Old Spice "Mom Song" & Divergent

Saturday was a very social day with a triple birthday party, including my father-in-law, who turned 89. That was followed by a nice, calm and entertaining dinner with Natalie and her family. It was a nice day. But, a tickle that started out in my throat that morning had worked its way into much more of a something by the end of the evening. The next two days were spent sleeping and reading on the couch, though I am very bad at relaxing. I spent time visiting with Ethan as well. It was a good thing to take the day off at work. So, there is not much to report of late so here are a few tidbits:

From time to time, bits of popular culture get stuck in my head. Old Spice recently published such a commercial. Larr likes to hum the tune.Perhaps you'll enjoy it, too:



I am also really enjoying Divergent by Veronica Roth. It is a dystopic novel where the 16 year old protagonist takes a test that is designed to help guide her as she chooses which faction she will be part of. Each faction focuses on a single trait, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue. These are: Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless, Amity, and Candor.

"Divergent" trailer:

A Hat for Little Tucker and His Mama

Adoption was a wonderful, abstract idea for me, until recently when I finally met Tucker. He is the sweet little boy my friend Kassidy and her husband, Brian, adopted in the fall. Seeing Kass with Tucker brought it home for me in a very real , tangible and different way than it had been when it was an abstract idea.

Holding him in my arms, having his sweet, wide eyes looking at me closely, I was struck by the amazing awesomeness of the gift Tucker's birth mother gave them. She already had two baby boys under two at home when she found out that she was pregnant it Tucker. Living in a tiny apartment with her boyfriend and two babies, she realized that she could not give this baby the life she knew he deserved so she must be a strong woman to have been able to give his a new family.

Kass and Brian had about five years of infertility until they decided that adoption was going to be the way that they were able to have a child. I am pretty sure that they tried everything to try and conceive. She did hormones, they tried invitro, they put Brian on hormones (he even got a little bit of PMS.)They tried a sperm bank. (Did you know you can the computer do a search of the donors to find one that looks like your own husband?)It was heart wrenching to watch them go through it. Then they committed to the adoption process and got Tucker. Oh my, what a sweetie he is. They are thrilled and I could not be happier for them.

They are real Broncos fans. His training as a Broncos fan began early with Broncos decorations in his isolete in the NICU. The nurses also helped speed up his discharge one morning so that he could go home to watch his first game, which he promptly slept through. However, it was easy to know what colors to pick when I decided to knit him a hat. It was fun, so I decided to make another, adult sized one. I wanted to make two, so that the entire family could match, but I simply did not have the time. I wanted to make sure that Tucker would get his hat while it would still fit and we were still in the football season. The design is a bit busy for me, but my sports fans friends said that it was a great design. It was fun to see Tucker sporting his hat. My best wishes and love to Kass, Brian and Tucker!

Stampede to Timberline

When Ethan was little and I was pregnant with Ellie, Larr and Ethan would go with Mark, Larr's cousin, exploring and photographing many of the mining towns on the western slope. It was a wonderful way for them to connect with each other, one that continues even now.

Larr and his cousin, Mark, have two things they both love - giving each other weird gifts and mining. They usually to out do each other with the weirdest gifts. However, this year Mark gave Larr a copy of Stampede to Timberline by Muriel Sibelle Wolle.

It was a wonderful gift, perhaps the best Mark has given him. It is full of very personal stories about small mining towns in Colorado. Muriel was an explorer and an art professor. She and her husband would drive to the various mining towns to sketch images of the locations and listen to stories, which she used to write her book. At first I was not at all interested in it. I thought it was just another of the many books about mining that we own. However, that has changed.

Larr has spent some of his free time relaxing and reading this book. From time to time Ethan and I would join Larr in the morning, hot drinks in hand and sitting on the couch. Larr would read excerpts from the stories from places that Ethan and Larr had visited. Soon we found ourselves asking him to keep on reading aloud. Some of our mornings began to transform from each of us doing our individual things in separate parts of the house, to our spending time together enjoying these stories. I am so thankful for the connection that this book has provided. It has strengthened that bond and connected them to explorations from when Ethan was younger.

As Larr reads, I see images in my head like a slide show, images of my little Ethan wearing jeans, tiny hiking boots and a serious expression on this face. I imagine what it looked like when they would hike around the mines, now long abandoned, looking for treasures, climbing tailing piles and filling his tiny pockets with treasures for his rock collection. In the evenings they would return home, dirty, tired and excited, full of wonderings. Ethan still as such adventures, wonderings and still comes home with rocks, though now he is much more discerning and the rocks are usually in bags.

I listen for the enjoyment and I soak in the chance to have a leisurely time with Ethan, for I know that it is fleeting and may not happen much in the future. I have been helping him write cover letters and apply for positions in Antarctica and for a voyage on a tall ship. He will soon go in search of some adventures and our time in the living room will be done, at least for a while. I am excited for the adventures he will have, but I will miss him terribly.

(The drawings are by Muriel Sibelle Wolle. There are many more in the book.)

A Cozy Day in Nederland

Ethan, Ellie and I spent the last day of our winter break up at the Johnson home in Nederland. Larr could not join us because a friend needed his help and support that day.

We drove up in time for brunch and had a leisurely day.

I made grilled burgers, crab cakes, mac and cheese and cinnamon rolls.
Mark and Martine were very welcoming and Mark was silly, as usual.

Tinnaka, Martine's daughter, and Josh, the boyfriend, were there , too.

Some of us went hiking in the cold, snowy conditions. I think it was 10 degrees when they set out. I opted to hang out on the couch and watch cable t.v. since I can't do that at home.
It was a great time.

-----
And now for something completely different:

Gifts for the Kids ~ Van Gogh Magic in Photoshop + Baked Zucchini Fries Recipe

Today Larr and Ellie repainted the stairwell and the hallways upstairs. It is a big change. I think I will like it once the pictures are back on the wall. Once it is done, I will share photos of it with you.

A while back Ethan shared an image that he found on Tumblr that he loved. I think he may even have had it as his background for a while. I thought it was a great idea, so I decided I would make my own version. Here's the inspiration. (I am sorry to say that I don't know its original source.):

From a technical point of view, that is easy enough to do. It turned out that the challenge was in finding the right photos. Luckily, I found one of Ethan in Goblin Valley from about 2 years ago. The dusky light was just perfect and I am very pleased with the result:

(Ethan with a Starry, Starry Night sky, thanks to Van Gogh.)
And so of course I wanted to make one for Ellie, too. After looking at Van Gogh's paintings and thinking about what images I had of Ellie, I thought this was a fun combination:

(That would be Ellie and "Night on the Rhone" by Van Gogh.)

It was so much fun to make that I was sure they would love them. Then I happen to ask Ethan in a round about way about what I was making. He replied that it might be weird to have photos of just himself in the apartment he will get some day. I had not thought about that, but I had already done the art. In the end I decided to risk it and give the gifts to the kids. Larr and I figured that if they did not like them, we would keep and display the images. I had them mounted on wooden blocks with silver edges. It is a service that Walmart offers and they are lovely. It turned out that I think the kids liked them. I still love them, so I might make a second set. We will have to see about that later.

Here's a snack we tried out today:

Baked Zucchini Fries
via: Budget Bytes

1 lb. zucchini squash
¼ cup all-purpose flour
⅛ tsp salt
1 cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend
1 large egg

Rinse and dry the zucchini. Cut the ends off and then cut each one into strips, approximately ⅓ inch thick.

Place the zucchini strips on a large zip top bag and add the flour and salt. Shake the bag to coat the zucchini in flour. In a wide, shallow bowl combine the panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. In a second wide, shallow bowl, whisk a raw egg with about 1 Tbsp of water until fairly smooth.

Begin to preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and then place two wire cooling racks over top. One by one, take the flour coated zucchini strips and dip them in the egg and then the seasoned bread crumb mixture. Place the breaded zucchini on the wire cooling racks. The wire racks keep the zucchini up off of the baking sheet and allows hot air to circulate underneath, which will prevent soggy bottoms. Also make sure there is a small amount of space between each strip to allow circulation.

Once all of the zucchini strips are breaded, bake them for approximately 15 minutes or until they are a medium golden brown color. Cooking time will vary with the thickness of your zucchini strips, so keep a close eye.

Road Trip ~ A Photo Recap

The day after Christmas the kids left on a road trip together, just the two of them. They had been dreaming and talking about such an adventure for many years. I am thrilled that the time was right for them to go on the adventure. I will admit that it was a bit scary to send both of them off together without an adult. I was not worried about them. My son is a safe driver. But other people, other crazy drivers, were my concern. Here's a glimpse at what their trip was like:

They headed south out of Colorado, going over Wolf Creek Pass.

They made it all the way to the Moki Dugay in Utah. It was a cold, dark night and they attempted to sleep in the car. I don't think it was very successful. I think the low that night was something around 7 degrees.

I would imagine that the amazing sunrise in the vista made it a worth first adventure. They hit the road pretty quickly. They were aiming for San Diego.

They stopped from time to time for a few interesting sites.

Ellie did most of the navigating. They would drive for as long as they could.

That second night they camped in Needles, a park just over the Arizona border in California. It was a much nicer night with the low being near 43 degrees. They even set up the tent and had a fire.

That day they finally made it into San Diego. They spent time on the coastal highway, located their hotel and went to the beach, finding it colder than they had expected, they had a relaxing night in.

They spent more time on the beach the next day. They also met a friend for lunch at a place in La Hoya and enjoyed fish tacos.

I think they enjoyed it, but they seem to like living in Colorado best.

All too soon they had to head back home in order to be back for New Year's Eve.

It was a whirlwind road trip; one they are glad they did together.

---------
This evening we are enjoying a bit of homemade alfredo sauce on noodles:

Alfredo Sauce with Garlic

1 pound dried Fettuccine Pasta
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tbl. Garlic, minced
1 cup Heavy Cream (I used milk)
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
(2 TBL Milk + 1/2 tea Corn Starch, for thickening, if needed)
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add in garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and cook just until it starts to melt. Stir in 1/2 of the cream and whisk until the cheese melts. If it looks like it will be too thin, stir the corn starch into the cold milk in a cup. Once it is well combined, pout this into the hot sauce and stir for a few minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Add in remaining cheese and cream. Continue whisking until smooth. Add pepper and parsley. If sauce appears to thick, thin with a little of the reserved pasta water.

Add hot pasta and toss to coat. Add salt if needed. Serve immediately.

December Daily #31: And Back Home Again - Safe & Sound

New Year's Eve is my birthday. I usually wish for a day free from cleaning, cooking and kids bickering so that I can spend peaceful time with my family and do a bit of art. This year was a bit different. My wish was for my kids to return from their road trip safe and sound. But my day had a wonderful start when I had breakfast at Mimi's Cafe with Natalie.

We had a lovely, leisurely, chatty visit. She even gave me some birthday presents.

The gifts she gave me were perfect and I was so touched with the cotton candy that her kids sent. They received a cotton candy maker for Christmas and are really enjoying it. The whole morning was perfect.

I then opted to clean and do laundry so that the kids would come home to a clean house and they would both have clean clothes to wear. (This is a nice gift as they have been doing their own laundry since they were each 10 years old.) I love coming home to a clean house.

I also made a few things to eat including crab cheese rangoons, roasted cinnamon nuts, oatmeal cookies and fish tacos.

Here are some of the recipes:

Crab Cheese Rangoons
via: Damn Delicious

2 cups vegetable oil
5 ounces drained crab meat
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
24 2-inch won ton wrappers

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
In a large bowl, combine crab meat, cream cheese, garlic, green onion, sesame oil, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, to taste.
To assemble the wontons, place wrappers on a work surface. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons of the crab mixture into the center of each wrapper. Using your finger, rub the edges of the wrappers with water. Fold the dough over the filling to create a triangle, pinching the edges to seal.
Working in batches, add wontons to the Dutch oven and fry until evenly golden brown and crispy, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve immediately with dipping sauce, if desired.

------

Roasted Cinnamon Nuts
via: The Sisters Cafe blog

1 cup white sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups almonds

Preheat oven to 250. Cover a 13×17” baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease well. In small bowl combine sugar, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large bowl slightly beat the egg white. Add vanilla and beat until very frothy, but not stiff. Add the almonds and stir until well coated. Add the cinnamon sugar mixture and toss until evenly coated. Spread evenly on the prepared pan. Bake for one hour, stirring half way through. Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container.