Chocolatechic

So, Thursday it was finally sunny here in Pothole. After a week and a half of gloom and rain, I had almost lost hope that the sun would ever shine again.

In celebration, the chips and I went to The Coffee Company in Roscoe Village. I took my camera. (and the wrong lens) I wanted to get a couple of practice shots of the boy for his Senior pictures. I am just a bit late…I know. His classmates won’t care though. The boy absolutely hates to have his picture taken, so I made the girl get in the pictures.   It helped him to relax and have fun with it.

Please ignore the metal step ladder in the background. I didn’t even notice it till I uploaded the pictures.

In this one he is trying to hide the fact that he has been doing ‘bunny ears’ for the last 3 shots.

And her reaction to the ‘bunny ears’.

They were beginning to not want to smile so I threatened to sing to them. Please note that I am not above singing off key, in the middle of a busy tourist area to get my children to laugh.

They didn’t believe I would, so I did. Don’t ya just love the reaction?

This one is just totally cute. This is such symbolism to me. They have always played ‘hide and seek’. They are always hiding in some dark quiet spot in the house, and then jump out to scare someone. Generally, that someone is me….sigh.

The last 4 were snapped all in about 5 seconds time, I just have cropped them differently.

Other than the fact that I totally used the wrong lens, and that I didn’t check to make sure that there weren’t any stupid things in the background, which one is your favorite? and why? I really need to know why?

Remember…I am nosy!

It is Friday and I am nosy.

Every morning, without fail, I get up, rub my eyes, run my hands through my hair, and turn around and make my bed. Every. morning.

If I didn’t make my bed every day, well…it would…would just…just be bad. I might stub my toe, break my favorite vase, get a flat tire, or my hair wouldn’t turn out. It would totally be because I didn’t make my bed. I just know it.

At the end of the day, I love climbing into a made bed. The sheets are crisp and pulled tightly. The pillows are already plumped and ready to be slept on. There is just nothing like it. If I had to crawl into a rumpled bed, I do not think I could sleep.   And this girl…she needs her sleep!

So tell me, what is one chore you do daily… without fail… that if you didn’t do it would totally mess up your entire day?

I have been working at getting Grace acquainted with Whiskey. (It isn’t going so well.)

This means that I have brought Whiskey downstairs, leaving the kittens upstairs. They would get totally lost behind all my furniture, and chew and claw on everything, so bringing them down  to stay is totally not going to happen.

I bring them down 2-3 times a day for a feeding.

As I sit and watch Whiskey allow 4 ravenous kittens to suck her dry, I marvel at the care she takes with them.

How she is constantly aware and is always on the alert to protect them from the ‘evil, hissing, snarling’ cat, Grace. (who seems to always be in the corner, cowering from the ‘evil, hissing, snarling’ cat, Whiskey)

I have just been informed that today is National Chocolate Chip day. How shall I celebrate?

The first and last time I ever had curry was in high school, and my best friend Beverly invited me over for supper. Her mom had made Chicken Curry. It sounded fancy and foreign and almost naughty, so I couldn’t wait to try it. I think Bev’s mom put at least 2 cups of curry on my piece of chicken alone, because my mouth was on fire for the next 3 weeks. I kid, oh how I kid, but Curry was dead to me till 3 weeks ago when I was at a cooking demonstration, and my friend made a curry dish that she insisted I try. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so I filled up my drink, swallowed hard and tried an ensie-weensie bite.

Curry has come back to me in a wonderful and powerful way.

Let me show you how to make Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries. It is a little bit fancy and foreign and naughty, and I can’t wait for you to try it.

Simple ingredients, and I was surprised that even couscous can be purchased in Pothole, Ohio. If you have never tried/used couscous before, don’t go looking for it on the pasta isle. It won’t be there. Meander over to the Mexican/Oriental isle, and you should find it next to the rationed rice.

First you are going to want to chop your walnuts and toast them. I didn’t toast mine because, well, have I mentioned that I am lazy?

And your green onion.

And your parsley.

Set this all aside.

In a heat proof bowl, put your couscous, cranberries, curry, salt…oh, and sugar, I forgot to mention sugar. My brain is on the fast track to retirement.

Give it a stir.

Pour boiling water over it all.

You know what else I forgot? The orange.

Cut your orange in half.

Holding your camera in one hand, and half an orange in the other, squeeze the juice of the orange into the bowl. Realize that pulp will land in the bowl if you don’t do something soon, place the camera on your counter and take the orange half in both of your hands and squeeze the orange with as much force as you have. Wash your disgustingly sticky hands.

Give it a quick stir.

Cover.

Take the other half of the orange and eat it while you are waiting.

After 5 minutes, of waiting and orange eating, give it another stir.

Now we are going to add in the walnuts, green onion, parsley,**olive oil and lemon juice.

Another stir, and eat. This can be eaten warm, room temperature or cold. I prefer coolish roomtemperatureish.

Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries

• 1 5.8 oz. box couscous
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¾ c. dried cranberries
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ an orange, juiced
• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil **
• 3-4 green onions thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• ¾ c. chopped walnuts, toasted
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice

Stir the couscous, cranberries, curry powder, salt and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Bring water (amount listed on the box) to a boil and pour it over the couscous. Add the orange juice. Give it a big stir and cover tightly letting it stand until water is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir. Add oil, green onion, parsley, lemon juice and walnuts. Stir again. Take to your next picnic, reunion, or family get-together.

**I didn’t add oil for several reasons. The oil is there to keep the couscous from sticking to each other, and while this makes a lovely presentation, the oil does not agree with my stomach. If you don’t have stomach/oil issues, please use the oil.

I come from a family of farmers on my dad’s side. Y’all have seen pictures of my dad at his grandpa’s farm. I have so many happy memories of that place. Drinking water from an old hand pump well, playing in old barns, picking rows and rows and rows of strawberries and eating them warm, running through the apple orchard, playing on an antique wood stove, watching my great-grandmother cook, walking in the cow pasture with my dad. To this day, one of my favorite smells is an old barn. The musty hay/rotting manure/animal smell delights me to this very day.

That is why, what I have to show you is so sad.

You see, my great-grandfather had a 118 acre farm. My grandmother had a huge garden, my dad has always had a garden,

and I have been reduced to this.

And this.

And this.

I told you it was so very sad.

You might wonder why the last photo is blurry. That is because I had to stand on my tippy-toes to snap that shot. I wasn’t about to step out in the rain for it, not even for the blog. My hair might have been compromised, and that wouldn’t do.

Mothering in these last 6 months has been difficult at best, and many times downright hopeless. I was rather unsure whether or not one of the chips would even decide to celebrate Mother’s Day. (they did)

I have wanted to just give up on so many different occasions, but I am just stubborn enough not to. Oh, but I am here to say that there have been days, days that I have wanted to just crawl in my bed, pull the covers over and not come out….ever. Clearly, I am made of stiffer stuff and have slogged through.

I hate slogging. The whole putting one foot in front of the other. Forcing yourself to move in the direction that you really care not to go. Slogging forces you to dig deep within yourself, and the longer you slog, the deeper you have to go. It is depressing, it is mind numbing, and it is not a place that I ever thought that I’d be.

Here I am, armpit deep in it all, everyday wishing that God would just pluck me out, set me in a happy place and I can be done with it all. That isn’t reality. The reality is, is that he is right beside me, covered in the mire, just like I am. Holding my hand, letting me know that He is with me. every. step. of. the. way.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

~Elizabeth Stone

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs… since the payment is pure love.

~Mildred B. Vermont

I want to wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.

To Sumi, Bobbie, and those who have lost a child, may God grant you a special grace as you spend your Mother’s Day, and every day without your dear sweet babies.

Ma, I love you. I hope that you have a wonderful day. I think that this is the first Mother’s Day that you have spent without either of us. I will miss spending it with you. Happy Mother’s Day.

Tomorrow the kittens will be 6 weeks old, and therefore ready to be taken away.

I am heartbroken.

So in an effort to make myself feel better, I have been taking 4,903 pictures.

This little guy, Bootleg, is my second favorite.

He sits at my feet and meows till I pick him up.

If I don’t pick him up fast enough, he crawls up me.

Superman told me that I am spoiling them. I just don’t see it.

It is Friday and I am nosy.

What is the flooring like in your home?  Do you have carpeting throughout?  Hardwood?  Tile?

In my house, I really wish that I had hardwood, but instead I have this evil, use-to-be cream colored carpet.  Whoever invented cream carpet should be put in a room with a hungry bear.

In my kitchen, I have a hidious brick colored, late 1970’s designed linoleum.   They don’t make linoleum like they used to, and by the year 2863, it might wear out.  But by then, the style just might be back in vogue.

In my upstairs bathroom/nursery I have a mixed matched lino tile.   We had to repair the loo, and we couldn’t find tile to match.   Hence the mix.

So, what do the floors in your home look like?   Would you change it if you could?

Sheri was right.

Last Saturday, at 6:30 am, about a third of our church loaded up on a tour bus and went down to Kentucky to the creation museum . The boy was supposed to go, but 2 weeks before we were to leave, his work schedule changed and he was unable to come with us. We were all bummed. C, another boy in the youth group, took his place.

We hadn’t gotten down the road maybe 10 minutes and I looked back to find this.

The trip was said to be about 3 hours, but my backside and Superman’s watch said it was more like 4.

It has been cough at least coughtwentyonecough years since I have ridden a tour bus. They have made some changes in buses. Like they have added TV’s. This is great for watching movies to pass the time.

However, it wasn’t a movie that we were blessed to see, we were stuck watching The Gaithers.

Now, don’t be hatin’, I am just not a Southern Gospel fan.

If you are, wonderful. If not, I know you’ll feel my pain. I had enough Gaither/Southern Gospel music in my growing up years to last a life time. To further compound the agony, that lovely monitor was right in front of our seats.

When we got there we immediately were ushered downstairs into a conference room to eat. After eating I immediately began snapping pictures. C wasn’t used to this. Can you see the shock in his eyes?

We watched a movie that talked about the 7 C’s in God’s Creation. It was really neat. We got sprayed with water and everything. Well, everyone but myself got sprayed with water. I covered the water spicket with my finger. At least my hair still looked good, and that is all that mattered.

The crush of people in this place was astounding. I don’t have many pictures of the exhibits because there was just. so. many. people. I am not a crowd person, and this frayed a bit at my nerves.

This room was much less crowded. So I snapped a picture of my pack mule Superman.

Please stop with the pictures already.

The girl loves to have her picture taken, so she is more than willing to do anything I ask. Go get in the fake mine. Sure.

Stand beside the temple exhibit. Fine.

Scooch together for a group shot. No problem.

C, is beginning to accept that a camera in my hands means that his picture is going to be taken too.

This made me laugh out loud.

Do you see the resignation on his face? I would giggle every time I took his picture, and he would laugh right along with me.

I thought that this was rather telling, as it came from the British Report of Church Alliance 2003.

It really made me sad.

So, I took another picture of my girl.

By this time, I was really weary of the crowds, the kids were getting hungry, and I just wanted to sit down. So we went outside.

It was so lovely out. Behind the bridge that you can see was a swinging bridge. I stayed at the table enjoying the peace and quiet while everyone else went to jump on the swinging bridge.

When they came back, C got some more to eat and drink. That boy can put away some serious groceries!

We waited around for another 2 hours to see the planetarium. It was the best part of the trip. So much information, way cool graphics, and comfy seats that laid almost flat. Wonderful show, at least what I saw of it.   Those chairs were really comfy.

When it was time to go, we went out to get on our bus, but it wasn’t there. The driver had noticed when he dropped us off that it was leaking something, so he and a repair man had been busily working on the bus the entire day.

We still waited outside for about 45 minutes for it to be fixed, but that’s ok. Just gave me time for chatting, and for my pack mule Superman to sneak my camera out of the bag and take pictures of me. Paybacks are forth coming. I promise.