Cooking Adventures

One Sabbath we decided to embark on a new cooking adventure as a family: homemade bagels and cream cheese.

Since the store hasn’t carried cream cheese in over a month, I set to scouring the internet for a realistic cream cheese recipe based on our Mozambican ingredients.

The older three girls began making bagels while I researched. They’ve grown accustomed to making batter from scratch and felt confident in their ability to prep the bagels in boiling water like we do when we make homemade soft pretzels.

Then while the bagels baked, Rachael, Abi and I went to the store to buy heavy cream and UHT shelf whole milk (that’s the best shot at milk that we have here).

Upon our return, we brought the milk and heavy cream to a boil and added lemon juice to separate the curds and whey.

We used a handkerchief as a cheese cloth and squeezed out the excess whey, while pouring cold water over the curds.

On the side, we also heated up some frozen strawberries (our “worth it” big buy once a month) and mashed them as a mix-in to part of the cream cheese. We mixed it to taste at the table, leaving it a tiny bit watery (we just had to fit in all the strawberries we cooked), but full of flavor.

To the “hand mixer thing” we went for the final stage of whipping air into the cream cheese with an added dash of salt. I also put in a dash of sugar for the littles’ enjoyment. 😉

We took turns mixing the thick cream cheese, adding back in a bit of the whey (oops, we were too efficient) to make a creamier cheese spread and to give our biceps a bit of a break. Ha!

Breakfast was served some two hours later (with the store trip in there). It was a WONDERFUL little “taste of America” and it was a fun family bonding time too.

Abi even made us a peanut butter banana smoothie to top off our breakfast 🙂

We’ve discussed making bagels again during a bulk cooking day and freezing them for future spoiling opportunities. 🙌🏼 Though I’d be really happy for the store to start carrying easy cream cheese again. 😝

Now on to washing the dishes… 🤦🏽‍♀️😂

September 27, 2021 0

Year 12 Has Begun!

To my sidekick,

6a lap swim during the summer couldn’t keep you down.

To my dominator of crossing cultures

Portuguese school immersion couldn’t hold you down!

To my little bug

And my wild chatter-box

How you’ve found such contagious joy in life

To my deep investor

To my delighter in life

To my encourager of the small

Always keep looking down for a hand to hold.

To My reader, my discoverer, my delighted learner

Keep getting lost in the next adventure.

🎉Happiest of birthdays, my Rachael!🎉

May year twelve bring you just as much love, delight and sheer life as ever before.

Love you to pieces, Rachael.

And I’m so honored to get to be your Mommy.

Even if the time has flown way too fast!

January 5, 2021 2

Eleven

In some ways it makes total sense and in some ways it completely baffles my mind:

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How is this kid 11 today?!!

Rachael,

Your birthday this year was spend decorating your own cupcakes, opening a few wonderful gifts, and going to the local restaurant that has swings for dinner (fries and Fanta, anyone?). It was a simple and joyful time celebrating your gentle, thoughtful, loving self. We adore you, kid, and the joy you bring to our home. Thank you for taking long walks with me just so we can talk about anything under the sun, thank you for caring for those younger than you so well, daring to serve when it’s not easy. It is a joy being your mommy and an utter delight to get to encourage you as you learn and grow. So to my always curious, book devouring, self-motivated, Scripture memorizing, anatomy and physiology study exploring, craft project delighting, ukulele strumming, now harmonica blowing, 10k run conquering, living room dancing, lego constructing, Portuguese mastering, culture crossing, little kid including, patience yielding, heart-felt serving, conversation contributing, smile causing adventurer:

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🎉Happiest of birthdays, sweet Rachael.🎉

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Daddy and I love you so much and are so honored to be your parents.

We cannot wait to see what year 11 has in store for you, sweet girl.

January 5, 2020 1

And Then We Have a Nine Year Old!

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This amazing little girl turned NINE yesterday surrounded by our adopted overseas family.

The children’s department made much of our birthday girl throughout the day

and then there was much rejoicing as she enjoyed a piece of ice cream cake in the evening among friends.

She had counted down the days and her radiant smile throughout the day was nothing but contagious.

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Rachael,

I could not be more proud of you. Your heart is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. How you gently care for the little ones that flock around you is just amazing to watch. Your kindness, your gentleness. You see even the smallest ones and long for all to be included. You graciously listen when others just pass on by and you are always willing to offer your arms to help embrace another. Your laugh is contagious and your joy radiates. How you go out of your way to speak well of others, even if they have not been kind to you. How you see the best in people. How you long to honor others in speech and actions. I am just so incredibly blessed to get to be your Mom.

Thank you for daring to embrace people from other cultures, even when it’s messy and hard. Thank you for daring to listen to others when you are not sure if they will stop to listen to you. Thank you for being so willing to offer reckless abandonment hugs to any and all who will receive them.

You lead your sisters so beautifully well. You care for the inner hearts of people, even when it costs you time and tears. You just love so incredibly well, holding nothing back and offering all that you have. You are such an example to me, Rachael, and you encourage me so by just being you.

So here’s to a wonderful year ahead, my dear Rachael. I absolutely thrill at the opportunity to watch you grow and take flight in our Lord. Oh how awesome it is to get to cheer you on as your beautiful heart grows in the Lord.

I just adore you so, Rachael. Happy, happy ninth birthday, Love. And thanks for letting me still call you my baby. =)

Love,

Mommy

P.S. Stop telling people you only have 4 more years until you’re a teenager. Mommy’s heart can’t take it. 😉

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Happy 9 years, sweet Rachael. You are an absolute blessing to our little pack of foreigners.

January 6, 2018 2

The Big 07!

Someone fantastic turned 7 years old yesterday!

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Prior to her birthday, Rachael celebrated with Matt’s side of the family with a cookie cake and blessings from Aunt Ellen and the gang as well as Grandma and Grandpa. Rachael was thrilled to receive an origami book (we’ve already made a butterfly together) and a Snow White doll. Rachael also received two awesome packages in the mail the day before her birthday.

One from her (Great) Aunt Greer revealed a beautiful prairie bonnet that will protect her little head from the future African sun.

And the second package came from Aunt Jes. What was inside? None other than Laura Ingalls Wilder herself. 😉

Rachael is one HAPPY and BLESSED girl!

On her birthday, it was a more normal one with homeschooling, house chores, and a quiet night in. As an added surprise, Rachael got to skip any one subject in homeschool for the day that she desired, so Grammar got the boot. Hehe.

And as per tradition, she got to pick out dinner. This year she wanted to have a candlelight birthday meal so I decked out the table in celebration.

And guess what we ate via Rachael’s choice?

Soft tacos, mashed potatoes and root beer. =) Not all blended of course. 😉

After a giant cupcake happily split amongst all of us, Rachael picked the first Ice Age movie to enjoy her birthday evening. My favorite part of the whole evening is a toss-up between sharing things we like about Rachael’s character at dinner time (though the preschool crowd comes up with some random things) and watching Rachael lose it in hysterical laughter at the stinky diaper scene when the Ice Age characters are trying to figure out what the baby needs. She DIES laughing during that scene at their utter panic as they fumble about to stop the crying baby. Hehe. She doesn’t realize the natural training she’s had with babies and little kids so it makes the scene even more entertaining to her.

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My Dear Rachael,

Happy 7th Birthday!!! Wow! SEVEN! You’re getting HUGE!

I love your heart and the way you flock to babies because you love to love them and play with them. I love your contagious smile and the way you’re not afraid to explode with excitement. I love how you genuinely think of others and just have to make people cards and pictures when they’re not feeling well, have birthdays, or you just want to brighten their normal. I love how you create such cool 3D (even if you don’t quite know what that means yet) pictures, recreating things you have seen or imagine with construction paper and craft supplies. I love how you love to read, not even aware that you happily initiate sitting for 30 or 40 minutes to read books to your sisters or curling up on the couch with one of your chapter books. And I love how you find me amongst my house chores to tell me a funny part of the chapter, fighting through the giggles as you reread the section to me. I love how you think about others, serving them, especially your sisters who aren’t always easy to serve. But so often you see the greater lesson and take the low road so they can have first choice. It may not look like I see that or hear that in those moments that you’re just trying to keep your little sisters from being grumpy during one of those awesome games you have created, but I really do see that and it’s a beautiful thing to watch. I love how you dive into Eden’s world, fully absorbed in helping her be happy. Whether it’s boosting her up so she can also see and be a part of the fun or dressing her up too so she won’t be left out, you see her and it’s so beautiful to watch. It’s no wonder your sisters copy you and want to be like you. You’re a wonderful person! And we all se something in you that we just want to be around.Rachael, you make my day so much more fun.

This year, the week after your birthday, I am going to Peru for a missions trip. I know that you’re nervous about it and don’t want me to go, while you also want me to go to tell the little kids about Jesus. I hear your heart. I’m going to miss you A LOT too. But I wanted you to know what I’m going to miss most of all about you in the ten days that I’m gone. Rachael, you help make my normal. I’m going to miss most the normal things: that twinkle in your eye, sharing homeschool lessons with you on our bellies with Eden riding my back, seeing your maturity break through when I serve a side dish that is not your favorite and yet you eat it without complaint, hearing you talk about Africa with a bounce in your step and a thrill in your tone, passing by a room to find you secretly and humbly investing in your sisters, that big smile as you read another chapter of a book you’ve picked out. Rachael, I’m just going to miss you, wonderful, fantastic you. So thank you for being such an awesome kid that I can’t wait to come back home to even before I have ever left!

Happy 7th Birthday, my sweet Rachael. You’re such a light in my world and a delight to my heart.

I love you so.

Love,

Mommy

January 6, 2016 1

One of Those Days

We’re over an hour late to start homeschooling. Today has been one of those days.

One of those days where I’ve heard an abundance of invitations to come play among sisters.

One of those days where they’ve found a way for all three of them to participate.

One of those days when toys cover the floor because they’re building a house set-up together, complete with decorated rooms.

One of those days when Hannah’s toddler self isn’t a disruption of play but a welcome addition.

One of those days when Abi’s preschool imagination is overflowing with kitty behavior ideas and an adventurous storyline is being scripted.

One of those days when Kindergartener Rachael is absorbing Abi’s imagination with a passion and dancing along to care for her “baby Hannah” and “kitty Abi”.

One of those days when they have just meshed and play has taken off in a beautiful enjoyment for all.

We’re an hour late. And we may be an hour and a half or two hours late before it’s all said and done.

See, today homeschooling is more about sisterhood than academics. Homeschooling is more about building an investment into each other that isn’t stemming from Mommy’s initiative, but their own desire to just be together. Homeschooling is about building memories of wonderful sister play that they’ll reflect on as “childhood” in years to come.

It’s wonderful to watch God knit them together… to witness their love grow and develop and mature as He intertwines their worlds.

– What a wonderful day. =)

June 5, 2014 0