So much to be Grateful for

So I haven't posted for a few days--life has been crazy, but that just brings so much to be grateful for!

This week I am grateful for:

Our new car! It is a cute little thing with a new dark green paint job. Sure, she's got some miles on her but she's in great shape and I know she'll last us a long time. Now I will not be home-bound when the Mr. drives to work. Yay!

Resilient little boys. Thank heavens swallowing ten consecutive pieces of gum doesn't seem to do any damage.

The poison control hotline, always at my finger tips for first-time-mommy questions, like: should I be concerned that my son just swallowed ten consecutive pieces of gum? They're going to start recognizing my number.

The kiddy pool. Best investment ever.

Our garden. This year there is actually cantaloupe growing on our cantaloupe plants! Can you believe it?

Family. We had so much fun this weekend when some out-of-towners graced us with their presence. Grateful that Randy joined our family and brought so many awesome people with him.

What are YOU thankful for?

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Get Down on your Knees

Today I am thankful for prayer. I've taken it for granted lately, I think. What an amazing gift to be able to communicate with our Heavenly Father any time we desire.

And, as ever, I am grateful for the Mr.
He picked these flowers for me at the top of a mountain
while trail running--what was it Babe, ten miles?
I'm serious.

Time Out

We are instigating the use of time-outs here at the P. house. It is not fun. I hate doing it, because it makes the Bug so sad. He laughs all the way as I carry him to his room and realization only dawns as the door shuts between us. Then the wailing begins. Poor guy. It would be so much easier to just let him get into trouble. I watch him doing something wrong, and I just want so badly for him to stop on his own, because I don't want to punish him. He just doesn't seem to make the connection, though.

I guess that's how Heavenly Father feels all the time. Here we are on earth, making mistake after mistake and He, from His perfect perspective watches us and just wishes we would start doing it right on our own. Sometimes I feel like I'm the one just not making the connections.

I'm pretty grateful that He lets us learn from our mistakes, though. We'd be a pretty pathetic lot if He just bailed us out every time or let us get away with it because we 'didn't know any better.'

Looking at it that way makes it a little bit easier to teach Isaac about consequences, knowing that it is for his benefit in the long run. Just a little bit easier, though.



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Addiction and Recovery

It is always inspiring to hear a story of someone who struggled with addiction and rose above it. It's a real thing; it destroys lives, and it can be overcome.

Court McGee shares his "ultimate" comeback story

Banana Hotcakes with Spiced Syrup

This is a new recipe for our family, and I love it! They've got a lot more food value than regular pancakes, and the Bug loves them.

I got the recipe here.

Ingredients

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup water
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup whole-wheat (whole-meal) flour
1/2 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup 1 percent low-fat milk
1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 banana, peeled and mashed
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the maple syrup, cinnamon stick and cloves. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves with a slotted spoon. Set the syrup aside and keep warm.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the oats and water. Microwave on high until the oats are creamy and tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and canola oil. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Whisk to blend.

Add the milk, yogurt and banana to the oats and stir until well blended. Beat in the egg. Add the flour mixture to the oat mixture and stir just until moistened.

Place a nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles as it hits the pan, spoon 1/4 cup pancake batter into the pan. Cook until the top surface of the pancake is covered with bubbles and the edges are lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook until the bottom is well browned and the pancake is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Repeat with the remaining pancake batter.

Place the pancakes on warmed individual plates. Drizzle with the warm syrup and serve immediately.

The recipe says it serves six, but we can polish them off between the three of us. I usually serve them with fried eggs to add some protein. Enjoy!


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Vulnerable

I hate that being a woman makes me vulnerable.

Don't get me wrong; I love being a woman. But I do wish that some things were different.

This morning I was out walking with The Bug and I was stopped by an older gentleman. His teeth were yellowed and rotting and he kept smiling at me as he struck up a conversation. I tried several times to end the conversation and keep walking, but he would follow me and continue talking. I had an uncomfortable feeling about the situation, but I felt so mean just walking away from him. In the end I decided that he was most likely just a lonely man who wanted someone to talk to.





Do you see my predicament? I wanted to be able to stop and just listen to how he had polio as a child and all the food he can't eat now and the medicine he's taking...but there was a slight possibility that I could have been putting myself and my son in danger. A friendly conversation could very quickly have become very threatening.

I want to be able to assume that everyone has good intentions. I would love to be able to pull over when I see someone having car trouble, or pick up a hitch hiker, but it's just not safe. Where do I draw that line?

I'm grateful for the men who protect us and take care of us. I love it when The Mr. pulls over and helps someone in trouble when we're on the road, because I wish I could do that.



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Shrimp Curry

Ever since I had Gestational Diabetes when I was pregnant with The Bug, my blood sugar has been a little high. I've been trying to find ways to eat healthier and lower my sugar/carb intake. I came across the GREATEST website from the Mayo Clinic that has a whole bunch of recipes for diabetics. The good news is that the way diabetics are suppose to eat is the way everyone is suppose to eat, so it's just plain healthy no matter how you look at it. I have been impressed by the recipes. They are all tasty and my family gives them a thumbs up, too. I will likely be posting a lot of their recipes as I try them.

Shrimp Curry

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 shallots, minced
2 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, peeled and seeded, then diced
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup chicken stock, vegetable stock or broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 stalk lemon grass, tender bottom 4 inches only, quartered lengthwise
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp (prawns), peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 cup shelled edamame
1/2 cup diced mango
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade

Directions

In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato, curry powder and coriander and simmer until the tomato begins to soften, about 1 minute.

Add the stock, coconut milk and lemon grass. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Remove from the heat.

In a nonstick saute pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, sprinkle with the turmeric and cook for about 3 minutes. Turn the shrimp and cook until pink and opaque throughout, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

Add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits. Add the curry sauce to the pan, raise the heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to medium, add the edamame and cook until the edamame are tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the mango and salt and stir to combine. Discard the lemon grass.

Divide the curry among warmed individual plates and garnish with the basil.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/RE00070

* I couldn't find lemon grass at the grocery store, and I didn't want to pay for coriander for just one recipe. I just added a little lemon juice. It was still good. I served it with rice. P.S. The picture is not of this specific recipe.



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LAAAAAAAAAAA

The days have been melting together here at the P house and I totally forgot about my Thankful Thursday! So I guess it is a Thankful Friday-that-I-thought-was-Thursday. Here it is:


This summer I have had the opportunity to participate in community theater for the first time. I have loved it! Today I am grateful for music, dancing, talents, and the ability to develop them. I am so thankful that God didn't just throw us down here into a school of hard knocks without anything to lift us up, bring us joy, and make life fun!

I recognize this isn't something I will be able to do often, and I am thoroughly enjoying the opportunity. I'm grateful for people who share their time and talents to create a forum for creativity (board members, directors, etc), and the cast members who come together to share their passion, willing to work their tails off to produce something that will hopefully lift and inspire, and a husband who is so accommodating to let me do what I love.

As a side note, today I am also incredibly thankful for a husband who listens, who wouldn't fight with me even if I wanted him to, who is humble, considerate, and very patient with me.

All Better, Mommy

"It was one of the worst days of my life. The washing machine broke down, the telephone kept ringing, my head ached, and the mail carrier brought a bill I had no money to pay. Almost to the breaking point, I lifted my one-year-old into his high chair, leaned my head against the tray, and began to cry. Without a word, my son took his pacifier out of his mouth and stuck it in mine."

Clara Null

Thank goodness for sweet little children! Have a good one.

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P.S. I'd love some comments of similar things your kids have done.

Oh Joy!

"If God's purpose in providing mortal bodies and a physical earth was to increase the joy of His children (and it was), and if the duty and privilege of parents is to assist Heavenly Father in His purposes (and it is), then we should be vitally interested in and concerned with the responsibility of opening the avenues of joy to our children!"

'Teaching Children Joy', Linda and Richard Eyre

Pucker Up

'Cause I want to kiss the outstanding human being
who invented the bicycle.

This week I am grateful for

BICYCLES

NATURE

and a HEALTHY

HAPPY

ROCKIN'

family.