Did any of you have an advent calendar in your home growing up? We did, but we didn't call it that. My Grandma Marge made Ken and me a Christmas banner. It was made of red corduroy, hung on the wall, and it had little loops sewn on it so that you could tie little gifts to them. Each loop was labeled with a date--I think it went from December 12 to the 25th--and, in the midst of GREAT excitement, my mom would hang the banner every year, with lots of little wrapped gifts attached to it.
Y'all, you cannot imagine the anticipation with which Ken and I regarded that banner. We could not wait for it to make its appearance every year. And the first thing we did every morning--indeed, the first thought we had upon waking--was to ruuuun to the banner and open the day's gift.
Looking back, the gifts were just little things, but to us they were treasures. We might get a $1 bill, rolled up and wrapped in paper. Or perhaps a candy bar. And always, for some reason, at some point along the way, we'd unwrap a toothbrush. To this day, Mom still puts a toothbrush in our stockings. I have no idea why she started doing that, but now she can't stop, because it has gone on for so long that it has become tradition.
Of course, having such good memories about the Christmas banner makes me want to do the same thing for my kids. But I think I'll do it a little differently. Instead of opening a gift each day, I'm planning to announce a different Christmas activity every day. A girl I know grew up doing it that way, and I love the idea. There are plenty of gifts flying around this time of year; I like the idea of focusing on one thing to do together every day, instead. And according to my friend, she and her brothers and sisters were no less excited about pulling the note out of the advent calendar every day than Ken and I were about unwrapping our lip gloss or cap gun.
The problem for the parent, though, is that you have to think up so many activities! So I brainstormed the other day and came up with several. We're going to do crafts, sing Christmas carols, go look at Christmas lights, make an ornament, go to a Christmas fair, read the Christmas story, bake cookies to eat, bake cookies to give away, make a Happy Birthday Jesus cake, and so on. Not every activity has to be extremely complicated or involved; the main point is just to do something Christmas-related.
To me, the entire Christmas season is so much about joy. I'm so excited about imparting simple joy to our kids through our advent calendar. And I imagine that we will also use it to impart joy to others from time to time, by using it to get our kids involved in service projects. Even this year, I'll have Noah help me bake cookies for neighbors and family members. I love the Christmas season, and I want to make it vibrant and full of life for our children, so I'm excited about this project. We will start tomorrow, December 1st, and run through the 24th or 25th. I can't wait!
Here's to Christmas spirit!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Christmas Cards
Hey peeps!
So now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to start thinking about Christmas, isn't it?
Raise your hand if you've already decorated your house for Christmas.
Raise your hand if you've already done some Christmas baking.
Raise your hand if you've already got your Christmas cards done.
As for me, I'm afraid I can't raise my hand for any of those yet. We are going decoration shopping today, though, and we brought home a Christmas tree yesterday, so we are well on our way to having some holiday spirit in our home! And Noah doesn't know it yet, but we are going to be baking Christmas cookies and a Happy Birthday Jesus cake as part of our 25-day advent calendar (which will be all activities instead of little gifts).
And as for Christmas cards, well, let's just say that Lauren is not very good about Christmas cards. There have been many years when we didn't mail any out at all, but since we've had kids, I've gotten better about it. There are just a few things that are difficult about Christmas cards: compiling addresses, hand writing all those addresses, and not to mention getting a picture in which all the participants look good (a real challenge with kids!). But do you know what is fun? Picking out the card!
I always use Shutterfly for our Christmas cards. Lots of us use them for lots of things, don't we? From cards to birth announcements. Their desk calendars and wall calendars make good gifts for grandparents, too, I've found. I've been browsing Christmas cards for this year, and here are some of my favorites:
I also really like this one. There's brown in our family picture, so this is a possibility for our family's card this year:
I think this one is fun and festive:
I also tend to gravitate towards cards that have black and white pictures contrasted with a color on the card. This is a good example:
But I also love this one. "Joy" is something I love to put on Christmas cards, and this one has such a happy looking text--it looks sparkly. :) And I like that they paired it with a picture of laughing kids. That's a great idea. It just all comes together nicely. I only wish you could read the text a little better, but that could be corrected by lightening the picture, I'd think.
I'd better wrap it up for today, friends. We have Christmas shopping to do!!
Have a happy Monday!
So now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to start thinking about Christmas, isn't it?
Raise your hand if you've already decorated your house for Christmas.
Raise your hand if you've already done some Christmas baking.
Raise your hand if you've already got your Christmas cards done.
As for me, I'm afraid I can't raise my hand for any of those yet. We are going decoration shopping today, though, and we brought home a Christmas tree yesterday, so we are well on our way to having some holiday spirit in our home! And Noah doesn't know it yet, but we are going to be baking Christmas cookies and a Happy Birthday Jesus cake as part of our 25-day advent calendar (which will be all activities instead of little gifts).
And as for Christmas cards, well, let's just say that Lauren is not very good about Christmas cards. There have been many years when we didn't mail any out at all, but since we've had kids, I've gotten better about it. There are just a few things that are difficult about Christmas cards: compiling addresses, hand writing all those addresses, and not to mention getting a picture in which all the participants look good (a real challenge with kids!). But do you know what is fun? Picking out the card!
I always use Shutterfly for our Christmas cards. Lots of us use them for lots of things, don't we? From cards to birth announcements. Their desk calendars and wall calendars make good gifts for grandparents, too, I've found. I've been browsing Christmas cards for this year, and here are some of my favorites:
I like the red in this one--I'm partial to red in anything Christmas related, anyway:
I also really like this one. There's brown in our family picture, so this is a possibility for our family's card this year:
I think this one is fun and festive:
I also tend to gravitate towards cards that have black and white pictures contrasted with a color on the card. This is a good example:
But I also love this one. "Joy" is something I love to put on Christmas cards, and this one has such a happy looking text--it looks sparkly. :) And I like that they paired it with a picture of laughing kids. That's a great idea. It just all comes together nicely. I only wish you could read the text a little better, but that could be corrected by lightening the picture, I'd think.
I'd better wrap it up for today, friends. We have Christmas shopping to do!!
Have a happy Monday!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Turkey Day!
Did everyone have a happy Thanksgiving? I sure hope so!
I thought that today would be a good day to recount our Thanksgiving stories. Did you have something funny happen? Did someone say they were thankful for something especially sweet? Did your favorite corn casserole totally bomb? Let's all leave a comment with a little nugget from our day.
Here's mine: Though we didn't have anything truly exciting like a five foot fireball this year, we had a very nice Thanksgiving. Right now, we're heading out to go camping with my parents (first time for the kiddos!), so that is our exciting thing for this year. What's yours?
I thought that today would be a good day to recount our Thanksgiving stories. Did you have something funny happen? Did someone say they were thankful for something especially sweet? Did your favorite corn casserole totally bomb? Let's all leave a comment with a little nugget from our day.
Here's mine: Though we didn't have anything truly exciting like a five foot fireball this year, we had a very nice Thanksgiving. Right now, we're heading out to go camping with my parents (first time for the kiddos!), so that is our exciting thing for this year. What's yours?
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Bonnie's Pumpkin Bread (or Rolls)
Hello and Happy Thanksgiving, all!
As I've mentioned, I'm not making our entire Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, but you probably could have guessed that I would not be able to get through this holiday without getting excited about trying out some new dish.
Well, this year it's rolls made from Bonnie's pumpkin bread recipe. Bonnie is a good friend of mine from Boston, and she is known for her fantastic baked goods (particularly her baby shower cakes, but that's another post). Anyway, sometime last fall, she brought over a lovely pumpkin bread. It was not a sweet bread; it was a yeast bread, and it was quite delicious. Upon request, Bonnie sent me her recipe, and I'm hoping to adapt it tomorrow to make rolls for Thanksgiving dinner. Besides being lovely and autumnal because of the pumpkin, it is also a tiny bit sweet because of the sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. However, those ingredients don't make it too sweet; in fact, when I've mentioned before that there is vanilla in the recipe, I've gotten surprised looks. It is definitely fit to be an accoutrement to the turkey or another fall main dish rather than relegated to the dessert table.
Rather than baking it away in the bread machine or in a loaf pan, I plan to have the bread machine mix the dough for me, then I'll bake balls of the dough in a muffin pan sprayed with nonstick spray at 350 for about 10-15 min. The recipe below is simply for a loaf baked in the bread machine, but you can adapt it as you see fit. Enjoy!
--
Bonnie's Pumpkin Bread
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon brandy extract or vanilla extract (optional)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
2-1/3 cups bread flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
1/3 cup chopped pecans
If using a bread machine, bake on the White/Basic cycle. You can add the pecans at the beginning, or, if you don't want them to break up as much, you can add them after the first kneading cycle.
Enjoy!
As I've mentioned, I'm not making our entire Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, but you probably could have guessed that I would not be able to get through this holiday without getting excited about trying out some new dish.
Well, this year it's rolls made from Bonnie's pumpkin bread recipe. Bonnie is a good friend of mine from Boston, and she is known for her fantastic baked goods (particularly her baby shower cakes, but that's another post). Anyway, sometime last fall, she brought over a lovely pumpkin bread. It was not a sweet bread; it was a yeast bread, and it was quite delicious. Upon request, Bonnie sent me her recipe, and I'm hoping to adapt it tomorrow to make rolls for Thanksgiving dinner. Besides being lovely and autumnal because of the pumpkin, it is also a tiny bit sweet because of the sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. However, those ingredients don't make it too sweet; in fact, when I've mentioned before that there is vanilla in the recipe, I've gotten surprised looks. It is definitely fit to be an accoutrement to the turkey or another fall main dish rather than relegated to the dessert table.
Rather than baking it away in the bread machine or in a loaf pan, I plan to have the bread machine mix the dough for me, then I'll bake balls of the dough in a muffin pan sprayed with nonstick spray at 350 for about 10-15 min. The recipe below is simply for a loaf baked in the bread machine, but you can adapt it as you see fit. Enjoy!
--
Bonnie's Pumpkin Bread
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon brandy extract or vanilla extract (optional)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
2-1/3 cups bread flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
1/3 cup chopped pecans
If using a bread machine, bake on the White/Basic cycle. You can add the pecans at the beginning, or, if you don't want them to break up as much, you can add them after the first kneading cycle.
Enjoy!
Monday, November 22, 2010
2010: The Churchless Year
Y'all, seriously, something's got to give. We have missed so much church this year. Like, a lot. It's ridiculous. I am sure we've been home more Sundays than we've been at church.
Starting in about January, this was the cycle: we go to church. The following Tuesday, Noah comes down with a cold, which he caught in the church nursery. He is still sick and has a runny nose on the following Sunday, and not wanting to be the parents who get the next kid sick, we stay home. Oftentimes, he is still not completely well even a week after that, meaning that after one Sunday at church, we're home for two weeks.
Then, Jane arrived in early March. I am not in the take-your-baby-to-church-as-early-as-possible camp. Mostly because of the fear of germs attacking my precious, innocent, developing newborn. And also because I had major surgery and wasn't doing much of anything for at least a month or two.
We had a couple of months when everyone was generally well and we were going to church, but even then, we skipped some because of Nathan's dissertation busyness, sickness, feeling that it's a bit pointless when you're walking a fussy baby in the lobby for most of the service, etc.
In late May, we moved halfway across the country, which marked a whole new interruption in our church life. For the first couple of months, we were using our weekends to move, go out of town, be with family, etc. Then, we started visiting churches, and--you guessed it--we started the cold cycle again. Nursery, Tuesday cold, stay home the next week. Or Nathan is sick. Or Lauren is falling-on-the-floor exhausted from a night with a wakeful baby. Or something. There is always something!!!!
We talked about this issue this weekend, because we really do need to find a church and settle into a church family. For one thing, we miss the fellowship. We also miss the instruction and edification that comes from a church service. And I'll tell you what I thought of today to add to the list: friends for Noah. I mean, he does have little friends at Mother's Day Out and stuff, but I realized we really need to be building relationships with families who have kids his age so that we all have a reason to have play dates and whatnot. At this age, the key to finding friends for our kids is finding the parents first. Poor Noah misses his friends in Boston when we mention them.
Anyway, as Nathan and I were discussing this dadgum churchless year this weekend, we did bring up the point that one parent could take the well child and go to church, even if one kid is sick. But the reason we haven't done that is because neither of us relishes the idea of visiting a church (very possibly a new one) by ourselves with half of our family missing. And there's yet another reason we need to find a good church and settle in!
So that's our conundrum. Having a church family is so important. Fellowship is so important, as is accountability. Not to mention having some time to refocus on the Lord. So we are really hopeful that everyone stays well for a while, especially in this busy season. Hopefully 2011 will be the year of building relationships and much spiritual growth.
Starting in about January, this was the cycle: we go to church. The following Tuesday, Noah comes down with a cold, which he caught in the church nursery. He is still sick and has a runny nose on the following Sunday, and not wanting to be the parents who get the next kid sick, we stay home. Oftentimes, he is still not completely well even a week after that, meaning that after one Sunday at church, we're home for two weeks.
Then, Jane arrived in early March. I am not in the take-your-baby-to-church-as-early-as-possible camp. Mostly because of the fear of germs attacking my precious, innocent, developing newborn. And also because I had major surgery and wasn't doing much of anything for at least a month or two.
We had a couple of months when everyone was generally well and we were going to church, but even then, we skipped some because of Nathan's dissertation busyness, sickness, feeling that it's a bit pointless when you're walking a fussy baby in the lobby for most of the service, etc.
In late May, we moved halfway across the country, which marked a whole new interruption in our church life. For the first couple of months, we were using our weekends to move, go out of town, be with family, etc. Then, we started visiting churches, and--you guessed it--we started the cold cycle again. Nursery, Tuesday cold, stay home the next week. Or Nathan is sick. Or Lauren is falling-on-the-floor exhausted from a night with a wakeful baby. Or something. There is always something!!!!
We talked about this issue this weekend, because we really do need to find a church and settle into a church family. For one thing, we miss the fellowship. We also miss the instruction and edification that comes from a church service. And I'll tell you what I thought of today to add to the list: friends for Noah. I mean, he does have little friends at Mother's Day Out and stuff, but I realized we really need to be building relationships with families who have kids his age so that we all have a reason to have play dates and whatnot. At this age, the key to finding friends for our kids is finding the parents first. Poor Noah misses his friends in Boston when we mention them.
Anyway, as Nathan and I were discussing this dadgum churchless year this weekend, we did bring up the point that one parent could take the well child and go to church, even if one kid is sick. But the reason we haven't done that is because neither of us relishes the idea of visiting a church (very possibly a new one) by ourselves with half of our family missing. And there's yet another reason we need to find a good church and settle in!
So that's our conundrum. Having a church family is so important. Fellowship is so important, as is accountability. Not to mention having some time to refocus on the Lord. So we are really hopeful that everyone stays well for a while, especially in this busy season. Hopefully 2011 will be the year of building relationships and much spiritual growth.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Daniel and Meghan's Wedding Reception
Three weeks ago, we headed up to Waco for a very special occasion: the wedding reception for Nathan's brother, Daniel, and his bride, Meghan.
It was a reception only, because Daniel and Meghan were already married--they actually eloped in August! Now, if I were to ever know someone who might choose to elope, Daniel would be the person. It just suits him.
Since the happy couple lives in Atlanta, this was the first time Nathan and I met Meghan. She struck me as very sweet and upbeat. And I like that she seems to be Daniel's perfect foil, complementing him in many ways, yet still sharing a lot of his interests. They actually met swing dancing; isn't that fun?
And evidently, Meghan and I are interchangeable. Of all people, on separate occasions both Jane and my mom thought Meghan was me! We figured it was the hair. And at one point, Meghan sidled up to Nathan, thinking he was Daniel from behind. So funny!
I'd post some pictures of the family-filled weekend, but firstly, I didn't take very many at all, and secondly, the ones I took were terrible. I am just going to wait until the professional photos become available, and then I'll post one or two, if I get the chance. In the meantime, this is the best pic I have of the two of them from the weekend. They were meeting Jane for the first time.
And here's a wedding picture that I swiped from Meghan's Facebook page.
Congratulations, guys! We can't wait to spend more time with you at Christmas!
It was a reception only, because Daniel and Meghan were already married--they actually eloped in August! Now, if I were to ever know someone who might choose to elope, Daniel would be the person. It just suits him.
Since the happy couple lives in Atlanta, this was the first time Nathan and I met Meghan. She struck me as very sweet and upbeat. And I like that she seems to be Daniel's perfect foil, complementing him in many ways, yet still sharing a lot of his interests. They actually met swing dancing; isn't that fun?
And evidently, Meghan and I are interchangeable. Of all people, on separate occasions both Jane and my mom thought Meghan was me! We figured it was the hair. And at one point, Meghan sidled up to Nathan, thinking he was Daniel from behind. So funny!
I'd post some pictures of the family-filled weekend, but firstly, I didn't take very many at all, and secondly, the ones I took were terrible. I am just going to wait until the professional photos become available, and then I'll post one or two, if I get the chance. In the meantime, this is the best pic I have of the two of them from the weekend. They were meeting Jane for the first time.
And here's a wedding picture that I swiped from Meghan's Facebook page.
Congratulations, guys! We can't wait to spend more time with you at Christmas!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Sweeties and Smarties
Some sweet things heard lately at our house:
Jane has started calling me "Mama!" I can't believe my eight month old is saying "Mama!" At first, I thought it might be accidental, but over the past two weeks or so, it's become pretty clear that she calls me when she wants me to come over and feed her or pick her up. If I step away from her high chair while feeding her to go grab something, she calls out, "Mamamamama!!!" I'm so delighted about that! Also, I think most kids say "Dada" first; it's supposed to be easier to say than "Mama." But not Janey. Nope. She loves her Daddy, too, but that girl is a Mama's girl through and through.
This morning, I was trying a little dress on Jane that I'm going to have her wear for our family photo session this weekend, and as I was taking it off her, Noah said, "No, Mommy, no! No take off Jane's princess dress!" I thought that was so cute and sweet! Evidently, Noah approves of the dress.
Smarty pants:
Noah's curiosity has really been ramping up lately. He is constantly asking me where things come from. For example, yesterday he asked me where macaroni and cheese comes from. He asked me where bread comes from. He asked me where peas come from. Thankfully, most of it has been about food--so far, he hasn't asked where babies come from. ;)
The other day, he was helping me add ingredients to the bread machine, and we were talking about each ingredient we added. When we poured in the salt, he said, "What salt do?" So I told him it makes the bread taste good. Then we poured in the gluten, and he said, "Gluten makes bread fluffy." I stood there with my mouth open for a minute, stunned that he remembered that from when I've said it to him the last couple of times we've made bread. I mean, I didn't know that until I was like 28. (How do you explain the chemistry of bread baking to a two year old, anyway? I guess I hit on something, because "Gluten makes bread fluffy" seems to have stuck.) Nathan and I are getting really amazed at the things that he remembers us say, word for word. He is really a sponge right now.
Jane has started calling me "Mama!" I can't believe my eight month old is saying "Mama!" At first, I thought it might be accidental, but over the past two weeks or so, it's become pretty clear that she calls me when she wants me to come over and feed her or pick her up. If I step away from her high chair while feeding her to go grab something, she calls out, "Mamamamama!!!" I'm so delighted about that! Also, I think most kids say "Dada" first; it's supposed to be easier to say than "Mama." But not Janey. Nope. She loves her Daddy, too, but that girl is a Mama's girl through and through.
This morning, I was trying a little dress on Jane that I'm going to have her wear for our family photo session this weekend, and as I was taking it off her, Noah said, "No, Mommy, no! No take off Jane's princess dress!" I thought that was so cute and sweet! Evidently, Noah approves of the dress.
Smarty pants:
Noah's curiosity has really been ramping up lately. He is constantly asking me where things come from. For example, yesterday he asked me where macaroni and cheese comes from. He asked me where bread comes from. He asked me where peas come from. Thankfully, most of it has been about food--so far, he hasn't asked where babies come from. ;)
The other day, he was helping me add ingredients to the bread machine, and we were talking about each ingredient we added. When we poured in the salt, he said, "What salt do?" So I told him it makes the bread taste good. Then we poured in the gluten, and he said, "Gluten makes bread fluffy." I stood there with my mouth open for a minute, stunned that he remembered that from when I've said it to him the last couple of times we've made bread. I mean, I didn't know that until I was like 28. (How do you explain the chemistry of bread baking to a two year old, anyway? I guess I hit on something, because "Gluten makes bread fluffy" seems to have stuck.) Nathan and I are getting really amazed at the things that he remembers us say, word for word. He is really a sponge right now.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Feasting
This Thanksgiving marks the first one in our marriage when I will not be making an entire Thanksgiving feast (including the turkey). Since we lived halfway across the country from our families, and since flying home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas didn't make a whole lot of sense in a grad student's budget, we always celebrated in Boston. We hosted family for two of those years, and every other year we celebrated with friends.
This year, though, we'll be having Thanksgiving at my parents' house. Which means it's the first time in six years that I will not be making a turkey.
I'm not really sure how I feel about that. I mean, I love being the Thanksgiving host. I love food (big shocker), and I love thinking up all kinds of different things that people might like. I love having a big crowd at my house. I loved having our friends over and making them our family for the day. And there's something about a turkey crackling in my oven that makes me feel like the ultimate homemaker and hostess.
BUT, I also love the thought of not waking up at 6am and putting my hands all up in the business end of a giant raw turkey. I love the thought of not having to wrangle a heavy bird covered with butter while trying to stuff it full of aromatics and tie it shut. I love the thought of showing up with a few yummy things and going home with a bunch of leftovers. I also love the thought of not having to do the dishes.
Truth be told, I'm not entirely off the hook, because Nathan wants me to make a turkey, anyway, in order to have the leftovers that are, as we all know, second in importance only to the Day itself. And my mom did try to talk me into cooking the turkey at my house and carting it across town for the party at her house because she says mine are so tasty (brining!). Since I didn't want turkey juice sloshed in my car on Thanksgiving Day (and please also refer to the aforementioned 6am turkey wrangling discussion), we are compromising: I'm going to come over the day before and help them set up the brine, and they'll cook it on Thanksgiving Day. All that to say that I'm not completely off turkey duty. But this year will be a whole lot lighter in terms of the work involved for me.
Last year, this was my menu (mind you, other people brought things; this is just what I made myself):
What are you making for Thanksgiving? The whole feast? A dessert or a side? Are you going to run by the grocery store on the way over and grab some cookies? Or are you just going to show up and eat? Comments, please!
This year, though, we'll be having Thanksgiving at my parents' house. Which means it's the first time in six years that I will not be making a turkey.
I'm not really sure how I feel about that. I mean, I love being the Thanksgiving host. I love food (big shocker), and I love thinking up all kinds of different things that people might like. I love having a big crowd at my house. I loved having our friends over and making them our family for the day. And there's something about a turkey crackling in my oven that makes me feel like the ultimate homemaker and hostess.
BUT, I also love the thought of not waking up at 6am and putting my hands all up in the business end of a giant raw turkey. I love the thought of not having to wrangle a heavy bird covered with butter while trying to stuff it full of aromatics and tie it shut. I love the thought of showing up with a few yummy things and going home with a bunch of leftovers. I also love the thought of not having to do the dishes.
Truth be told, I'm not entirely off the hook, because Nathan wants me to make a turkey, anyway, in order to have the leftovers that are, as we all know, second in importance only to the Day itself. And my mom did try to talk me into cooking the turkey at my house and carting it across town for the party at her house because she says mine are so tasty (brining!). Since I didn't want turkey juice sloshed in my car on Thanksgiving Day (and please also refer to the aforementioned 6am turkey wrangling discussion), we are compromising: I'm going to come over the day before and help them set up the brine, and they'll cook it on Thanksgiving Day. All that to say that I'm not completely off turkey duty. But this year will be a whole lot lighter in terms of the work involved for me.
Last year, this was my menu (mind you, other people brought things; this is just what I made myself):
- turkey
- gravy
- cranberry sauce
- stuffing
- mashed potatoes
- green bean casserole
- corn casserole
- roasted carrots
- pecan pie
- Hershey bar pie
- Cranberry Oatmeal Crumble Squares
- cranberry sauce
- green bean casserole
- bread/rolls
- pecan pie
- cranberry oatmeal crumble squares
What are you making for Thanksgiving? The whole feast? A dessert or a side? Are you going to run by the grocery store on the way over and grab some cookies? Or are you just going to show up and eat? Comments, please!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Transitions and the Doggie Paddle
Howdy y'all.
I don't know if you've noticed, but my blog posts have spread out a bit, especially over the last month or two. In fact, October 2010 had the fewest posts since I started my blog in 2007. I just haven't had the time/energy to sit down and write as often lately. And that made me start to reflect a bit.
It galvanized some thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head for a while. In general, since our move and the addition of a second child, I just haven't found my groove. I feel like I'm doggie paddling, struggling to keep my head above water (and dipping under from time to time--especially this past summer), and I can't seem to transition to a nice, steady breaststroke. I just can't seem to find my rhythm; there hasn't been a time since Jane was born that I've been able to just coast, you know?
I was telling a couple of friends about this, and I think I'm not the only one who feels this way. Courtney often calls it her "new normal," for example. Life with two small children is just busy; there is no getting around it. I remember listening to lectures at Mom to Mom, back when I only had one baby, and various speakers would often sympathetically talk about what an important job you have, even when you can't find time to brush your teeth or when you don't get out of your pajamas all day. I would sit there thinking, "Really? Really, are some people like that?" And, okay, to be honest, there still has not been a day when I didn't get my teeth brushed. But the difference is that I can truly see now how it could happen!
So I'm getting used to life with two kiddos. It's a transition, but that's not to say that life at our house isn't fun; I enjoy my Noah (who is getting funnier and smarter all the time) and my Jane (who is super active and follows us all around the house now). They are jewels, and I would not trade this job for anything else. It is the most rewarding and joyful thing I've ever done. But I do feel like I am still in transition. I still kind of feel like I'm trying to find my feet.
I'm not fretting about this as much as it might seem, but it has been on my mind. And I decided to write about it because I'm sure some of you out there can relate. If so, tell me about your experience; are you currently in this season of life and are feeling the same way? Are you a little ahead of me and can offer some nugget of advice that will help me find that breaststroke? Are you an experienced mom who can offer some encouragement to the rest of us? I'm looking forward to your comments!
I don't know if you've noticed, but my blog posts have spread out a bit, especially over the last month or two. In fact, October 2010 had the fewest posts since I started my blog in 2007. I just haven't had the time/energy to sit down and write as often lately. And that made me start to reflect a bit.
It galvanized some thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head for a while. In general, since our move and the addition of a second child, I just haven't found my groove. I feel like I'm doggie paddling, struggling to keep my head above water (and dipping under from time to time--especially this past summer), and I can't seem to transition to a nice, steady breaststroke. I just can't seem to find my rhythm; there hasn't been a time since Jane was born that I've been able to just coast, you know?
I was telling a couple of friends about this, and I think I'm not the only one who feels this way. Courtney often calls it her "new normal," for example. Life with two small children is just busy; there is no getting around it. I remember listening to lectures at Mom to Mom, back when I only had one baby, and various speakers would often sympathetically talk about what an important job you have, even when you can't find time to brush your teeth or when you don't get out of your pajamas all day. I would sit there thinking, "Really? Really, are some people like that?" And, okay, to be honest, there still has not been a day when I didn't get my teeth brushed. But the difference is that I can truly see now how it could happen!
So I'm getting used to life with two kiddos. It's a transition, but that's not to say that life at our house isn't fun; I enjoy my Noah (who is getting funnier and smarter all the time) and my Jane (who is super active and follows us all around the house now). They are jewels, and I would not trade this job for anything else. It is the most rewarding and joyful thing I've ever done. But I do feel like I am still in transition. I still kind of feel like I'm trying to find my feet.
I'm not fretting about this as much as it might seem, but it has been on my mind. And I decided to write about it because I'm sure some of you out there can relate. If so, tell me about your experience; are you currently in this season of life and are feeling the same way? Are you a little ahead of me and can offer some nugget of advice that will help me find that breaststroke? Are you an experienced mom who can offer some encouragement to the rest of us? I'm looking forward to your comments!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thankfulness
I'm loving reading your comments on the post below! Keep them coming!
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and because I think that I've been mentioning too many downsides to our new home and not enough of the benefits, I'm listing some things for which I am giving thanks this year. I'd love it if you left a comment with at least one thing you're thankful for, too.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and because I think that I've been mentioning too many downsides to our new home and not enough of the benefits, I'm listing some things for which I am giving thanks this year. I'd love it if you left a comment with at least one thing you're thankful for, too.
- Grandparents! I have to say, the best part of being back in Texas is having our kids' grandparents close by. It's wonderful to watch them all love each other. Plus, let's be honest: the free babysitting ain't too bad, either.
- A healthy family. Until some people my age started getting real health problems, I didn't know to be as thankful as I should be that Nathan, the kids, and I are in good health. It is such a blessing.
- No more six month winters. Let's be real. Snow is wonderful. Scarves and soup are wonderful. But when it gets to be March, April, and (heaven forbid) May and the highs still range between the 30's and 50's, you are very ready to escape the cold and go on a cruise or something. Although I am not sure I like the trade of a six month winter for an eight month summer, I am glad I don't have to wait for the bus on blustery days or carry a kid on my hip when we're both wearing puffy jackets (it's harder than you might think).
- Our minivan. I know that there are a ton of people who are not loving the minivan thing, and I get that. But I've never really been into cars, and I've never cared too much about having one that is cool, so to me, having one that is convenient and comfortable is just great. I love that Noah can climb in and get into his car seat by himself, that everything is easy to reach, that we can fit eight people pretty comfortably, and more. I may not be the coolest mom on the road (really, can anyone rock a gold minivan?), but I am content.
- BBQ, Tex Mex, and Blue Bell Ice Cream. (And Nathan would add Shipley's Donuts.)
- Good old friends.
- I might add some more as I think of them....
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Non-Season and the Non-Holiday
Okay, not to kick a dead horse, but it is 81 degrees here today. Seriously. On November 10.
We had fall for about a week and a half. As of November 1, it had started to get cooler--the nights were even fairly cold! It was great! But today and most of this week is in the 80's.
I have decided that September and October in Houston (and part of November, evidently) are pretty much a non-season. Because according to the calendar, it's fall, but the truth is that it is still summer. Reading Facebook statuses in October was cracking me up, because all of these dear Houstonians were saying things like, "Welcome, fall! I'm so glad you're here!" And the main difference was that it was in the 80's rather than the 90's. I'd just chuckle and say to myself, "Bless their hearts, they don't know it's still summer." (I don't mean to sound condescending to Houstonians, by the way, because I said exactly the same thing before I moved away.)
Anyway, one of the reasons this period feels like a non-season to me is that the food doesn't reflect what is going on outside. I mean, I love some good tomatoes and watermelon in the summer, but those understandably go away in the fall. So even though it still feels like summer outside, the grocery stores ship in fall foods and declare a change of seasons with their fall decor and pumpkins. But to me, making butternut squash soup when it's 89 degrees outside just doesn't feel right. So something about the food not matching the weather is draining my inspiration for cooking. I guess I am much more inspired by seasonal produce than I had previously realized. So I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving and am hoping that it will be nice and cool so that squash and mashed potatoes and turkey and sage and pumpkin pie will feel just right.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, has anyone noticed that none of the stores have any Thanksgiving things out? It's all Christmas stuff! Y'all, I love Christmas, and it's my favorite holiday, but seriously, I have been to three stores in the last 24 hours trying to find a few Thanksgiving decorative and food items to send to someone, and nobody has anything except for a few paper napkins! No turkeys on anything; there's not even any fall themed stuff! And evidently people in Texas don't brine their turkeys, because no one knows what I'm talking about when I ask where the brining bags are. I think I am just going to have to make a trip to Williams Sonoma to get the stuff I want.
When did Thanksgiving become the non-holiday? Why is a bigger deal made of Halloween than of Thanksgiving? It's a little disheartening to me that the retail world has decided to skip it, because it's one of my favorite holidays.
So here's my suggestion: In an effort to get into the Thanksgiving spirit, let's all leave a comment having something to do with Thanksgiving. It could be a reason you love this holiday, a favorite memory, or, heck, your mom's pumpkin pie recipe. And here's a bonus question, just for fun: Do you prefer jellied or homemade cranberry sauce? I'm looking forward to reading your comments!
We had fall for about a week and a half. As of November 1, it had started to get cooler--the nights were even fairly cold! It was great! But today and most of this week is in the 80's.
I have decided that September and October in Houston (and part of November, evidently) are pretty much a non-season. Because according to the calendar, it's fall, but the truth is that it is still summer. Reading Facebook statuses in October was cracking me up, because all of these dear Houstonians were saying things like, "Welcome, fall! I'm so glad you're here!" And the main difference was that it was in the 80's rather than the 90's. I'd just chuckle and say to myself, "Bless their hearts, they don't know it's still summer." (I don't mean to sound condescending to Houstonians, by the way, because I said exactly the same thing before I moved away.)
Anyway, one of the reasons this period feels like a non-season to me is that the food doesn't reflect what is going on outside. I mean, I love some good tomatoes and watermelon in the summer, but those understandably go away in the fall. So even though it still feels like summer outside, the grocery stores ship in fall foods and declare a change of seasons with their fall decor and pumpkins. But to me, making butternut squash soup when it's 89 degrees outside just doesn't feel right. So something about the food not matching the weather is draining my inspiration for cooking. I guess I am much more inspired by seasonal produce than I had previously realized. So I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving and am hoping that it will be nice and cool so that squash and mashed potatoes and turkey and sage and pumpkin pie will feel just right.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, has anyone noticed that none of the stores have any Thanksgiving things out? It's all Christmas stuff! Y'all, I love Christmas, and it's my favorite holiday, but seriously, I have been to three stores in the last 24 hours trying to find a few Thanksgiving decorative and food items to send to someone, and nobody has anything except for a few paper napkins! No turkeys on anything; there's not even any fall themed stuff! And evidently people in Texas don't brine their turkeys, because no one knows what I'm talking about when I ask where the brining bags are. I think I am just going to have to make a trip to Williams Sonoma to get the stuff I want.
When did Thanksgiving become the non-holiday? Why is a bigger deal made of Halloween than of Thanksgiving? It's a little disheartening to me that the retail world has decided to skip it, because it's one of my favorite holidays.
So here's my suggestion: In an effort to get into the Thanksgiving spirit, let's all leave a comment having something to do with Thanksgiving. It could be a reason you love this holiday, a favorite memory, or, heck, your mom's pumpkin pie recipe. And here's a bonus question, just for fun: Do you prefer jellied or homemade cranberry sauce? I'm looking forward to reading your comments!
Monday, November 8, 2010
We'll Chat Soon
Right now, I need to get off the computer. Because I have a bunch of laundry I need to do. Tomorrow's lunch to make for Noah. A to do list to write for tomorrow. Unpacking to do. Toys to pick up. A kitchen to clean. A box to find. And who knows what else.
We've had such busy weekends lately! And busy weeks as we prepare for the weekends! I'll have to give some more complete updates soon, when I have all my pictures uploaded and have the time to write.
For now, I'll leave you with the one thing that has left me the most struck in the last 45 minutes or so: Matthew and Emily's latest blog post. My reactions:
1.) Oh my goodness, how I long to go to those places. That is just me to a tee.
2.) Oh my goodness, I remember the days when I could stroll through a place and enjoy it for five whole hours. To those of you without children yet: Enjoy the ability to have such freedom. From my perspective, when I look back on the pre-children days, I am struck by the amount of sheer leisure time we had. I am also struck by how little we appreciated it. (Although I'm sure the inability to recognize and properly enjoy things is a phenomenon of every stage of life.)
Goodnight, peeps. We'll chat soon.
We've had such busy weekends lately! And busy weeks as we prepare for the weekends! I'll have to give some more complete updates soon, when I have all my pictures uploaded and have the time to write.
For now, I'll leave you with the one thing that has left me the most struck in the last 45 minutes or so: Matthew and Emily's latest blog post. My reactions:
1.) Oh my goodness, how I long to go to those places. That is just me to a tee.
2.) Oh my goodness, I remember the days when I could stroll through a place and enjoy it for five whole hours. To those of you without children yet: Enjoy the ability to have such freedom. From my perspective, when I look back on the pre-children days, I am struck by the amount of sheer leisure time we had. I am also struck by how little we appreciated it. (Although I'm sure the inability to recognize and properly enjoy things is a phenomenon of every stage of life.)
Goodnight, peeps. We'll chat soon.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Eight Months Old!
Miss Jane is eight months old today!
She is growing and getting more active all the time. She is getting to be an expert at the army crawl, for example, which is really fun to watch. The crawling plus the advanced pincer grasp means that I have to vacuum all the time now, or else Janey Beth finds all kinds of little treasures in the carpet.
She's pretty ticklish, too, so all of us--including her brother--love to tickle her. And the child loves to be tickled. Her laugh is so great.
One funny little idiosyncrasy of Jane's is that she wiggles her feet when she's excited, especially when she is eating. What's interesting is that Noah always held his arms up in the air: when he was being held, when he was eating, even often when he was sleeping. Those arms were in the air, and his wrists would rotate so that his hands were always moving. Well, Jane has her own corresponding little thing, too, with those rotating ankles and wiggling feet. Funny girl.
One of the things that entertains Jane is clapping. For a while, she's liked to grab Nathan's thumbs and press his hands together so that he claps, and just the other day, she started clapping her own hands. It just makes your day brighter when someone you love is so exhilarated by something simple like learning to clap.
Until about a week ago, we fed her all of her meals in the Bumbo, which is so darn handy. But we had to move her to the high chair, because she has gotten so long and limber that she was nearly tipping herself over--she'd see something she was interested in behind her, dig her heels in, twist around, and reach an insanely long distance for such a little person.
Here we go!
Those little peas are hard to pick up, even when you have little fingers.
We all sure do love that Jane Elisabeth.
She is growing and getting more active all the time. She is getting to be an expert at the army crawl, for example, which is really fun to watch. The crawling plus the advanced pincer grasp means that I have to vacuum all the time now, or else Janey Beth finds all kinds of little treasures in the carpet.
She's pretty ticklish, too, so all of us--including her brother--love to tickle her. And the child loves to be tickled. Her laugh is so great.
One funny little idiosyncrasy of Jane's is that she wiggles her feet when she's excited, especially when she is eating. What's interesting is that Noah always held his arms up in the air: when he was being held, when he was eating, even often when he was sleeping. Those arms were in the air, and his wrists would rotate so that his hands were always moving. Well, Jane has her own corresponding little thing, too, with those rotating ankles and wiggling feet. Funny girl.
One of the things that entertains Jane is clapping. For a while, she's liked to grab Nathan's thumbs and press his hands together so that he claps, and just the other day, she started clapping her own hands. It just makes your day brighter when someone you love is so exhilarated by something simple like learning to clap.
Until about a week ago, we fed her all of her meals in the Bumbo, which is so darn handy. But we had to move her to the high chair, because she has gotten so long and limber that she was nearly tipping herself over--she'd see something she was interested in behind her, dig her heels in, twist around, and reach an insanely long distance for such a little person.
Over the past few weeks, Jane has started eating a few finger foods. Her favorites are Gerber puffs, which are great for beginners because they melt in your mouth. The other night, we tried peas, too, and she took to those wonderfully. Basically, she just thinks it's great fun to feed herself, and she gets really excited every time she gets the chance to do it.
Here we go!
Those little peas are hard to pick up, even when you have little fingers.
Mmm, tasty!
Success is sweet!
We all sure do love that Jane Elisabeth.
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