Sunday Dinner

We had a yummy dinner tonite:  mushroom ravioli, asparagus with browned butter/balsamic sauce, salmon with mustard dill sauce and artichokes.  And I had tofu with my dinner.  YUM!

Spectacles

I got some new "old lady" glasses today. They are my first pair of gradual glasses, which means they can be used for reading and distance. They are super cute but a total trip to get used to....I feel like I am in a fishbowl while wearing them and that causes my eyes to get super fatigued.

Salmon April 2012

It is an amazing salmon season!  Jim went out today and caught 18 pound salmon!  The freezer is filling up! 

Beady Little Eyes

Today I was working at the kitchen counter and I turn around to see that I am being watched by "Frick" and "Frack", partners in crime! GOOFBALLS!

Blind

Thought you would all get a chuckle of a pic of the blind that 3 Day Blinds sent us. It is 19 inches too short!

Like a Tree

Took Grace to the doctor yesterday and her new official height is 5 foot 7 1/2 inches at age 12 years and 7 months old. And that puts her over the 97 percentile for height. Which, of course, means she is taller than more than 97 percent of the girls her age.

Tall like a tree!

Window Covering

One of our window blinds had a broken string so I sent it back to 3 Day Blinds for re-stringing. I have done that once before and it is a very cost effective fix - about $45 for a 5 foot blind. And since this was one of 6 matching blinds, it was a better option than replacing all the blinds.

At least that is what I thought until I received the re-strung blind back in the mail and it was NOT our blind! It is about 1.5 feet too short - they sent us the wrong blind!

Now what?????

Handbag - part 2

That last handbag that I posted was NOT acceptable. I got it in the mail and the quality was not what I would expect from an expensive named brand foo foo handbag. So I sent it back to Neiman Marcus and designed my own new handbag.

Here it is. What do you think? Cute, huh?

It will take 3 to 4 weeks to get it because they have to make it.

Hook Me Up

I got a text with this pic yesterday from Drew saying: "Grandpa hooked me up!"

Grandpa Tom brought Drew some clubs so they could golf together. Now we have to buy some golf shoes! But in the meantime, he is swinging the club in the family room and the backyard.

Salmon Season 2012

Jim and Drew went out today and caught 6 nice fish! They are happy because they had a successful day. I am happy because my freezer will be filled with fish!

The last handfull of years have been sparse for salmon but this year has started off with a bang!

Beast on a Bike

Drew went to a buddies house yesterday and rode dirt bikes all day. He LOVED it!

Book Reviews

I am reading two books at once right now and they could NOT be more different.

The first one is called: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

This is the book description from Amazon: "When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever."

I wanted to read this book because it was the hot talk in the "mom circles". Mom's across the US are talking about this in book clubs and on the sidelines of the soccer fields, so I had to see what it was about. I had heard it described as "mommy porn" because it was a little racy.

A "little racy" is an understatement - it is disturbing drivel! The main characters are involved in a totally warped relationship. I decided this morning that I am giving up on the book and not reading anymore. I have a friend who is reading it too and she is equally disturbed by the relationship and absurdity of the book. She did something that I think was very wise --- she skipped and read the last chapter!

The second book I am reading is: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

This is the book description from Amazon: "Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia—a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo—to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells."

This book is totally worth the investment of time! It is fascinating to learn about this woman, the time frame in which she lived and the advancements in science that are directly credited to her cells.

Based on my book choices of late, I am starting to think of myself as quite an intellectual!

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Changes at Work

Last week was a rough week. We had lay offs at work and a coworker that I have worked very closely with for 12 years was affected. We have worked as a high performing team and developed some super cool stuff.

I was surprised that it affected me so much as it did as I am pretty level headed and logical in my approach to things. But we have spent a lot of time together over the last 12 years, which included:

* The birth of her second child who is now 9
* The death of loved ones
* The death of beloved pets
* Serious illnesses
* Accomplishments of our kids
* Movement from one company to another

As Jim so wisely put it, "you guys put a lot of miles in together."

I wish could say something really wise about the situation but right now I am still too upset at the change to think there is anything good about it.

Daisy Babushka

This weekend I put a scarf on Daisy's head and she just went about her day with it on. One of the kids finally took it off of her declaring that it looked ridiculous!

Easter 2012

The kids and I went mountain biking on Easter while Jim fished for opening salmon weekend.

Ry's bday

Ry's bday was a huge success! We went with 120 wings and we had some left over.

Chicken Wings

This week's TNDC is Oryann's bday edition. Oryann, also known as Ry, is one of Gracie's best friends and LOVES TNDC....who doesn't? So they have been planning the menu for her birthday TNDC for weeks. We plan to have spaghetti, meatballs, bread and salad.

But the girls want to have chicken wings too because they love them. Yesterday in the car, the were having a conversation about how many chicken wings we need and this is how it went down:

Ry: I have been thinking about how many chicken wings we need.

Grace: I love chicken wings.

Ry: I love them too.

Ry: Drew......Mikey......they eat A LOT (those are the big brothers)!

Grace: They come in buckets of 25 and 50 at Wingstop.

Ry: I think we need 150.

Me: There will only be 18 of us and I don't eat them.

Ry: But Drew will eat yours.

Grace: Yea, at least 100.

Me: We are having spaghetti and meatballs too.

Ry: Yea, I think we need 150.

So then I told Ry's mom about this conversation and she filled me in on her follow up conversation with Ry:

Ry: Mom, when are you going to get the food because we need like 150 wings. Chris says there is 18 people coming. And Drew needs loompa but not just his own some for everyone else, so like 40. (Note - loompa is actually lumpia, which are egg rolls but Drew can never remember what they are called and renamed them loompa.)

Ry's mom: Really..150 wings and 40 loompas? Wow, that’s a lot.

Ry: Yea but we all eat a lot and this food is GOOD. (note the emphasis on GOOD and the implication that the other food is NOT as good and therefore not as much is consumed)

Ry's mom: Gross. Ok. Whatever you say its your bday (in her head she was saying there is not a chance in hell I am getting 150 wings and 40 loompa!)

I LOVE these girls! Most pre-teen girls are thinking about boys, music, clothes, the mall.... Ours are thinking about chicken wings....and lots of them!

Tea time

Here is my new electric teapot. It reminds me of when we stayed in the barn in England. They had one - but it was circa 1970!

New Toys

The girlies - and Murray - got some new toys today. In the past, we have had:

* Pirate chicken

* Sexy British chicken

* Bikini chicken

Now we have soccer chicken and biker chicken dude!

How does doggie life get any better than this?

Angry Birds Fashion

I was at the dentist today and I saw a woman who looked to be 75 years old and she was wearing a bright red "angry birds" t-shirt with a black sequined jacket over it! And my first thought was, "You go girl....you rock!" I can't wait til I am 75 and can dress as goofy as I want.....and eat whatever I want!

Sleep Tight

That little chiweenie gets cold and has to sleep under the covers. After I get up, she oozes up from way down at the bottom of the bed to the top!

An experiment?

I am currently smack dab in the middle of an unplanned experiment.

Last nite, I left my cell phone at work. That means no texts or phone calls until tomorrow morning when I go back to the office.

It's been a really interesting experience.

I sent out an email to a bunch of my contacts who I am in pretty constant contact with to let them know that I am going "old school" and to call me at home if they need me.

So last nite:

I was pelted with email responses about how:
They can't possibly manage without being able to text me for 24 hours
They would contact me via postal mail if they need me (not effective!)

And:
Our home phone rang off the hook
People got smart and started texting Jim and having him relay messages to me

I have to say that I have a total sense of peace knowing I can not use my phone. And that is coming from someone who has their phone with them literally 24/7.

Forget About It

We have had a bit of a hiatus from book club but are going to get back to it with the book Forget About It by Caprice Crane.

It is about a girl that is always used as a door mat and after an accident fakes amnesia in order to reinvent herself. It's an amusing, easy read.

In true book club spirit, we will meet to discuss the book for 5 minutes and then spend the rest of the evening eating, drinking and laughing!

Hooray for book club!

Archery Par Course

Yesterday, Jim and I went on a date to an archery par course. Basically it is a hike thru the foothills where you stop every so often and shoot an arrow at a target. It was cool because you could choose how far you shot from and you sometimes shot down at the target or up at the target.

Of course, I was thinking the whole time about how this would be a great work out if you ran from target to target!

Rest in Peace - Vadar

Little Vadar "Vay Vay" Walker has gone to doggy heaven to be with Kiely, Champ, Casey Bear, Scooby and all the other well loved dogs that have come before him.

He was the Walker's dog who they rescued about 4 years ago from the parking lot of the rental building they own.

Doug tried to rescue him one day and was attacked! Only to go back the next day and see that Vadar was now injured. This time, he didn't take no for an answer and picked him up to rescue him!

They took him to the Animal Shelter because they already had a dog and did not need a vicious, injured chihuahua mix on their hands!

But when they found out that he would be euthanized at the shelter, they went back and paid $50 to adopt that vicious, injured chihuahua mix. Unconditional love made him into a great little dog.

He was a sporty little dog who would hike long distances and wrestle with his big dog sister, Panda.

Last week he suffered a terrible injury - a ruptured disk in his back. Being a tremendously loyal family, they did everything they could to make it better, but it was just too bad and last nite, Vadar went to doggie heaven after a day of pampering by his family.

Rest in peace to the original Chiweenie. The world is a little sadder today without you!

Cauliflower Pizza

Look at this weird appetizer - cauliflower pizza. It was strange but yummy. It contains chopped cauliflower, chopped olives, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

My New Handbag

Remember my cute red Kate Spade handbag for winter? Well, I decided I needed another cute bag for spring and summer. So here it is....I got the red and black one....to match my mini!

Murray

This is Murray after he got into some food and overindulged!

I LOVE that sensitive, giant schnozed, Iranian Bordernese (Bernese Mountain Dog - Border Collie mix)!

Fort in the Snow....in the buff.....

Last nite, we were face timing with Gracie's friend Bug from the cabin. While we were talking, Marty walked up behind us eating fried rice with his shirt off! Nothing like a little shock value for giggles.

So this morning, Bug wanted to see the fort we built at the cabin covered with snow. So Jim and Marty went to take a pic and this is what they came back with. I just wish I could see Bug's face when she got the pic on email!

Gracie's award write up

I asked Gracie's principal for what was read at the ceremony honoring Grace's hard work and he just got back to me. I provided the write up and what he wrote back to me in an email:

Here is the excerpt that was read:

Grace may have to work harder than most students yet she does not let her dyslexia affect her ability to be successful at school. She demonstrates her tenacity by attending tutoring sessions after school to support her learning in the areas that she struggles with. In addition to her after school tutoring, Grace has a math tutor who comes to school 2 times a week to help Grace for 45 minutes.

With all the extra tutoring and time required to complete school work, it is important to note that Grace never uses her disability as an excuse nor does she complain about the extra work.

She is described by her teacher as a poised, mature and very responsible person. She is described by her friends as perceptive, caring and confident friend. Her family is very proud of who she is and her achievements.

Grace has improved dramatically in the last two years. Her writing and work in all subject areas has grown from B’s and C’s to almost all A’s in all subjects. That progress is due to Grace’s perseverance and drive. It is our pleasure to recognize her with the Every Student Succeeding Award!

She's a great role model. I think your mother-in-law said it best when she said she teaches us. So glad you enjoyed the event.

Snow - March 2012

Woke up this morning to about 3 inches of snow!

Irish Soda Bread

This recipe called for raisans and caraway seeds, but I did not use them - yuk!

Ingredients
5 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, slightly beaten

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter 2 (9 by 5-inch) bread pans.
Stir together the sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Cut in the butter and mix very thoroughly with your hands until it gets grainy. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds.
Add the buttermilk and egg to the flour mixture. Stir until well moistened. Shape dough into 2 loaves and place in the pans.

Bake for 1 hour. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool in the pans for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

St Patty's Day - 2012

Last nite was TNDC St Patty's Day edition. My mom, being the resident Irishwoman, made the corned beef and cabbage, much to the delight of all the TNDC Clan!

I made homemade soda bread which was delicious! Recipe to be posted soon.

Mari was in charge of the "silliness". So she showed up with green mustaches, green face paint, Irish music and tattoos!

One more....

One more soccer pic. That is Drew wearing #8. Looks like he is doing the flamenco dance!

Mexican Rice

This is the new Mexican rice mix I have been using (referral from Coach

Cindy). You get the mix at the Mexican market and just add rice. It makes a mild Mexican rice, which is what I like.

Action Shot #8

Thought this was a good action shot of Drew getting read to head the ball.

Bicycle Kick

Drew is back to playing soccer after having taken a break for the fall and not playing high school soccer. This past weekend was his first game and tournament in about a year. He was a little rusty at first but got back into the swing of things pretty fast.

I loved this series of pics. This is what it looks like when someone 6'3" and 200 pounds does a bicycle kick.

BIG thud when he hits the ground!

Then he looks up and asks a team mate "did I live thru that?"!

Nick...get up!

I LOVE this pic.

Nick is the goalie that Drew has played with for years. They are good buddies and work great as a team with Drew being the last defender before the ball gets to Nick. Nick is the guy on the ground in this pic. A bunch of players just piled up and Nick got hurt.

But, Drew doesn't have any patience for a hurt goalie because he is the back up goalie and never wants to go in! So I can imagine what he is saying to Nick, standing there all bossy with his hand on his hip:

"Get up you big baby....you are fine!"

Hiccup!

I was feeling quite barfy today so I didn't eat anyhting from 9 am to 2 pm. At about 2 I was feeling better, so I had two slices of a cucumber. BAD idea! I had heard about people getting the hiccups from cucumbers but it never happened to me before. I guess having an empty stomach might make a difference because I had terrible, super deep hiccups for 40 minutes! Crazy!

Totem

We went to see the Cirqu Du Soliel show, Totem, last week and it was AMAZING! Totally captivated all of us the whole show!

Here is what Totem is about:


"TOTEM traces the fascinating journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly. The characters evolve on a stage evoking a giant turtle, the symbol of origin for many ancient civilizations.

Inspired by many founding myths, TOTEM illustrates, through a visual and acrobatic language, the evolutionary progress of species.

Somewhere between science and legend TOTEM explores the ties that bind Man to other species, his dreams and his infinite potential."

Tip for stinky people

My work out gear, especially stuff made with man made fibers, can get really stinky and even hold a funky odor after washing. I first noticed it in my northface shirts that I wear backpacking...they get a real workout wearing multiple days in a row!

So I have been hunting around for laundry soap that helps because the regular stuff doesn't cut it!

I have found two that work:

Bac-Out by Biokleen - you can get it at the grocery store
Penguin Wash - you can get it at Sports Basement and probably other sporting good stores

So - if you or your kids have stinky gear....try these out. I highly recommend them and it may save you some time in searching for something that works!

Sushi for Dummies

I got a new book! And I am fired up!

Regardless of what TNDC thinks, we are going to have a TNDC make your own sushi nite!

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

Thank you, Heather, for this recipe. Tried it at Uncle B's this weekend and it was yummy and so easy. I made the following changes:

* No onions
* No bacon - but that would have been good for the meat eaters
* Added diced green chilies, a big can
* Topped with salsa when it was done
* Used a mixture of sharp cheddar and mexican cheese

I would recommend going heavy on the spices as it was a little bland. I would also suggest serving with guac, sour cream, green onions and cilantro.

Next time I am going to try putting brocolli and dill in it.



Crockpot Breakfast Casserole


Here is what you need: Serve 8-10
- 1 dozen eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 lbs of hash brown potatoes. (you can use frozen hash browns, just cook for 8-9 hours, instead of the 7-8)
- 1 lb of bacon or veggie bacon- cooked, drained and cut into pieces. (feel free to substitute with your favorite breakfast meat..sausage, ham, etc)
- 1/2 cup onions - diced
- 3 cups cheddar cheese - shredded
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp of pepper (I am recommending an additional pinch of salt and pepper for each layer of hash browns)

1. Beat 12 eggs until well blended.
2. Next, beat in milk and garlic powder, mustard, 1 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp pepper. Set aside.
3. Layer potatoes (I suggest to season each potato layer to taste.....a small pinch of salt and pepper) and sprinkle 1/3 of the onions.
4. Next sprinkle 1/3 of the bacon.
5. Last but not least, top with 1 cup of cheese.
6. Repeat this layering 2 more times to have a total of 3 layers....ending with cheese.
7. Take your egg mixture and pour over layers. For refrigerated hash browns, set cook for 7-8 hours on low. For frozen hash browns, cook for 8-9 hours on low or until eggs are set.

Cousins March 2012

Cousins - all lined up!

Gigi's Artwork

We were visiting with my bro and family this weekend. And I loved that my niece made artwork for Gigi and hung them by her bed!

Teacher's Recommendation

This is the letter that Grace's teacher wrote to nominate her for award:

Grace has been in my class for both 5^th and 6^th grade. I am very impressed with Grace’s tenacity and courage because Grace is dyslexic and has to work harder than most students at her school work. In addition to going to school every day, Grace has tutoring after school to support her learning in the areas that she struggles with due to her dyslexia (math, reading, writing, spelling). In addition to her after school tutoring, Grace has a math tutor who comes to school 2 times a week to help Grace for 45 minutes. With all the extra tutoring and time required to complete school work, it is important to note that never does Grace use her disability as an excuse or complain about the extra work.

Grace is a poised, mature, and very responsible person. She stands far above her classmates in the areas of maturity and self – assurance. Grace is also a very perceptive and caring individual with a group of close friends.

Because of the dyslexia, Grace’s test scores in the areas of word analysis and grammar, reduce her overall Language Arts test scores. Her reading comprehension is at a high proficient level to advanced level. She is insightful and makes very deep connections between the books we are reading in class and other books and life. She has a deep wealth of background knowledge that she draws on in her thinking about her reading.

Grace has improved dramatically in the last two years. Her writing and work in all subject areas has grown from B’s and C’s to almost all A’s in all subjects. I know that this progress is due to one factor, Grace’s perseverance and drive.

I highly recommend Grace as a candidate for the Every Student Succeeding Award for 2011-2012. I cannot say enough good things about her.

Regards,

Ms Reiss

6^th grade teacher

Untrustworthy

These two are NOT to be trusted! Here they are "looking" at Stewie. If I turned my back for a second, they would be alllllllll over him! And Murray has a history of trying to eat guinea pigs!

Award Ceremony

Gracie received an award this week from school called "Every Child Succeeds". It is an award for kids who excel against hardships and of course Gracie's hardship is her dyslexia. One student from each school in the district gets nominated by the teachers and principal at that school. Gracie was the one child chosen from her whole school.

They did a nice ceremony where they talked about each child and what they had to overcome and then gave them a medal, a certificate and a rose. I am trying to get the write up that they did for Grace and if I do, I will post it. But the "jist" of what they said was that she has to try harder than anyone, never complains, never uses it as an excuse, is incredibly committed, is mature and kind! Jim and I were teary eyed while they were reading about her. Her giant big brother was bawling like a baby!

After the ceremony, we went out to dinner with the Grandmas and Grandpas and celebrated Gracie's success and her years of hard work!

Sometimes it takes someone else noticing a job well done to make you take the time to celebrate. A special thank you to Ms Reiss, Grace's teacher for noticing and nominating Grace! And a special shout out to Grace's ed therapists for their hard work and commitment.

You will see a locket in the pics. We got that for Grace and gave it to her before the ceremony. It says "Dream" on the back of it and you can put charms inside the locket. She can change the charms as she desires. The charms she has are:

A "G" - for obvious reasons
An Eiffel Tower - to symbolize her love of travel and adventure
A heart shaped birthstone - to symbolize the love between a mother and a daughter
A dog paw - for her love of her doggies and her kindness to all animals
A ying and yang sign - to symbolize her unbelievable awareness of her self and what she needs
A soccer ball - because she rocks on the soccer field!

We could not be prouder of Grace or more thankful to the people in our lives who support her....you all know who you are!

Angels on Stage

http://www.angelsonstage.org/

Grace and I went to se a production of Alice in Wonderland by Angels on Stage this weekend.

Angels on Stage's mission is:

To provide children with special needs who have abilities of any type and degree, ages 5-22, the opportunity to participate in an annual professional musical theatre production.

I became familiar with them through my involvement in the employee foundation at work - we gave them a grant and through the families with kids with special needs support group at work.

What a wonderful experience! The kids were truly having the times of their lives!

House guests

We had some house guests this weekend: Pepper, my folks dog and Stewie, the Walker's piggie. All have made a smooth adjustment into the household. Ahi is super interested in Stewie. She stands on a chair or sits at the top of the stairs so she can watch him!

Sushi

We made our own sushi yesterday for lunch. I have an asian coworker who taught me what to do. Then Jim looked up a bunch of recipes online and this is the result. Everyone loved it!