Mother Earth News Fair...

This was certainly the most eventful trip I've had in a long time! And by eventful I mean stressful, disaster-ridden, spontaneous, and sleep deprived.  But aren't those the best =)?

I wasn't even supposed to go (my mom and I were staying home to unpack more boxes) but two days before the boys were leaving I suddenly decided I'd really like to go help out at our booth and see Texas again.  So on Friday we packed up our old suburban and trailer, and headed to the Mother Earth News Fair in Texas...

It's been three years since we've been back to our home state and everything looks so different! We all took a gazillion pictures, of course...

Everything went well on the way (except for leaving an hour late, our kombucha exploding on us *THREE* times, telemarketers calling me literally every seven minutes, and waiting nearly half an hour to find the letter "Q" so we could finish the alphabet game) and we got everything set up in the expo center just before they closed down for the night.  Just as we pulled into the hotel parking lot, though, my mom noticed smoke coming out of our car.  We all jumped out (just earlier that day we had seen the remains of an eighteen wheeler that had caught on fire and that image was still a little too fresh in everyone's memory) , Dad checked the problem and we found out our brakes were glowing red! It's a miracle we made it to the hotel and the car didn't catch on fire while were on the highway! We let them cool down and spent the night calling around for mechanic references.  I made some Tuna Tare-Tare for dinner and we tried to relax somewhat...but we were all pretty stressed out.

 Early the next morning Mom drove Dad and the boys to the expo (veeerrryyy slowly) and then headed to the mechanic while I stayed behind in the hotel room and put together a lunch to bring everyone when she got back.  Several hours later the car still wasn't fixed, so a dear friend of my mom's gave her a ride back to the hotel, picked me up, and then brought me over to the expo to help the boys out.  When I got there I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of old friends had dropped by to keep us company! We hadn't seen them in a while so it was great to catch up and it definitely helped us keep our mind off our tired feet (we didn't bring chairs and the expo floor was concrete)... plus it made our booth look a lot more inviting with all the laughter and smiles going around =)!

Our booth turned out beautifully thanks to the talent of my artistic brothers =).  The expo didn't end until seven P.M., and we had a lot of business, so we were all pretty worn out by the end of the day.  I love going to shows like these and actually getting to meet our customers!  Several of the other vendors came by to chat and exchange information about our products, too, so we really enjoyed ourselves.  Mom picked us up when the car was (FINALLY) working again, with the cheerful news that one of our tires had something wrong with it and could very well fall off while we were driving home the next day.  We decided to risk it and started back home early Sunday morning.  As soon as we got on the freeway, we started hearing a grinding noise...which gradually grew louder and louder, then other various noises began to alert us that something was NOT RIGHT.  By sheer Providence, this all happened right as we reached a small town  and pulled into a hotel parking lot, but since it was Sunday, all the mechanics in town were closed...it was straight out of an Andy Griffith episode! The staff at the hotel were really sweet and found us a room, so we unloaded the car and prepared to spend an extra night away from home.  We were really disappointed, though, because we were unable to make it to Mass in Irving like we had planned...After about an hour of being in the hotel room, Dad came in and said he was pretty sure he had fixed the car! Thankfully, the hotel gave us a refund for the room, so we re-loaded the car and got back on the road...annnddd right as we left town, the noises started all over again.  The next town with a mechanic who was open was thirty miles away, so we just kept driving and praying rosaries until we got there...I don't think we went over forty-five mph the whole way.  While the car was being repaired a second time, the boys and I walked around the shopping center by the mechanic (I nearly bought myself a pair of gold earrings, but my inner Dave Ramsey voice reminded me that I really didn't need them, I was just buying them to make myself feel better =)) until our poor feet were even more sore .  By the time the suburban was back to driving condition, we were all tired and REALLY HUNGRY, so when another old friend wanted to meet us at Chipotle for dinner, we said "yes, please, as soon as possible!" This particular friend happens to be a very talented photographer(as well as a hilarious and beautiful lady) so after we scarfed down our burrito bowls as politely and quickly as possible, we all headed outside for a quick, but fun photo shoot.  It was drizzling and getting dark, but we all couldn't stop giggling (or at least I couldn't; my brothers were more of just laughing =p).

After our goodbyes, we got back on the road once more...and this time we made it all the way home without further problems.  Our animals were all very happy to see us and we were glad to finally be able to sleep in our own beds again.  

This week we'll be busy moving the rest of our stuff from the rent-house, packing all the orders we got while we were gone, repairing some more plumbing damage, and I'm going to start working on a bridal shower I'm hosting for a friend who's getting married after Easter.  I have to say, even though the trip WAS a lot of fun, there really is no place like home! =)

Sweetsome Sundays...Chocolate Mocha Frozen Torte

Happy St. Valentine's Day, everyone!!!
I can't believe it's been a year since I last wrote one of these posts...it feels like just yesterday! To be honest, Lent is my favorite time of the year; I love the liturgy, praying the Stations, special Sunday treats, and of course our St. Patrick's Day party! This year it will be a sort of house-warming party for us because it will be the first time we've had friends over in our new house.

This past Sunday we were invited to a friend of mine's home to have dinner with her family...it was a sort of group effort between all of us; I made the main course (lasagna), my friend made a salad, her sister made cookies, my brother Avery provided moral support and comedy to entertain us, and my brother Blaise made a Chocolate Mocha Ice Cream Torte for dessert.  I had asked him to make some simple chocolate chip cookies, but Mr. Gourmet couldn't just make something quick and simple, he had to make something that took two days to put together and looked like something from a William's Sonoma magazine =).  And let me tell you; IT WAS GOOOODDDD...

This is the recipe he used...he made his own macaroons, and some snicker bars instead of the toffee.

Chocolate Mocha Frozen Torte

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups crisp coconut macaroon cookie crumbs
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 cups chocolate ice cream, softened
• 4 cups coffee ice cream, softened
• 4 ounces chocolate-coated toffee candy bars, coarsely crushed
• ½ cup hot fudge sauce, cooled*

HOT FUDGE SAUCE

• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350° F. Stir together butter and cookie crumbs. Lightly press into bottom of a 9- to 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool completely.

Spread chocolate ice cream in an even layer over cooled crust. Drizzle ¼ cup fudge sauce evenly over ice cream. Freeze until firm. Spread coffee ice cream evenly in pan. Sprinkle evenly with crushed toffee and drizzle remaining fudge sauce on top. Cover with plastic film and freeze until firm.

* Use fudge sauce recipe or your favorite brand or recipe

Fudge Sauce

In a saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar, and half and half. Continue cooking until thickened. Gradually add condensed milk. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keeps well refrigerated for several months. Reheat before serving. 

 

Have a lovely week!

Just Another Boring Day On the Farm...

Monday morning I was in our library sending an email, when I glanced out the window, and, weeellll... 

Yeeeep, last week we had burned a small pile of trash, and thought it was all extinguished, but apparently the wind ignited some sparks, and next thing you know we had Mordor in our back yard...just a few yards from our new house.

My brothers and I ran out with our one puny water hose and several buckets to try to contain the disaster as best we could until the volunteer fire department got there.  Thankfully the wind was blowing away from our house or else we would have had a MUCH more serious problem on our hands.  Our dog, Lottie, followed me all through the inferno like a good guard dog, and when we moved back to the house to make way for the V.F.D., she started jumping all over me, as if to say "WE MADE IT! WE SURVIVED!"

After the fire was contained, things calmed down....until my brother stopped by a friend's house and was attacked by their two dogs.  He wasn't hurt too badly (they tore his jeans, bruised and scraped his shoulder, and left a pretty deep gash in his leg), but mom and dad took him to a clinic to get checked out to be safe.  And people think we have a boring life, devoid of excitement.  I wish. =)

On the bright side, everywhere the fire burned is now well fertilized, all the brush I didn't like is gone, Mom was able to pick up some treats for Mardi Gras since she was already in town, and I got to add "Fire Fighting" to my list of things that you can do in a long skirt.  

I hope you all have a very blessed and penitential Lent...and I hope mine will be very calm, boring, and uneventful =p.

From the Kitchen...Homemade Sushi

Last Friday we unanimously agreed we wanted some Spicy Sushi like we used to get at Fujiyamas back in Texas.  I know there's a special Japanese name for this dish, but to us it's just Spicy Sushi.
My brother has made basic sushi before with just cream cheese and cucumbers, but I've never tried it so it was a bit of a learning experience for me.  Surprisingly enough, it was very easy and quick to put together! I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before, but I love sushi and could honestly eat it every day, but its so hard to find a good place to buy it without any MSG, and is so expensive...I'm so happy I can make my own now!

Homemade Sushi

Ingredients:

One Sushi grade Tuna Steak, raw, cut into long strips or one inch chunks

Three Sheets of Sushi Nori

Three cups Sushi Rice

One Avocado, diced

Eight ounces of Cream Cheese, cut into long strips

Sesame seeds for garnish

Tiger Sauce:

One cup of Mayonnaise

One tablespoon of Sriracha sauce (or more to taste)

Instructions:

1. Lay the nori out on a cutting board or other hard, non-sticky surface.  
2. Cover with rice, pressing down and smoothing it all over the nori.  When completely covered, carefully turn over. 
3.  Put one strip of cream cheese at the edge.  
4. Lay the tuna and avocado next to the cream cheese and carefully start rolling the nori (it helps to have your hands wet for this part so the rice doesn't stick to you).  
5. When it's rolled into a log, wet a knife and start cutting it into one inch circles.  Place the circles standing up on a platter.  Repeat until you've used up all the ingredients.  
6. In a bowel, mix the mayonnaise and sriracha together until you've reached the level of spice you want.  Drizzle over the sushi and garnish with sesame seeds.  Serve with soy sauce, Tamari, or coconut aminos.

(You really do have to garnish the sushi with something-sesame seeds, parsley, shrimp, avocado; it just makes it look fantastic!)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Blessed Epiphany, and my 21st Birthday...

Merry Christmas! 2015 was a very busy year for my family...on top of our normal activities, we've been busy building our new home and even managed to move in by Christmas...Christmas Eve in fact! It's not completed yet; the only working sink in the house is in the kitchen, we have no fencing for our animals, the upstairs still has to be sealed and painted, and we seem to be having one problem after another with our plumbing, but we are all very happy to finally be in our own home.  We were flooded in the day after Christmas and we hadn't hooked up our internet or phone lines yet, so we were able to spend nearly a week cut off from the world, resting, relaxing, and enjoying each others company after months of constantly working and running to town for supplies.  A friend had given my brothers and I some books for Christmas, we had received some new board games and movies from our parents, and had enough treats and leftovers from Christmas dinner to keep us well fed and happy all week.

Dad and the boys did most of the building themselves, including hand sanding, buffing, and staining the floors Christmas Eve because the machine we'd rented was not working.   Mom and I painted most of the rooms...sometimes twice and in Mom's bathroom three or four times because we still can't agree on a color we like.

The kitchen is probably everyone's favorite room in the house...all of us love to cook and the kitchen in the house we've been renting was barely big enough for two people to move around in, let alone fix meals in.  Our new kitchen has enough room for everyone to cook something different in at the same time if we wanted to, and it has definitely been put to good use.  Christmas dinner was a breeze with our six burner stove and double oven, not to mention the warming drawer.


How many girls nowadays get a formal ball for their twenty-first birthday? None that I know, but our Christmas/New Years/Epiphany Ball just happened to be the day before my birthday and, though not technically held in my honor, everyone sang Happy Birthday to me and referred to it as my "Coming Out" party =).

 

All the balls we've been having this past year have been spent mainly learning and teaching the dances, but this time everyone knew precisely what to do.  When Mrs. H. and I were putting together the program, we realized that we had learned the steps to over twenty dances...and we were able to dance a couple of new ones that no one had learned beforehand because everyone knew what we meant when we called out the steps! 

This was "Jenny's Market", a dance we learned  from the 2009 "Emma"...it's one of my personal favorites...

For my actual birthday, I got to spend the whole day relaxing, which is just the way I like to spend my birthday.  The ball was amazing, but it felt wonderful to soak in a warm bubble bath (after we finally got the pipes un-frozen, that is.  My poor dad was outside almost the whole day trying to fix the plumbing so we could have running water...).  Mom made some Pink Lady Cocktails (and I discovered once again that alcohol and I don't get along well.  One glass was enough to make me too dizzy to walk very well while the rest of my family was able to have two without any side effects) and my brother made me Hawaiian pizza and a pineapple cheesecake.  And, best of all, I found some maraschino cherries at Whole Foods without any bad ingredients...it used to be a tradition for me to always have maraschino cherries on my birthday cake, but because of the dyes and artificial flavorings I haven't been able to have them in years.  We finished up the night with my new favorite movie (Winter's Tale) and a Sherlock episode; all in all a lovely day.  Unfortunately, that night we had a major water leak upstairs which destroyed the ceiling in the kitchen and my parent's closet, ruined part of the floor, and drowned mine and brother's cell phones =(.  Thank goodness the ceiling was just soaked and didn't collapse on us...

Things are always hopping around here, that's for sure! In the next few months, we'll be finishing up our house, moving the rest of our stuff over, planning our Mardi Gras dance, planning a bridal shower for a friend, preparing for Lent, fencing off some land for our livestock...and I want to start on making some curtains and various decoration for our new rooms.  I hope you all had a blessed Christmastide, New Years,and Epiphany! =)

Father's Day Hike...

Happy Father's Day!!!

To celebrate this special day, we went to early morning Mass and then headed off to a state park for a hike. We had never been to this particular park, but had read some great reviews online and my photographer brother especially wanted to get some shots of the waterfall that made it famous.  I made some barbecue pepperoni pizza, my brother made chocolate chip cookies, and my mom brought salt and vinegar potato chips for our lunch, as we figured (correctly) we'd be pretty hungry after the hike.

The waterfall was absolutely breathtaking, not to mention beautiful! Too bad we don't have one of these on our land...it would be amazing for swimming!

I had only gotten about three hours of sleep the night before and my brother said I looked grumpy in all his photos...
this is the least grumpy looking one...

After we left the waterfall, we started down the hiking trail.  At first it was relaxing and peaceful; we passed several streams, a Yorkie puppy, and another (man-made this time) waterfall...

...theeeennnn we figured out that our map wasn't very reliable, "steep incline" meant cliffs, and the path abruptly ended at a rushing stream with a fallen log being the only way to cross without getting soaked.  After crossing the stream and climbing two more cliffs, we ran into another hiker who was just as lost as we were but was pretty sure we were on the trail that was on the opposite side of the park we were supposed to be on.  Luckily we had brought water and we were in the shade the whole time, so besides not knowing where we were, it was actually quite lovely.

We finally found a path that we were reasonably certain was made by humans and not deer, and followed it until we ended up back in civilization.  We were too tired and hot to have a picnic like we originally planned, so we sat in the car and enjoyed the air conditioning while we feasted.

 After we got back home, we all took LOOONNNNGGG cold showers and settled down to watch a movie.  Everyone had a fun time, and personally I would love to go back soon...more prepared for wilderness survival.

Rainy Day Activities...

For the past two/three weeks, it has been raining.  Not a slow, steady, drizzle, or even a violent mist; it has been pouring and pouring until the creek overflowed every bridge and slab near us, the ground turned into one giant swamp, and even the ducks are running for cover.  In the beginning it was exciting (I felt bad when I realized that my reaction to the first huge storm that knocked everyone's power out and prevented several families from leaving their homes was "Yippee! We can go tubing in the creek now!!!") but after two days of constant thunder, lightening, and the never-ending rain, things started to lose their silver lining.  I love being outside and try to go on long walks as much as possible, but when the whole world has turned into a swimming pool, it isn't very practical.  Occasionally the sun will come out for a few hours and we all try to make the most of it, but the greater part of our day is spent inside.  This time shouldn't be wasted, though, just because we feel bored.  "Idleness is the Devil's playground." (I have no idea who originally said that quote, but my Mom and grandmother always said it to me when I was little and said I was bored...)  When you're cooped up indoors, you should use this as an opportunity for building your creativity and doing things you normally don't have time for!  Here is a small list I made of things to do when your stuck inside with nothing to do:

(Our ducks have been rather grumpy lately))

1. Read a good book

I read a lot.  And I mean A LOT.  After I graduated, I started reading more informational books, and gradually ended up reading nothing but informational books! I've learned so much and love the fact that there is still so much more to learn, just from reading! But on the downside, sometimes I just need to read something light (and by light I mean anywhere from "Tin-Tin" to "Wuthering Heights") and I usually don't have time after all my other books are finished.  So, on a rainy day, I like to take advantage of the opportunity to read something just for fun. =)

2. Exercise

This is important if you've been cooped up for a few days with no chance to stretch your legs.  When the sun is gone from sight, we human beings tend to get sleepy, depressed, and irritable, and when we're stuck in a house with our whole family feeling the same way, things can get tense.  The best way to make yourself feel better and lift your mood is to exercise your body (except watching "Lobster Bisque"; that will do it too=)).  Even just doing some jumping jacks in your room will make the whole day seem a little bit brighter!

3. Board Games

There are very few board games that my brothers and I will play together and enjoy.  We like games with critical thinking, strategy, an enormous amount of competition (no mercy in our family), and a trade system. Yes, I just described Settlers of Catan.  It's our favorite game and we play it at every party, get-together, or Family Night.   There are a few others we enjoy, such as Yahtzee!, Clue, Scrabble, Chess, and pretty much any card game...every family has their favorite game and this is the perfect time to play together!

4. Make up a story

My brothers and I do this all the time, not just on rainy days.  Sometimes the story gets so wacky it would be impossible to describe to an outsider, and other times we can't even finish because we're laughing so hard.  My youngest brother's dream is to make a cartoon show of our favorite characters one day... I doubt anyone else would get our stories, but it might make a few people laugh...

5. Try a new recipe

For me, it was sparkling lemonade.  Not very impressive, I know, but we needed a drink to bring to a friend's house for a party, and all we had was water, lemons, sparkling water, ice, and stevia.  And it was so good, I made more the next day for myself.  Sometimes the simplest things can change your whole perspective, just by being new.

6. Watch a movie

This is ONLY for after you've done everything else on this list and you're getting ready for bed.  Rainy days have always been movie days for my family; it's just so relaxing to lie in bed and watch a good movie while the rain pitter-patters on the roof. 

I hope you can find some things on this list to do on the next rainy day that comes your way! 

Now that the rain has finally slacked off, all the flowers are blooming everywhere!
(Photo credit goes to my brother and his amazing camera =))