All season, Josiah has been calling the tree "Christmas treat." I purposely don't correct him because it's so cute.
Also, right now, I'm predicting Malachi is gonna be a firecracker. Josiah was such a laid-back baby, and is very much a laid-back kid. Malachi...uhhh...not so much. During awake time, he does NOT want to be laying down. He either must be in some arms, experiencing life with you, or standing up, looking around. He also hates to sit. Especially in the bumbo. Bummer for Momma! I'm hoping to get the munchkin a walker/exersaucer soon so he can expend some of his energy by himself.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Speedy Christmas
Wow. Christmas is over? That was fast. Probably faster than any other year. Ever. It didn't help that 3/4 peeps in our family (Michael escaped) were sick this past week. And I'm not talking a few sniffles here and there. I'm talking both ends kinda sick. Josiah is still trying to recover; poor kid.
I wanted to bake more. I wanted to shop more. I wanted to decorate more. I wanted to make cute Christmas tags. I was looking forward to hosting the team all day on Christmas, making it feel as homey as possible. Instead, I cleaned up messes and did loads upon loads of nasty laundry. But it's ok. We still managed to have some fun. Michael and I took turns escaping the stink house to eat and mingle with the team.
We basically opened all of Josiah's presents for him because he looked like this most of time:
Malachi had fun for the 30 minutes he was awake. :)
And tomorrow I turn 28. I sure don't feel that old. In my head, I still think I'm in my early 20s. Not that I'm afraid of getting older, but it just doesn't seem like I should be getting so close to 30 yet. My 10 year high school reunion is this summer. Wasn't I just walking through the drama-filled hallways a few weeks ago?!
I wanted to bake more. I wanted to shop more. I wanted to decorate more. I wanted to make cute Christmas tags. I was looking forward to hosting the team all day on Christmas, making it feel as homey as possible. Instead, I cleaned up messes and did loads upon loads of nasty laundry. But it's ok. We still managed to have some fun. Michael and I took turns escaping the stink house to eat and mingle with the team.
We basically opened all of Josiah's presents for him because he looked like this most of time:
Malachi had fun for the 30 minutes he was awake. :)
And tomorrow I turn 28. I sure don't feel that old. In my head, I still think I'm in my early 20s. Not that I'm afraid of getting older, but it just doesn't seem like I should be getting so close to 30 yet. My 10 year high school reunion is this summer. Wasn't I just walking through the drama-filled hallways a few weeks ago?!
Friday, December 9, 2011
2 Randoms
1. Michael often refers to Josiah's chubby cheeks. Josiah refers to them as "chubby cheeps." Adorable.
2. When our washing machine completes its cycle, it plays a 10 second happy song. I guess that's better than a buzzer. It reminds me of the mini fridge in one of the places I stayed while in Nigeria. When opened, it would play "Fur Elise."
the end.
2. When our washing machine completes its cycle, it plays a 10 second happy song. I guess that's better than a buzzer. It reminds me of the mini fridge in one of the places I stayed while in Nigeria. When opened, it would play "Fur Elise."
the end.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Success in the Kitchen = Less Stress
Funny that this post follows my last post, the rant about all my failed attempts at making homemade bread. Well, since then, I've had many successes.
I conquered those crescent rolls! I had been killing my yeast all along with water that was too hot. I have also taught my teammates how to make them. From failure to teacher in a week. Haha.
I also made homemade breakfast sausage. Who knew you just had to add some spices to some fatty pork? (I know, that sounds gross. But isn't sausage gooood?!)
Then I decided to tackle lasagna. The entire process took 2 days. Michael had to order the noodles, tomato sauce(I'm too lazy to make that one yet), and mozzarella from an import store. I made ricotta cheese and Italian sausage. It was labor-intensive, and I'm now exhausted, but it was sooo good! And we have lots of leftovers! Hooray!
I don't post these successes to brag. Well, those could be some hidden intentions because I am a sinner after all. But, rather to share how success in the kitchen really boosts my confidence, mood, and attitude. Last year was one disaster after another in the kitchen. After tasting dishes that were burnt, flavorless, or just plain nasty time after time, cooking really took a toll on me. I would then spiral into a "I hate where I am" rant. My poor family had to endure it every time. Michael did his best to encourage me, but I didn't want to be encouraged during those times. I wanted to pout.
Fast forward to this year. I have some basic recipes under my belt. I have better access to import goods. (We order then online and they are shipped to our campus within a day or two. Compare that to last year when we had to wait until we went downtown to the import store. I only went about twice a semester.) I don't have to tackle more than 1 new recipe a week. This cuts down on multiple failures in a row. I found a blog of a woman who has lived here for several years, knows how to cook, and gives tons of tips on how to adapt recipes. I finally learned how to make that stinkin' bread. :)
Through all of these lessons, I have come to realize I didn't really know how to cook in America at all. I could bake some things, yes. But not cook. I relied heavily on canned and pre-made items to form a meal. Here, those items barely exist. (Don't worry, they're trying to emulate the West, so they'll have stores full of cans, boxes, and cancer soon enough.) I'm kind of glad living here has forced me to learn how to cook nearly everything from scratch. I feel like I'm really having to learn about food. I would like to think it's keeping our family healthy, but who knows...we still eat at KFC, McDonald's...and c'mon..we eat a ton of MSG. :)
I think the area of cooking is just one way the Father has decided to bless me this year. He knew I wouldn't be able to handle the stress of that and a newborn. And a toddler. And husband. And..ok..you know how the list goes. I'm thankful he has taken some of the stress off of me in the cooking area. Now, if only I can learn how to handle the failed attempts...
I conquered those crescent rolls! I had been killing my yeast all along with water that was too hot. I have also taught my teammates how to make them. From failure to teacher in a week. Haha.
I also made homemade breakfast sausage. Who knew you just had to add some spices to some fatty pork? (I know, that sounds gross. But isn't sausage gooood?!)
Then I decided to tackle lasagna. The entire process took 2 days. Michael had to order the noodles, tomato sauce(I'm too lazy to make that one yet), and mozzarella from an import store. I made ricotta cheese and Italian sausage. It was labor-intensive, and I'm now exhausted, but it was sooo good! And we have lots of leftovers! Hooray!
I don't post these successes to brag. Well, those could be some hidden intentions because I am a sinner after all. But, rather to share how success in the kitchen really boosts my confidence, mood, and attitude. Last year was one disaster after another in the kitchen. After tasting dishes that were burnt, flavorless, or just plain nasty time after time, cooking really took a toll on me. I would then spiral into a "I hate where I am" rant. My poor family had to endure it every time. Michael did his best to encourage me, but I didn't want to be encouraged during those times. I wanted to pout.
Fast forward to this year. I have some basic recipes under my belt. I have better access to import goods. (We order then online and they are shipped to our campus within a day or two. Compare that to last year when we had to wait until we went downtown to the import store. I only went about twice a semester.) I don't have to tackle more than 1 new recipe a week. This cuts down on multiple failures in a row. I found a blog of a woman who has lived here for several years, knows how to cook, and gives tons of tips on how to adapt recipes. I finally learned how to make that stinkin' bread. :)
Through all of these lessons, I have come to realize I didn't really know how to cook in America at all. I could bake some things, yes. But not cook. I relied heavily on canned and pre-made items to form a meal. Here, those items barely exist. (Don't worry, they're trying to emulate the West, so they'll have stores full of cans, boxes, and cancer soon enough.) I'm kind of glad living here has forced me to learn how to cook nearly everything from scratch. I feel like I'm really having to learn about food. I would like to think it's keeping our family healthy, but who knows...we still eat at KFC, McDonald's...and c'mon..we eat a ton of MSG. :)
I think the area of cooking is just one way the Father has decided to bless me this year. He knew I wouldn't be able to handle the stress of that and a newborn. And a toddler. And husband. And..ok..you know how the list goes. I'm thankful he has taken some of the stress off of me in the cooking area. Now, if only I can learn how to handle the failed attempts...
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