This And That

A big box was delivered to our house Wednesday morning. Pete's aunt who lives in Austria sent the kids a bunch of clothes and a few small toys. Natalia has been in pretend mode ever since, playing with the matching backpack and rolling suitcase that look like tree stumps, complete with fuzzy squirrels! Whether she's "going to work", "catching the bus", or "going on vacation to Grandma's house", she's got everything she needs!

She wanted me to take a picture of her with the backpack.

And Adam's becoming a busy little guy, taking more measured swings at his toys and staring at his fists (when he's not trying to stick them completely in his mouth). The latest thing he's been doing that just makes me melt is giving me this big cheesy grin and laughing after his 3 am feeding. I just have to laugh at him even though I'm bleary-eyed and anxious to get back to bed.

More Lion Than Lamb

We've been having some blustery days this week. The warmer temps last weekend were a teaser it seems (as I suspected).

It did reach a bit higher on the thermometer yesterday, enough that Natalia ventured out onto the back deck to check things out (barefooted!), but today it is COLD and will only get colder apparently.

I did catch a few frames of Natalia enjoying the warm breezes though.

Hopefully March will go out like a lamb!

Babcia's Visit

Saturday evening Pete's mother came to visit, and Natalia was soooo excited. Even though we live closer to Maria than before, a few weeks usually go by between our visits, and it's been a particularly busy season for us all lately.

Here are a few pictures from that evening as well as a few from the days since. (I can't believe Adam will be 3 months old this Saturday!)

In this next picture, he REALLY looks like my baby pictures (especially the eyes).

As you can see, Adam is full of smiles! His favorite things lately are:

Eating (of course!)

Looking at faces and things on the walls

Stretching his legs out and "standing" on your lap while looking over your shoulder

His big sister

"Talking"

Blowing lots of bubbles, and

Sucking on his fists.

This is my big boy, wearing his 6 month outfits already!


The jury's still out as far as his eye color, but they're starting to turn hazel. There is a vacancy in that category in this family. So far we've got one brown, green, and blue... :o)

Chicken And Wild Rice

I recently acquired this wonderful recipe from my friend Jen after she brought a prepared container of it for my freezer. I made it this past week and it is one I'll be repeating often.

A great fix and freeze recipe--especially if you want to bless someone with an easy meal!

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

1 c. uncooked wild rice (or brown rice)
1 1/4 tsp. salt, divided
1 Tbsp. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. shredded carrot
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth (or about 2 c.)
1 pint (or 2 c.) half and half (or whole milk)
1/4 c. flour
2 Tbsp. sherry (optional)
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 c. cooked cubed chicken
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1/3 c. sliced almonds

***It's important to use nothing with less fat than whole milk.
***If using a box mix of wild rice, don't use the seasoning packet.
***I plan on making this without chicken as a side sometimes.

1. Bring 3 c. of water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in rice and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover and simmer 45-55 mins. (or follow package instructions). Some grains will split.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook 10 mins., stirring occasionally, until softened. Add broth to skillet and bring to a boil.
3. Whisk cream and flour together in a separate bowl until smooth, then slowly whisk into boiling broth. Stir in remaining salt, sherry, and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 mins., stirring occasionally.
4. Drain rice, then combine with cream sauce and chicken. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 or 2-8 x 8 inch dishes.
5. Cover and bake 35-50 mins, or until hot. Sprinkle with cranberries and almonds and let stand 10 mins. before serving.

Serves 8.

SAHM 101

The ladies over at Girl Talk posted a link to a great article by Heather Koerner the other day. I highly recommend you check it out. (I've linked to it at the bottom of this post.) No matter what stage you're in--single, married w/out kids, a Stay-At-Home-Mom with young or older children, an empty nester...it'll challenge your mindset about "homemaking" and bring fresh vision.

One quote that summed up my attitude lately was, "I know she'll face days when she can't see the eternal in one more jar of pureed peas and that the laundry doesn't look noble, it just looks filthy."

I'm praying that instead of seeing just the external, I will more intentionally look for the eternal in my day to day laboring. (And am asking for perseverance till this wintery weather is passed and we can get out in the sunshine...I realize this is a unique season of life too and it will be a thing of the past soon enough!)

I want my attitude to reflect Dorothy Patterson's words below. I want to keep my legacy in mind as I structure my day, discipline my daughter, and teach her to serve joyfully. I want to be generous in spirit, humble in heart, and intentional in my laboring.

Homemaking — being a full-time wife and mother — is not a destructive drought of uselessness but an overflowing oasis of opportunity; it is not a dreary cell to contain your talents and skills but a brilliant catalyst to channel creativity and energies into meaningful work ... it is neither limitation of gifts available nor stinginess in distributing the benefits of those gifts, but rather the multiplication of a mother's legacy to the generations to come and the generous bestowal of all God meant a mother to give to those He entrusted to her care.

Read the full length article by Heather Koerner here.

Highs and Lows

That is a fitting description of the landscape around here. The weather. The moods swings of a certain person 3 feet tall. Adam's nursing patterns. Our collective health.

Natalia and I are once again in the throws of nasty colds. Again, thankfully, it seems Adam and Pete have been spared. All I can say is, thank goodness for whoever invented Lansinoh ointment! In addition to it's primary purpose it does wonders on red, tender noses!

AND, when it comes to the temps outside we're looking forward to a big warm-up in the next few days. Right now it's in the low 20's and by Sunday it's supposed to reach the 60's! Maybe those temps will stick around...one can hope. :o)

One definitive high came on Tuesday evening. My parents returned home from their two weeks in Mississippi with MDS. There has been a Mennonite Disaster Service base in place down there since Hurricane Katrina, and there is still much work to be done.

Natalia (and the rest of us) felt their absence most keenly. She was soooo excited that Grandma and Grandpa were coming for dinner. They of course were pretty anxious to get some of her famous squeezes and to hold her baby brother again. (Nearly a whole month had gone by since we'd seen them--that seems infinitely long now, but 2 years ago that would have been a treat! Oh, what a blessing it is to be close to family again.)

Here are some funny outtakes. We got a good laugh over how many shots it took till there were no squinty eyes!

Finally I told them to just look down at the kids! :o) HA HA

...And I Just Melt

It never fails. All my son needs to do is give me one of these...and I'm a puddle. :o)