Happy Birthday to me

I celebrated my birthday this week- Tuesday.  It was uneventful and could easily have passed for any other day except that my grandmother called me which we never does and my friend Denise left me a piece of red velvet cake on the front porch which I ate and thoroughly enjoyed.  The beauty of getting older is that eventually it fails to bother you that you're getting older.  You just begin to appreciate the fact that you aren't dead or dying.  Ha ha.

The funny thing is that I'm 36 (shhhh... don't tell) and I realized that it was at this age that my mother had saw her daughter graduate from high school, had a brain aneurism and nearly died, almost lost her father, and became a grandmother.  All I can think is damn.  What a lot to happen in her short life.  Then again, Zoë is a Junior and will graduate soon.  I pray she doesn't get pregnant any time soon because I'm still doing the mommy thing, I'm not ready to do the grandma thing.  But overall, I've been very healthy.

I think birthdays and getting older have somehow become less exciting over the last few years.  I don't feel the need to make a big deal about it like I used to.  It's become just another day.  And that's sad.  I think we should all celebrate our birthdays with great pizazz because being born is certainly the greatest gift any of us are ever given.  I think we should love ourselves enough to make a big fuss about the fact that we have graced this Earth with our presence.  Why shouldn't we?

And for that matter... why aren't we also celebrating the people that brought us into this world?  I always tell my parents, "Happy becoming a parent day" on my birthday.  I'm the first born and I gave them the first opportunity to succeed (or fail) at being a parent.  What a wonderful gift!

My final thought on birthdays is in regards to gift giving.  I used to send cards out to everyone I cared about on their birthday.  I have a calendar that tells me everyone's birthday and their kids' birthdays and I sent out 30+ cards a month.  It was a way for me to let them know I was thinking about them and I was celebrating their birth because I was glad I had the chance to be touched by their life.  I did this for years.  Last year I decided not to do it because it was expensive and it felt like the people I was sending cards to didn't really care.  No one said thank you.  And last year when they didn't get their cards, no one said they missed them.  Well... not no one.  One person said she missed my cards for her and her kids.  And this year she sent me a birthday card.

I can't tell you how happy it made me.  How it put a smile on my face (not just because the card was funny).  I remembered why I sent those cards.  It was not for me, but for the people I cared about.  So... this year... I'm going to save myself some money and make funny little birthday cards for the people I care about and send them out.  I hope that they appreciate the cards, feel special and loved and know that I care about them.  I hope it makes others feel as good as it made me feel to receive that card.

Happy birthday to me.  And happy life to you.

The New Year is Coming

I barely made it through my 2011 "Resolutions" so the idea of making 2012 resolutions seems ridiculous.  But who am I if not ridiculous!  :-)   So... here we go...

First, I'm very anxious about life with the new baby.  Being able to juggle him, Sophia, Zoe, and Dave feels somewhat daunting.  Zoe's schedule is always hectic, Sophia is demanding of my time, attention, and energy.  Dave's expectations of my "role" in the family is as high maintenance as he can be if I don't stay on top of things.  Not to mention my course load this upcoming semester and my own goals.  I feel quite fortunate that Ethan is such a laid back baby and hopefully that won't change.

I am going to focus this year on a couple of things that should keep life in balance, and assist in my ability to juggle everyone.

1. I want to get us on a very good and fairly strict family schedule.  I think that we have really been lacking that consistent schedule and that's been a big problem for Sophia especially.  I want to focus our schedule around Sophia so that she can get up and moving on time and in particular focus on the evening schedule getting dinner at a decent hour and a bath and bedtime routine.

2.  I absolutely have to focus on my health.  I didn't gain much while I was pregnant, but I didn't exactly start off at a good weight.  I'm getting older and my body just isn't "bouncing" back like it used to.  It can't handle the sugar and junk food/lack of exercise regiment I've maintained these last 35 years.  So, with the new year I am going to focus on making exercise a part of my weekly if not daily routine.  The fact that I'm taking Fitness Walking as one of my courses this semester helps, but I have to do more.  I want to incorporate some yoga/pilates in with the cardio that will be Fitness Walking.

3.  Related to #2 is focusing on the eating habits of myself as well as my family.  We can always eat healthier and I'd like to really focus on getting the right kinds of nutrition for the family.  My Dad gave me a freezer meals cookbook and I'd like to really incorporate that into our family meal time plans.  This would make food available for them to pop in the microwave that's good for them (and me).  Not to mention, if planned right, this would be wonderful for my pocketbook too.  Cha-ching.  $$$

4.  I want to focus some of my extra money and attention on the house.  There is such a long list of things we need for this house and even more that I want.  I've been living in this house for a year and a half now and have been in Raleigh for three years and it's time to make this HOME.  Not just the place we live, but a complete home.  I need to hang pictures and curtains.  There's no reason I can't get some things to complete the decoration of this house.  Of course, I need a list.  The list may be more fun to make than to actually buy from.

5.  I absolutely have to get to the crafts I want to do.  I can sew and should focus on doing it.  I want to learn to knit/crochet and there's no reason I can't learn.  This year I'm going to make crafting a part of my weekly schedule.  My crafting includes finishing the last bit of Zoe's quilt, making Ethan's crib quilt, making Sophia's new quilt for her new bed, and working on the many patterns I have in the books I have.  Plus, hair bobbits, tutus, and whatever else I can think of.

I'm going to "limit" my list to these five things.  They kind of include a lot so I don't feel bad for limiting myself.  I really hope I can accomplish these 5 resolutions plus maybe throw in a few extras.  I hope that these 5 help me get organized in my life as well as in my home.  I hope I lose weight and get healthy.  I hope I help Sophia to be happier and more secure in her family.  I hope I am able to balance the family and house and self.  I hope that 2012 brings me as much happiness and inner peace as 2011 has brought.  So far, 2011 has been the year I've grown the most in and I hope that trend continues.

Happy New Year readers.

Birthday 2012

Yes, I'm thinking ahead.  But this is just absolutely the coolest idea ever!  For my... um... (can I pass for 25 still?) birthday I'm going to throw my own birthday party.  A Cookies and Cocktails party.  I got the idea from here:

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/cookies-cocktails/cookies-cocktails/index.html

I was up at 3 a.m. for Ethan's late night feeding and I happened to catch the show and was like, totally cool!  Ironically... or Coincidentally, I checked my email that day and had an invite to a cookie exchange which is basically the same idea without the adult festive beverages.  I'm thinking about having the beverages and making this a couples party so my friends and their significant others can come, but also have some kid friendly cookies and beverages so that everyone can bring their children.

I'm especially excited to try some of these recipes, especially the Momofuku Compost Cookies and Cereal Milk Cocktail.  Of course, let's hope none of my invitees are on major New Year's diets.

While I'm on the topic of things I think are cool... this show has a lot of fun stuff that I'd like to find the recipes for to try at home since it's unlikely I will get to many of the places on it:

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/unique-sweets/index.html

For Denise and in referenve to this post I am posting my grandma's chocolate chip cookie recipe.  These cookies are so much yummier than what you find on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag.  Maybe it's the crisco that makes them over the top yummy.  They're not too sweet, just the right mix of sweet and salty.  The recipe doesn't make that many cookies, maybe a dozen or a baker's dozen or so...  But then again, if the recipe made more than that I'd be tempted to eat more than that and I don't need more.

Nana's Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crisco
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons water
1 6oz bag of chocolate chips
1/2 cups nuts (optional)

Cream crisco and sugars
Add egg, blend well
Add vanilla and water
Sift flour, salt and soda together
Add flour mixture to cookie mixture
Stir in chips and nuts

Bake 375
9 minutes
ungreased cookie sheet

Zoë's Baby Quilt

I was a late bloomer when getting into sewing.  My mother and grandmother could barely sew on a button so it's not like I grew up learning about sewing.  To be honest, I like sewing.  I LOVE quilting.  When my friend Marcy first showed me the how, I went on a rampage and made like 5 quilt tops.  It was nearly 3 years late before I actually quilted any of them.  The first quilt I made from start to finish was a baby quilt for Sophia.  I finished it just a few days before she was born.

Now, with another baby on the way, I decided to make a new quilt for him.  But of course, Zoë says to me, "Um... hey.  I'm the first born.  Where's my quilt?"  It just so happened I had saved the rocking chair cushion from her baby bedding set.  I took it apart and washed the material.  I put together a couple of rows, but they turned out horribly (see pic) so I scrapped them and went for a pattern I knew I could do- a double pinwheel.

I know it doesn't look like it's terrible here, but the material from the rocking chair cushion was really difficult to work with so when I would sew it, the lines didn't quite line up.  Plus, I used the 9 patch from Sophia's quilt which was cute in her quilt, but in this one, it just didn't seem to fit.  The double pinwheel actually turned out really pretty.

Here is the main block.  It's actually a really easy pattern and as long as you line up your corners, it looks great.  I wasn't able to make a good number of blocks so I had to do 18 which made the overall quilt center very long and skinny.  To adjust for that I did the outside borders wide on the sides (3") and thin on the top and bottom (1").  I was somewhat concerned about what borders to do.  I wanted a green check, but all I could find was a green with tiny white polka dots.  It turned out to be good enough (I can't really say better or not since I don't have the checked to compare).  And I'm going to do the back in the green as well.

At this point, all I have to do is pin the back and batting and do the actual quilting.  Then Zoë will finally have her baby quilt at 16 years old.  Is it better late than never?  :)

Updates on things

I tried the rice pudding again with some leftover rice from dinner a few nights ago.  The rice measured a barely a cup and a half cooked, but I used all other ingredients as measured.  It turned out much creamier this time and much closer to good ol' Uncle Ben's.  I forgot to add the raisins which was disappointing, but that's just mentioned because I forgot.  Also, the recipe says to pour the liquid over the rice, but I suggest mixing it too because I got a nice custard type overlay and then just plain rice on the bottom.  Once I stirred it all up it was fine, but it might have cooked more flavor into the rice if I'd mixed it up before baking.  Finally, I set the timer for only one hour so I could check it every few minutes after, but I was busy putting Sophia to bed and Zoë pulled the pudding out of the oven when the timer went off.  Turns out one hour was the right amount of time and everything turned out pretty yummy.

I have a bunch of recipes to post, but I'm too tired to post them tonight.  Now that school has started I'm barely finding time to do anything that isn't completely revolved around studying.  Trying to finish my classes three weeks early is challenging and requires my complete and utter attention.  Sometimes I look at school and wonder what I'm doing this for.  The school keeps preaching about the importance to future employers of involvement in school activities, but how do I find time?  Between school work, housework, kids, husband, any kind of social life (it's very slim right now), and just having a moment to breathe... well, I already have to give up sleeping, eating, and bathing.  I suppose I could quit going to the bathroom and that would free up some time to engage in club activities, but at some point I just have to release the (excuse me here) crap.  I hope future potential employers will appreciate my endurance and see my "extra-curricular activities" as valuable despite their obvious lack of academic prestige.

I'm now at 24 weeks and the baby is moving quite a bit now.  He rolls and kicks.  I find it funny that I can press on my belly two times and he kicks two times or I can press three times and he kicks three times.  Only once has he missed.  I'm not sure if this is a sign of his inevitable genius IQ or if this is copycat behavior with no real thought.  It's hard not to wonder what a baby thinks about in there.  They surely have thoughts, but no reference as to what to think about.  I imagine he's thinking, "I need more room in here."  Of course, I also imagine he's a 10 pound baby that is 4 feet tall already.

Maternity clothes still disappoint me.  I was looking at Old Navy maternity the other day and noticed that all of the tops make the women's breasts look saggy and gross.  What's up with that?  And while I haevn't bought much (thank you Erin and Ana) I finally broke down and bought a few things that were more... my style.  The jeans, however, while completely cute cut into the middle of my belly and are super uncomfortable.  I can't decide if I should take them back or not.  I was very excited that Forever21 has a maternity line until I saw what they had.  Where are the funky, fun clothes they usually carry?  I need someone to write to about this.  Someone that can design a line worth wearing and still affordable.  I found a cute pattern book on etsy.com in Amy Japan's store, but I can't find it now.  Maybe it's gone.  It had some really nice patterns and if I could sew as well as I wish I could I would have bought the book and whipped up some interesting and fun things.  For now, I'll just settle with complaining about my lack of selection and wear my hand-me-downs.

I'm off to bed.  It's been a long weekend and I have a long week ahead of me.  Good night!  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz..............

Mmmm.... Chicken Salad

I was never a fan of chicken salad until I got pregnant in 2004.  I fell in love with McAllister's chicken salad during my short-lived pregnancy.  My love was rekindled at a friend's house last summer.  But she couldn't remember the recipe so I started a search for a recipe that had all of the ingredients I wanted.  It turned out I had to just put a lot of recipes together until I found a taste I liked.  I've had confirmation by a friend as well as by the husband that this recipe is tasty so I'm sharing. 

Beware:  there are absolutely no "measurements" here.  It's really mostly just throwing a bunch of stuff in a bowl until it's just right.  Also note that in my pictures I used the food processor.  I usually hand chop everything, but I actually liked it better in the food processor because it tasted more blended and smooth, not so chunky.  I like to eat this spread on Ritz crackers, but it's also good on bread or toast or however you like to eat your chicken salad.

2 Good sized chicken breasts
3 Celery stalks
1/2 yellow onion
1 Granny Smith Apple
A handful of raisins
A glob (yes, that's the technical term) of mayonaise
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil chicken breasts until they're done

Trim celery and wash

Cut the core out of the apple and peel

Throw chicken, celery, onion, and apple into food processor

OR chop celery, onion, and apple until pretty small pieces and shred chicken
Add raisins and mayonaise

Serve in your favorite way.  Like I said, my favorite way is spread on Ritz crackers in blobs (yes, another technical term).  It's definitely better on crackers when it's more spreadable, but the chunkier style is good as a sandwich.  YummmmmmY!

The Fresh Market

I LOVE the Fresh Market.  Sure, it's generally overpriced on some of the basic staples- although a lot of the "staples" there are organic and/or special in some way.  And yes, I'd rather hit the local Farmer's Market for vegetables and fruits.  Fortunately, Raleigh has an amazing Farmer's Market.  But the Fresh Market is a chain grocery store that offers that little something special.

It's not really the food, or the prices, or the specialized selection that appeals to me.  It's the atmosphere.  There's always some kind of quiet music playing in the background- probably classical, but I can't say for sure.  The smells of fresh flowers intermingled with coffee and fresh baked goods all swim in my senses.  The lower lighting makes everything look and feel softer.  The displays are very neat and personalized.  Everything adds up to exactly how I wish my house looked, felt, smelled, sounded.  It doesn't, but I can dream, right?

The Fresh Market seems to cater to older, wealthier clientele or more gourmet shoppers than I am.  I found a beautiful aged Ghouda there that I hadn't been able to find in any of the local chains (i.e. Food Lion, Kroger, Harris Teeter).  And they have this wonderful meal deal that for $13.99 you can get a rotisserie chicken, corn bread, and two baked sides (we usually go with mashed potatoes and macaroni).  It's all fresh baked/cooked foods in their deli department.  For that price, it's a great meal and even the four of us can usually get two meals out of it.  I often throw in some fresh green beans or peas just to color the meal up.

My favorite thing at the Fresh Market, besides the atmosphere is their spice selections.  Here is where you can actually get a great deal.  For $1.19 you can get a little empty spice jar.  Then for nearly half the price of your normal grocery chains you can get your spices in little plastic bags marked with the type of spice and the expiration date.  I bought 6 or 7 spices at Kroger- a few Kroger brand and a few McCormicks if Kroger brand wasn't available.  Only one spice was cheaper at Kroger and it was on sale and only cheaper by a few cents than the Fresh Market.  These included paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, and ground cumin (all staples in my house).  The jars, of course, are reusable so I break out my label maker... well, I don't actually have a label maker so I break out my post-its and packing tape.... and label each jar.  Plus, this is awesome for creating your blends like the fajita blend I made.

I still frequent the local chains because let's face it, I'm can't afford every meal from the Fresh Market, but for any of those special meals or any time I want a spice or just when I need a short little get-away from the kids I'll take a quick "vacation" to the Fresh Market and usually come out feeling happy I did.