November Math

What do you get when you combine one cool, crisp, November day,

three happy Bears,

and a yard full of fallen yellow leaves?

Answer:  Hours of autumn fun!  

Happy November!

Happy Halloween 2011!

We had a wonderful time enjoying Halloween with MoMo and Papa this week!

MoMo carved the great pumpkin this year, even attracting the attention of the local news station.

All of my pumpkins were excited for trick-or-treating to start,

reeeeeaaaaaally excited!

Woody and Jessie made another appearance and made my night.

We stood look out for the first trick-or-treaters early in the evening.

Then, it was our turn to head out in pursuit of neighborhood treats!

 Baby Bear was a trooper, coming along for the ride. 

E-Bear and G-Bear were pros.  Last year, E-Bear had to be carried because he was in a cast, but not this year!  They raced from house to house, carrying their bags.  They shouted "trick-or-treat!" together loud and clear, and almost always said a grateful "thank-you!" for their goodies.  

By the end of our walk around the block, their hard work had been heartily rewarded!  

Check out the piles of goodies they dragged home :)

Our bedtime treats are pretty exciting this week, as you might imagine. :)  

Happy Halloween, All Saints and All Souls day, from all of us in Happily Ever Johnson Land.

When a decision looms large

Faced any big decisions lately?

I have one that I've been putting off for a long time.  I will be interviewing next week, which will bring the decision to the forefront of my mind (as if it hasn't been there constantly for several years already!).

I have written before about how I have struggled to make professional decisions now that I am a mother.  I want to live a life that pleases God, serves my family and makes the world a better place for others.  Most days I find myself wondering which path would allow me to fulfill these goals the most.  Is one path better or more fulfilling than another?

I don't know the answer to my question.  But I think I found a clue in the book of Colossians this week:

"We pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way:

bearing fruit in every good work,

growing in the knowledge of God,

being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might 

so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father,

who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."

~Colossians 1:10-12

There are times in life when we have to make a choice between right and wrong.  There are many other times when the important decision is not what path we choose, but the kind of person we will be on our chosen path.  Perhaps that is why God's answer to my prayers over this decision seem so elusive:  perhaps while I pray so hard over the road ahead, he is more concerned with the driver.

So, Queen B, as you face a decision that feels so daunting, don't forget the important stuff:

Bear fruit in every good work,

grow in the knowledge of God,

be strengthened with His power so you have endurance and patience,

and do it all with thanksgiving for the eternity ahead.

P.S.  Check out this request from NY Times OP-Ed columnist, David Brooks.  If you know any particularly wise septuagenarians, their reflections on life, what they did well, not so well, and what they learned along the way, could be really instructive for younger generations as we struggle to navigate adulthood, careers, family, life.  

Welcome, Baby Seven Billion! It's time to re-think overpopulation.

We're taking a moment today for a public service announcement.

As Baby Bear and I sit here, playing on the floor with his ducky chew toy, the seven billionth person is projected to be born today.  How phenomenal! Across the world, seven billion of us lay, sit, crawl, or stand as precious individuals, each exquisitely different with a unique contribution to make to the world.

Overpopulation has long been a concern of many countries and erudite thinkers.  With all due respect, I have long found their assumptions to be fundamentally flawed.  Thomas Mathus predicted in 1798 that by 1890 the world would run out of food and the end of the human race would soon follow.  Over 200 years later, there are still those who share his fears.

I thought this article from The Public Discourse was a great, thought-provoking piece for the birthday of our seven billionth member.  The executive director of the United Nation Population Fund, an organization that has traditionally promoted family planning as the solution to population control, recently indicated a shift in the UNFPA thinking when he acknowledged publicly that, "problems stemming from population growth are actually issues of consumption, distribution and equity, not necessarily intrinsic to the number of people alone."

Amen!  Right on.

So let's celebrate the birth of each of our children, our future, by taking less for ourselves, living justly toward others and striving to meet our neighbors' need.

Thank you, 3M

G-Bear discovered post-its today.

I would like to thank T, who had the insight last night at a dinner lecture 

and grabbed four leftover post-it souvenirs for our kids.

When G-Bear discovered them on the table today, she was instantly fascinated. 

Tonight, we were all the fortunate recipients of lovely birthday crown creations, courtesy of G-Bear.  

Baby Bear, your stacking cups are otherwise occupied.  Enjoy your crown!

And our living room is covered in post-its!

Thanks to 3M for the fabulously removable, re-useable playtime product.

Thanks, G-Bear, for giving us all the royal treatment :)

October Days

These precious fall moments are passing by so quickly.  As T said this weekend, "if only we could bottle and sell these days."  We are thankful for the weather, our health, and the chance to get out into the world with our friends and family.  G-Bear's autumn color page that adorns our front door says, "Autumn is a time to play; let's thank God for everyday!"  Amen.  We are making the most of the harvest in our life!

This past weekend we had the chance to try out our Halloween costumes with our cousins for a neighborhood costume parade and harvest party.

Our crew looked pretty awesome.

Our group took to the sack race like naturals.

We are still treasuring our plastic spider ring prizes.

Many thanks to Woody, Jessie, Barbie, Jasmine and Abu the monkey for making an appearance last weekend.  You stole the show and warmed our hearts.

Grocery Bag

I am determined to enjoy the most of these last few October days.  Meal planning helps us spend less time panicking over meals and more time outside enjoying our fall activities.  Here is our plan for dinner this week!

Day One

Pasta with tomato cream sauce and homemade dinner rolls from the Pioneer Woman 

with spinach salad

Ree Drummond's simple pasta sauces frequent our table year-round.  

This is a quick, delicious dish for the fun, busy nights of autumn.

Photo and recipe from The Pioneer Woman 

Day Two

Thai peanut noodles with peppers and snow peas

This recipe combines some of my favorite flavors.  I switch up the veggies depending on the season.

Thai peanut noodles with peppers and snow peas

from the kitchen of Happily Ever Johnson

Ingredients:

8 oz spaghetti noodles

1 tsp sesame oil

2 cups chopped bell pepper

2 cups chopped snow peas

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs soy sauce

1 Tbs peanut butter

1 Tbs brown sugar

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Juice of one lime

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

Zest of one lime

peanuts, lime zest and  red pepper flakes for garnish

1.  Boil the noodles according to package directions.  Drain pasta and drizzle with sesame oil.

2.  Make sauce by combining soy sauce through lime zest in a small bowl.  Adjust seasoning to taste.

3.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat.  Add vegetables and stir fry 2-3 minutes until crisp tender.  Add the noodles to the vegetables and stir fry 1-2 minutes.  Add sauce, mixing to coat, until pasta is heated through.

Enjoy!

Day Three

Moroccan Chickpea Chili from Cooking Light Magazine

with homemade bread

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Four

Pesto tortellini 

with roasted squash

One of our favorite simple pastas with one of our favorite fall veggies :)

Day Five

Chili with steamed honeyed carrots and apple slices.  

I'll  make a double batch and save half in the freezer to have on hand.

Photo and recipe from AllRecipes.com

Enjoy these precious fall days!  Blessings on your kitchen.

  

Jack o' lanterns for Jesus

I love carving pumpkins for Halloween.

Since I was a little girl, my dad has always had the biggest pumpkin on the block.  

When I say big, I mean huge.  

In years of pumpkin draught, maintaining the tradition required drives of over a 100 miles to get a worthy pumpkin.  My parents have done an impressive job keeping the legacy alive.  The ceremonial bringing-home-of-the-pumpkin each fall was almost as anticipated as bring home a Christmas tree.  Carving our pumpkin was as much of a family gathering as trimming the tree for Christmas.  In my childhood neighborhood, Halloween was a welcoming, family and community affair.  As a result, there is something about a grinning jack o' lantern glowing near a front door that makes me feel warm and cozy.

I have never been one who enjoys the scary side of Halloween.  We tend to downplay that as a family.  I am especially excited to impart a more positive message to my kids as we anticipate Halloween this year.  After all, the transformation of a pumpkin into a jack o' lantern is a great analogy for how we change when we trust Jesus.  

Our children's chapel leader recently pointed this out to me:

Look at this pumpkin, all it's knots, brown spots, dirt marks, scratches.

It's even yuckier when you look inside.  It's full of yucky muck and gooey seeds!

But what happens when we decide to make it into a jack o' lantern?

We scoop out the gunk.

We give the pumpkin a new face.

We place a light inside,

so it shines in the darkness for all to see.

We too are full of scratches, spots, bruises and marks from life.

Inside, our hearts are even more marred by the yucky effects of sin.

But when we trust in Jesus, giving ourselves over to God,

all the goop of our lives is washed away.

We have a new life, a new outlook, a new "face."

And Christ's light shines through us

 into the darkness of the world.

This season, we'll all trying to be like jack o'lanterns!  But we'll be trying to let our light shine everyday, not just on Halloween.  

Our little pumpkins last year.

Happy pumpkin carving, from the Happily Ever Johnsons!

Six Months, Baby Bear!

There have been quite a few changes around here over the past few days.

There is pureed squash in my refrigerator and rice cereal in my pantry.

In the kids' room, books and shelves have been rearranged to make space for a crib.

Someone has grown too big for the bassinet,

and that someone is scooting around the floor on his tummy,

searching for something to munch with his twooooo little teeth.

Do you know what this means?

Thaaaaat's right, 

Baby Bear is SIX months old!

Tonight, we celebrate.  We'll have ice cream for us and applesauce for the half-birthday boy! :)

Many happy returns of the day, my dear Baby Bear!

Grocery Bag

A grocery bag is always better late than never in my world!  Here are my dinner ideas for our week.  

Day One

Veggie burgers with cheese and onions

with broccoli-craisin slaw

We have perfect grilling weather this week!

Day Two

Curried lentils in tomato sauce from Everyday Food Magazine

with basmati rice and spinach salad

This is one of my favorite lentil dishes

Photo and recipe from Marthastewart.com

Day Three

Chicken and spinach casserole from Everyday Food Magazine

with honey roasted carrots and apple slices

Photo and recipe from Marthastewart.com

Day Four

Spaghetti squash and chicken meatballs from Chasing Some Blue Sky

with homemade bread and mixed green salad

The kids can't wait to try our spaghetti squash. 

I'll cook some regular spaghetti to toss with the squash just in case.

Photo and recipe from Chasing Some Blue Sky

Day Five
Bacon, apple and cheddar sandwiches 
with carrot, snow pea and bell pepper stir fry
A fun sandwich for our game night this week.

Blessings on your kitchen!