Don't tell dad.

And I didn't.  Not right then anyway. 

The day before he'd given a lecture on the proper use of soap.  This included a one pump guideline and a reprimand for emptying half of our new green apple soap canister into the sink. 

When I gasped at this scene the next day she looked me straight in the eye and said, "don't tell dad."  Technically he hadn't specified how many soap pumps would be appropriate for washing ones legs.

Of course, the sink was also full of soap again.  We reiterated the one pump rule (and then moved the soap to a place she couldn't reach).  Sometimes, knowing you were wrong is enough. 

There was a time where my mom didn't tell my dad.  Maybe that's what I was thinking...

Thanks mom :) 

Meal Plan

I already know I'll have a busy week being that I'm helping at VBS.  I've simplified by using pre-fab'ed marinades and dressings.  But the bread?  I'm still planning on fitting that in fresh.  It's getting better all the time.   

Monday:  Bella Bruschetta Salad with toasted baugette
Tuesday:  BBQ chicken marinaded in salad dressing, fresh corn and bbq'd veggies.  Homemade Rocky Road Ice Cream for dessert. 
Wednesady:  Beach BBQ with the Harders! 
Thursday:  BBQ Salmon, Wild rice, BBQ aspargus
Friday:  Pizza Bread  (I use pizza filling in this recipe)
Sat:   BBQ pork fajita (Tenderloin on BBQ, saute'd onions and peppers, fajita fixings), ceasar salad


I have close to billion bananas in my freezer so I'm planning to make a double batch of banana bread.  One for me, one for my freezer and 2 for my baby bearing neighbors. 

Being that my meal plan is built around food I have in the freezer and pantry, my grocery list for the week literally has 7 items on it.  That's efficient and cost effective grocery shopping!   (I should probably go to Superstore and spend all my extra time and money in the clothing department...)

It doesn't smell beautiful.

I learn from experience.  I now know for sure that you cannot make a hard boiled egg in the microwave.

I also now know that once I've promptly cleaned up the gallon of spilled milk I should also immediately wash the rags.  3 wash/dry cycles later and every rag and bib I own is still saturated with the stench of rotten milk.

The only beautiful thing is that my husband is monitoring the smell project as though it were his mistake, re-doing the laundry over and over without complaint.  And that - is sort of beautiful. 

Bread debacle

Dough makes me nervous.  I'm not so skilled with batters, doughs or pastries.  I have a block I'm trying to overcome so I'm experimenting.  Turns out there are some quite simple bread recipes, but leave it to me to screw it up from time to time. 

Yesterday I attempted a french bread pizza bun.  It was a blend of recipes from those cooking mennonite girls.  French Bread mixed with Swiss Cordon Bleu with a touch of Calzone thrown in. 

So many recipes blended together is bound to be a disaster but I just can't follow one recipe for the life of me. 

I made the dough as specified and attempted the swiss cordon bleu method of presentation -- but instead of ham/swiss etc. - I did pizza toppings. 

It was so pretty I had to stop and take a picture.  Classic pizza toppings on Tim's half.  Fresh mozza, tomato, basil and oregano on mine...

But then it all went wrong.  At this point on I sliced the dough from the filling to the outside of the pan in one inch strips with the intention of layering the strips from side to side over the filling.  Sounds simple.  Looked simple, but...

One of the recipes included parchment paper on the pan.  It might have been for the chicken I was considering making.  It definitely was not meant for the dough.  The dough stuck and the parchment ripped as I ungracefully tried to peel my dough strips off it to braid my bread.  I seriously wondered how much parchment paper we'd ingest with dinner as I peeled tiny bits of wax paper off of my pizza bread.  I considered starting over.  It just...could have been better.

What a mess.  My mothers kitchen would never look like this. 

But you know what:

It may not have been perfect, but despite the parchment fiasco, it tasted (and even looked) pretty good.   

Promoting Peace.

I've just ran head first into temper tantrum land.  Recently we battled to leave the house.  She was unimpressed with her outfit, and by unimpressed I mean raging on the floor screaming for her pink pants which was confusing because she had her pink pants on.  But they were the wrong pink pants.  I have peace on my mind, but it was justice I was thinking about in that moment. 

What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8


I lean toward 'fairness' in umpiring sibling/cousin/playmate debates.  I'm more comfortable with justice then mercy. I tout turns like they're the answer to household woes. I noticed lately that this isn't every mothers go-to strategy. I know a mom who is raising the 3 most exceptionally kind children I've ever met. Recently, on a joint family outing, I noted that when it came to bickering about music or the how to best share the sole water bottle in the vehicle - she promoted peace. While I was busy devising a fair dispute settling strategy she'd already dealt with it by asking one to give in to the other. How does she make this decision? I couldn't quite figure it out.

She is gentle, and they obey her. She has taught them to keep the peace. That sometimes it's okay to give in, fair or not, for the sake of another. In the process she's teaching her children to love, to put another ahead of themselves, to sacrifice what won't really hurt that much. She's a good mom. I could do with adding her peace-making tool to my kit.

After sitting on the question for awhile, how does she decide?, I think I've figured it out. She decides based on who seems to care more. Whoever cares most, wins.

I gravitate toward the justice side, but I've felt God moving me in the direction of gentleness. This means being slower to speak. Choosing my words carefully (difficult for an extrovert), and taking opportunities to sacrifice when it doesn't really matter. Teaching her to stand up for justice will come more naturally to me.  Today, I commit to promote peace in our home. To teach a way of sacrifice when the sacrifice means more to someone else.

Ribbons

The only ribbon that stays in my toddlers hair secures around her head with a cord lock, one of these:

 

I bought one like this off etsy about a year ago to see how it was put together.  The research cost me $14.99, and I got around to making my own about a year later.  Now we have a drawer full of them, at about .50 cents a piece. 

Easy to secure with no pulling, pinching or cajoling necessary.  Best yet, they stay put through the most rigorous 2 year old activities, car seat rides, birthday parties, the church nursery, you name it.  They're so versatile, we can both get away with wearing them.  Though I'm prone to leaving the hearts and stripes for her. 

Supplies needed:

• 
  
  Ribbon (the ribbon retreat is a great site with wholesale prices)
• 
  
  Cord Locks (ebay or Joannes Fabrics)
• 
  
  Masking tape
• 
  
  Silicone (Home Hardware)
• 
  
  Popsicle stick (or other knife/utensil you don't care about)

After generously snipping the ribbons (they can be 'pruned' later) lay them upside down on a masking tape tray.  Run a strip of silicone along the backs and smear it out with a popsicle stick.  Don't be intimidated by the silicone dispenser shown below, silicone also comes in easy squeeze tubes, this is just what we happened to have.  Let it dry overnight.

WHY SILICONE?  This keeps the ribbon from slipping off and makes it more difficult for curious little hands to nudge it off kilter.  My $14.99 dollar version didn't include this and even walking made it slip off. 

Now your ribbon ends are ready to be shoved through the locks, for an easy, adjustable and snug fit that almost any child will let you secure. 

Ingredient Challenge

Broccoli Rabe (Tim spotted it in my grocery bag this week and read the label before I could tear it away from him.  I assured him it was as close to broccoli as asparagus and he's agreed to eat it...)