Saturday Mornings

There’s something sacred about Saturday mornings. They are typically a day without work and come with a slower pace. Growing up, I loved Saturday morning cartoons and being able to stay up late on Friday night. I’m finding myself today wondering about what future Saturday mornings will look like for my little family. Last week, we walked to the farmers market for breakfast and it did my heart well. Today I’m curled up in bed holding a sweet, snuggly, sleeping boy waiting for the husband to get home. This is just about as perfect as it gets in this season (only thing better would be if the husband was home!).

When I think ahead, I hope my kids will jump on the bed on Saturday mornings and make time to snuggle even when they’re a little older. We will make it a family affair of slow mornings with big breakfasts and lots of play.

Oh sure I realize when I’m in the thick of it that it won’t look as perfect or idyllic as I see it now and that’s okay. There will probably be arguing over who sits where or who gets to eat the first pancake.

And how does all of this tie into my “becoming the beloved” series? Well. Saturday mornings remind me that I love days doing things I love with the people I love even when it’s not perfect. In the same way, being the beloved means I can come to God and show up in this life with all my messes and still find myself having a good Saturday morning curled up in bed eating pancakes. Even on the days where I’ve spilled the syrup or dropped a plate or forgotten to get the juice. I can still come and be accepted and loved. And we can still find joy in it all.

Weekend Highlights

This past weekend we had such a fun time since we are finally feeling better!  

We started Friday off by going to a birthday party for some awesome people from church.  I’m always curious to see how these things will go now that we’ve got a baby in tow.  He did great though and was pretty content the whole time!  Plus, I’ve realized that I just love seeing other people love him.  Our pastor’s daughter and our worship leader got to hold him quite a bit and he loved it!  I am so incredibly thankful for all these awesome people in his life and for how they bless our family.  I totally need to get more pictures of him with other people though!  Too often I don’t get my camera out.

Saturday was a day that turned out different than the first plan, but it worked!  We had wanted to go to the Farmer’s Market and go to their community breakfast, but then we saw it was raining and we had been slow at getting ready anyway.  So, that plan went out the window and we went instead to eat breakfast in town.  Then we ran some errands and I did some work at church before getting home to my much needed nap!  The longer stretches Asher sleeps at night makes it harder for me to go right back to bed sometimes.  Though, I am NOT complaining about him sleeping longer!  I will take my 6 and a half hours of sleep in a row whenever he will give it to me!  

 

(these are from a couple of weeks ago, but he’s just so cute and funny when he sleeps!)

Sunday meant getting ready for church and getting there in time for worship practice.  After church we hung around a bit and then Ryan’s aunt came over with a present for Asher.  Visiting time, nap time, and then family walk time all before our fun bedtime routine.  For bedtime, we’ve started giving Asher a bath and sometimes reading a little.  It’s pretty much my favorite. 

(blurry but I just love how he rests his hand on the stroller strap!)

All in all, a perfectly good weekend and now we’re back into the Monday routine with the husband off at work…but at least I got to go out to lunch with Asher, the husband, and my mom today!  And eat the most delicious greek grain salad and tomato bisque soup…mmmm. 

How was your weekend?

Mismatched Meals

-pita with hummus

-orange

-better than sex cake

-2 slices of peaches

-granola

-part of an apple

or

-1/2 cup oatmeal

-1/2 cup cereal with banana

-one pancake

I miss being able to eat whatever I want whenever.  Instead, I only get to do this for lunches on the weekend and for breakfasts.  I love breakfast and the weekends because we get to eat our own food instead of prepared food by the kitchen staff.  On the plus side, I am glad that we are able to provide jobs and get to know the people who prepare and serve the food for us.

Perfect

Step One: Wake up at 6:52
Step Two: Look out the window and see that it’s not raining!
Step Three: Throw on running clothes
Step Four: Go running in the mountains 🙂
Step Five: Prayer walk for a cool down
Step Six: Eat oatmeal and toast with peanut butter and honey while sitting on the kitchen counter.
Step Seven: Begin the day
Step Eight: Play with adorable little kids and fall a little more in love with them…
Step Nine: Drive home listening to happy girly country music
Step Ten: Eat breakfast for dinner. Pancakes with peanut butter!

16 Things

1. I have a love/hate relationship with Matt Nathanson’s song Come on Get Higher
2. I was told a horrible story about the dentist and didn’t go for like years. I still don’t like the dentist, but now I have one that gives me headphones and tv.
3. I used to collect Boyds Bears. Yep. That’s all.
4. My first job was at DQ. I can actually make cones which is exciting.
5. I lived in Indiana for 4 years so sometimes I can pull out the slight southern accent.
6. I really want to take a spin class. Maybe even teach work out classes someday!
7. I have 0 unread posts in my reader.
8. I love “butterflies” and butterflies 🙂
9. I love love love reading. I just finished Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
10. I’m going to see Twilight!
11. I’m a pack rat. I still have all my notes from classes including High School, College, etc. Even notes from elementary school.
12. I love having a desk, but hate sitting at it. I’d rather sit on my bed or the floor to do homework or anything.
13. I can’t sit straight and normal–even at work. I like to sit cross-legged or with my feet on my computer tower. ridiculous, I know 🙂
14. I currently have around 8 pillows and 5 blankets and two down comforters and flannel sheets on my bed.  And they’re on top of a feather bed
15. I love making bowls and taking ceramics courses and being at the potter’s wheel or even handbuilding.  
16. I’ve eat oatmeal almost everyday for breakfast this last month. I’m a bit obsessed. Before this, it was Special K with Red Berries. I go in streaks. I LOVE breakfast

 

Thanks for the fun idea, Tam!

TCBC

As promised, here’s the recap from the Saturday morning bike ride:

I’m a jumpy person so when my alarm goes off, I leap out of bed.  Normally, I wake up a little before my alarm to prevent this, but not today.  I was tired.  I reluctantly got ready and the nerves set in.  Do I really want to do this?  Why am I doing this?  I don’t know what I’m doing.  Being stubborn and forcing myself to be busy on this day, I finally get ready and get in the car with the bike in the back seat.  I do a drive-by and see a couple of older people in the parking lot and someone who appears to be a woman driving in.  I keep driving.  After sufficiently wasting time and leaving myself no other choice, I park.  I get out and meet a couple people.  Thankful that the ride will not consist of me and old men!  Instead, the ride will be me, older women and older men.  Yeah, I feel young.  After a sign-in and debriefing, we’re off.  I quickly learn the terms “Car back,” “bike back,” “hole,” ect.   Some people are chatty, but most focus on biking and enjoying the ride.  Plus, the sometimes single file arrangement does not lend itself well to conversation.  We maneuver around lakes, parks, trails, and even a waterfall.  At around mile 15 disaster strikes.  My worst fear is realized.  I get a flat tire and of course I haven’t brought the necessary tools or extra tube required.  Thankfully, a super kind lady lets me use hers while two very informative men change the tire.  I am “lectured” about how I need to ALWAYS carry a tube, buy a floor pump, buy a topeak pump to go on my bike, and to pump up before EVERY ride.  Yeah….I was a tad naive in terms of bike maintenance.  Now to go spend some more money 🙂  After my bike was back in working condition, we met up with the others and ate breakfast before heading home the last 4 miles.  All in all, a great learning experience and an interesting time 🙂

Favorite Place

Thanks to my roomie’s friend (who happens to be her sister’s fiance’s sister–do you get that?? heh) we get to take care of this lovely outdoor bench/loveseat for the summer.  I’m stoked.  Now we just have to find lots of other deck furniture like a table so that we can entertain!  I have been able to sit and eat breakfast on the deck for the last two mornings thanks to this little chair.  I love it!  Perfect place to eat cereal and read the Bible 🙂 I’m really hoping this will help me improve in my consistency in reading the Bible (aww yeah and thus begins the performance review references).  Either way, I’m happy to have a spot to sit outside!

Celebration Pancakes!

I officially have signed on the dotted line, paid the deposit and received a set of keys!  Beginning Tuesday, I can start moving my stuff in 🙂   We had our first official “Family Dinner” at Amy’s after we got the keys and of course it was breakfast! Yum.  I love breakfast food and love pancakes with peanut butter even more.

Unfortunately, the camping trip was cancelled due to rain; however, we made the best of the situation by having a movie night and then walking around Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet today.  Lots of fun!  Walking and talking and yummy food.  Plus, we watched “Into the Wild”–love it!!  I’m already ready to watch the movie again, that’s how much I liked it.

Memorable quotes from the movie and book (I REALLY want to read the book now!):

“When you forgive, you love.  And when you love, God’s light shines upon you.” -Mr. Franz

“When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it.” -Christopher

“Happiness is only real when shared.” -Christopher

“You don’t need human relationships to be happy.  God has placed it all around us.” -Christopher

“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it…I was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic.  I thought climbing the Devils Thumb would fix all that was wrong with my life.  In the end, of course, it changed almost nothing.  But I came to appreciate that mountains make poor receptacles for dreams.  And I lived to tell my tale.” -Jon Krakauer

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.  The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.  The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon for each day to have a new and different sun.” -Christopher

Yum! Banana Bread

Here is my favorite thing to make!  I love that the preparation time is long enough to enjoy, but not annoying…complicated/busy enough yet mindless too.  Perfect baking combination!  Plus, the final product is SO good it’s gone in literally a day or two…maybe three if you’re slow.  Plus, it works for any meal…breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack!

Banana Bread
5 T butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 t. whites
1 t. vanilla
1 ½ cup mashed bananas
1 ¾ cup flour
1 t. soda
½ t. salt
¼ t. baking powder
½ cup heavy cream (some recipes don’t include this…but I like to think it adds that something extra that makes this recipe extra good.  Though this is usually the only ingredient that needs to be planned)

NOTE: These are REALLY good with white chocolate and many people like them with chocolate too.  Estimate how much you want in there ☺

1.    Preheat oven to 350.  Spray the bottom of the loaf pans (2 reg. or 4 small).
2.    Beat butter in a large bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add sugar and brown sugar.  Beat well.  Add egg, egg whites, and vanilla.  Beat until well blended.  Add mashed bananas.  Beat on high 30 sec.
3.    Combine flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.  Add this flour mixture to butter mixture alternately w/cream.  End with flour mixture.
4.    Pour the batter evenly into the loaf pan.  Bake until brown, toothpick inserted in center will come out clean.  Baking times: Larger Loaf pan—1 hour 15 minutes.  Smaller Loaf pan—45 minutes.  (I don’t know if I buy these times…each oven is different and I usually find it needs more time).
5.    Cool on wire rack in pan.  Remove from pan after 10 minutes.  Cool completely on wire rack.  (Nah, go ahead and eat some after the first 10 minutes…YUM!)