Ordinary Exultations

Stream of consciousness daily happenings

2011-12-06T17:48:00.001-08:00

7:36am A tiny, hoarse whisper in my ear wakes me up: "Mommy...it's 9 o'clock" This is funny because no matter how late Dane works, I always send the kids in to wake him up at 9am. So they think any wake-up time is 9 o'clock. I hoist Ember up into our bed to snuggle between us for just a few more minutes. This is a third trimester luxury for me. Usually I try to wake up one to two hours before the kids for my workout, prayer, and Bible time, but for the last few months I've been hitting snooze until they're awake.

8:00am I can't put it off any longer. By now Katelyn has joined us and the girls are wrestling over covers and pillows and space. We head into the kitchen and they "help" me make oatmeal and scrambled eggs. Everyone has a scratchy throat and stuffy nose so I serve breakfast with a side of vitamin C, echinacea, and quercetin on top of our regular vitamins, probiotics, and fish oil. I feel like a homeopathic pharmacist (if there is such a thing) by the time I'm done.

9:00am The dishes are done and the laundry is going, and I am supposed to send Dane and the girls out to run errands, because Tuesday is Deep Clean The House Day. But instead I find myself asking him to put everything off until Thursday, and just hang out instead. It doesn't take a lot of convincing. We drink coffee and watch a movie while the girls destroy the sunroom. At some point I get everyone dressed and make a batch of bread dough for the week. Dane and I finally chat about our Christmas budget and Big Give offering - God has given us each separately identical amounts again this year. Truly cool.

12:00pm We're still full from breakfast, so I pull out the playdough and let the girls roll, shape, and mash to their hearts' content while I attempt to make paper snowflakes for the windows. To my amazement, they actually look pretty cute. Dane is ready for work. He kisses us goodbye and leaves, his exit sending a blast of icy air our way. Yeah, I am NOT leaving the house today.

1:00pm Lunch. Black beans, cheese, apple sauce. I was feeling lazy (if I haven't already made that obvious).

2:15pm The dishwasher is humming and the sunroom is tidied up as I set up the pack'n'play in the master bathroom. The girls still can't nap in the same room successfully. Ember is the happiest little napper these days. I scoop her up and give her a hug before depositing her into her snug nest with her blankie, Peep the sheep, and paci. I won't hear from her for three hours. I send Katelyn to her room to put away laundry. I settle down with the laptop to take care of emails, meal planning, and scheduling, and remember to drink some water.

5:15pm Ember is up! The girls play a hybrid pretend game of Peter Pan and cats/dogs while I make my new favorite soup , salad, and a loaf of bread.

6:30pm Dinner. I'm starving.

7:00pm Baths. The new Dora shampoo is a hit.

7:30pm Jammies. Brush teeth. Comb hair. We're leaving for my midwife appointment at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning, so I lay out their clothes to expedite that sure-to-be-hectic departure while I supervise Katelyn finishing up the laundry task I gave her five hours ago.

8:00pm Switch on the noise-maker and say a quick blessing over the babies. Good night.

8:15pm Sit down to write this and while doing so, realize I forgot to do our Jesse Tree devotional. We'll have to double up tomorrow. Dane will be home in a couple of hours, and I'm giving myself until then to get the dinner dishes clean...so rocking on the yoga ball while watching Netflix it is. I may even have a cup of hot chocolate.

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If you made it through all that...bless you. Today was so comfy and lazy I don't want to forget it.

PeiWei Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls

2011-11-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

I've had certain cravings that have appeared each pregnancy. PeiWei's Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls are always on the list. So I set out to recreate the dish at home. I've never attempted copying a recipe without a tutorial, so this is fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style. Nevertheless, it turned out beautifully. This is one of my favorite restaurant meals and I think it tastes nearly identical. Oh, and it's gluten free!

Please excuse the photos...the cell phone was closer than my camera and these days that matters a lot!

Don't let the lengthy ingredient list turn you off...most of the sauce ingredients I had on hand and everything is easy to make. Promise.

Homemade Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls

Ingredients:
3-4 sprigs Fresh Mint

2 handfuls Lettuce (I just used green leaf lettuce)

2 handfuls Napa Cabbage

2 Carrots

2 Green Onions

1/2 cup Peanuts

1 Chicken breast, cooked and shredded

Lime Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Sweet Chili Sauce (recipe below)

Peanut Dipping Sauce (recipe below)

2 cups Rice Noodles

8-10 pieces Rice Paper

Start by channeling your inner Pioneer Woman and assemble your ingredients. The measurements don't need to be exact. Wash and pat dry all the veggies. Give the mint, lettuce, cabbage, green onions, and peanuts a rough chop. Dice the carrots (I'll probably just buy shredded carrots next time). I set everything on a plate and put it in the fridge while I made the sauces.

Lime Vinaigrette

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons honey

1 garlic clove, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

5 tablespoons olive oil

Combine everything but the oil in a mason jar and stir until combined. Add the oil, screw on the lid, and shake.

Sweet Chili Sauce

4 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons warm water

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 pinches red pepper flakes

Combine everything in a mason jar, screw on the lid, and shake.

*Bring water to a boil and cook the rice noodles according to package directions while you make the peanut dipping sauce.*

Peanut Dipping Sauce

1 cup water

1-2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons peanut butter

1 and 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Measure the water into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until combined. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until it thickens slightly and remove from heat.

Now that the sauces and noodles are done, it's time to assemble these bad boys! Get a container of cold water to dip the rice paper in - a pie plate worked perfectly for me. Submerge one piece completely, shake the water off gently, and lay on a flat, clean surface. Don't be like me and get so excited about your rolls that you drop the package of rice paper on the floor and break the edge off all your perfectly round wraps.

Haha. Oops.

To make a nice roll, the filling should leave enough room on all four sides to fold.

Sprinkle on a pinch of mint, then a bit of the lettuce, cabbage, carrots, green onions, and peanuts. Then next to that little pile of goodness, lay some rice noodles and shredded chicken. Drizzle a teaspoon of the lime vinaigrette on top of the chicken, followed by a teaspoon of the sweet chili sauce. I figured the noodles and chicken would sort of absorb the sauce best.

Fold in one long side...

...the two short sides...

and roll the whole thing towards the last side, being careful to keep the filling contained. Lay the roll seam side down and it should seal up nicely.

Repeat until the filling is gone...I was able to make 8 rolls. Serve with the extra peanut dipping sauce and sweet chili sauce.

SO good. The kids ate them, but they weren't crazy in love with the rice paper so I just tore the rolls open so they could eat the filling with the peanut sauce. I made a couple without the sweet chili sauce for them, because it is a tad spicy.

Hooray for successful dinner experiments!

Never Once

2011-09-26T05:59:00.000-07:00

FAITHFUL
steadfast in affection or allegiance: LOYAL
firm in adherence to promises
given with strong assurance: BINDING
Merriam Webster

I needed the reminder this morning...maybe you did too?

When I'm faithless, when I fail Him again...and again...and again, He stays true. We're held in grace, no matter what. There is no failure in Christ, only redemption. There are no dead-ends, only fresh starts.

Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no we never walk alone...You are faithful, God, You are faithful.

Around Here Lately...

2011-08-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

Brought back from Grandma's mission trip to Mexico.

Helping me fight lingering morning sickness.

It's the Husband's birthday month.

Catching up.

Yoga.

Just breathe.

Dane's vacation, cooler weather, MOPS, and Bible study will be here soon.

A Season of Renewal

2011-08-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before me.
{Isaiah 49:15-16 NKJV}

He has written us on His hands. We never leave His mind. He bears the scar of His love for us forever. Yet He remembers our sin no more. It's gone, wiped clean, and we stand before the Father bearing the image of His Son's perfection. This memory of our Lord, it is a marvelous thing.

As I awaken from the haze that is a first trimester of pregnancy, I'm renewing habits and family traditions that have fallen off the calendar for months. Food inspires me again (for a while it was my enemy). I've been blessed with energy to play and create with the girls. In fact, I attended my first homeschool conference as mother and former student this past weekend and came away feeling both pumped and soothed. I've been nervously researching methods, curriculum, and schedules for preschoolers for a month or two, and felt apprehensive and intimidated. Thankfully I attended a seminar for parents of preschoolers based on the Charlotte Mason Method (which I've always admired) that relieved my fears. I'm throwing traditional preschool out the window, and we're going to read (and read and read), play, paint, and run around outside until Kindergarten. With a new little one joining our family this winter, a relaxed schedule is important to me. This will be perfect for our family. As we settle into a rhythm, I'll share our "schedule" and some ideas as we figure out what works and what doesn't.

One last thing. This hearty stew is simmering in the slow-cooker now. I haven't made it in a long time and I'd forgotten how easy and healthy it is. There's something peaceful about chopping up fresh veggies and stirring them together for your family. I love on my people with food.

Crockpot Vegetable Soup with Potatoes

1# hamburger, browned and drained
2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 potatoes, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14-oz can tomato sauce
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 cup water
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas

1. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on LOW 8-10 hours.

Tips: If using leftover vegetables that are precooked, add during the last hour of cooking so they don't turn to mush. For a vegetarian version, use pre-cooked dried beans or lentils, and substitute a cup of vegetable broth for the bouillon cubes and water.

Until next time...may you all find yourself in a season of renewal and peace. Love to you.

The Sunroom: Curtains!

2011-04-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

Dane hung curtains in the sunroom last week! He had lots of help.

My precise husband measured and marked exactly where he needed to drill.

We made our very expensive, very fancy curtain rods out of a $5 10' length of 3/4" conduit and a $2.50 package of straps (conduit fittings that bolt it to the wall). This brilliant, cheap idea is not original to me, I first saw it here.

Dane was impressed at how securely he was able to attach the rod to the wall. With two curtain-swinging little ones, sturdiness is pretty important.

I think it turned out great, especially since it's made of electrical hardware (!). I think it would look even better painted or wrapped in twine, but for now I'm quite pleased with it. With the delicate floral print of the curtains, it adds a nice industrial chic vibe to the room.

The Fresh Start

2011-04-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

photo credit

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the blinds as I slid out of the wrong side of bed, trying not to disturb the little one snoozing on my pillow. She fell asleep quickly, after a morning of attitude and drama. Some days it seems like she has all the emotions of a grown woman in a three-year-old body.

I headed to the bathroom to wash the morning off and tried to decompress two months of stress in ten minutes (it didn't work).

Motherhood is hard. Give of yourself, without feeding yourself, and eventually you'll have nothing left to give.

All my complaints hit the cold walls of the shower and bounced back, echoing until they multiplied into more than I could bear.

The tile obviously wasn't listening. So I lifted my pain to the One who always listens, even when what hurts is something under which only this foolish heart would buckle.

Good Friday. If I'm called to lay my self down and offer grace and peace to my children as a sacrifice to Him, how small is that gift compared to the Gift? The day that the Son was put to trial and executed, when His creation turned its back on Him is called good. Good for us. He loved us first, before there was time and before we realized that we are incomplete.

I'm learning that my sacrifice of praise is good to His ears, and good to my soul.

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We celebrated the Resurrection yesterday. Today is a fresh start. He Is Risen.

(I also got 7 hours of sleep last night, and made it to work out this morning at 5am. A fresh start indeed.)

The Power of a Positive Mom

2011-04-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

"There is no greater investment we can make in the lives of our children than giving them generous doses of encouraging words. It costs us so little in time and effort, but the rewards are priceless. When our young people are reminded of their God-given value, they receive deposits of confidence, security, and well-being in their emotional bank accounts. They begin building on their strengths, knowing they have something to contribute to the world." - Karol Ladd, The Power of a Positive Mom

I think I will read this one soon.

Healer

2011-04-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

photo credit

From my prayer journal yesterday:

Lord, be merciful to me; Heal my sou, for I have sinned against You. {Psalm 41:4}

My soul is what needs to be healed after I wound God with my sin.

A Sweet Third Birthday

2011-04-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

My sweet Katelyn Grace turned three on Saturday.

I've been a mother for three years. That means it's been three years and two weeks since I earned a paycheck, commuted two hours a day in disgruntling Houston traffic, or blow-dried my hair daily.

Three years of obeying God's calling.

Three years of living on a single income, of learning to be "just" a stay at home mom, of finding creative outlets that also nurture the littlest members of our family.

Three years of feeling like the most blessed woman on earth.

Thank you for teaching me to be a mama, Katie Grace. You are the joy of my life.

The only thing the birthday girl requested was a "Cindawellwa cake."

I had to decorate quickly, and didn't have time to do a crumb layer of icing. Ah, well. It turned out ok with only one layer.

Aunt Bethany is the best gift wrapper.

We didn't actually cut the cake on her birthday, since it fell on the same day as Papa's surprise 80th birthday party. But we pulled out her birthday crown and sang a couple of days later.

Sweet girl.

Big enough to blow out her own candles this year.

Mama's homemade chocolate cake with buttercream icing. Yum!

Happy, happy birthday, sweet girl! I can't wait to take you to get your birthday portrait taken, a big girl haircut, and a trip to the zoo! Let's celebrate you all April, ok?

Bittersweet

2011-04-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

My baby brother left home this weekend. He is attending the A&M Fire Academy.

Michael, you are an incredible young man, a wonderful brother to me and Dane, and an awesome uncle to my kids. I am so proud of you.

Loading up his beloved truck, the Black Beauty. Too bad ol' Beauty broke the second he pulled into his new apartment complex. I heard she got fixed yesterday, though.

Dane double-checked that the trailer's blinkers were wired correctly. Can't have an illegal vehicle on the road, ya know.

Helping Uncle Michael and Daddy check the wiring.

Oh, yeah. He's gonna go far. And I can't wait to see it.

Savory

2011-03-30T04:03:00.000-07:00

I don't read a lot of fiction. It's a rare occasion that a novel captures and holds my attention for more than a chapter or two.

Fiction is dessert - yummy and fun - but not something I can live on. I recently inhaled this "true-life novel." Delicious.

Best of all, I love stacking savory books on my nightstand - meaty, sink-your-teeth-into-truth books - full of practical wisdom or abstract ideas my sleep-deprived eyes have to read twice to grasp. I thought I'd share what I've read lately, and what's next on my library search list, or if that fails me, my kindle app.

A Daily Prayer

2011-03-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

Lord, use me to love them.

I'm still learning how to allow Him to answer that one.

In the calm of early morning, even before the soft beep of the coffee maker breaks the silence, my heart overflows with longing to be better for them. To fully embrace my role and dive into my calling as his wife and their mama. The triumphs in my wife-ing and mothering are still so imperfect. God is using my husband and children to teach me to be holy. As I learn how to "do" better, everything I do matters less. It's Who He is that matters.

Two Days of Nothing

2011-03-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

We sent the kids ahead with my in-laws, since I had some medical tests scheduled during the first two days of vacation. I was bummed to miss out, but it was nice to have two kid-free days with my husband. After I dutifully allowed my doctor to poke and prod me, we set off for Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

We arrived late, so we didn't get to see the girls until the next morning. They were very happy to see Daddy.

He's been working furiously since February, when he was cleared for work after breaking his elbow in October. The girls got used to having him around, so the adjustment has been difficult. It was so nice to spend two days simply being together.

I spent a lazy morning on the deck between my mother- and sister-in-law, enjoying our coffee and quiet time reading.

My father-in-law stayed in work mode, carting some debris off from the cabin.

The girls soaked up lavish amounts of attention from Grandma and Grandpa, their aunt and uncle, and us.

Most of our time was spent out by the fire pit, roasting marshmallows, listening to the guys strum their guitars, watching the stars come out, and chatting.

Yes, we had that big, lovely cabin to all to ourselves. My in-laws picked a wonderful way to celebrate their upcoming 35 year anniversary.

My husband is an avid geocacher, so we couldn't resist taking the family on a little adventure.

Broken Bow Lake was beautiful. And cold.

The girls made cookies with their sweet aunt.

After putting the girls to sleep for our last night in Oklahoma, the grownups began an intense Scrabble battle.

We lost by one point. ONE point. The tragedy!

Such a lovely, relaxing vacation. I was able to sleep several hours at a time at night, something that I haven't been able to do since getting sick 3 weeks ago. We even enjoyed the 6+ hour drive home with two children under the age of three, since we were completely de-stressed from two days of sitting by the fire drinking wine. My husband jumped right back in to work, and I'm still in the middle of seeking a firm diagnosis of what's going on with me, but the effect of stealing a few quiet days with people I love has lingered. I'm still on a vacation high, I suppose. It really was just what we needed.

The Megaphone

2011-03-15T09:00:00.001-07:00

My family is welcoming Spring this week.

I am more often reminded to focus on Christ during the Easter season than any other time of year. My particular church doesn't observe Lent, but I am so drawn to it. 40 days to remember. To take a month to focus on the sacrifice of Jesus.

Personally, this time of year means so much to me. Four years ago, my husband and I went through a trial by fire and came out the other side shaken and scarred, but not finished. A few days later, we drank in our church's Easter Sunday service, thirsty for a fresh start. Three years ago, my Spring baby made me a mother.

I wonder if I'll look back on Spring 2011 as a significant season. For the last three weeks I've been sick. I spent eleven days in excruciating pain. At first I wondered where God was and why He wasn't protecting me. After all, I've been "good" lately. I've been seeking after Him through daily quiet time and weekly Bible study and church services. If "pain is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world" (C.S. Lewis) then obviously He'd gotten the wrong gal. I wasn't deaf to His whispers. I have been earnestly chasing a closer relationship with Him for several months now.

So I threw a tantrum. I was fearful. I doubted.

Then I picked up my Bible and read Psalm 27.

My husband had told me that his prayers were being answered, over and over, with "Wait on the Lord." My sweet friends and family had encouraged me to not fear, to wait, to trust.

So I read the psalm and simultaneously got a rebuke and a hug from the Lord.

He used pain to draw me closer to Him. To grow stronger. To trust deeper. He used it to beckon my husband to stay in constant communion with Him.

Now that a diagnosis and treatment plan looks to be mere days away, and I have some space to look back, I can clearly see His hand. The whole saga was choreographed to His will.

I have more to say about it, but I'll leave this alone for now, and end with Psalm 27.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When You said, "Seek My face,"
My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."
Do not turn Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the LORD will take care of me.
Teach me Your way, O LORD,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!

First Peek at Our New Home: The Sunroom

2011-03-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

{Three Cords canvas from Red Letter Words}

It's such a bright space, thanks to three tall, South-facing windows.

The other end opens to our den, and the girls' book crates and rocking chair are by the first window.

That's the door to D's closet, which holds his work and motorcycle gear.

We've only lived here for three weeks, and I'm not finished with it, but I already know this is my favorite room.

Compassion

2011-03-12T14:38:00.001-08:00

I just put the finishing touches on a packet to mail off to the Ugandan child we sponsor through Compassion International. It’s a reply to her letter telling me about her favorite things. I read it and cried. It turns out she loves to cook. She dreams of becoming a doctor. I told her that K’s favorite color is pink and that we love to cook too. I told her that we love her and we pray for her every day.

Folding the letter in half, enclosing another picture of us and a scribbled drawing of K’s, I wondered how long it will take to make the journey from Texas to Uganda. Curious, I typed our locations into google maps.

“We could not calculate the distance between Houston, TX and Uganda.”

The message sat on the screen. I looked around my warm, safe apartment, where two healthy and fed babies of mine are sleeping. My refrigerator and pantry are full to overflowing. My husband - who is also healthy and fed - is out working to provide for me and our children.

It turns out I can’t calculate the distance between where I live and where my sweet sponsored child lives either.

{To sponsor a child through Compassion International, visit compassion.com}

Ordinary Exultations

2011-03-12T14:34:00.000-08:00

A Christian.
A wife.
A mother.

Someone quite ordinary.

That's who I am.

But the One Who made me has been whispering in my ear that perhaps when we understand how ordinary we are, He can use us in bigger ways.

So here I am. This is meant to be a glimpse into my world, small and imperfect. From the everyday rhythm of my life as the keeper of my home, to the eternal truths that God weaves into each day, this is meant to be a place of encouragement and hope.

These words have been stirring my soul for a season, and it's time to humbly offer them to you.