Recap

In my spirit:

• Considering how proper motivation keeps our theology from going off the tracks (1 Timothy, see “Why Do I Study God?)
• Having just taught the fall to my three-year-old Sunday School class, I’m pondering anew how God provides everything we need, how His rules are for our good, how Satan lies, AND how God responds to our sin by providing a serpent-crushing Savior. What a God.

In the living room:

• I started doing “real” knee pushups this week instead of this wimp-out version I learned while I was pregnant (when my belly wouldn’t allow me to do the real kind). Those real ones definitely give the back and shoulders a better workout.
• Tirzah Mae was teething this week – so I’m learning to roll with the punches and resume cleaning routines when I can.

In the kitchen:

• Tuna Rotini. I don’t remember ever using a recipe to make this main-dish tuna and pasta salad – but I’ve been making it since I was ten or so, and it’s always a great hot-weather meal. We almost had it as a picnic on Monday (except that I forgot to grab the picnic basket with the utensils and plates, so we brought it back home and ate it at the table.)
• Great-Grams’ Spaghetti – Great Grams was Italian and her recipe has been passed down to daughter-in-law after daughter-in-law, until it got to me. We LOVE it.

In the nursery:

• After just two days of near constant nursing, Tirzah Mae’s second front-bottom tooth emerged.
• Daniel and I have long enjoyed blowing raspberries on Tirzah Mae’s tummy – but this week she learned to reciprocate.
• Another new skill this week: clapping.
• Also, the diaper changing gymnastics are on.

In the craft room:

• Due to unusual body morphology, I’ve long had difficulties finding shirts that fit. My current shirts are pretty much all stretched out, having made it through a pregnancy (nope, I never ended up buying any maternity stuff). I considered going to the store to purchase some new ones (knowing my usual difficulties) – and then decided I’d see if I could draft myself a good pattern so I could just make myself some that really fit. I spent a good part of the weekend working on it – and have finally arrived at a basic t-shirt pattern that should work well.

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

• The Case of the Missing Moonstone by Jordan Stratford (added based on Amy’s Review)
• Between You and Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris (added based on Alice’s Review – I like me a good grammar story :-P)
• Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley (added based on Sherry’s review)
• Lilliput by Sam Gayton (added based on Carrie’s review – I don’t have a problem with fan-fic, and I liked Gulliver’s Travels)
• Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (added based on Amy’s Review – and seriously, why haven’t I already read this?)

In the garden:

• Rain, rain, and more rain this week means… cucumbers, but not enough sun to ripen my tomatoes.
• I sat down and started working up a plan for next year’s garden – I think I might end up trying to triple my garden size next year (from 1 to 3 4×8 beds.) Am I crazy, or is this doable? I’ve got a nice amount now for eating, but would really like to be able to preserve some next year.

On the land:

• We had our four-corners no-start survey on Monday – so we now know what land we actually own (as opposed to guessing based on where the fences are and the neighbors have mowed!)
• And we went out and staked out the house (and where the driveway culvert will go) with our builder yesterday. Moving right along!

On the web:

• 9 Parenting Truths from John Piper –
  

  “Be radically consistent and authentic in your own faith — not just in behavior, but in affections. Kids need to see how precious Jesus is to mom and dad.”

  ~John Piper

  I love this – especially because this was something I saw modeled so well. I was recently telling a friend what it meant to me as a child to see my dad tear up as he read the gospel in some passage of Scripture, so overwhelmed he was by the grace of God. That’s a heritage that can’t be forgotten.

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.

In my spirit:

• Doing lots of crying over the mystery of salvation this week – as I read to Tirzah Mae from The Jesus Storybook Bible, as I listen to Keith Green’s “Prodigal Son Suite”, as I read Titus 3:4-7

In the living room:

• This week’s busyness has meant I skipped exercise three days in a row! Oh my! But the important thing is to not let the break keep me from continuing on.
• I’m reminded of God’s faithfulness, that even on the busiest of days, what needs to get done still manages to get done.
• Friday night, we watched clips from the Republican primary debate – groan. I’m already ready for this election cycle to be over.

In the kitchen:

• I continue to enjoy making quick breads with my sourdough starter – this week, it’s banana nut bread using last week’s leftover bananas and another version of lemon zucchini bread (this one with blueberries).
• I made a roasted garlic white bean/chicken chili from Melissa d’Arabian’s Ten Dollar Dinners for dinner on Sunday, modifying it for the crockpot. I think I’ll make a few adjustments in the future, but it was generally a good recipe.
• Fajitas are a fun meal and can be a pretty healthy option – especially if you choose corn tortillas (whole grain!), make your own seasoning for the meat (skip the salt!), use lots of peppers and onions (I like to use colored peppers in addition to green), and go light on the cheese and sour cream (Salsa, on the other hand? It’s vegetables!) We enjoyed some chicken fajitas and watermelon on Monday.
• I made this Kielbasa, Pepper, Onion, and Potato Hash for supper after grocery shopping on Thursday – it was easy as promised, but seemed a little bland. We’ll probably try it again but maybe add some garlic and some cayenne pepper or something similar to add some oomph.
• I love one-pot dinners and this One-pot Spicy Chicken Riggies is one we’ve enjoyed before. I use whole wheat pasta and serve it with veggies on the side. (You can also make it with half and half instead of heavy whipping cream and skip the butter to lighten it up a bit.)

In the nursery:

• This week is a week for talking – Tirzah Mae’s been jabbering regularly throughout the day (as opposed to just a couple times a day) and thinks that trying to outvolume someone else while matching pitch is Hi.larious. Like, laugh out loud until you fall over hilarious. And then start again. (She might be her mother’s daughter :-P)

In the craft room:

• We put together a bulletin board for Sunday School. That counts, right?

In the garden:

• My tomatoes are ripening! We ate the first batch in BLTs for lunch today.
• I didn’t check the garden for a day, and when I returned, there were enormous slicing-size cucumbers on my trellis (I grow the pickling sort) – yet they were delicious!

On the land:

• We heard back from the appraiser – and the appraised value of the house once it’s built will be equal to the amount we’re paying to build it! We were a little worried since we’ll be paying extra to build an unfinished space above the house that can be later finished into a 16×35 foot school room.
• We spent yesterday dismantling a shed so we’ll be ready to break ground as soon as the loan comes through.

In my spirit:

• Contemplating how God’s grace “[trains] us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” (Titus 2:12)
• Gearing up to teach preschool Sunday School this year – and praying God grants grace and wisdom to teach Christ, not mere morality.

In the living room:

• I read a novel this week – and have decided that novels ruin me for everyday life. I start chafing at my chores, wishing I could just be sitting devouring another book. And, this would be why nonfiction is what I read at this point in my life.
• The library needs to stop having booksales. My bookshelves are already all full to overflowing and I can’t resist low-cost books – so I always end up coming home with a stack I have no idea where to house.

In the kitchen:

• Slow cooker meals are certainly preferable to oven meals in the summertime – and we love this Slow Cooker Orange Chicken. I make it healthier by adding 8 oz snow peas (stemmed and cut in half), 1 can pineapple tidbits (drained), 1 green pepper (cut into 1/2 to 1 inch chunks), and 1 red pepper (also cut into chunks) about 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
• I tried making some veggie and cheese enchiladas with black beans, zucchini, colored bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. I thought it was delicious – Daniel thought it could use some meat :-)
• I’m adding lots of veggies to dishes – including adding chickpeas, spinach, and acorn squash to this Chicken Peanut Curry. It was a winner in my book.
• This Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread looked good – so I made a sourdough version, reducing the sugar and oil by half and skipping the glaze. It was good, but not great – it felt like it had too little lemon and too little zucchini. I’m sure the glaze would have added some lemon flavor, but the small amount of zucchini felt too bad. I think I’ll try modifying a different recipe that includes more zucchini to get the same lemon/zucchini combo.

In the nursery:

• I put Tirzah Mae in her crib Sunday evening and she crawled over to the bars and pulled herself up as if she’d been doing it all her life – so her mattress got lowered right then and there (Thank you, beloved!)
• After what seems like months of what I was sure was teething, Tirzah Mae has finally gotten her first tooth – but she’s teasing other parts of her gums, making me think there are others not far behind.

In the craft room:

• I finally got around to making pom-poms today when a friend came over to visit and craft – this method didn’t end up working out for me, but we found another that works reasonable well.

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

• Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty (added based on Lisa’s review, and on her Nightstand post)
• The Girls of the Atomic City by Denise Kiernan (added based on Susan’s Review)
• Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood by Melissa B. Kruger (added based on Barbara’s review)
• Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (added based on Nancy’s Nightstand post)
• Knowing God by J.I. Packer (I’ve been thinking I wanted to re-read this – and having it as Challies’ “Reading Classics Together” book might give me the impetus to do so.)

In the garden:

• I got two green beans this week. Two. From 18 plants.
• But the broccoli is still going strong, my cucumbers are giving me a steady trickle, and the peppers are setting on some more fruit. Also, the tomatoes, once they ripen, will be abundant

On the land:

• Still waiting on the construction loan
• The septic guy came out to dig some test holes to determine percolation rates (basically, to confirm that our soil doesn’t absorb water so we’ll need the advanced system we’re getting.)

On the web:

• Are we merging onto the highway all wrong? – The author makes a good point about where the responsibility to make room to merge should lie.
• Outraged at Planned Parenthood? Support Foster Kids – This blogger makes a great point about how often the alternative to abortion (in the US) is unprepared/dysfunctional families trying to raise kids, who then often end up in the system.
• What my special needs son taught me about underestimating our kids – I saw this frequently in relation to babies’ eating abilities. Child gagged on a certain texture last month so mom assumes he can’t handle it. Seriously, that stuff can (and does) change in days.
• The Difference between Playing and Being Entertained – All those great projects “to do with kids” that we see on Pinterest? They’re all great – but kids need to play as well – not just be entertained. This is a great post.

In my spirit:

• I finished 2 Thessalonians and am on to Titus – thinking about how sound doctrine enables us to devote ourselves to good works (versus foolish controversies)
• Learning that “loving my husband and child” doesn’t always mean being touchy-feely. It’s hard work – and can go against the grain.
• Grieving and rejoicing over the death of a man from church, the father of a friend, who welcomed us warmly into their extended clan when we first started attending at First Free. 62 years is such a short time to live, but Stu lived it for God’s glory – and is now standing beholding God’s glory.

In the living room:

• Daniel had arranged for us to have lunch with family friends yesterday – so I spent the morning cleaning the house like a crazy woman. Half hour after the arranged time they texted us to ask if we were still on – come to find out they’d never actually specified whose house we were having lunch at and both sides had assumed they’d be hosting. My meal was cold dishes, so I put my stuff in the fridge and we had dinner at their house. But at least my house is clean. (*Looking around… er, at least my house WAS clean :-P)
• We had some excitement this week when a domestic dispute in the neighborhood turned ugly and police were searching the area for a runaway shooter. Tirzah Mae and I had lots of little talks about what police officers do and about the different units we saw – patrol cars, canine units, CSI.

In the kitchen:

• A gal from church gave us zucchini, so I improvised a one-pot pasta dish with zucchini, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, peppers, and sausage seasoned with Italian herbs. It was quite good – I’m glad I wrote down what I put into it as I went along :-)
• If you’re like me, you grew up eating grilled cheese made with American cheese (and I loved it, so long as it was accompanied by from-scratch tomato soup). These Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are a grown-up and oh-so-delicious variation on the theme (no soup required!)
• We have tons of grape juice concentrate left over from past Seders, so I mixed up a can to use for my Jello salad. Have you ever made “homemade” jello with Knox gelatin and fruit juice? You should. All you’ve got to do is sprinkle 1 packet Knox gelatin over 1 cup cold grape juice. Let it sit for a minute to hydrate before adding 1 cup boiling grape juice (I boil it in the microwave in my Pyrex liquid measure). Mix until gelatin is dissolved, then add blueberries, sliced strawberries, and sliced bananas. Refrigerate overnight and you’ve got a delicious treat with lots of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber – and no added sugars.

In the nursery:

• Tirzah Mae has learned to bang. She loves to stand up against the footstool in our living room and bang on it with her hands. It’s great fun!
• We spent an hour or so on the front porch in a tub of water one day this week, and Tirzah Mae just adored splashing and watching the wind blow through the leaves on our trees.
• Sleep has been improving this week overall, thanks to aggressive management
• Tirzah Mae had her first Sunday in the nursery this week (I had to get her used to it since her mama will be teaching Sunday School soon) – and the workers said she did great. Unfortunately, she’s been ridiculously fussy and clingy all afternoon – and only mama (preferably nursing) will do. I’m hoping the clinginess is due to overtiredness or teething and NOT to some sort of after-the-fact separation anxiety.

In the craft room:

• I got nothin’

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

• The Damerosehay novels by Elizabeth Goudge (added based on Sherry’s Review)
• The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde (added based on Jaina’s recommendation in response to a comment at her blog)

In the garden:

• We’re eating cucumbers – they’ve been coming one or two at a time until now, but there’s a whole rash of little ones set on now, so I suspect I’ll be ready to make some fresh pickles soon here (instead of just having cucumbers as a part of salads.)

On the land:

• We applied for our construction loan – and now the waiting game is on (*twiddling thumbs*)

On the web:

• 8 Things You Can Do With Your Kids That Don’t Suck – I’ve been enjoying PJ media’s parenting column for the past few weeks – and this list of ideas for playing with your kids seems like a great one to me. (I’m not a huge fan of directed play or of parents inserting themselves into kids’ imaginative play – these ideas let kids’ free play stay as free play, while giving parents special things to do with their kids.)
• He Has to Be Tall – A witty little poem about unreasonable and reasonable items on a single girl’s list of qualifications for a husband.
• Theological Heroes and Villains – “The problem, I am convinced, is that we expect a kind of consistency that is just not realistic for people so deeply stained by sin. We want our heroes and our villains to be monolithic, to play their roles perfectly. But this world is rarely so clean and neat.” Great thoughts.
• Waiting to Pick Your Baby’s Name Raises the Risk for Medical Mistakes – This was an interesting article (catching up from last week) – but I wonder if the headline is misleading. Nobody asked us if we’d had a name picked out for our baby before she was born – and we announced it the moment we knew she was a girl. Even so, Tirzah Mae’s chart read “Garcia, Babygirl” for all 26 days of her hospitalization. (And let me tell you, I’m guessing the chances of there being another baby girl with a last name of Garcia are pretty high!)

There’s no rule that a recap post has to be on a weekend, right? This was written on Saturday, but I hadn’t “finished” it so I didn’t post it. I still haven’t finished it (there are a few more books and some articles that caught my eye this week that won’t get shared) – but I figured that what’s here is still worth posting.

In my spirit:

• Working on confessing sin and “plowing my heart” rather than just “moving past” situations I’ve become (or am becoming) bitter about
• Nearing the end of my time in 2 Thessalonians and still no closer to having figured out what the “man of lawlessness” refers to – thank God that His word accomplishes His purposes without me having to understand it all!

In the living room:

• I did the leg workout as I described last week (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for three sets, separated by 5 minutes marching in place) – and I both kept my balance and could still breathe when I was done. Score! Next week, I think I’ll try 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off
• I watched a television show BY MYSELF this week – The first episode of “Call the Midwife”. It was fun, but I’m not certain I’ll be repeating it – if I’m going to be doing nothing, I’d rather read a book.

In the kitchen:

• Daniel couldn’t stop raving about this Thai curry (I used wax potatoes instead of sweet potatoes, upped the amount of snow peas, and skipped the Bok Choy. It was mild enough that I felt no qualms serving it to Tirzah Mae.)
• We don’t cook for man’s applause – but this Herbed Ricotta Gnocchi will get you it nonetheless. I tried something different this time – made a double batch and froze half. We’ll see how the frozen gnocchi turns out.
• Made this chicken cacciatore and wasn’t tremendously impressed – it was pretty watery and I wasn’t too fond of the texture of the chicken (which was probably my fault, since I didn’t completely thaw AND DRAIN the chicken before searing it.) Daniel did say that the mushrooms weren’t bad (high praise from someone who’s been telling me since we got married that mushrooms taste like dirt to him. He gave me permission to use them though, and after this he said something to the effect that I’d “trained him well” – they’re still daunting in large pieces like this recipe includes, but he doesn’t really mind the flavor anymore.)
• I made both cornbread and zucchini bread with my sourdough starter this week – and both recipes turned out well. Hurray!

In the nursery:

• Days are great, nights are terrible. Tirzah Mae is developing in leaps and bounds, with fun new experiences every day – but she’s back to waking every 1.5-2 hours at night. Her night waking’s are particularly difficult because I either have to walk her to exhaustion (hers – I’m already there) or take her back to bed with me (where she’ll nurse until I decide that I need some sleep and get up to walk her to exhaustion so she’ll sleep another hour and a half in her crib.)
• We’ve been feeding her 6-8 oz of expressed breastmilk (with her Vitamin D in it) each evening – and she’s now drinking milk from her 22nd day of life. I pretty much stopped pumping and freezing after she came home, so we have only another two weeks or so worth of milk – then I’ll have to start nursing her before bed! (Now that the freezer is emptying, it’s ready for the hog that went to butcher this week!)

In the craft room:

• I cut out a pom-pom maker, intending to make some multicolored yarn pom-poms for Tirzah Mae to play with in an old egg carton, but I haven’t yet gotten around to actually making the pom-poms

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

• The Travels of Daniel Ascher by Deborah Levy-Bertherat (added based on Elizabeth’s review at 5M4B)
• Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (added based on Amy’s review at Hope is the Word)

In the garden:

• I’m LOVING doing cucumbers on a trellis, it’s so much easier to pick (and takes up so much less room.) My tomatoes (the semi-determinate Celebrities)? I think I’ll be trying cages (maybe like these ones) for them next year.
• Starting to think a lot about what I’ll do the same and what I’ll do differently next year – and wondering how much get-up-and-go I’ll actually have to garden next year when I’ll be settling from a move.

On the land:

• We signed a contract with our builder – so now we’re in the process of getting our construction loan (where, among other things, they determine how much they think the home we plan to build will be worth on the market vs. how much we’ll be paying to build it.)
• The removal of the trailer left behind some miscellaneous rubble – cinder blocks, broken cinder blocks, metal sheeting, and bits of lumber. We spent Saturday afternoon cleaning it up and figuring out what we’ll be doing with it (I’ve already called dibs on the cinder blocks for my next raised bed, and on the broken cinder blocks to prevent erosion in the wee ditch/stream that flows through the back corner of our lot.)

In my spirit:

• Contemplating God’s justice in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
• Praying for us, “that our God may make [us] worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in [us], and [we] in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)
• Praying for our missionaries, “that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored” and “that [they] may be delivered from wicked and evil men” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)

In the living room:

• I decided to try something new with my workouts this week – doing HIIT for different body parts instead of my previous 12 reps of various exercises divided by marching in place – and it is KILLING me.
• More specifically, this leg workout almost killed me. It recommended 1 minute of each exercise, so I did so with a 30 second “rest” (marching) period after each minute of exercise – and got to the fifth exercise before I couldn’t breathe and my legs were too jelly to keep my balance. I’ll be trying 20 second “on” and 10 second “off” intervals next time – and will take my inhaler before I start. This one appears to be a workout you need to work yourself into!

In the kitchen:

• We had leftover Spaghetti with Szechuan Chicken and Peanut Sauce earlier this week – I found the recipe in the Good Housekeeping Budget Dinners cookbook, and it’s a definite keeper. I found several decent recipes in that particular cookbook.
• We’ve been eating and loving this lasagna soup – I used sausage instead of ground pork and farfalle (bow tie pasta) instead of broken lasagna noodles. I’ve done this before but hadn’t noticed how salty it is (probably because of the sausage – ALDIs sausage is quite salty); next time, I’ll skip the salt.
• I was busy drafting an email yesterday afternoon and lost track of time – was just messaging Daniel to ask him if I should make dinner late or have him pick something up when the power went out, deciding it for us. The power wasn’t out terribly long (20 minutes, maybe?), but the pizza I didn’t make was delicious :-)

In the nursery:

• Remember how I said Tirzah Mae can’t move forward? She seems determined to prove me wrong by army crawling almost everywhere.
• I’ve been noticing how extroverted Tirzah Mae seems. She just lights up when we go out in public and when the world showers attention on her.

In the craft room:

• I made Tirzah Mae a simple glitter bottle this morning after she spent a while rolling my Nalgene across the floor. So far, her favorite thing to do with it is to knock it off the ledge of the bathtub into my bathwater.

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

• Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones (added based on Sharon’s review)
• The Brainy Bunch by Kip and Mona Lisa Harding (added based on Amy’s review)
• Tiny Little Thing by Beatriz Williams (added based on Jennifer’s review at 5M4B)

In the garden:

• It looked like I was going to have beans, but while they flowered, they haven’t set on pods. Bummer.
• On the other hand, my tomatoes are setting on nicely and I’m starting to see little cucumbers.
• It’s been cool/rainy enough between hot spells that my broccoli is still putting on side shoots (although they do bolt rather quickly.) I might be able to carry these same plants all the way through fall.

On the land:

• The trailer is off our land – so we’re ready to start digging as soon as permits are pulled!
• We’ve just about got the septic permit and our builder is pulling the rest of the permits – which means we’ll probably be set to break ground first week in August (Ay-yi!)

On the web:

• Common-Sense Screentime – Interesting thoughts about the dangers of “replacing yourself with an object”
• Antidepressant use linked to birth defects – I’m thankful the antidepressant I’ve been on off-and-on over the past ten years or so is one of the safe ones; but this is another reminder that it’s worthwhile for women who are capable of conceiving to talk with their doctor’s about risks and benefits of the drugs they’re taking.
• Managing Your Facebook News Feed – I’m hopeful this will help me actually see what I want to see – my family and friends’ status updates!
• Sing to the Lord a Simple Song – I’ve often thought this about the simple Scripture choruses I grew up singing in the 80s and early 90s. Simple melodies, short lyrics, straight from the Scripture. (HT: Tim Challies)
• Breastmilk differs based on baby’s sex – Just another example of how fearfully and wonderfully we are made (HT: The Common Room)
• The secret marriage lesson I learned in the grocery store aisle – A sweet story about considering “we” instead of “me”. You really should read it.

In my spirit:

• Realizing that just because my mom is far away doesn’t mean I can’t ask her for advice – she has lots of experience as a wife and a mother and a homemaker, and I can definitely learn plenty from her.

In the living room:

• We’re getting close to being ready to build a house. Wild.

In the kitchen:

• The avian flu has hit my local Dillons – eggs were an extra $1 per dozen this week!

In the nursery:

• While I used to be able to say that Tirzah Mae only cried if she needed something (was hungry, was wet, was in pain, was tired), I can say so no longer. Tirzah Mae has discovered that screaming is a great way to communicate her frustration at not getting her own way.
• Daniel put Tirzah Mae down for bed! He’s good at getting her to fall asleep, but she stubbornly refuses to stay asleep after he transfers her to her crib. We usually have to transfer her to me first and then I put her into her bed. This week, though, Daniel laid her down and she stayed asleep. Yippee!

In the craft room:

• I’ve finally gotten around to making another sheet for Tirzah Mae’s crib (besides the one we got as a shower gift). I used this tutorial, which was easy to understand and worked well. If I ever make more, I will use woven fabric instead of jersey. Trying to sew the casing for the elastic was torture.

On the web:

• My Child Feels Deprived of Junk Food – “Real Mom Nutrition”, by a fellow RD, is a great resource for moms who want to feed their children well. This particular scenario is one I hear often – and Sally’s guests do a great job of helping moms work through it.

In my spirit:

• Reading and studying 1 Thessalonians – the Thessalonians get a bad rap from that “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica” verse (Acts 17:11). The Jews of Thessalonica were hostile to the gospel, but God was still doing a wonderful work in Thessalonica, such that all the surrounding areas heard of the believers’ faith and were encouraged. That’s cool stuff.
• Trying to be aware of how the enemy can use my emotions (through dreams) to impact my attitudes – and praying that I would be transformed by the renewal of my mind (Romans 12:2).
• Thankful for the Titus 2 Women God has brought into my life, including a bloggy friend

In the living room:

• I finally decided that I need to catalog my books so I can shop wisely at the used store – and I found a nice app that allows me to scan barcodes to enter (which means entering my first 120 books has been a snap, accomplished in just a few 5 minute segments)
• Daniel and I watched The Bad and the Beautiful last night. I didn’t expect serious from a movie starring Lana Turner, but it turned out to be quite a drama about a cut-throat Hollywood producer. I enjoyed it.

In the kitchen:

• A couple weeks ago, I resolved to not throw away food – we’ve done pretty well except for some bread, some strawberries, and some grapes, all of which went moldy.
• On the other hand, I’m going crazy improvising new salads along old lines to use up bits of this and that – and really liked the results:
  • Improvised corn salad: Frozen corn, rough chopped fresh tomatoes, rough chopped avocado, finely diced red onion, and diced fresh zucchini drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.
  • Improvised Caprese salad: Rough chopped fresh tomatoes, rough chopped fresh mango, rough chopped fresh strawberries, finely chopped fresh basil, a little feta cheese and a little Monterey Jack cheese drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
• The sourdough starter I began last month is going strong and in the fridge, and I think I’ve maybe arrived at a good basic bread recipe using it.

In the nursery:

• We have a roller. While Tirzah Mae has been rolling for a fair while now, this week she figured out that she can use it to transport herself anywhere – and she does, generally to the nearest source of paper (food, right?)
• Avocado is officially the first food Tirzah Mae didn’t make faces for on first taste. (She’s now had bananas, peas, applesauce, nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, oatmeal, and i-don’t-remember-what-else.)
• I’m not sure whether she’s coming down with something or if she’s teething or what – but the last couple of days have been pretry intense. She wants to eat (or at least be at the breast) every five minutes and won’t sleep more than a half hour at a time. Daniel paced with her for an hour and a half last night when she woke up screaming and wouldn’t take the breast.

In the craft room:

• Nothing this week – see “In the nursery” :-)

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

• The Gluten Lie by Alan Levinovitz (added after reading an article by the author)
• Secrets from the Eating Lab by Traci Mann (added after reading this NPR review)
• Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson (mentioned in I Heart Faces’s “5 Photography Books You Should Read”)
• Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson (added based on Sharon’s review)
• Big Top Burning by Laura Woollett (added based on Dawn’s review at 5 Minutes for Books)

In the garden:

• I have officially learned that I should have put up my trellis BEFORE I planted. I finally gave up trying to put it on top of my raised bed and have satisfied myself with aligning it alongside the long edge – so my cucumbers and tomatoes will just have to lean a foot or so to reach the trellis
• I’ve had to water this week for the first time all season. But it’s rained again the last couple of days – so who knows.

On the web:

• 20 Thoughts on Honeymoon Sex for Virgins – I know it’s probably not applicable to my (mostly married) readers, but I thought this was an excellent article and one worth jotting down for if engaged friends ever ask for resources.
• Finding Time to Read the Bible – Barbara gives excellent tips – useful for busy moms, caretakers, or really anyone.
• Are You Letting Your Kids Walk All Over You? – This is something I see frequently, oftentimes excused as being “grace-filled” or “focusing on the important things”, but Jess makes an excellent point that moms are teaching their children how to treat others by how they do or do not let their children treat them. (If her honeymoon sex article is “file away to share with others”, this is “file away for when I need it.”)
• Where Faith Goes to Die – An reflection on seminary and ecclesiastical meetings:
  

  But when the seminary’s subject matter is the sovereign, gracious Savior; when the primary textbook his living Word; and when that Word is taught and received by Christians who love and desire above all else to glorify the risen Christ – that kind of theological educational experience sings (sometimes literally!).”

May we all love and desire above all else to glorify the risen Christ – and may that cause us to dive deep into His word and to sing out His praises!

Articles Read:

• Don’t Give My Husband Romance Lessons
  I enjoyed reading this little piece complaining (sort of) about others telling men what romantic means–especially because it came on the heels of a question a man asked in our Sunday School class “Is it okay for me to ask my wife what she thinks is romantic?” The answer was, of course, an unequivocal “YES!” The truth is, I like flowers and chocolates and furbelows as much as the next woman, but I’m too frugal and practical for Daniel giving me those things to be romantic. If he were to start bringing me home bouquets and candy, I’d probably think “Oh, that’s sweet, he’s trying to show me he cares” and then start worrying about which budget line that was coming out of and where I could cut something else to make it fit and… Thankfully, Daniel and I have discussed this and he knows how to romance me without spending money. Remember, men, you don’t need to know how to romance women, just how to romance your wife–so ask her, study her to figure out how to do it.

Books added to TBR List:

• From Lisa Writes’ Best of 2013 List
  • The Presidents Club by Nancy Briggs
  • Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
• The Giver by Lois Lowry (reviewed by Susan of Girls in White Dresses)
• From Seth Heasley’s Year of Reading
  • The Rocks Don’t Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah’s Flood by David R. Montgomery
  • Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans
  • Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All by Paul A. Offit
• Ratio by Michael Ruhlman (reviewed by Seth of Collateral Bloggage)
• Churchill and the King by Kenneth Weisbrode (reviewed by Elizabeth of 5M4B)
• Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan (Reviewed by Amy of Hope is the Word)

2014 Goal Game: 128 points