Flight of the Conchords Friday

I love reading my blog list lately. Everyone is gearing up for Valentine's Day and it's all starting to look sooo pretty!

A lot has been going on here. For example, yesterday, WE GOT A FOOT OF SNOW! It was so awesome...well...untill we lost power.

Keeping it short today For VDay, here is Flight of the Conchords "Ladies of the World"



And also for Vday, the vote this week for food...all desserts, [you're welcome las]

1. The classic- Chocolate Chip Chewies
2. The overindulgent- Burke Brownies
3. The Simple- Eve's Apples

VOTE here in the comment section. I'll post the winning recipe, Valentine's Day morning [to give you time to prepare for that evening!]

Tomorrow I will be reviewing In the Defense of Food, Real Food, and  Häagen-Dazs new ice-cream Five,

Have a wonderful weekend!
Mae 

Flight of the Conchords Friday

Woot! Its Friday!
Gonna follow some trends that I've been seeing on some other bloggity blog friends of mine while Lily's napping and I'm waiting for my Freecycling to be picked up.

One, of which I'm very found of is
What TV show raised you?
After much...not really...dilliberation, I can say, without a doubt,
Boy Meets World.

I was there when they changed little sisters on me from Her

to HER [who they stuck with]

I was there as Feenie came...and never went anywhere but where our lovely hero's went.

I was there when Shawn's Daddy died and he found his long lost rich [less attractive] brother, Jack.
I was there for Jennifer Love Hewitt's guest appearance on their Halloween episode. [Still sorta freaks me out..not gonna lie.]

I was there when Corry and Topanga got married, almost went to jail, and lost their virginity. [Two parter right there.]
And I was there when the show ended, and Eric found his niece in life. Haha.

Here's to you Corry, Topanga, Shawn [HOT!] big brother Eric, and even the n00bs Angela, Jack, and Rachel. I miss you all very, very much :]

And Minkus. Let's not forget Minkus.

 

So what t.v. show did you grow up with?

Another is What do you wanna do before you die?

Such a good question. I will post my list...we'll say of ten tomorrow.

Now, here is your highly inappropriate weekly dose of Flight of the Conchords.

Sunday recipes? Here's some from all the new one's we tried this week.
1. Spiral pasta with pesto and cherub tomatoes with Scallops
2. Baked sea bass with lentils
3. Kidney bean and Cauliflower Coconut Curry :]

Enjoy you're weekend and check back Sunday for the recipe!
OX mae

It's already THURSDAY?!?!?

Ok, I really shouldn't be apologizing for not updating regularly, but sheesh, I just can't get back in the groove of this!
Tuesday was Eamon's day off. We went to Super H Mart in Carrolton and bought a ton of fresh and frozen fish. It's a Korean supermarket that has an overwhelmingly huge produce and seafood department. Compared to other "ethnic" markets we've been too, this is the best. Well lit, clean, and a huge variety. [Of course Lily wakes up now...]
Wednesday I stayed home from bible study because we are trying to work out our car situations, and hated mission all my moms.

Lily's been a handful so I didn't do much but the regular house chores. OH and meal planning, AND two weeks worth of grocery shopping!

So Lily woke up like an hour ago and was super clingy. She woke up from about an hour and a half nap and just wants to sleep on me...She feels warm, so I'm just keeping her in the moby. So, alas. I tried. But I'm just going to read

Good Moms Don't Get PPD

That's what I told Eamon when he asked me about Pospartum Depression when I first got pregnant. I thought that this "disease" was contained to the few women in the world who became mothers but didn't want to really be one. I thought they were overacting, that they were playing up being stressed to win some pathetic crowds pitty. And worst of all, I thought they were bad moms.

Today I'm going to open up a discussion for you, my readers. I'm doing this for a few reasons. Healing, awareness, and ministry. If you are looking for any of those things, I urge you to keep reading. If you think like I thought, I urge you to keep reading. If there's a mama in your life, I urge you to keep reading.

My hands are kinda shaky, but God has put this on my heart, so...here I go.
Oh, and Lily is passed out, butt nekkid on my lap/arm as I type...

Before I go in to the past few months I think I need to write a brief, truthful look back on my past.
For the first...gosh, almost two years...of mine and Eamon's relationship I was depressed and suicidal. What teen isn't right? But seriously, I had a problem with self mutilation [cutting primarily] and loved being unloveable. It's a very sad truth, but I found depression attractive, death entoxicating, and heartache hearbreakingly gorgeous. I started cutting for attention in...8th grade I believe, and after that I couldn't stop. When people actually started to notice my cuts, I honestly didn't want them to. At one point I did it 4-5 times a day. And there was no stopping me. Not until I was saved. The night I tried to kill myself I prayed for the first time, I mean really prayed, and woke up the next morning when I shouldn't have. From there it was a drawn out recovery because Satan knows how to make Hell look beautiful, but by the time Eamon and I were married I was healed by the blood of Jesus. His bloodshed literally has forgiven and prohibitted mine.

My one year anniversary of no relapses came a few weeks before I got pregnant. I was really in this for the long haul, and still am!

Early on [we got our positive when I was just over a week pregnant!] Eamon and I discussed all the niddy-griddy details of pregnancy, child birth, and parenting. When postpartum depression came up, I was almost offended. I thought "Just because I was depressed, doesn't mean I'm going to be. How dare you put that on me!" [I'm REAL good at playing the victim :/] With the news reports of Brook Sheilds' depression and how demonized it was by the media still fresh in my mind, it just didn't seem real. It seemed like something for people disconnected with reality. Like a made up disease like restless leg syndrome or something...but whatever it was, I wasn't going to be effected by it.

All through my pregnancy we prayed any sort of depression would be kept out on the streets in the cold and never let in to our warm home.

A few days after Lily was born, I got the Baby Blues, just like all the articles, books, and paperwork said I was going to, but for some reason, it shook me up more than I thought it would, or could! With the help of my good friends Cindy and Michelle, I got through those few days/weeks and all was good. When signs started to show up again about 2 months ago, I ignored them. I thought "No, I'm just in a funk." or "Today...and yesterday...and the day before just sucked...it's gonna be ok..." and worst "No one can know about this." And that my friends is when I should have known that Satan had taken hold of my depression, that it was real, and that I needed help.

This past week when I started snapping at Eamon, wanting nothing to do with Lily [that hurts to type...] and at my wits end...I started doing some research. I came across many resources saying I should take a quiz to see where I was on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale so I took a sample test. I read if you score over ten, you may be showing some signs of depression, if you score over a 13 you should seek medical attention. With this in mind I reminded myself to be completely honest and not to overexacturate like I often do. I scored a 19.
That day [Friday] was horrible. I cried the majority of the day, I fed Lily a plum which upset her tummy, but I hadn't realized it and she screamed for an hour and a half as I cried and didn't know what to do. I called Katie, who pointed out the obvious, but hidden, suggestion and Lily was all better after giving her some Mylicon. But I was still crying. I called Michelle and talked to her a bit. Talked to Eamon a bit on his lunch break, and decided to talk to Jim Bob, our good friend and chiropractor. After explaining the severity of the situation to him later that evening he gave me some suggestions for supplements so we could try to avoid taking anti depressants, which I am terrified of. He was such a blessing, he brought me some Rhodiola & Gensing and instructed me to stay strict with my tuna and flax seed oil intake.
I have felt better and better every day!

I thought at first that I should just go through this with a few select people that I trusted. Texting and calling a handfull of people to pray for me every chance they had. Having my husband as my source of physical strength, and the renewed hope in the spiritual strength my Savior has and gives me got me through the past few days.
But after seeing some light on the situation, I felt strongly that I should share this with any one that was struggling with this who may need help. THINGS CAN GET BETTER! Help is out there, and it helps so much to talk.

I'm offering an open forrum here on my blog for any one to discuss their personal experience, offer advice, or just ask questions. Any negativity will not be tollerated.

Whew...there it is...
I hope you all have a wonderful day
Mae

It's been a crazy week

To say the least!
Wednesday I was so sick that Katie came to my rescue. She played with Lily for...maybe an hour while I slept. It was so sweet. How much difference that one hour made blows my mind!
Thursday I was still pretty much in recovery mode and trying to keep up with Lily.
Friday...Friday was hard. Probably one of the hardest days I've had in a few years. I think I'm actually going to designate a very serious post sometime this week to write about what came up. All I can say is God bless Jim Bob Haggerton, Katie Browning, Michelle Monk, and of course my loving husband. Without every single one of your's knowledge, compassion, and patience... you'd be looking at a very different Mae.
Saturday, another day of recovery, hahaha. I also went to a diaper show! Love, love, love diapers and I love, love, love Hip Green Baby. All of our diapers, teething necklaces, Moby's...actually, pretty much everything that is essential for Lily, we've gotten from Kristi!

And today we slept in super late [11- all three of us!] We went to Central Market to get some fish, but for some reason all of their in season fish was the most expensive...still looking for a place that sells quality, in season fish, that doesn't put all of our meals at $20 a night.

Just had to go check on Lily! She's become SO independent! It almost breaks my heart! She crawls short distances now, and still inchworms the long ones, she pulls up on anything and everything, and tries climbing too! She's so adventurous, I really don't know where she gets it from. She's become so good at waiting to poop till I take her to the potty, and when she's sleepy, she crawls from whatever room she's in to our family bed [which is on the floor] and lays there and waits for me to nurse her to sleep. It's quite adorable. She's also found out how musical she is. She loves to "sing" and dance, play drums, and clap my hands. [She hasn't figured out the whole I have two hands that come together.] Her look is starting to change. She's very long and [I think] she's starting to thin out, but she is so beautiful! Sometimes while she's playing, or nursing, or even sleeping, I look at her and see this tear jerking beauty that I am so in love with...

Ok, done catching you up! Here is last week's winner!
SPANK A PITA!  or Spanikopita...
[adapted from The Vegetarian Gourmet's International Cookbook, a staple in our house!]

There are two ways to make this wonderful dish, both of which I have tried. The first "traditional" way is with filo dough. Just typing that sentence made me wanna hit someone. I hate working with filo  dough, and trying this recipe with it has made me appreciate anyone who works with this devilish ingredient so much more. If you have the time, and patience, and the understanding that the dough IS GOING TO BREAK...then go for it. Otherwise, stay away, stay far, far, away.

The second way, which I will be going more in depth with is- biscuits! Now, if you have a quick and easy recipe for biscuits, I suggest you make the batter that morning, seperate it in to eight "biscuits" on to a pan lined with butcher's paper and refridgerate...

OR you can use refridgerator biscuits!  

[This is SOSOSOSOSOSO easy, but I know its hard to find biscuits that...aren't made of chemical warfare...so do what fits your family :]

Now, the ingredients 

• 8 refridgerated biscuits [homemade or store bought]
• 1 package frozen spinach
• 1 small lemon
• 3 tablespoons raisins [DON'T leave these out...so good!]
• 1 small onion [white or red]
• 1/2 cup feta cheese [the original recipe did not have this, but I highly reccomend!]
• 3 TBS dill
• salt and pepper to taste [again, salt is your friend! no bland food!]

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 [if you are using your baking stone, make sure it is in the oven for the preheating]
• Remove spinach from packing and steam untill thoroughly cooked

While spinach is cooking

• Finely dice onion [it is not neccisary to cook the onions. The heat from the spinach and the oven will take care of that for you, while still leaving a great texture! But if you must...]
• Juice lemons making sure all seeds are removed
• Line pan with parchment paper if not using stone.

Once spinach is done

• Drain spinach well!
• Combine all ingredients into bowl and mix thoroughly. You want to make sure every bite hss lots of flavor!
• Get biscuits out of fridge
• If using store bought biscuits roll them out
• Spoon filling on to half of the biscuit
• Fold biscuit in half and press down edges to close
• Bake for 12 mins [I think?] or until golden brown :]

Serve with Hummus, or Tahinni and a side salad. Makes awesome leftovers too!
By the way, there are plenty of tutorials on working with filo dough, but if you have a baby like I do, you may find it mind-shatteringly annoying...

Have you tried any of my recipes? Whether you've made them or I've made them for you, I'd love to hear your feedback!

One last thing before I go, Vita Coco will be sending me a case of their coconut water for me to review on my blog! So generous, I hope they know I'm a brutally honest type of gal ;] With my review they will be giving all of my readers a coupon for $3 off a 12 pack on Amazon!

I hope to be back on track for blogging this week!
Mae

I've been a bad, bad girl...

[I do a meeeaan Fionna Apple impression]

I hardly blogged last week! Ugh! So sorry for that!
It was a very busy week. With cleaning up Lily's half eaten poop piles, to continueing beautifying my home, to reading-a lot!

I will be back for real on Wednesday with a delayed SPANKAPITA recipe[!] and hopefully [you think I'm lying don't you...] some pictures!

for now, here are some pretties [I have a certain Lovely Lady who's bday is coming up!]

 

 

[All photos can be found over HERE, love love, love!

Cray Cray Mae Mae with Insane Jane

The last few days have been CRAZY GOOD!

Tuesday we went to the zoo and yesterday I had an awesome morning with my Wednesday morning bible study group.

This morning though, the Lord has been working up some nasty, dirty, so glad its getting out, stuff.

Here are some tastes of what's been going on this morning
Can Natural Living Become and Idol via Passionate Homemaking
I love the verse she used at the end:

“Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.” - Romans 14:1-3

and this lovely song that pretty much describes to the tee the different things I have been struggling with.
This Too Shall Be Made Right by Derek Webb



Here are the lyrics if you don't care to take a listen.
"people love you the most for the things you hate.
and hate you for loving the things you can't keep straight.
people judge you on a curve
and tell you you're getting what you deserve
and this too shall be made right.

children cannot learn, when children cannot eat
stack them like lumber when children cannot sleep
children dream of wishing wells,
who's waters quench all the fires of hell
and this too shall be made right.

the earth and the sky and the sea are all holding their breath
wars and abuses have nature growing with death
you say we're just trying to stay alive
it looks so much more like a way to die.
and this too shall be made right.

yes theres a time for peace, there is a time for war
theres a time to forgive and a time to settle the score
a time for babies to lose their lives
a time for hunger and genocide.
and this too shall be made right.

oh i dont know the sufferings of people outside my front door.
and i join the oppressors of those i choose to ignore.
im trading comfort for human life
and that's not just murder, it's suicide.
and this too shall be made right.

o this too shall be made right ."
I promise to post pics of the zoo as soon as I resize all of them...ugh!

mae