Life Marches On

They are almost all gone.

This one....

he saw the world stretched out before him,
he chose a path, and he is gone.

 

California is where he calls home today.


His view from his job on the boardwalk in Venice Beach



New people, new beginnings and a new chapter.  It is where he hopes to make his dreams his reality.
I have all the same prayers and wishes for him, though everything is new for him.  His wandering soul has always supplied with me a long list of prayers that never seem to change.

This one...

he has a new home. His first of his own, which he shares with two friends. 
Junior year in college, part time job, new responsibilities and bills to pay.

He has a new love.

 

He has the world spread out before him also.

 

 

And must decide what path to take.

 

 



My prayers and wishes for him have changed a little.  They are of a more serious nature and direction.
(I think I liked it better when my prayers were as simple as "please let him score a goal at his soccer game today.)

This one...

he has started his first year of college.

He is off to enjoy freedom he's never had before and has to learn how to balance responsibility for his studies and time to have fun.

 

He has a laid back approach to life but yet is filled with a spirit that cannot be contained.  He has such a zest for life and will never know a stranger.

So much is learned about one's self, that freshman year away from home. Sometimes it is learned the easy way, and other times, the hard way.  Clearly my prayers and wishes for him have shifted.  Calling on guardian angels to watch over and protect!

And finally, this one....

 

still at home, but gone much of the time.
Junior year of high school, working part time, sports to be played, jam sessions with his musician friends and time split between his dad's house and mine.

He has managed it all so well, not sure how he juggles so many balls at one time. 

I would be lying if I said I didn't worry they may all come crashing down.  It's a lot for a 16 year old.
Once again, my prayers and wishes are of a more serious nature.

I worry, maybe more than I should.  It is just the way I am.  My kids are no different in reality from anyone else's except that they are mine.  My heart aches and beats rapidly and painfully when I think of the things that can go wrong.  I honestly did not think it would be this hard.  I honestly believed that my children growing up would make things easier, less scary.  But it doesn't.  The monsters are bigger and way more scary than the boogie man under the bed when they were little.  I don't know how to fight the grown-up evils that are just waiting to take hold of our kids when they let their guards down.  And it is the lack of that knowledge that eats at me everyday and keeps me from sleeping soundly at night.

But, each day the sun does rise and we have made it through another day.  It is my wish to savor each day and each new adventure and journey my kids have.  Not to fill them with the fear I have, but to encourage that same feeling of having the world by the horns, that I had when I was their age. 

Everything is possible and nothing can stop you!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas Part 1

Finally, it is starting to feel like Christmas around here.  The weather has turned colder, we had some snow on the mountains on Thursday morning.  I ran outside before I left for work so I could snap a few pictures and this was one of my favorites.  Only wish the snow had covered the ground too.

Last weekend really kicked off the Holiday season for me.  Reed came to spend the weekend with me and we spent all day Saturday baking together and listening to Christmas music and then on Sunday, he helped me start decorating the house.  Two of his friends came up from college and ate dinner with us.  It was such a fun evening.  Even his friends helped decorate by spraying some snow on the kitchen windows to make them festive.  Love their creativity.

Here are a few pictures from last weekend and Robby and my tree shopping adventure yesterday.  The kids were with their dad, so it was just the two of us at a local tree farm searching for the perfect tree to cut down.  We found it, but you will have to come back tomorrow to check out how it turned out.  Enjoy the pics from last weekends baking, cooking, decorating extravaganza and tomorrow I will show you how all the decorating turned out.

Reed started out by helping me make Peanut Butter Blossoms.

For some reason, rolling the dough into balls, didn't work so well for him.
But....



Eventually, he got it figured out.

And he cruised on through 40 of them.  Final product.....

Here's one plate full of them plus the Pecan Bars we made too:)

Next we started on some dinner....Coq Au Vin.  Yummy.
Sauteing bacon to start things off right.

Then we browned a whole chicken, sauteed more veggies and some mushrooms.
Into the pot it went with some Burgundy Wine and into the oven.

We were very happy with ourselves once everything was done.  Now we just had to get it all on the table.
Coq Au Vin, Egg Noodles with Sauce and Caesar Salad, YUMMMOOOOOO!!!

It was a great meal enjoyed by all.  Reed will make a great husband someday
with his wonderful cooking skills.

 Breakfast the next morning, I had made French Toast Casserole with Pecan Praline Topping
and Maple Syrup.  Also made a fruit salad with Honeycrisp Apples, Strawberries and Raspberries.

 Even better, Reed doesn't mind helping out with the dishes when all is said and done.
This was Sunday night when some of his friends came from college.  Of course I made Trevor, Reed and his two friends
pose for picture with me and Beauty wanted in on the action too:)

 Later during the week, the snow came.  But only enough to cover the mountains.  It was still
beautiful though.  Ran out and took this shot and the one at the top of the post before I went to work.
I love being a country girl, it is gorgeous out here where I call home.

 Yesterday we went to a local tree farm to find the perfect tree.  We searched
and searched.

 The views are so pretty here.  This was the most fun I have ever had
picking out a tree.

 Finally we found the tree of our dreams and Robby cut it right on down for us.
Now to take it home and get it all dressed up for the Holidays.

Good-bye tree farm.  You better believe we will be back next year to get another
perfect tree.  Make sure you come back tomorrow to see how all the decorating turned out.
I think we did the best we have ever done this year.  BUT, that is just my opinion.
Maybe I just have a different attitude this year and a Christmas Angel helping me out:)

The SunnyDelight Mom

This weekend brought back some of my greatest memories of life with my kids when they were much younger.  Some of you will remember the orange drink called Sunny Delight.  In fact, I think it is still sold in stores.  But back in the early 90's when it came out, there were these great commercials for it where there was one kid on the block whose mom ALWAYS had the fridge filled with "Sunny D" and that house was the one that all the kids came to to hang out and play.  Well, where we lived, I was called the "Sunny D" mom and I wore this name like a badge of honor.  I LOVED having the neighborhood kids come to our house to play and to eat snacks.  I always had something for the kids whether it be homemade cookies, ice cream, popcorn, you name it, I had it.  And though I don't think I ever actually had much Sunny Delight in the house, my kids weren't to crazy about it, I always had some type of cool drink for the kids.  I shopped a lot at the health food stores and bought natural seltzer drinks with fruit juice in them, made my own lemonade and crazy stuff like that.  I was the weird mom who had all the strange things at her house, but the kids loved it anyway.  You didn't find sodas in my house but no one seemed to complain.  I would on occassion make Kool Aid, but the kids would always take that and set up a stand and sell it in front of our house. 

This weekend, I felt like that mom again.  I spent just about my entire weekend in the kitchen cooking, baking, washing dishes and starting all over again.  And I LOVED it.  Having one of my brothers and my niece here for the weekend, 2 of my sons at home and one of my other sons and his friends stopping by on both Friday night and tonight for dinner just made my weekend perfect.  My niece loved watching me cook and asked me questions about whether I have always loved to cook.  A few times she even called me amazing because of the things I was whipping up in the kitchen.  Not that what I was making was so unusual, but that I was making so much.  Breakfast was pancakes, bacon and sausage and my homemade Wine Berry Jam to put on the pancakes.  I make my pancakes from scratch with a recipe I have used for 20 years.  My dear niece was surprised I didn't pour the mix out of a box to make the pancakes.  As soon as I was done making breakfast, I started working on the homemade components of Reed's care package for college.  First up was Chocolate Chunk Cookies with dried cranberries and macadamia nuts.  My spin on the classic Toll  House Cookies.


Ingredients for a classic with a twist.

Once those were mixed up and baking in the oven, I moved onto Banana Walnut Muffins.  Those baked in one oven while the cookies baked in the other.


Nothing like homemade muffins to grab before you go off to class.

 I managed to make so many cookies that I was able to keep some for us, send a bag home with my brother and niece and give Reed and his roomate a whole bag of them to take back to school.  We didn't keep any of the muffins, Reed got all of those.

Once the baking was done, I started on the pasta salad for dinner and boiled a pound of whole wheat rotini.  Tonight's dinner was all about stuff that could be made ahead since I knew I would be having an early dinner for my boys and  brother and niece before they left and then a second seating when Reed and his friends stopped by on their way back to George Mason. 



Steaming hot whole wheat pasta.

I made a Caprese Salad with what may be, the last of the tomatos from the garden and a bunch of basil I picked this morning.  The house smelled so good from all of that basil.  I hope the basil makes it through the week and we don't have an early frost so that I can make up batches of Pesto and freeze them in ice cube trays. Then I will have pesto all winter long.


3 of my all time favorite foods.  Tomatos and Basil from my garden.

 Before we sat down to eat, we all went outside and the kids through the football.  Evan and Trevor were still wearing their pajama pants.  They didn't get back until 1:30 am from the football game they went to with their uncle and so today was a very lazy day for them.  These pictures show them being their typical crazy selves which in this case means they had fun with their wardrobe today.  I KNOW they will KILL me when they see I posted these pictures.  But they just make me laugh so hard and I am not sure my niece has ever laughed so hard.  She saw a side of her cousins this weekend I am not sure she has ever seen.





Before they left to go to Va. Tech for the football game on Saturday.



Outside for a little game of pass before dinner.



This is definitely a fashion statement in the making.



And not to be out done by his younger brother, Evan had to make a fashion statement too.



She may be a girl cousin, but she has a pretty good arm on her.





Working up an appetite.



Love the faces.



Finally it was time to come in and eat.  Burgers and Bratwursts were on the grill and the rest of the food was on the table.  Time to get down to some serious eating.


Pasta salad, Caprese Salad and grilled pineapple.

Everyone was happy to eat and once again I wish I had a video camera recording our time at the family meal table.  It is without a doubt my favorite time of any day.  There is so much laughter and fun conversation going on.  It has been a long time since I have seen my brother laugh as hard as he did this weekend at every meal he sat down with us to eat.  We probably don't exhibit the best of manners, but we sure have a good time together, and that's what it's all about. 

Two hours after we sat down to eat, Reed and his friends showed up for dinner.  Leftovers were put back on the table, more burgers and brats hit the grill and I sat back and smiled.  Listening to them talk about how great it was to eat home cooked food again made me smile ear to ear.  I don't know how often they will be back to eat, but I am happy to be the "Sunny D" mom for them anytime they want.  They may be using me for my food, but that is just fine with me:)



Reed and his friends fueling up before the final hour of their trip back to school.

So after their bellies were full, it was time to say good-bye.  I gave Reed all of his goodies I had gotten together for him and a few extras that I hadn't thought of earlier.  Hugs and kisses were handed out to all and a promise from all of them that they would come back again and eat.
 
A lump formed in my throat as I watched them pull out of the driveway and waved goodbye.  I don't know that it will ever get any easier to let my kids go and grow up.  I miss every minute of the past 20 years I have had with them.  If I could re-live each and everday with them I would.  But, at least I have the joy of knowing, that once again. I just may get to be the house that all the kids want to come to and let me be the "Sunny D Mom".

DInner For 10

Really, it is just the simplest things that bring me the absolute most pleasure.  Cooking for my family and their friends certainly ranks right up there as one of my all time FAVORITE things.

Last night I cooked dinner for 3 of my children, 3 of their friends, one of my brothers and his daughter and my husband and I.  It was a wonderful night.  I was lucky enough to come home from work after half a day and the festivities began.  I had been to the grocery store at 7:00 that morning before I even went into work, so all I had to do was come home and get cooking. 

The menu would consist of Grilled Chicken Breasts with a Mango Salsa, Mac and Cheese with 3 different cheeses, Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil and Garlic, a huge pot of Spicy Beans, rolls and for dessert Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce and Chocolate Cream Pie.  My only fear was not having enough food to feed 7 teenagers and 3 adults.  Four of those teenagers were college students who have not had a home cooked meal in a month and have been surviving off of college food.  Needless to say, they were pretty excited about coming here to eat. 

As soon as I walked in the door, I put the beans on to start cooking since they were going to take about 4 hours to cook.  Within 30 minutes, the house was already starting to smell amazing.  This recipe, as well as the Mac and Cheese and Peach Crisp recipe, came from here http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/category/all-pw-recipes/.


Rinsing the beans before they cook.



Nothing like a Ham Hock to season things up.



Using peppers and onions from the garden and some garlic is what made these beans so delicious.  Red peppers and jalapeno peppers both were used.   After about two hours of cooking, the house smelled AMAZING.  In fact, the first thing Reed said when he and his friends walked into the house was how wonderful the house smelled inside.  Can I just say, nothing makes this mama happier and smile bigger than for one of my kids to say how great they think something I cook for them smells or taste:)


Wish this was a scratch and sniff picture.

The mango salsa was the next thing to take on as it required alot of chopping since I had 6 mangoes, 3 red peppers, 6 jalapeno peppers and one giant red onion to chop.  Add to that the juice of 6 limes and 3 lemons and you have yourself one very tasty Mango Salsa.

So yummy on top of grilled chicken or fish tacos!!!!

 This went into the fridge so that it could be nice and cool to add to the grilled herbed chicken.  I first tried this recipe a few weeks back when I made Fish Tacos.  My hubby loved it so much that I decided to make it again and have it as an option to top the chicken with.  Everyone loved it once again.

Next I made the Chocolate Cream Pie as I wanted to make sure it would have time to set up in the fridge before it was time for dessert.  I used an Oreo Cookie crust for this rather than a regular pie crust.  Just seemed like a really great idea to add more chocolate wherever possible.  I put a layer of the chocolate filling on the top of the crust, then added whipped cream to the rest of the chocolate filling, then topped that with more whipped cream.  I grated semi sweet chocolate on top and the drizzled caramel sauce on top for a final touch.  Needless to say, there is no pie left this morning.



Chocolate filling mixed with whipped cream.


















Final touches on the pie.

 I had full intentions to keep on taking pictures of the night and all the rest of the food once it was done, but somehow once everyone started showing up, I lost track of my camera.  Everyone was very happy with the meal, the kids just kept eating and eating and still managed to save room for dessert.  After Reed and his friends finished eating, they actually washed all their dishes by hand:)  That was a huge treat for me.  And best of all, they asked if they could come back on Sunday and eat again.   Needless to say I didn't hesitate for a second to say YES!!!!!  Reed and his friends left and headed on up the highway to go to Va. Tech to spend the weekend with some friends.  They will be hitting my house on the return trip to George Mason on Sunday afternoon.  Oh and one more great compliment I recieved, Reed's friend and her boyfriend decided that our house should be the scent of a Yankee Candle, how cool is that? 

I don't know about you, but there is just something about a table full of family and friends, talking, laughing and sharing stories and food that just makes my heart swell with joy.  Sitting back and watching everyone enjoy being together and eating the food that I prepared with nothing but love, is just a really hard feeling to beat.  I feel so blessed when I am given the opportunity to do this. 



My niece, Meredith, and I in the kitchen once everything was cleaned up.



Sitting next to the woodstove which would have been even nicer if there had been a fire in it.