Ian + Dogs + Popcorn = too much fun

This was too funny not to share.

Wheat Grinder

My Mom got us a wheat grinder for our Kitchenaid mixer. It was one of my favorite Christmas gifts this year. Ian and John tried it out yesterday -


John made Cowboy Cookies, and they were yummy. No white flour or sugar were used in the recipe, so they aren't the prettiest cookies, but they are yummy.


Tonight I'm planning on making this -
Banana-Apple Bread
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1/3 brown sugar (I'll use organic)
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9X5-inch loaf pan w/ cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine the butter, applesauce, and brown sugar. Add the eggs and mashed bananas and stir until well blended. Add the banana and eggs to the flour mixture and stir until the flour is absorbed.
Bake in a loaf pan for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Take bread out of the oven and let sit for about 15 minutes. Invert the loaf pan onto a wire rack, remove the plan and let the bread cool.

I can't wait to try it.

Big Country

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NPR had a special on bluegrass music many years ago. We were driving home from my Grandma and Grandpa Miller's, listening to the radio, and this song came on. I was in the front seat, my Dad was driving, and I heard this song, Big Country, for the first time and I remember saying to my Dad that it was one of the best I've ever heard. I still feel that way. I wanted to share it with you.

My new obsession

My first attempt at a parenting post - Giving the gift of calm

I’ve never been a Mommy to a two year old before, so I certainly understand that I don’t have all the answers when it comes to parenting. One thing I am very grateful for is a husband who is a team member with me. We don’t always agree on everything, but we’re always able to support each other, discuss our differences, and come up with what we feel is best for Ian and for our family.

One thing both of us have learned during these two years is that nothing can be hard and fast when it comes to raising a child. Ian is an independent, strong willed, amazing little person. There are certain things we don’t falter on, like Ian’s safety, that there will be no hitting each other or trying to rip out the dog’s legs, but there are many, many things we’ve learned to be flexible about.

Last week we had a wonderful service at church, the Hanging of the Greens. It was fun to be there to celebrate with our congregation, other Mennonite congregations from the Denver metro, and many other guests. By the time we were ready to leave it was around nine o’clock, well passed a certain someone’s bedtime. He was sitting in the Nursery, being rocked by his favorite caretaker there. He was holding a choo-choo in his hands, and instead of making him put it back, I chose to let him take it home. That was a battle I was not going to fight. Yes Ian needs to learn that he can’t have everything he wants, and that you can’t take things that aren’t yours, but not when he’s two years old and exhausted. We took it back to church this past Sunday and picked one other toy we could borrow.

On the way home that night, John said it has taken him awhile to figure out that he has to choose his battles. I think it’s a lesson all parents need to learn. I think one of the most important things is to remain consistent, which is easier said then done.

We shared a meal with a family from church one Sunday several years ago. They had, at the time, a two year old boy. He didn’t want to sit in his highchair at the table and was throwing a fit. Instead of giving in to his screaming his Dad took him aside and talked to him until he calmed down. They came back to the table and he sat and ate in the highchair with no further issues. I remember the Father saying, “if it isn’t ok at home it isn’t ok here.” It was disruptive at the time, but looking back I think they made the best choice for their son. Remaining consistent was the most important thing in the situation, not making everyone comfortable, not allowing him to do whatever he wanted just because they weren’t at home, and most importantly remaining calm.

We are pretty lucky because Ian is a good little boy, who is mostly nice and mostly well behaved. Sometimes he gets a little overexcited about something and starts to get a little wild, but if we remain calm and get him to calm down I think we’ll be serving him well. We will hopefully be able to teach him how to regulate his emotions and how to react calmly to situations. Only time will tell.

Day 7,

I am seriously slacking on my 30 day gratitude challenge. I have to be honest. I have decided that I will continue it until I reach 30 days, no matter how long it takes me. I drastically underestimated the time it takes to blog. So here begins Day 7 -
I was reading a blog, Passionate Homemaking, and her post One Thousand Gifts: Learning to See and Name Every One. Many years ago I kept a gratitude journal. I believe it was Oprah who originally suggested it, and I did it when I was in high school and sometimes in college. Then this week, Becky Horst, my old adviser at Goshen College wrote this excellent Advent devotional. My Mom said she spent some intentional time saying what she is grateful for, at Becky's urging. I think it's an excellent practice to adopt in our daily lives. When I used to keep a gratitude journal I wrote 5 things I was thankful for every day, and they were as simple as my Dad's excellent dinner or getting a good grade on a test. I believe this practice opens our hearts to realize how much we have in our lives. It doesn't take much to think of five things each day, and the things that you think of will amaze you. I have to include a picture of the thing I'm most thankful for each and every day -

Day 6 – Giving the gift of hospitality

I am an introvert. My favorite thing to do on a Friday night is to go grocery shopping, eat pizza and watch Dateline, while playing Farmville. The last two happen after Ian falls asleep. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy spending time with people and sharing meals, but it exhausts me. So I need to learn balance for myself, and for my family. John is the opposite of me, he gets his energy from being with other people. What a dilemma! I have to admit that I win out more then he does. We really enjoy making food and sharing that food with others. Thankfully we also have my Mom around who is the queen of hospitality. She knows how to bring people together. I think it’s a great gift to teach your children also. That all that we have we should share with others – time, money, talents, food and friendship. I’m working on my introverted ways, but it’s not always easy.

Who wouldn't want to spend time with this guy?

Day 5 - Giving the Gift of Food

Our favorite recipes.

Here are the links to our favorite recipes from around the world wide web. This is really mostly for me so I can remember where to find them all. This first post includes a recipe from each of the main categories.

Breakfast
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
Maple Oatmeal Muffins

Bread
Applesauce Bread
Honey Cornbread

Main Dishes
Garlic Chicken Pasta - sooo yummy, tastes even better with shrimp
Stuffed Pizza Rolls


Snacks
Chewy Granola Bars

Soups
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
Quinoa Chili
Baked Potato Soup - The best soup EVER

Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies w/ Maple Frosting
Sugar Cookies

Day 4 - Giving the gift of Generations

Ian's birthday is November 5th. Thankfully he was able to spend that day with all of his Grandparents. We had such a nice time together, with a wonderful meal cooked by John, and a fun time opening presents. Bob and Sara came out from Ohio to spend the week with us for Ian's birthday. It feels like such a blessing that they are able to do that for their Grandchildren. John and I each only have one grandparent left, John's Grandpa Bryson and my Grandma Blough. We love them very much, and enjoy spending time with them, however infrequently. Enjoy your Grandparents while you can.

Day 3 - Giving the gift of reading

I love to read. I don't always fit reading into my schedule, which is not a good thing. We have tons of books in the house, and a lot of kid's books for Ian to pick through. They're under the TV (don't know if that negates some of their good qualities or not). We spend time each day reading, and Ian can always choose to look at books if he wants to. I have always loved libraries. My parents took me as a young child, and I plan on extending the love of libraries to Ian.

There has been some interesting research lately - especially interesting is this article from Salon.com, which says "Children with as few as 25 books in the family household completed on average two more years of schooling than children raised in homes without any books." Obviously actually reading the books helps, but research has shown that just having books around helps your child's success.

This past Thursday was my Dad's birthday. It was the 3rd birthday since he's been gone. A family friend was killed in an accident last week, and I couldn't help but think of my Dad. He was the BEST reader. He read all the time. As long as I can remember. Not only did he read for himself, but he read to us. My most favorite memories are of my Dad reading to me.

I wrote this on Thursday -
Today

my heart is broken,
but not for you.
my wild boy kisses my forehead with his,
and washes my feet when they're dirty.
and the sunrise was beautiful today
and the mountains have snow
and i can't help but think that
you're the only one who would know what
to say right now
before the pain will burst us all wide open.

sometimes life is a little too much for me

and then he climbs in our chair for a story
and you come rushing back
and i know that this is the miracle
and we'll be ok