Blooming, Waiting, Wearing

I think I might be able to take the snow brush out of the minivan. 

Some little lettuces and their protectors

Raspberry patch

A sure sign it's been nice enough for outdoor play

Rhubarb torte (garden rhubarb)

 
As I'm waiting for new squishy baby snuggles with varying degrees of patience, I've been keeping busy with the expected things.  The deep freezer has a nice little stash of meals for when we come home from the hospital, our bags are ready, I have a great start on homeschool paperwork and curriculum choices for next year, and the laundry and dishes and general cleaning are under control. It remains to be seen whether the change is permanent, but at the moment I'm feeling like this pregnancy has really helped me be more disciplined about housework.  Not that I've arrived exactly, but improvement is encouraging, and it's nice to finally be at a place where I'm mainly doing proactive maintenance rather than reactively "putting out fires."  I keep telling myself, and daily life provides plenty of reminders--it's so much easier to form good habits than break bad ones. 

I am working with my kids so they learn good habits early, though sometimes I feel it's a little bit of "the blind leading the blind." :)    My 6 year old is increasingly helpful with housework; she's able to fold and put away her own laundry, empty the dishwasher of silverware and put it away neatly, run the vacuum for me, and dust.  What's more, she's delighted with the responsibility and is eager to help with these things.  My son just turned three and needs a lot more supervision with clean up tasks, but I'm hopeful that someday he'll be able to put away more than 2 Duplos before he starts building again. :)  He does love to carry things for me, so if it's simply a matter of "put this box over there" or "take your socks to the hamper," he's all over it.  I've also hung a little morning checklist in the kids' room to help get the day started smoothly, without a million repetitive verbal reminders from me:

If you've been reading this blog a while, you may remember a previous post about updating the kids' rooms.  Well, the little blue nursery has received a pink makeover and is ready for its new occupant.  I step in just to look at it several times a day.  Waiting.  And trying to rest in the fact that God has picked a birth date for this little one and is faithfully preparing her, and us, for that day. 

One of the things I'm most looking forward to is babywearing again.  I've so loved wearing both my children and am learning more all the time.  The most widely available options for babywearing--Snugli and Bjorn harness carriers that allow baby to face forward, are not the best.  Images from the International Hip Dysplasia Institute and this article from Boba help to explain why.  I also didn't find them very comfortable with my first child, which is how I ended up with a Moby and a Boba 2G SSC with my second. VAST improvement, and I've recommended both.  But with a summer baby on the way and the knowledge that I'll likely be doing more wearing than ever to keep up with my older kiddos, I started wondering whether there was another option that would be a little cooler than the Moby for both of us, while still providing good support for a newborn. Woven wraps fit that bill, and since I'm familiar with wrapping, the learning curve isn't too bad.  

Woven wraps breathe better and are supportive from birth through toddlerhood, don't stretch out so they don't require retying during extended periods of wear, and are safe for back carries. After reading and researching and price checking for months, I've picked up a few to try (a Dolcino, a Didymos, and a Wrapsody Bali Breeze).  I bought them all significantly under retail; the swap market for used wraps is ample.  Now, women around the world have been wearing their babies for centuries with basic fabrics and ties or whatever they could get their hands on, so I recognize that what I have is more than I need.  But I do hope that I'm accumulating some useful knowledge along with pretty fabric--I think babywearing can be such a help and a relief to mothers, and I've loved being able to recommend the Moby to friends and watch it be a blessing.  So, expect more on babywearing in the future--I have a whole lot of info and links to share for mamas interested in this topic, including some for those that are handy with a sewing machine and would like to go the DIY route.  But right now, my stash is waiting for a baby. Just like me. Thankfully 2 out of 2 kids have been worth the wait so far. :)

Good Friday

A prequel to last year's poem, Don't Look For Him Among the Graves.

image via stock.xchng

Good Friday

“My God, My God,” His wretched cry,

 “Why have you forsaken me?”

But no answer came to the man

Suffering on Calvary.

For the gruesome work had long been planned

It was what He came to do

And all that had now come to pass

Proved the Scriptures true.

Crushed He was, the Shepherd Good,

For the sake of all His flock,

He took our sins upon Himself

Upon that cursed rock.

Pierced in His hands and in His feet

Blood flowing from His side

Dark were hearts and dark the sky

The hour my Savior died.

He breathed His last, was taken away

And in the rising gloom

The bloody cross of Christ stood empty

As soon would the tomb.  

Isaiah 53

Matthew 27

Easy Butter Cookies for Absolutely Any Reason

After missing church for the second Sunday in a row due to self-imposed quarantine (colds, colds, colds), I was feeling the need for a cheerful little pick me up for myself and the kiddos.  We were already looking forward to our traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner of corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and soda bread...

but we had the whole day until then with nothing particularly pressing to do.  We hadn't made cutouts this past Christmas, so I pulled out the easiest recipe I know for butter cookies.  More like shortbread than a traditional sugar cookie, the recipe has only three ingredients and makes just enough cookies to walk that fine line between "this is such a fun time" and "if I have to frost one more cookie I am going to scream and show you some unorthodox spatula skills." :) From our huge collection of cutters, the kids picked an assortment of seasonal, unseasonal, and silly shapes.  Personally, I'm always in the mood for a dinosaur cookie.

Easy Butter Cookies (old Betty Crocker)

2 c. AP flour
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar

Sift together flour and sugar.  Beat in softened butter until a smooth dough forms (it'll start dry and crumbly, just keep beating).  Shape the dough into a round, wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Roll out chunks of chilled dough to 1/4" thick on a lightly floured surface, kneading the dough a few times with warm hands to get it workable.  Cut into desired shapes, and bake for 9-12 minutes until just set and beginning to brown. Cool, then frost. 

 Vanilla Butter Frosting (also Betty Crocker)


1/3 c. soft, unsalted butter
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
a few tablespoons milk

Beat vanilla into softened butter, then beat in powdered sugar, adding milk as necessary until a spreadable consistency is reached. 

The frosting sets up when cold (and I think these cookies taste best cold, anyway), so I pop the container in the freezer for a few minutes in between stacking layers of cookies. 

Chicken Pot Pie

First things first.  I am in the slough of despond over the fact that Google Reader is shutting down.  It feels a little bit like a break up.  It's always been there for me, you know?  I've moved over to Feedly because A) They promised a seamless transition from Reader and B) of all the sites I checked out based on the recommendations of CNET and LifeHacker, Feedly seemed best equipped to handle the influx of new users from Google.  Oh, and also C) it plays nice on both my desktop and my tablet, looking slick while still familiar. 

Next. Yesterday I bought a pair of used rollerblades and attempted them, in the house, at 30+ weeks pregnant.  I didn't die.  Skating and I do not have a good history; I have sprained something almost every single time I've tried.  It all started when I was 4, blissfully unaware of my own lack of skill, and sporting a shiny new pair of Fisher Price roller skates.  Well, I was out on our driveway, my mother ran inside for a second (I think the phone was ringing), and I took off with youth-inflated confidence. Two seconds later I went down hard on my tailbone and blacked out on the blacktop, scaring my parents half to death and earning myself the right to wear a huge, homemade tailbone pad for all future excursions.  There weren't many.  That was also the first time I blacked out at an inopportune moment, but there would be other occasions for that, too.  A number of years later I bought a pair of used roller blades (might have had Barbie branded on them, even) from a neighbor having a garage sale.  This time I wasn't taking any chances.  I strapped those babies on, borrowed my great grandmother's walker, and went hobbling down the sidewalk.  Took about 3 minutes to sprain my ankle.   From then on I swore off skating.  I sprained an ankle ice skating once too, so the form of skating made no difference.  Despite having quite the affection for shoes of all kinds, shoes with wheels or blades have never tempted me again.  I stood by and watched during friends' birthday parties at roller rinks and have subsequently insisted for last two decades that I can't, and never will, skate.

Having kids changes a lot of things.  My daughter had a great first experience with ice skating this past fall and has since expressed an interest in skating more often, so I've been on the lookout for both ice skates and roller skates for her when I visit thrift stores.  (Little lady thankfully seems to have her father's looks, brains, metabolism, and thus far, balance. She learned how to ride a bike without training wheels without having to sing Kumbaya to herself over and over to establish inner peace.  Yeah, that was me too.)  I'm expecting we will just buy the roller skates new in the end as the cost is minimal for a nice pair, but quality ice skates can get pretty spendy.  Anyway, to wrap this tale up, I was looking for her and ended up strapping a pair of women's blades on my feet.  They are far nicer than anything I've ever tried before, support my ankle (which my husband has been insisting has been the problem with every cheap pair I tried), and cost me $6.99.  So after this baby comes I will be having a better-equipped go at it, with nary a tailbone pad or a walker.  For the children.

At the same store I also found a very nice copy of a book I want to use for my son's preschool next year and was going to pay full price for, so that was exciting, and infinitely safer.

Yesterday was Pi Day.  And I made a pie.  The revolving door of cold season has opened upon our family once again, so I've been employed full time in nose wiping all week.  Chicken soup wrapped in pie made sense for that reason, too.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 T. butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large white potatoes, diced
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. carrots, diced 
1 large parsnip
1 c. frozen green bean pieces
12 oz. cooked, shredded chicken
32 oz. chicken broth
1 c. milk, or a mixture of milk and cream
1 1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon (if your broth is homemade and particularly flavorful, you may not need this)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 heaping tsp. dried parsley
1 bay leaf

For the crust:
2 c. AP flour
3 T. unsalted butter
2/3 c. shortening (I eyeball it for this dish, because cleaning shortening out of a measuring cup is no fun)
1 tsp. salt
3-4 T. ice cold water

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a stockpot, melt the butter and saute the onion and garlic for 3 minutes.  Add the potatoes, parsnips, and carrots, stir for an additional minute, then add the chicken broth, herbs, pepper, and bouillon and bring to a boil.  
3. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.  Add the peas, green beans, and chicken and continue to simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Check for seasonings. 
4. At this point my soup was not very soupy, so I did not feel the need to thicken the broth with flour before adding milk and cream.  If you like a very thick and creamy pot pie, make a slurry of a few tablespoons of flour and a tablespoon of cold water, and pour it in, stirring well until your soup thickens up, before adding the milk and/or cream. 
5. Remove your bay leaf, then transfer your chicken soup to a large, greased casserole dish.  I used a 9x13" pan.
6. Top with pie crust (see below) and bake for 30 minutes until lightly brown and bubbly. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

For pie crust:  Stir flour and salt together in a bowl.  Cut in fats with pastry cutter until chunks are pea-sized and smaller, then add cold water a few tablespoons at a time until the crust holds together.  Roll out on a floured surface.  

Chicken Fried Rice with Peanut Sauce

Fried rice takes a little planning ahead (unless you always have leftover cooked rice around), but once you have cooked, cooled rice, it comes together fairly quickly and makes a nice one-dish meal.  If you have some cooked chicken, pork, or beef leftover, it goes even faster. 

We are still working through this year's root vegetable harvest...my jaw dropped open and I made a high pitched noise of disbelief when my husband brought these carrots and parsnips in a few weeks ago during a mucky thaw.  And as this is just a fraction of the carrots taking up precious real estate in my fridge these days, I've been working them into our meals whenever possible.  

I don't remember how or why I came to pair this peanut sauce with fried rice.  It comes from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, and she calls it satay dipping sauce and pairs it with a grilled lemon chicken.  The only way it resembles the Thai peanut satay sauces I'm familiar with is the underlying flavor of peanut butter--with ketchup and without the fish sauce or curry paste, it's really more fusion than authentic.  But, it is tasty with fried rice and adds a nice mix of flavors and a little bit of heat, so I keep making it. 

 
Chicken Fried Rice

6 c. cooked and cooled Jasmine rice (2 c. uncooked)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" pieces*
1 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. rice wine
3 T. cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 small onion, diced OR 3 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
about 3-4 cups mixed vegetables, diced small (I like to use carrots, frozen sweet peas, and broccoli)
pinch of salt
soy sauce
canola or peanut oil

1. Marinate the chicken in soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine for 30 minutes.  Toss with cornstarch.  Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a wok over high heat and cook the chicken pieces.  Set aside.
2. Heat more oil if necessary, and stir-fry the onions, garlic, and other vegetables until just tender.  Season with pinch of salt. (Hard vegetables like carrots and broccoli will need more time than peas, so I usually add a tiny bit water to the wok, cover, and let them steam for a few minutes before adding my peas and finishing the stir-frying process.)
3. When the vegetables are cooked, add the eggs, stirring constantly to scramble them.    
4. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil, and working quickly, add the cold rice and chicken to the wok.  Stir and toss together with soy sauce to taste (add a tablespoon or so at a time).
5. Serve with peanut sauce if desired.

*Or skip this marinading and cooking step by substituting cooked beef, pork, or chicken cut into small pieces.

Peanut Sauce (adapted from Barefoot Contessa)

1 T. canola or peanut oil

1 T. dark sesame oil
2/3 c. onion, diced small
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or more, if you want this to be spicy)
2 T. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
1/4 c. ketchup
2 T. rice wine
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice

Cook the oil, sesame oil, onion, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a small, heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat until the onion is transparent. Whisk in the vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, ketchup, rice wine, and lime juice; cook for 1 more minute.