Summer Goals and no A/C

Summer is officially here; school has ended and there's been a collective sigh in the house. Now if only the weather will clue in...

It's always a good thing to have goals, so here are mine:

*work on potty-training with Foo-Foo. Not exactly a fun time (is it ever?) since he doesn't really seem to care too much, but he does like wearing underwear, so it's a start, anyway

*walk at least 5 days a week, I'd like it to be 6. These walks are normally 60-70 min, unless I have the boys with me and we go to the park. Then and easy 30min.

*Keep writing. I've submitted to six agents so far, and have plenty of manuscripts to work on, so all's good in that area.

*have activities for the boys to do a couple of days a week. Right now tin can robots are in the works.

*Finish painting entryway, dining room and bathroom, then get to work peeling off border in the boys' room. I swear, wallpaper hates me. Really, it does.

That's it for now. Wait, what's that about no air conditioning?

It's no secret that I hate the stuff, and it keeps kids from going outside in the summer. We had a few days of brutal heat last week, and we were probably the only ones who didn't turn on the A/C. I'm not sure if we're saving any money running fans, but the benefits are pretty good. The boys went outside where it was cooler without me having to shoehorn them out the door, as I've had to in the past to get them out of the coolness.  Pretty awesome, I'd say. Plus, at least for June the weather appears to be in the upper 70's-to upper 80's, not a problem.  To me, it's worth it.

I really believe being dependent on A/C makes people not so tough, not able to handle the heat. Don't get me wrong, I like having it on in the car and when I go places, but at home I quickly tire of it. I hate being cold when I want to be warm, like when I get out of the shower. Hate that so much.


That's what's happening around here.

Layered Salad from OhSheGlows

Here's a delicious salad that Foo-Foo and I made tonight. You can change the vegetables to suit your own tastes, of course. 

Here's the recipe from Oh She Glows, with my changes in parentheses.

For the salad:
1 cup uncooked wheatberries (bulgur wheat)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup edamame (I subbed zuchinni instead)
1 cup diced carrots
1.5 cups diced red pepper
1.5 cups diced green pepper
(I used about 6 sweet tricolored peppers)
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
Salt, to taste (I forgot this)

For the dressing: (makes four 1/4 cup servings)
2/3 cup 100% pure orange juice (I juiced two oranges)
1/3 cup 100% pure apple juice (I didn't have an apple, so I used a bit of pineapple juice)
1 Tbl apple cider vinegar
1 Tbl fresh minced ginger
1 Tbl fresh lime juice
Salt, to taste

I also added a bit of Bragg's Liquid Aminos to the dressing, as it didn't have the right taste for me. You could use soy sauce or tamari instead of the Bragg's, if desired.

1. In a medium sized pot. add quinoa and 1.5 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce head and cover and simmer until fluffy, about 15-20 min. Do the same for the wheatberries (bulgur), but add 2 cups of water and cook until tender and chewy.

2. Meanwhile, chop the veggies. In a bowl or jar, whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.

3. When the grains have cooked, grab your pint-sized mason jars and add into each: 1/2 cup wheatberries, 1/4 cup green pepper, 1/4 cup red pepper, 1/2 cup quinoa, 1/4 cup carrots, 2 Tbl parsley adn 1/4 cup edamame per mason jfar. You may have to push it down a bit. Repeat as necessary. Makes enough for 4 mason jars, with a bit left over. Alternatively, you can just mix the salad together into a big bowl with the dressing. The salad will keep in the fridge for 5-6 days.

*note: the veggies are all raw


It is quite a tasty salad, light and satisfying, and very open to variations.

Finally!

Yes, we are finally finishing up the painting downstairs in the dining room and entryway. Yes, it's amazing. And next week we'll be finishing the bathroom! Wait, maybe I shouldn't say that.... For awhile we've been searching for the 'perfect' mirror for the bathroom. Meanwhile, a small mirror from Target propped up in the window has been the only mirror. Nice, huh?

And those shutters are also going. A nice idea, but I've hit my head way too many times on them to like them. When folded they take up a lot of room. Yeah, that's a phone on the wall there, too, in reach of the toilet. As if. That is destined for the kids' toybox for sure. Maybe even today.

I'll post pics of the diningroom/entryway later, cause while it won't take long to finish the painting, it's going to take a lot of effort to get all the crap sorted and put away. Yes, I know I wait too long to do things like that.

Here's the bathroom wall, waiting for a mirror and lights, which we do have.

It will be nice to have these two projects crossed off so I can move on to the boys' room next.

Hey, I guess it really is winter!

Yep, there's about 5-6 inches of the white stuff outside, and the kids couldn't be more thrilled. As for the grownups who have to do the disposal....well, we're not so thrilled. I found myself wishing The Cat in the Hat would stop by with his little alphabet friends, especially little cat Z, the Vroom.  Dyno Dad gave me a lesson on the snow blower last night (yeah, nothing like clearing your driveway after dark) so the next time it snows, I can do it.  Yay. Brr.

Homemade Crackers and Sprouts, Too

Today Foo-Foo and I made crackers, putting our own spin on a recipe from Maria's Country Kitchen. The original recipe called for the baking tray to be 'slathered' with olive oil, in addition to the 1/3 cup olive oil in the dough, and so I did as directed, but the result was not the best. I found the crackers to be too oily, and the flavor too strong. So the next batch (so easy to make) I added chia seeds and dill weed for added flavor and sprayed the tray with cooking spray and then a bit of olive oil instead. The resulting crackers were much more palatable and yummy.

 Homemade Crackers

2 Cups flour (a mix of 1 cup white whole wheat flour and 1 cup of all purpose flour)
1 tsp salt
2/3 Cup warm water
1/3 Cup olive oil
1 1/2 Tbl Chia seeds
1 tsp dill weed

1. Heat the oven to 375*
2. Mix all ingredients together until it makes a soft dough.
3. Heavily spray a baking tray with cooking spray

4. Put dough on the tray and smooth it out to cover the whole bottom.
5. Cut the dough into squares with a sharp knife.

6.Sprinkle with salt and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Yummy!

I also started some sprouts; they should be ready tomorrow or the next day:

Mung beans on the left (these are the kind you see in the grocery store, but don't buy them; grow your own. Easy and much safer)  The seeds on the left are a spicy mix of alfalfa and other seeds that I can't remember since I threw the bag away a long time ago. (oops)

If you've never sprouted seeds, I highly recommend it. Not only are the sprouts tasty, they're incredibly good for you. Don't try sprouting beans from the grocery store, though. Those have more than likely been treated with chemicals. Obtain beans/seeds specifically for sprouting either from a health food store or online.

Wednesday That Feels Like Monday

What does that mean? Is it all about perception, or is it all about what confines us: clocks, calendars, labels.... what would the world be like if we had no clocks, days of the week, calendars? Would life be more spontaneous or at least more free?

I think it would.  What do you think?

You say goodbye, I say hello

The new year--most people get kinda nutty about starting another year--to them, it's a time of resolutions, a time to reflect on the past year and make goals for the new. I do wonder how many folks actually keep those resolutions--I know I never do. I stopped making those silly lists a long time ago, but for this next year I do have one goal for the year:

Step out of my comfy box and just go for it.

Step completely out of it in all areas of my life and believe in myself.

Yeah. That's it.