Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Some things you might not know about my super awesome Dad...

1. He adopted me when I was 8 years old. (And, as the youngest, I'm still his baby!) Despite the fact that he became a father overnight when he married my mother, he has always been an amazing father. He's very wise and thoughtful. I remember thinking this even as a little kid. It didn't take perspective to realize this. I've always known that I was incredibly blessed to have him for my father!

2. He's my technological hero! Some people think that I have some savvy just because I have a blog. (Please. Those of you who blog know that it's just as easy as typing an email!) I will admit here that I can never even remember how to back up my computer. Honestly, I don't know how to do much more than check my email and write this blog. Every time something goes wrong, my Dad is my go-to guy. How many people my age can say that about their parents??

3. He is the BEST encourager. He encourages in the Word and in truth. He doesn't tell me exactly what to do in a certain situation. He reminds me how to have faith in EVERY situation. He reminds me how to apply seeking the Kingdom of God first in all situations. If I love him for nothing else, I love him for his faithful encouragement.

4. He's brilliant. I love that my childhood memories include him painting the house, building beautiful cabinets, teaching me how to use a belt sander and a drill press, growing a vegetable garden, making pickles and freezer jam, knowing the answer to every one of my questions (especially anything to do with science!), identifying every kind of fighter jet, and don't forget...he's a computer genius.

5. He's somewhat predictable in what he's going to say (unlike me!). He has a exorbitant amount of Dad-isms. When I was a little kid, I only got my allowance if my room was clean by Saturday afternoonish. I always procrastinated until the very last moment. I could count on my Dad to say every week, "Well, Jen, you just made it under the wire." There are so many, but I'm not going to "make it under the wire" if I don't wrap this up. (Neely, hook me up with some classic Dad-isms in the comments?)

It's late. My Dad has already celebrated his 60th birthday today. But, I couldn't let the day pass without posting some thoughts.

Dad, I love you! You are such a special blessing to me! Happy Birthday!

this is not a foodie blog, but...

I kinda forgot to show you how to fire-roast your tomatoes.


1. Slice your Romas lengthwise in half. And brush on a touch of olive oil on the cut side.




2. Grill them on the cut side first for 5-8 minutes. Then turn them over. Grill them until the skins get a little charred.




3. The skin should peel off easily. This is what they'll look like. Use in stews, chilis, whatever. Actually, I've enjoyed roasted tomatoes on hamburgers. Let me know of any other uses.

I really, really want you to try this at home. A second post about Guatemalan Stew...in pictures.

Okay. So, I wrote about the coolness of my sis Neely and the deliciousness of the stew she gave us a few weeks ago. I included the recipe, knowing full well it looked a bit complicated (read: lots of words). Plus, there was no personal testimonial or pictures to encourage you fine readers.

So, I had to make it myself to see if it was as easy as Neely said it would be. I found out this past weekend when we trekked up to the northern suburbs to dine with Sara and Josh that, indeed, it was novice-friendly.

It only has 10 different Ingredients. You can do that! Check it out...

40 oz. chicken broth (I use bouillon granules and water)
1 leek cleaned and trimmed, sliced in half lengthwise (I'm tempted to use a large white onion next time...I really think you could cheat here and go with the onion. If you do that, just cut it in half and toss it in like you would that silly ol' leek.)
6 -8 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless whole
1 Tbls minced Garlic (If you must, go ahead and use fresh garlic...overachiever!!! purist!!!)

10 Fire Roasted Roma Tomatoes (canned or do this quickly at home*...it's EASY.)
5 -7 Tomatillos, canned
1 1/2 Tbls. minced Garlic (I'm stickin' w/the stuff from the jar. It's easy. And clean.)

1 dried ancho chili (Latin aisle) de-seeded, cut up a little bit (I only de-seeded)
1 dried guajillo chili (yup. Latin aisle) de-seeded and cut up a little bit, too

1 handful (or 1/2 cup) cilantro
1 handful (or 1/2 cup) mint

Ready? Here we go...


Put your chicken, leek (or onion), broth and garlic in a pot and bring to a boil. Then simmer on low for 20 to 30 minutes. (It's thighs, people...they won't dry out, so if you forget about them, don't worry. Quite honestly, I have no idea how long I simmered these thighs.)



After you get that going, put your tomatoes, tomatillos and garlic in another pot and simmer on medium-low for awhile...maybe 20 minutes as well. (Don't worry. Think: Chili. You can't ruin it.) See chicken on the left, tomatillo mixture on the right. Oh...and that's rice in the back left. I started that after I got the tomatoes going. You can do it all at once, pretty much. Nice. Easy.



Okay, so after the chicken/broth mixture has simmered awhile, throw those dried chilies in that broth to soften up. I don't have a picture of this, so here's me. Looking at the pots. Swell, huh? (or should I say swollen?!)



After the chilis soften up, use a slotted spoon to transfer them the tomatillo mixture. If you're using a leek, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the trash. I didn't know that and used it, but it was a little stringy. If you're using a white onion, put that bad boy in with the tomatillo mixture. While you're at it, transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board. You'll cut them up later, but not yet. Go ahead and add some of that broth to the tomatillo mixture, too. Oh...And now's about the time you add those delicious herbs. See how pretty?



I thought I was going to hate this next part, but it wasn't so bad. The tomatillo mixture goes in the blender (or food processor if it can handle soups). This was Sara's blender. It had a "veggies" setting. I alternated that with "crush ice". Remember, I put those leeks in there, so I needed the extra chopping power. But even without the leek, you want your chilis and herbs to blend thoroughly.



Return your blended mixture to the pot. The chicken should be cool enough to chop coarsely. Heck, you can shred it if you want. I don't care how big your chicken pieces are...that's your business! shoot. (okay. i'm getting punchy...let's wrap this up!!!) Okay...stir in your chicken. Now you're pretty much done!!!



Do we look stressed out? No. This recipe is totally do-able.



Sara was the first to taste it. I put her on the front lines, just in case it was horrible...or deadly. (I'm really kidding. I'd probably tasted it fifty times already.) She looks a little serious here. That's because awesome food is serious business.



Thanks to Sara's quick thinking at the grocery store and creative culinary skills, we had delicious black beans and corn bread to go with (or was it spoon bread? or both? anyway, it was awesome). Oh, that rice recipe is easy to follow and it was at the bottom of this post. It's really fun to make and would be a good addition to any Latin dish!


oh...almost forgot to tell you, we garnished with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.


Kid friendly? You bet!! Avery was the first one done!



Even Jillian approved.


And look at the joy on that face. That's right, Josh! That bite WILL be delicious.



This concludes my Guatemalan Stew propaganda. If I've convinced just one person to try this recipe, then I will have done my job.

"mom, do you still write your blog?"

Avery asked that today as I was driving the brood home. "Good question, I don't know what..." I trailed off as I imagined what I could possible have to say.

Probably just better to starting unloading the thoughts in a brain dump...

1. On Behaviors... Sometimes when my kids pick-up my bad behavior, it's so upsetting. But, sometimes, it's quite entertaining. For instance, today in the car, a van with one of those "How's My Driving?" stickers stopped abruptly in front of us. I didn't say anything this time, but I heard Avery squawk out, "How's your driving?? Horrible." I know, I know. I'm a Christian mom, right?! I'm supposed to say, "Avery, we should practice patience." But, no. I just nodded my head in approval and giggled.

2. On Pregnancy...Today is Thursday. I'm 24 weeks pregnant. Every time I realize it's Thursday, I try to remember how far along I am. Then, I remember my friend Sara who was expecting two weeks behind me. Sara should be 22 weeks, but she's not. And I think of my friend Amy who was due a few days before me. And I think of my sister-in-law who's baby was due around the same time as ours. Pregnancy doesn't look like it did when I was 22 years old. Lots of things look different. There is so much sadness mixed in with joy.

3. On community...Tonight is the annual block party. No costumes costume this year.

4. On beverages...I miss beer. I miss wine. I don't miss coke, coffee or cafe lattes. I still enjoy those.

5. On Education... The more I think about our decision to send our kids to school, the more happy I am about it. I came thisclose to homeschooling again. I can say with confidence that I would have lost my mind if I had a toddler, a newborn and two children to educate at home. For those of you who do this, wow. You deserve a venti latte and a back rub. everyday.

6. On being so flippin' crafty...I love sewing, yes I do. I love sewing, how 'bout you?? Seriously, people. I'm so glad my family is completely chillax about our living room bathing in fabric while the iron and ironing board are almost always set up. I'm kinda glad I don't have a sewing room, because I can be in my own little sewing world AND be in the same area as the family. It's only annoying sometimes (for both parties I'm sure).

7. On boredom busters...I love google suggest. You know when you start typing something in and then it suggests what you might be trying to type? It's fun. For instance, I just tried, "what does it mean to ____" And here were the options:
-what does it mean to be an american
-what does it mean to be poke someone on facebook
-what does it mean to be human
-what does it mean to square the circle
-what does it mean to be in love
-what does it mean to be a christian
-what does it mean to go green
etc...
I know. It's pathetic. It's like a smoke break for me. (but, try it and enjoy.)

8. On the ever-shrinking house...I'd really like to finish off a room in our basement. Does anyone want to fund this? I need want more space. Have I ever mentioned that we have a small house? Usually I'm a pretty good sport. I don't like to actually go camping, but there's an element of campiness to cramming a biggish family into a tinyish home.

9. On board games...So, the other night, Avery asked if I could teach them Clue. You remember that game, right? Became a movie? Right. So, we start playing. And they start asking the questions. "How do you murder someone with a candlestick?" (According to Miles, "You burn them!") How do you murder someone with a rope?" "How do you murder someone with a lead pipe?" (According to one of them, "They smoke it and die.") "What if this gets too scary?" "What if it's like duh-duh-DUH!!" (that was scary music) "What if I have nightmares??" I didn't answer most of these questions. Like, I'm going to teach them how to use a wrench as a weapon?!! But, I did keep going. It's good for their logic skills, right?

10. On "Thank You" notes...I'm 32 years old. I am horrible. I RARELY send a thank you note anymore. I just wish "Thank You" notes were only for when you forgot to say "thank you" in person. Or if the person doesn't have a phone or email. Or...I don't know. I suffer from a disease called constantguiltbecauseiowesomeoneathankyounote. It's painful...hopefully more painful than NOT receiving a thank you note.

confession # 20 - dinner time

After preparing dinner, rarely do I want to sit down with my family and dine. After being nagged with "I'm starving", or interrogated about whether I think a particular child will like dinner, breaking up a fight, finding last minute substitutions for ingredients, calling out for everyone to "wash your hands" fifty times, I really feel like just loading up their plates, leaving them to enjoy dinner while I have some quiet time.

humbling, shocking & depressing

...guessing that a particular item of maternity-wear is going to be huge on me only to find out...it's too small.

Q: "how did you know to take her to the hospital?"

Okay, okay...you want the scoop on the pink arm. I feel pretty cazh about this ordeal, because, really, statistically speaking, we just knew we'd have to deal with this eventually. Of course, I thought my first kid fracture would have happened to one of the boys, but no. Leave it to the most determined and most fearless child.

So, I was making a snack of peanut butter and apples for Miles while he played with Jillian. Little did I know, he was making a barricade of large soft toys on the landing of the steps. The huge squishy square was no match for her strength. She pushed it...and went with it. All I heard was a thump. I ran to her, internally freaked out, bent down and gently stroked her back. Of course, I wanted to pick her up right away, but if medics are cautious about lifting an accident victim, I think I'll follow suit. It didn't take too long before I got over that notion and I picked her up and snuggled her for about 10 minutes while she cried.

I was still trying to figure out whether it was a "that freaked me out" cry or a "I'm in tons of pain" cry when the boys would carelessly walk in the room and ask to watch t.v. or would start singing really obnoxiously to compete with Jillian's noisy cries. seriously. They can be that clueless and insensitive. I know they're young, but c'mon?!!!

So, how did I know to take her to the hospital?

I offered her a handful of mini marshmallows. When I watched her strain to get one only halfway to her mouth and have to give up, I realized there was a huge problem. The boys were immediately sent to the neighbors and I headed to Children's ER.

Of course, she really seemed fine at the ER, but...she wasn't.

jillian's fashion essentials

Very obsessed with wearing the bike helmet (and, yeah...she has a cast)

And snow boots--especially in warm weather--are a MUST. (I have to hide these.)

Fake glasses are always good. Brent and I give thumbs up to glasses!

One of my many jobs: deciphering Miles' notes

Wanna give it a try??

It's a list of things he's thankful for. (I had to guess that, too.)

This has the same spacing he wrote out.

"viteeogeam's. sokr. sokrboll.e.fren's. 4 famly.amom hwodosint wont me to be akinqlaner. g. footboll.afootboll."

By the way, there are notes like this all over the house. He's been writing like this for years. It's almost like a foreign language. And, I should probably have an honorary degree in Milesese by now...

he wrote another post...for another blog

Recently Brent bicycled into work downtown with his buddy, James. I guarantee you will enjoy this quick read on James' blog about his experience. Maybe you'll even be inspired to start cycling to work....or maybe not.