Archive for 2003
Posted by Tricia at 12:35 pm
This morning while I busied myself with some household chores, I made an attempt to keep the children nearby so we could talk. Abigail of course very happily sat down at the kitchen table with her paints and began creating a masterpiece of sorts. But my efforts to keep Nicolas (our 14 month old) nearby failed as he desperately wanted to go upstairs by himself to play in the “loft”. I let him go for this is currently his favorite place in the house to play (maybe because it was off-limits for so long because of the stairs) and I turned my attention back to my laundry.
It occurred to me shortly thereafter that all was quiet upstairs. There was no chortling, babbling, or banging of toys in the room overhead….what had happened? I climbed the stairs in search of Nicolas and at last located the little guy. Apparently overcome by fatigue, and completely unable to get himself into his crib, he’d had the good sense to climb into his big brother Jonathan’s bed with his favorite bunny and one of his passies and was fast asleep with his curly blond head perfectly positioned on the pillow. I had to take a picture!!
Posted by Jay at 7:18 pm
A few minutes before sunset, I was driving in the car with Abigail and Jonathan. The sunroof was open so the kids could enjoy the clouds, which were starting to light up. Abigail suddenly piped up:
A: I saw God peeking out! Yeah, yeah, I saw God peeking out from the sky, from heaven. He looked like Jesus. And He’s really big… He was really bigger than you, Dad! I saw Him by the strings.
(Editorial comment: it is my guess that “the strings” referred to power lines.)
J: (intervening into this little monologue by asking her one of her standard catechism questions) Abigail, can you see God?
A: No.
J: But…
A: But He always sees me… but I saw God. I’ve never seen God before. He gave me a special treat. I got to see Him. That was fun!
(Snip much more dialogue on the topic that I can’t remember… Abigail was quite excited.)
Then, returning home at night, more dialogue, with a few more choice quotes:
A: Dad, can you see God?
J: No, because God is a spirit and has not a body like man.
A: I can’t see God either, because it is dark.
J: That’s nice, honey.
Posted by Jay at 10:14 pm
After speaking with a cook from Mexico, I made a couple changes to my recipe. Maria Teresa claimed that cumin, for all its popularity in the U.S. when preparing Mexican dishes, was rarely used in Mexico. So I dropped the cumin. She also recommended fresh tomatillos. Now, at that point, we are talking about a completely different salsa, but I decided to see what it was like.
The batch I just made with this recipe is cooling, but the initial taste was mediocre at best. I may just be a bit partial to red tomatoes, but we’ll have to wait until it cools to give it a fair judgment. I like the green salsa at Luna de Noche, but I’m not convinced its green on account of tomatillos. Anyway, here’s the recipe. The next batch will use fresh red tomatoes.
Jay’s Chop Chop Salsa
Heat index
Whole jalapeno including seeds and hot chili pepper = very hot
Half of jalapeno without the seeds and mild chili pepper = mildly warm
Ingredients
Important: use fresh ingredients!
2 lbs of small green tomatillos
1 diced large jalapeno pepper
1 diced large green chili pepper
1/3 cup diced yellow onion
1 lime
1 crushed garlic clove
2/3 cup diced cilantro
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
Directions
Husk and wash the tomatillos. Put and put them in boiling water for 2 or 3 minutes. Put the tomatillo, garlic, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Cut the lime in half and squeeze both halves into the processor. Process thoroughly. Add the jalapeno, chili pepper, onion, and cilantro. Process until the consistency looks appetizing. Place in covered container and chill. A couple of hours of chilling will help the flavors to develop. Serve with El Milagro thin corn tortilla chips.
Posted by Tricia at 9:05 pm
One sunny afternoon this past week, the children and I headed out toward the church, to set up a dinner table for our church’s annual WIC Welcome Back Meeting and Dinner. I just had one “quick” errand to run first: return a pair of shoes I’d bought for Abigail. As I was in Marshalls returning the shoes, I had an idea: why not quickly stop by the linens section in back and pick up a pretty tablecloth to go with my china setting for the above-mentioned table? I actually have no fullsized tablecloths of my own which will work with my simple cream china though my MIL has kindly lent me the use of several of hers along with their nice oak dining table which we are “babysitting” for them. But all her cloths are solidly colored (with good reason: her lovely china is patterned with many colors in it) and I was hoping to find something with a bit more of a design to it.
It was a fun idea, but back in the linens section I came up empty. The patterns I liked were all the wrong sizes and the right sizes came in patterns I could do without. No big deal. While I was out, why not just check the other Marshalls just 10 minutes away? The advantages (or disadvantages depending on how you look at it!) of living in a large metroplex!!
Three hours and 7 discount stores later, including that second Marshalls, a Tuesday Morning, Steinmart, Nordstrom’s Rack, and others, I had no more reached my goal of a tablecloth than when I started. The kids, who each nap everyday and by this point were well beyond when those naps should’ve started, were wondering why I was torturing them by dragging them all over North Dallas and through countless stores. Meanwhile, my WIC table was still not begun. But by this time I was determined (read “obsessed”). There had to be a perfect tablecloth somewhere for a good price that I would absolutely love and which would beautify my table for the Ladies’ Dinner.
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September 13th, 2003
Wish Lists
Posted by Tricia at 10:26 pm
Upon the requests of several family members, I have updated our (Tricia and the little Hornes) Amazon wish list.
Here is the link.
FYI: A good amount of these items may be found at Target, Walmart or Sams for better prices. Thanks, and happy shopping!
Posted by Jay at 7:03 pm
After nearly 10 years of being in Texas post-college (I’m not factoring in the college years since I mainly ate at Blimpie and Taco Bell), I still hadn’t found a store bought salsa that I liked. Numerous restaurants serve up a tasty offering (I particularly like Luna de Noche’s… anyone have their recipe?), but the countless brands sold in grocery stores just haven’t worked for me.
So… I’ve been working on my own recipe. The third generation version is tasty, so I thought I would go ahead and post it. The “chop chop” in the recipe name refers to the manual dicing with a knife and processing in a food processor. Those are the two main activities involved in the preparation, which was one of my main concerns in creating the recipe. That’s also why I’m not using fresh tomatoes… you’d have to boil them or something and remove the skins. Too much work!
Jay’s Chop Chop Salsa
24 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1 diced fresh jalapeno (remove the seeds for more mild taste)
1 diced fresh green chili pepper (hot or mild to taste)
1/3 cup diced fresh onion
1 lime
2 crushed fresh garlic cloves
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
Put the tomato, garlic, salt, cumin, and sugar in a food processor. Cut the lime in half and squeeze both halves into the processor. Process thoroughly. Add the jalapeno, chili pepper, onion, and cilantro. Process until the consistency looks appetizing. Place in covered container and chill. A couple of hours of chilling will help the flavors to develop. Serve with your favorite thin corn tortilla chips… or, if you want to use the best chip in the world, go with El Milagro.
Posted by Tricia at 10:45 pm
I’ve been hesitant to introduce this topic into blogdom, due to the potential for some challenging questions from our faithful readers. However, we have found it funny enough that we’ve decided to share.
There has been a recurring theme in Abigail’s conversations with us as well as her prayers over the last several days. I think her offering before this morning’s breakfast should give you a general idea of the types of requests being brought before both her mother and father and our good Lord.
(and I quote):
“Dear God, thank you for this day and for making the whole earth. And please, please, please bring me a baby sister, because we have two boys and only one girl. And I really want a sister. So please bring me a sister. But if not, please give us twins. So, please either bring us a sister or twins. Amen.”
Posted by Tricia at 5:18 pm
Here is a picture taken early this morning of our Jonathan, dressed and ready for his adventure at preschool. Despite having missed the official first day of school last week due to a tummy ailment, he jumped right into his activities today with no apparent distress about being away from Mommy for the morning. And, from what we can tell, he had a marvelous time. His teacher, a very sweet, nurturing lady known to the two year old scholars as “Miss Mary” praised him for his cooperative behavior and his enthusiasm at participating in the classroom activities on this his first day. Between you and me, his parents are hoping that such continues to be the case!! We are very excited for him and hope this is the start of a wonderful school experience.
Posted by Tricia at 7:42 pm
My next few entries will be a bit retroactive as I am trying to catch up on some recent happenings which I just have not found time yet to blog about. After a year and a half of staying pretty close to home, save for a couple of brief trips to Minco, OK, and San Marcos, TX, I managed to take two week-long trips away from home in three and a half weeks time.
The first was a 3600 mile round trip in late July in our minivan to Massachusetts. This drive takes about 35 hours one way. Abigail and I, along with my sibs Sandy and Andrew, chose to drive straight through so as to maximize our time for visiting with family. (Our other brother Pete flew up separately.) Jay graciously stayed home with our two youngest and my saint of a mother-in-law cared for the boys during the days while Daddy was at work. I can never thank them enough for their loving support and immense help, without which I never could’ve made the trip! Thanks also to my two fearless codrivers, also without whom I couldn’t have driven such a long distance! There were a few bumps along the way, like Abigail’s stomach upset and several unplanned detours but we saw much beautiful country (love those Tennessee mountains!) and saved a TON of money by going this route instead of the more sane and much shorter plane ride/rental car option!
While in Mass our main focuses were visiting Pa who had taken a bad turn in his health, and giving encouragement to Lolly. We spent a good part of each day up at the nursing home, attempting to cheer Pa. Though for the time we were there, his mental faculties were not what they once were, his immense joy at seeing all of us is something I will always remember. Lolly housed us at her apartment and we girls spent most of our nights there while my two brothers bunked at our uncle’s rental home a few towns away.
One of the neatest outworkings of the trip in my mind was that for the first time, all seven of Lolly and Pa’s grandkids were all together in one place. And Pa got to see that and enjoy it. I also had the opportunity to meet my littlest cousin, young Zach, who at eight years old seems more like Abigail’s cousin than mine! Abigail had a grand time playing with the three “big boy cousins” as she refers to them and even learned to pillow fight, a skill which she quickly taught Jonathan upon our return home. I also want to note that for a 4 year old who naps every day I kept her on a ridiculous schedule and yet she still managed to be wonderful company to everyone. She had but one actual nap during the week away and most nights she was up till 11pm. Click here to see more pictures of our trip.
When we originally planned our week to Massachusetts, we knew Pa was sick, but we did not know it would be the last time we’d visit him in this life. How thankful I am that we had the opportunity to travel north, to spend precious time with our dear Pa and to enjoy the company of so much additional family. I feel tremendously blessed to have made this trip. God has been good to us.
Posted by Tricia at 10:52 pm
When you lose a person you love there are so many memories and sweet things that just cannot be captured and communicated through writing. At least not through my writing. What follows is my weak attempt to write a small remembrance of someone whom I loved dearly and who had a profound impact on my life.
Two weeks ago today my maternal grandfather, Augustus Frederick Frick died. I miss him terribly, for even though we have rarely lived in the same state let alone the same town, we were close. We managed to see each other frequently and we wrote and talked often with each other. He and my grandmother, even though in their eighties, have travelled down to Texas several times since Jay and I were married to visit with the grand and greatgrandkids. And, despite an 83+ year distance in their ages and an 1800 mile distance between their residences my children, especially my oldest, Abigail got the opportunity to know and love him in these last years of his life.
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Posted by Tricia at 8:57 pm
I believe many of you who read this blog also visit Dishnet and so you likely already know that a week ago today Susan Dishman “soared to heaven above”. How glad I am that her earthly sufferings are over and that she is now in glory, in the very presence of God and experiencing eternity. Yet I ache for her family and friends who miss her and feel a huge sense of loss at her parting. The way she lived her life is a huge encouragement and example to me and I count myself immensely blessed to have known her. If you think of it in the days, weeks and months ahead, please remember to pray for her family and those who were closest to her, especially her dear husband John, that he and all of them will be comforted in their time of sorrow. And if you haven’t already, stop by www.dishmans.net and read John’s beautiful eulogy to his beloved wife. Praise God for this sweet and faithful family.
Posted by Tricia at 10:35 pm
(Note: names changed to protect the innocent!)
Yesterday shortly after noon, I had a friend drop by. We’ll call her Annie. She was coming by to pick up something little, so I wasn’t sure whether she’d actually come in to the house or just run to the door, grab the aforementioned item, and leave quickly. Well, given her two little cherubs think our dog (we’ll call him Kid) is very cool, she voted for getting them out of the car and heading into the house.
Before I begin this next paragraph, you must understand that in keeping with my pride, I generally like my house to look a certain way when people come over. I like it to look nice for us but that desire is almost always heightened when the potential for company is on the horizon. I imagine many people feel this way, but I might be worse than most.
Well, as Annie and crew crossed the threshold into the House of Thorne I warned them in no uncertain terms that my home was potentially in danger of being declared a disaster area. (It is probably unkind of me to use such terminology given the recent devastation Claudette has brought to the Texas coast.)
Truthfully, though, it was indeed, ahem, untidy, to put it mildly. I had just returned from a mammoth Target trip and hadn’t put much of anything away yet. So the counters and kitchen table and even some of the floor were filled with groceries. The dishwasher was clean but not emptied so there was an accumulation of dirty dishes strewn across the counters near the sink. Then there was the little issue of the chocolate chip cookie bars I’d baked the evening before for Small Group. I made them last thing before it was time to leave for church, then I’d been away after group was over and didn’t return home till after midnight so doing dishes was not high on my priority list. The laundry I had earlier taken the time to fold had since fallen (or been thrown from) the love seat so it was decorating the living room floor. Meanwhile, my two eldest (we’ll call them Abishag and Nathan joe) had gotten out every board game we own and littered the dining table with them. They were all in varying states of being played. Lastly, the baby (we’ll refer to him as Nicolai) had contributed to the general state of chaos by plucking most of the magnetic letters off the fridge door.
Ok, I know I’m not making it sound as impressively awful as it was, but you have to trust me, it was bad, VERY VERY BAD!! However, I had just made a fresh pot of coffee which smelt very wonderful. So, as our friends made their way through the danger zone, tripping on target bags and magnetic letters, I meekly offered Annie a cup of coffee. She very bravely accepted and although we had to push aside the discarded mixer from the previous evening in order to prepare our coffees, they were warm and tasty nonetheless. Meanwhile, the previously mentioned Abishag and Nathan Joe offered to share their new toys (Viewmasters and slides purchased just minutes before at “The Target”) with their visiting friends. After picking myself up off the floor from the shock, I turned back to Annie and the two us had a good conversation in the midst of the mess. Our friends stayed on for the better part of an hour and a half and it was a lovely visit. For the most part: there was one little incident involving blood but nobody had to go to the emergency room!
I learned something in all this: if one can swallow their pride it is possible, even with a very messy casa, to extend hospitality to those who knock at your door. Being brave enough to allow Annie to enter the abominably untidy House of Thorne yielded a wonderful time together over coffee which, while offered humbly, was received warmly. I was immensely thankful for friends who accept me, my progeny and my house the way they are. What a blessing.
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