Miscellaneous Pictures - Because I can.

First of all,

I get to see my sisters this weekend and all of next week!!! I'm excited!!!!!!! I get to see my family!!!

We rented a condo through the Armed Forces Vacation Club. Each place is something like $350/week. I'll let you know how it is. It seems like it's too good to be true.

Going on vacation is a good time to use my excess lotions, shampoos, and conditioners that we accumulated while moving this summer. Heaven knows I'm too Dutch to throw them away. Here they are - think we have enough?



Here's our guest bathtub. Strangely enough, our guest bathroom only has a tub (no shower head). Our bathroom only has a shower. The bathtub is a good place to relax!


DH's Valentine's Day present from me - Coopers beer. The stout is not his favorite, but he loved Coopers when we were there last summer and looks forward to drinking it next fall!

The world's smallest "Exchange" - aka the one closest to us. Basically, it's a convenience store with a few electronics and assorted ribbons and medals. But it's an exchange. I'm sad because it doesn't carry the cute reusable shopping bags that E posted about, or that are coming out in Navy Exchanges...

Why is it that we never live close to a good exchange? Dh jokes that exchange/commissary privileges were a major reason I married him... I just like a good bargain, that's all.



I finally finished my Christmas Tree Skirt - only 10 months early (or two months late!). I think it looks pretty good!


The back side...

You can take the girl out of Michigan...

I haven't lived in Michigan for the past decade or so. Even after a year in Hawai'i, I have largely regained the ability to withstand cold weather and all that accompanies it.

Last night, after the Vandy/UT game (which Vandy won!!!!!!!!!! It was a very exciting game!) we came home in snow and on ice. This morning, I woke up and most of the snow had melted, and there were light flurries in the air. I got ready for work, bundled up, and walked to the preschool. Upon entering the grounds, I noticed none of the teachers' cars were there. Like an idiot, I walked to the door and not a single child was present. Silly me, I hadn't even thought that conditions would warrant a snow day. Apparently they did. But, hey, I can't complain. It gave me an entire day home with dh and we got to clean the house a bit.

Mmmmm! Chocolate bread pudding.

I hadn't really tried bread pudding until this summer on our cruise. It was chocolate bread pudding with a heavenly cream sauce (creme fraiche or something). I craved it later. Last weekend at the cheer competition, we went out for lunch and they had chocolate bread pudding again. It was a sign.

Last night, I made my own chocolate bread pudding. I halved the recipe, and made some modifications, but it was still good! Oh, and we only have heart shaped ramekins... so don't think I was being particularly amorous...

chocolate bread pudding with walnuts and chocolate chips

Bon Appétit | January 2007

Carolynn Angle

4 cups 1-inch cubes egg bread with crust (about 6 ounces) - I just used french/italian bread
1 1/4 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, divided - I used both semi and bittersweet
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, broken into 1/2-inch pieces - I don't like crunchy pudding, omitted

1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided - I didn't have whipping cream, I just used half & half
1 cup half and half, divided
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk - in halving this, I used a whole egg yolk. I can't split it in half.
1/2 cup sugar

Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Preparation

Toss bread cubes, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and toasted walnuts in large bowl to blend.

Whisk 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 cup half and half, and cocoa in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Add remaining 3/4 cup chocolate chips; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Gradually whisk in remaining 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup half and half. Whisk eggs, egg yolk, and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in chocolate-cream mixture. Stir into bread mixture. Let stand 1 hour for bread to absorb some of custard.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter six (1- to 1 1/4-cup) ramekins. Divide pudding mixture among ramekins. Bake puddings until set in centers, about 40 minutes. I think I overbaked it, but it still turned out well :)

Just another Monday... before a Tuesday, after a Sunday

Well, life is always interesting at the preschool. Tonight a father came in to pick up his child. We like it (a lot) when parents actually take interest in their children, particularly when contrasted with the other parents who walk in, on their cell phones, pick up their child and their child's things, and then walk out, still on cell phone. Even worse is bluetooth. Then they look like they're talking to the teacher, but they're really not.

Anyway, we like it when parents take interest in their child's life. But there is a line. A fine line. The father crossed that line tonight. Apparently, the child had diarrhea yesterday. The father asked about what the child ate today, and then he went in to discussing poop. As in using the word "stool." I don't do that word less than an hour before dinner, unless in reference to something I stand on to reach the linguine on the top shelf that only dh can reach.

After the delightful conversation that seemed to be prolonged by my intense attempt to stifle laughter as the child's teacher tried to grasp for answers to the father's questions, we watched them walk to the door. And as they walked, the child wasn't paying attention and walked into the wall. One second he was walking, the next he was flat on the ground. It was one of those things where he almost bounced off of it and was like "when did they put a wall here?" Steve Martin or Jackie Chan movies have nothing on him. I just about died laughing.

hmm... now that I write it, it was not that funny... I guess you had to be there...

Tomorrow night - 1 vs 18. Be there and wear white.

Valentine's Day Flowers

I told you a little about one of the orders I took for Valentine's Day flowers at my flower shop job. I'm going to elaborate a little more.

Me: How can I help you?
Him: I'd like to order Valentines Day flowers.
Me: You've called the right place. Who are we sending these to?
Him: Amy.
Me: What is Amy's last name?
Him: I'm not sure.
Me: That's ok (warning flag number one goes up). What is her phone number?
Him: It's her work number, is that ok?
Me: Sure. (envisioning an office crush on the girl across the hall or in the office one floor up - something Jim and Pam style.)
Him: Ok, it's 555-1212.
Me: And to what address should we send the flowers?

He gave me the address. Then I realized what it was. My friends live on the same street. There's a Melting Pot, and then there's an establishment often frequented by men "for the wings." Turns out she's a waitress there.

I tried to talk him out of sending a dozen red roses... to no avail.

Do I even need to write a moral for this story? What would you say the moral of the story could be?? Write your own!

Honesty is the best policy...

I applied for a job as a receptionist at a department at dh's school. It would have been a 9-5 job in the same building as his school. I had envisioned us riding to school together, eating lunch together when possible... it being quite cute. Plus, it paid more. Well, I think it paid more. They told me I would be an hourly employee, earning between $9 and $16 per hour. Gee, could you narrow it down a little. $9/hour might not be worth it... $16 per hour definitely would be nice!

I had two interviews with them. The first was normal, about an hour. The second, was between 3 and 4 hours long. For a receptionist position. Crazy. I debated at the second interview whether or not I should tell them there's a possibility we'd go to to Australia this fall. I decided it'd be better to tell them.

I got this email on Friday.

It was so nice getting to know you during the interview process. We all thought you were delightful and qualified for the position. We also appreciated your honestly about your long term availability through the fall of 2008. However, we have decided to offer the position to someone who has the potential for long term availability. We all wish you the best and hope to see you again at one of the school events.

(bold and italics added by me)

Shoot. Honesty IS the best policy, right?? I didn't want their stinking job anyway.

'Auhea la 'oe?

E ku`u aloha e
`Auhea la `oe
A huli aku au ia `oe

Thank heaven it's Thursday.

So, today at school I got two compliments. Z sat on my lap and said that I smell nice. Thanks, Z. That, and a few boys today told me they like my Uggs. Yeah, the ones I talked about a month or so ago. And they liked them. One of them rubbed them for a while, I'm wondering if he was expecting a genie to pop out. Instead, he got me. And I didn't pop out of anything. But he did say that my boots were really soft. I think that's a compliment, right?


Question - anyone seen any good movies lately? I'm talking more the rentable/Netflixable kind. I saw Riding Giants and really liked it.


Here's what we had for dinner tonight - Rebekah's Fettuccine Alfredo. I'm not sure where she got it. It's not exactly good for you, but it's delicious!

REBEKAH'S FETTUCCINE ALFREDO

SERVES 2 - DH and I are stuffed.

- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

- 1 cup heavy cream I used half and half in attempts to make it "healthier"

- 2 eggs, beaten

- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated parmesan cheese We like just a little less

- 2 teaspoons minced garlic : You may like more or less I always love more garlic than most!

- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley We only have dried, but it's still good!

- 8 ounces fettuccini, cooked al dente and drained

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the cream. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a bowl. Stir into the cream mixture gradually. Add the garlic and parsley. Cook until thickened bringing to a slight boil and then reduce heat to low, stirring constantly. Serve over the hot pasta. :) Enjoy!

Some questions...

Ok, so we were reading a book about Noah's Ark in class today. And it raised a few questions in my mind.
- Do you think Noah could steer the ark? Was he a ship captain??
- Did anything happen to the sea life? Did sharks, whales, fish and other aquatic life get an automatic "bye" from the devastation on land??
- Ok, so the dove brought back a branch after a while - was that one of the old trees, or did God cause the trees to grow super-fast, or did it take that long for the earth to dry out??


Also, it's been an interesting few days in the three's class that I teach. First, yesterday, one student stuck his head in the toilet for no apparent reason. Not just to peek in and see, but we're talking about wet hair, dripping yuckiness. Then, today, one student, a new international student had to go to the bathroom while on the playground. Poor guy, he doesn't speak that much English, and he apparently didn't know that it isn't culturally acceptable to pull down his trousers, and pee in the middle of the playground (which is what he did). I already felt like I should shower off when I get home and decontaminate myself... this only confirms that fact.

Waterboarding ???

This weekend we had a discussion about waterboarding. If you don't know what it is, here's the wikipedia entry on it.

The questions were:
1. Is it torture?
2. Is it acceptable, if a doctor is present and there is no "real threat" to a person's safety?
3. Is it too harsh?

Supposedly the three terrorists who the US have used it on have given up critical information within 30 seconds and then returned to their cells.

Anyone have views on it, before I express my own???

Hip-hop

Here's a video of sister-in-law's friends' hip-hop routine

Woohoo!

Thanks, prez.

Military.com reports:

Troops to Receive Retro Pay

Week of February 11, 2008

Active-duty servicemembers will receive retroactive earnings this month, followed by a supplemental payday for non-active personnel. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed into law Jan. 28, 2008 by President Bush stipulates a 3.5 percent military pay raise.


Also from Military.com - A creative way to support the troops :)
Operation Thin Mints

20,000 screaming girls plus me.

This weekend I drove 4 hours each way to watch my sister-in-law's competitive dance team perform. Yeah, I spent roughly 3.2 MINUTES in the car for each SECOND she performed. She's on the hip-hop team. At this Cheersport competition, there were allegedly 20,000 cheerleaders. TWENTY THOUSAND girls (plus a few boys) from approximately three years to twenty years old. Some were performing pom routines, some were doing cheering (cheering for whom, I'm not sure... because everyone was cheering for them... cheering for the cheerleader, who is cheering on... herself?). Anyway, I survived and was there to support her. Her team even won first place in their category, so that was pretty cool. DH stayed home to study. I should get extra wife-points for going to extreme lengths for his family, right?



I remember in college how one of my professors was against the words "extreme" and adjectives of the like. These gyms are not of the same philosophy. Almost all of them were "ultimate" or "elite" or even my personal favorite, "Champions Elite Allstars" - clearly allstars needed two modifiers...


After sitting in an arena for 5-6 hours listening to hip-hop and techno (let me just say that I still have an electronic version of "When Doves Cry" stuck in my head), I came up with a list of approved activities my future children are encouraged to do (by me). I seriously hope they do not want to be cheerleaders (no offense to those that are/were cheerleaders).

- Bagpipes (they're just stinking cool)
- Ballet dancing
- Basketball (per dh)
- Chess team
- Hula dancing
- Irish step dancing
- Soccer
- Surfing

Perhaps I will add to this... but for right now, Junior and Juniorette have that list to choose from.

But dh says I shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch... I just want to be prepared

Just your average romantic Valentine's Day...

If you count a day where I worked 11 hours, dh studied all day, and I puked when I got home as romantic, our day could have inspired a chick flick. Poor dh tried to be sweet and he made me my favorite food for dinner, but alas, I couldn't even eat it I was so tired and sick!

I'm alive after an intense few days at the flower shop. FYI, Valentine's Day does not equal romance to a florist. Sure enough, in marketing, it does. But when it comes to the florist him/herself, they think it's simply, a long, exhausting day. More to come later.

commentators

Or "they're just your average potato..." Get it, common-tater? Common-po-tato? Haha. I'm funny.

Anyway, the commentators on ESPN crack me up. Either they're crazy over-dramatic, or like today, they're just plain silly. Take tonight's Vandy/Kentucky game, first, he said "Vanderbilt's having it once, twice, three times a lady." Um. How does that metaphor work? I understand it was their third three-point shot made in a row... but still? Then, when Vandy was ahead by 20 points, he said "Vanderbilt's finding it 'easy like Sunday morning'". Just weird. It's now halftime, and Vandy is up by 30 points. That's huge. DH says it's an "oldfashioned buttkicking." I simply say, "Go 'dores!"

On another note, it seems that since highschool, the schools that I have been associated with haven't had definable mascots. Foresters? Yeah, um kinda like lumberjacks. We wear flannel and big belt buckles - oh, and have axes. Colonials? Um. We dress up like people of the original 13 colonies, or we wear things with hippos on them. The hippos are because former president Stephen Joel Trachtenberg bought a big huge bronze hippo statue once (legend has it that he was inebriated and his wife wouldn't let him keep it, so he donated it to the school). Ask my sisters about Pres. Trachtenberg and his lovely going-away speech at graduation. They < 3 him. Or not. And now, Commodores? Yeah, turns out a dude donated money to start a college in the South, and they named it after him. They're not sure why he is called "the commodore" but sure enough they named the school's mascot after him.

Jen D, this makes me think of you. Not for the queasy.

It's Monday. Am I supposed to be happy?

For those of you who don't know, I've taken a week off from the preschool and am working at a flower shop for about a week leading up to Valentine's Day. Working at a flower shop has been therapeutic. There's just something about flowers that are very happy. I'm not doing floral design, but instead taking orders, cleaning, and processing flowers.

So, I took a lot of orders. They kind of range from normal to pitiful. Guys - have an idea of what you want to get before you order. If you don't know, it's ok to ask. But please, have your message in mind when you call a florist. There's only so much we can help with... writing your personal note is something YOU should do. Not the friendly helper on the phone.

Another note, if you don't know a girl's last name, you probably shouldn't be buying her flowers. It makes me fee very sad that you are that lonely.

I've been taking Hawaiian classes online and today I got a Hawaiian words magnet set in the mail along with a cool picture dictionary. It made my day.

Also - I forgot what it was like to have dh gone for a while. He went to California this weekend to see his brother, and so I was alone Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It was lonely! I used to survive pretty well a week or two when dh was underway (out on the ship) and not bat an eye. But I could barely survive 3 days this time! What kind of weak military wife am I? On the other hand, the ship experience was good for teaching me how to go out to eat alone. I no longer feel awkward when dining by myself, which I did this weekend. But he's home now, and I'm happy!

Not that we live in a rich area or anything...

Our grocery store has valet parking. Who's that lazy?

The land down under...

G'day!

Our "big news" is starting to pan out! Dh found out about a study abroad program through his MBA program and has pursued it. We have permission from dh's bosses to go (the most major obstacle, in our opinion), and are trying to work out the details and see if we can make it work... if it all works out, we could be spending fall semester 2008 (Aug to Dec) in Australia!!! We're super-excited because dh has family there and we would get to spend time with them (at the expense of seeing our immediate families :( Sad day!)



Silly me. I quite possibly might be the only female in the world who heard that we have a chance of going to Australia and I start doing math to figure out if we could have a baby there. Who does that? Who says, hey, I'm going to be 9784 miles away (give or take a few miles) from my hometown/most of my family, so why don't my dh and I bring a child into the world? Oh, that'd be me. No word if we really will, though. It's not just up to me. Also, after consultation from my mother, she says we should consider more than citizenship when deciding to have children. Perhaps she has a point.

Socks.

I like wearing socks. I do not, however, like matching/folding socks. It was one of my least favorite chores as a child, and has not improved in my standings lately. My mom knows I do not like to sort socks. My dear husband has found out in the past year and a half, but really, I think it happened within the first month.

Perhaps that's why I embrace patterned socks wholeheartedly. It's so much easier to match a black with red and white polka dots to another black sock with red and white polka dots. Much easier than say, an accumulation of nearly 14 years' worth of black military uniform socks in various stages of fading, wear, and holes.

Just thought I would share. Oh, and can you please ask my husband to stop whistling the theme song to the most depressing show ever, M*A*S*H. Please?

Edit

Ok, I guess the tornadoes were pretty cruel to the South. I take back the "crying wolf."

The meteorologists who cried wolf

I remember overhearing a discussion about tsunami warnings (back when we lived in paradise/Hawaii). The main gist of the conversation was that the authorities really tried to figure out when to issue tsunami warnings, because if they offered too many, the people would become ignorant toward them, and not heed any sort of warning. Yes, Mayor Harry Kim (who had been in charge of the Hawaii Civil Defense and never seemed to relinquish all of his responsibilities) loved to come on the radio and tell you about any watch/warning that he could think of, but overall, the warnings were warranted.

Since we moved here (about 6 months now), we have had at least 3 tornado warnings. Warnings. Not watches. I can't count how many watches we've had. In this case, I'm just talking warnings. For the first tornado warning, dh was at school. I lit a candle, kept the tv on, and called my parents to tell them I loved them. Dh was in a meeting and unaccessible. I love him too. For the second warning, dh was at school. I kept my flashlight handy (dh makes me keep a small maglite in my purse at all times). I watched tv on the couch. This tornado warning (Tuesday night), the sirens went off. The meteorologists narrowed down the "target areas". Dh and I popped popcorn and watched the lightning out the window, making funny comments about the meteorologists.

I think it's kind of funny, really. Even after living here 6 months, I have no idea what our county shape is. I can look at a map of our state, and know about where ours is, but not have a clue which one it is. Then they start naming roads and subdivisions and I have an idea of some of them in our immediate proximity (the important ones - ie where the grocery store is, where Target is, where Joann Fabrics is, where Maggie Moo's is... you know, the critical stuff). Pretty much, if they could have named our condo building, I think they would have! Dh and I laughed during the five minutes they nearly told us personally to take shelter. We held out for real action. After all, the Florida/Tennessee game was way more interesting than our still-slightly-underdecorated-guest bathroom.

The sirens, in their just-the-perfect-pitch-to-really-annoy-the-poop-out-of-me, are still on. Perhaps we should be more concerned. But we're not.

What does it take to become staff?

To all of you who live in Michigan or the Chicago area, enjoy a paczki for me!! I'll be enjoying my own :) In case you need proof I actually made paczkis, here are a few pictures.

I haven't really deep-fried much in my life. And as my friend Jen Ponder says, "Everyone has to deep-fry something in their life. Now is your time". Well, Sunday was my time. Look at those beauties bobbing around in the liquid heart-attack.


See, I forgot the powdered sugar. They were still good anyway.


I am also dealing with some remorse that I am not voting today. Here it is, "Super Tuesday" and I am making it mediocre, average Tuesday. I, the one-time political science professor, am not voting. Bad example.

Also, I, in Nehemiah 2 fashion, presented my boss with a list of dates I wanted off from work. And like the true Artaxerxes she is, (just kidding), she granted them all to me without blinking an eye. I thought "hey, I'm a valuable employee, perhaps she will beg me to stay, to not take time off." But no. Have fun. Later gator. I think my first indicator should have been the fact she told me about the staff meeting and told me "You can come if you want". Apparently working there 4 days a week doing all of the yucky jobs no one else wants to do still doesn't qualify me as a mandatory staff-meeting-attender. After all, only staff are allowed. No, I'm not bitter.

Anyway, this does help me want to do exceptionally well for my interview that I have tomorrow. Even if the interview doesn't go well, this week I get to take Sabbatical and work at a flower shop for the next week or so.

I have Paczkis in my kitchen!

And, unfortunately, no elves made them for me. I used the recipe Erinn sent me from recipezaar.


Authentic Polish Paczki Recipe

1½ hours 30 min prep (yeah right, it took me like 4 hours)

Change to: paczki US Metric

12	egg yolks (or six whole eggs, see note) (I used 6 whole eggs, and it was still pretty eggy)
1	teaspoon salt
2 (1/4	ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/4	cup warm water
1/3	cup room temperature butter
1/2	cup sugar
4 1/2	cups flour
1/3	cup rum or brandy(I used rum - the light, clear kind)
1	cup scalded whipping cream (I heated it to almost boiling)
1 1/2	cups preserves or cooked prunes or apples or canned poppy seed filling (I used blackberry preserves)
	oil (for deep frying, The old-timers used lard, but vegetable oil will work(I use peanut oil.) I used normal vegetable oil. I think canola.

• Deep Fry Rolls/Biscuits
  
  
  
• Polish Rolls/Biscuits
  
  
  

1. Beat egg yolks with the salt in the small bowl of an electric mixer at high speed until the mixture is thick and piles softly, about 7 minutes.
2. Soften yeast in warm water.
3. Cream butter, add sugar to it gradually, beating until fluffy.
4. Slowly beat in the softened yeast.
5. Stir one fourth of the flour into the yeast mix.
6. Add rum/brandy and half of the cream.
7. Beat in another fourth of the flour.
8. Stir in remaining cream.
9. Beat in half of the remaining flour and then the egg yolk mixture.
10. Beat for 2 minutes.
11. Gradually beat in the remaining flour until the dough blisters. (I think I added another cup of flour - it was really sticky)
    
12. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. (I covered mine with a towel instead of plastic wrap)
    
13. Set in a warm place to rise. (I turned my oven to "warm" and let it rise in there)
    
14. When it has doubled in bulk, punch it down. (I think I added almost another cup of flour here because it was so sticky!)
    
15. Cover and let rise again until doubled.
16. Punch it down again.
17. Roll dough on a floured surface to about 3/4 inch thickness.
18. Cut out 3 inch rounds using a cookie cutter or glass.
19. Put 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of half the circles. (I skipped steps 19, 20, 21 & 22 - the next four steps - until "cover the paczki...")
    
20. Brush the edges with water. skipped
    
21. Top with the remaining rounds. skipped
    
22. Seal the edges very well. skipped
    
23. Cover the paczki on a floured surface.
24. Let rise about 20 minutes.
25. Deep fry in the hot fat until they are golden brown on both sides. (Just light brown- they'll continue to brown a little after you take them out)
    
26. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with honey. (I forgot this step completely - oops!)
    
27. Put preserves in ziplock bag, and cut one edge on an angle to make a "piping bag"
28. Once cooled, make a small incision on the side of your paczki. Insert the piping bag and squeeze as much of the preserves as you desire (about a few TBSPs, or in my case, as much as you can fit in there!)
    

Cheaters never prosper.

Thank goodness the cheater-kneeters didn't win.

Go Giants :)

Things that make me happy on my way to work...

I am fortunate enough to be able to walk to work. Dh can take the car when he wants, and if I have errands to run, I can drop him off at school for the day. Here are a few things that make me smile along my way to the preschool.

This tree. It seems to me to be aged and wise. It sits across the street from a church. It's gnarled and beautiful.



I love this piece of litter and is one of the few things that I won't clean up...


It's Ohana punch!! I had never heard of it before, but it's made by Faygo. Just the subtle reminder of Hawaii makes me happy. Perhaps that's what Faygo was going for.


In other news, we've been to a church twice, and kind of liked it. I'm not sure if we *love* it, but we don't dislike it, and it has Saturday night services, which are really helpful for dh, who frequently has group meetings all day on Sundays. We started liking Saturday services after attending Elevate. Plus, who doesn't like being able to sleep in on Sunday morning too? Saturday has become our sabbath and our day to relax.