Recap (2015/08/15)

In my spirit:

• Continuing to think about (and act upon) how correct doctrine (orthodoxy) leads to correct behavior (orthopraxy) as I finish up the book of Titus.
• Thankful for a good first day in the three-year-old Sunday School today

In the living room:

• Listening to Read Aloud Revival while cleaning this week. This is a fantastic podcast – all about creating a culture of reading in your home.

In the kitchen:

• Bourbon Molasses Chicken, Green Onion Mashed Potatoes (I leave the peels on and used plain yogurt instead of butter or milk to “thin” these out), Sourdough Battered Fried Zucchini (An experiment that turned out quite nicely, if I do say so myself), and Garden-Fresh Tomatoes. A killer meal.
• In Kansas, the buns are round and they’re called Bierocks. In Nebraska, the buns are oblong and they’re called Runzas. Whatever you call them, I love to have some of these cabbage and meat filled rolls in the freezer for a rainy day – and since it’s been a while since I’ve made them, we had them for supper as well
• I’m continuing to experiment with adding additional vegetables to practically every recipe I make. The Kahari chicken was pretty good with green beans, tomatoes, and cauliflower added.
• And sometimes you just need to make a big crockpot of burrito beans. Which is what I did Thursday – we’ll be eating them for a while.

In the nursery:

• Tirzah Mae bit me the first time with her new tooth. Ouch! But I followed my mom’s advice and am hoping that’ll quickly teach her that biting isn’t fun.
• We had our nine-month checkup this week – Tirzah Mae’s up to the 55th percentile for length (essentially where she started) and the 30th percentile for weight (the heaviest she’s ever been). This puts her weight compared to her length (which is much more important as a single indicator, the other two are really only valuable for trending purposes) at a very respectable 23%ile (better than the 2%ile she was used to hanging out in.)

In the library:
aka “Books added to TBR list”

• Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (added based on Carrie’s Review – I enjoy memoirs and food, so this sounds like a good fit for me.)
• How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haim (added based on Maryann’s article about boosting your child’s independence in the kitchen)
• The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (added based on Amy’s review) – Amy had mixed feelings because this is a fantasy novel, which isn’t her genre; but I thought it sounded like terrific fun.
• A Captain’s Duty by Richard Phillips (added based on Barbara’s review – a memoir of a recentish encounter with Somali pirates)

In the garden:

• We’re enjoying tomatoes and cucumbers – and the peppers are starting to go crazy (although not quite ripe yet).

On the land:

• We closed on our construction loan Friday – which means we should be surveying, staking, and maybe even breaking ground next week!
• It also meant we were out on the land yesterday morning making sure everything was clean and ready to go.

On the web:

• How to Talk to the Experts – A great article about sharing your faith with someone who knows more than you do
• ‘The System is Too Broken’ is not a good excuse – A wonderful article about foster care – and one that got to me at just the right time. We’re interested in adopting from the foster system, but I was recently reading through the foster care regulations for Kansas and was becoming discouraged because of how those regulations could potentially limit our ability to parent our children the way we want to parent them – this article reminded me again of why exactly we want to adopt.
• Parent’s Guide to Packing Successful School Lunches – A great article about how communication can help you reduce lunchbox waste and help your child eat more healthfully.