Kind of like Tabbouleh

But not quite. It's Kisir. I think that's how it's spelled. (Although, I'm probably wrong.) This Turkish dish was delivered to me yesterday.

It's too bad you can't taste it. It's SO GOOD. Bulgur, cucumber, tomato, scallion, olive oil, something wonderful, something else wonderful, with several dashes of fantastic.

Even my kids eat it! Unfortunately. Because I would like to have it ALL to myself. Which makes me feel guilty about eating the last two bowl fulls this morning.....although I did scoop out a small dish for my girl....an after school snack. As long as I don't go and snarf it down myself.

Please feel free to bring me food at anytime. This girl is not picky.

Still kicking around

This chair is still hanging around. The love seat isn't faring quite as well. Both were throw aways from last season. Not my throw aways, but someone else's. I am just the hero that rescued them. Remember? They've had a few transformations.

Below is this summer's rendition. Of the chair. The love seat's middle bracing leg was broken. "Accidentally." By my husband. As he "carefully" brought them back outside in April. They had been in our basement. Where he fell more and more in love with them every day.

In fact, he loves the love seat so much, that, instead of throwing it away, he's going to chop it up into many pieces and then burn it. That's love.

And here is the newest addition to my garden. A birthday gift from a flower and button giving girlfriend. (The best kind of girlfriend!)

Hope you're enjoying your Tuesday!

Memorial Weekend

We spent Sunday relaxing. It was a wonderfully lazy day. I love wonderfully lazy days. I need wonderfully lazy days.

We grilled these kabobs for dinner. This is the before picture, and I forgot to snap an after....but they were good.

They're chicken, green pepper, potato, onion and tomato. I boiled the potatoes for a few minutes prior to grilling...so they would fully cook. I also boiled the chicken so that it was just barely pink in the center. (I'm always so paranoid about food cooties. If it's mostly cooked before grilling, I don't have to completely char the chicken to be certain that it's no longer poisonous. It stayed juicy and was just barely charred. Perfection!)

We're planning on taking in a parade in the morning. I'm going to skip the eye makeup and wear big sunglasses. There is just something SO moving about seeing all the veterans....the color guard....my water works don't have a shut off valve. What an honor to stand as they walk past.

I hope you are enjoying the weekend.

We are so fortunate.

rescue

You know how some songs have lyrics that you can't completely make out the first few times you hear them? How your mind fills in the blanks, and sometimes, you become so accustomed to hearing what you thought you heard that you can't hear what is actually being said? (I'm certain there's a good lesson in that....)

At any rate, there is a song I've been hearing by Aaron Shust, "Rescue the Perishing."

Beautiful lyrics. The chorus:

Rescue the perishing
care for the dying
Jesus is merciful
Jesus will save.

Love it.

Only....

When I first heard it, my mind heard "rescue the pear-shaped." Which makes NO sense. Unless you are a pear shaped woman, in desperate need of rescuing. So now, every time I hear this song, my mind fills in with those words. It takes on a whole different meaning...on a much shallower level. Stink. I'm trying to sing the correct words to myself in a desperate attempt to rid my mind of the wrong words. Hopefully that will cure my mix-up.

Hopefully.

THE ultrasound

Just found out this morning. Another BOY! My son is BESIDE himself. And the rest of us are pretty pumped, too. :)

a trend

The healing trend continues (Praise God!) as does the bagel/avocado/tomato/pepper jack trend.


I'm nearly completely back to normal. Well, normal for me. Which is likely not so normal for everyone else. But that's a different topic. This morning I'm celebrating with these. Veggie bagel pizzas.

The sauce is a smooshed up ripe avocado. Next a thin slice of tomato. Topped with the cheese. Broiled for a few moments....but not too many moments, because I could smell it all....so wonderful....and I took it out a bit before the cheese could do that caramelizing thing that cheese usually does under the broiler. Oh well. Still very delicious.

Feeling better all the time.

....still rejoicing!

You know Who's Awesome?

God.

I'm sure many will not understand this for what it is....

....but today, I was in such agony. My back pain was horrible. I was sure that I would have gone to bed last night, awoken this morning to be a little better than yesterday. That wasn't the case. Not even a little. I felt at least as bad as yesterday.

I went in to see my physician, who checked on the baby, and made sure that I hadn't done any serious damage to my spine. He wrote up papers for me to see PT, but I didn't feel like I was supposed to go that route. But, I had them in case tomorrow or the next day were like today...no progress.

Well, I called this amazing girlfriend to ask for prayer. She has The Gift. She prayed. We talked. I got off the phone still feeling crippled.

I laid down on the floor. And stretched. A little more. And some more. My husband helped me to stand. I felt a little better.

I walked around. Sat some more. Feeling maybe 10% better. Felt lead to give it another go.

More gentle stretching. Less pain.

Rest.

More stretching. Less pain.

And here I sit. At least 70% better.

Do you know what's funny? Several times today, I tried to do the stretches but had to stop. Because doing so made me involuntarily holler out in pain. "Ughyyyaahhh!!" I couldn't do it. He had to do it. And He did.

Praise be to God! He heals.

Still not better

I've tried to out think this back pain, and it's just not working. Will see my doctor this morning, and I'm hoping to leave fixed.

Stubborn, delusional, ambivalent.

I'm multidimensional.

Y'know what stinks?

When you bend over to put on your socks, in preparation for heading out the door to go to church, and your back locks up. And you crumple to the floor. And you can't move.

That really stinks.

My super-hero assisted me to my bed, where I laid for several yucky moments of discomfort. He helped me to stand, and when I was able to conjure up the remnants of my abdominal musculature, I refused to lay back down.

I did the dishes.

I vacuumed.

At a pace 200 times my normal speedy efficiency.

But I did it.

See? Back? I don't need you.

Well. I need you, but I'm not completely reliant on you....you are clearly not as dependable as I once thought you to be. Benedict!

I made my way to the computer chair, and I might be here for sometime. I think we need to consider installing a small refrigerator somewhere within arms reach. I wonder if I could sleep sitting up?

This is what lovely tastes like

See these? These are wonderful. Bagel. Plain yogurt. Sea salt. Avocado. Cucumber. Tomato. Pepper Jack and Sharp Cheddar cheese. Delicious.

I brought some to my husband for lunch today...even threw in a few slices of salami, just for him. Thoughtful? Doting? Yes. Yes, indeed. It's just who I am. *snicker*

But you know where I went wrong? See that teensy sliver of green? That lovely smooth green? He saw it and thought I was trying to poison him. With avocado. Big baby.

presto-changeo-rearrange-o

In Kindergarten, that's when all the kids switch up rooms for Reading.

Today, I was feeling adventurous, and energetic, and crazy, and illogical.

So, I did some bedroom switcheroos. Our daughter has had the fortunate opportunity to reside in each one of the three rooms in our home over the course of our time here. More than once. And again.

I was feeling a bit nesty, and thought it would be best for one of the kids to have the "master" bedroom...not sure that She will be the one to stay....it will all depend on baby number three. Should baby be a girl, then the girls will get the "big" room. In the event that baby is a boy, then the boys will get the "big" room. And Little Miss will get to travel once more.

My idea came to me last night. When I was left alone to my thoughts. I knew better than to mention it to my husband. He would have told me to wait for his help. And then he would have had to spend his evening taking apart beds and moving dressers and toys and clothes and the like. So, last night, as I was alone in my thoughts, I conjured my game plan. My bed to come apart first, and into my sons room. Then the rug removed. Then all over vacuuming. (That alone made the whole fiasco worth while.) Then her bed apart, and moved. Her rug removed to the new room and a good vacuuming in her old room. Then the dance of the dressers....carefully sliding down the halls....toys....curtains....pictures....etc....etc...etc....

It only took a few hours, with a break for double cheeseburgers and fries from McDonald's. All that scootching and careful moving made me a hungry gal. Specifically for a greasy double cheeseburger. (Which is no longer appealing.)

When we picked up my gal from school, we whisked her home to the big surprise. She was thrilled! She is a mover and a shaker and LOVES when we rearrange. She gets that from me.

(Please know that I am an expert rearranger and took great care of my body in all the manoeuvring. My hallway floors are a different story....they're going to be needing a little love.)

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope you wake up to breakfast in bed. That you don't need to set foot in your kitchen, unless you want to. And that you don't even look at your laundry pile.

All that stuff will be there tomorrow. When it's no longer Mother's Day. And then, you'll have no excuses.....but today....this is the one day of the year when you can call all the shots.

Enjoy!

use me, Lord

I've been praying that. For awhile. I want God to be able to USE me to do His will. To bring people to Him. To speak His truth. To love those He loves. I really thought I was being sincere. Until...

...well, until He began to try and use me. Wait! Don't use me there! Not with them. I'm not comfortable with that one. Oh! And don't use me there, either. I'm building a 20 foot fence over there, so that won't work for me. Hee hee, ha ha...no thanks. Use me, but only use me within these parameters that I have clearly defined. Never use me when I'm uncomfortable.

Seriously.

That's what I was doing. It's what I AM doing. It's SO clear to me. And it is a painful realization. OUCH! I am SO FICKLE. It's grossing me out.

So my new prayer is that God will CHANGE my heart so that He CAN use me. WHEREVER He wants. Even when I'm uncomfortable. Because, as it turns out, I'm uncomfortable nearly everywhere.

More OFHWC

Found something else to put this wonderjuice on...just added some ice to the coffee mix + water, with a smidgen of cream over the top.

Delish!

And there she is again. Don't judge me, you cow.

"It takes one to know one."

Gasp! Cheeky thing.

Old fashioned HEAVY whipping cream

I made the mistake of buying a pint of the stuff several days ago.

Now, I've been looking for ANYthing to legitimately consume it with.

I was thankful for these strawberries today.

It seemed wrong to pour the cream over sugar only.

And this snotty lady keeps giving me convicting looks.

"You again. Well, well."

tutor tooter

Me: Helping your friends with their work is like being a tutor.

Her: Yeah!

Him: A tooter?! (hearty laugh)

Her: Don't laugh. One day when you're a tutor someone might laugh at you!

Him: (Unable to speak, folded over with laughs so hard he gets the hiccups)

Her: It's not someone who toots.

Him: A tooter! P-ew! I'm a tooter!


They are just SO different.

Been a little busy

The weather has been so lovely! We've been busy spending time outside. Got the window boxes planted. Felt SO good. Feels so good to look out the window at them.
Celebrated a birthday last week. (It's a tradition for the birthday kid to wake up to a decorated bedroom.)

Another tradition: The birthday girl gets pink roses from her daddy. One for each year.
The newest member of our family. Long awaited and fervently wished for.

Hope you're enjoying much of the same!

Happy May Day!

How lucky am I?!

We got this GREAT little May Basket just a few moments ago.

Filled with chocolate truffles and lemony sugar cookies.

And these sweet squares are filled with flower seeds!

Can you stand it?! How cute is this?! I feel very blessed to know people who come up with these things. They just make my day!