MckLinky Blog Hop -- Anything That Feels Good

I recognize that this is a really crappy picture. However, the content is a little bit funny. As I was driving home from celebrating the October birthdays in our family, I came upon this delightful sign which said,

"Hot dogs and healing!"

I can't say that I have ever associated hot dogs with healing. I'm a little curious.

But it made me smile. It made me feel good.

MckLinky Blog Hop--Why You Should Read My Blog

I must admit I feel like I'm in high school again--running for Vice President of Student Council. Vote for me! I'm the best! Read me!

And after watching the moving Julie and Julia, I have come to realize that I am a bit of a narcissist. I feel sorry, in some ways, for family members who live with bloggers. All we do is talk about our blog. Life is viewed from the paradigm of the blog, will this stuff of life we are living together be material for my blog? How can I share this conversation to my readers?

The Blog is never far from our thoughts.

And then, if I don't write . . . I get anxious . . . worried that I didn't post. For some reason, I think that my readers' lives will end if I fail to reach out to them from my computer.

This thought process is lunacy. When one of the blogs I read doesn't post, my life goes on. I don't get upset.

I am a narcissist.

Read my blog to learn about me, my life, how I eat, how I teach, how I interact with my family, what I'm reading, how amazing my husband is, what my friends are doing, how silly my dog is, where I travel, what I dream about . . .

And through all of the stuff about me, I pray that you will see that ME is a direct result of God working through me. I pray that you see and read about HIM, my best friend and Savior, Jesus.


Special thanks to Grace Jacobsen for sponsoring this blog hop.

MckLinky Blog Hop--Show Off Your Art

Many years ago, my grandma gave me a sewing machine. 

I was thankful at the time, but I had no idea the impact her gift would have on my life and 300+ others.
 

Her simple gift has given me a chance for creativity, an opportunity to provide a very tiny income to support my habit of coffee and gift giving, and an opportunity to bless others with a hands free way to nurture their children, yet get household chores done! 

I love playing with fabric colors and delighting new moms with a homespun creation.

MckLinky Blog Hop--Favorite Baby Pictures

I am sure I could probably find a ton of my favorite baby pictures of the boys. However, this is what I scrounged up today, due to my unorganized tagging system. One of these days, when life slows down (yea right), I will organize our pictures . . . and maybe finish a few scrapbooks!

(Mr. Smackdown was born before our digital camera. Here he is in his daddy's hard hat.)

(Mr. Me-Too came fast and furious. We used this picture for his birth announcement. It was taken at the hospital.)

(Mr. Smiley is snoozing after a big storm that blew threw. He is probably a few days old here. We were thankful he wasn't born during the storm. I'm not sure our midwife would have made it!)

MckLinky Blog Hop--Time To Laugh

I am thankful that Brent gives us a heads up about what the following week's Blog Hop content is to be. I needed a week to come up with a funny moment. After tickling my brain to giggle something up that was funny for 5 days, I finally asked the resident comedian, my husband.

I hesitated to ask him. Though he supports my blog, I think it is a slight shadow that hangs over his shoulder. He never quite knows what I will say, and thus can be slightly uninterested (no offense Hottie Hubby--I know you like it, you just don't love my blog or totally understand the therapeutic effects of my blog or how it keeps me out of counseling or buying photo albums to collect dust and memories that would never actually get pasted onto the pages (am I rambling? Can your really have a ( ) within a ()?)

On a positive note, the blog is providing our homeschooling curriculum this year.

Anyway, on the way home from church I asked him for some funny material. Typically, I would tell you that Hottie Hubby himself is quite entertaining. But you really need him to tell the stories that have me in stitches. So, before we pulled into the driveway of insanity, he reminded me of the following video by Mike Williams.

It is a little lengthy.

It takes some time to get to the punch line--but this build up is so necessary! Enjoy!




And for a personal silly moment: we were driving in the car on our way home from gymnastics yesterday. It is always exciting for a child to spot a dog hanging out of a window. On this occasion there were two dogs, a Doberman Pincher and a Weimaraner, vying for the prime vantage point to catch bugs, pushing each others ears to look out the small Honda window. Mr. Smackdown was pretty excited about this spectacle until he saw the driver, who happened to be a retired woman. As only a child can so plainly state, though we might think it, he said, "Mommy, she is too old to have two dogs." Guess you had to be there.

MckLinky Blog Hop--The Perfect Cuppa Chai

Whenever someone, really anyone, comes over to my house, I make Chai.


It is tradition and everyone knows it.

I look for any and every opportunity to make chai.

It all started when we lived in India. I was domestic. Everyone else was an engineer or an architect. By making chai, I fit in.

So, though much counseling over chai with my therapist, I have come to realize that I make chai obsessively because it makes me feel comfortable, important, needed. It welcomes guests.

It welcomes me into my quiet times with God.

The Perfect Cuppa Chai
(the proportions are really to my tastes--play around with it)

1/2 mug water
1/2 mug whole milk (raw tastes better)
fresh, peeled ginger (about the size of your fingernail)
spoonful of loose Assam black tea (or any STRONG black tea)
spoonful of raw honey (or sugar)

OPTIONAL: You can add a few cardamon pods, cloves, and cinnamon bark to the boiling water and ginger for Masala Chai or Special Chai.

Bring water and ginger to a boil. Add tea and let steep until desired strength. Add milk and bring mixture to almost boiling. Watch out that the chai doesn't boil over (not that I have ever done this)! Strain solids. Add raw honey to desired sweetness.

And if you don't have time. Dump everything together (minus the tea) until the liquid boils. Then add tea and steep until it because a dark tan. Strain solids.

Don't forget to put all the tea leaves and solids (that sounds gross) in your compost bin!



Homemade chai is cheaper than buying a box of pre-made Chai at the grocery store or a national coffee chain.

So it fits in with my granola lifestyle. Maybe I should add this post to my sidebar!






chai recipe MckLinky+Blog+Hop India

MckLinky Blog Hop--Favorite Photo

This is my little baby, Mr. Smiley. The third boy.


I can't believe how big he is getting.



These pictures were taken a few days ago. I went in to get him from his Quiet Time, and he had fallen asleep.

Precious!






mcklinky+blog+hop favorite+photo

Favorite Kid Photo: McKLinky Blog Hop

OK . . . so I did a little photo editing.


This moment was captured this past weekend, trying to get the perfect picture of the three boys for their grandma's (Mama) birthday.




mcklinky+blog+hop favorite+kid+photo

MckLinky Blog Hop--Favorite Photo

It was fun to look back through old photos, taken in the days before www.granolamom4god.com existed. This picture was captured soon after Mr. Smiley was born at home.

Lazy afternoons of sleeping on the couch after being woken up several times at night, were necessary.

I love how tender my husband looks (and is) and how peaceful and content Mr. Smiley is as he lays on his daddy. When I married my husband, I knew that he would be a good dad, however he has proven to be an amazing, baby wearing, compassionate, roughhousing, helpful, strong, gentle, and inspiring daddy.

MckLinky Blog Hop

What started out as a digital scrapbook, has now become quite a habit in my life.

Quite simply, I love to blog. I love to write. I love to learn. I love to share about my husband. I love to share about my kids. I love to share what God is teaching me. I love to share my recipes with you.

Granola Mom 4 God is about living organically on a budget . . . well, to be honest, I haven't checked the budget recently, but I do a lot of things that help keep the budget lower. Sometimes I write reviews, post recipes, and do giveaways. Many times I experiment with my camera, record Tot School, and share about a new conviction.

mcklinky+blog+hop