lowercase letters: September 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

heaven, hearing and other good news.

my honey is getting hearing aids today. and i promise, it's not a minute too soon. he turned only thirty eleven days ago. proof that it does go downhill from here. ; ) also proof, according to my honey, for another reason to long for heaven. where all ailments, sickness, diseases are no longer. i give him mad props for thinking so eternally. with a constant ringing in my ears for the past five years i think i would've gone crazy and bitter. not so with him.

he might finally experience again...

...what it's like to hear silence.

...what it's like to hear nature (being a nature lover himself, the dragonfly above is dedicated to my man)

...what it's like to hear his kids' tiny cries.

...what it's like to really hear what i'm asking him to do. ; )

oh, and get this. since my man is a full-time worship leader/musician, his hearing aids had to be the best of the best kind. the kind that costs as much as a decent car. the kind we could never afford. the kind that we've prayed to somehow get for years upon years. the kind God has provided for us, for free (through the vocational rehabilitation department of South Carolina). yet, another lesson in provision. we're so grateful today.

in other miraculous news of sorts:

:: one of my dearest friends and her husband recently finished their domestic adoption paperwork to adopt their first child and were matched to their newborn daughter this past monday. we thought this would be a years in the making thing. it was more like weeks. what joy!

:: my sister-in-law and her husband finally got the paperwork signed (after waiting 8 months on a court in Haiti) to continue on with their adoption of a beautiful 7 year old girl (they started the adoption process just after the Haiti earthquake in Jan. of 2010). i'm going to be an auntie for the 5th time (Lord willing) soon.

:: our yearly adjusting mortgage went up only $10. this was just after it only went up $4 last year. God knows what we can handle. more provision.

:: and also, my sweet friend, leah, gave me an edition of photoshop elements. she's so cool. i'm excited to learn how to really edit.

my heart is pretty full today. praise God from whom all blessings flow!

-carissa

linking up with rach ~

Monday, September 26, 2011

miscellany monday

1. i finally saw the help over the weekend. thanks to this girl, we had a starbucks+movie date all on gift cards. i don't have a picture to prove it, but i can tell you that it made me fall in love all over again with the tender and touching story. skeeter was as amazing as i expected her to be, abilene was just as precious as a red ruby, and minny kept a better reign on her tongue than i anticipated.

2. the only problem with reading the above mentioned book so young in life, is that i feel ruined for all other novels. i've started water for elephants and i'm strangely engrossed but hoping it gets much better because i can only read about circus animal manure and similarly gross things for so long.

3. hunter got a two-month overdue hair cut this weekend. when you have to pay $20 to get your lil' man's hairs cut, you tend to stretch it out as long as possible. somehow, though, it never ends up looking quite right. i blame it on his antsyness, his inherited big head from daddy along with a mop of locks that situates itself right on the tip top of his noggin. maybe one day, if he's lucky, he will grow into it all.

4. remember this pretty grey backdropped butterfly dress from months back? - the one i bought in january with an old navy gift card from christmas. i had yet to wear it until yesterday. it's like i dreamt of being napolean, somehow woke up brave as a result, and finally walked out the door with butterflies fluttering all over my stomach as they adorned my dress as well. i'm just not a big bold print person, so i felt way out of my comfort zone. hunter said i looked "perdy" so i half believed my two year old and continued on. my honey loved it so i was happy. i plan on wearing it again without letting it sit in my closet for nine months.

5. our weekend feels most complete with (church, of course - that's a no brainer, and) a visit to the farmer's market. when i go, i sort of morph into a green loving, earth friendly hippie and want to buy everything. i don't really buy anything but some produce and that's okay. the experience is fun while it lasts, especially when you go with this one and her crew.

our friendship shot(s). we didn't settle on any we liked, so here's two that we didn't really.

and our boys below... they have so much fun together getting dirty and being boys.

6. i can officially say that i know what it must feel like to live in the pacific northwest. we've had gloomy skies and soggy days for at least a week straight. the sun better come out soon; i'm begging.

7. evidently, my beloved ener-g egg replacer does not work well for brownies. sadness. i thought i hit the eggless miracle maker baker. just FYI.

8. after feeding my man whole-wheat horror for so long, i made up for it with the help of ree and these bad boy slap jacks. hubby says they were good, but i don't like pancakes so i wouldn't know. i'm pretty certain, though, if you have the best food blog on earth, plus a show on the food network you can call yourself an expert. and in all honesty, my man didn't just say they were good - he said they were the best pancakes he's ever tasted and he now has a crush on the pioneer woman herself. ; )

9. because no post is complete without some sage; with her whispy blond curls and baby brown eyes.

how was that weekend of yours?

-carissa

{miscellany monday}

Friday, September 23, 2011

my cup overflows.

last night, my man came home, after what is hopefully the end to a long and busy season of work, carrying a cup of chocolate for yours truly. when fall rolls around we have a bounty of starbucks gift cards (thanks to my honey's birthday) and for the first time in a year, i sipped a warm drink out of the classic white cup stamped with a mermaid. i don't care for coffee, but when the salted caramel hot chocolates are back in business, my every taste bud screams for the rich goodness. and lucky for me, he knows me so well.

i'm sitting here thinking about this life of ours, something i'm certain most mother's do, especially over coffee or tea or hot chocolate, and how we've shared the good and the bad, the happy the sad, the sweet the sour... overwhelmingly, i'm reminded how thankful i am to be a graham.

their smiles remind me i'm living a dream.

they teach me how much to love, to enjoy the simple things; the days that are gifts.

these two lovable, huggable, doughballs are mine (at least on loan anyway!) to be with each day.

i mean, really? God must love me a lot.

it's such a tangible expression of His love for me... looking into their sweet, precious, young eyes that beg for stories and playtime.

so even though i finished the last sip of hot cocoa, my cup is still so full; it overflows.

-carissa

Thursday, September 22, 2011

well...

i told you several days ago about our ambitious new undertaking to eat well.

it's not like we ever ate terribly, i just knew there was absolutely room for improvement...

like using whole grains and whole wheat flours, buying local produce, cutting out frozen meals and anything processed...

and for about ten days we ate really well, like everything from scratch minus some organic cheese and pizza sauce.

and now we're sick, wouldn't you know it. we're pretty good at getting ourselves into some quagmires.

nonetheless, i'm just going to be plain honest with you... most of the recipes i made were gee.ross. this smoothie was not in that category (flax seed, spinach, frozen organic berries, frozen natural plain yogurt, fresh bananas, skim organic milk); i confess i could live off of the fruity goodness with vegetables in disguise smoothies for life.

being the female that i am, i can often look past the taste of things if i know it's really good for me and my figure.

newsflash: men cannot do this same thing. or at least mine cannot.

not to mention the costs. i hate to sound all failure-like, but a $75/week budget does not support all organic, all food made from scratch eating.

example: i normally buy a box organic crackers or cheerio-like cereal for the kids for snacks. the price usually runs about $2.99 and the box will last for a week. i was going to make my own crackers, but after pricing out the ingredients and realizing it'd come to about $5 for 24 crackers (in addition to eating up precious minutes of my time to make the things) i said heck no.

it was most assuredly one of the most stressful weeks in my kitchen. i felt like i was poisoning my kids if i let them eat normal cheerios or even wheat ritz crackers.

i had to find balance, let certain things go, be wise about the money God has given for groceries, and fill these bodies of ours with as much healthy as we deem fit.

so we've come up with some compromises...

yes to...

...fresh produce and healthy, natural snacks.

...chicken, ground turkey, and fish (if i can find it fresh and not farm-raised).

...organic, when possible, within budget (the dirty dozen for sure: apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines, grapes, bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries, lettuce and kale).

...whole grains, greek yogurt, organic milk, soy milk (if you're scared of soy, read this).

...home-made: breads, doughs, some sacues, salad dressings, granola.

no to...

...processed frozen meals.

...prepackaged cookies, and many processed snacks (although, organic or whole grain crackers and cheerios are totally allowed).

...switching to all whole wheat flours. gasp. i know. we're rotten. i made this mac and cheese with wheat noodles, a whole wheat roux, and organic cheeses. i'm not even going to price out how much all that cost... i'd cringe too sharply. it was okay, but really, it wasn't melt in your mouth, this tastes so naturally fresh and creamy delicious like i had hoped. and if i'm going to spend $5+ (or something like that since i refuse to add it up) on mac and cheese it better be darn good.

let me introduce you to something that is good. this apple pumpkin butter and goat cheese ensemble take the place of my preferred snack or meal with whole-grain crackers ~

all in all, we're taking a more realistic natural approach that conforms to the needs/desires/tastes/budget of our family.

and i'm not losing sleep over making five thousand items from scratch everyday.

win-win.

how are you doing with eating?

-carissa

Monday, September 19, 2011

miscellany monday

ahoy me hearties! write random and join in below.

1. today is international talk like a pirate day and it also happens to be my matey's 30th birthday. our lil' scallywag is going to be even more enamored when he realizes his dad shares a special day with pirates. since my honey is (way) older than i am, it's a good thing he has me to keep him young. : ) all i know is that this man o' mine looks mighty good holding our babies and i pray for many many many more birthday celebrations together. he reads me like a book, points me to Jesus and leads me out of servanthood. this is our eighth birthday together and it only gets better with age - this love thing.

2. shiver me timbers. it was cold in the south this weekend. we wore jackets to the beach and had plenty of chill bumps as the wind almost blew us to pieces. we're really feeling fall in september. this is new to our southern skin.

3. oh me! we were in for a sweet little musical treat... we just so happened to be at an outfitter store on friday afternoon and found out that mat kearney was playing a few songs there (for free!). i was starstruck... it felt like a personal concert. there were maybe 40 people listening. i now have a new obsession with the mat kearney station on pandora. i always get super attached when i hear people play in real life. there's something about singing like we're free and watching the world around fly by us that's pretty music to my ears.

-carissa

{miscellany monday}

Friday, September 16, 2011

captive thoughts, clean plates and chelsea's cookies.

i have been in a funk. the kind where you sort of know why (and the reasons may be valid), but sort of want to tell yourself to get over it, be a big girl, quit being selfishly faithless, and just plain trust the Lord. my honey prayed for me and recited all the ways the Lord has been faithful to us in the past. - if i want to feel overwhelming love, kindness and unending grace, i must dwell on these things. i think it's part of renewing your mind and taking your thoughts captive. it helps keep my sporadic vagabond brain from drifting into fruitless lands.

on a much lesser degree, there's something else that really cheers me up... my kids actually eating the meal i prepared without a fight. on normal occasions, they come armed for food battle with their ridiculously cute smiles and endless pleadings to be finished without even tasting anything that rests on their plate. but yesterday was different. yesterday was glorious. meal time was easy... it was a miracle of sorts... my kiddos cleaned their plates at lunch and dinner. which meant one thing. a celebration was ON.

and thankfully, i was equipped and ready with chocolate chip cookies of the egg free variety, the only kind this house allows.

finally, thanks to this box stuck in the 70's but really only bought a few days ago at the grocery store, our chocolate chip cookies tasted normal for once. not flaxy, not vinegary, but normal. for the first time we didn't miss the eggs. egg allergy ridden people rejoice! there's serious hope. i've tasted it.

it took only two big try to shove it all in your mouth at once bites for him to finish. he's never tasted such a tasty treat.

paired with the egg free victory powder, this recipe now holds the ticket to my chocolate shaped heart. it is the perfect pairing of crunchy, cakey and soft along with a not-too-flour-y or not-too-sugary balance. i can now proclaim like the rest of the world, that i have the best cookie recipe in existence.

i have a very useful (wink, wink) degree in political science, i am one of those odd weirdos that enjoys the political scene. in fact, i recently declared to my friend that george w. bush most assuredly would have a crush on me instead of her, just because of my diploma. ; ) i don't always enjoy cooking; so in an almost genius moment, i bought this cookbook a long time ago in hopes of it helping me relish the kitchen. years later, i can't say that it livened up my cooking time much, but it's totally worth the buy just for these bad boys. chocolate chip cookies are also really good at taking my blue-colored, gloomy glasses off. : )

Chelsea's Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Walter Scheib

*1 large egg (or EnerG egg replacer!)

*1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

*½ cup granulated sugar

*1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

*1 ¼ cups cake flour

*½ teaspoon salt

*½ teaspoon baking soda

*1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two cookie sheets.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.

3. Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together, add to the mixture, and blend well, then stir in the chips.

4. Place the dough in 2-tablespoon portions onto the cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between the cookies.

5. Bake until lightly golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool briefly in the pans, and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 24 cookies.

-carissa

linking with rach. delicious egg free cookies plus clean plated-ness are some favorites, for sure.

Monday, September 12, 2011

miscellany monday

write random and join in below.

1. if you're out in the country with your kid-uncle, andrew, on a hunt for wild animals, the only hats to wear are the camo kind.

2. my girl got the camo hat memo a day late.

because one camo hat, pink frilly tunic wearing picture isn't enough.

3. a favorite snack that could also slightly qualify as a dessert. bananas + peanut butter + chocolate chips.

4. if you're in a pinch, down on your granola making skills, or just plain lazy, this is a good substitute.

5. i went to an island wide bi-annual yard sale on saturday. the good and bad news is that i only spent $4. which means i didn't find much of anything. there's some redemption, though... i got this jacket type piece for $2. the original target tags were still attached, marked $24.99. the best part is that i bought this a few years ago when it was at target, paid full retail, felt guilty and returned it. and now we're reunited for $22.99 less.

6. my honey recorded a cd in a studio this weekend with his worship band. i've heard a snippet and it makes me proud. can't wait for it to be mixed and mastered so i can tell you how to get it on itunes. you will have happy ears. : )

-carissa

Friday, September 9, 2011

ada's quilt

her aged brown eyes stung with wisdom and experience filled her dainty hands. she was a farmer's wife in the country of minnesota and a stay at home mother long before it was pretty. dishes were washed without machines, laundry done in wash basins outside, line dried, food was grown and made from scratch, all while raising five children. and i get stressed over the clothes i have to laboriously throw into a machine. not to mention all those dishes with which to fill my dishwasher... although motherhood is always hard work, we have to agree that the art of homemaking is a lot easier now than it was then. oh, and she sewed. by hand. no machines for that either.

that's ada, my great-grandmother on my mother's side. i'm said to have her brown eyes and i really hope it's true. what i wouldn't give to speak with her now - learn about her ways and what she learned on her life's journey. my eye's lit up this week like i had dug up a buried treasure, only i didn't know i was searching for it, when my hands touched this quilt; ada pieced it together by hand, close to fifty years ago. it was my mom's, then it was passed to me and then my sister. and now it's mine again. because the firstborn get's certain privileges and dibs like that.

it promptly took me back to the simple, doll playing days of my childhood, when it seemed as if i was sheltered from all the pains and disappointments of this world and deaf to the thunderous bolts the future would bring. life was as it should be. my mom stayed home with me, i played with baby dolls like little girls should, my dad went to work and then came home. we were a real family. it was sweet.

i want to capture that everything as it should be and hang it up in my little girl's room. the quilt's stains only make it better, showing the age and loved on-ness of the gorgeous hodge podgey pieced together fabric. discovering heirlooms are one of life's little highlights.

-carissa

linking up with rach today.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

naturally speaking

i think we all know that in general, many of us don't eat as well as we should. we've replaced natural, whole foods with flavorless, fast and cheap. instead of enjoying the taste of fresh, our taste buds settle for packaged and processed. my friend introduced me to 100 days of real food and i'm sort of hooked. i'm on the quest to learn how to cook well for my family - cutting out the processed and artifical - all while staying within our budget ($75-100/wk). i really think it's possible. for too long i've used the excuse that it just costs more. when in reality, it really just takes more work - more planning, price shopping, recipe hunting, etc. but is it worth it to have a healthier family with more energy, with the further lifelong goal of eating well? to me, the answer is YES. i invite you on this little journey with me... i'll learn new things to share with you often.

almost two years ago, when we first got the results back from our son's allergy testing at ten months old, i was overwhelmed, crushed and felt defeated. how in the world was i going to learn how to bake and cook without eggs?! my honey also has a lactose intolerance. i know there are many more difficult food allergies and intolerences, but any food allergy is tough. especially when you see most kids around you having none. it can be a bit burdensome. it's really pushed me to research ingredients, scour the labels and learn what it is we're actually eating; it's turning into a blessing (i just have to remind myself of that... a lot sometimes). and i've also discovered the charms of flax seed. i'm still narrowing down good baked recipes without eggs... it's been tough. you never know how much the eggs make the food until you eliminate them; i've had some droopy, soggy messes of dishes because of it. i'm learning, though! now that i've chased a rabbit... back to the main point of the main point. these are the changes i've made, so far, in our quest to eat well ~

1. using whole grains and whole wheat flours - when grains are refined and highly processed, it cuts out the nutritious portions of the grain. leaving you with empty calories, little to no nutrition, and getting hungry sooner, leading to over-eating. my favorite bread is ezekiel bread (i know it can be pricey, but if you have a trader joe's it's cheapest there). i also like trader joe's white whole wheat flour... it's a milder flavor and doesn't alter the flavor of things as much as the whole wheat flour does.

2. making my own granola and trail mix - granola recipes are plentiful, so i plan on trying several on and seeing what my family likes. granola is so versatile - put it on yogurt, eat it as cereal, sprinkle it in a whole-wheat tortilla wrap with some one-ingredient peanut butter and cut bananas, or just munch away. for trail mix, throw in any variety of nuts, dried fruits, coconut, and chocolate chips made with 70% cocoa (someone once told me that eating any chocolate that contains 70% or higher is like eating vegetables... sweeeeet!). speaking of snack time (or meals!) my kids (they are one and two) are loving edamame hummus with whole grain crackers. - if my picky eaters like it, i'm sure you will too!

3. buying local - farmer's market all the way. the prices are wayyyyyy better than any grocery store (even wal-mart) and the taste of fresh is second to none.

this is proof of farmer's market goodness: for $11, i bought five peaches and a basket-full of veggies.

4. using organic milk or soy milk and greek yogurt - my man and kiddos go crazy in the best of ways over soy milk. i don't mind it at all, but i prefer skim milk. greek yogurt is strained yogurt, it's much thicker and has less sugar. it's absolutely delicious with fruit or honey or both! my favorite brand is fage. my kids think it is ice cream! what they don't know won't hurt them. ; )

5. cutting out frozen meals and grated cheese - the frozen meals part is pretty self-explanatory (yes, this includes pizzas!). did you know that if you buy your cheese pre-grated there's a plastic component in it to prevent it from caking? who wants to eat plastic?! not me! plus, fresh cheese actually tastes creamy like cheese is supposed to.

are you all over this all-natural stuff? what does your family do that i need to know about? please share. i'll be grateful and i plan to compile a post with all your tips.

-carissa

Monday, September 5, 2011

miscellany labor day

hope you're enjoying this long weekend and straining the last bit of summer out of september. write random and join in below.

1. this girl first made me an aunt and i love her for it.

2. thanks to mrs. stockett, i now have a dirty house because i cannot unglue my eyes from the pages of her book, reading about ladies cleaning houses... and i love her for it.