Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Two Titles: It is very Iowa City of me and I am my father's child

Today I went to the afternoon farmer's market for the first time this season. In our quest to eat more locally, Bill and I have decided to try to buy all our produce from the market this summer. His only instructions were to buy something he could steam. So armed with my reusable Wegman's grocery bag (how very green of me) here's what I came back with...
1. two fistfuls of locally grown asparagus
2. one cilantro plant because we buy so much at the grocery store, I have decided to try to grow it. (p.s. i googled cilantro growing when i got home and realized it is considered the hardest herb to grow and i am sure the zillion bunnies who live in our yard will eat the entire plant within my first day of having it outside but at least i tried)
3. two crab rangoons from the vendor on the north side of the market
4. a head of some type of green which is a lettuce i'm almost sure of it (p.s. everyone at the farmer's market is really smart about plants and my friend, Ali, couldn't come so i didn't want to ask any questions such as 'how do you grow cilantro?' or 'is that lettuce?' that i just bought it. i mean, i have the reusable grocery bag in my hand so i look the part, i didn't want to open my mouth and erase all doubt)
5. two fried spring rolls from the vendor on the south side of the market

what makes me today more of my father's child than yesterday is that my dad likes to eat his way through places. i.e. when i was a child and we went to the farmer's market, he stopped at like every vendor who had something ready to eat which drove my mom kind of crazy because that meant we moved very slowly through the aisles. as a former owner and main baker of a family bakery in the late 70s, my dad is very fond of pastries. we ate our way through France several times stopping at every pastry shop we saw just in case this one was different than that last four we just bought and ate stuff from. i fondly remembered that today as i got crab rangoons from the guy on one end and then the spring rolls on the other end. it would have been made complete if i stopped at the amish table to buy a bag of cookies or pastries half way through the market between my fried asian treats. but today i weighed in at weight watchers so i fought the temptation.

i got home and Nile astutely asked me if my friend asian treats were considered eating locally. "probably not," i mumbled with a mouth of spring roll, "but they sure are good. i love the farmer's market"

Unexpected Blessing

ok i have an awkward relationship with mother's day as a step mom. the first year after i become a step mom, bill said to me expressing just how puzzled we both felt about it, "i didn't get you anything for mother's day because you are really not a mom". slightly hurtful, but blazingly true nonetheless. i am not a mom. the next year i got a card Nile made in school with the explanation, "i was the only kid who got to make two which means i got to use the puffy paint longer than anyone else. i love puffy paint". fair enough, not the sentiment i was going for but hey if having me around means more puffy paint time, then bring it on. i always feel weird at church when they honor moms and usually sneak out to the bathroom so i can 'casually' miss it.

a few sundays ago I had a great prayer time with a friend about how i was feeling being a step mom. resentful. a failure. she prayed for me, encouraged me and blessed me. i have felt more free in my role (whatever that truly is) in the last few weeks. this weekend i was in NYC visiting my brother's family and my folks. i took an earlier flight home, called Bill to surprise him that i was only 20 minutes away on the highway. he didn't sound overly excited for my early arrival and said, "use the front door." "why?" i asked. "because i said so" he responded. so dutifully i drove in the driveway and came in the front door. this is what i saw.... an unexpected blessing.

that pink sign says 'Thank you'

that is Nile's handwriting. "it was nile's idea" bill shouts from the living room as I walk in to this scene. nile had decorated the house to celebrate mother's day early as they will be with their mom next week. "i made you card", Nile said, "it is on the table". i almost started to cry. i was speechless.

here are the cards they made. Gabby was just finishing hers as i walked in; she used a shell we got from the beach in florida to make a butterfly on my card.

here is the insides of Nile's along with a $10 gift card to Starbucks.


Gabby's inside says 'thanks for all you do for us!'

Nile had also set the table, I got to have the "You are special today" red plate and Bill made dinner. it was certaintly a homecoming to remember. i was sad leaving my folks today, we had another crying scene at the security line like we always do, i have that fleeting thought that i wish i was closer to home but then i walked into the door of my house and realized i was home. and i love my family.

p.s. after we took the kids home, i asked Bill about how much prompting was behind it all. he said on Friday when he picked them up, he said this "i am only going to say this once and you don't have to feel any pressure, but it would be nice if you made Katie a card for mother's day but you can decide if you want to" he reports he didn't remind them again or say anything else about it.

This just happened

Ok so I know we don't live in a metropolis and i'm glad we don't have lots of burglaries and murders and car jacking etc but seriously did this just happen on our 10 o'clock news....

1. the top story was about the potholes on a state highway that are going to get attention now that the Governor drove on that road today. good thing for us because apparently only pissing off the Governor who doesn't even own the car he is driven around is matters when it comes to road repairs

2. the second story went like this...
anchor 1: an 80 year old couple in Jones County welcomed 5 kids today... kid goats that is.
anchor 2: chuckle chuckle
anchor 1: so and so old farm couple in whatever county had 5 kid goats today. "i couldn't believe it; I had to count them twice" said old man farmer
anchor 2: chuckle chuckle
anchor 1: so and so old farm couple is helping Matilda, their goat, feed the kids with a baby bottle (cute shots of kids goats drinking from a baby bottle) and proud dad goat wanted to let everyone know that no fertility treatments we used. it was all natural
anchor 2: chuckle chuckle
anchor 1: until they think of names they are calling them kid 1, kid 2, kid 3, kid 4, kid 5
anchor 2: oh anchor 1, chuckle chuckle, what a heartwarming story. we'll be right back.
break to commercial

how do they even do their job seriously? you can't make this stuff up!

Date Night

Long time, no blog.


Bill has been really busy the last few months preparing for his recertification board exam which happens tomorrow. He has been diligent in reading, note taking, stressing, practice questioning, reading some more, stressing some more and it has really consumed most of his time since we went to Puerto Rico in Feb. So with that said, our time together has been limited as well.

Tonight we have our house group for church which we lead. All the couples take turn leading discsussion on marriage type issues. Tonight our friend, Fran, wanted us to listen to a sermon from Dave S. at the Cambridge Vineyard on marriage. Bill didn't think he was going to have time with his studying. But last night we stopped everything just for 37 minutes, sat around the computer together and listened. What a refreshing date night it was for us.

I highly recommend everyone listen to it with their spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend (Lizzie- I mean you!) ; life is busy I know, kids are crazy, work is stressful but if you can find the time to listen to this, I think you'll find blessing in your marriage. The link is below. He talked some about the 5 love languages which everyone may already know about but it is always helpful to be reminded. One of his main points is that we tend to love our spouse the way that makes us feel loved but if that is not our spouse's love language, it really isn't helping. Case in point... our first year of marriage I planned a surprise birthday party for Bill because that is what I would have liked to feel loved and appreciated on my birthday, turns out he hated it, was grumpy like the entire night, we got into a fight about it, I sulked at his reaction which I couldn't believe (who doesn't like a surprise party?) and I have since learned that is my not husband's love language. I have done better in the years since.

It is the January 13th sermon you will find on this page.

http://vcfcaudio.bostonvineyard.org/podcast/vcfgb-podcast.html

Also this link below is a great little 2 minute quiz to figure out your love language. We were both right about our own and each others. We have come a long way in 3 years. :-)

http://www.greaterquest.com/LoveLanguages.asp

Demoralization

Ok I am totally demoralized about these stupid curtain rods. It has been a saga. (If you are new to my blog and don't know what I am trying to accomplish with new window trimming, check out my old blog entitled Help Wanted! and you'll see the before pictures including my nemesis, the bay window) I first bought an entire set that I liked from Bed Bath and Beyond only to figure out the wall attachment apparatus was very confusing and looked weird when assembled. Also the entire set not including the curtains was over $300 and that is just a ridiculous amount to spend, in my opinion. So I returned them all. The one thing the set from Bed Bath and Beyond had which I really need was the hinge brackets for the bay window. JC Penneys has the same hinge brackets but not with any colors/sets we like. We decided black too stark and we needed a bronzy/brownish. Then I went to Menards and Lowes and Target and Kmart and Walmart (gasp!) only to find no hinge corner brackets anywhere; but at least they were cheaper. I take that back Lowes has the hinge corners for either wood or really fat (1 3/8 in diameter) rods both sets which would have been more expensive than Bed Bath and Beyond. So I was no better off and was about to fashion some sticks from the front yard into curtain rods.

I finally got Bill to Lowes and we picked out a set we liked without the hinge bracket. He said we'd figure something out. Valiant thought but we're not Kate or Dani or my dad so I don't know who he thinks between the two of us will figure it out :-) This is where my demoralization comes in. I really want to use clip rings so the corner of the bay window needs to be flush and continuous or it will look odd. My other option is to forego the clip rings and just hang the curtain on the rod so at the corner the curtain will cover up the small gap in the rod. I am beginning to feel as if this bay window is the bane of my existence. I can't be the only person ever not wanting to spend a fortune who happens to have a bay window in their house. I have added some pictures and need advice. Maybe I do forego my dream of clip rings and just hang them. Maybe someone out there, aka my dad or Kate or Dani, can jerryrig something at the corner. No one is going to look that closely. The reason I like the clip rings is that I think it makes the curtain hang more evenly and not look so bunchy.

Here is a picture of my two options... clip rings or no clip rings. Regardless I think the color looks nice. Sage was Kate's idea.

I just like how this looks. It is especially important for the small window in this room so that the entire window is not covered by fabric as the curtains are probably 'too wide' for that window but I got all the same ones for the entire room.

Here is the 'bunch' option. Any way to make this bunch more evenly especially at the ends??
Here is the exact angle I have to overcome. I mean seriously a piece of black chewing gum may work. The end of the rods have a screw hole in them so they are not hollow. The corner turners at JCPenney and Bed Bath and Beyond fit into hollow rods. Bill thinks he can cut the end of the rod until they are hollow and use the ones from the other stores. These rods are 3/4 inch in diameter and they are considered dark brown.

I was so demoralized when I left Lowes for like the millionth time today I had to stop at Starbucks drive thru on my way home. I think I keep going back in hopes that they will suddenly be stocking hinge brackets in the diameter and color I need or that I'll just walk up and down all the aisle and suddenly get an inspiration or look lost enough to have someone stop and help. Hey their slogan is "Let's build something together". Back to Starbucks, at least I had the self control to get the skinny caramel frappachino and not the one loaded on top with whipped cream even though that is what I wanted. I employed a strategy I learned from Ali in weight watchers...before you eat, you should H.A.L.T. Ask yourself are you hungry? angry? lonely? or tired? or just demoralized by curtain rods? I got a vente and it was gone before I got home... ooo that was tasty even without the whipped cream!

baby Ethan

Our great missionary friends in Mazatlan, Kyle and Ellen Benefield, just had their baby on the 15th. They have answered God's call to live among the poor in Mazatlan to preach the good news and they decided to have their baby there in Mazatlan. Honestly, I was a bit worried for them and didn't know why they just didn't come 'home' for the birth. But that is home to them. Bill and I are constantly in awe of their committment and passion to have picked up and moved so far from home to make a new home. You should check out their blog (link on the R) and check out the video/pictures of Ethan. The room in the hospital she had him in was so interesting to see after seeing many American 'birthing suites'. You can get some good shots of the cute little house they live in as well. They are in the middle of God's will for their lives in Mazatlan and I am so proud to be their friends. I am getting excited to go to Mazatlan in a few weeks to see baby Ethan and I am sure I'll have half a suitcase for sure full of goodies.

Earthquake

Early this morning at about 4:30 am (and I only know the time because my mom got us one of those cool clocks which projects the time on the wall in the dark) we were awoken by some shaking. The open door to our bedroom was rattling. It lasted for about 20 seconds and then stopped. Groggily I said to Bill, what was that? An earthquake maybe, he replied. Good answer for a guy who has never felt an earthquake before. I got to work today, checked out the news and there was a 5.2 scale earthquake whos epicenter was in central Il. Who would have thunk it? Here I was all this time thinking I lived squarely in the middle of a stable tectonic plate. Apparently not all the faults are in California. Anyone else feel it?