13 Miscellaneous Monday Facts

February 13, 2012September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett3 Comments

I love Miscellany Monday.

I don’t have to have a theme for my post except Random and that’s really what this is all about.

I’m supposed to be writing an article for the MOPS magazine. The theme is confident mothering. The deadline is Wednesday. Who knows if they would publish it? Who thinks I know anything about confident mothering? I’ve decided to write about organization. But maybe that’s mundane? I’m clearly overthinking it.

I’m also supposed to be writing an adolescent lit novel. I started it last spring, shared a few pages with my students, who loved it and are constantly asking when I’ll be done. They have no idea what a non-confident procrastinator writer I am. But they make me feel good everytime they ask, so I’m going to work on it some more. Don’t ask what it’s about. I can’t talk about these things without thinking that you might think I’m silly.

I cleaned out the fridge today. It was gross. FYI: when someone spills a half-drunk cup of grape juice in the fridge don’t assume you got it all cleaned up until you’ve actually emptied the fridge and surveyed the stickiness. Ick. But I get to cross another attempt at organization off my 32 by 32 list. yay, me!

4.
I’ll be 32 next Tuesday. As a gift to me, the school system is planning to be closed for an emergency day unless we get a winter storm in the next six days. Come on snow….

I downloaded this printable from this blog today.

vdayprintable

http://www.scribd.com/embeds/80931694/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list

Enjoy the message.

Amelia didn’t want to be a baby today because it was naptime. Instead she said, “Gus baby!” This was after she told me she was my only baby and that baby in my tummy was not coming out. “Uh-uh!”

Now she has a flashlight and hole punch. Should I be concerned?

We had a family Valentine Banquet at church on Sunday. It was sweet fun and showcased the amazing talent of a local family whose seven and nine year olds play cello and violin and have all of Psalm 1 memorized. We also took silly pictures. As you can tell, Joshua was really into it.

I used that pic in my 365+1 project that is missing a few days because while everyday may be camera worthy, this mommy is not always memory-worthy.

10.

Barnes and Noble via the nice UPS man (NHMS folks know which one) just delivered Joshua’s Valentine present. I’m super excited because I know he wants this. He told me.

11.

He’s also getting

from the girls so they can start planning their wild garden that’s going to feed us all summer. and hopefully someone is going to teach me to can tomatoes because when you make pizza once a week you need a lot of tomatoes.

12.

I used a gift card from Christmas for the gifts and still had enough to get myself a little something AND most importantly, I earned free shipping. I got a book that’s a recommendation from a book we’re reading at MOPS that I’m not talking about here because Joshua reads my blog and I’ll tell him about it later. Valentine’s secret.

13.

Speaking of gift cards, I found an Old Navy card in our bill box when I cleaned it out the other day and guess what? It has $10 on it! I’m thinking of splurging on this cute dress for my maternity pictures.

What do you think?

Head over to lowercase letters and link up.

xoxo

Happy Valentine’s Day!

cooking · thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

February 9, 2012September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett2 Comments

I have decided I might have an obsession with food. I’m not sure if this is a pregnancy thing. I’d love to say it is, but truth be told, I was taking pics of food and reading cooking blogs and pinning Pinterest food groups before I knew Gus was on his way. So I can only blame so much on him. Some foodie items I’m especially thankful for this week are….

This Awesome and Incredible Pot Roast Recipe

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Joyce on Pinterest

I made this on Tuesday and we enjoyed it that night for dinner, on Wednesday as sandwiches, and tonight it’s making it’s final reappearance in a big pot of vegetable-beef stew. Which is perfect since the temperature went below 50 today and I think I’m going to freeze.

Here’s ours complete with honey-butter steamed carrots, steamed green beans, Italian brown rice, and yeast rolls.

Sonic Sweet Tea with the Little Crunchy Ice

Source: cookingwiths.blogspot.com via Jeff on Pinterest

I’ve been trying to cut back on my consumption of the house wine of the South. But after the incident on Tuesday, I just had to cave. And I’m raising my girls right. Annabelle was not happy that I ordered her a blue slush instead of a sweet tea.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

I really want to make this cookie cake recipe, but Joshua only wants his normal cookies. And he doesn’t like peanut butter unless it’s in a Reece’s cup, so that means that I would be eating the majority of this myself because I can’t feed all that sugar to my kids. Alas, I think I’ll have to wait for an event to make this and make do with the Nestle Tollhouse recipe for cookies until then. Which you know, I could just slather peanut butter on….

Can you tell I’ve decided to calm down about my pregnancy weight gain and eat in moderation?

The result of which is I’ve hardly gained any this month.

But don’t worry, Baby Gus is doing just fine.

Link up over here with Julia and be thankful for anything random today.

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · motherhood · Working On Wednesday

Working On Wednesday

February 9, 2012September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. BrackettLeave a comment

What are you working on this week?

Glue.

Belle is working on not tripping in class, resulting in a split chin, necessitating a call to mommy that was missed, requiring a call to daddy at work, sending mommy into a slight panic of “how could I miss the one call that mattered”, meaning we spent yesterday afternoon at the ER. Superglue is a fabulous invention. Even if they call it something fancy at the hospital so they can charge my insurance lots more money, it’s still a fabulous invention.

She’s fine, of course. But she would be really mad if she knew I posted this picture because she doesn’t want anyone looking at her boo-boo.

Birthdays.

I’m working on Amelia’s 2nd Birthday party. Usually I’m not one for over-the-top birthday parties because they make me crazy and cost me lots of money and I figured out a long time ago that my kids were happy with cupcakes, cheetos, and presents. Well, friends too. But last year, Amelia really got jipped. Her birthday party was cancelled in the wake of the FDIC takeover of the bank Joshua worked for, and so I spent her birthday home with just the girls.

We did walk up the hill and share cupcakes with our favorite boys, but that was it.

Of course she doesn’t know any different and doesn’t care…but apparently I do. So we’re having a big-ish Winnie the Pooh themed 2nd birthday with lots of family, a few favorite friends, and plenty of Pinterest inspired decor. Speaking of which, I should really get started.

Crafts.

I’m also working on embracing my non-craftiness in favor of my chef-ness. I’d much rather saute than decompage, dice than scrapbook, bake than sew. But I want to be able to create some craftiness sometimes. I really am going to make this.
I am. I am.

Source: danielleburkleo.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

Patience.

Tell me I’m not the only one whose kids can’t play Mousetrap alone because they can’t figure out how the pieces go. I know I’m not the only one whose children hear the ringing of the telephone as some sort of signal to immediately begin arguing and yelling and needing mommy right that very second. I’m sure I can’t be the only mom whose five year old almost has a meltdown when the valentines she’s writing get moved a quarter of an inch so her sandwich can be added to the overcrowded table.

What are you working on this week? Let me know!

motherhood · reflections

When You’re Spinning

February 8, 2012 Lindsey P. Brackett4 Comments

Sometimes we are spinning out of control and don’t even know it. On Monday I took my big girls to the park (because winter is never coming to Georgia) and despite the plethera of expensive slides and monkey bars and rock climbing walls, all they wanted to play on was the Merry Go Round. Probably the same one that’s been in parks since I was a kid.

Around and around they went. Them and the other five kids who were there. “Faster, faster!” Shrieked Madelynne. “Slower, slower!” Echoed Annabelle. Can you tell how they are different?

They seemed in perfect control. They would jump off and take turns spinning and jump back on. They would lean over the bars and lift up their legs and make mommy holler, “DON’T DO THAT!” They were happy as can be, wind in their hair, flying through the air. Unrestrained.

Then I made them get off and stumble to the car so we could go home and start supper and on the way home Madelynne threw up in a McDonald’s bag.

“At least I had something to catch it in,” she says mournfully collapsing on the living room floor because she was way too muddy for furniture.

And I thought, what a picture of life. Sometimes we’re spinning way too fast and way too much. We feel like we’re in control, enjoying the ride, laughing.

Then we lose that momentum and everything catches up to us and suddenly we don’t feel so good anymore. And I remember, that’s why we should slow down.

Just slow. Just watch. Just breathe.

Enjoy the ride but know when to get off.

Linking up this morning with Capturing Motherhood.

Be sure to check back later for my Working On Wednesday post.

cooking · favorite things

Feminist Friday (and Pizza!)

February 3, 2012September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett2 Comments

My super-crazy yet very cool (but I sometimes worry about her a lot) sister Calley, who is best known for her fashion statements and naps on my parents’ couch during family events, recently graduated from UGA. Go Dawgs!

Yeah, that doesn’t get uttered a lot in our non-sports oriented house.

But we love Aunt Calley who majored in Women’s Studies and Music Business, founded the Athens chapter of Girls Rock Camp, and used to tell my girls bedtime stories about Susan B. Anthony.

That’s why this morning on the way to school when I had the following conversation with Madelynne I had to assert just a little feminism in honor of Aunt Calley because the last thing I want is for my girls to grow up thinking they can’t be anything they want to be.

Madelynne:

When I grow up I’m going to be the first woman to land on Mars. Or I’m going to be the first woman president.

Me:

You could do both you know.

{Insert short conversation about how and why there isn’t a woman president yet.}

Madelynne:

Okay, first I’ll land on Mars. Then I’ll be president. Can I get married if I’m president?

Me:

Of course. You know, Jackson (our boy BFF) wants to be president too.

{Let me just assert as a sidenote here that while I believe my daughter can do anything, I really won’t be shocked if Jackson does run for president someday.}

Madelynne:

Oh, good! We can get married and be president together. {pause} Or maybe, he can be president, and I’ll just be his assistant.

Me:

Or maybe, you could be president and he could be your assistant.

Madelynne:

Okay, let’s do that!

Linking this part of the post up with Rachel at Finding Joy.

This is for Farmgirl Paints. Thanks to Carissa for linking up so I could find a new blog. I’m linking up to Feed Our Family Friday, but for some reason couldn’t get that button to work, so here’s another one 🙂

I’ve alluded to our Friday Night Family Pizza in my posts before, but I haven’t done a whole post dedicated to that. Come back next week and see if I’ve managed that. For today, however, I’m hooking Farmgirl up with the best (and easiest) homemade pizza dough recipe ever.

and of course, I have to give credit to my favorite Pioneer Woman for this, though I’m the one who decided to substitute the whole wheat flour.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust with homemade sauce, italian sausage, and green peppers. Hadn’t added the cheese yet.

The Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast (1/2 packet)

1/3 cup EVOO

Dump your flour (and use 4 cups WW if you want. We cheat a little.) in a mixer. Add the salt. Stir for a sec. In another small bowl, place 1 and a half cups warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let it sit for minute or two and then give it a stir. While it’s sitting, drizzle the olive oil into the flour letting the mixer stir it up on a low speed. Then slowly pour in the yeast water. The dough will form a big sticky ball. Now transfer it to another bowl that you’ve swirled more olive oil in and toss the dough bowl until it’s coated with oil. Lay a damp dishtowel over the top and place it in a warm place safe from toddlers. Like the microwave. Let it rise 1-2 hours. Then divide it in half or fourths or eighths and roll it out on a clean surface lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. We bake ours on a pizza stone after topping it with whatever goodies I’ve found that week. You can also use a cookie sheet or pan. Makes two large pizzas. Or 8 personal ones. Or in my family, three personal ones, a baby calzone, and one large. You know, whatever makes you happy.

Of course, it’s Friday. What’s not to be happy about?