Heavy Week.

It been a heavy week. Personally, mentally, outwardly, environmentally and otherwise. I have been saddened by loss, experiential differences and the like. I have been challenged by thoughts and possibilities. Stretched in my faith and what it means to believe to trust and to have patience in it all. I have been blessed in it all I can say that. With each tear comes the ability to have compassion the ability to feel for others, to empathize and feel beyond my own situation. With each smile comes the ability to show and experience joy. With each challenge I get to choose God and allow him to lead the way. I have felt God pretty strong this week. A lot of it I can't even explain but this week more then ever I have felt him create a churning within me.

But it has created quietness here. I am writing elsewhere more than I ever have before. Mostly matters of the heart that I am not ready to share....maybe someday, maybe never.

But I will be back. We have an exciting week ahead, the Gracer is turning 7 come Monday....its a big deal. Wednesday is Big Boomer Day and Thursday we leave for our road trip towards the Redwoods. Oh and I almost forgot Tuesday is harvest day over at my friend the farmers.

Its sure to be a good week...I will be back to report. But for now i think the rest of the week I will use to contemplate the churning.

Sunday, Hymn Sing. A bit of a ramble.

I love Hymns. Let it be known I just love them. In church I prefer a mix of P and W and hymns. However for me there is nothing that can compare to singing a good old hymn, the words so true and perfect all of the time.

Sunday night our church, Crosspoint, hosted a good old community hymn sing. I enjoyed every minute.

It was just Grace and I in the pew because Elliot was helping his Grandpa with sound and Brian was playing his guitar. Grace had a couple of things to keep her busy but about half way through we sang, Turn your Eyes Upon Jesus, and at that moment her head lifted up she opened her mouth and begun to sing those precious words. This may be my favorite! I sang these words to both of my babies when I would nurse them before bed and forever they will be the words I pray for them to find as they grow older. As you can imagine and probably predict if you know me at all I began to cry. It is hard to be me and not be so incredibly grateful ad thankful for the legacy I am able to pass on to my children. That at the age of almost 7 I can witness my daughter singing these most precious words to her God in Heaven is almost more than my heart can handle.

The duplicating factor of this gratefulness was being surrounded by our family and knowing that we are surrounded by so much heavenly rooted love and support. This made my heart burst even more. Our grandparents were sitting behind us, Grandpa's lovely voice singing nearly in my ear as my little girl asked if she could crawl in my lap so she could hear my voice only:) These are memories that will last me forever. It's not only in the complex planned out affairs that you find complete joy. Sometimes its in the small and tender moments when you are surrounded by so many but you feel as if it is just you and your heavenly father. These moments are the gifts that I value the most.

Turn your Eyes Upon Jesus

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conqu’rors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Happy Birthday Emme Kaeker:)

My sister is having a Birthday today. Her and Elliot almost shared one.



I have the best little sister in the world. These days we are like peas and carrots and I am quite happy with this arrangement!!

Happy Birthday Emily and as you reminded me at least you are not turning 30 this year;)

Happy Birthday My Dude!

It happened he turned nine. And I love just the same. It wasn't earth shattering. But it was a great day.

One of the things I like most about Elliot is his love for life. Sometimes it can be a bit deep, but other times he is just the most fun loving all around lovable little dude. Every gift he opened to night was followed with the same exact genuine excitement, thankfulness and praise. I was so pleased with him. My heart oozed with love for him and how he is growing, how he is maturing. I love watching him grow into the person God is intending him to be its a gift.

Elliot kept on reminding me today was his birthday. I kept on assuring him there was no way I was ever going to forget. 9 years ago I was holding the most beautiful baby in the world. However I must tell you that 2 days prior to his arrival I was begging and pleading for any way to remove him from my body and I am not kidding. 2 days prior to his arrival I dropped the remote on the floor and went I went to pick it up I ripped the back of my pants. Not a good day in the land of completely pregnant. It was actually my due date. Yep the hubdub made the mistake of giggling and I proceeded to cry and cry and cry some more. I had experienced about 22 weeks of pre term labor at this point and had been off all labor ceasing medication for a good four weeks and now my body was confused to all get out. It didn't know when to contract or how to contract and so it just contracted all the time with no change in the areas that needed to do so and I was exhausted. And I thought it was a dirty rotten trick. So wah. June 19th came and my Dr. agreed to put me the hospital over night to try and get me some rest- it was a blessed time. I laid in bed with my giant slurpee and promptly after finishing I slept for a whole 12 hours....can I get an AMEN. At 2pm they broke my water and at 4:20 pm I had myself a wonderful little boy. I can not believe for two seconds that that all happened just like that 9 years ago. It was the greatest day!

Today was pretty great too as I mentioned. Like always in the Jager house your birthday starts with breakfast in bed. This year it was whole wheat pancakes with, scrambled eggs and as if the maple syrup doesn't have enough sugar, as Elliot says "my mom's canned peaches" and a glass of milk.




No crazy over the top creation this year. We went straight up and i made a two layer cake. Half chocolate chip mint ice cream and one layer devils food cake topped with fudge sauce. It wasn't actually really good, I thought it would be disgustingly sweet. And this little man loves himself some chocolate chip mint.


I love that I captured this face. You think he liked his skateboard? My dad asked if he could say broken arm. I replied that we hadn't been to the ER In almost exactly one year, they probably miss us around there anyway;)


And although his face doesn't show it he loves these two to the moon and back. Candid shots are so much better with him:)

Elliot I love you so much. I would have carried you around for another nine months if thats what it would have taken, just to end up with you as my son. You were incredibly worth it!! I love your brain, I love your heart...I love you!

Stockin up the Stock.

I ran out of stock. Sad Day. And although the days of veggie stock are coming upon us I needed me some meat stock. Thankfully my sister had some soup bones and didn't know what do with them. I agreed to make the stock if she would let me keep some:) She agreed and handed over four huge packages. So that is what we are doing to day. Stockin up the Stock.



Did you know you can and should be cooking all of those grains in stock. Cous Cous, Quinoa, pasta, rice. Not only does it enhance the flavor but it soaks up the nutrients as well. Making some of those empty filler foods a bit more healthy. Quinoa is my favorite but israeli cous cous is a close second.

1 cup stock
2/3 cup orange juice
1 1/3 cup cous cous. I like israeli but any type will do.

1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup dried cherries
2 stalks celery, finely diced
Bunch of baby arugula, finely chopped
1-3 squashed garlics finely chopped. If you aren't a fan of raw garlic leave it out. or use shallots.
I add a handful of feta cheese as well.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a sauce pan and cook as package directed.

Mix together the orange juice, olive oil and balsamic add the dry cherries place in a another sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Once they come to a simmer turn off the pan and let them sit.

When Cous Cous is finished lay out on parchment paper to cool.

When it is cool add all remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix together drizzling any remaining liquid fromt he cherries over top.

And Voila you have yourself a family friendly delicious salad that is actually healthy as well.



And just a note make sure to find the local produce stands in your area. Most large produce stands look great and are a great hold over in winter months for some items. But most of their products still travels hundreds of 1000s of miles to get to us. Shop local its the best way. And Whatcom County has a great selection of locally grown produce over the summer and into the fall.

Here is the link to one of my favorite stands.
http://www.fieldofgreens.biz/
They always have a list of what they have fresh on their website each week. This is very I shop not only for my family but for my clients as well. Amazing quality and great people!! And if you go buy a bag of their "salad mix." You won't be disappointed.

We start swimming lessons today. I am praying the sun will make an appearance around 2:30 this afternoon:)

What we did today...

I felt very accomplished in my day today. I felt as if we had a lot to do an I think we were able to complete about 95% of it.

We cleaned up the backyard...hauled a bunch of stuff away...painted the picnic table(a fun color)...performed a menu tasting and completed Elliot's birthday shopping.

It was a good day. Nothing special, just good.


Yep its aqua. I love color, my husband is more conservative so I decided asserting my likes on my picnic table was probably safe.

These are the benches I left the stained legs...I kind of like it this way. I am open for opinion.


In other news the boy in the house is turning 9 and he wanted a skateboard. Yep, I bought a skateboard for my son....need I repeat. How does this happen. As you can see I bought the matching pads for safety:)

On Thursday the husband and I went on a little date to one of my favorite places in Bellingham, The Fork.....yummers I had the lamb....a direct quote from my good friend the Brewer,"Baby animals are the best." Let it be known.


On Friday we had silent reading time outside after lunch. I think it was the one nice sunny day;) The kids have been wonderful to have home. They are practically inseparable, which warms the moms heart.


And that catches you up. We had a great Fathers Day it was low key.

Menus For Next Week

I have a tasting on Monday....for a wedding in October.

I also have another dinner in the moo on Friday....Yay!

Here is the menu.

Menu

Appetizer
Crostini topped with goat cheese and a rhubarb chutney garnished with fresh thyme and drizzled with a balsamic reduction

Salad Course
Fattoush Green Salad – Filled with herbs, local lettuce greens, cucumber, tomato topped with a lemony mint vinaigrette

Main Course
Poached Salmon topped with fresh crab, and shrimp topped with a herbed shrimp béchamel served with local fresh and organic sautéed and roasted veggies
Paired with a lovely stack of baby potatoes cooked slowly and infused with garlic ad thyme

Dessert
Chocolate Silk Pie with a traditional graham cracker crust

Pretty straight forward but oh so exciting. The Salmon recipe is a new one for me. I have fiddled with it much over the the last two weeks and achieved something oh so lovely with it. And the chocolate silk pie was requested...people that request such things are the cats meow for me.

And Thats that.

Guess what else happens next week. The little man turns nine....yep 9, holy cow!

Food Pics From The Moo.

So heres a pic of the aforementioned stacked crab salad. Its a bit of a pain but delicious and beautiful so I find a way to manage through it;)


Something about these plates I really love. She has a whole set of them.

What you see in there....Crab, avocado, mango, tomatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, red onion, and sprouts. Topped with a ginger lime dressing. Its to die for.

These are my herb cream stuffed Spring Peas. Wrapped with none other than a delicate sliver of prosciutto. Its amazing how much flavor these little bites punch. They are a fan favorite.


And there you be. I have two more jobs scheduled out there in the next three weeks. I am so over the moon thankful to be able to use my gifts. And believe it or not surprised every time I book a new job. Its as exhilarating as the first jog I ever booked.

Next weeks job involves replicating an old family recipe of my clients...this is risky business pray that I do it justice. It also includes chocolate silk pie for dessert, per client request oh I love old time favorites they hold a special place in my heart.

Picture Heavy...I'll add captions.

We had a great weekend. It was almost as if we had escaped to a faraway island. We just wiped the slate clean and forgot about house projects the yards and life in general. And let me tell you it was fabulous.

We spent most of our time building a fort for the kids in the woods and clearing out spots for tent sites with my Dad. Like I said we like to camp up there over the summer and have been known to invite friends to camp with us. So there are three spots now that just need some leveling. If you would like to join us sometime let us know;)

If you are lucky, you are Elliot and you have a guy or two that can help you cut down some trees to collect branches to camouflage your fort. My Dad loves to get out his chainsaw. This post may increase your knowledge of us being fairly backwoods....judge on judgers:)




Also if you are Elliot you have a Graden Tractor fitted with a hitch that is perfect for hauling large loads of branches and the like.


Can you spy Elliot? Its a pretty great fort extremely hidden. The kids just loved it.

Every good hideout needs its own firepit.


And every good camp site has a cedar bench. Elliot's got a guy for that too....


This is what we call a redneck parade...

No one better leave me comments about safety. My kids wear helmets on their bikes...thats safety enough in my book:)

This kid is getting way to big. Is it just me or does he look about 13 in this picture.



This may be the best picture ever. I just wish the other two cousins had been there. I may have to photoshop them in.

The rest of my time was spent reading overlooking the pond and playing with the Josher. He's walking now you know, although he seems to think it is highly over rated with all of us around to carry him around....

We all slept in the tent trailer for the weekend, I think Grace loved it the most. The dogs loved it the least:)

We decide on a roadtrip to the Redwoods in Northern CA for vacation this year. I am very excited. Should be an adventure in many ways.

Camping Confessional

I love to Camp. Like really camp in a tent on the hard ground. I like to wake up with a scratchy throat from the oh to fresh air. I like to be cold and frosty at night. I don't require much. I like a flush toilet, but a shower can be optional depending on length of the trip if theres running water or a lake. Its in my blood its in my roots....I love to camp. There is nothing like camping its so simple and wonderful.

When my parents were my age about 20 years ago...yep. They bought a 1960 something tent trailer. My mom had arthritis real bad and couldn't sleep on the ground anymore. But let me tell you it had no electricity, propane hook up, lights, nothing it was an aluminum box with two mattresses and a smallish cabinet for dry goods. It was modest and lovely and was made out of the most wonderful shade of camping green canvas. Do you think us kids were allowed to sleep in that thing. Heck no! Actually correction, once my brother and I's tent was infested with deer flies and my parents let us sleep in their lovely little house to allow our tent proper fumigation, and one other time we were tenting at the wonderful Silver Lake and what would you it poured down rain;) My brother and I had a literal river flowing throw the middle of our sleeping bags so for one night we were allowed to sleep in the trailer to allow our sleeping bags to "dry." No less I have wonderful memories of the tent trailer and on special occasions my Dad would haul it out for sleepovers. WEll in recent years the tent trailer has been on its last legs and to open it up it takes much prying and nursing and jostling and my dad has been the only one to be able to open it up and so started it quick demise.

Ove the years Brain has talked about getting a trailer...although I can appreciate trailers and the luxury and comfort they promise, I am so not a trailer camper. So his dreams slowly softened into mentioning a tent trailer. This I could get behind. By the way it took a good two weeks for my body to recover from camping in the tent last year. I hate to admit it but my arthritis did get the best of me and my hips were in much pain. But back to the dreams of the hubdub. We have strict rules int his house. All extra purchases must be paid for in cash, so that we can truly enjoy them. Things must be able to be just that things and we always buy used. It can be a hard pill to swallow sometimes but in the end it has provided us with ease and less stress and it works for us. I thought possibly all the parameters would stall the find but Brian got his wish. My sisters neighbors had a tent trailer and put it up for sale. And it was within our price range so after looking at it with my Dad they decided they wanted to buy it too and since they only camp one week out the year sharing seemed like the perfect plan. So we now are proud co-owners of a-wait for it- 1980 coleman tent trailer. Complete with state stickers emblazoned across its backside.


She is a real beaut.

Thats That Grace reading the newspaper at the table.

The tent trailer came with some stipulations. I am quite ritualistic about a few things when we are camping. One of the things is my kitchen. When we camp I set up my "kitchen" at the picnic table the same way every time. I have done this for the last 10 years and I plan on doing it the same way for the next 10. We eat outside period! May seem funny and weird but its how I roll, I like the challenge, I like the simplicity. And the other stipulation is that I can do some updating. Nothing to complicated just some new drapes and things. If you want to see a real makeover you should check out The Vintage Dutch Girl. She is amazing!

So I was thinking....


We should be using this thing this weekend. Bum deal is I got some Sunday responsibilities. But since my parents property is like a park, we decided to just go camp up there.

So I am packing our bags and we are going to make the long trek up the mountain;) I have packed the kids sleeping bags. And my grandparents camping quilt that has been passed down and down and down. It is one of my prized possessions. Its made of the craziest polyester fabric scarps and the softest cotton creates the backing. It is super heavy and I love that it is stil be used for what it was intended for. We are also bringing hot dogs and smore stuff.


Did I mention we have camping companions as well.

Yep the Josher is bringing his family too.

Should be fun. Cheers to a summer full of possibilities and new adventures!

Menu for tomorrow.

I'm back in the Moo tomorrow....Yay!

Appetizer - Spring Peas stuffed with Herbed Cream wrapped with prosciutto

Salad- A repeat - Stacked crab salad - by request

Dinner - Signature Salmon -Yep I have one of those
Sautéed Broccoli Raab and other assorted greens (hard to decide until you ge to the veggie stand)
Israeli CousCous with cherries and arugula topped with a light orange vinaigrette

Dessert - Ricotta Tart topped with a fresh strawberry compote.


Thats it for tomorrow.

But tonight is a celebration for a new Dr. in our midst. Our bro Jordo is now a Dr. folks. So to celebrate the good Dr. we are having an extremely heart healthy meal of chicken and waffles with mac and cheese and wilted greens. Thats right suckers thats how we do around here sometimes. And it will be darn good!

Congratulations Dude we are over the moon happy for you!

Cheers to Good Food, Good Friends, and Good Times - wether you share a meal over a pizza or filet mignon may it be a good one.

Sometimes....

Sometimes our days call for a wiping of the schedule canceling all previously made plans and dedicating ourselves to our children. This happens on a whim sometimes. Saturday I woke up not wanting to do any of things I was expected to do and hole up with my little family and plan a day of exploration and wonder. We did that with most of our day on Saturday much to somes chagrin. I was happy, the Beejer was happy and my little cherubs were happy. This is my ultimate purpose to have a happy little family. Its not something you can always explain to others but then again I don't really feel the need to.

So we went on a hike to the beach. Reveled in Gods creation with the warmth of the sun and the sound of the waves hitting the shore. And enjoyed our family. I love these days and I wouldn't trade them for the world.


My kids are pretty attached lately. They like to be together wherever they go. I love it! Doesn't mean that they don't have the occasional squabble though.


Elliot continues to bless me with humbleness when it comes to this awkward photo smile stage:)


It was a beautiful day.


The flesh of my flesh who finds even rocks beautiful. She brought back a whole bucket.



It was a great day!