Chowder - Fruit *freebie*

When it comes to disciplining my children - my 4 year old mostly since my 1 year old isn't as strong willed (yet) - I sometimes get frustrated and discipline from the works of the flesh. You know, bursting out in anger for example. I try though, to stay calm, but that's just it. I try. And then I fail every so often. Because I don't let the Holy Spirit work through me. So while sitting in my church chair this morning, listening to the preaching pastor, my mind started spinning. What can I do to remember the fruit of the Spirit and recognize the works of the flesh. I decided to make subway art cards to print out and post on my fridge. Just because I walk by it so many times during the day. (And maybe it will stop me from opening the door to the refrigerator a few times too.) 

I figured I might not be the only one who struggles with this and likes a visual reminder so here's a little freebee (or is it freebie?) for ya.

Just click HERE for an enlarged image of the fruit of the Spirit to print...

and HERE to enlarge the works of the flesh.

(btw, I chose to use the NLT version of the Bible for this since I understood every word but one (dissension) which hubby explained to me so know I know.)

And thanks for a great message pastor S!

Yummy for my Tummy - Lime-y Black Bean Soup

Maybe the correct way of spelling lime-y would be limy...
but it looks funny so we won't do that.

Anyway... this is such a simple, quick, healthy, cheap meal
that it's a staple here at our house. 

Ingredients:

1 cup Newmans Own Tequila Lime Salsa

2 cans drained, rinsed, organic black beans

  (please, use organic so your ingredient list isn't a mile long. 

beans should be beans, don't ya think?)

2 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth 

(10 points to anyone who can tell me the difference between stock and broth.)

½ lime

chopped parsley

sour cream

Heat the salsa for a few minutes, stirring often. 

Add beans and stock. Or broth. 

Bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer, covered,  for about 15 minutes.

Let the soup cool down for a little bit then ladle about half of it into a magic bullet. Just because you don't have a food processor just yet. Or a blender.

 Puree and return to the rest of the soup.

Squeeze the lime into the soup. Now we like it pretty lime-y. Or limy. Add as much or as little as you like here. 

Add parsley, save some for garnish.

Serve warm with a do do a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled parsley. 

Did you sing that last line too?

Enjoy!

It's Personal - Soaring, Flying

If you want to read about my flying baby then just click on the word below. Why did I pick that word? Click, read, then understand...

FAIRY

Soaring, flying...

Do you have High School musical stuck on your brain now too?

"...there's not a star in heaven that we can't reach"

Well, that's not what I want to tell you about today. I want to tell you about my little fairy. E put her fairy wings on H earlier today and it looked really cute so I let her keep them on. They didn't seem to bother her. I had every intention to take a picture before they came off, but that didn't happen. Something else happened though. My baby went flying through the air. No, you didn't read it wrong. 

 I was sitting on the armrest of our couch, talking to my husband on the phone about something landlord related (we have an apartment available for rent btw, just thought I'd throw that out there) and just as we hung up I looked up into the playroom and saw E holding H by the armpits high up in the air. Well, holding might not be the right term here. I'm sure she was holding onto her at first and then started swinging her. But when I looked up H was in the air for two seconds, then landed on her back with a bump.  And a thump. Then came the tears and the running mamma. While picking up my crying fairy from the floor I had the stern mamma look on my face, calmly, but very firmly, telling E she better go to her room right now! 

 H calmed down as soon as I picked her up. She was ok. E on the other hand was crying in her room. I knew she didn't throw her sister up in the air to purposely hurt her so I found something to distract H with (snack food) and then headed to E's room for a talk. We sat down and I asked her what just happened. I expected to hear something along the lines with "I was swinging her and dropped her" to which I would've explained why she is under no circumstances to try to swing her ever again. I mean, c'mon, we have a 'no carry H rule'. I would think swinging her would be included in that rule. Maybe I need to specify every possible carrying situation. Anyways, that's not what E told me.

"I just wanted her to fly."

I couldn't keep it together. I started laughing so hard that even though I turned away and covered my mouth there was no hiding it. My whole body was shaking. New rule in our house. Never, ever make H fly. Never thought of that one before.

Something to do - First Year Calendar

 When E was little I made a calendar of her first year and sent it as a Christmas present to all the grandparents. I started in April and had time to work during her naps all through the year. This time around I had the same plans, but with a non napping three year old (now 4) I didn't get started until - gasp - October. Or was it November? Anyhow, I started LATE! And I was working late nights, often past midnight to finish them all up before Christmas. And still didn't manage to do so. But they are finally finished and I'm hoping to send them out this week. 

Okay, if you are a grandparent to my kids stop reading NOW! Do not scroll down. All I have to say is
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!

Don't say I didn't warn you!

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(I just figured I should give them a chance to stop scrolling. I'm nice like that.)

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OK, here we go...

This is the binder that will hold the pages once this year is over. The back of the tag says Merry Christmas 2010, or God Jul 2010 depending on what grandparent we're talking about.

This is the 1st page inside the album. The top picture is one of H's newborn pics. My grandmother gave me that little pram (?) stroller and then my talented mom changed the fabric and brought it with her in her suitcase (!!!) for E during one of her trips here. The bottom pic is of H on her first birthday. See how she's grown? She's still a li'l peanut though.

This picture makes me miss her being a little baby so much! She was tiny!

We have pictures of E in the same outfit, with the same heart pillow. I have to show you some time.

Sisters!

I really wanted to make a pool page, but apparently I only took pool pictures in July. I couldn't really skip a 4th of July theme so the American grandparents got the 4th theme and the Swedish ones got the pool pics.  

This is from our apple non picking trip. What a bad year for apples. How could they all be gone by the end of September? We still got some great shots.

 I'm so sorry you can't see the beautiful faces of my girls. Just trust me when I'm telling you that you're missing out on some seriously squeezable cheeks.

 

Sorry Santa. I didn't pixel out your face. But everyone  knows you already. =) 

Well, there you all have it. Maybe some day I'll post E's calendar too.

Something to do - Gardening Fun

One of our "homemade" Christmas gifts that we made for E was a mini garden. She loves, loves, loves to garden and this was such an easy gift to make. We bought a plastic bin, some fake flowers that were on sale and trimmed their stems a bit sins they were super long, some sunflower seeds from the grocery store, a garden trowel and some organic potting soil. And then we waited until the night before Christmas before putting it together. And that's when we noticed it...

I really wanted organic potting soil because the thought of E playing with chemical filled soil wasn't too appealing to me. What I didn't realize what that when you don't use chemicals to nourish the soil you go natural... Yes, our living room smelled like a farm. To put it nicely. We realized that we could not let her play in that soil and stumbled out into our dark backyard, dumped the soil where I think my FIL plated some roses and grabbed some sand from the sandbox.

I have to say that this, easy to make, inexpensive gift was a huge hit. We actually had to remind E a few times that she had more gifts to open. She just wanted to keep planting. I think this is a gift we can keep adding to as little rewards or "just because" gifts here and there. Maybe some more gardening tools, gloves and apron. More seeds and flowers. A watering can. What else? Do you have any suggestions?

It's Personal - maybe a little too personal

If you woke up today wishing someone would talk about their stomach bug you're lucky! I caught it late last night. Stomach bugs always make me wish we weren't a whole grain type of family. Oh how I longed for some saltines and white bread at 2:45am. And what could I find? Triscuits and Arnold Whole Wheat Extra Dark something bread. Was all that I could find. 

So this morning when I woke up I disinfected everything before E had to get ready. She stayed as far away from me as possible all morning because she didn't want my germs to jump onto her. Smart girl!

C is not as smart. But he is sweet, helping me out bringing me water and paper towels as I was having a heart to heart with my porcelain friend. Sorry, but sweetness does not protect you from germs. He just texted me from work not feeling so hot. Sorry babe!

Anyways... did you notice how I didn't link back to my other blog while being this personal? I think that one has become more of an update on how our family is doing and especially how my girls are growing. Fun for grandparents maybe, but I figured I could share some more personal things here too, so you could get to know me better and saving you a click on your mouse.  And what better way of kicking this off than with a stomach bug topic. I bet you feel like you know me a little too well already. I do confess I have a slight TMI problem. 

What blog post would be complete without a picture? (Don't worry, this one will not be stomach bug related.) While E is in preschool and H is napping I will disinfect some more and then relax in the couch in front of this movie.

Just because I love it and didn't get a chance to watch it this Christmas season.

And yes, that is my baby snoozing away in the corner.

Heartfelt

We were making Thank You cards the other day, E and I, and she was pretending to write on a piece of paper. 

"I'm writing a thank you card to Jesus", she said. And then she told me what she wrote. It was so sweet I have to share it with you.

 

At first I was a little confused and asked her what she meant. What will work?

"Our hearts!" 

Duh!

Chowder - not just for kids

H is taking her second nap for the day and E just had book time (me reading to her) and now she rests in her room for a little bit. I was so inspired by what we were reading today. 

I ask her every day if she wants to pick a book or if she wants me to read from the Bible. 99% of the time she picks the Bible. Right now we're reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible and this is what I want to share with you today:

(pg 210)

 "Jesus left the desert and set about the Great Rescue. He was going to get God's people back.

 But first he needed to find some helpers and friends. He had a lot to do. He would need some people to help him.

 Who would make good helpers, do you think? Clever ones? Rich ones? Strong, important ones? Some people might think so, but I'm sure by now you don't need me to tell you they'd be wrong. Because the people God uses don't have to know a lot of things, or have a lot of things - they just have to need him a lot."

(emphasis mine)

Do we need Him a lot?

In denial

It's not true! Our little baby turned 1 the other day. She's supposed to be my baby forever and ever, right? Who gave her permission to grow up right in front of me? Here are some things she's been doing without my permission and some other things that happened to her as well. 

She's a great walker. It looks so silly because she looks like a 9 or 10 month old. She barely weighs as much as E did at 6 months.

She's got 10 teeth. (well, 9½ since she slipped in the tub and chipped her tooth. I've been walking around since then singing "all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth", probably out of tune since I don't know the tune. I youtubed it but then I forgot it again.)

She laughs really hard when E blows her kisses. It sounds like this "hihihihhihhihihihihihihihihihihihhihihihihihi"!

She loves her food. And she REALLY loves our food. She just loves to eat. Did I mention she looks like a 9 month old? (We actually hung out with some friends who have a 7½ month old and they were about the same size.) I feel like I have a dog. If I sit down to eat she will walk up to me and start grunting, begging for food. And if I drop it she's right there to pick it up and put it in her mouth.

She loves to dance. As soon as she hears music, or even if someone claps their hands, anything with a beat I guess, she starts bopping her li'l body and her head starts moving too. Very cute! 

I'm still nursing her. After her check up next week I'll start to wean her. Bittersweet! Bitter b/c she's my last one and I'll be done nursing forever and it's just another reminder that we're about to leave the baby stage. Sweet b/c she's so rough. Pulling and sucking and squeezing... (and I can never keep up with her growing nails). 

Don't you just love to come over here and hear all about my nipple pain. TMI what is that?

Here's a sad fact. She spent her birthday with a fever. A high one. 103.6! Found out later that it was b/c of Roseola (Tredagarsfeber for all you Swedish peeps out there, even though she had a temperature for at least fyra dagar.)

Good thing she gets a do over when we're throwing her a birthday party next month. 

Except for right now, being extremely irritable due to the roseola, she's still such a content baby. She loves to play with E, she smiles SO big when daddy walks through the door and she loves me the most. j/k, but I am her favorite person right now. 

She really enjoys toys with buttons to push. She pushes them with her thumb. And she loves to rip everything she can reach off of the refrigerator and then toss it on the floor. Do I pick it up, over and over AND over again, or do I just give up and leave it there and then walk on it and get hurt?

Her favorite thing is still tags. Every time I put her to bed she looks for the tag on the blanket. I have to make sure the blanket is turned the right way.

You know how she sucks two of her fingers, and how she so cutely puts her pointer finger next to her nose? Well, that pointer finger now goes in her nostril. Kind of gross!

She still gives open mouth kisses - LOOOOOOVE them!