Pots n pans

I’m beginning to wonder when the pots n pans stage will end for my Noah (11 months). The cabinet that houses my stainless steel Scanpans has been emptied on a daily basis for quite some time now.

Shortly after he learned to crawl, Noah would make his way into the kitchen and work to empty the cupboards-- and then crash the pots and pans together... with looks of glee, of course.

Can’t you just about hear the metal on metal banging and clanging? Pure music to your ears, right?



Over the months Noah’s skills have developed, so now he not only empties the cabinet and smashes and crashes pots together for sound effects, but he’s also able to get in there and get it done before I can catch him.

Part of me says, “Oh, that little rascal! When will this end!!” And the other part of me just melts. I love that sweet little “look-how-fast-and-amazing-I-am!” look.

It get’s me every time. And so, as it always happens when I don’t nip things in the bud, I make the pots and pans phase last just a little longer.

Perfect Photo Opportunity

Well, it seemed like the perfect photo op to me anyway… obviously Noah had other thoughts.

Completely Covered

 

It seemed to descend on us in just a few hours… though in reality it took at least 12. We went to bed unassuming, but then woke up the next morning to find ourselves completely covered. I opened the back door and saw yellow yellow everywhere.

The house.

The deck.

The swing set.

All completely covered in pollen.

 

After seeing the the fairy dust everywhere, I am so thankful that we sail through the allergy season without Kleenex or Claritin.

So far the only casualty has been the seat of my pants.  Let me tell you, there's a reason why no ones sells jeans in a hazy shade of yellow. Arg! When will I learn to look before I sit, swing, or slide? So unattractive.

Finisher

For some reason my boys love to "finish off" a box of cereal. They love to get the last bowl, even if it's mostly full of crumbs.

This morning, both Isaiah and Josh had the delight of finishing off a box of cereal.

"Mom," Isaiah says, "I'm the finisher! And Joshua's the finisher too."

"And Mom..." he asks between bites, "does that mean that we are like Christ?"

A deep question for before breakfast! But being the brilliant mom that I am, I mentally reviewed every Scripture verse I knew about finishers and landed on the verse he was thinking of. So we talked about it together.

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12:1-2

Herb Garden

Last week, the boys and I dug a 6x8 ft patch in the yard to make an herb garden. I have wanted my own little garden for years, but this is the first time (in a rental house, no less!!) that I actually followed through.

It was the perfect day for digging not too hot, not too cold.

So, after we measured carefully with our tools, dig we did. The boys had a ball. And really, so did I.

The soil here in the South is perfect for digging, quite sandy and loose. I edged the perimeter with the shovel while the boys dug and hauled weeds with their diggers and dump trucks. As we worked/bulldozed/transported, we all talked in deep manly voices, because, of course, that's how construction workers communicate with each other on the work site. 

We must have worked outside for several hours. It was such a happy time of conversation and laughter. I don’t think I will ever forget that morning together with my boys.

It made quite an impression on the boys too, or at least the digging in the dirt did, because the following day, while I was doing the breakfast dishes, I heard the back door open and some feet scurry out. When I called and asked, I heard the boys exclaim (in deep manly voices, no less), “Just checking progress on the construction site, Mom!!!!”

Perhaps 30 minutes later, after I had gone inside to put Noah down for a nap, I heard the familiar squeak and rush of the backyard hose being turned on. At first, I cringed… but then I started laughing. I knew EXACTLY what they were doing.

When I got outside the hose was running full blast into the herb garden/construction site (thankfully we had not planted anything, but had just been turning over the soil and preparing the bed). My garden, now looked like this:

Surprisingly, the boys were walking around the edges, being very careful not to step in the mud. “Boys, what are you up to?” I asked. They looked up a bit sheepish and hesitant. Waiting for the word of reprimand. Waiting for the call to turn off the hose and come inside.

I started laughing again. And thought, you know what? This is what dreams are made of. Doesn’t every little boy dream of mud and dump trucks? Of squishing and squashing? Of getting dirty and feeling the pleasant squelchiness of mud between your toes?

So, in my own childishness, and with a huge smile on my face, I said, “You know what, boys? Just go for it. Take off your sandals and go play in the mud.” Their faces lit up. Literally. LIT. UP.

I know. Some of you might call me crazy. But I’m telling you, this is the stuff dreams are made of.

Oh boy, oh boy, they had so much fun. Their smiles and excitement will always be etched in my memory. I let them play till their hearts content, and I admit… I put my feet in too.

Detox

I spent the last week detoxing.

Truly. I did.

My computer caught a virus and landed itself in the repair shop. So this past week entailed: no email, no blogging, no Facebook, no local or national news, no Microsoft Office, no nothing.

At first the withdrawal symptoms hit me quite hard, but once they had calmed, the computer detox was so cleansing.

Without my number one time user (dare, I say time waster?) in the house, I really think I was a better mom, a better wife, a better housekeeper...  not to mention a better phone caller, mail sorter, exerciser, discipliner, errand runner, and perhaps even a more diligent follower of Christ.

Sigh.

But, come on! Can the computer really be that bad?  Could its flashing blue light and peaceful hum really be so sinful?

Well, let me tell you, this week was way more convicting than that. Once I realized how much I could get done in a day without the distraction of the computer, the Holy Spirit further revealed the crux of the matter. It's not the computer. Really. It's not the computers fault. It's mine.

Don't we so often blame modern technology? Or our cars, commutes, or other people? Our circumstances? For sucking away all our free time? When really, it's not the computer that uses/wastes my time. It's me. KATHRYN. I'm the one that wastes my time. I'm the one that chooses to use spare moments for a quick Swagbucks search. Or a browse through Google Reader. Or a few moments on Facebook Scrabble. I do it. I choose it.

While none of those things are inherently wrong, (and I apologize to all those who sent emails, asked about upcoming Army events, or were waiting for information while my computer was being repaired), boy, part of me thinks my computer could have used a whole extra month in the repair shop. Without it, my days have been so much better. So much brighter. Even so much happier. My spare moments were used for things that really matter, like consistent discipline, a quiet prayer, a snuggle, not to mention a whole ton of little projects that I'd been putting off because "I just didn't have time."

Sigh.

This is not a farewell message to all my Internet colleagues. My home computer is a needed device. It is not only my connection with the outside world,  but also my means for driving directions, banking, news, weather, cooking tips, email, and maintaining friendships far and wide. But as I said, it's not really about the computer. It's about me. It's about being a good steward of my time and living each moment to the fullest, and living each one for Christ.

Ruffles and Lace

While some of you may have read the blog post title and immediately assumed that I was announcing a pregnancy...

and a pregnancy of a baby girl at that.

This post is about just the opposite (well, not exactly the opposite-- I am NOT pregnant and NOT PREGNANT with a BOY either. So don't get excited, Mom!)


The ruffles and lace refer to the fact that almost every pregnant gal I know is having a girl. And after a brief calculation (not counting my own little Noah because he was already born when we moved to the South), I determined that our church has had 8 baby girls in a row, with the next 2 pregnant gals also expecting girls. That's a lot of baby girls.


So, last week, I went to a baby shower for a little gal due in April. Tons of pinkness, purpleness, and everything sweet.

Prior to the shower, I went shopping for a baby gift, and thought it would be so much fun to peruse the aisles and hunt for girl clothes. I was certain it would be an enjoyable experience.

But let me tell you. It wasn't.

It was SO hard.

Sigh.

I'm sure, like my husband, that you are thinking that it was so hard because I want a girl so badly. But actually, it's the opposite again.

Sure, I'd love to have a girl and a daughter. But I'm so happy and content with my boys, I don't spend (or waste!) my time longing or dreaming of girls. I love my boys. I love that God has given them to me. And I'm wholly content to trust Him in determining the gender of our baby's. Boys or girls.


Shopping for ruffles and lace was hard because I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING.



I've been picking blue and green onesies and overalls with matching Bob the Builder shirts for so long that the girl clothes overwhelmed me. I kept finding myself asking, "do kids really wear princess shirts? and "are all those ruffles really cute, or if I bought this would everyone frown and say, "ugh!"

Then I found the colors overwhelming. Though I am a woman who likes to look feminine, I rarely wear pink or purple. So while I shopped, I gravitated toward boy colors, or at least gender neutral colors, because pinks, purples, and mauves, just don't go. I mean, do they? Do they really?

And what's worse, you know how they always say that girl clothes are so cute? I found myself walking right past the frilly dresses and instead pulling out sweater vests and corduroy pants on the rack next to them. SO much cuter.


As I said, it was a hard shopping trip. Utterly distressing. I was completely out of my element. I had the hardest time finding good girl clothes, and even when I did finally make my purchase, I wasn't sure I'd picked the right things.


When I told my husband about it later, he just laughed at my furrowed brow. I think I completely surprised him too.

"Well," he said in an encouraging tone, "at least I know that if we do have a girl, you two won't spend hours shopping together."

Yeah. So funny, Honey.

Seriously Delicious

I found these seriously delicious sugar cookies in an old Martha Stewart magazine and feel in love with them all over again.
Seriously delicious. Crisp on the edges. Chewy in the middle. Flawless in appearance. Seriously delicious.

Pardon me, for being repetitive, but there is something about the giantness of these cookies that makes them incredible mouth watering.
They are perfect for any weather—as they go well with a glass of cold milk or mug of steaming coffee.
Perhaps, their only draw back is that they taste so good you’ll want to eat another.
And another. And another.

Not so good for the waistline when a giant cookie is already the equivalent of 3 regulars.
But I guess that’s a price I have to pay. Or a treadmill I have to walk. Or something like that.

Giant Sugar Cookies
Makes 12

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sour cream

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with one rack in upper third and another in lower third. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat well to combine.
3. With mixer on low, add half the flour mixture, followed by sour cream, then remaining flour mixture; mix just until smooth. (Dough will be stiff; you may need to finish mixing it by hand with a wooden spoon.)
4. Drop mounds of dough, each equal to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 4 inches apart, onto two ungreased baking sheets; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until edges of cookies are just firm and tops are barely beginning to brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheets once halfway through. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.