tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56176438418160225112024-02-20T18:08:43.589-08:00Finding a path...Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-72992392162448398962014-02-19T14:27:00.000-08:002015-01-14T18:03:41.837-08:00She's a teenager!<br />
And it was time to do something about her room. She used to have a blue room, so "once upon a time" the quilt went with her room. Then we decided to switch her from the blue bedroom to the cream colored office. It needs some attention, right?<br />
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She chose a gorgeous green called Awakening (Valspar) but I suggested that it was just too bright. Luckily, she agreed and we went with Afternoon Delight. The Valspar paint was fabulous! It only took one coat to cover the walls and it just went on so smoothly. Here's the same room now...<br />
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She loves it, I love it, it's all good!<br />
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She bought the new bedding from Kohl's with a gift card that was a Christmas present from her Uncle Terry. We bought the desk a few years ago on craigslist. I'm going to paint it white, but I think I'll wait until Spring when I can spray paint it outside. The couch is from her Great Grandmother's. It folds out into a double bed and is great to have in her room for sleepovers.<br />
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I covered both of her lampshades with some wrapping paper I picked up in the Target dollar bins. It's a temporary fix, but we both love the look. The cabinet/bookshelf is another craiglist purchase.<br />
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The dresser is a hand me down from friends, to her brothers, and now to her.<br />
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Even though I probably haven't spent even $200 over the years on her room, we both think it looks wonderful right now. Just in time for her to turn into a teenager. Yikes!Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-64199784856132194082014-01-29T09:18:00.001-08:002014-01-29T09:18:21.671-08:00The cost of living<br />
My husband and I work for the same church, and both get paid twice a month. Since our income comes in on the 1st and 15th, I have our bills organized to pay twice monthly also.<br />
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While we don't make lots of money by some people's standards, we are very comfortable. We are getting close to being debt free (other than our mortgage and paying for our son's college education), and we enjoy our life. We are able to take vacations, go out for dinner sometimes, and purchase "things" that we want and/or need. It's a really good life!<br />
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I like paying our bills. I like seeing where our money goes. I like being able to make a nice contribution to our church every month. I like being able to support organization that I believe are working for the good of our community and our world.<br />
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But I've been bothered lately by my lack of engagement with some of the large issues that face our world. Gun violence is at the top of my list. I don't understand how we, how I, let this horrible tragedy happen without doing anything to lessen the possibility of it happening again.<br />
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I'm frightened by the environmental issues that we are not addressing, that we are putting off for our own comfort. And I'm disgusted that I sit and don't take more action on these issues that speak to me.<br />
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I've decided that not only is there a cost for groceries, and gas, and housing expenses, and medical bills, and wifi, and tithing... There is also a cost for being a member of the human race. I've decided that I'm adding that "cost" to my twice monthly bill paying routine.<br />
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I've collected the mailing addresses of my state and federal legislators, my Governor, and the President. I'm going to make myself more aware of the issues that call to me. And each month as I write out my bills, I'm also going to write letters to my elected officials. I'm going to share my concerns with them and ask for them to take action. I'm going to keep at it, month in and month out. <br />
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I believe that this practice will do a number of things. First, it will set an example for my daughter that we can act on our convictions. Second, it will help to make me more aware of the issues that I care about. I'll need to keep informed so that my letters reference current findings and current events. Third, hand written letters matter to elected officials. Fourth, I believe that persistence triumphs.<br />
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I cry every time I read about teachers who tried so desperately to protect their young students from gunfire at Sandy Hook. Starting today, I'm not just going to cry. I'm going to write that letter. <br />
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Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-60003558682405947122013-12-10T06:18:00.000-08:002013-12-10T06:18:17.055-08:00Celebrating Advent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It seems that Christmas is starting earlier and earlier in the stores. However, if you are part of a church that follows the liturgical seasons, Christmas is a 12 day season that starts on Christmas Day. For us, this is the season of Advent--the four weeks leading up to Christmas.<br />
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I wanted our home decorations to be reminders of the season that we are celebrating. The waiting, hoping and longing for that Advent represent.<br />
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The four candles are dark purple, dark blue, blue and pink. They represent the coming of the dawn, the new day, that the birth of Jesus represents. If you are up early, you can see the horizon turning these colors as the sun breaks forth!<br />
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A simple candle set atop a mason jar that I filled with cedar sprigs from the bushes in my front yard.<br />
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I picked up these trees at a garage sale or thrift shop years ago!<br />
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One of my Isabel Bloom angels. The mother of my college roommate was the manager of Isabel Bloom <br />
in the Quad Cities. I love her work, and these angels always come out as part of our winter decorations.<br />
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Blessings to you as you prepare for the new day coming!<br />
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<br />Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-16852362344507751422013-12-05T14:47:00.000-08:002013-12-05T17:43:24.797-08:00From blah to Ba-Bam!I want to be a seamstress. I want to make my own curtains, pillowcases, and slipcovers. I have a sewing machine, and I even got it out. Unfortunately, I just don't know how to use it.<br />
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But, that did not stop me!<br />
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I've been searching the internet for the perfect curtains for my kitchen. My kitchen is currently a blank slate just waiting for some beautiful curtains to turn it from blah to Ba-Bam. I've looked at all the usual culprits (Ikea, JC Penney, Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohls, Target, Etsy). I just can't find what I'm looking for.<br />
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I realized that I was going to have to take matters into my own hands.<br />
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So, I went to Joann Fabrics, found a beautiful fabric from Waverly, talked to a awesome young woman who looked at my window measurements and figured out how much fabric I would need. She also helped me find the Stitchery Glue that made this whole thing possible. Ready.....?<br />
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I think you should be drooling by now it's so gorgeous!<br />
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I even made a valance for the kitchen window...<br />
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The whole project took me about an afternoon (with loads of laundry, phone calls and checking facebook in between). I laid out the fabric on our ping pong table, used the stitchery glue to make an inch hem all around and then hung them with curtain clips.<br />
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Simple enough for me means you can do it too!<br />
<br />Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-59931864561964159192013-11-08T08:55:00.001-08:002013-11-08T08:55:48.210-08:001 can of pumpkin + 1 box of choco cake mix = tons of delicousness!My husband was recently diagnosed with Diabetes. He's doing great with the changes that he's had to make in his diet! Fortunately, we eat healthy meals so I haven't had to change our meal planning at all. His downfall was snacking and sugary beverages. He's eliminated the beverages, limited the snacking and is now doing great.<br />
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I've been trying to find some snacks and desserts that fit into his new restrictions. Especially with the holidays coming, I don't want him to feel that he can't partake of anything. I remembered a simple recipe that my Aunt Betty gave me some years ago. Only 2 ingredients, but oh does it taste rich!<br />
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Take one can of pumpkin...not pumpkin pie filling, just pumpkin, and mix in one chocolate cake mix...<br />
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When you mix this together, you will think that you need to add egg, or water or something! Resist. Just keep mixing until you have incorporated all the pumpkin into the cake mix. It will be stiff. That's okay. Now, fill your muffin cups...<br />
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Pop them in the oven and bake according to the box directions. For mine, the box said to bake for 19-23 minutes at 350 degrees. I set the timer for 20 minutes and checked them by inserting a tooth pick. They weren't quite done so I added another 4 minutes to the timer. Perfection!<br />
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My can of pumpkin had 38.5 grams of carbs, and my cake mix had 340 for a total of 378.5. I made 12 muffins, so each muffin has 31.5 carbs. For my husbands diabetic diet, he can have up to 60 carbs per meal, and he can have a 15 carb snack each morning, afternoon and evening. While this muffin is higher in carbs than a normal snack, he could have it in evening if he has a lower carb meal. This is also a great midmorning snack as his breakfast is always far less than 60 carbs.<br />
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<br />Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-64460169719414356552013-11-06T08:22:00.000-08:002013-11-06T09:12:24.080-08:00A Recycled HomeI'm trying to fall back in love with my home. Sometime, I only see what I wish were different about it (new flooring in the living room, adding dark stained butcher block counters in the kitchen, etc) instead of seeing how our home reflects our primary values.<br />
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So, here's my home and why I love it!<br />
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We live in a small, 3 bedroom ranch. This style and floor plan are pretty common in the midwest. I share my home with my husband, stepson, daughter and cat. We have a living room, kitchen with eat in area, bathroom and 3 bedrooms on the main floor. Our basement is partially finished with a large family room and an area that we've made into a bedroom for The Boy.<br />
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This is our living room. The best part of it is the fireplace. I love the smell of the wood burning! The old wooden trunk was purchased at an antique barn when we lived in New Hampshire. I recently purchased the leather sofas off craigslist. I gained $50 when I bought them...I sold the old sofa for $250 and bought these for $200. This room is cozy (read small!) but I'm trying to be okay with that.<br />
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Next up...the kitchen<br />
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Last year, we had the barstools, table and chairs refinished by a
local woman. The stools were purchased from the Habitat Restore and
Target. They were just blonde wood. The table was a pedestal table set
that we purchased from, you guessed it, Craigslist. <br />
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I think we paid more to have it refinished than we did for the actual tables and chairs. But it was worth it. This kitchen/eating area is pretty small, and I think that having the tables and chairs "mimic" the antiqued finish on the cabinet helps to make the space feel more open. <br />
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I like calming effect that the color palette has, however, in looking at these pictures, I think I need a few more pops of color! I love the hits of orange from the print in the dining area and from the cookbook. I think I need to extend those pops of orange to the corner near the stove.<br />
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Our basement has a huge finished area. When we moved here 5 years ago, The Boy wanted a basement bedroom, so we sectioned off a portion of this space for his room. Somehow over the years, this whole area became his Bachelor Pad! It was kind of nice to be The Place that his friends chose as their hang out. We had many a weekend movie night down here.<br />
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Now that The Boy is off at college, we are reclaiming this as family space again. It's a great place for watching our beloved Illini play football and basketball. We like to lounge down here and watch netflix. And The Tween recently said that she would like to take on the tradition of Movie Night with her friends. I believe a Dr Who marathon is in the works.<br />
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So that's my recycled, recovered, craigslist home. It's smaller than what I sometime wish for, but I'm gonna hold on to this thought, "May our home always be too small to hold all our friends."<br />
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Are you in love with your less-than-perfect home?Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-60499853396734832302013-10-12T14:52:00.001-07:002013-10-12T14:52:11.607-07:00Mantel progressionI really don't decorate that much. I don't have a closet with seasonal items that I bring out each year; I don't allot a certain amount monthly to purchase new and interesting "pretties". I have some framed pieces that I've had for years that are meaningful to me that I switch out seasonally. And I try to make do with what I have to change up my fireplace periodically.<br />
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So, this is what it's looked like for late summer, early fall. The pastor that I worked with in Tulsa, OK gave me this monarch print when I was ordained. I love the print, but I mostly love the the incredible man who gave it to me. He died shortly after he retired. I still think about the impact he had on me and many, many others in his ministry in Tulsa. The print has some hints of green that I tried to pick up with the candles and the plant. There is a small vase that I made with my step-mother, as well as the cute bird clock that was a clearance item on MarketDay of all places!<br />
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<br />Well, now it's October and my tween-age daughter says Halloween is her most favorite holiday. So, I needed to make the mantel a bit "creepier". I kept most of what I had, but added her favorite skeleton candle holder. I covered some of my old "Happy Hollister" books (did anyone else read them as a child? I loved them and pick them up at garage sales whenever I see them) to add some height to this great pottery piece that my mom made. When we find cool hawk feathers, we add them to the vase.<br />
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We may write some spooky titles on the covered books. She wants "Book of Death" on one of them. My husband says "Sleepy Hollow" and I'm thinking "The Tell Tale Heart". For now, they're just plain. But I thought it needed a bit more color and so...Two little pumpkin candle holders. We made these for a classroom party
when the daughter was in 1st grade! They are just baby food jars
covered in orange, brown and yellow tissue paper. We added
construction paper "jack-o-lantern" eyes and mouth and mod-podged the
whole thing. Added a little pipe cleaner stem and you have a pumpkin!<br />
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So, that's my fireplace mantel progression. What does yours look like?<br />
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Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-1946316310923213732013-10-10T10:12:00.003-07:002013-10-10T10:12:47.180-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's pretty bad, right? This bench used to be on my mother's patio...about 20 years ago! We inherited it when we moved to Urbana, IL and she was downsizing. It sat on our covered front porch for about 3 years. Then we moved to Northern, IL and it's been in our backyard through the beating sun, snowstorms and rain. It's a little worse for wear, I know. I've been thinking about fixing it for years (procrastination is kind of a problem for me!)<br />
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Well, no more. I finally spent about 4 hours and this old, beaten up bench that looked like it needed to go to the dump now looks like this<br />
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All it took was a little sanding, some new screws to tighten it up, and some leftover trim paint for the house. I think she looks gorgeous now! Once she's dried I'll add a few pillows and a blanket. I plan to enjoy a glass of wine and my book on that spot this evening. <br />
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I spent about 4 years procrastinating this little project that really didn't even take a full 4 hours to complete. That's crazy, and it's inspired me to get busy on some other painting projects. Coming soon, repainted antique apple boxes from my grandfather's grocery store, and an updated marble top table that really needs something!<br />
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<br />Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-24269721463436443812013-04-25T10:05:00.001-07:002013-04-25T10:05:57.712-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been trying to get things done around the house. First on my list was switching out our family room furniture (from the basement) to our living room (main floor). I don't know why I didn't think of this before! Our family room downstairs is very large, but I had our smaller, sleeker furniture placed there. Our living room, as you can see above, is quite small, but I had an overstuffed chair, rolled arm sofa and wing back recliner stuffed in the room!<br />
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The furniture switch has worked well. We use the living room more in the winter (enjoying the fireplace) and the family room more in the summer (it's in the basement, so it's the coolest place in the house). The family room has the overstuffed chair, wing back recliner, sofa, day bed and another chair, as well as the flat screen tv and the wii so we can watch movies and netflix. We've been enjoying it on Friday evenings as we all just get comfy and relax!<br />
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Switching the furniture cost us $0, but it's really made the house feel new and fresh.<br />
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<br />Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-48980307174376451332013-04-23T06:39:00.000-07:002013-04-23T06:39:35.302-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A quick before and after of an old craigslist table and chair set. I knew that I wanted to have it redone, but finally realized that it would never happen if I did it myself. Luckily, we have a wonderful woman in town who does great furniture refinishing: Refabulous! This is what she did.<br /><br />Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-15369014282518730862010-01-25T12:52:00.000-08:002010-01-25T13:00:58.735-08:00Duty and Hopelessness<span style="font-family: arial;">I just finished reading Kent Haruf's "The Tie that Binds". I've read his other novels and loved them. He writes of simple, everyday people who make the kinds of decisions we all have to make. Decisions that look all wrong on the outside, but that bring about hope. He writes about old men, young women, children, fathers, wives who live far away in the flat lands of Colorado. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">"The tie that binds" is the kind of book that I usually don't like. It has very little conversation, with page after page of description. It moves slowly. Very slowly. But the emotion that his writing calls forth from me is overwhelming. This book is, at the very base, about a mean old man who is a father to a beautiful daughter and a simple son. It is also about duty, and the consequences and love and honor and dignity of living a life of duty. In the end, it is about hopelessness. And somehow, it is also about love.</span>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-58666762026082261992010-01-22T12:26:00.000-08:002010-01-22T12:27:15.053-08:00I should have seen it coming<span style="font-family: arial;">But I didn't. </span>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-75201658425256045812010-01-18T17:35:00.000-08:002010-01-18T17:47:47.378-08:00Another Meatless Monday<span style="font-family: arial;">Meal times at our home went much more smoothly since I took the time on Sunday to plan out the menus for the week. I did notice, however, that I only made menus for the weekdays, not the weekend. And we ended up totally blowing it on the weekend. So, this week I've got to plan the meals for the weekend also!<br /><br />My meatless Monday recipe is again from Moosewood. It's a simple tamale pie. I'm going to shorten up the recipe a bit...<br /><br />heat up a couple T of olive oil. Add 1 C chopped onion and 2T of diced garlic. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Add 1Tground cumin, 2t ground coriander and 1t dried oregano. Add enough water to keep it from sticking. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1C diced carrots and 1C diced green (or any color) pepper and 1 C diced zuchini. (you can also add a small green chile). Cover and cook 4 minutes. Stir in 1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes and 1 15 ounce can of drained black beans. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; salt and pepper to taste. (I didn't use any)<br /><br />Next, mix up the cornbread topping. Mix 3/4 C cornmeal, 1T white flour, 1/2 t salt, 1t baking powder and 1/4 t baking soda. <br /><br />In another bowl, beat 2 egg whites, add 1/2 cup buttermilk (I didn't have any so I add 1/2T white vinegar to 1/2 C milk and let it set for 5 minutes. Buttermilk!) and 2t canola oil. Mix.<br /><br />Fold wet ingredients into dry, stirring just until mixed.<br /><br />Pour vegetable mixture into a lightly oiled 2 qt casserole pan. Add a bit of shredded cheddar if you like. Pour the cornbread mixture over the top.<br /><br />Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes.<br /><br />Everyone liked it! I would double the cornbread if I made it again. I liked the mix of veggies in this, but I think fresh corn would have been good. <br /><br />Try it and tell me what you think.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-16039582834549675232010-01-11T06:35:00.001-08:002010-01-11T19:24:53.615-08:00Meatless Monday<span style="font-family:arial;">I have a really great work schedule. I work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, plus Sundays. On Tuesday and Thursday, I work while the kids are at school. I work late on Wednesday, but I think the whole family benefits from the Dad taking over once a week!</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />I am using Sundays and Mondays to get ready for the week. Between the kids activities (Speech, track, band, basketball, piano, Mad Science, and Brownies) it can sometimes be tempting to just grad Subway for dinner. But, my new method is to plan our meals and do the shopping on Sunday afternoon. Then, on Monday I can do any prepping for the week. For the week ahead, here's the plan: Sunday-porkchops, corn casserole, pears and salad. Monday: Black Bean Chilaquile, fruit and salad. Tuesday: Spaghetti pie, french bread, fruit and salad. Wednesday: Chilli. Thursday: Tilapia, fried rice, roasted veggies and salad. Friday: no school!</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />An added benefit of this planning is that I am able to prepare meals that fit with our goals. We eat organic and local as much as possible, and we consider our selves to be flexitarians (vegetarian meals, but not strictly vegetarian. Small meat portions when we eat meat. fish and poultry). I've decided that we will go with Meatless Monday each week. To kick it off, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Black Bean Chilaquile (a Moosewood recipe)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 cup chopped onion</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 T olive oil</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1C chopped tomatoes</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1.5 C frozen corn kernals</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1.5 cups black beans (15 oz drained)</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />2T fresh lime juice</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1t salt</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />.5t ground black pepper</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2 cups rinsed, stemmed and chipped Swiss Chard or Spinach (we're using spinach)</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />2 C crushed baked tortilla chips</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">8 oz grated fat free sharp Cheddar (we're using regular, not fat free)</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />2 c salsa</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">preheat oven to 350</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Saute onions until translucent, stir in the tomatoes, corn, black beans, lime juice, salt and pepper and continue to saute for about 5-10 minutes.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">blanch the green until just wilted but still bright green. Drain and set aside.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">prepare an 8 x8 casserole dish with a very light coating of oil. spread 1/2 the chips on the bottom. spoon the sauted veggies over the chips and sprinkle on 2/3 of the cheese. arrange the greens evenly over the cheese and spoon on 1/2 the salsa. Finish with the rest of the chips, top with the remaining salsa and cheese. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This was great. The daughter called out, "It's delicious." I thought so too. I forgot to add the salt and pepper, but it really didn't need it. I think this would be even better in the summer when fresh tomatoes and corn are available. Give it a try and let me know what you think!</span>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-21501603342873724672010-01-06T06:32:00.000-08:002010-01-06T06:46:09.517-08:00A new year...<span style="font-family: arial;">We had a wonderfully busy and full Christmas time here. Mike had special services at his church, I had them at mine. We haven't been serving different churches since we were first married. I still remember driving to my church in Hampstead, NH, pregnant with Sophia, for Christmas Eve services. Sweet memories, but I much prefer to be together. I miss being in worship with my family.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So, I've really been struggling with my current job. I love serving this large congregation as Director of Children's Ministry. I am truly working with the best group of volunteers I've ever had the pleasure to work. Dedicated, respectful, people of integrity. But, I miss my family and I especially miss being the one who teaches Sophia the stories of our faith.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">However, while the house in Urbana is still on the market, we don't have much of a choice. And, for 2010, I am okay with that. I'm going to love all that I can about the job. I'm going to include Sophia in as much of our programming as I can. I'm going to trust the community of Byron to teach her and care for her in my absence. I know that they will care for Abe.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I feel as though a weight has been lifted just by accepting our reality. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, I can work toward making our home life calm! Our schedules can get crazy if we let them. I'm working on making our dinner menu over the weekend so that I know what I need from the store. We'll continue a mostly organic diet. We'll continue to be "flexitarians". Not exclusively vegetarian, but we eat at least one vegetarian meal a week, and at least one fish meal per week. The other meals are typically chicken or turkey with pork occasionally. I'm going to commit to local meats for 2010! I'm hoping to go to the meat processor on Friday to start stocking up.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope you are entering 2010 with a feeling of hope and of calm. </span>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-72432517143905362112009-11-08T18:58:00.000-08:002009-11-08T19:16:03.690-08:00Food and a storyI just made the best Macaroni and Cheese ever! (if I do say so myself.)<br /><br />My kids love mac and cheese, but the best I usually do is purchase Annie's organic brand for them. However, I recently saw a recipe online that looked easy enough and that I was almost certain the family would love. I was correct. I made a few changes to the recipe (enough to call the end result my own!)<br /><br />4 pieces of bacon, crumbled (I cooked the full pound in the oven at about 375 for 20 minutes)<br />1/2 large sweet onion, thinly sliced<br />about 5 or 6 ounces of elbow macaroni (next time I may try bowtie)<br />2 cups of shredded mozzarella<br />4 ounces of blue cheese (I don't even really like blue cheese, but it's great in this recipe)<br />1 cup of skim milk.<br /><br />cook the bacon, use a bit of the grease to saute the onion.<br />cook the macaroni according to directions<br />in a bowl, mix the bacon, the onion, the blue cheese, 1 1/2 cups of the mozz, and the milk. Add the cooked macaroni and stir. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, add the remaining 1/2 cup of mozz to the top and continue cooking for about 10 minutes.<br /><br />We had this for supper with a tossed green salad and clementines. It was delicious! Sophie just suggested more bacon next time.<br /><br />Now, for the story. I recently finished reading "Her fearful symmetry" by Audrey Neif..... the author of "The Time Traveler's Wife." Now, I found the time travelers wife to be surprisinly good. When I began, I thought "I know just how this is going to end." Well, I was right, but that didn't diminish the pleasure of reading it. It was just such an enjoyable story and a well told story.<br /><br />So, I looked forward to reading her next novel. It could not have been more different than her previous! After reading about 1/3 of the book, I was well acquainted with the characters in the apartment. Each was a bit quirky or just plain certifiable. Then, in entered a couple more characters and the book begins to be more about them. Okay, I was fine with that as the 2 new characters were equally as interesting as strange as the first set. Then, a conflict arose. Oh wait, another conflict. At one point I told my husband that every time I turned the page I had no idea which characters were going to be on the page. I guess I would say that the auth0r kept me on my toes throughout the whole book. This is a book I would highly recommend for a dreary week (think cold outside, blanket, hot tea or cider, and a good book inside).<br /><br />So, finally living up to the name of my blog, some food and some story!Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-12767419628710866712009-10-17T14:53:00.001-07:002009-10-17T14:59:59.197-07:00Fall is the most wonderful time of the year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Iur_zchahE961n2jjrLk81apKnfUbWd6EkmD7MQDlQkCHw1CweizR-I2myduTMEXFVyanwdeXWeONiZAQ4XWl21QhU7G5VweQfJpAvM1Ev423VbO1HL7CXMbuNXBJaSk8W25pHZ7yEs/s1600-h/Fall+in+Byron+035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 424px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Iur_zchahE961n2jjrLk81apKnfUbWd6EkmD7MQDlQkCHw1CweizR-I2myduTMEXFVyanwdeXWeONiZAQ4XWl21QhU7G5VweQfJpAvM1Ev423VbO1HL7CXMbuNXBJaSk8W25pHZ7yEs/s400/Fall+in+Byron+035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393691501720185922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfoXahssNlFRLT4-LhOSZKpyjnjZ43U4uL8jkqyGDWCzhUh8Mb0iu3pW0gvZbPvS7czZUWr3mImVqhv7nfOKFoE4bQYh_mjRkP5DOGzqkx6IFTGPwB_DKGCnqMOOzAFEfvULKXC5bjj8/s1600-h/Image034.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 452px; height: 338px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfoXahssNlFRLT4-LhOSZKpyjnjZ43U4uL8jkqyGDWCzhUh8Mb0iu3pW0gvZbPvS7czZUWr3mImVqhv7nfOKFoE4bQYh_mjRkP5DOGzqkx6IFTGPwB_DKGCnqMOOzAFEfvULKXC5bjj8/s320/Image034.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393691156164870002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1iO3RaC31SqXwf6LZ0p5tB_MDDhtI2XPVm8ccLdPHAmoxp_oGGqFeXa3WshuESTLYhgufvPQi0hpdDzyIo1zc1Pkfkrd3jeJr8-9VlGhFMP_PZH2Wf1iMwEju2SY31yKCl4xCMKDqLo/s1600-h/Image032.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 428px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1iO3RaC31SqXwf6LZ0p5tB_MDDhtI2XPVm8ccLdPHAmoxp_oGGqFeXa3WshuESTLYhgufvPQi0hpdDzyIo1zc1Pkfkrd3jeJr8-9VlGhFMP_PZH2Wf1iMwEju2SY31yKCl4xCMKDqLo/s200/Image032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393690995295124930" border="0" /></a>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-14259396578326362752009-09-11T13:10:00.000-07:002009-09-11T13:14:40.501-07:00Mean people suck<span style="font-family: arial;">I'm not going to say much more, but I'm sick of dealing with people who are just mean down deep in their souls. These are people who delight in being mean and find value in teaching their kids to be mean.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I can almost deal with their meanness, and find that I can mostly just pity the miserable lives they must lead. But when it spills over into my home, and into my family, it just makes me angry. So, I'm angry and I'm hurt.</span>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-36927887250281180292009-08-23T17:26:00.000-07:002009-08-23T17:44:42.321-07:00Little Sister, Facebook, and Home Alone<span style="font-family: arial;">I love my family. And today, I am loving them all just a little bit more.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">My mother and my mother-in-law, along with my husband's grandmother, drove over to our place to see the daughter in her first ever play. She was one of 83 Munchkins in Byron's production of "The Wizard of Oz." The boy joined us, and was excited to see all the grandmas, which says alot for the boy and the grandmas!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">During intermission, a woman struck up a conversation with the boy. He happily talked to her for a bit, and then I heard him say "my little sister is in the play." It was music to my ears!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">You see, technically, they are half siblings, and there was a time when they made that distinction. But, as he enters his 2nd year of living with us during the school year and his mother in the summer, our sense of "family" feels stronger every day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">On Saturday, he asked if we would consider getting him a "real phone" rather than the pay as you go that he currently has. He had some good points, and we asked him to check out the pricing of some family plans. Later I saw on Facebook that he posted that his "parental units" are considering getting him a real cell phone. Yes, he referred to me as his "parental unit!" Okay, that may not be all that touching to some, but it totally melted my heart. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We had a guest coming for dinner yesterday. I needed to run to the store, so I asked the boy if he would watch the daughter while I ran uptown. He agreed, and both kids were told to stay inside until I got home in 20 minutes. When I arrived, the kids and the guest (who had arrived a bit early) were all sitting at the table talking. We had a lovely visit, a delicious dinner (local potato and local, organic and biodynamic leek soup) and then the guest, husband and daughter went to the theater. The boy said he had to tell me something. He related that when I left, he went downstairs and the daughter was upstairs. All of a sudden, he heard a man saying, "are you home alone?" to the daughter. He grabbed a baseball bat and came running up the stairs to save his sister! Then, he saw that it was the expected guest, so he put the bat down and they all sat down to talk. But he was prepared to protect her.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I love my family, and the four of us are really becoming a family.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">ps. I've talked to the daughter about the fact that even though she knew the guest, she should not have answered the door. She can never answer the door when Mommy and Daddy are gone. She should always let the babysitter or brother answer the door.</span>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-45393701339492817002009-07-20T10:27:00.000-07:002009-07-20T10:57:01.078-07:00Fast food -- Slow food<span style="font-family: arial;">One of my favorite books is Barbara Kingsolver's </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">Animal Vegetable Miracle. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">In one chapter, she talks about the convenience of home canned tomatoes. It's a fair amount of work in late August, but pulling out a mason jar of locally grown tomatoes in the midst of a busy winter day sure makes dinner time quick and simple. That idea has stuck with me. What is convenience?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">While our family tries to eat healthy (Oberweis Milk, organic produce, whole grains, etc.) I also enjoy a fast food burger sometimes. In fact, our local Burger King has $1 Double Cheeseburgers right now, which are my favorite. I have to fight off not pulling in every time I drive past! But, eating healthy and eating local is very important to me. I enjoy fixing dinner for my family and lunch for whichever neighborhood kids are over at the time. But I don't want to spend all day in the kitchen. I want the convenience of fast food with the ethics of slow food!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But, how to do it? Some of it is pretty easy. On Thursdays when we get our share in from Angelic Organics, I clean and prep the vegetables. This makes them easy to grab for quick snacks, plus they are in my mind as I plan our meals for the week. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm trying to also keep a few quick and simple recipes ready to go on the days when time has gotten away from me. Recipes that can include whatever local, seasonal ingredients that I have on hand. Last week, I had organic strawberries,Phil's eggs, some tomatoes and cucumbers in olive oil, and summer squash. So, I threw together an easy quiche, a salad and the strawberries. It took about 10 minutes to put together, and then 45 minutes to bake. The perfect amount of time to enjoy a glass of wine while I read! The quiche is perfect because it's so forgiving and you can add whatever you want. Include meat if you have it, or make it vegetarian. You can also double the recipe to make 2, and then you have an easy breakfast ready to go.</span><br /><br /><br />The easy quiche recipe is from an old friend of my mom's. I've changed it up, but basically it's:<br /><br />4 eggs, 1/2 cup of Bisquick, 1 cup of milk, 1 onion, 1/2 cup of cheese. Mix together.<br />Add whatever seasonal ingredients you want. I added summer squash.<br />Season with salt and pepper.<br />Pour into an oiled quiche pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Slice and serve.Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-88764988688222264442009-07-02T10:11:00.000-07:002009-07-25T20:22:27.444-07:00The pay's not great, but the benefits are priceless.Wednesday morning started early for me. The alarm rang at 4:30 am. I already had my clothes set out, ready to go. I tried to be as quiet as possible, so the rest of the family could sleep.<br /><br />By 5:00 am I had my cappuccino, peanut butter and jelly sandwich and 2 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">kashi</span> bars in the car and ready to go.<br /><br />My morning commute takes about an hour. I watch the sun come up, enjoy the river view, navigate the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">construction</span> in Rockford and finally turn down a bumpy country road. This morning, I was greeted by a beautiful deer and a lone turkey.<br /><br />I arrived at work by 6 am, pulled on my rubber boots, winter coat and gardening gloves and joined the rest of the crew in the barn.<br /><br />There were about 14 of us, waiting to hear what the day would hold. We were assigned harvesting kale first, and then red and white turnips. It was my first time for both, so I worked with a more seasoned harvester. We knifed through the kale, tossing aside yellowed leaves. And we talked. Turns out, my partner spent some time in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Urbana</span> also. In fact, she worked as an aide in the High School with Autism students. We knew some of the same students, and enjoyed some of the same places in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Urbana</span>...especially my beloved Common Ground Food Coop.<br /><br />After our 20 minute breakfast break (quickly downing one <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">kashi</span> bar and one <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">pbj</span>) we headed out to harvest the turnips. It was a blast. The turnips practically jumped into our arms! They sit just barely covered in their beds, ripe for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">pickin</span>. We were told to harvest 16 crates and it took us about 10 minutes to do that. It felt good to pull, pack, load, pull, pack, load, pull, pack, load. Quick, immediate <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">gratification</span>.<br /><br />Then, the washing. Oh, so that's why the harvest is so quick. It takes forever to clean the darn things! First, unload the crates (that we just packed) onto the tables. Then, look for aphids. A few patches were really infested, but most we free of the little bugs. Next, pull off yellowed or unsightly leaves. Finally, pack them back into the crates.<br /><br />Step 2: to the water table. Unpack the crates and place the turnips into the water basin for a quick soak. Then, Mary puts them through the wringer. Literally. She puts them through a brush apparatus that really cleans them up, then they fall into an even bigger tub of water where we pulled them out and, you guessed it, packed them into the crates.<br /><br />Sound repetitious? Yeah, it was a bit. My legs got a little tired standing on the concrete floor. But, it was also very peaceful. At times, the wind was really cold so I pulled up my hood. In the midst of all that activity, I was alone with my thoughts. Off to one side, 2 young women were sharing jokes, silly jokes. But I also heard one talking about leaving on Tuesday for San Francisco where she'll be working at a women's shelter. The other spent a year in Norway working on a farm. Interesting people.<br /><br />I also spent time talking with our young intern from Sweden. Interesting kid. Has been in Waldorf schools his whole life. The other intern is from a Chicago suburb, studying geography at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">SIU</span>. Our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">conversation</span> touched on the organic farming movement, where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">lingonnberries</span> grow, raw foods, whole foods, and finding balance in life.<br /><br />By 1pm, I was in the car heading home. Tired, dirty and hungry. But invigorated, purified and filled. <br />Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-71685590314863367392009-06-23T12:10:00.000-07:002009-06-23T12:27:35.544-07:00Father's Day, Part 2<span style="font-family:arial;">So, on Father's Day proper we set off for Lowden Pa</span><span style="font-family:arial;">rk to finally hike up to the Laredo Taft statue of the Eternal Indian (popularly known as Blackhawk) that stands on the bluff overlooking the Rock River. It's a short distance from our home, but we've only seen it from across t</span><span style="font-family:arial;">he river. Today, finally, we'd walk up and see it.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">It was a hot, humid day. The paths were a bit muddy from a recent shower. But, we walked down to the river using the approximately 175 stairs leading down. O</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmmoA9SRZE73KZAV1eqFUTuXgpfzcN6APwQdCOOS7YSln448W-m_-PibFkYLP6OHJifTX6C4IsBXgAhRnRucmPuPX8bURImrmuuR4ZyAg45OmqgTMXGq42u8blIWqtarE2jHK3FAhk3o/s1600-h/100_1252.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmmoA9SRZE73KZAV1eqFUTuXgpfzcN6APwQdCOOS7YSln448W-m_-PibFkYLP6OHJifTX6C4IsBXgAhRnRucmPuPX8bURImrmuuR4ZyAg45OmqgTMXGq42u8blIWqtarE2jHK3FAhk3o/s200/100_1252.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350606778090717826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">nce down, the daughter decided that she'd rather hike up using one of the trails. I was really not all that excited about hiking through the muddy paths, but the husband was all for it. So, off t</span><span style="font-family:arial;">he two wen</span><span style="font-family:arial;">t.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">The daughter chattered the whole way back up. Some particularly wonderful quotes that the husband shared</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> with me (and all his facebook friends) are:</span> <h3 style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;" class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}">"I've always wanted to live a life of adventure. Now I know what that is all about."<br /></h3><h3 style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;" class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}">"I'll take the shortcut. In deciding between the long-cut and the shortcut, I think it's always better to take the shortcut."<br /></h3><h3 style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;" class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}">"Is that poison ivy? I would rather not go through poison ivy to attain my goals."</h3>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-28491050101857806122009-06-20T06:42:00.000-07:002009-06-20T07:13:29.166-07:00A Father's Day to Remember...<span style="font-family:arial;">What a great idea! We saw that the Phantom Regiment (a world class Drum and Bugle Corp from Rockford) was going to be performing last night. We both love the pageantry of Marching Bands and Drum and Bugle Corps, though we disagree on our rating of his Beloved Illini Marching Band.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">So, we set off for a nice evening out. Now, we were in the</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> midst of severe thunderstorm warnings, but we've had them for days, and have barely had any rain. The storms just keep missing us.<br /><br />So, over to the Boylan High School to pick up the tickets. Sky is still clear.<br />Grab a quick dinner at a Chinese Buffet. Sky is clouding up but the storm will pass. Right?<br />Enter the parking lot. The rain begins.<br />And then, it starts "bucketing down" as Neil Gaiman would say.<br />It buckets and buckets. Lightening, thunder, the whole works.<br /><br />But, it's still about an hour until the show starts. All around us in the parking lot, folks are just cozying up in their cars to wait out the storm. I have my book. he dozes, and the girl chatters and climbs and colors and chatters. They man in the car beside us flosses his teeth. To each his own.<br /><br />Bucket after bucket after</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> bucket after bucket.<br /><br />We look at each other. "m</span><span style="font-family:arial;">aybe we should have eaten dinner first and then purchased the tickets, " he says. Yeah, hindsight is 20/20.<br /><br />We brought rain ponchos with us. But, this is beyond rain ponchos.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRsSyn-yvtFIk0y2VnFVoq7TAcLHkE8OwGkKwaq0znsTU2nqEHMBXk4LLHRGaRefR4BEishNcOmrSZ4qwK2A_GhvmAZvXvIdaXKwbAg1YbFLxjGxgEppITXxqwvWJtM-IZMlDbDTf4Zs/s1600-h/Our+Family+031.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRsSyn-yvtFIk0y2VnFVoq7TAcLHkE8OwGkKwaq0znsTU2nqEHMBXk4LLHRGaRefR4BEishNcOmrSZ4qwK2A_GhvmAZvXvIdaXKwbAg1YbFLxjGxgEppITXxqwvWJtM-IZMlDbDTf4Zs/s200/Our+Family+031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349410189486632738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The girl is getting restless, he is getting irritated. I'm enjoying my book.<br /><br />And then, he becomes the husband and father that I love so much. He </span><span style="font-family:arial;">turns to the girl and says, "I'll race you around the car!" Her eyes light up. And they are out the door only to return in about 10 second drenched. Giggling, laughing, and in a world all their own.<br /><br />Only you, man of my dreams, could have done it. The tickets weren't refunded, we went home wet and disappointed. And yet, you made it a night to remember. A night of laughter and play.<br /><br />It's been this way all of our life together. We've faced real and profound sadness along the way...family tragedies, profound disappointments, sudden and surprising loss of job. Right now we're saddled with 2 mortgages as our home in Urbana sits on the market.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsOA6OSlfikJTnERYaAGOhCVjavbLlpG2s5GXdpqD3q8pA1G_ZCXDjqALPxVpaQXv6ijvs8k8OezMdCo4WZnPsrq7Tv5MQmz1ewi1PGwNtHFyIFIfIyTw8Yu0bvUGCZSPI7hCvg1m4JE/s1600-h/Our+Family+030.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsOA6OSlfikJTnERYaAGOhCVjavbLlpG2s5GXdpqD3q8pA1G_ZCXDjqALPxVpaQXv6ijvs8k8OezMdCo4WZnPsrq7Tv5MQmz1ewi1PGwNtHFyIFIfIyTw8Yu0bvUGCZSPI7hCvg1m4JE/s200/Our+Family+030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349412418514224306" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And yet, it's been the best years of my life. And you've made it so, we've made it so. We have been fully present for all that life has offered us. We have been fully alive for the sorrow and joy, for the laughter and all the tears.<br /><br />I love you with all my heart, all my life, all that I have.<br /></span>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-73704994458276745602009-06-11T09:15:00.000-07:002009-06-11T09:38:53.751-07:00I thought it was 2009!<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We try to live an eco-conscious life. We recycle, compost, purchase locally, use CFL's, etc. If our home in Urbana ever sells, we'd love to replace our Honda with a Hybrid, or one of the little cars that gets really great gas mileage.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We've been interested in the Prius for a while. And, when the new commercial came out, I was intrigued with the way the "dancers" transform the scenery. I thought it was really cool.</span><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tq4nrmnqY9o&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tq4nrmnqY9o&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But, the tag line? Man's wants and Nature's needs? Every time they say it, I can't believe it. Man's!? Are they really only selling this car to men? In our community in northern Illinois, I see many women driving the Prius. Are they not taking women's wants into consideration? Oh, wait, I get it. They (the men who wrote this ad) think that "man" refers to all of humanity.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, it doesn't. When you say "Man" I hear male, not female. And my 8 year old daughter also heard "man" meaning not her. She said, "how stupid! Don't they want women to buy their car also?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So, Toyota, you just lost two customers. I'm thinking the Smart for 2 will be a better option for our family, since we have men's and women's wants to consider.</span>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617643841816022511.post-51442916061008432882009-06-05T12:02:00.000-07:002009-06-05T12:13:22.236-07:0016 Things I Can't Live Without this Summer<span style="font-family: arial;">I stole this idea from the blogger I love to hate...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Sleeping with the windows open on cool nights.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Laying in bed listening to the birds singing at 4:30 in the morning, knowing that I can go back to sleep for as long as I want.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">3. Fresh, local, organic asparagus. (I love it so much I don't encourage my kids to even try it!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Growing a garden.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">5. Gardening with my daughter and husband.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">6. Getting the neighbor kids interested in gardening.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">7. Fixing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for all the neighborhood kids.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">8. Our little town's Farmer's Market.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">9. Our own garden tomatoes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">10. Making fresh salsa with our own home-grown ingredients.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">11. Having a glass of wine on the deck, with old friends, or family, or new neighbors and friends.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">12. Going to Turner Falls, OK!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">13. Watching my daughter ride her bike.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">14. Going to Weld Park.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">15. Going to the Forest Preserve</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">16. Fresh, Local, Organic produce from Angelic Organics!</span>Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01963085072628459797noreply@blogger.com1