our little life

19 Years Ago Today

2012-01-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 19th anniversary of the day that I decided to follow Jesus. I was 12 years old. I am filled with thankfulness for God's continued outpouring of grace in my life. Over breakfast this morning, I was telling the kids why today is special for me. I could tell Gramm was thinking about all this and he said, "Well, I have Jesus in my heart, he lives in everyone's heart." In my own random way, I briefly explained that Jesus lives in our heart if we follow Him . Then, my precious six and half year old looks at me, with plastic pirate sword in hand, and says, "I want to pray to follow Jesus." And, right there at the bar with bowls of granola on all sides, Gramm prayed to follow Jesus all of his days. It was sweet and simple and I will never forget it. Gramm is still very young for such a commitment, but he was nonetheless sincere. I've told him repeatedly to "not let anyone look down on him because he is young, but to be an example for the believers" (1 Timothy 4:12).

In other news, someone in our crew has been sick since the day we got our foster son almost 2 months ago. So, we are laying low and trying to eat nourishing foods and lurve each other without going nuts. Above is a great snapshot of our day: Vivi-tiv playing with play dough (not the knife on the knife magnet, mind you), Five loaves of soaked whole wheat bread cooling on the counter, crockpot cooking us a yummy pork roast from Cove Creek Acres, a huge stack of recipes just crying out "ORGANIZE ME, WOMAN! WHAT ELSE YOU GOT TO DO?", and a thermometer so I can monitor little JJ's recently fevered body. Today has been crazy, but it is so good. I have a three year old sucking her thumb, throwing her leg across my body and saying repeatedly, "I wanna sit on your lap." Gotta go.

Racism

2012-01-18T18:34:00.000-08:00

“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But...the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

I stumbled upon the above quote in October of last year. As I read it, I was convicted about my selfish attitude toward foster care. Before our home was officially open for foster care, I would often struggle with thoughts of this nature: Will my biological children be neglected because of my foster child? Will I be able to effectively homeschool our children while caring for a foster child? Is it really worth risking the peace in our home by bringing in a child from a less than ideal situation? Do I really want to take care of someone else's child for who knows how long?

The Lord used the above quote to remind me that foster care is not about me and my desires. Foster care is ultimately about glorifying God with my life. I have this one precious life and I don't want to waste it. I want to be a conduit of God's overflowing, miracle working, heart changing grace. Foster care is about showing the love of Christ to children who need a home. Instead of asking, "What will happen to me if I become a foster parent?" I began asking, "What will happen to these precious little ones that we could have in our home if I don't welcome them with open arms?"

Several days ago, the kids and I took JJ (our foster son) to the DHS office for a family visit. I had all four kiddos with me. The twins and Gramm were clustered around me and I was holding the baby on my hip. There were about 10 people in the lobby of the office. My three biological children and I were the only white people in the lobby. I didn't even take note of this until I heard an African American man sitting about 3 feet behind me making racist comments about "white people". I can be a little clueless at times and this was one of those moments. It wasn't until we left the room that I began wondering if those comments were directed at me. I am thankful for the distraction of my children. If they had not all been with me, I wonder if I would have responded.

I have reflected on this situation quite a bit. I was honestly not offended by this man's unkindness because I know his words are not true. I am not defined by the color of my skin. But, I also realized that it's easy for me to deflect these comments because this was the first time in my thirty-one years of life to experience racism first-hand. I cannot imagine how very different my life would be if I had to face prejudice or racism on a regular basis. I am thankful that I have been shielded from this type of treatment. I have had to ask myself if I judge others based on appearances. I know that I have been guilty of this at times.

I pray that God will work in my heart to teach my children to be open and loving toward all types of people. My kiddos will learn this way of living if they see it in me. Lord, please make me more like You. Give me Your eyes to see those around me.

The View From Here

2011-12-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

I took the above picture while lying on the couch, recovering from a horrible stomach bug. In the foreground, a cup of broth (thanks Julie) and a cup of water. Broth really is the breakfast of champions.

Last Wednesday night, I loaded up our kiddos to go to AWANA while Justin stayed home to put our little baby boo to bed. I had a fabulous mommy date planned for while the kids were at AWANA and I couldn't wait for some grown up convo with one of my dearest friends. Before I'd even arrived at the church building, I knew I was sick. Chills, nausea, the whole bit....I took the kiddos to their classes and got home as quickly as I could, cancelling my Mommy date on the way. :(

As soon as I got home, the fun started. I was ill. Before long, Justin brought the kids home from AWANA and got them in bed. Then he starts feeling bad and begins to get sick. We both get in bed, knowing we are in for a long night with our new pal, the stomach bug. At about 10:30, we hear the twins crying. I knew it was the throw-up cry. Trust me, they have a certain cry. It's awful. Both girls were sick...simultaneously. We bathed them, got them ready to go back to bed on clean sheets and within minutes they were both getting sick again. It was midnight by this time, Justin and I were both still very sick and we didn't know what to do. In a desperate moment, I called Justin's mom. She had to work the next day, but came anyway. We all thought the girls would feel better and go to sleep within a couple hours. From about midnight until four a.m., the twins were sick every thirty minutes. They were lying on our (well protected) couch and Brooklyn told me later that my mother-in-law slept on the floor next to them. Everytime Vivi would get sick, I would hear her crying for me and saying, "Mama. I want Mama. Where's my Mommy?" And, Justin's mom would calm her down, clean her up and try to get her back to sleep. I remember lying in bed thinking I could go sit on the couch with her, but I felt like I was too weak to even walk to the living room. At some point during all this, Gramm woke up and began throwing up too. The little guy is a trooper. He is no stranger to stomach issues, so the stomach bug did not phase him one bit. Bless his heart!

Around 4 in the morning, I finally drifted off to sleep and realized that the worst of it was over for me. My mother-in-law left at 5 to go get ready for work and to stop by Kroger to get us popsicles and coconut water. She had stayed up all night taking care of our very sick kiddos. I was amazed by her sacrifice. Not only did she miss a full night's sleep before going to teach preschool all day the next day, she exposed herself to the horrible, nasty, no good stomach bug while lovingly caring for my babies. I have always been thankful for her and I am even more thankful now. And, I am so very thankful for good health and the ability to care for my children.

We are all on the mend now and our little baby boo has yet to get the bug. Never before have I seen our entire crew (minus the babe) come down with the same sickness so quickly. I don't know what we would have done without my mother-in-law. She inspires me to lay down my life for my children and to give joyfully. And, please join me in praying that she doesn't get sick. ;) Seriously.

Processing life as a Foster Mom

2011-12-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

This scripture has been on my mind today:

"She extends her hands to the poor. Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy." Proverbs 31:20

Many times a day, our sweet foster son walks toward me, arms outstretched, needing to be held. I pick him up, hold him and usually let him decide when he is ready to be put down. There are times when I need to put him down before he is ready, so I'll say, "I'm going to put you down now, but I'll be right here." Sometimes he toddles off and plays and sometimes he'll just sit down and cry. If he cries, I usually pick him up or Gramm will pick him up and bring him to me. This little guy needs lots of love and he needs me to be his Mommy....but not forever.

Nothing could have prepared me for bonding with a child and knowing all the while that he is not mine, he will not ever be mine and that someday, he will leave our home. J and I both thought we were aware of all that we signed up for in becoming foster parents. In theory, it's so noble and yadayadayada, but in reality, it's just a little crazy. Foster care does not make sense, but it's what we feel lead to do and we'll keep doing it. God has given us the grace for each second and I know His grace will not run out with me and my needy self.

Please pray for our family as we venture down this new road. We rely on and rest in the sovereignty of God each step of the way. Love to all.

And (foster) baby makes 6

2011-12-09T18:39:00.001-08:00

About two years ago, we began the process to become foster parents and adoptive parents through the state of Arkansas. Our plans were put on hold for several months. You can read about that here. About three months ago, we began updating our paperwork, CPR and First Aid certifications, physicals, etc. We finally got everything together and were officially open in November.

We received a call about a little boy that needed a temporary home. Could we care for him? Did we have space? Yes. Yes. He is here. We love him already. We expected to foster an infant. This little one is not exactly an infant, but he is still younger than our three big kids. So far, life with four kids is busy, loud and wonderful. God has held my nerves together and my patience mostly intact. ;) We have been blessed with a kind and caring caseworker.

We do not know exactly how long we will have this child. We do not know what his life was like before he came to us. We do not even know his middle name. But, we do know that his life is precious. He was created in the image of God and he is remarkable. We know that he needs us. We know that this boy's mark will forever be on our hearts. He reaches for me, his face lights up when he sees Gramm, he lets Vivi and Brook hug and kiss him often, and he lurves my man.

Please pray for us as we all adjust to this change in our lives. Please pray for me to take this process a day at a time and not obsess and worry about the day that he will leave us. We signed up for this. We are the middle family for this little one in transition. God is sustaining us and He will continue to lavish His grace upon us.

Thanks to so many of you who encouraged us to not lose hope and to keep praying for the foster child(ren) we would someday have. We did not lose hope and God has answered our prayers so sweetly. Love to you all.

I like to cook

2011-11-19T19:43:00.000-08:00

So, I cook a lot. I love it. It makes me happy. It makes my kids happy, too. Left to right, Vivi, Gramm and Brook chowing down on some homemade granola bars. I recently discovered a totally delish granola bar recipe here. My adaptation:

Chewy Granola Bars

Combine in a large bowl:

1/2 cup muscavado sugar, or other brown sugar (sucanat, etc.)

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup melted coconut oil or butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

Then add:

3 cups whole rolled oats

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup wheat flour

1 cup chocolate chips

Stir well and then press into a greased sheet pan. I use a large stainless steel bar pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cut the bars while they are warm, but wait about 10 minutes before removing them from the pan. If you let the bars cool completely, they will not come out of the pan well and it will be a big mess. I store them individually wrapped or in a 9x13 pan with wax paper between the layers of bars.

My family absolutely loves the granola bars. My hubby and son have really missed store-bought granola bars. This recipe has been wonderful because it's filling, fairly cheap and I can actually pronounce every single ingredient. Holla!

I occasionally feel a baking frenzy coming on and just cannot stop myself. So, I baked two pies. One for my hubby and one for a brotha who has iphone fixing skillz. My hubby got the coconut cream pie and our friend received the creamy lemon meringue pie. The kiddos saw me photographing the pies and each child had to have their pic taken with me and the pies. It was so classic. Look:

Brooklyn cheesin' it up:
Vivian just trying to get to that pie! See her little hand poised and ready to stick her finger in the meringue?

Inquiring minds may want to know: pie filling recipes: from Justin's Nana. She's a madwoman in the kitchen and puts me to shame even on my best Julia-Child-channeling days. The meringue: extra egg whites, baby, from farm fresh eggs. The crust: 1/2 butter and 1/2 lard rendered from a locally raised (and locally killt), grass-stomping, happy, healthy piggle.

Let me know if any of you precious few try the granola bar recipe. Over and out. :)

The Good Portion

2011-10-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we have really bad days.

Sometimes I'm not proud of myself. Moms, don't we all know when we are not on our A game?

The bad days are not often. Truth be told, they tend to come around once a month if you catch my drift. A couple days ago, I had to apologize to my kids and tell them that I really need Jesus in order to be a good Mommy. They hugged me and listened quietly while I prayed.

After our not-so-good stretch this week, I told my hot hubster through my tears that I don't want to be like Martha and miss the best part of our kid's lives because I'm focused on things.

Quick Martha recap: in Luke chapter 10 (in the Bible, just FYI) Jesus comes to visit Mary and Martha. Apparently, Martha was working her hiney off and Mary was sitting on hers' listening to Jesus teach. Martha goes to tattle on Mary and Jesus says this:

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10: 41, 42

I want to sit at Jesus' feet, like Mary, and let Him teach me. It's hard to let him teach me when I let (dumb, stupid, insignificant) things upset me and set the tone for our family. I want to enjoy my children. I want to have more tea parties, more walks around our 'hood, more time reading books on the couch. I want to be less stressed about the state of my house, the laundry, the dad-blamed dinner, and the 10,000 other things in my life. I want to enjoy my people. I want to choose the good portion!

Some practical steps I've taken in order to choose the good portion:

daily God time. Right now, this is in the morning on weekdays.
pray for God to show me warning signs when I'm nearing the end of my rope.
limit phone time. I love my peops, but my kids need me to be totally present and I can't do that and be on the phone. Maybe someday I will figure that out.
I try to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. I love cooking nourishing food for my family, so I do a lot of our dinners in batches with my bestie, Julie. Read about those adventures here. This helps me immensely. I even bought bread this week instead of making it. 80/20 y'all.
stop with the dang guilt already! I let guilt drive me all too often.
steer clear of Facebook (i.e. the great time waster).
get kids to help me with housework. Try to do a little housework daily instead of hours on big projects, etc.
chill out for pete's sake and quit being a grump-butt all the time.
gratitude journaling. Quick, simple, one-liners listing what I'm thankful for at that moment. One Thousand Gifts has changed my life. Read it, y'all.

I am not an expert and have virtually nothing figured out. All I know is that I cannot be a good parent on my own. I just can't do it. I need God every single step of the way. I mostly post sweet memories and flattering pics on this blog, but I think it's important to post on the not-so-great days and dispel any pretense that there is constantly a rainbow over my house with the pot of gold at the back door. Here's to choosing the good portion. Look at that sweet face!

Look What We've Been Doing

2011-10-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

We've had some fun gathering a few fruits from our garden. Gramm is cutting up a tiny, but tasty canteloupe.

Sweet VivianBrooklyn
And we sliced our watermelon open with high hopes....it wasn't ready, but the girls were! They ate almost the whole thing. :)

We've experimented with sponge rollers. My hubby says the rollers in my hair "aged me significantly". Anyone remember Mama's Family? I was channeling my inner Mama. (Brook on left)

Beautiful ViviI love Brooklyn's smile here. She has the most precious little chicklet teeth. And, my hair was very 80's pageant queen reminiscent. I wore it in a ponytail all day. We've had some great tea parties and one very memorable one with Nana in her backyard. Vivi on left. Nana made the girls hibiscus tea and brought out this tray with cheese and triscuits, yogurt and even a tea towel. The girls LOVED it. Nana and I had a really good time, too. :) Some of our best memories have been made at my Nana and Grandpa's house.
Brooklyn chillin' after a little tea. Please note that both girls have yogurt dried on their little faces. :)

Nana and the girls at the park.

Me and my sweet gals. Love them. Brooklyn on left.

I mentioned in my post on New Year's Resolutions that we are trying to pay off our house. Slowly, but surely, we've been paying on the principal for the past 10 months. It's going to be at the very least a couple more years, but we are enjoying the challenge. I made a mortgage loan thermometer and Gramm gets to fill it in at the end of every month. My sweet man suggested that we may have started coloring at the wrong end of the thermometer! Oh well! Here's to loving things that aren't perfect. :)

That's all peops. What have you and your crew been up to?

Making it work, part 3--When your Babydad is out of Town

2011-09-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

I started a "Making It Work" series months ago. Part 1, Breakfast with the Bertmans, which is mostly about quick devotionals with my babes, is here. Part 2, Giving Your Man the Night Off, is here.

My husband travels for work a few times a year. I am a big baby and hate to stay by myself. In the past, when he's traveled I've had friends sleep over with me or I've spent a few days with my wonderful Nana and Grandpa who love on us and help me with the kiddos.

During Justin's last trip, I tried something different. He was gone about six days and I only spent one or two of those days with my grandparents. The rest of the time, I braved it at home, with or without a bible under my pillow to ward off anything skeery. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by every single task that needed to be done, I just did them. I tried my best to stay calm and be nice to the kids no matter how I felt. When Justin came home, he was pleasantly surprised by a happy wife, orderly home and non-traumatized children. ;)

A few things that helped me while J was away:

I tried to get all my work done before the kids went to bed. As soon as the kids were in bed, I either relaxed with a book or a movie or I had a friend over for coffee. I am a HUGE extrovert, so some adult time was really great for me. If you are an introvert, I would recommend planning down time.
I ran a very tight ship where discipline was concerned. I knew that if I started letting things slide, the kids would go nuts and misbehave a lot.
I did not cook dinner. I made a big batch of tomato basil soup (read: chick food) before J left. We ate that, pb&j, sushi from Kroger, etc. The kids still had nutritious meals, but they were very simple.
I made sure that I was recharging spiritually by praying and reading the Word when I could. Praying for Justin while we are apart really brings me peace and protection from fear.
I went to bed early so that I would be well rested and ready for the day ahead.
I did not try to get any projects done. My "project" was taking care of the kids and keeping the house from falling down around us. :)
I dressed to shoes and wore make up most days. This helps me immensely on any given day.

If any of you have traveling husbands, I hope that these tips help you while your man is away.

First Days of School

2011-09-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Gramm started Comm. Central on August 1. Gramm is in Kindergarten and Comm. Central is like a one day a week homeschooling co-op. It's wonderful. Handsome boy below:

I love this kid:

Vivian and Brooklyn wasted no time in getting ready to par-tay once brother left for school! We spent the morning with my mom (aka Shermee) and had a ball.

The girls started preschool on August 25. They will go two mornings a week and they are absolutely LOVING it. My mother-in-law is their teacher. She has taught at this same preschool for over 20 years. Gramm attended preschool there as well. One huge bonus of preschool is that Gramm and I have an absolute BLAST getting his school done when it's just the two of us. Brooklyn on left, Vivian on right. Those girls give the best hugs!

Vivian on left, Brooklyn on right. I actually got a little teary when I dropped them off at school. The time with these two has just flown.

Of course, brother had to get in on the action. He's kissing Brooklyn. :)

The girls with their teacher, also known as Mimi. We'll see if they call her Mrs.Janet by the end of the year like the rest of the kids.

When I picked the girls up, they came running to me wearing HUGE smiles and the adorable sticker you see below. It says, "I had a great first day!" Again, tears. Bless it! So thankful for these three sweethearts! (vivi below)

Gramm is Six!

2011-08-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

Our sweet son is growing up! Not only did he turn six, he lost his two front teeth! Bless his sweet little big boy heart!

We had a family get together the weekend before his birthday and I let Gramm chooose the menu. He asked for spaghetti, corn on the cob and chocolate cake with vanilla icing. I so LOVE making my kiddos' faves. He got to eat out of the Bertram birthday bowl and eat lots of yummy birthday cake. (Gramm and mimi below. love her!)

On the evening of his actual birthday, we surprised him with a family trip to my step-dad's lake house. Gramm was thrilled because he thinks the lake house is one of the coolest places ever.

We enjoyed our boy (and girls) and are so blessed to have had six years with this wonderful child. I wrote him a birthday letter that is too long and sappy to share here. Suffice it to say, I am ever thankful to God for blessing Justin and I with our precious son. The first time I held Gramm, all I could say as I rubbed Gramm's soft cheeks and kissed his tiny little lips was "Thank You, God. Thank You, God." What a joy it is to be a mother!

(Spiked hair per G's request)

Daddy and Gramm with the much longed for Space Police Lego set.
Our fam:

Gramm and I the day after he was born. We've come a looooong way, baby!

Fourth of July...a smidge late

2011-07-15T20:05:00.001-07:00

We spent some time with family over the holiday weekend. It's been a few weeks, but I just had to share these pics of Gramm. That boy LOVES the fourth of July and was totally in his element shooting fireworks with his daddy, uncle, great-uncle and cousins.

Below: Gramm is all suited up in camo head to toe with safety goggles on and bag of fireworks nearby. This pic was taken in the morning. He was ready to go!

Below: the little guy in action.

Vivian and Brooklyn were not crazy about all the noise. They ended up sitting in my lap together by the end of the night.

Our fam. I'm holding Vivian and Justin is holding Brooklyn.

It's time for a menu baby! Here goes:

Monday: pizza at Everett's birthday partay. No cooking for me!

Tuesday: broccoli cheddar quiche (basic quiche lorraine recipe with broccoli thrown in in place of the ham), salad or fruit

Wednesday: beef stir fry with brown rice (freezer meal)

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: roasted chicken, taters, veggies

Saturday: chicken salad (leftover from roasted chicken, made with homemade mayo, sour cream, grapes, celery, pecans, dill relish and tiny bit of mustard), fruit, banana bread

Sunday: leftovers/clean out the fridge day

Anyone else got a menu plan they'd like to share? I'd love to see it!

I have pared down my time in the kitchen considerably. I have done this by batch cooking and freezing our meals and by cooking very simple, basic recipes. I can see a huge difference in my energy level and patience with my kids. I absolutely love to be in the kitchen and prepare yummy, large meals for my fam and friends. But, I've seen that time spent in the kitchen unnecessarily is not fruitful emotionally, spiritually or physically for our family during this stage of life. If you see anything above that you would like a recipe for, comment and I'll get it together. Love to all.

The Three C's

2011-06-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not know, I have three year old twin girls. I also have a precious almost six year old son. Our life is often loud, chaotic and stressful. Overall, we have a wonderful and fun life, but sometimes I let parenting become an annoying burden and not a faith-stretching, patience-bringing, joy-filling opportunity.

In these not-so-fun moments when I'm trying to get something done whether it be fix dinner, fold clothes, have a phone conversation and one or all of my children misbehave, my tendency is towards anger and impatience. Instead of getting mad at my precious babes, I have started to preach to myself these three words, "Calm, contact, cease." Okay, so this is what that means:

Cease: stop what I'm doing. My job is to parent these children and train them in the way they should go. My primary goal is not to get dinner on the table or fold laundry. I have to stop the secondary things to focus on the primary. This is so hard for me because I just love to get 'er done! Discipline takes time. But, it's worth it.

Contact: Go to the offending child or children, get on their level and make physical contact with them in a kind, gentle way while instructing them. This often is just me squatting in front of one of the kids, placing my hand on her/his shoulder and asking them why they are upset or helping resolve conflict. With a fit throwing miss or mister, this often means that I must physically remove the child from the room. Each one of my kids weighs over 30 pounds now. I'm as strong as an ox these days.

Calm: I just gotta keep it together! I cannot get mad or the kids will learn from my bad example and they will be stressed out by my lack of self-control. Sometimes I have to whisper to keep from raising my voice. Sometimes I close my eyes and pray. You get the picture.

I hope these three C's help you as they have helped me. I truly feel that the Spirit comes to our aid when we need Him and that He is "near to those who have young". Oh, and look at these cute kids. Seriously. They kill me with their cuteness.

Below: The Viv-ster with a sour cream stache. Hilariously serious face here.

Brooklyn baby:

My big boy is about to lose both of his top front teeth. I made him pose for these pics so I could capture his sweet smile before we transition to a snaggle tooth grin. :) Love this big boy!

Sisters

2011-06-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not know, I have three sisters. I am #3 in the line up. I lurve my sisters. In April I was invited my by my sister, Andrea, to ride along on a work trip to Destin. Oh, did I mention my hubby let me go sans kiddos? That's right, 5 heavenly days of sister time. It was a great trip to say the least and we laughed and laughed and laughed. See pics of our adventures below:

My younger sister, Sharla, moved to Boston shortly after she got married to my precious bro-in-law about 9 years ago give or take. For the last few months, Sharla and her sweet little fam of five have relocated to Arkansas and will be here till October. Holla!!! I have enjoyed more time with Shar in the past few months than I have since we were in college. To have her here is one of the greatest gifts God could hand to me at any time. I just love that girl!

Sisters really are built in BFFs. Each one of my sisters is precious to me and can make me laugh till I cry. I love that we can all four be together on occasion during this brief season. We even had a little girl night last Thursday and it was won.der.ful. See below. Love them. (left to right, Rachel #1, me #3, Andrea #2, Sharla, #4)

Menu Plan

2011-05-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

--In the pic above, my sweet sister and her kiddos joined us for an impromptu dinner in February. Thankfully, I had a menu planned and could feed these precious ones a yummy meal that did not involve cussing or running to McD's (neither of which I am above doing, sadly enough. Just keeping it real).--

Monday:
Squash/Zucchini/Mushroom/Chicken Quesadillas with sour cream, homemade salsa and chips

Tuesday:
Roast (Julia Child style, see below), mashed taters, salad made with spinach from our garden!! our first fruits this year!! I LOVE gardening! (make granola)

Wednesday:
Date night with the hot hubster

Thursday:
Butter Roasted Chicken (another Julia style), leftover taters, green beans or peas (soak dough for pizza)

Friday:
Homemade Pizza

Saturday:
If it doesn't rain, we're hoping to spend the day at the pool. I'll probably take leftover pizza or make cheese quesadillas, will definitely take popcorn, apples, raisins, whatev.
Dinner that night will probably be marlboro man sandwiches with a little less salt than the recipe calls for.

Sunday: clean out the fridge day. We eat all the leftovers and often eat out for lunch or dinner on Sunday.

Recipes:

So, what I mean by a roast being made Julia style is that I cook a good sized roast (large enough to serve 6 adults) with nothing but red wine and beef broth (about 1 cup wine, 2-3 cups broth or vice versa). Now, Julia does a LOT more to her roasts than I do to mine, but this still gets a very rich flavor and makes an out-of-this-world gravy.

Butter Roast Chicken is another Julia recipe. I bake a whole chicken (bones and all, people) for this recipe. When the chicken is raw, I rub the entire surface with 1 stick of softened butter, then I sprinkle salt all over the chicky. Then, I stuff the cavity with a whole bunch of fresh herbs from my garden. Bake at 350 for about 2 hours, I check mine for doneness with a thermometer. Divine, I tell ya! Divine!

Julie's Granola (easy and delirsh)

10 cups whole oats

16 oz hot water

3 oz Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar

1 cup coconut oil

soak the above for 8-24 hours

then add:

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. maple syrup

1.5 teaspoon salt

1-2 tablespoons vanilla

Stir well, bake at 240, 3ish hours, maybe more, stir every 30 minutes. Watch this well after the first two hours. It burns quickly and you will cry if it does. Trust me. If I do this at night, I'll turn the oven off for the last thirty minutes or so and give it all night to dry out in the oven. If it's not crispy in the AM, I turn on the oven again for a bit.

Okay, party's over. Laundry and granola are calling my name. Enjoy!

Making it work, part 2--Giving your babydad the night off

2011-05-08T18:21:00.001-07:00

I've started a little series on things that work for our fam. Part 1 was all about how we revamped our breakfast routine to include a devotional and a little peace.

Here's Part 2:

When we just had one child, I tried to give my man the night off once every couple weeks. The babe and I would go to my ma's or my grandparent's house and give Justin some much needed free time. Now that we have three little ones and two of them are toddlers, I've had a much harder time giving my man an entire evening for himself. By God's grace, I have been able to give Justin several nights off in the past year. They are not every other week as they once were, but I think it's enough to give him some freedom and let him know I appreciate his efforts to work hard and lead our family well. A few tips on giving your man a break:

email him or text him during the day and let him know you are giving him the night to himself.
plan something fun for you and the kiddos (the park, a friend's house, a visit to the grandparent's, any place with a play land and food for you and the babes)
If your man is a home-body, get out of the house so that he can enjoy some peace and quiet.
If he enjoys a certain restaurant, give him a giftcard or coupon to said restaurant.
Be sure that he knows you want him to enjoy himself and that you will not resent him for taking a break or make him "pay you back".
Don't resent him. Give freely.
Don't let the fact that he doesn't give you nights off keep you from serving him. He just might learn from your example. ;)
If he's at home, let him know how long you will be gone. If he's out, let him know when you will have kiddos in bed, so he can come home. :)
Don't plan to clean out a closet or cook a nine course meal while your man is maxin' and relaxin'. If Justin has the night off, we eat leftovers, pb&j or I take the kiddos out. I try to keep my time with the kids low-key and simple so that I'm not super exhausted by the end of the night.

The main thing is to be in tune with your man. If you can sense that he needs a break, give him a break. Love him selflessly, give to him freely and thank him for working hard for your family. I have never regretted giving my man the night off. We both give each other time off regularly and we see it as an investment in our marriage and our family. I am not the poster child for loving Justin selflessly, but I have seen firsthand how his selfless love for me ministers to me and really does make me a better mom and wife.

Happy Mother's Day! :)

Mostly Whole Wheat Rolls

2011-05-02T05:09:00.001-07:00

Connie's Rolls
(This recipe makes about 8 big sandwich rolls.)

1 cup warm water or leftover potato water (i.e. water used to boil potatoes in--makes tender rolls, but not totally necessary)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup brown or raw sugar
3 T. butter
1 egg
1 T. yeast
Whole wheat (I usually use freshly ground wheat, but I've made them with bagged wheat from Kroger and they still turned out very well)
unbleached white flour

Put the water in the mixing bowl. Add salt, sugar, butter. Let the butter melt. (If butter is cold the water will need to be pretty warm, almost hot).

Add enough whole wheat flour to make a thick paste. Stir well. Add egg and yeast. Stir vigorously.

Add unbleached flour slowly and stir in. When too thick to stir, turn out on floured board and knead.

Knead for 5-10 min, keeping the dough soft, but not too sticky.

Let rise in covered bowl until about double. Punch down.

Let rise again until double. Punch down. Let rest 5-10 min.

Shape into desired shapes. For hamburger buns, pat dough on floured surface and cut with upside down drinking glass. (I usually just roll these into the shape I would like. I find that I make them too thick or too thin when I roll them and use a cutter) Transfer to greased cookie sheet. Cover with tea towel. Let rise until light. Put in preheated 375 degree oven. Bake for 10 min. Butter tops when out of oven.

I would love to say that these freeze well, but they are really best fresh and keep well for a few days at room temp in a sealed container. These are great with burgers, chicken salad, and even good ole pb&j. I made these a lot before I got my heavy duty mixer. They are a great alternative to store bought breads and are very easy.

When you plan to make these, it is best to allow plenty of time. If I'm going to make them for dinner at 6, I usually start making them around noon so that they will be out of the oven and out of my way.

If you have any questions, shoot me a comment or email and I'm happy to help!

In the pic below, the rolls are toward the bottom of the table. I am no perfectionist, so you can see what the rolls look like when a non-chef prepares them. :)

Breakfast with the Bertmans, making it work, part 1

2011-04-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

Hey friends. I'm blogging from the couch with a twin on each side. I usually don't/can't blog while the kiddos are awake, but I'm also using this as a training session regarding not touching the computer. I'm multitasking as usual and it's awesome. Or not. And, the babies just ran off to play with bubber. Whew.

Anyhow, I wanted to share a change that has really helped me as a mom. For the past couple years, our breakfast routine goes like this:

I wake up. Starving. Daily. Kids wake up starving daily, esp. Gramm. If Gramm does not eat early enough, he will turn green, lay down and sometimes vomit. Strange, I know. It's often a race to feed the kids while I ignore my hunger and get crankier by the minute as the hungry horns emerge and mommy becomes evil-hungry-get-out-of-my-way-and-give-me-my-food-mommy. The kids sit at the bar while I fix breakfast, plate their food and then start to fix my breakfast and eventually Justin's breakfast. By the time my food is ready, the kids are usually asking for more things: milk, napkins, "more eggs! milk! milk!" while I am trying to fill my bottoming out self and saying, "ask me nicely. I will not give you anything until you USE YOUR MANNERS!!!!!!!!!!!" And, I usually take Justin his breakfast in his office during all this chaos with resentment in my heart and frustration that he needs food, too. (I know that is totally ridiculous.) I have never been a fan of eating while standing, which is what I do nearly every morning.

It has taken me a long time to realize that this routine stinks. I have been getting frustrated every morning. I am, by nature, a morning person and want to enjoy our mornings and start out days out in a non-hurried, easing in kind of way.

On Monday, I got the bright idea that the kids and I would all eat breakfast together. After having breakfast together at the table with Justin over Easter weekend, I saw how much more pleasant it was. I've been fixing all of our plates at the same time. The kids and I all sit at the table together and I take Justin his breakfast before we sit down to eat. I fix the kid's drinks before we sit down and try to bring everything to the table that we may need (napkins, seconds, etc.). Now I get to eat sitting down with the kids. I have even had time to drink hot tea! No more demands to overwhelm me, no more bottoming out and wanting to yell at little people first thing in the morning.

Eating breakfast with the kids has also given me a very natural opportunity to have a quick morning devotional with my kiddos. I have been wanting to read the bible and pray with them in the morning for quite some time and I love that this is working out. I can see how God is blessing my efforts to make the most of my time with these precious ones.

The book we are using for our devotional time was recommended to me by a friend a year or two ago and I LOVE it. It's a little old-school and so far, is packed with great explanations about God, who He is, how we can look for Him in creation, etc. Each devotional has a bible verse and a passage of scripture to read with my kids. The book is Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland. Reading the devotions to the kids has been a much needed reminder that Justin and I have a wonderful responsibility and privilege of sharing the Gospel with our kids. As parents, it is primarily our responsibility to teach our kids the Word. This task overwhelms me at times, but I am reminded that God has equipped me for this good work and His grace is sufficient for me in everything, even teaching my kids about God and the b-i-b-l-e.

I hope this helps other moms as we journey through raising little ones. Lately I have struggled to find joy in this blessed task. After months of finding great fulfillment and happiness in caring for this brood, I've found myself resentful, tired, and just plain wore out. I told my husband one night last week that I feel completely poured out on many days. It took the Spirit's work in my heart to show me that I was creating chaos in our days by not having a good routine in place for many things, in this case, it was breakfast. I can honestly say that this one change has positively affected much of the rest of our day. Granted, we won't always have a devo at breakfast, although that would be nice. There will be days that it won't happen. I don't expect perfection, I just want to do this well and I want my kids to know that my time with them is precious, important and worth planning for.

Gotta run now. The twins have dressed themselves while I wrote this. Here's to high-water jeans, pink t-shirts tight across chubby tummies, and black patent leather dress shoes on the wrong feet!

Corn and Sausage Chowder

2011-04-20T20:58:00.001-07:00

A sweet friend of mine recently gave birth to twin boys. While she was pregnant with her little guys, she was very busy caring for her three older children. I made this soup for her toward the end of her pregnancy and she said it was a huge hit and asked for the recipe. I thought you all might enjoy it too. It freezes well and is very easy to prepare.

Corn and Sausage Chowder
1 pound breakfast sausage (I believe I used hot sausage)
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 stick butter
1/3 cup flour
1 quart whole milk
3 cups corn
1-2 cups potato, cut in small (about 1/2 inch) cubes
1 teaspoon cajun seasoning (optional)

Brown, crumble and drain sausage. Set aside. Melt butter, add chopped onion, bell pepper and potato, saute for about 3 minutes and then sprinkle with flour, stir and continue to saute until the onion is soft. Slowly add the milk until it is heated and thickening. After the milk is thickened, add the corn and season to taste. Heat long enough to ensure that the potatoes are no longer crunchy and the flavors are well combined. This is great with hot rolls or cornbread. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

2011-04-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

I've had requests for several recipes lately. I hope to share them with you over the next couple weeks. My gal pal, Julie, requested the following cookies for her birthday this year. I made these for my girls last year on their second birthday and everyone loved them, including Julie. Some people never forget a face, some foodies never forget a cookie. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies
for the cookie:
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar (I usually substitute muscavado or sucanat in place of the sugars)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
16 ounces chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugars and cocoa, add eggs one at a time. Leave mixer running while adding remaining ingredients, add chocolate chips last and mix them just till they are incorporated into the dough. Chill the dough if you have time, no big deal if you don't. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. A tip about the size, I would make these on the small side because they are extremely filling when sandwiched with the filling listed below. Do not overbake these bad boys, you will regret it.

For the wonderful filling recipe, go here. This is a frosting recipe that the Pioneer Woman discovered via her recipe site and I've been in love with it ever since. Here's the deal people, you can make this frosting WITHOUT white sugar. That's right, y'all. You can substitute muscavado or sucanat, which are sugars that are processed very little, unbleached and they actually contain a little nutrition, and you can still have a great frosting. My little fam loves this frosting and I've not once heard, "Gee, Mom, I really miss powdered-sugar laden frosting that makes my teeth rot out of my head. Could you please make some more?" (Please note that I still occasionally make powdered-sugar frosting especially when I'm in a hurry or need to make chocolate frosting. I've not yet found a good white-sugar-less chocolate frosting.)

To assemble the whoopie pies, let your baked cookies cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes or so, then put a generous dollop of frosting on the underside of one cookie and top it with another cookie. See, cookie sandwiches! This cookie is what I call the good girl's oreo. Enjoy it and be sure to share! The pic below is the only one I have of these delicious treats. Feel free to color the filling bright blue or pink. :)

People be Having Babies!

2011-03-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

pic above: me and Gramm, 7.12.05

During the past few months, several of my friends have been blessed by the joys of parenthood. Many are pregnant for the first time, and many are enjoying the roller coaster ride of a babe's first year of life. All of these recent happenings have brought back many memories of Gramm's first months of life. Now that I am nearly six years away from that time, I feel like I can write with clarity about what really went on at our little casa.

My man said that from the first (induced) contraction I became a different person. I remember snapping at him as he told me to breathe. I was breathing, or so I thought. I was actually concentrating on not vomiting during contractions that were 60 seconds apart. Did I mention that we'd been married about 18 months at this point? I ended up having a C-section and delivering a screaming, healthy boy several hours later.

We got home and our new life began. I didn't understand why my tummy still looked so pregnant. I mean, I'd had the baby, right? I was also really tired. I was cranky. I had nightmares about someone physically harming my newborn son. There was drama with my extended family that caused me immense amounts of stress. I vividly remember waking up to feed Gramm around 4 a.m. when he was just weeks old and sobbing uncontrollably. I mean, sobbing so hard that I couldn't breathe. Justin did his best to comfort me and I think he prayed with me. I didn't have too many more crying spells, but I was anxious and angry often.

I remember thinking that I needed an assistant. My baby was a lot of work. I had to nurse him, which hurt, change him, which required standing up and even that was painful for about 2 weeks, and I still needed to be nice to my husband. Seriously? I couldn't fathom the thought of having another baby and for awhile, I really thought Gramm would be an only child.

When Gramm was around 5 weeks old, he began crying a lot. I mean a lot. This crazy crying went on for about 2 months. I was embarrassed by the fact that I didn't birth a laid back baby. He had horrible reflux and just wanted to be held. He never really complied with a 3-4 hour "schedule". He screamed at toys, loud noises, bright lights, etc. My younger sister and sister-in-law had little ones in the year before G was born. Both of their babies were very chilled. My son wasn't. I thought I was doing something wrong. I thought he wasn't relaxed enough because I was so stressed.

The anxiety continued. I was constantly fearful of Justin or Gramm dying or being harmed by some evil person. Snapping at my poor husband had become the norm. Gramm was around 6 months old when I realized I had post partum depression. I think it was at a visit to my general family doctor that it dawned on me that something was wrong. I'd known I hadn't been normal for several weeks. Talking with my doc, who was also a new parent, opened my eyes. After much prayer and discussion with my man, I began taking an anti-anxiety medication and got my hormones tested. As it turns out, I was headed straight for menopause at 25 years old and had to start taking hormones to get myself back on track.

The hormones and the medication helped a lot. Another motivating factor was that my sweet man sat me down and basically told me that I had to stop being mean and selfish. He did all this with the utmost care and gentleness. I listened and cried and said I was so sorry. With the Lord's help, I was able to start being nice consistently again.

pic above: me and Gramm when he was about 3 months old

If you know me, you know I can talk the paint off a wall. Surprisingly enough, I talked to very few people about my PPD. I was so ashamed of the fact that I was depressed and that I couldn't hold it together. And, since there was some family drama, I couldn't really talk to the people I normally talked to about how I was feeling.

I learned a lot during this stage of life. It was really hard, but also really good. I finally got my sea legs and enjoyed mothering our little guy. I got more sleep. I was able to get out and take my boy everywhere I went. The storm subsided and I felt free to enjoy our life without so much stinking fear.

If I could go back and talk to the naive, excited, 9 month pregnant HB pre-delivery, I would say the following:

be nice to your man. Put him before the baby always.
if you get depressed, don't freak out. Find someone to talk to about it and get help.
Taking anti-anxiety medicine to deal with your PPD does not mean you will be on some type of anxiety/depression medicine forever.
PPD does not make you a weak or inferior person.
A fussy baby is not a reflection on your parenting skills.
find friends that have little ones. Don't expect your life to look like the life of someone without children in their home.
run like the wind from the comparison trap. Comparing yourself to another mom will very likely never be helpful.
keep trusting Jesus, or at least try.
enjoy the cute boy, he will soon be big. (see below)

Now that I've been a mom for more than a few weeks, I know that what I experienced was very normal. If you are a new mom, an old mom, or about to be one, I encourage you to talk and/or write about your experiences. Most of us have struggled in the dark at one time or another. Being real about our lives can shed light on another person's pain and help them to grow, feel normal, and heal. Here's to keeping it real.

Love to all.

Vivian and Brooklyn

2011-03-09T19:47:00.000-08:00

My girls are three years old. Three years ago today, at this time of night, I was sitting in a hospital bed simultaneously nursing my twins and grinning from ear to ear. I remember it so vividly. The Lord gave me such peace and confidence in that moment. I felt that if I could handle nursing two tiny babies (5 lbs. 9 oz. and 5 lbs. 15 oz.) at the same time when they were a mere six hours old, I could do this twin thang. Wow. I love those babies. But, they are not babies anymore. And, I can't do this twin thang. Jesus does it. I'm just a big old people-pleasing, second-guessing, fear-fighting mama. So, before I fill your pretty little heads with everything we did on our fun-filled day of celebrating Vivi and Brook, I want to include a quote that sums up how I feel about my big/little girls:

"All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, "Oh, why can't you remain like this forever?" This was all that passed between them on the subject, but it was then that Wendy knew she would certainly grow up." from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Feeding people is one of my main love languages, so of course, I let my kiddos chose what we will eat for every meal on their birthdays.

Breakfast: blueberry french toast and bacon. Want the recipe? Leave a comment and I'll give it it's very own post. It's that goot. Brooklyn in front. Check out the b-day bowls I painted at a local pottery place. So fun to paint and fun to use! Brook in front.

In the two above pics, Gramm just had to give the girls some birthday sugar. Vivi in the orange bib.

Lunch: None other than Chick-fil-a complete with a trip to the playland. And, then a little jaunt over to Cupcakes on the Ridge for some sugar. Pic below, all ready to go. I cannot explain these poses. You take what you get with three kids and a photo op. :) The pics below that one are at Cupcakes. The kids look a little tired already...precursor to the sugar induced coma that was naptime.

Dinner: Chicken nuggets again, baby! The girls originally requested mac and cheese with their nuggets, but at the last minute, Brook asked french fries instead. So, parmesan oven fries it was and they were the bomb dig. The chicken nuggets were from scratch and while they are not nearly as good as the Chick, they were pretty dang good and very much enjoyed by our crew.Pic below: the girls enjoying their leftover cupcakes after dinner. Vivian on left. Goodness gracious, love those smiles!!!

Between meals we played and read and played and read. I frequent the dollar spot at Target and they occasionally have condensed, illustrated classics for 1 dollar. The girls and Gramm are loving the books. Vivian and Brooklyn may not seem to be listening attentively the entire time I read chapter books, but they enjoy it nonetheless and it's some great snuggle time.

Their presents from us were their birthday dresses and a precious little doll house (thanks to the going out of bidness sale at a local toy store). All three children have enjoyed the doll house. I smiled so big as I watched each kiddo play with the little furniture and fill the house with little people.

We put a cap on our great day with a super fun bubble bath. As I was tucking in the girls, Brooklyn suggested that I sing "Happy Birthday" one more time. I did. And I looked at them as I was singing and prayed that I would always remember their precious little faces and this sweet time in our family.

Love to all.

Super Delish, Easy and Impressive Salsa

2011-03-03T13:45:00.001-08:00

I lurve salsa. So does the Grammster. He eats it so much that the tight-wad, nutrition nazi in me just had to start making my own more often. Here's my recipe. Get you some. (Please excuse my horrible food photography....see above).

Hb's Best Salsa
3 14.5 ounce cans whole tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon evoo
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons sugar (everyone loves a little sugar, at least that's what I tell my man)
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper

Place peeled garlic cloves, jalapeno pepper (I remove most of the seeds bc I can't take the heat) in blender. Blend till sufficiently chopped. Poor in drained 'maters, 1/2 bunch cilantro, and the rest of the ingredients. Blend for about 10 seconds. Dip a chip and eat. Cry tears of joy. You will. It's that good.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

2011-03-03T13:12:00.001-08:00

Hello All! I cannot believe that I let a month slip by without posting! Wow. Long story short, the Bertram crew was sick for nearly 2 solid months. Thankfully, I stayed well, but my poor hubby succumbed to the flu. Each one of the children had their turn with at least one round of the stomach bug and the twins had a cold for about six weeks amid the tummy issues. The Lord sustained me through all of it and kept me from losing my ever loving mind.

Moving on, I have a recipe for all you peops. My precious ones requested muffins for breakfast and this is what I came up with, thanks to a little help from my friend, Betty.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

1 cup milk

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups whole wheat flour (I used 1 2/3 cups wheat, 1/3 cup white, but I think all wheat would be fine)

1/3 cup honey

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 large apples, shredded

Heat oven to 400. Line 18 muffin tins with paper cups or grease cups generously. Beat milk, oil, vanilla and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, honey, baking powder, cinnamon and salt all at once just until flour is moistened. Fold in apples. Divide batter evenly among 18 cups. Bake 20 minutes or until golden (might take less time in some ovens). Cool on wire rack before serving. Be sure that the muffins are sufficiently cooled before removing paper cups.

My sweet Vivi liked them.

If you want to be like us, butter the warm muffins, whip up some heavy cream, sweeten the cream with a little maple syrup and treat your muffin to a big old dollop of whipped cream. They are to die for, I tell ya!! Enjoy!

Funny Kid Stories

2011-01-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

The twins are nearing three years old, yet they still love to put everything in their mouths. I was getting ready yesterday and walked into the kitchen to see Vivian wiping her mouth on a white kitchen towel. It looked like she'd eaten chocolate. The conversation went like this:

Me: Vivian, did you get into some chocolate? Where did you find chocolate?
Vivian: Not chocolate. Dirt.
Me: We don't eat dirt. Where did you find dirt?
Vivian: Bubby's shoe. (insert large grin on her dirty face here)
Gramm: It's not dirt, it's mud!

The twins have been sick for the last week and have both been very cuddly. I hate the sickness, but I love the cuddles. I was holding Brooklyn cradle-style today and I saw something white on her finger and then she put her finger in her mouth. I assumed it was a booger and I said, "Brooklyn, we don't eat boogers." Brooklyn says, "Not booger. Fingernail." I said, "Please spit it out." Brooklyn says, "All gone!" and grins from ear to ear.

Gramm has been especially sweet lately. Last night, I made some super yummalish cookies. He ate a good dinner so we let him have a cookie. After he ate his cookie, he came to me, put his little hand on my knee, leaned forward and said, "Mommy, that cookie was so good. Can I please have another one?" Precious! Of course I said yes!

Sometime in the last couple weeks, Justin was playing with Vivian and Brooklyn and Gramm was playing alone in his room. I knew that Gramm needed some time with me, so I went in to hang with him while he played. When I walked in to his room, he said, "Mama, you can lay down on my bed." The little guy knows Mommy is ti-red. :) I laid down and was chatting with him and he says, "It's so nice to have this time alone with you, Mama." And comes and gives me the sweetest hug and kiss. The kid kills me!!! So thankful to be a Mama to these three little sweeties.

B on left, V on right.

Gramm in his Joseph costume on Christmas morning. Teeheehee. :)
B on left, V on right. They got into this delish chocolate cake that my sister, Andrea, made. Little stinkers. :)

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

I love New Year's resolutions. I really do. I came across last year's resolutions in my lovely, over-stuffed planning notebook. They were:

love more
forgive more
maybe learn to play the guitar

Well, whether I wanted to or not, I really had to love and forgive more this year. Come to think of it, 2009 was also filled with lots of opportunities to love and forgive. Oh, and I tried to learn to play the guitar then, too! I'm still working on the guitar. Maybe this is a theme? Maybe Someone is trying to tell me something? :)

This year's resolutions:

love more
forgive more
have tea parties with my precious girls often
give my little guy more of my time without resentment
read books my husband recommends. This is hard for me because I am an avid reader, but the hot hubster and I don't exactly have the same taste in books. I really should get him to read Redeeming Love. ;)
make a significant dent in our mortgage. We are currently paying on the principal of our house while simultaneously saving money for our next house.
be content in our current house.

Okay, so that's all. I really just want to live in my life more. Love my kids, my man, my house. Edith Schaeffer recommends making whatever home you are living in your "cottage by the sea". This little house is our cottage and I'm gonna love it and not be a big whine bag and discount God's gracious blessing of provision. Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T19:59:00.001-08:00

For He has done great things for me, and holy is His name.

Luke 1:49

Much love--Justin, Holly, Gramm, Brooklyn (on left) and Vivian

Help! I need Christmas gift ideas!

2010-12-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

Hey friends-- The twins are rounding the corner to three years old and are often bored with many of their toys. I need suggestions for what to get them for Christmas. They have a play kitchen with dishes that they love, plenty of outside toys, dolls and other random stuff. Any tips on what to get little girls who are 2 years and 9 months old? We already got them some dress up clothes, but that's about all I had as far as good ideas. All tips/suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

Special Date Day

2010-12-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

I took Gramm to see the Nutcracker today. The twins were at home with a sitter and my sweet boy and I went on a little date. As the music began and the curtains were just starting to open, I looked down at my five year old. He was looking up at me, clapping, and smiling the most joyous, precious smile. I cried. I did. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. Something about his lit up face reminded me to thank God for my son.

Minutes before this special moment, I'd been wrangling my son and struggling with feeling embarrassed and frustrated by his behavior. The people pleaser in me dies a very, very ugly death every single time my son offends another child. It has to die. If I let the people pleaser rear it's head when Gramm embarrasses me, I end up punishing him for what I think he did to me. The thing is, when he sins, he's not doing it to me. He is sinning against God. It took me a loooooong time to not take Gramm's behavior personally. I was angry at my son for behaving in ways that were inconvenient, embarrassing or annoying to me. I now see that this anger was fueled by the fact that I care(d) so stinking much what other people think of my son and my parenting skills. I mean, really, if I were just a better mom, my son wouldn't repeatedly poke a complete stranger, he wouldn't hit anyone, etc. Right? Right? Wrong. My children will sin. They are fallen from birth, just like me. They need grace, forgiveness. They need Jesus. Just like me. And, they need loving discipline. Not the teeth gritting, threat making, flustered, unkind Mama I've been in some not-so-great moments. I am so thankful that His mercies are new every morning. We didn't make it through the entire ballet, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. :) And, by God's grace, I stayed calm. Here's a pic of the two of us:

These are two of our favorite peops who just happened to be there; Julie and John Isaac. I have such a kind, non-judging, loving friend in Julie Majors. Btw, that is not her normal expression. Tehehehe.

Kitchen Help from Kiddos

2010-12-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

Long before my now five year old son, Gramm, turned two, I began letting him help me in the kitchen. This was such a fun time for us! I would let him play in the tupperware, or I would put dry beans or rice in a 9x13 pan and let him "cook". It was a great bonding experience and it kept him entertained while I cooked dinner.

My twin girls, Vivian and Brooklyn, are nearing three and I've just started letting them help me in the kitchen. They really aren't much help at all, but I don't think they should have to miss out on time in the kitchen occasionally just because there are two of them at once. And, you know if the twins are cooking, Gramm has to help, too. Having six little hands in the kitchen at one time while I'm trying to cook can get a little crazy. Along the way, I've learned a few things that have helped make our time in the kitchen enjoyable.

First off, get over my bad self and let the kids make a mess. Below is Gramm at 16 months in the kitchen.

Secondly, don't freak out about knives. Seriously, Gramm started using a rounded-tip steak knife to chop vegetables when he was 4. He cut himself one time and it was just a little scratch. I am convinced this helped with his fine motor skills. He still cuts a mad carrot. And, he grates cheddar like it's his job.

Brooklyn wielding a butter knife and showing the mushroom who's boss.

Vivian concentrating hard:

Thirdly, pretend to be Julia Child and explain to your children every single thing you are doing. Gramm has always been very articulate. I've done my pretend cooking shows with him on a very regular basis from birth till now. And, it won't be long till one of my little sweeties tells me "don't crowd the mushrooms!"

Fourthly, it's okay that I don't let my kids help me in the kitchen every time I cook. Helping me is a privilege, it's not a given. It does take more energy from me and I need to be sure I'm in a place where I can tolerate messes being made and children in my kitchen while keeping a smile on my face. I have a strict 'no cussing in the kitchen' policy at my house. If we're in the kitchen, and you're gonna make me cuss, then you gotta get out. :) But, of course, this little man never makes me cuss....this picture was taken in July of this year.

Lastly, enjoy the process. Let your kids be kids, even in the kitchen.

Easy and Delicious Bread from my new Bosch!

2010-11-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

After a year of saving my pennies and a little love (in the form of cash) from my handsome hubs, I bit the bullet and bought a Bosch mixer. I was nearly killing my beloved Kitchenaid mixer by forcing it to knead wheat flour and I couldn't stand to see my Kitchenaid die such a slow, painful death. The Kitchenaid was also yielding inconsistent results. More often than not, the bread was crumbly, dry and barely good enough for toast. So, I traded my Kitchenaid in for a guitar (seriously) and bought a Bosch!

For my initial venture into large-batch bread making, I chose to master unsoaked/unsprouted whole grain bread. The margin of error is greater in baking the latter and I'm still working on just the right technique. In the mean time, I've chosen not to make the best the enemy of the good and enjoy fabulous, freshly baked whole wheat bread made with real ingredients. While I love to cook, I also love to spend time with my family outside of the kitchen.

I will share my recipe with pictures very soon, but first, I must mention the lovely lady who sold me my Bosch. Dixie at nutritionlifestyles.com answered my many, many questions, gave me a great deal on my mixer, shared her bread recipe (including tips on kneading, etc.) and even called me to make sure I was getting the hang of whole wheat bread making! She still has the special going that she offered me. Go here to read about it.

Dixie's Basic Whole Wheat Bread (my commentary added in italics)

6 cups warm water

2/3 cup oil (I use coconut oil because I'm an addict)

2/3 cup honey (I use more like 1 cup...can't help myself)

8 cups Freshly Milled Whole Wheat Flour (additional flour needed later)

2 Tbsp. Vital Wheat Gluten (bought mine at Whole Foods, bulk food section)

2 Tbsp. Dough Enhancer (get it here)

3 Tbsp. SAF instant yeast

2 Tbsp. Salt

4-8 additional cups Freshly Milled Whole Wheat Flour

In the Bosch mixing bowl, combine water, oil, honey . Next add 8 cups of freshly ground wheat flour. On top of the flour, add Vital Wheat Gluten, Dough Enhancer, SAF instant yeast, and salt. “Jog” off and on using the “M’ side of the switch so that flour won’t rise out of the mixing bowl. Then mix on first speed until smooth. Then add the additional freshly milled whole wheat flour. Add it slowly as to not over flour. Stopping periodically to test it (we add the flour until the dough doesn’t stick to your floured finger when you “tap” it lightly) The amount of flour you add will depend on the moisture and protein levels in your wheat. Look for spots on the walls of the bowl that are clear of dough momentarily. You might stop the mixer and tap the dough gently with your finger to see if it sticks. It shouldn’t stick to you, if it does just add a little more flour. I add the flour very slowly towards the end.

This is what my dough looked like for this batch when I began the kneading cycle, but don't assume that your dough should look exactly like mine. The goal is to have a good not too wet, not too dry dough.

At this point turn your mixer to speed two and mix for about 5 minutes. The dough that was stuck to the sides and the floor of the mixing bowl will completely clean off. Form dough into 5-6 loaf pans.

Above is the dough, ready to rise. I bought these lovely pans from Dixie as well. They are the BEST bread pans I've used and they are priced very well. The red pan on the end is a silicone pan that works pretty well, but doesn't allow for a very tall rise because the pan is flexible. I didn't get it from Dixie. :)

When they are fully risen you should be able to put a small dent in the side of one of the loafs with your finger and the dent will not come back out, or it will come back very slowly. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Above are the risen loaves, ready to go in the oven (see below). Please inspect the inside of my oven well so that you will feel better about yourself as a housekeeper. :)

Beautiful, nutritious bread, fresh from the oven. At our house, we pop the bread out of the pan as soon as we it can be handled, about 30 minutes after baking, slather butter on each slice and enjoy the yumminess.

Using vital wheat gluten really helps with the rise and the texture of the bread. The gluten really helps the dough become more stretchy, which makes a good sandwich bread that won't fall apart easily. See the difference below:

I used the vital wheat gluten on the left, and the bread on the right did not contain vital wheat gluten. The pores in the bread on the right are quite a bit closer together, which makes for a more crumbly, less flexible bread.

Enjoy! Feel free to comment with any tips or inquiries.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:00:00.001-07:00

Aslan the Great Lion and the two pink piggies wish you and yours a Happy Halloween!

Gramm's costume was super simple. I bought a black hoodie and made several large and small yarn balls and then safety pinned them to his hoodie, black pants and black gloves. I even made a tail that was PRECIOUS!

This is sweet little Brooklyn. I let the girls pick out their costumes and they chose the piggie costumes based on the color. These girls LOVE pink. I was never a pink lover and am still not a huge fan...I think they have some of Aunt Sharla's genes. :)

Vivian on the left, Brooklyn in the middle, Gramm on the right. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good pic of Vivi in her costume, so here's one of my sweet little Vivi in her every day attire.

True Woman Conference

2010-10-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Julie and I made the trek to Dallas this weekend for the True Woman Conference.

The conference was amazing. I am now home with a full heart.

A few highlights from the weekend:

1--HOURS of uninterrupted conversation with my soul sista, Julie. During one of our many convos in the van on the way to DFW, a ginormous grasshopper splatted on the windshield. I removed said insect so that Julie's vision would not be impaired while driving. That act alone should fill Julie's love tank for months because I don't like bugs.

2-I was so blessed by many of the speakers, namely Crawford and Karen Loritts and Kay Arthur. All of the speakers brought the Word, but the words of these three people resonated deep in my heart. I am going to get my hands on the audio from the conference soon and re-listen and digest some more truth.

3-We brought a long a true little woman, Julie's baby girl, Caroline. She was a trooper and smiled and talked to everyone.

4- A few of Julie's friends from Arizona met us at the conference. It was such a joy to get to know these Godly, genuine women. (Left to right: me, Angela, the other Julie, Laurel)

5- Meeting up with my precious gal pal, Spring, and praying for our children. It is a wonderful blessing to have two entire families of people that just LOVE each other. Her kiddos love my kiddos and our hubbies love each other, too. :)

6- Stalking a couple bloggers....I spotted Lindsey from Passionate Homemaking early on and let Julie know. Unbeknownst to me, Julie flagged her down and got a pic with her.

When we were checking out of our hotel, I thought I saw a familiar face. As it turns out, it was Angie Smith. I've read her blog for a couple years now and her sweet family has melted my heart. Angie has a set of twin girls, too. There's nothing like good twin talk to help a Mama out.

7- Coming home with a full heart and renewed mind has been so refreshing. I see my role as wife and mother in a different and better light and am praying for more grace, more patience, more joy almost every second that those darling little people are awake. :)

I took away from the conference that I have got to be in the Word daily in this stage of life. I do not have the liberty of sporadic quiet times during this stage of life. I must be intentional about getting scripture in me, so that I can hide His word in my children's hearts and live an example worthy of my calling as a Christ-follower, wife and mother in front of my husband and children. (left to right, Brooklyn, Vivian, and Gramm)

Many thanks to my sweet husband for taking care of our kiddos while I was gone. He graciously allowed me to go away for a little over 2 days and didn't complain one bit. He even cleaned the house before I got home! So thankful for such a wonderful man!

Brooklyn

2010-10-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn is super spunky. When she was a newborn, she would stick her little tongue out almost as if she was waiting for someone to laugh at her. She still sticks her tongue out a good bit and is quite the little ham. She has a loud and infectious laugh. It is not uncommon for this little girl to laugh so hard that she snorts. :)

In some ways, she is independent, but for the most part, she is a mama's girl. It has only been in recent months that she will get down and play at playdates and at the park. She was content to sit on my lap or be carried on my hip while her sister and brother played (from about 15 months till around 27 months).

She is very gentle and nurturing. If her "sissy" or "bubby" are hurt or upset, she will kiss and comfort them.

Brooklyn Lea--
You kill us with your cuteness! I love your laugh and I love your sweet bedtime kisses. I pray that the Lord uses your gentle nature to comfort those who are hurting with the only True Comfort. I pray that your smile will reflect God's graciousness all your days. We are so thankful for you, little girl, and our lives are richer because God entrusted you into our care.
Love,
Mommy and Daddy xoxoxox

Vivian

2010-10-02T14:36:00.001-07:00

Each one of our children is so unique. I love seeing their personalities and preferences develop. I've had some good one on one time with Vivian lately and thought it'd be good to post some pics of her cuteness for you all to enjoy.

Vivian is, at this point, my most free-spirited, independent child. She abruptly weaned herself at 15 months. She does not like to hold hands when we are walking anywhere. She prefers to walk, left thumb firmly in the mouth and explore her surroundings on her own time. She can barely make it from the van into the house without stopping to inspect something. She loves to be rocked and read to almost anytime. She loves playing outside and LOVES to eat sand. :) She loves her "bubby" and her "sissy" and misses them when she is not with them.

Vivian--What a blessing you are to us, little girl! Your daddy and I love you very much. I love your desire to explore and see things from your very own perspective. :) I love your hugs and kisses and I love rocking you in the rocking chair. I love your raspy voice. We are ever thankful to God for you, our Vivi Beth.
xoxoxo Mommy and Daddy

Don't Hate The Okra

2010-09-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

photo credit

I visited the West Little Rock Farmer's Market last Monday and loaded up on some beautiful and yummy okra. I can't resist fresh okra. Below is my favorite okra recipe. It's hearty, savory and just delightful.

Fresh Okra and Tomatoes (straight out of the Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook)

8 slices bacon

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups sliced okra (1 pound)

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups tomato, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black or white pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat till crisp. Remove bacon, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings in skillet; discard remaining drippings. Crumble bacon, and set aside.

Stir flour into reserved drippings, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until roux is caramel-colored (10-15 minutes).

Add okra, onion, and garlic, cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in tomato and remaining 3 ingredients. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until okra is tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with reserved crumbled bacon. Yields 4 large servings.

We served ours alongside delicious, grass-fed, NY strip steaks. :) Hubby is not a tomato lover, but he really enjoys this dish. Hope you like it!

Check here for today's offerings at the WLR Farmer's Market.

Hanging with my Homeys

2010-09-09T06:54:00.001-07:00

I made a discovery last week (thanks to the Spirit's work in my heart). When I do something daily that causes me to focus on my children and no one else, we are all in a better place emotionally. I forget sometimes that my mood as Mommy is the barometer in our home. My mood can ruin this day or make this day great.

I've taken my kids to the park, on dates to the bakery up the street, riding scooters in the cul de sac, and for long drives in the car a lot lately. And, I've not talked on my phone during any of these outings. The only reason I keep my phone with me is in case I need to call 911. :) I have found joy in their joy. Doing things that they enjoy is going from a sacrifice to a pleasure for me.

Gotta take these kids to get a treat. :)

Our Boy is 5

2010-08-23T20:39:00.001-07:00

Gramm celebrated his fifth birthday in July. I cannot believe my wee little dumpling is five years old. He's almost completely lost all his baby chubbs and that makes this mama very sad.

We had a very low key celebration here at the house on the day of his birthday complete with a (swelteringly HOT) trip to the zoo, watermelon for breakfast, cantaloupe for lunch, Little Caesar's for dinner and yellow cake with chocolate icing for dessert. Sydney came over for dinner and cake and even helped blow out the candles. Mimi and Pops came too, but they stayed away from the candles.

We waited a couple of weeks to have a birthday bash for our boy. We shared the part-ay with the amazing Eli Wilson and fun was had by all. Brooklyn on left, Vivian on right all dressed up for bubby's party.

Daddy helping Gramm skate. Notice Eli's Mommy in the background (orange shirt). Beautiful inside and out.

What is up with the semi-strained smile? My sweet son was strangling me. He just loves me so much, he can't help but squeeeeeeeze my neck till I'm having trouble breathing! :)

What's a party without good food? On the menu: roasted red pepper hummus and chips, veggie tray with ranch dip, mini slap-yo-mama cookies, gooey chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies, rhubarb pie, and peach pie.

We picked the peaches in the pie with our sweet friends, the Majors.

Gramm with a table of some of his faves. He's asking (ordering) Sydney to please not blow out his candles this time.

A little letter to my five year old:

Gramm--

How did you become a little boy so quickly?! You melt my heart with your tight hugs and good morning kisses. I love that every night as I leave your room you say, "Jesus loves you too, Mama!" Your love for people is so evident and genuine. Some of your favorite people these days are Sydney, Eli, Clara, John Isaac, Jonathan and Becca. You are so smart and love to learn and try to figure things out. If you find a screw driver, you will unscrew whatever is within reach. You love to "trim the branches" in the backyard and you've been a great help watering the garden and flower bed all Summer. I love the way your little man hand fits in mine and that you almost always let me hold your hand. You love to look through your mommy and me cookbook and point out recipes for me to try. You are a great eater and really love milk, steak, pizza, "yellow cheese", all fruit, crunchy veggies, and sweets!

Your Daddy and I love you so very much. Your sisters (or "the sissies" as you like to call them) love you, too. Our lives are more full because of you. The day you were born, all I could say was "Thank You, Jesus". I was in awe of the wonderful gift you are to your daddy and me. I still am. I will never stop thanking God for you, my precious son.

Love,

Mommy

He gets me and He gets me good

2010-08-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the title of this post was taken from a little joke between me and my hubby after watching this qvc video. Check it, yo. Now, onto the purpose of this post.

My man and I recently attended a marriage conference. One of the many things we took away from the conference is that I must have God time daily if I am to mother my precious babes with kindness and love. The Lord has blessed me with a babydaddy who can scramble eggs for three hungry munchkins and let his wife have a minute with her Father.

Being the Beth Moore junkie that I am, I picked up my copy of Jesus: 90 days with the one and only and have been loving praying through scripture and learning more about Jesus. Today, I read Psalm 113: 5-8 per the book's suggestion. Here it is:

Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated in high,

who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.

I have a new study bible which really clarifies certain verses. I checked to see if there was any clarification offered for these verses and this is what stood out to me among the writing:

"God's majesty never implies His remoteness from those who look to Him, it implies instead His exhaustive attention to detail, and His inexhaustible ability to care for His faithful. "

He cares for me in every detail. He knows my every need and I don't wear Him out. He truly cares about the details of my life between cooking for our fam and disciplining our babes. Mostly what this scripture spoke to was my bewildering desire for another child. Mothering is so blessedly wonderful and difficult right now. Each day is a challenge. Why would I so strongly desire to add another little one to care for into the mix? He assured me today that He knows my desires. He grace for me is inexhaustible. He has surrounded me with children, He may surround me with more children and He will give me the strength to love them. His ability to care for me (as I care for my babies) is inexhaustible. Thank You, Jesus!

I am reminded of the chorus to a beautiful hymn:

I need thee, oh I need thee;

Every hour I need thee;

O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.

Terrific Times with Twins

2010-07-19T20:46:00.001-07:00

Whenever I see a mother with twins, I talk to her. I say something like this; "Hi. You have twins? So do I!" And, if her twins are younger than mine I try to encourage her and nearly offer babysitting services to a stranger in spite of the fact that I have three small children.

If her twins are older than mine, my question of choice is this: "What's been the hardest age with your twins?" The unanimous answer is 2 years old. At this point, I say, "THANK YOU for validating me! This is so stinking hard. When does it get better?!" Most moms say that age three is better.

I love my girls. I love my son. Having two children who are 27 months old is not for the faint of heart. There's one problem....I AM THE FAINT OF HEART! :)

Some super fun things the twins do these days:

Brooklyn is potty trained and only wears a diaper at nap and bedtime. If she tee tees even a tiny bit in her diaper, she wakes up, takes the diaper off, throws it in the floor, puts her pants or panties back on, falls asleep and pees all over her crib in her sleep.
Vivian is not potty trained and will be sometime by the time she is 18. In spite of peeing an pooing exclusively in her diapers, she often whines and states that she needs to go peepee or poopoo, thus confusing all caregivers (minus Justin and I) and then she will take her diaper off, sit on the potty for 2 seconds and then whine till I put her diaper back on so she can go peepee in it.
The girls love to color. They also love to destroy and eat crayons and markers.
They are such good buddies that they often bite, push and pinch each other. The offended child will come to me amid wailing and tears, while the offender usually comes to me all smiles and says, "I push!"
The girls love to jump in their cribs. Daddy won't let us get a trampoline, arguing that they get to jump in their cribs which is a perfectly safe alternative. Both babies have now almost completely broken both cribs. The cheaper crib is held together by Gorilla Glue. The nice, precious, sentimental crib is now totally without one side and beyond repair.
They give great kisses and hugs.
They say, "Mommy HOME!" whenever I return after being away from them.
Both Vivi and Brook will let me rock them and pretend that they are still little babies.
Speaking of little babies, they LOVE babies, dogs, cats, etc.
They love their daddy and kiss and hug him whenever they get the chance.
They still compliantly ride in their double stroller. HUGE BLESSING!
They are fruit and veggie fanatics and especially enjoy cantaloupe, pronounced "Ca-la-lope" by the gals. See below. Vivi:

Brook:

All in all, I am blessed to have these girls. This stage is at times overwhelming and I've been pushed to be more patient, more kind, more loving and more selfless. Their brother is also quite a handsome, loving, hilarious little thing. The Lord is growing his 5 year old heart more each day to serve and love on his sisters. I am so proud to be the mama to three little ones!

Bread Making Fun and Vacation

2010-06-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

Hey friends, I just spent some time putting together a post on how I make our bread. Go here to read it.

In other news, I've taken a bit of a break from blogging because we went on vacation. My precious younger sister and her fam met our fam in North Carolina for six wonderful days. It was a huge blessing to be able to spend that time together. My sweet, super extroverted son was in heaven. He loved every minute spent with his cousins. And, the twins fell in love with my sister. So sweet! My sis and I cooked for each other a lot which totally filled our love tanks. Here is the butterscotch pie I made for her, complete with NINE eggwhites in the meringue:

The gals enjoyed my sister's creamy shrimp pasta. Soooo goot.

I so enjoyed spending time in the mountains away from cell phones and every day life. The Lord ministered peace to my heart during our trip. I returned much more relaxed than I was when we left.

The "babies". My niece is just a few months younger than the twins.

Gramm posing as a tiger. :)

Uncle B and the big kids:

Our view:

What's this? Oh, it's a HOT TUB! Party on, Garth!!!!!!!!!

Me and my seester. Love her.

Gramm and my nephew hugging good-bye. Precious.

Feminine Friday

2010-06-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

My gal pal, Julie, had a little babe 4 weeks ago today. Every Friday, Julie has a Feminine Friday post on her blog and I'm joining in the fun.

These pics of the girls at swimming lessons are so precious. Gramm took lessons at this time as well and it was crazy stressful for me, but the kids loved it.

Vivi and Coach Karen:

The pic below personifies this child. She is super social, loves the water and loves to say "Hey!" with a wave. She was extending said greeting to her Shermee, who graciously came along to help at our lesson.

My sweet Brooklyn baby:

Another pic of my very, very laid back girl (Brook) chillin' with her Mama.

Our Garden

2010-06-04T12:43:00.001-07:00

My Nana and Grandpa came over one day in April and let me help them build a raised bed in our backyard. :)

Gramm and Grandpa resting on the side of the bed after we'd finished a hard day's work:

I've not taken a picture yet of the whole thing in bloom, but we planted the following goodies:

green beans
tomatoes
bell peppers
jalapeno peppers
cucumbers
romaine lettuce
basil
parsley
chives
rosemary
chocolate mint
and one purple coneflower :)

We had our very first fruit this week. Two very sweet and tasty yellow cherry tomatoes. Delish if I do say so myself. The little guy helps me water the plants every single day and he was super excited to share the tomatoes with his sissies.

Why We Changed the Way We Eat

2010-05-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning, I will be posting on another blog. Some of my peops put the aforementioned blog together (mainly Julie) and all of us Weston A. Price Foodies are loving it. Since I will be posting a few tips on how to eat more nutritiously on that blog, I thought it'd be great to post the motivation behind our changes in eating here.

A little over a year ago, I began to question the way I was feeding my family. Why would I question what we eat?

1. In a bible study that I attended regularly, at least one person a week was asking for prayer for a relative dying of cancer. There were about 20 women in the study.

2. Due to several ear infections and multiple rounds of strep throat, our son was completely resistant to Amoxicillin by 18 months old. He had to take Augmentin every time he need antibiotics, which was often.

3. My twins were not far behind their brother. They needed tubes in their ears by their first birthday and were in and out of the doctor's office frequently.

4. I kept reading about instances of young girls starting puberty early due to hormones in milk, children acquiring staph infections and food borne illnesses causing hospitalization and even death in some cases.

5. We, as American people, are so focused on taking the fat out of everything we eat and trying so hard to be our "healthiest", yet our nation continues to pack on the pounds.

I was really beginning to question what acceptable nutrition is to the typical American. I stumbled upon the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon through a friend's blog. I did not read the book from cover to cover, but I read what I could between feedings, naps, and play dates and it has changed my outlook on nutrition. A basic overview of the Weston A. Price Foundation, which is the basis for the content in Nourishing Traditions, can be read here.

I implemented several changes at once. It was really tough at first, but has been more than worth it. The difference in our food budget was significant at first, but has leveled out as I've become more aware of local farmers who sell nutritious foods and a food-buying club, where I order many items in bulk that you can read about here.

My children have not been to the doctor for illness in six months, at least. My son no longer has constant diarrhea. The girls have had a runny nose here and there, but have not had any illness in months and neither has my husband. When I've been sick, it has almost directly correlated with a time when I was eating food I knew was really bad for me (i.e. fast food, my long lost love).

I am not in any way trying to lengthen our days by pursuing a nutritious lifestyle, for I know they are all numbered. I think that it is important to take good care of our God-given bodies because we are stewards of God's gift of life to us. I also am confident that being in good health is helpful as I minister to others (my husband, children, community) and serve my King.

I have learned that this journey towards nutritious eating can easily lead to perfectionism. My goal is to eat as nutritiously as I can 80% of the time, so that I will give myself grace and not feel trapped. Feel free to send any questions or comments my way. And, go here to read my thoughts on where to start.

Some thoughts on Finances

2010-05-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

I have spent the past couple hours folding laundry and watching Gilmore Girls. I decided that I needed to spend my time more productively and listen to some Piper.

I went to desiringgod.org, went from the resource library to the topic index, entered "money" as the search and chose this sermon. I am now listening to it for the second time. I highly recommend listening to it when you get the chance. The sermon is not terribly long and is packed with solid, biblical encouragement in regard to money.

I'm going to recommend that my man listen to it at his earliest convenience. We strongly hold to the belief that God gives us money so that we can give to others, but I am sometimes swayed by my black heart. I am thankful that the Lord chose these words to minister to my heart and spur me on to good deeds. I hope it is inspiring to you and yours as well.

somebody please keep me away from Babies R Us

2010-05-18T19:16:00.001-07:00

We made a quick run to Babies R Us tonight. Our favorite bibs are sold there. The baby bug bit me about a year ago. Plans for foster care or adoption soon followed. My heart swelled at the thought of another baby, even a baby that was most definitely temporarily living in our home. As you all know, plans for foster care and adoption have been delayed until July of 2011. No big deal. Seriously. I waited through two pregnancies for three babies, I can wait for foster children.

But, the dang Babies R Us with all the cribs, carseats, strollers, bottles and the pacifiers. That place just makes people want babies.

Truth be told, the Lord has really settled my heart on this issue. I am happy and content where we are and my heart is filled with gratitude for our children.

Speaking of our children...they are pretty dang cute.

He finally lost that tooth. :( Here he is with his "tooth treat" (our own alternative to the tooth fairy). He chose chocolate ice cream and chocolate milk. The sky is the limit with this kid!

The babies love to play on our bed. They love to fight on our bed, too. Vivi has the bottle. Brook wants the bottle.

Vivi takes bottle. Brook mourns.

Vivi-tiv rejoices.

Fun times at Maumelle Park on a Sunday morning. B on left.

Menu Planning

2010-04-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

Over the past year, my family and I have made some major changes in the way we eat. I'm not one to take things a step at a time, so I jumped in head first. I will write about these changes later, but for now I want to write about something that has stayed the same amid all the researching, reading, and cooking mishaps.

I plan a menu every week. A dear friend gave me the cutest little notebook that makes menu planning a breeze. As I am planning our meals, I make the list of things I will need to cook for these meals. Here are a few things I've learned about planning a menu:

Don't overestimate my ability to cook and the time I have in the kitchen. I must remember to plan simply.
Cook something other than chick food. This is a problem for me. Can anyone say "quiche"? It's what's for dinner!
I plan one meal a week that can serve an extra family in case we decide to invite some peops over to share a meal with us.
I try to always check my pantry and freezer before I get started so that I will not waste any food or spend money needlessly.
If I am cooking a recipe from a cookbook, I write the name of the cookbook and the page number of the recipe on the menu.
I love to cook, but it usually won't happen if I don't plan to do it.

Without further ado, here is our menu for last week and this week. This a very loose plan and many meals are shifted, switched and delayed in order to meet our schedule.

4.19, Monday
Felafel and quinoa tabouleh
4.20, Tuesday
Green enchiladas, mexican rice
4.21, Wednesday
leftovers
4.22, Thursday
Smoked Sausage Skillet
4.23, Friday
date night! Kids eat leftovers
4.24, Saturday
leftovers, ham sandwiches (bread baking day)
4.25, Sunday
order pizza
4.26, Monday
Baked chicken, mushrooms in garlic cream sauce, sweet potatoes
4.27, Tuesday
PW's Chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes
4.28, Wednesday
leftovers
4.29, Thursday
sloppy joes on homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, pineapple
4.30, Friday
leftovers
5.1, Saturday
pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, scrambled eggs
5.2, Sunday
meal for church: gallo pinto, mexican cornbread

Feel free to send any menu planning questions, tips, or thoughts my way. Peace.

Loose Tooth

2010-04-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

Gramm has his first loose tooth. I was a little shocked that my almost five year old is already losing a BABY tooth. This is just one more sign that he is not a baby anymore. Upon inspecting said loose tooth this morning, I observed that the permanent tooth has already made it's way into my sweet son's mouth. How did this happen? He just started getting teeth recently....well, about 4 1/2 years ago. But, really, he is a baby boy. My sweet boy with chubby cheeks and tiny ears that were still smashed to the sides of his head when he was born.

And, he hasn't been walking that long. Again, just for a few years.

All of a sudden, he is a boy. Not a baby, but a boy. I love so many things about this boy: he still lets me smother him with kisses, he loves to cuddle, he asks great questions, he loves and protects his sissies, he has the biggest smile, he is passionate, he loves his daddy, he is entertaining, he has a beautiful singing voice, he can cut a rug with his moves, he runs "rea-lly faaaaaAAAAAAAST!", his little hand fits perfectly in mine, his favorite place to sit is mine or Justin's lap. I love being Gramm's mom. He has changed my life, brought me closer to Jesus and helped me learn how to love better. He is my little man. He will always be my baby.

.

Adoption News

2010-04-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

When we were told by DHS that we would not be able to open our home for foster children, more than one social worker assured us that the licensing standard that was preventing us from fostering would not prevent us from adopting. I asked around and found this to be true, so we geared ourselves up to wait for an adoptable infant. I received news today that DHS will not open our home for adoptive children due to the ages of our biological children. Homes are opened for adoption on a case by case basis. The fact that we have two year old twins and a four and half year old means, in the DHS' opinion, that we should not have an infant in our home.

I am shocked, incredulous, and just plain annoyed. I could go into more detail about the inner workings of the system and the state policies and blah blah blah, but I have no energy for that.

I don't know what this means for our family. Will we wait till Gramm turns six and try to open again? Will we pursue private adoption?

I have lots of questions. I have one answer. He has called us to be faithful. That's all I can do. I can think of so many situations in my life where waiting has been so good for me. I waited for my husband as we dated long-distance for 15 months and it was more than worth it. I waited for my son for 41 long weeks and he came out just perfect. :)

So, we wait. We can open as a foster home to care for infants when Gramm turns six. That is, if DHS keeps the same guideline printed in the foster parent handbook currently. That could all change anytime.

I am trying to trust Him. I am loving life with my three little ones and I see every day with them as a gift. Three kids is definitely a challenge, but the load seems a bit lighter when I think of having four children. I do hope for a fourth child to join our family by adoption, but for now, my cup overflows. He has made me content in this moment. (that could change in 30 seconds) :)

Love to all.

The Twins Turn 2!

2010-03-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

We began our day with some breakfast and then a photo shoot. Brooklyn on the left.

Brooklyn:
Vivian on the left:

Someone (ahem Vivian) did not want to cooperate and got very mad. How can such a sad face be so dang cute?! Forgive the mullet/hat hair.

It's okay, though. She eventually found some dirt to eat and was happy again.

We took the whole fam out for pancakes for lunch. The babies love pancakes and who doesn't love IHOP? Brooklyn enjoying her very own cup with a straw!

Vivi waiting patiently for her yummy lunch.

After the babies woke up from their nap, I set up the sand/water table complete with water and all kinds of toys. At one point, both girls were standing on the water table. They loved it! Brooklyn on the left.
Mad Brook, happy Vivi.

Brook is happy again. She's thinking, "Wow, I am glad Shermee got us these cute dresses! They are just perfect for getting dirty!"

Then, we dried them off and ate. For their b-day dinner, I thought long and hard to plan a feast they would enjoy. I was going to roast a chicken, but ran out of time and settled on hot dogs from Whole Foods that were so yummy. Here's what each girl ate:

1 hot dog
1/3 cup homemade mac and cheese (raw cheddar, brown rice pasta, Pioneer Woman's recipe, sooooo goot)
1/2-3/4 cup strawberries
jello snack cup (Gramm chose this as a treat for everyone)
1 sugar cookie (birthday cookie, anyone?)
8 ounces raw milk

Beautiful Brooklyn:

This is a classic Vivi face. So darling. I love it!

I am extremely thankful for two wonderful years with our sweet girls. What a blessing and privilege it is to be a mother. I pray that Vivian and Brooklyn will follow Jesus all their days, delight to show mercy and always, always, always love.

Foster Care Change of Plans

2010-03-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

We had our final walk through on Monday. It went really well. As far as we knew, we could open our home to foster children immediately. On Tuesday, I received the following email from the caseworker who did our walk through:

"Holly,

Yesterday during your final walk through you indicated that you want to foster children between the ages of 0-12 months. Licensing standards state that a home can not have more two children ages 2 and under including biological children. Under these circumstances, you will have to foster children that are 3 years and older until your twins turn 3 years old. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me."

We read the licensing standards during our training in September and asked about this issue specifically, but were assured that because the need for foster parents is so great, we would still be able to foster infants in our home. We do not feel lead to care for foster children over the age of 3 years at this time which means we will not be foster parents until this time next year when the twins turn 3.

Interestingly enough, these licensing standards do not apply to adoption. We can still adopt a child younger than 3 years old if we are matched with one. We should receive a letter from an adoption specialist in the next three weeks stating that our home is officially open for adoption. The odds of adopting a child twelve months of age and younger through the state are pretty slim, but we are not without hope that there is a child waiting to join our family. My job as a perspective adoptive mother is to wait patiently and gently and consistently remind the adoption unit that our home is open and we'd like to adopt a very young African American child. There are more details, but I will not bore you all with them. Suffice it to say, plans have changed. Now begins the wait. :)

Over the past two days, I have felt deep disappointment. My expectations have not been met. I've been tempted to give up hope. We have a little crib all set up for foster babies complete with periwinkle crib sheets, new pacis and three different sizes of diapers. I even bought a couple of baby outfits that I just could not resist. In my worst moment yesterday, I told Justin to take down the crib and put it in the attic. I didn't want to look at it. I didn't want to be reminded to hope. I am so glad God's mercies are new every morning, because today I am hopeful. My sweet sister reminded me this morning to continue to hope and pray boldly. Plans have changed. The system is not perfect, but that doesn't mean we should tuck tail and run. I have said from the beginning that I cannot let my fear of hurt and disappointment keep me from caring for the orphans in our community. Granted, we may wait an entire year with no baby and begin this time next year in the same place we are now. But, you know, the Lord may have a child for us in the coming months as well. He knows if there is a little one who needs us. He knows. He knows. He loves us. He loves us. He loves us.

I have seen over the past few days that others are bewildered by my disappointment. Why would a mother with three precious children have a desire for yet another child? Why would someone who gets pregnant with no complications desire to adopt or care for foster children? Why would a busy and sometimes very frazzled young mother desire to take another child? Why would I want to do this when I don't have to? Here's why:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! Psalm 127:3,4,5a

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 2 Corinthians 2:14

Thoughts on Teaching My Children to Follow Jesus

2010-03-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

Below I'm going to list a few things I've been mulling over lately. God has been working in my heart to show me some areas I need to work on and I would like to share what He's teaching me.

Teaching my child scripture and putting God's word in his little heart starts in our conversations. Example: "This is such a beautiful day. Gramm, did you know that God made this world beautiful to bring glory to Himself?" Gramm says, "But, why Mama?" to which I reply, "Because scripture tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God. That means that the rocks, trees, birds, and beautiful sunlight point out to everyone on earth that God created this place."
With my little girls (who will be 2 tomorrow) I have started telling them that God can do anything. I will say, "Vivi, what can God do?" and give her a few seconds and then say "Anything! God can do anything! Say it with me." You get the picture. We sing songs about God's character and they hear big brother's convos with me about spiritual matters. I do not dumb down the Gospel for my children. I want to make His word understandable to them, but I also think it is very important that they understand the words used frequently in the bible, so I try to include those words in my parenting, discussions, etc.
Some examples of using biblical language in correction:
When a child has a conflict with a sibling or playmate, I encourage him to use the biblical model of restoration as laid out in Matthew 18:15-21. If my little darlin' comes to me to tattle on his playmate, I say, "did you talk to him about it first?" I encourage my child to take his conflict to his brother first and then come and get me if his brother does not listen. I will often quote a bit of this passage during the discussion with my little one.
When my child hurts her sibling, I will say something like "Matthew 7 (verse 12) tells us to treat others as we would like to be treated. Do you like it when sissy hits you?"
If we are struggling with selfishness, I will say, "Luke 6 (verse 35) tells us to share. Let's try to honor God by sharing." I could go on and on with examples and if you'd like more, let me know and I'll post more.
The biggest key for me in using scripture to train my babies is not to focus on my lack of biblical knowledge. I had to let go of the perfectionist desire in me to correctly quote and reference every single scripture I discussed with my children. This perfectionism kept me from imparting truth to those entrusted to me.
I have also seen that teaching my children by example in my behavior is just as important, if not more important, than spouting off scriptures. If I want my child to be accepting and non-critical of others, I must not openly criticize the decisions others around us make whether that be schooling, marriage, finances, parenting, etc. Before I say something about someone, I have to ask myself, "Is it helpful? Is it edifying (Ephesians 4:29)? Then, shut your trap, HB!" If I am openly opinionated, my children will learn to be openly opinionated. If I want him to love even the most awkward people and not gawk at someone who talks, walks or smells funny, I must openly love and accept this person as well and not be miffed by the outward difference between he and I.
I am not an expert at parenting. I am just a fellow sojourner trying to live a life filled with His love. Most of what I know has been learned by the example of Godly women who let me peak into their lives.

And, just to remind you all how big my girls are getting and how sweet the little guy is, a couple pics:

Vivi on the left, Brook on the right. Gramm was in a picture-avoiding phase.

Adorable boy, handsome hubby. ;)

Random

2010-02-10T07:18:00.000-08:00

Twins are potty training. Today makes day 6. I've not left the house since Saturday. I've worn non-pajamas one time in four days.
My girls will be 2 in less than a month. Time flies when you're having fun. Or should I say, time flies when you're losing sleep! :)
My new niece should be here sometime in the next two weeks. I might die from anticipation.
Our home study is scheduled for this Friday night. Wow. I cannot believe it is finally here. I hope that our home will be open soon. I cannot wait to have a little baby in this house again.
It feels a little selfish to want another child so badly when I've been so blessed with our three.
Sometimes I love being a mom so much that I just have to pinch myself.
Potty training is not one of those times.
In an attempt to avoid going to bed, my sweet four year old son came to me and said, "I feel unwell. I can't take it anymore. I don't want to lay in my bed because it makes my tummy hurt. When I lay in my bed, my tummy tells me to lay in your bed."
I have new pics to post, but haven't quite figured out a quirk with my computer.
Babies climbing on me. Bye!

Update on Foster Care and Adoption

2010-01-23T07:38:00.001-08:00

Yesterday at noon we submitted every last bit of paperwork needed to open our home to foster and adoptive children through the state. We are waiting on a call from a social worker to schedule our first home study. After our first home study, the social worker may give us a few things to do to the house or our paperwork, and then schedule a second home study to officially open our home. As soon as our second home study is complete, we will be ready to get a baby! YAY! I am so relieved to have all the paperwork submitted. Now we wait. Justin and I are both a bit anxious. Pray for peace for our family. Please pray for the little ones the Lord has in line for us to love and nurture. Pray for Gramm, Vivi and Brook during this time.

Will keep you all updated as we know more.
Love to you all.

Haiti

2010-01-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

I have been following this blog for a couple of years now. The writer, Jaime, is a friend of a friend of mine from Nashville, TN. Jaime and her husband have a heart for adoption. They have one biological son, one domestically adopted son, a daughter adopted from Haiti and a son they are in the process of adopting who still lives in Haiti. Their little guy who lives in Haiti is living in an orphanage outside of Port Au Prince. He is doing fine as well as the other children in the orphanage. You can read more about the orphanage here. The orphanage is run by Christians who care for the children and offer medical care to the surrounding community. While looking at the pictures of all the damage in Haiti, I was overwhelmed with a desire to help. I am sure many of you feel this way as well. If you would like to help financially, the orphanage mentioned above has a donate button on the right side of their webpage. Donations can be made through paypal. There is also an address on the page if you would like to mail a gift the old fashioned way. :) Keep in mind that several of the pictures on the page may be a bit graphic.

Praying for hope for the Haitian people.

Happy New Year

2010-01-05T12:12:00.001-08:00

Brooklyn, Vivian and Gramm
Gramm
Brooklyn
Vivian

Our Year in Review

It’s been wild,

It’s been fun

Our baby girls turned ONE!

Sleeping through the night was a welcome change,

And Mommy and Daddy were much happier in exchange.

The girls love babies, blankies and big brother’s toys,

They enjoy dancing, snuggling and reading picture books with stories.

Gramm is our big four year old who loves to run and play,

He’s had a very busy year filled with preschool, reflux, and parents to obey.

His reflux is on the mend and his beautiful voice is raring to go,

His favorite song, “Oh how He loves you and me!” is now frequently sung with gusto.

We praise the Lord for these precious gifts,

Our children who bring joy to our hearts and sweet kisses to our lips.

With a home full of love and lives saved by grace,

We’ve decided it’s time to share His love with children who need a place to stay.

With confidence we pray for our home to be open this Spring,

to whatever children the Lord will bring.

Adoption and foster care are on the table

As we trust in our God who is able.

Please pray for us as we take this step,

We need faith, wisdom, patience and lots of help.

Our hearts are at peace, our life is good,

Happy New Year, friends, we hope you enjoy 2010!

Feeling fine and 29

2009-12-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

Saturday was my 29th birthday. It was a great day. And, since I'm a big sap, I'm going to list 29 things I am thankful for in random order. :) Call me Pat Sayjack, would ya.

1. My Mom, now known by some as "Pork Chop". Graduated first in her class from nursing school Friday night.

2. Ann Taylor LOFT. I am shallow. Love that store.
3. My husband...he always smells good.
4. Our garage. Did I mention that we have been renovating? Almost two months without my garage was killing me. I am now officially parking in the garage again.
5. My son asking me to sing, "Oh how He loves you and me" over and over and over. He sings along. :)

6. Vivi's scrunchy smile.

7. Brooklyn...the Mama's girl. She wants to snuggle a lot these days.
8. Nativity scenes that remind me of our Savior.
9. Gramm's school and his great teacher.
10. My man's 'rents. I have always been blessed with a good friendship with them both.
11. Warm shoes.
12. Sr. T's cheese dip and quesadilla rellena.
13. Folded laundry on the kitchen table...Thanks to my man. :)
14. Christmas cards.
15. Babies sleeping through the night. Don't try to tell me I don't have babies anymore. I might die.
16. Friends who write me sweet notes.
17. My hilarious sisters.
18. Love handles...if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!
19. Toys in my living room floor.
20. My dad and step-mom who took the kids for 24 hours this weekend so J and I could be ALONE!!!!!! It was wonderful.

21. My nana and grandpa's dog, Gracie. She once was lost, but now she's found. Sweet story I will share later.
22. U2
23. Local farmers who sell me good meat....haven't had a good burger in months, but I will very soon thanks to Petit Jean farms!
24. My son's mohawk...can't get enough of it!
25. Six months of being debt free aside from the house. Praise the Lord!
26. A clean bedroom.
27. Christmas music.
28. Vivi yelling "Hell-O, Mommy! Hell-O Daddy!" from her crib in the morning.
29. God's grace...new every morning. Thank You, Jesus.

Giving Thanks

2009-11-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

As always, an eventful Thanksgiving was had by our family. Gramm puked his little guts up on Thanksgiving Day and had to sit out the evening festivities. I was already at Shermee's house with the twins when the aforementioned illness took place. It was not fun being away from my boy when he's sick. Daddy took excellent care of him and Gramm was feeling better in no time. The rest of our weekend was wonderful and we had some fab family time and lots of laughs.

The girls are really into climbing right now. Our sweet friends gave us a slide and the girls have had so much fun climbing and sliding on their new toy!

Vivi front and center.
Brooklyn sliding.

In other news, both babies are officially weaned. I know, they are nearing two. I know they are not babies anymore, but I am still sad! I love nursing my babies. Vivi weaned herself a few months ago, but little Miss Brooklyn was holding on. It's been two weeks since I stopped nursing her and she still asks to nurse when she's upset. Somebody help me, the child breaks my heart!

I am working on this advent calendar for my boy this afternoon. Since I am no longer nursing a babe, I have a bit more energy and am trying to give up my afternoon nap. :)

Hope you all enjoyed a weekend with family. xoxoxo

Gift from my son

2009-11-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

My sweet Mom took my son on a little date last week. During the date, my Ma had Gramm pick out a necklace to give me as a present. Gramm presented the necklace to me with great joy and I proudly wore it last night. As I was tucking Gramm in at bedtime, he commented on how good the necklace looked and said I should wear it everyday. See, I have a teensy tiny problem with that. I love my son. I love gifts. But I don't do gaudy jewelry. And, the necklace, as pretty as it is, resembles a purple and silver dream catcher.

I was thinking over this situation today and the Lord taught me a little lesson. There are lots of things I don't "do". For example, I don't do shoulder pads. I don't do spandex. These things are just not my style and I choose to avoid them. My propensity toward being opinionated flows into other areas of my life as well, sometimes good and a lot of the time not so good. Many of the things God has chosen for me are choices I would never make for myself, but they are all good because they are from Him. It's never been my "style" to have a large family. Here we are with three little ones with foster or adoptive children to come. I don't "do" strong-willed children. I don't "do" apologies to other parents for the random acts of unkindness my child(ren) has committed against their little cherub. But, these are all things I've been blessed to receive and experience from the hand of our Father. He has chosen this place for me. This is a pleasant place and I am immeasurably blessed. Though my personality and my inflexibility may disagree, the Lord of my heart tells me this is His best and it is good. I will choose to embrace these blessings and learn from them and not wish for anything else. God, please mold me.

And, I will wear the necklace.

Renovation

2009-11-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

Hey Friends:

I've been incognito lately because we are renovating our house. It's been going on for nearly two weeks now and life has been a big ole adventure. When I get my computer set up again and I don't have to use my man's computer, I will post pics. Our crib is pimp.

Love to you all.

New Life

2009-10-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

I love babies. I love them. They are so sweet. They smell good. They make me happy. This spring will bring two sweet little someones into my life.

My oldest sister, R, is pregnant with her first baby! She and her hubby are going to be the best parents ever! My three kiddos LOVE her and Gramm in particular thinks she is the bomb dig. She is so patient with him and even taught him how to say "sup dog" and wave his arm in front of his face if he pooted when he was a just a wee tot. She found out last Thursday that she is expecting a little girl. We had a picnic with the fam and talked about girl names and the like. I can't wait to meet my new niece. Sweet little HollyAndreaSharla (that's my niece's name at the moment) will be born in late February. Seeing as how we sisters all tend to go a week or more past our "due date", I would say Miss H.A.S. could be born in March. Pray for my sister. She goin' to be ready to get that baby OUT! Aunt R with baby Brooklyn:

And, one of my nearest and dearest gal pals is expecting. Julie has such a neat story. After years of infertility, two miscarriages and two failed adoptions, the Lord has blessed them with this little life. J and I were eating dinner at McAlister's when Julie called to tell me the news. I was in shock. J thought something bad had happened because I was speechless. After getting off the phone, J and I prayed for the Lord's hand on this sweet little miracle. Tears of joy and gratefulness filled my eyes and they still do when I think of God's provision for Julie and John. Please pray for our friends as their family grows. The babe is due sometime in May or June.

Julie has a super sweet relationship with my girls. They lurve her. Brooklyn has a special connection with Julie. The first time Julie ever came to my house, Brooklyn was about 10 months old and went right into Julie's arms. The little goobie proceeded to let Julie hold her and even laid her precious bald head on Julie's shoulder several times! Melt my heart! Julie and B last May:

Paperwork

2009-09-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

I am buried under page after page of paperwork for our application to become foster or adoptive parents. Y'all, it is insane. Some of what I am filling out is just general information, much like a job application, but the majority of it are personal questions that really make me think. For example, "Who makes the decisions in your family?" my answer: JB, HB and the internet "Who typically wins arguments?" my answer: Not me, dadgummit! "What makes you angry?" my answer: Why do you ask?!
You get the picture? When I finish this stack of paperwork, I think I will throw myself a little party with a movie, popcorn and a real coke. Yurm.

Also, we have our last big round of training this weekend which is also part of our requirements to become foster or adoptive parents. 15 hours in one weekend of classes. In one room. No sleeping allowed. Powerpoint is involved. HELP!

Please don't hear me complaining about what we need to do. The children we hope to love on and help are more than worth any amount of paperwork or time in a classroom. We are thrilled at the prospect of caring for each little one the Lord sends our way.

Hope you all enjoy the weekend. Pray for the Lord to make the most of our time in training. Also, pray for us as our sweeties will be lovingly taken care of by the grandparents most of the weekend. We start to miss the little goobies after a few hours.

In fact, here's a picture of each baby just to remind you all of the cuteness.

Gramm, getting his hair cut by your truly...the blow pop is always a sufficient bribe:

Vivi:

Brook:

A fun Summer in Pictures

2009-09-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Fun times with Julie and JI...typical JI face. Hilarious.

The boy loves his cape. I made it for him on a whim one night while watching Father of the Bride 2. :)
All our babies love Nana and Grandpa and have tons of fun at their house.
Gramm and his gal pal, Emma, on our way to Suessical. It was G's first play. He liked it. Kind of.
Fourth of July....Daddy loves fireworks.
My niece does not.
And, the masking tape was rediscovered and shared with Jonas and Reese.
We also found that we really love pulling the mattress from Gramm's bed out into the living room and letting the babies go crazy on that thing. This activity saved us on sweltering days and it's something all three kiddos enjoy.

Daddy with baby on vacay.
More snow cones, naturally.
And sometimes I get to do something with other grown ups sans children! My bff and I got to spend a day together. Where did we go? A waterpark to lay out and then to lunch. Delirsh.
The babies love chocolate. Vivi:
Brook:
First time with crayons for the girls. They knew just what to do and then they got bored and ate crayons. Not good.

He's so handsome.
Trying to get the babies to kiss each other. So precious.
Me and my baby Brooklyn post bathtime.

Nana and Grandpa gave us their ice cream freezer. We've had a ton of fun making ice cream.
We went to pick peaches. The big boy loved it. The girls were indifferent.
This year marks 10 years since I graduated from high school. Went to my 10 year reunion and had a total blast.

Our little artist is very serious about coloring these days.

The girls have discovered Mr.Potatohead and love to wear his glasses. Vivi with the big bump on her head.
Brook, the goof troop.

Our first day of preschool. He's loving it!
First night of AWANA. Huge hit!

This song got me and it got me good.

2009-09-04T14:04:00.000-07:00

My babydad and I along with a few of our favorite people (i.e. Lewie Clark, Ryan Seibert, BRENT JONES, Chris Coleman) went to a conference last April to share a little about discipleship. The conference was a huge blessing for us as it was made up of most of the leadership team of Crossworld Missions. The missionaries that were there were amazing. It was such a good experience to hear about their lives as missionaries, their families, life back in the states after serving abroad, etc. Our hearts were so full as a result of this trip. And, we all got our Lewie fix. A little inside track here, Lewie has discipled my husband for the past several years. He inspires JB to be the man God calls him to be. We pretty much think Lewie is the bomb dig. He loves people like no one else I have ever seen. Anyhow, the song. So, at this conference, one of the missionaries lead the group in this song. We sang it. I read the lyrics. I cried. Like a baby. Face in the hankie. Husband laughing at me. Crying like a baby.

For This I have Jesus by Graham Kendrick

For the joys and for the sorrows
The best and worst of times
For this moment, for tomorrow
For all that lies behind
Fears that crowd around me
For the failure of my plans
For the dreams of all I hope to be
The truth of what I am

For this I have Jesus
For this I have Jesus
For this I have Jesus, I have Jesus
(Repeat)

For the tears that flow in secret
In the broken times
For the moments of elation
Or the troubled mind
For all the disappointments
Or the sting of old regrets
All my prayers and longings
That seem unanswered yet

For the weakness of my body
The burdens of each day
For the nights of doubt and worry
When sleep has fled away
Needing reassurance
And the will to start again
A steely-eyed endurance
The strength to fight and win

Winner of The Middle Mom

2009-09-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

It's Shaunna...girl, I'll be sending your book ASAP.

Bertram Family News

2009-08-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

No, we are not pregnant. I do feel like I should be telling everyone that I am expecting a baby, but it's really too much to explain to a stranger in the Wal-Marts. Many of you know this already but as our family has begun moving forward, I decided it's high time the blog world knows our bidness. We are at the beginning stages of becoming foster parents. See, look, I've even been fingerprinted! Yay for background checks!

We had our first home walk through a couple weeks ago and submitted our first round of paperwork. We are going through the Call, which is an acrostic for Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime. You can go here to read more about this wonderful organization. We will have our training in September followed by physicals, TB tests, CPR courses and more paperwork. We hope to have our home open to foster children by the first of the year. At this point we feel lead to take one child at a time, under one year of age. We are very excited about caring for the baby the Lord brings our way. We are open to foster care and adoption. Basically, we are open to love. It is our heart's desire to love, nurture and cherish the life of every little one He entrusts to our care however long or short that time may be. The unity that my man and I have felt through this whole process has been amazing. I will post the full story as time allows.

I do want to recommend a book to anyone interested in foster care or adoption. This book pushed me over the edge and just yanked so hard at my heart strings. It's The Middle Mom by Christie Erwin. I am giving one copy away to a randomly selected commenter. I've had the pleasure of getting to know the author and she has blessed me immensely and encouraged J and I as we begin this process.

So, comment away, peops. And, I must clarify this post and all future foster care/adoption related posts with the following statements: God has lead our family to this task. We do not think that every single family should adopt our views or foster our opinions. Pardon the puns. Teehehhee. Love to you all.

Julie/Julia Dinner Party

2009-08-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I had the honor of hosting a dinner party (with lots of help) for some very special folks. In attendance were my mom, my Nana, my mom's cousin Teresa who came all the way from Californ-I-A, my two older sisters, Amy (longtime friend of my two older sisters), and Julie and Krystal who were my two extra special guests. :) The party was inspired by the opening of the movie Julie and Julia and my obsession with Julia Child. We went to see the movie afterward and it was quite good, though not nearly as good as the before -the -movie part-ay. A little info about the party, I planned the menu meticulously with recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Julia's cookbook). This was a four course meal and it was a lot of work, but sooooo worth it! Onto the party, see the menu below:

Is it hard to read? Well, take a look at these pics....first off, as an appetizer we had a blue cheese ball with Carr's crackers (my ma's fave) and pineapple. Delirsh. Even non-blue cheese lovers said it was fantab.
Then we had french onion soup, topped with homemade croutons and swiss cheese. Julia's recipe for onion soup was quite a bit more time-consuming than I expected. My sister, ASA, who despises onions, ate her bowl of soup gladly claiming that it was "really good, and I don't like onions." I lurved it. I heart onions. And croutons. And cheese.

The main course was a mound of crepes filled alternately with a spinach and mushroom sauces and covered in a buttery, scrumptous bechamel. The crepes were paper thin and made by my sweet, sweet pal, Julie. I made three different sauces for this dish. It was insane. The sauces were a spinach cream, mushroom cream, and a bechamel. It took a loooooooong time to make the sauces. I made them ahead of time and just heated them back up the day of the party. Each mound had about 22 crepes. The mounds were cut into wedges and served with an extra dollop of bechamel and a garnish of fresh, minced parsley. We also had glazed carrots (super easy) and herb bread. The carrots took, you know, like five seconds to put together and they were fabulous. The bread is not a Julia recipe. Gasp. It's from The Pioneer Woman's site and it is some of the best bread I've ever made. Ever. In my life. And, it contained fresh basil from my garden which makes me feel so domestic.

And, dessert was a cream cheese tart topped with some lovely fruit. The crust was made from some lard I rendered a while ago and it was delish. The tart was prepared by my lovely sister, ASA, and it was a huge hit! The perfect end to a great meal.

I am so blessed to have such a fun mom who jumped right on board with my crazy plan. She graciously volunteered to have the party at her house. My nana was my right hand woman and helped me plate the food and serve all our guests among other things. I had a blast feeding people I love. Granted, throwing a dinner party for 10 people when you have three small kiddos is not a walk in the park, but I had a blast and learned a lot in the process. One of the biggest things I learned is this: If I am going to labor for a week over a meal, I should really invite my husband to the party or make sure he gets a plate the night of the event. I really love to cook for him and to not see his face at the table or hear what he thought of the meal made me realize how much I value his thoughts on what I cook. I really think my love language is food. :) Oh, and did I mention that I even dressed like Julia?

Me and two of my faves...Krystal on left, Julie on right.

I do have a few leftovers. Come over and raid my fridge. :)

Overdue Vacay Post

2009-08-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from our vacation. We had so much fun in Colorado and enjoyed lots of family time. We ate out a ton, I cooked very little and actually went shopping with three kiddos in tow. :) My man and I read The Count of Monte Cristo together during naptimes and at bedtime and it was great. I really enjoyed the book and the time with my babydad. We broke up the trip on the way there and here are a couple pics from the hotel room.

We celebrated the big boy's 4th birthday while in Colorado. It is so hard to believe that this sweet boy has been in our lives for four years. He has been a blessing from day one. I love his smile, his laugh, his voice and his sweet little boy smell. :)
Eating his birthday breakfast of choice; a "cashbrown".
Birthday dinner...he wanted mac-and-cheese, corn and fish sticks.

He'd been asking for chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing, marshmallows and chocolate chips for his birthday for months. Love the randomness...

Below are random pics from our trip:
Viv:
Brook:

Vacation

2009-07-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

We went to Colorado last week for a wonderful vacay. It was our first vacation as a family of five and we all loved it. I'd be lying if I said driving 2400 miles with three small children was the easiest thing we've ever done. All in all, it was great and we'd do it all over again. I will post pics soon. We are enjoying getting back to normal life and seeing all our peops.

In other news, I'm obsessed with Julia Child. My mom watched her when I was a wee tot and I feel like my love for cooking somehow ties back to Julia's show. A really neat movie is coming out August 7 that highlights some of her life and the life of a blogger who took on the task of cooking every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Julia's cookbook) in one year. I have the cookbook and have already cooked two recipes from it's pages. I sleep with this book under my pillow. I love it. I am also reading My Life in France. Julia wrote this book, with help from an author in her fam, chronicling the time she and her man lived in France. It is amazing. I can't put it down. I need a bigger pillow so this book will fit under it along with the cookbook that is making all my culinary dreams come true. On opening night of the movie, I am planning a small feast consisting of a few of Julia's specialties for my ma, Nana, sisters and my gal pal, Julie, who is soon to become the fifth Alford sister. After dinner we are going to see the movie. I will hopefully have pictures to show the fruits of my labor. The Babydad is not totally on board as he thinks I am crazy. Anyhow, the blog has gotten enough time today and I will post pics lata. Peace.

Rum Cake

2009-07-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

The first time I ever tasted a Rum Cake was in 2002 when I was working as a waitress at Macaroni Grill. One of the manager’s wives had made several Rum Cakes and they were dispersing them as gifts to other managers. A manager who received the cake as a gift was kind enough to give me a piece of her cake. I had never tasted anything like it. It was extremely moist, not too sweet, not too dense with an out of this world flavor! I went to the manager whose wife had made the cake and told him it was absolutely delicious and that I just had to have the recipe. He refused to give me the recipe saying that it was “in his family”. So, I searched for four years for this recipe. I tried one recipe after another thinking that it would be it with no success.

In the fall of 2007, my family and I had lunch with a couple of Charlie, my step-dad’s, relatives. Somehow we got on the subject of cakes and I mentioned the Rum Cake and my frustration in not being able to find the recipe. Charlie’s Aunt Vi piped up and said she had the recipe and would be happy to send it to me! Within two days, I had the recipe, cut straight from one of her cookbooks. I made the cake that day. Aunt Vi helped me hit the jackpot. The recipe is below. It is amazing, unique and wonderful.

Aunt Vi passed away last weekend. She was in her eighties and had a good life. She loved Jesus and I'm sure she's loving Him right now. Her funeral is tomorrow and I made a Rum Cake tonight for her sweet daughter who will miss her very much.

Rum Cake
½ cup chopped pecans
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
½ cup light rum
½ cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

Grease and flour Bundt pan or 10” tube pan. Spread nuts in bottom of pan. Place cake mix and pudding mix in large mixing bowl; add rum, oil, water and eggs. Mix for 2 minutes. Pour batter into cake pan. Bake at 325 for 60 minutes. Remove cake from oven and immediately pour on Hot Rum Glaze. Hot glaze will cause cake to settle but don’t be alarmed for cake will be yummy. Cool cake for thirty minutes then remove to plate.

Hot Rum Glaze:
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
¼ cup light rum
¼ cup water

Place ingredients in a small saucepan and boil for 2-3 minutes.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2009-07-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

After much experimentation I have perfected my recipe for laundry detergent. The recipe along with a few tips and suggestions follow:

Homemade Laundry Detergent

36 cups water
1-1/2 cup Washing Soda
1-1/2 cup Borax
1 bar Soap (grated) I use Dove white

In a large pot, heat 18 cups of water. Add the grated bar soap and stir until melted. Then add the washing soda and borax. Stir until powder is dissolved, then remove from heat.
Then add 18 cups water to the heated soap mixture. Transfer to storage containers. I reuse big liquid detergent or fabric softener containers. The mixture will gel and will need to be stirred or shaken a little before each use.
Use 1/2 cup per load.

When I make this I make the whole thing in my huge stainless steel stockpot…it holds about 14 quarts. Do not use a coated or Teflon pan, the borax is a cleaning agent and will strip the inside of your pot. Trust me on this one. A key is really letting the bar soap heat up quite a bit until the shreds are almost dissolved. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just be sure the shredded soap is not in any big clumps. Then, when I add the borax and washing soda (both of which I buy at Kroger in the section with cleaning products), they dissolve quickly.

A few tips to using this detergent:

It is not color safe. Do not mix your reds, blacks, or dark blues with any light colors. Tide spoiled me and kept me from really doing the best sorting job.
If you are doing a load full of black clothes, add an extra rinse cycle. Occasionally, my black pants will come out with white streaks or spots on them from the soap.
When I wash white towels, I will often throw in a scoop of Oxyclean (I buy the Wal Mart brand, Sun Oxygen Cleaner). This is not necessary, but our white kitchen towels get really nasty and need a little extra whitening.
The detergent is not perfumed at all. You can add essential oils if you want to go that route.
I use Sauvitel fabric softener, which is gentle on my babies’ sensitive skin and mine. I also really like the scent of Sauvitel, so it makes up for that fresh Tide smell that I miss.
Making my own detergent has saved us quite a bit of money. Dollar for dollar, I don’t know how much cheaper it is than store-bought detergent. I do know that one box of Borax and one box of Washing Soda (each less than $4) has lasted me nearly a year and I do a lot of laundry.
This recipe is very easy to make in smaller quantities. When I first started making my own detergent, I made one third of this recipe and it turned out great.

Below is my huge pot of detergent:

I use a funnel to transfer the detergent into an old container.

Both fabric softener bottles were filled with detergent and the ice cream bucket was a little over half full.

And, the babies: :)

My Man

2009-06-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

How do I love my husband? Let me count the ways.

He is intentional about relationships. He loves with his whole heart. He rejoices with his friends and weeps with them, too. He isn't afraid to say "I love you" from one man to another. (top pic, J and Uncle Copas with the big boy at ten months old. bottom pic, the big boy and one of J's best friends, Matt)

He doesn't lose it when our kids lose it. He doesn't lose it when I lose it. He stays cool, calm, and collected. He delights in our children. Sometimes, we laugh when they cry. See below.

He loves me unselfishly. My husband is a servant. It is not uncommon for me to come home from running errands and find the house straightened and kitchen cleaned. He knows I love order and cleanliness, but I'm busy with our three babes and the house is not my top priority. :) He used to do this same thing for his Mom when he lived at home. And, I have to mention, my husband has great parents. The selflessness was learned by the example his parents set before him. He always puts me and the kids before himself. J with the parentals at his 30th birthday part-ay.

He lets me talk his dang ears off. I can talk the paint off a wall and my sweet, somewhat introverted husband asks the best questions and listens to my 30 minute long answers.
He gives great hugs.
He still opens my car door when we go on dates.
He tells me I look good almost every single day.
He likes the way I dress.
He lets me decorate our house the way I like it with few exceptions.
Even when we didn't have much extra cash, he still let me spend a little mulah on things to make our home beautiful because he knew that mattered to me.
He will sit and play with the big boy for hours.
He won't let our baby girls wear two piece bathing suits. Ever. When I was pregnant with the twins, I brought home two 6 month sized mini skirts. My man thought they were a little too short. :)
He is a man of courage. He doesn't shrink back at a challenge.
He prayerfully makes decisions and moves in faith.
He constantly reminds me to look at the bigger picture. That Jesus is our hope, our life, our love.
He doesn't talk bad about people and he won't let me either.
He reminds me to have hope, even when my prayers seemingly go unanswered.
His biggest fear is not following Jesus.
He is not materialistic.
He is committed to being in community with other believers.

I could go on and on and I already have a bit.

Thank you, J, for being a wonderful husband and selfless father. Thank you for following Jesus. The more I know you, the more I love you. You are a dream.

Ice Cream Cones and Cupcakes

2009-06-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

Last week sometime, I heard our little guy yelling in distress, "Mommy! Help me! Waaawwaaawaaa....." over and over. Our son rarely cries from pain, so I knew he was either mad, scared or hurt. I found him the pantry.

He had climbed up the shelves to get this out of the box.

I found him like this. He was stuck.

I made some yummalicious cupcakes last week. They were quite good...fresh orange cake with whipped cream/buttered rum frosting. Found the recipe in my newest cookbook...thanks, Ma, for the Southern Living Cookbook circa 1989. My Mom has fed my addiction to cookbooks by purchasing me the Southern Living cookbooks year by year as she finds them at estate sales.

I also repurposed my cookie scoop...two scoops make the perfect cupcake. Check it out. I love kitchen tools that save time and create more fun for moi.

It's Like Buttah

2009-06-12T09:05:00.001-07:00

At long last, here's my post about how I churn my own butter. Let me start this by saying that if you know how to turn on a blender, you can make/churn butter. It is super simple and easy. Here's how:

First off, I start with some yummy raw milk. By raw, I mean, unpasteurized, nonhomogenized, straight from the cow's teat milk. Why would I drink raw milk? There are many great reasons. You can go here if you'd like to read them. Our fam has been drinking raw milk for about three months now. I wasn't a believer at first, but now I am. This is the longest period in the girl's lives that we have not been to the doctor for any sick child visits. Our big boy no longer says that his tummy hurts after he drinks a glass of milk. Anyhow, you can make butter from heavy cream bought at K-Roger or any other local grocer, but I've only done it with raw milk. First, I skim the cream off the top of the milk. Forgive me for not having a picture of the milk with the cream separated at the top. I grab a soup ladle and get out as much yummy cream as I can and put it in my trusty blender. Then, I plug my blender in, turn it on high and let it run for 3-5 minutes or until the cream looks like this:

You can see the butter is kind of spongey and it has separated from the buttermilk. Then, I pour the contents of the blender over a fine mesh strainer and give it a few minutes to drain. Next, I take the butter and form it into a ball (or two) using my hands and immerse it in a bowl of ice water. I let it sit there for just a minute till it hardens (this makes it easier to work with) and then I squeeze it till I get out as much of the buttermilk as I can. This takes just a couple minutes. I usually divide the butter in half so that I can squeeze more buttermilk out of each piece more effectively. Here is the result:

Note I've already generously salted my butter pieces with coarsely ground sea salt. I am a huge fan of sea salt. It's all we have around here. It's salt that tastes great and it is actually good for you (loaded with trace minerals and doesn't dehydrate your bod). Then, I stirred the butter and salt together. For this post, I decided to pipe my butter through a pastry bag to make it pretty. It turned out not so pretty and kind of snakey:

On the left is my homemade butter made from free-grazing, mostly grass and grain fed cows. On the right is my regular ole great value butter. Note the difference in the color. The butter I made is more yellow because the cows were eating lots of new, green grass, which is another nutritious benefit. Oh, and are you wondering why butter is better than margarine? Just read this.

Since I am not one to waste anything, I save my buttermilk.

This buttermilk is great in fruit smoothies, recipes that call for buttermilk, or as an agent used to soak grains. I'll get into grain-soaking later. I don't want overwhelm you all with grain-soaking, butter and raw milk all in one post. :)

So, that's how I make butter. We eat it and it's good. It's real good. Don't forget the salt. This kid likes butter, too. He wouldn't eat it till I started making it. :)

If you are wondering where I get my raw milk, leave me a comment and your email address.

Contest Winner

2009-06-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry so late, peops.

Leslie Smittle wins the Millionaire Next Door! YAY, Leslie!

Email me your address and I'll send the book your way!

Posts to come:
tutorial on butter making
family pictures
fresh orange chiffon cupcakes with whipped cream/buttered rum icing (delish)

I heart Dave Ramsey

2009-06-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

It is with great joy that I post the following:

We're DEBT FREE!!!!!!!!!!

After two years of enveloping it month after month and counting our pennies we no longer have any debt aside from our house. Thanks to my wonderful pal, Mar, I read the Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey a couple years ago. I told my baby-dad all about it and being the frugal nerds that we are, we jumped right on board. The Lord has completely provided every single dime it took to get us out of debt. We have always tried to see the money in our bank account as His money and to hold onto that money with open hands. Our main debt was my student loan...after four years of being a mom, five years of having a Bachelor's Degree and a mere three months of using my degree in the work force, I am so glad to be rid of that dang student loan. It followed me around like a dark cloud and now it's gone, baby, gone! So, to celebrate this wonderful, bless-ed event, I am giving away a copy of the Total Money Makeover to a randomly selected commenter. If you already own a copy of TMM, I will be happy to give you another book that spurred me on over the last two years: The Millionaire Next Door. These two books, (along with the B-i-b-l-e) really kept me on track financially during our debt payoff. I have a picture of me clicking the mouse to pay off our debt electronically that I planned on posting, but like a dork, I am holding up the statement from my student loan that includes all kinds of personal information that does not need to be broadcast via blogger. If you want to know how we did all this debt paying off business, leave me a question in the comments or shoot me an email.

Winners will be announced sometime Thursday. No entries accepted after midnight Wednesday. Peace.

Random

2009-05-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

We have a lot going on this week.
First off, we are getting a new roof. Very exciting. JK. Dave Ramsey would be proud of me if he only knew how I wheeled and dealed to get the best price on our roof.
Secondly, we are on the home stretch of paying off our debt. We've worked and worked to pay off our van and my student loan and it looks like our day is coming. Please say a prayer for us. I am so ready to be done with debt.
Thirdly, both babies are going to start walking soon. They are so cute and will just stand up and act like they are thinking about walking and then plop down and crawl.
Fourthly, the end of this week will be the one year mark for my babydad's "new" job. It took him about six months (maybe longer) to finally land this job and we were so excited for him to get it. A year later, we are still loving it and are very grateful that the Lord blessed us in this way.
And, fifthly, I am back on the FlyLady wagon. I'm here to tell ya, I think it's working. Baby steps, y'all.
Sixthly, I've been wearing my skinny jeans for a week now. Yes, they fit. I can breathe, talk and even bend over while wearing them without even worrying about passing out. Praise the Lord! Here's to nursing twins!

Over and out peops. Gotta bless my hizzy. xoxoxo

With a little lard and some tenderness

2009-05-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

As all three of my readers know, I love to cook. I took my love of cooking to all new heights last weekend when I rendered lard. Why would I render lard, you ask? Well, the simple answer is this: lard is a very suitable substitute for shortening and is much better for me than all that hydrogenated Crisco-ey goodness. I know many of you are balking at the word "lard", but hey, Mama's little baby loves shortening and a girl's gotta have some fun in the kitchen, right? Right? So, on with the pics:

First the fat back:

Then, I chopped it up and threw it in a pan and cooked it till these little chitterlings browned, then I removed them and strained the lard:

Am I the only one thinking of Tina right now? (Napoleon Dynamite, "Eat your food, you fat lard!")
Anyhow, the strained lard looked like this:

Yummy. Nice cup of hot fat. I think that's a line from The Hobbit...maybe...
And, then I let it harden in the fridge and I used it to make my Mother-in-law a yummy blackberry cobbler for Mother's Day. Check out the golden, flaky crust below:

Three cheers for lard! And, if you really want to technically know why lard is your friend, here's a link that might be helpful, which also includes a more in depth look at how to render lard:

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/04/how-to-render-lard.html

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's about 10 a.m. on Sunday and I am enjoying a little bit of quiet while the girls are sleeping. The big boy is about to go outside and play in the puddles in our yard. My sweet hubby has made an effort to give me a great weekend...he took me out to dinner, let me get some beautiful flowers and then let me have Saturday morning to myself so I could plant flowers and work in my vegetable garden. This day is just a reminder to me of how blessed I am...three beautiful children, a great Mom, a wonderful Mother-n-law, the best Nana ever and lots of other young Moms around me to sharpen me as we raise our children. I am the only non-expectant mother in the pic below. :)

first post

2009-04-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

So, this is our new blog...nothing fancy, just a place to record a few snippets of life at our heazey.