All Mixed Up

These last 4 days have left me feeling upside down and inside out.  Andy and I went to Walla Walla to see my sister on friday, and ended up in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho on sunday morning to see Andy's cousin Heidi who had a snowboarding accident that has left her, hopefully temporarily, unable to feel her legs.  We got back home yesterday afternoon, but I am left feeling so many contradictory emotions that I don't know which way is up.

How can be feeling anger, saddness, extreme faith, hope, and total amazement all at the same time?? I don't think I have ever prayed so much in my entire life, and knowing that thousands of people are doing the same for the same person...there really isn't any way to really describe it. Amazing doesn't do it justice.  I know that these things happen for a reason, they don't "just happen".  But I want to know why...I wish I could fast forward a month or a year and see why.

My Type A/Quick Start personality is kicking in at full-steam, yet, I feel completely helpless. 

Praying for Heidi has consumed me, and it is the only thing that is making me feel less helpless.

The Couch is Where It's At!

Wanna know where all the cool 11 month olds hangout? The couch of course! Any baby who's any baby hangs out there! Who knew??
My sister was watching Aiden yesterday and she put him on the couch, and he went wild!! Laughing and squeeling and crawling and flopping from one end to the other, like he just discovered some lost land! I put him on there again today and got the same reaction, what a crack up!!

Craving Curry

Before Aiden was born, Andy and I took a trip to Seattle to see a college buddy of his and his wife.  While we were there, we had the BEST Indian food!! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!!  For some reason today, I am craving Indian food, in particular, something that combines chicken, curry, and coconut, and is easy to make.  Anybody have a good recipe??

No Truer Words

Before Aiden was born, Andy's dad got him this neat little book called "Things to do now that you're...a dad" by David Baird.  It's just a little book with lots of nifty quotes, and neat suggestions for dads to do with their kiddos.  Andy was reading it last night, and there were two cute sayings that I thought were so true!

"Now that you're a dad, your perception of your life before children is going to change radically.  What once seemed a hectic life will be an oasis of blissful calm.  Don't worry, it will come back, but not in a hurry."  Could there be a more true statement???!!! :)

"There are three stages of a dad's life:  he starts out believing in Santa Claus, then he reaches a stage where he no longer believes in Santa Claus, then he becomes Santa Claus."  We both cracked up at this one!

Andy and I are looking forward to a weekend oasis of blissful calm as we head up to see my sister in Walla Walla this weekend.  Aiden is having a slumber party at Grammy & Papa's house (my mom and dad), and we are looking forward to 5 hours in the car where we can stop when we want to stop, sleep all night, wake up when our bodies say it is time, AND, a full day of wine tasting and delicious food, diaper bag & bib free! Yahoo!!  It goes without saying that we will miss our little man like crazy and all of his hilarious antics, but are craving a weekend to recharge. 

Aiden Update

I realized today that originally decided to blog to update everyone on our crazy kiddo, and I haven't been doing that very well, so here goes...

Our sweet little Aiden (wait, who am I writing about!?!?!), I should start again.  Our sweet little maniac who never stops, or sleeps, just follow the trail of destruction Aiden...now that is a more accurate description! Next Saturday, he will already be 11 months old, I seriously cannot believe it!! Where the heck did the last 11 months go???  Our tiny little 6 1/2 pound angel is now about 22 pounds we think, and strong as an ox!  I am always amazed at how strong this little guy is when he is trying to push you away when he doesn't want to be held, and before he realizes he can "limp noodle" his way out of your arms.   He has turned into a regular chatter box; it is such a crack up to hear him talk and talk and talk as he pushes his trucks, or cell phone, or umbrella around the house.  No walking as of yet, but Andy and I are just fine with that...the stories I hear from Andy's mom about Andy and his running are enough for me to practically attach a ball and chain to the kid's ankles.  All I have to say is, pray for me, please!!

Here are a few pictures from the last month or so...

Christmas morning...he wasn't very interested in the wrapping paper, but he sure likes his new trucks!

He loved his tractor and wagon from Uncle Ben & Aunt Kelly!

I'm sure this wagon will get lots of use, thanks Pappa & Grammy (my mom and dad)

I've never seen a kid love taking a bath as much as Aiden! As soon as he hears the water running, he puts the crawling into 5th gear and comes tearing in the bathroom.  I had the water running for this bath and he was so excited to get in that he crawled over the side of the tub and face planted in the tub...not to worry though, after a few tears and some water down the wrong pipe, he still had a great time in the bath! And...don't his eyebrows freak you out a little??? Yikes!!

No solo walking yet, but he is getting really good at walking behind this thing, he can even steer! And, he LOVES his wizard hat that Nanny made him! (Andy's mom)  It's like he has a little alter-ego when he has a hat on, what a crack up!

Yay! I'm almost one, I'm practically a man you know!

A Froggie's Future

First, our little froggie, Aiden.  Sure wish I could sleep like this, it seems comfy!

And second, the most definite future lovebirds, Aiden, and Miss Baylor Hughes! It's love at first sight!

Wacky Wife

Andy is the best husband! And I, am the worst wife. Ever.

Tonight while I was boxing my little heart out on the Wii Fit, Andy took it upon himself to change the sheets on our bed (maybe it was a hint??).  He did a fantastic job too! The sheets and blanket were tucked in nicely, the comforter and quilt were lined up evenly on each side, the multitudes of pillows were arranged just so, and he even turned the electric blanket on on my side so it would be nice and toasty when I got in bed.  What a guy huh!?!?!  I know!! 

The second part of the story is that I am certifiably insane.  Yes, nuts, loco, need a padded room.  I am so unimaginably particular about the way the sheet, blanket, comforter, and quilt line up at the top of the bed, that if they aren't all perfectly even within mere millimeters of each other I won't be able to sleep.  Stop shaking your heads and laughing uncontrollably.  So what did I do?  I remade the whole stupid bed.  And here I sit, at 9:40pm, 40 minutes after I had planned to be in bed, writing about this atrocity, because frankly, it is so ridiculous that it needed to be documented.

Tomorrow I am calling a shrink.  Goodnight.

Wise Words

This came in an email today, and I thought it was some fun, and very true advice to pass along....Enjoy!

Old Farmer's Advice:

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

Meanness don't jes' happen overnight..

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads..

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

Don 't judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life...then when you get older and think back,
you'll enjoy it a second time.

Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with,
watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around..

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply..

Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Homemade Foccacia...Cheater Style

I use my bread machine, A LOT, and rarely do I let the machine take the flour, yeast, and water from raw ingredients to cooked bread. 99% of the time I use the dough setting and let the machine deal with the mess and the sore arms from all of the kneeding. It seems like my assignment for many family dinners is to bring bread, and I have experimented with a bunch of different variations, and so far this is my favorite.

In your bread machine, (if you are brave and buff, do it by hand), throw the ingredients in for focaccia bread...usually some variation of yeast, flour, salt, olive oil, and water. Hit the dough setting, and let it start mixing and kneeding. As soon as it is done with its kneeding process, take the dough out, and stick in an oiled bowl to let rise for a good hour or so, or until it is doubled. Or, in my case, let it rise until the kiddo is down for a nap and you have time. We keep our house a little on the cool side, so often I use the proof setting on the oven...that setting warms your oven just a tiny tiny bit, and is a good bump-free spot to let your dough rise.

While it is rising, get out your trusty large baking sheet, and spread about 2-3 tablespoons of oil around...no one likes bread that doesn't want to come out of the pan!

A note on olive oil....a few years ago my family took a trip to Italy. While on that trip, Andy and I took a small tour into Tuscany where we learned how goooooood olive oil is made, and of course, got to taste amazing olive oil. An afternoon of serious Italian glutony and a ridicoulsly expensive olive oil purchase later, we considered ourselves true olive oil (OO) snobs. Unfortunately, our bank account quit letting us buy OO that was fit for the Queen of England, but, there are some qualities that we try not to skimp on because a good OO can really enhance your food.

1. Make sure that OO you buy is first cold pressed. That means that you are getting the first oil squeezed from the olives, and that it is done in a process that does not use heat. Heat is used later with the olives to get the very last drop of oil and it comprimises the quality.

2. The OO should be more green than yellow

3. It should smell kind of raw and tart...a good OO will have a really noticable, and unexpected smell.

Lucky for us Americans, God invented Costco and Mr. Kirkland. The OO that they sell in a 2-pack that is about $25 is pretty darn close to being as good as what we had in Italy. If you can't go through that much oil in a reasonable amount of time, split it with a friend, because it is great OO and a good value.

Now, once your dough it doubled, plop it onto the tray, and start stretching it out. Your goal is to reach the sides of the pan. It will probably be pretty elasticy, but if you let it sit for a few minutes, you should be able to get it pretty close to the edges. Then let it raise for another hour or so until it is doubled again.

Now, the topping. Fresh Rosemary, Yum! I used to really dislike rosemary, mostly because it is always on roast beef, and no offense Mom, I am not the biggest fan of roast beef. But, I gave it another chance, it is a really great herb on bread. Bonus, it is a perennial herb that is easy to grow, and it keeps forever in the fridge. So, take a couple big sprigs, and take off all the little leaves. And chop, chop, chop!

So, I forgot to tell you to put about 1/3+ cup of olive oil in a ramiken, do that first, and then put your chopped up rosemary in to it, and let it sit for a couple minutes...I did this while I was letting the dough become a little less elasticy.

Now, once your dough is doubled, gently, or not so gently, with your fingers, make a bunch of little indentations all over it. This will make lovely little pockets for your rosemary and olive oil to settle into.

And, spread the oil and rosemary all over the dough. It might seem like a lot of oil, but as it bakes it soaks in a bit and makes the bread AMAZING!

Final touch, sea salt. Again, thank you Mr. Kirkland, you make a lovely sea salt grinder!

Grind the sea salt all over the bread, the amount is really a personal preference, I like this bread a little on the salty side, as I think it really helps the flavors of the olive oil and rosemary shine.

Pop it into a 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is nice and brown. When you open the oven door to take a peek (like I do much more than I should probably), the smell of the olive oil will really be amazing!!

While the bread is cooking, get out 2 cookie racks, and stick them side by side.

When the bread is nice and golden, and your kitchen smells incredible, take it out of the oven, and ever so carefully, slide the bread out of the pan and on to the racks. This will keep the bottom of the bread from getting soggy (ick!) while it cools.

And, if you can manage ( I NEVER can), wait it until it is reasonable cool to cut it up...or, burn your fingers cutting a hunk off to eat while it is still really hot!!

Enjoy!!

Writing Down Thoughts

Life is so much easier when you can put your hair in a ponytail (no matter how many bobby pins you have to use to keep it from all falling out). I have crazy thick hair, so I am always debating whether to keep it short and decrease my drying time from 20 minutes to 5, or to keep it long enough to put in a ponytail.

I CANNOT believe that in a month and a half, Aiden will turn 1!

Aiden has big, SHARP teeth, and the jaw strength of a WWF wrestler. How do I know this? Because he sunk his big chompers into my shoulder this morning! Yipes!! He might be a biter, but he has a big heart, because when I yelped "OWWW!", he got a very sad look on his face and started crying. Big teeth, big heart.

I am excited for spring to be here and our new lawn to be planted. Last fall we sprayed out our "lawn", it was really mostly weeds, rototilled it, and we are letting everything sprout so we can spray it out and plant new grass. I am particularly excited for it to be smooth. Because it was so old, it was super bumpy and it hurt your bare feet to run on it.

I am trying to keep my pedometer in my pocket everyday...it's fun, and motivating to see the steps add up. I bought a good one a while ago on Amazon that you can just stick in your pocket, instead of clipping it on your hip like a geek. And, it is digital, so little movements don't add false steps, only real steps add steps.

Aiden can *almost* fit into his first pair of Wranglers and Carhart overalls!! There is just one problem! Kid can't wear his Nikes with those! So, I am on a hunt for a pair of little Romeos or cowboy boots, but I refuse to pay $50 for shoes he will wear for 2 months, and he is still a good month from walking!! Any ideas??

Homemade Calzone

I make homemade calzone a lot! Why? 1. It's pretty easy and quick to make 2. The ingredients are fairly inexpensive and extremely flexible 3. I make the darn thing so big that it practically lasts all week (score!) 4. Andy really likes it. Yesterday it was on the dinner menu, so I decided to take my first stab at food blogging.

I make the dough (pizza dough) in my bread machine, I use the recipe in the machine's book that makes enough dough for 2 thick crusted pizzas. The setting takes an hour, so while it's doing its thing, I mix up the sauce. I think that soggy crust is yucko, so I make a pretty thick sauce that doesn't soak in too much by mixing a small can of tomato sauce with a big can (14 oz??) of tomato paste, some oregano, basil, sugar, and crushed red peppers.

When the dough is done, roll it out to twice the size of the calzone you want to make. The dough shouldn't be thinner than about 1/4 inch.

Then, fold it up into quarters, or it's going to be rather tricky to get it onto your baking sheet (either oiled or sprayed with Pam, very important!!)

Then, stick the dough on the pan, placing it so when you unfold it, half of it is hanging off the pan (that is the lid to your calzone).

Spread the sauce on, leave about 1 inch all the way around so you have an area to fold the dough together without sauce oozing out.

And layer it up with goodies!! I used Canadian bacon, spinach, mushrooms, and olives. And, I had some extra sauce, so I "spread" that around a bit too.

And don't forget the cheese!!! And some extra oregano, basil, and crushed red peppers.

Then fold the "lid" over the top of the toppings, lining the edges up reasonably well.

Now, the semi-tricky part, sealing up the edges. So, you fold over about a 2ish inch section back over the top, and sort of jam your finger into the dough so it sticks to itself. Yes, very Julie Child, I know, but it works. Or I suppose you could just crimp it with a fork?? I like this way though because it does an okay job of keeping the sauce and cheese from dribbling out, running off of the pan, and smoking up my house (which happens often around here).

And just keep doing it all the way around...it's easier than it looks, I promise!

Once you have it all sealed up, take a small knife and slice some holes in the top to let the steam escape so you don't end up with the Tacoma Dome of crust over some pizza toppings.

Ready to bake!! Oh ya, way back about 15 minutes ago, you should have preheated the oven to 350. Loosely cover the calzone with foil (may take two sheets if it is really wide), and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take off the foil, and bake for another 20-25 minutes, basically until the top is brown and when you tap on the top, it sounds hollow. This will allow the crust to get mostly done (and prevent a grody soggy bottom crust), but not burn. If you are feeling brave, after the 30 minutes, slide the calzone off of the pan and directly on to the rack, that will really help the crust (and make the leftovers better!).

And here you go, final product!! Get out your largest and flattest serving platter, and slice up!! Bust out the crushed red peppers and ranch (and perhaps a beer) and you've got dinner!!

Bon Appetit!

Quick Thought

Never ever ever ever underestimate the amazing power of prayer.

MMMM, Cake

I am a pretty big fan of The Pioneer Woman (http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/). PW is a lady who grew up in the city and then married a cattle rancher in Oklahoma and blogs about her life on the ranch. She is an excellent writer, but even more so, she is an excellent cook. Recipes are a main part of her page, and I have lots of them, and have yet to be disappointed. Maybe it's because they are so very full of calcium?? ie Whole milk, cream, & butter. Mostly her recipes are food that you crave, foods that make you feel good, and are very simple recipes that your grandma would have made for your grandpa.

Yesterday I felt like chocolate cake. I checked in the pantry and I was all out chocolate cake mix, I didn't even have any brownie mix (don't worry, I added it to the grocery list), and cherry chip and white cake were not going to do the trick. So, I made PW's chocolate sheet cake for the first time. I had always wanted to make it, it seemed simple enough, but until a month or so ago, I didn't have a commercial sized rimmed baking sheet, which it calls to use. (those big baking sheets are super handy by the way, I had no idea what I was missing not having one!) No excuses left, I made the cake, and....OH MY!!! I licked the batter bowl and the frosting bowl atleast 4 times each to make sure there wasn't a drop of chocolate yumminess left, and I barely let it cool before I dug in. And I have to say, if you make it, eat it warm, it is like yummy gooey brownies with even yummier chocolate frosting, completely irresistable!!

See???

Just incase you need a quick chocolate fix (I might need one right now), here is the link to the recipe: www.thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_chocol/

By the way, I swapped the butter in the actual cake for homemade applesauce, and I'm not convinced that butter would make much difference, it was DANG good! And, the baking time is only 20 minutes, and you frost it hot, so it really is a quick and easy cake if you are in a pinch.

Andy's Efficiency Tip of the Day

I am married to Andy. Andy has a bizarre obsession with efficiency. Anything to slice off a few milliseconds from a task is the name of his game. This used to cause arguments as he was always trying to make me more efficient, but now I'm used to it and simply ignore most of his "helpful" tips and use the tips that actually are helpful.

Today I noticed that he was putting on a button-up shirt that was mostly already buttoned. I asked him what he was doing, and his response was "if the shirt is still clean and I am just going to hang it back up, I'll just unbutton the the top couple of buttons and then take it off. That way, when I put it back on, all I have to do is slip it on and button 2 buttons!" This is coming from a guy who also will put on a somewhat wrinkled shirt before church, throw a sweatshirt on over the top of it, and then by the time we get to church the sweatshirt comes off, and the wrinkled shirt is "self ironed". The logic of my husband never surpises me!

Happy New Year!

2010...sounds so futuristic, like we should all be living like the Jetsons! Seems like just yesterday everyone was stockpiling years of food and water for the feared Y2K...phew, glad we made it threw that one okay. This past year seemed liked it was gone in a flash- 10 months and 2 weeks ago Aiden was born, and the rest of the year is a blur of diapers, sleep deprivation, and incomprehensible joy. Okay, maybe it wasn't always joyous...we'll call those parts "life lessons" :).

And of course, with a new year brings new resolutions! I decided to set the bar a little lower than usual, with the hopes that I will stick to it a little better than I typically do.

So, my New Year's Resolutions for 2010 are:

1. Only fruit and vegetables for snacks
2. Workout 3-4 times per week
3. Blog more
4. Stick to the budget that Andy gives me that I notoriously ignore every single month

I felt like these are 4 things that are not only realistic and achievable, but they are also things that I should be doing to maintain some control, focus, and simplicity in my life. That's another thing to add to the list, Keep Things Simple!!

To a great 2010!