• 11.07.2008 Banana Comfort
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    We often spend Fridays, our day off, with my husband’s parents.  Their home is a respite and retreat for us and the kids.  We stopped at the Farmers’ Market today on our way up to their house, hoping to purchase some green chile to roast on the grill.  Instead, I succumbed to an entreaty from a bunch of bananas and a box of vanilla wafers, promising to deliver the most comforting bowl of homemade banana pudding Mom would surely make for me with some coaxing.  Alas, no coaxing was necessary for my loving, gracious Mom-in-law to meet the fancy of my cravings.  Warm and soothing, with just the right amount of meringue to top it off, this is the best banana pudding on the planet…and I’m never given to superlatives!  Try not to drool on your keyboard…and just go and make some for yourself.  It’s that good.   Mom’s Banana […]

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  • 11.05.2008 change.
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    There is something about knowing that your life is about to be transformed forever that makes you either waste your time as if being unproductive makes you less accountable for what time remains…or raises you up and causes you to take notice of the many things to savor and relish that presently grace your life. I’m basking in the fact that I’ve chosen the latter today, and have found immense enjoyment in folding laundry with the boys, teaching on subject-verb agreement, getting up early, unloading the dishwasher, serving lunch to a friend, saying “I love you” more than I usually remember to, practicing forgiveness whenever the courtroom of my mind wants to start its session, and actively putting aside worry for the changes to come, and the anticipation of the unknowns.  The Lord is sufficient for all my needs today–and for that which is to come…any day now. “Therefore do […]

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  • 11.03.2008 Baby Sling For My Nephew
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    My sister-in-law, Abby, is due with her second (a boy!), in December.  She, my brother, and their little girl, Calla, have recently moved to Colorado.  I had the privilege of spending time with Abby this past weekend for a small, intimate baby shower I threw for her at my home.  Being so close to my own due date, I originally anticipated not being able to make her a handmade gift.  And yet, after checking out the Hotsling she registered for, I was inspired and compelled to sew my own version for my nephew.  (Really, how could I not give it a try?  But it’s the last thing I’m making for awhile…I promise!) Lest I take too much credit, there are many sites like this one that give instructions on the relatively simple process of sewing one of these baby slings.  The one I made for Abby is reversible, padded, and […]

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  • 10.29.2008 loss…and gaining a heart of wisdom.
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    Our last visit with Nai Nai in San Francisco, Fall 2006. Time stood very still for a moment tonight, as families left our house after Bible Study and children were put to bed, and I checked the messages on my phone at the end of a long day.  There was a message from my mother relaying the unexpected, but peaceful passing of my Nai Nai, my grandmother on my dad’s side, earlier this afternoon.  The news caught my breath, formed immediate acuity, and cluttered my mind with thoughts, all at the same time.  Yet it was not that I felt cheated, that gave me pause, for she had been given a much longer life than most.  Nor was it grief, as my hope lies in that her passing was a heavenly homecoming.  What caused everything to come into sharp focus in that moment was the reality that my grandmother–who fully […]

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  • 10.29.2008 Baby Shower
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    The ladies at church threw me a baby shower at my friend Gen’s, over the weekend.  It was an evening, appetizer party…yum.  And at my request, we played no games.  I’m more of a get-to-know-you, rather than a guess-this-kind-of-baby-food kinda girl.  I had a wonderful time, and was greatly blessed.  Now that I have diapers, newbie clothes, and all the essentials, we’re ready to meet this little boy! *most of my pictures did not turn out…but I thought I’d share them anyway…

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  • 10.27.2008 A Rustic Fall Dinner
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    {photo from Williams-Sonoma} We had a special group of friends over for a dinner meeting last week. As the temperature has dropped in the evenings here, it is now the perfect time for hearty, one-pot meals. On the menu was this delicious beef and stout pie I discovered in a Williams-Sonoma catalog. The pie was complemented by a cranberry-pear-pecan-and-feta salad, baked brie en croute with a cranberry-blueberry chutney, crusty bread, and mashed potatoes. Dinner was followed by an apple tart made with rum-soaked golden raisins. The meal was rustic, made only more charming by the warmth of good company. Beef and Stout Pie my version, adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen. Ingredients: 7 Tbs. olive oil 1 lb. white button mushrooms, quartered 2 cups chopped yellow onion 1 1/2 cups diced celery Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 3 1/2 lb. beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 cup […]

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  • 10.23.2008 Jokester
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    My four yr. old Liam’s acquired a new skill in telling jokes.  This talent is so befitting his personality.  He gets all of his jokes from his Grandpa, the master.  Here’s one of Liam’s favorites…check out the other post on my video pod in the sidebar!

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  • 10.22.2008 pumpkin pictures, with a dose of reality first.
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    I am really tired today.  After a fairly productive morning of homeschool, I ventured to Target for lunch with three boys and my very pregnant belly.  It was to be a special treat for all of us.  I envisioned fun times of stocking up on household supplies while sipping on Icees and munching bags of popcorn.  I pictured three happy boys and a momma glad to be out on a crisp fall day.  And yet, it was not so.  Lunch ended up mostly on my clean shirt.  Icees proved to be too much sugar.  And while the two big boys were content and obedient, little Judah made up for all the compliant toddlers in the store, and whined and fussed the entire trip around Target, crying to either get out of the cart or open all items to be purchased.  It is so hard to make a decision, compare prices, […]

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  • 10.21.2008 Busy in the Kitchen
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    Chef Judah requires himself to wear an apron and chef hat whenever he is working in the kitchen.  On the menu today: HOT chicken and fish with orange juice.  Mmmmm…He even washes his own dishes!

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  • 10.17.2008 hot…and heavy.
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    Being just about 9 months pregnant is not the time one usually strives to look hot for her husband.  I realize I speak very little about hotness at GraceLaced, but it’s about time I mention how appropriate and gracious it really is to make oneself lovely and attractive for the enjoyment of your husband.  It’s just a little humorous that I’m getting around to sharing about such a thing when I am not unlike a lightbulb, a drumstick, or perhaps a butternut squash (trying to be seasonal here). Troy said to me, the other night, as I got ready for bed: “Your belly is gorgeous.”  Somehow, the juxtaposition of the word “gorgeous” with an ever-growing, stretch-marked belly was unexpected, but inspiring.  Though I’ve been through this three other times, I still find myself feeling, on occasion, overtaken by an alien during pregnancy.  And, no matter how many times you’ve seen […]

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  • 10.17.2008 Connecting…
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    My blog has been discovered by a kind new acquaintance in the blogworld.  It is always a joy to make new connections.  Brenda, over at It’s A Beautiful Life, wrote a post about GraceLaced today. Here’s the link. Thanks, Brenda, for featuring my blog!

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  • 10.15.2008 Apple Cranberry Pork Chops
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    It’s been awhile since I’ve posted any recipes (or as I like to refer to them: approximate suggestions.)  I predict even fewer posts on culinary endeavors in the weeks ahead, so I should probably share something while I can! On my birthday, my husband and I had dinner at a quaint, but sophisticated little restaurant called Indigo Crow.  It is a new favorite for me after being introduced to it by my girl friends from Oak Grove.  The pièce de résistance was the Brie Encroute, an unbelievably decadent balance of baked brie, puff pastry, and apple cranberry chutney.  Naturally, I set about to recreating my own version at home, starting with the chutney.  The flavors here meld perfectly with my Apple-Thyme Pork Chops, so we served them together.  Simple–yet remarkably unexpected.  Enjoy! Apple-Thyme Pork Chops 4 or 5 1-inch thick center cut pork chops 2 Tbs. oil 1/4 cup apple […]

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