Technically Spring and Turkish Kebabs

Happy spring!  Well, officially I guess.  It was still 12 below zero when I got up this morning, but it is bright and sunshiny out!  I am so ready for break up (Fairbanks version of spring.  Not very pretty, but it means summer is on its way!)  I got my seeds in the mail this week and I am so excited to get them started!  There were a couple drops of melting ice from our roof yesterday that Clancey started barking at incessantly.  I could tell that Fynn could feel the heat from the sun on his back because he kept reaching back to try to touch it.  Oh, promises of spring!

We had a pretty mellow St. Patrick's day.  I pinned a felt four leafed clover I hastily made on to Fynn's cap and we went into town for the trapper's fur auction and to see the dogs before the race.  After that we came home and made Guinness brownies for Josh's poker night.  I think they turned out great (really dark and rich).  You can find the recipe here.) 

Here's our trek into town and a little people watching: 

My weekdays have been a lovely blend of trying to keep the house in some semblance of order, playing with Fynn, errands in town, quick spurts of working on any of the gazillion projects I have going on right now, and visiting with friends.  Fynn has transitioned to only needs one long nap a day rather than two, and is adjusting quite nicely.  He also has learned to climb on top of things: boxes, the dishwasher door, the dog, and all the way up the stairs!  Crazy boy!

Last night, Josh requested one of his latest favorite dinners:  Turkish Kebabs.   So I thought all kebabs were little bits of meat and veggies and what-have-you skewered on a little stick, right?  Well apparently not.  I've been working off this slow cooker recipe for a bit, but since I'm not often one to plan my meals ahead of time (though I'd like to improve on that), I've tweaked the recipe a bit for our life.  It goes a little like this:

1/2 lb. moose steak, cut into thin slices
1/2 onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 pinch curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 pita loaves

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.  Then add meat, lemon juice, and spices and cook until meat is done. 

Tzatziki Sauce:

1.5 c. sour cream

3/4 c. plain yogurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl.  It makes a lot, but don't fret!  We just finish up ours the next couple days as a chip/cracker dip!

Heat pita for 15 seconds to soften.  Top with meat, tzatziki, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and feta or goats cheese and enjoy!

Irish Eyes

For my handsome husband and little laddie:

When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away. 


There's a tear in your eye,
And I'm wondering why,
For it never should be there at all.
With such pow'r in your smile,
Sure a stone you'd beguile,
So there's never a teardrop should fall.
When your sweet lilting laughter's
Like some fairy song,
And your eyes twinkle bright as can be;
You should laugh all the while
And all other times smile,
And now, smile a smile for me.

When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away. 

For your smile is a part
Of the love in your heart,
And it makes even sunshine more bright.
Like the linnet's sweet song,
Crooning all the day long,
Comes your laughter and light.
For the springtime of life
Is the sweetest of all
There is ne'er a real care or regret;
And while springtime is ours
Throughout all of youth's hours,
Let us smile each chance we get.

Language of Angels

(Painting by Loren Entz)

My Bible reading this morning.  I think this is such an eloquent passage!

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,  but have not love, I gain nothing”

1^st Corinthians 13:1-3

World Ice Carving Championship

 Fairbanks is home to the World Ice Carving Championships!  So Saturday we bundled up against the zero degree temperatures and hit the acres if intricate art of ice harvested from local ponds.  I really liked their new location and all the beautiful entries.  Fynn really seemed to enjoy it, too, despite the cold that turned his little face all rosy!   There were tons of ice sculptures for kids to play on, but Fynn isn’t quite old enough for most.  We did take him down some of the ice slides, though!   What a fun evening!  Enjoy the show:

Nine Months

It's Fynn again, back for his quarterly update as I'm now NINE MONTHS OLD!!!

Last month began a lot of changes for me.  So I mentioned before that I hate riding in the car.  Well what I couldn't get across to Momma and Poppa was that my long legs were all scrunched up against the back of the seat!  The doctor told Momma that I am now big enough for a forward facing car seat, and now the car rides are almost fun!  I sit and can see out the window and kick my free legs the whole way!  So much more room!  I've always hated being restrained in any way.

I got all four of my front teeth at the end of January and am working on a fifth right now.  I decided this means I shouldn't have to eat baby food anymore.  Whatever my folks are eating is what I want.  My favorite taste right now is when I get a nibble of cheese, but I'm more concerned about being able to feed myself than what it tastes like.  And I must touch my food before it goes in my mouth.

Also, I can now MOVE!  I crawl forward, backward, round and round.  I love to walk with a little help and can pull myself to a stand (I even stood without touching anything for 2 seconds yesterday!).  Look out critters!

Some of the things that make me giggle are Clancey being goofy, watching Poppa start the snow machine or Momma scrape the ice from our steps, and when tickeley snowflakes land on my face.  I get so excited when Poppa gets home from work and when it's warm enough to take a walk.   I also love watching the moose from my nursery window.

My average day still just consists of napping, eating,  playing, and helping take care of the animals with the occasional run into town to do errands.  I still like to help Momma cook, but am becoming more interested with staying on the ground so I can practice moving!  It's so exciting I don't even want to sleep at night.  One day, I'm going to catch those cats!

Some of my favorite toys right now are not toys: empty bottles, cooking utensils, boxes, etc.  But I do really like balls, blocks, and stuffed animals, too.  I really like my books, too.  Momma says my favorite is the one called "God Gave Us You," but I really like them all.  And more than anything I really love my family, my friends and my critters.


Well, just a couple more months now and I'll be back to tell you how my first birthday party went!

Sweet Sleep & Baby Booties

My current memory verse is Matthew 11:28, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  What a sweet verse!  Ah, lovely rest! 

Thanks to all who have been praying about Fynn's sleep.  There has definitely been improvement this week.  We went over two months with him sleeping in only one hour increments.  He would generally fall back yo sleep right away, but that still equals two months with zero REM sleep for either of us.  I tried everything I could think of as well as suggestions from everyone.  We got into a very regular sleep schedule (any sort of schedule is a big challenge for me!) and bed time routine, I was careful what I ate and  made sure there were no infections going on.  I even elevated his head in case he got a runny nose at night.  The room was just warm enough with a snuggley blanket...still no sleep!  Yet he remains generally happy throughout the day.

The pediatritian and public health professionals I talked to said that at this stage in his life, he's either teething or learning some major skill that he just want's too keep practicing all night long!  And that would fit in just about right: he popped out 4 teeth and I think I see a fifth on the way, learned to sit independently, crawl, stand up, eat more solid food, and got a new car seat all in the last two months.

The only other thing I did differently this week was tell him that we were going to be close all night and that we love him, but even better than that, Jesus loves him and can keep him safe even if momma and poppa aren't right there.  He never sleeps and can send guardian angels to protect him.  So if he wakes up at night, it's okay, and he can just close his eyes and fall right back to sleep.  Do you think he understood?  I don't know for sure, but I know there has been a change.  Last night was the first time he slept through the night for as long as I can remember.  Maybe I don't give him enough credit for what he can understand.

I love that Fynn's a little chunk (love those sausage legs!!!), but I can not find a pair of shoes that will stay on him!  The best one's have been a crocheted pair that my friend Willow made.  So, how hard could it be, right?  I made them kinda big so they could fit over his pj's or big socks if need be Well, here's my first attempt and a pattern to go with if you should ever care to repeat my trial.

Baby Step 1: Open pattern full size, print, and cut two of each piece

Baby Step 2: Using a blanket stitch, work your way around the toe, like so:

Baby Step 3: Sew the tongue in place at the top and center of the toe piece with a running stitch.

 Baby Step 4:  Line up the corner of the heel to the corner made between the sole and the toe pieces.  Blanket stitch up the toe and heel pieces until you have overlapped the tongue by a few centimeters.  Then sew along the base connecting the sole and the heel.

Once you're all the way around, stitch up the toe on that side as far as you did the first.  If there's a little too much extra on the heel piece, you can clip it down so the corners match up right.

Baby Step 5:  I slipped these on Fynn at this point so I could determine the narrowest part of his ankle.  Here I secured a ribbon at one point at the very back that will wrap around to tie in the front.

Baby Step 6:  Finally, I took some puffy paint to give my little mover some traction.  Super simple little extra layer to keep those wiggly toes warm until breakup!  

Tip: Be careful that the soles are facing the way you want them to.  I almost ended up with two left feet!

Adventures in Finger Food: Take One

I actually had my camera handy for Fynn's first official forward crawl last week.  I wasn't in a hurry besides the fact that I could tell it was frustrating for him when the only direction he could manage was backward.  But forward he went at our friends' wedding reception on the 11th. Ah, my little baby's getting so big!  He has now decided that baby food is just too, well, babyish for him.  I mean, he is a big boy who can crawl now, and sporting four teeth, no less! =)  I was able to prolong them a little bit by thickening them with rice cereal or fine oat meal, but now he'll just take one bite or two, then decide he'd rather have whatever Josh or I are eating.

We have been giving him little bites of whatever we're eating, enough to make little meals lately, but I find he really wants to feed himself sometimes.  So I'm diving into the world of finger foods.  I'm afraid I can be one of those people who learns by trial and error with some things, and this was one.  I want to find a simple way to do things that will work for us.

Okay, so I had a sweet potato (one of Fynn's favorite baby foods) and tried to prepare it a little differently this time.  I cut it down into french fry-sized pieces, then put half in a pot of water to boil and the other half I laid out on parchment paper to bake.  Of the later I sprinkled a third with nutmeg, a third with paprika and left a third plain.  These I baked at 350 for 10 minutes.

The boiled strips got done first, so this is what I gave him for lunch.  I guess I boiled them too long, because they just fell apart in his grasp.  So I hand fed him the little portions and made the rest into the old baby food.  You never know, maybe I can talk him into eating it later!

The later half got done and cooled while we were eating.  They turned out the consistency of half dried apples: still moist, but floppy.  I tried them all first and the ones with paprika just tasted bitter so I threw them out to the chickens.

I was so excited for Fynn to try these, I gave him a plain one right away, but by this time, he was quite full from lunch and had no intrest in eating anymore, but at least I know he can grip them: