What I've Been Reading...

Since we moved our television to the basement a few months ago I've gotten back into reading during the evening--that is when the monkeys are asleep and I'm still awake enough to do so. :o)

I've read two really good ones that I wanted to share with you all.

"All She Ever Wanted" is written by Lynn Austin. I liked the first title of hers I randomly picked off the shelf, ("A Candle In The Darkness"), but I REALLY liked this one!

One reviewer wrote:

All she ever wanted was a loving husband, a close family, and a beautiful house in the suburbs. And Kathleen is living out her dream, or so she believes, when her daughter Joelle is arrested for shoplifting. As a part of her reconciliation with Joelle, Kathleen finds she must let go of her current dream life and face the reality of her past. Even as a Christian, she finds this too painful to bear.

Kathleen receives a homecoming invitation from her sister, and encouraged by her husband and daughter, she agrees to revisit her hometown. Kathleen and Joelle take the trip together, and together they begin to understand the mysteries of the past--not only Kathleen's but also her mother Eleanor and her grandmother Fiona. In this light, Kathleen is able to truly forgive and live anew.

In "Life Without Summer" by Lynne Griffin, Tessa Gray's life changes forever when she loses her 4 year-old daughter, Abby, in a hit-and-run accident outside her preschool. As Tessa grapples with her grief, she finds solace in Celia Reed, the therapist her husband has pushed her to see. Never could she have imagine how closely their lives would intersect--how similar their personal griefs.

While this is a secular portrayal of grief, devoid of the hope I have as a Christian, I found it incredibly insightful, witty, and impossible to put down. Griffin expertly balances the harsh realities of the most painful kind of loss--that of a child--with the idiosynchracies and challenges of family life, and everyday humor. I was wary of reading this book at first since my daughter is close to 4 and sometimes all you need is to read something that closely resembles your life to keep you awake with wild imaginings at night. BUT, I was very pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed this book. I also felt it helped me to again carefully consider how I interact with those who are going through loss--particularly those who do not believe as I do.

Countless Little Moments

I became an aunt again on Monday night! My younger brother Joe and his wife Kim welcomed Eli into their family. Holding him last evening in the hospital took me back 7 short months to when Adam was born. I looked at Adam today with new eyes. He truly is growing up so fast!

In the last month he started sitting up unassisted, eating baby food (and started taking daytime naps as a result--whoo hoo!), and is now crawling. Time to pull out the baby gates!

Everything he does, he does with a vengeance. Bathtime is a splash zone. Playtime--let's just say he has to be louder than his sister. Mealtime--the boy can chow down.

I remember how unsure I was about having a boy after 3 years of my sweet girl. Would I like having a boy? Would I bond with him in the same way?

Oh...I never thought I could love like this!

Those big dark eyes, framed by the longest-to-die-for lashes...his little back and shoulders that will one day belong to a man...his little neck and big boy thick hair that I really must trim AGAIN...the way he returns my hugs and buries his face in my neck...the silly way he sleeps (arms tucked under him, hiney up in the air)...his funny expressions and laugh...his milky breath...furrowed eyebrows...

Just tonight he wanted to snuggle in the glider before settling down for the night. As I hummed him our special sleepy song, he "sang" harmony. Just melted this momma's heart!

I'm enjoying these countless little moments because they'll probably be my last.

Mamacello Pasta and Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

This meal has become a recent favorite in our household.

Sometimes I add some chicken fingers to the dish (I've included instructions for those), but I think it stands alone quite well, especially during the summer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chicken Fingers

8 chicken fingers

salt and pepper

1 egg

1/2 c. plain bread crumbs

1-2 Tbsp. oil (olive or vegetable, your choice)

Season the chicken before dipping in the beaten egg and lightly breading. Add 1-2 Tbsp. oil to frying pan and after hot, brown chicken over medium heat until it has a nice crust on both sides. Transfer to baking dish and finish in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 mins.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mamacello Pasta

(from Rachel Ray with some modifications)

1 lb. angel hair or spaghetti

salt

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 c. white cooking wine

zest of 2 lemons, 1 lemon juiced

1/2 c. heavy cream (I used half-n-half)

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried parsley

grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta per package instructions, salting the water.

2. While pasta is cooking, heat a deep skillet over low heat and add oil. When oil is warm, add garlic and pepper flakes. Turn off heat and set skillet aside for about 5 minutes. Then raise heat to medium, add wine and lemon zest and boil to reduce the wine by half (about 3 mins.).

3. When the pasta is just about cooked, add a ladel of starchy pasta water to the skillet and stir in the cream. When cream is warmed through, add lemon juice.

4. Drain pasta, add to sauce in skillet, then toss in basil, parsley and some grated parmesan.

Serve immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

(seen on Barefoot Contessa--I wrote the recipe down from memory, so I hope it's accurate.)

8 plum tomatoes, cut length-wise and deseeded.

Arrange skin side down in a greased baking dish.

Drizzle with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar.

Spread 1 tsp. minced garlic over top.

Sprinkle with alittle sugar, salt and pepper.

Bake for 2 hours at 250 degrees.

Serve with slices of fresh mozzarella and chopped basil.

*You can used dried basil in place of fresh--just add to top of tomatoes before roasting.

**This is a great dish to make in the winter too when you don't have fresh local tomatoes in abundance. Plum tomatoes get sweeter when roasted.

***When I make chicken fingers with this dish I just increase the temp in my oven to 350 and let both hang out in there for the last 15-20 mins. before serving.

Mish-Mosh

That's what my brain feels like after a busy season like the one we just finished...at least we think it's over. HA.

I knew things would be crazy with all of the planned relaxing we had on our calendar from the first week in June until mid-July. And while there were moments of relaxation, it's alittle hard to remember them now. It's kind of blurry with my head spinning around.

All joking aside it's been a great 2 months but I'm soooooooo ready to get back into a weekly routine. I'm sure my kiddos will benefit from it too.

Forgive me if I repeat myself in this little recap...I joined facebook 2 months ago and in the midst of our crazy schedule have gone there for brief updates and neglected my little blog...and all of you. Here's what we've been up to:

1. Beach Vacation
What a crazy week but one full of memories! It's fun anticipating what OC NJ '11 will be like with even more kids. We won't be the ones with the youngest though. :o)

2. Stauffer Camping Weekend
A tradition we treasure, though I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I look forward to when the kiddos are a bit older so it's not so tiring. Still, I wouldn't trade this weekend with my dad's extended family, roughin' it, for anything. What is so precious to me is the bond we all share, and that my grandparents (who are 80 +/-) still join us.

3. Fish and Float
A new tradition that started 2 years ago. My dad, Pete, and my two younger brothers loaded all of their camping/fishing gear and some kayaks onto the truck and headed for the Juniata River for 2 nights and 3 days. Rain or shine, whether there is more floating than fish catching, it's male bonding at it's core.

4. 1/2 Birthdays
We started celebrating Natalia's 1/2 birthday last year and I think it's a tradition we'll continue. On her actual birthday in December, we have something she really enjoys for dinner, I make her a cake, and she opens her gift from Daddy and Mommy. It's a quiet night at home...just us. But come the end of June/early July, we pull out the party hats, or at least the sprinkler.

Because my camera just died I haven't posted about her birthday yet. When I get some pictures from my relatives I'll probably do so. Short story though, she got a Melissa and Doug train set as a combined gift and one Thomas series engine, and then some small things. At first she wanted a train cake too but then changed her mind to Clifford the Big Red Dog.

I was so pleased with how the cake turned out. I used the Lemon Wedding Cake recipe off of Martha Stewart's website and then used my mom's homemade black raspberry jam for the filling and my own special white frosting for the outside. YUM. Who knew though that strawberry jam could be used to decorate?! I despise using icing loaded with food coloring...alittle bit is okay, but a BIG RED DOG?! Oh no. :o)

When I asked Natalia what her favorite part of the day was she said, "EVERYTHING!"

5. Weddings and Anniversaries
Pete and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary on June 24th. Hard to believe it's been that long. All I can say is GOD has been so kind and faithful to us. We are the same people who got married that day, and yet we're not--and that's a good thing. I love my husband. He is a good man, an awesome dad, and a faithful friend. And he's a nut, which is like a requirement in my family. :o)

We had the rare privilege of extended time away from the kiddos this past weekend. My college roommate (who is a friend of Pete's too) got married in Virginia on Saturday and so we booked a hotel for two nights and spent more than a few hours driving.

You can tell what stage of life we're in. We had the best time browsing through Barnes and Noble, visiting the coffeeshop, and taking a leisurely lunch! And we couldn't have been happier with our online-scouted hotel and lunch destination. If you are ever in the Harrionsonburg VA area you have to go to the Holiday Inn Express and Bravo Italian Restaurant!

6. Potty Training
It's been more like boot camp--for all of us!
I guess if you have compliant children who are eager to please it's a whole different ballgame.

I'm happy my daughter is a determined little gal with alot of spunk, but OH MY WORD.
We have good days and then some that are anything BUT that.

You can pray for us as we try to channel her determination in the right direction. We need God's help, just as we do for every other thing we endeavor to do, but especially so in this season. We're sensing that everything is about control for her this past year, and like napping, eating, and sharing Mommy and Daddy with a younger brother, this is one more thing she wants on her own terms. And we should have seen it coming, judging by her first days, that she is a fighter. Oh, is she a fighter.

7. Keeping up with Adam.
He's becoming a little guy on the move. First he escaped out of the Bumbo seat a few weeks ago. Then he began rocking on his hands and knees. Yesterday I found him sitting up in his crib and he's repeated it for me numerous times today--when he was supposed to be napping of course. And as I type, he is now inching across the floor in pursuit of a teething ring.

I feel like I'm suddenly trying to catch my breath as he's racing on past me! Where did my baby go?

He couldn't be prouder of himself as he does all of this. It cracks me up to see him sitting there, slapping his thigh with his one hand and laughing. (What's it called when someone laughs with an intake of air that sounds like a fog horn? Because that's his laugh! It's hilarious!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some Oldies, But Goodies

The other week I was able to make a trip to the library with only Adam, which translates to "I got to browse at my leisure in the Children and Adult sections"! Since they have a train table in a corner of the Children's section, that's where Natalia always heads, and you can't leave your kids unsupervised. Tall shelves divide the Adult section from the Children's so that means if I want a book I request it ahead of time and pick it up on our way out.


I was going somewhere with all of that...oh, now I remember. :o)


On this most recent visit to the library, I was able to peruse the Children's section for a good 20 minutes to find some books for Natalia. How fun it was to rediscover some favorites from when I was a young girl. As I was flipping through a few I got such a strong case of deja vu I think my selections ended up suiting my preferences more than what she may have chosen. BUT, I'm happy to say that some of my favorites have now become hers.


I thought I'd share a few.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Natalia's new favorite is "The Caboose Who Got Loose", and it has enough trains and rhyming to please us both. I love Peet's illustrations. They're colorful, realistic, and he makes inanimate objects look like people without being too obvious. I also happen to be a fan of good ole' ink and colored pencil drawings.






Another book that she has come to love is "The Giant Jam Sandwich". This too is a great rhyming book full of advanced vocabulary and vibrant illustrations. Natalia has nearly the whole thing memorized so that I often pause in the middle of a line to see if she can finish it.



I hope to start reading the Little House on the Prairie series to her soon, but I think I'll wait another year. I may try Charlotte's web then too.


What are some of your favorite children's books. Got any suggestions for Pre-K age kids?

The Next Food Network Personality?

Well, maybe not for another 10 or 20 years, but you never know!

Today, while Natalia and I were eating lunch, I was treated to a sneak peek of a new show called, "My Mommy Doesn't Cut Up My Food Anymore". Since I was having an open-faced Tomato & Cheese Sandwich on a slice of Nutty Oat bread, she also had the same on her plate. She was in her own little world though, just talking away.

Here is a sample of the segment I overheard:

"...Welcome back. I'm just making a recipe. You like bus-ghetti? First you put the tomato...just a lil' bit...then fold the bread. Take a bite...UM! That is SO good! You taste the flay-bors, right?"

What a girl. :o)

MIA?

No, just in the midst of our household's busiest summer month.


Some people shop till they drop...we vacation till we drop. Hee hee. (That's the way it feels when you've got little ones. Can I get an amen?)


In all seriousness though, we've been very grateful for these special times away. I posted earlier about our beach vacation. Last weekend all of my dad's side of the family that are located in PA converge on a little Christian camp in Halifax, PA. It's a tradition that started back in '75 and has been faithfully attended every year except in '80 when my grandmother passed away.


So, it'd be accurate to say I grew up camping...literally.


Now, something you should know about the Stauffer family when it comes to this tradition: it's virtually an artform. I'm not kidding. :o)


When my dad, uncles, and grandfather put their heads together, they've got the technical trades covered. When you consider that all meals are prepared for the 30+ group over the fire, you can count on the men to engineer a fire ring fit for a chef. Even the seating arrangements for each meal are ensured to be dry due to the massive system of tarp strewn overhead. We've come to affectionately term our sites a "tarp and tent village".

A few more things about our camping tradition:

*You can trust the Stauffers to make a game out of anything and everything.


*The aunts plan the meals, the uncles cook it...for the most part.


*Sunday morning, after breakfast, is sharing time. This is one integral part of our weekend together--a time to share our joys, sorrows, and challenges in the past and/or upcoming year.


*Togetherness.


*Gettin' dirty. We work and play hard in this family!


*It's rain or shine. My aunts still talk about the weekend there was torrential rainfall and the creek our tents were pitched beside was flooding. They recall how hard it was to sleep, certain we were going to float away in the middle of the night. I recall how my cousins and I played in (and I mean IN) in the mud puddles.




Once again I was busy with a baby and forgot to take pictures. BUT, my cousin took some really great shots and shared them with all of us. They are in the next post. ENJOY!

Camping Pictures

These pictures were taken by my cousin Anthony.

Double click on the slideshow box below, and again on "slideshow" in the upper left corner when directed to Picasa.

stauffer camping