Autobiography of a Mom

I've been reading past blogs, and am - once again - thoroughly enjoying my own writing. It's hard to be humble, when all you can think is, 'That's hilarious!'
It was an inspirational experience, to say the least. And so, I decided to blog again.
I tried to remember why I had stopped.
It wasn't hard;
I stopped because I was too busy being a mom.
Well, then. That would be the end of that, wouldn't it. It will be years. Twenty or thirty or fourty fabulous, mothery years before I blog again. Babies, I'm all yours.
In the meantime, perhaps I shall change the title of this blog to 'Autobiography of a Mom,'

just so no one is surprised by the lack of posts.

Christmas 2012

Baptism

Esther was baptized last Sunday night. A lot of my family came to the service, which was nice, and Esther wore the dress that I was baptized in, a million years ago. I like to think that she will be 'standing on my shoulders;' having the heritage of faith that I have, and growing beyond that. Surpass your mommy, Esther!

And She's Here!

Esther Johanne... 7 pounds of pure Horsman.

Third Trimester Triple Chocolate Brownies

Foremost in my mind, of course, is the fact that I have only 3 weeks to go until my due date. Some days, it can't come soon enough, as I struggle not to complain about my aching bones and sleeplessness. Other days, like today, I don't mind a bit. I slept through the night last night (a victory already), and I'm feelin' fiiine.



It may be the triple chocolate brownie I just ate, though. There is more caffine in these brownies than you might expect. Whenever kids want a piece, I warn their mothers. They never believe me, but I always try.


One day last week, as I stumbled out to the van, dreading running errands and doing laundry, I decided that, in their place, stimulants like coffee and chocolate are not bad at all. It's not as if I rely on them for daily life. And so I made these.

3rd Trimester Triple Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup AP flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup President's Choice Decadent Chocolate Chips (major source of caffine)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350*. Grease a 9x9 inch pan.
2. Mix first 3 ingredients, beat in eggs.
3. Combine dry ingredients (except chocolate chips), gradually add to wet ingredients.
4. Mix in chocolate chips, pour into pan, and bake for 20-25 min.


Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup icing sugar
2/3 cup cocoa

Blend.
Then add:

1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp hot coffee

Mix it up some more, and spread on brownies.

Seven Weeks Left!

The Pinch

Some people find that having less money than average is hard. They wish they could afford those jeans for their children. They buy all the pink sticker items at Superstore, even if they don't usually eat 12 cucumbers in a week. They drive 20 minutes across town to buy 20 cans of the tuna that is on sale at 4 for $3. That's a savings of at least 15%, you know. They feel the pinch.

I've been discovering this attitude lately. A few people very close to me grew up with very little, and knew it. "Being poor" was always a restricting factor, to hear them talk. They remember scrimping and saving to buy the things that everybody else seemed to be able to buy easily. Life was hard, and would have been easier if they had just a little more money.

Seeing this attitute at work made me realize one thing. I can't think that way.

For me, frugality is a sort of game you play, even if you don't have to. You buy on sale, trying to make the grocery money stretch as far as possible, even if there is lots to spend. You rejoice when Lindor chocolates are marked down after Christmas. You make your curtains yourself, re-purposing fabric from another project. Your coffee table used to be something else; you're not sure what, but the top was only 4$ at Value Village, and the legs were on an old side table someone was giving away at just the right moment. Your favorite shades are sometimes someone else's mis-tints. You "buy used, and save the difference," as Michelle Duggar says.

And all the while, you feel terribly thrifty, honing your money-saving skills every chance you get.
Life isn't about how little you have, it's about how much you can do with what you do have!
Don't pinch me.




Does anyone care that the dress was borrowed? She's fabulous!