Parents and Trees

As of September of last year my father has been retired.  It is wonderful to have my dad back.  The stress of his job made him short tempered, tired and always on the road, but now all of that has changed and he is the Papa Bear that I remember growing up with.  The one who loved creating the story. 

When I say creating "The story" I mean anything that entices the imagination or makes you think about what could be.  He is a craftsmen, writer, and being Irish a tall tale teller.  I know that Nolan is still young but I get butterflies when I think of Nolan sitting in my dad's lap for story time or just to see Nolan's face when my dad tries to convince him that something is true when it is just silly. 

Another benefit of his retirement is that we get to spend way more time with him, and he gets to create like he used to.  Those benefits combine, I needed some help with Nolan's room. 

I had bought a wonderful shower curtain at Target, cut it in half, hemmed it, and used it as curtains for Nolan's room. 

The curtains were perfect but Nolan's room was still needing something like knobs to hang cloths and someway of measuring Nolan's growth.  Not to mention more art! So, the need beget the inspiration.  The trees in the curtains were the inspiration to fill the need, and my mom and dad were just the people to help.

Here are the trees all cut out and sanded down in my dad's workshop.

And here are the trees with my mom's beautiful paint job hanging in Nolan's room.

The pine tree has a tape measure on it to measure Nolan as he grows, and the apple trees have knobs on them so cloths and things can be hung (the big tree is for me to hang things, and the little tree is for when Nolan gets older and needs to clean his own room).

If you are interested in a similar project for your own home let me know.  My parents are open to the idea of doing this as a side job, and would be willing to give quotes.  Thanks!     

Doggy Treats

I have two dogs.  They are brothers and mutts, and until Nolan was born they were Steve's and my babies. When I worked at a law firm, and money was just flowing in we would lavish our pups, but when I left the firm things got a little tighter.  So, in an effort to save money I came across the cook book "Three Dog Bakery Cookbook".  Which taught me how to make my own dog treats at a fraction of the cost of buying even the cheap treats.  Our pups love them and prefer them over the store bought treats.

I don't own the Three Dog Bakery Cookbook, but totally recommend it.  The cookbook that I do use is called "Throw Me A Bone" pictured here.

I love everything about this cookbook.  Not only does it have great recipes it also has fun stories about the recipes and the photography is amazing!  There is also a section in the back that lists the Author Dog's favorite movies, books, a websites (How Cute Is That?!).  PJ's and Lucky's favorite treat is the Peanut Butter Cookies.

Normally, I roll them out and use cookie cutters to make fun shapes and then bake them, but yesterday I was really trying to make/ bake them before Nolan needed to go to bed. Luckily, my pups really don't care how they look, they just want to eat them.  It was soo fun to see their little sniffers come into the kitchen.  They love treat day, because they get treats for testing.  So, once the smell of the treats filled the kitchen they were in the kitchen waiting patiently.  These treats keep well in a zip lock bag in a cookie jar.      

Running

I've been a running since I was a freshman in high school.  It has become for me a break, and stress reliever more than a chore or exercise.  Unfortunately, now it is much harder to do or at least it requires more planning and creativity.  These extra steps are, to a point, zapping the relaxation out of my beloved running, and making it hard for me to look forward to it. So, I kind of need additional motivation, and that motivation is in the form of a race.  The 5K Run for Hope is going to be held this Saturday starting at 8am.  If you are interested in joining me, by all means click the link above and sign up.  Plus, let me know and we can run together!  

Garden Monday: Peas Please!

Don't you just love spring?! For me it is like instant gratification.  What it has only been two weeks since I planted my garden and look!

I have:
Peas, Lettuce, Onions, Cilantro, Marigolds, Tomatoes, and possibly basil.

Yes, to be sure there are a few seedlings that didn't come up but yeah, the glass is half full here!  All I can think about is salad.  I'm so burnt out on the bagged salads at the store.  I can't wait for a real fresh salad from the garden.  Any suggestions on a vinaigrette?

Excuses

Okay, if you are wondering what happened to me and why all of the sudden I stopped writing, well I really don't have a good excuse.  I could say something like, "I got a cold" or "I've been busy and unmotivated to blog."  Or if I was really cleaver I would find a way of blaming it on something or someone else while still making myself look good...but I'm not that cleaver or silly.  So, I'll just stick to being sorry for my neglect, and promise never to do it again.

Besides:

"Excuses are like butt holes.  Everyone has them and they all stink." My Husband 

Garden Monday

So, this post almost didn't happen.  Not that I didn't want to post but last night I watched the 5 HOUR version of Pride and Prejudice with a bunch of girl friends.  Nolan and I didn't get home until around midnight, and he had a feeding or two before we finally woke up at 7:30am.  Needless to say, I'm very tired, but the deadline to have dirt in our raised bed has come and voila!

Not only dirt is in that box, but plants and seeds!  I'm so excited to see what is going to grow, and how we'll be able to use it.   The bushes that you see along with the herbs are going in the front yard or in other pots (a Monday post to come).  From what I have read and what the seed packets said, it will be another couple weeks before any seedlings can be seen, but don't worry you'll know when they do!  Here are the other pictures of the garden.  

   

Tornado Warning

 So, my sister Jessica, works at The American Restaurant, and because of her job she normally comes home with a multitude of stories.  This story, though, needed to be shared.  Enjoy!

 ---------

Tornado Warning By Jessica R. Quinn

I was at work one day in Kansas City when two women walked into our restaurant. One woman was from Arkansas, the other was from New York.
On this particular day there was a rather bad Thunderstorm going on. There was no Danger of anyone getting hurt, but the Restaurant that I work at has Three Walls that are made almost completely out of glass windows. If one peered out of the two story glass walls they were reminded just what it was like outside.

I seated the woman at a nice window table as requested. Being on the fourth floor, a window table at our restaurant has a fantastic view of Kansas City.

Arkansas: It sure is pouring out there!

Me: yes it really is, but I kinda like to watch the lightning.

Arkansas: are you already if a Tornado hits?

I was about to give my answer when I heard a startled screech coming for the other side of the table.

New York: They get Tornados here?!?

Arkansas: Oh yeah!! This is Tornado Ally!

New York: My Husband didn’t tell me there were Tornados here!

Arkansas: Oh! And it’s Tornado season! They get them all the time this time of year!

At this point the lady from New York is getting Frantic. Her eyes full of worry search the windows with her hand clinched tightly to the armrests of the chair, looking like she could bolt at any moment.
As the Hostess it is my Job to make all customers feel at ease. (even if it would be more fun to play with their heads) so I stepped in.

Me: Don’t worry. There are no Tornado Warnings out at the moment, and even if something did happen, we are fully prepared to get you out safe and sound.

As I’m saying this, the wind picks up, it starts to hail, and the rain starts coming down so hard you can’t see anything but white out of the window.

Arkansas: Hey Look! Bad weather and Hail! Thos always happen right before a Tornado!

New York is now shaking. Arkansas is trying to scare her friend to death and is about half way there, and I’m trying to think of something to say.

Me: don’t worry, we’ve never had a Tornado hit here.

Arkansas: Don’t say that! That’s what my husband said right before a tornado hit our house!

I couldn’t help it. I laughed! As soon as got over my giggle fit, I knocked on one of the wooden arm rests, got their drink order and left. I gave up.

I guess New York got over her fear because two and a half hours later they were the last ones in the restaurant. Robert, one of our servers, came up to me with an exasperated expression on his face. He wanted to go home, and these woman where keeping him from doing it!

As he was telling me his woes, I started to giggle.

Robert: What!?

Me: You should go tell them there is a tornado on the way!

Easter Was The Best

If you just got done reading my rant on the value of Easter and how I've never seen the holiday in good light, you might be wondering what happened this year.  Well, it was wonderful to say the least.  We grilled lamb and had a feast! There were fresh flowers, beautiful weather, wonderful company composed of friends and family.  

We held the celebration at my house, and were a little worried when EVERYONE that we invited decided that they were going to come (normally, I invite over our house's capacity because a good fourth turn down the offer). Plus, to make matters a little bit scarier neither Steve nor I had ever grilled/baked or touched lamb in our lives and many of our guests had never tasted the meat.  My little sister-in-law Rachel, who is eleven, was convinced that she had had the meat before but then was surprised that she couldn't find it at the buffet table.
"Where's the leg of lamb?"
"It's right there." I said while pointing at what appeared more like a roast than a leg of something.
"No, lamb leg is much smaller and it has a little bone sticking out." she corrected me.
"Rachel, have you ever seen a real lamb? They can be bigger than my dogs.  I think you are thinking of something else, maybe drum sticks which are on the grill right now."
"Oh..."
"Do you want to try the lamb?"
"No, that's okay." 
Looking back I probably shouldn't have referenced the lamb being the same size as my beloved dogs (two animals that Rachel adores).

 Hot off the grill the lamb was wonderful.  Steve seasoned and grilled it like a master, and much to our surprise we had very little leftovers of the meat. 
 

Here was our holiday menu:
Antipasti
Vegetable and Fruit Platter

Greens
Cesar Salad
Green Beans
 

Sides
Flat Bread
Baby Potatoes
 

Meats
Leg of Lamb
Quinn’s Chicken
 

Dessert
Vanilla Ice Cream
Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
Povitica aka Walnut Bread
 

Drinks
PassionTea Lemonade
Water
Pop

So, scary food out of the way we still were a bit worried about seating, all around utensils, plates, and glasses.  In other words were weren’t sure we could serve our party without breaking out the paper plates, and plastic cups (two things I really don’t like for reasons I’m sure to go into later). 

Well, God smiled on us and allowed the weather to be perfect for alfresco dinning.  Plus, my sister had just been given, by my Grandmother, a beautiful dish set that had the perfect number of plates including platters that she was dying to breakout (unfortunately I didn't get a full picture of the set or one dish for that matter). 

All worrying aside it was a magical day, full of stories, laughter, and a big surprise.  My brother and his wife are PREGNANT!

This would have to be my favorite Easter ever!

Growing Monday- The Garden

What better way to make sure you work on your garden then by making it a subject on your blog for weekly discussion.  First off, I'm some what new to this whole green thumb thing.  I know how to put the seeds in the ground and even weed but I don't think I've ever had a successful garden in my life (and I grew up on a farm).  I'm going to try very hard on this one and even start small so more attention can be given to the success of the plants than the number.  Here is my grocery list:

• Tomatoes (Cherry and what I call "Regular")
• Strawberries
• Lettuce
• Sweet Peas
• Herbs (Thyme, Basil, Rosemary, Cilantro, & Oregano)
• Maybe Peppers, onions, and a few other plants I haven't decided on yet)

We started working about a week before the official day of Spring.  Steve put together the raised bed and dug up some dirt from the back yard, and then it snowed about a foot on the first day of Spring.  It wasn't until last Tuesday that we finally got to get our hands dirty again.  It was also last Tuesday that we discovered that the "dirt" that had been dug up was really mostly clay.  We added more dirt, mixed and put it in our pots.

Then put the rest of the mixture in the raised bed.  

We needed more dirt to say the least.  Steve went to dig up some more but could only find clay, which meant plan B. B standing for "Buy it".  He went to the store and came back with what the salesman deemed, "Enough", and we still haven't filled the bed.  I hope next Monday you'll get to see a beautiful raised bed with little rows of to-be-plants in them.

On the bright side, I went to the KC City Market and picked up some tomatoes, and herbs for pretty cheap.

Pizza

Homemade pizza was one of those things that, when I got married, I thought I had down pat.  Little did I know my skills at pizza making were in need of sharpening.  I've tried a number of recipes, ranging from my mom's all time favorite, to the freeze and come again dough.  My main problems are in the crust, sauce, and the amount of time and energy it takes to make it.

To my husband these areas of pizza are crucial.  The crust cannot be doughy or too thin, there has to be tons of sauce (which makes it hard not to get a doughy crust) well seasoned with more for dipping the pizza in, and the whole process needs to be quick.  Weeknight meals need to take at most one to one and a half hours from start to finish to allow time for clean up and relaxation. With these guidelines in mind, I have not faired very well, at least that is, until I found this recipe from Everybody Like Sandwiches.  Because my husband deems the sauce a very important part of the meal Pizza Blanco wouldn't have been a big hit, so, I used a sauce recipe from my American Test Kitchen cookbook, and then added on the toppings.  The recipe below is the updated version. 



Pizza With Color

the easiest pizza dough in the world
1 packet of yeast
1 c warm water
2 1/2 c flour (I did 1 1/2c white flour and 1c whole wheat)
1 t honey
1 t salt
2 T olive oil
cornmeal
pizza toppings:
grated cheese (parmesan, mozzerella or whatever you have on hand)
1-1 1/2 c Pizza Sauce (recipe below)
And your preference of Hamburger, Italian Sausage, Bell Peppers, Onions, etc.

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, add in the yeast and warm water and stir until the yeast dissolves. Add the flour, salt, honey,, and olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon vigorously until combined. Let dough rest for 10 minutes

Spray a walled baking sheet with cooking spray, sprinkle cornmeal over the oil evenly and press dough into it until thin. To keep dough from getting soggy from the sauce, put dough in the oven for half the cooking time, about 10 minutes. This step is optional. Add your toppings, starting with the sauce, then meat and veggies, and finally the cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until pizza crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Pizza Sauce
             1 (16oz can) Crushed Tomatoes
             3-4 cloves Garlic minced
             2 Tbl Olive Oil
             Salt and Pepper to taste
             
In a pan set to medium high heat add your Olive Oil.  Once oil is hot add garlic and sautee for 2-3min or until just starting to get brown around the edges.  Add Crushed Tomatoes and salt and pepper, and stir.  Reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until it has cooked down to a thicker sauce. Once, it is thick enough add it to pizza or let cool and store it until needed.  It will keep for 3 days in refrigeration. 

This recipe is so easy that I ended up having to bake it with Nolan, my 4 & 1/2 Month old in his sling.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of my flour hand print on the bottom of the sling, but got these still very cute pictures instead (in the picture above you can kinda see the flour, but mostly it's cute because it shows both Nolan's and my hands on the sling).  Enjoy!

Busy Busy With Not A Moment to Spare

Wow! It has been an eventful week! Just now sitting down seems odd and out of pace from the previous seven days but at the same time a welcome retreat.  Easter was amazing! I'll go into the prep, menu, and follow through a little later.  Steve and I started getting pots and the raised vegetable bed ready to plant in, also something to be discussed later on.  I finally have a pizza recipie that Steve likes (I've flunked this area of baking/cooking for awhile now), and to finish off the excitement we have had some of the most intense storms.

Looking back I wish I had the peace of mind to grab the camera and show you what the storm last Friday looked like.  But to tell you the truth is was soo intense that I thought it was a tornado, and so did my dogs who were running around the house frantically trying to find additional shelter.  The storm knocked out our power for around eight hours, which meant no blogging (or coffee for that matter) at home.  In fact, our block was not the only ones without power for an extended amount of time.  A whole shopping block was closed down because of the black out!  For those of you that saw the clouds on your way into work and then the fallen limbs on your way home, you missed out on an amazing show of nature.  The best I can do to describe it is tell you that I couldn't see my fence in my back yard due to the heavy SIDEWAYS rainfall.