A Worthwhile Journey

Winter travel intimidates me. So why would we risk an 800 mile trip in the middle of winter? Our love for my grandparents compels us.

Through the time shared with my grandparents and the stories of the more distant past, I want my children to understand that wisdom and simplicity are admirable goals. Growing older is not really something to fear, so long as a person lives life to the full by continuing enrich the mind and spirit and by seeking to contribute to the lives of others.

Most of my grandparents' lives have not been spent in the spotlight. What has amazed me is their faithfulness in the ordinary tasks of each day. They have been ordinary folks, devoted to God, living with quiet grace.

This is where I falter. In my longing for extraordinary experiences, I would rather skip the mundane parts. Yet these rather unremarkable actions are essential to living well, to the glory of God. As I think of my grandparents, I realize I need to alter my course and not squander the rich heritage of faith they have given me. I will never regret the moments I've spent with my grandparents. There are few gifts I treasure more.

Together in 2007

This post is linked to Steady Mom's 30-minute blog challenge.

Winter Road Trip Plan: To Grandfather's House We Go

Going on a winter road trip is not something I am eager to do. Summer road trips are difficult enough. Hopefully we will have decent weather and not pass cars that have spun off the road every mile or so. We drove under such harrowing conditions in 2000, the first year we were married. To risk traveling in December is something we have been very reluctant to do ever since. But this year my grandfather is turning 90 years old just a few days after Christmas. My daughters and husband are on an academic schedule, and this may be our only chance for many months to see my grandparents, whom we love and respect. The last time we saw them was two years ago.

So we're seizing the chance to go. Thus, in addition to celebrating Christmas this week, we will be busy preparing for a two day road trip to Ohio. We learned at least 8 lessons from our last road trip with the kids. We plan to put these tips into practice to make our upcoming winter trip, which is twice as long, go more smoothly.

I've also gleaned three more travel tips that I think are keepers:

1. Assign each child a roll of coins and take one coin away per infraction. When we reach our destination they can spend whatever remains.
2. Display a map or chart with a marker to show our progress to the kids. I used to keep track of our progress with trip tiks from AAA when I was a child.
3. Pick up a AAA tour book so we're aware of what restaurants and motels are available at each exit along our route. My parents used to do this, and I hope we can finally snag one and reap the benefits ourselves.

I'll report back after the first of the year and reveal how we fared on our journey!

Menu Plan for the Week of 12/20 (plus road trip food ideas)

This week's plan goes through the 25th of December and then we're headed out on a road trip to Ohio. In addition to our dinner plan, I've listed ideas for simple, healthy foods to take along in the car. And I just might have to liven up our food-to-go with cookie cutters, since we've been having so much fun with cut outs lately.

• Steamed Tilapia, Onion Pancakes
  
• Meatball Casserole
  
• Roast Duck, Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes, Asparagus
• Garlic Spaghetti (a Christmas tradition in our family)

Healthy Foods for the Road:
-Tortillas
-Avocados
-Ham
-Cheese
-Hard boiled eggs
-Ultra Simple Chex Mix (Chex + Almonds + Dried Fruit)
-Baby carrots
-Cucumber Slices
-Clementines

Hearkening Back to Christmas Past

Besides a red tricycle, which was captured on an old home movie reel (anyone else remember those bright lights during filming?), I don't recall many of the Christmas gifts I received as a girl . What comes to mind are the unique flavors that we enjoyed each Christmas season. My mother was a teacher and embraced the time she had off during the holidays to do baking galore. We would make Swedish flatbread, crinkle cookies, and two of my favorites--Swedish tea ring and holiday fruitcake. Yes, I like my mom's fruitcake--so much so that I was glad to receive a loaf in care packages when I lived away from my parents in college and beyond.

On Christmas eve (or perhaps Christmas day), Mom would make turkey (in the microwave), wild rice stuffing, and whole wheat dinner rolls. Friends who shared her Swedish heritage would sometimes give us some Swedish potato sausage from their travels to Lindsborg, Kansas, or elsewhere. And in with the holiday spread, there was always a jar or pickled herring. Year after year my mom and dad would urge me to try some with a twinkle in their eyes. They knew full well that the offer would elicit a wrinkled nose refusal from me.

I'm glad you could take a stroll with me, back to the old brick house on 42nd Street where I spent my youth. It's good to reminisce, both for myself and to gather material for future yarns to spin for my children. Furthermore, I've convinced myself that I should bake some fresh memories for my family next week. Thanks, Rachel, for the wonderful prompt today!

Boredom Solution: Make Food Fun with Cookie Cutters

Turkey Burger Stars

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Approaches Some Salami Berries

Snowy Tree with Cheese, Mashed Avocado and Tomato (my daughter decorated this one)

Cheese-Topped Tortilla Angel

Tortilla Tree with Cucumbers, Cream Cheese, and Tomatoes

Star-Topped Pot Pie

Skillet Toasted Ham and Avocado Pitas with Pepper Jack Cheese

This variety-loving mom of three has been getting mighty bored with our typical lunch options. Although sandwiches are easy, they leave me feeling blase and wishing for something more exciting, less ho-hum. Macaroni & Cheese is, of course, a faithful standby, but the blue box still lacks the panache that I was seeking.

When my daughter would come home for lunch last year, she regaled me with detailed accounts of the amazing snacks she got to create in her preschool class... faces, fire trucks, ladybugs and so on. I thought I could never go to such extreme lengths as a mom. Yet my daughter truly loved making them! A few month ago I finally took a peek at lunchbox limbo for inspiration, and inspire me it did! After seeing the simple but creatively designed lunches in living color, I finally decided to take a stab at crafting some edibles myself.

In years prior, my collection of cookie cutters had become a depressing symbol of all the optional tasks that I never get around to doing. Now I've been liberated from cookie cutter guilt, realizing that I can cut and shape my way out of boredom--no added sugar or oven required. And I don't just do the fun stuff for my kids. It works for me as a way to challenge myself and create one-of-a-kind lunches, snacks and even dinners. Food has become something we create, admire, and then savor.

Menu Plan for the Week of 12/14

• Chickpea Pot Pie
• Chicken Kebabs, Rice
  
• Meatball casserole (again!)
• Vietnamese Chicken (in the slow cooker), Chinese Green Onion Pancakes
  
• Ham and Bean Bake
• Steamed Tilapia, Rice, Chinese Green Onion Pancakes
  

A Frightful and Delightful Winter

In truth, I don't mind shoveling snow, which is good since about 10 inches of frosty flakes blanketed our driveway this week. Besides slinging snow, I also squeezed in some baking. Baking is something I love to do, but I often lack the requisite time and open kitchen counter tops to pursue it.

Outside the kitchen, I was thankful to unearth some timely treasures while my kids and I stayed snug in our snow-wrapped house. White Snow, Bright Snow we found and read yesterday. Earlier in the week I was excavating our coat closet and came upon our long lost Snowy Day video. I love experiencing these classic tales with my children.

Since the roads were not favorable to bustling around town, we had no excuse not to decorate our Christmas tree. Thankfully, we had done our ornament shopping before the worst weather hit. After we exchanged ornaments, I realized that this tradition is something my children remember more than whatever gifts they find under the tree. And the credit for this goes to my husband, who years ago prioritized building family memories over my wishes for a picture-perfect decorator's tree.

Reading Dawn's insights about wishing things were over reminded me of how I view winter. Months before the cold and snow were upon us, I began to dread what winter brings---the bundling, the sock hunting, the coughs and head colds, and having to stay home from church and other social gatherings with sick kids.

But now that "what I feared has come upon me"(Job 3:25), I realize that the dread is often worse than the reality. I find this to be true with housework that I dread and therefore postpone doing as well. When I finally get some momentum going, the mundane tasks are not so bad. It's the dread and guilt that are truly miserable. I'd love to take more of a get-it-out-of-the-way approach and stop procrastinating...some day.

And how about you? Do you procrastinate like me or a do you tackle your tasks right away?

Recipe for Meatball and Mashed Potato Casserole

I barely had time to snap photos before the whole casserole was gone!

My family loves meatball casserole and wishes I made it more often. I thought this hearty dish was perfect to make with a swirling snowstorm outside. This version is based on a casserole recipe from a card in the Healthy Meals in Minutes collection.

Ingredients:

• 2 Zucchini or yellow squash
• Canola or olive oil
• 15 to 18 Meatballs
• 6 to 8 cups Mashed potatoes
• Grated cheese, optional

How I put it together:

1. Into a greased casserole dish, I grated 2 yellow squash (zucchini also works well and lends a nice green color). Cooking oil was lightly drizzled and gently mixed into the squash.
2. I baked the squash crust at 350 F for about 20 minutes to remove some of the moisture.
3. I made meatballs and cooked them on a baking sheet. These were then placed onto the zucchini crust in the casserole dish.
4. I made mashed potatoes by combining some potatoes I peeled, boiled and mashed with mashed potatoes from a box. The mashed potatoes were spread over the meatballs to form the top layer. I opted out of adding grated cheese since my husband is not a dairy fan.
5. The casserole was baked at 400 F for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes were slightly browned. Parsley flakes were sprinkled on top before serving.
   

My plated serving of meatball and mashed potato casserole.

Craft of the Week: Pine and Willow Wreath 3.0

My one dollar willow wreath has been converted again, this time for the Christmas holiday. Previously the wreath was decked with pumpkins. And before that, it was a green ribboned wreath (as seen in this slideshow).

Materials that were used (or reused) for this 3.0 version:

• Willow wreath
• Green cotton cloth (from a shirt--see my pumpkin wreath tutorial for details)
• Safety pins
• Thin beading wire
• School glue
• Pine cones
• Long pine needles

How I made it:

1. I left the green cloth wrapped around the wreath but took off the pumpkins.
2. Before the snow came, I collected pine cones and a fallen pine branch.
3. I wired and glued the pine cones onto the bottom of the wreath.
4. Then I inserted clumps of pine needles behind the cloth "ribbon."

The result was a simple, virtually cost-free pine wreath for our front door. For more creative ideas, check out:

Menu Plan for the Week of 12/7

Last week I took a week off from menu planning and focused on finishing up our Thanksgiving leftovers. One of my favorite creations wound up as breakfast--almond pecan pie oatmeal. As a result, I'm plotting how to make another scrumptious pie soon!

What's on the menu this week:

• Chicken Sausage in a Blanket

• Salmon burgers, Arizona Skillet

• Meatball Casserole with Mashed Potatoes and Zucchini (recipe forthcoming)

• Scallop and Shrimp Stir Fry

• Honey Hoisin Chicken (slow cooker)

• Venison Roast

Questions to Ponder

“When people are aligned to their purpose, when the gap between values and behaviours closes, what people experience is a stream of ease ...”

-Roger Lewin, 2001

Last week, as I was preparing for Thanksgiving, this verse from John 6 hit me hard:

“Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” -John 6:27

So while I try to feed my wholesome snacks and meals several times a day, I don’t offer my kids “food that endures” with the same regularity and intentionality.

To prepare a feast for 14 last Thursday, I knew I needed to live the “need Thee every hour” prayer. I was not as faithful as I should have been. Thankfully I had gracious family members who stepped in and helped pull the meal off satisfactorily. We ate well and enjoyed one another’s company. I am thankful.

Now that everyone is gone, though, I’m left with a big helping of cognitive dissonance. What I supposedly value and what I do are too far apart. For instance, I get carried away with crafting and let the housekeeping slide. Or I am on the computer instead of reading and playing with my children.

In "Ready to Be Surprised: Improvisation and Working with What Comes," Adrian Underhill asks a series of questions. I found them particularly relevant to my condition. Underhill writes:

“Do you have the experience that when you do is consistent with what is deeply important to you, you find you can work with a greater and almost inexhaustible energy? A state of flow maybe?"

“Whereas when what you do conflicts with what you hold important, there seems to be a different quality of energy available, and less of it?”

What’s clear in the midst of my time, energy, people, and task dilemmas is that I simply can’t do it all. The Son of Man promises to give me enduring food, that I can in turn share with my children and others. But will I let him?

Sources:

Lewin, Roger. Weaving Complexity in Business: Engaging the Soul at Work. 2001.
Underhill, Adrian. "Ready to Be Surprised: Improvisation and Working with What Comes." IATEFL Teacher Development Special Interest Group Newsletter, Issue 61, Summer 2009. pp. 6-9.

Craft of the Week: Christmas Quilt Door Hanging

I recently decided that covering our side door with something decorative would be less costly than new coat of paint. And I could do a project with my kids instead of fending them away from toxic fumes. While a Thanksgiving door wrap never materialized, I set about creating this quilt to add some holiday cheer to our usual entry door.

Supplies We Used:

-Red and green construction paper
-White paper for printing letters
-Christmas wrapping paper
-Card stock (preferably from used printed matter)
-Glue sticks
-Paper cutter
-Scissors
-Hole punch
-Tape to mount

More elegant options occurred to me, but I was glad to stick with my goal of using what we already have. This saves money and avoids a further influx of craft supplies. Eco-friendly colored paper alternatives would be old holiday cards and Christmas wrap. Though I lacked these options, I did wrap the colored paper around card stock scavenged from old magazine covers and calendars.

This idea is linked to Strut Your Stuff - A Week of Links at Somewhat Simple and DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land.