Little Boy Blue

I thought my aspiring little chef, 7-year-old Christian, would be excited to read his positive review on my blog, so I called him over to see my recent posts about some of his favorite recipes. He smiled to see himself on screen and began reading the text aloud. We shared a sweet mother-son moment until Christian reached the final caption detailing his new blue apron: "Christian is always eager to join me in the kitchen, so I thought he was long overdue for an apron. Now a canvas apron in his favorite color bears a logo for the ice cream shop of his dreams." He shot me a disappointed look and said curtly, "Mom, my favorite color is not 'bears-a-logo.' "

A Real Simple Summer Meal

Doesn't last night's supper look like perfect summer fare?

Shrimp Tacos with Citrus Cabbage Slaw

I found this recipe in the August 2009 issue of Real Simple and love its combination of sweet, spicy and creamy flavors. Although my children gave it mixed reviews, I'm sure my girlfriends would love it!

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons sour cream
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 small cabbage (8 ounces), shredded
1 cup corn kernels (from 1 to 2 ears, or frozen and thawed)
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
8 small flour tortillas, warmed

In a large bowl, whisk the orange and lime juices, sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the cabbage, corn and jalapeno and toss to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve the shrimp with the tortillas and the slaw.

Mad for Mod

My sister-in-law Shana asked me to make a pillowcase dress for 1-year-old Michaela using this mod polka dotted fabric she picked up from Hobby Lobby. I love seeing how different a pattern can turn out with varied fabric choices. I followed this pattern for Michaela's dress, easily adjusting the length and gathering the neck fabric to a toddler size. I hope Michaela will get years of use from this garment -- first as a dress and down the road as a swing top -- for spot-on summer style!

To Thoughtful You ...

From Grateful Me

Dear friends, thank you so much for your recent words of encouragement and prayers on my behalf. My epidural went well Monday, and as of today I am walking tall and feeling great relief. Some of you have revealed your own struggles with chronic pain, and I appreciate your sharing those experiences with me. It is such a blessing to share life's journey with faithful friends, and I pray God's richest blessings on all of you.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

Peonies from Google Images

Birthday Bucket

This birthday gift promises buckets of fun!

A raspberry pink bucket picked up at Hobby Lobby looks even cuter personalized with vinyl lettering. (I will share directions for working with vinyl in a future post.) Fun surprises fill the bucket, and the gift presentation is complete with a fringe of ribbon and fabric strips tied to the handle.

Lizzy's Pony Party

We were delighted to attend our friend Lizzy's birthday party over the weekend. The scent of barbecue lured us to the backyard, where a sprawling tent offered shade. Underneath, tables decorated with hay bales, bandanas, flowers in mason jars and even a real saddle gave the party the relaxed feel of a country fair. My friend Stacey did a wonderful job pulling everything together!

Lizzy loves horses, so her parents surprised her at the party with live ponies to ride. When I shared this news with the girls, Mary Ashley's eyes grew wide with excitement. "Ooh, I want to ride a unicorn!" she exclaimed. "It will have a horn with rainbow colors, and all the colors will shoot out of the top into the sky and cover the world with love."

Although Mary Ashley didn't get to ride a unicorn, she did look regal sitting so straight in the saddle. Emma and Christian also took turns riding. Emma was so expressive as she rode!

Sweet cowgirlfriends Lizzy and Emma all are smiles after a pleasant ride. Happy birthday, Sweetheart!

Boot-Scootin' Birthday Cake

Give your birthday the boot with a sheet cake trimmed into the shape of a cowboy boot. I made this cake for my favorite little cowgirl. Look for more images to come from Lizzy's pony party.

The Sweetest Gifts

"If I had to sum up Friendship in one word, it would be Comfort." -- Adabella Radici

This summer has been a sometimes frustrating roller coaster of ups and downs, vacillating between the highs of family fun and the lows of chronic back pain. In the most deeply personal post I have ever written, I shared my struggles with lower back pain. You can read about "My Love Squad" here.

I am constantly amazed at God's goodness in blessing us during difficult times. One such blessing came to me last week. Knowing that my back has been giving me trouble lately, my friend Stacey made the pillow pictured above and filled it with uncooked rice. Warmed in the microwave, the reusable rice pillow provides soothing moist heat. It can be positioned easily for optimum comfort. And I assume the pink floral fabric must have healing properties for a tea party girl like myself!

I have an epidural scheduled for today and ask for the sweetest gifts you can offer: your prayers. I am hopeful that today's procedure will be successful so I can be the active wife, mother and friend I want to be.

Emmagination at Work

Life with Emma is full of surprises!

At 3, daughter Emma keeps me laughing all the time. Here are a few of her latest antics.

A friend told us that a spoonful of peanut butter gets rid of hiccups, and it works! I guess Emma needed a PB fix. She came into the room with the "hiccups," jerking her shoulders dramatically as she called "hic-achoo, hic-achoo, hic-achoo!"

Rubbing her belly after supper recently, Emma exclaimed, "Oh, Mommy, I am so full my tummy is getting so big -- just like yours!"

It is precious to hear Emma quote her memory verse, Hebrews 13:16: "Do not forget to do good and to share." But I guess she has taken our reprimands to heart this summer when she goes outside, because she sometimes recites, "Do not forget to do good and shut the door."

Emma has entertained us all this summer with tall tales about her imaginary friend, Layla. She can answer all my questions about her without any hesitation.

Me: What color hair does Layla have?

Emma: It's kindly yellow, so it's kindly pink, so it's kindly blue, so it's kindly green.

Me: Where does Layla live?

Emma: With the dolphins.

Me: Wow! She lives with the dolphins?

Emma: Yes. In a birdhouse.

And how bad a day must little Emma have been having recently? When I asked about her imaginary friend, Emma's expression fell: "She doesn't like me anymore."

Cooking with Christian

Christian chose recipes this week for a delicious, kid-friendly menu of sloppy dogs and rocky road ice cream. Perhaps you know a future chef who would love to join you in the kitchen to try these easy recipes.

Sloppy Dogs

This recipe is from Disney's The Magic Kitchen Cookbook, which Christian received as a Christmas gift. He loves it so much, he usually keeps it by his bedside.

12 ounces lean ground beef
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
8 whole grain hamburger or hot dog buns
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef in a large skillet, then drain well. Add tomatoes and herbs to the ground beef, and bring to a boil. Cover skillet, and simmer for 15 minutes. Spoon meat mixture onto buns and top with cheese. Note: We used a fiesta blend instead of the white cheeses suggested.

Rocky Road Ice Cream

Christian chose this recipe from the pamphlet that accompanied our new 4-quart Rival ice cream maker, and it was a hit with everyone.

2 cups milk
6 squares (1 ounce each) chocolate
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups whipping cream
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine milk and semisweet chocolate in saucepan. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. Add sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Freeze as directed. Note: We substituted semisweet chocolate chips for the baking squares and omitted the nuts.

My Little Chef

Seven-year-old Christian aspires to be a chef and talks often about owning his own ice cream shop when he grows up. He promises that his dad and I will get free ice cream when we visit Christian's Scoops. Always quick to tease, Joe asked him, "Will we still get a free scoop even if you aren't there?" Christian assured him that we would, but Joe pressed, "Well, how do you know we'll still get ice cream? Will your employees know us, or will we need to tell them who we are?"

Exasperated, Christian responded with an eye roll: "Of course, they will. It will be Mary and Emma!"

Christian is always eager to join me in the kitchen, so I thought he was long overdue for an apron. Now a canvas apron in his favorite color bears a logo for the ice cream shop of his dreams.

Tomorrow, I'll share two of Christian's favorite recipes that demonstrate that it's good to be sloppy on the rocky road to becoming a chef!

Park Amusement

Joe recently spent an exciting day with Carson, Christian and a school friend at Six Flags over Georgia. They arrived as soon as the park opened, and Joe hurried the boys to the far side of the park to take advantage of rides before the crowds migrated through the park. The first attraction they reached was the Ninja. This daunting roller coaster is custom-built over water with five inversions. According to Wikipedia, "Ninja is known as one of the most rough and intense coasters in the nation." This attraction was probably not the best one to ease the boys into a day of rides -- especially Carson's friend who had never ridden a roller coaster -- but lured by its immediate availability, they headed to the front of the line.

Clearly shaken after the Ninja, 10-year-old Carson and his friend were not eager to board many of the park's other coasters. But 7-year-old Christian was fearless and jumped at the chance to ride everything his height would allow. In fact, after a particularly intense coaster, Christian surprised Joe by asking to ride it again immediately. "Really?" Joe asked in amazement.

"Yes," Christian insisted with a toothless grin. "When you ride that one two times in a row, you feel really good about yourself."

Festivities on the Fourth

We enjoyed spending Independence Day with my family at my Aunt Gail and Uncle Bill's lakeside home. We spent a wonderful day with Gail and Bill, my parents, and my brother, Nathan, and his family.

A rare family photo.

A few favorite snapshots of the children. Nathan and Shana's baby, Kadence, is a doll! I joked that we would have to set a timer to avoid fighting over who got to hold her.

My parents share a moment with the grandchildren. We only needed my sister, Jennifer, and her family to make our celebration complete.

Lake Living

Lake Logan-Martin was a great spot to spend Independence day.

I enjoyed relaxing on the boat with the family, but for some of us it was really a drag.

But dragging was lots of fun for my boys! Several of us rode the tube, but my thrill seekers Joe and Christian jumped at the chance for a little more excitement.

When we spotted people jumping off this scenic cliff area, Joe and Christian had to check it out too. They are always ready to jump in a lake!

The Fab Fourth

Emma finishes a star-shaped sugar cookie.

Our July Fourth celebration included family, food, fishing and fireworks. Here are a few more highlights.

We enjoyed a cookout that included hamburgers with all the trimmings, chips, baked beans, Asian slaw and cookie cups.

The boys were eager to try out Uncle Bill's real fishing poles, and the girls shrieked with delight to catch the purple plastic fish on his granddaughters' toy fishing poles.

My favorite little firecracker sparkles in a smocked bikini and personalized headband!

Happy Fourth of July!

Last year we spent the Fourth with Joe's family in Georgia, and this year we will be celebrating the holiday with mine. Wherever the holiday takes you this year, I hope you will have a safe and blessed weekend.

Happy Fourth of July!

By the Book

Our church participates in a program each spring called Lads-2-Leaders, and 7-year-old Christian has already been reading Hebrews in anticipation of next year's convention activities. Knowing how hard older brother, Carson, worked in preparing his speech for this year's convention, Christian is already eager to get started on a speech of his own.

"Dad, Dad!" Christian began excitedly. "What are we going to do for my speech?"

Thinking of next year's convention theme, "Faith Is the Victory," Joe sighed. "I don't know, Christian. I would be happy if you just quoted Hebrews 11."

"But, Dad," Christian replied, shocked, "wouldn't that be plagiarism?"

Pick of the Season: Fabric Headbands

Personalized fabric headbands are a fresh choice for summer.

I love the look of the monogrammed headbands I've seen in my childrens clothing catalogs, but most cost more than $20 with personalization. That is a little pricey for me trying to outfit two little girls, so I have started making my own using headbands purchased at Dollar Tree. The headbands pictured above were originally covered in silky animal print fabric and embellished with plastic jewels. Although the original styles were a little too wild for me, I liked the shape of the headbands, so I bought several.

To make your own fabric-covered headband, carefully remove the fabric covering from a dollar-store headband and use the fabric to loosely trace a pattern on tissue paper. Play with the dimensions, wrapping the headband with the tissue to get an impression of the headband. Then cut out the pattern, allowing enough width to wrap around to the underside of the headband. Iron the tissue-paper pattern smooth, then fold the pattern in half. This crease will be helpful for centering the name on personalized fabric.

Next, pick fabrics and trims.

Lime and raspberry are fresh picks for summer, but they are always in season in my book!

Keep in mind that pastel and lighter-weight fabrics might need to be lined if the plastic headband is dark. Measure the width of your headband and monogram the fabric, if desired. Then center the tissue over the monogram, and trace the pattern. Cut out the fabric, place it face-down on wax paper, and cover it with a coat of spray adhesive. Then start wrapping the headband, working outward from the center and smoothing any wrinkles from the fabric as you go. You should have a little fabric left dangling from the ends of the headband. Fold this up to the underside of the headband, and secure it with a little hot glue. Finally, hot glue a length of ribbon or coordinating trim to the underside of the headband to cover the fabric edges. Allow the headband to dry completely before wearing.

Finally, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor -- fresh-picked style for summer!