Holy Zucchinis!

I am a novice gardener and this year I decided I should plant two mounds of zucchinis. Well, they essentially have taken over my garden -- and I'm not even that fond of them! I don't mind occasionally eating them stir fried and I have found a Zucchini bread recipe and a zucchini soup recipe (not as bad as it sounds) that my whole family seems to like. However, I definitely need some new creative uses for zucchini...if you have any ideas please send them my way.

The weather this summer has been ideal for gardening and everything is growing in abundance. I have two rows of green beans and while I was out harvesting my first pick this week, I filled three ice cream buckets full. I tried to capture in a photo just how many beans this is -- but I'm not sure I did. For a little perspective -- they are in my largest mixing bowl -- you know -- the one you use to make monster cookies! This is after giving some away and eating a meal. If you like green beans and live in my area -- let me know -- I'm sure I can part with a few more. I really should learn the art of canning food. What do you think?

I do find great joy in going out to my garden and picking veggies and raspberries -- every time I pull back a leaf and find 7 full beans hanging there or a handful of juicy berries, it's like discovering gold. I get so excited. (I obviously need to get out more :)). However, my romance with zucchini's has ended -- there is no longer any joy when I pull back a zucchini leaf and find yet another zucchini the size of a pumpkin.

Now I'll admit I got a little caught up in taking photos of my vegetables just now. I am beginning to consider a career in Vegetable Still-Life photography. I am going to title this one:

"Peppers and Zucchini's"

And this one is "Green Beans in a Yellow Bowl."

If you would like to hang my artwork in your local coffee shop -- let me know! But it's going to cost you (Ha-Ha).

Well, just in case you also have a plethora of zucchini -- here's my soup recipe! Enjoy!

Sautee: 1/2 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 T. Olive Oil

Add: 4 Cups chicken broth, 3 cups cooked chicken, 3 small sliced zucchini's, 14 1/2 oz diced tomatoes w/liquid, 1 can corn, 8 oz tomatoe sauce, 1/2 c. salsa, 2 t. cumin, 3/4 t. pepper

A Diva in the Making

Oh...my precious baby girl. She is as sweet as sweet can be and so incredibly full of love. Yet I think I see a Diva in the making.

Taryn's always been a girly girl -- into princesses and dress up, purses and lip gloss. But lately it seems to be rising to an all new level -- then throw in an opportunity to be a flower girl in a gorgeous dress with her hair done up and well ...we got ourselves a diva.

I had noticed "diva-like" tendencies early on. For example...she's always been into shoes, but lately she tends to pick out shoes with a one-inch wedge heel rather than the cute flowery little girl shoes. She has also always seemed to know what's appropriate to wear to what occasion. At the ripe old age of 4 -- she had us all waiting to go out to eat as she changed out of sweat pants (which would have been totally appropriate for Applebees) into a skirt and matching shirt. She came out of her room saying "this is much better." Lately though -- she desperately wants a strapless dress like many of the high school girls are wearing. I'm sorry -- I draw the line at strapless on a 5 year old.

For a whole year before she turned 5 (on March 5 -- her golden birthday) she started inviting everyone to her "golden birthday party with the princesses at Disneyland." She came home from pre-school one day and told me that Katie, Emma and Tyson could all come with us to Disney (even though Tyson doesn't like princesses). We did end up going to Disneyland and did meet some of the princesses in the pouring rain, however, sorry to say, the friends stayed home.

And boy, does the girl like crowns. We enrolled her in a dance camp this summer -- she was so excited on the first day...I helped her with her leotard and dance skirt, put her hair in a bun and I thought we were ready to go, however, she stopped me and said -- "Mom, don't you think I should wear my crown?" Luckily, I was able to talk her out of that one. Then last week we were headed to visit the grandparents. Again she needed to take a crown along. She opted for the crown that says "Princess" right on it because, to quote Taryn, "That's what they always call me."

She has also always had a "boyfriend". I was mortified one morning as I was driving Taryn to daycare when she was 3. She was telling me that Tyson broke up with her (this was not the part that mortified me -- I thought this was probably for the best). It was her next few statements..."So now Cody is my boyfriend." I asked her why Cody was her boyfriend now and she responded "Well Mom -- I can't not have a boyfriend." Well this resulted in a lecture from Mom that was way above her three-year old head about how a girl doesn't NEED a boyfriend and can do just fine on her own and how a young girl should not find her worth in a boy but should be confident in who she is. I'm sure that sunk right in.

Just a month ago I was having a conversation in the car with Paige (who turns every shade of red at the mere mention boys) about our nephew who was getting married. It led me to say how I already pray that God will lead the right man into her life at the right time who will be a strong Christian and treat her well. Paige is about crawling under the seat just thinking about this, however, Taryn pipes up from the backseat -- "Mom -- you don't need to pray for my husband. I already know I'm going to marry Tyson...or maybe Derrek." (Apparently, things are back on with Tyson. All I have to say is Tyson or Derrek -- beware!)

And then came the wedding...she was in perfect form. I can't help but brag a bit here...she was absolutely perfectly behaved. This was so up her ally -- wearing a beautiful dress, having her picture taken, being on stage, all the attention...she was brilliant :).

She has put the dress on at least 5 times a week since the wedding. She often pretends she is getting married. She lays out my Yoga mat as an aisle (good use for it, since there is very little Yoga happening) and asks me to be the pastor. Often her name is Taylor Swift and she is marrying one of the Jonas brothers.

We did let her wear the dress to church one Sunday and on our drive to church that morning she says to the family, "I know I am going to be the prettiest person at church today." We all just laughed.

I have to tell you there was a moment at the wedding where my mind jumped forward 20 years to her own wedding day. Of all the places for this "fast forward" to happen it was when I was helping her go potty. I was holding this big puffy white dress up around her face and and looking into her innocent eyes and I asked her "Is this one of the best days of your life?" Her response was "I think it is the best day of my life, until my own wedding." Oh, I can see it now.

You better treat this precious girl right -- Tyson or Derrek or Cody!

Trust me -- I'm praying already!

Do I really have to share?

We preach at our kids to share, share, share...

And as mom's I think sharing with our children is something we just naturally do. From before they are born we have let them borrow our bodies, then our breasts, we have let them steal our sleep and our sanity.

We don't think twice about giving up the last cookie for them...even though we really want it. We make sure they are fed first, get their first choice of movie, get to pick the game -- it really is all about them. And within boundaries, this is probably the way it should be.

However, sometimes I just long to be selfish. Is that bad?

I had one of those selfish bouts not long ago...

We are huge American Idol fans -- the one show that the whole family can sit down and enjoy together. We also never watch anything "live" anymore (how did we survive without DVR's). So at 7:30pm everyone else is ready to start the show, but of course I still have about 5 things to do before I can join them...switch the laundry, stick money in the backpack for a field trip, finally change out of my work clothes, etc. "Go ahead and start without me."

When I finally get downstairs to join them, I have brought a can of soda with me to enjoy. I also go and pull a blanket out of the closet because I'm cold.

I sit down...and immediately two kids want to drink my pop. Next they both want to have my blanket on them which I have wrapped snugly around myself. I let them sip my soda, and I undo the blanket so it covers both of them and one of my thighs. Then they want more of my pop, and they begin to fight over my lap -- one wants their legs on my lap, the other want to sit on me -- I feel like a worn out jungle gym. And all I really want is some quiet so I can hear Kris sing!

In my heart -- I know how lucky I am. I am thankful to have kids who want to be cuddled and loved, and I know some day I will miss moments like these.

But this day...well, I just wanted to sit down at the beginning of the show, in the warmth of my blanket, and enjoy my soda without someone else's saliva all over it. Is that too much to ask?

Doing our Part (Kind of)

I was very proud of Carter the other day. He asked if we could go pick up garbage in a ditch along a highway by our home. I was pleased that he wanted to care for our earth this way, however, I really had no desire to help him out. First, I was a little self-conscious about what all the people driving by would think ...and second, who really wants to pick up someone else's smelly garbage. But I decided this was an opportunity for me to either instill in my kids the idea that it is worthwhile to care for God's creation or ignore the request. So I forged ahead and decided to encourage Carter in his desire. We packed up our golf cart with garden gloves, garbage bags, a dog, two girls, a boy and a mom and drove to the ditch. I am sure the cars driving by had a good laugh as I tried to control 3 kids and a dog alongside a busy highway. But we did successfully fill two bags full of garbage,survive the traffic, and fend off a swarm of ants.

My parents passed on to me early in my life that we need to care for the world God entrusted to us, and I am trying to teach my children that same lesson. I believe we are not suppose to simply use up the earth and all of it's wonderful resources for our own selfish pleasure, but that we should do our part to be good stewards of God's creation.

My parents were recycling and composting....way before it was "cool". And they continue to model many ways of living "green" -- not because it's the latest trend, but because they feel called to do so.

So I decided to take a look at how Cal and I are doing at modeling this kind of purposeful living to care for our environment to our kids, and I realized that while our intentions are good and a few "green" habits are in place, we often still fall into the trap of letting convenience and comfort win out over what's best for God's world.

These are our attempts at being friendly to the environment:

• We try to carry our own bags to the store. I am very anti-plastic bags. However, due to my inability to remember anything past my nose, I often forget to bring my own bags along. I might even get the bags as far as my car, but to actually bring them into the store...that's another whole accomplishment. I did recently make a great discovery -- there are these adorable little roll-up bags that you can throw in your purse. They cost $3 at Pier One -- I suggest everyone get a couple. Besides, Cal looked absolutely adorable yesterday as he walked out of the grocery store with my pink paisley and blue polka dot bags.
• We do recycle faithfully. We have a great garbage/recycle service. I was proud when I even started breaking down my cereal boxes for the recycle bin.


• We sparingly run our air-conditioning (except for the entire months of July and August...seriously, we live in humid, hot South Dakota).


• We appear to live by the mantra -- "If it's yellow let it mellow. If it's brown send it down." (At least "water conservation" is the excuse I offer for why the toilet never seems to be flushed -- and Carter, well I don't think he feels it is ever necessary to "send it down", much to the disgust of his big sister.)
  
• We try to limit our use of paper products. Unfortuneately, I can only do so many dishes in a day before I opt for the ever handy use of paper plates.


• We buy energy efficient light bulbs. (But here is where Cal's support for green living begins to waiver. He is not a big fan of having to wait for 3 minutes for the lights in our bedroom to get up to full brightness -- to quote him "I know that everyday is earth day, but my socks don't match!!!"


• We own one fuel efficient car (the other...not so much.) And we do try to carpool. Maybe someday we'll get into using our bikes, but I'm not sure if we could handle that much exercise.

Well, we'll keep trying.

Is Thank You enough?

I truly believe that I am one of the most fortunate working moms in the world...

For the last 11 years I have been driving to "Laurie's House" before I head to work to drop off some combination of one to three kids. My car has changed, our house has changed, my job has changed (4 times!!!) - but "Laurie's House" has been a constant. It is a place that Paige, Carter and Taryn have felt safe, have felt loved, and have always had fun!

This week I walked up the front steps of "Laurie's House" for the last time to pick up a child after work. I started to get very emotional as I opened her front door and thought about how I would never have a little one run down her hall to greet me with open arms and an affectionate "Mommyyyyyyy".

What do you say to someone who has had such a positive impact on the life of your family.

The following is a letter I wrote to Laurie in an attempt to thank her for the last 11 years:

Dear Laurie,

Thank you!

We do not take for granted the significant role that you have played in the life of our family.

For the last 11 years, you have essentially partnered with us as we have raised our children, and we could not have asked for anyone better than you!

Thank you for the countless meals fed, prayers prayed, crafts created, books read, walks taken, games played, swings pushed, fights refereed, noses wiped, tears dried, hugs given and love shared.

Our children will always have fond memories of “Laurie’s House”. We know that we will still see you often, but we will miss you all the same. I personally will miss stopping by your house -- I always enjoyed our talks and the parenting wisdom you shared so freely.

You have had such a positive impact on Paige, Carter and Taryn -- and we are forever grateful!


We thank God for you.

Milestones

This is a week of milestones in our life -- two graduations and our final day of daycare (after 11 years with the same caretaker.)

This morning we watched our beautiful daughter, Paige, graduate from elementary school and officially become a middle schooler. (How exactly did she (and we) get that old?) I have the mixed emotions of pride at the young lady she is becoming and sadness at the fact that she no longer sees herself as a child. I pray that she continues to hold onto the uninhibited joy and excitement she has so freely demonstrated all of her life.

We went right from Paige's graduation to watch our youngest beautiful daughter, Taryn, graduate from pre-school. What a delight to watch pre-schoolers sing and dance with gusto. In fact, Taryn was dancing so hard she took a nose dive off of the first level of risers and did a sort of belly glide on the floor. One minute she was standing there singing, the next she was gone. I held my breath for a moment, but when she got up smiling and got right back into it, I started to giggle. In fact, Paige, my mom and I began a serious case of the church giggles -- you know the kind that you try to stifle but can't quite contain. I worked hard to think of something else so I would stop laughing, but then either Paige would start up again or I would picture Taryn on her belly and I would start up again.

Taryn was a great sport about it. In fact, she had the best quote of the day "I was just boogieing down so much that...oops!"

So my days as a mother of a pre-schooler have officially ended. An entire segment of my life as a mom has come to a close...oh how I have enjoyed the pre-school years with all my kids. I am sad to see them go, but at the same time, I am looking forward to all the new adventures yet to come.

Perspective

I wrote the following entry the day before my computer crashed. I saved it as a draft because I thought I sounded like whiner. Little did I know the next day I would be challenged by a broken computer as well. Now I just think it is funny -- so I share it:

April 16

• Today the dishwasher leaked and left a lake in my kitchen.


• Yesterday all the fire-alarms were going off and I couldn't find a fire.


• The day before that my bathroom sink was clogged which my husband "fixed".


• Now my bathroom sink leaks and the towels I store beneath are soaked.


• A week ago a stone hit Cal's windshield leaving a beautiful crack.


• And my driver's side rear view mirror cracked on the Suburban (I swear the garage got smaller as I was backing out).

Will there ever be a day when everything is fixed?

Oh well -- how does the saying go? -- Don't complain, at least you have a dishwasher and a sink and a car and a garage....I guess.

Immediately after writing the above I took time to reflect on my whining and wrote the following:

While it is frustrating that there is always a never ending list of things to "fix" -- they can all be fixed -- and for that I am grateful.

In fact, I do find humor in my laundry list of broken things. Because that's just what they are "things".

This has been a year of great perspective building for me. Our good friends have a 5 year-old son who was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia a year ago and who received a bone marrow transplant just over 100 days ago -- it has been a long and hard battle with many ups and downs. As I write this today they are experiencing another down. I know how badly they just want to "fix" Isaiah. However, we know that for that little boy -- God is the only one who can fix him. So through continual prayer -- we place Isaiah in God's loving hands.

Praise God for our health and our family. As far as broken dishwashers....bring them on!

The next day my computer breaks...thankfully my perspective had already been checked.