Spring Break Memories

We're on Spring Break here and we're making the most of it! Here are a few memories from the last few days...

On Tuesday we visited the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah National Forest. It was a rainy day, so I assumed that we would just enjoy the indoor exhibits... After a picnic in the car, however, the kids decided they were up for a hike in the rain! So we headed out on the Forest Discovery Trail loop where we got to see old equipment used to cut down trees, make roads, and even this steam engine.

The kids were able to get up inside the engine and ring the bell. Max could have rang that bell all day I think!

Here's Ruby ringing the bell. She's trying to watch the string move to see where the bell is!

On Thursday we got together with a lot of our MOPS friends down at Sycamore Flats for a picnic and to play in the river. Max managed to get soaked from head to toe twice in the freezing water and was already in his dry clothes by the time this photo was taken.

Max was playing "Keep Away" with his friend Balin. Balin wanted to chase Max and didn't like that one bit. Looks like we still have some work to do on the sharing concept.

Here's Ruby down by the Davidson River. She had changed into her boots by this point and was about ready to leave. We did have a great time chatting and playing with friends though. We are so thankful for the friends that God has blessed us with here!

Today, we are busy with Bible Study this morning and will just relax and play at home this afternoon. It was forecasted to be a rainy day today, but instead we have clear blue skies and temperatures in the 70s! Yea!! Gotta love those happy surprises!

Name that Baby!

Last night I had a meeting with my Cooking Club so Jared had some good quality time with the kids before bedtime. One of the topics of conversation was what we should name the baby. Here's what Ruby had to say...

J: What do you think we should name the baby, Ruby?
R: Well, if it's a girl she should be Suzie. If it's a boy he should be Handsome or Charming.
J: You mean like Prince Charming?
R: No, just Charming. I found those names in my book.
J: Oh yeah, what book?
R: Cinderella!

So what do you think? Handsome Charming Nelson? Has quite a ring to it I think!

Potato Leek Soup & French Baguettes

We had a rainy day here yesterday-- our first in ages, so I'm not complaining! We "celebrated" the day by making my potato soup--believe it or not, Ruby has been begging for me to make this for weeks! Hope you enjoy it and my new favorite bread machine recipe as much as we did! Serve with a green salad on the side for a delicious dinner.

Potato Leek Soup
(this is actually my recipe--I know, unusual!)

1/2 c. butter
3-4 leeks, sliced
2 cloves garlic
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
4 c. potatoes, peeled and diced
cauliflower, one head chopped
6 c. chicken broth
1 T. cornstarch
2 c. milk
1 can corn
Cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
Bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

1. Saute chopped leeks and garlic in butter for 15 minutes or until soft.
2. Add potatoes, cauliflower, chicken broth, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Simmer 45-60 minutes.
3. Once vegetables are soft, cream in batches in a blender or use an immersion blender til smooth. Return to pot. Add milk and corn and gently reheat if needed.
4. Serve topped with grated cheese and bacon bits if desired.

French Baguettes
(find this one on allrecipes.com)

1 c. water
2 1/2 c. bread flour
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. bread machine yeast
1 egg yolk
1 T. water

1. Place 1 cup water, bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast into bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough cycle, and press Start.
2. When the cycle has completed, place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
3. Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8x12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
4. Preheat oven to 375F. Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Single Mom

Just a quick note to ask for prayers from everyone!

Jared has just left for a Men's Retreat in the mountains and I'm a single mom for the weekend. Normally, that wouldn't really be a big deal, but I also have a MOPS rummage sale that I'm running this weekend and already feel a bit exhausted. Please pray that the kids are cooperative and good helpers today and tomorrow. Pray that I have endurance and a good attitude.

And please pray that my sweet hubby has a great time of rest and gets recharged by the Lord this weekend!

Hope y'all have a great weekend in your neck of the woods too-- don't get too wet Texans!

Baby Brain

I went to my 32 week appointment today by myself! Jared let me drop the kids off with him at work where they vegged with the video player and white board for about and hour and a half, while I had time to make a quick stop at the market, go to my appointment and actually talk to the doctor and the financial person, and I even went over to the billing office at the hospital to talk about cutting costs. All of that with no complaining or interruptions! It was wonderful!

It seems that all is well on the baby front-- I'm measuring ahead of schedule (33 weeks) and baby's heart is beating strong. I can attest to the fact that this little peanut is STRONG (Jared's thinks he/she is a little body builder!) as I've experienced nauseating full rolls at least once a day as well as plenty of stretching and thrown elbows and knees! In fact, I was thinking that any time now this little peanut could be born and be just a-okay! (Did you hear that kiddo? Let's get this show on the road! Well, maybe wait at least 4 more weeks, then you'll be cooked to perfection!)

I'm consistantly amazed at how God keeps meeting our needs-- He has supplied us with the extra money we'll need to pay doctor and hospital bills. He has helped us find inexpensive, but nice baby things at yard sales and on craigslist. He has allowed my back to be strong and relatively pain-free this pregnancy. He squashes my fears just when they are about to take over. He has met all of our needs and blessed us beyond measure.

Thank you, Jesus, for answering my prayers before I ever voice them to you. Thank you for reminding me that you are in control. Thank you for this baby, who is Yours in the first place. We can't wait to meet him... or her. I love you, Lord. Amen.

Things that make me go "Hmmmm..."

As the weather warms, my children are spending more and more time out of doors. Don't get me wrong, I love it! I remember the days of my childhood and long days spent outdoors fondly. I even remember being so desperate to stay outside and play that I snuck out from my nap and went to play at a neighbor's house. I'm sure my mom was both horrified and a bit satisfied when I came home screaming after the neighbor boy had mashed my finger with a hammer!

The thing that's been hard, though, is knowing how long to wait before seeing what kind of trouble Ruby and Max have gotten themselves into. Here are just a few of the scenes I've been greeted with in the last week or two.

• I came outside to see that they had smeared wet sand all over my Subaru! (No, it didn't get scratched up thankfully!)
• I found Ruby on the deck a few days ago-- she had trapped Daisy (the cat) in her crate, stuffed it with toys and was pouring water into the crate. The poor thing was sitting in a lake!
• They have poured Daisy's food into her water bowl--too many times to count.
• I have picked up dozens of toys from bushes, in trees, the creek, etc.
• I have run over several toys with the car.
• I have found them filling water sprinklers with sand.
• I have had filthy, naked children come screaming for me through the house on MANY occasions. Where are their clothes you might ask? Oh, they just had to take them off.
• I have turned off the hose that had been running for 'who knows how long' countless times.
• I attempted to solve the hose problem by setting a timer. Their solution for the pesky timer-- drown it in their water table.

These are the things that make me go, "hmmm..."

Margarita Pork Chops

Here is a wonderful recipe that I used as part of my contribution to my monthly Cooking Coop last month. We are heavy into grill season and just loved the tangy flavor of this pork. Serve with Mexican sides or you could even slice it up and serve it on tortillas. YUM!

Margarita Pork Chops
(makes 3 entrees, 4 servings each)

1 tray (6-8lb) pork loin chops
4 1/2 c. bottled margarita mix
6 T. minced garlic (about 54 cloves)
3 tsp. black pepper
3 one-gallon freezer bags, labeled

1. Rinse and divide chops evenly among the freezer bags. Into each bag measure 1 1/2 cups margarita mix, 2 tablespoons garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Seal and freeze.
2. To cook one entree, completely thaw in refrigerator.
3. For outdoor cooking: Prepare a medium fire in a gas or charcoal grill. Cook chops, turning occasionally until temperature reads 160F in the thickest part. Do not baste during final 5 minutes and discard marinade.
4. For indoor cooking: Arrange chops on a greased broiler pan. Broil chops under high heat 5 inches from the heat source, turning frequently, for 14-18 minutes. Chops done when temperature reads 160F. Do not baste during final 5 minutes and discard marinade.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Maxwell!

We had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating Max's 3rd birthday. It's hard to believe that three years have passed so quickly-- remember this post? It was a long wait for Maxwell to arrive (11 days past his April Fools Day due date!), but it was worth it! Here are a few photos from our day...
This is at about 7am-- both kids were dressed and ready to tear into the birthday loot! So, while I hurriedly prepared some banana pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon for the birthday boy, they got going with the festivities! Ruby was a pretty insistent "helper", but Max didn't seem to mind. In fact, he spent the whole day wishing others a "Happy Birthday!" even though he was the birthday boy!

Max posing with some of his birthday presents and attempting to show that he's three-- two fingers and a thumb! Apparently we should have worked on that a bit before the big day!

While Ruby was at school Max and I hit the bike trail with some of our friends. This was Max's first time riding his bike on the trail (I usually push him in the stroller) and he had a great time. I was shocked at how fast he was and how long his energy lasted-- probably a good 2 miles!

After Max's favorite dinner: corndogs, edamame, baked beans, and fruit salad, we lit up his rocket ship cake. You'll have to take my word for it that that's what it is since it looks a bit non-descript in this photo! Nevertheless, with the peachy cake inside and white chocolate frosting outside it was yummy and we all enjoyed it.

We love you more every day, Maxwell, and thank God daily for the blessing you are to our family! We can't wait to see what the new year brings you!

Make way for baby!

Jared has been hard at work crossing things off his "honey, do" list as the countdown to baby #3 draws near! This week we (Jared!) got the baby's room painted and finished painting the crib we found on craigslist a few months ago. It's hard to see in the photo, but there are three drawers on the right side of the crib and then two drawers underneath, which I love. I am SO happy with the results and just love how it all looks with our new floors-- thanks to my super hubby!

After Jared puts the baseboards in we'll bring in the changing table he made before Ruby was born and I also hope to get a black Poang chair like this one to rock baby in. I, of course, had to get some Ikea bedding and even got this cute diaper bag. I've been told that this bag is totally impractical and all together too small, but after carrying around that big old backpack diaper bag with the first two, I was ready to downsize! I figure it will at least work for quick outings around town.

Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, no one has been begging for belly pics this time around. I guess they figure they've seen me massively pregnant before, so no big deal. But, I felt for posterity I should at least post one belly shot. Unfortunately I had to take this myself with the timer and it was blurry every time I tried. Oh well, you get the idea. I'm 31 weeks pregnant and no, I'm not having twins. :)

We are so anxious to meet this new addition to our family and thankful already for the person God has made him or her to be. Now, all we need is a name...

Bobs and Booboos

Just an average day at our house yesterday...

I took Ruby to Neveah ("heaven" backwards--cute, huh?) Salon to get her hair cut. What with the new found hair freedoms and ever growing tangly rat's nests, we thought a haircut was in order!

True to character, Ruby sat down in that chair and jabbered to her new best friend, Deanna, like there was no tomorrow. I was trying to read to Max across the room and just kept cracking up at the things Ruby felt she needed to share-- too funny! Anyway, it looks like those pesky bangs have finally grown out and she just looks cute as can be. What a beauty!

Once we got home, Max was up to his usual antics with not one, but two bloody knee incidents. Here's how it happened in his words...

"I got on my big bike ('cause I'm a BIG BOY!) and I cwash, den I cwash, and I cwash!"

There was also another incident where he slipped on all of the sand he'd thrown out of his sandbox onto the driveway and wiped out bad. Cleaning sand out of a bloody knee is no fun for anyone!

Looks like it's going to be the summer we keep band-aid in business. Gotta love boys!

Easter-- the easy way!

I'm finding that my zeal for cooking huge meals is dwindling some as the weather warms and my belly expands! So, for Easter lunch this year we did Easter the easy way! Hope you enjoy these great recipes that can be used any time of the year.

Ham and Cheese Picnic Bread
(see recipe at allrecipes. com)

1 (.25oz) pkg active dry yeast
1 c. warm water
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 T. butter
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped ham
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (4oz) jar diced pimento peppers, drained
1/2 c. black olives, drained and chopped

1. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the flour, egg, butter, sugar, and salt; mix well. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 8 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. Combine the ham, cheese, pimento, and olives in a medium mixing bowl, set aside.
5. Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat the dough into a 10x14 inch rectangle. Evenly spread the filling mixture over the center of the rectangle. Fold the short ends of the rectangle over the filling. Starting from one of these ends, alternately stretch strips from the two side across the filling so that the strips overlap diagonally. Transfer the loaf to a lightly grease baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 400F. Bake at 400F for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

** Note, these fillings are just a jumping off point! You can fill it with pizza toppings, veggies, you name it!

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs
(see recipe at allrecipes.com)

12 eggs
1/2 c. mayonnaise
4 slices bacon, crumbled
2 T. finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1 T. mustard

1. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse the eggs under cold running water.
2. Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolk to a small bowl. Mash the egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and cheese. Stir in mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving.

**My hubby said these are the BEST deviled eggs he's ever had!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
(see recipe at allrecipes.com)

2 c. crushed pretzels
3/4 c. butter, melted
3 T. sugar

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 c. white sugar
1 (8oz) pkg frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 (3oz) pkgs strawberry flavored gelatin
2 c. boiling water
2 (10oz) pkgs frozen strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Stir together crushed pretzel, melted butter, and 3 T. sugar; mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Set aside to cool.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture onto cooled crust.
5. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in still frozen strawberries and allow to set briefly. When mixture is about the consistency of egg white, pour and spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.
   

Easy Strawberry Lemonade
(see recipe at allrecipes.com)

1 (12oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
4 1/2 c. water
1 (10oz) pkg frozen strawberries, partially thawed

1. In a large pitcher, mix together lemonade concentrate and water. Stir in strawberries.

*Note: We like to whiz up the strawberries before we mix it up and serve it over tall glasses of ice--yum!

Happy Easter!

After a record-breaking cold and snowy winter in Western North Carolina (and really the whole east coast), we are thrilled to be welcoming warm sunshine-filled days! Easter weekend was absolutely beautiful with oodles of daffodils and every flowering tree in full bloom. We feel so blessed to be here-- all together, no pressures, just family time. Here are a few snapshots from the weekend.

Coloring and painting eggs--try to focus on the eggs and not the huge mama! We got some glitter paint this year which both kiddos loved-- Max drew all kinds of neat things like a flying dolphin and a noodle. Ruby stuck with writing names and drawing people-- two of her favorite things to do!

Sitting on the fence after church. I hate to say it, but I think this is the best shot of Max. He is one busy boy and not at ALL interested in photo shoots!

Miss Ruby looking pretty in pink. She sure is growing up... what a beauty!

The best of the worst family photos. We really need to get a tripod-- balancing the camera on the deck chopped the top off Jared's head every time-- not to mention the lighting isn't the best. Oh well, this is our family Easter 2010!

Daddy and the munchkins.

I hope your Easter was as blessed as ours--that you took time to remember the Savior who not only came to earth for us, not only died for our sins, but rose again! He is risen!!

Funnies

Ruby is quite a talker, especially when she has a captive audience-- like in the car! Recently we were driving along and Ruby interrupted herself to say,

"Hey, Mom! I see a telephone tower. Oops, I mean a cellophone tower!"

Cell towers are now known as "cellophone towers" in our house!

Christmas Recapped

We were so blessed last Christmas to spend a week with my family. It was wonderful to have everyone gather together here in North Carolina even if we did have an icy snow storm to cope with instead of the balmy holiday I'd been betting on. But, if there's one thing I've learned this winter, it's don't bet on the weather!

Everyone enjoyed cuddling and playing with little Luana. She's a sweet baby and has the most beautiful eyes and smile! She was a wonderful traveller and did a great job sleeping for the most part. I think she adjusted faster than Mommy and Daddy did!


Sweet Jayden, Christina and Austin's baby, was always dressed to the nines. Who said shopping for baby boys isn't fun! Here he is sleeping through present opening Christmas morning. I think Mommy and Daddy were wishing they could catch a few zzzz's too!

We were so thankful that Ken made it down to spend Christmas with us. The weather didn't looks like it was going to cooperate, but God made a way! Anne was especially thankful to have her Hubby join her after a week spent with the crazy Armstrong sisters.

Kelly, Heidi, Jared, Maxwell, and Ruby... distributing gifts on Christmas morning. Max made a gift train!

The four sisters-- Christina, Heidi, Alyssa, and Bethany. None of us are twins-- just in case you were wondering!

Sisters and our kiddos. Heidi got to hold Ruby for me since I had my hands full with just squirmy Max!

Anne and the girls.

It was hard to say goodbye to Claudio, Alyssa, and Luana. The kids miss their cousins, but we sure do love seeing pictures and videos on Facebook to keep in touch. What a blessing family is!