Ready or not, she's two

Today my baby girl turns two. It's hard to believe that it's only been two years since she joined our family because I honestly can't remember life without her in it. I don't recall a time when I wasn't her mama. I knew that having a baby was going to change my life and in many respects I thought I was prepared.

I wasn't.

I wasn't ready to feel the love that overwhelmed me when I first saw her little face. I wasn't ready to feel like part of my heart is stuck outside my body. I wasn't ready to care so much about another person's eating and sleeping and pooping schedule. I didn't know that her smile and laugh would delight me so much. I didn't know that someone sleeping peacefully could be so enthralling. I didn't know how impatient I was. Or how selfish (I thought I had learned enough of this in over three years of marriage, but oh, how wrong I was!) I didn't comprehend the weight of responsibility I would feel for her.

I didn't know her. I didn't know who she would be or how she would act. And while I still don't know all that the future holds for her, I know her. I know a sassy little toddler who loves to be silly and make you laugh. I know an intelligent girl with a hunger for knowledge and a desire to figure things out. I know a compassionate child who is always trying to help and cares about the well being of others.

Haven truly is the light of my life and the joy of my heart. (She is also the exasperator of my mind and the wearing of my patience, but we are focusing on the good stuff today!) I am thankful beyond words that God saw fit to allow me to be this girl's mom. I pray that I am worthy of this high calling. I look to the future with great anticipation as God molds and shapes her little heart and draws her to His side. May I not get in the way of His work, but be used to direct and guide her in the way that she should go.

Happy Birthday, Haven!

Faithful reminders

I have been busy this afternoon in preparation for a certain 2 year olds birthday. When I finally sat down to have my quiet time, almost on cue, this song began to play.

"Faithful" Ben and Robin Pasley

I WANT TO SING YOU A LOVE SONG, YOU ARE THE THIEF OF MY HEART

RHYTHM AND RHYME TRY TO DESCRIBE IT

NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY...I CAN’T HIDE IT

FAITHFUL, YOU ARE FAITHFUL

I HAVE FOUND NOTHING BUT GOOD IN YOUR HEART

LOVING, YOU ARE LOVING

I AM IN LOVE WITH THE WAY THAT YOU ARE

THANKFUL, I AM THANKFUL

I HAD BEEN RUNNING AWAY ON MY OWN

AND THEN YOU FOUND ME, OH HOW YOU LOVE ME

I KNOW YOU’LL NEVER LEAVE, LEAVE ME ALONE

I WANT TO SING YOU A LOVE SONG, FOR YOU ARE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE
RHYTHM AND RHYME TRY TO EXPLAIN IT
NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY, I CAN’T CONTAIN IT

In His gentle and kind way, the Lord draws me close once again and reminds me what's important.

Look. See. Decoupage.

I am pleased to share with you that I was able to cross something off of my to-do list last night. For Haven's birthday we purchased an unfinished table and chairs set. I had various ideas of how to paint and finish it, but decorative painting is not my strong suit. I have a bit of creativity in me, but the idea of painting something cute on the table made me nervous. And then I came across a brilliant idea...DECOUPAGE FABRIC! Decoupaging fabric isn't a widely practiced craft and some doubted the validity/practicality of said practice.

Naysayers be silent, because it worked wonderfully! And I've got pictures to prove it!

I found this really cute "Dick and Jane" fabric that has phrases from the classic books of the same name. I wanted to do something neutral that also worked in our play area. I originally planned to paint the table legs and chairs green to match, but am enjoying the natural wood. I might live with it a few weeks this way and then decide. Either way, I couldn't be happier with the results (well, there is one tiny air pocket that annoys me!) especially for my first attempt.

I might be onto something here!

Home again blahs

A weekend away is (almost) always a really good thing. This trip was no exception. The problem is the day-after unpacking, laundry, errands, no food in the house, grayness that we are currently experiencing. One of our errands even included a stop at the lab so Haven could have her blood drawn. A difficult experience on a good day, but I figured she is already so out of sorts why not get it out of the way today and we will start fresh tomorrow.

All the grayness of today was worth it though. We had a wonderful time in Boston and Haven was a great little traveler. (Many thanks for the prayers that made this possible!) Here she is in the airport with her "luggage".

Who knew she would love a little rolling backpack so much!

Enjoying her flight. Can't you tell she's *smiling* for the camera?!

We didn't really "do" anything this weekend. We weren't touristy and we didn't take advantage of potential babysitters. We just hung out together and enjoyed the friendship that God has given us. We loved on (and got spit up on by) a sweet little baby boy. We ate some fantastic food (Cale claims it was the best lasagna of his life and since he also claims to be on a world wide search for the best lasagna-meaning he orders it out all the time- I'm going to believe him!) We went shopping in New Hampshire where there is no tax. I believe my love for the good deal is well documented so you can imagine the joy that flooded my heart when I went to Old Navy, purchased 13 items and paid a mere $31 for all 13 items. 75% off, people! Now that is a deal! Couple that with good company and we have ourselves a delightful way to pass a Saturday afternoon.

It was a great visit, but it is also good to be home. And the things that aren't so good- like the laundry and the unpacking- are calling my name!

Leaving on a jet plane

We are headed to Boston for the weekend tomorrow morning. We will be taking our inaugural flight on Skybus and I'm a little nervous. Not because of the airline, but because of my travelling companions. One in particular has me worried. The actual flying part isn't the concern, but all the down time in the actual airport makes me have heart palpitations. We are not taking a stroller with us so that means that Haven will be freewheeling. That's what makes me nervous.

I've got a backpack arsenal that will hopefully find me prepared for any situation thrown at us. She will be strapped into her car seat on the flight and Cale has even suggested that if she gets a little too crazy we can sit it on the floor in the terminal and strap her into it. Desperate times do call for desperate measures...but I'm hopeful it won't come to that!

I'm looking forward to a weekend away for so many reasons. Life has been stressful of late and it will be refreshing to be in a different environment and hopefully gain some new perspective on "situations" that need to be dealt with. More than anything though, I can't wait to spend some extended time with good friends and get to know their little boy.

It promises to be a wonderful weekend filled with great conversation, new adventures and cute kids!

Havenisms

Haven talks pretty much non-stop. She loves to "read" her books to herself and it's always funny to hear the dialogue she comes up with. The last few days have found us experiencing a new first at our house: Haven said grace before a meal all by herself. We have been working with her and having her repeat us praying before meals, but on Saturday she said, "No, Haven do it." (which we hear all day long!) We said okay and then witnessed one of the sweetest things to date with our child as she said, "Dod...tanks....food...home...papa...home....g'day..." and a lot more unintelligible sounds until we said, "Amen!" (All the ... indicate sounds that could not be successfully translated even by me, her chief translator!) Now she wants to pray all the time and it makes my heart so glad.

Haven's other funny comment of the weekend doesn't have any spiritual connotations, but it certainly made Cale and I laugh. Cale was off yesterday and so we just had a good day together as a family. We decided to watch a video while we ate dinner on the couch. Towards the end of the meal Haven needed to go to the bathroom. Cale and I had both just finished our food and set our plates on the coffee table. As Haven's about to get out of her booster seat she looks at our plates and says to both of us, "All done, people? Are you all done, people?" We have no idea where she picked up referring to us as people, but it sure did make us laugh. Which in turn made her keep repeating it.

Yet one more reason I love being Haven's mom....she makes me laugh on a daily basis.

A convuluted trip down memory lane with dinner at the end

Cale has been on a great gift streak for me lately. Not that all his gifts aren't good ones that I appreciate, but there have been some serious standouts of late. On Christmas morning I was delighted that he had bought me cooking classes at a local high-end grocery store. I have been looking over the classes offered this spring and can't wait to take a few of them.

On Tuesday, Cale took me out to lunch for my birthday. As soon as we were situated at our table, he pulled out a large blue envelope with a book inside. Cale had taken all of the blog posts he wrote while we were in Namibia and had them printed and bound into a book. I had no idea he was working on this project and I was completely surprised. It is wonderful to have a record of our time there together all in one place in an easy to read format.

I have been reading through his account for the last few nights and it has flooded my mind with memories. If any of you kept up with our blog while we were gone then you know two things: Cale talked about computer stuff a lot and he felt the need to tell everyone what we ate every day. (Last night I read that we had chicken in vinegar for dinner. I have no clue what he's talking about but I'm pretty sure I never cooked anything in straight white vinegar...maybe he meant balsamic? I really don't know!) He also spent a lot of time talking about what we were learning or reading. Since I have been a very sporadic journal writer for the last several years, I so appreciate his account of what we were walking through during that time.

But back to the food! One of the things that we ate whenever we were out or that was prepared for us was a dish called Bobotie. (Can you even believe that I find a Bobotie article on Wikipedia!) We didn't know it was called that at the time, but it is something that we both enjoyed (even when it was made with kudu!). It is a traditional South African dish that is best described as a sweet, meat stew. Well over a year ago, I came across a Bobotie recipe in Rachael Ray's magazine. As I read over the ingredients I realized that this is what we had been eating in Namibia without even knowing it. Of course, I had to try it and it has since become a favorite here at our house. I've adapted the recipe a bit to fit our tastes, but if you want to see the original recipe go here. Cale loves this and since he's the one that started this trip down memory lane, I will share the recipe with you in his honor!

Bobotie
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs ground sirloin
1 bay leaf
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 Piquante Peppadew Peppers, drained and finely chopped **
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt and fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup mango chutney
1 cup beef broth
2 Tbs curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp lemon zest

1. In a dry skillet, lightly toast the almonds for 3-4 minutes.

2.Heat a large skillet over medium heat and then add the 2 Tbs olive oil. When the oil is hot spread the meat into an even layer in the pan. Let it caramelize and deeply brown (which means don't stir!); then stir and move to the sides of the pan. Add bay leaf, celery, carrots, onion, peppers and garlic to the center of the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes, then stir into the meat. Add chutney, broth, curry powder, turmeric, coriander and lemon zest. Stir vigorously until the broth simmers and starts to evaporate and the meat casserole starts to thicken. Remove the bay leaf and add the toasted almonds. Spoon into bowls and enjoy!

**I have never been able to find these particular peppers so I have gotten creative. I've found a red pepper relish that works well. The key is to add some kind of sweet pepper to the mix. The last time I made it I used some random pepper mix I found at the store as well as a chopped orange bell pepper. It was great. So don't worry if you can't find these as I have found it still turns out great!