One Step Report #37

One Step



My heart felt drawn to this leaf tonight. It seems to illustrate how I feel about life right now.  I know that fall is just around the corner, or, rather, at my doorstep.  Yet still I find myself hanging onto green, not ready to welcome the hints of red and orange gathering at the edges of my life.  I feel like I need more time for end of summer routines to become habits, more time to focus on organization and functionality.  I love fall, but it also represents to me the beginning of a whirlwind.  We have four birthdays between early October and Christmas, in addition to Halloween and Thanksgiving.  This year we’ll have a baptism as well.  As the red and orange work their way in, my heart cries out “Not yet!  I’m not ready!  There is still so much for me to do!”  Once October starts, my life will be one long sprint to January.  I know that when I open my heart and welcome it in, I love this season completely.  Cool temperatures, crunchy leaves, warm jackets, soup, fresh bread.  Oh, it’s a glorious time of year, but tonight I’m holding fast to green.

This week’s report:  82 steps.  Sounds better than it felt.  It was a rugged week.
Highlights:

1.  The entire week was one long experience in how to measure .  While my house was undoubtedly on the losing end, my heart came out ok.  I’m calling that a victory.

2.  The little ones and I didn’t feel great, as we were all fighting the same frustrating cold.  On Tuesday I followed their lead and we had a lazy day.  I let them stay in their pajamas a little longer, and they all sort of snuggled on the floor together and fell asleep at different times.  Not good for the schedule, but good for their bodies.


3.  I attended an annual parent meeting at the charter school my elementary-aged children attend .  I feel fortunate to have them learning in an outstanding environment and came away motivated to be a better mom.

4.  The driving, driving and driving of this season got to me this week.  I hate feeling like I’m operating in a mental fog (due to my cold).  By Friday night I felt like I was on the verge of getting really sick, purely due to exhaustion.  I prayed my way home as I drove the 45 minutes from our soccer game with a van full of tired, hungry children and a Mom who had nothing left to offer.  I asked for a priesthood blessing, and an hour later felt fine.  I have a grateful heart.

5.  Yesterday I drove my son and the two littlest ones to Heber for his soccer game.  (And they won! I was praying the entire game for a good experience.)  On our way through Provo Canyon I was awed by the beauty of the leaves and kicked myself several times for leaving my camera sitting at home.  My son and I both saw one view on the way home of the evening sunlight filtering through some red leaves that left us quiet with reverence for the beauty of our world.

6.  In spite of feeling lousy most of the week, I had a few opportunities to be of service, and a few moments when I recognized a reminder of Heavenly Father’s love for me, left behind where I would notice it.  I didn’t deserve them, but wholeheartedly accepted them.

7.  Tonight we packed a picnic dinner and headed back up the canyon (with camera in hand) for a few hours of basking in the scenery of the season.  It was a wonderful night.  We watched the moon rise over the red, orange and golden mountains before we headed home.


As I look back over the week, the overwhelming feeling that remains is the absolute fact that, when Mom is off her game, the whole family is off.  Whether I like it or not, so much depends on me.  That said, it’s also true that even when the house is a mess and we all feel disorganized, tired and stressed, if Mom can smile and find a way to see the good in every situation, the whole family pulls through.  So while our physical environment has taken some hits over the past 7 days, in general we’ve weathered it cheerfully and made some good memories along the way.  It’s been a good experience for me, one that has given me cause for reflection and also prompted yet another evaluation of my priorities.  One thing’s for sure:  I’m learning a lot.

And slowly, ever so slowly, I’m getting better at it.  The flashes of understanding and revelation are far ahead of our habits.  I know that insight is not change, but it’s a start, and I’m willing to work.

So we’re off on another week’s adventure.  My best wishes to you in yours.

Jennifer

One comment

Tomato Quiche

Main Dishes



This dish is one of my favorite ways to make use of late summer’s abundant tomato harvest.  It’s also a tasty meatless dish with a lot of flavor.  We especially like the cornmeal crust which adds a nice texture to the quiche.

Tomato Quiche Crust:
3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup cornmeal 1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 1/3 cup shortening 6 Tb. cold water Filling:
2 cups chopped tomatoes 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. dried basil 1/8 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup chopped green onions 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese 1 cup evaporated milk 2 Tb. flour 2 eggs To make the crust:
In a bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper.   Cut in shortening until crumbly.  Add water one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until the dough forms a ball.  Refrigerate 30 minutes.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to fit a 9 inch pie plate.  Transfer dough to pie dish, trim and flute edges.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, then cool completely.

Note:  If you’re like me, and you’re committed to this recipe and suddenly your baby starts screaming, you can do what I did, and just press the crust into the pan without rolling it out.   It’s not as pretty, but it works.


Once the crust is cool, fill with tomatoes.  Sprinkle tomatoes with salt, pepper and basil.  Add the onions and finally the cheeses.


In a small bowl, whisk together flour, eggs and evaporated milk until smooth.  Pour over the filling.


Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Leave a comment

Chore Board (repurposed old window)

Organization

We have  a friend who replaces windows for a living, and he’s one of those really smart guys who keeps the old windows and shares them with people who love them (like me).

A few months ago he and his wife drove to our home with a gift in hand.  Two old windows with 8 panes!  The perfect gift for a family with eight children.


One of these windows have been put to use as what I’m calling our “chore board”. I chose this name because sometimes we’ll have contests or earn points for special rewards based on cleaning and other responsibilities, and it becomes a scoreboard.  It hangs on a tiny wall behind my garage door, next to the bathroom door in a poorly lit corner.  We’re using what we’ve got, which is what life’s all about.


Before I hung the window on the wall, I used dry erase markers to write each child’s name and basic responsibilities on the back of each window pane .

Yes, that meant writing backwards, which explains my somewhat wonky handwriting.
I did this so we can write on the front of the window panes without messing up the basic list.  We can cross things off, circle them, write new lists, etc. but their names and basic daily chores will stay put.  Right now, with sports teams in full swing, we’re just focusing on basic habits.  We’ll add more to the list when our evening schedules calm down and when I know that we’ve mastered the essentials.   Until then, I’m not going to overwhelm us all with lists we can’t reasonably accomplish.  I want my children to feel successful, not buried.

I know that I could add things like brushing teeth, bathing, and other things to the list.  I chose not to, because I’m here at bedtime and can keep track of those things easily, and lists can get so long and overwhelming to kids.  This board is primarily for the things we need to do in the after school hours, the ones that get crazy.  The blessing of having a teenager is that sometimes I can leave him to babysit while I run one of the children to an activity.  The down side of this is that it leaves them with 20-30 minute increments of down time when I’m not home.  The purpose of this board is to help them be proactive, to work even when I’m not watching, and then be able to do fun things later.


We’re trying to teach our children that consistently doing small and simple things will offer great results, both in our  home and in their personal lives.  If they can learn to enjoy those simple things they will have discovered the secret to living happily.  I found the wall sticker at my local dollar store and thought it would be a nice reminder, hence it hangs above the old window.

So, simple as it is, we’ve got a new chore board hanging in our home.  The window fits the style of the rest of the house, and the entire project cost me ten minutes and one dollar.  Can’t beat that!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hopeful Homemaker post shared here .

4 comments
1 … 370 371 372 373 374 … 514