Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
थिंग्स ठाट मके यू गो हम!
blogger is malfunctioning for me an writing all my headlines in some asian language.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Grieving the Great Chicken Massacre of 2010
It's been hard to face the reality that we have again been invaded by a chicken predator. Two weeks ago Dave went out to see a movie by himself and when he returned, he discovered that my favorite chicken was missing and his favorite chicken was injured.
My chicken was a small grey hen who laid the most adorable green eggs. She was mouthy, but very personable. She was bold and funny. She got along well with all the other chickens.
Dave's favorite is a large Buff Orpington chicken who is the most beautiful color of orange. She laid large dark brown eggs that I loved to use for baking. We affectionately named the chicken "Pirate" because the fox took one of her eyes. We nursed her back to health and have given her to our neighbor who is much more experienced in the care of chickens than we are.
We think it was a fox this time. I really don't like foxes right now.
The chickens were all terrified. Egg production has gone way down. I haven't had to buy any eggs for 8 months. Now I'm adding a dozen eggs to my grocery list this week. We still have 6 chickens and we're hoping they recover soon from their trauma.
We do have a pretty good record, it has been a year since the last senseless slaughter of chickens and our kids did not witness any of it this time. Those are two very good things. Hoping for a better future as we continue to "micro farm."
My chicken was a small grey hen who laid the most adorable green eggs. She was mouthy, but very personable. She was bold and funny. She got along well with all the other chickens.
Dave's favorite is a large Buff Orpington chicken who is the most beautiful color of orange. She laid large dark brown eggs that I loved to use for baking. We affectionately named the chicken "Pirate" because the fox took one of her eyes. We nursed her back to health and have given her to our neighbor who is much more experienced in the care of chickens than we are.
We think it was a fox this time. I really don't like foxes right now.
The chickens were all terrified. Egg production has gone way down. I haven't had to buy any eggs for 8 months. Now I'm adding a dozen eggs to my grocery list this week. We still have 6 chickens and we're hoping they recover soon from their trauma.
We do have a pretty good record, it has been a year since the last senseless slaughter of chickens and our kids did not witness any of it this time. Those are two very good things. Hoping for a better future as we continue to "micro farm."
life before motherhood...
Today is a day where I think about what life was like before I was a mom.
I do have a degree in Urban Studies and a Master of Arts degree. Are these requirements for being a mom... NO. I spend my days cleaning up poopy pants, doing laundry, playing referee, teaching life skills, listening to whining and crying, cooking, cleaning the table, cooking again, cleaning the table again, trying to squeeze all our stuff into a small space... Whew!
But, what happened to my brain? What happened to the things I was trained to do? Well, for now, they are on hold. I used to go into tough urban places to try and bring the hope of Jesus Christ to the broken and hurting. I used to go into churches and teach people how to develop youth and children's ministries in their environments. I used to go into homes and schools and teach families and professionals how to best help their autistic children. It was brainy. I worked hard. I used my training to train other people.
Now... I have traded broken and hurting urban places for the broken and hurting hearts of my children... because they have faced so much grief and loss in their lives so far. I have traded developing ministries for developing homeschool curriculum to use in my home to educate my children. I have traded special needs autistic children for the special needs that come with my children who don't know who to attach to because they have lost everything they were close to while they were waiting for me to be their mommy.
My job now is harder... I guess it does take as much or more brain power to accomplish it. But, on days like today, I feel frumpy and unprofessional. I feel like it takes a lot of effort to connect with any other adult and make any sense or be taken seriously. I know it's just my issue. Sometimes I wish others could see inside my head and understand the conflict between who I used to be and who my children are helping me to become. I know that in the end it will be for the better. It is just going to take some time for me to fully realize what the Lord is doing.
For now, I will take joy in my children when they draw, learn, play, laugh and smile. They won't be this little long and I don't want to miss any minute of it!
I do have a degree in Urban Studies and a Master of Arts degree. Are these requirements for being a mom... NO. I spend my days cleaning up poopy pants, doing laundry, playing referee, teaching life skills, listening to whining and crying, cooking, cleaning the table, cooking again, cleaning the table again, trying to squeeze all our stuff into a small space... Whew!
But, what happened to my brain? What happened to the things I was trained to do? Well, for now, they are on hold. I used to go into tough urban places to try and bring the hope of Jesus Christ to the broken and hurting. I used to go into churches and teach people how to develop youth and children's ministries in their environments. I used to go into homes and schools and teach families and professionals how to best help their autistic children. It was brainy. I worked hard. I used my training to train other people.
Now... I have traded broken and hurting urban places for the broken and hurting hearts of my children... because they have faced so much grief and loss in their lives so far. I have traded developing ministries for developing homeschool curriculum to use in my home to educate my children. I have traded special needs autistic children for the special needs that come with my children who don't know who to attach to because they have lost everything they were close to while they were waiting for me to be their mommy.
My job now is harder... I guess it does take as much or more brain power to accomplish it. But, on days like today, I feel frumpy and unprofessional. I feel like it takes a lot of effort to connect with any other adult and make any sense or be taken seriously. I know it's just my issue. Sometimes I wish others could see inside my head and understand the conflict between who I used to be and who my children are helping me to become. I know that in the end it will be for the better. It is just going to take some time for me to fully realize what the Lord is doing.
For now, I will take joy in my children when they draw, learn, play, laugh and smile. They won't be this little long and I don't want to miss any minute of it!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Green Bean Fries
To go along with my Tofu nuggets for dinner tonight. I also used grapeseed oil to make green bean fries.
I poured a bag of frozen whole green beans into hot grapeseed oil. Cook until they are dark green and skinny. (about 20 minutes) use a slotted spoon to remove and place on paper towels to cool for about 3 minutes. Lightly salt.
Yum!
I poured a bag of frozen whole green beans into hot grapeseed oil. Cook until they are dark green and skinny. (about 20 minutes) use a slotted spoon to remove and place on paper towels to cool for about 3 minutes. Lightly salt.
Yum!
Tofu nuggets
This is a very frugal, quick, and healthy meal that my kids love!
Tofu is just over $1 a block.
Ingredients:
Organic Extra-firm Tofu
1/2 cup of corn meal
2 T granulated garlic
1 t salt
grapeseed oil
Chop tofu into cubes
Combine cornmeal, garlic, and salt in a zip lock bag
Seal and shake the bag
Heat grapeseed oil on the stove. You need enough oil to cover the nuggets, about 3/4 inch.
Add Tofu cubes to ziplock bag; shake until all the cubes are coated.
Add 1/2 the cubes to hot oil. Cook until they are golden brown. Remove from oil using a slotted spoon. Place on a paper towel. Repeat with the other half of cubes.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve with ketchup.
Tofu is just over $1 a block.
Ingredients:
Organic Extra-firm Tofu
1/2 cup of corn meal
2 T granulated garlic
1 t salt
grapeseed oil
Chop tofu into cubes
Combine cornmeal, garlic, and salt in a zip lock bag
Seal and shake the bag
Heat grapeseed oil on the stove. You need enough oil to cover the nuggets, about 3/4 inch.
Add Tofu cubes to ziplock bag; shake until all the cubes are coated.
Add 1/2 the cubes to hot oil. Cook until they are golden brown. Remove from oil using a slotted spoon. Place on a paper towel. Repeat with the other half of cubes.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve with ketchup.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Divine Appointments
I believe in divine appointments. Yesterday my plans changed a little bit and I was intending to go to Target around 12:00 and then go swimming at a friend's house. My friend called and asked if we could come later because she had to clean out the pool. So, we decided to go to Target earlier and then eat lunch.
Target is always an adventure for us. Two kids get buckled into the giant kid cart that is hard to maneuver around the store. I have a list of things to get. The kids always distract me. BUT, I LOVE shopping at Target and prefer getting whatever I can get at that store instead of anywhere else.
Our adventure around the store led us to the right aisle at the right time. We were looking for a small storage shelf to house some things in the boys' new room. We had to excuse ourselves around several other people's carts while we were browsing and trying to find the best storage option for the boys. We ended up in a aisle with a mother and her children. This woman was bold enough to ask me if I adopted our children. And, as you all know, all 4 are adopted.
As we were talking, I found out that she is waiting to adopt a child as well and that she also homeschools. What an amazing encouragement to my day! In the months following my Hazel, my best friend, moving across the ocean, I find that God is really taking care of me and sending me little encouragements along the way.
Target is always an adventure for us. Two kids get buckled into the giant kid cart that is hard to maneuver around the store. I have a list of things to get. The kids always distract me. BUT, I LOVE shopping at Target and prefer getting whatever I can get at that store instead of anywhere else.
Our adventure around the store led us to the right aisle at the right time. We were looking for a small storage shelf to house some things in the boys' new room. We had to excuse ourselves around several other people's carts while we were browsing and trying to find the best storage option for the boys. We ended up in a aisle with a mother and her children. This woman was bold enough to ask me if I adopted our children. And, as you all know, all 4 are adopted.
As we were talking, I found out that she is waiting to adopt a child as well and that she also homeschools. What an amazing encouragement to my day! In the months following my Hazel, my best friend, moving across the ocean, I find that God is really taking care of me and sending me little encouragements along the way.
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