Garden Dinner

Oh, the satisfaction! Tonight we had dinner strongly influenced by our garden. We had Pesto Steak on the Grill with a side of Whole Grain Spiral Pasta tossed with pesto and tomatoes. The basil for the pesto and the tomatoes were picked from our garden by the Daddy/Daughter gardening team.

Mmmm, it was so yummy! Our whole house smells of basil. Fresh from the garden, it's scent was amazingly strong. The kids both gobbled up dinner. They especially loved the pesto and tomato pasta.

We didn't follow a recipe, so I learned a little about collaborating with my hubby and being creative without a recipe as a guide. I don't cook steak. I don't much care for it except when I am pregnant (which I am not). So, my dear hubby was patient and taught me how to grill a steak to perfection - well, nearly perfection.

Constitutional Convention

This November, when we go to the polls to elect a new president, in our state, we will also be voting on another issue. We will be voting on whether or not our state should have a Constitutional Convention. This concept has been very confusing to me. I have tried to learn more about it, especially since I know it will be on the ballot. Any information that I have read has left me even more confused.
Tonight I attended a Constitutional Convention Debate. Both sides of the issue were represented and both defended their positions. Questions were also fielded from the audience. It was a really good experience. I learned a lot and I have a much better idea about what I will be voting on in November. There will be a podcast of the debate and I will put up a link when it is available.

Catching Up

Sometimes I feel like I am swept up in the massive wave that is life. I find myself too busy, too involved, too behind, too prepared, too unprepared, too... everything.

Today, instead of being swept away by the wave that has been the month of July, I accepted it. I stepped back and acknowledged the beauty of it. Sure, the waves of life are noisy and unpredictable but they really are beautiful too. Today, I tried to relearn that. To reteach myself to relax, breath, and catch up. And, to not get flustered by the crashing of the waves but to see the big picture and to see the beauty in it. This is a constant lesson for me.
Today, I tried to catch up on much of what has been neglegted over the past several weeks. However, I left time to enjoy the peace and quiet with my children and the company of old friends.

Demolition Derby

I have always loved the Demolition Derby. It is by far my favorite event of the fair. I remember sitting with my childhood friend screaming for our favorite car to bash the others and drive away victorious.

In 1997, I drove in the Demolition Derby. My soon-to-be fiance was in the passenger's seat with me. As the adrenalin flooded through our veins, all we were thinking about was crashing into other cars and avoiding getting crushed ourselves.
We weren't thinking about the fact that the following year we would be married or that, in the years that followed, we would bring children into the world. We were focused on crushing cars and not breaking any major parts of our own bodies.
Today, we sat at that same arena for the last time to watch the final Demolition Derby at our Fair's current location. We sat as spectators and introduced our children to the competition that holds strong memories for my husband and I. The children loved it! Our daughter sat on Daddy's lap and watched with fascination as the crushing began. Our son sat on my lap and grinned from ear to ear at each crash of the cars.

I felt fully the impact of time as I saw the smiles on my children's faces as they enjoyed the crashing of the cars. It felt like only yesterday that my hubby and I were in that arena in a Demolition Derby car filled with adrenalin. Today we are married and holding our children... telling them the story of Mommy driving in the Demo Derby and Daddy bravely sitting at my side, completely trusting my driving. Eleven years have passed since that day. A wedding and two children are the major events since then. Sitting in that arena for the last time, sharing a story of our past made me realize just how quickly time flies by.

My daughter decided that she wanted to drive in the Demolition Derby when she is old enough. She wants Mommy to be her passenger. I told her that in 11 years Mommy and Daddy will be teaching her to drive. Then it hit me... In the amount of time that has passed since we drove the Demo, our daughter will be on a driver's permit. Whoa!

I gotta hug that little girl in pigtails. I gotta snuggle with that chubby little baby. Before I know it, they will be off on their own adventures, making memories to share with their children.

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Today, at the fair, we had an opportunity to learn about Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. An exhibit promised that - for a fee - you could enter and see all sorts of unique creatures. Well, we weren't going to pay to go inside but we sure enjoyed the freebie outside of the exhibit. To entice you inside, the exhibitor had a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach for people passing by to look at, touch, or even hold. Well, my little girl jumped right in. "Can I hold it?!?!" she exclaimed. All those around us were shocked that the tiny, little, pigtailed, 4-year-old jumped right in to hold the very thing that they themselves were scared to even look at. After getting a round of applause from those watching, she enthusiastically asked, "Mommy, can we get one?" To which everyone laughed. When we turned down the exhibitor's offer to come inside and see more, we were told, "That's OK, you brought me tons of business. Everyone wanted to see the little girl holding a giant Cockroach!"

After we left the exhibit, she told me that the cockroach looked like a big Cicada without wings. Pretty funny since I had been thinking that the whole experience kinda reminded me of this time last year when we had the invasion of the Periodical Cicadas. Most toddler's were fearful but not ours. She loved the Cicadas and cried when we told her they wouldn't be back for many, many years.

It looks like we may have a future Entomologist.

Hangin' With the Goats

Look at that face! Isn't he cute?


I've loved goats since I was a child. They are definitely my favorite farm animal. I heard a farmer joking once about how good goats are at mowing a lawn. I have this vague memory of him saying that a homeowner wouldn't even need a lawn mower if they had a goat. I thought that was a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, my father did not. I tried every childhood tactict I could muster to convince him that if we had a goat, we wouldn't need that noisy old lawn mower. He, in turn, reminded me of the byproduct the goats would leave behind after eating all that grass. Hmmm, maybe not such a good plan.

Well, I never abandoned the idea. My husband knows all about by hair brained idea of getting a goat to mow our lawn. They are so much cuter than that ugly machine that we currently use. I'm pretty sure that our city has an ordinance against having livestock in your backyard. But, I tell you, the moment someone gives me a green light, I'm getting me a goat. Today I decided what kind I want... a Nubian Dairy Goat. I fell in love with one at the fair today. My friend works in the goat barn and encouraged our children to pet the Nubians because they are quite friendly. This one would nudge us with her head whenever we stopped petting her. Both kids adored her and her big old floppy ears.

I learned today that the Nubians are the ones with the very long, floppy ears. They are one of the larger breeds of goats and their milk tends to be higher in protein and butter fat than other breeds. AND, most importantly, I learned that they are cute and friendly!

I definitely need to get me a goat!

New Recipe

I tried another recipe from my old issue of Kraft Food & Family. I'm really enjoying the recipes in this magazine that has been sitting on the shelf with my cookbooks since 2004. The recipe I tried today is for Savory Parmesan Bites.

They were really easy to make (only 5 ingredients) and oh-so-yummy. I only made a half recipe and we have left-overs. I also got confused by the folding directions. I was trying to listen to my four year old while figuring it out...not an easy task. So, they look a little wonky and they are much larger than what the recipe called for. So, they're not nearly as pretty as the picture in the magazine but thy sure were yummy. Definitely a good recipe..fattening, but good!