Must Do Dishes

No blogging when kitchen sink looks like this.

Where is Ginger when I need her?
(Who is Ginger? Our MIA housekeeper...more on that later).

Old Fashioned Coffee Cake

Many thanks to Flour Child for this amazing coffee cake recipe.
Go take a look at her HOME BAKED SWEETNESS.
Every time I see her blog I am tempted to bake! Yesterday I saw this and could not resist. I did not have cake flour on hand today so I used 2 cups all-purpose flour. I added a teaspoon of cinnamon to each the cake batter and the topping mix. (we love cinnamon) I also omitted the nuts for the children and because then I am not apt to eat the whole cake myself. This is a de-lish ...top of the stack for good standby recipes.

Old Fashioned Coffee Cake

1 ½ cups cake flour
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream

Topping
¼ cup flour
¾ brown sugar; packed
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup butter
Topping: Mix together flour, sugar, salt and nuts. Add butter in small
pieces. Rub in by hand until mixture is crumbly. Be careful not to over mix.

Directions & assembly:
All ingredients should be at room temperature.

In bowl mix together flours, soda and baking powder.
In another bowl cream together butter with sugar until fluffy and light.
Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Add half of dry ingredients, mixing just until flour is blended.
Blend in sour cream, then remaining dry ingredients.
Spoon and spread half of batter lightly into a 10-inch tube pan.
Sprinkle with half of topping and spread with remaining batter.
Finish by sprinkling with remaining topping.
Bake at 350 degrees 40 to 45 minutes.

Breast Cancer has Many Faces

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws to an end

I want to remind you that for many the cause is never forgotten.
When most of the world puts away their pink ribbons
there are those of us who don't need a reminder or a month set aside for awareness.
We remember...
those that have fought to save their life,
who live to tell their story.
We honor those who fought just as hard,
who have left a legacy of courage and strength
with their survivors.
Breast Cancer has many faces.
Breast Cancer has a name
she is a daughter, sister,
wife, mother, grandmother and friend.
As October comes and goes
I encourage you to remember
the challenges,
the struggles
but mostly remember
there is work left to be done.

Rob: The Brewmaster

At first, I was not sure what to think of the whole process of brewing, bottling and drinking homemade beer. It seemed more like a laboratory experiment, one that required a degree in chemistry, which neither he nor I possessed. When I thought of bottling beer I had envisioned my Grandmother canning everything from peaches to pickled asparagus. Suffice to say the process of brewing beer was not what I had expected. I remember clearly his first batch….FIVE gallons....if it was going to go wrong… it was going to go wrong on a large scale. We both read and reread the instructional sheet several times….. he read it while doing it; I reread it to him just for verification. I was a stickler that we follow the instructions… Exactamente! I knew that Rob would be partaking but it was also likely he’d be sharing this beverage…and I had fears of bacteria…really I was thinking listeria, salmonella or something just as bad. From start to finish, or drink…however you look at it… this took WEEKS. I personally need more instant gratification… like eating the cookie dough before the cookies are done. (Which apparently is more risky then getting sick from a homebrewed beer) At the end of almost a month’s time…Rob was ready to sample his beverage made from malt, sugar, hops, and water and fermented with yeast. Almost disappointed he said “it’s not the best beer I’ve ever had.” Then, he grabbed his gut and bent over like he was in pain…my first thought was he was going to be sick...Laughing at me, he straightened up and informed me the beer really was good. A success! Rob has really fine tuned the art of home brewing. First, he sanitizes everything with a special product, then he inspects everything, crushes his grains and boils them in a muslin bag to 155 degrees for 30 minutes, after adding malt and hops and boiling for 60 minutes he cools the wort [pronounced “WERT” why not just spell it wert then…] to below 80 degrees before adding the yeast. After this, and its really more technical then I am making it sound… he puts it in the primary fermenter for about a week, then into a glass carboy for two weeks. At bottling time, he heats water and corn sugar then adds it to the bottling bucket. When all this is done he fills the bottles using a bottle filler. The bottled beer is stored in dark place for 2 to 4 weeks (not on a cool basement floor in the winter). He swirls the bottles every week because that’s what you’re suppose to do… I think it’s just for good measure. Then, the beer is done, ready for drinking and/or sharing. I know Rob must be getting pretty accomplished at brewing because everyone really seems to like his beer. I am not sure, as I don’t prefer beer…but I have had a batch named after me…”Broken Leg Ale” the batch you see in the pictures above have been coined “Kyler’s Krawlin Red.” Nary a soul has gotten sick off Rob’s beer…that is unless they had too much of it and my friends I am not taking responsibility for illness due to excessive consumption. There is rumor on the street that Rob will be bottling beer on a much grander scale someday…but for now, this, along with Notre Dame Football and the New York Yankees remain his only bad habits... I mean hobbies.

Albert Einstein

When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about.

Dog Days

In a previous post, I wrote about ANI our new dog. We have never owned a dog... OK, that is not true. We had a dog once... I just try to forget that misery. His name was Scout...and it's quite possible he was the living anti-Christ. LONG story short.....the dog hated me....I believe there was seriously something wrong with him...and not just because he hated me...but the fact that the dog urinated on me every single time I got near him... every single time (no exaggeration) did not help his case. Sigh.....I firmly believe that he was so poorly bred, or inbred that he was just not right, at no fault of his own. Suffice to say near the end of the summer before my Sonny Boy was born we opted to find Scout a new home. So in all honesty we did have a dog once...but in defense of dogs all over the world....Scout was NO ordinary dog.... and gave dogs a bad wrap. Back to Ani, who is not only every single thing a dog should be....she also LOVES.... LOVES me! And voila I love her too. She came to our family 3 months ago...and I feel like I have known her for years...she is beautiful, smart and gentle....I could gush about Ani but I am learning to temper my excessive enthusiasm for our new four legged friend as not to make the two legged members of my family jealous. Who would have thought.... I love a dog! This dog...and maybe no other dog ever again. So, Ani threw up last night. I made no less then 4 calls to other more experienced dog owners just to run our situation by them and see what they thought. Then, when Rob walked in... I immediately told him what had happened....he replied tongue in cheek "should we call the pediatrician?" Its a veterinarian and we don't have one! But I have every intention of taking Ani to meet one this week so that she and I have a relationship with the Doggy Doctor....and then it is possible I won't worry so much knowing that we have a professional at our beck and call. By the way, Ani was fine today, enjoyed her breakfast and morning run. I guess these things just happen with dogs...kinda like kids.

PICK YOUR BATTLES

Halloween 2004

Kids 12, 10, 7, & 4 years old
(not a teenager in the bunch)

In the past 18 years……I’ve used a variety of methods to steer my children in the desired direction…. I would say I’ve had a full repertoire of ideas and tactics based on age, stage and development. (Good fun for me…not everything worked for every child either. so I had to be quick on my feet at all times). One phrase that has always worked well for me….an old stand by….something that I have used to help decipher the really big issues from the itsy bitsy ones is PICK YOUR BATTLES. I can clearly remember using this idea with my toddlers… for instance when one of them would fall completely apart because I poured the juice in the wrong colored cup. It made a lot more sense to just pour the juice back into the child’s desired cup…no harm, no foul. Because, certainly later that day or the next we would have different obstacles to overcome, ones that would require a lot more mommy skills then just pouring the juice in another cup. When you’re in the trenches 24/7 with young children…its all about preservation and survival some days. So…I fine tuned the art of conserving mental energy and learned how to pick my battles so that I had the “oomph” to-get-up-and-go when being on my game really mattered most. SIDE NOTE: I hope no one is misinterpreting me… life with children is not ALWAYS about conflict or that being a Mom is actually code for being a Warrior. But lets not kid around here… Mothering is not for the weak. Period. If you have chosen to have children you must be ready on a moments notice to mount up and ride into the unknown.

As my children get older they are not worried about the color of the cup anymore....I wish they were… and like a personal mantra I am still saying to myself PICK YOUR BATTLES. Let’s just face it; more often than not I am using this tactic with my oldest daughter. I find that she and I are time and again in uncharted territory going in two separate directions. I am constantly trying to plot a course that will at the very least keep us on the same continent. My personal observation is that she feels done with being Mothered (or smothered: her emphasis) She is nearly 18 and is not in need of my constant guidance. But there are times when I feel moved to advise her….as her mother, least we not forget… I am her mother and as such I have certain responsibilities to her. Those responsibilities have changed over time, as they should but they will never diminish completely….there is no stop loss on this gig.

So, it seems that miss independent and I can’t agree on much. Not a statement, really a question…why on a basic and fundamental DNA level do we hit and miss? Case in point, I was thinking this morning about a recent and not so pleasant exchange we had (and a bad, bad mommy moment for me) regarding a Halloween costume she purchased. Sparing you the nitty gritty… I didn’t think it was appropriate. She on the other hand, thought I was being too conservative and controlling. I have one week until Halloween… I could put this off for a few days while the dust settles… in the meanwhile, lurking in the back of my mind is the fact she and I will have another conversation that I do not want to end with me feeling disregarded and her feeling unaccepted.

In a desperate attempt to find a new idea… and because I spent way too much time in front of the computer yesterday…I Google searched the words…yep you guessed it…..Picking Your Battles. First Hit: Picking Your Battles; Winning Strategies for Raising Well-Behaved Kids by Bonnie Maslin, Ph. D. She says it’s possible to keep a smile on your face as you navigate the enormous challenges of raising lovable and well-behaved kids. (Really? Bonnie tell people the truth…you might be smiling….but you very well may want to bite your lip off too…..) She calls this book the complete parenting guide to raising well-behaved kids without raising your blood pressure. (Now Bonnie…again…honestly, I may not need medicated but I know with God as my witness I’ve felt the pressure rise.) Still hopeful I wonder… could I have found THE BOOK for me…? And then, in my excitment I failed to notice like a flashing banner right across the top of the book…..From Birth to 11 years. Even though, I have been telling Mamacita SHE will be 11 for the rest of her life… fact of the matter is they grow up and I’ve yet to find a single helpful publication that gives me the straight talk regarding teenagers. I GOT THIS BIRTH TO ELEVEN DEAL...DOWN. Even though you can tweak most of the same childhood solutions to fit older children… teenagers just DO NOT have the same trauma and drama that they did when they were little. There are days when I feel like my nearly 18 year old toddler..oops I mean teenager is running with scissors in her hand. Who wrote the book that gives age appropriate insight for attachment parenting teenagers? Frankly, I have wondered if that is just on oxymoron…attachment parenting teenagers. Maybe that’s been my problem…the constant conflict I have had within. Who really knows…? Not I. I am just trying to navigate the only way I know how… from the heart. Holding the front line the best way I can. Surely when she’s 25 she will look back and at the very least think… my Mom was consistent… (Even if that means consistently in her business). Deep Breaths Tina…. Inhale….Exhale.

Disclaimer: No offense to Bonnie Maslin's book...I’ve not read it… I was just looking for 11 to 18 years. Some one please write that book.

“Enough Talk…Time for Action.”

I talked about starting a blog for a long time. I thought about it even longer. Then, one day I get an email from Missy who knew that I really wanted to do this…. The message simply said “Enough talk…time for action.” (With step by step instructions for getting started) The very same day…about six hours later I was on my way. Six days later, I emailed her and said “I love blogging.” She replied “I KNEW you would.... (She says risking sounding a bit like "I told you so"). I knew you would have great response, would love the writing, thinking, pictures, the connections, and the motivation to try new/different recipes and activities, the remembering, all that comes with documenting one's life. You have things to say, offer and give, and it is a perfect venue. Love, M” I may have done it eventually….however it would have been months down the road… thinking, over thinking, contemplating if I could really find anything of substance or depth to write about… (ha ha ANYone who knows me….knows, even tolerates…the fact that I was born with an insatiable urge to talk…talk…and talk...why not write…write…and write.) Life is fascinating…..and other people are interested in what you have to say. When I write on the subject of something as ordinary as what I cooked for dinner last night, and total strangers are interested, that is intriguing to me. So I write…Besides that, it’s a groovy way for me to chronicle our life…if only for my friends and family.

12 months and 23 days

It’s been a couple of days since I announced the arrival of perfect and precious baby Amy.

39 weeks of waiting are now over. When I heard Amy cry…my exhale was audible…it was a kind of relief I can not describe. Even amidst the joy and relief of Amy’s lovely birth last Friday morning.... I need to remember Lydia. 12 months and 23 days separate Lydia and Amy’s birth-days. Earlier, before I decided to write....I went to the place I knew I had put Lydia's pictures. I looked, and they were not there. I looked in an additional safe place….and they were not there. The search immediately went into high gear and by nightfall I had looked everywhere I could think of. These are the only pictures I have of Lydia…the only pictures I will ever have of her. You see, Lydia was born peacefully still last September. She never took a breath. Lydia died in utero one week before her due date. When she emerged, she was perfect….she looked just like her sisters…Leah, Tessa and Julia. Lydia joined a room of waiting family members in a single push…it was 5:45pm. I laid Lydia in her mother’s arms and waited. I bathed her, dressed her…and waited…..I held her when no one else was holding her….and I reverently waited while this family spent time with her…..the only physical time they would ever spend with their fourth daughter. I stayed with the family. I helped prepare a breakfast meal the morning after and the only thing I really remember was the sound of a stone flour grinder rhythmically running in the corner of the kitchen and the taste of the pancakes. I spoke at her memorial. I grieved, I did not want to leave the hillside cemetery where her small white casket rested above the earth. Finally, I went home. It took some doing to get back to my own family 65 miles away. I was drawn to staying with the only other people who even remotely understood what I was feeling. The days and months that followed her arrival are somewhat of a blur to me. These are not just clients…but friends…part of my family. I could not have felt any more helpless as I did seeing this mothers arms rest empty and her breast full. The trust this family puts in me is humbling… and the lessons I have learned from them have been plenty. I know I was supposed to experience this loss intimately…and I have. Thankful…Honored…these are such small words to express how I feel about being part of life and death with this family.

Four months after Lydia passed away we learned that they would be greeting their fifth baby. I was not ready…. It did not matter… I would nurture them…help prepare them….and support them. I knew that this would be an emotional pregnancy….and it was… for everyone.

Amy wiggled and moved under my hands every single prenatal. I knew in my logical mind she was fine and that she would be healthy and well…everything would be alright.

On the way to her birth…a fleeting sense of panic came over me…. I was reminded to stand on faith…. I felt Lydia’s spirit reassuring me. This birth would be flawless.

Amy Alessa arrived into the waiting hands of her family…she was perfect and pink… and she breathed. Her safe and healthy arrival is a true renewal of Hope for us all.

She has arrived....

I've been here......

Meeting her.....

I will write more when I have gotten some sleep

and can tell the story.

Sometimes They Shock Me

My children...all of them...in the same place at the same time.

There was a new face at our lunch table today. What a nice kid. He said “yes ma’am” and “please” AND “thank you” … he was quiet and seemed so thoughtful. It could have been reservation since he didn’t know me. Anyhow, I am not sure what came over me…I could not help myself and without thinking it came out…I asked him “Young man, did your parents spank you as a child?”… I think it surprised him… I know it surprised me. However, I really was pondering the possibilities of his answer… what did his parents do? What was their main mode of discipline/ guidance? Knowing my own children do not always act how I would hope. I am not saying that they are frequently unpleasant. Anyone would tell you they are wonderful people. What I am saying is....sometimes they shock me…that’s all. Some times they say and do things that are NOT what I have taught or expected from them. With that said, I have long since learned not to look at a screaming toddler, having a tantrum in the middle of the store and say “you would never see any of my children act like that” because lo and behold….the “no…. never….not my child” statement is a dangerous invitation to eat your words. If I know anything I know that raising teenagers is much like raising toddlers…they are just bigger people with an expanded vocabulary. They need as much supervision and as many boundaries. Unfortunately, the hardest thing is, unlike toddlers they don’t glance up at you before stepping towards the street…. GONE are the days that they look over their shoulder making sure you are right there. It’s kind of been a forced transition for me… you wouldn’t think so… miss independent will be 18 in a couple of months and you might think I would be ready. It’s just hard not being the go-to-guy all the time… their circle of support is bigger then me and their Dad these days and that is as it should be. I know in my rational mind this is normal growth and development. I just have not been sure how to attachment parent my teenagers. And my teenagers do not always want to get in my lap and let me rock their worries away. Go figure. I wish life would slow down a little and let me catch up to them…how did their growing up.... get so far ahead of me? Its my greatest hope that settled deep in their hearts is the foundation I think we have laid together…I pray, they stand on that foundation… so when they jump from it…and they will jump from it…. least they not jump too far. By they way, the kid at lunch… his parents did not spank him. I was glad to hear it. I always hope, like this young man… when it matters and when they are not under my watchful eye… that they are acting in a way that makes me proud to know them, not to mention be their mamma.

Pizza Pizza

Yesterday, I was talking to my sister-in-law Lori…..I say, as if I don’t talk to her very much…we talk every morning. It’s a routine… our morning conversations. I think of Lori much like a sister and as I navigate life with older children; I take comfort knowing Lori survived, I know this to be true because I hear her voice on the other end of the phone nearly every morning for the past few years. So, yesterday…..she tells me that she is making homemade pizza for dinner. I recall she did this a week or so back and I ask… isn’t that a lot of work. I’ve made homemade pizza. I am a bread baker. My friend Tracy lovingly teases me that I could be a better Mormon then she is because of my mad bread baking skills. Not that you have to be a bread baker to be Mormon...but I don't know many Mormon Mamma's who don't bake bread. (Tracy: I was just gifted a stone flour grinder from a client). Anyhow, Lori assures me her recipe is really easy…so easy there is no reason not to do it. I asked her to send over the recipe and pictures. I told her I would put it on the blog and she’d be famous! *snickering*

Pizza Dough:
2 ¾ to 3 ¼ Cup all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 T. cooking oil

In large bowl, combine 1 ¼ cup flour, yeast, and salt. Add warm water and oil. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds to combine. Beat on high speed 3 minutes. Turn on lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Divide dough in half. Cover, let rest 10 minutes.

Press out onto cookie sheet, pizza pan or cooking stone. Top with whatever your heart desires and bake according to individual pizza recipes.

Usually 375˚ for 20 minutes.

Recipe and pictures courtesy of Lori...who needs to start a blog.

This....was our dinner last night, courtesy Little Caesars Pizza Hot-n-Ready $5.00.

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

I saw these pancakes on Bakerella.

I have made them several times and we REALLY, really like them.

Also, a big THANKS to Denise for helping me figure out how to attach links to the post. I am still trying to figure this all out.

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornmeal
¼ cup sugar

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups low-fat buttermilk
¼ cup whole milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus more for griddle
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups (1 pint) blueberries

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, milk, butter, and egg. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined (mixture will be lumpy).

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Toss blueberries with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Brush griddle with melted butter. Spoon batter onto griddle 1/3 cup at a time. Sprinkle with sugared blueberries, about 2 tablespoons per pancake. Cook until edges are set, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter and blueberries, adding more butter to griddle and keeping prepared pancakes warm on a baking sheet in the oven.

Makes about 1 dozen 5- to 6-inch pancakes; Serves 4.

(shown on Bakerella with orange-maple butter have not made that yet...but it looks good.)

Outstanding Student

I received this picture text message last week from my daughter. Its miss independent’s mid-tri GPA. It’s a 4.0. You go kid...straight A’s. Its not the first time this has occurred for her…its just the first time in quite a while. Miss independent is a very intelligent young lady….Though I’ve never needed a report card to tell me how she is doing in school or otherwise. Living with her works for me. But, this is tangible evidence of her success…she needed it and needed us to SEE it. Proof on paper. Good Job Baby Girl.

Harvest Cookies

Pumpkins Cookies

½ cup butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup walnuts

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in pumpkin and vanilla. Sift flour with baking powder, salt, spices. Combine with butter mixture. Fold in walnuts. Bake on ungreased sheet at 375˚ for about 15 minutes. Cool and frost cookies with the best frosting ever.


Best Frosting EVER
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
Melt and boil about 2 minutes; add ¼ cup milk bring back to a boil and cool.
Add 2 cups sifted powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.

Side note: Today when I made these cookies... I actually made them with 1 cup of baked and pureed Acorn Squash and pecans (in the cookies and on top the frosting). They turned out really good. I would probably say the pumpkin is waaaay better but I had pureed squash on hand. We took plates around to all the neighbors and they were a big hit. Thanks Aunt Lori this is a great recipe!

Rail Jam

About 40 guys (and one girl) turned out for a rail jam.

It was sunny but cold.... 39˚ with winds up to 20mph.

You gotta give it to 'em!

This is nothing like riding real snow.

The carpets are saturated

with sudsy water and ice.

The Hippie and Mamacita could barely

contain themselves...they are so ready for the

winter sports season.

There was a promise of snow in the air.
We can't wait.

Chicken Tacos

An all time favorite at our house. Bake a whole chicken at 350˚ for a few hours. Separate chicken meat and discard skin and bones. Put meat a frying pan with a small amount of olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and a couple cans of El Pato sauce. Cook until meat is heated. Warm corn or flour tortillas. Layer seasoned chicken meat with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream if desired. When we are really on the ball we make Mexican rice and beans. (But not tonight).

(this is El Pato sauce... you can find it in most Mexican/Latin Food sections at the grocery store... caution its pretty 'hot' if you don't care for 'hot' food only add 1 can to chicken meat)

Vickie Lynn Cleveland

Vickie Lynn Cleveland

April 22, 1958 - August 17, 2004

A wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandmother,

friend and midwife,

she considered her crowning accomplishment to be her family.

Eric, Hannah, Alynn, Samuel, Jessica and Jeremy

may you always know

your mother lives on in the hearts of everyone she touched.

Vickie & Tina

I have tried several times in the past few years to write about Vickie. I have so much to say but it’s always been very hard to find words that are fitting enough to describe this influential woman and the relationship I had with her. Every time I was near her I thought to myself…and out loud…. “I wish I could be more like her.” Vickie taught me so many things….she changed the course of my life and I am a better person for having known her. I saw in Vickie the kind of woman, daughter, wife, mother, friend and Midwife I wanted to be. I put her high on a pedestal until one day she told me that she was not my mentor that we were equals. I will never forget the day she told me that I taught her as much I felt she’d taught me. I will still never clearly comprehend how…or what I could have possibly taught her. I have often thought I didn’t sign up for motherhood without her wisdom and guidance. I scour the saved letters and messages I have from her when I am struggling to know what to do. I pull out book after book that she gave me and I devour the contents over and over. I remember clearly the day Vickie told me she had cancer…and she quickly followed that shattering news saying “You are not going to be sad about this, we have work to do….cancer will make me everything I am not and should be.” How could that be…. I know she was human……I just thought she was super-human and what “more” did she need to be? Near the end of her life, when I could no longer speak to her on the phone I got a message from her daughter… she told me to hang on to my faith…to believe and simply stand in the knowledge that with God nothing is impossible and nothing is ever final…not even death. She promised me that one day I would talk to Vickie again and when I did she would have an even more amazing testimony. Five days later Vickie died. I carry Jessica’s promise with me now… especially on those days when I miss Vickie so badly that I can’t think…when the tears come unexpectedly and won’t stop. I know she impacted so many people and as we all go forward to carry out the most valuable lessons learned from this gentle and remarkable woman we will be better individuals. (Taken from an inscription inside my Bible) “The Word of God is what I live by daily, not just on Sunday, or when it’s convenient. These words bring me joy everyday! Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your study and hold on…..
Love, Vickie”

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Teenagers and friends home for lunch again today…. They got to the soup before I could snap a picture. This is an all time favorite here at our house. It’s quick and easy to make. I keep these ingredients on hand for the “I need to make lunch/dinner in a hurry” days. It’s saved us from the Arctic Circle down the street more then one time. Side Note: Of course there is a side note…..I hardly ever stick to a recipe…this practice usually serves me well, with only a couple of major catastrophes. The main reason I deviate from most recipes is to enhance flavor to our particular taste or to increase quantity for my family. I use this recipe as is and I change it up all the time. 1) I like to substitute a couple slices of good quality bacon for the butter, is there really such a things as “good quality bacon” I know it’s not really “good for you” but we do love bacon. When you use bacon instead of butter…just fry the bacon until it renders its fat before adding the onions. 2) I double this ALL THE TIME and its fine. 3) I often add grated cheese at the end and stir until melted. Bacon AND Cheese…Yummy. 4) We like this recipe served over baked potatoes for a meatless and filling meal.

Anyhow, if you are starting to wonder....we really do eat more then just soup and desserts.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

1 package frozen broccoli (10-16 oz)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
2 cups cream (half & half)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
½ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. pepper
⅛ tsp. cayenne
¼ tsp. thyme

Sauté onions in butter until softened. Add flour and stir until well blended; cook about a minute. Pour in milk and cream stirring constantly. Stir in bouillon cubes and seasonings. Stir and cook until smooth and bouillon cubes have dissolved. Add broccoli, heat through and serve.

Just Give Me One More Year!

My computer is on the brink.
It is…I know this to be true.
Today, I saw the "blue screen of death" as Rob so casually calls it.
What does that mean really…..when the computer goes dormant?
I know it’s bad.
Of course, I know it’s bad!
However, does it really mean it’s the end?
Apparently not!
Today... it started again and it's fully operational.
This computer is….hold your breath…..7 years old.
It's been struggling…but continues to be reliable
and I am thankful.
So, like many times before I regroup and back up all things important.
Taking my chances, I will life into the hard drive one more time.
I am hoping for at least one more year with this faithful friend.

....on running

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed."

- Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ

Septoplasty-Left Submucosal Resection- Inferior Turbinectomy

The Hippie before surgery...

all smiles, joking, and quite entertained by the whole experience.

...getting a little more serious, but still texting.

Post surgery...very calm, asked for her phone,
you guessed it....texting.

New orders for discharge: Able to text.

Today she is mostly just sleeping...but doing really good. Has an appetite for chicken noodle soup. She says she can already breathe better.

Will keep you posted on her progress and recovery.
Thanks for all your prayers and love!!

Mamacita's Decadent Brownie à la mode

Mamacita created this scrumptious dessert.

It's a quick stand by in a pinch, if you have a brownie mix on hand (or the fixings for homemade brownies), ice cream, dark chocolate and carmel toppings.

Its a good one.. to good to resist.

Delicioso!

More Snow!!

It's snowing again.

Nothing will stick....it's really to early for this... but we'll take it for a day or so.

Winter....The Longer the Better.

(At the risk of losing friends)

The warm-to-fair weather days will always out number the total length of the ski/boarding season around here...so you sun seekers...just give us a little love and keep your fingers crossed that we get record amounts of snowfall.

Clam Chowder

I have been making a lot of soup lately.

Tonight, I made Clam Chowder for the first time and we really enjoyed it... especially since it was so cold outside.

I used canned clams.....(it was about 4 small cans) I also used the drained juice rather then buy a bottle of clam juice.

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Clam Chowder
5 slices good quality bacon, medium diced

1 cup yellow onions, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup flour

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2-3 cups clams

2-3 cups clam juice

2 cups half & half cream Salt and pepper

In a heavy stock pot, over medium heat, cook bacon until almost cooked.

Stir in the onions, celery and garlic. Sauté until the vegetables are soft. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.

Stir in the flour and cook until bubbly. Stir in the clam juice until smooth.

Add the potatoes. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the mixture until the potatoes are fork tender.

Add the cream and clams. Simmer for a few more minutes just to heat clams. Do not boil.

Enjoy!