Comment Monkey Business

This is just to say, I've fixed the wanky comment business that several people have informed me about today, so anyone (including anonymous or nonregistered users) should be able to comment here.

Sorry about that!

What Concerns Me. And More Pictures.

I just wrote about 18 paragraphs about something that is seriously troubling me and causing much anxiety and sleepless nights.

Then I deleted it.

And cried a bit.

"The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; 

Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands."

Psalm 138:8

Ya'll can pray for our little fam.  

And now for the siege of random photographs of the day. 

These two fabric panels are going to make part of a geography quilt.  I'll have the world on one side and the USA on the other.  That way, when Million and I are reading books, we can snuggle up under our quilt and pinpoint the locations we read about.

Some of the 60 pounds of apples we harvested from my sister's new home's trees.  That was not smart.  60 pounds is a lot of apples to process when you have a toddler.

These pictures make me laugh.  BonAmi looks so vicious in the second.  

 The coffee bar that Michael made for me.  It's not done, as it's so black and white, and I need to add some pops of color.  But I love that man for being handy and making the shelf for me.

I've been trying to find sock patterns that fit Million's feet for the cold Minnesota winters when he plays outside and need to double-sock him.  You southerners don't even know what that's like, do you?  Anyway, this sock is an infant sock.  It didn't say on the pattern what size it was, and I kept holding out hope.  Nope.  Doesn't fit him.  So he's got one sock to play with, and play with it he does.   

Wordless Wednesday

Golden Slumbers Fill Your Eyes

Silence.
It's past bed time.
Man is sleeping.
Dog is sleeping.
Boy is sleeping.
And amazingly enough, none of them are snoring.

It's sounding pretty glorious.
All I can hear is the sound of our space heater.

(My little introverted heart is breathing in this moment.)

Today in church our pastor's sermon was on guilt---how to know if your guilt is God-prompted or self-induced.  It was a sermon for me alone,  I can tell you that.

Tomorrow Million has a medical study to determine if he has one of five diagnoses.  If it turns out negatively, we'll certainly be happy, but it means that he'll be undergoing some more serious and invasive testing when he turns two, if he is still symptomatic.

This year Minnesota is supposed to turn the most beautiful autumn colors for over a decade.  I'm not sure exactly how they predict such a thing-- if it's because of moisture and humidity ratings, or what-- or how they quantify beauty, but I'll take any good news I can get.  In any case, we're enjoying the colors while they unfold. Yesterday, I took Million out for a 2-hour walk to collect acorns, pine cones, and fallen leaves, and I'm hoping to fill this week with many more such walks.

Cookie Failures

I think I need to reinstate a daily "tea time" like I had at work.

I didn't get tea time, today.  But I did get pinterest time, and that's nearly as good.

Earlier this week I had a two-day failure induced by pride.  I found a recipe for some very "involved" cookies that I thought looked lovely.   Of course I could make those cookies and still focus wholeheartedly on being a good mother.

And I failed the recipe two days in a row.  And my attitude was severely poor.
I'm talking The Pout Session of 2011, here.
The first time I overcooked the caramel.  The second day I probably goofed on the temperature of the butter.  Foolish Heather for thinking she could bake complicated cookies while ensuring son's soccer ball doesn't injure anyone or anything.  Foolish Heather for crying about failing cookies two days in a row.  Foolish Heather for even caring.  Foolish Heather for thinking that 45 minutes before the little one's bedtime would be a good time to start baking.

Ah well.  I'm over it.  Except the pictures still tempt me.

I'll just stick to homemade graham crackers for this weekend.  Sounds simple enough.

Bibliophiles Unite!

My ever-inspiring sister-in-law has a project going down on her blog.  To read through all of the books that she owns that she hasn't read yet.

You should look at her post.  She's got pictures of her bookshelves with which books remain.

And I'm thinking very seriously about doing that.

Thinking.
Just thinking.
But it inspired a little reflection as to the state of my bookshelves.

My bookshelves require some serious organizing.
Hers are organized topically.
Mine....aren't.

So here is my attempt at fervent desire to read the rest of my books (which I am finding out are mostly series).  If I was more energized, I'd black out a lot of the books in these pictures so you knew which ones I was talking about.


The top shelf in this picture contains a few books I haven't read.  (The boxed sets.)

The tan antique text books from the 1890's on this shelf I haven't read.

The lower shelf contains my fiction that I haven't read.

The lower shelf contains Gone With the Wind, which I haven't read, and I actually have no desire to read because I wasn't keen on the movie.  I only bought it because it was under 50 cents, and I figured some year I might get very bored.  It won't fit on any of my other shelves.  It's a fatty.

Oh, and then there are two more series (Charlotte Mason and Francis Schaeffer) that I haven't read fully yet.  Just hunted and pecked.

That's not bad though, considering this is just one of our rooms with books in it.

Sigh.  Seeing boxed sets and series in my winter reading pile.  Boo. 

Awkward Book Title Of the Day: Still Stripping After 25 Years

Yesterday Michael allowed me to rove unhindered by manly beings into a craft store for a half an hour.

And I didn't even buy anything.  How amazing am I?
I'm not saying I didn't take pictures of things with my camera, in order to look the prices up later on.  Because I do that sort of dastardly thing.

But I laughed at this awkwardly unexpected book title found in the quilting section.

Wordless Wednesday

I declared today a jammies day, because Million was so worn out from a doctor appointment and some tests he had yesterday.   And because I was worn out too.

Worries about employment and finances are starting to threaten me.
They creep up behind me like a mugger in an alley.
They take hold of me and strangle me, until it's difficult to breathe.
Then the worries threaten the things most important to me: my marriage, my son, my relationship with God, our stability.

Will God provide?
Does God keep His promises?
Will God do what is best for Million?  For our family?

To know something intellectually and to know something with your heart are two different things.

Trust, Heather...Trust. 

A Day Spent In Enjoyment

This weekend, we were offered the opportunity to do a little fall cleaning.  It was very fun and productive.  It was nice to find my dining room table again.  (Construction supplies have been removed.)

We spent a day moving my gorgeous little world-traveling sister into her newest house.  

A house that used to be my office before Michael and I were married.

I worked for a camp in different capacities for about 8 years.  

My sister's job is to schmooze with people.  

And ask how they enjoyed their experience. 

She's good at schmoozing. 

I am less so. 

It was Million's second time out to camp.  He enjoyed the "balls" (walnuts) he found on the ground and beating his Auntie in carpet pool.  

Our little family is a product of this camp.  Not this property, but the organization. Michael and I met in 1998 while working as counselors.   

Perfect beginning of fall weather.  

Made me wish I could be infused with apple cider.

I went straight home and baked a pumpkin pie. 

Weekend Edition

Things I've been thinking about:

How much I love my husband.  He preordered me Million two diapers in this print.   Ain't it cute?  It's like a little chalkboard tuxedo for Million's butt! 

Oh. And he "liked" a brand of cloth diapers on his facebook.  A masculine man, not afraid of what other guys might say.  He's also washed and dried a load of diapers for me while I was practicing with the worship team at church.

I've also been thinking about a little hardware fun I had this week.  In my pantry, where no one else will see.

BonAmi's dew claw ripped off a couple weeks ago, and it seems to be growing back.  I've been thinking about it, because he's been "re-injuring" (read: running too fast and forgetting he's hurt) himself.  Then he limps and whines in an attempt to get some treats.  He's really fine.  He's just dramatic.

We're enjoying fall walks while we may.  Million is learning a lot about flowers and leaves.

Lastly, I'm thinking about what a big boy he's getting to be.

Mornings.

When I'm on "this" side of adoption, it could be very easy to slip into complaints.
That's normal.  That's parenting.

But then I remind myself that I have the privilege of parenting and loving this little curly head.  And the soul that goes along with it.
God give me wisdom and grace.  

Question Post: Child Comparison

Child comparison is futile.  It never gives grace to the children or the parents involved. How do you get people to stop comparing their kids with yours?  Do you just ignore the slightly competitive nature to their questioning?  

A Not Cute Day

It was one of those days where nothing was cute.
In fact, most things were the opposite of cute.
Showers hadn't happened because of a plumbing leak.
In fact, we were so not cute that I opted out of going into Target to get a pumpkin spice beverage of choice, and we drove home instead.

The hole in our dining room ceiling because of the leak was not cute, but necessary.

No cuteness to be found in the mess on the floor.

The fact that the leak was eventually fixed was a huge plus.

Million's "plumbing leak" resulting in wet Mama jeans was not cute either.
Not cute at all.

We tried a new recipe that neither Michael nor I liked.  Not cute.

Having to say "gentle hands" for the 4 billionth time in the week that started yesterday morning was not cute.

 Neither were the attitudes which resulted from abovementioned scolding.

But these mugs that Michael bought me?  They're pretty cute.  They're the redemption for the day.

Lover of Books

Our boy loves books.  Loves books.  Loves them so much that his 8th or 9th english word (before "mama" even) is "book."  Although it comes out sounding like "butt" more often than not.  Occasionally he'll get the "k" in the right place at the right time.  

At this moment yesterday, when he was burying himself in the contents of just one of his bookshelves (the boy has four different bookshelves), I started crying when I thought of the boy that was in the transition home two months ago with his one little touch and feel book that he read over and over.

How his world has changed.

How his eyes have been opened.

Through books.

Through experience.

Through turning pages.

Every child should have access to books. 

Every child.

But that is another post for another day.

Here is Million's latest acquisition to his book collection.  Mostly because Mama loves anything illustrated by Kadir Nelson.   His illustrations did not fail me this time. 

Evening Prayer of Praise by a Puritan

One of the books I've been reading is The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.by Arthur Bennett.

I'm not sure who recommended it to me, but I have this idea in my head that it might have been my younger brother.  He and his wife are voracious readers.

I'm reading a library copy right now and can't mark it up or dogtag pages, and that is highly unfortunate, as there are so many little turns of phrases that I would love to come back and ponder.  The prayers are so well laid out, so beautifully theological.  It's refreshing to read "deep" prayers instead of the spontaneous ones that exit haphazardly from my own heart and mouth, and it's given me a lot to think about in regard to how I pray.

There are several about need for grace and confession of sin that have been edifying to read, but here is one that just suits tonight as I'm about to go to sleep.  I've tried to keep the formatting the same as it is in the book.  May you be blessed as you read it.


EVENING PRAISE

Giver of all,
Another day is ended
     And I take my place beneath my great redeemer's cross
     where healing streams continually descend,
     where balm is poured into every wound,
     where I wash anew in the all-cleansing blood,
     assured that thou seest in me no spots of sin.
Yet a little while and I shall go to thy home and be no more seen;
Help me to gird up the loins of my mind,
     to quicken my step,
     to speed as if each moment were my last,
       that my life be joy, my death glory.
I thank thee for the temporal blessings of this world--
     the refreshing air,
     the light of the sun,
     the food that renews strength,
     the raiment that clothes,
     the dwelling that shelters,
     the sleep that gives rest,
     the starry canopy of night,
     the summer breeze,
     the flowers' sweetness,
     the music of flowing streams,
     the happy endearments of family, kindred, friends.
Things animate, things inanimate, minister to my comfort.
My cup runs over.
Suffer me not to be insensible to these daily mercies.
Thy hand bestows blessings: thy power averts evil.
I bring my tribute of thanks for spiritual graces,
     the full warmth of faith,
     the cheering presence of thy Spirit,
     the strength of thy restraining will,
     thy spiking of hell's artillery.
Blessed be my sovereign Lord!

Everyday Doxology: French and Amharic together

Right now, I'm up in the bedroom taking a break after 12 hours of very active parenting while Michael worked a day shift.  (For those wondering how I get so much stuff done: that's the beauty of having a husband who works alternating days and evenings...)  

The precious part about being upstairs is that I'm hearing Michael and Million listen to La Vie En Rose while Michael is teaching Million to say "injera."  (We're having doro wat and injera for supper.  I always make the main dishes, and Michael always makes the injera...it's just how we roll.)

And Million is replying with what sounds like "du-bear-uh."

God gives me moments like these just to refresh my soul.

Speaking of refreshment, I tried convincing Michael yesterday that God created ginger and cinnamon just for my delight.
I did have to concede that cinnamon might just have been created for my mom who uses about twice or thrice the amount called for in any recipe.
Michael responded with a tongue-in-cheek "and on the 3rd day, God created ginger, and said 'Heather will like it.  It's good.'"  

It is good.  And I'm refreshed.

Three or Four Tasty Recipes From Today

I had some sweet moments to myself yesterday.

Gloriously, the internet was not working.  (Some days I like to pretend Al Gore never invented the internet.)

So I had some moments to either read or work on crafts. And I chose both.

Here's a bit of something I've been working on.  I looked at it all set out nicely on the floor and decided that, no, I'm not going to just be done.  I'm going to make it bigger.   It was just going to be a lap afghan, but it's looking much more likely to be a size twin when I'm done.

 BonAmi thought he was being helpful.

This next picture isn't necessarily a "recipe."  It's more of a helpful hint.  If you ever need almond flour, don't buy it.  You'll pay at least three times what you could by just making your own.  Buy whole almonds and just grind them in your coffee grinder or food processor and then put through a metal sieve.  There you have it.  Almond flour. 

  

First recipe of the day sounded really questionable from the title, but is a phenomenal tasty surprise.  It was these cottage cheese muffins with cheddar and scallions. 

 They have the consistency of a quiche or an egg bake.  Million scarfed them down like there was no tomorrow. (He's a huge cottage cheese fan.  We go through about 3 pounds every other week.)

 The next recipe I don't even want to give to anyone, it's so good.  I have great ideas of hosting a picnic in our back yard and putting these babies out for the beverage.  

 Okay...this last one I'll actually include the recipe for, since the original link was in Russian.  (Thank you Google translator.) Macaroons with lemons embedded.

I would maybe make the cookies a little thicker next time, and use 2 egg yolks instead of 1.  And the baking time on the recipe was a little under what I baked them for.  But you'll get the idea.

Ingredients:
3/4 C butter

1 T lemon zest

1 C ground almonds

1/2 C powdered sugar

1 C flour

1 T lemon juice

1 egg yolk

3/4 lemon 

sugar for sprinkling

powdered sugar for sprinkling

Cream butter.  Pour in ground almonds, powdered sugar, flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix well.  Divide dough in half and form a sausage with a diameter of 5 cm.  Put in wax paper and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 355 degrees.Cut the dough into a thickness of 4 mm.  Place on baking sheet and brush with egg yolk.  

Cut the lemon into very thin slices (1 to 2 mm) and put on top of the cookies.  Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.  Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  

And lastly, because he's just so cute, here's our superhero of the day.