The Birthday Boy

My baby is one. That happened WAY too fast!

Oh goodness how I love this sweet boy. He blesses us fresh every single day with his quick smile and loving personality. He loves to snuggle with mommy, play up with his daddy (I recently found them watching Top Gear together), keeps quite entertained by his big sister, and is a ferocious crawler (he can get some speed, that boy!).

We had a little birthday party for him with the cousins. We played games, listened to lively bluegrass and had an all around rousing good time.


I made a cake, with fear and trembling since I had yet to have one actually turn out. Poor Mariah's one year old cake could have doubled as a rubber bouncy toy. But this one actually worked! I was relieved and so thankful.

But I guess Micah isn't a cake person. His first real taste of sugar and he basically just ignored it choosing to flirt with the camera instead.

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God" ~Micah 6:8

And the eating begins!

While in Minnesota, Micah had his first try at food!

Photo Challenge: day 2

Nothing says "Summer" like

juicy red strawberries!

(taken at 3:25 pm)

A few days ago, the very first strawberry was perfectly ripe and ready to eat. So I brought it into the house and David and I split it! We savored each teensy bite with happy summertime bliss.

*This Photo Challenge is the brain child of the Tingelstad girls! Check out their blog here!

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

After several requests for this recipe, I thought it would be fun to share it here. This is for all of you spicy, chewy oatmeal cookie lovers. These are super duper yummy!!

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

(adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking)

Yield: 50 cookies

Baking Temperature: 350 F (177 C)

Baking Time: 13 to 17 minutes (depending on if you prefer them chewy or crisp)

3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (9 3/8 ounces) packed light or dark brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 1/3 cups (4 5/8 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) traditional whole wheat flour

2 cups (9 to 12 ounces) dried fruit: diced apples, chopped dates, dried cranberries, raisins, chopped dried apricots or the dried fruits of your choice

1 cup (3 3/4 ounces) chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Cream the butter, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices, vinegar and vanilla. Beat in the egg. Add the oats, flour, dried fruit and nuts, and stir to combine. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies, reversing the pans midway through (top to bottom, bottom to top), until they're beginning to brown around the edges but are still soft in the center, 14 minutes. Remove them from the oven and transfer them to a rack to cool.

And so it begins...

...the lifetime adventure with food!

Since I am so fond of reading cooking websites and blogs like this one and this one, I was excited that it was time for Mariah to taste her very first bite of "real" food. I think food is so fun and such an amazing part of God's wonderful creation!

We, of course (being the over-the-top-first-time-parents that we are), had to video this momentous occasion. Blogger is not allowing me to upload videos again today. I've been trying for several days but no luck...so a link it is.

Here it is!

*And please pay no attention to the mommy! I told David to NOT get me in the video because I was not presentable and my hair was...well, yucky...yes, that's the word. But he sort of forgot, I guess. Ugh!

My favorite cooking blog

Cooking for Seven

Photo by Erica Berge

This is such a lovely blog. The photography is incredible, the recipes are scrumptious, and the writing is captivating. Not only that, the blog mistress is related to me! She is my beautiful cousin, Erica, full of grace, inner and outer beauty, and loads of talent.

AND...up until March 23rd, you can enter to win a pack of delicious granola if you visit and comment!

Baking (or attempting to!)

Okay! I love reading all these beautiful blogs about food, like my cousin Erica's cooking blog! So I thought I would attempt to do a lovely post about making bread! It didn't exactly go like I hoped but the end product was good, so that is really what matters.

So, first you mix up your ingredients according to the recipe. I was just waiting for the yeast to activate in the water so I thought I would take some pictures of the ingredients, all artsy and posed (like a cooking show). However, I only have two ingredients clearly showing...not so clever!

Meanwhile, the yeast was really going to town! Okay, need to focus a little more I guess.

Here is the messy (but fun!) part...kneading the dough! Notice my rings carefully set aside in the background! I thought that dough plastered to the side of my wedding diamond might not be so cool.

Then, you let it rise and carefully cover it with a beautiful towel that your mother embroidered for your hope chest (or any towel that you might happen to have...but I am sure it won't work as well). 

Okay...I thought I learned this lesson already!

After punching it down twice, form the dough into loaves and let it rise again. Notice how my loaves are all lopsided and one side is bigger than the other? I am happy to say that it doesn't affect the taste.

And THEN!!!...bake it in the oven and fill the house with THE MOST glorious smell ever! Yum!

Okay...here is the recipe:

(from Elaine Nissley's kitchen in Lancaster, PA)

4 cups  milk

4 tsp.  salt

4 T   butter

4 T   honey

1 T   yeast

1/4 cup   warm water

9-10 cups   flour 

(I use 3 cups whole wheat and the rest white)

Mix together and let rise twice before forming into loaves. Bake at 350-375 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!!