Arts and Crafts

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!

Happy Labor Day*

In honor of Labor Day, let's talk about some of the hardest work women do. Adapted from We are THAT Family.

How long were your labors?

I was in active labor with Rosi from around 1:00 AM until she was born just after 8:00 PM, so about 19 hours.

Active labor with Ian came and went. Counting from the time my water broke the first time, it was 4½ days before he was born. Counting from the second time my water broke, it was about 28 hours before he was born. Counting from when they broke my water in the hospital ... well, actually, I don't remember exactly when that was. I was in hospital for a total of about 20 hours before his birth. And I have the unique distinction of being the only woman my midwife ever heard of whose water broke three times during the birth of a single baby.

How did you know you were in labor?

With Rosi, I woke up in the middle of the night in pain. I didn't think I was having contractions, but Adam timed them at 2-3 minutes apart.

I woke up about 6:00 AM a week before Ian was due and felt like I really needed to go to the bathroom. I thought I hadn't quite made it, but when I turned on the light to clean myself up, I saw that the fluid was pink and realized my water had broken.

Where did you give birth?

I wanted to have both my kids at home. I saw a homebirth midwife while I was pregnant with Rosi until about 30 weeks when my midwife strongly recommended I transfer care to a hospital-based practice because of continued high blood pressure readings (she could not legally attend me at home if I was hypertensive and she felt it would be beneficial to have time to get to know another care provider before birth). I had Rosi at a hospital in Illinois, with no blood pressure issues at all.

With Ian, I planned to give birth at a private home just across the border in Minnesota because my midwife cannot legally attend home births in South Dakota (see my post Why Drive to a Homebirth?). Unfortunately, complications during his birth required going to the local hospital in MN, then transferring to another hospital here in Sioux Falls.

Drugs? C-section?

Both labors were augmented by Pitocin. During my labor with Rosi, I considered pain meds shortly after they started the Pit, but decided against them. I pushed her out about three hours later.

While laboring with Ian, I chose to have an epidural a couple of hours before he was born in a final, ultimately unsuccessful attempt to avoid surgery. He was born by emergency c-section.

Who attended?

I had a Certified Nurse Midwife at Rosi's birth, and Adam was able to catch her as she was born.

I was seeing a Certified Professional Midwife throughout my pregnancy and most of my labor with Ian, and the plan was for Adam to catch again. In the end, the on-call OB did the honors in the OR.

Want to play? Answer the above questions in comments or on your own blog.
Did you adopt? How long did you wait? How did you find out your child(ren) would be joining your family? When/where did you meet? How was the adoption arranged?
Not a mom? What were the facts from your own birth?

*I really tried to think of a post title that would be some sort of spin on Love's Labour's Lost, but couldn't quite manage it.

The Bitter and the Sweet

Today marks two anniversaries in my life. One makes me smile, the other has been the cause of many, many tears.

Nineteen years ago today my mother died. She'd been battling cancer, but just a few weeks earlier she'd been given a clean bill of health. Then, suddenly, she was gone.

Fast forward 11 years. I was having a tough day. Memories of my mom were hitting hard and I spent most of my day feeling a bit weepy. I'd been dating Adam for only a few weeks, but he'd remembered this day was important to me.

When he came to pick me up from the VBS program where I was volunteering, he handed me a card. I don't recall exactly what he wrote, something about knowing how much it hurts to lose someone you love.

Then he told me he loved me for the first time. I was so surprised that I completely forgot to say it back to him.

While the sorrow of losing my mom will never completely go away, it's been really nice to have a happy anniversary to celebrate on this day, too.

Thank you, Adam, for bringing a smile to my face, even on some of the hardest days. I don't tell you nearly enough how much I love you.

Somebunny to Love

Just (barely) in time for Easter, a cute bunny buddy to make for a little one in your life.

Materials Used

• 1 oz worsted weight cotton in bunny color (color A)
• 2.5 oz worsted weight cotton in afghan color (color B)
• small amount of stuffing material, less than 1 oz polyester filling
• F crochet hook (3.75 mm)
• G crochet hook (4.25 mm)

Optional

• size 1 steel crochet hook (2.75 mm)
• 60 yards size 10 cotton thread
• small amount of yarn or embroidery floss for facial features
• yarn or thread needle

Gauge

With F hook, 9 sc and 9 rows = 2”
Gauge is not crucial to this pattern, but checking your gauge will allow you to estimate the size of your completed project.

Finished Size

12" from top of ears to bottom corner of afghan

Special Stitches

Decrease (decr) [Slip hook under FRONT LOOP ONLY of next stitch, yo, and draw loop onto hook] twice, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook. Counts as 1 sc.
Topstitch (tst) Starting with a loop on the hook and holding yarn on RIGHT SIDE of fabric only, slip hook through stitch, yo, and draw loop onto hook, yo and draw through both loops on hook. Begin second stitch by slipping hook into the opening from which the working yarn extends.

Notes

1. For bunny ears and head, rounds are worked in a continuous spiral; do not join at the end of any round. Afghan rounds are joined with slst, which are also used to advance working yarn to the starting point for the next round.
2. Pattern is written to attach ears and afghan during stitching rather than after all items are complete. Each part can be crocheted separately and joined as usual by following alternate instructions in Round 11 of head and Foundation Round of Afghan.
3. The basic afghan directions include a simple sc border. A variation for the more delicate lace border can be found at the end of the pattern.

Ears

Make 2.
Round 1 In A with F hook, work 4 sc into an adjustable ring and pull end of yarn to tighten. (4 sc)
Round 2 2 sc in each sc around. (8 sc)
Round 3 [2 sc in first sc, sc in next sc] around. (12 sc)
Round 4 [Sc in first sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc] around. (16 sc)
Rounds 5-8 Sc in ea sc around. (16 sc)
Round 9 Decr, sc in ea sc around. (15 sc)
Round 10 Decr, sc in ea sc around. (14 sc)
Round 11 Decr, sc in ea sc around. (13 sc)
Round 12 Decr, sc in ea sc around. (12 sc)
Round 13 Decr, sc in ea sc around. (11 sc)
Round 14 Decr, sc in ea sc around. (10 sc)
Round 15 Sc in ea sc around. (10 sc)
Round 16 Repeat Round 15.
Tie off and flatten ear, folding along line of decr.

Head

Head is worked from the nose to the back of the head.
Round 1 In A with F hook, work 6 sc into an adjustable ring and pull end of yarn to tighten. (6 sc)
Round 2 2 sc in each sc around. (12 sc)
Round 3 [Sc in first sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc] around. (16 sc)
Round 4 [2 sc in first sc, sc in ea of next 3 sc] around. (20 sc)
Rounds 5 [Sc in ea of first 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in ea of next 2 sc] (24 sc)
Round 6 [2 sc in first sc, sc in ea of next 5 sc] around. (28 sc)
Round 7 [Sc in ea of first 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in ea of next 3 sc] (32 sc)
Round 8 [2 sc in first sc, sc in ea of next 7 sc] around. (36 sc)
Rounds 9-10 Sc in ea sc around. (36 sc)
Round 11 Attach ears: Sc in ea of first 12 sc. Align one flattened ear in front of the next 5 sc, keeping the decr edge to the RIGHT and the tip of the ear down. Start to attach right ear by slipping hook through first front and back sc on the ear, then through the next sc in Round 10; draw a loop through all three stitches and complete sc as usual. Repeat for next 4 sc to completely attach right ear. Sc in ea of next 2 sc. Align left ear in front of the next 5 sc, keeping the decr edge to the LEFT and the tip of the ear down. Attach left ear in the same manner as right ear over the next 5 sc. Sc in ea remaining 12 sc around. (36 sc)
Alternately, repeat Round 10 and attach ears with yarn needle after stuffing head.
Round 12 Sc in ea sc around. (36 sc)
Round 13 [Sc in ea of first 2 sc, decr, sc in ea of next 2 sc] around. (30 sc)
Round 14 [Decr, sc in ea of next 3 sc] around. (24 sc)
Round 15 [Sc in first sc, decr, sc in next sc] around. (18 sc)
Round 16 [Decr, sc in next sc] around. (12 sc)
Tie off, leaving a 12" tail for sewing. Weave in ends left inside the head. Stuff and gather final stitches on remaining tail with yarn needle. Pull tight, tie off, and weave in end. If desired, sew on facial features using yarn or embroidery floss.

Afghan

I found this pattern a bit complicated to describe, but it's a simple granny-square design, worked into a triangle.
Foundation Round Starting at the back, in B with G hook, work 18 tst in a ring around the bottom of the head, where the bunny's neck would be. Join to first tst with a slst. (18 tst)
Alternately, ch 10 and join into a ring with slst. Work Round 1 into ring and attach to head after completing afghan.
Round 1 Ch 1. Sc in first tst, ch 1 (count as first hdc). Hdc in ea next 2 tst, ch 3, hdc in ea next 3 tst. [Ch 2, hdc in ea next 3 tst, ch 3, Hdc in ea next 3 tst] twice. Ch 2 and join to first hdc with slst. Slst in ea of next 2 hdc. (6 3-hdc fans)
Round 2 Sc in ch-3 space, ch 1 (count as first hdc). 2 hdc, ch 3, 3 hdc in same ch-3 space. Ch 2, skip next 3 hdc, 3 hdc in ch-2 space (fan made). Ch 2, skip next 3 hdc, {fan, ch 3, fan} in ch-3 space (corner made). Ch 2, fan in ch-2 space. Ch 2, corner in ch-3 space. Ch 2, fan in ch-2 space. Ch 2 and join to first hdc with slst. Slst in ea of next 2 hdc. (9 fans)
Round 3 **Corner in corner, ch 2, [fan in ch-2 space, ch 2] twice. Repeat from ** around. Join to first hdc with slst. Slst in ea of next 2 hdc. (12 fans)
Round 4 **Corner in corner, ch 2, [fan in ch-2 space, ch 2] 3x. Repeat from ** around. Join to first hdc with slst. Slst in ea of next 2 hdc. (15 fans)
Round 5 **Corner in corner, ch 2, [fan in ch-2 space, ch 2] 4x. Repeat from ** around. Join to first hdc with slst. Slst in ea of next 2 hdc. (18 fans)
Round 6 **Corner in corner, ch 2, [fan in ch-2 space, ch 2] 5x. Repeat from ** around. Join to first hdc with slst. Slst in ea of next 2 hdc. (21 fans)
Round 7 **Corner in corner, ch 2, [fan in ch-2 space, ch 2] 6x. Repeat from ** around. Join to first hdc with slst. Slst in ea of next 2 hdc. (24 fans)
Round 8 **Corner in corner, ch 2, [fan in ch-2 space, ch 2] 7x. Repeat from ** around. Join to first hdc with slst. Slst in ea of next 2 hdc. (27 fans)
Round 9 **Corner in corner, ch 2, [fan in ch-2 space, ch 2] 8x. Repeat from ** around. Join to first hdc with slst. Slst in ea of next 2 hdc. (30 fans)
Round 10 **Corner in corner, ch 2, [fan in ch-2 space, ch 2] 9x. Repeat from ** around. Join to first hdc with slst. Slst in ea of next 2 hdc. (33 fans)
Round 11 **Corner in corner, ch 2, [fan in ch-2 space, ch 2] 10x. Repeat from ** around. Join to first hdc with slst. Slst in ea of next 2 hdc. (36 fans)
Round 12 **Corner in corner, ch 2, [fan in ch-2 space, ch 2] 11x. Repeat from ** around. Join to first hdc with slst. (39 fans)
For a more delicate edging, tie off yarn here and follow lace variation directions below.
Round 13 Ch 1. Sc in ea of first 3 hdc, 5 sc in ch-3 space, [sc in ea of next 3 hdc, 2 sc in ch-2 space] 12x. **Sc in each of next 3 hdc, 5 sc in ch-3 space, [sc in ea of next 3 hdc, 2 sc in ch-2 space] 12x. Repeat from ** around. Join to first sc with slst. (204 sc)
Round 14 Ch 1. Sc in ea of first 5 sc. [3 sc in next sc, sc in ea of next 67 sc] repeat. 3 sc in next sc, sc around. Join to first sc with slst. (210 sc)
Tie off and weave in ends.

Lace Edging Variation

Follow basic afghan instructions through Round 12.
Round 13 In cotton thread with size 1 steel hook, make 2 sc in ea st (hdc or ch) around. Join to first sc with slst. (396 sc)
Round 14 Ch 1, sc in first sc, ch1 (count as 1 hdc). Hdc in next sc, ch 1. [Skip next sc, hdc in ea of next 2 sc, ch 1] around. Join to first hdc with slst. (396 st)
Round 15 Skip first hdc, sc BETWEEN first 2 hdc, skip second hdc, 3 hdc in ch-1 space. [Skip next hdc, sc between 2 hdc, skip next hdc, 3 hdc in ch-1 space] around. (528 st)
Tie off and weave in ends.

Things You Never Expect to Hear

At Ian's baptism last Easter, he was given a crucifix. Rather than simply having the cross hanging on a wall, Adam and I feel it's important to allow him to touch it and interact with it on his own level. In practical terms, that means he plays with it. As with any item that is not designed for toddler use, we do supervise his play, but we don't require that he use it only for specifically religious activities.

This morning, Adam was on the living room floor playing with the kids. I was nearby, but otherwise occupied, when I suddenly overheard him give Ian an instruction in his Daddy-who-must-be-obeyed voice.

You do not hit Rosi with Jesus.

And thus we begin Holy Week. A blessed Palm Sunday to all.

New Year's Eve

Adam doesn't get off work for another hour, then it's just one hour until the new year. I've sent Rosi to bed, three or four times now, and I'm currently watching the second Baby Signing Time DVD with Ian. He's being cranky and fighting sleep. He's also got molars coming in and he keeps biting me, which is making me cranky.

At least we get to chill out tomorrow. Our big plan is picking up a fruit basket from the local supermarket (that was our "Christmas bonus" from Adam's company). Then we'll come home, eat fruit and popcorn and watch the original trio of Muppet movies.

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous new year. I'm going to try putting my baby to bed.

Unbelievable

I can't believe it. No, really, I simply cannot fathom that a whole year has passed since my baby boy was born.

Where has the time gone? Surely it's only been six, or maybe nine months. He's not a little baby anymore. Sniff. He's a husky toddler stomping around the house is his snow boots and grabbing things off the counter.

I look at all the adorable little "My First Christmas" sleepers and wonder if he ever really was that small.

I know he was. When he was first born, even the 0-3 clothes were much too big for him. Now he's outgrowing all of his 9-month stuff. Sigh.

Adam and I have finally decided what to call him ... on the blog, I mean. We went ahead and named him right away in real life. It is with great joy that I present to you the birthday boy: Ian Gray.

Happy first birthday, Buddy! May you greet the rest of your years with as much verve and determination as you have this one. With much love, your Mamie.

(Birthday drawing by Rosi, who says, "I drew his age, too, so everybody would know he's one year old!")

My New Favorite Holiday

As far as celebrations go, I've always considered the 4th of July my favorite holiday. Parades and fireworks and going to barbecues with family and friends ... it just doesn't get any better than that. Or so I thought.

Little did I know, I was missing the greatest holiday celebration ever.

Did you know there is an International Chocolate Day? Really, today is dedicated to celebrate the wonder that is chocolate. I just found out about it myself, and the day's more than half over. To think of all the missed chocolate opportunities this morning ...

So, quick, while we still have the chance, let's celebrate together. Maybe I'll make chocolate pancakes for dinner. Or chocolate popovers. Yum.

If I had the ingredients I'd make S'more Bliss or the best oatmeal cookies ever (just substitute chocolate chips for the raisins).

What a great holiday!

In Preparation for Pancake Day

I can't remember where I first read it, but somewhere in the last few years I read a snippet about Lenten traditions that referred to Shrove Tuesday as Pancake Day. I'd always heard of it as Fat Tuesday, or more commonly in French Mardi Gras. The concept is the same no matter what term you use, though: eat up all the rich foods in the house so they don't spoil over lent and/or you're not tempted to eat them while you should be fasting from such decadence.

To help you make the most of the decadent foods in your kitchen, I thought I'd offer up some of my own favorite pancake recipes.

Banana Pancakes
3 bananas
¼ c sugar
2 eggs
¼ c oil
1½ c milk
2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
½ t salt
½ t cinnamon

1. Mash bananas.
2. Beat in sugar, eggs, oil, and milk.
3. Add dry ingredients and stir until combined.
4. Pour by 1/3 cup onto greased griddle over medium heat.
5. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cheesecakes
2 T sugar
½ c flour
1 c oats
1½ t baking powder
¼ t nutmeg
½ t cinnamon
6 oz cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chopped walnuts

1. Combine sugar, flour, oats, baking powder, nutmeg & cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl combine cream cheese, eggs & milk.
3. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly blended.
4. Stir in cranberries and walnuts.
5. Drop by ¼ cup onto a greased griddle at medium heat, spread batter slightly with a spoon, and cook until bubbles form in the center.
6. Flip and cook until golden brown.

Caramel Apple Oven Pancake
4 eggs
¾ c milk
¾ c flour
7 T melted butter, divided
¾ c brown sugar
2 tart apples

1. Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Add milk, flour, and 3T butter. Mix well and set aside.
2. Stir remaining butter and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once sugar has dissolved and mixture is rapidly boiling, remove from heat.
3. Peel apples and slice thinly.
4. Layer apples and syrup on the bottom of a 9” round (or 8”square) cake pan.
5. Pour batter over top layer of syrup.
6. Place pan in a preheated 400°F oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
7. Serve warm.

Fresh Cranberry Pancakes
1½ c cranberries
¼ c sugar
2 eggs
1 c milk
¼ c oil
¼ c brown sugar
2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
¼ t salt
½ t cardamom*

1. Halve cranberries and mix with sugar; set aside.
2. Beat eggs together with milk, oil, and brown sugar.
3. Whisk together dry ingredients and stir into egg mixture.
4. Fold in cranberries and sugar; stir until thoroughly combined.
5. Pour by ¼-cup onto greased griddle over medium heat.
6. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side.

*If you don't have cardamom, substitute an equal amount of cinnamon for an equally yummy flavor.

And, if all that's just not enough for you, check out my recipe for Chocolate Pancakes from last year.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like the Ice Planet Hoth

Greetings from the Rebel Base!

We've been under winter weather warnings for the past two days and there's now a blizzard warning in effect through noon tomorrow. Interstates 29 and 90 have been closed through most of the state since 7:00 last night. Snow accumulations are predicted to be up to 20 inches, with drifts up to 6 feet. When they start measuring the snow in feet, I'm on the lookout for AT-ATs.

**This officially ends all the Star Wars references. I don't want to have to look anything else up on Wookieepedia**

Because of the heavy snow, we canceled our Christmas Eve plans to drive through town munching on caramel corn and looking at the holiday lights. Rosi was very disappointed.

We are still planning a Christmas Day carol sing around the piano. She's been learning a number of songs lately--mostly from me, but a few of unknown origin (somebody taught her Jingle Bells, but it wasn't me). Her latest favorite is "Arthur Harold Angels Sing" or as she calls it, "Glowy to the Newborn King."

Meanwhile, we're getting our traditional Christmas chicken ready along with garlic mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. The baby is asleep and Rosie is munching on oranges that arrived yesterday by FedEx, fresh from my sister's tree in Phoenix.

Merry Christmas to all!

Phones and Graphs and Other Linguistic Miscellany

While I was on blogging hiatus, I missed National Grammar Day. I'm aghast. However could I let this happen? I must post about grammar today to make up for it.

Two of my favoritest* things in the construction of languages are homophones and homographs. In case you don't remember your elementary grammar, homophones are words that are spelled differently but pronounced in the same way, while homographs are words that are spelled identically but pronounced differently. "Here" and "hear" are homophones. "Bass" (the fish) and "bass" (the instrument) are homographs.

I had a friend in college who was an ESL teacher. Actually, through the years, I've had several friends who taught ESL, but this one teacher was telling me how difficult it was for her to clarify some things about English to her students. She told me they'd spent one entire class session in a spontaneous discussion of animals and phrases which use animal terms. Consider trying to explain the differences, for example, among the idioms "bullheaded," "bully," "hung like a bull," "bullish," "a load of bull," and "like a bull in a china shop"? That discussion alone could cover a whole period!

While we're at it, if you're into grammar, let me recommend the book Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. I got the book from my father who'd been given multiple copies by various colleagues. Clearly, being a grammar snob runs in the family.

Happy Belated National Grammar Day, everyone!

*Yes, I know "favoritest" is a grammatically impossible term. I'm going for irony here, folks. Bare with me (hee hee hee).

Four

Yup. It's that time again. My little girl is getting bigger by the minute. In fact, she grew an entire inch in just the last month! No wonder she's been so hungry.

Today she turns four years old. Sigh. Where is her childhood going?

This morning she got special birthday cinnamon bread. We have collected some treats for her birthday outing, which will happen sometime next week. She'll have two tokens to spend on video games at her favorite burger joint and quarters enough for two or three rides at the mall. She'll also be getting a gift card in the mail from her grandparents, so we're going to take her shopping and she can pick out some new clothes and toys and pay all by herself.

I was hoping that we would have had a chance to make some friends for her by now, but we're still looking for a church and we haven't found any kids community groups to join yet. She's requested a purple hippopotamus party, so maybe we can do that in the summer after we're a bit more involved and have connected with some new friends.

How's Your Heart?

When I was in college, I had a friend who used to hate Valentine's Day, with all the attendant emphasis on being part of a couple. He referred to the occasion as "Single Awareness Day" or S.A.D. I have had a year or two (or twelve) in my life when S.A.D. was all I could manage, but for the most part, I'm much more interested in being a part of things, even if it's not in the conventional way.

So, today, I'd like to share with all my single, married, engaged, divorced, separated, and involved readers some ways to make this holiday that focuses on love meaningful for whomever is special in your life. Some of the ideas below may be more appropriate for a significant other. Others might be just right for a parent, child, sibling, or friend. Take your pick and make a fun day of it. Or, hey, choose several and celebrate all year!

• Buy a package of note cards and write to your loved one (LO) every day or few until the cards run out
• Do (or arrange for someone else to do) LO's least-liked chores for a few days or weeks
• Get tickets to a series of LO's favorite movies, ballgames, symphonies, gallery openings, rodeos or whatever he or she is into, and attend together
• Write out a bunch of quotes and simple thoughts about love, marriage or encouragement on strips of paper, then roll up the strips inside empty capsule casings (like these) and put them in a recycled medicine bottle
• Decorate LO's car, room, or office with a banner (I used index cards strung on twine) declaring your love
• Print and frame a favorite or meaningful poem
• Buy a book of short stories or poetry and set a time every day or every week to read aloud to each other
• Arrange for a special, deluxe spa treatment, such as a massage, manicure or pedicure
• Write short love stories starring you and your special someone
• Have a good photo taken of yourself with LO and frame it or put it up as the wallpaper on his or her computer
• Start a private (or public) blog and write about different ways LO is wonderful

Happy Valentine's Day!

11 Other Things to Do with Leftover Turkey

Besides reheating turkey and dressing for the next week, here are some ideas you can use to be a little more creative in finishing up the too-large turkey your family didn't eat on Christmas Day. Some of these ideas would work well with leftover ham or other meats as well.

1. Turkey Vegetable Soup
Saute a couple of carrots, a small onion, a few celery stalks, and a bell pepper (all diced) in butter or oil until softened. Add diced turkey and enough chicken or turkey broth to cover all the ingredients. Simmer 20 minutes to 1 hour. To make a cream soup, add a tablespoon or two of flour to the softened vegetables before adding broth and add a bit of cream to the soup at the end of cooking.


2. Bone Broth
Angela has an excellent broth-making tutorial on her food blog, Restricted Gourmet.


3. Turkey Salad
Simply add diced turkey to a green salad, or mix shredded turkey with a little mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, celery, onion, apples, walnuts, or whatever you normally put in a chicken salad.


4. Turkey Rice Casserole
Make Wild Rice Casserole, substituting about a cup of diced or shredded turkey for the ground beef.


5. Turkey Fried Rice
Stir fry a couple cups of mixed vegetables: diced carrots, diced onions, peas, and a minced garlic clove or two. Add salt, pepper, and Chinese five spice powder or a dash each of cinnamon and ginger. Scramble two eggs (I usually do this in the center of the pan with all the vegetables--it doesn't matter if a few mix in, but you don't want egg-coated veggies). Add a handful of diced or shredded turkey and a few cups cooked rice. Sprinkle with soy sauce and let it all sizzle in the pan for a few minutes until heated through.


6. "Pulled" Turkey
Add a small diced onion and a few minced garlic cloves to a couple cups of shredded turkey (if turkey doesn't shred easily, let it simmer for 20 minutes in broth and cool before shredding). Cover with a cup of mustard; half a cup each brown sugar and vinegar; a tablespoon each butter, lemon juice, and paprika; and a teaspoon each salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix well and serve on soft squishy sandwich buns.


7. Turkey Pot Pie
Using the Cream of Broccoli Soup recipe, substitute diced mixed vegetables (carrots, onions, peas, celery) for the broccoli. Make sure the soup is really thick before blending. Add a cup of diced or shredded turkey after blending the soup. Pour mixture into a double pastry crust and bake at 425°F for 30-40 minutes. Let cool another 10 minutes before serving.


8. Creamed Turkey on Toast
Make a white sauce using equal amounts melted butter and flour (about a quarter of a cup) with a dash each salt and pepper. Add a couple cups of milk, a cup of diced or shredded turkey, and a handful of cooked peas. Let boil one minute. Serve over toast, rice or biscuits.


9. Molded Turkey Salad
Let me preface this by saying I've never made a savory gelatin mold. But, if you're getting desperate to use up the turkey, this might be just what you're looking for.

Dissolve a package of cranberry, orange or raspberry gelatin in 2 c boiling water. Stir in a teaspoon of salt and a quarter cup of broth. Let chill until gelatin begins to harden (1-2 hours in the refrigerator). Add a couple of celery stalks and a small onion (both minced or shredded) and two cups finely diced or shredded turkey. Return to refrigerator and let set completely (another 2-4 hours).


10. Turkey Potstickers
Blend together in food processor (or finely chop together) a cup of diced turkey, a couple of whole water chestnuts, a couple of mushrooms, a couple of green onions, and a teaspoon of soy sauce. Mix with one beaten egg. Drop by tablespoonfuls into wanton skins and press edges together with a fork to seal. Arrange a single layer of potstickers in a frying pan. Add a cup of water, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain any remaining water and add a couple of teaspoons of oil. Fry potstickers until golden and crispy on both sides.


11. Turkey Sandiches
Layer slices of turkey, cranberry sauce, lettuce, and fried onions between slices of your favorite sandwich bread.

God Said Yes

On Christmas Day, Rhys was able to hold her baby again.

Very Merry

You know you have a close relationship with someone when you can show up at their house for Christmas dinner and ask for a roll of toilet paper to take home.

I don't recall ever running out of toilet paper on Christmas Day before. I suppose if I had in the past, I wouldn't really have considered it an issue. Everywhere I've lived in the past, at least one major store would be open on Christmas. No luck on the afternoon toilet paper hunt here in Sioux Falls. Even Walmart was closed.

Dinner was lovely, though, and I really enjoyed spending some time with my brother and sister. My niece wasn't feeling well, so I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with her, but I did finally finish her birthday/Christmas gift: a crocheted art bag with room for a large sketch pad and individual pockets for pencils and markers. She made big smiles when she opened it up.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to sit back and have some adult conversation, while my daughter told stories, played with her cousin's stuffed animals, and practiced her pounding skills on her uncle's drum pad. I'm feeling much more relaxed and smiley than I did yesterday. It still doesn't seem quite like Christmas, but the lack of seasonal spirit is not nearly so depressing to me today.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! God bless us, every one.

Amy and the Routine Monochromatic Christmas

I'm having a really tough time this year getting into the whole Christmas thing. The house is still cluttered with packing boxes that we meant to have emptied, broken down, and recycled six weeks ago. I wasn't able to buy many special Christmas-y foods or extra ingredients for cookie making. My daughter and I went to a Christmas Eve candlelight service on our own because Adam is working tonight.

I think of my friend Rhys and realize I could be in a place much more challenging than this. But I still don't feel much like celebrating.

I'm tired. I'm weary. I'm hoping that all of you are having a happier Christmas Eve than I.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Merry Christmas Adam

Once upon a time, I read a magazine article that listed the most popular family words and phrases in the country. One of them was "Christmas Adam" referring to the day before Christmas Eve, as Adam was created before Eve.

I haven't written too much about real life lately. Mostly because not much has been happening. I'll share a few highlights of the past couple of weeks.

• I met some neighbors
Unfortunately the circumstance of the meeting was a burst pipe in our building, four floors of flooding, three false-alarm fire drills, two emergency calls to Adam, and a partridge in a pear tree.


• God sends stock, too
Last spring sometime, I was talking with a friend about finances and not having enough money to pay the bills. She told me about an anonymous envelope she'd found in her mailbox with $500 cash. "We've been praying for the money we need," she told me, "but I didn't realize God sends cash!"

The other evening, Adam brought in the mail. One item was a dividend check from a stock that was supposed to have been sold off two years ago. Only, for some reason it hadn't been. So I looked at what I needed to do to sell it. There's $50 more dollars to put in the bank that we didn't have before!


• I got a phone call
One of my good friends from Illinois called a few nights ago. We were able to talk on the phone for almost an hour. It was so nice. Unfortunately, it ended rather abruptly when my daughter woke up from a bad dream, but the conversation was great. We've decided to make it a monthly event!

Recycled Giftwrap

This year, as I was thinking about what it takes to make a frugal, green Christmas, It occurred to me that I could combine recycling, crafting, and gifting!

If you're looking for money saving holiday tips, you can find a whole bunch over at Keeping the Kingdom First. There is a contest for the most creative frugal idea, with a $500 gift card to Wal-Mart as the prize. Head on over to the contest page and check it out!

click photos for larger images      

Materials

• 25 plastic grocery bags made into plarn (plarnmaking instructions from My Recycled Bags.com), using only the solid color portion of the bag (if you want to use both the solid and printed sections of the bags, you'll only need about 15)
• A few yards of contrasting scrap yarn or plarn for embellishment (optional)
• 2 contrasting plastic bags for wrapping (I used bags from Barnes & Noble and Target for green and red)
• Handles from approximately 10 bags and one bottom seam for bow
• Size H (5.00 mm) crochet hook

Instructions

Box

Note: most rounds are worked continuously, do not join rounds with a slst unless indicated.

1. Ch 2; 4 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
2. 2 sc in ea sc around. (8 sts)
3. 2 sc in ea sc around. (16 sts)
4. 2 sc in 1st sc, *1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc* repeat 6 times, 1 sc in last sc. (24 sts)
5. 1 sc in 1st sc, *2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in ea next 2 sc* repeat 6 times, 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in last sc. (32 sts)
6. 2 sc in 1st sc, *1 sc in ea next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc* repeat 6 times, 1 sc in ea last 3 sc, join with slst. (40 sts)
7. Ch 1, sc in ea sc around, join with slst.
8. Turn to ws; slst in ea sc around.
9. Turn to rs; sc in ea slst around.
10. Sc in ea sc around. Repeat for next 6 rows, join with slst at end of last row.
11. Ch 1, sc in ea sc around, join with slst.
12. Tie off and weave in ends.
13. Embellish as desired.

Lid

Note: most rounds are worked continuously, do not join rounds with a slst unless indicated.

1. Ch 2; 4 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
2. 2 sc in ea sc around. (8 sts)
3. 2 sc in ea sc around. (16 sts)
4. 2 sc in 1st sc, *1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc* repeat 6 times, 1 sc in last sc. (24 sts)
5. 1 sc in 1st sc, *2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in ea next 2 sc* repeat 6 times, 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in last sc. (32 sts)
6. 2 sc in 1st sc, *1 sc in ea next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc* repeat 6 times, 1 sc in ea last 3 sc. (40 sts)
7. Sc in ea sc around, join with slst.
8. Ch 1, sc in first 10 sc, *2 sc in next sc, sc in next 9 sc* repeat 2 times, join with slst. (43 sts)
9. Turn to ws; slst in ea sc around.
10. Turn to rs; sc in ea slst around.
11. Sc in ea sc around.
12. Sc in ea sc around, join with slst at end of last row.
13. Ch 1, sc in ea sc around, join with slst.
14. Tie off and weave in ends.
15. Embellish as desired.

Wrapping

Cut handles, ends, and writing off contrasting colored bags. Use one to line box and protect gift. Wrap another around the outside of the box and secure with tape, as you would wrapping paper.


Bow

1. Flatten creases out of the handles of about 10 bags; the more handles you use, the fuller your bow will be.
2. Stack handles together, folded at seams (the very top of the bag).
3. Squeeze centers together and tie tightly with the bottom seam of one bag; do not trim ends of tie.
4. Trim off top seams and bottom edges of handles to within 2" of center tie.
5. Make ½"- to 1"-deep cuts across trimmed edges to fringe.
6. Spread out layers into a pleasing pouf.
7. Attach to wrapped gift using ends of tie.

Still Got It?

Apparently, I do.

This afternoon we were at a party to celebrate my friends' daughter's baptism. Sitting across the table was a couple I didn't know. The conversation turned to babies and the wife of the couple told us her baby was 20. I'm guessing that puts her in her mid-40s.

This woman asked about my daughter, who was happily lap-hopping. When I said she was indeed mine, the woman shook her head and told me I was too young to have a child. She went on to explain that I didn't look any older than a teenager. (!!!)

I told her I was 32, and I wish I could have gotten a picture of the look of shock that crossed her face.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

Oh, and to the rest of you, too. :)