What A Difference A Few Days Can Make

Three days ago:


Today:

Welcome Winter, We've Been Expecting You

We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland. Big, fluffy wet flakes of snow coated the ground and cascaded down from the sky. The kids came barreling into my room before 8:00 in the morning - on a Saturday, to announce the change in the weather.

I have no idea how many inches fell today. It is 5:00 and I think it has finally stopped. The snowplows have not come and the roads look dangerous. It took an hour or so to shovel the driveway and walk and to move most of the outdoor toys under the deck. By that time, all of my clothes were sopping wet. The snow is really heavy - perfect for snow forts and snowmen.


This was several hours ago when I could see the driveway. The sleds are out and the kids spent an hour or so sliding down the hill in the back. It is definitely winter around here!

Gratitude Day #12

#1. I a grateful for the weekend - it was a long time coming this week.

#2. I am grateful for a reason to get dressed up and slip on high heels on a Friday night. I had a hot date last night - with my friend Susan. Susan is smart, funny, loves good music and Vietnamese food. Too bad she is married . . . and a girl.

#3. I am grateful for the Minnesota Mormon Chorale Concert. It was really excellent and I am so glad we were able to go. They invited several other local community groups for a combined concert and food drive. The bluegrass ensemble was really fun and there was an 8 member acapella group that was excellent. The MMC sounded the best I have ever heard them and it made me really miss singing with them. For the last number they combined the choirs, surrounded the audience with the choirs, hand bells and cymbals and sang this. It brought me to tears - so beautiful.

#4. I am grateful for nice restaurants. After the concert we drove to St. Paul for dinner at Ngon Bistro. It is in a nasty part of town, but has the best food for very reasonable prices. Do you want to know what we shared? Prepare to be jealous. Sweet Potato Shrimp Croquettes: lightly breaded sweet potato and shrimp, fresh herbs and a spicy aioli, Gỏi Cuốn: spring rolls with shrimp, roasted Fischer Farms pork, organic spring greens, fresh herbs, & rice vermicelli, Seared scallops with curry parsnip puree, pea shoots, sautéed shiitake mushroom caps, & grilled asparagus with coconut curry sauce, Phở: beef broth hand crafted using oxtail & beef bones from all natural grass fed cattle & a special blend of spices imported directly from Vietnam with chicken breast and fresh ginger Crème Brûlée. It was sooooo good! I could not finish my Pho, so I warmed it up for a perfect breakfast on a cold snowy morning. Yum.

#5. I am grateful for book stores. After picking up the kids from kindergarten, I drove down to the book fair at Barnes and Noble. We spent a couple of hours playing in the children's section, picking out a book for each of their teachers and reading. I brought lunch for the 5 kids so we settled down in the cafe (I bought a vanilla ice smoothie thing so they would not give me the hairy eyeball) for lunch. I love bookstores and have a hard time leaving without buying a book or two. This time I left with books for the teachers, a book for me and the new Martha's Cookies holiday magazine. On second thought, bookstores are dangerous!

Graatitude Day #11

#1. I am grateful for little classes. Tonight I attended a Relief Society class on baking pies. We sampled, shared tips and recipes sampled some more. I am grateful for a really, really great group of women in my ward.

#2. I am grateful my Mother taught me to cook. I am grateful that I share that love of cooking with both of my sisters and even one of my brothers. When we actually get together on Thanksgiving, the meal is ridiculous. We all love to cook and try new recipes so we usually have enough food for an army - and we always have at least a pie per person.

#3. I am grateful for our home. We have lived here for over seven years now. I brought Calvin home from the hospital to this house and it has been the perfect place for us. We have a safe, friendly neighborhood, the school is a short walk away and a brand new park was installed just around the corner a few years ago. We are five minutes from our favorite beach and walking trails. We were lucky to get into this home - and I knew at first sight that this was the place after looking at about 25 other homes around the Twin Cities. I will be forever grateful for the people we have met as a result of living here.

#4. I am grateful for perspective. I know that this season and these trials are part of a much larger story.

#5. I am grateful for children who listened tonight - for calm evenings and the quiet solitude when the house sleeps.

Gratitude Day #10

1. I am grateful for thunderstorms with amazing lightening. The kids and I walked home in the storm after a program at school - I am still wet three hours later.

2. I am grateful for cell phones. I left my phone in one of the babies diaper bags during the storm and it went home with his Mother. I have no cell phone this evening and feel adrift. I entered the world of cell phones very late - maybe five years ago, and only upgraded to texting a year ago. I cannot believe how quickly that phone has become an essential part of feeling organized and connected.

3. I am grateful for the new Roots & Shoots service program at school. Today the children were treated to an excellent presentation about Pakistan as they kicked off their Pennies for Peace fund-raiser. The program is the brain child of Greg Mortenson author of Three Cups of Tea and the kids were amazed to learn that $600 will pay a teacher's salary for a whole year in Pakistan.

4. I am grateful for the end of a generally rotten day. Sometimes the only way to get rid of a bad mood is to go to bed and start over in the morning.

5. I am grateful for Calvin's devotion to the Wii. Ever since Santa brought the Wii for Christmas last year, Calvin has become my most helpful child as he tries to earn "Wii minutes". Almost every morning he wakes up early and asks if he can do a job so he can play on the Wii. It is a win win situation.

Gratitude Day #9

#1. I am grateful for girlfriends who push me to get up at 5:15 to work out - even if if makes me grumpy.

#2. I am grateful for sunny, warm weather in the 70's and entire afternoons spent playing in the yard. I am grateful for croquet in November.

#3. I am grateful for little children who still come and climb in my bed for comfort when they have a nightmare in the middle of the night. I am aware of how soon that ends.

#4. I am grateful for little steps forward and for this long lesson in patience.

#5. I am grateful for NPR in the car. "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" always makes me laugh.

Gratitude Day #8

#1. I am grateful for the sunrise this morning. It was nice to wake up and feel like it was actually morning and not the middle of the night. Do not ask me how I felt this evening at 5:20 when the sun set. I miss long summer nights.

#2. I am grateful for the $5 bouquet of flowers I picked up at Sam's Club this weekend. I have scattered them about in little bottles on my kitchen windowsill and there were enough left over to make a little arrangement for the top of the bookshelf in the dining area. They are bright and cheerful and make me happy.

#3. I am grateful for another beautiful day. The kids walked to school today without mittens and hats.

#4. I am grateful for sisters. Though they live very, very far away I still talk to my sisters every week - sometimes more. My sisters are amazing and I have leaned on them a lot this last year.

#5. I am grateful for beautiful music. Yesterday we listened to one of my favorite recordings on 25 minute drive to and from church. If you do not have A Thanksgiving of American Folk Hymns in your music library, I would highly recommend it. Need a little spiritual lift today? Go here. You're welcome.

Turkey Craft

Here is an easy little turkey craft for November. We made these with kids ages 3-10 with the older kids helping the younger (Yes, Calvin is in his pajamas. There was no school Thursday or Friday and he stayed in those pajamas for 48 hours - and had a great time.)


Start with a paper plate and three colors of paint - red, orange and yellow. Have the kids paint their plates however they want - the sample I showed them looked like a rainbow. Set aside to dry.


Cut feathers form cardstock - you want to use a heavier paper than construction paper. Give each child 5 feathers and ask them to write things they are grateful for on the small end of each feather.


Have each child choose a plastic lid, two googly eyes and a triangle for the beak (I had some wooden triangles from another project so we used those). Make your face inside the lid.


When the plates are dry, flip them over and glue the feathers to the underside of the plate, flip over again and glue the lid/face to the front of the plate.


When everything is dry, glue another plate to the back - or if you happen to have giant pixie sticks left over from Halloween like I do, hot glue a pixie stick to the back of your painted plate before adding the second plate.


I call it turkey on a stick.

Gratitude Day #7

#1. I am grateful that my lesson went well. It felt like it was 90 degrees in that room, but it may have just been my nerves.

#2. I am grateful for daylight savings and the extra hour of sleep last night. I had very strange dreams last night which may or may not have included Robert Downey Jr., Jason Alexander and the song "Gold Digger". I am as confused as you are. Perhaps my mind was unsure how to handle eight hours of sleep in one night.

#3. I am grateful for little Sophie who made dinner tonight.

#4. I am grateful for Calvin's sense of humor. He makes me laugh every single day.

#5. I am grateful for Max who is sitting at the kitchen table with me working on his homework. He has gotten much better about sitting still and focusing on tasks which means less reminders from me. He is a great kid.

Gratitude Day #6

#1. I am grateful for the weekend. I am grateful for sleeping in and lazy mornings before the kids activities and errands begin. I am grateful for staying up a bit late on Saturday nights because church does not start until 1:00 on Sundays.

#2. I am grateful for my calling at church. At first it intimidated me, but I have come to love the preparation and study required to teach the Old Testament. I am grateful for a calling which allows me to be with adults on Sunday for a few hours - it is just what I need at this time in my life.

#3. I am grateful for the little gym I just joined for the winter. After a two week sugar crazed rest, I went back to running today. I feel better, I have more energy and I am happier with myself when I get some exercise.

#4. I am grateful for good kid movies. We finally watched Toy Story 3 - adorable.

#5. I am grateful for the 60 degree sunny weather we enjoyed today.

Recipe: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

On Friday, Sophie and her friend decided to make cookies. They chose a new recipe from Martha's Everyday Foods, put on aprons and went to work.

These cookies are evil. Really, really good and even better with a glass of milk.

Makes 32

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.
2. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and chili powder (if using). Using heaping tablespoons, form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place, about 3 inches apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes (in my oven I baked them for about 8 minutes), rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)

Recipe: Broccoli Salad

This is a new recipe I tried for the teacher luncheon at the kids school. This version makes enough for a small army - or enough to bring a huge salad to an event and have plenty left over for your family as well. The salad is very crunchy and filling - feel free to substitute sunflower seeds for the almonds or use less if you'd like.

3 lbs of broccoli (I bought the Sam's Club bag of florets)
2 cups thinly sliced almonds, toasted
2/3 cup dried cranberries

bacon - cooked and chopped (I made a whole package for breakfast, gave 11 kids one piece each and used the rest in this salad - you could add more or omit entirely)

2/3 cup golden raisins
1 red onion, finely chopped

Buttermilk Dressing
1 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
2/3 cup mayonnaise (I did not have enough so I used half sour cream)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar (again, I used what I had which was white wine vinegar)
2 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (or, you could just use a little extra red onion)

salt and pepper to taste

Gratitude Day #5

#1. I am grateful for escape. I went on a date tonight with the kids. We escaped to the movies and spent a few hours unwinding from the stresses of the week. We may have had popcorn and candy for dinner. I think I have hit my "candy wall". I'm swearing off sugar for a week.

#2. I am grateful for little girls learning to bake. Sophie and her friend Reagan decided to try a new recipe today and made Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies. They did everything all by themselves and the cookies are delicious. See note above about the subsequent sugar fast.

#3. I am grateful for Lego League. Max's school just started a group this year and tomorrow is their first practice competition. Max seems to love the group and find it challenging which is great!

#4. I am grateful for the young man who mows my lawn. I have been paying him (and now his younger brother at times) to mow our 1/3 acre lawn for the past six years. Worth every penny because it is one less thing I have to worry about.

#5. I am grateful for the internet. I use it every day for work, for ideas and recipes, the news, for catching clips of TV, for paying bills, for reconnecting with friends and for making new friends. I use it to prepare my lessons on Sunday and I use it to blog and stay connected with my family and friends who are far away.

Yes, We Did Craft in October

Gratitude Day #4

#1. I am grateful for teachers. I attended four parent teacher conferences today at our school and I am so grateful to have excellent teachers in my kids' lives. I am grateful they love my children and find them as delightful as I do.

#2. I am grateful for three children who are cuddled up together tonight watching Parent Trap. I am grateful that they get along (most of the time) and enjoy being together.

#3. I am grateful for the end of a long day.

#4. I am grateful for a 12 year old TV that still works. Granted you have to actually walk up and push the buttons on the TV to turn up the volume or find the right channel for the DVD player to work, but it has served us well over the years. One of these days it will die and I will buy us a new one - preferably one that is not two feet deep.

#5. I am grateful for friends who check up on me and encourage me to keep going. This life would be a very lonely place without them. I am grateful to know and call my friends, some really remarkable women.

Gratitude Day #3

1. I am grateful for the Activity Day program at our church. Sophie adores her twice monthly meetings - they make her feel special and allow her to develop friendships with a lovely little group of young ladies. Tonight they went swimming at an indoor pool.

2. I am grateful for Motherhood and all of the joys it brings into my life. My life is richer, fuller and more meaningful because I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a Mom. I love my children.

3. I am grateful for the hundreds of books in my bedroom. If we are ever quarantined in our homes for months on end, we may run out food and water, but we will never be without something to read to pass the time. I may never have the chance to actually read them all, but they make me happy just knowing they are there.

4. I am grateful for really good grapes at the grocery store today.

5. I am grateful for nice neighbors who stop by and chat while I am outside with the kids and let me borrow their meat thermometer when I find mine has died.

Gratitude Day #2

1. I am grateful for the right to vote. After picking up the kids from kindergarten, the five of us walked over to the polling station to cast our votes. Well, I cast a vote and they played with the "I Voted" stickers.

2. I am grateful for the scouting program. Even though I find it a challenge to keep up with all Max needs to accomplish, I think the program teaches great skills and respect. I am grateful for the leaders who work with my son every week.

3. I am grateful for my favorite Leonidas Chocolates I found in my mailbox when we got back from scouts. Thank you Susan for thinking of me while you were in Chicago!

4. I am grateful for new friends and good conversation. I am grateful for the advice of those who have been through similar experiences.

5. I am grateful for Half Price Books even though I cannot leave there without a half dozen new titles to add to my "must read"pile by my bed. I am grateful for the clearance section where Max can pick up new books for $1.00 each.

Gratitude Day #1

I participated in this challenge last year and thought is was a wonderful way to really reflect throughout the month on all that we have.

1. I am grateful for fall. We are at the tail end of the season, but it is my favorite time of year.

2. I am grateful for no cavities in any of the kids. Calvin finished his appointment yesterday afternoon. I am grateful for Argosy Dental Clinic for providing low-cost dental cleanings and x-rays. The cost for all three kids with cleaning, fluoride treatment and full x-rays was $125 - they are located near the community center in Eagan.

3. I am grateful for a healthy family. The weather has turned cold and the daycare kids are starting to arrive with runny noses, but so far, we are all healthy. It is time to start scheduling the flu shots.

4. I am grateful for the start of this new month. I love Thanksgiving and though it does not look like we will have any family with us this year, we will celebrate with good friends and good food.

5. I am grateful for Sophie's new haircut. It takes about 1 minute to do her hair in the morning.

Harvest Parties - For the Grandparents

The children celebrate Halloween under the guise of "Harvest Parties" at their school. Last Thursday, I spend most of the day at the school to participate in the celebrations. Here is the day in a nutshell:

7:00-9:00 - eleven kids for play time, reading time and breakfast
9:00 - shuffle seven children out the door to walk to school - make sure they all brought their costumes and have hats and mittens
9:10-9:20 - Load four children into the car including two babies. Drive one child to preschool and drop her off
9:30-10:15 - Take three kids to Target to buy Sophie a winter coat and gloves as she was in tears this morning because of the cold
10:30 Drive to the school to attend Calvin's Harvest Party
10:40-11:30 - Watch Calvin's party and try and keep two mobile babies out of trouble
(impossible task)


11:30-11:40 - Drive back to preschool and pick up child
11:40-11:50 Drive back to school and pick up Calvin and another daycare child
12:00-1:00 Home with six children - feed everyone lunch. Try and deal with the latest crazy developments arriving via text from the ex
1:15 Get six kids into costumes and walk back over to the school to attend the parade and parties for Sophie and Max.
1:45 Drop off one child with his Mother who is volunteering at the school. Babies fall asleep (hallelujah!) Naps are short lived though and babies awake grumpy


2:00-3:40 - Wander back and forth between their two parties until school ends at 3:40. Wait for the kids to come out and walk home together with nine kids


4:00 Arrive home just as two more kids are arriving at the house
4:00-6:00 After school snack, play time and homework time
6:00 - All kids gone except my own. Hire Max as my babysitter, and drive to photo class.
6:30-9:00 Class
9:30 - home for the night, tuck kids into bed one more time, clean up the house, answer the emails and texts and end up staying up much too late trying to get caught up on life in general

Someone asked me the other day how I deal with the sadness and subsequent depression brought on by the challenges of life. Often I think the answer is to just stay busy.

Sunday Dinner

This is a great combination if you are having company for dinner. It is delicious, looks impressive, but it is not that difficult to make. I'll give you the instructions and you can try it for yourself. I needed an extra meal to bring to a family with a new baby and this made enough to feed two families and I still have enough leftovers to eat it for lunch this entire week.

Start by cooking the spaghetti squash. I bought two large squash, cut them in half and scooped out the seeds (buy yourself a sharp knife!). Set them rind side down in a roasting pan with two inches of water under them and cook at 350 for about an hour or until fork tender. I put a tablespoon of butter into each half while they were cooking.

Meanwhile, wash your carrots - I bought about 4 pounds of carrots with the greens attached just because I think they are pretty. I did not peel them, just washed them and cut the greens short. Toss the carrots in a little olive oil and some fresh thyme and kosher salt and dump them in a roasting pan.

Now prepare your pork roast. I bought a 5 pound seasoned roast at Sam's Club. This one was a portobello mushroom roast. They run about $15-18 at Sam's for this size and will feed about 12 adults. All you have to do is dump it in another roasting pan.

When your squash is done, take it out and set it aside to cool a bit. Throw the roast and the carrots in the oven at 350. You are going to cook the roast until it reaches 150 on a digital read thermometer (about 45 minutes). At that point, you want to take it out and set it atop the stove with a piece of aluinum foil to cover it. The roast will continue cooking and is done when it reaches 155. DO NOT OVERCOOK PORK (it becomes dry and nasty). The carrots will be done about the same time as the roast (they should still have a nice crunch).


While they are cooking, you have 45 minutes to make your mushrooms and salad. For the mushroom sauce, heat up some olive oil (about 3T.) in a pan and add about 2-3 pounds of sliced while onions. You are going to cook the onions stirring occasionally until they caramelize (turn a beautiful golden brown). This will take a while so make your salad.

For the salad, I diced 3 avocado and segmented three red grapefuit and then squeezed the rest of the grapefruit juice onto the top. Toss and serve on a bed of spinach leaves.

Now that your onions are caramelized, add a package or two of sliced baby bella mushrooms. Add salt and pepper, 1/2 cup beef broth and 3/4 cup of red wine. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. While that simmers, scoop all of the cooked spaghetti squash into a bowl and add salt and pepper. Toss.

In a small bowl, add 2T. flour and about 1/4 cup cold cream (or milk) and mix well. Add this mixture little by little into the mushroom oinion sauce until it thickens a bit (you will not need all of it). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the spaghetti squash onto a large platter. Take your roast, slice it and then arrange the slices on top of the squash. Pour the mushroom sauce on top.

That's it. Not very complicated, a really delicious meal and it makes a very nice presentation.