Five Minute Friday: Friend

From Lisa Jo:So, here’s the skinny: every Friday for over a year hundreds of people join a kind of writing flash mob over here.

We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that I post here at 1 minute past midnight EST ever Friday. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag #FiveMinuteFriday

No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.

Unscripted. Unedited. Real.

It’s easy to join in, just:

  1. Check what the prompt is on my blog.
  2. Write a post in only five minutes on that topic on your blog.
  3. Link over here and invite friends to join in.
  4. Select the permalink to your post {so not your blog url www.lisajobaker.com but your post url www.lisajobaker.com/2012/07/five-minute-friday-2/ }
  5. Using the linky tool at the bottom of my Five Minute Friday post enter your link.
  6. Your post will show up in our Five Minute Friday linky.
  7. Be sure and encourage the person who linked up before you!

Our most important requirement for participation: There’s really only one absolute, no ifs, ands or buts about it Five Minute Friday rule: you must visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

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Friend is a hard word for me to write about. In fact, I found myself wanting to duck out of this week’s prompt entirely. But the harder I tried to walk away, the more it pushed to be written about.

What is a friend? “One who sticks closer than a brother” is the typical answer.

In that case, I’ve never had one. And frankly, I’m tired.

I’m tired of pouring myself into seasonal relationships. I’m tired of pursuing and choosing and not being chosen.

I don’t even want to try any more, because, really, what’s the point? It’s not like the relationship is going to last beyond a few months or years. One of us will move, or the life circumstances will change, and then, we won’t be friends any more.

Just acquaintences. People you pass in church and cordially greet, but who aren’t intimately involved in each other’s lives. People you watch their kids grow up on Facebook, because you don’t actually get to be involved in the growing up process.

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I did not want to write for this prompt. Like at all. Once I had cried and written it and cried some more, I didn’t want to post it. But I guess that’s part of the healing process.

AJ’s Faves: Mine, Spacket, Nip, and Luffer

In our search to expand AJ’s music repertoire, we have added four new songs to her playlist. (I also removed “Awake” entirely, she gets to hear it at Gamma’s house.)

We attempted to add “Hallelujah” by Brandi Carlile, but it didn’t stick. Apparently she thinks it’s been covered too many times. We also tried “Across the Universe”, but that one didn’t stick either. Oh, well, there’s still time.

So, here is what AJ asks to listen to, along with “Time-teepew” and “Sucacane”:

“Mine”

She had responded really well to a video of “Baby Mine” from Dumbo, so I was thrilled to find a cover done by Alison Krauss. I have to listen to these over and over too, so any time I can slip in some of my own musical preferences, I do.

“Spacket”

I’m not entirely sure how this one ended up in our music library, but I found it one day while  poking around through the all songs list. It took her a couple listens to warm up to it, but now she just sits mesmerized through most of the song. She might jive a little to the jazzy bits, but for the most part she just sits & listens.

“Nip”

For the most part, her “titles” for these songs have something to do with the song. I have no idea where this one came from. It took us about five minutes of asking her to repeat herself before I figured out she was asking for this one. This was a daddy suggestion (of course). After hearing “A-Tisket, A-Tasket”, he said, “Hey, Stevie Ray Vaughn has ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’. We should try that one.”

“Luffer”

And finally, we had to add some Beatles. I found this one after “Across the Universe” didn’t stick.

In the Carb Nite Kitchen: Lemon Poppyseed Scones

Thanks to Maurice Sendak’s “In the Night Kitchen” for the title inspiration of this series.

Being home has afforded me the opportunity to cook & bake. Things which I greatly enjoy, but haven’t had the energy to do. As I run across recipes that my family enjoys, I hope to use this series to share them with you.

But wait, what is Carb Nite?

It is an ultralow-carb, high-fat power diet. Ultralow carb means you’re aiming for zero carbs per day, the upper limit being 30g of carbs. High-fat means you can eat as much bacon, cheese, & red meat that you want to. A power diet is one that is intended to be short-term, in this case 6 months max. Then you switch over to something called carb backloading (which I still don’t really understand, so you’ll have to ask Dr. Google.)

With that out of the way, meet the ultra-low carb, sugar-free, almost grain free, Lemon Poppyseed Scone.

These are, in Jesse's words, "stunningly delicious".

These are, in Jesse’s words, “stunningly delicious”.

Source: Serious Eats

Ingredients
4 cups almond flour
1 1/4 cups Splenda or Stevia Extract in the Raw, or 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons New Roots Stevia Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder baking powder typically has cornstarch in it which is why these are not 100% grain free
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
3 eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice this worked out to be about 6 lemons
1/4 cup salted butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest this worked out to the zest of 3 lemons
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon liquid Stevia

Directions

  1. Position 2 oven racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats or lightly mist them with spray oil.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, Splenda, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds and whisk until well mixed.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, lemon juice, butter, lemon zest, vanilla, and liquid stevia together until thoroughly blended.
  4. Add the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon for 1 to 2 minutes to make a thick, sticky batter that will hold its shape when dropped from a spoon.
  5. Drop the batter onto the prepared pans, using 2 heaping tablespoons of batter per scone and spacing them 2 inches apart. I used a quarter cup measuring cup to scoop these out, which gave me nice sized & shaped scones, but I did have to bake them for a few minutes longer which led to some extra browning of the top rack of scones.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pans and switch racks and bake for about 10 more minutes, until the scones are golden brown and firm to the touch. If you use a quarter cup, I would recommend 2 extra minutes before rotating, and 2 extra minutes may be needed at the end of the baking time.
  7. Immediately transfer the scones to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

If you are on more of a paleo/primal diet versus low-carb, I think these would be absolutely killer with some blueberries mixed in.

Some links above are affiliate links which earn me coffee monies.

Easter Three

Image

"None of the disciples dared ask him, 'Who are you?' They knew it was the Lord.

My first open source photo manipulation. Created using Gimp.

Scripture
Easter 3 – Reading from the Gospels: John 21:1-19

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. (v 12)

Observation
The disciples knew it was Jesus because his patterns of behavior & miracles lined up with who they knew him to be. They didn’t need to ask, even though they were still unsure of the resurrection.

Application
Today, I am sure of the resurrection. I know he lives. I know he speaks. I can compare what I hear against the Jesus documented in the Gospels. And yet, I question, “Who are you?” In his infinite grace, he patiently answers, “It is I.”

Prayer
Abba, help me to trust you & not to question whether you are speaking to me. Help me to know your voice & to follow it.

The First Week Home

A lot of people have been asking about my first week at home with AJ, so I figured a blog post was in order.

Monday morning, we went grocery shopping. That may not seem like such a big deal, but Jesse has been the primary grocery shopper pretty much since we got married. It was a bit strange to be shopping in the middle of the day, but the lines were way better than they are on the weekends.

Boots? Coat? Walk?

Boots? Coat? Walk?

In the afternoon, the sun was out and it was reasonably warm, so we went for a walk. AJ loves to walk. She asks for one pretty much every day.

Here Mama, let me help you.

Here Mama, let me help you.

Tuesday morning, AJ decided I needed to start unpacking my boxes from my desk at work. So she set to work unpacking them for me. Then she arranged everything inside the bottom portion of an upside-down chair.

Drumming on the table with chopsticks. Like you do.

Drumming on the table with chopsticks. Like you do.

Then we went & met Jesse for sushi lunch. He had gotten a groupon to Ohana in Seattle, so we drove up there (because we could). Oh. Em. Gee. You guys. That sushi is amazing. Our server, Gordon, was absolutely smitten with AJ and took fantastic care of her. She got oranges & bananas before the meal, miso soup & rice with our meal, and an Oreo cookie for dessert. The only thing that was a little confusing was that we were never offered a high chair.

Fish? Fish? Fish?

Fish? Fish? Fish?

This fish lamp was on the shelf behind us. AJ is really into labeling everything, so every time she saw it she would ask “Fish? Fish? Fish?” “Yes, honey. Those are fish. Good job.”

Sitting at the big girl table.

Sitting at the big girl table.

The sushi kicked off Jesse’s Carb Nite, so after dinner, we headed out the new Black Bear froyo bar that just moved in next to Winco. AJ is tall enough (barely) to sit at the chairs at the table &amp loves to do so. I sometimes can’t believe how grown up she looks.

What? You told me to sit on my bottom.

What? You told me to sit on my bottom.

This picture captures pretty well the personality & typical behavior of my daughter. After unbuckling her high chair & climbing onto her knees and being told multiple times to “Sit on your bottom”, she kicked her feet off to the side & smirked at me, like “Okay, I’m sitting on my bottom, but you didn’t say I had to face forward.” Seriously. Whose kid is this? I don’t know anyone who ever behaved like that…

My amazing family made this happen.

My amazing family made this happen.

Part of me wishes I had taken a before picture of this space, but, on the other hand, I find myself grateful that there isn’t any photographic evidence of the state it was in. I have written multiple times about my struggles with homemaking & housecleaning in particular. Being home allowed me to cook & maintain a certain level of stasis, but I couldn’t seem to make a dent in the dishes. My mom & grandma came over today & ran two full loads through my dishwasher, not to mention myriads of handwash dishes piled in both sinks & both sides of the counters. I feel like I’ll be able to start the week off ahead, rather than in the same place I left off or worse.

Thanks to both of you! You guys are amazing!

Changing Seasons

Spring slips softly into the Pacific Northwest. Our long, dark, and rainy days give way to slightly longer, less dark, rainy days. Then you might start getting a few sunbreaks here and there, occasionally, if you’re lucky, even a few sunny days strung together.

Then one morning, you wake up and the cherry trees across the city have burst into bloom, seemingly overnight.

5. So good. Cherry blossoms in the spring. #fmsphotoaday

5. So good. Cherry blossoms in the spring. #fmsphotoaday

There is something poetic about life change taking place at the same time as the changing seasons. Changes that take place at the onset of spring have a particular feeling of hope.

#Easter #goldenhour Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen.

#Easter #goldenhour Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen.

As I have mentioned before, I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity.

But sometimes blessings are tinged with I had hoped or I just wish.

I just wish…

Wandering the Wild Web – Ep 3 (For Reals This Time)

A Dare to Love Yourself: An 11-year-old girl talks about being made in God’s image by Emily Wierenga

On showing your waist grace by Lisa Jo Baker

The days are long but the years are short by Simple Mom

A Sunday Savior for a minivan driving mom by Lisa Jo Baker

In which Jezebel gives way to Deborah by Sara Bessey

Return to Sender: A Guy Serves a Feminist Response by Ed Cyzewski

Nerd Mama Links

What would you do if you weren’t afraid? by Meagan Marie

How To Get Started with Arduino by Tested

Brain Games are Bogus by The New Yorker

Wandering the Wild Web: Episode 3?

I have fallen so far behind on sharing the cool stuff I’ve found in my internet wanderings. I actually have no idea how many of these I’ve actually done. I could go back & look, but eh…

Turn a Onesie into a Bubble Dress by Make It, Love It
AJ is always growing out of her onesies long before they get too small around. I love this tutorial & hope to extend the life of a few of our favorites this way.

To the Parents of Small Children by The Actual Pastor
Every once in a while, a voice of encouragement will cut through the clutter of condemnation to tell you that it’s okay, and you’re doing a good job.

The One Command by Ann Voskamp
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

I have been off social media for quite a while, so I was late to the party on this, but in case you missed it or just need a reason to giggle today:

(Aside, I actually cannot laugh while watching this video because I am so impressed with his ability to continue in character, warble off key, and still pull it back. It’s amazing.)

And finally, a couple of new(ish) webcomics that I have been really enjoying.
Broodhollow by Kris Straub
Super cute characters set in a super creepy, Lovecraftian, Depression era town. Does it get any better? I’m not sure… Kris is currently on vacation, but please, go back through the archives. It’s totally worth it.

Table Titans by Scott Kurtz
A comic centered around a D&D party. No, really, it’s awesome. Go check it out.