Good Food Friday: Roasted Romaine

 I don't think there is a vegetable that tastes anything less than incredible drizzled with olive oil and roasted in the oven.  Some totally explainable choices are beets, broccoli and tomatoes.  But lettuce?  Won't it just taste like warm salad?  Honestly the idea never crossed my mind.  But there it was in this months Bon Apetite, roasted next to Caesar chicken breasts.  It was gorgeous and I immediately took mental stock of my fridge and vow to make this vegetable.

Here is my lovely romaine.  Washed, dried well and cut in half lengthwise.  I drizzled them with olive oil cracked pepper and a bit of shaved parm cheese.  

Before a 450* oven for a very short 5 minutes (watch it!) ...

And after.  This picture makes me smile!  The romaine became slightly brown and was curling at the tips. And so very soft.    It becomes totally different than its raw crisp former self.  

Veggies are the main show of this supper and my goodness, I had seconds of everything! The romaine was warm and juicy.  It was a totally new way to serve a rather plain and predictable veggie.  You can bet I'll be craving this again... very soon!

My girls

It has been an unseasonably warm winter this year.  I can't complain seeing that I dread trudging through inches of snow with five little ones in tow.   Fewer lost mittens and less snowy wet messes is a plus in my book.  The lack of snow has made it so easy to bundle the girls and head out.  Some days it is a quick trip to the mailbox and others it is hours... and may or may not include a trip to the sandbox.  There is nothing like a little bit of sunshine and cool air.

Getting out and away from my to-do list, even for a moment, is always rewarding.  Too often my days are memories of matched socks and swept floors.  This, THIS is what I want to fill my days with.

We call this her "Lettie the Lion" sweater.    Precious.  Remember this.  

These two little girls make my day, everyday.  Big sister always loving her little sister.  Leading the way.  Holding her hand.  Covering her with a blanket when she falls asleep.  So Pure.  So much love.

Creating an entire world in which only they live.  Sharing moments with each other when I am only a spectator.   Mine.  You are mine.  

I'm so blessed to have these lovelies.  The relationship between girls can only be described in one word.  Special.  Yes, they are special.

Eden and Alette.  They are so close.  I can hardly imagine them apart.

I am so glad we have no snow.  I'm so glad we went outside.  I am so happy to have these sweet girls.

Going out to eat

My husband surprised me after church on Sunday with going out to eat.  With so many kids to keep happy at the table and not to mention special diets, sometimes grabbing a meal out isn't as relaxing as it should be.  (It was absolutely enjoyable by the way!) 

This is more of my idea of going out for supper.  It has been so sunny and (relatively) warm that I could not resist gathering some wood and building a little fire.

Add two packs of good hot dogs, a cast iron skillet and a ten year old obsessed with survival skills and you have the makings of a pretty good meal.

Everything tastes better when cooked over a fire.

...Or eaten off of a stick...

... Or with your bare hands.  

Seeds ordered.  Yep.

Chicks ordered (52 of them!). Check.

First fire of the year.   Done.

I know it is only February, but spring... I'm ready and waiting.

Weekend Highlight: Baby Toys are Fun

The baby toys are out of the closet! The house is almost ready for the arrival of baby boy number two. My mother came Saturday to help clean the house a bit and I rearranged the soon to be "boys room". OK, so I over did it moving furniture but all baby clothing is washed and put away and I am satisfied that my house is almost a ready nest. A few more items to pick up. A few more chores to get done and we will be able to wait in patient expectation.  

Wade loved revisiting his baby toys. Hard to imagine that they were that wonderful and that interesting when he was just a tiny baby! Wow, does it go so fast.

Wade hugging Teddy. Teddy has been and still is his most favorite and cherished baby toy. 

Many toys have to go in the mouth. This stuffed elephant is no exception. With Lacey, our Wire Fox Terrier, being Wade's closest "friend" and "playmate" he spends a lot of time pretending to be a doggy.

Refinished Vintage French Doors

These lovely, vintage doors came from a Craig's List find we excitedly jumped on during Christmas in 2008. Buying custom french doors would have cost $100's of dollars but these were perfect from the get go. They had layers and layers of paint caked on them. Huge chunks had chipped off but they were solid wood and just the right size for our tiny door way between the kitchen and the living room. We had also hoped they would help with our cold house issue by shutting the doors and keeping the living room warm with an electric heater. Thankfully we don't need the doors for that reason as much as we used to. 

These before pictures are from the night we picked them up. You can see our old floors, sub-floor living room floor, etc. We had a lot of work to do and still do honestly depending on how long we stay here. (I really can't wait for the kitchen color to change!!! It was supposed to be Adobe brown!... ugh!!)

The doors were later framed in and put up for our enjoyment for a while but we so decided they needed to come down and be either repainted or stained. Either would require the layers of paint already on the doors to be removed and smoothed out. The doors came down and stayed down for quite some time.

But Gary worked hard and finished them for me in time for baby boy number two! I love them. I don't even know what else to say about how happy I am to have them hung back up.

Wade likes them as well. He was thrilled to help daddy hang them and then practice opening and closing them.

For additional privacy we are debating on putting up curtains... which I am really torn about. They do lock though. All I can say is baby steps... you slowly, cheaply, work your way to your dream living space. Our attentions have turned to improvements for the outdoor green house and possibly another small shed for storage. Soon it will be growing season and we need to be ready!

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours! I just have to take a moment and brag a bit about my honey. Today he surprised me with roses and the best card he mostly rewrote himself (so funny!) and took us shopping at the local thrift store. He made dinner, made my plate, cleaned the kitchen, helped get the baby to bed, and got my night time chair ready (I am sleeping sitting up in the living room now for comfort reasons). Such an awesome man! 

I found the most adorable clothing for the baby at the thrift store. I will try to post about it tomorrow. Hope your day was filled with love, no matter if you have a "significant other" or not. 

Weekend Highlight: Room for One More?

This weekend we brought down the "baby" baby items from the attic. Including the bassinet that the dog and Wade made themselves right at home. Of course it needs the mattress washed, sheets put on, and placed on it's stand but really... just adorable with my two current babies playing together waiting for one more.

I am pretty excited to be at 38 weeks and counting. What was the highlight of your weekend?

Free Chicken Coop Calendar

February Calendar from Scout Creative

I simply fell in love with this little desk top calendar that is available free from Scout Creative. It is one of those things you wish you thought of first. I promptly signed up for their calendar of the month club (also free) and downloaded my February Chicken Coop calendar. Here's to hoping that Wade and I have time to put our calendar together tomorrow... how fun!!

My Thoughts About Child Birth in America

I sat in the chair at the hair salon listening to the conversation of some young girls regarding labor and birth. Young meaning younger than myself. They were at least out of high school but how much older I can't really say... they just seemed young. Maybe early twenties. I couldn't help but to smile a bit, suppress a chuckle, but also feel terribly, terribly sad for them. Here I am with my huge belly hidden by the apron and thinking of my own views, experiences, and thoughts on child birth and how widely they vary from these girls and most of America.

They talked about the horrors, the pain, the drugs, and the weeks of bleeding during recovery. None of it was talk of empowerment, of amazement at what their bodies were made to do, or of the pride of coming through labor and birth triumphant and ecstatic. One had experienced a typical American style labor and delivery and was expecting another baby later this year. She wouldn't even think about refusing an epidural or other pain medicine. I wonder if she was even told anything about the side effects of the epidural? That they are dangerous? That there can be lingering damage done to your body and increase the likelihood of a C-section? That they cause blood pressure issues in the laboring mother and can bring on fevers in which antibiotic IV drips are used during labor. Without the mother being able to move around in labor the baby is at risk of fetal distress. In addition, they can slow or delay labor (not always). If she doesn't ask or question how much is told to her? Would she really choose the medical interventions if informed? Perhaps...

The others would just make statements of "my mother told me" or "I heard". None of her statements included positive references to child birth. It seems that in America, women are resigned to go through this horribly painful experience that is flawed and faulty means to an end = new baby. In addition, her body is so flawed that it can grow a healthy child but not birth it naturally... I don't know about you but I refuse to accept that view of myself or of womanhood/motherhood. I won't accept generalized, blanket, medical treatment. I won't accept my pregnancy and labor being treated as if I am flawed or diseased. Can things go wrong? Yes! Of course. Life goes wrong. The best laid plans fall short, but in all my reading and study it has become clear to me that the more interventions in the birthing room the more likely those best laid plans fall short. This is from personal experience as well.

Why would this matter to you? You are pregnant but why not just accept all that your doctor desires for you? Surely they know what they are doing. I am not so sure. Of course they are skilled individuals. Yes, they mostly have your best interests at heart but it isn't their body or their child. Before you accept any or all medical care read about the pros and cons of each procedure. Don't limit your reading to Parent magazine or Baby Center website. Go to the library or book store and pick up a variety of titles. Decide for yourself.

Clearly I can tell you I am biased towards the midwifery model of care. Child birth can be pleasureful. You can have a baby and control labor "pain" without drugs. You are built to have babies and that makes you powerful. The bonding you feel and the success with breastfeeding is hugely influenced by your labor and birth experience. Will it probably be the hardest experience of your life? Very probably but don't sell yourself short before you have tried. Set yourself up for success and require informed consent before every medical procedure (unless a truly life saving measure is necessary).

Deal with fear and don't buy into the American style of labor and birth without thinking it through. Just as your diet, exercise, and prenatal care affects your baby growing, so does your birth experiences affect your baby physical and emotional well being. You know not all pain is bad pain... and this pain comes with a great reward. A beautiful bundle of joy.

Valentines Day Photos

 

I am constantly disappointed with the quality of the images my camera takes. I have a low end point and shoot and of all the point and shoots of that camera brand I have owned... this is the worst. That being said I am grateful to have a camera. Trying to capture my family's day to day lives is important to me. To help ease my disappointment with the picture quality I have been trying to create that illusion of vintage photography. If life gives you a lemon then make lemonade. 

Why not make them deliberately washed out, faded, grainy, off color, etc., etc? In design school you learn to do things deliberately. If there is any doubt that what you created has an element of mistake then you should push it so that there is no question of what you intended. I guess it is sort of an all or nothing approach. 

While trying to entertain my active toddler and be a more deliberate mother for holidays, I took these pictures. Several are of Wade with a balloon his Nana gave him... he just loves balloons! The rest are of artwork he and I drew on the window with these great "window" crayons given to him at Christmas. 

Hopefully we will have more time just him and I before the arrival of his new little brother to do more Valentines pictures and crafts. It is nice to just slow down and focus on Wade, doing the minimal around the house, and create memories. I have to be very carefully right now how I use my limited energy as the third trimester is nearing the end.

What Valentines activities are you doing with your kids?