Being Sick With Spices

We've been sick the past week. All 4 of us. We slept the days away, toughed it out through a couple of things we couldn't get out of, and even bought another humidifier to help us through it all. Through all the fever's and tissues, I did manage to make us a big pot of spice filled tortilla soup. Making the chips is always so tedious, but worth it in the end.


Then at the tail end of all the sickness, I got some much needed paperwork done, and Mark put our newly acquired "toy" in it's final resting spot. So late at night while the kids slept, we finally had dinner. I made a bagel sandwhich with cream cheese, baby swiss cheese, avocado, clover sprouts, tomato, and yummy fresh deli turkey. I saw it on Pinterest. I just had to have. I did. I liked. Staple?

Today I'm excited that I get to run to the fabric store, and make granola bars. I never thought to make these at home, but once I found a good and easy recipe, I had no excuse not to. I've also had eggplant on my mind, so I'll be researching how to prepare that, it should be interesting.

As far as kid's craft's go, the glow stick lanters didn't turn out as expected. It was a toxic mess, so I ended up just putting the glow sticks whole and uncut into the water. Mia still had a lot of fun with it, but it was nothing like the pictures that were posted. According to the comments, I was not the only who couldn't get it to work. I still have paint to make, but keep forgetting to buy more food coloring to make vibrant colors. Today I also plan to buy glitter. Lot's of glitter. I see a disastrous but fun mess in my near future.

Tomatoes, And A Side Of Pinapple

I've been getting lots of pinapple lately. It juices well, it's good to eat, and makes for good smoothies. It's a pain to cut up though, and the juice makes my hands itch.

One night for dinner, I made simple BLT's and a huge salad with avocado's. It was the first time we had had bacon in almost 2 months it seems. It was nice to have it but blended with all the other flavor's so it wasn't too overwhelming. I was disciplined enough to not throw cheese on this, and instead of mayo I used dijon mustard.

Salsa! The easiest salsa in the world. I put some ingredients into my food processor, I pushed a button, and out poured salsa! It was spicy but good enough for my box. I think I wrote it down that day.

It made the perfect amount for a few days of spicy goodness.

It's been so busy lately. Appointments, preschool, meetings, dinners. When I look at my calendar, it's full and very few days have nothing on them. Today is Mia's first Valentines Day party at school. So I had the pleasure of putting together Valentines for all her classmates last night - she picked them all out herself too.

So I made cupcakes, and I feel totally guilty about it. I bought a box, and spend about 10 minutes on them. I even bought frosting and just added red coloring. I wasn't sure I wanted to spend 2 hours making cupcakes for kids that are going to devour them within' seconds. Cake kharma bit me in the ass, my left hand is stained red and it dosen't come off easily. Oh well. I took the time to decorate them at least so they're very "loving".

Spring? Yes, I'll Take Some Sherbert

Today's lunch. Rice milk, raspberry sherbert, fresh strawberries, banana's, peanuts, kiwi, and protein powder.

While outside exploring these past 2 days, I've found lots of things. Good and bad. I found this bulb, not in any dirt at all, but it's sprouting. It was near the daffodils, but not real sure what it is. So I am going to plant it in a small pot and watch it grow and see what comes of it. The bad? No matter what I seem to do, I can't seem to rid myself of all this garlic - elephant garlic - that is just not that good. I've pulled it twice now and yet I still have healthy sprouts. Ugh, if only they were good.

Tonight for dinner I made pasta with vodka cream sauce, and a large salad filled with avocado's. Mark bought this vodka a while ago, it's a potato vodka or something different, and holy crappola...just the smell of it makes me feel drunk for a second. I was a bit worried using it to cook with, but it came out great! While reducing it, the aroma was almost knock out strong, I'm almost scared to drink it.

I ventured into the Food Co-Op today in search of Mark's cereal ingredients. I will be learning how to roast and grind golden flax seeds. I guess I shouldn't really say "learn", it seems like a no brainer. I have a spice grinder so that's as easy as pushing a button for 15 seconds. The roasting, I guess I just throw in a hot pan and constantly stir? No oil, butter or anything. I even found some cool containers for all this stuff so it will all be well organized and even labeled. Hulled hemp seeds - expensive!

My to-do list on my fridge - the one for short term - is longer than normal. I am so behind on house duties. It dosen't matter that I put a huge bin of toys in storage, toys are still everywhere. It's endless. Always everywhere. It's been lovely but I have to scream now!

I'm dreaming a lot these days of a toy room. Mark and I have been talking about buying a laptop and getting rid of the desktop all together and just eliminate the whole office thing. That way we could turn the laundry room/office into a laundry room/toy room. Every single toy would either be in their rooms, or in the toy room. They seem to gravitate towards this room anyways. Well, actually we would stick the desktop in a hidden corner somewhere for the girls to play with. Isabel was introduced to the computer a few days ago, so I see 2 Kidzui accounts in the near future. I am sick to death of toys in the living room.

Everyday I think of my ever growing spring to-do list. Make laundry soap, finish dresser, finish hutch, paint ugly wall, paint hallway, paint the girls' toy cabinet, get the garden's started, get rid of cheap ugly bookcases and finally bring in the custome one sitting in my garage that Mark had as a child, utilize Aikido training and gain more patience, replant bamboo's, this, that, then another thing..kdlfasodfhoiwehfoiawneflkasdnflksadjf aotwor9w3ej p[d.

As long as a house renovation dosen't pop up somewhere, I'm golden.