Category Archives: Family

Big Breakfast.

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It’s Saturday.  And that can mean only one thing:  Big Breakfast.  It is the one day of the week that I put my whole heart into my favorite meal of the day. 

Growing up, my mother was master of the morning meal.  She believed in good hot food to start the day.  If I wanted cold cereal, I had to beg.  (Seriously, how awesomely backward does that sound?)  Volleyball practice at 7:00 am?  Mom was up at 6:00 am, taking breakfast orders.  Show Choir contest bus leaving at 5:00 am?  Mom was cooking at 4:00 am.  No matter what, we always had hot breakfast.  It is with deep fondness that I recall the aromas and visions of my mother’s breakfast table. 

Pancakes.
Biscuits and gravy. 
Cinnamon rolls. 
Grilled cheese sandwiches.
Eggs fixed every-which-way-we wanted and toast.
And so on…

I am not as entirely amazing as my mother, but I still love to give my stellar family the best possible start to their day.  And this morning was definitely BIG BREAKFAST day.  Pancakes, sausage, blueberries, milk, and of course, coffee.  I admit that I haven’t quite mastered Mom’s pancakes (with those delightfully crispy, buttery edges), but they are still pretty darn good… and so easy. 

I only burned one today (which is definitely good for me) and the smoke alarm didn’t even go off!  (Which may actually be a bad thing.  Mental note:  check smoke alarm batteries later.  Okay, not-so-mental note, but anyway…).  Flipping hotcakes, supervising the syrup bottle, and keeping stickiness confined to the table can be a smidgen distracting.  On pancake day especially, I wouldn’t mind having a couple of extra arms.

I usually double or triple the recipe and freeze the leftover pancakes.  If I am careful to make them the right size, I can pop them into the toaster like an Eggo waffle and eat homemade pancakes all week!  And since I’ve got kids, there is nothing better than using a pizza cutter to quickly cut pancakes into bite-size pieces to get them on the plate in a hurry (because there is nothing worse than cold, floppy pancake).

I make my own pancake mix and store it in an air-tight container in the cupboard.  Most mixes available in the store contain unhealthy additives and hydrogenated oils, so this is a better alternative.  To make a whole-wheat version, substitute whole-wheat flour for white flour, and brown sugar for the white sugar.

Enjoy!

Pancake Mix

7 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. baking powder
1 T. plus 1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. sugar

1.  Combine ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir to mix thoroughly.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.  Makes about 8 1/2 c. mix.

Pancakes (from Pancake Mix)

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 c. milk
2 T. butter, melted or 2 T. cooking oil
1 1/4 c. Pancake Mix

1.  In mixing bowl, combine egg, milk and butter.  Add Pancake Mix and mix until dry ingredients are just moistened.  Batter should be slightly lumpy.  If batter seems a little thin, add more mix.  Makes about 7 standard-size pancakes.  Double or triple as needed.

Little Picasso.

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As with many projects in my world, I have grand intentions that get sidelined by life for indefinite stretches of time.  This unnatural Iowa heat wave and my sickness as of late (from which I am finally almost recovered… almost) has afforded me loads of time indoors to tackle said projects with abandon.  (I even organized my medicine cabinet!  Woohoo!)

So the taming of the paper monster is officially underway!  I loathe piles of paper.  And they are everywhere.  Bills.  Receipts.  Schedules.  Forms.  Mail.  School work.  Newsletters.  Art work.  And on… and on… and on.  At times, I have been slow to embrace certain technologies, but my scanner is my new best friend.  I am in the process of scanning everything (and backing it up, of course, because I am smart like that).  Even the IRS accepts digital copies of tax documents and receipts!

I am a sentimentalist and like most moms I know, throwing away anything my child has made with their sweet little hands is like ripping out a piece of me.  But who am I kidding?  At this rate, I will have to rent a storage unit to keep all the notes and art they make me everyday.  Perhaps my girls are unusually creative and crafty, but something’s gotta give.  So… I started scanning all of their memorable notes, artwork, and school work into .pdf and/or .jpg files. 

To be honest, at first, there were tears.  “Mom!  You’re throwing my monster picture away???  I made that!  For YOU!!!  Don’t you care anymore???”  Then, I showed my angels the technological wonder their fine mother had created.  As soon as they saw their work displayed on the computer screen and were informed that it could be printed out at any time or sent to Grandma through email or publicly posted to facebook at any time… they were more than thrilled.  Opportunities.  “We could be famous.” 

And then it happened.  The deluge.  A plethora really.  “Mommy, scan this picture.”  “Hey Mom.  I’ve got another one for you.”  “Mother, I’ve written a complete dissertation on the theory of relativity.”

I’m no longer certain if I have tamed a monster or created one because my “To Scan” pile seems significantly more daunting than it did a week ago. 

At any rate, here is a sampling:

Yep.  Its a beaver.  Impressive.

Hey, look!  Its me… and a beautiful rendition if I may say so.
Annnnnddd… this is mommy yelling.  And girls crying.  This was probably early in the morning before I had my coffee.
Oh look.  Its me again.  With a flower.  Happy pictures of mommy are a good thing.
And mommy again.  Love it.
Hawaii.  So much to see here.  Turtles.  Apple trees.  Babies.
Nap time is over.  So is my coffee break.
(Iced Starbucks Espresso… delish!)
Happy Tuesday.

To infinity and beyond.

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Or at least Wisconsin.  I just returned from our first real camp out with our girls.  It was a great time, although I completely understand why my parents did not take my sisters and I camping until we were older.  We are tent campers… none of that rosy RV business for us.  It poured the very first night and we spent the remainder of our trip drying out.  The kids found every bit of mud they could to infiltrate… well everything.  (Glad I was thinking like a mom and packed twice as much clothing as I thought we would need!)

We had a fabulous quiet, secluded campsite, however, my girls were ravenously adventurous about EVERYTHING.  When we first arrived after our 6 hour drive, my sweet 4-year-old stood by the fire pit and after looking around, burst into tears.  After inquiring about this outburst, she very sincerely whined, “I need a TV out here!”  It was then and there that the Leapster, the Nintendo DS, and the portable DVD player were banned to the van.  Doggone it, these kids were gonna learn how to enjoy the outdoors. 

We were dealing with a triple threat here:  fire, water, and train tracks.  Yes, we were camping right on the lake, with a continuous fire burning, and only about 30 feet from active train tracks!  Thank God, the train seemed to only run at night after we were settled in the tent, but this girl nearly lost her mind keeping those 3 rugrats in the “safety zone!”  Perhaps I should also mention that about 2 am on our last night of camping, we had the pleasure of listening to a bobcat tear into his evening meal, accompanied by fierce yelping… yeah, not much sleep came after that.

At least I had the forethought to bring along a case of Starbucks Mocha Frappucino, because this trip was thoroughly exhausting.  We really had an amazing time and the girls loved every moment (well most of the moments, I think.)  So as much as I love the outdoors and camping, I think I can speak for Lee and I both that we have had enough “kid camping” to last the rest of the summer. 

On a happy note, while on vacation, I found an incredible cookbook full of all mushroom recipes!!!  I’ll probably be posting about this some more later… can’t wait to try it out. 

Pardon me while I recuperate from my vacation.  Curling up with a cozy cup of Chamomile tea and turning in early.  🙂

Life, Love & Coffee

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Can I trust this day?  It is Monday, after all.  I stand in the midst of what is historically one of the most insanely busiest 2 weeks of my life every year.  I use the term “stand” very loosely.  Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I am suspended by puppet strings, otherwise known as COFFEE.  Oh heavenly brew… what would I do without you?

Yesterday, my darlings danced and tumbled their little hearts out at dance recital and this mama couldn’t be prouder.  So in the end, all the money, costumes, makeup, endless chauffeuring and rehearsals were completely worth it.  Just look…

So now that dance is over for the summer, you would think we would be bored for the next few months.  But no fear!  This week begins T-Ball, Mega Sports Camp, 4-H Day Camp AND the summer reading program at the library. 
One word.  Coffee.
And now that its hot, I’m on the prowl for a new great iced coffee recipe!  I’ll be posting it as soon as I find one…

Leading Man & 3 Princesses

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This is him.  He’s all mine.  He is my best friend and most days, he keeps me out of trouble.  I have been married to this man for almost 9 years! 
This is my oldest sweetie.  She is 7.  She is my perfectionist and she loves to read.  She has grand aspirations of being an astronaut when she grows up.  Have I mentioned that I homeschool her?  No pressure there. 
And the next little darling.  She’s 4 1/2.  What can I say?  This kid lights up my life.  She has more personality in her little finger than most people have in their whole body!
And here’s my ball of fire.  She’s nearly 2.  I’m not sure where this one is headed yet, but let me just say she keeps me on my toes!  She’s vivacious and cunning and I love her.
And me!  I am a mommy of 3 little princesses.  My hubby is sorely outnumbered, but he LOVES every minute of it.  He tells me that someday we will own a male dog just so we can add some more testosterone to the family. 
I homeschool my girls and I love to be creative in the kitchen.  I am a musician, a sometimes poet and my faith in God is my anchor. 
Coffee is my lifeblood and I believe in good chocolate.