Monday, January 7, 2013

Food

I have had a little burst of recipe re-creations lately and have been posting them on the food blog.

Chicken verde mexican lasagna 302 calories per serving
Banana streusel muffins - 76 calories per muffin
I've also made some really yummy soups too that I will post soon.


Thursday, January 3, 2013

Life Marches On


Twenty Thirteen.

I think it was when we were driving to St. George from Amy's house in Roseville (CA) that the conversation turned to the events this year would hold for our family:

Twenty Thirteen promises to be full of change:
big changes for me.

Jennifer will graduate from High School - my baby.
My baby who has become an amazing, beautiful woman and a dear friend.
     -No more children in public schools.

Jennifer will spend three weeks in Germany on an school organized exchange.
    - I realize that she will be 18, but my baby will be in a foreign country.
    - Mark and I will have three straight weeks to ourselves.
Exciting, different, a little taste of things to come. Three weeks is long enough to do something fun, something productive - and not quite long enough to feel lost.

Christian will return home from his mission
     -Can I really be the mother of three returned missionaries?
Ruby will start Kindergarten
Jennifer will start College
I'm getting old. 



Christian and Jennifer will move out and attend BYU.
    - Which means I retire from full time mothering...
This is the big one. 
The first twenty years of my life I looked forward and prepared to be a mother. 
It was the desire of my heart. 
The next almost thirty years I have spent enveloped in the lives of my family,
most especially my children.
This is a great blessing I have been given from my Father in Heaven
as well as my amazing husband, as he has also made it possible,
not only to have them, but for mothering and nurturing to be my full time job.
I look forward to having having a freedom we have not had for many years.
But, he will go to work and while I will have Kindermusik,
for the first time in a long time, 
no one will come through the door in the middle of the day
ready for a snack and some chatter about their day.
I will miss that. 
The house will be very quiet most of the day,
which isn't that different than it is now,
 but it will feel more empty.
I guess that's why they call it an empty nest.

Mark will be released from the MTC.
   -Which means he will have an extra 16+ hours a week.
   -We may actually get to sit together in church.
   - We will miss the great blessing of associating with the incredible Elders and Sisters at the MTC.

And then, last but not least on 11-13 of 2013, I will turn 50.
   - Not a bit deal really. But I guess a lot of it depends on the things that happen earlier in the year.

Twenty thirteen promises to be full of change, probably summed up by a fortune cookie: 
"Your path may be difficult but it will be rewarding."

Ready or not, here it comes...