happy harvest from scarecrow sam

As I sat sewing tiny scarecrow clothes late Saturday night,  it hit me that this was such a "mom thing" to do.

Like a lot of "mama duties," there's no glamour in spending Saturday night sewing a Halloween costume, but there's incredible joy in it!

And, watching Sam have such fun at the church Harvest Festival?  There was joy in that, too :0).  He had a great time playing games, riding on the hayride, and stuffing his pockets with candy!

I hate that most of the candy has disappeared from his pockets...maybe there was a hole in one that my needle overlooked...guess I'll just chalk that up to remaining cavity free ;).

friday night special: korean stir fry

After a very long work week and a particularly long Thursday, I was more than ready for Friday with my favorite little boy!  Our time was well spent---planning a Thomas party!  To say Sam is excited about turning three and having a party would be a bit of an understatement.  From his place in the buggy, he took to showing off his party plates and cups to anyone in Wal-Mart that would listen.  And, what better way to end a fun Friday, than easy to make Korean Stir-Fry.  Not only is it oh, so good to eat, but it doesn't take long to get it on the table, which is a good thing when you have a hungry two year old nipping at your heels!

The party planning continues along with my carefully planned attempt to see if Sam will go for wearing a costume to our church Harvest Fest.  We'll see how agreeable he is to the idea...I'm really hoping to have a really cute scarecrow in tow on Sunday ;).

the friday night special that almost wasn't (documented)

Last Friday, Jeremy was home, so we put him to work cooking burgers.  Since it was Friday, Sam and I couldn't eat just a plain 'ole burger.  Of course, we had to do something Korean--enter Bulgogi Burgers.

This was not my favorite recipe, but I can't really explain why.  It's just something strange about eating all those Korean flavors on a hamburger.  My mind and tastebuds couldn't understand what was in my mouth.  As for Sam, I'm not sure if he ate so little due to the taste or due to the fact that he had polished off a strawberry smoothie not long before supper.

Pepper, however, loved the burgers and has requested we make them every week ;).

seven months home, seven months of changes

Sam,
This week marked seven months since we brought you home!  You have grown and changed so much in seven months.  Not wanting to miss anything, I've really tried to notice all the changes--watching your vocabulary grow, counting the new words you learn, celebrating milestones reached.  But, the other day I was forced to admit that maybe you've changed more than I realized....

At some point, you changed your name to from Sam to Thomas without mentioning it to us.  Thankfully, I was made aware of the change when you told the lady at the fabric store your name was Thomas.

Another change that snuck up on me is in your level of independence.  I recognize that you're growing more and more independent but didn't know that you had reached the level of being so independent that you go out and get a job!  Apparently, you're now working on the railroad and loving every minute of it.  I'm still trying to find out how you get back and forth to work each day...maybe the Cozy Coupe??  I have noticed it's using a lot more gas than it used to....

Now, I admit to missing some of these changes that have happened right under my nose, but I simply cannot  understand how you've aged so much in just seven months.  You are telling people that you're nine years old!  What happened to years 3-8?!?!  And, if you're nine that means that I'm....past thirty...well past thirty....this does not do good things for the fine lines I'm trying to keep at bay.

With your increase in age, you have taken on a more mature appearance.  You've told me and told me about this mustache you have, but I still haven't been able to see it--even with the closest of inspections.  I guess with your ability to age years in mere months, you also have the ability to grow invisible mustaches.  This is a change that I'm glad I can't see because it would make me feel so very old to see you with a mustache!



Oh, my sweet boy, what a seven months it's been!  I'm so glad you're home and love you so much--even when you make me feel old ;).

the late friday night special: pajeon & kimchi-less fried rice

My method of cooking is make it work/use what you have/ingredient lists are merely suggestions, and I employed this tried and true method for this past Friday's special--Kimchi-less Fried Rice and Pajeons.  Sam never knew the fried rice was missing kimchi and ate the vegetables that I added in place of it.  {See, I told you ingredient lists are just suggestions.}  Along with the rice, I tried a new recipe for a pajeon*, which is a savory pancake with vegetables, seafood, etc. cooked into it.  I know the words "savory" and "pancake" seem weird when put together, but it was actually pretty good and didn't have any really crazy ingredients.  It's a good dish to make/eat if you're wanting to try Korean food without eating something like seaweed soup...

Supper ended with an empty bowl and a full tummy for a certain little boy, so I would chalk this Friday night special up to a success!

Pictures...thanks to the computer being crazy again, just imagine Sam stuffing rice into his mouth while Pepper looks on with her most pitiful "feed me" gaze. :0)

*According to my internet research, pajeon is eaten when it rains in SK.  (I'm not sure why, but maybe it's comforting to them like a warm bowl of chili is to us on a cold day.)  Store this tidbit of information away for future use in case you're ever on Jeopardy; you can thank me for it later ;).

out of the scraps

I had an idea for a quilt and knew just what fabric was needed.  Instead of making a trip to the store,  I turned to my drawer of fabric scraps.  That's right--scraps were going to be used to make this entire quilt top.  After rescuing a nice large pile of scraps from their life of uselessness in the top drawer, I stood looking at them and mentally arranging them in my mind.  It was then that the word redemption popped into my mind.  Yes, they would be redeemed into something more than scrap drawer dwellers.  They would become something else entirely with little resemblance to the pile of scraps they once were.

Spending time working with this hodge-podge of fabric pieces reminded me of how life can be--full of mess-ups, leftovers, and scraps with no clear purpose or direction.  A depressing thought to be sure and especially so if left there, but....we're called to be more than inhabitants of the scrap drawer.

And, thankfully, we have a Redeemer, who through His sacrifice, is willing and able to deliver us from it--using our scraps to give us a life of beauty and meaning.  Now that is true redemption!

This quilt was made for a child who lives in a Guatemalan orphanage.  I do not know who he is or anything about him, but I know the One who formed him in the womb.  Will you join me in praying for the sweet little boy who receives this quilt?  May it bring him comfort and may he know the redeeming love of His Creator (and the love of a forever family soon).

friday night special: korean stir-fry

Tonight's menu item was a quick and easy Korean Stir Fry, and it was oh, so delicious!!  Usually Sam is chatty and silly during suppertime, requiring a few "take a bite" reminders.  Tonight, though, he barely made a peep because his mouth was constantly full.  His hand was in constant motion, scooping and shoveling stir fry like he was in an eating competition.  There was one word was spoken after he finished his first bowl--"more."