gracie's birthday

Gracie decided early on that she wanted to have a princess party. This was further developed into a request for a Sleeping Beauty party. So we made crowns, slayed dragons, and decorated cupcakes. We had the kids watch clips of the movie to guess what they would be doing along the way.

Making crowns

Slaying the dragon with the Sword of Truth- Sara, Grace, Grant and I created the masterful rendition of the reptilian beast.

Decorating the cupcakes- The movie clip I showed before this was of the fairies making the dress and the cake for Briar Rose. As you may recall, Merryweather gets the assignment to clean up the cottage. When I asked the kids to guess what we would be doing next, a few of them thought we would be doing all the dishes. I paused and thought about that for a minute, but in the end stuck to the cake decorating.

Everyone was fairly civilized with the candy and sprinkles. Our birthday girl really went for it. She had the messiest spot as well as the messiest cupcakes.

Then we ate hot dogs, home made mac and cheese, and fruit (marshmallow) salad.

Grace is very pleased to be four. Reportedly, she can run faster now and she isn't afraid of scary things. Happy birthday, Gracie bug!

Blessings

Our Gracie girl turned four last week. We love her so much.

My sister, Sara, was with us for seven glorious days. I adore spending time with that girl. She spent her whole placement break with us and our head colds. Such devotion.

More visitors this week. My mom arrives on Wednesday and my dad on Friday. Hurray!

Safe travels- and praying for more as my parents come East and as Cori is away this week.

Our treadmill- Though I prefer hitting the street, it is officially to cold and dark to even think about running outside in the early morning hours. Back to the basement.

Speaking of the cold, I'm grateful that our utilities were so low over the summer. Hardly ever did we have to turn on the AC. I get the feeling we'll be making up for those savings trying to keep our house warm in the Fall, let alone the winter crush after the new year.

home again

We had a lovely trip to Michigan. It rained every day we were there. But it was still beautiful. We visited our favorite places. (Pond Hill Farm pictured above) Fall colors were in bloom. We visited with everyone we could get ahold of. It was so good to look into their faces. I'll post a better report soon. My sister is with us for another few days and I'm happily very busy entertaining myself with her.

regarding cori, on his birthday

To celebrate this very special daddy/friend/boyfriend/hubby/lover, I conducted an interview with one of his favorite girls, Grace.

(Thanks for the idea, Jen!)

I love doing anything with this man. He is the kind of person who can turn any situation into a success.

What is something Dad always says to you?

Listen to Mommy.

What makes Dad happy?

When I listen to Mommy.

What makes Dad sad?

When I don't listen to Mommy.

How does Dad make you laugh?

When he tickles me on everywhere my body is.

What was your Dad like as a child?

When we play, he takes toys away from me.

How old is your Dad?

I don't know. Let's think... I don't know how old he is.

How tall is your Dad?

This tall (hand way up high)

Cori LOVES working with the teenaged guys in our Church. Everywhere we have lived, he has received this assignment. Though it means sacrificing regular weekday nights and several weekends, I love that he loves these young men so well.

What is your Dad's favorite thing to watch on TV?

(without hesitation) Basketball and football.

What does your Dad do when you are not around?

He goes to work with all his friends.

If your Dad becomes famous, what will it be for?

Playing music on his guitar.

What is your Dad really good at?

Basketball and football.

What does your Dad do for his job?

He goes to work and eats his breakfast all by himself.

What is your Dad's favorite food?

Pizza pizza.

It would seem that the first impression Cori leaves on a person is that of being serious and quiet. While he is a very pensive and generally decorous individual, he has a great sense of humor and can be a ham when occasion arrises.

What makes you proud of your Dad?

When he sings really pretty.

If your Dad was a cartoon character, who would he be?

A daddy character.

What do you and your Dad do together?

We play games together like duck-duck-goose with Mom and Grant.

How are you and your Dad the same?

We're not really the same... We have the same hair and the same eyes.

How do you know your Dad loves you?

Because he blows kisses to me and I catch them and he catches my kisses.

What does your Dad like most about your Mom?

He really loves her and he got married to her.

Where is your Dad's favorite place to go?

Home with us.

So true.

Happy birthday, mon cheri!

sometimes after school...

grilled pizza: ambrosia with cheese

All summer long, I meant to post about this little tradition of ours. But I wasn't ever able to get good pictures of the process. We usually had people over when making it, and I would forget to actually use the camera I would so thoughtfully put on the counter with all the pizza toppings so as not to forget. Anyway, I finally got some pictures- they are not great, but will convey the general process.

The dough

We prefer to use whole wheat dough on the grill. (Though white works well too) I use a recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday Food that I found on Natalie's recipe blog that she keeps with her friend. I've noticed that the dough is so much more lovely after it has been frozen and thawed. My recommendation is to make it a couple of days ahead (it will keep in the freezer up to 3 months), so that the yeast can go through the freeze/thaw/rise routine. I'll usually make up a double batch, let it rise, divide it up and then stick it in the freezer. Then I have dough ready for a few pizza nights.

The sauce

Walmart's Best Value brand Thick and Zesty Spaghetti Sauce. It is made from a seasoning packet found on their isle of gravy/sauce mixes. I make it according to directions, omitting only the oil. (If I have spinach in my crisper, I'll shred it up and throw it in for good measure. Shhh.)

The process

• Light up the grill on medium heat.
• Thaw/prepare dough and roll into circles.
• Take the crusts to the grill and put them down on direct heat.

• Let them cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Then bring them in, grilled side up, and sauce and top. The bottom of the crust will still be raw.

• Return them to the grill, this time on indirect heat.
• Close it up and let them cook for 7-10 minutes.

The crust will get crisp. So will the exposed pepperoni- my favorite part. The pizza will taste different from anything made in the oven. Has anyone tried this before? How do you make your pizza?

two

We celebrated Grant's second birthday this week.

It is still shocking to me that he is two.

He had a fun night. We invited some friends over to eat grilled pizza off of Lightening McQueen plates.

I made a cake that looked like a 4th grade art project. He was pretty happy about it though.

Gracie helped him open all his presents-

and he didn't mind one bit.

She also helped him blow out his candles. This was good because I unknowingly bought trick candles. There was a lot of blowing.

He was covered in chocolate and swimming in new toy cars and trains by evening's end. Happy birthday little man!