Come to the window,
My baby, with me,
And look at the stars
That shine on the sea!
There are two little stars
That play at bo-peep
With two little fish
Far down in the deep,
And two little frogs
Cry, “Neep, neep, neep;
I see a dear baby
That should be asleep.”
During yard sale season, we drive our neighborhood on Saturday mornings after breakfast. Some Saturdays we find nothing… and some Saturdays we hit the jackpot. Today was a jackpot day…
So Seth and Daddy curled up together on the floor and did his new 35 piece puzzle while the soft rain came down outside…
And I went through this treasure trove in the playroom… fondly remembering so many of these stories from my childhood, smiling as I turned pages. And these are only a selection of the pile… Who knew $.25 a piece could buy so much beauty?
This one looks great, too. Hope you’re enjoying them, but if you’re not, I’m mostly bookmarking them here for myself. Oh yeah, and if you know how I can copy and paste them effortlessly into a Word document, let me know. I’ve been having a little trouble with that because of the graphics, I think. =)
I called up Mom today, and she gave me her old recipes for fudgesicles and orange creamsicles. I remember eating the fudgesicles as a kid. We did have some sweet stuff… sometimes… but it was almost always homemade. =) Love you, Mom. Thank you for saving us from Fruity Sweetie Sugar Juicy Bars and all that other good stuff we begged you for incessantly.
And with no further ado…
Fudgesicles
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
3 T. cocoa powder
2 1/2 c. milk
Combine all of these in a saucepan, adding the milk in gradually while whisking. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Once it’s thickened, add 1 t. vanilla and 1 T. butter (optional- I’m pretty sure Mom never added it to ours, and they were still good). Cool, and pour into the popsicle mold of your choice.
Creamsicles
1-2 c. plain yogurt (the kind without sugar)
3-6 T. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2- 1 t. vanilla
Stir together and freeze in popsickle molds. As you can see, you can make just half the recipe or the whole thing, depending on how much you love creamsicles. =) I don’t remember this one, so I think I’ll make the smaller quantity to start…
This post from Holy Experience is one that I’ve now bookmarked here. We don’t buy many books new, but a lot of these looked like they’d totally be worth the pennies.
I read Conversion Diary from time to time. The Catholic blogworld is a different world, but there are a good number of similarities as well. We’re all serving Jesus, after all.
Anyway, this post was a great one about living your God given vocation. Enjoy…
My mom served this salad dressing while I was there last week. I think she got it from the local newspaper… Anyway, I thought it was yummy and would probably make a good marinade. Best of all, I usually have all these ingredients on hand.
2 T. Dijon mustard
3 T. red wine vinegar
black pepper to taste
1/4 t. salt
2 t. honey
1-2 T. dried minced onion or a little chopped onion
1/2 c. olive oil
Makes 1 c. of dressing
because of….
- lazy evening swimming in smooth blue water, hanging on the back of a yellow baby float and smelling sweet yellow baby hair..
- adorable swim diaper with blue waves above tiny baby legs…
- boy learning to go underwater, and his pride in said achievement…
- tidying up little areas calmly and pleasantly, and the energy to do it…
- peach, watermelon and blackberry smoothies…
- good books…
- handsome, kind husband…
- breaking out of a cooking rut and trying a new thing or two… and having it actually work…
- cricket choruses in the evenings…
- white vinca growing lushly and wildly in the front porch baskets…
- an excellent sermon at our wonderful church home…
- a million other little thoughts and feelings and impressions, too many to record, of home and love and serenity and blessed childhood…
We can’t know what tomorrow will hold, but I will treasure these days in my heart. If God doesn’t give me more than this, it was more than I ever deserved in the first place…. and it was beautiful.
With a heart overflowing with gratitude,
Ellen
We’re settling into a comfy weekend here. Just a time of being us and hanging with all the secure, simple pleasures of home…
If I’d posted my status on Facebook last night, it would’ve read: “Watching Star Wars while crocheting on my new niece’s baby blanket.” =)
Terri has proven her commitment to the homemade baby blanket concept enough for me to pull out the ol’ crochet hook again. Both Isaac and Claire’s blankets that I made for them are their worn out loveys. You’ve earned it, sis. My hat’s off to ya. I made both of my boys’ blankets, and they’ve never been washed. I don’t practice what I preach about using them. =)
Spent some time at the local pool this morning. Seth and I had a date while Evan slept and David trimmed the hedges. The big boy belted out “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” while playing with a toy squid. I’m sure that the other pool goers were wondering exactly what kind of church we attend. =)
Nope, nothing that traditional. I’m not a traditional church girl. Our church rocks out. But… we have a Baptist hymnal, and every night, David and Seth go through it and pick out songs to learn. They should learn “Trust and Obey” next week. That’s one of my favorites.
I’m attempting to make baked potatos in the crockpot. We’ll see how it goes. The thought of turning on the oven on a 100 degree day just didn’t sit well with me. I’m going to make chili to put on top, and I hope to have enough left over to send to Wendy next week with whatever other new baby meal I bring. Anyway, if it turns out well, I am itching to have a baked potato party in the fall. I could have each person bring a different fixin’, and maybe I could borrow an extra crockpot…
David and I are planning our first weekend away in TWO YEARS. I can’t wait. We are LONG overdue. =) We usually get away once a year at least, but this is what happened this time: We buy a house, I get pregnant, we move, it’s winter, I start getting fatter and grumpier, we have a baby, I nurse and can’t pump enough milk for a weekend away, and the long and short of it is, two years have now passed.
We’re looking forward to seeing the blue water below without the adorable little boy in the picture…. =)
And that’s enough randomness for now. The end.
A week at the homestead with the cousins is a perfect chance to make sure that the boys get to fish. Uncle Richard’s little “lake” yielded up some lovely brim. I was told that Seth caught 10 of them himself, and he didn’t want to quit and go home… Papa was beaming with pleasure at the thought of many future fishing expeditions, I’m sure.
Seth didn’t watch the deboning. I’m not sure he’s ready to see exactly what it takes to get the fish from the lake to the table. But a fresher fish dinner is hard to imagine…. With a generous splash of canola oil and some cornmeal, you have a meal fit for two proud and hungry little boys.
And here we have the first taste of the fish he caught “all by myself.”
“Mmmmm! Makes me big and strong!” =) The end.
It was a lovely few days at the family fishing cabin on the sound. We learned that we can fit 2 adults, one toddler, and one baby into a 2 man ocean kayak… as long as the baby is securely strapped to his mommy’s chest in a baby Bjorn, and as long as we don’t go out into deep water.
We like to take it easy these days when we go away. No whirlwind tours or sightseeing excursions for us…. Nope, just lots of naps and Scrabble and fiction and playdough and hours in the water. And I do mean hours. Seth set a new record for himself this time. He may be part fish.
The “big beach” on Emerald Isle was not a hit, though. They were both a little bit afraid of the waves. We walked on the beach one evening, and Seth fell down in fright when a wave unexpectedly came up to where he was standing. He was soaked and sandy and crying… and we decided that we’d stick with the “little beach” for the rest of the trip. Besides, walking on the beach feels more like a backpacking trip up a mountain when you’re each carrying at least 20 lb. of child…
Seth came to like the tiny fish that tend to hang around your feet and ankles on a calm day in the sound. David told him they were trying to “tickle him,” and that was good enough for him to decide to make friends. And we enjoyed seeing a school of dolphins come through… after I found out that those dark fins weren’t sharks.
The cabin is rustic. Think wood paneling, water stained ceilings, and decor that hasn’t changed much in 40 years. Add in an iron bacteria well problem that dyed my hair, our greasy bodies, and some of our clothes a lovely shade of red, and we’re not talking luxury accommodations here. But Dad assures me the bacteria will be taken care of, we got to use the shower at a neighbor’s house, and nobody drank the water, so we’re all good. (My hair is getting back to normal, so that’s why I can afford to be gracious. =)
There’s something nice about being in a place that, despite its little inconveniences, has always felt like home to me. My boys swim in the same salt water that my brother and I did. I cook dinner in the same small kitchen that my mom used when we were growing up. Another generation of children will stub their toes on the oyster rocks. Awww. =)
Sometimes a place is more than just a place… its a tradition, a continuation and a building of new memories on the backs of old ones. I’m glad it’s still there for us. We love you, Breezy Point.
We’ve got a lot of book learnin’ in this house. I have a M.A. in history, and David has a J.D. We’re both book nerds, and we read a lot. We were also both students who sat at the front of the class in college and worked hard for good grades. But… as this author points out…. that definitely isn’t how to acquire what we want most in life. Check it out.
Yup, we’re beach bound tomorrow…. It sneaked up on me! Lately, it seems like we have to be careful not to plan too far in advance because something work related could come up. So… that means we don’t plan very far in advance at all, and then, BOOM!, its vacation time. Making packing lists today….
Realized lately that I’m coming out of a blah stage. I think its lasted about 2 months, maybe more. When I realized that I wasn’t terribly excited about spring weather or playing in the park or going to the pool, I got a little worried. I thought, “Well, I guess this is my second summer doing this now. Maybe its just becoming predictable or something?” Nope. I just had a mild case of the blahs. Who knows why? Maybe tired or frustrated or worn down with everyday life?
Well, the blahs are lifting. I’m finding renewed joy and excitement in my adorable boys. I look more intently at them these days, finding new dimples and freckles and varieties of smiles. I’m a less crabby mommy, and I can tell a difference in the way they respond to me. I want to be a fun mom all the time…. I really do! But I’m in this flesh, and it doesn’t always happen. Gotta learn to be ok with that.
It’s going to be such a great family beach trip this year! Evan will get his first roll in the sands of N.C. beaches. I’m excited to see what he’ll think of it. There will be cookies and popcorn and movies in the evenings. Seth will get to enjoy sparklers…. and maybe his first ever movie night after his little brother goes to bed. I’m ready to drink it all in, down to the very last drop of tiny boy happiness….
