Attitude of Gratitude

I am working very hard to take my thoughts captive. Really, it is a challenge for me to do this so it takes almost constant effort. 

Everytime negative thoughts enter my mind, I am thanking The Lord for any and everthing I can think of in that moment. 

For example, we planned to get up early this Labor Day to get things completed in the classroom area before our first day of school tomorrow. I was unable to fall a sleet until 1:30am. I was up with the baby from 4:30am to after 5:00am so when my alarm click went off, I proceeded to hit snooze for a solid hour. 

It discouraged me because I told the kids I wanted to start early and here it is 8:00am and I'm just barely getting my eyes fully open. 

Instead if starting my day off feeling frustrated about things outside my control, I thanked God for babies who could tell me they were having trouble, beds, pillows, new days, a house to live in, etc.  Really think about it for a minute. What if you didn't have any of those tangible items I just listed. As simple as they seem, it would not be very fun to be homeless without a bed or pillow. It would be terrible if your baby couldn't let you know they had a problem - you would always have to be on alert for everything. And of course, new days bring new chances and new beginnings. 

Just that short list can really help me refocus and start from where I am. My perfectionistic tendencies make me want to throw in the towel when the plan doesn't go as, well, planned. This is what I'm working to overcome. Amongst many things. 

God created each of us for something very unique and special. When he told us "It is finished", he meant it. The redeemed need to walk in that redemption with purpose and victory. We are no longer slaves to sin. We have been bought with a very dear price. We are new creations!

Thank you Lord for your mercies - they are new every morning!  Even on the days your morning starts out later than you had planned. 

Works for Us!

I am hoping to capture a number of little things that help a mom running her home. 

(ok, it is really for me to keep track of these flashes of brilliance...quick, bright, and too soon forgotten)

I will post them as they come to me. 

Tip for cleaning up baby after meal:

Put baby body wash/shampoo in a foaming soap dispenser that sits by your kitchen sink. Use that soap to wash baby's face and hands after the meal. No worries it will sting her eyes and the diluted foam soap washes off easily. 

The purging continues!

This little project has now become someone else's little project. 

I feel a surge of energy with each item that leaves my home!

Onward and upward!

My Dad

My Dad died July 11, 2013.

I miss him so much. It is hard to not have someone in your life that has always been there. 

He wasn't just my dad he was my friend. 

I could call him any time of the night or day. He was always happy to talk with me. 

After we lost our baby, I thought my heart would never heal. When God sent us Grace Anne, it has been like a salve for my soul. I still feel sadness over Lydia, but that empty hole has been somewhat filled.  I don't know how this empty space   will ever be filled. Most likely it won't. 

Strange feeling I had today was like I didn't want much to change so my dad won't miss anything. Weird, I know. 

Still processing all of this. Not sure what else to say. 

Thank You Salvation Army!

Today the SA truck came and took all this stuff away. 

Now, I feel so much more free!

That cradle seemed to have a lot of emotional energy tied to it and I'm not sure why. It is not from my family, but it feels very sentimental to me for some reason. 

We continue to lighten our load and seek God's direction. 

Bye old stuff!  I hope you will bless others as you have blessed us!

Sent packing

Well, hopefully I will be able to say that at some point in the near future. 

What is going to be sent packing? Procrastination!

That is my goal. I don't know why I procrastinate. Fear of making the wrong decision? Laziness? Disliking change?  I'm sure at some point and on some level they are all true. 

I actually forget I even keep this blog. So, I'm really not procrastinating about this. Woohoo!

Today, I cleaned up around my sewing machine. It was getting pretty messy over there. I still need to complete some forms and I won't go to bed tonight until they are done. 

Baby steps.

Invisible accountability. I don't think anyone reads this blog, so I write whatever I want. It is more for me. 

Writing down goals and the accomplishments feels pretty good. 

Update: Forms are done!  Baby Steps!

Super Moon

Well, we took a few minutes to go outside and look at the super moon. It was noticeably brighter and it was fun to be a little bit crazy and let the kids go outside in their pjs. 

Sorry for the grainy photo. It was what we had. 

For more info on the super moon: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/super.moon.tonight.2013.june.22.23.facts.full.perigee.moon.video/32937.htm

Our Blessing

So I realized I had not posted in such a long time and thought I'd better fix that. 

We were thrilled to find out that we were expecting last year. Lots of anxiety dominated my mind because of loosing Lydia. We didn't share our good news publicly until I was more than 6 months along. I just didn't want to go through that all over again. 

We are pleased to introduce another member of our family, Grace Anne. 

She is a honey and I feel so thankful and blessed to be mothering an infant again. I love her so much!  I find it amazing how I can love each of my children so fully. Gives me a tiny glimpse of how much God loves all of us. 

What's for dinner?

Dinner was in the crockpot before breakfast even started. For me, this is a good sign that it's going to be a good day!

Slow Cooker Savory Pork Roast

4-5 lb. pork loin roast

1 large onion sliced

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp garlic powder

Place roast and onion in slow cooker. Add bay leaf, soy sauce and garlic powder. 

Cover. Cook on High for 1 hour then on Low for 6 hours. 

Slice and serve. 

This is really yummy and one of our favorites. 

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe (again, couldn't post to Pinterest...)

Makes 12 rolls
INGREDIENTS:
Rolls:
¾ cup buttermilk, warm (I pour the buttermilk in a glass liquid measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute on 50% power)
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
4 ¼ cups (21 ¼ ounces) flour
¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
Filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Glaze (or use the delicious cream cheese frosting from this recipe):
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) confectioners sugar
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
For the dough, whisk the warmed buttermilk and butter together in a large liquid measuring cup. Combine 4 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt together in a standing mixer fitted with dough hook (or you can use a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or electric handheld mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and eggs and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (knead for 15-18 minutes by hand). If after 5 minutes of kneading, the dough is still overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but has a slight tacky feel when pressed between your fingertips. (See this tutorial for a visual.)
Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, around 2 to 2 ½ hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
Meanwhile, lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish (if doubling the recipe, I’ve found using a large rimmed baking sheet, 11X17-inches, works great). In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter (I use my trusty roul’pat for this step) and press it into a 16 by 12-inch rectangle (if you have doubled the recipe, split the dough in half and roll out one half at a time). Gently brush the softened butter over the rectangle, using an offset spatula or rubber spatula. Sprinkle on the brown sugar mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the top and bottom edges. Lightly use the palms of your hands to press the brown sugar mixture into the butter, adhering it to the dough.
Lift the longest edge closest to you and begin rolling the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and roll the log so it is seam side down. Gently stretch the log to be 18 inches in length with an even diameter all the way throughout and pat the ends to even them up.
Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 12 evenly sized rolls (or more if you like your rolls thinner). Arrange the rolls cut side down on the prepared baking pan and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden on top and cooked through but not overly browned.
While the rolls are baking, mix the softened cream cheese and buttermilk together until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix. Whisk in the confectioner’s sugar. Add additional milk or buttermilk one teaspoon at a time until desired glaze consistency is reached. It should be thick yet pourable. Drizzle the warm rolls with the glaze.

Bon Appetit Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls

Taken from the Bon Appetit website - but as it wouldn't post to Pinterest, Making a copy here.

 

Ingredients

dough

• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 4 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
• 3 1/4-ounce envelopes active dry yeast (scant 2 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons sugar

filling

• 1 1/3 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
• 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature

glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons (or more) whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Preparation

dough

• Combine potatoes, 2 cups water, and 1 tablespoon coarse salt in large saucepan. Boil until potatoes are very tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Mash potatoes with water in pan (do not drain water). Add butter and mash until butter is melted. Whisk in eggs, then 1 cup flour; mash until very smooth. Let potatoes stand until barely lukewarm, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour 1/2 cup warm water into large bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; stir in yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add potato mixture to yeast mixture; mix on low speed until well blended, 2 minutes. Mix in 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well. Beat until sticky dough forms.
• Spread 1/2 cup flour on work surface. Scrape dough out onto floured work surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 8 minutes.
• Coat large bowl with butter. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make filling

• Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in medium bowl. Using fork, mix in butter.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Turn dough out onto well-floured work surface. Roll out dough to 24x16-inch rectangle. Sprinkle filling evenly over dough. Starting at 1 long side, roll up dough jelly-roll style, enclosing filling. Using large knife dipped in flour, cut roll crosswise into 12 pieces. Transfer rolls to baking sheet, spacing rolls about 3/4 inch apart. Cover baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 20 minutes (rolls will be very puffy).
• Bake cinnamon rolls until golden, about 20 minutes. Cool rolls 10 minutes on baking sheet.

Meanwhile, make glaze

• Whisk powdered sugar, melted butter, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, and coarse salt in small bowl. If glaze is too thick to spread, add more milk by 1/2 teaspoonfuls as needed. Spread glaze over warm rolls.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/03/yukon_gold_cinnamon_rolls#ixzz1lHn2VOSX