Taste Testing

For the past week I have been reading this great blog from a woman who calls herself The Pioneer Woman, not only does she take great photos and write with finesse, she also has a blog about her cooking. You can find both here http://thepioneerwoman.com/ (follow the links to The Pioneer Woman Cooks). Anyway our family has been testing out her down home recipes this week and we have to say they are really good! The Chicken Spaghetti and Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich are awesome! It's been a challenge to prep as much as I can ahead of time before work so the we don't have to eat at 8pm (no offense to those who do, we are just a 5:30/6pm kinda family) but it has been worth it! To any meat eaters reading my blog you have to try the sandwich it is a true family pleaser, Coley even asked if he could take the leftovers for lunch!
Another trick that I remembered this week is from my Gram, she was a great cook and a really wonderful woman! Gram used to make a big salad once a week in her pretty glass salad bowl and then wrap it in a grocery bag and stick it in the fridge, she and Bampa used to eat that salad with their dinners all week. I have been doing something similar only my glass salad bowl was broken several year ago, Gram had given it to me and I cried and cried when it was broken (it wasn't hers, that is still in Maine, don't worry), anyway I am using this great Tupperware salad spinner/storage bowl. It is great I can make a huge salad and it stays crisp and wonderful all week! Writing this has reminded me that I haven't been putting any radishes in my salad like Gram did, I love radishes I will have to go and get some!
This leads me to my last thought for the morning. I always wanted to be like my Gram making a home for my family, filling their tummies with great food, having my beds neatly made everyday (I always do this and C has been making his bed since he was 3) and always learning. That is something that my Gram always did, she worked different places during different stages of her life, God always blessed her with a job that allowed for her to still be a Mom and I feel so amazingly blessed that He has done the same for me. I know that Gram always continued to Grow and I want to do the same. I miss both of my grandparents so very much, but they instilled so many wonderful values into me, that I feel they are still with me everyday.
God Bless,
Houston

One Word 2008

So I have been choosing a word for the last few years to describe what I want to incorporate into my life that year, examples: 2006 - Home, I wanted to make our new house a home for my family, establish/reestablish roots in Denver and give Coleman a place that he would always know as Home, 2007 - Release, I get so caught up in things and it snowballs, last year I needed to learn that I cannot always be in control of every situation (yes, my name is Houston and I am a control freak) so I chose Release as my word and throughout the year I worked really hard to let go, and you know what I am able to do that a lot more often now!

My word for this year is Grow. I have been home for a long time and I have grown in so many ways by doing that, but now I am out in the "world" more and I realize that I have so much to learn from others and I want to grow more as a person.

I want my relationships to Grow. I want to put more energy into making time for relationships that are important to me.

I also want to Grow at home, literally, Coley and I have been wanting to plant a garden for several years and this is the year that we start. By start I mean a small garden, but by golly we are going to grow something!

I also want my art to grow. I want to scrap less about events and more about moments. I want to be more real in my journaling as well.

Last but not least, I want my world view to grow. I tend to hide behind my little rock and just let the world go on and I try not to notice, ignorance is bliss kind of thing, but this year I want to grow in my knowledge of what is going on around me. I want to know what the candidates stand for and why. I want to read more news and know what is going on and where it is happening.

This year I plan to put down roots into the soil of home and draw from the love of God, family and friends, to grow upward into the woman God has created me to be. I can't wait to see where the journey takes me.

Do you have a word for 2008?

Lo Mein?

Dogs do the funniest things. Our dogs are usually really good and don't beg too obnoxiously, okay Belle is really pushy when it comes to her food but not ours, and they aren't really overindulged (in the way of people food). Yet for Edgar all this changes when we bring home a little Chinese take-out! Eddie will do just about anything when it comes to Lo Mein. I speculate that he must have previously lived (in the five months before he came to his forever home) with a Chinese family in a Chinese restaurant and because they were struggling to make it they fed him leftover Lo Mein. I don't know if I really buy this. I wonder if all Dachshunds have a thing for Asian cuisine. My last Dachsie loved teriyaki and would risk mussing her beautifully groomed feet (she had a fetish) by going through the garbage for the last few drops left in the take-out container. I personally think that Dachshunds have a more refined palette than the average canine and thus appreciate fine Asian cuisine!

Belle however is a dogs dog. She loves all things meat related and isn't too interested in the Lo Mein unless Edgar is getting some and then she wants her rightful share. Belle does other strange things such as mouthing apple or carrot slices that fall on the floor until she has tasted them thoroughly and then she abandons their lifeless husks on the rug. This reminds me that Bella D only eats on carpet, why I don't know, but she takes all food downstairs to the family room to enjoy it, including the occasional ice cube which then leaves a cold puddle in the rug. Belle does have an after dinner routine, she stands next to C's chair and carefully cleans the edge of the table with her tongue, isn't that nice of her to clean up :)

I am sure your dogs do silly things, let me know about it in the comments section!
Happy New Year!