Tomorrow's lunch menu

Crispy Pancett, Burrata, and Tomato Sanwiches

4 3 oz packages thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon)

6 3-4 inch diameter, 3/4 inch thick slices ripe Costoluto Genovese tomatoes

1/2 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoon fleur de sel (kosher salt)

freshly ground black pepper

12 slices egg bread or brioche

18 oz burrata cheese

4 cups of baby arugula

Cook pancetta in heavy large skillet over med heat until brown and crisp, about 6 min per batch. Place tomato slices in shallow baking dish. Add basil, olive oil, oregano, and fleur de sel. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and turn to coat. Let stand at lest 30 min, up to 1 hour.

Place 6 toasted bread slices on work surface. Divide burrata among bread slices and spread to edges. Top each with 1 tomato slice, then pancetta slices, dividing equally. Top with arugula. Cover with remaining 6 toasted bread slices, and press each slightly to adhere. Cut in half and serve.

Home cooking!

We need to pick up some groceries in the next couple of days and well I'm sick of everything at the grocery store. I'm not a big fan of tv dinners or even quick frozen food meals...or hamburger helper...grilling just burgers, steaks, and hot dogs is getting old. And I mostly stick to a pretty standard home cooking menu. The kids don't like to stray from Mac N Cheese and Pizza (either does the hubby), we don't really plan anything ahead of time, we eat what strikes our mood or what we have around. So I started looking at my cookbooks and Bon Appetite magazine. However, I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for the gourmet dishes. I never even heard of some of the ingredients and am not sure who would sell them here. A good quick example is udon noodles with zucchini, grilled Kale, and peanut sauce. I have never eaten it and am hesitant to try it. Or chopped tomatoes, avocado, and seafood layered in a martini glass and topped with a gazpacho-style sauce. However, I am going to try some new dishes and post the recipes and reactions from everyone. Lol, for all those that are quite good at cooking, you should get a kick out of my attempts to make these dishes. I'm already a little nervous. I brought the kids to a nice bakery and picked up some fresh bread to make sandwiches. I'm a little bit of a cheese and cold cut snob. I don't even like the deli cut turkey. Just doesn't taste right. I prefer Provolone to standard American slices and fresh bread to prepackaged. Well, my family doesn't agree with me. And they hated the fresh bread. It had a crispy crust and soft center (yum) but it's what my husband would call hard bread that is shaped funny. Hmm. I've tried to convert him a few times but to no avail. So we compromise and do both. However, the baby likes it. So maybe I'll have one convert.

If anyone has any good recipes, pass them along.

Drill Weekend

We had a fun weekend in DL. Amadon had drill, we got a motel room for a couple of days, and a big family picnic out at camp. They had games, gave away toys, and it was fun to catch up with everybody. Case spent the weekend with his mom and it was nice to give Adele some one on one time. His step dad got called to go overseas so hopefully everything goes well. I went swimming and visited a sick Samantha. I made her lunch, picked up some medicine and flowers, and we watched a couple movies together. Her place looks really nice.(they've been doing renovations) I love the hardwood. My grandma is redoing her entire house. Hardwood floors, new carpets, appliances, etc. It looks nice. I don't think there was anything wrong with what she had but it's fun to update things.

Well, we are going to be having a change in insurance soon which I'm not looking forward to. If they consider some things a preexisting condition then we could be looking at medical bills that are insane. They will probably cost more than everything we own put together. But I guess that's how it works and if you need treatment well there's not much you can do.

I've been registering for fall classes and getting my education plan together. And my first major course will be yoga. Yup, yoga. It has nothing to do with my plan but I failed it 3 years ago because I didn't do the drop procedure correctly and it will up my GPA if I pass it. I'm also a very confusing case for colleges to figure out placement and GPA. I already passed college algebra and comp but I never took my ACT. I'm considered a nontraditional student because I'm married and have kids but then I'm under 25. I'm starting school again but I already have a bunch of classes finished. Yeah, that's a nightmare to get through.

I have TONS of pictures I need to post. I have had trouble resizing them though as our program doesn't work.

Alissa had her baby a few weeks ago and she is ADORABLE. She sent me some family pics in the mail that I got the other day. We try and catch up as much as we can.

We got pictures of Alyana from Brazil. She just turned 2 and is a little cutie.

Time to get the baby down for a nap, work out, and maybe play a little WOW with the hubby tonight.

Puppy Love

So my 5 year old has got the hots for this other little 5 year old that lives down the road. It is really cute. Her name is Catherine and he talks about her all day long. This is his first crush. He's been showing her how to ride a bike and they give each other toys. The only annoying part is that he wants to be with her ALL day long. He'll even argue with me during meal times claiming he's not hungry so he can go over there and see her. The parent's have 1 year old twins and if I was them I wouldn't want to watch the neighbor boy all day long. I even offered to let the 5 year old come over here and play so they can get a bit of break. And he even sneaked out! Yup, cupids' arrow hit HARD. He will literally sneak out of the house to go over and see her even if we tell him he can't go over there right now. And when we ask him why he snuck out his response is "I just wanted to see her and you won't let me right now." I playfully asked him if she was his girlfriend and his face got bright as a tomato, he smiled, and shrugged and then shook his head yes. Ah, puppy love.

More members!

My group now has 28 members! We are thinking about starting girls nights out soon too.

ready to be a critique?

Well it's past 1 am and I have been spending my time listening to music and.... surprise surprise sketching. I just picked up a pen and a piece of paper and just went to work and you know what it didn't turn out half bad. I was actually pretty impressed.
It's hard to explain why I gave it up for a while. Art was always a huge part of me and there came a point where I just kinda lost myself and I couldn't bear to paint or draw again. I know it sounds crazy but that's the best way I can explain it. But I think it's finally time again. And yes, I will post some work soon.

early bird gets a six pack

So I got up about 2 and a half hours earlier this am. I had a restless night of sleep and knew I should put on my running shoes. There are so many little but important things to get done (different paperwork, estate things, past landlord stuff, etc) and I'm just one of those people were these little things just nag and nag at you and make you so stressed out. I know it's not healthy. And no yoga, deep breaths, and writing in a journal don't make them go away for me. The only thing that makes them go away is when they're done. And it's not every little thing, just more financial matters.

I did work out. I didn't feel great doing it and I'll admit I cut the running short and lifted only half the time I should have but it probably did me more good than sleeping. Getting back into a workout routine is tough. Ice cream tastes good. So does good home cooking. And it's nice to feel your butt on the couch or crawl under the covers. But I know it's what keeps you healthy and if you like to indulge a bit, then you should really step up the cardio. But doesn't make it any easier to get up at the crack of dawn. WHy don't I workout in the pm like normal people that have the option to sleep in a bit? Because the kids have so many things going on and demands, or they throw a toy on the treadmill, or one needs to go potty when we go on a walk (even if we went right before we left) and I let myself get caught up in it and then suddenly don't have time to work out. I'm exhausted by the time they go to bed. But time to let go of the excuses cuz really no one is too busy to work out. And if you are so jam packed you can't sqeeze in a 20 min walk and you only sleep 3-4 hours, then it's time to scale back the agenda if just for your sanity.

I'm also not a morning person. Never have been. I'll get up if I have to but it's not pretty. I'm cranky and foggy and want to kill anyone else that falls into any of the following adjectives
peppy
cheery
early bird catches the worm
fantastic
bright and sunny

But it is nice to have a little time to myself and by the time my morning grogginess wears off, I'm already half way done with my workout.

venting and observation

One of our vehicles broke down- bad alternator. So, Amadon's been driving the other one and it's been driving me nuts because I can't go anywhere or get errands run. He's had CPR certification at night. Well, we should get our placement soon. I'm getting excited and nervous at the same time. I knew foster care was controversial but I had no idea of the type of comments I would get doing it. I will give you a few examples. I won't give names but these people are in good standing with the community,educated, some we know very well, and others not so much and no none of these are from Samantha (she's in full support of me) or any other people that are reading this blog. I just wanted to point that out before rumors started.

them- "How can you be so irresponsible and horrible to your own children to bring in one of....those, they're hellions, they'll wreck your lives, shame on you."

us- "what do you they do?"

them- "well one of....those....would be fine in school and then come home and pee himself. And spanking him didn't help. How dare he!"

us- "well, we learned in school that a lot of times if they pee themselves it's a defense mechanism from being molested or abused and it will stop when they feel safe."

them- just kinda huffed off and muttered to themselves

what I'm thinking- well, no shit spanking a child that was molested and abused for peeing when he's not intentionally doing it would cause the cycle to continue. And no, he's not a BAD, horrible child. He just needs to feel safe. Sigh. Would you spank your own kids if they had an accident or is it just because they are a foster child, so they're already bad.

next example

someone else talking about how we're crazy and bad people for doing this and how you should never bring such problems in your own home, a little in the conversation we posed this question

us- "well what about a 5 year old girl that gets molested everyday by her father, doesn't she deserve a safe home to go to?"

them- "no, why would you bring a damaged problematic child like that in your home. What would everyone think?!"

what I'm thinking- this one made me angry. So if you did nothing wrong and got raped, molested, or sexually abused you are not allowed love? Where should these children go? You just want to let it go on and not talk about it so it doesn't ruin your white picket fence ideal?! Not to mention, I'm sure almost anyone can count themselves or a friend who's had something like this happen, and I bet they're pretty nice stable people who don't turn everything upside down and deserve to be hated...Grrr

another conversation

them- "oh my GOD! You're actually going to do that. What the hell are you thinking. You have no idea how horrible these children are. I have an example for you."

us- "ok, what was your experience"

them- "well, my friend was doing foster care and her kid would just eat and eat and eat at dinner and even threw up because he ate so much and so fast! Why the hell, would you ever let a child like that in your house. Imagine what you're doing to your own kids."

us-" ?...pause....was the child neglected and not fed?"

them-" yeah, so, not like that's our problem:

us- "that's probably why he ate so much, he's not use to having food so when he gets it, he will eat as much as possible, cuz he's not sure when his next meal will come, I would probably do the same thing"

them- gives us dirty look and talks about how you shouldn't have to put up with that in the first place

what I'm thinking- I bet if I let you starve for a few weeks and put food in front of you, you scarf it down and it's not like this is something that won't fix itself when it's been proven there's food available. And what a selfish idiot. They're children for God's sake.

So, yeah. I mean I understand that sometimes people can get really difficult placements were the child might even steal or be violent. But there are sooo many kids in foster care for so many reasons and I don't think it's fair to lump them all together in the category that they're awful, horrible, don't deserve love or a future. These were just a few examples. Another one, was a lady that was babysitting a foster child and she spanked the child for putting cigarette butts in a dart gun, after the darts ran out that he saw lying around, and got the wall dirty. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a spatula, told her to hit him with this because it would hurt more. And that was it. And this was her example of just a horrible, awful, child who doesn't deserve a home. To me, he seems like a bored kid who found something to entertain himself (and if you were watching him, why were the cig butts around by him, and wouldn't you see him try to load one?). He didn't think he was doing anything wrong and when you got mad he found you something to hit him harder with. And where in the world did you get the idea that it's ok, to spank a child that you're babysitting for something like that. For some reason spanking an abused child just doesnt' seem like a good idea, thus the spatula incidence. Yeah, it's hard to think about the idea that someone else was beating him with kitchen utensils but that doesn't mean this kid doesn't deserve a home. Couldn't you have made him clean the walls and taken away tv time? It just doesnt' seem fair to me. It really doesn't.

I don't always believe in how the social worker and foster care system works. I think it has flaws. I do think there are some kids that shouldn't be placed with just anybody because of their behavior and maybe they need an institution setting. But I don't believe these kids don't deserve homes, love, or parents, just because they weren't taught the same skills that we're use to. Maybe they never learned how to shower correctly because no one taught them. Maybe they have bad manners at the dinner time cuz they never got food. Maybe, if they were molested in a bathroom everyday, they have problems going by themselves, or without a lock, or having a light on and making sure no one is in there to hurt them. And you know what. That doesn't bother me. And this behavior will change in time. And even if it doesn't change perfectly, and we have to compromise a bit, it's not enough for me to kick these kids out of my home. And sometimes I don't think they act up because they're awful, foster kids but because they're kids. Yup, kids. And kids aren't perfect. They make mistakes. I never really knew how people looked down on foster care until I started thinking about doing it. I have the time, the space and the heart to do it. No, it's not for everybody. No, you're not a bad person if you don't do it. That's not what I'm saying at all. And yeah, it might be unconventional to love kids and give them a home that aren't biologically yours. But I don't think that makes me a bad person. I don't think I'm crazy and hurting my kids. I think it will be good for them. You get to know a lot about the placement (at least in the agency I'm doing, there are so many different types of foster care that you can't really group that together either), you get a trial period to see if it will work, you can give them back at any hour if something happens or even if you just decide it's not for you. You might have kids for weeks, months, years, or even adopt them. Each kid has a different story and circumstance. For myself, I'm doing long term foster care and open to possible adoption. I don't have a specific age or gender I want. I just want whatever child would best fit into my family. And they look at that and help you decide. They don't allow placements that could have the potential to hurt your kids in anyway. Kids with anger and aggression issues will not be placed with a baby. they will be placed with people that have the training and home for a situation like that. I don't. And yeah, maybe I'll get a kid that looks great on paper but doesn't work for our home. Maybe there are some problems that can't be solved. Will, I think all foster kids are horrible? No. I'll just think that one placement didn't work. Maybe, I'll decide that foster care takes too much work or I don't have enough time. I haven't done it so I don't know. But I do think, no matter what happens that these kids deserve to have people give them a chance, and that they should be judged just like any other kid for what they do, and not have this preceding reputation of a bad kid even if they didn't do anything wrong. I think they deserve a chance at a future and finding people that love them. I don't think a family is defined by being biological. I think it's defined by love. And I hope to teach my kids those values. So maybe when they're in school and they see that kid wear the same clothes all week long it isn't because they're stinky and bad. It's because they don't have parents that take care of them and they won't jump in with the teasing that every other child will give them.

And there is NO such thing as a damaged child. People aren't toys that don't work anymore when they have something bad happen to them. You are not any less of a human being if you were sexually, emotionally, of physcially abused. And yes, I do believe that with all my heart. And maybe I am crazy for thinking that. Maybe, it isn't mainstream. But that's ok. Sometimes you need to just go for what you believe in even if no one else feels the same way.

More members!

My meet up group I started, Parent's Playdate, has just added it's 24th member!! So that's exciting.

Family Day

Well, the start of our weekend has been pretty eventful. We went out on base and checked out the fitness center. It's free for us and is really nice but cost of gas to go out there and back adds up quick (especially at 3.25 a gallon, ouch). They have a HUGE rock climbing station that I have to try out sometime. It looks really fun. The thing I really loved that I haven't seen any other fitness centers do, is that they have an area full of exercise equipment right next to a fully gated in children's play area, so you can workout and supervise your kids at the same time. I tried that out, and after getting sweaty we went to the pool. The shallow end slopes down to a deeper part with a water slide. There's a second part that's really deep for adults but we didn't check that part out. Case was terrified of the water but by the end we had him going down the water slide without a life jacket. The baby likes to splash around and went on a second smaller slide into 4 feet of water and we would catch her. After, we went swimming, we went into town and ate at Perkins. We were so hungry and everything tasted great. Then we went home to have the kids nap and off to the carnival when they woke up. Since it was dark,everything was lit up. Case even got about 3 free rides. No one asked for tickets. I wasn't going to complain. Adele went on one ride but got nervous with other people picking her up. Case had a blast though. We got some pics and videos. Case won a sword at a duck pond and we called it a night at 11 pm. Then we bought a bag of cotton candy that the kids took full advantage of on the drive home. We had a really fun day. I think Amadon and I are more tired then the kids.

Happy 4th!

Well, 4th of July plans didn't quite go as planned but it was still fun. We decided not to go for the motel. Amadon had to work late and by the time we would get to DL it just wasn't worth it. So we went and saw Ratatoiue (and I know I totally butchered that word) with the kids and I have to say I was very impressed. Probably one of the best kid shows I have ever seen. The computer graphics were nice, I couldn't get over the texture they were able to show on a couch, and a very unique story that appeals to both kids and adults. It was the first movie Adele and Case went to and it went well. They loved it. I was worried they'd get bored the first 10 min of the show.

On the 4th we drove up to DL and visited a lot of out of town family on my side, celebrated a few birthdays, visited Amadon's aunt/mom/family, and shot off some fireworks. Case loved smoke bombs and sparklers. Adele didn't like the idea that she couldn't play with fireworks but watched them for the most part. We drove back in a nasty thunder storm that made us hydroplane a bit but all in all it was a good day. And no we didn't get crab night. We were too busy, but one day we will get there.

Warning- Uber nerd talk ahead
So, I've become a bit of a WOW fan again. An old friend of mine, Shawn, who lives in NY just started playing and it sparked my interest. We email a lot and stay in touch and now we're grouping together. I also grouped with Bryce from my guild and we got a ton done in Stranglethorn . Yup, I'm a lowly level 41 Mage on Archimonde and no it is not an Alt character so I am mostly a loner on the server as everyone else seems to be a level 70 already but I'm still having fun. And I play a horde character on Exodar. So if anyone plays WOW and wants to group let me know.

Well, we are grilling and the kids are wanting to play in the pool and sandbox so I will chat later.

Hope everyone had a good 4th!

learning new skills to drive Mommy insane

Adele has learned the fine art of dumping, everything she can get her hands on. So far I've cleaned up an entire box of cereal, a full glass of chocolate milk, pop corn, and crackers. The terrible two's are lurking....

I learned our Schwan man knows Amadon and Darla really well. He saw Amadon's name on the check and well there aren't too many of those and I know his younger brother. Small world. Now can we utilize this knowledge for a possible discount....:)

40 min before boarding....

Well, I just got done talking to one of my friends, Jason, who's going overseas. I talked to him right before he had to go to Kuwait. He told me he'd try not to get killed and I told him that I would whoop his ass, personally, if he got killed. But seriously I am worried like crazy about him but I know what a great opportunity this is for him at the same time. And I'm so glad Doug came home ok, even though some people in his unit weren't so lucky. Oh, it's tough on your nerves when people you care about could be in danger which I'm sure everyone can relate to in one way or another. But I'm sure it has to be even tougher for them.

June update

Hi, everybody.We have been so busy lately, but I have a little free time this am. Tonight we have motel reservations at Spirit Lake Casino so that should be fun. I've never stayed there and a friend of mine told me they liked it. It has a big pool and we have a whirlpool in our room along with two rooms. One for the munchkin, and one for us . I have so much family coming for the 4th that instead of attempting to sleep on the pull out sofa with the kids, we just decided to make the holiday a bit of a relaxing treat. And then Wednesday is........drum roll please......CRAB NIGHT! Or so we are both hoping, but it's been a long time since we've been there so who knows if it's changed or not.

We got Case for the summer a while ago and that's been going well. I think Adele will be very sad when he has to go to his other house and how do you explain that to a one year old? They play together and cause mischief together all day. In his words, she's his little "sweat pea". However, the newest addition to our family will be arriving shortly, within a couple of weeks, so that should help. But you can never predict how kids will get along. I'm hoping it will go well.

I haven't had a chance to get my art studio going downstairs. When things settle down, I should be able to. I'm so excited. I haven't picked up a paintbrush for years but I finally feel it's the right time to draw/paint again. Now, if I have any artistic ability left is another question but eventually I should get good at it again.That and my glass work. I'm also going to attempt a little abstract work.

The hubby has been all over ND doing the radio work for all the firetrucks and really busy. But so far, so good. Hopefully, we'll be able to take a vacation in the fall to see his dad in Washington but that all depends on when this big project is finished and how I can arrange my classes around it.

I will have to upload some pics soon. If you've never checked out Sherlock Park, it's awesome. It even has a fenced in toddler area. The only downside is the bathroom facilities. Two porta-potties that weren't in the best shape. And the pool, is within walking distance.

We haven't had our open house yet. I know I know....it's just we still have a bunch of stuff to unpack that is sitting in our basement and we're planning on some new furniture. But you can come over and see the place whenever.

Case got his bike stolen yesterday. He left it by the bushes in our yard and after the 15 min it took to go to the bank and back, it was gone. Lesson learned.