Happy birthday Luke!

Last Saturday my Luke turned 2. Hard to believe, but I'm sure the day he turns 21 will be tomorrow ( I know you older ladies can attest to this fact). But for now I plan on cherishing his jibber jabber as much as I can.

I know it's hard to tell with newborns what their personality will be- we're still trying to figure Evan out- but so far I can say for certain that Luke is a mix of Edward and me. Here's what I mean:

He is cute (Ed...duh!).
But he looks like my baby pictures...and the blond hair he obviously gets from me.
He loves to talk (both of us).
He gets easily frustrated (me).
He loves to read and learn (both of us).
He loves to help out (Ed).
He loves to eat chips and popcorn (this is a hard one =: ).
He has a happy spirit, and an infectious laugh. I'll let you decide who he gets those traits from.

We love you Luke!

For his birthday, Ed and I went in together to create a masterful "cakketwuck". Not the most professional, but we had fun together, and at least we didn't pay gazillions for it~ To relive the celebration, simply click here.

Be thankful.

There is a difference I believe in giving thanks, and being thankful. The former is done easily enough in words or a kind gesture, but the latter is a state of being. That is what I am trying to work on. I don't want to just give thanks at dinner, or only thank Jesus for dying on the cross for me during communion, or thanking God when I happen to see a beautiful sunset.
I want to BE thankful. Always. In the good times and the not so good times. For whatever my day may hold, I am told to be thankful for it is God's will. And I don't know about you but it seems easy to be thankful for the big things in life (like salvation, family, a good job, good health, etc.) but often times I am not even close to being 'thankful in all things ' in the daily humdrum of life.

So as I make scrambled eggs for breakfast for the 800th time, I will be thankful for my electric stove.
As I wash my dishes, I will be thankful I can just turn the faucet on and water magically comes out- hot OR cold.
As I change on average 10 diapers a day, I will be thankful for the convenience of disposable diapers.
If I burn my pork chops on the stove, I will be thankful I have other options for dinner in my pantry, and that I don't have to go out and butcher my own pigs.
As I get stressed about doing a rushed afternoon of errands without the kids, I will be thankful that I don't have to sheer the sheep to make the yarn to make the clothes. And that I don't have to take care of a horse to get me to all these places.

And you know what else I'm thankful for? CD players that play relaxing music whenever I want.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture...

As much as I love reading books and watching movies based on the 'olden days', I am SOOO thankful for the modern conveniences that too often we take for granted. I don't want to spend my time complaining about the little things when I can, simply (with the full knowledge that this task is NOT so simple), BE thankful in all circumstances.

So what can you be thankful for?

Even youths grow tired and weary!

You know those days. Your hands and feet ache for no reason. You feel like you haven't slept in five days even after 8ish hours. The dishes loom like evil monsters on your counter. The toys have multiplied from 50 to 2000 on your floor, daring you to see if you can walk over them repeatedly without tripping. The poop in the diapers smells worse than normal. The snot doesn't stop dripping from little noses. Oh, and there's nothing ready to eat. YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT YOURSELF.
 But lest you think God is not on your side and there can be no victory over these mundane trials, this is what happened to me on such a day:

1. An unexpected call from a very dear friend and mentor.

2. An unexpected care package from one of my best friends in the whole world.

 3. An unexpected visit from the best mom-in-law ever dropping off some daily bread =: )

And to top it all off,

4. Wonderful parents who babysit so Ed and I could have an awesome date night at a Hibachi grill, where they not only cook the food fresh in front of your face with fun tricks and flare, but they CUT IT UP for you so you don't even have to use a knife!!

  So if you find yourself too, like we all do at times, overwhelmed by the trials that face your particular life (little and large), be encouraged that Jesus knows our every weakness, and he knows EXACTLY what we need to have our joy and zest for life renewed. He is our #1 encourager and provider of ALL good things!

  "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength..."

And here is a little something to make you laugh via my Dad. You will enjoy this and hopefully laugh as much as I did.  Paul Zerdin Ventriliquist

Oh and a few pictures of the cuteness that I wake up to each day:

"Luke, what does a fish do?"

Until next time...As one of my favorite Rich Mullins songs goes: "Peace to you~ peace of Christ to you!"

"Bears. Beets. Battle Star Galactica."

If you haven't seen the episode of The Office where Jim impersonates Dwight, you're missing out! These three 'B's'  are things that Dwight loves of course. Unlike him, however, I do NOT like beets (bears and Battle Star Galactica I can handle). Here are some of my reasons:

#1: They look like dirt.

#2: They taste like dirt.

#3: They may resemble a rat on your counter:

Nonetheless, when beets are forced on you by your local community produce co-op (which is wonderful except for the main fact that you do not choose what produce you get each week), and you do not want to just throw them in the trash, and you can't find anyone else who likes them either, you go to allrecipes.com and look up 'beets' and see if anything would make this humble vegetable worth eating. 

So this is what I did about a month ago when beets starting making a regular appearance in our produce share. And low and behold, I found a Chocolate Beet Bundt Cake recipe that is absolutely delicious. 

"CAKE! EVERYBODY LIKES CAKE!" - Donkey

"I don't care what everyone likes! Ogres are NOT like cakes." - Shrek

So I read reviews on it just to make sure it wasn't chocolate cake that tasted like, well, dirt, but all the comments were positive enough for me to try it. Long story short, I have made it three times now and anyone who has tasted it cannot tell at all that there are beets in it...just tastes like amazingly moist chocolate cake. 

Me being me, I have altered it somewhat, so here's my version. So if you happen to find yourself with edible rats on your counter this fall, now you know what to do with them!!

Chocolate Beet Bundt Cake

1 cup butter, divided

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

4 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine

2 tsp. vanilla

3 TB. cocoa

2 1/4 cups unbleached, all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4-5 beets

1. Clean beets and cut ends off. Wrap in foil and roast in a 400 degree oven until tender, about an hour. Cool, peel, and process in blender with a little water until smooth. Add enough water if needed to make about  2 cups. Reduce oven to 350.

2. Melt chocolate and 1/4 of the butter in the microwave on high for 45-60  seconds. Stir to smooth.  Let cool slightly.

3. Beat the remaining 3/4 of the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat several minutes. Add vanilla, chocolate, and beet puree. Beat until smooth. Mix together all the dry ingredients and add in 2-3 additions, beating on low speed, until combined. Scrape down bowl and beat another 30 seconds or so until smooth and thoroughly combined. 

4. Spray a 10" bundt pan with cooking spray. Spread batter into it and smooth with a spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack and cool completely. 

All this cake needs is a little powdered sugar or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you're good to go. Freezes beautifully as well. Enjoy!