Summer is still flying by. I have lots I think of blogging about, but then two weeks are gone and it's old news. :) And the picture taking is at a minimum. Thankfully our camera survived the pool incident, but it was out of commission for about a week as it dried out and was in at the camera shop.

I was told by many parents that they have tons of pictures of their first child, and very few of the subsequent children. I thought that I would do differently! Ha, not to be. When I have a toddler running around, I keep the camera out of reach, which means I don't grab it when the photo moments are at hand. We have probably 1/4 the number of pictures of Vance that we do of Aletheia at this age. Oh, well. Such is life. Sometimes I think it is more important to live life, than to capture it on camera.

Here's a recipe I've been meaning to share since the Mexican Fiesta we had back in June. It was something I made up on the fly and actually turned out much to our liking.

Shredded Chicken

Chicken, boneless (thighs, breasts or a combination of the two)

Taco Seasoning (choose your spice & heat level)

Cilantro, fresh, chopped (reserve some for garnish)

1. Remove excess fat from chicken.

2. Layer chicken in crockpot. (You can make several layers depending on how much chicken you want to make, but be sure to season between each layer.)

3. Thoroughly coat chicken with taco seasoning (I used 2 packets for two thick layers of chicken).

4. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over top of chicken.

5. Cover and cook on High for 5-6 hours.

6. Take two large forks and shred chicken thoroughly. Stir around in taco juices that have formed while cooking. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

7. Serve with your favourite Mexican meal (tacos, burritos, tostadas, etc.)

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Photo Links (Click to see more)

Vance (Spring 2008)

Aletheia's Birthday Party (June)

Aletheia (Summer 2008)

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My friend, Stephanie, shared this recipe with me after they gave us a loaf of this yummy bread when Vance was born. It's super-easy to make. The beer doesn't overpower the taste of the bread and it's great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Beer Bread

3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 bottle (12oz.) of beer (I used Sam Adams lager)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan. Mix the flour and sugar together. Pour in the bottle of beer. Mix dry & wet ingredients together until they are thoroughly blended. (Don't overmix.) Dump the dough into greased pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Poke holes in the top of the loaf and pour 1/4 cup melted butter over the top and return to oven for another 5 minutes. (I just rubbed a bit of butter over the top so that it formed a buttery glow.) Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

This freezes very well.....if it lasts that long! I made two pans and baked them side-by-side. Turned out great.

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After I bought self-rising flour and used it for this recipe, I thought, what's so special about it....plus I hoped I could find a less-expensive route (self-rising flour isn't all that cheap). So, with a bit of poking around the internet, I came up with numerous recipes for Self-Rising Flour, all of which are the same.

Self-Rising Flour

1 cup of flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix thoroughly and store in covered container.

Note: If you're making a recipe which calls for plain flour and you use self-rising, be sure to cut the salt & baking powder which might be listed elsewhere in the recipe.

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Her webstore has just opened! I am eyeing this pattern booklet for various pincushions

and the Trash Ties would make great hair accessories for Aletheia and me.

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Every year I look forward to the summer and things slowing down, then summer hits and next thing I know we're 3/4 of the way through July. I'm shocked.

We have been enjoying ourselves during this busy time. Some highlights:

* Aletheia's Mexican Fiesta B'Day Party....

* Mark Knopfler Concert at the Britt Festival....

* News of a new niece or nephew on the way....

* Vance is scoot-crawling, rolling, grabbing everything in sight, and using his voice at its loudest decibal....

* Fresh berries, basil, salad greens, tomatoes...

I do have photos from the party which I think I got off of our camera before it took a dive in the pool.  :( I am hoping and praying that our digital camera (wedding gift) will be ok. Friday, I went to a private pool party with my new-mom's Bible study. One of the gals accidentally dropped our camera in the pool. Ah!!!! It's been drying out for a few days and I will probably test it tomorrow. That camera is one of my favourite things. I take it with me almost everywhere and use it all of the time. We will see what happens. 

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When did she grow up?

Age 2 - 2007                       Age 3 -2008

We had a very small celebration of Aletheia's birthday at camp. It fell on "Free-Day" which is unscheduled for activities after chapel until dinner. So by about 10:30 am most of the camp clears out and head up and down the coast to explore. We headed down the coast towards Tillamook which is about 15 minutes away. There are a few thrift-stores we went into (found some great antique linens) and then we headed to Netarts for a seafood lunch. My mom and sister-in-law, Naomi, were along too. All of us ended up at Schooners which was recommended for their great fish & chips! They served the best home-made tartar sauce I've ever had. It had capers, red onion, dill and lots of other tasty ingredients. I'm going to try to find a similar recipe to make.

Anyway, back to birthday business....

The sprinkle cake which was the cause of great weeping....

Some nights the desserts were already waiting at the tables before the food came out. Woe to those who see these great sweet things and then must wait until after dinner! This was one such night and an already tired & cranky Aletheia wanted nothing to do with dinner, but only her cake. There were many tears leading to her removal from the dining room for a "talk" with her Papa.

Age 2 - 2007                     Age 3-2008

At last! She has eaten some dinner and now we can celebrate with cake.

I'm glad I remembered to pack a "3" candle & some matches so we could have a little celebration. It worked great too because the planned dessert after dinner was a sprinkle cake with frosting. Very birthday-like!

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We're back from our trip to Family Camp. It was a great week of fellowship. The weather ended up being cold and rainy for many of the days we were there so we didn't get as much "beach" time as Aletheia had hoped. Dr. Leithart was the speaker and gave lectures on the Sermon on the Mount. I only heard them in bits & pieces as I was in and out with Vance as it seemed to hit during his main nursing times. The nursing room was wired for sound, though sometimes it didn't work.

Twin Rocks (Across the street from the camp)

Aletheia made some new little friends and really enjoyed the kid's campfire & song-time. She's suddenly turned shy on us. I think it must be turning 3 that did it!  :-) We celebrated her 3rd birthday at camp, but hope to have a party here this next week. (If I get everything planned!)

The one day we braved the beach. It was VERY windy!

Most families from the church hosting the camp had been hit with a nasty stomach flu the week prior to camp. Most everyone was feeling well by Thursday/Friday before camp, but apparently some were still sick. The flu spread through many of the visiting families as the week progressed. We didn't get it at camp.....we however, did get it on Saturday. That was one of the most unpleasant trips back from camp. Aletheia got car-sick from a very winding section of coastal highway an hour into the journey and it went downhill from there. I was thankful to have packed a roll of paper-towels and some trashbags. We made it home with several more accidents, a diaper blow-out and general discomfort.

Yay! The slides were finally dry.

My Mom helped us out so much...she held Vance many times throughout the week. I don't think she minded. ;)

Saturday evening about an hour after we got home I started in on the stomach flu and Aletheia followed later in the night. John ministered to us all night long, cleaning up mess after mess. Poor Theia had never thrown up until Saturday and she didn't know what to do. She kept saying "Me be all done. No more spit-up." John ended up canceling worship services on Sunday and it's a good thing. By noon on Sunday, he joined the ranks and was miserable. We gimped around and helped each other make it through. All of our laundry was already dirty coming back from camp, so we had a HUGE stack of wash after all was said and done. Even with all of my anti-bodies, Vance ended up sick 4 or 5 times on Monday, but his case seemed to be mild.

Enjoying the camp's cornbread

Whew! We played catch-up all of this week and are now unpacked, laundry done, fridge re-stocked and in general back to normal life.

If you want to see more pics, follow this link. 

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This link for a great sale at Crabtree & Evelyn was in my email this morning. Take a look at their $3 items!

I was able to stock up on some gifts. If you sign up to receive their emails you'll receive a code for $10 off your order & for certain sized orders you can receive Free shipping. I ordered with my mom so we'll get the Free shipping. I love shopping from home!

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One of my friends, Lindsey, is selling oilcloth and I'm considering ordering a roll to cover our large dining room table. Many of the swatches on the website are too country or floral for me and since we have a huge dining room table, I don't want a pattern so bold that it overwhelms the room. So here are my two of my favourite patterns that will match well with my dining room wall paint (antiqued red):

Istanbul

Roma

If you go to the oilcloth website I linked above, you can see each individual swatch up close to get a better idea.

What do you think?

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I'm so glad my husband keeps changing over the years. :) When we married, John had a handful of dishes he could cook, the smells of which, we soon discovered after I got pregnant, sent me running for cover to another room. Over the past four (almost) years, we've had lots of good discussion about food & feasting and have tried to pattern a home with a bountiful table around which to have fellowship.

Along with our discussions, we've read some great food authors who not only share recipes, but their memoirs of life & history of food that make you want to break out the ingredients and create your own memories! A few recent reads have been:

The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones

and

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl

One of John's most recent kitchen forays has been to try his hand cooking & baking for breakfast. Several weeks ago he checked out The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham.

Since then he's tried his hand at making a number of the recipes with great success. A few recent favourites are Custard Filled Cornbread, Green Mango Fool & Ginger Pancakes and Cream Biscuits. I love it when he cooks us breakfast!

Custard-Filled Cornbread

2 eggs

3 Tbsp. butter melted

3 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups milk

1-1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter an 8", square baking dish or pan that is about 2" deep. Put the buttered dish or pan in the oven and let it get hot while you mix the batter.

Put the eggs in a mixing bowl and add the melted butter. Beat until the mixture is well blended. Add the sugar, salt, milk and vinegar and beat well. Sift into a bowl or stir together in a bowl the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and baking soda and add to the egg mixture. Mix just until the batter is smooth and no lumps appear.

Pour the batter into the heated dish, then pour the cream into the center of the batter - don't stir. Bake for 1 hour, or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

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"Residents are advised to stay inside unless you use sunscreen or are very, very hairy."

Harry Shearer as Kent Brockmon on The Simpsons

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