Green Beans with Pomegranetes
1 lb fresh or frozen whole green beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp worstershire sauce
1/4 c pomegranete seeds
salt and pepper to taste
Steam green beans until tender. Then drizzle olive oil in a frypan. Heat on medium. Add green beans, worstershire, pomegranetes, and season with salt and pepper and saute for five minutes.
A delicious side dish for Balsamic Pork Roast.
We had no idea it was coming. In fact, we didn’t alter our plans to attend the UGA Gym Dog meet just because the white stuff was falling because we really didn’t think it would amount to anything.
I’m sure to all those folks who think it’s warm when we’re freezing at 34 degrees don’t think this amounts to much.
But we’re in Georgia, baby. This is as good as it gets.
And then it was gone.
And it was Monday. I roasted a chicken.
It’s 5 Minute Friday over at Gypsy Mama. It’s both the hardest and the easiest post to write each week. After all, five minute increments is what I write in most of the time, so I can do that. But this letting go and waiting to see what comes out? Sometimes scary. Like today.
Afraid
What am I afraid of in the dark, in the quiet, when my husband breathes deep beside me and my body tenses when I hear the baby cough and wait for the inevitable crying that follows and then I lay down with him nestled close to me and smooth his wild curls and breathe deep his sweet baby scent and the dark is all around, so big, so full, so much more than I can handle?
I’m afraid someday he’ll read this blog and never understand how much I love him now but how hard it was for me to get there past my own selfishness and pride.
I’m afraid my girls will slam doors and throw shoes and hate me when they are teenagers and I will crumble and cave and not have the strength to love them through and discipline their hearts that won’t be ready or capable of being as grown up at 16 as they will want to believe they are.
I’m afraid that because I’m come to understand that grace means I don’t get what I deserve, there is more hardship ahead, more worry, more fear, more obstacles that I won’t know I’m strong enough to face until they are knocking down my door.
I’m afraid I’m not devoted enough. I’m afraid to let go and surrender to what I know would be a fuller life, but a life that is inevitably more complicated because my decisions won’t be liked by everybody.
I’m afraid I’ll raise my kids in a world that is a lukewarm reflection of what should be bright-hot as a coal burning like the fiery furnace Christianity and I will become complacent because I so hate to rock the boat.
Except Jesus is walking on the water and He never needed that boat anyway.
I’ve gotten this reputation lately as possibly being someone who might actually have some facts about motherhood figured out because I have four kids.
Isn’t it funny how the more kids you have, the more people think you know because they assume you have so much more experience than them? I tend to think people with less children than me have the elusive “it” all figured out because they are clicking right along and being all happy-go-lucky with their full-night’s sleep and one load of laundry a day selves. Me, I’m still trying to find my keys and thinking about washing the crock-pot from two days ago that’s still in the sink.
But you know, I believe that if anyone thinks I know anything about this journey, they think that because of where I am now. Which is in a place where I understand that no one ever has it together all of the time
So whether you’re a first time mama or a mama like me who still felt like a first time mama every time another baby was laid all sticky and squalling on my chest, this is for you. Some thoughts and tips I’ve gleaned from four times of bleary eyes and sleepless nights and early precious moments.
1. You will sleep again. Somewhere in between the newborn nighttime feedings and the toddler bed-wetting and the six-year growing pains, you will sleep. It will happen. Maybe it won’t be soon enough. Maybe it won’t be often enough. Maybe it won’t be constant. But you will sleep. I promise.
2. You need to take a shower. How water. Fruity or spicy or just clean smelling soap. A few minutes of quiet in a place where you can’t hear the baby cry. Five minutes is long enough to make you feel better, and sometimes this is an even better than a nap.
3. You will feel better if you get dressed. I know, that seems counter-productive. You only have so much time and I just told you to take a shower and get dressed. But it works, I swear. Something about real clothes and earrings and a hairbrush will help you start to feel normal and just slightly less sleep-deprived.
4. You shouldn’t feel guilty about asking for help. Don’t be a martyr. We weren’t meant to do this alone. It’s okay to ask for help. People want to help you. Well, they want to hold that new baby and they’re usually willing to fold a basket of laundry in exchange.
5. You can let babies sleep somewhere other than a crib. I’m not looking for an argument here about the best sleep patterns. I’m just being real with you. My last two spent the first three months of their lives sleeping in a swing. Both had sinus and reflux problems that meant sleeping flat was misery for them and for me. You reach a point where you need to sleep for at least a four hour chunk and if you can get that by putting baby somewhere other than his bed, do it and don’t stress. Gus sleeps in his bed now and has been there for almost five months. It’s a short term fix that won’t hurt anyone in the long run.
6. You don’t have to have everything done your way. When I have a baby, my mom stays for at least a week. She cooks incredible meals to make me produce lots of breastmilk, brews more coffee than we drink in a month, washes all the dishes every night, and folds my husband’s socks wrong. Who cares? She has a way and most of my ways are hers (learned behavior, you know), but if she does something differently than me, guess what? It’s still done and I didn’t have to do it.
7. You can survive on frozen pizza and Stouffers. Once the meal train stops and the cashier at Chic-fil-a knows you by name, you can opt for the ease of frozen casseroles in the oven. Not only is that simple, look at you, you made dinner!
8. You won’t be a packmule for more than a couple of months. You know how to spot a new mom? The size of her diaper bag. But take heart, you might feel like you have to take everything so you’re prepared for anything, but eventually you will discover the few things that are necessary and embrace the small crossover bag. Or just toss a diaper in your purse and be on your way!
9. You can leave the baby and you’re not a bad mom. When Gus was about two weeks old, I left him with his daddy and went to the salon by myself and got a shampoo and cut. It was heaven. When I came back home, I not only felt better physically, I felt better mentally and could once again cope. So if you have someone you trust, even if it’s just for an hour, even if it’s just to go buy diapers, leave and know you’ll come back a better mom for it.
10. You might think everyone else is doing motherhood better than you, but that’s not true. You were meant to mother this child. Just you. No one else. So what everyone else is doing is what works for them, you do what works for you. I promise, somewhere somebody thinks you’re the one who has it together because you really do.
Linking up with Many Little Blessings.
Just so you know, this isn’t what we’re having for dinner tonight. It sure was good when we had it last week, though. Also, you should probably know I made it up. Usually that turns out pretty well for me. Joshua says I only ever use recipes for inspiration, which is true. This one definitely was inspired by the recipe for Creamed Spinach in this. I love this dish because it’s full of vegetables that kids normally won’t eat alone, but once you wrap something in a tortilla and put cheese on it, mine are begging for more. Well, Annabelle does pick out the tomatoes.
Creamy Spinach and Beef Enchiladas
10-12 tortillas
2 lbs ground beef
1 tbsp taco seasoning (I use this homemade recipe)
1 c fresh spinach
1 tbsp butter
1 can evaporated milk
1 tbsp flour
1 can diced tomatoes w/pepper and onion
1 c shredded monterey jack cheese
In a large pan, brown the ground beef. Sprinkle with taco seasoning while browning. Drain and set aside. In the same pan, saute spinach. Set aside with beef. Melt butter in the pan and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until smooth on medium heat. When mixture thickens, add back in the beef and spinach. Stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper (or more taco seasoning) to taste.
In a casserole dish, pour out half the tomatoes and spread across the bottom of the dish. Spoon beef mixture into tortillas, roll, and place seam side down in dish. My dish will hold 6-8 rolled tortillas. Extras I roll and place in a gallon freezer bag for later. (I just thawed and cooked some last week and they froze really well.) Top tortillas with remaining tomatoes and then sprinkle cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake on 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes more until bubbly.
Now how about this for dessert? That’s my mama’s lemon pound cake. She made it for our the first Payne-ful Sunday dinner of the year yesterday. My siblings and I are trying to hang out more and have less drama. So instead we played a board game.
It went pretty well.
Gus is bonding with his Uncle Corey, who my girls still call Uncle Bubby. Corey’s going to teach him how to survive in a house full of girls. He should know how, after all.
Poor Gus. They just try to keep him contained all the time. Doesn’t work.
Yeah, that’s my onion bin.
It’s 6:37. I’ve been working on this all day in brief moments that I can snatch between fussy baby, laundry, vacuuming, making butternut bisque over orzo with sausage (that’ll be next week’s Monday Menu post, I told you I’m always behind). I think I’m done.
Enjoy!
