In Which I Attempt to Crack a Coconut

I'm a made-from-scratch kind of girl.  I'm usually undaunted by trying to create dishes from real foods so after having passed coconuts many times and having told the kids, "One day we'll get a coconut" I decided to finally do it.

I googled directions, first draining the liquid then whacking it soundly with a hammer.  That was the easy part.  Actually prying out the flesh was difficult and then those morsels had to be shaved and toasted.

While I'm glad we tried it, I believe it was my last go at fooling with a real coconut.  I'll pay the extra to have my neatly shredded coconut made for me.

Stoplight

 

 

Fruit bowl style.

Snapshot: 5:43 pm

April Fools

Playing catch-up doesn't leave much time for planning ahead so at 8pm on March 31 I was scraping the bottom for tricks.  This time Google was no help (tricks were too messy or involved food items that aren't on the menu around here).  What to do?

 

This year it was Dinner for Breakfast, an all around treat for everyone.

 

I pulled out my emergency stash of frozen chicken nuggets and fries (not normal fare but a definite staple in the freezer for those times when you need something quick), divided a couple of stray cans of Coke, and pulled out our 62 oz. bottle of ketchup (I think we need one of those pump-style dispensers).

 

And in the spirit of mixing things up, we had Breakfast for Dinner: eggs, muffins, pancakes, bacon, and juice.

December Photo Project: Day 18

You can't see their pointed ears but note the red pants (Doug would describe them as "garish").

 

 

The big boys (who can keep secrets) served as Santa's assistants today.  The only comment was "we got two things I think you're going to like."

 

 

And if you are on my Christmas card list and have been anxiously checking your mailbox for a card, it should be coming soon.  I was a little late in ordering this year, and Snapfish was even slower in delivering (nothing snappy about it).  Maybe I'll get them addressed and stamped before Christmas Eve.

Washing Machines

I may not have an indoor laundry room, but I am very thankful for my washing machine

(and my mother's, in this case).

 

 

The kids had an acute case of cabin fever so I sent them outside.

I completely forgot that the lot was also a construction site and there was melted snow,

the combination of which equals MUD.

 

Josie often looks like a ragamuffin anyway, but stuck in the mud, she looked downright pitiful.

 

 

She was extricated and my dear father washed her boots clean.

 

And speaking of stuck?

 

While the hinterlands may have bowling, there is no cable so the guys were forced to get the games on Wi-Fi.  The iPhone was a couple of minutes behind which proved beneficial as we got to see the end of the Alabama-Auburn game twice.  Even this lukewarm fan was excited.

Katherine at Four Months

Darling baby.

A year ago you were only a secret.

 

 

A tiny life.

 

 

A dream.

 

A sweet swelling of my heart.

And all the dreaming

and longing

and wondering is over

for we hold the real thing in our arms.

So thankful for you, little one! 

Glowing

If "no one can be uncheered with a balloon,"

then certainly no one can be uncheered by this loveliness.

 

 

I am so thankful for this beautiful sight outside my bedroom window.

Cookie Monster

She's always had a thing for cookies which is funny since I don't make them very often.

 

We did a school project involving Oreos, and as I walked out of the kitchen to change a diaper, I reasoned to myself that it would probably be better to just move the cookie package to the other side of the counter than mention the word and cause a frenzy.

Wrong choice.

A resourceful girl, she simply moved a kitchen chair to get a treat.

So thankful for her ingenuity.

Distractions

The past week has been full of coughing, runny noses, gastric distress, low grade fever, and wine whine. (If it had been the former, I'd be a passed-out drunk).

 

Needless to say, co-op was a no-go today.

While I do generally limit TV viewing, there are stages when a desperate mom will resort to anything.  Nights like last night will bring you to your knees.  Ms. Frizzle again?  Sure.  Curious George?  Why not.  Sesame Street?  It's educational!

 

And I was glad I gave in to Sesame Street.  I think Andrew saw one episode when he was 2.  Otherwise I hadn't seen it since my childhood.  But it was great to travel down memory lane with this hilarious short.

 

 

And this more modern piece.

 

 

It's pretty sad when this is the highlight of your day, but I'm so thankful for PBS.

Bittersweet

We have been richly blessed to have wonderful neighbors, especially Mrs. Parker.

 

 

Her granddaughter told me recently that she really doesn't like children but she finds ours delightful.  We've swapped stories and cups of sugar; neighborhood news and gardening advice.

 

 

About a month ago she moved to a townhouse a stone's throw away.  Today an estate company came to remove the remainder of her belongings.  I watched, feeling that it was somehow wrong to have so many collected treasures carted away by oversized men who'll sell them for a pittance to gawking Saturday shoppers.

Bringing treats to the boys, her eyes filled with tears, saying it was just so hard to watch, even worse than moving.  So many memories filled the home that she had shared with her husband for over 40 years and in a matter of hours it was reduced to a bare house, merely walls and a roof.

It leaves me hungry for those treasures which can't be carted away.

Barefoot Days

So thankful for these dirty, little toes.

 

And barefoot days in November.

One Decade

Worship today was just like stepping back in time.

 

Familiar faces in the same dilapidated building with it's beautiful exposed bricks; a taste of heaven as the music filled the room; truth spoken by the most humble of hearts; remembrance of those who were there 10 years ago who have moved on or gone Home;  delight over the many who have been born into and joined this covenant family; anxious hope for what lies ahead.



The Girl and Her Buppy

Thirty minutes before we host our small group,

 

 

Josie walks in the kitchen

 

 

and throws up in the floor.

 

She's still feeling puny but we are all thankful for her special lovey 

(and the washing machine that's doing extra duty).

"Knockies"

 Or "po-nickels"

 

 

I thought they were absolutely adorable, but the boys laughed at her and called them "horns."

I'm going to have to work on getting them even (and doing something about the pieces in the front), but I'm impressed she kept them in for church and then some.  Makes me smile!

Snapshot: 6:04 pm

I'm not sure what they were doing, but they remind me of the Lost Boys.

 

And look who's bringing up the rear?

The fun days of childhood.

In Disguise



It looks like just a little twig.

 



But sharp-eyed Andrew saw through the camouflage.

 



Is it crazy to take so many pictures of an insect?

 

 

I think we've all gotten bitten by the bug-finding bug.

Snapshot: 1:27 p.m.

I've met more than one person who seems to think I have it all together.  I really doubt there are so many delusional people in my community, but I'm here to set things straight (at least concerning housekeeping).

 

I am not one of those who chooses cleaning over sleep.  When the baby sleeps, I sleep (or teach or shower or blog or read); I don't clean.  And sometimes I am too exhausted to do the dishes from dinner after kids have been read to and finally put in their beds for the last time.  And sometimes, I may happen to leave chicken broth cooking for multiple days.

And while I don't like to operate under such messy conditions (and I quickly reach the breaking point), it's really okay.  Sometimes I need to go to bed at 8:30.  Sometimes I have to run out the door in the morning.  Sometimes I choose mentally vegetating over doing dishes.

Just keepin' it real.

Josie and Baby Kat-too

We've been really blessed that Josie has taken so fondly to her sister.

 

 

 

 

I hope that she will always be as tender and kind-hearted.