A Simple String of Pearls

A recap, a forcast, and a boatload of thankfulness!

2014-01-01T17:14:00.004-08:00

Seeing as it's been months since my last post, school has started, the holidays have passed, and the new year is almost here, much has happened between our bloggy conversations. Personally, a few curveballs have been pitched my way.

A recap:
As a family, we all had fun over the summer going through our list of 100 fun things while also volunteering on a special election campaign for our legislative district's State Senate seat. Combined, that was enough to keep us very busy, especially considering Jesse's busy work schedule. When school started in the fall, we settled into a comfy little routine and fell in love with the familiarity of our sweet day-to-day program. So nice!

One day, at the end of October, while out running a few errands by myself, I got in a car accident. It could have been so much worse than it was, and I'm so very thankful that the kids were not with me at the time. My van was totaled, though, and I did get nasty whiplash and a concussion. (Here's a freebie: Look both ways before going on a green light. Do it every time.) After an intense regiment of chiropractic care and rest, my days are mostly pain-free now. The only lasting effects seem to be the occasional horrible headache and the loss of my short term memory... ugh. I feel like Nemo's Dory much of the time, though honestly, it's not quite as bad as hers. It is still very frustrating and I'm trying hard to give myself grace. I am hoping for the full return of my memory function, but have learned to work with it's somewhat limited facility in the mean time. Jess and the kids have been very helpful, patient, and understanding all the while. We've been creating systems and routines to help prevent me from forgetting important things. There are so many things to be grateful for and I'm learning a lot during this weird little moment in time.

With that in mind, though, we needed to have a relatively laid-back Christmas this year. We didn't host any big shindigs or get out of control with our usual advent festivities. The decorations were almost minimal... only our absolute favorite things went up this year. We still met the Alfanos at the mall for our annual Santa visit and attended quite a few festive fetes in the weeks leading up to the big day. I substituted our usual variety of homemade cookies and baked goods for Costco's versions. Not as pretty or yummy, but fine with a warm mug of cocoa and perfect for snuggling up with the kids for a retro claymation movie marathon. Celebrations at home were relaxed and generally calm. (As calm as possible with 5 excited kids eager in their anticipation of Christmas, anyway!)

Santa day!

Christmas morning Young kids! Aren't they adorable?!

A forecast:
Looking into 2014, there are some exciting possibilities looming. Close on the horizon are some big changes for our family. Jess is looking at a potential opportunity to serve politically in a somewhat unexpected way. As per my usual when writing about political stuff, I'll share the particulars when things are more decided there. For myself, I've been working with ywam for a few months to help Adoption Ministry 1:27 develop a family advocacy program... am still a bit giddy over the prospect of this work and will certainly need an entire blogpost (or 5) to present details! Probably soon. The kids are chugging away at their schoolwork, learning, growing, and constantly blowing my mind with their wonderful creativity, energy, and super-gusto approach to the world. They're all looking forward to new science projects and basketball season at the Y. The girls are discovering their inherited love for classic literature (Secret Garden, Little Women, etc...) and the boys are becoming little junior engineers, always building new stuff out of old stuff... never a dull moment!

So, as we welcome the new year, my heart is full of hopes and overflowing with thankfulness. And life marches on like a beautiful Sousa: sometimes sweet, often loud, and never boring.

RecipeBox - Pumpkin Spice Latte syrup

2013-09-18T21:40:00.001-07:00

I have a major weakness for pumpkin spice lattes in the fall. It's almost as bad as my obsession with eggnog lattes in the wintertime! Every homemade version I've ever tried, though, has fallen way short of the fancypants barista standard. But as the drive-thru habit is equal parts addicting and super-expensive, I've chosen to 'ixnay' on the luxury of having someone else create my daily caffeine fix. It's tough to rationalize that much spending. So either I forgo my autumnal splurge, settle for 'just ok,' or find another way to scratch the itch. Enter: recipe development stage!

The common factors in every homemade DIY version that I've tried seem to be a combination of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, & ginger), always sugar water, and pumpkin in varying amounts. The result isn't necessarily bad, but is missing that certain 'je ne sais quoi' that we all love so much in the PSL... it's just not the same. Too sweet, not enough spice, kind of dull-tasting. In my opinion.

Using a few somewhat unorthodox ingredients and with a maple base as opposed to sugar, the result is wonderful! I'm so proud of this recipe and hope any who try it love it, too!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups - 100% pure Maple syrup

1/4 Cup - pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon - cloves

1 teaspoon - allspice

1 teaspoon - ground ginger

1 teaspoon - nutmeg

2 teaspoons - cinnamon

1 teaspoon - whole black peppercorns (I know. Just trust me.)

The seeds of 4 cardamom pods

(I didn't expect to knock it out of the ballpark on my first try, so I didn't take any fun pictures of the syrup-making process this go-round. I'll take some next time and update the post then...)

Instructions:

-Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan.

-Slowly bring to an easy simmer over medium-low heat.

-Let the mixture 'steep' on low for about 15-20 minutes.

-Strain the syrup through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a 2-4cup glass measuring cup. Twist the cheesecloth into a knot & squeeze as much syrup out as possible. Throw out the cheesecloth bundle.

-When it's cooled enough, pour the strained syrup into a seal-able storage bottle.

-Keep it refrigerated. My guess is that it would be good for a couple of weeks... but no way will it last that long in my house!

To use:

-Drizzle into your espresso w/steamed milk for a latte, or into your coffee w/cream in place of sugar sweetener. So yummy!

-Would probably be nice as an ice cream topping, too!

Brutal...

2013-07-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

We've been working toward more healthy living for a while now, here at the Young home. For us, it's a process of small consistent changes over a large period of time that will add up to make significant progress towards our health goals.

Luci and I started with the Couch to 5K training program earlier this year and ran our first 5K in May. It was challenging, but not too tough. The course ran through some sweet Seattle suburbs and ended with a fun concert and street fair. My 10-year old Wonder Luci and I ran/jogged/walked the course and partied at the little fair afterwards. It felt as though we had accomplished something very important! It was a fun experience overall and not too physically taxing.

Considering ourselves mild successes in the 5K universe, we decided to sign up for the next event: a 5K MudRun.

Not.The.Same.

At all.

This morning was that mud run. We'd hardly trained for it, but figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal since the last 5K didn't seem to be very hard... We carpooled with some awesome friends and made a day out of the adventure! I'd envisioned a quick jog through pretty forest trails with a few muddy dunks sprinkled throughout, maybe. SO wrong!

Here's the course map:

You'd think we'd have been clued in for the brutal craziness that awaited us by the name of the obstacles. The Sloppy Crawl, Up a Creek (w/o a paddle), No Feet Trail, and Spiders Lair should have been warning enough, but still we were expecting a light-hearted, slightly challenging, super-messy, fun time. Luci had joked that her goal was to be the muddiest racer of the day.

The course map didn't show just how much of the race would be uphill... at a steep incline. It might not have been, but it felt like a solid 2.5 of the K's were straight up a wall. A muddy wall. Bookended with army-crawls thru goopy, muddy obstacles. The obstacles were actually very fun, but the steep trails over half of the course were not. For me, anyway. At the top of the first steep trail, I had a very specific memory of how it felt when I had asthma as a kid. Lungs burning, sides aching, not enough air, trying to keep up with the team... ugh. I was feeling like a big wuss. "I should have trained more, eaten better, taken my vitamin supplements more regularly, etc..." So many 'should haves' ran through my mind at the top of the first steep trail, but the 'gonna be-s' were just as prevalent in my self-talk. "I'm gonna be so tired for the rest of the day today, sore tomorrow, so much better at this next time, so much more focused on my goals after this, etc..." So focused on me. It was hard for me. Would be better for me. Me.

Then something changed.

There was a simple sign at the trail side. I don't remember the exact phrasing, but it was something like: 'You're halfway to a fresh water source now.' Because the whole point of this 5K mudrun, was to raise awareness and money for World Concern to provide systems of clean water in places where people don't have it. Places where moms (just like me) must walk miles to find water, then carry it home in jugs for their families. Miles. Daily. Just for water.

As I was huffing and puffing my way through a well-established trail course, internally whining about how out-of-shape and pathetic I felt, there was a mom somewhere in the world, making the same type of journey simply to provide water for her kids. I watched my daughter skipping and singing ahead of me, the perfect picture of happy health. She will probably never wonder what it's really like to be thirsty. Thank God, she likely will never know that.

There's no obstacle course on the planet worse than what it must be like to have a child dying of thirst. It's humbling to acknowledge my ignorant selfishness when presented with this brutal slice of reality. It's absolute foolishness not to be on my knees thankful for the outrageously easy lifestyle I have. Perspective is a game-changer. A life-changer.

We kept up with the course and made it through to the finish-line. Just before the end, though, we passed by the 'fresh water source' that our example mom would have been hiking toward: it was an over sized mud puddle pond. A WC volunteer stood nearby the trail side with a jug of the dirty pond water in one hand and a jug of healthy clean water in the other. Another heartbreaking lesson in perspective. Which would I rather serve to my own kids? No contest there...

In all, though, it was a good day. A little challenge, a lot of muddy frolicking, and a big big dose of reality... all followed by a fully-clothed dunk in the lake to melt off our layers of caked-on mud!

As I relax here in my cozy home with my healthy kids, aching limbs, and frosty glass of lemonade, I am thankful. Beyond words grateful. I don't have to hike those wall-steep trails tomorrow, but there are other mommies in this world that will. My quest for fresh clean water ends at the kitchen sink. Easy. I feel spoiled and undeserving... but thankful. My journey towards a more healthy lifestyle has providentially brought me to a place of deeper understanding and renewed dedication.

My challenge to you, faithful readers and sweet friends:

Consider donating to World Concern's Clean Water efforts. The fundraising portion of the MudRun is closed, but the campaign for clean water in ongoing. If you feel so inspired, I would encourage you to click here for the link below to visit the World Concern website and make a donation. It is that easy to make a difference and every little bit helps.

I, for one, will remember today's lessons and forever be changed.

100 Fun Things MidSummer update!

2013-07-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

In late May, the kids and I put together a list of 100 fun things we wanted to do this summer.

click the tree to see the list!

So far we've crossed off 31 items, and it's been just wonderful! Here's a few of our favorite times so far:

Jumping on Olivia's trampoline...

Going to the Point Defiance Zoo with the Alfanos...

We caught the tiger exhibit at feeding time!

Racing rubber duckies at the lake...

(Guess who won?)

My sweet boo Jojo turned 7! Unbelievable! Seems like just yesterday he was a chubby little squishy toddler with a thick accent and fierce hugs. What a blessing he is!

Pulling weeds... Yes, this was actually on the list of fun things. I figured I'd find a kid or two climbing trees and otherwise acting goofy, so this was no surprise. Adorable!

We made adventure journals... and have been using them!

Watermelon on the deck... a summertime must-do!

Silly string war. This was a crack-up!

Ice cream truck time!

...and this is what happens when big sister puts sunscreen on the baby. Mini faux hawk... cute as a button!

I hope you're enjoying your summer as much as we are!

Cheers!

Recipe Box - Gluten-free Granola Bars

2013-06-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

It's the go-to, all-American, year-round, between-meal snack. Especially for families with growing kids! "Just grab a granola bar," has become my standard answer back to the all-familiar, "Mooooooom... I'm huuuungry!"

We've been experimenting with the recipe ever since Joseph's allergy diagnosis and have pretty much figured out the perfect 'base.' Each of my kids has their own favorite additions that we rotate into the recipe, so boredom is a non-issue. When I made the recipe for the purpose of taking pictures for the blog, it was Joseph's turn to choose the mix-ins. He likes chocolate toffee, but you can equally choose to add cranberries and toasted coconut or walnuts and raisins... the personalizations are as limitless as your imagination (or dietary restriction) allows!

Ingredients:

2Cups Gluten-free Oats (toasted)

1Cup Pure Maple syrup

1t vanilla extract

1Cup all-natural Peanut Butter

1-2Cups of 'mix-ins'

(chocolate, dried fruit bits, nuts, etc...)

Step 1-

Spread the raw oats on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 375 until they're slightly golden.

Step 2-
While the oats are roasting, mix up the 'glue.' Combine the maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Mix until smooth.

Step 3-
When the oats are nicely toasted, stir them into the peanut butter mixture till perfectly coated, then add your mix-ins.

Step 4-

Prep for baking:

Step 5-
Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes...

Step 6-
Let the granola cool, then get ready to slice into bars. The waxed paper lining works perfectly for removing the bars from the dish. Just pick up the whole slab by the edges of the paper and move to a cutting board.

Step 7-

Slice the slab into bars.

Yum.

I store them layered in a simple cookie jar. A square of waxed paper between the layers keeps the bars from sticking together.

Just because they're homemade, doesn't mean they can't be fun. If I'm packing them for the kids to have as a snack on an outing, a cute super-hero or princess sticker over a parchment wrapper makes these just ups the 'cool' factor a bit.

Recipe Box - Pico de Gallo

2013-06-11T11:39:00.001-07:00

This is a summertime party favorite... and a family midday snack favorite... and a dinner side dish favorite. It's just an all around favorite for the Young family, and one of my most requested recipes.

With just a simple few ingredients and a quick 2-step process, this pico de gallo recipe is easy to put together and modifiable to your personal taste preferences. For example, I make this with my kids' sensitive palates in mind, so I leave out the heat. If you like spice, though, a rough chopped bunch of jalepenos or a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper mixed in with the finished product would satisfy.

Ingredients:

1 head of green cabbage

1/4 head of red cabbage

1 walla walla sweet onion

5 or 6 large tomatoes

1 bunch of cilantro

2 limes

seasoning salt (I like Johnny's)

Step 1- Chop
After thoroughly washing & drying all of the fresh produce, finely chop the cabbages, onion, and cilantro. Rough chop the tomatoes, making sure to only keep the fleshy parts while discarding the watery seedy middle parts.

Step 2- Season
Squeeze the juice of both limes completely into the pico de gallo, then stir to coat. Sprinkle the mixture with seasoning salt to taste, while tossing for even distribution.

Done!

Things to keep in mind: this is not a salsa and should not be soupy at all. The lime juice adds flavor, but should not overwhelm.

15 Years ago...

2013-06-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

A couple of crazy kids took a leap...

...and never looked back!

My 'favorites' list

2013-06-03T19:36:00.002-07:00

On my 40x40 list, #25 is:

Learn to play my 'favorites list' on the piano.

Well, my whole favorites list would probably be a challenging task for even the most seasoned pianist. It's not as if I'm starting from scratch, though, since I actually can already play the piano and generally read sheet music. However... recent years have found me severely distracted and therefore completely rusty in my musical skills. Since getting through my whole list of songs will likely reach well past my 40th birthday, I've narrowed the 'favorites list' down to an 'absolutely-must-play list.' I figure, if I chip away at it, I'll make significant progress enough to satisfy my #25. Here are a few of the listed faves that I'm planning on spending some time with this summer. Enjoy!

Mr. Bean's Animated Series theme song...

I like the sweet simplicity of this song, and my kids dance every time it plays. This will be one of the first that I'll tackle.

Mozart's Piano Sonata #16 in C Major K.545 "Sonata Facile" : l.Allegro

I've always enjoyed classical music. My parents used to take my brother and me to symphony concerts when we were kids... I fell in love with the music! Now, as a parent myself, I try to foster the same love in my own kids. I have a classical playlist that cycles & repeats during school time. Whenever this song plays, I almost feel my fingers itch! In all my years of piano lessons, this was never one of my pieces so it will be completely new to me. I just can't wait!

the Maple Leaf Rag

My Great Grandma was a wonder on the 88 keys! As a kid, I'd sit for hours and listen to her play and play while we talked and sang and laughed. I don't think I'll ever have that kind of easy-going ability to just carry on a conversation as though my hands weren't creating a complicated carnival of sound... She was a huge fan of ragtime and the Maple Leaf Rag was a favorite of both of ours. This is without a doubt, the most challenging piece on my favorites list, but one that I might cry over when it's mastered.

Life Goes On (Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da)

Really, there's no explanation needed here... What a fun song! I'd just love to have this one in my 'hat' ready to pull out whenever dinner parties get dull.

Young Family Adventure Summer ~ the Planning stage!

2013-05-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

Summertime is right around the corner and we are EXCITED! Seeing as it is NOT an election year, there's not a whole lot of super time consuming campaigning to participate in (aside from one single special election that we really care about). For the first time in a really long time, we are pretty low on stress here in the Young home! I, personally, am not taking it for granted... but am rather feeling indulgent in the current 'hoh-hummishness' of our lives. That being said, I do understand that this is a rare opportunity for us. Without a mile-long list of scheduling obligations, we have blissful freedom with our summer calendar! Our new 'non-stressed' status is not license for boredom, though... please, not ever that!

The kids and I sat down last week and made a list of 100 things we'd love to do this summer. My suggestions -vs- their suggestions should be quite obvious, but I tried to include every single one of their ideas onto the list. Wouldn't it be wonderful to hit every single item on this list? If we cross off even a small fraction of them, this will certainly be a memorable summer for my little family!

100 Fun things to do this Summer

1. Coffee Can Ice Cream

2. Go for a hike in the forest

3. Go to the Ape Caves

4. Camp in the wilderness

5. Visit the rainforest

6. Take a walk by the harbor boats

7. Take Rockne swimming

8. Go to a swamp

9. Play in the sprinkler

10. Jump on Olivia's trampoline

11. Make & play with unbreakable Bubbles

12. Swim at the LAKE (often)

13. Have a lemonade stand

14. GREAT WOLF LODGE

15. Go to Ocean Shores

16. Go to the Science Center

17. Learn how to sketch

18. Play on Luci's bumper boat

19. Make an Adventure Journal

20. Build a HUGE sandcastle

21. Buy ice cream from the I.C. truck

22. Go to a parade we're NOT marching in

23. Do the 5K Mud Run

24. Learn how to tread water & dog paddle

25. Go to a drive in movie

26. Luci - Miracle Ranch

27. Boys - sports day camp

28. Ani - tennis camp

29. listen to a book on CD during a long drive

30. make adventure postcards & send to family

31. Pt. Defiance w/Alfanos

32. Big kids to Pt. Defiance zipline

33. Bigroom family slumber party

34. Take a nap in the hammock

35. Eat watermelon on the deck

36. Play frisbee on the beach

37. Go to a splash park on a hot day

38. Catch a fish & eat it

39. Pick berries

40. Make berry pie/cobbler

41. Have a s'more party w/neighbors

42. Weekly Family Movie Night

43. Weekly Family Game Night

44. Make popsicles

45. Go bowling

46. Play outdoor mini-golf

47. Make daisy crowns

48. Go to the Farmers Market & buy

veggies

49. Eat the Farmers Market veggies for dinner

50. Dance in the rain / splash party

51. Star gaze on a clear night

52. Write poems

53. Have a Supersoaker waterfight

54. make a birdfeeder

55. play hopscotch

56. Wash the van & truck

57. Scavenger hunt on the beach

58. Have a water balloon toss

59. Make a sidewalk chalk mural

60. Take picture of the kids in the mural

61. Gather white/grey flat beach rocks for yard checkers

62. Plant/grow a little garden w/ Meemer

63. March in the Maritime Parade

64. Wave American Flags to support the troops

65. Have a fondue dinner

66. Watch clouds

67. Paint a room

68. Hike Mt Ranier

69. Take Blue & Rockne for a walk downtown

70. Cookin w/Lu: dinner sidesalad & dressing

71. Roast hotdogs over the campfire

72. Play 'pepper' with a beachball

73. Go to DairyQueen for blizzards & playland

74. take a friend to the LAKE

75. roll down a hill

76. Go to the museum

77. See a movie in the park

78. Go to a concert in the park

79. Have a picnic

80. Silly string attack party

81. Make freezer slushees

82. Race rubber duckies at the LAKE

83.Play tennis for fun at the park

84. Pull weeds

85. Take pictures of each kid splashing

86. Go to a Rainiers baseball game!

87. Have a family 'home run derby'

88. Watch 4th of July fireworks

89. Make field trip t-shirts

90. Give Rockne a bath in the front yard

91. Make adventure survival packs for each kid

92. Girls learn how to french braid each others' hair

93. Have a breakfast pancake party

94. have a push-up/sit-up contest with a prize for the winner

95. Summer Reading Program

96. learn a song together (piano, violin, guitar, drums)

97. Banana splits for dinner

98. perform w/D4C at the August rally

99. Backyard campout

100. Visit the planetarium

Ballet Pink + Glitter + Ribbons = DIY Dresser

2013-04-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

This might just be my new favorite transformation project yet! We'd been in desperate need of a solution for my daughters' over-crowded dresser. They've always shared a single dresser. When they were babies, we had plenty of extra space. During the toddler and very early 'kiddish' years, the drawers were quite full, but still adequate. As elementary-aged, fashion-aware young girls, they have simply outgrown their shared dresser. With narrow drawers stuffed to the brim, crammed with various frippery, and horribly lacking order, it was far past time to come up with a new solution. All things considered (we needed a specific shape structure to fit in the room, drawers large enough to grow into, and a defined budget to stay within) we looked for a long while before my mother-in-law finally found this beaut:

Fit for a princess, no?

Martha Stewart Living

Glitter Specialty Finish

in Sahara Red

I used Martha Stewart Living Glitter Specialty Finish to get the sparkle effect on the drawer fronts. It needed many coats to get the look I was going for, but turned out just as I'd hoped! Here's a close-up of the finish:

A Perfectly Simple (or Simply Perfect) Birthday for my WonderBoy!

2013-04-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

How many sweet grandparents in grocery stores have told me that, "It all goes by too fast" and to "Enjoy them while they're little." When my kids were babies, I would politely nod my head and agree with these well-meaning strangers, but my sleep-deprived brain didn't quite register their kind remarks as truth. Lately, though, the weirdest things have been happening. My babies are growing up. Case in point: Jedi just turned 6! Unbelievable!

6 balloons = 6th Birthday

Our sweet Jedidiah is the resident cuddle connoisseur, devourer of every written word, fierce protector of all family members, and owner of the most honest smile I've ever beheld. Words can't define my love for this kid.

For his party, we hosted a Build-a-Bear event for him & some good friends to celebrate together at the local mall over the weekend before his actual birthday. Everybody had a great time and went home from the party with a Build-a-Bear. He designed a bright green, clover-covered bear dressed in Spiderman PJ's, wearing glasses, and that plays the Star Wars theme on it's paw. Very unique, but just exactly what Jedi wanted.

For his birthday, though, we just had a simple little dinner at home. He created the menu: hand-tossed pizza with a variety of toppings for the main course. The cake was super specific. He wanted a pineapple/vanilla Angry Bird checkerboard cake.

Honestly, pineapple is not the easiest cake to make in a checkerboard, nor is it super pretty to decorate. I twisted this around and around in my brain for quite a while before finally deciding on a method for the cake and a way to make it 'Angry Bird-y.' This is what I came up with!

Of course he loved it!

He had to knock down the mean little pigs' tower before we could light the candle for him to blow out...

Success!

...and the pineapple/vanilla checkerboard. It was hiding in each individual slice! I'll do a tutorial on this someday soon, I promise.

His favorite birthday gift of the year was this little fishing lure. It is, after all, the world's #1 lure! (Says so right on the package... see?) I thought he'd be psyched about the fishing rod with the sparkling, light-up reel, but no. The little lure was the big pow. So fun!

We're all counting down the days until opening day of fishing now. In the midst of a season filled with birthdays, grade testing, flower sprouting, spring cleaning projects, and summer planning, we get these occasional moments to pause and appreciate. These little ones are getting big...

...and I'm determined to enjoy every little second, because it does indeed go by so fast.

Hello again!

2013-03-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

This blog, it seems, has been deeply hibernating for the winter. After a sweet Thanksgiving, it seemed somehow necessary for the writer/reporter/teacher/cataloger in me to take a little break. Life 'busy-ness' needed to slow down to make room for more appreciative living.

We pared down. We pruned. We cut back.

It was blissful.

Our schedule has been refined. My priorities have been revisited and shuffled accordingly.

Feels good.

I've been taking time to invest in my marriage. Homeschooling has been tackled with increasing gusto. Housekeeping projects have been getting checked off my list at a consistent and steady rate. I almost feel like I'm 'on top' of things. Almost...

There's still laundry. Always, always, always laundry.

Our Newfie is growing at an alarmingly fast rate... she's about 7months old and is MASSIVE! I knew she'd be a big girl, but she's already (oh-my-goodness-holy-cow) huge. It's quite wonderful. She's still very much a puppy, though, and approaches life with boundless enthusiasm. Potty-training has been a unique adventure. Enough said.

Luci and I have registered to participate in World Concern's Free Them 5K together in May. Our training has been... s l o w. We started following the 'couch to 5K' program and have loved it so far. When we actually take the time to run, that is. The training, admittedly, requires more devotion than we've given it. Just another thing to work on.

These and all other things considered, blogging has taken a little turn on the back burner. I have missed it, but the break has been restful and pretty sweet, actually.

Now, as springtime awakens my garden, it threatens to wake-up this blog, also. I am considering a quiet little restart. Just writing when there is something worthwhile to say or posting a recipe when I come up with one just too good not to share. It might be fun to post a short 'how-to' for craft projects or homeschooling lessons every once in awhile. Only when the mood strikes.

Maybe someday, this blog will travel back up towards the single digits of my priority list, but not quite yet. I love that it's here, though, waiting for me to show it some occasional love, but not demanding daily attention.

For you, sweet reader, I am thankful for your faithfulness. Even during my bloggy vacation, A Simple String of Pearls has continued to enjoy daily visits from both new and old friends via Pinterest, Facebook, or personal referrals. I am humbled to have been recognized as a Top 10 Variety blog on the Homeschool Blog Post. It is wonderful to be thought of as such. Thank you for reading and caring. I am sincerely happy for this odd little relationship we have, you and I.

Meanwhile, tonight is burgers-and-oven-fries night for dinner and the kids are psyched. After our meal, we're going to play Uno and maybe take the dogs for a walk before bedtime. Life marches on here at the Young home as we continue to enjoy the day-to-day.

Loving the journey.

So much to be thankful for...

2012-11-20T10:38:00.000-08:00

I haven't been doing the daily thankfulness posts on Facebook like many of my friends, but today I am exceedingly thankful to have a warm house that keeps out the wind and rain, protecting my family from the cold. I am thankful that we will have a table full of food on holidays and everydays.

While acknowledging these blessings, I also see those who don't have these simplest of benefits....

and my heart breaks.

It's not just happening in far-away countries. Poverty lives in our sweet cities and torments our beautiful neighbors. We are not doing enough. The Tacoma Rescue Mission is a viable and proactive organization in Pierce County. Here in Gig Harbor we also have FISH Foodbank, and out on the Kitsap Peninsula, Food Backpacks for Kids is doing wonderful things to help fill hungry bellies.

Times are tough for everybody right now, but if you can afford an extra can of corn to put in a collection bin, you can help feed the hungry! If everybody did a little and prayed a lot, so much could honestly change.

December Activities & Meal Plan

2012-11-16T10:48:00.001-08:00

A well-planned calendar. It's a beautiful thing. Here's my vision of the perfectly ordered Christmas season: An entire month filled to the brim with family, friends, fun events, projects, and activity! With the meal plan in place and the freezer stocked with ready dinners, our evenings will be relaxed and peaceful... regardless of chaotic holiday activity flurries!

I heard once that if you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans... Well. HE might just get a kick out of this one! As always, though, we're approaching this with our trademark flexibility. HIS version is infinitely better than mine, absolutely!

December 2012

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
						1 GOP meeting ------------ Drive Thru Nativity ------------ Nachos
2 Family day ----------- Chicken & rice	3 Mail Christmas Cards --------------- FMN	4 Kids' Car organizers --------------- D4C --------------- Lasagne	5 Giftwrapping day ------------- Tuna Melts	6 Chalkboard ornaments ------------ Taco Chicken Chili	7 Santa pictures & dinner w/the Alfanos ----------- Roast w/veggies	8 TREE DAY!! ------------ GHGOP Coalition Christmas Party ------------ French Dip Sandwiches
9 Holiday Traditions Concert @ Rialto ----------- Spaghetti	10 Clay ornaments --------------- FMN	11 Wreath wrapping --------------- D4C --------------- Tossed Pizza	12 Flannel hand warmers ------------- Peanut Chicken	13 Zoolights ------------ Breakfast dinner	14 Cookie Day ----------- NWSoD A Winter's Tale --- Big Sandwich	15 Lighted Boat Parade ------------ Florentine Meatballs
16 Family day ----------- Chimichangas	17 Ornament Crafting Party w/the Thomsens --------------- FMN	18 Twig art Trees --------------- D4C --------------- Hot dogs & oven fries	19 Paper Snowflakes ------------- Stuffed peppers	20 Sew new stockings? ------------ Squash ravioli & maple butter sauce	21 Neighbor love ----------- Jesse's Frisco Burgers	22 Estep Family Party
23 Family day ----------- FMN	24 CHRISTMAS EVE...	25 CHRISTMAS DAY!	26 Thank you notes ------------- Chili & cornbread	27 Rest ------------ Savory crepes	28 Tidy up the craziness... ----------- Cranberry chicken & quinoa	29 Rest ------------ Chicken & veggies
30 Family day ----------- Cod fish & oven chips	31 Ani - 8 PARTY Happy New Year!

Recipe Box - Fried Onion Crunchies

2012-11-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

My kiddos are a mixed-bag on the pickiness scale, but even the most finicky eater will clean her plate when her food is sprinkled with French Fried Onion crunchies. It's like magical 'eat your food' glitter that you can sprinkle on almost any main course! The store-bought version, though, is loaded with gluten and other dietary no-nos for a healthy kid's diet. Obviously, these aren't exactly 'health food,' even made from scratch at home, but it's one sure way to avoid all of those additives and trans fats.

With Thanksgiving coming up, I'm also getting my recipe lists together to make sure the big day goes smoothly. My kids' favorite indulgent side dish: Green Bean Casserole! I've felt a bit guilty making it in the past, because little Jojo has always had to 'pass' on the yumminess that the other kids love so much. The wheat flour in the bechamel sauce and the breading on the canned french fried onions virtually outlaw the dish for my sweet allergic one. While making my dinner plans this year, I decided to try to tackle this classic dish in a gluten-free version... starting with the fried onion crunchies! Here's how it worked out:

Ingredients

1 walla walla sweet onion

1/2 C gluten-free bread flour

1/4 C whole milk

1 egg

1t salt

Step 1: Slice the tip & stem ends off of your onion. Peel away the papery outer layer.

Step 2: Lay the onion flat & slice down the middle.

Step 3: Using the large grate side of your grater, holding the onion at an angle, make smooth quick slices.

Step 4: Mix the gluten-free batter by combining the remaining ingredients & whisking till very smooth.

Step 5: Toss the raw onions in the batter till all the slices are well-coated.

Step 6: Deep fry the coated slices at 375 degrees for about 7 minutes or until golden brown & crisp.

Mmmmmm. Done!

Election School -

2012-11-08T21:54:00.000-08:00

Presidential elections are historic events in our country. Clearly, as a conservative Republican living in big blue Washington state, every election seems to be an uphill climb. The election process creates opportunity for many important life lessons for parents of young kids, regardless of political affiliation... 'How to respect people whose ideas and philosophies are different from yours.' 'How to show grace in both victory and defeat.' 'How to keep a positive attitude when things don't go as hoped.' Etc... As a home schooler, it would be almost negligent to miss out on the chance to teach the kids the relevance and workings of our system. 'What does the Constitution say about elections?' 'How does the Electoral College work?' One step at a time, we have the honor of showing our kids how the process works, so that when they are 18, they'll know how to use their vote with confidence. I love having conversations with my own kids about current events and our lifestyle as a politically active family certainly lends well to many opportunities for discussion. Unfortunately, there are also many examples (on both sides of the aisle) on how NOT to behave in public service.

The presidential election was a major teachable moment for us. We'd already taught the kids about the electoral college, but this was their first memorable interaction with it. We reviewed the elementary technical workings of the system before election day.

Side note: Dry erase crayons work perfectly well on windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors!
We use our back door as a white board almost every day!

On Tuesday, we made a list of all the states and reviewed how many electoral votes each state represented.

On Election night, we marked the votes next to each state for which candidate they chose.

...then the kiddos had to go to bed.

Our results came in past their bedtimes.

Wednesday morning, Luci's first assignment was to add up all of the votes, then tell the other kids who'd won.

We love Schoolhouse Rock!
This particular song isn't the best at clearly explaining the topic,
but the kids think it's fun!

This is about as 'deep into the weeds' as my elementary school-aged kids are ready for.

Here's a few good links to more in-depth information about our system and the electoral college:

U.S. Electoral College Homepage

Trent England article via US News

A pro/con discussion via Geek Politics

I've been nominated!

2012-11-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to have been nominated for 'Best Variety Blog' by the Homeschool Post Blog Awards!

Thank you, sweet someone who saw fit to submit my name into the running! I'm honestly just very, very flattered.

Voting is super easy. Just click on the link above, select 'A Simple String of Pearls,' then scroll to the bottom of the page and hit 'vote.' You can vote every day until November 16th.

The winner will be announced on the 19th. Eek!

Our Homeschooling Story

2012-11-08T18:22:00.001-08:00

This entry was formerly cataloged as a page called 'to learn.' I didn't have the heart to delete it while reorganizing the blog, so here it is... slightly updated & resurrected as a post!

When our first daughter was born, one of the nurses in the hospital told Jess and I not to blink. "She'll be climbing onto the bus for kindergarten before you know it," she'd said. "Oh no, we're homeschooling," Jess and I said together! A funny and memorable moment to be sure, but we'd made the decision to be a homeschooling family before we ever even got pregnant! I joined my first homeschool moms' discussion group when Luci was 3 months old, and started researching curricula when she was 1. Looking back, I realize how ridiculous that was, but I wanted to be prepared! I wanted to learn from the moms who already had their act together. When she was 4, I went to my first curriculum expo and bought a complete line of kindergarten materials, spent way more than necessary, and did a whole year of lesson planning before we ever got started. (Established homeschooling moms are now laughing hysterically at my naivete.)

With a few years of homeschooling under our belts now, we have some things figured out. I still love going to curriculum fairs, and consider myself kind of a compulsive planner.  This year, Luci is in 4th grade, Ani is in 2nd grade, Jojo is in kindergarten, and Jed is in what we call K1.  The balancing act has been fun. Rhythms vary from child to child, which works out well, allowing me to spend one-on-one time with each kid at different parts of the day. Each of them is also very different from the others in learning style, so homeschooling is a great fit for us. It's nice to be able to select curriculum and to design lessons specifically for their individual needs. I honestly feel that my personal attention helps them excel. In general, we use a combination of different brands of curricula along with fun unit studies and classic literature.  I also have a small list of favorite websites that I use for free printable worksheets and color pages to supplement with.  We do lots of corny art projects that correspond to our unit studies or upcoming holidays. We have fun. At our house, 'recess' is just playing outside until lunch is ready. If it's raining, DanceDance Revolution serves as indoor PE. There is always something active happening!

I love the flexibility we have with our schedule, especially considering how time-consuming campaigning can be!  The ability to grab a few workbooks, pencils, and flashcards along with my laptop and a few snacks allows us to transform our little minivan into a small classroom! Luci can work through her Spanish lessons while Angela reads a book, Jojo does phonics worksheets, and Jed plays educational games on his Leapster.  Oftentimes we exploit our flexibility to follow Jess to fun locations all over the 6th district, without skipping a beat in learning.

Not all sunshine and roses, there are some very definite challenges that come along with homeschooling.  Trying to motivate the young ones to stay focused, on task, and productive is not an easy endeavor. Housekeeping is a continuous cycle of frustration.   It seems as though our dishwasher and laundry machines are always running and the vacuum cleaner should run much more often. The big kids are pretty good about keeping up with their chores and tidying their toys, but now we have an adorable little two-year-old toddling around pulling books off shelves, dumping out crayon boxes, and pushing over neatly folded laundry (all things very distracting when one is trying to memorize times tables or practice spelling words).  Thankfully, I love a good challenge!  Life would be so boring if there was nothing new to learn! This is one area where I have lots of room to grow, and I look forward to the process!  I'm hoping that other moms who struggle in this area will join with me in working through different strategies to overcome some of these common concerns.

Something I've learned in my personal homeschooling adventure, is that my children are not the only ones being educated in it.  The old saying about, 'you learn something new every day,' has certainly been true for me.  It's not just about refreshing my grammar skills or basic knowledge of earth science, either, but tangible, real lessons about life and learning. I'm excited to learn more and keep growing!

Retro Recliner Renovation

2012-11-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

It's DONE! I will not even try to make a tutorial on this, but thought a few pictures of the journey would be fun...

Here's where we started. Such a mess!

Remember this post?

The fire had not damaged the structure at all! The leather upholstery that had survived, though, was not in great shape. The arms were smoke stained and the inner foam was not salvageable.

I took it apart carefully so I could use the old leather pieces as templates to cut the fabric from.

I was pretty clueless about what supplies were necessary, so just went to Joann's and tried to be frugal. Lucky for me, I happened to hit an enormous clearance sale and ended up getting great deals on everything! I even grabbed some extra fabric for throw pillows!

Using the old leather templates, I cut the fabric and labeled each piece with painters tape.

The sewing/stuffing/stapling of the upholstery was mostly trial & error. Lots and lots of error. I probably spent more time pulling out stitches than sewing them in. The 'measure twice, cut once' carpentry mantra could be rewritten as 'measure twenty times, sew once' for upholstering. Aggravating!

The sanding/priming/painting/distressing/finishing part was totally in my comfort zone, and therefore my favorite element of this project. Jess even routed the edges so they'd be rounded and smooth... I love the way the arms turned out!

I reused a few of the original pieces, just for fun.

The buttons...

the leather backing...

And it's DONE!

Best seat in the house!

~Under Construction~

2012-11-04T10:23:00.002-08:00

So... This 31 Days of Blogging didn't play out like I'd intended. I had planned a whole month of fun recipes, crafts, and games to bring the family together. I ended up blogging a LOT of great recipes... but not much else, and certainly not on a daily basis. The 31 day process was ripe with lesson learning and personal growth. Now reflecting on my past three-ish years of blogging, looking toward what's ahead, with October's discovered wisdom in mind, I've decided to tweak a few things.

When this blog was launched, it was for the purpose of connecting voters with the fun side of family campaigning, in the hopes of creating relationships with families in our district. By the time our first primary election had concluded, I'd been bitten by the blogging bug! I tweaked things and refocused to home/family topics, but the format remained largely unchanged. Two years later, it's time to grow it up a bit. Things that used to make sense on here just don't anymore. The content needs a bit of organizational streamlining, also.

Looking forward, I'm planning a few days of bloggy housekeeping to clean things up. After that, expect my annual two weeks of holiday-house-prep beginning November 8th, more recipe posts, a few DIY posts, and a calendar full of Christmas-y winter-y activity for December.

Thanks for being patient over the next few days, as I stumble my way through revamping the site!

31 Days of Family Football Fun - Day 24 / Recipe -- Lasagne Shells

2012-10-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hmmm. Turns out, I maybe should have called this series something like: Football Food 101, or Gameday Party Appetizers... as that seems to be providing the bulk of my blogging fodder this month of October! Food is my comfort zone, so I suppose it makes sense. Today's topic will not disappoint if my readers are pleased with this slight apparent shift of focus.

Key to most of these gameday recipes is ease of making them, and simplicity of eating them. If there are too many steps, or complicated processes to create the dish, who's going to want to make it on gameday? Guests also don't want to carry around plates and balance forks & knives at a football party either. These Lasagna Shells do require a few steps to prepare, but the end product packs a whollup! Like a complete slice of lasagna tucked into a perfect little bundle - no fork required!

Ingredients

1box 'jumbo' pasta shells

1lb ground beef or turkey

1 jar marinara sauce, or your favorite premade recipe

16oz ricotta cheese

3C mozzarella cheese, separated

1t basil

1egg

Step 1: In a medium sized bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, basil, and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Set aside.

(This is a good reflection of daily life here. While making the Lasagna Shells, I was also playing XBOX Star Wars Legos with my sons and 'rawr'ing the dinosaur for one of my daughters. She had the brachiosaurus... I was T-rex. Gotta love multitasking!)

Step 2: In another medium sized bowl, combine browned ground beef and marinara sauce. Set aside.

Step 3: Boil the shells in salted water until they are mostly done... not quite al dente.

Step 4: Scoop them out 1 at a time to drain. Don't try to dump them all into a collander in the sink, as many will rip that way.

Step 5: When the shells have cooled enough to be handled, fill them up one at a time by gently pinching the ends and holding the edge straight.

Step 6: First a scoop of marinara...

Step 7: ...then a scoop of cheese mixture.

Step 8: Line up all of the stuffed shells into a baking dish.

Step 9: Sprinkle 2C of mozzarella cheese and a couple shakes of parmesean. Bake @ 350 for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese perfectly melts.

Done!

Mmmmmm.

31 Days of Family Football Fun - Day 23 / Recipe--Blue Ribbon Berbere Chili

2012-10-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

This recipe is as fool-proof as they come. Just a quick dump of ingredients into either a big stove-top pot or a slow cooker makes the honest-to-goodness best chili you've ever had in your life. The berbere spice blend lends a little exotic flavor to the traditional chili seasonings. This is the chili that won a county cook-off this past summer, and I've had many requests for it! The trickiest part is finding all of the ingredients for the berbere... once they're acquired, roasted, and ground, though, the rest is a cake-walk! This chili can stand alone as the main course for a family dinner, or is great served up for gameday parties.

Ingredients

28oz can of diced tomatoes

28oz can of peeled crushed tomatoes

2 - 28oz cans of Vegetarian Baked beans

2 - 15oz cans of Red Kidney beans

2 - 15oz cans of Cannelloni beans

2 - 15oz cans of Black beans

1T - Berbere Spice Blend

1T chili powder

1T garlic salt

1t cayenne pepper

2lbs browned ground beef

1/3C maple syrup

Step 1: Roast and grind up the spices for berbere if you don't already have some on hand.

Click here for berbere recipe.

Step 2: Combine the browned ground beef, tomatoes, and baked beans into either a large heavy bottomed soup pot or a slow cooker.

Step 3: Drain the kidney beans, black beans, and cannelloni beans, then add them to the mixture.

Step 4: Toss in the spices, drizzle the maple syrup, and stir it all very well to completely incorporate.

Step 5: If cooking on the stovetop, bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat to low until everybody's ready. Give it a good stir every now and then to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom.

When using a slowcooker, set it to low for up to 8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.

Love it!

31 Days of Family Football Fun - day 22 / Recipe--Whoopie Pie

2012-10-22T09:46:00.001-07:00

This recipe is fun and festive, especially for kids with allergies!

Ingredients

1box of gluten-free cookie/cake mix
1 -16oz can of pumpkin
1t - ground cloves
1t - ground cinnamon
1t - dried ground ginger
3oz - softened cream cheese
2C - heavy whipping cream
1/2C - maple syrup

Step 1: Empty the boxed cookie/cake mix into a large mixing bowl. Add the spices.

Step 2: Beat in the pureed pumpkin till the mixture is smooth.

Step 3: Pipe the batter onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten half of the cookies with a fork.

Step 4: Bake the cookie/cakes at 350 for 10 minutes or until they are gently golden on the edges and spring back when you pat the centers. Remove them from the cookie sheet and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Step5: While the cookie/cakes are cooling, prepare the filling:

a. Whip the cream cheese till it's fluffy. Set aside.

b. In a chilled metal mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. (About 4 minutes).

c. Beat in the maple syrup.

d. Fold in the cream cheese until it's completely incorporated.

e. Scoop the filling into a gallon sized plastic baggie, squish the filling into the corner, then twist the baggie right above. Snip the corner edge of the baggie to use it as a pastry bag.

Step 6: Pipe a swirl of filling onto the bottom side of a flattened cookie/cake. Top with a spiraled cookie/cake.

Yum!

Refrigerate these until you're ready to serve. They also can be made ahead, frozen, then thawed before the party.

31 Days of Family Football Fun - Day 19 / Recipe--Mini Apple Pie

2012-10-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Apple Pie... an autumn season American tradition. Football... another autumn season American tradition. Combining the two just makes good sense! Personal apple pies small enough to fit into the palm of your hand = major crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

2 honeycrisp apples

1/2 C strong brewed tea

(I used African Rooibos, but good ol' Earl Grey would work just as well)

1/2 C Maple syrup

1t ground clove

1T ground cinnamon

Pie Crust Dough

(I cheated and went the Philsbury route)

Step 1: Wash, core, and chop up the apples. Teeny tiny pieces... about 1/4inch thick at most.

Step 2: Combine the apples with the tea, maple, cinnamon, and clove in a small saucepan. Toss to coat, then cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the apples are soft and the juices have soaked away.

Step 3: Prepare the pie 'crusts.' Cut 12 flower shaped sections of dough, pressing each into an ungreased cupcake pan. Cut 12 smaller round sections of dough also. Set the circles aside.

Step 4: Spoon a small amount of the apple filling into each dough flower.

Step 5: Press a dough circle over each pie. Fold the flower petals from the bottom crusts over the tops of each circle to form the little pies. Press the petals gently to seal.

Step 6: Poke steam holes into the top crusts of each pie. I used a fondu fork for mine.

Step 7: Bake at 425 for 10 minutes or until the crusts are lightly golden.

Step 8: Remove the little pies with tongs. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.

DONE!

These little sweeties can stand alone as a scrumptious treat or

used as a topper to vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce for...

Ice Cream a la Pie!

31 Days of Family Football Fun - Day 18 / Recipe--Onion Bloom

2012-10-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly simple to make, these Crispy Onion Blooms can be made gluten-free, just by using a gf flour blend for the breading step! These are fun to share, excellent for your gameday parties! Serve 'em up with your favorite dips (like the 'only-good-stuff-queso,' meaty marinara, or cilantro dip) they'll be crunchy little showstoppers!

Ingredients:

2 Walla Walla Sweet Onions

(you can use whatever kind you like,

but Walla Wallas are the very best in my opinion!)

1C all purpose flour

1C gluten-free flour blend

(preferably a bread flour mix as opposed to a brown rice flour mix)

2t each of: salt, cumin, garlic powder, & paprika

2eggs

1C cream

Step 1: Strategic slicing....

A. Slice off the curly q top of the onion.

B. Peel off the papery outer layer.

C. If the onion was a clock, you'd aim your first slices at 12, 3, 6, and 9. IMPORTANT: Do NOT slice all the way through the center core. For the onion to make a 'bloom' all the pieces have to stay connected by that middly-est part.

D. The next slices hit exactly midpoint between the first set of slices, creating 8 total slices.

E. Slice again down the centers of the sections you've already made.

Step 2: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Dunk the sliced onions in the eggy bath. Make sure to wiggle the 'petals' around a little bit to make sure every part is coated.

Step 3. Mix the flour coating. Measure all-purpose flour into one dish, and the gluten-free blend into another. To each dish add 1teaspoon each of salt, cumin, paprika, and garlic powder. Stir till incorporated.

Step 4: Drop each onion into a flour dish and fluff the mixture over the top and between the petals.

Step 5: Give each onion a gentle upside down tap to make sure the center isn't bogged down with flour paste before they're fried. (IMPORTANT: If you're making this recipe with the gluten-free option for someone who has allergies or celiac disease, do fry the gf onion first to reduce chance of cross-contamination.) Drop the onion into your deep fryer, and let it simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Step 6: Carefully remove the onion from the fryer, turn it upside-down, and drain on a bed of paper towels.

DONE!

YUM!