No Cartoon Hearts for God

I just had to share this with y'all, because I knew you'd laugh.

This morning I was browsing through a fabric store's website, and I came across a fabric that had Noah's Ark on it. I clicked on it to get a better look, and this is what came up:


Okay. Now, I understand the cartoonish animals. I understand sticking a rainbow in there, however random the spot. But the Noah flag on the ark? Really? With hearts on it? Really?

It just totally made me laugh.

I think it even says "Noah" (bookended with hearts, of course) above the little door/window where the cow is sticking his head out.

Not only is it so cheesy, but it also makes it look like Noah is their hero. Rather than "Noah," it ought to say "Yahweh." But maybe not with hearts on either side. God is too majestic and too awesome of a presence for cartoon hearts.

Money-Saving Tip

Hey y'all,

I am not going to write a discourse on today's economic events, dramatic as they are. But in light of all the talk about crises, I figured today would be a good day to pass along a little money-saving tip I picked up the other day.

A magazine I was reading (I don't remember which one) suggested baking potatoes in the crock pot. It struck me that since leaving a crock pot on for a few hours is pretty much akin to leaving a light bulb on, energy-wise, it is probably cheaper--and greener--to cook them this way rather than heating the whole oven for 45 minutes. Unless, that is, you bake like 20 potatoes at a time, like my mother-in-law does when the whole family is home. :)

The other reason it saves you money is because they're potatoes. Which are cheap. Especially when you eat a baked potato as your entree, maybe along with some soup or stuffed with broccoli or chili or whatnot. When Nathan and I were first married and I had next to no cooking skills, we ate baked potatoes a lot. With canned peas, with canned baked beans, with canned soup. (That's as much of a reflection of how poor we were as it is of my lack of cooking skills. See? Money-saving! Not to suggest you eat a bunch of canned foods, but back then we were more interested in thrift than nutrition.)

So I tried baking potatoes in the crock pot tonight, and it worked like a charm. Simply scrub the potatoes, rub them with a little olive oil and seasoned salt, wrap them in foil, and put them in the crock pot on high for 6-8 hours (mine were done after about 6 hours).

There ya go.

A Short Weekend

This weekend felt so short!

I usually look forward to weekends a lot, even though I'm no longer working, because it means that Nathan is home. It's just nice to be all together as a family. Plus, he can watch Noah while I do other things.

Nathan is working really hard right now, though, because he is giving two talks at an upcoming conference, and he has been working long hours preparing his research. So he worked all day on Saturday, which made it feel like a regular weekday to me. And then we slept half the afternoon yesterday (all three of us took a two-hour nap!), so it just seemed like this weekend was very short.

A note on the naps: we were all beat because Noah is waking up really early these days. Yesterday he woke up at 4:45. That is probably the earliest yet, although for the past week, he has been waking up around 5:00. What happened to my good sleeper?! He used to sleep until 6:00 or 6:30! I think it's because he started crawling. I've heard that babies' sleep gets interrupted whenever there is a new development. Plus, his teeth have been bothering him more lately, which may also be contributing. But anyway, that's why we were so tired yesterday. I was a much more cheerful mommy afterward.

Sweet Potato and Apple Soup

I made this tonight, and it's pretty good. I adapted the recipe from one I found in Real Simple this month. It'd be great served in a sourdough bread bowl.

Sweet Potato and Apple Soup

2 sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 of an onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
3 cups water
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons milk, half and half, or heavy cream (the more fatty the dairy, the more of a velvety feel the soup will have)

Bake the sweet potatoes. Wash them and prick them with a fork, then microwave them for approx. 12 minutes or bake them in a 400-degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and apple and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 10-12 minutes.

Halve the baked sweet potatoes, scoop out the flesh, and add to the saucepan. Add the 3 cups of water, one teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until heated through, 8-10 minutes. Add the flour and milk and stir.

Puree the soup in the saucepan using a handheld immersion blender (or, working in batches, a standard blender). Add water, if necessary, to reach the desired consistency.

Serves approx. 4

Cute Baby Stuff Galore!

One of my bloggy friends, Sabrina, just started an Etsy store, and her stuff is CUTE, y'all!

It's called Noodles and Milk, and she specializes in baby items. She's got bibs, blankets, and onesies galore, and the best part is that they are super cute. None of this run-of-the-mill plain blue and pink. No, this stuff is stylin'.

My favorite is this owl onesie. I am always on the lookout for cute, non-cheesy owl things, since we went to Rice. This one is awesome:

Check the rest of her goodies out! They'll be perfect for the next new baby, the next baby shower, the next first birthday party, Christmas, . . .

Noah Update

THE BOY STILL HAS NO TEETH!!!!!!

Oh my gosh. Seriously. Eight-and-a-half months old and still no teeth. His four front teeth have been coming for about two or three months now. I wish they'd hurry up and break through.

On the bright side, he is army crawling as of a couple of days ago! Before that, he wasn't stationary or anything, though. He had been getting around quite well, but it was not in any consistent way: roll, reach, twist, scoot, reach again, arrive at the toy. He has also pulled himself up into a standing position from time to time.

Beginning at the End

Upon the recommendation of my friend, Sara, I joined a local Mom's group at a church near my house. It's called Mom to Mom, and although I had never heard of it before, it is apparently a worldwide thing. Basically, a group of moms gathers to watch a video or hear a lecture on a mom topic, then you break into small groups and go over some discussion questions.

I have only been once, but so far I love it. There are several reasons. First, this church's nursery area is freakin' awesome. They actually take your and your baby's pictures and print them out on his name tag so that only you can pick him up. They have a paid childcare staff, and it was apparent from the first few minutes I was there that they are very capable. You know that taking care of babies is their gifting when you go back to pick up your child at the end of the first day, see a sea of crying babies (which is to be expected on the first day), and all the adults are totally at ease, holding, rocking, comforting, doing what they can but not freaking out about the 15 crying children in the room. They also give you a beeper and buzz you if your child needs you, which is comforting.

Another reason I like it is because they assign you to a small group led by what they call your "Titus 2 mom" or something like that. The reference is to Titus 2:3-5 (particularly v. 4), where it instructs the older women to teach the younger women:
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
So because they assign a mentor mom to your group, not only do you get someone who might have an answer to why your child simply won't nap, but you also get someone who can give some perspective on the things you're dealing with. From what I understand, some of these small groups become great friends.

I was also really impressed by how organized this particular church was. Since it's the church where Mom to Mom started, I guess it makes sense that they'd have it all together, but I noticed how much time they put into making the whole experience easy and welcoming for newcomers. It would be easy for someone like me, who doesn't attend that church, to get lost in the probably 200+ group of women who gathered there. But it was not that way at all, and it struck me that being a person who knows how to make others feel welcome is of real value in this world--it is a ministry, itself. One girl in my small group is not even a Christian, but she wanted to learn about God, and she's a new mom and wanted the fellowship. How awesome is it that she felt comfortable coming?

Mom to Mom follows a curriculum that cycles every three years, I think. This year, the curriculum is called "Inside Out Parenting," and the idea is basically that your parenting has to do with who you are more than what you do. The first lesson was on beginning at the end. The idea is to think about what kind of legacy you want to leave your kids, and to realize that you are creating that legacy right now. I think all of us, not just the moms, have a tendency to get so caught up in the everyday things that we don't always think about the goal. But in anything that we do, we should "begin with the end in mind," which is not exactly a new concept. If we do that in business, with a home improvement project, heck, with lasagne, then we ought to do it with our parenting. That's what last week's lesson was about.

So today I was looking over the reflection questions, and I just thought I'd post them here as food for thought:

The Big Question:
What legacy do you want to leave?
What legacy do you want to live?

Ask Yourself:

• What do you want your kids to remember?
• Who do you want them to be?
• Whom do you want them to serve?
  

Remember:

• Parenting is more about right relationships than getting it right.
• Practice "mono vision": Live in the moment--but look ahead!
• Be intentional--and directional. Point your children Godward.
• In order for your children to listen to you, they must feel loved by you.
• You really do make a difference. What you're doing each day IS worth it!
• Mistakes are inevitable. They're how we learn. And children--and God--are very forgiving.
• We can't secure every plane on which our children will fly or control the weather. We can know the "pilot." And that will make all the difference!

A legacy worth living: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15, NIV

Mom to Mom Inside Out Parenting Member Book, p. 11

I don't yet know exactly how I want to answer all of those questions. But I am glad that I have been prompted to begin thinking about them.

What do you think? Do you have any thoughts on the legacy you want to leave, to children or otherwise? (Not just how you want to be remembered, but how you helped shape others' lives?)

Henry James Ain't No Friend of Mine

I tried an experiment last night. It has to do with testing my brain.

In my college days, when I transferred from Baylor to Rice, I was flattened by the workload I signed myself up for. At Baylor (partly thanks to all my required intro business classes), I had time to watch a movie every day. At Rice, I really struggled to keep up, and I never, ever got everything read that I was supposed to read. This held true all three years I was there--I don't think I ever read every assignment for any class, and since I'm a perfectionist, this meant that I lived in a perpetual state of stress, because I really did try to do so. I have a theory that this is why I have a complex that makes me really reluctant to commit myself to things--I am very wary of putting too much on my plate and getting stressed out like that again. However, I am now pretty skilled at identifying what I need to do to be successful at something and just leaving out the rest (i.e. what books I need to read for a class to still get an A). Anyway, . . .

One of my first classes was Dr. Doody's American Lit class, in which we read Henry James' The Ambassadors. This was the first assignment for the class, so it was one of the first pieces of literature I had read in college. It was so hard that I thought I'd never get through it. I remember my roommate and best friend, Sarah, reading it and making her way through it just fine, while I trudged my way through the miry prose, finding that at the end of each page, I had no idea what had been said. It was just a horrible experience.

But I fancy that after three more years of reading hard stuff, plus having a little bit of life (and therefore, perspective) on this side of Henry James, that I am now able to read difficult literature with much more ease. This is definitely true, but what I wanted to find out was whether The Ambassadors really was that hard or whether I was just really unprepared for it, so I picked it up last night to see.

People, it is just as bad as I remember. The sentence structure is so convoluted that it's hard to figure out what's going on.

Can you imagine my relief? I wasn't so un-smart, after all! The book really was hard! Whew! Truthfully, it was surely a combination of my relative newness to this type of literature and the fact that the prose is difficult, but I was just relieved to find that it wasn't all me.

But as I was flipping through the novel last night, I did notice that he paints some very beautiful and original word pictures. Such as describing an awkward conversation as a table setting, where one person sets out a dish which then has to be removed (they bring up a topic that isn't picked up by the other person). There are also some wonderful turns of phrase, like someone who has "a face that was like an open letter in a foreign tongue." Isn't that just wonderful?

So although I don't think I will be snapping up every novel that dearest Henry wrote, I can appreciate his brilliance.

Odds and Ends

Apparently I am on another domestic kick, with all the recipes I've been enthused about the last couple of weeks. Lest you think I am like this all the time, I should let you know that I'm like this for about a week or two every month. Then we go back to eating lots of leftovers and sandwiches. :)

I have a weight loss update. I had wanted to lose 20 lbs. by my birthday, which would put me at my pre-pregnancy weight. Well, I can't break past about 16! I've been here for a month or two, and it's starting to get a little old. But if I can lose this dang four pounds by October 9, Noah's nine month birthday, then I will have literally gone nine months up and nine months down. So that is my new goal. Then I want to lose another 5 pounds to get to where I really ought to be. We will see what happens. Weight Watchers has not been my friend lately. If I follow their plan, I don't lose weight. If I eat less than they're telling me to, I lose weight. So I'm annoyed that I have to eat less than the regular diet plan to lose a few pounds--all you moms, could it be because my body is reserving those last few pounds because I'm nursing?

As of the past few weeks, Noah doesn't like to be put to bed, as you can see. I peeked in while Nathan was trying to put him down, and his tragic pose just cracked me up. It was funnier when the top arm was draped across his face. Poor Noah. Sleep is such an injustice, I know.

My baby eats Cheerios now. He's so big.

For Dinner This Week

For dinner this week:

Beef Stew
This is one of the only items on this list that I have made before, and I've made it many times. It is the BEST beef stew I've ever tasted. I alter the recipe, though, by leaving out the chestnuts and adding lots of extra carrots and potatoes, my favorites.

Concord Grape Pie
This just looked awesome when I saw it on Martha Stewart a year ago, but I thought I would never go to that much trouble. Well, I saw concord grapes in the market the other day, and I decided I'd give it a whirl. For those of you who don't have concord grapes in your local stores (I had never had them before coming to New England), they are really different from regular green and red grapes. The skins come off really easily, and the inside is a gelatinous, squishy ball, with an inextricable seed inside. So I have always found them really hard to eat. However, they taste EXACTLY like grape candy. I always thought the candy companies totally made that flavor up and called it grape, but no, that's what concord grapes taste like.
If you go to the link, you can actually watch a video of how to prepare the grapes.

Maple Orange Chicken with Acorn Squash and Sweet Potatoes
I saw this recipe on the Food Network earlier this summer, but it just seemed really out of place for summer fare. So I filed it away in my brain and decided to pull it out for fall, and that's what I'm doing. I love squash and sweet potatoes, and I love hoisin sauce, so I hope it turns out well.

Roasted Chicken with Vegetables
This recipe is the closest one to the way I roast a chicken. If you've never done it before, you really should. It seems daunting at first, but it's really not that hard once you get the hang of it. There are just some basic things you need to know, which I think this recipe covers. And there's a bonus to mastering this recipe: if you can roast a chicken, you can roast a turkey, easy. It makes Thanksgiving much less stressful to know that your turkey is going to come out just fine.

What I do differently: I brush melted butter instead of olive oil onto the chicken, and I usually use rosemary instead of the thyme they suggest. However, I'm kind of tired of rosemary. It's been my herb of choice for several years, so I think I am going to experiment with other things for a while. I am really liking thyme these days.

Oh, and my other favorite thing is to put all manner of veggies underneath the roasting rack. For one thing, it's a one-dish meal this way. But also, the drippings from the chicken flavor the veggies, and they come out delicious. The way I do this is to cut them all up into the appropriate sizes (smaller chunks for the veggies that take longer to cook), toss them in some melted butter and whatever herb(s) I'm using on the chicken, add salt & pepper, and spread them in the bottom of the pan about 45 minutes to an hour before the chicken will be done. Veggies that work well for this include: potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, winter squash, summer squash, mushrooms, and tomatoes (throw those in 15 min. or so before the end since they cook quickly). I've even used asparagus. I usually put so many veggies in there that they make a layer at least two inches deep, so it takes them a little longer to cook than just a few items would.

Also on the docket this week: homemade (a.k.a. bread machine) bread or rolls. Yum.

Welcome Fall Breakfast

Today we had some friends over for a fall breakfast. We are excited to usher in fall, and it's definitely here. Today and yesterday have been completely autumnal. Beautiful and sunny but crisp and cool. This is totally my kind of weather.

Nathan says, though, that he is not quite ready for summer to be over. He says that, like Superman, he needs more of the sun's rays to survive the lean months.

*rolling my eyes*

Anyway, we invited a few people over to have pumpkin pancakes and baked apples. It was sort of a spur of the moment gathering, and I was actually surprised at how excited everyone was about it. Just goes to show you how much many of us love the fall and all it brings. Everyone came with some food, and we had quite the breakfast. It was wonderful.

In case you're inspired to have your own lovely fall breakfast, here are a few of the recipes:

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Pumpkin Pancakes
From Courtney, who left the recipe in a comment. See, people? Good things come of comments!

1 c. Bisquick mix
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
3 heaping Tbsp. pumpkin puree (canned)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Cook as you would normal pancakes. These came out dense and thick, and served with pure maple syrup, they were a HIT. They were also great dredged in the cinnamon-butter that spilled out of the baked apples. And next time, I might make this as a topping.

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Baked Apples
Adapted from Paula Deen. Click here for her printer-friendly recipe.
The way these make your home smell alone is worth making them. The whole house smelled amazing all day long.

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
6 same-size Cortland apples (I chose Cortlands because they're mild, sweet, and don't turn brown. You could probably use just about any variety, but Granny Smiths, Cortlands, etc., will hold up better than, say, Golden Delicious.)
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 6 teaspoon-size pieces
1 cup apple juice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
Core apples, making sure not to puncture the bottom of the apples so that the juices will remain. (I found that a melon baller worked great for this.) Remove skin from 1/2-inch around top of apples at the opening. Fill each cavity with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Top each apple with a teaspoon of butter. Place apples in casserole dish and pour apple juice around them. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from heat and serve.
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Sausage and Egg Casserole
Julia brought this. It was amazing. Well, according to the other guests, anyway. It was gone by the time I got to it, which attests to how good it is. I was scraping off the bits from the bottom, and even those were tasty. It's not exactly health food, but it's okay to indulge every now and then. I give you (and myself!) permission. :)

6-8 slices white bread, crusts removed
1 lb. pork sausage (such as Jimmy Dean; Julia used the "hot" flavor)
1-1/2 c. cheddar cheese
2 c. half and half
6 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of 9x13 glass dish. Butter the bread and line the dish. Brown the sausage and drain. Layer the sausage then the cheese over the bread. Whisk eggs and half and half, pour over top. Bake 40-45 minutes.

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Pomegranate Orange Juice
We had some of the season's first fresh apple cider (thanks to Bethany and Carey), along with this concoction that Bonnie and Dave brought. It was delightful. You could probably fancy it up by adding champagne or sparkling water or by using sparkling pomegranate juice.

5 cups orange juice
1 cup pomegranate juice

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Oatmeal Casserole
Caleb and Kendra brought this casserole o' deliciousness. I love oatmeal. Give it to me in just about any form, and I will be thrilled. There is just something so wholesome about it that I love.

However, I neglected to get the recipe. Kendra, will you post it on your blog so we can all have it?

Happy Birthday to Me

Sunday was my 29th birthday. One more year of my twenties! I told Nathan that he better enjoy it before I get old, exactly one year from now.

Just kidding. I don't really feel old. I want to be one of those women who ages gracefully and enjoys every phase of life for what it is.

Anyway, my birthday was really nice. Nathan made me breakfast in bed, y'all! That's a rare thing, so it was so nice! He made me an egg-in-a-hole, which is piece of toast that you cut a hole in, then you fry an egg in the hole. It involves a lot of butter. Which means it was delicioso. He made this particular breakfast because he was inspired by what he saw on the Pioneer Woman's website. Of course. Because he devoured most of that website, remember? Which is because he missed his calling to be a cowboy.

Anyway, we went to church that morning, and after we came home, we all took a really long nap. People, if nothing else, a long nap makes for a good birthday.

That evening, Caleb and Kendra babysat Noah while Nathan and I went to dinner. We went to this really old tavern in Charlestown called the Warren Tavern. George Washington ate there. It was really fun to go there for the historical ambiance, but I would definitely not recommend the food. Maybe their burgers and stuff are good, but their nicer dinner items left a lot to be desired. I'm still glad we went, though. It was just different. Doing something different was way more fun than going to Cheesecake Factory or something.

Here's a picture of the menu, with the history of the tavern on the back.

The birthday girl with my French onion soup and house root beer.

I must tell you that even though I just dissed the Cheesecake Factory, we finished our meal with desserts from them. :) We got a couple of pieces of dessert to go, then we went to pick Noah up and shared them with Caleb & Kendra. I have a new discovery to share with you: the lemoncello torte. Oh my gosh. It was amazing. It's not cheesecake--it's a lemony cake with custard filling, and if you like lemon, you must, must, must try it.

I got lots of nice gifts that were mailed to me from various family and friends, but I have to say that one of my favorites--and definitely the most unique--was what Deborah sent me. It was Pride and Prejudice--The Game. Oh. My. Gosh. I laughed so hard. It's a board game. The goal is to get married. There are detours to Meryton and Longbourne. It is marvelous.

I had a great birthday! Thanks to everyone who made it special.

Off to England

Matthew and Emily are flying out to England today. Can you imagine making such a move? We are praying for safe travels and a smooth settling in when they get to their apartment in Cambridge.

Manchester-by-the-Sea

Today, while a lot of Texan friends and family prepared to hunker down for Ike, Nathan and I went up to Manchester-by-the-Sea, a quaint little sailing town on Boston's north shore. Nathan's advisor lives there, and one of his hobbies is lobstering. So he invited his students to come out and go out on his boat to pull in the traps then, well, EAT.

So Nathan, Noah, and I headed out early this morning to meet them at the dock. The Boy and I stayed in town while Nathan went out onto the high seas. Here is a picture of the boat heading out:


While they were out pulling up traps and collecting lobsters, Noah and I walked around the tiny town center. I browsed at a used bookstore full of all kinds of treasures and found a old little novel called The Lobster Catchers. I thought it was the perfect souvenier, so I bought it. After walking for a bit, we went to a little park so Noah could play in the grass and watch the bigger kids run around, which he enjoyed. Eventually, he got sleepy, so I drove him around so he could go to sleep, which allowed me to see all the beautiful houses in the town. I took a couple of pictures of some nice sights:



It turns out that while I was out meandering around town, Nathan was in charge of picking the lobsters up by their claws while someone else put rubber bands around them. Just in case you ever need this piece of vital knowledge, you should always grab the pincher claw first, which is skinnier, because it's quicker. Then you grab the crusher claw for, well, obvious reasons.

We all headed back to John's house, where his wife and their two youngest kids were preparing for us. They have a beautiful house on a nice plot of land. Their kids offered to give us a tour of the garden and the area. They had a ridiculous amount of tomatoes, and one little boy was like, "Oh! A pea!" And he pulled off a snap pea and ate it like it was the greatest treat. Man, everyone should have a garden, if for no other reason than to teach your kids that vegetables are cool.

This kid was a lot of fun. He led us all around the edge of their property, looking for wild blackberries. At one point, he handed some kind of odd berry to Nathan and said, "Here, eat it." Nathan was like, "I'm not so sure that's a blackberry." "Oh just take a little bite." "Do you really think that's a blackberry?" Then, in a hushed voice, he said, "Ohhh. NO." Ha! There's no telling what those kids have eaten out there.

Then he started throwing these little burrs that stick to you clothes at us, and we had a little war with them. It was fun. Here's a picture of Nathan swinging the boys around. He's so good with kids:

I'm not sure why this kid was showing me his tongue:

That boy was hilarious. He is four, and he is obsessed--OBSESSED, I tell you--with Spiderman. As soon as we arrived, he asked Nathan to make the sign with your hand that Spiderman makes when he shoots his web. Nathan had no idea what he was asking at the time. Later, we heard him singing a Spiderman song to himself, and we noticed him doing it three times throughout the afternoon. We also saw him drawing a pretty dang good drawing of Spiderman, and he had a great time looking through a Spiderman book. And the funny thing is that it's not like this is a new thing. He has apparently been obsessed with Spiderman for quite a while. Anyway, it cracked us up.

The other funny thing about these boys happened when I was trying to nurse Noah. Everyone was outside, and I came inside and got set up in a chair with my hooter hider. Shortly thereafter, the boys came in and asked where the baby was. His legs were sticking out from beneath the hooter hider, so I pointed them out and told them he was under there.

"No he's not! That's a doll!"
"Yes, that's Noah under there." At this point I was beginning to suspect that they might want to see proof.
"What is he doing?" I wasn't sure what to say, but I figured the truth is always good.
"He's having his milk."
"What?"
"He's having his milk." I didn't know what else to say. They obviously didn't get it the first time, but how do you explain it further?

Then they got past their initial inquisitiveness and decided to find out for themselves.
"Where is he?" They started to pull up on the hooter hider.

I realized I might be in trouble here--there were two of them and only one of me. When I held down the fabric, they started to think it was a game, so they started giggling and trying harder to get in there. Then one of them climbed onto the back of the chair so he could see down the front of it. At this point, I'm laughing, trying to hold down the hooter hider both at the bottom at the top, trying to explain that he's just having his milk (which obviously is not an answer that is helping, no matter how many times I repeat it), but all that's happening is that they are laughing harder because they think I'm playing a game, and they're trying harder to lift the fabric and see what was under there.

Their mom walked into the room just in time and shooed the boys away. She said, kind of whispering, "They don't remember." It really made Nathan and me laugh later.

And lest I forget to tell you about the main event, the lobster, here is a picture:
There were so many lobsters that there were enough for everyone to have as many as they wanted. I think most people stuck to one or two, although John said they had had a guest one time who ate four or five! There was a lot of talk at our table about the best way to crack the lobsters open at different spots to get to the meat, and Nathan is pretty much an expert now. Our table was covered with lobsters, sea water, and butter. Lots and lots of butter.

So we had a real, live, honest-to-goodness lobster bake, with lobsters harvested just that morning. It was a fun experience and something that I'm sure most people never get to do. Chalk it up as one more uniquely New England experience!

Food Cube Love

Have I told you about food cubes? I know I told you that I am making most of Noah's baby food, but I'm not sure I mentioned the food cubes.

Basically, the way I am making his food is by pureeing fruit or cooked veggies until they're smooth, spooning them into ice cube trays, freezing them, then storing them in plastic bags. This is fantastic for Noah's food, because not only do I know exactly what's in his food, but I can also control the texture, and it's MUCH cheaper (depending on the food--carrots, definitely; mangoes, not so much).

Anyhow, probably because I'm making food cube batches every week or so, I've got them on the brain and am beginning to see other uses for them. And I thought I'd pass them along.

First of all, you can shred zucchini or steam it and toss it in the food processor/blender, then freeze it, and bingo, you've got something you can toss into a myriad of foods to boost the nutritional content. Just pull a couple of cubes out of the freezer and pop them into marinara sauce, chili, meatloaf, etc. If you have picky eaters in your house, this would be great. Is this in Mrs. Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" book? Because it should be. If you happen to have a summer garden that has produced way more zucchini than you know what to do with, this is a great way to use it. And this method would also work with all kinds of other veggies--butternut squash, carrots, mushrooms, etc.

Also, as I was pureeing some peaches the other day, I realized that I could take a cube of peaches or strawberries, thaw it or melt it in the microwave, and stir it into my cottage cheese or yogurt. It'd not only avoid the extra sugar they use, but it'd also taste better.

I also buy frozen garlic cubes from Trader Joe's. They are incredibly handy for tossing into the pan when you are strapped for time or too lazy to peel and chop fresh garlic. Since they're pressed instead of chopped, they also don't affect the food's texture, and they sort of melt away and get evenly distributed throughout the dish. You could probably make your own by freezing a tray of little clove-sized mounds of chopped or pressed garlic, then, once frozen, dumping them all in a Ziploc. Fresh garlic will always taste better, in my opinion, but if you are frequently strapped for time (let's say you often have a baby insisting on your attention), this is a good alternative.

Trader Joe's also sells chopped herbs in the same type of packages, and I'm sure that if you puree them (maybe adding a little olive oil or water to help them along), you could do the same thing. I might do that with my basil this year, because I know from experience that it will not last through the winter.

My stash

Eight Months Old

Noah is eight months old today!

He is so funny. In the last week, he discovered how much he can move around--although he can't crawl yet, he is great at sitting, twisting, and scooting a little on the floor. And because of this, he is all of a sudden into everything. Everything within reach is fair game. We have to really watch him in the bathtub and on the changing table these days.

He loves to be surprised and scared. We play a game with him where we hide then pop out while making a loud sound, and he squeals with delight.

He has started saying "a-da-da" and "a-meh-meh." Even though he hasn't made the connection with Dada and Mama, those are the syllables he repeats the most. Also, he repeats "da da da" when he's happy or excited, and he says "ma ma ma" when he is hungry or tired or needs comfort. Kind of funny how it happened like that.

This is pretty much what our living room looks like every day now. Toyland.
I don't know what's up with Noah's face in this picture, but I thought it was funny.

Noah and Mommy

He loves to hang upside-down.

When he's excited, he waves both hands at the same time or claps. This picture cracks me up.

Speaking of waving and clapping when he's excited, check out this video, when Nathan was playing with him:

Catching Up

So I haven't posted anything during the last few days, mostly because all the things I have to chat about aren't really significant and would likely make short posts. But maybe if I post them all at once, they'll be interesting. Or maybe not. You be the judge.

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One of the reasons I haven't posted in a few days is because I got caught up reading The Pioneer Woman's love story. You can find it here. But give yourself a few hours. It's like a little novella.

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Last week, Nathan discovered The Pioneer Woman website, too. I had been talking about it, because she has the most awesome recipe webpage, complete with awesome food photography. I want to make just about everything she talks about, although I don't, because I am on a diet, after all, and she uses a lot of butter and other unhealthy (translation: "tasty") stuff. But it's delicious-looking all the same. Anyhow, Nathan caught on to the fact that they live on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, and slowly, PW's funny stories started working their way into his conversation. Pretty soon I realized that Nathan had read pretty much the entire website. Scratch that--he had devoured pretty much the entire website.

It's all because his dream job would be to have her husband's life--he has started waxing poetic about getting up at 5am and doing physical work all day rather than sitting in an office. He would love, more than just about anything, to be a country boy and build things and work with animals. The reason he chose geology as a career is because he wanted to do something in the sciences, and geology was the thing that was the most outdoorsy. I am sure that we will not always live in a city.

So now you know. I've outed Nathan as a closet Pioneer Woman fan.

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Truth be told, he reads all of your blogs, too. I usually find out one of you has a new post because he tells me, not because I see it myself.

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Last night, I made una cena centroamericana (a Central American dinner). I miss eating at El Meson, a fantastic Central/South American restaurant near Rice. (Or is it Cuban?) Ah, the black beans. Ah, the fried plantains. Palomillo, you're calling my name. Mmmm, platanos maduros . . . I digress. Anyway, last night I made fried plantains, black bean cakes, and cornbread with cheese and green onions. Okay, so the cornbread is more southwestern than South American. But whatever. It was yummy.

Even though I hatched the idea without any help, I looked up recipes for black bean cakes, and I found that you pretty much make them the way I had been planning to, which is basically like meatballs, except substituting cilantro for parsley. Here is the recipe I used. Although I'm sure their sauce is good, I topped them with sour cream, a squeeze of lime, and some avocado. I didn't really measure, so I didn't follow the recipe exactly. But I will tell you that they were great. Crispy on the outside and warm and tasty on the inside. The squeeze of lime really made a difference. And don't you dare try to improvise and do without the cilantro. It is an essential ingredient. Mmm.

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Last weekend, we hosted a surprise birthday party for Damien. He and his wife, Sara, were in our Bible study for a couple of years before they moved to Virginia. They were up for a visit, and Sara asked me to host a surprise party for Damien's 30th birthday, which Nathan and I were more than happy to do! After BBQ and birthday cake, we settled down to play a game, which is kind of our thing. Our group always enjoys a good game. It was such a fun time--it was great to see them, what with their great sense of humor and Damien's fun French accent.

Some of our friends: Sara J., Bonnie, Dave, and Bryan:

And here's the birthday boy with the homemade strawberry cake I made him:

One of the reasons the party was fun was because of all the kiddos. Nathan remarked afterward how nice it was to know such nice kids. The little girl is Hannah, whose mom and dad (Caleb & Kendra) are sitting in the chairs in the background, and the little boy is Nathan, whose mom, Sara R., is sitting on the floor with him. As you can see, they were quite exuberant and were having a great time. It was a fun night!----------

On Labor Day, we went out to the park near our house. It was a fantastic day--sunny and warm, but not hot. We sunned ourselves, and I took a little catnap on our beach towel (thank goodness for daddies who keep babies occupied while mommies catnap). Later, we went back with Kendra and Caleb, who wanted to go to that park, too. It was just a great day to be outside. However, it was also the day that Noah decided that the camera looked like a pretty interesting plaything.

Oooh, the camera. Can I play with that?

Oh gosh, come on!

Help me out here, Dad!

I'm taking things into my own hands.

Nathan's Pondering of the Day

"If someone asks you what the Socratic Method is, is it ever appropriate to give them an answer?"

Six Degrees from Lauren

Simply because I don't have anything else to blog about at the moment, I'm going to tell you how I know all the people whose blogs I've linked to. Just for fun. And to spread their wonderfulness to the world.

Living Proof is Beth Moore's blog (her org is called Living Proof Ministries). It's a great hodge podge of girly reflections (like shoes), ministry (like a nationwide summer Bible study organized through the blog), life stuff (like getting a new dog), and exhortation (like remembering to have reverence for God). Beth and both her daughters, Amanda and Melissa, all contribute.

Meredith is my sister-in-law. Besides her cuteness, impeccable accessorizing taste, and wry wit, she is also very socially conscious. A little bit of all of that trickles into her blog, although she updates it WAY too infrequently (hint, hint, Aunt Merri!). The link for Linda Grayson Design is her little handbag business. Like I said, she has impeccable taste when it comes to accessorizing. I am always amazed at how the girl can dress up a stinkin' t-shirt with the perfect jewelry. I totally lack that skill.

Can you guess who Mom is? Dangit, I gave it away. ;) Yes, that is my mom. (Okay, that was a bad joke.) Mom mostly writes about things that are going on in the everyday life of my family. So if you want to know about my grandparents, the crazy recent family crises, or what she teaches at school, that's your go-to spot.

Nancy is a friend of a friend who I met through the blogosphere. We have never met in person. Isn't it funny how many people you get to know this way without ever meeting them? Nancy and I have too many mutual friends to never meet, though, so I am sure that one day we will. The best thing about her blog is her quirky sense of humor and appreciation of the humor in everyday life. Her blog will make you laugh.

Katie Curry is a friend of mine from Baylor. We were both involved in Sing Alliance, where we created a show and performed it at a big event at Baylor. She was a chair of our group, and I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the soloists. We became friends right away and still try to get together whenever we can, because we always laugh our heads off when we're together. When we were in college, we used to go to HFBC's Metro together (a singles Bible study, which at the time was mostly college students), where we'd play "Six Degrees from Katie and Lauren." Oddly enough, every single person we spoke to was really within six degrees of one of us. Fun times. The legacy continues, though, because Katie's younger sister, Lindsay, and my sister-in-law, Deborah, both ended up in Baylor's Theater department at the same time. So we were, like, double two degrees from each other . . . or something.

Next up: Kim and Mark. Mark and Nathan were roommates at Rice from their first day there until Nathan moved out to marry little ol' me. So that would be around three and a half years. Kim is his wife (also a Rice alum), and they are about the coolest couple you will ever meet. Mark and Kim both love good food and are great at making it. We wish we lived closer so we could sample more of their goodies . . . I digress. Anyway, Kim has a great blog that's mostly about food but also incorporates other lovely things. And she takes gorgeous pictures of her food, which makes you want to make it even more.

Becky Davis is a girl I know from high school. Becky is a really sweet girl who has two of the cutest little boys you'll ever see.

Next is April Drolet. Sigh. Where do I start with April? I guess the right place to start is in my front yard when we were 8 years old. Because that's when we met. We grew up across the street from one another and have been the greatest of friends ever since. She and her husband, Jonathan, are not only the most fun couple you will ever hang out with, but they are also incredibly godly people who love others.

Lori Granniss is another friend of mine from high school. Lori and I were born a day apart, and our names are "Lori" and "Lauren," so we dubbed ourselves twins when we met. We were good friends in high school and remain involved in one another's lives, at least through blogging! I think the most scandalous thing about Lori is that she met her husband in college--except he wasn't a student; he was the soccer coach. Ha! She married the college soccer coach! She and her family just moved up a couple of hours away in Connecticut, and we are hoping to get together sometime soon. She runs the Bargain Shopper Lady website I have linked to the right, and she is totally on top of all the ways you can save money.

Kendra and Caleb Hug are some friends we've known in Boston for nearly the whole time we've lived here. Caleb is a Ph.D. student at MIT, and we met them when we joined a Bible study comprised of MIT students and their spouses. Their blog is full of everyday happenings of life here in Boston. They're great people, and we have enjoyed their fellowship a lot.

Amanda Jones and I were in a small group Bible study together one summer in college, when we did one of her mom's (Beth Moore's) Bible studies. We met that way and would see each other periodically at our megachurch in Houston before we both moved out of the area, but we didn't really keep in touch until we reconnected via the blogosphere. Amanda is a great writer, so her blog is always a great read. She's also a sweet girl, and I guess one of the reasons I like her is because we think alike about a lot of things.

And here are some more people I know from high school: Peter and Melissa Murrell. We all went to the same school. Peter and Melissa have actually been together since 9th grade. Isn't that sweet? :) How many people have a story like that? They now have two awesome little boys. Gabe is just a couple of weeks younger than Noah.

The first memory I have of Tracy Preskenis is of her welcoming Nathan and me to her church one Sunday after the service. My second memory is of walking into her cute house (which was decorated so tastefully) for a girls' dinner night and being made to feel right at home. Those weekly dinner nights lasted for at least a year, and it cultivated a strong friendship between a core group of five or six of us. More than anyone else I know, Tracy has the gift of hospitality. She knows how to make you feel welcome.

Michelle Sanders and I sang in the praise band at HFBC back in the day. As in, before Nathan and I moved to Boston. Michelle is another one of those people who has a great sense of humor and can see how funny some of the everyday things in life are. She has two little boys, and her youngest, Jack, was born exactly a week before Noah. So I think we bonded over nausea and swollen ankles.

Courtney Schisler. Ah, Courtney Schisler. She is easily one of the funniest people I know. She's another one of those people with a wry sense of humor which makes you laugh at things you wouldn't normally think of as funny. She is also very compassionate, throws the greatest parties ever (the most important of which I couldn't attend), and has one of the cutest little girls around. Let's see . . . what else is interesting about Courtney? Well, she married a guy 20 years older than her, which is so not weird when it comes to Mike and Courtney. They're just, well, Mike and Courtney.

I met Christina Serina at the College of Biblical Studies, where I worked in college and for a year after I graduated. Christina is one of the sweetest, most selfless people I know (I think you have to be selfless when you are one of seven children). She just had a little boy!

Morgan Teague is one of the girls in that girls' dinner group I mentioned. She and her husband, Bruce, along with their little boy, Elijah, moved to northern Africa several months ago to "learn the language and love the people," if you can read my churchy code. They are expecting their second baby before too long! They are such fun people to be around, and they also have such a genuine love for God and other people.

Ben and Julie Waters are another couple we met in our MIT Bible study. They recently moved to Dallas (well, I guess it was a year ago--time flies!) after Ben graduated. He's an engineer/MBA, and Julie is a lawyer. They are such cool people. I think the coolest thing about Julie is that she has a strong enough personality to stand up for what is right no matter what. And the coolest things about Ben are his sword collection and unquestionable prowess at Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit.

So now that you "know" everyone, go check out their blogs! Be sure to leave a comments!

29

Yesterday I realized my birthday is in two weeks.
Yay!

Then I remembered I will be turning 29.
Dangit.

September Arbonne Specials

Happy Labor Day, everyone! I hope you have all had a good summer! I am already beginning to transition from thinking about the beach and picnics to thinking about fall and all that it brings: cooler weather, apple picking, and amazing New England foliage (which I never cease to appreciate). Enjoy the end of your summer!

Here are Arbonne's specials this month:

20% Off Big Not-So-Basics
Enjoy the Arbonne Intelligence Big Not-So-Basic Hand Cream, a $20 value, for $16, and the Arbonne Intelligence Big Not-So-Basic Foot Cream, a $24.50 value, for $19.60.

Holiday Line Candles for $12-16
With every $75 SRP order increment, enjoy the option to purchase the Ginger Citrus, Awaken, Reactivate or Unwind Candles, a $30 value, for $12. Or the Nature’s Scented Garden Black Orchid Cassis or Star Jasmine Tuberose Luxury Scented Candle, a $40 value, for $16. These candles are only available for a limited time, and they are only at this price this month.

The Holiday Line is officially available, everyone! You can check it out here. Arbonne is introducing several new items and two new scents this year, and as always, everything is packaged beautifully. They'll make lovely gifts.

Best,
Lauren

Independent Consultant, Arbonne International
laurenbenesh@gmail.com