Sam's First Pair of Flip Flops

Always an important milestone you know.  So tiny, so cute.

Yea Anna!

Guess who's in this month's Chicago Magazine!  I always knew she'd be famous.  Only two restaurants were chosen from the suburbs...Honey was one of them, note the last line, "Bakery treats are a strong suit..."  Way to go!

He'll kill me for this when he's older...

but I just couldn't help myself.

Somebody's got blackberry breath...

...and it ain't me.

CSA Box #3

Ooo broccoli!  This week we have Galactic red lettuce, cabbage, tiny jewel-like raspberries, sweet pea pods, kohlrabi and basil.  I smell a coleslaw made with a sweet vinaigrette coming on.  

Don't even ask about the raspberries, they're already gone.

The Reel Club

So last night I had the best meal I've eaten in months.  Four girlfriends (hi Patty!!) and I met up at a relatively new LEYE restaurant that opened in Oakbrook, right below Wildfire.

Reel Club calls itself a "steak and seafood concept place", and executes it well.  The waiter waved "red" King Crab legs in front of our faces that were longer then my own, with a good pound of meat hanging off each end.  Slightly disconcerting, if not delicious.  We were started off with complementary dishes of hot, cheesy popovers sprinkled with sea salt and fresh pepper.  Looking back, ONE of those would have been a wise and mature decision, not the THREE I inhaled over the course of the meal.  So good.  And free!  

Their signature drink is a $9 hibiscus martini, strong but delicious, as well as a ton of smartly priced wine options, the most fun being wine flights that range from $12-$14 for three, 3 oz. glasses.  

The menu has a wide range of options, most of us went for salads and sandwiches.  The fish sandwich, seen above, was to die for.  Flaky, fresh cod in a hot and crispy beer batter, accompanied by sweet pickles, a tangy lemon tarter sauce and homemade grilled brioche bun, had every detail done well.  Other items that went off well were the breaded scallops (the appetizer portion was plenty as an entree), fried calamari, clam chowder, and two salads.  I will say, the fries were different, more like crisp chips then soft french fries.  My two buddies enjoyed them, I would have opted for perhaps the truffled mac and cheese had I known.  And brought it home to Scott.  Maybe.  Ahem.

Dessert may have been the best part.  They make all their ice creams and sorbets in house and BOY, you could tell.  We tried the Taffy Apple, green apple sorbet perched on a bed of creamy, salty caramel ice cream with a homemade caramel sauce poured on top.  Phenomenal, refreshing and the perfect end to the meal.

Another nice touch was the "Just a Bite" option for a recession-friendly $1.  The waiter brought out little mounds of chocolate mousse on spoons, the offering changes nightly.

All in all I can't wait to go back.  The quiet, cool interior was well suited for a group that wanted to talk, and the quality of the food and service makes it a nice addition to Oak Brook Mall.

What do YOU like about going to Target?

Cherries are here!

The French Market was teaming with delectable fruits Saturday, time to make a sour cherry pie!  Smitten Kitchen posted a great recipe for pie crust dough, it is utterly delicious and easy to roll out between two pieces of plastic wrap.  I ended up using all butter and 1/4 cup of sugar in it, froze the second crust and did a crumble topping instead.  The pie didn't last long enough for me to take a picture, Scott finished off the last slice (or I should say, the last QUARTER of the pie) late this afternoon without telling me.

Sniff.

We love Summer!

I can't pull myself away from the pool to write much.  We've got a wedding this weekend and every day has been hot and sunny.  Gotta love life.

Happy 4th of July!

We hit the parade, (no elephants or cicada floats this year) the pool and then burgers for dinner.  Pretty much the perfect day in my opinion.

Inadvertent Buzz Cut

Oh lord.  What have we done.  Yesterday Scott was cutting his own hair with the clippers, I decided to finally give my blessing (he's been asking to do Sam's for weeks) and let him give Sam a little hair cut too.

We thought that using the highest level of comb would still leave us with some of Sam's gorgeous, platinum curls.  

Nope.  They are all laying on the floor of the shower and I am devastated.

He looks like a miniature, sweaty, seven year old boy.  

CSA Box #2

This week was a little light, I guess the produce is still a week or two behind with all the rain we got earlier this summer.  Beautiful red lettuce, green onions, scallions, a peppery mustard like green and spinach.

Things I Ate Today

Grace is in town and guess where we went today.  (Sam stayed home for a playdate with Grandma.)

-A fried plantain with spicy peanut sauce (taste portion)

-Cumin dusted fries with a mango sauce (not good at all)

-Taste portion of gazpacho soup (pretty good, refreshing)

-Sweet potato hash browns (taste portion, blah)

-A Rainbow ice cream cone (taste portion, sad.  Go for the whole cone next year.)

-Spicy orange chicken with white rice (awesome)

-A samosa filled with potato, peas and spices (spicy, steamingly hot)

-1/2 Chicago style Vienna Beef hotdog

-Wildberry sorbet that beat everything else hands down.

Things I WISH I ate but ran out of tickets/stomach space:

-Coconut butterflied shrimp (cost too many tickets)

-Robinson's BBQ rib tips (too little stomach space)

-Coconut Lime Sorbet (couldn't find it)

-An ear of roasted sweet corn (too hot by then, sticky and full)

-1/2 Billy Goat Tavern cheeseburgers (they were 4 tickets and we only had 3 left)

All in all, the ideal way to enjoy The Taste of Chicago.  It was warm but not humid, sunny but not scorching, my friend and I split everything so we weren't sick-full, and we got to play in the fountain at Millennium Park when we were done.  

Pretty much the perfect day.  And when Buddy wakes up from his long nap we'll pack a picnic supper and catch a quick dip in Great-Grandma's pool to wash off the grime and sweat from the day as the sun goes down.  

Walkin' Man

These shoes may be the world's best idea...or the worst.  The pros: that I can hear him anywhere in the house.  (Or mall or park or wherever.)  The cons: the high pitched squeaking.

Random Money Saving Cooking Tip

If you are tempted to make this pie, as I am, did you know that you can use the straw from a sippy cup as a cherry pitter?  It works handily, just turn the cherry upside-down and push the pit out through the stem end.

Good to know, when you have a child that pounds down cherries as quickly as mine does.  Thus far, I've been biting them in half, one at a time, and peeling the pit out with my teeth.  Then I hand Sam the remaining fruit.  Gross.  I know.  But what's a mom to do?

A Day in the Life of Some Strawberries

Thank you Anna, for sharing the bounty of your handpicked strawberries.  Here is the story of what happened to them.

I decided these little fellas were screaming to be made into strawberry muffins, and this gem of a simple recipe needs more publicity.  It is just too good for me to hog.  Now normally folks, I am not into eating raw muffin batter.  Do yourself a favor and don't even taste this one...you won't be able to stop taking little swipes from the spatula.

Succulent Strawberry Muffins

1/4 lb. softened unsalted butter

1 & 1/2 cups sugar, divided

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt, scant

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tsp. good vanilla

18-20 medium to large strawberries, hulled and chopped

Cream butter and 1 & 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla.  Blend well but do not overbeat.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.  Add alternately with cream to butter, starting and ending with flour mixture.  Fold in strawberries.

Fill 16 large muffin tins with papers.  Fill them almost full with batter, then sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sugar over top.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 25-30 min, or until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on rack.

Like Father, Like Son

Family inside joke.  Don't worry, the can was empty.

Vanilla Marshmallows

In the interest of promoting summertime s'mores... head to your nearest Trader Joe's to load up on THESE.  They were better then homemade, great right out of the package.  Heaven, when combined with their cinnamon homemade graham crackers and a bar of 56% Valrhona chocolate.

CSA Box #1

Hip hip hooray!  CSA has started!

 For those of you not familiar with this wonderful concept, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  You can buy a "share" of a farm's produce for a period of time, getting organic, local produce delivered right to your town.  My friend Anna the head baker and I are splitting one of Erehwon Farm's (located in Elburn, IL) boxes that are delivered every other week.

Yesterday was the first day we picked it up, just a few blocks from where our houses are.  We both squealed with delight when we saw the strawberries, tiny and bright red down at the bottom.  This week's haul included:

spicy mixed greens mix, swiss chard and spinach, sweet sugar snap peas, romaine lettuce, radishes, komatsuna and garlic scraps.

Anna made an amazing salad for dinner with chopped turkey, mixed greens and lettuce, ripe tomatoes, feta cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette.  We both ate our strawberries in secret, furtively unwilling to share with the rest of our families.  I will say that Scott didn't deserve any, after declaring to me he couldn't taste a difference between these and the store bought ones.

Sophie, if you read this today, you'll get an awesome salad for dinner tonight when you babysit, made from this produce and some caramelized pecans, Boar's Head turkey and whatever else sounds good.  

Check out the farm's website to see if it's something you'd be interested in.  The list of all the wonderful fruits and vegetables you get is there, along with directions to the farm if you want to buy local eggs, poultry, meat, grain, flowers and other plants.  I love the idea of knowing where my food comes from.  Plus, every third Saturday they have a party on the farm where you can visit, listen to a band play and pick strawberries/garlic/potatoes, play with Bucky the Farm Dog or lay in their hammock.

Time to go make some breakfast for me and Sam, too bad I ate all the strawberries last night. They would have been great on some french toast.

Sam goes to Kid Snips

I took a lot of crap from Scott for paying $22 for a haircut for an 11 month old, but these pictures were worth it.  I edited out a blue trickle of saliva trailing down his face from the package of fruit snacks he devoured in like 2 seconds.  

Welcome to suburbia

Sam wanted to visit the ponies again, we'd heard that one of the draft horses had her baby.  So glad we did!  It was fun to see such a new colt prancing around following his mother and rolling in the grass.  His name is Ike.

I love where we live.

The only salad recipe you'll need for this summer

Unless, of course, like my husband, you hate tomatoes.  (?!)
Search no further.  My Aunt Cindy's Tuscan Bread Salad is all you need to survive this summer.

We had it up at the lakehouse this weekend and I am trying to figure out how soon I can make it again.  So good, perfect summer flavors that shine with the tomato and basil, and the pizza crust that catches the dressing, sopping up all it's goodness.

Aunt Cindy's Tuscan Bread Salad

1  14-16 oz. Boboli pizza crust

1 to 1  1/4 cups water

4 TB. red wine vinegar, divided

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

anchovy paste, to taste

1/2 tsp. salt

2 ribs celery, diced

1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 small red onion, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Broil the Boboli crust in the oven until brown on both sides.  Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.  When cool, cut into 1 inch squares and place in a large bowl.  Pour the water and 1 TB. of the vinegar over the bread, toss and let stand for 15 min.  Whisk together the remaining 3 TB. vinegar, salt and anchovy paste.  Add olive oil in a steady stream, whisk constantly.  Add celery, tomatoes and basil to the bread, toss well.  Add dressing over everything, toss again and serve.  

Lemon Cheesecake Tarts

So I made these little lemon cheesecake tarts for my cousin's bridal shower...they turned out pretty well judging by the amount of recipe requests thus far.  I thought I'd save myself some typing and just share it here.  This recipe originated over at Cooking Light, but I adjusted it.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Cups            Yields 2 dozen approximately

Dough

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1 large egg

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

cooking spray

Filling

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. grated lemon rind

1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 large egg

8 oz. block of softened cream cheese

Topping

Homemade lemon curd (I used Ina Garten's from the Food Network's recipe.  Piece of cake)

 or store bought if you don't have time

Tiny mint leaves for garnish

To prepare dough, beat 1/2 cup sugar and butter at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg, beat well.  Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl and add to sugar/butter mixture.  Beat at low speed until well blended.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour, or freeze for 15 min.  Gently press dough into mini muffin tins coated with cooking spray.  Go as light as you can on the dough, it will puff up and swell as it cooks.  You want just enough dough to cover the muffin cup lightly.

Preheat oven to 350.  To prepare filling, beat 1/2 cup sugar and the next four ingredients in a mixer until smooth.  Spoon 1 TB. of filling into each prepared muffin cup.  Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes or until edges are brown and filling is set.  Remove cups from pans immediately, cool on a wire rack.  

At this point, the cookies will store well in the fridge for a couple days.  When you are ready to serve them, top with lemon curd and a mint leaf.

I know it looks complicated.  Believe me, it's worth the hassle.

Random Fact for the Day

Guess what color your child's poop will be the next day if you feed him two packages of blue fruit snacks.

In my defense, 1) they were made with all fruit juice and 2) it was the only thing that kept him still while he had SIX vials of blood drawn for allergy testing.  Poor little guy.

Happy Birthday Sam!

Oh how life has changed from one year ago.  Little did I know how much my heart itself would grow to contain the love I feel for you.  Thank you for adding immeasurable joy to our lives.  

I also forgive you for spreading your birthday banana bread all over yourself, your high chair and the floor.

Mother's Day

It was a mixed bag.  

Scott had told me late Saturday night that he hadn't gotten around to buying his cards yet, not to even speak of a gift, and needless to say, I'd been hoping for a little more on my first mother's day.  However, he really came through when it came down to letting me do what I wanted yesterday, starting out with a heart healthy breakfast at Starbucks as we made our way down to Moody Church in the pouring rain.  A warm apple fritter, a steaming caramel macchiato, AND a glazed donut made their way into our stomachs as Sam looked on with jealous eyes, slowly eating his banana.  I finally broke down and gave him a taste of fritter.  There was no going back to the banana after that.

Our church service was fantastic, I was moved to tears numerous times as we heard about a ministry in India that saves children out of prostitution rings and then the Children's Choir got up and sang as pictures of these beautiful tiny girls with hope shining in their eyes flashed across the screen.  The Moody Children sang this:

"My life flows on, in endless song, above earth's lamentation.

I hear the real (though far-off) hymn that hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife I hear the music ringing,

It sounds an echo in my soul - How can I keep from singing?

What if my joys and comforts die; I know that truth is living.

What, though darkness 'round me close?  Still truth - its light is giving.

No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I'm clinging.

Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?

I lift my eyes, the cloud grows thin, I see the blue above it;

And, day by day this pathway smooths since first I learned to love it.

The peace from Christ makes fresh my heart, a song of hope is springing;

All things are mine since truth I've found, How can I keep from singing?"

Text by Robert Lowry, Traditional Quaker Tune

The words of this song resonated in my own heart, I felt hope too, and joy.

In case you were wondering, Scott redeemed himself by the end of the day, treating us to a huge brunch at Fox and Obel, helping out around the house without being asked or complaining and finally at 9:30 pm with two gorgeous cards that made me cry.  And a original poem that rhymed, from Sam.  

"Mommy,

Daddy says your day was yesterday and that it was his mistake! (evidently I wasn't supposed to find this card until today)

I promise it wasn't my fault, I think you're great.

The way you play with me and feed me bananas and pears--

and I love how you let me go up and down the stairs.

Anyways, Happy Mother's Day and having no card was Daddy's call--

I will make it up to you, you can play with my ball!

Sam"

I love my men.

What?

HOW is it May 12th?  So sorry that I've been non-existent these past weeks, but somehow I don't really think the internet missed me.  

We have been super busy with things that would bore you, but mostly preparations for Sam's two first birthday parties.  That and his FOUR molars that are driving us both crazy.  Poor guy.

Anywhoo, I've got some fun pictures to share when I get them uploaded finally.  Good to be back.

On that note

Another mouth related story.

We were up early this morning, little Buddy started making noise at 6:30 am.  The sun was out and the air was warm so we spent some time in the newly acquired baby swing and then headed to the mexican market for some produce (The best place around for veggies and fruit, the shelves are emptied every night and new stuff was being put out this morning.  Fennel, all kinds of beautiful baby greens, red peppers for .99 cents a lb...)

Upon getting home I put up the baby gate in the kitchen and started to unpack things into our pantry: potatoes, garlic, bananas, strawberries, etc.  Due to the consumption of a vente carmel macchiato, the call of nature hit.  I was around the corner but within hearing distance of Sam.

"Scratch scratch scratch."

"Crunch."

"Crunch crunch, scrittch"

"Sam..."

"Whatcha doing Sam?..."

"Crunch."

"Come here honey, what are you eating?"

In thirty seconds, my son had pulled four heads of garlic off the second shelf of the pantry and was single-handedly devouring one, like an apple.  The whole thing was soaked with saliva and there were tiny sets of baby teeth marks all over it.

You would not believe what his breath smells like, the poor guy burped his way up the stairs before going down for his morning nap.

This kid has the taste buds of a 40 year old gourmand. 

Yuck

I just found the remnants of one of these in Sam's mouth.

Oh Lord, a harbinger of much to come I'm sure.

It least there's one less ladybug out there.

Oh What a Day!

Sam and I headed out for our morning walk today, I could almost write a children's book on how perfect it was.  Not a cloud in the sky, the song of robins in our ears, and the smell of these cillas that hit us both like a wave of delicious sweetness after a desolate winter.

We saw some friends over at the Alumni office of the College, walked to one of my favorite stores, J. B. Winterberry and bought a new candle to make the house smell like spring, (Nouvelle's Tuscan Currant, and you get a free box of vintage large matches for the next five days!), picked up supper at the Meat Market (london broil on the grill with mashed potatoes and a mixed greens mandarin orange salad), and finally ended up at the park where Sam laughed his head off on the swings.  It's been a wonderful day.

I am, however, now procrastinating because the Forestry Division of the City just dumped an entire truckload of free wood-chips into the driveway.  Someone needs to move it into the backyard so we can get our cars into the garage.  12 cubic feet.  It looks like a lot more then that...higher then my head.  

Oh well, I didn't work out today.

We've Graduated...

...to crawling on all fours.  He really gets around now, what do you think Great-Grandma?

:)  Come home soon, we miss you.

A Perfect Night at the Symphony

Even though it was a disastrous night outside, what with the wind blowing freezing rain into our faces as we fought our way downtown, it was incredibly cozy sitting by a roaring fire surrounded by four friends up on the 9th floor of Orchestra Hall in the Private Dining Room.

 

The champagne flowed, conversation sparkled and the scallops were succulent in their parmesan parsley crust, sitting in a puddle of sweet orange sauce.

We felt lucky to be there, our friend had connections to some of the best seats in the house, a private box on the second level, 20 feet from the stage where the CSO played Stravinsky's Firebird and the violin soloist played with such poignancy it brought tears to my eyes.

Thank you John and Stacy, for a night we'll remember for years!

Sam learns how to dance...

...unfortunately he does it just like his mother.

March

"There was a huge silver maple near my dormitory with big palmate leaves. In March you could look up through the branches and see puzzle pieces of blue sky. Then day by day the bright green leaves opened like fingers, until the canopy had filled in, like carpet in the sky."
-Traveling Mercies, by Anne Lamott

It is now well into March, and I can barely contain my excitement as I await that first smell of spring. The smell of anticipation, of things growing in the garden, of long walks, grilling out, and all the good things that spring and summer bring.

In Defense of the Sabbath

Sharpening Our Tools

"If Jesus, for whom anything was possible, chose repeatedly in the midst of His great teaching to withdraw to quiet places for rest and conversation with His Father, how much more do each of us need to do the same?
Though our modern culture will continually tempt us to do otherwise, we will find that taking a break each week to relax, spend time with God and study His Word will leave us more refreshed and effective parents.

Preacher and author Charles Spurgeon once penned this remarkable statement about the value of Sabbath rest:
'Look at the mower in the summer's day. With so much to cut down before the sun sets, he pauses in his labor. Is he a sluggard? He looks for a stone and begins to draw it up and down his scythe, rink a tink, rink a tink, rink a tink. He's sharpening his blade. Is that idle music? Is he wasting precious moments? How much he might have mown while he was ringing out those notes on his blade. But he is sharpening his tool. And he will do far more, when once again he gives his strength to those long sweeps which lay the grass prostrate in rows before him. Even thus a little pause prepares the mind for greater service in a good cause.
Fishermen must mend their nets and we must, every now and then, repair our mental states and set our machinery in order for future service. It is wisdom to take occasional furloughs. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less.' -Lectures to My Students 1954"

And on these words from Dr. James Dobson, our family is resting. We are blessed enough to be doing it in Naples, Florida for the next nine days. My heart was convicted as I read these words in his little book Solutions for Burned-Out Parents, not that we are burned out from our short 10 months of experience. This little gem was laying around the house and I brought it along to thumb through during Sam's afternoon nap today.

Good things to remember in the years ahead, as our time and priorities will be pulled in so many directions--sports, church activities, school work, volunteer work, Scott's career, etc--what do I want Sam to remember from his childhood? Having every moment of his preschool life scheduled with activities, sports and play dates? Hours on end spent in the car running errands?

Obviously not. Those things are all well and good, but tempered by moments of rest. My hope and prayer would be that he'd remember many moments of reading books in my lap, giggling together, praying together before meals and bedtime, and quiet times of rest together as a family. For myself, I know I cannot sustain or create this environment without taking time to sharpen my own tools.

I love the idea of holding Sunday aside, attempting to get bills, laundry, errands done on Saturday or during the week, and giving us time to just BE, doing whatever we need to as a family. Worship, reading, walking, eating a good meal...it all sounds good at this point.

We'll have to wait and see what Scott has to say about my new found revelation, he's sleeping at the moment, his face pressed against a pillow, listening to the sound of the wind through the palm trees through the open window.

The road to recovery has begun.

Valentine's Day Dinner at Cellar Bistro

So, dinner was good.   Not great, but good.  Even very good.  In case you can't make out what the menu reads, here's what we had:

She-Crab Soup (Very yummy, a HUGE bowl of a cream seafood bisque with chunks of crab)

Maple Glazed Bacon Pieces on Gorgonzola Polenta Squares (tasted pretty good, but was served at room temperature.  Ehh.)

Pineapple Carpaccio with a Kiwi Coulis and Julienne Basil (Ohhhh so good.  Paper thin slices of pineapple drizzled with a "dressing" of kiwi fruit.) 

Marinated Beef Sirloin in a Red Wine Reduction served with Scalloped Potatoes (Just mediocre.  A strange cut of not well seasoned beef, capers in the scalloped potatoes (?!) and the whole plate was just barely warm.  Oh well.  I sound like such a snob right now.)

Banana Cream Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust (Phenomenal.  I wiped my plate down with my finger when I thought no one was looking.)

Anyways, there you have it.  A lovely evening, all in all, out in our little town.  

Must say that I was glad we skipped the optional "wine, champagne and cordials" that were paired with each course as we saw everyone around us getting rapidly drunk as they attempted to finish their glasses before the next course arrived.  One glass of a lovely shiraz was fine. Saved is a bundle too, I'd recommend going that route if you choose to eat here for another prix fix menu. 

It's a great morning to be doing this...

...taking a 2 1/2 hour nap while the snow drifts down in fluffy, white flakes.

What a cherub.

New uses for an aspirator

This kid just keeps getting rounder and rounder...I suppose that's the nature of babies, right?  

Possibly the Easiest Cookie Ever

I firmly believe there is an entire population of under-served, unacknowledged macaroon lovers out there.  This mind-blowingly good, incredibly easy recipe is for you.

Chocolate Pecan Macaroons

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

2 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans (I buy the roasted, salt ones from Trader Joe's)

1 tsp. almond extract

salt to taste (start with 1/4 tsp and add more if you need to)

In a large, heavy saucepan combine chocolate and condensed milk.  Cook, stirring constantly,for a few minutes until the chocolate melts and mixture is thick, smooth and glossy. 

Remove from heat.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Blend well.  Drop by teaspoonsful onto cookie sheets covered with parchment paper.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 10 minutes or until bottoms have just set.   

To Be

"And then there is time in which to be, simply to be, that time in which God quietly tells us who we are and who he wants us to be.  It is then that God can take our emptiness and fill it up with what he wants and drain away the business with which we inevitably get involved in the dailiness of human living."

Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water

This strikes a chord within my heart in a very deep place.  For me, taking time to just be could entail sitting at the piano, plugging away at a Bach Fugue, just because I love it, not because I need to use it somewhere.  Or journaling on clean white pages with a "juicy" black pen, or sitting/walking somewhere outside by myself in quiet prayer or meditation.  

How often do I DO any of these things?  Not nearly enough.  And this is the true business of life, making time for God to change us into what HE wants us to be.  

I never made a New Year's Resolution, maybe this can be it.  

Taking time to be.  

I'm on board

It's only taken me seven years to catch on, but I am IN.  On the American Idol train in a big way.

HOW can I now have a crush on Simon when I despised him only a year ago?  Where are these chills coming from, that race up and down my spine when someone gives a truly great performance?  I don't know, maybe I'm in a more vulnerable place now after having given birth, but I cannot look away.  I even found tears standing in my eyes at one point two nights ago.  It must be the baby hormones.

Brooke the nanny, with blonde hair, and Danny the 16 year old are my picks.

Keeping Your Clock Wound

There's a story of a small village where lived an old clockmaker and repairer.  When anything was wrong with any of the clocks or watches in the village, he was able to fix them, to get them working properly again.

When he died, leaving no children and no apprentice, there was no one left in the village who could fix clocks.  Soon various clocks and watches began to break down.  Those which continued to run often lost or gained time, so they were of little use.  A clock might strike midnight at three in the afternoon.  So, many of the villagers abandoned their timepieces.

One day, a renowned clockmaker and repairer came through the village, and the people crowded around him and begged him to fix their broken clocks and watches.  He spent many hours looking at all the faulty timepieces, and at last announced that he could repair only those whose owners had kept them wound, because they were the only ones which would be able to remember how to keep time.

So, we must daily keep things wound: that is, we must pray when prayer seems dry as dust, when we are physically tired, when our hearts are heavy, when our bodies are in pain.

We may not always be able to make our "clock" run correctly, but at least we can keep it wound so that is will not forget.

-Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water [Italics added]

Gummi addition

We are HUGE gummi fans in our house.  Haribo gummi bears, swedish fish of all colors, shapes and sizes (no prejudice in our house!), sour watermelon slices, cherry balls, green and white frogs...the list could continue.

I was introduced to a new gummi love by Amy back in November and thought I'd share it with you all. 

Meet Kookaburra.  He's from Australia and can be found (overpriced) downtown Chicago at Fox and Obel.  Oddly enough, Ace Hardware carries it too...hmm.  Suffice to say, it's a must-try if you enjoy the gummi side of life.  Great cherry flavor, excellent texture and a great addition to any gummi repertoire.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We continue to soldier on through winter, as you can see here.  Have a wonderful day and go eat some comfort food!  

We're having dinner tonight at a new little place in downtown Wheaton, The Cellar Bistro.  There's a five course menu involving she-crab soup, (I guess they only use the girls?), pineapple carpaccio salad, steak with scalloped potatoes and banana cream pie.  I may sneak my camera in to take pictures for the blog....only if it's REALLY good.

Yum-o

I really don't care for Rachel Ray.  She's a little too over-the-top for me, and anyone that needs to abbreviate extra virgin olive oil as "EVOO" and then proceed to explain what "EVOO" stands for EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. she says it...well, that's just enough to drive someone crazy.  Ahem. Back to my point.  My point is, sometimes you just need just one word to describe something.  

Another find at Trader Joe's, Dark Chocolate Frosted Cupcakes, in the freezer section.  Get them while they last.

Yum-O.

Meaningless Baby Videos...

Feel free to pass on these videos if you are not A) a great grandparent in Florida right now, B) a proud grandparent who cannot get enough, or C) A precious friend in CA.  :)

Here's Sam army crawling for one of the first times.  He now enjoys chasing his father's soccer ball around various rooms.  

Winter Wonderland

Just some visuals of what we're experiencing here in Chicago...for those lucky loved ones who are in California and Florida.  Want to trade places?

Anyone?  Anyone?

February's Flower Arrangement

I thought I was being very clever, what with using purple for Lent.  

Why I Love Chicago

It's winter in Chicago

And the gentle breezes blow,

70 miles per hour at 52 below!

Oh, how I love Chicago

When the snow's up to your butt.

You take a breath of winter air

And your nose is frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful,

I guess I'll hang around.

I could never leave Chicago,

'Cause I'm frozen to the ground.

-With credit to my fabulous Aunt Anita

The only bonus to 10 inches of snow is that you can say you got your work-out in shoveling your driveway...for the third time today.  Oh my achin' back.

Did you know...

that if you feed your baby Roasted Garlic Hummus by the spoonful, he will expel the most noxious burps ever known to man?

Utterly hilarious.  

Baby Garlic Breath.

Heavy stuff, but good

I've been slowly working my way through Madeleine L'Engle's beautiful book, Walking on Water.  It's a collection of her reflections on faith and art and has been so richly thought-provoking in my own life.  

In the second chapter she addresses the issue of evil existing in the world.  I thought this quote crystalizes the concept well:

"The problem of pain, of war and the horror of war, of poverty and disease is always confronting us.  But a God who allows no pain, no grief, also allows no choice.  There is little unfairness in a colony of ants, but there is also little freedom.  We human beings have been given the terrible gift of free will, and this ability to make choices, to help write our own story, is what makes us human, even when we make the wrong choices, abusing our freedom and the freedom of others.

  The weary and war-torn world around us bears witness to the wrongness of many of our choices.  But lest I stumble into despair I remember...Jesus too, had to make choices, and in the eyes of the world some of his choices were not only contrary to acceptable behaviour, but were foolish in the extreme...when he turned his steps towards Jerusalem he was making a choice which led him to Calvary.

  It is the ability to choose which makes us human."

radio silence

The dead of winter taking its toll on me.  

I feel like the months of January and February are for reading, cooking, shoveling and just general survival.  Hence the lack of blog posts, I've been uninspired, ashamedly so.  Hibernating for spring, I suppose.  

Sam is now crawling and it has turned our home upside down.  He is obsessed with cords of all kinds and the space heaters that make our 120 year old home livable.  

I'm in trouble.