I'm not sure why my mind has went this way. Maybe from the continual glimpses of hurt children on the television and computer, since the catastrophe in Haiti. My heart is broken for them. I have always had a heart for children. One of the reasons I became a teacher. But my heart just breaks to see these hurting children.
When I think of my childhood I think of no cares or worries. A time to be carefree. A time to imagine and play. No Worries! When I look at these children's faces I see worry and concern. My heart breaks for them.
I have also always had a heart for adoption. I know there is a huge need everywhere, including in the US, but my heart has always been so strong for children overseas. When I see videos of orphanages and children living in the streets I just want to run to them, sweep them up, and bring them home. We don't have a lot to offer, but I would show them love and introduce them to God their Father. Watching those videos makes my heart break.
Having this desire with adoption I became instantly fascinated with the Chapman family. (Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife) I knew of him, as a singer, when I was growing up and listening to "Christian" music. I didn't know much about him, though, until I heard a heart breaking interview from him on the Christian radio station a little while ago. He gave the interview shortly after his daughter died. It is such a heartbreaking story, but him, his wife, and his entire family handled it with such grace showing God's true peace. Since hearing his interview I have followed his blog off and on. He has a large family, with many adopted children. His wife has been very, very honest on her blog about her grief and even anger about what happened to her baby girl. Yet, she clearly states her trust in the Lord.
The Chapmans are also associated with an adoption agency, which helps Christians adopt. It gives out grants, because adoption can be so expensive! I think this is amazing, as I have always wanted to adopt but my husband and I are in no way wealthy. So it makes a way for people who have the heart but not the finances to be able to do it.
I am just in awe of families like this who go through such a trial and yet still show they are human and hurt, but show much stronger that God is in control and they still have their complete and utter trust in Him.
I was able to see this in person when I was teaching. One of my third grade boys had an older brother. He was in eighth grade. A very sweet and tender hearted boy. He became ill the year before I was teaching his brother, and was diagnosed with a kind of leukemia. He was in the hospital for quite some time, and when his brother was in my class he passed away. I went to that funeral, and I was so impressed and inspired by the testimony of his parents and the testimony that little boy had in his short time here on earth. Grief-stricken and hurt at the loss of their young son, his parents were still focused on the peace and love of their God.
I believe with all my heart in my God and His sovereignty, but I also wonder... would I react in such a way? So... as my heart breaks I pray. I pray for the families in Haiti. I pray for all the parentless children eveywhere. I pray for the Chapman family. I pray for this family of the boy I taught. I pray for all families going through trials.
For I know God is in control.
As I look at my little lady being goofy with her daddy; it also reminds me to be thankful for every blessing that I have!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
I LOVE broccoli?
So, as you can probably guess by my fear of meat. I am not the most well-rounded eater, and I don't enjoy most vegetables. Well, enjoy, is probably putting it mildly. I do NOT eat most vegetables. There are a few that grace our table often. Corn and green beans being the main two. Smothered in butter and salt. Yum!
But last night, my second attempt at making a "meal". I not only enjoyed a vegetable I would not usually touch, (I would normally pick out every last piece if it happened to be in something I was eating) but I LOVED broccoli! My mom gave me this recipe, and it was SO yummy! My mom and brother kind of created this recipe. You use some broccoli and cheese rice, velvetta, milk, cream soup, and broccoli. It is so easy! I was nervous because I have never ever made a soup before.
From last night I see preparation is my problem. I made up the rice, no problem. But then when it was just about done I was supposed to be putting in the velvetta. I pulled out my huge block of velvetta, my loving sister gave me. I have never owned a huge block of velvetta, so in my mind it would say on it (like sticks of butter) how much to cut off for a 1/4 cup. But it did not. This threw me completely off.
I texted my sis. No answer. Called my mom. No answer. Googled it. No answer.
Hmmm... I didn't want to ruin the recipe, so finally I grabbed a 1/4 cup measuring cup and just cut off small pieces until I filled the cup. Good enough? (How in the world DO you measure velvetta?)
But by this point my rice was well done, so I quickly turned the heat way down, and poured the other ingredients in. Until I got to the broccoli. Now I had frozen broccoli. Which I asked my mom ahead of time if this was ok. She said yeah, just chop it up and throw it in. Now this was the important part b/c I needed the broccoli VERY chopped , so I was not biting into any BIG pieces of broccoli. However, chopping up VERY frozen broccoli. Not so easy!
At this point my soup is boiling over and ready but without the broccoli in it. I once again pull it off the stove and go back to the broccoli chopping. After about 10 minutes I finally get it chopped well enough and throw it in. Pop it back on the stove and turn up the heat.
We had the soup with croissants, and it was so delicious! Kaylen loved it!! Plus we have lots left over for today. Second meal, a success! Now to find some more easy recipes with small amounts of ingredients! And I will prepare ahead next time.
But last night, my second attempt at making a "meal". I not only enjoyed a vegetable I would not usually touch, (I would normally pick out every last piece if it happened to be in something I was eating) but I LOVED broccoli! My mom gave me this recipe, and it was SO yummy! My mom and brother kind of created this recipe. You use some broccoli and cheese rice, velvetta, milk, cream soup, and broccoli. It is so easy! I was nervous because I have never ever made a soup before.
From last night I see preparation is my problem. I made up the rice, no problem. But then when it was just about done I was supposed to be putting in the velvetta. I pulled out my huge block of velvetta, my loving sister gave me. I have never owned a huge block of velvetta, so in my mind it would say on it (like sticks of butter) how much to cut off for a 1/4 cup. But it did not. This threw me completely off.
I texted my sis. No answer. Called my mom. No answer. Googled it. No answer.
Hmmm... I didn't want to ruin the recipe, so finally I grabbed a 1/4 cup measuring cup and just cut off small pieces until I filled the cup. Good enough? (How in the world DO you measure velvetta?)
But by this point my rice was well done, so I quickly turned the heat way down, and poured the other ingredients in. Until I got to the broccoli. Now I had frozen broccoli. Which I asked my mom ahead of time if this was ok. She said yeah, just chop it up and throw it in. Now this was the important part b/c I needed the broccoli VERY chopped , so I was not biting into any BIG pieces of broccoli. However, chopping up VERY frozen broccoli. Not so easy!
At this point my soup is boiling over and ready but without the broccoli in it. I once again pull it off the stove and go back to the broccoli chopping. After about 10 minutes I finally get it chopped well enough and throw it in. Pop it back on the stove and turn up the heat.
We had the soup with croissants, and it was so delicious! Kaylen loved it!! Plus we have lots left over for today. Second meal, a success! Now to find some more easy recipes with small amounts of ingredients! And I will prepare ahead next time.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Meatloaf & a Melt down
My first meal using meat!
It's true. I am 27 years old, and I have been married for almost 6 years. Yet, I have NEVER cooked a meal using meat. Well, beginning to end RAW meat. I did make a ham dinner for my husband's family this past Easter, but does ham count? It was already cooked; you just pop it in the oven for a few hours. I have also used bacon for myself, but that's as far as it has gone.
I am terribly frightened of raw meat. First of all - EW! It looks and smells gross. What if I touch it and get those bloody germs all over something else and get sick - or worse my family gets sick. How long do you cook it? How can I tell if it's done? How long can I keep it in the fridge? Will it contaminate the other food in my fridge? Can I freeze it? How do I defrost it?
Embaressing to say, but there have been a handful of times I have actually bought meat, put it in the fridge or freezer and thrown it out. Thinking it was bad or just too scared to cook it. Then there was the time I bought raw chicken cooked it and tossed it because maybe it wasn't done?!
So, my first meat meal was... Mini meatloafs. I know some people cringe, but I was at my parents over the holidays and my mom had made a meatloaf. Kaylen and I ate some and loved it!! Maybe the preggo taste buds?!
Well, I even decided to change the recipe a bit and make half the recipe and put my meatloaf in muffin tins. I thought this would make it well-done, as I like it, and the perfect size for Kaylen and me. After texting my sister a million times I decided a half hour would be a good amount of cooking time. So at 5:30 I decided to get to work.
I cautiously took out the meat, put it on a special cutting board and unwrapped it. Washed my hands. Then I took the wrapping off. Washed my hands. I took my knife cut what I was guessing was 1/2 lb. off and was picking it up to put it in my bowl. As I was doing this my baby girl, who was playing at my feet with the drawer under the stove. (Which she always plays with.) She can open and shut it and her fingers fit perfectly inbetween the drawer and stove, so she never pinches her fingers. Well never before. At this moment she trips, falls forward, and slams her wrist and hand into the drawer. She is stuck and cannot get her hand out. SCREAMING at the top of her lungs. Here I sit with bloody meat all over my hands. I run to the sink desperately washing my hands, and then rescue my poor baby. Who still today has a large red and white mark across her left hand.
After many hugs and kisses and making sure my daughter can still use her hand I return to the meat I will not bore you with all the details, but I will say that we did not eat until about 7:00. A little longer then planned, and I forgot to cook the vegetable for the side. We did have mashed potatoes, though. A favorite of mine!!
Kaylen and I made it through the night with no signs of food poisoning, so all in all I would say a great first meal! Quite tasty even... more onions and more topping for next time! We had left overs today. And tomorrow... my FIRST ever attempt at soup! :)
It's true. I am 27 years old, and I have been married for almost 6 years. Yet, I have NEVER cooked a meal using meat. Well, beginning to end RAW meat. I did make a ham dinner for my husband's family this past Easter, but does ham count? It was already cooked; you just pop it in the oven for a few hours. I have also used bacon for myself, but that's as far as it has gone.
I am terribly frightened of raw meat. First of all - EW! It looks and smells gross. What if I touch it and get those bloody germs all over something else and get sick - or worse my family gets sick. How long do you cook it? How can I tell if it's done? How long can I keep it in the fridge? Will it contaminate the other food in my fridge? Can I freeze it? How do I defrost it?
Embaressing to say, but there have been a handful of times I have actually bought meat, put it in the fridge or freezer and thrown it out. Thinking it was bad or just too scared to cook it. Then there was the time I bought raw chicken cooked it and tossed it because maybe it wasn't done?!
So, my first meat meal was... Mini meatloafs. I know some people cringe, but I was at my parents over the holidays and my mom had made a meatloaf. Kaylen and I ate some and loved it!! Maybe the preggo taste buds?!
Well, I even decided to change the recipe a bit and make half the recipe and put my meatloaf in muffin tins. I thought this would make it well-done, as I like it, and the perfect size for Kaylen and me. After texting my sister a million times I decided a half hour would be a good amount of cooking time. So at 5:30 I decided to get to work.
I cautiously took out the meat, put it on a special cutting board and unwrapped it. Washed my hands. Then I took the wrapping off. Washed my hands. I took my knife cut what I was guessing was 1/2 lb. off and was picking it up to put it in my bowl. As I was doing this my baby girl, who was playing at my feet with the drawer under the stove. (Which she always plays with.) She can open and shut it and her fingers fit perfectly inbetween the drawer and stove, so she never pinches her fingers. Well never before. At this moment she trips, falls forward, and slams her wrist and hand into the drawer. She is stuck and cannot get her hand out. SCREAMING at the top of her lungs. Here I sit with bloody meat all over my hands. I run to the sink desperately washing my hands, and then rescue my poor baby. Who still today has a large red and white mark across her left hand.
After many hugs and kisses and making sure my daughter can still use her hand I return to the meat I will not bore you with all the details, but I will say that we did not eat until about 7:00. A little longer then planned, and I forgot to cook the vegetable for the side. We did have mashed potatoes, though. A favorite of mine!!
Kaylen and I made it through the night with no signs of food poisoning, so all in all I would say a great first meal! Quite tasty even... more onions and more topping for next time! We had left overs today. And tomorrow... my FIRST ever attempt at soup! :)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A Child's Energy & 7 Things.
Where on earth does my daughter get all of her energy? She has decided that she does NOT need naps. Well, since yesterday. She napped a total of 1 hour yesterday and is headed in the same direction today. She only napped 30 minutes this morning. Mean mommy left her in her crib for another 30 min., b/c I was determined to get our mud room cleaned out and it is not a job that could be done being followed by a 1 year old. She did not mind. She talked and sang to herself.
Well, wouldn't you imagine the girl would be a bit sleepy? No! Right now she is running around the living room, screaming at the top of her lungs (Happy screams), clapping her hands, and laughing hysterically at herself. Every so often running over to Momma and grabbing both my cheeks and giving me a big kiss. If I had that kind of energy? I can't even imagine the things I would have done!
Alright, so my sister tagged me to tell 7 things about myself... So, here we go.
1. I love to stay up late and be extremely lazy in the morning. Did not work so well when I was teaching, but is defintely a luxury of being a stay at home Mom.
2. Along with number one. I can go back to sleep or take a nap at most any time. This is why it never bothered me to get up at night with Kaylen, and probably why she does not sleep the best now.
3. I hate hot drinks (except hot cocoa if I'm feeling extremely yucky), but I love soda!
4. I am cheap. Not frugal. Cheap.
5. I really enjoy exercise, but for some reason have really struggled getting a good routine since having Kaylen. I do much better with a partner.
6. I am very awkward when meeting new people or talking with people I don't know well. Small talk and I do not get along very well.
7. I really desire to memorize lots of scripture this year. For many reasons, one of which to have the scripture ready when disciplining and training my daughter. (Sadly, I am horrible at memorizing!)
p.s. - I'm 12 weeks today! Bye bye 1st trimester; hello, 2nd!
Well, wouldn't you imagine the girl would be a bit sleepy? No! Right now she is running around the living room, screaming at the top of her lungs (Happy screams), clapping her hands, and laughing hysterically at herself. Every so often running over to Momma and grabbing both my cheeks and giving me a big kiss. If I had that kind of energy? I can't even imagine the things I would have done!
Alright, so my sister tagged me to tell 7 things about myself... So, here we go.
1. I love to stay up late and be extremely lazy in the morning. Did not work so well when I was teaching, but is defintely a luxury of being a stay at home Mom.
2. Along with number one. I can go back to sleep or take a nap at most any time. This is why it never bothered me to get up at night with Kaylen, and probably why she does not sleep the best now.
3. I hate hot drinks (except hot cocoa if I'm feeling extremely yucky), but I love soda!
4. I am cheap. Not frugal. Cheap.
5. I really enjoy exercise, but for some reason have really struggled getting a good routine since having Kaylen. I do much better with a partner.
6. I am very awkward when meeting new people or talking with people I don't know well. Small talk and I do not get along very well.
7. I really desire to memorize lots of scripture this year. For many reasons, one of which to have the scripture ready when disciplining and training my daughter. (Sadly, I am horrible at memorizing!)
p.s. - I'm 12 weeks today! Bye bye 1st trimester; hello, 2nd!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Cheerio's & Rolo's...
To all of you blogging mother's and wives and just domestic divas. I am not like you. Sad to say, I am as different from you as spinach is from chocolate!
I don't really know how it happened. My mom is a cooking queen! She will feed anyone and anyTHING that walks into her home. Her meals are prepared with thought and time, and a favorite of mine, always followed with a super sweet dessert.
My sister is very much the same, although with her family she has now went the healthy route. I know she plans her meals out waaayyy ahead of time, and she always feeds them well. I love to eat at her house! (Well, except when she makes cooked cauliflower and tries to tell me it's mashed potatoes - bah!)
Oh, yes! And my other sibling, my younger brother, cooks right alongside them. Making huge meals, of things I couldn't even begin to wonder how to cook.
So... what happened to me? Was I just not paying attention when I was growing up? I always remember helping my mom; I just don't remember learning how to cook. (To give myself a tiny bit of credit, this girl does like to bake and would say that I can bake decently.) Or maybe it was a product of my environment after getting married? We'll just say my husband is a wee-bit picky, when it comes to food.
But now, here I sit with a one year old, whom, I need to feed healthy balanced meals. And where do I begin? Well, I have determined that for my baby girl's health and my other baby-in-my-belly's health that I will begin making wholesome meals. Two a week,I decided. Hey, it's a start!
So... here I sit ready to start my week of making meals off right! What is in my cupboards, you ask?! Cheerios and Rolo's!! Hmmm...
I don't really know how it happened. My mom is a cooking queen! She will feed anyone and anyTHING that walks into her home. Her meals are prepared with thought and time, and a favorite of mine, always followed with a super sweet dessert.
My sister is very much the same, although with her family she has now went the healthy route. I know she plans her meals out waaayyy ahead of time, and she always feeds them well. I love to eat at her house! (Well, except when she makes cooked cauliflower and tries to tell me it's mashed potatoes - bah!)
Oh, yes! And my other sibling, my younger brother, cooks right alongside them. Making huge meals, of things I couldn't even begin to wonder how to cook.
So... what happened to me? Was I just not paying attention when I was growing up? I always remember helping my mom; I just don't remember learning how to cook. (To give myself a tiny bit of credit, this girl does like to bake and would say that I can bake decently.) Or maybe it was a product of my environment after getting married? We'll just say my husband is a wee-bit picky, when it comes to food.
But now, here I sit with a one year old, whom, I need to feed healthy balanced meals. And where do I begin? Well, I have determined that for my baby girl's health and my other baby-in-my-belly's health that I will begin making wholesome meals. Two a week,I decided. Hey, it's a start!
So... here I sit ready to start my week of making meals off right! What is in my cupboards, you ask?! Cheerios and Rolo's!! Hmmm...
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Baby on the brain.
I've got baby on the brain.
12 months ago my beautiful baby girl was born. In 6 months we will have another baby enter our home. It is so hard to believe we already even have one child, but we do...
We have a one year old, crazy lady, napping upstairs. She is cuddled up in a tiny little ball in the corner of her crib. Looking so peaceful and quiet. This is the complete opposite of anything my daughter is when she is awake. I have never met a "baby" like her. Now feel free to tell me, maybe mine is nothing compared to yours?! She is goofy! So goofy!!
Our baby girl loves to growl, yes, growl. Since she was about 3 months old. Her Aunts refer to her as the velociraptor. She has a raucous laugh! She has since she was about 3 months old. She loves to walk around and "pretend" to eat things. Gives them to momma and dadda to eat too. She loves to organize and seperate things.
Oh, how she loves to dance. Put any music on and my daughter will break it down. Now, we are not just talking sway side to side or bop up and down. She takes her booty all the way down to the ground. Quite a sight, and I have NO idea where she learned it from! She loves to play rough with her daddy... with her mommy... with anyone, especially baby's her size. Maybe that's why all baby's her size run crying when they see her?! She really is a lover! Loves to kiss, mouth wide open, tongue licking, wet kisses! She loves to hug, knock you over on the floor, gorilla hugs.
Singing is a favorite past time; sadly, she is learning from her momma, so singing in public will probably not be an option in the future. Food, oh, this girlie loves food. Her chubby thighs and plump belly tell all. How nice she has it that her chub is still so adorable (to her momma anyway).
Everything is a "banana". At first it was just any food item, but lately anything and everything. She LOVES bananas, maybe more then her momma?! (No, that would be crazy!) We are working on expanding her vocabulary... it's umm.. coming.
Oh! There is so much more I could tell you about my little daddy's girl. She fits perfectly into our family with her crazy ways! How I wonder what this new little baby (boy/girl?) will be like. But somehow I know they will be a perfect fit.
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