A Chip Confession

I'm not really sure why I thought it would be fun to reveal my family's fantasy with chips; but here it is! For some reason, right now we've got an exceptional number of bags of chips in the pantry - all different types! Brian and I love chips and since all of them seem to be removing the trans fats, we'll keep crunching!

Cutie Patootie

In a quick afternoon - well, not as quick as I would have liked - I cranked out this cute little 3-tiered skirt for Ellie Bell with some duckie fabric that mom got last year. I plan to make a few more and maybe some for baby sister to wear next year. I also hope to recruit one of my friends with applique capabilities to applique some shirts to go with them. PS - no, I don't think the shirt she has on matches or the shoes; but she still looks cute nonetheless.

Swim Lessons, Part Two

By the end of day three, I was ready to give up! Ellie was just not having it on this particular day and I felt hopeless for the sweet girl trying to teach her. I've got new respect for anyone who teaches little youngins something they've never tried. It takes a lot of patience and that's something God's still developing in me! I just expect it to happen and there's so much skill involved and practice and guess what?! They won't master everything we try to teach them and I need to be okay with that. Okay, so anyways, we went to my friend's house to swim after lessons that day and here's what happened. Please excuse the talking - I thought the camera wasn't picking up on it - but it exposes my impatience and maybe that was good for me to hear!

Do You Have a Banana Bread Recipe?

I do now! I don't know about you; but every woman has to have a tried and true banana bread recipe and now I do. I don't know if there is one in my family; but it's never been passed down to me if so! The recipe below produced the most moist (is that how you say that) banana bread I've ever had. I omitted the nuts because I don't always like nuts in my bread and added golden raisins. For those ladies who have been in my small group for the last year and a half, you've got this recipe in the Feeding the Flock cookbook that Mama Marilyn gave us - thanks Mama!

Ingredients:
1 c white sugar 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c brown sugar 1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c oil (not olive) Dash salt
2 eggs 1 1/2 c ripe bananas (3 large, mashed)
4 Tbsp sour cream 1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda 1 c chopped pecans (optional - I substituted golden raisins)
1 Tbsp vinegar

In a large bowl, mix the first 4 ingredients. Combine soda and vinegar, then add sour cream. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add to batter. Work fast now! Add the mashed bananas, vanilla and nuts. Pour into a greased and floured bread pan or an 8x8x2 pan or 2 medium bread pans or 4 small loaf pans (how's that for selection!). Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes - my oven took longer so I covered it with foil so the top wouldn't burn while continuing to cook on the inside. Test the middle of the bread with a toothpick to see if done. Once done, let cook in pan on a wire rack for 10-20 minutes, then turn over and let it fall out.

Mmm...so good!

PS - let's all say a prayer for all those poor people fleeing and losing their homes in Iowa and other midwestern states due to the flooding. How desperate they must feel!

Swim Lessons, Part One

Ellie received a certificate for private lessons at the YMCA as a Christmas gift last year, thanks to Grandma D and Grandpa T, so I couldn't wait for the summer to get here and to get her in those classes! Well, I think Ellie could have waited! I'm pretty sure this sentiment is echoed by all moms of preschoolers across the country each summer. Alas, the day came last Monday and I was ready with camera in hand. Here is what the big day brought (get ready for jittery camera work and many passersby!):

We'll Miss You, Dedaddy

On May 17th, Martin Perrin, my dedaddy, passed away to join his Father in Heaven. Dedaddy was 95 years old! I wish we had been able to see him more over the years; but distance kept the trips to only once a year or so. He was such a wonderful, delightful man who loved God, country and family more than life itself. He came through the depression and served in WWII (on the USS Wisconsin) like many of our grandfathers - I do believe they were the greatest generation - so humble, loyal and patriotic. That image of our country is all but gone. I feel so honored to have two grandfathers who love(d) God, family and country as much as they. One memory I have of him is that he used to always say "Law, law"! This was basically a conversation filler for him and we thought it was so funny. I have never, ever heard anyone else say that. We grandkids would crack up every time he did! Another one is that he was pretty meticulous about keeping up the yard. Even at 94, he was doing all the yard work and trying to climb on the roof of the house to get the leaves out of the gutters! In the last few years, he would harvest these Mole Beans that were supposed to keep the moles away, I think. He would go down in the basement and shell pod after pod - and they were hard to shell! It would take forever; but it was rewarding to him. I appreciated his perseverance.

Ellie and I were able to go up for the funeral in Tennessee. We picked up my sister, Amy, on the way and traveled on up to meet mom, dad, brothers and the rest of the family. This is the first relative close to me who has died in my lifetime! I wasn't sure how I would take it, having never really experienced death that close. But, since it was somewhat expected, he was 95 years old and we know that he is now in heaven, my heart was at peace. Obviously I'm sad that he's not here anymore and I'm sad for Memaw that she's lost her beloved, I'm so thankful for the legacy he left behind. What a great man! Ellie actually did quite well too. We decided there wasn't going to be any sugar-coating it - the truth was the best thing to tell her - and she seemed to get it in her little 2 year old mind. We explained that sometimes people die and if they know Jesus, like Dedaddy did, they get to go to heaven and even though we won't see them anymore, they can see us. We also told her that was was probably talking to Abraham, David, Joshua and other people she's been learning about in the Bible.

It was so good to have her there to lighten the mood a little - okay, a lot. I think Memaw really benefited from her being there as well. All my cousins who are all grown now, loved on her like crazy. It really was a good weekend. Oh, I forgot to mention that since he was military, my uncle arranged a military service for him. That was really cool and very emotional. I'm so thankful for our faith that makes us unafraid in times of death because we know that there's more to this life and we'll see our loved ones again!

Summertime, Summertime, Sum-sum Summertime!

Ah, the summer! I've always loved this break and thanks to having kids, I get to enjoy it once again! Although I'm still working, they have been gracious enough to let me work mostly from home - due to the high gas prices and no childcare for Ellie. This has allowed me to set a schedule for us, which we've both adapted to quite well, in which we have playtime, craft time, reading time, gym time, and nap time (I'm still trying to enforce this although it doesn't always work!). The nice thing is that I get to spend more time with her and we've both already spent a lot of time at the pool! I've enrolled her in a few camps and VBS's and will go into the office during those weeks; but all in all, I think it's going to be a great summer!

Of course, I've got some goals too like sewing more, getting Macie's room ready, purposefully getting up early to spend time praying and trying to simplify. Making all this work around still needing to be faithful to my job is a little challenging - sometimes I'd just like to play! - but I'm trying to learn to put time with God first and let him put everything else in place. There are some specific things I'm praying about this summer and would just like to work on my prayer life in general, so I'm doing this study call 'Give Me 40 Days' by Freeda Bower. I'm only on day 7; but it's been great so far. I also recently read, and plan to re-read, 'Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life' by Keri Wyatt Kent. This one has a lot to do with Sabbath Simplicity and simplifying your life and that of your family's by only concentrating your time on things that God has purposed for you instead of getting wrapped up in busyness. Every woman should read this!

School's Out!

Mrs. Janet, Ellie and Mrs. Bo

Ellie had such a great first year of school! She learned the whole alphabet, how to count and how to play with others. Her teachers always said she was a delight to their class and were sad to pass her on to new teachers next year. However, she'll still be at Wildwood, so we'll still see Mrs. Bo and Mrs. Janet quite a bit. I can't believe that in almost three short years, our little baby has already completed her first year of school - WOW!

Ellie and her friend, Mary Kate

It's A...

Girl!
I'm sure she'll hate me later for displaying her girl parts like this; but oh well!

Ellie is so excited to have a baby sister!

I'm playing catch up now with my posts. So sorry to have been so long in updating:( We found out we're having a girl back at the beginning of May and we couldn't be more thrilled, although daddy's already thinking about paying for two weddings! Fortunately, we know plenty of people with two girls or more who can give us all kinds of advice. Macie Elizabeth is growing well and still due the end of September. We can't wait for Ellie to have a sister to play with!