Pork Stroganoff and my birthday

Love those chubby feet!!!

No, we didn't spend my birthday at the beach but I did have a special one.

This year is indeed very special as God taught me a lot especially in regard to 'die to self' - 1 Corinthians 15:31. No wonder He gave me this year's theme: More of Him and Less of Me . Earlier this year, I read an article about homeschooling. The experienced homeschooling mom wrote: The hard facts about homeschooling boil down to three little words spoken by Paul the Apostle in : "I die daily."
Those three words keep ringing in my head and be my inspiration and encouragement to press on. For as I die daily, Christ reigns in me. Wesley's birth brings a lot of joy and love to our family but with his arrival also come my sickness, sleep deprivation, lot and lot of work but again and again I learned that His Grace is always sufficient.



Still curious about how I spent my birthday? Here it goes:
4:00 AM: Max woke up crying. He is diaper free during the day but not at night. After about a month successfully keeping his diaper clean, he wet his bed the night when forgot to put on his diaper.
5:00 AM: Wesley, who had been struggling with cough for a week, woke up. I nursed him then he refused to go back to sleep. So I went down, had a cup of coffee, read my Bible, and played with him.
5:45 AM: Chris woke up then went to work.
6:00 AM: Found a love card lying on my desk. Just what I need. Thanks dear!


7:00 AM: Wes decided it's time for him to sleep again so I put him back to sleep.
8:30 AM: Max woke up, gave him breakfast,
9:30 AM: Prepared the boys' stuff to bring to the doctor and grocery trips afterward since it's on the way
10:15 AM: Wes woke up, changed the sheet, then hauled both boys to the doctor.
10:50 AM: At the doctor office. The doctor diagnosed Wesley with a COLD. No medication needed. We just have to wait for the cough to go away, which can takes several weeks. The lungs sounds clear so that's good news!
11:30 AM: Went to Wholefoods to get a tiny bit of grocery and noodle soup for lunch.
12:30 PM: Went to Costco to get milk, eggs, and some other household stuffs. While other kids usually ask to go to the toys section, my 3 years old kept asking, "Where is book, mama, I want to see book, mama." :) Wes meanwhile was sleeping inside his car seat, which I put inside the shopping chart.
1:00 PM: Wes woke up from his nap, he then pooed and it got spread all over his shirt and car seat so we hurried finish our shopping, paid the stuff and went back to the car to him clean up.
Then I realize I forgot to return the stuff that I need to return so we went back to the store again.

Fast forward we went home, put the boys to nap, and start cooking dinner.
Chris asked if I want to eat out I said, "no" since Wesley still sick. He then asked if I want him to cook dinner I said no thank you. I want to do it. It's true, deep down in my heart, I -the girl who doesn't like to cook- do want to because: I can't help but be grateful for the blessing of this little family. Despite the pee, poo, inconveniences, sickness, etc... I wouldn't want it any other ways. And I want to be a blessing for the family that He has entrusted to me to love and care.

So here is what I cooked for dinner that night:

The happy consumer :)

Pork Stroganoff
Recipe adapted from adapted from many Beef Stroganoff's recipes online

Ingredients
1/2 box of pasta - any kind will do- I used fettuccine, cook according the package direction
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped yellow onions
1 cup sliced white button mushrooms
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
Grated white Cheddar
Chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and stir, until soft, add the garlic, ground pork, salt, and pepper, cook 'till half done then add mushrooms, stir for about 2 minutes. Add the broth, heavy cream, and sour cream. Cook, stirring, until the mixture thicken.

Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the mixture onto plates. Sprinkle each portion with cheese and chopped parsley.

Enjoy!