Thank you to everyone who signed up for Revolution Money Exchange and Cash Crate under my name. I was able to to earn enough funds to get Daniel a fence for his birthday! I know…isn’t that just so romantic!!

When we moved here, the top priority safety recommendation made by our police friend was to put up a fence in our front yard. So, here we are a year later with our fence! We wanted to keep it from looking like a fortress, but we think this will do the job while still remaining aesthetically pleasing and allowing us to talk to people while working in the yard. (In case you’re wondering, I gave him a picture of the fence.) Daniel installed it himself, and I think he did an excellent job. It didn’t keep a drunk man from coming to our porch several times one night, but we’ve since made sure to lock the gate at night.

You can still sign up for Revolution Money Exchange (and I’ll get $10 for the referral), but unfortunately the $25 sign-up bonus has ended.

I am on Blogger right now, because I’m blocked out of my Wordpress blog, due to “inappropriate content.” I can’t even add anything to my text sidebars, but I did notice I still have access to the “import” button, so I’m going to see if I can import from blogger.

This is really odd. I know something similar happened to another blogger, but she was using blogger at the time…anyone else having problems with anything? Not sure if I’ll even be able to add/moderate comments, but thought I’d check.

Since I’m three weeks old now, Mommy said I could write about myself this week.

Whew! What a week!

On Monday night, I got to meet a bunch of the guys that used to work for Daddy–I didn’t even wake up when they each held me. They are some really special guys. Thanks to these guys, we have a roof over our heads–literally.

I also got to take my first real baths this week, but was sad that I didn’t quite fit into my bathrobe from Uncle Aaron and Aunt Naomi.

Mommy and I started going upstairs this week, and I played on my turtle mat and took lots of naps in my crib upstairs! Daddy and Mommy are hoping we can all move back upstairs this week. I’m starting to smile while I’m awake, but don’t really know why yet.

And after a one week trial period, I decided to give up throwing up ’cause I’m growing up. I decided to settle for spitting up instead, though, in case Mommy gets bored and still needs to do laundry. (Thanks, Aunt Kelly, for providing enough clothes for me to spit up on multiple times a day!)

Edit: Actually, that whole giving up throwing up? Well, I was just kidding–I wanted to throw up on Mommy again this morning even though I spit up a lot yesterday. (But the good news is that Daddy and Mommy are doing a little experiment and think they might know what’s causing this. )

Photo courtesy allposters.com
Poetry © Keren, 2007-08, based on the text of Isaiah 55

Target has free Market Pantry cheese sticks with this coupon again through 3/08/2008.  The coupon is for 50 cents off any 2 Market Pantry cheeses; in most stores cheese sticks/string cheese is 24 cents per pack. (Even if you don’t have a Super Target, most regular stores carry cheese sticks.) This deal has come up several times before, and we’ve put our cheese to good use with homemade stuffed crust pizza!

Here’s my favorite pizza crust recipe (adapted from this recipe and this recipe):

1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast

1 Cup Warm Water (I heat it in the microwave to save time)

1 Tsp Sugar

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil/butter

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in water. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Knead dough until smooth. (No need to let the dough rise with this recipe–that’s why it’s my favorite! :))

Insert cheese:

This can also be done with shredded cheese:

Add your favorite toppings (sauce, sliced tomatoes, pepperoni, sweet onions, and cheese pictured here):

Bake at 450?F for 10-15 minutes until crust is slightly browned. Rub butter on warm crust and enjoy!

…before our daughter starts to think the camera is part of the family!

I couldn’t resist!  Good thing we left that dangerous choking hazard protective covering on the cookie, huh?

Wondering why she’s wearing so many outfits in one day?  Well, it’s not because her mommy gets a thrill out of it.  I give all credit to her newfound skill.

Of course, this photographic addiction does make some relatives happy!

Houses built in the 1890’s are not known for their spacious closets. Since we’re living in such a house, closet space is at a premium–particularly since we don’t have the luxury of a garage, shed, or china cabinet. When we first moved in, we only had one closet in the entire house with a hanging rod; but since then Daniel has installed ClosetMaid closet systems in the other two closets.

In those closets, I store our pantry items, linens, and various other items. However, with the closet system we’re using, there would have been a lot of dead space. Now that would be a shame, so…

I picked up some hanging closet organizers at CVS, and am using those to store our table linens in. This utilizes a good bit of space, and also keeps our tablecloths and napkins easily accessible.

Since our closet didn’t have any lighting in it, I also picked up a fun little stick-up bulb at CVS, too (both for “free,” of course! ) !

That’s what works for me!

Taking a break from the recent MP3 recommendations on Christian biographies, I heartily recommend Voddie Baucham’s sermon, The Centrality of the Home in the Evangelism and Discipleship of the Next Generation.

The official blurb:

On February 7, 2006, a group of more than 1,000 pastors and church leaders gathered for the Southern Baptists of Texas State Evangelism Conference in the Dallas Metroplex. During the second night of the conference Voddie Baucham, who had preached at the previous year’s conference, was called upon to stand in for Dr. Tim LaHaye who had become ill a few days earlier. No one was ready for what happened next.

Over the last few months, Daniel and I have both listened to this sermon multiple times. It was extremely helpful to our family as we prepared for the arrival of our daughter–and for the incredible responsibility of evangelizing and, Lord willing, discipling her. Voddie Baucham’s sermon skillfully addresses the central issues that are so often neglected as families seek to raise children who walk with God, and it is sure to convict and challenge you to deeper thinking on these issues as he carefully exposits the Scriptures.

In addition to listening online, you can also purchase a copy of the message here.

Recommended Reading:

Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God by Voddie Baucham. The book reads very much like a compilation of his sermons, but goes much more in depth into the intricacies of what it takes to raise children for Christ.

Here is a list of links to additional sermons by Baucham.

Note: Although we do recommend this sermon, we insert a standard disclaimer that we could not agree with everything that Baucham teaches/practices in his sermon or book.

If you’re like me, you’re not exactly wanting to encounter the grapes of wrath when you open your refrigerator door. So what’s to be done when you have a surplus of grapes?

As we have been receiving meals after Hana Kate’s birth, one popular fruit item we’ve been given has been grapes. Ironically enough, grapes were the fruit I’d decided to buy a few days prior to Hana Kate’s arrival. So, we’ve been blessed with a few more grapes than what we could normally eat. Instead of letting them go to waste, I can freeze them and enjoy them later as a frozen treat!

When I was younger, I loved to eat frozen grapes. Nothing quite so refreshing on a warm day, but they’re good anytime. They make a great treat for kids, too! Like many other fruits and veggies, you’d have some mushy grapes on hand if you tried to thaw them; but eating them frozen will give you a nice treat that you can be sure is 100% real fruit. They could also be sliced while frozen and use as a creative garnish. Just make sure they’ve been thoroughly rinsed before freezing.

Photos courtesy of jupiterimages.com and jprphotos.smugmug.com

Hana Kate is 2 weeks old! She has enjoyed a few trips in her car seat this week, and has traveled quite well. At 9 days old, she had already gained 7 ounces and is still rolling over! We could spend hours just staring at her…and sometimes do.

We are amazed by the facial expressions she can make in her sleep, and are also marveling at her newfound skill of throwing up (um, no pictures of that–sorry). (Marveling at how she could go from no burping at all to this in the matter of just one day!)

Hana Kate celebrated her first Valentine’s Day and even got three cards: one from her daddy, her great grandma, and her cousins! She also helped Uncle Andrew and Uncle Joshua celebrate their birthdays this week and got to meet her great grandpa.

We have been so blessed to continue to receive meals through this week. It has been a huge help as we adjust to being a family of three and as Daniel transitions to his new job (which he is loving!). We are so thankful for our loving church family and friends!

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Psalm 127:3