Location, location, location

After I hung up a load of laundry outside, I noticed a wren flitting around with nesting material in his beak. I assumed he was building a nest in our canoe. Again.

 When I pulled the laundry off the line, I realized my mistake as soon as I put my hand in the peg bag...

 That poor bird must have worked awfully hard to stuff all that material into my peg bag in just one afternoon!

 

Thankfully, there were no eggs, but I still think the local house wren population needs a better realtor.

Finally!

Well, it took him nearly 7 years, but Noah finally managed to loose some teeth!

Because it's Noah and he doesn't tend to do the conventional thing, he lost two at the same time.

 

Okay, so he lost one and then I pulled the other wiggly one out. I did have permission, though.

 

He's the only Gayner kid to have received a dollar bill for his teeth, much to the indignation of his sisters - evidently the Tooth Fairy pays delayed tooth loss with interest.

Wet Weather Fun

A couple weeks ago, friends asked us to join them for a picnic and swimming trip. Unfortunately, it rained on our parade, but these friends of ours are smart - they had a backup plan. What do you do with a dozen or so kids that were hoping to spend time swimming? You take them to the mall for a scavenger hunt, of course!

3 moms with a combined total of 16 children split up into 4 teams and wandered all over our local mall looking for the mall map...

...having pictures taken with an employee (fairly rubbish pictures, but whatever)...

 

...saluting in front of the Yankee Candle store...

...and collecting various other items like employment applications, tissue paper, and strangers' signatures. It was so fun - for the kids and for the moms. I think the highlight for us parents, though, was the opportunity to publicly embarrass our children by providing the winning team with a victory dance. Who could pass that up?

9

Anna had her ninth birthday yesterday. Of course, this is where I join the ranks of countless parents in saying how quick it's gone and how I can't believe she's growing up so quickly...but that's boring. So, let me share with you nine things about Anna, for her ninth birthday:

1. She's an excellent musician, with a great ear and a natural affinity. She's coming along well with her piano playing, and has expressed an interest in the saxophone and the viola!
2. She is incredibly friendly. Anywhere this girl goes, she makes an instant friend.
3. She's really protective. She really personifies the idea that one can torture one's own family, but pity the outsider who gives it a try.
4. When asked which special people she would like to spend time with, her extended family - grandparents, cousins, etc - are usually the top of the list.
5. She's got an amazing imagination. Pretend games are the main diet of play in our house, and it's usually Anna who's at the center of organizing some elaborate plot for everyone to act out.
6. She will probably grow up to at least experiment with being a vegetarian. I know of no children who get as excited as she about salad!
7. She can be very compassionate. When Dan swallowed a marble a while ago, she was in tears thinking that he might have been hurt. (It passed without incident)
8. She's energetic. After being awake at some ungodly hour, she had enough energy that I found it necessary to have her run up and down the road for a while!
9. She can be forgiving. In decorating her cake yesterday, I got distracted and instead of putting a "9" on her cake, I got half way through a "5" before I realized what I was doing. I quickly tried to make it into a "9", but it ended up being more of a "6". Before I fixed it (I really did!), she looked at it, cocked her head and said, "Thank you?"

 

Happy Birthday, my sweet girl.

Spring CousCous Salad

When it's dark and cold, I'm all about warm meals, especially for lunch. But when it's light at 5:30am (ask me how I know) and just looking at the kitchen makes me over heat, I love me some salad. But a green salad gets boring after a while...
I found this recipe on Pinterest and have made (and eaten) it plenty. It's fast, it's yummy, it's healthy, and probably my favorite part - since it's got asparagus, my kids aren't interested. Win!

Spring Couscous Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup Israeli couscous (if you can't find it, regular couscous works fine)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 pieces of bacon
• 1/2 cup fresh English peas
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Combine the olive oil and couscous in a large skillet over medium high heat. Toast the couscous until just golden brown and then add the chicken stock. Stir occasionally and let cook until all the liquid is gone. Transfer the cooked couscous to a bowl and set aside.
2. Place another skillet over medium heat. Add the strips of bacon and cook until crisp on both sides. Remove bacon from the skillet and add the trimmed asparagus. Saute for 4-5 minutes and season with salt and pepper as needed. Add the asparagus to the cooked couscous.
3. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the peas and blanch for about 3 minutes. Drain the peas and shock them in an ice bath. Add peas to the couscous mixture.
4. Toss together the couscous and vegetables with the lemon juice and zest. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if desired. Also, feel free to add a teaspoon or so of the bacon drippings if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. I've also kept some in the fridge to eat later in the week - it's still good cold, but the flavors are a bit more muted, so 30 seconds in the microwave help kick up the flavor.

Just remember - bacon makes everything better.

Nom nom.

Not your average date night

A while back, I was scrolling through the Groupon offers for our area when I came across one for archery. I don't know much about bows and arrows, beyond what I did in my high school gym class more than 15 years ago, but it looked like fun. Toby thought so, too, because when I asked if he'd be interested, he excitedly responded, "Book it!"

The guys at Deer Creek Archery in Churchville were nice and gave us a quick tutorial on how to use the equipment and some basic safety measures, then let us get on with things.

You're shooting at various targets and foam animals in a large, indoor range. Our beginners' bows only reach about 25 yards, but the range is possibly double that size.

 

We would totally go back again, though going through a Groupon offer is the cheapest way to go, unless you have your own equipment. So, if you're looking for something fun beyond the dinner-and-a-movie option, this might be worth a visit.

And I just want to say for the record: I think it says a lot about a marriage if you can go out for the evening, play with deadly weapons, and still come home smiling.

Motherhood

It's hard stuff, this "mom" gig. The more kids I have, the more I realize how much I have to learn - that "having half a dozen theories and no kids to half a dozen kids and no theories" scenario.

One thing that's clear - kids change you:

• they show me my sin, and they're really only scratching the surface of it!
• they've made me braver
• they've made me learn to not care what others think so much
• they've made me tired - really tired
• they've made me wish I paid better attention in school
• they've made me realize I wasn't such a bad (little) kid after all
• they've made me want to apologize for my teenage years
• they've made me pray

I can be thankful, though, that I'm not the same impulsive, spoiled, selfish brat I used to be (of course, my sin is still there, it's just a little more sophisticated at times), and that God has used my kids to help me grow in Christ-likeness.
I am also thankful that on the days when everything seems to be changing at once (or when I'm sure I'll never see the change I want!), God is faithful:

...let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:22-23

 

Summer O' Fun!

After scouring Pinterest for ways to make this summer full of fun for my kids, here's a few ideas we're incorporating:

• Water fights with spongy water bombs
• Visiting various playgrounds with friends (including the kid-favorite, Annie's Playground!)
• The summer reading program at the local library (Barnes & Noble does one, too)
• Pick your own farm
• Tie-dyeing t-shirts with Sharpie markers
• visit Six Flags Great Adventure
• Camp out in the backyard
• Go to Summer Blast
• Do a nature hunt
• Go to the Farm fair - and maybe even enter something!
• Set up a Slip and Slide in the yard
• Attend a some local nature camps

What are some of your plans for fun summer?

Super Good Chicken Salad

You know how everyone has that dish they love, and they're looking for the perfect version of it to recreate at home? Toby's thing is tiramisu - none has ever been better than the one he would get at a subterranean, little Italian restaurant in Cambridge.

For me, it's chicken salad.

Now, I will say that Panera's is good - really good. But I can't shop at Panera every day (even though it's now walking distance), so if I'm gonna enjoy it, I've gotta make it myself. And now that I've found this mega-yummy recipe, make it I shall:

   

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (about 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves)
• 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, such as Craisins, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Sliced bread, for serving (here is a great recipe)
Dressing
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp prepared yellow mustard (optional)
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• In a large mixing bowl toss together shredded chicken, celery, pecans, dried cranberries and Parmesan cheese, set aside. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together all ingredients listed for the dressing until well blended. Pour dressing mixture over chicken mixture and toss to evenly coat. Serve over sliced bread, croissants or rolls. Store in refrigerator.
• Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

It's not too moist and not too dry. The pecans and craisins add such a great texture, but can be left out for the allergic. It's great on regular wheat bread, but really excels on fresh, crusty French bread. Mmmm, hmmmm.

30-second skirt

I was at Gabriel Brothers last week (I totally shop there), and came across some dresses that had been marked down to $3(!). Loved the print and soft jersey material, but the bodice (as in, the top part) was totally not working for me - it had a really weird cut and was not flattering at all.

So, I went for the cheap, cheerful, and doable-by-anyone-with-thumbs option: I bought 2, took them home and cut the bottom off just above the drawstring. And that's it.

And now I have 2 cute skirts that are a good length, comfortable and match a lot of stuff. I didn't even have to break out the sewing machine, since jersey doesn't fray.

Did I mention this was quick? As in, I had nothing to wear for church, remembered the dress waiting for me, hacked the bottom off with my rotary cutter and put it on. I suppose if you're using scissors it may take a little more time - about 90 seconds, perhaps. Surely you can hide from your children for that long before they find you...

Might I suggest you check a local clearance rack for some conversion material of your own? If you find prices like I did, it'll be totally worth it!