Blog Ambiguous

Little J - Zero to 4 Months Old

2011-06-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Made with love for my Little Love Bug. Love you little guy - Auntie Carol.

Hard Times Lately

2011-02-19T17:50:00.000-08:00

I sooo wish I could post about what's been going on in our lives, but as we know, cyberspace seems to be forever. I don't want these issues floating out in 'forever land'. But I will say this: My friend Rachel blogged about something super cool today, and I find it incredibly relevant. You can read it here!

Lumpia

2011-02-03T20:05:00.001-08:00

1 TB vegetable oil (I didn't add this to the mixture)
1 pound ground pork (or mix half and half with beef)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup onion, small dice
1/2 cup carrots, sliced, julianned
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced green cabbage
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Lumpia Wrappers thawed

Directions: mix everything together. Can be refrigerated over night, or made right away.

Tip: Look up a youtube video about how to assemble lumpia. Great youtube videos exist.

Split Pea Soup

2011-02-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

1 1/2 onions, small dice
2 celery stalks, small dice
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1-16oz. package split peas, rinsed and picked through
7 1/2 cups water
2 heaping TB of low sodium Better Than Bullion
crushed red pepper to taste
1 ham hock or ham bone w/meat
1 bay leaf
1 TB olive oil
1 TB butter

Directions:
Saute the onion and celery in the oil and butter until soft and translucent. Add garlic and saute a few minutes longer. Add the split peas, water, better than bullion, and ham bone. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Blend half to all of the soup. Separate meat from bone and add it back into the soup.

Optional Toppings:
Sour cream
crumbled bacon
cheddar cheese
greek yogurt

Entire Recipe
1822 calories
46 fat
114 fiber

Yields about 8 cups:
227 Calories
6 Fat
14 Fiber
4 pts. per cup

Yields about 9 cups:
202 Calories
5 Fat
13 Fiber
4 pts. per cup

Yields about 10 cups:
180 Calories
4 Fat
11 Fiber
3 pts. per cup

Bell's Christmas Vacation Day #7

2010-12-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

From Bell's perspective.

Today started out super slow. Actually, I woke up Aunt Carol at about 3am, and she didn't go back to sleep until about 7am, then I woke her up again at about 8:30 to feed me and take me out. I licked her face until she got up. Aunt Carol can't resist the face licking!

We took a long nap this afternoon, then got up just in time for a walk down to the post office to drop off a Netflix movie. We walked in 40 degree weather for a couple of miles, then came home.

Aunt Carol went to the supermarket to get me some chicken liver, which the store was out of, so she got some other chicken parts for me. They were yummy! All in all I've only skipped one meal while I've been here. I think it has something to do with the hot food they keep adding to my normal dry food. Today was ground chicken breast, a little chicken liver and some chicken hearts and gizzards. Aunt Carol and Uncle Shawn cooked for me tonight, which was awesome!

Mom and Dad shouldn't be too bothered by the hot food they are giving me - it's not much, just enough to encourage me to eat my normal food.

After dinner we headed downstairs to the 'movie theater' to watch a movie. I got a little freaked out by the surround sound, but I did ok. About an hour into the movie I was a little antsy, so I sat on Uncle Shawn for a while, then snuggled with Aunt Carol on the couch. I think it's time for bed now that the movie is over.

I hear some rumblings about some other doggies coming to visit - 3 to be exact. They are all pugs, and Aunt Carol says I'm going to have a fabulous time with them because they like to romp around and play, just like me.

Until tomorrow........

P.S. I have discovered that I really like baby carrots as a treat. The humans used to give carrots to their pup Tess, and figured they would give me a few. I really like them, but not as much as the Trader Joe doggie cookies.

Bell's Christmas Vacation Day #6

2010-12-28T09:56:00.000-08:00

From Bell's perspective.

Have I mentioned how many treats Uncle Shawn and Aunt Carol give me everyday? It's a lot! But not too many that I can't eat my food.....well, most of my food, anyway. Every time I go out to use the potty I get a treat. In fact, I insist that I get a treat. They think it's kinda funny, but then again, they don't have to live with me forever. I'm gonna milk it while I can. They keep reminding me that mom and dad are coming home soon.

Back to my day.....

This morning I woke up by licking Aunt Carol's face. I was done sleeping and I was just waiting patiently until I couldn't take it anymore - I had to get her up so I could start my day. We went outside for a few minutes, then I ate breakfast. After breakfast Aunt Carol needed to get some more work done so played tug-of-war with Uncle Shawn. He said that I pulled so hard he needed a break. Apparently I'm pretty strong and I might have even pulled a muscle in Uncle Shawn's shoulder. Oh well, it's all in good fun! He'll be fine. Aunt Carol told him to suck it up!

At about 2pm we all got in the car and went shopping. We went to a few different stores, one of which was my favorite - PetSmart. I got to walk around the store, meet some people and go crazy over some squeeky toys. I wanted to bring them home, but the humans wouldn't let me. They said that I would rip them apart in about 2 seconds. Just as well, I've got lots to do back at home.

I was in the car for about 4 hours with little potty breaks here and there. It was exhausting! By the time we got back on the freeway to get home I had conked out. Then, we got back into the house, I ate dinner and then went right to sleep. There was a little cuddle time in there somewhere, but I can't remember because I was entirely too tired.

I hear that I might go on a walk tomorrow if the weather is clear enough.

Oh yeah - I'm getting lots of rest on this vacation. Not as busy as it was over the summer.

Until tomorrow......

Bell's Christmas Vacation Day #5

2010-12-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

From Bell's perspective.

Today I woke up after cuddling with Aunt Carol all night long. I love sleeping on her bed with her. Uncle Shawn has been sleeping in the living room so I can have a choice of where I want to sleep, but I love the big bed.

I got a lot of rest today. After I woke up, went outside and had breakfast, I got back into bed with Aunt Carol and took a nap. She got up a little while later and headed downstairs to the workout room to hop on the treadmill. I went downstairs with her so Uncle Shawn could sleep a little later. When she started the treadmill I freaked out a little. I almost put my nose right to the treadmill belt, you know, the thing that moves, to see what was going on. In fact, I almost jumped on the treadmill with Aunt Carol. She saw that this was going to be a bit of a problem and took me back upstairs where everything was nice and quite. I heard her tell Uncle Shawn that he's going to have to look after me while she works out because I don't like the machinery very much.

After that little stint I played tug of war with Uncle Shawn for a while because Aunt Carol had to work. I heard something about her teaching 7 classes next semester and needing to get everything prepared ahead of time. She was on her computer for a few hours while I played and played.

In the evening we all hopped in the car and went to Walmart. Aunt Carol and Uncle Shawn bought me a couple of new toys: Another frisbee, which they said they didn't like too much, and a HUGE tug rope. The new tug rope has quickly become my favorite toy. It's pretty beefy! They try to keep me from chewing it, but sometimes they turn their back and I just can't help myself.

After our brief trip to Walmart we went for a short walk, and played with the new frisbee for about 1o minutes. They got a bit cold so we went home. Humans! Hmpfh! I was doing just fine running around in the cold, but they couldn't hack it.

Just as well though, because we came home and all cuddled on the bed while we watched a movie. I love all the attention I've been getting.

I must say though, I'm resting quite a bit more this time than I did last time I was here. It seems like they have figured out that I like to rest a bit too.

Until tomorrow.....

Bell's Christmas Vacation Day #4

2010-12-26T23:18:00.000-08:00

Today was an all around busy day. I woke up Aunt Carol this morning at about 8am ready to eat and go outside. Aunt Carol wanted to stay in bed and pretended to sleep, but I wasn't having any of that! I licked her face until she got out of bed.

I ate a little breakfast, then went outside. After coming back in the house, Aunt Carol had to do a little shopping. Apparently there were lots of people coming over today and some last minute things needed to be bought. A house full of people is always fun! I got to meet Shawn's dad and step-mom. They both really liked me a lot, but I was a bit apprehensive to meet them at first, but quickly warmed up to them.

There was a Christmas celebration going on all afternoon, and while folks were celebrating, I went under the dining room table and decided to chew on my new stuffed teddy bear. Aunt Carol was watching me pretty closely most of the time, but when she looked away for a few minutes, I had torn the stuffing out of the teddy bear's arm, set it aside, then ate the material. It wasn't too much, but it was so yummy, I just couldn't help myself. Aunt Carol had a bit of a panic attack after I ate the teddy bear's arm (sans stuffing), but it's material nonetheless. I was told I shouldn't have eaten it, but I'm not sure why they don't let me. It tastes sooooo good.

After I ate the teddy bear's arm I ran around outside for a bit. It was a lot of fun. The kids who came over rode their bikes, I chased my frisbee, then we all came back inside for a while. I had tons of energy running around, tugging on my tug rope, chewing on my kong ball, and snuggling with Aunt Carol on the couch when I needed a break. I was high energy all day, and barely took a 15 minute nap on Aunt Carol's lap in the afternoon. After my nap I woke with a bang and started playing and playing.

Most folks left around 5 or 6 in the evening, but a couple of folks stayed until 10pm. We had dinner around 9pm or so. Aunt Carol tried to feed me, but I wouldn't eat very much. She had to resort to hand feeding me which worked pretty well since I ate all my food, two small pieces at a time. I couldn't resist. Aunt Carol and Uncle Shawn are still putting a few tablespoons of chicken liver in my food so I'll eat everything. It has been working like a charm since day 1 of my visit this time.

Did I mention I ate tons of treats today? One of the kids fed me her carrots, and then accidentally dropped a teeny tiny mini marshmallow on the floor, which I quickly ate. But those aren't the treats I'm talking about. I ate tons of treats from Trader Joe's. I have 3 different types of TJ's treats that I'm getting, and I love each and every one of them. Uncle Shawn's dad fed me some treats, so did Uncle Shawn and Aunt Carol. They were trying to distract me from picking up food from the floor that was accidentally dropped.

After everyone left at about 10pm I was so exhausted that I couldn't wait to get into bed with Aunt Carol. She called me up, I promptly laid down and went to sleep. I have a feeling this is where I'll be all night long. In fact, I'm sleeping upside down as I type this. My back legs flailing in the air, my front legs straight and off to the side, and my little tongue sticking out. Nighty night!

Bell's Christmas Vacation Day #3

2010-12-25T21:57:00.000-08:00

From Bell's perspective.

Today was a good day. I woke up late again, about 8:30am. I just couldn't take the rumbling in my tummy, so I woke Aunt Carol up to take me out to use the potty, then she fed me. After she fed me we went for a long walk. Aunt Carol figured that it was going to start raining any minute, and we should get a walk in while we were able. We walked down to the local water district. Being Christmas morning and all, I walked only a little on the leash. I mostly walked off of the leash because there were no people around, and no other doggies. We had a smashing time. I ran and ran and ran! I sniffed around the area where I played during the summer and immediately remembered it. I was a little perplexed because Aunt Carol did not stop to throw a ball or my frisbee, we just walked and walked. Well, Aunt Carol walked, I ran!

After the walk we came back home and took a 2 hour nap. Since Uncle Shawn stayed up almost all night trying to fix his computer, he slept pretty late. After Aunt Carol woke up from her nap, and Uncle Shawn woke up from his night's sleep, we quickly got into the car and drove up to Uncle Shawn's brother's house to visit a lonely kitty named Boots. Uncle Shawn and I stayed in the car while Aunt Carol went into snuggle with Boots, feed him and make sure he had water. A little while later Aunt Carol got back into the car and we left. We stopped by a supermarket before it closed (it is Christmas, after all), then headed straight home.

Uncle Shawn and Aunt Carol cooked a small Christmas dinner of ham and green beans, made me my dinner, then we all rested. I took another couple of hour nap. I am getting used to being on the big bed, not just the bed that Uncle Shawn moved onto the floor. I love being up there. It keeps me quite and sleeping longer, so Aunt Carol and Uncle Shawn can get some rest. I will reiterate again though, that I don't generally jump up on the bed unless I'm invited. Tonight I'm planning on getting a good nights sleep so we can visit with Uncle Shawn's family tomorrow.

Nighty night everyone!

Bell's Christmas Vacation Day #2

2010-12-24T21:40:00.000-08:00

From Bell's perspective

We slept in late this morning. We stayed in bed until about 8:30am, because that's when I needed to go potty. Aunt Carol let me go run around outside where I did my business. I also tracked the scent of a cat. I haven't found the cat yet, but I'm gonna, I swear!

Aunt Carol then fed me some more food with just a couple tablespoons of chicken liver. I ate almost all of it. This puts Aunt Carol and Uncle Shawn's mind at ease. Not only am I eating most of my food, they are giving me lots of treats. I love it!

After breakfast we got back into the car and headed down to Sacramento to meet some of Aunt Carol's friends from a long time ago. I think she said something about Teen Mania, but I can't be sure. They had lunch with their friends, we sat outside so I could be a part of the crowd, then Uncle Shawn took me for a little walk around the parking lot. Once we were done with our walk we left and headed to Fry's Electronics. Uncle Shawn went inside to look for a computer part while Aunt Carol and I walked and walked. We must have walked for about 20 minutes, but I was running the whole time.

On the way back home, Uncle Shawn and I fell asleep in the car. Here we are sleeping. Aunt Carol apparently took pictures while she was driving, but she was safe because we made it home ok.

After we got back home Aunt Carol, Uncle Shawn and I all took a nap on the big bed. I must add though, that I'm very respectful of their bed. I don't jump up unless I'm asked. My Mom and Dad taught me well!!!

We all woke up, played for just a little bit, then Aunt Carol and I went back to sleep while Uncle Shawn worked on his broken computer.

Here is a picture of me sleeping on the big bed:

Don't mind the sheet hanging from the window. Apparently the shade broke and they haven't replaced the curtains yet. They will soon - they told me that they just installed curtain rods and bought new curtains. I have a feeling they are going to wait to hang the curtains until after I leave. I don't mind though, the sheet keeps the room nice and dark so I stay asleep longer in the morning. I kind of like it.

All in all, the last two days have been very restful. I have slept a lot, and taken a few naps. I knew I was going to have a good time at Aunt Carol and Uncle Shawn's.

Before I forget, Aunt Carol wants me to mention that I ate ALL my dinner tonight. Not a drop left. Even with all of the treats they are giving me, I still ate all my dinner. I really do like the liver with my food. Aunt Carol and Uncle Shawn think they have found the trick to me eating. Well, it's the liver and the fact that I remember this place that's doing it. I have a doggie smile on my face all day long. They pet me all day long, take me with them wherever they go, and give into my every whim. I really do like it here.

Bell's Christmas Vacation Day #1

2010-12-23T21:13:00.000-08:00

Since this has pretty much turned into a doggie blog, something I was not intending, but with all of the blogging I do during the semester for my classes, my personal blog has fallen by the wayside.

The following 11 or so posts are from Bell, my friend Leah's doggie. She came to stay with us during the summer (see posts below), and now she's back at our place for Christmas and the New Year while her family has flown halfway across the country to spend the holiday's with family.

Without further ado, here's the story of Bell's Christmas Vacation, from Bell's perspective......

Thursday was a really fun day. Mom said that I was going to go somewhere fun. Mom packed the car with my very comfy doggie bed, and I thought to myself, "Oh no! My family is leaving me again!". I was a bit sad, but Mom guaranteed me some fun, and told me that she was going to return. There were some familiar things about this drive. Something looked and smelled the same. It was only when I arrived at THE PARK that I remember having lots of fun here.

Mom played with me for a few minutes until I heard someone yell my name, "Bell". I turned, and standing there were Uncle Shawn and Aunt Carol. Oh yeah, I've named them Uncle and Aunt - I hope Mom doesn't mind.

Back to my story - I heard someone yell my name and I ran right up to them. Uncle Shawn and Aunt Carol seem to think that I remember them. Hmmmm, I'm not so sure, but I was super happy to see them. I was excited about my adventure. They put me in the car, then they talked for a while. *Hmph - humans!* I just wanted to get going. After a few minutes, we left.

Right as we left, I jumped right onto Uncle Shawn's lap in the front seat of the car, but not before covering Aunt Carol in face kisses. This is how I rode all the way back to their house, on Uncle Shawn's lap. I even fell asleep. Here's a picture of standing on Uncle Shawn in the front seat.

This seems to be the only way I'm content to ride in the car now, which is fine because Uncle Shawn loves to cuddle with me.

After we arrived home, we soon headed out the door again. We went to a school to play with remote control helicopters with Uncle Shawn's two brothers. We had a short, but fabulous time! I chased my ball and caught my frisbee a little, but not too much because I heard my Mom tell Aunt Carol that I haven't exercised too much lately, and that we should ease into it. Aunt Carol made sure I didn't run too much, although I wanted to keep going and going. I had a feeling I would have more opportunity at another time to play, so I was content.

After we got back home I hung out with Aunt Carol on the couch for a bit. That was nice! I snuggle right up next to her and even tried to sit on her lap.

That evening we just hung around the house. Aunt Carol went to the store to get me a treat - some chicken liver!!! Apparently this used to work with their pup Tess (I hear she's in heaven now), and it works with me like a charm. They bought a container of chicken livers for about a dollar, boiled them, and add only a couple of tablespoons of mashed up chicken liver to coat my food. I ate the WHOLE THING because it was soooo yummy! (As an aside: Aunt Carol and Uncle Shawn's vet recommended they do this with their last pup to keep her iron levels up. So they know it's safe for me to eat, especially since they are giving me just enough to encourage me to eat.)

When I was done eating, we all piled onto the big bed and snuggled for a bit and watched some TV. That's where I slept all night! It was glorious! I love sleeping on the big bed.

I think this vacation is going to be better than my last. Until tomorrow........

Brownies from 1934

2010-11-05T04:11:00.000-07:00

One of my students recently did a speech on her great grandmother. Apparently, Mrs. W. D. Johnston submitted a very early recipe for brownies to the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of shortening
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 ounces of chocolate
1/2 cup of sifted general purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of nutmeats (optional)

Instructions:
*Cream the shortening
*Add sugar and cream together
*Beat eggs and add to mixture
*Add milk to mixture
*Melt the chocolate and add to mixture
*Sift in all dry ingredients
*Add nutmeats
*Stir all ingredients together

*Place in a shallow, greased and floured 9x13 pan and bake in over at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes
*Remove from oven, let cool and cut into bars

This recipe is a far cry from the thick, fudgey and cakey brownies with all of the additions we use today. This is a simple recipe from the 1930's - pure, a little sweet, but very 1930's. Enjoy!

More Nursery Letters

2010-10-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

I painted these letters for my BFF's adorable kiddo. I designed the bottom, then Stacy sent me suggestions for the top half of the letters. I didn't like them at first, but now I love them!

The Story of Bell - Day 13

2010-06-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up with a bang again (this is how Carol knows my tummy is feeling better - I have TONS of energy.....well, that and my *ahem* -you know- is a bit more firm). I woke up Carol to take me outside to go potty. After coming back in she gave me a treat. I went back to sleep for a little while, then wanted some puppy love. Carol laid with me on the floor and pet by belly - my favorite. Every time she would take her hand away I growled. It was so cute. Carol thinks I'm getting a little demanding, but hey, I'm on vacation, right? (Plus, Carol and Shawn are suckers - they love me).

I'm going on a walk now so I can get out some energy. I will write more later!

The Story of Bell - Day 12

2010-06-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well, my tummy was a bit funny in the morning (a bit of gas, and some not so firm....uh, well, you know). I wasn't interested in breakfast even though Carol begged me to eat. I wasn't interested. This seems to be a common theme - no breakfast early in the morning, but I get hungry around 10 or 11am.

Carol ran out of Trader Joe's organic doggie treats (and she returned the BIG BOX of doggy treats, fearing that is what made my tummy funny yesterday), and made a special 30 minute trip to Folsom to Trader Joe's to get me another box of treats. Mmmmmm, I love those treats, and I know those don't do anything weird to my tummy.

She returned with the treats at about 4pm. She gave me 3 treats I think. They were sooo good. After I played in the house a bit with my toys, Shawn and Carol decided I needed some more exercise. They took me to the water district play area again. My friend Ace was back with his mommy, and we romped around and played catch and fetch! It was so much fun. Then, about 10 minutes into our play time the two big black retrievers came and joined us. We had so much fun romping around and catching the frisbee. Well, I caught the frisbee, the other pups romped around and played with a ball. Ace tried to out run me, but I was too fast for him.

When we came home I rested for about a half hour, then Carol fed me. She mixed a bit of wet dog food in with my dry food again, but I was only partially interested. She hand fed me until I was fully interested, then I finally ate the whole bowl. With a full tummy, I feel asleep. It was nice.

After a couple of hours of resting, Carol feel asleep around 9pm, and I hung out with Shawn. We cuddled in the living room - it was nice.

I heard I'm going home tomorrow, and I can't wait to see my family!!! I miss them TONS and can't wait to get back to my normal schedule.

The Story of Bell - Day 11

2010-06-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today was an especially interesting day for me. We didn't do much in the morning, but around noon Shawn's brother and sister-in-law came over. That's when the fun began. We BBQ'd outside for a little while, then came in the house to eat. The humans had chicken and pork with rice, fruit and veggies. I had my normal fair, with extra treats. Shawn's brother Jonathan gave me some doggie treats.

About an hour or two later Shawn and his brother went downstairs to put up some more lights, run wires and then finally work on Jonathan and Sharon's car. It was midnight before they were done. While they were downstairs Carol kept me upstairs because there are remodeling tools downstairs that I could possibly get hurt on, and they didn't want that. I really wanted to be with Shawn, and got super anxious when I couldn't get to him, but Carol kept cuddling with me and reassuring me that he would come back soon and that everything was going to be ok. I got some more doggie treats (perhaps too many).

They got done super duper late, then Shawn had a business call until almost 4am. I was up almost the entire time.

As a result, I got little sleep, and started to have a funny tummy during the night.

At about 6pm though, Carol and Sharon took me for a walk on the doggie path. We only walked about 2 miles, but it was a good workout. I didn't get to play fetch or catch the frisbee because Carol wanted me to rest a bit. But perhaps tomorrow.....

The Story of Bell - Day 11 - Special Note to Mom

2010-06-13T15:01:00.001-07:00

Hi Mom - Carol said that your flight was delayed. I just wanted to say that I miss you, and can't wait to see you.

The Story of Bell - Day 10

2010-06-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

Today was a packed day. This morning Shawn and Carol's sister-in-law came over and we took a 2 mile walk downtown. We dropped some letters off at the post office, then we headed to the Farmer's Market. Lots of people were stopping to pet me, and even some kids were petting me. It was heaven. I even met another dog at the Farmer's Market, it was really cool.

This afternoon we all took a nap together. Shawn played with me for a little while, and Carol cuddled with me for a long time. I fell asleep on Carol for a while. Then, Shawn's brother and his wife came over. When they walked in the door my booty almost fell off from wagging so much. I really like those guys! I hope they come back.

After dinner we all went to play fetch with the frisbee and ball. I met another dog who's name is Ace I think. We played together for a long time. Ace's mom was super talkative, which was ok as long as they kept throwing the ball and frisbee. I caught the frisbee most of the time, but even when I didn't, Ace was a perfect gentleman. Sometimes he would pick up the frisbee, but lots of times he left it there for me to get.

After about an hour of playing on and off, we came back to the house and I fell asleep on Carol again. It was so comforting. She was petting me the whole time I was sleeping. I loved it!

Tomorrow we might go to the lake, if we have time.

I will write more then......

The Story of Bell - Day 9

2010-06-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

Nothing too exciting happened today. We hung out all day at the house, then went to play catch at a nearby school. We had a good time. There was lots of cuddle time with Shawn and Carol. Gosh, those two LOVE to cuddle with me.

I'll write more tomorrow.

The Story of Bell - Day 8

2010-06-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

(From Bell's perspective).

Today was a bit more mellow than yesterday. I think the tiredness of walking 3 miles in the morning, playing in the afternoon and then going to play with the frisbee and tennis ball has finally started to catch up with me. I still have tons of energy, but I'm not bouncing off the walls anymore.

Carol woke up this morning and took me back to the dog trail. We planned on doing on 2 miles this morning, but we met a woman who's name we don't know, and her dog Latte, and ended up doing three whole miles again. Latte is a 12 year old pup, and had tons of energy. Latte was being walked off of her leash, so she and I became quick friends since I was off my leash too. Latte was a submissive pup too, so we got along really well. I must admit though, I listen much better than Latte. When we were romping around the walking path, I would listen to Carol when she called me. Latte would ignore, ignore, ignore, then finally respond to her owner. Responsive or not, I had tons of fun with Latte this morning.

This afternoon was quite uneventful. Since I was so tired, I just hung around the house all day without even really playing with my toys too much.

This evening though, was fun, traumatic, and a learning experience. We went to a new area to play with my ball and frisbee, and within the first 10 minutes, Carol accidentally threw the ball into the Blackberry bushes. If you know anything about blackberry bushes, you know that those suckers hurt! I wouldn't dare go in there to try and find my ball. Good thing we were right down the street from Walmart. Carol left me with Shawn so that she could replace my lost ball. When she got back with my new ball, she noticed that I was covered in something. Shawn was on the phone taking a business call at the time, and maybe didn't notice what happened, but I was probably running a bit too fast trying to catch the frisbee, and I slid across the grass and into some poop. You read the right - poop! I'm not sure if it was deer poop, or dog poop (we're guessing the latter), but it smelled SO BAD. Carol and Shawn immediately took me back to their house, thankfully they have a blanket covering the backseat of the car. When we got there they gave me a bath. This was soooo not a happy time (see the first pic above). They washed my whole body, paws, belly and all, even though the poop was only on the front right side of my chest, and halfway down my right leg. They washed the poopy area three times to make sure I smelled wonderful, and that I was completely clean. (Even after 3 washings, the part of me covered in poopy still smelled a little, so later tonight they washed that area of me just one more time. Now I smell really good - like Boysenberries. At least that's what the doggie shampoo smelled like.)

After the bath they took me to play some more since I'm afraid of the hair dryer. Running does the same thing, and I get to play - so they thought this was a good idea. We went back to the water district (see the second picture) to play some more. After the water district, I was still a bit damp, so I stuck my head out the window and Carol drove around town a bit. They had to stop by the grocery store, so off we went.

Carol and Shawn (more Carol) have been really concerned about the amount of food I have been eating, or not eating I should say. I eat some treats in the morning, then maybe one or two small treats throughout the day, then I barely eat a cup of food at night. Well, this means that I have lost a bit of weight while my family has been on vacation. I just don't think that Carol and Shawn know my schedule, and how I maybe eat alone. My food at their house is always with them, and I am a bit apprehensive to eat around them. Even taking treats from their hand is a bit hard for me still, but I'm getting more used to that.

While at the grocery store they picked up two more things for me. They bought me a can of Iams dog food, and a savory bacon sauce to put on dry dog food, also from Iams. They are trying to entice me to eat more. Well, it worked like a freaking charm!!! Carol got my bowl out and put a whole scoop of food in there with a few tablespoons of wet Iams dog food from the can, and man did I chow down. When she noticed that I was chowing down, and had actually licked the bowl clean, she gave me a second helping. I finished 2 whole scoops in a matter of minutes tonight. Yep, they are happy campers now that they have figured out how to get me to eat. They haven't tried the bacon sauce yet, but I'm sure I will love it. There's enough for me to take home when my family comes back from vacation. But for now, I'm hoping they will stick with the wet dog food (just a few tablespoons) to coat my dry dog food. They are trying to be cautious and not change my diet. But hey, at least I'm FINALLY eating!!!! And since I have lost a bit of weight since coming to Shawn and Carol's, we are all happy to get some food in me. Plus, with all of the exercise, I need to keep my calorie intake up. I hope mom and dad won't be too mad that they have had to try a number of different things to get me to eat my food.

After we went to the supermarket, I was exhausted!!! The final picture to the side is of me in the front seat with Shawn. When I get tired in the car I like to cuddle with Shawn, sit on his lap while we are driving so he can pet me. (Carol and Shawn are such suckers!).

Until tomorrow...... Little Miss signing off.......

The Story of Bell - Day 7

2010-06-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

(From Bell's perspective)

Today I woke up with a bang. Actually, I woke up pretty early and tried to go back to sleep, patiently waiting for Carol to wake up. Carol is my morning person, and Shawn is my night time person since he stays up well into the night. Carol let me out, and tried to get me to eat breakfast, but I wasn't interested. I was holding out for some treats.

At about 10am I went in to see what was taking Carol so long to come and get me for my morning walk. She said she was going to skip the walk this morning, but I wasn't having any of that!!! I barked and growled until she stopped working and took me out for my walk. A girl's gotta get some exercise, right? We drove down to the dog path and walked for about 3 miles. A lot of that time was off the leash because there were very few people around. Every time we noticed someone on the path, Carol put my leash back in, just in case. After the walk we came home and I went right to sleep again. I think I got a treat when I got back, but I can't remember. But I do remember not eating breakfast even though it was down for me.

Carol was gone part of the day, but Shawn and I hung out a bit while he was working. I slept most of the time, which was nice. When evening rolled around we went back to the water district by the house and played for a while. It wasn't too intense, just enough for me to get some energy out.

When we got back to the house tonight, I whined and whined until they gave me my favorite toy (which was Tess' toy, but I have taken a liking to it). Here is a picture of me playing with the toy:I think my dad mentioned something about me chewing up fuzzy toys like teddy bears and the like. However, I found this toy by accident, and I LOVE IT!!!!!! I can't get enough of this toy. Carol doesn't let me chew on it very much because it's was her last pup's toy, but she does let me play with it. She watched me the whole time though and makes me stop chewing if she catches me.

After I played with the fuzzy toy, I finally ate dinner and put Carol's mind to rest (man, that girl worries about everything.....especially me). I didn't eat all of it, but I ate some. I then went into the living room and laid on the bed because it was getting close to my bedtime. Here are a couple of pictures from bedtime tonight:In this picture I have my head by the pillow. I had just moved it from being on the pillow. I didn't want any incriminating evidence. But as you can see, I sleep with my tongue hanging out a little.
I'm glad this picture was taken, because it finally proves that I sleep a little weird. Shawn and Carol think this is one of the cutest things I do; I sleep on my back with my legs straight out, and my front paws bent with my head twisted to the side. They think it can't be comfortable, but I sleep like this for hours every night.

Well, as you can see I'm a bit tuckered out (so are Shawn and Carol), so I will post more again tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow or the next day we can head down to the American River so I can romp around. It will be SOOOO fun! Good night.

The Story of Bell - Day 6

2010-06-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

This morning Carol woke up extra early to take me for a morning walk. We ended up walking for over an hour, and logged at least a few miles. We met a woman on our walk that has a pup just like me, and I warmed up to her right away giving my signature puppy smile and wagglin' booty. I love meeting new people.

After we got home I ate breakfast and promptly took a nap. Long walks in the foothills makes me a bit sleepy.

This afternoon was uneventful. We didn't do much because Carol and Shawn decided that I needed to have a little break from all of the exercise. They don't want me to go back to my owners with any overuse injuries. So I played in the house for a while.

This evening we went back to the water district that has a little secluded place that we can play. No long runs chasing the frisbee, just some light running and catching the frisbee in mid-air. I met my large labrador friends again while we were there. They are so much fun to romp around with. They are very large puppies, but know how to romp with the best of 'em.

Carol thought she outsmarted me by crushing up a cookie in my food so I would eat it. Well, over the last couple of days I have learned to lick the cookie out of my food bowl and leave my food behind. I do eat some of my food, but not as much as I normally would. I have a feeling Carol is going to change her tactic pretty soon with the food. I will have to outsmart her again, she just doesn't know it yet.

I have heard some rumblings about going to a lake so I can go romp around in the water. Anytime I near water, it draws me in. Carol said that if I go in the lake, Shawn is going to give me a bath afterward. It's ok though, as long as I get to romp in the water I'll take the bath in stride.

I'm not sure what they have planned for me tomorrow, but I'll be Carol will wake up and take me for an early morning walk again, followed by breakfast and a nice puppy massage. It seems like it's a morning ritual now. This vacation is awesome - puppy treats, long walks, lots of playing, puppy massages everyday.........but I do miss my family and can't wait to get back to my normal routine.

Until tomorrow, Little Miss (aka, Bell) signing off.

The Story of Bell - Day 5

2010-06-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

(From Bell's perspective)

Today I woke up with a bang, and energy to spare. Carol was awake for a little while before I was. I slept in a little with Shawn. But Carol got up at about 8, after working on her classes a bit, to take me for another hour long walk. We are really bonding during those times. She has figured out that I like to run and jump and have a lot of fun in the morning. If she lets me run around a little bit before my walks I am a lot better walking on the leash. I don't pull nearly as much, and with her training me a bit, I walk right next to her most of the time.

After my walk I came back home and took a nap. I love all of the exercise I'm getting, but I really like my naps too. After my nap we went and played catch at a new park. There was water there and I romped around in it a bit, against the wishes of Shawn and Carol. I stuck my tongue in the water too, but Carol freaked out and yelled and me to come to her. Apparently she didn't want me drinking that yucky water, especially since my tummy is better now.

Tonight we are heading down to meet a friend of Shawn's, it should be fun. Maybe I will get to go on a walk, or romp around a bit more.

I forgot to mention a couple of things from my post earlier this week. Carol has nicknamed me "Little Miss". I really like the nickname, especially when they say it in that really fun and friendly tone of voice.

Oh, and another thing - Carol made me a really thick bed out of blankets when I first got here. I only use it sometimes because I prefer the big bed on the floor, but I have to admit something...... I started chewing on the tassels last night and Carol caught me right after I swallowed a whole tassel. All day today Carol has been watching me closely because she wasn't sure if I swallowed it, or if it was already missing from the blanket. I'm not going to tell you how she knows this, but Carol found the tassel today - - - uh - - - in a pile in the backyard.......not that she was FRANTICALLY looking for it or anything. She shouldn't have worried so much cause us doggies eat random things all the time.

I might post again tonight, but will probably wait until tomorrow.

The Story of Bell - Day 4

2010-06-06T15:20:00.001-07:00

This morning Carol took me for a long walk. I woke up with a bang, ready to go out. Carol put my leash on me and we started on the dog trail. I pulled and pulled because I had so much energy. I think I'm going to win the battle of the leash while I'm here. Then we went to the water district to run around a bit. There was nary a soul in site, so Carol took me off my leash so I can run, jump and hop around. Good thing too, I had tons of energy. We circled the large building three times and I got to get some energy out. When we were done with that, Carol put me back on my leash and I was much easier to walk. At this point Carol had me walk right next to her, correcting me when I tried to get ahead of her.

I forgot to mention, while on the little stint on the dog trail, some folks came towards me and wanted to pet me. I got a bit anxious and tried to hide behind Carol and when they put their hand out to let me sniff, I instead growled. Not sure what that was all about, so Carol is going to tell my mom and dad about it. Perhaps I'm just anxious without my family? When Carol and Shawn took me on a long walk yesterday, I was just fine. Maybe the folks looked a bit mean? I'm not sure, but from now on when Carol walks me along, she will not stop to talk to folks. When we stopped to talk to Shawn's sister and brother-in-law, I was just fine and they pet me and I loved it. So I'm not sure what happened this morning.

Back to my day..... This afternoon Carol went shopping and I slept while she was gone for a couple of hours. Then this afternoon I slept for another couple of hours. I think Carol and Shawn have been doing a good job of wearing me out with exercise, walks, the frisbee and playing inside the house. They have also been petting me A LOT. When I say A LOT, I mean hours and hours a day.

It's about 3:30 and I just woke up. Carol said that I will get another walk tonight, but that maybe we should skip the frisbee today.

Oh, I forgot to mention....... When Carol got home from shopping, she gave me the BIGGEST box of dog treats I have ever seen. Apparently she went to Costco and they had organic doggie treats. Mmmmmm, I love them! She said that I can take home whatever I don't eat this week. Considering it's a 3.5lb. box of treats, I will probably go home with quite a few.

Until later.......

As I suspected, we went out last night to play. Shawn and Carol decided that I should take it easy since I have been going on walks twice a day, and playing catch/fetch twice a day. They took me back to the water district since they have an area of grass with a picnic table. I play catch while Carol threw the ball into the air, and I was fetching when Shawn would throw the ball. When we were just about to leave, two very large labrador retrievers came up to us. Carol freaked out because she didn't know if they were friend or foe. Turns out they were as friendly as I am. I ran up to their owner, booty a'waggin' and wanted her to pet me. Then a fun game of fetch ensued with the three of us. Since I was already pretty worn out, I ran just a little bit longer, but the decided I had had enough. We then went home.

Carol and Shawn cuddled with me for a little while, then they watched some TV while I slept on the hardwood floor. At about 11pm Shawn came out and cuddled with me some more and we feel asleep together on the big doggie bed.

I might have forgotten to mention that Shawn and Carol rearranged their house to make me more comfortable. Since I like to sleep in the living room, the big dog bed (the queen sized bed) was moved into the living room. Carol and Shawn said that this is what their last dog loved, and thought that I would like it too. Yep, I sure do. And I love cuddling up to Shawn in the middle of the night and I especially like sleeping with my tongue hanging out.

Tomorrow is a new day, but I think it will be less busy. Carol's online classes start tomorrow, so I don't think I will get as much activity. But we'll see. Night night.

The Story of Bell - Day 3

2010-06-05T13:16:00.001-07:00

(From Bell's perspective) Today has been really fun so far, and it's only 1:20 in the afternoon. When I woke up this morning, Carol let me out, then we came back in and she gave me a puppy massage. Yes, that's right, a puppy massage. She used to do it everyday for her last pup Tess, and just continued on with me. I loved it!!! I think she's going to do that every morning since she gave me a puppy massage yesterday, and today.

Shawn and Carol took me on a long walk this morning after my massage. We met some of Shawn's family on the walking trail, by chance. We weren't even planning on meeting up with them. Shawn's sister is so nice, she pet me a little bit. We then continued on to the Placerville Farmer's Market, which is actually quite small. I met a bunch of doggies along the way, some of which wanted to meet me, but their owners wouldn't let them. After the Farmer's Market we continued on and walked to the post office to drop off a letter in the mail. We then turned around and stopped at Round Table so Carol and Shawn could pick up a salad. Carol got me a large cup of ice water, which I drank a bunch of. The ice was a little odd at first, but I quickly figured out that it was nice and cold, and I drank some of it out of a cup.

The picture above was taken after we got back from our walk. You can't tell by the picture, but the fan was on low, but still going pretty fast. Carol mentioned that Tess used to love to lay in front of a fan during the summer, and thought I would like to try it. She was right. I had a good time laying in front of the fan for a while, but now I'm cuddling with Shawn on the big dog bed on the floor. I don't use the bed Carol set up for me too often, as I prefer the big doggie bed we can all cuddle on. I really like it when all three of us can cuddle together. That's my favorite.

I need to take a nap now. While our walk was only about 2 miles this morning, I'm a bit tired. Perhaps I will update later. I heard some rumblings about going to play with my frisbee again before dinner, so I need to get some rest while I can.

Until later.....

It's about 10:30pm and I'm pooped, but Shawn and Carol won't stop petting me, so I haven't slept much today. I did get a bit of rest this afternoon, but not too much. We went to play frisbee again, it was pretty fun. It was hotter today then it was yesterday, so I only played for about 10 minutes before I laid down. I drank a ton of water while playing too, so that probably had something to do with it. When we got back to the house I cooled off. We had dinner and then Shawn and Carol pet me for about 4 hours. It was heaven. I know that seems like a long time, but they are used to it.

I seem like I am adjusting well, but I really do miss my family. Shawn and Carol seem to have a different schedule than I'm used to. Shawn stays up really late, and Carol gets up really early, so my schedule is kind of off right now. I'm fitting in well though. I must say, I'm pushing the envelope when it comes to attention. Those two seem to give in to my every whim. I sit on Shawn all the time so he'll pet me. He can sit there for hours and pet me, it's odd (even Carol thinks so). ;)

Hopefully I can get some sleep tonight. I hope my family is having fun on vacation. Personally, I think I will need a vacation from my vacation. Isn't that what all the humans say??? I will write more tomorrow.

The Story of Bell - Day 2

2010-06-04T14:17:00.001-07:00

(From Bell's perspective)

Well, it's day 2 of my vacation. I'm a bit more used to my surroundings now. After a 2 hour nap, Carol and Shawn took me for a walk around the neighborhood at about 11:30pm last night. I was resting well after the walk until I hear something outside at about 2:00am. I darted around the perimeter of the house to secure things. That's when I spotted a cat! I tried going after it, but Shawn and Carol stopped me. I never made it past the driveway. Man, I could have gotten that cat. Oh well, there's always tonight!

I woke up this morning and went outside. My tummy is still giving me a bit of trouble, but I suspect that will subside since I haven't eaten anything. Carol seems pretty nervous about my lack of eating and keeps trying to hand feed me, put my bowl near me, and she has even had a conversation with me about my food intake. Maybe I will eat tonight?

Carol took me on a very fast walk this morning. I keep hearing something about leash training, and we did a little bit of that today, but I think I will out-will them. We'll see! But the walk was great fun. Then at about noon today they took me to a school that had a H.U.G.E. field and I got to chase the ball and catch a frisbee for a little while. Once we got back to their house I fell asleep on the dog bed (the queen sized one on the floor). Actually, if you look at the picture above, I feel asleep on Shawn's pillow. No worries though, I asked permission to use the pillow! Carol took the picture with my tongue sticking out while I'm sleeping. I asked her not to take it, but she did anyway.

It's 2:30pm and I'm going to go back to resting for a little while. I heard some chatter about going out and catching a frisbee again. I need to get rested up for that! I will update again later once I find out what tonight has in store for me.

Later today.....
At about 6pm Carol drove about a half hour to go to Trader Joe's to get me a BIG BOX of cookies. They are organic and soooo yummy! I still haven't touched my food, but I have snacked a bit on the cookies, which makes Carol happier. While Carol was driving to Trader Joe's, Shawn took me for another walk. I walked on the leash a bit better and didn't pull as much, but I still get really excited about walks.

Then, at about 8:30 tonight, Shawn and Carol brought me back to the school to play with the frisbee. We only played for about 10-15 minutes before I laid down. Boy was I pooped. Once we got back to the house, Shawn turned on the air conditioner and turned on some fans. I'm laying in front of one of the fans right now. It feels really good after running at top speed after a frisbee. Carol said that this is what their dog used to do, and thought that I would like it. Wouldn't you know, I do!

Tonight is a movie night, so Shawn and Carol are just hanging out. I think I'll just hang out with them and get some more love. They have been petting me a lot, and I think I'm going to try and continue that trend.

I will write more tomorrow, but I must add, this vacation is so much fun so far (but I can't wait to see my mom, dad, brother and sister. I know it may not seem like it, but I miss them a lot).

Update at 10pm - Carol outsmarted me. She got out a cutting board and a large kitchen knife and shaved some of the yummy cookies into my food bowl. She also left some chunks in there as a treat. I ate my whole bowl of food! Carol and Shawn are sooo happy that I ate. How could I deny the food with bits of treats??? I sure hope they do that tomorrow.

The Story of Bell - Day 1

2010-06-03T20:24:00.001-07:00

(From Bell's perspective)

Today was an adventure! I got to drive with my daddy all the way from San Francisco to Davis, where I met some folks who seemed really friendly. They threw my frisbee for me for a while, I drank a bunch of water, then I got into a car I've never been in before. I was pretty excited for a while, in fact, almost the whole drive to a place these people called Placerville. I guess I should mention that these people call themselves Shawn and Carol. They explained that I was going to go on a mini-vacation with lots of walks, maybe a hike or two, tons of treats, and I will get to play a lot of catch. Of course I was excited!

On the way to Placerville I stuck my head out of the car window, but only when the car was going slow, and Shawn held me so nothing happened. It was heaven. I accidentally drooled a little on the car, a bit on Carol and a lot on Shawn, but hey - I was too excited about my adventure. Shawn crawled in the backseat with me about 10 minutes into the drive, and I spent the entire 45 minute drive in his lap. About 20 minutes before we arrived at their house, Shawn and I fell asleep together. Carol mentioned how cute that was! I must say though, I am a cutie!!!

We finally arrive at their house and I sniffed around a bit, then immediately saw the BIGGEST dog bed I have ever seen in my life in the master bedroom. I knew I was in heaven!!! Carol and Shawn hung out on the bed with me for about an hour, but they saw that I was getting really tired and let me have the big bed all to myself. I must add though, that this bed is on the floor, so I assumed it was for me. Carol and Shawn said that I was right and they said that I can have the bed the whole time I'm on my vacation (Carol and Shawn DID mention though, that I'm not allowed on the beds that are raised off the floor, or the couches). Carol made me my own comfy bed on the floor, but I prefer the BIG BED that is right next to the master bed. I can stretch out all I want and I'm so excited.

I have to admit, I'm a little apprehensive about this place, but since Carol and Shawn have pet me for almost the entire two hours they have known me, I think I'll be ok while my mom, dad, sister and brother are out of town. Carol and Shawn seem like nice folks, and I can't wait for my walk later on tonight.

Oh yeah, Carol said something about a walk tomorrow morning, and I'm excited about that too.

I think I'll take a nap now. I'm pretty tired from the drive, and from being so excited when I arrived at Shawn and Carol's. I will update Carol's blog again tomorrow when I have time.

Pasta e Fagioli

2010-04-01T14:07:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary
3 bay leaves
1 TB. olive oil
1 TB. butter
1 large, chopped onion
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (or paste equivalent)
1 can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed with hand
1 can white cannellini beans, rinsed (or white beans)
3 cups water
3 tsp. chicken better than bullion (or 3 cups chicken stock)
4-6oz. ditalini pasta (or other small pasta)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
parmesan cheese as topping or parmesano reggiano

Directions:
Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions, celery, garlic, thyme, and rosemary until veggies are softened. Add broth, crushed tomatoes with juice, bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stir occasionally so the flavors can meld. Add beans and pasta, raise temp a bit so the pasta can cook for 8-10 minutes. Serve with some crusty bread, and top individual bowls with some fresh grated cheese.

Verdict: So good! Shawn and I both loved this, which never happens.

The above recipe was adapted from the recipe below. I made it as the recipe states and there was far too much pasta and not nearly enough broth. So next time I make it, we will use the above quantities.

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary
3 bay leaves
1 TB. olive oil
1 TB. butter
1 large, chopped onion
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed with hand
1 can white cannellini beans, rinsed (or white beans)
2 cups water
2 tsp. chicken better than bullion (or 2 cups chicken stock)
8oz. ditalini pasta (or other small pasta)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
parmesano reggiano

Directions:
Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions, celery, garlic, thyme, and rosemary until veggies are softened. Add broth, crushed tomatoes with juice, bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stir occasionally so the flavors can meld. Add beans and pasta, raise temp a bit so the pasta can cook for 8-10 minutes. Serve with some crusty bread, and top individual bowls with some fresh grated cheese.

Miss Her

2010-03-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

We so badly miss our dog. Here is a little reminder of our pup, who meant the world to us.

Here she is just relaxing in the dining room.

Tess, we miss you so much baby girl. You brought so much joy and love into our lives. We will love you forever more.

Speaking Out

2010-03-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

I have been having a great time reading over THIS blog. I spent a year with THIS organization sending teens overseas for mission trips to spread the gospel. It is an inter-denominational mission organization that hosts events in the US to rally support for missions, send teenagers overseas and hosts year long internships for folks seeking after God. I enjoyed my time there, but I have come to realize some of what went on there was quite 'off'. Some would call it spiritual abuse, I would call it 'misguided'. I had amazing times there, and some very difficult ones as well. I am finally able to put into words what I didn't like about my time there, but with most things, there is a good and bad side.

As I think back I snicker at some of the experiences I had there. I also had some interesting experiences overseas serving with that particular mission organization. Here are a few:

1). I legally gambled for the first time while on a mission trip to Russia in 1998. I had a great time doing it and don't regret it at all!

2). While in Peru in 1997 I was severely sick. I was throwing up and *ahem*, other stuff, for two or three days. I couldn't keep a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g in my body. I thought I was going to die, actually, I was praying to die because I felt so terrible!

3). In Kazakhstan in 1996 we had to use bathrooms that were simply a hole in the floor. Not too bad, except they kept the place 'clean' by using large amounts of ammonia to block the smell of human waste. Yeah, that didn't work. People would leave 'presents' all over the place and miss the hole in the floor. Not so great!

4). We spent many a night at the Tyler Rose Gardens with a wonderful group of friends. To this day I still love rose gardens.

5). I met some of the most wonderful people I have ever met while at TM.

More experiences to come.....

Developing

2010-02-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

I was asked to teach a brand new course. I'm a bit apprehensive, as I always am about new classes. But this class is brand new to the university, so I'm especially nervous. We'll see how it works out.

I have ordered the textbook for review and I'm starting to think about projects. The part that makes me nervous is the extensive preparation for this course since it involves A LOT of new technology that I'm not yet accustomed to. I will have about 4 months to prepare, but from what I understand, I'm locked in at this point.

I'm excited, but really nervous about it!

Managing Stress

2010-01-26T09:13:00.000-08:00

Managing stress has never been easy for me. Logic seems to evade me during high stress times and my emotions run all over the place. I keep tension in my back, neck, arms - in essence, I lock myself right up and everything hurts. Thank God for hot tubs and intermittent sleep otherwise my muscles would never get a break.

Right now I'm managing 6 classes, which is more than I have ever taught - ever!!! This morning I learned that it takes more than double the time to blog for my classes now. You would think that after 2 years of teaching online I would have it down to a science, right? Nope! I have 2 new classes and I feel like I'm starting at ground zero all over again. Such is the flavor of life I guess.

When teaching a 'normal' in-person class there is usually about an hour or two of prep per week for lectures. Then you teach about 3 hours a week. 5-6 hours, not bad. I'm spending about double that time because three of my classes are new. Yeah, I'm going crazy. And it doesn't help that I put TONS of pressure on myself for perfection, connecting with students and making sure I 'look' like I know what I'm doing. The internal pressure is the driving force behind the stress. I must learn to breathe and let things go.

On a bit of a different note, I have finally ordered a new bed. One that should be comfortable. It's a 'tempurpedic' like bed from Costco. If this one doesn't workout, we're returning it and ordering the real thing. But the bed I ordered has some really good reviews so I'll give it a try. Costco has an amazing return policy, so we try to make big purchases there. They will take almost anything back even years and years later. It will be a few weeks before it's delivered, and we can't wait!

Until later.....

2009

2009-12-31T20:03:00.001-08:00

I'm glad it's over. However, I think 2010 is going to be met with a ton of challenges. I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to 2010......I think I might just bury my head in the sand, or a pile of blankets for that matter.

Loss

2009-12-28T16:48:00.001-08:00

We had to put our beloved doggie to sleep a week before Christmas. I don't want to get into details, but she was in the process of dying that night, and we made it a bit easier for her. It was a hard thing to do, but it was necessary. We miss her more than words can express, and are still crying daily because we miss her so much. We will never forget her, nor will we ever own another dog. I maintain that you can't replace kids, and you can't replace a dog. Our lives literally revolved around her and it's hard to get into a routine without her. Our hearts hurt more than words can express.

I'm starting to cry......need to sign off.

Mornings

2009-11-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

My usual morning, is well, unusual. I have no routine, except for being woken up by the dog at 6:30am who wants to eat. You think she would learn by now that I feed her between 7am and 8:30am. If I'm particularly annoyed I will wait a bit longer, or if she's calm I will push it out a bit. But she's the perfect alarm clock, not that I need or want one. Actually, she is the last dog Shawn and I will ever have. We love her, but are ready for some more freedom.

Back to my point - I have no morning routine, except for waking up and maybe eating breakfast, or possibly having tea, it's also a toss up whether or not I will exercise that morning or wait until evening. This morning I fed the dog, made some tea, cleaned the kitchen, started a fire and I'm now grading papers. I typical morning I suppose.

Spring 2010

2009-11-24T07:13:00.000-08:00

My life is segmented into semester, which I quite enjoy! However, next semester is going to be particularly busy as I am teaching 20 units and have 2 new preps for next semester. One of the classes I'm teaching I have never taught before, and the other new prep, I've never taught online. Yikes! I'm looking forward to the new challenge but I'm a bit apprehensive. I'm also looking forward to expanding my repertoire of classes I can teach. So, here's what's on the schedule for next semester:

Communication, Self and Society - online
Small Group Communication - online
2 sections of Critical Decision Making - online
2 sections of Public Speaking - in person

My in person classes are cake because I have taught PS a million times before and don't need to do any prep. My online classes are a bit more difficult because I need to have everything prepped ahead of time, before the semester begins. When you teach f2f classes, you can prep as the semester goes on. No so in online classes. *sigh* It's gonna be an interesting Christmas break.

Confession #12

2009-10-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I are still debating whether or not we want to raise kids. Did you notice that I said "raise kids", not "have kids"? If we decide on a family, we will adopt. However, we will not decide anything until our aging puppy is gone, and we've taken a year to travel. We want to do lots of weekend trips - LOTS of them, and go to a few other places for a bit longer. We also want to do a few more mission trips too.

Confession #11

2009-10-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Shallow Confession

I have always wanted to own a house where the bathrooms outnumber the bedrooms. I don't know why, all I need is one bathroom, but the idea has always been alluring.

Having the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms won't do - the bathrooms must outnumber the bedrooms.

Confession #10

2009-10-20T10:11:00.001-07:00

My two greatest fears in life:

1). Pain

2). Loss

Confession #9

2009-09-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest fears in my career is having a group of students rise up against me. Not in physical violence, though that is a big concern in this day and age, but in attitude.

When I was a Teaching Associate, one of my colleagues told me a little story about how she rallied the class against the instructor. Yep - this person was training to be an instructor herself, and she rallied the class against participating in the class, and rallied them together to give the instructor bad reviews at the end of the semester. Interestingly enough, the instructor she did this to ended up being a colleague of hers for a short time, and has been a colleague of mine for about 5 or 6 years now.

This terrifies me. I have serious anxiety about students banding together against me as an instructor.

Confession #8

2009-09-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

I was in a movie when I was in high school. Turns out the movie writer/director is a colleague at SJSU. I dare not go visit for fear of dying of embarrassment. Thank goodness I have a different last name now.

Acting is still slightly attractive to me. I suspect that when I get a bit older I might get into acting, but now is not the time, and I in no way would ever want to be 'young' in Hollywood. Strange right? Lifetime Network here I come. Ahhhh, to dream.

I can never let go of that dream.

Confession #7

2009-09-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

I read while I'm on the treadmill. In fact, most of my recreational reading is done on the treadmill. I walk 2-4 miles a day which takes between a half hour and an hour. If I didn't read on the treadmill I wouldn't exercise.

Here's something strange - I've trained myself to multitask so much that I find myself getting a bit bored when I only have 1 thing to do. This is why I normally do not exercise outside - it bores me even though I love the outdoors. When I go hiking I must hike with another person. I can't do it alone because I get far too bored with myself.

I can't wait until the beginning of October. I just ordered the first 8 Sookie Stackhouse books, and I'm so excited to start another vampire series.

Confession #6

2009-09-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a BIG ONE because it's looked down upon in our society......

Shawn and I sleep in separate beds most of the time. We figured out early on in our marriage that we sleep better and interact better when we've both gotten a good nights sleep. About 6 months into our marriage we started to sleep in separate beds because Shawn snores a bit, and I'm a REALLY light sleeper. Plus, the two of us keep very different schedules. I'm an early riser, he's a very late night owl. It just works for us!

I guess I wonder why people don't talk about this stuff??? Or to go even further, why it's 'unacceptable' that we don't sleep in the same bed. Wasn't it only 40 years ago that married couples started to sleep in the same bed? Isn't that about the same time we started to sleep less, the divorce rate went up and people became more stressed??? Could there be a link?

Here's an article to back up what we've known for almost 5 years: CLICK HERE

Confession #5

2009-09-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Even though I know he's gone, I still hold out hope that my father staged his own suicide and will show up sometime later in my life.

Back in the hospital

2009-09-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

Mr. Wigglesworth came home for a day, then sure enough, another ambulance came and picked him back up. I will need to check in with Mrs. Wigglesworth, perhaps tomorrow, to find out what's going on. Prayer and good thoughts please.

Why we're here

2009-09-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

Whether you are religious or not, this verse in James is pretty heavy. In conjunction with the "love your neighbor as yourself" verse, my husband and I have take this verse pretty literally. We have talked and talked and talked about adopting a kid, two kids an army of kids in the future, but there's another part to the story. Looking after, not only orphans, but widows.

The neighbors on either side of our house are pretty up there in age. On one side, Sally, she's in her 70's. Her husband died around the same time we bought our house. Of course we did not find out this information until a year later when we actually moved into our house, so we weren't around when it happened. She is widowed. Her family is close, but she seems to have visitors only a few times a month from what we can tell. We see her on occasion when we're outside milling around in the yard. She's a very nice lady, and seems to be decently busy with projects fro her very grown kids and also grown grandchildren.

On the other side of us there are the Wigglesworth's. Mr. Wigglesworth is 94, going on 95. His wife is in her 70's. Mr. Wigglesworth has been in and out of the hospital quite a bit during the last year, and is in the hospital as I type this. Mrs. Wigglesworth goes and spends everyday with him, and from what she tells us, he really wants to come home.

I haven't understood why we were drawn to this house when we were first looking for houses. Well, other than the square footage that is. The house is far too big for just Shawn and I. To be honest, we only use about half of the square footage, if that. But there was something drawing us to this location, and I think it was our neighbors (not that we knew it at the time).

You see, every week Shawn and I put out and bring in our neighbors garbage cans. We also pick up their newspapers that are delivered everyday so they don't have to bend down and reach to pick them up. Small favors, but appreciated greatly. Everytime we see our neighbors they express their thanks and appreciation.

We had offered for quite a long time to help them in anyway we can, but they have always refused our help, probably out of principle or losing some amount of independence. We explained that we are home most of the time and all they need to do is pick up the phone and call us. This is our small way of serving those around us. Both neighbors have our cell phone numbers and we have explained that we are 'on call' if they need us.

Mrs. Wigglesworth just told me the other day that she might need help carrying in groceries. They have a two story house and need to go up and down stairs everytime they come in and out of thier house, which is getting quite difficult.

We are happy to help them out. I am a firm believer in 'you reap what you sow' or 'what comes around goes around' or 'karma'....whatever you want to call it. The universe has a way of giving back. When we are older we can only hope and pray that there are folks like this around us, not only for us, but perhaps for our parents and other family members.

So for now, everyday we will pick up the paper and every week we will put out and bring in the garbage cans....that is, until they let us help them further. We know they have family, but simple maintanence things like this can be done by someone who is in close proximity.

If you remember, please pray for the Wigglesworths (or Wiggy's as Shawn and I like to call them). Send some good thoughts, light a candle for them...whatever your beliefs are. Mr. Wiggy isn't doing too well, and Mrs. Wiggy is terrified she is going to lose her husband. She cried the other day when we were chatting. It breaks my heart, but I truly believe this is why we were brought here for this season in life.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2009-09-01T11:16:00.001-07:00

Ah yes, the Pumpkin Spice Latte! This is perhaps my most favorite drink from Starbucks. Of course I order it as a Venti, Half-Caf (or fully decaf), Non-fat, No Whip, Extra Foam, Pumpkin Spice Latte. Yes, that is 20 ounces of pure pumpkin-y goodness. It will take a couple of days to drink it, but oh yes, it's lovely.

I usually order a venti drink because it's 20 ounces and I can usually only drink about half. The other half goes into the fridge for tomorrow. I normally wouldn't spend $4.45 on a cup of coffee, but I only drink a few of these a season, and boy are they worth it every once and a while.

Thanks to my friend Alece for letting me know they were out already. Today is gonna be a good day!!!

Asian Chicken Salad

2009-08-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

(If you enlarge the photo, you can see I went a bit crazy with the sesame seeds. I LOVE sesame seeds.)

Salad:
3-4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
3-4 cups shredded cabbage
1 can water chestnuts, julienne
1 cup carrots, julienne
6-8 green onions, finely chopped so they aren't intrusive
1 large can mandarin oranges, drained
2-3 chicken breasts marinated in teriyaki sauce or sweet Thai chili sauce, then bbq'd or stove cooked then cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds and more for garnish
1/4 slivered almonds, toasted (optional)
1 package Ramen noodles crushed and toasted (optional)
1 cup crunchy chow mien noodles (optional)

Dressing:
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
(You might want to double the dressing - we did and it was a bit much, but after sitting, it was perfect).

Directions:
Toss together all vegetables after prepared as stated. Whisk together all dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Toss.

Verdict:
I really liked this salad. The husband thought it was missing something in the dressing. I have tried many Asian Chicken Salad recipes, and this one is light and by far my favorite. I did not add the Ramen noodles or slivered almonds this time, but they would go great in the salad, especially if you are serving this to company. Both the husband and I added the crunchy chow mien noodles and thought that was enough. Of course, with my love for all things sesame, I added more sesame seeds on the top of the salad. Oh yum!!!!

Confession #4

2009-08-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of days where I have a hard time mustering up the motivation to workout. On those days I get up, brush my teeth, change into some clean workout clothes, then crawl back into bed to try to fall back to sleep. Once I wake up again I stay in those workout clothes until I actually get off my butt to workout. Rarely do I skip a workout when I do this.

The Start of the Semester

2009-08-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

Monday marks the first day of the semester at San Jose State University. I have just about finished uploading all of the assignments, forms, chapter outlines, powerpoint slides, examples, instruction sheets and countless other things. I have a few things left to do, but as it stands right now, the students will get everything they need to start the semester. Two things I have left to do:

1). Revise my syllabus and upload it again for the millionth time.

Commentary: Every time I get my syllabus completed, I get some additional information that I need to add, change or revise. Last night I received an email letting me know that my office assignment has switched again, for the second time in a few weeks. This is exciting because I am now in a different hallway - a hallway I have named "The Big Kids Hallway". I know the department probably did not intend for it to be like this (or maybe they did, I have no idea), but on one side of the building all the folks who have PhD's have offices, and on the opposite side of the building, those who are TA's and have MA degrees (but not PhD's) are on the other side. There is some crossover, but not too much. Well, my office assignment has been moved to the "Big Kids Hallway". I'm excited to have an office with a window instead of sharing a closet (no exaggeration there - I was told my old office used to be a storage room for the department) with two or three other people. Of course this is a bit anticlimactic because I am only on campus a couple times a month. My 'office hours' are held online because of the nature of my classes, and I have phone conversations with my students A LOT!!! I also meet individually with my students when I'm on campus, but in between meetings, I have phone conversations with them....did I mention that I have A LOT of phone conversations with them? Yeah, I'm gonna need to watch those cell phone minutes this semester since I use my personal cell phone. Last semester I had conversations that lasted an hour or longer on a few occasions.

2). Write a new project.

Commentary: I have added an entirely new project to one of my classes. This is fitting because it went from a 3 unit class to a 4 unit class. I am very excited about the project, and hopefully my students will enjoy it too, as it's a semester long project that they can work on anytime they want to. At the end of the semester they will give it to 3 other classmates to grade, then I will compile the grades, add my comments and give them a final grade. It should be a good time.

I'd better get started on some of this stuff, my students should be able to access the class on Thursday or Friday of this week. Exciting!!! I can't wait to 'meet' my students this semester.

Baby Shower

2009-08-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made my way down to the Bay Area for a baby shower. One of my good friends is having a baby in Oct/Nov. this year. We gathered to honor the new baby Lee. Here are just a few pictures I took at her shower yesterday. Of course these are all posed pics we took before the shower began.

I can't get past my love for black and white and sepia colored pictures, so that's what I've posted here. I cropped them and adjusted the brightness a bit.

Another glimps into Alaska

2009-08-11T08:10:00.001-07:00

The day we were at Hubbard Glacier, it was the coldest cold I have ever felt.....and I've been caught in freezing sleet/snow, while wet, without a jacket. I bundled myself under small wool blankets that were available on the deck. The only catch was, while taking pictures of the glacier, you couldn't bundle up. I had on many layers of clothes as well, but it didn't help.

Here's me bundled up on deck:
And here's a pic of the glacier. It's a very small part of the glacier, but I love the lines you can see in the ice:

Bargain Shopping

2009-08-08T12:06:00.003-07:00

Today I went to Office Max because I had a coupon. Well, this is what I came out with.....

All for $.42 cents. Gotta love bargain shopping!!!

I'll admit that I rarely use college ruled filler paper, but sometimes I do, and for $.10 cents, you can't go wrong. Plus, if I don't use it I can just give it away! The folders were $.01 each, and with a coupon, so were the sharpie markers.

I love finding good deals.

Plinko

2009-08-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

Today I went to my favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's. After the clerk rang up my order and my total came up on the register, she rang the bell a number of times. Apparently when your total rings up to a dollar amount with no cents, you get to play Plinko for free reusable grocery bags. So I played Plinko. I won a grocery bag. Then, they bring you over to another area to shoot a hoop. If you get the mini basketball in the hoop you get a second bag.

The Plinko guy, as I have so affectionately named him, asked me if I would be able to make the shot. I looked at it and said, "I have no idea". Well, I threw the basketball, and swish! A perfect basket.

Side Note: I should probably put this into the "Confessions" folder, but I have an uncanny ability to catch and throw things with a decent amount of accuracy. I have perfect aim most of the time and can catch things without really even looking at them. I would have been a whiz at basketball in high school.

So my shopping trip ended up with some much needed Quinoa, some veggies, two new reusable bags for free, and a display of the only superpower I will ever know - the ability to throw and catch things with amazing accuracy.

Figuring it out

2009-08-04T06:59:00.001-07:00

For the past few weeks I have been throwing around ideas for one of my classes. At one of the places I teach classes, the class I had been teaching as moved from a 3 unit class to a 4 unit class. This means that I have to assign an additional 3 or so hours of work per week for the students to make up for the additional unit.

In my attempt to make sure my classes fulfill and exceed the requirements of the University, I have had an interesting time trying to come up with additional work that would be useful to the students. You see, I do not have PhD, therefore feel that I have less wiggle room to work with - meaning, my creative license is partially revoked on a consistent basis. Of course this may be my perception of things, but I'd rather stay in the kiddie pool where it's safe rather than venture out for fear of sinking.

I like things safe, especially when it comes to my job. This means that I ask lots of questions, run things by tenured track professors, etc....

Back to my point - I think I have finally figured out what to do for the additional unit. It's going to take a bit of time, and the students will be greatly involved in each other, even to the point of grading each other's work. They will have to venture out of their safe zone and get out into society to have 'real world' experiences, all while applying the concepts they are learning about.

I am excited about the new project, or the 'additional unit' if you will. But I am always a little apprehensive when it comes to new projects. There are always bugs to workout, possibly giving the students the idea that I have no idea what I'm doing, even if I DID in fact try to think through these types of situations.

The coming semester should be fun - busy, but fun.

I'm still thankful that I have a job, which may not be the case as of Jan. 2010. (Both college's have mentioned more budget cuts). *sigh*

Confession #3

2009-08-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

I did not go to my prom. I hated high school, H - A - T - E - D high school. Even now I think high school should contain your first two years of college, and is mostly a waste of time for those that 'get it'.

By the time my senior year had come around I was working two jobs, maybe three, I can't remember, and I was only in school 4 hours a day. I had mentally checked out from everything high school related.

I haven't looked back since. I would not repeat high school if someone paid me.....lots of money. No way! The last couple of years were truly a waste of time.

Because I hated high school so much, I chose not to attend my prom.

Enough said.

Juneau, Alaska

2009-07-31T20:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic from the hike we did in Juneau. Until I can get the post finished, enjoy!

If you click on the pic, it will enlarge on your screen. I haven't photoshopped this pic yet, so everything you see is raw. It was pretty foggy that day, which is why the pic looks a bit muffled.

We're Back

2009-07-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

We are finally back from our vacation in gorgeous Alaska. I am currently working on a blog that catalogs our days in time order. Not the most original way to post a vacation, but one that was easy to keep track of while we were gone. I simply kept a notebook by my side of the bed, and every night Shawn and I recounted what we did for the day, and at what times.

Preliminarily I can tell you that we had a wonderful time. When Shawn's company takes off, which we are fervently praying for, and hope that you would stand in prayer with us on that, we will move to the Pacific Northwest and visit Alaska often. Or, we will buy a small cabin/house in Juneau or Sitka so people can use it during the summer months if they'd like to. We are generous like that. ;)

My post should be up by the weekend. Consider yourself warned - it will be a long post.

Until then I will be working on the blog and my classes for next semester. (I have not yet received the 'your laid off' email yet from either college I teach classes for, and I'm standing in faith that I won't. But with this economy and the budget cuts that recently came down the pipes, one never knows). If you remember, pray for Shawn and I, or if you aren't the praying type, some good thoughts and energy would be appreciated.

Three Minute Thursday Part #2

2009-07-16T20:15:00.001-07:00

Here is another installment of Three Minute Thursday.

Ready? Go!

*We are excited and ready for our vacation. I won't tell you when we're leaving for fear that you might rob my house, take my computer, and I will have to re-do the prep for my classes this coming semester. We are taking mostly everything valuable we have with us, except my desktop computer with all of my school stuff. People will be watching our house, but it's best not to publicize when one goes on vacation.

*Speaking of vacation, we will be going to Alaska on a cruise. It should be really fun and we are looking forward to relaxing, when the time comes.

*I am a little anxious (to say the least) about leaving my doggie with my mom since my doggie has been having dizzy spells. None for the last couple of months, but I have pretty sever anxiety issues anyway without something like this thrown into the mix. I will pray, send good thoughts (ahem, take some anti-anxiety meds), and hope for the best.

*My new camera is rockin' AWESOME!!!! I can't wait to use it in Alaska. I hope there is at least one or two good pics I can blow up to poster size and put in our house somewhere.

*I just planted another 10 tomato plants. A bit crazy, I know. But I have a deep rooted love for ALL THINGS tomato.

*Lately we have been avoiding the hot tub because it has been so hot out lately. We have turned off the heater, but yesterday the hot tub was 106 by 9:30pm anyway. We had to bail out about 50 gallons of water, and replace it with cool water from the hose. We might do the same tonight.

Done!

Three Minute Thursday

2009-07-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Three minute Thursday might replace Four Minute Friday for this week (a new thing I'm doing), but we'll see.

Ready? Go!

There are so many things on my mind at this point:

*The fact that I have an amazing husband who is quick to process things with me.

*We are going on vacation in a few weeks - a last minute vacation, but we are SO incredibly excited to 'check-out' for a week and not have to think about life.

*Getting back from vacation is so exhausting because life just hits all at once - not looking forward to that.

*Shawn's dad and step-mom are coming over on the 4th so we can discuss our vacation. It should be a good time. We are hoping that Shawn's brother and his wife will be able to come as well, but understand because there may be a funeral they have to go to. But we're hoping - we love those guys and don't get to spend as much time with them as we'd like to (they're quite often busy).

*I'm constantly worried about my mother, but need to remember that there's nothing I can do, and that prayer is effective.

*My semester starts in a number of weeks, and there is a looming threat that all of my classes might be canceled. This stresses me out quite a bit, and I don't want to think about it because I can't control it anyway.

My three minutes is up........Done!

Adopting

2009-05-31T08:19:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of days I have been looking online at children who need an adoptive family. Let's get some things out in the open here - I have no desire to have kids of my own, biologically that is. I think questions like, "When are you and your husband going to have kids?" are quite presumptuous, incredibly intrusive, and to be frank, RUDE!

Since I spent time in orphanages in Russia, Kazakhstan and working with kids in Peru, I have had little desire to have my own children. The feeling does come and go from time to time, but I think that's more societal pressure than my own desire to have kids.

I have come across numerous 'kids' in my college classes that were fostered. Some were adopted, some simply aged out of the foster care system. Each story has touched my heart in a big way. Some women dream of being pregnant, having a baby, and raising that child to adulthood. This is not what pulls at my heart strings. What makes my heart break is this:

1). Kids who don't have a place to call home.
2). No place to go during Holidays once they are older.
3). No one to share a first love experience with.
4). No one to lean on for support.
5). Those without grandparents to spoil them.
6). Kids who don't have someone rooting for them during graduation.
7). Folks that have no one to teach them how to drive.
8). Those that have on one to encourage them to go to college.
9). No one to teach them how to cook.
10). No one to be there when they get married or walk them down the aisle.

Thinking about these things just break my heart. There are so many teens/preteens that do not have this kind of support. I'm not committing myself to adopt or foster teens at this point, but these are the things that break my heart.

I truly think that God brought these students into my life over the last few years for a reason.

Kitchenette Before and After Pics

2009-05-15T14:31:00.001-07:00

Here are the before and after pictures of the room. Wow, what a difference.

This first pic is the view standing from the stairwell.

This is the view looking at the stairwell. Don't you just love the ugly cabinets that were installed somewhere in the 80's. The "cabin feel" is obviously what they were going for here.

What a breath of fresh air, don't you think? In case you can't see the detail of the picture, just click on it and it should get bigger. The handles on the cabinets are brushed nickel. Shawn picked out the faucet because it pulls out. In this picture you can also see where the stove is supposed to go. It will be located where the dryer currently is. We have run wire (really expensive wire) to the location behind the dryer. We will eventually get a stackable washer and dryer and put it where the washer currently is and install a stove where the dryer is. We may even build a custom cabinet from floor to ceiling to cover the W/D at some point.

I finally got a window covering for the window. Click on the pic to enlarge it to see the detail of the very dainty/girly curtains (thanks to my mother-in-law who had extras and gave me the curtain).

In case you can't see it, the floor is a natural color, and so is the counter. We are going for a beach themed room here, and will probably take a day trip to the beach this summer to take more photos to put up in the room.

We will also be installing upper cabinets eventually. That will probably take place at some point this summer. One can never have too much storage right?

The only thing we have left to do is install the crown molding, baseboards, toe kicks around the cabinets and trim around the door. Shawn also has to hook up two remaining outlets and get fight angled hoses for the washer so it sits against the wall. All of the remaining work should only take a week or two of on and off work (meaning, an hour or two here and there). We are so excited to have this room finished. It has been quite a project. Here is what we accomplished:

Already completed:
*Tore down a wall
*Removed wood paneling
*Framed out the wall around the window
*Added insulation in the exterior walls
*Ran new wire for the whole room
*Installed new plumbing in the room
*Installed drywall floor to ceiling
*Moved dryer vent
*Textured drywall floor to ceiling (hired out)
*Painted - 5 coats on walls and ceiling
*Installed recessed lighting
*Moved the exterior door 6 inches
*Installed tile floor
*Installed base cabinets
*Installed granite counters (hired out)

Yet to complete:
*Upper cabinets
*Baseboards
*Crown molding
*Trim around door
*Wire two outlets
*Toe kicks around cabinets
*Change out washer hoses to lay flat

Kitchenette/Laundry Room

2009-05-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

I promised some folks that I would post a pic of the Kitchenette/Laundry Room in our house. This project has taken us about 4 months on and off. Without further ado, here is the room as it looks today. I will add another post later this weekend with the before and after pics. Enjoy!

Saffron Rice with Balsamic Sauce

2009-05-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

This post is for my brother-in-law who just loves my saffron rice with balsamic sauce. I usually make this rice with skewers, both meat and veggie, marinated in a Greek style dressing. It's a summer favorite at our place.

Saffron Rice
3 cups Basmati Rice
4.5 cups of water (use the ratio on the rice package)
2 teaspoons of salt
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil or clarified butter (I usually use a heart healthy oil)
1/2 teaspoon saffron dissolved in 4 tablespoons hot water

Directions: There is a very specific recipe and technique for making this type of rice, which incidentally is a Persian recipe. But I don't follow the recipe. Here's what I do: put the rice in a pot or rice cooker. Rinse 3-4 times in cold water until the rice runs clear. Add water, salt, oil and saffron mixture to the rice pot. Turn on, walk away and come back when it's done.

In another pot I cook 1-1.5 cups of plain rice according to instructions (be sure to rinse the rice). Once both pots of rice are done, mix them together so there is clear defining colors. The saffron rice will be yellow/orange, and the plain rice will be white. Since we eat with our eyes, this is a very beautiful presentation.

Balsamic Sauce
(This sauce is served spooned over Greek marinated skewers, and over the rice recipe above).

1, 2 or 3 shallots chopped/sliced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cups of balsamic vinegar
1/2-1 cup of chicken stock/broth

Directions: Slice and/or chop the shallots into small pieces, but don't mince. You want decent sized pieces. Add them to the olive oil in a pan and saute until soft. Add the balsamic vinegar and chicken stock/broth and reduce by half. The sauce can be served over the rice, which is especially good. We also spoon it over meat skewers and veggie skewers that have been BBQ'd. A tip for skewers - in order to cook the veggies evenly, we make the meat and veggie skewers separately.

These recipes are simple to make, and are a crowd pleaser. Anytime I take the rice and balsamic sauce to a party, or serve it at our house for a get together, I'm asked for the recipe. It's wonderful!

Enjoy!

Confession #2

2009-04-28T10:55:00.001-07:00

Here's another confession for ya! I have a really strong mind-body connection. I think most people do, but don't pay attention to it. When someone around me isn't feeling well, I tend to take on their illness. Not to an extreme extent, but mildly. Right now my doggie isn't feeling so well. Last night she woke up and was acting a bit strange. We fed her a bit, and she ate, but not as fast as she usually does. She then drank a decent amount of water. We called her up on the bed and spent some quality time with her, then she went to sleep after going out for a potty break. Now it's 6 or 7 hours later and her tummy is gurgling (which probably explains the uncomfortableness of last night). I'm afraid to see what's going to come next, hopefully just some gas, but now my tummy is upset. I don't like to see people, or animals for that matter, in any kind of discomfort. Needless to say, I tend to take on the ailments of those around me. I'm strange, I know!

Tile is 98% finished

2009-04-27T09:34:00.001-07:00

So here's the final product. It took us about 2 weeks of working on the tile, on and off, but we finally got it done. We worked on it for 2-4 hours a day, but not consistently. All I have to say about tiling a floor, is that I'll never do it again. Of course Shawn and I started with the largest room in the house that needs to be tiled, the downstairs kitchenette and laundry area. This room is about 250 square feet of wonderfulness. I will post pics of before, during and after pics once we get the kitchen cabinets and granite counter top in. But for now, you will have to settle for these pics.

We tried to grout the floor in a dark color, per my sister's advice. She said that grout will change colors when it gets dirty. So, we started out with a dark color, but apparently once you get the grout in there, it is MUCH lighter than the color on the grout bag, and even the color chart. Now our grout is exactly the same color as the tile, which is slightly disappointing. We wanted darker grout, but such is life - you live and you learn I guess.

Our next step, sealing the grout, getting the washer and dryer back into the room, and installing the lower cabinets. I can't wait until the room is finished.

We eat with our eyes.....

2009-04-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

This is what I made today.....

I also made some really good deviled eggs, but I didn't take a picture of those because, well, they are deviled eggs, and who hasn't seen those?

Despite reports.....

2009-04-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

I keep hearing and reading reports about education being a 'safe' job in this economy. Every time I hear that I laugh. Being a teacher in primary education, and even an instructor in higher education DOES NOT mean that you are immune to layoffs. In fact, it means quite the opposite. Here's what I read today:

California Asks Feds For Nearly $5B For Education

Posted: 3:49 pm PDT April 9, 2009

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking the federal government for nearly $5 billion in economic stimulus money for California schools.

The governor signed the state's application Thursday.

Schwarzenegger says he hopes the money will avoid further teacher layoffs and help schools that are struggling to absorb $8 billion in budget cuts.

About 26,000 California teachers were handed pink slips this spring after Schwarzenegger signed a state budget that made massive cuts to state programs and raised taxes to boost revenue.

The governor's office estimates schools could get about $3.1 billion after the application is approved, with another $1.8 billion to follow. Most of the money will go to K-12 schools, with about a fifth of the total dedicated for higher education.

Copycat Outback Steakhouse Ranch Dressing

2009-04-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

I have been searching for a good homemade ranch dressing recipe but have been unable to find one. I decided to search for copycat recipes and have been making different versions all week. Here is one of the best ones I have found so far:

1 teaspoon Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix (make sure it's the Buttermilk version)
1 cup mayonnaise (Hellman's or Best Food's only)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Throw everything in a blender and blend until everything is well combined.

A LIGHTER VERSION:
1 teaspoon Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix (make sure it's the Buttermilk version)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (Hellman's or Best Food's only)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix everything together in the blender until well combined.

The only difference between the lighter version and the first recipe posted is the substitution of cottage cheese for some of the mayo. Both versions were good, but it's still not exactly the same as Outback. I have also seen some copycat recipes with 1 Tablespoon of the Ranch Dressing Mix instead of 1 teaspoon. I personally think the dressing needs a bit more flavor, but that's probably only because I'm a ranch snob. Enjoy!

Kitty Burglar

2009-04-09T07:31:00.001-07:00

I just read a story on cnn.com about a cat who is stealing clothing and other items from neighbors. The kitty's name is "Jack", if that really is his name though I wouldn't blame the owner for using an alias in this situation. He goes out at night and collects items from his neighbors and brings them home for his owner. You can watch the video HERE.

So far he has collected:
towels
stuffed animals
gloves
a childs hoodie
sandals
and much more.......

Laying Tile

2009-04-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

My wonderful husband and I are laying tile in our downstairs kitchen. Yes, our house has two kitchens. A full kitchen exists upstairs, and a kitchenette resides downstairs. Our full kitchen upstairs has everything a kitchen needs. The kitchen downstairs has everything a kitchen needs except for a dishwasher. I keep calling the downstairs kitchen a 'kitchenette' because that's how we are going to use it. We are currently leaving out the refrigerator and stove, though there is space and wiring. But let's get to the point......

We have been laying tile on the floor for the past couple of days. If there is one word of advice for the beginning tiler - DON'T FREAKING DO IT!!!!! Buy the materials and hire a professional to do it. Laying tile has to be the hardest jobs we have done in our house so far - and we've torn down walls, replaced front and back door with re-framing, built walls, remodeled bathrooms, refinished 1150 square feet of hardwood floors, painted the house inside, painted the outside of the house that had been beaten down by the sun for 50 years, laid pergo flooring, replaced windows, built a concrete wall including a slab for the hot tub, and countless other remodel projects around the house. Tiling a floor is by far one of the worst remodeling projects EVER!!!!!!!! (I use multiple exclamation points to emphasize the fact that tiling is horrendous. Don't do it, just don't.)

Here are some pics of the kitchenette and the tile project. I hope you can see the color of the kitchen. If not, it's a gray/blue color. The tile is a ceramic travertine tile, and the counter top is a natural granite color (that was free-$.99 thank you very much to the folks disposing of perfectly good granite slab). The cabinets will be white along with the ceiling, trim and door. The kitchenette theme is "Ocean" or "Beach". I will put up my ocean photography in the room, and make some matching curtains.

Without further ado, here are a couple of pics......

Notice the gray/blue color of the walls, light and breezy. Recessed lighting because our downstairs is not a full 8 feet, and the natural color travertine tiles. This pic is where the cabinets will eventually be. We have the cabinets, they are just waiting to be assembled and installed.

Notice the perfect grout lines. Yeah, 18x18 tiles are really hard to place. Never will we tile a room this big again. Never, nope, no way.

Blogging Workshop at SJSU

2009-03-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

I'm a highly insecure person when it comes to teaching new things. This is interesting because of the profession I chose. This Thursday I am presenting a workshop at San Jose State about Blogging. I blog for my online classes, I require my students to blog, I read blogs everyday, I have a personal blog, but this does not make me an expert by an stretch of the imagination.

I have been putting together a workshop that should last at least an hour and a half to two hours, and I'm terrified that I will receive questions I cannot answer, look like an idiot while I am facilitating this workshop or God forbid, the technology in the classroom will fail. My entire workshop is on the computer. I need to breathe.....

Needless to say, I have been doing some reading about blogging for a while, but figure that most students who will be attending will have very little blogging knowledge. Or at least I ASSUME that the participants will have very little blogging knowledge. Here is a schedule of how things will probably go:

1). Lecture/Discussion on what a blog is.
2). Chat about the purpose for blogging. We will chat a bit about some popular blogs here.
3). Anatomy of a basic blog.
4). Blog hosting and what this means.
5). A short chat about the content of blogs.
6). Components of blogging success.
7). Blogsphere - what happens when you post.
8). Blogging and Ethics.
9). Privacy/Reputation/Alienation
10). Choosing a blogging niche. We will chat more about specific blogs during this section.
11). Creating a blog. (This is a hands-on component)
12). Creating an RSS feed to read blogs. (This is also a hands-on component)
13). Individual group discussions about recent articles in the news about blogging. I feel that students should always keep up with current events.

All of this should take about an hour and a half....I hope! I will be testing out this workshop, at least the discussion part, tomorrow on my class at Sierra College. I briefly mentioned that I was doing a workshop on blogging and they seemed highly interested.

Even though I am preparing, I'm still terrified!

Spring Break

2009-03-31T07:08:00.000-07:00

This will be short...

Last week was Spring Break for San Jose State, next week is Spring Break for Sierra College. I'm not quite sure why Spring Break's are different for school's, college's, etc..., but I wish they would line up so I actually have time off. I'm not complaining though! As soon as I noticed that next week was Spring Break for Sierra College, I almost cried, I was so happy!

The Square Foot Garden

2009-03-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

This year we decided we would do an organized Square Foot Garden. Neither Shawn nor I have done much reading about this type of gardening, but then again, neither of us knew much about soil or gardening when we started planting a number of years back (and still don't), and gardening has worked out pretty well for us so far. This time around I decided I wanted to organize a bit so I added a bit of decoration to my existing veggie boxes. Can you see the square foot sections?

In this box we have: 6 Broccoliflower, 6 Beets, 4 Celery and 6 Brussels Sprouts.

This one contains 2 Tomato Plants, 2 Bell Pepper, 2 Bell Pepper and tons of onions that we separated (hopefully the onions will make it).

Two lonely Zucchini Plants hang out in this box.

Here we have 6 Strawberry Plants, and will soon have at least 10-12.

This is our last Square Foot box. I haven't added the string yet to delineate the square foot sections yet. We will be going back to the nursery this weekend to pick up some more veggies to plant. I'm excited to see just how much we are able to fit into our new square foot garden.

The most exciting part about the planting project this year is my discovery of Blueberry Bushes. The nursery we went to today will be carrying more Blueberry Bushes around Father's Day. I will be back there the first weekend they have them in to purchase at least 6. You can plant 3 bushes in a half wine barrel. Blueberries are filled with anti-oxidants, not to mention the pure yumminess of them. I can't wait! We will also be planting our traditional tomato plants in the front of the house. Hopefully this year they will grow to 8 feet again. I will update once we have more plants in the ground!

Confession #1

2009-03-26T17:32:00.000-07:00

On my last blog, before I switched over to blogger, I started a series on my blog called confessions. It was a series of things about me that people might or might now know. I am starting up the 'confessions' series again. So here it goes:

Confession #1
The wedding song for my husband and I was the theme song for Star Trek Enterprise. I chose the song because I loved it, well, we both really loved the song. It was a series my husband and I had watched for a long time before we were married and every time we hear the song it brings back many memories of watching the show. Of course, had the show Farscape had a better theme song, and one that we could have danced to at our wedding, we would have chosen that one instead since Farscape was foundational to our relationship (but that's for another post).

If you want to hear the song, click HERE!

Not sure what to think....

2009-03-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

A number of my students ranging in ages from 17-65 have mentioned that I was their favorite instructor.....ever. Of course some mention this while the are in my class, and I take those comments with a grain of salt because, well, they are current students and you never know the motivation. But a few students from past semesters have contacted me to let me know that they in fact did have a wonderful time in my class and that I was their favorite instructor. I'm a flattered and humbled of course, but at the same time, I'm a little worried. Of course I'm worried, worrying is second nature to breathing for me.

My teaching philosophy is simple - have fun while you learn. Gain some great skills, understand some interesting concepts, expand your mind, learn HOW to think, not WHAT to think, but have some fun while doing it. I only had a few instructors like this throughout my education, but remember each one of them and appreciate the experience. I still keep in touch with a couple of these instructors. You probably know who you are. ;) Getting back to the point - what I want to leave my students with is simple.....enjoy life, enjoy your education, learn lots, but have fun while doing it.

When I'm in church, the things I remember most are those things that make me laugh, things that amaze me, things that strike a chord with me - but most of all, things that entertain and engage me. Perhaps this is why I have given up on formal religion, but that's for another post. How do you engage a variety of people? This is the question I have been asking myself. I don't want to be someone's favorite instructor if they aren't learning anything. Most, if not all students in my classes who have complemented me have assured me that they loved my class because they learned a lot and had fun in the process, but part of me is still skeptical. Is it possible to have a great time, build relationships and learn on an intellectual level all at the same time? Am I sacrificing something by trying to be personable? Is the education aspect somehow sacrificed? I have been giving this a lot of thought lately, and probably will continue to do so. Any thoughts out there in blogland?

The Poopie List

2009-03-13T19:59:00.001-07:00

***Please be warned, this list is not for the faint of heart.*** About once a year I look up this list when I need a good laugh. Well, last night was one of those times. I looked it up and thought I would share it with you in case you have never read the list. Enjoy!!!

Ghost Poopie: The kind where you feel the poopie come out, but there is no poopie in the toilet.

Clean Poopie: The kind where you poopie it out, see it in the toilet, but there is nothing on the toilet paper.

Wet Poopie: The kind where you wipe your butt 50 times and it still feels unwiped, so you have to put some toilet paper between your butt and underwear so you won't ruin them with a stain.

Second Wave Poopie: This happens when you're done Poopie-ing and you've pulled up your pants to your knees, and you realize that you have to Poopie some more.

Pop-A-Vein-In-Your-Forehead-Poopie: The kind where you strain so much to get it out, you practically have a stroke.

Gassy Poopie: It's so noisy, everyone within earshot is laughing.

Drinker Poopie: The kind of Poopie you have the morning after a long night of drinking. Its most noticeable trait is the skid marks on the bottom of the toilet.

Lincoln Log Poopie: The kind of Poopie that is so huge you're afraid to flush without first breaking it into little pieces with the toilet brush.

Corn Poopie: Self-explanatory.

Gee-I-Wish-I-Could-Poopie Poopie: The kind where you want to Poopie but all you do is sit on the toilet and fart a few times.

Spinal Tap Poopie: That's where it hurts so badly coming out, you would swear it was leaving you sideways.

Wet Cheeks Poopie (The Power Dump): The kind that comes out of your butt so fast, your butt gets splashed with water.

Liquid Poopie: The kind where yellowish-brown liquid shoots out your butt and splashes all over the toilet bowl.

Mexican Poopie: It smells so bad your nose burns.

The Surprise Poopie: You're not even at the toilet because you are sure you're about to fart, but oops.......a Poopie!!!

The Dangling Poopie: This Poopie refuses to drop into the toilet even though you know you are done Poopie-ing it. You just pray that a shake or two will cut it loose.

I apologize if you were offended, but I think this is hilarious.

Student Ratings

2009-03-03T11:49:00.000-08:00

Instructors are evaluated every semester by their students. Since last semester was my first semester teaching online, I was highly nervous about my student ratings. In fact, I have lost sleep quite a few times worrying about what my students thought of me (see the last post).

When you teach an in person class, you get to know your instructor's personality. In an online setting, personality is much harder to convey. My f2f classes at Sierra College are so much fun. We get a lot of work done, but have quite a bit of fun in the process. Just yesterday my students were commenting about how wonderful they thought my class was. Quite a few of them commented about how my class has been a unique experience. They also mentioned how they never quite get to know their classmates in other classes, but in my class everyone feels so connected that they never want to leave (their words, not mine).

In an online class, it is quite difficult to create an environment that is connected on that level. I try different things to connect the class, but I suspect the students feel more connected to me than the other students. If I am afforded the opportunity to teach online again next semester, I will need to think about this a bit more and figure out how to encourage the class to get more connected with each other rather than me.

In my Public Speaking class online, the students LOVED the class. I don't think I received one bad rating. In my other class, I received only one bad rating.....but that's a blog for another time. I am ecstatic about my ratings. I have already changed the things my students didn't like. You can glean a lot from phone conversations, online conversations and emails. I'm glad I made the changes I did, and hope that I will have the opportunity to revise the Public Speaking class again next semester. From what my students told me at our last meeting on Friday, they LOVE the class and really like the interaction with each other and me. They really like how accessible I am - phone calls, emails, online chatting, etc... Of course this makes my schedule quite hectic because sometimes students can only chat late at night, or early in the morning - but it's worth it. I love what I do and can't picture myself doing anything else at this point in my life. I'm excited!!! Can you tell?

Dreams

2009-03-03T08:00:00.001-08:00

All hours of the day and night my mind is racing with lists of items I need to get done, stresses I am trying to work through and daily life maintenance. This has continued into my 'sleep life', which I try to keep separate, but somehow constantly spills over and mostly just keeps me up at night. When I was a teenager I used to choose my dreams. Sounds strange right? I had practiced so much that I would direct my dreams. This was a useful tool when I had too much on my mind. I was able to check out during the night and enjoy a quick vacation on the beach, go hiking or dream about whatever else I chose that night. Since I haven't been sleeping well again because of the economy, and life, and a handful of other things, I need to start practicing again so my sleep in enjoyable again. *Sigh* I wish it were easier.

Writing

2009-03-01T23:03:00.000-08:00

I have fought against writing and researching since I graduated. It's time to start. A colleague and I will be research and writing a couple of papers. I will update once we know which direction we are going. :) And so it begins....

Bistro Shrimp Pasta

2009-02-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

Impress your spouse with this copycat recipe from the Cheesecake Factory. About a year ago, Sharon and I were trying to figure out how to make one of the best recipes at the Cheesecake Factory, Bistro Shrimp Pasta. Well, I figured it out, with little help from the internet because I have not found a copycat recipe to date. This recipe is the closest I have found to the original dish. I can't seem to get the shrimp breading right, but everything else is spot on.

'Parts' List
Battered and fried rock shrimp (optional, see note below)
Sauteed mushrooms quarters
Chopped tomatoes, seeded
Arugula
Cooked Spaghettini
Lemon Basil Cream Sauce

Step 1:
Quarter the mushrooms
Chop tomatoes into small cubes
Saute mushrooms in a bit of olive oil. When almost cooked, add tomatoes to heat through.
Set aside and keep warm.

Step 2:
Cook the shrimp

The Shrimp:
Rock Shrimp (as much or as little as you'd like - calculate per person)
Eggs, scrambled
Corn Starch or flour (mix with the bread crumbs)
Bread crumbs, seasoned
Butter for frying
Oil for frying

Take the shrimp and coat with egg mixture, then dip into the bread crumb and corn starch mixture. Fry in a butter/oil mix for just a few minutes until done. Set aside and keep warm with paper towels on a dish (try not to cover completely or they will turn into a soggy mess).

If you will notice, there are no quantities here. That's because I simply can't get the shrimp exactly like the Cheesecake Factory. I am still trying to figure this out.

I have used regular shrimp before and it turns out similar, but not the same. Play around with the shrimp. This part of the recipe is a 'wild card'.

Step 3:
Cook the pasta and make the sauce at the same time. (note: DO NOT add sauce to the pasta until ready to serve. The pasta will soak up all the sauce if it sits and the pasta will be fairly dry).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add salt - this is your only opportunity to season your pasta.
Add 1lb. of spaghettini
Cook until done.

Lemon Basil Cream Sauce (double the sauce recipe if you'd like):
2 TB. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup half and half
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 TB. corn starch
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 TB. chopped fresh basil

*Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic, and saute 1-2 minutes.
*Add half and half and chicken broth.
*Bring to a boil, and cook about 8 minutes or until reduced by half.
*Whisk together lemon juice and cornstarch until smooth in a bowl.
*Whisk lemon juice and 1/2 tsp. pepper into butter mixture and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes or until thickened.
*Remove from heat.
*DO NOT add basil until ready to serve.

Step 4: Put it together
In each bowl/dish add pasta, sauce, some of the mushroom/tomato mixture, some fresh arugula (let the heat of the pasta and sauce wilt the arugula) and toss until combined. Add shrimp and toss lightly. Top will a sprinkling of basil and grate some fresh Parmesan cheese on top of the dish and serve.

The quantities of the final product are a bit ambiguous for a reason. You can add as much or as little as you'd like. Copy the Cheesecake Factory if you have ordered this dish before. If not, you have nothing to compare it with, so get creative and make it to your specific taste.

Note: You do not have to batter and fry the shrimp - sometimes I don't so I can save some time. Frying the shrimp is the longest step in the process, and a hassle. I simply add some cooked shrimp to the final product. You can also substitute chicken cubes if you'd like.

This recipe looks quite intimidating. As noted above, frying the shrimp is the longest step in this recipe. If you omit this step, the recipe is quite short and easy. The sauce is amazing and can be used in a variety of ways.

Happy Cooking!

Facebook Status Updates

2009-01-31T17:48:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about status updates for a while, and how people express themselves on Facebook. I came across this article and thought it was quite interesting.

Throughout the day I think in first-person wondering if I can honestly come up with an interesting Facebook update. Most of the time I fail, and simply write what I am doing in the update. I find that if I write down the things I am truly thinking, which would be an interesting experiment in itself, people might be offended. Just yesterday I censored myself, not from anything horrible, but because I knew it would offend people. Should we truly say what we mean on Facebook? How literary should we be on a social networking website? Is it acceptable to post song lyrics when most people have no idea what you are talking about? What rules apply when updating Facebook? Am I reading too much into this? Maybe I have too much time on my hands.

And since we are on the subject.....I have no idea what Twitter is or how it would be useful in my life.

In fact, I 'unfriended' someone who was updating their status through Twitter. This person posted every 15 minutes or so, and I just couldn't take it anymore and 'unfriended' the person. Was that bad? Did that go against social networking etiquette?

It has started

2009-01-31T17:42:00.000-08:00

My classes have started and I am blogging everyday, on two different blogs.....even on Saturday and Sunday. I think I'm going overboard a little. This totals at least 2 blogs a day, if not more on my class blogs plus tons of emails and live chatting at random times day and night, not just for my office hours. I keep my chat window open at all times when I'm online, which happens to be the majority of the day. I do this so my students can contact me whenever they have questions....again, overboard, but necessary until the class is used to blogging. I never realized how many students have never blogged, or even heard of blogging until they registered for my class. I have neglected this blog quite a bit, but should be a in groove soon and will be back to blogging on a consistent basis shortly. Thanks for your patience.

25 Things About Me

2009-01-27T13:14:00.000-08:00

On Facebook, people keep tagging me to write 25 things about me. Well, here it is. Enjoy!

1. I love tomatoes. Sometimes I will eat a whole bowl of tomatoes for breakfast, or lunch. The homegrown varieties are leaps and bounds better than anything you can buy in a store.

2. At some point in my life I want to go back to school for a doctorate. I don’t feel like my education is finished, and I think I would be disappointed in myself if I didn’t earn the highest degree possible. Although, I do not feel like now is the time.

3.Right after high school I spend a month in Kazakhstan (’96), a month in Peru (’97) and two months in Russia (’98). These were all mission trips that I enjoyed immensely. I especially liked Russia because we worked in orphanages.

4. Ever since working in Russia for two months I have had no desire to have kids – rather I have wanted to foster and/or adopt kids who need a loving home.

5. I am addicted to the show Battlestar Galactica. I am sad to see it end. SO SAY WE ALL!!!

6. I listen to talk radio because music tends to irritate me most of the time. I do however, love music – go figure!

7. I don’t agree with the idea of credit cards. If you don’t have the money, don’t spend it. I do have a few, but use them sparingly and pay the total balance off every month.

8. I miss my dad more everyday and wish I could have had just one last conversation with him to tell him that things will get better.

9. I still think about stupid things that I have said and done, even from 10 or 15 years ago. These things haunt me sometimes.

10. I went into teaching thinking it was going to be a temporary thing. I never imagined that I would fall in love with teaching, but now I can’t picture myself doing anything else.

11. My husband and I were married on a cruise ship simply because we both hate weddings and didn’t want to plan one.

12. Even though I hate weddings, and don’t want to have ‘natural’ children, I still cry when the bride walks down the aisle and when a baby is born.

13. I love politics. I would love to be a politician someday, but know I wouldn’t survive in that world because of the corruption involved. I can’t walk the line, I must be well within the area of integrity. Maybe local or small town politics would fit me.

14. I volunteered for a Christian missions organization for a year. That was a foundational year for me, also VERY eye opening. Since that year it has been hard for me to go to church on a consistent basis.

15. My husband is 3 ½ years younger than I am. I hope to God that I die first because I don’t know what I would do without him.

16. I think it’s highly important that people see their parents as human. They are people who make mistakes just like you and I. Enough said!

17. I get really sad when my semesters end. I don’t like to see my students go, but I love getting to know the people in my new classes.

18. I love to cook and to feed people.

19. I believe in ghosts. I had to stop watching “A Haunting” because it freaked me out a bit too much.

20. I hate weather above 80 degrees. I get cranky and lethargic.

21. Every Christmas until 2008 I played the “one for you, one for me game”. I ended up with lots of stuff after every Christmas. I don’t do that anymore though.

22. People constantly misjudge me. I would do just about anything for anyone and need to keep myself in check. Quite a few people have said that they thought I was really mean when we first met, then they realized how different I am.

23. Most perfumes give me a headache…all but the fruity smelling ones or really light smelling scents. Florals make me gag.

24. I think flowers are a waste of money, but don’t mind receiving them once in a while. I would rather someone cook me dinner.

25. I am a gift giver. I love giving people gifts. Even small gifts are huge messages from me – though I never express those messages in words. I have to keep this in check too otherwise I would be bankrupt.

The Housing Market

2009-01-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

Let's just say it, the housing market SUCKS!!! When Shawn and I purchased our townhouse in the Bay Area in 2003, we were talked into a variable interest rate. We were assured that refinancing wasn't an issue, and since our plans were to only be in the house 2-3 years, this was our best option. Who, besides Greenspan and a handful of mutli-millionaire executives, knew what was about to hit the United States?

Thankfully we only stayed in the house 18 months, and qualified for a Capital Gains exemption, we made out pretty good. We knew our next house, the one we are currently remodeling, was going to be a house we were going to stay in for 5-7 years. After that time frame, who knows where life is going to lead. We have lots of room in our house, even though we don't like the floor plan so much. We have 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 kitchenette that we are remodeling to be full kitchen ready if we ever needed it, and ahem - no dining rooms. We have converted the front bedroom into a dining room, so it's not too much of an issue right now. Plus, our kitchenette downstairs has room for an eat-in area. That's not the point! The point is, that we are blessed to have more than enough room for the two of us.

Here's the real point to this post: I feel terribly bad for all those folks who were talked into a variable interest rate a few years back, Shawn and I included because our current home is under a variable interest rate. Thankfully ours is fixed for 10 years, but still, that puts a bit of pressure on us to refinance. With the way the current market is going, we need to refinance soon before we too, like many other Americans, are upside down in our mortgage. This is not the case yet.

Now comes the ranting part: Every time I think about the hundreds and thousands of people who are taking advantage of the system I feel sick. I personally know a few people who 'short sold' their house just because they didn't want it anymore (then turned around and bought an even bigger house in one case I know of). My question to them would be this: "Who do you think is paying for your lack of responsibility?" You want to know who? Me! And all of the other taxpayers in the world, and all of the people trying to scrape by because their mortgage amount has doubled in the last year, that's who. It is quite understandable if someone has fallen on hard times, but to blatantly take advantage makes me physically sick.

I'm done ranting. Please resume your normal daily activities now.

What's For Dinner?

2009-01-13T18:54:00.001-08:00

This was dinner last night, lunch today and dinner the night before. I am trying to get more fresh fruits and veggies into our diet, and one way I thought I would do that is have a fresh fruits and veggies meal. There is not fruit here because I am trying to stay away from the sweet stuff at first, and simply add in fruit as a snack here and there. A headache is looming, so I will cut this short. But doesn't this photo make you want some fresh cut veggies and a bit of dip?

The Wonderment of Dogs

2009-01-12T17:03:00.001-08:00

Meet my doggie Tess. Her official name is Tess-Monster. I would like to tell you a little tale of Tess' mischievous behavior.

Today while we were working downstairs on the plumbing, our little Monster decided she wanted to be a bit mischievous. A few years back we learned that our loving little doggie is quite the little houdini when she wants to be. She has learned how to open screw top pill bottles with ease, with virtually no teeth marks. When we lived in our apartment in the Bay Area she ate an entire bottle of dog glucosamine and subsequently threw up all over the place. But first she had to screw off the top of the bottle which she accomplished, not biting it off, she actually screwed the top off. Well, today she struck again. Shawn left a 4lb. jar of peanut butter on the couch from when he was snacking last night at 2am. Now, Tess WILL NOT get into things while we are around. We can leave plates of food right next to her and she won't touch it if she knows we are close. Since we were working downstairs today with Shawn's step-dad who was helping with the plumbing, we decided to leave her upstairs to save her little paws from getting poked with nails and other sharp objects that were thrown on the floor.

She proceeded to pull the 4lb. jar of peanut butter off the couch, gently open the screw top and calmly lick out some of the contents. She had only a few minutes to accomplish this, but she managed to burglarize the peanut butter and get what she could. Tess didn't get much out of the jar, but as it stands now, she has an entire 4lb. jar of peanut butter all to herself. Oh yeah - it was a NEW 4lb. jar, so it will probably take to the end of her life and beyond for us to give her all that peanut butter since we rarely, if ever, give her any people food - save her slight addiction to carrots which we allow her one everyday. What a little Monster!!!

And yes, those are MY pillows she is laying on in the picture.

Vegetable Spectrum

2009-01-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

This morning I have been compiliing a list of fruits and vegetables that are contained within the 7 color categories. Some say there are only 5, others say there are 7. I have listed 7 here because I will trying to eat something from all 7 categories on a pretty consistent basis. You will notice that there are some things in two categories. This is because a certain website will list it in one category, while another will place it in a different one. Here is the list in case you are interested:

Red/Purple
Beets
Eggplant
Purple Asparagus
Purple Bell Pepper
Purple Cabbage
Purple Carrots
Red Wine
Blackberries
Black Cherries
Blueberries
Dried Plums
Edlerberries
Grape Juice
Prunes
Purple Figs
Purple Grapes
Quetch Plums
Raisins

Red
Fresh Rhubarb
Raddicchio
Red Leaf Salad
Red Onions
Red Peppers
Red Radishes
Red Skinned Potatoes
Blood Oranges
Cherries
Cranberries
Pink/Red Grapefruit
Pomegranates
Raspberries
Red Apples
Red Grapes
Red Pears
Strawberries
Watermelon

Orange
Acorn Squash
Butternut Squash
Carrots
Orange Peppers
Pumpkin
Sweet Potatoes
Winter Squash
Yellow Beets
Yellow Skinned Potatoes
Apples
Apricots
Cantaloupes
Cape Gooseberries
Golden Kiwifruit
Mangos
Pears
Persimmons
Yellow Figs
Yellow Watermelon

Orange/Yellow
Lemon
Nectarines
Oranges
Papaya
Peaches
Pineapple
Tangerines
Yellow Grapefruit

Yellow/Green
Arugula
Avacado
Broccoli Rabe
Collard Greens
Cucumber
Green Beans
Green Cabbage
Green Peas
Mustard Greens
Spinach Greens
Romaine Lettuce
Turnip Greens
Yellow Corn
Yellow Pepper
Zucchini
Green Apples
Green Grapes
Green Limes
Green Pears
Honeydew Melon
Kiwifruit
Muskmelon

Green
Alfalfa
Bok Choi
Broccoli
Brussle Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Chinese Cabbage
Kale
Wheat Grass

White/Green
Artichoke
Asparagus
Celery
Chives
Endive
Garlic
Ginger
Jicama
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Mushrooms
Onions
Parsnips
Raddish
Scallions
Bananas
Brown Pears
Dates
White Nectarines
White Peaches
White Wine

Well, there you have it. I have printed out a copy of this and out it on my refrigerator so I can see exactly which categories I am eating everyday. I can't say that I will eat all 7 everyday, but that is my goal. Enjoy!

Pluggin' Away

2009-01-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

After my blog rant the other day, I started revising my classes. Of course it is not quite the crisis situation I made it out to be. The process has been good. I am looking forward to a new and improved semester. New speeches (thanks to a couple wonderful professors far more experienced than I), new discussion questions, and revised course processes. This is going to be a wonderful semester and I am quite excited about it. Thanks for putting up with that last post.

Stress and Insecurity

2009-01-05T11:28:00.001-08:00

Every semester I start to feel a bit panicked. For some reason, this semester is a bit harder. I am starting a new semester in a few weeks and need to revise my courses to make them better, more productive, get rid of the dead weight of the classes and generally improve the classes overall. This process is bitter sweet. I get the wonderful opportunity to revise my classes, but at the same time face the failures. **Get ready for some blog therapy here** I have a really hard time facing failures. In this statement alone you can probably read quite a bit into my psyche. I could have said, "I have the wonderful opportunity to improve my classes and omit those things that didn't quite work as well as I would have liked". But no, I went right to the word failure! This last semester was successful, but it was quite a struggle. I have not had such a hard semester since I first started teaching, which makes sense because I started teaching in a completely different way (online versus in person). While this medium is awesome and I FREAKING LOVE IT, it works well because of my back problems, but it has also created quite a bit of stress for me. It is now time for me to go back and look at every assignment, emails, class processes, etc... and find those things that did not work. I have a list of things I need to accomplish, but for some reason my mind turns that into failure.

I thought long and hard about this past semester, and even put in 60-80 hours of work prior to the semester. I expected that the classes were going to be perfect, and since my expectations were not met, this translates into failure in my head. I know, I know, I should think positively right? I will try to do so, but with uncertain economic times, budgets at schools getting cut left and right, this leads me to be even harder on myself than normal. I have to be perfect....the process of creating a class, fulfilling objectives then ultimately revising a class seems to have been rolled all up into one process - - - - class perfection from the start. Somehow in my head I have linked the perfect class, perfect grading, and great student reviews with job security and ultimately my only opportunity for health insurance (because only one school I work at offers health insurance to part time instructors, but I don't want to get into that right now).

So here I sit, procrastinating once again, avoiding the fact that I must face my fear and actually submerge myself into the revision process of my classes. I hope and pray that this process becomes easier overtime, and it might once I no longer have to work. It is my dream for my DH to be the sole provider of the family. I can handle the budget, the cooking, most of the cleaning, making dentist appointments, taking on the role of home secretary, foster kids and truck them around from school to after school activities, but I am certain I was not made to be a person who is depended on for monetary support. It is far too much pressure for me. I do not have the ability to segment my life, which quite a few men I have talked to possess, including my husband. Don't get me wrong, I WOULD absolutely continue to work even if it was not necessary because I LOVE TEACHING, it's in my blood. Now it's time to face the revision! Wish me luck. :)

Public Blogging

2008-12-30T14:48:00.000-08:00

Blog Ambiguous is public again. The students from last semester are not longer my students....nor do I think they would keep a blog address for a month or two, in hopes that it would go public again. So, without further ado, Blog Ambiguous is now public. :) More posts to come after the new year.

Christmas Lights

2008-12-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

My beautiful sister-in-law Julie just sent me the BEST email. Here it is:

To whom it may concern...

We do ardently request that you put up the Christmas lights on your house!!! And We also request refreshments after we are done viewing the lights.

Thank you and best regards,
The Chandler Family

Last year we purchased a Christmas light music system that blinks lights to Christmas music. Apparently my husband's family loved it so much that they have been requesting Christmas lights for weeks. I keep trying to explain to them that we have a lot going on right now with ripping out walls and replacing drywall, rerouting plumbing and having to run new electrical wires for our second kitchen. The excuses have fallen on deaf ears. Today I received the above email from Julie, my sister-in-law, and it was quite enough to motivate us to put up the lights. So, if you are in the area after Saturday, we will have tons of lights on the house blinking to music (from 5pm to about 9pm). Once you have taken in the sights and sounds, we offer refreshments afterward consisting of hot chocolate, hot apple cider and assorted goodies.

Left Over Turkey

2008-12-03T18:41:00.001-08:00

About now is the time people are pretty darn sick of that leftover turkey, and for good reason. While I should have been grading papers yesterday I decided it was a good time to make enchiladas. I tried only once before to make them and it was slightly disastrous. This recipe however, is AWESOME!!!!! Here it is:

Leftover Turkey Enchiladas
2-3 cups cooked turkey, diced or shredded
1/2 onion, small dice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jar of Trader Joe's Enchilada Sauce (if TJ's is not local, use a can of sauce from the store if you don't want to make your own, but TJ's is the best!)
12 or so corn tortillas
1 Tb. Olive Oil (better for the heart)
1 small can of olives (or not if you hate olives)
2-3 cups of cheese, Mexican blend

In a saute pan, add olive oil and onions and soften. Add garlic when the onions are almost soft and continue to saute for a bit to cook the garlic. Add the turkey and about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, mix. This is the filling!

In another pan, heat the remaining enchilada sauce, but do not boil.

In a glass pan, or corning wear pan, cover the bottom with enchilada sauce.

Toast the corn tortillas with a cast iron tortilla plate or in a dry frying pan. Some people fry the tortillas in oil rather than doing it dry. I prefer no oil on the tortillas because frying them makes the enchiladas oily. After toasting them until a bit bubbly, dip them into the enchilada sauce. Here's where your hands get messy. Once you dip them, place them into the pan with the enchilada sauce and fill with a few tablespoons of turkey mixture. Add a couple slices of olive to the inside and sprinkle with as much cheese as you'd like (try not to overfill the enchiladas - it may take a try or two to get it right). Line the pan with enchiladas touching. Once you have filled the pan, you can add more enchilada sauce if you like saucy enchiladas, or not if you don't (I did not). Sprinkle cheese on the top and line them with olives (see pic above) to delineate where the individual enchiladas are located. Serve with sour cream, avocados, rice and beans for a complete dinner. Shawn and I don't do rice and beans at home, so we ate them ala carte. They are awesome!

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T12:20:00.000-08:00

I tried, but I can't do it! We are deep frying a turkey on Thanksgiving.....and I'm making all the fixin's. I canceled the Safeway order. Ugghhh!!! Preparations start today, and will continue until Thanksgiving Day. This year should be fun. :)

I cried

2008-11-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

There is a video on cnn.com that has touched my heart. If you want to check it out, please click HERE.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2008-11-18T12:55:00.000-08:00

I have been craving Chicken Tortilla Soup for weeks. I finally went to the supermarket today to gather all of the ingredients needed. If you are interested, here's the recipe:

1 Whole Chicken
3 Carrots, small dice
3 Stalks of Celery, small dice
1 Large Onion, small dice
6 Cloves Garlic, finely minced
1 15oz. can Petite Diced Tomatoes (not drained)
1 15oz. can Chili Beans (not drained)
1 15oz. can Pinto Beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cups corn, more if you'd like
1 cup salsa (use your favorite type)
10-12 cups of water
3 Tablespoons "Better than Bullion"
2 Tablespoons Chili Powder (I use Grandma's Chili Powder)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Limes to squeeze on top for that fresh citrus flavor

Optional Toppings:
Sour Cream
Cheese
Cilantro
Avocado
Jalapenos
Black Olives
Tortilla Chips

Saute onion, celery and carrots in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add water and Better than Bullion (make sure the bullion dissolves). Meanwhile, skin the chicken, make sure to remove as much visible fat as possible, and drop it into the pot. Cook the chicken until it reaches 180 degrees. Remove the chicken and cool until you can handle it. Shred the chicken or cut into little pieces and add it back to the pot. Add everything else listed: beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa & chili powder. Simmer until all flavors meld together, approximately 30 minutes or so. The flavors get better as it sits.

Tips:
*Better than Bullion is indeed much better than bullion cubes or chicken broth. In a pinch, use anything you have, but Better than Bullion is the way to go if possible.

*Use boneless skinless chicken breasts if you don't want to deal with the whole chicken. Sometimes whole chickens are ridiculously cheap, so that's why I used the whole thing today.

*Add more/less veggies to taste. Next time I will probably use a bit more onion.

*Use marinated jalapenos if you want a bit of a kick. I love vinegar, so sometimes I just spoon out some of the marinade to use on top of the soup instead, or in addition to the jalapenos themselves. Using a teaspoon or more of the marinade gives the flavor without the kick of the jalapeno itself.

*The squeeze of lime finishes the soup off nicely. Squeeze the fresh lime into the soup right before serving.

*Use whatever beans you'd like. If you do use other beans besides Chili Beans, rinse and drain before adding to the pot. The Chili Beans are in a marinade that goes well with the recipe. Black, Chili, Pinto, Kidney, etc... work well in this soup too. Use whatever you have on hand.

*This list looks like quite a bit of stuff, but it really is an easy soup to make.

The verdict: I will be keeping this recipe for quite a long time. It is awesome!!! It's kind of an amalgam of a bunch of different recipes I have seen, but of course had to put my own twist on it. Try it, you'll like it. :)

Baby Letters

2008-11-11T09:21:00.001-08:00

For the past few months I have started painting letters for my friends who have babies. At my age, that means everyone around us is either planning on getting pregnant, already pregnant, or has a baby. So, instead of getting a little outfit, or sending a gift card, which is my standard, I hand paint letters to match the nursery. The letter start out as plain wood letters, I have to sand , prime, paint, and then detail paint the letters. I believe that if you click on the individual pics, the picture will be huge, that is, in case you want to see the detail. :) I'm not too creative, which is why the designs of the two are fairly similar. Plus, both mommies wanted something not too girly, thus neither of them are pink. My sister-in-law (Julie - not listed in the cast of characters) wants letters for her kids, but I have no idea what I am going to create for them. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Lauren is 5 and Olivia just turned 2.

Here's a close up so you can see the detail.

Next is a pic of the whole name:

And finally a pic of one of the other names I have done:

French Baguettes

2008-11-07T19:04:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on my favorite website, allrecipes.com. Click on the link and it will take you to the original recipe. This recipe was so spectacular that I did not change a thing, and will more than likely never change it, save adding half wheat flour instead of all white bread flour. I did, however, change the way I prepared the recipe.

Here is the recipe:

1 cup water
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Place 1 cup water (100 degrees), sugar, and yeast into a stand mixer and allow the yeast to bloom for a few minutes.
Add the flour and salt, mix for 5 minutes. The dough will be sticky.
Place dough in a greased bowl (NOT plastic), turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
Punch down dough making sure to punch down all bubbles. Cut dough in half, creating two long thin loaves. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

The verdict: O-H....M-Y....G-O-S-H....the best bread I have ever eaten. Some people who reviewed the recipe said that it was the closest thing to real french baguettes they have eaten since they were in France. I have never been to France, but my gosh, I may just go for the bread......wait a minute.....if I can make bread like that, why go to France? Really though - this is amazing bread. It has just the right amount of sweetness, and the taste and texture are awesome! I can't recommend this recipe enough.

Spicy Meatballs

2008-11-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that was for "The Best Meatballs You'll Ever Have". Well, I changed the recipe a bit to suit what we had in the house. Here it is:

1 pound lean ground beef
4 slices of bread, toasted and crumbled
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

I threw everything together and mixed it. I then rolled the mixture into small meatballs and baked it at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes, then broiled for a few minutes.

The verdict: The meatballs are very spicy. Next time I will use less than half of the red pepper flakes. I also used quite a spicy Cajun mix. I will use half of that too, and possibly add some cheese. So far we have tried them alone, they may be better once we put them in some pasta sauce. Of course Shawn likes them, me, not so much! They are decent, but far too spicy for me.

This year I'm cheating

2008-11-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

Here's my plan for this year....to cook as little as possible. I absolutely love cooking, coming up with recipes, and generally making people happy with food, but Thanksgiving this year is not going to encompass too much cooking on my part. Shawn and I have decided not to travel this year for the Holiday's. Really, the only place we would travel is to my mom's house near Reno, but with us getting into a car accident a couple of years ago on Thanksgiving trying to get up to her house in time for dinner (ahem, a 3 hour drive each way), we have decided not to go anywhere this year. I think we may stop by Debi and Steve's house, simply because we were invited, and Mamaw and Papaw are going to be there, along with the rest of his family, but we should only be there for a few hours at best. Plus, they live 10 minutes from our house.

You can ask Mel, the best part about Thanksgiving is leftovers, and of course getting together with family, but I shall focus on the leftovers. :) Our family LOVES leftovers, and I can't stress this enough. We will eat turkey after Thanksgiving until we can't even look at another piece of poultry. Literally, we eat turkey for breakfast, lunch and dinner until it's gone, only to turn around and have another one at Christmas. By the time we are done with our Christmas bird, we don't even want to look at another turkey for another 11 months, just in time for Thanksgiving the following year.

Because we will be at a house other than our own, I have decided to order a Thanksgiving day dinner from a local grocery store. That's right, I'm cheating! I want the leftovers but I don't want to cook. I will cook every other day of the year, but those high profile days turn me off. I can delve deep into my psyche for an explanation, but I won't. I will simply say two things: 1). When I'm forced to do something required like cooking for a holiday, I have a strong resistance to it. This is perhaps why I have continued my habit of procrastination from when I was a student. I simply hate being forced to do things. 2). I have cooked a number of Thanksgiving day dinners before and it's a booty load of work. My dinners totally rock, but the amount of time I would have to put into it for just Shawn and I simply isn't worth it if I can buy a turkey dinner.

Thanksgiving this year will be quiet, and filled with tons of leftovers. And for that, I am truly thankful!