More from November

 Two very different pictures to add!

Another stunning sunrise.  I've said it before, but one thing I missed while living in the woods was seeing the sun rise.  We were surrounded by trees. I desperately missed THIS and am so thankful so see it again!

Someone in the family passed on this older photograph.  My grandmother was one of five girls and two(?) boys. I had the privilege of meeting all of the sisters and knowing several of these wonderful women.  I don't know when this picture was taken; they always seemed old to me, and this is how I remember them.  However, since my great-grandmother died in 1960, it was taken at least several years before I was born.

My grandmother, Florentine ("Turpy"); Genevieve ("Auntie"); their mother Rose Droppelmann Connor; Kathleen, the oldest; Virginia ("Ginger"), the youngest; and Gertie.  Gertie was the last living sister, passing at the age of 99 last year. 

Past Week (or so) Highlights

Holly registered for next semester's classes: Chinese 102, Intro to Sociology, and Russian 101.  Russian was a last minute choice, so she's not 100% committed to it, but it will be easier to drop later than add.

I've been off of work since last Monday and don't go back until Wednesday.

My dryer died a sad death the day before Thanksgiving.  We bought a new dryer that won't be available until next Wednesday.  Merry Christmas to me!  (At least it wasn't my washer, dishwasher, or microwave, and at least I can get a new dryer.)

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at home with just the four of us.  I made Alton Brown's turkey, which cooks at a high temp for a short time and then continues to roast at a moderate temp.  It cooked quickly and tasted great.  I think it was the first turkey that we haven't stuffed, but I made our tried-and-true dressing, which everyone liked. We also had Make Ahead Gravy, mashed potatoes, Spinach Madeline, Pretzel Jello Salad, and tried a new recipe, Orange and Lime Sherbet Cake.

Friends came over for appetizers Friday night.

Robert and I finally chose AND HUNG artwork for above our couch.  This was a record for us, as we've lived here for (just) 2.5 years.  Usually we can never agree/find something we like, and the wall is naked forever. And the best part was that it was less than $40 total.  (Merry Christmas, Robert!)

We have old friends (who are in reality quite young) from Colorado who are now living in Pennsylvania.  They spent Thanksgiving in Charlotte and stopped by today for brunch on their way home. Such a blessing to see Dan and Christine (and Sam!) after five years!  I wanted to be sure to have something for everyone (especially Sam!).  We ate: bagels and cream cheese, quiche, banana bread, grapefruit, and had a Swiss granola bar.  We were thrilled that they stayed for a couple of hours, as they are in the middle of traveling with a six year old.  So enjoyed catching up and reconnecting in real life!

Unfortunately, Trevor was sick and didn't make an appearance.  This was his "bad" cold day, and I'll spare the public details.  :/

Some nice days and good times, but in general, a not-so-great month. :(

Sunday Date

I bought tickets a few weeks ago to see The Homecoming, the original Earl Hamner screenplay that was the basis for The Waltons TV show. Friends of ours were in the play, and I figured between that, the fact that the play had a Christmas theme, and knowing that Robert likes The Waltons, it wouldn't be too hard to drag him along. We've never been to anything put on by The Bedford Town Players.

In fact, the last time I went to any kind of play was when Robert's mom had season tickets to The Little(ton) Town Players. I'd agreed to go with her for season. It ended up being a lot of fun. She had a set date, and I enjoyed our time out together.

 The Homecoming was held in a wonderful theater that is part of the Elks Home campus in Bedford. Tickets were reasonably priced, and we had wonderful seats in the fourth row on the end. The play was terrific, and I appreciated knowing the characters from the TV show. It was a blast to see our friends in the starring roles (Olivia and ClayBoy), along with their quiet daughter as one of the noisy Walton children. The Elks Home puts on an amazing Christmas light display, and they were already in the thick of preparations.

We stopped at Walmart, where I spotted my first sun dog. I've heard of them before but never seen one in real life with my own two eyes.

We've been wanting to eat at Liberty Station--for several years! But it will have to wait, as we found they are closed on Sundays. We headed for Mexican food instead. Gorgeous day, changing leaves.

Sun going down.

Fall in Virginia is beautiful.

Fall

Election Day!

What a fun day!  (Night was a different story, but whatever.)

I dropped Holly off at her English class and went grocery shopping.  I had decided that we needed to celebrate the first time Holly got to VOTE! with a special, patriotic dinner.  She's been waiting for this day for a couple of years, excited to know that she would turn 18 just weeks before a presidential election.

After class, we stopped at the polls. 

When Holly got her passport last year, we first had to get her State ID updated through the DMV.  At that time, unknown to us, the DMV included a space in our last name, effectively changing it from "McGowan" to "Mc_Gowan."  Based on this information, her passport was subsequently issued with the name "Mc_Gowan."  This was eventually brought to our attention earlier this year when Holly returned to the DMV to get her learner's permit.

Although the DMV acknowledged THEY had changed the spelling of her name in 2011, and THEY were the reason that her passport name was essentially misspelled, they were REQUIRED BY LAW to use the name on her passport.  Their only saving grace was that they acknowledged the ridiculosity of it all.

And Holly's name would not come up at the polls.  She was directed to another table, where the Election Judge made a telephone call to Some Person Who Held All Power.  They asked Holly for her Social Security Number.  Seriously? What 18 year old knows their SSN?  At some point, it dawned on someone to use a space in her name, and PRESTO, she was able to return to the first table, where they pulled up her misspelled, space-filled name.  They checked her off, gave her her piece of paper to exchange for her vote, and sent her across the gym.

Then one of the pollworkers shouted, "First time voter!" and all of the pollworkers began clapping and cheering.

I was thinking, You have got to be kidding!  To her credit, Holly continued walking, totally ignoring them.  Poor girl!  On the plus side, she will never be a first time voter again!

Our patriotic dinner later that night was lovely:
Blue cheese burgers with red onions
Red, white and blue potato salad
Blue tortilla chips with red salsa and white queso
Cherry limeade 
and Strawberry ice cream with fresh sliced strawberries for dessert

Just as we have since the kids were little, we watched the news coverage at night, coloring in our  printed maps with red or blue crayons as each state's winner was announced. It was a fun day and a nice family celebration, despite the really crappy outcome.

Chinese

Holly's work in her Chinese class.  She says it's easy.

More from October

Going back through photos and backdating these pictures from October that I didn't blog earlier.

Annette made cupcakes to mark the first year anniversary of Joyce's passing.  It was such a sweet idea!

I took advantage of the beautiful fall days to get photos while waiting for Holly at a few of her classes.

Beautiful fall foliage

Gorgeous downtown Roanoke

The end of the soccer season and the team photo.

A few pictures from the soccer banquet.

Wonderfully creative soccer field dessert that someone brought. (Not me though!)

Pumpkins for Halloween.

Trevor's vampire

Holly's Ang

Sunrise this morning

Week so far . . .

Monday: Braced for Hurricane Sandy.  We were on the edge of the storm and just had high wind and gusts.  I was concerned about losing power, realizing at the same time that it's a silly and insignificant worry in the scheme of things.  Had planned to take Trevor to the midnight opening release of (the video game) Assassin's Creed III, but the weather prevented that.

Tuesday: Out early in the a.m. to get Trevor's long-awaited video game. Stopped at Panera for breakfast.  Poor kid just wanted to come home and do school work so he could play his game!  Holly completed her first two college applications, writing a great personal essay, and pressing SEND to both JMU and DU.  I *am* so proud of that girl!  I think this is such a stressful time in the life of a 12th grader, and she's hanging in there, seemingly unfazed.  The kids carved out a couple of cool pumpkins.

Wednesday: Halloween.  Robert has a few things to get done before the new tenants move into the rental house.  I'll be stopping by after work.  Our traditional (apparently it's a new tradition, as we've just done it once or twice?) Halloween dinner out of milkshakes and onion rings will have to be postponed.  Weird to not know how much of Halloween evening we'll spend with the kids, but not much we can do about it.

I can't believe it's Wednesday already.  Or November.  Or the end of 2012, for that matter . . .

Life and Tortilla Rollups Recipe

Life in general has been busy.  We are nearing the end of soccer season, and we'll be going to the playoff games next week.  We ended up in fourth place out of eight teams.  This was a good (surprise) ending.  Although we think we have a great team, we didn't win as many games as we expected.  I did note, however, that we scored more goals than any other team this season, no small feat!  (And no, we did not have the most goals scored against us to contrast that.)

Holly is working on college applications.  I'm sure that everything will come down to the early November deadlines, as she is applying "Early Action" to several schools.  We'll see how things pan out, as our financial stuff is wonky, and even using FAFSA worksheets, we have no idea where our EFC will end up.  As it stands right now, she's applying to JMU, GMU, Elon, and University of Denver. She took the SAT earlier this month for the second time, and she's retaking the ACT at the end of the month. 

Trevor's new curriculum is continuing to go very well.  He's 20% through the school year already, a very nice advantage to us moving up the start of school this year by several weeks. 

I don't feel like I'm accomplishing much of anything (and believe me, I don't have much to do with any of the activities above).  Robert slipped on the basement steps Wednesday night (thought he was already on the landing), and 30 minutes later, the washer overflowed, flooding 1/3 of the basement in a LOT of water.  Robert's ankle is swollen and bruised, but it is getting better every day or two.  And the basement flooding could have been worse.  There was just a button that had been turned too hard, so no repairs necessary, and anything damaged in the basement wasn't enough to make me cry.  At least we were home (well, not me) when it happened.

The weather has turned overnight from summer to late fall.  Everyone else seems happy with this, but I'd prefer to turn the clock back a few months, in more ways than one.

Trevor went to a party on Saturday and was asked to bring a snack to share.  He's long loved Tortilla Rollups.  Since I've never found a great recipe, I winged this last minute Friday night. Apparently it was pretty good. Not only did he like it, but a friend called up raving that I should write this down and sell it, haha.  (It wasn't nearly that good, but it will do.)

TORTILLA ROLLUPS

2 bricks cream cheese, softened
1 can diced green chiles (not the usual small can, but slightly bigger, but not enough to be two small cans)
1/2 c. shredded cheddar
1/4 c. red salsa
2 T. chopped cilantro
1/2 big can black olives, chopped
2 to 3 tsp. dried minced onion
large tortillas


Mix all filling ingredients (everything but tortillas).  Spread on tortillas, roll up, and wrap in plastic wrap.  (As you continue rolling up each tortilla, you'll need to keep the edges of the tortilla free, as the filling will mush in and fill the space.)  Chill for several hours.  Before serving, unwrap, and slice in 3/4 - 1" pieces.  Eat the ends before serving; they aren't pretty, but they taste great!

It made 5 tortillas, but the first three were really, really full, so it could have made 6-7 tortillas.

Moon

Yes, I've had a thing for sky pictures lately.  Maybe because everyone else runs when I pull out my camera!  (That's probably not really true, since I've been taking many of these with my phone.)

Evening sky

Found in my camera, from a few weeks ago.

Looking west, from the back deck.

The rainbow was broken but came down on the other side.

At the same time, the view to the east.

Sleeping Beauties

Pumpkin's little paw mirrors Holly's arm.  Two peas in a pod!

Dynamic Duo

The dogs have been testing each other's beds.  Lakota seems to think Lucky's bed is better (it is). Lucky is drawn to his old crate, even though it no longer has his best pillow in it.  He wasn't sure how he felt about her on his pillow though, so decided to join her.

They get along so wonderfully well together.

LOL, Robert saw this and said, "Beauty and the Beast."

Saturday

Holly is retaking her SAT this morning. It was quite early and not yet dawn when we left the house.

Leaving the school after drop-off

Yawn.

Holly's birthday

18 balloons.

Donuts for breakfast.  Writing class, where she received more kudos and positive comments from her teacher.

We dressed up for dinner at The Regency Room at Hotel Roanoke.  The kids looked gorgeous, so grown up.  They pretty much flat out refused to let me get any kind of photo, with the exception of these below.  I really should have insisted.

Holly did something so feminine and pretty with her hair.

Trevor with the computer reflection on his face.

On the way home from dinner, we stopped at Dairy Queen to pick up an ice cream cake.  Once we got home, Holly opened her gifts.  She received cash, a beautiful bracelet (from Grandma Jean), an iTunes card, a game card, ear buds, a giant bed pillow, and a makeup set.  I made this shadowbox for her using a saved baby outfit, along with her old pacifier, hospital ID bracelets, first haircut clippings, and a card she'd received at birth.

And we ate ice cream cake.

 

It was a very nice birthday, mostly low key, with enough celebration to honor the specialness of turning 18.

I don't know how I feel.  From the time she was six months old, I was very conscious of the fact that our time with her was, at that point, 1/36th over.  When the kids were little, Robert and I often spoke of how we were living the BEST TIMES of our lives.  I'm so thankful that we realized this at the time.  I'm excited for whatever God holds for her future, but I selfishly never want this part of my life to end either.  Well, I made it through this post without being emotional at all, until this last paragraph.  Don't want to cry in my coffee!

Funny books

Not that I ever read it, but I know my family will find this amusing.

Herd(ed) at my house

The new dog continues to try to herd the cats.

Somewhat successfully, I suppose.

They are not amused, but we are.  And who could really be mad at this sweet face?

 "I just couldn't help myself . . ."

Sleeping dogs

We let them lie.

Accidental parking

I have never been a stellar parker.  The parking at soccer is so limited, so I was excited when I saw this spot ahead.  When I saw the big truck over the line, I didn't even try.  Instead, I began to make a three point turn in the (dead end) street to turn around.  Without even trying, I had set myself up p.e.r.f.e.c.t.l.y. to back in.

Really quite the feat, when you consider that I can barely back out of my own driveway.

Tuesday

Slept until 8.

Did a bit of school with Trevor before Robert took him out to get new cleats for tonight's soccer game.

Took Holly to her English class, which was very short, as the teacher just met with each student to review a paper.

To Wendy's.

To Holly's eye doctor appointment.  It was great to see that her eyes have changed only minimally in the past three years.

Awesome clouds this afternoon.

Met up with Robert and Trevor at our single Tuesday night game of the season.

It was quite an interesting game when an adult coach (Robert) is speaking to his player, and the teenaged line judge shouts, "If I hear another word out of you, I'm going to tell the ref, and you'll forfeit the game!"  And the ref shouts out, "Game OVER!," tears off his shirt, stomps off the field, leaving 20+ more mature teenagers waiting to continue the game.

Ref changes his mind, decides the game is back on, ejects Robert from the game, and then gathers the players together to tell them Robert is "a bad Christian and not a man."

Robert calls game strategy to me on my phone, which I relay to assistant coach.  We win the game, 3-2, which, believe me, was a good ending.

Sadly, not at all out of character for the ref, and many of the parents/players in the league are already aware.  He was Trevor's coach for three years. He insisted on speaking to Robert after the game, but Robert refused his request to do it privately, as he's long demonstrated his untrustworthiness.  Robert would only converse with him in front of witnesses.

It will play out in the next few days.

Our games with this team are always exciting, but this was not the usual good-exciting . . . I'd much prefer parents shouting out encouragements from under umbrellas in the rain, while the kids slide around on a muddy field and play evenly right down to the end!

Baby love

This little guy came right to me last week at soccer. It was his first birthday, but he made my night!

Drinks with my girl

Great afternoon, after her class, sitting outside.

Scary things

Someone created this.

Someone ordered this.

Someone will buy this.
 

And the'se people Vote.

Recipes - Latin-inspired dinner

We've chosen Peruvian Roasted Chicken several times at Peruvian restaurants over the past six months or so. While this chicken didn't necessarily replicate what we've had, it was certainly easy and delicious, and we'll be making it again.


LATIN-INSPIRED ROASTED CHICKEN 

5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped (I used jarred)
salt
 4-pound whole chicken
1 lemon, cut into quarters (I subbed bottled lemon juice)
3 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. white wine
2 T. oil
2 T. paprika
1-1/2 T. ground cumin
2 t. pepper
1/2 t. dried oregano

1. Using the flat side of the knife’s blade, scrape and chop and mash the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a paste.

2. Pull off any excess fat surrounding the cavity of the chicken and discard it. Rinse and pat the chicken dry, inside and out, and place the chicken on a plate. Rub the chicken all over with 2 of the lemon quarters, then discard the lemon quarters.

3. Slip a finger under the chicken skin at the edge of the cavity and run it along the breasts and thighs to gently loosen the skin. Gently work a little of the garlic paste between the chicken skin and meat, being careful not to tear the skin and rubbing your hand along the surface of the skin to smooth the paste and push it past where you can reach with your hand.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, the wine, the oil, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and oregano. Place the chicken in a 2-gallon resealable bag and pour the marinade on top. Turn the bird several times to coat. Seal the bag or cover the chicken and refrigerate for 5 to 8 hours, turning the chicken once or twice if you think of it. (Marinade time was key!)

5. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position.

6. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish, roasting pan, or heavy frying pan, pouring the marinade into a small bowl and scraping any thick bits of spices that cling to the container into the bowl. Squeeze the 2 remaining lemon quarters into the cavity of the bird and toss the lemon quarters into the cavity. If desired, tie the legs together with kitchen string. Season the chicken all over with 1 teaspoon of salt.

7. Roast the bird in the oven for 15 minutes, then baste with some of the marinade. Reduce the heat to 375ºF and continue to roast, basting every 20 minutes with the marinade and the pan juices, for an hour. (I just basted at first 15 minutes only.) Discard the marinade. Then roast for 15 minutes more, for a total of 1 1/2 hours, until the juices of the chicken run clear when the thigh is pierced with a fork and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165ºF (74°C). Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes after you remove it from the oven.


SWEET CORN CAKES 

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 egg whites
3 egg yolks
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. fresh white corn (about 2 cups), processed in food processor until very fine (I used one can of sweet yellow corn drained)
2 t. baking powder
2 T. flour

Grease bottom of 9" round pan, or use parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350.

Whip butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one by one, and then add the cream cheese. Whip at high speed for five minutes. Stir in corn, baking powder, and flour.

Pour the batter in the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and firm. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.


AVOCADO SALAD

Everyone liked this. It was reminiscent of guacamole, except that the avocado was not mashed.

3 avocados, cut into cubes
3/4 of a small red onion, very thinly sliced and soaked in ice water for 10 minutes to lessen its bite
3 T. finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, or to taste
3 T. lime juice 3 T. olive oil
Coarse sea salt, to taste

Place avocado, onion, and cilantro in a bowl. In a separate bowl, blend lime, oil, and salt; pour over avocado mixture, toss gently, and serve.

---------------------------------------------
Original recipes found here and here. 

Tuesday's sky

After the rain.

First game of the season

We play at different fields for spring and fall. While the fall fields are further away and parking is scarce, I love the location. The train tracks run alongside the fields, and the medivac helicopter base is just over the fence.

 

  Headed to the hospital

 Trevor was a line judge in an earlier game.

 

"NO media allowed!" 

(Not really, Robert was doing who-knows-what.)

For the past couple of years, we played the same team each opening game. The schedule changed this season.

And we lost a game that we probably shouldn't have. But we already have a feeling we'll meet up for another battle on the last night of games.

And hopefully, I'll remember to bring my camera. My phone is very handy, but it's not always the best substitute.

Continues . . .

Holly, fanning herself: Oh, I'm so hot!

Trevor:  In your dreams.

Trevor the comedian

Robert:  Where's my tea?  Where did my Earl Gray go?

Trevor: It all went to your head. 

(Gray, get it?)

Robert (not laughing): Who took my tea?  (Rummaging through cabinet.) I've lost my tea!

Trevor: So?  I've lost my Q.

-----------------------------

And Trevor's still alive.  Robert even made tea for him--but not Earl Gray, which is fine, since Trevor doesn't like E.G.

Sign of the times

When Holly and I toured a couple of colleges up in DC awhile back, I was happy to see this sign.  It was right next to the elevator at the hotel.  I thought it was kind of silly, but I was happy to take advantage of the close parking spot.

Checks in the mail

In a not so surprising "coincidence," one part of Obamacare that has already gone into effect mandates health insurance companies to rebate money to customers if the insurance company does not spend a minimum of 80-85% of premiums directly on medical benefits.

(No wonder the entire bill is more than 2700 pages, right?)

So I got my Obamacare refund last month.

 

Yep. A whopping $9.21.

I'm going to take a guess and say this is the stupidest thing that will happen to me this year.

Robert suggested I give it to Romney.  

So I did. I endorsed it to Romney Victory Fund and mailed it off.  

Oh, yes, I did.

 

It wasn't a lot of money, but it was the principle of the whole thing, and I wish it were more.

Recipe - Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken and Bok Choy Salad

This chicken immediately became a favorite of Holly and Trevor's.  It does not need to cook all day, and in fact will take on a mealy texture when it overcooks.  I found cooking at four hours was sufficient, no longer.

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken


12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds) (I've been boning and skinning my own)
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 c. soy sauce
6 T. vinegar
3/4 t. ground ginger
3/4 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. pepper
1-1/2 T. cornstarch
1-1/2 T. cold water
Hot cooked long grain rice

Place chicken in slow cooker.  In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper.  Pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender.  Remove chicken to a serving platter; break chicken up into smaller pieces while moving to platter, and then keep warm.  Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Combine cornstarch and water until smooth.  Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickened.  Serve chicken with rice.


*     *     *

Trevor's been seeing bok choy around, and I happened upon this recipe.  The bok choy was good, very similar to romaine lettuce, perhaps a little heartier but still mild tasting.  It's the first time we've ever eaten it, a good introduction.

Bok Choy Salad

1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil (who uses this, I just sub regular canola)
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. soy sauce
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1/4 c. sliced almonds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
2 (3-oz.) packages of ramen noodles, crushed (I crush while in the packaging)
1 med. head of bok choy, chopped
3 green onions

Whisk together vinegar, oil, sugar, soy sauce for dressing; set aside. 

Melt butter on medium heat in small skillet.  Add crushed ramen noodles. Saute until golden brown; drain on paper towels.

Mix bok choy, green onions, and nuts in a large bowl.  Just before serving, add dressing, sprinkle with the noodle mixture, toss well, and serve cold.

(Original recipe called for twice as much sugar. The recipe calls for the nuts to cook with the noodles in the butter, but I didn't find that necessary.  The first time, I didn't have sesame seeds and instead doubled my almonds.  Another time, I used a mix of almonds, sunflower seeds, and sesame.)