Ode to Joanna

Where once there were words,
There is now only cuisine.
Where once posts abounded,
Now silence is supreme.

Why did the husband
Love his wife in this way?
Why in the kitchen
Does the wife always play?

If I lived closer,
And could taste all this cooking,
Perhaps I wouldn’t resent
All the cookbook looking!

Cuisinart, you are so enticing,
But you have taken my friend,
Until she tires of you,
My misery will not end.

Even without her,
I will be strong!
Though my blog will be lonely,
Hopefully, not for long!

The Truth About Homemade Rolls

In my post about my yummy BBQ Pork Sandwiches on our other blog, I mentioned that I made my own sandwich rolls. These were super yummy, and looked beautiful:

However, these rolls have a dark side. Check out the nutritional information here. I didn't pay any attention to this at all while making or enjoying eating these rolls, which is weird for me. Then after dinner, Jerry went to my computer to do something, and the recipe was up on my browser. He looked at it and about passed out, which is weird for him! Oh, how I wish we had never noticed and could have just enjoyed these rolls! Of course that would have led to conversations like this:

Jerry: "Hon, have you done something different in the wash? My pants suddenly don't fit!"

or,

Johanna: "These jeans fit yesterday!! What happened?" ::steps on scale:: "Holy schnikes! Our scale is broken!!"

Oh, well. Now I just have to find something to do with the remaining 16 rolls!

How cool is this??

So I was doing my daily browse of blogs and saw this on Angry Chicken - you can actually get a font for your computer of your own handwriting! Not that my handwriting is suberb or anything, and not that I need another font to add the the 30 bazillion that comes with Word, but it is just to fun to ignore. And for only $9, you too could be the proud owner of your very own handwriting font! ::to be read with your very best cheezy anouncer voice::

Religion in America

There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal today. It is a bit disheartening, and yet, it is not surprising. In an article titled "The Changing Faiths of America," it is revealed that recent studies show that "Nearly half of adults in the U.S. have switched to a faith other than the one in which they were raised or have dropped affiliation with any organized religion." This includes people who switched from Lutheran to Baptist or something like that, but it still is a staggeringly high number. What a challenge to make my faith real to my children while they are young so that when they are older and out of my house, they have no desire to depart from the faith of their youth! Anyway, the article makes other interesting points. If you want to read it all, you'll find it here.

My Funny Kids

So Aaron came to me a few minutes ago and said, "Mom, I just can't stop winking!" This is a new skill of his that he has been working on for a while now and he is just so proud of himself. He's darn cute doing it, too! And, yes, he has two swords in his hands, because we all know that one sword a true warrior does not make!

Not to be outdone, Ethan just had to have his picture taken too. I'm not sure what that look is all about, though...

He still looks so much like a baby to me! How on earth is it that he will be three in just a couple of weeks?

Well, that's all I've got. I tell you, all the creativity in my being has been zapped. I cannot even think of where to begin to do something creative. So my kids will have to do for a post right now!

On Being a "Western Christian"

Interesting that I ran across this article today. I've often thought that I have so much stuff and am so spoiled that I whine to God about my lack of house or whatever. People elsewhere are simply praising God for their food and lives. How do you balance it all?

Some Things I've Learned (or re-learned) Recently

This is probably not an exhaustive list, but I feel like in light of the last post and our conversation this morning, I really want to compile a list of what I am learning - some serious, some not so much...

• God is absolutely sovereign, even when I don't feel like he is
• Jerry loves me just the way I am
• Boys will spit any where, any time, for any reason
• Turning over my will to God is a daily job
• With a little diligence, I actually can keep my kitchen clean
• Everything tastes better with cheese (okay, almost everything)
• People will type really strange things into google: click here and scroll down to "How Did You Get Here?"
• I still have much room for improvement in my marriage
• I need to (and want to) learn how to show Jerry that I respect him
• Men are from Mars, women are from Venus

What about you?

Growth = Change = Serenity?

God has been teaching me a lot these days. I am being shown many things in my life that are a bit out of place or need to be changed. I am feeling the conviction and the guidance of the Holy Spirit and know God is wanting me to grow, and to grow I must change. I actually like change. I love the idea of moving across an ocean for a time to live somewhere totally different. I have been known to cut 10 inches off my hair without telling a single soul before hand. I resist cooking something I've cooked before - even when I liked it the first time! But when it comes to changing myself, the one person I am actually in control of and able to change, I resist change. I think that is only normal, but I wish I was as willing to change my inside as I am my outside. When I think of the word change, a prayer comes to mind - The Serenity Prayer. I am not really one for rote prayers, preferring to pray my own words to God, but this one has been powerful to me. It has come to be known as a 12-step group prayer said by alcoholics, but that isn't actually it's origin at all. It goes like this:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things that I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Most people think it ends there, but there is actually more:

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this sinful word as it is, not as I would have it,

Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will,

That I may be reasonably happy in this life,

and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

But serenity is such an archaic word. What does it mean to be serene? So I looked it up. According to Webster, it is "clear and free from storms or unpleasant change; calm." Yeah, I need that. I need to be calm and clear in the midst of things I cannot change, for they are numerous. I need loads of courage to change the things I can, for they too are numerous. And as for the wisdom to know the difference - God promises me that if I ask him for wisdom, he'll give it to me. Someone once said, "It is God's grace that he doesn't confront me with all my sin at once." It is his grace that takes me to times like this to show me one more layer of things I can change to be more like him. And he is trustworthy! I can trust him to make all things right if I surrender to his will.

I have been reminded the last couple of days of Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you." I have spent much time seeking "all these things" and God just wants me to seek him. I cannot do anything about all these things. Only God can change the things outside of me. I have been praying that God would help me to hunger more for him, and he is! I feel so challenged to seek him, and let him take care of the rest. He'll do a better job with it than I would anyway!

You Are the Sun

Ever heard of Sara Groves? She is my favorite female songstress...EVER. She has a beautiful voice and her lyrics are filled with hope and forgiveness and praise. One of my favorite songs of her makes me cry just about every time. The analogy is profound.

You Are the Sun

You are the sun shining down on everyone
Light of the world giving light to everything I see
Beauty so brilliant I can hardly take it in
And everywhere you are is warmth and light

And I am the moon with no light of my own
Still you have made me to shine
And as I glow in this cold dark night
I know I can't be a light unless I turn my face to you

You are the sun shining down on everyone
Light of the world giving light to everything I see
Beauty so brilliant I can hardly take it in
And everywhere you are is warmth and light

And I am the moon with no light of my own
Still you have made me to shine
And as I glow in this cold dark night
I know I can't be a light unless I turn my face to you

Shine on me with your light
Without you I'm a cold dark stone
Shine on me I have no light of my own
You are the sun, you are the sun, you are the sun
And I am the moon

Rewrite This Tragedy is another that makes me cry.

Where We Homeschool

So I've seen people putting up where they homeschool, so I'll pitch in. Here is where we do all our written work and crafts:

But for everything that is not written (Bible, reading, history, read-aloud's) we are here instead:

I also thought it would be fun to show you Jerry's "cosmic retribution" from Valentine's Day morning! Would you rather change a flat or go to the dentist???

Also, I am getting fewer and fewer orders for "cutesy" stuff, and more for the chic designs. I just did a blanket Friday that is simply a monogram, and it is so cute. It is similar to the one burp cloth I made for Lily. The lady who ordered it loved it and thinks that the woman she bought it for will love it too.

And since this post is already totally random and full of many, many things, I'll add one more! I made one of my absolute favoirte crock pot recipes today. We had two other families come over for lunch after church, so I wanted something that could be ready when we got home. This recipe pleases every time. I would have taken a picture, but there is none left!

Chicken Soft Tacos

1 1/2 lbs. frozen chicken

1 can rotel tomatoes

1 pkg. taco seasoning

Simply put the frozen chicken (yes, still frozen) in the crock pot. Sprinkle the packet of taco seasoning on top, and then pour the tomatoes on top of that. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. When it is cooked, shred the chicken and serve!

Dare I say, "Easy Peasy"?

Where I Homeschool and New Ventures

I guess you already know this but I saw it on A Cheerful Heart and Nerd Family and I thought it was a pretty neat idea so here is where I homeschool. The dining room table. We've done some school on my bed when I was sick and on the couch when Ella was sick and in her top bunk when there was too much chaos in the other parts of the house...er, apartment. I do better with a set spot so we stay there much of the time. For science we often go outside and for history we often go to the kitchen. We like to cook history. The more I do it, the more I love to homeshool. How about you?

On a completely different note, I made Lily my first batch of home made baby food today. I made butternut squash. She chowed down quite heartily. I think I could have gotten about a dozen baby food jars out of the one squash I bought. It was 69 cents a pound and three pounds (you do the math). When I last purchased butternut squash in a baby food jar it cost $1.29...for one jar. Can you believe the savings!!! I found all sorts of instructions here for making your own baby food.

Loved

I had to share with you the poems that Ella wrote for Del and I for Valentine's day.

For me she wrote:

You are my Valentine

You are my Valentine.
A big heart all full of love.
Big or small,
I'm your Valentine,
Big or small.
Happy St. Valentine's Day!

For Del she wrote:

A Kiss

A kiss for you,
A kiss for love,
I visit love every month.
I give you a kiss every year.
A kiss for the whole Earth.

She said she tried to get them to rhyme but she couldn't think of anything. We didn't help her at all with these poems, she wrote them all by herself.

I was just reading something that SWB wrote about how you shouldn't force a child to write stories before they're in like 2nd grade or something (gosh, I should go back and read that) so that they can learn to narrate, then learn to write and then learn to narrate and write at the same time. She said if they want to just let them but don't force them. I think it's fantastic that Ella likes to write stories. I gave her a Japanese journal and she writes all her poems and stories in it. I asked her permission to share with you. Sometime, I'll post one of the stories she's written.

Valentine's Day Goodness

Here are the yummies I made for the girls yesterday. The cake is orange cardamom cake and is really delicious! The chocolate cookies can be found here. They have wheat germ and rolled oats in them. I think they're very tasty, but Del doesn't really care for them.

Here are the girls in their aprons. The were a bit distracted by the chocolate but Ella kept saying, "Oh good, now I get to wear my own apron", and they were really happy that Lily has one, too. They really wanted us to put Lily in hers, too but...that's quite impossible.

Also, did I tell you that I passed this huge kidney stone on Wednesday? I was shocked. I made an appointment to see the doc, and she will probably give me a referral to a urologist. Crazy, eh?

Prepare Thineself...

...for the flu. Rachel got the flu, Ella got the flu, Sarah got the flu, Lily got the flu, Marie got the flu, I got the flu and now Susan Wise-Bauer has the flu. It's going 'round. I've never know so many people personally with the flu!

Bobby Flay

So I have had food network on in the background today. I did this yesterday too...out of character for me, but I am making something for dinner tonight that I saw on a show yesterday. Anyway, Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill came on. I have never really liked Bobby. He just seems so cocky to me. I think I never really liked him, but my opinion of him dropped really low after he was on Iron Chef and when he won, he hopped on the counter to cheer and happened to hop on the wooden cutting board when he did. He really offended the Japanese chefs because their boards are sacred to them, in a similar way to the way a chef's knives are sacred to them. Then after he was told why he offended them, not only did he not care, at a later date he did it again on a different show just to rub it in. That was it for me. I cannot watch him anymore without thinking of how rude he was.

Speaking of TV, I am so pumped because it is Thursday and Thursday is Lost day. Have you gotten hooked on Lost like me?

Through My Eyes

I thought that since my last post was information overload, I would give your eyes a workout while letting your brain take a rest. I decided to do this before reading that you're not feeling well...I'm so sorry. Hope this is refreshing!

Six Sights at My House Right Now -

boys...

rise...

love...

work...

nap...

finished.

2nd Grade/Kindergarten

This will probably be the most thought into next year that I've put into it so far. I really like the Story of the World and the plan that Susan Wise-Bauer puts out so, obviously I'm going to stick with that.

I'm getting confused because there are two kids to think about now. This is about when I start needing a little help from people with 8 kids because my brain begins to hurt when I think about formally schooling two kids at different grade levels at the same time. School is compulsory here at 6/1st grade, so Sarah's will not be quite as formal as Ella's is.

Sarah
- Continue in the Ordianry Parents Guide to Teaching Reading until we're all the way through.
- Perhaps look through What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know and pick out some things to teach her.
- She will continue to do science with Ella
- I'd like to do some handwriting with her. Her basic handwriting skills are awful. Susan Wise Bauer (here forth known as SWB) is coming out with a new book called Writing With Ease: Strong Fundamentals that I'd like to look into. It may be beyond Sarah, as she will only be five.
- I'm going to reread the Kindergarten section in the Well-Trained Mind to see if I'm missing anything...which I'm sure I am.

Ella
- We'll start on Vol. 2 of the Story of the World for history, geography, reading, culinary pursuits and all manner of other teachable things.
- She'll do the second part of First Language Lessons
- Mom is making science lessons
- We'll move on to year two for the Right Start math, which incidently I do really like. It's very hands on and Ella is just as good at adding things in her head as I am. I still have a hard time with it because I don't look at it ahead of time; if I would I'd have an easier time. Ella likes it a lot.
- I'd like to begin a language. My first thought is Korean because I already know so much of it but I sort of would like to teach Latin because so much of understanding English is based in how much Latin you know. I think this would be just as interesting for me as it would be good for Ella and I'm more likely to stick with something if I find it enthralling. I have no idea about a Latin curriculum though.
- Mom is making a New Testament curriculum for bible.
- We'll continue with Spelling Workout C and D...I think.

...I'm going to end this here because I just discovered that I have a fever. I have the chills and my throat hurts...big sigh. I will look at your post more thoroughly tomorrow and tell you what I think...hopefully.

Fear

So, I know that God says in the bible to not be afraid, but sometimes I freak myself out. I was just now making some bread and as I was proofing the yeast, I thought to myself that if the world were to crash I'd want to stock up on yeast but that actually I should probably learn to gather yeast from the air; I've heard that you can do that. Somethimes I just can't believe that all this prosperity is going to last much longer and that somehow I will need survival skills that I don't currently possess and I should brush up on all those skills that frontiersmen and women knew so that my family and I can survive WHEN we lose the internet, cars, electricity, etc. Is that bizarre or what? I have to remind myself that God is in control here and everything that happens is a way to learn about his character and to trust in him more. Anyway, it's a bit more complicated than what I've got written here but my yeast has proofed and I have to go finish making it. I'm just going to make the pita recipe and bake it as a loaf of bread to see what happens.

Kindergarten

So I have been thinking a lot about what to do for school for Aaron next year. I am really looking forward to the homeschool convention in May because after schooling for a year, I am going to know a lot more what to look at and what to just pass right by! I also have a better idea of what will work for him and what will not.

I have really enjoyed the Sonlight Curriculum. It works well with our strengths, it is the right amount of work each day, and I love that I can customize it by adding the math, Bible, science, and language arts that I want and don't necessarily have to do what they recommend. Aaron did their Core B program this year. We took a 4 day program and made it a 3 day program for the first 14 weeks or so, so we are currently only on week 16 of a 36 week program. That means that if we go with a traditional school year, we'll start the next school year with at least 6 weeks of this curriculum left, and I am guessing we'll have a bit more than that left. I added Kindergarten language arts to his program this year - along with the OPG - so he is almost a full year ahead of "traditional level" in LA. He did Singapore Math EB 1A & 1B, Handwriting Without Tears Pre-K & K levels and an introduction to German. So anyway, I could go ahead and order Core C for him, which is intended for kids ages 5-7. It is an introduction to world cultures as a preparation for their Core 1 which is World History focused. The core looks great, but I really want to combine Aaron and Ethan at some point so that they are learning the same thing in history, Bible, science, art/German/electives and listening to the same read-aloud books that go along with those subjects. They will only be at their own pace in LA and math. I think it will be much easier to combine them with a "Kindergarten" level program than to wait until the content is more advanced. So I am leaning toward waiting to order Core C until fall of 2009 and doing it with both of them for Aaron's first grade and Ethan's Pre-K. If Ethan continues to learn at the pace he is now without me doing anything formal with him, he'll be ready for it by then.

That leaves next year...I am planning to order Core A this summer to use with the kids next year. It will be primarily to get Ethan used to the idea of "doing school." It is primarily a "read aloud" curriculum, with no written work. It is full of great literature and I think they'll both like it. I will add Handwriting Without Tears level Pre-K for Ethan as for the first half of it, it is pre-writing skills. I already have the wooden pieces, slate, CD, and teacher's guide and will only have to order another student book. I think that these things together will get Ethan to where he is ready to start OPG in 2009 and ready to sit through the lessons he and Aaron will do together.

For Aaron, there are a lot of things I like. I will continue OPG and when he gets to lesson 140 or so, I plan to add FLL level 1. I like Singapore math, and the workbooks are super cheap at this level so I will continue with him on levels EB 2A-2B, but I want something more hands on for him too... Do you like Right Start? For everything else, I was looking in the Well-Trained Mind book and deciding which of the books she recommend that I like. I really like the look of all the books that she recommends for math skills. I think that is a fun way to learn math skills. I am interested in starting some more hands on science too. She recommends Magnets to Mudpies but it gets more negative reviews than I would like. More Magnets to Mudpies is rated much better...so I think I should go to the store and look through these. Everybody Has a Body is not rated so high either...

Anyway, I think I have more to say still, but this has gotten really long and I need to make my lunch and leave for a meeting in 9 minutes!

College Kids Today

I read a blog called Welcome to Granny's House. She has a lot of insight about politics and since she has nine kids, is a believer and homeschools, I feel I can learn a lot from her. She has a daughter who just turned 21 and is in college. She has a blog and I read some of her posts and this one about things she heard in her classes today had me shaking my head in disbelief. There is another one about what her psych professor is teaching in class. I can hardly believe this is real. Having only spent one stupid semester in college 13 years ago, I have no scope for the reality of college students in this time. Did you find college as lame-brained as this?

The Importance of Good Stablizer

You would think that after 5 years of running an embroidery business that I would have learned everything there is to learn about it already. Yet I still learn. For instance, I re-learned a lesson I forgot about when I was making the onesie for little Jack. Good stablizer makes all the difference in the world! I get away with using really cheap stablizer (butcher paper to be exact) on my burp cloths, blankets, and security blankies because the fabric is sturdy and doesn't really need much other than somehting to hold the fabric still while the machine does its thing. Not so with stretch knit fabric! I learned when I was doing bibs that I need a good stablizer on the back of the bib and a water soluble clear stablizer on the top of the bib in order to get the graphic to stitch properly without the fabric moving all over the place while it stitches. I figured that it needed stablizer on top and on bottom because there were two layers of knit together in the bib. Well, it turns out that any knit, even 1-ply knit needs both! Here's a picture of the onesie with only bottom stablizer (and a good, expensive one at that):


Notice how the outline doesn't match up at all with the frog legs! Now look at the onesie when I use a top stablizer as well:
Now you can still see the clear stuff on there because I hadn't washed it yet when I tok the picture, but look how much better it is! I tel you that I wouldn't be able to sell any knit stuff if there wasn't this water-soluble stablizer. I think this onesie turned out really nice. Do you think Tina will like it?


And I thought you might enjoy seeing the holes in the wall I found.
Hole with partial hole started above it.

Wall dent from metal fighter jet.

So I found out that Aaron is the culprit on the holes. When I went into their room to put Ethan down for his nap this afternoon, the hole on the bottom is much bigger and perfectly round and the bit you can see poking out on top is now a full white circle too. I was so shocked. When I asked Ethan about it, he said Aaron did it and Aaron confirmed that to be true. He said he just picked the "blue stuff" off. "Blue stuff? You mean the wall???" Yeah. Bye, bye wall. I think Jerry will make him pay for the repair plaster with his chore money. I don't want to severly punnish him because he did tell the truth, but there needs to be some consequence.

So we need to start a homeschool discussion here soon. What are you doing for Sarah next year?? I am starting to think about what to do with Aaron. I don't want to order the next package from Sonlight yet because Ethan needs one more year to do it with him and I want to combine them on it. I have been looking at other kindergarten stuff and have many, many thoughts!

Ella-isms

Overheard at dinner last night:

Ella: Oh, there's this thing they taught me at ballet...

Daddy: Does it have anything to do with hand-to-hand combat?

Ella: Well, maybe, but Dad, I don't really have any idea what that means.

Ballet

As I told you earlier, the two older girls are taking ballet lessons. We aren't going to shell out the $250 so that they can be in the recital, but they're having fun. Sarah's is tap and ballet.

You Asked For It

I'm happy to oblige.

Yesterday I was surprised by a knock at the door. When I opened it, my mom was on the other side. When Del got home from work he changed his clothes and then he took me out on a date, to a restaurant called Fuego; it's a Brazillian steak house. We probably won't go there again, but it was an interesting experience. Afterwards, we went to a shopping center that has a CompUSA that is going out of business, a BabiesRUs, and a JoAnn's. We visited the first two without buying anything but of course we bought some stuff at the third. He took me to the Husqvarna shop and we looked at which serger he is going to buy for me. Del then took the day off work today. We went bowling and then out to lunch and we just got done having a small but very personal and special party, including homemade chocolate cake with ice cream in the middle. Tomorrow we will be going to Shoresh David to hear a holocaust survivor named Rose Price speak and afterwards we are going to Sophia's Tea Room. Any guesses why the special treatment?

Creative?

So I think Aaron is one of the most creative and artistic four year olds I know. I realize that I am biased in this, but other people seem to confirm this for me on a regular basis, too. So I had high hopes for the art project I planned for today. I gave him a cleaned off styrofoam tray, sugar cubes, and glue and told him to create any design he wanted to with the sugar cubes on the tray. We would glue them down and "paint" them with food coloring when we were done. I was anticipating all sorts of things in my head, but this is what he made:

I asked him what it was, and he said, "It's a brick wall." Hmmm, okay. It does look like a brick wall. That's it?? No castle or ostrich or mytical creature?

And just in case you were worrying about my longevity and overall health, today I ate a quite healthy lunch of leftover soup and an orange!

By the way, I am shocked to see that a whole day has gone by with no post from you! :) Are you okay?? :)

Polar Opposite Lunch

So the lunch you ate today looked great. Full of nutrients, veggies, and fresh food. Very healthy, and I am sure it gave you the energy boost you needed to get through the rest of the day. I, on the other hand, ate this for lunch:
Yes, that is some 7 Layer dip and an open bag of chips! I washed it down with some ice-cold Coca Cola, which was diet and cafeine free of course! Yes, my lunch was the absolute antithesis of yours. The only redeeming factor about this lunch is that I only have it about twice a year, since that is how often I have reason to make 7 Layer dip. This was left over from a fajita dinner with my church small group. Mmm, mmm, good.

Very Funny

Jerry and I were browsing on GodTube the other night and found videos from the comedien Tim Hawkins. He is the same person that did the video "Homeschool Family" that is to the tune of the "Addam's Family." He is too funny. We found countless videos by him and all had us laughing so hard that tears were rolling down our faces. Check out this one:
On another note, I added the blogs I read to the sidebar. The blog called "Dying in the Right Direction" is actually my oldest nephew. He is in seminary and I think much of what he posts is from assignments he gets. I can see a lot of it being sermon illustrations!

Turning a New Leaf

I wrote about Middle Eastern food on the other blog. Part of the reason I like it so much is because it's so healthy. Check out my lunch today: Hummus Chicken Salad, Tabbouleh, Avacado, Pita and Hummus healthy lunch. Wanna come over? I'll hook you up.

A Revelation

I figured out today why it is that I don't really read all that many books anymore. You ready for this?

I read blogs instead...

How sick is that?

Easy Peasy

So I did something new today. I needed to order two onesies from my clothing supplier and the total cost of the onesies was less than the shipping costs - and the warehouse is in Dallas! So I chose the pick-up option, which is free, and got over my fear that I would make a fool of myself somehow and drove to pick my order up. I found the place with no problem at all, I never made myself seem like I had never done this before and things went just as smoothly as they possibly could. When I got the box and signed on the last dotted line, I went to my car very proud of myself and pleased at how simple it really was and then I said out loud to myself, "Easy peasy!" That's right, the words easy peasy came out of my mouth! I was horrified with myself. I know that I know someone who says that...is it you? For some reason that phrase has always driven me nuts! I think because the longer I am a stay at home mom, the more I totally forget how to talk like an adult! Easy peasy sounds like something right out of JoJo's Circus - which for this blog is somehow fitting, but for my regular vocabulary - it has got to go!!

Horror

I read a blog called Making Home on a regular basis. She has a lot of good insight for being so young (OK, late twenties, but still). She's from Midlothian and currently in Turkey...I can't figure out why and I've read her other blog extensively to figure out why. Anyway, today I was reading some of her favorite posts and she had this one about abortion. She has a link to this article in it and I started reading it while I was eating a piece of cheesecake and now I can't eat it anymore. Ugh.... It's unbelievable that this actually happens in America, although in these times, I'm not sure that I should be surprised.

Some Flatbread of My Own

So I am always envious of your bread making abilities. I look at the mouth-watering pictures that you put up of your bread and just drool. I tried making bread myself a few years ago and the nerve damage I have in my hands made it too hard to knead the bread by hand and I never was satisfied with the results of kneading it in my machine. Well, I tried your recipe and it turned out really nice. I kneaded it by hand and apparently my hands are more healed now than they were then because I could actually do it! The first night my family ate 6 pieces - which really surprised me. They liked it a lot, but it is not so good a couple of days later...I guess we'll just have to eat more right away the next time!

I'm not sure what exactly I'm supposed to blog about here. I think that I will transfer all the recipes from the MOI blog to here that way there are handy for us and I will continue to put the new recipes just here. You and I seem to be the only people that appreciate them anyway. Although, sometimes Tina says good things about them...hmmm.

Rachel has a fever of about 101.5 to 103. We took her to the doc and they think she's getting chicken pox even though she's been vaccinated. Kind of makes me wonder why we got her vaccinated. Oh well. Here's a picture of Lily with the pox. I think she's almost done with hers. She's happier today than she was any of the last three days.

I finished Sarah's baby book. I'll take some pictures tonight and post them.

Beginnings are Good

Once again, you are super-woman. Host a party, put the kids to bed, and create a new blog - all in a single evening! Joanna - You Rock!

In The Beginning

This blog is for Johanna and Joanna to vent, share and create. How about that?