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mother’s day 2009

mother’s day 2009

family of three, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.

‘Twas a lovely day. I felt so loved and honored all day long.

John made me breakfast in bed and entertained Emma so that I could sleep another hour (not sure which gift I appreciated more!). They gave me a bouquet of roses, a gift certificate for a pedicure and a frame for a picture of Emma.

Emma had “encouraged” us to start our day a few hours earlier than planned, so we had time to leisurely enjoy our coffee together before heading off to church.
Afterwards we hurried home to make put the furniture back in place (John cleaned the carpet yesterday – thank you Darling!) and make lunch for family who had phoned to let us know that they would be arriving slightly ahead of schedule – by two hours!

Lunch turned out great, and we had a wonderful afternoon visiting with them all – John’s mom Teri, sister Sarah and brother Brian, brother’s fiancee Leah and her sister Esther. They were returning from a road trip for Brian’s graduation from Liberty University with a master’s degree in (international?) business.
John and I finished the evening by reading together as the light was fading … and finishing off the rest of the cheesecake. :)

Here’s a sweet tribute – of sorts – to motherhood that I heard on NPR: At My Place, Every Day Is Mother’s Day

I hope you all had a beautiful day celebrating your own mothers – or being celebrated!

first field trip

first field trip

We went to the Cincinnati Zoo with some friends today – Emma must have loved it, because she was content in her stroller except for when she was hungry. Such beaming bright eyes! I’m planning on posting a few more pictures later so you all can enjoy them too.

cincy is so natty

cincy is so natty

-from Babes In Toyland

I’m not sure if I would say Cincinnati is “the best city in the USA”, especially since some people rate it as the third poorest large city (pop. of 250,000+) in the nation.
There are some truly lovely parks, city squares, old homes and estates that could make you wish for a gardener, a maid and a butler. There are also some areas that send shivers down my spine. This is the city God has placed us in, though, and we are finding friends and making memories here.
John and I celebrated our anniversary (April 12) last weekend. His mom came over from Indianapolis to spend the afternoon with Emma, and John and I drove down to our old neighborhood. We parked and fed the meter, and then walked the old, old streets where I used to go jogging. We window shopped. We thoroughly enjoyed being out together, and I realized that I really missed living there. I even missed our first tiny apartment. I will probably also miss living where we do now when we move. Maybe not the neighborhood as much, but I knowI will look back at this apartment and the memories we made in it, and miss it, too.

Emma Grace Elizabeth, 2/26/09

Emma Grace Elizabeth, 2/26/09

and twelve hours later …

8 lbs, 15 oz
11:31 pm
20 1/2″ long

We are at home now – happy, healthy, and enjoying each other. I’ll post more pictures and a bit about Emma later, as the time comes! For now, Mom posted a play-by-play on her blog. She, Julia and Ben are coming tomorrow, so I’ll get back to you when I can! Maybe when Grandma is holding Emma … :)

dinner guests

dinner guests

Evan, Sarah, Leah, Elizabeth and Esther stopped by for the evening yesterday. It was awesome to have people over!
We took them to church with us (we went last night because John had to work today) and stopped to pick up groceries on the way home. John BBQed some burgers and hot dogs (he is really starting to enjoy the charcoal grill!), and I made up some guacamole. John and I decided that we really enjoy having our family over. Mhmm.
The girls gave us a housewarming gift!

Oh, as they were about to leave I remembered that I had a cheesecake in the refrigerator that I had made up the day before (just because I felt like it). So they decided to stay a moment longer to partake. The recipe looked rather mundane, and the cheesecake itself rather resembled a wheel of Brie cheese, but once you bit into it (with some blueberry coulis on top), it was heavenly!
Sour Cream Cheesecake
Joy of Cooking
Crush or grind fine:
1 1/2 cups graham crackers
Stir into the crumbs until well blended:
1/4 to 1/2 cups powdered sugar (if substituting granulated, use 1/4 cup)
6 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
Pat into a 9″ springform pan. Chill.
Mix well, then pour into the crust:
2 well beaten eggs
3/4 lb. soft cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice or 1/2 tsp vanilla (I used vanilla)
1/2 tsp salt
Bake about 20 minutes in a preheated 375 oven. Remove from oven and dust the top with cinnamon.
Let cool to room temperature.
Mix well and pour over the cake:
1 1/2 cups thick cultured sour cream
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
Bake about 5 minutes in a 425 oven to glaze the cheesecake. Let it cool, then refrigerate from 6 to 12 hours before serving.
Blueberry Coulis
Cook’s Illustrated, May/June 2003
12 oz fresh or frozen thawed blueberries
5 (scant) tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice
In a medium saucepan, bring berries, 1/4 cup water, sugar, cinnamon and salt to bare simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally; cook until sugar has dissolved and berries are heated through, about 1 minute longer.
(I skipped this next step) Transfer mixture to blender or food prcessor; puree until smooth, about 20 seconds. Strain through a very fine-mesh strainer , pressing and stirring to extract as mush seedless puree as possible.
Stir in lemon juice.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, as least 1 hour.