Someone Has Been Busy

Taigen prepped the basement for painting. He had to clear everything out because the paint was going to fly. There was NO way that Taigen was going to paint all of this by hand. Thankfully, one of our deacons has a really nice paint sprayer. He was gracious & let us borrow it.

Taigen covered the exposed pipes with some insulation so that the paint would adhere to it better. The kids have been so cute, helping downstairs whenever they could.

Taigen purchased a disposable paint suit & got to work.

It took more paint than anticipated, which means it also took more time. Taigen looked part ghost when he was all done. I laughed at how white he looked!

After the ceiling was done, Taigen installed our lighting. It is SO bright downstairs now. I love it! We have a super-smart guy in our church who works with electrical stuff all the time. He helped Taigen move the existing wiring so that installing the lights would be a breeze. The end result is fantastic, don't you think?

Basement Update

Taigen has been hard at work on the basement. He recently tore out all of the insulation that was in the ceiling. I hate to say it, but he found a lot of unfavorable things: mouse remnants, a mouse nest and an enormous ant hotel (no wonder we always had ants in the basement!). Everything has been cleaned up now. It looks like a blank slate. Next step: painting the ceilings!

Why are we painting our ceilings, not re-insulating them & putting in a drop ceiling, or drywall? Well, first of all, our basement has to be finished in stages. We've saved for quite a while in order to do anything down there. Secondly, if we finish the ceiling AND put in carpet, the city considers this to be "finished space" thus raising our property taxes. We'd love to keep things as they are. So, for now, our basement is going to be finished just enough so we can use it comfortably. It will not be featured on HGTV, Martha Stewart, or in any Pottery Barn catalogs, but it will be clean & useable. I'm looking forward to it's completion.

More Fourth Grade Pictures

Just had to post these pictures of the kids hitting the books.

A Happy Gluten, Dairy, Sugar, Wheat-Free Birthday

Since Taigen has been on his special diet, a lot has changed in our kitchen. We've become minimalists when it comes to dinners. We grill a lot. We rarely have a side dish containing rice or potatoes anymore. Salads are a weekly thing. Spelt bread, almond milk, and brown rice flour are "normal items" now.

So, what do you do when you have a birthday and cannot make a cake or brownies? You cannot make a pie either, for that would contain flour & sugar? You cannot have ice cream because that would contain dairy. He cannot have peanut butter, honey, or artificial sweeteners either. So that leaves me with just about nothing to help celebrate his 39th birthday. What a bummer!

Except, that I have friends. Friends with ideas. One of my friends on Faceb**k suggested a fruit cake. No, not the rum-laden fruit cake that you get for Christmas and use as a doorstop. A cake that's made from fruit! It was an idea that bordered on sheer brilliance! I decided to run with it.

As you can see, I took a watermelon and tried to carve it into the shape of a layered cake. With long toothpicks, I attached pineapple, blueberries, raspberries & strawberries...all fruits that are considered "safe" for Taigen.

Taigen was thrilled with it & it was delicious. Happy 39th birthday, Taigen! We love you!

Fourth Grade! Here We Come!

We started fourth grade today. This is a tough one for me to swallow because my very first year of teaching at Cornerstone Baptist Academy, I had tiny, six-member class consisting of 4th-6th grade. Those were the good ol' days. I can still envision a picture I had of me with my cute little students. Shall I tell you what has happened to those six kids? Two are married, one is engaged, and the other three (the original three from fourth grade) are in college. Boy, do I feel old. I'm going to sound even older when I say that between that year (2001) and now, the time has flown.

So now you know why this grade is a tough one for me. I know just how fast time flies. I'll blink and my kids will be the ones in college.

We're doing things a little differently this year. We've changed up our curriculum a little to keep the twins challenged and to allow for more interaction & molding. It's a long story, but we are very excited about this year and are looking forward to learning together.

Twins & CO.

We were so excited to entertain special guests today. Every once in a while, we get the privilege of babysitting. I love spending time with the little ones at church and it's always something extra special to get to have them in our home. Marshall and Shaylen enjoy digging out their old toys (Shhh! They still enjoy playing with some of them!), and helping me keep everyone happy.

On this particular day we had the other Pileggi kids. If you are a reader of this blog, you know that Jason and Joni & their kids come here fairly often. These precious kids in the photo belong to Jason's brother John & his wife Laura. They have four (almost five) wonderful kids which include a set of boy/girl twins. They are very sweet & we had a lot of fun. And just look at that wonderful mess of toys strewn all over my living room! It's the sign of a wonderful afternoon.

I took a lot of pictures, but this one is my favorite. Just look at how Marshall & Shaylen had these kids enraptured with their puppets. Love it!

Passing the Torch

Shortly after the twins were born, my friend Janelle would come over and help me stamp and make cards, help pick up toys, help with the twins, or help beat me at Dutch Blitz.

Yes, you read that right. She taught me how to play the game and then proceeded to clobber me. We would have long tournaments after the twins went to bed at night. Taigen and Janelle could hold their own, but I was Beetle-Bomb trailing behind. Janelle would get so excited that she would pound the table, slamming her cards down. (I still claim that there are indentations on my table from Janelle's rings.) She would then yell "BLITZ!" finishing the round in record time. More often than not, I was left with about 9 in my Blitz pile. It was humiliating.

However, I got better. Soon, I no longer had a negative score at the end of each round. Soon I could hold my own. And then, on one very wonderful day, I actually beat Janelle. I should've marked it on my calendar, but it is forever etched in my memory. It was a glorious day.

We have now decided that it is time to train up our children in all things wonderful.

Like playing Dutch Blitz.

They picked up on it very quickly and have come to love the game.

Maybe, just maybe, there will be a time when I can stand back with great pride as my children wallop Auntie Janelle. She'll be coming in November.

That's a lot of time to practice.

Beach Day

You cannot have someone come all the way from Alaska and NOT take them to the beach! The kids have been dying to go all summer, so I finally packed us up and took us.

Of course the water was cold, but the kids have to get in, get drenched, and play. Apparently Grammie had to stick her toes in the water too. Can you see just how cold the water is from the look on her face? The kids had fun jumping the waves, looking for creatures & shells, and digging in the sand. I loved snapping up memories with the camera.

Lobstah Suppah

Taigen promised Mom a lobster dinner when she came out as part of her birthday present. Lobster dinners are SO expensive right now, but the stores were having them on sale. So, Taigen asked around, watched a few Y*uTube video tutorials, and launched into his very first lobstah steamin'.

It turned out delicious. I didn't taste it, but Mom did and said so...and that's all that matters.

Last look at the live lobstah!

Have a nice soak!

Keepin' Her Outta Trouble

My Mom was able to come for a visit at the end of July. She hadn't been here in two years so we were long overdue in seeing each other. She was only going to be here for just over a week so we made the most of it.

I did try to keep her out of trouble by putting her to work helping with the doll party (she helped me keep my sanity), but eventually I had to let her outside to play with the kids. I was inside and heard a lot of hootin' and hollerin' so I went outside to see what was taking place.

You give them an inch...

...and they take away your kids toys!

Just kidding. The Green Machine is made for bigger kids too, or for those (*ahem) kids at heart.  I think Grammie almost toppled over on a few turns, but she eventually got the hang of it. Marshall and Shaylen thought it was SO cool that Grammie could ride their toy.

Visit from a Nuthatch

Today as we were all busy baking, a little white breasted nuthatch flew into our patio door & knocked himself senseless. At first I thought he was dead, but once I scooped him up in my hands, I realized he was just stunned. I cradled him in the palm of my hands and then let the kids come and see. It was really a wonderful opportunity to see one of God's creatures up close and personal. I reminded the kids of God's care, that even this little bird's tumble was not beyond the comprehension of his Creator. Even the Scriptures comment on this:

"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father."

I especially love the next two verses:

" But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

God loves His creatures enough to know when they take a tumble, but He loves us even more. What a comforting thought!

By the way, the bird eventually had the strength to fly to the deck railing, catch his breath, and then fly up to the gutters of the house. We waited and watched making sure he wasn't going to fall to the ground. Eventually he flew away. Don't you just love a happy ending?

Mama's Little Helper

I had to post pictures of my little Peanut helping bake the cookies for her Doll Party. She needs a stool & a little help, but she is such a little helper! I call her my Right Hand Girl. I appreciate her faithful question: "Mommy, do you need any help with anything?" What a sweetie!

Shaylen's Doll Party

For Christmas, Shaylen got her very own American Girl Doll. She had read some hand-me-down AGD books and fell in love with Kit. She liked that she wasn't very "girlish" and had short hair like her. When she got her doll I promised her that we would invite some other girls over so that they could play with their dolls together. Shaylen looked forward to it with joy.

At first we said we would plan it for when school let out so that I would have time to plan it. It was then put off by our Colorado trip. Next, we had to wait for a christian school to finish because Shaylen had a friend in that school. Then we had to wait for the public schools to let out because we had a little friend in her Sunday School class that was in the public school. We didn't want to leave anyone out. Summer came. Summer filled up. June whizzed by. July came and went. I knew that if I didn't make good on my promise to my favorite little girl in all the world, I would crush her poor little heart. So I looked at my calendar, set the date, designed the invitations, emailed them out, and waited for the RSVP's to come in. Next came the planning.

So, what DO you do at a doll party? I googled the idea and got all kinds of ideas of things that I could either never afford (American Girl Doll store/salon/restaurant, mega-party favors, decorations that would overrun the house), didn't have the talent to pull off (I know! Let's make dresses for your dollies! Um...NO.), or Shaylen wouldn't be even remotely interested in doing it (diaper changing game?). So I just went with my initial thought. Keep it simple. Keep it fun.

Okay, so maybe we didn't do all that many dolly-themed things, but here's what we did do: Shaylen and I made, cut out, and baked a gazillion sugar cookies. We planned on having the girls sit, chat & decorate their own cookies with funky frostings. These would then double up as our party favors. Clever, eh? We cut out and decorated a paper doll so we could Dress the Dolly blindfolded (my spin on Pin the Tail On the Donkey). We also played a game (I made this one up) called Walk the Baby. The girls had to pick up a paper baby doll using a straw and carry it across the room to another table. It was harder than it sounded.

All in all it went very well. We served a light lunch (chicken salad or turkey sandwiches, veggie tray, pretzels and punch) and then the girls ran & played outside until the rain drove them inside. The mommies all enjoyed a time of conversation too. I was completely satisfied when, at the cookie decorating table, one of the little girls piped up and said, "I am having SO much fun!"

 

 

 

 

The Emperor's New Cookies

Many of you know about Taigen's dietary restrictions since seeing the naturopath about his ulcerative colitis. He can't have wheat, soy, sugar & dairy, to name a few things (it is sometimes easier to list out what he can have). Ever try flipping through your cookbook or recipe file and find something that doesn't include those things? Yeah. We didn't have much success either. In the early days, it was like eating flavored styrofoam, to be honest. It's no wonder Taigen lost 45 pounds. Nothing tasted good. He was frustrated and I was tired. He frustrated because he was having to eat stuff that tasted nasty (plain millet & quinoa anyone?) because we had spent money on it (and it's not cheap, trust me) and he didn't want to put it to waste. I was frustrated because I was homeschooling during the majority of my day and cooking like a mad-woman in the afternoon & evenings only to have minimal success. On top of this, our dishwasher was on the fritz so I was having to handwash everything. We can laugh about the failures now, but we weren't necessarily laughing then. We knew there had to be something better out there.

Since those few dark & discouraging weeks, we have been thankful to find a few wonderful recipes online. How people cooked with variety AND flavor before being able to search on the internet for recipes is beyond me. I am looking on a daily basis for great wheat/sugar/soy/dairy free recipes that actually taste good too. I LOVE the internet!!!

A few weeks back I had ordered some almond meal flour online (because I had found a great deal that couldn't be found IN the stores). When the flour came, on the back of the packaging was a recipe for Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies. Yes, my friends, I stumbled upon a treasure. It was gluten, dairy, wheat, sugar, soy free. And, believe it or not, I had all of the ingredients on hand. We decided to test it.

They were delcious. I even liked them. The kids even liked them. We've given it to guests to try because they don't believe us when we say they are really good. They even liked them. Now, I'm not going to tell you that they taste just like your mama's chocolate chip cookies, but they aren't screaming "I'm An Allergy Food" either. When telling our Facebook friends about them, my friend AnnaGrace said that they should be named The Emperor's New Cookies (because, of course, there is nothing in them!). This sounded like a great idea to me, so it stuck.

Here, in case you get the urge to eat mega-healthy, is the recipe.

The Emperor's New Cookies
(i.e. Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies)
from the Almond Meal Flour package from Honeyville Foods

2 1/2 cups Almond Meal Flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1 TBS vanilla extract
1/2 cup agave nectar
Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. Mix wet ingredients with dry. Add chocolate chips at the very end. Form 1/2" balls and press slightly onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes (until slightly golden brown).

Last Summer Music Ministry Opportunity

We were able to squeeze in an opportunity for Shaylen to play the piano in church during one of our Wednesday evening services this summer. She practiced diligently (even though they weren't taking lessons through the summer), and had it ready when her scheduled time came. So proud of my Peanut!

VBS Week

As I mentioned in my last post, we had VBS this past week. Our theme this year was "CastleKids." Marshall & Shaylen have been looking forward to this week all summer. They look forward to every single aspect of the week: verse memorization, singing, games, crafts, skits (with Sir Trips-A-Lot), missionary story, Bible lesson, and even SNACK! They could hardly contain their excitement!

It was a fantastic week with several visitors. I was able to do the missionary story for the children, but after that, I could flutter around snapping up pictures of the kids enjoying themselves. You could sense the joy that the workers and children had.

My little Peanut memorized two full booklets of verses and another huge passage from a not-even-printed-off third booklet. She worked almost every afternoon & morning on those memory verses! I wish I knew exactly how many she memorized, and even though it was for points, I know those verses stick in their heads. We've already encountered times when we've mentioned a passage and they have said, "Oh! I know that one! I memorized it at Vacation Bible School!" Shaylen scored the highest for the week and Marshall placed third. We were both very pleased with their hard work.

 

 

 

Company To Keep

We had the great privilege of having dear, dear friends come up to New England! Kerry & AnnaGrace have been friends with us ever since college. Taigen & Kerry travelled together on a drama team from BJ and really hit it off. AnnaGrace blames all of Kerry's bad habits on Taigen, so we're thankful she even considered coming up. Ha!

Kerry was asked to preach in several churches (Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine), but he had some time in between and we were able to snag them to come to our church as well.  What really worked out was when he was able to bring his whole family! I hadn't seen AnnaGrace since we left BJ and I had never met the three girls. This WAS going to be a treat.

Marshall & Shaylen loved meeting new friends and I fell in love instantly with their girls. No only are they absolutely adorable, but they are very well behaved & polite. Kerry & AnnaGrace are doing a tremendous job with them.

I apologize for the lack of pictures from their trip. They were here during our VBS week and I kept leaving the camera at church!

What a tremendous encouragement Kerry & AnnaGrace were. I loved being able to pick up right where we left off. I had forgotten how hilarious Kerry can be when he tells a good story! We invited other dear friends, Matt, Amy, Beth & Gabe from Windham, over for dinner one night and our evening was filled with laughter. We are so thankful for good, godly friends!

Jehovah-Jireh - My God Provides!

With Taigen's we are limited at present with how many starches he can eat. That means lots of meat & lots of fresh veggies. We all just try and eat as similarly to his diet as possible that way we're not constantly cooking two meals every night. When starches are taken away from a diet, you quickly realize how much those starches fill you up. Maybe it's the All-American mindset that a perfectly rounded plate MUST contain meat, veggie & starch. We've quickly had to change that mindset in our home.

Another change has been with regards to The Casserole. Most casseroles have some sort of cream or cheese, so we avoid those. I have experimented with brown rice flour and gotten some success. Cream of celery & cream of mushroom soups have turned out nicely and are flavorful. I have yet to make a casserole using them, but the sauces that I've made to accompany chicken or pork have been yummy.

We have been so thankful to have had some friends who have had an over-abundance of some vegetables in their gardens this year. So much so, that they cannot possibly eat it all. God has used them to provide for us in a very tangible way. It's funny, but Taigen's naturopath wants him to eat as much organic vegetables as possible. Well, on our budget, organic doesn't happen, so we just try to eat smart. With our friends' gardens, we have been able to "eat organic." Isn't God good? We just might have to grow a garden next year ourselves!

One night, we got an email from church friends saying that a relative had given them a grocery bag full of green beans that they couldn't eat. They already had a garden and had an over-abundance of green beans themselves. Would we want them? Um...YES!!!

The next day I put the twins to work chopping up green beans (it was their first time for working with knives...they did a great job!). I blanched & shocked them (the BEANS, not the twins) and put them in the freezer. No green beans have ever tasted as good and we were so thankful for God's provision for us.

Summer Music Ministry - Marshall