Two happy projects...

 Yesterday and today have been more on the rainy side, inside and out, as Luke has been getting over a cold, yet not wanting to take his naps, and Evan is getting not two, but three big teeth apparently. Not much has made them happy, but tough noogies on them, I have been able to, amidst the craziness, to hold onto my sanity by doing some very quick projects that have made me uplifted in their small ways. Even with Evan carrying on, I managed to save a rotting pumpkin (when I picked it up today the whole stem fell out) by cutting away the mushy stem and surrounding area, scooping out the seeds and pulp (thank you Mom for the grapefruit spoon! I may never eat grapefruit, but it IS so handy for things like this), and stuffing a small plastic container inside. Then, with the boys in the double stroller with the little covers over their heads, I headed out into the rain for two minutes to pick some of what's left of our garden: purple sage, dusty miller, deep red mums, and hark! some last roses! This was my outcome and it makes me quite pleased:

Step 1 done:

I don't know if Martha Stewart has thought of this yet, but I really do think this little arrangement is quite lovely, especially resting on my  'new' $1 wicker chair from the side of the road that I picked up last Saturday:

This was today. 

Yesterday my  little project that I did while the boys played with water balloons (waterless of course) on my bed, putting them in and out of an old cup (really who needs toys?), I was able to make what I posted below. I got the idea from my dear friend Cynthia's bathroom last week when I was visiting (and using the bathroom). I was reminded of my random sheet of paper that I hand wrote Bible verses on and just taped on the wall next to the toilet at my parents house when I was, oh, maybe 12. Don't ask me why it's taken over a decade to repeat such a good idea... 

You know how some days it is ever-so-hard to get in quiet time with the Lord (or quiet time period). Well, everyone's gotta pee, so why not post His Word right where necessity calls everyday? A good idea? I think so. So here's what I came up with and framed in a cheapo $5 frame from Micheal's and hung in my bathroom. (I hope you do not find this in any way irreverent, for God tells us to 'hide His Word in our hearts' and to 'meditate on it day and night.' To do this calls for some creativity, don't you think?) I think the next 'framed verse art' I do, for my other bathroom, will have verses related to God's promises...

 

~ Home Rules ~

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, 

and with all your strength.” 

Deuteronomy 6:5

“ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 
meditate on it day and night, 
so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. T
hen you will be prosperous and successful. 
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. 
Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, 
for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” 
Joshua 1:8-9

 “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.” 
1 Chron. 16:34

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” 
Prov. 3: 5-6

 

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
 through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”

Proverbs 24: 3-4

 (Thomas Kinkade from google images)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in Me.” 
John 14:1

 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, 
but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, 
but also to the interests of others.” Phil 2: 3-4

“Clothe yourselves with compassion, 
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. 
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, 
which binds them all together in perfect unity.” 
Col. 3: 12-14

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, 
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Have a great day folks!

Pancakes and Camelot

Recently I had a spontaneous invitation to attend a Taste of Home Cooking Show with a sweet lady from church. Turns out she happened to run into an old friend at the mall who invited her to stuff 'goody' bags for a 1,000 people for this thing and in return she got some free tickets- front row dead center! Who would she share this experience with? Well, as it turns out, she thankfully remembered that I loved to cook and "would I like to join her this evening at 7?" Indeed I would! So off I went three hours later (thanks to a kind husband who watched two little people so I could go). Now as much fun as I had, 6 or more straight years of watching cooking shows every Saturday made me a little too, um, how should I put this, experienced for the caliber of cooking this master chef guy was doing...whoopie pies, salads, little pork sliders, chocolate cake, ranchos heuvos,...But this is Taste of Home we're talking about, not Gourmet magazine.
Needless to say I had a wonderful night and got inspired to make many new, simple recipes. Which at this point in my life is a necessity!
So in our bag of goodies was many things, one of which was a mini King Arthur Flour recipe booklet. Now let me tell you, I'm all about buying generic and cheap. But when it comes to King Arthur Flour, it is worth the money folks! Well, maybe not for thickening soup, but if you're going to make breads and cakes galore, no other flour compares. Really. But enough free advertising... one of their recipes was a whole-grain pancake mix. Since Luke asks me to make pancakes every other day, I wanted to try it.
Side note: I've really been evaluating how much wheat flour I eat, and trying to get my kids eating more of a variety of grains and less white flour products...I feel better when I eat eggs and oatmeal and fruit instead of a stack of pancakes, so I figure they will to. Alas, I have tried making healthy pancakes many times, with dismal success. Hard and flat and gluey have been my outcomes.
So this recipe caught my attention because months ago I had bought King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour when it was on sale so I could see what it was like. (It's wonderful by the way, very mild).  I also used some organic spelt flour since I had it on hand. And I use much less salt and oil than it calls for and they are still wonderful. I have made these pancakes three times in 10 minutes flat and the kids love them and I love them. So enjoy!

Charis' King Arthur Whole Grain Pancakes

2 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour (really, who else makes the stuff?)

2 cups organic whole grain spelt flour (if you can’t find this, just use the white whole wheat instead)

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

3 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats

3 TB. raw sugar

3 TB. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 TB. baking soda

2/3 cup vegetable oil

In a food processor or blender, in batches if necessary, process oats until chopped fine, but not powdered. Add all ingredients and mix together well. Store in fridge or freezer.

To make pancakes, simply mix 1 cup mix with 1 cup buttermilk and 1 egg. Let sit for 5 minutes. Drop by ¼ cupfuls onto a slightly greased nonstick skillet or griddle and cook until puffy and set around the edges, about 2 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Makes 6-8 small pancakes (which is perfect for me and two little boys!)

And speaking of Arthur, something else that excited me recently was the much awaited return of the BBC show Merlin (which airs in the UK). We have watched all three seasons faithfully and have been waiting impatiently all summer for the next season to start =: ) And last night I discovered that one of my dear friends from college loves the show too! Ah the little things that make us smile...

By the way, I tried to teach Luke 

that the face on a quarter is George Washington, 

but he adamently insists it is Jesus.

Have a good day!

Prayer

Recently I've come across some wonderful quotes about prayer that have renewed my mind to pray more devotedly and more reverently.

I hope you find them helpful and encouraging today:

From Joy and Strength~

"More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheep or goats that nourish a blind life within the brain, if, knowing God, they lift not hands or prayer both for themselves and those who call them friend? For so the whole round earth is every way bound by gold chains about the feet of God." - Alfred Tennyson

"Perhaps we do not think enough what an effective service prayer is, especially intercessory prayer. We do not believe as we should how it might help those we so fain would serve, penetrating the hearts we cannot open, shielding those we cannot guard, teaching where we cannot speak, comforting where our words have no power to soothe; following the steps of our beloved throught the toils and perplexities of the day, lifting off their burdens with an unseen hand at night. No ministry is so like that of an angel as this- silent, invisible, known but to God." Elizabeth Rundle Charles

"Prayer, talking with God, is vital in building an exciting relationship with Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 5:17 says we are to pray without ceasing, but no one can pray all the time! What this verse describes is an attitude of prayer. Think of it in this way: whenever my mind is disengaged (such as when I clean a bathtub), my thoughts can go to prayer instead of to resentment, anxiety, or frustration. I can thank God for my children as I load the dishwasher, and I can ask for His help as I drive the car pool to school..." Linda Dillow, Creative Counterpart

"What a friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and griefs to bear

What a privelege to carry 

every thing to God in prayer.

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry 

Everything to God in prayer

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful?

Who will all our sorrows share!

Jesus knows our every weakness;

Take it to the Lord in prayer."

-Joseph Scrivens

Have a good one!

Joy =

 

In the midst of very rainy days, when one can easily get 'bogged' down with the endless thankless mundane tasks that need to be done, it is good to think of the few moments that truly make life worth living: 

So here are some of mine as of the last few days~

Joy = watching a movie, a fresh, uplifting movie at that, WITH the ever-so-nice looking Ryan Reynolds while snuggling with the MUCH more nice looking hubby. (Cause if you're going to spend the time watching a movie the people in it mine as well be good looking!) School of Life I think it was called.

Joy = Evan laughing when Luke runs around the house dancing and singing for no reason

Joy = chex muddy buddies in my mouth

Joy = a clean, dusted, and organized desk, which is not what I wake up to 363 days of the year. So it's nice when it happens=; )

Joy = reading a good book for 15 minutes before going to bed. On my bed stand right now is Gary Smalley's "The Key to Your Child's Heart" and Linda Dillow's "Creative Counterpart"

Joy = how thrilling it can be when Luke gets up from his froggy potty and there's actually pee in it. It makes his (and my) day. Ah the little things the constitute a reason to call Ed at work.

 

Joy = cooking with summer's bounty: 

 

Joy = listening to the sound of rain as I fall asleep. I love it, love it, love it. I also love that my boys tend to sleep longer when it's dark and dreary outside, whether day or night. 

Joy = talking to one of my best friends in the whole world for 2 hours on the phone (the kids weren't very happy about it, but who cares? Not me!) Hadn't talked to Bethany for nearly 10 months, so it was wonderful catching up.

 

Joy = finally getting a plane ticket for my first ever sisters reunion in Chicago sans kids. Just us three girls (and Josh =: ) Can. Not. Wait!

Joy = watching Shaun the Sheep with Luke and Ed...so gotta go!

What are your little joys in all this gloomy weather?

 

 "There is joy in the Lord,

There is love in his Spirit

There is hope in the knowledge of Him..."

 

 

 

 

Diamantopoulos Family Reunion- Part 2

On any given trip when you are in close proximity to others for an extended length of time, you get to know certain things about them that you may not have known, or at least fully realized, before.
Even with the siblings that I was closes to in age and home schooled with (i.e. Peter and J.D.), there are little things that come out that make you realize afresh how wonderful they are.

 (We are missing Rebekah in this picture, but I love her too =: )

 

Take games for example:

On our vacation, second night in, Peter announces to us all that we are going to play Things. Well, if you have not played this game, you need to. Particularly with 12 of your closest family members. Oh, and make it late at night. And throw in a few alcoholic beverages (just a few mind you, no drunken revelries here!). And of course there has to be that random silly answer that keeps popping up in each session that rhymes with moo but starts with a p. (but with all kinds of prefixes and suffixes and titles as to make it fresh each time).  This notorious word has been winding it's way for years through the Diamantopoulos 'Things' marathons, and has not yet ceased to have its merry effect.
Speaking of merry:

 Third night in, Peter again gathers us all up after the babies are asleep and makes us play A Minute to Win It. Now I have only seen maybe 5 minutes of an episode of this popular tv show, so I knew the jist. Silly stuff, in less than a minute, prizes....you get the picture. Although the prize in this night of craziness was not money, but something much better: Laughter. True. Ridiculous. Howling. Laughter.

I dare not post the pictures I have of this night for all to see or I might be disowned by some of my dear family members. So just imagine this:

First challenge: Contesters must start with an oreo on their eye, and carefully, without using any hands, slide it down their face, into their mouth, and eat it. Have you tried this? Have seen some one try it? Have you seen my MOTHER try it? Well, she hopped at the chance, and my husband, being very fond of oreos too, challenged her. Mom won (but only by a fraction of a second).

Thing I realized afresh: my mother is VERY competitive. And so is my husband!

Another challenge that JD made up (during an interlude for blueberry pie) was picking up a bunch of pencils with only your toes and putting them into a basket. I have never seen my chemical-engineer brother perform such a non-graceful act in my life...you had to be there!

New thing I realized: I miss J.D.'s laugh, and well, everyone's =; )

But I believe the most hilarious part of the evening was the challenge of hitting plastic cups off of four chairs placed in a circle in the room, with your tail (comprised of a scarf tied to a belt with a pompom at the end). Can you picture this? Ok, now add to your picture my very smart, handsome, TALL, college professor brother-in-law in his capri-lenghth pj's and unbrushed hair figuring this whole thing out. And as you may well know, the best technique for this kind of thing is to spin around and swing your hips and stick your butt out all the while twirling your arms to have some eloquence. It worked pretty well for him...but not so much as far as time (remember, fastest time wins!). So then went Rachel. Her technique was a little different. It just involved spinning and spinning with all her might...Well, it looked so fun that half of us had to try the tail swooshing act...My mother, Francis, Ed, ...again, if you want to try this at home, make sure it's with close friends or family that you don't mind making an absolute hilarious fool of yourself in front of!

Thanks Peter for providing the ideas and action to make some nights we won't soon forget!

I hope there will many more fun game nights in our future...

Luke says: 

"Mommy, I like lollipopses!"

"Mommy, draw some beakses" (for the duck)

The kid hasn't had a hint of LOTR, and he's already talking like Gollum. Hmm...

Well, hope you had a good laugh with me! Until next time~