Monthly Archives: March 2010

Let’s talk about books, baby. Let’s talk about you and me…

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The title of this post is inspired by a popular song in the 90s that my roommates and I might have been blasting loudly through our open windows once when our home teachers arrived.  Ahem.  Where’s that stupid life eraser when you need it?

Anyway,

Books.

Only in the past year have I begun to read books again.  I have a college minor in English Teaching, people, and for the last 7 years, I have stumbled through an almost completely bookless fog of raising little children.  If you are currently in that fog and long to read something besides Maisy goes to the Hospital or the nutritional information on a box of Fruit Loops, you are normal.  And I promise you that the time when you and your brain become reacquainted is not as far, far away as it seems.

So my brain and I have begun a new quest for literature.  Toward the end of 2009, I read The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie and Literary Society.  Lots of people had mentioned it on their blogs, so I got curious enough to try it out, and I really liked it.  I also read Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons because I eventually want to read The DaVinci Code and I had heard that A&D was the prequel.  (By the way, I saw the movie after I read the book and there were some MAJOR plot deviations that bugged me.)  Despite that fact that I’ve seen all the Jane Austen movies several times, I had not read any of the books, except for one back in 2003 when I went on a cruise.  So last month, I read all three favorites:  Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion.  Loved them, of course.  Somewhere in there, I also read The Journal of Curious Letters, book one in a trilogy called The 13th Reality by James Dashner.  I have to admit that young adult sci-fi is not usually my genre of choice, but I figured that since the author took me to Homecoming in high school, I ought to give it a try.  It was pretty darn good, and I think any of your kids that liked Harry Potter would like James’ series.

Let’s see, what else?  (Be right back, I’m going to check Goodreads.com.)  Oh that’s right.  I started Wuthering Heights but didn’t really like it so I didn’t finish.  Is that bad?  I loved, loved, loved Jane Eyre.  It was the first one I read on my return to literature.  I couldn’t believe I’d never read it before.  Matt recently read The Undaunted by Gerald Lund and thinks I’ll like it.  I just finished Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl and right now I’m reading the “authorized” biography of Mother Teresa.

Here’s my current “Books I want to read list.”  There are so many that I feel like I should have read AGES ago but I never have yet:

John Adams (Paperback) by David McCullough John Adams (Paperback)
The Hiding Place (Mass Market Paperback) by Corrie Ten Boom The Hiding Place (Mass Market Paperback)
With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln (Paperback) by Stephen B. Oates With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln (Paperback)
Man's Search for Meaning (Mass Market Paperback) by Viktor E. Frankl Man’s Search for Meaning (Mass Market Paperback)
Les Misérables (Penguin Classics) by Victor Hugo Les Misérables (Penguin Classics)

So, help me out, O wise readers, and build my request list at the library.  Please.  (I almost forgot my manners.)

1.  What books have you always wanted to read and never have?

2.  Out of all your reading, if you could give me one or two must-reads, what would they be?

3.  I’m not in the mood for dark, depressing stuff.  (This is also why I never finished Crime and Punishment.)  I can appreciate it sometimes, but lately I’m in the mood for inspirational literature.  What’s been one of your favorite inspiring books?

And if you read any LDS literature, do me a favor and fill out this quick survey for my author friend, Rebecca Irvine.  It’s only 8 questions and helps her with some market research.

Thanks!  I can’t wait to see your recommendations.

p.s.  I am kind of a book prude, so show a tiny bit of restraint in your suggestions.  If the book cover looks anything like this, consider me uninterested.  (Sorry, Kristina and DeNae. *wink*)

‘Twas the night before motherhood

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Today I dug through a trunk full of memories looking for a few specific things I’d promised to lend out.  You can’t look through a memory box without taking a journey far and deep.  I saw an autograph book from the 7th grade, photos of my grandparents in their twilight years, quotes saved from college Sunday school lessons, and a recipe box I made in Young Women.  Wrinkled in the corner, I found a folded piece of paper that had my handwriting on the outside:  A poem for Matt.  love, Stephanie

I figured it might be some cheesy love poem which I have no memory of ever writing.  I used to write quite a bit of poetry growing up.  After I served my mission and fell in love with the Spanish language, I wrote a lot of Spanish poetry.  I was pretty darn good at it, too, for a gringa— I even had several of them published in literary journals.  But I’ve written very little poetry since then, in any language.  So I was curious what had inspired me to write Matt a poem.  I opened the wrinkled paper.  It was dated Jan 7, 2003:  Four years since we met and just a few days before the birth of our first child.

Future’s Eve

Here we sit in the twilight of all our yesterdays,
still warm from the brightest rays, and full of memories.
The evening dews of destiny begin to fall,
beautiful and mysterious.
The tomorrows will be different days;
I am curious, but not afraid.
Thank you for harboring me in your friendship
and bearing me in your love.
In a magical way, that love defines our past
and will now somehow redefine our future.
We will be more than two, and yet, more at one.
The morning sun begins to break slowly through the unguessed dawn,
and the beams, like Spirit, fall gently upon us.
We go enhanced to the next day.

When Matt left for work this morning, I was having a moment of self-pity because Grant had almost missed the bus and Natalie was mid-meltdown.  “This will be my day,” I sighed as I looked at the small, weeping preschooler flopping and thrashing on the stairs.  He made some comment about how my life was so horrible and tortured, but he didn’t mean it and that’s not what I meant either, so I got annoyed.  I don’t think it’s an accident that I read this line today about how I had once anticipated parenthood to be:  “We will be more than two, and yet, more at one.”  Oh, how we need each other, but how easy it is to be selfish!

Children can draw a couple together in deeper ways than they ever thought possible.  I remember the days that Grant spent in the Pediatric ICU after unexplained seizures, and how Matt and I clung to each other and needed each others’ support so much.  And yet, when we are not careful, we can let their whims come between us, like a morning where a temper tantrum makes me pathetically dread the day rather than share a a goodbye hug with my husband and remind him how much I love him and still need him.

Every morning in parenthood is an “unguessed dawn;” We never know what it will bring, but we need each other and we definitely need the Lord.  When we let our selfish wish-lists go, and turn to the Lord to help us fill our unmet needs rather than demanding that someone else read our minds, heal our wounds, and solve our problems, I think the Spirit can work wonders.  And then, both individually and as partners, “We go enhanced to the next day.”

General Conference Book Club Week 22: President Monson

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“We thank thee, O God, for a prophet . . .”  Come on, sing along with me . . . “to guide us in these latter days . . .”

Man, it’s so easy to take for granted the HUGE blessing of knowing that our Heavenly Father has a spokesperson on earth that He has called as a prophet, seer, and revelator.  And when I study President Monson’s words, I’m often humbled that God’s most important message to us is not some great mystery of the gospel, but a gentle call to be more like His Son.  Such is the case in President Thomas S. Monson’s conference talk, “What Have I Done For Someone Today?”

“Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives.”

“We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. . . too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes.”

“That service to which all of us have been called is the service of the Lord Jesus Christ.  As He enlists us to His cause, He invites us to draw close to Him.”

You can read his talk here, or watch it, or listen to it.  (Learn about GCBC here.)  He gives examples of simple service that are evidence of hearts that love the Lord.

What have YOU done for someone today (I bet you’ll find it’s much more than you give yourself credit for.)?  And in answering his challenge to give more time to things that matter, what pastime can you give up today or this week to make room for an act of kindness?

The truth in play.

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Have you ever noticed how much your kids reflect truth in the way they play with their toys?

Like I overheard Natalie playing with her dolls the other day, and she declared that Claudine Scarlet (don’t you love Cabbage Patch Kid names?) had a bladder infection. Sigh. Obviously a recurring theme in her life.

When they play games together, Grant is the Boss-of-all-things-living and barks out instructions the whole time. Occasionally, I hear him saying things like, “If you don’t come over here right now, then you can’t play anymore and you have to go to your room!” Gee, I wonder where he gets that from ? . . .

My boys have never been into action figures like the way I figured most boys would be, but they use their Webkinz as a substitute. They chase each other around and attack one another and repeat over and over their cool ninja-Webkinz moves in slow-motion instant replay. It’s pretty funny. Sometimes I hear conversations like this: “I killed Comet, Clark!” “Yeah, but he resurrected, so he can never die again.” At least they pay attention a little at scripture time.

This morning, I heard Natalie “reading” a book– one of her favorite activities. She’s only three and doesn’t really read, but looks at the pictures and makes up her own detailed plot page by page. Today I heard her creating the conversation between a mommy and her child in the book: “It’s YOUR mess, so YOU have to clean it up.” Right on, storybook mom, right on!

What kind of truths, embarrassing or otherwise, have you seen reflected in your child’s play?

Sometimes I cook stuff. Don’t be afraid.

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This blog is probably not listed in your blog roll under “Homemaking Skills.”  I can’t imagine why not.  I will have you know that I have kept my house clean for 4 full days in a row.  This has given me a new confidence, and I’m now ready to impart some great wisdom from my new-found throne of “Housewife/Goddess Divine.”

As much as I love restaurants (and I DO love restaurants), we only eat out maybe 3 times a month— that includes a quick drive-thru lunch for the kids on a busy day.  So I cook.  I’m not a great cook.  I’m a terrible recipe follower, severely threatened by many steps and/or many ingredients.  I make unauthorized substitutions and modifications to almost every recipe, and my family simply must tolerate the results.  To my credit, dinner rarely turns out inedible.  Usually our meals are built out of whatever ingredients I have on hand in an attempt to build something similar to a real dish I know I’ve had or tried before.  (I swear it’s not nearly as mad scientist as it sounds.)  Anyway . . .

I’m going to share with you 3 of my favorite recipes made of ingredients you will most likely have at home (unless you’re one of those people who runs to the grocery store several times a week to have varied, fresh food items on hand at all times.  In that case, God bless you, you don’t need my recipes, you can use the regular-people recipes in fancy cookbooks.).

The first recipe, Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup, is a recipe I found online about a year ago.  It’s a crock-pot recipe that I LOVE.  I seriously think it’s better than any soup I’ve ever had in a restaurant.  Love, love it.  Behold:

–1 pound chicken (I used frozen breast tenderloins)
–2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed  (you can also use 1 c. dry beans, but you’ll need to soak them overnight, plus increase slow-cooker time to NINE hours on high to get beans all the way soft)
–4 cups chicken broth (You can also use water/bullion)
–1 cup frozen corn
–1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)
–1 1/2 tsp cumin
–1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end)
–shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional)

In a  4-quart or larger slow cooker, add beans to the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and add the cumin. Stir, but don’t disturb the beans—let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5–similar to normal soup-cooking time.

If you’d like to thicken the broth (I did this),  scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot.  You’ll want to shred or cut up the chicken into bite-size pieces.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving, and garnish with shredded cheese and avocado slices.  Also great with tortilla chips or corn chips.

See? Doesn’t that sound delicious?  The next two recipes are dishes that I made up with my own ingredients and, if I do say so myself, they turned out quite yummy.  I even used them at my meal-exchange group and people did not drop out of the group (a high compliment indeed).

Chicken Pot Pie

Filling:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced (or any kind of cooked chicken or turkey)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 can cream of chicken soup (Campbells is best)
1 can cream of potato soup

1/2 tsp. thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

2 9-inch deep dish pie crusts (You can use the frozen or refrigerated kind or (!) make your own.)
In a 9-inch pie pan, fill one crust with the soup mixture, then overlay the other crust on top. Crimp/pinch to seal and trim edges. Cut a few slits on top to let the steam escape.  You can also brush a milk/egg mixture on the crust to make it more “golden” when it bakes.

Bake 30-35 minutes until golden, longer if frozen (until heated through). 425 degrees

Meatball Stroganoff (8 servings)
2 cans (10 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
generous 1/2 tsp. black pepper
generous 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt to taste (+/- 1 tsp.)
8 oz. frozen peas
16+ meatballs  (I used frozen pre-cooked meatballs, Italian or plain)
Sour cream
Mix soup, milk, spices, then add peas and meatballs.  Cook over medium heat in a saucepan until it come to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer at least until meatballs are heated through  (can simmer longer for flavor).  Before serving, add 1/2 – 1 cup sour cream, stir in, and remove from heat.
Serve over any pasta (or rice).

So there you have it.  Now go forth and make dinner.  If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll put on an apron and snap beans and then dust all my furniture and hang out my laundry to dry.
. . .
What?!
Ha ha ha ha HA! *snort*