Summer Lovin'

I love summer.  So many reasons why...

Galina meeting a peacock at the zoo.

Her reaction was priceless.

It's never a bad day when you get to go to the zoo.

Brielle along for the ride.

Quite literally, on the zoo train.

And  here are her siblings with their friend, Michael.  So much for Brielle to watch. There's never a dull moment, to be sure.

And sitting in the wagon for the first time.  What a big girl!

Treyton getting so excited over T-ball.  He just loves it!  Here he is at his first practice of the summer.

Treyton's girlfriend, Addison (red pants), is also on his team.  She was his preschool sweetheart. 

Playing at the park.  Here's Brielle in her first swing ride.

Treyton playing pirate on his "ship".

Galina havin' fun no matter where she is.

Hiking with the family.

Me and the runts.

Bryce navigating through the terrain, in a very scientific manner of course.

Brielle holding on for dear life.

He will always be my baby!

This is our definition of eating out. :)

Playing in the backyard.

I love these dog days of summer!

Book Review - What Happened to my Life

This book is really two in one. In the first half, Demeter (life coach, president and founder of Women of Purpose ministry) engages readers in an honest look at their lives. She covers topics such as expectations, time and emotional expenditures, habits, and causes of discontent. She then takes a look at how to rectify these issues through her own and other women’s personal stories.

The second half of the book is a 40 day study to help readers discover new, healthy, spiritual ways to rediscover contentment and joy.
I thought this book was pretty good. It was very self-helpish. I found myself reading quickly through many parts thinking…okay, I know this. But there were some new insights as well which I was grateful for. I liked the idea of really, truly believing God’s principles as defined in the Bible, not just knowing them. Winning the battle in one’s mind and how that relates to contentment/joy was the main message of this book which was a good reminder for me.

I have not done the entire 40 day study yet, but appreciate Demeter taking her ideas and helping readers apply them through further exercises to help her message stick.

Mother's Day Surprise

This was my sister 39 weeks pregnant.

Later on Mother's Day, this was my sister.

Can you think of a more perfect day to have a baby? 

Welcome to the world, Cali Kay!

Now big brother Carter has someone to protect.

Congrats to my little sis and bro-in-law.  She's a drop of heaven here on earth!

Free Play

This is what my kids are doing right now.

Free play at its best.

And a brother and sister who relish in it.

As do I.

Now how the heck are we going to get upstairs to take a nap?!?!

A Boy and a Cat

Polly loves Treyton.

Treyton loves Polly.

It's a beautiful thing, really.

Polly was once the queen of the castle.  Now she's the queen of the basement.

Kids have a way of changing the dynamics of a family, kitty included.

No matter, she's still loved.

Book Review- This Fine Life

This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson is a great story that surrounds a journey of love, loyalty, and determination. Mariette, the main character and whose perspective tells the story, is a believable character. Struggles of obedience, purpose, emotion, submission all face this young woman at the beginning of the book. It started a little slow, but since the prologue was curious, I read on. It wasn’t long before I was caught up in the tale.
The book is divided into segments which mark different phases of Mariette’s life. The flow and pace of the book is good, not too fast or slow. Dialogue was believable and problems true to life. I could relate to the struggles and joys which took place in this story. It was beautifully written. The characters had a way of staying with me even when I wasn’t reading the book. I only wish for a sequel!

If you are looking for a book that’s easy to read, relaxing, and in a sense, motivating, this book fits the bill.

(Available May 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.)

Artichokes

While we're on the subject of food, I just had to share this.  Most kids cry and whine for candy at grocery stores.  (By the way, whoever thought of putting that stuff at the checkouts was NOT a mom.)  But my kids beg for....are you ready....artichokes*!  No, I'm not kidding.  They love them.

I got sick of them eating mine so the other day I bought them their very own artichokes.  You'd have thought it was their birthday.

They ate the entire thing!

Ahh, makes a momma proud, like maybe I'm doing something right afterall.

(*Full disclosure:  My kids beg for candy at the checkouts too.)

Orange Coffee Cake

If my last post wasn't your style, maybe this one is. It's perfect for a mother's day brunch, or Easter, or a bridal shower. It was super scrumptious!

Orange Coffee Cake

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon melted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
2/3 cup orange juice
1 orange, zested - (I don't zest oranges.  But Super Target sells dried orange zest in its spice area.  You simply replace the fresh with the spice kind.  For this recipe, I used 4 tsp of Archer Farms orange zest.  They sell lemon zest too!)
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10 inch round cake pan.

2.In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1 tablespoon melted butter.

3.In a large bowl, mix the 2 cups flour, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the 1/2 cup melted butter, orange juice, orange zest, and eggs. Stir the melted butter mixture into the flour mixture until well blended. Transfer to the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle with the brown sugar mixture.

4.Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meat Hater

I took a bite out of the kids' hot, juicy grilled hamburger yesterday and had to spit it out.  Same thing happened when I tried to eat a spoonful of taco meat last week.  It's getting worse...my dislike of red meat.

Then there's cheese. Unless it's ricotta or cottage (which I like), to me cheese is like eating the gristle and fat which is cut off of a T-bone or sirloin steak.  Same texture in my mind.

I tolerate chicken and turkey but would rather choose whole grains, beans, or veggies.  And peanut butter, OH HEAVEN!  If they don't have PB in heaven I don't want in.  Well, not really, but you get my point.  I eat it several times throughout the day.
 
All this made me start thinking about whether or not I'm getting enough protein in my diet.  So I did some reading and learned that I am getting way more protein that I ever though possible!  My love of whole grains, beans, veggies, and PB in combinations make whole proteins.  Yee-haw!  I am going to continue to learn about vegetarian eating even though I'm NOT a vegetarian, just to be sure I've got my i's dotted and t's crossed.
 
While reading I discovered a "new" ancient grain called quinoa.  It's an interesting food that contains enough amino acids to make a complete protein in and of itself.  I decided to try it out.  The result:  loved it!  So far I've tried two recipes using it and I enjoyed both.  Here's one:
 
 

Quinoa and Black Beans

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional for garnish)

Directions
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and saute until lightly browned.
Add garlic and saute an additional 30 seconds. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with chicken broth.  Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.  Stir frozen corn and black beans into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through.
 
Well, I burned the onions and left out the garlic too.  I didn't bother with cilantro.  But even despite my horrible cooking, I really liked it!

My 3

It doesn't get better than this.

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.

Easter Moments

Yeah, I'm a little late in posting these but better late than never, right?  This year the kids came downstairs to their Easter baskets from Grandma and Grandpa Cox.  Very fun and personal goodies for each of the kids!

Galina especially loved her Fancy Nancy book.

Treyton enjoyed a little wind up bug that flipped over.

They both got one!

Brielle got a little lamb; it's fleece was white as snow.

She liked the box too.

Galina had to come over and check it all out, of course.

Brielle doesn't always know what to do with Galina.  Neither do I for that matter.

Then it was time to get ready for church.  Easter service is my most favorite church service of the whole year.

The joy, the hope found in our Savior's resurrection is palpable on Easter at church.

Galina didn't want to take her dress off for three days.  She even slept with it at nap time. 

Treyton was pretty proud of his tie too. Boy did he feel grown up! He kept showing us his muscles.

It was a happy Easter indeed!

Book Review - If I Could Ask God Anything

If I Could Ask God Anything, by Kathryn Slattery is a book geared towards elementary aged kids attempting to answer questions of faith, religion, and life. It is divided into sections organized by questions based on a topic: God, The Bible, Prayer, Being a Christian to name a few. Each answer includes relevant Bible verses which is helpful.

To me, this book was okay but definitely not my favorite. I think that several questions were not really answered. Of course it’s hard to agree on everything relating to some big theological issues, but I felt that several fell short of my expectations. The Bible itself answers many of these questions better. Oversimplification was a problem as well as some answers I may not totally have agreed on. But all in all, it was a good book, just not one that I would solely use without some active parenting.