Foody Friday - Roasted Candied Cabbage

Raise your hand if you like cabbage!! Really? Only me huh? Ah well, after you try this one I won't be alone any longer.

This recipe makes cabbage nice and sweet... like candy! Okay, maybe not just like candy but awfully close.

You'll need 5 cups of chopped cabbage and 3/4 c. of chopped pecans. Melt 3 T. of butter in skillet on high heat. When the butter is nice and hot add the cabbage and pecans. Sprinkle 1 T. of kosher salt and 2 T. of brown sugar on top and stir well until combined. Saute on high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 15 minutes or desired doneness.

Pecans and cabbage don't sound like much of a partnership but it's a surprisingly good balance of flavors. Don't be afraid to start off with less sugar and/or salt and add small amounts until the taste is to your liking.

Let me know what you think!

Photo Thursday - Frost

Frost on the car window.

Potty Training in the Dark

Yahoo won't be two until March but we've slowly been working on using the potty. I know, she's young and I'm not rushing anything. I just don't want her to be afraid of it and wearing diapers in kindergarten.

Ever since she could sit on her own I'd start putting her on the potty just to get used to sitting that high on her own and she's never been afraid of it. When I do my business I share all the details with her (sorry, not sharing any details with you.) We read the potty books and we bought princess underwear.

So far she's doing okay. Sometimes she tells me when she has to go and we get to the potty on time. Sometimes we don't. Sometimes she doesn't tell me until it's too late and then there's times she walks around with gross pants and doesn't tell me at all. So far fairly normal in my book.

You are probably getting bored with the whole play by play of potty training but here's the one thing about Yahoo using the potty that has me entirely confused. Up until last week she's never done #2 on the potty. Fine, didn't bother me, it'll come. But last week, twice, she said she had to go #2.

Alright!!! We rushed to the potty only for her to sit there and yell at me to turn off the lights and get out. And then she went #2....twice in one week. Twice she sits on the potty only to holler, loudly, until I turn off the lights and leave.

.

What's that all about? Weird kid

Lousy Pastel that can't be saved

I posted a couple weeks ago this drawing of the buffalo and asking for help. I knew it wasn't done and it needed something but I was stuck. Leigh suggested I was lacking a focal point. Exactly! You nailed it for me Leigh, thanks!

So, here it was before.

And here is after I did a bit of work to it.

I tried to move the viewers eye towards the buffalo and center. I'm still not happy with it though. I think the best I can do is just put it away for now and work on something else.

It's hard to find long interrupted time periods in order to draw since I have kids. Working in short time spurts makes it difficult to really get into a drawing and do quality work. Before kids I could work for hours at a time. Someday I'll get that again.

I've started some small colored pencil drawings on black board lately of yucca plants that I'll try to share with you sometime next week.

Marker Monday - Christmas Battering Ram

We have a certified Christmas elf living in our house! Under the tree this year we found a certificate declaring that, because he had done such a wonderful job building our dining table this year, Daddy was a certified Santa elf! Along with this wonderful honor there were also Santa's plans for a go-cart and all the supplies for it in the garage. Wow, what a great idea Mr. Claus!

Here's Yap on Christmas afternoon explaining the plans to me because, you know, I'm just a girl and I don't know anything!

I'm not real sure what Yip and Yap's roles were in this building project but they seemed to sure enjoy the cold afternoon working with DR.

Yahoo realized that sawdust art is her next passionate project which means laundry was mine.

Um, what exactly does this have to do with building a go-cart Yip? Always the ham, can't you let me take a normal picture of you?

And here we go the first test run! You know, I think this would work a lot better with hills and a steering wheel. On second thought maybe it's a good thing we live on the flat prairie!

DR changed the plans just a bit and put an extra section of picket fence on the top. It kind of looks like a battering ram now though. I'm expecting lots of injuries this summer.

You know, I really think it's awesome that my husband spent Christmas afternoon building this with the boys when he could have spent his sugar coma on the couch. Hopefully, it will foster some creativity in the boys to create some really awesome things on their own the older they get.

Wait a minute....maybe not. I'm seeing catapaults and weapons in my future. Santa, can you bring the plans and supplies for a nice simple calm birdhouse next year?

Sunday Devotions - Happy New Year!

For every activity there is a right time and procedure, even though man's troubles are heavy on him. Yet no one knows the future, who can tell him what will happen? No one has authority over the wind to restrain it, and there is no authority over the day of death; there is no furlough in battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape.
Eccleciastes 8:6-8

Happy New Year! So, have you made any New Year's resolutions? Not me.

Oh, I've tried to in the past but New Year's resolutions never work out for me. I'm not putting down anyone who makes resolutions; if it works for you that's awesome! But for me things happen to change my plans or after a few months I have new goals that are more important or I just lose motivation. The truth is, I don't know what the upcoming year holds so how can I make goals for it?

Don't get me wrong, I have goals. I have goals for my summer garden and fall harvest, charitable giving, projects I want to create but I never put these goals down in writing or treat them as an objective that can't be changed. Life changes and I've learned that I have to be ready to change with it.

Although I know life will change unexpectedly this year (it always does) it is comforting to know that God never changes. God is the solid rock. He is the one place to turn to when things go wrong and unexpected. God is always there to love me without ceasing and without judgment. God never changes.

I'm looking forward to the year 2011! I think there are some wonderful unexpected things in store for me and my family. So I'll let them come and I'll go with the flow because I might miss out on wonderful things if I were tethered to a few resolutions.

Dear God, Thank You for change and thank You for being unchanging. Amen.

The Christmas Scooters

In the past Christmas shopping for my kids has been kind of frustrating. First of all it seems they change their minds once a week before during December about exactly it is they want to find under the tree. Or what I think they'll like doesn't excite them at all. Or worse, Yip and Yap get different presents and then there is lots of jealousy. It's a fine line with twins sometimes treating them both equal yet as individuals. But this year I hit the jackpot....the boys both found scooters under the tree!

We don't have snow here in Kansas but we sure have cold weather about 20 some degrees in the mornings. But that sure hasn't slowed them down. Yip and Yap have headed out the door every morning to ride scooters. It's been great! They've been outside for an hour at a time and boy does that help with the cabin fever.

Racing up and down the sidewalk.....running errands for me just so they can ride their scooters.

"Yip, would you mind changing out of your pajama pants before you head outside though? Thanks. "

Christmas Break is almost over, thank goodness!

Did you notice today's date? 1-1-11...Happy New Year!!!