Breakfast Revisited

For those of you homeschoolers who receive the same literary magazine I do and got a copy this week, you may have noticed this post was published... a tweaked and edited version of it.

As a follow-up, I would like to post the following picture:

Now, I have made pancakes since originally writing on the topic and they were pancakes. They weren't bad, weren't fabulous. There was one morning though when I put too much salt, they were nasty, and not even the littlest dude would eat them...

On Christmas morning when I made the pancakes of the photo, well, they were perfect. As I scooted the spatula beneath and flipped them, up, up, splat & sizzle- the motion was smooth as cream. Golden and round and the way pancakes were meant to be; they were good.

I would now like to take this opportunity to say what someone else once said.

“Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice." E.M. Forster
Those words have not much to do with anything else I've said and making pancakes really is not bewildering. But it's a good quote... at the very least just a spin off from "practice makes perfect."

Frozen Strawberries

We pick strawberries every summer, eat them until we're sick of them, and then freeze the rest. During winter nights, we pull out a bag and sprinkle some sugar on top for a special snack. Last night we did just this while watching family movies. There was a lovely fire in the fireplace. It's something we all like and worth documenting I thought!

Smoothies are also enjoyed around here. The latest recipe, incredibly simple yet delish, cranberry juice and strawberries.

Chinese Rice. The Kennedys & One Precious 'I love You'

I had a slight skip in my walk and I was humming around the kitchen from the refrigerator to counter to the other counter space. Rice left over from chinese takeout two night ago went right into the microwave, set for 1 minute. Thoughts during the above procession included calculating how much of my first draft I had left to type out, how many hours it would take me, whether I might be able to go to softball practice and oh, ya, how am I going to fit in the math test I have to take? Amazing how rapidly the brain travels from one thing to the next. I peered around the cabinets and through the window of the kitchen and back room- hey it's spring out there! I could see that irresistable sunshine that I knew I had to resist. Soon enough... summer.

I remembered a friend recently remembering how in elementary school she would be finished with schoolwork at 11am and go "trampling" and exploring outside all day. "It was like two and a half years of vacation." Hmm. Ya, those years were great for me too- all the field trips, we went everywhere. All the art projects- art was transcendent throughout every other subject. Oh those projects where we painted to classical music... The littlest came out of the bedroom and with that same skip in his step I had moments before, came into the kitchen. "Hey, did you guys buy that outfit (new swimming trunks and a surf shirt) yesterday?" I got a huge hug and heard, "I love you. I love you so much." 

The moment passed. The microwave had gone off in the midst of it and so I got out my rice and headed back to my laptop and paper on the Kennedy family. 

Homeschooling's my thing. And all the why in the world is in this story.

Breakfast Extra Special

This story begins with a venture to the downstairs main family closet which contains toys, supplies for craftiness, sports gear, board games, a box of long florescent lights and a few bottles of really old wine. Outside the doorway sat two or three boxes of books that came from our living room. In need of reading material, I opened the box and rummaged. Devotional tapes, pamphlets, devotional books, encouragment books, a Jewish holiday handbook and Bible, homeschooling books. The Busy Mom's Life to Simple Living. I read it in two days and came to the conclusion that aside from one or two tidbits, I dont know why in the world we own it. There was this one tip- to take flour from its original bag and store it in a gallon milk jug. I tried it... very odd.

The book did however spur me to do something I've always planned to do: pre-make homemade pancake mix. That was Saturday. Today being Monday, there being only two eggs in the fridge and being steered away from foods I knew would trigger more migraines, I made pancakes. We had some Aunt Jemima, but after reading the ingredients list I decided to take another route.

I am plain not good at making pancakes.The first two I made stuck to the pan because I didnt have enough butter. They cooked well, but I had to do damage control by scraping and washing the pan before I could continue. The next bit of butter to go in the pan steamed and turned tan. No matter, in went the batter. I'm a poet and I know it... Anyway, when the two little rounds were bubbly I flipped them over in the pan and one ended up flopped half way over the edge of the pan, dripping uncooked batter onto the stovetop.

My mom walked into the kitchen, "oh... what are you doing?"
"I'm not very good at making pancakes."
"Everytime you make them you smoke us out!"
As a last word and recognition of the silver lining, I chimed as my mom exited the room, "They taste pretty good!"

The next two patches of batter went in and came out burnt. The next two I managed to not burn, but when I bit into the last bite of one later, it ended up containing an icky batter reservoir.

We had a man working the basement installing something or other.
He walked up the stairs, "Oh man, good thing I didnt install that smoke alarm yet."
I sat in the dining room eating my creations and chuckled at his comment. I had made pancakes from scratch. I could now proceed to scratch that act off of my life achievements list. I'm only half serious- I dont have a life achievements list that I can remember, but come to think of it... wouldnt be a bad thing to do.

In Your Eyes.

Oh the Modge Podge that is the Life Described

After a lovely lunch at Eat n Park as well as a stop at the new house, came home. checked the answering machine. I had been sleeping in the car on the way home. I entered the livingroom and laid down on the couch. couldnt help thinking of Mr. H's reference to being a couch potatoe in his message. There wasnt any present opportunity to serve around me, so I figured I was all clear.

;-)

Lying there, still sleepily calm, watching football and then parts of The Natural, I looked around me and thought.

I won't be here a month from now.

A matter of weeks and the way I've performed the simple things in my life up until now will be done in a completely different environment. A completely clean slate. Certain things will be lost, others, so much more relavant to today gained. A place ready for memories to be made within- yet not the home where so many have taken places. Innumerable.

There is going to be a day when we dont come back to this house again.

We will visit our family who live two, four streets away and our neighbors next door. But this house will not be ours. It will no longer hold our things or us; instead someone else will fill it. I'm sure at some point that will cease to seem odd to us, but right now I think we're all unable to grasp it being anything but.

This is post is based upon sentiment, yes. But I know that there are lessons here that are becoming a part of "the fabric of my [and each member of the family's] life" to reference Mr. P.

On the brain
a. the houses. duh.
b. the items I daily discover would be convenient which are located a box, below many others stacked
c. this week's schoolload=much. PSATs are Wednesday. Rejoice in the Lord always...
d. how amazing to be placed all the way out where the new house sits. farther than I'd ever think, yet everything around seems to show that we should be there

Other notes-
cancelation due to a powerline- how bizarre...and pleasing due to the situation
cho mein noodles are ah! a favorite. they were before Saturday, but after Saturday they became even more so
the color of green tea [authentic] is perceived as a nice one by my eyes and brain

I have an ongoing thesis that certain foreign countries have much better food, fashion, cars, and cities than Americans. It seems to come up often when I find myself preferring something not a part or disliking something that is the culture surrounding me. It's accuracy has yet to be decided.

Got this in the mail today.

One week exactly until 16 becomes the age I write down when I sign a form.

I remember meeting several people on the tenth anniversary Sunday while sitting in the third or so row waiting for the after-church festivity to begin...the top ten lists... I remember how much we as a family desired to be a part of the church body specifically after that Sunday, one year ago today. I cant help go over in my mind the large events and zoom into the smaller moments I attempt to recall, all in such a seemingly short time.

The Word of the Day. The Year. of Life itself- Grace.

grace unmeasured vast and free

The Highlights of a "Fortuitous" Dinner

Only two cookies! Usually the cashier is more generous. I opened both...

You should pay for this dinner. Be generous.

You will enjoy razor-sharp spiritual vision today.

Why is it that I always get the tacky fortunes about not forgetting the shrimp, getting my takeout and paying for the food? The second one threw me off slightly after reading the first. Never gotten one quite like it, which causes it to be interesting.

I read an article yesterday in the paper about the benefits of knowing a second language in business fields. It was noted that proficiency in Mandarin Chinese was sought after.

LEARN CHINESE

hun maon- very busy
tung chean- sympathize

Ironic?

:-]

Totally unrelated is this. Flashbacks!

Yesterday Today Forever

Yesterday I made lemonade from lemons and giggled my head off with some of my best friends in this world. It was a great day. Cherry vanilla ice cream and pickles are yummy- not together or anything, although that would be interesting. Laptops are wonderful things. Being around people that allow you to be completely [well, mostly anyway] yourself is priceless.

What today holds for me, I'm not completely sure. I do know that so far I have been successful in repairing our computer back to a runnable condition. I've checked my email. and flickr. I've made a DVD of our family videos. And I know that as soon as I remove myself from this keyboard and screen, 5-6 batches of brownies are going to be calling my name.

Google verse of the day - Ephesians 6:17-20

"...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak."

I want to read more.

I Like Lists.

The following is a list of what I've consumed [other than spiritual nutrition ;-] today thus far.

• Pasta salad
• Caesar-ish salad
• KFC drumstick -yay! Another church tradition!
• 2 meatballs
• BBQ Pork
• 1 pickle
• 1 piece of apple pie
• 1/2 a M&M cookie
• granola bar
• water
• Fresca
• a frozen banana which tasted a little like a popsicle at times
• a small fudge brownie -a package made its way home with us somehow

Life is full of first experiences -aka doing things for the first time.
Today was the first church picnic I've ever been too; it won't be the last!
Yummy, yummy food as described above. Good & simple convo- I like things that are uncomplicated. Ultimate frisbee- I was catching pretty well towards the end of the game, but my throwing was way off. Throwing was better for me earlier in the game ;-P I know we have a frisbee somewhere around the house...I need to find it...

I like little kids. Watching them play in the water was the bestest! Bestest is a very girly word. I'd be scared if I heard a guy say "well, ya, like, that was just the bestest evER!" My camera was in hand for the last hour we were at the park. I took some very cute shots of Abigail, Timothy, Hannah & Aaron and Lydia & Abigail. After I download them I'll edit this post or post another post so ya'll can enjoy em :-]

That's pretty much the summary of the day for now. I could include notes fro Mr. R's message, or samplings of conversations I had or other such fun things; but that would be slightly complicated to do at the moment, and as I said before, I'm currently a fan of uncomplicated things.

Looking forward too:

• EVALUATION. I wonder how many times I said that word today...
• Should I include my SAT prep class on this list?
• swimming
• last softball game of season this week
• Wednesday "prayer and pizza"

and a little farther down the road...YOUTH CAMP!

Eat Your Veggies

Q: What does vegetarianism have to do with the fossil record?

A: In Genesis 1:29–30, the Bible says:

And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food’; and it was so.

God’s Word tells us that Adam and Eve—and the animals—were vegetarian before sin. However, sin changed everything. In Genesis 9, right after the Flood, we read that God told Noah that man could eat meat from that time onward.

This is an important point. In the fossil record, there are numerous instances of fossils of animals with bones of other animals in their stomachs. These fossils showing carnivory could not have formed before Adam sinned. Yet, if you believe in millions of years of history, these fossils contradict the Bible’s account of history.

The Bible’s account is true—man’s ideas are fallible.

Just Some Highlights

spent last night cleaning my room & reorganizing things & watching Cars with the family.
tacos for dinner today...yummy.
went grocery shopping. grocery shopping is one of those things that I dont mind skipping out on when possible. today I had nothing else to do though so I went along.
ice skating tomorrow.
-worst case scenario [which would still be very fun] the turnout includes me, D.S. & D.S.
-best case scenario [that sounds really odd but I can currently think of no other way to say it] a nice sized group shows up & the whole lot of us church folk chum around for three hours!

Pumpkins Pumpkins Everywhere

We took a trip to a farm north of us to pick up some pumpkins, hay & cornstalks. All of which now adorn out front porch. We each picked out our own pumpkins, drank so hot chocolate, saw some animals, and saw pumpkins displayed into almost every character imaginable.