Tip Junkie Giveaway!

This is the final day of Tip Junkies Birthday Bash!! You have to go check her out!!



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Our Super Jack is the Kiwanis 2nd grade Super Student of the Year!

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Calling All Stepmoms and Parents of Tweens

The Mr recently posted this list of "11 Things I don't do with The Children anymore, and why" on facebook. It's all true, and sadly accurate. The Mr thought it would be a good idea to post it here and elicit advice.

11 Things I don't do with The Children anymore, and why

1) Skiing: The Girl had a crying meltdown the second day, after a very good day in lessons. Had to threaten to fireman's carry her down the mountain before she'd stand up. Left the slopes at 10:30am. Killed a bottle of Stoli afterwards.

2) Geocaching: No specific incident, but neither The Girl nor The Boy have any interest in doing anything that involves being outside, walking, or looking for stuff...so geocaching is right out.

3) Bike Riding: Last ride to the park (less than a mile) resulted in The Boy crying the entire way there.

4) Hiking: Last trip (3 mile roundtrip) resulted in The Girl wailing the entire time... about 2 hours total. Nonstop. Wailing.

5) Concerts/Theater: The Girl slept through Riverdance, Blue Man Group, and Stomp.

6) The Wild Animal Park: Too many hills, too much walking, animals too far away.

7) The Zoo: Too many hills, too much walking, animals too close.

8) Del Mar Fair: The Boy & The Girl were so grounded from the car ride there that they couldn't play outside their rooms for a week afterwards. The Boy then alternately cried and tried to bargain the entire time we were there.

9) Museums: Took them to the USS Midway, phenomenal museum combining aircraft, the sea, and recent US history. Tied to our family...parents did arrested landing & catapult shot on the Midway. Also, we rented it for their 50th. Took kids. Went to flight deck. Surrounded by planes. Girl found a bench, sat down, started texting. Never got up till we left.

10) Movies: We planned to see Happy Feet with Nana & Papa in Minnesota. We spent the day at the Children's Museum in Minneapolis, then stopped at McDonald's for dinner. On the way to the theater, they started fighting over the happy meal toy...the one that they both had. It escalated. As we approached the intersection where "straight" was the theater and "left" was Nana & Papa's. About 2 minutes early, I warned them that they needed to get it under control because, if they didn't, we're going to skip the movie. The escalation continued, and we turned left. We still haven't seen Happy Feet.

11) Red Bull Air Races: My personal, saddest favorite. The Air Races were on San Diego Harbor. We found a spot on a pier where we had a great view of 300 mph airplanes pulling 9g's around pylons, flying 25 ft above the water. Neither The Boy nor The Girl would look up. Read that again. They wouldn't look up. Stared at the pier. For a half hour. I'm not exaggerating.

These are all true stories. The Girl is 11, The Boy 8. They are both generally good kids. Their relationship with each other is terrible (she loathes him, he adores her - this is another blog) but when they are not together they are generally good to have around. Unless we want to actually DO anything. Then, all bets are off.

I think it may be a thing of the times... kids today seem to be pretty scheduled, so maybe they don't want to do anything because they are always so busy. Maybe we are choosing the wrong things to do. So far, we have been unable to determine how we can fix it. Any ideas on what we can do to help The Children be interested in DOing things?


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Random Thursday Stuff

Lots of random thoughts in my head today...

• Thanks for your prayers for The Mr's uncle Blue.  They are still trying to figure out what needs to be done for him, and he is sedated and restrained today so that he cannot do any damage to his sutures.  His wife (The Boy calls her Aunt Charlie) is doing a lot better today though, and continues to be so strong.
• The Boy had his karate test tonight - he needs to retest on one small item next week, but otherwise had a great test!  He'll likely move to Orange Belt 2nd Degree next week!
• We're planning for retirement - I'm hoping our hobby job will involve a seaplane and living in Kaua'i.
• Some fun news - I applied to Weight Watchers several months ago.  My meeting leader thought I would make a good leader, so I sent in an application.  A few weeks ago, they called me and offered me a job as an At-Work leader!  It's a very part-time job, but I'm so exicted to help people learn what I've learned.  What a great opportunity for me to give back!
• I've been reviewing my google analytics.  If anyone knows anyone in Delaware or Montana, could you send them over?  I'm missing visitors from those two states!  :-)
• Looking forward to a relaxing weekend.  Just have to get through Friday.

And in my never-ending quest to become a better photographer, I was playing with my camera settings today.  Here's a sample of what came out:

Hope your Thursday was wonderful!

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Our Little Musician

This is one of hte days that being a step-mom is rewarding.  The Girl had her first band concert today!  She's in the advanced band in her middle school - and it is her first year.  She's doing a fantastic job playing clarinet, and she is truly enjoying her music.

After the concert, the whole family - her Dad and I, Mom and Step-dad, brother, half-sister, Grandma and Grandpa - went out for dessert.  We're (incredibly) fortunate that we all get along.  We all enjoy each other's company, and I hope The Girl and The Boy remember these days where they are surrounded by family.

Speaking of family - please keep The Mr's uncle Blue in your prayers.  He had surgery to remove a faulty stent yesterday and is under sedation while they determine what will be the next course of action.  He's in very critical condition, and he and his wife would appreciate your thoughts.

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I Heart Faces - Pets

To see more wonderful animal photos, click below!

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Dealing with Body Image

I've spent a lot of time in the last year thinking about body image.    As many of you may remember, I recently lost about 75 pounds.   (Weight Watchers - it works!)

I post these pictures as a reference.  This is in fact what I see when I look in the mirror.  I'm 5'4".  Those jeans are size 2.  So I know that I am in pretty good shape here.  I'm thinner now than I can ever remember being, and I know my weight loss has taken ten years off my looks.  This is good stuff.

    

But this isn't what I see in my mind's eye.  I've been comfortable with my self-worth separate from my looks for a long time (something for which I am quite thankful).  So my self-worth does not really suffer for my distorted body image.  Still, I wonder when my mind's eye will see what is in the mirror...

And I am beginning to truly understand what a problem a negative body image can be.  I've spent some time reading about it - this is a great resource: http://www.womenshealth.gov/bodyimage/

We need to figure out how to to raise the next generations of girls to be comfortable in their own bodies and value who they are inside as opposed to merely what they look like on the outside.

Does anyone else out there struggle with this?

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10 Hours with 6 Children. Need wine.

This has been a long week.  We've had The Children the last two weeks while their mom and step-dad are out of town.  The Children have many activities during the days and evenings.  Busy.  And since The Mr and I still needed to work, we were up at 5:30 every morning to make sure we got The Children to their schools, and make sure we both got to work so we could hurry and get home to take them to their various activities.  I think it would be easier if their schedules were set based on our schedule, but as we generally only have them every evening, their schedules are set around their mom's schedule.

Anyway, today we got to sleep in all the way until 8:00!  (Ahh for the pre-kid days of lazy Saturday mornings!).  We took The Boy and The Girl to the bowling alley for bowling lessons.  Their friends (3 of them) met us there - for some reason we agreed to take them for the day too.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  After the lesson on the way to lunch, one of The Girl's friends calls and asks if she can come over.  We said sure.  Again, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

We get home around noon and realize are outnumbered three to one.  Not sure how many of you have kids between the ages of 8 and 11.  If you don't, you won't understand how very loud 6 children can be.  Also, they argue.  And bicker.  And snipe at each other.  Incessantly.  Seriously.

Apparently, all those children brought out the domestica in me.  We were planning barbecue sandwiches for dinner, so I decided to bake the French bread.

French bread is pretty easy to make.  4 ingredients - water, flour, yeast and salt.  The bread machine made the dough.

I baked it on this really cool French bread pan which makes the funny texture that you will see on the bottom of the bakery variety.

And it baked crispy and tasty!

Thought the 6 rugrats might enjoy some cookies, so I baked some chocolate chocolate chip cookies.  Even left the nuts out.  I am pretty sure that deserves some type of award.

When I brought them out after dinner one of the "little darlings" said "What are those?"  I said "Little cakes of poison."  Yes, I had really had enough.

Do they not look like cookies?

Now all but two of them are gone.  Those two belong to us.  And their mom (blessedly) comes back tomorrow.  Then they belong to her.

I need some quiet time.  And wine.

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Frugal Fridays

Everyone knows that using coupons is a great way to save money. For me, the problem is that I never seemed to have them when I needed them.

For example...

The Mr - "Didn't we have $2 off at Baja Fresh?"
Zentmrs - "We do - did you bring the coupon?"
The Mr - "Nope... did you?"
Zentmrs - "Nope.

Ugh. Could be that we didn't remember to bring the coupon, didn't remember that we had the coupon or didn't plan to go to the place that took the coupon. Doesn't really make a difference to the pocketbook.

How many of us have a stack of coupons, various gift cards and notices of special deals lying around the house in different places? Coupons, special deals and gift cards do no good in the drawer. I use a different process for grocery coupons (a topic for another day) - this is what I use for gift cards and other types of coupons and specials.

Here's how to increase your ability to use what you already have:

The first step is to get everything together.

Go through the coupons and gift cards and make sure everything you have is still valid.

Make a list of what you have, how much it is worth and when it expires. (TIP - you can check the balance of most gift cards on the company's website)

Print the list.

Put the coupons, cards and the list in an envelope and put it in your car (I actually keep mine in my purse)

Now you have WITH YOU what you need to save - when you purchase something, quickly scan your list to see if you have a gift card or coupon that applies.

You will need to make sure that when you use something or add something that you add it to the list. I do this weekly, when cutting my coupons, but it can be done only as often as makes sense.

This has really helped me make sure I can take advantage of all of the great deals available to me! Hope it helps!

To see more Frugal Friday tips, jump on over to A Sassy Engineer!

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Rosemary Focaccia Bread - Recipe

I had several requests for the recipe for my bread pictured yesterday.  Here's the recipe - it takes a bit of time (it must raise overnight and has two additional raise cycles), but is worth the effort.

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

1 cup water 

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

3 cups bread flour 

2 teaspoons yeast

1/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons dried rosemary, or 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Put first 5 ingredients into bread machine in order listed, using the dough cycle.  In a small bowl, combine second amount of olive oil and rosemary.  Set aside.  When the cycle is complete, move the dough to a large greased bowl, turn once to coat both sides and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate overnight or up to three days.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for three hours.  The dough should rise to nearly double in this time.  Once it has risen, coat your hands with flour and lightly dust a work area.  Holding the dough in your hands, allow the weight of the dough to stretch out the dough until it is about one inch thick.  lay it on the dusted countertop and fold the ends over itself like you would a letter.  Lightly dust the top with flour and cover with plastic wrap.  Let the dough double again in size, about one hour.

Prepare a 15-inch pizza pan or a 12 x 17 inch pan by greasing the surface and dusting with cornmeal.

Once the dough has doubled, move it to the prepared pan.  Using your fingertips, dimple and spread the dough, spooning the olive oil and herb mixture over the dough as your spread it.  The oil should run down into the spread and some may get under the dough.  If the dough is too stiff to spread, allow it to rest a few minutes before resuming.  The dough does not have to cover the entire pan as it will relax and spread as it rises.  Once the dough is spread to cover most of the pan, cover again loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Place a large flat metal pan on the bottom rack of the over to be used to hold water and with with to create steam and condition the cruse (Since high heat may distort the pan, do not use and expensive pan - an old baking sheet is perfect).

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Immediately before placing the bead in the oven, mist the sides of the oven with water using a spray mister and then pour two cups of very hot water into the steam pan.  Be very careful - steam can burn badly.  To avoid rising steam, pour the water in without holding your hand directly over the pan.  Wear a glove and turn your face away from the escaping steam both when you pour the water and later when you open the oven.

Immediately place the bread in the hot oven and quickly close the door to retain the steam.  Turn the temperature down to 400 degrees and bake for fifteen minutes, opening the oven after five, ten and fifteen minutes to mist the walls again.  Continue baking for another twenty minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the bread tests done.  Immediately remove the bread from the pan to cool on a wire rack.  The loaf should look like this:

The recipe is actually easier than it seems - and the steaming of the oven helps create a spectacular crust.  Hope you enjoy!!

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What's For Dinner...

For our Memorial Day Dinner, I made a variation of The Mr's Grandma Z's Noodles. "Grandma's Noodles" consists of homemade noodles cooked in chicken broth. The chicken broth is made from a whole stewing chicken, poached in water. The chicken is taken out of the water, breaded and fried. Yum.

I didn't make fried chicken (I bought two roasted chickens from the grocery deli) but I did make the pasta and I did cook it in my own chicken broth.

Pasta really isn't difficult to make. The ingredients are easy - 1 egg and 1/2 cup flour per serving. I made 9 servings, so I used 9 eggs and 4 /12 cups of flour. Grandma Z would mix it by hand on the counter, but I used my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook.

I have found that the secret to good noodles is making sure the dough is rolled as thin as possible. The easiest way to do this is to roll it in small batches.

I take a ball of dough about 1/2 the size of my fist. Then roll it on a floured surface. Flip, sprinkle with flour, and roll again. Repeat until the dough is very thin.


I then sprinkle flour over it again, and fold it over for cutting. This makes it easier to get more uniform noodles.

After they are cut, spread them apart so they don't stick together. Place them on a floured plate and sprinkle some flour on top of them to prevent the next batch from sticking. Then go on to the next batch.

You should end up with a plate full of noodles like this.

I cook them in batches as well. They don't take long - 3 - 5 minutes in boiling chicken broth (or salted water), depending on how thin you rolled them. They will float to the top when cooked - and you want to taste them before taking them out to make sure they are done to your liking. This is what they will look like when cooked!

I also made some (DELICIOUS) rosemary focacia bread. Here it is straight out of the oven...

... and sliced...

Dinner is served!

For dessert we had upside-down pavlovas (usually pavlovas are a meringue base, with a cream sauce topped by fruit). First I made the meringue. Once baked it looked like this:

Then I assembled. Strawberries and blackberries in a margarita glass. A layer of whipped cream. A spoonful of cranberry curd (like lemon curd - which you could also use - but made with cranberries. Then top the whole thing with the meringue. They turn out like this:

Really tasty and filling dessert, pretty healthy. The Children liked it too!

We had a wonderful Memorial Day dinner. What did you have?

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Thank You

This statue is in memory of all of those who gave their lives ensuring our freedom. Soldiers from each war wear the uniforms of their time here.   The Mr and I visited this memorial when we were in Honolulu, visiting Schofield Army Barracks.  This website (http://25thmemorialfund.org/) gives a detailed explanation of the memorial and is well worth the read.

Today we remember and give our thanks.

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Looking for the perfect beach?

HANALEI, Hawaii - If life is a beach, Hanalei Bay must be heaven. This remote, two-mile crescent-shaped beach on Kauai where the emerald mountains meet the sparkling sea was selected No. 1 on “Dr. Beach” Stephen P. Leatherman's 2009 list of top 10 beaches, which was released Friday. Hanalei beat out other shores stretching from San Diego to Cape Cod.

read the rest of the story on MSNBC.com

TOP 10 BEACHES 2009
1. Hanalei Bay Kauai, Hawaii
2. Siesta Beach Sarasota, Florida
3. Coopers Beach Southampton, New York
4. Coronado Beach San Diego, California
5. Hamoa Beach Maui, Hawaii
6. Main Beach East Hampton, New York
7. Cape Hatteras Outer Banks of North Carolina
8. Cape Florida State Park Key Biscayne, Florida
9. Coast Guard Beach Cape Cod, Massachusetts
10. Beachwalker Park Kiawah Island, South Carolina

I can personally attest that all of the beaches on this side of the Mississippi are gorgeous! We visited Hanalei Bay and Hamoa Beach when visiting Hawaii last month, and we live minutes from the #4 beach.

This is The Mr and I at the pier in Hanalei Bay (#1 on the list) in Kauai. Truly, this island has the most beautiful beaches. Paradise on earth indeed.

The movie "South Pacific" was filmed here... here we stand in the sands of "Bali Hai"!


The #4 beach is in our backyard, so to speak, on the lovely island of Coronado. This is the Hotel Del Coronado, reflecting in the water of this gorgeous beach.

Turn around, and this is your view - spectacular!

And this is looking down at Hamoa Beach (#5).  We had cloudy cool weather the day we were here, but I imagine that on a warm sunny day this must be even more wonderful!

Hope you enjoyed my views of 3 beaches from Dr. Beach's Top Ten.  What is your favorite beach?

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More Images from the Weekend

The Mr sings with a men's choir at church. They got together this weekend for a barbeque and to say "goodbye" to an outgoing member.

While the festivities were going on, I managed to snap some wildlife shots...


... some finches in the birdfeeder...


... wind sculpture in the garden...

... hawk flying overhead.

And here is a shot of The Kingsmen (The Mr is the youngster of the group).

They are a talented group of men - and the rest of us had the good fortune of being serenaded at the end of the party!

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