Mastering the Art of French Cooking....short cuts

This past weekend I went over to my parents’ house to spend a little quality time and to cook mom a (very belated) birthday meal. I wanted to make something special, delicious, and dad-taste-bud-friendly. 

A decision was made, a challenge was accepted, and I was off to make Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon for the first time. 

 It took hours to prepare (including patting dry every piece of cubed beef), and more time to check on, add more ingredients, move from stove top to oven, adjust slightly, dirty more pans, move from oven to stove top….Mouthwatering smells emerged from the kitchen and leaked out to the patio as it cooked. It was delicious! Beautiful! 

Friends, it tasted remarkably like other meals I’ve thrown in the crockpot on my way off to work. There’s something to be said about making one of Julia’s recipes, but I think my mom said it best: Julie Child's was a bored rich, house wife. 

Now that I’ve earned my cooking badge of honor, I’m back to the trusty crockpot.

Lawson and Auntie Beth weekend of fun

A few weekends ago, I watched my nephew while my sister was out of town.  We had an AWESOME time!

*To have context for the rest of this story, it is important to note that Auntie Beth doesn't keep Lawson toys at her house.*

I had activities lined up for us which included exploring around my neighborhood, feeding the turtles in the canals, camping out in my living room, roasting s’mores on the fire, watching a movie, etc.

….We blew through those activities in the first few hours.  (see above note re: toys)

So Auntie Beth and Lawson ventured out to Target to get some toys.  We left with a Power Rangers mask and a Transformer.  We immediately needed to go outside and practice our “awesome moves.” Video of said awesomeness here:

We eventually got bored and hungry so we came back home and ate everything in Auntie Beth’s pantry. Then we went to a park, ran around for a little, but got hungry again.  So we went to McDonald’s to have the 4^th meal of the day (at 2:30pm) and to run around on the playground.  What happened here inspired me to write this blog.

There was another little girl playing in the tunnels and slides at McDonald’s.  Her parents were sitting at another table and only spoke Spanish to her.  Lawson and the girl had never met but they immediately took off running and played for the next hour. 

That’s when it struck me.  Kids have it figured out. 

They don’t care who you are, what language you speak, what clothes you wear, who your parents are or if you live in the “right” neighborhood.  They don’t make small talk, and don’t care if they’ve hung out before or will ever again. 

In the innocence of childhood, the only important qualifier that needs to be asked and answered is, “Wanna play?”

Why the world needs moms

I had a perfect weekend, but on my flight home this weekend I ran into just about every traveling annoyance.

Annoyance 1: The cab driver was chatty and wreaked of smoke.

Annoyance 2: I checked in the night before, but was still in Group 5.

Annoyance 3: It seems everyone on my flight had trouble remembering they could only bring 2 carryons and they couldn't be the size of a small car. It took ages to board the plane while people tried to squeeze their super sized luggage in the overhead.

Annoyance 4: I was in a middle seat. When I booked the flight, that was the only seat available.

Annoyance 5: Apparently everyone also forgot that on flights, you need to turn off all electrical devices. No joke - it took 7 overhead speaker reminders, 3 walk bys by attendants, and I still heard a phone go off when we were on the runway.

Annoyance 6: I sat in the row in front of two kids under 8 and their teenage chaperon. The kids were in the wrong seats so someone had to give up their seat so the darlings could sit together.

Annoyance 7: The kids crunched on chips, the teenager listened to music on her cell phone speaker, the kids horsed around, farted, kicked our seats, and bounced on the tray tables.

My hero: The woman that sat next to me had enough. She first called the flight attendant and announced that she should inform the teenager to tell the children to stop kick our seats.

Some silence.....then another kick.

My hero whipped around and told the kids in a voice that made me sit up straight, "Please stop kicking my chair." It was perfect. She was polite, her tone was stern, and I'm fairly certain the kids didn't move the rest of the flight. (I know I didn't) It was glorious!!

This is exactly why the world needs moms. Moms to tell unruly kids to behave and tell adults to grow up.

Happy early Mother's Day! Thank you 14F and all the moms that never stop raising their own kids and the rest of us!

Playing catch up

So, what's been happening for the last couple of months? Here goes

1. For our company Christmas party, I won an exec's Mavs tickets. 4 great seats to a game against Houston, so I took my family. Mom had never been to a Mavs game, Dad and Casey hadn't been to one at the AA Center, and I hadn't been over there since Boot Camp days.

I have been going to so many football games, I had forgotten how much I like basketball games! Good music, fun crowd, and we won!!!


2. Tommy and I wandered around Annapolis one weekend. It was cold and very windy, but a cute town! We had lunch in a building that had to be 100 years old, wandered around cute little shops, drove by the Navy campus and stadium, then took a driving tour of some of the neighborhoods. We will definitely be back (when the weather is a little warmer) to walk around some more.




3. Lawson and I have been hanging out lately. He's turned into my little buddy...and I've turned into a headrest.



Now that it's getting warmer, Auntie Beth bought him a grill so he can be just like Grandpa.

Ask and you shall receive...

This week's temperatures and events:

Tuesday - High 19 / Low 12, sleet, snow, ice, media says it's the end of the world, work from home

Wednesday - High 18 / Low 9, ice hasn't gone anywhere, work from home, cabin fever begins

Thursday - High 20 / Low 14, roads are a little better, still lots of ice, reluctantly working from home, is the room actually getting smaller??

Weather forecast for Friday - High 25 / Low 18....and snowing.

Proof God is listening and laughing.

Winter in Texas

One of the branches I support is in Detroit. The office manager asked me if people can lay out year round in Texas. (Apparently someone from the Dallas branch visited and was very tan.) I stifled a laugh and had to explain that people in Dallas like their tanning beds and spray tans.

Ok, I know winter in Texas isn't REALLY winter compared to Detroit or DC. We start the day in the 30's and warm up to 55-60 degrees. Yesterday I saw a guy driving with the top down. Really? At least pretend it's a proper winter!! People are starting to talk...

Happy New Year!!

Every year I typically put together a list of new year's goals (not resolutions). Since I made a big goal this summer to accomplish 30 things in 12 months, I thought I would do a mid-point check in instead.

30 things in 12 months

1. Talk to a teacher about Teaching Certification & Prep completed 7/14/10
2. Organize and print digital photos completed 1/2/11
3. Organize photo prints
4. Pay off $7000 on my car
5. Take a 5 day vacation!! completed Thanksgiving and Christmas 2010
6. Go to a batting cage completed 4/30/11
7. Run an entire 5K (no walking!) completed 5/7/11..sort of. I ran almost the entire thing and walked just a little to avoid CPR
8. Sew Christmas Tree skirt completed 11/18/11
9. Keep a plant alive for 1 year completed 6/18/11
10. Go to a driving range completed 7/20/10
11. Cook a holiday meal on my own completed 12/5/10
12. Toss the football with Tommy completed 4/30/11
13. Go to a firing range
14. Take a spontaneous weekend trip with no plans completed 7/23-25 & 9/10-13
15. Read a Christian book completed 11/25/10
16. Read a faith based book completed 1/22/11
17. Plant a tree
18. Visit one of the 10 states I’ve never visited
19. Make a bowl with dad completed 5/30/11
20. Go to a concert completed 9/4/10
21. Write a short story
22. Take a cooking class completed 4/16/11
23. Design and order personalized stationary
24. Go to a museum completed 7/16/10
25. Join an Adult Bible Group
26. Try Vietnamese food completed 9/15/10
27. Donate blood 3 times donated 6/30/10 & 11/2/10 & ....
28. Fix my bike completed 4/5/11
29. Take Lawson to a park
30. Go fishing