Snow

Perfect timing on the snow. It was a wet snow, ending tonight, and the roads will clear quickly. Holly and I are driving to North Carolina tomorrow, and this won't hamper our plans.




I called off of work today, expecting the snow. I hate doing that, worrying that I'll make the wrong choice. The alternative is to go to work, get stuck coming home, and making the more wrong choice. The snow came early, easing my guilt. Holly's biology class was canceled.



It was a pajama and soup kind of day.



Even without plans, we didn't get much school done. Trevor is reading the Percy Jackson series like crazy. He'd read all day if I let him (so I pretty much do). Both kids worked on their TeenPact homework. We found that our local delegate has been in office since 1962. Holly's changing her proposed state bill to impose term limits on state delegates and senators. Is it a bad thing when Robert's and my cynicism rubs off on her?

I noted that the delegate was born in 1928. Holly commented that he's as old as Grandma Jean. I asked Trevor how old he is, and Trevor replied, "He's as old as Mickey Mouse!"

Which leads me to believe that Trevor will at least have success on Jeopardy.

January

This month is flying by. In years past, this has been the month when the winter school doldrums strike (me) hard. I haven't been quite as affected these past two years. Perhaps it's because we no longer concentrate so much of our effort on school work from September through November; perhaps because I'm working and don't have time to feel cooped up. I've had a slew of paid holidays over the past two months (seven days), which has helped me feel less frenzied. What perfect timing, as our schedule is suddenly over-full.

We continue to drive out to Lynchburg for church a few times each month. We've been spoiled (blessed!) by Calvary Chapel Bible teachers, and it's been impossible to find that in other churches.



Robert joined a men's monthly Bible study (locally, not Lynchburg). Fifteen men showed up for the first meeting; about a third of those have also left our former church over the past four years.

Holly's stomach troubles have been alleviated by free samples of a prescription acid reducer. When we went to fill the script, the total was $300 a month. Ugh. We called the doc for another medicine--Prilosec, which was $150. If we buy this over the counter and Holly takes two pills a day (instead of one prescription pill, equaling the same dose), the total is just $25 per month. It's so stupid and frustrating, and to top it off, the Prilosec does not seem to be working as well.

Meanwhile, she's been working hard at pre-season soccer practice, so far twice a week for a couple of hours each night. She's already noticed an increase in her stamina and is feeling that she can compete with this team. One of the practices is far enough away that I can justify staying for two hours and visiting with friends. So far, we've been out for Starbucks both nights. It's a sacrifice, but I'm willing to make it for Holly to play soccer.

I made a new recipe last night, Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Bucatini. Since I can't find bucatini at the grocery store, I'm renaming it--BLT Pasta.



Bread Crumbs:

3 c. French bread cubes
1 T. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
salt to taste

Put bread cubes in food processor and process until coarse. Pour oil into pan and heat to medium/medium high. When oil is hot, add garlic and bread crumbs. Toast until golden, 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from pan and set aside.

6 slices thick-sliced bacon, diced
3 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1-1/2 t. sugar
1-1/2 c. thinly sliced leek
3/4 c. dry white wine
1-1/2 c. chicken broth
1 T. red wine vinegar
3/4 t. red pepper flakes
12 oz. pasta--I used little wheels for fun
3 c. fresh spinach leaves
pinch of dried thyme

Wipe out pan with paper towel, and cook bacon until crispy. Drain on paper toweling, reserving 3 T. of the bacon grease.

Carmelize tomatoes and sugar in bacon drippings over medium heat. Cook until tomatoes begin to brown, about 5 mins. Add leeks; saute until wilted, 3-4 minutes.

Deglaze pan with wine; simmer until liquid is nearly evaporated. Add the broth, vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is reduced by a third, about 5 minutes.

Cook pasta per package directions. Add spinach, thyme, and bacon pieces to pan with tomatoes. Drain pasta and return to pasta pot. Top with sauce, stirring gently to coat pasta. Add a handful of reserved bread crumbs and stir a few more times.

Place on serving plates, top with grated parmesan cheese and additional bread crumbs. Serves 6.

Trevor's basketball team slaughtered their opponents in their first game yesterday, 22-9. Robert's been really laid out with a cold but managed to make it to the game. It was so important to me that he be there to encourage and coach Trevor from the sidelines. Trevor played very well, scoring a basket for his team, and also volunteered for the first time to lead the teams and coaches in prayer before beginning to play.


Holly even gave up her sleeping-in day to watch Trevor play. Fun, fun morning.

Trevor's day got even better for him when he was invited to spend the rest of it at a friend's house, and he was included when they ate dinner at a restaurant before bringing him home.

Robert was still very sick this morning, at least a little better than yesterday. The kids and I went off to church anyway, as Holly wanted to meet with the pastor heading up a summer missions trip to Arequipa, Peru this summer. God's laid it on her heart to go; we've been praying about this. In a great twist, Pastor Mike was not there, but I heard the message loud and clear to get off of Facebook and concentrate on other things for awhile. I'd already been off for the weekend and found the time to read an entire book. With Robert sick, if it hadn't been for Holly, we wouldn't have gone, one more reason that the teaching really hit home with me.

Robert reconfigured the router. Holly got her Kindle hooked up to the wireless connection; Trevor hooked up the Wii. The kids are now playing Mario Cart (and who knows what else) with people from who knows where around the world.

It's been a pretty good, very interesting month, and best of all, very un-January-like.

Weekly menu

Ooh, I've been so bad at blogging again. Maybe today!

Tortilla Soup
Potato and Red Onion Frittata, smoothies
fish and chips (hey, the frozen stuff, nothing fancy!)
French Onion Salisbury Steak on Cheese Toast, salad
Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Bucatini
Shrimp in Garlic Sauce

On the back burner:
anything with ham
chicken souvlaki
Marlboro Man Sandwiches
Crispy Parmesan Chicken

Books (reviews)

Not much of a review anymore, but just a running list of what I've been reading over the past two + months.

Saturday Morning by Lauraine Snelling

Recommended by a patron at the library, I never should have listened. While the book read like a poor imitation of Neta Jackson's Yada Yada House of Hope complete with a battered women's shelter, it was published five years ago. Maybe Neta copied Lauraine. Whatever the case, this was boring; Yada Yada rocks!

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler

Handler is a best selling author, with two books to reach #1 on the NY Times Best Seller List. On March 28, 2010, her three books took the #1, #2, and #3 spots on that same list. This inane, insipid, stupid book is the only one of the three I've read (yes, mildly funny too--once or twice).

"Upon books the collective education of the race depends; they are the sole instruments of registering, perpetuating and transmitting thought." Harry S. Truman

If this is a best-selling author in our country, we are doomed. Seriously.

Broken Things
Hidden Things
Precious Things by Andrea Boeshaar

Light Christian fiction about a woman who goes back to her hometown and reconnects with old friends, including an old boyfriend. The series continues and expands into the lives of peripheral characters. Nothing remarkable, but interesting enough to continue reading the series.

Just Walk Across the Room by Bill Hybels

I chose because of a conversation about Bill's Willow Creek Church. I have mixed feelings about the book, so I hesitate to label it shallow.

Peony in Love by Lisa See

I have always enjoyed Lisa See, and I particularly have long been enamored with Chinese historical fiction. When Peony pines away (literally, she dies) over a love that can never be, the tale turns to the Chinese afterlife--but I really don't know more than that because I stopped reading prior. Certainly does not live up to See's other works, a disappointment. Oh, there's much more to the story, but I had enough.

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You by Anita Renfroe

The problem with comedians writing books is that the material is good for only a few chapters. They may be entertaining to watch but get boring while reading. I shortened the title of this book--it's all you need to know, similarly to what it's like to read the book.

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

When this book was first published, I joined the waitlist to read it, and then passed when my turn came up. I'm tired of reading whiny autobiographies of famous has-beens and expected this to be more of the same.

I picked it up again recently. The book is written in present tense--although that was hugely annoying, I was able to get past that. It was a good read, telling of Agassi's childhood with an overbearing father who seemed impossible to please. Even hating tennis at a young age, Agassi was sent to a tennis school at age 13, where "schooling" was a distant second priority. I appreciated his honestly in how he looks back on his life and career, both the highs (to him, very few) and lows. The book ends shortly after his retirement from tennis. He seems to have found peace in his marriage to Steffi Graf, as a father, and through founding a charter school for disadvantaged children in Las Vegas.

I continue to be surprised that I liked it.

This Stranger, My Father by Robert Hawks

Part of our library's young adult fiction collection, I read this book based on the storyline and reviews on Amazon. Twenty years after escaping federal prison, teenager Patty's father is rearrested. He escapes a second time, and with Patty, and together they attempt to escape the U.S. Marshals in pursuit.

Boring, completely unbelievable, and definitely not worth suggesting to my kids.

A Woman's Place by Lynn Austin

Lynn Austin is the author of the riveting Chronicles of the Kings series. A Woman's Place follows the burgeoning friendship of four very different women through their factory work as electricians during World War II. A pleasant read, it also provided insight into the women who provided support on the home front at this time in our country's history.

Shopping with Holly

Holly and I went to the mall for specific clothing for an upcoming event. Normally, shopping is not something I enjoy. Today, I made sure we had plenty of time, and it helped immensely that I enjoyed her company. :)

She's still feeling blah, but at her request, we visited Bubblecake. She's going to feel bad anyway, so we may as well make it worth it.



I laughed out loud at this license plate we saw, referencing the Virginia Tech Hokies and the University of Tennessee Volunteers.



As part of my planning for loads of time to shop, we stopped at Walmart to pick up a dinner of rotisserie chicken, a bag of steamed corn, and my new favorite find, a bag of steamed potatoes made expressly for *real* instant mashed potatoes--sans the flakes.

How's that for a run on sentence?

And it's Monday...

So far today:

Robert asked where in the area friends of ours live. "Southwest Denver," I replied. Not quite; they live in southwest Roanoke.

Trevor asked me to throw him a pen. This is not something I would not ordinarily do, but it's a pretty clear path from the kitchen table to the t.v. cabinet. The pen began to flip, end over end, and the pen point hit the cat right on top of the head. Cat is not happy. And the worst part of it is he was on the couch, not even halfway to where I was trying to throw the pen.

Now I'm going out driving with Holly. Hope we make it back in one piece.

New Year's Eve

I can barely remember that far back!

We had friends over in the evening. The boys played video games and visited with us--because we were in the room with the food! Holly was not feeling well. Robert and I fixed cheese fondue, meatballs, homemade Chex Mix, rum cake, a cookie plate, hummus, and shrimp dip.

I first made these meatballs last Christmas for a finger foods potluck. The young men couldn't get enough, and my double batch was one of the first things to disappear. It's one of the funniest recipes I've ever seen. I also made this on Christmas Eve for us to snack on at home, before making them for New Year's Eve.

Crockpot Meatball Appetizers

1 jar of grape jelly
1 jar of chili sauce
1 package of frozen meatballs

Place meatballs in crockpot. Empty both jars into saucepan on stove, and cook on medium, stirring often, until jelly is melted and all is blended well. Pour over meatballs. Cook on high for several hours, stirring occasionally if the sauce doesn't completely cover the meatballs.

I have found that the size of bottle doesn't really matter. I have no idea what I did last year, but this time, I used two bags of meatballs, a big jar of jelly (32 oz.?) and two jars of chili sauce (about 12 oz.?). Store leftovers in the fridge.
_____________________________

I love Chex Mix. I pick through the pretzels and anything else to get to the chex--wheat first, followed by rice and corn. I made Pioneer Woman's recipe a few years ago, but it didn't wow me. I went back to the basics this time. It was very good, but I will increase the spices by 50% next time.

Original Chex Mix

3 c. Corn Chex
3 c. Rice Chex
3 c. Wheat Chex
1 c. mixed nuts (any mix with peanuts is a little too boring!)
1 c. bite sized pretzels.
1 c. bagel chips (homemade, recipe below!)
6 T. butter or margarine
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 t. seasoned salt
3/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder (I just crushed up dried onion flakes)

Heat oven to 250. In a large bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels, and bagel chips; set aside. In a small bowl, melt butter, then stir in seasonings. Pour over cereal mix, tossing to evenly coat. Pour onto large rimmed baking pan, and bake one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. (I think I baked mine for 1 hour, 15 mins. total). Spread of paper towels to cool, and then store in airtight container.
_____________________________

The kids' favorite part of store bought Chex Mix has always been the bagel chips. Instead of trying to find store bought bagel chips for my own Chex Mix, I decided to try making my own. According to Holly and Trevor, I've made these once before but I don't remember! These turned out great--so well, that I ended up making a second batch so we'd have plenty to snack on.

Bagel Chips

2 bagels (I used four mini-bagels)
2 T. melted butter
1 t. garlic salt

Slice bagels into 1/4 inch slices. Dump into gallon-sized ziplock bag. Mix butter and garlic salt. Pour into ziplock bag, seal bag, and shake like crazy to evenly coat bagels slices as quickly as possible.

Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes, until chips begin to toast. Cool on wire rack; store in airtight container (if they last that long).
_____________________________

At midnight, we went outside to set off our customary fireworks. For the past few years, we've done this with a lot of privacy and no need to consider neighbors. This year, I was struck with the silliness of me hushing everyone as we went outside, only to set off the somewhat loud fireworks. They aren't fancy or big, but they are more substantial than sparklers and snakes. There was a bit of a laugh when one set off a couple of others at the same time!

hApPy NeW yEaR!

Practically the "old" days

Friday:

Finishing a great book with Trevor.

Unexpected snow, with giant flakes falling outside.

Holly still feeling lousy and had a pajama day. (While one is unusual, the other really is not.) She's been feeling lousy for almost a month with what seems like an unrelated variety of symptoms and has seen the doctor twice. Her blood test came back fine; she's on a stronger antacid, plus a muscle relaxer for her headache.

I printed off a couple of paper dolls from the old Making Friends site. Holly and Trevor sat at the table, coloring and cutting out just like they did when they were little. Holly made Russian girl scouts; Trevor added his own cutouts to create Link, complete with sword and shield strapped to his back.

Soup cooking on the stove for dinner.

A great catch-up kind of day. We don't have enough of that time where we just hang out around the kitchen table together anymore. I miss it, and it brought back such sweet memories of our earlier schooling days.



A day I don't want to forget.

Basketball

Trevor decided to play basketball this season with our homeschool rec league. The season kicked off with a mini-tournament, each team playing four 7-minute games this afternoon.

He's not played basketball in four years, and it's been super cold outside, too cold to get much practice in now that we have a basketball hoop on our driveway. But everything came back to him, and he did a great job taking directions.



We're on the blue team for soccer, so it was strange to don a red shirt. I sat in the bleachers, the lone red mom in a sea of my blue friends. Trevor had a blast, seeing old friends and making some new ones.



I had a great afternoon too, catching up with my own friends. Robert made his way around, visiting with parents and players from his soccer team. And it was an extra bonus that Trevor's team was undefeated!

Recipe - Cheesy Garlic Bread

Our new favorite. Who needs a main dish?

1 loaf of French bread, any style
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated
1T. dried onion
6 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 c. mozzarella, shredded
1 c. mayonnaise

Slice bread vertically into 1/2" or so slices, and slide the bread, still in loaf shape, onto a double thickness of aluminum foil. Mix remaining ingredients together. Keeping the loaf shape, spread some of the cheese mix onto one side of each slice of bread. Wrap up with aluminum foil, pressing to ensure loaf keeps its shape.

Bake in 350 oven for 30 mins. until cheese has melted.

*Easier alternative: Slice loaf in half. Spread half of mixture onto each half. Place cheese side up on a pan, and broil until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Let set for a few minutes before slicing.

Hockey . . .

of a different sort. We still can't believe that Trevor got an air hockey table for Christmas (thanks to a wonderful aunt and uncle). Trev worked hard at following directions to get it put together.



Robert and Trevor warmed up. Notice the smile on Trev's face. I took a series of photos here, and he showed the same joy in every single one! I love looking at these.



Holly joined in the fun. I have to add that Trevor lost this game but still couldn't stop smiling.



Trevor expressed surprised when I asked him if he'd play with me. I had to remind him that I *did* have a life before children--and then I played well enough to tie him. I guess I was just lucky. (wink)

Weekly menu

Husband Delight, garlic bread
Robert's choice
Tortilla Soup
spaghetti with pesto sauce
Potato and Red Onion Frittata, smoothies
Orange Chicken, rice, potstickers, egg rolls, pineapple
breakfast burritos
Indian butter chicken, jasmine rice, pita bread, fried broccoli


On the back burner:
anything with ham
chicken souvlaki
Marlboro Man Sandwiches
Shredded Beef Tacos

Princesses

Oops!

I somehow missed this photo in the last post.

We teased Robert about doing his own Christmas shopping this year. He literally bought a few things, gave them to me, and told me to give them to him for Christmas. I was not entirely amused. But the name tag on this top gift amused me. Trevor wrote it.

To Dad, From Dad

And this is the real reason why we didn't need to go shopping on our shopping day!

Christmas

Once I get a day or two behind in blogging, I procrastinate and torment myself over not blogging. It's a vicious cycle; I'm much too hard on myself. I hate going back so far, it makes me feel like a complete failure. And then I know how stupid I am for thinking that way, and the vicious cycle starts all over again.

We woke up to a lovely white Christmas morning! It was completely unexpected; gorgeous.


Robert and I woke up waaaay before Holly and Trevor, and we had time to read the paper, drink coffee, and get dressed. I can't help but think about the Christmases when they were younger, waking up bleary eyed, so excited, while we'd make them wait in the hall, or on the stairs, until we had everything by the Christmas tree just right: Cards placed on the tree branches, fire in the fireplace, soft lighting, Christmas music, and video camera rolling. Such sweet memories!

Trevor kept with tradition, passing out every gift from under the tree before we began opening.


Trevor leafs through a catalog in search of a still-unknown gift (which turned out to be a gift card tucked within the pages).


I get caught up in writing everything down and my picture taking becomes spotty. To top it off, every year, my Christmas pics are dark and or blurry. Perhaps it's that "mood lighting"; perhaps it's that my boy moves at the speed of light!

I opened this chopper from my mom, while my husband and kids snickered. Everyone should know to avoid giving me sharp objects!


No words necessary!


Our coffee pot was beginning to wear out. I bought a new one for Robert and he bought a new one for me. We should have known--while out shopping earlier in the week, we passed by a giant coffeemaker display, and both of us averted our eyes and bypassed it completely. We were each relieved the other didn't stop to check them out. LOL.


It's always been our tradition to give Christmas ornaments. I found a neat handcrafted Link (from Zelda) one online for Trevor. While at the ceramics store with Trevor earlier in the month, I decided to make one each for Holly and Robert.

As expected, we had a wonderful rest of the day. Dinner was simple compared to years past: spiral ham (heated in the microwave at the last minute, my best holiday secret!); cheesy mashed potatoes; Spinach Madeline; baked corn; and our ever-present Pretzel Jello Salad.

The snow had continued for most of the day--lovely snow, lovely Christmas.


-----------------------------
"The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned." Mat 4:16

Getting ready for Christmas!

So many photos to add, so little time. Here's a quick rundown of everything that's been sitting on my computer, waiting to be added.

Holly and Trevor continued the annual gingerbread house tradition.


We used the first gingerbread kit, oh, at least 9 years ago. I'm so glad this has become a favorite activity. Holly made the house this year; Trevor, the train.



Holly and Trevor wrapped presents. I found the best hiding place for Robert is in plain sight--in Holly's closet. He will never step that far into her bedroom, haha.


Lots of people sharing sweets and giving small gifts. These cookies were from two of our young library volunteers.


While eating dinner the other night, my stomach turned to hear the fire truck sirens going up and down the main road--and then it came to the end of our street. The truck was decorated for Christmas, taking Santa out. I'm not sure if he delivers gifts or visits children, or what, but when he saw me taking photos, he came over and gave me a candy cane. Holly and Trevor (and Robert) hid safely inside.
l

It's been cold, cold, cold for several weeks. Holly and Trevor planned to stay up and watch the rare solstice eclipse. At 1:30 a.m., they went outside to check the position of the moon. There was already quite a bit of cloud cover. At 2:30, Trevor gave up and went to bed. Holly and I went outside and were unable to see the eclipse, as low clouds had rolled in. Too bad. While the solstice eclipse is a rarity, there will be another total lunar eclipse in June (although I don't know if it will be visible in Virginia)(.

We drove out to Lynchburg for Christmas Eve service last night. Still feeling our way with this new church. It's big, harder to get to know people, and made even harder since we've not gone to anything other than Sunday morning services. It was a very nice drive, much less stressful since Robert drove--I dislike that drive in the dark, I'm too fearful of hitting a deer, or being hit by a deer.
l

We made a brief detour on the way home to swing by the Elks Retirement Home in Bedford.


The lights first began back in 1953. Now totalling over 50,000, the display is quite famous locally.


Traffic was bumper to bumper but moved nicely through the grounds.


By the time we got home, Robert and I still had the kids' gifts to wrap.

(Elks' home)

For years when they were little, I would end up staying up half the night, wrapping presents, decorating with ribbons and bows. I dreaded it but could never pull it together earlier than that. For the past several years, Robert's encouraged me by wrapping with me several days early. Our plans this year fell through. (Welcome to the dark side, honey!)

But it didn't end up being that bad at all.


Merry Christmas!!!!!

Shopping Day!

Beautiful morning after the snow.



"Shopping Day" has become a tradition that the kids look forward to. Usually we shop for Robert and go out to lunch. We don't have much to get him this year (he's already chosen his Christmas presents), so he came along.

Our first stop was lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant Alejandro's. Hey, we have our priorities. I tried to get a great Christmas pic of Holly and Trevor, and if I'd been successful, you'd see it here.



We went to the "old lady store" (according to Holly and Trevor), and Holly bought a pair of shoes (not "old lady" shoes though).



We drove to the mall and battled the parking lot. Trevor's been growing, and his pants from last year are a little short, so we bought him a couple of pairs of jeans. We wandered through the mall, admired the decorations, and people watched.

Uneventful, enjoyable, relaxing family day.

Hey!

We made the local newspaper! Isn't that sweet?!

Second snow!

We knew it was coming, and we were prepared. We figured out how to turn "Emergency Heat" on for the poor heat pump, which just does not heat up the house when it's 20 outside. I was scheduled to work but didn't go (they were not surprised), and Robert built a fire in the fireplace.



Soup began cooking on the stove, the kids did a little school work, and we played video games.



We drove around the corner to the soccer fields to use the saucers. We bought these after the big snows last year. To our complete surprise, there was not another soul sledding! Even Trevor remembers sledding in Colorado Springs, where there was always a crowd. We even brought Lucky along to run in the snow. I think he misses the old house the most, he no longer has the freedom to take off. The weather was almost perfect, low 30s, a little icy sleet coming down.



Robert dropped us off back at home, and he went to pick up a movie for later tonight. I made hot cocoa for Holly and Trevor.



I have to say it--what a huge relief to live on a road that is plowed by the state, to live five minutes from the grocery store, to not dread the possibility of losing power (we'd still have water; we have alternative heat).


It was a wonderful second snow of the season.

More friend time

Holly is not yet back to 100% and missed her biology class today. Trevor and I had plans to meet up with friends to paint pottery.



It's a laughable myth that homeschooled kids are unsocialized. The truth is that sometimes we should stay in more. :)