Hawaii...Part 3

 Ok, so here we are on a little one acre size lava island...ahem, I mean Bird Sanctuary! The guys did this stand-up paddle board thing which looked a little crazy to me, so I opted for the kayak route. Right in Kailua Bay, where the mountains loom on one side and the endless sea on the other, and the crystal blue warm water underneath (including a few sea turtle sightings!) we spent several not quite relaxing but WONDERFUL hours! As I was sitting in the kayak with all this beauty around me, it struck me that just the night before I had read in Psalm 136:5-6~

Give thanks...to Him who alone does great wonders, 

His love endures forever.

Who made the heavens so skillfully...

and set the earth upon the waters, 

His love endures forever.

 Next up was exploring the 'underworld' by means of snorkeling in very calm, clear waters. Thanks Matt for showing us Hanauma Bay too! We saw all kinds of beautiful fish, sea turtles munching away...just look how blue that water is behind us. Well, everywhere!

 Another day Joe took us to this little island off shore up in the North Shore area, where we had to wade a couple hundred yards over some pretty jagged reefy rock (thanks water shoes!) to another minature paradise for birds. On the other side of that land oasis were the most magnificent deathly dangerous waves crashing into the lava rock that I have EVER seen. Too bad we didn't take our camera...but I will never forget those waves!

 Blonnie and I on the windiest spot on the whole island I bet! And below the boys are trying to show just how windy by leaning into the gusts! Can't remember the name of this lookout but it was gorgeous, and right in the middle of the mountain range that Jurassic Park and Lost were filmed in.

Maui: After spending a week with the Crispins and Matt, we headed off on a 25 minute flight to Maui for another 6 days to enjoy...Whales, rain forests, more snorkeling, good food, and more sun! And again, I can't believe how blue the water is there. Magnificent!

 Hello humpback whale! Thanks for making our trip truly memorable!

View from the beach in Kihei, a 30 second walk from our resort. Everyone would line up for the 5 minutes it took for the sun to set and totally disappear. It was so fast! But apparently lingering sunsets do not exist so close to the equator, which I did not know. In another 7 seconds this sun was gone! But our evenings were full of very bright stars =: )

Ok, back to non-vacation life with a bang! Boys fighting, dinner is needing someone to make it, and pink-eye medicine needs to be administered. Sigh...And Luke is DEMANDING more crackers. So got to go!

Have a good one!

Trip of a lifetime Part 2...Hawaii!

 Sun, warmth, more sun, smile...sigh....I don't know how we could have not had a good time in such a place! No wonder why people will fly around the world to go to Hawaii! It's gorgeous!

 Day 1: My dear friend Blonnie picks us up from the airport. We go out to eat (fabulous!), soak in the sun, and try not to fall asleep as we tool around before picking Blonnie up from work and heading back to her house to make dinner, and pass out shortly after =: ) Blonnie and Joe graciously let us stay at their place while on Oahu, AND let us borrow their cars for all our sightseeing dreams...Joe even was our personal tour guide for a whole day. More on that to come...

 Day 2: We drove up towards the North Shore, and stopped at the Dole Pineapple Plantation, where we were told just the day before when we were eating at a diner that we HAD to try the pineapple soft serve they have there...Amazing! I also did not know that pineapples grew on little bushes on the ground =: )

 This is a rainbow eucalyptus tree...we had never seen bark like that before. Isn't it beautiful? I will tell you now, it will never cease to amaze me how much variety there is in creation. We serve a very imaginative God, that's for sure!

 COLORS!

 Up at the North Shore, the waves are the best for surfing. And the vehicles that transport the surfers and surf boards also caught our eye =: )

We spent about an hour at the Waimea (there might be a few more vowels in that word, not sure) Bay beach park, which was spent in total glorious breezy sun. Any longer and these very white folks would've gotten burnt the first day, but while we were there we enjoyed watching the CRAZY waves- and the crazy people in the waves. This pic does not do it justice but the waves here were literally 20-30 feet high and then would crash into the ground with a foot to spare. Dangerous! The lifegaurd kept calling out to not go in or you could drown very easily, even if you were an experienced swimmer. So let's just say that I got my feet wet =: )

That night we went back to Joe and Blonnie's and made steak and chicken on the grill, and Ed's brother Matt came to join us for dinner and then brought us back to his place on the other side of the island so we could start first thing in the morning with more fun on his day off.

More adventure to come!

A little fun with the little man

 Some fun in with the curly-haired boy...

 It's only this curly when it's wet...

 The comb-over...

 And who said you can only play with girls' hair?

Trip of a lifetime...Part 1: Seattle!

February flew by, literally, with cleaning the house and packing, 9 planes, 4 destinations, cold and warm adventures, family, friends, and well, having a darn good time with my best friend!
From February 10th-26th my husband and I took a trip of a lifetime, or at least the kind of trip that we only expect to be able to do several times: i.e. two weeks with no kids. And as more children come along we assume it will only get harder to get future getaways like this.
So before I go any further I must again say a huge thank you to my parents, Ed's parents, and my wonderful sister and brother-in-law who all watched the boys while Ed and I took this absolutely wonderful trip!! We couldn't have had such a relaxing (well, at least mentally) and easy travel experience with two little toddlers!

So the first stop on our journey...Seattle! Home of the space needle, grey skies, and my dear sister Rachel and her husband Greg and my nephew Francis.
Ed took full advantage of his super tech phone as soon as we got there, scouting out all there is to do, so after spending our first day seeing a great basketball game where Francis scored the opening 2 pointer!, and eating a scrumptious Sicilian dinner downtown, Ed directed us to free sailing around the inner harbor, and glass blowing (which was not free, but definitely worth it!). One weekend was not nearly enough to indulge in all that Seattle has to offer, but it did help us break up our jetlag and it was awesome to spend some quality time with my family =: )

 Francis at the helm

 Here's Ed having a go:

Right from the cold we went to do something a bit warmer: Off to make some glass art!

Here's Ed making a glass paper weight:

 And Francis twisting and twirling the colors into his paperweight:

 And I decided to go for an ornament, which was a bit trickier because I had to blow the glass...

 That furnace was super hot and that little teeny piece of plexiglass wasn't helping too much. HOT stuff!

 About 10 repeats of blowing with all my might and we got it the right size ! It came out beautifully!

One thing I learned about my husband on this trip was how truly interested he is in SO many different hobbies and things. It's fun to see him get so excited about trying new things. He gets as giddy as a little kid! We've all sailed before, but not in Seattle! And none of us had ever blown glass or seen the process as we did that Sunday afternoon. So thanks Ed for opening up our world of experiences a bit more. We all enjoyed it!

And thanks Nyssens for spending a whole weekend with us and showing us around your lovely hometown. Miss you already!

Stay tuned for more adventures: Sea-kayaking, humpback whale watching, snorkeling, and a luau, among other things, are coming up next =: )

Winter games

I don't know about you, but this past January was pretty much hibernation month for us. I felt like I never went anywhere...resting up after the holidays, trying to implement new resolutions, SICKNESS, and tiredness, planning vacation, and watching movies took over our lives.

But that did not hamper the boys from having fun! Each cold day that we have to stay inside leads Ed and my uncreative self to try and figure something new for them to get excited about...whether it takes up 10 minutes of their energy or an hour...Currently they are playing in the bathtub sans water with their clothes on and having a marvelous time. Yay no wet cleanup for me!

So here are a few of the indoor winter activities that have taken place in the O'Connell household:

This little gingerbread kit was not my idea. I do not have the patience/sanity level for such endeavors. But nonetheless the kids had a blast 'helping'...if helping means eating more of the sprinkles than decorating with them. If you ever attempt such a 'craft' just have your hand vac ready to go when it's all done. There were mini ball shaped sprinkles everywhere!

Here is another activity all Ed's doing: a free indoor gym! No bumped heads after an hour = success!

 No girls= no make-up parties or knotty hair styles for me (not yet at least)! But Cars stickers? Oh yes! Aren't I beautiful? Thanks Grammy for the stocking stuffer that had them entertained for a whole hour!

Hope your long winter days are being filled with some delightful moments too...

Gourmet leftovers

Some days the heavens open forth with a simple pleasure with real frugality at its core...Like finding a dish using all leftovers to form a delicious, new dinner that the kids will eat too. Little miracles that happen now and then to brighten a dull winter day =: )
Now I cannot take credit for the inspiration of this dish, for last week I got (yet again) a Cuisine magazine free in the mail. Most of the recipes were the same as the last 3 I've gotten in the past, but there were a few new ones. This one, originally with its gourmet title of Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Bucatini (which is what?) with Garlic Bread Crumbs, inspired me because as I read down the ingredients list, I had EVERYTHING. Well, at least all the BLT ingredients.
Now that can happen many times, especially if it's a basic kind of dish, but this time it happened with pretty much all leftovers that I really needed to use up. I even had one cup of bread cubes in my freezer from who knows how long ago? I had exactly 1/2 a small pint of grape tomatoes left, some leftover chopped onion from tacos, three slices of bacon (I know, who even leaves three slices of bacon in the wrapper? Well I do apparently. For such a time as this!) And for some reason I always end up throwing away the last little bit of spinach leftover from salad, but not today! I even had about 3 servings of some pasta already cooked up that I wasn't sure what to do with.

Ok, I did not have wine, or fresh thyme, or leeks, or bucatini (which is basically fat spaghetti with a hole in the middle, which you can only find at Wegman's or something). But who has all these gourmet things on hand on leftover night??

So since I changed the recipe a bit (when do I not?) here is my humble, easier version that Luke scarfed right down. Well, he did need a little piece of bacon on each bite, but then, who doesn't?
Enjoy!

Charis' BLT Pasta
Serves 2 adults and 2 kids

1 cup cubed bread
1 minced garlic clove
1 TB. olive oil

2-3 slices bacon, sliced into 1" pieces
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
pinch sugar
1/2 cup sliced or chopped onions
1 tsp. flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1-2 cups fresh spinach leaves
6 oz. rigatoni, or spaghetti, linguini, etc., cooked
grated parmesan cheese

In a large nonstick skillet, over medium heat, toast bread crumbs and garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and toasted. Set aside. Wipe out any crumbs.
In same skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Set aside. Wipe out with a paper towel all but about a tsp. of fat. Add in tomatoes, sugar, and onion and cook over medium-high heat until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add flour and stir. Add chicken stock and vinegar, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add in spinach leaves, pasta, and reserved bacon and stir until heated through and spinach is wilted, 2-4 minutes.
Spoon onto plates and top with the fresh croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Eat up!

Peace and tranquility

A few words have been running through my head

since the new year rolled around...

Peace. Tranquility.

Isn't this what all of us crave? Who passions over

stress, busyness, crazy lifestyles, constant running?

Ok, I know some days of that cannot be avoided. But in

the midst of it all, I crave...Peace. Tranquility. I strive

for this. Who doesn't?

I fail. A lot. Ask my husband. Few people get to see

my real, nasty, ungrateful self as often as he does.

In the midst of self-imploding chaos he will often say

(or exclaim, rather) "all I want is a little peace and 

tranquility, is that too much to ask?"

On my own, that answer always seems to be yes.

I seem prone to over-exaggerating small

problems, the messy dishes becoming fire breathing monsters

and the 2012th glass of spilled milk becoming molten lava

burning my feet.

But in the midst of all this I had a revelation, or resolution, 

strike me. 

Simplify. God said it. My heart heard it. Because I need it.

Simplify what?

Isn't my life slow and mundane already (compared to some)?

Simplify.

If you're too busy with sleep to spend time with me, 
too busy with chores to nurture your children with real grace,
too busy with your own agenda and selfish thoughts to 
refresh your husband, than you are too busy.

I will say it again: Simplify. 

Read the Bible...don't worry about all the other books right now.

Listen to the Word...don't worry about all the other music right now.

Eat toast and scrambled eggs, if that's what is the least stressful.

Snuggle with the kids. The tv show can wait.

Simplify.

So this is what I'm trying to do. Simplify my priorities for the
new year/for life. What needs to be done?

I need God's word to refresh my soul. Consistently.
Only He can truly set my heart at peace.
I've come to the conclusion that devoted time with Him
does not happen unless I know I will not be distracted.

Therefore I must rise BEFORE the kids.
Set an alarm if need be. (I hate alarms!)
So 1st resolution: Get up at least 1 hour prior to the kids.

I also need to keep my physical body in tune.
Since I found out I was pregnant again, and knowing
we're going to Hawaii in February, I've been really

motivated to stay somewhat in shape. I feel better
when I exercise. But again, doing exercise videos
with two teeny boys under my feet, 

constant toys being tossed to and fro,
is enough to make me go mad sometimes...

But the days that I exercise in peace...before they wake...
go so much better!

So these two simple goals are what I'm going to try and stick with to get spiritual God time and physical me time in. The two times I've done this already this week have helped my day go SO much better!

Thus I can't have too much going on in the week, or I'll too quickly ditch this plan. (Or I'll get too 

tired to wake up earlier).

I'm realizing that an outing three times a week is doable for the kids and me. 

One of those outings is groceries. 

One of those is Bible study. 

And then of course Ed has ideas too that he

wants to do with the kids.

It is stressful, in this season of life, to do more.

And sometimes I can't even do all that.

If I try to do too much, rushed lunches and cranking children 

and a too-short afternoons follow. This results in a non-peaceful
and non-tranquil mother. (and you know the saying,
if mother isn't happy, ain't nobody happy!)

Simplify.

Last week was the first one in a long time I had
nothing planned. No one was sick.
I could simply be home, exercise,

do my chores, plan my meals, do the bills,
and not be RUSHED. 

Listen to a sermon online while the boys are napping?
Take a nap myself? Read my Bible in quiet solitude?
Make cookies with Luke?

These are much more tranquil moments when I am not rushed.

This chapter of Isaiah has really captured my attention
this past week. I've read it at least 5 times now.
It hit me anew how many times God says 'come' and 'listen.'
Are those not the same words I'm trying to teach to my children? 

"Come, all you who are thirsty,

Come to the waters;

And you who have no money, 

come, buy and eat!

Come buy wine and milk without money

and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, Listen to me, and eat what is good,

and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

Give ear and come to me;

hear me, that your soul may live."

Isaiah 55:1-3

I note to myself that God describes basic food staples,

in those days - wine, milk, and bread- as 'the richest of fare.'

I want to live by eating this feast of simplicity.

Listening to Jesus, and sitting at His table every day.

Eating soul-satisfying peace.