MommyCoddle

Simple heart-shaped Valentine's Day crackers

We're revisiting an old favorite around here for Valentine's Day. These heart-shaped Valentine crackers are a fun twist on what is seriously my absolute favorite snack, well maybe second only to "the best snack ever". 

These thin, crispy crackers are made from Wonton Wrappers, which you can almost always find in the produce section of your grocery store. 

But in honor of Valentine's there must be heart-shaped crackers, people! 

The responsible part of me must tell you that these heart shapes can be made by simply pressing the shapes out of the un-baked wonton wraps. 

But the "throw caution to the wind" crazy side of me, must be honest. We make these perfectly heart-shaped crackers with a paper punch. Yes, I admit it. I promise I cleaned and wiped it. But darn if it doesn't make the easiest, coolest, simplest shapes. (Seriously, you'll never look at your paper punches the same way again, will you?!)

The recipe is absolutely simple, they only take a few minutes to bake, and if you manage to have any left, they keep pretty well in a ziploc baggie.

Heart-shaped, thin and crispy Valentine's Day Crackers

Cut out heart shapes from crackers (or don't and leave as squares). Place a sheet of parchment on a cookie sheet and lightly brush the parchment with olive oil. Place wonton wrappers onto oiled parchement paper. Brush tops of crackers with olive and sprinkle with coarse salt, or any other tasty combination you'd like...sesame seeds, dill, rosemary, we've even sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar and stuck them in a bowl of ice cream. Yum!

Bake the crackers in a 350 degree oven for approximately 3-5 minutes. You'll want to watch the crackers and pull them out as soon as they become golden brown. They can go from golden brown to dark brown very quickly, so keep an eye on them. Remove from the cookie sheet, snack on them and make another batch! 

 

Happy Birthday to me

A post from Mary:

It's my birthday today. And like my father, I have never really wanted a big she-bang every year. This year was one of those more significant milestones, and my husband was so kind to ask me if I wanted to do it up in big party fashion. I wasn't interested. I like the created by the kids type celebrations. The breakfasts in bed, where you hardly get a bite before everyone is all over your tray.

But there was one routine event on each birthday, that I grew accustomed to and now sorely miss. It was that call from my grandmother. It's no secret how special she was to me, my sister, and many others. Never forgetting your day, her sing songy rendition of Happy Birthday, a call packed with love and praises for who I was and how special I was to her. It has been something I have greatly missed the past few birthdays.

Last year, for my birthday, my sister gave me a cutting from my grandmother's beautiful Gardenia. The huge potted plant-tree, was put out on the patio all summer and then brought inside for the cold months. It was a regular fixture at her house. Even in the dispersal of her estate, it was claimed by an uncle and lives in his home now. I was thrilled to receive a cutting from it. I have it in my bedroom window. It has grown some, but I was worried it wasn't thriving. A few weeks ago, i was happy to see some new buds on it.

And today, on the morning of my birthday, I parted the curtains to let some of the sun in and saw one single fresh bloom, newly opened.

A birthday message from above. Just for me.

7 lovely things

Good morning and Happy Valentine's my friends. Oh, I missed this place. I'm completely procrastinating on things like laundry and school work and showers and a huge mess in the kitchen from pink chocolate chips pancakes. But, it's been too long. So, hello. How about a list this morning, shall we?

1. I cashed in on my Christmas present this past weekend. A girls weekend away with two of my bestest cousins. We had grand plans of doing important things like historical tours and traditional working-farm visits--but it happily and comfortably turned into lounging and knitting in hotel rooms, long dinners out and antique shopping. It was perfect. And while, you know, I fought that mama-guilt about being away, it was such a good weekend. So so good. I have made it official that my husband can give me the same gift every year.

2. Do you see this aisle of goodness I stumbled upon in the very back of one shop? I may have had trembling hands when I took this picture.

3. First tractor-driving lessons with her great uncle. The report is that she's a pro and only stalled it out once. Learning to drive a tractor is on my to-do list. I think she just beat me to it. When asked if she wanted to trade in her pony for a tractor, we only got a roll of the pre-teen eyeballs.

4.  My new favorite and also perfect Valentine's listening: Us & Our Daughters (with a hat tip to my music soulmate. You know who you are.) On their site they share that last year was a tough year for them and their love. But they took to songwriting as their therapy. It pulled them through and this album is the fruit of that time. It's beautiful. 

5. Some love of the 4-hooved variety.

6. This knitted lovely is going in the queue. 

7. Some love it's good to remember.

xo.

Molly

joy in the sorrow

Last May, I shared about the passing of my friend and neighbor, Sarah. 

But one thing I didn't tell you in that story was my last "conversation" with Sarah before she died. 

Just days before, she sent me several messages through twitter (of all places) curious to know if we had any interest in her pony, Ariel. 

If you've been reading this blog long enough, you'll know that my daughter Emma is a horse girl. From her depths, the girl loves horses. Childhood "passions" come and go, but Emma's love of horses has only grown deeper roots in her little heart. 

She has been riding and taking lessons since we moved back to Maryland. I watch this video of her, four years ago and I am reminded that she has been waiting for "a pony of her own" for quite a long time. 

But a pony is no small commitment. If I had a dollar for every time I answered the question, "When do you think I'll be ready for a pony of my own?", I'd have enough dollars for seven ponies by now. Aside from being old enough for a pony, or having enough know-how, the big, glaring issue was right outside my kitchen window. 

A farm with no fencing. 

You can ask any of my close friends to know that I've been trying to figure out ways to get this little farm of ours started, to find the money in our squeezed-tight budget for fencing. (It is SO expensive!) Should I do something on kickstarter? Should I get a job? Should I make stuff and sell it on etsy?

Meanwhile, I'm telling my anxious daughter that some day the time will be right. Pray, I say. God knows your heart. And He already knows the perfect pony for you. And He knows when the time will be right. 

I often needed to remind myself of the same things. 

When Sarah sent me those series of messages, asking if we were interested, something jumped in my heart. 

Little did she know, that many of our errands brought us driving right past her house. That Emma would often get quiet in the back seat, hiding her tears--not just for a pony, but for Ariel. "She's the perfect pony for me. I don't think they have anyone riding her right now. Do you think they'd ever sell her?"  And I'd give her my same words of wisdom, which by now she could probably recite to me by heart. Pray. Wait. When the time is right....

That morning, when Sarah asked me, I immediately got on the phone with Dan. Teary, nervous. I had no idea that Sarah was just days from the end of her fight, but I knew this was one of those things she needed to settle. 

Dan simply said, "Tell her yes. We'll just have to figure the rest out."

We didn't tell Emma anything. The heartbreak if anything fell through would have been horrible. 

The man who owns the barn where Emma has been riding for the last several years said to bring Ariel there. She could stay until we were ready. For free. A gift.

But for a handful, Emma spent every morning this summer at the barn--taking care of Ariel, learning from the wonderful people who work and board their horses there, from my stepmother, who has taught her everything she knows. 

Eventually, with all this planning and fussing, she began to put the pieces together. 

"Is Ariel going to be mine?" 

Finally, last week, in the middle of the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, Ariel arrived home. 

By perfect timing (and God'd faithfulness to Emma's prayers, I believe) we found the funds for fencing. While we were in Virginia, a team of Amishmen descended on our farm and installed it.

Everything has come together. The timing is finally right. 

And there, in the midst of the sorrow of losing Sarah, is the big, bright glow of joy. She's sitting bareback on a pony grazing in my back yard. 

 

country wedding on the farm

I'm not even sure where to begin with sharing some photos from my cousin's wedding last weekend. I was a bridesmaid and Emma, Mary and Elizabeth were flower girls. The wedding was held on my grandparents' farm just around the corner from us. 

(the girls + their boots. thanks to my cousin megan !)

My dad is the oldest of 15 children, so just our family alone makes for a pretty big wedding.

Over that past week, as family slowly arrived and the house filled up again with activity and life, I did my best to soak up every moment.

This wedding was truly a family affair. From the fluffing and hanging of tissue-paper flowers, to the mowing and weed-eating and de-wasping of the lawns, to the weeding of gardens, the folding of name cards...every visit to my grandparents' farm during the week leading up to the wedding meant people scattered about doing their part to make this wedding an amazing, beautiful, thoughtful event. 

My photos don't even come close to capturing the day. I felt like I was in a bit of a daze of family and celebration and baby-wrangling, and prying my children from the dance floor to be sure they were eating something. So I look forward to eventually sending you all to the photographer's photos once he posts some. (He was amazing, by the way--and I'm not just saying that because he and my husband hit it off right away.) 

Maggie cross-stitched all the table numbers. The tables were simply covered with brown burlap, blue Ball jars and a mix of flowers.

My aunt created coloring books for the kids' table with images that were meaningful to our family and the farm. 

Not that I am shocked by this, but my children hardly left the dance floor. Elizabeth in particular has some moves that must come from her father's gene pool.

All local produce, greens, chicken and beef from my family's farm. Served on the back of a hay wagon.

Maggie freezer-paper stencilled Birdy and Sam onesies for the wedding. Birdy also loved the dance floor, but apparently for very different reasons....

We won't discuss the fact that Birdy managed to crawl under the DJs table and start fiddling with his cords. Thankfully, no damage was done, just a small heartattack for her mother....Birdy is going through the "if you don't want me to touch it, I'm gonna find it" stage. It's loads of fun.

And as the sun went down it became even more beautiful. The day, the weather, could not have been more perfect.

Luminaires all along the fence posts and lining the lane....

(and see that tiny little doorway in the background, at the top of the stairs?? That is where we lived when we first moved to Maryland with all three of our children. Some of my favorite days and best memories, even though it was a wee bit crowded. :)

Though Birdy checked out early, can you believe I let my children stay on the dance floor until the bitter end---10:45! Yikes. But these kinds of days don't come along very often. It was so worth it.

And then, there's the day after....the gathering in the "parking lot", as we call it. The sitting around, playing guitars, harmonica, singing, the babies crawling around, dodging scooters and bikes. I love the lazy day after the wedding.

And that evening, in pure Maryland style, crabs in the patio.

Definitely summer's highlight. Definitely.

that's SO last year

First of all, thank you, for all the comments and encouragement and commiseration and "I'm in the midst of it too" on my last post. I seriously still intend to sit down and reply to many of your comments. It has just been hard to find a chunk of time on the computer, or I should rephrase that-- a chunk of "productive" time on the computer. But seriously. Thank you.

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Every year just before the holidays, I tell myself that this is going to be the year that I get my act together and mail out a Christmas card. And every year, I'm determined to not go the route of pre-designed, purchased photocards. I vow that I'll design my own unique, creative version. 

That vow hasn't gotten me very far. It has been more than SIX YEARS I'm guessing since I sent out a Christmas card. And even then, it might have been a baby announcement, not a true holiday greeting. 

But this year, I came to my senses and ordered our Christmas card from tinyprints. Hello? Why had I not been doing this earlier?

 

But....I was still determined to add our own "flair" to the whole thing so at the very last minute I whipped up a little "best of 2010" to throw in with the card. 

I have to say, I kind of love it. It was so fun making every one come up with their list. Emma had hers finished in five minutes. Dan and I agonized over ours. 

And let me just say, apparently, I don't watch a lot of movies. Coming up with a best movie title for 2010 was painful. I know I saw some good movies. I'm sure I did. But in the end, 3:10 to Yuma was the best I could come up with. I remember it having a really good story line. And Russell Crowe. That makes a good movie, right? 

Anyway, I've been meaning to share our card with all of you. Since I couldn't possibly afford the postage for a card for each of you. :) 

Next year, we plan to add another category for the girls. But I think I'll keep that one under my hat until the end of 2011. 

thanks. giving

The girls bundled up early this morning and headed to the barn for a pre-Thanksgiving ride.

It is cool and sunny and breezy. I walked outside this morning and thought, "This feels like Thanksgiving."

I hung clothes on the clothesline (in my mittens).

Swept the leaves from the mudroom and front steps, again.

I cleaned up breakfast dishes and kept the washing machine humming all morning.

And just as the girls are returning from their ride, pink-cheeked and smelling like cold air, the baby is waking up.

It's off to the library for books for our holiday.

Then an afternoon of baking, cleaning, and napping.

Wishing you all a peaceful, sweet and full Thanksgiving. I am truly, truly thankful for all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

xo.

molly

their summer list

play putt-putt golf

climb to the waterfall at Rocks

make wooden animals with the jigsaw

have lunch with daddy at work

pick blueberries at andy's

make an art project with emily

have a picnic at a park

go to a concert

go to the Walters or the BMA

make a trip to Good's

pajama swims every night

go to the zoo

hike in the big woods

visit oregon ridge

climb a steep mountain

collect leaves and make a field guide to enter in the fair

paint wooden dolls

visit the McDougals

sleep out in the yard

paint rocks

eat a fluffernutter

go out for ice cream

make friendship bracelets

make a BOOK

in print

Sitting in the living room last night with Dan, I looked beside me on the table at a stack of mail I'd been ignoring. At the bottom of the stack was a magazine, wrapped in plastic. The stack of mail had been sitting on the table for a few days, but I never dug past the boring old bills on top. 

But to my surprise last evening, I discovered that there on the bottom of the pile was the Summer 2010 issue of Artful Blogging.

I'm so excited to share with all of you that I was able to contribute writing and photographs for an article featured in this issue. Artful Blogging is a beautiful publication that features the photography and thoughts of authors from all corners of blogland. It was an honor to be asked to contribute.

The editor, Jenn, asked that I share some of my thoughts and experiences from blogging. It was a really good exercise for me to take a few moments to slow down and remember why it was that I started doing this in the first place, and how those ideas have evolved and changed over the past several years. 

Though I can't share the whole article with you here, what was most important to me was to share the idea that every person has a story to tell. That each day holds something worth celebrating, something worth writing down, something worth remembering:

"We all know life moves quickly. Children grow up too fast. There isn't enough time in a day. We wonder where the year went. Technology keeps us updated, on-track, and efficient, yet when I sit down to my blog at the close of the day, when I take a few moments to find the story in a day, to take notice of the beauty in life's everyday moments, to stop long enough to let the day show me its lesson, suddenly time is captured, caught, and cherished. I can look back and celebrate seasons I have made it through, the growth and the wisdom, trials and triumphs--each that life and faith have given me.

I am convinced that every day has a story in it. There are words, thoughts, and moments to be remembered and written down. And there are always lessons to be learned."

2009 : in photos + words : march

: 23 March 2009 :

| How We Do Things |

 :20 March 2009 :

| Family Stories |

These boxes are full of family stories. I sorted, tried to make out faces, noticed how much someone's children look exactly like they did, when they were that age. Marveled at my grandmother, poolside--a handful of kids splashing in the water, a few toddlers watching from wooden playpens in the grass. Children spread around long wooden tables on the patio, covered in newspaper, dipping eggs into colored water. Girls bareback on horses. Weddings on the front lawn with green tents, bright yellow table cloths and daisies. Volkswagen buses and BB guns ....

: 31 March 2009 :

| Five Senses |

So now after all this, I'm not sure if my girls know more about their five senses, or more about how fun it is to blindfold each other and make them stick their hands into unknown bowls of food ....

2009 : in photos + words : february

: 25 February 2009 :

| Changing Our Pace  |

And I realized there's still tomorrow, except for a few things:

Tomorrow, my children will be a little bit older.

And tomorrow, they'll be carrying around memories of today.

And I can stand behind them and rush, rush, rush them through to tomorrow.

Or I can stay with them, and alongside them, and savor them. Today. ....

: 15 February 2009 :

| Cause For Celebration |

I feel like a proud mother. Or maybe a proud mother hen. We've been waiting for this day since September. And lately, with all the spring-like weather, and rooster hanky-panky, I had a feeling it would be happening soon ....

 : 17 February 2009 :

| Not Enough Protein At Lunch |

I began to literally walk from cupboard to cupboard, looking inside and trying to determine what I could possibly cover in chocolate ....

2009 : in photos + words : january

For the next twelve posts, I thought I'd take a look back at 2009, a month at a time. I'm going to pull a favorite picture or two, a few words from a post I want to remember and cherish. I feel like it's a good way to reflect, and a good way to go forward into the New Year. 

To celebrate the good things, the hard things I thought I might just not make it through, the "seasons" that have passed, the funny moments and the joys of 2009, before I wish her so long.

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: 15 January 2009 :

 Befriending a Rooster

I've got this thing with roosters. It goes back to my childhood growing up on a farm. There was Friendly, the rooster who did not live up to his name ....

: 13 January 2009 : 

: Cue The Doves : 

This morning in a sleepy stupor, I heard the rustling of children downstairs. Moments later, I woke to hushed giggles beside my bed and opened my eyes to a dove, preening her feathers on my pillow ....

: 05 January 2009 : 

New Year, New Project :

Habit was born out of a desire to capture little bits of our everyday lives--nothing staged--but real life moments we experience every day. It was meant to stretch us ....

a christmas letter

This morning I am facing what may be the biggest baking/cooking/prepping day of my life. I'm looking forward to the challenge. But first, I'm taking a quiet moment for a bit of coffee, sitting across the room with our lop-sided little tree that was decorated last night by eager little hands.

I thought I'd quiet this little blog for a few more days, but before I do I couldn't forget to wish all of you a happy holiday season. May it be peaceful, merry, warm, and just right. 

Before I go, however, I wanted to share with you a special Christmas letter....the one my mother sent out this year to our friends and family. I wish I had that perfect picture to go with it--because I know exactly which one I'd choose--except it's at her house, and I am here. But I have a feeling the picture will be clear enough in your head. 

Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. 

xo.

molly

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

She became my project when she made her way, so many years ago, to the sheep pen in our barn in Leitersburg, Maryland.  Along with two others, she traveled up I-81 from Virginia Tech to Hagerstown in the back seat of daughter Mary’s silver Ford Escort.  Emily was an orphan, and even though I didn’t need a single (or triple) extra thing to do, her fuzzy head and sweet eyes captured my heart.  What’s a mom to say?  Drive those lambs right back to Blacksburg?  Hardly.

Under my care and two bottles of milk replacer a day, Emily flourished.  Soon grain and hay replaced the bottle, and come springtime she discovered green grass and warm sunshine.  Emily and her barn mates, Hope and Nelson, were thriving.  

One late Spring evening around the supper table, conversation turned to the fact that Miss Emily was the only lamb on our farm yet to be sheared.  Since the weather was mild and daylight lingered a little longer, Mary and I headed out to the barn after the dishes were done, with halter, extension cord and clippers in hand.

Here was the thing about this situation:  When we sheared a sheep, it stood on an elevated metal platform. Its head was immobilized by resting the chin in a U-shaped bracket with a soft rope corded around the neck.  Emily had never been off the ground, all four hooves at once.  She had never had her head stuck into something that held her fast.  Sometimes this scenario is challenging if the sheep determines to buck, so to speak, the system…and most do.  We didn’t know how this would go.

Together, Mary and I hoisted Emily onto the stand, placed her chin in the holder and threaded the rope across the back of her neck securing it under her chin.  I stood on one side distracting Emily with a handful of grain.  Mary, on the opposite side, plugged in the clippers and flipped the switch.

The first pass with the clippers from the base of her tail up the middle of her back brought no particular response from Emily.  Mary continued—legs, chest, underbelly.  Emily was incredible--standing there munching peacefully.  Mary shut off the clippers in order to apply fresh oil and let them cool before attacking the last obstacle, Emily’s head.  Loud, vibrating clippers around the face, eyes and ears of a sheep are hard to tolerate even for the most stoic of animals.  So far, Emily had been a dream, but now it could all fall apart.

I dipped out a fresh scoop of grain and Mary started in along the jawbone and toward the ear.  As long as I live, I’ll never forget what happened next. In her moment of fear, as the clippers approached her eye, Emily leaned against me.  She simply shifted her weight and leaned on me.  No panic or jerking.  She just leaned in and we stood there together braced against one another until all was quiet again.

I haven’t forgotten the message Emily sent me that evening.  Unexpected things come along—especially these days.  Jobs disappear, portfolios shrink, houses don’t sell, accidents happen, health issues surface. But there is something anyone can do…lean in.  The Good Shepherd, whose birth we celebrate this time of year, stands near with wisdom and provision.  Every time.

We are blessed beyond measure and send our love and greetings to you and yours.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND PEACE IN THE NEW YEAR.

carving pumpkins with power tools

Our pumpkins barely made it to the carving blocks this year. In fact, if I hadn't rescued them quickly enough our chickens would have made short order of them, just like this scene. In fact, the chickens had already started some of the "carving" for us.

Since we didn't get to the carving until after Halloween, I really wanted to encourage the girls away from faces to something that could be more Fall-ish. Emma seemed pretty dead-set on carving something scary into her pumpkin...that is, until I brought out her daddy's power drill.

I wish I had pictures--bits of pumpkin flying everywhere. Girls wielding power tools. But a mother can only handle so much power tool safety without trying to photograph it at the same time. Some things are better left to the imagination.

Once the carving was finished, I happily carried the pulpy mess into my kitchen where I spent a painstakingly long amount of time cleaning the seeds. I LOVE pumpkin seeds. I mean, seriously LOOOVE them. It really bothers me if I accidentally let one slip into the discard pile, or I miss one hiding in the pulp. I get every.single.seed.

And then I roast them with a little salt and butter in the skillet, all while fighting off little fingers who try to get in on the goodness.

Now they are sitting on the center of our kitchen table in a canning jar, whose lid I have screwed on so tight, I can barely get it off myself. It's kid-proof, requiring help (and the rationing of seeds) whenever little children decide they want to dip in to the treasure chest of seed-wealth.

I get down-right aggressive about the careful, slow devouring of these seeds. 

And I'm thinking next year, I'm planting a whole row of pumpkins in my garden....

five (and four days)

Happy Birthday.