Christening the compost bin

On the 28th of January, we moved my brand new compost bin outside. Heath and I had debated on where to put it for awhile. I wanted it close to the garden so we could easily use the compost for fertilizer, but I didn't want to have to take scraps all the way up the hill every time we filled up the bowl. So we decided to make a place just outside the walk-out basement. The boys worked hard and helped Heath clear a place for it in the gravel.

Here they are, hard at work. It was chilly, but they didn't seem to mind the cold since they were digging with their shovels in the gravel.

I'm not sure why Baylen got so upset, but this is what happened when Heath and I lifted the HUGE, HEAVY compost bin and carried it outside. He was not happy at all. Good thing big brother was there to comfort him. 

Next, the boys helped Heath put the slats back in the front of the bin. One by one they carried the boards out and helped Heath slide them in.

Such strong, helpful boys!

What a picture -- he loves his hats, and I love that he loves his hats.

B was very proud of himself for helping Heath.

Yes, we took a picture before Cash dumped the first bowl of scraps into the bin. I'm a dork, and I don't mind admitting it. I can imagine in the coming years, I'll look back at this picture and admire how clean the compost bin looks.

A 'pider web

After working with the geoboard one morning (we practice our letters and shapes with it), I let the boys just goof off with it, pulling and placing the rubberbands wherever they wanted. I watched as Cash would pull a blue rubberband from one peg to another, and then Baylen would take a turn. As Baylen struggled to get a rubberband to stay in place, Cash would help B by holding one end in place or helping him pull it tighter. I was so blessed by these few moments! It was precious seeing the two working together - as there are many days where I see arguing and fighting more than peace between these two brothers. Take a look...

Here's Cash pulling a blue band from one side to the other. Not sure what B is staring at here. :)

Cash was explaining to B that the small ones were "harder."

Big brother instructed Baylen on just what to do. 

"Mommy, we're making a 'pider web!"

B tried different bands before he finally picked one to put on the board. (This is harder than it looks for little hands!)

In the end, they had a great looking 'pider web, and even more importantly, they had worked together to make something. I thanked God for the chance to watch them grow and help each other, while at the same time asking Him for more peace between them and less trouble. :)

Wordless Wednesday

January reads

At the beginning of the year, I posted my 2012 Reading List. It had 24 books on it, two for each month, that I was hoping to read this year. I mentioned that I was hesitant to post it, because I didn't want to worry about it if I wasn't successful with it. Well, the first month is through, and I'm happy to say that I read not just two books, but three! I'm also up-to-date on my Bible reading and my D.A. Carson devotions. I'll have to admit, they were all three great books, which I think is one of the biggest reasons I finished three. I couldn't put them down! (This is the biggest reason I got behind on my blogging. I was reading during the boys' nap time instead of blogging.)


A dear friend emailed me half-way through the month and asked how I was doing with my reading list. I emailed her back to tell her I was on my third book, and she encouraged me to write a brief review on here of each book. Heath also mentioned that I should blog about what I thought about the books, especially what I learned from the first, Twelve Ordinary Men. So here goes...


Twelve Ordinary Men, by John MacArthur


This was one of the books that Heath suggested that I read. I have read Twelve Extraordinary Women (also by JMac), but never this book that preceded about the twelve apostles. Before reading the book, I thought I knew who they were. I could name them and tell you a few facts about them both while they were with Jesus and after His death and resurrection, but after reading just a few pages in this book, I found out I was wrong. This book was packed full of so much information on these twelve important men! You can read the scriptures over and over, but John MacArthur seemed to connect-the-dots with history and scripture to really dig in to the lives of these men. 
On the other hand, this book told a lot about why Jesus chose these men and not others, like rabbis, priests or scholars. Instead he chose twelve men who were nobodies, who struggled with their own sin, the power of God and even commitment. Honestly, they were quite dense about it all. 
Which made me think -- hey, that's just like me. God took these men and shaped them into what He needed them to be and what he needed them to do. It opened my eyes to see that He's constantly doing the same to me. Loved this book!


The Paris Wife by Paula McLain


Awesome book. I guess I need to say more than that. This book is about Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife. It starts with the two being in the states, meeting through a mutual friend and throughout the book, the two marry, live in Paris, but travel all over Europe, have a child together, and (because we know he had four wives) eventually get divorced. Wow. I had no idea that Hemingway was such a selfish pig-headed man. This story is told through Hadley's perspective, so it breaks your heart to know she completely supported him while he was trying to become a writer. She was lonely and heartbroken throughout their marriage, but eventually found love again after Hemingway. 
I loved that this book was so factual, although still fiction. It took you to Paris in the 20's during the jazz age and when everyone enjoyed their alcohol, and names like Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald were still unknown. 
I think I loved this book because it was historical fiction, about a favorite author, and it had a bit of romance, too. McLain is a great writer, very artistic in style, which I appreciate. Thanks to Amy for recommending this book!


The Help by Kathryn Stockett


What can I say? If the book could be nominated for an Oscar, too, it would definitely win. This 400 plus page book took me about a week to read. I couldn't put it down. I got behind on laundry, ironing, dishes and house cleaning. Yeah, it basically got me in trouble, but it was well worth it. (I'm caught up now, by the way.) I'm sure most people know the plot of this book, since it's already been in the theaters. Based in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960's, this book is told from the voices of three ladies. One is a young, white girl just out of college who decides to write a book telling the story of black ladies who raise white children for their employers. The other two are black ladies who have spent their lives working for white families and raising their children (among other things.) This book is also a bit historical, so it was right up my alley. Stockett is also a wonderful writer who made this a definite page turner. I don't want to give anything away since it's a hit movie right now. I'm hoping to see the movie soon, although I'm number 57 on the waiting list to borrow it from the library. :)


Right now I'm squeezing in a book that's not on my reading list, The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. It's also coming out as a movie in April, so I'm wanting to read it before then. When I finish this one, I'll pick up where I left off with my reading list with Bringing Up Boys.

One year ago today

a lot can change in a year

The $250 Cookie Recipe

Have you heard of the Neiman-Marcus cookie recipe? It's an email that has been forwarded through emails for over a year now. It tells of a lady who ate at a Neiman-Marcus restaurant, and after ordering a salad, they enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie. They loved the cookies so much, they asked for the recipe. Their waitress told them that the recipe was two-fifty. She agreed to pay it, and they added it to her bill. A month later, she received her credit card bill in the mail and saw that the recipe was not $2.50, but $250. She was floored and decided to call the store to argue the amount. In the end she lost, had to pay the $250, but thought she could get back at the store by emailing the recipe out asking for everyone to circulate it around.


I looked the email up on urbanlegends.com and found out that the story is, of course, false. It actually dates back to 1948, when the same story was told with a recipe of red velvet fudge cake. Interesting. You can read the whole story here. My sister received the email and then forwarded it on to me and my mom a few weeks ago, and after looking at the recipe, mom and I thought we would give it a try. At the time, we didn't know it was false, and thought, 'Hey, if it's that good, we better try it!'

So it's a good thing we halved the recipe. The dough was so thick, but nothing my new mixer couldn't handle!

I rolled them into balls to put on the cookie sheet. It made 56 cookies, so it was a good thing we only did half! They weren't hard to make at all. I had never blended oatmeal, but it wasn't hard at all - just put it in the blender. The hardest part was grating the King size Hershey bar.

And here they are! How were they? Mom said, "I wouldn't pay $250 for them." Baylen ate the majority of one with no complaints while Cash passed on one to throw his bouncy ball around the house. As for me, I thought they were great, a little chocolate-y for me, but I loved the chopped nuts and blended oatmeal effect. If you decide to try it out, let me know what you think.

A heart a little o and a big O