New (and old) Year's Resolutions

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Boys to Men (how quickly)

Our oldest son is coming up on his first wedding anniversary.  A couple weekends ago, I visited our youngest son for a few days.  I'm thinking about my boys this week and how quickly they grew up.  That prompted me to pull up this post for a Friday Flashback...

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                           BOYS TO MEN  (10. 5. 2011)

We flew to Arizona last weekend to celebrate the engagement of our oldest son. 

On the plane, I thought back to the days when he was a tow-headed toddler. 

A lanky pre-teen.

Jeremy is now a tall, sturdy 33 year-old with a half-beard and a fiancee. 

Our oldest is an independent spirit, and we sometimes wondered if marriage would cross his radar.  Not that it had to...we just wondered.  

It was a sweet and surprising moment when he called us in April to tell us he had purchased a ring.  Tears welled a bit while I talked to him. 

We'd only met Chrystalle (yes, her name will be Chrystalle Ball) once, briefly, over a year ago.  This past weekend, we had to cram in getting to know her, meeting their friends, her parents, and catch up on the wedding plans to date.

 

Jeremy has not lived at home for 13 years.  It was enlightening and fun to live in his world for a few days.  He was thoughtful and practical when talking about dealing with issues he's faced the past year.  He was a great host, introducing us to the people in his life, showing us around town.   

He seemed like a grown-up. 

That night in the hotel, my husband and I asked each other, When did that happen?  Maybe it's Chrystalle, we said.  Maybe he's just been on his own long enough.  Maybe he's been through difficult things we don't even know about.  There was simply a new level of maturity. 

Our younger son Zach was married almost two years ago, a year after graduating college.  He was 22.  That seemed a bit young, but my hubby and I married at 19 and 20, so we supported him.  

Over his engagement, we saw the man emerge.  Working through ever-changing wedding details, financial woes, job-hunting.  Since being married, he's settled into the roll of husband quite beautifully.  He adores his wife, Carrie Anne. 

             

Somewhere along the line...boys turn into men.  Sons begin to resemble their father, their grandfathers, their uncles.  Not necessarily physically (although sometimes), but in action and habit and character.  

It's supposed to happen, of course, that they grow up and onward, but it kind of happens when you're not looking.  And then...one day...you just see it.  

With my sons, it seems to be choosing marriage that has added a new depth to their lives.  They both met a woman who sparked in them a willingness to be vulnerable, to sacrifice, and to commit.  These are honorable - and sometimes rare - traits in a man.  

It's heart-warming to see.   

My sons are not little boys anymore, but strong, hairy adults who give me great bear hugs, which I love, love, love.  My prayer for them is that they continue to grow in tender-heartedness, courage, and conviction.  

Because life will throw them a curve ball now and then.  Maybe many.

I want them to know we will always been in the bleachers rooting for them. 

 

Friday Flashback - Bagging It!

With kids back in school, I got to thinking about bagged lunches.   I pack my husband's lunch and recently started packing for our teacher/daughter.  Kids' lunches might be different than adults, but I've learned a few things that help, no matter whom you're feeding.    

1.  When making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, spread pb on BOTH pieces of the bread so the jelly is stuck in the middle and doesn’t sog up the bread.    

2.  You have to have “chips” of some kind, even if it’s pretzels or croutons.   

3.  Celery sticks, never eaten at home, are suddenly a lunch bag favorite: “They’re crunchy.”

4.  Warm grapes aren’t very good.   

5.  Frozen brownies thaw by noon and are always a favorite.

6.  Canned pears in a small plastic bowl hold up better than loose, fresh ones.   Fresh pears roll around and bump into the sandwich case and get bruised by lunch time.
  

7.  Aluminum foil is better than plastic wrap because when you unfold it, you have a little plate with stand-up edges.

8.  When packing a meatloaf sandwich, wrap the bread separately and include some little ketchup packets from McDonalds.

9.  Be sure to put celery in the chicken salad. 

10.  Bananas come out of the bag darker than when you put them in.    

11.  Egg salad stinks up the whole bag.   

12.  Carrots are nice, but they’re not celery.

13.  Soft tortillas with grated cheese and any kind of leftover can be rolled up and viewed as something "new."   A well-dried leaf of Romaine lettuce placed on the tortilla first will keep the tortilla from getting soggy.

14.  Oranges, sliced in rings and then sliced again in half moons will get eaten over a whole, unpeeled orange.

15. Chocolate raisins are going to partially melt together and come out of their little plastic tub looking like a mound of rabbit poop, so put them in a baggie so they roll around more and have less contact.

Who knew.

I'm in the process of expanding my Bagging It page.  Click on the far right tab at the top of the blog to see 30 lunches for 30 days.  If you need more ideas, check out this Pinterest page and the many links there: 

Lunch Box Ideas 

Happy packing! 

Friday Flashback #2

I shake my head every time I read this.  It's just sad.  Feb. 4, 2011...

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I have a great meatloaf recipe that is full of pork fat, cow fat, cheese fat, and mayo fat.   It's delicious, thank you very much, Paula Deen.   

I normally bake this 2-pound fat concoction in one loaf pan.  But I always wonder if it's done in the middle, because it's one hunk of meat.  

Last week, I decided to split the fat between two loaf pans, ensuring thorough cooking and minimizing cook time.  

So we could ingest the cholesterol sooner.  

It worked beautifully.

I pulled out the first loaf pan and transferred it to the cooling board with my silicone potholder, which my husband calls the Gator Grip...  

...and promptly dropped the pan into the dish water.  

The pan sizzled, and the suds gushed in as the pan sank in a cock-eyed fashion.   

I swooped it out, but it was too late.  All that yummy fat...ruined.

 
In a wild and harebrained moment, I wondered if I could squeeze dish soap out of ground meat. 

My husband entered the kitchen at the moment and paused.  "What is that?"

"Meatloaf with dish water," I replied.

He thought about this.  "Is that what we're having for dinner?"

"Yes."

He didn't even look fazed.  "Hhmm.  Can't you just rinse it off?  It'll be OK."

We hate to waste good fat.  

I pressed my hand against the meat and turned it upside down over the sink to let the dish water spill out.  The loaf broke apart and plopped in the sink like canned dog food.  

It was disgusting.  I won't even post a picture of it.   

I've never dropped meatloaf in the dish water before.   I blame it on the Gator Grip.  Which, apparently, isn't that gripping.  

It works great with a cookie sheet, broiler pan, hot plate, trivet.  Any item that slides into it horizontally. 

Loaf pan?  Not so much. 

Just so you know.   In case you have a Gator Grip.  

Don't let your fat go down the drain. 

  
p.s.  I used a dish towel to remove the second meatloaf from the oven.  How nice that I made two, instead of one.  Sometimes I just luck out.