Easter Ham Glaze

Every year, I host Easter. That's "my holiday", if you will. Thanksgiving always falls to one of my sisters-in-law. Mother's Day brunch to the other. And Christmas? Well, we usually gather at my mother-in-law's that afternoon. But every year, Easter happens here. It's kind of nice to know the routine. It's predictable! It also enables me to have a pretty set "plan" from year-to-year. And, I won't lie, weather-permitting it's just lovely to let the eight (soon to be nine!) cousins scamper around around our two acres on an all-out Easter egg hunt.

Since I host Easter, I make the ham. Everyone else brings side dishes to round out the meal, but the ham? That's my department. Over the years, I've played with my glaze recipe and I've finally arrived at a tried and true favorite.

This is it:

Easter Ham Glaze

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup orange flavored rum (like Bacardi O)-- you could use all orange juice instead, but the flavor won't be quite the same. If you know you won't use it for anything else, you can also look for one of those "shot size" little bottles in the front of the liquor store and just use that.

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Use to glaze ham during the final 30 minutes of baking.

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While we're on the subject of Easter feasts, I need to get the menu plan out to my in-laws soon. Any recommendations on side-dish requests? Anything more creative than the typical rolls, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, and salad that we tend to have? I'd love your suggestions in the comments!

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For more Kitchen Tips, be sure to visit Tammy's Recipes every Tuesday!
For more yummy recipes, visit Tasty Tuesday, hosted at Forever... Wherever!

A Refill of Chocolate Mocha Perhaps?

Last week's Fiber One Spa Basket giveaway was rather popular- looks like a lot of you enjoy yummy products that sneak more fiber into your diet (and also bath products).

Happily, I have another one to give away this week!

I was so excited to receive my Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Chewy Bars Spa Break gift basket. Included was: a sample of the new snack bars, a bath pillow, chocolate scented soap, lotion (which smells like HEAVEN), bath salts, and a coffee scented candle.



My 4-year old son and I happily devoured those Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Chewy Bars. They had such a great combination of chocolate and coffee flavors blended in- two of my favorite things! These quickly became my "go-to" snack for right before my daily 4:00 pm treadmill work-out. Perfect!

To learn some more great fiber facts and to find out if you and your family are currently getting enough fiber (because most people are NOT), go here.

Would you like another chance to win one of these yummy, indulgent baskets?
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To enter, simply leave a comment answering this question:

What is your best tip for sneaking more fiber into your family's diet?

Fiber One Spa Basket Winner, Week 1

And the winner is...

Here are your random numbers:

25

Timestamp: 2009-03-29 15:33:05 UTC

Congratulations to Danielle who writes:

The Key Lime yogurt is a favorite of mine as well, but the Caramel Delight Cereal is my absolute must have..

I'm excited for you to receive your gift basket! I've already sent an email to get your contact info.

Thanks to all of you who entered. I loved reading about your favorite Fiber One products.

Didn't win this time? No worries!

You can try again this week (and next-- stay tuned!).

Burdens to Blessings

Today, I glanced at next month's calendar page just to see what lay ahead. I saw that my little girl has an appointment with Pediatric Ophthalmology in April. At 8:00 am. At first, I kind of rolled my eyes. For those appointments, I have to drive to our capital city and it will take me at least two hours, each way, with traffic. So I'll need to be out the door at 5-something. Even for early-bird me, that's early to have my 3-year old dressed, ready, and loaded in the car. I also need to make arrangements to have someone meet my 4-year old son when he gets off the bus at 11:30 since it's unlikely I'll be home by then. Kind of a hassle, all around...

But really? If I think about it?

I am so blessed.

Our pediatric ophthalmologist is amazing. He is one of my favorite doctors we've ever had and he is world-renowned for some of the work he does.

He practices at an amazing children's hospital (see the commercial footage we shot for Riley Hospital in my right side-bar)- the hospital where my daughter was born. The hospital with one the top 5 NICU's in the nation. His early diagnosis of my daughter's ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity) is one of the main reasons we were able to get the surgery done to prevent her from completely losing her sight.

And my drive? It's not so bad. We'll sing some tunes, watch the sun come up, and I'll sip some coffee while she sips some milk.

What looked like a burden is truly a blessing. And realizing that? Well... that's a Finer Thing in Life.

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For more Finer Things, visit Amy's blog every Friday!

Sacrificial Hospitality Challenge: Week 5

Hard to believe I've been doing these challenges for a whole month now! This project has been such a blessing in my life and has come at a time when, to be honest, it would have been easy to wallow in self-pity. I am forever amazed at how reaching out to others and giving of yourself can leave you feeling so much more fulfilled and satisfied with your own life.

For this week's challenge, I will be crocheting preemie hats for the children's hospital that cared for my daughter when she was born. There are oodles of people out there who knit or crochet baby hats and donate them to hospitals (and hallelujah for that!). A small percentage of those people make them for preemies. But precious few make hats to fit micropreemies. Consider this- a hat made to fit an average newborn should fit on a grapefruit. A hat for a moderately-to-very premature infant should fit an orange. But a preemie born before 28 weeks has a head closer in size to a lime or lemon. That is TINY. I made a hat for my baby girl when she was in the NICU because I was frustrated at how swamped she was by even the smallest hat they had. I was lucky- I already knew how to crochet (and knit- but I'm faster at crocheting). Not all mommies do and I'm convinced their babies still deserve hats that fit their precious tiny heads! I like the idea that this is a challenge I can fit in when I have a few moments- during quiet time with the kids or while watching a TV show with my husband.

If you have any interest in joining me in this project, you can find directions for making these tiny hats here.

How about you? Have you ever used your time and talents to make items to donate to those in need? I'd love to hear about it!

13 Little Things I Miss While I'm Pregnant

(** Disclaimer: Please know that I am fully aware that not ONE of these of things is really a big deal and that having a happy, healthy baby trumps them all. I've had a great pregnancy and don't want anyone to think I'm complaining! But, just for fun, here are I few things that I must confess I'm looking forward to being able to enjoy again!)

1. Blue Cheese- I adore blue cheese... on a steak, in an omelet, you name it. But it's not pasteurized. Sigh.
2. Rare Steak- I really only like rare or medium rare. As a result, I pretty much don't eat it through the pregnancy...
3. Balance Ball Work-Outs- Really. I'm a fanatic about keeping my abs in shape. (Perhaps one of the reasons my bump is slow to grow!) I truly miss these work-outs, but it's great to know I'll have them to whip myself back into shape when the time comes.
4. A Glass Of Sauvignon Blanc- From New Zealand, please. Oh, yum. My very favorite wine- bone dry and crisp.
5. Raw Eggs- Okay, I don't actually eat raw eggs, but I am notorious for licking cookie dough and brownie batter when not pregnant. One of my favorite parts of baking!
6. High Heels- My center of gravity is not what it used to be. I fell on my face wearing flats yesterday. Heels are not something I want to risk at the moment...
7. Normal Flossing- I have major issues with bleeding gums when I'm pregnant. Kind of icky.
8. Regular Coffee- I'm pretty content with my decaf but there are days, oh, there are days when a little caffeine would sure help!
9. Lifting My Children- Having a restriction of "nothing over 15 lb" means they're both off-limits. We've adjusted pretty well but there are times when it breaks my heart that I can't pick them up.
10. My Waist :)- I normally have a pretty tiny waist. Right now I just feel kind of "thick".
11. Staying Up Past 10 pm Occasionally- I simply cannot keep my eyes open past 10. I've tried. It's ridiculous. But, on the plus side, it beats the first trimester when I couldn't stay up past 8:30! ;)
12. Jogging- Again, something I enjoy doing to keep in shape. I'm still walking on the treadmill every day for at least a mile and a half, but it never feels quite as invigorating.
13. Oh, for goodness sake, scrap it all! I wouldn't trade feeling this baby kick and somersault for all of those things put together!

How about you? If you're currently expecting, what do you miss the most? Or what do you recall missing during previous pregnancies? Always fun to share!

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For more Thursday {Thirteen}, be sure to visit Happy to be @ Home!

Sacrificial Hospitality: Week 4 RESULTS

Last week, I announced my latest challenge: making rosaries for a private juvenile detention center.

Unfortunately, I don't have too much to report this week...

My son and I did, indeed, MAKE eight rosaries together. Here he is with one of his favorites:



But I haven't been in contact with my sister-in-law's sister-in-law who is my "contact" at the center. And so, alas, the rosaries are currently packaged up, ready to go, sitting on my pantry counter. Not much hospitality going on there...

Here's what I can report...

A. and I had an absolutely delightful time making these together. It became a daily tradition, a ritual he would ask for. I am so proud to have a child who would choose to string a rosary over watching a cartoon! This beading time gave us lots of opportunities to pray together too, to review the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be together. Now, my son prefers to SING the Our Father (he is his mother's son after all!), but he enjoyed learning the sequence of prayers for the first time. My daughter, too, who is less verbal at this point, wanted in on the action and was starting to speak along with us... the repetition of the Hail Mary's made it easier for her to learn.

In short, while I would deem this past week's challenge as a failure, thus-far, in terms of delivery, it was still an incredibly fulfilling process. I also know that, eventually, these rosaries will make their way into hands that can benefit from them. Was it worth the time and effort? Oh, absolutely! I can easily see our family starting a tradition of making bunches of rosaries around Easter-time every year. Anyone care to join us? :)

To read more about these challenges and what sacrificial hospitality means to me, you can follow the series here.

Be sure to stop by later today to find out what my Week 5 Challenge will be!