Calories and Recompense

Our second weekend of the January International Food Festival featured the nation of Germany. Did you know that 32% of Germany is covered by forests? Bob shared other critical tidbits of information the country as we dug into our brats, kraut, brown butter noodles, white asparagus, and dill bread. The noodles were a sad comprise on my desire to make spaetzle, but I just couldn't pull it together. I ate exactly one asparagus, one inch of brat, one forkful of kraut, two noodles and a bite of bread. At that point, I was done. But despite one 5 year old meltdown over some random event, it was fun. Next Saturday's nation is up for debate---suggestions welcome!

We tried to make up for the butter-fest of Saturday with a Sunday winter hike at Manassas' Battlefield. Connor got to use his new, custom walking stick that Nana gave him for Chrismas. BONUS--it came in handy as a ramrod for loading the cannons on the battlefield with imaginary gunpowder bundles. We spent a bit of time at the Vistor's Center and I caught a few minutes of the ranger tour. Very very interesting. Of course, we northerners call it Bull Run, but don't say that when you are there. Those guys are deadly serious and, I suspect, their loyalties would have lain south of the Mason-Dixon line.

January Is So Boring

So, here's what we're doing in Tatertown to spice things up during the darkest month...we're having an International Food Festival. Every Saturday night we're choosing a country and having a meal that goes with it. We started last weekend with Mexico and we had one of my favorite things from our visit to Cancun---Shrimp Veracruz. It's easy and delicious. Have it with some spicy black beans, spanish rice and maybe a little margarita. Here's the recipe I used from Epicurean. com:


Ingredients:

1 lb fresh shrimp
1 Tbsp oil
1 small onion chopped
3 tomatoes, peeled, chopped (1* lbs)
1-1/2 tsp capers
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large green pepper, cut into strips
2 Tbsp oil
2-3 Tbsp lime juice
1/3 cup minced cilantro


Directions:Peel shrimp, slit backs and remove veins. Refrigerate. Saute onion in 1 tablespoon oil and cook until tender, but not browned. Add tomatoes, capers, bay leaf, sugar and salt. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add green peppers and cook 5 minutes longer. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in another skillet. Add cleaned shrimp. Cook over medium heat until pink. Sprinkle lime juice over shrimp. Add the sauce and heat 3-4 minutes longer. Top with cilantro and serve immediately.

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

I left off the cilantro. Not a big fan. And I chopped the peppers, rather than using them in slices. I wanted them a bit more cooked. It tastes so bright, fresh, and briny. Admittedly, it would taste even better if you were looking out the window at this:


Ahhh. A girl can dream.

Band Of One Confused Brother

Last month, one morning, I was working out watching "Band Of Brothers". I was watching the chapter where they are flying into France on D-Day and they are parachuting into the French countryside. Connor came into the room and watched it for a few minutes, and honestly, I didn't think much about it. He liked it though (because nothing really bad happened in the bit he saw) and he asked me if he could keep watching it. Bob and I discussed it and decided that he couldn't.

Fast forward to this morning. I'm on the ellipitcal at 6am and Easy Company is in Holland during Operation Market Garden and Bull has just slaughtered a German soldier in a barn with his bayonet. I hear the door creak open and I tell Connor he can't watch. He argues. He leaves. 30 seconds later the door creaks open again (now its a scene in headquarters with no violence) and we discuss and he watches for a few minutes but I chase him away. This happens two more times.

After my workout I'm in the kitchen eating breakfast. Connor comes jogging in carrying his StormTrooper nerf gun at the ready.

C: Mom! Mom! I'm playing "Band Of Brothers".

D: Really? What are you doing?

C: We're getting ready to bomb German airplanes!

D: Are you the squad leader?

C: NO! I'M A CADET!

D: Connor, cadets didn't get to to to war in France. That means you aren't grown up or trained yet. The guys in "Band of Brothers" were trained. If you're a cadet, who's your squad leader?

C: (Cocks his head and looks at me quizzically) Ummm....John McCalin?

So, Sarah Palin in John McCain have been merged!

Honestly, when he's older, I can't wait to watch things like this with him. If you haven't seen it, it is a phenomenal piece of cinema. The acting is spectacular (with a tiny part for James McAvoy before we knew him) and a really exemplary performance from Damian Lewis. I just found out a few weeks ago that he's BRITISH. I had no idea. Idiot (me, not him). I can't wait to work out in the morning to watch some more. And to chase my boy away a few more times.

I Was WWWRRROOOONG (As Fonzi Would Say)

So, off we go to work and school this morning. Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed. This is following a spectacular morning workout on the elliptical watching Chapter 4 of "Band Of Brothers". I'm on an endorphin high.

We get there. No meltdown from Connor. No sadness. No clinging hugs. He stops at his cubby, looks in the classroom, turns slowly to me and says "Momma. You have to pinch me. I can't believe I can go to school today."

Me, on the other hand, I hit the building right around the time the endorphins are trailing off. Forgot the GiggleBytes tuition check in the car which is parked in the farthest row and I'm wearing pointy boots. Forgot Connor's pillow. Seemed so dazed and confused lingering in the hallway after that "pinch me" conversation that one of the teachers actually stopped me, made eye contact and said "Are you okay, Dianna? You look like you're going to pass out." Weird!!

The rest of the day was fine. I found my groove. And Connor was a superstar all day long.

Sunday

We started out the day with some bowling. Connor actually ditched the ramp early on and started really rolling the ball himself. He made alot of progress today. And Bob bowled a 220 game having not picked up a bowling ball in a year. Sickening. After that we made a quick stop at Starbucks for some fuel and then stopped in at Burlington Coat Factory. Since we spent Friday afternoon and a good part of yesterday "de-decorating" from the holidays I'm on an all out hunt for some decent red/pink decor items to line us up for Valentine's Day. I found these dark pink flowers at Home Goods the other day (here I've mixed them in with some purples I already had) and I've been looking everywhere for some similarly toned pillar candles and other tchochkes. Nothing on theme at Burlington, but we did find a great mirror for Connor's room. We headed through Sterling Park and showed Connor both of the houses Bob grew up in. He quickly pointed out that "he must not have been rich". Funny. Sterling Park is pretty dodgy at this point, I have to admit. Finally, I hit the jackpot at Big Lots and got a ton of dark magenta candles for next to no $$$.

The rest of the day promises to be quiet. No cooking tonite--we're having lentil soup that I made on Friday. Connor is in playing Wii Carnival Mini Golf and I'm putzing around in here on the PC. Cheers!

Back To Life

Well, two weeks of no work and no school comes to an end tomorrow. Connor has been counting it down and I think he will struggle a bit tomorrow morning. But I won't. Honestly, I'm ready to get back to our everyday lives.

The holidays were fine this year. They really were. Really, they should not have been. After all, it was our first Christmas without Pop Pop. It was our first Christmas without Buddy sleeping under the tree. It was the last Christmas in Virgina for our friends the Wrights. And of course, it was rife with the usual family drama. But somewhow, we still managed to share some of the magic that comes with this time of year. Connor was thrilled on Christmas day. We had a fantastic visit with the baby cousins, Nana, and Aunt Michelle. And we certainly had a great time on New Year's Eve at our new friends, the Harsell's.

I ran into an aquaintance the other day and asked how his Christmas was and he said "It was great. But its just another day." It struck me as profound, though its something we all know. Every day of life is a crapshoot. It could turn out fantastically spectacular or it could turn out tragically awful. The holidays are not exempt from this cosmic truth. We all spend alot of money and time to make them special, but it could all still be blown to smithereens.

I'm a person who looks forward and seldom laments the past. I am so grateful for whatever mixing bowl of genetics, environment, nurturing and experience has provided me with that character trait and brain chemistry. I'm excited to get back to real life tomorrow. Because I love my real life.

2009 promises to be an exciting year. Connor's second season of T-ball will start in March. We're planning a last "during the school year" hurrah trip to Disney in May. Connor will finish six years at Westfields Play and Learn in June and he'll have some fun camps to go to in July. I'm planning on taking several weeks off during the summer as well and we'll try to squeeze in a beach vacation. Then, in September, first grade begins.

For everyone out there who begins "real life" anew tomorrow, enjoy today. And enjoy tomorrow, too.

Spicy Candy Cane

Connor woke up this morning raving about a crazy dream he had. I couldn't get alot of details but the jist of it was that he had a big-ish candy cane that when you cranked the top of it spicy "stuff" would shoot out the bottom. He told me several times that it was really weird and good and that he made everyone's pancakes "super spicy". He's sitting in the living room right now clutching a candy cane. Ha!