A shout-out to Elena and Rene'e

Now you can see why the belly is so big this week!

So, Elena and Renee, don't be jealous but this is what you think it is... homemade ice cream. You're familiar with Grammie Fraser's stellar down-home cooking, since most of the popular dishes I make originate from her, so you can just imagine what her homemade ice cream tastes like: pure heaven. And that's not all. The flavor, you ask? Coffee. Yes, coffee. This is the creamiest ice cream you've ever tasted and traditionally the whole family gathers 'round to "lick the paddle" when it's done. Marc is definitely enjoying many of our Fraser/Brackley traditions this week.

Not only have we indulged in homemade coffee ice cream, we've had homemade brownies, tollhouse chocolate chip cookies, ginger cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, homemade MAINE blueberry pie (Maine blueberries are the small wild ones that are far sweeter in taste than those big Michigan blueberries), blueberry muffins, homemade cinnamon rolls, the list seems to go on and on. Now, for fear of creating jealousy I pause to contemplate whether or not I should even mention the rest. I'll just say lobster rolls. That's it. We've had much more than that, but I don't want to cause a brother to stumble.

And tomorrow is the day that this sweet vacation is ending. It's been great to be with the family, especially seeing Marc my Aunt Valerie, Uncle Scott, and cousins Heather and Cody since Marc hadn't met them yet. We've had a lot of fun together and it'll be sad to leave, not knowing the next time we'll return. But next time will be very different!

Going back in time

Bear with me. I tried to post these pictures of Marc's birthday at the beach 2 weeks ago and Blogger wasn't cooperating...


The belly has grown significantly since May 25...


Marc's belly has grown significantly as well (just kidding)

Our first baby shower

Could I come up with a more boring title for a post? I think all this food and relaxation is destroying my creative writing skills. Or perhaps I didn't have many to begin with, but anyway, that's not the point. The point is: my Grandma is the best! She threw me a surprise baby shower this week! It was the sweetest family baby shower I've ever had (thus far) with relatives that I haven't even seen for a few years in attendance. And gifts in abundance! I think my Mom packed a whole suitcase full of gifts for the wee girl. I can't even express my sentiments regarding all of the gifts we got...I'm realizing that I AM turning into one of those proud Mommies who thinks that every little outfit is going to be the cutest thing in the world once it is adorning their precious baby. But, really, she will be the cutest thing in her new little Robeez (picture below) and baby Gap outfits. For those of you who don't know, Robeez are the most adorable little baby shoes ever invented. I haven't figured out how to put links on my blog, yet, but maybe I'll try to figure it out so you can all see what I'm shoutin' about. I thought about taking a picture of all the gifts spread out on the bed, but that's the moment I realized I'm turning into one of those Moms. So, I'm showing restraint and I'll post pictures of the Munchie IN the clothes.

Gram and Mom especially, thank you for treating us like the Queen and her Princess. We are so thankful for the amazing family we have and we don't take you for granted!


Great-Grammie Fraser, Grammie, Mama, and Auntie Heather


The Hostess with the Mostess


Proud Daddy reading "Pat the Bunny" to all us girls (don't tell him I told you, but he was at the shower the whole time, loving every minute of it-what a guy!)


I told him this stuff was for the baby, but...


The famous Robeez (which I did exchange for the purple ones with snails)

Eskimo Papa

This picture has nothing to do with our summer vacation in Maine (except maybe that this jacket used to be my Grandpa's), but I found it and just couldn't resist sharing it.

Sweet Potato Stew

The credit goes to my father-in-law, Steve, for this gem...

2 T. olive oil
2 c. finely chopped onion
2 T. minced fresh ginger
2 t. chili powder
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 1/2 lbs. red-skinned sweet potatoes (2 medium yams), peeled and cut in 1/2 inch pieces
2 c. orange juice
2 T. minced garlic
2 15-16oz. cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
2 poblano chilies, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

sour cream
avocado
orange wedges for toppings

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add ginger, chili, cumin and stir 2 minutes.
Add sweet potato, orange juice, garlic and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer until sweet potatoes are almost tender, about 10 min.
Stir in beans, poblano chilies and bell pepper.
Cover and simmer until chilies are tender, about 15 more minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with avocado slices, orange wedges, and sour cream. Polenta goes great with it too. Serves 4.

Canadian Oatmeal Bread

The long-awaited recipe:

Boil 2 c. water on stove.

Dissolve in 1/2 c. lukewarm water 1 t. sugar and 1 2oz. package cake yeast (or 3 packs dry yeast).

In a large bowl, mix:
1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. unsulfered molasses (Grandma's is best)
1/3 c. butter
1 1/2 T. salt
2 c. dry oatmeal
Add your 2 c. boiling water and dissolve butter.

Add 2 c. cold water. Let cool until lukewarm (lest you destroy your yeast).

Add yeast (which should have been growing).

Add 10 c. all-purpose white flour (2 c. at a time), stirring until you have to knead. Flour your counter-top for kneading and knead in 1/2 c. more flour. (You may need even more flour than 10 1/2 c., depending on the flour you're using. Grammie Fraser only uses Robin Hood...) Knead until dough isn't sticky anymore, but don't over-knead. (This is a delicate process!)

Grease the same pan you mixed the dough in (you don't even have to wash it) and allow the bread to rise for 2 hours or until doubled. It should be in a warm place to rise, preferable a warm oven (but not too warm) and cover it with a warm, damp, breathable cloth or towel.

After 2 hours, punch the bread down then flip it over. Allow it to rise another hour. (Covered and in a warm place)

Pull dough away from sides of bowl and cut into 4 or 5 sections (or do 3 loaves side by side in 9x13 pan). Shape the loaves and put them into 4 or 5 greased loaf pans. Cover with cloth again and allow them to rise 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Bake 35 minutes or until medium-brown on tops. Remove from pans immediately. Butter tops and allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes before eating.

As many of you know, this bread is at its absolute best straight out of the oven, slathered with lots of butter. But it's also great toasted with butter and jam. Enjoy! ...and don't be bashful about spreading the addiction! (We can all thank Grammie Fraser)

Lasagna

You'll start to notice a theme in the Brackley recipes...everything tastes better with a little cream cheese...

6-8 strips noodles
2 15-16oz cans Hunts tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1 heaping T. Italian Seasoning
1 clove garlic
1 red pepper
1 large onion
1 1/2-2 lb. hamburger
2 8oz. cream cheese (soft)
1-1 1/2 lb. mozerella cheese
parmesan cheese

Chop the onion and saute it in butter or olive oil until transparent. Add minced garlic and chopped red pepper at end, then add to sauce. Fry hamburger on high heat until brown and add to sauce. Simmer for at least 30 minutes.
Mix about 1/2-1 cup sauce to cream cheese to make spreadable.
In pan layer: sauce, noodles, mozerella slices, cream cheese mixture, sauce, noodles, mozerella, cream cheese, sauce. Make sure the last layer is sauce and sprinke generously with Parmesan cheese.
Bake 30 minutes at 350F or until cheese is bubbling on sides and browning in middle.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

For those of you who were around for Land Thanksgiving 2 years ago, these were the Cheesy Mashers...

6 potatoes (large)
1 16oz. sour cream
1 8oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter
milk
16 oz. cheddar cheese grated or chopped

As usual, boil your potatoes until soft, then add all the fattening stuff that makes it so yummy-carbo-liscious! You can sprinkle some of the cheddar on last for a cheesy top layer if you so desire.

Corn Casserole

This is one of the easiest and ever-popular recipes in history!

1 can creamed corn
1 can corn (drained)
1 stick butter (melted)
1 16oz. sour cream
1 box jiffy cornbread mix

Mix all ingredients together in pan and bake at 350F for 45 minutes. The top should be golden brown.

The day Sammie died

Well, our road trip last weekend was more eventful than I'd like to say it was. We decided to take Sammie, the cutest sandy-blonde pet rat you've ever laid eyes on, to Sacramento with us. Whenever we stopped, we toted her around on our shoulders ignoring signs at stores like REI that said, "Please leave your pets outside." It's not that we're that attached to her; it's just that she's been very sick since we gave her a flea bath 3 weeks ago.

Apparently the active ingredient in the SMALL ANIMAL Flea Treatment (specifically designed for mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc.) can cause an allergic reaction in your small pet and they can DIE. Isn't there a warning on the label, you might ask? No, only small pets, happily enjoying their new flea-free existence. The sad thing is that my wonderful hubby conducted the treatment in my absence because he didn't want to subject me and Munchie to any unnecessary chemicals. We all know that it is in no way his fault, but I think that he felt somewhat responsible for her.

We noticed that she wasn't feeling herself: decreased appetite, very sedentary, weight loss. It was a sad day, but we held out hope that she would recover because she'd seem a bit better and then take a turn for the worse again. We ended up calling the pet hospital in Arcata. Thankfully, they determined our case was an emergency and put me through to the vet on call, who told me to bathe her 10 times so as to completely cleanse her fur of the cursed flea treatment. We had a little bathing ceremony, blow-dried her, and served her up fresh fruits and veggies. I hope she felt pampered.

We thought she was in full recovery, but as the days went by, we noticed she wasn't getting any better. Then the day came, while we were in Sacramento, when I knew that she was indeed dying. Our poor little Sammie had to spend her last hours driving back through winding mountain roads, being tossed about ferociously. I felt so sorry for her and tried to hold her, but she just wanted a dark little corner. Anyway, I'll spare you the rest of the gory details. But I do want to give props to Renee who was her faithful backseat buddy the whole time. She didn't even mind riding next to Sammie's little lifeless body so we could bury her at home.

That's our sad tale of the pet-killing flea treatment.

The best 26th birthday ever!

The birthday rundown...Marc was an absolute sweetheart yesterday! He didn't get cranky when I woke up at 6:15AM, ravenous with hunger and having to eat a bowl of cereal in bed. He was the best. He just woke up with me, cuddling and giving me back-tickles (my favorite!). He gave me the new Matisyahu CD that I've been wanting and we spent the morning taking it easy, packing for our trip to Sacramento. He even made me pancakes for breakfast (second breakfast, that is).

Renee rode over to Sacramento with us on our liesurely 5 hour drive. We listened to lots of fun music from her Ipod, including Irish celtic music and 80's mixes. As soon as we got here, we headed straight for the mall, as any birthday girl does. We hit a couple of maternity stores and I found a great bathing suit which I can't wait to wear (well, my thighs can wait, but my belly can't).

Marc had made reservations at Lucca, a nice Italian restaurant dowtown Sacramento, so we had a bit of time to shower and relax before heading out for dinner. Aparently Arnold frequents Lucca, but he missed the memo about my birthday yesterday. Oh well. After dinner Marc took me to Scott and Devon's house where they'd hosted a big barbeque for all the Prodigal Project crew. Elena had secretly baked me the cake I wanted...my mom's red velvet cake without the eggs (she mis-wrote her recipe when she copied it down in Jr. High) She also made homemade coconut ice cream, which was pretty much to-die-for! I got lots of chocolate and some almond lotion and lots of cards and moolah.

Thank you to everyone who made my 26th birthday a gem...especially Marc, Elena, Jessie and Levi (for hosting us and even buying us the cutest denim jacket from Baby Gap), and of course my parents, gosh...I feel like I'm at the Oscar's. Thanks to everyone who made my day special, you know who you are!

Ode to Lavonne

Lavonne, you are the Mom that everybody loves. Of course, our mothers could never be replaced, but you do a fine job of standing-in when we are miles from our own moms. You're always so easy-going...I don't know how you do it, really. Your house is always clean (despite your belief that it isn't). You always welcome drop-in visits, no matter what you're doing, or even whether or not you happen to be home! I don't know that I've ever known a home besides my own where I could drop in any time, take a shower, do a load of laundry, or even fix a snack without feeling wierd. I remember when I'd just met Laura and started coming over Sundays & Mondays for my day off. Even though she went to work Monday morning, I still felt totally at home, whether or not I was eating breakfast burritos with you or hibernating in the guest room. You know how to have the perfect balance with people: if they need space, you give them space, if company, then company. Thanks for teaching us all the value of hospitality and generosity. I'm sure I can safely say, on behalf of all your adopted kids around the world, we love you and wish you the happiest of birthdays!

O happy day, Rachel's birthday!

Today is the day that my dear friend Rachel turns 26. Just to let you know how dear she is to me, she's the kind of friend that I go to when I'm having a pregnancy meltdown. She can easily sympathize. She knows it's not the end of the world, just like I do, but she's still compassionate and reminds me that I'll feel differently when I come out on the other side. She gives me some of the best marriage advice, especially because we live with the same external stresses: community living, ministry oriented, simple cabin-dwelling lifestyle, and the gift of pregnancy within 2 months of marriage.

I just want to say that I am a happier, healthier wife because of her friendship. Thanks, Rachel.

Now, just to clear up a misunderstanding from the petting zoo entry...We do not have cockroaches. I was quoting Erin Brochovich when she said, in regards to her cockroaches, "Do people actually live like this?" Also, the carpenter ants are dwindling and there's no sign of the flying females anymore, thank goodness!

Lastly, soon I will compose an entry of famous Brackley recipes: corn casserole (aka-corn stuff), cheesy mashed potatoes, and probably the Oatmeal Bread (I just have to check with Grammie to see if it's a secret family recipe). Yes, I grew up in a carbohydrate addict's heaven. And although the raw-foodist in me hates to admit it, I truly love spreading the addiction.

The latest pictures of Munchie...

The petting zoo in Cabin C

Marc and I didn't expect to have so many little critters living with us when we moved into Cabin C. In fact, only one of them is really welcome, and that's our dear little Sammie (a sandy-blonde mellow rat). Usually everyone has some kind of run-in with unwelcome invaders such as rodents, insects, and pests of all kinds. I just didn't expect them to move into our home all at once...

Honestly, they've been arriving at different times. First, the mice came to feast on our buffet of fresh fruits, dried fruits, nuts, and ALL of my dehydrated camping food (stashed in the closet). You learn, especially after living at the Land for any amount of time, NOT to leave any type of food out that can be chewed through and eaten by mice, because they WILL leave no stone unturned. We quickly determined to shut down the buffet and put all dried goods in mason jars as well as stocking up on mouse traps (sorry for those of you hippie-types reading this who believe in the live-traps...we want revenge on those little guys! They even invade our bed and leave little poops on our pillows; now that's wrong!). All winter long, we've caught mouse after mouse and yet they still haven't learned their lesson. Just yesterday I found one running around in the closet when looking for my old chuck taylors.

When the warm weather arrived, so did the carpenter ants. At first I thought we had 2 species of insect invaders, because the females don't look a thing like ants: they have wings and fly. ick! Marc found some old ant traps around the Land, so we opened up about 18 of those suckers and put them around our bathroom. Then Elena announced one day that she, too, had carpenter ants and that only specific types of traps get rid of them. Even then, you only see about 8% of the entire colony so it often takes weeks to kill the colony. The best thing to do when you're fighting a full-scale attack is simply to vaccum them all up. So, needless to say, our vacuum cleaner has been a permanent fixture in our bathroom for about a month now. At one point, I had a pregnancy meltdown and cried on Marc's shoulder hearing those famous words from Erin Brochivich (in regards to her cockroaches), "Do people really live like this?!" It just seemed too much to be flicking one off my shoulder only to find another on the clean bowl that I just want to eat cereal out of...Is that too much to ask?

And finally, the last, and I think the most exciting new pet that we have is a tree frog. ...You're relaxing in the hot shower after a long day of work, when you happen to peek out of the shower curtain only to see a little green frog on the bathroom floor. Hmmm, must be a prank. "Hey babe, what's that frog doing in our bathroom? Ha, ha, ha..." "I guess he's just coming to say hello." Oh. So he didn't put a toy frog in here to freak me out? Upon closer examination, I realize that this frog is indeed living and breathing, most likely enjoying the way the steam treatment opens up his pores. ...Frogs are a little harder to catch than mice or ants, so he's escaped us a couple of times, but to be honest, I don't think I mind him so much. A frog isn't quite the pest that mice and ants are...

It's a good thing to keep a sense of humor about the little things, and they really are little things.

Marc's birthday picnic at the beach

the bellies

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

I just wanted to write a quick entry (because I'm in the middle of baking Grammie Fraser's famous Canadian Oatmeal Bread and Elena's Pumpkin Coconut Soup for dinner)...

I've been so blessed lately through this blog. First, my dad must have really felt my pain as he read about our dilapidated printers because he actually bought Marc and me a new laser printer! What a sweet dad I have. No more disastrous printer stories to look forward to.

And just after writing the entry about my birthday dilemma, Levi's wife Jessie wrote a comment, offering for Marc and me to stay with them in Sacramento for the Whole Earth Festival. The crazy thing is that we hardly even remember each other. I think we met 2 years ago when I camped out there with about 15 other crazy hippies from Prodigal Project. How random for her to read my blog, which she found through Rachel's blog, and then to offer their guest room to us. It's been a sweet reminder that the Lord really will provide for us according to our needs. Thanks for being so random and cool, Jessie!

Just to top it off, today is sunny and 74 degrees, with a forecast of sun, sun, and more sun, reaching up into the 80's! It's finally coming! Yea for summer (and homemade Oatmeal Bread)!

me & hubby

May 12 dilemma...

First, I want to say that I married the most wonderful man on the planet. Today is our 6 month anniversary and he gave me just what I wanted: a rock. I've been saying for weeks now that if you get paper on your 1 year wedding anniversary then surely a rock would be appropriate for the half-way-point. And I'm not talking about a diamond, for all you girls who are hearing the song "Diamonds are a girl's best friend" in the back of your mind. I really and truly mean a simple rock. So this morning, while he patiently waits for me to primp for church (since it's warm enough to actually wear a cute outfit), Marc picks out a nice melon-sized rock and tells me that he's going to carve it for me. I can hear you all now, awww. I know, I picked a good one.

Now, the real reason I'm writing is because I need your help. I have a birthday dilemma. This year, my special day happens to fall on the weekend of the infamous Whole Earth Festival. Every year we attend this festival and enjoy gathering with numerous local hippies from Northern California. It's a great family atmosphere: lots of fun music, drumming, great food, and hands-on workshops to learn skills like belly-dancing, bio-diesel, and building with cobb. It's free, so it's one of the easiest festivals to attend. Not only do we enjoy all of the aforementioned activities at Whole Earth Festival, but festivals like this are some of the easiest ways to connect with the traveling kids that we reach out to. In reality, it isn't just a fun festival, it's an outreach opportunity.

When I've been to Whole Earth Festival in the past, we all took our tents and camped out in our friend Levi's backyard. It wasn't all that bad, seeing as how he had a pool, hot tub, and guest-house for families to stay in. We had a total blast, fire-dancing and juggling, swimming and barbequeing. But, sadly, Levi doesn't live there anymore so this year we are spreading out and finding places to stay at various friends' houses in Sacramento. I totally love our friends in Sac-town, but you'd have to see their itsy-bitsy houses to understand: they don't realistically have room for families. (They pretty much have one bedroom houses and their toddlers sleep in hallways or closets) You could put an inflatable mattress on their living room floor, but then their toddlers and babies are light sleepers so you have to be very quiet until they get up. Not to mention the fact that we have a couple of single people who are hopefully going to be able to stay with them.

So the first part of the dilemma is that I don't foresee a very comfortable place for us to stay. And the second part is: I feel like a princess on my birthday and I want to be treated like one. I admit, this attitude makes me feel very selfish and I totally slip into comparison mode: Rachel celebrates her wedding anniversary at a festival every year and she doesn't complain a bit. Despite the fact that Rae and I always talk about how destructive it is to compare yourself to other people, I always fall into the trap! So the bottom line is: I am not very excited about spending my birthday on the road to Sacramento, celebrating with who-knows-what kind of dinner (with our friends or not?) and then sleeping on someone's couch, floor, or in a tent in their backyard.

Now, we could go to Steve and Louise's for my birthday (which is also Mother's Day weekend). That would be great. But then would we drive 3 hours the next day to Sacramento for the same sleeping dilemma? Or would we skip the whole festival? (I would feel extremely selfish) I think that I just want to go out to a nice romantic dinner with the love of my life (and have a comfortable, private bed to sleep in). Is that too much to ask? Probably not.

Do you know what I think the real dilemma is? Now that I'm married and pregnant, I am becoming more high-maintenance. I know I was usually the most high-maintenance girl on tour, because I was always the one to ask if we could spend a few extra minutes at the truck stop so I could take a shower every few days. But it's definitely gotten worse since that blessed day, October 23rd. I just don't seem to have the grace to sleep anywhere, go without showers for days on end, or have no privacy. And that bothers me, mostly because of the dumb comparison game again. It seems like most of the married people here don't need as much time, privacy, and amenities as I/we need. Anyway, I don't know what I'm asking for. Ultimately it is our decision as to how we will spend May 12, but maybe I just want a bit of advice, wisdom, or encouragement. Tell me if I'm being selfish or if I just know my needs and my boundaries. It's a tough call, but I'm open to your thoughts...