I have neglected the blog a bit this month. But this post is not an apology – I like my life when I spend less time on the computer! And I am still getting settled in our new place, too. The computer keeps forgetting who I am and requires me to sign in all the time…

I’m still committed to quality content on this blog, but multiple posts on one day may not happen as frequently as in the past. The girl’s presence on the blog is limited due to minimal computer access at their house. My father’s work requires him to be on the computer most of each work day, so they have to manage their computer time carefully. I think they’ve been doing good lately, though – don’t you? I just love when Anja shares recipes and poems, and Olivia tells one of her humorous stories!

Speaking of recipes – I made a typo in the last post! Anja’s fantastic dessert was a Napoleon. I still don’t have a direct link for you, though. You can find several variations at Martha Stewart, but I’m still after her for the right link.

I haven’t welcomed new readers lately. We sure have had a lot of fun comments lately – from old and new friends! We’ve really enjoyed having our aunts out west come around. We have grown closer to you all in the past year through your visits to our blog!

If you have read the blog for a while, and never left a comment, you’re missing out on the main reason we are here – to make and deepen friendships! Here’s a couple new friends we’ve made in the last weeks…

Katie Gregg has a great frugal blog – full of cool ideas! When I followed the link to her blog after she left a comment, I lost track of the time and had trouble getting off! I bookmarked it to explore more deeply in the future.

Olivia Coy has a really pretty blog – I like her background colors and layout. She went to a little trouble to find us – since her request, my sisters have made their profiles public so you can easily find our blog through our profiles. Thanks for making us aware of that, Olivia C!

Courtney, Persuaded, and Katie all stopped by in the last week – I don’t know if you all have had an official welcome, so I’m saying hi again!

Also, we received a personal note from one of you (at our new blog email address! see side bar) recommending a good site for learning more ASL ( American Sign Language). I thought I’d share the link to anyone who’s curiosity was peaked by our recent discussion on the topic of teaching sign language to babies. Thanks, A–, for the link!

There was also a few questions on the blue and white china in my Wordless Weekend post last week. The style of china I collect is called Delft – it’s made in Holland and I collect it because I am dutch, and I love the color blue! Delft always blue and white, to my knowledge, and often has windmill and flower motifs. My mom, aunts, and my grandma all have pieces, too – we love our dutch heritage.

The photos are from our Valentine’s Day Dinner. With extra time put into the preparation, I was able to make a nice out of basic ingredients (chicken legs and potatoes). Our Budget friendly menu included dressed up potatoes broiled in their skins with cheese on top, fresh Caesar salad, and kabobs which I ‘grilled’ under the broiler in our oven. I paid 8 cents more for a red pepper (rather than my weekly green pepper) so we could have a dash of color on our table.

OH, and speaking of tables, that’s my new table – a gift from a friend, perfect for my kitchen! I have always hoped and chose to believe that the Lord would provide the furniture we needed when we had the space to accept it. This table is just my style, matches perfectly, and I really couldn’t have found something I liked better if I had gone out and spent a lot of money! That’s how God likes to work.

Here’s the recipe I used for the kabobs:

Uncle Phil’s Teriyaki Marinade
1/4 c. Kikkoman soy sauce
1/4 c. oil
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. sugar (I used honey- and maybe more like a Tbsp.!:))
1 clove garlic, crushed

I skinned and de-boned three chicken legs and chopped them into chunks and sent them for a swim in the marinade while I worked on the rest of the dinner. (Of course, the longer you soak it the better, but that’s all the time I had.) I also chopped up half a red pepper, an onion, and used half a can of pineapple chunks. That all went in the marinade too – it was scrumptious.

Have a great day!

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Well, the trip was canceled, so I have a chance to catch my breath this week! Maybe we will have opportunity to visit Grandma in March.

I wanted to take opportunity to explain our involvement with the skiing program we traveled to last weekend. Jeremy has been working with a ski program for the physically challenged for 6 years. The program uses trained ski instructors and volunteers to assist people with various disabilities to learn to ski in whatever capacity they are able. They work with everyone from children with Downs Syndrome to adults who have been paralyzed by an accident. All ages, all disabilities, they find a way to help these people enjoy the slopes. Several years ago, Jeremy studied and took the test to gain his Professional Ski Instructors of America Level One Adaptive Certification to teach. His specialty is working with the sit-skis that people who are wheelchair-bound use to ski. This year he has decided to work toward his Level Two certification, which would make him qualified to also teach blind, developmentally disabled, and more competitive disabled skiers. We will be traveling to Stowe Mountain in Vermont in March for him to test for his Level Two.

Our involvement in the ski program is something we both have a heart for – it is a ministry. I volunteered as soon as I learned to ski, and Anja and Olivia have joined us as well. Now Jesse is coming to the lodge, hanging out with the gang, and someday he’ll be on the slopes, too.

This is one of the reasons we are teaching him sign language. We want to give him a second language that he can use to reach out to the many people in our country that only speak with their hands – the deaf.

In babies, it is often the motor skills that develop before the verbal skills, so sign language also gives him a way to communicate as early as 8 months. He rarely whines for anything he wants, because he can TELL us. It’s awesome! You can read more about why and how we are teaching Jesse signs here.

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