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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Butternut Squash Macaroni and "Cheese"

 Some of our recent efforts have been "clean eating" and in our case, this means an increase of vegetables and decrease in dairy. {Dairy due to stomach pains, joint inflammation and acne. All of which have noticeably improved over the past few months.}

One of the 40 squash I harvest this summer in our garden.
Macaroni and cheese has always been my favorite comfort food, but I'm often left in belly pain over such high dairy content. So, this was an effort to get the creamy richness of a homemade mac & cheese, minus the dairy. 


I don't have any real recipe as it was all made up on a whim (and I dont' follow recipe measurements).

RECIPE:
1 box of pasta cooked and drained
1 med/ large size butternut squash peeled, seeded and chopped. Roast at 350 until super soft (~an hour)
While fresh hot from the oven, put squash in a food processor. Add a teaspoon of salt, a heaping teaspoon of pepper, an overflowing tablespoon of dry mustard (key for the "homemade mac & cheese" taste) and a teaspoon of Italian dry seasonings, +/- ingredients to taste and add your own kicks for flavor.
Add handfuls of spinach. Mix up.


For extra flavor and a hint of cheese, add half a cup total of fresh grated sharp cheddar/ Parmesan. 
For vegan/ dairy free, add a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast


It was unbelievably DELISH! The hubby even loved it! ;)

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Hello Kitty

It's the silly things really.
Our plane trip from Manchester, NH to Seattle, WA.
 Like walking into Walmart. I dread going there and it is by far one of my least favorite places to shop. I'm more of a Target girl. But weirdly, it brings a comfort going there. My heart was heavy with home-sickness as I walked into the store this past week. It may sound silly, but going to Walmart reminds me of my sister. The time before last, I had been in Lacey, Washington visiting her. I have memories from last year of just her and I getting out after all the kids were in bed. Where did we go? Walmart. What else does a mother do when she has quiet moments but catch up on loose ends? 

I miss these wood floors & her hoodie.
 And what woman in her... well it doesn't matter how old she is, but she is a grown woman who is married and has 3 kids and owns Hello Kitty PJ pants. Of course I want to tease her about them, but really I love them and want to own a pair myself. 

Over the past 8 or so years our clothes have gone back and forth between the two of us. It isn't that the clothes she sends me super trendy or fancy, but it's the fact that they were hers that I love them so much. 

With our brood of 5 kids, one of which being a lil babe, we didn't get our usual snuggling in this past visit, or our late night talks (because 4 of our kids didn't think sleeping through the night was necessary). 

It may sound silly, but I wore her clothes 90% of the time I was there just to feel extra close to her. It's hard having part of your heart all the way on the other side of the continent, a 3 hour time zone difference. 

I may have to get a part-time job just to buy plane tickets so that I can visit her more than once a year. 

These two. Mys sister and niece. 

Friday, March 15, 2013

FULL Home { & Heart}

Since I was a young girl I have felt the burden for adoption. 
It was one of the things that drew my husband and I to each other. Our passion for providing a home to those who might otherwise not have one. It's taking being pro-life one step farther, to supporting life and giving hope and meaning to the lives of kids who haven't had any. 




The hubby's awesome shirt from his time in Uganda. 
True Love Waits: For God's sake wait (and my sake and your sake and Uganda's sake and...)


I have had the honor and joy to watch several friends now who have opened their hearts and their homes. This has been through the states foster system, local and international adoptions, and even creating a loving and mentoring relationship while fostering a safe and healthy home atmosphere for kids/ teens in their community.


Today I was overwhelmed to meet two precious little kids in the new home of my dear friend. She is one of the most beautiful and talented (seriously, she is talented at being a Mom) Mom's I have ever witnessed. Seeing dreams come true, on both ends, for the kids and the receiving family, is one thing I treasure most about this community I have of people loving on kids. 

We aren't sure what our burdened hearts mean for the future, but the journeys we have had have been savored to their max. This season of life, growing with a 3 year old and breathing in the sweetness of our new baby, this is our season. And right now, I'm taking in all the beauty of watching worlds collide. 



Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Color Orange

Today was my first trip out to do "big" errands since Jakob was born. (Ahem, he is three months old.) 
So that list containing batteries, light bulbs, big plastic storage bins (that boy is growing! and so is the big sister!), and other miscellaneous items that we have slowly run out of over the past 3+ months were all finally purchased. Alone. (*insert sigh of relief here)

I'm learning that loving my kid who is about to turn three years old looks very different than it did a year ago. Or six months ago. A read-adult may recall the book "The 5 Love Languages" and yes there is one on children as well. I found myself stumped tonight when I realized that my very own kid, this little one I brought into the world, actually has a love language. Of course she needs love and to feel loved, but what is it that I can do to make her feel SO loved?

Answer, buying her Hello Kitty foaming soap. 

It was such a joy to see the delight she found in my purchase to entice her to wash her hands more thoroughly.  She clung to that bottle of soap and declared "I love my special soap!" 
Girl just wants to feel special, you know?

In an effort to show this girl some love, to let her know that I thought about her and that I care, I picked out some fun nail polish. 

Leftover purple nails from our visit to Washington. The right hand never did get painted.

I can't wait until tomorrow when I pull out the nail polish I bought for her. 
Fact #1, we only have clear nail polish in stock. 
Fact #2, toddlers do not find clear nail polish exciting.