Nursing in public (sort of)

Can you see the teeny baby kittens?

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Photos by me. (Just call me the kitty pawpawrazzi.) | More Wordless Wednesday.

Slaves, saints, snakes and shamrocks

St. Patrick was not a leprechaun. In fact, he wasn't even Irish.

He was a real person born in Roman-ruled Britain in the fourth century and brought to Ireland as a slave. Even though he escaped, he had such a heart for the Irish people that he later returned to the country to share with them about Jesus.


There are many tales from his life, but, like many figures of times gone by, it is sometimes hard to find the line between history and legend. Did he really drive the snakes out of Ireland? Find meaning in shamrocks? Drink green beer?

What better way to sort it all out (or at least have fun exploring it) than through a children's book with fabulous illustrations?


Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola was recommended to me by my mom, early childhood expert and preschool director extraordinaire. It tells the story of his life, followed by several of the legends about him. Although the book doesn't deal with the roots of green beer, it's a great read. Mom says it's best for 3- or 4-year-olds and up - a little too wordy for anyone younger than that - but definitely enjoyable for adults, as well.

So, check it out. And have a great day! Today we're all as Irish as St. Patrick!

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Photos by me.

On the menu: week of 3/15/09

Up next, this week's menu.

But, first, a little background information:

1. You may recall that I make corned beef every St. Patrick's day, a tradition which may have started with my Scots-Irish ancestors, but more likely came from my mom, who has made it every year as long as I can remember.
   
2. I am not in the mood to do a lot of grocery shopping this week. I'm more in the mood to use the same really yummy ingredients in more than one meal. I think the key to pulling this off is to stick with really yummy.
3. Remember how last week I wrote "pizza" down for Friday's dinner, crossed it out, moved it to Tuesday, and then back to Friday? Well, guess what we ended up eating Tuesday night? Yep. Pizza. It was a great day not to have to worry about dinner. Then Friday night, the Hubs decided to grill the thin boneless pork chops that we were supposed to have eaten Tuesday. He marinated them in Soy Vay, and they were delicious. We had a lovely dinner out on the patio next to the garden. He also grilled up a few extra pork chops without any marinade.
   
4. Saturday we got to hang out with Liz (sister of the Hubs) and Matt (hubby of Liz). Since the Hubs was working, we missed out on enjoying Liz's famous waffles with a group of their friends that morning, but all was not lost on the waffle front. They sent some home with us.
   

Enough of that, let's move on to the main course:

• Monday - Breakfast for dinner! Liz's waffles (see #4), topped with fruit, and scrambled eggs on the side.
• Tuesday - Corned beef and red potatoes
  
• Wednesday - Pasta with Alfredo sauce, sliced grilled pork (see #3), mushrooms and maybe those red peppers that come in a jar
• Thursday - Basic quiche with spinach and mushrooms
• Friday - Corned beef hash (with leftover corned beef and potatoes)
• Saturday - Pizzas on pita bread (inspired by this, although no pesto this time) with leftover ingredients (mushrooms, etc.) from earlier in the week.

See how that all comes together? (on paper.) We'll see how this week actually pans out!

For dessert:

Stop by My Joyful Haven for more delicious menu plans!

Edited: I meant to link to My Joyful Haven's homepage (fixed). And here's a link directly to this week's menu plan blog roll. Also, I changed the breakfast for dinner wording, so that you knew I meant scrambled eggs with the waffles - not on top of them. (Iew.)

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Photos by me.

Shrimp van to Rufus the plant

7 Quick Takes - the (almost) weekly post where I share random stuff from my week that doesn't fit anywhere else.

Ready? OK!


If you're driving south from Phoenix on Maricopa Road, you'll start to see handmade signs along the side of the road advertising "Rocky Point Shrimp." Eventually, you'll get to the place of business: a large white van on a rural corner. The weirdest part is that I've seen bunches of cars parked around it more than once. You have to be pretty brave to buy stuff out of some random van. Especially sea food. That came from 5 hours away. In Mexico. All I can say to both business owners and customers: Buena suerte.


I'm still planning on doing more cloth diaper definitions, I just haven't had the time to put that together yet. Hopefully I can post that this week. (Keep your fingers crossed!)


The pastors at my church have started fasting and praying on Thursdays, and they've invited the rest of us to do the same, if we feel lead to do so. Skipping a meal (or even eating a meal that doesn't have enough protein) is physically a problem for me. (I get huge headaches, dizziness...blahblahblah....won't bore you with all the details.) So I've been thinking about what really is the essence of fasting and how to set aside time to focus on prayer without making myself sick. I've skimmed John Piper's "The Crazy Idea of Fasting in '09" and this other article, "Biblical Fasting - What It Is and How To Do It," I randomly came across. I'd like to take more time to read through those. Oh yes, and I read a post on the Girl Talk blog too. Any other recommendations?


Ladies: I heard about month.ly.info from SortaCrunchy Megan a couple months ago. It's a great tool for tracking your monthly cycle, which might turn out not to be as random as you think it is. Very simple, very handy - especially if you're specifically trying to have or avoid having children right now.


Sometimes there are cool things going on here locally that I want to make sure the Phoenix-area peeps know about, but I know that you are not all in Arizona (or anywhere near it). I guess I figure maybe it'll give you an idea for something to do in your own town. Like "oh, I can't go that art show, but I wonder what local artists around here are doing." Or maybe you'll come visit. That's my thinking anyway. What do you guys think? Does the Phoenix stuff get on your nerves?


Hubs is sick today. So I'm working in between saying things like, "Have you taken an aspirin yet?" and "Why don't you drink some more water?" but trying not to be a nag.


When the Hubs picked up his prescription yesterday (hey, I offered to go, but he went on the way home from the doctor), he also picked up this tiny, adorable little plant. His name is Rufus.


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Take time for more quick takes at Conversion Diary.

You asked for it: cabbage salad

Since you asked so nicely, here is the recipe for my Aunt Roberta's cabbage salad. She calls it a "slaw," but it's not like the cole slaw I'm used to, so I don't really think of it that way. So po-tay-to, po-tah-to, call it whatever you want.


Here's how to make it...

Slaw:
2 T butter
1 head cabbage, chopped
8 T slivered almonds (2/3 cup)
8 T sesame seeds
8 green onions, sliced
2 T Top Ramen Noodle Mix (Chicken or Oriental)

Dressing:
4 T sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
6 T rice vinegar
1 cup salad oil
flavor packet from Ramen Noodles

1. Brown almonds and seeds in butter.
2. Mix dressing ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Mix cabbage and onions in a large bowl.
4. Add almonds, seeds and noodles to cabbage and onions, then pour dressing over top.

You can also add slivered, cooked chicken.


We did take it to the potluck last night, and I think it was a hit, because we didn't bring much back home.

Thanks, Aunt Roberta!

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Photos by me.

Surprise inside

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Photos by me. | More Wordless Wednesday.

Growing (like weeds)

Did anyone ever say that to you when you were a kid? "You're just growin' like a weed!" I heard that kind of thing a lot. Anyway.



We celebrated our niece Rachel's eighth birthday this weekend with the hubby's side of the family.

And their fish. (They were sure ready to party!)


We ate delicious spaghetti...


....checked out the artwork that the Hubs and his siblings (secretly) contributed to the bottom of a coffee table long ago...



...and just chilled a bit.


We brought these cute little flower gardening kits for Rachel's gift.


I hope they grow! (The flowers, I mean. I don't think I have to worry about the kids!)



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Photos by the Hubs and me.