The Chicken Went Bad

So, I've been creating these menus for the week. I like it, it works for the most part. I do forget to account for all the leftovers, though. So I'm still learning.

Ryan and I have to learn to be on the same page. He's craving chili when the heat index is 111 degrees and I've thawed chicken the night before. I let the chicken stay in the fridge so my husband can make his super yummy chili. It makes us all happy.

The poor chicken has been forgotten for a few days. It's a Wednesday night, it's been a busy day, the youth kids are coming over soon....I go to the fridge to pull the chicken out. I have two thighs from the night before, and a whole package of 10 thighs. I'm very excited about the meal I am about the prepare for my family. Lately, I've been cooking for 4 adults (and Nathan, who can eat like an adult sometimes). This night I have 7 people I'm feeding. I open the package of chicken, and the stench about knocks me over!! It's completely gone bad, and mean BAD!! I quickly get it out of my kitchen before anyone else questions what we're going to have for dinner. I look at the counter with my lovely ingredients, and I realize I have about 10 seconds to come up with something else. With the rice cooker going, I throw everything else into a bowl, and stick the two thighs that were still good into the oven. In less time than it takes to watch Rachel Ray cook on her show, I'm sitting down to feed all of us.

What made the evening even more special was a unexpected guest we had; a neighborhood friend of Nathan's. One who is "unlovable" to some. I insisted he stay and eat with us before he could beg for the food himself and it didn't even bother me when he had to dump half of his food in the trash because it wasn't "what he thought it was".

My attitude in all this impressed me the most. The Proverbs 31 woman and Debi Pearl would have been proud. The kitchen was clean by the time the youth walked through the door and we could join them in the "balloon games".
The chicken went bad....but my creativity was a refreshing surprise.

Listen to Harold!!

Today I picked up my nieces and brought them to spend the night with us. It has been some time since we've done this, and I figured since it was still vacation from school, timing was right.

Madison loves to help me in the kitchen. She wanted to cook the spaghetti tonight, but instead she sat on the kitchen counter and kept me company. We let the kids sit at the table tonight and hang out. Ryan and I sat back on the couch eating our dinner. We chatted, but I mostly ease-dropped on the children. There was a "Praise Baby" video on while we ate. This one had Christmas music. The song "Hark! The Harold Angels Sing" was on and apparently the kids were listening to it. This is what I heard:

Jeannie: Uncle Ryan, what does "hark" mean?

Uncle Ryan: It means "listen".

Jeannie: Oh. What does "Harold" mean?

Nathan: That's the name of the angel. You know, "Listen! Harold the angel is singing".

BAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

I couldn't stop laughing!! I'm looking at Nathan, and he is totally serious about his explanation. He thinks he's got it all figured out. What a riot!!! I'm so glad the girls came over tonight. We would have missed out on Nathan's sense of humor!

Banana Bread

We're taking a trip tomorrow to Tallahassee. By the word "trip" one would think this is an enjoyable day on the road. It is not. It is the trip to take Nathan to see his dad for Christmas. Every year, I think I'm going to get used to this. I don't. Every holiday, I think it's going to be easier to pack the bag, load the van, make the drive, say good bye. It is not. Oh yes, so what does this have to do with banana bread?

We'll be getting up very early and heading out on the road at 6 a.m. Too early for me to get everyone up, dressed, AND fed. So tonight, I decided I would make banana bread for breakfast in the morning. Yumm. Ryan is playing with the band tonight, so it was just me and Omi still awake. Why is it that the youngest child always gets to stay up later than the other children? (again, I digress)
Omi was in one of those moods where she just wanted to be held. I really needed to start the bread, because it takes almost an hour to bake and I really wanted to be in bed BEFORE midnight. I picked her up and started to get all the ingredients out. She was very content in my arms, I thought I would hold her a little longer, then she see if she'd play for a bit. Everything set out, mixing bowls ready, oven set. There was going to be no business of putting Omi down. She was in the mood for some baking...

I started my Julia Child role playing; "2 cups of flour, we only use the best flour, none of that bleached nonsense...2 eggs with omega 3, our yummy local honey" And on and on as I added all the ingredients to the bowls. All the while, holding Omi on my left hip. I managed to measure with one hand, crack eggs with one hand, mash bananas with a fork with one hand, and pour honey into a measuring cup...with one hand. She got a kick out of the eggs. It wasn't until the pouring of the honey that she found it the perfect opportunity to reach out and stick her tiny fingers in the gooey goodness. I quickly stuck her fingers into my mouth and licked them clean. I know this method is not the most sanitary, but it is the most tasty. I assure you, if I were making the bread to take to others, I certainly wouldn't have let that happen, but I figured it was part of the experience for us both.
I mixed it all together, even greased the pan with olive oil with one hand. Pouring the batter into the pan was probably the easiest part, shocked even myself. As I set the timer, the bread began to bake, I was impressed that I made homemade bread holding my little lamb.

This probably isn't something to provoke too many people to excitement, but you don't understand...I've been reading these books lately (Created to be His Help Meet, and Passionate Housewives Desperate for God to name only two) and these women are heroins when it comes to running the home. Impressed? These women have 5 or more children, homeschool, run businesses out of their homes, make clothes (and sell them), write books, are well traveled, volunteer with the community, run full time ministries, counsel ladies, are their husband's secretary, are raising well-mannered, respectable children, and on and on. So me baking some bread is far from achieving something of value. I will never be like these women, I will never run my home like they do, I may never travel like they did, run a home business, write a book. I don't have to. I can bake bread with my daughters. As I was rinsing dishes (with one hand), I was thinking about these women; they spend ample time with all their children, they love them just as much as I love my own, they are serving God no better than I am. I didn't feel less than these ladies. I didn't necessarily feel equal to them either. I am me. I am a mother who loves her children, plays with them, pretends with them, teaches them, prays with them, protects them, laughs with them, reads to them, wipes booboos and drippy noses, jumps on the trampoline with them, talks with them, hugs them, cries with them, dances with them, answers the hardest questions when they ask, I cherish them...and bake bread with them. I am their mother. Tonight I got victory over bread, tomorrow it will be something else.



**With a story about banana bread, I cannot close without at least offering the recipe to you. This is my mother's recipe, which might have been her mother's, but it might have come out of an old magazine when I was little. Either way, it is absolutely the best banana bread recipe out there. I know what you're thinking, "No, I have the best recipe there is" or "How could you know that's the best if it's the only one you've had?" Well, that's just it. I won't try another. Now, I've had other banana bread that ladies have made. Who in the world passes up banana bread at a get together? But I will not try another recipe...ever. So, if you'd like to indulge yourself with some banana goodness, try this one. You'll probably never go back to your old recipe.


Banana Bread

1 c sugar (honey) 2 c flour
1/2 c oil 1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vinegar 2/3 tsp baking soda
1 T vanilla
1 c mashed bananas
1 tsp black walnut flavor (optional)

Combine sugar and oil. Add eggs, bananas, vinegar, and flavorings. Sift dry ingredients. Add to mixture. Bake 50 minutes in greased pan @ 350*

Search and Rescue (with an interesting picnic)

On the last day of daddy's vacation, we all woke up early (not to daddy's liking) to some dreary weather. It was COLD and cloudy. We bummed it most of the morning, had some organic, free-range pork links for breakfast (to daddy's liking) and I thought we needed an adventure that day. So I asked Norah if she would like to go on an adventure. Much to my delight, she obliged.

She thought that meant a trip to the park, but with rain on the way, I had to think fast. I said, "Nope, we're taking a trip in the back yard. And there's a picnic involved."

Norah said, "Involved."

I look over during our 'adventure' chat and Norah has made herself very comfortable in her high chair. I secretly began to pack our goodies for the picnic. All the while, renaming the food to fit the themed 'adventure'. I told Norah she should bring a bag of tools. She comes out of her room with her new purse. She forgot the tools. I said, "You're going to need some rope. Why don't you go get some of your beads to be the rope."

"Otay, momma."

I said, "You're going to need some solution to spray on the new species of plants we discover and a measuring tape." I didn't know what the measuring tape was for, but it was sitting around and looked very official. They also all fit into her little purse perfectly. The plan was coming along. We gathered our snacks, our tools, some blankets. We're off.

Then I realized we needed an objective for the 'adventure'. Daddy was coming along, bringing Omi for the ride, and Nathan was in on it because he knew he'd get snacks if he tagged along. Whatever to get the big brother to join in the pretending...

Objective: A Search & Rescue of the Infant

Scenario: We are on a wilderness hike. There is a baby missing among wild animals and we must track through the jungle, catch the wild mountain cat, and rescue the baby.

Easy enough...

Off we go. Norah had it good on her ATV. Momma carried all the goods. Norah led the way. She obviously knew the right way to have an adventure.

Soon, we found some wild mushrooms that needed to be tested. (Here's where our solution came in. Pure Reverse Osmosis Water) We tested it, it was safe. We collected some for our journey.

The measuring tape really did come in handy. There was an enormous trench we had to cross. (At least the size of Nathan's foot) We measured it, left a tracking device that we can retrieve later for more research and we were on our way.

Along the way, there were many obstacles to overcome. This one was a bridge we had to cross. Slowly, slowly. Have you ever seen a better dressed rescue girl? And little did she know, she could have rescued the baby right then. But she had a better idea...

In her right hand, the tool bag.

In her left hand, the rope.

She sees in the distance the wild mountain cat that has been tracking us and stalking the baby.

Norah is in pursuit of the catch.

She managed to wrestle the cat to the ground without a scratch on her. We decided not to harm the beast, but find the baby and let the wild cat go later.

Finally, mission complete. We found the missing baby!!

Safe and sound. What an Adventure!

Time to eat.

Nathan enjoying the fruits of Norah's labor.

Some of the food on the menu is as follows:

Giant Orange Maggots (Mandarin oranges)

Dried Iguana Blood (craisans)

Wild Boar Meat (leather fruit bars)

Fossil Dinosaur Eggs (grapes)

Puss from the new Mushroom species (yogurt)

All You Need Is Love...

All you need is love. All you need is love, love. Love is all you need...

1 Corinthians 13 describes what love is and what love is not.
I LOVE those verses.



In the Curran home, there is a another description of what love is.

















LOVE is not knowing how to teach pre-algebra, but loving it anyway.






















LOVE is turning the neighborhood bully into a friend.
























LOVE is stopping the cleaning, the laundry, the school work to listen to a story that makes no sense to you, but was the highlight of your child's day.


















LOVE is picking up after everyone else even when cups, socks, and toys are not yours.

LOVE is listening to

"Father Abraham" or "The Bumble Bee Song" over and over and over again and actually enjoying it every single time.

LOVE is having and endless supply of yogurt for the times when kissing the booboos doesn't work.

LOVE is bringing the baby to bed with you for the eighth night in a row because she just wants to snuggle with moma.

LOVE is pretending that the living room floor is the lava and the couch is the rescue boat.

LOVE is repeating the same answer to the same question over and over again until it satisfies the curiosity of the toddler.

Seasons Change

It's been a little over three months since I've even visited my own blog page. That's unacceptable. But better now, than never.

My season has changed. Winds have shifted. The breeze is much better here. There was a storm for a few weeks, then my season changed. Thank you Lord for my new season.

Back in September, I took a lengthy (well, myself with three children, a week long trip is lengthy) trip to Virginia Beach. My dad lives there. I hadn't seen him in three years. The timing was good. But I wasn't going to see my dad. I was going to see my dearest friend be married to his love. I had great plans of blogging the entire trip, but alas, you see I did not do that. And now that so much time has passed, those of you that chat with me, know how the trip went. I will say this, I did it. I did a 14 hour drive in 17 all through the night. I carried our luggage up stairs, to the wrong room, down stairs, to the right room. I kept my children safe while staying at a hotel for six nights. I managed to not throw the malfunctioning GPS out the window on the interstate. I witnessed some men doing drugs at a gas station. I saw cars swerving all over the road. I was able to feed my children good, healthy food 90% of the trip. I saw many old friends. I met new ones. We had a wonderful time. We accomplished all we set out to do on our journey. And I will never do it again. I missed my husband way too much to make a trip like that again without him. But I did it.

As soon as we returned, God shifted my surrounds all upside down. And yet, when God does the shifting, He's putting it right side up again. What I realize is this; had I not gone on the trip, aside from missing the one of the most important weddings in history, then I don't believe I would have appreciated all the season changes if I had been here waiting for them to happen. I like to think of my going away as God's way of saying, "You go, and I'll fix this while you're gone." Don't we all want someone to fix little messes while we're away? What a blessing to have been gone and all these little things were being taken care of. When I returned, I just step into the series of events and let it unfold. Thank you, Lord.

So, as I readjust to the newness of life after my road trip, I'm reminded everyday that life is full of seasons. Some of them lasting only weeks, some of them months, some of them years; many, many years. I appreciate the change of seasons. The freshness. The excitement. I came back from one journey to start a new one. So begins...the blog continues.

Norah picked out her outfit for church this morning. Surprisingly, she did a good job dressing herself. She has been insisting on wearing the rain coat for some time, but daddy kept saying no. Mostly because it is so stinking hot and humid outside, it would be miserable. But today, I said yes. And she was so excited. Like some fashion magazine; all of her clothes are from dear friends of mine. The dress (thanks Anica), the rain coat (thanks a bunch Jessica), and the squeaky shoes (I still love them Melynda, thanks!). Thank you all for your contributions in Norah's Sunday attire.

Cleaning up Our Lives

Getting ready to do a yard sale is always so time consuming. Just ask some of my homeschool mommy friends; we had a huge 5 family yard sale back in May. Wow, the time we spent getting that ready was like having a full time job. But I enjoy doing the sorting, pricing, organizing the garage like a little store and see my old things go to new homes. I like to meet the people at o'dark thirty and take a long nap after I've counted my money.

This yard sale was different in the evaluating process. Do you know how many purses I had stashed away in my closet? All neatly lined up, cleaned out, ready to do the switch if I wanted to match an outfit to the bag. 17! That's how many purses I had. That has got to be a sin. Who in their right mind needs that many purses? Who could even use that many? I could not justify keeping most of them. I got rid of 12. The ones that I kept are more like big Mary Poppins bags that I can use on trips or long outings, and a tiny dress purse that has sentimental value. And isn't that silly? A purse with some sentimental value. Then I went on to the shoes. I had shoes hanging on a rack since I've been married and I haven't worn them. I look at them everyday, never thinking twice about them taking up space in my closet, let alone my life. These shoes could be on someone else's feet going somewhere.

It was like that with most of the things I went through. Each time I tell Ryan we are going to have a yard sale, he asks, "Do we even have stuff to get rid of?" I chuckle. He doesn't go into my closet too often. I was kind of ashamed to even have all these possessions. All the "stuff" taking up space. It's not being used. I don't even look at most of it; it just sits in the bottom of a drawer or in a box hopefully waiting to get picked up and appreciated some day. Well, I had the yard sale, and I'm going to have it again next weekend too. I'd like to do it every weekend until all this junk is out of my house. I feel like I can breathe a little better now. And yet, I walk into another room of the house and realize there are three more boxes of "stuff" I could be getting rid of.

We were going to get rid of the skateboard because Nathan gets too discouraged to keep trying to ride it. As you can see we found a much better way to use it. Norah had a blast with Nathan all day greeting people on it. Funny how children never play with a toy until you're about to sell it for really cheap.

In between shoppers. Ryan never did take my triple dog dare.

Norah played with this Buzz Lightyear for the longest time. "I'm Buzz Lightyear! I protect the galaxy from the threat of invasion, I come in peace." We listened to this all day long until a wonderful lady bought it.

My bag of carrots I finished off. Making money makes me get the munchies.

Yippee for Yard Sales

Good Morning Sunshine...

Today Ryan and I are having a yard sale. This is so much fun for me. Actually, so much that I've got the laptop pulled out on my "cashier's table" and am blogging about all the fun this is.

We are a bunch of nuts, though. We like to challenge each other while we do yard sales. I think something will sell for a certain price and Ryan thinks it should have been put into the trash long ago. Ryan begins to price the clothes individually and I have to go back behind him and change most of the prices. This is so much fun!!

As we are sitting here and no one is shopping, Ryan says, "Where are all the people?" He says this like I should have sent out invitations to the event. I smile, look at my cell phone to see what time it is, and realize we could have stayed in bed for 45 more minutes!! It's still too early.
A sweet man just came looking for something that we did not have. He asked us, "How ya doin'?"
We said, "Great. How are you?" Smiles all around. We're all doin' great....
I then looked at Ryan and said, "I triple dog dare you to ask the next person who comes up here, "how ya durin'?" You know, totally East Miton, country bumpkin talk. :)
He said he would. I have yet to hear it.

I hear thunder in the back ground. I hope it doesn't turn into anything. It's a really nice morning. Thank you God for a beautiful morning to sell off all my goods...