A quote...

Believe me, every heart has its secret sorrows, which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.

-Henry W. Longfellow

Look at me knit!

Miranda and I have been spending as much time as we can knitting lately, and Lilyann just cannot be left out! She went and found her own yarn and knitting needles, and before we knew it she had joined us on the couch.

Apparently beginning knitting involves using your toes too!

Way to go with those knitting needles Lilyann! (I have a photo of her the last time we were eating out at a chinese restaurant that looks just like this, just substitute the needles for chopsticks!)

Hard at work. She was intensely working away, just trying to knit like mommy and big sis!

What a girl! Knitting has been a fun, relaxing hobby. DH got a new scarf for Christmas, and I am now working on another one. I have plans to give out lots of hand knitted items for Christmas next year. Lilyann won't be far behind me if she keeps this up!

Love this Lentil soup!

This lentil soup is the BEST! It had the best flavor ever, and it is so healthy! It makes a nice big pot, and so yummy on a cold winter day! I felt so good feeding this to my family. The girls asked for seconds! So, here I will share the recipe.

Best Lentil Soup

2 lg. onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 celery ribs, chopped

3 carrots, chopped coarse

1 tsp. curry

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

5 C. water

5 C. chicken broth, or veggie chicken broth

2 tsp brown sugar

2 T. ketchup

3 C. chopped canned tomatoes

2 C. lentils, rinsed

1. Cook onions in small amount of water over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic, celery, and carrots. Add water as needed while sauteing.

2. Cook vegetables 10-15 min., until softened.

3. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer 2 hours or until lentils are tender.

Enjoy!!!

"Mama, play ball!"

Lilyann is talking!!! A couple of months ago we had a speech therapist I work with come in and start working with Lilyann, since she was just not getting past her one word phrases, and her speech didn't seem to be progressing. DH was a bit more concerned than I, but I agreed to some short term intervention. Within a few weeks she started stringing together two words, and now she puts many 3 word sentences together! "Mama, play ball!" is one I hear a lot. I also hear, "Mama, I hung-ree" quite often. It is really cute! You can see her little mind going when she is trying to think of what it is she is trying to say, but she just can't find the words! She is trying hard, and we usually can't get her little jabberjaws to stop most of the time and I have to have her take a quiet time, just so I can rest my ears a bit! I can tell from here on out, life is going to be interesting, as the world of words and phrases is opening up for her!

Yummy Candles!!!

I am spending some free time tonight looking online for candles. I love candles! I love to have them burning all throughout the house. I love the warm glowing look of them, the scents, the diverse types and styles there are. I love the grubby ones, the bakery style, votives, tealights, and jar candles. I just love candles! They come in every scent you can imagine, and of course, I love the food scented ones best, like Grandmas apple pie, spice cake, carmel pecan sticky bun, vanilla, and warm cinnamon buns. I would even love to make my own candles some day. I was looking at so many of these candles tonight, that I found my mouth watering. I got so hungry that I was fantasizing about eating a huge cinnamon roll with warm icing ooozing down the sides. Mmmmm! I couldn't take it any more, I ran to the kitchen and made myself a mug of hot cocoa with mini marshmallows! That helped...now I am off to find some to actually order. I am thinking that the soy candles might be best, they are said to be healthier to burn, and most people use cotton wicks, which is better too. I also love that I can get them from people that are making them at home, so I can support someone who has their own little business. Oh, and if you know of any that you love, please leave a comment or email me, and share!

I'm a big girl!!

The other day I had placed a bunch of kids books on the couch for Lilyann to read, as you can see in this photo. I came back into the room about 5 min. later, and found her deeply engrossed in one of my husbands seed/gardening catalogs. Why read a fun kids book, when you can read a gardening catalog? I find her doing this often. She seems to like our books, catalogs, and magazines much better than her own!

One spoiled pup!