Spicy Magnolia

A Little Link Love Here, A Little Link Love There

Good evening, dear Internet peeps! How was your day? 

After cooking for special events in April that left us with tons of of leftovers of the same food to eat for awhile and all our travels in May, I’m finally back into a routine of cooking. It feels good despite the bit of extra time and effort it takes, but savoring the flavorful gems of summer fruits and veggies is extra inspiration. Here are some great new recipes I’ve scoped out and made that were hits with me and the boys.

Peach Melba Shortbread Bars from Southern Living

Chicken and Tortellini Salad served with Bacon Parmesan Tassies from Southern Living

I haven’t made this yet, but it’s on our menu to be served with a large salad with lots of yummy fixin’s. My friend, Amy, made it for her son’s birthday party (minus the tomatoes), and it’s some of the best homemade mac & cheese I’ve ever had.

Y’all will have to peruse this post with some of my favorite summer recipes. I made the Steak & Pasta Salad tonight and have the ingredients for Gaga’s Fruit Compote. I know I’ll make the Colorful Black Bean Salad soon, too. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t promote one of Blue Bell’s newest ice cream flavors that is a hit in our household: Happy Tracks, which is a creamy vanilla ice cream loaded with chocolate-coated peanut butter cups and a dark chocolate fudge swirl. Dog-gone-dangerous! I am painfully aware that most of you in this country do not have Blue Bell. I send my condolences. 

Not sure why I started off with all the food links since I’m full from dinner and nothing sounds appetizing at the moment. Onward I move then to a new discovery:

Pinterest.

Oh, yes, I’ve jumped on that bandwagon. And it’s been so much fun and a great source to collect inspirational ideas ranging anywhere from recipes to arts and crafts to awesome gift ideas. Instead of keeping up with a vast number of bookmarks for your favorite websites, it’s a place where you can “pin” a website to a personally assigned “board”. For example, some of my board titles are:

• For the Love of the Nations (for ideas that promote awareness and appreciation of other cultures) 
• Food for the Foodie (duh!) 
• Sizzlin’ Summer Pastimes (I can’t collect enough creative ideas to do with Brennan this summer, especially in this heat) 
• A Cheerful Giver (gift ideas that either we can make or unique/creative purchased gifts)

This is what a couple of my boards look like at the moment (sorry the pictures aren’t very clear).

From the “Sparking Creativity” board I created, so far Brennan and I have made a rainbow card we sent to Mees. Sadly, she hasn’t received it yet! So this might have to be her proof.  

And yesterday, we had a great time painting some rocks that you can see was another idea I borrowed from Pinterest.

 

 

Another board:

One of our first summer activities that I tried for Brennan and our guests Alex and Evan, were homemade popsicles. But they were a catastrophic flop…and a bit embarrassing. So I’m hoping this website I pinned, or saved, on Pinterest will come in handy: 50+ recipes for homemade popsicles (picture top right hand corner).

If you’re on Pinterest, let me know, or if you’re interested in setting up an account, I have a few invites left that I can use.

Last but not least, I am so, so, so excited for my friend, Marla Taviano, who launched her eBook last night called The Husband’s Guide to Getting Lucky. Don’t run away from me too quickly! As a brand new momma, the very first book I read was Marla’s Changing Your World One Diaper at a Time. It came highly recommended by Amanda, and I’m so glad I read it. It was funny, light-hearted, insightful, very personable, and relatable. It was nothing short of encouraging as I was navigating through the unknown plains and valleys of motherhood. 

She’s also penned a book that I’ve had on my shelf for two years but want and need to read: Is That All He Thinks About? Her desire for healthy, godly, intimate, and FUN marriages is one of her passions, as is missions and the nations of the world, (particularly Cambodia)…yet another reason I love her! I had the privilege of meeting her in person a year and a half ago in Houston. I was the stalker, and she was the graciously receptive one that has been a source of encouragement ever since.

On a personal level without revealing too much or embarrassing my precious husband, as a newlywed, I had specific visions of what our intimate relationship would look like. And well, it wasn’t too long before discovering that life happens. Babies come. I’m carrying an extra fifteen pounds on my body and don’t feel s-e-x-y in the least! Hands off, dude <grin>! 

But on a very real level, it’s an area of our married relationship that is precious, God-given and requires effort and selflessness. And knowing Marla and her heart for marriages, this new book of hers (as well as Is That All He Thinks About?) would be valuable resources to delve into with discernment, sensitivity, prayer, and yes, a bit of a sense of humor. Because while I know Marla approaches this topic with the utmost respect and humility, there will be some fun, light-hearted moments to her writing as well! I mean, just take a look at the cover:

Marla is providing one giveaway copy of The Husband’s Guide to Getting Lucky to one of my readers! 

Here’s how to enter:

A) Leave a comment telling me one or more of the following: 

• A favorite summer activity, trip, or moment you’ve had so far. 
• A prayer request. 
• Something you hope to get out of reading Marla’s book.

OR 

B) Link to The Husband's Guide to Getting Lucky website from your Facebook, Twitter, or any social media you prefer and leave a comment letting me know you did. 

Only one entry per person (just choose option A or B). The winner will be selected at random. Giveaway will end at 12 p.m. on Sunday, June 19th and announced shortly thereafter. 

Love to each of you this evening! 

Simply trusting, 

 

 

Link Love…and a Question

Amazingly, I’ve been able to keep up my reading spurt this year. I figure I only have two more months until I take a probable hiatus. The only downfall, if it can really be considered one, is that the novels I’ve delved into are so good they keep me up too late at night. The latest one I read is likely familiar to most of you with its raving reviews and the upcoming movie release this summer. It’s called The Help. I particularly love the history woven throughout, and who wouldn’t agree that the Civil Rights Movement is one of the top most significant historical events/changes during the 20th century? It’s a humorous, thoughtful, and insightful piece of literature.

There is a new Compassion Bloggers team headed to the Philippines next week. If you read anything on the Internet next week, read some of their posts. You can follow along with them here. You might be familiar with some of the team members:  Tsh Oxenreider at The Simple Mom or Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky.

I still think it would be amazing to meet our two Compassion girls who live in Bangladesh. My friend, Tracy, has family in the Philippines and visited there with her hubby and two kiddos a couple of months ago. While there, she got to meet her Compassion child! What an opportunity in which to take advantage, a real treasure!

We have no idea what lies ahead with Brennan’s or Skittles’ education in the future, and I am certainly not one that sees herself made for homeschooling, but I appreciated reading Ann Voskamp’s post this morning. No matter what is in store for our kiddos, the heart and purpose behind what we ultimately desire their education to look like and result in was articulated very well: “It means that we pursue not a cultural definition of success but of true greatness for our kids: ‘having an unquenchable passion for God that manifests itself in an unwavering love and concern for others’ (Ted Kimmel, Raising Kids for True Greatness).”

In the winter, I participated in the Bloom Book Club through {in}courage when they read One Thousand Gifts. Last Sunday, they announced the new book selection starting up on June 5th: Kelly Minter’s The Fitting Room. I’ve been looking forward to starting up again with this online community, and you might want to also. Here are all the details you need.

And now a question for y’all. One of Brennan’s favorite books in the past couple of months has been The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby. He’s intrigued not just by the baby but also the new big boy bed that Brother Bear switches to from his little bed, something Brennan himself has done in the last couple of months. It’s a book we’re using as a resource to talk about his baby sister coming soon to help with the transition. What are other things you did in your families that were helpful and fun to aid in the adjustment period?

If any of you Central Texans are looking for a place to escape for a weekend, Matt and I HIGHLY recommend Rose-Hill Manor outside of Fredericksburg! We went there last weekend for a brief ‘babymoon’ while Brennan was love-spoiled by his Mees in San Antonio. Y’all, the scenery was breathtakingly peaceful and the food was GOURMET! Our friend, Courtney, recommended the place, and we would go back there in a heartbeat.

Oh, and how could I forget!? There are a few things recently that have triggered deep Texas pride in me. First, the rodeo. Second, strawberry picking underneath the expansive clear-blue sky. I still want to blog about both of those. Third, this music video/commercial that came out for the Superbowl sponsored by the best grocery store around, H.E.B. It won’t be new to many of you Texans, but if you want to know why I love Texas--why all Texans love Texas--this will give you a glimpse. And you’ll understand why I wanted to breed a family of Texans <grin>. That was just to get under Matt’s skin, but oh, there’s so much to love about Texas, that’s why Texas is home to me!

Simply trusting,

Let Us Reacquaint Ourselves

I think a reacquaintance is in order. My name is Meghan. Or Meg. To my family and a few close friends, Meggie. To a couple of Australians, Meggles. To another friend, Megs. To my Momma, Pumpkin Face or Angel. To my Daddy, Meggie-Peg. I also hear the name, “Mommy” being called out a lot around this place by a person small enough to fit in a kitchen cabinet.

The big man of the household is working his cutie-pa-tooty off in what will be Brennan’s big boy room. We repainted the study a few weeks ago and moved the guest bed into that room to empty out the room for Brennan’s new one. Chris helped us put up a chair rail that Matt has been working on priming and painting, and over the next couple of weekends, we’ll tackle the painting of the walls. My momma is bustling working on other creative aspects of his room. In the meantime, our upstairs is a chaotic mess of furniture, toys, and mattresses. Speaking of my Momma, I want to recognize the blessing of her gift of creativity. She gave us a priceless treasure done by her hands that somehow, as her daughter, I have memorized how her hands look and feel and work. There’s nothing like Momma’s hands. Look what she painted and gave to us for Brennan’s birthday!

 

This was the original picture, taken when Brennan was about five months old in June of 2009.

 

If I haven’t been running around after an energetic two-year old, cooking, cleaning up the peanut butter schmeers on the table and chairs, passed out on the couch, caring for a boy who was sick for two weeks with high fever and severe diarrhea, sighing over the amount of dog hair in our home, standing aghast at the amount of dust building up because it’s been months and months since I’ve dusted, or attempting to tackle seven loads of laundry that I keep putting off for days, I’ve been doing either of the following:

1. Reading
2. Getting caught up on Project Life albums

A little bit more about each of those. First, reading. Since receiving a Kindle from my beloved for Christmas (which was a huge surprise to me), I’ve had a renewed love of reading and have put my nose to the books. Life seems kinda tough at the moment, in general, so I’m finding great reprieve getting lost in novels. Since January, I’ve read Revenge of the Spellmans (the third book in a series of four by Lisa Lutz), As Sure as the Dawn (final book in the Mark of the Lion trilogy by Francine Rivers), and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I highly recommend each one for different reasons! Even while I prefer novels these days, I still want to mix it up a bit, so I’m currently reading Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, which has been hugely challenging and eye-opening as a lot of the clouds that have been covering my soul lately seem to be parting, ever so slowly. The bright, cloudless Texas spring skies are also helping with that as well.

Secondly, the Project Life albums. Personally, I love keeping photos organized but don’t have time to do the old-fashioned scrapbooking. Becky Higgins’ Project Life albums have been the perfect match for me. I had a couple of months from 2010 to catch up on, plus I was able to start a new 2011 album. In addition, I’m using another album for Skittles’ baby book which I’ve caught up on to this day. And I’ll tell you what: it feels good! Now I just need to get our home back in order.

While working on the albums, I’ve discovered Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” feature that has The Cosby Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show. I now have a better understanding (and appreciation) for my hubby’s sense of humor as he’s a perfect blend of Bill and Dick!

Little Skittles. Precious Skittles. I’m 18 weeks today and am feeling much better than I did the past few months. In fact, I’m rejoicing that the last two weeks have had some semblance of ‘normalcy’ since Thanksgiving! Skittles is moving more and more and causing me a bit of insomnia and a great deal of ultra-sensitive gag reflexes! Did any of you experience that? It’s the weirdest thing! I can’t brush my teeth or cough without feeling like I’m gagging, and sometimes, it causes me to randomly vomit. It’s bizarre. For those of you who like belly pics, this was taken a couple of days ago. If you aren’t interested, just keep scrolling down <grin>. My hubby, bless his heart, finds himself unfortunately in the role of taking the pictures once again, and I am a pretty picky belly picture taker. On Sunday, I think we took about seven or eight pictures before I was satisfied.

 

This handsome buckaroo keeps me on my toes and keeps me laughing (most of the time…the other times I’m about ready to pull my hair out or pass out from exhaustion). He’s a solid climber! Just this past weekend he mastered climbing up the slide from the bottom. Not sure if that’s a good thing. But it’s definitely a boy thing. He’s playing a lot more pretend games (like grocery store), and is inseparable from any of the following items that get interchanged every week or so: Lightning McQueen, Thomas the Train, Lambie (his stuffed lamb that Gaga gave him), a toy dolphin, Mickey Mouse, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake book, or pieces of his Cars puzzle.

 

Since Sunday, he’s been carrying around the following two pictures of Pops and Mees that he pulled from my stack of photos I had developed. Pops and Mees have eaten every meal with us, gone everywhere with us, and slept next to Brennan for naps and bedtime.

To the delight of my heart, he started singing Jesus Loves Me on his own yesterday while playing trains. And for the first time in his whole two years of life, it’s not very pleasant to drop him off in the church nursery.

Over the last month, the tyke has ventured to San Antonio for a weekend getaway with Pops and Mees by himself where he got spoiled rotten with yummy food, playing with three puppies, and adventures at the stock show. Then the weekend after that, he had a journey up to North Texas to celebrate our good buddy, Harrison’s, fifth birthday. Matt took him there for the weekend, so I had a lovely, quiet weekend at home and attempted my first-ever sewing project with my friend Emily! We made tool belts for our boys and it was a blast! 

 

I’ve loved the opportunity of reintroducing myself to y’all. I hope to not be as much of a stranger around these parts! And if you’d kindly oblige me, I’d like to know who my visitors are these days, just for fun. I’d love to know who you are and where you’re from and what’s been the best thing you’ve eaten today. Not best as in best for you, but best as in yummy best <grin>. I’ll start: I’m Meghan from Austin, Texas and I ate a whole pint of chocolate pudding today, and don’t regret one bite!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a lovely afternoon!

Simply trusting,

You Can Do It, Brennan

It was a gorgeous day on Pumpkin Street. There was not a cloud in the sky and the sun was shining brightly. Brennan had just woken up from a long, restful nap. His tousled blond hair was wet from sweat. Momma was grateful he was in a good mood. It was the perfect time to make a tasty Fall treat for their friends and to enjoy eating it, too.

“Are you ready for your snack, Brennan?” asked Momma. A nodding of the head indicated a ‘yes’.

Sitting on the kitchen counter, Brennan noticed a big bowl and several ingredients next to him. And then he spotted his new, most favorite snack ever: pumpkin bread! If it were up to him, he would eat a whole loaf of it by himself. How else can he make his Momma know how much he likes it other than asking, “More? More?”

 

 

“Smile, Brennan,” asked Momma. Momma chuckled at her son, wondering how he came to think that “smile” meant “blink”.

 

And there it happened, one Fall afternoon on Pumpkin Street, that Brennan and Momma baked some golden loaves of pumpkin bread for their friends while snacking on some of the deliciousness themselves.

First comes sugar…

then a teaspoon of nutmeg…

 

some canola oil…

 

and a few eggs.

 

 

“What do you want more of, baby boy?”

 

Brennan was so excited that they were making more pumpkin bread  that he clapped. Momma knew she could hold a piece ransom for some kisses, hugs, and nose rubs. She thought to herself, “I just might make a loaf of pumpkin bread every week for those priceless treasures.”

 

“Mmmmm,” muttered Brennan as he stuffed his face with another bite.

“Let’s stir it up now and make sure all the lumps get out,” Momma instructed.

Brennan grabbed onto Momma’s arm when the beater first came on, uncertain of the loud noise. Once he knew he was safe, his tiny hands grabbed the handle and watched the bowl spin around in circles.

 

“Oh, boy,” thought Brennan, “the pumpkin bread is ready to bake in the oven!”

 

While the bread was baking in the oven, Momma and Brennan went outside their home on Pumpkin Street to kick around the soccer ball and watch their dog, Molly, eat some acorns.

The next day after Brennan woke up from his nap, Momma asked him, “Are you ready to deliver our pumpkin breads?”. After the eight loaves were wrapped with colorful ribbon and tags that said, “Happy Fall”, Momma and Brennan loaded them up into the little red wagon. Brennan was most curious about the ribbon and thought he’d give it a pull.

“Oooo, what fun,” he thought.

With his bag of crackers in hand, Brennan followed behind Momma step by step, door by door. When Momma and Brennan pulled the red wagon up the driveway to their friends’ homes, Momma would hand Brennan a loaf of pumpkin bread for him to carry to the door. “You can do it, Brennan. You can carry the loaf of bread to the front door, I know you can!”

“Smile, baby boy,” said Momma.

 

Momma was tall enough to reach the doorbells. Brennan stood there with the pan in his hands, peering into the windows to see if someone was coming. “You can do it, Brennan. You’re doing a great job giving the pumpkin bread to our friends!” Brennan got so confident that he didn’t want Momma’s help holding the loaves.  

 

After all eight loaves were delivered to their friends, Momma and Brennan made their way back home with the little red wagon in tow. At just the right time, Momma knew that the remaining loaf would be brought out for a tasty treat for Brennan. And when that time came, Momma and Brennan sat together on their front lawn, looking up at the sky, snacking on some moist pumpkin bread, talking about what a beautiful day it was, and wondering how their friends were enjoying their bread.

 

And that’s what happened, several Fall afternoons on Pumpkin Street.

 

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About this same time last year, Brennan and I came across Amy Hest’s book, You Can Do It, Sam at the library. It quickly became one of my most favorite children’s books.

Taking place on a cold winter day on Plum Street, Mrs. Bear and Sam wake up early one morning and bake their friends cakes. They excitedly wait for them to come out of the oven whereupon they venture out together in the snow to deliver the cakes. Mrs. Bear encourages Sam to walk up to the door to deliver the cakes all by himself. Likely a four year old bear, Sam replies, “All by myself?” to which Mrs. Bear puts her arm around Sam and says, “You can do it, Sam.” As the story comes to a close, the momma and boy head home, and to Sam’s delight, there are two small cakes left for each of them to enjoy eating together. With hot cocoa sitting next to a fire, the two of them tell stories and fill their bellies with cakes.

Part of me loved the story so much because I love cold, wintry days to nestle inside by a fire drinking hot chocolate and snuggling with my boys. As we headed into the winter season last year when I discovered the book, I couldn’t help but feel delight envisioning some of the things I love most about the season. I also loved the story’s simple message about the joy of giving. I tucked the idea away in my mind as something to do with Brennan one day. And I hope it will be the first of many things we do together to help instill an attitude of cheerful giving in his heart. What also drew me into the story was the close and loving relationship between Mrs. Bear and Sam. She instilled courage in the little bear, included him in the baking, and shared a special moment together over cakes and hot chocolate at the end. I resonated with the desires in Mrs. Bear to savor the precious moments with her boy.

So the short story I wrote above is a {really rough} parallel on the endearing book, You Can Do It, Sam using mine and Brennan’s fun moments that happened one day on Pumpkin Street.

A Bunch of Good Stuff

The alarm blared a little too early this morning. At 3:50 a.m. Dazed and confused, all three of us somehow made it intact to the airport where I said, “See ya later,” to my loves. They jetted off to Canada this morning and should land in about an hour whereupon Brennan will receive the first of hopefully many stamps in his passport. Little did we know that we were supposed to pay an international tax for Brennan’s travel and it nearly jeopardized the boys’ final leg of the trip across the border. But I happen to think that blondie simply captured the hearts of the flight crew that they had no choice but to transport him to his final destination.

I mean, really. Who can resist this face?

 

Matt’s dad runs a school for children with learning disabilities in Canada. He’s commuted 20+ years to Canada from Virginia and this is the first time any of his kids have been able to see first-hand the school he’s directed with passion all these years. For Matt’s birthday and Christmas last year, my parents helped Matt with a ticket to visit his dad. And a few months ago, we thought it would be great to take advantage of Brennan flying free (well, aside from the international travel tax or whatever it is) and make the trip my boys’ first Daddy/son trip. Even at 4 a.m., “Da Da” was repeated over and over and over. I think he knew he was gonna get some good testosterone time. Everything is about “Da Da” these days. He’ll see a car that looks like Matt’s car and it spurs a number of “Da Da”s. He’ll walk into the closet and see Matt’s clothes and out comes the “Da Da”. I haven’t heard “Momma” in quite awhile unless coaxed out of him. That’s alright. My man child has a great man to look up to!

Speaking of clothes, I had some slight jealousy in me yesterday of Matt who will get to see Brennan wearing some of his new fall outfits for the first time this season along with his jacket, hat and mittens. Matt endured a 10 minute schpeal about all of the outfits: what socks go with what, what outfits were for what days, when to wear the tennies and when to wear the brown shoes. And as a courtesy, I even threw into Matt’s pile of clothes a nice shirt that I encouraged him to wear when Brennan wears his nice outfit as they meet Ed’s staff for the first time. I almost tied bows around each of the respective outfits so there was no chance taken in a pair of socks being paired with the wrong outfit. I know my hubby’s weaknesses. Matching is one of them, bless him. And I’m no fashionista!

What will I do while they’ve run off to Canada? Give some TLC to Molly who has surgery tomorrow. Plant my behind on the couch to rest and watch some movies. Maybe pick up the new Francine Rivers’ book, Her Daughter’s Dream. Start on my third round of antibiotics and new steroids to kick this lingering bronchitis (I’m on week #4) to the curb. Hopefully it’ll kick the sinus infection I’ve had the past week to the curb, too. I’m desperate to feel better, so if making sure I stay on the couch all weekend is part of the plan, then so be it. I’ll happily oblige! I’ll meet my momma for lunch on Saturday. And I have the honor of treating my friend, Courtney, to a nice lunch tomorrow in thanks for the many lunches she braves eating with me and Brennan at Chick-fil-A! As a woman who doesn’t have children, that says a lot about her character, people! I’m aiming for peace and quiet. That’s what my body and my soul need. If only I’d be brave enough to turn off the TV and sit in total silence.

Last week, I recorded a bit of Brennan and a new routine we’re working on. I’m no Julie Andrews, just warnin’ ya! And I’m not sure where all the facial expressions came from. Maybe he wants to be the next Jim Carrey.

 

I hope to catch you sometime this weekend, friends! And before I sign off, if you want some good, albeit challenging, reads, I highly recommend these:

J.R. Briggs wrote a post regarding the possible Quran burning a few weeks ago. If you’re tired of the whole topic, this is not the same old stuff! J.R. actually called Terry Jones and you need to read about it!

Lysa TerKuerst on marriage and parenting. This post gave me some great prayers to pray for Brennan. How counter-cultural is it to pray that he’d get caught when he makes wrong choices!? Good stuff! And this one made me reflect more on the cost of my choices.

What do you think of the American church? That topic can open up a can of worms. Kathy Escobar wrote a letter to the American church that is some great food for thought. And potentially, some powerful encouragement for transformation.

And this post over at Nothings and Notions from my Noodle broke it down in a way I could totally relate to wanting to live for the glory of God in our daily lives. My daily life that looks like cleaning peanut butter and honey off the booster chair every morning. My daily life that includes giving thanks for the family bathroom at the mall that offered some privacy where I could run to to discipline and instruct Brennan when he was having the FIT OF HIS LIFE yesterday. Yes, it was a great post to remind me I have ample opportunity to bring glory to God in my daily life that doesn’t necessarily mean me hopping on the next jet plane overseas. But I’d like that, too!

Link Love

This weekend called for desperate measures, y’all. I’m just as tired about writing about our ongoing illnesses as you are reading about them. Matt went back to the doctor last night and after being on antibiotics for a week, he still has bronchitis that isn’t getting better. So they gave him some potent antibiotics that required a special photo ID verification at the pharmacy and hopefully we’ll send this nasty stuff to Timbuktu. Meanwhile, I’m worse off today than yesterday so my parents generously took Brennan for the weekend so we could rest and hopefully keep him from catching this stuff, too. They kindly provided us with dinner and while sympathetic, happily took our boy to their home, which will be much more fun and interactive for him. When he saw Pops, he gave him a big wave ‘hello’ and once in his arms, waved ‘goodbye’ to us. Yeah, I see how it is.

So here are a few things you should check out in the coming days as you sit in front of the television watching some football. FOOTBALL! When I think of football, I think of this picture.

It was taken a year ago.

We wore the same things today but didn’t snap a photo. I think you’ll thank me for that. The boy was just as cute, if not cuter, but I’d make your eyes sore.

Ok, for the things you should check out and consider:

• On the sidebar to the right, I’ve had the Compassion banner advertising the bloggers trip to Guatemala for quite awhile, and the time has finally come for the team to go! They leave next Wednesday the 8th. You can read about their trip and encourage them here. I am really excited for them and know they will be a tremendous blessing to their sponsor children. How cool is it that they can meet in person!? And without a doubt, the team will come back tremendously blessed, too. And changed. I highly encourage you to take the time to read their posts about this trip, to pray for the team, and to pray for the children in Guatemala who still need sponsors.

 

• Have you read or heard of the book Radical by David Platt? The subtitle is “Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream”. My friend, Marla, is putting together an online book club that will read through this book starting Tuesday the 7th. If you want to join us, do! It’s not too late. All you need is a book, and you can read more about the online discussion here. I’ve read the first chapter and interestingly enough, the parallels between A Voice in the Wind that I wrote about in my last post and Platt’s book are striking. The same sorts of things I wrestled with in Francine Rivers’ book of fiction are the ones that I already know I’ll be faced with in Radical. I see a theme. I’m not sure I like it. But I know it’s not a coincidence, and I want and need my heart and ears to be open to what the Lord wants to do, even if it’s got me squirming and grimacing and crying in my granola.

 

• A year before Spicy Magnolia was birthed, Matt and I were co-authors of a blog called Inkpots. I use the word “co-authors” loosely <grin>. It was hosted by a free blog service that is now closing and they provided a way for me to import the year’s worth of posts to Spicy Magnolia. If you want to peruse the archives, the dates range from April 2007-May 2008. On the left sidebar, you can scroll down to “Archives” and browse through some of the dates. What a year it was! Two of our siblings got married; Matt turned 30; I traveled to South Asia; my college roommate was killed in a car accident; I became a full-time puppy mommy; I had an unwelcomed friend named “Darth Vader”. What a mixed bag! One of the more interesting posts that people still talk about was “The Spree of All Sprees”. It was one of my favorites and you might like it, too <grin>.

Hope you have a nice Labor Day weekend!

 

The Good, The Bad and The Yummy

The Good:

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been engrossed with the first novel in Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion series. It is gripping, and I quickly became caught up in each of the main characters’ lives. Not only have I given hours of my time to this novel, I’ve become emotionally invested. And yes, drawn ever so intoxicatingly into the romantic side of it. So when I finished the book last night, I was distraught over it. For those that haven’t read it, I don’t want to give anything away. But I was deeply grieved and hadn’t the nerve to muster up the emotion it would take to read the first chapter of the second book in the series that was tagged on at the end. I fell asleep thinking about the ending. I woke up thinking about the ending. I was seriously wrestling with God over it! I could not get past the tug on my own heart. How valuable do I consider Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross? Do I really consider everything a loss for the sake of knowing Christ and sharing in His sufferings? Why did it have to end that way, Lord?  Y’all, I cried over my bowl of granola this morning at the state of my heart and trying to explain to Brennan the amazing love of Jesus and how He asks us to take up our cross and follow Him.

Later this afternoon, I finally felt up for taking a glance at the second book and reading the first chapter. I don’t want to give too much away, but last night, I ended on a somber and sobering note, really grieving. Today, there was hope…a very good thing! I was so excited and relieved. In some odd way, and maybe one of the subtle purposes of the author, I experienced the emotions of Good Friday last night and today was the glorious hope offered in Easter. My emotions very much were on that realm of grief and celebration.

While the story probably won’t turn out the way I’d originally envisioned and hoped for, I learned a valuable lesson. First, to go ahead and read the token first chapter of the following book in a series when included. And more importantly, it brought me to a yielded place before Jesus, honestly wrestling and sincerely longing to be more willing to follow Him no matter what, knowing from the deepest part of me that this love of His, so amazing, demands my life, my all.

The Bad:

We are now 3 for 3 in our household who have been on antibiotics in the past two weeks. I am now down for the count with a milder version of bronchitis that Matt gave me. Actually, I jest. Sometimes I think I’ll automatically be immune to whatever comes in and out of our home through the boys and thus lower my preventative defenses, unwisely so. He and I make a delightful pair as we cough up a couple of lungs together.

I want to thank you all for your kind words of encouragement from my last post about my grandfather, Papa. He passed away last Thursday morning. Brennan and I drove down to San Antonio to spend the day with my Daddy and allow him to have some extra lovin’ from his grandson. His services will be in a couple of weeks. This is really more sad than “bad” as I’m writing in these categories to fit my title. And it’s a good thing to celebrate his life and that he is with Jesus! Really good, so I could have put this up above, but it is also really sad. He was the last living grandparent of mine and that carries with it additional grief as does returning to El Paso, a city I have very fond memories of, but a city that I now deeply associate with mourning and death from recent years. I’m trying to keep this post a little more light-hearted and can share more later as I feel led, but I wanted to let you know and thank you for your love and prayers.

The Yummy:

I made a recipe last night that was super scrumptious. It’s from my favorite cookbook, Desert Treasures by the Junior League of Phoenix, and I’m really surprised I’ve not made it before. It’s now one of Matt’s favorites so I thought I’d post it. If you want to end your light, summer cooking with a bang before settling in with pumpkins and squash, try this!

Summer Pasta Salad

Dressing:

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 cup parsley, chopped

6-8 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic

2 cups olive oil or canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

1-1.5 cups fresh basil leaves

• Place garlic and basil in a processor. Process.
• Add remaining ingredients and process until well incorporated.

 

Salad:

8-10 ounces tortellini or swirled pasta (can be gluten free pasta, too)

1 red pepper, diced

1/2 cup red onion, diced

1 small jicama, diced (I left this out)

2 cups cooked chicken, ham or beef, diced (I left this out)

2 cups salami, diced

2 cups Pine nuts

2 cups fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

• Cook and drain pasta. Toss with a little light oil.
• Add remaining ingredients to the pasta.
• Toss with the dressing.
• Add extra fresh basil and cheese just before serving and toss again to mix ingredients.

Serves 8-10

 

Wanna guess what else is really yummy?

This character!

He was half-way dressed for swimming and so proud of himself for stacking the cans so high.

My, oh, my, he’s yummy!

Project Life Tuesday: February 2-8, 2010

I recently told you about Becky Higgins’ Project Life Kit that I started for 2010, and it’s been a lot of fun, and so much simpler than the traditional scrapbooking I was doing before. I’m trying to snap a photo a day after for my album, and thought it would be fun to join The Mom Creative’s weekly Project Life Tuesday. So here are the photos from the past week:

 

Tuesday, February 2nd

Fridge Art from our weekend with Eric and Kim. The Mexican food restaurant, Chuys, rocks. ROCKS! (Marla, if you’re ever in Austin, me taking you to Chuy’s is a must. It beats out Chipotle and Freebirds, hands down. And I love Freebirds, which means that Chuy’s simply rocks!)  And “Burn” is a phrase Eric and Kim’s small group in CO uses a lot as a “na na na na boo boo” kinda thing. And because Matt and I are such cool people (ahem!), we were taught its meaning. I used it every chance I got, whether or not it was the proper intended use of it. So there: burn.

 

 

Wednesday, February 3rd

Playing with the pots and pans while I fixed dinner. He’s my little chef who loves to be in the kitchen with me rummaging through the pantry or mixing things with the wooden spoon. He baked some amazing chicken pot pie that night!

 

 

Thursday, February 4th

While Matt is not a coffee drinker, his daily energy buzz is hot chai. He’s holding off buying some from Sam’s to help our budget a bit, but I had some spare change to swing by Starbucks last Thursday and pick up a chai latte for our special hubby/daddy. We surprised him and swung by his office to drop it off before I took Brennan to get his first pair of real tennis shoes. The blurry writing on the lid is a love note, so it’s ok if it’s blurry and you can’t see it clearly. <grin>

 

 

Friday, February 5th

The big boy in his new shoesies! By the way, the boy is going to be severely made fun of because he’s learning all the nouns that I put “y” or “ies” on the end (i.e. doggies, horsey, shoesies, sockies). We went to Sandy’s Shoes and found out that Brennan has a large foot for his age, which should come as no surprise. He’s a size 6, and the gentleman that helped us was amazed at how good he was at walking having just taken off a week ago. Although, he might just tell all his toddler customers that. So far, the shoesies stay on better than his sockies.

 

 

Saturday, February 6th

What a cute little hiney! Ever since Brennan was born, after Brennan’s bath, Matt would bring him to me all wet, wrapped up in his towel to give me kisses. The fresh, clean baby smell is totally irresistible and I’d nestle into Brennan’s cheeks while Matt held him all bundled up. But this weekend, surprise, surprise! Matt sent the character out me walking, buck n*aked! It was hilarious! And there’s something about being in only a diaper or completely n*aked that Brennan absolutely loves. He giggles, he’s frisky, he’s foot loose and fancy free! I hope we don’t have a future streaker on our hands. And don’t worry, I’m still nestling into his proper cheeks. Ok, bad, bad joke, I know! <grin>

 

 

And for kicks, one more picture for Saturday:

My tennis shoe lovin’, jean wearin’, casual hubby decided on his own, that he wasn’t going to get tennis shoes to replace his worn out pair. Instead, he opted for these brown shoes. Ya’ll, this is big. This is huge! I promise with everything in me that I have never mentioned to him how cool I think it would be if he wore something like these over tennis shoes as his every day shoe. Not once. So when we were at the outlet mall a month ago and he said he was thinking about brown shoes, I was stunned. And when we were actually ready to buy a pair this weekend, with no prompting from me (and he can attest to this), he chose these. I was flabbergasted and excited and swooning! I’d still love him in his old tennies, but folks, the southern belle in me is lovin’ these handsome loafers.

 

 

Sunday, February 7th

Super Bowl Sunday with my boys.

 

 

Monday, February 8th

Five months have passed since I dusted our bookshelves, so I think it’s about time I get out the trusty dust rag and Pledge, don’t ya think? It was another rough Monday for me and Brennan. So much so that I spent more time than I would have liked going through Antique Mommy’s and Amanda’s archives for any glimmer of hope from posts they may have written about their experiences with their toddlers. Brennan isn’t a monster, please don’t get me wrong. He’s far from it. But my type-A, need-to-have-a-plan kinda personality really clashes with how parenting is constantly changing and full of so many unknowns. I know I’m not the first one to say it, but if only God gave personalized instruction manuals when a child was born, the world would be a better place. Or at least I’d be a better mommy. Someone, just tell me what to do and I’ll do it. Steps 1, 2 and 3!

I also am deeply battling insecurity and a raging desire to be more than just a mommy, both of which are gnawing at me incessantly, so bring on the guilt as well. It’s no coincidence that I’m reading Search for Significance for a women’s Bible study at church and Beth Moore’s book, So Long Insecurity, which I can’t put down. But at the same time, I don’t want to read another word because it’s too much to take in all at one time it’s hittin’ so deep. I’m not looking for comment affirmation here, just sharing for a moment. And now I’m feeling insecure about writing that last sentence. Should I have or shouldn’t I have? Oh, Lord, rid me of this malady if it kills me!

As I was dusting the bookshelves, I came to the shelf that has these two giraffes and next to them a book called Tall Blondes. While I was in Africa, I fell in love with giraffes. Their grace and gentleness, their strength and their beauty. I brought home these two wooden giraffes not only to remember this magnificent creature that graces the vast expanse of Africa, but even more so because of their stance: a baby giraffe stretching her neck as much as she can to gaze into the eyes of the larger giraffe whom she knows protects her, cares for her, and loves her more than she could possibly fathom. These giraffes symbolize my time in Africa where my eyes were fixed upon Jesus in a loving gaze that nothing could take my eyes off Him, a real mark in my life with Him. They are a tangible reminder to me of where my eyes always need to be.

And the book? Given to me by Gaga, my grandmother, who knew of my love for giraffes as a going away gift when I left for college. In it is a note penned with her chicken scratch saying how much she’d miss me and pray for me when she talked to God. Oh, I miss her so.

These giraffes are for a day like yesterday, when I need to remember not only how my eyes should be fixed upon Jesus who alone satisfies all of my needs and knows the deepest longings of my heart, but also how His eyes are on me. I cannot flee from His presence and nothing can separate me from His love. Even in my weakness, my mixed up priorities, my lack of knowledge of how to be a mommy, or my raging emotions and insecurity, nothing can separate me from His love, from His constant gaze upon me. I just need to keep my fixed, intent look upon Him.

Sacred Time

Some of you might remember a post I wrote three months ago alluding to a to-do list written on a torn piece of paper towel that is stuck to our refrigerator that has everything on it me and hubby want/need to accomplish before Polka arrives.  Well, first off, let me just say that time has apparently been on fast forward, for cryin' out loud!  How could three months have already passed between then and now?  Good grief! 

Well, while the tacky looking paper-towel list still resides on our fridge, I'm happy and relieved to know that we've whittled it down to only a few remaining items:  a thorough and deep house cleaning, schedule a carpet cleaning, select a baby boy name (if hubby doesn't come up with a few names he likes, I have one I'm gonna just go with! ha ha!), put the finishing touches on our new baby budget (had to say "adios" to our allowances for the sake of things like the rising cost of health insurance and hopefully a date every now and then), and put finishing touches on my scrapbook and baby book for Polka.  Of course there are still the everyday chore type things, but the big to-dos are just about complete.  Our hospital bag is mostly packed.  The nursery is ready to go.  Christmas packages bought, wrapped and shipped.  Wills done and in our fire box.  And I'm so thankful!  And excited about the month ahead.

I am truly guarding the next month, setting it apart to prepare for Polka, mostly in my heart, and having quality time with my hubby.  I don't want this to sound standoffish or that I don't want to be with my friends, because I absolutely love my time with them.  But I know myself well enough to know that if I start scheduling a bunch of get-togethers with friends during the week, the time is going to whiz by me and I'm going to miss out in what I truly desire the next month to look like.  So I've committed myself to keeping the schedule clear and not filling it as much as possible.  I feel like the next month is sacred time.  Sacred time between me and the Lord:  to give Him my fears, share with Him my excitement.  Sacred time between me and Polka:  to bond, to pray for this little baby (something I admit I have not done very well the past 8 months!).  Sacred time between me and my dear hubby: to soak in Christmas, celebrate our upcoming 6 year anniversary, and minister to and encourage each other as we prepare for our new roles of daddy and mommy.  Sacred time.  Time set apart and guarded. 

One of the things me and hubby are doing the next month is reading together.  The first book we're working through:  Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp.  If you are a parent or an expectant parent, I highly recommend you grab yourself a copy of this book.  It will be the most significant and shaping book he and I read together the next month, and one we've said we need to reread each year.  Folks, it is turning me upside down:  pointing me to Scripture and Biblical principles that are transforming and renewing the parts of my mind that have been conformed to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2).  It hasn't been easy because it's been a tool the Lord is using to show me my own sin, my own fallible viewpoints of parenting that are more cultural than Biblical.  It's truly sobering to realize both the honor and responsibility that parenting is in shaping a little one's heart to know that "life is found in knowing and serving the true and living God", that the only worthy goal for life is to glorify Him.  I have more of an unhealthy bent toward having a well behaved child, which I tend to see as an overarching goal in our parenting, rather than a secondary benefit to teaching our child(ren) about the Biblical truth of looking out for the interests of others and servanthood.  Another big thing that it is bringing to the surface:  the need for me to know the Word, to read it, to hunger for it.  It needs to be the bedrock of all we do, say and teach and oh, how I long to pour over it faithfully.  This book is truly rocking my world, and it will take the mighty yet gentle Spirit of God to teach, transform and help us every step of the way.

Jules from The Roost wrote a beautiful and powerful post yesterday that gives a practical example using Christmas gift giving that nails down exactly what I'm trying to communicate about having Biblically focused concepts integrated in parenting, rather than cultural ones.  A main point she presents:  instead of having kiddos make a Christmas list of their wants, have them create a Christmas giving list of who they are going to give to and come up with creative gift ideas that fit that person.  She points out something that has become a culturally acceptable and expected practice versus what the more Biblically centered concept of giving would look like during Christmas time.  She also gave great practical ideas about gift giving.  It sure struck a nerve in me, in a good, convicting way.  Take a moment to read it here. 

So part of what will make this next month sacred:  allowing my heart to be transformed and malleable before the Spirit of the Living God, giving Him all the room He needs to make me more of the woman, wife...and now mother, He wants me to be.  I close with a verse that I want to somehow put in Polka's nursery to be a constant reminder to me of what I want Polka (and myself) to grow in and see through the content of our everyday life:  that real living is experienced when we can genuinely say, "Whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you" (Psalm 73:25).

A 'Ittle Bit o' Everything

For the past few days, I feel as though I've lost my "umph" writing for the blog.  It's as if I have a lot to write, many ideas I want to write about, but the creativity, the mental energy, and the words to capture my thoughts "just so" have seemingly dwindled.  Quite a predicament to be in for a blogger! 

Matt and I are having a most relaxing and wonderful Memorial Day weekend, my last got-nothin'-planned weekend for the next 4 weekends, which will be full of traveling hither there and everywhere.  Next weekend, my brother and I are visiting my grandmother, Gaga, and it will be the first time I've been on a plane since my fall world travels.  The travel bug has come and grabbed me yet again...something in me that is likely never to recede.  I'm greatly looking forward to time with my Gaga as well as my "'ittle broder"!  There have also been a couple of more melancholy thoughts pervading my mind this weekend...

First, my heart goes out deeply to Steven Curtis Chapman's family, which I'm sure most of you know about the unimaginable tragedy that they are walking through.  As you pray for this family in their grief, I humbly ask you to pray once more for my friend, Tom, as he not only continues to daily grieve the loss of his wife, Becca, also my dear college friend/roommate, but he daily battles excruciating, unbearable pain that put him once again in critical, but stable, condition in the hospital just this past month.  For those new to the blog, you can read more about his and Bec's story here. 

There are two dates from my calendar that I still cannot bear to delete:  Tom and Becca's wedding anniversary, and Bec's birthday.  Tomorrow, May 26th, will have been Tom and Becca's 7th wedding anniversary, a day that was filled with so much joy and hope of a long life in partnership.   The memories of helping Becca prepare to walk down the aisle; of the laughter of us bridesmaids echoing in the limousine heading to the church;  of watching our first college girlfriend stand before her groom and the Lord Jesus making vows to love, honor and cherish; of getting goosebumps and teary-eyed watching Becca and her daddy dance to "Butterfly Kisses" at the reception are as vivid in my mind today as they were seven years ago.  But this year, I don't get to send them an e-card wishing them a "Happy Anniversary".  This year, us college girlfriends won't get an email from Becca saying that she and Tom just finished watching their wedding video and reminisced about their special day they gladly shared with us.  This year, instead, Tom is reeling in pain keeping him from walking, awaiting several major surgeries, feeling discouraged because of setbacks, and walking through much heartache.  Not only will tomorrow have been his wedding anniversary, but in less than a month, he will also face the one year anniversary of Becca's and the three youth kids' deaths.  So as you pray for the Chapman family, I'd be ever grateful if you also prayed for Tom and his little girl, McKayla, as they walk through a difficult month, and what is still a long road to recovery.  In Tom's dad's blog updates, these were their prayer requests as of May 11th:

• God’s grace & mercy toward Tom during this difficult time
• Ability to withstand the pain
• Reduced pain levels and ability to walk again
• Wisdom for the doctors and care givers in next steps
• Clear identification of the root cause of his pain and fever
• Establishing a solid plan for the removal of the heterotrophic ossification  (HO) and hip replacement

Lastly, I am currently reading John Adams by David McCullough, who tells a masterful biography of a man, John Adams, who rose to his place in history as a zealous patriot during the American Revolution and the second President of the United States.  I am humbly amazed at the revolutionaries, who gave of their whole lives (time, energy, families, and yes, literally their own lives) to fight for a cause in which they dearly believed.  I'm afraid the cautious, non-risk taker in me, would have high-tailed it back to Britain to be a loyal subject to King George III.  Yet Adams, along with the other Founding Fathers, stood their ground, remained steadfast to their convictions, and led the way for us in present generations to enjoy the freedoms of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".   As I reflect on this book, and tomorrow's Memorial Day commemorations, I cannot help but be thankful.  It seems so trite to simply write that, but I am.  I know Memorial Day was first enacted to honor Union soldiers during the Civil War and since then, all servicemen and women who lost their lives in military action, but in reading John Adams, I will go so far as to thank all those men and women during the Revolutionary period as well, who set the precedence for this country's values of freedom and liberty.  To those who have served and to those currently serving, thank you.  To those who lost their lives in past and current generations serving our country, you are not forgotten...thank you!