Confessions

Confession #1. I wish these years with the girls would never end. It's hard for me to imagine Morgan and Sarah not being a part of my every day life one day. (And yes I'm crying right now.) I want to always hear them laughing out loud in the back seat of the car. I want to always enjoy their squeals as they fly on the tube across the lake. I want to always cheer them on  as they practice dive after dive. I want to always wake up camping with them sleeping next to me in a tent.  And yet, I know I'll cherish their growing up too. I just know these sweet days are going to end before I'm ready for them too! And I'm reminded...cherish the moments...all we have are moments on the journey...

Confession #2. I love Mountain Dew. I know there is absolutely nothing good about it, but I LOVE it. Mike does too.  Tomorrow we are challenging each other to give up soda...(maybe forever?!?). There's a $100 bucks on the line to the one who holds out the longest!

Confession #3. Sometimes I feel guilty that I am not using my college degree. That I'm not contributing financially to our family in a bigger way than substitute teaching allows. That I'm not touching lives through a career in social work.  I worry that it will be hard to get back into the field after all the years of being at home with the girls.  And yet, back to confession #1 - I know deep down that I'm making the right choice for our family right now. And I'm thankful that Mike feels it's the right choice too. And I'm thankful we've built a lifestyle that makes it possible. Life is about moments, and yet it's also about choices...

Family Fun Magazine

I only receive one magazine subscription. It's to Family Fun. I LOVE this magazine and I always find at least one activity to do with the girls.  As soon as I saw the stained glass window project...I knew we were doing it! Here's the link on how do this project: http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/non-staining-glass-1019768/ - I also LOVE their website - I always go there for cool projects!  This project is super easy...cover window with saran wrap, tape edges with painter's tape, tear up tissue paper, glue on window (I watered down glue w/water (half/half) for them to glue them on with). It kept them busy for a couple of hours! I thought they turned out super cute and the summer sun looks beautiful shinning thru them! What magazine subscriptions do you love?!

A to Z Summer Fun

Last summer we did our first A to Z Summer fun! This year we are keeping some of the same days, and adding in some different days. And with the first half of our summer so busy, I did have to double up a few days this year in order to get them all squeezed in! When making our list I try and think of everything I want to do at least once with the girls during the summer...and put it on here so that we make sure the fun happens before summer slips away! Last summer I was great about getting pictures of each day...this year...well, not so well. But here are a couple. Perhaps it's the heat getting to me?!

"B" Day: Baking Day!
This is their own creation, cookie dough dipped in melted chocolate chips. Umm, yay, they were yummy!

"E" Day: Experiment Day
Polymers let you poke a pencil thru a bag full of water without spilling any of it! Look at that concentration!

Well, today we are on "K" day and I'm glad my girls love this a to z summer fun as much as I do! :)

July 7^th        A Arts & Crafts – Village Pottery

July 8^th        B Baking Day

July 11^th      C Camera scavenger Hunt

July 12^th      D Donuts delivered to Dad

July 13^th      E  Experiment Day

July 14^th      F Friendship Day

July 15^th      G Game Day – Make up some games

July 18^th      H Hershey Day

July 19^th      I Ice Cream Day

July 20^th      J Jump in the Pool!

July 21^st      K Kindness Day

July 22^nd     L Laugh, Laugh,Laugh

July 25^th      M Mystery Monday

July 26^th      N-O Neighbors over for Outside Fun!

July 27^th      P Pizza at the Park with Pop

July 28^th      Q Quiet Day

July 29^th      R Republic Aquatic Center

Aug 1^st        S Scrapbooking

Aug 2^nd       T-U Take a Trip to an Ultimate Surprise

Aug 3^rd       V Video Game Day

Aug 4^th        W Wilson’s Creek Jr. Ranger Badge

Aug 5^th        X-Y Xtra Fun at the Y-Center

Aug 12^th     Z  Zippity-do-dah Day!

Yum, yum, yummy: Freezer Meals

Well anyone who knows me well knows that I HATE to cook! Seriously, if I was rich, the first thing I'd do would be hire a chef!  Speaking of rich, check out this house that is being built about 30 minutes from our house - 72,000 square feet - all made of concrete - one of the largest homes in America: click here to see it. Personally, I think it's a waste of money, but it's not my money to waste!

Back to food. The girls have recently decided they LIKE to cook dinner. Last week, with much enthusiasm they made us spaghetti, pancakes and loaded baked potatoes for dinner.  And I'm LOVING this!!! I'm trying to be in the kitchen more with them since they are enjoying it, but it's not something that comes easy for me.

Last summer I shared a few of our favorite freezer meal recipes.  And I thought I'd share a couple more with you now. Enjoy!

Very Veggie Lasagna 
(a summertime favorite for all those veggies from the garden! Note: I usually make this one recipe in 2 9x9 pans, we eat one and freeze one for later, rather than the 13x9 pan.)

2 med carrots, julienned
1 med zucchini cut into 1/4 in slices
1 yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4 in slices
1 med onion, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup red julienned sweet red pepper
1/2 cup julienned green pepper
2 T vegetable oil
1 teas salt
2 garlic gloves
1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce
14 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
4 cups shredded cheese

In large skillet, stir fry vegetables, garlic and salt in oil until crisp tender.
Spread 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce in greased 13x9 in dish.
Arranged 7 noodles over the sauce, overlapping as needed
Layer with half of veggies, spaghetti sauce and cheese.
Repeat Layers
Cover and bake at 350 degrees from 60 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 15 min before cutting.
If you freeze one, bake an extra 30 min or so.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets
(take a little time, but I usually make double/triple batches, and they are so worth it!)

- 3-4 raw Chicken Breasts (sliced into either strips or cut into nuggets)
- 3 T melted Margarine or butter
- 1 T Worcestershire
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

In small bowl, mix Margarine & Worcestershire sauce together. In separate bowl, mix bread crumbs and cheese together. Dip chicken into margarine mixture, then dip it into bread/cheese mixture. Place chicken on cookie sheet. Flash freeze chicken for an hour. Then remove from cookie sheet and place in a ziploc freezer bag until ready to bake.

Serve: SPRAY pan (I always forget this step, not a good idea!). Bake uncovered for 30 min at 375 degrees, or until juice in chicken runs clear. Turn once with tongs.

Knots

I just finished a book (The Red Tent) and I have been thinking about this one paragraph over and over the past few days.  The main character is moving on to a new season in her life and she is reflecting...remember all the good of the past 20 years, and then she remarks that among the years there had been pain too, but "the painful things-seemed like the knots on a beautiful necklace, necessary for keeping the beads in place."

I hope that will be true in my life...that when I look back, I will see a beautiful necklace...with beautiful beads...and knots that only enhance the beauty and keep it all in place.

In-laws

I know that not everyone gets along with their in-laws. And I know that some people have legit reasons for not getting along with their in-laws.  But I've got to say that every time I get together with my in-laws, we have the best of times! Perhaps it's shared tragedy that bonds us to something bigger beyond pettiness. Perhaps it's the distance that makes the times we gather even sweeter. Perhaps they are just wonderful people whom I get to call 'family'. Whatever it is, I'm thankful for them.  We couldn't get together with everyone this summer...well, they live in MA, WI, NY, NC and FL - so it's a bit of a challenge - we saw most of them last summer and hope we can again next summer.

This past week was spent with the Boston Bakers - and I find myself a bit sad today, wishing the miles were a bit shorter, and the girls could have more time with their cousins.  But I am certainly thankful for the opportunities like this past week where we packed in the fun!

Celebrating #10

A few moments captured in time...

I still have LOTS of pictures to sort through, but I just thought I'd share these ones right now..

A Journey of 3,000 Miles...

I’ve always liked the saying, “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.” For this trip, perhaps it should read, “A journey of 3,000 miles begins with a single birthday wish…” We are on our way home, and I find myself wishing this desolate land between home and the west would offer a bit more pleasurable views for our driving enjoyment.  But this ‘nothingness’ gives me time for reflection. And because of this amazing invention called a ‘laptop’, I can type away as the miles roll on and on and on…there are some things you just gotta love about this ‘modern’ world! 

And I wonder, 20 years from now, what will Morgan and Sarah remember about this trip?! What stories from this trip will be told to my grandkids one day down the road? What memories will Mike and I always hold…after we return home, life settles back into routine, and the years keep flying by? I guess that’s part of the mystery and the fun of an unknown future. 

I’ve taken lots of photos this trip, trying to capture some of the moments along the way, and yet I am also aware that pictures fail to capture so much of the experience.  I’m hoping at some point when I’m less sleep deprived and not still on a ‘high’ from this trip, I will awake one morning and be able to capture into words some of this grand adventure.  But to begin, here are some of the experiences we had on this trip…

We found joy in a can of spray paint. We meandered through a petrified crystal forest. We observed the beauty of minerals in the Painted Desert. We immersed ourselves in frigid mountain stream water for the thrill of siding down natural rocks. We traversed over lava rocks beneath Sunset Crater. We found flowers in unexpected places. We attempted to experience the refreshing coolness of the ‘blow hole’ in ancient Indian ruins. We beheld a shared wonder of viewing the Grand Canyon for the first time. We held hands often.  We froze (42 degrees) and huddled together as we watched the sunrise over the Grand Canyon welcoming Morgan into the next decade of her life. We put a candle in her muffin and sang her happy birthday on top of that canyon rim. We took a relaxing horseback ride at sunset thru the ponderosa pines of the Kaibab Forest. We ventured downward into the Grand Canyon and back up again (only for about 1.5 hours). We strolled along the rim’s top, snapping countless photos. With gratitude we watched our girls skip everywhere. We enjoyed stiff breezes that kept us cool during the day. We camped. We enjoyed s’mores and campfires. We let our faces reflect the sun’s concluding rays as it fell over the Grand Canyon. We sat in awe at the brilliance of the stars after the sun went down. We had no bedtimes. We were amazed at the sight of Saturn’s rings through a telescope.  We rafted (smooth water) down the Colorado River, thru Glen Canyon.  We froze in even colder water of the Colorado River (ok they did, I wasn’t getting in 47 degree water!). We splashed in hotel pools. We kept a lookout for mountain lions and bears, but alas, we saw neither. We toured ancient pueblo Indian ruins at Mesa Verde. We watched our girls get ‘sworn in’ as Jr. Ranger’s and Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde.   We rose above the treetops on the ski lift and soaked in the mountain views. We screamed flying down the half-mile Alpine slide on the mountain side. We had a picnic on top of the mountain. We watched a ‘gun-fight’ in the streets of Silverton. We burned our feet in the sand of the Great Sand Dunes.  We listened to our girls sing countless songs. We laughed at silliness. And of course, we also thanked God often for the opportunity to experience all this beautiful creation of His!! Yes, we journeyed these 3,000 miles together and regardless of what details we remember, I’m certain it is a trip that will endure in our hearts for the rest of our days. 

And in 19 months, Sarah will turn 10…I wonder where she will choose?! Rumor has it that our next adventure may be more “Magical” than “Grand”, but we will see if she chooses Disney or elsewhere in the end! J

Double Digit Day

So after living her entire life in the single-digits, today, my beautiful daughter, will jump into the double digits for the rest of her life.  And while there is a chance she may reach 100 one day, chances are greater that this is the only time in her life she will ever add another digit to her years.

When Mike & I were dating or early married (funny how 20 years later, those early years of 'us' tend to blend together) we saw a movie about a kid celebrating a double digit birthday. It was quite sad, I believe he was dying, and so for his double digit birthday, he wanted to see the ocean, and he got to. I wish I could remember the name of the movie, or more details, but I can't.  But for whatever reason, after seeing that movie, we knew that we would do something BIG for our kids when they turned 10!!

So, we are letting them choose where to travel to on their 10th birthday (within limits).  Morgan's first choice was Italy, but that was simply not in the budget.  So after discussing lots of places we could go...she chose the Grand Canyon. It's a place none of us have ever been, so we are thrilled to be traveling there. She wants to watch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon on her 10th birthday (5:12am) and conclude her birthday riding horses into the sunset. (Ok, let me wipe away a tear that just slipped out.) So I'm writing this post prior to our trip and scheduling it to post on 5:12am on her birthday, because on her birthday, I'm planning to live in the moment and breathe in every gift that is given to me that day.

Morgan, you have brought joy and love and laughter to our lives. I find all the moments of watching you grow to be bittersweet - it's so sweet that you are growing and discovering your place in this world and who God made you to be - and yet the reality is, your growing means your days with us are numbered. There are a thousand moments I wish I could go back and redo, but I am human, and imperfect, and trying to figure this parent thing out just as much as you are trying to figure life out.  And yet I hope you never doubt my deep love for you, my intense joy of having you for a daughter, and my sincere desire to guide you the best I can into adulthood. I love you and I thank God every day for the gift of you! Happy 10th Birthday, Sunshine!!