I got a job - and a terrific new recipe!

Well, I got a job...it should be enough to satisfy the VA, eliminating the need to pay back my college tuition! It's part-time, but around here, those are even almost impossible to get. Seriously. I applied for a job a few months ago...part-time, less than 16 hours, at a (very) small local library. They got almost 300 applications. It's incredible, the jobs people are willing to take when there aren't many jobs.

Anyway...the job I got is at Penzey's. Yes, *the* Penzey's Spice store, my favorite place to buy spices. It's really a great fit, since I currently have about half their stock in my cupboards ;) It's Thursdays and Fridays, every other Saturday, with occasional extra days thrown in due to the holidays. We've got a gal 4 houses down that does daycare, and who comes highly recommended - we're going to try Ceana there and see how that goes. So, keep your fingers crossed for me!

So. On to the recipe. I just bought this incredible cookbook (Um. Remind me to tell you later about the *other* incredible cookbooks I've gotten in the last couple of weeks.). It's called Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver (yes, the cute British chef). The point is to become part of the pass-it-on movement...when you buy the cookbook, you can pledge to learn one recipe from each chapter. When you're confident that you've got it mastered, then the goal is to *pass it on* "by teaching at least two people (preferably four) how to cook them, too". Then, you ask them to do the same thing. Ideally, the goal is to be part of a movement that will help tens, then hundreds, then thousands of people learn to cook and eat healthy recipes. Recipes that ANY cook can make, regardless of experience. Kinda cool, no? So, I made my first recipe from the cookbook last night, and it was terrific. Certainly a keeper. Phil loved it, Liam even took it for lunch today - voluntarily. Can you see my mouth hanging open? I had leftovers for lunch myself. Phil tried, but grabbed the wrong dish...and ended up with 3-day-old noodles ;) Poor guy. *snicker*

So, here's the recipe. Try it, enjoy it, and most importantly - pass it on!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Serves 4-6

4 skinless chicken breast fillets, preferably free-range or organic

2 medium onions

1 fresh red chili

a thumb-size (as in length of, not just nail size) piece of fresh root ginger

a small bunch of fresh cilantro

peanut or vegetable oil

a pat of butter

1/2 c. tikka masala or mild curry paste, such as Patak's

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-14oz can of diced tomatoes

1-14oz can of coconut milk

1 c. plain yogurt

a small handful of sliced almonds

1 lemon

To prepare your curry:

Slice the chicken breasts lengthways into 3/4-inch-thick strips * Peel, halve and finely slice the onions * Finely slice your chile * Peel and finely slice the ginger * Pick the cilantro leaves and put to one side, then finely chop the stalks

To make your curry:

Put a large casserole-type pan on medium to high heat (I used med-high ;) and add a couple lugs of oil (I used about 2 TB) and the butter * Add the onions, chili, ginger and coriander stalks and cook for 10 minutes, until softened and golden * Add the curry paste and the strips of chicken * Stir well to coat everything with the paste and season with salt and pepper * Add the tomatoes and the coconut milk * Fill one of the empty cans with water, pour into the pan and stir again * Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on * Check the curry regularly to make sure it's not drying out and add extra water if necessary * When the meat is tender and cooked, taste and add a bit more salt and pepper - please season carefully (we didn't need to add more).

To serve your curry:

This will be fantastic served with any of his rice recipes - I used jasmine rice. If desired, scoop some yogurt on top (delicious!) * Sprinkle with the almonds and cilantro leaves and serve with some lemon wedges for squeezing over * A little lemon-dressed green salad would round it off

The Verdict:

Seriously - it was delicious. I wouldn't change a thing - though I don't feel the lemon is necessary at all. The almonds add a nice bit of texture, and the yogurt adds a nice creaminess to the hint of spice. Obviously, if Liam is eating it, there isn't a whole lot of spice anyway, though you could easily add another chile to bump up the heat.

QUICK UPDATE:

I just heard back from the VA, and they are going to close my file. Yeah! I won't have that hanging over my head anymore...

Enjoy the recipe, and don't forget to PASS IT ON!

Meatless MONDAY success!

We finally did it. We actually had Meatless Monday instead of Try-Again-Tuesday! And this week's recipe was a meatless chili (which, for Dear Husband, is akin to sacrilege). It is a black bean chili, and it didn't dawn on me until after it was made that this is the second week in a row with a black bean recipe...I'll have to find something to switch it up for next week's www.enviromom.com Meatless Supper Club!

The chili recipe I used this week was from the Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. It's a great cookbook, with some terrific recipes, but - I will caution anyone interested that it is NOT for someone looking to just dump food in a crockpot and let it be. The authors are of the belief (that I happen to share) that a little bit of extra work *before* the dumping will help the food taste better and not be a mess. Though I did choose a dump-up-front recipe this time. Because I'm contrary that way. So, having established that, on to the recipe!

Lucky Chili

2 c. freshly brewed coffee

2 c. vegetable broth

Two 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes, with their juice

1 med. yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves

Four 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained; or 6-8 c. cooked black beans, depending on how thick you want it.

1/4 c. firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

2 TB chili powder, or more to taste

1 TB ground cumin

3-4 cloves, to your taste

1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

salt to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker, except the cilantro and salt. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-12 hours, stirring occasionally, if possible. During the last hour, stir in the cilantro and season with salt. The longer you let it simmer, the better it gets, within reason, of course.

2. Serve the chili in bowls with toppings.

See? Easy. Because, believe it or not, even *I* like easy sometimes! The suggested toppings (though you can, of course, feel free to use your own favorites) were:

* Chunky mango and tomato salsa

* Cubed avocado

* Sour cream

* Shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

Changes to the recipe:

1. I doubled the chili powder and the cumin (I *love* cumin) - I think the flavor was really good without being spicy. Of course, if it's spicy you're looking for, feel free to add more.

2. I, um, forgot the cilantro. Completely. My only excuse is that last night was busy and I got distracted. I'm easily distracted. Forgot the added salt too. Forgive me.

3. Rather than using the cloves (which I didn't have) I used about 1/2 tsp. whole mulling spices.

The verdict:

Dear Husband really, really liked it. Even with no meat. His one comment was that it was a little bit thin - more like a soup. The Young Mister also thought it was delicious, and his suggestion was that it would be delicious over rice. He also said he liked "the combination of spice and sweet" - I think he's been watching too much Iron Chef America. Little Miss ate about 3 bites (mostly, I think, because of the cheese on top) then decided she didn't like it and wanted noodles instead. Hmph. I really liked the flavor - it had a good chili flavor - though I agree that it was a bit thin, and it would have tasted even better with the cilantro. We topped the chili with some shredded cheese, and I threw in a bit of light sour cream. I also made some corn bread (Because really...what is chili without corn bread? It would be like an OREO without milk. A movie without popcorn. Anyway - you get the idea....) to go along with it.

The changes:

Next time, I would do a few things differently. I would add *at least* another can of black beans to give it more thickness and texture. I wouldn't forget the cilantro, though I don't think it really needed any extra salt. I'd probably add a bit more cumin (Did I mention that I *love* cumin?!?). And I may take The Young Mister's advice and make some rice to serve it over - then I'd (*sob*) have a salad instead of corn bread. Oh, and I'd use my bigger crockpot - this recipe makes a LOT of chili. It says that it serves 6-8...I would lean towards the 8. The three of us had bowls, and I ended up with probably 1-2 servings in the fridge and at least 4 servings to put in the freezer. And that's *before* adding more beans!

So there you have it! Another delicious (meatless) meal to add to your cookbook. Poor Dear Husband - his perception of meat and meals is really taking a beating. I'm proud of him though - he's been willing to try all the new things and has actually enjoyed them. The Young Mister has even suggested doing a full week of meatless meals, but I'm afraid that might be a bit much and Dear Husband may just have a heart attack...or a nervous breakdown! I would like to extend it to 2 nights a week soon...then maybe 3...but ssshhhh - don't tell him! ;)

Do something nice and pass it on!

I saw this on Facebook the other day, and I truly believe that it's one of the best ideas I've come across in a long time. How many of us wouldn't take the opportunity to say "thank you" to one of our soldiers or sailors if it came up? How about a cup of coffee instead - a warm taste of home, particularly at a time when the weather is changing and the holidays are coming?

You can give any amount from $2 - which pays for one cup of coffee - up to whatever you wish. You can also send a note, and you have the option of leaving your email address for the beneficiary of your gift to be able to send you a thank you back. I did this the other day on behalf of Phil and I, and a couple of days later I got the nicest thank you back from a soldier serving in Afghanistan...Thad.

I know with the holiday season coming up, our economy in tatters and whatever else may be going on, extra money is hard to come by. BUT. $2? Can you spare $2 to buy one of our service-members a cup o' Joe? There are many feelings about us being in Iraq and Afghanistan in the first place, but I firmly believe that these men and women are just there doing a job they were told to do. They go where they are told, when they are told, and they like to be appreciated just as much (or more!) than the rest of us. It's the little things that can make a big difference in someone's day, and it doesn't get much smaller than $2.

Here's the website - I really hope that you all take the time to click on it and check it out:

http://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/coj/index.php

We had a 'venture!

Yesterday turned into an absolutely beautiful day here, so on our way back from getting Ceana's hair cut, we did a spur-of-the-moment change of plans and went to look at a local waterfall in the middle of the river. Well, from there we decided to continue on and see where the road went...and ended up finding a pumpkin patch! Great place, not terribly far from us, with a hay bale pyramid full of tunnels, tons of pumpkins, a train ride, apple cider, gourds and wreaths, caramel kettle corn, apples, etc. We had a great time - Liam spent most of his time in/on the pyramid (he was too busy to help us pick out pumpkins), Ceana climbed to the top with daddy and helped pick out a few bright orange orbs to carve for our front porch...However, there is a downside to "spur-of-the-moment" - I didn't have a decent camera. So I took some photos with my cell phone and did a bit of doctoring on them.

Phil is back from his week-long trip to West Virginia. Was not too exciting, though he did end up with a new Dodge Charger for a rental car...couldn't have been too bad, right? ;) The kids are thrilled to have daddy home again, as am I. It's been so long since he was underway, that I've gotten out of the mind-set. It was pretty chaotic around here while he was gone!

I'm going to be working on a new Amazon wish-list for the kids for Christmas. It seems so far away, but I know it's going to come quick. I'm already trying to find some change of address cards so that we can work on Christmas cards so that...well, it's just a never-ending cycle. Once I get the lists up on the website, I will post here and include a link for anyone who wishes to follow.

Ceana was cute the other day - we were on our way home from taking Liam to school, and she suddenly says (sounding panicked), that there's a hole in her shirt. I turn around to take a quick look, and see that the girl is talking about one of the buttonholes in her shirt! Silly...

We're still working on the potty-training. Trying a different tack, since she has started going potty mostly in her diaper before then telling me, heading in and going approximately 3 drops in her potty chair...expecting a pull-up and treat! So, today we got some "big girl" underwear that she picked out and we're staying right on top of her to see if we can get her to not have an accident. We'll see how that goes...we really need to figure something out though...

Enjoy the photos, and we hope you're all doing well!

Black Bean Soup with Lemon Cream

It's that time again! The www.enviromom.com Meatless Supper Club! Forgive the lack of photos - with Dear Husband out of town at the moment, dinner was rushed and I completely forgot to take any :*(

Anyway,this week's recipe is one of my stand-bys...it's quick & easy, filling, and delicious. Plus, it uses ingredients that most home cooks have on hand at any given time. Even Dear Husband likes it! It's a recipe from The Dinner Doctor cookbook by Anne Byrn (Yes, she of Cake Doctor fame.). Initially, the thought of a lemon cream on black bean soup really didn't seem all that appealing, but the lemon is *just* enough to brighten up the soup a bit.

So. Here's the recipe (pg. 88-89):

2 cans black beans with their liquid

1 c. canned low-sodium chicken broth (Veggie can work also, though the flavor is a bit different. You can also use homemade broth.)

1/4 c. coarsely chopped onion

1 bay leaf

2 - 3 TB golden or medium-dry sherry (I use dry)

1/2 c. sour cream

1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest

1. Place the beans with their liquid and the chicken broth, onion, and bay leaf in a 2-quart saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring just to combine. Season with pepper to taste. Cover the pan, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer until the flavors blend, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, remove and discard the bay leaf, and stir in 2 TB of the sherry. Taste, and add the remaining 1 TB of sherry, if necessary (I usually use all 3 TB).

2. Transfer the soup to a food processor and coursely puree it or puree it in batches in a blender (I use my hand blender right in the pot); you should still have little bits of onion and black beans. Return the soup to the saucepan and keep warm.

3. Prepare the lemon cream: Combine the sour cream and lemon zest in a small glass or ceramic bowl. Spoon the mixture into a plastic squeeze bottle, if desired.

4. To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish each serving with a dollop of lemon cream or drizzle the cream on top of the soup in squiggles.

The recipe serves 4-6 (it says) - we usually get 4.

NOTES:

1. I typically make the lemon cream first, because I like the flavors to blend a bit more before adding it to my bowl of deliciousness!

2. The absolute best way to get terrific zest from any citrus is to use a microplane grater. Nice, small bits that blend right into the sour cream.

3. I typically use reduced-fat sour cream, since the addition of the lemon adds such terrific flavor anyway.

VERDICT:

This is the first time that I've offered it to Little Miss, and unfortunately her first bite was mostly the sour cream - which she very obviously didn't like. Typically, after detesting the first bite, she flat-out refused to try another one. The Young Mister really liked the soup, but NOT with the lemon cream. We've given the soup to him before, but it's been a while and he wasn't very fond of it then...Nice thing is that, since the lemon cream is an end-addition, he can enjoy the soup on its own. As noted, this is a dish that Dear Husband quite enjoys (though he missed out on this one!) - and he loves it with the lemon cream. I served it with a small salad and some french bread from the store - a healthy meal that was very, very quick. Seriously - on the table within 10 minutes!

Stubborn, independent girl

I'm sure not one single person reading this can guess who the title might be referring to? Right? It most certainly couldn't be little Miss Ceana...

Hm. Check out this picture I snapped this morning of Her Highness:


Take a close look at her shirt...anything strike you as a little - odd - about it? Like the fact that it's on backwards? "By Self" is her new mantra - and getting dressed is her new game. She insists on doing it herself, which is not bad on its own, but then she also insists on changing clothes 3 or 4 times a day. She comes downstairs with her clothes on backwards, inside-out...and sometimes, even backwards AND inside-out together. Hmph. I can't wait for the day that she decides to wear her tutu and rain boots (or some other combination) to the grocery store...

Seared Butternut Squash Ravioli

Once again, the whole concept of "Meatless Monday" hit a stumbling block - I had a board meeting last night and wasn't able to do it (though dinner ended up meatless anyway - if a Margherita pizza from Costco counts). So, Tuesday it is!

Tonight's dinner was Seared Butternut Squash Ravioli with Cider Dipping Sauce. Basically, we were given a beautiful squash from one of the neighbors and I wanted to use it before it went bad. However, I couldn't just roast the squash because Dear Husband really does NOT like the stuff. So - a different variation was called for.

Again, the recipe came from one listed on the web, though I did change it up somewhat. First, I didn't pay as much attention to the directions as I should have and so the squash was roasted WITHOUT the brown sugar, syrup and butter. I would probably try to rectify that next time ;) Also, I used more apple cider than the recipe called for - after the reduction and the butter, I added about another 1/2 cup (basically what was left in the bottle, since we've had the cider for a little while). I wanted a fresh hit of the cider for the sauce, and then I just let the sauce warm back up before being served. I also added about 1/4 c. extra squash to make sure the flavor wasn't overwhelmed. The last (and biggest!) change was that, rather than making ravioli from scratch, I used won ton wrappers. They have a slightly different texture than the pasta would have, but it was much easier and they worked out very well. In fact, I would use them again next time!

So, having said all that - here's the website I used and the recipe itself:

Seared Butternut Squash Ravioli
with Cider Dipping Sauce

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

For Squash:
3 lb. butternut squash, halved lengthwise,
seeded (if you can't find one
3-lb squash, get two smaller squashes)
4 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
kosher salt and black pepper
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp. butter, divided
1/2 cup water

For Filling:

3/4 c. mashed butternut squash
2 cups ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

For Sauce:
8 tbsp. butter, divided
1/3 cup chopped shallots (about 2)
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Salt and pepper

Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method:

Make Squash and Filling:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place squash, cut side up, in baking pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with syrup; dot with 1 tbsp. butter. Pour 1/2 cup water into bottom of pan. Bake until squash is tender, about 1 hour. Cool completely. Scoop out squash into bowl. Mash. Transfer 3/4 cup squash to a bowl (reserve remaining squash for another use). Mix in ricotta, grated Pecorino, parsley and thyme. Season with kosher salt and pepper.

Make Ravioli:
Lay one won-ton wrapper on a flat surface. Using a teaspoon, get some of the filling and place in the middle. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water or cider, then place another wrapper on top. Make sure the edges are sealed.

Make Sauce:
Melt 2 tbsp. butter in large pan over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute. Add stock and cider; simmer 10 minutes. Add parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce sauce on low heat until reduced to 1 cup.

Working in batches, cook ravioli in pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, remove ravioli to a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel.

Heat 2 tbsp. butter in a large, nonstick skillet. When sizzling and just beginning to brown, add ravioli. Cook 3 minutes or until golden brown on one side. Flip ravioli and cook another 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Repeat process with 2 more tbsp. butter and remaining ravioli.

When sauce is reduced to one cup, remove from heat and stir in 4 tbsp. butter, 1 tbsp. at a time, whisking constantly until all butter is incorporated. Place ravioli on a serving platter and scatter with shaved Parmagiano. Place sauce in a bowl in the middle of ravioli. Place toothpicks in ravioli for easy serving.

Notes:
You can make the ravioli ahead of time. Place ravioli on a plastic wrap lined baking sheet in a single layer, not touching. Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Or you can freeze the ravioli on the same baking sheet. When frozen, place ravioli in a zip-top plastic bag and use however many you like. You can also serve the ravioli tossed in some of the sauce instead of using the sauce as a dipping sauce.

The Verdict:

Dear Husband not only said he really liked it, but that the recipe "is a keeper". That honor is only given to the best of the best, the creme de la creme...well, you get the point. So, that was terrific to hear, if somewhat surprising. He also raved about the won ton skins and said he liked them better than if it had actually been pasta. However, the child I thought for sure would like it (Young Mister) was not impressed. Even when given extra sauce to use as dipping (rather than having the sauce on the ravioli), he tried to get out of eating the last one on his plate. Little Miss took one bite and seriously looked like she was resisting the urge to hurl (having been told that if she at least tried it, she could have some grapes later). Needless to say, she didn't eat any more.

Changes?:

While I really like this, next time I would use less butter in the recipe. Since I used a nonstick pan to sear the ravioli, I don't think the extra butter was necessary. I also would probably use less butter in the sauce. Otherwise - I really loved the recipe and plan on making it again in the future!

So - for all of you who have read this far...make sure you visit www.enviromom.com on Friday for more terrific meatless recipes. And of course, any day to read some terrific entries from the two moms that run it!

Try-Again-Tuesday Meatless Monday Meal

Mouthful, isn't it? So, the story is this - I decided that for this week's meal, I was going to make gnocci. For the uninitiated (or non-Italian) like myself, it is pronounced "nyo-kee" - which I didn't learn until after I went into the kitchen store and asked for a potato ricer. Nice lady looked at me like I was crazy when I said I was making "no-chee". And then politely corrected me. While telling me what a challenge it would be. Hm.

Anyway, my plan was to make it for Meatless Monday, giving me plenty of time to get the blog post taken care of. Well, my sweet husband bought the biggest potatoes to ever come out of the ground (or so it seemed) and it took them much longer to bake than anticipated. Like, almost 2 hours. So, Meatless Monday became Leftover Night.

Having never made gnocci before, it didn't seem too complicated - and it really wasn't. It was a little more time-consuming than I anticipated, but I think that was due mainly to never having made it before. However, according to the website I used for instructions, gnocci freeze quite well when done before cooking. So, I'm thinking next time I will make a huge batch and just freeze a bunch. Plus, I think it will be a bit quicker and smoother as I get more practice. My gnocci probably would not satisfy someone with an Italian grandmother, but they got good reviews here! I used some diced tomatoes I had canned to make some sauce, and we had the gnocci with salad and garlic bread.

The recipe I used is located HERE along with photos. But, I will post the recipe as well:

Potato Gnocchi Recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs whole baking potatoes
2 beaten egg yolks
1 1/2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
Your favorite pasta sauce (for example, this basic, delicious tomato sauce)

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Spear the potatoes with fork tines in several places around each potato to vent moisture as the potatoes cook. Bake the potatoes in their skins until tender, about an hour. Let cool on a rack, cutting them open to help cool and let more moisture escape.

2 Scoop out the potatos from their skins. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer and into a large bowl. (If you don't have a potato ricer you can mash the potatoes by hand and fluff them up a bit with a fork.) It is best to work with the potatoes when they are still warm.

3 Add the flour, egg and a pinch of salt. Mix by hand until you have a nice pliable ball of dough. Do not overmix.

4 Prepare a work area and dust it with flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about 3/4 inch in diameter. It is very important to keep a light touch while you are rolling the dough. Gently roll the dough with your fingertips while while exerting the lightest pressure outwards, not down, to draw the dough out.

5 Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about one inch long. Using either the tines of a fork or your fingertip, press against a piece of the dough and roll it slightly to form an indentation (good for catching the sauce). As the gnocchi are made, place them on flat baking pan, lightly dusted with flour or lined with wax paper. At this point you can freeze the gnocchi ahead of time. Freeze them first on a floured or lined tray, then once frozen you can put them into a freezer bag for more easy storage. To cook, just put the frozen gnocchi into the simmering water for the next step.

6 Bring at least 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in a shallow saucepan. Gently drop the gnocchi, a few at a time, into the water. As soon as they rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon, draining well. Arrange on a warm serving dish. Continue cooking the gnocchi in the same manner.

7 As soon as all the gnocchi are ready, pour heated pasta sauce over them and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately.

I didn't have any parsley, so we topped ours with a bit of shredded parmesan. The reviews were surprisingly positive. Dear Husband commented that this is a keeper recipe, and Young Mister agreed completely while asking for seconds. Little Girl had about 3 bites and wouldn't eat any more, which really surprised me - since it was so similar to pasta, which she usually chows on, I thought for sure she would love it. I think she would try it again though, so I'm not completely disheartened. I quite enjoyed it and would certainly make and eat it again - though next time I would make a bigger batch so that I could have some in the freezer. It would be great for a late supper or unexpected company.

First Room Finished!

Well, we got the first room completely finished - Ceana's is all done. We're going to be getting her a new comforter, and we're still figuring out how to decorate her room, but there is not a single box left in her room to be put away and everything is in its place (until she gets home from going with Daddy to pick up Brother - then I give it, at most, 20 minutes). Her room was the one we didn't paint, so these are the colors that were in it. Here are photos of her room - Enjoy them now, because it will probably NEVER EVER EVER look this nice and neat again:


In other news - Liam started rock climbing last week for P.E. If you remember from last year, they did it for a semester and he absolutely *loved* it. They're doing it twice a week this year, but I'm not sure for how long. As for the school itself, we still have not finished dealing with the city offices. We went from "it'll take a week" the beginning of August, to them requesting tens of thousands of dollars in testing (all of which has come back acceptable to standards) and them still not being willing to give us the necessary permits. It's bad enough that, as of this week, the older grades have been evicted from their temporary building and are having school outside this week. Thankfully the weather is beautiful for the week, but...it's absolutely ridiculous that we're still dealing with this nonsense. If any of you have any connections, let me know! ;)

Phil, Liam and Ceana have all been dealing with a cold - pretty much since last Friday. Ceana got it first, then Liam and then Phil. The kids are much better, but Phil has been home from work the last couple of days...he's having a harder time bouncing back from it. Thankfully I haven't gotten it (yet).

Phil and I went to a benefit concert for the school last Friday - Aaron Meyer, a local concert violinist, has offered his services for the last three years. He's an incredible musician, and even Phil liked it! We got a couple of cd's and bought tickets for his holiday show in December. Liam has been requesting the cd every morning on the way to school - he really likes it too! In addition to the concert, there was a silent auction - so we got a few things from there as well. A couple of Christmas presents for the kids, a rain barrel, a dinner, a soccer game with one of the instructors at the school...we left with lighter pockets, but all for a good cause. I'm not sure the final tally, but my understanding is that the credit card machine alone had a tally of $4400...not including tickets, checks, cash or any outstanding balances. Since last year's fundraiser *total* was $3000, it looks like it will be a huge success. Good thing - we're still spending too much money trying to pay rent for the students AND getting all this absurd stuff done for the city. Bah.

Not too much else. Still pounding away at the boxes, little by little. I hope to have the house completely done by 2011, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up ;) I'll be posting again tonight, as Meatless Monday has, for this week, turned into Try-Again-Tuesday...