2013 In Review

Here is a link to the awesome list of questions that inspired this post.

1.      What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?

* Knitting.  I've knitted three scarves in the past, but this time around I am knitting a hat.  So far I have learned how to purl, knit in the round and cable.  The hat isn't completed yet, but I am getting close.
* I danced on stage with my husband in the Nutcracker.  We were part of the party scene.  I have never danced in a performance before, other than in dance recitals when I was a kid.  It was the highlight of my year.  :)
*Visited my dad's childhood home.  My dad's first few years were spent in Crawford, Nebraska.  We had a family weekend over Labor Day where we all gathered at Fort Robinson, NE, which is just a couple miles away from Crawford.
*Saw the peloton of pro bicyclists go by as they raced into our city in the second-to-last stage of the USA Pro Challenge this past August.  That was very cool!

 

2.      Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?
I never did officially write anything down, but here is what I was thinking as the new year (2013)rolled in...
* I needed to take care of my shoulder.  The pain was increasing and affecting my daily life in every way.  I began physical therapy in early March, and progressed through the hoops of nerve study, MRI, surgery in May, and then more physical therapy.  By August I was officially pain free.
* I wanted a breast reduction.  It was something that I have wanted to do for years.  This year I got serious.  It was part of the reason why I was having issues with my shoulder, anyway.  I'd done years of chiropractic, massage, physical therapy, pain meds...  Nothing was going to ease the discomfort of carrying those things around but to surgically reduce their size.  I fought the insurance company for three months before I finally got it approved.  Surgery was in October, and I have to say this is the single-most BEST thing I have ever done for myself.  I am still very emotional about it - I am so incredibly happy with the results and the way I physically feel, now.
* Lose some weight.  This went hand-in-hand with the other two.  I will continue to have issues with joint and back pain until I get the weight off.  I lost 20 pounds between July and October.  Despite curtailing my exercise while I recovered from the breast reduction and all the culinary goodies that come with the holidays, I have maintained that loss so far.  Very proud of that.  :)

For next year...
* lose another 20 lbs
* save up enough $$ to take a family vacation next New Years to see my nephew march in the Rose Parade and go to Disneyland.
* spend more time with my extended family
* grow more than just weeds and basil in my garden
* actually DO those annual 694 hours of instruction time per child that I promise the state I will do.
* read 10 books.  I have no problem with reading or even the desire to read.  It's more about taking the time to actually do so.

3.      Did anyone close to you give birth?
My niece by marriage gave birth to a baby girl, EmmaRae, on July 31st.  I got to see and hold her for the first time during our Thanksgiving visit.  Such a sweet, beautiful baby girl.  How I miss holding babies and smelling their scent and listening to their sounds.  Sad sigh.

4.      Did anyone close to you die?
My uncle Buzz passed away in early December, shortly before 2013 began.  It has been a long year of 'firsts' where we did things as a family that were marked by his absence.  I visited his grave for the first time yesterday, as Rylan and I were driving to Boulder on an errand.  It was a spur of the moment decision.  We had not been invited to the burial, but my mom had shared with me whereabouts in the small cemetery his grave was located, so with just a few minutes' searching we found it.  There were three different Christmas arrangements there, by his headstone.  He is missed a great deal.
In February my great-aunt Bernice passed away.  She had been suffering for several years with Alzheimer's.  She was a grand lady that loved to collect antiques.  I remember going to her house, just down the street from my grandma's, to have tea, and then take a tour of her latest finds.  She walked everywhere and was busy, busy, busy.  She reminded me so much of my grandpa Orin (her older brother).  She had a sharp mind and wit.. it was so sad when the signs of Alzheimer's began to take hold.

5.      What countries did you visit?
Maybe I should change this to say 'counties' so that I can actually write something here.

6.      What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
A more peaceful household.  Some days the chaos of the kids is just overwhelming.

7.      What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 22nd: shoulder surgery
Oct 10th: breast reduction surgery
Dec 31st: running the Resolution Run 5K - a goal of mine since July

8.      What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Losing the weight and regaining control of my health.  Wow.  Hard to put in to words how big this was.

9.      What was your biggest failure?
Getting control of the finances, record-keeping, bill paying... I have a continual pile of receipts that just will. never. end.
 

10.   Did you suffer illness or injury?
I got the flu in March, which really sucked, but otherwise it was a very fortunate year.

11.   What was the best thing you bought?
Hmmm. My Fitbit!  That little device was a catalyst for a lot of beneficial changes.

But honorable mention goes to the Keurig.  :)

12.   What was the best thing you received?
A beautiful red mug with white and gold snowflakes from my husband.  A total just-because surprise and very touching.  :)
 

13.   Where did most of your money go?
Projects around the house.  We replaced the old mish-mash of laminate and carpeting on the main floor with some beautiful Pergo flooring, along with new tile around the fireplace and paint for the walls.  The rest of it went towards running gear, tools and curriculum.

14.   What did you get really excited about?
My surgery.  It changed everything.

15.   What song will always remind you of 2013?
Blurred Lines.  I know, I know.  Quit yer bitching.  I loved that song.  It began my walking playlist for months.  I think too much has been read into the lyrics.  It has a great beat!  Nuff' said.

16.   Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? B) thinner or fatter? C) richer or poorer?
a) happier - much happier!     b) thinner - yay!    c) I wouldn't say 'richer' per se, but we have improved the quality of some things in our life.

17.    What do you wish you’d done more of?
Schoolwork.  Travel.  Camping.  Nature Study.

18.   What do you wish you’d done less of?
Fretting about things I had no control over.

19   How did you spend Christmas?
We stayed at home this year.  We visited Santa a couple days before, shopped for gifts at the last minute...  We went to services on Christmas Eve with my dad and brother and nephews, and then they all came over after for a spaghetti dinner.  My nephews were sweet in saying that they loved the food and just hanging out with all of us together.  After they left we bundled up and headed out to look at Christmas lights.  We had a nice Christmas morning opening gifts, ate chocolate waffles for breakfast, and a turkey dinner at my mom's that afternoon.  We did puzzles, movies, popcorn, hot cocoa and left overs for the remainder of the day.

20.   What was your favorite TV program?
The Middle and The Biggest Loser.

21.   What were your favorite books of the year?
Hyperbole and a Half: unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem, and other things that happened, by Allie Brosh. 

Absolutely hilarious and way too close to home, all at the same time.

22.   What was your favorite music from this year?
Everything on my walking/running playlist

23.   What were your favorite films of the year?
Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Frozen.

24.   What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 42.  We spent the day hiking and then a nice dinner at my mom's.

25.   What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
It has been such an amazing year of transformation, I really can't think of what to say here.  Maybe if there was less arguing amongst the kids. 

26.   What political issue stirred you the most?
I am deeply concerned about what Common Core is doing to our nation's teachers and children, and what the Koch Brothers are up to.  The implications are scary, and the thought of politicians and businessmen driving our nation's education policy and instruction just completely pisses me off.

27.   What kept you sane?
Exercise.

28.   Who did you meet this year?
I met... some new doctors and nurses -all great at what they do!
 

29.   Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.

Your mental and physical health is the only thing that you have direct control over.  Do it.  Today.

30.  Best song lyric for the year?

"I went from zero, to my own hero"
-"Roar" by Katy Perry
 

Stepping out on date night with four left feet

 

 

It's not that I woke up one morning and decided that from now on I would look for every opportunity to step outside my comfort zone - let alone drag my husband with me.  However, on that day in August, when an email from my daughter's dance studio arrived with a request for adult volunteers to dance as party scene parents in the Nutcracker, my mind started racing.  Could I?  Should I?  We?  Would Dean be willing to do it with me?  Can he dance?  I don't know?!?!?  How is it that I have no idea if my husband can dance or not??

 

The sad fact is, since the moment we met, we have never danced.  Not once.  Not at our wedding, or at a club, or at someone else's wedding, not even in the living room.  We may have swayed to-and-fro a bit in the hospital room, but I was in active labor so I may have been hallucinating.  We made it official on the evening of November 1st, when Dean took my hand and we twirled on a bonafide dance floor for the very first time.  And then I started a count late, he stepped out with the wrong foot, and we fumbled for the other's hand as we each turned in the wrong direction.  We were dancing!

 

We had a great time.  It felt like a date night! We chatted, we laughed...  This plays directly into sage marriage advice - find and use opportunities to try new things together, as it will provide ways to learn and grow as a couple.  It is hard to put what I feel into words, but I feel so blessed - a thousand times over - that Dean was willing to step outside of his own comfort zone to do this with me.  Sure my stomach is in knots with anxiety over doing this, but this is such a rare opportunity that we get to dance together in the Nutcracker of all things...  It is exciting to be in rehearsal and to be a part of something bigger once again.  I also realize that this may be a long-time gig.  Willing and able adult volunteers are hard to find - and they know where we live.

 

 

 

Mobile me....

The stars were aligned for this recent birthday, in the gifts department:

* a most generous husband
* the good fortune of a well-timed bonus at work
* it satisfied both the wish for caffeine AND techno-gadgetry!

I became the proud owner of an iPad, and co-owner of an espresso machine! I have to share the espresso machine with my husband because our birthdays are 20 days apart, so it really was a gift "to us".   (Although he picked it out and ordered it as a surprise,  using our combined birthday $$$ from his folks - thanks Pat and Van!)  I've been practicing using it over the past week (after getting over my fear of using the loudly-hissing steam thingy), and I think I'm getting the hang of it.  If anything, I'm just padding my ever-growing resume...



'BARISTA'

(yeah, I totally did not make that...but it's pretty tho', isn't it?)

Dean arrived home with my new iPad on Wednesday night, so I've spent a couple days getting acquainted with it.  I haven't synced it with iTunes yet - I'll tackle that item today.  You see... I have no idea how to do that.  (shhhhhh!)  Every time I've attempted to use iTunes, I've failed.  It is NOT intuitive, dammit!  It's the whole computer data overwriting the iPod/iPhone data thing.  My contacts are an absolute mess.  I don't even know where my mother lives.  I can drive there, I just can't *tell you* her street address.  Pathetic, I know.

It wasn't until this very moment that I realized how much I've missed my laptop.  No, that wasn't a slam on the iPad - I certainly don't miss the hefty weight or the hot underside of a laptop... I've missed the freedom of portability!  It is a rare moment for me, when sitting in front of the computer, for the true and genuine thoughts to come tumbling out.  It's typically noisy, and a messy desk isn't exactly inspiring.  The best stuff.. the raw, uncensored stuff, usually crosses my mind when we are on the go.  A good turn of a phrase, a candid observation... So many of these gems have been lost to me because I had no way to write or remember, other than an occasional snippet entered into the Notes app on the iPhone.  Pen and paper you say?  pppfft.

Moroccan Chicken Tangine

So, on Monday morning, while Dean was sawing lumber and building the composter (and the kids were outside "helping"), I enjoyed the relative peace and quiet of the house by trying to knock off an episode or two of America's Test Kitchen from the DVR.  I have 21 in queue right now...

First up was an America's Test Kitchen version of a Moroccan dish called 'Chicken Tangine'.  I have never cooked anything remotely like this.  Ethnic foods for me have been limited to Mexican and ... well, Mexican.  I can't call spaghetti 'authentic' Italian.  I just can't.  There is very little thought process that goes into it (sorry if you are Italian and I've just offended your grandmother).  I'm talking about SPAGHETTI.  Sure, I have a rather ingredient-heavy recipe - but hey - you throw it all into a crockpot and simmer it for hours.  Where's the challenge?

With Chicken Tangine, it was a 21-step process.  And it begins with food prep.  You need six different spices just to get started.  I had all of them, but the age of two of them I couldn't vouch for.  One of the bottles had a label on the bottom with my maiden initials on it.  I put it there in 1992, when I lived with two other roommates and we just stored all of our spices together.  1992.  So that makes that bottle 20 freakin' years old.  I sniffed it.  It smelled vaguely of sawdust.  How is it, in the past 20 years, I didn't use all of my cayenne pepper?  About ten years ago I got into the habit of labeling my bottles with the month and year that I opened it.  I know that about 3/4 of my spices need to go, based on age (most lose potency even just after 6 months).  That is an expensive proposition.  But in ethnic cooking, where spices are the headliners, you can't skimp - so it was off to the store.

Since I didn't have a prep team to dice and measure everything for me, I had to go through the recipe and do it myself.  Toast some almonds.  Mince and mash lemon peel, garlic and salt together until you have a paste.  Slice onions, olives, carrots... and on and on.  Each into it's own bowl until it was all ready to go.

Here is some sage cooking advice that isn't mine, but I know it works:  Prepare all of your ingredients beforehand.  Line them up in little bowls, dishes, spoons, whatever you have on hand.  Because as you see chefs on the cooking shows emptying bowl after bowl of different ingredients into the cookpot as they go - there is a reason, and it's not to look fancy.  It is so you can pay attention to what is going on in the pot.  You don't want your back turned, madly dicing the onions, when you chicken is burning.  Do it all beforehand, so that you can pay attention to what you are doing.

This recipe required ingredients and techniques I've never done before.  Shallots.  I used to dislike onions.  A lot.  I am now reformed, but because of my dislike, I never, never tried shallots.  Oh - my goodness - I have missed the boat!  They are mildly oniony, and they soften like butter.  No kidding.  I am going to plant some.  Immediately.  My usual, pathetic, lame grocery store - soon to be former grocery story, didn't have any.  ANY.  So I pulled up some images on the internet to show Dean, and sent him after some at a different store.  He came through  - I didn't know they could grow as big as the ones he brought home, but they were very good.  So glad I finally tried them.  The other thing I have never done before, believe it or not, is cut up a chicken.  I don't like dark meat, so almost all of the chicken I cook is breast meat, or I buy a whole chicken, jamb it on a beer can and roast it in the oven, and give the drumsticks to Jordan.

I watched the cooking video three times to get down the method of cutting up a chicken.  They make it look soooo easy.  ha.  I had a weak pair of kitchen shears, and a dull chef's knife: a lethal combination.  Luckily I didn't hurt myself.  I couldn't find any of the joints that were supposedly "just right there", or cut out the back bone without hacking into the breast meat quite a ways... Uugh.  I bagged up the backbone, wings and other various bits and pieces in a Ziploc to save for a day that I will make a chicken broth.  I felt like I was left with only a fraction of the chicken that it once was...  but at least I did it.  Next time I will be prepared with a sharper knife.  And a mean pair of scissors.

Next up was to make some couscous.  I've never attempted this before, either.  I had a disaster with polenta a while back and I vowed to stay safe with rice.  And only rice.  I do thank the testers at America's Test Kitchen for finding a way to make it easy and practical - take it out of the box, but not follow the box's directions.  It turned out awesome.

So there you have it: four new things to add to my 40 Things: ethnic recipe, shallots, cutting up a chicken and making couscous.  No wonder it took me two hours to get dinner on the table!

One other piece of advice: If you are already a fan of Fly Lady, you probably already do this.  Partially fill one of your sinks with soapy water, and wash and rinse your cooking dishes as you go.  As you can see in the picture, there were a ton of dirty dishes generated in act of making this recipe.  Most of them could be cleaned with a just a swish in the soapy water and a quick rinse.  I only had two pots at the end - the chicken pot and the couscous pot that still needed washing.  I was thankful not to add anymore to my dish pile.  I still have the perpetual pile next to the sink that never.  goes.  away.

Here is the recipe, from America's Test Kitchen

Chicken Tangine

1. Make your spice blend, set aside
* 1 1/4 tsp paprika
* 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 1/4 tsp (each) of ground ginger, cayenne, coriander and ground cinnamon

2. Make lemon paste, set aside
Take one long strip of lemon peel (use a peeler and make sure there is no pith), and one clove of garlic and mince both until very fine.  Sprinkle mixture with a little salt and then take the flat of the knife blade (use a nice, wide chef's knife), and wipe it back and forth, mashing the mixture.  The goal is to release the lemon oil.

3. Dice one small yellow onion and place in a bowl, and add two long sections of lemon peel on top.  Set aside.

4. Mince 4 cloves of garlic, set aside.

5. Slice 3 - 4 carrots, set aside.

6. Slice 1 cup of Greek green olives.  (I used Spanish because that is what I had on hand)

7. Pour 1 3/4 C chicken broth into measuring cup, set aside.

8. Rinse one whole chicken, remove bag of giblets and pat dry.  Cut off thigh at the hip joint and then separate thigh from the drumstick.  Remove backbone with scissors and discard or keep for broth.  Remove wings and discard or keep for broth.  Take remaining to halves of breast and divide each into half.  You should have four pieces of dark meat and four pieces of white - sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper.  (Using dark meat is essential to building the flavor in the dish - or so ATK says.  I may try this recipe again, and do so with all breast meat and see if that is so.)

9.  Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a dutch oven on med-high heat until it is just smoking - the chicken should immediately sizzle when you add it.  Add the chicken (it will be crammed) and brown on one side.  Turn and brown on the other.

10.  Remove chicken from pot and set aside.  Drain off all of the oil except about a tablespoon's worth, and then add the sliced onions/two slices of lemon peel.  Saute until brown and softened.  If the pot gets too dry and begins to burn, you can add a Tbsp of water or two.  While you are waiting on the onions, remove the skin from all of the chicken pieces, using a paper towel. (discard the skin)

11.  Add the garlic and saute about 30 seconds, then add the spice mixture.

12.  Stir the onion/garlic/spice mixture until the spices bloom and get fragrant (about 30 seconds)

13.  Pour in chicken broth (be careful - the pot is super hot!).  Scrape the bottom to release leftover chicken bits as you stir.

14.  Add 1 Tbsp honey.

15.  Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and add ONLY the dark meat.  Cook for 5 minutes.

16.  Carefully cover dark meat with the carrots, creating a platform upon which you can place the four white meat pieces.  You are essentially 'steaming' the white meat.  Cover and cook for 10 -15 minutes, until the breast meat measures 160F.

17.  Remove chicken to a plate and tent with foil.

18.  Add the olives and cover and cook for 5 minutes.

19.  Add in the lemon 'paste'

20.  Add 3 Tbsp of lemon juice

21.  Add 1/4 C chopped cilantro and bring mixture to a simmer.

22.  Return the chicken to the pot (including the juice on the plate) and simmer for five minutes until ready to serve.

Couscous:

1.  Toast 3/4 C of sliced almonds in a dry skillet, flipping them around often, until they are a nice golden brown and have a nice, nutty aroma.

2.  Melt 3 Tbsp of unsalted butter in a 2 qt. saucepan.

3. Add 2-3 shallots, sliced thin, and saute until softened.  (about 3 min).

4. Add one clove of minced garlic, cook until fragrant - about 30 seconds.

5.  Add two cups of couscous and stir and toast until couscous has a nice, nutty aroma - about 4-5 minutes.  Be careful - it can go from toasted to burnt in just a few seconds - so stir constantly!

6.  Add 1 C water, 1 C chicken broth and 1 tsp salt.  Stir well and bring to a boil.

7.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let sit for 7 minutes.

8.  Fluff with fork and then add 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1/4 C minced parsley and the toasted almonds.  Toss gently.


Serve the chicken atop a bed of couscous.

(I personally thought the chicken breasts were a little dry and flavorless using this method.  Next time I *might* eliminate the dark meat, and cook the breast meat directly in the sauce)  Otherwise it was a hit.  Even Owen, the pickiest of the kids, had cleaned his plate before I had even finished serving Dean and myself.  I love the complicated mix of flavors and the aroma....oh, the aroma!!  (and wouldn't you know it - I forgot to get an aftershot!)

40 Things



So the deal with 40 Things is to do 40 Things that I have never done before,
during my 40th year.

So here is where I am keeping my list of what I have accomplished so far.

1. First mammogram

2. Build a gingerbread house
3. Bake and decorate a doll cake
4. Plant some Jacob's Beard
5. Grow onions
6. Grow potatoes
7. Lead a Girl Scout troop
8. Make strawberry/rhubarb jam
9. Cook/eat a Moroccan dish: Chicken Tangine
10. Cut up a whole chicken
11. Cook with/eat shallots
12. Cook/eat Couscous

Pj's, Plants and Pancakes

Every year I tell my husband not to stress about Mother's Day.  I think it is a good thing to take the time to show gratitude for the mother-figure in your life, but I hate how the flower, jewelry and card companies - with the help of the media - have whipped this day into the over-hyped guilt fest that it has become.  What a shame.

All I ever want for Mother's Day is a hand-made card and breakfast (in bed is a bonus).  And then I hint-drop about a little-something-extra.  Year before last it was garden beds.  Last year it was a kitchen sink.  This year I made it easy - new pj's.

And my husband came through with flying colors!

I woke up to the youngest child, Colin, (with the help of his oldest brother), entering the bedroom bearing a gift bag and a card.  My husband had a breakfast tray.  A long hug and a cuddle and then they all left the room.  Inside the bag was some pj pants.  On the breakfast tray was chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and juice - complete with a balloon left over from Rylan's birthday the day before.  Score!

A little while later another child came in, bearing a gift bag and a card.  Pj top.  Repeat.... Another pair of pants!  Repeat.... Another top!  Yesssss....  I got in a couple of hours of reading time and I dozed and I ate pancakes.  The day will go down in history as the best.  day.  ever.  (thank you honey!)

After I roused my lazy self out of bed I figured it was high-time to get my garden beds in shape and ready.  I had already spent a bit of time turning the soil, so I was ready to plant.  I went downstairs to the basement refrigerator to retrieve my huge Ziploc bag of seeds from previous years.  No seeds.  I spent the next hour searching high and low in the basement for my seeds.  I know they were in that fridge.  I open that fridge on an almost weekly basis and I have glanced at them every time, thinking about the gardening season to come.

Still no seeds.

Some little two year old bandit had removed them from the fridge and deposited them God knows where...

So, a little while later my mom came by to watch the kids (as my Mother's Day gift - thank you mom!) and Dean and I ran errands.  I know that doesn't seem special or anything, but the ability to run errands, comparison shop, read labels, wander aimlessly and stop for coffee is severely hampered when you have four kids.  Severely.

Dean absolutely spoiled me.  He knew I wanted to begin planting in our front bed, that has remained barren for three years now, so as a final stop we went to the garden center.  I haven't been able to wander in a garden center for years.  Something has reawakened in my soul.  (More on that later).  He treated me to a couple of very nice specimens of Jacob's Beard.  (pictured above).  I have admired these beauties in every garden tour we have been on in our seven years together, but had yet to put one in our yard (so I think this also qualifies as one of my 40 Things).  I also bought a new seed packet of everything I wanted in the garden this year - and then some.

We came home happy and rejuvenated - and worked in the garden all evening.  I have said - more than once - that I have a great dislike of spring.  I have one exception - the start of gardening season.

Girl Scouts...by the numbers

Meadow Mtn. Girl Scout Ranch 8/11

1. Number of girls: 8 Daisies, 4 Brownies, 7 Juniors

2. Number of camping trips Rylan and I attended: 2

3. Number of home meetings: 7

Investiture 9/11

4. Number of field trips: 7

5. Number of Girl-Scout troop-related emails received: 612

6. Number of those emails that required a response: just about all of them

Miller Farms Gleaning trip 10/11

7. Number of times I went to the Girl Scout store for badges/books: 5

8. Number of trainings I attended: 2

9. Number of hours I spent recordkeeping/updating Yahoo group: (about) 50

Spring Creek Community Gardens 12/11

10. Number of dollars I spent out-of-pocket: (about) $85

11. Number of times girls argued during a meeting: None!!

12. Number of nature walks we took in the neighborhood: 3

Artisan You Pottery Studio 1/12

13. Number of hours Rylan spent selling cookies door-to-door: 12

14. Number of hours Rylan spent selling cookies at a booth: 3

15. Number of boxes of cookies sold: 260

Booth Sales 2/12

16. Number of boxes of cookies we personally bought: 13

17. Number of Starbucks purchased to stay warm during booth sales: 5

18. Number of girls who attended every meeting: 1 (yeah Chanah!!!)

Environmental Learning Center 3/12

19. Number of girls who earned all of their daisy petals this year: 5

20. Number of girls who left mid-year: 1

21. Number of Journeys we completed: 1

Magic Sky Girl Scout Ranch 3/12

22. Number of girls with food allergies: 4

23. Number of months a project stayed on my kitchen counter: 7

24. Number of times we cancelled a meeting: 2  (snow)

Tour of Poudre Fire Authority Station # 4    4/12

25. Number of times we learned about nature study: 3

26. Number of crafts: 5

27. Number of service projects: 3

Master Naturalists 4/12

28. Number of times we cooked in the kitchen: 2

29. Number of times we read a story (not including the Journey): 4

30. Number of times a sibling attended a meeting: every time!

Spring Creek Clean-up Clover Project 4/12

31. Number of hikes: 1 (on a camping trip)

32. Number of hours I gave to thinking it through before offering to lead the Daisies: 4

33. Number of hours I regretted making that decision: a handful

Tea Party 5/25/12

34. Number of hours I was thrilled to do this with my daughter: too many to count

35. Number of minutes we spent making Rylan's tea party hat: 10

36. Number of minutes we spent choosing the items for Rylan's hat: 45

37. Number of degrees in the air temperature at yesterday's party/ceremony: 65

38. Number of badges/fun patches Rylan earned this past year: 33

39. Number of hours I spent preparing for yesterday's party/ceremony: 8

40.  Number of parent thank-yous I've received over the year: 5    yesterday: 0

Despite the frustrations with this past year, I will, in the end, say it was worth it.  The amount of distraction involved with emails, disagreements, record keeping, cookies, and prep time was costly though.  Our home life and our schoolwork truly suffered.  I am thankful for the time I got to spend with my daughter - doing girly things, and for the opportunity to get to know some truly wonderful, special girls.  I am thankful that they all got along so well, and worked together as a team a time or two.

I don't know what next year will look like yet - and I don't even want to think about it right now.  I feel like I have just completed a long, exhausting emotional marathon.  And it isn't over yet - we've got to get through Girl Scout Day Camp next month, as well.

For now I will celebrate that we did it - we got through the year and had a lot of fun along the way.

A girl turns 6

The day ended?  started? at about 1 am, when I inverted cake 2 of 2 out of the batter bowl to cool on the counter.  I made sure dog and cat were accounted for and chauffeured them to our bedroom lest a cake disappear over night.  Then I got up a few hours later, at about 7am, to get this cake decorated!

This cake is a cinch to prepare.  The CAKE part.  I used my tempered glass Pampered Chef batter bowl, and used a Pampered Chef doll cake recipe to make the cakes.  (you have to make two).

Assembling the damn thing is a totally different ballgame.  First of all, there was a huge hollow inside both cakes.  While this may be a good thing for shoving a Barbie into the cake, it does not bode well for stability.  By slicing horizontally through both cakes, I was able to build it up high enough, vertically, to accommodate Barbie's ridiculously long, out-of-proportion-don't-get-me-started legs.  It took an enormous amount of frosting to get all of the layers stacked, but in the end it turned out pretty well.  I wrapped Barbie's torso with some tulle and pinned it in the back,  and then I wrapped her legs in plastic wrap so that she wouldn't get ruined by the cake and frosting.  Then I made several cuts (holding the knife vertically) into the cake and then jammed her in there.  That was a mistake.  Her out-of-proportion-don't-get-me-started hips broke apart the top layer.  So I had to jam left-over pieces of cake into the cracks and smother the whole thing with frosting to cover up the mess.  And then cover that with a ton of fabric flowers.  Because nothing hides cake mistakes better than fabric flowers.  Especially when you suck at icing.

My friend Cheryl loaned me her decorating cake pedestal, and that was a life-saver.  I'm gonna get me one of those.  I like how the hem turned out - those large candy pearl nonpareils gave it a nice touch. I'm kind of wishing I'd done the whole cake that way, but I was out of time.  And also, since I have never made a doll cake before, I think this qualifies as a 40 Things ...  This is #3 on the list of official accomplishments.  I had better get crackin'!!   So what did the birthday girl think of her cake?   Rylan 'liked' it, but confessed that the picture she had of the cake in her head was different.  This one wasn't 'purple enough'.  whatever

This was Rylan's first 'friend' party.  We chose to do a gymnastics party at a local gym.  Rylan and Jordan took a homeschool gymnastics class here last year, and Rylan has been asking repeatedly when she can go back.  So she was excited to hear that we would have her party there.  Rylan invited her Daisy troop pals, and Jordan was able to invite along a friend as well.

Dean was on the floor taking pictures (only one parent is allowed to do so, so I stayed up in the party room and finished decorating and gabbed with the other moms), so he took lots of video, and like, two pictures.  So here is one of them.  Jordan is hopping along a trampoline with Colin.  The group got one hour of gym time, and Colin ran and jumped for the entire time.  Owen was finally ready to join the group in the last ten minutes of their time slot.  Before that he stayed upstairs with me, watching the crowd below and playing with the balloons.  He often hangs back like that. 

Then the girls came up to the party room and we did cake, lemonade and presents.  (I'd show these pictures - but getting iPhone pictures to show up on Blogger never works.  You companies are lame -  and I am so frustrated that I can't figure this issue out...)

So here is finished version of the cake - taken earlier in the day.  The candles will go in the icing swirls in front.

 

 

Sorry for the fuzziness of the photo, but Rylan is holding up a skirt.  The little girl who gave it to her is standing behind Rylan, grinning.  She MADE the skirt. She sewed it herself!  I just can't get over how awesome that is!!!

Rylan had a great time and really enjoyed doing gymnastics with all of her friends.  I was very happy with the way the party turned out, and it fit all of my criteria...

1.  Not at my house

2.  I did not have to cook.  (Cake doesn't count)

3.  It was long enough to get the fun accomplished, but not overly long where bickering can begin

We finished out the day with a dinner at home.  Rylan had asked for steak and potatoes for dinner.  We settled on beer butt chicken (I'll have to explain that some time).  I stupidly tried out a new roasting method (roast at 450F for thirty minutes and then turn the oven off and let it sit for another 30 minutes.)  This was from America's Test Kitchen of all places.  It was an epic fail.   Despite taking the temp and returning it to the oven twice for 25 min. stints, the chicken failed to cook through.  We ended up throwing it out.  We made a meal out of mashed potatoes and gravy, grandma's rolls and corn.  And cake.  Which, after the day was done, Rylan never did have a piece of.  Not even a taste.  Even though it was offered multiple times.  ?? 

Next year?  Cupcakes.

2011 in Review

I'm still in reflection mode, and I found this awesome list of questions today during a rather long, drawn-out blog surfing session.  Believe it or not, I was originally searching for birdseed ornament directions for our Daisy meeting this Friday.  Damn you Family Fun website for tempting me down this rabbit hole!

1.      What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Well, I began my list of 40 Things.  To date I have accomplished the following:

# 1 - Had a Mammogram

# 2 - Built a gingerbread house

I knew you would be impressed...admit it that you are jealous I am such an accomplished person...

2.      Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?
Here is what I wrote out last year, on Dec.31st, 2010...

* create a master 52 week cleaning schedule (completed through week 13)

I discovered FlyLady and she does it for me! I even get it sent to my inbox every morning. Now I just need to clean out the 329 FlyLady emails that are still in my inbox...

* create a master 52 week recipe/menu/shopping list plan (completed 2 weeks worth)

What am I, insane??

* create a master daily schedule for each child so that I can make sure I am meeting the daily minimum of their educational needs.

Sigh. I so wanted to make this work for me. I am in the process of revising the schedule now - since we only have afternoon naps to contend with at this point. I also want to incorporate my goals for this coming year: time to mess around with bugs/dirt/plants/art supplies/and kid-friendly household chemicals.

My motto for the upcoming year remains the same: Revise and make it work.

3.      Did anyone close to you give birth?
Well... Does this current New Year's Day count?  My niece (by marriage) gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Marshall, at 5:30 am.  He was the first baby of the year at the hospital they delivered at.

4.      Did anyone close to you die?
This one is painful... Yes - three wonderful grandmothers.
Dean's maternal grandma, Essie, in January
My maternal grandma, Betty, in April
My paternal grandma, Bobbie, in October.

It's been a long, dreadful year in this respect.

5.      What countries did you visit?
Does Oklahoma count?  That sometimes feels like another country...

6.      What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
Sleep

7.      What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
April 17th and October 7th - when my grandmothers passed away

8.      What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finding my calling to write, write, write... It has been my salvation.
-or-
Getting Owen to poop on the potty.  Take your pick...

9.      What was your biggest failure?
Putting straw mulch in the garden.  An absolute botanical catastrophe...

10.   Did you suffer illness or injury?
I have been suffering with plantar fasciitis since fall of 2010.  I just got my orthotics a couple of weeks ago.  It doesn't exactly feel like a miracle yet...  Pretty bummed about that.

Otherwise I am very thankful that my only major complaint is a nasty cold that will not go away.

11.   What was the best thing you bought?
The 13 week course for Financial Peace University.

12.   What was the best thing you received?
My iPhone4 that I got from my husband for my birthday...
-but-
My new FlyLady purple rags and scrubba tools come in a very close second... or my new cast iron enamel dutch oven... can't decide.

13.   Whose behavior merited celebration?
Owen has been just awesome during the whole potty training process.  He frequently has accidents, but his attitude has been very upbeat.  He is such a sweet kid...

14.   Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The Republican portion of the Senate.

15.   Where did most of your money go?
Interest payments.  And diapers.  And Starbucks.  And karate lessons.

16.   What did you get really excited about?
Going to see U2 at Mile High, Skiing with Rylan last spring and cutting up our first credit card.

17.   What song will always remind you of 2011?
Us Against the World, by Coldplay.

18.   Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? B) thinner or fatter? C) richer or poorer?
a) happier - much happier!     b) about the same... boo.    c) we stopped the bleeding but we are walking along the edge every day...

19.    What do you wish you’d done more of?
Spent time with my grandmas...

20.   What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating out - our single most extravagant expenditure...

21.   How did you spend Christmas?
A little of this... and a little of that...

22.   What was your favorite TV program?
The Closer, Modern Family and The Middle.

23.   What were your favorite books of the year?
The Blue Zones and The Help

24.   What was your favorite music from this year?
Coldplay, Foster the People and Adele 21 - and Jimmy Fallon's rendition of the Reading Rainbow

25.   What were your favorite films of the year?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Tangled

26.   What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 40.  We went camping, had a nice family dinner and then Dean and I went out to our favorite 'special occasion' restaurant for dinner the next night.  It was the best of birthdays...  :)

27.   What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
It is selfish, but I wish our grandmas were still here.  They all had health issues and so, in a way, they are at peace now.  But I miss them terribly - the holiday season was exceptionally rough. 

28.   What political issue stirred you the most?
It is a toss-up between the no-tax-hike oath that all of the Republicans took (which will mean the death of America if we don't vote them out of office soon....) or the FOX network's assertion that Socialism is a dirty word.  What bothers me the most, though, is that a political argument between me and cousin of mine earlier this year means that we are no longer on speaking terms, and that makes me very, very sad.  I can't bring myself to understand his view, and he ridicules me for mine.

29.   What kept you sane?
Writing out all of my joys, fears, concerns, rants, and so forth...  And Dove dark chocolate.

30.   Who did you meet this year?
I met a couple of new homeschooling moms that are an inspiration to me - their sage advice has spurred a lot of interesting discussion in our group.  We met at a non-profit center one night, in early fall, for our monthly homeschool association meeting, and it feels like we are on the cusp of something big.  A fusion of public/private/homeschool education endeavours...  The future of education is changing rapidly, and I am excited to see what is in store.  I remember the drive home that night... my mind was racing with the possibilities.

31.   Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

I will never be able to do all of the charitable things I want to do in life until we pay off our debts and become good financial stewards with what we do have.

32.  Best song lyric for the year?

Coldplay's Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.   Love the entire song!!