Ramblings

After adding an additional medication for my depression, which had been acting up off and on since last fall, I've been feeling some renewed life in my mind and body for a few weeks now. As one who prefers not to take any medicine, I wasn't thrilled at first that I needed to add another one. But if the new combination improves the quality of my daily life, and therefore my family's, then gladly take it I will!

Signs of spring, highly anticipated, are slowly arriving! We saw our first robins a couple weeks ago and even more birds are showing up every day. Snow piles are finally gone. Longer hours of daylight. The trampoline is up and running. And the dog is tracking mud into the house if we don't catch him in time - not my favorite sign of spring!

We enjoyed a visit from Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) this past weekend. My mom and I sorted through and organized several boxes of their photos that they brought up. Especially fun was seeing some oldies but goodies from the 70's and 80's!  Always brings back memories and lots of "Oh, I remember that!". My muscles are still thanking me for a game of bowling on Saturday. Grandpa is a great bowler; the kids love to bowl with him. Isaac even beat Grandpa by one point on the first game with a score of 170! How's that for a 12 year old against a 40-year bowling veteran?

I've gotten into a much-needed whirl of scrapbooking since a cropping weekend away with three friends in February. I'm quite behind - I'm still working on 2006, but I'm making progress and am hoping to keep up my momentum on into 2007 and 2008. It feels good to be accomplishing something creative and productive!

Chicken Corn Chowder

This is adapted slightly from a recipe my mom made often when I was growing up.  Then, it was just Corn Chowder, and we often ate it with grilled cheese sandwiches. It's a quick and easy recipe.

My sister first made it with chicken and that's how we prefer it now.  My kids love this; they wouldn't care if I made it once a week, any time of the year!

Chicken Corn Chowder

4 slices bacon, diced (optional)

1 med. onion, diced

2 – 3 med. or 4 small red potatoes, ½” cubed

¾ - 1 c. chicken broth/stock

1 (12oz) can evaporated milk

1 (15 oz) can cream-style corn

¾ c. frozen corn

1 – 1 ½ c. cooked chicken, cubed

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

In large pot, cook bacon until crisp. Take out and set aside.

Saute diced onion in bacon grease until tender. (If omitting bacon, just use a couple tablespoons of your favorite oil. But be warned that you’ll miss some good flavor and, of course, the marvelous smell of bacon cooking!)

Add cubed potatoes and enough broth so the potatoes are just covered. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 12 – 15 minutes.

Add milk, corn, chicken, and spices. Simmer on low until heated through, about 10 minutes.  Stir bacon pieces in just before serving or sprinkle on top of each bowl.

It IS coming, It IS coming ...

SPRING that is!

I do love winter, for a couple months anyway ...the quiet beauty of softly falling snow, a fresh white blanket of snow covering that makes everything look clean and calm, the beauty of bare trees branches reaching up into a clear blue winter sky ... But I'm officially over it now!

So yesterday I changed our computer background photo from a snowy picture to this, as a reminder that winter really will end.

(this photo was taken in Holland, MI at the end of April last year)

Come soon Spring!

He Will Enable

Being a mom is hard.

Being a homeschooling mom is really hard.

Being a homeschooling mom with chronic health issues is extremely hard.

When my health is not so great, when I get discouraged with the ups and downs, I often wonder how in the world my kids ever learn anything!  But somehow, they do! I'm thankful that my older two work independently in most subjects now. But still, some things are skipped more often then I'd like. Sometimes it ends up taking two years to get through one year of history. But they are learning. And more importantly, they are gaining godly fruit and character, despite my limitations!

When my health is inconsistent, I also miss out on other activities and things I'd like to do. It's easy to start feeling sorry for myself when I can't do as much as "normal" people do in a day; or I can't commit to something as simple as a weekly Bible study. I don't make as many plans as I used to, because I never know if I'll be able to follow through.

But one thing God has shown me in more than one way the past couple months is this:

He enables me to do what He calls me to do.

What has God called me to do right now, at this point in my life? Be a wife, a mom, and homeschool my boys. That's all!  Those are my God-given priorities. That's where I need to pour my energy, little as it may be on some days.

All those other things don't matter. I can't be frustrated with God when He doesn't supply energy for all the activities I "wish" I could do. That's not what He has promised.

When I feel as though I'm failing at those three roles, if I stand back and re-focus my perspective, I realize that God really IS enabling me to do those things which He has called me to do.  Maybe not in my ideal way, but it's enough! I just need to keep my focus on Him and His promises, not on me and my limitations.

It's the Future, Mom!

Driving in the car with Aaron (7) today, the low gas light came on with a beep, which Aaron recognizes. He said "Uh Oh! We need gas!"  I told him that Dad would get it later, because he has the gas gift card. I have a dislike for filling the van with gas, so I love that my husband usually does it for us.

I asked Aaron if he will get gas for his wife when he's married. He replied, "Yes, I will!  BUT, there might not be gas anymore! It will be the future!"  Cute.  Also cute, by the way, is how he likes to make faces of his letters:

In other news, we are expecting a foot or more of snow tonight and tomorrow. We're excited!  It's been a mild winter here in our part of MI, precipitation-wise. Several storms has stayed south of us. So we're ready and waiting for the Big Storm to actually materialize and give us some real Michigan winter weather!

The Snow is Always Smoother . . .

 * This is a re-post from January 2009. I liked it then and it's still true now, so I thought I'd share it again! *

You know what they say -

"The snow is always smoother on the other side of the fence". (Don't they?)

Here's a picture I took today over the fence, of our next door neighbor's back yard:



And here's a picture of our backyard:



Our neighbors are in their early 60's and their children are grown and out of the house. Their backyard looks peaceful and serene. Our yard doesn't. Our yard has obviously seen lots of activity - trampled on over and over again by 3 boys and a dog. Some days I look over the fence and envy the calm.

I know, I know; some day our yard will look like our neighbor's, and I'll eventually find myself missing those footprints all over the back yard . . .

But still, for now, can't I sneak over the fence and live over there every once in a while?

Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

My youngest loves Ranch dressing - on salads, with chicken nuggets, and for dipping carrots.  He wants "carrots and Ranch" almost every day. But I was not impressed with some of the ingredients in his Hidden Valley addiction.

Thus began a search for a homemade recipe that he would like.  I first tried 2 recipes from friends, but neither were quite right and Aaron didn't like them. Finally I found a recipe for a dry mix. After tweaking the amounts of the perishable ingredients, I found success! Here's my slight adaptation of the recipe, found at cooksrecipes.com.

Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

1/2 cup dry buttermilk powder
1 Tb dried parsley, crushed
1 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

* Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until well blended and powdery.

* Store in container in refrigerator.

To use mix: 
* Combine 1 Tb dry mix with 1/4 c milk and 1 c mayonnaise. Mix well and keep refrigerated.

The original recipe had more milk in it, and it came out very runny.  So you can adjust the amount of seasoning mix, milk, and mayo to your liking. The buttermilk powder made a big difference in taste compared to recipes without it. You can find it in the baking isle.