oh february, why do you seem so long?

I find it so ironic that the shortest month of the year also  feels like the longest month of the year. Yes, February, thrown in the middle of winter, seems to go on forever. When the calendar turns to March, you can actually think spring. But February just seems to perculote in it's cold glory. I find myself exceptionally lazy these days....no gumption or motivation to do much of anything. I just walked away from a half-emptied dishwasher because the notion struck me to go blog. My husband will not be so happy when he enters the kitchen and hits his shin on the open dishwasher door.Then he'll call my name in exasperation. I think he has grown used to my sometimes half-witted ways.

We have been sick here at my house for the better part of almost 3 weeks now. First Tyler with a tough cold and an incessant cough. Then me, with a cold that turned into a flu/feverish illness..... and now Hunter. She has a stubborn cold with head congestion and a cough. Yesterday, I took her to the doctor for the first time in more than 5 years. We ended our run of 13 years of no antibiotics with the diagnosis of a sinus infection and a head throbbing so much that bending over felt like an explosion of the skull. I caught her holding her head like it was going to fall off while trying to put on her boots.

Yesterday I was surfing the net for a two bite brownie recipe. Those little bites are so darn good. I keep telling myself that they cannot be that hard to recreate at home, but alas I have had 2 failures with 2 different recipes. The brownies were just too chewy and not tender like the ones you buy. So yesterday, my google search brought up a blog called 'Dinner with Julie'.  Not only did she have her own two bite brownie recipe, but they were also low fat. Bonus! I started reading her blog and I learned that she is a food writer, food stylist, journalist, and sometimes commentator for CBC in Calgary. Not only is her blog full of good looking dishes, but her writing is fun and entertaining to read. I immediately added her to my favorites list. I love blogs where the writing is honest and real.  So today, I am making Julie's "Ham & Lentil Soup". Just so happens that I have a ham bone with lots of meat on it in my freezer.......courtesy of my mother...she's real handy like that....tucking away little surprises in ziploc bags autographed with her handwriting into my freezer for me to find on a day when I don't know what to make for dinner. This ham soup is a winner....it's meets my requirements for a healthy dose of veg and lentils, but the ham makes it palatable for my boys. I can honestly tell my 9yr. old that it's "ham" soup without being the least bit coy. So tonight we will be tucking into ham & lentil soup with a bit of a french loaf. And I will happily eat away what's left of the month of February with my two bite brownies. Just 5 days left to go.....

(photo: courtesy of Dinner with Julie)

the one where I share one of my BFF's travels....

I just have to share this email that I got this morning! Although I love my life....just a teeny bit of me wants to be here and have this vacation.....just for one teeny little week!

Costa Rican Short Story ~ Pura Vida Baby!!
Well so much has happened in the few short weeks that I have been here that I could write a novel...but alas time only permits snippets of my adventures thus far. So, let’s start with a summary of the last few days...wowsy!
Sunday morning...with the sunrise comes the sounds of the wildlife, numerous types of birds, geckos and of course howler monkeys...and yes they howl!! There is no going back to sleep and in the last couple weeks Linda and I have gotten into a little routine that who ever is up first has to put on the coffee. Luckily for me, Linda is an incredible cook ~ she cooks for me and I am the chief dishwasher!! Oh yeah, Sunday...after fresh fruit we set off for and hour and a half hike around the area. After walking up Playa Brasilito we stopped and ate our wonderfully packed lunch, compliments of Linda of course!! That evening we went to a local Fiesta full of Costa Rican bull-riding cowboys and the prancing horses with lasso-riders...as Linda put it, “This a gong show!”
Monday...I think Linda is up first, and I wake up to the smell of fresh ground Costa Rican coffee and after a healthy bowl of oatmeal and fruit we are off to the gym. We have been very diligent going every other day to keep our muscles intact and it is only three minutes away from our casa at Villa Ferlito. The afternoon consisted of another stroll along the beach...perhaps there were five other people on the beach that day. There are sooo many beaches close to our place that I am losing track of them, more importantly, they are clean, they are sandy, they are secluded and they are Pura Vida! Dinner that evening was at a beautiful restaurant on the beach, the special that night was 'whole grilled red snapper!!' Amanda, it beats the Star Chef tenfold and that was excellent food!!
Tuesday...up at the crack of dawn and gone Deep Sea fishing, which was a first for me!! We spent all day on the ocean with turtles, dolphins, and manta rays, and I reeled my first fish in ever!! After a full day on the ocean we went to friends for grilled Tuna steaks and fine red wine, gosh, what else is possible!!
Today...Wednesday was much of the same...a little swim in the ocean...fitted with our scuba gear, another walk on the beach to an incredible restaurant to watch the sunset. Needless to say, it is going to be really hard to leave this place!!
Gotta get some sleep now because I am going diving tomorrow!!
Muchos besos y muchas sunrises from Costa Rica Baby!!
Love and hugs,
Susan

despite the cold....

This is the first time, at 8 years old, that Tyler has taken a true interest in the Olympics. I think he has been too young in the past  to really understand, or the big hoopla of the Winter Olympics being in Canada this year makes it too hard to ignore, but he has been following the Olympic Torch make it's way across the country for weeks now. He kept asking me what day the torch would be in our city and could we go. I said "of course", while praying that it was not going to be during a sudden -30 cold snap. The day soon arrived, and the smart mothers took their kids out of school at lunch time to go to the torch relay activities, while the less bright mothers, such as myself, volunteered to chaperone a group of children from my child's classroom to the festivities. Oh well. I gave 2 other children a chance to experience the chance of a lifetime, right? The city put on a fun event, with lots of things to do....such as crazy carpeting, snowboarding, cross country skiing, and hockey skills. The 3 boys I chaperoned were like magnets to the hockey skills event. There were also FREE hot dogs, and  a very LONG line up for FREE hot dogs. What is it with kids & free hot dogs? Nevermind that they just ate lunch....we had to stand in the lineup for FREE hot dogs...the nice, cold 40 minute line up for free hot dogs. To be honest, I could have drove home, made 4 hot dogs and been back to the event faster than waiting in that line-up...I won't deny that the thought crossed my mind. I was not really interested in having a free hot dog, but my inner child could not deny these children their hearts desire. So in the hot dog line up we go. It just so happens just as we were getting to the hot dog table, the torch arrived. I was left standing with 4 hot dogs while 3 children ran closer to see the torch on the stage. I am not sure how I did it, but I managed to take this picture of Tyler waving at the torch with 4 hot dogs in my hands. Then I briefly entertained the thought of sliding those warm dogs in my pockets for hand warmers, because by that time I was chittering & chattering with cold. But this post was supposed to be about Tyler and the magic he had in his little heart for the dream of everything that the Olympic torch embodies. And it is. I think the picture says it all.

Just happy to be there.

Menu Plan Monday...

I really love 'Menu Plan Monday'. It has become a nice habit for me...I enjoy weekly menu planning. It makes the week just feel so much better having a plan. January is a great time of year for soups. I am so lucky that my family truly loves a good bowl of soup....lots of my friends tell me that they can't get their families to eat soup for dinner. Tonight we had a favorite....taco soup. This time I added tons of mushrooms for a different twist.

One thing I have noticed about menu planning among my friends is that my generation really has menu planning backwards. Yes. I say backwards. Why? My generation makes a menu plan, a grocery list based on the menu plan, and then goes shopping for the items on the list. This method does not make the best use of a family's grocery dollar. A wise plan would be to look around the pantry and freezer first to see what is already on hand...and then make a menu plan based on what is on hand (and has been, hopefully,purchased on sale). This is one step that takes a little extra time, but saves money in the end because you are not paying full price for something at the grocery store because a grocery list says you need it. I always take a good look through my freezer and fridge before I determine the week's menu. I look at what is about to expire, or what needs to be eaten up, before I decide on meals. I have a weekly goal of trying one new recipe for dinner...which doesn't always happen for different reason, but I do try. In generations past, meals were made with what was on hand, in the pantry or came from the garden. There was no last minute dashing to the grocery store to buy items at a King's ransom price. My grocery list is always made after I have studied the sales fliers.

I am really surprised by the large number in our generation who either don't cook or eat out several times a week on a regular basis. I know of 2 families among our circle of friends where Mom openly states that she doesn't "like to cook". One mom is a busy mother to 3 children who all have extra-curricular activities, and supper is eaten out 3 or 4 times a week. I can't imagine what their monthly food bill totals. I feel so thankful that I grew up with a mother who cooked supper every single night and always made amazing meals with whatever she had on hand. She set a wonderful example to me. My Grammie Ada was another woman who cooked supper every night and I have vivid memories of her dinner waiting on the stove for my Grandfather to arrive home from work. There was no driving through Mcdonalds for a hamburger. Not ever.

Nothing says 'family' to me like a homemade supper eaten around a dining table with all bodies present. It's an important part of our day and the only daily meal that we eat together.

This week's menu plan:

Monday-Taco Soup with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream. Everything for this meal came from our pantry and freezer.

Tuesday-Paula Deen's wild rice, cheese & shrimp casserole with a spinach salad. This meal is inspired by a box of fresh spinach in our fridge that needs to be eaten, along with shredded cheese that needs to be used very soon.

Wednesday-Baked chicken with roast potatoes, green beans & carrots.

Thursday-Homemade pizza with a whole wheat crust and fresh veggies.

Friday-Pulled pork sandwiches and veggies & dip.

The best part...I didn't need to go to the grocery store this week to buy anything for these meals. I am using what we already have.

my word for 2010....

Illuminate

The defintion for illuminate is:
1. To provide or brighten with light.
2. To decorate or hang with lights.
3. To make understandable; clarify: 4. To enlighten intellectually or spiritually; enable to understand.
5. To endow with fame or splendor; celebrate.
6. To adorn (a page of a book, for example) with ornamental designs, miniatures, or lettering in brilliant colors or precious metals.
7. To expose to or reveal by radiation.
8.To become lighted; glow.
9. To provide intellectual or spiritual enlightenment and understanding

What does all this mean? There are several areas of my life I want to illuminate. The bright areas of my life...I want to make brighter. The dark areas of my life...I want to bring light in. This includes relationships with family & friends, conversations, intentions, my heart and spirit. It's kind of like tending a garden.....trimming and weeding and watering to make everything shine in it's very best light.

I will elaborate more in future posts.

I have some projects to share.

I am constantly amazed...

by the talents of the women in the blogging community. Blogging has become an unbelievable forum for creative hearts to share their projects. Look at this "altered" candy caddy. I can see myself making one of these in the near future...maybe Valentine's Day....it's just so darn cute! This project was made by Jess over at "The Macs".

The beautiful fabric scrapbook above was made by Cari Fennell and shown on her blog, "Me and My Mary Janes".

This fabulous apron made by Donna Downey who scrapbooks, paints and now sews. You can view her blog here. I was lucky enough to meet Donna at a scrapbook convention a few years ago and I was a teaching assistant for one of her classes.

Meet Space Boy and Robot. Camille over at "Simplify" made these for her little boys for Christmas. Aren't they the cutest? Camille is a talented quilter...to say the least. Her home is also beautiful!

homemade christmas projects...

Custom-made teachers' gifts....decoupaged & monogrammed clipboards for each.

Packaging and delivering to school on Monday morning.

I am a messy baker. What can I say?

A double-batch of Chocolate dream cookies waiting for melted chocolate to be drizzled on top with crushed candy canes.

A triple batch of my Mom's cherry balls. Super easy...made with real butter, icing sugar, coconut and cherries...and oh so delicious! I used to eat these "out of the freezer" at Christmastime growing up.