PHFR Belated Beach Edition

A few weeks ago we escaped the still frozen North to visit grandparents in Seattle. My sister Kelly came up from CA for a couple of days and we all enjoyed a lovely trip to the beach one day. It's not exactly timely, but it's the best I could do at this point. Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter.

{Pretty}

I love the way this creek meanders to the inlet. The sight of all 4 kids playing together on its banks is a pretty sight, too.

{Happy}

Sisters pregnant together, due 2 weeks apart. She with her 1st, Me with my 5th...

{Funny}

I don't blame a 10 year old boy for wanting to leap from one side of the bank to the other. What's funny about this is that right after I took this picture, he did exactly what I warned him might happen and he adamantly denied as a possibility: he fell in. Was completely soaked. I resisted the urge to say "I told you so."

{Real}

Our first family photo in 3(?) years!

Somehow we never manage to snap a picture with the entire family all at the same time...

Holy First Communion

Oles made his First Holy Communion 2 weeks ago. Shameful that I haven't posted pictures here sooner or written a little tribute to his day yet, but life and illness intervened.

 Oles was so proud to be dressed up for his big day. This is the son who never complains about getting dressed in fancy clothes. He looked so handsome and grown up!

Father Jaime delivered a homily directed at the children receiving their First Communion, helping them to appreciate the importance of the day. I really appreciate how this church incorporates the celebration into a regular Sunday Mass, rather than a separate celebration. The whole church community helps to welcome these children into the flock...

And we as a family got to celebrate our 2nd child entering into the banquet of the Church. Oles has a heart of gold and a quick smile for everyone. It is our earnest prayer that he continue use his gifts for the glory of God and to bring the joy of God's love to all those he meets. Congratulations, Oles!

Chesterton on white

OK, show of hands. Whose brain hurts when they read Chesterton? Mine certainly does. Maybe that's why I've always preferred CS Lewis; he's eminently more approachable! But I'm determined to work through Chesterton bit by bit until he sits easier in my brain. (It might help if my reading time wasn't relegated to those hours when my children--and husband--are fast asleep. That's not exactly prime brain time. It's more like prime "prime-time" time--you know, better for zoning out than tuning in.) I find I have better ability to focus on his short essays at this stage of my life. It's easier on the brain. If you're struggling with longer works, try easing in with some short essays...

I've been playing along with reading Chesterton since Sarah first challenged us awhile ago, but this is my first time participating in a Weekends linkup... I thought that maybe those of you also living with lots of white outside your windows might find this equally worth mulling over...So, without further ado, Chesterton on the color white:

White is positive and essential. ...White is a colour. It is not a mere absence of colour; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black. 

When, so to speak, your pencil grows red-hot, it draws roses; when it grows white-hot, it draws stars. 

...the chief assertion of religious morality is that white is a colour. Virtue is not the absence of vices or the avoidance of moral dangers; virtue is a vivid and separate thing...Chastity does not mean abstention from sexual wrong; it means something flaming, like Joan of Arc.

In a word, God paints in many colors; but he never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white.

--GK Chesterton, A Piece of Chalk

around the corner

I have to be careful that she doesn't see me, or the game will be up. As long as I watch from around the corner, she'll continue unabashedly, unashamedly. She is holding a pretend conversation on the phone; she is speaking to her daddy, calling him "Chesser." I love listening to the things she says--my own words mirrored back to me. Boy, that's scary, isn't it? How observant she is when I'm least aware of being observed.

She hangs up, grabs some lip balm and smears it on her lips, chin, and cheeks. Then she's back on the phone, calling someone else. She hangs up with "See you later, Alligator!" I laugh from my hiding place. I don't know where she picked that up; I didn't even know she knew that phrase.

I just sit here, around the corner, and watch and listen. Soaking it all in. Because I know--I know because I have a 10-year old who was but a toddler yesterday--I know this time is so short. They really aren't little for very long. That's not a cliche. It's a fact.

Other things await. Fun things, exciting things to be sure. Real phone conversations, real lipstick...And these things? I tremble to know that they are just around the corner.

The Pink Birthday

Somebody turned 3 today. 

For weeks, she talked about her upcoming birthday--her pink birthday. Pink plates, pink presents, pink cake, pink nakkins...

I think we did a fairly good job of delivering a pink birthday to our sweet Tola D. 

But, my dear girl, you've been tickling us pink since the day you were born.

 Your smile delights. You give the best hugs ever. You giggle with Tait and you have your big brother Oles wrapped around your finger and Ziven loves you dearly. You've got a squadron of big boys looking out for you, and you better believe they always will.

Your pink ways and sweet spirit bring a little more softness to our rough-and-tumble boys. Where would we all be without our sweet little pink package?

We are so blessed to have you in our lives. We love you, our little Chickadee. Happy Pink Birthday!

Figuring it all out

Tola was digging through my bathroom drawer this morning while I was doing my weekly Saturday cleaning.

She held up a tube of lip gloss and asked, "Is dis for your wips or for your toes?"

"That's for your lips. Do you want to try some?"

Next, she pulled out a set of nail clippers. "Dis for clicking your toes. And your fingers, too?"

"Yes, for clipping your fingernails and toenails."

A stick of deodorant came next. "I want some of dis. Is for my shoulder."

"That's your armpit, not your shoulder."

"Oh. Okay... Dat tickles!"

Lotion was next. "Dis so I smell good..."


It went on and on with toiletry after toiletry. I think by the end we had it all sorted out. And I never passed such an enjoyable time scrubbing the toilet and wiping the sink... Children have a way of making everything in life a little more enjoyable.

That much I've got figured out.

Slow Cooker PAR-TAY!

Well, this New Year is starting off with a bang, and between all the new activities added to our calendar, I find myself needing to cook dinner while I'm away from home at that all-important pre-dinner hour. Since I can't be in 2 places at once, and haven't figured out how to clone myself, and hiring a housekeeper/cook is out of the question, I naturally turn to my trusty slow cooker. Trouble is, I turn to it for the same things over and over and I'm craving some variety.

That's where you come in.

I want to know what works for you in your home. What does your family love to eat from the slow cooker?

I'll get this party started by sharing some of our faves.

Did you know you could bake potatoes in a slow cooker? I discovered this a couple years ago and boy howdy are they tender and creamy inside! (Except, dear Martha, I need more than 4 potatoes and use a crock larger than 5 qts...) I fry up some bacon and shred some cheese earlier in the day and have some frozen broccoli all thawed out and ready to zap in the micro before serving. It all comes together quite quickly.

Here's an easy chicken burrito filling I did a few years back and posted at my former blog site.

Of course, there's the standby shredded bbq pork on rolls everyone loves. You can find recipes out there all over the place for this one. I just throw a chunk of pork into the slow cooker, salt and pepper it, pour some bbq sauce over, maybe a few dashes of liquid smoke, just to fool everyone into thinking it was done over an actual bbq, and let her go for 8-10 hours on low. Your house will smell like a barbecue joint by the end of the day. My mouth waters just thinking on it.

And then there's chili. No explanation required. Chili is chili.

So much for my repertoire.

Now here's a couple I'd like to try:

Mu-Shu-Ish Chicken wraps

Orange Chicken

(I'm sensing a theme here. Must be craving some Chinese food...)

And in a similar vein, Thai Peanut Chicken

Okay. Your turn.  Leave a link or a quick recipe for your favorite slow cooker meal below in the comments. Feel free to come back and check out what other people have contributed! Happy crock-potting!