We're back! {Top Ten} April So Far

This has been a full month.  It has been wonderful.  I wish I had started a list of bullet points of everything that's happened in the past few weeks, so that I could put together an intelligent recap of our April.  Or at least so that I could remember things.  But I didn't, so this is the brief run-down of what we've been up to!

1.  Almost 3 weeks ago, my sweet and dear friend, Michelle, drove 800+ miles from Michigan with her boyfriend, Rob, solely to visit with us.  That is a good friend there. 

Rob, Michelle, and Lizzie, at the park

Michelle was my maid of honor in my wedding.  Whenever she gets married--which shouldn't be too far off now--she's already picked me for the position, though with the title Matron. 

Michelle & Cindy, all dressed up

We used to stay up until all hours, talking about all the things that girls talk about--school, boys, relationships, our spiritual journey, boys, and dreams for the future.  While they visited, we got our "late night" time in during the early morning, while Lizzie and Rob slept in. 

Having Michelle as a friend is like having a sister.  No matter how often we see each other, we can always pick up where we left off.  And I hope that my girls get to be such close friends, too.

2.  In preparation for having houseguests, we had to clean.  Their stay motivated us to rearrange our guest room and make it livable. 
Before:

(Yes, I do understand that the blocks and colorful toys add drama, and make it look worse than it was, but it really was that bad.  I found that I had not filed or even remotely dealt with paperwork since October.  October, people!)

After:

 3.  We ventured to the Southeastern Railway Museum.  Lizzie loves trains, more than I would expect a girl to love trains, and we are right around the corner from this surprisingly great "museum" of trains and transportation. 

 

4.  Sam has another job prospect lined up, and it starts at the beginning of next month.  It's a three-month internship contract, which we are praying will become a permanent position.  He is excited to get back on track with a construction job, since his most recent degree is in construction project management.  I am excited for him, too!  The retail place has been God's provision for us, however, it's only an interim job. I am also looking forward to the retail schedule coming to an end and having a regular work week, that starts with early mornings and early bedtimes.

5.  We went to Texas and back!  We put approximately 2500 miles on our truck, but it was worth every mile.  Along the way we stayed with friends in Hattiesburg, MS, spent several days with Sam's family in Houston, made a 24 hour trip to stay with more friends and make a cameo appearance at a home church in San Antonio, returned to Houston, then departed for Mobile, AL, for one final stay with more friends, before heading home.  

6.  While in Houston, we got to go to the zoo, which was so much fun.  We went during nap time, so even though Lizzie was slightly zombie-like, she did really love being there.  

7.  Lizzie adores her grandparents.  Both sets.  She was actually disappointed when we told her we were going home instead of going back to Yeh-Yeh and Ni-Ni's house.  

 

When we did get back home, we got to visit with my family, too.  My mom is back in town.  She'd been in California for nearly a month, helping her sister care for their mother.  Her mother is still hanging in there, so she may need to fly back out soon, but we hope that her mom will hold out until after the book launch on May 3, at least.

 

8.  I arrived at my third trimester.  There are now only 11 weeks left before my due date of July 11 (Lord willing, no more than that!).  I am feeling quite large, my ankles are feeling quite larger, and whatever energy I had in the 2nd trimester is gradually leaving.  I'm glad we got to travel together as a family of 3 this month.

9.  Lizzie is making some "big girl" transitions.  While at Sam's parents' house, she went #2 in her potty for the first time.  That was a big deal.  She hasn't done it since, but she's put forth some good effort.  We haven't put forth a huge effort to push potty training, but we are giving her opportunity to try, especially if she asks. 

As of last night, Lizzie has decided she is no longer interested in sleeping in her crib.  So, she has slept on her crib mattress on the floor - which actually means, on the floor itself - for one evening and one nap.  The going to bed process has been a bit of a struggle, but once the lights are off and the door is closed, she has stayed in her bed like a big girl!  If we can keep this up until the new baby comes, then we'll only have to get one more mattress, instead of a whole new crib set. 

10.  Easter.   Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!  That we have a resurrection and the hope of the gospel, the strength of the same Spirit who raised Christ Jesus from the dead also in us.  It is truly indescribable.

Lizzie got to experience an egg hunt for the first time.  She was a little foggy on the details until she picked up a few eggs.  Then she got the hang of it.  And as soon as she got to what was on the inside (chocolate candy! stickers! bubble gum - we didn't know about that one until she gave me a very chewed up piece), she was pretty stoked to find more!

 

Those are our highlights.  How has your April been?

Never too young to have a fashion opinion...

22 months, and this is how she wants her hair.  Gotta love having a daughter.

So I Have This Sewing Machine . . . .

Several years ago I bought this sewing machine at a garage sale. 

If I remember correctly, it came on a table, which was kind of a disaster.  The table is long gone.

It had belonged to the seller's grandmother, who used it for decades, and was only selling it because she had a new, fancier machine. 
Of course, it wouldn't take much to be newer.
But fancier?  This comes with more feet than I know what to do with.  It comes with interchangeable wheels that can be inserted to make elaborate embroidery stitches.

And it comes with the original 1963 owners manual . . .

. . . complete with well-manicured hands demonstrating how to wind the bobbin.  What else could I ask for?

Maybe something to sew!

Well, if that's all I need, perhaps this weekend's sale ($0.99 for selected Simplicity patterns!) at JoAnn's would inspire me.  Yes indeed! 

Lizzie and I ventured to the grand world of JoAnn's for almost an hour on Saturday, where I scoured the Simplicity file cabinets, and Lizzie located "fuzz" from the floor, showing me the especially big or colorful pieces of "fuzz."  Yes, I let my child play with dust bunnies, fabric shavings, and ... I don't really want to think about it.  But everyone was happy.

I came home with a receipt that said that I paid $9.45, and saved $131.64.  I love receipts that look like that.


As you can see, I selected quite an eclectic assortment of patterns.  Skirts, baby gear, toddler dresses, infant shoes, aprons, shirts, curtains.  I should have no excuse if I ever get the sewing bug and don't know where to start.
 
Upon returning home, I put Lizzie down for her nap, moved the sewing machine from the office (soon to become guest room) into the master bedroom, and proceeded to accomplish a project.

The strap that allows you to collapse the back seat in the Suburban had busted, and it needed to be re-sewn.  Sam commissioned me to fix it, and fortunately, the dear old grandmother who originally had the machine also had heavy-duty needles.  Armed with heavy duty thread, and my trusty old owners manual, I figured out how to a) wind the bobbin, b) replace the all-purpose foot with a zipper foot, c) change the needle, and d) sew nylon webbing.

Before:

After: 



I feel so accomplished.  So inspired.  So ready to create something.

Now all I need is fabric.

Coffee, Sparrows, and a Blessed Heritage

Good morning!

May I refer you to another blog today?  Follow this link to Christy LaShea Smith's blog, where she is giving away a copy of Meg Moseley's (my mom's!!) debut novel, 'When Sparrows Fall', set for release on May 3, 2011.  Leave a comment on Christy's blog and/or on her facebook page to be entered to win. 

While you're there, you can read a bit from my mom.  She is currently on the west coast with her own mom, who is in at-home hospice care.  Her words impressed me as she told of singing "Jesus Loves Me" together.  Jesus Loves Me is part of Lizzie's bedtime repertoire. She likes to sing and read about "Deesuss."

I am blessed to have a heritage of believers in my family.  Both of my parents were raised in loving, Christian homes.  My mom's side of the family can be traced through generations of proper Lutherans, as all good Danes should be.  My dad's family were kind, quiet Baptists, who taught Sunday School for decades.  In turn, my parents raised me up in 'the way I should go' and I'm so grateful.  Even on Sam's side, by the grace of God, his parents escaped Red China and sometime later came to the knowledge of salvation; instead of embracing the typical non-religion of atheism, they raised their sons in the church.

Now it's our turn.  I can't say what our girls will have when they grow up, except that we will do the best we know how to teach them to love "Deesuss" and as they grow, release them to learn to walk in faith.

When you're done visiting Christy LaShea Smith's blog, hop along with the Company Girls today. Coffee is always more fun with company, isn't it?

New Orleans Beignets

A while back I got a craving for doughnuts.  But not just any doughnuts, I wanted Krispy Kreme.  (I do love that about being pregnant; I don't have to have any reason to crave something like doughnuts.)

No, I didn't make Krispy Kreme doughnuts, but I made something else--something similar--that was amazingly delicious. 

While searching for a method for stir-frying some vegetables and tofu for dinner, I got side-tracked in The Joy of Cooking.  I found myself in the "Doughnuts, Cruelers, and Pastries" section, debating whether or not I could make beignets.

I had never eaten a beignet before in my life.  But I'd heard good things about them, so it was worth a try.  (The stir-fry?  Yeah, whatever.) I ended up using the recipe from the Joy of Cooking.  It is very simple, and uses only minimal ingredients.  The dough is essentially a sweet yeast biscuit.  Fried.

It requires a bit of advanced planning, in that you mix the dough up the day before, and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. 



The next morning the hardest part is rolling the cold dough onto a floured surface while you wait for oil in a heavy pot to get hot enough to fry.  Even I can handle that.

One of the highlights of this experiment is how I discovered that the easiest way to cut the squares is with a pizza cutter.  Some people have biscuit cutters, but I'm not that fancy. 

It is super fun to watch them cook. They puff up while they cook, so they're almost like little doughnut balloons.  (That means fewer calories, right?  I mean, since they're mostly air . . . .)

Another highlight:  It's really no more labor-intensive than making waffles.  Of course, waffles don't involve deep frying, but can you imagine if they did?  Are the wheels turning in your head, too?  We may be on to something.

It only takes a matter of minutes for the dough to become delicious puffed fritters.  About 3 minutes for each batch.  If you're having a brunch, this would be a super impressive, and quick to serve, part of your menu.

 

Another thing I learned:  If you use a cheap candy thermometer, make sure you have it tied securely.  The string I was using rebelled and untied itself, so my thermometer went swimming in 300+ degree oil.  It took me a minute to figure out how to get it out (with tongs, then it was transferred to a big wad of paper towels).  Apparently the top of the thermometer was not meant to be submerged in oil.  Go figure.

That thermometer did sacrifice for a worthy cause.

See that section at about 2-3 o'clock?  Yeah, I ate those before I took the picture.  And then I ate several others.  They taste kind of like funnel cake.  Only, more delicious.  And you don't have to wait for the fair.

Have you ventured into trying something new?  Do tell!  Link up with Alicia's Try New Adventures, too!

Thank you, Daddy

Good morning.

I'm sitting at the kitchen table with Sam's computer, and Lizzie in her high chair, eating "a bowl full of mush."  Recently she boycotted oatmeal, but because of her obsession with Goodnight Moon, oat bran cereal has become "a bowl full of mush" and she is stoked. 

I wrote a pretty good update of life yesterday; if you're interested hop over there.

Really, I wanted to jump on here today and record a sweet moment from last night, before I forgot it.  Since you're here today, I will inflict it upon you.

Lizzie's bedtime routine has become a long and sort of ridiculous process.  The steps are fairly streamlined: bath, the occasional attempt at the potty, diaper, pajamas, reading (sometimes accompanied by a small snack), brushing teeth, singing in the rocking chair, kisses, prayer, and being tucked in just-so with her baby doll and blanket.  Most nights I leave the room with her calmly and happily waving "bye" to me.

Last night, we skipped the bath and went straight to pajamas and reading books.  Lizzie had a stack of--no lie--about 15 books she had collected to be read.  I did my best to hide as many as I could when she wasn't looking, which still left about 10 of her favorites.

(She has given up on her mush, and is currently on the couch, reading "The Little Engine That Could" to the dog, who is also on the couch, even though she technically shouldn't be up there; but everyone is being good, so I will let sleeping dogs lie.  Lizzie is making sure Lady can see the "pishurs" and reading:  "Up! Up! Mountin.  ...  I tan! I tan!  Ah End.")

At any rate, I was settled on the couch with our stack of books, and Lizzie decided she needed more books.  She's faster than I am these days, so off she went to her bookshelf and grabbed 3 Barney books and 2 Karen Katz lift-the-flap books.  Both Sam and I protested and told her "no more books" and of course with it being after 9 PM, Liz fell into a meltdown.  "Barney!  Barney!  Peeeeaase?!"  Tears, collapsing on the floor, mournful arguments, the whole bit. 

We had to make a quick decision:  Should we force her to put the books back, when she's this tired and already mostly too far gone to reason with?  Or should we work out a compromise?  I suggested from my cozy place on the couch that we let her take one Barney book, put the others back, and I put away another handful of books I didn't want to read.  We were down to about 7, plus Barney.

Sam gave her one of the Barney books.  Lizzie's face lit up.  She ran to him, took the book, and then shimmied up to the couch with her Barney book and cup of water.  Then, without any prompting, she looked up at Sam, eyes full of relief and gratitude, and with her sippy straw in her mouth said, "Dint due, Daddy."

We were undone.  We never taught her spontaneous thanks.  We love this sweet little girl.  

I'm linking up with the Home Sanctuary Company Girls this morning.

What's new?

Well, it's the first time in a week that Lizzie has taken an afternoon nap.  This would explain the absence of blog posts.  I'm torn between having an hour or two in the afternoon while Lizzie sleeps, or having an hour or two in the evening after she goes to bed.  I still haven't figured out which is better. 

The couple hours in the evening have usually been spent in the living room rather than the office.  While Sam watches MI-5 on Netflix, I'm on the couch reading through The Help.  I am almost done and I have hardly been able to put it down.  It's fun to read something new.  It's fun to read something without pictures.

The garden has no update; we bought nearly all our supplies, then realized we need to get dirt in to level the ground, and should probably cut down a few of the dozen tall pine trees that have plagued our "lawn" for as many years as there has been a house here. 

And in order to get that done, I need to find a printed-out e-mail somewhere in our office, to locate a particular landscaper's phone number, for an estimate.  Please understand that for something to be "somewhere in the office" it's like saying an item is "somewhere in the frozen tundra."  So, the garden is on hold until the office is cleaned up, at least somewhat.  But one way or another, we'll have something growing in dirt by the end of April. 

We have been making some progress in the world of potty training.  I discovered Lizzie's amazing capacity to love chocolate candy, and have capitalized on this.  She apparently will do anything - including tinkle in the potty - for chocolate candy.  She will often go on command at convenient times, such as immediately prior to a bath, but has on occasion exclaimed, "potty!" and we've rushed off to let her try.  Sometimes it's successful, other times not so much.  We're not quite ready to leave diapers behind, because she doesn't truly have bladder control, but we're getting there.  I am most pleased that she is willing and not intimidated to go on the potty.  There's no pressure.

Baby number 2 is coming along nicely.  I am 24 weeks along - officially 6 months.  Only 4 long months to go.  Last night I was confessing how tired I am of being pregnant.  It's just not my thing.  I know a lot of women love it.  I know a lot of women hate it.  I don't love or hate it; I'm just not all that fond of it.  And the exhaustion, the moodiness, the swelling, the aches, the kicks in places one shouldn't be kicked....  Don't get me wrong; the results are worth it, but I will seriously have to have a severe case of amnesia to get in this situation again--at least any time within the next 3 years.

I'm looking forward to sharing some great new recipes in the next few weeks.  I have a huge collection of photos of recipes I intend to share, plus I have tried several new things that have been successful.  I've discovered a wonderfully simple and delicious recipe for scones, and have made it twice with awesome results.  I kept intending to take pictures, but the process is so quick, and the end product is so delicious, pictures have not yet been possible.  I even made beignets.  They were amazing, and no more laborious than making, say, waffles.  I am seriously considering making another batch of banana muffins, since I have a couple squishy bananas ready to use.  We have also been eating things that have protein in them, I promise.  But those aren't quite as exciting to talk about as all these confections, are they?