Minnesota Sarah's Baby Shower

My brother and his wife are having a baby. Actually, my sister-in-law is the one actually having a baby, but my brother is always around to carry stuff and pick up stuff she dropped and make sure she is all around comfortable all the time. He's good like that.

Last weekend was the second of several of her showers. She's from Minnesota (that's we call her Minnesota Sarah) and she already had a shower up there, but this was the first one in God's country. It was for all her family who lives down in this part of the country (and she's got a lot!) and was hosted by a cousin from Houston. I decided that since it was at La Madeline, then this was the shower I needed to attend to help her celebrate! I made her a "bucket o' baby stuff" like the one I made Carrie LAST YEAR. Sarah's had a few similar things like two hooded towels that I made from regular-sized towels (they are waaaayyy better than baby hooded towels because they are bigger and more absorbent), THIS book, THIS picture frame, and a PUPPY DOG piggy bank (that didn't actually go in the bucket because it didn't fit). This is what the bucket looked like after I put it together at my parents' house.


I added a few things to her bucket because I ripped some new ideas out of the pages of a magazine at the doctor's office found some new patterns I wanted to try. I made fabric blocks (which were easy-peasy)...


And these little booties (which were easy after I figured out that I needed to follow the written directions as opposed to Figure A and made about 8 "practice" booties).


This is just a funny picture of Ben with a stuffed dragon my mom gave to the baby. He was thrilled.


The shower had an "Owl" theme because they are just too darn cute and Sarah has a thing for them. Here's a horrible picture of a really cute diaper cake.


This is the pillow Sarah's cousin made for her. Isn't it precious?!!

She said it was easy, but then started to explain it to me and used words like "five layers of fabric" and "water soluble stabilizer" and she lost me. Maybe someday I'll get a written tutorial with pictures.

This is the only picture I got of Sarah and the rest of us. Doesn't she look beautiful?


Carrie and I call Sarah our "missing link". She's shorter than I am, but taller than Carrie. She has brown eyes like Carrie, but she's lighter complected like me. Well, she's not that light-skinned. That is only reserved for those of us who "choose" to look like the walking dead. She's "just right" between us and we just love her to pieces!

And we are way excited for another nephew/cousin to spoil!!

A Song About Spring In Amarillo

Oh, give me a home,
Where the wind doesn't blow
And the breeze doesn't smell like a cow.
Where the weather is hot,
To wear flip-flops alot
Yes, I'd like to be there right now.

Home...Home on the plains
Where it hard-ly ev-er rains.
Though it's April, you know,
But the clouds still bring snow
And it makes me very depressed!

Written by Jordan

(Who is sick of the cold weather and would like to move to Phoenix from March to May so that she doesn't get depressed because Amarillo still thinks it's February and and is doing it's best to be blown off the map.)

Happy Birthday Nena!!

Today is my mom's birthday. I gave her a birthday gift, a birthday card by Phoebe, and a birthday book by Eli when I was there this weekend for Sarah's shower (more pictures on that to come!).

In honor of her birthday, I asked the kids a few questions about their Nena.

When does Nena look the prettiest?
Eli: When she's wearing a skirt.
Phoebe: When she goes to church.

What do you like to do with Nena?
Eli: Go to Six Flags!
Phoebe: Ride bikes at her house.

What does Nena make that's your very favorite thing to eat?
Eli: Pancakes!
Phoebe: That special tortellini. (It's a family joke that once when my kids were staying with Nena she went to the store and bought tortellini and marinara and the kids thought it was THE BEST thing they have every eaten. Now we call it "Nena's Special Tortellini"! Sheesh.)

How do you know Nena loves you?
Eli: She buys me toys.
Phoebe: She hugs me and kisses me.

The kids also sang Nena a special birthday song.


While you spend a moment marveling at my children's obvious musical ability, I'm going to wish my mom a very happy birthday!

We love you!

A Meatless Monday Recipe

So a few months back I heard the term "Meatless Monday" in a few different places. One article stated it was a way to eat a little healthier, someone on my morning news show said it was a way to cut the grocery bill down a little bit, another magazine featured a whole slew of "Meatless Monday" recipes to try. I got to thinking that we should try this new fangled fad here at the Taj McCall. I wasn't too worried about what Brad or the kids would say because they are usually up to try any new recipe or idea I have...especially if I don't tell them I'm doing it! Hee Hee. (Let's just keep that a secret between us, okay?)

When I started "Meatless Monday" I was using mostly egg dishes like frittatas, omelets, or quiches. And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with those dishes--in fact, they are some of my favorites!--they got a little old pretty quick. It also never seemed like we had our "Meatless Monday" on Monday because I was always trying to use up extra meat I had bought at the store the previous Tuesday on Market Day (I think that sounds so much more provincial than "Grocery Shopping Day" or "The Day I Spend Two Hours At Wal-Mart) and the meatless meals were more suited to Wednesday nights because they are so fast and easy and Wednesday nights are so much more rushed and crazy than Monday nights. Not that we can't have a meatless night on any night of the week, but "A Meatless Wednesday Recipe" doesn't make for a very good title.

Soooo this is all to say that we've gotten out of the habit of having our weekly "Meatless Monday" on any night of the week. However, back in our "Meatless Monday" days, I came across a Rachael Ray recipe that tends to show up on our weekly menu from time to time because it is just so darn good! Spinach Artichoke Calzone is loved by everyone in my family and the kiddos love to take it to school the next day for lunch. Best part? It's easy and fast and it has spinach! It's kind of like a spinach artichoke dip wrapped in pizza dough. What can be bad about that?! Absolutely nothing I tell you! So make this tonight and have your own "Meatless Monday" or wait till Wednesday and have a "Fast-Fix Meal" or until Friday and pretend it's "Appetizers For Dinner" night. (No one will ever know!)

Spinach Artichoke Calzone:
1 recipe of pizza dough (I've used whole wheat dough and the frozen dough balls from Sam's that my family loves so much)
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 (10 oz) package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine ricotta, Parmesan, spinach, artichokes, garlic, mozzarella, and salt and pepper. Roll out dough into a large circle. Place filling on one half in a half-moon shape following the edge of the dough. Fold dough over top and pinch edges to seal. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Yum!

Kind Of Like The Parent Trap

You know in the movie "The Parent Trap" after Haley Mills meets up with Haley Mills again and they figure if they can't get their parents back together then they'll do the "six-month split" by spending six months of the year with mom and the other six months with dad? (Which I have issues with in the first place, not to mention the fact that no parent worth their salt would say in a divorce "Sure, I'll agree to never see my other daughter again as long as I can have this one." It's just not plausible. And you know Hollywood is all about plausible!)

Apparently, Eli and I have the same agreement with his hair.

Remember LAST YEAR when he wanted to buzz his head just like his best bud, Corbin? I told him he could as long as he'd grow it back out again for school in the fall. He did and for some reason, those 25 seconds it takes to fix his hair every morning are the bane of his school-morning existence. So he's been asking me to buzz his hair everyday for about a month. I told him to wait until after Easter. That way I could get one last round of nice pictures of my two children in their Sunday best with all their hair. He has a whole slew of reasons he needs his hair to be buzzed, all perfectly viable (in his own mind).

"I want to look like my friend, Corbin."

"I don't want to fix my hair every morning."

"I want the girls to rub my head."

"I don't want the wind to mess up my hair."

"I want to look like a chemo patient." Just kidding. I was just trying to see if you were paying attention.

So Monday night, we dusted off the clippers and got to work. And by "we", I mean Brad. I got a quick picture of my boy with all his hair.


Then I ran upstairs to do something (I forget what) and then realized that I forgot to tell Brad that I was going to use the #3 guard instead of the #1 guard like we did all last summer. I sprinted back to the porch and got there about two seconds to late. He had a very short stripe of hair right down the middle of his head. Oh well.


It'll grow back.

And it WILL grow back, right?!

The Boy's A Genius

You might be wondering why Eli is wearing ski goggles on a warm day in April.

Then again, if you know Eli, you might not.

I told him that I'd pay him $3 to pick up all the trash in the front and back yard. And we have a really big front and back yard. It was an exceptionally windy day (we are the third windiest city in the country, you know!) and he didn't want to get dirt in his eyes. Next thing I knew, he was wearing Brad's ski goggles.


Seriously, the boy's a genius...and $3 richer!

Now What?

I just don't get the dyeing of Easter eggs. I mean, really, you boil a dozen or so eggs to sit around and dip in a water/vinegar bath to change the color and then you pop them back in the fridge and try to figure out how to use them. Oh, and we don't "hunt" hard boiled eggs around here. Boiled Eggs + Hot Sun + A Couple of Hours = A REALLY Bad Idea.

But my brain wasn't working real creatively this weekend and we needed some good family time Saturday morning. So I figured we dye some eggs. The kids were thrilled since I'm not sure they've ever done it before! And Brad was such a good sport.


I didn't realize dyeing eggs took so much concentration.

(Jason O., do you see what shirt *finally* got donated to the "art smock" pile?)

Even wearing her "art smock", Phoebe managed to get stainable glitter paint on her pretty yellow shirt and the white shirt beneath it. But her eggs were so pretty!


What was I doing during this little art project? Cleaning up our yummy french toast breakfast and taking pictures, of course!

No pictures of the finished products or the deviled eggs (served on my vintage Blueridge egg platter!) I made for Easter Sunday lunch. Just know they were bee-you-ti-ful!

However, I still have 8 eggs left and if you come by this week, you most likely will be treated to egg salad sandwich or Cobb salad or anything else I can think of for boiled eggs. And that's a pretty short list.

Anybody else have any good ideas for hard boiled eggs?

Easter Sunday or The Day I Realize My Mom Is Insanely Talented

Anybody read the "Southern Journal" in this month's issue of Southern Living? Well, I did and let me just say, "Amen!"

If you didn't, be sure to flip to last page while you're standing in line at Wally-World and read about two of my very favorite things on earth: Easter dresses and aprons. I *heart* a good apron (and I wear one most days, too, while cooking dinner...it has saved many a white shirt) but I'm not here today to talk about aprons. I also love me a pretty Easter dress. And I think a "proper" Easter ensemble should contain white mary janes, frilly bobby socks (although up here in cold country sometimes you just have to wear tights), and a smocked dress. I'll leave all the chiffon and shimmer and tulle to you other gals, but for me, only a smocked Easter dress will do!

When I had Eli, I dressed him in smocked shortalls and longalls every Easter for as long as I could. My understanding husband didn't really care until the summer after Eli turned three and he said to me, "Um, this is the last summer he's going to wear these, right?" It broke my heart, but then I found out I was pregnant a few weeks later and hope sprung eternal. Especially when I found out I was having a girl...because girls can wear smocked clothing oh-so-much longer than boys!

And wear the smocked dresses she has! Smocked dresses can cost a pretty penny and it enables my smocked addiction that my mom can hand-smock like nobody's business. Seriously, the woman is insanely talented!

Remember this?


And this?


And who could forget this?


And since I did mention something about Easter in the title, here's a picture of the kiddos in their Easter finest.

(Sorry about not getting the frilly bobby socks in the picture. I was running around like a crazy woman looking for my green cardigan and Brad was taking the picture. )

Here's one of the whole family. (Why didn't somebody tell me to put on some lipstick?!)


Hope you had a Happy Easter!

Spending Easter Eve In A Thick Place

If you go to church with me, then you "get" the title (although I might be misinterpreting the sermon from a few weeks ago because I didn't actually listen to it online like I was supposed to, but I have a *really* good excuse!). If not then just know it's a place or a time in your life when you're feeling distant from God. It's the eve of Easter and I'm sad to say that other than dying a few eggs, we have done nothing as a family to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. (And I would say that dyeing eggs is a far cry from anything celebrating the real meaning of Easter, but we did have some good family time so we're throwing it in there anyway.)

In my defense, it's been a heck of a week! Brad had a meeting all Monday night, and Tuesday he had to spend some major time on the phone putting out a work fire. Wednesday afternoon he got a call from his sis-in-law telling him that his grandad had been admitted to the hospital in Lubbock after a routine follow-up appointment for what is most likely nothing close to routine. We decided that the best place for him to be was there with his mom and grandad. He didn't get home till late Friday night. Phoebe started running a fever Wednesday afternoon (because she always does when Brad goes out of town) and then there was all the other day-to-day drama with two kids and life. So let me just say that after reading Facebook (it does have redeeming qualities!), I am convicted of the fact that I didn't remember Christ or all that He has done or share that with my children in any fashion. Not. Even. Once. And there is absolutely no excuse for not loving the Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength every single minute of every single day and that love not changing how I treat the world and those I am called to love.

Truth be told, this "thick place" is more a "thick period" in my life and I have no idea what to do about it. Some people hear God speak to them. I don't. Some people physically feel His love. I don't. Some people have a time or a place where they feel close to Him. I don't. Is this my fault? Of course. Am I longing for something more? Of course. Do I have any idea how to get there? Not so much.

While I was feeling the lack of depth or whatever you'd like to call it, I was goofing around on the Internet (of course I see the correlation between the two, but we're not discussing that issue at the moment). I came across a friend's blog post that I had read before, but tonight it struck a different chord. I think I'm going to print it off and pray it every day for a while in hopes that some way, somehow my thick place will get a little thinner. Another friend said recently that praying the prayers of past disciples is something you can do when you when you feel distant and discouraged. Like an infant copies the words and sounds from their parents and grandparents and siblings, we can emulate those that have gone before and in this way learn to use our own words. Thanks for posting, Brittyne. I hope you don't mind me re-posting! (And I totally "get" that's what Lent is all about, but apparently, I'm a slow learner!)

Litany of Penitence

Most holy and merciful Father:
We confess to you and to one another,
and to the whole communion of saints
in heaven and on earth,
that we have sinned by our own fault
in thought, word, and deed;
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.

Have mercy on us, Lord.

We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.

Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,

We confess to you, Lord.

Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;

Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,

That we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,

Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

Fruit Pizza: A Recipe

Even though the temperature can't decide whether or not it should be Spring, the wind is telling me that it is most definitely here. And Springtime has me hankerin' for lighter, brighter fare. Like strawberries! And cream! Yum!

This feeling (along with the fact that strawberries are deliciously on sale this time of year!) made me decide that I needed to make Fruit Pizza for Huddles Wednesday night.



When you read this recipe, you will immediately go out to get the ingredients to make this dessert pizza. It's just that good! It's just that easy! And it's perfect for Easter.

So you should make it.

Like, right now.

Fruit Pizza
sugar cookie dough (You can make your own--a half recipe will probably work--or use the refrigerated tube or make it from a mix like I did.)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
assorted fruit (strawberries, kiwi, peaches, apples, blueberries...anything!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread cookie dough onto a pizza pan about 2 inches from the edge and bake for 15-20 minutes. (I did this and mine still "boiled" over and made a tremendous mess in my oven. Next time, I'm going to put a cookie sheet underneath to catch all the stuff that falls off.) Cool completely. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Spread on cooled cookie. Top with fruit.


I think you could make little individual "pizzas" for a shower or a brunch by rolling out the dough and cutting with a biscuit cutter. Think how pretty they would be with a strawberry "flower" that has a raspberry or blueberry center!

Oh my!