How do I love thee, Autumn? Let me count the ways!

I love...
1. Sitting in a library watching leaves fall in swirls off the trees
2. Doughnut day and apple cider
3. Apple crisp and apple products
4. Pumpkin Spice Latte and any and all pumpkin products
5. Soup and stew with saltine crackers
6. Sunshine and a crisp breeze
7. Chilly rain, especially when combined with 4) and 8)
8. Wearing a sweatshirt and being just the right temperature
9. Seeing people's fall decorations--the pumpkins, scarecrows, mums, and straw
10.Cinnamon and nutmeg, especially when combined with 2), 3), or 4)
11. Thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas

Eleven! Eleven Ways! AH-AH-AH!

What I've Been Reading Lately

Inspired by recent related posts by Sarah at Dancing Through Life with the Downs Family and Lindsay at Bytes of Memory; I thought I'd give you...what I've been reading lately. Two posts in one month--whew! Don't get used to it. :)

• The Gospel of Mark. Reading through this one for small group; disturbed by how long it's been since I've spent any concentrated time in the Gospels. Have I forgotten who Jesus is? In some ways, of course not! In other ways, yeah. Putting my nose in here has been a good memory-jogger. Reading straight through a book like this has also reminded me of the more perplexing passages that I'd be hard-pressed to explain to others. More research required.
• www.simplycharlottemason.com. After a summer of putting it out of my mind, I've had a mini-renaissance of thinking about parenting and specifically about educating the kids. This is a cool website devoted to making a particular philosophy of education --19th century British educator Charlotte Mason's, to be precise--um, simple. My mother-in-law has the complete 6 volume set of her writings in the basement, and I've often eyeballed them curiously but not picked them up due to my experiences with other educational philosophy books a la John Dewey. Now, however, I will abscond with them at my earliest opportunity. This website offers some free e-books (read, pdf files) that really give the ideas and the methods in a nutshell. I've inhaled these over the last week or so. If you're interested, you can check them out here. (Note, while I did download, print out, and read all the others; I have not done so for "The Swedish Drill Teacher.") I am highly tempted to buy their other resources, but this will involve some saving up. What IS this educational philosophy, you ask? Oh ho ho! You'll have to go see for yourself! ;)

Another Recipe: Chicken-Spinach White Pizza

My tastebuds delighted in this recent invention. I hope you enjoy it too.

Chicken-Spinach White Pizza

Toppings:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 chicken breast, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 red onion, sliced
2-3 large handfuls (maybe 5 oz?) fresh spinach

White sauce:
1 cup boiling water, more as needed
8 oz cream cheese, more as needed
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, more as needed

Dough for 1 pizza, or premade pizza crust

In a large skillet, saute the chicken and onion in oil over medium heat until chicken is cooked through and onion is quite soft. Add spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until spinach starts to wilt--probably less than a minute. Remove skillet from heat and remove chicken mixture to a separate bowl.

Return the skillet to the heat and add the cup of boiling water, scraping the brown crusties from the chicken and onions off the bottom of the skillet with a flat-sided spatula (a wooden one works great). Add in the cream cheese and stir to dissolve it in the water. Turn the heat down to low, and add in the Parmesan cheese--stirring to melt it in. As this cooks down into a semi-smooth sauce, add more water to make it thinner, more cream cheese to make it thicker, or if you feel like you need more sauce than that. (*Confession--I did not measure any of this stuff; I'm just guessing on amounts)

Spread cream cheese sauce on prepared dough, put on chicken-onion-spinach mixture as the topping. Bake at whatever temperature and time is appropriate for your pizza dough, until dough is cooked and chicken/onions/sauce are hot! (My dough recipe calls for prebaking just the dough for about 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then adding the toppings and baking another 10-15 minutes or so.)

I Made a Magazine Box!

Noelle's Highlights magazines were making the bookcase in the playroom a little treacherous with their flopsy, flimsy ways. Really, all the items on the bookshelf are this way, but the magazines have become high-demand items in the last few months. Noelle has been known to scramble up there to pick out the one or four she wants to read with me. I know this because I shortly thereafter hear her shouting for me to come help her get down.

So, inspired by Ashlee's recent blog about weekend do-it-yourself projects and a cardboard box, I give you...what happens when an English major tries to get crafty without spending any money. I'll mention that project happened mostly spontaneously, so I made it while Noelle was dancing around asking me:

"Why?"
To hold the magazines
"Can I do it?"
I guess so. You want this other half of the box?
"Sho [sure]. Why? No, help me put the glue on!"
Okay. The glue goes here, then?
"NO, NOT THE GLUE!"
If you want to do it like mommy, the glue goes like this.
"Why? Can I put some decorations on too?"
No! I...ah. Okay, that's fine.
"Why?"

And so on.

Without further ado...Here are our two completed projects. I'll let you guess whose is whose.

Here's What's Cooking...

I got this recipe through the "Weeknight Kitchen" from a favorite radio show of mine, The Splendid Table. You can find all manner of fun things on the website, http://www.splendidtable.org/. I really enjoy Lynne Rosetto Kasper's work there and on the podcasts.

This was very yummy, seemed very classy to me, and was not hard at all. Yeah! It scored an 11 out of 10 on the Mark scale. I served it with plain pasta, mixed veggies, and a salad...hey--I'm working with two kids 3 and under here. :) I will be making this again--I hope you try it out!

Passing the Frugality Test:
Rule #1: Use what you have first. Not having red onion on hand, I just used the plain ole' white one. I'm sure there's a difference in flavor, but it was still delicious.
Rule #2: Think small when it's something you don't use. Since this calls for 6 Kalamata olives and I don't keep those on hand, I picked up exactly 6 pitted ones from the olive/appetizer bar at the grocery store. 37 cents. They're more expensive this way per unit than in a jar I expect, but I didn't need a whole jar. I needed six--and I'll never use the others. (Except...I liked this so much I might just buy the jar for future use!)
Rule #3: It is fun to grow a couple of herbs! I trotted outside and made the first pull off my little basil plant! Would it have cost more than the $2.50 I paid for the plant to buy some fresh basil at the store? Oh yeah. And I'll be using basil again...so money saved.

Therefore, this recipe is approved by Katie's budget. :)

"Forking up bites of chicken and running them through this tomato essence is
my idea of Southern Italian home food. And time is on our side here because from
start to finish, the chicken takes maybe 20 minutes.

"You could certainly double up on the recipe so you have another batch
ready to reheat later in the week. Sautéed polenta, or beans braised with
greens, or a salad of orange wedges, shaved onion, and tart greens would each be
good with the chicken.

Sicilian Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts
Serves 4

Cook to Cook: Every recipe we do has a subtext and it is this: Please use organic ingredients if possible. There is a difference in quality, and if raised as they should be,
they are better for the planet.

Good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
Generous pinch red pepper flakes
4 big cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1 small to medium red onion, thin sliced
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
6 pitted Kalamata black olives, coarse chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, partially drained
10 fresh basil leaves, torn

1. Film a 12-inch straight-sided, heavy sauté pan with olive oil then heat over medium-high. Slip the chicken into pan (don't let pieces touch) and sprinkle with salt and the two peppers. Quickly sear on both sides until lightly browned (about 1 minute per side).

2. With a flat ended wood spatula, stir in the garlic, onion, oregano, olives, and wine,
if using. Reduce heat so pan liquid barely bubbles. Cover tightly. Cook 12
minutes (turning chicken once), or until chicken is firm when pressed. Remove
chicken to a plate to rest for 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Increase the heat to medium-high. Simmer down pan juices, stirring, for 30 seconds, or until syrupy. Blend in tomatoes. Boil rapidly to thicken the sauce. Taste for seasoning, then stir in basil. To serve, spread a little of the sauce in the center of individual dinner plates. Top with chicken and spoon the rest of the sauce over
them.

LYNNE'S TIPS
• The key to tender, juicy, lean cuts like chicken breasts is a fast high-heat sear to lightly brown both sides. This gives us that satisfying taste of caramelization. Then you do the real cooking very slowly over low heat. This keeps lean cuts like chicken breasts juicy. The last all important step is to let them rest at room temperature 8 to 10 minutes. This assures you lots of juice and tenderness.

• Use good-tasting, organic canned tomatoes packed in juice (not puree), such as Muir Glen. You don't want puree because often low grade tomato paste is used to thicken purees, which can ruin your cooking with nasty metallic flavors.
Copyright 2010 Lynne Rosetto Kasper"

What do you think? Is this a good idea for my blog? I thought I needed to diversify since I can't ever think of something to say...

Crime and Punishment?

Having a bit of a struggle with the kiddos lately. Ages, nearly 3 and 1.5.
They want their own way. We want God's way. Or really, we want them not to thrash and scream and pull one another's hair while launching their sippy cups and wriggling out of the cart at Lowe's. Also to not throw their bread demonstratively on the floor and blow raspberries at us. Additionally, it would be good if they were to sit nicely with hands folded in laps for about an hour at a time...to listen and obey. To have a soft heart.

Here's one point of interest for me, trying to find what things are heart issues and what things are just childish ridiculousness. What should my expectation for some of their behaviors be--can there be a difference between my standard and my expectation? (I'm thinking my expectation is what leads me to get upset when they're being crazy; and my standard is what causes me to impose some appropriate discipline)

I am having the exact same struggle right now that I had with classroom management as a teacher. Is it that I just have this "great understanding" with the students/kids that I don't need to impose particular rules or consequences of "strictness"? Well, maybe this works to some degree, but I have always erred on the too-relaxed side and get walked upon if not eaten alive. But I really struggle with:
1) knowing where the lines should really be; making the call that judgment must fall NOW
2) knowing what exactly to do about it (I get all wishy-washy about whether a particular moment merits a spank, for instance)

I've no problem spanking; I just want to be appropriate and effective in its use. Feeling a little uneasy there. I've read the parenting book that says, "Spanking is the one and only Biblical disciplinary tactic; so spank for every instance of disobedience." But so often I have a hard time discerning moment to moment what is a 2-year old's lack of self-discipline that should be treated as such, and what is a willful disobedience that should be treated as such.

I would really appreciate your comments, suggestions, or ideas. How do you train your children? What disciplinary tools do you have in your repetoire? Am I the only one who feels like a fool?

Katie Recommends...

I'd like to give a shout-out. I am quite sure I have never actually given a "shout-out" before. Certainly I have plugged, recommended, and otherwise mentioned people or things to others. But here, mustering all my coolness, I think I will do it.

I'm giving a shout-out to Philip Yancey for his book, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? Another shout-out to Laura Wyant for putting this book in my hands (and apologies for still having it, so many months later).

This book goes pretty deep without making one's head feel like it exploded. In fact, it's a page-turner for me. Never mind that it's been 9 months and I still haven't finished it. It's like the widow's oil or something; there are just more and more chapters as race to finish each one. Every time I pick it up I don't want to put it down.

I love the way Yancey looks into prayer, with eyes neither starry nor calloused. He reminds me and teaches me what prayer is about, why it's so important, and is helping me rethink my expectations for it, myself, and God. He makes me want to change the way I pray, and even helps me get a little grip on how I might do that. Good stuff.

Submission?

I've been working on a study of submission for the upcoming women's retreat. I've been interested in learning more about this topic for well over a year, when I first realized I had NO IDEA what it really meant to submit--especially to my husband.

I thought I'd leave you, though, with just one little thing to ponder. This is Richard Foster's definition of submission from his book, A Celebration of Discipline. By the way, submission in this book is listed as a spiritual discipline, right alongside prayer and study and so forth. Interesting.

Here it is:
"I said that every Discipline has its corresponding freedom. What freedom corresponds to submission? It is the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way."

Word.

Update on 2010 Goals: 25% Mark

Sorry for not posting lately. Since I don't have anything interesting to blog about that I can think of, I'll rehash an old one. It's Spring after all; how are those 2010 resolutions coming? Hmmm...

• "To let the Word "dwell richly" in me, starting with reading it more." Definitely made some progress there. I've read Genesis through 2 Chronicles in a methodical fashion; then am swinging by Psalms and Proverbs for chronology's sake before rerouting to the post-exilic stuff. This go-around has given me a renewed sense of the sometimes-bizaare, sometimes-angering stuff in the Old Testament. Always though, a sense of this: God is real big, real strong, and He's not messing around. He's most certainly never half-hearted.
• "To be able honestly to answer the question "Who's the most important person in your life?" NOT with "me," but more and more with Jesus. To that end, I want to relearn how to pray; and look more to the needs of my friends and especially the not-my-friends in my life. " I am practicing prayer more, and gaining an ever-increasing sense of how it's so important. I was counseled by an older (than me) lady the other day that some of her moments of biggest growth came through praying ...nothing in particular...but just spending the alone time with God. As to the needs of friends and not-friends--nothing comes to mind too much, so I guess it's not happening. Maybe you friends can give me some insight on that one?
• "To have more Mary, and less Martha in my life (see Luke 10:40)." Only in that I'm more and more wanting it. Do I have to quit things to facilitate this? Maybe. Or mabye I would just find other home-bound things to do instead of sit with Jesus. Like obsessively scrubbing my sink.
• "Intentionally parenting the kids." Well, the daily planned activity has been a big failure on my part; but I am doing better about being fully-present at certain times. I just think they want me (or rather, still need me) more than the mere few minutes I give to this each day.
• "Learn to control my emotions better around my family." Nope. Well, a little. I am getting better about doing this with the kiddos, but I came to the awful re-realization today that I treat almost everyone in my life better than I treat Mark. Big boo to me. I mean really. Do I make snide comments to you? Do I dismiss your whimpers as petty? Do I sneer at you? Or speak angrily and snippily to you? Do I wish I could manipulate your schedule to bend to my will? Not much, I hope. But to Mark? Yes. All the time.
• "Garden a vegetable and then eat it." Nothing so far, but it's just now spring. I'm definitely going for zucchini. I did get to spend a couple glorious hours playing in the dirt today courtesy of my friend Sara bringing over a bunch of daffodils, irises, and day lilies that she had scored for free from someone else. I don't think I have ever enjoyed doing anything outside that much. Maybe my dad's much-resisted attempts to put farming in my blood all during my youth are finally coming to fruition; or maybe it was that Mark watched the kids.
• "Do something extra for Mark each week out of love." Nope, at least not like I envisioned. I have thrown surprise dessert into his lunch a few times, but that's not really what I meant.
• "Make the kids each a great felt-applique stocking using the kits my mom got me." I have started Noelle's, but I'm not gonna lie--it's going to take forever if it keeps getting bumped by other more urgent deadlines.

So there you have it. The goals have not entirely disintegrated nor been discarded, but I am NOWHERE near meeting them. How about you?

"Busy" May Be a Condition...

...But it is not something that just happens to you. "Busy" is my attitude towards my time and activities; it tells me neither how many activities there are on my schedule nor of what quality they are. My time is (in reality) a constant. It doesn't feel like it very often, which puzzles me. Occasionally I feel like I have all the time in the world--am I even bored? And the rest of the time, I feel like there are more jobs to get done, more chores to finish, more demands to play games, more pee puddles to wipe up than there are minutes in my week. Of course, the minutes are the same. The length of the to-do list may be different, but the real difference is how I'm choosing to respond to it.

I'm trying to phase the word "busy" out of my vocabulary. If I really can't read a story to the kids because I really have to fold the laundry right now, fine. But I should say so and double my efforts to finish the chore so that I can be available for the wee ones. I'm finding that if (*confession*) I don't want to read the story to the kids, I tell myself and them it's because I'm busy.

Maybe I should be less busy and deal with what's really going on in my heart: that I just don't want to be selfless. Likewise, when I'm so busy that I don't make time to pray or read the Bible--then the example of Jesus making time to go off and pray speaks to me. Surely his to-do list was filled with more substantial things than mine, but he managed. I don't see him saying, "Let the little children come to me...later." He seems to calmly and thoughtfully turn his attention to one thing at a time. When I get busy, I get agitated and snippy. I don't see this in him. So I'm working on taking a page from Jesus here to thoughtfully and even thankfully (?) turn my attention to whatever needs to be at hand; whether it's the casserole that needs baked and delivered, the fingerpainting session, the small group lesson that needs planned...by tomorrow(!), or the socks that need put into the huge box of single socks.

Filing this under 2010 goal of managing my emotions. And since I've typed most of the last paragraph with my left hand while Noelle makes whining noises into my right hand...and I feel the words "Stop it, I'm busy" welling up in me instead of a river of life or something...I'd better go. Looks like this one needs to be the task at hand. Okay. Breathe...

2010 Goals

I have had some of these in my head for a couple of weeks now, and some I just thought of recently.

• To let the Word "dwell richly" in me, starting with reading it more.
• To be able honestly to answer the question "Who's the most important person in your life?" NOT with "me," but more and more with Jesus. To that end, I want to relearn how to pray; and look more to the needs of my friends and especially the not-my-friends in my life.
• To have more Mary, and less Martha in my life (see Luke 10:40).
• Intentionally parenting the kids. I posted a little about this last time.
• Learn to control my emotions better around my family.
• Garden a vegetable and then eat it. I'm going to start with something (or a few somethings) I hope will be hard to kill. Leaf lettuce? Zucchini? Suggestions?
• Do something extra for Mark each week out of love. Already behind on this one. I'd better start planning this one out like I plan meals.
• Make the kids each a great felt-applique stocking using the kits my mom got me. I grew up loving the stocking my mom made me, so I wanted to do this a lot. But looking at the 40-step directions and the 500 individual sequins, etc...I'm feeling a little intimidated.