in the kitchen: baked oatmeal

i looooove breakfast food. my husband knows that if he wants to make me swoon he just has to take me out for a breakfast date on a saturday morning. bacon, eggs, sausage, waffles, pancakes . . . i don't discriminate. with a cup of steaming coffee and a good portion of cream i am a happy camper.

i am currently into baked oatmeal, which was introduced to me by my friend lorna beth. hers had chunks of apple in it and it was tasty tasty. i'm a huge fan of cinnamon and brown sugar, so i hunted and found a recipe from taste of home (here it is). i served it when we had some friends over for breakfast and i loved it——it is fantastic with milk poured over it, which i forgot to do when they were over (sorry, bert and beki, i know it was a touch dry). as an added bonus, it smells so delicious baking it makes my mouth water!



i fiddled with the recipe a bit by substituting applesauce for half the butter and lowering the amount of brown sugar (i've made it both ways, and i won't lie——it is definitely better with more butter and sugar, but isn't everything? :) some of us still have some baby weight to lose!). i bake up a batch of this and can heat up portions for a hot breakfast each morning. it sticks with me until lunchtime and it is so much better than packets. i have a batch in the oven now and i can't wait to dive in.

give it a try! it is delish!

into the Christmas season

good morning, friends!

i hope each of you had a truly wonderful thanksgiving. ours was filled with family, friends, and food . . . notable favorites in the last category were corn casserole and pumpkin pie. multiple pieces may or may not have been consumed.



this morning, we woke up to jane "talking" and a dusting of white snow on the ground. we are cranking up the Christmas tunes and taking it slow. i am putting together an exersaucer before tackling the Christmas decorations. :) so glad to have ben home with us!

stay warm and cozy!

grumbles vs. gratitude

a lot can happen in four months. babies grow from seven pounders to thirteen pounders (at least ours did). they sprout a little more hair, yet sport a nice bald spot in the back where it rubs off in the crib. they learn they can do more with their voices than just cry. and parents endure their child's first illness, which is probably harder on the mommies and daddies than the bambini. in our house, we have a few ailments under our belts, including pink eye. poor girl.

at four months,jane actually likes being on her tummy, grabs anything within an arm's reach (and pulls it into her mouth), and wears baby jeans like the best of 'em! the last one definitely takes the most effort. definitely.

sleep has been a tricky thing with jane. naps are short and nighttime sleep has gone backward, but these tired days keep me relying on the strength that only comes from God. as a woman in my bsf group said, "it's hard to grumble when you are grateful!"

in other news, ben kindly let me know that the nickname i have been calling jane——which i thought was a nonsense word——is actually a bad word. oh my, amy. glad i hadn't been using it in public!

jane: three months

well, more like 3.5 months. we flew to california on the day she turned 3 months, so i took the pictures a little late. she's growing fast!

here are the first three months, side-by-side. i'm not so great at getting the chair to look the same color each month. oops! :)

and with her little lamb!

a short letter to my daughter

sometimes when i change you in the middle of the night, you look up at me with this sly grin that seems to say, "hey mom! isn't it wonderful that we get to hang out at 4am?"

yes, jane, it is wonderful. it really is. because i know it is just a matter of time before you won't need me in the middle of the night. and in the morning, i'll hurry to your crib to see your smiling face because i'll miss that special time together just you and me and a quiet, dark world outside our window.

these overnight moments are the perfect time to pray over you. your daddy and i pray that as you grow, Christ would draw you to Himself and that your heart would be soft to treasure Him. we pray you will marry a man who treasures Christ, too. and that you stay pure for each other and devoted to your Creator until you meet Him face to face.

within your tiny, wiggly body exists a soul that was known perfectly before the foundation of the earth. we pray that your soul would be completely satisfied in God, who knit you together and whose Word is a lamp unto your feet. He is worthy of your affections and worship, jane——and He is the only One who is.

before long, you'll grow too big for that spot in my arms that you fit into perfectly now. your crib won't seem so vast as i carefully put you down to sleep. and i won't see your beautiful dark eyes peeking over your daddy's shoulders as he soothes you during your evening fussies.


whether fussy or still, sweet jane, i hope you know that it is a delight to spend time with you——no matter what time of day or night.