Mother's Mementos

Celebrating Three!

2012-10-03T13:25:00.000-04:00

My son turned 3 recently, and as soon as I saw this eye-popping cake on Pinterest pinned from Enchanted Mommy's site, I knew it was the perfect one for his birthday celebration! He fell in love with M&Ms while we were potty-training him this past year (for every successful potty trip, he got 2 M&Ms as reward). Many thanks to the mommy who originally made this fun and creative cake! I

Three and Full of Surprises

2012-09-26T14:21:00.001-04:00

My sweetest Nathan, Happiest 3rd birthday to you, darling! It’s hard to believe 3 years have already flown by since you entered the world and into our lives. You went from being a peanut that we could hold with one hand to a mini linebacker that can wrestle your brother to the ground! Can I tell you what a funny child you are? Even before you were able to speak, you had Daddy and I

Birthday Reflections: A New Song

2012-09-24T09:50:00.002-04:00

For my birthday, I had planned on writing a lengthy post reflecting back on the year, particularly speaking about God's faithfulness in restoring my soul after a long and very dark period precipitated by my miscarriage a little over a year ago. But sometimes words simply fall short. So in one sentence and one Scripture passage, I'll sum it up: I am grateful for a life filled with love,

Opening Up the Communication Lines

2012-08-08T15:41:00.001-04:00

I remember growing up watching “Full House” and envying the scenes where Bob Saget’s character, Danny Tanner aka “Dad”, would sit next to one of his daughters (whichever one was in trouble at the time) and talk about whatever issue was at hand – be it boys, cheating or lying, or being the subject of idle gossip. Father and daughter would both say their piece, and with the exchange of a warm

4 Years and Counting

2012-06-10T23:14:00.000-04:00

My dearest CJ, Today you went from being a curious, willful 3-year-old toddler to an incredibly bright, independent, and mature 4-year-old boy. It's amazing how much you've grown in the past year alone! Two was a tough age (the infamous "terrible twos" hit pretty much after you turned 18 months), but three was even more challenging! At three, you clearly knew right from wrong but tested

Strawberry Lemonade Cookies and a Mother's Prayer

2012-05-14T13:12:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite pastimes is baking with my eldest son (and eventually with both sons when the younger one is old enough). I'd like to think it's one of my son's favorite pastimes, too. He's always eager to roll up his sleeves, get in the kitchen, make a mess, sample a taste here and another one there, and be a help to mom (even though most times it ends up being more of a mess when he

Celebrating 7 Wonderful Years

2012-05-08T21:03:00.000-04:00

This post is a little late, but better late than never I say (actually, I hate being late but I'll pretend it doesn't matter in this instance). J and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this past April 24th. At the beginning of this year, my fabulous sister-in-law insisted we go away by ourselves in April. She, herself, was taking two weeks off and offered to watch the boys for us

Macaron Madness

2012-04-05T17:50:00.000-04:00

My very near and dear friend from college was in town from California this week, and she suggested I make macarons for her after seeing the macaron tower I had pinned on Pinterest. Seeing as it's been on my list of "to-dos", I figured this was a good reason to give macarons a try! So we put on our aprons (well, at least I did), grabbed our spatulas, and made an evening out of it. My

Pulled Pork Sandwich

2012-04-03T09:05:00.000-04:00

I love my slow cooker. And I love when I can make simple and tasty dishes like this without requiring too much effort on my part. I was surprised by how easy pulled pork is to make. Throw a hunk of pork shoulder in the slow cooker with broth, onion, bbq sauce, salt, and pepper for 8 hours, and you've got pork so tender, it melts off the bone and into your mouth. I found so many

Bookworm: "I Don't Want to Go" & "Suppose You Meet A Dinosaur"

2012-03-22T09:39:00.000-04:00

I had the privilege of reading to CJ's 3-year-old class at his preschool yesterday. Although he specifically requested that I bring car books (didn't matter which ones as long as they had cars in it), I brought books I thought would be of more value to his class and still be enjoyed by the children. And quite honestly, I'm tired of hearing about Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater. The two

Liquid Gold (aka Chicken Stock)

2012-03-19T15:16:00.002-04:00

{ Chicken stock from the leftovers of one rotisserie chicken. Labels are self-stick notepads from last year's IJM's Global Prayer Gathering. } Who doesn't love rotisserie chicken (well, besides vegetarians and my mother-in-law who has an abnormal aversion to anything chicken)? Now our family has been around the block when it comes to store-bought rotisserie chicken. We've tried one at

Missing The Child I Never Knew

2012-03-12T16:30:00.000-04:00

{ the beautiful cake presented to me at my baby shower while eagerly expecting my firstborn } I could've been celebrating my baby's birth date any day now. Instead of writing this post, I would've been making final preparations for his/her arrival, drafting the announcement email and soon plastering Facebook with a very first picture. Who knows? Maybe my family and friends

Lemon-Garlic Cajun Shrimp

2012-03-02T10:31:00.000-05:00

{ Lemon-Garlic Cajun Shrimp prepared for my son and brother's birthday bash } I love that scene from Forrest Gump (one of my favorite movies) when Bubba tells Forrest about all the different kinds of shrimp. "Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried,

Super Heroes!

2012-02-28T13:03:00.000-05:00

Even when I'm feeling quite crummy (been home bound with a bad back), my boys never cease to make me laugh. The simplest things make them so happy. Their aunt bought them new Cars underwear, but they thought they would make better super hero masks instead. Gotta love their creativity! Off to save the day (and help make mommy feel better in the process)! Thank God for my little boy wonders

Linsane Cookies & A Life Lesson

2012-02-23T01:30:00.002-05:00

I've gone Linsane. Who hasn't?? The funny thing is I've known about Jeremy for a while. But I had no idea he was this good or would play such a pivotal role in sports or American history. Never. I think it's hard for most of us to completely understand the significance of what he's doing and what molds he's breaking. It is nothing less than God making a statement and breaking

Best Friends

2012-02-22T14:04:00.000-05:00

My boys are 3 and 2. Anyone with children this young and this close in age knows how challenging and exhausting it can be. But they'll also know the incredible blessings of their children always having their best friend around. And for that, I could not be more thankful. Brothers by Mother's Mementos brothers often make you laugh sometimes make you cry they fight and tumble and make you

The Heart of Blogging

2012-02-06T15:29:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to write this post for a while but didn't know exactly what to convey or how to put it. But the bottom line was my blog was dying. The heart and soul of it had been lost somewhere, and I forgot quite easily why and for whom I was writing. I've been keeping journals since I was in 7th grade and started my first online journal in 2001 when I moved from Virginia to

Roasted Parsnip Chips

2012-02-01T09:30:00.000-05:00

Who knew that parsnips could be so pretty or taste so good? I surely didn't until I picked up Annabel Karmel's book, My Favorite Recipes, from the library. As soon as I saw the beautiful bloom of parsnip chips, I knew I wanted to try the recipe even though I've never cooked with parsnips before. So I went to the local grocery store and picked up 4 parsnips, located right next to the

L-O-V-E in a Few Words

2012-01-30T19:05:00.000-05:00

As Valentine's Day and my husband's birthday soon approaches, these are just a few words that come to mind: My husband and I love Scrabble, although our current addiction is playing "Words with Friends" online. So this wedding gift presented to us by a very dear friend of mine is one of the most thoughtful and meaningful gifts I've received. She constructed the words using the Spanish

Chocolate-Pistachio Trees

2011-12-15T22:39:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since the last entry on this blog. Thanks to all those who've continued to visit, comment, and like on Facebook. I really appreciate the support and encouragement. I haven't been able to devote as much time to the blog as I'd like, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share these delightful cookies with you. I participated in a cookie exchange with 9 other

Whole Foods Cherry Fest: Cherry Fruit & Cheese Quiche Tart

2011-07-13T09:07:00.000-04:00

Whole Foods had an amazing sale on organic cherries last Friday, July 8 ($2.99/lb). I didn't waste any time heading over that morning and buying 4 bags. My lovely friend, Junia of Mis Pensamientos, also informed me about the cherry recipe contest being hosted by Whole Foods. I had no intention of entering but then I figured what the heck (and who couldn't use some free grocery spending money?)

A Salute to the Red, Lemon, and Blue

2011-06-28T20:00:00.000-04:00

When I saw the frozen lemon souffle recipe in the June issue of Everyday Food, I immediately tore out the pages and pinned them on my cork board. This was definitely a must-try. And I am so glad I did. The tartness of the lemons combined with the sweetness of the whipped cream is incredibly refreshing, and the dessert overall is a terrific way to end a meal. It's not too heavy and the flavors

A Big Bash for the Birthday Boys

2011-06-16T21:21:00.000-04:00

Over Memorial Day weekend, we celebrated my son's 3rd birthday along with my brother's big 3-0 down in good ol' Virginia. They share the same birth date of June 10. It's kind of sweet. All of us had different assignments in preparing for the party. The guys ran errands. Sis-in-law was in charge of bringing my brother over to my sister's house and keeping it a surprise. Sis and I were in

Refreshing Watermelon Granita

2011-05-24T16:47:00.000-04:00

If my children had a choice, they would probably live off of watermelon if they could. And though we've yet to test this, I think each of my sons could eat a whole large watermelon in one sitting. I would not be surprised.Well, thank goodness there's an endless supply of the fruit in the summer. I'm trying to find more creative ways to prepare and serve it, and when I saw a watermelon granita

Sweet Summer Days

2011-05-19T13:40:00.000-04:00

I sense a bounty of warm summer days coming our way. And oh, how we love it! The feel of freshly cut grass beneath your bare toes, the sip of ice cold raspberry lemonade, the joy of running through the water sprinkler, the smell of barbeque cooking on the gas grill, and a ready supply of fresh fruit and vegetables available from the backyard garden. What's there not to love? Maybe the pesky