Our Mini Vacay

After realizing that we would be moving so far west, I felt the need to head to the east coast for one last visit to the ocean.  I soon realized that this was probably not a great idea with a wild almost three year old and my demanding seven month old.  We tossed around the idea of a Kentucky State Park and Gatlinburg.  We gave in to the idea of Cincinnati. 

On Tuesday, we headed north and first hit up IKEA.  Alexander loved crawling into each toddler bed and taking a nap.  Adam and I were overwhelmed.  Trying to decorate a house 1000 miles away is a little difficult even without two babies.  We decided it might be a little easier without the kiddos.  We escaped with only buying two blue, rubber pot holders, which Alexander used as crab claws. 

We arrived to our hotel and headed for the pool.  I was a little disappointed it was indoor, but enjoyed it none the less.  Audrey loved hanging out on the float and Alexander was very content in his circle, as he calls it.  We enjoyed dinner at Behle Street Cafe followed by a walk by the river.

On Wednesday morning I took advantage of the fitness center and then indulged in the free breakfast.  Omelets, pancakes, and waffles to make up for that jaunt on the eleptical machine.  After our tummies were stuffed we returned to the pool.  Alexander wanted so badly to join us in the hot tub, or hot pool as he called it.  He frequently dipped his toes in, but always quickly returned to the cold pool. 

Around noon we headed to the Newport Aquarium for the debut of our vacation.  Alexander had enjoyed the aquarium several times before as a toddler, but we knew he would love it even more as an older child.  He ran from display to display and even touched the sharks.  He was overjoyed watching the penguins as he sang, "Penguins like to waddle, waddle, waddle.  They have wings, but they don't fly." 

We all enjoyed a night away from home and especially letting someone else cook and clean up after us.  It was great to spend some special time together as a family.

A New School Year

August is here.  For me, this usually means returning to school to prepare my classroom and get ready for the students.  Today we tested our kindergarten students and welcomed their parents to our school.  While our kindergarten students and their families said hello to Dixie, I said goodbye.  After seven years at Dixie, I am leaving to become a different kind of teacher.  Adam has accepted a call to pastor a church in Oakland, Nebraska.  I will be able to stay at home with my own children now.  I am so excited about being a full time mommy.  I have always been a very focused and driven person.  This was especially evident in my teaching.  I have struggled for the past three years, working and having children.  

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the Lord and not merely for people."  

Whatever I do, I want to do it well and with all of my being.  I either wanted to be a superior teacher or a patient, super organized, energetic mother and wife.  Before having children I stayed at school until six o'clock each night.  After the birth of Alexander I rarely saw the clock strike 3:15 at school.  I often felt tremendous guilt about this.  I wanted my students to receive the best instruction possible, but longed to spend time with my own kids.  

While I am thrilled with the new opportunities before us, I am filled with such grief about moving so far away from our families and friends.  My mom doesn't fly, so I don't know how she will ever visit us.  I long for my children to have a close relationship with their grandmothers. 

Speaking of grandparents, one year ago today Daddy was taken to UK hospital and diagnosed with cancer.  I was at school, at the same Kindergarten Kickoff that I was at today, when Adam came and got me to go to the hospital.  It was all I thought about today.  I miss him so much.  

I wanted to leave Dixie with a bang.  Well, I think I really did.  As my principal was helping me load my things into my car, a can of Dr. Pepper fell out of the car and exploded on Mrs. Isaacs and myself.

Summer Eats

Yummy!  Carrots, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, lacinato, komatsuna, beets, basil and lemongrass.  So what did I do with all this?

Alexander loved the carrots.  Boiled and added Karo syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter.  

Alexander and I devoured an entire cucumber at lunch Sunday with a little ranch dip.  

We roasted the squash and zucchini, coated in olive oi, and then topped with balsamic vinegar and basil.  We also made some delicious zucchini bread.  It is amazing how much sugar is in it.  2 cups!

I tried this komatasuna saute recipe, but the texture was unusual.  I enjoyed the flavor, but maybe I cooked it too long. 

3 sprigs of Komatsuna, stalks and leafs cut and separated
1 clove of garlic, sliced (or its equivalent of dried)
1 tbsp of butter/margarine
Rosemary salt/ course ground pepper

Melt butter in pan, and add garlic slices, and only brown slightly. Add stalks and saute for about 1 minute before adding leafy section. while adding salt and pepper, saute until leafy section wilts only slightly. Serve immediately.

I used some of the lacinato kale for a
Banana-Kiwi-Kale Smoothie

1 banana
1 kiwifruit
2 cups organic kale
1/2-3/4 cup water plus a little juice (I used peach punch)

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.

I am excited to use the beets and basil.  I am going to make pesto with the basil.  

 Our delicious zucchini pizza. 

Zucchini Pizza

Makes one pizza (square, “rustic” or pie shaped)

2 large zucchinis

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

sea salt

pepper

red pepper flakes

pizza dough: either regular or whole wheat.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Either dust cornmeal on a baking sheet (or pizza stone–even better!) or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Grate the zucchinis and press with paper towels to soak up the liquid. Mix the zucchini with the mozzarella cheese and a dash of salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and garlic. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Work the pizza dough into whatever shape your heart desires. Spread the ricotta cheese on top and then top with the zucchini mixture. Add some pepper flakes if you like spice in your life. Reduce oven temperature to 450 and bake pizza for about 12 minutes, or until the crust begins to turn golden and the cheese has started to bubble.

Cool, slice and stuff your face.

http://www.eatliverun.com/cheesy-zucchini-pizza/ 

I am excited that Alexander is beginning to love vegetables like his mommy.

  Alexander enjoying his smoothie. 

Stars and Stripes

As a child we would always celebrate the Fourth of July in Mt. Eden.  The festivities included a parade, beauty contest, greased pigs, and food at my Grandmother's. Wait, I can't forget the horseshoeing contest.  Did you know that I was Little Ms. Mt. Eden one year?  As I got older we spent the holiday at the Glass family farm.  After Erin died in sixth grade it was never the same.  Each first holiday or special event that passes without Daddy is difficult and unusual.  

 

This year the day was rather ordinary, a trip to Wal-Mart, Qdoba, and Michael's.  The evening was a little more exciting with a surprise visit from Jessica and Derek.  The kids and I enjoyed a walk around the block.  Alexander was constantly asking when the fireworks would start.  I was reluctant to allow him to watch, fearing that he would be afraid of the loud noises.  Much to my surprise his eyes lit up with the spark of each colorful shower.  After a few squealers he asked to go back inside and watch. It is so fun to watch my children enjoy the things I enjoyed as a child.

Plans

So I wrote in a previous post about my summer plans.  Too bad I didn't recall Proverbs 16:1 when I was writing that post.  "To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue."  So while Adam was away I had planned to cook, exercise, and scrapbook.  Well, none of that happened.  Within 24 hours of Adam leaving Alexander had a fever.  We were never able to identify why he was so sick with diarrhea for at least five days and a high fever, even after blood work and several stool samples.  By Friday Alexander was feeling much better, but on Sunday, Father's Day, I was getting sick.  I thought my head was going to explode.  On Thursday, when the pediatrician called with more negative test results from Alexander's stool samples I asked if I could take a Z pack I already had here at home.  I typically don't like to take medication, but after a severe headache for five days I couldn't take it anymore.  So between Alexander and I being sick we had just managed to survive for the first ten days of Adam being away.  

I was awoken Friday morning with a phone call from Adam.  He quickly asks what is wrong, as I respond, "I'm sick."  He informs me there is good news and bad.  The good is he will be home on Monday and the bad is he hurt his hand.  The weekend seemed to last forever waiting for Adam to get home.  I was struggling with the reality of him coming home and not finishing his trip.  Part of me wanted to tell him to tough it out.  I just know how angry I get with myself when I don't finish something I have set out to do.  For example, if I go for a run expecting to complete at 5K and only make it 2.7 miles, as I did on Tuesday while sick, I spend the rest of the day kicking myself for not finishing.  I keep thinking, "I could have finished."  Not only was I worried that Adam would feel this way, but I didn't get to do the things I had planned while he was away.  I had only visited my mom once, I hadn't touched my scrapbooking supplies, and had probably only logged ten miles on my Nike+.  I was so disappointed, not that my husband was coming home, but that he was hurt and things hadn't gone as I had planned. 

Now that he is at home, with a broken hand and a cast for six weeks, things are still not going as planned.  Someone asked if I was happy for Adam to be home.  Well, I am happy to not be 11,000 miles apart, but I would rather him be in Nepal without a broken hand than at home with this injury, unable to drive, unable to lift the children, and frustrated because of his circumstances.  That may seem harsh, but I know he feels the same way.  It is strange how the Lord gives you peace and comfort while away from your spouse when you know they are doing God's work.  I never worried about him while he was gone.  I knew God would protect him.  Even though he is safe and not severely injured I do feel doubt rising in my soul.  I want to say, Lord, I trusted that you would protect him.  Maybe he protected him from something worse, but I just don't get it.  I must find my rest in His word,

”‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’” (Jeremiah 29:11-13, NIV)

So much for my plans.  Let's see what the Lord has in store for the rest of the summer.

Dinner For One

Blackened Tilapia 

Ingredients

---

• 4-6 Tilapia
• 2 Tablespoons - paprika
• 2 Teaspoons - salt (or to taste)
• 2 Teaspoons - lemon pepper
• 1-1/2 Teaspoon - garlic powder
• 1-1/2 Teaspoon - ground red pepper
• 1-1/2 Teaspoon - Dried, Crushed basil
• 1 Teaspoon - onion powder
• 1 Teaspoon - Dried thyme
• 1 Cup - unsalted butter, melted

How to make it

---

• Heat iron skillet on high 5 minutes.
• Mix all seasonings in a bowl.
• Dip fillets in melted butter and coat with seasonings. (I drizzle the spices on each piece of fish to get an even coating. Don't be afraid to coat heavily)!!
• Place fillets in hot skillet and cook 2 minutes on each side.
• Makes 4 servings.
• Enjoy!!!

http://www.grouprecipes.com/43317/blackened-tilapia.html

Served with brown rice and broccoli from our garden.  It was a little too spicy for Alexander, but I certainly enjoyed it.  Can't wait for Adam to be home to try it. Wait, he is home.  Yay! (I made this while he was in Nepal.)

Ten Years Later and We Can Finally Drink Coffee Together

Adam and I have been married for ten years today.  On this day ten years ago we enjoyed White Castles together after not getting to eat much at our own wedding reception.  Too much talking and dancing.  Even 11,000 miles apart I love him more and more each day. 
Not unlike many others I have an addiction to Starbucks.  Fortunately, it is not the caffeine that draws me there. I always order a nonfat, decaf, caramel frappuccino, no whip.  Recently my husband has learned to appreciate my affinity for Starbucks.  Although he does have a caffeine habit, his is form Mountain Dew, he loves the Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino.  I don't think this drink has any coffee in it, but we can at least both enjoy a date at Starbucks together. 

Since I can't bring myself to pay five dollars for this amazing refreshment the only way I stop by Starbucks is when I have a gift card.  It is rare for me to get gifts from students anymore, but this year Adam was the recipient of many Starbucks gift cards from his students at school.  (No, I am not really that mean of a teacher that I don't get gifts, but most parents don't even know that I exist, much less have their child in my reading group.  Sad, but true.)

Anyway, I think I have mastered my own version of the caramel frappuccino. I am guessing at the measurements of course, because that is my cooking style. 

Brew some coffee and refrigerate.  Pour 1/2 cup cold coffee into blender.  Add 1/2  cup of milk.  Drop in 8-10 ice cubes and a teaspoon of sugar. Blend until ice is finely crushed.  Top with several squeezes of caramel syrup. 

I have tried the mocha as well, but definitely prefer the caramel. 


So after making waffles for breakfast, pizza and salad for lunch, enchiladas and quinoa for dinner, it was time to figure out what dessert to make for Community Group.  Since Adam was not in attendance I could veer from my usual chocolate menu.  After taking inventory of my pantry I found several cans of evaporated milk and four frozen Spalding's doughnuts in the freezer.  So here is what we came up with at    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/doughnut-bread-pudding/detail.aspx

Doughnut Bread Pudding 

* 4 stale raised glazed donuts

* 1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit

* 2 eggs (room temperature)

* 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

* 2 tablespoons white sugar (optional)

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

* 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small glass baking dish.

2. Tear the donuts into bite-size pieces. Combine donut pieces and raisins in the prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to blend together the eggs, evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour the milk mixture over the donuts in the dish, and press down lightly to help absorption. Let stand for 15 minutes, or cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. Place the baking dish inside a larger baking dish, and fill the outer dish with enough water to go about halfway up the sides. A dishcloth may also be placed under the bread dish, to prevent drying.

4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm.


 Yummy! After all that food I hit the treadmill at 10:30 pm.