a bowl full of gold

What to do when there’s no more granola (and no oats to make any), no cereal, no eggs, no… nothing?

Make Cornmeal Mush, of course! This is my absolute favorite hot cereal. (Okay; it’s the only hot cereal I like!)

From More With Less: (would there be breakfast without More With Less?)

Bring to boil in a saucepan:

    3 c. water

Combine and stir in:

    1 c. cold water (or milk, or powdered milk and water)
    1 c. cornmeal
    1/4 c. flour
    1 tsp. salt

Stir constantly as mush thickens. A wire whisk works well. Cook 30 minutes, covered, on low. Serve with a [generous] pat of butter, a drizzle of maple syrup, and milk.

books: again

This is one of the books we have most enjoyed reading this winter. We had it from the library for the maximum 9 weeks, and now have moved on — although I’m tempted to get it again this next time around. Jameson loves it because it’s about snow and snowmen, mittens and scarves, fireplaces and pancakes.

I love it because the illustrations are unique. I’m pretty sure you can almost feel the waxiness of colored pencils. And you can definitely feel the cold of November when you turn to the first page of gray skies and migrating geese.

I also love it because it’s one of those one-word-a-page, Mom-makes-the-story-as-long-as-she-wants kinds of books. ;)

*****

I’m also enjoying Patricia Polacco. We’ve worked our way up from simpler books — like Oh Look and Mommies Say Shh to some of her longer story books, like The Bee Tree. (Jameson is suddenly super-excited about having honey on his toast!) Yesterday we read Just Plain Fancy, and then [for a really long time] watched videos of chicks hatching on youtube. (Aside: Isn’t youtube amazing? I mean, really. We watched chicks hatch, roosters crow, giraffes give birth, and lions roar, all on youtube yesterday.)

Her illustrations are incredibly enjoyable — colorful, silly, detailed, and imaginative.

*****

What books are you enjoying?

finished.

William’s quilt, which was started in November, finally was completed on Friday. The piecing and quilting was all done before I headed to New York — and good thing, because William doesn’t sleep the day away anymore. I can’t imagine getting a quilt started now. In the 6 weeks since I’ve been home, I managed to turn a yard of fabric into bias tape (thank you, Amy Karol), and affix that binding in a much more polished way than I did with Jameson’s quilt. Yes, that meant hours of hand sewing, but I didn’t mind. Sitting in the evening with my basket of scissors, needle, and thread is a luxury I enjoy. (Probably because it doesn’t happen more than once a week, thank you William!)

This quilt project was fun. I’m certainly not an accomplished seamstress, and definitely a clueless quilter. But one thing I’ve enjoyed about the new wave of craft enthusiasm is the “express yourself” that’s at the core. In other words, know enough rules to not be frustrated, but don’t be worried if you don’t know them all. Have fun.

So William’s quilt is certainly one of a kind. It’s wonky, yes. I’m sure there are a million things a true quilter would cringe over. But it’s also just what I wanted: a larger pattern than Jameson’s in the interest of saving time (do you know how long it took to piece Jameson’s 1.5 inch squares???), odd-shaped squares, white space, a bit of log cabin, and a cool striped binding that I made myself. And colors that compelled me to get the quilt done in the first place.

All on the cheap.

And all wrapped around one of the sweetest, happiest, smooshiest, loviest babies ever. Yes. I love him.

*****

for the nanas

I told Jameson I was going to take pictures of his projects because his nanas would be so proud.

He has greatly enjoyed gluing and coloring and playing with cotton balls. And I certainly enjoy it more than, say, mopping the floor. (Which I finally did today.)

He’s extremely proud of these. Our landlady was here several days after the snowman was made, and first thing, he proudly brought her to our fridge and showed her his ” ‘Now!” (snow.)

So here they are, the work of a true (first child) genius:

another ramble

Another goodbye early this morning: Louissa is on her way back East after a week of visiting her big sister.

I love my sisters. Every one of ’em.

So it goes without saying that I love Louissa, and I loved having her here with me.

As for what we did? It doesn’t amount to much in terms of fun reading. (Holding babies, picking up toys, buying groceries and turning them into dinner…) But it amounted to very much in terms of fun living. We did have one special day — a whole Saturday, just us and William, in San Francisco. Sunshine, perfect temps, strolling in and out of indie shops and creperies, and sitting on park benches watching the sun set and sailboats glisten in the Bay. And a fun, splurge of a dinner, just us. Yes, that was all very much fun. (Thank you, Ryan!)

Funny, though, how after only a week of her helpful company, I’m left feeling a bit like, How do we do this again? How do I do the laundry and baths and meals and cleaning and library and train sets by myself?

Part of me says to just dig in and work hard — there’s nothing you can’t do with hard work.

The other part of me says, honey, you need Jesus.

Yes, I could probably muscle my way through a much larger mountain of laundry. But I look at my little Jameson, so precious and unique and willful (and sinful) and I know you can’t just muscle your way through mothering. This isn’t just a Nose To The Grindstone sort of occupation; this is a Get God Every Day calling.

I realize as I lay in bed at the end of another day that these are winepress days. You know — squeeze and squeeze and squeeze till you pop, and what’s in there is what’s going to come out. Is it Jesus? In some seasons, I may have had the time and space to make sure the right stuff was spilling out. In these long, pressure-filled mama days, there’s no time for looking in the mirror at my soul to make sure nothing ugly is showing. Fact is, if there’s ugly inside, it’s on its way out. And my precious, precious children are the ones watching, receiving.

If that doesn’t make you desperate for God, I don’t know what will…

And so I find myself, in the midst of the constant giving and caring and correcting and confronting, desperately reaching for the life of the Vine. Wherever He is, I need to be there. Need to be there.

Jesus, be the center.

You are my supply
My breath of life
Still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
Worth living for
Still more awesome than I know

And all of You
Is more than enough for
All of me
For every thirst and
Every need
You satisfy me
With Your love
And all I have in You
Is more than enough.