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My Quiet Blog

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A few weeks ago, my friend Tammy said, “I knew you must have been sick because I kept checking your blog and there was nothing new.”

Yep. I had kidney problems again.  It was almost exactly a year ago that I had to have kidney surgery.  This time it wasn’t quite as bad and I was only down for a few weeks.  The day I was told I needed surgery I told my doctor, “You have 19 days to get me better because we’re going to Hawaii.” 

The hotel was booked, airline tickets purchased, and the kids and grandmas were practically packed. I absolutely HAD to get better quickly.  I probably went back to work too soon, but just a few days before my trip, I was still in pain and completely exhausted.  Fast forward to the day before the trip… hmmm…I was finally starting to feel better!  Now, it’s never a good thing to “start” feeling better the day before a long vacation, but I was hopeful.


The sunsets were beautiful and I suddenly found myself forgetting all about kidneys and focusing on more important things.

 


Sunsets also imply that there was plenty of sunshine.  Oh, how we all loved the sunshine and HEAT!  My daughter (and my mom) could have spent all day, every day at the pool.   My son and hubby spent most of their time at the beach.  My mother in law took the Road to Hana tour and spent hours happily reading her book on the deck.  I bounced around from the beach to the pool, going wherever the kids wanted to go.  As long as there was water and sunshine, I was as good as gold.  I took almost 800 pictures in Hawaii, so you know photography kept me quite busy.

 

 
 It was so amazing to see lush tropical plants and flowers, pineapples growing, and gorgeous hibiscus flowers everywhere.
 

We ate way too much (shaved ice every day), had very sore muscles from boogie boarding, and loved every minute of the Aloha State.

Now that I’m home, healthy, and rested, hopefully my blog won’t be quite so quiet.

Aloha, Friends!
 

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The Great Seattle Ferris Wheel

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My kids didn’t have school on Friday.  They were off for their mini mid winter break.  My district was still in session, but due to my job share I was off as well. (Have I mentioned how much I love job shares?)

We woke up Friday morning to SUNSHINE AND BLUE SKIES!  That’s absolutely unheard of for Seattle in February. We couldn’t just sit around inside all day, so I decided to take the kids to the Big City.  I really don’t like driving to Seattle, but occasionally I will venture down to the zoo or the aquarium.  The new ferris wheel is right by the aquarium, so I figured I could manage.

The line wasn’t too long.  Once we were in the glass gondola, the amazing views began.


The kids were particularly impressed with the view of Mt. Ranier and the stadiums.

We loved the shadow picture too. (That gray/blue building is the aquarium.  See, I told you it was close!)


My daughter took this next picture.  A day-cruise boat was coming in with a group of people.

This was our new BFF.  She was by herself, killing some time before catching a plane back to Massachusetts.  As we were waiting in line, one of the attendants asked how many were in our group.  When I told him there were 3 of us, he scooted us to the front of the line and told us that this would be our new BFF.  Considering that we made our way to the front of the line in 2 minutes instead of 20, I’d say she’s our new BFF alright.  Honestly, I don’t remember her name, but she was very nice and humored us with lots of conversation.

(Side story:  My hubby and son are both pretty quiet guys, but my daughter and I will talk to anyone and everyone.  We always joke that we make new best friends everywhere we go.  The attendants on the ferris wheel couldn’t have picked a better group to welcome someone in.  Yep, new BFF.)

Seriously, isn’t this gorgeous?  

Happy kids, happy mom, and a day filled with fun and memories. 


Sadly, we’re back to rain today.

P.S. If you’re feeling sorry for my hubby and wondering why he didn’t get to come.  He didn’t think the idea of heights AND water sounded like fun.  He’s not a fan of either.

Happy sunny February!

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Baby It’s Cold Outside – Time For Soup

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We’ve had nothing but really cold weather and lots of fog for the past week.  Usually, we all get super excited about the cold temps, because it might mean a rare snow day.  Sadly, the only moisture in the air is in the form of REALLY thick fog. 

I couldn’t resist snapping a few photos of the frozen trees.

A cold day, combined with feeling under the weather, calls for some homemade chicken soup. I used my new electric pressure cooker.  I’m kinda loving this new appliance.

Breville Fast Slow Cooker

Here’s what I did:

I used the saute feature first.
I put a little olive oil in the pot,
followed by 1/2 a diced onion,
2 cloves diced garlic,
1 diced carrot, and
1 diced celery stalk.

Then I added some leftover chicken I had in the freezer,
6 cups of chicken stock,
 about 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice,
and turned the pressure cooker on high for 9 minutes.
After 9 minutes, I let it cool for about 15 minutes to release the pressure naturally.

Maybe it’s because it’s cold outside, or maybe it’s because I don’t feel too well, but that soup tasted so good!  I asked my hubby if he loved it as much as I did because it’s really good, or if I was just loving it because I’m feeling pathetic.  He thought it might be a little of both.  My kids on the other hand, thought it was the best soup they’d ever eaten.  They both went back for seconds.

(Side story:  When my son was just learning to feel himself, as a baby, if he really loved something, he’d start kind of humming as he was eating.  You could just tell he was perfectly content and loving his meal. I was almost like he was saying, “Yummm, yummm, yummm.” as he was eating. To this day (he’s almost 12 now), when he eats something that he really loves he does the humming thing when he eats.  At the dinner table tonight, my hubby and I just looked at each other and burst out laughing because my son was in his humming mode as he was eating this soup.  Needless to say, he really enjoyed this recipe.)

Stay warm, friends!

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Christmas Tree Day, 2012

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It’s just like clockwork.  Every year, on the first weekend of December, we head out to find the perfect tree.  This year it started out with a full Christmas breakfast.  We had french toast, bacon, OJ, and cocoa, all served on our special Christmas dishes.

After about 20 minutes of examining every single tree on the farm, we settled on the perfect 9 footer.

We have two trees in our house.  The fake tree sits in the family room.  It has all of the kids’ ornaments. Every year they get to buy a new ornament for the tree.  Years from now, when they are ready to move out of the house, we’ll pack up the ornaments they’ve chosen year after year, and they’ll have a beautiful tree of their own.

For now, it’s the favorite tree in the house. Here’s one tree (the fake one).  I’ll have to show you the real tree, in the living room, tomorrow.  We ran out of lights and it’s only half decorated. 

For now, here’s a peak.
Happy decorating!

Our Time at the Hospital

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It’s been a very hard week around here.  My grandma, who just turned 95, doesn’t have much longer with us.  She has stopped eating, can hardly speak, rarely opens her eyes, and struggles to breathe.  She has told us she’ll be going on a trip very soon and that she loves us very much.  We’ve been driving to see her in the evenings, after work, but yesterday was the hardest day.
Nanie was very uncomfortable, anxious, struggling for breath, and clearly at the end of her life.  I was so proud of my little girl and the way she handled herself. Most kids would be full of fear when they walk into a hospital and see their loved one hooked up to so many different machines and so obviously in distress.  I imagined her shying away from Nanie, being a bit afraid.  What she did instead made me feel so proud, hopeful, and heartbroken all at the same time.
My daughter, who tends to see the negative in things, was filled with delight at every little thing that made my grandma  smile.  She knows how much Nanie loves to have visitors and was absolutely gleeful to know she was the reason Nanie opened her eyes, tried to speak, reached out to grab her hand, or even tried to smile.  She wasn’t focused on the fact that her great-grandma is dying.  Instead, she delighted in the joy she was able to bring to someone other than herself.  She was selfless, loving, and stronger than I could ever imagine a child to be.
The first thing she did was pull a chair as close as she could to Nanie.  When that wasn’t close enough, she asked if she could sit on her bed.  She held Nanie’s hand and asked her if she could open two eyes for her, lighting up when Nanie opened her eyes and smiled.  There were hugs and kisses, even though there were tubes and needles.  She had no fear, only love.
I could hardly see through the tears, watching them smile at each other.  I sobbed.  I got home and sobbed some more.  My kids were strong and so grateful for the time they had with Nanie.  It became very obvious that I’m CLEARLY not the strong one in the family.
My mom has been with her for 10-12 hours a day, smiling and talking to her, telling her how much we all love her, and listening to her sing hymns.  She’s the strongest person I know.  Maybe that’s where my little girl gets it.


Since being strong wasn’t going to happen for me, I did what I do best.  I baked.

You see, my grandma has been trying to get something for everyone who walks into the room.  She asks, with a very soft breath, if she can get you anything and looks around the room to see what she might have.  She’s a hostess and she wants to make sure her friends and family are comfortable and well fed..  It’s what she’s always done. 
I woke up at about 4:30 and couldn’t sleep anymore. Nanie’s cinnamon rolls were calling me.  I got down the same bread basket we’ve used to hold her cinnamon rolls for the past 30 years, and I found her recipe for the rolls.  I used her recipe, not my own, because this was a gift from her.  I brought the rolls to hospital with me today and we were able to share them with visitors and hospital staff.  My grandma knew I was there and spoke my name, but nothing more.  She was peaceful today.  People came back to thank us for the rolls and I knew my grandma was happy.
It was her basket, her recipe, her thought, and her heart.  She just needed my hands.
 

Little Treasures

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I was talking to my mom tonight about the boxes in her garage.  She’s a collector.  No, not like those that you see on Hoarders, but she has a good amount of stuff. Now, I completely understand.  I have a box in the garage labeled, “Special Things.”  I’ll be honest, it has my cast from 5th grade, the tail I had for five whole minutes after a haircut, and probably some really important notes from junior high.  You never know when you’re going to need treasures like that!

(Side story:  If you lived through the 80’s, you know exactly what I’m talking about with the tail.  Well, I really wanted a tail, so I rode my bike to get a haircut and had the stylist leave a tail.  Then I had a friend dye it.  It was supposed to be blond, but when you have dark hair, it just turns orange.  I had my orange tail for about five minutes, and then my mom saw it.  She said, “We’re going out to dinner.  If you want to cut that tail off, you can come with us.  Otherwise, you can eat out back with the rest of the animals with tails.”  That was the end of the tail, but I saved it in my box of special things just for the memory.)

Now, back to my mom and her garage. She has a box labeled, “Nanie’s junky old jewelry nobody wants” and another labeled, “Really really really old old stuff.”  The box labeled really old spices proved to be a nice little treasure.  I love these little containers!  They are no longer in my mom’s garage.  They have a new home in my kitchen.  I found a few at a vintage store and added to my collection too.

Happy treasure hunting!

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A Dreary Day Treasure

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Summer weather has been slow to start around here.  Last week, on one of the dreary days, my mom decided to clean her garage.  My sister and I have learned that when my mom cleans her garage, we will be the recipients of the treasures.  Sometimes they are true treasures and sometime they are “treasures” (said with a very sarcastic tone).  I’m kind of liking the treasure she brought for me this time.  It’s an old typewriter that my grandparents used.


It’s not super old, like the one my sister has, but I think it’s pretty cool.


What do you think?  Is it a keeper?
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A Decent Meal

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If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, you know that I love to spend time in my kitchen.  I’ve always felt like food is a gift I can give to my family.  It makes me so happy to cook a yummy meal, from scratch, and feed my family.  It’s the way I grew up and I hope my kids will enjoy cooking and enjoying meals their own families some day. 

Big old home cooked meals have always been a family tradition that my hubby and I both enjoyed growing up.  The other night, when my kids were at a movie, I made dinner.  It didn’t take too long, maybe 30 minutes of kitchen time, and it was all ready by the time they got home.  I made cheesy chicken enchiladas, that my mother in law and my sister in law make.

I tried a new recipe for homemade ranch dressing. 
The kids thought it was a little strong, but I LOVED it.


For dessert, there was a s’mores tart. Yum!

I only had a bite of the dessert, since I’m not supposed to eat chocolate anymore.  (boo!)

As we were sitting down to eat I said, “I really love being able to make a decent meal for my family.  It just makes me happy.”

My hubby’s response was, “So, when are you going to do that?”
(Those of you who know my hubby, know his sarcastic sense of humor.)

All joking aside,  I really do love cooking and having the confidence to try new things in the kitchen.  I can’t say all of my recipes are a hit with the family, but the kids good about giving constructive criticism in a kind way.

I’ll share the recipes later in the week.

Happy cooking!

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Father’s Day Dinner

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Annie has been a pleasure to work with in kindergarten this year.  She has made excellent…. oh, wait. 
 Sorry!  Wrong program.   I thought I was still writing report card comments for a minute there! 
I’m ALMOST DONE friends!  Just a few more days of teaching and I’ll be basking in the sunshine and relaxing.  Well, I live in the Pacific Northwest so we can scratch that part about the sunshine. 
What I really wanted to share with you today is my Father’s Day dinner menu.  My hubby is the absolute greatest dad!  I wanted to make him a few of his favorite things for Father’s Day.  My cousin’s wife always makes Cowboy Caviar when we visit the farm and my husband LOVES it.
It’s not my favorite.  The food is all mixed together and touching, but I know he likes it and sometimes it’s not all about me.

So we had Cowboy Caviar (recipe to come later), Bar-B-Que Ribs (another food I won’t touch with a ten foot pole), Caesar salad, and garlic mashed potatoes.  That’s my son in the background, tucking his napkin into his shirt, preparing to get messy.

Oooh, and I almost forgot about those baked beans.  Honestly, I’ve never eaten baked beans, but something that looks like canned dog food is a food I can live without.

To top off the meal, we had P-Dub’s blackberry cobbler.  My hubby is a fan of every P-Dub recipe I’ve tried.  I, on the other hand, don’t think blackberries belong in dessert.  CHOCOLATE is dessert, not berries. As cobblers go, this one is really yummy, even though I would have loved a big chocolate cake.  Again, not my day…. Father’s Day.

I will happily share these recipes with you when I’m feeling a little more rested and my brain is functioning properly.  Eventually, this school year will come to an end and all of my work will get done.  It always does.  With any luck, the sun may come out too!
Happy Belated Father’s Day!