Soup

I have been craving soup and decided to branch out and away from my usual chicken noodle (yum)...or potato - although I did find some yummy sounding corn and potato chowder recipes.  Maybe next week.  

I found a recipe for Beef Barley Soup - the reviews say it ends up more like a stew, not sure I want that and I'm not a big fan of barley so I am thinking I may substitute rice...Anyway, for Katie and Jono I have copied the recipe...

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 3/4  pound  boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2  cups  thinly sliced carrot
• 1 1/2  cups  thinly sliced celery
• 2/3  cup  chopped onion
• 1  (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
• 4  cups  fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1  bay leaf
• 2/3  cup  uncooked pearl barley
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove beef from pan. Add carrot, celery, onion, and mushrooms to pan; cook 6 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add beef; fat-free, less-sodium beef broth; and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in pearl barley; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until pearl barley is tender. Stir in salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.

I can't wait to try it!

Now I am off to the store for beef, barley, bay leaves...and the rest of the stuff that isn't already here.  I will try to take a picture for you at the end...

Finished Product

The girls went to work during the week creating these masterpieces

I'm not sure what this one says, but I believe there is a dinosaur on it...

Colleen and Angie did a couple of these
They look so happy
Have to have a before shot...

Pumpkins

After all the rain last week...today was a perfect fall day - just right for picking up pumpkins and getting fresh apples...so we drove to the local pick your own pumpkin place known for their pies and came home with just what we needed to get into the Halloween spirit!

Pie! Yum!

waiting to see how much they weigh

a random selection of gourds
coming home with apples, pumpkins, pie and honey sticks - yum
I wonder what lives in this one?
Can we get these?

These are called Peanut pumpkins - can you see the shapes on the skin? They look like peanuts!

A perfect fall day.

Climbing Mt Baldy

Two hours up and one and a half down. It was a beautiful day - although it was very hot. Next year we must prepare better and bring more food and water...



Here's Tim after the hike. We all crashed for a couple of hours...
Check out the view from the top...

Colleen and Sarah were happy to be at the top.

Tim and Colleen ahead of us reaching the top of the top.

Last year Colleen had on her blue South soccer shirt.  This year her white, I still like what it says.
Tim deciding if he wants to keep going.

A much needed break.
Lots of energy at this point.

The beginning of the journey.  

Michigan Part 2

Michigan Part 1

these are in reverse oder but i'm too tired right now to fix them...

Day Off

If I were like katie my day off would be full of pictures and i did take two of my delicious cookies...on my phone and i have no idea how to get them here...well, i thought i had two pictures - turns out I only have 1. Oh well, i should get the camera and try with that. Considering i still need to download pictures that might make a good thing to finish with this rainy cold day!



I got my pictures downloaded! I hope I can find the recipe for the cookies- I think there are 3 left after 2 hours...

Here's a picture from the first day of school

good night

Never mind.

I've been thinking too much.

I do wonder why people don't think more about what their actions or non actions mean for the people around them. Tonight i was asked about dinner and told how hungry she was, yet when i suggested she help by getting the meat out of the freezer and wash the necessary pans she was too busy. I guess her time is more valuable than mine? And they wonder why i seem to be on strike.

I do believe you don't want to share me. Our time is very singular and in those spaces you don't have to share me with anyone. The reality of it is that we all share each other all the time and eventually this will not work. I am tired of being a secret. I'm tired of worrying about discovery. Friends don't have to worry about such things. Friends just are. I am not yours alone, I am not yours at all. I may want to share a part of my life with you but i'm tired of it being in pieces and tired of it being such a secret.

Sometimes i think it is the secret and the mystery of it that makes you want it. I am really an ordinary person with an ordinary life. Not so special.

I know you are just you. I like how you listen to me - when you can. I like that you seem to know how to make me laugh. You know how to give me encouragement. I like that you care what happens to me.

We are worthy of each other but we don't belong together at this point. I'd like to believe that maybe one day things will be different but tonight and now they aren't. My hope of change is fading.

Take a chance. Risk just a little more of yourself. Show me that your words meant something. That they weren't just words.

Good night. Time to run to the store to pick up the phone charger and see my child.
Wish I had a solution to that puzzle as well.

Aruba 2009

It was a quiet trip. Relaxing - sun, sand, more sun...