Mom: I Have One, I Is One

I know an amazing woman. From her, I learned....

to keep my kitchen countertops clean. not just neat. clean.

how to be a loyal friend.

to dress appropriately and fashionably, at the same time.

that it doesn't matter what other people think. it matters what God thinks.

that long needle pine straw truly is superior to short needle.

babies take better naps when you take off their shorts.

when everybody helps, everybody gets done faster and can enjoy being together sooner.

to make treasures with my hands, to give to people I love.

not to be afraid to be myself.

my singing really does sound awesome in the shower.

that fresh flowers in the house make any day special.

to truly call it "weeding" you have to pull it from the roots.

it is not okay to have just one eyebrow.

I must be able to laugh at myself.

if I think I can make it, grow it or do it myself, I probably can.

to pray about it. all of it.

if it blooms, it needs sun.

family is a gift to be cherished, no matter the cost.

And to hear this woman tell me she thinks I am a good mother? There is no greater compliment from my own mother than this.

Vegetable Management

Have you heard of The Noisy Rabbit? It's a local group of produce loving peeps that like the idea of a CSA, but instead of supporting one local farm, the Noisy Rabbit supports local businesses and grocers, which guarantees the grocers their sales and the consumers their produce at a discounted price. We have done a CSA before and enjoyed it, but found that the produce didn't stretch very far for our growing family. With Noisy Rabbit, affectionately called "Dirty Bunny" by the husband, we get a laundry basket full of vegetables and fruits every week for just $15 a week! It is fun to get the basket, but there is a sense of responsibility and urgency to manage the veggies when they land in the house. Thus a friend affectionately calls it "vegetable management".

This brings a weekly challenge, gladly accepted, of using up every bit before it goes bad. Some things get eaten up without even thinking (bananas, apples, grapes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, citrus) but other things send us to Google or Pinterest for ideas. Chayote squash? That becomes Sausage stuffed chayote squash. Fennel? Italian sausage and fennel pasta bake. Brussels sprouts? Sauteed with white wine and apples, topped with bacon and parmesean. I certainly can't NOT use them, so they must get eaten, someway, somehow. Usually by me. By myself. As leftovers. For lunch.

Any ideas found, favorite recipes, fast and easy, or kid-friendly recipes, are shared with other friends that are also "noisy". Extra root veggies get roasted with a chicken or put into stock. Any scraps get composted. And, thankfully, we get lots of onions, and now I've found a use for all those onion scraps!I am so awesome, aren't I? I am not trying to be all braggy, but basically prove to my husband that this experience is worth the cost. We make lots of noise of our own in emails, and now there is even a google group where we post our successes and failures (which I haven't actually posted on yet, because I have been so busy cooking and cleaning). I have been pretty good about using up most of what we get, but this weekend I found my drawers were busting at the seams with bits of unused veggies. Anyway, we had a vegetable management dining experience. I used every pot, pan, mixing bowl and measuring spoon and cup in the kitchen. Twice. 

How did it fare with the fam? Everyone took a bite of each. The "parsnippits" were the favorite. And yes, I had all this for lunch today. I have to remember that if my 5 year old puts one kale chip in her mouth, that's one more kale chip than I would have tried at 5, so maybe in 20 years she'll eat them for lunch leftovers herself.

Noisy Rabbit is constantly adding pickup locations, and have recently added their 500th member. Check it out if you are interested, and tell them I sent you over their way - I'd get a free week! And don't be afraid to come eat with us....I promise I would only serve brussels sprouts with your permission, no surprises.

A weekly round up, getting ready to manage the veggies.

Kale chips

Baked zucchini slices with sweet onion dip.

Strawberry puree to go with chocolate pudding.

Smoky parsnip crisps

Tortellini soup with carrots and kale.

The Birthday Child

Everything's been different

all the day long,

Lovely things are happened,

nothing has gone wrong.

Nobody has scolded me,

Everyone has smiled.

Isn't it delicious

to be a birthday child?

Rose Fyleman

Talking to the Espinosa Family

Dinner at Fuddruckers, where she spent $5 in quarters at the prize machine.

Ate ketchup and chocolate cake for dinner.

Cleats for spring soccer!

oooweeee! polka dot skirt!

Lots of fun friends at birthday round 3

so excited over chalk!

self dubbed: "the Jenga wizard"

Party animals, swinging from the ceiling on this crazy 5th birthday night.

Post or Perish

Lots of my words go towards other things besides here on this blog, albeit important things. Mainly my children. Friends. Husband. Coworkers. Family. Dog. Siri. Plants. Self.

I find I am an all or nothing kinda girl. If it can't be it's best, then it simply won't be. I hesitated to post this post, seeing as I do not have an image I prefer to put with it, nor do I have the time to search for freebies on the web. But then I remember the warnings of Solomon in Ecclesiastes: "If you wait until conditions are perfect, you will never get anything done." (11:4)

On studying doctrine with our Community Group, I read this post on John Piper's blog. He says "Language may not carry all there is, but what it carries can be true and valuable." That "can be" part I appreciate. How much of my language is true? How much of my language is valuable? For others, and for myself? 

The idea of Post or Perish - there is an unquenchable urge for me to talk it out, this journey. Not necessarily for the purpose of landing on understanding ears, but simply to speak it all into reality, forcing it out of my head and into the air. Perhaps that is why, when being intentional and dependent, I find myself praying out loud.

At what point, if at all, do those words get translated into prayers? By translated, I mean to ask how mindful am I being of my conversations with God? How mindful am I of God? How am I allowing Him space and time to speak? The Resurgence had a great series posted about prayer, and how it is most often a last resort, when God intended it to be so much more.

Thomasina Dances

I've been trying to capture our little man joining in our dance parties, but inevitably I pull out the camera and he quits being as cute as possible. But I must share what we are constantly laughing at, and hopefully justify why I play the same songs over and over, and over, on Spotify. In the one below, Thomas is loving Foster the People, a welcome reprieve from the Laurie Berkner songs I repeat a dozen times a day. He gets so carried away with himself, he often falls on the floor. He was extra spunky last night, maybe due to him sporting one of Nancy's headbands.

Thomas is not unlike his sisters before him (Nancy is almost 2, Kate 5):

All of this reminiscing brings me to a conclusion: I like dancing babies.

So I Think We Can't Dance.

Enjoying our new Christmas gift. All 5 of us.

3rd Annual Burns & McGowan Griswold Christmas Tree Road Trip

There are several other posts floating around in my head. But other things must be taken care of before I put fingers to keys. But there is no reason to wait for this post: it was too much fun, and too many wonderful photos that captured the fun, to wait for it to be chronological. 

Here's the gist: in 2009 Chris suggested cutting down their tree, something the McGowans have done before, and something us Burnses thought sounded quite romantic. We followed directions that took us into the middle of the Pisgah National Forest, over 6.5 miles of bumpy gravel road, to emerge onto Zeigler's Tree and Trout Farm. We passed a sign that says "Keep Going, Almost There!" that was placed at that exact spot where one begins to think "yeah, we should turn around." Click on their name, get the address, and try it if you haven't gotten your tree already. This is the family's livelihood, and they would appreciate your business!  To say I wish we lived out there may be an understatement. And there are no shortage of perfectly beautiful trees.

The road entering the farm.

Thomas & Kate carrying our measuring stick.

T liked to hide in the trees and say "bye bye!"

I told Cohen to smile like he liked me. This is the face he made. 

Looking back at the house & part of the farm. We like to take the scenic route to hunt for our trees.

This, of course, is the year we decide not to send out photo Christmas cards. The first year ever that everyone's looking at the camera.

The family lets you put your kids on their 4 wheelers and take photos....

...and ride in the back of the trailer with your freshly cut trees.

Pure excitement!

It may look like Emily is about to fall off the back of the trailer. I think she had just made the joke that it was it was obvious from our kids' squealing that we do not live in the country.