what’s the special occasion? “life”

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Shanda

“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.”

*****

“And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.” 1 Chronicles 29:13

We spent the weekend in literal freezing temperatures. Saturday there was a wrestling tournament. My brother Isaac and his wife Cassandra came and watched it with us. Ethan came in fourth in his weight class.

On Sunday, my sister came and dropped off Abigail and picked up Sarah. It was Valentine’s Day. Rich took Seth to compete at States for wrestling and Seth won.

While they were away doing that, I took Ethan and Tessa to Texas Roadhouse and dropped them off. Abbie, Grace, and I went shopping at our favorite store, Sephora. Also, as a nice Valentine’s gift for Rich and I, I went to Pottery Barn and bought a beautiful dark gray linen duvet cover for our bed. When we came home, I found flowers in a vase on the counter from Jacob. He gave me a rose, and he gave each of his sisters a red carnation. Later on that evening, Caleb came by to take Grace out to dinner for Valentine’s Day.

On Monday, I had a dentist appointment. I had to have a filling in one of my very back molars. It was not fun for a variety of reasons. And then my face was numb for several hours. After the appointment, I picked up Zak and brought him home to spend time with Jacob and Ethan. I dropped him off at the house and picked up the kids and we went to see the movie Kung Fu Panda 3 with my sister, and we exchanged back our girls. When I came home, I found that my new TOMS had arrived. I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8:30 last night we were all visiting and chatting in the kitchen….David showed everyone a youtube video. Aren’t these smiling faces wonderful? (Oops I forgot to crop out dinner, which was meatloaf and everyone picked on it saying it looked like something else all together.)

This morning I had my yearly check up. I took Grace and Sarah along so we could go shopping together after the appointment. We went to Costco and then Target. We picked up Grace’s boyfriend on the way home. When we arrived, I had all the kids help bring in the food and clean up the kitchen a little. I was so very happy that all my favorite kids were here and so I took a portrait of them to hang on my blog and on my wall. I love these people so so so so much.

from left to right: Caleb, Grace, David, Zak, Ethan, Tessa, Sarah, Emily, Jacob, Michael, Caleb (sitting on floor), and Seth.

I have to show you a picture of the shoes Sarah picked out today. We were in Payless. She didn’t hesitate at all. She said, “I am going to get these because I have NO high heels.”

She twisted her legs so I could be sure to take a picture of the heels so Aunt Amanda could see them. Grace was unamused at Payless, “She’s FIVE, Mom.” But then as we watched Sarah take her first wobbly steps she changed her mind, “Well, if you get them for her now by the time she’s my age walking in them will be a piece of cake.”

Since we came home she’s been wearing them nonstop and I have to say, walking in them is already a piece of cake for this girly girl of mine.

When we paid for them, the lady asked if they were for a special occasion. Sarah said “yes”, and when she then asked what the occasion was I said, “life”.

‘Tis true, ’tis true.

*****

you are loved

a super super bowl gathering

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Shanda

God granted us some much needed encouragement this morning. On Thursday, I had to pick Sarah up from school because she had a fever. I took her to the pediatrician and the preliminary test they did showed yet another UTI. A never-ending UTI was what alerted us to her kidney stones. My heart sank as we went to fill a prescription for antibiotics and all weekend, even though we had fun, in the back of my mind I was starting to obsess again about UTI, kidney stones, water intake, low sodium diet, and citrus fruits.

Fast forward to just an hour ago. The doctor’s office called with the final lab results which were NEGATIVE for a UTI. Soooooooooo grateful!

She’s getting over the fever and a bad cough but otherwise she is fine, and by the way she doesn’t really wear glasses. The ones in the picture are just for fun from Claires so she could be “just like Grace”. Her dad read her a Narnia story book on Sunday morning and we spent the rest of the day getting ready for a super Super Bowl gathering of friends and relations.

MENU:

Pizza ordered out (three party sized) meat, mushroom, and plain cheese
Tossed Salad brought by Isaac and Cassandra
Cocktail meatballs made and brought by Louis, one of the wrestling boys
Homemade cupcakes brought by Dom which were made by his Mom
Caroline’s Taco Dip
Caroline’s chocolate chip Blondies
Homemade chicken wings using this recipe
Barefoot Contessa’s outrageous brownies (sure to give anyone a chocolate coma)
chips and dip and salsa
crackers and cheese
fruit tray
veggie tray

They were watching a youtube video….Caleb and Grace (young love)…Dave, Caleb, and Sarah

Rich and Zak greeted one another with a handshake

Zach, Michael, Ethan, Jacob, and Dom

The basement full of kids

Portrait of all of us—25

Me and my brother Isaac

Me and my mate

Emily wasn’t in the group photo because she was at work (young love pic #2)

Ethan and Tessa (young love #3)

Ethan wasn’t mad, I think this is his “I’m tough and cool” face.

Parker the dog snuggled with the company as much as possible.

*****

The children had a snow day on Friday and guess what? They are home again today for another one. The snow just started and the flakes are numerous but small. The sky is solid white and each time I look out the window the snow is blowing in a different direction (usually straight down or to the right). It’s a cold, dry snow and supposed to last all day. Ethan made a fire in the fireplace, Grace and Sarah are having sister time, Caleb and Seth have been playing but just turned on a show “If you give a Mouse a Cookie”. Jacob went and got Emily before the snow started and they just made eggs for breakfast. Rich went to work but we’ve been texting each other.

*****

It is thus, in little days — that our years come to us. We have but the one small fragment to fill and beautify at a time.

The year is a book, and for each day — one fair white page is opened before us.

And we are artists, whose duty it is to put something beautiful on the page.

Or we are poets, and are to write some lovely thought, some radiant sentence, on each leaf as it lies open before us.

“That we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy 2:2

~JR Miller

day of snow

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Shanda

The first thing we all did this morning was check to see if there was a snow day and YES we had no school for the first time this winter. The ground was already covered with fresh white snow.

Ethan shoveled the driveway.

Yesterday we had carpet guys come and start work replacing our carpet upstairs. They did half of the job and then had to come out today to do the rest while a multitude of snowflakes fell outside. It was cozy inside with all the children and the workers. I got busy in the kitchen.

I made two pans of apple crisp and a pot of clam chowder for lunch and invited them to eat with us. One of the guys said my chowder was better than his wife’s. He said he wouldn’t tell her though.

Grace took a nap on the couch despite all the hammering and noise.

Emily and Tessa came and Emily taught us how to make cake in a mug.

~New carpet~

(When the guys tried to leave they were stuck in the snowy driveway for a while)

There are piles of stuff still waiting to be put back away. But I wanted to take a break and say hello to my bloggy friends. It’s been a busy, lively day. Happy Friday!

~you are loved~

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” Victor Hugo

seven years ago

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Shanda

Seven years ago today I was about ready to give birth to baby boy number five.

Today is super exciting because not only is it Seth William’s birthday but it is also our school’s 100 day AND groundhogs day AND Seth is having a friend get off the bus at our house after school to play until wrestling practice.

“Seth, you’re going to be really happy and excited today so try hard not to let yourself get into trouble” were my words of advice as I hugged him goodbye this morning.

Dad said that winter is over, the ground hog didn’t see his shadow. Hurray!

Sarah had to take 100 of something/anything to school and I sent her with a puzzle that was 100 pieces, she wasn’t that thrilled because she doesn’t like pigs. “They are made out of meat and wolves eat them.” she explained.

So far today:

1. Got kids ready for school, took shower, got dressed for a meeting and then remembered it was happening tomorrow.

2. welcomed Kevin into the house to repair Grace’s ceiling.

3. watched an episode of The Good Wife while folding clothes and matching socks.

4. Went out shopping. First stop: Goodwill

what I bought:

Harry Potter book on cd which the kids are going to LOVE
Angelina Ballerina hardcover book for our family library
an old frame with an oval mat
a nature book
and two dresses, one for me and one for G…guess what, April? One is Garnet Hill and one is Boden!

This dress is Grace’s. The sleeves are 3/4 length and gathered at the ends. Both dresses are made from a soft knit and are currently spinning around in the washer with hopes that I have time to dry them outside on the clothesline by the end of the day.

This one is mine. The lengths on each dress fall just below the knee.

5. After Goodwill (I also bought a very much needed bookcase for G’s room) I went to the Tractor Supply for bird seed, chicken feed, and cat food.

6. Costco for Seth’s birthday cake and groceries

7. Starbucks for a coffee and a snack

8. Arrived at home and Michael helped me put everything away.

9. went to coop to gather (1) egg and feed the hens.

10. hung laundry on clothesline for the second time this week (it’s about 45 degrees here and sunny)

11. made homemade spaghetti sauce with a big 6 pound can of tomatoes that I got at Costco today. I blended them smooth and poured them in a big pot over 5 cloves of minced garlic and a chopped onion, added pepper and dried basil. Now it will simmer for a few hours and I will make homemade meatballs. What with Sarah needing to reduce sodium I am noticing salt in many of the food goods I’ve purchased in the past. For many years I’ve obsessed about sugar and now it’s salt I have to be concerned about. Thankfully there is a simple solution…like make everything yourself (spaghetti sauce) instead of buying processed foods. The can of tomatoes I bought had only 1% of the daily allowance of sodium and since I’m putting some salt in the meatballs I am not adding any to the sauce.

12. Put away groceries

13. That’s it.

This is dear sweet Seth opening one of his gifts this morning. He received legos, glow in the dark plastic dinosaurs, and a Snoopy video game. Sarah was happy because she helped me chose a couple of the gift from the hospitals gift shop while we were there a few weeks ago. She was so happy that she told Seth they were legos before he opened them.

b184595536

Seven years ago.

as much as it is possible

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Shanda

“Just to be tender, just to be true
Just to be glad the whole day through,

Just to be merciful, just to be mild,
Just to be trustful as a child;

Just to be gentle and kind and sweet,
Just to be helpful with willing feet,

Just to be cheery when things go wrong,

Just to drive sadness away with song,

Whether the hour is dark or bright,

Just to be loyal to God and right,

Just to believe that God knows best,

Just in his promises ever to rest

Just to let love be our daily key,

That is God’s will for you and for me.”
~ Heart Throbs

As much as it is possible, live in peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18

old bananas, etc

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Shanda

I am eating this right now. It is so good…….

So last night I overfilled my goulash casserole and it dripped all over the bottom of the oven as it baked and filled the kitchen with smoke. As a result, I can’t make my lemon banana bread this morning until the oven self cleaner is done. It’s 34 degrees outside, the sun is shining brilliantly, my house is once again smelling of smoke as the oven cleans. I have windows and doors open to keep the smoke alarm from going off.

This morning the first thing she said to me was, “Can I put a puzzle together?” And then she asked me, “Are the Northern Lights REAL?” After questioning, I learned that she saw a picture of them in Kindergarten. The puzzle is of Alaskan animals and the Northern Lights can be seen in Alaska so I was floored by the entire conversation which occurred much too early in the morning (6:30am).

We bought this small piece of furniture this weekend from the guy down the road. He refinishes pieces and we really like him and his shop. It’s very rustic and down to earth. This small chest of drawers, very narrow but made of hard wood, has two shallow drawers and one deep drawer. From now on the mail and papers get stuffed into it rather than piled on the counter. The pile was driving me nuts.

I’m freezing..hold on…I gotta turn the fan off and shut the door….

We also bought this chest. The top opens and shuts without a latch which makes it easy to use and also no children or cats can get trapped inside of it. I’m using it to hold all the wrestling things and any back packs and bags that I can fit into it, in this way the spot near the door doesn’t have QUITE the pile of stuff it normally does in the evening. If I put a blanket on top of the chest Gentleman Gray will curl up and sleep on it too; it’s also a cat bed.

I went to the grocery store before I picked up David from newspaper club yesterday so I could get a few things for goulash dinner. And guess what? I discovered a new-to-my-grocery-store flavor of FAGE yogurt! It’s sooooooooo good!

ALSO this is very exciting…..Panera bread in the grocery store!!!!!! I discovered it yesterday by the hot soup station. I LOVE their tomato basil and I bought the white for the kids and as you can see, it’s almost gone already.

This is what I’m going to bake as soon as the oven is done cleaning itself. I said in a few posts back that I wanted to depend more on my cookbooks than the internet and when I realized this morning that I had old bananas, I went and sat on the floor by my cookbook shelf to search for a recipe……and it looks great. I found eggs in the coop this morning that I will use, too.

B A N A N A L E M O N B R E A D

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups mashed banana
6 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons grated lemon peel

Grease 2 loaf pans or one bundt pan. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Blend in the eggs, bananas, and juice. Stir in the dry ingredients. Add the grated lemon peel. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Of course, I don’t know how it will turn out. If it’s a flop I’ll come back online later and cross out the recipe.

Lastly, we (mostly Jacob and myself) have been currently working on a room in the basement and I wanted to show you our style of decorating. It’s not so much decorating than filling up……and we love it.

Our inspiration? “The Burrow” from the Harry Potter movies….here is a picture:

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Now, our room will not be the same because of the very unromantic drop ceiling but that’s beside the point. What we love is “clutter”, pillows, blankets, comfy lived in couches and chairs, rugs, books everywhere, all kinds of stuff hanging on the walls, just a very eclectic humble and cozy room…..

So far, this is what we’ve accomplished out of practically nothing (cast offs, things from the thrift store, stuff from our own storage that I had put away).

And by the way, this is only part of our basement. There is also a section which is a bedroom for three of the boys, an exercise room with a treadmill, and a storage room. This part is Jacob’s bedroom/PS4 video game room. When teenagers come over this is where they end up. Because it is the basement we threw caution to the wind and cheerfully hung things up everywhere (the walls were bare a month ago). And we aren’t done! Jacob is having just as much fun as I am with this space. It’s been a fun project for us.

Obviously not a very good photo of the curtains, but they are very cool vintage Star Wars curtains that I bought at Iroquois Antiques “back home” several years ago. David wants me to leave them to him in my will.

The wooden shelf to the far right of the photo next to the TV is Jacob’s rock collection.

The desk was already down there but they moved the two bookcases down, along with the blue chair and the rug. Michael and Jacob bought the coffee table from walmart but they are looking for another one, possibly a round wooden one.

(this is also Michael’s room when he stays the weekends with Jacob)

I bought the clock at Target. Army guys are solid medal from a tag sale. Cross stitched army guy also from tag sale. Art work from Emily to Jacob.

Old quilts covering our shabby old very very comfortable couch.

The black frame is from the Family dollar. The gold frame is from Goodwill…I love that it had seven spaces for my seven children.

“It’s not much, but it’s home” ~Harry Potter

*****

“Comfort is born out of use, therefore the comfortable houses seem to be the ones that have been lived in.”

“Clutter=finding solace and a little beauty in the things we cherish in our everyday lives at home and at work”

“I want my house to be comfortable, not perfect”

all quotes from a wonderful book titled A PERFECTLY KEPT HOUSE IS THE SIGN OF A MISSPENT LIFE. Not a life/decorating style for everyone, but I personally like it so much and it speaks my language for what an ideal home looks and feels like.

hodge-podge

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Shanda

I think the noisiest school gym is the one hosting an all day wrestling tournament. There is nonstop yelling, crying, whistling, thumping of mats, cheering, and so on. By the end of the day my head feels like it’s vibrating from all the sensory overload. HOWEVER, I have come to enjoy the sport. It’s fun to watch and there is so much pride when your kid (my kid=my own boys plus any boy from our town) wins.

This is Seth getting a pep talk after a loss. He made the strangest faces as he tried not to cry. It was adorable.

Seth after a win.

He had four matches and only lost one of them, so he achieved a second place medal.

Running off the mat after his win, starting to take his head gear off.

I watched all of Seth’s matches and then Rich arrived (after church) and I left to take Sarah home for Ethan to babysit. When I returned, Caleb had already lost his first match but I was just in time to see him win the second one. (he got second place)

High fives from a team mate.

This is a really nice picture of David. Unfortunately he didn’t have a really nice day and was beaten in all three of his matches.

There are so many emotions in this sport! But he recovered quickly. He’s improving all the time, it’s just that currently he is at a rough stage because his body is growing so fast he can’t keep up with it.

*******

Yesterday I made Seth fold clothes. We received a box of gifts from Hannah and he couldn’t open his until the job was done.

He opened up…..a moose money bank! He was so happy.

Sarah got animals, toy animals from Alaska! And she took a bath with them, which is one of her most favorite pastimes.

Caleb received a sling shot, which David taught him how to use.

Each member of the family had a present to open and we were all very thankful for the thoughtful gifts from our dear Alaska~Hannah.

At the end of the day Sarah, Caleb, and David went outside to play.

David was target practicing. He put an apple on a box and I watched him shoot all of his arrows and……

Soooooooo funny.

He did eventually hit it, however, and then he ate the apple.

Caleb went down the hill on a snowboard.

I am very happy to say that his school still sends the kids outside to play even if there is snow on the ground. It’s so important for them to get fresh air. Today Caleb got on the bus with two big bags full of his snow gear, his backpack, and his percussion music set. But he’s strong and tough so he did just fine.

Isn’t he so handsome? Oh how I love this boy of mine. His cheeks are so kissable.

And Sarah…ugh….she is something else. I’ve doted on her so much that now as soon as she sees me she immedietly thinks of all kinds of problems for me to solve. At this point she was slightly uncomfortable about the sled Caleb found for her to use and wanted me to do something about it so I did. I went back in the house. I looked out the window and she was absolutely fine and happily sledding again. (Now that she is almost 100% back to health after her surgery I am going to have to stop being so over the top motherly with her or she will be impossible to live with.)

*******

This morning after the kids got on the bus, Hallelujah,….I took down all the fiesta greens (evergreen, juniper, sage, shamrock, seamist, light green, dark green)…..

AND ADDED ROSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Scarlet got to stay put for another month).

I always keep the cobalt on the very top, it is The Honored Color in my house because it’s the very first color I started collecting 18 years ago.

Samantha Cat wants me to tell you to have a wonderful day.

good to be home

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Shanda

“O fill me with Thy fullness, Lord

Until my very heart o’er-flow

In kind-ling thought and glowing word

Thy love to tell

Thy praise to show.”
Frances Havergal (hymn writer 1836-1879)

In direct opposition to all the local hype regarding this weekend’s winter storm, the snow fell gently and calmly over our town. I couldn’t help but wish that I hadn’t heard the numerous warnings that “The Snow Is Coming!”, why couldn’t it just fall without so much fanfare like it did when I was a child and, with no thoughts of snow, I would awaken in the morning to a surprising world of white and joy?

That’s how it was for dear Sarah who saw the snow and had to get outside in it to walk and play and taste. What a gift childhood is.

I am thankful for……. lovely snow days that bring cancelled events so we can stay snug in the rooms of our home, bring in friends, and have a day of slowness. The calm descends over me (rather like the snow) even as I busy myself making cookies, homemade meatballs, spaghetti, and listen to all the conversations at once.

Home is a place of contentment, prayers, music, naps, laughter, running up and down stairs, small arguments and resolutions, puzzles and games, freshly baked cookies, a delightful crackling fire in the fireplace, trips outside to breathe in the icy fresh air, marvelous books to read, blankets, throwing yet another log on, video games, movies….

yes, home is a place for beautiful messy L I F E and living, one thousand unspoken blessings each day, sharing, loving, enjoying……but mostly it is a place for the very best togetherness of friends and family. Here we are loved beyond measure.

“Wherever the heart wanders it carries the thought of home with it.”

for a 60th

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Shanda

I decided to blog while I’m waiting for Sarah to have her procedure…… in six days. Isn’t it so weird when you have to continue on with life even when things are happening that make you want to *sit and wait it out* instead of proceed with the days as usual? How weird to make dinner while thinking about packing a hospital bag? Or cheer for a wrestling meet while knowing in one week your child will be put to sleep for surgery? I have had this sensation many times (for other reasons) and will no doubt have it many times to come. It’s anticipation in it’s lower form— A not nice “anticipation” for a dreaded event to come and most importantly, GO. But thank goodness for work and keeping busy to take our minds off things!

*****

This morning we allowed dear Ethan to sleep in because he’s been working very hard at keeping in top shape for wrestling but has had a bad cold for several days. I took him to school at 9:30 and then parked the car so I could walk up the hill and back. 2 miles in the cold sunny air. I found myself getting almost chipper as my legs stepped along at a quick pace. I thought about how many times when I was a child I would run off into the woods to cry things out. Without knowing it in so many thoughts or words, my soul knew that I would come to peace out under the trees, curled up in a ball on soft green moss. These thoughts quickly proceeded into thoughts of Heaven and how wonderfully pure and sweet each emotion will be when that time comes, how good food will taste, how comfortable our bodies will move, and how wonderful it will be to spend eternity with Jesus and family……..I spent the whole walk thinking of the ways I thought Heaven might be…..sparing a few thoughts of gratitude for the tissue in my pocket.

Do you know what DNR means? It means “Do Not Resuscitate”.

The main purpose of this post it to show the photos I took this past Saturday at my Dad’s 60th birthday party, at which he received two bracelets from Aunt Carol, who is a nurse (and pictured directly above this paragraph with the baby). The other one that she promptly put on Dad’s opposite arm proclaimed him to be a “fall risk”. So right away we are laughing.

I’ve known my dad for almost 40 years. It’s funny to think of it that way. But we obviously go way back.

I’m just realizing now that I don’t even have a picture of Dad and myself together from the party day.

My sister’s boy, my boy, and my brother’s boy. How can it be?

My brother Nathan and his wife Melissa with some goof-ball.

Abbie

I admired Nate’s facial hair.

Nate, you’re handsome.

Cousin Erika made Dad’s drum cake.

Grace, Abbie, and Maria (my sister in law)

One of the ways Aunt Mary keeps forever young is to spend as much time as possible with the children.

Erika’s baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We all signed our names on a new volleyball for Dad to keep.

Uncle Brian (Aunt Carol’s husband) also gave Dad a suitable gift for old age:

I heard they were made out of York Peppermint Candies, which elicited even more humorous remarks……..

I put together a slideshow of photos for Dad…….

And then it was time for volleyball for those who wanted to play.

We are a talented group. Not to mention all the women are gorgeous.

And children well behaved, creative, and vibrant.

I love the hands in this photo, fussing with the baby.

Time for the song and the cake!

The many names of Dad.

L O V E

and more L O V E

I caught this adorable moment between cousins (only three months apart) Gregory and Seth, showing each other how to tie a shoe.

Emily and Jacob played checkers

Happy Birthday to my loving Dad. It was such fun spending the day with you and the rest of the family………

Here is our group picture!!!!!!!

Click on it to see it bigger!

Thank you to the church for letting us use the gym for the party and for everyone who helped out and made it a happy day.

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. ~Gail Lumet Buckley

If you’re interested in seeing the slideshow, click here.

the story of a birthday, with recipes

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Shanda

On the morning of December 31, Jacob woke up and smiled. It was his nineteenth birthday and he was looking forward to being home all day long as the center of attention, with lots of family and friends saying Happy Birthday over and over, and generally making merriment in his honor. As the first of seven children, he always felt his very best in a crowd.

His sweet girlfriend was the first to arrive. The day was sunny and pretty.

Emily and Jacob spent time together until she had to go to work.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, I was very busy making meatballs out of 10 pounds of hamburger.

M E A T B A L L S

I have opinions about meatballs. The ones found in the frozen food section of the grocery store are miles away from being as tasty as homemade. The only ones I have found pre-made that I will pay good money for are a brand that costco sells in the refrigerator section. They are sold in bags of sauce and they are very good. But I haven’t been able to find them lately and also they are a bit more expensive than homemade.

I didn’t like making meatballs until I thought to myself, “I DO like making cookies and they are the same exact concept”. Big bowl, dump in ingredients, mix, and form into balls on cookie sheets. Bake at 350. EASY!

Here is a basic recipe, but the sky is the limit with meatballs. Simple is best.

4 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
4 slices fresh bread, town into bread crumbs
1/2 finely minced onion
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup tomato juice

Mix together, form into balls, bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until done.

At this point you may cool them and freeze for later, or use them in your favorite recipe.

For Jacob’s party I put them in a crock pot, poured sauce over and turned the dial to “warm”. I prepared buttered noodles and kept them in casserole dishes in the empty oven to store until dinner.

A note about sauce. I do buy prepared sauce and keep it in the pantry but lately I’ve been cutting the saltiness of it by adding a big (28 oz) can of plain whole tomatoes to the pot. To me this has a fresher taste and is more “tomatoey” rather than “processed spaghetti sauce”. A plain, simple, but high quality sauce is nice for simmering meatballs because the meatballs flavor the sauce deliciously.

The house began to fill with teenagers. Jacob is blessed to have great friends in his life and also a birthday that falls on a great party day—New Year’s Eve—and for the last few years the day has turned into an all night celebration for them (not me. I hate staying up late.)

With Ethan and a couple other boys on the wrestling team, we try to have lots of fresh fruit and veggies in the fridge at all times. And it’s good for all of us to eat them.

Caleb’s mom won the “best dip” award (no prize, just the title) by sending along a a couple bags of waffle fries for us to bake and then serve with this dip:

1 tub of sour cream
diced chives (a couple handfuls)
a pack of bacon cooked and diced
a cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Mix together and chill for at least an hour and then top with a little more chives and bacon. Serve with waffle fries.

amazing…so so good

Our old couch is now down in the basement along with a TV and the game systems. So this year it became the kid’s favorite hang out place. I just had to control my curiosity and not go down to see what they were doing constantly.

Just once in a while. And it’s always interesting. Who would have expected seeing Ethan with a tower of dog biscuits on his head?

This is the face of someone whose heart was saying all day long, “How can my darling baby boy be 19 years old?”

Rich is always trying to get kids to do sit ups and push ups with him.

TIME TO EAT! but first a birthday blessing……

directly followed by a little bit of wrestling

not sorry Tessa….you’re beautiful even with your tongue sticking out….

LOVE LOVE LOVE these SMILES!

Emily came back as soon as she was done with work. She couldn’t wait to dive into the meatballs because I had only let her have one of them that morning.

even more wrestling

They were watching a football game together. (Caleb is a huge football fan).

Eventually it was presents and cake time.

This was Seth about to almost put his dog in the flames. *sigh* thank goodness Emily was there to intercept. Blowing out the candles couldn’t happen fast enough, in my opinion. I think Parker the dog was nervous, too. He helps me keep things under control.

Moist Chocolate Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup canola oil
1 cup brewed coffee, room temperature
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the oil, coffee and milk; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat 2 minutes longer.

Pour into a greased 9 by 13, or for a layer cake, two greased and floured 9 inch round baking pans. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minus or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 cup butter, softened
8 cups confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk

Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of completely cooled cake (note: this is plenty of frosting to top two 9 by thirteen cakes kept in the pans, which is what I did for the party).

(I doubled this recipe for two 9 by thirteens)

recipe source: taste of home baking classics cookbook

Thank you to Emily and Ethan and his girlfriend Tessa for serving out the cake and ice cream.

Jacob had a wonderful birthday and it was fun to see him enjoy himself. One of my favorite things about him is his ready laugh.

That’s frosting on those pants.

By the next morning, after a night of doing who knows what, the teens were all watching Sesame Street of all things. We ate breakfast prepared by Emily at about 8:30 and then people began to either 1) leave or 2) crash all over the couches to sleep.

Jacob had a lot of changes in the last year and we look forward to seeing him continue growing and learning throughout this next one, too. His last year of being a teenager.

Time flies. And we are having fun.