Transition

This past year has been all about new life intersections.  What direction to turn?  Sometimes just wanting to turn around and go back the way you came. We, as a family, have being trying to recalibrate our inner compass in order to figure out if we want take a left or right at that intersection.  And sometimes those answers simply don't come as quick as we would like them to.

It is often frustrating not knowing the path.  But right now, for this moment, it feels liberating.  Like we are throwing the compass out the window and saying "Ah, to hell with it!  Let's ride this ride and see what happens."

Life is busy and full.  And while time is rushing by, I am doing my best to take mental snapshots of all of our fun moments...

• A little grin smiling back at me in the rear view mirror as we drive in to preschool and work.
• Kicking ass at my first ever board meeting presentation.
• A few precious moments of quiet at the end of the day before I crash into my pillow.
• Little B being so proud of herself as she masters the art of holding up only 3 fingers

I have no idea if this career track I am on will take off, but I am having fun with it.  I have no idea if we will stay in Fort Worth, but we are making friends anyways.  I have no idea where we will live in when our lease is up in the fall, but I am excited to explore the possibilities.  So much is up in the air right now.

But sometimes great beauty can be found in transition. 

Summer CSA: Week 1

Our first CSA of the summer is finally here!

We chose Cold Springs Farm for our CSA here in Fort Worth.  The farm is out on the west side of the city in Weatherford, but we get to pick it up each week at a cute a little house/yard right next to downtown.

Little B thinks picking up vegetables is the best thing ever.  She gets to run wild for a bit, collect sticks, and talk to the owner's two big dogs.

So far I am liking what I am seeing with this new CSA.  I can't wait to see what the summer bounty brings us.

From my kitchen: spicy roasted beets

Do you ever wonder what your house smells like to other people?

You know what I mean... like when you go to your grandma's house and it has that certain smell that smells just like her.

Some people's houses smell like lavender or citrus... in my opinion, these people usually have very clean houses.  Other people's house smell like vanilla.  Some houses smell like a old bookshop... a mix of old books and coffee.

Anyways, I wonder what my house smells like to other people.  So there is my random thought of the day.

Today my house probably smells like spicy roasted beets.  Not too bad of a smell if you are hungry, though I don't know how comfortable I am if that were the smell that people always associate with me and my house.  But never the less, that is what it smells like  today.

Spicy Roasted Beets

2 large beets

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

a pinch of chile powder

1 tsp brown sugar

a couple pinches of salt

a couple pinches of pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash, peel, and then cut the beets into uniform bite size pieces.  Toss them with just enough olive oil to lightly coat. Pour the spices in and mix.  Roast for 30 minutes or until tender.  Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper, if needed. 

Little Moments: snuggling

Odds and Ends

:: Our annual Beach Trip 2012 is officially booked. Woohoo! Last year, we met up with our Alabama friends and headed over to Destin's beach. It was a great trip.  Who knows what beach we will end up at this year, but I am excited all the same.

:: On a related note, I have been on the hunt for a new bathing suit for the summer season.  I was super excited when I saw the swimsuits in the J Crew catalog.  I love their colors and I love that the suits are modest and will stay put in all the critical places (good for a mom chasing her toddler around), but also really cute and sexy in that classic sort of way.  So I ordered 3 with the hope that at least 1 would fit.  Well, there is good news and bad news.  ALL 3 of them fit really well, except for 1 critical area....  Would it kill J Crew to add an underwire!?  Not all of us have the boobs of a twenty year old... some of us never even had them when we were 20.  Some of us need a little extra oomph/support in that area. So now all 3 suits have been returned.  Bleegh!

:: I love PF Changs.  As someone with a life-long peanut allergy, I have always appreciated their willingness to go above and beyond when it comes to offering me dishes that are peanut free.  But today, I was also so pleasantly surprised when I saw that they have a HUGE gluten-free menu to pick and choose from.  And we are not taking about a GF menu with only 2-3 things on it.  Try 15-20.  I have the spicy chicken... so good and no tummy troubles at all.  This is a restaurant that knows how to do it right.  They eliminate all the difficulties that go with eating out when you have a food allergy. No awkward conversations that draw attention to you.  No fingers crossed that the waiter/cook truly understands the severity of an allergy and takes it seriously.   I wish that other restaurants would take note.  They could learn a thing or two from PF Changs.

:: After many restless nights due to the dang house alarm going off, we finally figured out how to completely disable and unhook it.  Hooray!!!  The alarm wasn't even enabled, but it would still go off all the time.  And always in the middle of the night.  So good riddance that stupid thing.  I can not tell you how happy that makes me.

:: Unless you are a cute, little grandma over the age of 80, I really don't like being referred to as "sweetie", "honey", or "sugar".  Even when it is not meant to be, I find it kind of condescending.  There... you have been warned.  Glad we had this talk.

:: Anyone else watching The Bachelorette?  What do you think about it so far?  It seems real disjointed to me.  I can't put my finger on it.  But I find it best to not think too deeply on these sort of things.  If I had to call it right now, I thinking she is ending up with this guy, Arie.