8 months & still smiling

CRAZY!!!

Why does it seem that my life is CRAZY these days? It's not a bad crazy. It's just a really busy crazy. And a good crazy, really. This week we've had the fabulous return of the Jared and Candace family and the arrival of the Matthew and Rachel Ray family (with a 4 month old baby girl in tow). It's been absolutely wonderful having more people around...oh yes, Todd Will is visiting too, after just returning from a 6 week missions trip to Brazil (with New Tribes Mission). So I'm loving the company, catching up with old friends and making a couple of new friends. It's just that there's so much going on these days and the work load seems to loom a bit more.

We've been having some good community meetings lately, talking about issues such as -- dun-dun-dun -- the Vision of the Ministry, roles and responsibilites, new scheduling...These are all very big issues that take lots of thought and much discussion time. And we've also been starting to do outreaches again. Last week we went to Garberville to check out the Farmer's Market and cruise the town to see if there were any hippies around. Seeing as how we picked the hottest day ever, 110 degrees, there weren't many people out. But we've got some people going up to Arcata tomorrow with Iced Chai and homemade cookies (thanks to my dear husband who baked them in a 115 degree kitchen this afternoon).

Anyway, there are 3 lovely girls in my cabin now, ready and waiting to watch a girlie movie...The bottom line is, we're busy but really happy and my apologies for not blogging.

familiar droppings and an odd smell

My favorite thing to wake up to on a Saturday morning is a dead, rotting mouse in my storage bin under the bed. He must have led a somewhat contented life nestled in there because there are grains buried all throughout my clothes. I can imagine how nice it would have been, lying amidst my cozy winter scarf, storing food in my undies...and taking his last breath nestled in between my woolie socks and my soft cotton tee shirt.

Time to do some laundry.

figurine family

Ever seen the movie "What About Bob?" Well, it has been suggested, after discovery of our first family figurine, that each member of the Marc & Megan Hall family have his or her own figurine so that when we have heated arguments it will actually be our figurines doing the talking...

This is Marc's figurine, a cutout picture from his high school football days. (For those of you who don't know, he went on to play college football at Georgetown and was apparently quite popular. I've seen pictures of him signing autographs for wee fans.)

I'll let you know how this goes. If Dr. Leo Marvin believed it to be a useful method for conflict management, it must be good.

Why don't pregnancy hormones come with an "Off" switch?

It's funny, just the other day, as I was remarking that I haven't had any PMD's (pregnancy melt-downs) for a while, I felt it coming...like I was jynxing myself. Knock on wood. It came in full force: an onslaught of hormone-driven emotions. Only this time around, it's a little different. I'm definitely more sensitive (as usual) but more than that, I just feel blue. Whenever I'm not doing something, this feeling of sadness comes over me and I can't figure out what is causing it. Except for the alien that's taken my body hostage and is changing my brain chemistry.

In the meantime, Marc is still the best husband in the world, putting down whatever he's doing and listening to me talk about being sad for no reason (that is, after I stare at the wall with a really depressed look on my face for a while). I'm thankful for him.

I'm also thankful for my friends, who have so much grace and understanding. I just talked with my old roommate, Deb, from Chicago, who gave birth to her first baby 2 weeks ago. It's so nice to have friends that are experiencing exactly what you're experiencing at the same time. I have to give her serious props though, because Sam was 9lbs. 12oz. and she had a grueling labor (including back labor and pitocin, eeek!) I digress. My point is this: pregnancy hormones aren't my best friend in the world, but I'm so glad that I have great friends and family with whom to share this time in my life.

Marc's baby

We are so proud to say that the hostel renovations are coming to a close! Almost all of the detail-work is done and the only remaining project is to install the kitchen. You might think that this is a major step to renovating a house, and, it is. But we are just excited to see everything else finished up. We've all lived in one-room cabins without kitchens for so long that I'm sure Chinua and Rachel don't even mind that little missing detail. I'm proud of all the hard work that our guys have put into it, especially since none of them are professional builders. They've spent hours reading 'Do-It-Yourself' manuals and talking to hardware store employees. And now, their work is paying off! Chinua and Rachel have a hot shower and three rooms, 900 sq. feet, waiting for them. Yea!

The real reason why we have a new computer...

Well, if you've read Marc's blog lately you might be thinking that we are fortunate enough to have a computer because of my budgeting diligence. It is true that for the past 5 months or so we have been carefully budgeting, and because of my structured personality, I love it. But it's been harder for Marc to live within the confines of a budget, since he's more of a generous and free-spirit. So he deserves more kudos than I do for that reason alone.

Furthermore, we really wouldn't have this computer if it were only for my budgeting. Yes, saving money has helped, but in reality we have this computer because of the generosity of our Papa. God has used so many of our amazing friends and family to bless us with birthday gifts (beyond expectation!) and continued donations toward our ministry here at The Land...

But the real kicker is this: Picture it with me. (It won't be hard to do since so many of us have traveled this road) Marc and I get married last October. We register at BB&B and REI so we can acquire the type of wedding gifts that one-room cabin-dwelling, traveling couples need. Most of the gifts we receive from REI are for Marc: a hiking backpack, lightweight down sleeping bag, sleeping mat, and a lightweight 3 man tent...all of these things, plus all the other supplies needed to hike and backpack, became ours. We were so excited! I had been on many backpacking ventures with my dear friend, Laura, but Marc hadn't been yet. We could hardly wait till the spring so we could hike the Lost Coast together.

Then...pregnancy. Hey, we're flexible! We're excited. Of course, we'll gladly become parents (a little earlier than we'd planned, like 3 years earlier).

So this summer hits us. My belly is growing an inch a day, I'm eating every 10 minutes and laying down to rest every 20. It becomes apparent that we are not going to be using all that top-notch hiking gear. Not only are we not using it this summer, we're moving to Chicago this winter and we certainly won't be using it to hike around Lake Michigan anytime soon. So, sadly, and after a bit of mourning, Marc decides to return all the unused gear. This was a big deal. It wasn't just about cool stuff we'd gotten for our wedding. It was about huge changes in our lives, in a sense, the loss of freedom and mobility. For a man, giving up his sense of adventure and trading it in for stability and family is a complex and often difficult transition. Now, I KNOW that Marc is absolutely overjoyed at the fact that he is becoming a daddy. It would be worth trading in an entire REI store to hold his little princess for the first time, but I just want to acknowledge his selflessness and love for us girls.

Now, thanks to Marc and the REI return policy, we have a computer and the beginnings of our "moving stash." And that's the real reason why we have a new computer.

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.