Chicks!

We're all enjoying a little family time as well as the company and help of my in-laws. From my backyard I can see pink blossoms forming on our neighbour's tree. 

Spring is in the air!

Today we went on a special outing to Big R. Ryder and Daddy had been once last week to look at the chicks, but today we went to buy! 

Ryder was excited to carry them home on his lap. It was terribly interesting to watch the little babies through the window in the box.

He helped put the little chicks in their new box at home - a few may have dropped most of the way into the box - hopefully they make a full recovery. :)

And here they are.

Can't wait to have fresh eggs in a few months!

Lynden Braun

Going Home

Meeting Big Brother Ryder

Brothers <3

PJ Day

There's a sickie in the house. :/

Ryder was up way too many times during the night coughing losing what little dinner he ate. So thankful for a husband who is helpful -stripping sheets, changing pjs, and bathing a sad boy. My 9+ months pregnant self just isn't as agile as normal. :)

And so today the two of us are staying in our pjs and my poor little Ryder-boy is on a crackers and water diet. Cuddles, which are normally a rarity around here, are abounding and I'm loving this laid back day with my sweetie.

Fennel for Dinner

Happy Friday!

Here's my morning boy, post-bath and ready to take on the day!

After 4 nights of not having Braden home for dinner, I was a little excited about eating something other than leftover chicken noodle soup. Since I've had a big beautiful fennel bulb with long stalks just hanging out in the refrigerator since last Friday (thank you Bountiful Baskets!), I thought I'd better find a fun new recipe to try out on the family.

Whatever did we do before Pinterest?!

Confession time: I've never purchased fresh fennel before. I don't think the fennel seeds in my spice cupboard count, because they were part of a gift and I've only ever used them in one recipe - Tuscan Chicken Stew - which I've written about here before.

A fresh fennel bulb looks like a cross between an onion and a bunch of celery with wispy dill-like hairs protruding from the stalk.

Well, I came across two fennel inclusive recipes that were top contenders and one used ingredients that I had on hand, so that was the winner - Lazy Sunday Casserole. If it were my own recipe, I'd probably change the name. When I hear casserole, I think of cream soups and meshed flavours, but this was basically roasted vegetables with sausage...organic garlic provolone chicken sausage to be exact. Yum!

Sorry for the blur!

I did add to this recipe a little yellow butternut squash that I diced (another Bountiful Basket item) and served it with a side of broiled broccolini  (smaller flowers and longer stalks than just regular old broccoli). I know, I know. I roasted mainly veggie dish with a side of veggies, but that's what we had and the colours looked great together.

And when I've not been in the kitchen, I'm usually enjoying walks with this little sweetie or reading him stories with my feet propped up. 

Have a great weekend!

A Lesson From Hannah

Our small group from church is currently studying through the Old Testament. This week we began 1 Samuel. I've read the story of Hannah and Samuel a dozen times, but this particular time, something new stood out to me. 

Hannah was a heartbroken woman. She was beloved of her husband, but childless and forced to endure mocking from a rival wife. And yet, what was her response?

She prayed, 'pouring out [her] soul before the Lord. (v.15)
'Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.' (v. 18)

1 Samuel 1

But wait...

Hannah hadn't received an answer to her prayer yet - yes or no. She hadn't done anything but share her burdens with her God.  Yet she trusted Him.

Hannah prayed and left her worries in God's hands.

What was the proof that she was trusting Him?
1. Her appetite returned
2. Her countenance changed

And that's the greatest application I took away from our study. Once I've prayed and given my burdens over to God, I can leave with the same peace that Hannah experienced. And if you are God's child, you can too. What an encouragement!

What To Do When Hubby Works 12 Hours on a Saturday?

We've been blessed to be able to spend most weekends together of late, but today was an exception. After making his breakfast smoothie and kissing Braden goodbye, I determined to make myself a Saturday-worthy breakfast anyway. 

Enter Belgian Waffles.

Since I was already going to have dishes to clean and had 4 extra egg whites (after making homemade chocolate pudding last night) I decided to go ahead and make a double recipe in order to freeze the extras for the busy days to come.  There's nothing quite like a toasted waffle with peanut butter and creamed honey all gooey and oozing into the squares - YUM! 

My toppings of choice were a handful of granola and sprinkling of fresh organic blueberries (thanks to yesterday's new Bountiful Basket!)

I ended up with over 12 full waffles all ziploc-ed, frozen, and ready to pull out at a moment's notice. Not bad considering 8am hadn't even rolled around yet.

After breakfast Ryder and I made a quick trip to Walmart to pick up a few lightbulbs and a few other 'necessities' - have you seen/smelled the new Burt's Bees soy candles? I saw them for the first time today and immediately fell in love with the Papaya Guava scent. It's warming in my kitchen now.  Mmmm....

I also picked up a fairly large galvanized pail (Made in the USA) with a lid for only $12 and came home with projecting on my mind. A quick look through my stockpile of fabric and a not so quick browse through Pinterest later, I whipped up a few pail liners with my sewing machine. Voila! I now have a diaper pail that seals - with washable liners. 

I had just one more item on my to-do list for the day and that was to turn some alien vegetables into baby food. Once again, my Bountiful Basket contained an unidentifiable vegetable (it looked like a cross between a cauliflower and the ugly succulents that rapidly reproduced in our WA flower beds). Thanks to a friend, who also picks up Bountiful Basket produce, I learned that it's actually called romanesco broccoli. Call me a wimp, but I wasn't about to eat this terrifying looking plant. Thankfully, the Vitamix can turn any substance into a silky puree, and so that's what I did with these and a bunch of carrots. Lucky Little Dipper has a treat in store for him!

And here are a few fun photos from earlier in the week. We've been enjoying the sunshine and on Friday had a great picnic lunch play date at the park with friends. 

A Trip to the Fire Department!

Whew, it's only noon and we've already had a day full of excitement!

Both Little Dipper and I survived a terrible long weekend with the stomach flu. My OB appointment this morning was great, now all I need to do is gain back the weight I lost. With a little time to waste, we headed stopped by a local cafe for tea (loose leaf organic orange creamsicle - whoever came up with that is a genius), a slice of apple berry pie for myself, and Ryder chose a beautiful chocolate cupcake decorated with colourful M&Ms. Don't worry, after taking a few pictures, I cut only about 1/3 off for him to enjoy and the rest is being saved in the fridge to share with Daddy tonight. 

Such a fun date with my little man!

After finishing our snack, we decided to enjoy the sunshine by taking a walk downtown. We had about 30 minutes before meeting up with our MOPS friends for our tour of the fire station.

All ready to hear about fire safety from Chief Mitch

My little poser

And back to the truck with this little cutie to head on home for lunch and a nap.  And on that note - I'm going to sneak in a little nap before Ryder's through with his.

Happy Wednesday!