Dessert to the Rescue: Toasted Snowballs in Homemade Chocolate Sauce

A couple of years ago, I made this dessert for my family for the first time.  Ever since then, they ask for it often (like, every day). The original recipe came from Susan Branch's cookbook, Autumn.  The recipe below is generally the same with just few slight adaptations of my own. This dessert can be made ahead of time, which is nice if you are having guests over. To serve, simply warm the syrup, make a puddle on your favorite dish and place a snowball in the center.  If you want to get fancy, serve with a mint leaf garnish on the side. Enjoy!!

To Toast the Coconut:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread sweetened coconut on a cookie sheet (I use about 1/2 bag for 1/2 gallon ice cream) and bake for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until toasted. Watch it carefully, it can burn quickly!

To Prepare the Ice Cream:
Note: If you can find cinnamon ice-cream at your grocer, that is the easiest way to prepare this dessert. I, however, have not been able to find it over the past couple of years, so this is my improvisation!

Soften 1/2 gallon of good vanilla bean ice cream, and scoop out the entire container into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl combine until well blended 1/2 cup (do not pack) brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon (more or less to your liking) and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Sprinkle cinnamon mixture over ice cream and stir until well combined.  You can use a stand up mixer with a paddle attachment if you like, but do not use a hand mixer.  Return to freezer until firm enough to scoop into balls that will hold their shape.

Scoop out 1/2 cup size portions into round balls and roll in coconut, giving each one a generous coating.  Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.  I like to make these ahead of time, but you can save this step until you are ready to serve if you like.

Homemade Chocolate Sauce Recipe:
 **You will never buy Hershey's syrup ever again!!**
3/4 c. milk (whole milk works best)
1 Tbs. real butter
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate (use a high quality baking chocolate)
1 1/2  c. sugar
3 Tbs. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla (Mexican vanilla is wonderful if you have it!)

Note: If you do not have unsweetened chocolate on hand, you may also substitute 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and reduce the sugar amount to 1 cup, and the recipe will turn out fine.

Heat milk over low heat and melt butter and chocolate in it, stirring constantly until smooth.  Add in sugar and corn syrup and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes.  Stir in vanilla.  Serve hot or cold. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Any leftover sauce is best polished off during the kids' nap time, and pairs well with everything, including the crusts of leftover pb & j sandwiches caked in Cheetos dust. 

All the Thanks A Blog Could Ever Hold & Highlights of Our Holiday Homecoming With Steve

A million and more thanks go out to all of you who have reached out to us with love, support, encouragement, humor, hugs, pizza deliveries, and faithful prayers since my last post!

If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, then the way to a mom's heart is through a well-stocked freezer! A fantastic Meal Train was set up for us by Steve's sister, Jen, and words cannot adequately express just how thankful I am for this amazing gift. It has truly been a sanity saver for me. I swear I can hear angels singing every time I open the freezer door (or maybe that's just the happy hearts of our boys, who are eating like kings these days)!

You have nourished not just our bodies, but our spirits as well, as our mailbox no longer just holds bills, but also kind notes and beautiful, generous gifts that we can only hope to pay forward one day.

The body of Christ is real, people.  It is strong.  It is powerful. And, with all sincerity, I mean it when I say we have felt the outpouring of graces that flow between the Cross and all of you and all of us.

A million and more thanks. Sincerely.

An update on Steve...

He has good days and bad days.  The doctors explained to us that Steve would feel worse before he would feel better, so he actually welcomes the bad days, because when he feels awful he knows that the medication and supplements are killing the infections in his body, which is the name of the game with Lyme and toxicity. (The reaction Lyme patients often experience in response to their prescribed medications is called a Herxheimer reaction, which you can read about here.)

Some of you have asked why Steve is staying in Florida, and the answer is because the majority of his medications and detox regimens are administered to him intravenously on a daily basis, with the exception of Saturdays and Sundays. This strict protocol requires him to remain close to the clinic.

Thanks to the generous help and support of family, we have not been apart from Steve for the entire seven weeks of his absence.  The boys and I, (along with Steve's family) were able to fly to Florida over the Christmas holiday for a reunion.

 Joseph's primary love languages are feasting and smooching. His kisses are like super juicy.  He will be homeschooled until he's 30. Because, sheltering, that's what we do, right??

Sweet Reunion

With military-level amounts of strategic planning, and a solid zone defense, we were able to make it through the airport without losing any children or luggage, and we even managed to avoid being sniffed out by the canine unit, despite having beef jerky and Pop Rocks in our backpacks. Whew!

Steve is staying at a nice little apartment complex close to the clinic, so it was an adventure for the boys (not so much their mother) to experience apartment living for a few days.  They thought the tennis courts and pool were a reasonable trade-off for the lack of sleeping space.

Apartment dwelling was really just our normal frat house living times ten.  Extra cozy = extra stinky. I put in a request for happy hour with management, but haven't heard back from them yet.

During our visit Steve continued to receive his treatments in the mornings, which left most of our afternoons open for sight-seeing or hanging out at the beach.

As I scroll through all of the the photos I captured on our trip, I feel humbled by Steve's quiet strength and the very noble way in which he bore his pains so quietly, so as to try and maintain a cheerful atmosphere at all times for the boys.

His love for them, and for me, truly is heroic.

{Please enjoy this reel of yeller snapshots, while I research "how to set your camera for beach photography."}

Watching the kids bask in hours of carefree fun, enjoying the beauty of the beach and the warmth of the sun, was a great distraction from the weight of our worries.

We were the most fair skinned fannies out on the sand! Even our farmer tans from last summer had faded.  Sunblock me, baby!

The spoils of fishing victory. Yes, George asked if we could eat those baby hammerheads for supper. I'm tellin' ya, he is the next Bear Grylls. At least I know when he leaves for college he'll never be hungry. 

What a relief.

We all agreed it felt a little strange not being wrapped in fleece and slathered in chapstick over the Christmas break (but, we survived).  

Henry informed me that he would rather have sand down his shorts than snow up his coveralls any day.  

Chaffing vs. frostbite.  It's a toss up.

The beach is such a perfect place for kids.  They are completely entertained with the sand for hours at a time. If this were my backyard I would have time to take a nap and shave my legs.  Those are my big dreams these days.

The top two boys are getting really good at dodging the camera.  While I respect their mamarazzi denial wishes, at times I must insist on them taking turns being a prop for the littlest man.  

I call this one "whispies."  The oldest and the youngest and their matching beach blown hair-dos.  A perfect end to an imperfect post!

I just have to say thanks, again, for your prayers.  They are the momentum behind our every movement, propelling us forward, one step at a time towards Steve's healing! 

More updates to come...

A 20 Minute, Once a Day Power Clean With Your Kids In Five Simple Steps

Happy Friday, Friends!

A couple of days ago, I shared a quick pic of the boys tackling a few of the tasks on our twenty-minute power clean list.  This is a new idea/effort that I'm hoping will become a habit that will help us all keep the house a little cleaner before baby arrives. Since we've been working on it for a week now, I thought I'd write a little bit more about how the idea has taken off.

There are a couple of reasons why I decided to rethink our current housekeeping plan.

1.  I'm nesting in a major way (almost 38 weeks)!

2.  The boys' activity and school schedule is so full that finding time to clean is becoming more and more difficult. Read: the goober/dirt magnets I'm raising are taking over the house, and I cannot handle it any more!!!

Steve and I feel that it's very important to teach the boys good stewardship and generosity by requiring that they share in the maintenance of the home.  A big family = bigger messes, more dishes, laundry, etc. etc.  So we have to work as a team to keep the house running efficiently.  Everyone around here helps out in some way, even the little ones.  

{Sometime I will post in more specific detail the responsibilities that we set in front of the boys and at what ages we expect them to fulfill those responsibilities.}

But lately, especially with the older boys devoting more time to their studies and sports, it is becoming more and more challenging to tackle even the basic daily and weekly chores.  And moms, for what it's worth, the housekeeping duties should not fall upon your shoulders alone.  The home is the perfect environment for children to learn so many vital lessons on virtue and to also develop life-long skills that are unfortunately under appreciated and underrated, but no-less important to daily living and family harmony.

With our seventh angel due to make his/her entrance into the world any day now, I decided to come up with a simple, yet effective way to spread the housekeeping tasks out during the week, instead of trying to gather the troops to tackle the entire house in one laborious event.  

This isn't really a new or novel idea, but for what it's worth, I'm throwing it out there for anyone who is also reconsidering the distribution of major chores during the week.  Since we homeschool, I like to begin the day with our 20 minute power clean (that's what we're calling it).  But, if you have kids at school, you could always try to squeeze it in after they get home, or right before/after supper.

The goal is not perfection, because there will be those days when things just don't go as planned. But, with consistency, I'm hoping that the home will not only be a more ordered and clean environment for us all, but a more peaceful one as well!

After breakfast is eaten, teeth are brushed and everyone is dressed, the 20 minute power clean method (so far) begins, following this plan:

1.  Prayer and Scripture.  

We keep it simple.  Spontaneous prayer, the Our Father, Morning Offering or Angelus, then one of the boys reads a scripture passage for the day.  I choose the verses ahead of time and make sure they are always virtue-centered so that they reinforce obedience, generosity, sacrifice, joy, helpfulness, attentiveness, kindness etc.  You can Google "bible verses on (insert specific virtue)" to find a great just what you're looking for. No need to go into a long lecture here, just keep it sweet and simple. They'll be getting a small dose each day, so (fingers crossed) much of the teaching will eventually sink in.

2.  Write the daily list of tasks on a white board or piece of paper. 

Let the kiddos check the chores off as they go.  They love to do that - it gives them so much satisfaction! And, it helps you to see what's been done in relation to how much time is left.

3. Assign tasks.

I like to start with asking for volunteers, and if there are not takers for the task, it simply gets assigned. Then, I briefly review how the tasks are to be completed if they require any instruction.  I try not to labor to heavily over this.  Things won't be done perfectly, but with praise and encouragement, the children will improve from week to week.  Any task that is not completed will be finished before lunch or the next privileged event. *See our list of tasks below.

4.  Turn on the music! 

For our family, praise music and/or songs from my Christian play list are the only option during the power clean, but only because if we crank up the classic rock or country, it almost always results in a lot of air guitar and wrestling, and that's not what we're going for here.  (Matt Maher and Third Day on the Pandora app were the boys' top picks this week.)

5.  Set the timer.

This one doesn't need an explanation, but it is very important.  The kids need to see the countdown, (and so do I!)

6.  Inspection.

This is a really important step, and one not to be skipped because it gives us as parents the opportunity to praise and thank our kids, but also to teach them the value of finishing a task and finishing it well, as well as learning to embrace constructive criticism. I discovered this week that if I praised the boys individually to their father at the supper table, they worked even harder the following day!

7.  Rewards!

This one is totally optional, and I'm not always big on rewards, but in this case, it's a necessary good. The boys know I'm a bit of a sugar nazi, so the thought of receiving donuts or a cereal of their choice on Saturday morning is highly motivating!  Of course, this may not interest your older children, but perhaps a cash allowance or something more suitable to their ages might be.

Finally, here is a list of the tasks we are currently working from (many of them can be done more than once a week), and a few of the helpful cleaning items we used:

Task List:

Vacuum all rooms 

Wipe down kitchen appliances and cabinets

Clean sinks and counter tops in bathrooms (every-other-day)

Sweep Kitchen and Dining Room Floors

Mop kitchen floor

Wipe down kitchen table, seating, and high-chair

Dust 

Wipe dirty fingerprints off of doorknobs doors and walls 

Clean mirrors and windows 

Tidy up clothes drawers

Match/fold socks and laundry

Sweep off front porch and deck

Organize game cabinet and/or major toy area

Clean family vehicle (this one we do as a team, and it's the only task we focus on for the day.)

Clean Showers/Bathtubs (weekly)

Mop bathroom floors (weekly)

Water Flowers/Plants

Cleaning Products:

Cleaning products are such a personal preference, but if you're like me and always searching for effective/efficient items, here are a few that I can't do without:

1.  Norwex Enviro Cloths.  I know they are pricey, but so worth the investment.  They clean EVERYTHING so well (even stains off of carpet!), and don't leave streaks.  I can give a damp one to my toddler and turn him lose around the house. He loves to wipe down his high-chair and the bar stools for me.

2. Bona Mop System.  I really love this for our kitchen floors.  Nothing beats a good old fashioned hands and knees clean for the floors, but this is a great way to maintain the deep clean during the week.  It doesn't leave streaks and is easy for kids to use. If we had more hard woods in the home, I would probably invest in the Norwex mop system, but since our kitchen/dining space is small, this works for us.

3.  Baby wipes. Sounds crazy, I know, but we use these for detailing the car interior, because they are gentle and don't leave streaks or film.

4.  Thieves Multi-Purpose Concentrate from Young Living.  This is my go-to cleaner that I can let the boys use without worry over toxicity.  It's the germ bomb, and a little goes a long way!

How do you tackle household tasks with your family, and what are your favorite products?? 

I'd love to hear about it!

Rise & Shine Breakfast Basket ~ A Gift For Mamas of Newborns

Every time Steve and I welcome a new life into the world, we are truly spoiled by the kindness of family and friends who bring us delicious meals, thoughtful gifts, and offer to help with the little ones. One of the most memorable gifts I've received was given to me by a friend after the birth of our fourth son, Henry.

In lieu of freezer meals or new clothes, she brought me a breakfast basket. Aren't mornings the most difficult part of the day for mamas of newborns? They are for me! Her gift was such a bright surprise. Filling the basket were little baked goods, special coffee, jam, tea, and even a morning devotional with short readings that I could soak in before facing the day.

Her thoughtfulness and creativity has inspired me to to recreate the same gift for many of my friends over the years.  After choosing a cute, sturdy basket, I usually line it with a lovely hand towel, and coordinate the gifts to match. Before delivering the basket below, I tucked in a few pieces of white tissue paper to fill in the empty spaces, and to provide a little bit of cushion for the breakable items. 

Below is a list of ideas that might inspire you to make a breakfast basket for someone you know!

1.  A bag of really good coffee.

2.  Flavored syrup for the coffee.

3.  A delicious tea in a pretty tin.

{I really like this brand, which you can usually find at Target.}

4.  A special mug for the morning sips.

{The one I found in the picture above is from the Pioneer Woman line at Wal-Mart.}

5.  Pancake Mix

{My favorite shortcut is to buy a quality mix, and add mini chocolate chips to it.  Look for one that requires only the addition of milk or water.  Be sure to measure out an exact serving size and place it in a pretty jar or sturdy bag, and write the directions on a label.}

5.  Quick Breads, Scones, and Muffins

My go to recipes are for pumpkin bread, vanilla bean scones, and lemon poppyseed muffins.  Just choose your time-tested favorites. Even a nice sized batch of one thing is great!

6.  Gluten Free or Paleo Options

For the mom with special dietary needs, you can find a number of yummy gluten-free baked good recipes on my Pinterest page, and also a nice variety of Paleo options (including a delicious granola) on this page, too.

7.  Devotionals

{Just a few of my favorites:}

Mornings With St. Therese

The Way, Furrow, The Forge

Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

The Better Part

8.  Energizing Essential Oil Blends

I love to keep essential oils beside my bed.  A deep breath of their aroma in the morning, and a couple of drops on my wrists or behind the ears can have such an positive affect on my morning mood!

Elevation, Citrus Bliss, Past Tense from DoTerra

Clarity, En-R-Gee, Peace & Calm from Young Living

Do you have any suggestions for me? 

What would you put in your breakfast basket?

The Story I've Been Waiting to Tell You About Baby #7 - The One In Which I Freaked Out {A Little}

Over the weekend Steve and I took the boys up to the local high school football field to burn off a little steam.  While the big guys threw the pigskin around, I was pretty content to circle the track on my own for a few miles.

I thought I was still running, but according to my oldest son, my pace looks more like a brisk shuffle. Leave it to a 5'10" 130 pound teenage boy to keep my 29 week bloated ego in check.

Anyway, after a few shuffling laps, Joey decided to cut in on my lane, giving me a sweet little view of his back side.  Baby buns are the best, aren't they?  With the sunshine pouring through his wispy locks, I was happy to have such a cute distraction from my mental workout.

My mind had been spinning for the past half hour with worry over how I am going to care for another little baby in the midst of everything that our family is currently trying to work through concerning Steve's health, Charlie's growth issues, the upcoming spring and summer activities, and farm life starting to ramp up.

Yes, it's true, mothers of big families don't always have it all together.  We're not experts, or well-seasoned at much of anything, really.  We worry, we fret, we even freak out once in a while. 

I freak out a lot, actually.

In fact, after writing my last post, I wondered if maybe my joy for raising a big brood of boys, and sharing our excitement over welcoming another little one (both genuine emotions) left you all thinking that I've got this motherhood thing down, or that we're some sort of Bob Ross portrait of big family perfection

Not so, my friends.  Not even close.

The crazy thing is, you can freak out about lots of things as a mom, including having another baby, and still posses a joyful spirit, still trust in God's plans (although you think His plans lean towards crazy at times), and still walk forward confidently in that plan, despite feeling a teensie bit overwhelmed.

Speaking of having another baby, in the past seeing two pink lines has never resulted in me reacting in any way other than bawling with happiness.

Except for this last test.  This last one was kinda different.  Let me break it down for ya....

It was the first of September, and Steve was out of town traveling on business.  I was here at home, holding down the homeschool-sports-music lesson-diaper changing-24/7cafe fort.  While the boys enjoyed a recess from the books outdoors, I remained in the classroom to prep for the next lesson.  In the middle of mapping out the Assyrian Empire, it dawned on me that I was a few days late for that favorite time of the month.

No biggie, I thought.  Marathon training tends to throw the ol' cycle off a bit. We've been here before. It's all good. 

I tried to return to the Persian Gulf, but the nagging thought of the possible (but so unlikely) chance of being pregnant would not stop nagging me, so I snuck into the house and dug around until I finally unearthed a pregnancy test from a crumbled box that was hidden underneath an ancient bag of bath salts that I bought a century ago when I used to have time for baths.

Doot-da-do, let's just get this over with. I mean there's absolutely NO WAY....

Yeah.  Way.

I didn't even get the faded lines, you know the ones that make your eye balls sore from straining so hard to see if there really is a stripe on the stick? The ones where you walk around the house and ask every breathing soul if they can see a line?  Nope, it was two bold pink lines.

Great, for the first time in 15 years, I'm the one who's been randomly tossed into that 3% margin of error pool. Awesome.

Slightly on edge, but not quite to the point of vodka, I ran outside, yelled at the boys like a drill sergeant and *lovingly* ordered them to buckle up in the burb, because we were going on a field trip to Chick-Fil-A followed by our favorite chain store neighbor, Walgreens.  

We didn't even go in to either place.  Drive thru field trip all the way. For the first time ever I didn't notice the spilled lemonade and Polynesian sauce sprayed all over the seats. The boys had never witnessed such oblivion from their mother before.  They were in awe.

Back home with a fresh batch of tests, I was ready for this chicken dance to be over.

Let's take a for real test this time.

Okay two for real tests.  Three?  {Sigh.} Stupid lines.

Bill Nye the Science Guy and Miss Frizzle would have to take over afternoon teaching duties, because I had charts and a calendar to study.

How (well, we know how) but.....when....could this have happened? I don't even think we've had time to hold hands or wink at each other lately.

Just to catch all you NFP fans up to speed, here's how Steve and I approach all that business:

Have a baby.  Use NFP for a few months until mommy's thyroid/hormone/adrenals start to function properly.  Throw the charts away. Buy pregnancy tests. Wait on the Lord to bless (or not to bless) us with some pink lines.

Seriously, that's pretty much been our typical routine. But, after we had Joseph, and concerns over Steve's health began to worsen, much more responsibility was placed upon my shoulders. His care, and the care of our children, and taking over as many duties that we normally shared together naturally became first in the order of charity and priority for me.

It was time to reevaluate things a little bit.  For the first time in 14 years, we prayerfully decided to practice NFP for just and serious reasons.

I'd be lying if I told you that in that moment of discovering I was pregnant again I didn't struggle with the loss of things of lesser importance, things I would be giving up again, things like sleeping through the night, Friday's gin and tonic, non-pregnancy/nursing attire, training for races.  All of those things seem so superficial don't they?  Yet, I confess that I don't have the detachment thing down.

I like routine, comfort, fun, sleep, and beer.  I dislike hemorrhoids, swelling, nausea, exhaustion, pre-natal vitamins and labor. Experiencing all of those little annoyances with a healthy husband at my side is one thing, going through them with a sick spouse, plus six very busy boys under my wing is entirely another.

Despite our prayerful and practical efforts to postpone any future pregnancies, God, in His wisdom, had an entirely different set of plans for us.  And, for Steve and I, that's really the beauty of practicing NFP prayerfully.  There never ceases to be an openness to life.  We offer the Lord our present circumstances, and trust Him to lead us....even though the path ahead sometimes looks completely different than the one we would have chosen to take ourselves.

In the midst of the shock and surprise over a positive test, I knew, deep down that the only resolution to the immediate tears of worry and confusion would be to trust.  To say over and over again, yes, Lord.  As you wish.

I want you to know, those of you who have ever been (or maybe you currently are) in the camp of worry, of anxiety, and of freaking out about your present family circumstances, that it's okay.  You don't have to have it all together all of the time.  

If others look at you and say, well, you chose this big family thing so that's what you get, then they can stick it.  No one lacks empathy for the med-school student working three jobs, or the ironman athlete who lost two toenails last week.

Because, what they're doing is admirable.

*ahem*

It's okay to feel frustrated and completely overwhelmed.  It's okay to cry, to be angry, to question, to desperately seek a way around the circumstances that we face, rather than walk straight through them with our pride as our shield of protection.

But, those feelings aren't the end of the story, they're just a natural and sometimes very necessary beginning to the great one that God is writing in our lives.

We can do our best to hide our fragility from others, but we cannot hide it from our Father. He made us. He even became human like us, so that there would be no distance between His love and understanding of us and our freedom to trust in that understanding.

He knows all, He sees all, and yet He is not a distant Father who leaves us to struggle out in the deep hopeless and alone.  He does not leave us weeping in fear and anguish on the floor of our bedroom, unable to face what it will require of us to open the door and bravely walk out into the storm. We are not alone!

I am blessed to have wonderful people in my life to remind me of that very truth, people who have been through tough times themselves and can testify to the Lord's love and fidelity, people who encourage me to place my confidence in Him and to remember, above all, that God is God and we are not.  He can only desire what is best for us, and it is up to us to trust Him.

I want to pass along that encouragement to you, and to tell you that you are not alone.  We are in this camp together, and we are going to make it, even if we have to freak out a little along the way.

Five Days Better Late Than Never - Husband Family Highlights of 2015

I am in complete denial that my children's educational careers will resume tomorrow.  The Loony Tunes band-aid we've all been wearing for the past two weeks to cover up the painful reality of commitment to organization, early bedtimes, and serious brain activity is going to hurt just a tad when it gets ripped off with the 6 a.m. alarm.

But, onward we trod.

Most of of you are probably already into the swing of the new year, maybe even planning your snacks and crafts for Valentine's Day, but I kinda still have my heels in 2015.  I had solid intentions to write a Christmas letter this year, but alas the intention never materialized.

I could probably blame the lack of sentimental expression on the ridiculous amount of time it took me to untie the toddler, who was captured and tied to the Christmas tree, or the mountain of cereal bowls that perpetually pile up at the kitchen sink, but truth be told, it didn't get done, because the one and only time I had to sit down and write the letter also happened to be the exact moment that the house was (almost) quiet, which resulted in mommy *accidentally* falling asleep on top of the laundry that I was contemplating folding.

So, really, if we want to point fingers in blame, point 'em to our 21 week old baby who makes me really, really tired.

If the baby happens to be a girl, Perpetua Fatiguia would be most fitting.  If it's a boy, Maximus Exhaustius.

Anyway, for all y'all who can't get enough of a good Christmas letter, and for myself, who often needs to be reminded that life is indeed about more than laundry and keeping the pantry stocked, this reel of 2015 highlights is for us!

{Click on the countdown titles for more on the stories.}

Husband Family - Best of 2015

1. George's Sinus Surgery

This boy is living a whole new life, thanks to an incredible surgeon at Denver Children's Hospital. He is more energetic, able to focus in school, and more cheerful all around (yay!).  Never, ever take for granted the gift of being able to breathe, because it is just that - a gift.

2. That One Time We Were Robbed

Okay, so this may not be something most people would consider a highlight to their year, but it's something I don't ever want to forget, because it taught me some pretty valuable lessons, a few of them being that people are good (really), nothing in this world is really ours anyway, and back your stuff up.

3.  The Edel Gathering

Sometimes a mama just needs to sneak away for a weekend.  And, on that weekend, make new friends, wear some crazy shoes, relax, laugh, think, pray, and be told by the kindest hearts that she really isn't failing at this whole motherhood thing (even though she may feel like it). 

4.  Labor Day Weekend at the Lake

There's a little reason why farmers don't vacation during the summer, and it's called feeding the world. So we make the most of the little get-aways here and there throughout the rest of the year. Going to the lake over labor day with family is becoming an annual favorite!

5.  The Chicago Marathon

One of the personal goals I set for myself last year was to run a marathon in 2015.  Chicago has been on my bucket list since college, and since I would turn 40 the same month as the race I thought it would be a fitting way to celebrate the ushering in of a new decade!  

6.  A Surprise Visit From Switzerland

Our entire family was blessed with a tremendous surprise last fall when my sister, Sara, called us and told us that she was coming for a visit with her eldest daughter, Elisabeth.  We had a wonderful time relaxing, visiting, eating, sipping on wine, and watching the boys delight in Elisabeth's presence, loving her like a sister.  Living with an ocean between us never ceases to be difficult, but it sure does make the time that we are able to spend together a precious gift.

7.  Hello, We Have a High Schooler!

And Another Son Flies the Homeschool Nest

We said from the first day we jumped into homeschooling that we would take it one day at a time, one child at a time.  That philosophy was really put to the test a couple of years ago when we made a prayerful decision to send Benedict to Catholic school.  It has proven to be a very fruitful decision, as he is flourishing in so many beautiful ways.  I'm still trying to wrap my heart and mind around the reality that he's a Freshman this year! His younger brother, Andrew, is following in footsteps, and so far is enjoying the journey very much.

8.  Joseph Becomes an Official Member of the Big Brother Club

Mid May-ish our family will welcome a new little Husband.  While this precious life has come as a bit of a surprise to us (a future post for sure), we don't doubt for a moment God's goodness, His graciousness, nor His perfect plan for our family.  We do doubt, however, whether these walls can hold us all in for much longer.  House hunting is in full force!

9.  We Like Big Vans and We Cannot Lie!

And...eight plus one means we've officially outgrown the suburban.  After discussing the pros and cons of all three van choices available to large families, we settled on the Nissan NV.  Master Deal Tracker Daddy found our party wagon clear out in West Virginia. Thank you, Craigslist! 

10.  Quoteworthiness

Charlie (age 4):

Do you know what this is, Mom? 
It's an axe (read: "ask")! I made it for you to put in your tool box! 
You can use it to chop up things, or kill spiders or snakes, but probably not bears, 
bears would not be scared of this (ask) axe.

If our boys aren't eating, playing sports or pranks on each other, they're usually telling stories, and from those stories come the funniest quotes.  I like to share many of the funny things they say on my Facebook page, because who doesn't love a little boyhood humor?

Finally, thank you for visiting our family here at our little spot on the web.  I know that the frequency of my posts continues to diminish as I am meeting the more important callings of family life, but I want you to know how dearly I value your questions, kind responses, and generous love toward our family.  (A list of this year's top stories below!)

Here's to a New Year, my friends!

Post of the Year

Modesty Soapbox

A Peek at Farm Life 

Favorite Recipe Post

Cuisinart 8 Cup Food Processor Times Two - One For Me, and One for You!!

Something kind of awesome happened here yesterday.

While my eyeballs were multi-sensing between third declension noun endings (Latin nerds we are) and cyber Monday deals, I had one hand on the phone and the other swinging between a cold cup of coffee and a hurricane toddler.  Check-marking my way through a list of phone calls that had to be made, I finally arrived at the very last one: "Call Sur-la-Table customer service."

Ugh.  Customer service.  You never know exactly what you're gonna get served, right?

But, people, this is where the awesomeness begins.

Cuisinart Elemental 8 Cup Food Processor

Just before Thanksgiving, I decided that in order to keep feeding this small army of men, who are hungry 24/7, I was going to have to rethink my battle plan in the kitchen.  While there's no room for a double oven or a six burner cook top, there is room (well, I can always make room) for a few smaller appliances that can help me zip through the prep work.

With coupon in hand and a free shipping code, I ordered a new food processor...only somewhere in the whole order-pack-ship process, they thought I needed not one, but TWO food processors.  So, yesterday I rang 'em up and requested that they send me a shipping slip so that I could return the second item.

Apparently that was just too much hassle for them.

So, they told me I could KEEP IT!!!!!!!!!!

I felt like I had just won the culinary lottery.

{All Photos compliments of Sur-la-Table.}

What is one to do with two food processors, exactly?

The third born suggested that he be allowed to disassemble it and use the parts to reconstruct a robot. That seems complicated.  And, dangerous. Blades + electricity = a trip to the ER.  Let's stick with Lego's and play dough.

While the boys discussed whey they thought I should do with my bonus machine, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it, and that's to GIVE IT AWAY TO ONE OF YOU!!!

We are all so busy at this time of year, so I don't want you to waste one moment trying to figure out what you have to do to win this thing.  You don't have to "like" or follow anything! Just follow the prompts below, and be sure that I have your name and e-mail so that I can contact you if you're the lucky winner!

*If the Rafflecopter is being uncooperative, you can send me an e-mail with your info, and I'll happily add you to the entry, or message me on Facebook.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Moving Beyond Picture Books & Presents: Helping Your Teens Transition to a Deeper, More Meaningful Advent

"Look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand (Luke 21:28)."  

This time of Advent is a time for hope.  These great horizons of our Christian vocation, this unity of life built on the presence of God our Father, can and ought to be a daily reality."

-St. Josemaria Escriva, Life is Passing By

Our family loves traditions, and never more so than those we experience together throughout the Advent and Christmas season.  Just a few days ago, I sat down to make my annual Advent checklist, which looked exactly like this (minus the cute paper and perfect handwriting, add coffee stains and purple marker scribbles, compliments of Jophis):

Over the past fifteen years, the Jesse Tree, Advent wreath, family book basket, Feast of St. Nicholas, and prayers around the nativity traditions have been a wonderful way for us to nurture a deeper faith in our children.  

In an effort to preserve this sacred time, and to truly give meaning to the season of Advent, it is our hope that our children will not just know, but understand and live Advent for that which it is meant to be - a season of preparation.

Yet, I confess, when the world around us begins to break out the Christmas decor before Halloween, it's a great challenge to draw their little hearts in away from secular influences and in toward Jesus Christ.

The challenge is becoming greater, now that we have teens in the house.

Every year I hear Christians chatting about how secularized Christmas has become, and how the season of Advent seems almost to have been forgotten.  We shake our heads, throw up our hands and wonder if it's worth all the effort to keep Christ in Christmas.

I admit, that I feel quite alone the day after Christmas when everyone else is taking down their decorations and lights.  What seems to be the end of the celebration is just the beginning for us.  We take that Twelve Days of Christmas song seriously!

While I'm convinced that those of us who long to live the seasons of Advent and Christmas to the fullest are not going to change society's perspective toward the true meaning of the holidays, we can have a strong and lasting influence within our own families, and pray that they will pass the truths and traditions we teach them on to their own families one day.

Maintaining the magical spirit of the season is simple with little ones, but for our older children, Steve and I have realized that there is a time of transition where they move from a simplistic experience of Christ's coming into a more sincere and efficacious one.

Steve reading from The Holy Mass after Sunday brunch.

Guidance through this transition requires time and effort on our part, and also an authentic example that is visible and trustworthy. Just a few of the ways in which we are forming and nurturing our teenage sons' faith throughout the season of Advent (and beyond) are:

1.  Advent is a Time of Preparation

We remind them that Advent (like Lent) is a time of fast and abstinence meant to prepare our souls for the reception our Lord.  What a great challenge this is, when typically the days leading up to Christmas are filled with abundant opportunities to indulge! Fasting, however, can come in forms other than giving up food.  The fruit of the sacrifice, whatever form it may be, is an increased hunger and longing for our Lord, as well as a humility that recognizes a real need for Him.

2.  Make Prayer a Priority

Making time for family prayer can be difficult, especially with so many activities and responsibilities weighing on our shoulders and our schedules.  But during Advent this is the one thing that, for our family, does not play second fiddle to other committments.  As Catholics, praying the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary together around the nativity is one of our favorite forms of prayer.  If it is late, and the children are restless, sometimes we say just a decade together, then Steve and I will finish the prayers together after the kids go to bed.

3.  Practice Examination of Conscience 

I have written more on that here, but for now, I'll just say that during Advent, in preparation for Christ's coming, we follow the example of John the Baptist who's message was one of conversion, of forgiveness, of repentance (Mark 1:3).  While we strive to pray an examination of conscience with the family once a week, our good night hugs to the older boys are often followed by a simple, "Don't forget to examine your conscience before you go to sleep."

4.  Read Aloud 

Our Christmas book basket is overflowing, as each year I cannot resist adding one or two new stories to the stack.  As the older boys have moved well beyond picture books, we still continue the tradition of reading aloud to them with more challenging texts.  This usually takes place after the evening meal or before night prayer.  Of course we understand that the little ones will reach boredom quickly, so they are allowed to color or play during this time.  We read for a short while and then have discussion.  It's amazing how even Henry, who is 8, and George, who is 10, enjoy participating in the dialog.

 *See list below of what we're reading this season.*

5.  Pray for One Another. 

Steve and I pray for each one of our children every day. But, when it comes to praying for the older children, I believe it's important that we ask them how we can pray for them, and also we request that they pray for us.

This is where the faith gets real.  Faith isn't comprised of a firm devotion to habits and traditions alone, it is a challenging interior work, a daily resolution to become less of ourselves and more of Christ. When we share a few of our own struggles to overcome ourselves, our weaknesses, and our defects with our sons, when we ask for their help through prayer, they see that we are sincere in preparing our own hearts for Christ.

Parents are first and primary Catechists to their children.  The most powerful lessons are always taught best through example.  Steve and I are by no means perfect in our endeavors to form our children in their faith.  But, we struggle on, as I hope you are too, trusting in God's mercy and love to guide us every step of the way.

*Any books relating to the faith, the saints, conversion stories, etc. are great, so long as they encourage discussion and contemplation. *

The Holy Mass 

This book is truly a gem of a read.  While it's not necessarily specific to Advent or Christmas, I wanted to include it here, because it is such a treasure and can be read year round. Steve and I are in awe of how much knowledge and wisdom we are garnering from this little book.  It is a fantastic teaching tool for parents and catechists.

Joy to the World

by Dr. Scott Hahn

The Advent of Christ: Scripture Reflections to Prepare for Christ

by Dr. Ted Sri

Advent and Christmas: Wisdom From Henri J. W. Nouwen

Jesus of Nazareth
Pope Benedict XVI 

An Easy-Peasy Two-Minute Updo For Short To Mid-Length Hair

This post is dedicated to my friend Lisa, who wouldn't stop nagging me last summer to make a how-to video of an updo I wore during the Edel Gathering last summer.  Because I'm technologically challenged, and because the boys would insist on contributing their favorite sound effects to the show, (I'm sure you can guess what those would be), I think a photo tutorial is our best option here.

Lisa, if you're out there, and you are bored, read this, because it's for you!!

When you have multiple babes, ponytails and updo's really are a mamas best friend.  The boys currently have me on the "4.3 minutes per day to primp" plan with zero roll-over minutes.

They're so generous.  That gives me just enough time to choose between black or grey sweats and brush my teeth. So, make-up? Nada.  Hair? Ponytail.

But, every once in a while I get sick of the ponytail and feel all, "I hate my hair" crazy, which leads me to opt for the chop. I have to say that while I've really enjoyed having shorter hair, figuring out the pony tail and updo (I couldn't give 'em up) were a wee bit tricky at first. But, I finally figured out a quick way to tame my tresses without a lot of time or fuss.

{If this updo is already on Pinterest, my deepest apologies to whomever figured it out a long time ago.  I promise I'm not robbing your fame! Take comfort in knowing that last time I checked, the number of people who actually read this blog is around somewhere between 10 and 12.}

With a little practice, some twisting, and a few bobby pins, this updo can be mastered in just a couple of minutes.  Take that, boyyyyzzz! *wink*

The best thing about this do, is that you can totally start with bed head (do I hear applause?)!! For those of you who are sipping wine (oh, you know who you are), raise your glass.  This is a toast-worthy revelation!

All those Pinterest hair tutorials with photos that start with perfectly cascading curls just make me want to cry. Why would you wreck the hair most of us only dream of having with bobby pins and hair spray?? Why???? *sniff-sniff*

If you are afraid that nothing good can come out of bedhead, then put on your queen bee t-shirt and tell that girl in the mirror she's about to make something awesome happen.

Grab a few bobby pins, some hairspray, a comb, and a hair tie - the clear ones are nice, especially if you're planning to go out beyond the mail-box today.

 *If your bedhead head hair isn't fluffy enough already, tease the roots at the crown and spritz with a little hairspray first before you begin.

/1./  Gather hair from both sides of your head, about an inch or so above the ears.  Twist once and secure with a bobby pin.

/ 2. / Taking a small section of hair from one side, pull it across the twisted section, and secure with a pin (be sure to tuck the pin under the hair so it doesn't show. Repeat from the other side.

/3./  Using a comb, slightly tease the remaining hair to give it a little umph.  Then, gather it up like a pony tail just under the pinned section of hair. Secure with a hair tie.  Take a few pieces of the ponytail and twist them in different directions, tucking the ends back into the hair tie.

/4./  Loosen any tight loops and secure with pins. You want it to look effortless and natural, but not too messy. Tuck in any crazy hairs with bobby pins and mist with hairspray to set.

*My hair is about two inches longer in these pics than when I first had it cut, and even then I was still able to work this up-do.  It just takes a few more pins.