A Huntin' we will Go

I saw the signs...I just hoped I just had missed the obvious-for a long time. Was that a...? Is that fresh...? Yes, it is.
Mr. Hippie and I arrived back from our early morning run a few days ago, and all my fears were confirmed. There, dashing across the sidewalk near my potted herbs was a BIG, FAT MOUSE! But, sigh of relief, it was outside.
Humph! Little did I know...
Fast forward to yesterday morning...Mr. Hippie and I were sitting in our living room having our morning heart to heart and cuppa, and what do I see peeking around Meres' toy basket?
Our friendly neighborhood mouse! I will spare you the details of the trying to keep my feet off the floor, and running to get bowls to trap it, and tipping up the couch and seeing it cowering under the corner, and watching it run into the closet, around the perimeter of the living room and back, and hide under the piano.
Oh, the gasps! No screams though.
After all, this is the hippie who ran her very own trapline one summer at the wilderness camp I cooked at in Canada. I got to be a pro at setting and emptying mouse traps. I think I went a period of 3 weeks catching a mouse every single night.
So, this mighty hunter sets two traps, which have yet to yield a mouse. I think I am going to step up my game tonight, and bait the traps with peanut butter.
And, of course, I have my kids praying that I will catch this little bugger. My exact wording was, "you need to pray mom catches this mouse." LC's actual prayer was, "Lord, help mom catch our friendly neighborhood mouse." Yeah, thanks LC. Now I am going to feel bad about condemning our friend to the world of Flushed Away.
But, not THAT bad.=)

cool car, huh? only 100K

Well, it's Thursday, and that means it is the day to come clean about what I have given up this week. What best has taken the place of what good? 'Cause you'd better believe I am just human, and I am NOT doing it all.
I gave up my online book club for a while. I am loving reading our book, The Tapestry, but I don't have time to finish it right now. I have been faithful in doing daily QT, but I have got to focus for a few weeks on some studying. I am supervising/teaching two VBS's that start in less than 3 weeks. I have to study my lessons and prepare to teach some of them, plus I am training a group of 10 girls on how to teach kid's Bible clubs. It is kind of a dual project-both teaching the kids and teaching the teenage girls. And, to best utilize this group of girls who are coming from all over the country, we are doing one VBS in the morning, and one at night. The same week. So, while I would really like to continue on in the book club, I really need to buckle down, and use my quiet time for study.

all the Hippie offspring

I also gave up a run (or two) this week. Monday morning my alarm went off at 7:00 for a run. And I looked at Mr. Hippie sleeping next to me, and I decided that sleeping in together was more important that running together. On a holiday.=) We so rarely sleep in together. Throughout the week we are up for work, and running and swimming. On Saturdays we get up for a prayer meeting at our house, and I had a Bible study on Saturdays until just last week. Sundays we must get up to get to church on time. Regardless, I am glad we slept in. The kids didn't even wake up until after 8:30. It was marvelous! And, I don't really feel guilty because I didn't run. I choose the better thing for that day.
Finally, I gave up making a "grab my button" button of my logo. (Btw, what do you think of my logo?=)) Are you ever "pull your hair out" frustrated about something? That's where I was at this morning. I'd love for this to get done. And you'd think "how hard could it be?" But it is mind numbingly frustrating. You download your picture on a 3rd party site, get some code, paste that onto a gadget, and voila, there you have it. Except it didn't work that way. The first time, or the 20th time. And I spent a lot of time trying to figure it out. And finally I let it go. I asked someone to do it for me. And I have to be patient until they have the time to do it. So, I took my kids to see a race car at one of Mr. Hippie's suppliers. And that was a good decision.

But, let me tell you, I am NOT giving up on catching our friendly neighborhood mouse. I'm just not.=)

Screaming Needle (alt. "why I'll never get a tattoo")

WWoW
exculpate: (ex-cul-pate) verb- to pronounce not guilty of criminal charges. They wanted to exculpate the prisoners.
Origin: 1656, from Middle Latin exculpatus, from Latin ex culpa, from ex "from" + culpa abl. of culpa "blame".  I've used the word "culpable" before. The idea that someone is guilty, or bears the blame. Exculpate could obviously be used the opposite way. In it's strictest sense it is a judicial term. I read it this week in one of my adventure/spy novels. It was used just in the general "not guilty/blameless" sense.
I like that when Jesus Christ forgives our sins, He washes us free from the guilt and the eternal penalty of our sins. He exculpated all guilty sinners who have trusted in His atoning sacrifice. Isn't that wonderful?!

My serene self versus...

Now, on to another subject. (I know, this is a departure from our strict Wednesday form.=))
Over this sweltering holiday weekend, we spent a bit of time at the beach. Check it out here. One thing I noticed besides the proliferation of bare skin, was the abundance of tattoos. Everyone seems to have a tattoo these days.
I will NEVER get a tattoo. EVER. Not because I am fundamentally against them, like Mr. Hippie. But, I am fundamentally against needles.
I wouldn't say that I am deathly afraid of needles. I am not in the  Sleeping Beauty category where they burn all the spinning wheels so she won't prick her finger. But I'm not far off.=) Actually, I have no problem using needles for sewing, or even knitting. Though I have seen some pretty amazing needle accidents. Like when my sister sat on a knitting needle when my parents were at prayer meeting, and the two of us were at home babysitting. This is a family legend. And it truly is funny now. But, let me tell you...it is NOT easy pulling a knitting needled out of someone's tush. Just in case you were wondering.

my reaction to the thought of needles and getting tattooed.=)
It took many tries to get this picture "just right."=)

And, I have sewn my finger a time or two while using my machine. Since I have been sewing for over 20 years now, I don't figure that is too bad of a statistic. I mean, look at the hundreds other of things I have sewn.=)

But, I am not a fan of shots and such. Not for the reason most people who are against immunizations are against them. I don't (I repeat-DON'T) like getting poked. My midwife pricks my finger about three times every pregnancy to test my iron, and I get all nervous before each appointment. I am so tense she can hardly get a drop of blood. I avoid pricks at almost ANY price. I just hope and pray that the diabetic history of my family decides to skip me. Because I would rather die that test my blood sugar by pricking my fingers several times each day.
So, seriously, I am not a good candidate for a tattoo. I look at tattoos and see "number of pinpricks", not beautiful art. Why would anyone in their right mind ask to get poked that many times? I cannot even imagine it.
A tattoo palor I regularly drive past is called The Screaming Needle. I don't even want to know... That so does not sell me on the idea of a tattoo. But, interestingly enough, they are always busy.


Barefoot Hippie Girl=exculpate of tattoos. Always and forever. Amen.=)


embrace camera linkup

Twins for a Day

Salt and Pepper

Today I have my niece, N, here. I am loving it! She and Meres were born 2 days and 5 minutes apart. N is the third daughter of my older bro, who, incidentally, lives right across the street. Because N and Meres were born so close together, I haven't gotten to spend as much time with N as with her older sisters. Somehow between postpartum, then vacations, and school schedules, we just haven't gotten to connect as much. But, this week my younger bro was in town, plus I got to babysit N for a planned session on Thursday. And today I get her because my sil had a family emergency. It is a blast watching the two of them interact. They crawl around following each other. Meres takes N's toys and bottle, and I give them back. Meres is the younger of the two, but she is much bigger. Meres was born on her due date, and weighed in at over 10 pounds. N was born 3 weeks early, and weighed in at 5 pounds and change. They are actually at about the same stage now-doing a lot of the same things. N has more teeth, and more of a vocabulary. She started eating food sooner too. Meres is more hands on. Giving out hugs and "dutch rubs." I hope they will be as good of friends as the other kids are. I got to hold both of them together this morning. Meres was nursing and N was drinking her bottle. It was a precious moment. N also got to eat a second breakfast with Meres-oatmeal and applesauce and blueberry muffins. Now for a bit more playing, and then they will probably both go down for their naps.

Still quite the difference in their size

Not only do I get to take care of the twins for the day, but today is shopping day. Rest assured, I will NOT be attempting the shopping with both babies. I'm not that crazy. I will either wait until N goes home, or I will leave them with Mr. Hippie, who is hanging around for the day.

One of my FB friends posted something last week about how do you make grocery shopping artful? (she is an artist.=)) I replied that I get in, get out, and get done.=) No joke. I shop every other week, and try to make it as efficient as possible. It usually takes about 2 hours-front door to front door. Maximizing the "good kid" window.

Why do I shop only every other week? Well, it doesn't take much longer to shop for 2 weeks in one trip than it takes to shop for one week in one trip. Which means, if you go every week, you end up spending almost twice the time. And, I greatly dislike spending more time than needed on any chore. I can spend that extra time painting my nails, or reading a book, or sunning or doing any number of other things.=) Plus, I don't know about you, but every trip I make I buy more things than what I need. So if I am only making one trip, that means one trip worth of extras-not two or three trips worth of extra ingredients and extra money spent.=) And last but certainly not least, every trip I make, every stop, I have to get 4 kids in and out of the car. 4 kids 3 stores 1 time or 4 kids 3 stores 2 times? You do the math.

You may wonder, "How do you get food to last two weeks?" "Last" as in "not rot." Like produce and dairy? Here's a little secret-eat fresh first, and frozen and canned later. Also, some produce can be eaten right away, some needs time to ripen. Apples, oranges, and grapes are ready immediately. Kiwis, melons and mangos often need some time on the counter to ripen. Most vegetables-like carrots, celery, lettuce and peppers have a longer shelf life. I buy 6 heads of romaine lettuce every shopping trip. It stays crisp so long as I leave it sealed in the bag. This means that when I open the bag to use a head, I make sure I close the bag fairly airtight with the remaining heads. When I am shopping for produce I make sure it had no soft spots or blemishes. "Perfect" pieces tend to have a longer shelf life. Now is the time to not be equal opportunity. But I also don't consider pinching every piece of produce good form either. Look, and then feel, and be gentle.=) As for dairy, most milk is dated about 2 weeks out anyhow. In the summer it tends to turn a bit faster, but for the most part, it lasts long enough. With a lot of dairy, once you start using a container you have at least 1-2 weeks to finish it off. That would include cream, soy milk, sour cream and dips.

Shopping day is a pretty big deal. It starts with me checking out ads, then planning a menu based on what I have and what is on sale. I try to leave for the stores by early afternoon, to get back by 4:00. I think the most time consuming part of the process is hauling all the groceries in, and putting them away. I will often spend 30 plus minutes on just this part. I try to fill containers as I put things away. I also divide my meat and cheese before I freeze them for later.

Most two week cycles include a potluck at church, a dinner (summer brunch with the BFF), and company for dinner at least once or twice. I try to plan a mix of meals-some that take more time, some that take less. I also try to make meals that we will have leftovers from. In the winter I make a lot of stews and soups and curries and casseroles. In the summer I make more salads and sides that I just grill different meats with. I have certain staples that I keep on hand-like flour, sugars, mushrooms, beans, tortillas, pasta, tomato sauce and paste, cream soups, etc.. As I am making my list, I try to think of what I am cooking that cycle, what I have on hand, and what I need. In trying to stay on a budget, I may be out of something, but I may put it off a trip because I won't be using it that week. I also will start an unofficial list through the two week period of what I am low on, so I don't have to try to remember it all on shopping day.

I have 3 stores that I regularly patronize.=) Doesn't that sound hoity-toity?=) I shop at Aldi, Sam's Club and Meijer. Aldi is good for canned goods, staples, dairy and some produce. I rarely buy meat there. Sam's has bigger amounts of things, usually priced very well-if you can get through whatever you are buying before it goes bad. This hasn't been a problem for us Hippies.=) I have found that they have very nice meat at good prices-though often Meijer is cheaper for as good of quality. Their produce is extremely expensive. I get a lot of staples there, as well as Silk for my two lactose intolerant offspring. Meijer has everything, and often has sales. It is very clean and light and has quality name brands as well as quality store brands. I get most of my paper products, cleaning supplies and toiletries at Meijer.

Aldi advertises low prices. But I find that it is a good thing to comparison shop. Some weeks they are the cheapest bet, but often I can get a better price at Sam's or Meijer. As I am making my list, I will often put Sam's or Meijer's price of the item I want next to it. Then as I am shopping at each place, I can see who has it cheaper. I am not a coupon cutter. If you are, more power to ya! My sister is really good at coupon clipping. Occasionally I will come across a coupon for something I need, but I don't seek them out.

In the attempt to be efficient, it is helpful to know the layout of your stores, and organize you list accordingly. List all the baking ingredients, snacks, canned goods, and produce together. Aldi has a flow to it. I make my list in the same way. I know where I will hit chips, wine, baking ingredients, canned goods, produce and frozen, and my list is in the same order. I never buy more than 4-5 things at Sam's on any given trip, so I don't attempt to organize that list. I do organize my Meijer list though. Remember-if you forget something you need-something that you even had on your list-you have to make another trip. And another trip equals more time and more money.=)

I love her smile.=)

I try to stick to my list. The key word in that sentence is try.=) Often I will remember something that I forgot. But, I don't make many impulse purchases. I also try to go through my list before I leave and make a dollar estimate for each store. This keeps me on budget, and let's me know where I have leeway (if at all=)). The thing about an estimate is that it is better to over estimate than under estimate. Wishful thinking when it comes to a budget just leaves you discouraged and frustrated.

Anyway, I hope this is helpful, inspiring and encouraging. It is what works for me. How do you make your grocery shopping work? How often do you go? How do you manage with kids? Do you enjoy grocery shopping, abhor it, or are you ambivalent? 

Well, I'm off to make my list, and check it twice.

Gardening, Grrrrrrrs, and Grand Haven

It is 8:30 here in GR, and it is already sweltering. The temp reads 79 degrees. This is not looking to be a cool day. The good news is that we are heading up to our camper where there is a creek for the kids to play in. So, someone will stay cool.=)

Workin' Hippies

American Gothic

What a weekend! Memories to cherish...
Friday night Mr. Hippie and I went to see The Avengers. If you are at all into this genre, you will like The Avengers. It is clean, no language, and not blood and guts. As a matter of fact, I think it replaced the Iron Man movies as my favorite action hero flick. Best movie line ever...Black widow,"Captain America, you may want to sit this one out. They're gods or something." Captain America, "Ma'am, there is only one God, and I'm pretty sure He doesn't dress like that!"=) Awesome! It was thoroughly enjoyable. All the superheroes were true to character. Black Widow was a newer element, but she wasn't an "Angelina Jolie-manly women". She was an asset, but feminine. I liked her. Definitely put it on your to-do list if you haven't already.

thrift haul
Meres loves the silky feel. Goodwill SCORE!
I love the collar, and it looks great with kaki anything.

My bro from TX is in town for the week, and we have been trying to spend a bit of time with him. Saturday morning we were going to get donuts from our favorite shop, but it was closed for the holiday weekend. My family has gotten donuts from this shop as long as I can remember. They are the best donuts-hands down. Oh well. Instead we tried out a new place. They were pretty good-but not Sandy's.

My Treasures

We mustered up the will power and planted my bush beans Saturday afternoon. It only took about 2 hours to break the sod, pull the weeds, rake it level, mark the rows, plant the seeds, and give them a good watering. "Many hands" and all. We topped off the day with dinner at Olive Garden-everyone's favorite. Even Meres likes the breadsticks and pasta. Everyone got scrubbed down for church in the morning, and then Freckles whomped on all of us as we played Wizard.

Not the best pic ever, but I love my guy=)

Yesterday was Sunday. Grrrr. Church. With kids, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. This would definitely fall in the "lose some" category.=) Meres was in fine (talking and wiggly) form. I ended up leaving about halfway through the first service. She and I went to get gas. The little booger was so excited when I put her in her carseat. Anyway, Mr Hippie and I spelled each other for the next two meetings. I sat in one with the three oldest, and he sat in the other. We made it through. Sigh.
I got a good nap and some reading in during the afternoon, while Meres napped for 3 hours. That was very relaxing.

 Then we headed out to Lake Michigan to walk the pier with my bro, and "just get our feet wet", and play at the Imagination Station, and watch the Musical Fountain. After all these years you'd think I'd be smart enough to pack extra clothes for all the kids. Because even though the boys are now 8 and 9, they still don't get the concept of just getting their feet wet. Freckles did a nose dive into the water, ending up soaked. LC and BMV pretty much kept the wetness to their shorts. Meres loved the water and sand, getting thoroughly covered with both. I did have an extra outfit for her. She was not at all happy when we took her out of the water and sand. She wanted to stay. I figured her little body couldn't handle any more of her "cup of dirt" this weekend. She was somewhat mollified with her ice-cream. Anyway, we had a great evening. I love the Pier. It is beautiful. I really enjoy walking it slowly, watching the boats, and the people. And it was cooler there than here. The fountain had a rather eclectic blend of music. I am not really sure what they were going for. I think I only had heard one of the songs before-a Paul McCartney. We arrived home after 11, tired and happy.

Beautiful

She doesn't like the flash

Setting sun

Please put me down...

And we slept in this morning. Everyone...until after 8:30.
Now that is the cherry on top.=)

A Tale of Two Letters

Hmmm...I just read a post on whether we should write thank you notes, and whether we should make our kids write them. Or, have hand written notes went the way of the dodo bird?

If you remember (and you probably don't, but I do=)), one of my New Year's Resolutions was to write a hand written letter every week. I must confess that I have not done too well. Realistically it has been closer to one a month than one a week. But I guess that is an improvement. Part of the thing is that if people read my blog, I feel like I would just be repeating myself. Nevertheless, I have written a few notes.

And I think that letter writing is a good practice. Part of our home schooling curriculum is having both boys write a letter every Monday. And, if a gift has been given recently, or a service has been rendered, the letter is a thank you note. I want them to learn gratefulness. I want them to learn good letter writing practices. I want them to learn that if someone took the time and thought of them by giving them something or doing something with/for them, they can take a few minutes to say thanks. Thankfulness and generosity go hand in hand.

But, character apart, we all know the excitement of going to the mailbox, and pulling out junk and bills, and then finding a surprise letter nestled in there! It is truly an awesome experience. A letter written just to you. I know I read those ones over and over again. I can remember growing up, and checking the mailbox several times everyday, hoping for and looking for a letter, from one of my many pen pals. I don't want to deprive my kids of that experience. And, now they ask me, "did I get any mail?" They only get mail once in a blue moon, but they still enjoy and look forward to receiving their own note.
And that experience won't be continued if we don't encourage it. Yes, it takes more time. Yes, it costs money. But it's a relatively cheap thrill.=) And, I think it is a way to bless others too. So, keep writing.

As I was doing my devotions recently, I was reminded of Hezekiah, and the two letters he received. 2Kings 19-20 record the story. Both were probably "handwritten", since there was no internet back then.=) Both were from world leaders-the army general of the king of Assyria, and the king of Babylon.

The first letter was a threat-"our army left, but your God didn't save you. He can't save you. We will be back, and we are going to cream you." The second was a get well note. "Heard you were sick. Glad to hear you are better. Also glad to hear you defeated our mutual enemy-Assyria."

What did Hezekiah do with the letters? I love what he did with the letter from Assyria. He took it to the temple, spread it out before God, and basically said that this is the disaster we are facing, but you are all powerful. Save us. Have you ever done that? Have you ever been at the end of your rope, and cried out to God in absolute desperation? Have you literally or figuratively, laid out before God, your bill you can't pay, your situation you can't handle? Total surrender to God's power because you can't handle the situation on your own? And then you see God work in an amazing way. And you give God the glory because it was all Him, none of you.

But how about that second letter? What did Hezekiah do with that one? He received the letter and the emissaries. What a nice note! So encouraging! "You're right...we did good, didn't we." He then showed the emissaries all his wealth and precious things. He didn't lay that letter before God. God had defeated his enemies. God had healed him. It seemed such an innocent thing. A congratulatory note.

Have you ever done this? I know I have. Someone encourages me for a job well done, and I soak it up. And I forget completely that it was God who worked. Not me.

What if Hezekiah had taken his "triumph" to God? What if he had sought God's direction in this situation that seemed like it just required common sense? What if he had thanked God for His provision and protection? What if he had taken this letter to the temple and prostrated himself before God?

Judah still would have been punished their disobedience and idolatry. But Hezekiah wouldn't have gotten this message from the Lord that said that all those treasures he had shown the Babylonians were going to end up in Babylon. That his descendants would end up slaves in Babylon.

It is a good thing to be at the end of ourselves and calling upon God to work. It is just as a good a thing, just as vital, to be at the end of ourselves and before God, in the common sense things. The triumphs of our lives. What pitfalls would we avoid if we approached God in thankfulness when things are going well, and we still need direction?

It is not only in our times of desperation that our heart is revealed, but in the good times too. Who gets the glory for the good happening in your life? Do you thank God? Do you thank others?

What will you lay before God today?

Small Kitchen Adventures

I love mornings. I wondered for a while if I was a "morning" person. But, whether by choice or habit, I have determined I certainly am a morning person.
When I was in 2nd grade, my parents started getting us up at 5:15(A.M.) for family devotions before my dad left for work. I have been getting up early ever since. For the most part, "sleeping in" for me is 7:00. My inner alarm goes off by then, if my crickets haven't.
A new day is so calm, quiet, crisp, and full of new possibilities. I do love mornings.=)

New beans

My pole beans sprouted yesterday! I enjoy planting seeds, and then watching their whole life process. You plant the seeds, and water them, and you don't see anything for a few days. But then the surface dirt cracks, and you see the seed pod right at the surface. The next day you usually-at least with green beans-have an inch or two tall plant with a new leaf. And it is amazing! It seems like you can literally watch the plants grow every day over the next weeks. I love it.=)

Corner #1

We often think in terms of ideal growing conditions for our entire lives. In gardening you have what is known as perfect growing conditions-sunshine, heat, soil and rain. If these 4 elements are balanced, you will get a great crop. And we all hope life is like that too. We will prosper and be joyful and grow, if all our circumstances are perfect and balanced. But, there is the other gardening term that we like to think of rather less...blooming were we are planted. To live full, joyful, growing lives-even when circumstances are not ideal.
We can fall into the trap of,
-I would have people over if my house was bigger (or cleaner, or as nice as Martha Stewart's=))
-I would go swimming with my kids if my bathing suit looked better.
-I would read if I had time.
-I would_________if________(you fill in the blanks)

I have learned that you can't live like that. You must bloom where you are planted, so to speak. You must live life to the fullest with what you have now. Because if you wait for perfect circumstances, you will wait forever. If you don't use what little you may have now,  you won't use what you have later.

The north end-all my drawers and probably 50% of my cupboards

Btw, this gardening analogy was so not where this blog was going today. But, whatever.=) We're going with the flow.=)

I have a small house. It is 1500 square feet-including the unfinished half of the basement. But I love my house. I love the fact that we have 3 bedrooms-boys, girls and master.=) I love the fact that we have 1-1/2 bathrooms-the half being right next to the back door. I love my arched doorways in the living room, and the white spindled railing heading upstairs. I love our back porch.

Corner view again

And I love my kitchen. All 8' x 11' of it. My kitchen is tiny. I know, other people have smaller kitchens. But for the amount of cooking I do, it is really small. Especially when you add in cupboards, counters and appliances lining all four walls. The available floor space is about 6' x 3-1/2'. Practically this means that when the dishwasher door is open, you can't open the freezer, or the opposite cupboard. Or when you are 8 months pregnant, you have to be in just the right position to open the refrigerator door.=)

Opposite corner-same end-you can just see the sink edge

But, small truly means efficient. I have never been in such an efficient kitchen as mine. Whoever planned it, used the space in the best possible way. If we ever build a bigger house, I will try to do a similar lay out, only bigger.

Anyway, I do love my kitchen-small and efficient as it is.=) And that is a good thing, because I spend a lot of my time in it. Even more than my kitchen, I love cooking. It is a way for me to be creative. It is a stress reliever. And it is fun. I often blog about my kitchen adventures. I cook, and feed people, not because I have the ideal kitchen, but because I am blessed with the kitchen I have. I am using what I have. I am thankful for what I have. And maybe someday I will have a bigger kitchen, but I am not going to wait to cook until that happens. Because I might never get a better kitchen, you know.
I do realize that not everyone enjoys cooking as much as I do. And some people enjoy it more. My favorite types of recipes are the ones that take 30 minutes or less. I don't have any patience for making recipes that take tons more time to make than to consume. And I am not really into the recipes that call for 25 exotic ingredients, and that have 100 steps. That is not my kind of cooking. I like the recipes that have a lot of bang for your buck, both flavor-wise and aesthetically. Good food doesn't have to take hours to make. And it can look pleasing without lots of fuss.

chicken sautéing

Here are two of my favorite delicious, quick, and aesthetically pleasing dishes. They are crowd pleasers-everytime.

salsa, no cheese yet

Easy Chicken Enchiladas
4-5 medium chicken breasts
1(ish) cups of salsa (my favorite is Pace, but any works fine)
1-2 cups shredded yellow cheese
10 8" flour tortillas
sour cream and additional salsa for serving

Cut raw chicken into 1/2" cubes, and sauté  in a large skillet with a bit of oil until cooked through. Drain off any liquid. Add the salsa. I "eyeball" it. You want it to look rather red. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1 to 1-1/2 cups of cheese-making it cheesy according to your preference. Place approximately 1/2 cup of filling on each tortilla. Tuck in ends, and roll up. Place in a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese melts- usually 15-20 minutes. These can be made ahead and frozen, or just baked later. In that case, just bake them until they are heated through.

right before putting on tortillas

*Round out your meal with crudités, or a lettuce salad.

Easy and delicious!

Perfect BLT's
*BLT's have a special place in my heart because BLT used to be my initials=)
For each sandwich you need
-2 slices of toasted bread-preferably sour dough. And this is not the sandwich to use "healthy" bread on.
-2 slices of tomato
-2 pieces of fried bacon
-1 to 2 leafs of romaine lettuce or a layer of baby spinach leaves
-salt and pepper
-MAYO (!!!)
-cheese-this can be mozzarella, provolone, feta, or parmesan
-optional (if you want to take it to the next level) chopped kalamata olives

*if you are making several sandwiches-assemble first, and then toast the whole batch in the oven at 450 degrees until browned, otherwise just toast your bread in the toaster.
*To assemble: spread both slices of bread with mayo. Put tomato slices on one slice. Salt and pepper. Next layer your cheese of choice, olives if using, lettuce and bacon on top.
All I can say is "AMAZING!!!"

Me, Vanna White-esque in my kitchen.=)

Ummm...where's the bacon?=)

Not eSSSential (giving up the good)

"Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Those days of soda, and pretzels and beer.
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. You'll wish that summer would always be here."

It is summer break here in the Hippie household. (have I mentioned that yet this week?=))
Our past two summers have been crazy busy. I have always thought that summer should be a laid back time. Sunning, swimming, playing and resting. Yet it seems like our past few summers have been anything but fun and restful. They have been a marathon of running from one activity to another. Every evening scheduled. Family from out of town visiting, one after another, for months. (family-I'm not exactly complaining, just stating facts. I love you too.=)) It isn't relaxing. And though it is fun, it is exhausting, making you long for the structure of the school year. The structure which you were so happy to give up in the spring for the fun of summer.

My online community has been stressing "giving up the good for the best." We are trying to give up something each week, and then share it to encourage each other. None of us are superwomen who can do everything.

our baby birds

Each week I am reaching Thursday and thinking up what good I gave up this week. Sometimes it is a stretch (like not ironing cloth napkins, but still using them=)). This week I went all out on the giving up.=)
I gave up three "S's".
School
Schedule
(Bible) Study

Seriously, we were done with school. We had accomplished my goals for the year. And, let me tell you, it is amazing how much free time I have had this week. I even got my cleaning done on their scheduled days. Which hasn't happened in months.=)
I have not really given up Bible study-just the formal study that I attend throughout the school year. It actually finished up this week. No more lesson, or homiletics or phone calls, or two meetings a week. Sigh.=) More free time. I do have things I am studying for the summer as Mr. Hippie and I are running 4 VBS's. But, my study time is much less structured.
No, the biggie is the schedule. I am purposefully living a schedule-free summer this year. I am not packing my days or nights with activities. I am not getting the kids up at a certain time for breakfast at a certain time. We are going to make our days more rhythmic. And we are going to enjoy the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.

Meres and I. She is growing up too fast. linkup

I have read a lot recently about "core competencies." These are the things that you, and only you, can do. This summer I am giving up the not core stuff, and I am focusing on the core. Also, good time management dictates that you should spend your best hours doing your core competencies. I am a morning person. I love the crispness and quietness of a new day. And my mornings are going to be spent on what is important to me. This would be...
Devotions-my personal time with my Lord and Savior. I have made a pact with myself to not touch the computer until AFTER I have taken time to read the Bible and pray. To learn from God, and to speak to God. To feed my soul. To feed this relationship of utmost importance. My goal on this blog is to help you renew, wait, run and walk. But if I am not taking the time to do the same, things are not rightly aligned.
Blogging-I am writing my posts next thing each day. When I am fresh, and my mind is fresh. I get the kids fed, and then they are reading or playing. I am making this a priority because I feel God wants me to invest time into it. I can hear the naysayers, "you blog?" Yes. After this time, I try to shelve the computer for most of the remainder of the day. I am not doing quite so well with this part of it, but I am trying.=)
Reading- We have started literary lunches.=) Doesn't that sound important? I love reading, and my kids love reading. But I don't read that much to my kids. Well, I decided that I have to rectify that. This is the summer of Harry Potter. (if you hate HP, I hope that this news hasn't lowered me in your opinion.=)) The HP books are some of my favorite ever. They are well written, and I am excited to be sharing them with my kids. They are really getting into them. End of chapter three, shelve it to tomorrow, but no, "who's knocking?" Please read another chapter.=) Oh, and not only am I reading to the Hippie kids, but they are doing lots of reading themselves. And so am I. I am alternating fluff and stuff with life changers. I am very excited to be reading again. Reading is one of my first loves. And I have neglected it too much lately. But not this summer. Library-watch out!

Literary Lunches

Mr. Hippie-we have been running together, after drinking our first coffee of the day together. I love having this time to connect. But we are also restructuring our late afternoons too. Jesse wrote on Tuesday about "porch time" and I was struck with what a great idea this is. My goal is to have dinner started, but when Mr. Hippie arrives home from work, to spend 20-30 minutes just reconnecting with him. We can drink iced tea or coffee, and chat. Then he can take a shower and I can finish dinner. It has been great-the past two days.=)

"Porch" time, though we aren't sitting on our porch

These are my core competencies...my kids, my husband, my Lord, my ministry, my friends. These things are my primary responsibilities, and my first loves. They deserve my best time. I am sure other things will try to fill my time, but these are what I am purposefully focusing on this summer. I will work to keep my schedule unscheduled so we can enjoy the summer. I am giving up running from one activity to another. I am giving up trying to make everyone happy. I am focusing on making this the best summer ever. Not because we are doing big things, but because we are together.

That is the BEST!

God Vacuum

If you are new to Barefoot Hippie Girl, welcome.=) Glad you dropped in.
WWoW stands for Wednesday Word of the Week. I try to feature a word each Wednesday that I have come across in my reading that week. A word that I can guess the meaning to, but I'm really not sure. My goal is to increase my vocabulary. I try to define the word and then give examples on where to use it. Hope you have fun learning with me.=)

WWoW
Vacuous (vac-u-ous) adjective: Void of expression. Devoid of matter, significance, point or intelligence.
Vacuous would be the intellectual way to describe my "fluff and stuff" reads.=) Though using intellectual and vacuous in the same sentence is kind of an oxymoron.=) I think this is going to be one of my favorite WWoWs. Imagine the possibilities....
Origin: 1648 from Latin vacuous "empty, void, free" (i.e.-vacuum). Figurative sense of "empty of ideas" is from 1848.
How about these usages?
1. Though my summer days are schedule free, I don't want them to be vacuous.
2. Our lives will be vacuous without God to give them significance.
3. It is rather depressing to watch my vacuous vacuum canister weekly fill with dirt, dust, food, and hair from our lives.=)

How about the opposite? Full. 
...that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 4:19
These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. John 15:11
...we pray for you and desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Colossians 1:9

God doesn't just desire us to be empty, to be vacuous. He wants us to be emptied of ourselves and filled with Him. The cracked pot (2 Corinthians 4:7) that His glory can shine out of.

Emptied that Thou shouldst fill me, a clean vessel in Thy hand.
With no power but as Thou givest graciously with each command.

Channels only...

Hymn and Haw

I am a big proponent of music and kids. Music engages both sides of your brain which makes it a wonderful teaching tool. Words and facts stick better when put to music. And kids love music! Even Meres, my 11 month old, will join our daily time at the piano. She has her own version of "singing" when she hears music being played. That, and her booty dance. Kids naturally like the melody, rhythm and sounds of music. I think that is why we have seen a resurgence in music activities themed for youngsters i.e. Baby Einstein.=)
I don't consider myself terribly musical. I can play the piano a bit, and I enjoy singing. I do not have a particularly good voice. I do enjoy music. I enjoy many genres. The only genres I am not a big fan of are blue grass, rap, and hard rock. Not my thing. I try to expose my kids to various genres to build music appreciation. I want them to appreciate the talent that goes into all different kinds of music.
But, besides music appreciation, I also have a burden for teaching my kids, and other kids, the hymns. I teach them the little ditties and choruses, but I emphasize the hymns. The solid songs the hymnbooks are chock full of. This does not mean I don't like CCM, because I do. I really appreciate the lyrics and music of the Gettys. We listen to these disks in the car, and we sing right along. Just because a song is "new" doesn't mean it isn't a good song. For that matter, just because a song is in the hymnbook doesn't make it a good song either.
Consider the periods hymnology has went through. Saints from time immemorial have sung the Psalms. That is the only songs they sang. When Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, and others came along, I am sure people thought their music was "of the devil." Ever heard that expression?=) Fast forward to the wave of gospel music written in the mid to late 1800s, and early 1900s. Music that was penned by contemporaries of DL Moody. Music that was written during the wave of gospel work that went on then. I bet they got an earful too. Then we have the Gaither and Peterson stuff of the 1960s and 1970s. Snort. By that time, the gospel era songs were part and parcel in the hymnbooks. They were considered "good hymns," right along with Wesley and Cowper. The Gaither stuff was contemporary, i.e.-bad. Now, that is in our hymnbooks, which makes them "good songs." And our generation is plugging Chris Tomlin and Getty music-which obviously has no merit because it is presented on Powerpoint, and not found in a hymnbook. I am sure it will hit the books in a few years, and then it will be considered singable by the old guard. Because that is what happens each generation. But, really, that was not the point of this blog.
My point is I am plugging the old hymns. Not versus the new hymns. I just want to encourage a revisiting of the old hymns.
Why? It isn't just the lyrics. It is the stories behind each song. Hymns reveal the hearts and faith and walks of the authors. The hymn books are full of the heart cries of the authors. The hymn books are full of God's answers. They are full of lessons learned and comfort received. They are full of doctrine and understanding of Scripture. They are full of the attributes of God. They are full of poetic pictures. I think our gut is to fight against traditionalism for the sake of traditionalism. Traditions can become rote. They can be stagnant.
I want to encourage you to not throw out the baby with the bath water. But to appreciate a good hymn. Whether 200 years old or 2 years old. I want to encourage you to build hymn appreciation in your kids.
Think of the stories behind the hymns. Everyone knows Amazing Grace. It is probably the most well known hymn in the world. And, a lot of people know John Newton's story too. But if you really look at the lyrics of Amazing Grace, you can see his testimony outlined there. He was a wretch, blinded by his sin, brought through many dangers, toils and snares. And God's amazing grace saved John Newton. John Newton said he never forgot two things. He was a great sinner and God was a great Savior. Two other things John Newton never forgot, from the time of his conversion, were God's grace, and that God hears and answers prayer. He was despicable, yet God heard his prayer and saved him (physically and eternally) in the midst of a terrible storm. He never forgot that. And if you make a study of his hymns, you will see that they always mention either God's grace or the fact that God answers prayers. Every one of his hymns.

How about Martin Luther and his well known hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God? I used to not like this song. I thought it was difficult to play and sing. But a couple years ago I taught it to my kids. I took time to define the big words, and then to explain what this song is about. Christianity is under attack. But God is our fortress. Martin Luther lived during the time of Henry VIII, and Charles-the Holy Roman Emperor. He lived during the time of castles. When he wrote his words, people knew exactly what he was talking about picture-wise. It was medieval England and Europe. They were all about war and castles. He wrote that even though Christianity, and truth, and God are under attack, the devil and his minions are defeated. The Lord Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts, is victorious. His kingdom is forever! Why would we want to give up the majestic truths of that hymn?
Teaching kids hymns and hymn appreciation takes time. A lot of the terms are difficult or archaic. But we sell them and ourselves short if we don't challenge them to learn something difficult. When I teach a hymn, I try to first familiarize the kids with the tune. Having the words written for readers is helpful. Enunciate the words clearly. If you come to a trouble spot with words and pronunciation, stop, and say it, and try that measure again. Explain what difficult words mean. You may need to look some of them up in the dictionary. And also give the overall message of the song. Small picture then big picture. You can also share back ground about the author or composer. Their stories help connect you with their works. And then spend a month, or more, singing the same hymn over and over. You will find that each one becomes precious to you. And to your kids. The truths speak to your circumstances. You will find that your repertoire increases month by month, year by year. And the hymn book doesn't seem so fuddy-duddy, because these hymns have resounded in your heart.
Some of my favorites are:
Crown Him with Many Crowns
How Firm a Foundation
It is Well
Praise to the Lord 
May the Mind of Christ My Savior
and the list goes on and on.


What old hymn could you make your kid's new favorite today?

Flirtabulously Blessed

I feel so blessed sitting here...
It's summer break!!! Yippee! Barefoot Hippie Girl is as excited as the kids! If not more so. And that is saying a lot. Freedom!

LC has a Barbie book from the Library. Her bros picked it.
This is the outfit she put together to look like Barbie. Did she nail it?

I am rocking in my glider. My awesome rocker, in my corner. The kids are downstairs nicely playing legos.
I did my devotions first today and got inspired and encouraged and challenged. God is launching me on a new path. It is exciting, but unknown. Unknown can sometimes equal scary. Yet, this is what David told Solomon. 1Chronicles 28:20-21: Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord...the priests and the Levites, even they will be with you for the service of the house of God. God has confirmed to me over and over the past few weeks that this is the path. Do it. Thanks to all of you who read my blog for the first time just recently and left encouraging comments. I feel like I am making new friends. I hope you feel that way too.
It rained last night. I love night rains. It leaves everything clean and fresh for the new day. Plus rain is much better for all my little plants than just hose water. I can see them craning their little necks towards the water and sunshine. Growing-growing.

volunteer lettuce from my container that I picked to make room for herbs.

Btw, I really am appreciating the cleaned up look of my front yard. Plus I built an awesome teepee thing for my string beans. Our front yard finally looks like someone cares what it looks like.=) I do-a little.=) At least, enough to finally put some sweat equity into it.=)

green bean teepee-thanks Pinterest-source

I went thrift shopping Friday evening, and scored some cool finds. Several shirts, a short kaki skirt to stand in for shorts this summer, and long kaki slacks. Very nice for spring. But the "take the cake" find was this wrought iron cookbook holder. For $2.99. Can you believe it? It goes perfectly in my kitchen with my other wrought iron accents!

cookbook holder

I planted my smile flowers (aka-gerber daisies) on Friday, in the pot I can see from my kitchen window.

container gardens, weeded and planted

We went to a Preakness party on Saturday. In the words of BMV, we attended an equestrian event.=) The Preakness Stakes is the second race in the Triple Crown series. It follows the Kentucky Derby, and proceeds the Belmont Stakes. The Triple Crown is the race for 3 year old horses. You have one shot. That's it. The horse to beat is "I'll Have Another", although the media favorite is Bodemeister. All the hoopla is for a race last lasts under 3 minutes. But it is very exciting! We ended up watching it on Mr. Hippie's iPhone, because the television stopped picking up the station. Eight people crowded around this phone to watch the race.=) Kind of funny, actually.=) We bet candy bars on the horses. Freckles and Mrs. B won the pot with their bets on "I'll Have Another." The Mr. and I bet on Bodemeister. And this is where the excitement comes in. Bodemeister was in the lead the whole race. But on the home stretch you see "I'll Have Another" coming up from his position four horses back, to cross the finish line half a length ahead of Bodemeister. Amazing!

Rhubarb pie for Preakness

We have a bird nesting in our cherry tree. I don't now what kind it is. But I am thrilled!

the Mama bird

Meres batted her eyelashes at her dad this weekend. Unbelievable! And she also shakes her head no when she is heading to do something she knows she is not supposed to. A shake and a huge grin. What have we gotten ourselves into?

another shot of the cookbook holder, this time in action.=)

Mr. Hippie and I are looking at options for my own personal device. We are choosing between an iPad or a laptop. I am looking for feedback. Especially from fellow bloggers. What do you use? Why do you like it? Why not? The two features I use a lot on our laptop for my blog is the picture disk drive slot, and the keyboard. For all the typing. I'd especially love to hear from any iPad owners/users-how they get around not having those features.
Two of my goals for this blog is to encourage both humor and women's fitness. Here is an opportunity to fulfill both. This excerpt is taken from a brochure for our neck of the wood's summer activities. If you are looking for something to do, this might be up your alley. (don't forget to read with the proper inflections.=))

Flirty Girl Fitness Booty Beat

"Get fit, have fun, and feel fabulous!" That is the "Flirty Girl Fitness" way! Booty Beat is a class that will condition the entire body, using cardio dance moves that are non-stop! Come learn "flirtabulously" (Not a word, btw=)) Fun dance moves such as: Flashdance, No You Di'nt, and Booty Flurries!

I can't even imagine. But, I am thinking this might rank right up there with learning belly dancing. With my 4 baby belly. 

Who's with me?=)

Linking up with
Boerman Ramblings Pinterest Challenge

Be-bop, a-Re-bop, Rhubarb Pie

I got a blender for Mother's Day. Now what this brings to mind is the newer Father of the Bride with Steve Martin. The groom-to-be gives the bride-to-be a blender for their anniversary. And that was the WRONG move. Big uproar. Tears. Trepidation. Re-thinking the whole wedding idea. "Is he trying to change me into a Suzy-homemaker?" And ever since, men have mentally debated the wisdom of giving their women kitchen appliances for any major occasion.

But, I asked for a blender. Whew! Disaster averted.=) After almost 11 years, my blender had bit the dust. Growing up, my mom never used a blender, so Mr. Hippie and I didn't even register for one. But some friends of ours figured that must have been an oversight, and they bought us one as a wedding gift. It was the bottom of the line model, but it did my two blender recipes well. (That would be pesto and hummus.) I would occasionally use it for drinks, but my blender is not my workhorse.

Nevertheless, the motor gave up the ghost a couple weeks ago, which meant-no more hummus. Not a good thing in the Hippie household, so Mr. Hippie rectified that situation this past week. I have a brand new Oster blender, and I christened it yesterday with a fresh batch of hummus. Yummy.

In other cooking news...it's rhubarb time! Yea! I love rhubarb. And I have finally figured out how to spell it correctly. Each time.=)

Rhubarb is an OLD plant. The world over, rhubarb is considered a vegetable. Except here in the good old US of A. We are different. In 1947, a New York court ruled rhubarb a fruit.

It all comes down to imports and exports. Tariffs and taxes. Fruits are charged higher tariffs, which decreases imports, allowing domestic farmers a corner on the market. Scientists, though, would still classify rhubarb a vegetable. The whole seed thing.

Rhubarb has been grown for thousands of years. The Chinese have used the roots medicinally those thousands of years. Use of the stalks for food is a rather recent development-the 1700s. Because of rhubarb's extreme tartness, the rise of it's edibility corresponds with the rise of the availability and affordability of sugar.

Rhubarb has a similar look to celery. The plant leaves are triangular, and huge. The stalks range from a crimson red coloring (poetically rhubarb is called "crimson stalks") to a light speckled pink, to a simple green. All are equally edible. Though the darker the red, the tarter it tends to be. Rhubarb flourishes in full sunshine, and is usually one of the first plants of the growing season ready for harvest.

I made my annual trek to a local market for rhubarb this Monday. I cleared out their whole stash. I love making rhubarb jam. It is easy, fail-proof, gorgeous, and delicious. I can many things, but jam has to be about my favorite. I love the colorful, jewel-esk tones, lined up beautifully on my basement shelves. It makes great gifts, and tastes heavenly on fresh bread and biscuits. Here is the recipe I have made year after year since I was a teenager.

Spring Jam

approximately 4 pounds rhubarb, scrub.

Chop off tough ends, and then dice-between 1/2" and 1/4"

Place in a big bowl- 5 cups rhubarb, 3 cups sugar. Refrigerate overnight.

Place in a big pan. It will have "Sweated" overnight.
Bring to boil, and boil 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat. Add one 3 ounce box strawberry jello, for every 5 c rhubarb/ 3 c sugar.
Stir until dissolved.

Pour into jars warmed with hot water.
Wash off rims. Place on sterilized lids, and rings.
Hot bath process for 5 minutes.

Now, isn't that gorgeous!

Bonus pic. She took her own shirt off yesterday. At 11 months.

Here in the Hippie household, we are fans of Prairie Home Companion, in addition to rhubarb jam.=) Many a Saturday night finds us be-bopping in our living room to their toe-tapping music. We love the dramas, the ketchup chronicles, and "Rhubarb Pie." So, for your listening pleasure, Be-bop, a-Re-bop, Rhubarb Pie.=)

And now I'm off to some barefoot gardening.=)