Best memory verses for preschoolers?

Kate loves reading her children's Bible (thanks Mayme and Bapa!). But I would like to spend some more time with her memorizing specific verses. I know some would be more meaningful and age-appropriate at this stage. Let's hear your suggestions! Bonus points for anything related to nature/gardening. We talked about the "I am the vine" verse this morning, and it made a lot of sense to my little gardening helper. :)

Americans overseas galvanize for US elections

Interesting CNN article on American expats and voting. There is some helpful info on where to download an emergency absentee ballot.

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies (with Lentils!)

I was intrigued by the following recipe from Pulse Canada, so I cooked up some extra lentils when making the Vegetarian Chili Pie. It sounded quite weird, but certainly worth a try! And I'm pleased to say they were a hit! Will couldn't get enough of them, and once Kate overcame her resistance to eating cookies with lentils, she loved them! Eric and I enjoyed them as well. They're especially good for people who are on a low glycemic diet.

While I realize this still isn't a health food exactly, when you have a child as picky as Will is, you celebrate any victory! Instead of lentils, you can substitute white navy beans if you prefer.

CHOCOLATE CHIP OAT COOKIES

1/2 cup cooked or canned lentils, drained and rinsed (or white navy beans)
1 egg
2 tbsp. canola oil
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups regular rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used half whole wheat, half white flour)
1/2 tsp. baking soda

*Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

*Puree lentils with egg until smooth in blender

*In a medium bowl, beat canola oil, sugar and vanilla using an electric mixer until smooth. Add lentil and egg puree and continue beating until well combined.

*Add chocolate chips and oats, and use a wooden spoon to combine. Sift together flour and baking soda over wet mixture and stir until well combined. Drop by rounded teaspoon, 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet, and flatten slightly. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Vegetarian Chili Pie

Here's a great recipe from the Pulse Canada Guide to Beans, Chickpeas, Lentil and Peas. Easy, cheap, yummy and healthy!

Vegetarian Chili Pie

Crust
2 cups (500 ml) cooked brown rice (I was out of brown, but white rice worked fine)
1 cup (250 ml) grated cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten

Filling
1 cup (250 ml) chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp (30 ml) canola oil
1 cup (250 ml) dry green lentils, rinsed and drained
1 19 oz (540 ml) can tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4 cup (325 ml) cooked red kidney beans (or 1 14 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained)
1 1/2 tsp (7 ml) chili powder
1 tsp (5 ml) seasoning salt
1 cup (250 ml) grated cheddar cheese

*Cover lentils with water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 20 minutes. Drain water.

*Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate.

*Combine rice, cheese, and egg. Mix well and press into bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes or until firm. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 F.

*Heat oil in a skillet and saute onion and garlic until onions are translucent. Add lentils, tomatoes, beans, chili powder and salt. Simmer covered over low heat for 30 minutes or until all liquid has evaporated.

*Spoon filling into pie crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Enjoying the weather

I happened to notice today that it's warmer here than it is in most of the places where our family and friends are living. I know that throughout much of the year, you probably think, "Well, at least we don't live in Saskatchewan." So I just wanted to point out that here in Caronport at 5 PM, it's a balmy 61 F. Perhaps we should send some of this warm weather to Nashville and St. Louis (both at 47 F), Cincinnati (44 F), Chicago (43 F), Holland (42 F), and then over the ocean to Edinburgh (34 F).

Of course, our family out in California are enjoying 77 F weather!

"Mommy, you're my joy"

I was outside doing some yardwork today when Kate came out with a tray, and some apple slices she'd asked Eric to cut up for her. She invited me to join her for a picnic on the front lawn. We marvelled at the trees, the sun, and the fact that snow would once again soon cover the ground where we sat. She asked me to tell her stories about what life was like for her as a baby in Scotland. Then she looked at me and said, "Mommy, you're my joy."

Just a little example of why, despite the sacrifices and hardships of motherhood, almost every mother will say, "But it's so worth it." I want to make sure to cherish moments like this.

Goodnight Mom

A friend sent me this cute poem:

Goodnight Mom (with apologies to Margaret Wise Brown)
Found in Parents magazine, November 2008 issue

In the messy green
family room
There was a telemarketer
ringing the telephone
and a crying toddler
because his brother just popped his red balloon
And a picture of-

The cow jumping over the moon
(which someone colored on with permanent marker)
And there was a missing
teddy bear, and a girl with gum in her hair

And one to be scolded
And laundry to be folded
And a very hungry Spouse
And something stinky in the house
(that no one else seemed to smell)

And a comb and a brush and a colicky
baby who just won't shush
And a frazzled mommy screaming "Hush!"

Goodnight messy room
Goodnight scribbled-on moon
Goodnight cow getting out while she can
Goodnight telemarketers and the
popped balloon

Goodnight long-gone teddy bear
Goodnight cereal bar smeared all
over the dining room chair

Goodnight spitup
And goodnight leaky sippy cup
Goodnight much-too-little house and
goodnight grumpy spouse
Goodnight comb and goodnight brush
And goodnight to a certain 4-year-old
who just needs to hush right now and I mean it

Goodnight Elmo
Goodnight toys we'll pick up tomorrow,
or the next day
Hello Chardonnay and TiVo-
"me" time finally!!!!!

by Sarah Jio

How to Survive Your First Year in Canada

Zhu is an expat friend I met online--she is originally from France and now living in Ottawa, Ontario. She has a helpful series of posts on her blog about adjusting to life in Canada. The current post is How to Survive Your First Year in Canada. I noticed there's quite a bit about living through a Canadian winter! She has other "how-to" posts on finding a job, learning French or English, banking in Canada, etc. Check it out!

The US election

I still don't have my absentee ballot--we'll see if it arrives on time! But then, I'm still not settled on who to vote for anyway. I vote in Illinois and it will likely go Democrat, so I suppose it might be worth considering third party candidates as well.

Anyone want to share who you're voting for and why? Have any third party candidates impressed you? Non-Americans are welcome to chime in as well!

The first snowfall

We saw our last snowfall on April 22. And now I am looking out the window at the first snowfall of the season. The forecast says we have warmer days ahead--should be 58F next Saturday. We still have a lot of leaves to rake!

You wake up on a winter morning and pull up the shade, and what lay there the evening before is no longer there—the sodden gray yard, the dog droppings, the tire tracks in the frozen mud, the broken lawn chair you forgot to take in last fall. All this has disappeared overnight, and what you look out on is not the snow of Narnia but the snow of home, which is no less shimmering and white as it falls. The earth is covered with it, and it is falling still in silence so deep that you can hear its silence. It is snow to be shoveled, to make driving even worse than usual, snow to be joked about and cursed at, but unless the child in you is entirely dead, it is snow, too, that can make the heart beat faster when it catches you by surprise that way, before your defenses are up. It is snow that can awaken memories of things more wonderful than anything you ever knew or dreamed.

-Frederick Buechner, Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale.

An October weekend in Cypress Hills

After having such a great time at Cypress Hills this summer, we decided to head back to see what it's like in the fall.


We stayed in one of the cabins at the Cypress Hills Resort Inn. It worked out well, since it came with a full kitchen, a firepit in back, and two separate bedrooms. But we could still use the hotel pool and restaurant.



The forest was stunningly beautiful in October




Kate found a log which worked well as a balance beam




Lookout Point




Will loved throwing wet sand into the lake!




Eric at Kate's ice cream shop





Eric made a fire for us





We enjoyed our s'mores!





Eric and Erin


We were talking about how much our kids appreciate the little things right now--a campfire, a walk in the woods, spotting deer behind our cabin and wild turkeys by the road. One day they'll probably be listening to their iPods and wishing they could be with their friends. So we'll treasure these moments when they love being with us.

Two options for weathering economic storms

Found an interesting article on the Sojourners blog about how to best weather economic storms. The first option is to be very wealthy in the first place, because you likely have a lot of extra money to buffer you when the economy slumps. For the rest of us, the second option is to be people who live simply, avoid credit as much as possible, and always keep some savings for a rainy day.

Are you changing your lifestyle at all, in light of the current economic situation? What are your favorite resources for tips on living simply? I already blogged about The Tightwad Gazette here. I like the Dollar Stretcher website and the Simple Living Network. Camille Gabel, who frequently comments on my blog, had some excellent advice on how they lowered their electric bills. And finally, I really like the articles on the Spending Wisely blog.

Passports will be required for US-Canada land and sea border next year

Starting June 1, 2009, Canadians will need to show a passport (or one of the other approved documents) when crossing into the US by land or sea. The same is true for Americans traveling home. US and Canadian children under 16 can still get by with showing a birth certificate. This website has more info.