Grocery Bag

Time to start another week!  T starts work tomorrow, and the kids are out of school at the end of the week.  Our meal plan is sure to help.   Here is my plan for dinner.

Day One

Chicken with potatoes, peas, & coconut curry sauce from Fine Cooking Magazine

with basmati rice

A delicious-looking new dish that I can't wait to try.

Photo and recipe from Fine Cooking

Day Two

Butternut squash couscous from Cooking Light Magazine

with shredded brussels sprout salad from Everyday Food Magazine

I love both of these dishes.  The salad is delicious warmed in a rolled tortilla the next day.

Photo and recipe from MarthaStewart.com

Day Three

Spicy honey-brushed chicken thighs with apples slices and parmesan potato wedges 

from Cooking Light Magazine

This dinner does double duty: the kids love to help me make it and they love to eat it too.

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Photo and recipes from MyRecipes.com

Day Four

Moroccan chicken and butternut squash soup from Cooking Light Magazine

with pear and spinach salad and homemade bread

A light, satisfying soup with great flavors.  

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Five

Sausage and mushroom calzones using our favorite dough

with carrot sticks and spinach salad

 Blessings on your kitchen this week!

Happy Year of Faith!

The Year of Faith has begun!

The coming year is such a great opportunity to focus on growing and living out our faith.

When it comes to talking about faith with my kids, I love the resources at Ministry to Children.

The coloring pages are great aides to our conversations and help personalize the ideas we discuss.

We already used one of them today as we talked about celebrating our faith in the coming year.

Looking forward to living out the Year of Faith with family and friends...

Soccer Girl

G-Bear has loved her "Soccer School" this year.

Next week is G-Bear's final soccer game (there have only been six).  Once a week, she has enjoyed a half hour practice followed by a half hour game against another team.   The park & rec setting has been perfect for us.

I love the enthusiasm and excitement with which G-Bear joins her teammates on the field.  I can see her smile beaming from across the field.  She always has a joyful high-five ready for her coaches.  She also has two enthusiastic brothers cheering her on from the sidelines.

Over the course of her "season," G-Bear is learning the concepts of offense and defense (we try to review them on our way to every game.....it is easy to get confused when the coaches are using all these new words!), passing and kicking skills, and above all, teamwork.  "I didn't get a goal tonight, Mommy," she has pointed out on numerous occasions.  "That's okay," I say, and then we review how well her team played together and how each person has a different role on a team, not everyone is supposed to score the goal.

A hearty thanks to G-Bear for ushering us, ever so gently, into our first organized sport experience.  T and I both loved organized sports growing up, and it is exciting to see our kids having fun both cheering and playing in the low-key environment.  Let the journey begin!

Daybook October 2012

Outside my window...The air is crisp, the lawn is covered with leaves and the wind is blowing through the trees.  Hellllllloooooo, October!  We've been off the blog for over a week, had a wonderful family vacation together before T starts his new job, and have lots of catching up to do. A Daybook entry seems the perfect way to welcome a new month and get back in the swing of things!  As always, thanks to The Simple Woman's Daybook for the inspiration.

I am thankful...for our awesome week away as a family last week.  Spur of the moment, we found  last minute deals for Disney World and made a last minute trip.  It was so worth the effort to go back.  What a great way it was to cherish our second-to-last-week before T starts his new job!  We finished our trip with a Princeton wedding, celebrating with many longtime friends.  There were so many blessings to celebrate from one week, and there are plenty more stories to come.

In the kitchen...we have butternut squash, pumpkins and potatoes from our friends' farm.  What a blessing it is to share in their bounty!  I can't wait to make soup.

I am wearing...my puffy, black, winter vest already.  We've already had our first freezing nights (enough to kill the basil), and even the days have quite a nip in the air!  Ahhh, Minnesota!  To be honest, I actually missed my winter clothes, much as I never thought I would.  The colder weather is refreshing.


I am creating...parmesan potato fries with the kids for dinner.  E-Bear dipped the cut potatoes in the flour, then G-Bear dipped them in the egg, and I finished the assembly line by dipping them into the bread crumbs and putting them on the tray.  We had so much fun, and they came together so much faster than if I had done them myself.  These two are becoming quite the cooking enthusiasts, and is so wonderful to have helpers in the kitchen.

I am going...to the Dodge Nature Center with E-Bear's class this week.  I find the family's story and the generous use of their land so inspiring.  We'll be picking apples from the orchard, watching the wild turkeys roam the fields and making cider with the apples we pick.  What fun!

I am wondering...what our life is going to look like here, even as it begins to take shape.  This fall is the start of so many new phases for us, and I find myself praying earnestly for God's guidance as we get to know a new city, a new school, a new job, a new path, a new parish.  

I am reading...the thoughts of a friend on his new blog, Pregnant Pauses.  It's worth a look and an occasional read.

I am hoping...for a great first week of work for T next week.  It is overwhelming to start any first time job, especially as a physician.  He is blessed with a welcoming work group and an enthusiastic heart for patients, which I know will serve him well.  We'll be here to help him take things one day at a time.

I am looking forward to...praying another novena prayer next week thanks to John Paul at Praying More Novenas.  I have never known many novena prayers, nor considered meaningful times to pray them throughout the liturgical year.  I have loved getting periodic email reminders of seasonal novenas, as well as having the chance to join in prayer with thousands of other prayer warriors.  Praying More Novenas is worth checking out.

I am learning...what it means to be the mom of a Kindergartener, how to encourage brotherly playtime without big sister around, as well as how to make the best use of my little free time within our new schedule.  

Around the house...the clean clothes from the kids' closet are neatly hung up all around the living room, the product of G-Bear's hard work and diligence this afternoon.  She wanted to play "Store" with me when she got home from school, but I had a meeting and we didn't get to play.  Thus, the clothes continue to adorn our main floor, and I vowed we will play tomorrow.  I love my sweet girl's imagination and enthusiasm, and I love to be invited.

I am pondering...how to help our family pursue and celebrate our faith in the upcoming Year of Faith, beginning Thursday.  The coming year is a great opportunity to focus, in a special way, on the blessings and specifics of our faith.  I also appreciate the encouragement to examine my faith and ways to live it out more completely and authentically.  Lord Jesus, give us hearts to love you more and faithfulness to live out that love in our lives!

A favorite quote for today... 

"Mommy, is this for real life?" 

~E-Bear, after T told the kids that we were on the way to the airport to go to Disney World.

One of my favorite things...is the way Buddy Bear grabs T and me at the knees and buries his head in our legs.  As a bonus, he also gives sweet hugs and kisses these days.

A few plans for the rest of the week: celebrating the beginning of the Year of Faith on Thursday, leaf raking, shopping for clothes in our living room ;), school picture days, and October decorating.

Size doesn't always matter, but relationships always do

We are pretty settled into our new house.  We feel so fortunate to live where we do, with lots of extra space to run around, play and be together.

Today as we were going out together, T asked G-Bear and E-Bear, 

"How do you like our new house, you guys?"

E-Bear replied,

"I liked our blue house better, where we could go and visit Mr. Gary every afternoon."

Now, we certainly are blessed here in Minnesota with MoMo, Papa, GG, Uncle Charlie, Aunty Cindy and many other dear family members nearby.  We often highlight those blessings together as we adore our new surroundings.  I thought it was sweet, though, that to E-Bear, the most meaningful part of "home" is the relationships, not the extra space.

Sweet North Carolina friends, you are greatly missed by our Minnesota crew.

All things considered...

On the eve of T's greatly hailed return home, I must reflect that, all things considered, we've done pretty well the past two weeks.

T departed two weeks ago to return to North Carolina for a brief stint of practice preparation.  For two whole weeks leading up to that point, we had been spoiled by his glorious omnipresence.  The kids and I thrive with T around and we miss him so whenever he is away, so naturally it was hard to say goodbye.

The Bears and I have been tough, though, working to establish our routine and make our days productive and fun even though Dad can't be around.  Some days are certainly better than others, as would be expected, and many nights we all collapse together into a heap.

But there was this one morning.....

Buddy Bear woke up, chipper as usual. I got him out of his crib and let him waddle around the room in his sleep sack while I finished getting ready for the day, until I noticed that his sleep sack was soaking wet.  Before he knew it, I had swept him off his feet to check his sack for the offending cause.  With the sleep sack off, it was evident something was wrong.  His whole pj onesie was filled with poop -- and no diaper.  Our little man had been put to bed with a onesie snapped over his naked little rear end! Poor dude!  Yet, he awoke chipper as ever.  I think there are several lessons for me in there somewhere.

It might be especially incriminating to note that I later noticed his unfolded diaper, ready to be applied, lying on the floor next to the bed where I had left it the night before.

Like I said, we've done pretty well, but maybe not awesome.

Thank goodness, T will be home soon!

Saint Therese's inspiration for the routine

"What matters in life is not great deeds, but great love."

~St. Therese of Lisieux

My inspiration today came from a prayer in honor of St. Therese of Lisieux, as part of a novena leading up to her feast day, October 1st:

"Loving God, you gave St. Therese the ability to see you in the ordinary routine of each day.  

Help me to be aware of your presence in the everyday events of my life."

~Day Three, St. Therese of Lisieux Novena

Grocery Bag

A new week already?  Bring it on!  Here is our plan for the week.

Day One

Red lentil and orzo stew from Martha Stewart Living

with homemade bread and carrot sticks

I am a sucker for lentil soups of any kind.  This is a new one for us.

Photo and recipe from Martha Stewart

Day Two

Mushroom and bacon frittata with Fine Cooking's create your own online tool

with spinach and apple salad

This is a great tool from Fine Cooking to inspire your frittata.

Day Three

Rotisserie chicken, steamed green peas

and roasted potatoes

Chickens are on sale today!

We'll need simple and easy to get us through the midweek blues.

Day Four

Bourbon chicken with basmati rice 

A veteran recipe from our kitchen.

Photo and recipe from Happily Ever Johnson

Day Five

Creamy chickpea soup with chorizo from Fine Cooking Magazine

with quesadillas and apple slices

Another new soup to round out our week.

Photo and recipe from Fine Cooking

Blessings on your kitchen this week!

Overheard in the house this week: September 2012

"Mom, I am going to be a farmer when I grow up.  And I am going to grow LOTS of food for people who don't have any food.  And I am going to grow LOTS of food for our family too."

~E-Bear (wearing his John Deer foam State Fair hat)

~~~

"We're going to play with soccer balls, soccer balls, soccer balls,

how about you, you, you,

you can come too, too, too, 

we're going to play with soccer balls, soccer balls, soccer balls.....

......

I had a little soccer ball,

I made it out of clay,

and when it's dry and ready,

my soccer ball I will play,

oh, soccer ball soccer ball soccer ball......

......

Time for soccer,

time for soccer,

yes it is, yes it is,

time to play soccer time to play soccer,

yes it is, yes it is....."

~G-Bear, in the car on the way to her first soccer team game,

singing along to all the Raffi songs and making up new words of her own

~~~

Me: "Buddy Bear, what does a LION say?"

Buddy Bear (whispering with mouth wide open):  "Raaaaaaaarh!"

Me: "What does a MONKEY say?"

Buddy Bear (again, mouth wide open): "Ah ah ah ah!"

My conversations with Buddy Bear

Buddy Bear, coming to find me in the bathroom:

"Waajah ejah baba amaa?"

Me:

"Aala maja baba maja."

Buddy Bear, pointing to the room where his siblings are playing and screaming:

"Yama bala ooba naanna."

Me, nodding in agreement:

"Yaaja baaba."

Buddy Bear, questioning:

"Aama?"

Me, assuringly:

"Yaaba."

Buddy Bear walked off completely contented with our conversation.  I didn't understand a word uttered.  Such is life with our most darling, 16-month-old linguist.  I know I'll miss these days when intelligible words aren't nearly so sweet.