On Starting Kindergarten ... and Riding the Bus

My sweet Autumn Grace,

You are starting Kindergarten today! I can hardly believe we are already at this place ... and yet at the same time I'm not sure I ever thought today would come. I'm not even sure you starting Kindergarten is what I'm so emotional over today ... I think it's the fact that you rode the bus.

I knew sending you to Kindergarten would be hard - but I thought I'd still be in control of getting you to school. I thought I'd be able to take you myself. Give you a hug. Pass you off to your teacher. Say goodbye and get in my car to drive back home. But that's not what you wanted. You wanted to ride the bus. You were SO excited to ride the bus ... and man - I wasn't prepared for that.

This may be our biggest milestone yet. You were so brave getting on that bus this morning. I saw the nervousness in your eyes, but you stepped right up like you've been doing it all your life. You - my sweet baby that wouldn't even go to the nursery at church - you rode the bus. You are teaching me so much about being brave when you're scared. About just putting one foot in front of the other to do the things you know you need to do. About letting your excitement fuel you when you're feeling nervous and scared. About having faith that you will be taken care of. And about knowing how to speak up for yourself when you need to.

And when you weren't even on the bus 5 minutes, you told the bus driver to make sure not to hit your daddy who was riding his bike to the train station. You are only 5 ... and yet you are such a leader. 

I'm so very proud of you my sweet girl. So proud of the independent little lady you are becoming. The independent little lady you already are.

Your Daddy and I have tried to live our lives in such a way that we give you two gifts as you grow up ... one is roots and the other is wings. Today was a good indication that we're doing a good job.

But I can't say I was quite ready for you to use those wings to fly.

My heart swells with pride and love for you my sweet Autumn Grace. We've come a long way from bouncing on an exercise ball at naptime ...

CSA Adventures: Summer Week 1

This week's CSA pickup included:

5 quarts of strawberries (half of one got eaten on the way home!)
1 head of Bok Choi
1 head of lettuce
Crimson Rhubarb
1 bunch of radishes (with the greens!)
1 bunch of Kale
Some parsley and cilantro from the pick-your-own herb garden
1 dozen eggs

And then because I always feel bad for the poor sad misfit vegetables, we also got two HUGE bunches of rhubarb, 2 big bunches of collard greens, 1 bunch of green onions, a bag of spinach, and 8 quarts of jam grade strawberries.

This was plenty of food to feed our family for a week, and it may be one of the smaller week's shares of the season. I know when the harvest really begins we're going to be loaded with fresh veggies and I'm just so excited to be able to stock it all up. No more grocery store for me! Hurrah!! 

Here's how we used it:

Strawberries & Rhubarb
We ate two quarts of strawberries the first day, and at least a quart a day since then. I also made three loafs of this Strawberry Rhubarb Pecan bread, this Strawberry Summer Cake, these Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp bars, Strawberry Rhubarb Soda Syrup, Strawberry Lemonade, Strawberry Milk, Strawberry Popsicles, a few breakfast smoothies, and Roasted Vanilla Strawberries (recipe coming soon). I'm working on a revised post on what to do with strawberries, but you can check this one out in the meantime. You really can never have too many strawberries!

Bok Choy
I blanched this the day I picked it up so I could cook it quickly later in the week. We're using it for Fried Rice for tonight's dinner.

Lettuce
I had big plans to make lettuce wraps, but in the end, we ended up using this for salads. I had two lunch salads and then we made a huge salad for dinner. My favorite salad was this Steak Salad! I used lettuce and strawberries from this week's share, picked up some tomatoes and cilantro when at the stand today and made mango salsa to use instead of dressing. Then we topped it with a grilled beef strip steak from last month's meat pickup. The only thing that might have made it better was crumbled blue cheese on top. And maybe some pecans. Next time!

Radishes
I made radish butter with this bunch. It's so surprisingly delicious. I mixed the greens with some basil to make pesto and stuck it in the freezer for later use. For more radish ideas, check out this post on For the Love of Radishes.

Kale
I love this easy pasta dish because it comes together in no time. I altered it just a bit this time around, cooking 2 slices of bacon at the beginning, then using the bacon grease to cook some green onions and spring garlic (from my garden!) instead of leeks. I had picked up some seconds roma tomatoes a couple of weeks ago and slow-roasted them, so they were patiently waiting for me in the fridge. It's one of my favorite staples to have in the fridge, especially this time of year.

Using the rest of the Kale, some spinach and some seconds potatoes that were hanging out on my counter from a couple of weeks ago, I made these twice baked potatoes and stuck them in the freezer. We didn't have a chance to eat them this week, but it's one of my FAVORITE meals ... and I love being able to pull it out for a fast side or main course.

Parsley and cilantro - This went in my mango salsa for the Steak Salad.

Eggs - We go through at least a dozen eggs a week ... sometimes more. This week we boiled some to take to the beach with us, made a breakfast scramble with some, and used some in all the strawberry rhubarb pecan loaf that I made.

It feels good to be back in the swing of CSA-land. We can hardly wait for this week's pickup!

For the Love of Radishes

Radishes are what I call an "almost instant gratification" crop. You plant the seeds and the babies are ready to harvest in just a few weeks. It's really kind of amazing! My mom used to eat radishes right out of my Gramma's garden when she was pregnant with me, so it's no wonder that I just simply adore them. If you've never had one, go get some! They are super crisp, amazingly fresh, and have a peppery bite to them that will surprise you.

Radishes are usually grown during the cooler months, but they will grow all summer if you want them to. The greens are edible too - although they are kind of prickly, so I'm not a huge fan of eating them raw. Besides just eating them right out of the garden, here are a few of my favorite ways to use them up. 

• Slice them thin and put them on a salad. I love pairing them with whatever fruit is in season. The fruit is sweet, and the radishes are spicy, and it just ends up to be perfection on a plate!
• Make Radish Butter! I know it sounds strange, but it's so amazingly delicious on a big crust baguette. 
• Or if butter isn't your thing, make a Radish Dip. Mix 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with one small bunch of radishes in a food processor. Throw in a pinch of salt and a few basil leaves. You can dip crackers, pretzels, or other veggies in it. I brought this to a farm potluck once and it was gone within a matter of minutes.

And don't forget the greens! My favorite way to use the greens is making a pesto with them. It has a spicy, peppery flavor that is unique in pesto. you can spread it on crusty bread, put it out on a Bruschetta  platter, mix it with some hot pasta, spread it on chicken ... once you've turned your greens into pesto, the possibilities are endless! This Baked Ziti is one of my favorite ways to use up pesto.

You can also roast and pickle radishes, but I haven't found a recipe for either of those that I actually like. I think they taste best raw.

What are your favorite ways to eat radishes?

CSA Adventures: Springdell Edition

When we lived in Atlanta, we were part of a CSA at a small urban farm and we loved it. It challenged us to eat locally and seasonally and it transformed how we thought about food. We found ourselves stocking up extras and planning to make it the entire year without having to buy produce at the grocery store. I loved sharing our CSA Adventures here on Soul Munchies, and have missed that part of our life - so I am bringing it back to you with a new and improved series ... the Springdell Farm Edition!

We didn't have a CSA last summer, simply because there were so many farms around us and I couldn't choose one. As I explored the farms, I found myself going to one over and over again, so this year we jumped right in and are now proud summer, winter, and soon-to-be spring supporters of Springdell Farm in Littleton, Massachusetts. Beginning this week, we will get 95% of our produce, eggs, and meat for the entire year through their farm and local partners - and we can hardly wait to pick up our first share!

We chose Springdell because of it's variety and because of the size of the CSA. We like that they offer a Winter and a Spring CSA in addition to the common and popular Summer CSA. We love that the land they are on has been a farm since the 1700s, and has been in their family since the 1930s. I personally love that the main farmer is a young woman, not even 30, who grew up on the farm and now has made it her own. Her mom is the main meat farmer - and it makes my heart sing to support a farm run by a mother/daughter pair.

My own adventures in gardening here have taught me that farming is a real art here in New England, and I'm so thankful to have Springdell and its crew to feed my family ... since my crops are mostly feeding wildlife. We will pickup our Summer share on Thursdays, so I'll do meal planning and preparation over the weekend and check in here on Soul Munchies sometime on Sunday or Monday each week to show you what we picked up and how we are using it. I hope you'll come join the fun!

Easy Tostadas

It's been in the upper 90's around here the last few days - which is just crazy hot for New England. I'm not sure how we went from cold and rainy early Spring to super hot summer weather in a matter of days, but this Southern girl sure isn't going to complain about it!

Tostadas are one of my favorite easy meals in the dead heat of summer. I could eat Mexican-style food every single day of the week I think and never tire of it. When I'm not feeling in the mood for any real food, usually Mexican is what I end up settling on. I'm not sure why, but it is like my ultimate comfort food. So it's really no surprise that when I stared in the fridge today searching for something to eat, I came up with this. You can top your tostada with really anything you'd like - be as creative as you'd like!

Easy Chicken Tostadas

Ingredients (serves 1 hungry person!
2 corn tortillas
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 cup shredded chicken (I use leftover rotisserie or roasted chicken)
2 Tbsp salsa
1/2 ripe avocado
1/2 roasted red pepper, sliced
1/4 cup monterey jack cheese
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400. Rub both sides of tortillas with olive oil and place on a cookie sheet. When the oven is warm, stick the cookie sheet into the oven. After about 2 minutes, check the tortillas to see if they are brown on the bottom. You may see them start to bubble up - that's a good thing! When the bottom is brown, flip them over and bake them another 1-2 minutes or until golden and mostly crisp. They will crisp up a bit more once you take them out.

While your tortillas are heating up, mash your avocado with a fork and set aside. Mix chicken with salsa in a small pot on the stove and heat until warm. Alternatively, you can stick it in your microwave for a minute or so. 

When your tortillas are as golden as you'd like, pull them out and put them on a plate. Be careful - they will be hot! Spread 1/2 of your mashed avocado on top of each tortilla. Top it with your chicken and salsa mixture, roasted red pepper, cheese, and cilantro. Enjoy - and make it over and over and over again!

The Importance of Family Worship (and why we don't use the church nursery)

I've been thinking a lot about the importance of family worship lately. I've had conversations with so many parents who think of worship as "their" time with God. Week after week they leave their children in the nursery while they go to worship. If their children are old enough for Sunday school, they sometimes attend worship while their kids are in Sunday school - which means their kids hardly ever attend worship.This post was originally published in May of 2014, when we only had one child and were anticipating the arrival of our second. The words you find on this page are even more true for us today with two children than they were then. Because of that, I have posted it in its entirety without any edits.

It's a topic I thought about and discussed ad nauseum back when I was a full-time Director of Children & Youth Ministry. I was always trying to come up with ways to encourage parents to attend worship with their children, instead of without. But now that I'm a parent myself, it's become even more important to me.

Then today - I just happened to open the latest issue of The Lutheran magazine and found this article. It was, hands down, the best article in the issue. And it echoed so many reasons why I will always worship with my children - and will never use the church nursery.

Don't get me wrong - I'm thankful for church nurseries. The people that work in them offer a special ministry. They offer a safe, caring environment - and truly embody the love and ministry of Jesus Christ. And I totally get it - there are days when parents need that ministry more than any other.

I already shared with you one of the most important reasons we take our toddler to worship. There aren't many ways we can actually experience Jesus Christ through all our senses. Holy Communion allows us to do just that - to tangibly experience Jesus in a way that just isn't possible any other time in our lives. But it's more than that too.

It's the way she asks to say the Lord's Prayer and give thanks to God every night before going to bed.

It's the way she sings How He Loves and Happy Day at the top of her lungs no matter where she is or who is looking.

It's the way she wants to hold hands to pray before we eat dinner every night.

It's the way she dances to the music in that sacred worship space and says to us "Come on! Dance!"

It's the way she opens her Bible in the morning and says "Mommy, read Bible with me?"

It's the way she gets on her knees and folds her hands to pray during the prayers of the people. And how she screams "Amen" when they are over.

It's the way she reaches for the Communion wafer and dips it in the wine. And how she asks for more when she's finished eating it. Because don't we all really want more of Jesus?

It's the way she strains her neck to watch the pastor giving the Words of Institution. Just like her mama does.

It's the way she sings with the songs when I hold her close. She doesn't know the words, and can't read them on the page, but that doesn't stop her.

My two year old is an active participant in worship. Not only do we take her to worship with us every time we go, but we sit in the front row. We sit there because she can see what happens. It makes it easier for her to participate when she can see the musicians playing, the choir singing, the pastor preaching. She is probably a distraction to the people who sit behind us, but so far no one has said anything to us about it.

It's not always a typical worship experience for D & I - we often miss the point of the sermon because we're too busy trying to get A to sit still and whisper. We hardly ever actually hear the names of people that are being prayed for, because we're trying to make sure A doesn't fall off the kneeler. We sometimes miss pieces of worship because we have to sneak out for a snack (often sneaking the snack back into the pew with us as a bribery to her being quiet!)

For us, it's far more important that she experience worship with us than it is that we fully grasp the message of the sermon. It's important that she feels like she's a part of the community - no matter how young she is. It's important that she knows that worship is something we do as a body of Christ together - whether we really feel like being there or not. And it's important that she grows up knowing that the space where we worship is a safe, sacred, holy space. A space where we go when we need to feel God's presence the most.

Because one day she'll be old enough to make her own decisions about church. And when that day comes, I want her to feel such intense love for Christ and his church that she just cannot bear to stay away.

This post was originally published in May of 2014, when we only had one child and were anticipating the arrival of our second. The words you find on this page are even more true for us today with two children than they were then. Because of that, I have posted it in its entirety without any edits.

Photo Credit

What's Church Got to Do With It?

What's church got to do with it?

That's the question we've been wrestling with at church this Lent. And I have to be perfectly honest - I haven't been blown away by any of the possible answers.

For so long we have been searching for a church where we experience true community. A community of believers who really live life together - in every sense of the word. But I'm starting to believe that's an old-fashioned sense of what church is. That as much as I would like my close-knit community of people to be people I go to church with, it's just not going to happen.

So we've been struggling with church these last few months. Struggling with where to worship on Sunday mornings. Struggling with what we find to be most important when we attend a worship service. Struggling to find a balance between our deep longing for Christian community and knowing that no church really has it. At least not a church that we've been able to find in all of our searching.

Anyone who knows me well knows how frustrated I am with "church." Frustrated that we can't find a place that has good music, good community, and good theology all at the same time. In an honest attempt to let go and find where God is calling us, we've visited several churches over the last couple of months - all with different denominational backgrounds. And every single time we leave feeling like something is missing. Like that's just not the right place for us. Most often it's because they don't baptize babies or they don't have communion.

But this week - something happened that brought that Lenten study question to the forefront of my thoughts. The answer finally clicked in my head. Before I tell you what happened, let me give you a tiny bit of background. 

We bring our two-year old to worship with us. She's not always quiet - in fact, she's usually not - but it's important for us to worship as a family. She doesn't ever go to the nursery - and although we'll take her out for a cookie every once in a while to regroup, we never leave worship simply because she's rambunctious. 

Is it a lot of work? You bet. Do we worship the way we used to? Absolutely not. Do we sometimes get nasty looks when she's noisy. Yup. But we wouldn't have it any other way.

This past Sunday, as we got ready for church, she kept asking for "com-mune" (communion). In fact, she was so excited for communion she refused to eat breakfast - AND we were 30 minutes early. We reminded her that we have to sing some songs, say some prayers, and listen to some stories before we get communion. And like every other Sunday, she sang her heart out during the sermon, couldn't wait to kneel when it was time to pray, and asked for "more" when she was done eating her communion wafer. Every time it happens, D & I both tear up. Sunday, we looked at each other and said,

We can't leave this place. She loves it here.

And today, as we were listening to Pandora, David Crowder's How He Loves came on. She looked at me with her excited face and started singing ... How he loves! Oh he loves us! Then she proceeded to get on one knee, then the other, then both knees, saying,

One knee, other knee, two knees ... Like at church!

She went on to talk about praying and about communion and about cookies ... and I about lost it as I was folding the laundry. I just looked at her and said,

 That's right! That's what we do at church. We pray, we sing songs, and we get communion.

 This week, my precious toddler has answered that question for me.

 What's church got to do with it?

Church is where we go to pray as a body of Christ. Sure - we can pray in other places - but there's just something so holy about getting on your knees in that sacred place with so many other people. And perhaps most importantly for that toddler of mine - and for my husband and I - Church is where we go to receive Holy Communion. It's the place we go when we need to be physically fed with Christ.

In time, we may discover the kind of community we're longing for at church. Or, we may never find it at church. But we will most definitely receive the living Christ. And by receiving the living Christ each and every week, we are fulfilled and empowered to go create that community in the world around us.

This post was originally published during Lent in 2014. While many things in our life are different now, many of the things expressed in this post remain true for us today.

The Rainy Day List

We've seen A LOT of rain this Spring - more than a usual New England Spring, so I'm told - and I am SO over the wet and rainy weather. But in the spirit of celebrating the seasons as they are, I decided I had to find a way to embrace the cold and wet days. So last week, I came up with the idea of The Rainy Day List. I figured if we have a list of projects that we neglect when the weather is nice and we spend the day outside, we can embrace rainy days as a good way to get some of those things done. 

This morning, when we awoke to yet another cold and rainy day, my sweet A said, Mommy, can we make our rainy day list now? Excellent idea, kid. Excellent idea.

So we each got to choose something to add to the list. E chose to play in the basement with A. A chose to make cookies and to do bead art. I added laundry, make a curtain for the bathroom, paint the kids' table, and clean out the fridge. While we still have a lot of work to do in coming up with our true rainy day list that will include all the projects we can think of that need to be done - this was an excellent way to celebrate our cold and rainy start of summer vacation.

And if I'm really honest with myself, when I think of all the many things that can be done inside on a rainy day, I get kind of excited about the rain that is coming. I remember back to our last snow day, in April, when I was super depressed and 100% over New England weather. We decided to paint our bedroom - sure that it would be the last terrible weekend before a beautiful New England summer. And then we visited Georgia, where it was hot and sunny and oh-so-beautiful. And when we came back to New England in May, it was cold. And rainy. And I fell into a deep dark state of homesickness and longing for warm sunshine on my shoulders. And I forgot about the beauty that can come from tackling indoor projects while waiting for those beautiful New England summer days that you know are somewhere on the horizon.

So today we embark on our Rainy Day List. We're hanging it up, on the wall, so that whenever we are feeling depressed about the weather, we can stand in front of it and choose something to do that will bring us joy. Because we know beautiful weather is on it's way ... we just need to be a little more patient. 

What's on your rainy day list?

Discovering Purpose

For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. ~Ephesians 2:10

I take the albums off the shelf, one by one. Before putting them in the box, I just can’t resist cracking them open. Taking a stroll down memory lane. One in particular catches my attention. Letters from grade school teachers during a transition from one school to another. Three different teachers all had similar things to say…

She is always reading. Every spare moment she has is spent with a book.
Out of the 125 books in the classroom collection, she has read 95% of them.
We never see her without a book in hand.

And then I come across my 8th grade writing test results.

The scoring scale is from 175 to 260. This test score is 272.

I not only topped the chart – I surpassed it. In the 8th grade. Is it possible I knew myself better then than I do now??

I cant help but think about how God has prepared me to do his work since I was a small child. I was created to read. Created to write. As a very small child, I always had a book in hand. I self-published my first book – an autobiography – when I was in the first grade.

But somewhere along the way I got distracted. I no longer read for fun. I forgot to pick up my pen and paper. It wasn’t cool to always have my head in a book. I needed to make friends – to be popular – to be “in.”

And when I started finding that part of me - when I started to revive the creativity deep within my soul - I had babies ... and I was afraid my creativity was gone forever.

But recently I've been feeling that pull to create once again. A dear friend once told me that creativity does come back postpartum ... but that sometimes it takes a year or two. So here I am - two years postpartum for the second time - and I'm once again working to rediscover who God has created me to be.

It’s like discovering a forgotten gift that has been shoved to the back of your closet. You knew it was there – but you had so many other things to keep you busy. You just didn’t have time to find a place for it.

But when you discover it – when you unwrap it for the second, or third, or even fourth time – you begin to realize how God has placed it in your life over and over and over again.

For we are what he has made us …

God is constantly preparing us to answer his call. He’s constantly showing us tiny glimpses of who he has created us to be. Quiet whispers of what he has prepared for us.

And when we answer … when we finally say yes … it feels like all is right with the world.

It’s not always easy to say yes. It sometimes means turning away from those we love. It often means saying no to things we want. There are so many things left unknown. So many uncertainties.

And let’s face it – if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s often more difficult to say yes than it is to say no. Saying yes means a lifetime of being in the dark. But yet at the same time – a lifetime of living in a light brighter than anything we could ever possibly imagine.

And so I continue to stroll down memory lane. Remembering the paths I’ve taken and the people I’ve met. Recognizing God’s presence in each and every one of them. And realizing, in a very new way, that God knew who I was going to be before I was born. He created me to do great things.

And every day I uncover just a little bit more of what he’s got in store for me.

How are you discovering who God’s created you to be? What’s your purpose?

Photo Credit

This post was originally published at Bibledude.net. It has been edited ever so slightly to reflect a new stage of life since it was first written in 2012. Because life changes, but our purpose remains.

From the Garden: Easy Spring Salad

When I went to bed last night, the forecast for today was sunny with a high of 75. When I woke up this morning, it was cold, cloudy, and the forecast had changed to drizzle with a high of 68 and possible thunderstorms. WTF New England ... what is going on here? This is supposed to be the time of the year when we get to actually ENJOY your weather! I'm dreaming of beaches and lakes and sunny bike rides. 

My mood these days seems to be directly related to the weather ... and my food choices are pretty much directly related to my mood ... but today I vowed to rise above the weather and make today a good day. Our garden is finally producing a few things that we can eat, so I put my garden boots on and went outside for a look. In the midst of the cold and drizzle, I found the makings of a perfect spring salad for today's lunch.

Pea leaves - Our peas are just barely producing peas - more are on the way ... but did you know you can eat the leaves?! They make the best addition to a salad because they have a slight pea flavor to them. They add some sweetness, and if you - like me - are not so patient on waiting for your peas to arrive, they get you through these early days of the season.

Lettuce - This is a classic cool weather crop. We don't eat a lot of lettuce, but I'm so glad I planted a little bit. It's so pretty in the garden, and it's fast growing - so I always have something to pick when I'm wanting a taste of freshness!

Baby spinach - I planted a TON of spinach this spring, because I'm hoping to be able to freeze any excess for winter. Spinach is one of the best greens to freeze because it holds its flavor and color so well. This is our second harvest of spinach already this season, and it's so so yummy!

Arugula - I mostly grow arugula because I like using it in pasta dishes, but I also love the spiciness it brings to a fresh green salad. I really love using it on a taco salad - but that recipe is for another day!

Baby carrots - These grew all winter in our garden and I harvested them all just the other day. I'm not convinced growing carrots is worth the patience or garden space ... but I have them - so I'll eat them!

Oregano - Our plant is monstrous, so why not include it in a salad?

Cilantro - My favorite herb of all time. It only grows in cool weather, so I grow (and eat) LOTS of it during the early spring and late fall. It smells amazing, and adds the best pep to your salad.

Radishes - Maybe my favorite crop to plant, because it's as close to instant gratification as you can get. Plant a bunch of radishes, and 20-30 days later you have fresh roots and greens ready to harvest. Another great spicy addition to any salad on your table.

I also added some pecans (from our old yard in Georgia), some croutons made from old bread crusts that I keep in our freezer, and some strawberry slices and goat cheese I found in our fridge.

Food is quickly becoming my favorite way to celebrate these dreary days of Spring. Can you tell?