We're thankful for...

Matt -
My family. Especially my darling wife!
That I have a job.
The Church.

"A"'-
iPods
Dad providing money so Mom can make all the food.
Banana cream pie!!
Everything! I can't think of anything I'm not thankful for!

"K"-
Everything except for cold weather. I'm really thankful for the sun and heat.
My family.

"M" -
That God gave His Son for us so that we can actually go to Heaven!
For the Church.
For a wonderful family that can sometimes be boogers, but you always love them in the end.

"J"-
That Miss Julie's kids could be here today.
That Father could come over today.
That God made us.
I'm thankful for a lot of stuff!!
That we had a nice Thanksgiving dinner. Wow!! I was full!!
I'm also thankful for the pies!
And for Mom and Dad! Mom and Dad are great.

Schmabbers-
For the cook who did all the cooking today!!
For chocolate and banana pie. And the maple whipping cream that I keep on sneaking!
God!

Banana-
That the Fishers came over.
That the Reddens came over.
That Father O'Grady came over.
I'm thankful for everything God created.

Me-
My family.
My husband, who was so clearly made for me. He knows me completely and loves me anyway.
The security, peace, and wholeness we've found in Christ's Church.
For my godparents living closer! Finally!
For friends. People who "get" me, and encourage me, and accept me.
For our soldiers, who put their lives on the line every day to protect our freedoms.

Laura, Julie and me


We pray you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Whew!! What a wonderful day! Our priest and two of my friends and their kids came over to share our holiday meal with us. 5 adults and 12 kids! ("Crazy?!! I was crazy once...!) We ate and laughed and ate and talked and ate and sang old 70's tunes and ate and laughed and moaned about how much we'd eaten. I think it's safe to say, a good time was had by all. My friend Julie's husband is in the States at school and she and their 4 kids will be moving with him to CO in a few weeks. I'm going to really miss her! Her kids all get along really well with our younger kids. The kids ate and ran off to play dress-up and Dance, Dance Revolution and pretty much left us alone to keep eating and laughing in peace. My friend Laura's two youngest kids are tight, tight buddies of "A" &"K", so they all spent the afternoon hanging out. Laura's hubby is in the States preparing for deployment to Iraq and their oldest son is in his first year of college in the States.

We were so blessed to have our priest accept our invitation to dinner as well. Father O'Grady is new to our parish and we adore him! He's as Irish as his name and an absolute hoot. He loves the Lord and His Church and is good at really challenging us when we're tempted to slip into complacency. We're hoping he can stay here as long as we do!


(Laura, "A", Schmabbers (great look Schmab!), Laura's son "J", "K" (love the expression K!), Laura's daughter "E", Father, Banana)


Here's the rundown of our Thanksgiving menu this year:
Turkey - Duh! Fixed Alton Brown's way - the most unbelievably juicy, flavorful bird ever!

Stuffing - with leeks, mushrooms, and red peppers. Matt goes bonkers for this every year.
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potato praline souffle - too much cream and butter to be ever be considered healthy, but too good not to include.
Roasted sweet potatoes and pears with raisins and pecans. This one is definitely healthy and fantastic!
(Even Julie, a self-avowed sweet potato hater really like these. Of course, she really liked the souffle, too....hmmm..how many sweet potatoes have you really eaten before, Jules? ;)
Green beans w/ bacon
Corn custard with tomatoes an fresh basil on top - again, too much cream to be healthy, but oh so good!
Jello salad - the kids wouldn't let me get away with omitting this one
White rolls
Whole Wheat rolls
German bread with fresh chive cheese - Thanks, Laura!!

Then we had 8 pies- two each of four different kinds.

Banana cream and chocolate cream pies. Yum!

If you don't recognize this one, you're not an American and need to log off this site!!



Rustic apple cranberry tart
I enjoy cooking and I really enjoy cooking for people that enjoy good food! My only challenge was getting everything cooked in my tiny little Easy Bake Oven-sized oven. I can only fit one 9x13" pan or one pie pan at a time. I don't know how German's manage to feed their families with such little ovens and sinks. We have a one-bowl sink that my regular size colander fits perfectly side-to-side in. My roasting pan has to be scrubbed in the tub upstairs. But we'll deal with inconveniences like this any time as long as we can continue living over here.

I'm expanding.....

I've started a new blog just for food. Imagine that....me, writing about food! ;) I can't keep up with recipe requests and I'm finding so many great new recipes on our journey to being healthier, that I decided I need a venue for sharing only about food.

http://lovinfrommyoven.blogspot.com

Belated (Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Bulgur salad with red peppers and chickpeas; roasted pears & sweet potatoes Delicious!!


Applying the arguments used to defend abortion to other moral issues.

"Let's move it, move it, move it!"

I just finished reading a post on my brother and sis-in-law's blog that has given me what I've been looking for. Matt and I have been struggling with watching our weight go up while not having a real motivation to do anything about it. We moan and groan about our "over 40" bodies, read health articles about losing and maintaining extra weight, and talk (a lot!) about how we need to start walking/running every day and lifting free weights. And that's where it always stops. I have a closet full of cute pants that I couldn't button if my life depended on it. Matt cleaned out his closet last weekend and handed down a bunch of pants to "A". Pants that fit Matt a year and a half ago now fit our 6'1" 145lb son. It's time to stop blaming the dryer for running too hot and shrinking all of our clothes!

My darling little brother bravely shared his weight loss/life-style change story with a healthy minds and bodies group that his wife leads. And his story has completely motivated me. I realize how much I sabotage myself and set myself up for failure. Knowing I tend to be completely controlled by my outrageous sweet tooth, how can I expect success when I have a pantry full of sugar laden, nutritionally bankrupt foods? When given a choice, I'll choose the bad EVERY time! "I don't have time for a bowl of oatmeal this morning. Three or four of those peanut butter oatmeal cookies (Mom's delicious recipe!) should have about the same amount of oats in them. And they've got peanut butter to boot! Protein!!" Sigh...I'm my own worst enemy. My fondest childhood memories revolve around food. The smells, the tastes, the textures..."nothin' says lovin' like something from Mom's oven."

I've never struggled with obesity, just "fluffiness". While Scott needed to lose over 120 lbs, I need to lose 20-25. But it's not just about the numbers. I'm tired of being shocked and grossed out when I see my reflection in a store window. I'm tired of jeans rings at the end of the day (you know...those unsightly red rings that form in the folds of swishy belly bulge. Yuk!) I don't want to hear any more comments about how I "look good for having had six kids". What does that mean, anyway?! Like everyone who has more than the average number of kids is supposed to look terrible?! Like a woman's body shape should be an indication of how many children she's birthed? Ridiculous. I just want to look and feel my best and I know I don't.

I've got a lot of bad habits to break. Dad taught me how to be a sneaky-eater. If no one sees me eat it, it doesn't count. And secretly gobbling numerous tiny slices of cake or pie throughout the day doesn't count either. Not unless it's a whole slice eaten at once, which we only do when the kids are downstairs so we won't get caught never do! The best way to sneak-eat is straight out of the pan. Just keep a fork at the ready for grabbing quick nibbles when no one is watching. But be smart about it! Cut your nibbles carefully always trying to maintain the appearance that it hasn't been touched since everyone last had some together. Just DON'T get caught!! I've never understood why that's so important, but it is. A champion sneaky-eater can consume whole cinnamon rolls, multiple cookies, and rows of brownies while in the kitchen with other people, without anyone being less than completely oblivious to the sneaky-eater's accomplishments. It never dawns on us champions that our growing girth will eventually give us away. It's phycho!!

http://beanland.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/hmbg-recap-achieving-and-maintaining-a-healthy-body-weight/#more-383

Seeing Scott's success at changing his lifestyle and physical appearance have completely motivated me. I'm sure there will be no shortage of complaints and sighs when the snack forays turn up nothing but nuts and veggies. And it'll probably take a while for a piece of fruit to satisfactorily take the place of a warm chocolate chip cookie. But a more balanced approach that allows the occassional treat is much more sensible and definitely doable. My Grandfather had type II diabetes and died after multiple heart attacks. My father's life was cut short by colon cancer. Every one of his living brothers and sister have had either precancerous polyps or colon cancer. Matt's brother has type II diabetes. It's time for us to stop ignoring the scads of research clearly linking heart disease, diabetes, and cancer to dietary habits and weight. I want to be healthy and strong enough to play with my grandchildren and chase my hubby around the house! ;)

Wordless Wednesday

Introducing......

In an effort to be more consistent with my blogging, I've decided to follow the lead of other homeschooling, frazzled, blogging mamas and institute "Wordless Wednesdays". This is the day I'll omit all commentary, barring today ;), and just post pics of our week. Here we go...





All Saints Day - St. Ann, St. Joan of Arc, St. John The Baptist (w/a platter for his head)

Molly Pitcher

Outrageously delicious - cinnamon, molasses, ginger-spiced muffins w/lemon glaze

"K" & Guitar Girl at the Harvest Fest

Robinson Crusoe

Congrats, Sargeant First Class!!

An argument for "Un-Schooling"

When Matt and I first started looking into homeschooling, eons ago, I read a book about the "Un-Schooling" educational method. It went against everything I'd had programmed into my brain about education, while sounding much more natural than what I thought education should look like. I set it aside and didn't give it another thought. The premise is that children do better when allowed to learn naturally and at their own pace. So, rather than sitting a 5-6 year old in a chair at a desk for several hours each day, the child is exposed to lots of books for perusing and plenty of read-aloud stories. Instead of a structured educational plan, until about the age of 8 a child is exposed to math concepts through everyday experiences. "I need 2 cups of flour for the bread. We have a cup that hold 1/2 cup, so how many 1/2 cups will we need to use?" Grammar and language are taught by correcting speech errors and by exposing the kids to books with a broad, rich vocabulary for read-alouds. Pretty low key and laid back. By default Banana's education has fallen into this category for the past year. I fully intended to walk her through a structured Kindergarten year, but when push came to shove the teenagers' education took priority. She's our flitter, too, which often makes structured sit-down time a struggle. She can hardly read a line from a book without jumping up and acting out any new words or sounds. Did you know that the sound "sh" can be acted out? Well, she showed me that it can. It consists of running back and forth waving your arms while opening your mouth as wide as you can (noisy children), quickly followed by standing with one hand on a hip and the pointer finger of the other hand held in front of your mouth. Pretty creative, but exasperating when I'm trying to keep her on track. Allowing her to flit and play and color while I read, and involving her in basic math operations throughout the day has fit her personality. She's doing an actual sit-down-and-focus math curriculum for the first time and is already a couple of weeks ahead of where she should be because she was ready for it. It's amazing to watch her go through two whole pages of addition, including story problems, without once stopping to count. She just seems to know each answer as soon as she looks at the problem. Had I pushed her sooner I'm sure she wouldn't have been doing this well. She's exeptionally bright, very, very active and creative, and has always had communication skills that are off the chart. While I've known this laid back approach was the best one to take with her, I'm not always sure just how much she's really learning. But every now and then she puts my fears to rest. Without ANY instruction in the use or purpose of apostrophes she's begun using them appropriately in writing. It caught us off guard when we found a picture of a circle covered in spikes with the caption "Jesus's" (crown of thorns). Not bad for never having had anyone explain even basic grammar/puctuation. Last week found the following picture on our dry erase board in the dining room/school room.


I took one look and said "Banana, this looks like a heart. What is it?" She then explained that it was indeed a heart, with one tube marked "B" for blood and the other marked "A" for air. "The red circles are the blood cells, and I put blue in the air tube to show that it's mostly air mixed with the blood. I saw it in a science book once and figured out that one is for air and one is for blood. Maybe I'll be a scientist!" Then off she skipped to play princess or puppy or some other make believe game. I think she's going to be just fine.

Woohoo!!!

We've got some good news to share! Matt received his promotion orders this morning and will have his promotion ceremony some time this week; most likely today or tomorrow. We were hoping he'd be pinned before the end of the year, but hadn't anticipated it coming so quickly. The November promotion list was posted a couple of days after he returned from school, but his graduation papers didn't make it in on time for his name to be on the list. This morning he found his promotion papers waiting for him when he got to his office. This is a huge blessing for us and we're thankful for God's continuing provision.

The other fun news is that my youngest sister and her husband are expecting another baby! Thank goodness for Yahoo IM and another sister (Tammy)who likes to "chat", or I wouldn't have known for a while still. Kristin and her husband moved to California a couple of weeks ago and she announced their good news at their farewell brunch. (We miss out on so much living so far away!) So, their adorable son "E" will meet his first brother or sister within a day or two of his third birthday. This kid will have his/her work cut-out climbing out from under the shadow of super-overachiever "E"!
Tammy and her husband are also expecting another little girl in February, so the only one left to jump on board the Bean Family Baby Train is Anne. Tammy's little guy, "R", will be three in July and is hands-down the most mellow little boy I've ever seen. He dwarfs his cousin "E" and is every bit as gentle and calm as "E" is bouncy and excitable. It's hilarious to see their starkly different personalities together. "E" is a tiny little ball of energy. Much like Taz. "R" is a gentle giant with killer blue eyes. Congratulations, Krick and Tam!

Family Reunion

As soon as Banana's party was cleaned up we piled into the car and drove three hours to where our god parents are stationed. We'd been anxiously waiting for nearly a year for them to finally move over here, and we were all really excited! The ever-efficient military had managed to misplace their car, so they'd only been able to venture out on foot or via military shuttle bus. Workable during the week, but with no Sunday bus service they hadn't been able to make it to church since arriving a month ago.

What a good sport! Doesn't the girls' cap look lovely on Uncle Greggy-poo?

After gorging ourselves on Uncle Greggy's fantastic bbq sammies and Auntie Debbie's phenomenal potato salad, the kids ran off to play while the grown ups tried to catch up on the last 2-1/2 years. The next day we piled everyone into our cars and went to church. What a blessing to worship with our dear friends! It was amazing. Any further descriptors will only sound mushy, so I'll leave it at that.


We brought Katie's best friend, Guitar Girl, back home with us for the week. (One of the many joys of homeschooling is the freedom to do things like this!) She brought her books and the two girls did their work then played and talked and sang and talked and laughed and talked. Oh, yeah, they also talked. Guitar Girl is a very spiritually deep young lady and a joy to have around. We considered telling her parents we'd lost their daughter so we could keep her.

Fall is soup weather in our house, so one night I threw together a pot of this wild rice soup. Wild rice, leeks, carrots, vegetable broth and herbs. This picture was taken on day two, so the broth had become a bit cloudy, but it tasted every bit as good. We ate it with thick slices of warm whole wheat bread. Yum!

"K" and I took Guitar Girl back home over this past weekend which gave me and Deb some much needed one-on-one time. After Mass on Saturday we dropped the girls back at their home and Greg and Deb and I went into downtown Weisbaden for dinner. Weisbaden is HUGE and has a beautiful downtown; when the Christkindl Markt opens it'll be breathtaking. We had dinner at the Ratskeller, which has great ambience and delicious food. Of course, the company was so good I would have been happy with a plate of french fries!

Another Birthday!

Banana is now required to use two hands when showing her age. Not that she would use her hands. Why use your hands when you could communicate the same information while talking the inquirer's left leg off?! I wonder where she gets that? The best Birthday gift ever arrived the day before her big day. She woke up in the morning to find Daddy home! The squeal of delight and look of sheer joy were priceless.

On the day after her birthday she had several friends come over to celebrate with her. We cut a sheet cake into small rectangles and taught them all how to torte and decorate their own cake. Fortunately I had a friend drop in and decide to stay and help clean up the enormous mess, which otherwise would have taken me all day! Thank you, Laura!!



Not bad for a 6-year old's first attempt! Hmmmmm...a budding business partner, maybe?
Silly me, I forgot to take into account the fundamental differences between boys and girls. Girls like to make things pretty and generally stay fairly clean. All part of our Princess Mentality. Little boys are all about messes and noise and messes. Did I mention messes? These two brothers are more "boy" than any other boys I've ever known...I should have been ready for this!