Musings on life, parenting, Jesus, and more...

Today my neighbor Luisa showed me how to make tamales. It was quite a process and I’m certain I could not repeat it alone but it was really fun learning from her and working along side her. (I do find it a tad amusing that during our two winters in Mexico I never learned to make them, but I’m happy to be learning now.) Here’s what we did: Yesterday we went to La Tapatía, a Mexican grocery store in Portland, and she picked out the ingredients I would need. Chicken, chilies, tomatillos, onion, garlic, anise, and masa of course.  Last night we cooked the chicken in a large pot with a few garlic cloves and half an onion. After it was cooked, I removed it, shredded it, and put it in the fridge. The broth also went in the fridge to use the next day to make the dough, but since it needs to be cold, it makes more sense to do it the night before. This morning I placed the corn husks that my neighbor had given me into a bowl of hot water so they would soften. She arrived around 9:45 in the ...

I am so incredibly blessed to be mom to these three amazing children of mine.  They challenge me, exhaust me, sometimes frustrate me to no end… but they also make me laugh and fill my heart with immeasurable joy and a love that I never knew until God brought them into my life. And I’m thankful for some amazing women in my life that have surrounded me, loved me, and honestly carried me through some pretty difficult times. Ladies, I consider you my friends… my peers (in other words, I’m not trying to call you old 😉)  but I also want you to know that I believe God gifted each of you to me to help heal a deep wound in my heart and fill the void of not having a loving, nurturing mother for most of my life.  Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing women and moms who might be reading this… but you women especially will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you for supporting me, loving me, counseling me, accepting me, and for being an example to me of the mom (and someda...