Blast from the past

Saw a bunch of old high school friends the other night. It was really a nice night. Even though it was ridiculously cold and when I was getting dressed I was thinking I really just should stay in my pj's tonight and stay in. I am glad I went. When I see people that I haven't seen in 20 years it's really so fun. You freak out when you realize who you are standing in front of after all these years. And for that little while it feels good to spend some time with people who knew you before. Before you were someone's wife, or someone's mom, or that woman from the PTA or that lady that lives down the block. They knew you for you. A friend, a crush, a girl that was in your 4th grade class or your best friend from down the street. When all you had to worry about was you. What you were wearing that day...how you look, how much homework you had, and what you and your friends were going to do on the weekend. And though the next morning it's back to dirty dishes in the sink that the kids left when I was out with my friends, and dinner to make and laundry to fold, and other people's homework to check. It's ok. It's my life now. A life I wouldn't trade for anything. The life I love. It's still nice when you get the chance to take a brief trip back in time and remind yourself of other happy times and of who you were...once.

Talk about change....

Yesterday I dropped the Diva off for her first real job interview. Surreal as I watched her walk into the office, with her best "work" clothes on and a little rattled about what she was going to say.

Where does the time go? Did I not just sew patches on her Brownie uniform?

Picture perfect?

Ok over and over again I said I hate winter. I may be giving poor Old Man Winter a bad rap. What I hate is frigid cold and darkness. I do love snow. Snowmen are cute. I love my Uggs (can't wear them to the beach), and I love scarves.

Although it is friggin' COLD today...it is picture perfect if I stop and really look.

Time well spent

Spent today with my "client" a.k.a. Cowgirl. Worked on more decorating of her home. Took a break from the massive purge at H.Lane to do the thing I love to do most. Decorate. This is my labor of love. Everyone is good at something. This is my something. When I can help someone figure out what they like, what their style is and watch it transform their home and transform them it makes my heart sing. They are always unsure at first. It's hard to go from a house with all white walls to color. I tell them "what goes with this" and no it doesn't "match" but it "coordinates"...I see the light bulb go on. When they realize they do have a style and they can figure out what looks good it's a revelation and my work is done.
So today definitely fits with the theme of the month. Order. It may not be order in my world but I helped bring some to my friend's.

Cleaning house

Literally. Well maybe figuratively too.

But that's what I have been doing since the kids went back to school. Room by room. Finished the Diva's room today. God knows it's been worse. And you would think an almost Sweet 16 would not want her mother in her room to "Mom clean" but she does. I think it gives her order and focus. No one needs to see what was in those black bags I threw out. Thing is, no one will ever miss what was in there. I would never throw out personal stuff and I did leave a pile for them to peruse at their leisure to see what is staying or going. Except maybe not Shorty...he would save every leg of every broken guy he ever had. Funny though...everyone retired to their rooms early. Nice when you can go hide in your own space and not have to step over things.

So order is the on the menu this month. I have been in almost every day with the exception of an errand or two. I have spent almost everyday in silence. No radio or TV while I go about my mission. That wasn't even intentional. Letting whatever is in my head have it's say...and deciding whether to dwell on it or not.

Thursday is our room. I wonder if I will miss what goes in the black bags. I am sure I can fill at least one. The closet already has all the hangers hung backwards. At the end of the season I can see what I haven't worn because those hangers will still be backward. I hope then I will still be in the purging mood so I can give them away to someone who needs them.

Begin....again.

Been almost a month since I have blogged. Guess I was consumed by the holidays. In a good way I guess. Winter sets in now...literally and figuratively. And as I have said before I don't do resolutions. I mean, not at the stroke of midnight on the 31st of December anyway. I do resolve to make some changes. I don't have a list or anything but there are things in my life that have lacked attention from me lately...and that needs to change.

I think I may have lost something somewhere over the last few years. Nothing that you could really name or grasp. I guess I just may have veered off my path (whatever that is) and need to be centered again. I somehow lost sight of what's really important I think somewhere along the way.

The past year has been one of significant loss. Death of a loved one, a dear friend moved away and personal issues that have just not been fun. I can really say that I am glad that 2008 is in the past. But throughout it all lessons have been learned. Mostly things that I knew but forgot.

Now we all have an blank book before us entitled "2009"...to fill however we choose. We make our story read however we want. Yes some things happen to us that are out of our control. But how we react to them, and what we take away from them is what we do have control over.

Each month I will try to make some changes that I think I need to make...for myself, my family, for my little part of the world. I will write my story. I don't know what the chapters will hold. But although January is cold and gray it's a fresh start.

Tonight's Dinner...Sweet & Sour Pork

I am not the most outstanding cook in the world but I do make some good stuff and people do ask for recipes all the time. So I have decided that now and again I will post a recipe when I make it, if I think it's worth sharing.

Tonight's recipe came about since my 2nd refrigerator/freezer conked out on us with not one but two pork roasts in the freezer. So since they had both defrosted I could not refreeze them. So last night it was Pulled Pork in the crockpot and tonight it was Sweet and Sour Pork. I was considering making a pork roast as part of Christmas Day dinner...uh not anymore. I will have to rethink that one. So here's what was for dinner tonight. Everyone liked it (amazing 'cause they hate when I try new stuff) except Shorty of course. He had Taquitos. For your listening pleasure...one of my favorite Christmas songs...for my favorite guy who always says he likes what I cook. Even if he stands over me now and then to make sure I am doing it right. xo

Sweet & Sour Pork

2lbs boneless pork loin

1/2 c flour

1/4 c cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks in syrup; drained and syrup reserved

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp soy sauce

2 medium carrots cut into thin diagonal slices

1 garlic clove finely chopped

2 TBL spoons cold water

1 medium bell pepper cut into 3/4 inch pieces

Hot cooked rice

1. Trim excess fat from pork; cut into 3/4 inch pieces

2. Heat 1 inch of oil in deep fryer or dutch oven

3. Beat flour, 1/4 cornstarch, 1/2 cold water, 1/2 tsp salt, and the in egg in a large bowl until smooth. Stir pork into batter until well coated.

4. Add pork pieces on at a time to the oil. Fry 20 pieces at a time for about 5 minutes turning 2-3 times until golden brown. Drain on paper towels; keep warm

5.Add enough water to reserved pineapple syrup to measure 1 cup. heat syrup mixture, brown sugar, vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, soy sauce, carrots and garlic to boiling in a dutch oven. Then reduce heat to low.

6. Cover and simmer about 6 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Mix 2 TBL spoons cornstarch and 2 TBL spoons cold water; stir into sauce.

7. Add pork, pineapple and pepper. heat to boiling sirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute.

Serve with rice.

Prep Time: 25 min
Total Time: 55 min
Makes: 8 servings (about 2 cups each)

Christmas mess...

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly." -- Andy Rooney

I know another quote. I can't resist. But I love that. It takes so long to get ready. Clean up from Thanksgiving. Put away all the pumpkins, turkeys and anything orange. Then clean the house again and set up all the Christmas decorations. Takes me a good week to get the inside done. With this being our third Christmas in this house I think I remember this year where things go. There's something oddly comforting for me to have the same hole in the molding from last year to tack up my garland.

I guess like many people I dream of that perfectly decorated home at Christmas. You know the one with the perfect snow outside that no one had run across. The beautiful greenery around the massive double front doors with each light placed perfectly around them. Inside a 20 foot tree with each branch decorated perfectly with beads, glass ornaments, and lights. Presents underneath with matching ribbons and bows. No SpongeBob wrapping paper here.

Though I may strive for that or at least some of that every year, I probably will never totally achieve it. But I am not sure that deep down I really want to.

I hang many of the school creations from years past. I still have cotton ball Santas that the Diva made in nursery school and she is in 10th grade. There's a Santa made from a paintbrush happily looking at me from my tree as I type this. Tonight Shorty demonstrated his new skill of cutting snowflakes from paper that he learned in art class today. He then proceeded to make a snowstorm that we covered the family room windows with. And I love them. They are not from Fortunoff. They are not expensive or crystal encrusted. But they are one of a kind. And they were made with love. They probably won't appear on the cover of some snooty catalogue. But, they will appear again next year when I open the Christmas storage tub containing kids' creations.

So this year as they open their gifts on Christmas morning I won't run for the big black garbage bag right away. I will just sit in their glorious mess and admire the snowstorm taped to my windows.