Valentine's Day

I hope everyone out there had a happy Valentine's day. Mine was so special and unique, I just had to blog about it. Wait until you hear what Rich did for me!

Unbeknownst to me, many weeks in advance, he hatched a plan to farm out our kids to friends and made us reservations at a swanky hotel! Isn't that sweet?

Yeah, that's what happened.

Hee hee.

The truth is, we were heading out to the desert with our trailer Saturday morning to go dirt bike riding for the long holiday weekend(romantic, huh?). We had actually planned to go Friday afternoon, but feared that snow on the 14 freeway would be a bit problematic. So, we waited until the morning and headed out bright and early.

As we were blowing through Lancaster, we had some "issues" with our trailer. Issues that sent our trailer straight to the repair shop. End of trailer for the weekend. OK. Now what to do?

Thankfully, we were caravanning with our dear friends the Tubbs and the Jensens, who were so gracious to us. They let us know there was smoke coming off of our tire (we were clueless), helped Rich remove the tire and diagnose the problem, stuck by us for hours while we figured out what to do, and offered to help us in any and every way.

We decided to take advantage of our gracious friends and pile all of our stuff (clothes, bulky gear, food for 3 days, etc.) into our friends' trailers and make a go of the weekend anyways. Whew!

When we got there, my sister offered to house us in her trailer, but I've been battling a terrible nighttime cough and knew I would either A) contaminate everyone in the trailer while we slept or B) keep everyone awake all night with my annoying cough. Rich wanted to drive home and return the next morning, but I suggested we get a hotel in nearby Lancaster. He finally gave in to my nagging gentle persuasion, so we left the kids to bunk with friends and the two of us drove down to the lovely Hampton Inn. It was a bit comical arriving at 10:30 p.m. on the most romantic night of the year, with a mesh beach bag with clothes thrown in, smelling like campfire and asking for toothbrushes. But, what can you do?

It turned out to be just lovely. And when we returned the next morning to the campsite (after our free buffet breakfast to boot), our friends were quite jealous of our restful night's sleep and the hot showers we had.

And, when we got home late last night, we had no trailer to pull into the driveway and unload. Drew drove home while the rest of us kicked back.

We just may be onto something here.

WDW- Sour Cream Banana Walnut Loaf or Muffins

I am a banana freak... I must have gotten it from my dad. I love fresh bananas most, but have no objections whatsoever to banana cream pie, frozen bananas, banana smoothies, banana pancakes - even that cheesy Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding is great by me. Since I'm the only one who likes bananas in my house (what's not to like?), and I buy the Costco-sized bag, some are always getting too ripe. I usually freeze them (in the peel), so I can make smoothies or breads with them. Bananas are great in baking because they add a natural moistness and sweetness. And frozen banana chunks mixed with a little milk, ice and a little cinnamon and vanilla in the blender tastes like ice cream!

This recipe is more cake-like than bread-like. That is why I like it. The texture is just excellent. I have tried many banana bread recipes and they are kind of spongy... I think the good texture here is due to the massive amounts of sugar and sour cream. They are also super moist. I made the muffins and the loaf and I think I'm more partial to the muffins (I scarfed two down the first time I made this recipe). I like to put some walnuts on top of the batter before baking to let people know there are nuts inside. I'm guessing that if you added chocolate chips to this batter that the result would be quite favorable!

Sour Cream Banana Walnut Muffins or Loaves

¼ cup white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

¾ cup butter
3 cups white sugar
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 (16 oz) container sour cream (light is OK)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda
4 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the ¼ cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda, and flour. Stir in nuts.

For muffins:
Fill greased muffin cups with batter. Sprinkle evenly with reserved cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes. Do not overbake.

For loaves:
Divide batter between two greased 9 x 5 loaf pans and bake for 1 hour- 1 hour 15 minutes, or until tests done.

Observations on Jury Duty

I was called in to serve at Jury Duty yesterday. I pretended that I was a working mom, got dressed up and went downtown. Fortunately, I was not chosen as a juror and fulfilled my duty in one day. I decided that it would be interesting to be a juror someday, perhaps when my kids are both in college. But for now, Jury Duty is just an interruption to all that is on my calendar. I am thankful it only lasted one day.

Here are some observations I made about my experience:

It is very hard to find someone smiling in a courthouse.

I am not the type who can sit around all day.

I am not the type who can sleep in a chair all day.

I am not the type who can sleep on a hard bench in a hallway all day.

A run down snack shop can be a haven.

There are no windows.

You can get a good sampling of 1950's decor, especially the tile in the bathrooms.

If you cannot recognize your name being called in a courtroom, you should not be a juror.

If you cannot find your numbered seat in a courtroom, you should not be a juror.

If you cannot find your juror ID number on your nametag, you should not be a juror.

If you cannot answer "yes" or "no" to a yes or no question you are being asked, you should not be a juror.

(the last four items are from first hand observation)

Those little packets of Oreo cookies in the abovementioned snack shop look really good by 3:00 in the afternoon.

Those little packets of Oreo cookies were totally worth it.

An overcoat is not enough to keep warm in a courthouse.

It is easy to tell the lawyers apart from the clients.

All young women lawyers wear skirt suits with pumps.

You get to see an array of jello colors in the cafeteria.

Young people keep themselves busy with game boys and cell phones.

Older people keep themselves busy by reading books.

It's better to be on jury duty than it is to be a defendant.

WDW - Chicken Tortilla Soup

If you're like me, you open the freezer, see the frozen chicken and wonder, "what can I do with chicken that I forgot to thaw for dinner?" Well, here's a great and easy recipe that I go to frequently all year long. I got the recipe from my friend Kelly, but I adapted it a little to my liking. Some of the reasons I like this recipe are: it's lowfat and healthy, it's simple, easy and very quick to put together, and it tastes long simmered when it isn't. And, for me, most of the ingredients are always on hand. I made a batch today, to last us a few days while Rich is out of town (I'll just be eating my humble soup while he is eating my favorite pizza in NY-so unfair). It's a flexible recipe, too. I didn't have an onion so I just substituted onion powder when I put in the other seasonings, and substituted black beans instead of the kidney beans. This recipe makes a good sized pot - it probably serves 8-10 generously.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 T. extra virgin olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, minced
1 small brown onion, chopped

1 box organic chicken broth (1 qt.)
¾ box organic creamy tomato soup (1 qt. -Trader Joe’s)
3 cans (15 oz. ea) organic tomatoes in juice, undrained, pureed coarsely to leave some tomato chunks (I like to use 'fire roasted' by Muir Glen for 1 or 2 of the cans)
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
4 frozen chicken breast halves, or 8 chicken tenderloins, unthawed (or 2-3 cups cooked chicken)

1 ½ c. organic frozen corn kernels(regular or fire roasted)
1 can (15 oz.) organic kidney beans

In a large pot, sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil until soft. Add all remaining ingredients, except corn and beans, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer approximately 1 hour. Remove chicken, shred, and return to pot. Add corn and beans and simmer 15 min. more. Serve with fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, crumbled tortilla chips, and diced avocado, if you like.

The Music Man

Kylie and Emma after the show

Emma and Robert Jensen

Stephanie & Lindsay Tubbs

Emma joined E.S.C.A.P.E. Theatre last fall and last weekend was a part of the production they put on of The Music Man. It was a fantastic show and Emma had a blast dancing and singing in the ensemble. It was such a great experience for her - many of her friends were in it as well. Kylie and Taylor Dempsey both had the leading roles (in opposite casts) of Marian Paroo and Harold Hill. They are both so talented and adorable - it was so much fun to see them and many more of our family's friends participate. Emma loved it so much that she has joined the next production - The Wizard of Oz. The show will be late June and rehearsal starts up the beginning of March!

Click here to see some great pictures that the ever-talented Tracy Dodson took during the show! Thanks, Tracy, the pics are awesome!

Nichole Greene

Just look at this precious family. This is Norm and Nichole Greene and their four kids -a young family from our church. I have only met Nichole once; she is a friend of my friend, Julie Gebhards. Nichole has been battling cancer for some time and my heart has totally gone out to her and her family. I have prayed for her and cried for her as I have read Julie's updates.

Julie encouraged some of us who have blogs to share Nichole's story with others and ask them to pray as well. I would like to do that, so if you feel inclined to pray, please do and perhaps bookmark this blog that some of Nichole's closest friends maintain to share about how she is doing and how to pray.

While cancer has touched my family, I cannot imagine how it must be when it hits the mom of the family. Especially one with such young children and a husband who must work to support them all. Nichole is an amazing testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you read some of the blog I mentioned above, you will see a woman that is focused on God's glory. She is a precious sister, please pray for her.

Whatever - the post office

So, today I had to go to the post office to mail something I sold on eBay. It is definitely not my favorite thing to do!

I got inside to see a line about 18 people deep and ONE window open out of eight. Typical, so I just took a deep breath and settled in for the wait. I could hear the drill of the clerk with each customer - is this perishable? is this hazardous? is this liquid? do you need delivery confirmation? do you need stamps? and on and on it went with every customer in front of me.

So, when I got to the counter, I cut right to the chase. I said, "This is a book. I want to send it plain media mail please."

Of course, you know what the next question will be.

"Is it liquid?" the clerk routinely asked.

"No, it's a book," I simply replied.

"Is it perishable?"

You have got to be kidding me. It's a BOOK! Is he even listening? Is this a person, or a robot?

I try one more time.

"No, it's not perishable. It's actually... a book."

You guessed what's next.

"Is it hazardous?"

Well, I guess you could find someone who might consider Drew's college Geography book hazardous (there was some mention of evolution, after all). But I decided I'd better be conservative.

"No, it's not."

"Do you need delivery confirmation, insurance.....blah blah blah...."

"No, thank you, nothing else."

Then, this one that really made me laugh.

"Do you need any stamps or passports today?"

Passports?

That's not exactly a "tack-on-the-end-of-your-order" item, in my opinion.

I was truly tempted to say, "Oh, yes, I just remembered! I'm going to Bora Bora today and I haven't gotten a passport yet. Yeah, go ahead and throw in a passport with that."

I really, really wanted to be a pop-off, but I didn't.

"No, thanks, I don't need any stamps...or any passports today."

Whatever.

WDW - Easy weeknight pasta dinner!

This is a busy week for us, as it is production week for the play Emma is in. There are long rehearsals every night, so I needed some quick and easy weeknight dinners to keep us away from Panda Express.

Speaking of Panda Express, I just want to pause and say how much I love their Orange Chicken. I still haven't figured out if there is actually any chicken in it, but I really don't care. It's so stinkin' good. Anyways, back to the pasta...

This is a great go-to recipe which is hardly even a recipe. I don't even actually have a name for it. All you need is a bag of pasta, a package of Italian sausage, some fresh broccoli, a little parmesan cheese, olive oil and half and half.

First thing I do is put on a big pot of water to boil.

While I'm waiting for the water to boil, I start with the sausage. I like Trader Joe's chicken Italian sausage. I prefer to take off the "skin" by just running a sharp knife down the long side of the sausage. Pull out the sausage meat and put it into a large saute pan (I use a stir fry pan) with a touch of olive oil and some fresh garlic if you like. If the sausage is mild, I like to throw in a few red pepper flakes as well. Turn the heat on medium, and saute until cooked, breaking up the sausage into bite-sized bits. Turn off the heat when it is done and just let it sit.

When the water boils, throw in about a half a package of pasta (about 1/2 lb.). I like radiatore, orriechetti, or rotini for this dish. Cook the pasta about 5 minutes, then throw in (to the boiling water with the pasta) approximately 2-3 cups small broccoli flowerettes. Cook about 5 minutes more, until the pasta is al dente and the broccoli is crisp-tender. Drain everything together, and dump it into the saucepan with the cooked sausage. Turn on the heat to medium, and toss everything together. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and at the last minute stir in a splash or two of half and half. Just a splash - we aren't making Alfredo here.

Serve immediately with parmesan cheese - this is a fast and easy one dish meal. I think it's a rather comforting dish, too. My family loves it.

Most people will want to double this recipe. The way I make it serves about 4. Enjoy!

Consumer Bliss...I'm on a roll!

Just had to post this. Everyone has heard of Priceline, right? Those annoying ads with William Shatner, you know? Have you ever tried it?

Anyways, I decided to give it a try today. Emma and I are visiting my dear friend, Carol, in March, after she gives birth to her 7th child (supermom). She lives about 1 1/2 hours north of Seattle, and I need to get a car to drive to her middle of nowhere charming and secluded home. We are only able to go see her because I got a GREAT deal on airfare (hint: wanna get away?), so I knew in order to keep this a sweet deal I had to get a cheap car.

So, I searched the net for the rock-bottom price I could find. Using a discount, I could get a 4-day car rental for $96, but once they add in all their ridiculous charges, the total came to over $150! So, I went to Priceline, put in that I only wanted to spend $15/day on a car, and guess what?? I got it! In 15 seconds, I was out the door for about $100 on my car. SWEET!

Try it sometime!

Surprise from Canon

A few posts back, I blogged about how happy I was that Canon was going to fix my broken camera for free. I was astounded at how well the company handled this. They sent me a free shipping label so I could send the camera back to them, and in as little as a few weeks time, they completed the transaction. I was so excited to get my little Powershot back.

So today, I received the package, with a letter that stated:

"Thank you for trusting Canon with your repair needs. Due to the lack of essential components at our repair facility, and in order to expedite your repair, we have exchanged your original equipment with a new or factory reconditioned replacement model of equal or greater value."

What this amounts to is they sent me what appears to be a BRAND NEW CAMERA. Not just a brand new camera, but one that is the most current model. Emma checked Amazon.com and discovered that said camera is worth over TWICE as much as what I paid for mine 5+ years ago. User manual, new battery and charger, the whole she-bang. BNIB, baby (that's ebay speak for brand new in box).

Wow, how's that for a deal?

This just may make Emma a Canon girl!