A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - Trio

Halloween: Episode 2014

I love a theme.  And, this year's choice of Halloween costumes was easy as our family has been committed to the idea of embracing both sides of the force since, oh about...mid-summer.  The real question was which Star Wars character the little man would decide to dress up as.  For months we listened on as he debated Darth, Luke, Obi-Wan...when at last he finally landed on Qui Gon Jinn.

 

 

 

Cast of characters:

 

The bump as the Death Star

Jeff as Obi Wan Kenobi

The littlest lady as Yoda

The little lady as Queen Amidala

and

The little man as Qui Gon Jinn





Tonsillectomy, frenulectomy, adenoidectomy...oh my!

Back in October, the little man underwent surgery to remove his adenoids, tonsils, and to clip his frenulum. Apparently, the size of both his adenoids and tonsils were beyond impressive.  While it is never easy to watch your little one prepped for surgery, I learned many things that early morning as we arrived at Meriter Hospital.

 

1. My little man, while sweet and tender is also very brave.  He quickly put on his game face answering questions, changing into dressing gowns, using the IPad to distract and calm while awaiting his surgery.



2. Scheduling surgery for your son at the very hospital where your husband is a surgeon makes the entire process much easier.  How sweet it was to see staff greet us as we followed Dr. Larson through the hallways.  My heart was simultaneously calmed and filled with pride as I thought of my husband greeting his own patients and interacting with staff each work day.  And, while he chose to be "dad" instead of "doctor" on the day of our son's surgery, his calming presence and professional demeanor encouraged this mama's tender heart as I watched him wheel our son back for surgery. 

 



 

3. Spending three hours post-op cuddling your son on a hospital gurney (after a successful surgery) is precious time well spent.  Strains the back, but warms the soul. 

 

4. How easy it is to take the health of your children for granted.  Many times throughout the morning, I thought of the many families who arrive at the hospital each day for other reasons. The day of Joey's surgery, I was grateful to walk out of the hospital with a smiling little boy in recovery, for the comfort of nursing him back to health in our own home, and the privilege of hearing his little voice change over the next few hours, days and weeks. 

 

 



Baked Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

recipe from www.smittenkitchen.com

 

 

It felt wonderful to be back in the kitchen preparing full meals for my family after months of nausea.  If you know me well, you know that I take great delight in the art of homemaking, and enjoy the weekly routine of meal planning, grocery shopping and preparing meals to be shared around the table.  Looking for new inspiration, I quickly turned to Smitten Kitchen's catalogue of recipes. 

 

This pasta bake highlights several of our family's favorite ingredients from the satisfying comfort of  cheese to the subtle zip of Italian sausage.  Like many of the recipes I now prepare in an effort to accommodate our busy afternoon schedule, I prepared the baked pasta midday and baked off later that day.  An elegant twist on a classic baked pasta dish, it served my family and guests well.

 

Pasta and assembly:

1 pound chunky pasta of your choice ( I used Gigli.)
1 bundle broccoli rabe (I substituted one head broccoli.)
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (I liked the idea of having larger pieces of sausage similar in size to the cut broccoli, so I opted to slice the Italian sausage into bite-sized chunks.  I used 3 sausages from the butcher.)
2/3 cup grated parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese
6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Béchamel:
2 cups milk, full fat is ideal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
few gratings fresh nutmeg

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.  (Optional: Add a splash of olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking.) Add pasta and five minutes before its cooking time is up, add the chopped broccoli rabe or broccoli. Drain the broccoli and pasta together and place in a large bowl. 

Meanwhile, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, wide saucepan (you will use this same pan for the béchamel) over medium heat.  When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown.  Or, in batches cook sliced sausage, browning on each side.  Remove with slotted spoon, leaving behind any fat. 

To make the béchamel, melt the butter in same saucepan over medium heat.  Once melted, add flour and stir into the butter until smooth.  Cook the mixture together for a minute, stirring constantly.  Pour in a small drizzle of milk, whisking constantly into the butter-flour mixture until smooth.  Continue to drizzle a very small amount at a time, whisking constantly.  Once you've added a little over half of the milk, you'll notice the sauce becoming very thick, almost like batter.  Begin to add the milk in larger splashes, and continue mixing.  Once all of the milk is added, add the salt, garlic, nutmeg, and few grinds of black pepper.  Bring the mixture to a lower simmer and cook, stirring frequently for ten minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Add the sausage and béchamel to the bowl with the pasta and broccoli.  Stir in the mozzarella and half the grated parmesan until combined.  Pour into a lasagna pan or deep 9x13 baking dish.  Top with remaining parmesan.  In a 400 degree oven, bake for 20-30 minutes, until the edges and tops of noodles are starting to brown.





A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - Summer 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Hello {again}.

It has been approximately 17 weeks since I've written a post, a record for this site, which began approximately seven years ago.  Over the course of those seventeen weeks, I read several blog posts and articles about time (how quickly it passes), rest (how we slow and recover), and the necessity of hitting the figurative "pause button" in our lives so that we don't miss the many beautiful moments that happen each and every day right in front of our eyes.  There are many reasons for slowing down, modifying schedules, changing one's priorities.  For me, it came as a sign, clear {blue} and easy.

 

On June 3rd, I experienced one of those beautiful life changing moments, as I received the {+} news that we would be expecting our fourth child.  Two weeks later, like clockwork, the "morning" sickness began.  And, with a grateful heart, frequent trips to the bathroom, and a prescription for anti-nausea medication, I embraced the slow and steady rhythm of our summer. 

 

Many wonderful things occurred over the summer, our basement project was completed within a week of us finding out our news, we quickly moved the guest room downstairs allowing the little lady to have a very room of her own, I refinished my first piece of furniture, a dresser for the little lady's new room, the children joyfully participated in swim and golf lessons, the littlest lady grew in strength and speed, her curiosity, charm and vocabulary blossoming as the many flowers in our backyard bloomed, the littles enjoyed long afternoons in the sun and meeting new neighborhood friends, and my hero of a husband rose to the occasion (as he always does) taking on the demands of our household, allowing me the privilege to lay ill on the couch gratefully taking in the action around me.  

 

It was a sweet summer, one of growth, reflection and anticipation. There are so many blog entries to write, but most likely they will never be written.  

 

Fast forward to today, and I'm so very pleased to announce that a baby BOY will be joining our family in early February.

 

 

We celebrated with blue slushies, and joyfully shared our news with family, friends, and church body.

 

Cheers to you, our littlest man! 

 

 



A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - Brat Fest 2014



(Our) Kindergarten Year

 She began the year with great enthusiasm, her dream of attending full day kindergarten becoming a reality.  I began the year enthusiastic but cautious, knowing full well we had chosen a unique model of education for our gal providing her with the opportunity to learn from classroom teachers and...her mother.  Starting our year together, I had not fully realized just how much I had missed classroom life.  Stacks of textbooks, sharpened pencils, craft materials, and bulletin boards will forever have a place in my heart.  She and I share a love of learning; we are stimulated and inspired by the classroom.

 

And, so we learned each week how to blend the two, her kindergarten classroom and the satellite classroom we had created within our home.  With heads bent over books we learned how to number bond, form letters, memorize Latin vocabulary words, recite Scripture, study planets.  Even more, we learned how to trust one another, communicate, and practice patience.  Side by side, we grew.

 

 

"I loved when Mrs. Swanson taught me math and when Mrs. Miers taught me art class.  And, when we did sorting and learned how to count money."  - Charlotte

On her final day, as the "baton" was passed from this year's first grade class into the eager hands of the graduating kindergarten class, she beamed, acknowledging her readiness for first grade.  What a privilege it has been to partake her in her education this year, to watch her, study her, instruct her, and be inspired by her. 

 



 

And, a special thanks to my husband who spoke words of encouragement when they needed to be heard, instilled confidence when doubts arose, and reminded the both of us that we could accomplish whatever we set our minds to. 

 



Year Three - Four

He began the year enthusiastic but cautious, unwilling to sing the "silly" songs around the perimeter of the alphabet-themed carpet.  A bright-eyed boy of three, who favored Batman, bugs, and the company of his sisters.

 

 On his final day, with sisters looking on, I watched as he sang, standing a head taller than most classmates, "love grows one by one, two by two and four by four," the lyrics of the "silly" song he refused to sing for so long.  A bright-eyed boy of four, lover of golf, basketball, bugs and Star Wars.

 

As he joyfully received his end-of-the-year "You're Going Places" award in recognition of "his confidence to learn and try new things" my heart was full as I clapped loudly in recognition of all the ways our little man had grown. 

 

 

Our second born, he is sandwiched ever so sweetly between two explosive gals.  Much of his identity is wrapped up in big sissy and his Junie; they are his comfort. 

 

I'm so thankful for the tender encouragement he received this year from teachers who encouraged our little man that he could stand tall with confidence, express his ideas with enthusiasm, try new things, and be the unique little boy he was created to be. 

 

 

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - headshot