Brusha brusha

When I went to the dentist's office to have my teeth cleaned a few weeks ago, I took Teresa with me (David was working that day). I nursed her right before I went in and she played in her car seat for a while. When she started fussing the dental hygienist recommended I cross one of my legs over my other knee and hold Teresa in the pocket while the cleaning continued. It worked! Teresa was fascinated by the whirring equipment.

While we waited for the dentist to arrive and make his inspection, the dental hygienist gave Teresa a baby toothbrush with a fat, rubbery handle. She recommended I allow Teresa to play with the toothbrush even before she gets teeth to help her get used to it. Teresa took to it right away. Because the brush end is small, I have to supervise her closely to make sure she doesn't choke on it. She enjoys chewing on both ends, and I'm impressed by her coordination!

PS The dentist gave me another clean bill of (dental) health - no cavities, yay!

Third time's a charm?

Today David and I made an offer on a house. This is the third time we've completed offer paperwork since we started house hunting almost 2 and a half months ago. We never expected how time-consuming and energy-draining this process would be, nor did we realize how much we had to learn about real estate markets, home purchase financing, and so much more. But we've taken in stride some tough lessons, difficult decisions, and frustrating delays and now we're really, really, really hoping everything will go through for us to purchase this house. We feel great peace about it.

We're going to wait to share any details about the house and its location until things are more settled. But I wanted to post this news quickly and thank everyone for their prayers and understanding as we've searched for a home for our little family. We've let all sorts of things (including relationships) take a back seat during this time, so we're looking forward to getting back on track and picking up the slack soon (how's that for mixing idioms?).

Your support and continued prayers are greatly appreciated. God's will be done!

An unexpected Facebook friend

This morning I had an email informing me that someone had requested me as a friend on Facebook. Someone with the same last name as the Filipino boy I sponsor through CFCA . . . someone who looks a lot like Manuelito, too. Could it be? A message from the person confirmed it: my dear sponsee found me on Facebook. How's that for modern technology?

I shouldn't be too surprised, since Manuelito indicated in a recent letter that he's interested in studying computer technology at college (go him!). Apparently he goes by a different first name on Facebook - I sent him a message to get to the bottom of that. I can't understand most of what he and his friends have written to one another via Facebook since it's in Tagalog. But it's so good to see his pictures and know that he is mastering the tools available to him so that he can get a good job, be a blessing to his parents and younger siblings, and - hopefully - prepare to support a family of his own.

This unexpected event reminds me that my Facebook profile/presence should always be a witness of Christian virtue...I must be mindful of everything I share and what impression it might make on my friends (near and FAR) who see it.

Dairy-free, soy-free treats

I have a sweet tooth. I love desserts, especially chocolate ones. Since I've had to forgo foods containing dairy and soy for Teresa's sake, I've discovered just how prevalent those ingredients are, especially in boxed mixes. So many desserts - even those made from scratch - contain dairy...I challenge anyone to find a restaurant that serves a dairy-free dessert. Thankfully, I've found a few sweet treats that I can enjoy these days:

1. Enjoy Life chocolate bars

My friend Jennifer found these at Whole Foods: dairy-free, soy-free, and nut-free chocolate bars. She got me two different flavors: dark and rice milk. Both are excellent!! I've tried 2 other dairy-free, soy-free dark chocolate bars (by Dagoba and Green & Black's - both organic) and both were very bitter. But Enjoy Life's is not. Yum yum!


2. Purely Decadent "ice cream" made with coconut milk

During my mom's recent visit she treated me to a pint from Harris Teeter. I got the chocolate flavor and it was absolutely delicious. I like coconut milk in recipes, so the flavor in my "ice cream" doesn't bother me at all.

3. Made from scratch chocolate cake

I have a recipe clipped from an old magazine that doesn't call for dairy or eggs. It's so easy to put together and the results are moist and delicious. David spreads frosting on his pieces, but I don't think it's necessary. Here's the recipe:

Cinnamon-Chocolate Cake (12 servings)

2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
6 T cocoa powder
2 t cinnamon
2 t baking soda
3/4 cup oil
2 T white vinegar
2 t vanilla
2 cups water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Stir in oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water until well-blended. Frances tip: Grease a 13 x 9" baking pan with the excess oil from your measuring cup. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes until cake pulls away from side of pan. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

----

In putting together this post, I discovered that Enjoy Life also makes chocolate chips, so I may have to purchase a bag to try in our pancakes (made with rice milk). I've missed chocolate chip pancakes!! Now the only thing I need is to find a decent dairy-free brownie recipe. I've tried a couple and they weren't any good at all.

Teresa has something to tell you

Early June Teresa videos: Random

Teresa happy in Bumbo (up high) while Mama washes dishes:



Teresa fell asleep in Papa's arms:



Teresa all cute in her summer dress:



Teresa pulls paper off the table:

Early June Teresa Videos: Playtime

Teresa playing in her exersaucer for the first time:
(I think my conversation with David in the background is funny)



Teresa sucking on her exersaucer:



Teresa playing in her exersaucer after some practice:



Teresa fell over on her toy:

Grandpa meets Teresa

My dad came to visit Teresa for the first time last week. He got a lot of "big grins" out of her, as he called them.

Teresa also had some sad times while her Grandpa was here. Here are two videos from his visit:

Quick Housing Update

I haven't thought much about blogging lately, mostly because we're putting so much mental energy into the search for and choosing of a home to purchase. The seller of the Killingdeer house refused to come down much from his asking price, which we believe is more than the house is worth. My dad visited us earlier this week and I took him to see the house, which he confirmed is in need of much work. Therefore, we ended negotiations with the seller on Tuesday and returned to house hunting. I believe it is providential that we did not end up with the Killingdeer house...God surely has something better for us in mind. Now, if only we could determine what that is, and soon!

Here's an opportunity for you to help us: do you or have you ever lived in a house with one large living space? How do you use it? How do you keep it tidy (especially considering children's toys)? My second choice house has a split bedroom plan (master on one side and two other bedrooms on the other side) and a long great room with the kitchen off to the side. The great room has a window, a fireplace, and a sliding glass door to the backyard. There's a chandelier over the dining area, and the rest of the room is wide open.

David is wary of buying the house because he's not sure how we would configure and use the great room. Will doing all of our eating, sitting, playing, computer time/working, learning, and family prayer in one room build our unity as a family or drive us crazy?

What's in a (street) name?

Negotiations continue on our first choice house...we may have to walk away on this one. I am incredibly grateful I can trust God and my husband on this!

One interesting thing about this house is the name of the street it is on: Killingdeer. I Googled it to see if it is a reference to something else, but the only hits were related to that specific street. It is a unique name...with a somewhat negative connotation (although the hunters in my family probably find it amusing). I did discover that killdeer is the name of a bird, but the street is not Killdeer - it's definitely Killingdeer.

Which leaves me thinking: who comes up with street names? I've seen nice developments that go on themes; Camelot, for example, might have a King Arthur Rd., a Guinevere Ct., a Round Table Cir., and an Excalibur Ln. But when houses in an area are built at different times by different builders, who decides?

And here's another question: what would you like to name a street, or a set of streets in a development, if you could?

PS On our honeymoon in the North Carolina mountains, we drove by several dirt roads labeled Hicks. No kidding!

Photo Credit: kittyz202