2007 Highlights

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Om...

Did you think I wouldn't at least journal?

Here is a recap. A full spiel will follow. It'll be wordy.

So, it was a blast. Refreshing, enlightening, interesting, challenging, delicious, FREEZING, nourishing. I want to go back. Next time I'll simply stay in the dorms and save myself the $. And in the summer, I can just go up for the day. The highlight for me, hands down, was the Evening Meditation. Beginning with Kirtan (chanting) and ending with Meditation, this was a very special, unique aspect of the Yogic Lifestyle that I hadn't understood. What a lovely place. I think the overall word to describe my experience is NOURISHING. My soul, my stomach, my heart and my body were all nourished though the beautiful music, delicious food, inward meditation, and challenging yoga. What a treasure. We are so lucky to have this place so near. There are two other locations even closer that offer the yoga, Kirtan and meditation for the public. Om Namah Shivayah. I bow with respect to my Inner Self.

Shoshoni Retreat Journal

Sat. 2:30pm
Unscheduled First Stop!
I find myself with an extra half hour on my hands, so I stop at the Full Moon Cafe, a small, quaint Nederland fixture. A gigantic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and soy mocha later, I am more awake and ready to begin my adventure.

6:45pm
I'm getting ready to go to Evening Meditation. Yoga and dinner were equally amazing - warm, gentle and nurturing. It is VERY cold and dark outside so I had a little trouble getting back to my cabin (Shakti is the name of my cabin. I thought that was auspicious.) I am dressed in layers for the Temple, where we need to 'dress up.' Tights - pj bottoms - dress pants and T-shirt - blouse - sweater. Brr. Off I go.

9:45pm
Wow. Amazing, After a FRIGID walk to the temple (I remembered my flashlight this time!) I could hear the sounds of music coming from within. Slipping in, I was the first non-musician there. I found a seat on a cushion next to the musicians of the kirtan and listened to them rehearse. So beautiful. The harmonium (like Phil plays!), sitar, guitar and deep drum made up the core group of musicians. Their songs were absolutely thrilling. Droning yet rich, with complex harmonies and a drum beat that I could feel deep within ... and that was just practice! Others filed in and the chanting began. It was a call and response that lifted us up and simply filled the room with warmth, love, peace and joy. After about 40 minutes of chanting, we had 20 minutes of silent meditation. The suggested mantra is Om Namah Shivaya (I bow with respect to my Inner Self.) This was hard for me ... but I tried. I drifted in and out of actually "doing" the mantra correctly with the breathing and then letting my mind wander. I kept bringing it back though and it was lovely and rejuvinating.

After that we went back to the Yoga room for a guided relaxation class. This involved different levels of tense and release. At the end, looking into the heart and all it holds that I am grateful for ... it felt like all the joy I've experienced this far in my life was concentrated there, bubbling and calm, waiting to be realized again. We crunched back through the cold to our cabins and I'm all ready for bed. 5:15 wakeup tomorrow for the Guru Gita.

Sunday
The time has gone by so quickly! I can't believe my time here is nearing its end already. After an amazing night's sleep (no one cried, barked or meowed and woke me up!) my alarm woke me at 5:15 for the Guru Gita. I have been looking forward to this chant and hurried across the freezing grounds to the Temple. The chant was long (180 verses! in Sanskrit!) but very interesting and beautiful. It tells the story of what meditation is all about ... good information! The concept of Guru as the Enlightened Self .... how respectful to one's self. This was new to me ... my concept of a Guru wasn't large enough to encompass the idea of the Guru WITHIN one's self. Cool. After the chant was another silent meditation which was difficult for me, but also much easier than the night before. Repeating the mantra over and over helped me focus. Ahh...

Next was a warming breakfast of hot oatmeal, curried potatoes, veggies and tempeh, fresh fruit and toasted bagels. And more green tea. Mmm...

After breakfast was my massage treatment. It was one of the best ever, to be sure, in spite of my goose egg and neck muscle strain. It was so gentle yet firm, relaxing and wonderful. I practiced the mantra to keep in the moment rather than drift off and miss it like I usually do! Ah...

Then a hot relaxing shower and into my yoga clothes. Yoga starts in 10 minutes. First a half hour breathing class followed by an hour yoga class. Then lunch and I'll have to go! What a wonderful restorative place to be.

3:30pm
Home safe! I almost didn't get out! The Saturn got stuck on the hill up out of the ashram. Luckily one of the guys urged me to gun it and I got out. Whew!

Yoga this morning was preceded y a half hour breathing techniques class. The yoga class was more intense than yesterday's so it was a challenge - but a good one. I even did the pigeon pose (or, the hopping pigeon, in truth!)

Lunch was spanikopita, a warming carrot apple soup with brown rice, and sauteed beets with walnuts. And more green tea. So delicious.

Next came my trying adventure in front wheel drive. But the hour drive home was peaceful and pleasant, thanks to a lovely CD I purchased, Ganapati Om, a collection of chants known as the kirtan. Selected kirtan are used before meditation. Last night's Evening Meditation was the highlight of my stay. What a wonderful 24 hours. Om Namah Shivayah. I bow with respect to my Inner Self.

Ow

Today we went ice skating. I fell. Unlike this graceful Olympic skater, I landed on my head first. Ow. Luckily, no concussion, no puking, no double vision. Just a big goose egg, a whammy of a headache and the weird feeling of my brain being a bit too large for my head. Next week, I'm wearing a helmet!

Tomorrow I go up to the Yoga Retreat in the mountains. I am really looking forward to the peace and quiet. In the spirit of meditation and all that, I'll leave my beloved laptop at home. But I'll post all about it when I return Sunday night. Namaste!

Phew!

I tell you, hanging out with a stay-at-home dad is a LOT more exhausting than lazing about with another mom! Today we met up with Josh et al again for a morning of swimming followed by lunch at Moe's. Josh plays HARD. Sam and Mae napped until we woke them 4 hours later. Ted passed out tonight without a word. They are BEAT. Not one to admit defeat (plus I had a good nap too), tomorrow we are going back for more. This time, ice skating. Mae will join Eve in day care and Sam will have the option of skating or staying with Mae. Ted LOVES ice skating. I enjoy it, after about a half hour of remembering how to NOT fall down. Should be another exhausting day! Then, Josh plans to repeat it all next week: Wed-bowl, Thu-swim, Fri-skate. *yawn*
In any case, my kids are happy, relaxed and tired. Good news all around!

Darn

Disappointing. Tonight the kids and I baked up a batch of Full Meal Muffins from Vegan Lunch Box. They are missing something. They're bland and too wet in the middle. I made mini muffins and still had to bake them the full 20 minutes. The kids haven't tried them yet; I suppose if they like them then they're keepers. Oh well. Next up: Individual Pot Pies. Doesn't that sound warm and comforting? Mmm..

I am SO HAPPY

Today the little book I made for Mae came in the mail. I made it in my iPhoto program, using pics we received from the orphanage as well as pics from China. I used simple text (Once upon a time in China, a little girl was born.) It is PERFECT. A little less "hard cover" than I had planned, so I ordered another one, lest this one get too mangled. She LOVES it and has already asked me, "You there wif me?" when we talked about the orphanage. "No, sweetie, " I said. "Your friends were with you, and your nannies." The next page had pictures of her Huaihua sisters, so that was a good transition. I really love this! It'd be great for any child, adopted or not, but I think it's great to empower Mae with her history early enough that it is never awkward...it's just her story. Thanks to Marilyn (the therapist we see monthly) for suggesting it. LOVE IT!! It is different from her First Year Album in that it chronicles all the 'firsts' of her life, like any other child's "Baby Album." The Baby Album touches on her first 9 months very briefly, while this small little book is ALL about her time in China. Her First Year Album is timeless; this little book is specifically for her RIGHT NOW. It will eventually be too simple and hopefully by then I'll have more for her Lifebook. But til then, a perfect book for a 2-3 year old. Woo hoo!

In other news, the chavurah was a fabulous, if deafening, success yesterday. Everyone played well together, no one got (seriously) hurt, and the food was scrumptious, especially Josh's pumpkin cheesecake-YUM!

Today we went bowling at the UMC with Josh and his girls. The kiddos LOVED it. Ted bowled a 93-not bad! Then we played a few rounds of air hockey. What a great, cheap way to entertain the kiddos. Perhaps a bday party option... (more pics on moeltini.)

Happy Christmas!

What a wonderful Christmas Day! It's STILL snowing at 4pm! We spent the morning sledding and the afternoon at Alvin and the Chipmunks (very cute!). Now we're prepping for the chavurah.

Fun Monday

Today everyone slept late (ish) and we headed to Denver to the museum, as planned. Ted and Paul saw the Black Holes movie and everyone had a good time at the standard exhibits. Space Odyssey had a really good simulated, futuristic Mars astronaut demonstration going on that kept all 3 kids plastered to the Plexiglas for the full half hour. Dinosaurs and the play area were also big hits! On the way home, Ted pulled out his Disney Mix Stick and crooned away. One of his Hanukkah presents, the Mix Stick is a kid-friendly MP3 player (or, MP3PO, as Ted calls it, a la Star Wars). Paul loaded All American Rejects and some Ween onto it for him and he loves it. I think Sam might appreciate one too, so he may get one for his birthday next year. Ted's is the Pirates of the Caribbean design. Hee.
A nice day. Tomorrow we are going to (heh) Alvin and the Chipmunks and then back to our house for Chinese food with our chavurah. Should be a fun day all around. To those of you celebrating Christmas, have a wonderful holiday!!

Sunday...NOT the day before the work week!

For our Local Meal tonight, we had a lovely winter spread. I had started the No-Knead Bread last night and spent naptime roasting (all CSA) butternut squash, red onions, garlic and apples. The resulting soup (my MIL's recipe) is warm and comforting. I also wanted to try the suggested root salad, with grated (all CSA) carrot, beet and celeriac. The bread was 2/3 whole wheat and 1/3 white this time and it got a little crisper than I remember (can't wait for the Dream Share to have access to local flour!!) but I think I can just cut the baking time a bit to adjust. The soup was more garlicly than I remember...perhaps a result of the HUGE garlic cloves the CSA provides; they are at least twice as big as the grocery store ones! I'm glad I doubled the recipe and have a batch in the deep fridge. The salad was ok...not amazing but good and crunchy. I only tossed in some lemon juice so tomorrow I'm going to try some of our favorite homemade Sesame Tahini Dressing (from VwaV) and see if that perks it up.

Today started out peacefully, with the boys playing nicely together, but quickly escalated into screaming, crying and time outs by 10am. *sigh* We got them bundled into their snow gear and went to a nearby dog park, where Ole romped with other pups while the kids played in the park. After naps, everyone was in a much better mood. Ted spent much of the afternoon cleaning the house (i.e. gathering stray toys and finding homes for them) and earned $2.50 for his endeavors! He is now obsessed with "chores" and "allowance" so we may look into that.

Tomorrow we are going to go to the Nature and Science Museum and give the Space Movie another try. Last time both Sam and Mae flipped out. It should be a rather quiet day there, I'd expect. I'm not sure how much time Paul is taking off (he can take off as much as he likes, but the reality remains that he has a lot of work to do, period) but it is a wonderful feeling to know that Monday is still a vacation day.

Keeping Chickens

Look at the front page article in the "Balance" section of Saturday's paper!!

a new Saturday tradition

Today we made gingerbread houses out of gingerbread graham crackers, frosting and lots 'o candy. The kids had SO MUCH FUN with this. They were so serious about it and still (4:30pm) haven't eaten their creations. This is going to become an annual tradition. Pics of all the creations on moeltini.

Future Rock Star

Tea

Phew! Teacher gifts are wrapped and ready. I just love these cute little boxes and the neato butterfly sticker suggests the tea theme (I hope...). The boxes were smaller than I expected, so everyone got 2 (fairly large, IMO) tea bags full of Holy Basil, along with instructions and a little history.

What I've learned: putting together the 'packaging' is a time drain. Next year, use simpler boxes or bags that don't require so much fuss. They won't be as cute, but it'll be easier. I love the three-dimensional sticker tags though and will seek those out for a special look. Now, I'm going to have a cup of 'my' tea! Mmm...

Cookies

Today was Cookie Baking Day. Sam and Mae helped measure, pour, stir and spoon 2 batches each of "You Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate! cookies" and "Chocolate Spice Cookies," our favorites from EDBV. After baking, the kids painted flower pots for the TKD instructors. I wrote "Today Not Possible, Tomorrow Possible" around the top of the pot (the Grandmaster's mantra) and the kids decorated them. They're filled to the brim with both types of cookies, with a gift card saying what's what. That was a little more labor intensive than I thought, but cute. The kids LOVED it. We'll bring the two the kids did today to TKD for Miss Holland & Mr. D.

Teacher Gifts

This year, besides the standard monetary donation towards a gift card for each teacher, I decided to also give them a (small!) token of my appreciation for all they do for my precious children. This week's CSA share really sparked my desire to gift some local finds, which will raise awareness I hope, but also, it's cool! To the more "fiery" personalities (Jeanne & Renee), I packed 5 perfect dried cayenne peppers in a little bag, complete with instructions for use and a southwestern-themed gift tag (the one at right is Renee's, obvious to those who know her.) I love it!! To the more gentle folk (Joan, Susie, Elizabeth & Pam), I plan to package some of the Holy Basil dried tea. Tomorrow I'm meeting a local Boulder tea lady to purchase some (empty) tea bags. I'll fill them with 1/8 cup dried tea, with instructions for both tea and bath use. I think each small box will hold 2 or 3 bags. Now, I just hope I haven't forgotten someone essential. Miss Holland (TKD) will receive a hand-decorated flower pot filled with assorted home-baked cookies (our project for tomorrow). I just love the peppers ... I hope the tea will be as cute.

Local Meal

I think yesterday's pumpkin soup doesn't quite qualify; after all, it was prepared months ago. So here is a fresh one. This week I was intrigued by this recipe for Vindaloo. Plus, that local cauliflower has been in the deep freeze for a looong time. My version featured local cauliflower, onions, garlic, beans, onions and tomato sauce. I doubled the recipe and bagged the other one for a reheat later this winter. The result is not as good as Aloo Gobi (IMHO), but still good. Strangely complex. And less stew-y than I had imaged. But still good. I served it over rice and it's good. Very warming, for sure, but I think if I am trying to marry Indian cuisine and cauliflower, I'll stick to Aloo Gobi.

from my farmer...

This last item (a root vegetable) has surely caused some confusion amongst some of us. No, Celeriac is not a turnip turned Rastafarian! For one thing turnips don't grow dreadlocks, and second, for those who ventured to actually taste this alien looking root, the taste is remarkably different! Celeriac is a member of the Apiaceae family, related to carrots, dill, and celery. The taste is closest to celery; in fact, another common name for celeriac is Celery Root. To use, simply peel off the long roots and the skin until you are left with a round, snow white root, and chop into small pieces or grate. Celeriac goes well cooked in soup lending it's sweet earthy flavor to the broth. It is also good grated and eaten raw in salad. You can make a root vegetable salad with grated carrots, beets, and celeriac, and a little lemon juice, or your favorite dressing. I hope that helps, it's really a wonderful mineral rich vegetable, just one of those that has fallen out of favor due to the commercialization of agriculture.

Good to know, because I had no idea!

Deep Freeze RoundUp

Today was the day to go through the deep freeze and see just what was in there. I was pleasantly surprised and more inspired than ever to keep it well stocked through the winter. One of the exciting things about looking ahead to next year is planning better ways to utilize the fresh produce. I had completely forgotten about blanching greens so I am completely lacking in them. Next year!! I also plan to try canning next year, just the hot water bath method, in an attempt to create a fruity maple syrup and apple butters that my kids will eat. They haven't liked the local ones at all, although I think they're superb! But this way, I can tweak and add more (sugar probably!) of what they prefer.

The "root cellar" is bursting at the seams. Baskets of squash, potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots, onions and garlic threaten to take over the cool, dark corner of my frigid basement. I've said it before but I'll say it again ... this is the first winter I've been looking forward to. I know it will be cold and miserable (sometimes, this is Colorado after all) but cold weather invites me into my cozy kitchen. Before, baking was all I enjoyed. I'm sure my waistline is grateful that I now enjoy preparing soups and stews, casseroles and crockpot meals, breads and sauces ...

*Feel free to stop reading now, but I feel the NEED to list the contents - bullets make me feel efficient!*

• (6) 2c black beans
• (4) 2c CSA Hopi black beans
• (1) 2c chickpeas (hooray! Just in time to bring in the Yellow Indian Woman Beans which are chickpea-esque!)
• (1) 2c basil pesto
• (4) 2c shredded zucchini (mmm...zucchini bread...)
• (1) freezer bag of sliced local peaches
  
• (2) 6c broccoli
• (2) 6c peas
• (2) 4c spinach
  
• (2) black bean loaf
• Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
• Carrot Soup
• Punk Rock ChickPea Gravy
• Sloppy Lentil Stew
• Chickpea Turnip Stew
• Lentil Squash Pot Pie (from T-day...half the huge pan...I think we'll break that out for Xmas dinner...mmm.)

I am so grateful to be in an area where the Local Movement is so alive. It is inspiring and exciting. And, most of all, it has given me the push to learn to ENJOY what I used to dread ... feeding my family delicious, home-cooked meals. Hooray!

Yes, please

We don't celebrate Christmas, but if anyone still needs to get me a present, look no further! Here it is!

So, in other news, I am again grateful for my freezer. We had a delicious (local) pumpkin soup tonight that I had prepared while my dad was in town. I toasted some of our homemade bread to dip, and it was warm and yummy. I REALLY love my freezer. Tomorrow, I need to go through it and see what all is in there. LOADS of beans and a bunch of soups, but I'm not sure what else. Should be fun.

Today was our last Keeper Share of the season. We received some really cool things, besides the standard plethora of squash, potatoes, onions, beets, turnips and garlic (mmm, garlic.) The beans are fantastic!

• Yellow Indian Woman Bean, a bean brought to Montana by Swedish families and later adopted by the Native Americans of the area. Listed on Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste.
• Cherokee Bean, (this one is interesting), there are two Cherokee beans that are publicly available. One is Cherokee Trail of Tears Bean (shiny black beans), the other is Cherokee Wax Bean (plump purple/red beans). These two varieties appeared in ONE of our crops. Somewhere along the line they got mixed.

How cool is that? So, combined with the gorgeous Hopi purple beans from last time, 4 new varieties of bean. I love beans. We also get to try Tulsi (Holy Basil) tea and dried cayenne peppers. Cool.

And, a new development! I still have to talk to Paul about this, but it's so totally what we are striving for that I think he will share in my excitement.

A new CSA Share option - the Dream Share.
Dream Share is a 3-year sign-up that will include all CSA Shares we offer. That means a Summer Share, Keeper Share, and Fruit Share (arranged through mountain fruit growers). Dream Share is labeled as such because it helps us to realize a dream… a commitment to teaching, demonstrating and sharing the how to and harvest of local agriculture in Boulder County (we are actually under contract)!

Lots to think about and plan for. I am looking forward to the next 2.5 weeks. I think there will be a lotta cookin' going on!

Homework!

Today, after his full 7 hour school day, Ted spent the half hour after school working on his "Number Scroll." He was so into it that his teacher suggested he take it home to finish for homework (there is no homework in K/1). We left and went to a coffee shop for a snack before TKD, where Ted finished his scroll. He'll have to get another sheet of paper tomorrow to continue. Briefly, it helps them see patterns. And the way they teach them to add is different; the way to figure out 10+9 is to add 10+10 and subtract 1. Hmm. It sure is all coming together for him. Cool.

Holy Birthday Parties, Batman

What a crazy weekend! Sam had his friend Samantha's birthday party Saturday morning while Ted and I had TKD. Then Henry's party that afternoon. Sunday morning Ted had Sunday School and went home to play with Jack. Mae, Sam and I met him at Jason's party that afternoon. 3 birthday parties in one weekend-phew! I did get a nap in, while the younger 2 napped and Ted was at Jack's. Ahhh... This is the boys' last week of school before the 2 week winter break. I can't believe the end of the year is so close. I'm working away on my annual "Video Montage" of our year and it's a fun one. Everyone looks so little at the start and so grown up by the end. Where does the time go?
Ben, Sam and Bday Boy Jason in the big chair at Pump It Up.

Famous again

This issue's newsletter of Infant Aquatics featured Ted as their Stroke School student! He was learning the side stroke back then (pic taken in Sept I think). "Talk to the fish, listen to the fish..."

limp carrots begone

"My farmer" told me a great trick for rejuvenating limp carrots, beets and turnips. Just trim off the ends and place them in an ice bath for half an hour. It worked tonight. I've also placed damp towels over the baskets to help them stay hydrated, but with this trick, who cares? We had a delicious (local) carrot soup tonight, from the 1977 edition of Molly Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. It was good but a little too salty. Next time I'll skip the salt. Yummy though. After cooking the carrots and potatoes in broth for 20 minutes, add in sauteed onions, garlic and chopped nuts. Puree, add a cup of milk and top with toasted nuts. Yum. Homemade challah rounded out the meal. Mmm.
Tonight was also Dinner #1 of the Wendy School of Dinnertime Etiquette. Surprisingly, things went remarkably well with this new system. We talked about it at length yesterday and some more today. Dinner would be served. If they didn't approve of it, they could prepare something themselves, but I wasn't going to help. I sat down for the ENTIRE MEAL. I made sure they all had a full glass of soymilk and some cut fruit. They all ate lots of challah; Mae had a little bit of the soup and some leftover yogurt from this morning; Ted fixed himself a cream cheese bagel, and Sam ate a plain bagel. Whatever!
Sam has 3 birthday parties this weekend! 2 are for his preschool friends and one is our buddy Henry, who is turning 3! Amazing.

Gold Patch

Ted is faster than a speeding bullet when it comes to upgrading his patches. He is now on his Gold Patch, which means he has 50 stars collected. Once he hits 100 he will earn the Blue/Gold Patch. Only one other Tiny Tiger (Kirril) has this coveted advanced patch. Both Kirril's mother and myself love the Good Deeds Sheet...this helps them rack up stars. This week Ted got a blue star for behavior at every class. Not bad! He is so proud.

Holiday Yums!

Last year at this time I was lamenting my dairy-free life and also trying to watch my weight. Egg nog was OUT. Except for parties. Or at other people's houses. And stuff.
I guess S*lk's version of Nog has been around for a while, but I had never seen it or tried it (thanks, Wendy, or...not.) I LOVE IT. It is JUST as delicious and not all wimpy like the 'other brand' of Soy Nog. YUM.

Mental Health Day

Ted's been having a hard time this Hanukkah week so we decided to keep him home today for a "Mental Health Day." He spent the day playing with his toys, reading, and generally chilling out. Electra was THRILLED to have him home. It was a bitterly cold day and she spent as much of it as possible on top of him. I guess his little body gives off a lot of heat!

Today at TKD, it was Ted and 3 higher ranks (brown, purple and blue.) Guess who got a star for "Black Belt Behavior?" You guessed it-the Yellow Belt! I'm so glad Ted is in this class-he needs these higher ranks to show him what's in store. And I was really proud that he did so well today. I think Miss Holland was as surprised as I was at his behavior. They learned a new form today (need to ask the name of it) and it involves a jump side kick. WAY exciting. Most of the moves are new and the form looks really neat. Because I didn't want to drive back (yes, we are still blizzarding, in case you wondered), Mr. D gave me a private lesson during Ted's class. We started Songham 2. It's way cool.

Menu for Hope!

It's that time of the year! Go to Chez Pim or click on the pic for more info!

What is Menu for Hope?
Menu for Hope is an annual fundraiser in the food blogger world. In 2006, Menu for Hope raised US$62,925.12 to help the UN World Food Programme feed the hungry.

For two weeks every December, food bloggers from all over the world join the campaign by offering a delectable array of food-related prizes for the Menu for Hope raffle. Anyone – and that means you too - can buy raffle tickets to bid on these prizes. For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to bid on a prize of their choice. At the end of the two-week campaign, the raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim.

When will this year's campaign take place?
December 10-21.

Who is the beneficiary of this year's campaign?
The UN World Food Programme. WFP is the world’s largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Program helps hungry people to become self-reliant so that they escape hunger for good.

With a special permission from the WFP, the funds raised by Menu for Hope 4 will be earmarked for the school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa.

Read more and buy your raffle tickets at Chez Pim!

A Lazy Sunday

How funny. By "a lazy Sunday," I mean that we ditched our plans for the big Hanukkah concert and stayed home. But I was not lazy; I didn't even take a nap! I got TONS of stuff done! Must bullet!

• 4 loads of laundry
• 2 loaves of bread
• a delicious acorn squash soup for our local dinner (CSA squash & onions)
• CSA beans soaking for tomorrow's pumpkin black bean soup
• No-Knead Bread started to accompany the soup
• Ted's "gear bag" all loaded with everything he needs for his High Rank class tomorrow
• Ted's 8+ page Ski Packet filled out, due tomorrow
  

At Horizons, as part of their Outdoor Ed program, they take the kids skiing at Eldora once a week, full day, for 3 weeks. Ted's class goes on Wednesdays (perfect, since he has nothing to do after school so we can come home and chill!) This will be his first year on skis and I'm excited for him. Alongside hiking and mountain biking, skiing is an important part of an active lifestyle in Colorado.

So, this is the first time in a LONG time that I am facing Monday CAUGHT UP. Amazing. Tomorrow I plan to cook the exciting new beans, prepare the soup, and work on finding B&Bs for the '08 Moeller reunion, which is tentatively set for COLORADO! Woo hoo! I'm thinking a B&B in central Boulder for a few days and then some time up at the Estes Y at the cabins. Besids B&Bs there are the Chautauqua cabins too. So, I'll be doing some researching in the next few days.

The snow has finally stopped, before it got too bad and after there was enough snow to make it fun for the kids. This week I am going to see what kind of snow tires we can put on the van. Last winter was pretty scary some of the time, so we'll see what they recommend.

First Snowstorm

Our first snowstorm of the winter started Friday evening. It's still snowing now. But it's sunny and beautiful...perfect for playing outside with the neighbor kids.

Yellow Belt!

He did it! Ted did great today and is an official Yellow Belt and High Rank. From now on, our dinners will be even later; the High Ranks class meets a half hour later than our current class. I'm an Orange Belt, and that was FUN. I had a few "duh!" moments, but in general, it went well. Phew!

More Hanukkah

We are on the 3rd night of Hanukkah and the parties start tomorrow! Yikes! It's been tough this year...Ted in particular is so tired from staying up late playing with his new toy and then having a hard time being woken up for school in the morning...it's made for grumpy mornings. I'm glad tomorrow is a half day and that we have the weekend. Lots more pics on moeltini. In the meantime, here's a cute video of Mae. She starts off strong, but morphs into "Sevivon, sov sov sov" by the end. Cute. (It's taking a while to upload to YouTube but I need to crawl into bed. So, if it doesn't load for you, try again on Friday. *yawn*)

hooray for the freezer

Paul and I are both under the weather. It was incredibly comforting tonight to pop open the deep freeze and choose from a plethora of (local!) frozen soups and stews. I chose Mellow Lentil Sniffle Soup and it was soooo yummy. I also had a bag of frozen homemade biscuit dough that baked up hot and soft. A perfect dinner for a cold night.
Tuesday night at the CSA pickup I learned that you can place a damp towel or burlap over root veggies to keep them crisp. You can also trim the ends off and stand them up in ice water right before cooking (I knew this one) but the damp burlap sounds simpler. Good to know.

a place for pics

On the first night of Hanukkah...

...everyone was happy.

Local Eats

We've had great luck with Kalyn's recipe for Asian Cabbage. YUM! Fresh and delicious. We have scores of Napa in the fridge so I went on a search. Here are more Cabbage Recipes, courtesy of our CSA. Plus I need to try another turnip recipe since we weren't HUGE fans of the Ethiopian stew. This one sounds yummy. Tomorrow we're having friends for Hanukkah dinner and I plan to cook some latkes with local taters & onions alongside some fresh fruit (fruit delivery tomorrow!) I hope to have time to whip up our favorite pumpkin-black bean soup with CSA pumpkin/onion/garlic and (new this pickup!) CSA black beans! I'm not sure which variety of beans these are, but they are black and look lovely! I can't wait to try them.
Tomorrow I an chauffering Sam's class to sing Hanukkah songs to the seniors. Sam calls them "the grandpas and grandmas." Ted's class called them "the oldsters." So cute.

Happy Hanukkah!

The first night of Hanukkah! More pics to follow, but this one summed up the evening. Thanks to Aunt Jayne for remembering the critters!! (and the grown-ups!)

color deficient

On Wednesday at Horizons, the kids had Vision and Hearing Screens. A parent volunteer told me Ted was pulled from the regular screening and sent to the office, where a "Vision Tech" was waiting. Today we got a letter stating: "Theodore Moeller tested color deficient." (Is color blind a more severe term?) Ted knew his colors very early...before age 2. Probably around 18 months (I think I'll look it up.) So, as far as I can tell, his color vision is similar to his dad's, who had a hard time in Chicago discerning between the Purple and Brown Line El trains. I'm sad for him. But, in the scheme of things, it's minor. Still. I'll show his teacher the letter tomorrow. It says "It is important for you and the teacher to know as it may be more difficult for these students to do map studies or other color coded activities."

woo hoo!

Last night Ted read "Green Eggs and Ham" to me. It wasn't flawless, of course, but it was darn good. Today when I went to volunteer in his classroom, his teacher told me that he had proudly demonstrated reading that book to her this morning. Woo hoo! Tonight we're going to give "One Fish, Two FIsh, Red Fish, Blue Fish" a shot. Fun.