Farm Market Sidedish

Cori hardly gets the opportunity to do any grocery shopping. It is a job I usually take care of. The poor guy has to settle for my food selections and menu choices. He never complains though I know there are things he'd like me to buy/cook more often (frozen foods, white bread, and various meat products to name a few). Once in a while he comes with me, and when he does I end up buying 50% more than usual.

My mom's visit this week has afforded us some time away. We spent the other morning shopping. I like to go to the farmer's market down the street before I go to the store. The prices are great and most of what they have is locally grown and is sooooooooo tasty. With Cori's help, we ended up with an impressive array of produce. This was an easy dish that used up a chunk of our stash.

Hot Corn Salsa
by me

1 large beefsteak tomato
3 ears sweet corn
1 green bell pepper
3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro
1/2 of a medium red onion
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C jalapeno cheese
juice of one lime

• Dice the pepper, tomato and onion. Cut the corn off the cob (raw). Shred cilantro and cheese.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the pepper, tomato and raw corn. Saute until tender crisp.
• Take skillet off heat and stir in diced tomato, cilantro and lime juice.
• Season to taste and top with cheese.

It is a yummy pan of produce!

Then and Now: August 07-08

A Tubbie Journal

Tub time has always had a special place in our little routine. When Gracie was a baby (what? She is still my baby, right?) and we were getting her into her schedule, I was militant about making sure she had a bath at the same time every night. In the three years since her birth, I've loosened my gears a bit which is probably for the best. The kids enjoy a bath every other night during the week, and every night on the weekends.

Grant is keen on splashing and being right in the middle of whatever Grace is trying to play with. He laughs and lets her pour water over his head and in his eyes.

Gracie is pretty normal in her bath time diversions. But when it comes time to exit the tub, we have a routine, prescribed by Grace, that gets followed to the last detail on a regular basis.

• I let her have some time to play 'alone'
• I tell her it is time to put toys away. And she has to say 'Okay mommy!'
• I cannot help her put toys away unless she asks me for help
• Once toys are away, she lies on her tummy and blows bubbles
• Then, she unstops the drain and cannot get out until she has 'helped' all the water go down with her hands
• And finally, with the water fully drained, she is ready for her towel

Sheesh. She asked me to take some pictures of her making faces with her towel on. These were my favorite.

Blessings

My mommy comes tomorrow. We get her for a whole week and a half. I'm so happy.

Closing ceremonies of the Olympics are tonight. We have l-o-v-e-d watching the games. But I'm grateful that they are nearly over. I need to go to bed a little earlier for goodness sake.

I received a very sweet compliment today via a friend. To her, it probably seemed like a little thing to mention. But it really made a difference to me, and I'm very grateful she thought to pass it along.

Our Gracie girl who is learning how to use her sense of humor to appease her mommy in disciplinary moments. She can be very silly, and irresistibly funny. I tend to be too serious and it is a blessing for me (most of the time) to have her spunky personality to balance me out.

Swinger

Gracidotes

Grace at 8:15 AM: Can I have an Otter pop?
Me: Yes, you can have one after lunch.
Grace: I can?! Oh thank you mommy. You're so handsome.
Me: Well, boys are handsome. Girls are beautiful. So you would say that Daddy is handsome, and that Gracie is beautiful.
Grace: Yeah. But you're handsome.


Grace while playing with the garden hose outside: Can I go inside with this thing? (This is really how she talks)
Me: Nope. Sorry. You can go inside and play with other toys, or stay outside and play with the hose.
Grace: thinks with a perplexed expression on her face
Grace: That's not really a choice.



She loves wearing her purple dress (the dress she has on in the sidebar picture). She has called it her twirly dress, her princess dress, her dancing dress, and her pretty dress. I try to limit the number of times she wears it because I spend all of Church chasing her around trying to get her to stop twirling/dancing/princessing. This Sunday she gave it a new name and function. When I told her that she could wear her princess dress, she clasped her hands and said, "And then Daddy can marry me!"

I should add that I would have spent all of Sacrament meeting getting her to behave in her twirly dress, except that I was subbing for our organist. Cori sits on the stand. I had farmed Grace and Grant out to other people during the hymns of which we had four. They didn't have the heart to stop her. Grace stood in the center aisle and twirled and twirled her dress all through the hymns. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you have only 30 people in your Sacrament meeting something like that becomes a center stage distraction in no time. Cori and I flashed her the boldest stink eyes we could manage from the stand to no avail. Some people's kids.

Please do not be alarmed by the shocking lack of clothing here. The kid likes to sleep in her diaper. She is on the phone with her aunt Sara. I was tickling her while she was trying to talk when...

To Sara: Could you please hold on for one minute?
To Me, after lowering her sunglasses: Will you please stop doing that?
To Sara: Okay, I'm back.
Sometimes I feel like I need to remind her that she's only 2 (and 3/4).

Blessings

Allanson, river front

A quiet weekend with nothing in particular planned. Very nice.

My alma mater School is getting ready to start. I always get homesick for BYU around this time in August.

A happy baby boy who is really learning how to get around.

Food Storage Find

My lovely SIL Megan sent me a link to a fabulously useful blog all about cooking from food storage. It has lots of pictures, recipes, tips, ideas and how to videos.

Check it out!

Everyday Food Storage

dirty work

One of our primary goals for our yard this year was to have a vegetable garden. We had every intention of following through with this until we learned that we would also need to install some kind of fence along with an electrical wire to keep out the deer, skunks, rabbits and raccoons. So, no veggies this year. But we have had a lovely time caring for our little flower garden. All the gladiolas came up and have just recently started blooming. Despite our woefully uninformed choice to prune our hydrangeas back into oblivion, they filled in and even bloomed a little. The yews are spreading. The petunias and pansies went the craziest. And the lillys were the only plants we lost to the late frost. Just 3 of the 10 we planted have poked up in the last couple of weeks (extremely late).

Here are the pictures I got back in April before we put in the planter area. The bushes were planted just a few weeks after we moved in last fall.

The completed planter box.

Taken this week.

The glads have come up white, fuchsia, pink, deep orange, and red.

The hydrangea bushes are my favorite.

Two heads are better

When I was pregnant with Grant, I was warned by friends and through books to prepare myself for the shock of having two children. Some said that it was an even greater adjustment to have two than it was to have their first. I could imagine why. And for me, in the beginning anyway, I felt the strain. Who wouldn't? Severe sleep deprivation is not made easier by chasing a toddler during one's waking hours.

But I've got to hand it to our little Gracie bug. As soon as Grant began responding to her interaction, Grace became quite the attentive big sister. That is great news x 2 for this mommy. They play together so well and really keep each other busy.

One Saturday morning a couple of months ago Grace gave us a special treat. She had come into our room around 7 and was snuggling with us in bed. She had only been there a little while when we heard Grant stirring. She told us that she would check on him. She went into his room, and we fell back asleep. A half an hour or 45 minutes later I woke again, and with some panic in my gate I hurried to Grant's bedroom door. I heard Gracie talking softly, and Grant cooing back at her. She had climbed into Grant's crib and had been keeping him company all that time.



These pictures are from this week. We had just come home from the store and I was busy getting groceries put away. I was finishing with the last couple of bags when I realized that it was a little too quiet. I glanced over the counter to find Grant completely soaked with Gracie behind the squirt bottle. My initial reaction was not amusement. But Gracie was so proud of herself when she told me she was doing Grant's hair. The tough little guy just sat there, patiently taking it all. Just basking in her attention.





Though it isn't unusual for me to hear them laughing and playing together, it gets me every time. And, for now, I think it is easier having two. But Grant isn't moving around very quickly yet, and I realize they may not always get along this well. But I want to do everything I can to help them always be buddies.

Mobility (serenity) At Last!

He just started doing this today--the half crawl that is. He's been really good at crying for a while now.

Blessings

Harbor Springs

My health I am so quick to dwell and focus on all my perceived physical imperfections. Recently, for no particular reason, I have been very aware of how fortunate I am to be healthy.

Televised Olympic coverage I really love the Olympics. The opening ceremony did not disappoint. It was such a spectacle. We are really enjoying watching the games. I'm grateful we get to see them.

The Sisters in primary Seriously. Primary is such a production. I substituted for our Nursery leader today. In our little branch, the nursery kids get to participate in the whole sharing time hour. The sisters in there are always prepared and very patient with the kids. I'm so grateful for these great women, and the contributions their efforts make to our family.

Gracie Girl

I just love this little girl. She's my big helper, buddy, third hand, and partner in crime.

This is classic Grace. Walking on her own. Swagger in her step. Oblivious to the world outside of where her mind is.
Our first night at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Grace made quite an impression. We were enjoying a sunset walk along the porch after dinner with a number of other guests. A few other couples stopped and were watching Grace do her usual middle-of-attention stuff. They were in the middle of telling us how cute Gracie is when suddenly she scrunched up her shoulders, clenched her fists, and made the face. You know what I'm talking about? Seconds later, the face was replaced by an expression of relief. She looked around at her audience, shrugged a shoulder and shamelessly said in the most casual voice, "I just pushed all my poos out." Needless to say, we made a hasty retreat to our room.
Blowing kisses with great-grandma Venna


In the last several weeks, Grace has developed great sensitivity for our feelings of happiness and sadness. At least so far as these feelings apply to her behavior. Anytime there is a hint of seriousness or reprimand in my voice she spouts, "Are you sad or happy?" She will repeat this question until I answer. If my answer is 'happy' she'll follow up by asking to see my "happy face." (Something I say to her a lot that is now coming back around to bite me.) If my answer is 'sad' her immediate retort is "What will make you happy again?" This is usually followed by a few crocodile tears and "I need some wubs (loves)." We go through this dialogue at least 15 times a day.
More faces of Grace. The middle right is her saying "What the...?!" She thinks this is very, very funny. Gracie talks with her hands. This definitely comes from my (mom's) side of the family.
Grace is still obsessed with chasing birds. She started out tip-toeing towards these gulls so as to catch them unaware. By the time I got the camera focused, she was in a full run.


Though she has her moments in the tantrum spotlight, Grace is a very good kid. I know how lucky I am. She plays so well with Grant. She is still in love with her daddy. She makes me smile everyday. I am so excited for the personality she is developing- confident, silly, smart, caring.

8-8-08

It has already begun. I can't wait to watch the pageantry of the opening ceremonies tonight. In a world that is so torn, it is always fascinating to see countries, teams, and individuals unite in competition. There has been important controversy surrounding the games' host country. But on the flip side, it has been so interesting to learn more about China's ancient culture and history. I am really looking forward to the next several days of coverage.

Go team USA!

What I've been reading

The Red Tent, Anita Diamant

There were things I really liked and really disliked about this look into the Old Testament world. I didn't like Diamant's treatment of Jacob and later Joseph. I appreciate that the great men and prophets of the scriptures are not infallible. But I could not bring myself to see these two as she portrayed them towards the end. I also felt I could have been spared all the ... tent talk. Namely Jacob's tent. Okay Rachel, we get it. You spent the whole month in there. Enough. What kept me turning the pages was a fascinating portrayal of what life was like for women functioning in a nomadic, polygamist group. Diamant pegs all of Jacob's wives as pagan and highlights the dynamics this brings to their group as Jacob grows in his own faith. In the end, I guess I'd give it one thumb up, and one thumb down.

Family Tree, Barbara Delinsky

This was a quick and diverting read that made for some good discussion in our little book club. Especially as one of our group has raised 4 biracial children. Potential readers beware: Ms. Barbara has done her research on knitting and there is information galore about yarns, perls, and all that can be made with them. Of course, all the knitting talk was meant to serve as a metaphor for the families being brought together and torn apart as truths unfold. But for one who does not knit...

The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck

It is a classic for a good reason. I really enjoyed this read. Maybe it is the lawn that we just put in and how nice it is to get regular rain so that I don't have to spend multiple days moving sprinklers around. But I really felt connected with this farmer. I love how the cycles of fortune for the characters are foiled by the cycles of nature. I love how much respect for women is written blatantly and between the lines. Especially as it is written of a society that held such little regard for women. I felt older and younger when I finished.

The Giver, Lois Lowry

I hadn't picked up anything by Lois Lowry since reading Number the Stars in middle school. This is also of the juvenile lit. genre. It is a very quick read that hits on some good thinking points. The foremost of which, to me anyway, is the danger of averting pain. Lowry argues, and I agree (and I think Lehi would too. See 2 Nephi 2), that pain makes possible joy and wisdom. She makes this point through an imaginative story of an unimaginable society. I'm looking forward to our discussion next week.