foment: instigate or provoke discord

Before I get started on my word this week, I have to admit that I was right.  My depth of vocabulary is fairly shallow because every week there are people that already know the word that I am using.  Then I get all worried that I am using it incorrectly or that people are going to think, "Really, she doesn't know that word?"  And then I dismissed that...because the whole point is to learn new-to-me words and I should get over the fact there are people that I know that already know them.

SO...this week's word is foment. The florist at The Cape Cod Florist in Hyannis, MA is responsible for my word choice this week.  Her lack of professionalism and integrity certainly led to foment discord on a day that was already difficult enough.  I don't imagine my interactions with her are finished as I stopped payment on the transaction.  My guess is that she thinks she is deserving and we will certainly be having a conversation about that....mostly to let her know that she in incorrect.

"May you live in interesting times." ~A Chinese Proverb/Curse (depending on the source)

I have been at a loss in the last week or so when trying to think of how I could even go about blogging about all that is going on right now in my life.  Joe and I were sitting down at dinner tonight and I said, "Well, our life is certainly not boring right now."  He chuckled and quoted back to me the above proverb.  I knew then I had found my way to start.

So, here is a little list of our interesting times as of late:

1. Joe is in fairly significant pain most of the time.  We finally found out last week, from an MRI that seemed to take forever to get scheduled, that he has a large herniated disc that will require surgery.  The specifics of the surgery will hopefully be determined this week after he meets with the neurosurgeon.  The pain and immobility that is a result of the herniated disc has had countless effects on our family...most of them negative. I am realizing more everyday how lucky I am that I have an equal partner in life....and look forward to him being pain-free and healthy again.

2. Last week we got a call from Joe's mom telling us that Joe's Nan (John's mom) had had a stroke during the night.  That, along with the numerous health problems she has had for years, prompted a call to bring hospice in.  We knew it was not going to be long since she wasn't eating or drinking anything.  This morning we got the call that she had passed away.  The funeral is Wednesday and we aren't going to be able to go.  Joe can barely make it across town sitting in the car; a flight back east is not even really possible.  Heartbreaking and disappointing all at the same time.

3. Our kitchen planning is in full gear and there a lot of decisions that have needed to be made.  While fun at times, it is one more thing to think about. It is scheduled to begin the end of October and take about two weeks...most likely right around the time of Joe's surgery or recovery.

4. As if one death isn't enough, we also found out that a dear aunt on Joe's mom's side passed away this morning.  Again, hospice had been called in awhile ago so there is no real surprise, but it is still a loss for our family.  Mary was nothing but kind to me and while I didn't have a strong relationship to her, there are many that are close to me that did.  My heart aches for them.

5. I am horrible at saying no.  This is not something particularly new or earth-shattering, but while I had been somewhat "in recovery" since Taelin was born I seem to have fallen off the wagon.  I look at the next few weeks, in terms of work, and think "What have I done?"  I am sure everything will fall into place and will work out but I feel like I have too many plates spinning and one is bound to fall.

6. Taelin got sick.  It was a matter of time since going back to daycare that Taelin would get sick.  She got a bit of a runny nose when she was first back the end of August but it cleared up quickly and I thought finally her immune system was prepped to fight things off.  And then she got sick again and it didn't clear up.  It got worse as days went, as did her disposition.  I pretty much called it after a week that we were bound for an ear infection.  She is currently on antibiotics (because I was right) and is already on the mend but sleeping horribly.  I currently am typing this post from my queen size bed that I am sharing with Taelin, Tucker and the freaking cat (all who are snoring loudly enough to prevent any kind of real sleep for me).

Okay...there, I am done.  I even got sick of typing it so I am impressed with anyone that might have stayed with me through my whining.  Sorry, I just needed to get it out.  I promise there won't be a lot of posts like this.

Interesting times indeed....

Chicken Curry...in the crockpot

I have tried to make chicken curry in the past with very little success.  It isn't my favorite thing, but I do enjoy it now and again.  Joe, on the other hand, enjoys curry quite a bit so I thought I would give it another shot.  This time though, I decided to use my crockpot and see if that would work.  I have to say, it was pretty darn good.  I read through a lot of different recipes and their reviews and finally landed on one.  Then I changed it a little bit...


Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon of ginger root, grated
2 tablespoons of curry powder
2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 beef bouillon cube
1 cup white wine
12 oz coconut milk (I used the "lite" can)
1/2 cup of water


Directions:
1. Combine water, wine, and coconut milk in the crockpot.
2. Add bouillon cube, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, cinnamon stick, peanut butter, curry powder, ginger root, and garlic.
3. Add sliced onion and cubed chicken and mix together.
4. Cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 8) stirring several times while cooking.  


I served it with white rice and garlic naan from Trader Joe's.  It made 8 cups and I had a TON leftover and now have 3 packages in the freezer.  I probably will cut it in half the next time I make it, but we had the possibility of guest for dinner than ended up not being able to join us.  

halcyon: calm; peaceful; tranquil

There might be a theme starting to emerge...granted, I don't know that two days in a row really constitutes a theme but maybe.  Anyway, I am sitting here a little under an hour from the end of this week's Wordy Wednesday and am just now starting to write.

My days lately have been anything but halcyon, but I am trying hard to remember that even during chaos a moment of peace and calm can be found if I am search for it.  Tonight, my cup of peppermint tea and writing is where my halcyon moment will be found.  And I am sure tomorrow will bring more chaos in both familiar and unfamiliar ways but I am just as sure that I will look for a tranquil moment...and I will find it.

And because I am kind of out of words that are publish-worthy (versus my ramblings....yea, there is a difference!) ...

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. ~Maya Angelou

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day. ~Author Unknown

It seems like I have had more than a few tough days lately.  There isn't any one thing really, just a combination of a few things that make me just want to scream, "Enough already!"  But instead of yelling, which won't really do me any good, I decided that perhaps it is time to take the wise yet anonymous advice above and list some of the good.

So...here was what was good in my day:
1. a non-fat steamer with sugar-free caramel syrup
2. someone told me that they missed me...and it surprised me
3. my chiropractor was impressed with my progress with my shoulder
4. a huge, fresh salad for dinner
5. an easy morning getting Taelin ready for daycare
6. making time to blog
7. having cough drops in my purse when I needed one
8. started a new book...and it is really good already

And just for good measure...

Why not learn to enjoy the little things-there are so many of them.  ~Author Unknown

Mixed Up Muffins

As Taelin is eating more and more I am finding that I have random leftover bits of things in the frig or cupboard...a half an apple, 1/4 cup of pineapple, part of a box of raisins, partially eaten container of yogurt that she has decided she no longer likes.  You get the picture.  

I HATE throwing food away and so the other day I remembered a recipe for muffins that I cut and paste from some blog at one point that I never got around to trying that would be perfect for all these little leftover things.  I wish I could remember where I got it so I could give it credit, but after searching for sometime I gave up...the internet is a big place.

So, here is the basic recipe:

• 2 cups grain
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
• 1 cup milk or other liquid
• 1 egg 
• Up to 1/3 cup fat or substitute (or 1/2 cup applesauce)
• Up to 1/2 cup sweetener
• Up to 1 cup muffin additions
• spices to complement your additions

Mix dry, add wet, add additions.  Your batter should be sort of lumpy, not too runny; spoonable short of pourable.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 18 minutes.  Makes about one dozen.

Pretty versatile isn't it.  Now, if you like to have things exactly measured out and step by step directions, then this recipe might not be for you.  But for me, it has been great.  I always use applesauce instead of oil just to make it a little more healthy. Here are the 4 kinds I have made so far...but I am really just getting started.

To make cornbread muffins (which I will be doing tonight again).... For my 2 cups of grains I used 1 cup of cornmeal and 1cup of flour. I used 1/4 cup of white sugar and 1/4 of honey for my sweetener.  I used milk for the liquid and then 1/2 cup of corn and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese as the additions along with probably the 2 tablespoons of leftover green chiles I had. 

One time I used 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of yogurt, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of white sugar, and for the one cup of additions used leftover crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, and chocolate chips.  

One time I had 2 bananas that were getting mushy but didn't have enough for banana bread.  I used the flour, milk, brown sugar for sweetener and added the smashed banana and peanut butter.  YUM!!!

Last night, I made cinnamon apple muffins.  I used 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of oatmeal, the rest of the yogurt I had and added milk until it equaled a cup.  I used brown sugar for the sweetener and chopped up the apple that Taelin didn't want to finish.  I added raisins to get to a cup of additions and added some cinnamon. I used my new toaster oven and they were so good!

I LOVE this recipe!

"I want to do it by myself!" ~Taelin Crowe

I don't really know if this particular quote really inspires me, but it definitely one I am really hearing ALL THE TIME.  I know in my heart I want Taelin to be an independent and confident girl.  But seriously, right now the phrase has been causing great internal frustration for me.

It is unclear to me whether or not it truly happens proportionally to the hurry that I am in, but it sure seems to.  I keep telling myself to calm down and breathe but it doesn't always help.  I think it is the worst when I know she can't really physically do it for whatever reason.  I know the only way she is going to be able to do whatever it is she is trying to do is to try, but when it is a matter of strength or fine motor skills I wish she would just listen to reason.

I will probably laugh at the simplicity of that last statement in 10 years when we are entering pre-teen age and the idea of reasoning with a two-year old sounds like a better alternative.  I mean, if I am honest with myself, I have never really been one to listen to reason.  For example, I wish the me now could go back to the me of 10 years ago and tell her to listen to the people that were giving her advice, but chances are the me of then would just roll her eyes and think to herself, "I want to do it by myself."

All of this is bringing me to the conclusion that parenting is never really going to get any easier.  There are things that will pass, like temper tantrums (hopefully), but in its place will be something just as challenging.  Just when I think have something figured out, it is like the rules get changed.  That being said, I didn't really expect it to be easy and I hope it doesn't sound like I am complaining.  It is just nice to step back every once and awhile and think about things.

I was scrapbooking with some friends the other day and was working on some pictures from her 2nd birthday and I couldn't believe how much she has changed already. And while there are things like timeouts and tantrums that make me wish 2 would be over (yes, I know, I have been told that 3 is worse...), I know that a year from now I am going to wonder where the time went.

So, I guess I just need to deal with the "I want to do it by myself," and just keep breathing.  And when that doesn't work out, I will just have to do what Taelin does sometimes...put myself in timeout.  I mean really, one minute for each year I am old...no talking and being all by myself?  I could probably handle it.