My bestie Charlene was in town and was brave enough to spend the day with ALL of us! We spent the day in Sarasota and had a great time. We ate outside for lunch, stopped by the exotic car show on St. Armand's Circle (Gary was SURE I would like that for my birthday).
We had big honkin ice cream.
On our way out we found a shop that sold macaroons!! They were really good!
Aren't they gorgeous?
On Sunday we got together with my family, and I had a gluten-filled cake.
My family and friends gave me some sweet, thoughtful gifts. My body gave me a zit. Thanks, body!
As a side note, Jack developed a humongous crush on Charlene. He has been talking about her on and off since she left. Tonight he had this message for her:
And I think he wants a message back....
He wanted me to MAKE SURE you saw this.
I am really in love with my new favorite lunch site, Another Lunch.
I make my children's lunch every day and I go through phases: I love it or I hate it.
The biggest bane to lunch makers everywhere is variety and presentation. You can't eat pb&j every day of the school year (unless you were Laura in pre-k).
Many moms lately are purchasing items like Goodbyns and Laptop Lunchboxes. Not only do they increase presentation and allow the kids to see everything in front of them, but they get rid of waste like zip-loc bags and are also BPA-free and environmentally safe.
Oh, and these are also great lunchboxes for adults to take to work as well.
I am ordering some today and will let you know how they go.
Last Saturday we went to a U-pick farm in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE and picked blueberries. I was super excited about this, as they were offering them at $1 pound and they are usually $5.00 a pint in the store--more if you want organic. I love blueberries, so we trucked out there, lathered up in sunscreen, donned hats and tried to avoid ants as we picked. And it was a lot of fun, even in the Florida heat. We ended up picking sixteen pounds! We proudly loaded them up in the back of the car and headed home. We stopped at a really awesome store/farm in Myakka City, and bought fresh farm vegetables, the girls picked some more strawberries, and I bought homemade preserves and sunflower butter. We just felt so darn farmy! I could pretend for a moment if I stared out at the cow fields that we were country folk, fitting in with the rest of the good ol' country "yes ma'am-ers" (when did I become a ma'am?), living a more simple and honest life.
The fun kind of ended though when it came time to prepare those sixteen pounds of blueberries. Remember the story of the Little Red Hen? That was apropos here as when it came time to do the work the rest of my family scattered to the far ends of the house (I don't really know if that's the right way to use apropos, but I just reeeaaally wanted to use it somewhere).
For the last three days, I have been cleaning, sorting, de-stemming (THE WORST), drying, and freezing sixteen pounds of blueberries. On the second day my mind went numb and my back froze. By the third day I realized like Lady MacBeth, I was never going to get these damn spots (blueberry stains) out of my permanently dyed nailbeds and cuticles. I hide my hands whenever I go anywhere. I really felt for women before us, who canned jar after jar of vegetables and dried meats for the long winters ahead.
When I was tempted with the idea of just throwing the dang things down the trash I let images of pies, cobblers, crisps, parfaits, buckles, pancakes, muffins, etc., dance in my head. The work will be worth it. And hopefully will give me the ability to smirk at the high cost in the grocery store when I walk by.
I was finally done this evening, and then scrubbed purple out of the counters, dishes, and floor. And off Jack's face.
They will be good frozen for about a year. Which is good, because I think it might take me about a month to be able to even look at a blueberry again. Or get the stains off my fingers.
Yes, that is my Mac underneath Jack. This is what happens when you are focusing more on garlic than your child.
Today was the last day of school. Tomorrow, we can sleep in and eat a leisurely (or is that leh-zure-ly?) breakfast. Then we will head to the ever-so-Magic Kingdom to catch the summer parade and fireworks before our passes head into the blackout dates for the summer.
After talking with a good friend of mine, I have decided that I am not eating any sugar, breads, dairy (except for a bit of butter) for about a month, until we leave for vacation. My body is just dragging. I have been craving sugary carby things for months, I have hives, and sores in my mouth (ew! gag! TMI!). All signs of being too sugary/yeasty. This has happened to me before and I cut all sugary/yeasty foods out and was able to heal. I am a protein kind of girl so I kind of enjoy it actually-- AFTER THE FIRST WEEK OF HELL.
That's right, I have hit the sugar withdrawal mode. And it is ugly. All I want to do is tear open the pantry and pour chocolate chips down my throat chased by cookies, dark chocolate granola bars and the homemade oreo cookies I baked the other day. I have visions of chocolate cakes dancing before my eyes. Oh boy, I've got to change the subject.
So anyway, for dinner I made tilapia with lots of olive oil and garlic. I mean LOTS of garlic. Have I ever mentioned that I could like marry garlic and have little garlic salt children?? I love it. Not only did I cook the fish with garlic in the pan, but then I put fresh slices in a bowl with olive oil and let them marinate together for a good while. Since I don't have any bread to dip it in (which is the BEST) I poured the whole thing over my fish and broccoli. It was truly heavenly, people, but now I am fire-breathing garlic. My family will not come within three feet of me. I am planning on eating more tomorrow and letting it really build up in my system. I want it to just ooze out of my pores. Oh yeah. I finally found the secret to getting everyone to leave me alone for a few cotton-pickin' minutes.
Somehow the days have slipped by quickly quickly and I have not gotten around to posting. Is gotten a word? Anyway, here is the brief summarized version of what's happened around here.
We went to Disney. It "snowed."
We had actual freezing weather here. It killed our fish in the river. The past week it has stunk so badly that we couldn't go in the backyard. There are dead fish everywhere. It brought up memories of what I don't like in the winter up north. Freezing cold water out of the faucets and cold floors. Yick.
Jack got up five times in the middle of the night. He wasn't feeling well. I finally broke my rule and brought him into bed with me. It's called survival. I swear I'm too old now to share a bed with a kid. Plus I'm afraid I'll squish him. Anyway, for the longest time he lay next to me and stared out the window at the moon. It was nice because he doesn't typically hold still that long. Yes, I am a weirdo who took a picture of him sleeping in my bed. That is what happens when you are sleep deprived. Not to mention his eyes look creepy here, so really what was I thinking? Oh well, on to the next.
I have been eating at Moe's like crazy. Seriously, like twice a week. I had to finally break my addiction though, because I began my very serious exercise/eating healthy program. Really! I have been exercising six days a week for three weeks now and eating pretty mostly responsibly. Except for this crazy Nutella binge yesterday. Gosh, that was good. So I gave you pictures of Emma stuffing her face there. I spared you from a picture of me doing the same. Wow, I'm thinking of the queso right now. Must move on.
This is Jack playing on the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playground at Disney. Obviously it should be placed up with the other Disney pic, but I have screwed up my blogger thingy somehow and can't move it. Or stop typing on the right of my pictures. Moving on.
Well we also went to the teeny tiny Manatee County Fair and I also got a haircut. But I haven't uploaded those pictures yet and I swear to you I am so tired from jogging and my four push-ups that I could just go and stick my head in that Nutella jar. So instead I'm going to go to bed. Night!
Gary has a client from Italy. His name is Pierluigi. Isn't that awesome? Anyway, he came down a couple months ago and as a thank-you sent us this HUGE box of amazing Italian things!
I immediately called my friend Francesca. She is a real, bona-fide, Italian model. Gorgeous. I hate her. Just kidding. Anyway, she explained the significance of the cakes, and the best way to use the cheese. Side note: I live in this teeny town and have all of these European friends who have somehow found our little "metropolis" as the place to settle. Funny, huh? Francesca is, as I mentioned, Italian, and her husband is an Englishman born in Kenya. Their two children were born in South Africa.
Oh, the excitement!
Cake!
What could be better than cake? Cake with a chocolate shell around the outside!
These are kind of like a flaky, croissant-ish pastry. Just perfect for after my daily exercise session.
He even thought of something for the girls.
These are heavenly. They are like butter/almond-flavored cookies.
We also had two HUGE hunks/wedges of cheese!
As Francesca said, these are all so good, "But for your calories, it is like a bomb!"
He also sent me earrings, and a wallet for Gary. He tried to send me Italian perfume, but their customs wouldn't let it through. I am in deep, deep mourning over that. As you can imagine.
Yesterday I had a PT appointment. I am realizing now that I am a very observant person, and I can't help but take in every detail. What the person is wearing, how they comb their hair, what their skin is like, they way they speak and if they have an accent, how they stand, how they hold themselves, what they do with their hands when they talk.... what the walls of the office are like, how they decorate, if the baseboards are clean. I don't really care about the answers to these questions, I just notice. I am now realizing as I get older that other people don't do the same thing. Weird. So, lying there, I had to remind myself not to ask questions. I always want to rattle off a million questions like a four year old. "Why do you do that?" "What does that do?" "What is a trigger point?" Etc. etc.
My PT was very nice. In conversation, he mentioned that Thanksgiving Day he and his wife are flying to Ireland. This immediately got my attention because traveling + Europe are two of my favorite obsessions. If you ever want to hear me gab on and on, that's a good place to start. So we happily talked about his travel plans, and he was a little worried about traveling in the winter. But since this is something of which I have experience, I tried to give him some good advice and some high-fives on his choice. It's cheaper, there aren't wall -to-wall tourists, etc. Besides, I said, even if it's raining and cold, you're still in Ireland!! I hardly know the guy and I am super excited for him. Really! I'm such a dork! I am happy in my dorkdom, though.
Yesterday evening, carrying on the European thread, I had to make a HUGE amount of pain au chocolat for Emma's heritage feast at school today. Yes, by the way, they were heavenly. I make them with dark chocolate. I love to hear my girls pronounce "pain au chocolat." I do it proficiently, but my children, having learned to pronounce it as a child, say it beautifully. They took French lessons when small and although they have lost much of it, they retained the ability of a child to pick up the beautiful pronunciation. Amazingly, the words and phrases they DO remember have to do with sugar. Surprise, huh? They especially like to charm me with questions like, "Maman, est-ce que je peux avoir un bisquit, sil vous plait?"*
Emma did her presentation, and it went like this: (she wanted you to know)
My family’s heritage is French, English, Scottish, and German. My Dad’s family is very German, and that’s why I have a German last name. I am going to focus on my French heritage today. I have an ancestor named Guillaume Bon Couer (which means William Good Heart in English). He was born in 1588 in Nancy, France. He moved to England with his family because they were persecuted for their religion. In England, they changed their last name from Bon Couer to Bunker. He had a son named George in England. George was born in 1620. He sailed on a ship to America, and had a son named William in 1648 in Massachusetts. My family stayed in Massachusetts for almost 200 years. In fact, they owned land called Bunker Hill which ended up being the place of a famous battle in the Revolutionary War, although when the war happened they didn’t live there anymore. My part of the Bunker family moved to Kansas, and then to Florida in the 1920s to grow oranges.
What I brought is a French dish called Pain Au Chocolat. In America, we call them chocolate croissants. They have chocolate in the middle of them, and bread on the outside. They are very good! I love them! I had a vacation in France once and we ate them all the time. I made milk chocolate and dark chocolate. I like the dark chocolate the best. Thank you!
Tomorrowis another PT appointment. I will try to keep my lips zipped again, and my travel jealousy reigned in!! Then, my mother and sister and I will start the cooking and baking process for Thanksgiving Day.
Jack wants this cookie. Bad. So he stoops to drastic measures.
Laura is pretty grossed out. (she is trying to push him away, nicely)
But it works. He loves his sisters. At the bus stop today he practically squealed and leapt out of my arms when the bus pulled up to drop them off. (I'm thinking these pictures are going to be traumatize them when they get older.)
So, I titled this whole blog thing "Mormon Girl in the Bible Belt" and I haven't really posted much about that entire subject. So here's a nice Mormon-y post for your reading pleasure (I think I just heard half of the six people who read this click the window closed).
Anyway, General Conference is this weekend. So on Saturday and Sunday, for two two-hour sessions each day, we hear from the prophet and authorities of the church (and then you go to the women blogs and watch them pick apart the Sisters' talks).
I've marked my life by these semi-annual conferences. I remember thinking, "Gee, when the next conference comes around, I'll be married," or "when I am watching Spring conference I'll have a baby," or "when October conference rolls around I'll have THREE KIDS." A sobering thought if there ever was one.
Growing up, there was no satellite or cable, or BYUtv in which to view conference. So everyone outside of Utah had to watch it on the projection screen at church. I actually remember these days fondly. My mom would pack some serious "kid activity bags" for us to keep busy with during the broadcast. During the two-hour break in between, we stayed at the church since it was too hard and far to drive home, snatch food, and drive back. So all the families there would pack amazing picnics with soft blankets and wonderful desserts, and would picnic out on the lawn in between sessions. Wonderful memories of this. This was the way it was, and we were used to it. It was not until just a couple of years ago that this changed when the BYU channel was offered in our area. A Mormon channel??? What a bizarre concept for us, and we're Mormons! It was so different to turn on the channel at any time and see programming that had to do with our religion. Weird. On a side note, this is a great thing for me on Sundays. Gary is at meetings all morning and I have to get the kids and me ready alone in the morning. It's nice to listen to the choir while we get ready so I don't descend into screaming at my kids before church.
So with this new crazy general conference worldl opened up to us, my friends and I created GC FOODFEST. It is awesome. We all bring truckloads of our favorite appetizers, desserts, munchies, dishes, and lay them out on a long counter. We discuss what we're going to make for weeks ahead of time. Kinda like Christmas, or Thanksgiving. But better!! We all stuff ourselves and stretch out around the TV while the kids play happily around us. We discuss the talks together, compare thoughts, etc. It's two times a year of AWESOMENESS.
And so this year was going to be the same. EXCEPT IT WASN'T. One week ago, one of my friends came down with the swine flu. And then my other friend's daughter did also. I personally think this is very selfish. I mean really, they could have planned this better. But now, we have had to accept that for this time, it is cancelled. Cue the funeral dirge.
So, we are doing it by ourselves instead. I cooked for hours last night. I made the most awesome homemade salsa, bean salads, pumpkin chocolate bars, etc. Yum yum. In between timers I went out in the family room and watched Saturday conference. I felt moved as the choir sang the most beautiful version of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." My soul stirred when the speaker reminded us that there is One who is always with us, One who knows our struggles and sorrows when we feel most alone.
Just in case your wondering, my friends are doing fine. One felt like the walking dead but is now doing much better, and my other friend's little girl is doing great. And now I have a cold. Guess that's karma for whining! That's okay, my pumpkin chocolate bars will make it all better.
And next March?? GC FOODFEST SPRING 2010!!! *one of these days I'm going to start a food blog with some of these awesome recipes, lunchbox ideas for kids, etc.
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