Multitude Monday 8/30

what I am thanking God for, today:

getting more sleep-what a difference in how I feel!

Sunday dinner, tacos and love shared with the world’s BEST in-laws, Lee and Claudia.

more than half of school is PLANNED!

boot camp and the camraderie of encouragment, shouted out to each other as we push through pain.

the smell of summer rain, washing the parched earth clean.

old Cosby show re-runs are fresh and funny again when shared with my boys.

pink lady apples.

feeding and petting a brown stray cat we named Clarence (though she isn’t our pet John, I swear!)

John’s 40th birthday on Friday.

post-it notes. I just love ’em and don’t know why.

chubby little baby feet.

spotting evidence of  a few first leaves turning red.

the way John teases.

authenticity.

crumbly white goat cheese in my salad.

when I stub a toe, three boys come running with concern at my “OW!”.

how tall and tough I feel, while wearing the vintage red cowboy boots.

three clipboards: chores and schoolwork and instruction, all checked off by sweet boys when I walk through the door.

hymns.

wordless wednesday

Josiah’s 15th birthday

It was August 7th, but since he is still celebrating, I am not late to post about it. He has a favorite friend over, as I even type this, and last night was a sleepover for the record books. Candy, chips, and Josiah’s favorite, Welchs grape juice. Sleeping spread out in the living room, major Nerf war outside and best of all? Xbox on the big screen until 1 AM. Exactly the “party” Josiah asked for! He and his brothers had summer colds last week so the fun had to be delayed, but it seems–from the satisfied grins–that it was worth waiting for!

On his ACTUAL birthday, we were barely home from a weeks worth of camping at Winema. Grandma Claudia had planned and prepared the traditional “you choose” birthday feast, knowing we would be exhausted (thanks again, dear friend!) All she let me bring was the salad! After camping, then dropping all our sandy laundry in our house-what a pleasure it was to go over to Grandpa and Gramma’s clean, air-conditioned, welcoming home and sit down to a hot meal. Josiah has good taste, too. He chose fettuccine alfredo with garlic bread and corn on the cob. Oh his favorite of my salads, the one with feta cheese and dried cranberries!

 It was extra special because Aunt Sherri drove down from Portland to join in, and we all celebrated this sweet boys special day…

His brothers each gave him #6 and #7 of the book series they’ve all been reading, Artemis Fowl.

Caleb burst out with “As soon as you are done, can I read it next?!!!” before Josiah even had the wrapper off.

He chose cheesecake with chocolate and strawberries, instead of traditional cake. That is one of the “rules” in our family you get ANY type of dessert you want, because some people (like ME) aren’t in love with cake, but would crawl across broken glass to get to some good ice cream.

Of course, it’s hard to grasp the fact that our first baby has only about 3 more years here under our roof. That little boy who introduced us to the joys of parenting and made a couple into a family? He is growing up fast…

 

or else his cute little Grandma is shrinking…?!

multitude Monday 8/23

this morning: pink sunrise with gray fog on a sparkling quiet lake.

a weekend away, and the comfort of deep friendship.

the shampoo scalp massage before the haircut….ahhh.

the delight of new experiences: Portland’s Pearl district, and peruvian food.

John, loving ME  by scrubbing shower tile and windowpane to say welcome home.

Josiah’s confidence! he is no longer the shy 4-year-old peeking from behind my legs, to see how he is totally comfortable going on a 4 day trip with the high school youth, even though he is brand new to the group.

the smell of cedar.

Caleb found his gray cap, and it looks so perfect on him.

prayer requests answered, and a miracle for a good friend.

heaping bowls of cold watermelon chunks.

faith. hope. love but the greatest of these?  is love!

Perseid meteor showers, and all of us on blankets in the dark, laughing and pointing.

Sam and Caleb get to start taking martial arts classes this week and Sam being SO happy about that.

32 quarts of peaches in the freezer, and the promise of a taste of Yakima, waiting to be tucked into crumbly warm cobblers on rainy winter days.

it’s almost sweater, soup and school season!

a new apron from Anne.

feeding fuzzy baby ducklings and loving their calm, careful Mama.

hold yer buns! Big Mac Salad.

When three out of four males in my home ASK for salad?

You know it is NO ORDINARY SALAD!

If you like Big Mac hamburgers from McDonalds? Then you will like this recipe.

 If you have watched Food Inc, and miss Big Mac burgers but your conscience won’t allow you access?

Then you will like this recipe.

If you don’t like Big Macs? Ummm….Have you ever had one?!

I hadn’t, until 2007. And let me tell you, after that first hesitant bite I started kicking myself for every wasted opportunity. Don’t let that kind of regret haunt you. It’s a torturous existence.

Brown your hamburger-I don’t know how much you need but a pound feeds 4 of us. When the meat is browned, lay a few slices of Kraft (when do I get my $$ from them? I marriedthe boy!) american cheese over it. However many you like-4 is enough, but if you like it extra cheesy, add more. It melts into the meat fast, stir it in. Josiah and I don’t love this type of cheese as much, but you need it, for it to taste like the one at MickeyDs.

One of the other key ingredients is dehydrated onions (Costcos are my fave) and then you add some hot water to perk those babies back up. Then mix them with your dead cow meat. Again, I don’t know a measurement for this-a 1/4 cup maybe? How much do you like onions?!

The cheese and onions are essential for that “processed, fast food, $2 heart attack, straight from the factory” taste you are going for.

Now mix up your “special sauce”

1 and 1/4 cup mayonnaise.

3 Tablespoons of catsup

3 tablespoons of dill pickle relish

1 tablespoon of vinegar

a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a dash of black pepper.

Stir that all up and put in the fridge to help the flavors blend, an hour is best, but we’ve eaten almost immedately and its still good.

Now to assemble you just add chopped ICEBURG lettuce to a big bowl…

 Note: save the arugula and mesclun mix for your foodie friends-we are all about authenticity with this replication, so don’t be all snobby and/or leave me comments about how little vitamins are actually in the tip of an iceburg. We gave up the sesame seed bun, and we will make no other compromises, today!!!

so, you put the lettuce down, then plop on some warm meaty onion mix. I don’t know how much! How hungry are you? Then plop some sauce on top, (you never hear the word ‘plop’ on the Food Network. Well, maybe. I bet Paula Deen says it) just as much as you like. I don’t know how much! How saucy are you feeling?

and…enjoy!

aw shucks.

For all your patience with my unannounced blogging breaks, thank you.

For all who left comments on the posts, I just want you to know how very, very encouraging that is.

The private email comments, count-for those who don’t want to comment publicly but let me know that you read, and enjoyed…thank you. 

Oh and to the sweeties who comment verbally, when I see you? thank you. 

It makes me glad I took a minute to write. It makes me write more often! Ask John-he knows I could wear a sign that states “Will work for Compliments and Coffee.”

Seriously though, it makes the vulnerability of sharing my day-to-day life (because there is always risk in being your kooky self–that’s why so few do it!) totally worth it.

How did I get blessed with such great family and friends?!

a cold salad recipe for the dog days of summer

This is my new favorite food:

it is SO EASY. Only 4 ingredients TOTAL, unless you get creative and add more. It’s healthy. Chock full of fiber, protein and vitamins and low in fat. It’s refreshing and cold, and keeps for a long time. Best of all? It requires NO cooking. We survive/enjoy summer with a single window mounted air conditioner in the living room? It’s SO nice in there. It’s SO awful, for HOURS, in the kitchen, if I cook anything at all.

I don’t have a name for this, but I think I read once that it was referred to as “Texas Caviar”? I like that. Anyhoo-

Drain 1 can of black beans (you can save $$ making beans yourself, but the point is NOT to heat up the kitchen, bright eyes)

and did you know there are 7 grams of protein in just a 1/2 cup of black beans? sooo good for you…put that in a bowl,

then add a drained  can of Ro-tel diced tomatoes. This adds a nice kick, but you can use the “mild” version of Ro-tel, if you are a chicken-chicken sissypants.

Now, fill one of these empty cans with frozen sweet corn, and add to the rest. The original recipe called for canned corn. BLECH. DOUBLE BLECH. If this blog had audio, you would hear a little recording of me, making loud vomity sounds. For I have NEVER, in 20 years, brought into my home, nor fed my precious family, the mushy horror that IS canned corn. If you prefer, you can use it!

Just don’t tell me, as I won’t be able to respect you any longer.

oh and my sister-in-law turned me on to Trader Joes cut white corn, in the frozen aisle, and it is the BEST. I always buy 4 bags when we go there! so thanks Anne!

I add green onions because I love them, and it adds pretty color to the dish, but they can easily be omitted. Cilantro-same story.

now, add 1/2 of a packaged envelope of powdered ranch dressing (I like Uncle Dans, no MSG! but any will do) 

Stir well and refrigerate. YOU ARE DONE!

The photo above you can see pinto beans, because I was distracted and added the whole envelope of ranch. Then the flavor was too strong, so I doubled up the beans and added more corn, just to tone it down a bit.

To increase the health factor, next time I might chop up some cucumbers and add them.  

Now, this is delicious with a spoon, but better for you heaped upon a bed of greens. It tastes great eaten salsa style, with Tostitos Scoops. Or you can top it with cheddar cheese and heat it for just a bit, rolled in a tortilla. I haven’t tried it yet over rice or a baked potato, but I am guessing it would be yummy.

The nice thing is, the longer it is in the fridge, the more the flavors meld and the better it tastes!

unless it’s been 3 weeks.

Then you are in a situation that is more mold, than meld.