What do you eat???

This is the question I most often get when I tell people that we do not eat dairy. While we may have ice cream for a treat or cheese on a hamburger if we go out to eat, I do not normally cook with any ingredient made from cow's milk.

This week I am going to post what we are having for dinner each night. It is possibly to cook and eat well without milk!




MY DAD'S ROAST (crock pot)

Ingredients
2-3 lbs. Boneless Chuck Roast
2 cups baby carrots
1 or 2 small onions
1 T. dried Rosemary

sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 T. worchestire
1 t. salt
1/2 cup water

Place carrots and onions in bottom of crock pot. Put roast on top. Mix sauce together in separate bowl and pour over the roast. Sprinkle the rosemary over the top.

Cook on low 8-10 hours. Serve with Rice.
YUM!

Notes: We add extra carrots because they taste so wonderful with the juice. Spoon the juice over the roast for added flavor. I also will buy a bigger roast (around 4 lbs.) so that we have leftovers for lunch or to freeze for another dinner. This roast freezes very well.

The Kids are excited to eat

Landon works with his sweet potato as Q eats a orange bell pepper

Thea loved the carrots...and ate some sweet potatoes, too

Ashton eats carrots...only carrots


Daddy loved it and I did, too.

He is Risen!

At church today we covered an old ugly cross with beautiful flowers. As we did we sang,

"When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died,My richest gain I count but loss,And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,Save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most,I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
His dying crimson, like a robe,Spreads o’er His body on the tree; Then I am dead to all the globe,And all the globe is dead to me.
Were the whole realm of nature mine,That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all."

Only Jesus can make something as ugly and deadly as a cross beautiful.

Christ is Risen!

Easter at our house

I told the kids that a big bunny was at our house last night for some reason and we scared it off. They were very upset and told me that was the Easter Bunny and I should not have sent him away...and that maybe he would come back. Ashton kept looking out my window for him. However, when we came downstairs we found that the Easter Bunny had snuck back in. Here's what he brought!

Quintin -
How to Line Dance Movie (goodwill...don't ask)
Little Pilgrim's Progress Book
24 pack of colored pencils
Pouch of ancient coins (from Vision Forum...they have to clean them up and make them shiny)

Ashton -
4 playmobil guys
Spot Visits the Farm video

Landon
Thomas the Train book w/ magnets (was a great church toy!)
Where's Spot? Video
2 playmobil guys

Thea
Spring Outfit
1st Elsie Dinmore book
Burt's Bee's baby wash

Everything is their baskets I already had in my "gift box" upstairs...the majority of it was from the Goodwill in Wahiawa :) We reuse their same Easter baskets every year. We did buy a new one for Thea however!

Shopping!

I like to shop. Having a little girl has put a whole new spin on this activity and it's a lot of fun. Today my wonderful husband took me to the outlet mall. He wore Thea in the Ergo and watched the boys so that I could actually look around. I was in desperate need of some new clothes. We went into Ann Taylor first and I felt like a little kid playing dress up. Most everything was for the working woman or at least the woman who attends lots of afternoon charity functions. While I like to look nice, I think it would be silly of me to wear dress trousers and blouses for staying at home. It was kind of discouraging because I assumed it meant that after practically 4 years of wearing maternity clothes I no longer knew how to shop for myself! We headed to gymboree and carters (I have no problem shopping for the kids) and then to the Gap. Whew! What a relief! Nice clothes I can wear everyday. The most exciting part was when I got up to the register and the jeans I was getting were only $9.99 instead of the $27.97 that they were marked! I was also able to find smooth soled shoes for the Salsa class for $6.

Now it may seem materialistic that I am posting about shopping...but actually, it just means that I hardly ever get to go.

What we've been up to

Yesterday I got out the paint and let the boys be creative. Landon made...something, Ashton painted a butterfly and Quintin painted Adam and Eve. We have been reading through the bible starting at the very beginning. It's very interesting and the boys really enjoy it. We read about 2 chapters at breakfast and 2 chapters at lunch. The boys talk about it throughout the day so I know they are understanding a lot of it...especially Quintin! They are also learning new vocabulary such as "offspring" and what it means to "be fruitful and increase in number". Well, to them that means have a lot of babies! We're only on chapter 10 and we've heard "be fruitful and increase in number" so many times! I am trying to put the Lord into their everyday lives in every way I can. We have been listening to Seeds Christian Music often and I will hear the kids sing it as they play. They use verses strait from the bible and sing them in a really fun, upbeat way. Dan even commented that he should take the CD in the car to listen to on his commute to work! http://www.seedsmusic.com/ , if you want to check it out.

Here is the tower of babel that Q created while listening to our bible reading. I let the kids build with legos, better blocks or pattern blocks while we're reading. They seem to retain me when they are busy building...and I don't have to tell them to sit still as much.

So. Who thinks they look alike???

Spring!!

Praise the Lord!!! It is so beautiful outside today. We actually got to use our deck out back for the first time. I feel so much better today. I had been sick with mastitis for the past few days, but after getting some fresh air and sun I feel like a new person.

The windows are open and the house smells soooo good. Last time we had a nice day like this we opened the windows and Quintin said, "it smells like Hawaii!". I agree. I never considered myself to be a person who needed sun and fresh air to be content, but apparently 18 months in paradise made me into one!

We are looking forward to a visit from my parents the weekend. It will be great for the kids. They miss Grandpa and Grandma so much. We're thinking about going hiking or to the zoo. Mostly I'm hoping this weather will continue!

Less decisions to make

I don't like to think. I'm just not good at it. Trying to think and make a decision in the midst of taking care of everyone is just so challenging. About a year ago I started making lists to help me out in this area.
On my kitchen fridge is this...
Breakfast Lunch
MONDAY Oatmeal Refried beans w/chips and bell peppers
TUESDAY Toast w/almonds PB&J sandwiches w/ fruit
WEDNESDAY Oatmeal Out!! (library day)
THURSDAY Sausage and fruit Black Bean Dip and chips
FRIDAY Cereal w/fruit Tuna w/ crackers and veggies
SATURDAY Oatmeal PB&J

On my washer...
MONDAY- mom and dad's laundry
TUESDAY- little boys' laundry
WEDNESDAY- sheets and towels
THURSDAY -Q's laundry
FRIDAY - Thea's laundry
SATURDAY- as needed

I even put lists up in the kids room.
In Q's room...
WAKE UP
READ DEVOTION AND PRAY
MAKE BED
GET DRESSED
TIDY ROOM
BRUSH TEETH
CHORES

In A and L's Room
WAKE UP
GET DRESSED
TIDY ROOM
BRUSH TEETH

Right now I am working on a 30 day rotation for dinners. I have about 20, but need to figure out 10 more. I love having the breakfast and lunches fixed. It makes grocery shopping much easier and I don't stand in front of the fridge changing my mind 10 times about what to have while the kids tear things up around me...which leads to me throwing my hands up and us going to McKillme.
The lists in the kids' rooms help them out a lot. I don't have to ask them over and over what they have done and they know exactly what is expected!

Now if I could just motivate myself to actually DO my chore list...

Big Excitement at our house!

Three very exciting things happened here today...1...I got my Ergo in the mail! It's wonderful. I had been wanting one, but felt they were too expensive ($92 +ship) to buy for a 1 year old. When I was looking at the bargain thread of DS, one of the moms said she had called up Ergo and was able to get a discount carrier because the die wasn't blended right. So I called them up (ironically they are located in hawaii) and asked them if they had any "seconds" in the carrier that I wanted. They did...and I was able to get it for $55!! Even carrying Ashton (who was protesting loudly the whole time) was easy in this thing. Thea seems to be very comfortable in it...she's currently on my back in it while I type!

The other exciting thing was a big snowstorm. The boys had a great time playing in the snow and Q was a very good helper and shoveled twice for us.

Number 3 was that Ashton finished "the panda puzzle". It took a few days, but it's finally done. It was really hard (100 pieces)and he did it all by himself. I think Daddy did help by arranging a little, however. He's so proud!

First Steps!

Miss Thea took her first steps today! It was so exciting. I love that Dan was here to see it. She has been standing on her own for awhile now has taken 2 steps several times. We were so excited...and then I got sad because she's not so much a baby anymore.

A Zoo trip

Everywhere we live we have to find the zoo. The Zoo and Botanical Gardens where we live is a really neat place. They have a "cat house" with cats from all over the world. Most of them are small and if I saw them outside I would think they were a common house cat! That was our favorite part. The cats were very active and even Thea got excited about that! Sunday was a beautiful day. Much warmer than it has been since we moved here. I am very impatient for spring to come. We can use that year pass a lot!

Thea's Birthday Party

My baby is 1! I can hardly believe how fast time flies. She still seems like such a baby to me, however. She isn't walking, talking and most days dosen't even eat...just nurses. We had a wonderful time at her birthday party. Listening to her brothers sing her "Happy Birthday" was so wonderful. I love hearing them so happy. Dan is making her a doll cradle out of wood. I made her a doll blanket/pillow set to go inside of it.



We also gave her a ballerina figurine that was mine as a girl. The boys picked her out 2 outfits and a small girlie suitcase for our spring break trip. Our friends gave her a baby doll which she loves (thanks P&S!!), and my parents got her an adorable bath toy. I think she did all right!


She was so cute opening the presents. She was pulling things out of the bags and then chewing on...the bags. She did seem to love the ballerina. Too bad it's glass and not a toy. She held onto it whenever she could. Thea also loved the cake. The boys all just watched her so closely as she hit her cupcake and then got her little fingers in the icing. Once she figured out it tasted good she was back to eat some more of it. We did take it away quickly and remove the icing so that she wouldn't get sick.




All together it was a really fun party. Next up...Quintin!