Brooke Reidt

I've been kind of on a bird kick lately. They are so fascinating!  God really showed his creativity when creating them. Maybe, birds amaze me because they can do something that most animals can't--fly.

So, when I came across Brooke Reidt's artwork I had to share it.

(thanks to Sara for always sharing new artists with me)
http://www.brookereidt.com

Update: After reading some posts in the "News" section of her website, I've discovered that she's pretty sweet and funny, too. Two lines from just the first post (2.27.2010):

"So now you can enjoy the art scaled down while making a contribution to some of the most amazing beings, CHILDREN!"

"...order yours pronto to avoid becoming peanut butter and jealous!"

One week ago...

This little Eskimo baby was born into this world.

These two turkeys became the big brother and big sister.

These lovebirds became parents again.

We all fell in love instantly with this little cutie.

Malina Anne, we love you and can not wait to hold you again soon! 

{3:42 pm--7lbs 1oz--19 inches}

"I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations." -Psalm 89:1

Finding Joy in this Season

Each Thursday I will post a picture of this current season. What season is that, you say? The season of having young children. My girls are 4 (Rachel) and 18 months (Sarah) and there are times that are frustrating and trying. However, it is my hopes that I will often find joy in this season. As many moms know, this season passes quickly. Too quickly to be bitter and frustrated. Hopefully, I'll look back on these pictures one day and long for the fingerprints on the table, toys strewn around the house, answering 5 million questions and dirty diapers. 


So here we go.This should be fun...

Exhibit A: Cheddar cheese left on the window sill by Rachel to A: save it for later and B: keep the babies from eating it. See, Sarah's begging for it already. It will most likely be ant dinner this evening. 

Exhibit B: My hand mixer beaters. Hey, they kept her occupied for .5 seconds. Who knows if I'll find them when I need them. At least I have this picture to prove that they were on this table at some point. Maybe, they'll find their way back to their rightful home. Maybe, just maybe, I can go put them in their rightful home right after I post this... Truthfully, I'll probably find a dirty diaper that needs to be tossed, dishes that need to be done and a kid that is "just a little bit more hungry". 

Ahh...joy, sweet joy! 

Tasty Tuesday: Leah's Roasted Potatoes

Here we go everyone--a super difficult recipe. Not really, it's just roasted potatoes. Although, I've really messed up roasted potatoes before. I think I found an A+ combo of spices. These potatoes have gone through several tastings by many professional eaters (read: These potatoes are my go to side dish when I have no idea what to put with the main dish. And my oldest daughter has never said, "these are yucky.") I also don't have exact measurements just add oil and spices until it looks good. Oh, and one more thing, my secret ingredient is celery seed. I have no idea why I even have it in my spice rack but for some reason it gives the potatoes an extra something. Hope they don't disappoint.

Leah's Roasted Potatoes
4-5 medium potatoes; peeled and chopped 
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
Celery seed
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 475 before you start peeling your potatoes. Place the potatoes on a roasting pan (I use my stone roasting pan).Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil. Use your hands to evenly distribute the oil onto the potatoes. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, celery seed, Italian seasoning and garlic powder (go easy) on the potatoes and mix well.
Pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes. Take them out and flip the potatoes around. Place them back in the oven for about 15-20 more minutes. You want them to be golden brown.

That's it!

Sharing Creation

God's creation is a wondrous thing. Flowers, trees, rocks, birds, giraffes, worms, dirt...they were all created by the author of creativity. It's a major goal in my life for my children to enjoy and praise their Creator for the beautiful things they see around them. There are many things parents can do to share creation with their children. Here a few things I do:

Visit the zoo- We love going to zoo to see animals that we don't see just around house. Our favorites are the sea lions, giraffes and zebras. I enjoy the benefits of having a zoo membership. The best part is that we can go all day or just for an hour. That way I don't feel like I've wasted my money if the kiddos get cranky or if we just want to play in the children's zoo area.

Visit the Botanical Gardens- Our local gardens are rather large. There is room to run and thousands or plants to see. The best part? It's free. Sometimes it's fun to just go and sit on a bench and let my girls explore  one of the big open fields.

Owning a simple bird feeder-One year for Christmas Rachel got a suction cup bird feeder that you stick on  a window. It's great to have birds come right up to your window. We laugh often at how the birds fight over a spot on the feeder. We regularly get chickadees, cardinals and tufted titmice. And it's so pleasant to here the birds chirp and sing.

Having a pet fish-A pet fish is a great pet for a preschooler. They are a lot easier than a dog or cat while at the same time teaching children some responsibility. A preschooler can learn to feed the fish regularly. And if you forget, fish are a bit more resilient to skipped feedings than dogs or cats (I speak from experience). Having a fish has spurred on talks about how fish have gills, the importance of fish staying under water and death (poor Dora RIP). 


All these things can be used to introduce the story of creation or to talk about how God works in creation. We can share how God pours out his common grace daily by sending rain for everyone or providing food for the birds. So, how do you share creation with your children? 

Tasty Tuesday: Mom's Pizza Crust

My mom has been making this pizza crust for as long as I can remember. We have Sunday dinner at her house just about every week and we all get excited when we find out that she's making pizza. It's also often requested for birthday dinners.

Mom got this recipe from somewhere (maybe Quaker) but she doesn't remember and I haven't been able to find a similar one online. She really has made it her own so that is why I named it Mom's Pizza Crust. The best part is that there is NO yeast. Can you say 30 minute meal??

Mom's Pizza Crust
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup oat flour (grind up some oatmeal in a food processor)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp celery or garlic powder


Add milk and oil to combined dry ingredients. Mix with a fork until a ball forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, knead about 10 times. With oiled fingers, press dough into greased 14 inch pizza pan or a pizza stone; shape edge to form rim. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 12-14 minutes. Dress with toppings; bake another 10-15 minutes. 
Note: Sometimes I use a rolling pin to help push the dough out to the sides of my stone. Just be sure it's a little oiled.

Tasty Tip
To make this recipe even quicker you can process a lot of oatmeal into flour and store the extra in the freezer. It stays fresher that way. In fact, you could just mix all your dry ingredients together and store them. That way, all you have to do it mix in the milk and oil. 


 

My girls

Sar Bear

Rach