Books!

The other day I gave in and used some of my swagbucks to buy a couple of books I've been drooling over wanting to read. When I say I gave in, I mean that it was literally a struggle for me to use some of my swagbucks(I'm a great hoarder of gift cards), but I finally decided my desire to read was stronger than my desire to hang on to my gift cards. Here is what I decided to buy.
 



I've been wanting to read The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity for awhile now, and I'm so glad I bought it! I'm only a couple of chapters in, but I can tell it's a book full of wisdom and encouragement. I'm sure I'll be rereading this one throughout my journey as a mom.





I also decided to purchase Nancy Wilson's, Building Her House: Commonsensical Wisdom for Christian Women (Marigold). I hadn't really heard much about this book, but Erik and I have enjoyed some of her husbands teaching. The other night I stumbled onto the blog she shares with her daughters, and decided I wanted to glean all the wisdom I could from her! The reviews of this book said she dedicates a chapter to raising sons and another to raising daughters, and since I can use all the specific help I can get I didn't hesitate purchasing this book! It's a quick and short read, almost as if reading a diary. Each chapter covers various aspects of Biblical Womanhood(loving husband, homemaking, raising children, submission, etc), but also has chapters dedicated to dealing with your in laws, dealing with postpartum hormones, and suggestions for a Sabbath dinner(which is an interesting idea).

What books are you reading right now?

7 months

I know I'm going to sound like a proud mama, but how stinkin cute is this little girl? She is seriously sweet. She smiles almost constantly, rarely cries, and is beginning to sleep like a champ. All very important things in the life of a baby!

I must admit, though, I'm a little nervous about Lily's mobility. Out of our three kids, Lily is probably more mobile and into more things than Jack or Anna were at this age. If I leave the room for a minute she will figure out a way to get under our couch or get a hold of an electrical cord. So basically, I don't ever leave her alone!

Jack is in love with her. He's always playing with her, and his new thing is to hide behind our ottoman and exclaim,"I'm going to get you, Lily!" then he pops out and tries to tickle her. It's so sweet! Anna likes to play with her too, but usually she seems to want some mommy or daddy time while Jack plays with Lily.

She has a really good grip, too. Since Anna and I are the only ones with longer hair we experience Lily's grip more than Erik or Jack. If Anna is sitting next to Lily, Lily will grab one of Anna's curls for dear life..hmm maybe that's why Anna doesn't play with her as much as Jack! Thankfully, Anna hasn't become upset with her little sister, she usually just looks at me as if to say,"Umm, Mom, could you do something about this, please?"

Lily is eating three "meals" a day of baby food and nursing about 4 times a day now. I honestly think her favorite food is peas, of all things! She seems to like vegetable better than fruit right now. At her last check up she weighed 16 pounds and 4 ounces.

Happy 7 months, Lily Faith!

Quiet

Today I realized why I enjoy quietness so much. It's not about the three kids running around the house, and it's not the constant questions I get from my three year old.


It's the narrating.

Jack is quite the little narrator. From the minute he gets up he is talking a mile a minute about anything and everything. For example here's how this morning went:

"Good morning, bubby."

"Oh, goooooood morning, Mommy!(He likes to sing while he talks) Mommy where's froggie? Oh Froggie's right here! Oh look, Mommy there's baby Anna, I mean baby Lily! Ahhh-ahh(he does a high pitch squeal for Lily), yep I think it's time to get up real quick. Mommy can we have hot dogs and chocolate milk for breakfast? Oh look there's Anna and she's wearing purple! Mommy, what color is Anna wearing? What color are you wearing, Mommy? Look Lily has a flower on her shirt! What color is Lily wearing? (More high pitched squealing that cracks Lily up) Do you think Lily might not like some yogurt? Jack and Anna looove yogurt! Do you like yogurt, mommy? Has Daddy left for work yet, Mommy? What color is Daddy wearing today? Ok it's time to go downstairs, Mommy, let me go cook.(I don't have my three year old cook just for the record.) Mommy can I wear my guitar shirt today? Oh I mean may I please wear my guitar shirt? Oh look there's Jack's big boy chair! Where did that pink wash rag go? Oh yeah I flushed it down the white potty, mommy!(He sure did!)"

And that's how our mornings go around here. Oh sure Anna throws in her two cents of conversation, but currently it's not quite the constant narration of my little broadcaster in training.

 Supposedly I was the same way at that age(and maybe to some still am a bit chatty, ahem) I think my parents are getting a bit of satisfaction out of this.

Oh well, I love my little man more than words can describe.

But I am always glad when sweet and glorious nap time arrives at our house. Because then we get a little quiet, and when everyone is back awake, we're happy to hear the details of everyday life, at least until bed time. :-)

What's Cooking?

My favorite time of year is here! I don't know about you guys but I can seriously get in a food rut towards the end of summer. Not that I don't love grilling, but after awhile it starts to feel as if we are eating the same things every week! That doesn't seem to be the case with fall, though. Soups, slow cooked meals, baked apples, and pumpkin bread(I bet you can't tell I'm on a diet by the way I'm talking!) all seem to be in constant demand around here, and it's hard to get bored with those!

Anyways, I thought I'd share some links to some recipes we've been enjoying this past week. Tonight we had homemade pizza, and we used this crust. A couple of nights ago(on the first "fall" night) we had this pot roast, and some creme brulee cheesecake for desert(we were in Heaven!)

And lest you think I rely to heavily on the internet for recipes, I thought I'd share my husband's favorite dish that was derived from a Betty Crocker cook book. I have seriously made this for him every birthday and father's day since we've been married.

Easy Coq Au Vin

-package of boneless skinless chicken breast, cut up.
-can of chicken broth
-six strips of bacon
-clove of garlic
-1/2 cup of flour
-1 tsp of salt
-1 tsp of pepper

Place bacon in frying pan, fry until crispy, remove from skillet and absorb grease in paper towels. Crumble bacon, and set aside. While bacon is frying mix the flour, salt, and pepper, and lather chicken in flour mixture. As soon as bacon is fried, place the floured chicken in bacon grease. Let fry until golden brown on all sides. Drain fat. Pour Chicken broth, garlic, and bacon crumbles in pan with the fried chicken. You can also add some carrots and mushrooms. Let broth boil, and then cover the pan and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes(the broth makes a really tasty gravy) and enjoy!

What are your favorite recipes?