Are you kidding me?

There is something wrong when this model is considered plus size...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/12/crystal-renn-z-spoke-zac-posen-spring-2011--show_n_713638.html

Comfort Food

Potato Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) Epicure’s Toasted Onion (I added some garlic as well)
  
• 2 cups (500 ml) diced potatoes
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) diced celery
• 2 cups (500 ml) red lentils
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Epicure’s Roasted Red Pepper Dip Mix
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Epicure’s Seasoning for Cheese Chives & Bacon Dip
• 8 cups (2 L) Epicure’s Vegetable Bouillon, prepared
• Epicure’s Sea Salt, to taste
• Epicure’s Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large Epicure's Multi-Purpose Pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
2. Season with Epicure's Sea Salt and Epicure's Black Pepper.

Per Serving: Calories 400, Fat 8 g (Saturated 1 g, Trans 0 g), Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 170 mg, Carbohydrate 58 g (Fibre 12 g, Sugars 4 g), Protein 27 g.

Tips: Serve with freshly baked Epicure's Focaccia Bread or Epicure's Cheddar Herb & Garlic Biscuits.

Obviously this can switched up a bit and you do not have to use Epicure spices. I just happen to have a cupboard full of them because I sell them. I didn't use the Roasted red pepper or the cheese chives and bacon. I used some Louisiana hot and spicy dip and some Herb and Garlic. I also heated the oil with the onion and garlic a bit first, then added the lentils, then everything else.I like to improvise. I made this soup yesterday and it tastes even better today.

The end of summer

It has been a busy month. Summer is pretty much over and everything is starting up again.

I have been back at work for a month now. I am working ten hours a week. And I do not know how other moms keep it all together. I am only working ten hours a week, that is how much most work in a day. I have always had great admiration for moms who work full time. And single parents - wow (but that's a whole other post).
After my son was born I went back to work 15 hours a week but this time I knew I wanted to do less. I am so lucky to be able to do this. I have a great co-worker who let me pick what hours I wanted and a pretty nice job that although can be stressful, is not hard. Plus I am basically my own boss, which is good for me because I don't like being told what to do.
My children only have to go to daycare for 6 hours a week and are loving it. So overall the going back to work thing has been positive.

August and September are Birthday months for our family. August was my dad's 2nd birthday in Heaven. My sister-in-law, niece, uncle, mom and son all had birthdays as well. September has my husband's, my grandma's and my birthday.

This year is the big 3 0 for my husband and he is celebrating it with a new job - just to keep things interesting!

Yes, this past month has been a busy one. But I am feeling so blessed. There are stresses and worries, lots of things that still need doing and it doesn't always go the way I want it to, but there are so many things to be thankful for. So I will do that.

Oodles of Zucchini

It is feeling more like Fall here these days. It's only supposed to get to 16 degrees. So I decided we would do some baking today.
My friend runs a gardening program http://www.chep.org/cg/index.html and gave me a great deal on some fresh veggies. The zucchini are pretty big so I thought I'd make some muffins and bread from them. I also tried making fried green tomatoes (from my own tomato plants!!!) and zucchini last night for supper. The tomatoes turned out soggy but I thought the zucchini were pretty good. The kids disagreed.
A friend of mine made some super yummy chocolate zucchini bread the other night and I made that on Saturday.
Then today with my kids "helping" me in the kitchen we made this:

ZUCCHINI BREAD

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

I was out of eggs so used applesauce instead and didn't add nuts because my daughter is still too young. I added some poudre douce spice with the cinnamon. I also used less sugar, about 1 3/4 cups instead of the 2 1/4 cups it called for.
I tend to do this a lot - substituting and almost always use less sugar than the recipe calls for. It usually works out- sometimes not, but I'm learning what works. We made one loaf and then used the rest of the batter for muffins.

Tonight I'm going to try pasta with zucchini ribbons and salmon. Hoping the kids will eat that as readily as the muffins.

new normal

Grieving is hard. Missing someone is awful. Expecting them to be there and then realizing they are not can make you physically ill.

But do you know what is worse? When life starts to feel normal without that person around.

I am starting to not look for my dad when I go to my mom's house. I don't expect to see him in his chair when I walk through the door. I am starting to forget his laugh and his voice. I don't expect to hear him answer the phone. I don't pick up the phone to ask him a question. I don't worry about the coming winter and all of the icy sidewalks and stairs that he could slip on.
When I dream of him, I know that he is gone and wake up sad instead of hopeful. Because I want to just keep dreaming.
I no longer think of things to bake to take over to him. I can't ask him what my mom would like for her birthday.

I know this is normal and probably good...? But it feels much much worse.

it waits for no one

Time is going by way too fast for me these days.
My little boy just turned 4 and my daughter has started to walk!

I am back at work and the kids will start their new daycare tomorrow.

I am trying to enjoy my children, not get too stressed out about things that won't matter tomorrow and just be a mommy.

I remember how fast my son's first year went and when my daughter was born I told myself to enjoy every minute because I knew it would fly. It went even faster than the first one.
I want it to stand still - just for a moment...

Babies Don’t Keep
By Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due,
Lullabye, rockaby, lullabye loo.
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo,
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo,
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs;
Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

August 3

Today would have been my dad's 58th birthday.

Happy 2nd Birthday in Heaven dad.
I love you and miss you.