Noah's First Christmas

So much has happened since I last posted that I don't feel like I want to go through and write everything down. But this was Noah's first Christmas! Here are a few of my favorite pictures of the dude.

Here he is, opening his very first Christmas present ever. It was a laptop from Granny.

Check out the wooden train that Grandmama and Grandpapa got! It'll stay at their house as an heirloom piece (I don't think it'd quite fit in our luggage!). Also, Great-Grandma Tanner got Noah a really cute train conductor's outfit, and Grandpapa found an old conductor's hat that he pinned to make it small enough to fit on Noah's head. All of that made for a cute picture.

As Deborah was cleaning out her room and throwing some things away, she found an old plastic pirate sword. Nathan saw her throwing it away, and he said, "There is never a good reason to throw away a toy sword." Which is hilarious and just the epitome of Nathan, in some respects. Anyway, so we put the sword in Noah's toy pile, and of course it was the first thing he picked out. He wielded that sword for days. He is definitely all boy.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and celebrated the Lord's birth!

More Snow

So two days after I posted that last post, it snowed a lot more. Here are pics of that. I meant to get these up on the blog before we left on vacation, but it just didn't happen. Anyway, isn't it beautiful?


That picture with the lamppost reminds me of Narnia. :)

Sledding!

Before we moved to New England, I had never been sledding. Actually, before we moved to our current apartment in the suburbs (where there are more parks and hills), I had never been sledding.

The only time we've gone sledding was when all we had was a crazy little thin foam thing we bought at a discount store for like $2 after Christmas, and needless to say, it did not pad our little fannies very much at all. Add to that the fact that the snow at that time was really hard--it had snowed a ton, warmed up just enough to let it melt a bit, then it froze again. So the snow actually had a nice layer of hard, slick ice on top. Anyway, sliding down that on a really thin pad was not the best of conditions, yet we had the best time.

Last year, my parents gave Nathan a nice sled for Christmas. We didn't ever have the chance to use it last winter, because at first I was pregnant, then we had a little baby and I was going through postpartum recovery, and Nathan didn't think it sounded like too much fun to go sledding by himself. So Nathan comforted himself with the thought that he could take Noah sledding this winter, because he'd be big enough.

All of that to say that today has been a long time in coming!

So we pulled out the nifty red sled, bundled up (it hasn't gotten out of the teens today), and headed out. Nathan even pulled Noah and me down the street on our sled. It was fun to be pulled--a lot more fun than walking through 12"-deep snow, let me tell you. That is a serious workout! Especially when, like me, you decide that running through it is actually easier because you get some momentum going, doing those knee-high steps.

Once we got to the park, we sat Noah in the snow while we kind of worked things out. Here he is in his little snow seat.

Here's a shot of all the neighborhood kids who came out to sled. Doesn't it look like a winter wonderland? If the sky were blue, it'd make a good postcard. :)

Here's a little video of one of our trips down the hill:


And here's the three of us. I like the snow-covered tree in the background.

Anatomy of a Snowstorm

Right now, Nathan and I are sitting at our kitchen table having some hot tea, buttered toast, and McVitie's dark chocolate digestives. It is the perfect snack for today, considering that we are having a snowstorm! How exciting!

Well, hopefully it will NOT be exciting on Monday morning, when we are supposed to fly to Houston.

But for today, I love snow, and I'm so glad it is finally here! We did have a little dusting a few weeks ago, but nothing like the 10-12" we're supposed to get in Boston today. Lori's area in Connecticut is supposed to get the most snow, at 12-14". That is a lot!

Because it is miserable and dangerous to try to drive in all that snow, I went to the grocery store to pick up just a few items to last us until we leave town. Wow. It was amazing. It reminded me of Home Depot in Houston before a hurricane. I think the grocery store should consider letting only a few people in at a time, like Home Depot, because it was ca-razy. The lines at the registers were so long that they backed up into the aisles.

It occurred to me that it might be fun to post pictures of the different stages of the storm. It's fun to watch the snow get progressively deeper and to watch the world turn progressively whiter.


Here is our street at 2:00, just as it was beginning to snow. It's just a simple, gray day.

Here's our street at 3:00. The snow has really been coming down, as you can see!

Here is a little video I took at 3:00. I'm warning you, my narration is kind of retarded. Nathan teased me and asked me if I was really going to embarrass myself by posting this, but I don't care. I know y'all will still love me. :)


Here we are at 4:00. As you can see, it's beginning to get dark. I think sunset these days is around 4:15, as close as we are to the winter solstice. But you can definitely tell that the snow is getting deeper! I had to make this trip to the front porch a little shorter, because the wind was not so friendly, driving snow into my face like it was.

It's 6:00 now. Check out how the snow has gotten thicker on that minivan parked on the street.
Rather than showing you what our street looks like at 8:30, I thought the amount of snow piled on the trash cans would be more illustrative of what is going on:
Here is the result, as of 9:00am. As you can see, the snow plows haven't made it down our street yet, which is unusual.
Here are my feet. Well, actually, you can't see my feet. But they're down there. :) The snow is about a foot deep.
And here's Nathan, about to start shoveling. Believe it or not, there are stairs underneath that little hill of snow in front of him.

Later today we're planning to take Noah sledding! I'll post pics!

Ramen Noodles with Tomato Sauce and Greens

So today I was scouring the pantry for something to make for lunch, and all I found was Ramen Noodles. You know, that dirt cheap chicken-flavored noodle soup that you can buy in packs of like 6 for $1.00. Well, let me tell you something. I know what to do with Ramen Noodles.

Back in college, Sarah Fuselier (my roomie/best friend) and I made Ramen with Tomato Sauce all the time, usually alongside a grilled cheese sandwich. Granted, it's not the most healthy thing in the world, but it fit well in a college student's budget. Plus, it sort of makes you feel like you're actually cooking, which was kind of a novelty for two girls who hadn't done much cooking before then. I think this recipe originates with Sarah's mom, although I have attempted to healthify it a little bit with some frozen kale. I've also been known to throw in some sauteed carrot. It is actually pretty good (if you like salt, especially!), and it's great to have on hand for when you desperately need to go to the grocery store or are looking to save some money.

Ramen Noodles with Tomato Sauce and Greens

1 package Ramen Noodles noodle soup mix, chicken flavor
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1-3/4 cups water
1-2 Tbsp. frozen chopped spinach or kale
*optional: a few drops Tabasco sauce

Combine the tomato sauce and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add frozen greens. Prepare noodles according to package instructions (usually you boil them for 3 minutes then add the seasoning). You're done!

Trendsetters

This was my Facebook status a couple of days ago:
Lauren is annoyed that "Noah" is the 7th most popular boy's name for 2008.

Before our Noah, neither Nathan nor I knew anybody whose name or whose child's name was Noah. We thought we were being all unique, and all of a sudden, everywhere we go there is a kid named Noah. In fact, in my mom's group, populated by a whole ten women, three of us have sons named Noah. Seriously!

Mmmm-ma

Noah is picking up a lot these days. For one thing, even though he is not saying a lot of words yet, he does understand quite a few.

When I asked him where the kitty cat was yesterday, he looked around to find her. When I ask him if he wants to read a book, he looks around to find one. He is finally learning what I mean when I tell him to be "gentle" with the cats. And when I ask him to turn the page, he usually does it. Also, he usually does come when I say, "Come here, Noah!" Oh, and he is beginning to understand that all-important word, "No."

As far as words that he actually speaks, it's pretty limited to Mama and Dada. But, lest you think that represents only a few words, let me quickly correct you. There are actually several versions of "Mama." Here they are:

Ma
Mom
Ama
Mama
and my personal favorite, Mmmm-ma, spoken as if it's two syllables.

Pretty soon he'll be reciting Shakespeare. . . . Or maybe Seuss. :)

What We Did

As Nathan announced here on the blog, yesterday was our fifth anniversary. Yay! (I think it's funny that he picked that picture of me!)

To celebrate, we went to Boston's Italian part of town, the North End, for dinner.

It. Was. Awesome.

I told Nathan that it was the best expensive dinner I've ever had. The restaurant we went to is called Mamma Maria, and it is across the street from Paul Revere's house. The food was so great, as was the ambience. We sat next to a window where we could see the quaint square and some Christmas lights.

They brought out pesto and olives with the bread, and I have to say that I have never had pesto that tasted as good as theirs. We also ordered an appetizer of some imported ricotta and mozzarella, along with a couple glasses of wine. I was already in heaven. The portions were small, but we were both pleasantly surprised that such a small amount of food was so completely satisfying. For our entrees, Nathan ordered the osso buco, which is a very traditional Italian dish that neither of us had ever had before. It was basically a lamb shank served over some risotto. I ordered the pork dish, which was pork loin served over broccolini alongside an amazing baked apple and a squash ravioli. My dish was definitely the winner. Nathan and I both loved it. We finished dinner with a chocolate tart and a cappuccino. It was an awesome dining experience!

After dinner, we thought about walking over to Boston Common to see the Christmas trees all lit up, but it was too dang cold. It was only a windy 20 degrees, and we hadn't bundled up that much, since we were dressed up. I mean, I was not about to mess up my little up-do with a hat. :) Vanity over comfort for this night.

---

So Kim requested (nay, demanded) that we give our top five marriage tips. Well, I'm not so sure that after five years you could call us experts, but here are some things that we've learned along the way or have been taught by others:

1. Fight well. Which means: listen to what the other person is saying and really try to put yourself in their shoes. In fact, restate their point to them before going on with your response. It is stinking amazing how much less elevated an argument gets when you know that the other person understands where you're coming from.

2. Leave and cleave. Genesis 2:24a: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife." God created the family unit to be strongest when you make your spouse your priority over your family of origin. Not that you forsake your family or disrespect it in any way; it's just that your spouse and the new family you create comes first. I would also add (and we are learning this as we go) that you can't let your relationship with your spouse suffer because parenting gets in the way. It's easy to focus all your emotional energy on your kid(s) and not have any left for your spouse, but your spouse will still be there in 20 years, after the kids are gone. So you have to continue to cultivate that relationship.

3. Praise in public; criticize in private. Make an effort not to say anything critical of your spouse to other people, but to praise him/her to others instead. If you have something to talk to your spouse about, deal with him/her directly. It really tears you down to be criticized in front of other people, especially when the person doing the criticizing is someone close to you, with whom you're vulnerable. Abuse of the gift of that vulnerability makes it hard to give it as freely after that. Instead, praise your spouse to other people. Not only does it cultivate respect from others, but it also cultivates it in you, because you are more actively looking for good things to say about them.

*Okay, it's late and I can't think of any more. :) Maybe I'll fill in the last two tomorrow. Goodnight!

4. Nathan says I should add "Have fun together." It's true. It makes for a good relationship when you can laugh together.

5. I think this one is going to remain blank. I am sure many of you will think of lots of good things to put here. In fact, why don't you do that? Leave a comment with your #5.

What I Did

I just ate way too many mini Funfetti cupcakes.

Way. Too. Many.

5 Years!

Happy anniversary to my beautiful and wonderful wife!

;-)

Love,
Nathan

I Am Jealous

I am jealous, because yesterday it snowed in Houston. Meanwhile, it was 61 degrees in Boston.

I love the snow! I do not begrudge my beloved Texans for getting some rare but magical snow. In fact, it's funny to read through people's blogs and Facebook statuses and see how everyone is talking about it.

It just makes me eager for a really nice snowfall here!

By the way, the weatherman pointed out yesterday morning that since it was 60 degrees, it felt 65 degrees warmer than it did on Monday morning, when the windchill was down to -5. Craziness!

Eleven Months Old!

Noah is eleven months old today. Can you believe it?

Some things about him:

• He hates order. If you put his blocks in a bucket, he dumps them out. If you stack his toys into a tower, he knocks them over. If you put his Cheerios in a pile in front of him, he spreads them out. He is very unlike his mother in this.
• He has been clapping for a long time, but he is just now learning to wave. He's been doing it off and on for a few days now, and it's cute.
• He will not pick up any food except for Cheerios, toast, and Gerber puffs. Forget trying to finger-feed him fruit, meat, or just about anything else. He just refuses--most of the time he doesn't even try. I think that maybe he doesn't like wet or squishy things. Which is odd, considering that if it's not food, he'll pick up all manner of wet and squishy things and put them in his mouth.
• He loves to play with water. Not just in the bath (although the splashing can sometimes get a little out of hand, considering the state of my clothes afterward), but in any context. He figured out that if he pinches the nipple on his sippy cup while water is in there, it will sometimes squirt him in the face when he lets go. He LOVES this. He finds it hilarious and exhilarating. So sometimes we just sit there at mealtime while Noah plays with his cup and squirts himself in the face over and over. He also really loves to be squirted with a spray bottle. By his reaction, you'd think it's the most refreshing thing in the world. His mouth opens wide, he blinks his eyes, and he says, "Ahhh!"
• He loves being allowed to do things that we do, and the most recent thing is drinking from a cup. Nathan's mom started giving him the last sip of her hot tea, and although I'm sure he liked that sugary last sip, I am really starting to think that the main part of the thrill is getting to wrap his little hands around a cup, put it to his lips, and do what we do. The reason I think this is that half the time he doesn't even drink. He just puts his mouth to the cup, then he backs off to grin at us really big. Cutie pants.

I cannot believe that Noah is almost a year old!!!

Christmas Joy

I just spent about 45 minutes on iTunes, downloading oodles of wonderful Christmas music. It makes my heart sing! I love it! Especially the choral pieces I've sung before.

I am now officially in the Christmas spirit.

I took a break from perusing iTunes because one of the songs jogged my memory, and I wanted to tell you this funny story--it's one of my favorite Christmas memories (there are a lot), and it happened just a couple of years ago.

Nathan and I were spending Christmas with my parents and my brother, Ken. Now, Ken was in seminary and was about as poor as you'd imagine a seminary student to be. His Christmas budget was something like $2 per person, which none of us minded, because if you know Ken, you know that he will do something really good with that $2 and at the very least make you laugh.

Like the year he gave everyone--everyone, no exceptions--a t-shirt with his face on it. He was smiling with his mouth wide open, giving us a thumbs up. It made everyone laugh, and we all wear the shirt proudly (well, around the house, anyway). That's just Ken's humor.

So one year, Ken gave Nathan and me essentially the same present, so he asked us to open them at the same time. We each got a DVD from the $1 bin at Target and a $.50 plastic recorder. (I'm talking the flute-like instrument.) My DVD was "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" (now we know what John Travolta was up to before "Saturday Night Fever"), and Nathan's was an old Godzilla movie.

But that wasn't the funniest part. The funniest part was when, immediately after tearing the newspaper wrapping off his gift, Nathan picked up the recorder and began to play "I Saw Three Ships." We all sat there gaping at him. It tickles me just thinking about it right now! Not only did he know how to play the recorder, but he had a song memorized, and it was a Christmas song, no less! What the heck?!

It turns out that they teach you how to play the recorder in elementary school in England. (Along with teaching you how to cross stitch--I totally have Nathan's sampler. I am not kidding.) And Nathan had freakishly remembered not only how to play, but how to play that song. It still cracks me up.

I want to hear your Christmas stories. Leave a comment if you'd like to tell one. (I hope you do! I want to read some good ones!)

Fun at the Playground

Yesterday, Nathan and I took Noah and Hannah (who we were babysitting) to the playground near our house.

It was a pretty cold day, so I bundled Noah up in his full winter gear. I mean, is this picture reminiscent of A Christmas Story or what? Check out those puffy pants!

Hannah had a good time running from thing to thing, sliding, swinging, climbing, and chasing dogs.

The funniest thing happened when Nathan walked up to her and said, "Hannah, would you like to go slide?" There were a couple of other girls near her, one of whom turned out to also be a Hannah, and she said, "Um, no. Where's my mom?" It cracked us up, and Nathan felt a little bad, but props to that little girl, who knew not to go with any man at the playground!

Noah loves the swing.

I love this picture. It just captures the pure joy of swinging.

And here's a great video of the two kids swinging. I started filming because Noah was laughing so hard at Nathan's antics.

Thanks!

Wow, guys, that was impressive. Fifteen comments!

Thank you for all your advice on matching ties to shirts. I learned a lot, as did many of you, judging by your comments.

Just so you know, Nathan and I agreed to return the tie but keep the shirt. We might find another tie to go with it eventually, but in the meantime, it'll look great with his brown corduroy blazer.

Thanks, guys!

I Need Your Opinion

NOTE: I really am asking for you to comment on this one! Don't leave me hanging! :)

Okay, so here is my little secret: I do not understand how men's dress shirts and ties are supposed to match.

I just don't get it.

I mean, they mix patterns (a big no-no when it comes to my own clothes), they sometimes mix colors in just the wrong way, according to Lauren, and so on. So I have always just avoided trying to pick out shirts and ties, and I always leave it to someone else. This is why about 90% of Nathan's dress shirts/ties are from before we were married. The bottom line is that I just need someone to tell me what the rules are.

Question #1: WHAT ARE THE DANG RULES?!

Question #2: Do these match?

Here's a close-up for you:

As I was Christmas shopping last night, I saw this shirt, and I was like, "Oh! I like that one! I'm going to get it for Nathan." I had his springtime job interviews in mind. Then, with great dread, I turned to look at the ties. This one jumped out at me, and when I put it next to the shirt, with an unprecedented thrill, I thought, "This MATCHES! I'm getting it."

Here's why I think it matches: it pulls out the blue stripe in the shirt, and the pattern is relatively similar (stripes).

But when I brought it home, Nathan said he didn't think it matched. He admitted to me this morning that he's picky about his dress shirts and ties, but he is bothered by the fact that there is brown in the shirt and no brown in the tie. Is this a rule? If it is, I didn't know. He keeps mentioning other things that rub him the wrong way about it, like that he likes gray instead of brown. I pointed out that the brown will look nice with khakis or brown pants.

Anyway, we have had so much back-and-forth about this darn shirt and tie that I need a little outside clarification. So I am looking forward to your comments. In fact, we are DEPENDING on your comments to settle this between us. Don't leave us hanging. :)

December Arbonne Specials

Arbonne Intelligence Travel Set for $30
With every purchase of $150 srp, you qualify to buy a travel set of the Intelligence line for only $30. (Regularly $39.)

20% Off Seasource Products
This month, enjoy SeaSource Detox Spa Purifying Sea Soak, box of 8 packets, a $60 value, for $48. Or benefit from SeaSource Detox Spa Renewing Body Gelée, a $47.50 value, for $38.

For Your Ideal Set Special - 40% Off
The perfect holiday treat for your sweetheart and a delicious little something for yourself, this exclusive set is a sugar coating for the skin. F.Y.I. Arbonne sugary sweet treats include SweetFrostings Color Palette, SweetSugar^® Body Balm and SugarCoated Powder Duo. Regularly $70 , now for $42.

Holiday Grab Bag for $25
With every $75 SRP order this month, enjoy the option to purchase a Holiday Surprise Bag, filled with up to $150 SRP worth of fabulous holiday products for $25. While supplies last.


Best,
Lauren
--
Lauren Benesh
Independent Consultant
Arbonne International

Magnificat

I was reading through a bit of Luke 1 yesterday, and the Magnificat really struck me. It's Mary's song, which she says after Elizabeth says to her, "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me--
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."
Luke 1:46-55

Giving Thanks

Before I move on to the Christmas season, I feel like I need to focus a little bit more on what I am thankful for. I was so busy with Thanksgiving preparations that I didn't really focus on the whole point of the holiday, and because there really are so many things to be thankful for, I wanted to write some of them down before I start thinking about Christmas.

I'm thankful for: being able to stay home with Noah; a great husband; wonderful friends in Boston, Texas, and a smattering of other places across the country; family; job prospects; all my handy kitchen utensils; Noah's face when he smiles or laughs; fall pears; dessert; a happy marriage; a festive tablecloth; our church; more perspective the older I get; and the wisdom in the Bible.

Thanksgiving Leftover Soup

Do you have any Thanksgiving leftovers left, or have a plethora of turkey sandwiches decimated your turkey supply? Well, if you have some goodies left, you might try this soup. I made it tonight, and Nathan and Daniel loved it. They kept commenting on how hearty it is, and we all went back for seconds. I adapted it slightly from a recipe that's in this month's Cooking Light. As soon as I looked at the recipe, I knew I would make it, because I had everything on hand except the Canadian bacon. I even had the onion and celery pre-chopped from my pre-Thanksgiving prep, so it didn't take me long to make at all, and the Canadian bacon gives the flavors new life and keeps the soup from tasting like round 41 of Thanksgiving.


Turkey and Potato Soup with Canadian Bacon

1 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
1/2 Tbsp. butter
1-1/2 cups chopped onion (about one large onion)
1 cup chopped celery
3 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about one cup, or slightly more)
1-1/2 oz. Canadian bacon, chopped
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 cups chopped turkey (about 1 pound)
2-1/2 cups mashed potatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Heat oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and bacon; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth, turkey, potatoes, and chopped sage, stirring with a whisk until blended; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in pepper.

*Optional: I threw in one of my frozen kale cubes for a little color and added nutrition. It's the equivalent of 1-2 tablespoons of chopped kale.

Thanksgiving Highlights

Hey peeps.

How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was really nice! Nathan's whole family came, except for Matthew and Emily, for whom a trip across the pond was a little too far to go for turkey. (See the post below for a picture of us pigging out.)

Here are the highlights from this week:

We took a family picture for the Christmas cards I may or may not get to this year. (I am horrible at Christmas cards and photo albums. Hence, we have no photo albums in our house, except for our wedding album, and last year nobody got a Christmas card from us. Of course, last year I had the convenient excuse of being gigantically pregnant....) This picture came out really well of Nathan and me, but not so great of Noah. I think a little Photoshop may be called for here because I really like Nathan and me in this pic.
Noah enjoyed riding on Papa's shoulders.
We all took a walk to the park,

where Noah loved the swing,

Daniel, Papa, and Nathan threw the football,

and Deb played with Noah and stood around looking cute. (Mama B. was there, too, swinging and sliding with Noah, but my camera died before I could take her picture!)

We had a ton of food, and we enjoyed all the after-Thanksgiving snacking. Thanksgiving dinner was pretty darn yummy, although there were a couple of notable mishaps:
- As Nathan was making the caramel for the caramel pumpkin pie, one of the cloths he was using to hold the handles and swirl the caramel in the pot caught on fire. I looked up and saw a flaming washcloth falling to the floor. Oh well. No harm done.
- After extinguishing the washcloth and resuming the caramel making, the heat got a little out of hand, and the caramel turned black. So, at my suggestion, he poured it down the sink. Wrong thing to do. The caramel basically hardened in the sink and down the pipe, like hard-candy hard. Nathan was like, "Lauren, this is BAD." Thankfully, it came off with a little hot water.
- However, the most amazing mishap of the day happened when I added the whiskey to the screamin'-hot pan for the whiskey-glazed carrots. Can anyone say FIVE-FOOT FIREBALL? Yes. I stood there agape, totally silent while this column of fire licked the ceiling. Meanwhile, my mother-in-law had the presence of mind to shout "Help! Help! Help! Help!" The guys ran in just in time to watch it finish burning. I could not believe that there was no black mark on the ceiling or smoke or anything! All the scientist guys informed me, though, that alcohol burns very quickly and cleanly. Anyway, that was an adrenaline moment, let me tell you. The guys were talking to Matthew and Emily over Skype when it happened, so M&E didn't know what was happening, but they did hear all the calls for help and all the guys running into the kitchen. They were like, "What is going on?!" The carrots turned out great, though, and afterward, there was a pleasant smell of whiskey in the kitchen. Ha!

So that was our Thanksgiving! What were the highlights of your turkey day? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Hope you and yours have had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Story Time

Something funny happened one day while I was working at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston, and it still comes up from time to time, even though it happened like six years ago.

CBS is a pretty multi-cultural organization, with people from all kinds of ethnic backgrounds working there and going to school there. The guy who ran the bookstore at one point was Vietnamese, I believe. His name was Jeff. Although I don't remember him having trouble with the English language, one time there was a funny little episode that has made me laugh ever since. It involves Eric, a friend who was working in the bookstore at the time.

One day, as he was leaving work, Eric said, "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya."
The next day, as Eric was leaving, Jeff said, "See you. Wouldn't want to be like you."

Is that hilarious or what?

So just now, as Nathan was leaving for work, I said, "See you, wouldn't want to be like you."

It lives on.

More Noah

Recent pictures:

Here we are at the mall. We went to have some Chick-fil-A and play at their nifty play area. I'm not sure whether Noah was laughing or whether he was upset that Nathan had walked away momentarily. But either way, he's still pretty cute, isn't he?

And here's the kiddo in his winter wear.

His expression cracks me up.

Noah's Time Out

Please don't call CPS on us.

Just kidding.

That kid is strong! Yesterday, he was really interested in taking a closer look at that window, so Nathan held him up there, and he just grabbed on. We like that first picture because he looks like a little gymnast. His toes are pointed and everything. And he loved hanging--after Nathan took him down, he was trying to climb the wall to get back up there.

I Will Kick You

Remember how I said I'd leave my house and come over and kick you if you didn't brine your turkey? The same holds true if you don't make your own cranberry sauce.

Now, I understand that for some people, can-shaped discs of gelatinous goo may just be a holiday tradition that you can't part with.

But for those of you who are not emotionally attached to gelatinous goo, you should really try making your own cranberry sauce this year. Really, when it comes to cooking, nothing could be easier.

There are different versions of fresh cranberry sauce, some utilizing cinnamon or ginger or brown sugar or any other number of fall flavors. However, I like this one because it's simple, and it's never done me wrong.


Cranberry Sauce

1 cup maple syrup
1 cup orange juice
12-oz. package fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over (get rid of any that are dry and wrinkly)

Combine OJ and maple syrup in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 2-1/4 cups.

Incredibly Easy Corn Casserole

Thanks to Sara Jourdan for bringing this to our potluck Thanksgiving dinner one year and bestowing the incredibly easy recipe on many of us.

Ever since I first had it, I have been intending to make this corn casserole again. But I haven't gotten around to it until this year, and I'm excited about it for several reasons. One, it's dang tasty. Two, it has a whole stick of butter in it. You can't go wrong with a whole stick of butter. (Or rather, it is very, very wrong. So deliciously wrong.) And third, it is so incredibly easy.


Corn Casserole

1 can cream style corn
1 can niblet corn, drained
2 eggs
1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 stick margarine or butter, melted
8 oz. sour cream

Mix all ingredients together. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray, then pour the mixture in. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Dinner

After putting a lot of thought into it, here is my Thanksgiving menu:

Butternut Squash Soup with Fried Sage Leaves (I saw someone on the Food Network fry some sage leaves, and I thought it'd make an awesome garnish to this soup.)
Turkey (brined, of course)
Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Stuffing
Corn Casserole (incredibly easy recipe coming soon)
Green Bean Casserole (I like the looks of this recipe because it does not involve icky canned cream of mushroom soup.)
Whiskey-Glazed Carrots
Rolls (not sure if I'm going to buy them or make them yet)
Cranberry Oatmeal Squares (These are in The Cake Mix Doctor cookbook--they are a hit every time I make them)
Hershey Bar Pie (This was a total hit last year.)
Caramel Pumpkin Pie
Maybe, if it's desired/requested, my Quadruple Chocolate Cake

Do you think we'll have enough food? ;)

Actually, I'm aiming for lots of leftovers. Leftovers are awesome, in no small part because it means you don't have to cook for a while after the Thanksgiving tornado in the kitchen. Although I think I will make at least one new dish out of the leftovers, which is Turkey and Potato Soup with Canadian Bacon. Yum.

If you are making something for Thanksgiving this year, be it one dish or the whole meal, tell us what it is!

Winter :(

Hey peeps,

It is officially winter here, as of today. When I woke up this morning, it was 21 degrees outside.
I just realized I'm not mentally ready for winter.

Okay, here is one thing that I've been thinking of the last few days: why don't they make wool socks for babies? WHY? What are those kiddos supposed to wear? Shoes don't stay on (except for Robeez), and they're not that warm, anyway. And the really warm snow boots don't come in a size small enough for Noah. So what are you supposed to do between the time when you just put them in a BundleMe sack as infants and when they are big enough to get little snow boots as toddlers? Right now I'm just putting two pairs of wimpy cotton socks on and covering Noah with a blanket when we go out for a walk. And that is not going to be enough pretty soon.

Am I missing something here? What do you do at this age? I mean, even our house is a little cool at 65 degrees all day, and wool socks would be good just for being at home, too.

Okay, and here is another thing I have just realized, as of yesterday, when Noah and I went to three different stores to get stuff for Thanksgiving: getting in and out of the car seat that many times in a big old puffy jacket is no picnic for Mom or for Noah. His range of motion is really limited (think A Christmas Story, only not quite so bad), and it's really hard to manhandle that darn 5-point harness around all that bulk. Plus, his puffy jacket and my puffy jacket are both slick on the outside, so that makes it really hard to just perch him on my hip and be on my way.

Usually, I love winter. So maybe I'll post again in a couple of days with all the reasons I love the cold. But today, well, ugh.

Completely Impractical

So I want to hear from you all on this one. Leave a comment and tell me what you would collect if it weren't completely impractical to do so.

Whether it's too expensive, too large, too kid-unfriendly, etc., what would it be? What just sends your heart aflutter? What is it that--if you were surrounded by it--would make you oh so happy and make your heart sing?

Mine would be dishes.

I have discovered that I love dishes. I would have like fifty different sets, if I could. I love to browse through the dinnerware sections of Williams-Sonoma and even Target.

Here are some of my recent favorites:

My dishes are white, which I like, because I can pretty much pick up any white serving dish to supplement my set, and it will coordinate successfully. Plus, pretty much any table linens make white dishes pop. Right now, I really want a soup tureen, like this one, because I am going to be serving a soup at Thanksgiving. Wouldn't it be nice to serve it out of a beautiful bowl like this on the table?

When Nathan and I got married, I registered at Williams-Sonoma, and I very nearly registered for this. The reason I didn't was because I just didn't think I would use it all that much for a long while. Back then, I particularly loved things that had a Renaissance look to them because that's the period of poetry and literature that I love the best. I still think this platter is pretty dang cool. It'd look pretty awesome in a dining room with a large fireplace and a thick oak table.

I'm also liking this Christmas platter. It's just festive:
And oh my gosh, I LOVE these. And do you know where I found them just now? Target.com. They are so perfectly ME.

So what would your totally impractical collection be? Converse shoes in every color? Teacups? Cars? Fabric? Pets? Footie pajamas? Do tell.

By the way, Mom, I really hope you're willing me all the different china sets, along with the crystal dessert plates. I want them ALL.

:)

Coventry Street

Time to lighten it up a little bit. I'm going to tell you a little story.

I studied abroad one summer at the University of Cambridge, and as part of that trip, Nathan and I toured around Scotland and England a bit.

For a couple of days, we stayed at a little bed and breakfast in a small English town. After touring around one afternoon, we headed back towards our B&B. We walked for a long while, knowing we were close to our B&B, but we just could not find the right street. So after meandering around a neighborhood for quite some time, we stopped an old man and asked him how to get back to Coventry Street.

"Coventry Street? Hmm. I don't know. Are you sure that's the name of the street you want?"
"Yes, sir. That's where our bed & breakfast is."
Scratching his chin, "Well I don't know. What street did you say it's on again?"
"Coventry Street."
"And you're sure about that?"
"Yes, sir, I'm absolutely sure."

This back-and-forth went on for several minutes. By this time, I was getting a little desperate. It was getting dark, and we didn't want to be lost after sunset. Plus, I was certain that the B&B was located on Coventry. Why in the world did this man say he didn't know of a Coventry Street? This town was not that big, and I knew we were close to it! Eventually, he said,

"Well I've lived here for forty years, and I don't know of a Coventry Street."

Dangit.

"I am just absolutely sure it is on Coventry Street."
"Oh! By any chance, do you mean Coventry Road?"

Our jaws dropped.

"Yes! Coventry Road!"
"Oh, yes, of course. I am going there right now, on my way to the pub. You can walk with me."

Oh, the Brits. Gotta love 'em.

N.T. Wright, Church, etc.

N.T. Wright preached at our church today, and he was AWESOME! Don't know who he is? Well, I guess I have been living under a rock, because I didn't either. You can find more info on him here and here, but basically he's the Bishop of Durham (Anglican Church) and a well-respected theologian. He speaks quite often, is frequently interviewed by the media, and has written numerous books.

The passage he used came from Colossians 1, and the title of his sermon was "Christian Hope in a Confusing World." The sermon was very applicable to everyday life, which I totally appreciated. He touched on the election, postmodernism, and why Jesus is a reasonable and authentic source of hope. It was really good, guys.

As someone who got a degree in English literature, I also absolutely loved how he touched on the literary structure of the passage. It turns out that Paul wrote a carefully crafted poem in Colossians 1, but none of our Bibles reflect it in the text! In fact, the whole chapter has a literary structure similar to an arch, and the verse that falls in the middle--which everything before builds to and everything after refers to--is "and in him [Jesus] all things hold together."My gosh. Is that awesome or WHAT?! Oh, it makes my literary senses tingle. I love it.

The church almost always posts mp3's of the sermons here. I bet the sermon will be up early this week, if you'd like to download it. It will be well worth a listen, I assure you.

The longer we attend Park Street, the more I appreciate and like it. We've been going here for about three and a half years, but we've just now joined. (In fact, we're being presented as new members next Sunday.) The reason we have just now joined was because you have to take a seven-week class in order to do so, and we just never thought we had seven straight weeks to do it (or we had something else going on, like being huge and pregnant and not wanting to get up an hour early on Sunday mornings...). Anyway, in the class you go over some basic Christian, Protestant tenets, like the concept of the Trinity, salvation, and the Bible, as well as the history of the church, the denomination, etc.

Park Street is celebrating our 200th anniversary this year, and one aspect of the class I really enjoyed was learning more about our church and its history. I already knew some little historical tidbits, like that this particular site downtown used to be used as a granary before it was a church (I'm guessing they needed a handy place to store grain for the cows on neighboring Boston Common). It's also the first place "My Country Tis of Thee" was sung, and we were among the first churches to send out missionaries. I believe it was Park Street missionaries who first evangelized in Hawaii, for example, and the emphasis on missions still holds strong today. Next door is a graveyard where John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Mother Goose are buried, among many others. All of this I knew, but I was unfamiliar with some of the more recent history, such as the evangelical movement in the twentieth century, in which Park Street's pastor at the time, Harold Ockenga, was a central participant, along with Billy Graham and others. (In this sense, "evangelical" refers to the movement that broke from fundamentalism in an effort to keep from being anti-intellectual, to avoid legalism, to engage in social justice, to "major in the majors" so as not to divide the church unnecessarily, etc.)

I guess all of that history may be about as interesting as dirt to some of you, but I find it fascinating. I have always loved church history, and it's so interesting to me to be part of a church that has such deep roots in Boston and in this country and that continues to be a beacon of truth in this city.

He's All Boy

1. Noah loves to be scared. His favorite thing is when you jump out from behind a wall and yell. He screams in delight.
2. He loves the outdoors.
3. He has no fear. He'll dive right off the couch. Luckily, Mom or Dad has always been there to catch him.
4. He has recently discovered that his mattress is bouncy and has started jumping in his crib. One day I walked in after his nap, and there he was, jumping away with the biggest grin on his face. I decided I had to get that on video the next time I went in to get him after a nap:

Turkey Tutorial

So I am not going to go into every little detail of how to cook a turkey, but I am going to give you a few tips, because I think that most people my age probably have limited experience with this particular bird. Because Thanksgiving is usually marked by loads of people in one household, sharing one turkey, that means that probably only one out of ten of us cooks one every year, right? Especially people my age, who are probably still going to their parents' house for Thanksgiving. So it's just not second nature to cook up a mean bird.

In my case, Nathan and I moved 2000 miles away from our families shortly after we got married, so it's been up to me to roast a turkey for the past four years. This year will be my fifth. So I think I have a little bit to say about the matter.

First of all, I think the best practice for turkey success is roasting chickens. Have you ever roasted a chicken? You really ought to do it. It is a little confusing the first time or two (which side is up? do I just leave the wings dangling out like that? what's this nifty little bag stuffed in the chicken's cavity? is it done yet? what about now?), but once you have some of the basic questions answered and have roasted one successful bird, you can certainly do another one. To read a bit about roasting a chicken, you can check out my post about it from a couple of months ago.

So now that you know what to practice on, you might be wondering what equipment you need. Well, I recommend a roasting pan, like the one I've got here:I have a V-shaped rack, but it doesn't really matter what the shape is, so long as the bird isn't resting on the bottom of the pan. My rack is also non-stick, which is handy, because then the skin doesn't stick to it as you're removing the turkey. Both the pan and the rack are non-stick, actually, which also makes for easier clean-up, too.

If you don't have a roasting pan and don't want to go buy one, you can always use one of those foil pans you buy at the grocery store. However, you want to make sure it's pretty darn sturdy, especially if you're going to be roasting a bigger bird. And you want to make sure your turkey will fit in it, so choose the size accordingly. The big downside to these pans is that they don't come with roasting racks. So if I were you, I'd stick something down in the bottom to keep the turkey from sitting in its own juices as it cooks. Sitting in the juice would mean some really gross turkey skin, because it'd be kind of limp and gooey rather than crisp and brown. I'd put a layer of large potato chunks down there or something to keep it raised up. Plus, then you can eat the potatoes. :)

You'll also need a meat thermometer. Mine is technically for grilling, but whatever. As long as it gives me a number, I don't care.
I don't trust those darn pop-up things that come in the turkey, because they never pop up when my thermometer tells me the turkey is done. Which leads me to believe they're faulty. And since I've never killed anyone with my un-popped turkey, I'm thinking the actual thermometer is a better bet. You need to cook poultry until it's a minimum of 165 degrees inside (probably closer to 170-180), and you'll want to check both the breasts and the thighs/drumsticks, because white and dark meat cook differently. There's a huge price range when it comes to meat thermometers. You can get a really simple one for a few bucks, or you can buy a really nice remote digital one for a lot more.

The other way to check to make sure your turkey is done is to tip it and let the juices flow out of the cavity. If there's any pink in there, it's not done. Same thing if you pierce it somewhere with a knife--if the juices don't run clear, it's not done. However, go easy on the piercing. Every time you cut it, you're letting out a lot of the flavor and moisture (that's why you always let meat rest for 10 or 20 minutes after it's done cooking--it allows the juices to redistribute, and they won't all come running out as soon as you cut the meat).

Now to the actual preparation. I always, always, ALWAYS brine my turkey. I promise you it will be worth the extra effort. Just do it. Or I will leave Boston, come over to your house, and kick you. Brine the darn thing, people. It makes for a much more tender and juicy turkey. And what is the biggest complaint about turkey? That it's dry. Do you see the gem I'm offering you here?

So what is brining? Brining refers to soaking your bird in a brine (salty water) overnight. The salt tenderizes the bird; it does not make it taste salty. (Though it will make your gravy salty if you make gravy from the drippings, so beware. I buy a gravy base from Williams Sonoma or Trader Joe's and make it separately.) Most people also throw in some spices and whatnot into the brine to get a leg up on flavoring their turkey.

I wrote about brining last Thanksgiving, so you can get some more information here, along with some links to brine recipes. The only other thing I'd add about brining is that after you make the brine, which requires boiling some water, you'll need to let it cool completely before putting your turkey in it (the last thing you want to do is accidentally cook your turkey a little before it's time, or worse, bring it up to an unsafe temperature for an extended period of time). So I would make the brine Wednesday morning, let it cool in the fridge all day, then pop the turkey in it before you go to bed. Then all you have to do is rinse it off on Thursday morning, and you're good to go.

As for turkey flavorings, you can go any route you want. There are so many good combinations out there that I wouldn't presume to tell you what you'll like. I've always used rosemary, but I think I'll use sage this year. Williams-Sonoma has a ton of excellent recipes posted right now, and the Pioneer Woman has a how-to on the actual roasting of your turkey here (she brines her turkey, too, by the way). PW does a pretty good job of explaining the actual cooking of the turkey, so I will leave that part to her.

Okay, if you have read this far, you are a champ. Leave a comment and tell me whether or not you've ever roasted a turkey, whether you're a novice or an expert, and whether or not you're cooking one this year.