A Cup of Cold Water.
April 29, 2009 | Filed Under Musings | 30 Comments
A few Friday nights ago Daniel and I were headed home from perusing the dealerships in town, looking for a truck. We stopped at Walmart to pick up a few needed items.
Our Walmart, probably like your Walmart, has a Redbox station in the lobby. Daniel and I had talked earlier about renting “Australia” (big thumbs down) so we got in line; unfortunately, the guy in front of us was slowly scrolling though movies while on the phone talking with his significant other. We could tell the wait was going to be long. Too long.
*Sidenote: Decide what you want to rent before it’s your turn at the Redbox or move out of the way until you do. Can I get an “Amen?!”
Because of Mr. Rude and Indecisive, we decided to pick up our groceries first and then come back to the Redbox.
We went and got our milk and honey – the two things we needed. But, walking past the produce section, the strawberries seduced me, so I picked up a carton. (Isn’t that what Walmart is all about? Impulse buying?) We paid and headed back out to the lobby and the Redbox station.
As we walked into the lobby, we saw four guys… dressed all in black, big plugs in their ears, very dirty, carrying everything they owned on their backs with guitars by their sides.
After a quick perusal I knew that the guys weren’t “bad”… just dirty and different. I continued to covertly check the guys out while Daniel retrieved our movie. I surmised (to the best of my ability) that they were hitchhiking to California to live out a dream of making it big as a band.
In a moment my heart was a puddle. I know it sounds weird but I fell in love with them. They were young and excited, full of dreams too big for their hearts.
As I was waiting on Daniel to pick out our (bad) movie, my little box of strawberries suddenly became very obvious to me. Oh, how I wanted to offer that plastic carton of berries to the boys, but at the same time I didn’t want to offend them. I knew in my heart that if I didn’t take the chance and offer them the strawberries I would always regret it.
So, I dug out the box, walked the few steps over and asked if they would like some strawberries.
Yes! We would LOVE them, they said.
Phew. I smiled and handed them over.
By this time, Daniel had finished getting our movie (did I mention we thought it was not so good?) and was gathering up Judah. I thought I remembered that Daniel had some cash in his pocket – a very unusual thing since we primarily use our debit cards. I whispered my question of: Do you have some cash? He nodded and I could tell he knew what I wanted him to do.
And I am so glad that he didn’t even hesitate to give.
All night long those boys were on my heart. I prayed for them, I thought about them, I fretted over them. And I knew that somewhere those boys had mamas doing the same thing.
It occurred to me later that evening that Daniel and I had fleshed out this scripture, Matthew 24:34-40 in a very small but tangible way.
And that our kids saw it, and the other people in the lobby saw it, and the stuffy Walmart managers who came up to those boys and kicked them out, saw it.
And that Jesus saw it.
I didn’t care how rough those boys looked. I didn’t care that them smelled downright ugly. They needed love shown to them. The kind that overlooks all the seemingly bad and just loves unconditionally.
Jesus’ kind of love.
I will always be glad that in this little way, I let my hands move at the impulse of Jesus’ love.
Amazingly enough, I saw those boys the next morning. Daniel and I were back at a dealership once again looking at a truck. The boys were walking down the side of the road, heading west. I smiled and waved, and they waved back.
In that moment I was so thankful. Thankful that they were alive, thankful that I had bright red hair so they could recognize me and didn’t think that I was just some crazy lady flapping her arms around and yelling “HI!” for no reason (or maybe they did think that anyways??!!), and thankful that I hadn’t let the fear of offending them or what other people might think, win.
But mostly I was thankful that God had allowed me to see them one more time. He knew just what I needed and my heart was able to rest… I saw that those boys had big, warm looking sleeping bags strapped to their backs.
Allow your hands to move at the impulse of Jesus’ love. Never will you regret it.
It was a birthday weekend!
April 27, 2009 | Filed Under Andrea, Birthday, Daniel, Eliza Dove, Eve, Judah, Photos | 23 Comments
Wow. I am whooped. These last three days kicked me right in the booty.
Friday we loaded up the kids and headed to Amarillo to check out a truck we were thinking of buying. It was a good trip. Uneventful, which I always appreciate. We did the truck thing and then we headed to Sam’s Club (a hard thing for this Costco loyal girl). Daniel was still wearing his uniform because there had been zero time to change after work. He was approached and thanked three times while in Sam’s. He was blessed and blown away. He mentioned that in the whole four years we were in Vermont, he was thanked five times. What a difference a state makes.
We didn’t get home from Amarillo until eleven Friday night.
Tired. With a capital “T.”
Saturday, Daniel and I (along with lots of help from great friends) threw Eve a big birthday party. We rented one of those bouncy castles from Outdoor Rec (an Air Force outdoor gear rental place -aka- totally awesome and inexpensive) which was a total act of brilliance on my part (if I do say so myself).
The kids all LOVED it! We loved it because it kept everyone busy, having fun, and contained.
There was cake…
and eager to help fingers…
and half-eaten cake (this was the second cake!)…
and flowers…
(These tiny nosegays were the party favors)
And popcorn…
and a chubby baby girl playing in the ice-filled cooler…
and oodles of friends…
The day was windy as all get out (surprise, surprise)…
But we had a blast.
Saturday night, after the party, I threw some pizza together. We gulped that down and then headed to church with Brandy and her four kids. Sitting in the church service was the first moment of relaxation I had experienced all day. I almost fell asleep.
Sunday was Eve’s actual birthday. Eve requested waffles with whipped cream, strawberries, and bacon for breakfast. I was more than happy to oblige!
We hit up the zoo. And then our beds. The kids slept from one to about five, when Daniel woke them up.
After naps we headed back to the park behind Brandy’s house. Daniel blew the bouncy castle back up…
(Being silly is one of my favorite past-times… But then, you already knew that!)
(Eliza LOVED the bouncy castle! All she wanted to do in this moment was slide down the slide. Mean mama made her stop for a quick photo…)
We ate birthday dinner with our friends and ended the night with cake.
Then I died.
Okay, not really. I forced myself to clean up the kitchen and make Eve’s school lunch before I collapsed on the couch.
It was a great weekend!
Happy Birthday Eve!
April 26, 2009 | Filed Under Birthday, Eve | 13 Comments
Eve turned this many today.
Six.
Six looks good on her. You know, she slept in her “jewels.” Always fashion-conscious, this one.
I have taken a first thing birthday picture every year. It’s my thing. Maybe because I am a fan of the sleepy-eyes look. Or maybe because I like to capture the innocence of the new age. Or, maybe because I took a early morning picture Eve’s first year and now my sentimental tendencies won’t let me up and quit.
I have high hopes for six. And knowing Eve, this year will be the most wonderful. Just like last year was.
Because she is wonderful.
Even if she does insist on growing up.
Sweetest of Happy Birthdays to my Eve Shiphrah.
Good-Bye Little Miss Five
April 25, 2009 | Filed Under Birthday, Eve | 6 Comments
I sure will miss the five year old you…
More mature, perhaps wiser, not so sentimental people say: Oh, children must grow up! It’s good and right and the way things should be.
They love it, they embrace it, they are happy to see the growing happen.
But not me.
I guess that makes me immature, unwise, and overly sentimental. I like my kids little.
Is it too much to ask that they stop growing up so quickly?
Or at all?
I guess so.
Well.
I can still hate it.
iHeartFaces: Self-Portrait
April 21, 2009 | Filed Under Andrea, iHeartFaces | 24 Comments
Before the Air Force moved us to New Mexico, I had no idea about the wind.
Oh, but I do now.
35-40 mph wind is breezy around here. I have been literally blown from point a to point b when walking.
The wind… it’s no joke down here. 60 mph wind is pretty standard. Huge dust storms, missing half your shingles, your car door being nearly ripped off, your big ‘ol barbecue being blown over, being blown all over the road and not being able to drive straight… ever. All standard New Mexico fare.
Oddly enough, you kinda get use to it.
I took this self-portrait in early December, so not only was it terrifyingly windy, it was pretty stinkin’ cold too. In fact, I couldn’t feel my fingers while recording this image. The point in getting out of the warm van was to take some photos of the (unaffected by the wind or cold) cows grazing in a nearby field. While doing so, I wanted to document what I looked like because the wind was so wild.
Sunday Night Fun
April 20, 2009 | Filed Under Friends, Life Stuff, Photos, Recipe | 14 Comments
Last night a big group of us friends got together for a delicious taco salad dinner with chocolate cake for dessert. What a great time we had!
I laughed so hard and so much I was afraid my face was going to fall off.
But, that’s the best part, isn’t it?
I was worried that Daniel and I were never going to make friends after we moved here. It was touch and go for awhile. We had tons of people over for barbecues but we just weren’t finding “our type of people.” You know, the good kind. The kind that when your face falls off from laughing so hard, they’ll help you pick it up and stick it back on.
Thankfully, we found them. Or did they find us? I don’t know and I don’t care. I’m happy now.
Here is a glimpse into our fun time last night. You can find more if you click on that Flickr tab at the top of my page.
This is Miss Sydney and her Mama, Kelly. Isn’t she gorgeous?
Katherine is going to have a baby in a couple of months. Can’t tell, can you? I was never like that.
Here’s Katherine with her son. He’s super cute!
Here is one of my favorite photos of the night. Love it.
Another favorite photo… Charles with his twin brother Landon in the background. Lovin’ the mirror effect!
Charles and Landon’s parents, Chad and Brandy. Feel free to give Chad an internet style high five. He just pinned on Major!
The medium sized girls… Mine (who looks like she just sucked on a lemon!), Brandy’s, and Kelly’s. The three musketeerettes!
Love this picture of Eve! Love this one too… can’t decide which one I love more.
Here is Daniel trying to get me to smolder. Except I don’t smolder. I laugh.
Jamie and her son were there too but I didn’t get any photos of them. I don’t know what’s up with that! I did take some pictures for them a few weeks ago… I love this boy. He’s a little ray of sunshine!
We’ll finish up with some face squishing. Believe me when I tell you, Eliza put an end to all that.
Such a fun night!
If you want to see more just click on the Flickr button up top!
That Kinda Day….
April 19, 2009 | Filed Under Andrea, Life Stuff | 15 Comments
Of course, I am only joking….
But, it was a drinkin’ kind of day.
We all have those, don’t we.
Thankfully, mine ended on a high note.
Smoldering
April 17, 2009 | Filed Under Daniel, Photos | 14 Comments
I’m pretty confident in my description of this photo. Yeah, he’s definitely smoldering…
I’ve finally realized what I love in photography; what direction, if I could choose, that I would take. And as much as I adore taking pictures of children, oh, and I do! I love everything about it, my passion lies in food. It always has. A food photographer would be my dream direction in photography . My heart beats faster even at the thought!
But, my dream job is not a possibility any time in the near or distant future. One must go to school and have experience and not have three (beautiful but very needy) children biting at one’s ankles. It’s just nice to have realized what I love in photography.
In the meantime, until my photography dream comes to some sort of fruition, I will keep taking pictures of everyone and anyone. Because I do love people pictures very much. I love the element of surprise and the test of my creativity and the depth of life that one can capture in a person’s eyes.
I do have a question for you, though. What makes you feel comfortable with a photographer? Is it a pre-session meet-up? Is it simply time – after a little while do you feel yourself open up? Is it feeling as though your photographer is confident and takes charge of the session – or do you appreciate being able to have an opinion?
I am trying to figure out how I can establish a feeling of trust between myself, the big black box in front of my face, and my subject.
Because obviously, in the above picture, Daniel trusts me and it shows. And I desire to capture that depth of feeling in each of my photograph sessions.
Guest Posting at The Daily Grommet!
April 16, 2009 | Filed Under Guest Post | 2 Comments
Angella, my favorite Canadian, writes a fantastic blog called Dutch Blitz; she also writes at The Daily Grommet among other amazing places. All in all, she is phenomenal. And very, very funny. And she has beautiful children. And, and, and….
Angella asked me to guest post on The Daily Grommet, talking specifically about ways to keep your stress level low. I thought about it and realized… my trick is to keep my expectations very, very low. But, I knew she was looking for a little bit more than that in a guest post. Hopefully some or all of the tips that I use in my life, will be helpful to you!
So, go on and check it out! If you have any great tips to pass along, please leave them in the comment sections on the guest post. I would love to add some new ideas to my anti-stress ammunition mix.
April 15, 2009 | Filed Under Eliza Dove, New Mexico | 13 Comments
Go on… just try and beat New Mexico’s sunsets.
Easter Photos! (yikes…)
April 14, 2009 | Filed Under Eliza Dove, Eve, Judah, Photos | 18 Comments
Sunday was ch-hi-hi-hilly. And windy. Like blowing up my skirt Marilyn Monroe style, windy.
Because of the conditions, there were no Easter photos taken on Easter. But today was warm, beautiful, and breezy (New Mexico breezy which translate to WINDY in New York). Totally appropriate weather for taking Easter photos.
Too bad the photo session ran into bedtime. I had one tired, one happy, and one on the fence. This photo pretty much sums it up…
I am not sure there is much of anything cuter than my son in a pink bow tie. Unless of course it’s your kid we’re talking about. We are all righteously biased, I say.
Eliza wouldn’t look at the camera to save her life. I didn’t get frustrated by that at all. Because I’m perfect, of course.
Right.
Whether looking at the camera or not, these are two lovely girls. Inside and out. But, especially lovely on the outside tonight.
Hope your Easter was full of rejoicing!
(And thank you Mi-Mi for making all the Easter clothes)
Tuesday Recipe: Homemade Flour Tortillas
April 13, 2009 | Filed Under Recipe, iHeartFaces | 20 Comments
Homemade flour tortillas are a little slice of Heaven to me. I really, really love them. They are completely unlike store-bought tortillas so I will warn you, once you make these you will most likely never go back.
They are Amazing. With a capital “A.”
My children could live on them. Eliza especially loves to eat them warm, filled with peanut butter and honey.
If you think that you can’t make them… that they are too complicated, too much work, you aren’t very good in the kitchen… I assure you, you can do this! Making flour tortillas does take some time and there are quite a few steps but the process is really fun, and even more so if you make them with a friend.
And the more tortillas you make, the easier and faster it becomes.
It helps to have a designated “flipper” to stand by the stove and cook the tortillas while you continue to roll out the dough. But, you can do them by yourself quite easily. Sometimes I roll all out the tortillas (with plastic wrap between each tortilla) at once and then cook them, and sometimes I go one by one.
Alright! Here we go… I’m betting you’ll never be the same!
(1 batch makes around 8 tortillas – I always do a double batch because, why not?)
Two cups flour (I use 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup of white)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk
Combine:
Flour, baking powder, and the salt in a medium size bowl.
While you are mixing the dry ingredients together, warm up the milk and oil over a medium heat.
Slowly add the warm milk mixture to the flour mixture.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is firm and soft.
Place dough in a clean bowl and cover with a clean towel. Let rest in a warm place for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off sections, roll them into balls, place on a clean surface (make sure they aren’t touching) and then completely (seal them off) cover the dough balls with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out properly.)
After the dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a well oiled surface.
Use the heel of your palm to gently press it into a circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s a thickness you like.
Mine are about 10+ inches in diameter. The smaller you roll the tortilla the chewier it will be.
I re-oil the counter about every third tortilla – otherwise they tear when lifting them off.
In a non-greased cast iron pan or a stainless steel pan, heated to a medium temperature (mine is perfect at around “4″)(make sure your pan is fully heated before you place your first tortilla in, otherwise it will tear), cook the tortilla for about 15 seconds on each side.
It should start to make puffy bubbles when it’s ready to be flipped.
Using a metal spatula start at an edge, lift carefully, and gently flip the tortilla. Go slowly to avoid ripping the tortilla.
Make a stack on a cookie sheet and cover with a clean towel until all tortillas are cooked.
You can store the tortillas in a ziploc bag, refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
If they last that long.
They sure don’t around here!
Enjoy!
Rain, Rain Come and Stay…
April 13, 2009 | Filed Under Life Stuff | 4 Comments
Something amazing happened! It rained TWO days in a row here in New Mexico. I was stunned. Only for a few minutes each time but two days in a row. It even hailed!
It’s funny how a rainy day feels so nice now. The sound mixed with the cloudiness calms me and makes me feel peaceful.
Today we’re back to the beautiful sunshine! I have a feeling that from here on out it’s only going to get hot, hot, hot.
And that makes me glad.
My Favorite Photo of Eve
April 12, 2009 | Filed Under Eve, Photos | 17 Comments
Talk about an image speaking to me…
I found this photo today – it was never really lost but I just didn’t see it before.
Has that ever happened to you? It’s like I put on a pair of glasses and behold! there it was…. my favorite photo I have ever taken of Eve. If you know her then you will understand just why this is my favorite photo… it is her.
Sweet, funny, and beautiful.
And if you don’t know her, looking at this photo will help you discover who she is.
10 On 10
April 11, 2009 | Filed Under Life Stuff, Photos | 10 Comments
I finally remembered to participate in 10 on 10! I have been wanting to do this for a long time now, like years.
And, of course, I took a few more pictures than just 10 so if you want to see more of our day you can click on the Flickr tab up top and choose the set on the right sidebar that says, “10 on 10 etc.”
If you want to see a picture of mine larger you can choose the “all sizes” at the top of the photo. And if that is not enough, after you click to see the picture larger, on the right hand side you can click on “more properties” and viola! tons of info on what I did with my camera while taking the picture.
A little free Flickr help because I like you.
Anyways, back to bizness… 10 on 10! Actually, it was more like 14… Breaking the rules already!
It was a lazy morning; Eve didn’t have school which meant I didn’t have to get up and GO!
Checking the weather… I look so pensive but I swear, I wasn’t. Just wondering what to wear and thankful the wind took a break!
Daniel went into work later than usual due to him being violently ill the day before. He’s feeling much better!
Eliza and I woke the house up while the big kids watched PBS. Eliza knows how to climb onto the stool but not how to get down. She was stuck!
Eliza helped me make smoothies (or “Vee!” as she says)
and pancakes…
Off to accomplishing some chores… Slicing bread to put in the freezer.
Later we made breadcrumbs from the ends of the loaves…
Talked to my brother, David, for a long time. That made me very happy…
Finally finished my coffee for the day – Vanilla decaf mixed with regular Chocolate Raspberry… it was GOOD.
Naptime, Mama rested, cleaned up the house from the morning. Exercised.
It is tough to take a picture while rowing!!
Post-Nap snuggle with his sheepskin…
Daddy has been working 12 hour shifts but got to come home early! That meant he and the kids could decorate Easter eggs…
Oops. Somebody was naughty. Our rule is, you have to sit quietly with your hands folded. He tries very hard to obey…
Making dinner… PW’s Chicken Scallopine. It was very delicious!
And then, it was time for good little children to go to bed… And Mama to stop taking photos.
