HappyMama

Thursday.  Mom’s nite out!  I finally put my bike in the back of the truck & drove over to a nearby trail & went for a ride.  It was quite refreshing.  When I got back home I took the boys out - one in the jogging stroller, one on a trike, & one on a bike.  We stopped at a nearby mound of dirt & I let ‘em loose.  In a matter of minutes the boys became explorers, mountain climbers, volcanologists, skiers, archaeologists, and members of a rescue team.  Such delightful shouting and imaginary play!  The mound is about 8′ high by 40′ long.  At one point the 4 year old decided to try to slide down the steepest face and ended up falling head first to the ground, getting scrapes on his face & shoulder, but he was way more humbled than hurt, saying “I think I made a mistake.”  When the sun was almost down and I said it was time to leave he said, “I want to live here!”

We’re wearing jackets!  I can’t believe it.  The scorching month of August is over.  For 4 weeks straight we couldn’t leave the house without the baby getting a heat rash.  Today we walked from the house to the car & his lips turned a little purple, and big brother said he looked “like a girl.”  (Sometimes I wear a purplish lipstick.)

The cool air is absolutely refreshing.  The change of season, however exciting, also brings to my core a twinge of anxiety.  Time is the measure of change; the change of season is the gentle, but not-so-subtle way God reminds us of the passing of time.  Another summer is here & gone… was it time well spent? 

What we’ve been up to lately:

• 4 of us 5 have had colds for over a week now, just won’t go away and it’s a real drag.
• Our eldest has begun violin lessons!  Mom & dad are going to learn, too.  A family project.  At least that’s the plan.  This way the younger ones can take lessons from me.  I plan to start piano lessons with them next year.   That’s assuming we can swing a keyboard out of the budget.
• hubby continues to work on our basement.  He’s made a lot of progress this year and is currently trying to determine what type of pipe to buy for the bathroom sink.  I’m sure our guests will appreciate the privacy of their own bathroom when they visit.
• Our baby will be a toddler - officially - in a couple weeks.  I honestly can’t believe it.  Seems like he was born a couple weeks ago.  Anyway, we’ve started teaching him to sign, and he’s got “ceiling fan” down pat.  He’ll say “more” and “pick me up” on occasion.  He loves communicating with us.  And he still grins constantly. 
• My brother is returning from Italy soon - prayers for safe travel welcome!
• My sister-in-law is expecting!  Prayers for safe pregnancy!
• I’m still occasionally reading & fully in awe of von Hildebrand’s book Transformation in Christ.  Put it on your Christmas list!

And finally, a glimpse of our eldest child building words with his movable alphabet, a favorite activity.  It starts with a challenge by me, along the lines of, “can you think of a word that ends with -ill?”  And he says, “Aunt Jill!  pill!  till!”  And for the next 40-50 minutes, he’ll sit there, building words on his own, and then towards the end, just doing “creative” art:

Company is a great excuse to make our favorite desserts.  Yesterday I made a chocolate swirl cheesecake for dessert today, and apparently this time it was my 4-year-old who, in his own words, “just couldn’t help myself.”  He willingly confessed, with pride, to “checking to see if it was still hot.  It wasn’t!”  So much for a beautiful presentation.  (This is hubby’s favorite dessert.  Let me know if you want the recipe!)

On a healthier note, I also made a pasta/vegetable salad that our neighbor, Paul, brought to a party a few weeks ago.  He said his mom got the recipe from a chef.  I thought it was fun to try out, because it has ingredients I haven’t used before - the orzo and the fresh cilantro.  Plus, it’s just fun to say “orzo”.

Orzo Salad

Vinaigrette:

• 1/3 C Red wine vinegar
• 1/2 C chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 T Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 T dark brown sugar
• 2/3 C olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. ground black pepper

Salad:

• 3 C orzo
• 1 yellow & 1 red bell peppers cut into 1/4″ pieces
• 2 habanero chilies diced (opt.)
• 1 C whole medium pitted olives, halved
• 1 C golden raisins
• 1/2 C chopped Italian parsley
• 1/3 C diced red onion
• 10 oz. frozen sweet peas, cooked & chilled
• salt & pepper to taste

Cook orzo according to directions, rinse & drain.  Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients well and toss with orzo, then add everything else.  Chill overnight, but serve room temperature.

http://tinyurl.com/yxewot