Project Procrastinator, No More!

Someone from Beverly Park ward can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this Halloween bag was one of several craft projects from our Super Saturday in 2007. The funny thing is, I actually took on the project because I thought it would be a cute trick-or-treat bag for my then-future child(ren).

I signed up for two. The other was a mummy-themed bag; I made it for my friend, Amanda, who loves all things Halloween. I delivered that bag to her in 2009, as part of prize basket for a blogging contest I held. Mr. Frankenstein, on the other hand, has been wadded up, stored, packed up, unboxed, and stored again since 2007. I had done the hand-stitching with both bags, then left this one un-sewn and with no handles yet attached.

With Halloween less than a week away and my now 2-year-old trick-or-treater in need of something to tote his bounty of sugary goodness, I grabbed this from a box in the garage, lugged out my sewing machine and got to work. It took me less than an hour and I was done! One hour. 4 years and all I needed was an hour.

Anyway, I just sewed up the sides of the bag, gusseted the bottom and attached the handles with a fun star stitch. And wa-la! Project: Cute Bag For Which To Tote Massive Amounts of Halloween Candy is FINALLY complete!

What's for Dinner? 10/25

ASIAN LETTUCE WRAPS with SPICY GROUND TURKEY

In the mood for something with flavor fireworks, but calorically-kind to your metabolism? This is the dish for you, my friends.

This week, we've been working on getting more lean meats and produce into our diets. A bit of a health kick, if you will. I've made this dish before; the first time I did, Dave asked if we could add it to our permanent rotation. Of course, you have to be a fan of Asian-inspired fare, as well as a bit of spice... although you do have some control over the latter.

There are a number of recipes I've tried. Tonight, I took a bit of a shortcut... and I never measure anything when I'm cooking, so I'll try my best to "guess-timate". Here is the method to my madness:

INGREDIENTS

1 package Foster Farms Lean Ground Turkey

1/2 medium Red or White Onion, diced

1 tsp minced garlic from jumbo Costco container (a nice shortcut)

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 bottle of prepared Peanut Sauce, low-fat & low-sugar (my other awesome shortcut)

A few dashes of Kikkoman soy sauce, low-sodium

A few dashes of Rice Wine Vinegar

A few shakes of Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 bunch of Cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup of Peanuts, chopped

1 head of Bibb Lettuce cups; washed, patted dry and separated

Brown the turkey until the pink is gone. Add the onion and garlic; cook until onions are translucent. Add red pepper and cook for a few more minutes.

Add generous amount of peanut sauce, until meat mixture is well covered. Then add soy sauce, vinegar, red pepper flakes and about 1/2 of the chopped cilantro. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.

Serve a portion of meat into a cup of lettuce. Top with cilantro and peanuts. Eat immediately.

Adventures in Pumpkin Land

Each week I try to arrange a playdate or a fun activity for Benjamin and I. I think it's a nice way to avoid cabin fever for Benjamin and it helps me break up the monotony of dishes, diapers and general dirty duty.

Since the official start of Autumn, I've been meaning to visit a pumpkin patch but either we had something else going on or the weather was just too soggy. With a cool, but sunny forecast today, I knew we had to capitalize on what could potentially be one of the last non-rainy days of the month. We called up our friends, Michelle, Ethan & Evan, and the next thing you know, we were weaving our way along the Snohomish River towards The Farm.

Massive amounts of fun ensued...

Our Pumpkin Patch Buds

Unsure of this Whole Tractor Ride Thing

My Mom is a Weirdo

Views from a Tractor Ride

Hay!

Unbridled Joy, Baby

Mad Balancing Skills

The Birds vs The Boys

Picking out our future Jack-o-Lantern

All in all, it was a glorious, sort-of warm day - the perfect day to be outside and spend time with great friends!

Comfort, Thy Name is Food

Yesterday, on a cold Sunday morning, I was not in the mood for cold cereal, cold fruit or cold yogurt. I wanted something that would warm the belly, and taste good in the process. And I wanted it to be a little on the healthy side too. That's not asking much, right?

I found my breakfast salvation in Aebelskivers. What are these weird, Scandinavian-sounding food wonders? Read on...

Danish Pancake Balls (Aebleskivers)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup whole-wheat flour/ 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons Splenda (or granulated sugar)

2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 cup skim milk

About 2 tablespoons melted butter

PREPARATION

1. In a bowl, mix flour with sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg to blend with milk and 2 tablespoons butter. Add liquids to dry ingredients and stir until evenly moistened.

2. Place an aebleskiver pan over medium-low heat. When pan is hot enough to make a drop of water dance, brush pancake cups lightly with melted butter and fill each to slightly below the rim with batter.

3. In about 1 1/2 minutes, thin crusts will form on bottoms of balls (centers will still be wet); pierce the crust with a slender wood skewer and gently pull shell to rotate the pancake ball until about half the cooked portion is above the cup rim and uncooked batter flows down into cup. Cook until crust on bottom of ball is again firm enough to pierce, about another minute, then rotate ball with skewer until the ridge formed as the pancake first cooked is on top. Cook, turning occasionally with skewer, until balls are evenly browned and no longer moist in the center, another 10 to 12 minutes.


Check by piercing center of last pancake ball added to pan with skewer--it should come out clean--or by breaking the ball open slightly; if balls start to get too brown, turn heat to low until they are cooked in the center. Lift cooked balls from pan and serve hot (see notes). Repeat to cook remaining batter.

Serve the warm pancake balls with butter and jam or dusted with powdered sugar. To make filled aebleskiver, add about 1/2 teaspoon jam to the batter in each cup just before you make the first turn. Serve the pancake balls as they are cooked, or keep warm in a napkin-lined basket until all are ready. The batter can also be cooked on a lightly buttered griddle over medium heat to make light, tender pancakes. For mile-high baking, reduce the baking powder to 2 1/2 teaspoons. Makes 12 or 13 pancake balls

As you can see from the picture at the top, we served our pan(cake) balls with a lovely drizzle of piping hot maple syrup (the light variety, mind you). While it was not the most healthy breakfast ever, it met my needs on a crisp Autumn morning. And this increasingly-fickle eater could not get enough of them!

Big Fun, Big Day

How to Tire Out your Busy Toddler in a Few, Quick & Easy Steps

1. Take Child to Jump Planet

... or any number of the currently-popular bouncy house warehouses of fun. Unleash and watch them jump, slide, bounce, run, hide, laugh and shriek with wild abandon.

In Benjamin's case, the first 45 minutes of our session encompassed a lot of shrieking in terror and clinging to me like a baby monkey. I'm not sure if it was the size of the place, the garish red, yellow & blue bouncy houses of doom (in his eyes), the loud & constant fans, or the shrieks of the other children, but he kept saying, "Go to my car!". Eventually, he warmed up to the place and was running, jumping and bouncing along with everyone else... but not before I had "tortured" him by taking him down a few slides and climbing through some of the mazes. For a while, I wondered if he was going to hate me for bringing him to such an awful place and making him have way too much fun. All in all, I think he did have fun - evidenced by the fact that I had to drag him out of the bouncy house equipped with multiple basketball hoops.

2. Feed Child a Hearty Meal

While driving in the car, we munched on peanut butter and honey sandwiches, red grapes, grape tomatoes and milk; Benjamin downed his drink in no time flat and was on to the sippy cup of water before I had even taken my first drink! On the way to the Asbell home, we picked up a round of mini Frosties for all.

3. Unleash the Beauty of Unstructured Play

Once we stepped inside their house, Ethan, Evan and Benjamin ran around like crazy and played nonstop while Michelle & I sat and caught up on things. It was such a delightfully wonderful afternoon. After a couple of hours, we had to head for home and for a much-needed naptime, so we had to say goodbye. Before we got to the end of their street, our little tornado of boundless energy looked like this:

Sweet Dreams for a Tired, Busy Boy = a very Happy Mommy

Goodbye Sunday, Hello Monday

It's funny how Sunday is called a day of rest. Since Dave was called as YM President, his Sundays have been jam-packed. Yesterday was no exception with things planned from morning to night. Here's a glimpse into our yesterday:

8:00am - Dave starts getting ready for the day

9:15 - PEC meeting

9:30 - Michelle & Benjamin prep for church

9:45 - Ward Council

10:55 - Michelle & Benjamin arrive for church and slip into the saved pew with daddy

11:00 - Church begins (Mill Creek building)

12:55pm - Duck out of Sunday School and snatch Benjamin from Nursery singing time

1:00 - Head to Beverly Park ward (Lynnwood Stake Center) - Benjamin conks out in his carseat en route

1:40 - Dave participates in the blessing of Aria Walchli, Chris & Tam's new addition

1:45 - Jump back into car and head back to Mill Creek building

2:10 - PPI with Bishop

3:00 - YM Presidency meeting at our house

4:00 - Priest Quorum meeting at Bishop's house

5:00 - Dinner with my family in Stanwood

5:50 - Actually arrive in Stanwood, because of meetings running long

7:45 - Hugs & kisses to Grandma & Grandpa, then head for home

Somewhere around 8:14/somewhere around north Everett - Benjamin conks out in his carseat for the 2nd time today

8:30 - Kiss and then gingerly place Benjamin into his crib, Sunday clothes still on

9:00 - Hot Fudge & Caramel Sundae Party while watching The X-Factor

9:10 - Dave & Michelle slumped on the couch, in an ice-cream-induced slumber

Even though the day was busy and hectic, I feel blessed that we were able to spend a lot of it together as a family. And, shockingly, I was able to take away some good lessons from church too. As I knelt to say my prayers, I gave thanks for those things.

Despite my best efforts, Monday morning came as swiftly as ever. The buzzing of the 5am alarm was so startling, my heart was beating out of my chest. After getting ready at a little less than warp speed, I packed my gym bag, computer bag, purse, lunch and Benjamin's bag, and then we all hopped in the car.

I managed to catch a bus, but with an especially bad traffic morning, buses were running really late. On the packed 532, with at least 20 people standing in the aisle, someone's bag continually pummelled my shoulder as I read my scriptures and caught up on Facebook. My friend Jeannie's FB status read , "Ugh, Monday - again!" I kind of chuckled & nodded until I read someone's comment: "Just be grateful you are alive and able to experience another beautiful day." It's all about perspective; while I was waxing fairly positive this morning, I desperately needed that shift.

Later, while eating an egg-white omelette, I caught up on a very long list from my Google feed reader. The Nie Nie Dialogues posted about a trip to New York and their interview with Glen Beck. If you have a moment, check it out. The interview made me happy to be a woman, happy in my own skin, happy to be alive; grateful for the Gospel, my faith, my family & friends, my body and my crazy, blessed life.

If that's not a great mindset for a Monday morning, I don't know what is.

Sunday Lovin'

Stuff I'm Loving Today

I had a bit of an epiphany today. My blog posts have been boring, a bit negative and basically, not so fun to read. After a few hectic, somewhat "downer" posts, I figured it was time to wax a bit more positive and share the love. Here are some things that have made me laugh, smile or somehow brighten my days.

Shorty McShorterson

While playing at a local park, I noticed something strange. Either Benjamin had an incredibly fast growth spurt, or I had inadvertently dressed him in some shorty pants. Lo and behold, "18 months", was emblazoned on the tag. I tugged them lower on his waist, but despite the wardrobe adjustment, he was dressed like the floods were coming.

The Work Is Not Done

Because we arrived early for Benjamin's tumbling class in Mukilteo, I took a little detour to check out the progress of our old church building. With today being the 1-year anniversary of the arson, I wanted to post the beautiful sight of it rising from the ashes (anticipated completion in early 2012). It brings to mind the following quote: "... no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done." (History of the Church 4:540)

Monkey

Otherwise known as Benjamin's blanket, it has become a part of the family. We all talk of this blanket as if it's a person, such as "Where's Monkey?" or "Go get Monkey". Even his nursery leaders understand the love of the Monkey; when I see them before Sacrament, they'll check to make sure I brought it that day. It's a pretty serious attachment and I can absolutely see that tattered, full-of-holes blanket being packed in his bags when he goes off to college or on his mission. Monkey and Benjamin are best buds.

Cupcake-o-Rama

Cupcake making is still going strong. Loads of folks have urged me to open a business. A few weeks ago, I had some business cards printed because of the interest. I'd love to open a shop, and if not for the fact that I'd have to live there 24/7 and we'd have to pay a second round of self-employment taxes, I would have done it years ago. For now, I'll keep experimenting and baking and delivering the crazy creations to random, lucky recipients. It's fun and it's just what I love to do.

A First: Five Guys Burgers & Fries

A long-awaited, multiple rain-checked date night with our friends, Todd & Tawnya, finally came to fruition on Friday. We decided for a quick dinner at 5 Guys because it was close to the theaters. Neither Dave nor I had been there before, so T&T gave us the scoop on how to order and such. While we don't normally do burgers and fries, it was a fun, greasy, lip-smacking dinner. I've never seen this happen before with us, but we actually left food uneaten. wow. The food was good but the company? It was awesome and just what we needed.

Let's Play Ball

After our greasy-spoon dinner, we saw this little Brad Pitt flick. It's all about our national pastime, but there is very little actual playing of the baseball. The best part was being able to use our Sprint Takedown Deal tickets ($4/ea), which were set to expire the next day. An awesomely-cheap date to the feel good movie of the Fall with good friends adds up to some good times.

Back to Basics

On Friday, we cancelled our Frontier Triple Play package. No more digital cable with hundreds of channels. No more DVR. No more super high-speed internet. No more (useless/unused) home phone. Instead, we now have basic cable (~30 channels) and bare-bones internet access. I could not be happier to free up much-needed time, cut down our budget by $100 and get rid of a whole slew of worthless media. I think Dave feels the same way, except he is still in mourning over the loss of ESPN, Versus & Root Sports. Hopefully, time will heal those wounds.

UW vs Colorado

After all of those years of losing and losing and losing and, well, losing, it's nice to have some respectable wins under that Husky belt. A blowout is never that fun for either team, but despite the fact that they blew Colorado out of the water yesterday, the win still felt kind of good. And better yet - they made it on to the Top 25 lists. Lovin' those Huskies.

Using Time Wisely

On a whim, I cracked open President Hinckley's book, Stand a Little Taller, earlier this week. The day's topic was about gratitude & sacrifice. I flipped through a few more pages, landing on October 15th. The topic jumped out at me, a timely memo from a loving Father in Heaven. It read:

"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors." ~Alma 34:32 He explains, "Time is really all we have. And every individual has an equal portion of it. The trick is to get more out of what is available to us."

Wow - this was spot on with what I'd been ruminating about the last little while. I never seem to have enough Time. But after reading this, the epiphany came; everyone is allotted the same amount of hours, minutes and seconds in a day; the challenge is in the management of those increments. It's always about priorities and it's time to make the important ones, important.

Word of the Day - 10/10

flum·mox
tr.v. flum·moxed, flum·mox·ing, flum·mox·es Informal

1. To confuse; perplex.

I've been in a blogging funk. I just haven't had much to say lately. This is not common for me.

It's not the rain or overcast skies. I've lived here nearly my whole life and I find those kind of days to be quite comforting. It's pouring outside and I walk in it without an umbrella or a hood. I'm so Seattle, I actually live for those dark, rainy days.

It's not Autumn. Despite the shorter days and lack of sun, this is my favorite season of the year. Bring on the sweaters, heavy quilts, apple cider, pumpkin goodness and warm hearths. I.LOVE.IT.ALL.

It's not that we are sitting at home, bored and twiddling our thumbs. We continue to move at breakneck speed, but I haven't felt inspiration to snap pictures of anything. Many times, pictures help inspire my blog posts, but I have nothing new in my iPhoto albums to spark some creative writing. Case in point, in the last week we have:

Had two playdates for Benjamin; went to his gymnastics class; wrote a song; cooked all day Friday to whip up a hearty, 2-bean chili, homemade whole-wheat rolls (melt in your mouth), strawberry & wild greens salad, and peach cobbler; delivered part of that meal to a sick family in the ward - and we ate the other part; played in a women's volleyball tournament on Friday (due to injury & such, we only had 4 players, so it was quite the workout); had Amanda & Rowan over for a Saturday brunch of Basil Egg Bake, Ebelskivers & Hot Chocolate while Dave & Bret bike-escorted the YW on their 22-mile walk to the temple; and attended the baby blessing of Jon & Julie's newest addition, Elise Ruth.

See - I have a lot I could have blogged about; I just didn't have the time, energy or drive to do it. And I just can't figure out why.

Chillin' Before Church

Our little foppish dandy

This is a past picture, probably two weeks ago. Despite the fact that we always seem to be running late, we manage to always get him bathed, dressed and brushed first.

After getting ready for church, Benjamin usually reclines in a comfortable pose in his fancy duds and catches a last-minute update on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while waiting for mommy & daddy to get ready.

I love that tweed hat; kudos to Brent & Azzlinn for picking out such a fun one! Typically, Benjamin will chuck a hat faster than anything. But on this day, I was amazed that he not only let me put it on him, but he didn't rip it off a second later. I'd say he wore it a good 30 seconds, at least.

Did I say I loved that cute hat? Oh, and not to mention the little hat rack just beneath it.

Managing the Joyful Madness

EAT, WORK, PLAY, CLEAN, SERVE, SLEEP, REPEAT.

Do you ever wonder how people do it? I sure do. Lately, it seems life has been such a whirlwind that I don't have time to blog... or even shower some days! This week was no exception. Here's a glimpse into a typical week in the life of the Goodwin family (trying to squeeze in a nice summary in the precious minutes I have before General Conference):

MONDAY:

We spent FHE at the gym. Dave did weights, some spinning and then ran - what a machine! I opted for the treadmill, alternating between running and walking at 15% grade. While he showered - I rarely do at the gym - I hopped on the elliptical and logged another 30 minutes to my cardio. Thankfully, we had leftovers in the fridge, so we dined, most ravenously, on beef stroganoff and a green salad with grape tomatoes fresh from our [container] garden. We had a quick read in the scriptures, followed by reading the story of Nephi from "My First Book of Mormon" for Benjamin.

TUESDAY:

Benjamin's first gymnastics class - smashing success! The class, AcroRoos, is a parent-child class, which is crazy smart, seeing as the entire 30 minutes was spent running after runaway kids. Felt very much like herding cats. They did a name game to start off; ran through an obstacle, tumbling course; climbed a ladder; bounced down a long, narrow trampoline into a foam pit; hung out on the uneven bars; and finished with a wild stampede of dancing, running and bouncing on that familiar spring-loaded floor. The teacher asked how soon Benjamin turned 3; apparently, he is a bit more advanced and so she thought he was older than he was. We're staying put because I don't think he can handle a coach-only class yet!

Gym class was followed up by a visit to Dr. Hoing for his 2-year check-up. While waiting, he investigated the office and created some Crayola masterpieces. This kid is growing like a weed, evidenced by his 30 lbs (59%) and 39" tall (off the charts). She kept commenting that he was going to be a handful. I had to kind of laugh at the verb "going" - more like, already was long ago! He was up for his annual flu shot and Hep A; the nurse said she was the best in the clinic, but even she struggled with our busy boy. He was absolutely horrified and upset by the shots, but after grabbing a strawberry sundae at Dairy Queen, he exclaimed, "Oh happy day!" in the car on the ride home.

That evening, Dave got home in time to sit down for a dinner of grilled turkey & cheese sandwiches, and piping hot chicken enchilada soup. Then, he was off to YM/YW game night at the church while Benjamin & I built words with his foam letters in the bathtub. Stayed up in time for dad to join in family prayer, then everyone was off to bed... well, not before indulging in our guilty pleasure - the "Dancing with the Stars" results show.

WEDNESDAY:

My visiting teachers came over and the three of us decided to organize a babysitting trade for date nights. Super excited about that little idea! While grocery shopping that morning, the sister missionaries called to see if I could pick them up for our dinner appointment. "Um, isn't that next Wednesday?", I asked. Well, yes - in fact, we signed up for two weeks in a row; the last week of September and the first week of October. Bring on the madness! Fortunately, a Relief Society planning meeting scheduled for the afternoon was cancelled so I was freed up to do laundry, clean the kitchen and whip up dinner. I opted for a salad bar, and then supplemented with some of my whole-wheat rolls followed with brownie sundaes for dessert.

THURSDAY:

Wow, what a doozy. Benjamin's lack of sleep was epic - and he was unconsolable. I was flummoxed; finally, in a last-ditch effort, at 3:30am I gave him some Ibuprofen. He was out in minutes. This should have been a clue, but I slumped in my bed and prayed I wouldn't pass out at work. Slept in and got to work an hour late - and while I didn't pass out (thank you!), I was less than stellar in the productivity area. Dave picked me up at the bus stop and we headed for home for a quick dinner so I could get to my stake pageant rehearsal. But alas, that would not be. Dave had discovered fluid encrusted inside Benjamin's ear. Ugh. Calls to his pediatrician were useless, as they were booked for the next two days. So, I called the director of the pageant, said I wouldn't be there and then we were off again to Urgent Care, with tuna sandwiches & grapes as our picnic on-the-go. In hindsight, I should have known he was sick. After 90 minutes, the diagnosis was a double, raging ear-infection. With allergies to penicillin, medication options are all crazy expensive, but we do what we have to do. That night, the price tag was priceless - we all slept like babies.

FRIDAY:

Dave was off to work early. After finishing breakfast, Benj & I packed up and met up with my parents at the cancer center in Everett. My mom has chemo every Friday, so it's easier to meet there rather than drive up to Stanwood. We spent the morning at a fun neighborhood park adjacent to the hospital. Benjamin ran around with mom, while I sat and chatted with dad. We rounded out our fun morning with an early lunch at McDonalds. I spent the rest of the day cleaning and folding laundry. I always wonder how we go through so many clothes so quickly! But alas, it's life, so we push on. I had set up a babysitter & a double date with a couple from our old ward for Friday night, but the husband was sent out of town on business. Because we still had a babysitter, we went out. Originally, we headed for the gym, but both of us were worn out from the crazy week, so we settled on burritos at Taco del Mar. Honestly, just getting out was the perfect date night in my book. Benjamin's first experience with Maren was stellar - I was happy to hear how well we did.

So, that's where we are - tired, worn out and very ready to be spiritually fed by the apostles during Conference Weekend. Stay tuned for more fun times ahead...