Paris (Photo) Journal

So excited.  I just ordered this album  from Snapfish.  It tells the whole story of our trip in pictures.
Editing over 1,500 pictures down to 'just' 437 photos and 86 pages took a lot of hours.  Even though I had to delete pretty ruthlessly, those hours were pretty decadent.  I avoided accomplishing a few other tasks for a few days, because this project was so fun.
So many pictures were left out, but the remaining 86 pages capture a lot of timeless moments, trigger deep emotions, and fill my mind with happy memories.  The images on the pages still feel magical to me, making me jittery and happy every time I look at them (even on the screen).  The real, leather bound, actual paper...printed book version won't arrive for another ten days.

Stay tuned for Paris Journal: Day Five.  It won't be long.  Well...it probably will be long....a long post, that is.  That's just how I roll.  But, you shouldn't have to wait long to read it.

*****************

Just checked my link....looks like you'll have to log-in to Snapfish to view the book.  Sorry about that.  

If you decide that you don't want to give them your email address and sign your life away to Snapfish forever, you'll just have to come visit me soon to see the real thing.   

Happy Birthday, Oreos

Apparently, Oreos are celebrating their 100th birthday.

So.... they are on sale (and specially engraved with a birthday design)....which is convenient, because it's also Ryan's birthday.

And Oreos, (though a rare and dangerous purchase for our family) are essential for Ryan's birthday celebrations.  Almost every year, I create some kind of oreo dessert for my love.

Last year it was in a trifle bowl....

The trifle dessert was really delicious and decadent, but so deep and frozen, it was tricky to serve.  This year...a new creation using my (new) springform pan.  Oreo Ice Cream Pie.   An oreo crust (crushed cookies mixed with melted butter and flattened into the pan), vanilla ice-cream frozen into a round ice-cream cake shape, and topped with cool whip and crushed oreos.  I made up my own version, loosely based on other Oreo cookie cakes and pies found on google.  I also watched this video for added confidence.  Mine wasn't exactly like Gretchen Seigchrists's, but the girls watched her video about 10 times while they 'helped' me make it.  

Tonight, we brought it to El Burrito Loco for our traditional Taco Tuesday dinner.  There was plenty of oreo cake to share. We made sure to only bring one (big) piece home.  They honored Ryan with a sombrero, a song, free fried ice-cream, and (his favorite part)...whipped cream spread on his face.  

Another highlight of the birthday dinner: Maya lost her first tooth.  

Quite a day for celebrating in the Corbin home.  

Happy Birthday Oreos!

And happy birthday to my Love.  I am lucky to be yours.  

(And not just because I really like a good excuse to eat oreos)

packing a lunch box, and other small things.

The first time I logged into pinterest, I found this brilliant pin about lunch box ideas.

Source: wendolonia.com via Angela on Pinterest

And this.  Another of my favorite (and first) pinterest discoveries.  Perfectly packaged apple slices.

I know, I know.  When did I turn into such a suburban 'mom' who gets excited about lunch boxes?? 

Source: athomewithrealfood.blogspot.com via Angela on Pinterest

Maya loves her apple slices in her lunchbox everyday.  The multi-level appeal of this treat is so impressive to her...it's a puzzle, it's apple slices, it's a whole apple, and best of all,  the slices don't get brown.

And I immediately started packing Maya's lunches differently.  She loves all the food surprises she finds.  We were only a few weeks into the school year when her lunches were getting kind of repetitive and boring.  I'd been a little creative, I thought, but we had (more than) overdone tabouli and sunbutter sandwiches (even if they were shaped like gingerbread men).   Preparing her lunch has become something special for us both.  I write her simple little messages too, just like my Dad used to do.  At first my messages were mostly just stick people, smiles, and "i <3 U," but now that she can read just about anything, my notes are a little longer.  Communication with my daughter through written words is pretty amazing.  Every day, that twinkle in her eyes (when we share something secret and special between the two of us) seems a little older and more 'knowing'.   She is growing. Fast.  

As a mom, a wife, a teacher (really in any life-role), preparing and repairing things for people out of love has to be something joyful and purposeful and faithful (like cleaning dishes, picking up junk, sorting papers, tuning little violins, answering repeated questions, folding clothes, sorting music, sorting dirty laundry, packing lunches, making meals, ironing, etc.) ....or beautiful things like service and selflessness and gratitude and contentment morph into something ugly like martyrdom, entitlement, bitterness, self-perceived underappreciation, and boredom.  Trust me, I know.  Those little things, ways of being responsible, neat, helpful, consistent, and goal-oriented...they are big.  Each task, an important, faithful, act of love.  

  I'm not really good at this.   I'm really NOT good at this.  Instead of actually living my life and doing the small things that make it work pleasantly for myself and everyone else who lives in my house.  I long to read, to write, to learn, dream about the big things, study my French, or plan (and internet hunt for) beautiful and artistic creations....and sometimes make them, or blog about them.  

In fact, I'm avoiding some of these loving tasks (folding clothes, ironing, organizing papers, picking up junk) at the moment.  

I know I can (and usually do) get it all done in a great flourish of energy and inspiration, but I just can't seem to be consistent.  The small tasks become really big ones before I want (or am forced to) tackle them.  Sometimes I feel hopelessly incurable in this regard.  But I know I'm not.  I'm far too optomistic to accept those hopeless feelings.  I think I might need a self- intervention, though. 

So I'm pondering some resolutions, maybe even some rules for myself.  Any ideas from my more practical, responsible readers?  How do you feed the creative, philosophical, word-loving, beauty-seeking, relational, story-loving part of your soul and still manage to be a responsible human being? 

When I do "figure it all out".... I may even attempt to live by my resolutions a while before blogging about them.   That would take some discipline.  

Though....the blog therapy really works for me.  (At least I like to think it does.)

I'm off to fold laundry.  I promise.  I won't be back again until it's done.  

Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons

Or...Chicken breasts with mushrooms.  a la Julia Child...sortof.   Made for my almost-birthday boy husband.  He loves mushrooms, so they were an important ingredient for tonight's pre-celebratory dinner.  His real birthday dinner will be Tuesday, and the primary ingredient then will be oreos (for dessert). That's just a given.  Not sure about the meal yet.

I don't think I will ever cook in Mrs. Child's fashion, at least not on any sort of regular basis.  There is something about her meticulous care and time and planning and obsession for finding precisely perfect ingredients and doing each process the very best way every time....that doesn't exactly come naturally for me in the kitchen.  And honestly, this doesn't really bother me (at least not very much).  I do enjoy cooking, and baking especially.  I'm not incredibly adventurous (and also not a detailed meal planner), but have become braver (and a better at planning/cooking) in my late twenties and ....now my ...thirties. (Wow, that sounds disturbing, my "thirties")  Maybe in another season of my life this way of life and cooking will become a priority and a habit.  But for now, it's just not.  

But tonight, I was inspired by her Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons (mostly because I had chicken breast and mushrooms and was dreaming about a certain creamy flavor).  So I made up my own improvised version of her carefully tested and retested-to-predictable-perfection recipe.  She would be horrified, I'm sure.  I know this because I just finished her 'memoir' My Life in France.  In fact, I feel like we're sort-of friends now.  She might not know me, but I certainly know her.  And I think we could tolerate one another.  We'd find a few things in common.  I like honesty.  And she's pretty direct and opinionated.  I like to listen and learn, and she would have great stories to tell and advice to give.  I did love her book.  I could probably read it again, just to learn and retain more of her vast knowledge of french cuisine.  And to imagine I am living in her parisian flat, speaking fluent french, and eating delicious food all the time.  I certainly am not interested in a life-swap.  I know I have it far better. 

And now....my 'lesser' (but still quite delicious) version of "Supremes"...

1 Chicken breast, cut into strips

some (1 tablespoon?) butter

a tiny bit of olive oil

juice from 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper 

dried basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder

1 pour of chicken broth (1/2 cup?)

1 package sliced mushrooms (already sliced, I know, lazy, probably 'tasteless' in Julia's opinion, but easy)

2 handfulls fresh spinach leaves 

1/3 cup white wine (I used Reisling, but a dry white wine would probably be better)

1/4 cup cream

Coat the chicken breast in lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and pepper and italian seasonings, cut it into strips, then sautee the chicken strips in butter.  Then, add chicken broth, wine, and mushrooms and simmer for a bit. Next, add spinach, simmer a bit more...and just before serving, stir in the cream.  Serve over angel hair pasta.  

I loved the lemon-buttery flavor of the sauce.  I think I'm going to try a chicken and gnocchi soup with spinach and the same kind of base.

 ...........................................................

And for dessert, puff-pastry brushed with egg and sugar, baked until puffy and golden and crumbling with flakes....with crushed strawberries drizzled on top.

beef & barley

We're a little low on (okay...almost completely out of) groceries. But I really wanted dinner to be waiting for us after church tonight. And I had some beef tips in the freezer, a few carrots in the fridge, and a semi-well-stocked pantry,....so... this afternoon, I put the slow-cooker and the bread machine to work.

Beef & Barley
Beef tips (for stew), browned
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
8 garlic cloves pressed
1 cup dry barley
3 cups beef broth
14.5 oz canned tomatoes (with Italian seasoning)
1 1/2 cups water
garlic powder (to taste)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

with Honey Whole Wheat Bread in the bread machine.

As soon as we stepped inside the house tonight, Maya turned around with big eyes and said to me, "It smells SO GOOD in here!!!" and added a few seconds later..."Home. Sweet. Home!"

We're all excited for left-overs for lunch tomorrow.

Pork Roast and Vegetables with Biscuit Crust
or...how to make some simple and crazy delicious comfort food with your pork roast left-overs:

1 pork roast cooked all day in crock pot (seasoned with garlic and onion)
potatoes, carrots, and onions cooked with roast in crock pot with broth.

Cut pork into bite sized pieces.  Spoon all 'left-overs' into pie dish.  Top with cooked peas (or any other vegetables on hand), sprinkle with a bit of dry tapioca, salt & pepper, and chicken broth.

While vegetables & meat are heating in the pie dish in the oven or microwave, prepare biscuit dough.

My Biscuit Recipe
combine: 
2 cups flour (1 cup whole wheat/ 1 cup white)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt


Add 1 stick unsalted butter (yup, it's that bad for you) chopped into small cubes
Pulse mixture until course meal forms.  
Add 2/3 cup of cream (or milk) and mix well.

Spoon biscuit dough on top of "pie."

Bake 20-25 minutes in 425 degree oven.

Ingredients: 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1/4 cup white wine 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained 1/2 cup half and half oregano salt and fresh pepper 1 tsp lemon juice 1/4 cup chopped parsley (I added fresh basil and oregano too) 8 oz angel hair pasta (whole wheat, low carb or high fiber) Directions: Boil water for pasta. Cook according to package instructions.Meanwhile, season shrimp with salt and oregano. Cook shrimp and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, salt and pepper and cook an additional minute. Add half and half and cook 1 more minute.Add lemon juice and parsley and serve over pasta. Divide equally in 4 plates. Now that we are back into the familiar groove of school, I'm still feeling grateful and happy to be a teacher. I love summer, but I think I'd feel lucky in my job even without those three months off every year! Today was just one of those great days. I felt prepared for the day, more organized (than last year), confident in my role, and surrounded by lovable students excited to make music. Maya is loving Kindergarten. She seems to come home every day either exhausted, or incredibly (obnoxiously) hyper....and full of stories. Some stories come out immediately in the car, others just pop up over dinner, or bedtime...or days later. And some of her stories are just for me, conspiratorially whispered into my ear when Ryan is across the room. She finished her last vowel today in class. And with her mixture of Ryan's meticulous perfectionism...and my...distracted, free-spirited...creativity?....it's a challenge sometimes to get all her schoolwork done in timely manner. But, every paper she does finish looks...impeccable. So our new motto is "Do your best, but GET IT DONE!" Sometimes I have to repeat that motto again and again...for me. Just to stay on task. Between the laundry and ironing, the house-cleaning, the dinners and the dishes, the online coursework and reading and communication, the lesson planning, and school paperwork, the Kindergarten papers, and the places to be, the doctors appointments, and the pretend play, the puzzles, and the storybook reading, and the important conversations and times with friends....I get a little...off task at times, running frantically between jobs, never finishing any. And sometimes, I just end up on the couch, bewildered at where to start. Then there's always facebook! :) But this week, the crazy chaos is manageable. And quite fun. I love my new schedule. I miss the faces and the familiar routines, the musical fun, the shared history that my old teaching role provided for so many years. I will cherish my memories, and 'my kids' there forever. But I'm feeling much more settled, more rooted this year, both as a Mother and as a Strings Teacher. I love my days with just Sophie and our Tuesdays with just me and both girls. We go to ballet and gymnastics, and we play together and read and talk all day. I'm pretty lucky. And next weekend, my Love is taking me away for my belated birthday celebration. Two days and one night in Chicago alone. Just the anticipation is a perfectly delightful gift.

"Shrimp cooked with tomatoes, a touch of cream, white wine and a hint of lemon. This pasta dish is so simple to make and is ready in about 15 minutes, perfect for a weeknight meal."


That's what "Gina" said about the Angel Hair with Shrimp and Tomato Sauce, and I need as many perfect weeknight meals as I can get.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup half and half
• oregano
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley (I added fresh basil and oregano too)
• 8 oz angel hair pasta (whole wheat, low carb or high fiber)

Directions:

Boil water for pasta. Cook according to package instructions.Meanwhile, season shrimp with salt and oregano. Cook shrimp and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, salt and pepper and cook an additional minute. Add half and half and cook 1 more minute.Add lemon juice and parsley and serve over pasta. Divide equally in 4 plates.

Now that we are back into the familiar groove of school, I'm still feeling grateful and happy to be a teacher. I love summer, but I think I'd feel lucky in my job even without those three months off every year!

Today was just one of those great days. I felt prepared for the day, more organized (than last year), confident in my role, and surrounded by lovable students excited to make music.

Maya is loving Kindergarten. She seems to come home every day either exhausted, or incredibly (obnoxiously) hyper....and full of stories. Some stories come out immediately in the car, others just pop up over dinner, or bedtime...or days later. And some of her stories are just for me, conspiratorially whispered into my ear when Ryan is across the room. She finished her last vowel today in class. And with her mixture of Ryan's meticulous perfectionism...and my...distracted, free-spirited...creativity?....it's a challenge sometimes to get all her schoolwork done in timely manner. But, every paper she does finish looks...impeccable. So our new motto is "Do your best, but GET IT DONE!"


Sometimes I have to repeat that motto again and again...for me. Just to stay on task. Between the laundry and ironing, the house-cleaning, the dinners and the dishes, the online coursework and reading and communication, the lesson planning, and school paperwork, the Kindergarten papers, and the places to be, the doctors appointments, and the pretend play, the puzzles, and the storybook reading, and the important conversations and times with friends....I get a little...off task at times, running frantically between jobs, never finishing any. And sometimes, I just end up on the couch, bewildered at where to start. Then there's always facebook! :)

But this week, the crazy chaos is manageable. And quite fun. I love my new schedule. I miss the faces and the familiar routines, the musical fun, the shared history that my old teaching role provided for so many years. I will cherish my memories, and 'my kids' there forever. But I'm feeling much more settled, more rooted this year, both as a Mother and as a Strings Teacher. I love my days with just Sophie and our Tuesdays with just me and both girls. We go to ballet and gymnastics, and we play together and read and talk all day. I'm pretty lucky.

And next weekend, my Love is taking me away for my belated birthday celebration. Two days and one night in Chicago alone. Just the anticipation is a perfectly delightful gift.

Ginger Root

We found it at the Farmer's Market last week. I described to the girls what I thought ginger root might look like and told them to hunt for it as we passed each booth. We found our cucumbers, tomatoes corn, peaches, Boston Bibb lettuce, zucchini and squash... but no ginger root. Finally, after circling the entire market, we found it, right next to the booth where we started. Maya spotted it again today in the grocery store, and I was a little proud.

I was surprised by the almost citrus-y aroma of the cut ginger. It has quite a strong flavor in the dish, especially when you bite into a whole piece of it. The root that we bought cost less than a dollar and I only used about an eighth of it tonight. I think we'll have to look for some more recipes with fresh ginger.

Chicken with Ginger

Ingredients

• 1 three-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks (1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions

Directions

1. Soak ginger in cold water 10 minutes; drain.

2. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat; brown chicken in two batches, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

3. In same skillet over medium heat, cook ginger, onion, and garlic, stirring until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar; cook over high heat until thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken; stir to warm. Remove from heat; stir in scallions.

4. Serve over rice noodles, or chinese noodles, or rice.

Thank you, Martha Stewart for a lovely dinner.

Another rough day at the beach...

...so rough, in fact, that we (2 semi-responsible moms) completely lost track of time. And just after promising ice-cream to four children (who, ran obediently out of the water at the word...'ice-cream')....we realized it was 5:00 PM! So four (or six) kiddie cones later, we hurried home for dinner.

The Beans were having stew (all-day cooking in the crock-pot) and we had one more new dish to prepare from another new favorite cooking blogger I found from a friend's facebook post.

It will be repeated soon in our house...

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

adapted from a recipe at What’s Cookin Chicago
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces or strips
1- 10oz package of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup Marsala wine
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup half & half (or heavy cream)
1 pound pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan + more for serving
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh basil, finely chopped

Season the chicken with salt & pepper. Cook the chicken in a large skillet with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer to plate when done.

Boil the water and cook pasta until al dente.

While the water is boiling add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan then add the garlic, mushrooms and onions. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes. Put the cooked chicken back into the skillet. Add the Marsala, chicken broth and half & half. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Cook until sauce has thickened. About 3 – 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta and reserve ½ cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the same skillet and add in ½ cup of Parmesan & the chopped basil. Cook until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce (about 1 minute). Add in reserved cooking water if needed.

Season with salt, pepper and garnish with a sprinkling more of cheese.

So many things...

...to be grateful for. And so many things to blog about.

I keep checking this blog, so disappointed each time to see that nothing has changed. Somebody better start posting here!

You'd think with a summer of freedom and rest, with heaps of decadent time spent with family and friends... that my fingers would ache to express my joy and share my stories.

Yet despite my delightfully short to-do list and our full social calendar, I've been rather silent here.

A few summer highlights that deserve more words (and pictures) but may or may not be revisited in future posts:

• a full week spent at the cabin (overlapping with brother, Daniel and boys)
• my new love for kayaking
• Mackinac Island
• a plentiful summer garden
• fresh summer salads and fruit pies
• home organizing projects
• my new jewelry display, made from an old printer drawer
  
• new bedding (I finally made our bed pretty after 9 years of marriage)
• beach days with friends
• pool days with friends and family
• Grand Haven boardwalk dates
• a long and delightful 'ladies night' spent telling stories with some beautiful women on the patio at The Lake House
  
• college girls reunion (they came from Denver, Chicago, and Cincinnati for a 3-night sleep-over at my house)
• beach day with Ryan and girls
• Baby Camden Paul Fisher's birth

dreaming...

...someday one of these fabrics could be transformed into bedroom curtains, window seat cushions, duvet covers, or throw pillows maybe...

In reality...
I've been wanting to find something old to repurpose as a jewelry organizer. I wanted it to be unique and have character..with lots of little 'cubbies'...possibly even drawers...and something I could hang on my wall. Then I found this brilliant idea on Etsy (made by "Bluebirdheaven"). I already have my printer drawer (found at an antique store for $12), it's partially cleaned out, but it needs a little more time before mine will be ready to hang.

This post is looking like something I cut out and paste into my "book". I do have a real journal... one made out of paper that isn't published all over the internet. It's mostly for me...a place to collect ideas, recipes, memories, reflections, prayers, quotes, book 'reviews.' But sometimes really good friends kindly browse its quirky pages and make me feel grateful and embarrassed. I'm on my second "book", the first one is filled to capacity. Maybe my third book will look something like this one...

freezer jam

My Grandmother Linda used to make the most wonderful breakfasts...Finnish coffee bread, a plate of sliced cheese, sausage, (eggs probably?)...but my favorite part: strawberry jam.

The taste of homemade strawberry freezer jam always brings back memories of her house and her presence. So many daily things do...beautiful gardens, irises, roses, dreams of the cabin, her Rose Chintz dishes stacked in my cupboard.

Once, about a year after she died, when I was in college, I made her strawberry freezer jam recipe and gave the little jars to family as gifts. I still remember the incredible pleasure of making it, smelling it, tasting it. But even though I've thought of making it millions of times, I've never tried it again. Early this spring, I vowed to myself (and even wrote it in my little journal/scrap book) that this year would be different....there would be strawberry jam in my freezer.

I don't have her exact recipe any more (hopefully someone does..Mom?)...so I tried one I found online (one that uses a lot less sugar than the traditional recipe). It's still pretty magical.


I made six little jars last week. I was hoping to build up a 'stash' for the winter...but we're already on our third jar. I could try to blame this on the girls...but it wouldn't be exactly truthful.
I've got more strawberries in the refrigerator waiting to be crushed.

thinking about sewing something to wear...

I love this idea.

This creative designer/blogger was inspired by this Anthropologie shirt
to make her own...out of a regular dress shirt.

I was already to try it when I realized that I just cleaned out our closets! I donated to Hope's Outlet all the shirts that would be candidates for such a project. Rrrr.

a few of my hopes for Spring Break...

• play outside
• go running
• build blanket forts in the living room
  
• pretend play ("Mikey", Laura and Mary, babies, orphans, doctor...)
  
• walks
• bike ride(s)
• zoo trip(s)
• lots of art projects and writing
• play dough
• read several chapters of Little House on the Prairie
• catching up on ironing
• organizing a drawer or two
• a play date with friends
• plant something
• finish reading Eat. Pray. Love.
• library trip
• a date with my Love
• get some sleep

So far, we've already filled the first weekend with Yorkshire Pudding, one long family bike ride followed by a shared vanilla milkshake, two church gatherings to remember/celebrate His death and resurrection, some very messy Easter egg decorating, three family birthdays (one party), one family Easter celebration, one quick and magical zoo trip, lots of clean/folded/put-away laundry, some swinging on our new swing set (built by Ryan and 'Papa'), running in the grass, reading, a long wandering car ride through the country while listening to Vivaldi (an unsuccessful attempt to induce post-Zoo naps), late night movies, a little too much coffee, a lot too much sugar, and not quite enough sleep (yet).

The biggest problem with a 'people-pleasing' obsession

"We must continually remind ourselves that the first commandment requiring us to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind, is indeed the first. I wonder if we really believe this. it seems that in fact we live as if we should give as much of our heart, soul, and mind as posisble to our fellow human beings, while trying hard not to forget God...But Jesus claim is much more radical. He asks for a single-minded commitment to God and God alone. God wants all of our heart, all of our mind, and all of our soul."

--Henri J.M. Nouwen

Instead of walking in the continual presence of God, I often walk within the worry and sadness of my own (and sometimes others') perceived inadequacies, failures, relationships, and losses. In doing this, I disregard the love for us that God has so abundantly revealed in his coming. By choosing to walk in worry and doubt, concerned with the people around me (and all their worries, and fears, and expectations), I also ignore his command to walk in Him, to give him all of my heart, all of my soul, and all of my mind.
Today's advent reading from Matthew 22:34-38 (when Jesus tells the Pharisees about the most important commandment), challenges me to get rid of those old worries (and to deliberately choose one...to give up forever) in exchange for the "shelter of a loved and loving God."

etsy

Chunky Urban Bucket Hat from afterthebump


Red Felt Mary Jane's from ithinksewdotcom

Kawaii Zakka Paris Pillow from dedeetsyshop


Pretend Play Sugar Cookies from Madelaines

If only I had more time and money to make imaginative and adorable things for my girls....

I should be reading Learning Sequences in Music: Skill, Content, and Patterns (required reading before my class in 2 weeks) or sleeping....not posting random things I found on the internet to my blog.

Check. Check.

AND...



...we enjoyed Chicken Tiki Masala for dinner.


I love completed list items.

Another nap-time has begun.
Now on to the messy house, ironing, ...and boxes of books.

Or maybe pumpkin pie??

What to do with nap time...

...is always one of my decisions of the day (on the days I am at home).

Some days, I end up cuddling, soothing, playing with one of the girls when the big afternoon nap doesn't align quite as I'd imagined. But alone time with Sophie, or occasionally Maya is precious too.

Today though, I'm really hoping to accomplish something 'practical.' A list item to be crossed off.

But what will it be....

...a pumpkin pie?
....Chicken Tiki Masala for dinner?
...a 2nd coat of paint in the red bathroom (now a year overdue)?
...the mountain of shirts needing to be ironed?
...organizing books in the basement to be donated?

maybe this summer...

...I will actually visit the farmer's market regularly and have fresh, locally grown food all the time.

...I will start a vegetable and herb garden.

...I will attempt to cook some real Indian, Greek, Italian...foods that Ryan and I love.

...I will plan for school as thoroughly as I always hope to.

...I will actually start exercising again.


Sometimes publicly posting my long-wished-for-and-oft-listed-but-never-actually-accomplished
goals helps me do something productive towards their success.

Want to come help me with my (so-far-still-imaginary) garden? I don't really know what I'm doing.

Red

I love to collect little swatches of fabric...certain that someday I'll make something wonderful with them.

I found these ones today online. It's not quite the same as the real thing. But...





...sometimes it just takes color and texture and print to make my heart race a little...