sigh… this would be nice

This is my chance! We have been “printerless” for quite some time now. It’s just one of those things I can’t justify buying when I can go to a lab on campus and print. But think how much I could do from home if I had this one.

Wish me a win please!

the great pumpkin(s)

Jon had to work this morning cleaning up from the conference that was here this weekend and when I got home from church he had two pumpkins sitting on our kitchen counter (leftovers from decorations).

You would have thought he gave me the moon.

I have really been wanting to try cooking and pureeing and freezing my own pumpkin to use for pies and baking, etc. but an extra pumpkin or two just wasn’t in the food budget lately. So today was my chance!

This is what I did:

1. Cut the pumpkins in half.

2. Scooped out the goop and seeds and rinsed and saved the seeds (they are drying for 48 hours and then we’re going to make this with them).

3. Placed one half of the pumpkin cut side down on a cookie sheet and baked at 350 for 1 hour. And yes there were two pumpkins, which means 4 half pumpkins, which means I cooked pumpkin for four hours straight… STRIKE 1.

4. After cooking I scooped out the good stuff and beat it with my mixer. Then I strained the liquid through a cloth so it wasn’t too watery… that was REALLY a mess. STRIKE 2.

5. Next I measured out 1 and 3/4 cups of pumpkin into freezer bags. (apparently that’s how much is in a can of pumpkin) I also did a few bags with 1 cup in them because that’s how much a pumpkin pancake recipe calls for!

All in all we got about 8 cans of pumpkin… that’s it. STRIKE 3.

We won’t be buying pumpkins to make our own puree anytime soon. BUT if free pumpkins find their way to us like they did today, it was a fun experimetn!

simple joys

Aldi sells flavored creamer for coffee! I think they have done so for a while, I’ve just never really noticed before. And it comes in a BIG bottle… in Hazelnut…for $1.95…

I was giddy as I prepared to drink my first cup in a calm and quiet house with a sleeping baby down the hall. And in my favorite mug… it doesn’t get much better!

Sigh… it was wonderful!

What simple joys do you appreciate?

oatmeal alternative

Since we’re not 100% sure yet whether or not Baby Girl likes it when I have dairy, I’ve been staying away from my typical cereal breakfast in the mornings.

I’ve been trying to eat oatmeal… trying is the operative word there…I have decided that I just can’t do it. I can’t eat the stuff. I have gone through spurts where I’ve liked it, and even posted about it… but the stark reality is…I STRONGLY dislike it.

But it’s healthy I rationalize to myself… and it’s cheap… and it’s filling… so many positives, but I can’t do it.

So a few days ago I started looking up other ways to incorporate oats into my breakfast in as healthy a way as possible. I ran across this recipe for Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. Just made them tonight, had a little taste and these are yummy!

Plus…. it’s only 1/2 c. of brown sugar for the whole 9×13 pan, 3 bananas and no oil or milk. That rates as a pretty healthy breakfast in my book!

Beyond Me: Book Review

This is not just any book review… this review is a part of the virtual book tour for Kathi Macias’ new book, Beyond Me. Living a You-First Life in a Me-First World. I find the virtual tour concept a great idea and I’m sure if you Google Kathi or this book title in the next week or so you’ll find lots of blogs with interesting insight into her book.

 

I have to say right off that this book is not what I was expecting given the title. My assumption was that Beyond Me would practically address how we as Christians can battle the “me-first” mentality of our culture and in the process seek to serve others and point them to Christ. In some ways the book addressed this, but not like I anticipated.

 

Here are the aspects of Beyond Me that I appreciated:

1. Kathi bases everything she writes on scripture. Amen, my friend! I get really tired of Christian “how-to” books that give the author’s opinion and rarely talk about God’s opinion. Kathi however, doesn’t do this, she effectively and clearly weaves scripture throughout her text and undergirds any opinion that is “hers” with Truth.

 

2. The “You-First” aspect of the book isn’t just those around us (which is where my limited thinking headed when I heard the title), Kathi emphasizes our relationship with God and how He is the “You” that must ultimately be first in our lives.

 

3. The questions. Each chapter is followed by a few thought-provoking and challenging questions that are just enough to get you thinking. This would make this book excellent for a small group or book club discussion.

 

4. Chapter 8. While I enjoyed every chapter in one way or another, Chapter 8- Abide in Me, was by far my favorite. In our “Me-First” mentality it’s easy to isolate ourselves and I appreciate that Kathi points to the urgent need for unity and abiding in Christ for ourselves and in our relationships with other believers.

 

There was really only one aspect of the book that was a downer for me. I am a very linear thinker and value arguments and explanation that are well-connected. I felt that chapters were disjointed and in some sense could almost stand alone.  This made it hard for me to connect the ideas. The plus-side to this is that this would lend itself well to a group study week by week where if you missed a week you could easily pick back up.

 

Overall this was a challenging book.  I can see how it could really impact me differently if I were to read it at different seasons in my life.  With the birth of my first child at the end of July, my perspective as I was reading was really shaped by the new eyes I feel I have as I look at the world and my faith as a parent.

irony

The TELEcommunications service on our campus no longer uses phones, they only respond to emails.

There’s just something wrong with that.

thoughts on sewing

Rocks in my Dryer did a post today on sewing, encouraging folks who have not tried to give it a shot. It’s a good post and has some helpful links. My Mom is an amazing seamstress who sewed a lot our clothes growing up, not to mention all the drapes, bedskirts, some bedspreads, pillows, etc. When I start a new project I inevitably call her at least 10 times just to check that I’m on the right track.

Sewing is one of those things that I WANT to do… but I get frustrated easily when my “vision” doesn’t quickly become reality. You know the feeling? In your head you have this picture of how cute this certain fabric will look in a summery top and then you make it and it looks… homemade… VERY homemade… Little House on the Prairie homemade. *sigh*

I think one of the easiest projects to start on sewing is pajama pants. I made 5 or 6 pairs one Christmas for college roommates. They were cotton drawstring and were practically one-size fits all. It was fun to pick out the fabric that reminded me of each person and it didn’t matter if they were “perfect” or not because… they were pjs of course! (I would model them for you but with my big belly and expanded hips it would not be a becoming picture!)  The pattern shown is some pants sort of like what I made.

I recommend browsing patterns online to get ideas and see what’s out there. Try looking at McCall’s, Butterick and Simplicity to start with. Then wait until they go on sale for $1-$2 at your local fabric store!

what to do while waiting

I am learning the art of waiting… sometimes patiently… usually not so patiently… for this baby to arrive SOON!  Since we thought we were going to have a c-section on the 21st (baby was breech but flipped at the last minute- Praise the Lord!) I pretty much had everything ready by the 21st. So it’s been a full week now, due date was yesterday, everything is ready and I am inventing things to do. (You would think I’d be blogging more!) Here’s what I’ve been up to:

• Cleaning- this is continual… I just KNOW this baby is going to come at the very instant I let the house become a mess
• Helping Jon with work- my dear hubby is trying to stay on top of work so he doesn’t fall behind when he stays home for a while after the baby arrives. I’m doing what I can to help.
• Repairing a quilt- this has been interesting, Jon has this quilt from when he was a baby that we LOVE and use all the time, therefore, it is falling apart. I thought I’d be done with this by now it’s very tedious.
• Making a grocery bag- I’m crocheting a grocery bag with leftover yarn.
• Trying to balance food in the freezer and fridge- I don’t want to keep buying food and then let stuff go bad, but at the same time I don’t want to use up our carefully stocked pantry and freezer… hmmm… this is why I have been eating cereal twice a day.
• Reading- I just finished the first book in the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers. It was pretty good. I’m telling you, this lady has done her research to make the story very real!

If anyone has any other ideas to keep me occupied let me know!!

4am

Consistently… for the past few weeks Finn is waking us me up at 4 in the morning. Somehow Jon sleeps through it but I am wide awake as soon as the cat gets going meowing and scratching and jumping on furniture and pawing at my feet… sigh.  (the picture is him sleeping… during the day… of course)

What am I learning from this… perhaps that this is what’s going to happen every few hours when the baby is born? Who knows what Finn will do with the baby. I’m imagining it going something like this….

Baby wakes up to eat, baby goes back to sleep, Finn wakes up and wants attention, Baby wakes up to eat and Finn goes back to sleep, baby goes back to sleep, Finn wakes up… etc. etc. Something like the song that never ends…. you know it… this is the song that does not end, it does go on and on my friend… is it in your head yet?

buggy covers anyone?

Anyone use these shopping cart covers? McCall’s patterns were on sale for $.99 today at the fabric store and I thought I’d give it a shot making one. Are they useful or just a pain to deal with at the store? Maybe it’s too late to ask since I bought the pattern… but I haven’t bought any fabric yet…