Birthday Sad Stuff

I’ll say it here, and I’ll say it only once… I don’t want to be a whiner, I’m not into being sad, and I don’t mean to seem needy, or anything like that.  But I feel like I need to say it, so the blog gets to be the place.

I miss my mom. I miss her a lot. And tonight at 7:30, I’ll miss her even more. She used to call me at 7:30 in the evening on my birthday every year. Why 7:30? Because that’s when I was born, and she would say she couldn’t wish me a happy birthday until it was really my birthday - and birth time. It was a silly little thing jut between us, and it always made my day. I miss that LOTS.

There.  It's out.  It's done.  And now, on to a great birthday. 

Christmas

I could go on about Christmas for days.  I'm not sure where to even start.  I guess I'll start with Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Eve - Friday - it started to snow mid-morning.  And when I say snow, I mean big, wet, sticking to everything and accumulating, snow.  By the time I left work at 3:00, the roads were a slippery mess of slush that was quickly turning to ice in some places.  YUCK.  The snow did sort of taper off by mid-evening, and the roads were passable, though still messy.  Rachel and Ted had planned to come to church with us at 11:00, and by that time, driving wasn't too terribly bad.  We met them at the church without incident...  that is, until we got inside.

At church, the heating/cooling system for the sanctuary was totally messed up.  The blower was going full blast, trying the heat up the place, but...  the heat wasn't working. The blower was going SO full blast that the flames for the candles were flickering like crazy, and I wasn't sure Jack was going to make it down the aisle as acolyte without losing his flame.  And all that blowing mean it was FREEZING in the sanctuary.  Everyone toughed it out, though, wearing coats and gloves during the entire service.  We survived, and I guess it gives us something to look back at and laugh about. 

Getting out of church at midnight makes for a bunch of sleepy people, and we went straight home, enjoyed a reading of "The Night Before Christmas", and hit the hay.   The paper route means that morning comes quickly!  And on top of that, the H.H. told the grandparents to come over at 8:00 am.  The kids living in this house haven't seen 8:00 am on a day off in years.  Ugh.  So...  we had to wake them up to open presents. HA!  You know the kids are not little anymore when you have to wake them up to open presents, and they just move from their beds to the couch.  : )  

Granted, once they were up and opening, and the momentum built, they woke up and got excited about the day.  It was just gettin' them started that took a little doin'.   And for next year, we've decided to shoot for a much later start to the day. 

Early start aside, I think the present opening frenzy went pretty well...

There were some excited surprises...

And some calmer gift-opening moments (who knew the calm moment would be from one of the kids!)...

After the presents were opened, and all the new clothes and shoes had been tried on, and the new video game was going, I got dinner started, and we just sort of chilled for a while.  Christmas is always sort of weird like that - you're so excited for the craziness of it, but you're also so excited for the relaxing part of it. 

We had a pretty yummy dinner with just about the most delicious, fatty, wonderful au gratin potatoes I could possibly make.   And after dinner, naps were in order until evening.  Charlie and Kathryn had both been fighting a HORRIBLE cold for days and days and days, so taking time for a nap was a must.

In the evening, Sarah and Jack went to visit with their grandpa for a short while, Kathryn went BACK to bed again, and eventually, Charlie, Jack and I went to my brother, Dale's, where we visited with him and Patty, Rachel and Ted, Amber and Steve, and, of course, Oscar...

Oscar's growing exponentially.  He's so much bigger that he was the last time I saw him!  And even as he grows bigger, I think he grows cuter.  He's started giggling now - It's great to hear his own little personality coming out in his voice.   He's totally a joy!

We ended the night with a rousing (yes, I said rousing) game of Apples to Apples, where we each ended up with WAY more of the green cards than the official rules say are needed to win, and WAY more silliness going on than the makers of that game ever expected anyone to have, I'm sure. 

Overall, Christmas was definitely a good day.
 

The Saga Known as Kathryn's Life

Well, about two weeks ago, Kathryn bought a car (with a teeny bit of help).  A '99 Hyundai Elantra.  Black.  Cute.  She got seat covers, and floor mats, and cool "stuff" for it.  Even before her 16th birthday, she was set.

We celebrated her coming milestone birthday with dinner out, with Jacob, at Wings, etc.   She had the largest chili dog ever.  It was even big enough to share with Sarah. 

And then, on the 13th, she got up early and we went to the Secretary of State's office so she could get her license.

It was a "snow day" for our school district because of some crazy-cold temperatures.  By 9:00 am, she was officially off school, licensed, and a car owner...  She was a very happy girl.

The happy lasted for just about 4 days.

On Thursday afternoon, on her way back from Jacob's house, someone pulled out in front of her, resulting in a pretty bad accident involving the two of them.  Kathryn was - and is - OK.  But her cute little car was not so lucky.  No pictures for now, but it was pretty mangled in the front, and most certainly totaled.   And just to be on the safe side, she spent several hours at the E.R. that night getting double- and triple- checked over.  And, thankfully, they confirmed that she didn't sustain any serious injuries. 

Well, except that she's really, really, really mad and frustrated about the whole situation, but that won't leave a mark.

Yummies

Yesterday, for some reason, I woke up wanting to bake, or make candy, or something of the sort.    So, after a little shopping, I stopped in at County Market and got a few extra ingredients like milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, and cocoa.  Ha!

After dinner, I got busy, and made some chocolate chip cookies, and some chocolate, nutella & sea salt fudge - a recipe I found on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen site (of course).

Let me just say it is THE BEST FUDGE EVER.  It's a dark chocolate fudge, and it is amazing.  Everyone loves it, and it was super-easy to make.   Which is a bonus, since I'll have to be making it often to satisfy my newfound craving for the stuff. 

Tonight, I continued with my baking "blitz", and made some peanut butter blossom cookies, at Sarah's request. 

And they turned out pretty good.  At least that's what I was told.  I won't eat any of them, of course, since I made them using a traditional recipe with wheat flour, and that's a no-no for me. 

I'm not sure why I'm on a baking "kick" this weekend, but I suppose it probably has something to do with the fact that Christmas is coming up next weekend.  Christmas is always a good time to make some goodies, and share them.

Anyway, when I decided to make those Peanut Butter Blossoms, I also decided to take a few pics of the whole process.    I always say I'm going to do that, but never follow through with pics of the entire process.

First, of course, I gathered all of my ingredients...

Then I got started with my favorite part of baking -  creaming the butter and sugar.

I can't explain it, but that's been my favorite part of baking since I was a little girl.  Probably something to do with the way the grainy sugars combine with the butter and get smooth and creamy.  (duh - it's called "creaming")

After the dough was mixed, I dropped small balls of it into sugar, and got them ready for baking.

Once they came out of the oven, the tricky part started.   Once they come out of the oven, you've got mere seconds to get the kisses placed before the cookies start to cool.  Thankfully, I think I've got the hang of it. 

I also cranked out a pretty good batch of snickerdoodles tonight, and got a sampling of everything I've made this weekend boxed up to deliver to a few people for the holidays.

I think my baking urge is passing, but you never know.  There may still be some candy in my future...

Being Sick Sucks

Plain and simple, being sick sucks.  I took Jack to karate class last night, and about 10 minutes after we got there, I developed THE WORST stomach cramps.  My tummy just plain HURT.  And even worse, I realized getting sick was inevitable.  Thank heavens for our friend, Scott, who is a black belt at the dojo, and a close neighbor.  When I said I was going to have to leave, he offered to give Jack a ride home.  And, wow, was I thankful for that offer!  I made it home with no time to spare.  I was sick, sick, sick.  I know it's not "technically" the flu, but if you say "flu", everyone knows what you mean, so I'll say it...  I had the flu.  And it was a flu of the worst kind.   I don't remember ever having such pains in my stomach.  Ugh.  I was sick.  And I was just about totally out of it until mid-afternoon today. 

I'm feeling pretty much back to normal now, and we're back at the karate dojo for class again tonight.  So far, so good! 

The Rest Reviewed

Yes, I know this isn't very timely... Oh, well.  I'm mostly writing for myself, anyway, so it doesn't matter so much, now does it?  :)

I've reviewed the turkey brine/roast process, and the perfectly perfect pumpkin cheesecake, but there was much more.  When I said I did almost everything from scratch, I meant it.  The only thing that I purchased already prepared were the rolls.  And those, while pre-made, were not mass produced.  I got those at Great Harvest Bakery, and they were freshly made there in the bakery on Wednesday.   As for the rest, lets start with the potatoes.

Potatoes..  Mashed.  Boring.  Regular.  Plain.  That's about it for the potatoes.  The only thing noteworthy about them was that I made them on Wednesday night, and just heated them up in the crock pot on Thursday.  Dull.  So....  on to something more exciting, like stuffing.

Charlie's mom makes oyster dressing every year.  The kids and I are not huge fans of oysters, and in the past I've thrown together some stove top.  In this year of "homemade Thanksgiving", though, I tried a recipe for "Apple Sage Walnut" stuffing, using a really tasty whole grain gluten free bread as the base.

While it WAS pretty tasty, the whole grain bread made it a little heavier than I think we'd have preferred.  Next time, I'll go with a white rice bread as the base - it's much more neutral and has a flavor more like "regular" white bread, and a density more akin to sourdough (in my opinion, anyway).

My gravy was basic gravy made with cornstarch and a combo of chicken and turkey broth.  I will say, though, that it was yummy.  I managed to make it pretty thick, but not lumpy.   As you know, that, in and of itself, can be quite an accomplishment.

The cranberry sauce was probably the easiest thing to make - just cranberries, sugar, and pomegranate juice cooked together.  I'm the only one who likes cranberries (I'm not sure how I managed to find a whole family that doesn't eat the best part of Thanksgiving, but I did....).   I'm still not sure how I feel about the pomegranate element.  I think I may have preferred a cranberry/apple combo instead, and I might try that next year. 

The last thing on our menu was green beans. I'm not sure that needs much of a review.  I just made our basic, usual, steamed green beans.  Why?  Because we all like them, that's why.  Sometimes, simple is all you really need. 

Recipe Review #2 (This is so Cheesy!)

Well, as I said, I watched that Bobby Flay Thanksgiving dinner throwdown and became sure that Ree Drummond was my cooking hero.  My Thanksgiving dinner was completed, in large part, thanks to her blog.  That's where I found the recipe for Perfectly Perfect Pumpkin Cheesecake.  I don't remember which page it was initially on, (heck, it might even have been in a tweet!) but I ultimately found it through her blog site at the Tasty Kitchen, and thank goodness I did!  It...  Is...  Amazing!

I hadn't made a cheesecake in YEARS, so I decided a trial run before turkey day was in order.  The Saturday before Thanksgiving, I made one of these bad boys, and was pleasantly surprised at 1) how easy it was, and 2) how DELICIOUS it was.  I was especially surprised that it turned out well because I made a couple of changes to get rid of the wheat gluten...  I used gluten-free ginger cookies to make the crust, and I used brown rice flower instead of wheat flour in the main recipe.  Apparently, it didn't hurt a thing.  That trial cheesecake had a major portion gone on Sunday within hours of cutting into it.   I took what was left to Jenn and Rad on Monday, and Sarah was greatly disappointed when she found out I'd removed it from the house.  :) 

The Thanksgiving edition of this one was a hit, as well.  A little whipped cream on top of a slice of this, and we were good to go!  And this one stayed right here at home...  well, for a couple of days, anyway. 

Thanksgiving Recipes Reviewed - The Bird

I made almost everything for last week's Thanksgiving dinner from scratch, and I used almost all new recipes.  I figure that means I should sit down and think about those recipes - give them a good review.   
The whole idea of "cooking it all" started the week before Thanksgiving, when I was watching the Bobby Flay Throwdown with Ree Drummond Thanksgiving show.  It all looked so good.  They were making everything from scratch, with fresh ingredients, and everything looked delicious.  And I always prefer "from scratch" anyway, so that I can know exactly what's in the food I'm eating.   That's partly because I don't do gluten so I kinda need to know what's in it, and it's partly because I really do believe natural is better, and healthier.  And you can't have natural if you're buying processed stuff and don't really know what's in it...

ANY way... back to the recipes.  The one thing that seemed furthest from my "norm" for Thanksgiving dinner was the brine for my turkey.  I've never used a brine.  For anything.  I've never known anyone who has.  But I kept reading all sorts of rave reviews about how it could make all the difference in the world.  So...  I decided to go for the brine.

According to everything I read, the key to a good brined turkey was to use a fresh - not frozen - turkey.  So Tuesday after work I hightailed it over to Country Market and picked up a good lookin' fresh 15-pound bird. I'd decided to go with Ree Drummond's recipe for a brine.  I don't know why, exactly.  I suppose just because I really enjoy reading her blog, and because everything she made on the Throwdown episode looked amazing. 

I got up early Wednesday morning, and got to the business of brine.  I had to get it done super-duper early so it could cool, and I could get the bird, affectionately named "Bob" by the H.H., into his bath before I left for work.  I'll admit it was pretty simple to prepare, and it smelled darned good when it was heating up.

Once the brine was cooked and then cooled, I transferred it to a HUGE stock pot, and submerged Bob.  I put the lid on, heaved it all into the refrigerator (a couple gallons of brine over a 15-pound turkey in a huge stock pot is not exactly light), and forgot about it.  I didn't even think about Bob, or the brine, until 8:30 am on Thanksgiving day, when I thoroughly rinsed him and got him ready for the oven.

For roasting, I mostly stuck to the basics - put him in a roasting pan, tightly covered him with a foil tent, so forth and so on.  The one NOT so basic thing I tried this year was this - I covered the breast with a length of cheesecloth that had been soaked in butter, and at the end of the roasting time, I basted solely with butter.   

All-in-all, the turkey turned out to be quite good, in my own humble opinion.  Much moister than any turkey I've ever made before.  I'll definitely brine again. And baste with butter.  I guess it's true - everything really is better with butter.  ; )

Oh, well...

So...  today's gone to hell.  'Nuff said.  No writing from me today.

Ah... Success!

Thanksgiving was a success.  At least I think it was.  We all got plenty to eat...

And it seemed like we had a pretty good time.

Sarah particularly enjoyed her turkey leg...

Oh, and the pumpkin cheesecake was a hit.

(I know this because it's now 1/2 gone.)

We did have a few cranky moments, but they were few and far between.   I still wish we'd had lots of family with us all day, but I don't know that I'll ever get my only-child husband used to the idea of a houseful for Thanksgiving.  I'll keep working on it, though.  In the meantime, I'll keep cookin' for just us. 

Gobble! Gobble!

Tomorrow's turkey day, and I'm cooking everything, and I'm doing it pretty much from scratch.  I love it!  I've got a 15-pound turkey soaking in a brine, mashed potatoes ready for the crock pot, breadcrumbs drying, cranberry pomegranate sauce chilling, and a pumpkin cheesecake in the over.  I can't wait to pull it all together tomorrow!

The only thing that would make it better would be having more of my family around me to enjoy the day with us.  I miss spending Thanksgiving with Dale and Patty, and Patty's parents, my parents, Johnny and his family, Amber and Steve, and Rachel and Ted.  We used to have a nice, cozy, little crowd every Thanksgiving.  Having that crowd around would make for an amazing Thanksgiving. 

Well, that, and having a little less tension.  I don't know why, but Thanksgiving always seems a little tense in our house.  It should be about relaxing, and eating good food, and visiting with family and good friends.  But instead our day often ends up with everyone cranky and stressed out.  I've got my fingers crossed for this year, though...  I think it CAN be a good day!

Incidentally...

Just to be totally clear about this...  I will not get Christmas-crazy until AFTER Thanksgiving.  As I've oft said, I believe Thanksgiving gets a bad deal every year. 

That being said, Thanksgiving is over in three more days, and then it's ALL CHRISTMAS! 

Karate And Such

First of all, let me own up to being a slacker.  I don't post nearly as often as I should.  I know that.  It's rough, though, sometimes....  Between working, and doing house "stuff", and getting in a work out here and there, and driving everyone to where they need to be, and anything else that comes up, it can be rough to find time to focus my thoughts and write anything even remotely coherent.  With that out of the way, and off my chest, it's on to discussions of karate...  and such.

Jack.  Is.  A.  Brown Belt!  Ya-hooooooooooo!  He worked hard, and practiced lots for it.  And he endured the most thorough testing he's gone through yet.  And he earned his brown belt.   I'm so proud of him!  And, he's so proud of himself, too.  You could really tell that when he was posing for a picture with the black belts.

Karate has been great for Jack.  It's allowed him to really learn about discipline, and about setting goals, and about respect, and hard work. 

Last week, everyone from all of our Yoshukai dojos got together in Lincoln for a breaking clinic.  It was a good clinic.  The younger kids got opportunities to break, and got some extra instruction in technique.  It was good for everyone who participated. 

Jack broke a few times, and learned alot about his breaking technique.  Of all the "cool" things about karate, I'm pretty sure breaking is probably Jack's favorite. 

I've taken - literally - hundreds of pictures of Jack and his friends in karate class.  (OK, OK, OK...  they are mostly of Jack, but there ARE alot of his friends, too!)  I'm going to have to go through them this week, and get them onto a flash drive to share with the others at the dojo, for newsletters, bulletin boards, or whatever.  At least my camera habit might finally prove useful!

Thankful

Back on November 1, one of my facebook friends said she was going to post something she's thankful for every day until Thanksgiving.  I decided to do the same thing.  It seemed like a challenge, and I though it would be amazing if lots and lots of facebook friends spent a month expressing gratitude.  (An attitude of grattitude is POWERful!)  I'm a little surprised to have realized that I have so much to be thankful for that I really do have to really think to pick just one!  I need to remember that on those "not so good" days.  And believe me, there ARE some not so good ones!  In fact, even since I started this exercise, there have been a few.  But even on a bad day, when there was lots and lots to bitch about, I still found lots and lots to be thankful for when I really gave it some thought.  To preserve my list for posterity, and maybe give me a reference for those "bad" days, here's the 1st half of the month -

November 17
Just over three years ago, I moved to Sherman and married the H.H. Everyone here - the friends, the neighbors, the teachers, everyone - welcomed me with open arms, and made me feel like part of the community. Today, I'm thankful for all of them. :)

November 16
Today, I am thankful for Prompt Care, and for cell phones, and for new talent at BJ Grand, and for a sensei who's great with kids (thanks, Clay Roberts), and for a couple of good friends ( Jennifer Crawford and Conrad Kohlmann), and I'm es...pecially thankful for my Handsome Husband, Charlie Waugh.
 
November 15
Today, I am quite thankful for ibuprofen. ;)

November 14
Today I am thankful that Charlie can sleep through virtually anything I decide to watch on TV in the morning. ;)

November 13
Today, I am thankful that I could again contribute a tree for Memorial Medical Foundation's Festival of Trees.

November 12
I am so thankful that I have a hard time picking just one thing to say I'm thankful for each day!

November 11
Today, I am thankful for my freedoms, and those who have so selflessly fought to earn them for me. ;)

November 10
I am thankful for so many days of beautiful weather this week.

November 9
Today I am thankful for great friends who make me laugh out loud sometimes!

November 8
Today, I am most certainly thankful for Grab-A-Java and everyone who works there. They are the best!

November 7
Today I am thankful to live in a country where we can travel freely, and find safe, clean lodging along the way. :)

November 6
I'm thankful this morning for the great dinner tip we got last night from Jessica Lynn Spence - we enjoyed dinner at Kobe, and wouldn't have known to go there if she hadn't told me about it.

November 5
I'm thankful for a chance to see the shuttle lift off today... I just hope the winds hold off and they really get to go! ;)

November 4
yay, news guys... boo, no shuttle today)

November 3
Though it seems pretty trivial, today I am thankful for youtube. Check out the giggling quadruplets - their laughter is infectious and just perked up a tired, kinda grumpy me. Thanks to the friend of a friend who made me aware of their cuteness!

November 2
Today, I'm thankful that I was able to vote! :)

November 1
I'm going to accept Lora's challenge - each day in November I am going to post one thing I am thankful for. I'll start off by today saying I am thankful to be able to be in Florida this week!

Date Night

Ya-hooooo! 

Saturday night was date night for Handsome Husband and me, and we had a great time out.  We dressed up and went to the Memorial Medical Foundation's Festival of Trees Gala.  I can't even remember how many years I've decorated a tree for the Festival, but it's been several.  Designers get to attend the gala, and that's my favorite part of doing a tree every year.

The Festival of Trees is held in a building at our state fairgrounds.  It's a builidng that used to house livestock, I believe, but it's been converted to a multi-purpose building that can be used for a varity of events.  The Festival of Trees folks spend a solid week there before the Gala kick-off, and transform the concrete-floored, cavernous, empty space into a Christmas wonderland.  The trees are lit all with white mini-lights.  There is fluffy, white "snow" covering the floor around each tree.  A gingerbread village sprawls out across the middle of the room.  The lights are dimmed, and a twinkling glow takes over.   

The Gala kicks off the Festival of Trees, and is an all-around holiday season kick-off for alot of folks in our community.  It is very well organized and executed.  It's a fundraiser - tickets can be purchased individually.  It's also a celebration and a "thank you" to everyone who works hard to make the Festival of Trees a huge success each year.  It's the time when the event sponsors are recognized, and they select their trees, and when the community gets a sneak peek at the beauty of the season.  For the Gala, which is a black tie event, there are elements added to the evening - There is a silent auction with several unique, and often exclusive, items for bid.  They open the Holiday Market area, where a variety of seasonal decorations, clothing items, and even Holiday jewelry are available for purchase, and there is food and drink... lots of food and drink.  The Gala is expertly catered each year, and with a wide variety of food selections.  This year, there were four "stations" for food.  Each featured main items like scallops, shrimp, crab, prime rib, and roast turkey.  Each also featured a great variety of things like roasted asparagus, pickled eggplant, cheese and crackers, and veggie kabobs.  And the dessert station featured a chocolate fountain - how can you go wrong with a chocolate fountain?  And, of course, there is plenty of beer, wine, soda, and water to go around. 

This year, we ran into several people we know at the event, and got to share some great conversations, and I think my friend, Tonya, and I rather enjoyed checking out what everyone else was wearing.  People watching can be half the fun of going!  The band that played was one I am not familiar with.   They sounded good, but I have to admit I was a little dissappointed that Ed Clark's band didn't play.  He always gets the audience to participate playing maracas and tambourine, and the Handsome Husband was ready to grab those maracas if they'd been playing.   By the time we made it around to the dance floor, my feet were killing me from walking on the concrete floor in sexy strappy sandals, so we didn't do much movin' and shakin', but I'm sure we'll make up for it next year!

We ended up the night at a local haunt back home in Sherman, where we found several more folks we know.   Of course, the Handsome Husband and I were still in our formal wear, which gave everyone something to talk about for a bit.  All in all, it was a wonderful night out, and I can't wait until our next date night!

Putt-Putt

OK.  I swear this is the last continuation of the Florida vacation story...  for now.

We went to a fun looking miniature golf place called "Pirate's Cove" while were were in Orlando. It was cute pirate-themed place with skull and crossbones flags, lots of iron bars on the doors, wooden barrels, and other good piratey "stuff".   We were feeling pretty good about the prospect of a good round of putt-putt as we selected our colorful balls and putters and headed to the first hole. 

Putt-putt.  It's all putting, right?  Pretty low-key. Lots of light tapping on the balls, eh?   Jack apparently didn't really understand the real concept of putting.  Though he was using a putter to hit his cute little colored golf ball, he drove that sucker 100% off the course.  God alone knows where that ball went.  It flew past the end of "hole 1", completely over the next hole, and I think into a little flowing creek that carried it away.  We patiently waited there at that first hole while Jack went back to get another ball. 

For the full 18 holes, there was alot of going out of turn, and moved balls, and water hazards.  It was a great putt-putt course - lots of silly challenges and fun "props" along the way.

Afterward, the Handsome Husband challenged Sarah to a little math contest to see who could add up the scores the fastest..

Sarah won.

Now, as for the winner of the 18-hole putting challenge...  Well, the obvious winner was me.  ;)  

Actually, I have no idea how that happened.  I guess it was my lucky day.  Anyway, Sarah and I will be joining the tour soon.  We'll sign autographs by appointment only, please.  

When I showed Jack the photo prints from that day, he said something like  "Ah...  the day I was in trouble all day.  That was a fun day."  And then he laughed.  That's Jack. 

But he was right - it WAS a fun day. 

Hibachi Time

What the heck?  I didn't even blog a tiny little bit about going to Kobe on vacation!   Sarah's been talking about going to a hibachi grill for a long time.  And there were probably half a dozen hibachi grill places along International Drive in Orlando, so....  I thought it might be fun to give it a try on our last night there.   Jennifer's daughter, Jessica, had recommended Kobe as her favorite restaurant in Orlando, so we decided to go there on Friday night.

If you've ever been to a hibachi grill restaurant, you know that you are seated around a pretty large cooking surface.  We got super-lucky, and the kids were seated on the side against the wall, so they could easily see not only our grill, but also everything else in the room.

There's a pretty long wait between the time you arrive, and the time they start cooking, and Sarah and Jack did get a little bored,  so Jack tried to provide a bit of comic relief to help pass the time.

The "helper" chopsticks were the greatest thing I've ever seen.  I've been trying to teach Jack how to use chopsticks for the past couple of months, and it's been a challenge for him, to say the least.  The last time we had Pad Thai, he refused to give up on the chopsticks, and ate his noodles one at a time.  It took nearly forever for him to finish!  So these "helper" ones were perfect for him.  I'm not sure about him using them for the nose pinch, but at least he was entertained for a bit until the real show started.

It was a fun night.  There were a few flaming grill moments, and the onion volcano was a big hit with Jack.  Sarah loved the way the chef flipped the shrimp tails around, and she loved, Loved, LOVED that she got to have some seafood again. 

We all got a little kick out of the chicken fried rice heart that the chef made.  There was a woman at our table celebrating a birthday, so he made a heart for her.  Then the restaurant staff came over, clanging a gong, and everyone sang happy birthday. 

And I HAVE TO mention the yum-yum sauce.  It was FABULOUS.  I could have put it on everything!

Kobe was definitely a good choice.  The food was good.  The chef was entertaining.  We had fun.  And, all things considered, it wasn't overly expensive.  I'd certainly go back anytime.

Festival of Trees

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I was feeling kind of "blah" about this year's Festival of Trees because I was not going to be able to design a tree this year.  But...  the girls at the Festival needed another tree, so they let me decorate one today. (yay!)  Most people will think this is totally silly, but doing a tree every year is a big deal to me.  I'm not some world-famous designer, and I'll never get any award for what I do, but I enjoy it, and it's something I can do to help the Memorial Medical Foundation.  Again, I know it sounds silly to most, but I wouldn't even be here, and neither would lots of people I love, if it weren't for the doctors and staff at Memorial, and I like to sort of give something back.  They can take my donation of ornaments, some creative ideas, and a bit of time, and turn it around into hundreds of dollars.

ANYway, I did some last-minute scrambling, came up with an idea, and decorated a tree today. Thankfully, my BFF (yes, I know it's juvenile, but I used it anyway), Jennifer, was able to help me.  Without her helping, I'd probably still be there, attaching little wires onto ornaments to secure them to the tree!  With her help, though, we got everything finished in just a couple of hours.  As I said, it's not going to win an award, but I rather like it.

And, best of all, Jennifer and I started throwing around some really cool ideas for next year.  I love doing things that inspire me to think and do even more!  It really makes for a good day.  :)

COFFEE!!!

I MISS GRAB-A-JAVA!!!  I'm not even kinda-sorta kidding.  In the week we've been gone, I've had one good cup of coffee.  Even the Starbucks at the resort didn't make a good coffee.  Granted, I am a little particular.  I like two extra shots of espresso in my daily cup of joe - it gives me my caffeine, but most importantly, it is really more flavorful that way.  And no place we've been has gotten it quite right.   I can't wait to get back home and get a REAL cup of coffee!

Florida Citrus Stand

Yesterday's stop at a Florida Citrus Stand = Best Stop Ever. Talk about nice people!  These were the nicest!  They even let me take a couple of pictures with our gnome, which was great.  And, as it turned out, the guy there was from Illinois.  What a small world!

That small world phenomenon was even more obvious last night at the Acoustic Cafe restaurant where we ate dinner.  As we were getting out of the car, a man spoke to us, asking what part of Illinois we are from.  He, too, was from Illinois.  And...  better yet, we'd parked right next to him and hadn't even noticed his license plates.  This in and of itself would be enough to merit a "what a small world" comment, but there's more. 

He knows our friend, Bill.  In fact, he worked with him for a while.

What.. the... heck?  Now THAT's a small world!

Anyway, the Acoustic Cafe was neither acoustic, nor was it a cafe.  It was a tavern with a really loud 80's cover band using WAY too many speakers that were WAY too big.  But they had decent burgers, and really good sweet potato fries.  (It's hard to find a good sweet potato fry - especially in Illinois!)  Those fries were more like dessert than a side dish.  They were seasoned with just the right amount of brown sugar, and I loved 'em!

The band was warming up while we ate our dinner, and they were LOUD.  I don't think they were really taking the size of the tavern into consideration the way they probably should have been.  We hung around for a while to see them play, but they didn't start on time, and we had to leave to go back to the hotel while they were still getting changed and putting their makeup on.  Before we left, though, we did get a chance to snap a picture of our gnome trying to steal the spotlight.

Trees

Palm trees and evergreens are OK, but I miss my deciduous jungle.  In case you can't tell from that little hint, I've been listening to 56 Hope Road.  Very appropriately, "deciduous jungle" was playing just about the time we started seeing those lovely deciduous trees in all their fall glory.

Don't misunderstand.  The palm trees were pretty cool.  I was pleasantly surprised to realize there are several varieties of palm trees in Florida that really offered some interesting landscapes.  But for me, they just can't compare to the many, many colors and shapes of the deciduous trees we have in the Midwest.  Maybe it's because they are just familiar to me, or maybe it's because I've just grown up with them, or maybe it's something else.  Whatever it is, I love them.

Our Last Day (for now!)

Well, today's our last day in Florida, and it's CHILLY!  Right now, it's only around 50 degrees, which is quite a bit cooler than the 70 degrees it's been on previous mornings.  A cold front pushed through yesterday with the rain, I guess.   Chilly or not, we are going to make it a great day!

I had really hoped we'd get to see the space shuttle launch while we were here, but it seems it's just not meant to be.  There've been mechanical delays, weather delays, and now a fueling system leak is causing yet another delay.  So... Instead of watching history, we're going to have to make our own history.  I'm thinking there is an historic round of putt-putt in our future.  There are several super-cool putt-putt/adventure game places here, and I think everyone can enjoy that today.

Yesterday was a mostly lazy day for us.  It rained most of the day, so we couldn't really swim, or do anything else outside.  Sarah and I went for much-needed pedicures and a little shopping while the H.H. and Jack stayed at the condo and hit the pool and hot tub in between rain showers.  Jack would swim in just about any weather conditions.  He's in LOVE with the water.   The rest of us, though, prefer to go inside when the raindrops start falling, so the H.H. got a nap in, as well, which made him quite happy.  

While Sarah and I were shopping, I found the Brighton store.  I am so glad I did!  I have charms and/or charm bracelets from almost every state I've been to.  My mom started that collection for me before I even knew what a collection was, and I'm oh-so-glad she did!  Brighton has several unique state-themed charm bracelets, that the salesclerk explained are only sold by Brighton locations within the states they represent.  Naturally, I got the Florida one.

Back at the condo, I found this guy hanging out just outside our window.

The condo is on a golf course, so I'm pretty sure the wildlife here is quite accustomed to human interaction, which made it easy for me to open the sliding window and take this picture without scaring him away.  Yes, I am a little bit of a geek - I love birds.

Anyway... Thursday night at the condo ended with pizza and a couple of movies.  Not too exciting, but very relaxing.    And I'm confident that today will be nice and relaxing, too, though filled with a bit more activity.  Stand by for an update! 

Vacation Mid Week Update

Yesterday was Wednesday, the middle of the week, the half-way point of our time in Florida.  We spent most of it the way we should have - at the ocean.

Note I said, "most of it".   We headed out toward Cocoa Beach's little piece of the ocean via NASA.  Talk about cool - there's a retired shuttle "parked" outside the Astronaut Hall of Fame.   (Yes, that's our unnamed gnome stickin' his head into the picture.)

The H.H. really and truly LOVES anything and everything about our country's space program, so he was pretty much in heaven.  We didn't tour the Hall of Fame, but did look around the gift shop,and around the area.  And, of course, we went the wrong way out of the visitor center parking lot, and had to stop at a heavily guarded security checkpoint, where we were afforded the opportunity to turn around.  Security is pretty heavy in the NASA neighborhood right now because of the scheduled shuttle launch this week.  Sooo...  We turned around, and found the highway leading on down the coast to Cocoa Beach.

By the time we'd been to see the NASA cool-ness, and made our way to Cocoa Beach, it was almost time for lunch, so we drove along "the strip" and found - you guessed it - a kinda sorta Celtic place.  :)  We found an English pub called "The Pig and Whistle".  They had traditional specials on the menu like shepherd's pie, and fish & chips.  It was fun little place, and we enjoyed our time there.  

After lunch, we hit the beach!  Wednesday's Atlantic-side beach was alot different from Monday's Gulf-side one.  The water was cooler, the sand was hotter, and the waves were bigger and rougher.  Different, for sure.  But every bit as much fun! 

In fact, even I got out there and played in the waves.

Amazingly, while we were there, someone brought a small shark that had been caught, and that she was going to throw out for nature to take care of.  Jack was thrilled!  He, and the other kids on the beach, got to touch it.  And, in fact, Jack got to carry it out and throw it into the ocean.  He says it was much heavier than it's size would lead you to believe.

We stayed at the beach for most of the day.  We stayed for two whole cans of spray on sunscreen.  I have been sort of crazy with the sunscreen on this trip.  I don't want any one of us to get terribly burned, and end up miserable and missing out on anything.  So we've been applying, re-applying, and then re-re-applying sunscreen like crazy. Every time one of us came back out of the water, we got sprayed.  And it worked!  So far, the only sunburns have been the tops of H.H.'s feet, a thin strip along the edge of my back, and Sarah's cheeks and nose.  Not bad, considering.

When we finally left the beach for our home-away-from-home called Sabal Palms, we were all pretty "beached out".  (Jack was, literally, in the waves for all but about 30 minutes of the day!) We made one quick stop at the Ron Jon Surf Shop, and then hit the highway.  We'd all reached that point where we wanted a shower more than just about anything else in the world. 

As just about everyone agrees, that shower after a day at the beach is an amazing thing.  You can be feeling drained after a day of sun and fun on the beach, but as soon as you get into that shower, you are revived and ready to go again!   And that's just what happened to us.  We all freshened up, got dressed, and headed out for a dinner adventure.

We didn't miss our turn this time, and we knew exactly what we were looking for (for a change).  We were in search of some seafood.  I mean, really...  we're on the coast.  You have to have seafood when you're on the coast, right?   :)   Besides, Sarah loves, Loves, LOVES seafood.   So we made a bee-line for a place we'd seen along International Drive called "Boston Lobster Feast".   We had no idea what to expect, but were tickled by the lobster car they had parked outside the front door.  This pic was taken with my iPhone, so it's not the greatest, but I just HAD to get a picture.  (And unnamed gnome just HAD to get in it!) 

Turns out the place is an all-you-can eat lobster and crab buffet.  They had other things, too, of course - like oysters, clams, scallops, shrimp, various kinds of fish, sushi, and even prime rib for those who weren't interested in all the seafood.  It was a blast - definitely a dinner adventure.  

All-in-all, a pretty good vacation day 5.