New site!

We've moved to a new site, visit us at http://www.samandmariadoehler.com/. We'll still keep this site up for a while, but our dot com is where it's happening!! We'll be adding all your links and so much more!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Yesterday was Sam's mom's birthday! I feel awful that I missed it as she is an amazing person and deserves a lot of credit for raising 13 kids. If that doesn't make a person a saint I don't know what does! You're a wonderful grandma and we love you!!
I don't have a good picture of her right now, but no one ever believes she's had 13 kids.

chocolate chip cookie secrets

I have always tried to make chewy, dense chocolate chip cookies, but many of my attempts were unseccessful. Someone finally revealed a secret to me (thanks, Gia), that it all has to do with the quantity of flour. The next secret is to cool them in the freezer. It makes them chewy and it turns out every time.
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
Have butter at room temp, cream, and sugar, cream some more, add eggs.
1 tablespoon vanilla
Add vanilla to butter mixture, cream again.
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
dash of salt
Mix all dry ingredients together and add them to the butter cream. Mix ingredients thoroughly.
1cup or more chocolate chips
1/2 or more cup pecans or walnuts (optional)
Mix add ins. Spoon onto cookie sheet @ an inch apart and bake at 350 for @ 10-15 min.
Remove cookies when they have desired color, not texture.

You can use the basic recipe for any add ins you want. A comdination I really like is 1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup white chocolate chips and 1 cup milk chocolate chips.
Experiment and find your favorite. Then let me know. Enjoy!

Off the Committee

Yesterday I was making lunch for the kids. Everyonce in a while I get all convicted and try and smuggle something really healthy into the lunch. It never works, though yesterday was my worst flop.
I checked out the pantry and found organic spaghetti and organic chicken borth, no less. So I thought I could make something like Ramen, but much much better for our precious children.
I threw a few whole cloves of garlic in the broth (which I took out before serving), grated some carrots and zuchinni, broke some spagetti into it and dropped in a few eggs scrambled with some parmasane cheese to make an egg drop veggie soup.
I thought it wasn't half bad, but na ha, the kids would not have it!!!
I can't say that I won't keep trying, but for now I'll just be off the committee.
We usually feed our kids healthy stuff. It's just the overly healthy stuff that doesn't win with them, yet!

cute, so so cute

Just a few darling moments with darling little people...

Zara found a flower pot....



















It made her happy...




















Babies learn through discovery, right?





















...Danny and Brookey dressed up like shepherds for Word time...

The victory is contentment

Ever since I can remenber, and I have a pretty good memory, I compared, analyzed and thought out just about everything that came into my life. I guess it's a Libra curse, but I weighed up everything to see if it was fair or not.
Nothing steals your joy like comparing, I am so learning.
I cannot proclaim any great victory yet, only announce that I am on an all out war against comparing and negativity in my life.
I know most of you readers are eiher upstairs or down the hall, but still, I just wanted to shout it out.
I want the victory and I need your help! I can use this as a plug for prayers from near and far.
The Lord has given me so many wonderful promises of what the victory will be, it makes it worth fighting for. The victory is contentment
He told me:
You will be able to stand in your post without distraction and confusion. You will be able to hear My voice clearly, no matter how many voices surround you, you will be able to praise no matter what and be all the more powerful for it. You will be able to love fully with My love, what more have you ever wanted? This is really your dream come true.

I know, I know, it doesn't sound like me now, but isn't it amazing what Jesus can do!
All the glory to Him for the good days!--And even for the really out of it days that remeind me how much I need Him!

She's gone Country

I'm only posting this picture because, well, because it is just so "us." Sam has taken me Country. It's funny how you adapt to the person you marry.
I was never particularly into Country or into anything really, but look at her now!
Well, actually, I can't boast of all that much Country, truth be told, I don't have a pair of boots, never eat a Farmer's breakfast, and can't recognize all but one or two Country singer's names.

All Happy Children...

It's always fun to watch the kids free playing on their own, the things they do and come up with show how much (or how little, as the case may be) they think. I managed to get pictures of quite a few of them holding something that was on it's way to their face &/or mouth for closer examination.

And then there's Brookey with her baby. I've never met a 2 year old more into babies than Brooke. Whenever she enters a room the first thing she does is to find a suitable spot to situate her baby. Lucky for her, here there's always a high chair, swing, stroller, walker or some other baby proof set up. Her doll is old and dirty (though it's been washed many a time), she has several newer dolls, but this "white baby" is her special baby and receives all her love and attention.

Art as Cade perceives it

Cade has decided he is a photographer. He want to take pictures of everything, himself. He composes pictures quite differently than I would (then again, Sam is always teasing me about my pictures), but some of them are quite cute, things the way a 4 foot person sees them. Here is a small sampling of somethings picture worthy to Cade.

Routine vs Free Wheeler

This post could be somewhat contorversial, but I thought I would just go ahead and write it since it will be interesting to hear what other moms do.
I read a very interesting book called the Secrets of the Baby Whiperer when I was pregnant with my second child. A British lady named Tracy Hogg reveals some "secrets" to understanding your baby and teaching them how to do all the things parents hope their baby will do like go to sleep on its own, sleep through the night, play on their own for a reasonable amount of time, etc.
Now, when Zara was born I had high hopes of teaching her to go to sleep on her own, the key to this is to have a quiet room and do this little routine each time so baby knows what to expect. It all sounded quite doable, so I tried it.
My suspicion is that Ms. Hogg doesn't live communally, or at least her room isn't right by the kitchen nor shared with the baby's sibs. I never could get my room quiet, so I abandond the go-to-sleep-on-your-own routine in exchange for go-to-sleep- anywhere training which seemed to suit us much better.
I think there is a definite balace to this, as a baby needs security, heck, I need security, but in my case, teaching adaptability has been our salvation. I think I would have turned into a nervous wreck if I insited on keeping my room quiet for baby!
So, my big lesson is see what works for you. Read the books, talk with the experts, but go with your faith and the gauge of your success: if you have a happy, healthy, secure baby, you must be doing something right.
And, it goes without saying, though the truth be told I often postpone this crucial step far too long, ask the Lord. He knows baby better than you ever will.