It's Raining, It's Pouring!

It's spring!  It's raining!  I spend time outside in the rain.  My girls walk to school - rain, shine, snow or mud.

I thought it'd be fun to share a few observations about rain gear.

1) Few people can successfully use umbrellas.  Children are not usually among those few. Hats are safer  - for everyone.

2) Rain boots help keep ones pants dry.  Rain coats or water proof jackets help keeps ones arms dry.  Legs might not be so lucky, or backsides.  I am reminded of a time when I was young and visited Niagara Falls with my grandpa and other relatives.  We rode on the Maid of the Mist.  We wore rain coats as we rode under the Falls.  Everything under the coat stayed dry, but I had a lovely ring of water on my backside when I stood up.  I was mortified, but my grandpa assured me I would be okay and my shorts would dry.  They did.

3) Snow pants are not necessarily water proof against pouring rain.

4) If you don't wear boots and you have to sit on the floor with wet feet, you might get wet pants.

5) If you don't wear boots, you might kick water and mud up onto the back of your legs. 

6) Puddles are fun to jump in.  I am not a fan of jumping in mud however because mud gets down inside the boots and is hard to clean out.

7) Bikes in the rain?  This is a frequent debate.  My solution:  when it is drizzling on and off, bikes are allowed but a drying rag kept in the backpack is strongly encouraged.  I wouldn't want to sit on a wet bike seat, but the kids don't seem to mind. 

My mornings have been a little rough with all the recent rain.  First it's hard to get up when it's dark and rainy.  Second, it's hard to dress professionally and figure out how to stay dry while working outside as a Crossing Guard.  But those minor difficulties aside, I like the rain.  The grass is nice and green, flowers are growing and the ground is being prepared for a future vegetable garden.  Dress smartly for the weather and enjoy the rain!

When my strength is failing - Alice's music

My mother-in-law passed away unexpectedly last Monday.  She was a wise woman for sure! 

There are many things  I could say about her, but instead I want to focus on one thing - her love for music.  Love for music is a family thing.  My husband and his family sang together as he was growing up.  As time went on and her children got married and moved out on their own, Alice continued singing with her husband and in her church.  More time passed and my mother-in-law aka Alice aka Grandma also sang to her grandchildren. 

Alice also enjoyed listening to her family sing! She encouraged the grandchildren to sing songs they were learning for others.  It seems fitting that my youngest is processing recent events through music.  This morning my girl was singing a unique composition about the events of last week.  She started with a borrowed phrase, "It's so hard to say good-bye" then played the piano freestyle and sang several lines about the funeral service and ended with a chorus of, "And I will miss her very very much!"   

While Alice loved music, she was selective about her music.  She was partial to the old hymns and not so fond of contemporary Christian music. If you listen to family reminiscence long enough you may hear tales of contraband music, but you didn't hear that from me!  In recent years, Alice has been spending multiple weeks per year at my house, where I would only listen to Christian radio stations.  On various occasions she questioned the music to which we were listening - a wise move.  It is wise to know what you are listening to and to be sure you agree with it.   It is unwise to fill your mind with songs that contain questionable messages or inappropriate lyrics.  Give this some thought especially if you have young children. 

Alice's last months were affected by a second stroke.  Her ability to speak was greatly affected and likewise her ability to sing.  We didn't hear her sing as much.  But she still enjoyed listening to music and would quietly observe as her granddaughters practiced music for church.  One song in particular seemed to become a favorite.  She didn't talk about it and state it as a favorite, but it was one of the few songs I actually heard her sing along with when it came on the radio.  The song is 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman and ends with these lyrics, "And on that day when my strength is failing, The end draws near, and my time has come; Still my soul will sing Your praise unending..." 

I am thankful for those girls who practiced the song enough for Grandma to learn it.  And I am thankful for a mother-in-law whose soul kept praising even when her speech and strength were failing. 

No matter what circumstances come in 2013, will you be able to keep on praising?  The song also says, "Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes."  May that be true in my life... 

"Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise."  Psalm 48:1a

Tuna Casserole without Cream Soup

Tuna Noodle Casserole Revamped

One of my husband’s favorite meals is Tuna Noodle Casserole.  Two of our daughters and I like it really well too.  However, at one point I noticed I hadn’t been making it as much since evaluating the health value of store canned cream soups.  It’s a good way to get healthy fish in our diets, so I began considering ways to replace the cream soup from our traditional recipe.

When a Sunday Night Noodles recipe came through my email from Mr. Food, I thought, “Aha!  Maybe this will work with tuna!”

I tweaked Mr. Food’s noodle recipe some to accommodate what I had on hand and to make it more like Tuna Noodle Casserole.  I made a few adjustments after the first few trials to make it more to our liking and here is what we now use:  A Tuna Noodle Casserole without canned cream soup.

Ingredients

• 1 pound medium egg noodles
• 6 oz sautéed button mushrooms, sliced or chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped and sautéed
• 1 cup cottage cheese (I pureed mine due to a picky eater in our house)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup chunked Butter Cheese
• 1 family size soft pack of tuna (consider pureeing this for non tuna lovers)
• 1 cup chicken broth or stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

I followed Mr. Food’s instructions fairly closely, making the appropriate substitutions and additions. 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
    
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles to desired doneness; drain.
    
3. In a large bowl, mix tuna, sauteed vegetables, cottage cheese, sour cream, Cheddar cheese, Butter Cheese, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir in noodles then spoon mixture into prepared baking dish.  Drizzle with chicken stock.
    
4. In a small bowl, combine melted butter and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over noodle mixture then bake, covered, for 45 minutes.
    

I have made this half a dozen times and now our non-fish eater will even eat it - and sometimes asks for seconds!

If I don't have mushrooms, I substitute celery or something else to be similar to cream of _____ soup (use whatever you like).  I have also had success with using cream cheese in place of the cottage cheese, although cream cheese provides a richer flavor and fuller texture.

I buy Butter Cheese at a bulk foods store in Bremen.  It melts down smoothly and has a mild yet pronounced flavor that complements the tuna and noodles well.  While the total cheese used in this recipe may seem like a lot, our first attempts with less cheese were a bit dry.  

This makes a simple weeknight meal.  Enjoy!  

How does your family like to include fish in your meals? 

 

What kind of woman are you?

At a recent Bible study we discussed the qualities of a Biblical woman.  It was a good reminder to me.  I have been thinking about it especially at this time of year when I am tempted to try to "do it all" and keep up with everyone else in decorating, gifting and celebrating.  I cannot do it all.  I am glad for the reminder to keep things in perspective and only do the truly important things.

Here are some ideas of a Biblical woman that we came up with (this is not an exhaustive list):

• love God
• fear God
• be self-sacrificing
• be concerned about your family
• care for your own personal spiritual development
• care for your children's spiritual development
• pray; depend on God
• love your husband
• submit to your husband
• accept and appreciate your role as a wife and mother
• be kind and loving 

I know these ideas aren't popular, but I hope they give you some things to think about at this busy time of year.  Who or what is controlling your schedule? your purchases? your family time?  Are your words and actions God honoring?  Or are you bustling around too busy to say a kind word?  Are your Christmas celebrations reflecting Christ and His love? Strive to grow in wisdom even as you celebrate Christmas.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."             Matthew 1:21

Stained!

A theme for me today was working on stains.  I began the day mending my stained record for turning in a time card on time.  Grrr...

Next I worked on removing stains from laundry.  I remember my mother naming me The Queen of Grass Stain.  I now pass that title to my middle daughter.  In addition to grass stains there are food stains, grease stains, sweat stains, and the list goes on.  Treating this, scrubbing that - not really my idea of a fun time.

I finally got around to processing our one and only home grown pumpkin.  It has a few spots that needed to be cut off; stains that needed treatment.

Of course, no mother's day is complete without washing some dishes.  Wiping away crumbs, brushing dried on food, scrubbing tougher spots.

I confess I get weary of doing these tasks.  But it got me to thinking about my heart and how stained it is.  And I am very thankful for a God who does not grow weary of cleaning me up.  I am thankful for His Faithfulness and His Love.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.                                 Psalm 51:7-12

The New Baby (and snack recipes)

My new granddaughter came for a visit on Sunday.  She is small and sweet.  We had fun together.  Of course, all of the aunts had to hold her.

Grandpa loves his newest granddaughter

 Oh, yeah, her brother, sister and mother came too ;-)   Brother and sister had their usual energy and played with the girls.  Mother had gotten three kiddos ready for church, attended church and gotten two kiddos to our house (one rode home from church with us), so her energy was fading.

I remember those days.  In addition to constant tiredness, I remember feeling frequent hunger.  I remember those early days of sitting down to feed the baby, realizing I was hungry and feeling like it was too late - I was already feeding the baby so I had to wait to grab something to eat.   Then I got a little smarter and tried to have snacks available to grab before I sat down to feed the baby!  Some of my favorite easy-to-grab snacks were (and still are) fruit, cheese sticks, cereal snacks and granola bars.  Those kind of snacks are also great for keeping busy toddlers happy while you tend to baby or other important matters.  I'll share two recipes that are great for easy snacking for any stage, but with my daugher-in-law and new moms in mind.

Quick Cinnamon Snack

1 14 oz box cinnamon swirl or cinnamon toast cereal

½ cup sliced almonds

½ bag semi sweet chocolate chips         

1 cup raisins

1/3 – ½ box Apple Cinnamon Cheerios or Toasted Oats

Mix together in a large bowl.  Store in an airtight container.  Put individual servings in snack cups or bags to carry in the diaper bag for a quick nutritious snack.  Easy and yummy for tired moms and cranky preschoolers!

This next recipe is more complex, but is full of healthy, filling ingredients.

 

Michele’s Granola Bars 

2 ½ cups oats                  ¾ cup mayo or butter

½ cup barley, ground (optional)   1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup flour                                  ½ cup sugar

¼ cup wheat germ                        1 egg

½ tsp baking soda                         1 tbsp water

6 oz mini chocolate chips            1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon       handful mini marshmallows

Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.   Cut into bars or squares.  Store in an airtight container.           

I recently read this article about creating a nursing basket that might be helpful.  The Keeper of the Home sight has lots of helpful information for new moms and not-so-new moms about babies, families, budgeting, meal-planning, etc..  You can search for things by topic if there is something you are struggling with or want to learn more about.

Enjoy your infant and hang in there, mom, you'll start feeling normal again before too long.

Guest Post: Heidi's Book

Things have been a little hectic around here.  

After a whirlwind visit from my youngest sister and her family we finally had to say good-bye.  I will miss her and her husband and those sweet little children who know me as "my cousins' mom."  

And I have a new granddaughter!   She finally made her entrance into the world.  While she and mommy are in the hospital, sister and brother are staying here.  

So I'm going to take a break today and let my friend Heidi tell her story.  I've know Heidi for many years and greatly admire her focus in her journey.  Read her story, check-out her blog and register for her give-away. 

When All You Need Is Family...

            We stood together, just the six of us.  On a day when we buried one, we huddled... holding and upholding.  When others said...we'll be there.  I said... no.  All I wanted, all I needed was my family.   I gathered them around me... my parents, my man, and my kids together.  It was enough.

            Family... that group of people who are defined by blood lines, and maybe more.  Sometimes those closest to our hearts do not share the same family tree.  We cannot choose our relations but we can choose to redefine the term family to include those who are closest to us.  Those we live life with... the ones to whom we cling when the storms of life roar and the winds threaten to overflow us.

            I am blessed with an amazing family.  As I grow older and slightly wiser, I have learned to count that amazing family as a gift.  I now recognize its rarity.  I also know that I have friends who are as close to me as my sisters.  I've learned to count them as family and as gifts.  They are equal but  different treasures to my heart.

            Recently, I wrote a novel about family and friendship, life and loss... The Secret of Counting Gifts and an accompanying journal, The Secret of Counting Gifts Gratitude Journal.  Both volumes have been released and are now available through Amazon.com. 

            The Secret of Counting Gifts is the story of  Kris McClintock and Liz Bower and their friendship that spans twenty-eight years.  Through marriage, babies, and infidelity they stand by each other and hold one another up... until breast cancer delivers the final blow.  As she sits by Liz, Kris recounts the trials and  blessings that made them who they are.  She tells their story and recalls the many "gifts" they have been blessed with throughout the years. She shares of how Liz taught her to notice the gifts in each day and to live with a grateful heart. It is through the telling of their story that the secret of counting gifts is discovered....

            Throughout this month, I'm on a virtual book tour, meeting up with bloggers and talking about friends and family, life and loss.  You can see the stops along the way at www.heidikreider.com.  Come on over and say "Hey!" and register for my giveaway... autographed copies of The Secret of Counting Gifts and The Secret of Counting Gifts Gratitude Journal in a hand-made basket, made my lovely friend, Anne.

            All those years ago, my family stood with me as we buried our stillborn son.  Who do you have stand with you when you face loss?  Do you have friends who are as close to you as family?

            ** Heidi Kreider is a wife, mother, author, and friend.  She blogs about life, grace, and gratitude at www.heidikreider.com.

Land Hurricanes and "The One Who is Always Present"

On my journey toward being more wise I have learned that there are things I cannot control - many things, most things.   I was reminded of this earlier this week when we experienced a land hurricane (or durecho); winds to the east of us were clocked at 91 mph.  For any male readers who are asking, "Do they make these terms up as they go?"  I'm told that land hurricanes (or durechos) have been so named since 2010 but I have spent no time in verifying this fact.

Several years ago I wrote a devotional about The One who can control things.  I will share that a little later on.  Before that I would like to share what I was doing during the land hurricane and what my children were doing.  Imagine the thoughts and feelings of this mother's heart.

Grandma is staying with us.  She recently had a stroke and struggles to say what she wants to.   She needed to take care of some things at her doctor's office.  Initially I was planning to take the girls along and do some errands while "in town" (the larger town about 8 miles to the west where we do most of our business).  As the day progressed I realized their constant chatter was making it more difficult for Grandma to speak.  That combined with thoughts of the small waiting area at the doctor's office and deciding the nature of the visit wouldn't be appropriate for young ears, I decided to take Grandma to her doctor's office and leave the girls at home.

If I had been on my computer at all that morning, I would not have made that decision.  If I had watched any news that day I would not have made that decision.  But I worked around the house, fed my family, etc. oblivious to the building storm - totally ignorant of pending danger.

I headed toward the doctor's office and commented about the dark sky but still had no idea how serious the coming storm would be.    We continued driving, the sky continued darkening.  Our area is experiencing a drought, so I'm thinking of the coming refreshment still naive of any possible danger.  My first warning sign was when the wind blew my car significantly.  Shortly after that one of the traffic lights was out.  And then the rain started, blinding at times.  I told Grandma we should go to my sister-in-laws house (where Grandma normally lives) and wait out the storm.  She agreed and we headed that direction but were stopped by a downed tree.  Thanks to the new one way road near the hospital, the only way to get around the tree and get to my sister-in-law's house was to go back out to the highway and deal with panicked drivers, wind and darkened traffic lights.  I thought about taking Grandma to one of the many waiting rooms on "medical row" but realized we would have to fight the rain to get inside to safety.  Instead we decided to find a parking space (away from trees) and just wait.

We watched the storm.  I wondered how soon it would reach my children at home.  And then the call from home came.   But... wait for it... wait for it... the storm took out our cell connection!  I was ten miles away from my children with no way to call them or call anyone else to help them.  I could not drive to them without driving through the storm and putting myself and Grandma in further danger.  There was absolutely nothing I could do!  Nothing but pray!  And pray I did!  The storm subsided, we headed home and the girls were fine.  They weren't even scared, proving that yes, sometimes ignorance is bliss. 

This experience taught me that I am too independent, depending too much on my own wisdom and my own strength.  It also reminded me how dependent I have become on my cell phone.   And most of all I was reminded that God was not surprised by the storm and he was not weakened by it.  He wasn't operating without power, without cell connections and with any trees down in His way.  He still had "the whole world in His hands." 

May you be encouraged by this message from Isaiah.  

Isaiah 58:11

The LORD (LORD in capital letters is the personal name of Jehovah God. It probably means “The One Who is Always Present” (The Revell Concise Bible Dictionary) I picture large hands holding me.  Wherever I go I am in God’s hands.  If I fail and fall, I am still in God’s hands.  A hymn states, “While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care and everywhere that man can be, Thou, God, are present there.)

 Will Guide you ALWAYS; (God’s guidance isn’t hampered by power outages, software glitches or inaccurate human input.  It doesn’t have to be weakened or altered to go through prison walls, hospital walls or soldiers' barracks.  It doesn’t have to be turned off on airplanes or in waiting rooms.)

 He will SATISFY your needs in a sun-scorched land

 (Picture the driest desert.  God not only satisfies our every day needs, but also our intense deep needs that no other resource can satisfy.)

And will STRENGTHEN your frame.  (When I am tired, I sometimes feel like my bones are rubber.  God strengthens my frame and makes my bones firm for the task.)

 You will be like a well-watered garden, (A well-watered garden is beautiful, flourishing, vibrant and fruitful.  I can be all those things with my ever-present God.)

 Like a spring whose waters never fail. (Water has energy and life-giving abilities.  God can give me that energy in unending supplies.)