Bekahboo

Here it is!!

2012-02-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

My very FIRST 6 layer cake!

BEAUTIFUL!

Addictions.....

2012-01-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

I have a serious problem. I might even label it as an addiction. I am fully addicted to.......recipes! There, I said it, I am so ashamed. I have been working on a project now for almost 5 months trying to wrangle up all of my 18 recipe books and combining them into 4 binders......well, 4 binders plus the cookbooks I don't have the heart to cut recipes out of like Pioneer Woman.

Her pictures and stories are just too lovely.

This turned out to be a much bigger project than I anticipated! Right now it is just a big mess!

One would think that since I have such a big mess that I would steer clear of acquiring anymore recipes. WRONG! Ugh, I just can't help myself. I can't walk through a thrift store or Costco without passing through where they sell cookbooks. It is like there is some inner force that literally pulls me that direction, like a moth to a flame.

What is even worse is that recently I have smartened up and started checking out cookbooks from the library and going through marking the recipes that I want to copy down for my collection.

And so my collection just sits there and continues to grow. Most recipes I will probably never try, but I just can't throw them out because I might want to try them someday....right?

If you are thinking to your self, it's ok Bekah.....we have all been there. There is something else that you need to know.

My online collection is about 5 times bigger than my physical recipes. Holy cannoli!

mmmmmmmmmm......Cannoli's! I need to find a good recipe for that!

Focus Bekah FOCUS!!

On my browser tool bar, I have a tab just for recipes. There are over 26 recipe sites bookmarked.......18 of them I subscribed to and are updated with recipes multiple times a day. Probably the biggest problem area of all is pinterest. Pinterest has a section labeled "Food and Drink" it literally has hundreds of thousands recipes posted by everyone and their mother. Each picture represents a recipe. Most "normal" people would simply repin the recipe and move on. Not me. I have to keep on clicking until I get to the original source which 99% of the time leads to a blog......not just any blog......a cooking blog full of recipes. And just like a habit, without even thinking about it, I click the "subscribe" button and add it instantly to my list of recipe sites. And so the cycle begins once again.

Is there any hope for someone like me? A 12 step program? "They" say that the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem...........Hello, my name is Bekah, and I am a recipe hoarder..........

Menu Planning 102: Tools Needed

2012-01-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You are back! Did you decide to take the plunge? Are you determined to rid your self of processed foods for 30 days? If you have made that commitment this is the next step; TOOLS. Tools?! Why would anyone need to have tools for this challenge? The success of this challenge (especially if you are doing the majority of your cooking in one day) is heavily dependent on the tools that you surround yourself with.

1. 9x13 pans- preferably glass and preferably with lids.

They make stacking up your dishes in the freezer super easy and they don't allow much moisture to enter the dish like aluminum foil will. I own about 5 or 6 of them. Most of them I purchased from our local thrift store.

2. Crockpots- different sizes works great I have three of them. One of them is big and fancy that has a temp gauge for cooking meats. I like it a lot!

The next two that I have are small and have just a little knob to adjust the temp. They are old and well used and were purchased again at the local thrift store.

The problem with only having one crockpot is you can only work on one recipe for the whole day. What a time waster! During my cooking days I use the large one for either big recipes or for cooking meats. The two smaller ones are for slow cooked soups or dips.

3. An Upright or Chest Freezer CRUCIAL!! You need a place to put all of your meals in! We bought ours at a garage sale. It's old, smelled when we first bought it but hey, it works and that is all that matters! It is a rare thing for our upright to be empty, it is usually jammed packed with foods. This what ours looks like right now. Nice and filled with yummy ingredients!! This is how it looks before I do my Saturday cooking. I will show you what it looks like after as well.

4. Food Processor- This I actually do not have, but, I would love to get one some day. I am sure that it will make my life 300% easier! This is the one I want.

One day, I will find one at a thrift store, but until then......chop, chop, chop!

5. Food Scale- this really isn't a necessary tool, just a helpful one. As of now, we buy our beef in bulk at Costco. The size I buy is fully dependent on what I am scheduled to cook. This past month our "beef" calendar consisted of two meatloaf nights(1.5 lbs per recipe), one chili night(2lb recipe), two burrito nights(1 lb per recipe) and one spaghetti night(1 lb). That is 8 lbs of beef needed for one month. So, I pick out a package that is closest to that weight and take it home and try to figure out how much is 1.5lb/ 2lb/ etc with no scale. Yikes!

I have generally stayed away from scales because I have this notion that food scales are for dieters measuring their portions in grams, but, I need to just bunker down and get one.

So, there you have it. You have the goal/mindset, you have the tools needed, next up is planning your meal calendar.....kiss those processed foods goodbye!!

Menu Planning 101: Getting Started

2012-01-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

I love menu planning!! I have been doing it for almost two years now and it is a huge life saver! No more picking out meals by how you are feeling, and no more staring blankly at your fridge wondering what to do.

I do my shopping at the beginning of the month even my fresh fruits and veggies. I do most of my cooking the Saturday following the shopping. There I cook the majority of my dinners that call for the fresh ingredients and then freeze them. I will say that it is an all day thing and it takes planning, but it is so worth it!

We do most of our big shopping at Costco as well except for chicken. Chicken we buy through Zaycon. Organic, skinless, boneless chicken breast for $1.69lb!! They catch is they come in 40lb boxes. Now we will use all of that but for other families who won't or don't have freezers (more on that later)to hold all of that chicken you could always split the order with a friend or 3 other friends! The boxes are divided into (4) 10lb bags. Super easy, super nice!

I am not that big on New Year's Resolutions but last year I did make one and I did keep it, well, mostly. Last year I stated that it was my goal by the end of the year for my menu to be free of processed foods and for the most part we are. There is only one meal that is processed and that is Orange Chicken from Costco. I cannot find a good Orange Chicken recipe that the sauce has good flavor. I even tried Panda Express's Orange Chicken Sauce and I still didn't like it. So, we buy Costco.....mainly for the sauce. But other then that everything else is homemade, no more store bought nuggets or fish sticks or tator tots or soups or prepackage pasta meals. Now, I still have on hand a few boxes of mac and cheese as a backup plan for babysitters to make or if grandma watches the kids at her house I will take a couple of boxes over for her to prepare.

Let me challenge you, even if it is for one month, to eat homemade meals! It is awesome and you will feel so domesticated! I am still working out kinks with planning and I want to get to the place where I can make my own pasta sauces, marinara sauces, and enchilada sauces from scratch as well, and find a better homemade applesauce recipe.

BEN!

2011-11-30T11:54:00.000-08:00

Ben turned 6 a couple of weeks ago, he all of the sudden seems old, like he is eight instead of six. No longer a young child, I can see his character shining through! He always makes sure to compliment me on something on a daily basis, he is thoughtful and kind but still has that flirtatious twinkle in his eyes!

He is receiving "Citizen of the Month" today in his class. I am still in shock on how well he is doing in school. We thought that he would have major struggles both academically and socially. All of those fears were pushed aside when he taught himself how to read in preschool last year.

He has a passion for the Old Testament and knows details of most stories. Ben is so stinking smart. During his conference at school his teacher said that she can see him becoming a pastor or a professor of Old Testament, which is too funny because that is where I see him going as well if he continues on this track. We had a low key birthday party for him this year, just family. It was nice and relaxing....well, besides the Castle Cake he wanted me to make for him.....that, was a disaster!

Took his birthday pictures last night and as he sat in my lap to look at them with me, he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Mommy, I love you and thank you for being my mom". Yeah, that completely melted my heart!

1st Day of School

2011-10-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

Still trying to catch up on blogging. I am now up to September. I have TWO kiddos in full time school. I must admit, it is fabulous!! Hannah and Ben are doing great in school. Ben received the Citizen of the Week the very first week of school! Everyone in Hannah's class was evaluated for reading so that we, her parents, could start buying books according to her reading level. Found out that she is reading over a 3rd grade level. AWESOME! We are thinking about having Ben evaluated as well to see what kind of books to be buying him, since his birthday is right around the corner.

September also is a time for our church's ministries to start back up. This year I decided to start going to Grace Women's Bible Study. I have been apart of it before but just in babysitting for the nursery. I thought that now would be a great time since I am not pregnant or nursing or picking up a preschooler during the bible study. It is a great challenge for trying to find the time to work on the study, even though the study is broken up into five days of work, I find myself on a Wednesday night after small group trying to get it finished. However, God's grace is sufficient and will continue to carry me through these busy times!

Slowly but Surely

2011-10-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

I am finally starting to catch up on blogging. Remember way back in the summer I talked about the family's ultimate road trip across the states? It might be a stretch to remember....why you might ask? It could be because I only blogged about it once. Yeah, I know, I know, LAME-O.

One tradition that we have tried to keep when we go to Ohio is to make a trip up to our FAVORITE place in the world which is The Big House (aka University of Michigan's football stadium) Last time that we went, The Big House was under major renovations and nearly everything was under tarps. This time Curtis had set up a personal tour just our family, AND it was awesome!

The stadium is amazing, beautiful, and incredible! We loved every minute of it. We got to go into the locker rooms, the executive suites ($80,000 per season!), press room, and of course the field.

The picture below is of Brock Mealer. I can't even describe this guy, he is just awesome.

This is the Heisman Trophy for Tom Harmon. Talk about legacy! If you haven't heard of him, I am sure that you have heard of his son, Mark Harmon. Crazy talented family

The kids had a blast running from one end field to the other. As I watched Ben walk into the end zone, it was an iconic moment for me, one day he could be wearing that maize and blue uniform running into that same end zone. If that moment ever came, I would definitely remember his first moments running in the end zone. Even now, it brings a smile on my face.

It really was an incredible experience for our family to be there. We hope to do it again the next time we head back to Ohio.

Did I Mention.....

2011-10-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

That Isaac is now ONE? My baby is ONE!! Where did the past year go to. What a year it has been for him. He definitely has a feisty personality and is EXTREMELY strong willed. He has proven over and over again that having one hand is not going to slow him down one bit.

He got his first prosthetic in July and he loved it immediately. He would wear it all day long with no complaints, but then we went away for a week at the ocean. We opted to leave the "helping hand" behind because we didn't want to lose it or get sand in it where it would irritate his skin from the rubbing. During that week however he decided to start crawling really well. By the time we got back home and tried to put the arm back on he refused to wear it more than 5-10 minutes. We have been in that position since

Isaac started walking a couple of weeks after his birthday and hasn't stopped since then. He is my non-cuddles out of the four, fight back if you take a toy away (we are not talking about crying but literally fighting back), biter, and screamer kind of kid. BUT then, he will flash you his smile with his dimples and just melt your heart. What a little stinker! Wouldn't trade him in for ANYTHING!

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One of Those Days!

2011-09-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days where you are battling it out. You vs. a wasp while in your garage. Your choice of weapon is an unopened package of spaghetti. And just as you are about to go for the killer blow.......the package of spaghetti opens up and goes flying through the air landing all over your driveway.

Bekah vs Wasp.

Bekah 0
Wasp 1

Still Behind

2011-09-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

I am starting to very slowly catch up with blogging. One bite at a time right?

Hannah is now seven! We had a little tea party for her and a couple of her favorite friends, in which I forgot to take pictures. But one thing I thoroughly enjoy is taking the "birthday" pictures. I was being fed up with paying for my kids pictures professionally, in which my kids would just sit there and cry. So for the past few years I took over and I don't want to brag but mine are way better!

Here is where I started age 4

Here she is age 5

Age 6 with her Fancy Nancy Doll

And finally age 7.

She is definitely growing in both grace and beauty! Love you my Hannah Banana!

A Reminder.....

2011-08-31T23:18:00.000-07:00

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Thank you Jim Elliot for the reminder!

So Far.....

2011-08-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

BEHIND on blogging....grrr! Lord willing, after school starts back up next week things will slow down for me to start blogging again. For those who follow.....stay tuned, good things are coming!

Have You Ever.....

2011-07-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Been to the world's ONLY corn palace???

We have!!! Betcha y'all jealous!

Rushmore!

2011-07-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

This was actually our second time visiting Mt. Rushmore. The first time however was not a good experience. It was November, cold, and dusk. Hannah was about 3 months old, we were there for a total of 5 minutes! This time it was HOT! We have all four kids with us and it was crowded. We went hiking around the Presidents Trail. It didn't seem like a bad idea at the time except for on the way back there were about a million stairs, which I had to carry Phoebe the whole time! Yowza! Didn't get too many pictures because I was sweating too much and about to die!

Wall Drug

2011-07-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

From my house it is 1,220 miles until you get to Wall's Drug in South Dakota. What is Wall's Drug you may ask. It is only the largest drug store in USA. Hmmm, you might be thinking, "I have never heard of it". And you wouldn't unless you were driving on I-90. You see, Wall's Drug ONLY advertising is road signs on how many miles it is away from a certain destination. On I-90 alone there are signs stretching from Montana to Minnesota. Craziness. We love it there though, it is a nice area to hang out for the day.

Behind the row of shops they have a back yard area that is fully equipped with water spouts everywhere popping up with the music being played,

Here is Phoebe experiencing the spouts!

"Hey! Come back here!"

there is also a stagecoach to ride in,

a mini Mt. Rushmore,

and a large Jackalope.

I would say that this is a must go if you are ever traveling with kids. Definitely worth the trip!

I will post more about our trip in the coming days. Overall we really had a great time!

Prosthesis pt. 2

2011-06-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

We went back in to Seattle Children's for anther fitting. Lots of measuring and cutting, measuring again, more cutting...LONG appointment. Isac seems to love it there, always seems to be in good spirits, he just wants to chomp on everything! We should be getting the final prosthetic on July 8th and it is then we will be educated on how to use it and how often. I can't wait for the final product although I am sure that Isaac will have a few black eyes from not being use to it. Here are the most recent pictures for you to enjoy.

"Hi Mom!!"

oozing...

2011-06-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Phoebe just oozes out sweetness! Don't you think?

When it all gets to be too much!

2011-06-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

I am a big planner. Which is probably why we have basically been packed for a month now for our upcoming trip. I have been picking up food as well for the past few months so that I am not depleting our grocery budget for June all on our trip. You know, just a few things here and there, especially if they were on sale. Last night I started pulling out the non refrigerated foods to pack up. OH MY GOODNESS! WAY TOO MUCH! Where did all this food come from?

We have the salty and cheesy category.

Hear comes the chocolate!

These is our healthy snacks!

Breakfast foods!

And last but not in any way least the misc foods!

mmmm.....homemade granola bars!

CRAZINESS! Do you think that is enough?

Next post will be all the fun activities in our van!

Wahoo!

2011-06-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

Did I tell you guys that we are taking off on another Wandering Wentlings" summer? Well, we are! On Tuesday we will pick up the kids from their half day at school and head directly east. Hoping to hit Spokane by dinner and then Billings by breakfast. The ultimate destination is my in-laws in northwest Ohio. This will be interesting considering that Phoebe and Isaac have never been on a road trip....not even to Idaho. Furthest they have been is to the airport, take that back, Phoebe has been to the ocean. ANYWAYS, we will have a very full minivan because my mom is coming with us. That means we will have 7 passengers in our 7 passenger mini van!! This is how memories are made right?!

I cannot begin to express how much we have been looking forward to this trip! We try to head out there every other year but because I was pregnant with Isaac last summer my obgyn forbade me to go. So, this is our year! We are also going to stop at a few eateries that were featured on our favorite Travel Channel show "Man v. Food". Yeah, I know we are food dorks. Looking forward to many picture taking, memory making good times!

Prosthesis!

2011-05-28T13:43:00.001-07:00

So, we are officially in the process of getting Isaac his prosthetic hand. This past week we met with the prosthetic doctor and Isaac had his nub set in a cast so that they can get accurate measurements when they order. Isaac did pretty well. He has happy which meant he was bouncy. They all loved him in spite of him being bouncy and trying to stick everything in his mouth. By the end of the appointment....let's just say he had a mouth full of plaster! Here are some pictures from they day.

Don't Know What is Going On!

2011-05-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

I am having troubles trying to blog. Pictures aren't going in the correct spaces, can't switch things around. Boo-hoo!

On another note, back in December I had a procedure done called Essure. It is a new sterilization procedure that isn't surgery, you are awake the whole time. Found out yesterday that it worked, and I am now sterile! WAHOO! I went from being "Fertile Myrtle" to "Sterile Merell" It is kind of freeing.....nice. I like to believe that I walked a little taller yesterday...with a little swagger.

Also, Ben wants to learn Greek...yep, that's right Greek. At first he said he wanted to learn Hebrew and Egyptian..wanted to be like Moses and Joseph. But Greek is a nice alternative. It's crazy, what 5 year old boy wants to learn Greek? We will see how it goes. I will keep you all posted on how it goes.

128

2011-04-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that this is my 128th post!! Wowsers! I was thinking that it should be something monumental because I am also in the one28 ministries as a play on words. But yet nothing has happened recently. I am going to try to post more pictures and videos on here for the two people who actually read this! I sometimes like to fantasize that I actually have thousands of blog readers but only two people actually comment on anything, but then reality sets back in and I realize that my world is small and I like it small.

I am so thankful to be apart of the One28 staff again! Since the church split, Curtis and I volunteered to the elder board to be placed wherever they thought they needed us most in, and so, after a 6 month or so hiatus, we were put back into One28. The scheduling of the ministry remains the same but man, the heart of the ministry has changed, I feel so comfortable with this staff and the students that we have now. God has been so gracious to our ministry! Since the snow retreat we have had 5 professions of faith, one of whom I had been praying for years! How awesome is God! Curtis has been teaching on Sunday mornings through James and has been doing great! God, through the book of James has taught me a lot. One of the biggest things so far is found in James 3 regarding taming of the tongue.
The passage reads "3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, [1] and set on fire by hell. [2] 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, [3] these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Curtis pointed out that the world expects Christians to have a certain speech let's call it salt water, but when a Christian opens it's mouth and fresh water comes spewing out of it, it is then pretty obvious what is really on the inside. It can't be hidden or disguised, there is no excuses to be found. I need to make sure that what is coming out of my mouth matches what I claim to be. Awesomeness!

FYI>>>I never know how to close out my posts.

Hannah, full of grace.

2011-03-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

Probably not going to be a famous ballerina.

Sometimes I Cry

2011-03-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

Just when I think I am finally healing from our recent church split, I see pictures of once dear friends whom I haven't seen in months, and the healing has to start all over again. O Lord, come quickly.

I Love this idea!!

2011-03-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

How cool would these chandeliers look in a little Italian Cafe! Looks super easy too!