The Walking Fiddle

This morning over ebelskivers (frozen- this mama with little kids was not up at the crack of dawn making a homemade Easter breakfast, she was up at the crack of dawn with excited kiddos woken up by a dog yowling in his sleep), we read from the Book of John, which is, I think, my very favorite book in the Bible. It’s told from the perspective of one of Jesus’ very best friends, John, who was one of the few that didn’t abandon Him in fear on the night of the cross. John is the one that Jesus told, from the cross, to adopt Mary as his own mother and take care of her. You can see Jesus thought he was a pretty special guy and the book just glows with John’s love for Jesus. If you let go of the fact that you may have heard this read many times and imagine you are there, this scene will send chills down your spine, and fill you with astonishment and amazement. Imagine you are Jesus’ friend Mary. Ever since He rescued you from being possessed by demons, you have followed Him like a faithful golden retriever everywhere He’s gone. In horror and unbelievable grief, you watched your beloved arrested, nailed to a cross and die. You’ve spent the last three days crying till there were no tears left, and numbness has set in.

“…Mary had returned to the tomb and was standing outside crying. And as she wept, she stooped and looked in and saw two white-robed angels sitting at the head and foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. “Why are you crying?” the angels asked her.

“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him! She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

“Mary!” Jesus said. She turned toward him.

“Master!” she exclaimed.

(John 20:10-16)

If you have ever lost someone that you deeply, incredibly loved… well, I think you can imagine how Mary felt when she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, alive and well. And this is only the glorious start of something incredible, like that scene at the end of the Return of the King when the ring is destroyed, and in a giant shockwave of light, all the forces of evil and the army of Mordor are destroyed. Long live the King! Harken to his side! To war! To life! To joy! I raise my standard high and rush to stand at his side!

Easter 2012 in Rhode Island with Mama Boyer

Happy Easter! He has risen! Joy and new life! And there’s nothing like the taste of chocolate at 7 am to let you know it’s Easter. I feel tremendously blessed to have my own little family around me with happy kids hunting eggs early in the morning. But for some reason… I always want to be in Rhode Island at Easter. Last year we were! This picture was taken with my sweet Mama Boyer. The Boyers took me in like one of their own when I was a college student at URI. Jan and Margie have some of the most loving and hospitable hearts I know… and last year they let us be part of their family again for Easter. I miss going to the sunrise service at Narragansett beach, eating breakfast in the church basement at West Kingston Baptist, and giving and receiving a million hugs at the Easter service. Happy Easter everyone, especially to my Rhode Island family today- you are loved and missed by this girl!

Sixteen years ago I gave my life over to the King of the Universe. Two thousand years ago on this night He prepared to give up His life for me. I owe Him my all, all that I am, and I give it willingly. There is no one like Him. You might think I am crazy to do such a thing, crazy to believe that a man could be God, crazy to believe that I am sinful and need saving, crazy to believe He is the only way to God. But I have met Him. I know Him. I trust Him. Tonight, I give Him my thanks, my love, my everything.

We’re sick. One by one, a nasty cold taking hold of us all. This week was chilly, grey, wet, windy and a big disappointment in the snow storm department (up to 10″ predicted, and maybe 1/4″ of slushiness fell). We had some tough homeschool days where it seemed like more time was spent discussing attitudes than doing work. And, it’s March. Never been my favorite month. Friday was dry, anyway, but a roaring wind was shaking the treetops. I don’t like roaring wind days. However, by the afternoon we just had to get out and I resolved that we would do it. I looked at google maps and picked out a new spot of green that we had never been to before- Krause Park, off Old Harford Road north of the beltway. The Baltimore County Parks & Rec Dept website stated that a playground and peaceful trails were to waiting to be discovered. So off we went.

I wouldn’t say it was a thrillingly exciting park. It’s unlikely we’ll be rushing back. It’s plopped in the middle of suburbia, and the sounds of traffic and screaming from the athletic fields of the nearby middle school carried over the blustery wind.

Plus, everything was pretty much brown, brown, brown. I challenged the kids to find signs of spring. There weren’t many. While we have daffodils and crocuses popping out in the flowerbeds back home (and delicate little blue speedwell and starry white chickweed flowers hiding in the lawn), this park felt like it was still in the grip of winter. We wandered around and eventually found the playground. It wasn’t too bad. The kids liked it.

So far I wasn’t enjoying myself immensely, but there were some surprises waiting for me. For one thing, I’ve been reading a book about understanding bird language and behavior and how it can teach you what’s going on out there in the natural world. Kirstie stuff. Just my cup of tea. So I started putting some of the observation techniques that I’ve been learning to work. And to my surprise, in this grey Marchy wood there was quite a lot of bird activity. In fact, it was a fantastic bird-watching-listening spot and I started to cheer up. First there were the nuthatches calling to each other as they hopped up and down tree trunks looking for food. Then, a downy woodpecker hammering away, and in another spot, a flicker. I started slowly wandering around and about 50 yards away saw a large raptor perching in a tree. The kids and I began to approach it quietly and it took off- some sort of hawk. In a few minutes there was one screech and another- and two hawks came streaking back through the woods. They may have been the reason for a sudden burst of a flock of starlings to come shooting out of the trees, whirl in the wind, and take off. My favorite part was Elijah saying “Man, Oh MAN, did you see THAT!!!??” about the starling flock. After all this bird activity I really started feeling better. The kids went back to playing and I noticed Brynn’s hat and mittens fly off the bench and into the woods. I took off after them and they brought me directly to this shockingly delightful suprise in the “winter woods:”

I don’t live like such things are mere coincidences. To me, it was a “cheer up, my love” note from my God. I love him so.

And today, sick though we were, was sunny and 50′s and not windy and I sat outside while the kids rode bikes up and down the sidewalk and chatted with every passerby in their lovely social butterfly way. Things are looking up.

This morning we started off the day with PEANUT BUTTER BANANA PANKCAKES! It’s 10:00 at night and I am ready to go make another batch. I could eat these every day. I think I ate about six of them at breakfast. It was only the kids and me eating (poor Marc was at work, missing out on all the deliciousness) so there were enough leftover to freeze some. I might go and pop one in the toaster when I am done here for a bedtime snack with a glass of milk. I make pancakes pretty often for breakfast since my most awesome husband gave me a cast iron stovetop griddle for Christmas. Making eight pancakes at once makes the time from the thought of “Mmmm, I’d like to have pancakes today” to sitting down at the table about twenty minutes.

This recipe is slightly modified from the version found in the “Peanut Butter & Co Cookbook” by Lee Zalben. Get the book, folks. This ain’t the only out-of-this-world recipe to be found within its covers. If you have any peanut butter maniacs in your family, this book is just the ticket.

1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c whole milk (I used almond milk)
1 large egg
1 T sugar
1/4 c peanut butter
1 ripe banana, cut into chunks

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. In a blender, combine the milk, egg, sugar, peanut butter, and banana. Pulse till smooth. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and gently stir till combined. This is your pancake batter. Make the pancakes. If you are using a cast iron skillet or griddle, preheat it well over medium heat, and melt oil or butter on it before your first batch. If you have a good, nicely seasoned pan/griddle, the pancakes shouldn’t stick. I find the most important aspect to ensuring no sticking to the pan is the preheating part. I usually start preheating the griddle before I even get out the bowl and ingredients. Makes 12-18 pancakes, depending on how large you make them.

I'm a good dog. Got any sausages?

Last night in the middle of the night I got up to feed the baby, when I heard a great crash downstairs. I flipped on the lights and dashed down the stairs just in time to see Bear backing away from the couch with a some distinctly “guilty dog” body language. Every night before bed we put baskets on the couch… our coffee table has 6 slots which storage baskets fit into that usually hold toys… to keep Bear from making it his bed. We just recently got him a very nice, cushy new bed, but he sill prefers the sofa when he can get it. Anyway, one of these baskets was now on the floor with toys spread everywhere, and there were drool marks sprayed all over the couch cushion where it had been sitting. Smart dog. Of course, he doesn’t look the least bit guilty now. He’s hanging around hoping all such events have been forgotten and I will now hand him the package of breakfast sausage.

My blog is trembling in shock with the revelation that I am about to post something on it. I’m a little better at keeping things more current over at the kids site. But I’d really like to write more over here. More from the perspective of Kirstie as a person, not just as a mom. Being a mom of 3 has definitely taken up a little of my time to do personal things. And I don’t mind. This is a beautiful season of life. I don’t regret it for an instant.

I don’t even have anything of great import to say. It’s Sunday morning. I’m stewing a little farm chicken in the crockpot for lunch and it smells dang good. My baby is upstairs putting his toes into his mouth. We’re not at church because he doesn’t seem like he’s feeling his best today and something in my mama instinct told me to stay home. Elijah has some sniffles and we decided to let him stay home with me too. We’re going to start watching The Gospel of John together in a couple minutes. If you’ve never seen it, it’s an amazing film production of the entire book, word for word of…. yes… the Gospel of John! That’s a book in the Bible about the life of Jesus. If you’re curious at all about Christianity, this would be an entertaining way to get a good idea of what it’s all about.

Enjoy your Sunday. And if you are in Baltimore… enjoy watching some enormous black birds leap upon and devour some poor gold miners tonight.

We started homeschooling last week! Elijah is now in first grade and Brynn is officially a preschooler.  This morning we took our first field trip. We’re studying birds in our science unit, so we got up early, packed a picnic breakfast, and headed for Cromwell Valley Park. It was overcast and cool- they sky had the heavy look of impending precipitation. I decided to risk it anyway, and I am glad we did.

The air was rich with the smell of wet meadow plants. We took a path along the edge of the Minebank, a small creek that runs into the Gunpowder River. Our first bird of the day was an Eastern Bluebird, perching atop its nesting box. Many other birds called from the trees along the stream banks, but mostly remained hidden or too far away for identification. However, an Easter Bluebird made a very nice first entry for Elijah’s nature journal, and he drew a very impressive illustration.

Elijah was able to use the binoculars pretty well, but you must admit it’s got to be a bit tougher for three-year-olds to figure out their wily ways- like finding the object you want to look at. She decided she liked using her own eyes better.

But mostly I want to share with you the glories of the meadow. I wish I could start every day off soaking in this kind of beauty:

Moth Mullein- or Verbascum blattaria. It’s an invasive species- but a stunning one.

Blackberry or black raspberry- I didn’t take the time to determine which it was. But I enjoyed their red beauty- and we even found one black, ripe one, which the kids were happy to sample.

Crown vetch, Securigera varia. Also an invasive species, but oh so lovely.

Dew-covered meadow grasses, delicate and fragrant.

I grew up calling this a chamomile daisy- but I’m not sure that is accurate.  Whatever the name- I love a little ray flower.

Chicory- Cichorium intybus. Elijah very much wants to cultivate some to try making “chicory coffee” from their roots.

And this is what I would like to grow in profusion in our yard- milkweed. I have tried to coax them to sprout in our yard along the back alley for two years now, but they have stubbornly refused to submit.

We sat and ate our breakfast of cinnamon toast, cheese, apple slices and milk by the river for a few minutes- but then little drops of rain chased us back toward the car. I shamelessly used bribery to keep spirits high- a promise of a stop at the bagel shop if no one complained on the hike back to the car through the rain. It was a great success, and ending our trip in a warm shop smelling of toasting onion bagels and brewing coffee made a fine conclusion to the outing.

My kids eat a lot of snacks. They are always rifling through the snack shelf. So I am always looking for healthy snack options. But they seem hard to come by, sometimes. The stuff from the store is so sugary, so processed, even with the “Organic! Nutritious! Full of Fiber!” claims on the front of the box.  I guess my particular peeve is with granola bars. I’d been buying some particular ones from Trader Joe’s without really trying them myself. I had one the other day, and it was so sickly sweet I decided that was the end of that. Those granola bars are desserts, not snacks!

This afternoon I was flipping through an international cookbook for kids written by missionaries. There was a recipe for “Date Bars” from Bahrain. I thought hmm, if I omit the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar “for garnish,” these would be pretty healthy. A few more substitutions and I had some very tasty, healthy granola bars on my hands.

Applesauce Granola Bars

1 cup rolled oats, plain or instant
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ t baking powder
¼ cup brown sugar
½ t salt
1 t cinnamon
½ cup olive oil
½ cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 cup finely chopped, pitted dates or raisins
1 cup chopped nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
2. Mix together dry ingredients.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
4. Press the mixture into the baking pan, bake about 35 minutes, till brown.
5. Remove from oven, cool, and cut into squares.

This is a fabulously delicious and fast (dinner can be ready in 20 minutes!) pizza that I adore. I modeled it after a gourmet frozen pizza I particularly liked from a store we used to shop at in Arizona. But this is even better. You can use raw pizza dough that you made yourself or bought from the refrigerated section of the grocery store- in that case, I recommend you crank up your oven to the highest temperature and then watch it until it’s done. Personally, I like to buy a big focaccia round from Trader Joe’s and use that as my base. If you have it on hand, grilled chicken chunks or chicken breast chunks sauteed in garlic make a nice addition to the toppings. I usually keep it fast and simple and leave that out. Less pans to wash.

Greek Pizza
1 big round of focaccia
1/2 c shredded mozzarella
2 T olive oil
1 bag baby spinach
4-5 gloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
Handful of pitted kalamata olives, halved
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 425F. Place your focaccia round (or pizza dough) on a baking sheet. Sprinkle on the mozzarella. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Pour in the spinach and saute it until just wilted. Spread it on top of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle on the rest of the items. Bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese is melty and toasty. Done. Yum! Remember, if you are using raw dough as your base, increase the temperature and cooking time, and watch like a hawk till done.