Monday, April 30, 2012

Sandcastle Built!

 "Build a sandcastle" might seem like a silly thing to put on my list but there is a good reason for it.  I didn't want to be the mom that doesn't build sandcastles.  It actually seems a little silly to me right now...of course I am a mom that builds sandcastles.  What else would I be doing when I am on the beach with my family?  My hands got dirty, there was sand EVERYWHERE and it certainly wasn't perfect but oh man, was it fun. 



This beautiful volcano-like sandcastle had a moat, a bark drawbridge, 
and very large stick flag and two windows (not seen here).  
Look for more in this series coming Summer 2012.

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

I have read many different memoirs before, but I don't think I have ever read anything as chilling as this book. For those that might not know, Jaycee was kidnapped at age eleven and then found 18 years later.  She had been severely abused and had given birth to two daughters fathered by her captor.  It was hard to read sometimes as she described the horrendous actions of her captor. Her strength is absolutely incredible. Her story is unreal...except that it isn't. 

There were a few different spots in the book where she talked about the times she thought about her mother. She felt like she started to forget what her mother looked like.  She wondered if her mother was still looking for her.  She described how it was to see her again for the first time in 18 years.  She talked about their relationship now.  Out of all that she wrote, I think those terrified me the most because I instantly started to think about Taelin.  I couldn't let myself think for too long because to even imagine something like that happening to Taelin created an anxiety and anger that I didn't want to engage much. 

The writing itself was stilted and at times jumps around but can easily be forgiven when thinking about all she had to endure and the strength it must have taken to write this story.  I can only imagine what a great healing experience writing this book must have been for her.


The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow

This last Thursday at the beginning of our mini-vacation I was about a fourth of the way through this book...and I was finished by Friday night.  It is written in one of my favorite styles of fiction; each chapter is a different character and the story is pieced together as you read the perspective of the various characters.  I was an amazing book.

There are so many interesting themes in this book;  identity, loss, family, healing, survival, loyalty.  The story is centered around a young girl, Rachel, who is the daughter of a white Danish woman and black American man.  Tragedy hits her family and we follow her and several other characters as they try to survive.  The characters are well-developed and the author had me guessing until the end.  I became so invested in several of the characters and the story was so well-written that I probably should have savored the book more than I did.  

I have several friends that are also reading it and I am excited to see what they think when they are done.  I was, at first, sad to see that this was the first book that Heidi Durrow has published because I so enjoyed the book but realized that perhaps there are great books to come now that this one has had such great success.

(A fun little aside from when I was reading the acknowledgments at the end of the book...  Heidi thanked the "Jentel Artist Residency Program" for helping her find her voice.  This was exciting because this was where my brother-in-law Charlie just finished an art residency of his own!)

Sunday, April 29, 2012

The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. ~Dorothea Lange

It is funny how an idea that just barely even develops leads to a profound realization.  Our little family headed to the coast this weekend with not much more planned than that; a few days at the beach with our fingers crossed for some nice weather.  Not unlike many trips, I drug my camera along with a promise to myself that this time I was really going to just take a walk with my camera and see what happens.  Saturday afternoon after getting back from the beach and putting Taelin down for nap I came upstairs to call my brother-in-law for some advice on the best way to compose a picture when you have the beach, waves and sky.  I was really hoping he had some magic formula but realized after I talked to him that it really just comes down to the same thing that it often does....I just need to take lots of pictures and see what I like.

So, when I got off the phone and saw that everyone else had settled down to watch a movie, that always-floating idea of "taking the camera and going" landed.  I grabbed my camera and the lens I rarely use, shoved some cash in my pocket and threw my tennis shoes on.  I looked quickly at my 100 snapshots word list and off I went.

I kept trying to keep in mind the words that I needed to be looking for and started to get frustrated.  Then I just stopped "thinking" and just started "looking".  It was amazing the things that I "saw" when I stopped looking for something specific.  I walked around for 2 hours and while I got some good images (I think), what I really got was a lesson in letting go and just being.

I was able to match some of the pictures I took to some of the words on my list...and then I just got some that I kind of liked.

#59-Two 
#82-hazy 
#93-shatter

This one is actually one of my favorites, but none of the words struck me as fitting for this one. 

#73-rust 
#41-Wonder 
No, I didn't move the ladybug. (Joe asked so I thought some others might think that  too.)
It was just a fun image to try and capture.

#62-rope

#1-safety

Obviously most of these are a little beach "themed" but it was just because that was where I was.  Not all of my 100 will be.  I have really been trying to think about the rule of thirds as I compose the picture.  I am hoping that by purposefully practicing it that it will translate into the other pictures I take (most of which are of Taelin...or at least Taelin centered).  I can tell that I need to work on lighting but that will have to come later.  I am mostly proud of the fact that none of these were taken on the "auto" setting and that I was trying to think of the rule of thirds when I was taking them.

I am so happy that I took the time to do this.  I am really thankful for the time to just "be" and to notice.  Notice the things around me and notice how I felt about them.  I enjoyed the whole weekend away but this two hours was some of my favorite time that I spent.

(And now....a little shameless bragging disguised as a photo...)

My two most favorite people in the whole world

I didn't take this picture (obviously) but it is too sweet to not include.

Love her....

Monday, April 23, 2012

Garden 2012...there is a plan!

We have had three beautiful sunshiny days here in Oregon...all in a row!  This meant that Joe and I took advantage of the weather and did a lot of work outside.  We rented a power washer for 24 hours to get the driveway and sidewalks.  Once we realized we needed to do it WAY more often than once every 5 years we opted to purchase one.  I guess you don't really see how it builds up over time but all the rainy weather takes a toll on a clean sidewalk.

I have been stretching my knowledge of everything outdoor.  I had really tried hard to make mowing the lawn and all the other things that go with it a "boy job" (a phrase coined by my friend Heather and quickly adopted by me) but Joe isn't much more outdoorsy than I am.  Then once labeled a "boy job" he rebelled even further, taking it a little too far I think with the whole "I need to have back surgery and can't do it..."  Oh wait...that was real.  Anyway, whatever the reason, I have started to take on more of the responsibilities outside because I didn't want our yard/house to look like it actually belonged on Boone St. in Spokane.

Thankful my allergies haven't been too bad and the work has been paying off.  The yard looks better than it has in awhile (my neighbor told Joe it looks the best it ever has....I am not so sure about that) and I am even expanding my horizons a little with the idea of a garden.  I wrote here about the building of the raised beds and it was clear then I didn't have much of a plan.  Well, I am happy to report that there is a plan...and there is dirt!


It may not seem like much, but it was a lot of work to haul all that soil.  After a little bit of math that I was sure was faulty, I bought 10 bags of vegetable garden ready soil.  Each bag had 2 cubic feet of soil and those things were heavy.  I barely got them into Joe's car and then I had to haul them to the back yard.  It probably would have been cheaper to have soil delivered, but I don't have (and didn't want to buy) a wheelbarrow and frankly that seemed like more work than I wanted to do.  I didn't balk at the price per bag so that is what I went with.  The chicken wire is a temporary hold until I can figure something else out to prevent my stupid cat from using it as a litter box.  (Lorie...you need to hurry and move out here somewhere...the cat misses you.)

More exciting than the dirt actually in the raised beds, is that I have a plan.  I used a website that I found through Pinterest (of course) that was amazing!  The website is www.smartgardener.com and once you sign up (at no cost), the website takes you through building your garden.  I entered my zip code and the dimensions of my raised beds and then it had a calendar with the recommended plants for me to browse.  It warned me if I picked something that wasn't optimal and I was able to play around with how I wanted to set it up.  It showed me which plants work well together and those that don't.  I has a calendar of when I need to plant and a whole lot more than is beyond what I am really going to pay attention to this first time around.

Here is the plan the website generated for my two raised beds based on what I told it I wanted.  


 In the first bed, it will be all tomatoes; beefsteak, cherry and roma tomatoes all for different reasons.  I am determined to learn to love tomatoes in more forms than I currently do.  In the second bed, there will be bush beans, spinach, radishes, yellow peppers, carrots, leaf lettuce and green onions.

I don't intend on growing them all from seed.  The tomatoes, beans, and peppers for sure will be purchase already growing.  The rest I think I will plant from seed and see what comes of it. Luckily, because of this great website, I will have some guidance on when and how to do all these things that otherwise would be left up to chance.

I won't be planting anything for a couple of weeks but it is exciting to finally have a little bit more of a plan.  Taelin is excited because we have been reading a lot of books on gardens and plants growing and talking about it even more than that.  Once I get things planted, I will officially consider "start a garden" complete although hopefully my work will be far from over and we will be enjoying the goodness from the garden come fall!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. Unknown

It is funny how some things start to become a habit of mind.  For me, gratitude has become one of those habits.  

When I first wrote my list, I added listing "101 things for which I was grateful".  I remember when I wrote that thinking that it wouldn't take me long to do that.   I mean, I seriously could write a whole list of 101 reasons I am grateful for Joe or for Taelin.  But as I started to think about how I would record this, I realized that my reason for putting this as a part of my list was something other than what I originally thought.  Quite frankly, I needed an attitude adjustment.  

I mean it in the kindest way possible.  We had just spent our first Christmas without John and the emptiness has really started to settle in.  Taelin was sick...all the time.  I was frustrated at work...I had too many people to help and didn't feel like I was doing anything well.  Joe missed his dad and there was not a thing that I could do that was actually helpful.  People got on my nerves more quickly; I am sorry to say but I am sure that I probably thought horrible things about everyone (even you) at some point during this time.  I was irritated, sad, confused and honestly a little pissed off.

Then, when I started working on this list I realized how hard it actually was to be grateful when you weren't feeling like it.  Of course I felt grateful when I didn't have to cook dinner because Joe ordered a pizza or when a teacher cancelled a meeting and it left me with time to do other work. But, if I am honest, I was only really grateful because I got something out of it.  It worked out to my advantage.  

But because of my list I started forcing myself to look for things to be grateful for in what seemed like a place where there would be anything but something negative.  I started to realize that all I was doing to myself before was preparing for the next thing that I would be mad/sad/irritated about.  I was tired of feeling that way all the time.

In the beginning of the list, I actually wrote down the things that I was feeling grateful for; my favorite nail polish color, Taelin sleeping in, fire extinguishers.  But if I look at what was behind each of those there is more of a story. I was forcing myself to see the good and to push away the bad.  My favorite nail polish color was really the fact that I said "No" to something that then gave me more time to actually do something for myself.  Taelin sleeping in was the fact that she was finally feeling better after the third ear infection in a row.  Fire extinguishers...we didn't lose our home.

I don't think my life has necessarily gotten any easier.  Is anyone's really?  There are many things that I can point to that could still leave me mad/sad/irritated...and sometimes they still do.  But there is a new voice inside my head that calms the others before they can get too worked up.  This voice starts every sentence with "Well, thankfully..."  It isn't sarcastic or mean.  It isn't cynical or angry.  It is just there...helping me everyday see what there is to be grateful for.  

I find myself all the time talking or writing using the words like "lucky" or "thankful" or "grateful" and realize that it is just becoming a part of who I am.  It is becoming a part of who I am because it is who I want to be. I am grateful for so many things so many times a day that it would be almost impossible to actually keep a list anymore. It is a mindful action to bring peace and focus to what is truly important; to push aside the things that threaten that peace and focus.  It isn't always easy.  In a lot of ways it is easier to be mad/sad/irritated, at least in the moment.  But it doesn't serve me.  And it isn't easier in the long run.

So, for now I am considering the original list of "101 things for which to be grateful" completed.  But even as I bold those words I know that I am not really "done" with this one.  I will continue to be conscious of being grateful and showing that gratitude through the words on this blog.  I will continue to listen to that new voice in my head and as it hopeful gets stronger and stronger.  For this realization...I am grateful.

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
Thornton Wilder




approbate: to approve officially

Last week I got a call from the school district's HR office offering me my half-time mentoring position for the 2012-13 school year.  I am feeling so incredibly lucky that I already know what I am doing next school year so soon before the end of the year.  Last spring was so hard with so many unknowns...and then so many layoffs.  It is good to know that there is security in my job.

I will again be working 2 1/2 days a week which leaves me with having two full days home with Taelin during the week.  It has been so great to get those things done around the house before Joe has his weekend off.  That way, we can just enjoy the weekend without a huge to-do list or have time to get a bigger project done.  Just today, which is one of my days off, I have done 5 loads of laundry, arranged the baskets for Taelin's preschool raffle fundraiser, rearranged several shelves in Taelin's room in between reading a stack of books with Taelin, building big Lego towers and playing several nail-biter rounds of Hi-Ho Cherry-O.  The bathroom counters and sinks have been wiped down, refrigerator cleaned out and the floors swept and/or vacuumed. Taelin either was playing in her room, looking at books, watching Dora the Explorer or "helping" me.  A typical and wonderful "home day" as we call it around here.

I know a lot of people have to work full time and I know if I had to, I could do it.  But it would come at a price and I am so grateful that it is one that I don't have to pay.  There are a lot of things to be grateful for...that is for sure.

 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Hunger Game series

For awhile I was pretty sure that I was the only person left on the planet that had not read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and the two sequels Catching Fire and Mockingjay.  People would assume that I had read them when it came up in conversation and look at me like I had just said that I don't really like to breath when answering that I had not read them.  I have had them for awhile and when I was looking for my next read I decided that the time at come.

I do have to say that I enjoyed the series.  I liked the first one and read through it really quickly.  I liked the third one the best and I think my friend said it best when talking about the second one, "You have to have the second one so you can get to the third one."  I actually read them all pretty quickly...I just started on Sunday night and it is now Wednesday night and I have finished all three of them.

I will admit that I was a little irritated as I read the second one and the beginning of the third.  I liked the characters and the complexity of some the relationships however I had a nagging feeling towards the end of the second that I was reading a different version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which was followed up by my feeling at the start of the third one that I was actually reading Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix. I still liked them, clearly I was driven to find out what happened given how quickly I read through them but I don't think I would end up a crazed fan like some.

I don't want to go into too much of what actually happened because after all, you have probably already read them and I am talking about all three books.  That would just be kind of boring for you.  I am a little sad that there isn't anymore to read.

They are published as "young adult" books and if that is the true audience I could see a lot of potential for rich discussions around this novel.  It would be fascinating to hear a group of students talk about this book.  Some of the actual events are so far fetched that you can speak in hypothetical but on the other hand you could find yourself talking about the book and find out that you have a more difficult time drawing a hard and fast line in the sad.

Overall, I am glad I have read them.  I doubt we will go see the movie in the theater but I will definitely want to see how a director brings this story to life when I don't have to pay for a babysitter.  


Next up....

Sunday, April 15, 2012

We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

I borrowed this book from one of my teachers who said I just had to read it.  She told me it was haunting and disturbing.  She told me that I would be thinking about it for days afterward.  She was right and then some.

This book is about a fictional character, Kevin, and the fictional school massacre that he is responsible for.  (I am not ruining the book for you, that fact it known up front.)  I have read a few fictional books and even some non-fiction around this topic and there is just something about it that is so fascinating to me.  Maybe it is because I am a teacher, maybe because it is so hard to believe (but then not really)...I don't know what it is.  It makes me so sad and curious about what drives a person to this kind of act.  Every story is different I suppose but there are some constants.  There is obviously the students that are involved.  Many time when there is a school shooting we hear more about the shooters than the students killed, but I think that much is done by the parents of those victims to have their child's name and memory known.  On the other hand, we never hear much from the shooter's parents....what would there really be to say, I guess.

Lionel Shriver supposes that there is plenty a parent would want to say and she chronicles that in her book.  Written from the perspective of Kevin's mother, the book is written as a series of letters to Kevin's father.  It starts even before Kevin was born and goes through up to "present day."  There are so many moments in the book that I just wanted to put it down and walk away because it was so troubling...but I just couldn't.  It is one of the better books I have read in awhile.

I don't want to say too much about the book, except that there is great disagreement about this book among readers in terms of where the true fault lies about why Kevin is the why he is.  There are points in the book that I hated all the characters and other points where there was a great deal of sympathy, even for Kevin.  My friend that lent me the book said she was curious to find out what I thought of it.  She and her mother often read the same books and more often than not, their opinions match about the book.  This was one book that they did not think even remotely the same and I can see why there would be such differing opinions.

This book was recently made into a movie and is playing at our local independent theater.  If I don't get a chance to see it in the theater (which is unlikely) I will definitely seek it out when it comes out on video.  It is chilling and amazing all at the same time.

As far as what is up next for me, I am not sure.  I think I might be the last person on the planet that hasn't read The Hunger Games series and I have them on my iPad but there is just something about the premise that doesn't sit well.  EVERYONE says that I will love them and that they are a quick read so...maybe.  I need to update my Goodreads list with the stack of books that are on my bookshelf first and then go from there.  I have a few books by authors I have read in the past that I might go for...  On the other hand, I might just need to let We Need To Talk About Kevin sit for awhile in my head and do something else with my free time.  I have a long list of things to pick from....

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

lugubrious: full of sadness or sorrow; very sad especially in an exaggerated or insincere way

Not in any way, shape or form am I feeling lugubrious about my home life, but there is a little bit of that feeling in my profession life right now.  I like the work I am doing.  I think I am good at what I do.  But...there is just a feeling I get. Certain moment that are fleeting but strong that just feel me feeling...I don't even know what to call it exactly.  


I bought these flowers the other day at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival.  The orange-ish one was the only one that was open and I assumed (wrongly) that the rest would be the same color.  As the others have opened up they weren't what I expected.  They aren't bad.  Just not what I expected.  And I kind of feel a little like I am that orange-ish tulip.  Which for a small moment leaves me feeling a little lugubrious.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. ~Lindley Karstens

I sure hope that this quote is true because all of those things sound wonderful.  I grew up having gardens and remember how exciting it was to get the first peas off the vine or pull the tiniest carrots from the ground.  I have been wanted to do some kind of gardening for awhile but between my laziness and using the dog as an excuse, I just haven't done it.  I tried to grow some tomatoes last summer but I think I got them in too late and just didn't get much from them.  

In addition to maybe getting some garden fresh food, I think Taelin and I will have fun gardening.  I am already so looking forward to this summer with Taelin.  We did a lot of fun things last summer, but I think this summer is going to be altogether different.  She is already giving up her afternoon nap and I would guess by this summer they are going to be few and far between.  It will be great to have something like a garden to work on together.

My family just visited from Montana and whenever my dad comes for a visit I try to think up a project for him to do.  He likes having a project...and if I don't think something up then he will find something.  In the past, that something becomes a little bigger than life so I have learned to have something in mind.  This time, it was two raised beds for the background so I can get a little more serious about this gardening thing.

I should have taken some pictures as my dad and sister worked on these two beds, but for some reason I completely spaced it.  They had to work on them in the garage because it rained all week, but three days after they left we had a gorgeous day outside and Taelin and I did a bunch of work in the backyard to get the beds ready to take outside.  Here are some pictures from our day! 

We stopped weeding quite a few times to take a look
 at all the wriggly worms and bugs that we found.

Particularly excited about the bugs that rolled up into
 a ball.  She was about as helpful weeding as you would
expect a three year old to be! But it was SO fun
 to watch how excited she was about each discovery! 

First bubbling blowing of the season!

A "T" for Taelin in sidewalk chalk.
One proud mama here!
(Clearly this has nothing to do with gardening
except for that Taelin was doing this as I was
working in the yard and I took a
picture of it...because I am that kind of mom.) 

Oh...and some raised beds.  They are 8 feet by 1 1/2 feet.
 We have room for more than two but I decided I wanted to start off small.

A closer picture.  They are a little uneven, but they are at
least where they are supposed to be and out of the garage.

I am feeling pretty excited.  I think the next step needs to be figuring out exactly what I want to grow.  I know for sure I want to grow tomatoes, probably cherry, roma, and then some kind of beefsteak-like tomato.  I would like to do green beans too.  Other than that, I am not really sure what I am going to do.  Taelin has declared she is planting flowers (which makes sense since has not really embraced any kind of vegetable).  I think it would be fun to do a strawberry plant or two....  Obviously, I need to work on my plan.  Then I suppose there will need to be a large load of dirt and compost or something....  Ok...I really need to work on my plan.  I think I better close this post up and spend some time figuring some of this stuff out.

Any of you out there have any experience with this?  Any resources I should check out?  Help...anyone?  

cockalorum: a boastful and self-important person

This word is a great word.  Right now I have no real use for this word...but I probably will someday.  So, I am putting it here so that when the time comes I will have it.  I could tell a couple of past stories where this word would have come in very useful...but I won't.

I am a little behind with my words...I missed last week with my parents being here and I still have 11 to make up.  So here are some fun little ditty's that I found that I think I might find useful at some point.

resile: return to a prior position (cousin of the word resilient, I suppose a person could consider another way of thinking but then resile from making any kind of change.)

garrulous: pointlessly or annoyingly talkative

carking: burdensome or annoying

I am reading a really good book right now that has a lot of new words...I haven't been collecting while I have been reading but need to.  That just might get me caught up with the other 9 I need to make up!

Monday, April 2, 2012

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Apparently a huge stack of books on a book shelf and another 50 more in electronic form is more overwhelming than inspiring because I have not been reading much at all lately.  Mostly to blame is my fascination with the show Numb3ers (which can be found of Netflix streaming).  I have watched all 6 seasons in a rather irresponsible way.  There were many a night that I should have gone to bed...but instead I watched just one more episode..and then another.  I finished all six seasons in record time and there were some sleepy-eyed mornings that I have only myself to blame.  I wandered around the house in the evening wondering what I would do now that the show had ended.  It was honestly a little pathetic.


But, then a friend loaned me a book...and then another friend loaned me a different book.  And then the pressure of having books on loan was too much and I finally picked a book up again.  It was one that was on my "to read" list on Goodreads.  I have read a couple of  books by Ann Patchett before and liked them and so was interested in reading this one.  It had gotten good reviews so I thought I would give it a try.  


I did like it, but I didn't love it.  It was a really slow start and the author (while talented) writes in a style that is not what I necessarily prefer.  I gave it three stars on Goodreads which was lower than the average.  
    
Here is what Goodreads said...
     "....a provocative novel of morality and miracles, science and sacrifice set in the Amazon rainforest--a gripping adventure story and a profound look at the difficult choices we make in the name of discovery and love...."


There were the elements of morality and miracles, science and sacrifice.  It was set in the Amazon rainforest.  There were a lot of choices that had to be made.  I guess, for me,  it just wasn't as gripping as they make it out to be.  Not a bad book...but not a great one.


Next up...the other borrowed book.










          

Honey Lime Chicken Marinade

Joe loves chicken.  I like chicken a lot.  But not as much as Joe.  Therefore, I am always on the lookout for new ways to cook chicken.  Browsing Pinterest can be a great way to find different recipes and one that I pinned led me back to The Enchanted Cook and a blog post from almost a year and a half ago.

I did cut the recipe in half and still had too much.  It was good as leftovers though and made a great topping to a salad later in the week.  You will be seeing more of this recipe as Oregon rain gives way to spring (which will hopefully be sooner than later)!


Ingredients
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (1 lime), plus the zest
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 pound of chicken

Directions
1. In a large zip top plastic bag combine all of the ingredients except the chicken. Seal bag completely and mix well.
2. Add chicken to bag, turn to coat and reseal. Place in refrigerator overnight.
3. Grill it up and eat!

Mexican Green Rice

I am currently borrowing a cookbook from a friend after mentioning that I was trying to expand my vegetable repertoire. I have quite a few pages sticky noted and I probably just need to cave and buy the book myself because I seriously doubt I am going to get all the recipes tried before I need to give it back to her.

I have no intention of going vegetarian. There are many compelling reasons, I am sure, but I just like meat too much.  But, as I said before, I have been looking for more vegetable sides dishes and vegetarian cookbooks seems like a good place to look.

The following recipe is the first one I tried and funny enough, it doesn't really have any vegetables in it. There is a smattering...but it isn't the center of the side dish.  No one that knows me even a little bit should be surprised that I found a recipe with carbs.  And you probably shouldn't be surprised that I liked it...a lot.

It did take a little bit of time so I probably wouldn't make it again on a week night, but it you will be seeing it on the menu plan again for sure.


Mexican Green Rice from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz. can of chopped mild green chilies (the recipe said you could also use 1 small hot green chile)
1 cup long-grain brown rice
2 1/2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan.  Add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until golden. (if you are using a fresh green chile you need to saute it with the onion and garlic)

2. Add the green chilies, rice and water.  Stir in the cumin and oregano and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently until the water is absorbed.  It took about 35 minutes.  (The recipe did say that if taste the rice at this point and you want it more tender to had another 1/2 cup of water and simmer some more.  I didn't find I needed to to that though.)

3.  Stir in the lime juice and cilantro before you serve.

Yogurt Fruit Dip

This is one of those recipes that again could hardly even be called a recipe.  But, it was new and we really liked it so I am going to throw it up there in case someone else might find themselves in a position where they need something like this!

We were invited to brunch awhile ago, which was honestly an event in itself.  Joe is not a morning person, especially on the weekend...even more so on the Sunday after Daylight Saving Time.  But, he is a trooper so he got up and we even got there early!  Because we had about a 45 minute drive and wouldn't really be able to keep anything warm, I brought a big bowl of raspberries, strawberries, marionberries, and blueberries.  To make it a little more than a bowl of fruit, I searched quickly the night before for a quick dip that wouldn't be just awful in Weight Watcher terms.  It didn't take long to find this one and it was so easy when I read it that I didn't look any further.

Ingredients
1 container vanilla yogurt (I used Tillamook Vanilla Bean)
2 Tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients together.
2. Serve along side the fruit.

Seriously...could it get any easier?!?

I didn't mix it together with the fruit for a couple of reasons.  Mostly, I wanted to be able to control how much I put on my own fruit.  I think it looked a little nicer too after it was drizzled on top of the fruit versus if each piece had been covered in a big bowl.

Anyway, I have made it again since then and I was so yummy both times.  It was super easy and a great way to dress up fruit!

Beef Stew

I am so behind on blogging the new recipes I have tried it is ridiculous.  I am pretty sure that I have forgotten to put a couple of them on my "to blog" list and since the Day Zero Project website has (in my opinion) majorly messed up the way they have people record things, those recipes might be gone for good.  Clearly if they were that great I would have remembered them, right?

Well, this recipe is one of those recipes.  I have made beef stew many times before with varying degrees of luck.  Usually my complaints are one of two; either the meat isn't fall-apart good or the gravy/juice/broth isn't the right consistence.  I finally had found a recipe that I liked but it still wasn't what I wanted.  Enter...a bottle of red wine.  

I am not much of a wine drinker.  Whites are too dry for me and reds remind me too much of church.  But, I was out for work one night and someone ordered a bottle of Syrah and my beef stew is forever changed.  (For the record, I didn't run home and make stew that night...it is just where I found a wine that I liked.)

The original recipe can be found here at AllRecipes.  If you click over there, the first thing that you will notice is that I cut the recipe in half...I don't need 12 servings of beef stew.  It doesn't freeze well because of the potatoes and there is only so much leftover stew I can eat.

Ingredients


2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound of stew meat
6 small boiling onions
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
3 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 can of beef broth
1 1/2 cups of red wine

Directions

1. In a large pot heat oil over medium high heat. In a resealable plastic bag mix together the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add a small handful of meat at a time and shake until well coated; brown in hot oil, about 1 minute per side. Remove the browned meat and continue until all the meat is browned.

2. Lower heat to medium and add onions. Brown onions on both sides, about 3 minutes per side, then remove from pot and set aside. Drain excess fat from pot.

3. To pot add potatoes, carrots, celery, reserved onions, browned meat, broth, and wine. Stir all together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

I served it with some delicious crusty bread and salad.  It was amazing!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Learn to be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not. ~Henri Frederic Amiel

Such a timely quote.  Easier said than done.  

I am (by choice) a different person than I was raised to be.  It usually isn't a problem except for when it is.  And usually it isn't a problem for me, but for my parents.  Then I guess in a way it does become a problem, mostly a problem of how I feel about it.  

I have known for some time that I am not the person my mom and dad wish I was.  It is disappointing for them and then I feel guilty for that...and then I get mad that I feel guilty.  I bit of a cycle I suppose.  Thankfully, I don't feel this way all the time, usually only after a visit with my parents.  

My point of this post isn't to go into the details, but rather to let it all go.  Each time, it gets a little easier to deal with.  Each time, I am more sure of who I am.  I have spent the last few days since they left feeling a little down in the dumps about the whole thing...but it ends here.  

So...in the spirit of grace....and peace... 

I am who I am, by choice.  I am proud of who I have become and who I want to be.  I am thankful for all the people in my life who help me realize what it is important.