death of a laptop... my day job

It was beautiful. It gave life to Facebook, Craigslist, Twitter, and Homegrown.org. Hundreds of favorites bookmarked. Blue on the outside, covered in My Little Pony stickers. The occasional sticky keys from cracker crumbs, spilled coffee, or syrup. Smudged screen from sticky fingers, sneezes, licks. Rarely was it ever idle unless I was chasing down kids. Perhaps it was jealous.

Sadly, my laptop has died. The black screen of death came again and it could not be revived. No CPR. No jump drive with special coding and updates. Nothing. An untimely death. And of course a deadline was looming and pictures needed to be edited. I'm sad. I cried. I'm still mourning. You may shed a tear for me.

Thankfully, I was able to copy my pictures, recipes, and notes to the external hard drive. Now I'll be camping, temporarily, on my daughter's laptop. She's glaring at me as I type.

Now, I'll be saving my tips for a replacement. Sigh.

Weekly dinner menu

Below I've included our dinner menu plan through Sunday, September 26th. I won't claim that we stick to this exclusively, sometimes something like a volleyball game, soccer, or life gets in the way and we have to switch things up for convenience, but I'm hater on drive-thru so usually it's exchanged for some breakfast dinner or snack night.

Sunday, Sept. 12 - BBQ Salmon with steamed baby reds and green beans - or it'll be pancakes

Monday, Sept. 13 - steamed veggies with rice noodles

Tuesday, Sept. 14 - minestrone and fresh whole wheat bread

Wednesday, Sept. 15 - Chili dogs and home fries

Thursday, Sept. 16 - baked macaroni & cheese with green beans

Friday, Sept. 17 - homemade personal pizzas

Saturday, Sept. 18 - leftovers/new recipe

Sunday, Sept. 19 - keilbasa, potato salad, & homemade rolls

Monday, Sept. 20 - rice noodles, with cabbage, cilantro, & sprouts

Tuesday, Sept. 21 - won ton soup and cabbage salad

Wednesday, Sept. 22 - scrambled egg burritos

Thursday, Sept. 23 - chicken/beef/veggie skewers

Friday, Sept. 24 - Crepes! Sweet or Savory

Saturday, Sept. 25 - leftovers/new recipe

Sunday, Sept. 26 - Turkey Dinner!

If ever, you have a question about how I do my menus or recipes just send me a message. I'm more than happy to share.

Doh! part deux & a recipe

Since I've clearly been neglectful to this blog, I have decided a recipe is in order. Something I haven't done in ages, therefore, it should be a treasured treat for you all.
COWBOY COOKIES dude!

So simple a four year old can do it or George Bush's wife -what's-her-face, Barbara. No. Laura. That's the right Bush wife, Laura.

Cowboy Cookies
(recipe adapted from Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies)

makes about 3 dozen large cookies depending on size
prep time: 15-20 minutes bake time: 12-14 minutes

ingredients - adapted for what we had on hand
3 cups all purpose organic flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon -this is too much for us, so I use just a bit less
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temp.
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla
3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
3 cups organic old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups organic flaked coconut

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Cookie pans should be coated with parchment paper or silpats

2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt

3. In mixer bowl, cream butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Beat in sugars, scraping sides until fluffy for about 3 minutes.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, cream well after each egg. Add the vanilla.

5. While reducing the speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture gradually, until just combined.

6. With a big spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the oats, chocolate chips, and coconut.

7. For each cookie drop 1/4 cup of cookie dough onto the cookie pans, about 3 inches apart. Bake until the edges are set and browned, and the middle is still fluffy looking. Baking about 12-14 minutes. Cool on the pans and chow down baby!

Happy AUGUST! and where did our summer go?

I've been contemplating a boring blog post for a while now. You know the kind that really has no meaning or benefit to anyone except for the writer? Yep, that's the one, and this may be it. I usually enjoy the month of August, but we're coming up on the half way point and I feel like it hasn't even begun. Blame it on our lack of a summer season, me feeling under the weather, or just that life is going by too fast.

My oldest two children have been gone since the fourth weekend in July and don't return until this weekend. I have missed them so incredibly much. I may have days were I am beyond frustrated with a certain teenage girl or the tween boy who on occasion likes to press my no-no buttons. I've been doing this shared summer for the past ten years and it hasn't gotten any easier on me. The day they leave, I begin my countdown until their return. To top everything off, Zak broke his hand right before he left. So, I haven't even got to see him in his cast yet. Mi so sad.

It's been rather depressing, the weather and all. We had a few awesome days at the beginning of July, and then gloomy. I mean, we live in Sequim and really we did okay for the sunshine part of it, but no where it usually is. My garden is suffering hard from it too. Well, either it's the weather or that my black thumb of doom has returned.

our sad, sad garden

one of many sad tomato plants -it did give two beautiful tomatoes before dying back

And I discovered this blessed soul. More to come on this little piece of heaven.

hello beautiful

ww July 28 2010

mmm...what's that taste like?

Holy moley, I have been busy! With our camping vacation behind us, and we're now to the half-way point of our remodel -more of that to come on a later post -I've got more time to spend here, surfing the internets, my farm, baking, and POSTING AS A CONTRIBUTING BLOGGER at HOMEGROWN.ORG!!!! Yes, that noise you hear is me jumping up and down and screeching like a 14 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert -I know this because I experienced this first hand only a few weeks ago. See.

You can check out my posts the fourth Wednesday of every month over at HOMEGROWN.ORG! Oh, the giddyness is worse than the jimmy legs!

Okay, now seriously. I know you are all dying to read about my weekly menus so I'll post the plan for the next two weeks. All menus are subject to change, shirt and/or shoes are not required-hell, clothes are optional at most meals.

Monday, July 26th - Yakisoba noodles with veggies

Tuesday, July 27th - Bean soup with homemade wheat bread -too frickin' hot man!

Wednesday, July 28th - White rice with Chinese BBQ beef

Thursday, July 29th - Tacos beef/chicken/veggie -to be determined

Friday, July 30th - buttermilk pancakes or if I get my way strawberry crepes!

Saturday, July 31st - leftovers/new recipe or we'll eat out -lazy asses

Sunday, AUGUST 1 - Crockpot chicken with rice and veggies

Monday, August 2 - warm chicken salad pitas (use leftover chicken from sun.)

Tuesday, August 3 - Grilled tomato and cheese sammies with salad

Wednesday, August 4 - Rice stick noodles with stir fry noodles

Thursday, August 5 - Spaghetti with olive oil and veggies

Friday, August 6 - buttermilk waffles and strawberries

Saturday, August 7 - leftovers/new recipe or eat out 'cause I'm tired as hell

Sunday, August 8 - Keilbasa and Eggs!

Monday, August 9 - Pasta salad with veggies and bread

and there you have it. If you are interested in any of the above recipes, just ask. I'm more than certain I haven't posted many of them and I'm happy to share. More pictures to come as well.

If your interested, the following is what we'll have for breakfasts. In no particular order and of no particular nutritional value. Hey, we're working on this one.

Oatmeal, Eggs -anyway you want 'em and with whatever I'm handing out at the moment, toast, english muffins, yogurt, granola, fruit, boxed or bagged cereal -pretty much whatever was on sale except for the sugary shit, pancakes, waffles -usually not frozen, but every once in-awhile I get a wind up my skirt and pick up eggos, and/or hashbrowns -the real stuff, just like at the restaurant with clarified butter and all that fatty goodness.

I'm up for questions anytime. Just throw 'em at me. You'll either get a great answer or one with absolutely no value to you at all. Cheers!

wordless wednesday 15th of july