Success. An answer. And a request.

This may look like a simple meal to you. But to me...it says success. See that macaroni in the corner there? That is no ordinary macaroni. That is my mother in laws macaroni and cheese. A staple to the Johnsen clan. Some time ago I asked her for the recipe to make it for my husband. I have had had several unsuccessful attempts at making it...each time, upon the very first bite I could tell what was missing from it...salt, butter, etc. Last night was different. Last night it was perfect. So much so that I can't wait to eat the leftovers for dinner tonight.
I would post the recipe here but that may get me banned from NJ so if you would like it you can find a way to contact me and I can share it with you that way. :) Like passing a recipe to a friend.

Doug was off again today...the last time for a while...we started the day by taking Moses to the previously discovered playground. By the end of this trip he was so tired that he asked Doug to carry him...and was covered in dirt and sweat.

His average time on these was about 4 seconds...

Unless another child was on this two seater...and then Moses couldn't get enough...each child pulling in a different direction...I was just waiting for heads to bonk together...

And...someone on my last post inquired about why parents would choose not to place their child in the nursery during church...I thought I would address this...at least from my family perspective, I can't speak for others. First of all...we only started going to our current church a few months ago. When we moved from Radford, Moses was about 6 months old. Had we stayed there he would have stayed in the nursery during service from the get go. Note that I said during service. Not worship. I will likely never take Moses to the nursery during the entirety of worship as I feel that that is a family affair. Yes, when he begins to fidget about TOO much, I take him then but not before. And of course there may be days when his demeanor makes it impossible to stay in for any length of time but in general I want us to experience worship as a family. Since we have begun to attend our current church Moses has gone to nursery each time...only Doug and I had been taking turns going and staying with him. This was for a couple of reasons. Mostly because we didn't know anyone. I am not about to leave my child's care in the hands of strangers...we wanted to see how they handled the children, their demeanor, etc. I wanted to know how things were run and know what my child would experience. Another reason that we took turns staying with him was for him to become familiar with the surroundings and people. We did it this way to ease the transition for all of us. And it worked. :) I may also add that one of the requirements for any church that we were considering or will consider in the future will be that they are family friendly. That noises from babies and toddlers are a welcome part of the experience and that we would not be scorned for allowing a noise to escape. I have been in churches where a cry from a baby brings dirty looks and that made me want to RUN from that church. So, that is why we do what we do. Please note that I am just explaining how we believe and feel about things...I know that each family is different and some do prefer a more traditional experience and that is OK and wonderful for you it is just not how we choose to experience the Body. :)

And, one more thing...I need some post ideas...so give them up! What do you want to hear about...ideas...requests? Leave them in the comments...please. :)

I lied...one more thing...if you took the time to link a photo of the mess in your house...please send me your address via Etsy and I will send a little something your way. :) We'll do that again...next time with a little warning. :) Have a great day friends!