Apronology

Wearing an apron in the kitchen is like wearing sunglasses when outside. Growing up I always thought sunglasses were only for “cool” people. If you wanted to look like a movie star or like you were “in” with the cool kids, you wore sunglasses. After college, I finally realized the true need for sunglasses. Hmmm, that’s why I was always overly annoyed with the sun while driving on an especially bright day. Now I am usually seen wearing sunglasses outside – and I don’t think I’m that cool (but maybe I do feel a little like a movie star).

Aprons are similar in that I’ve always thought they were just for being cute in the kitchen. I am not one that will try very hard to be “cute” (sometimes it just happens) therefore I have never attempted to cook or bake with a sweet little apron tied around my waist. It was one day while at a flea market with my parents when I spotted the most wonderful vintage half-aprons. With my love for special vintage things growing, I just had to have one – or two (thanks, Mom!). However, after my half-aprons made it home, they sat folded in my makeshift buffet until one fine baking day I decided to try one on. I did instantly feel cuter in the kitchen (okay and maybe a bit self-conscious with an apron showcasing my love handles) but the apron also became one of my favorite baking attires. Instead of frequently rinsing off the dough from my fingers or always reaching for the dish towel to wipe off my measuring spoon, I had instant access to my charming little apron. My pants would no longer have flour patches on them and I wouldn’t use up all of the dish towels. I started wearing my apron so often that Katelyn would ask to wear one and we would tie a half-apron around her chest while she “helped” Mom. Now I have made Katelyn a few of her own and together we wipe our floured hands on our little aprons. So, if you haven’t worn an apron while baking or cooking, try one. You might just feel cute enough to bake more often or at least enjoy it a little more.

A Plague of Flies

Dinner time has become something I look forward to every day. First, I enjoy making dinner while Katelyn stands on a “big chair” watching, helping, and tasting the food as we listen to Brenden play G.I Joes or “tracks” with Noah. It has quickly become a time that I cherish and a time that I hope the children will remember. Second, I love having the kids eat with me and Brenden (they usually eat breakfast and lunch at their mini table and chairs). You never know where the conversation will lead. Sometimes the kids will just sit and listen to Mom and Dad talk about their days, other nights the kids have us laughing with their conversations and silly faces. Tonight when we sat down for dinner, a few flies started to fly around our heads and our food. At first, I was thinking there were maybe just 2 or 3 flies. I started swinging my pony tail back and forth to shoo away the flies while Brenden started waving his arm across the table trying to keep the flies away from his food and the kids’. Then I see a couple of flies around Brenden’s head and I look at Noah only to see a big smile on his face. He is enjoying watching Mom and Dad get attacked by flies (while Katelyn is continuing to dip her finger in her ketchup and eat her fish…she will not miss a meal!). After a while I can’t take the buzzing in my ears so I get up and assume my fly-killing position at the kitchen sink window with Green Works all-purpose cleaner in one hand, paper towel in the other. A fly would come to the window, I would squirt them to paralyze them then quickly finish them off with a paper towel. I start this process and start counting…one, two, three, four, five, six, seven…I kill seven flies! I look behind me only to find Brenden up from the table with kitchen towel in hand (his preferred fly-killing method) trying to swat down the flies (such a guy’s way to kill them!). By this point, the kids are up from the table, our food is cold, there are flies everywhere, and despite the frustration it’s kind of fun. Counting my pre-dinner fly total along with Brenden’s fly total we squashed, swatted, and swiped a grand total of 20 flies! I have no idea how that many flies got into the house. And as I type this, 2 hours after dinner, I can still see two or three (I hope no more!) flies and I can hear the loud buzzing of flies in two different places. It’s really starting to give me the creeps. It reminds me of the plagues that God sent to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Maybe we are being judged for our sin and having a plague of flies attack our home. Lord, help us!

Chipper, the pancake birdlet

There is something about a warm, freshly made pancake – straight from the stove pan. Butter, peanut butter, and warm syrup are my toppings of choice and I would perhaps eat this everyday if it was served to me. But as I feel that I should not eat the exact same thing every morning (I don’t know why I think this is wrong…but it is), I also don’t want to be standing at the burners first thing in the morning for 30 + minutes before I dive into my buttery goodness (well, they are wheat!). Anyway, the other day I was going along with my pancake-making business and I noticed a small circle forming off of the side of a larger, normal-sized pancake. I cut it off at once with my special pink pancake spatula and reserved it for one of the kids (they love super mini-pancakes). As I was gathering these super mini-pancakes, I noticed the shape of this special small circle and I couldn’t believe it! It was a pancake bird! Tail and all – so cute – and I immediately smiled. What a joy! And what do I do with such a precious little bird? Yes, it is a pancake but I could not throw it away. I couldn’t eat it and I was never going to let one of the kids eat it! So, I left it on the counter and took a picture with my camera phone to send to my husband and mom. The next day the little bird was quite crunchy but still just as cute. Do I find some sort of spray to preserve it and use it in some sort of craft? Do I make it into a Christmas ornament? I could see our embarrassed kids during future Christmas decorating sessions as mom brings out the strange pancake that she thinks looks like a bird and won’t let anyone else hang on the Christmas tree. My thoughts soaring as I’m making dinner, Katelyn “helping”, and she spots my little Chipper (yes, that’s HIS name) and…CRUNCH! My bird’s tail is gone, I’m guessing somewhere on the floor. All of my dreams and ideas down the drain – literally.

What do I mean by a "true stay-at-home mom"?

Well, first of all, I am a true stay-at-home mom because I really must stay at home. All day. Every day. You see, we only have one car and that has been the case for quite some time. Many circumstances and sacrifices have led us to this situation therefore I am at home with our twins without a way to go anywhere during the day. I try to view this as a blessing in disguise since I get to figure out this whole homemaking thing on my own. It has been a journey that I have only just begun and I feel as though I am learning something new every day. If I had a car I may not be as willing to learn how to sew, bake, create weekly menus, organize, and learn that my family is my “ministry”. And when I do have a car I hope that the skills and lessons I am learning now will stay with me and my priorities will not falter. Secondly, I am a true stay-at-home mom because I am not blogging about how perfect I am or how perfect you should be. I am blogging about the struggle between trying to be a godly woman – being a manager of my home, learning what it means to respect and honor my husband, teaching my children, finding joy in my day-to-day tasks, knowing that through Christ we see all things- and the desire to have the things of this world – money, clothes, a bigger house, a new car, etc. Third, I am going to homeschool our children and that is a journey I have yet to embark upon. I will continue being at home with my children, raising them, teaching them, and showing them the love of Christ. I’m sure I will have much to write on that subject in the coming years.

I will be writing about crafting projects (some that may turn out beautifully and others that look, well, untidy), book reviews, baking, children, trying to live a more “godly” life, and anything else I decide to create or that I find entertaining that I have learned while at home.

Through this blog, I hope to inspire, encourage, humor, and hopefully let other moms know that they are not alone in figuring out the life of a homemaker. A homemaker’s life is unique and beautiful and I wish to show the world how being at home is a privilege. In this current day, women have been encouraged to forsake their homes and focus on the world and “their needs”. God has given us our beautiful families, placed us in the home to be managers and create a haven from the outside stress of life, and has given us a safe place to learn without being judged. The home is a place of unbiased creativity and I hope to show that through my blog.