My Stint As An Amateur Photographer

I hope you enjoy these photos. They took an insane amount of time to download!

I wanted to get some pictures of Eli and Phoebe when I was at my grandparents house last weekend. I pretended to be an amateur photographer...and they pretended to be excited.



Despite such joyful beginnings, things turned ugly when I pulled out the camera. Don't they just looked thrilled?



But then Eli turned on his "model" charm and I got a *few* good ones.






I apologize for Phoebe's un-ladylike pose, but I was too busy snapping photos to make her "sit pretty."





Not half bad, if I do say so myself. Although maybe that could be attributed to the red boots!

Move Over Jessica Seinfeld

I put flaxseed in my pancakes, cheeseburger roll-up, peanut butter, and apple muffin mix this week.

I shredded squash into my taco meat and carrots into my spaghetti sauce at dinner.

I made hummus and veggie dippers for snack and filled my fridge with all the bounty of late summer.



I also made a batch of no-bake cookies and ate most of them myself. I must have had a little help because I keep finding half-eaten cookies on the cookie sheet I left them on in the fridge. I guess I should move those up a shelf or two! Although at this point, there's only one left.

I'm going to finish it before bed just to get rid of it! I'll thank myself in the morning.

Maybe Jessica Seinfeld can keep her place in the Good Mom Hall Of Fame.

I Love This Barn

It sits on my grandparents' farm in Abilene. It's not a working farm, but we still call it "The Farm" and you get to The Farm by "The Bumpy Road". Not very creative titles, I know, but it's been called that by countless (unimaginative) grandchildren and I don't think it's ever going to change.

I love this barn because there just aren't that many barns left in Texas. Oh sure, you see some out and about, but very few look as quintessential as this one. I'm not sure if it ever actually housed any animals (wasps, mice, and other creepy creatures aside), but my grandfather's tractor has always been parked here along with various other ladders and pitchforks and castoff furniture. If I weren't so afraid of what other "things" I might find in there, I might go digging for treasure.

I love this barn because I (and several other cousins) have had near-death experiences to play in this barn. We used to play in the hay loft pretty often. It was only accessible by a very tall, very steep wooden ladder. You took your life in your own hands when you climbed up that ladder. Then there were the wasps. It seemed like there were always multiple wasp nests that had to be eradicated before it was "safe". My grandfather thought giving the wasp spray to my older cousin, Chris, was the best way to get rid of the wasps. All Chris ever did was make them hopping mad and Grandfather still had to come out and deal with them. (Keep in mind that this was the same cousin who shot all the headlights out of everyone's car the Christmas he was given a BB gun.) Another cousin (can't remember which one...or maybe there was more than one) fell out of the hayloft door in the back. I don't think any permanent damage was done. And these are just the stories from my generation. My dad, and his two brothers and one sister, have countless stories to tell about this barn. I love to listen to them all.

I love this barn because it is part and parcel of The Farm I love so much. There is something there that speaks to my soul and it feels like going home every time I'm there even though I never lived there. It has a permanent place in my memories...situated just north of The House, right next to my Grandfather's Garden, and just a little ways from The Creek. Those big, tall trees you see on the left were just shrubby little sticks when my Grandfather first planted them in buckets years ago. I remember visiting one summer and spending an awful lot of time with Grandfather filling up those buckets with water. I guess it worked.

I'm also especially fond of this particular picture of the barn.


It captures exactly how I feel.

My Last First Day Of Kindergarten Post. I Promise. Really.

At least until Phoebe starts kindergarten in the fall of 2012.

Things were going along quite nicely until Eli woke up 30 minutes early worried about making new friends. We don't know anyone in this new district and it's what's been worrying Eli the most about starting school. So we cuddled up together and he cried and I cried and we both prayed. Then I told him it was time to get up and get ready and he hopped up and that was the end of that. For both of us really. I'm one of those gals who has a breakdown either before or after a big event, but never actually during the event.

Phoebe, on the other hand, had a rough morning. A part of me wanted to snap my fingers and tell her to put on her big girl panties (literally) and get over it. That line of thinking doesn't really work for two-and-a-half-year-olds and so I wrestled and pleaded and cajoled and we (finally) got ready to take Eli to school.

The customary "First Day Of School" picture.


Posing with Brad. He was going straight on to work...that's why he looks so nice. However, he did lose the tie before we walked into school. He didn't want it to look like he was "trying too hard". I just thought it looked like he was going to work.




I'm pretty sure this is the longest school hallway in the world! (Or at least it seemed like it.)

One last picture with mom.


And it was off to find his "seat". (He looks a little nervous, doesn't he?)



After this quick (and sweet) hug for Phoebe, there was nothing else we needed to do. It was time to go.

Walking out of that classroom ranked in the Top Five Hardest Things I've Ever Had To Do.


Now we start all over in the morning.

All's Done But The Crying

If you've read this blog the last few weeks, it's no surprise that Eli starts kindergarten in the morning.

I think we're ready.

The lunch is packed. The clothes are laid out. We've read "Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready For Kindergarten" and "The Night Before Kindergarten". We've prayed. We've blessed. Everyone is nestled in their beds and there isn't anything else I can think of to do. Let me re-phrase: There isn't anything else I can think of that I want to do!

I made Eli's teacher a little "First Day of School" schultute. It's traditionally for the student, but we've already purchased and delivered all his school supplies and the boy doesn't really need any more candy, so I decided to make one for his teacher. Being a former teacher myself, I know how hard it can be on the first day. I'm hoping this just makes her day go a little bit better!

It's full of those "necessities" that every teacher can't have enough of: hand sanitizer, pretty post-it notes, monogrammed note cards, a few packets of breakfast blend, mints, Tylenol, and bite-sized Snickers.

I wouldn't call it a bribe necessarily, but that dear woman needs all the fortification she can get!

The Child Whisperer

Today we went to meet Eli's kindergarten teacher.

Doesn't anyone else feel the import of that statement?!

Our very first Meet The Teacher. I was giddy and excited and nervous all at the same time. Eli was non-plussed. Phoebe was only concerned with when we were going to eat lunch at "Shop-sticks" (aka Pei Wei) and knew that it was after "we met Eli's teacher" so she was excited, but for all the wrong reasons. Brad thought I was a little crazy for having butterflies in my stomach, but he was also a little surprised at the traffic Meet The Teacher caused so I'm not sure he's the expert on such situations, either.

When I first heard his teacher on the phone the other night as she called to tell us about Meet The Teacher, I was a little surprised. She sounded kind of timid. I was worried. All I could think was,

This woman needs your prayers.


But as she led these little boys around her classroom, I realized she was a Child Whisperer. You know, one of those soft-spoken, sweet women who speak and children just automatically listen and obey and love. For those of you who go to church with me, Marilyn Wood and Jennifer Dowell are such women. Have you ever seen Jennifer Dowell tell a Bible Story to 60+ preschoolers? I tell you, it's a thing of beauty and awe. She never ceases to amaze. But I digress. She was telling the boys about how at this very table they were going to do an erupting volcano science experiment. They were hooked!


After the classroom, we went to check out the gymnasium and the cafeteria. Eli took a picture of the most fascinating aspect of that part of the tour.

Apparently he has a thing for linoleum floors speckled to look like thousands and thousands of drops of mustard, ketchup, and cafeteria food.

He was getting a little bored with the whole process when I took this picture, but I just thought it was so darn cute. Never mind that we had to jump some major mud puddles to there and he was holding on for dear life!



Maybe it's just this woman who needs your prayers.

My Hero

This boy.

This builder of blocks and constructor of legos.

This lover of Star Wars and a black-and-white stuffed dog named Ruffy.

He saved me yesterday.

I was sitting on the floor, folding a massive pile of laundry, and out of a tiny pair of little girl jeans falls a GIGANTIC centipede. It wriggled and writhed. I screamed. And then I screamed some more. Eli rushed in, grabbed my discarded tennis shoe, and smashed that evil centipede. (I feel sure it was hungry for human flesh.) Then he scooped it up in a dustpan and threw it outside.

My hero.

My Washing Machine Is Tired

We spent the weekend near Las Vegas.

New Mexico, that is. Our family took it's annual trip to Family Camp at the wonderful Camp Bluehaven. The weather was a little more on the sunny side this year and Eli even came home with a farmer's sunburn. (Not much of a tan for my fair-skinned boy!)

As usual, I didn't take near enough pictures, but you can see a few more here. I did not participate in the game time because I was exhausted and already in bed. There are definite draw-backs to being a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed morning person! However, I did have hot water since I was the first one up!

No fish were harmed in the taking of this picture.

No, really. The only fish caught was a dead one that washed up on shore. However, Eli practiced his casting over...and over...and over...and over... You get the idea.

Phoebe spent lots of time on this little swing set. The gal loves to swing!


This is Phoebe with her friend, Cade. I think she likes him because he reminds her of Eli. (I'll pray for you, Heather.)


That's about it for the pictures I took. I usually take way too many, but it seems every year at Family Camp, I just don't. Go figure.

We made it home safe and sound and after a pretty low-key day, the only thing still worn out is my washing machine after doing all the camp laundry. Apparently, we were one dirty bunch!

T-Minus 9 Days, 24 Hours, And 17 Minutes

Approximately.

That's how long we have until the First Day of School. As I mentioned before, we are in full get-ready-for-kindergarten mode. We've made lists and confirmed Meet The Teacher times and made a plan about what to take for lunch on the first day and checked and rechecked our school supplies and purchased our "Kindergarten Rocks" t-shirt. Eli is getting more and more excited and nervous with each passing day. (He couldn't be picking up some of that from me, could he?!)

I want to find a way to make the night before he heads off to school extra special. I want there to be a time of prayer and blessing and something important. Problem is, I don't know what that "something important" will be. I've got the First Day all planned: my special whole grain oatmeal pancakes for breakfast, prayers before school, lots of pictures, a note in the lunchbox (there will be someone to read it for him, right?), getting ice cream after school, and his favorite dinner (tacos) on the red "You Are Special" plate. It's the day before that I can't quite nail down.

That's where all you fellow bloggers, and readers, and "lurkers" come in. What are some special Back-To-School rituals that your family practice? Any good ideas you've heard from other families? Any inspired, God-filled moments that you've read about? Any words of advice from seasoned veterans of the "First Day of School" blues? I want to bask in the culminated wisdom of the world wide web!

I can't wait to read all the wonderful things y'all are going to come up with. It's just so exciting!


And because they're just so good, I'm going to include my recipe for Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes. That's just how we roll around here! :)

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. oats
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. milk
1 T. sugar
2 T. vegetable oil
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg

Beat all ingredients in a medium bowl by hand until smooth. (For thinner pancakes, stir in 2-4 T. additional milk.) Preheat griddle. Pour about 1/4 c. of batter onto griddle for each pancake. When pancakes are puffed and dry around edges, flip over and cook other side. Serve! (This only makes about 10 to 12 "smallish" pancakes. It's enough for me and the kids for two days, but if Brad is eating with us, we can't stretch it out over two days!)

** I bought some milled flaxseed at Wally-World the other day and I plan on adding a little into the batter. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Little Red Cowboy Boots

At Canton a few weeks ago, I scored a pair of red cowboy boots for Phoebe for $8.

I think it was the best $8 I spent the entire day. Phoebe has decided they are her new favorite shoes!


They look especially "diva-licious" with pink Princess sunglasses.


They even inspired Eli to wear his boots to church on Sunday. (I wouldn't let Phoebe wear hers because I'm just a mean momma that way!) Isn't he just a tall drink of water?


What articles of clothing are your children "into" these days?

Conflicting Emotions

We're on a Back-To-School Countdown around here and it's making me anxious!

Eli heads off to kindergarten in a matter of days and I am just a mass of conflicting emotions. On the one hand, I am dreading the passing of each and every day. It means we're just one more day closer to Eli spending most of his time "outside". He'll be gone to school more in a day than he'll be home. I started crying today as we were watching a movie together when I realized that there would be no more "movie cuddles" on a Monday afternoon. On the other, I am craving the schedule and routine that school gives me. I feel adrift and lost without something dictating the minutes and hours of my day. I tried to keep some kind of normalcy this summer, but I'm lazy and I didn't.

On the one hand, I realize this is the end of Eli's early years. He's starting a new chapter in his life. One that scares and exhilarates me all at the same time. He'll have to make all new friends (we don't know anyone in this new school district) and choices and I won't be in control of what goes into that little brain and heart anymore. The world will be pushing its values and ideas into our little family. On the other, I loved school and learning and I think Eli will, too.

On the one hand, I'm a good mother and I love Eli with all that is good and right. He makes me laugh and I marvel at the way his brain works and how he processes this world around him. On the other, I'm a bad mom and that boy drives me crazy half the time! He always manages to take one step past where my patience can go and I lose it. I lie awake at night, riddled with guilt, thinking of all the ways I have scarred and broken his spirit in just one day. This summer has been especially hard because the realization that my influence will soon be so restricted has sunk in and there is so much I haven't done right. Times I've acted in anger and not in love. Times of hurt when I've drawn in on myself and not reached out. Who would Eli have been if I had been different? Would he drive me just as crazy? Would I feel less guilty for not being broken by his absence? Because on some level, I'm okay with Eli starting school. I might even be a little excited...and it makes me feel like a bad mom. Or at least a mom who doesn't love her son enough to not be excited about the start of kindergarten.

Like I said, conflicting emotions. All swirling around while I try to cram as much "summer fun" into the next few days to last a whole year through.

Perfect Fried Rice

I would consider myself a pretty good cook. (Baking is a whole other ballgame, but that's another bowl of beans) However, a few years ago, I came to realization that I just can't cook Asian food. Our family leaves that to such experts as Pei Wei, Kabuki, and various little hole-in-the-wall Asian diners that Brad has found for us. The thing is, Brad loves fried rice. Actually, he loves rice and fried rice is just another way to eat this beloved starch. So I started breaking my no-Asian-food rule to make fried rice. How hard could it be, right?

Harder than you might imagine.

It was either too bland, or the consistency was wrong, or I had the ratio of veggies to rice all mixed-up, or it just tasted funny. So I gave up for a while.

Then, the other day, I got a crazy craving for fried rice (and an overabundance of zucchini) and I set out to try this fried rice thing again.

I didn't take pictures for two reasons 1). I didn't really have high hopes for this fried rice and 2). we were in a hurry to get out of the house for a parenting class discussion. You'll just have to use your imagination on this one and know that it was beautiful. Really.

Early in the day, I made 4 servings of Uncle Ben's brown rice. It has to be Uncle Ben's. (You could use white rice, but we're trying to be just a little bit healthier around here.) Then I put it in a bowl and place it in the fridge. This is a very important step! Do not skip it because your fried rice just won't be right. Trust me, I know.

When it was time to make dinner, I used my electric skillet. You could use a skillet on the stove, I just like to use my electric skillet. Bring it to a screaming-hot heat while you're prepping your veggies and meat. Mine only goes up to 400 degrees so that's what I put in on. This is also very important. While it was getting hot, I chopped up one medium sized zucchini into strips, 10 baby carrots into strips, sliced 6 button mushrooms (they were kind of big and I'm the only one who likes them so I went kind of easy on these), cut 1/2 of a bell pepper into strips, and cut two chicken breasts into chunks (you could use whatever meat you wanted here--pork, shrimp, steak--but I had chicken in the freezer).

When everything is chopped up, melt about 2 T. of butter in a large skillet with a little sesame seed oil. (You could use olive oil, but I had some sesame seed oil and I think it gives it a nice flavor.) Toss in the veggies and stir them around. Pour a little Kikkoman soy sauce on the veggies while they are cooking. It has to be Kikkoman. I buy it at Wally World in a larger container, but this is very important because it just tastes better than any other soy sauce. Then I sprinkle on some sesame seeds and let them toast up a little while the veggies are cooking. Season with salt and pepper and taste to adjust seasoning. This won't take long because you don't want the veggies overcooked and mushy. Take them out and transfer them to a bowl and keep warm.

Melt a little more butter and oil in the skillet and add your meat. Toss it around with a little more soy sauce until it's done all the way through. Transfer to the bowl.

Let the skillet come back up to the highest heat. I didn't add any more oil or butter. Dump your cold rice into the skillet and let it "pop" and "fry." Pour on a little soy sauce as it cooks and stir it around so all the rice can get nice and hot and toasty. Check for seasonings and add more soy sauce, if needed. When your rice is good and hot, add all the other ingredients back into the skillet and let it heat back through. Serve it up and bask in the appreciation of your husband and children.

This was seriously good and easy and fast! I think it's going to be something we have on a pretty regular basis because my kids ate every bite and it took about 20 minutes total (not counting the rice making because I did that while I was cooking breakfast).

The only other Asian-inspired dish I make is Chicken Lo Mein. It's also very good and easy and I usually substitute whole grain linguine noodles.

If we get a hankering for honey-seared chicken, you'll know where to find us!

It's Like Riding A Bike

Really.

Eli has been telling us for months that he would take the training wheels off his bike when the grass came in. Not really sure why that was his line in the sand, but it was. Monday night, Brad asked him if he'd take off his training wheels and, much to our surprise, he agreed! Brad and Eli spent an hour or so running around the track and then he was on his own. I watched and Phoebe ran around in circles. Good times. By the end of the night, he was a pro and that's what we've been doing all week.


Phoebe has spent the week potty-training and throwing fits. She's doing great on the whole potty thing, but the fits are about to drive me crazy. It's normal two-year-old miscommunication stuff like she wants an orange and pink M&M after she potties and I don't have a pink one so she throws a fit. Or she doesn't want to buckle her carseat on the way to the pool. Or she doesn't like the pink part of a cut up peach. Or she wants to get the apple juice out of the fridge herself instead of me getting it. And the list goes on and on. It's been one of those weeks when I've been a little thankful for naptime and bedtime. She's still asleep this morning so there's still hope for today!

The only thing of note I've done this week (other than 8 loads of laundry) is perfect my fried rice technique. We had it yesterday night for dinner and I think I've finally figured it out! It's a big accomplishment to be sure.

Five Yummy Things To Do With Zucchini

One of my very favorite things about summer is the abundance of summer produce. Visions of zucchini, squash, tomatoes, corn, green beans, watermelon, peaches, and nectarines dance in my head causing me to ponder all manner of summer-time, produce inspired recipes. My friend, Dixie, grows an ample garden every summer. She grows all kinds of veggies and some them actually make it to her kitchen, past her three little ones who will just pick the produce straight from the vine and eat it in the yard. Zucchini is one of those veggies that her children don't just gobble up and she's always asking me for ideas on how to use her zucchini. I usually just tell her to send some my way and then I'll look for recipes! :) It only works sometimes, but at least I'm not getting as many cucumbers.

Her zucchini query got me thinking about zucchini and I came up with a list of Five Yummy Things To Do With Zucchini. Dixie, I hope it helps.

* Zucchini Pasta. It's not my recipe and I've never made it, but it looks sooooo yummy. It combines two of my favorite things (zucchini and pasta) and her recipes NEVER disappoint!

* Zucchini Saute. Cut up two large or three smallish zucchini (however much you'll eat in one setting) into slices and then quarter. Melt a little butter with some olive oil in a skillet and add zucchini and some chopped garlic. Saute for a few minutes until the zucchini is bright green and still has a nice crunch. DO NOT overcook or your zucchini will be mushy and there's just not too many things worse than mushy zucchini. Season liberally with kosher salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil (you can substitute dried, but it's not as good). Martha makes something similar, but puts fresh corn from a cob in it as well. I find de-cobbing corn tedious so I never do it.

* Zucchini Fritters. Grate a large zucchini and drain it well in a paper towel. Add some Bisquick (I never measure this so just dump in a little until it looks "right"-- not too much because you want it a little "wet"), an egg, and salt and pepper. Bring some oil to a very high temp, but not too hot or you'll just burn the outside and the middle will be raw. If your oil is too cold then the zucchini fritter won't fry and it will soak up too much grease and be gross. I know because I've done it. Fry the fritters on one side until golden brown and then flip them over. When they're done, transfer to a paper towel to drain. Serve with ranch for dipping.

* Roasted Zucchini. Slice zucchini into rounds or sticks. Place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with coarse salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese from the green bottle. Broil on a high heat until "done". I like to use high heat because it gives it a little char without overcooking it. You could also grill the zucchini in a basket using the same ingredients.

* Zucchini Bread. I've also made these into muffins.

Here's a bonus recipe. I've never made it, but it looks scrumptious. I'm waiting until I have a need for an impressive appetizer, which may never happen, but I'm ready if it does!

What are your ideas for zucchini?

She Traded In Her Tutu For A Light Saber

But at least she's still wearing her bows! :)