Food

Coconut Cookie Sandwiches

April/August 20, 2016/ 3 Comments Edit"Coconut Cookie Sandwiches"

So,  we’ve been veering off the healthy eating just a little this week since Mike is working a weird shift. That’s no excuse, I know, but a girl needs craves her sweets every once in a while!

Anyway, yesterday afternoon was quiet and rainy. So while the littles were napping, I decided to whip up something tasty.  I turned on The Wedding Planner to play in the background and got started.

I originally wanted some simple thin and crispy oatmeal cookies, but after I checked the pantry, I realized I didn’t have enough oatmeal. So, I went with what I did have–COCONUT!  I got on Pinterest and looked for a delicious recipe.  It wasn’t too hard to come up with something. My search immediately took me to this lovely blog called Mikey’s in My Kitchen.

There, I found a delicious recipe which I followed to a T ————————>   Chewy Coconut Cookies.

Easy peasy.  Here’s how they turned out:

Now, I can’t take credit for the cookie recipe, but when I went to reach into the cookie jar today, I had an epiphany…

These cookies are chewy and flat.  
They need to be made into an ice cream sandwich! 

Low and behold, we had ice cream in our freezer.  Not sure how long it’s been in there, but it didn’t seem too freezer burned (ok, maybe it had just a few ice flakes).   Two months maybe?  Anyway, the ice cream sandwich was delicious.  We happened to have Macadamia Nut which was the perfect combo with the coconut.  Island flair for sure…  Like a hula dance in your mouth… I’ll stop now.  But seriously, ono.  

If you’re in the mood for chewy, buttery, melt in your mouth, coconutty delight, then you should try these.  They were super easy.  Happy baking, friends!

Faith

Fill ‘er Up

April/August 17, 2016/ 1 Comment Edit"Fill ‘er Up"

Some days, being a mother sucks the life out of you.

Ever feel like you’re missing the mark?  Like everyone around you seems to have it together?  Like you need an extra dose of sanity just to make it through the day?  Me too.  Some days.

I don’t know about you, but it’s really hard for me to consume the amount of water that I “should” in a given day.  Sometimes, I don’t really get thirsty.  Other times, I’m too busy or just forget to drink throughout the day.  I go hours without drinking anything, and then it’s lunchtime and I realize all I’ve had is a cup of coffee.  Yikes!  Not good, I know.

It’s especially bad when I go surfing in the afternoon or have a rough day with the girls.  I use a lot of energy paddling (or chasing the girls around) and my head just starts pounding!

Once my body is ALREADY low on water is when I start thinking about the fact that I need it… and usually it’s too late.  The headache is in full swing.

Sometimes, it’s that way for me spiritually as well.

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I know I should spend time with God.  When I do, I’m so grateful and satisfied… but getting there is quite the battle in my mind.  If you’re a parent (or have been one) to young children, you know that getting a moment to collect your thoughts is tough.  If you’re fortunate enough to find those envied moments, you have to decide how you want to spend them:

Zone out or tune in?

Work out or veg out?

Relax or do chores?

Sit in silence or call family?

Prep dinner or write this blog?

Oftentimes, if I’m not strategic, I miss my opportunity altogether.

I wish I could say that I read the Bible everyday and enjoy it.  Most days, if I’m being honest, I don’t choose time with the Lord.  I choose the thing that’s easiest and most fulfilling in the moment. Usually that thing for me is watching Netflix.  But it’s so unsatisfying. It’s like taking a sip of lukewarm coffee when you just got back in the car from a hot day at the beach.  It’s there, so you drink it… but it doesn’t quite quench your thirst.

I want to get in the Word and be satisfied in Jesus.  I want him to fill me up.  I know he’ll do the filling, but I have to give him the time.  I have to make the time.

How can we expect to pour ourselves into our kids if we aren’t stopping to “fill our tanks?”  This is when I feel most empty.  These are the days I feel the life being sucked out of me.  When I have nothing to give because my well is dry.  I bark at Lily. I get irritated quicker.  I have a short fuse.  I never want motherhood to feel like this.

Would you join me in running to Jesus?

Ask him to fill you up.

Lord knows we all need it!

Strength.   Energy.   Motivation.   Faith.   Patience.   Wisdom.

Here are some good reminders…

John 4:14“…but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Psalm 46:1“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Psalm 118:14“The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 40:29-31“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through him who gives me strength.”

Updates

Weekly Update #13

April/August 16, 2016/ Leave a comment Edit"Weekly Update #13"

August 6th – August 14th, 2016

This is me being lazy.  Our week in a nutshell.

3-2-1. Go!

Emma is feeling much better!  Praise God.

This week we had our first “date night” in a looooooong while.  What fun!  Surfing and dinner [uninterrupted].

Park play date.

Family beach day. Rockin’ the ponies 

Household chores.

Meal times.

Project helping.

Girls only walk in the neighborhood.

Pool Party Potluck and play time with friends.

Story time and craft at the Library.

More beach time with friends.

Splash pad play date.

Sister snack time.

Aloha.  Until next week…

Family Updates

Weekly Update #12

April/August 9, 2016/ Leave a comment Edit"Weekly Update #12"

July 30th – August 5th

We hit the ground running on Saturday with a pool party here at the house.  We had family friends over most of the afternoon, but that morning I spent a little time baking up some treats.  Just some simple sugar cookies with mini M&Ms.  I added blue food coloring for fun… They were delish!

Lily loved setting up for the party.  She even lounged with me for a few minutes before everyone arrived!

She was looking extra fab with her glasses on 

Here’s a little pool action!

The four youngest representing…

Early Sunday morning, Emma started running a fever.  She didn’t have any other symptoms, but she woke up around 4:30 burning up.  It was about 103, so I gave her some Tylenol and she slept for a while longer.  I decided to stay home with her that morning, but Mike took Lily to church.  After some rest and relaxation, we decided to run some errands in Waikele.  Later, we met up with Kim and Jordan at McDonald’s for lunch.  Free ice cream cones for keiki.  As you can imagine, Lily was in heaven.  Emma still didn’t feel so great.

Monday, we did our Costco and Target run.  After dad got home, we did some painting in the garage 

Monday night, Emma still had her fever.  She had another rough night and we couldn’t figure out why she was so warm.  Her fever seemed to be coming and going too.

Tuesday, we were supposed to host a pool party for MOMS Club, but with Emma’s fever I decided to cancel.  I made her a doctor’s appointment for the following morning instead.

We were supposed to go to the Dole Plantation on Wednesday, but the appointment took precedence.  Ironically, Emma’s fever went away again Tuesday evening and she seemed fine on Wednesday.  Since I really wanted to take Lily to ride the train at Dole, we left the appointment without seeing the doctor in order to make it to Wahiawa in time  for the 9:30 departure.  That would backfire… but at least we got to ride the train and hang out with friends!

Wednesday afternoon, we set up Jason’s bouncer… just because… and went for a nice family walk in the neighborhood.

It was Emma’s first time riding in the “car”.  She loved it.

That night I went to a friend’s house to borrow a sewing machine so I could finish up the girls’ teepee.  It was a hit.

Thursday morning after the big teepee reveal, we ran some errands.  Later that afternoon, once Mike got home,  we went to the beach and had dinner with friends!

I think the best part about the beach was the shower…

And of course, who doesn’t like McDonald’s.  Twice in one week though… eek.  Parent fail.

Thursday night, though, Emma’s fever came back with a vengeance.  From Sunday to Tuesday her temperature ranged from 100 to 103 degrees.  It would subside with Tylenol.  Then, with no fever on Wednesday, we thought she was better.  Not so.  She woke in the night several times on Thursday with a temperature ranging from 102 to 105.  We paged our doctor and kept giving Tylenol every six hours along with lukewarm baths and cold washcloths on her forehead.  I hated seeing her like that.  It was scary and awful!  I made an appointment first thing Friday morning and Mike worked a half day to come home and watch Lily while I took Emma in.  The doctor was able to rule out infections in the ears, nose and throat.  With no other symptoms besides a fever, it was like a mystery.  Finally, he said that it may be a bladder infection or UTI.  I mentioned that her pee had smelled funky for some time (I just thought her body was built differently).  We did a urine test right after and dropped it at the lab.  We found out a few hours later that she did in fact have a bladder infection.  We got the prescription for antibiotics and got her started right away on Friday night.  We kept her fever down with constant doses of Tylenol.  Since she wasn’t contagious, we kept our BBQ date with friends that we had planned for a week or so.  They brought their son, who is almost a year old, and we had a nice evening.

Through it all, Emma was a trooper!  It was just scary that her temperature only went down when we gave her medicine.  She needed it every six hours like clockwork, or she’d be back up to 105.  That scared this momma.  Thankfully she is well now and on antibiotics.  Praise the Lord!  Thank you for your prayers for baby girl.

Projects

The Evolution of Our Backyard

April/August 6, 2016/ 2 Comments Edit"The Evolution of Our Backyard"

Yesterday evening, as we were sitting with the babies in our backyard among friends, Mike and I were reminded of just how far it has come… and we are thankful that it’s done.  In the heat of buying our house and fixing it up, there were definitely moments during a project when we questioned what we were doing and if we made the right decisions.  The yard was one of those projects.

When we first bought the house back in May of 2013, we weren’t even pregnant with Lily.  We were living with friends, working full time jobs, then coming to the house to work until dark.  The yard was our LAST priority.  It was ugly.  It was scary.  And we didn’t know what to do with it.  It was like my unruly hair on a humid day.  Scoff when you see it, and try to ignore it.  We didn’t have time to spend on something so trivial.  Not yet anyway…

Slowly but surely we would try different things.  First, we tried to water it with a sprinkler.  It worked somewhat.  I mean, at least there was green!

Then we tried throwing seed down.  Not too shabby.  It came in a little, but it still wasn’t what we were hoping for.

Finally, after much debate, we decided to buy pieces of sod and plant plugs.  I remember it very clearly.  It was December of 2014.  We were excited to try it, Lily was 6 months, and we had visions of children running and laughing in the lush green grass.  Luke and Jordan helped us, and in one day, the plugs were in the ground.  I wish I had taken a picture of them all planted, but I guess I forgot.  A lot went into prepping the ground for the plugs.  Mike had to level the ground, till it up, install drainage and replace irrigation parts.

Just three months later, in March of 2015, the grass had been completely overtaken by clovers.  We were at a loss and had just about given up.  We came really close to ripping everything up and starting over, but I’m so glad we didn’t.  Mike put in some serious sweat, tears and back-breaking hours over the next few months to get rid of all the weeds.  I supervised since I was already pregnant with Emma at that point.  I wish I could say I helped, but the truth is I only did a fraction of what Mike did.

Almost two years later, we FINALLY have the grass we always wanted.  It seems silly to make it sound so dramatic, but in a way it was for us.  This was a long time coming… but “good things come to those who wait” as the saying goes.

I hadn’t shared a before and after in a while and thought it would be fun to take a stroll down memory lane… hope you enjoyed!

Here are some more same shot photos. Bring on the BBQs