//Flashback Friday// - Edition 2




Back in June Gwyneth and I hit the jackpot at the thrift store! A pair of like-new roller skates without a price tag that the lady had to sell to us for only $2! They were a bit small for me, and a bit big for her, but we bought them anyway! That day we had fun practicing in the garage, and then I put them on to show her how to skate. (I have tiny scars on my ankles from the blisters that ensued!) She had a great time pulling me on her bike though!



In the days and weeks that followed the skates made an appearance at Breakfast...





and Computer time...



...and various other areas of life.
We established rules about the skates early on though...no skating in the kitchen or dining room, and no leaving the skates in walkways!
The skates haven't come our much lately, but as I have been typing this post up, G. has went and found her skates and proceeded to skate in the hallway for a little while. She is reading over my shoulder. :)
One of my fondest childhood memories is of my Dad taking my sister and I on a "date night" almost every Tuesday to the roller skating rink. It was Christian music night on Tuesdays. We would skate for hours, and come home thoroughly exhausted! My Dad was so fun! He would hold our hands and skate as fast as he could and then fling us ahead of him as hard as he could and we would go FLYING! It was SO fun! I distinctly remember one Tuesday was election day. George W. Bush was elected President that night! I remember my Dad taking a break every now and then from the skating rink to sit in the snack bar watch as the election results were displayed on all the TVs.Very fond memories! I wish we had a roller skating rink here!

//Flashback Friday// - Edition 1

We will see how long I keep this up! :)
These aren't really old pictures...only from August...but flashback nonetheless...
I thought Flashback Friday would be a good way to share some photos that get overlooked as the months pass on. It will challenge me to go back and share a few oldies but goodies!
These photos make me chuckle... Daddy and G. went to the store one day without me, and she came home with this set. Daddy bought them for her. So far,they have only been used in the tub.
Oh, and the play Playstation 3 in! ha!

Photos taken August 4th, 2008

right now...

(My little one left me a message in M&Ms a few days ago! "I ♥ U...G")

Inspired by this post Right Now...I thought I would follow suit...

***********************************************************

Right Now, I am:

feeling...full and satisfied...a yummy meal and organization in the office!

enjoying... knitting, knitting, and more knitting!

wondering... if God will bless us in a way we have been praying...

listening... to Rilo Kiley on MySpace...G. and I really love their song "Silver Lining."

drinking... water...it's about the only thing I drink besides coffee...and the occasional Tazo Green and mint tea...mmm...

wanting... to sleep...

loving... my daughter and husband.

looking... forward to a girls day...soon, very soon! :)

DUCK!




We went out and played in the snow yesterday...I have more to share, but it will have to wait till tomorrow!
(P.S. I knit the hat I'm wearing! I love it!)

...

And a little eye candy for knitters:












If you knit (or crochet) and aren't' on Ravelry yet...what are you waiting for??? It's an awesome online community of knitters/crocheters who share patterns, pictures, and tips! If you join, add me to your friends...my name is Kale80.
Let me know if you would like the link to download the pattern for the mug cozies!

snow play

Yesterday G. went out to frolic in the snow!















Feeling a little better today...just a bit lazy...but I must get a move on because I have to go grocery shopping! yuck! But I don't want to because of this:

That is definitely coat, hat, scarf, and gloves temperatures!

But it should be a good day because of this:

(A pretty little heart in my coffee this morning...Yes, I can gauge how a day will be by my coffee! ha! Not...I'm just kidding.)

And this final photo is a perfect picture of my days recently...it's happened more than once:That is a stray piece of yarn stuck on my sweater from my morning knitting. :) I had to chuckle when I saw it in the mirror!
Just please, someone tell me if there is any hanging from my bum! ha!
Have a great day!

still sick

I am still sick.
Sneezy, snuffly, snotty, and sleepy.Nursing myself back to health with hot soup (Ecuadorian Quinoa Vegetable Soup, to be exact), lots of water, hot tea (Mighty Leaf Rainforest Mate is pictured), rest, and knitting. :)

Vietnamese Vermicelli with Grilled Beef *Edited 10.06.08*

Posted for the benefit of Pass The Beans Please readers:

Canadian Living Magazine: May 2005
Serves 2 to 3
Beef Marinade:
8 oz (250 g) top sirloin or strip loin grilling steak (1 inch/ 2.5 cm thick)
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced shallot or green onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) fish sauce or soy sauce
Vermicelli Salad:
1/2 cup (125 mL) vegetable oil
1/2 cup (125 mL) very thinly sliced shallots
2 oz (60 g) rice vermicelli
2 cups (500 mL) shredded lettuce
2 cups (500 mL) thinly sliced English cucumber
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh coriander, mint or basil (or a combination)
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped dry roasted peanuts
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Noodle Sauce:
1/3 cup (75 mL) fresh lime juice
2 tbsp (25 mL) fish sauce
(I just used soy sauce since I did not have fish sauce.)
1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) hot red pepper or jalapeño pepper, minced
Trim fat from steak. With knife held at 45-degree angle, cut steak crosswise into 6 equal pieces. Place each between plastic wrap; with meat pounder, pound each until about 6 inches (15 cm) long, 3 inches (8 cm) wide and 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick. Place in bowl. Add minced shallot, minced garlic, granulated sugar and fish sauce; toss to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Noodle Sauce: In glass measure, whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and hot pepper. Set aside. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.)
Vermicelli Salad: Meanwhile, in small skillet, heat oil over medium heat until it bubbles. Add shallots; fry until golden, about 4 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove to paper towel-lined plate. Set skillet of shallot oil aside.
In bowl, cover vermicelli with boiling water and soak until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain; rinse in cold water. Return to bowl; toss with 1 tsp (5 mL) of the reserved shallot oil.
Divide lettuce between two or three large bowls or plates. Top with cucumber, half of the coriander and the vermicelli; sprinkle with peanuts and fried shallots. Set aside.
Thread beef onto skewers; brush with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the reserved shallot oil. Reserve remaining shallot oil for another use. Broil beef until dark and crusty, about 8 minutes.
(The handful of times I have made this, I just stir fried some prepared *already cut up* beef I bought at the meat counter. Broiling sounds like it might be better though! Or even grilling on a BBQ!)
Place on top of noodles; drizzle with any pan juices. Sprinkle with green onion and remaining coriander. To eat, pour noodle sauce over vermicelli salad and toss to combine.


*EDITED TO ADD*
A few notes on this recipe:
*The recipe calls for dry roasted peanuts, but I have always just used lightly salted cocktail peanuts.
*The last ingredient, hot red pepper or jalapeno pepper, I just put a dash of dried crushed red pepper instead.
*I also use regular vermicelli pasta noodles (or thin spaghetti) from the pasta aisle. Not rice vermicelli…

Missing Tooth

October 4th, 2008
This picture was taken the night her first tooth came out.
She had been wiggling her tooth that evening and it sort of "popped" loose. She came running up stairs to show me and was afraid to pull it out the rest of the way! It was literally hanging by a thread. I told her she couldn't go to bed with it just hanging there...she might swallow it! (I tried to avoid telling her this, but eventually it came out.) We spent the next 15 minutes in the bathroom trying to get it out...it would have been a lot shorter if she hadn't been crying in fear of the pain she was sure was coming. I assured her that the worst was over and all it would take was one pull!
...every time I tried to pull it out, she would grab at my hands and start crying. Finally with one swift, sneaky, pull I had it out. I showed her the little tooth in the tissue, and her eyes widened as big a saucers! She couldn't believe it! She cried "I didn't even feel it!" and then was happy and giggly!


These were taken the next day! She's so happy she lost her first tooth. She looked in the mirror and said "I look like a totally different kid!"

This is what she found under her pillow the next morning.

Kahlua Cake


I've had a few requests for this recipe... :) Thought I would oblige...
I got this recipe from David's cousin Katie, who is a wonderful pastry chef. I'm sure she has many more complicated recipes than this up her sleeve, but this one is SUPER easy!

Kahlua Cake

1 Box of Yellow Cake Mix
1 Sm. Box of Instant Chocolate Pudding
7/8 Cup of vegetable/canola oil (so just under a cup)
1 Cup of water
4 Eggs
½ Cup Kahlua (generous cup)

Mix together ingredients until batter is smooth.
Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
This cake is so moist it does not need an icing.
It is pretty if you dust it with powdered sugar. If you really feel like you need an icing, mix enough powdered sugar with milk to get a creamy consistency icing and drizzle over cake.

snow


The first snow came this past Sunday. It was only 29° when David left for work this morning. We went from a high of 55° last Thursday to a high of 32° yesterday.
We're feeling it too. Wednesday G. was sick. She was running a low grade fever, and was complaining of a sore throat and headache...she laid in bed for 2 hours that morning while I cleaned her room.And today all I feel like doing in curling up on the couch with a nice hot cup of tea...perhaps knitting a bit. I have a congested/runny nose, headache, and sore throat. Oh, and I am sneezing like crazy!
'tis the season!
I'll be back next week with some more vacation pictures, and some favorites from the last few months!
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