Good report!

We just returned from Rachel's Cranio Clinic at Mayo Clinic last night and are happy to say we received good reports all around.  In addition to visiting our plastic and neuro surgeons, we also met with audiology, ENT, speech, and dental.  We will go back in two years for a check up, but most of the offices won't have to see her again.
Although I wouldn't mind seeing our neurosurgeon again socially (David's cool with it--I've told him he can see Sandra Bullock), not ever stepping into a pediatric neurosurgeon's office again is just fine with me!  :)
The last time we were there, Rachel was just just 5 months post-op, so I was interested to see if she is doing as well as we think she is.  Praise God she is.
We were also able to meet another FB Catholic Mom friend and her family Wednesday evening and the kids had a great time playing together, too.  Even though God has had to drag me through parts of this journey, it has been truly, truly blessed all around.
A couple of funny things--there is a huge statue of a nearly naked man in the Mayo Clinic lobby.  (See link if you don't know what I'm talking about.)  Rachel, who is now nearly 2 1/2 and more interested in her surroundings, was quite enamored with that statue.
On Wednesday, she pointed at it and said, "Jesus."  David said, "No, that's not Jesus."  She answered, "No cross!"  Later, we got off the elevator, and she walked over to the railing and just stared at it.  A man walked by and said, "It IS a big statue."
Thursday morning, she and I were walking down the long staircase from the lobby level to the subway level.  With almost every step, she would stop, point to the man's fig leaf and say, "Poop!"  I couldn't wait to get her off those stairs and into the cafeteria for breakfast!

And now we're back home and happy to be here.
On to the rest of the summer!

Celebrate good times!

It's time to celebrate!  You may remember 5 years ago when I blogged about my Grandma's 90th birthday.  Well, 

last Sunday, we celebrated my Grandma Joachim's 95th birthday in Eureka.  

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Summer Begins

 

Here we are!  Summer!

 

All of the big three have been released for summer vacation and the weather has aligned perfectly with the school calendar.

Landen has been farming pretty much since he got home yesterday and the rest of us (except for David, who has also been farming) have been playing outside jumping on the trampoline, kicking soccer balls, throwing water balloons, spraying our sisters (they will retaliate someday), planting seeds, digging in the dirt, and cleaning out school bags.

 

We have many activities on our May and June calendar and many memories to be made.  Baseball practice starts today, we will soon visit our doctors at Mayo Clinic for Rachel's two-day Cranio Clinic (a few butterflies always go with me there!), and then there's VBS, trips with friends and family, and of course lots of FARMING, too.

 

Why the painting of "Whistler's Mother?"

Well, Nathan has become quite the whistler.  I am hoping he can use this skill in his career someday, but until then he is practicing.  Whenever he gets whistling in the house, in the van, anywhere . . . "Whistler's Mother" always comes to mind. 

That's who I am!  I just hope I don't look like her by the end of the summer. . . .

 

Speaking of which, my whistler just came back in the house and it is time to deliver dinner to the field.

 

Happy Summer!

 

 

Deja Vu Letter "U"

It was about 8 years ago when the boys (then 3 and 1) and I went with David in the pickup to check our pasture fence.  Since he was taking awhile, and the boys were being a little rambunctious (as they were often known to be), I decided to step outside for a few minutes of fresh air.
Then I heard it.
CLICK.
The boys locked themselves inside the pickup.  They weren't in any danger, but we did need to get home.  Thankfully, Landen knew his letters by then and, with my coaching, could readily push the "U" to unlock the door.


Would you believe the exact same thing happened tonight on the same ground (now a field) in about the same exact place?
The girls and I were waiting for David to return with the semi this evening.  We were all picking some rock around the pickup for something to do, and then the girls decided to go into the pickup.  Teresa came out, but Rachel did not.  When I tried to open the door a few minutes later, it was locked with a smiling Rachel inside.
Fortunately, she also knows her letters (or most of them, as it turns out), so I thought it would be a piece of cake to get her out.  Unfortunately, she hadn't quite made it to "U," yet.  She knew "L" very well and pushed that several times, but the "U" right beside it just didn't make sense to her.  Finally, we tried it with the driver's side door and she learned the letter "U!" 


We told David the story when he returned and, when we came home later tonight, he made the comment to Rachel that she learned how to get out of the pickup today.
She looked at her Daddy, smiled, and said, "U!" 
Yes, we all learn something new every day.
And sometimes we get to experience deja vu, too.

Sweet Currency

When it came time for my garden plot to get tilled, I knew the perfect way to pay our neighbor/cousin for bringing over his tractor and tiller--a homemade Sour Cream Raisin Pie.  Landen and I created a beautiful work of art with a cloud of meringue covering the top.  Our empty pie place was returned with the review of a "mighty fine pie."

I really do love making pies and I consider them a work of art.  David, who hardly ever requests anything special from the kitchen, recently requested a strawberry pie.  I had never made a strawberry pie, so I consulted my Pillsbury Cookbook for help.  I think my sous chef, Rachel, and I did a pretty nice job on this one, too.  We haven't tried it yet, but all of the components were yummy, so we're calling it a success a little early.

Start with a frozen pie shell that you have baked or make your own Press-in-the-Pan Crust using 1/2 cup oil and 1/4 cup milk (combined) and add 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt.  Mix together and press into a 9" pie plate.  Prick the bottom and sides of the shell generously with a fork.  (Obviously, I forgot that step this morning as mine became a bit cracked.  I filled it with strawberries, so no one will know!)  You may also flute the edges or leave it rustic (as I did).

Bake in a preheated oven at 425 for 12-17 minutes.  Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled.

For the filling, in a small bowl, crush enough strawberries to make one cup.  In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and 3 T cornstarch; add crushed strawberries and 1/2 cup water.  Cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly.  (This may also be done in the microwave, checking and stirring every 2 minutes).  Stir in 4-5 drops red food color if desired (I did not).  Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled.

Place 5 cups whole or sliced strawberries in cooled baked shell.  Pour cooked strawberry mixture evenly over berries; refrigerate 3 hours or until set.  Serve with whipped cream and store in refrigerator.

Passion

I always get a little uncomfortable when someone mentions finding my "passion."  The problem is 1) I don't KNOW what my passion is 2) If I knew it, I feel like I wouldn't have time to pursue it anyway.
I felt the same way when I saw the subject of Shauna Niequist's newest blog post "On Finding Your Passion" in my inbox yesterday.  Thankfully, I opened it and discovered something great--I don't HAVE to know what my passion is.  What a relief!
I first "met" Shauna on a MOPS DVD several months ago.  I loved what she had to say about being realistic in our vocation and encouraging to other mothers.  I read her book Bittersweet on vacation and liked that as well.
It is easy for the world to make me feel otherwise, but I know that the vocation I have to help in raising our children is the most important.  I really am grateful to be a mom and blessed to be able to stay at home with my children.  Even though I haven't always appreciated it, God knows that I'm at my best when I am focused.  Truth be told, if I had had a full-time job these past ten years like I so often thought I would like, it would not have gone well.  Many women do it and do it well.  I am humble enough to say I know my limitations.

But, what about that PASSION that is all my own?
It's hard to pursue something I can't identify or really, really focus on.

That's why I really appreciated Shauna's thoughts.  Maybe I've been expecting too much at once.  Maybe I need to be more efficient with the free time I do have.  Maybe it's just not my time yet.  And so I'll look for the clues and pieces to the passion puzzle.

Have you found YOUR passion?

If so, tell me how! :)

First Communion

It is always a most special day when our family has the opportunity to celebrate God's grace through a sacrament.

Yesterday Nathan received his First Holy Communion.  We are so proud of him and his class for all they have learned this past year.

Nathan with his grandparents

Nathan insisted Aunt Amanda join him for his photo with his cake.  He chose angel food cake with strawberries.

His classmate's mom also made each of the children a beautiful cake.

God is so good and, as in every day, we are grateful for his GRACE.

The 80's

The big 3 had their Spring Concert on Wednesday.  This year's theme was the 80's and they LOVED their songs this year.  I heard a lot of "Livin' on a Prayer" and "I Wanna Rock" for the past few weeks. 

When they first started practicing, Teresa told me her class was singing "I Love Rock N' Roll."  She asked me what a juke box is and I explained it the best I could.  She said her friend and her were singing "juice box" instead. :)

 They loved it that they were singing songs from a decade that their mom and dad remember, even if we are old enough to remember juke boxes, too!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is Sunday. 
Buy your mom a card.
You're welcome.

EUREKA!

As I may have mentioned (a time or two) before, I come from a wonderful place called EUREKA.  Isn't that a most wonderful name for a hometown?  

It's true, there are more Eureka's in the U.S.  One of my college history professors hailed from Eureka, CA, and David and I just happened to drive through Eureka, IL, on our way to Indiana one time on a road trip.  But, there's no place like Eureka, SOUTH DAKOTA.  

Really.  

If you're up for a little social experiment, tell someone--anyone--you are from Eureka and 9 times out of 10, they will say, "Do you know_____?"  If they don't know someone or someone's parents/grandparents personally, they may mention Al Neuharth or the fact that Eureka is listed daily on the USA Today weather map.  Or, maybe they will tell you that they know it is the Home of South Dakota's Official State Dessert. Shouldn't every state have an Official State Dessert?  

Yes, I think so. Some hard-working Eurekans thought so back in 2000 and they got it done for South Dakota.  

One of the most wonderful aspects of Eureka is its authentic German cuisine.  Many of the first generations to make these delicacies have either passed away or are now too old to make them themselves, but thankfully recipes have been handed down, and, with a little practice, we young ones can make them almost as good as Grandma's.  As I've written before, these German specialties are generally simple in nature and were made to 1) Feed a large family on a tight budget and 2) Use what was readily available on the farm.  This means plenty of flour, sugar, eggs, cream and lard make an appearance.  

Eureka has quite the population of centenarians, so they are proof enough to me that these foods MUST be good for you!  

Of course, one of the most famous and delicious of these foods is KUCHEN!

Landen was the one who inspired me to try making kuchen.  Eureka has at least three kuchen sources and I always bring back kuchen for the family when I make a visit there.  Why couldn't we make it ourselves?  Well, I didn't know why not!

We used the recipe for Thin Crust Thick Custard Kuchen from www.eurekasd.com.  Just click on Unique to Eureka and it's right there for you.  Really, what more could you want?  The name says it all.  We used thawed frozen strawberries for our fruit and I spread it in a jelly roll pan.  Next time, I will try to put it in pie tins to make it look more authentic.  This recipe actually reminds me of the kuchen the Eureka Bakery used to make when I was growing up.  

Life would be better if we all came from Eureka.  But, since that's not possible, eating kuchen is almost as good.  If you don't want to make it yourself, get some for yourself at http://www.eurekasd.com/Businesses/listing.htm#Food.

Beautiful day.

We had one of our most beautiful mornings for WalkMS this morning.  Here is most of our team--David and my cousins Sarah & Amber joined us after the photo.  The walk gets bigger every year.  It is always so encouraging seeing everyone come together to show their support.

Afterward, my plan was to stop by Parkview Nursery (remember--my very happy place??) and get a purple grass to replace mine that didn't make the frigid winter.  (Hey--I can't blame it for not pulling through.)  I wasn't planning on buying any flowers, but that's, as I said on Facebook, like grocery shopping when I'm starving . . . it's going to end very well for the store owner!

So, we picked up a few perennials, daisies, columbine (because Teresa loved them and my Grandma Joachim always had columbine in her garden), and bachelor buttons to fill in my perennial bed and a few annuals, too.  

We definitely aren't done buying flowers for the year, but we got a nice colorful start with pansies, marigolds, and these interesting flowers--a Twisted Celosia.  Teresa found it and we had to try it out!  

Next up, our garden is tilled and ready to be planted.

I wish we could just eat the flowers.

They are so much more fun. 

We spent our afternoon--finally--digging in the dirt and it was wonderful!  

WalkMS is tomorrow!

With WalkMS tomorrow morning, our team is excited to have received $1675 in donations so far.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for your support!  It looks like we'll have sun, too!