Thursday, July 26, 2012

Do you see what I see?

I met this green meatball on a walk with baby; he seems a bit peckish.  In fact, I think the meatball is teething on the fence post!  Give this little guy googly eyes and a few teeth and he could be a potential Muppet or Sesame Street puppet candidate.  He he, got a good laugh.     

Friday, July 20, 2012

Hoping for Ice Cream

I have this illusive dream of being a great writer.  Unfortunately, like most of my (many) hobbies, they are shelved for long periods of time, pulled out for occasional dabbles, and then re-shelved.

Recently, I dusted off the creative writer box, thanks to a new friend and kindred spirit who just moved to the area.  The bad news: she and her family are just here for the summer.  The good news: she has a masters in English, and loves creative non-fiction writing like me.  In fact, she teaches an independent study course through BYU on the subject.  Just talking to her gets me excited about words, the creative process, and self-expression.  We bounce ideas off each other, in between flying Cheerios, tike bike rides, and toy-sharing squabbles.  (She has two boys under 3, who adore Ezra; Ezra returns the love).

Anyway, I am reading and brainstorming, pulling out old rough drafts, and trying to cultivate all those good writer qualities like introspection, and fluidity, and curiosity.  In my writing revival I stumbled upon this great quote:

"I love revisions.  Where else in life can spilled milk be transformed into ice cream" --Katherine Patterson

There's my new goal: good editing = ice cream.  Can I take that literally?

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Happy Puppy Dog, Part 2

The arrival of Ezra's first tooth caused physical, emotional, and mental catastrophe; for all he knew his world was crumbling to pieces.  Subsequent teeth have caused some degree of agitation, drooling, and biting, but nothing terribly dramatic.  I found myself thinking, "Teething isn't so bad after all.  Great."  (That was me, the naive mommy thinking).  Turns out I just have a passive-aggressive child (huh...I wonder where that comes from).

Teething, as it turns out, is quite painful, but Ezra, independent little dude, has found ways to solve his own problems.  On his crib.  Sometime between yesterday and today, my charming teeth-er has striped the crib vanish down to bare wood in a dozen inch-long swathes across two sides of his crib.  (Oh yea, new trick: pulling to a stand inside crib).  I guess I should have remembered my mother's words sooner, "It's too quiet; where's the baby?"  I give you Ezra, the happy (stealthy) puppy dog.  

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Happy Puppy Dog...

...is a good description for my little Ezra of late.  He has figured out crawling (three cheers for Ezra!) and follows me around, nuzzling my ankles, and climbing up my legs.  He continues to teeth, and bites anything in sight.  (I have baby teeth marks on my fingers and arms to prove it.)  He has started climbing on furniture and up-and-over couch cushions, which he also bites.  He frequently protests his cage--er, crib at nap time, and bites that too.  He loves going for walks, or any outdoor excursion.  And, he seems more interested in socializing with other babies and small children.

All of this growth and new development adds up to Ezra being a much more content baby.  Ezra seems to relish in his mobility because he has so many more choices and greater independence.

In addition to greater control over his body movements, his desire for greater variety in food choices is expanding too.  Here's an example: Ezra had been enjoying fruits, such as blueberries and pieces of grape, but now seems to be getting bored with those options.  On a whim, I shared some of my lentil soup with Ezra, and he loved it, completely ignoring all the sweeter food on his tray.  Similar story with breakfast: bits of my toast with almond butter (a recent introduction) are gobbled up, and boring old pieces of banana are thrown overboard.       

Friday, July 13, 2012

Reason no. 93

Dear Dallin,

Our move has meant some adjustments for all of us, especially you.  You commute 50-minutes each way in a car that runs best without using the air conditioning.  In these last few weeks, the 90-100 degree days mean you come home sweaty and tired, but I never hear you complain.  You are up earlier and home later than normal, but I never hear you complain.  You have a new, demanding calling at church that eats up additional time in your shorter-than-usual evening, but I never hear you complain. 

Sweetie, thank you for being my example in choosing to focus on the good.  Thank you for choosing to be a wonderful husband and father even after a full work day and a long commute.  Thank you continually exceeding my expectations.  I am so lucky to have you.

All my love, Liezel     

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

A Good Beginning

In an effort to introduce some more creativity into my culinary efforts, I have tried a new dinner recipe for the last fourteen nights (minus our vacation).  Some of the recipes have turned out better than others, but it has been a fun experiment.  My project is not done; I am still on the look-out for fresh ideas, and intend to continue for the foreseeable future.   

For a number of reasons, I am also currently interested in adding vegetarian meals to the mix.  My experience with anything vegetarian is almost nil; my understanding of a vegetarian diet doesn't go much beyond beans and tofu.  So, I consulted the expertise of several friends and was given (amongst others) two recommendations.  First, a comprehensive 996-page behemoth of a book, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, by Mark Bittman.  Second, an award-winning food blog authored by Heidi Swanson called 101 Cookbooks that features an encyclopedic collection of flavorful vegetarian meals using only whole, natural foods.

Needless to say, I was (am) intimidated, but not turned off.  I determined to start with my go-to food and start nibbling away.  Quinoa is one of my favorites (Dallin and Ezra feel the same way), and as a complete protein, and one of the healthiest grains on the market, I figured it was a good beginning point.

Naturally, I found a plethora of quinoa creations, but began with this one from the food blog: baked quinoa patties.  They were delectable--soft and chewy, fresh, and flavorful.  I put our kitchen garden to good use too, as the recipe calls for fresh chives, dill, and kale.  The cumin and feta were perfect companions to all the fresh greens.  I also tried the ultimate veggie burger the same night, which has a garbanzo bean base and lots of fresh lemon zest.

Next on my list, Mark Bittman's vegan lunch, (Indian style): rice salad, red lentils with Chaat Masala, and Chapati flatbread.  Yum!