our little corner of the world

Even though there was a predicted high of 58 degrees today, rain was in the forecast. Nonetheless, I went down to the basement this morning, opened the freezer, and grabbed two, juicy steaks for dinner. I was determined to wheel the grill out from it's winter storage in the back of the garage and get a break from the mundane casseroles and heavy, winter meals we've been eating for so long. The rain held off until late this evening, and I was able to sear up some goodness for our dinner. Along with baked potatoes, salad and green beans, we enjoyed a small sampling of what's to come in the next several months. It couldn't have come at a better time.

Dear Morgan,

Today is your first birthday. I am amazed when I stop and think about where the last 12 months have gone, and all the transformations that have taken place with you and in our household.

Just three days after your birth, I had written about how much you were like Daddy…

Not only does she look like him, but she seems to have inherited his best qualities... she's not too terribly fussy when things don't go her way, she's incredibly patient and understanding, and she loves to sleep!

Wow. I can hear the laughter now. While you still share many of Daddy’s physical attributes and continue to love sleeping, I have to say, your emotions are all Momma. You have turned patience into demands. When your favorite nesting cups are out of reach, you yelp instead of making the effort. And when that doesn’t work, you move on to something else that’s more convenient… the carpet, your fingers… anything that keeps you entertained. You love to be praised. Our resounding words of affirmation bring you so much joy. An enthusiastic “Yay!” or “Good job, Morgan!” prompts mile-wide smiles and full-on laughter. At the same time, when Daddy and I say, “No touch” or “All done”, your heart breaks into a million pieces. Everything, and I mean everything, is a big deal. You certainly are the Divine Miss M.

I often wonder if your personality has anything to do with the fact that you still are not crawling. Daddy and I have modeled crawling, we have formed your legs into the crawling position, we have kept toys out of reach thinking they would entice you to move, we have tried everything. And you hold firm, refusing to even budge.

Somehow, though, you have allowed a bit of learning to creep into your strong-willed brain. This winter you started learning sign language. It seems almost every week you add a new sign to your repertoire. Eat, more, done. Book, bath, sleep, shh. Clapping, waving, even saying “Eye, Dee Dee!” which translates to “Hi, Daddy!” And of course, as Miss Independent, you want to walk everywhere. You’ll use anything to make yourself mobile around the living room… the step from the kitchen, the Huggies box, the couch, chair or ottoman.

I’m very proud that you’ve already developed a love of reading. Or at least page-turning. Certain books grab your attention more than others. You love Paul and Judy in Pat the Bunny and also enjoy the Baby Einstein Mirror Me book. We’ve started weekly visits to the library and bring home five new books each time. Those “new” books become your pride and joy (and our quiet distraction in the pew on Sunday morning).

Lately you seem to have a fascination with shoes. You’ll sit at the bottom of your closet and open and close the Velcro straps of the black Mary Jane hand-me-downs. You’ll point out Mommy’s shoes until I let you have a closer look. And after naps, as we change your diaper, you like to tap your two soft-soles together, just like Daddy taught you.

I am hopeful that your musical inclination sticks. Your dance moves still leave quite a bit to be desired, but girl, you’ve got rhythm! Not only do you bob your head to the music I play for you at home, but I’ve seen the stroller shake in the middle of Old Navy as you groove to the funky notes broadcast overhead. You never cease to amaze us.

The past year was filled with many firsts… your first ride on the pontoon, first trip on a plane, not to mention all the holidays. You embraced each as ordinary, sleeping through the boat ride, and presenting yourself as the perfect plane passenger. With the exception of our excessive holiday photos, those celebrations, too, were commonplace for you.

Of the many changes, there are several things that have remained constant. I’ve mentioned your love of sleep often, and we are so thankful that you’ve slept twelve hours every night like clockwork since you were just eight weeks old! I am glad you feel safe and confident as you drift off to slumber at night. All it takes for you is your fleece Pooh blanket up at your face, and a paci popped in your mouth. Even the annual time changes have not affected your desire for shut-eye. And you always greet us so happily when you wake.

Your enormous smile continues to beam daily. You always flash a grin at Daddy when he walks through the door at night. I love observing you two play. There’s just something about your quality time with Daddy that doesn’t translate when Mommy tries the same games. Nonetheless, it’s encouraging to know that you two share a connection I cannot touch. The importance of that for me is priceless.

Since the day you were born, Morgan, you have been the light of our lives. That has not, and never will change. You will always be our first-born, that special daughter who taught us about parenting and shifted the view in a way we could never have imagined.

When I was pregnant with you, a co-worker tried to explain the feeling of motherhood. She said I would experience affection for you that I’d never had before. At the time, I could only imagine such emotion. Today I know those feelings. And I know that love.

We thank God for you, Morgan Grace, and all of the blessings that He has sent through you. Daddy and I love you dearly. Happy Birthday, my sweets.

Love,
Momma

A few weeks go, I mentioned that there was some sort of business adventure happening at our house. In the spirit of my busy week of baking, now seems like the best time to share.

I've always enjoyed baking (and eating) New York style cheesecake. And based on the reaction from family and friends, I dare say they've enjoyed them as much as I have, too. So after endless requests for my specialty, I've decided to turn my passion into a business, hoping to share my delicious dessert with many others.





Word has started to spread, and my goal of selling just one cheesecake a month has been hit out of the park. Since my first order mid-February, I've received an additional five with a couple more prospects in the pipeline. Three alone are for this week.

I've also decided this week to do a test run on a cheesecake variation... a chocolate crust and a chocolate chip filling. That one is in the fridge and awaiting sampling this weekend.

My final baking task this week? Cupcakes for Morgan's birthday. They have been made, but need to be iced. And yes, from scratch. Icing and all.

I've made it through several of the books on my reading list. The first I devoured in two days, Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. This cookbook details the art of hiding fruit and vegetable purees in specific recipes (for example, cauliflower within your burgers and squash within your macaroni and cheese). These additions supposedly go unnoticed all the while adding extra nutritional value to the meal. Hmm... could this lead to trouble?

I was skeptical about this premise after hearing mixed reviews. Is it really a good idea to be tricking my children into thinking that meals could be healthy without acknowledging the nutritional essentials? To my delight, however, I discovered what most people overlooked with this book... Seinfeld stresses the importance of also serving fruits and vegetables to your family in their original form. Sure, everyone needs to eat well, but they also need to understand the responsibility of what that means. Serving brownies frequently just because they contain carrot and spinach puree doesn't cut it.

I also enjoyed the sidebars and personal reflections from Seinfeld about the importance of mealtime as a family, tips on healthy snacks, getting your kids invested in the cooking and eating, and especially Seinfeld's guidelines about saying "no" artfully:

...When my kids complain to me that their friends get to eat what I consider "junk", I try to answer honestly yet firmly and sympathetically. For example, "I see that you're disappointed about the cereal in our house, but eating cereal that is made of a lot of sugar is not good for your teeth or body."

1. I try not to be ambivalent or apologetic about my rules.

2. I always explain my reasons.

3. I point out that all families eat differently, and that every household has different rules. Some make kids happy, some mad; but rules are made to keep kids safe and healthy.

4. I empathize with their feelings, but I don't give in. I find that this re-assures them, and it confirms my credibility and consistency.

All in all, a good read with some great recipes to consider for future use. And something to ponder... if you can't taste the difference, why aren't these healthy inclusions in all our recipes to begin with?

Our week is off to a great start.

Daylight savings really isn't so bad! My mood has been uplifted with the extra daylight. Scott is reaping the benfits of a happy wife, and Morgan is still the queen of sleeping.

To update, the computer is a go. We have our lives back! Have you ever realized the necessity for such an item? To pay bills, renew library books, locate addresses, book appointments, confirm meetings, check email, read the news??? And that is just the tip of the iceberg, my friends. I think it's accurate to say that I spend more time on the computer than I do watching television. My spouse on the other hand...

Thankfully for Scott, our television connoisseur, the TV repair was only $40; not the $400 we were dreading.

And a customer of Scott's described exactly what needed to be done to get our snowblower up and running. We're determined to make the 30+ year old Toro roar again without spending a dime.

The microwave? Well, it is what it is. Our substitute from my freshman year in college will just have to do. I think it will be a good exercise in patience for me. I'm hoping we can tolerate it until next Christmas, when I am certain a new one will be on our wish list.

The moral of the story (the moral that I knew full well last week, but wanted to pout about anyways) is that there's more to life than stuff. If we have happiness within our four walls with Christ at our center, well, then we're all set.

Matthew 6:30-34 (The Message version)
If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Computer? Won't boot up.
Snowblower? Pull cord busted.
Microwave? Does everything but heat.
Television? Images getting darker by the minute.

We can obvioulsy manage without out each of these luxuries, but it sure is hard. Packing up Morgan and her toys to get online at my in-laws is challenging. Quickly shoveling the entire driveway by hand while Morgan naps is... good exercise? Using a 10-year-old microwave as a substitute takes twice as long to defrost and burns popcorn. And a 19" television is, well, just plain small. Woe is me, right?

I know, I know... there's more to life...