Moving

So, we bought a house 2 days ago. It is adorable and in a great neighborhood. It has a cute fenced-in backyard and a big porch on the front where we can sit and relax. It has a sunroom off the kitchen were Will can play while I cook in the kitchen. The basement is perfect for students to come over and hang out. We close on it December 15th. Sounds great, right?

Here's the catch- We moved into our current house back in June and were told that we'd close at the end of the month. The seller let us move in prior to closing, we just had to pay utilities. It was a short-sale so we were getting the house for a great price. A contract was signed. Every thing was done on our end. We were told every single month since June that we'd be closing at the end of that month. It never happened. Mid-October we got a call from the seller's agent telling us (again) that we'd likely close at the end of the month. Two days later we received an eviction notice from the lawyers for Freddie Mac telling us that we needed to move out because the property had been foreclosed on. You can imagine our shock. It turns out the seller knew the property was foreclosed on back in September but didn't want to tell us b/c they were trying to resend the foreclosure and didn't want to lose us as potential buyers. We tried contacting the lawyers for Freddie Mac and Freddie Mac directly and never heard back from anyone until a couple of days ago. To make a long story short, we have to move out by this weekend. 2 babies, 2 parents, all of our earthly possessions and 3 weeks until we can get into our new place. Praise God that we have an amazing church family and friends that are making sure we are taken care of.

All of this is bittersweet. We are sad to leave this house because we have made it our home in the last five months. We adore our neighbors here and will miss neighborhood dinners on Tuesday nights and little ones knocking on our door almost daily to see if Will can come out and play. We will miss the high schoolers that live across the street that come by to hang out with Brad. We will miss being walking distance from Brad's work and downtown Kirkwood.

That being said, we are so thankful that we were able to find another house so quickly. By the grace of God they accepted our offer even though it was much lower than their asking price. The seller said something like "Well, if it will benefit the Kingdom we are willing to consider it". Brad also randomly saw the owner outside mowing the lawn and stopped to chat. The man thanked Brad for what he did for a living (working in student ministries). They seemed genuinely sympathetic to our situation.

We are a little overwhelmed at the thought of packing and moving again, especially with two little ones. I also keep thinking about how long it took us to unpack and get really settled in here. It is time to trust that God will provide for all of our needs. He always does. We praise him for our new house. I will post pictures once we are all cozied-in.

Feta-Stuffed Chicken

This is a tried and true in the Lucht house. It literally takes only 10 minutes to prep and I often have all the ingredients on hand.

Feta-Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c breadcrumbs (make your own from sprouted bread!)
2 Tbs Butter
4 Tbs Feta Cheese (T.J.'s has Feta w/Med. Herbs which is extra good!)
4 tooth picks


Directions:
Pound the chicken breasts flat with a rolling pin or meat mallet. They should be about 1/4 of an inch thick. This keeps the meat nice and tender and allows it to cook quickly. Rinse the chicken of with water and then dredge each breast in breadcrumbs. Put one tablespoon of feta cheese onto each breast, and then fold over. Hold the stuffed breasts closed with a tooth pick. Melt the butter and poor it over the chicken breasts. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Serve over fresh spinach leaves with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. You will love it!

Swiss Oatmeal

This stuff is the best. . .well, it is the best if you like oatmeal and yogurt. I have been making this in big batches and then keeping it in the fridge to eat for several days in a row. I'm obsessed with it right now. I first had Swiss Oatmeal (I think another name for it is Cold Oatmeal or Summer Oatmeal) years ago at Corner Bakery and then a friend of mine gave me a simple recipe for it. I toyed around with that recipe and some other recipes from online to get a flavor and consistency that I liked. You can totally doctor this up any way you like to meet your tastes. Enjoy!

Swiss Oatmeal

Ingredients:

-1 1/2c Water
-3/4 c Old Fashioned Oats
-3/4c Whole Milk
-3/4c Whole Milk Vanilla Yogurt
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 c banana
-1/4 c dried cranberries
-1/4 c granny smith apples peeled and chopped

Directions:
Cook the oats in boiling water for about 8 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes but not too long or it will be too difficult to stir in the other ingredients (you can also soak your oats beforehand to get more nutrition out of them). Add the milk, yogurt and cinnamon. Stir until combined. Refrigerate overnight so the oats can absorb the other liquids. The next day stir in the fruits and enjoy! You want to wait until you are ready to eat the oatmeal to add the fruits so that they stay fresh. No one likes a slimy banana or a mushy apple. :)

*You could stir in raisins, almonds, walnuts, etc according to what you like. You could also use low fat milk and yogurt. We just like to eat full-fat dairy products in our home. If you want to know why you can check out this.

Mini Cupcake Tin Advent Calendar

This week I decided to try my hand at making an advent calendar for Will to use once we get to December. This one was super easy and I had all of the materials that I needed already except for a few sheets of Christmas themed scrap-booking paper. I can't wait to fill it up and hang it on the door!



Directions:
-Cut 24 circles of patterned paper to cover the muffin tin holes
-Cut 24 circles out of adhesive magnet sheets to stick on the back of each paper circle
-Print out the numbers 1-24 on card-stock in any font you like on the computer
-Punch the numbers out with a 3/4 inch craft punch
-Glue numbers onto each circle
-Embellish and decorate each circle however you like
-Drill 2 holes in the top of your muffin tin
-Fill each hole with treats/notes/stickers etc.
-Hang with a ribbon

Here is a close-up of some of the circles

More Grace

Ok, so life with two little ones is super exhausting and on certain days (like this one) it is difficult for me to have perspective. Ruby is sensitive and wakes up every two hours at night. Will is two and has a lot of strong opinions. I am a short-tempered sinner. Ruby spent much of the day crying and William has really been testing me to see if I mean what I say lately. Days like this leave me feeling angry, trapped and desperate.

At bedtime we sing William songs before putting him down. Brad often sings "Grace that is Greater" and I regularly sing "Amazing Grace". He always begs for more songs. Many times on days where I feel like all I did was battle my kids he will sweetly say "More grace please Mommy?" at bedtime. He is referring to the song but the Lord is speaking to my heart. More grace, please. I almost cried the first time he said it. God is so faithful to give me perspective when I lack it.

Greentree Harvest Party

Fire Chief William and his dalmatian Ruby




Poor Ruby fell asleep just like this

Soothing Oatmeal Bath

Dry-skin season is upon us so that means red, dry, flakey skin for my poor, sensitive, scandinavian-skinned children. Aveeno oatmeal bath is ridiculously expensive so last winter I took to the internet to find a home-made alternative. This recipe for oatmeal bath works great and really soothes their dry skin. It is also great for diaper rashes.

Homemade Oatmeal Bath

1 cup of oats (any kind as long as they aren't flavored)
Coffee grinder or food processer ( I use my Magic bullet with the grinder blade)
Lavender Essential Oil (optional)

Blend the oats on the highest setting until you have a very fine, consistent powder. To make sure the oats are the right consistency, stir 1 tablespoon of the ground oats into a glass of warm water. If the oats absorb the water and give it a milky look and a silky feel, you've blended enough.

Add a few drops of essential oil to the powder and sprinkle into a warm tub. Soak for 15-20 minutes.

This really did seem to help! There are tons of recipes online for Colloidal Oatmeal Baths but this one seemed easiest. I grabbed it from this website which says it can be used for chicken pox, sunburn, dry skin, eczema, diaper rash and more.

Best Sugar Cut-out Cookie Recipe EVER

Ok, so this is not my recipe, it is a borrowed recipe from my good friend Amanda but it is just too excellent to keep to myself. These cookies are just the right consistency and taste awesome. Enjoy!


Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

-1 cup white sugar
-1 cup butter, softened
-3 ounces cream cheese, softened
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon almond extract
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 egg yolk
-2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, butter, cream cheese, salt, almond and vanilla extracts, and egg yolk. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour until well blended. Chill the dough for 8 hours, or until it can be easily worked with and rolled out.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

3. On a floured surface, roll out the dough 1/3 at a time to 1/8 inch thickness, refrigerating remaining dough until ready to use. (It gets very sticky! I have to use lots of flour!) Cut into desired shapes with lightly floured cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Leave cookies plain for frosting, or brush with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with candy sprinkles or colored sugar.

4. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light and golden brown. Cool cookies completely before frosting.



ButterCream Frosting

-1/3 c. butter, softened
-3 c. sifter powdered sugar
-2 tbs milk
-1 ½ t. vanilla

Sift powdered sugar and blend into other ingredients.

Happy Birthdays

Yesterday was William's 2nd birthday. We decided to get some traditions started and took Will to get donuts and then to the book store to buy a birthday book. We thought it'd be cool to look back and see what he was interested in every year as he grows older. This year he picked L, M, N, O Peas. . . well, let's be honest we sort of picked it- he ran all over the place pulling random books off the shelves yelling "DIS ONE!" when we asked him what book he wanted. He was much more interested in the Sesame Street stuffed animals and the giant plastic microphones ( Borders, why do you carry these?).

William shares a birthday with my Dad who turned 60 yesterday. That seems really old to me (sorry dad) and it made me realize how old I am getting! I wish my parents were closer to us to we could all go out and celebrate these birthday boys together!

Here is a picture of Will in one of his favorite gifts-his very first Radio Flyer Wagon from Grandpa and Grandma Morsch.

William's 2nd Fireman Birthday

William turns 2 in just 4 days so we celebrated his birthday yesterday. Our dear friends have a son Graham who was born 2 weeks before Will so we did a joint birthday party. We met these friends in our childbirth class that we took when we were having Will so the boys have known each other literally, since birth. It has been so fun to watch them change and grow these past two years. Will is OBSESSED with fire engines these days so that was the theme. He typically wears a fireman's helmet around the house while he plays and sometimes forces us to wear them too, so he was completely delighted to see everyone walking around with helmets on. We had so much fun with all of our friends eating cake, pushing firetrucks around and throwing hay. :)

I still cannot believe my baby is a walking/talking/wrestling/dancing two-year-old! Sniffle, Sniffle.

My Favorite Home Remedies

I am not a fan of putting chemicals and dyes into my body or the bodies of my small children so I have recently become very interested in researching and using various home remedies/homeopathics to treat illnesses in our family. Over the past couple of years I have come up with a list of favorites:

Colds/Coughs/Congestion - drano

sore throat - lighter fluid

runny nose/burning ears - I Can't Believe Its Not Butter (topical use only)

broken leg - peanut butter and candy canes

Ha, ok so Brad wrote those while I was out of the room.

Here is my REAL list:

Colds/Cough/Congestion-

Emergen- C-3-4 packs a day while I'm feeling gross
Echinacea Throat Spray- 3-4 times a day
Neti-Pot- I will love it forever despite how nasty it is to see your snot flow out
Eucalyptus Oil- I use it in the humidifier, bath tub, and mixed with a carrier oil as a chest rub
Pulsatilla- I use this homeopathic when I suspect an infection (thick nasal gunk)
Gypsy Cold Care Tea- Tastes great and helps to clear you out
Warm Compress- press a warm, wet wash cloth on sinuses. This helps to loosen gunk up
Steam- Hot shower with lots of steam works wonders

Tummy Troubles

Papaya & Pineapple Enzyme- Helps with digestion and you can buy them at Trader Joe's
Probiotics- We like the Culturelle packets for the kids and the tablets for the grown-ups
Chamomile Tea- This tea is both calmative and helps with digestive upset

Stress/Anxiety/Insomnia

Chamomile Tea- This really helps me relax and sleep. I drank it all the time while I was pregnant
Rescue Remedy- These drops are made of flower essences and help to calm you when you're feeling overwhelmed/stressed
Epsom Salts, lavender oil and eucalyptus oil- I mix 1 cup of salts with 5-10 drops of oil and relax in a warm bath

Ear Ache

Pulsatilla- for ear pain that gets worse at night
Belladona- for pain and inflammation
Hyland's Ear Ache Drops- these work wonders on sore ears. They are a homeopathic blend and you use them 3-4 times a day

I am not a naturapath or a doctor, just a mama that finds these remedies helpful in my home. :)

Weekend Trip

This weekend we ventured north. The boys stayed in Cissna Park for the weekend and Will had the time of his young life riding Rusty the horse & Papa's combine, fishing, learning to shoot the bow and more.

Ruby and I continued on to see my best friend from high school and her new baby Jillian. These two cuties are 7 weeks apart and destined to be bffs like their mamas. :)

I also had a chance to catch up with my best friends from college. We played with babies, ate good food, drank wine, made cookies and just enjoyed each other. Whenever I come home from these little trips I feel both refreshed and sad that we aren't closer.

All in all in was a great weekend (despite the fact that Ruby girl cried for HOURS while we were driving there and back) and I can't wait until next time when we can make the trip with the whole fam!

Wubby

I'm a sucker for a good baby product. Recently a friend asked me if I'd ever seen "the beenie babies with the pacifiers attached at the end". She explained to me that the stuffed animal helped to keep the pacifier in the baby's mouth. I thought the idea sounded hilarious so I looked them up online. Now I think the idea is genius. Ruby screams like she is being tortured in the car so I needed a way to easily find her Soothie while I was driving. The answer- the WubbaNub. I am hooked. I can shove this little giraffe in her swaddle blanket and car seat straps and her little paci stays right in its place. She also cutely holds onto it when she is not swaddled up. Happy baby, happy mama! :)

Tractor Land

The Kirkwood Farmer's Market is awesome all the time but it is especially awesome during Fall. They have tons of mums, gourds, pumpkins, cider, etc. but the coolest thing of all is Tractor Land. They have a bunch of old-school Mini John Deere Ride-on tractors and this year they added a pool full of corn for the kids to play in. Tractor Land is open every day in October until 8pm so I think we will basically be living there.

Chicken Tikka Masala

This is hands down my favorite food of all time. When we lived in Bloomington-Normal there was an awesome Indian restaurant that we'd get Tikka Masala and curry from all the time. I had a fellow Indian food lover friend and we'd stuff ourselves silly at Puran. Now, here I am in St. Louis, MO with tons of delicious Indian restaurants to choose from and no one to eat it with me! Brad likes it but doesn't love it and none of my other friends (that I know of) are into it. So alas, I looked up some recipes and I made it myself. It was sort of time consuming but pretty simple. My house smelled scrumptious all day and I have a new favorite recipe. :)

Chicken Tikka Masala

Marinade:

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice--about 3-4 lemons
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 quart plain whole milk yogurt

Mix together, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, garam masala, oil, salt, chili powder, and yogurt. Stir in chicken until well coated.

Cover tightly and chill overnight, or for at least 8 hours, stirring once or twice.

Next Day:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade and place on baking sheet in a single layer. You will have to sort of shake off each piece before laying it on the sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

Transfer to CROCK POT set to HIGH setting.

Meanwhile, make sauce:

Sauce:

2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 medium size white onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
15 oz. Bionaturae Organic Strained Tomatoes (It comes in a jar not a can-hurray for no BPA!)
2 teaspoons garam masala
salt to taste
6 ounces organic heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoons fresh cilantro (optional)

Saute onion, garlic, and ginger in the oil until the onion is clear. Add strained tomatoes, garam masala, and salt.

Heat through, stirring often. Add cream in 1 ounce portions, stirring to mix well after each addition.

Add sauce to chicken in hot crock pot. Switch the setting of the crock pot to low. Mix well, stirring to coat all the chicken in sauce. Cook for 2 or 3 hours on low setting, stirring every hour, if possible. When cooked, garnish with cilantro and serve over basmati rice with naan bread.

*This recipe makes a lot of Chicken Tikka Masala. I would say it could serve 6-8 people.

Easy Crock Pot Chili

I was craving chili the other day so I modified a recipe that I found in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and made a huge batch. We have neighborhood dinners on Tuesday nights so this was a good recipe to feed a crowd. I know that everyone and their mother already knows how to make chili but this recipe was easy and tasty so I thought I'd share. Also, you can save a buck and buy all the ingredients at Trader Joe's! :)

Easy Crock Pot Chili

2 lbs Grass Fed Ground Beef

1 large onion diced

1 4 oz can of fire roasted diced green chilis

2 14 1/2 oz cans of Organic Tomatoes Diced and Fire Roasted w/green chilis

2 14 1/2 oz cans of Organic Kidney Beans

1 15oz can of Organic Tomato Sauce

2T Chili Powder

1 1/2 tsp Cumin

2 cloves minced garlic

Brown beef on stove top, drain fat and then transfer to crock pot. Stir in all other ingredients. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve with sour cream, cheese, oyster crackers and corn bread.

This recipe can easily be tweaked to fit your tastes. :)

Photos by Trisha Abaca

Ruby is pooped out after rockin' it

This picture captures Will's personality so well.

Blue-eyed Ruby with the Black-eyed Susans

The cool old bridge in the middle of our backyard

Ruby Jean Beauty Queen

The Body of Christ in Physical Form

Nothing has been more impactful to me in recent years than watching my dear friend and spiritual mentor Michelle "do life" after her husband Mike lived through a brain aneurism. Michelle befriended me and invested in me as an annoying high schooler and I was changed by that relationship. I have sat back and watched her hold-fast to God's promises and struggle with His painful providences. I've been able to see what long-suffering looks like. I've also been able to see the righteous right hand of the Lord strengthening, upholding and protecting his beloved daughter and her family. Here is a link to her blog. If you are like me it will make you cry and it will encourage you. Here is an article that was in the paper about them 2 weeks ago.

My heart was heavy after reading it so I thought I'd share!

Meatloaf Muffins

Meat loaf just sounds like something old ladies make so I didn't make it forever. Once I found a recipe I liked it became a staple in our home. I make a pan full of these and we eat half and freeze half for another night. Meatloaf is great for hiding veggies.

Meatloaf Muffins

• 1 1/2lbs Grass-fed Beef 
• 1 T Olive Oil
• 1/2 C chopped carrot
• 1 C chopped onion
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 C ketchup (make your own!)
• 1 C breadcrumbs (also, make your own from sprouted bread!)
• 2 T mustard
• 1 tsp naturally fermented soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• Butter for greasing

* You can easily add other veggies like zucchini or squash. You can also use ground turkey to cut back on fat.

Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute onion, carrot, oregano and garlic for 2 min over med/high heat. Allow mixture to cool.

Combine onion mixture with remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with butter. Squirt the top of each "muffin" with ketchup before popping in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes and enjoy!

Mango Chutney Tuna Salad

I ate this all the time when I was teaching full-time and then not at all when I was pregnant. It is a yummy twist on a lunch time favorite.

Mango Chutney Tuna Salad

• 2 cans of tuna in spring water
• 2 T lime juice
• 1/4 Cup Mango Chutney (I get the Mango-ginger Chutney from Trader Joe's)
• 1/4 Cup Mayo (make your own, its easy)
• 1/2 tsp curry powder

Combine all ingredients and enjoy as a sandwich or with pita crackers. :)