Three Things October

#1. Sunday Pot Roast


We have a new meat store in Maple Valley, Shawn's Quality Meats. They get their beef from Painted Hills Natural Beef, which I had never tried before. I am excited to have a good meat store here, even though we will be in and out of the area. We stopped by the weekend they opened to check them out and walked out with what I consider three staples to tell if the meat is good: a pot roast, bacon and a few of their own sausages. They carry a brand of chicken I am familiar with, so I did not buy any chicken. There is something about meat wrapped in white butcher paper with the name scribbled on the outside that I love. I knew it was going to be good! 


With tomatoes in abundance at Folley's Produce we had BLT's that night. The bacon was thick and had a great flavor to it. At first I thought it left a lot of fat in the pan, but then thinking more about it, I have decided it was my pan size. (Remember that packing thing?? I was cooking it in a pan way to small, I should have used the dutch oven I left here).  Still nothing beats a good BLT! And these were good. 


That Sunday we had the pot roast. Gary and I had a little discussion on how to cook it. My mom often dumped a can of tomatoes over the top of hers. No way he tells me. So I did my best to recreate his mom Babe's classic recipe. I browned the meat in oil, added a bit of stock, two large onions and slipped it into a 325 oven for a few hours. Toward the end I added an entire bunch of farm fresh carrots, little organic red potatoes, which I  tucked in down toward the meat where that lovely brown juice would caramelize them some, celery, salt and pepper and nothing else. I served it with a tossed salad, cottage cheese, (just like Babe would have done),  and one of the last few bags of last years applesauce from the freezer. Need I say any more? Sunday pot roast is back! The meat was stingy and juicy and full of wonderful flavor. 


#2. There is an app for that! 
I have found the perfect "app" for me! Between all the cooking magazines I read, my 175+ cookbook collection and cooking blogs I follow I have a difficult time keeping everything sorted. My cookbooks are marked with small post-it tags, the corners are turned down on magazines as I read them and blogs are bookmarked. I sometimes spend hours looking through all of them to find that recipe I wanted to try, but can't remember where I saw it. I have tried writing them down in a notebook... that doesn't' work. I have folders on my computer, that doesn't work. But there is an app for that!! It is called Pepperplate. I use it on my iPad and computer right now, but I read that there will soon be an app for my android phone. (Right now it is only available on iPhones.) It is amazing. It has a planner which is a calendar where you can make notes, a menu organizer for those special occasion dinners, a grocery list, (this is where the phone app would really come in handy), for now I am printing them off from the computer. But the best feature is the ability to import recipes from anywhere on the web. And it is free. This past week I made these for the first time from my iPad. We love these muffins and every time I make them I print the recipe off and then proceed to lose it, only to have to reprint it again. Now it is on my iPad in Pepperplate where I can always find it.  I can see that this will make my life easier!! I hear they have an iPad cooking rack for the kitchen. What a great Christmas gift for someone who loves to cook!! 


#3. October gifts: 
I have so many things to be thankful for this month: the move of course into our perfect, cozy house, spending time with old and dear friends, finding a home for our three cats, the great classes at the gym in Richland, (did I mention I am doing yoga three or four times a week now!), along with some other fun aerobic classes. And new granddog, Coco, who I have not met her yet, but understand she is keeping Gus on his toes! But the best gift of all is having Gary come home every night and having dinner together! You know we always ate dinner together as a family. I set the table every night, even when our kids were running crazy with school and sports and we all managed to sit down together most nights. So I have missed that so much. I know it seems like such a simple thing, but for years Gary and I have not had this.  Dinner is usually not anything fancy, but he sets the table, while I finish up dinner and we each sit down and talk about our day. It is a wonderful, simple thing that I hope none of you take for granted. 


I wanted to end with this great poster I found on the Internet. It is a food poster from WWI  dated 1917. Things really have not changed that much. And we think we have new ideas today!! 

Coming Home

"You might want to talk to my wife, she homeschools our four kids," he told me after class.  I was stunned, he was a teacher, this was a class for teachers on current events in education. Why would his wife be homeschooling their kids?? My study partner and I needed to find someone who was homeschooling so we could finish our project. Homeschoolers were on the rise across the nation, but neither of us knew anyone who was actually doing it. She had picked the subject, which we both went into with a somewhat skeptical mindset.  This was some 29 years ago, I was pregnant with Brandon, my second child,  and trying to finish up the last of my needed credits to get my continuing teaching certificate. It was the last place I wanted to be and I was putting in my time.


"I'll call her." I said on the ride home. 


A few days later I walked into her house and my life changed. There was real learning taking place here, and there were children experiencing a "real" childhood. There were also books on every available space in the house, Legos and art supplies, a huge piano, no TV in site, dirty dishes in the sink and a back yard to die for! I had found my soul mate. 


Justin and I stayed four a few hours, I had tea, he played and she and I talked. Here was a woman who thought like I did. She nursed her kids, let them sleep with her and her husband, baked her own bread, made her own baby food, raised a garden, read to her kids all the time, monitored their TV exposure, wanted them to have time to be children and managed to wrap this all around a warm learning environment. There were no schoolbooks, no school desks, yet the living room  table was full of "projects". Her  kids were amazing. I felt like I had come home. She even talked about home births and lent me her back copies of Mothering Magazine and a copy of Home Grown Kids by Raymond and Dorthy Moore. She smiled her beautiful smile and  told me to call her if I had any more questions. 


I poured over the magazines, realizing that there were others out there that felt like I did about raising children. I was so happy! I started my research at the public library because there was no internet back then. Homeschooling information was hard to come by. There were a few founders in the field. The Moore's of course, John Holt, Helen Hagener, just to name a few. I learned that homeschooling was not yet legal in the state of Washington, but there were ways around that. You could become a private school, if you had a teaching certificate. I also learned that there were people working on passing a law in the state. I asked her why she was not involved in that and she said, she just wanted to homeschool her kids and didn't need anyone else telling her it was alright or that she was doing things right. I loved her independence! 


By the time Justin reached kindergarten age I was convinced I wanted to try homeschooling. So come that fall I did not put him in school. Did you know a child does not have to go to school until the age of eight in Washington? We were in the middle of a move, moving from Eastern Washington to Maple Valley and Gary was over there working while I was home alone with our three boys. To be honest there was very little "school work " going on. We still did all our normal stuff: trips to the library, lots of reading, letters to Grandma and Grandpa,science experiments in the kitchen, lots of creative playing on their own, and field trips. However by the time the boys and I moved in January I felt like I was barley keeping my head above water, let alone teaching Justin anything worth while. So when we arrived in Maple Valley I enrolled him in kindergarten. It lasted about two months. We missed him at home, he missed us at school. I went to observe and realized I had been doing enough. His teacher supported me and so we withdrew him and homeschooling became our way of life. 

Eventually they all went into public school, but our homeschooling life allowed them a full blown childhood, a closeness that still bonds us all deeply, trips with Grandma and Grandpa that would not have happened had they been in school, and a lifelong love for learning. To this day when they are passionate about something they give it their all and I credit homeschooling and the freedom it allowed us to explore things we loved, for that passion. 


She and I kept in touch when our kids were little. We always looked forward to our weekend together at the WHO convention every year and talked on the phone some.  But eventually we lost touch, our kids grew up and so the last several years it has been an exchange of Christmas cards, and sometimes that did not happen, and a few email. 


I saw her last week. We sat in her back yard, talking, catching up, her beautiful grandchildren, who are being homeschooled, running around in her back yard, making bow and arrows with sticks, playing in the sunshine. Her house still has books on every surface and  Legos in the living room. The grand piano is still there and her table was full of children's "projects".  She was canning grape juice so there were dirty dishes in the sink, and there is a TV now. Her beautiful smile welcomed me and I felt like I had not left. It was nice to be home. Thanks Chris. 

Washington Girl

The leaves on our little maple tree beside our deck are changing before my eyes. The morning sun intensifies the orange and red colors as they prepare to turn golden, dry up and fall. I find a few small leaves on the deck each morning. The golden mustard fields, which I pass on my way into town, look almost irradescent during the day under the umbrella of the bright blue sky  and take on a beautiful dense color at sundown againt the navy skyline. I had forgotten just how beautiful Eastern Washington can be. I spent all of my childhood and part of my young adult life in Eastern Washington, oblivious to it's beauty and it's magic. 

 I took my first trip to Seattle in college and fell in love. Not only with the city but the people. In the late 70's the "Ave" along the U district, was full of offbeat clothing stores,  the likes not found at JC Penny's. Pike Street Market invoked wonderful smells and sights, the rich colors of food lined up just begging to be tasted. All of this against the beautiful backdrop of the Puget Sound. There was water everywhere you looked and snow capped mountains. There were concerts to go to, hikes to take, sailing to be done and walks on the beach. And the people, the beautiful people, all colors, so diverse, with lots to teach me. I fell in love. After living in Western Washington for the last 24 years, a little over half my life, I call it home. I admit it now, I was a Western Washington snob! 

So imagine my surprise every day when I venture out and find one more thing to love about Richland! The beautiful sunsets over the low austere mountains, the slower pace of life, no traffic, waking up to the sun, movie theaters that have caramel corn and are just minutes away, the public library, which has a coffee bar, and uses local, grass-fed cows milk in their lattes, great organic produce in my weekly CSA box, wine, lots of wine, small micro-brews, where you can chat with the brewer, and just about everything I need. And the people: old friends, new friends, nice neighbors and ducks. I am falling in love. 

Guess I will now call my self a Washington girl. Splitting myself between the two very different sides of the state and finding a new appreciation for both. You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. We are heading west of the mountains on Thursday, and I am excited to go, check on the house, maybe go see the boys, touch base with some friends,  however I know I will be excited to head back here on Sunday. I am a lucky girl I have the best of both worlds! 

Hearts, Pictures and Sea glass

Gary and I have been on four extended vacations, meaning we were not at the lake and we were someplace for more than a weeks time. Each time we stayed in wonderful
accommodations and could settle in for the stay. A place where we could unpack our suitcases and make the spot our own for awhile. It took some time to remember where we put things, but we knew it was only temporary and so we kicked back, relaxed and had fun. 

 I have unpacked, everything is in order, very neat and in it's place and the house looks great.  I am still trying to remember however where that place might be for everything. I spent a few minutes yesterday looking for my little foot stool, because I had moved it from the front closet to the office to finally settle it in under the sink in the laundry room and I had forgotten that. 

But I know with time all will be found. I have tried to group things in drawers and closets, like I had them at home, hoping this will help me some. However this place does not have the years of "treasures" or "just in case I need it someday" items, so I have empty closets, cupboards and drawers. There is something to be said however for those "I might need it someday" items, and I have a list started for things to bring back with us next time we go home. At first I felt a little bit like we were on vacation, but that feeling is slowing going away as the house starts to take on our personality and we become familiar with it. 

My friend Dawn came and helped me decorate. I think she was surprised at what I had to decorate with: colored glass bowls of seashells and sea-glass, pottery dishes with rocks, three rocks shaped like hearts, one Justin gave me when he was about five, three cute little ceramic frogs Jordan gave me, my cancer angel, and pictures, lots of pictures of  family and friends. 

The pictures on the walls were the last things I did in the line of decorating and I was surprised how much they made it feel like home. Every picture I have on the wall, except one, was either taken by me or one of the kids. 

I hung pictures of the boys and Gary and I in one of the halls, just like I had them hung in the family room at home. I even used the same formation. (Today however, I might go update the photos as they are years old and I need to add Courtney with Brandon!). But I needed to have the "boys" here with us!

Courtney once told me she loved to come to the house because every time she came I had new pictures out. She commented that my idea of decorating was changing the pictures in the frames and she is so right. I want things surrounding me that have meaning, not just pretty things. I want to look at that rock heart and remember Justin handing it to me on the coast one day, so proud he had found it. "Here Mommy, I found you something", he said, all smiles. That rock has been in my kitchen window ever since. I  want to look at the sea-glass and remember lots of walks on lots of beaches with family and friends over the years. Dawn was kind and helped me find the perfect spot for everything! 

Today is Thursday, the day Gary normally would be making the long trip home over the mountains alone. Tonight he can come home from work, have a beer, maybe help me fix dinner and relax. It is true. It is not the house that makes a home but the people in it. I am happy every day to wake up and be together.  It just feels right. 

Packing

I've spent the last several days packing. It has been hard trying to decide what goes and what stays, knowing I will need "things" in both homes. The feeling is a little discerning, a bit like what I imagine a divorce or separation must feel like. I feel a bit unfaithful to the house we have lived in for 24 years, the place we all call home. The place we raised our boys, homeschooled them, ate thousands of meals, raised the food we ate, cut armloads of flowers, laughed, cried and healed together. Well you get the picture! I am essentially taking the guts out of our home, and leaving a few "things" for living here part time and abandoning all the accumulated junk which has found its way into the house over the years. 


I have done a fair amount of recycling "things" as I pack. Moving from room to room, poking into closets, drawers, peeking under beds and such I have been packing bags for the Goodwill and giving the recycle bins and the garbage cans at home, a run for their money. It was hard to give away Brandon's twin set of flannel sheets from his childhood, the cozy, soft blue ones with the lambs on them, (the family will understand the sentiments here), but I did it. I also gave away Jordan's swim team sweatshirts, but not his Santa outfit from when he was a boy. (Remember that Anne?) I pulled a box down from high in the closet in the spare bedroom and opened it to find a couple of All Star Baseball jackets. Both with Sly written on them somewhere in white letters, the jackets both black, the fabric shinny and smooth. I took them out, smiled and refolded them neatly and placed them back in the box. Maybe next go-around. In the same box I found several ODP soccer sweatshirts. Again with Sly somewhere on them, numbers on the back, grass stained and cozy. I folded them neatly and nestled them in with the coats. 


I did gave away table clothes I haven't used in years, and towels with no mates, extra kitchen gadgets,  lots of our clothes and some books.  I have just touched the surface here! But it is a start. I know Gary watched me fill boxes for him to take over there on Sunday, when he left alone for the last time. I am sure he wondered what the heck? After all he lived in our 30-foot trailer for six years, traveling back and forth with his Safeway luggage.  But I am going to make this our home, so I need our "things" to make this happen. He did not say a word, as he took the boxes out to the Tahoe one by one Sunday afternoon. He drove them to Richland and dropped them off in the garage of our new little house last night. He is a good man. This is one of the reasons I love him so. He knows me better than I know myself and he understands I need this. 

He sent me a text last night: "I unpacked the kitchen," it said.  

See why I love this man!