Kib's Bay!

Several years ago my children complained that there's a mother's day and there's a father's day but there's no kid's day! So my son wrote 'kib's bay' on the calendar (he used to reverse letters) and the name stuck. Each year now my hubby and I surprise the kids with this floating holiday. We typically wake them up with party horns then tell them what to pack and off we go!

This year Kib's Bay was on Friday, August 14th. We woke the kids up in the usual way and told them to get dressed because we were going out for breakfast! We went to Famous Amos and ate heartily of typical breakfast fare. Then we returned home and told the kids to pack for the beach. After dropping Penny off at her doggie hotel, off we went to Beach Marine where we rented a jet ski for an hour.

Michael took the kids out, (I just hung out) and then headed to our Fairfield Inn at Neptune Beach.

We checked in and watched some TV (yey Food Network!) then because it started storming we drove to Atlantic Beach for frappuccinos. Once the rain eased up we drove back to the hotel and jumped in the spa to warm up (those fraps are c-c-c-old!) We played in the pool then walked across the street for a walk on the beach. The weather was still yucky so we didn't feel like hanging out. We played in Courtyard's pool/spa before heading back for showers.

We had dinner at Atlantic Beach at the Sun Dog Diner.

After dinner we went to Peter Lebhar's CD release concert. It was GREAT!

The grand finale was family surf lessons the following day! Epic Surf Ministries is AWESOME!I did bust my left big toenail wide open but besides that we had a great time! The waves were a big rough but we still ALL stood up!

Ahhh..Kib's Bay! Another great deposit to the memory bank!

Summer workout

I am motivated to get (and STAY!) in shape. I have invited several friends to "join me" (not literally but in spirit) in order to keep me accountable to someone. I do so much better when I have to answer to someone else! So I have created a workout schedule in order to be able to run a 5K again (and to think that I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in '04!). Plus my family gifted me with the Wii Fit for mother's day. I am having so much fun with it!

I am also going back to Weight Watchers to get my weight back down to my goal weight. I had made lifetime but am right back to where I was. I'm glad that I know the program am motivated to get back to it. Anyone else care to join me? Email me for a copy of the workout schedule!

I love summer! A change in seasons inspires me to change! Check out my summer schedule on my other blog! What do you like to do in the summer?

Ahhhhh....vacation!

We just got back from a 3 day get-away. It was vacation for the kids and me but work for hubby. He likes having us along though. We like tagging along, especially when the hotel is paid for! We went to beautiful Panama City Beach! The place we stayed in was right on the beach: Sandpiper Beacon. It is a big spring break destination for the college crowd, but everything had been freshly painted. No evidence of crazy goings-on! But let me tell you, I KNOW why they call it the Redneck Riviera! Whew...

Annie said about this place, "This is the best hotel we've ever stayed at!" And she's stayed at some pretty nice ones! Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Gaylord in Orlando...The reason? the lazy river. Not because the decor was top-notch (it wasn't) or because it was brand-new (nope). She LOVED playing in the lazy river. It was small and it was indoors but it was fun!
Our room was quite nice (again, nothing fancy!). We had a two-room suite with three beds and a pull-out couch, so everyone had their own bed! (yey, no grumbling!) It also had a kitchenette which was great for breakfasts, drinks and snacks. We liked being on the top floor because the view was great!

Despite the view, the pools, the beach and the hot tub, THIS is vacation for Tommy:


He did manage to go out for a few runs. He is training for his first triathlon and Michael had hoped to do an open-water swim with him, but alas, there were jellyfish and both Tommy and Annie were stung. They looked more like jelly-worms. We saw quite a few of them washed up on shore. Strange looking things...

We did enjoy the beautiful sand and played around in it quite a bit. The water too was the perfect temperature and so clear. Darn those jellyfish!

I relaxed and enjoyed myself, but I'm in no rush to return. Not my cup of tea, I guess. I prefer the Atlantic, murky water and all!

Keys to Fighting Fair

1. Replace “you” statements with “I feel” statements.
2. Don’t say “You never…”, “You always….”, and “I told you so…”
3. Don’t dredge up the past in the current argument.
4. Really listen.
5. Don’t say things you’ll regret later. (accusatory things).
6. No name calling or cursing.
7. Watch your body language (eye rolling, etc).
8. No disallowing the other person’s feelings. Understand that how you feel is more important then how they intended it.
9. Figure out how your partner handles anger.
Sheila: needs time to cool. Can’t think clearly.
Michael: wants to talk it out, discuss the problem.
10. Don’t go to sleep angry.
11. Your partner cannot read your mind.
12. Don’t say “NOTHING”. You can say, “Yes, something is wrong but I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
13. Pick the right time to discuss things. (not right as you are walking in to church).
14. Don’t add fuel to the fire.
15. Diffuse anger with humor when appropriate.16. Say, “I’m sorry. Do you forgive me?” when it’s your fault. Own your share.
17. Be forgiving, kind.
18. Don’t hold a grudge. GRACE! (This eliminates scars and bad memories in your memory bank.)
19. Go to God to grumble and complain about your spouse; do NOT call your mother or even your best friend.
20. Look at your own part in this. “Log in your own eye before the speck in the other’s”
21. Expectations can set up for failure.
22. Hurting your spouse hurts yourself. (“The two shall become one flesh”)
23. Self-talk (a running conversation in your head). Can be from Satan. Causes discontent. Take every thought captive.
24. Ladies, be aware of what time of the month it is. You may be being particularly sensitive when at other times it wouldn’t bother you. Guys, you be aware to!

Garden is growing!

I took a stroll through the garden today to see what is growing. Want to see?

The smell of the orange blossoms on the Satsuma tree is amazing!
Wish I could upload that for you!

Baby lemons...future lemonade!!

The peppers are coming along nicely.

As are the Celebrity tomatoes (or are those Stupic?)

And the cherry tomatoes...

The zucchini are almost ready to pick if I want 'baby zucchini!'

So all in all, a good walk through the garden..

Tomatillo Salsa

I got some great tomatillos at the farmer's market last week and since I delight in salsa verde I wanted to try canning some. Here is the recipe I used.

Tomatillo Green Salsa (for canning) (What I actually did 3/29/09)
Yield: 8 pints

7 cups chopped tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped long green chiles
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup white vinegar
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot salsa into pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner 15 minutes.

Chopping the tomatillos was a little time consuming,

so I used the Cuisinart for the onions, garlic and cilantro.

Cooked everything together for 20 minutes.
Poured into clean jelly jars.
Final step: water bath. Wrapped in old Tshirst (to prevent breakage) and boiled for 15 minutes.

And that was it! We haven't tried it yet. Hope it's not too vinegar-y!

Coming out of hiding...

Michael's levels are really coming down. He has a Geiger counter and on the first day his levels were somewhere around 100. After a shower that evening it dropped to the 40's. He is now down near the single digits. Tomorrow he is supposed to get checked out to see if he can come out of hiding.

He did come out yesterday and sat in a chair to enjoy the sunshine. Annie and I kept our distance but it was nice to have some face time. He IS feeling a little sick and naseous. His brother John told him to take some Prilosec. Hopefully that will take care of it!

The quarantine quarters

We finished the to do list and the room is fixed up and the prisoner....er....patient...is in there. I thought you might like to see the transformation to our room. Sorry for those of you who didn't know what it looked like before. I'll try to post a picture after we restore it to it's usual look.

We stripped the bed of the decorative pillows and down comforter and replaced them with easily washable blankets.

We removed the dog crate that is usually in this corner and put in a trash can for all those disposables he'll be using.

He stocked a disposable cooler with waters so he wouldn't have to ask for a drink everytime he needed one.

Here you can see the hamper lined with a trash bag as well as the DVD player, movies on loan from friends and the flat screen TV on loan from my parents! A folding table is set up (in the background) as a desk.

We removed the dog bed which is usually in this spot and put up a folding table to be used as a desk. This is a closeup of the desk. He is all set with disposable gloves, laptop wrapped in plastic wrap. The remotes and geiger counter are also wrapped. He has reading material and a supply of candies in the plastic bag in case his throat gets sore.

And finally the bathroom. He is supposed to bathe often since the iodine is secreted through the pores. He has a good supply of towels. Here you can see his supply of medicines on the left. He wrapped the tube of toothpaste, the soap dispenser and the sink handle!

Don't feel too bad for him. My son said he would LOVE to have all the TV and computer time they want, with food coming whenever he asked for it. But you can pray for him because he is missing contact with people! He is looking forward to getting this behind him so he can get back to normal with his energy levels.

Radioactive!

We are getting ready for Michael to receive his radioactive iodine. The list of things to do to get ready keeps growing! He had his surgery three weeks ago. They removed his thyroid due to papillary carcinoma.

He has been off of his medication for a week and his energy is declining. Yesterday we got the call from the endocrinologist that his TSH levels are at 54. That's excellent! We can go ahead and schedule the radioactive iodine uptake. He will have to be in isolation for at least 3 days. We will probably err on the safe side and make it a little longer. So in preparation for that, I need to:

• pack up my clothes and toiletries (he must have exclusive use of the bathroom)
• remove the dog bed and crate from the room
• stock his bathroom with extras (towels, tp, etc)
• set up a table and chair to serve as a desk
• put in a trash can for all the disposables he will be using
• set up a clothes basket with a trash bag for his radioactive clothing
• remove our good down comforter and replace with easily washed blanket
• stock up on things to do: magazines/books to read, movies to watch, etc.
• stock up on snacks/drinks

My parents have very generously donated the use of a flat screen TV (we only own one television) for the bedroom. It is HD so we are receiving channels we don't normally receive.
All this, plus homeschool, shuttle kids around and do my Sonlight stuff. Whew!

Herb Garden

I have a separate herb garden that is closer to my back door so I can pop out and snip the required herb. All I had left after the winter was my ever-increasing thyme patch and some parsley that had self-seeded.

I bought basil, oregano, marjoram, peppermint, spearmint, sage, and lamb's ear (accidentally, I thought it was sage!) I also planted parsley and basil seed that I had collected but nothing's come up yet. Here you can see all the new plants I added. You can see the largish parsley bush in the background and the big thyme patch in the foreground.

The harvest!

The jars have cooled and now I have the "problem" of finding places to store them! I jokingly call the coat closet my cellar. This is right about the time I pack away our winter clothes so I have some room in the coat closet for two boxes. I will try to squeeze the other box in my pantry. Oh the pasta sauce, chili, salsa we'll enjoy!!

Last year I had my husband and dad put in a shelf above my white board in the kitchen so I could have space to display/store my pretty jars. When the jars were gone this year I replaced it with pasta. Now they are sharing space!

My Garden

Yesterday we (finally) put in our garden! My dad had tilled it about a month ago but we got busy (of course) and so it didn't get planted. But in the meantime greens had started growing! Every winter I sow fiarelli (an Italian green like rapini) because I love them and rapini are so expensive in stores and they are easy to grow. My first batch had gone to seed and so when my dad tilled, all the seeds that were lying dormant woke up!

So we picked all the greens and filled two clothes baskets full. My mom had agreed to wash and cook them (I have a garden to plant!) and we will freeze them for summer use. When we finally had the plot cleared, my dad tilled it again. He has a little tiller that works just right for our sized gardens. (He has one too). He also dug out several roots that grew in from our neighbor's yard.

We had plenty of help raking and grading. Here is Timothy who wanted to help our but he was leaving for a soccer game. He raked from the grass so as to not get his cleats full of dirt.

After getting it all level we decided to use the leftover wire I had from making compost bins to fence in the garden from our yellow lab. I just happened to have some wire poles (rebar) that worked well. I planted 3 cherry tomatoes, 2 celebrity tomatoes, 2 stupic tomatoes and 4 red pepper plants. That only took up about half the space so I went out today and got more peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and cucumber. I never did find ichiban eggplant so we'll have to do without this year. (My husband is happy~he doesn't care for eggplant!) Maybe some lettuce and carrots too. I've never grown zucchini and cucumber before so that should be fun. So now I have everything in except for the mulch and tomato cages. Hopefully I'll get around to that next weekend...

Michael has shown some interest in gardening too so he took over the strawberry patch, dug half of it out and planted hot pepers. We have a dat'l pepper bush that is coming back after our freezes this winter, he planted cayenne and a jalapeno. We plan on making lots of salsas this summer!

Annie had received a gardening set for Christmas and seeds were a part of the set. She planted a bunch of them today too~cayenne! So we will have LOTS of hot peppers if they come up!

Oh, I love spring!!

Canning tomatoes

My mother and I can tomatoes every March here in Florida. We were so excited to find boxes of tomatoes at $9/box at the farmer's market. We bought 7. I wanted to make 2 into sauce and 2 into chopped tomatoes. My brother and mom will share the other 3 boxes. They wanted all sauce. We had a perfect day...not too hot and not too cold. Timothy and Annie helped out as well.

First we boiled the cleaned tomatoes to prepare them for making sauce.

While those boiled I diced tomatoes. After I filled a big bucket, we added salt and started filling jars.

After we finished those, the tomatoes were finished boiling. We drained them and the pureeing process began.

We filled more jars. Then dad wrapped each jar with a rag and placed them in the big drum while Annie filled it with water. The jars will boil for 30 minutes.

In the meantime Mom added salt to the puree. What a big pot it made!!

After all our hard work, we stopped for lunch. What did we eat? Bread and tomatoes of course! We call it pane e pomodoro.

Yummmmmmy!!!

I have caught the blogging bug with my other blog, but whereas my other blog is about our homeschooling adventure, this one is intended to be about my other interests (see profile). I have many friends who want this or that recipe, or want to see pictures of my projects, or WHATEVER, this is my way of sharing what is going on in my life with others. So welcome to my potpourri of things and ideas. I hope you will share with me as well!