Life Lessons From My Mailbox

Take a close look at this picture. What is missing? Besides blue skies, greenery and all other signs of life...

My mailbox.

Sadly my mailbox lost a three year battle with vandals last night. Most would agree that deciding to live in the country basically guarantees that your mailbox will be smashed. I wish you could see how neighbors have fashioned their boxes to withstand or deter blows. It is like a friendly neighborhood competition. One of my favorites has their huge heavy metal box suspended with chains so when hit the box will swing to absorb the impact. Another is surrounded with a complex web of steel fence posts and barbed wire that my kids cleverly nicknamed the skeleton mailbox. Most just have large wooden posts as thick as tree trunks on either side as protection.

I always envisioned mine to be a shiny black box atop a simple wooden post. Knowing I would be fighting an uphill battle to keep this thing in a vertical position, I opted for the cheapest metal box the store sold. From the beginning it was an easy target. I didn't mind. They would knock it off the post and I would pound it back on. After that got old, they would beat it until the parts fell off or failed to do their job. Eventually my mailbox was barely hanging on. Three long nails were functioning as a clamp to hold it onto the splinter that was the top of the post. The flag was completely gone. Mail was constantly wet because the door would no longer shut. Sure it was a sad sight, but every time I got out of the car, walked over to the ditch and dusted the snow off my disfigured box, I would laugh. I kept picturing in my mind these vandals driving by my pitiful mailbox asking themselves when I was going to give up. It became a silent battle of mine and I vowed no matter what not to replace it

Not to give up.

And I'm not. Give me 24 hours and hammer and some nails and you will see this returned to its former glory.

Maybe glory is the wrong word. How about position? Good enough for me.

The Turkey Traveler

This lovely lady stopped by yesterday.

Can you see her?

The chickens welcomed her with open arms and Gary even gave her a bite to eat. This lovely hen let him get withing 5 feet to take pictures and video.

To put this in perspective there is an extremely busy double line train track behind that fence and behind the photographer is a very busy three lane road. Not to mention the three other people staring at her a little less then a half acre away. 

Thanks for stopping Turkey Hen. May your travels take you far and wide. 

Basements are for boys...

When you have three boys there are some things you will never have... like peace and quite, food in the cupboards and clean bathrooms. And wow, are boys active! Sword fights in the living room, racing in the hallways, roller blading in the basement and scooters in the kitchen. Yes, I'm that kind of mom and we live in that kind of house. I love nothing more than filling this place with all their stinky little friends too. It is a bit of a mission of mine. I want my home to be the place all the guys want to visit. I will admit that half of it is a control issue and the other half is just pure fun. I'm starting to feel that hospitality is one of my spiritual gifts. So it's no mistake that when the opportunity came for our family to purchase some full size game tables we jumped. Surely this investment would make our basement the place.

The equipment of course comes with a story.

Great Food For All is a food and outreach ministry. They provide discount food packages available to families of all income levels as well as a thriving youth ministry. Each week, they host a open house for teens where they can gather and just hang out. Christian alternative music is played, meals are prepared and served and they are taught about Christ. It is an awesome awesome place to be.

The couple leading this particular branch have been in ministry for 15 years, branching in every possible direction. Over the past year, the gentleman's health has been declining and with heavy hearts they have had to close their operation. They have opened their doors to neighboring businesses to bid for their inventory. After years of ministry, you can imagine on how much stuff they had accumulated, donated or otherwise acquired.

We bid on three tables in all: ping pong, air hockey, and fooseball. They were so affordable. The couple could have gotten more for them than we paid. I think it was fact that we have five children that they let us have them for so little. The kids were jumping all around saying how this was the best day of their lives and such. I doubt they will be begging for video games this week. Ha ha ha, my plan is working!

The air hockey table is still in the garage. We are in the process of painting and carpeting the basement as I write this. It will be a welcome transformation from scary dirty cement skate zone to ultra cool kid hang out.

These three tables were used as leverage for Christ and I'm hoping the ministry will continue in my basement. This will be a place where kids will look forward to visiting and a place where my children will share their relationship with Jesus.

And one more picture of my boys in one of their "clean" moments...

One Yard Wonder - The Folklore Bag

I do one of two things every Friday: I play video games or I sew. Either or, there is always homemade pizza involved. Can you guess what I chose? This past weekend, instead of getting humiliated by my boys playing video games I was hunched over a pile of fabric and my sewing machine for the second Friday night in a row. Yes, I am that much fun. But look at my results.

This bag was another adventure from the book One Yard Wonder. You have to know how much I love that book by now. I learn a new skill each project and I can see my sewing improving. Progress is awesome! This was my first time using interfaced fabric. I must have compared it to working with cardboard about a billion times. I also am getting better at working with a pattern. Let's just say being a follower is not one of my strengths.

Completely lined with pockets, it has just the right amount of room for a couple diapers, some baby necessities and other mom stuff, like cards, cell phone and sunglasses (which haven't been getting much use around here lately, unfortunately, but I bring them just in case!) It is the perfect size for a diaper bag. Honestly, if it were not for baby stuff, the only things I carry can fit into a little zipper pouch on my key chain.

The bold fabric was purchased a couple months ago and it broke my heart to cut it, but it looks super as a purse and that is just what I needed to get through this yucky spring.

By accident, only the front is pleated. Not sure why I just told you that, you would never have known, but I guess I just like to be honest. The pictures do it more justice than in person.

It is endearingly lopsided and a little wonky, but it also makes me smile. The purse even got a complement today while out and about. I like to see my projects actually making their way out into public for a change. Who knows? Maybe I'll be sewing a little something for you one day...

What have you been making lately?

Pea-Basil Pesto

My entire weekend has been centered around food. Menu planning, grocery shopping, putting food away, more planning, making lunches and dinners. Then there was a lot of garden planning and talk. Staking out the areas in our yard for additional garden spaces and meeting with new neighbors to discuss a "community" garden of sorts. If that isn't a weekend of food; I don't know what is.

We always have extra frozen peas in our freezers and I have read that peas are easy to grow and freeze (future vegetable crop) so when I came across three ideas for using frozen peas I jumped at it. The ideas came from the Better Homes and Gardens February 2011 issue. Remember how many magazines I have just laying around? Well I do use them for things I promise!

The ideas were as follows: Pea-Basil Pesto, Spring Pea Deviled Eggs, and Pea-Potato Salad. I love the sound of all of them but I started with... Pea-Basil Pesto. How did you know? (**Wink**) Conveniently I had all the ingredients and some left over pasta noodles from a previous meal that I wanted to use up. What I didn't notice was that there were no measurements on the suggested idea. A problem for seasoned cooks? No. A problem for someone who has made or even ate pesto before? No. A problem for someone who isn't a seasoned cook or who hasn't even eaten or made pesto before? Possibly. I think I handled it with class.

All in all I have created my first recipe and I am addicted to the stuff. After making it the first time and tweaking it, I can't stop thinking about it and eating it. Well with in reason. In fact, I had it for dinner tonight while the boys at regular spaghetti sauce (locally made I might add).

Here is my recipe:
1 1/2 cups thawed peas
1 tbsp basil
3 tbsp olive oil (I use cold pressed)
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3 garlic cloves chopped (please feel free to use less if you aren't crazy about garlic like I am!)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Combine in a blender and puree until smooth. To reach the desired consistency I added a bit (about 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp) of water and a drop of oil. Serves two people easily and is also great with Ritz crackers.

Bon appetit!