Meatless May

The Mak family is going Meatless for the month of May.  Why you ask?  Well, I devised this little plan/challenge for lots of reasons. The biggest reason is that I've always wanted to try going totally veggie.  We already eat meatless at least 2x each week, so we have lots of yummy recipes. 

We also have a goal of not eating out as much. No cheeseburgers = no fun eating out :).  Also, DMP and I are, um, chubby lately, so I think meatless and not eating out could help with that too.  Also,  it is good for our health and the environment.

This should be a fun and interesting challenge. We have decided that eggs, cheese and fish are OK (DMP couldn't QUITE face no meat at all). It is our anniversary this month and I'll be travelling, so that will be challenging. Good thing DMP and I both love sushi!

Wish us luck and if you have any good veggie meals, send them my way!

An appropriate Monday Story...

Lately (like for the last week or so, every other day) Birdy has been commanding me not to go to work. She sweetly grabs my hand and say "No go to work". 

I started out by telling her "But honey, Mommy has to go..." but that quickly turns into a "no", "yes", "no" discussion that ends in tears when I have to leave anyway. 

So I started to try a new tactic. I say "Why don't you want me to go to work?".  She'll reply with something like "Because I luff you" or "Stay and play with my kids" (meaning MY kids, not hers...). 

It breaks my little heart.

An open letter to DMP

Dearest DMP,

In this tough economy, I understand that it is difficult to find a job and that you are having a tough time filling all of the time you have on your hands.  I suggest you take up a hobby for which you are fantastically suited for and that utilizes the talent you posess that all of the brothers-in-law are jealous of- your ability to grow lots and lots of facial hair.

You see, today it has come to my attention that there are beard clubs (they let people with moustaches in too!) and, best of all, a World Beard and Moustache Competition!  I suggest you consider the following categories:

Imperial:

The Styled Moustache:

I really think you have a chance. Particularly I think you could have an edge by utilizing actual pictures of some spectacular moustaches from the past.  Personally, I think you could take some tips from the distinguished facial hair of my forefathers.  For instance, you could go with a well-groomed distinguished moustache like a young Henry Clegg Jr:

I'm also a fan of the flowing goatee sported by Fredrick Lewis (Henry Clegg's wife Ann Lewis' father, BTW):

Of course, the best ancestral beard has to be Joseph S. Murdock, sporting the "natural":

Just a thought. Or, you know, you could look into taking up another hobby, like collecting bottle caps.

Love,

Mak

Stuff I love- Sarah Jane Studios

I love, love LOVE the artwork at Sarah Jane studios. I think my sister Bek turned me on to her artwork (or maybe it was Cynj).  Every time I visit her Etsy shop, I want to buy everything.  I have this print on the girls little bookshelf:

I love the new family tree artwork she just released. I'm trying do decide between the blue/grey or the pink/brown:

I seriously recommend checking out her shop. Her illustrations are just beautiful and capture an idyllic childhood and are just so sweet.

I also recently discovered her blog, and it is fantastic. She posts about childhood, life, things that are pretty, and all sorts of things.

Awesome EJ Story: Guest Post (DMP)

We purchased a new (second-hand) computer desk and hutch today.  I had put both girls down to take a nap and was putting the desk together when I thought I heard some crying. I headed upstairs to investigate.

I found EJ sitting on the cedar chest at the top of the stairs. She was sitting right in the corner, with her legs pulled up to her chest and sobbing. I sat down next to her, put my arm around her and asked her what was wrong. I wish that I had the audio of the ensuing conversation. I will attempt to do it justice from my memory.

"Why are you sad?"

"I'm going to miss you when I go away." (It actually took several tries to decipher this response amidst the sobs.)

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to live with Emily."

"Why are you going to live with Emily?"

"Because you're not doing a very good job."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I guess you take good care of me, but you don't give me snacks whenever I want, and you don't just let me get down when my food is not finished." (This is actually pretty close to a direct quote. It stuck with me.)

"We do those things to keep you healthy. They aren't really a reason to leave."

"They aren't? But I'm just going to miss you, and Birdie, and Chester, and Mom, and Ollie."

"Why don't you just stay here? You can still be friends and play with Emily and you won't have to worry about missing us."

"Can I watch TV?"

Food Storage Auditions- Black Bean Burgers and Chicken Salad

Last week, we auditioned two more potential 3 month food storage candidates. 

First we tried the Black Bean Burgers from the excellent Safely Gathered In blog:

Before we proceed with the results of the audition, I want to add my standard disclaimer to this as well as any and all types of "veggie" burger.  If you are expecting it to have the texture and taste of a ground beef burger, you will always, always be disappointed. If you are expecting a delicious grilled sandwich- you may be suprised that you like it in spite of the missing meat.

So- back to this recipe.  It was excellent- one of the best bean burger recipies we've tried (and one of the easiest).  We did almost double the amount of salsa called for in the recipe, and we added about a 1/4 or 1/2 coup of corn (about 1/3 of a can). 

They cooked up nicely on the stovetop, too- crispyish on the outside and mushy (creamy?) on the inside.  We served them with melted cheddar, salsa, tomatos and lettuce.  Kid rating was a double-thumbs-up- Birdy ate her whole sandwich (which is the ultimate kid test). 

My only issue is that I wonder about the suitibility for "shelf storage" since it relies on buns (which, technically I could make- you know, if they have a "hamburger bun" recipe for the bread machine).  However, I think for the practical purposes of the 3 month supply, it gets a "pass".

On Saturday we went to the zoo.  We have a new commitment to NOT eating out, so we decided it was a perfect opportunity to bust out the Chicken Salad  recipe (also from Safely Gathered In) and give it a try (Pic from Safely Gathered In- not mine):

I only became a Chicken Salad sandwich fan recently, and have been pretty committed to a great recipe that my sister  found on one of my favorite recipe sites, Allrecipes.com.  It is awesome, but definately not food-storage friendly.

We really enjoyed this chicken salad. The canned chicken suprised us again by being really good. The craisins gave it a great shelf-stable sweetness and the toasted almonds provided the crunch. Our only complaint was that it seemed a bit dry and we had to add a good 1 1/2 extra tablespoons of mayo.  The girls also thought it was great and ate up their whole sandwiches while watching the rhinos.

So now our total is up to 4 recipes and we have started shopping and collecting ingredients.  I'm curious, readers, shall I continue these reviews? Are you interested? Do you care? Do you want me to just send you our final list/recipes?

Let me know in the comments!~

Comment- Or else...

OK lurkers, I just read an astonishing blog post that I really think is true. It is titled " Every time you read a blog and don't leave a comment, a Fairy dies". 

She says she is just kidding, but do you really want to take chances with Tink and the gang? I think you should comment on this blog post and then clap your hands and say "I believe in Fairies" just in case.  My fairy-loving niece will thank you. 

Besides, I'm curious as to who reads my blog besides Kate, Mom, and my other sisters occasionally. Philips clan- are you out there? Holla!

This is why we have a dog

Everyone in our family has a part to play. DMP's job is to be warm in the winter. EJ's job is to pick up toys. Birdy's job is to pick on her sister, apparently.  Chester- he is soft, fuzzy and picks up food that falls on the ground.

We got a dog so that we wouldn't have to deal with all that tedious sweeping. Serously- I was jealous of my friends who had dogs and small babies eating in high chairs. Dogs slurp up the dropped food lickety split.  It doesn't count as feeding them "people food" that way- right?

Easter 2009

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="294" caption="Birdy is excited about her treasures!"][/caption]

We had an awesome Easter. We went to Aunt Cynj's house where it has become a tradition to have an egg hunt with the cousins. 

My sister totally outdid herself with a great crepe and min-pancake breakfast.  Then, after the egg hunting, she made a ham dinner, funeral potatos (yum!) and all she let me contribute was some measly asparagas (that J cooked on the grill- very yum!).   It was a delicious meal.  Then, to top it off, she made Aunt Venta's pioneer peach cobbler- the best ever.  *Sigh* I love food.

The girls LOVE their cousins and EJ in particular loves to hang out with Sam and her other cousin Sarah.  Aunt Jenn, Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Brad were all there to join in the fun. It is always great to hang out with the big family and the day was beautiful for it.

[caption id="attachment_523" align="aligncenter" width="294" caption="EJ, Sarah and Sam- on the hunt"][/caption]

As awful as it is, the Easter Bunny came to my girls 3 times this year. Yep, 3.  He left baskets of toys and treats in the morning before we left to Aunt Cynj's.  Then he hid eggs all around her yard. THEN he hid eggs in our house when we got home while the girls and I were walking Chester.  Amazing! 

[caption id="attachment_525" align="aligncenter" width="294" caption="Look at Sam's game face! All the kids got leis. I don't know why..."][/caption]

We went for a walk a little while after we came home and EJ kept asking if the Easter Bunny was going to leave stuff for them to find when they got back. DMP and I said that we thought 3 times in one day is his limit and he was probably tired.  That night she prayed for the Easter Bunny that he wouldn't be too tired!

In all it was a fun Easter. There was good food, fun with family, sugar meltdowns, and sunny spring weather. The perfect holiday :)

[caption id="attachment_524" align="aligncenter" width="293" caption="DMP was photographer and he mostly got Birdy shots. Favoritism?"][/caption]

Book Plots that Bug Me

I'm really bothered by book plots that feature a long-time married woman (usually with grown/teenage kids) who feels like she is in a rut and then either has a crush on or an affair with a man and it somehow suddenly makes them feel desireable and awesome again. (No - I don't read THAT kind of book- I'm talking Maeve Binchy, the Memory Keepers Daughter, or "The Mermaid Chair" by Sue Monk Kidd (my current read)).

I realize that the "Who am I aside from Mom/Wife" is an understandable and common dilemma. However, I think these women bring it upon themselves. They are so dependent on the "love of a man" to make them feel exciting and like they are an independent person so when their life gets mundane and their husband isn't providing that, they have to seek it elsewhere.

I suppose it is the literary extension to the problem with Young Adult (YA) fiction that my friend and YA author Kim recently blogged about here and in a follow up here.  She talks about how it is annoying that in books like Twilight and other romantic YA books, it is portrayed as all-consuming and exciting all the time and the concept of "real", comfortable, love is non-existant.  If you start your relationship with expectations of eternal fireworks and all-consuming excitement, then you are bound to be disappointed at some point.

Domestic Outsourcing

I just read this article and comments on Blog Segullah (a literary blog for LDS women). I started to post a comment and decided to post my response here instead (and maybe link to this?) so I don't feel guilty about creating a LOONG post.

Some of the thoughts in the post and comments make me sad becuase of the guilt the sisters are expressing in taking the "easy way" when it comes to the domestic arts. Perhaps it is because I'm a "working Mom" (gasp!) but outsourcing as much as we can free's up my time to be with my girls and my husband.

In addition to the time it "buys" me with my kids, it allows for me to have time to develop the domestic talents I am interested in. I work to have the satisfaction of completing a craft, crocheted blanket, sewed curtains or whatever, but I don't waste my time working to create bread, for instance, which almost always fails (without my beloved breadmaker, of course).

Last summer, when DMP was working, doing an internship and full class load and I was working we hired a housekeeper, I did Dream Dinners (only after I got sick of frozen food at Costco) and I was constantly trying to find other ways to "outsource" all of the domestic things at our house so we could have some time with the girls (not to mention sanity).

Now we aren't so busy, and DMP is on the job hunt, so we have scaled back our "outsourcing" - now we (mostly) cook at home and do our own cleaning.

The thing I guess that bugs me the most is the belief that seems to prevail among some LDS women is that the virtue is in the work. But I think the virtue is in the actions- are you a better mom if working to hand wash and line-dry the clothing that you handmade for your children and baking bread from scratch leaves you tired, cranky, and unable to read story books or play with your kids? Does sitting around the table enjoying a frozen pizza make family dinner and the conversation and time spent together less meaningful and important? What is going to have the most impact on your kids- the time you spend with them or what you do for them?

I really admire the way DMP does his "housekeeping". As essentially the SAHD for the entirety of our marriage, he has been primarily responsible for the cooking, cleaning and child care for the girls. There are some days when I come home from work and the house is a mess, dinner isn't even a glimmer of a thought and the kids look like orphans. When I ask him what he did all day (instead of housekeeping) the answer is usually something like "I took the girls for a long walk up the canyon by the river. EJ found the coolest thing...". Do you think the girls will be sad that Daddy didn't clean and make a "from scratch" dinner that day (even if I am :>)

I also disagree that just because our grandmothers (or mothers) did something a certain way that we should, too. I agree with many of the comments on this blog that they would have likely jumped at the chance for "outsourcing" and the conveniences we have today. It is the same way I feel about people who choose to go through childbirth without drugs. I think it is super if you have personal feelings about medication, treating pregnancy like a disease, allowing your body to go through a natural process unaided and etc. But don't tell me that 'women have been doing it this way for generations" as the justification because I bet most (if not all) of them would have been overjoyed if you told them you could numb them from the waist down :).

Am I saying that focusing on developing your "domestic" arts is bad? Certainly not. If that is what you enjoy and what you have a talent for, then great. However, I don't think we should kick ourselves when we have neither the time or the inclination to do some (or any of them). I also agree with the principles of the blog that emphasis working to accomplish something and feling that satisfaction and I think life presents many opportunities for that learning both inside and outside the home.

I think that instead of focusing on the acts themselves, we should instead have a goal of what we want our home to feel like and who we want our children to be. If we focus on making our home a temple of beauty and peace does it matter if getting there involves a housekeeper, nanny and/or gardener? If we focus on raising smart, healthy, happy, well-adjusted children of Heavenly Father does it matter that their clothes aren't home made, their mom bought their class birthday cupcakes, they learned to write their name at preschool and they ate a lot of McDonalds? It is the end goal that matters and we can all get there in our own way.

Bottom line is that we are so blessed to live in an age of technology, advances in our domestic life. There has been no other time in history that has enjoyed the freedom and access to information, opportunites for travel and learning, and ability to make social connections with all kinds of people everywhere. I don't think we as LDS women and mothers should feel guilty that we don't do things the "hard way" and that we outsource task that we dislike or don't have time for (if you can afford it- why not?).

When our housekeeper first started, I was kind of embarassed to tell people- like somehow I was a failure as a Mother and a Woman. My Mom told me "Don't you dare feel guilty" and gave me the "permission" to let that part of our life go and focus on spending that time with the kids. I deeply thank her for that!

In addition to focusing on what you want the end result to be I also think that the key is what you do with the time that is made more free by these conveniences. Do you use it to develop a talent or skill that you enjoy? Or play with your kids or spend time with your spouse? How 'bout taking some time for yourself to excersize or read a book? I agree with the blog that if we spend this free time on empty or mindless activities, we are worse off.

I think that is the beauty blessing and opportunity of living in these days- just make the most of it and for heaven's sake don't apologize or feel guilt for it!

Matilda Elisabeth Draeger Kinsel

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of Matilda, but I wanted to continue my occasional blog series featuring some of my ancestors and their stories and she is an interesting one to me.

Matilda Elisabeth Draeger was born in Germany 13 Oct 1839. As of right now, I don't know where she was born, who her parents are or much about her life until she married Johann Gottfried Kinsel in 1860 at age 21.

However, the internets have directed me to a book written by an englishman that was published in 1842 that describes "The Rural and Domestic Life of Germany". He paints a picture of small German villages being a lively and interesting place. He describes how many of the houses have arched dorways and several are painted with bright colors and vines trained up the sides. Women gather at centeral fountains to gather water and gossip.

He describes young German girls of the time like this "The children are odd little objects; thick, well fed and with plenty of hair, in German fashion; the little girls, in bodices which seemed ready to burst with plumpness with their hair in tails. The larger having their tails hanging down theeir backs and the smaller, having theirs brought from the sides of their heads in hanging bows to their ears over which they pass. Most of them were without shoes and stockings."

On 20 May 1872, Matilda and Gottfried and what appears to be their 6 (!) children and 448 other passsengers boarded the ship Celestial Empire in Bremen, Germany to join the first wave of German immigrants migrating to the American midwest- in their case, Ohio.

After about 8 weeks of travel, they arrived in New York on 15 July 1872. And according to the captian, the voyage was not easy. I found a description from the Captains log of this particular voyage (!) and he described it "... have had but 8 dry days during the entire passage; has had 1 birth and 14 deaths...".

Matilda and Gottfried settled in Benton, Ottawa County Ohio. She lived there until her death on 30 Dec. 1922. When I have more time, maybe I'll start a "part 2" to cover her life in the U.S.

How I know she's 2

More than anything, this face lets me know that she's 2.

She's always been stubborn and bossy, but we are seeing the "Birdy Scowl". A LOT these days.  Her nickname is also "little dictator" - she tries to call the shots on who can sing and when, when I can talk to "her" daddy, what music we listen to in the car (IF we can listen to any, of course). 

Heaven help me!

More Chester!

Wow- I got the most comments ever on my post about Chester. A couple of you asked for his "back story" since he is a rescue (meaning a dog we adopted from an organization that takes pets that would otherwise be taken to a shelter and likely destroyed).

The rescue we adopted him from keeps their dogs at a local vet shop, so the person who actually does the "intake" on the dogs is different than anyone who is helping people to adopt them. In Chester's case, he had only been there a couple of days and they didn't know any details about his family before us- just that he was quiet, gentle, had a good history with small children, cats and was housebroken.

So far as we can tell, he was well taken care of and given lots of "people food" - either given as "treats" while cooking or from the table. We know this because he follows us closely and expectantly when we are in the kitchen.  Apparently, eating off the floor is SO very fun, because he will pick up two or three pieces of his food and drop them on the floor just so he can pick it up and eat it.

DMP and I have discussed things seriously and have decided that, even though we have a Chihuahua, we will NOT dress him in dumb outfits. But gay-looking pirate bandanas are OK:

He LOVES to give kisses- on your face, your hands, any exposed skin, really.  I think he is just fishing for traces of food :)  He totally ignores the cat- which is great. I only wanted to increase the animal population here if it wasn't a "chasing and bickering" addition like Jack was (sorry Cyndi!).

So that is Chester's story- I should have made something up, but you know I'm no good at that kind of thing!

Food Storage Auditions- Coconut Curry Chicken and Garbanzo Bean Soup

In order to build our list of 15 dinners to help us on our goal of having a 3 month supply of food we actually eat, we decided to "audition" 2 recipes a week for the next little while.

The first one we tried was Coconut Curry Chicken and rice courtesy of  Safely Gathered In. 

 This one was a total winner.  It was our first time ever using canned chicken in any way, and we were suprised at how good it was, and how the texture worked with this recipe. The sauce turned out kind of salty, but it was OK when you mixed it with the rice. I think the saltiness could have been the cheap-ish spice mixes we used- we'll have to try another. 

I think the "eatability" of this dish outweighs the fact that coconut milk is kind of expensive and it uses some "uncommon" spices that, from a food-storage perspective, will likely only be used for this recipe (vs garlic, rosemary or other more universal stuff). But one bottle of each of the spices will likely see us through the 6 times we are planning to make it.  Since we were "rotating" (internet food storage blog speak for just making something to use up your supply, I've learned) we added peas and the sweetness, color and texture really made this extra-yummy and added some more veggie power.  This one also got a high "kid rating". EJ gobbled it up and asked for seconds (something she never does).  Birdy was just ticked that I "sprinkled" her rice and "ruined" it so it is hard to say what she would have thought if she had decided to try it.

Next we made the Pasta and Garbanzo Bean soup, also from Safely Gathered In. 

This one is probably a keeper, but less of a slam dunk than the Coconut Curry Chicken.  since we were "rotating" and I love to add veggie power wherever I can, we dumped a bag of frozen peas and carrots in and it turned out nicely.

It was nice to have the convenience of a crock-pot recipe, and the taste was awesome, but I think before we add this to the "keeper" pile, we'll make a few changes.  First, the texture wasn't that great- part of that was our fault because the garbanzo beans were undercooked- but I think that the water-to-stuff-that-soaks-up-water is low- the soup was thick the day we made it, and the next day it was about the texture of refried beans.  Not really the best, but we added some water and that made it work again.

I think I'd like to try this one again and substitute lentils or barley for the orzo- just to give it more of a nutritional boost.  I think we'll also try canned garbanzo beans- I think they will make for a better and less grainy texture.  So I think after one more try, this one will be a keeper because the taste really is great!  The "kid" rating on this one was also high- EJ asked if we could "eat it every day" and Birdy ate most of her bowl- unheard of for soup.

So we basically have 2 down, and 13 to go!  I'd love any recipes you might have that are "shelf stable" or easily adapted. We are focusing on main dinner dishes first, and then we'll stock up on canned fruit and veggies and lunch and then we'll probably work on breakfast stuff last. I think it would be fantastic to have a full 3 month supply- breakfast, lunch and dinner including sides- but I think it is more realistic to focus on small goals first :)

Living Providently

[caption id="attachment_449" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Provident living makes me Happy!"][/caption]

DMP and I are trying to follow the Prophet's counsel to be more prepared and live more providently. In addition to having aspirations on working on our 72 hr. kits (we have extra clothes and one of those ready-made things that has food, emergency blankets and etc). 

Our latest goal that we are actively working on is getting our 3 month supply squared away.  We live in a small townhome, so a year's supply is just a pipe dream (but thanks to Dad, we have a lot of good staples).  However, we think that we can totally build up a 3 month supply of food we'd eat in the event of a lost job, flu epidemic, being lazy and unwilling to go to the grocery store- you get the idea.

The problem is that food storage totally mystifies me- particularly the "rotating" part. I'm just not talented enough to remeber and think up uses for powdered milk and wheat. We typically eat a LOT of fresh fruit and veggies with our meals, so stockpiling stuff we "typically" eat is really hard for me to wrap my head around.

I said a special prayer of thanks when I discovered a new blog- Just Organize Yourself.  Joy is seriously my new Mom-Hero.  You who know me well know I love to be organized and she is awesome and full of fantastic ideas.  Anyway- back to our three month supply... She recently posted about how she organizes her three-month supply and it was a total revelation to me. 

She has 15 meals that can be made entirely from "pantry foods" - i.e. canned and packaged stuff with a long-ish shelf life.  She then buys ingredients in multiples of six and viola! you have a 3 month supply of dinners. This way, if you are a total "rotation" dork like me, you can rotate by meal, instead of by individual ingredients (but you could rotate ingredients, too).  Also, if you click through to the post above- you will see exactly why she is my mom-hero- look at the beautiful baskets in her storage room- all neat and in a row. It makes my heart happy :)

Joy was kind enough to share her recipies on her blog, and I've searched the internets for recipies that fit our family.  One fantastic resource I've found for recipies and all things "provident" is the Safely Gathered In blog- there are tons of recipies, food storage and emergency kit ideas and inspiration.

So now we are in the process of "auditioning" the recipes I've gathered. I figure if we are going to rotate (and possibly live off of) these things, we should at least like them enough to eat them 6 times in 3 months (!!! we hardly ever make the same recipe more than once in 6 months so that would be strange).  So expect a blog soon featuring the first two auditions- Coconut Curry Chicken and Rice and Pasta and Garbanzo Bean Soup!