A City Life For Me

Today is Nolan’s birthday.  I can’t believe he has been a part of our family for a year already…yet I can’t remember our family without him, either.  He was born on Thursday, June 30th at 10:38 a.m. weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and 19.75 inches long.   He was a pretty easy going baby from the start, and he hasn’t changed much! six  weeks four months four months six months six months – this is my favorite picture of him.  His cheeks are rosy from teething! When he was six months old we started calling him “The Nolanator” and the name has stuck…probably because it’s so appropriate!  He started eating solid food at four months, crawling at five months, sitting at six months, pulling up to stand at seven months, and walking at nine months.  I wasn’t really ready for any of those things…Nolan keeps me on my toes! nine months Nolan is now a bundle of energy & movement, with a lot of noise thrown in fo...

Well…I’ve been behind on posting {and taking} my photos in June!  Here they are…though not necessarily snapped on the correct day!  And not too creative this month – I’m not really enjoying this list too much! June 12: From a Low Angle Elaine at the park June 13: Art homemade paints for Elaine June 14: Time clock tower in downtown Brooklyn June 15: Yellow the walls in my bedroom.  They were like that when we moved in – definitely not my favorite! June 16: Out and About at the water park! June 17: In Your Bag new library books June 18: Something We Don’t Know About You I despise wearing tennis shoes… especially with a skirt.  I’d much rather be in stockings and pumps, or sandals.  So if you catch me in my “sneakers” as Ben calls them – mark it down.  It is a rare occurrence! June 19: Imperfect my house.  This is what it looks like for most of the day…until naptime when I put it all away in...

Today I am thankful for three simple things: 1.  City-provided water sprinklers at the park for kids to enjoy on hot days 2.  Air conditioner units for hot days like today 3.  The fact that I grew up in a dry climate where heat wasn’t as much of a problem and swamp coolers were cheap to run.  I miss Colorado! {click to enlarge}

2 days :: 3 nap times :: 100 tomatoes :: 2 burning hands :: a very hot kitchen :: 1 broken jar :: 1 tired Mommy But I got 16 quarts, 4 pints, and 2 half pints to show for it!

Linking up with the Gypsy Mama for Five Minute Friday today! Here are the guidelines…you can join in the fun too! 1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking 2. Link back here and invite others to join in. 3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community. . The prompt is… PATH Go. I am so glad that God chooses the path of life for us.  I would never have imagined where His path has led me.  I didn’t think it would be possible to graduate from college debt free.  Or that my Prince Charming would be the boy on campus who couldn’t talk.  {Ask me about that later}.  I never would have dreamed that my mission field would be in the United States.  That I would get to complete my internship in Spain, or visit Israel with my in-laws...

Every time I take these cookies somewhere…I get lots of comments.  They are just so delicious!  I actually portion them out into baggies and freeze them…to ensure there are enough to fill Ben’s lunch box for the week.  Because they don’t last long in our house!  We even enticed Elaine to take her first steps by holding out one of these cookies!  And she loves to dunk them….see more about that here . I think this recipe came from Better Homes & Gardens.  I had two different cookbooks from them as a newlywed.  The recipes were different for Chocolate Chip Cookies…so I combined, adjusted, and…perfected?  I love chocolate chip cookies.  And I like them soft – not crunchy & crumbly.  I use margarine in this recipe, but it is phenomenal with real butter too!  I like milk chocolate chips best, but we often use semi-sweet because they are available at Costco. Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe From Andrea Hamilton via Better Hom...

I have never liked beans.  But our current budget sorta mandates that we eat them.  Because they are cheap.  So I try to “dress them up a little” and try new recipes…always hoping to disguise the bean taste.  It doesn’t always work…and I am learning to like beans.  For several years I have enjoyed making Southwest Roll-ups from Money Saving Mom.  I had a bunch of tortillas in the freezer and wanted to make a batch f these burritos to have on hand for a quick meal.  But…Houston we have a problem…no refried beans.  I did, however, have a bunch of beans in the freezer which I had cooked up previously.  So I pulled up a recipe and made my own refried beans. And they are delicious. Refried Beans Recipe from Jill of The Prairie Homestead via Money Saving Mom Homemade Refried Beans (Feel free to cut this recipe in half- it makes quite a lot. However, they also freeze well.) 4 cups cooked pinto beans (You may used canned whol...

Let me just preface this by saying that I don’t like oatmeal .   It’s never been a favorite.  I think it’s the texture – it’s always gloopy and sticky.  Not with this recipe!   I’m not too much of a breakfast person either, unless you are enticing me with Chicken Minis from Chick-fil-A.  Yum!  Back to the oatmeal…this oatmeal is thick and warm, with a bit of sugar.  We like ours with fresh strawberries on top.   It’s great in the freezer, or overnight in the fridge, or whipped up in the morning.  That makes it versatile – the best kind of recipe! It’s also very filling.   I make one batch and split it in half.  There are always leftovers, though when I look at the dish I think,  “ there is no way this is enough for all of us .” Baked Oatmeal Recipe from Crystal Paine at Money Saving Mom Freezer-Friendly Baked Oatmeal  1/3 cup butter, melted 2 large eggs 3/4 cup raw sugar (or brown sugar) ...

There are several new-to-us recipes which have quickly become favorites.  I have been meaning to share them for a while, but I never got around to it.  So here they are!  I hope you will love them as much as we do!  I will post them in several posts so that they are easier to find/print. Breakfast Cookies Recipe from Pam Odd at  Keeping Life Creative Ingredients:  2 cups wheat flakes (such as Total or Wheaties) 1/2 cup flour 1/4 cup wheat germ 1/2 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup yogurt 1/4 cup oil 1 egg 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. vanilla 1 cup dried cranberries Directions: Preheat oven to 375F. Crush wheat flakes with a rolling pin. In a bowl, mix yogurt, egg, oil, and vanilla. Add crushed wheat flakes, flour, sugar, wheat germ, salt, and baking soda. Mix well then add dried cranberries. Place by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet and bake for approx. 10 minutes or until set.  Variatio...

Back to our Colorado trip…here are the highlights of a week of activities with Ma & Pa! :: Went to the Denver Zoo.   Read more on this at my mom’s blog, here . Of all the animals on Elaine’s “list”, we only got to see the giraffes. :: Swimming.   Lots, and lots of swimming.  Thankful for an indoor pool, and since I know “someone” we got the heat turned up for us, too! :: A Godby tradition, Grandpa makes popcorn.   Of course, my dad eats the microwave variety, not the Whirley Pop stuff Gramps used to make.  And that means that Dad probably asked Mom to pop it, so this is really Grandma popcorn!  But that’s beside the fact.  Elaine enjoyed sharing hers with Betsy, using the new “high chair” that Grandma bought! :: Acclimating to Gypsy.   They soon made a pact – Nolan would throw food on the floor for Gypsy if Gypsy would lick Nolan’s toes and make him giggle.  It was a win-win situation. :: First Motorcycle Ride. ...