New Favorite Recipe

A friend from college started a blog called Next to Nothing in which she has a lot of good recipes. The blackened chicken salad is a must try I think. It has earned its place as a family favorite. The girls even loved the chicken- and that is saying something!

Betty Botter

Betty Botter

Betty Botter bought some butter,
"But," she said, "the butter's bitter;
If I put it in my batter,
It will make my batter bitter;
But a bit of better butter,
Will make my batter better."
So she bought a bit of butter,
Better than her bitter butter,
And she put it in her batter,
And it made her batter better;
So 'twas better Betty Botter
Bought a bit of better butter.

Owen cannot get enough of this poem. He wants me to read it all day long. I think I literally read this poem to him 3-5 times a day. When I get out the butter he quotes it and runs to get his poem book. He is also really into poetry in general right now.

In light of this poem (and because I just figured this out and I'm really excited) I will put up a recipe for spreadable butter. Yep, you got it. We use butter just about every morning- on toast, or muffins, pancakes, and waffles. I hate using hard butter. I don't have the time for it :). However, the spreadable butter at the store can be pricey. So I had the brilliant (or maybe just obvious) idea of making it myself. A little google here, a little reading there, and voila! Super easy spreadable butter. You may just want the recipe already.

2 sticks (1/2 cup each) butter

1/2 cup oil (I use canola because that is what the "expensive" stuff uses)

Let the butter get really soft, whip in the oil, and stick in the fridge in some container (we use our old container that we bought spreadable butter in initially before being enlightened... muhahahahahaha).

Done. And it is just as good as the other stuff.

A new choice instrument

Owen decided that he wanted to stage a dance party for Adelyn and I so he got his drum and a couple of colored pencils (his drumsticks of choice) and had us dance to his beat. Then he put his pencils together and did something I had never seen him do before- he started playing a made-up violin. I actually don't know where he had seen this played before. I grabbed the camera quickly and asked him to redo it.

Owen's Sayings

I have a document on my computer titled "Owen's Sayings". I try to type up all the funny things Owen says. It is by no means exhaustive but is my feeble attempt to try to grasp this special age for a bit longer. Here is this month's sayings.

7/2/11 – We got ice cream and were on our way home and daddy told you that you had to take a shower and you said that you wanted to take your ice cream in the shower. When we laughed and told you that you were silly you replied, “Oh, it will get wet?”

7/5/11- I told you that your friend Jake was going to come over (Jake Hintz) and you replied, “Jacob and Esau?” I laughed and we moved on. However, you continued to bring it up so I elaborated and told you that it is a different Jacob than the one in the bible. You replied, “Oh, oh. A different bible, a new bible?”

7/9/11- Owen's take on life after coming in from an outside adventure: "Mosquito bites bite but ladybugs do not bite. Butterflies are hard to catch, and dragonflies are hard to catch.”

7/15ish/11 Dad: “Owen, should mommy and daddy kiss?”

Owen: “No, that’s gross!”

7/24/11- Owen: "Mommy, can we go to the park?"

Me: "No, I'm sorry, Anabel is sick. So we can't go."

Owen: "Oh, you can give her medicine so we can go to the park?" and then later "I think Anabel is better now. We can go to the park!"

7/31/2011 Owen woke up soaked with pee after a diaper leak.

Me: Owen, do you have pee-pee? Oh! You have lots of pee-pee!

Owen: No, I only have one pee-pee!

Our New "Little Man"

Our neighbor made her little girls some really cute rag dolls and Owen got an opportunity to play with one yesterday. Then he decided when we had to give it back that he wanted one too. So, I looked for some free patterns online and he picked out the fabric he wanted from my scraps.

Since it was family night last night and I was alone for the evening because Matt and Owen camped in the backyard

I decided that I would spend it blessing Owen with his new "Little Man". I finished him this morning and handed him to Owen- sans the tie. He said, "Thank you, Momma!" and threw him into a crumpled little mess on the floor. I had wanted to make him a tie all along and took my opportunity. With the new tie Owen exclaimed, "He is going to go work at the bank!" All of a sudden it was a daddy-like "Little Man" and he couldn't put him down. This kid loves himself some daddy

Now meet "Little Man"

He was my first sewing project where I followed a pattern and I was a bit nervous- but it was fairly simple and I think he turned out great. Now I have to hold back because I want to make a million of these for everyone I know. You, yes you, might be getting one for Christmas :)

If you want to experience the sheer joy of your own little rag doll you can go here. Or you could wait for Christmas.

The Photo Shoot

Being blessed by John MacArthur

Our little church was incredibly blessed to have John MacArthur come to speak yesterday. He was in town for a meeting with some other staff and preached at our church while he was in town. It was SUCH a blessing having him here and was an incredible encouragement to have him commend our church plant both by his presence and by his words. He preached on Revelation 1 which is about how Christ is in the midst of his church. I literally cried through most of his message it was such a blessing to me. It was so encouraging to hear that in the midst of our hardest efforts and sacrifices, the blessings, and the pain that CHRIST is in our church.

Also, I got to meet him, thank him, and shake his hand for the first time. My life has been forever changed through God working through the ministry of this man and I am incredibly thankful. I well up with emotion every time I even think about him.

Such a huge blessing! You can hear his message to our little humble church recorded through our little humble recorder here. Just go to the podcast section on the right-hand side.

by the way- The picture credit goes to Tiffany and her iphone. Way to go T!!