Summer is here, and I have already missed the first Farmers' Market of the season ... held at the large picnic pavilion in a small-town park about five miles away.
But we've been enjoying summer fruits!! There's just something about fresh produce, isn't there?
Our calendar already shows a picnic-style family reunion coming up, as well as an adoptive families' cookout later in the summer. No doubt there will be more opportunities to take food. And, even when I'm not taking food, I'm looking for healthy, tasty dishes that aren't hot and don't heat up my kitchen.
The following links are three recipes that were new-to-me last year, but quickly became my go-to recipes. It is very hard for me to eat just one serving of any of them!
Greek-inspired Quinoa Salad
Corn & Black Bean Salad
Health Salad (Slaw)
What about you? Do you have a go-to recipe to beat the summer heat and please your taste buds?
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
It takes a village
It takes a village to adopt a child!
And we are thankful!
- The many friends (who have adopted) whom I wrote in 2011 asking for advice on first steps in pursuing adoption
- The local adoption conference I attended in 2012
- "Jane" - who listened, asked good questions, answered my questions, and shared her story
- Our references - who keep updating their reference each year
- The friends who cared and prayed and sent us leads
- My doctor's office staff who prayed for us all along the way {Side note: it was a sweet moment to drop by their office on the way to our little one's first pediatrician visit here, so they could meet the answer to their prayers: our little miracle.}
- The people who hoped for us when I could not hope
- One lady in particular who I only ran into every 6-12 months, but who always asked and took time to listen to the latest in our saga, and understood how hard it was
- The hometown bank ... where we notarized a whole forest worth of papers over the course of many months
- An in-law's sibling ... who secured places for us to stay while we were out-of-town meeting our son
- Two Christian couples ... who provided a home away from home out-of-state for the baby and me when Jim flew home for 12 days
- The church nursery workers!!!!
- The postal clerk who carried my package out to the car for me, saying, "I'll be right back," to the other customer, while I carried the carseat, and who is visibly excited each time I bring him into the post office :)
- The grandmother waiting in line at the post office on another occasion, who soothed our little one, as he waited patiently in the carseat on the floor beside me
- The tax preparer who called our home on the Saturday afternoon before April 15th to see if we had received our little one's tax id. number (in lieu of a social security number, for which we need to wait a little longer), and, upon hearing that it had come that morning, she took down the number, finished our taxes, and then delivered them to our home that afternoon!
- The hometown bank manager who arranged for us to use the 1-800 number and speaker phone at their parent bank, and who arranged to meet us there (before normal business hours in our time zone!) and be available during the 1.5 hour range to wait for the phone call and then swear us in over the phone to a court room several states away so that our adoption could be finalized!
And we are thankful!
Friday, May 30, 2014
Life with a baby
Perhaps because I'm older, perhaps because I am a perfectionist, perhaps because I was set in my ways (and had so many years to become so pre-baby), I am having trouble adjusting so that I get everything done in this new stage of life. "Everything" being the cooking & the cleaning.
My wonderful husband initiated finding a cleaning lady to do the dusting & vacuuming. Anyone can dust and vacuum; I'm the only one who can mother our son.
That leaves the cooking. I never thought I'd buy or serve frozen food. Ahem! :) Thankfully we don't live near fast food, or I might be tempted to get take-out!
When possible, I still try to make a big batch of something (like spaghetti sauce or a pot of rice in the rice cooker) to freeze smaller portions for later. When my parents were here (and I had their help), I browned a big batch of taco meat and froze it in smaller portions.
Thankfully I have a husband who issatisfied thrilled with a whole chicken cooked in the slow cooker (as is; no seasoning) and then left in the fridge for him to slice a serving for a meal or a snack.
The other day I thought ahead enough to thaw some frozen salmon. It wasn't too hard to put it in a pre-heated oven, cook some frozen broccoli in the microwave, and heat up some rice. The nutritional value (and variety of color!) from such minimal effort was a great return on investment.
My take-away is that, in this season of life, I am best able to prepare meals that are meat + vegetable + starch, with each of those being only one-step.
What is your quickest and easiest meal?
My wonderful husband initiated finding a cleaning lady to do the dusting & vacuuming. Anyone can dust and vacuum; I'm the only one who can mother our son.
That leaves the cooking. I never thought I'd buy or serve frozen food. Ahem! :) Thankfully we don't live near fast food, or I might be tempted to get take-out!
When possible, I still try to make a big batch of something (like spaghetti sauce or a pot of rice in the rice cooker) to freeze smaller portions for later. When my parents were here (and I had their help), I browned a big batch of taco meat and froze it in smaller portions.
Thankfully I have a husband who is
The other day I thought ahead enough to thaw some frozen salmon. It wasn't too hard to put it in a pre-heated oven, cook some frozen broccoli in the microwave, and heat up some rice. The nutritional value (and variety of color!) from such minimal effort was a great return on investment.
My take-away is that, in this season of life, I am best able to prepare meals that are meat + vegetable + starch, with each of those being only one-step.
What is your quickest and easiest meal?
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Garage Sale Finds
Jim had just left, so I was surprised to see his cell phone number show up on caller ID. "There's a baby gate at the garage sale around the corner. See if you can get it." I did, along with a jewelry organizer I had been eying.
It was the day of the Annual Townwide Garage Sales, and Little Boy and I perused a few, coming home with some great finds, some potential gifts (Shhh!) and probably a few items I could have done without, if I'm honest. :)
The best find by far is a 15x19 framed Grace print (also known as Our Daily Bread) ... for $5!
I grew up with it hanging on the wall of my parents' dining room. And Jim has eyed it ever since he saw it in their home.
What words come to mind when you see it?
It was the day of the Annual Townwide Garage Sales, and Little Boy and I perused a few, coming home with some great finds, some potential gifts (Shhh!) and probably a few items I could have done without, if I'm honest. :)
The best find by far is a 15x19 framed Grace print (also known as Our Daily Bread) ... for $5!
I grew up with it hanging on the wall of my parents' dining room. And Jim has eyed it ever since he saw it in their home.
What words come to mind when you see it?
Friday, May 23, 2014
Hunting & gathering
Sometimes when the food in the college cafeteria wasn't that appealing, a friend would announce she was going "hunting and gathering," checking out the other food stations within the cafeteria, e.g., salad bar, Mexican station, etc.
In the past few months, we have eaten take-out and frozen food more than I ever thought possible!
Living in a small town of 1300 with only one restaurant, and being a good 20-30 minutes from any fast food restaurants, you may wonder how we eat take-out. Simple! I go hunting & gathering.
I scour the weekly "newspaper" for little notices that say things like "George Township Rescue Squad Pork Supper" or "Lions Club to Hold Barbeque." They even garner a notation on our kitchen calendar.
A church 8/10 of a mile away has Monday night meals during the winter. I went religiously (no pun intended) and brought supper home.
One weekend last month was the annual Townwide Garage Sales. The Kiwanis Club held a garage sale and also sold sack lunches which included a sub sandwich from a locally famous restaurant. The church down the road also was selling sack lunches with sub sandwiches. The library in the next town was selling sloppy joes, along with their book sale.
Mid-morning I purchased sack lunches at the Kiwanis sale, brought them home to the fridge, and then headed to the next town, where I bought sloppy joes. Since we were there, and Jim wouldn't be home for lunch for awhile, I decided to swing by Grandma's. One can't just pop in to see Grandma; it takes time to properly be spoiled!
As we drove home, I wondered if a certain friend who had not seen the answer to her prayers (i.e., a certain little boy!) were having a garage sale. I stopped and visited and also shopped.
Turning onto our street, I parked in front of a neighbor's house and perused her garage sale and visited a bit before coming home and ...
... seeing that the farm truck was already in the garage. (It was much later than I thought!) As I brought the sloppy joes in, Jim was on his way out, and called over his shoulder, "I ate both of the sack lunches." :)
So, I had a sloppy joe for lunch!
In the past few months, we have eaten take-out and frozen food more than I ever thought possible!
Living in a small town of 1300 with only one restaurant, and being a good 20-30 minutes from any fast food restaurants, you may wonder how we eat take-out. Simple! I go hunting & gathering.
I scour the weekly "newspaper" for little notices that say things like "George Township Rescue Squad Pork Supper" or "Lions Club to Hold Barbeque." They even garner a notation on our kitchen calendar.
A church 8/10 of a mile away has Monday night meals during the winter. I went religiously (no pun intended) and brought supper home.
One weekend last month was the annual Townwide Garage Sales. The Kiwanis Club held a garage sale and also sold sack lunches which included a sub sandwich from a locally famous restaurant. The church down the road also was selling sack lunches with sub sandwiches. The library in the next town was selling sloppy joes, along with their book sale.
Mid-morning I purchased sack lunches at the Kiwanis sale, brought them home to the fridge, and then headed to the next town, where I bought sloppy joes. Since we were there, and Jim wouldn't be home for lunch for awhile, I decided to swing by Grandma's. One can't just pop in to see Grandma; it takes time to properly be spoiled!
As we drove home, I wondered if a certain friend who had not seen the answer to her prayers (i.e., a certain little boy!) were having a garage sale. I stopped and visited and also shopped.
Turning onto our street, I parked in front of a neighbor's house and perused her garage sale and visited a bit before coming home and ...
... seeing that the farm truck was already in the garage. (It was much later than I thought!) As I brought the sloppy joes in, Jim was on his way out, and called over his shoulder, "I ate both of the sack lunches." :)
So, I had a sloppy joe for lunch!
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Made in His image
Sometimes, even if you're sleep deprived, you just need to do something creative. We are hard-wired that way, being made in the image of our Creator.
I have a wedding gift for an upcoming shower, and it's an odd shape. None of my wrapping paper is sturdy. (Someday when life settles down, I'll take a 40% off coupon to Hobby Lobby and buy thicker wrapping paper.)
In the meantime, just to use some creative juices, and to use what I have, and since shopping isn't easy these days, I created this, using Kraft paper and lace and ribbon in my recycled gift wrap drawer. Oh, and a potato, a paring knife, and a gold stamp pad. It won't win any prizes, but it provided a few minutes of relaxation while the little guy napped the other day.
I have a wedding gift for an upcoming shower, and it's an odd shape. None of my wrapping paper is sturdy. (Someday when life settles down, I'll take a 40% off coupon to Hobby Lobby and buy thicker wrapping paper.)
In the meantime, just to use some creative juices, and to use what I have, and since shopping isn't easy these days, I created this, using Kraft paper and lace and ribbon in my recycled gift wrap drawer. Oh, and a potato, a paring knife, and a gold stamp pad. It won't win any prizes, but it provided a few minutes of relaxation while the little guy napped the other day.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Things I'm learning
1. I have the best husband in the world! He puts no pressure on me to get meals on the table or the house clean. And yesterday morning he got up at 7 and let me sleep two more hours. I am blessed!
2. Insurance companies are as slow as molasses in January. It helped to hear another mom tell of the many months it took her employer's insurance to add her bio son (even before the new health care laws). [We're dealing with individual insurance - not employer's, adopted - not bio, and post-new health care laws, so not even the insurance company knows what to expect.]
3. It's very helpful to have two Carters Keep Me Dry Waterproof Flannel Crib Pads, so you can re-make the crib as soon as you strip it. Chances are your baby will need to take a nap before the laundry is done!
4. High chairs are wonderful!! Why didn't we get one months ago?!? :) I was going to hold out for a booster, but when the pediatrician said to start feeding cereal, and our little one can't sit up unassisted yet, we bought a high chair posthaste! And now, in addition to keeping him contained while I feed him, we can both eat while he contents himself with sitting up , seeing us, and playing with a small toy, or he can sit and content himself while I work in the kitchen. Novel idea! :)
5. We have many generous friends. This baby boy has ALL of his needs met - and, beyond that, some niceties (like a silver-plated cup passed down from a great-aunt, a hand-knit baby cap, etc.), not to mention a veritable library of board books and picture books.
6. Friends who loan or pass on their baby paraphernalia are a blessing! (Car seat, jumparoo, bumbo, vibrating seat, clothing, bassinet, crib mattress, infant bathtub, rocking chair, etc.)
7. Our little guy's all-time favorite way to spend his time is in his activity mat. A generous friend found it at a garage sale (similar to this, but without the music, pillow or mirror), and I washed and sanitized it. He can spend hours a day on/in it. I especially enjoy watching him enjoy it in the morning. He is a morning person! He wakes up smiling and cooing. I take him out of his crib, change his diaper, and then let him play in the activity mat, where he will babble and smile and coo happily for easily 30 minutes. Plus, it's easy to transport to a friend's house, or to the cousins' for babysitting, and he can fall asleep in a familiar environment. (Much easier than transporting a pack-n-play!)
2. Insurance companies are as slow as molasses in January. It helped to hear another mom tell of the many months it took her employer's insurance to add her bio son (even before the new health care laws). [We're dealing with individual insurance - not employer's, adopted - not bio, and post-new health care laws, so not even the insurance company knows what to expect.]
3. It's very helpful to have two Carters Keep Me Dry Waterproof Flannel Crib Pads, so you can re-make the crib as soon as you strip it. Chances are your baby will need to take a nap before the laundry is done!
4. High chairs are wonderful!! Why didn't we get one months ago?!? :) I was going to hold out for a booster, but when the pediatrician said to start feeding cereal, and our little one can't sit up unassisted yet, we bought a high chair posthaste! And now, in addition to keeping him contained while I feed him, we can both eat while he contents himself with sitting up , seeing us, and playing with a small toy, or he can sit and content himself while I work in the kitchen. Novel idea! :)
5. We have many generous friends. This baby boy has ALL of his needs met - and, beyond that, some niceties (like a silver-plated cup passed down from a great-aunt, a hand-knit baby cap, etc.), not to mention a veritable library of board books and picture books.
6. Friends who loan or pass on their baby paraphernalia are a blessing! (Car seat, jumparoo, bumbo, vibrating seat, clothing, bassinet, crib mattress, infant bathtub, rocking chair, etc.)
7. Our little guy's all-time favorite way to spend his time is in his activity mat. A generous friend found it at a garage sale (similar to this, but without the music, pillow or mirror), and I washed and sanitized it. He can spend hours a day on/in it. I especially enjoy watching him enjoy it in the morning. He is a morning person! He wakes up smiling and cooing. I take him out of his crib, change his diaper, and then let him play in the activity mat, where he will babble and smile and coo happily for easily 30 minutes. Plus, it's easy to transport to a friend's house, or to the cousins' for babysitting, and he can fall asleep in a familiar environment. (Much easier than transporting a pack-n-play!)
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