34 years of gusto

Today is my birthday.  I am 34 years old.  Woohoo! My plans to celebrate today are simple, just the way I like it.

• A leisurely breakfast with my girl - hello homemade zucchini bread and french-press coffee!
• Morning walk with my friend, Sara
• Reading my current book (The Angel's Game) without interruptions and without a thought to chores/errands/phone calls on my to-dolist
• Chatting with friends, calling to wish me happy birthday
• A simple spaghetti dinner with the family
• Enjoying homemade chocolate chip mint ice cream while sitting on the couch with my husband after Little B goes to bed

I feel blessed and content on this birthday.  This past year brought both joys and challenges for which I am grateful.

For sure, no one can ever say that my 34 years on this earth have been boring or that I don't jump into life wholeheartedly with gusto.  Yep, when I live, I LIVE.  Sometimes it is awesome in that take-your-breath-away kind of way.  Sometimes it kicks the crap out of you.  But that is okay.  For I think George Carlin said it best when he said,

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, 

but rather skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting 'Holy shit!  What a ride!'

I wonder what the next year will bring.  I am almost afraid to ask.

I am hoping it is filled with simple pleasures - new recipes to be discovered, lots of perfect weekends that you think about long after they are over, good books, good friends, and maybe a trip or two just to keep it interesting.

Okay, 35th year... let's see what you've got.  

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Best reading spot in the house

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CSA - Week 7

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Frozen nutella banana pop time

Guess what time of year it is?!? 

Frozen nutella banana popsicle time! 

With temperatures in the 90s and only getting hotter and hotter, I just had to whip up a bunch of these.

This is my batch.  Little B's are just covered in chocolate.  Let's see how long these last in the freezer.

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Good Weekend

This weekend, we did it right.

We crammed in as much egg-hunting, fancy-food-eating, movie-watching, friend-chatting, birthday-celebrating, pie-sampling, massage-getting, dancing-to-the-music, staying-up-way-past-my-bedtime moments that a girl could possible hope to cram into a busy weekend.  It was awesome!

The stealth Easter egg huntress

To kick the festivities off, Little B went to her first ever Easter egg hunt.  I was such a proud mama as she knew exactly what to do.  Forget those bigger kids. This girl's strategy is to be real quiet and on the down-low and while others are fighting over 1 egg, she cleans house right behind them. Her egg hunting instincts impress me.

Then, as this weekend is the beginning of my Birthday Extravaganza week, I spent Saturday enjoying a massage and then going on a "fancy" date night with my husband.  And by fancy, I mean that we went to a nice place and ordered not only amazing entrees like salmon stuffed with brie cheese, crab and shrimp, but also drinks, appetizers, and desserts.  Oh yes, it was heavenly.  Then afterwards, David and I walked around holding hands and catching up on life.

After we picked up Little B from her friend's house and headed home, we put the baby and dog to bed and continued our date night, curling up on the couch watching the latest Harry Potter movie.  Sure, it is not the old days of partying it up on the town to the crazy hours of the morning.  But that is just fine with me.  I like our low-key date nights... lots of fun without the hangover in the morning.

Sunday brought a wide-eyed Little B ready to play her favorite weekend game that she and her daddy invented.  I have no idea what they call it.  Stroller-Chase-The-Dog just sounds stupid.  But that is basically what it is all about.  Little B calls it "Push", but she calls everything that.  Who knows.

After a good game of "I don't what the heck to call it", it was time to venture inside and hunt the Easter eggs that we had hidden around the house last night.  I have a feeling that we may be playing the Easter egg hunting game over and over again until August because it is just that much fun.

 
All in all, it was a perfect weekend... out and about with a good dose of lazy mixed in. Yep, can't really ask for anything more.

Hope you had a good weekend too!

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Meal Planning Monday

So this is going to be a bit of a crazy week... my birthday is on Thursday and then Little B and I are flying out early the next day to go to New York for the weekend.  But we still gotta eat!  So without further ado, here is our plan.

Photo credit

• Monday: Roasted chicken with roasted red potatoes and a mixed green salad (using lettuce from the garden!).  For dessert, we will be enjoying an assortment of little pies that my friend gave me for my birthday.  Does she know me or what!
• Tuesday: Leftover chicken mixed into dirty rice and black beans
  
• Wedesday: Quesadillas with a roasted pepper, mozzarella and basil salad
  
• Thursday:  Birthday dinner at Fonda San Miguel! (by far the best Tacos Al Pastor that I have ever had)
  
• Friday: Hello New York!

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The difference a year makes

Isn't it wild that within 1 year.....

... this chubby delicious little baby can turn into....

... this beautiful young girl with a cute little smile and a wickedly funny sense of humor?

I am a very lucky mama.

Happy Good Friday!

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Homemade Yogurt

We eat a lot of yogurt in this house.  Sometimes it is in smoothies or drizzled with honey and granola or (if you are Little B) the best finger food a girl can shove in her mouth.  Little B hates milk; so yogurt is one of the easiest ways for me to make up for that in her diet.  For me, it is one of the few dairy items that my stomach can tolerate (oh ice cream, how I miss you!). 

Yes, yogurt is always in our fridge. But yogurt can be expensive.  And finding a full-fat version is sometimes challenging.  Plus, the store bought variety usually has a lot of sugar, too.  So after reading an inspiring post over on The Frugal Girl, I decided to give this whole homemade yogurt process a whirl.

The first attempt was a complete failure.  Little B was running around too close to the stove demanding attention.  And because of that the yogurt-making instructions became more like guidelines.  My yogurt ended up completely liquid, smelling like boiled milk.  So if you try this out for yourself, make sure you follow instructions exactly and, better yet, have someone else wrangle your child away from the stove top so that you can focus.

The first time seemed intense to me, but I think that it was because it was the first time and the 1-1/2 year old crazy little that lives with me.  But the second time was much easier.  Once you get the basics down and know that  you can accomplish the task at hand, the whole process is much less intimidating.  Now I could do it in my sleep.  Okay, that is a lie.  But I could probably do it with a 1-1/2 year old crazy person screaming "mama, up!" at me the whole time.

Homemade Yogurt 

(adapted from The Frugal Girl)

1/2 gallon of milk

1 cup yogurt starter (I recommend a small cup of plain name brand yogurt)

1. Place glass canning jars, lids, and screw-tops in a large pot. (I used whatever we had on hand which was mixture of pint and quart jars.) Fill so that an inch of water covers the tops of the jars; cover with lid and heat to boiling. Boil for ten minutes. Leave the lid on the pot and move it off the heat until you are ready to use the jars.

2. Pour the milk into a large, heavy bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven. Heat the milk to 185-190 degrees Farenheit(90-90 Celcius).

3. Place the pot in a sink filled with cold water and let the milk cool to 120 degrees fahrenheit(50-55 degrees celsius)

4. Stir one cup of yogurt starter into the cooled milk, using a whisk. Stir well to ensure that the starter is thoroughly incorporated into the milk.

5. Pour the milk into jars, and put the lids and bands on. Place them into a cooler.

6. Heat one gallon of water to 120 degrees F(50-55 degrees C) and pour into cooler.

7. Shut cooler lid and leave in a warm place for three hours. When the three hours are up, place the yogurt in the refrigerator.

Here are my notes based on my first attempt being a failure and the second being a success.

• Watch that thermometer like a hawk.
• For the starter, use yogurt that has never been opened and stick to name brand plain flavored.  I did not do this on the first attempt and it did not turn out as well.
• Add enough warm water to the cooler that the jars are about 3/4 submerged, but not high enough that the water line hits the lid.  I have a big cooler so 1 gallon did not seem like enough.
• Definitely put the lid on the cooler.  Little B took the lid off without me knowing and I think the temperature was not warm enough to make the transformation from liquid into creamy yogurt.
• For me, I also let the yogurt sit in the water filled cooler for almost 8 hours.  I did that based on instructions on other yogurt-making sites.  For me, that worked better than 3 hours.
• For your first attempt, make sure you have plenty time and ample room to make a mess.  This is not an undertaking that I would recommend multi-tasking with, at least not until you have done it a few times.

Now, let's talk about the result.  The result is awesome!  It tastes a little different than store-bought, a bit of an extra tang to it.  But it is good.  For Little B, I mix in a spoonful of homemade jam and she devours it.  It tastes good with granola.  And because it is plain, I find that I am using it more often in other dishes in place of mayo or sour cream.  The best part, I can do this process about once a month and have yogurt stocked in our fridge while saving money.  Hooray!

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CSA - Week 6

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Tina Fey says it so well

A Mother’s Prayer for Its Child

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.
Amen.”

-Tina Fey

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What I am loving...

David taught Little B to say "Madness" (for March Madness) while shaking her fists whenever she sees basketball on TV.  I love it because she says it so clearly, while other words are not as intelligible. She is such a little sponge, picking up on all that we do. David likes that it is a fun party trick for all his friends and family.  It really is pretty cute.

 

This book is so good.  It pulls you in from the very beginning.  I wish I could just sit in a comfy chair and read this book from cover to cover in one sitting.  But with my life, that is next to impossible.  So instead I settle, for stolen moments after Little B goes to bed.  The To-Do list is neglected, but so worth it because this book is that good.

Continuing on the literary theme, one of my friends gave me the most brilliant idea.  It is so brilliant that I am kind of mad that I did not think of it myself.  See everyday, I have this dilemma when Little B takes her nap or is asleep for the night... Cross stuff off the To-Do list or indulge in a little book reading.  More often than not, the To-Do list wins.  So when my friend mentioned that she does her To-Do list items while listening to an audio book on her iPod, I became so excited.  And then when I discovered that LibriVox offers recordings of the classics for free, I was beyond ecstatic. Librivox is kind of like the PBS of audio books.  Efficiency, frugalism, and literary joy at its finest!  So these days, I am listening to Madame Bovary and my bathroom has never sparkled so much.
 

I am in a weird egg salad kick these days.  To me, an egg salad sandwich or egg salad on crackers is the perfect cool lunch as the temps are reaching a ridiculous 100 degrees in April (WTH!).  Plus, Little B inhales it, which is even better.

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Pigtails

It's official.  We have pigtails!

When Little B has her pigtails, she reminds me of Boo in Monsters, Inc.

Now, how long they stay in is another matter. 

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The 2011 Duarte Family Garden has begun!

Growing up, we always had a garden.  Part was out of necessity... feeding four growing, ravenous kids is not for the weak.  Part of it was done for fun.  My mother has never said so, but I am sure that she snuck away to the garden to escape all those damn kids every once and a while.

For me, I love the self-sufficiency of a garden.  It is almost like a battle cry that goes something like this - "World, you can do whatever you want to me, but you better watch out because I have my garden.  I can still eat!  Take that, why don't ya!" (yes, I know.  I have some rage issues... but the garden is helping me work those out too.)

I appreciate all that goes into a garden - digging, planting, harvesting, composting.  It is a lot of work, but something that I look forward to instead of dreading.  Maybe it is because I know that I will get back what I invest.  That all my hard work will pay off in the form of a delicious heirloom tomato or that I will be dining on the finest salsa around all summer long.

Gardens are also so amazing in that they are so resilient. They start as a blank canvas.  Then they transform into this vessel that nurtures baby seedlings.  Then those seedlings grow up to produce their own little babies.  And all through out, the garden is getting beat down by the hot Texas sun or thirsty for just a drink or 2 of water.  Then stinkin' squirrels come and steal its bounty without asking and have the audacity to take only 1 bite out of tomato before throwing it to the ground in disgust.  Little jerks!  And to top it all off, everything dies in the end.  It has served its purpose.  Seems a little defeating, huh?

But I choose to not see it that way.  At the end of the season, beneath that blank canvas is this universe of little worms and itty-bitty seedlings that are taking a breather.  The garden gets a fresh start every year where it gets to try again, avoiding mistakes from the last year.

So on that note,  The Duarte Family 2011 Garden has begun!

I found the best heirloom tomatoes and peppers at Shoal Creek Nursery.  When I walked into that place, I felt like how I do when I walk into our public library... that it was a place of kindred spirits.  I am so excited.  The plants look so good and they are less expensive than any generic thing that you find at Lowes or Home Depot.

This is gonna be a good summer.  I can feel it in my toes.

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From my bookshelf: The Gargoyle

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This book pulled me in from the very beginning with the car wreck. I really liked the rawness of it, that the narrator is so broken, the theme of redemption, all the ambiguities of whether Marianne Engle is crazy or not. Could she really have lived in the 1300s? I loved how the story weaved in with Dante's Inferno. Also, I feel like I have a whole new respect for burn victims. I had no idea how absolutely dreadful the recovery process can be.

Though I thought the story dragged at times, it was overall an entertaining book.  My test of a good book is whether or not I think about it afterward.  I do still think about it.  It is a really interesting story. 

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Live each season as it passes

The weather this past weekend was gorgeous!  And after a brief thunderstorm early this morning, it looks like the weather is going to continue to be sunny and amazing all week long.  This is perfect, especially since one of my brothers and his family are in town.

Henry David Thoreau once said, “Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”

On that note, we will be spending lots of time outside this week... working in the garden, picking flowers, grilling out, watching the kids play in the grass, and checking out all that the Texas Hill Country has to offer.  Winter hibernation is officially over.  We are soaking up the rays before the brutal heat of summer kicks in.

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Have a happy weekend!

Little B and I are off to Dallas for the weekend to see some family and friends.  Just a quick one-nighter trip with David left here to fend for himself.  Don't feel too sorry for him.  I am sure that pizza, beer, sports, and ice cream will be enjoyed in our absence.

Hope you have a lovely weekend.  See you on Monday!

Image via frolic!

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Lots of Life Living

Thank you so much to all of you.  Your sweet words made me feel supported and love.  Just what I needed in order to hit the reset button.

One of the things that I like best about myself is when I do get down, I never stay down for too long. Too many good things in life have been floating right in front of my face this week.  I can't just sit there and miss out on them.  I feel like a girl sitting on the sidelines watching all my friends dance like crazy, singing out lyrics to a song that everybody knows, having such a good time without me.  And even though I am exhausted and my feet hurt, I can not bear the thought of missing out on some fun.  So with one quick breath, I jump up and start shakin' my booty like I know I can.  Life is kind of like that... no one wants to miss a good singing at the top of your lungs, booty-shakin'.

So with that, I am jumping back in. On to the next adventure.  My ooomph is creeping back!  Can I get an "Amen, sista!"?

I have been busy this past week.  Lots of life living.

This past weekend, I went "fancy camping" with my Girl Crew.  Babies and husbands were left behind for a weekend in a treehouse with lots of alcohol, chocolate, laughing, and soul searching.

Another legendary weekend with my girls.  The timing could not have been more perfect. We dealt with some pretty heavy topics, along with a fair share of ridiculously funny ones too such as:

• The merits of chocolate swiss cake rolls
• Bitch moves when playing Words with Friends
• Monkey bread tips and tricks
• A very heated debate over who should play the leading roles in the upcoming Hunger Games movie
• Local Austin personalities like Leslie and the new guy who rides a bicycle while wearing a thong

I don't know what I would do without those girls.  They are good for my soul.  No matter what else happens in my life, I count my blessings that I decided to start a little book club so many years ago and bring together random girls from my different areas of life.  The book club stopped many years back, but the friendships are stronger than ever.  I have a feeling that our adventures together are just getting started.

Then back to my #1 girl.  We have been sharing lots of long talks in backyard, sitting in our pajamas.  She drinks her juice.  I drink my coffee.  I have no idea what she is saying, but we cover a lot of topics.

And of course, we make plenty of time for some good ol' fashion goofing around.  I think we excel in that area.

And to add to the life living list, I am back to my old tricks...

• Staying up way too late reading good books
• Getting dirty in the garden planting little green seedlings with hopes that they will eventually feed my family
• Catching up with far away friends through 2 hour phone conversations
• Listening to music that speaks to my soul
• Planning trips to see family and friends
• Making delicious messes in the kitchen

Yep, my ooomph is back.  I can't wait to see what happens next.

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CSA - Week 3 and 4

With all the crazy of last week, I just realized that I completely forgot to post our CSA box.  Ooops.  Well, it was so good that I can't not post it.  So you are getting two weeks of vegetable goodness in one post.

CSA - Week 3

Week 3 included:

• Red cabbage (half a head since we split with our neighbor)
• Tomatoes
• Pea tendrils
• Asparagus (these were so good!)
• Mixed greens
• Lettuce
• Carrots
• Green onions
• Spinach
• Cucumber

CSA - Week 4

This week's bounty included:

• Lettuce
• Baby chard
• Radishes (I have no idea what the heck to do with these)
• Green onions (HUGE!)
• Carrots
• Kale

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Little Miss Sassy Pants

Look who is sporting a little finger wagging ATTITUDE.  Getting a little too big for her britches, if you ask me.

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Have you seen my Ooomph?

"Ooomph" is my very technical term that I use to describe that inspiration that lives inside you and gives you the energy to live your best life.

Ooomph is that excited feeling you get as you dream up plans for a new project that you can't wait to jump into.  Or its that rejuvenated sigh of relief as you drive home from an amazing girls weekend that makes you feel like your true, complete self again. Sometimes, it can be that giddy anticipation feeling as you rush home to watch a Downton Abbey or stay up way too late because your Shadow of the Wind type of book is just that good.  Ooomph also comes in the form of contentment as you sit in the backyard with a beer in your hand as you watch your husband grill burgers and your little girl laugh as she finds another earthworm.

Ooomph is one of life's little joys that I could just never give up.  Ooomph is awesome!

But it seems that I have missplaced my Ooomph for the moment.  Losing your Ooomph is no good.  It is like living in a technicolor world and then waking up to realize that everything shifted back to black and white.  Or like pigging out on the amazing fresh, rich food in Italy to then only being able to eat Lean Cuisines.  No one wants to live that way.  But it sure does make you appreciate it when you do get your ooomph back.

I am not too concerned though.  If I just sit back and wait patiently, it always finds me again. Sometimes it comes back quick like a lightening bolt.  I love it when it that happens.  Makes my heart race but in a good way.  But sometimes it will tiptoe in without me noticing, usually after a few good nights of sleep.  Either way, I am missing it and hope that it finds me soon.

So in my quest to refind my ooomph, I am curious to know what your ooomph inspirations are.  Please share the things that are making you smile, bringing you contentment, and making you feel whole... you never know, it could help me remember where I last left my ooomph.

Image via Zsa Zsa Bellagio

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Frugal Fatigue

So an update since my last post...

As of last Friday, my project ended and therefore my work contract ended.  So not only I am not the VP of Marketing, my consultant gig is up and my corporate income went right out the door with it.  Rats!

I wish I could say that  I am excited about my new found freedom and extra time with Little B, but really I am just tired.  Tired of worrying about money, tired of worrying about the costs of health insurance, tired of making my own yogurt because I refuse to pay $4 for a tub of it, tired of worrying that maybe we can't afford date night.  I am just tired.

Self-employment is rough.  9-5 just does not apply.  And then when you add a spouse who is also self-employed in one of the hardest hit industries... Yowsa!  It makes me wonder why anyone starts a company anymore.

I loved a lot of things that this job could have provided, but one of the big ones was freedom from some of the worries.  I didn't worry about buying meat when it wasn't on sale.  I didn't question if I could really afford to go on a date night or a girls night out.   I didn't worry about how much the gas would cost on a  trip to go see friends and family just a few hours away.  I didn't worry about the costs of travel to go to my Grandmother's funeral.  And because this job brought group health insurance to the table, I didn't have to worry about the thought of giving birth to a second baby in kiddie pool with the dog sitting next to me in the backyard because I have no FREAKIN' idea how we will pay for a hospital birth completely out of pocket.  (And to clarify, I am not pregnant, but might like to be someday.) 

I think that is what I am grieving the most about the this lost opportunity.  I had given myself a preview about what life could have been like.  And I was liking how that looked.  I liked not having to base all decisions on how much money is in the bank. But now I am back in my life of pinching pennies.

And don't get me wrong, I like my life.  I wouldn't trade it with anyone.  I appreciate all the amazing goodness and people in it.  I am just taking a quick breather in the form of a pity party before I buck up, come up with some other crazy, creative way to cut some costs and look for another gig.

Such is life.  No matter how much it knocks you down, you just gotta pick yourself up, dust yourself off, jump back in and laugh in its face.  

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