The Flash Distorts the Picture

If you are a friend of mine and haven't been asked what kind of camera you own, consider yourself lucky.  For the last few months, I have been researching (aka asking everyone I know) and saving up for my first DSLR camera.  We have had a Sony Cybershot that hasn't steered us wrong for the last five years, but as I dabble into more photography, our aging camera just isn't getting all the shots I need anymore.  I finally saved enough, and just before we left on vacation, I ordered a Nikon D3200.  Wow, have I got a lot to learn!  Thank goodness for the owner's manual and for the 95 minute video tutorial that the nice man at the camera shop convinced me I needed.  

Learning this thing is going to take time.  Yet, amid all the things I have to absorb, one thing this novice knows- the flash distorts the picture.  I have found this out time and time again when I try to take a shot with the flash on and it turns out too bright, eerily unnatural, losing all the great detail.  It happened this spring when the kids discovered a bird's nest next to the house and asked me to photograph it.  When I leaned my iPhone carefully into the boxwood to get the perfect shot, the flash totally disfigured the appearance of the nest and eggs.  It wasn't until I turned the flash off and took a shot in the natural morning light, that I got this:

The flash distorts the picture.  That truth has got me thinking about some things.  How many times am I using the bright and shiny things in life to represent who I am?  Who my family appears to be?  Doesn't that altered reality distort the real picture?  We are not all as glossy and shiny and flashy as we make ourselves out to be on Instagram or Facebook, myself definitely included.  What if I could go with some natural light for a change and see what happens?  It might be real.  It might be refreshing.  I just might get the best shot.

Pink and Green and Red All Over

We are not a bunch of sickos.  My kids and I rarely get sick.  My husband, even more seldom.  But in the last week, we have put our insurance to good use, both in and out of network.  The kicker is that this was our family vacation.  It was a colorful week. . . 

Harper was the first to spike a fever in Raleigh, while visiting Graham's parents.  Off to the urgent treatment center she went, and was diagnosed with an ear infection.  Okay, we suspected that.  Two days later, while in Lake Lure, NC, her brother was seen and treated for an ear infection and bronchitis.  Just to be clear, one is a much better sick patient than the other and I bet you can guess who. . .  I'll give you a hint: the girl.

So far, our colorful illnesses had been green (mucus) and red (ears, plus Harper had a reaction to the antibiotics and had a red rash all over her arms and legs), but on Tuesday morning, I was awakened to a layer of crust over my left eye.  The old conjunctivitis.  New color.  Pink.  I headed back to the doctor for some eye drops.  (Amazingly, no one else caught this one).

I should mention that all the while, Graham is having headaches and a bad cough, but is taking sinus medicine and powering through it like a champ.

Now our sweet Maddox was coughing all week too, but seemed okay until yesterday on the ride home when she started complaining about pressure in her ears.  We assumed swimmer's ear and encouraged her to jump around to get the water out.  Meanwhile, Graham Crouch's ride home to Virginia was less than pleasant.  He had the heat on at full blast in the morning, then spiked a high fever somewhere in western Virginia.  I called the doctor at home and they agreed to see him this morning.  But after doing some research and already having a hunch from the debrief he received before leaving Afghanistan, he guessed his diagnosis correctly.  Umm. . . malaria.  Yep, you read that correctly.  Those pesky mosquitoes strike again.  Now we are all on meds (Maddox had a double ear infection, after all), and Graham is doing a round of doxycycline.  Thankfully, he's not contagious.

So, that's our colorful vacation in a nutshell, folks.  Memorable, right?

Hey There, Sugar

About a year ago, I got a tad frustrated with sugar.  It was around the time that the USDA and the American Heart Association began to get pretty specific about their recommendations on sugar intake for women.  The AHA suggests that women should only consume about 100 calories per day from added sugars (that's 6 teaspoons of sugar, or 24 grams).  Now, this girl has a serious sweet tooth and loves to bake, but I thought I'd give the recommendation a try-especially because diabetes runs in my family-and so I used a My Fitness Pal app on my phone to track my sugar intake.  Who knew that I would blow through my daily allotment by breakfast time?  Really?  Really.  Turns out, that cereal and milk have about 5 teaspoons of sugar.  Add that reduced-calorie orange juice and I was up to six teaspoons by 8 a.m.

I had to start thinking differently about this whole sugar thing.  Breakfast is tricky, because the simple, fast, seemingly healthy foods that we munch down right before we run out the door are not filling us up and are causing those dreaded sugar crashes by mid-morning.  I began switching things up this spring (right around the time I started eliminating processed foods), choosing oatmeal with nuts and berries instead of cereal, making green smoothies using natural sugars in fruit for that something sweet in the morning, trying out gluten-free toast with interesting toppings.

I finally came up with this savory breakfast item, and have been sticking with it for about a month now.  Rudi's gluten-free toast with Veganaise (I never thought I'd like it as much as butter or mayo, but it is AMAZING- look for it at Whole Foods), avocado slices, salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper.  It is seriously delicious and best of all, has only 3 grams of sugar.  That leaves room for 5 more teaspoons for the day- more than enough for that ginger cookie that will call to me by mid-afternoon.  After all, I still have the sweet tooth, and it's not going away.

Joy in the Small

Graham has been home a little over a week now, and I am discovering more each day that it is in the small moments that we find joy.  Pushing a curly-haired girl on a swing until she goes "up to the clouds", folding laundry together (who knew I'd be so happy to wash a guy's shirts), stopping by the side of the road to pick blackberries.  It has been such a simple, sweet week.  But over the weekend, we decided to mix it up and take our kids along with Graham's sister and her boys to DC to explore the zoo, national mall, and smithsonian museums.  You couldn't have told us that morning that we'd only make it to the zoo, that the kids would enjoy a snowcone as much as they enjoyed seeing a lion or an sloth bear, or that the highlight of the day would be the metro that we rode to and from the city.  I guess when it comes to entertainment for children, keeping it simple can be better than all our well-made plans of grandeur.

So instead of trying to squeeze in that end-of-summer trip to a big, expensive amusement park, take the kids to a working farm or let them ride the closest Amtrak to a nearby city for the day.  Because, after all, it's the small things that can bring the most joy.

A Doughnut Tradition

Late last night I picked Graham up from the airport in Charlottesville, reunited at last, and I held that guy's hand all the way home.  And this morning, after he and the kids had some snuggle time in our bed (I kinda remember now why I've wanted that king size bed), we all went downstairs for a grand homecoming celebration.  You see, for six months every time I asked my children what they were going to do when Daddy got home, the conversation went something like this:

Maddy- "We're gonna watch River Monsters and Killer Squid on Animal Planet and. . ."

Harper- "Daddy's going to make pancakes!"

Maddy- "Yeah, chocolate chip pancakes and. . ."

Henry- "And we're gonna wrestle . . ."

Harper- "And blueberry pancakes. . ."

Henry- "And we're gonna go get some wittle, wittle doughnuts. . ."

Harper- "Yeah, glazed doughnuts."

Henry- "With some wittle spwinkles. . ."

Maddox- "And chocolate glazed doughnuts too!"


Doughnuts, it seems, are a tradition in the Crouch family that goes way back.  They have been used to celebrate, memorialize, and reward many children and events over the years.  Graham tells me that his mom made a heavenly batch of doughnuts every Christmas morning.  My father-in-law still tells the story of little Graham, when given the choice of any doughnut in the case, craftily selected the biggest pastry- a massive glazed Bear Claw-for a special treat.  So, what better way to welcome Daddy home than to have a doughnut-themed celebration?  I gotta tell ya, it was pretty sweet.

Just by cutting a hole in a paper plate and decorating our "doughnuts", the kids were all able to help with the homecoming preparations.

Henry and Harper are proud of their work on the doughnut banner!

It's not Krispy Kreme, but it'll do.

Thoughts on a Homecoming

 Later this afternoon, my husband will get on a plane that will travel westward across deserts, lush land, and open sea to route him safely home to a very enthusiastic brood of little humans (and this thrilled girl).  He has been gone 189 days.  We will wait for another few days of travel until we can see him early next week.  And despite the kids and I getting ready for that amazing homecoming (more about our preparations in a later blog), I am spending this weekend reflecting on the last six months with all its joys and challenges. Here are a few treasures I've gleaned in these final days of Graham's absence:

1.  I can care for my children after 6 p.m.!  I used to get so irritated at Graham for coming home late from work, getting caught up in a briefing, forgetting to call.  I do believe that I genuinely questioned whether I could be counted on to ensure my children's safety after the dinner hour.  I was so eager to hand the parenting over to him as soon as he walked through the door.  Truth is, I can make certain that Maddox, Henry, and Harper survive and yes, even thrive after 6 p.m.  Turns out, I was so happy to stop parenting in the evenings that I was missing some really funny bath time shenanigans and more than a few sweet moments at bedtime.

2.  In Graham's absence, I was able to fulfill a personal goal.  After expressing some interest in the clean eating movement, I was encouraged by a friend to do a 21 day cleanse of all things processed.  So for three weeks this spring, I didn't touch coffee (so hard!), wheat, dairy, or meat and instead adopted a whole foods, plant-based diet.  It was really tough--and amazing!  I felt empowered to go for it because it seemed like the opportune time to fulfill some goals for myself while Graham was away.  The best part was that when he came home for a 9-day visit in April, he was interested in trying parts of it as well.  Hope he likes almond milk and rice crackers!  Wink.

 3.  Single parenting is hard.  There were a lot of days when I just wanted to crawl in a corner and cry (and did a few times).  It is tough to be both Mom and Dad for three kids and the truth is, I can't do it.  My kids need a dad.  Now, that is not to say that single mamas are not doing right by their children if they have chosen to go it alone (or if the decision was made for them).  Everyone's circumstances are different and I think there are cases where one strong mama (or daddy) is a serious improvement from an extremely disfunctional mom and dad.  I'm only saying that it is really hard, and for me, required a daily time of turning my children over to Jesus and asking for some major intervention.  Sometime around May, I began reading this book and my outlook changed dramatically.  Also the friends that provided meals, notes, late-night-Pedialite-when-my-kid-was-puking visits, babysitting so I could have a moment away, driving/flying from Kentucky, South Carolina, Iowa, and Chicago to visit-- all such a blessing and a generosity I will not soon forget.  If you know a single mama, offer her your time.  It can save her life.  

We may look put together. . . .

 But this is life at home!

4.  I have started to own my issues.  Listen friends, it is super easy to blame that temper, those secret spending habits, that disrepectful tone that just leapt of my mouth, on my husband when he's around.  Truth is though, all those issues were still there 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months after he left and he had nothing to do with any of it!  Enough of the blame and the nagging already.  I've got issues.  We all do.  Even when our marriages are healthy!  Spending some time in introspection has changed my perspective on things and I am owning my Molly-isms, good and bad, and making changes for the better.

I am so not sure if this post was helpful or even an interesting read for anybody!  But it was cathertic for me to reflect and now I can GET READY FOR GRAHAM CROUCH TO BE HOME!!!  Have a great weekend, all.

Kids in the Kitchen

Lately, I have had zucchini coming out of my ears.  Back in May when I built and planted a raised vegetable garden, I had no idea that two little plants could yield so much.  So after weeks of slicing and sauteing squash (which is amazing all by itself), I decided I needed to find some other uses for these green goddesses.  Over the weekend, the kids and I experimented and enjoyed these simple variations of the zucchini:

Saturday's zucchini harvest.  We were ready to get started.

First idea, a simple zucchini bread.  This recipe makes a ton and we ate it with dinner Saturday night and for breakfast Sunday morning.  Putting the remaining loaves in the freezer today.

Spread with cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, or butter for a sweet treat.

I have always found the squash blossoms on the zucchini to be really beautiful.  Here, I added one to the herbs from my garden for some color.

I had also heard that these flowers were edible in salads, but when I found this recipe, I knew I'd have to give beer-battered fried squash blossoms a try.

Success! 

Telling your six year-old daughter that you just fried a flower makes her likely to eat it!  As we watered the garden this morning, she asked if we could whip up another batch.   

Now, I still have many more recipes to try this summer, but I don't think having enough squash will be a problem.  Do you have a favorite summer vegetable recipe?