34

I turned 34 back in April.


Had you asked me in high school I think I had a bit of the sheltered American dream at the forefront of my head. I would be happily married (which I am), with 2 kids, both my husband and I working an 8:00 to 5:00 job with our weekends free, and a white picket fence around our house.

The reality is I was clueless to the world around me.
Unaware of the realities that some people live within.

34 brings me to a world I never imagined.

In any given week I am responsible to keep 100 finger and toe nails trimmed (plus my own 20).
I change more diapers than I ever imagined, 3 kids in diapers full time and 1 while while she sleeps.
5 kids call me various forms of the name "mom." Our county calls me weekly asking if there is any way we could take any more.

3 of those kids grew in another woman's womb.
2 transformed my body in ways I never imagined. My body is not what I fathomed, growing humans is an experience like I never imagined.
We drive a 12 passenger van, which is both the most obnoxious and marvelous thing ever.
My high school dreams never even began to fathom my life now.

My dream of an 8:00-5:00 job is everything but that. God has an ironic sense of humor in calling me a pastor. The call to Pastor takes me places I never imagined. I stand on the edge of heaven while people take their last breath, I am amongst the first people call when a new baby is born. In the middle of tragedy and moments of great hope I am called to walk alongside people, to remind them of the deep truths that God promises to us all. In general I have more questions than I do answers. This year along I have walked the sacred halls of our high school as our youth have been forced to wrestle with five suicide deaths, two students, and three parents. It is sacred ground. My summers are spent gallivanting from mission trips to summer camp to vacation bible serve for work.

I continue to love to travel and traveling and with my family is even better. We have a dear set of friends the Carmacks, who used to live near us, who have become our constant travel companions. We've just returned from Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. If your interested in our travel adventures follow along on instagram on thevillagetravels. If given the option I'd be at Walt Disney World monthly. Aside from WDW, I enjoy traveling to our National Parks, and pretty much anywhere we can go. Traveling with tiny humans is a whole new ball of wax, I remember back the summer I spent in Europe with just a backpack. Now packing is a small science and ensuring we have the right blankets, sleeping buddies, and pacifiers is vital, not to forget the snacks, the right clothes, the movies for the van, the extra clothes just in case, the sound machines, the diapers, wipes, the list goes on and on.

If I manage to have time where I am not: folding the never ending mountain of laundry, cleaning the house, paying bills, packing bags for the next day, cooking, or doing other obnoxious adult type things I like to fill my time: crocheting, taking pictures, shutterflying, watching movies, hiking, reading, pintresting, baking, or talking on the phone (my friends all live way too far away) and miscellaneous projects around the house. This space, I miss it, I think I am going to attempt to come back here from time to time, we will see how often that happens, but I am going to make an effort to come here and write.

My life calls me all sorts of things: wife, daughter, sister, mother, foster mother, pastor, crocheter, Minnesotan (despite my desire to be a South Dakotan), and neighbor to name a few. This is my 34.

Grandma Nane's Recipe Box: Banana Bread

In many regards I am a typical millennial. My iPhone is close at hand and I am quick to turn to google or the internet when in need of an answer or help. Pintrest and AllRecipes are my go to for a recipe. A couple nights ago as I was putting something away in my cupboards I looked up and noticed on the top shelf a handful of hometown recipe books and my Grandma's recipe box and it caused me to pause. I quickly abandoned my lengthy to-do list and found myself flipping through my Grandma's old recipes on index cards in her handwriting, my mother's handwriting, and even some I believe is my Great-Grandma's handwriting. There in my cupboards sat a time capsule of sorts. I wanted to explore it, I want it to soak it in, I wanted my Grandma to sit with me and tell me the stories of the various recipes, which ones were good and which ones she served on which occasions. As the box flew open there was even a little smell of my Grandma that come wafting out of the box, and the memories flooded back to me, if only there was a way to preserve that smell.

          In the wake of my Grandma

Nane's battle with Alzheimer's a year ago (and eventual death) we found ourselves moving both my Grandma and my Grandpa into a retirement village, that had independent living for my Grandpa and skilled and memory care for my Grandma. We moved them out of what had been home for them for several decades and transitioned them into new homes. While we were going through the house we were helping my Grandpa downsize to their new apartment and take care of what things remained.  Some where along the line I was given this old recipe box of my Grandma's and I tucked it up high in my cupboards and apparently the back of my mind. She wasn't necessarily know in her latter years for her kitchen skills but rather her ability to consume dessert after dessert and pick a nice place to go out for a meal.
     However, her recipe box has me inspired to take a little journey with her, to explore the recipes she found worthy of keeping and today started my adventure with my newly turn 3 year old assistant. As I flipped through the recipes I knew I had to start easy, I also recognized the mountain of bananas that have been filling up my freezer and my husband has been reminding me to use up or get rid of. I found the banana bread recipe that my Grandma had used at some point. Lucy and I began to bake this morning in a brief moment where the boys were both sleeping.

It was good and I would use it again. I double the batch and got 12 mini loaves, 12 regular muffins, and 48 mini muffins. It was marvelous and I am excited to see what else this little box of recipes holds. Next time I use this recipe would probably replace the oil with apple sauce and decrease the amount of sugar. The bread is definitely approved by the tiny humans in my house as they consumed bite after bite with repeated requests for more.

What is your go-to for recipes?
What is the best thing you've ever been handed down?

A Nearly 1 Year Lapse

It has been almost year and I find myself missing this mostly quiet corner of the interwebs, and I am toying with the idea of coming back... how often, I don't know, but I think I am going to aim small so that I don't easily become overwhelmed and attempt to post at least once a week. Doable? Maybe.

A brief catch up, Lucy turned two this summer. I am not sure how that happened, but apparently time is flying by. Lucy is still on the small side, fierce, full of life, and has caught the love of Disney {which makes my heart sing}. She loves: Little People, books, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, being outside, playing with her puppy, and being with friends and family. While I enjoyed the baby stage {who doesn't love the smell of a sweet baby and the nearly never ending snuggles} I am truly LOVING this stage of independence, even though there are days when it drives me nearly crazy. I love that Luc is developing a personality and has opinions about certain things. It now takes us 12 times as long to do nearly every thing because Luc wants to try and do it herself.
  In the midst of the past year I also discovered {in a bit of a surprise to us} that Baby #2 will be making an appearance {hopefully} in early December 2016 and not sooner. Let the chaos expand. Shortly after Lucy turned 1 we began the process to foster to adopt with our county and have had the opportunity to have a few kids in our home over the course of the last six months for differing time periods, anything from 24 hours to a week at a time. We aren't sure what exactly will happen there, time will tell.

Other than that I still find myself: crocheting, addicted to shutterfly, taking more photos of my daughter and golden retriever than I can even admit, working full time, and enjoying life. Of course there are still the days filled with: laundry, spilled milk, cleaning the house, and other misc. chores. Here's to more faithful updates on the blog and thanks for bearing with me in my absence {if anyone is still around}.

How are you?
What is up with you?

Find Your Parks

In exciting news I was selected in the top 250 photos for the National Parks Find Your Parks, Centennial Project contest!!! I am STOKED.

However, now I need everyone to vote to get us up in the top.

If you have a few moments and wouldn't mind voting - please go on and vote:
http://findyourpark.com/centennial/vote#entry-180

You can vote once a day until October 15.

Thanks in advance.

15 Months

And just like that - overnight it feels like - my baby is gone and this sweet {most of the time} toddler has stolen away my baby. 15 months old. I can hardly believe it myself.

She is running EVERYWHERE. She still wearing anywhere from 6 month to 12 month clothes depending on what it is. I am hoping and praying that soon she will move up a size so that we don't have to acquire more in these small sizes, we have some great clothes in the next size. HOWEVER, unfortunately I tried to put some 12-18 month pants on her the other day {we lack fall/winter clothes in the 6-12 month size} and before she even got to the hallway they were down and around her ankles. I may need to head down to St. Cloud to check out the Once Upon a Child store there.

If she wants to eat, she will eat nearly anything that we put in front of here, just the other night we had splurged on a piece of salmon to grill up and I think Lucy ate 3/4 as much salmon as I did. I am not certain where she is putting it. Her favorite foods include: pringles, pretzel rods, raisins, string cheese, apple sauce, black beans, and chicken.

Lucy loves to go to daycare and hang out with her friends there, her favorite is still a 2 year old girl named Meredith or the daycare lady's 5th grade son, Sawyer.

Lucy would be outside every moment of the day if possible. Even better is if Dakota is running next to her. She loves at night when we go for a walk and we let her hold Dakota's leash. Dakota is RIDICULOUSLY patient with Lucy. It really is love both ways.

Lucy also LOVES hanging out with her friends. She is a little social butterfly. She has figured out how to wave, although it often is a bit delayed and is long after the person has turned around. It's the thought that counts right?!

I am loving this toddler stage, she is a little independent spirit. She has opinions of her own {despite the fact that it drives me nuts at times} I am loving that she cares and is very interactive. I love that she takes the time to examine the newly poured tar on the road and is fascinated by the grass the blows in the ditches or the leaves as they fall from the trees.

Much love for my sweet 15 month old!

Baptismal Anniversary

Happy Baptismal Birthday Lucy.

I continue to celebrate and rejoice at her baptism and the ways in which God is moving through her and for those who continue to build her up in the faith.

I can't believe it has been a year since this sweet baby was baptized.

Below is the photobook I made from her baptism. She loves looking through the pictures and seeing people she loves and adores already. It has been a great tool to talk to her about her baptism - even though she is just over a year old - I full embrace that you can't start telling them about their baptism and passing on the faith too early. We have been flipping through her baptism book lately - while she doesn't quite understand what it is all about yet, she is recognizing people in the pictures and she recognizes the church.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Labor Day Weekend

Can I stretch out Labor Day weekend forever?
While I would love to say that we had massive plans and did all sorts of ridiculously fun things - the reality was we did very minimal. We stayed at home, I worked Sunday, and we had a GREAT weekend.








We live in a SUPER touristy area and Labor Day for us marks the end of the CRAZY busy tourist season. I rejoice because it means I can go to the grocery store, Target, out to eat whenever we want {during the busy season we avoid going Friday-Sunday}. While I rejoice at the tourists because we get all sorts of things in town that we otherwise wouldn't be able to support without the tourists. But it is nice to see them go. We can paddle on the lake without having to worry about lots and lots of boat traffic.








Lucy has a new fascination with walking Dakota. SHE LOVES to hold Dakota's leash and walk her, thankfully Dakota is THE MOST PATIENT dog ever and for the most part walks nice and slow next to Lucy. I am not overly certain Dakota really even needs to be on a leash but she is none the less. Lucy now walks about a quarter mile or so before she is EXHAUSTED and then we put her on our backs in a carrier for the rest of the walk.

We stayed at home. We deep cleaned the house. We went on long walks and took hikes at the State Park. We went swimming in the lake. We took long bike rides (Marc went 43 miles, I only went 17 with a friend, but I was hauling a trailer w/ two kids in tow). We ate Zorbaz, as we do every Labor day for dinner. We took naps. We read books. We played with Little People. I crocheted. We went for runs. We hung out. We savored the day. We didn't have to work {for the most part}.

Summer last forever please.
Or perhaps these days last forever.

How was your weekend?

Lucy's First Year Photobook

This past year I have been rather intentional about keeping up on Lucy's first year photobook, she also got a photobook for her baptism. I knew that there was ZERO chance that I would actually be able to keep up with a "real" scrapbook so I have opted to go with Shutterfly {which I adore}, and if I didn't do it as I went there was NO chance it would happen later. Just about every Sunday night I would update her book making this less of a task and it only took a few minutes each night. I FINALLY just got around to proof reading it and all that good stuff AND shutterfly had a phenomenal sale on books making now the time to order.

Click here to view this photo book larger

I have another book already started for her second year. I can't believe my baby is already one and not a baby any more. Hello Toddler Years! {Lord, have mercy}

In addition to this photo book, I also make one for our family each year. This year I have also begun backing up our videos to youtube and burning them to a dvd. I am afraid that something will happen to our phones and camcorder (yes, we actually still have one and use it) - so I like to back that stuff up.

How do you create scrapbooks?
How do you preserve your memories?
Do you make photo books? What program/website do you like to use?

Back to my little corner of the world.

My little family from the lake last week

I am coming back to this sweet little corner of the world.
Summer has been NUTS to say the least. It has been a bunch of beautiful chaos however, I want to savor these last few weeks before everything begins again.

Confession: I missed this space - I missed blogging - I missed my place to let my voice be heard. So I am coming back here to this place.

I am sure I have lost all of my followers however, I will be back.

Some exciting things that will make blogging a little bit easier: WE ARE GETTING HIGH SPEED INTERNET - they are laying the fiberoptic cables now and within the next month we should have internet so I don't have to go to a coffee shop to blog any more.





How was your summer?

9 Months

Lucy has now officially been out in the world longer than she was growing inside of me (born at 33 weeks) which is something that boggles my mind.

Lucy is currently wearing 6 months clothes and some 6 to 9 month clothes and a few 9 month outfits. If an outfit has feet it definitely needs to be 6 to 9 month or 9 month. With that being said she also has 0 to 3 month onesies that fit her. She still doesn't have any teeth, I keep thinking that any moment now one is going to pop through as she is drooling a river and chewing on anything and everything she can get her hands on.

Lucy weighed in at 13 pounds and 8 ounces a week ago. She is 27.5 inches long. She is still below the first percentile for weight but is up in the 38 percentile for length. WHOOOP WHOOP for moving up on the chart. Now to get her weight on the chart.

Lucy CAN ROLL now form her back to her belly. I know way behind the normal schedule but she did it the other night, it was totally random. We all were laying on the floor and she just started rolling around as if she has been doing it for months. She successfully rolls into things now and comes home with all sorts of bumps and bruises from daycare as she is attempting to keep up with the other kids and rolls into anything and everything.

Lucy's primary form of movement is she still reverse worms, she lays on her back and then moves her feet here and there and can move like it is nobody's business.  She isn't crawling and has no interest in crawling when she can reverse worm so well. She is able to cruise on her back. She is however starting, just barely to show perhaps some interest in crawling, we'll see though. I am more convinced she will just take off in a run one of these days.

Lucy LOVES to eat real food, we really haven't bought any baby food, the only "baby food" she has gotten are things that I have pureed up myself from food that we are eating: sweet potato, strawberries, blue berries, bananas, carrots, etc.

Lucy also loves to hear her own voice, she isn't speaking any words yet, but she is babbling like it is no body's business, particularly in the car or during the quiet moments at church {which I find funny but her dad, who is with her during church finds it less amusing}. She loves to be outside whenever possible. She is ridiculously happy when we are out walking, hiking, going for a run, or even just going into stores.

3/4 a year old!
My heart burst with joy and love for her.

March Photodump

She is growing up SOOOO FAST

She LOVES this ball

New favorite food: Mum Mums

Love us some baby wearing #Tula

I swear she has to be close to teething -
she is chewing on EVERYTHING

Happy all of the time

Sleepy Dakota

Last year all three of these babes were in utero
Lucy (8.5 months), Jonah (4 months), Mac (almost 1)

New Bohemia pretzel 

LOVED baby

Uncle Cubby

Family

FINALLY able to get outside and get running

playing with Dad

#roadtrip

Sometimes at 10:00pm you just need brownies

Worth it to bundle her up to run outside

I can't believe that she is already 8 months
trying to savor every minute

How was your March?

What were your highlights?

{Cupcakes: Disney's Peanut Butter Cupcake}

I have caught the itch for the trend of cupcakes.
I love how each individual cake looks nice as opposed to when you cut a cake it looks awesome as a whole but the individual pieces do not always look so stellar when they are being served.

This winter I have really taken seriously my love of cupcakes and have started to learn how to frost/decorate my own as well as bake my own from scratch. {I know they probably don't taste all that much different and maybe not even better, but I love knowing I created something from square one} Pinterest has a TON of fun ideas, the problem is some of them are just pictures while other include the entire recipe. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to cupcakes. I {and my mom} are always pinning different cupcakes, some people are ridiculously creative.

A couple weeks ago Lucy, Marc, Dakota, and I met up with Cubby {my brother}, Al {Cubby's girlfriend}, and my parents in Minneapolis to celebrate my Mom's 60th birthday. I offered to bring the cupcakes {what's a birthday party w/out cake?!}.

I found THIS pin on Pinterest, which lacks any directions just has a picture.
They claim to be Disney's Peanut Butter Cupcake. {I would LOVE to learn a ton of Disney parks recipes}

I made a chocolate cake from scratch
Put mini peanut butter chips inside the cake
Baked them
Made a homemade buttercream frosting
Sprinkled with a few mini peanut butter chips
Drizzled melted peanut butter chips {I add a tiny bit of oil to my melted chips}
Drizzled melted chocolate chips  {I once again add a tiny bit of oil to my melted chips}
Added a mini Reece's Peanut Butter cup to each cupcake

In retrospect: the pin put the peanut butter cup on then added the two drizzles


We brought a dozen to Minneapolis and a dozen to a St. Patty's day party
We had zero left at the end of the weekend, so I am calling it a success

Do you like to bake?
What do you like to bake?

Walt Disney World January Trip Photobook

Last year with Lucy being born I HATE to admit how far I had gotten behind with my photobooks, I HATE catching up with photobooks. I enjoy doing them when I am up to date, but once I get behind I literally DREAD doing them. I don't want to do them, so after last year (I blame Lucy for getting me behind) and having to play MASSIVE catch up I am trying super hard to NOT get behind this year, so far so good. I am up to date with our Marshall family 2015 book and Lucy's first year book is up to date for the most part. The calendar in Lucy's book could use a little bit of work, but that part is easy because I have a calendar that is hanging in her room that I also write everything on so that piece is just filling in the details.

Anyways, I managed to get an 8 by 11 book done for our January trip to Walt Disney World and thought I would share. {I got my book free due to coke rewards points - BONUS}

Click here to view this photo book larger

What is your favorite way to make scrapbooks?
How do you save your pictures so they aren't just stored on your iphone or computer?

What's on my hook

With Valentine's day long past I am over working on hats, HOWEVER, I did decide that Lucy needed a new hat for spring. I made the Easy Sunhat by Mamachee out of a cotton yarn. I really like how incredibly quickly it worked up (it took me less than a movie to make) and how fun it is for spring.  It is time to get rid of the super warm winter hats around here. I am glad I found this pattern. I need to work up a spring hat for myself because my current winter hat is wool and that is FAR too warm for this time of year. A dear friend of mine (who is a crochet rockstar) suggested the Galilee hat in cotton, which I agree would be amazing for a spring hat, so I think I am going to go for that and see how it turns out. The Galilee hat is one of my favorite hats to work up. My husband Marc may also need to get a new spring hat, however, I refuse to make us matching hats, that is strange to me.

I also am FINALLY working on my mom's blanket that she requested years ago (literally), so it should get done this year. I maybe will show you a preview of the squares at some point but I am enjoying it for now, however, I can only do a couple squares and then do something else so I don't get bored with it. 

I also some how stumbled upon these two cute patterns one for the giraffe and one for the sweet little bird and to make it even better, both of these patterns are FREE. Whoop whoop for free patterns. I used cotton yarn for both of these as well. I ordered my eyes off of amazon because I couldn't find ANY in the town I live in or a bigger city near by (thank God for Amazon prime - I am impatient). These were my first attempts at making something other than hats, scarves, booties, blankets, etc. It was quite the challenge, not so much in the making of the individual pieces but the assembly took me a little longer than I had anticipated for the giraffe, the bird was a piece of cake to assemble as it only has two wings, and the tail to add on. The beak of my bird is a piece of felt. I now have added several other projects along this line to my to do list. My favorite crochet blog (www.mooglyblog.com) has been featuring some fun projects lately. 

I have started my next dream list of projects for things I would like to crochet:

• Finish Mom's blanket
• Goal: finish this by the end of 2015 {Fingers crossed and determination will make this happen}
• Make Lucy a doll for her birthday {July 2}
• Spring hat for me
• Spring hat for Marc
• Make a couple headband accents for Lucy
• Very Hungry Caterpillar
• a dinosaur

Who knows what else will happen or what will get scrapped from the list in hopes of something more appealing?! Oh the joys of crocheting!

Walt Disney World Recap

Truth: I have ALWAYS loved Walt Disney World. My parents started taking my brother and me to WDW & Disneyland when we were young children. I still remember certain things from those early trips {like our parking spot from our Disneyland trip - why I remember this who knows -- or the fact that my father got lost before the days of cell phones and spent 3 hours or so riding It's a Small World}. I cannot deny my love of Disney movies, books {go read the Kingdom Keepers if you haven't}, and even the music. I love the mystery and the magic of the parks. I love the extreme hospitality that the cast members off while in WDW {I pray I am able to emulate some of this hospitality in my own life}. I love the diversity of food that I can eat at the different restaurants and quick serve opportunities throughout the parks - my mouth waters just thinking of all of the delightfulness. I love the ways in which while at WDW it feels as if I am transported to somewhere else, somewhere outside of this world, where imagination and pixie dust actually have the power to change the world.

And now I am beginning to pass on the love to our daughter - who in turn is allowing me to see the world (both the real world and Walt Disney World) through new eyes. While I have to admit I hadn't ridden the carousel for YEARS I would have spent our whole trip on the carousel, Lucy LOVED it! I have spent way more time than I want to admit mocking It's a Small World and yet again I would have ridden the ride on repeat, Lucy LOVED it! There was something fabulous watching her experience it for the first time and seeing the ways in which she jumped as we watched the dolls dance and the ways in which she bounced to the song {even if it gets stuck in my head for what feels like an eternity}, Lucy LOVED it and I LOVED experiencing it with her. We are going back to WDW in November so Marc and I can run the Wine & Dine half marathon and I am excited to see how Lucy falls more in love with WDW at 16 months rather than at 6 months. She will be mobile and probably less interested in sitting in her stroller to watch parades and soak things in and it will be different but I think this new stage will also be marvelous. Plus my parents will be joining us which will add a level of fun to the trip.

While I was a little skeptical on what Lucy would think of the loud parades and the fireworks she soaked in the parades with great joy. The fireworks she was in our Tula and slept happily through them all. With her in the Tula it was AMAZING to be able to keep her sleeping while we rode the bus back to our resort (we stayed at Saratoga Springs) and not have to wake her. I also have to admit this was my first trip with a stroller and at first I was a bit uncertain of my feelings towards hauling a stroller everywhere but much to my surprise having to bring a stroller into the parks is AWESOME. We had somewhere to put our sweatshirts {I always haul a sweatshirt for the night time}, we had some where to put our water bottles, we had somewhere to put Lucy's stuff, & on the last day we had somewhere to put the stuff we bought {other than the last day I ALWAYS take advantage of the free room delivery of the stuff I buy so I don't have to haul it}. It will be crazy to go back to the strollerless days again {although we have at least a few years with a stroller}.

I also recommend Saratoga Springs - I realize it is one of the older resorts but I LOVE IT. I like that it has it's own bus so that when heading to the parks and at the end of the day you don't have to stop at several resorts to get home. Yes, there are several stops within Saratoga Springs, but that doesn't bother me because they are all pretty fast. The other thing I discovered I loved about Saratoga Springs is that there are paths to Downtown Disney! {I apparently was behind the 8 ball on discovering this} Downtown Disney is less than a 10 minute walk from the main building of Saratoga Springs, which to me is AWESOME, it allowed us to walk down there as we wanted without having to wait for a bus. We went down in the morning {although we were surprised that most of it doesn't open until 10:00am}, one afternoon when we came back to do a little swimming {which we did swim were done long before dinner time and had a little more time to use} and one night after watching Wishes we headed downtown for ice cream at Ghiradelli. 

This trip we weren't on the meal plan {my first trip not on the meal plan in a long time} and it was fine but I REALLY like the meal plan. We are going to have the meal plan in November. This trip it was okay to not be on the meal plan because it was a quick trip, planned a little last minute, and we were able to split a lot of meals {which did in turn save us some money} but then we were very careful on not spending lots of money, when I am on the meal plan - while yes, it does feel like a lot of food- I am a bit more relaxed on the prices of the food because I have already paid for it. It is a little bit of a catch 22. We also did get a memory maker this trip. I am thankful we did because they were able to capture quite a few awesome pictures of Lucy meeting characters, some magic photos {I am printing out the picture of Lucy holding tinkerbell}, as well as some photos from around the parks and on the rides. We had a phenomenal trip and I am stoked to go back in November. So thankful for the opportunity to travel with Lucy!

Do you have any Disney trips on the horizon?

Any vacations coming up for you?

Where is your favorite place to vacation?