Random Acts of Kindness

I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.  I was on my way to Costco tonight, while the rest of the family was at church.  I’ve been trying to minimize my activities lately and *had* to get some groceries for the house before Baby arrives.  I was feeling emotional, tired, and not really wanting to do much of anything.  Before heading into the store, I stopped at the gas pumps to fill my tank.  While I was pumping my gas, a man, probably in his 60s, shouted to me from the next pump over. 

Man:  “When are you due?”

Me:  “Next week.”

Man:  “Oh, you look great.”

Me:  “Thanks.”

Man:  “Is it a boy or a girl?”

Me:  “A girl… or so they say… we’ll see.”  :-)

Man:  “You must be excited.”

Me:  “Yes,”  and then on my way into the car,  “Take care.”

Man:  “You too.”

It was a simple conversation, but I was touched by it.  I was touched by the fact that this man had noticed me from the next pump, was interested in my pregnancy, and showed excitement for me.  I felt warmed by his kindness, and it reminded me how the little acts of kindness we do really can touch people’s lives.  It is not always easy, in this selfish world, to be purposefully kind.  However, it sure does make our world more pleasant; doesn’t it?

Buttery Blueberry Scones

I got this recipe from The Sunday Baker and is listed below “as is” from her blog.  (She has photos of the process on her site).  I did have to add a tad more cream to my dough, as it was not coming together enough initially.  After a little extra travail, though, our family was very pleased with these scones.  Enjoy!

*I made half of the butter sauce, and that was PLENTY!

Scones
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries (or mini-chocolate chips)
egg mixture to brush on top:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Golden Butter Sauce:
1/2 c. half and half
1/2 c. real butter
1/2 c. sugar

1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

Mix in large bowl the flour, sugar, salt & baking powder. Cut in butter with pastry blender (or fork) until flour becomes crumbly:
Then add the beaten egg, cream and vanilla, combine just until mixed. I use my hands so I don't overmix or the scones will be tough and not crumbly.
Carefully fold in blueberries with hands (if using chocolate chips, you don't have to be as gentle)Do not overmix.
On a floured surface, knead by hand for a minute and then form a 6 inch circle:

Cut into 8 triangles with a pizza cutter.
Put onto a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with the cream/egg mixture.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Remove to cooling racks.
To make butter mixture, combine all 3 ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts.

Pierce the scone with your fork in a few places, and pour some butter sauce over scone.

An Appetite for Books

Training your children to read and enjoy reading is an important part of life.  After all, God Himself thought it was important for us to read – He established His Word, the Bible, for us to read in order to gain wisdom and insight for our lives.

How can we train our children to enjoy books?  We start from the time they are very young.  When they are just babies we look through picture books with them and as they grow older the repertoire expands according to their level.  Reading books aloud to your children engages their imagination and attention in a way movies can not.  Children are forced to imagine what the situation looks like and live it in their minds.  Sure, they may have some pictures to help them, but their minds have to fill in the gaps.  As your children listen to you read, they are also able to build their vocabulary and learn about conversation and intonation. 

When children read on their own, they learn many skills.  In my homeschooling, I did not focus on spelling as a school subject until my oldest was in third grade.  Before that, he was learning to spell wonderfully… how?  In his reading.  I wanted him to be a good reader first – before worrying about him being a good speller.  By seeing words repeatedly in books, it helped reinforce his visualization of a word.

Reading also teaches children to investigate and be interested in stories and facts.  It teaches them to think for themselves and pursue education.  It helps them be independent learners.  Books are great resources for learning all sorts of things!

Maybe your children aren’t so young any more and you would like for them to have a better appetite for books.  Why not start reading to them and see if it sparks an interest?  Pick a good read-aloud book and schedule some time as a family to read it.  Even if you can’t do it every day, do it when you can.  We oftentimes read to our children before bed or at least have them look at books on their own.  We have had children come to our home who are not normally book-lovers who will engage in a book while they are here.  Why?  We say, “Okay, it’s book time.”  Everyone is required to get out some sort of book.  The children follow suit, and it is amazing to see how these children will delve into books too.

Make it a goal to plunge into a book soon, whether it be for your own benefit or for the good of someone else.

Nesting and Resting at 38 weeks

I am 38 weeks pregnant and continue to vacillate between nesting and resting.  Feelings of “The baby’s coming soon… hurry, let’s clean, organize, and shop for final items” quickly turn into feelings of “Wow!  I’m exhausted and can barely move right now.”  Yes, my body continues to remind me that I will meet my baby soon. 

Last night we tried to wrap up our necessities shopping.  We bought a crib pad, crib sheet, diaper pail, bottles, a foam pad for bathing, and a simple yet cute “coming home” outfit.  Again, hopefully the baby is a girl, like the technician said, as the outfit is a pink cotton dress with attached flowers and diaper cover to match.  :-)

Yesterday was a productive day altogether, though, and we did get outside to work in the yard.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day – in the low 70s and just wonderful.  The kids and I started the work in the yard with some weeding, mowing of the lawn, watering of the garden, and cleaning up.  When hubby came home, he helped tie things up with his contribution of weed-whacking.

After we came home from dinner and shopping, we were rewarded by our trimmed yard.  It was very pleasant.  :-)

We are STILL finalizing Baby’s name.  We have it narrowed down to a few choices.  Maybe we’ll have to see Baby in order to make the final decision. 

Homemade “Sliders”

 

The original recipe called for dry onion soup mix, which I chose not to use.  Here’s my tweaked version, which turned out nicely!  I even took half of the batch to my parents’ household, which is brimming with four adults and two children right now, and everyone  liked them!  My own household had these for dinner one night with watermelon on the side.  YUM!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 24 dinner rolls, split
• 1/2 cup sliced pickles (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Saute ground beef and onion in skillet; season with salt and pepper.  Cook until beef is browned and no longer pink. Drain. Remove from heat. Stir the mayonnaise and Cheddar cheese into the ground beef mixture.
3. Lay the bottoms of the dinner rolls on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the cheese and beef mixture on the bottom half of each roll. Replace the tops. Cover with another sheet of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the burgers are heated through and cheese melts, about 30 minutes. Serve with sliced pickles.

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Being Proactive with Our Children

Due to various dynamics of life and being at the end of my pregnancy, I have struggled with putting my children first.  It is easy to become overwhelmed with all of the work that is on my plate – feeling like the housework is never done… feeling the CRUNCH of trying to finish the school year well… feeling energy continually zapped from my body and soul as I deal with my children’s character issues repeatedly.  Juggling the many hats in life is never easy.  However, recent issues in my home have caused God to tug at my heart again and cause me to see the needs of my children. 

Children need a lot of affection, proactive affection from their parents.  It is easy to get into reactive mode – where we react to our children’s needs and behavior with love or discipline.  The demands of life overtake us, and we push our children aside, giving them the minimal amount of attention.  Oftentimes we don’t really see how much we are pushing our children aside until behavioral issues come up.  “Why is ______ acting this way"?  Although there are oftentimes multiple factors, one of them is usually a simple desire for love and attention.

Children really need us to be proactive.  They need us to be a step ahead of them.  They need us to be the leaders of good character.  They need us to be pouring into their love tanks and strengthening them.  When we are able to be the initiators, rather than just reactors, it seems that children are happier.  They sense purpose.  They feel loved.  They know someone is watching over them, caring about their desires.  They don’t feel pushed aside, but instead feel a sense of belonging.  Behavioral issues don’t disappear completely but many are remedied, softened by the power of love and grace.

I am working on this with my daughter, in particular, right now.  She has been dealing with various attitudes and manifesting them in unpleasant ways.  Yes, we are still training her through those attitudes, but I am trying to get a step ahead of her.  I am trying to think of ways to spend time with her.  “What does she like to do and how can I fit that into my day?”  I am trying to think of ways to encourage her.  “How is she struggling and what could she afford to hear that would make her feel more secure?”  I want to be reassured in my heart that I am making her feel loved and appreciated, that there is no lack on my part.  It is not an easy task, but bit by bit, by God’s grace, I am trying to improve. 

Even with my sons, I see a need for more affection.  I notice myself  thinking “stop hanging on me” when they are doting on me at times.  Recently I have stopped to think, “How often am I doting on them?  How often am I being proactive with my love towards them?” 

May the busyness of life not choke out what is truly good, profitable, and necessary – giving our lives to our children proactively and unreservedly.

This is a great post on children’s need for attention and how some have a greater need than others.  http://www.feminagirls.com/2010/05/24/love-metabolism/

Refreshing Lemonade

My 6 year old daughter likes to make lemonade, especially around this time of year!  She made it the other day, and we’re looking forward to making it this weekend when we have “girl time” together.  This is our recipe, originally inspired by a friend of mine:

Mix together in pitcher:

• Freshly-squeezed juice from 3 lemons
• 1 cup of sugar
• Cold water and ice until pitcher is about 3/4 full

That’s it!  It is soooo good and refreshing!