunches. I cut up a bunch and we ate them plain and in smoothies. :) 

6. I turned some old bread and rolls into garlic bread to go with dinner last night. 

7. I bought a bunch of clothes and old shoes from a friend. They are mostly play clothes. Some of them look pretty worn and have stains, but they are perfect for play clothes or blueberry picking clothes. This way I can save their nice t-shirts and shorts for special days and not worry about getting these clothes messy. 

I will try to post my blueberry buckle recipe early next week.  I am making one later today and I'll try to take pictures. 

Simplicity

I try to have just enough of everything around the house. When your house is small and storage space is at a minimum it makes you question what you really need.  I still keep way too much stuff. It is a constant battle. I have always been on the messy side. Jared wants to throw away half the stuff in our house. We balance each other out nicely. 

Here are a few examples on how I have saved space or gained space:

* One laundry basket 

* Three baby spoons (I just rinse them off when I am finished and put them in the drying rack)

* Three baby cups 

* Just enough silverware

* Four knives (a chef knife, a bread knife, two paring knives - note: I do have another chef knife, but it doesn't stay sharp and I never use it, I should donate it)

* Table over the stairs (Have I posted about my sewing table? I can't seem to find the post. Maybe that will be my next Friday post).
* Desk in our room 
* Boys' play closet
* We store the boys' too small, too big, and out-of-season clothes under their beds in plastic totes

Sometimes when I am changing the boys clothing size and season over this happens. Since we were away this weekend this sat in my room for over a week. I know. I know. I am trying to avoid situations like this... The point is that there is always work to be done. We will never be perfect, but it isn't an excuse to do nothing and not care.

Rain

Well, I was going to go blueberry picking this morning. They open at 8.  I need to start checking the weather in advance. 

June has been relaxed

We've been doing a lot of this. 

We have had many free nights at home this month. It has been wonderful. 

I can't figure out how to take a selfie of us taking reading. 

They can't capture all of us well. 

Happy Birthday to me!!

This is my happy early morning baby! Notice my braids coming out after I have slept on them all night. Good thing Jared has trained me to enjoy waking up by 6am because his children take after him. I used to be such a night owl until I married him. 

Today I turned 30 and started the third trimester of baby number three. I had three visitors and have eaten three cookies. :) Three is one of my favorite numbers. I have high hopes for my thirties, especially 33. 

Yesterday, my sweet friend Caitlin (www.morningjoy.co -- she actually does reviews of all the books she reads through the year -- which reminds me, I just finished my fifth book in June and I need to update my book list) made me these chocolate cookies with buckeye balls on top (I was trying to decide what kind of cake or cookies to make for my birthday, so these were especially exciting because I didn't have to make anything!!).  Chocolate peanut butter is one of my favorite combinations. They are amazing. I want to stuff my face with them, but they are so rich that I ends up only eating two yesterday and three today. And she came with a new book, which is always welcome around my house. 

My sister and her sweet little family brought me chick-fil-a breakfast and played with the boys for two hours. I was wonderful to see some of my family on my actual birthday. The rest of them live far away or are on vacation. 

And another dear sweet friend of mine brought me a balloon!! Which might not sound like a big deal, but I was thinking of buying myself one to celebrate. So, it was a huge surprise. :) 

My family sent me a gift, that was supposed to arrive today, but it is pouring down rain today and our mailman is funny about delivering anything in the rain. He sometimes just takes those days off. So, I am guessing it will come tomorrow. How exciting! 

Also, I made myself brown sugar salmon for dinner. :) It was delicious. 

A, B, C, D Presents

I was invited to a book themed baby shower recently.  When wrapping the presents I organized them by letters of the alphabet.  

A is for Apple (bib).

B is for Ball. 

C is for (outlet) covers (not pictured, but off the registry). 

D is for Doll. 

A note on the doll. When I have time this is going to be my go-to present (along with a large bib). I made a little cute monster doll for Martin when he was a baby.  It had long thin legs and an arm.  He loved chewing on the legs when he was teething.  The baby enjoyed it as well.  I made one for my sister for her shower. Her daughter loves it as well.  

This is the other side of the bib. Note that I used snaps. :) I have gone ahead and replaced all my velcro bibs with snaps. The baby is sneaky and has been able to take velcro bibs off from a young age. 

And here are the packages wrapped. We don't own anything, but Christmas paper around here.

Blueberries

I went to pick blueberries today because it wasn't supposed to rain until ten. :( It started to pour as soon as we arrived. 

We sat in the car for 30 minutes and watched it rain. Blueberries were so close, but yet so far away. We finally gave up and drove to visit GC. So, the trip wasn't a complete waste. 

My breakfasts consist of blueberries, yogurt, and granola for most of the summer. It is my favorite breakfast. So good. And I made this blueberry buckle yesterday and it is amazing.