My New Love
07 Dec 2010 2 Comments
in family, Uncategorized
Didn’t see it coming, this grandma-love. I know I felt it instantly for my own children–just loved them unconditionally from the moment I laid eyes on them. But thinking of my role as a grandma, I never expected to feel this crazy, emotional love. “She” was supposed to be a “he”, according to the ultrasound, so when we were informed by a new ultrasound, three days before the birth, that our “Cayden Alexander Pierce” was a girl, it sent us all into a bit of a tailspin. We were in love with Cayden and now there was no Cayden. Somehow, though, it felt right, this new idea of a granddaughter! And when she finally came….there was no doubt. She was a perfect, pink little person–just the one God always knew and had formed months ago as a little girl.
When we first saw Angelina Jade, she was lying on a warming bed, stark naked, holding out her arms and squirming under the light. Suddenly, there was our grandbaby. Suddenly, she was more than just a thought, she was a beautiful reality–a tangible, tear-jerking reality! We watched the nurse wrap her up in a little burrito bundle and hand her to her mama for the first time. Watched as she blinked and puckered her lips and adjusted to her first few minutes in the open world. We were spellbound.
I find myself hungry to hold her in my arms, these welcoming grandma arms! But just as special is seeing her with her daddy, as he suspends her across his forearm, so lightly and carefully and lovingly. Or watching my own girls, new aunties, cradle her and talk to her and love on her. And when Grandpa David holds her, I literally feel my heart melting. He feels this, too, I know, and we just look at each other, knowingly sharing these precious moments that are some of the best in a lifetime.
Love. Pure, unadulterated love. Simple love. Deep love. Yes, she has arrived and we are smitten.
The Mystery Plant
17 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
Somehow, a cucumber vine grew in my garden this past season! It was never planted, but it showed up one day, and has taken over an entire planter. It is one of the few plants still thriving in my garden and it has given the most amazing cucumbers-crisp and sweet. When I look at it, thriving, with yellow blossoms popping up each day, I am content in a strange sort of way. Like the many surprises life brings, my cucumber volunteer has been a great source of joy to me! I didn’t plan it, didn’t tend it, didn’t even nurture it! I just watched it, rather skeptically, sure that it wouldn’t produce anything. Was I ever wrong!
So many times, situations creep up, just like my vine, and we wonder how we stumbled upon such circumstances. Some, we view with pleasure, tickled pink that such “fortune” came to us. Other times, we pluck away the new growth of something that is unfamiliar or unwanted. If we didn’t “plant it”, it has to go. Rarely, we watch as a “mystery plant” grows, unsure that it will produce anything of value, on the brink of plucking it out each time we see it. But, if we let it grow, if we wait and nurture and pray, it may turn into something delightful–a true gift from God.
He loves giving us unexpected, unexplained blessings. He wants us to know they are from Him, not something we caused with our own hands. He wants to entrall us, surprise us, warm our hearts with His treasures. He wants us to see how He makes something out of nothing.
I never saw a grandbaby coming. I never expected it, or even hoped for it at this time. In fact, when I found out about it, my first reaction was not glee! But, as I’ve watched him grow in Lexi, I realize that he is a gigantic blessing–one from God, not of my making. The joy he’s already bringing is amazing…..I can’t imagine life without him.
So, embrace those “stray vine” moments. Trust me, they can turn into a delicious treat.
The Old Gray Mare?
31 Aug 2010 3 Comments
in Andrew, family, Uncategorized
Grandmother. Grandma. Nana, Mi-Mi, Me-Maw. Granny? Gran? Grand-Mi-Mi? I’m about to become one. The due date for Lexi and Andrew’s son is November 7th, 2010, which is only two page turns of the calendar away! I’m beginning to think about my new role as, well, you know.
It’s much more than a name. I called both my grandmas “Vova”, since they lived in Brazil and that is Portuguese for grandma. Neither of them spoke more than a few words of English, but we loved one another, and somehow, we communicated that. A grandma makes an impact on the lives of those she touches, often offering an easy relationship with the younger generation, who she adores besides. Grandmas give presents and have treats at their houses. They teach family traditions, tell stories, find fun places to take the kids. It’s a ROLE, for heaven’s sake, such as I never realized. My new role….
God knew I’d need role models, so I’ve watched Grandma Di and Grandma Elsie, my kids’ grandmas. If my mothering was lacking, well, they had their grandmas to make up for it! They have passed on so much to my three! Sewing and cooking, love of music, knitting, organizing, cleanliness, manners and thank you notes, pure, unconditional love, godliness, truthfulness, responsibility, faithfulness, love of nature, flower arranging, teaching, confidence…..I honestly am just typing frantically, without pause. There is so much to be grateful to both of them for.
Although Grandma Di has passed, and my own mother lives far away, I have fabulous grandmas to watch as mentors! Karen, and Linda, Deb and Barbara, Donna and Michele , just to name a few. Ladies that have done this, have become this “grandma thing” that is so new to me. Women who still look pretty, are active and fun, but are grandmas! Strong, doting, doing women, who will soon be my compadres in this adventures of being “Nana.” God knew I’d need them, and they are all around!
My grandson will arrive soon and my life will never be the same, I know. I already love him. He is already a “someone” whom I think about, pray about, hope for and dream for. He is an important soul, and one of my favorite on the planet earth.
Perhaps, being honest with myself, I’ve already crossed over in grandma-hood, considering I already have the penultimate thing every grandma needs…..love. From here, it’s just about being and loving. God, you created me, you know me, you know what I’m lacking and where I’m weak. Give me love! Give me more love! And now, let me lavish it on this new little one. Thank you, Lord. I love being grandma.
Two Native American Recipes—Easy, Healthy, Delicious!
11 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in home school, Recipes
We just finished a two year study of American history, including extensive American Indian studies. During that time we tried two recipes that claim to be early native American recipes. I’m a little suspicious of the use of sugar (white refined?!), but it was fun discussing that with Cami and pondering how things were then.
The first recipe is a Blueberry Popover. Please make it on a day when you just need a quick happy moment! It’s not overly sugary, must be eaten warm and will disappear within 5 minutes of coming out of the oven. My family loved it.
BLUEBERRY POPOVER
1 cup milk
1/2 t. vanilla
1/8 t. ground ginger
2 T. butter, melted
1/4 t. salt
4 T. sugar
Preheat oven to 450 degrees, then mix all of the ingredients above into a large bowl. Stir in two eggs, well beaten, and a cup of flour. Place 1 cup blueberries in a 9″ pie pan. Pour batter over the berries and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture (2T sugar, 1/2 T. cinnamon) over that.
Bake 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 10 minutes more. Cut into slices as soon as possible and love it!
THREE SISTERS INDIAN SOUP I adapted this from the recipe in our Indian study. Here is what we came up with, more or less. Let your kids do all the washing, chopping, can opening, etc. We cooked it out on the fire in the backyard, in a big pot, and had crunchy bread with it on a cold night! In case you don’t know, the name comes from the three vegetables the Indians liked to grow together-beans, squash and corn. The “three sisters” are used in this soup.
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into thick circles
2-3 celery stalks, ,but into generous slices
1 can of corn, drained
1 Can of pinto beans, with the juices
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 of a small butternut squash, peeled and cubed (help the kids here!)
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth
3-4 minced parsley
2-3 cups cooked chicken
Put all ingredients in a large pot, except the chicken. We assembled this first thing in the morning, and cooked it in the evening for about 20-30 minutes. Don’t overcook-best if the squash doesn’t get squishy. Add the chicken at the last minute to heat. You’ll love it!
Up, Up and Away
10 Aug 2010 1 Comment
in Cami, family, home school
Yesterday we began our home school year, just like everyone who attends public school. Normally, we would have started several weeks ago–I love to get “ahead” and then take random days off–but this year we just started on the first day like the crowd. We set our alarm for 7:00 and started at 8:00. Sure, we had the option to sleep in and start later, but we were both so excited to start, that 8:00 was just fine.
Everything, and I mean everything,is in order in our classroom. We both worked for 2 solid days last week, going through every closet, drawer, shelf and bulletin board in the school room and redoing and organizing. It looks so “fifth grade!” Out with the Indian stuff we had in our display case for the two years of American History. Now, there are a few simple eastern looking objects in the case, as we’ll be journeying there in our studies. We have cacti in a sunny window, and a really cool period element table on the bulletin board. We have a new computer station where Cami does her history research and some math. Most importantly, the teacher, me, has the lesson plans and materials ready to go!
Our tables are rearranged, and all the new books are in place, begging us to open them. Speaking of books, we already finished a few! When our curriculum came a few months ago, we couldn’t help but sneak a taste of a few of them. Island of the Blue Dolphins was a fabulous book to read over the summer, and I’m glad we did. We get to dive in to a pile of great living books from the eastern part of the world (Sonlight) as we study history through literature. We’ll also study beginning chemistry and physics with Real Science for Kids, get a solid understanding of fractions with Math U See and continue amazing ourselves that we are learning Latin together! There’s daily poetry and spelling and writing and copywork. There’s dictation and mental Perplexors and our great Bible study, Remembering God’s awesome acts. There’s memorization and handwriting and experiments and new pencils.
After two days with my pleasant, co-operative and greatly-matured-from-last-year daughter, I stop to thank God for the privilege of teaching my Cami, of having this precious time together. I thank God for giving me this “job” to do, and for making it so fun to learn together. I stop, and reflect on this, our fourth year of homeschooling, and I am so very, very happy that we made this decision for our family back then. I get to watch my daughter learn and grow, and share so many days and good times with her. I just love starting back to school!
Top Ten
09 Aug 2010 3 Comments
in The Garden
Here is a countdown from the worst to best in my garden this summer.
10. Zucchini-my biggest disappointment was the assault of nature on my beautiful, flourishing zucchini plants. The five plants grew quickly, had huge leaves and tons of blooms, even picked a couple and then….infestation! The plants were attacked by squash bugs and squash vine borers, unpleasant in every aspect, from the eggs and larva to the adult pests. The borers bore into the stem of the plant and grow to be a huge worm that just resides in the plant. These bugs also carry a disease called Fusarium Wilt, which of course infected my plants as well. They tried, these tough plants, but just couldn’t survive all the abuse, even with my daily picking off of the bugs and love and care. I pulled them all out yesterday, with great resign and sadness, vowing never to bother with zucchini again. 
9. Strawberries-I have one strawberry plant growing in a pot, and it is fabulous! This is the second year it’s been with us (strawberries are perennials) and it really did well this year. We got perhaps 20 strawberries from our one little plant. The best part was that none of them were eaten by any critters! Here is a picture of the last August strawberry! 
8. Mystery Plant-This cute vine appeared in one of my beds, and I had no recollection of planting it! It seems to me that it is cantaloupe or watermelon vine, but I truly have no real idea what it is. It is flourishing, has blossoms, and does not seem to be affected by the squash pests. Hardy, with the volunteer spirit, it easily deserves spot #8!
7. Jalapeno Plants-These plants have behaved so irrationally this season, I’m just sticking them here at #7, not sure what their final story will be as fall approaches. So far, they’ve disappointed David, who was hoping for an abundant crop for pickling and salsa. We got an early small round-shaped crop, but suddenly the foliage turned super small and poofs of mini leaves were at all the stem ends. Weird. I gave them a fertilizer, and within a couple of weeks they have buds all over them again. I can only hope they have time to grow and ripen before it turns cold. If they deliver, this could actually take the #1 spot. For now, though, they remain a questionable #7.
6. Tomato Plants-Georgia is normally a fabulous place to grow tomatoes. So, why didn’t mine take off this summer? Sure, I’m getting lots of tomatoes, but why on earth have the plants all begun to turn brown? The tips are full of green branches with blossoms, but the bottoms of the plants, up to about half, are really quite brown and dry. They just aren’t flourishing, and David and I have already come up with a “plan” for next year dealing with soil prep and fertilizer, but that’s another story. They really have had a HOT HOT HOT Georgia summer, and I think that’s the problem. It’s just been too darn HOT.
5. Poblano Peppers-Our first time planting these beauties, and they are sure to remain a favorite. The plants are tall and green and strong, with probably 6-8 poblanos on each, each about 4 to 8 inches long. It’s a drought tolerant, heat loving, pestilence resistant plant! Can’t wait to try David’s recipe with grits when they’re all ready to snip off.
4. Herbs-I have established creeping thyme and rosemary as perennials in the yard. I celebrate how beautifully they came back this spring! I killed the mint, who knows how, since it’s usually one of the hardest things to get rid of! The basil, all four plants, grew steadily and healthfully, despite a nation wide problem with the basil crops getting mold. We’ve enjoyed pesto sauce, Caprese salad and just sticking big bouquets of basil in vases around the kitchen sink. The smell alone could qualify “herbs” for the #4 position!
3. Sunflowers aren’t really grown as “food”, but mine had a place right in the center of the garden and they were such showstoppers that I had to include them. In addition to that, they fell over near their end and supplied the squirrels with whole heads of seeds that they dragged back to their homes. So, they really are food. Sunflower, you grew upwards of 10 feet, launching high in the sky, and brightened the garden and fence for so many weeks! You were a joy! 
2.Okra-Yes, okra. This plant was made to grow in Georgia. It grows whether or not you water it, in any kind of soil, I kid you not. It is so hardy it will amaze you! I planted two plants, and we’ve made fried okra twice and given some away, just from our harvest so far. I just cut and freeze and when I have enough pieces, make the fried okra. It’s a great excuse to fry, which we rarely do around here. Not one bug, not one fungus or problem, just a strong, happy plant, with a gorgeous yellow flower, that yields faithfully and continuously.
And the winner is……..
1. Bush Beans! Perhaps I have let my taste buds guide me in this decision! We’ve had so many wonderful dishes invented with these beans this summer (ratatouille, teriaki beans, parmesan beans, etc). Cami put these in the ground one spring afternoon. We planted two rows of about 8 bushes, about a foot apart, and watched with amazement as they grew overnight into little bushes with flowers that quickly turned into little beans. We haven’t stopped picking since that moment. They produce and grow so fast that you must get out and check them at least every other day. They’ve worked hard, these bushes, and are still producing at this rate.
Well, that’s the Top Ten for our garden. Thanks to our Great Creator, we saw these plants grow and live and produce! 
Hammock Potato
09 Aug 2010 1 Comment
in family, Uncategorized
Lying in a hammock has become one of my favorite things to do this summer. As soon as I settle in, I’m on vacation. Slightly removed from the rest of the house, it’s a place where nothing is expected of me. I can sleep, or pretend to sleep. I can read or write or just swing slowly. I can count the cars that I hear go by occasionally, or watch the clouds blow in and on by, big billowing pillows of white. I can text or make a phone call, or not. The gentle glide-rock hypnotizes me into utter relaxation-complete and still and silent. Ahhhhh. I am an official hammock potato.
Nikolai’s Roof and the Twenty-Second Year as Us
12 Jul 2010 2 Comments
Ah, the twenty-second wedding anniversary! No pressure on this one, no rules of etiquette or tradition. We are somewhere between twenty happy years and “Do You Love Me?” There is no expectation, no “what did you do for your (fill-in-the-blank) anniversary? Hence, my expectation was of only average intensity when David planned two days at the Hilton Hotel in Atlanta, with dinner on the rooftop of that very hotel on night two. I peeked in several of the hotel provided restaurant books and read that Nikolai’s Roof was a pretty well spoken of four star restaurant with a wonderful chef, Olivier De Busschere. This was starting to sound exciting.That afternoon, we took a little elevator ride up to see the restaurant and to read the menu. The glass elevator is mounted on the outside of the hotel, so up, up, up we went to the 29th floor, oohing and ahhing at the view of Atlanta. Wow. As soon as we exited the elevator, there was a hush about us. We walked over to the menu in the small entry way. There, posted, was the 7 course Chef’s Menu.
We donned our finest and set up in the glass elevator again for our 8:00 reservation. White table cloths, huge floral arrangements, and a circular view of the city of Atlanta. Waiters wearing white gloves (cool, until he had to serve the cheese course, and it got a little messy), rose champagne served in elegant flouts, real butter on crunchy bread, lights coming on in the city.
So many tastes in one evening. We started with Les Petites Piroshkis, tiny little packages, presented like little gifts and tasting like heaven. They are Czech, I think, as am I. Next, we were blessed with Diver Scallops and Mussels with Saffron Foam…..oh, yes. It was as good as it sounds. My second favorite dish followed-Pan Seared and Bonbon of Foie Gras with Cinnamon Porto Spheres, Fennel Raisin Brioche, and Caramel Crisps with Puree of Red Cabbage. It lived up to this fancy name–and was served with a sweet, local Georgia wine, as a sweet accompaniment to the salty foie gras.
Intermezzo. As our “intermission” course, we were served a delicious sorbet with lemon vodka poured over it. I’m not sure it cleaned my pallet, however, I was much more relaxed for the next course, the main course. I had beef tenderloin with Savoy Cabbage, Garden Potatoes and David opted for the lamb. Both were perfectly prepared, tasty and a beautifully presented.
Whew. Seems like dinner should be over by now! But, the waiter came, rolling along a cart full of cheeses and…..honey. I love honey, but by this time in the meal was not sure I was up for the cheese. We each got to choose 3, served with honey drizzled across the plate. Yum. First bite, I knew I could, indeed, complete this course.
Last course. My favorite one. Our gloved waiter delivered our little Gran Marinier souffles, still rising, hot from the oven, an inch over the edge of the ramekins. He then spooned a hole right in the middle and put cool orange creme fraiche right into the steaming hole. It was absolutely delicious, a blend of hot and cold that makes my mouth water even as I write about it!
All in all, a wonderful meal, and stay in Atlanta. Service was very attentive and formal. The food was top notch, innovative and tasty. I got to stare into David’s eyes and remember why we married each other. Twenty-third, here we come!
Goat Cheese Quiche with Hash-Brown Crust
01 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Recipes, Uncategorized
From “Martha”
2 T. butter, softened, plus more for pan
1 package (1 lb) frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
12 large eggs
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 ½ cups reduced-fat sour cream
1 package (4-5 ounces) soft goat cheese, room temp.
4 scallions, thinly sliced.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 9 X 2 ½ inch spring form pan with butter. Line the sides of the pan with strips of waxed paper (the same height as the pan); brush paper with butter.
Squeeze excess moisture from hash browns. Mix in a bowl with butter, 1 egg, 1 t. coarse salt, and ¼ t. pepper. Pat into bottom and up the sides of prepared pan, using a moistened dry measuring cup. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until set, 15-20 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk sour cream, goat cheese, 1 ½ t. coarse salt, and ¼ t. pepper until well combined. Whisk in 11 remaining eggs. Pour into crust, and sprinkle with scallions.
Bake, until set, 45-50 minutes. Unmold quiche carefully, and peel off waxed paper before serving.
Casino Nuts
01 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
From mom and Ingrid
Toast 1 lb (4 c.) of Pecan halves at 325 for 10 mins., or until fragrant
Melt 3T of butter in a large pan in the oven.
Beat 2 egg whites to stiff (not dry) and then very slowly add 1 c. of sugar w/a pinch salt.
Mix in nuts with the mixture, by hand, and pour into the pan.
Bake 30 mins. @ 325, stirring every 10 minutes until all the butter is absorbed.
Store Airtight. Keeps really well.
