Life Lately

It's finally Spring & we have taken full advantage of being outside in the sunshine (however brief it may be some days--we've had a mix of cold wind, a little hail, & cold temps along with the sunshine). Here's a few pics from our past few weeks!

Shortbread for Breakfast

This morning, Sunny & I wanted something to warm our hungry bellies up on this rainy, grey morning: Southern Shortcake. My mom (who grew up in Ohio but raised me along with my Dad in Kentucky) used to make this recipe often when I was growing up. It's easy & quickly adaptable to your style (you can add jam, fruit, milk, etc to your liking). Here's the recipe:

(We made a half-batch)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking flour
2 tsp. sugar (optional)
1/4 c. Crisco
1/3-2/3 c. milk

Quickly sift flour, b.powder, sugar (we added a little cinnamon as well). Cut Crisco in with a large fork. Add milk, stir with fork so it's nice & lumpy. Goop mixture into a small ungreased glass pan. Mess it up some more with the fork (your toddler will love helping). Bake at 450 for 12-15 min. Let sit for 5 min. Place in a bowl & enjoy topped with cold milk, jam, fruit, whatever you like! Enjoy!

Happy Snow Day!

We are enjoying a full-on Snow Day (meaning: it's STILL snowing) here in Upstate NY, hope you are safe & warm wherever home lies for you. I'm so exited to share with you in my next post about Asher's adoptive grandparents & some of the ways we/they helped raise funds for his adoption. But for now, enjoy the weather wherever you are!

Life Through Pictures

Another week captured in the capsules of pictures:

I have to add, just how thankful I have been lately, for the community of people & friends I am surrounded by. I hope that you enjoy such a community wherever you are. 

Toddler vs. Food

So, lately (for about the past couple of months) the Sunnyboy (aka: Asher) has decided that he no longer has a need for his highchair. Fast-forward through battles, tantrums, etc. 

Sunny has kinda been a "grazer" for most of his self-feeding days in general (from about 9 months on), so it wasn't really surprising to The Hubby (aka: Josh) and me that he didn't want to be constricted & restrained once he had the magical ability to walk & eat. 

I usually serve his snacks on a little table like the one pictured above (from Ikea), so it wasn't a far leap to begin experimenting with serving lunch, etc. in that same area. I started with foods that he wouldn't normally use utensils for: The grandparents recently had mailed a care package complete with Barilla Cut Spaghetti. At first, I thought, "What a gimic! I can cut my own son's pasta!". Well, lemme tell ya, moms of toddlers & others who I know can understand, sometimes you have mere moments to tame the hungry afternoon bear boy and this pasta was a lifesaver! (Not to mention, he loved it being the perfect size for his little fingers).

I did strip him down to his diaper (turned the heat up a bit in the room), and placed the table on our wooden floor making it easier for clean-up or the doggie-vacuum (aka: "CJ", yellow Lab/Golden Retriever 5 year-old).

Sunnyboy has since graduated to enjoying all of his meals in this location, and our battles over eating seem to have ceased for the time being. He's quite proud of his new-found freedom! (and Mama is busy cleaning up...)

I'm by no means a proponent of letting toddler whims rule the house, but this to me was different. It was a Mama&Sun working together to find a solution that works for all of us, and that, I applaud ;-)

Life through Pictures

I'm so thankful for the ability many of us have to capture all that's wrapped in a moment into something tangible. To freeze time for a half of a second and preserve the memory. There are so many creative ways to do just that, and lately Pictures have been my outlet. These past 2 weeks have been particularly preoccupied for us here at "our nest", but I'm glad to share some of the moments preserved with you:

From a friend

My friend Jen has been on her own "bumpy road" & in light of my my post yesterday, I wanted to share her perspective on the bumps in her road: http://jenloveskev.com/2013/02/12/its-the-small-things/
Thank you Jen for sharing.

Bumpy road

Life has been bumpy here lately it seems, frigid temps, cranky babies, frustrated mamas & daddys, lack of sun, personal disappointments, friends in great pain-- though all of that mixed with triumphs big & small along the way (conquering small battles like the social security office, traffic court with a toddler, a clogged shower, nitty gritty financial junk, and big ones like seeking employment after voluntarily resigning from a job to be a stay-at-home-mom). I'm a glass is half-full type of girl, but recently I've wanted to just smash the glass and throw whatever's in it to the wind. I hope you don't mind my candor. I'll try to keep the raw "choice" words that are on the tip of my tongue in check & leave it at that description.

I don't write often about my personal religious or spiritual viewpoints but in light of circumstances lately & mentioned above, I can't help but share with you where I find my own anchor & peace in the midst of these "bumps in the road". Right now they don't just feel like "bumps" but hurdles the size of mountains. I believe in a God that is higher than all of the stuff going on in my world and all around me and I have been flung, almost literally on the Word from Him over the past 3 or 4 days. I admit at times that I question whether He's real or what I read in the bible (the Word") is actually true for me still today, but I know this for sure, He hasn't let me down yet & I will keep seeking and praying that He won't. Below are some excerpts that have been especially comforting to me, maybe they will speak to you as well. Blessing to you all & I hope you have Someone you're able to cling to as well if you're on a "bumpy road" too. I wish the best for all of you.
Love & Peace,
Hannah

Psalm 62:5-8

"For God alone, Oh my Soul, wait in silence, for my Hope is from Him. 

He only in my Rock & my Salvation, my Fortress; 

I shall not be shaken."

Psalm 9:9-10

"The Lord is a Stronghold for the oppressed, 

a Stronghold in times of trouble.

And those who know Your Name put their trust in You,

for You oh Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You."

Luke 1:37

"For nothing will be impossible with God."

Psalm 4:8

"In peace will I both lie down & sleep;

for You alone, oh Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, 

what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body...

Is not life more than food, & the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow now reap, nor gather into barns, 

and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. 

Are you not of more value than the birds?

And who can add a single hour to their life by being anxious?..

therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Isaiah 40:28-31

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the Everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

His understanding is unsearchable.

He give power to the faint,

and to him who has no might he increases strength...

they that wait for the Lord will renew their strength;

they will mount up with wings like eagles;

they will run & not be weary;

they will walk & not grow faint."

Asher's Birthfather

He had only met Asher once.
They had mere hours to meet before it was time to say good-bye forever.
He gave Asher the life he could not provide himself.

I am speaking about Asher's birthfather, *Matt. We had a second visit with him this past December right before Christmas, and it was the second time in entire Asher's life that he met his birthfather. We maintain a private blog as part of our adoption agreement with Asher's birthfamily, and Matt sent us a message through the blog asking if it would be possible to schedule a visit with Asher. His message was brief, polite, and he even complimented a recent family portrait picture of us that I had posted. Despite this, my heart was instantly frozen with fear- "what did he 'really' want?", "was he just curious?", "we don't even know him at all", "what if he decides he wants to see Asher more than once a year?".

Asher's adoption is considered "semi-open", meaning that his birthfamily has limited information about us (I.e.: they don't know our last name, address, etc). As part of our adoption agreement with them we send letters & pictures 3 times a year (the private blog fulfills this) and there is the potential for a visit with Asher 2 times a year. This message from Matt was the first time he had reached out to us concerning a visit since Asher's birth.

I showed the message from Matt to my Hubby (Josh). He suggested that we agree to meet at a public location for the first meeting. We decided on a bookstore that Asher was familiar with to ensure he would feel comfortable and also have something to distract him if the visit became too awkward. When the date arrived, I was a bundle of raw emotion and nerves.

The 3 of us arrived way too early at the bookstore to wait for Matt to arrive and spent about a half hour (which felt like 4 hours) milling around trying to look inconspicuous (yeah right! I'm sure we were as conspicuous as the books on the shelves) as we peeked at each male that entered the store (If guys behind security camera had been watching, I'm sure they got a big laugh out of watching us). It had been an entire year since we'd last seen Matt, and I was wracking my brain trying to recall the exact details of his face. We only had a couple of blurry pictures of him & our jumbled memories from Asher's birth. My heart was pained as I remembered our last image of him before bringing Asher home from the hospital- Matt crouched over Asher's tiny body as he cradled him in his arms sitting next to Kayla (Asher's birthmom), tears in his eyes as he had only just met our tiny son for the first time and it was already time to say good-bye.

Matt was 15 minutes late and walked in with a pretty brunette lady behind him. "He brought a 'girlfriend'??!", I thought. He introduced her as Jamie, his sister (who was apparently visiting from New York City for Christmas) much to my embarrassment & relief for thinking badly of him. She brought along her little dog, and that immediately broke the ice because Asher loves dogs. We talked about what Asher had been up to lately, what he was learning. Matt's eyes gleamed with happiness to see Asher doing so well. He's a soft-spoken guy but he asked questions here & there and wanted to hear all about Asher's interests and adventures. Matt emailed us after our visit and told us that seeing him was the best Christmas gift he could have received. His words made me weep and meant the world to us. To know that Matt is content with the decision that he and Kayla made to place Asher with us is something that we treasure. It was truly a blessing to see the joy that it brought him to visit with Asher.

We maintain contact with Asher's birthfamily so that when Asher is old enough to understand his adoption he will hopefully already be familiar with his entire extended family. We pray that these visits will give him a sense of belonging and love at a very early age. I admit, I am torn at times with wanting to shelter him and selfishly keep him "all to myself" but also desiring for him to be confident in his roots and where he came from. When we first brought Asher home from the hospital and we were no longer seeing his birthmother Kayla on a regular basis (we spent 5 days in the hospital with her and her parents), I struggled a great deal with how much Asher looked like his birth parents physically (not that I expected him to look like us, but you know what I'm implying I think), and Josh used to always say "He looks like himself." Over time it bothered me less and less that Asher "looks like himself", and now I'm able to celebrate his physical features because I know someday when he asks, I can tell him, "My Sunny, you smile like Matt and you're beautiful like Kayla."

Photo by Mama (me) with my iPhone 4s

*Names have been changed in this post to protect privacy.

My Family's Secret Recipe for Caramel Corn

So, once it's on the internet it's no longer considered a "secret," I suppose, but I wanted to share with you all a recipe that is near & dear to my heart: My Grandpy's Caramel Corn. 

I use this recipe every year as part of our family tradition for some of our Christmas baking of treats. I don't claim it to be an easy recipe to make, it's time consuming & messy--which is probably why I only make it about once a year--but it's WORTH the efforts. Recently I made a batch as a thank-you for a babysitter of ours. The recipe was passed down to me from my mom's dad "Grandpy", who was a candy-maker extraordinaire. He shared his love of candies with his fellow troops & with children in Austria while he served as a 2nd Lieutenant with the U.S. Army during WW2 (pictured below). It brings me joy to share his love for sweet things and brings back happy childhood memories as I remember Grandpy always having a tray of his special homemade candies ready for us when we arrived to visit him in Ohio. In the years following his death my mom kept the traditions alive using his recipes. I truly hope you enjoy it!

Grandpy

You will need:

Ingredients

• 4-6 quarts of popped corn (The amount depends on how thick you're gonna want your caramel to coat; I make 4 and use the old fashioned stovetop method using olive or vegetable oil). 
• 1/2 cup butter (unsalted)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 shallow baking pans (I use 2-  ungreased 9x13 glass casserole dishes)
• waxed paper
• 2 hours time

Pop corn.

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Pop corn & put into ungreased baking pans so that it's nearly a single layer in the pans. (I add a step here in insure no one breaks a tooth eating the delicious finished product & scan through the poppped corn in the pans pulling out any unpopped kernels, burnt and/or loose hulls.)

In a medium saucepan (I prefer a copper-bottomed one), combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. 

Over medium-low heat (this will vary depending on your stovetop--mine is gas so I monitor the flame closely to avoid scorching), stirring frequently using a WOODEN spoon, bring ingredients to a boil. 

Combine 1st 4 ingredients, Bring to boil.

After you reach stage pictured above, don't stir for 5 minutes (be sure heat is turned down nice & low at this point). Don't get nervous! The mixture is going to begin entering the candy stage and get extra bubbly; it will also begin to change color to a darker caramel tan.

Remove from heat.

Stir in the baking soda & vanilla (get ready for a "nuclear" reaction! when the baking soda & vanilla hit the mixture it gets exciting!!).

Reaction

Return to low heat, continuing to frequently stir. The mixture will lighten in color (because of the addition of baking soda) and appear foamy/airy in texture. 

Foam

Continue to stir over low heat for about 5 more minutes. The mixture will darken slightly in color and continue to foam and rise up in the saucepan as it reaches higher temps. Remove from heat & turn off the stove top burner after the mixture has risen close to the top of the saucepan. 

Slowly (& carefully--it's HOT) pour the mixture over the prepared popcorn in pans.

Spread

Using a large spatula or spoon, stir popcorn gently to coat the majority of the popcorn with the prepared caramel (don't worry, you won't be able to cover it all completely at this point). Place pans in the preheated oven. Set a timer for 15 min & clean out your saucepan while you wait (if you don't, the caramel will harden as it cools in the pan and become much harder to clean later). 

Coat

15 minutes later, carefully remove pans from the oven and place on a heat resistant surface (I put hotpads on the counter and use that area because I spill popcorn when I stir). Stir popcorn with spatula or spoon (You'll notice that the caramel will cover more of the popcorn this time and be darker tan in color. Keep an eye out for any stray kernel & remove if necessary). Return to oven for another 15 minutes. 

First 15 min. stage

Repeat above instructions. Use the 15 minutes while it's baking however you like ;-)

Second 15 min. stage

Repeat above stage for a third time. Use the time to prepare your counter-top  table, or other desired space for cooling the popcorn onto waxed paper.

Third 15 min. stage

After this 3rd, 15 min., interval remove from oven, TASTE! (use caution, popcorn will be HOT). If it's "toasty" enough to your liking scoop out from pans onto the prepared waxed paper surface. If it's a little soggy & not quite toasty enough, return to oven for 5-10 more minutes. Turn oven off.

Soak pans immediately in warm soapy water (to avoid before-mentioned hard-to-clean caramelized pans). 

Finished stage & Cooling

Break caramel corn apart as it cools on waxed paper and spread it out to completely cool it. You may add nuts or other candies at this point if you'd like to make it more "crunch & munchy." We like ours just like it is, plain and savory :-) (I admit though, I like a piece of dark chocolate occasionally after a bowl of caramel corn).   

Finished Product

Tie it up with a bow, pour it into an airtight container, or eat it all at once from a bowl- however you eat it, ENJOY! :-) 

P.S.

The inexperienced-caramel-corn-maker Hubby tested the recipe & instructions today and was successful, but please feel free to ask questions or leave a comment if you have questions, etc.