Pumpkin Spice Caramels

I must brag that I showed amazing restraint to get these caramels all the way home for a picture for the blog.  The Elevated Ice Cream Shop has been a subject of my blogs about PT before.  We cannot go to PT without checking out the candy at the Elevated Ice Cream Shop.  Last time I found Chai Tea Caramels.  I confess that is what I was hoping to find and was a little put out that they had been replaced with Pumpkin Spice Caramels.  However, in the spirit of adventurous eating, I bought some.  Wow!  Am I ever happy that I did.  These are deliciously cinnamon-y and pumpkin-y.  Is pumpkin-y a word?  Likely not, but I think it describes these caramels perfectly.

Katie chose the peanut butter fudge also pictured.  Very yummy.  Robby chose a mixture of gummies which he devoured in the car.  No photo op for those.  Arnie chose a Swiss Orange Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bar which he graciously gave me a taste of.  Wow!  Creamy and decadent and classy.  What a great day!

Thanksgiving Prep Meant Jalapeños in the Lewis House

This week we bought a jar of jalapeños because Robby wanted to make those nacho sliders.  He tried and liked the jalapeños.  I hadn't had jalapeños for long time - as I recall the last time I did my mouth burned for a few days.  This time, I decided to try them again in small amounts.  My mouth did not burn.  I rather liked the heat and decided that we should eat them again soon, so this night while making Thanksgiving preparations, we made nachos and got out those jalapeños again.  Yum.  Lovely sour cream, tomatoes, green onions, cheesy nachos.

We got into the Thanksgiving spirit and began to prep for our hopeful trip to Port Townsend.  I was particularly hopeful that the weather would break so that we could travel, so I enlisted the kids to peel apples for the tart that I wanted to make.

Katie gets in the spirit!

R and K are great apple peelers.

After caramelizing the apples on the stove, they are baked in the oven.  Puffed pastry is baked on the top.

The whole thing is turned upside down in a dish to create a pie-like tart.  Yummy.

Thankful for Family and Food at Thanksgiving!

Wednesday as the snow swirled around outside, I tried positive self talk.  Thanksgiving would be fine.  We would be able to travel and see Sandy, Bruce, and Rochelle.  Fine.  The weather would be fine.  At the same time, I prepared to make something Thanksgivingish if we were snowed in at Montesano.   I was so relieved that our weather broke on Thursday morning!  The snow started melting and we headed out to join the Lewises in  Port Townsend!  The traffic was easy and the ride was smooth.  We checked in at the Water Street Hotel and then drove up the hill to Grandma and Grandpa's.  Rochelle was already there helping to prepare the meal.  Rene was there in spirit having sent the festive decor.  We girls got busy in the kitchen and left the boys to watch football.

Grandpa Bruce is on the left and Robby is on the right.  Arnie is out of the picture on the couch.

 Sandy made a beautiful turkey with all the fixings!  So delicious.  The whole house smelled like stuffing and gravy, making my mouth water all the way to dinner. Rochelle and Katie made crescent rolls and set the table.  Bruce and Katie wanted bacon in the green beans, so I cooked the bacon in the microwave as the stove was quite busy.

Making the crescent rolls.

Sandy at the stove.  My stomach is grumbling in the background.

Setting the Thanksgiving table for seven.  Big discussion about how many forks, knives, side the napkin was on...

Katie won't eat black olives, but Rochelle and I felt that someone (Katie) needed to put an olive on their finger, just for tradition's sake.

 Look at this cool bottle opener that Rene, Rochelle, and Arnie grew up with on the kitchen wall.  It is still going strong.  We used it to open the sparkling cider!  Dinner was delicious and fun.  We always get to hear stories about growing up in the Lewis house and we catch up on what is happening with other family members and the town.

Almost gone.

Gone.

Sigh.  Fun conversation.  Satisfied tummies.  Pumpkin bread and apple tart for dessert.  I can't wait for another family gathering.

Robby, My Champion

My resilient kid.  Here's Robby the night he fell, before he fell.  Having fun in the snow at our house.  He had been looking through my Rachael Ray magazine the day before and had requested that we make Nacho Sliders for dinner, so he helped me shop for the ingredients after church and here we are making them.

Ground sirloin, onion, chili powder, coriander and cumin.

We grilled the patties first, then spread re-fried beans on each, topped each with tortilla chips and cheese.

After the cheese was melted, we topped the sliders with tomatoes, sour cream, and jalapeños.

The sliders were awesome.  We paired them with our favorite potato wedges and ketchup.  Robby liked the jalapeños a lot.  It was a great start to a night that ended up in the ER.  We don't have school again tomorrow, which is kind of a bummer for Robby.  He's been keeping his hospital id bracelet on to show his friends!  I'm going to need to talk him out of it this weekend, I think.  Here is he tonight in the snow, feeling much better and braving the elements for some fun.

The Ups and Downs of Snow

 The snow started falling quietly on Sunday.  I posted pictures of us at coffee hour at church.  Sunday evening, the snow had stopped and the ground was wet, so I took Robby in to town for youth group.  I sure wish I hadn't done that.  Of course it got crunchier and icier while we were in youth group.  When we walked out the door, the air was cold.  Robby and I were chatting and down he went.  So fast and so hard, there was nothing I could do.  We were separated by a stair rail - which he was reaching for when he went down.  He hit the cement stairs hard on his back, bounced up and came down again.  I heard that noise that people make when the wind is knocked out of their lungs and then he just moaned.  I was so scared that he had injured his back.  His back pain increased so Arnie took him to the ER.  Our second visit in 7 days!

Luckily, Robby has a deep contusion along his back in two spots, but no broken or fractured bones. He stayed home from school yesterday to ice it and rest (doctor's orders) and was not supposed to take part in PE or recess today.  Again, lucky guy, we went to school late yesterday and then not at all today!  He is feeling better and is back to being the cagey eleven-year-old that we know and love.

Katie and I enjoyed a walk in the snow.  There is so much of it.  I'm worried about what the winter has in store for us since it is not even Thanksgiving yet!  Crazy weather.

Looking down into the valley from our hillside.  Very snowy.

Looking back up our street at the trees.

Katie's face was cold, so she pulled her hat over it and figured I could guide her home.  I convinced her otherwise since I thought we'd get frostbite walking as slowly as she was.

The best meal on a cold day? Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup!

The Value of Service

 Obviously, one value we want to instill in our children is service.  I've talked about this before.  The kids watch Arnie and me volunteer at school, church, and other places.  Our school hosts the parish coffee hour once a month to show our gratitude for the parishioners, who take very good care of us.  This month was hosted by the first grade, but the teacher, who is a friend of mine, had trouble getting kids to come, so Robby and Katie and I went to help.  There were about 12 school kids there.  One little kindergartner was so excited, she grabbed my hands and we jumped up and down as people filed in to the coffee hour.  Such a sweetie.

 So we served coffee and doughnuts.  And ate a bunch, too.  Below is a picture of Katie and the kindergartner filling coffee cups.  Katie's polka dot coat and striped tights are not uniform code!  Just creativity on a Sunday.

 The best part of the morning was the snow.  Big fluffy flakes began falling about 10:30 am and are still falling as I write.  The kids ran around the church court yard trying to catch the flakes in their mouths.  Fun.  I hope it is gone in time for school tomorrow.

My Helpful Peeps

 I started feeling yucky yesterday at school.  No way to go home, though.  We just don't have subs available and we had an important meeting after school.  Arnie had an important meeting, too, so I ended up taking the kids to swim team practice as well.  Usually when I take the kids to swim team, I work out while they swim, but last night I was too achy to move, so I sat on the bleachers watching.  One of my friends actually came over to see if I was okay since I didn't look to great.  It made me feel better!

Today I slept in until 7:30, then laid around on the couch.  I did get off the couch long enough to crock pot a roast for dinner with lots of vegetables to boost my vitamins. Katie made macaroni and cheese for us for lunch.  Yum.  She is always so great at helping.  I just coached her from the couch.  It turned out perfectly.

After dinner Arnie did the dishes for me and Katie made brownies.  What an easy day!  I really appreciate my helpers.  Especially when I don't have to clean dishes and I get a brownie.

The Many Thrones of a Queen

Padme believes that we put things down for her to sit or lay in.  Here she is in Katie's swim bag.  We had only been home an hour when she inhabited the bag.  We all went to bed, but she stayed in the bag.

The next morning, she had moved herself to Robby's backpack.  Presumably, she couldn't access his swim bag because it was zipped, so she settled on the backpack next to it.

Someone moved the umbrella onto the exercise back, much to Padme's delight.  Can this be comfortable?  What is it that attracts this cat to sit on the items we set down?  Does it make her feel closer to us?  The carpeted circle on the edge of the picture is her tower, which apparently wasn't right for this moment.

As soon as I sit down, Padme is at my side, urging me to make a lap for her to lay on.  How content does she look?

 It's a game Padme and I are playing today.  Robby thinks she knows that if she does something cute, I will go get the camera.  He left the cupboard open in the bathroom.  I was putting clothes away in the dark and tried to put a towel it the cupboard...So cute, isn't she?

A Quiet and Stormy Day

I realize my photography skills are lacking, but it is pouring rain outside.  This really was the best shot I could get of Alfred.  Katie isn't feeling well.  Two days of being on the edge of sick.  We stayed home today.  As we were eating our cup 'o soup, we heard the birds in the forest going nuts.  Strange, we thought, since it was pouring rain.  I studied the forest and could see a flock of black birds (?) of medium size flying around this shape on a skinny branch.  My brain said owl, but my common sense said not that close to the house.

I pulled on my rain boots and trudged through the backyard to look more closely.  Yes.  Owl.  Sitting so still I wondered if he was okay.  Silly, right?  Isn't that what owls are known for?  Becoming a part of the scenery until the wildlife around them doesn't realize they are there?  Katie held the umbrella over the camera and I tried to zoom in as close as I could and get a still shot.  I'm not that steady and I was cold, so this is it.  He's/She's beautiful.  Katie and I compared pictures on the Internet.  We think it must be a short-eared owl.  Here on the West Coast in winter.
I wonder why he is sitting in our forest, right by our house, unmoving when we come close.  We stared at him so long from the warmth of the house that we did see his head swivel.  The birds left him for a while after his head turned.  I want to invite him inside, but am really thinking that would be disastrous.

Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest: Tracking and Identifying Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrates (Timber Press Field Guide)

A Change in Plans

Robby and I were supposed to go to youth group tonight at 6:30.  In fact, tonight was my turn to teach it.  I had a great lesson ready about the saints and had picked out a couple of really cool games to play - like Crab Soccer with a gigantic soccer ball.  Whenever I have to teach, I plan an early dinner, trying to get us to the table by 5 pm so that I have plenty of time to prepare after dinner.

At 4:30, I was boiling water for noodles and checking my spaghetti sauce (which had come from a jar with onion, hamburger, and home-canned tomato sauce added to stretch it) when Arnie came in to the kitchen at a faster than usual rate of speed, babbling something about not letting Katie see.  I turned to see him holding his hand out.  He was dripping blood and looking a bit pale.  As I started toward him, he turned to head back out the kitchen door way and down the hall.  Blank expression.  Uh, oh.  I know my Arnie.  He does not have a high tolerance for blood.

"Wupp, Wupp! Get back in here," I called.  He obeyed and went to the sink.  The floor was now covered with spots of blood and I think he was realizing that Katie wasn't the only one who shouldn't be looking at his cut.  I got him to sit in a chair and put pressure on his thumb.  He explained that he was sharpening his "bush" knife - the one with the scary hook that he takes fishing to cut away the brush.  Enough said.  The appendage was a thumb which equals a lot of bleeding; the cut was at an angle which creates a flap.  Arnie was looking a little better now that he was sitting down, but I knew we had to head to the emergency room.  I got on the phone and got coverage for the youth group - God bless our Christian community.  The woman I called wasn't even feeling well, but still went in to cover for me.

I called for Katie and Robby, granting Robby permission to stay at home by himself with doors locked and phone by his side.  Katie came with us.  I turned off the stove, spot cleaned the floor with a Clorox wipe and headed out.  We got to the tiny Hospital in McCleary at about 5:00, signed in and waited.  Others came in that were more serious, but the nurses kept checking on us to assure us they hadn't forgotten.

After two hours, Arnie was soaking in an Iodine solution. I commented that I would be disappointed if we spent hours in an emergency room and left with butterfly bandages.  Katie concurred, but Arnie seemed upset that I would wish stitches upon him.  I tried to be a better, more compassionate wife after that.  At some point, I called and had Robby put the spaghetti sauce in the refrigerator and stopped believing that I would make it to the last part of youth group.

At 8:00, a doctor showed up and caused more pain with an anesthetic and a needle.  He reopened the cut and decided that indeed, stitches would help it heal better.  After his work was done, we waited some more.  At 8:30, a nurse that we had worked with throughout our 3 and a half hour event came in with the final paperwork, prescriptions, and instructions.  He remarked, "Well, at least you got some sutures.  Made it worth your while."  I promise.  I tried not to start laughing.  Arnie looked completely blasphemed.  He cried out, "That's what she said!"  And I lost it.  Laughed until I cried.

We were finally headed home around 8:35.  Robby put the sauce back on the stove for us.  He started the water for noodles as well.  What a terrible Sunday night!  The kids got to bed so late.  Arnie's thumb is starting to throb.  I missed youth group.  Deep breath.  Tomorrow starts a new week.

Here's the latest the Lewis family has ever had dinner!

The thumb in question, still a bit numb from the anesthetic, easily forks spaghetti.

A Challenge for Maureen

I definitely want to model commitment and faith for my children, so I attend Mass regularly and stay involved in the parish.  Currently I "accompany" a choir on the piano.  In quotes because I'm not really good enough to accompany, but my friend, Judy, leads the group on guitar and I play the melody and some chords along with her.  The singing and the guitar really mask the piano most of the time.  Judy is gracious enough to play similar songs every time so that I get better and better at them.

It is through this piano playing that the kids get to see me stretch out of my comfort zone and challenge myself.  People who really know me realize how hard this is for me.  I like comfortable, easy routines.  I like to blend in to the background.  Let me be on the set up or clean up committee.  I'll do a great job and be incognito all night.  Playing the piano for the choir does not make me incognito.  It makes me stand out.  People in the church know who I am since they pass by me at communion...no hiding.  So, when the church decided to have a talent show, and Judy decided we should be in it, I couldn't hide.  Another challenge for Maureen.  How to support the church, the group, and have confidence that I can perform.

In the talent show I actually sang with the group which turned out to be very fun.  However, getting me there was nerve-wracking.  I don't like sitting at the piano and performing!  Imagine me trying to psych myself into standing and singing. We hammed it up though, which is why singing was fun.  I think we sounded fine and we got silly.  We sang "Boondocks" - funny. Get it?  Aberdeen, boondocks.  "It's where I learned about Jesus, and knowing where I stand.  You can take it or leave it.  This is me. This is who I am."

The kids came to rehearsals with me and had lots of advice.  Robby told me I should throw my cards down when Mrs. May cheated.  Katie thought I should dance a little more.  They are proud to see Mom get up and perform.  Someday they will know that they are my motivation.

Working on Better Breakfast

Soften onions and garlic in butter.

 I'm still searching for memorable Saturday morning breakfast.  Okay, in our house at this point, I'm trying to erase the popularity of Bisquick pancakes...I tried quiche.  I don't get along very well with pie crust, although my last attempt was not too bad.  My friend, Swiss, suggested that I try a frittata.  This morning I found a recipe that I could substitute my own ingredients for and went to town making breakfast. 

Dig around for left over meat.  I found sausage with cheddar cheese in it!  Hmmm.  Who bought this?

Whisk up 4 to 6 eggs and season with salt and pepper.

 Making the frittata was easy and savory, two things I love about breakfast.  Most of the work is done in a skillet on the stove.  The dish is finished under the broiler and smothered in cheese.  As I was cooking, Katie wandered out to see what smelled so good - always a good sign.  She then headed back to report to Daddy that I was making a - oh wait, she had to come back to hear the word again - frittata.  Robby left the comfort of his bed and brought his DS to the living room.  Another good sign.  Of all the breakfast eaters in the house, Robby is the hardest to please.  If breakfast isn't warm and fluffy, he struggles with it.

Hash browns, sausage, eggs setting up on medium high heat.

 Fortunately, this breakfast went extremely well.  Everyone cleaned their plate.  Katie and Arnie went back for seconds.  I celebrated!  Jackpot!  An easy, delicious, use-up-the-leftovers breakfast.  I can imagine making this next Saturday with leftover salmon, red peppers, and cheese!  Ha!  More cheese and fish.
Maybe I will make memorable Saturday morning breakfast yet.  I hope that someday Katie and Robby call me for my frittata recipe.  "Remember that frying pan egg dish you used to make, Mom?  Can I have that recipe?"  I will pretend that it was no big deal and of course, they can have the recipe.

Voila!  A pretty dish.

Evidence of success.