It's a pressure cooker thing! But it's yummy and oh-so-fast-and-easy!!
THAI SWEET POTATO STEW
2T oil
1 lg onion
3 red/green/yellow bell peppers
2 cloves garlic
slice the veggies and saute in oil in pressure cooker (open!)
2 large sweet potatoes (peeled and 1" chunks)
14oz coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
1/2 C water
1T Thai green curry paste (or just 1T hot sauce)
salt/pepper
add this to veggies in pressure cooker, cover and bring to pressure, let cook for 3 minutes then quickly release pressure
1/2C green beans/sugar snap peas
2T fresh cilantro, chopped
add to mix above and cook 3 minutes with pressure cooker open
serve with optional rice and some bread product to sop up the yummy soup!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
what is beauty?
I have, admittedly, a skewed view of the world. I'll admit that my views are not exactly mainstream, especially for the Midwest upbringing that i had.
I look at my husband (of 19 years, on the 19th of this month) and he is as good looking to me as the day that i first saw him, standing in the corner of the Newborn nursery with the other newbies to the unit. Does he look the same as he did then? No. His hair is straighter (and a bit longer), he no longer has the earring and has more grey in his hair. Would my 22yo self have considered this "2010 model Joe" attractive? I can't say. My reference point for beauty has changed. Grey streaks in a ponytail? Sexy. Much like he considers (or at least tells me that he does) crinkles around my eyes attractive. "Just the remnant of where smiles were", he tells me.
Some things haven't changed in my view but have in the society as a whole. The whole "grungy" look--unkempt, greasy hair that is forever falling in the eyes, pants that are too long (they get walked on and tattered), pants that hang on the hips-- is a look that is totally lost on me. The kids love it (and wear it!) but i don't get it.
Then there is the whole weight thing. I suppose that one could see it as a positive. There isn't the focus on girls ( and guys, to a much, much lower extent) being model-thin anymore. In fact, the pendulum has swung way the other way. Kids, teens and young adults are now almost universally overweight, many crossing overweight to outright obesity. This had been true of adults in the past but not to the extent that just about all age groups have now embraced the "more the better". The plethora of diet plans, diet/reduced everything foods and exercise options (24hr gym memberships, personal trainers, home gyms, Wii/computer assisted workouts and many, many fitness classes) have seemingly little effect. People want a "magic pill" and won't do the "move more, eat less" that might require a bit of effort.
The societal pressure to be "thin and attractive" is gone. People are now content to be "fluffy" and there are no repercussions. Clothing is now offered in ever increasing sizes in the mainstream stores (no more need to go to the embarrassment of finding a Lane Bryant or Men's Big and Tall). No more teasing in schools as chubby has become the accepted norm. In fact, the only "teasing" that i've heard at work and school was that someone was too thin and should "eat more so you look healthier" (woman in question just finished chemotherapy for breast cancer). So, it's not that people are getting more humane and considerate, just changing their foci.
I suppose that i'm just getting old and judgemental. I make sure that i don't comment on the appearance of my kids' friends, good or bad. I don't have the same taste in clothes as my teens, either of them. I let them pick out what they will wear and try ot accomodate their tastes. To varying degrees of success. I saw earlier today clothes in Christian's closet with tags still attached....from Christmas. Clearly a clothing misfire on my part! He sticks with a camouflage/black theme with occasional forays in to printed t-shirts. Alessandra is more complex and i've given up on trying to pick anything for her. She always looks beautiful in anything that she wears so i just let her do what she thinks is right. Shopping with her is a long affair but she never buys anything that she doesn't wear to death.
I, on the other hand, haven't really changed my "look" in years and years. A few more jeans and fewer skirts (especially black skirts with white tops and a bright red MK jacket...) since moving here but not radically different. More groovy tie-dye, less black nighttime wear (nowhere to get dressed up for in NM).
So, what is beauty? My happy family. The mountains out my back door. The view of the valley from my bedroom. A negative mammogram result from my doctor. It's all good.
I look at my husband (of 19 years, on the 19th of this month) and he is as good looking to me as the day that i first saw him, standing in the corner of the Newborn nursery with the other newbies to the unit. Does he look the same as he did then? No. His hair is straighter (and a bit longer), he no longer has the earring and has more grey in his hair. Would my 22yo self have considered this "2010 model Joe" attractive? I can't say. My reference point for beauty has changed. Grey streaks in a ponytail? Sexy. Much like he considers (or at least tells me that he does) crinkles around my eyes attractive. "Just the remnant of where smiles were", he tells me.
Some things haven't changed in my view but have in the society as a whole. The whole "grungy" look--unkempt, greasy hair that is forever falling in the eyes, pants that are too long (they get walked on and tattered), pants that hang on the hips-- is a look that is totally lost on me. The kids love it (and wear it!) but i don't get it.
Then there is the whole weight thing. I suppose that one could see it as a positive. There isn't the focus on girls ( and guys, to a much, much lower extent) being model-thin anymore. In fact, the pendulum has swung way the other way. Kids, teens and young adults are now almost universally overweight, many crossing overweight to outright obesity. This had been true of adults in the past but not to the extent that just about all age groups have now embraced the "more the better". The plethora of diet plans, diet/reduced everything foods and exercise options (24hr gym memberships, personal trainers, home gyms, Wii/computer assisted workouts and many, many fitness classes) have seemingly little effect. People want a "magic pill" and won't do the "move more, eat less" that might require a bit of effort.
The societal pressure to be "thin and attractive" is gone. People are now content to be "fluffy" and there are no repercussions. Clothing is now offered in ever increasing sizes in the mainstream stores (no more need to go to the embarrassment of finding a Lane Bryant or Men's Big and Tall). No more teasing in schools as chubby has become the accepted norm. In fact, the only "teasing" that i've heard at work and school was that someone was too thin and should "eat more so you look healthier" (woman in question just finished chemotherapy for breast cancer). So, it's not that people are getting more humane and considerate, just changing their foci.
I suppose that i'm just getting old and judgemental. I make sure that i don't comment on the appearance of my kids' friends, good or bad. I don't have the same taste in clothes as my teens, either of them. I let them pick out what they will wear and try ot accomodate their tastes. To varying degrees of success. I saw earlier today clothes in Christian's closet with tags still attached....from Christmas. Clearly a clothing misfire on my part! He sticks with a camouflage/black theme with occasional forays in to printed t-shirts. Alessandra is more complex and i've given up on trying to pick anything for her. She always looks beautiful in anything that she wears so i just let her do what she thinks is right. Shopping with her is a long affair but she never buys anything that she doesn't wear to death.
I, on the other hand, haven't really changed my "look" in years and years. A few more jeans and fewer skirts (especially black skirts with white tops and a bright red MK jacket...) since moving here but not radically different. More groovy tie-dye, less black nighttime wear (nowhere to get dressed up for in NM).
So, what is beauty? My happy family. The mountains out my back door. The view of the valley from my bedroom. A negative mammogram result from my doctor. It's all good.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
HISTORY
I later heard this song and, loving the words and how they fit my mood, wanted to post them here. Hope that they make you feel better too. :o)
HISTORY (Matthew West)
Its been a bad day, you've been looking back
And all you can see is everything you wish you could take back
All your mistakes, a world of regrets
All of those moments you would rather forget
I know it's hard to believe
Let me refresh your memory
Chorus:
Yesterday is history
And history is miles away
So leave it all behind you
Let it always remind you of the day
The day that love made history
You know you can't stay right where you fell
The hardest part is forgiving yourself
But let's take a walk into today
And don't let your past get in the way
Would you believe that you are history
In the making, in the making
Every choice that you are making
Every step that you are taking
Every chain that you are breaking
History is in the making
Every word that you are saying
Every prayer that you are praying
Every chain that you are breaking
History is in the making
History is in the making
History is in the making
HISTORY (Matthew West)
Its been a bad day, you've been looking back
And all you can see is everything you wish you could take back
All your mistakes, a world of regrets
All of those moments you would rather forget
I know it's hard to believe
Let me refresh your memory
Chorus:
Yesterday is history
And history is miles away
So leave it all behind you
Let it always remind you of the day
The day that love made history
You know you can't stay right where you fell
The hardest part is forgiving yourself
But let's take a walk into today
And don't let your past get in the way
Would you believe that you are history
In the making, in the making
Every choice that you are making
Every step that you are taking
Every chain that you are breaking
History is in the making
Every word that you are saying
Every prayer that you are praying
Every chain that you are breaking
History is in the making
History is in the making
History is in the making
musical memories....
So, i'm sewing quilts and listening to Joe's IPod, set on random to the AMradio playlist, when a song comes on that so sharply brings back memories that i have to stop sewing and write them down. This is not the first time that this has happened.
What was the song? Billy Joel, Movin' Out.
I was instantly transported to my Ama's living room, with the scent of pre-lo-VOC paint, the vision of drop cloths everywhere and that big old console radio/television armoire that she had. My dad was painting her entire house (favorite son-in-law that he was) and i was just along to keep him company. A song came on and my dad stopped painting to tell me that this was a new artist that he'd just discovered on WEBN (his radio station) and what did i think of him. Billy Joel. An artist that went on to be popular with my dad and many others.
While this exchange may have just been a moment out of his life, certainly not one of the "pivotal parenting moments" that he may or may not have ever flashed back on in reviewing his life, i remembered it always. Just me and my dad, listening to his music and chatting. Nothing special. Nothing that out of the ordinary. Just gives me a twinge to know that i can't call and tell him that i'm thinking of him. Did i do that enough when i could? Does anyone ever know if they do enough until it's too late?
This also got me thinking. Which of today's or tomorrow's little moments will stick out to my kids? The aphorism is that, in raising kids, the hours drag and the years fly by. It's soooo true. We motor through the days, getting done what we "have to do" and look up to realize that the time has flown by.
(OMG, another Billy Joel song has cycled in....i miss my daddy.... when does the crying time pass?)
Gotta go. Hard to type like this. Gotta change the play list.
What was the song? Billy Joel, Movin' Out.
I was instantly transported to my Ama's living room, with the scent of pre-lo-VOC paint, the vision of drop cloths everywhere and that big old console radio/television armoire that she had. My dad was painting her entire house (favorite son-in-law that he was) and i was just along to keep him company. A song came on and my dad stopped painting to tell me that this was a new artist that he'd just discovered on WEBN (his radio station) and what did i think of him. Billy Joel. An artist that went on to be popular with my dad and many others.
While this exchange may have just been a moment out of his life, certainly not one of the "pivotal parenting moments" that he may or may not have ever flashed back on in reviewing his life, i remembered it always. Just me and my dad, listening to his music and chatting. Nothing special. Nothing that out of the ordinary. Just gives me a twinge to know that i can't call and tell him that i'm thinking of him. Did i do that enough when i could? Does anyone ever know if they do enough until it's too late?
This also got me thinking. Which of today's or tomorrow's little moments will stick out to my kids? The aphorism is that, in raising kids, the hours drag and the years fly by. It's soooo true. We motor through the days, getting done what we "have to do" and look up to realize that the time has flown by.
(OMG, another Billy Joel song has cycled in....i miss my daddy.... when does the crying time pass?)
Gotta go. Hard to type like this. Gotta change the play list.
Friday, September 17, 2010
where's the $$?
Sometimes you just have to look back at your life and evaluate the choices that you've made. We are all, of course, a product of the choices that we make (or have made for us). Where we live, who we live with, how we live-- all the result of choices. Sometimes, just one little change can have far reaching and obvious effects. Some choices seem clear and true...only to be found wanting later upon further reflection.
Last October, over the Homecoming Weekend for my daughter's school, instead of staying in town for the festivities, we went to Ohio. For two days. We saw Joe's mom and sisters but really went to the state to see my Dad who i was told was "really sick". When we got there, he was a bit thinner and had (he said) less energy. He still managed to out-walk my teens and looked better than most men his age. He still looked like "Dad" to me; not the sick shell that i'd feared finding. I had thought to go there for Christmas too but decided not to spend the time, $$ and energy to travel over the holidays. I'd go in January for his birthday. It would be better to go when the airline rates would be cheaper. When it would be easier to get away and i wouldn't have to take time off work in the busy holiday season.
Yes, i did go in January, the day after his birthday. To his funeral.
Where is the $$ that i saved by not going the summer before? When the kids could have spent time with "grandpa Paul" shooting archery with made-by-me bows? When he was feeling good? When we could have lazed by the porch with the dogs and heard the him tell the same stories that i remember from childhood?
I've worked a lot of shifts at my job lately.
I've not seen that $$ that i "saved" from not visiting my Dad when he would have known me.
And no matter how much $$ i spend now, i cannot buy a ticket that will take me to the place where i can ride bikes with him again. Or walk through his woods ( currently for sale) and talk about everything and nothing. Or share green chile enchiladas with him again and watch him sweat under his eyes because they're so spicy.
I guess the aphorism is true-- money cannot buy happiness.
Last October, over the Homecoming Weekend for my daughter's school, instead of staying in town for the festivities, we went to Ohio. For two days. We saw Joe's mom and sisters but really went to the state to see my Dad who i was told was "really sick". When we got there, he was a bit thinner and had (he said) less energy. He still managed to out-walk my teens and looked better than most men his age. He still looked like "Dad" to me; not the sick shell that i'd feared finding. I had thought to go there for Christmas too but decided not to spend the time, $$ and energy to travel over the holidays. I'd go in January for his birthday. It would be better to go when the airline rates would be cheaper. When it would be easier to get away and i wouldn't have to take time off work in the busy holiday season.
Yes, i did go in January, the day after his birthday. To his funeral.
Where is the $$ that i saved by not going the summer before? When the kids could have spent time with "grandpa Paul" shooting archery with made-by-me bows? When he was feeling good? When we could have lazed by the porch with the dogs and heard the him tell the same stories that i remember from childhood?
I've worked a lot of shifts at my job lately.
I've not seen that $$ that i "saved" from not visiting my Dad when he would have known me.
And no matter how much $$ i spend now, i cannot buy a ticket that will take me to the place where i can ride bikes with him again. Or walk through his woods ( currently for sale) and talk about everything and nothing. Or share green chile enchiladas with him again and watch him sweat under his eyes because they're so spicy.
I guess the aphorism is true-- money cannot buy happiness.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
how's your job going #2?
Church today was all about jobs and working and the satisfaction that they can bring. How God wants Man to work and feel satisfaction in doing good things. How good work will bring a good harvest (reap what you sow). I just don't feel like my "work" as a parent is yielding good fruit. No gold stars for a long time. Maybe i just need to work more at the hospital and less at the house. I've already contacted a Molly Maid to come do the housework (which i'll pay for by working more). Now, if i can just hire a handler for the Boy....
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