A Day in the Life

In no particular order, I'll share with you today a few pictures that give you a peek into a day in my life. Enjoy! And if you're anything like me you'll love this. I'm one of those freaky peeping Toms who likes driving by people's homes after dark because with lights ablaze and blinds wide open I get a bird's eye view of the inside of their house.

Margarita Cupcakes

French Bread

Ready to Accost Chicks (not those chicks, get your mind out of the gutter!)

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Lasagna Rolls

Pico de Gallo

Dress Up Time

And ta-da, there you have it. What's that you're asking? Do I always cook the above all in one day? Of course, it has nothing, nothing, to do with the fact that I was bringing friends dinner. Where would you get a silly idea like that?

Brahmas, and Leghorns, and Chochins, OH MY!!!

Reader folk, listen well! I want you to be aware of the sacrifices I make for you. Yes, you! And why? Well because I love you so. Do you know how I started my day? With chick poop. Not just chick poop, but chick poop in the palm of my hand. All for the above photos. Alas, the sacrifices required for blog fodder!

So my latest conquest has become to raise laying hens. But laying hens start as sweet adorable chickies, right? And so, I bring you...sweet adorable chickies! For years I have talked about raising chickens and have expounded on the value of organically raised, hormone free eggs. Finally it's no longer just talk!

As of yesterday we became the proud owners of six little puffballs. Oh they're cute! Stinky, but cute! My laundry room is now an incubator. My laundry room is now filled with the cheeps of two week old chickens. My laundry room is now the very most interesting room in the house and the room that is occupied most.

Chicksitters? I've got 'em. The kids are at their post most of the daylight hours and are ensuring that the poultry are well fed, well watered, well groomed, and well harassed! Never fear, these little chickies won't be neglected!

I'll be keeping you updated on the progress of the little gals. Hopefully in six or so months I'll be reporting on the deliciousness of home-grown eggs. In the mean time wish me luck. I'm sure the chicks will be flying the coop (aka laundry room) all-too-soon. Oh, and anyone know of any good chicken recipes? Kidding, kidding, I'm sorry....

Assigning Value

Funny, isn't it, that while doing some hard drive spring cleaning I'd come across this photo and that it would make my heart jump into my throat? How could such a mundane photo cause such emotion? Let me attempt to explain.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, witnessing the end of George's life on earth has profoundly affected me. Not only has it affected me but it's given me a perspective that I was overlooking previously. What do we know of life? For one, it's temporary. Two, it's God-ordained. Three, the days of our lives are numbered. But most sobering for me, life is brief, it's but a breath!

Last summer our entire family embarked on constructing a paver patio and the project lasted nearly the entire summer. It was grueling, at times frustrating, and most definitely a labor of love. More than all this, however, it was a family project! See those three green, red, and blue specks in the background? Those are our hooligans. Even they were allocated duties and put to work (what do you mean kids aren't intended for forced labor?)! And the funny thing is, they LOVED it.

I look back at this photo and it says to me the following:

1) This summer project is one that we will never have the opportunity to embark on again. Well, unless something should go terribly wrong with the design. But shhh, don't even tell Zack I mentioned that. In no way am I insulting his engineering skills! :) Hi honey, just a little shout out to you... No really, there will probably never again come a time when we will work on a paver patio as a family for the entire summer. This was a precious time.

2) This summer, while enjoying the fruits of our labor, we can fondly look back on the good, the bad and the ugly of this project knowing that we, as a family, completed it.

3) And here's the kicker: When it comes down to assigning value, what is it that holds value in your rating system? For me it's family. For my father-in-law it was family. At the end of his life, George seemed most concerned about where he was at in his relationships with each and every member of his brood. It wasn't about his to-do list, it wasn't about how much he had accomplished, it wasn't about how he looked or the condition of his body. It was about family. Period. This patio project, and this photo in particular, represent to me the most valued way to redeem my time - as a family. I will look back on this photo fondly, knowing that the five us worked together, shared together, and grew together for the duration of the project.

What a precious gift!

Brody Dean

This my friends, this is my little Deanie. My only middle child, the one child of my three who exudes the most joy, lives most unabashedly, and revels in life to its fullest. All the previous is absolutely true unless - UNLESS - he has low blood sugar. Then? Well, let me just say that he's a whole 'nother animal (emphasis on animal).

Renowned Christian counselor Dr. James Dobson says the following of middle children:
"The middle child does sometimes find it more difficult to establish her identity within the family. She enjoys neither the status of the eldest nor the attention given to the baby. Furthermore, she is likely to be born at a busy period in the life of her parents, and especially her mother. Then during her preschool years, her precious territory is invaded by a cute little newborn who steals Mama from her. Is it any wonder that she often asks, "Who am I and where is my place in life?"

I'd love to hear from all of you out there with middle children, to see whether you find the above to be true for your family. In our case I truly don't sense that Brody has any trouble finding his place in life. Call me blind, call me ignorant, call me what you will but really, he seems very well adjusted! Brody is boisterous, outgoing, fun-loving, most affectionate and truly, truly so joyful. I think I can best communicate this joy by relating a story from the very recent past.

While in Colorado during the end stages of Zack's dad's cancer, the kids and I established ourselves as permanent fixtures in George's hospice room for a day. As difficult as were the circumstances, the unending supply of ice cream in the family freezer, the doting nurses, the portable DVD player set up in the room, and the general kid-appeasing character of Zack and I caused the kids to find hospice fun. After spending an entire day camped out we began packing up to leave. Brody, deciding to use the potty before hitting the road, began taking quite some time in the facilities. I went in to check on him and found him humming away on the potty. I helped him finish up, got him reclothed and opened the door for him. As he ran out of the bathroom he gleefully cried, "Mom, this is the best place EVER!"

Hospice the best place ever? Really, this eight room facility geared for those at the end of their lives? Fun? All I can say is praise God for the perspective of a four-year-old. Actually bigger than that, praise God for our little Brody Dean!

Domesticity Defined

Whole Wheat Beer Batter Bread



Nutritious Bran Muffins

Salmon w/ Parmesan Polenta and Asparagus

So all you foodies out there will commiserate with me on this post. Don't the above photos look healthy and delicious? Funny you say that, they are!!

Call me crazy, but I absolutely love providing for my family in terms of filling their tummies with good for-you-fare. All three of the above are packed with nothing but healthy, oh so yummy goods.

Let's start with the Whole Wheat Beer Batter Bread:

This is the absolute easiest recipe you'll come across. Not only is it one bowl, mix, pour, and bake but it requires NO KNEADING! Did you hear that, no arm workout today!! This truly is a no-fail recipe. The bread fills your kitchen with incredible aromas, comes out perfectly golden brown, and is dynamite with your favorite soup or plain right out of the oven slathered with your favorite topping.

On to the Nutritious Bran Muffins:

Whole Wheat Flour, oat bran, figs, shredded carrots, walnuts, and applesauce in place of most of the oil. Does it get any better than that? Of course this is an abbreviated ingredient list but I just wanted to highlight what makes up the body of goodness in this little morsel. These are great for snack time or a quick breakfast on the go. Mmm., mmm, mmm!

Finally, the Salmon Dinner:

What can beat Omega 3 goodness, belly filling starch, and greens galore? All three of these "musts" compirse this meal. The marinated salmon flakes easily and melts in your mouth, the polenta compliments the fish well, and the asparagus never fails to leave your pee with that unmistakable aroma (oh gosh, Grandma sorry if I've offended)! No really, I love a meal like this. And you know what worked well? Zack (the hubby) must have bread with a meal like this. So what did I have available? Well the Beer Batter Bread was sitting on kitchen counter just asking to be consumed. Zack sliced off a big ol' slab, buttered it generously and enjoyed it with this meal. Perfect!

It feels so great to be back into the swing of things, actually preparing meals for the fam. If you too, want the satisfaction of divine domesticity I'm willing to share my recipes. Just let me know!

George

My humble take on nursery rhyme prose:

Gone from our sight, this much is true,


Eternity, however, is the promise for you.


Onto what's bigger, what's better, what's more,


Right into the arms of our loving Savior.


God knows best, His ways are higher


Entering heaven, the greatest gift to acquire!

And tomorrow, I promise you food pictures. Salivate, you will! So what will you see? Hows bout' some Whole Wheat Beer Batter Bread; Nutritious Bran Muffins; and a dinner of Marinated Salmon, Parmesan Polenta, and Asparagus. Good things await you!

Happy Easter From Our Own Little Funny Farm To Yours

In the midst of the craziness that has been the past two and a half weeks it felt so good to collaborate with the kids on a spring craft. The above photo models our results. These little animals are simply too cute for their own good and relatively easy to make. It's our little way of saying Happy Spring to you!

What a blogging slacker I've been, huh? Blogging, unfortunately, has been the least of my worries most recently. Suffice it to say that our guarded optimism regarding Zack's dad was quickly dashed. How can a person go from a seemingly inconsequential hospitalization on February 14th to a blessed end to suffering on March 11th? Zack and I are reeling in a current state of surrealism. It's hard to believe, hard to accept, and absolutely shocking that George has passed on. I've got so much more to say on this because having been present for a good part of his last two weeks, and there with him when he passed, my life has been altered. I'm currently in a state of processing so bear with me through the next few weeks of posting ya'll.

And by the way, I just want to thank everyone for their positive response to this outlet of mine. It truly is a joy for me to share my life with you, and such a great hobby for me. Stay tuned because there's a whole lot more to come! Till then, ciao (just pretend with me that I'm Italian, capiche? Right now it just sounds oh so "Calgon take me away"!).

*By the way, something's up with Blogger and it isn't allowing me to space between paragraphs. You'll just have to excuse the jumbled mess of words. Funny, it aptly represents where I'm at in my mind at the moment...