DPP > Dog Love

We love our Danes... they are the Gentle Giants! Here is Tobi riding Daisy like a horse. I don't know how many times people have suggested that we should buy a small saddle for our Danes and train them to give "rides" around the yard. Like that would ever happen! LOL!!

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DPP > Happy Birthday Tobias!

Happy Birthday little man!


Here he is... eating a banana cupcake made with coconut flour and sweetened with bananas, stevia & dates. So simple & good! The recipe came from Elana's Gluten-Free Cupcakes. The only thing that was missing was whipping cream... didn't have enough cream to make any, BUT I made homemade ice cream (maple cinnamon), of course!   ;o)


He LOVED his cupcake, but found the ice cream too cold. LOL!


I know I said I would share the birth story today, but it was a full day for me and I ran out of time.  So, l'll have to do it later! Thanks for your patience!

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Celebration GIVEAWAY: Bones & Fat Cookbooks

Well, today we are celebrating my little man's birthday! I know every mom says this, but... I seriously can not believe he is already 1 year old. Time just flies faster and faster with each kid!

It is my goal to share the birth story later today in honor of Tobias' birthday. I have to tell you! It is an amazing story of faith, trust and... well, I get to that later  :o)


Before I get to the giveaway... let me share a few highlights of Tobias' first year of life.


Everybody fell in love with this little guy... my girls are especially crazy about him. How can they not be?! I am SO grateful that there has been no jealousy issues between my girls and this little guy. None at all.


He has proven to be a very strong-will little guy... my third strong-will child *sigh*. Life is sure very loud and noisy in the Beard household! All 3 of my kids have very strong spirits and lungs. People often ask me if it is hard for me to hear them... my answer is always, "Ha! No, God has blessed me with very loud children. If I think they are loud... can't imagine how loud they are to you!"

He began to crawl around 9 months old, but started walking before he was 10 months old! He loves following my girls around and doesn't let them push him around. Almost everyday I often see him do things and say, "He is SUCH a BOY!". Seriously, after having two girls... I am amazed just how different Tobi is and it sometimes feels like he is my first child.


Tobi has had more bumps, bruises & cuts on his head and face then both my girls combined when they were babies! Thankfully he isn't much of a crier and gets right back in the action after a few minutes in mama's arms  ;o)


It has been an awesome year with this little man and I am so blessed! Thank you Lord! Happy Birthday Tobias!


Now, the second giveaway!

To one winner, I am giving away 2 delicious & savory cookbooks:

 

These two cookbooks are deliciously amazing... just reading through the recipes and look at the pictures make me feel nourished and well-fed! LOL!

Jennifer McLagan has done a wonderful job of explaining everything you need to know to appreciate the benefits of eating wholesome bones and fat. I love her witty sense of humor thrown in at just the right places. You can read Jennifer's bio here.

These two books are vital in my kitchen these days! I just love how there is so much you can learn and do with just bones and fat.... and still thrive in good health. Here's a simple write up on Fat cookbook (taken from Amazon.com): 

For all of history, minus the last thirty years, fat has been at the center of human diets and cultures. When scientists theorized a link between saturated fat and heart disease, industry, media, and government joined forces to label fat a greasy killer, best avoided. But according to Jennifer McLagan, not only is our fat phobia overwrought, it also hasn’t benefited us in any way. Instead it has driven us into the arms of trans fats and refined carbohydrates, and fostered punitive, dreary attitudes toward food–that wellspring of life and pleasure.


In Fat, McLagan sets out with equal parts passion, scholarship, and appetite to win us back to a healthy relationship with animal fats. She starts by defusing fat’s bad rap, both reminding us of what we already know–that fat is fundamental to the flavor of our food–and enlightening us with the many ways fat (yes, even animal fat) is indispensable to our health.


Mostly, though, Fat is about pleasures–the satisfactions of handling good ingredients skillfully, learning the cultural associations of these primal foodstuffs, recollecting and creating personal memories of beloved dishes, and gratifying the palate and the soul with fat’s irreplaceable savor. Fat lavishes the reader with more than 100 recipes from simple to intricate, classic to contemporary, including:


• Butter-Poached Scallops • Homemade Butter • Carnitas • Duck Confit • Sautéed Foie Gras with Gingered Vanilla Quince • Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Sage Butter • Steak and Kidney Pie • Lamb Fat and Spinach Chapati • Bacon Spice • Cookies • Salted Butter Tart 


Observing that though we now know everything about olive oil, we may not know what to do with lard or bone marrow, McLagan offers extensive guidance on sourcing, rendering, flavoring, using, and storing animal fats, whether butter or bacon, schmaltz or suet. Stories, lore, quotations, and tips touching on fat’s place in the kitchen and in the larger culture round out this rich and unapologetic celebration of food at its very best.

The one thing I learned from her Fat cookbook is chicken fat is delicious used for frying up corn tortillas! Oh my!


Next is the Bones cookbook (again, taken from Amazon.com):

Top food stylist and food writer Jennifer McLagan has a bone to pick: too often, people opt for boneless chicken breasts, fish fillets, and cutlets, when good cooks know that anything cooked on the bone has more flavor -- from chicken or spareribs to a rib roast or a whole fish. In Bones, Jennifer offers a collection of recipes for cooking beef, veal, pork, lamb, poultry, fish, and game on their bones.


Chicken, steak, and fish all taste better when cooked on the bone, but we've sacrificed flavor for speed and convenience, forgetting how bones can enhance the taste, texture, and presentation of good food -- think of rack of lamb, T-bone steak, chicken noodle soup, and baked ham. In her simple, bare-bones style, Jennifer teaches home cooks the secrets to cooking with bones.


Each chapter of Bones includes stocks, soups, ribs, legs, and extremities (except for whole fish -- they don't have any). Many of the recipes are simple, with the inherent flavors of the bones doing most of the work. There are traditional, elegant dishes, such as Roasted Marrow Bones with Parsley Salad, Olive-Crusted Lamb Racks, and Crown Roast of Pork, as well as new takes on homestyle favorites, such as Maple Tomato Glazed Ribs, Coconut Chicken Curry, and Halibut Steaks with Orange Cream Sauce. Stunning, full-color photographs of dishes like Rabbit in Saffron Sauce with Spring Vegetables; Grilled Quail with Sage Butter; and Duck Legs with Cumin, Turnips, and Green Olives are sure to inspire. 


In addition to the recipes, Bones includes a wealth of information on a wide range of bone-related topics, including the differences among cuts of meat, as well as the history and lore of bones.


Pretty awesome, huh? Now, she recently released a new cookbook called "Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal". I've got my eye on that and will most likely get a copy soon!


The one think I've grown to appreciate about living in Central America is how much people here appreciate the WHOLE animal. They use everything! Tongue, stomach, heart, hoof, head, tail and so on. I love grinding heart in with my ground beef... adds such a nice flavor. Oh and tongue is simply delicious... once you get past the weird feeling that you are "french kissing" the cow. LOL!! Using calf's hoof in my homemade beef broth has made a big difference in flavor... so rich!


There are a few butchers in the town next to us that often hang a whole cow in their station and will not close down until every piece of that cow has sold. Nothing goes to waste... talk about being frugal and smart!


How to Enter

Just leave a comment below sharing your favorite Christmas memory! (1 entry)

To maximize your odds of winning, you can leave a comment every day! (one comment per day strictly enforced)

3 bonus entries:

Follow Jennifer's blog (1 entry)

Follow my blog (1 entry)

'Like' Just Making Noise on Babble (1 entry)

So, you can have a total of 4 entries today and one everyday until December 31st January 14th! This giveaway is only open to US residents and the winner will be selected via random.org at the end of this month. Winner will be contacted in January.

Also, don't forget you can purchase Just Making Ice Cream for a suggested donation of $8 through this month! That is $4 off the original suggested donation.

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DDP 2011 > Bellybuttons & Raspberries!

I enjoy laying down to play with Tobi. It is interesting to see the world from his view... what goes through his mind when he sees things bigger than him? Does he understand how small and vulnerable he is?


Whenever we start to play, he LOVES to look for my bellybutton and when he finds it... he gives me a drooling raspberry. That gleeful smile on his face always brightens my day and my heart swells with fierce love for this little guy!


I am SO blessed to have a little man! Bellybuttons and raspberries are my remedies to soften up a hard day  ;o)


Check out DPP 2009 Pictures: Day 4 & Day 5




PS- I missed yesterday because we were in Teguc and got back late.

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Life is Beautiful

I can't believe we now have 3 kids... wow. If you told me 10 years ago that I would be a missionary living in the rural area of Honduras with 3 beautiful kids and my hubby. I probably would've try to run away... like Jonah! LOL!

Honestly... life here is hard and a daily struggle, but I am so glad I am not truly alone. I have my best friend and husband, Jon, to keep me going each day. I have my relationship with my Lord to keep me focus on my calling as a wife and mother. I have my 2 girls and little man to keep me plenty busy!

I am daily learning what it means to die to myself and serve my family. It is a long, challenging road and I always remind myself... "God never said life would be easy. He just promised it would be worth it"... It is my daily prayer to meet each new day with a light heart, joyful attitude and LOTS of singing  :o)

Please enjoy our new family pictures!

Where's Tabi? LOL!

Sweet Sisters

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You are my Sunshine

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Meet The Little Man: Tobias Dayne

December 14th  -  2:30 am

Tobias:

"Believing the Lord is Good"

Dayne:

A hybrid to honor our Dads - David & Wayne

21"

9 lbs & 2 oz.

I am thrilled to introduce all of you to our third child and first son! He is beautiful and very tranquil. So far, he has been a easy baby and I am so grateful. I still can't believe we have a son! My girls are in love with him and can't stop kissing him. I am in love with him and can't stop staring at him. My hubby is in love with him and can't stop snuggling with him. Yes, we are madly in love with our new little guy  :o)


The birth was AMAZING and I am looking forward to sharing with you the birth story from the very beginning. We chose to do the birth ourselves... no midwife, no doctor... just family. I want to share with you how the Lord lend us to do this and how He made it very clear to me through several things. Can't wait to tell you all about it and hopefully it will be soon! Meanwhile, you can read two short versions about the birth on our RO4Y blog and/or my dad's blog. Enjoy!


Now, I need some help from you guys. Our little man needs clothes and all we have are the girls' old clothes... no way am I dressing him up in pink and purple frills! I registered at Target for clothes and ChildTrek for toys & books, but if you want to send used or handmade clothes and toys... we will appreciated it the same! Gift cards are also welcome because we can use them when we visit the states.


We are finding out that he is going to be a fast grower... he is already wearing most of his 3-6 months clothes that my mother-in-law was able to send down to us! Please choose 6 months and up if you are planning to send clothing for our little man. 


If you would like to bless Tobias with new, used or handmade clothes and toys... please contact me at marillynbeard@gmail.com and I will let you know where to send them!

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

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