A Small Snippet

i really think meatloaf gets a bad wrap.

yes…the word “meatloaf” is horrendous. a loaf of meat does not sound appetizing. when i asked my boys what other names they could think of for meatloaf, they came up with meat stack, meat mound, meat roll, meaty delight, meatalicious. Canaan concluded that we should just call it a log. not sure any of those names make it sound any more appealing.

even though the name conjures up all kinds of unappetizing thoughts, meatloaf is pretty darn tasty. and i think i’ve finally perfected our family’s favorite recipe.

bake at 350 degrees for around an hour. let rest for 5 minutes before slicing:
serve with a few veggies on the side, and you’ve got yourself a darn good dinner!
here’s the recipe card for you:
we are supposed to be celebrating the boy’s upcoming bday with an Olympics Party on the beach this weekend. however, the weather looks like it doesn’t want to cooperate, so we’re praying big time that it holds off till after closing ceremonies!!! its actually turned into a pretty festive but simple party, and i can’t wait to show you all the details.

and…i’ve officially bought some fabric to attempt some new sewing projects. so as soon as this party is over, i’ll be hitting the machine!

the boy caught a massive Pompano recently in our backyard. saw it on the line and reeled that bad boy in himself. i’m learning that Pompano are kinda an expensive type of fish, and maybe rare to catch out here, so to get such a big one was pretty nice!

our spring break was literally spent on the beach almost every day.

the kids had fun one afternoon working their way through a beach maze:

and Bella was completely beside herself to get to enjoy some great tide pools. she exclaimed one morning as she looked out the back doors, “MOMMY!!! Jesus gave ME tide pools! i prayed for them in my head last night, and HE GAVE THEM TO ME!! He really does love me!!”
if tide pools strengthen that little one’s faith and trust in her Daddy, then I say to Him, bring on the tide pools!!!
there were some monster truck obstacle courses that managed to find their way pretty close to my feet:
you know…jumping over sand hills into buckets of water.

and over boogie boards through a floatie:
we did get to get away for a quick night, because we were gifted with a night at the most amazing family friendly hotel. check out our pool:
i’m pretty sure the kids stayed in that pool for about 6 hours straight. they were pretty exhausted that night, but managed to hold their little eyelids open to watch the fireworks over Disney from our hotel window, before big time crashing within 3 minutes of the show ending!

we came home in time for our church’s sunrise service on the beach:
always a fave!

and the Bug was thrilled to get to take a real live bunny for a little Easter walk, compliments of some church goers who had the brilliant idea to bring their pet bunny to the service! love it!
this was the best I could do that morning in terms of a picture of the crazies. they were way more interested in bunnies on a leash and getting as sandy as possible in their dressy clothes.
its probably never a good idea to try to take a family photo on a cloudless day, especially when its 8:30 in the morning, and the sun is blaring all over the place.
we always wait till after church to use the clues the Easter Bunny has left in eggs throughout the house to find the hidden baskets:
checking out the loot:
Bella was so worried all week about what the Easter Bunny would bring, since she “isn’t awowed to eat sugor…only natuwal sugors…”

but they didn’t skip a beat when they saw their treats. in fact, i couldn’t quite believe it, but we made it through the entire Easter holiday without even a nibble of candy.
after finding baskets, we had an Easter egg hunt on the beach:

i’m wondering if your Easter egg hunts always end like this too? actually…our’s didn’t just end like this. it was pretty much like this the whole time. totally fighting over eggs…who has more, who got to it first….Bella was seriously P-O’d whenever Canaan found an egg. next year i’m marking the eggs, and each child will only be allowed to find their specific eggs. maybe it’ll make them want to help each other out? one can hope, right?
i almost skipped this tradition this year, but the Bug looked at me on Monday morning with sad eyes, saying, “i LOVE dying Easter eggs! its my favorite part! we have to do it!” so we did…on Monday morning…the day after Easter…cause that’s how we roll around here! and we only got thru 6 eggs before everyone lost interest….but not before covering my table in egg dye…and they are still sitting in my fridge, untouched, and will probably never be eaten. dang egg dying tradition! i don’t even get it, to be honest!
i wanted a good book to read over spring break, so Jake bought me this one.
i’m a big time library book kind of girl, and don’t like buying books unless i’m gonna mark them all up for some reason (like a Tim Keller or Francis Chan or Jack Deere book). but i was 10th on the waiting list at my library for this one, and knew i wouldn’t get my hands on it for a long time, so Jake found a good deal on a paperback, and we figured it was worth it. i read it in a day and a half. its THAT good!!! the 2nd one comes out May 1st. forget the library waiting list…i’m gonna go to the bookstore and buy it as soon as i can!!! i’m totally hooked!

you know how i mentioned a few weeks back that Canaan was gonna get to be Principal of the Day? well…it happened….
i might be just a little biased, but does it get any cuter??? i mean…checked shirt, striped tie, and Chuck Taylors??? i’m dying…

we got to watch the taping of the morning news…
and see him multi-task while taking care of some general business!
it was absolutely adorable, and his day was full of lunch duty, patrolling the hallways, grading some papers, and helping teach a Kindergarden class and PE class. maybe a glimpse into the future, perhaps??

and then he wakes up this morning with this mop top, and i can’t help but to bust out a laugh…and my camera:
i read this doozy today, and i think it was written just for me. i like the last 3 sentences in the first paragraph the best….well…i actually like the whole thing the best, to be honest! and don’t look at the date…or mind the fact that i’m a little behind on my devotional. and i might’ve skipped some too…maybe. i’d be lying if i told you i was on the ball with those kinds of things, all the time…or ever:
and i’ll close with my kids’ new snack…Crispy Kale Chips. they devour these, and Bella asked me about 50 times while eating them today if they are a “superfood” and if they will make her body really healthy. thankfully, i can respond with, “they are, and they will!!”
there are a gazillion recipes for these, but this one is our tried and true. go try them out, and let me know what you think!
i made a list today of 7 more Clean Eating recipes that i have made and taken pictures of and need to share with you. so check back in!

we are presently on spring break, and trying to soak up every minute!

but with the weekend and an out of town trip quickly approaching, and Holy Week upon us, i needed to set aside some time, for my own sake as well as my family’s, to really remember what the heck we are celebrating.

i found this idea to do a Christian Passover here, and thought it would be a great tradition to start as a family.

we chose to have our Passover celebration on the beach this evening, because the weather was perfect, and we wanted it to be special:

in case you are interested in doing one, i used the information on this site as well as this site to formulate our ceremony.

items needed:

Matzah (whole wheat unleavend bread)

sprigs of parsley

salt water

horseradish

Haroset (chopped apples and walnuts, recipe found here)

boiled egg

shank bone of lamb (we used meatloaf to represent the lamb, because i didn’t feel the need to spend money on lamb since we would not be eating it, and i was making meatloaf for our dinner anyway.)

glass of red grape juice (or wine)

we used grape juice
traditionally, (as best as i could gather) the children ask a total of 4 questions throughout the ceremony. after a question is asked, it leads into explanation and teaching using the items on the plate, which is how the ceremony flows.

the Four Questions:

1) Why are we eating unleavened bread, or matzah tonight?

2) Why are we eating bitter herbs?

3) Why tonight do we dip our herbs twice?

4) Why are we eating this meal reclining?

i had them written on index cards for Canaan, but maybe after years of keeping this tradition, they will be memorized!

Canaan began with Question 1, and Jake explained…
that Matzah bears much significance, but for my kids, the stripes and holes on the Matzah was a visual of the verse in Isaiah 53:5, “by His stripes, we are healed.”

we broke bread, representing how Jesus was broken on our behalf, and participated in the meal together:
each getting to taste the bread without yeast, while remembering that just as the Matzah is without yeast, so Jesus was without sin.

we proceeded with Question 2, and spooned the “bitter herbs” (horseradish) onto our Matzah, remembering the bitterness of the Israelites bondage of slavery, and the bitterness of our own bondage to sin, and yet how the broken lamb absorbed the cost of our bitter sins, the great cost of our redemption:
and Question 3 prompted us to dip the parsley into saltwater, remembering the tears of the Israelites as they wept over their slavery, and as they painted their door with the blood of the lamb so that the Angel of Death would pass over. we teach that there is no forgiveness of sins without blood being shed.
and then the answer to Question 3 continues, as we dip the parsely into the Haroset, and taste the sweetness of Hope in our Rescuer, the One who willingly sacrificed it all because of his deep love for us.

and then the egg, which represents the burnt offerings brought to the Temple. but we remember that Jesus was our Ultimate and final Sacrifice, giving us New Life:
and then, as the final question is asked, we celebrate, and pass the cup of Elijah, remembering that our freedom has been bought, at a high cost, and that we are now Royalty, heirs of the King, princes and princesses who now have the freedom to live eternally with our Rescuer, our Redeemer, our Abba Father, Papa God!

we then partake in dinner together, a dinner of meatloaf, glazed carrots, and roasted rosemary potatoes, on this night, Maundy Thursday, the night that Jesus held his Last Supper, the Passover Meal, with his disciples. i don’t think Passover traditionally happens on this date, but for us, it was the perfect night to remember.
and it was also the perfect night to try out a new dessert, Honey Yogurt Berry Pops. see recipe here.
now…i’d be lying through my teeth if i didn’t tell you that i just wrote about this Passover meal not so much for your sake, but for my own sake…to remember!! i feel SO very scattered right now, and my heart longs…longs…to be grounded in what matters. i am failing at that….big time. and this big holiday approaching could pass by so quickly, and i could miss the whole point among the Easter baskets and egg hunts.

there has been a stirring in me lately…a deep stirring…to not miss these years with my family…to teach my kids…to make every day count. and not just count in a fluffy kind of way. but to REALLY count…like in a Gospel truth kind of way. i want my kids to see Jesus everywhere!! and i want to be equipped to show them how He shows up everywhere! but i fail, all the time, because most of the time I don’t stop long enough to look for Him either.

so if nothing else, this Passover reminds me that HE is the Rescuer…the King…who has bought me for a price…and bought my family for a price. and in a few short days, i’ll get to celebrate and rejoice that, as Canaan says, “He used all His power to rise again!” and its HIS Power that does the teaching, and the reminding, and rescuing!