We had Zucchini Ziti for dinner the other night and it was yummy.  The recipe was from “Make 5 Dinners in ONE Hour”  and was simple and tasty.  The kids were immediately turned off by its appearance.

We have a saying in our house, “Kicklighters try everything.”  We chant this several times throughout every meal and the frenzy grows until the target of the cheering finally takes a bite of whatever has made their nose turn upward.

On the night of the zucchini ziti it was every child’s nightmare to take even one bite of the mixture on their plate and the Kicklighter mantra was having little effect.  I had even told them all that we had eaten the same recipe at another time and they had all liked it, but nobody believed me.  All I got in return was, “I don’t like zucchini.”

I brought out the big guns. . . I told a story that went a little something like this:
“When I was little my mom cooked zucchini for dinner and made us eat all that was on our plate.  When I was six I tried it and I did not like zucchini.  When I was eight I did not like zucchini.  When I was fifteen I did not like zucchini.  When I was twenty I did not like zucchini.  When I was 27 I tried zucchini and I liked zucchini and I have liked it ever since.  The point of this story is that you should keep trying things from time to time because you might find that your tastes change as you grow older.”

Little took a bite and shivered from head to toe.
KB took a bite and announced that she was right – she does not like zucchini.

Bubba took a bite and proceeded to tell me a story of his own:
“When I was two I was too little to eat zucchini.  When I was three I was too little to eat zucchini.  When I was four I had not eaten zucchini.  When I was five I ate zucchini and did not like zucchini.  When I was six I tried zucchini and I liked it.”

I’ve included the recipe so you can have the chance to tell a story of your own.  Maybe THIS is the year you find you like zucchini!

Baked Zucchini Ziti
2 zucchini
28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 C. Ricotta or cottage cheese
1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano
8.5 oz dried ziti noodles
1 C. water
2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

Chop zucchini into 1 inch pieces and add to a large bowl.  Add next 6 ingredients to zucchini and mix well.  Spray a 9×13 baking dish non stick spray and layer ingredients-
½ sauce/noodle mix
½ mozzarella cheese
Repeat ending with cheese on top. Cover with foil.
Bake covered – 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until bubbly.

Remember that show, “Kids Say the Darndest Things”?  This post has nothing to do with that show, except that my kiddos have been dropping some funny lines around here and I had to share.

Several weeks ago when Jungle Book was on the docket for family night, Little snuggled down in her sister’s bean bag and off-handedly commented, “The elephants in this are great.”  Thanks, Siskel.

KB loves to throw it in my face that she keeps growing.  She’ll walk up and say, “Look how much I have grown, mama” and I will pout and demand that she stop growing this instant. She giggles as she runs away and calls out, “I can’t stop, mama.  God made me to keep growing.  Well, in the car last week she was taunting me with, “I’m growing mama” and Little was getting more and more upset.  Finally Little called out, “NO GROWING IN THE CAR!”

March 27 was my day to deliver snacks to Bubba’s class.  March went by in a blur this year and I have to admit that the end of the month crept up on me.  I got my hair cut on March 27 and Honey was at the house to greet Bubba when he got off the bus.  The first thing Bubba said was, “Dad.  YOUR WIFE forgot to bring my snacks to school today.”  (Sounds a lot Adam.  At least Bubba had the decency to change it up a bit and refrain from saying, “The mother you gave me . . .”)

There’s a song on the radio that has the lyric, “I’m talkin’ pedicure on our toes”  The artist (term used loosely) sings so fast that I was pretty sure none of my kids ever caught any of the words, then yesterday KB asked if we could listen to that “toothpaste on my toes” song.

Bubba climbed into bed with me one morning and finally got restless.  Instead of just getting up and leaving me along (novel idea) he scooted down to the bottom of the bed and called out from under the covers, “Mom! Now you have to sit on me.  I’m not a fossil yet.”  I laid my head on his back and started to doze off again until I heard him quietly say, “Time passes.”  Hilarious.

Do you remember I mentioned multiple times that my friend Julie was having a class on organizing one’s kitchen. It was a week ago this past Saturday and it was great fun. Not only did I know all the gals who attended, Julie opened every cabinet and drawer and let us see how she personally applied the principles she was teaching us. It was a moment in time when so many of my loves came together in one place: organizing, discipleship, friends, laughter, and the kitchen!

The girls and Honey were on spring break last week and so cleaning was the LAST thing that was going to happen around here. I planned and purchased and waited for Monday, April 2 and the silence destined to fall upon our little abode.  Honey ended up being home, but he was a help and not a hindrance; 6’3″ husbands come in handy when you aren’t quite 5’3″. I turned on a little Tim Keller preaching about joy/anxiety, labeled my three Rubbermaid containers as instructed: “yard sale”, “other room”, and “trash”, and started emptying all the cabinets that didn’t contain food. I wish I had taken a before shot, but I didn’t think about pictures until the cabinets were empty and clean.

Isn’t that lovely?

I emptied everything, asked the seven empowering questions that Julie gave us, and ended up collecting three bins of things to either sell at our upcoming garage sale or move to another place for safe keeping.

Then I refilled my cabinets according to the zones Julie laid out for us and stood back to get a look and take it all in.  I seriously felt the tension in my shoulders decrease.

Don’t you honestly hear angels singing when you look at these photos? OH MY STARS!

I even have empty space! See it in the picture above these words? Just past the food processor. . . EMPTY SPACE.  There’s also two empty drawers! Sheesh!

Oh yeah, this is my beverage zone.  Seriously.  One might laugh at first but it makes so. much. sense. that your laughter will quickly turn to maniacal tears as you wonder how you didn’t see the genius before!  Everything from coffee to lemonade packets are in this cabinet.  All the mugs. . . one place.  Straws, grinder, kettle, etc. are in the drawer and cabinet below.  All that stuff I rarely touch – – out of my work space.  Brilliant!!!

So, my “take-aways”/thoughts/ponderings from this experience are . . . well they are like an onion (or parfait); there are many layers.
(1) Julie is having another class in June (get info from her newsletter, here) and if you live in the area you should attend.  Even if you think you have done a good job organizing your kitchen you WILL learn something new.  Come on, be a lifelong learner, for Pete’s sake.
(2) It is pretty much a guarantee that you have more in your cabinets than you actually need or use.  I received 72 pieces of Pyrex when I got married and I learned today that I have apparently been given more since the wedding!  (no we didn’t KEEP all 72 pieces for the past 11+ years – give me a break.) When it all comes down to it, I use 4-6 pieces in rotation.  It was well past time to get honest and get the extras out of here!
(3) There is a deep, soul level effect when one lightens one’s load and puts one’s stuff in place.  It makes perfect sense when I think that the One who made us is a God of order and when He created man He didn’t put him in a mall full of “stuff”, but in a garden with all he needed.
(4) When a couple has been married ten years, it would be a good time to throw them a “You Made it Ten Years and In This World That’s a Big Deal” Shower.  I can’t believe how much had just worn out and needed to be replaced.  Celebrating this milestone with renewed commitment and a new spatula could really be a good thing!

So, thank you Julie.  Thank you.  Thank you.

***Honey just came in and thanked me for the hard work done in the kitchen.  He said other sweet things too, but that’s nunya’ business.  What a joy to know I’ve given him joy.  Thursday I’m going to organize the food! I’ll keep you posted.