Our friends, Maddie and her daughter, Annie have their much anticipated baby chicks — 6 of them! They are all so cute!
JJ just grinned the whole time he was with chicks; Henry asked to hold them, but when we handed one to him he “chickened” out; and George wanted to squeeze them to death. Luckily, there was no casualties.
You can read more on Maddie’s chicken-raising endeavor at: Annie’s Garden.
I feel like when I blog, I walk a fine line between making things rosier than they appear and complaining too much. I’m a recovering complainer. I never want to give the wrong impression, so forgive me if I lean one way or the other. When I read other people’s blogs, especially those I don’t really know, I get hard on myself. I start questioning my own mothering skills, my relationship with John, or just how I look from the outside in. I guess just measuring myself against others, which I’ve learned is an exhausting game to play and can either lead to pride or inferiority. Neither of those feelings rest well with me.
So I’ve had to really focus in some basic truths. First, I’ve needed to remind myself that God has each of us on a path that is uniquely designed for us. And, reflecting on the fact, that He knows us perfectly because He is our creator–so why fight the path/place I am in? Second, just realizing that other people’s affirmations or even my affirmations of myself are worthless b/c the only source of real affirmation is Christ’s unconditional love for me. So easy to write, so hard to remember.
My friend Liz and I were talking about Trader Joes last weekend. She told me she never knew what to buy there and that she could never find the yummy stuff everyone else did. I remember that feeling and started compiling a list of my favorite things from TJs, mostly from trying them after a friends recommendation.
I only go to TJs about once a month. Most often it because I need to bring something to a party or I’m having people over. I know lots of people who do all of there shopping there who would know way more about the goods than I do. (Hint Hint – share what you know) But here’s my little list and Cary made one too on her blog here. Check it out.
We tried a great recipe the other night from The Pioneer Woman. The boys were unsure before they tried it, so I renamed it Cowboy Spagetti and they were all for it. Now I’m thinking about all the other things I can rename for them to try! Dinosaur Delight….Speed Racer Stew….Thomas’ Favorite Chicken Dinner….
Anyways, I highly recommend The Pioneer Women, she has a beautiful site and I can’t wait to try more of her recipes! And, since she has such great step-by-step photos, JJ totally got into the preparation of the meal. He was able to look at the pictures and tell me what to do next.
