Sapp-shots

One Year.

2012-01-16T15:35:00.000-06:00

This little girl is starting to have her own look. You know how there are times when it just seems like a baby is growing into her own skin? A little less baby...a little more kid. This happened recently. Just in time for her 1st birthday yesterday!

Family came for lunch and Strawberry Shortcake. (our kids don't get much sugar until they are 2, so Strawberry Shortcake has been the 1-year birthday tradition. It's the biscuit-type variety, not the sponge-cake variety.)

The same candle that has lit up three birthdays over the years...

Lunch menu: Ham and Swiss Stromboli, Italian Stromboli, Gogo's Cabbage Salad, Veggies with Grandma Meyer's Dip, and Fruit.

Wow...this is the most sugar I've had in this mouth yet.

Malia was excited to give Aliza the needlepoint she made with the kit she got for Christmas.

I thought it was pretty sweet. It will be hanging in Aliza's room soon.

See what I mean about growing into her own person?

She is looking different!

She loves to be with her sisters and do whatever they are doing. And Malia and Josie are so good at playing with her! Their current favorite activity is to all crawl around the hallway (it goes full circle) "chasing" each other. Squeals of delight from all three.

Happy Birthday Aliza Belle!

CHRISTMAS.

2012-01-06T16:16:00.001-06:00

I haven't posted in ages. So this will be a MEGA-post with all the Christmas photos.

Hold on to your seats.

IN TOPEKA...

Skyping with Nate's sister's family in Central Asia.

(I contemplated not putting this photo on here due to Josie's shirtless-ness. But I did anyway. :)

the baby bassinets made by Gogo!

IN BERN...

the cousins (minus 2 babies and 1 in utero)

the busy Grandparents/my Parents

the Great-Granparents/my Grandparents.

A rousing game of Pig Mania...

which this little girl won. :)

Do you know Pig Mania? I grew up playing it at my Grandparents' house.

Have you ever looked closely at the picture on the cup?

What the heck? I have no idea....

Seriously, anybody?

Ooooo....the "leaning jowler". Big points there.

A very energetic wrestling match...

Good Eats.

AND HOME in MANHAPPINESS....

Playing with the doll clothes made by Grandma. :)

and slippers from Grandma and Grandpa.

We had it pretty simple at home.

Here are the matching pajama pants I made for the girls's stockings.

and Hubby's. :)

Speaking of Christmas, I read a great article called "The Christmas Conundrum" a couple of weeks ago that was so challenging to me, in a good way! We want to consider again our approach to Christmas and how we can celebrate the coming of Jesus in an authentic way. Good read if, you're interested, found here!

Jam Sessions and Lessons from Narnia.

2011-12-12T17:18:00.001-06:00

All three were playing at the same time this morning.

Aliza looked pretty proud that she could join in the fun. :)

......................................................................

Unrelated, I had a pretty sweet time today with Malia as she was reading and processing "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". She's been into the book for a couple of weeks. Now understand that, though she understands much of the plot line, most of the symbolism is lost on her.

I was working on Christmas gifts during nap/quiet time and all of a sudden I hear Malia start crying from the room she's in. Like really sobbing. I go in to see what is the matter and she has her book open. "Mommy! This page just said that Aslan is dead, and I really love him!" She has tears running down her face. "This is really sad!"

If you haven't read the book, Aslan is the God/Christ figure and in Narnia he has just been put to death by the Witch on a Stone Table. Wanting to rescue my daughter from the sadness she is feeling, I am tempted to just tell her to not worry, he is coming back to life! I suppress the urge to ruin the story for her, agree with her sadness, comfort her, and tell her I'd love to read the next part to her to see what happens.

She agrees and together we read the (pretty thrilling) tale of how Aslan comes back to life and explains to the weeping little girls in the story (whom Malia related with) how, though the Witch did indeed know some magic, it was limited, as her knowledge of it only began with the dawn of time. If she could look farther back before time began, as Aslan could, she would know that "when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead the Table would crack and death itself would start working backwards."

Now, she didn't know the meaning of many of these words, so I began explaining them. Already understanding that Aslan was "like God", she was quick to connect the Stone Table with the cross and the resurrection. So it was fun to talk again about Christ's innocence, the punishment he took for the traitors, and about how the "deep magic" of God extends beyond any other power.

If you've never read The Chronicles of Narnia, it is never too late. Nate reads these books about every other year or so. They are written to be engaging for children, yet they are packed with imagery and symbolism of the gospel that, as an adult, is refreshing to read in a new context. Great reads. I hope my kids continue to enjoy them!

Away for awhile.

2011-11-29T15:45:00.001-06:00

It's so nice to get away from the daily routine for a few days!

We were able to pack up the minivan and visit both families last week.

First in Topeka,

then in Bern.

Josie is sitting next to her cousin "twin".

And today we finished our year-and-a-half-long school project.

It began with Malia cutting out pictures that started with each letter of the alphabet.

It later became more of a project that fit Josie, but Malia kept at it with us because she enjoys cutting and gluing. :) I actually like doing a project that took that long because it teaches the girls to stick with something and encourages long-term vision and perseverance, rather than immediate gratification.

It wasn't complexity that made it take so long. Craft projects at this house are rarely flashy. It was just something we would get out here and there whenever we remembered it. We used things we had. The paper is recycled, so the printed words you see are not part of the project.

The girls are having fun "reading" it. :) Love to see them excited about something they accomplish!

It's Bake Time.

2011-11-21T21:29:00.001-06:00

It's time to bust out the Butter Braids.

This recipe takes some time, but I'm telling you, it's worth it.

Try it. It's better than you think it will be.

You will drool over it as you look through the oven door and see the butter sizzling on the bottom of the pan.

But you can't be scared of dishes.

Or butter.

Isn't it pretty?

Let this little guy raise.

Oh yeah.

You think it looks amazing, and you would be correct.

But wait, one must not forget about frosting.

But I had to put these little beauties into the freezer to await their frosting on Thursday. :)

Okay just realized that I don't have the recipe with me. I'll post it soon.

Then this morning, we decided to make pumpkin pancakes.

I used this recipe. They were awesome. Very fluffy.

While we were cleaning I let Aliza entertain herself by eating off the floor. :)

Is that horrible??

Tickling the Ivories

2011-11-18T19:06:00.001-06:00

Just a little taste...from my home to yours.

Thanks Erica for sharing the videos. :)

A Runner.

2011-11-16T14:15:00.001-06:00

A runner, most likely I will never be.

A walker, yes. A runner, no thanks. I about die after a few blocks.

I guess if I can't be a runner, I can make a runner. The different sort.

The kind for a table, or in this case, a piano.

Since we moved in, the space on top of the piano was a hodge-podge of different items.

It needed some color and homey comfort.

In case it's not already obvious, I love patchwork pieces.

I put this together without having to buy anything new...my kind of craftiness.

And I love it because it includes pieces of our family: kids' quilts and dresses, previous garage sale scraps, old pillowcase, and a lounge quilt.

The back was some burlap-y type fabric from my Mom-in-law. Not sure what it is. My Mom advised not to put it in the dryer.

Ahhh...a touch of family right there on the piano.

Which little fingers are starting to tinker around on more and more. :)

Fan Loaf 1.

2011-11-10T21:46:00.001-06:00

So remember that goal to try to find/duplicate the old school K-State Union Fan Loaf?

Well, the recipe...can't find it.

But I did try this one today. It was in the form of smaller rolls, not little loaves.

But I think it has much potential.

Soft and buttery.

I think I'll try it as a loaf. But I don't have a small loaf pan. Hmmm...have to figure something out.

Does anyone in town have one I can borrow?

Words...

2011-11-08T14:52:00.001-06:00

I have three: Garden Supper Casserole. Oh my. This was amazing.

This is by far the top winner from More-With-Less at this point.

With Joanna eating with us, we almost finished the pan.

(Side note: There is a shift happening in our family of 5. One 9x13 used to feed Nate and I for 3-4 meals. Then for awhile it had been feeding our family for at least 2. We are now approaching the time when one 9x13 pan is seeming to disappear quite quickly. The leftovers are not always enough for another whole meal. Though I guess I must take into consideration that most 9x13 dishes I've made lately have been like a whole meal in a dish, with little or no sides. So...maybe that's a little comforting.)

More words:

Our school activity yesterday was to write a story, one sentence at a time. I did the first sentence, then Malia, then Josie (I helped her write), then around again and again until we finished. Joanna and Daddy added a few in there too. Here is the story, "About a Bear", titled by Malia.

And there you have "About a Bear."

Guess what we did this morning?

2011-10-29T15:55:00.002-05:00

It goes choo-choo...

and you can ride on it...

Even grown-ups...

It has a bearded driver...

Oh yes, it's a train.

And it's free!

The Wamego park got this train last month and it gives rides every 5 minutes. So cool.

And so nice that we live 10 miles from Wamego. It was probably faster to get there than to the other side of Manhattan.

Even without the train, it is still an awesome park.

It still has some of the "old-fashioned" playground equipment that you don't see much of anymore, but that is awesome.

Like merry-go-rounds.

It is very open so you can see everything and there lots of different things/equipment spread out across the area. AND it's on grass and rocks. Good old-fashioned earth. Love it.

Forgot to mention: The train only runs for certain hours on the weekends, and today was actually the last day until spring. But the park alone is still worth it. :)

Happy Weekend to you.

Projects.

2011-10-28T16:03:00.001-05:00

Today was the day of projects.

I didn't have any "task" planned. Friday is my "One big job" day of the week (every day of the week has it's own chore, if that makes sense). So on Fridays if there is nothing looming, I just get to be a little more chill.

It had been tooo long since the girls and I had done any out-of-the-ordinary projects together, school or fun. I was inspired yesterday by this project. Maybe someday soon.

The girls were (as usual) not short on ideas for things to do. So we tried to do a handful of them. Not worried about what else I wasn't accomplishing, we all had such a fun time! Well, Aliza just played, but she'll soon join in the activity. :)

PROJECT #1:: Pillows for dolls.

Their very first sewing machine project! They used a needle and thread too, but they've already done that before. Well, technically, they helped me do it....I didn't set them loose with the machine or needle.

See the little hand-sewing we did together on the side.

PROJECT #2:: Make the solar system.

Well Josie had her own inspiration. She wanted to draw the stacking cups.

She used some fabric for the sun.

And painted the rest.

PROJECT #3:: Math with stacking cups.

We've had these cups forever. Aliza is actually enjoying them for toppling and banging reasons.

Malia used them to check her math today. They each have a number in the bottom and they actually hold an amount of water that is proportionate to the number. So you can do addition and subtraction with them. We might take these into the bathtub.

Before we got the cups out, she wrote in her answer. Then we did it with the water to see if she was right. Pretty fun!

The other idea was to make enough musical instruments to have a band. Maybe another day. :)

Love all these ideas they come up with!

Does anyone have any other good sewing machine project ideas? I'd love to help Malia get started on basic things.

Two More Tries.

2011-10-27T15:32:00.002-05:00

I've tried two more recipes from "More With Less" this week:

New Potatoes and Peas With Ham (gotta love those creative names)

It was basically like potato soup but much less sauce and more food. It was very tasty, good for you (depending on how much cheese you use), and start to finish in about 45 minutes. Winner.

I'm not sure, is it okay for me to be putting recipes from a book on here? Hmmm...maybe I'll abstain. (refrain might be the more appropriate word?) If you're curious, leave a comment or email me. I can send it to you.

Not the most appealing picture, but good, I assure you. :)

Per Amanda's request, I also tried the Oatmeal Bread. It was tasty and made good toast, but the bread was pretty crumbly. Was yours like this Amanda? Or did I just do something wrong? I used about half whole wheat flour. Anyway...taste was good. Just kind of crumbly to work with.

The picture doesn't do justice how covered my kitchen was with crumbs! Table, chairs, everywhere! Ha! Now you know what my floor looks like after a meal. :)

Post Surgery II

2011-10-25T14:52:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted anything about Aliza's surgery follow-up recently.

After her surgery, things looked great for about a week and a half. Then things started to look a little shaky, her eyes beginning to drift inwards off and on again. For about a week, it progressed and was looking much like it did before her surgery. Then, five days before her follow-up appointment, they started re-aligning. It got better and better as the week went on. So either that is typical for how eyes "stick in place" after this surgery, or God just decided to align them. Either way, we are thrilled, as we really thought they were going to just go back to how they were!

At her appointment last Friday, the doc was very positive. He said that while he can see some slight crossing with either eye at times (as do we), her eyes are "in the range" that he hopes for with this surgery! And that she is recovering very well!

The likeliness of her eyes again starting to drift apart is unknown. Totally possible, but just no way to know for now. Nate and I are SO thankful for your prayers!

Oh yeah, I forgot a 9 month picture earlier this month, so this one a little late will have to do.

She is constantly on the go, scooting and standing up on things. She doesn't yet realize that she needs to hold on. So often we see her grab something, hold it with both hands, and then fall to the ground. Trying to stay on top of those little falls, but sometimes, she just as to learn on her own. :)

It's Pie Time.

2011-10-20T20:30:00.003-05:00

Oh yes, it's this time of year.

This morning I attempted to make two pies from scratch while taking care of 3 little girls.

Hmmm....I got grumpy and impatient. I think I was a little over-ambitious.

So, I didn't get pictures after this. Woops. But here is the filling of the apple one. Also did a peach.

(Oh yeah, I was feeding 6 college students in addition to my family tonight.)

What is your favorite pie?

A Pleasant Surprise.

2011-10-18T10:22:00.003-05:00

I've recently been looking into the "More With Less" Cookbook that my generous Mom-in-law gave me a couple of years ago. I'm kind of regretting that I haven't explored it earlier. It is very helpful if you're looking to eat more whole foods and less processed things.

I had this interesting-yet-simple recipe dog-eared, we had apples and sweet potatoes to use up, so I gave this a try:

Sausage-Sweet Potato Bake:

Brown in skillet: 1 lb. bulk sausage.

Break up large pieces and drain off excess fat.

Arrange in 2 qt. casserole:

2 medium raw sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced (I used 5 small, making this fit in a 9x13 pan)

3 medium apples, peeled and sliced (I used 2, just preference of sweet potato/apple ratio)

browned sausage.

Combine and pour over:

2 T. sugar (I 1 1/2-ed all sauce ingredients to account for the larger pan -- and I used honey)

1 T. flour

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. water

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes, or until apples and sweet potatoes are tender.

It is a very FALL dish, I'll say that. But surprisingly tasty!

And it fit the mood of our overcast, rainy day well.

Nate said to put it on the "make again" list. :)

I'm seeing green.

2011-10-11T14:16:00.000-05:00

We have some green!

Oh, and that little swing set you see sitting back on the easement...got it for FREE in the neighborhood-wide garage sales next door to us! It's not that big, but i figured it was worth it for free. Now we just wait until we have grass to put it on.

Music and Art.

2011-10-07T14:59:00.000-05:00

Though slightly older than Malia and Josie in the pictures here, we now have this one of Aliza to add to the collection of like-photos that sit framed on our piano. There are also ones of Nate and I in the same pose. Anyone know of where I can find a good 4x6" 5-6 hole frame? Preferably all in a row?

Okay, snap back to current day:
I drew with permanent marker as the girls dictated the scene. My favorite is my attempt at an alligator, and the fact that it is in deep sea. Oh, and the shark that was supposed to look scary. I know, I know, sign your kids up for my art classes now.

P.S. Josie has a haircut scheduled this evening. How short to go??? Just a trim, or a chop?

They were pretty proud!

Family Photo Shoot

2011-10-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

The frames above the piano have been empty since we moved into our house, just waiting for colorful pictures (some that actually include our 5th family member) to fill them! Having a husband that is a photographer is a nice perk when it comes to having family pictures. Though in regards to having happy, cooperative kids during the photo shoot....well I wish good camera equipment helped that. :) This time, an ice cream treat vision was cast. It worked well.

Here is a sprinkling of images we, mostly Nate got.

We'll probably use this one below, with an Aliza head from a different picture that is looking forward.

Yes, Nate can do that. Crazy.

Or maybe the top one of the three girls. Not sure yet.

We might combine some bodies/heads from these photos too. :)

Can't wait to fill the frames!

See how excited we are?

2011-09-29T20:41:00.000-05:00

Pillar planted the grass today!

Oh, what entertainment it has been for the family.

I need to get a book from the library about grass. Yes, I think I will go search their website and put one on hold when I'm finished here. Organic learning at it's finest. :)

A couple of times I have found Nate staring out the window, lost in gaze and thought.

"Our yard is huge," he says again and again.

I think moving the garden and sand pile made him realize just how big it is (for living "in town" anyway) and how fortunate we are to have the space. Thank you Jesus!

Can it really be happening?

2011-09-27T21:11:00.003-05:00

I am thrilled! We are about to plant grass!

Well Pillar is to be more specific.

So first, the girls gathered up some rocks from the "yard" to paint.

The one in front here is Malia's ladybug. :)

Ahhh...the smell of fresh dirt. I can't describe the anticipation it fills my little heart with. :)

Tomorrow they come back with a skid-steerer to do some grading and some more fine tilling.

Bring on the grass! Oh Lord let us keep it alive.

Caramel Apples

2011-09-26T20:17:00.002-05:00

Malia has been wanting to make these for a good while now. So we invited some friends and set to work!

It really was a good project for little kids. They could stab the apples with the sticks, unwrap all the caramels, hypothesize about what would happen to the caramels in the microwave, spread butter on their waxed paper, and put their apples in the bowl. I melted and spread.

Yummy.

Raw, abandoned joy.

Oh, what a gift. Please Lord, may I only encourage this.

Look at this precious girl!

No caramel for her. :)

Her eyes are getting better, but still puffy and they will be red for weeks.

B.T.W...I found it strange that Wal-Mart had no caramels. We actually used a cream-centered caramel candy. It works fine, in case you run across the same issue.

Happy fall!

Post Surgery

2011-09-22T20:37:00.001-05:00

With puffy red eyes and dilated pupils, Aliza returned home today ready to sleep. :)

Surgery can take it out of you. They said she would be acting like normal before we headed out the door.

But not my baby...she slept all day.

This was after I woke her up to be awake a couple hours before bedtime.

But her eyes looked this puffy all day.

This little girl handled surgery great! Though she wasn't able to eat when I woke her up this morning, she didn't fuss about it once! She was up for 2 hours before they put her under anesthesia. They took her before they put her out and put her on an IV. That was fine with me. I didn't have to hear her cry once. Whew. Hard stuff to hand off your baby.

But everything went smoothly and for now, her eyes are aligned. This was expected and it will take a few weeks to know if it will "stick". i.e. how her brain will respond to this.

Nate and I have felt SO loved by all the prayers being offered on behalf of our family! If you are one of those people, we are 1)incredibly grateful and 2)believe that God is using you! Please pray that this would work and her eyes would stay aligned. Thank you!!

This Little Space.

2011-09-16T15:48:00.001-05:00

Does anyone else find it difficult to remain faithful in praying for people in the way that you want to?? Nate and I asked the people who help fund our ministry what we could pray for them and we were delighted when they sent us back requests! Days passed and Aah! How can I really pray for all these requests when I have so many of my own for family and friends?? But if I say I will pray, I should, right? And I really want to. It's just a matter of how to remember everyone's specific needs and find the time. Oh let's be honest, it's as much about using the available time well as it is finding it. I'm sitting here typing right now, aren't I? There's time.

So, aspiring to assist in prayer being a regular part of my daily life AND having some empty space above my desk to utilize, I decided to make a "prayer board", if you will.

Basically, I bought a poster frame at a thrift store, a half yard of fabric, and a 4-pack of cork board tiles from Menards. (I looked for a more interesting frame that I could spray paint, but to no avail. Not much fits in that space.) The cork board tiles were the perfect width so I just placed them onto the cardboard backing and cut the length to fit. I stapled some fabric around the cork board, inserted it into the frame, and whalah.

This little desk space is just off the kitchen, close enough to my living area that I come and go here several times a day. Scripture that I want to commit to memory is also sitting open, in that little red frame, for the same reason. I'm hoping that, having these cards accessible, I will pick one or two up in passing to pray over during the day.

I also hope to add more to that little wall, letting it serve as a "perspective-changers" space.

Lord knows that acquiring and maintaining a gospel-centered approach to life takes much self-correction!

Reminding myself of truth is a must for me to get through my days!

The VonSapp Family Singers

2011-09-12T15:51:00.001-05:00

German Game Night

2011-09-11T16:52:00.000-05:00

Sort of.

That was Joanna's original idea: German food and a night playing through 4 awesome German games.

But Nate was in the mood for sushi. And I, for cookies.

So it became German Game and Random Food Night.

Except we only got through 2 of the 4 games before we tuckered out.

So, maybe it wasn't the original idea. But it was still fun.

Josie admiring the sushi-making.

Jen, the master roller.

I know it's the trendy thing to like sushi, but I just don't. It's the seaweed. But fun to try, nonetheless.

Beirocks and brats. And a few other sides.

And the cookies I was craving.

They take like 15 minutes to make.

But I'm telling you they aren't good for you.

I generally try to cook healthy, but when I do dessert, I do dessert.

The first game of the night: Settlers of Catan.

Joanna, Nate and I played Dominion afterwards, but I didn't take pictures.

The other games on the list were Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride. Maybe at a later date.

Fun night!

Long Weekend.

2011-09-06T16:16:00.001-05:00

I love long weekends in Bern. It's so relaxing to me!

On the agenda this past weekend:

Wiffle Ball

Sprinkler

4-Wheeler

Slumber Party (the kids' first, which was an epic fail)

Pig Watching

Picnic Lunch at park with some more family

Playing Dominion

Lots of Good Food

Staying up Late

Also, I think I ate two full bowls of homemade ice cream every day I was there.

That's a lot of ice cream. But I think my Dad helped us know what we were doing wrong.

You all were right...not enough salt. I'm can't wait to try again.

Me trying to coax the girls into the sprinkler...don't laugh that I'm still in my pajamas.

That's how I roll on vacation.

This is the view from my parent's back yard.

It's hard for me not to be jealous.

Not that I don't love my own home, because I do. :)

My brother (Uncle Rod) wrestling with the boys.

The slumber party (under the ping-pong table) that started with 5 kids and ended in 0.

Still worth the effort, I say. Gotta love the memories.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we are headed back to Wichita to follow up with this little sweetie's pediatric ophthalmologist. If you think about it, please pray for the doctor that he would know the best thing to do and that we would cling to our Lord's goodness and ability to have His way!

Charlotte, Baths, and Sunflowers.

2011-08-31T16:02:00.000-05:00

Just some random stuff from around the house lately.

Malia has seen parts of this movie, but now...she's discovered the book.

We saw it at the library and she wanted to get it, and I thought "Why not?" It seemed kind of out there for her, but she's totally been loving it! I am continually amazed by how much these kids can learn.

She even made her own bookmark (that looks strikingly similar to the public library's that they handed out with the Summer Reading Program - she loves to copy what she's seen) to keep track of where she's at.

I get page updates about where she's reading throughout the day.

We've used the book to inspire some new vocabulary and spelling lessons.

She got to pick the words. :)

And don't even think about leaving #2 out.

Oh no, she wants to do whatever big sister is doing, so we've started just a few "school" times with her too.

Aliza had her first bath with her sisters.

(Nervous laugh)...kind of crazy. But she survived. :)

And today I took the big girls for a walk down the road behind our house to pick some of these sunflowers that are EVERYWHERE. They were in awe.

I love having fresh flowers in the house. :)

Reading Buds and a Recipe.

2011-08-23T20:16:00.001-05:00

Just thought this was cute.

Per requests, here is the bread recipe from Rachel that I use:

100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

2 T. orange juice (If I don't have this, I just use water.)

1 c. lukewarm water

4 T. unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

3 c. traditional whole wheat flour (I like to use white whole wheat)

3 T. sugar (I use honey)

heaping 1/2 c. dried potato flakes OR 3 T. potato flour

1/4 c. nonfat dry milk

1 1/4 t. salt

2 1/2 t. instant yeast

Combine all ingredients, and mix and knead them - by hand, mixer, or bread machine - until you have a soft, smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to rise until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

Lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into an 8" log. Place it in the pan.

Cover the loaf gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover (I just use a towel) and allow to rise till it's crowned about 1 1/2" over the rim of the pan, 1 1/4 - 2 1/2 hours. Near the end of the bread's rising time, preheat over to 350 degrees. Uncover and bake the bread for about 35 minutes, tenting it with foil after 15 minutes. The bread is done when it's golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190 degrees. (I don't do this.) Remove it from oven, and after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter, if desired. This will keep the crust soft. Cool the bread 30 minutes before slicing.

Rachel has good taste!

Strawberry Pizza...and other good eats.

2011-08-22T15:30:00.000-05:00

This is by far the most interesting thing we've been eating around here lately.

Sometimes for lunch we put pizza toppings on tortillas and bake them for about 10 minutes for a quick lunch.

When I asked Malia what ideas she had to put on her pizza, her response was "strawberries!!"

Not seeing a good reason to shoot that idea down, we went for it!

I actually haven't eaten it yet, (I've been spreading pesto on mine) but I have to admit, it doesn't look that bad. I like pineapple on pizza, right? How different can it be?

Strawberry pizza has become a lunchtime favorite.

This is the last of the cinnamon rolls from the previous post. It went to our downstairs roommate, Joanna. :)

I don't normally make cinnamon rolls for breakfast, but working with college students often requires cooking, which often yields leftovers. Can't complain.

This is what came out of that bread machine in the last post. Yummy stuff. I like to spread butter over the top when it comes out of the oven. :)

And last but hardly least, I've been enjoying maybe a few-too-many shakes in the last couple of weeks.

We made a batch of ice cream that didn't freeze up well (Dad, help!) so it has been made into milkshakes.

My historical favorite: peanut butter (and no chocolate or anything else).

My recent favorite: peach! SO good. Pictured below.

Homemade ice cream makes some dang good milkshakes, let me tell ya.

So at least we got that out of the deal.

Can anyone tell me why our ice cream may not be freezing up correctly??

Filling the container with ice, with a little salt mixed in.

We let it go for 45 minutes and still runny. Does it just take longer??

Help!

Friends.

2011-08-20T19:55:00.000-05:00

Childhood friendships.

Aren't they sweet?

Got to have theses sweet kids over this morning while their parents spent some time together

for the Mama's birthday.

This is our neighbor's puppy. Since he was fenced, the kids were okay with him. :)

Too cute.

They got so dirty I had to hose them down before coming inside.

Good summer fun.

I know I mentioned a "recent eats" post. Will come soon.

Rolls, Tadpoles, and Watermelon.

2011-08-19T21:20:00.001-05:00

Nate had a different lens on his camera today.
I picked it up and played all day. I know a little about settings and such, but not much.
I just thought it sounded like fun to journal the day in pictures.
WARNING: lots of pictures.

First we started the day off sweet.

I baked 3 dozen cinnamon rolls this morning for some college students.

We kept a few for ourselves. :)

Made some bread.

I've been using a recipe from my friend Rachel.

It's great for slicing and making sandwiches, which is what we do the most with it.

I just use my machine to mix it, then bake it in the oven so it's less "crusty".

This one wants to join in the playtime.

My "One Thousand Gifts" list.

Oh the laundry...

Who is this grown up looking girl?

Okay, time to go outside.

I love having a mud room. Have I mentioned that?

Our friends gave us two tadpoles.

First I thought they died.

Then, I realized that they were still alive.

Then......they told us they were BULLFROG tadpoles.

Ahem... come again?

Remember...frog phobia. Why does that always seem to come up on this blog?

These things are going to be enormous. I mean, look at the size of these tadpoles.

When my heart starts beating quickly thinking about these things growing up, I have to push those thoughts out of my head and breathe deep.

Doing it for the kids.

Caught one! Then Josie cried because she wanted one, so I caught her one.

My face felt like it was melting running around in this heat.

Again, doing it for the kids. :) Worth every sweaty drop.

Oh, basil. Thank you for your abundant harvest.

You too, Okra.

Did you know?? My mother-in-law told me that if your okra grows to big and woody, you can use their seeds in soups as a thickener? Pretty interesting. May have to try it.

Watermelons are growing! About 8 or so.

Do you love how you can see weeds and grass all over my garden?

I tried to keep up with it for awhile, but it now feels insurmountable.

This is a good picture of how unkempt it is. Watermelon vines have grown onto this rotted tomato plant's cage. Nice.

Can't wait till we plant grass in a few weeks!!

Time to clean up.

The roll-over-in-the-seat trick.

Puzzles.

Good day.

Tomorrow I'm going to post some "recent eats" from the Sapp house.

Oh the many faces...

2011-08-16T21:21:00.001-05:00

...of my 7 Month Old!

I just adore this girl.

She was kind of cranky for a good week or two after her doctor's appointments.

But I think we're rounding a corner. Actually, embarrassed to say it, but I think she was just hungry.

She's just now getting to the point where she enjoys and understands eating solids.

So I think it took me awhile to realize that she actually got it and was wanting it more often!

She's getting a little happier again. :)

She's working on sitting up by herself for long periods of time.

She's also getting up on her hands and knees and scooting around to get things. Very determined. She's very playful with things we put in front of her, yet also craves her snuggle time with Mommy. I love it. :) More sounds and babbling are happening every day, so we're really seeing her playful side emerge. Fun stuff!

The patch has become a normal part of our daily routine. We immediately saw some small improvements, but it has kind of plateaued since then. We'd love your prayers! I believe that God can heal her eyes if He deems it good. I'm settling into the likeliness that surgery is soon around the corner. God is good. And I'm thankful for just exactly how He made this girl!

On another note....don't laugh.

I'm not building a bomb shelter.

This is my attempt to do our main grocery shopping once a semester.

I stocked the pantry upstairs. The rest went down here in storage.

When we built this house, we specifically designed it with gardening and food storage in mind.

Last semester I did a little trial run to see how much of stuff I used.

But this was the first time we actually did our "one big stockpile" for the semester all at once.

The goal is three-fold:

a) Mainly, it takes much less work to plan meals and I have the ability to spontaneously make things that come to mind. I don't have to search the pantry before every shopping trip. I just know that we have things.

b) It will save time! We will still have to regularly buy produce and dairy, but grocery trips will be much quicker!

c) It will save some (not huge amounts, but some) money. Less trips to the store = less impulse buying. And some things are cheaper when buying in bulk.

We'll see how it works.

She's 5!

2011-08-10T10:51:00.003-05:00

Can my first born really be 5 years old?!

Some days I look at her and think, "You're like a little adult! When did you change?"

Malia decided a long time ago that she wanted Grandma to make her birthday cake this year, so my Mom had a challenging task -- a butterfly. She did not disappoint! Look at this thing! She"s way more talented with the cakes than I am.

Enjoyed by all.

We're so glad to have a great neighborhood picnic/park/pool area.

Great for times like this.

From Nate and I, she got some flower clips I made, some Frog and Toad and Amelia Bedelia books...

...and a horse ride!

She's been asking to ride a horse for months, so I figured now was the perfect time to try to make that happen. A woman from our church was kind enough to let us use her space and horses.

Malia wasn't quite sure what to think of it, but she actually did it! I was so proud! I could tell there was a little fear mixed with her excitement, but she followed through. :)

Josie enjoyed petting the horses.

And they both enjoyed playing in the barn and in the water.

We are thankful for this compassionate, creative girl!

Mmmmm.

2011-08-09T15:11:00.001-05:00

Basil is one thing that yielded no shortage in our garden. Good thing we love basil. Sad thing we have no tomatoes to use it with. However, there are not many things I like better than fresh pesto. I think I've probably blogged about this many times because I like it so much. :)

We had enough pesto to freeze some, give some away, and still have enough for dinner.

Pesto Pizza it is. Yum!

On my pizza, I like to use these veggies.

(That's a zucchini, not a cucumber.)

I saute the peppers and zucchini first in a little olive oil.

I didn't realize I was out of mozzarella until I opened the freezer to grab cheese, so we used cheddar instead. Not too bad.

A few people have asked for my crust recipe.

I use this recipe.

I usually double it and make 3 round crusts.

Did you know you can freeze crusts in the pan before you top and bake them? Great for a quick meal later.

Side note:

The girls are having a blast with the crafts given to Malia for her birthday.

Also, Nate saw this and we laughed hysterically.

What exactly does "Naturally flavored with other natural flavor" mean???

And I'm pretty sure there is not one natural thing about powdered lemonade??? Hilarious.

So...if you bought any of the girls' lemonade on Saturday, isn't it reassuring to know that your drink was naturally flavored with other natural flavor??

That's all for now. Pics of the b-day to come. We have one more gift/treat happening tonight!

Lemonade For Sale!

2011-08-07T14:29:00.002-05:00

Part of Malia's birthday celebration was letting her carry out her vision for her much desired lemonade stand!

Lemonade, Blueberry Muffins, and Banana Bread for a quarter.

The girls helped make the banana bread.

You'd be amazed at how two little girls sitting at a lemonade stand draws the customers.

I'd just tell them to go sit in their seat, and people would come!

But truthfully, who can resist a kid's stand or bake sale??

Oh I forgot to mention that the stand was set up because we were having our neighborhood garage sales in which we participated. It was a pretty fun community event! I enjoyed meandering around our neighborhood chatting with people.

Both sets of parents were here to celebrate Malia's birthday (more pictures on that to come). My parents came bearing sweet corn. A good treat for a hard day's work selling things!

She didn't have any...but she was pretty cute sitting up at the table with us!

What I could salvage...

2011-08-04T21:01:00.001-05:00

Its no secret that our garden this year was not so hot.

Or should I say it was incredibly hot?

We did get good okra and basil. And the watermelon is just starting to grow.

But the tomatoes...they just stayed green forever then rotted as they turned red.

With the same number of plants before, I was able to make almost a year's worth of sauce.

This year I was able to savage about one 9x13 pan's worth, plus a few more for eating.

Instead of making a measly batch of sauce I opted to just dice them and use them in soups and such.

They don't look quite this orange in real life.

That was probably all the canning I'll do this year.

Unless anyone has a plethora of cucumbers...I'll buy some from you.

The Patch.

2011-08-03T14:33:00.000-05:00

Well as some you know Aliza has been diagnosed with Infantile Esotropia, which means her eyes are working independently of each other. They both work, but something in her brain is choosing to ignore input from one eye and she just chooses one to use at at time. It alternates. In the picture below, you can kind of see her left eye turning in.

We've only noticed this pretty recently. Within the last couple of months, it gradually increased to where it is now, which is that she rarely uses them together anymore. It used to be that she would go in phases of using them together, and then she would slip into just using one of them.

So, after a couple of ophthalmologist appointments here and in Wichita, we are trying to patch her eyes, one at a time, daily. The hope is that this will somehow trigger something in her brain to start using her eyes together. The problem with Infantile Esotropia is that no one really knows exactly what causes it, since there are a number of factors that cause one to see how they see. Thus, there is also not a for sure "fix" for it. If patching it doesn't work, the next step will most likely be surgery on her eye muscles. But this, too, may or may not work. Many people that have this surgery have to repeat it throughout their life. Not so encouraging.

Honestly I am feeling kind of overwhelmed with thoughts of what this could mean for my sweet daughter's life. God is gently reminding me that Aliza is His daughter and that He takes care of her; that nothing here is beyond His sovereignty. But we could sure use your prayers.

~Pray that these cute little patches would work! That something in her brain would be re-triggered!

~Pray that Nate and I would choose to believe God's goodness and sovereignty and be thankful, even now.

~Pray for wisdom in whether or not to get another opinion and where to go for that.

Pray that this little cutie's eyes would be healed and work together normally!

Thanks all, just thought I would share this with blog-land because I know many of you keep up with our family this way and I wanted to keep you all posted and ask for your prayers!

Thank you!!

Zucchini Cakes

2011-07-25T10:02:00.001-05:00

After my Grandma passed away I was able to look through her recipe collection and keep what I wanted. What a treasure! This was one of the recipes I kept because a)it was written out in her own hand-writing and b)it looked like a creative way to make a side dish with zucchini. I finally tried it and have to say it was a winner! Josie didn't love them, but she still ate 1 1/2. Malia and I ate a lot. It was a quick lunch item.

Grandma Meyer's Zucchini Cakes
2 beaten eggs
2 c. grated zucchini (about one small to average zucchini)
1/3 c. biscuit mix
1/4 c. parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Drop by rounded Tablespoonfuls into hot oil. Brown on both sides.

I am more prone to post about recipe successes, but I also have my share of "not-winners". For example, I recently attempted to substitute lard for Crisco in my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. (Trying to do away with Crisco, but let me tell you...it's just so hard to get rid of in this particular recipe. It just makes them so crispy on the outside, soft on the inside...yum.) You need not ever try this substitution. Seriously. Don't even think about it. It was horrible. I didn't even bother baking the dough. It tasted like bacon. Not what I want in a cookie. So you see, I have my share of mistakes. If you have an amazing...and I mean AMAZING (because I feel like my current recipe will be hard to replace) chocolate chip cookie recipe that uses butter instead of Crisco, feel free to send it my way! Katie, I'm thinking that maybe you do?? But whoever, I'm open.

But the Zucchini Cakes...a winner.

Reliving my Childhood.

2011-07-19T14:17:00.000-05:00

Remember these??

It is fun to get to experience them all over again.

She's got her game face on folks. There is reading to be had. Love the library.

6 Months and Ready to Move!

2011-07-15T18:03:00.000-05:00

This girl wants to MOVE!

We sure love getting to know this little active one.

Bouncing in her saucer or in Mommy's lap might be her favorite activities.

Lately she is working on sitting up and standing against things.

Today she enjoyed playing with her big sisters and the car.

(Note the drool falling...pretty typical. No teeth. Just drool.)

You might say I feel blessed. :)

Sure love these people deeply.

What to do in HOT SUMMER?

2011-07-15T17:55:00.000-05:00

Eat homemade ice cream

and play pretend sledding.

At least that's the the girls have been doing. :)

Fun Find

2011-07-11T14:45:00.001-05:00

I was at Dollar Tree today and saw that they have teacher supplies. Not many, but a few. I got two packs of these die-cut letters just to have around for word learning and games. So fun! Two packs is totally enough to spell out words. But if you want to do sentences, I'd probably get three.

These were Josie's words of choice. I think she wants her friends to come over and play. :)

I also got a poster that has facts about animals and insects on it. Fun finds!

Inner Foodies.

2011-07-08T21:19:00.001-05:00

We love food around here. Nate and I talk about embracing our inner foodies.

Not so much in the gourmet sense, just in the way that we really like food. And I love to be creative with food.

We call this "the basil plant that survived".

It made it. And is flourishing!

I love fresh pesto so a couple of nights ago decided to make some.

That led to me thinking about making homemade pasta.

One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I spent 2 hours in the kitchen making this:

The noodle recipe came from here.

I followed a creamy sauce recipe that I had on hand, but left out the spices and added my pesto.

The meatballs were made out of ground pork, ground beef, an egg, some parmesan and spices, and browned in some lard. Yes, lard. I'm starting to use lard more often. That's another topic for another time.

I have to say it was pretty delish.

But it left this.

When those leftovers were gone, I was still in a creative mood.

So I made these tortillas.

To fill them we layered some enchilada casserole mix, lettuce, and some cilantro lime dressing (using cilantro in the freezer).

Yum again!

I don't spend that long in the kitchen every day, but sometimes it's just fun.

And Aliza is cute.

And rolling over and about to sit up.

Just had to sneak those in there. :)

Walking Tour.

2011-07-05T20:06:00.000-05:00

Everywhere I've lived since I've been married, God has given me a great place to go walking, which has become something that is both restful and prayerful for me. It's like a little "Here-you-go-I-love-you" gift to me. Yesterday was a cool morning for July, so I went for it!

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig.

Shortcake

2011-07-04T11:35:00.000-05:00

I got a hankerin' for Strawberry Shortcake the other night. I've never really had a biscuit or shortcake recipe that I love. But I gave the good old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook version a try. Lo and behold, those people know their shortcake. It was scrumptious. I'll probably start using it as my scone recipe, by just adding some fruit.

Ahhhh.....summer.

Malia said to me last night, "Mommy I need 1 piece of paper, a pen, and some scissors. I'm going to make a book like yours." She's made tons of books, but this one warmed my heart because she is copying my "One Thousand Gifts" list. She made her paper lined (which is funny because mine isn't) and began her list. It wasn't until she announced "I wrote Jesus, because I'm thankful for Jesus." that I realized what she was doing. She would gradually go back to it and add things and announce them as she did. Now "A Mommy", "A Daddy", and "Clouds" have made the list. I love that she's thinking about things she's thankful for! Most likely, she'll be done with this idea by the end of the day and on to something else :), but for now I'm enjoying her choices to be grateful.

A dare to live fully right where you are.

2011-06-28T22:09:00.002-05:00

That's the premise of Ann Voskamp's book, "One Thousand Gifts" that I just competed.

I believe this book has really stirred passion and ideas in me that will affect the rest of my life.

I will come back to it again and again.

In a nutshell, it's how gratitude can change one's life and lead to deep communion with God.

I love Ann's message and feel like she is a brave soul, casting out this message to a world of listeners in a culture so saturated with greed, discontent, and an "I'm owed this" mentality. And she does it humbly.

I also love it because I feel like I am so much like her. Not so much in my life events, but in how God has made me and what He has been teaching me. We're passionate about similar things, find beauty in similar things. However, she is much more eloquent than I.

One chapter was specifically about how gratitude helps us to see what is really happening in a moment, in view of God's Kingdom, and to have joy. She was sharing a story of a time she was angry with her kids for fighting:

"Why deprive myself of joy's oxygen? The swiftness and starkness of the answer startle. Because you believe in the power of the pit.

Really? I lay my head on the table. Do I really smother my own joy because I believe that anger achieves more than love? That Satan's way is more powerful, more practical, more fulfilling in my daily life than Jesus' way? Why else get angry? Isn't it because I think complaining, exasperation, resentment will pound me up into the full life I really want? When I choose - and it is a choice - to crush joy with bitterness, am I not purposefully choosing to take the way of the Prince of Darkness? Choosing the angry way of Lucifer because I think it is more effective - more expedient - than giving thanks?

Blasphemer."

Yikes. Hello. Can I say...Been there. Done that.

And I have found what she says to be true in my own life.

Anywho....great book. I have a feeling it will become well worn and dog-eared. Much like my copy of A.W. Tozer's "Knowledge of the Holy".

Randomness.

2011-06-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

It's good to be a Dork.

The girls have been wanting to ride bikes everywhere.

And by everywhere I mean to the pool and park. And on the back patio.

The spices they girls planted are growing.

Thank you Student Union for some coloring fun today.

Remember Photography?

2011-06-17T15:33:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted any Sapp Photography stuff in a long time. So here's a little highlight, not all, since the last time I posted about it. Again, I always lose some color quality and the images get slightly fuzzy. Not sure why that happens. I'm not computer smart.

6 A.M.

2011-06-16T17:10:00.000-05:00

We awoke to Aliza's "I've-rolled-over-onto-my-back" cry shortly before six.

After a couple of rolling-her-back-overs, she drifted off into blissful sleep again.

Not so much for Nate and I.

But I'm glad. We saw this outside.

In the back:

and in the front:

It's a double.

(Funny story...Nate and I were both up and around when we saw the storm coming in. He went outside to bring in the mower. Somehow, in the midst of our shufflings, we both snuck out to take pictures without the other knowing it, he in front, and I in back. Upon returning to our bed, wide-eyed, we both said "Come look at the pictures I just took!" "Well, how could you have done that, I've had the camera?" "No, I did." Trust me. It was funny.)

The God who governs this earth is quite the creative one. Made my day start happy. :)

We let the girls play in the rain.

And Miss Aliza Belle is 5 months old.

I was trying to get a picture while holding her in a sitting position with one hand.

Ahhh, there we go.

This little girl is RELATIONAL. She shows utter delight (with her whole body) at one glance of someone coming to play to her. This has especially been growing in the last couple of weeks.

She's my biggest girl - in the 78th percentile! What? A Sapp baby, you ask? Josie is in the 1st percentile! Who really knows anyway. Don't big babies turn out small and small babies turn out big?

She is definitely a joy to have around.

Butterflies and Mower Rides.

2011-06-15T21:15:00.002-05:00

This was a project the girls really enjoyed a couple of days ago:

I drew a butterfly with a sharpie, they painted it in!

Different styles for different girls.

AND...Nate bought a mower today.

I go back and forth with feeling like we shouldn't have spent money on it and being thrilled about it.

No that's not true. I'm really just thrilled about it.

I just worry what other people will think.

There's the truth.

We got a good deal (Doesn't everybody say that?) on a used one.

Usually with big purchases, there is a lot of back and forth between Nate and I.

He didn't even have to try with this one.

I was in. I grew up with riders. Makes me feel like I'm in the country.

(P.S. The dreaded vegetable garden is indeed producing!

I kind of can't believe it.

I don't think the tomato plants will thrive like my last tomato harvest, but they are growing and we've picked 3 small red tomatoes.

And 3 okra. And our first zucchini is growing.

Watermelon and basil appear to be doing well too.)

Here's to me helping with the mowing!

MRU

2011-06-13T21:33:00.000-05:00

Remember the Farm-ly Reunion a couple of years ago?

We just got home from another Meyer Reunion.

This year's theme??? MRU. Meyer Reunion University. Hosted by my uncle, who is the president of Highland Community College in Highland, KS.

Let's just say my family likes themes. Like really likes them.

I told my Mom how hilarious I thought it was that they put so. much. work. into planning a themed out reunion just so they can laugh at themselves.

And boy did they laugh.

But truthfully, I think its funny too. And I laugh at all (or most) of their jokes.

Here is who was enrolled. The reunion was for my Mom's siblings and their kids/grandkids. About 1/3 of my cousins were there, so if they had all been there, you can imagine the family size.

There were "classes", ranging from English to Home Ec. to Geography, to Art, etc.

Some were not-so-serious...

Others we actually learned things in...

like how to make baby blankets like my Grandma made.

or how to grind wheat

and make it into a pancake mix.

Science class was a hit with all ages...(picture grown adults running around trying to catch butterflies for their kids' nature hunt.)

and so was art.

Malia got an award for being the first to get her art assignment in!

Malia? Into crafts? Shocker.

There was also lots of Recess time at this school.

The school nurse was needed a few times.

We played hard.

I didn't get photos of everything, but was also had a field trip with a sack lunch, a graduation ceremony complete with graduation caps (see top photo), keynote speakers, and performances, and a church service in an old abandoned church building where apparently George Washington Carver attended. My aunt found a recording of my Grandpa who has passed away sharing thoughts about a passage of Scripture and played it for the "sermon" during the service. Talk about a tearful room. I didn't know that was going to happen.

Thanks Mom and family for making the time special!

Remember that basement?

2011-06-06T16:52:00.001-05:00

The one that lodged my whole family last weekend?

.....Here it is now.

In all it's glory. Fans, dehumidifiers, carpet pulled up, pad trashed, mud, debris, blood on varying surfaces.

Rain water burst through this window, glass shattering, last Thursday early morn.

We saw it seconds after it burst. Panic!

You can imagine how the story goes after that.

I called 911. Still the joke of the day.

Wall to wall water in our living room and both bedrooms. It reached our storeroom before the storm stopped and the water retreated.

I don't know how many hundreds/thousands of gallons we've extracted from down there, but its a lot.

Ahhh...the dreaded window.

Stuff piled into the safe room.

BUT...

(here is where I correct my downcast heart and take on His perspective...)

This is what I am so thankful for:

A crew of people (some surprises) who showed up Saturday to work and fix our water problem.

A borrowed tiller.

The awesome-ness (and I mean that literally, as in it inspired me to be in awe of God) of a true community of all ages coming together to bless our family.

It was the closest thing to a old fashioned harvest crew or an Amish barn raising (both things I wish I could experience) that I've participated in yet, which brought my little heart a sense of joy.

Different roles played - raking dirt, tilling, shoveling, cleaning out the well, watching kids, making lunch.

To those of you who helped, WE FEEL LOVED! Thank you!

I cannot help but see the hand of God in this whole deal, as I just started reading Ann Voskamp's "One Thousand Gifts". I suppose the water-logged-ness of our life right now is the perfect time to begin chronicling the gifts that God brings in my life every day.

So...I'm going to start.

#1. A shirtless child beaming as he contributes to the day's work.

#2. The fun of homemade pizza.

#3. Items that normally cost a lot of money, borrowed or shared.

#4. A sacrificial work crew.

#5. Good friends that are also neighbors.

#6. Simple water reminding me of God's power and my smallness.

Fan Loaf. You know what I'm talking about.

2011-06-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

Okay all you K-State-ers.

Think back with me, if you will, to a little thing called the Fan Loaf. Circa 1998. Student Union.

Do you remember what I'm talking about????

Amazing.

The above picture is NOT the aforementioned fan loaf, but the most similar-looking picture I could find on the internet.

After time with my beloved Kearney Girls (college friends) yesterday, we are on mission to either a)locate or b)duplicate this recipe.

Any help welcome. Do you know how we can locate this recipe?

Then all we will need is a big pop and a crossword puzzle, and we can re-live sitting in the upper level of the Union while deciding whether or not to go to nutrition class.

Full House Emptied.

2011-05-31T14:37:00.000-05:00

After everyone left on Monday, the Sapp 5 took a little retreat to Pillsbury for lunch.

It was the perfect get-away after having so much activity.

(Other than the fact that it was lots of people's idea of a get-away...and it was packed.)

But it was still fun.

Carmen's granola bar recipe...so good.

The look-alikes.

Full House.

2011-05-31T14:26:00.000-05:00

We hosted some SPECIAL PEOPLE this weekend.

My parents, siblings, their spouses, and kids.

My cousin got married in town and it was my parents' 35th wedding anniversary.

I love these people. We had a special time reflecting on their life together and what has been produced out of their marriage. One of those times I won't forget for awhile. A time that caused me to be reflective about how God moves and to appreciate what a gift family is. Certainly, these people (plus Nate) know me in ways that no one else does.

There was also a lot of food. Because what gathering is complete without good food?

In my family, that usually means homemade ice cream.

The littlest.

The tired-est.

The "monkey" game with Grandma.

A bit of downtime.

And these two were sent on a scavenger hunt through town in which upon finishing they met us at Little Apple Brewery for dinner. Yum.

Thanks for coming to stay with us!

Preparation

2011-05-26T15:36:00.002-05:00

With Nate gone, and in the midst of this:

(Certain items blocked so surprises can be had by some special weekend visitors.)

I'm enjoying this:

and these.

Grow little plants.

and these.

Hello blooms. They kind of came all at once.

and a little yellow.

I am excited to see what will come peeking out of here.

What I am not excited about....is our vegetable garden. Nothing's dead, but nothing is doing anything. I think the cold stunted them.

Although we did plant a few watermelon and pepper seeds a week or so ago...hopefully they'll do okay.

I'm thinking about going and buying some more tomato plants.

Crafts for today.

2011-05-23T14:50:00.002-05:00

Have I mentioned how into crafting my girls are??

Especially Number 1, but I think it's just because she's able to do a bit more.

Number 2 keeps pretty interested too.

Nate left Sunday morning to help with Orientation Week for a sending organization for university students.

He won't be home until late Friday night.

In the meantime, I'm getting ready to host my family...my parents, sister, her husband, their two kids, my brother, his wife, their three kids, my other brother, his wife, and their two kids...with the first arriving on Friday.

Hello...it's a little crazy here. And about to get crazier. In a good way.

Soooo fun. And we are counting down the days (literally...see chain below) until they come!

Can't wait for some good, memorable family time.

In other news, Malia is still quite the little bookworm.

Yesterday, she approached me and stated matter-of-factly,

"Mom, when Laura [Ingalls Wilder] was fourteen, she was a teacher. Her class only had five students."

Me: How do you know that? (Cause I didn't.)

Malia: I read it in this book.

Me: Where? Can you show me?

Sure enough there in the middle of a page it read something to the effect of "When Laura turned fifteen (she got that word wrong) years old, she became a teacher in a school. Her class just had five students in it."

It was a 40ish page book with about 150 words per page. I had never read it to her, so I know she was just reading it. She constantly surprises me with words like appeared, performance, sunshine. When I ask her how she knows those words, she says "I just sounded it out."

Yeah, yeah I know. I'm one of those moms who thinks their kid is amazing.

I'm sure she's really quite average :), but I'm sure proud of what she's learning these days.

Today in a nutshell...

2011-05-15T19:06:00.000-05:00

I am loving the afghan I got garage sale-ing yesterday.

Nate and I made a 5-star meal for lunch:

Grilled Rib Steak

Butter and Dill Roasted Gold Potatoes

Teriyaki Green Beans

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the plates, but they were beautiful looking.

Nate singed his eyelashes grilling. Seriously. I didn't know that really happened.

Probably can't tell in the picture, but I promise he really did.

The girls approved.

And Nate's African heart was so happy to see them eating meat strait off the bones!

When Nate was putting Malia down for a nap, she asked him...

"After nap, can we go to China?"

We didn't go to China. We played games.

And had puzzle races.

I will say that Josie bore a striking resemblance to her Aunt Dana in the speed department.

There was much belly laughter from Nate and I watching her and thinking about Dana.

She actually seriously beat Nate. When he was trying.

And Aliza is 4 months old today.

I love this picture because it's all of my girls together! I imagine all the fun (and not so fun) times they'll have together.

A note about yesterday....Nate and I were SUPER PUMPED to hear that The Great Food Truck Race (a show we've seen on The Food Network and loved) was coming through Manhattan this weekend. Imagine how excited our little food-competition show loving hearts were! We drove around Manhattan for an hour yesterday (3 girls in tow) looking for the food trucks to buy some Korean BBQ for lunch, but to no avail. We couldn't find them. Once in a lifetime chance...gone. Bummer dude.

Pot. 2

2011-05-10T22:06:00.001-05:00

Just had to put an update picture on here that Erica sent me:

Hilarious.

Short for Pottawatomie State Lake #2.

We took the family and about 15 college students there tonight for a little campfire, dinner, and worship time.

The girls were just so excited for their first campfire!

Could it really be their first??

I'm trying to remember another time where we actually cooked hot dogs and s'mores around the fire with them, but I couldn't remember one.

They're ready.

Aliza was....not.

She looked okay at first.

But then she got sleepy...and then cranky.

I almost took her home and left the older girls.

But then she conked out in my arms.

Erica took Malia and Josie to throw rocks in the lake.

First they were throwing little rocks and "making rain".

Then they moved on to more serious throwing.

Whittling some hot dog sticks...

Looking drowsy...

Warming up the harmonica.

And making fire.

Malia kept telling the story of how when she threw a big rock in the lake, it splashed water all over her and she "loved it"!

Fun times!

Tilling and Planting.

2011-05-10T16:04:00.000-05:00

My Mother's Day present was the gift of my husband's labor...

he's tilled and planted the last couple of days.

Thank you hubby!

Go tiller go!

Being that we have no yard, he was tilling through weeds.

Hope we can keep them under control.

Sadly with the sudden HEAT of the last few days, our vegetables look pretty wilty.

I'm discouraged. And sad for Nate. All that work!

But we are watering...and hoping...

Speaking of heat, I didn't want to go outside to take pictures of the wilty vegetables. Maybe if/when they perk up.

Our flower bed is planted in front of the house!

I really hope these live because I really love what we got!

I'm somewhat sheepish putting all these photos online for the world to see, only to later find out that the garden failed. Hmmm...oh well. I told you, I'm no pro.

Lady Elsie May Roses

Sedum

Moonbeam coreopsis.

Sausage Fried Rice

2011-05-10T15:20:00.000-05:00

This is a go-to fried rice recipe in our family.

So many yummy veggies, eggs...and the flavor from the sausage is just delish.

It makes a boat-load, so be prepared for that. We like leftovers so I make the full amount.

And we have butterflies...

2011-05-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

And the waiting has ended.

I tell ya, this little project was good for teaching the value of patience and observation.

Something I hadn't anticipated, but I loved! Incorporating things that help us to slow down and enjoy life at natural pace!

"Mommy this takes a loooong time!"

But oh if you could have seen the excitement on their faces when the first one came out!

All 5 butterflies are now out.

I don't think you can see them all in the picture.

Malia liked to set Josie's book (part of the b-day gift) open to this page after a new butterfly came out.

It had to hang still for 2 hours while his wings dried before he could fly.

This is the page of the book that talked about that.

In other news, we had our last Life Group meal of the semester tonight.

Every Thursday the Worship Team that Nate leads comes over for dinner before they go lead worship at Challenge.

Look at this cutie-patootie couple.

They are gettin' hitched in 16 days!!

These two are pretty special to Nate and I, and the girls too.

On the menu:

Chicken Parmesan. (first time I tried it...found here...of course I changed a few things.)

Homemade rolls.

Nate's amazing green beans.

And because there was debate as to what dessert should be, we just made two! Makes sense, right??

S'more Bars and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. (I can thank my brother and sister-in-law for both of those recipes.)

Big meal = Big dishes.

A little "laytime" after dinner.

And a little "playtime" after dinner.

Thank you girls (and guys) for how you love my kiddos so well.

It blesses me.

My BHAG.

2011-05-03T14:20:00.002-05:00

That's short for Big Hairy Audacious Goal...

something that every person in our church was encouraged to set after a series on "American Idols".

After ending the series last Sunday, envelopes were passed around with cards inside on which we were to write down:

1) our name
2) the personal idol that we struggle with (which should have been revealed throughout the series)
3) our BHAG. Something specific and measurable so that in a year they can send these self-addressed envelopes back to us as a reminder/accountability tool.

Since I'm not journaling in an actual journal a whole lot these days, I thought I'd record mine here.

1) Erika Sapp
2) success/approval (i.e. the idea that if I can perform well enough or be "good" enough, people will love me)
-being in campus ministry, sometimes that plays out by me really wanting to be seen as "wise" in the eyes of college students, hoping they will remember things I've told them, or valuing my opinions as they look for advice
3) Commit 4 passages of Scripture to memory that address this idol - how the truth of the gospel should destroy it. And at least once a month, spend time meditating on and praying through these passages.

I decided on my first one today.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I'll probably give a month to memorizing this one passage, just so you know.

I'm hoping that this will remind me that it doesn't do God a favor if people only see me as "wise". On the contrary, it makes much of a powerful GOD, when I show my need for Him.

Any prayer appreciated. :)

And the American Idol series can be found here.

And how many months later...

2011-04-29T16:03:00.002-05:00

Aliza's quilt is finished - and she's 3 1/2 months old!

I am quite pleased with how it turned out.

Don't look too closely at the edging...not the most quality work. But the "crinkled" look that happens after washing cotton batting really helps it to blend it. :)

And it has "character".

I tried my hand at free-arm quilting, thanks to a kind friend from church.

Again...not a pro. But it sure was fun!

You do it standing! It kind of feels like you're dancing when you use the machine - have to get your whole body into the movement and loosen up.

The embroidery hoops are filled with remaining fabric from the quilt.

One project done!

James Bastien 101.

2011-04-29T15:57:00.001-05:00

So I'm trying not to get too excited.

I've been trying to hold off from asking Malia over and over if she wants to start learning piano.

I just bring it up here and there.

I really want her to start learning, but I know that if it's not her idea, it won't take.

But she's been talking about it a little.

So today I got out my old piano lesson books that have my brother and sister's names written in the front and looked at them with her. She was super excited about getting a piano lesson. But I could tell that she wasn't quite ready to be on display, she just wanted to soak it all in. So I played and sang some songs from the book for her and she's been flipping through them a lot today.

We'll see what happens. It's not crucial that she start right now or anything. :) I'm just excited.

And she may end up hating it! What would I do then??

Two Little Gardens.

2011-04-27T15:27:00.000-05:00

Now for those of you who think I'm a pro gardener, because I talk about it so much, you should know it's not true. I've only had one garden in my grown-up life. Last summer, we were building a house and packing up. This summer we plan to do some again, but I'm still totally learning. And we already missed the cool weather plants, so we'll only have tomatoes, cucumbers, zuchhini, maybe okra. Maybe a few others...not sure yet. We aren't planting grass until the fall, so our little herb garden was planted right up next to our patio. Nate and I did this last night. Mostly Nate. So for those of you who think I know what I'm doing...it's hard to see, but the upper left herb (dill) is pretty much laying flat on the ground. I really have no clue how to plant these things. But I sure hope they grow, because I'm excited about using them! We'll see what happens.

And the second little "garden" is Josie's Butterfly Garden that she received for her birthday. Just out of pure luck, or providence, her caterpillars came in the mail the exact day of her birthday party. We've been watching them grow for over a week, then all of a sudden about 2 days ago, they started attaching themselves to the top of the cup they came in and formed their chrysalises (chrysali??). We put them in their little net and we're waiting, waiting for the first butterfly to make its appearance.

You Pick 5.

2011-04-23T15:29:00.000-05:00

I had two things to post about, and one title to fit both. :)

So just for fun...if you were picking 5 herbs to grow at home, what would they be?

I probably should have asked this before buying my plants this morning, but I didn't.

Here are my 5: cilantro, basil, rosemary, dill, and oregano.

Cilantro = makes good salsa

Basil = makes yummy tomato sauce

Rosemary = amazing with butter roasted potatoes

Dill = hopefully to be used with cucumbers to make pickles

Oregano = this was my last choice. Kind of a random pick.

What 5 would you pick?

And on the the second You-Pick-5 subject.

Nate purchased the game Dominion for his birthday.

If you didn't know it, Nate and I are kind of game nerds. (See here for evidence.)

Dominion...great game. Today during nap time Nate and I decided that instead of both playing from the randomly drawn 10 cards, which is the normal rule of play, we could each pick our own 5 cards to play from. And only those 5. Doesn't mean much if you don't know the game, I'm sure. But anyway, it was a fun little thing for the day.

Beef Stock.

2011-04-21T11:41:00.000-05:00

Made some of this yesterday.

It was kind of a spontaneous decision.

I had the soup bones from my last order of beef.

(Or should I say gift of beef from my parents for Christmas...can I say....AWESOME GIFT!)

I used these directions, with just some minor alterations.

It also left me with about a pound and a half of awesome tender juicy shredded beef.

I wanted to eat it off the bone.

I did just a little.

Now the stock sits in my fridge to get the fat off before I put it in the freezer.

B.T.W., I read a great tip on how to save freezer space with stock. It was in the River Cottage Family Cookbook. It said you can let it simmer a really long time (like 6 hours isn't a long time already :) and get it really concentrated. Freeze it that way and then just dilute it with water when you get it out of the freezer to use. I didn't do that...didn't have the time to let it simmer that long. But I thought it was a good tip, nonetheless.

She's 3!

2011-04-18T23:04:00.002-05:00

I haven't been able to get videos to work for the last year or so!

But I'm hopeful this time. Let's give it a go.

For those of you hard-core Josie fans, enjoy the 3 minute video. My feelings won't be hurt if you skip it. :)
(The part where both of the girls are singing their own little songs give you a good insight into my days.)

Happy 3rd Birthday Josie!
This girl adds some spunk to our lives. She is so fun-loving and so free-spirited. I love that about her.

She got a Live Butterfly Garden for her birthday. The caterpillars come in the mail with the food and you watch them turn into butterflies. Pretty cool. She also got a couple of "school" books because she's 3 now and so eager to start "school" time. :)

The breakfast order: pancakes.

The cake order: a rainbow.

This was up my alley...no cutting and difficult frosting. :)

And fun party-time at the park!

We love you girl!

Crush.

2011-04-15T15:32:00.000-05:00

I have these really cute bottles left over from a craft project I just finished (that required bottle caps). No, I didn't suck down all 12 sodas by myself to get the caps. I shared with some college students that came for dinner. :)

My question...there has got to be something cute to do with these. What would you do?

3 Months.

2011-04-15T15:29:00.000-05:00

It's been a good 3 months, Aliza. :)

You've at been at the center of some real "connection with God" moments for me.

Sure love what you bring to our family...big smiles, lots of movement.

And I think you're going to be a singer.

When people sing is when you most often chime in with your own sounds.

Who Needs Grass?

2011-04-12T14:51:00.000-05:00

We were planning on planting grass this spring but I think we're leaning towards waiting until fall now. We hear it does better in the fall, and honestly, it's kind of fun to have a sand pile. The mud when it rains...yes that will get...dirty. But oh well. We haven't decided yet. What do you think we should do?

Daddy's teaching her soccer.

Or basically...run-and-kick-the-ball-around.

This little slide (from the previous owners of our last home) has still provided much entertainment.

And the beloved sand pile.

Trees!

2011-04-12T14:30:00.003-05:00

A downfall to new construction homes is the lack of established trees.

I will miss having big shady trees to play in/under.

However...I am SO thankful to our good friends' and my husband's work this Saturday which yielded 4 semi-mature trees around our home!
Who knew about a tree spade?? Not me until recently.

This is the tulip tree in the back.

I'm excited that it's in direct view from the window seat in the living room.

You may not see it in the picture, but some buds have sprouted.

I'm trying not to get too hopeful, but it would be so cool to see some blossoms this spring!

Another tulip tree in the front.

And two pines along the north border in the back.

To come in the fall...an apple tree or two in the back...
a sour cherry tree in front.

Thank you Hubby and friends for all of your work!

This makes our yard like 10 times cooler.

Goofballs.

2011-04-08T13:59:00.002-05:00

I can see Josie's baby fat disappearing little by little. I'm sad.
Those cute puffy baby legs...you know what I'm talking about. They're going away and being replaced by the longer (for Josie...not that long to most) skinnier version. But I love that too. I enjoy watching God shape this girls into who they were meant to be!

Meant for today.

2011-04-07T22:31:00.001-05:00

I was on my walk last Friday (the gorgeous day I posted about earlier) and was overwhelmed with the beauty, pleasantness, and creativity I saw around me. I was in awe of God as I walked along the gravel road. Aah! I wish I had remembered my camera! I thought it several times as sight after sight, color after color, struck me boldly.

I was literally stopped dead in my tracks (well I guess technically I was doing a 180 in one spot) taking in the sky that I could see almost endlessly. I think I actually threw my hands in the air and said out loud "You made this!" I was just kind of giddy. It was just one of those moments, and again I wished for my camera.

And in that moment, it was like God interrupted my thoughts and told me "This moment wasn't meant to be captured in paper and remembered years from now. This moment is meant for today."

I don't know how to explain the joy that I felt in that moment. But it was as if I got another small glimpse into God's heart. The fact that He promises us a lifetime of moments. Moments that are not meant to be relived over and over and missed, moments that are not meant to be longed for in advance. But an endless provision of "now" moments that are meant to be lived. enjoyed. They are a gift. A gift for right now.

"This moment is meant for today. So live it! See it! Love it! Soak up every color and sound because it will never be just like this ever again! But don't be sad about it passing, and don't just wish for the next one, because I have promised you a lifetime of moments!"

Or more accurately I guess, He's promised me life abundantly, life to the full. (John 10:10) This one was meant for today, the others are meant for their time. If only my eyes are open to see. If only my mind and heart will slow down enough to look beyond my own needs/desires, and see beauty from heaven invading every corner of this world. It's there. The only reason I don't see it sometimes is because my eyes are dull.

But this week God has been allowing my eyes to be sharpened. More in touch with reality. The reality that heaven is all around us. It's been....fun. light. joyful. I feel so loved by Him.

And I know that I will let my eyes dull again. Like yesterday...not a good day. After all those light, joyful days of seeing "moments" pass before my eyes, I became frustrated with several things in my home, got grumpy with my kids, was consumed with my productivity (or lack there of it) and lost sight of reality. But I still feel like His message to me is fresh, and I am praying that my eyes will be sharpened to His Kingdom all around me.

Baby girl.

2011-04-02T21:38:00.004-05:00

It's been fun to have a baby again. :)
And of course challenging. But I am really enjoying this phase with Aliza. She's showing so much interest in things and trying to join her sisters with her own "talking" and "singing".
I definitely see some of those sisters in these pictures.

(just for kicks, compare Aliza to Malia at the same age...

or here...

and then to Josie...

See why I'm confused when people say she looks like Josie??)

Yucky Day.

2011-04-01T14:58:00.000-05:00

APRIL FOOLS!! It is beautiful today! Can't wait until we get our yard.
But you know what? A yard of dirt that isn't sloppy mud from snow isn't half bad either!

Especially if you have a sand pile.

And all this surrounding easement that is free to roam on.
(Oh thank you Lord for this perk to our lot! What a gift that is!)

Roam free little girls.

Well, sure there is caution to be had, and I intend to be careful.

But I also want these girls to feel free to explore their world.

These pictures don't do the sky today justice. I love Kansas sky. I should have done a panoramic.

Today:

2011-03-31T21:34:00.001-05:00

Still playing with the balloon from Hannah S.'s party.

Aliza does Tai Bo.

Aliza has cute feet.

These books join the ever-changing craft "pile" that sits on my island.

and more crafts...I tell you, this is like my whole day.

The 5 loads of laundry that have sat in my laundry room for days have make it out to the living room. Still not folded.

College students come for dinner. Find Erica here.

We have a sophisticated meal consisting of enchiladas and corn.

And Puppy Chow.

After dinner, there is a spontaneous music lesson about rhythm with Malia's "drums".

Josie does a puzzle on top of the dresser. Tippie-toes necessary.

Ahhh motherhood. It is a joy and a challenge every day. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Shots from the day.

2011-03-29T09:54:00.002-05:00

Just took a few shots throughout the day yesterday.

Nothing much to say.