Florida pictures

Here's some of the pictures from our vacation! We were in Cedar Key, FL, and spent our last day at Sea World in Orlando. Our condo was really nice, with a balcony view right over the water. When the tide was in, you couldn't even see the sand without looking straight down. Wade had lots of fun in the pool (very clean pool), but he had big problems with the beach. Apparently, sand will eat away your feet like acid (according to Wade). We have some fun pictures of him hovering over the sand and the ocean water, terrified to put his feet down. We ate out a few times, the best experience being at Tony's. It was walking distance from our condo, and had unbelievable clam chowder. I would have brought home a bathtub of it if I could have.

We had breakfast with Elmo at Sea World. Kevin and I had such high hopes (but were a little worried, as Wade was terrified of the Easter bunny this year). Of course, the food was great, the show was cute, and Wade was scared to death of all the characters. He gave them tearful and insistent "bye byes" if they got too close. Overall, we had a great day at Sea World. We had hoped it would be enough to wear Wade out for the flight home. No such luck, but he did get his own seat on the plane. (the airline didn't fill the seat next to us) That was a blessing.

This week & etc.

Hi everyone! We've been home from our Florida vacation for about a week, but it feels like I've spent the whole time trying to get back up to speed and on schedule. It's been a busy week. Elsa picked us up from the airport last Saturday and stayed to visit through memorial day Monday. Wade had a great time with his aunt Elsa. She spent lots of time chasing him around with the popper, which gave him some big thrills. We also took Elsa to the zoo and rode the carosel. (Wade picked the elephant to ride.) Then on Monday night, I got to have dinner with my choir friends - we went out for yummy greek food!


I felt like a rock star on Wednesday. I finally went grocery shopping (Save A Lot, Aldi, and Schnucks - I am a bargain getter) WITH A LIST. Yes, I actually planned out the next four dinners I was going to cook. rock star. Aldi had great deals on blueberries. Wade has been scarfing them up like candy. His poop is blue.

Got to hang out with Ori on Wed and then she also came to Grant's farm with us on Thursday morning. Wade really liked visiting with her and seeing all the animals from the tram.

Our AC broke on Wednesday, so we are having it fixed today. Good thing, too. Wade had a very hot nap. Woke up sweaty and gross. He's kept up some good spirits, though.

boo boos

Wade scraped his knees, and he just can't stop talking about his boo-boos. I love it. Here's one last post before we leave for a week of r&r in Florida. I'll have tons of pictures to post when we get back!

Nice Weather Walks

When I take Wade to the park, I usually have a pretty good handle on the day. Plus, now that the weather's nice, I can stroller him there and get a mini-workout. Of course, that only lasts until he wants "down." Then we wend our way at a breakneck speed of .1 mph, give or take. Our last walk, he decided to get down (which I really don't mind...he needs exercise too), and I thought it would be a good time to show him the little whirly seeds that the maple trees have deposited everywhere. Well, that was just IT for him. He couldn't drag himself away from the things. He just kept tossing them up in the air and giggling. He couldn't even see them fly/land most of the time, but that didn't matter to Wade. He would hand one to me with the request of "more" and stand there with his eyes wide, waiting for the toss, and the spinning descent of each seed.

Needless to say, it all ended in tears. We had to get home, and he would not go willingly. Granted, he tried, but he just couldn't pass up one of those seeds, so every time he began walking in the right direction, he'd have to stoop way down to pick one up. So evil, mean, cruel, hateful Mommy scooped him up and forcibly buckled him into his stroller. You'd have thought I was hacking his arm off.

Aunt Tina's Oatmeal

This recipe comes from my friend Sherry's aunt Tina. Since I have a mild fascination with her (aunt Tina) and since this is a yummy recipe, I thought I'd post it. (also, my friend Hollie wanted to try it out) So....here it is:

Michigan Baked Oatmeal

serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats


• 4 cups milk


• 1/2 tsp almond extract


• 1/4 cup brown sugar


• 1/2 cup sliced almonds


• 1/2 cup dried cherries


• 1 large apple, peeled and grated

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 farenheit


2. Coat 3 quart casserole or 9x13 pan with cooking spray


3. In large bowl, combine all ingredients


4. Transfer mixture to prepared dish


5. Sprinkle top with additional almonds


6. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Serve hot. note**I prefer this slightly cooled, and it even tastes good at room temperature.

Variation: Omit almonds, almond flavoring and cherries. Add 1 tbs. cinnamon, 1/2 cup raisings and 1/2 cup chopped peanuts.

Waking up happy!

Wade has been waking up happy lately. He has lots of stuffy friends in his bed that he talks to. I've seen him making them talk, giving them kisses and making them give each other
kisses. He calls them by their names (He loves his Sneetch...calls it "nutch"), tucks them in, and reads them stories. Of course, as soon as I walk in the room, I disrupt his little playworld and he's more reluctant to interact with his toys. Here's a little clip of him doling out drinks to his buddies:

Chunky Guacamole

okey dokey. Here's the guac recipe. It's really good and fresh tasting. It can't be made too far in advance, since the avocados will turn brown and yicky. If storing, press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guac, so no air can get to it. Again, this comes from the June/July 2007 Cook's Country magazine. And again, it is test kitchen tasty.

Chunky Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 2 scallions, sliced think, green and white parts separated


• 1 jalepeno chile, minced


• 1 small garlic clove, pressed/minced


• 1/4 t finely grated zest plus 2 T juice from one lime


• 3 avocados, chopped. Everyone has their own preference for how to cut avocados. I like to slice them in half, score the flesh and scoop it into a bowl. To remove the pit, I hack the butter knife into it and twist it out.


• 3 T chopped fresh cilantro


• Salt

Directions:

1. Combine white parts of scallions, jalapeno, garlic, and lime juice in a large bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes. (this mellows the harsh flavors of these strong ingredients)


2. Add two-thirds of the avocado to the bowl with the jalapeno mixture and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Gently fold in remaining avocado pieces into the mashed mixture. Gently stir in lime zest, green parts of scallions and cilantro. Season with salt. Serve!

Ultimate Seven-Layer Dip

I cooked for the last day of my fibers class. I brought my crazy ho cake, and this ULTIMATE seven layer dip. Both recipes are ones I save for occasions, simply because they are good, but they are also a little bit fussy. This dip comes to you from the June/July 2007 issue of Cook's Country magazine (test kitchen tried and true). This is one of those times that I wish I had a scanner, but alas, I don't. So here we go fingers...type type away.

Ultimate Seven Layer Dip (serves 8-10)

to serve a crowd (or very dippy people) this recipe can be doubled and served in a 9x13 pan. If you don't have time to make fresh guacamole as called for (and I don't think it makes a huge difference in the final recipe), then just mash 3 avocados with 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Ingredients:

• 4 large tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped fine


• 2 jalepeno chiles, seeded and minced


• 3 T finely chopped fresh cilantro


• 6 scallions, 2 minced and 4 with green parts sliced thin (white parts discarded)


• 2 T plus 2 t juice from 2 limes


• 1/4 t salt


• 1 (16oz) can black beans, drained but not rinsed


• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced


• 3/4 t chili powder


• 1 1/2 c sour cream


• 4 c shredded pepper jack cheese


• 3 c Chunky Guacamole (see following recipe, or see note up top)


• Tortilla chips for serving (my favorite are Snyder's multigrain lightly salted chips)

Directions:

1. Combine tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, minced scallions; and 2 T lime juice in medium bowl. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt and let stand until tomatoes begin to soften, about 30 minutes. Strain mixture to discard liquid, set aside in bowl.


2. Pulse black beans, garlic, remaining 2 t lime juice, chili powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt in food processor until mixture resembles chunky paste. Spread evenly over the bottom of an 8x8 glass baking pan or a 1 quart glass bowl.


3. Wipe/rinse out food processor. Pulse sour cream and 2 1/2 cups cheese until smooth. Spread evenly over bean layer.


4. Sprinkle remaining cheese over sour cream layer. Spread guacamole/avocado mixture over cheese. Top with tomato mixture (pico de gallo). Sprinkle with sliced scallions adn serve with tortilla chips.

Dip can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let dip stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving. Pico de gallo can also be made up to 24 hours before assembling dip.

Wadey Poo

He's getting really good at stuffing his face, and at giving Nugget commands. (Stay...good dog)

Studio Pix etc.

As promised, here are some pictures of the drawings I did for my APII Drawing class this semester:

All of these are pretty large. I showed the "icon Kirsten" on the mantel to give you an idea of their size. The first three portraits shown are all the same size. The ones with the green and white backgrounds are a little smaller, about poster size. The red and pink collage is from my fibers & textiles class. It's a hand made paper collage, machine-sewn together. It's also in the mantel picture, for size reference. Click on any picture to see a larger image.

I also included (for your viewing pleasure) some pictures from the yard. I am happy to report that these were taken before our existing boxwoods got their spring growth. I was worried that they would never catch up to the new ones we planted. But they did. yea! There is less of a difference, now. Unfortunately, the impatiens that I planted are suffering. Only a few of them seem to want to grow. The rest must have been depressed and suicidal. Look out, suicidal foliage.