Cuisine

Tonight I made a great new dish and before I forget what I did will share the recipe.
Before leaving Belgium my German friend, Anja, gave me a huge bottle of MAGGI sauce.
I have been given many foods to use when leaving a country we have lived in before. Most I do try but it was never the same as my local national friends made. Example fried rice. Never can repeat the same texture or taste twice.

I had tried using the Maggi sauce in something else and forgot what. So here is what I made tonight and the kids are scarfing it down as I type this out.

I package of Beef Kelbsa cut into 1/4" slices
2 bell peppers sliced into strips
1/4 onion quartered
4 T Maggi sauce
water
oil
corn starch

white rice for the side(20 min in rice cooker to cook while making stir fry)

I sliced everything up
put oil in pan and stir fry veg first, sprinkle on Maggi sauce.
when you smell peppers/onions add meat and cup of water: bring to boil
1 cup water 2T corn starched mixed then poured into stir fry mix let boil for 5 min then simmer.
add pepper to taste
entire meal took 20 min.

October

I am sitting in the house just have finished off a can of ravioli. Being 13 weeks I feel great but am appalled at how great the taste was. Normally I am gagging at just the smell. Peaches and fish are still my favorite things to eat this pregnancy. Anything orange that is food makes me hungry. Wishing we were in Japan because I really want sushi.

The boys are outside today. The weather is beautiful and I am so glad we moved to a neighborhood where they can go out and play. There is a large open area less than a football field away where the kids can play next to the park. Our house sits to the back of the bike/walking path so I can freely let them come and go. Ethan is 11 now and able to stay by himself. He has three times now. I think for the area we are in I can be home in 10 min. Maybe suburbia isn't so bad.

Unpacking the house is still at a standstill. My eyesight is terrible and being pregnant just doesn't help things move along any faster. Philip has his own stipulations as to what he will do when. I would be happy if he would just finish the painting. He also doesn't want any of the Japanese stuff in the living room. We had this problem in Belgium too. I think this week I will just have to buckle down, go slow and move everything back that he had moved out.

Wish I had a handyman.

SNOW DAY first of WInter 2009

Its 0530 on a Saturday and Gavin comes running through the house to each person's room that it has been snowing. He is talking so fast my brain does not catch half of it so I tell him to settle down. "NO MOM, really, LOOK!" He rips open the blinds so hard I think he is pulling them out of the walls. I give in for the sake of not wanting to replace them this year.
The houses and yards were not only dusted but had a amazing amount still falling upon them. I crawled in bed with Ethan while Gavin and Carson climbed in with Philip. How long they actually slept I don't know. Ethan's side was cold as Philip said he was taking dogs and kids out..I asked for pictures. Rolled over and went back to sleep.
The smell of pancakes woke me up about the time Ethan was coming in. The boys had built a small fort wall in our back yard. Gavin quickly let me know it was only to practice for because the snow was like dust. Good I thought the best kind. No surprises as to what damage a real storm could do.
The snow kept falling as the boys were back in with wet tennis shoes. Funny in a way because we just went to stores yesterday looking for Carson a coat. He was very upset at Old Navy when the only coat he liked was $65 and didn't come in his size. Yes! I put my foot down about the tantrum..even not buying the hat and gloves he liked after he remarked Dad would get it for him, I still had compassion. How can we be in America and still not have choices available? We live near a shopping area but who wants to take their whole family shopping? Not I.
Today we all got dressed and chattered in the car. It was amazing at how little they sounded as they talked about sleds and boots, forts, teams, and all the fun stuff that goes with boys and snow. Walmart Supercenter..ugh. They did have boots for Carson who still wears a big size for a kid. Ethan and Gavin are in men's small sizes. There were no sleds to be found but we found some rocking trashcan lids. The trash can was $10 sold only with lid so we decided to wait. Why don't they sell lids seperatly? I am sure they blow away or get eaten by dogs?
Gavin floored me as we went into Dick's Sporting Goods. He was all about selling me on Underarmor. What does a 9 year old do with that expensive of an item? I know when he was 2 he wanted Levi's because they had five pockets. Underarmor is soft and fits well..ok I get it.
Besides the sales pitch for UnderArmor we didn't get much from Dick's Sporting goods. OH AND THEY MAKE SOCKS TOO LOL. The boys eyed snow boards.. no no no. They even asked to use our snowskis since we couldn't find any sleds. No way. We do have a hosptial with an emergency room three blocks away. It is small and doesn't have a good reputation but still there.
One of the hazaards of shopping is you always somehow miss a meal. I don't know how this happens but we do anyhow. Just in time to save us lots of money everyone was more tierd than hungry. We headed home for a big lunch after grabbing rotisserie chicken from HyVee. Full with a hot meal I immediatly cuddled and went to sleep on the sofa. Philip was watching Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. This paticular kitchen served nice food in Hollywood.,from all premade products. I was glad we ate at home.
The thing about boys is once they are fed and warm it's time to rough house. We on the other hand were ready to hide in our mink blankets ( extremely warm fuzzy synthetic blanket from Korea). There is a certain point as a mom you are willing to throw your innocent husband into the frenzy to save yourself. I kept Carson with me while Ethan, Philip, and Gavin went to Super Target to get boots hopefully for them.
With great success they hunted down sleds there also. Timing is everything, the store had just put them out. I loved the half hour power nap stolen while they were gone. Carson flew off the sofa from his cuddle spot behind my knees at the first word of sled. Off they went for what snow was left on our monster neighborhood hill.
The hill is one of the things we talked about when picking this house out. It held a promise of hours of fun for us all. Our yard is small but the park with hill is down a bike path. Can't beat that. Returned were three mud balls. I haven't quite looked into the damage yet but know snow is better than the sand they have been bringing home from the park.

September Rundown

Its the first of Oct. To me this means Fall which is my favorite time of the year no matter where I live. Right now I am typing before the kids wake up for the morning and cant think of event dates.
We did go to Vala's Pumpkin Patch which is the largest in America. It was fun and interesting. Most things I watched the kids do with Philip. It was a squadron function in which we got a discounted admission. I forgot the camera so no photos folks. It was nice to walk around holding Philip's hand and having the boys chatter. Ethan did somehow manage to get lost on the way to enter the cornfield maze. Philip found him just as he had tears spurt. I don't which was worse for him lost or having his dad see him cry.
Ethan had a Birthday in Sept on the 15th. He is 11 this year and I honestly wasn't prepared for it. We spend $100 on birthdays. This includes a gift and whatever party or activity they want to do. This year is family year so we picked him up the old Star Trek Movies, a Game Stop gift card, and a gift bag of "favorite thing" goodies. Philip started the gift bag years ago for me and it was so great it stuck.
Ethan's actual birthday we went out of Chinese food where Philip met us after work. It was decent food. I hated that Ethan wasn't at home opening gifts, on that note the camera was home also. There is something to be said that is so special about homemade cakes and streamers.
We volunteered that evening at the Mable Rose Estate Homes to call Bingo. Ethan was our caller and all seemed to have fun.
Jermey Camp an alternative Christian Rock performer, came to Omaha. This is one of Gavin and Philip's favorite music groups. Philip doesn't dance freely. Gavin doesn't stop moving, so when both did opposite of the normal self I knew we were having a good time. I did like the fact we had church pews to sit in. Comfortable for the boys to fall asleep. They aren't used to staying up so late and crashed after slow song lol. It was nice to be out as a family, hear live music, and not have to deal with drunks, someone smoking pot, people making out, and language. It was all the great stuff a concert is suppose to be.
I did lose my Great Aunt Maxine Stinson. Everyone called her Aunt Mackie. What is the story behind this I wonder? She was a tiny lady who made it to 94. The past five years my Mom and Greg have made a place in their home. The boys were able to get to know her this summer when they spent a week at Mom's by themselves. Aunt Mackie was there when Mom would go into work for a few hours. Ethan I remember watched a lot of news with her. His comment when he came home was MOM THERE IS A LOT OF BAD STUFF THAT HAPPENS IN KANSAS CITY. He has been told every city is like this. Too bad they forget the good news when broadcasting.
Philip and I are very excited to have a baby coming. The doctor we have found is really friendly and proactive. Hearing the baby's heart beat was very overwhelming for me. I honestly had not fully registered it was real. Last night I felt the first flutters at 10 weeks. It was such a different odd movement I am sure of what it was. Number 4 it is possible.
One of the best things about being back in America is friends are closer. Jen was my first BFF and has been through the past 9 years with me. I don't really get why our lives have started to parallel maybe age. Last Jan she to her surprise found out she was pregnant. Well little Bethany decided to come early and sent all plans flying. I didn't think I was going to get to go. Tickets were an absurd amount to fly to Boston. She lives in Sommersworth NH. Jen told me in a message." Don't worry God will find a way to work this out" I have deep trust and faith but the little stuff I don't ask God for much. He does pretty good giving me what I need, and teaching me what I should learn. Sometimes it does feel like a spanking but for the most part doesn't hurt long. So no lie the next day after she says this I have a junk mail from Travelocity with specials from Omaha. My flight was $219 leaving a Sat and returning a Tues. I didn't have to go to Chicago to connect and had long enough layovers it wasn't stressful.
We had a great but busy two and half days. Bethany decided she liked me and didn't scream when i held her. This is a trend in General with females in my life. lol Glad i am not a man. The first night I was able to take Bethany to let parents sleep. They were zombies.. I hate the first four months of any new routine. The next day she was dedicated and we went for a great lunch. I got to babysit this night while Jen and Ian went to dinner. Monday we headed into Portsmouth to see the old square. I found a market that named that the spot where George Washington read the Declaration of Independence. Their children Natalee and Zachary spent time doing things with me also. I was chuckling as I cleaned out their fridge.. that's a friend come clean poopy diapers, pack lunches, babysit, and clean out a fridge without asking. It's in this moment that I realized I was praying and not just talking to myself. It was a humbling experience to have a person share their love, life and family without any concern or jealousy. I did miss my own guys terribly but they were having a blast with Philip. They did a guys weekend full of karting, movies, football games, and unpacking.
Our house still doesn't feel like home but our family is getting back to normal. Maybe it's time to start unpacking.