Double Digit Day!!!

Ten years ago this morning, my life changed forever. Not only did I finally meet and fall in love with the little guy that had been growing in my tummy for nine+ months, but God gave me one of the biggest responsibilities of my life! And so began the adventure that is Philip Jr.

Our 7 lb. 7 oz. 20 inch miracle!

I remember seeing him for the first time and thinking he was the most precious miracle I had ever seen or touched. I remember crying when he hurt....(and I still do.) I remember not sleeping much those first few nights just to make sure he was still breathing. I remember imagining that I could see all the horrible germs that were landing on him when my mom made me take him to Wal-mart for the first time when he was a few days old. I remember the feeling of utter sadness the first time I left him. I remember tying ribbon around his outfits when he went to stay with his grandparents, lest they not know what I wanted him to wear on which day. I remember his first tooth and when he bit me with it : )  I remember his first words...BIG TRUCK! He's all boy! I remember his first steps....miraculously caught on camera. I remember his first kiss on his brand new baby sister's head. I remember the guilt I felt when he started pre-school and the relief I felt when, at the end of the day, he still loved me.

His first day of kindergarten, his first broken bone, his first soccer game, his first girlfriend, his first football game, his first basketball game, his first everything. So many firsts I've seen my son experience. From a helpless baby to a taller-than-his-momma ten-year-old, my son never fails to make my heart smile with his generosity, his calm spirit, his loving words, his gentle bear hugs, and his caring heart. My ten-year-old son is taller than me and I can no longer hold him in my arms. Rather he can hold me. I cherish him and all his firsts and I look forward to watching him grow into the Godly man whose plan before him is just unfolding. Happy Birthday, Bug. You are and forever will be, my baby boy! I love you.

This recipe sounds too good to be true!!!

As I was catching up on the blogs that I follow I happened upon this recipe. Here's hoping that the blogger doesnt mind the repost and that my kiddos will love it and not notice that its nothing like their regular mac-n-cheese!

check out other recipes from this blog

http://joyinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2010/10/healthy-mac-and-cheese.html

 

Healthy Mac and Cheese

Need to add a few more veggies to your kid's diet?  This is one mac and cheese you'll be happy to serve your kiddos.

Sweet Potatoes.
Chicken Broth {use homemade for extra goodness}.
Pasta {whole wheat, or GF, if you'd like}.
Mushrooms {if they'll eat them}.
and...
just a little bit of cheese.

Looks like Mac and Cheese, right?  The flavor -- amazing.  Trust me.

Healthy Mac and Cheese - Finding Joy in My Kitchen
{Print Recipe}

1 lb. pasta
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 C sweet potato puree
2 tsp. minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 C chicken broth
1 T corn starch
1/2 C whipping cream
1/4 C Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring pasta to a boil and cook according to package directions.  Drain.

Start the mac and cheese by sauteeing the sliced mushrooms in a large skillet {you may need to use olive oil to prevent mushrooms from sticking}.  Add garlic as the mushrooms begin to release their liquids.  Cook until liquids are evaporated.

Then, stir in the chicken broth, onion and salt and pepper, to taste.

Next, blend in the sweet potato puree.  Simmer for a few minutes.

Combine corn starch and whipping cream together in a mixing cup and stir until blended.

Slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture into the skillet.  Heat until thickened; about 5 minutes.

Then, remove from the heat.

Stir in the pasta and Parmesan cheese.

Serve warm.

With each bit my sister and I took, we laughed more and more!  We couldn't believe how much like mac and cheese this tasted, and there was hardly any cheese in it.  The orange of the sweet potato looks delightfully like cheese -- maybe it even tricked our brains :)

It's him....He's the place I'm heading!

Last Saturday was a beautiful day to go to the farm. Old man winter had taken a brief vacation, the sun made a welcome appearance, and the thermometer climbed to a balmy 65 degrees. I, of course, was totally stoked at the thought of walking and shooting; not a gun but my handy Canon Rebel. Since its introduction into my life, there hasn't been a trip to the farm where it hasn't been my steadfast sidekick. Last autumn, my farm jaunts lasted hours and resulted in hundreds of pictures, if not thousands. I usually walked from the time we got there in the morning until we left in the evening. My leg hurt (as always) but I felt refreshed and renewed at the close of the day. Last Saturday was COMPLETELY different : (   but from this different day I was reminded of something so important.

First and foremost, sadly I only managed to take a total of about ten pictures. TEN! That's it....just ten. EPIC FAIL on this photog's part : (    The day started out with us heading down to the pier on the pond. The water was clear and we could see straight to the bottom. It was beautiful! Philip and I walked over to my favorite spot on the entire farm. For some reason on this day I didn't take any pictures. I ALWAYS take pictures at this spot. ALWAYS! Not last Saturday...what was wrong with me? As we were walking, my phone rang. It was my brother calling me back so I could give him an update on what's going on with me. As we were talking Philip walked away and I lost sight of him. After I hung up with my brother, I looked around for Philip and saw a little speck at the other end of the field a half mile away. So, I started walking. No big deal, huh? That's what I thought. 

Some background to tie my story together: Philip and I love the movie 'Cold Mountain.'  Nicole Kidman as Ada Monroe, Jude Law as W.P. Inman, and Renee Zellweger as Ruby Thewes make the perfect cast. We are always saying some line or another from the movie to each other. Even the kids know parts of it and can repeat them back to us at the funniest times. I like the book too and think its way better than the movie, but I digress! When Philip and I want to watch a movie, it's always this movie or 'Just Like Heaven.' Don't fault us for being boring!!!!! Anyway, parts of this movie are so poignant and last Saturday Cold Mountain became real to me. Weird, I know!

So I was walking down the field to that little speck at the end of our land. That little speck...the man of my dreams...the father of my children...my best friend. Then I realized I wasn't going to make it. I didn't have the physical energy to make it to him. My body could not move itself any closer to him. Not only was my leg hurting, but my lungs were on fire, the little bit of muscle I have left in my legs was failing me quickly, spots were swimming before my eyes; I was done for. I knew I couldn't sit down in the middle of the field defeated regardless of my body's lack of cooperation. That is not my personality. It sounds cheesy, but somewhere deep inside me I heard this line from 'Cold Mountain,'

                                       "It's her...She's the place I'm heading."

After I heard this and the movie replayed in my head, I was refreshed and actually made it to Philip about 15 minutes later and promptly collapsed on the ground to rest. After I caught my breath I told him what I went through getting to him and that I had felt like Inman trying to get back to Ada Monroe. I recited the lines of the movie to him and he died laughing. Im glad he finds me so hilarious. I don't think he would have found it so comical if he had found my passed out body in the middle of the field at the end of the day : ) 

Now if you havent seen the movie, you won't know the poignancy of this statement. In incredibly short summary to tempt you into wanting to watch the movie to understand it completely, Ada Monroe is a Southern Belle and Inman is a poor wood-worker who goes off to the Civil War. Ada stays behind waiting for him. Inman gets hurt and goes AWOL walking back to her. It's a fabulous movie except for one part where we always fast forward due to some less-than-stellar adult content.....told you we were boring.

I've never really thought about that particular line in the movie, but for so many reasons ITS DEAD ON CORRECT. When I think of getting to the place I call home, Philip is there. When I think of getting to the place I feel safe, Philip is there. When I think of getting to a place of fun, Philip is there. When I think of getting to a place I can relax, Philip is there. When I think of getting to a place where I am most comfortable, Philip is there. Even when I try to get to the end of the field, Philip is there.  What do all these things have in common? They all have Philip. So regardless of the physical location of my husband, he's the place I'm heading.

                                  "It's him...He's the place I'm heading."  Always and forever