I Am Engaged!! :)

My lovely fiance proposed a top the beautiful Mt. Coot-ha in Brisbane Australia. We took a stroll along the winding gardens of the restaurant and sat next to a peaceful fountain where he proposed. Sadly it will be quite a while until we can be married. I live in Utah, USA he lives in Brisbane, Australia. We are planning things one step at a time. I'm looking for a job, he's just started one, and we've got to save until we're able to make the jump one way or the other to be with each other.

                                                     This is a picture of my engagement ring.

Border Salad

I have an expensive confession... I'm in love with this border salad up at "Cafe Fresh" a little cafe in my fav. store "Good Earth!"

The only prob. is that it costs $10.00 an order, ouch! It's well worth it as it includes a lot of food, yet I still feel slightly guilty spending that much for lunch for just me... (well actually little R. eats the leftovers when I pick her up from day care).

So I thought about it, it is just corn tortilla chips, brown rice, black beans, corn, Jicama (a root vegetable which is slightly sweet), mozzarella, lime cilantro chicken (added to the order) and I like to eat it with a balsamic vinaigrette (which I am finding can be lovely, I need to find a good recipe and make my own). Plus they add tomato but I think I would be better off without it as I'm slightly allergic...

Actually, OUCH! It is expensive buying the ingredients to put this together... about $1.99 for the tortilla chips (or is it $2.99... haven't paid attention in a while), brown rice... $.50, black beans (from a can) $1.75, Jicama $.93, cheese $5.19 (well... for the pound anyway), cilantro $1.49, limes $1.17, Chicken (whole free-range) $17.92, Salsa Verde (can't help but throw that in...) $2.50 and Avocado (irresistible as well) $.99

Grand Total $34.43... except the cheese and the Chicken can be used in other instances (and the chips) so I'll take off about 14.00 off making the price tag to be about $20.00.

I am planning on making some curried chicken from the thigh meat and I'm marinating the breast in a mixture of lime juice, olive oil, a touch of honey, garlic and cilantro... plus I'm going to make a chicken stock as well... good soup. ;)

So, though the ingredients alone cost quite a bit I'm getting basics for about 3 meals (well... I'll need carrots, onions and celery for the soup, plus a red bell pepper for the curried chicken).

I do have some white beans that I'm contemplating, plus mung beans and lentils... hmmmm.... if at some point I can make those work in some recipes then I will have some cheap sources of protein on hand...

The issue I have with beans is that, well... yeah... plus I've only ever made 12 bean soup with them (which is delicious but I don't usually have a ham hock on hand and I've sworn off pork products for the most part anyway...)

Anyhow...

Plans, plans.... now off to study the exciting world of Excel... heck if I can make it work for me I can get a raise and that's always a good thing!! :)

Backyard Camping

On Friday my little Girl A (11 year old) was getting ready to spend the night in Farmington with friends so that she could participate in the clogging competition. (She won first with her team and second on the freestyle!!).

My little boy K (12 year old) was getting ready for camping with the scouts, gathering up all of his needed materials (he's such a responsible guy). He was really excited at the opportunity to go out camping with the guys.

Then, he got a call, scout camp was cancelled!! (Even if the leaders said they were going rain or shine... there was a purported food poisoning illness of one of the leaders).

So as he walked home with his back pack and sleeping bag in hand I glanced upon his down hearted countenance and out of the generosity of my mommy heart told him that we could put up the tent and sleep outside (and build a fire in the fire pit as well!!).

So he perked up and set about clearing the yard for a tent. Then he helped me with a few things and went inside to get the tent out from under the stairs. We got it rolled out and I was sitting on the ground surrounded by tent poles when... it started a light sprinkle.

K told me to put on my hood, so I put on my hood. We sorted poles, trying to figure out the mystery of the different pole lengths, the poles for the rain fly, the poles for the tent. We fitted each together repeatedly, made piles, looked at the instructions... then finally figured out the tent pole mystery and got them put together.

Then we tried sliding them through their designated slots on top of the tent, as we slid them they fell apart, so we had to keep fitting them together. Luckily for us it had stopped raining, unluckily for us there were no steaks to peg the tent down, so all of the tent pole business was in vain.

I kept remembering how guys hesitate to set up random tents, like my Dad and husband, I know they wouldn't have started the tent project. They would have shaken their heads at me, but I wanted to cheer K up.

Unfortunately K, was down-hearted again... couldn't we walk to the store? (Nope no tent pegs at the stores nearby)

Couldn't we use sticks? Nope, not going to work.

So I went inside to clean up a bit, and watched him out the window in the back, leaning up against the fence... the tent sprawled on the ground. Then he had an idea, I could see it strike his little mind and I could soon hear the front door open and shut.

"Mommy?" He called out to me, "Yeah?" I asked cautiously. "Can I walk to the store to buy some marshmallows and can we start a fire in the fire pit?" I grinned at him, of course we can.

He got excited and finagled some change out of his little brother (who just lost a tooth) and I had to reassure S of replacement for his money. K went off to the store and came back shortly with his marshmallows.

Then as I was busy inside he was out setting up the camp fire... he ran in to get me and got a good roaring fire going.

The smell of the camp smoke immediately brought to my mind nights sitting around the fire at our family reunions, singing "She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes," "Grandma's feather bed," ol' timey songs, patriotic songs... and watching the flames flicker in their broad lapping dances towards the heavens.

The crackling and popping of wood, changing places to avoid the smoke. Smoke that reminds of the scent of the Phoenix, the death of the old and the birth of the new.

The kids roasted their marshmallows, and looked at me funny as I was singing songs that they didn't know. We watched as the wood filtered down into coals, glowing embers in between charred logs.

I had a sudden burst of inspiration for dinner, Scout dinners. So we ran inside to wrap up potatoes in foil, and some cut up potatoes with carrots, onions and meat in other foil wrapped packages as well. The kids hurriedly ran out to place their packages on the coals.

I followed them shortly afterwards and got a shovel to scrape the coals up around the foil packages to cook them evenly. This took a bit of work, to gather the coals up, move the packages about, positioning them so that they were evenly surrounded.

I finally got them positioned and sat down to watch over the dinners in the charred smoking little fire pit. Sam finally came home and came in the back, amused at our little project (luckily he didn't mention the tent). Then he went in the house to talk to people from his island on-line.

I felt that our dinners had probably cooked enough so I had K run in the house for some pot holders and plates. We dug around in the coals with the shovel and dug out our dinners carefully picking them out with the shovel and placing them on the plates (along with a few ashes).

After finding all of the dinners and potatoes, we brought our bounty inside to clean up the plates and say a little prayer over the food. A few ashes scattered as we opened the packages, but I assured the kids that a little ash is good for you (which is true I think ;p) and we dug in to one of the most delicious dinners that I've ate in a long time.

Except it was a little awkward for me because R was sitting on my lap whining about something (I believe she had a tummy ache). Finally we all finished, K was being extra helpful, clearing away what I told him to and even washing the counters and the outside of the fridge.

SO that my friends was my Friday night. Here are a few pictures. :D

(Luckily for me we didn't get the tent set up, because it ended up raining pretty good and my nose got cold, even in the house!!)

Financial Stress Causes Meltdown!!

No not a headline from last year, but my own personal nightmare...

I've been working on this forever!! Almost had a breakthrough, almost...

It's been tying me to the computer, and as much as I like blogging and all of the other things tied to the computer I think its created a monster... muwahahaha!!

The quality of my life is helped by my dear friends who have been patient with me(e-mailing me even though I have been compulsive about it sometimes).

But who can argue with getting outside, to do all of the great outside things that are available to do?

So my monster financial nightmare must come to an end!! When it does I will be a serene and happy Strawberry Girl (Right?) after all I have garden centers to haunt.

River trails to walk on, parks to lay down and reflect endlessly on the universe in(alright I don't do this a lot, but who dosen't like reflecting on the universe from time to time?)

Plus getting back to my mind numbing list of recipe's that I want to adapt to Gluten Free versions and figuring out new ways to be an innovative earth friendly girl are also things that have been put on hold...

All because... (ok I won't go into a rant about why I am stuck on the computer deciphering transactions from last year... your all acquainted I think with several rants I've had on this subject).

Now after a day joyfully filled with deciphering the undecipherable I have created a hastily drawn Kinky Boot Beast (a character from many stories in my past, and my defender against Johns terrible fire breathing dragons that he keeps letting lose...).

Quirky ol' Fate (Possible Job)

Well today's been interesting. Nice weather, though it makes me realise how much the house needs cleaning. :D

So I've been cleaning whenever possible... then I ran up to my favorite health food stores. Bought some good ol' fashioned raw milk (I love having a store nearby to get it from) and stocked up a bit on some staples, I try to buy in bulk whenever possible.

When I got out to my car I found that my phone had somehow been left in the little box between seats, it was ringing and I got to it too late. It was Good Earth, first there was a message that my bulk items were there (really?) :D

Next a message that they wanted me to come take the test again for wellness councilor (someone who works with supplements) YIPPEE!! I knew that the lady who interviewed me before liked me... it was a fluke that I had a headache and couldn't for the life of me remember that Shark Cartilage and MSM are good for joint problems...

Anyway, I'm going to study up tonight and call them tomorrow. Lucky I have a good short term memory... I do know certain things that help with other things but I sometimes forget the name of it on the spot. But from my college days I've learned how to get just that extra bit of info in your head before taking a test. Plus I took the test before and can remember a few things that I never thought to supplement for - YAY!!

Plus I have to give my husband some Props... I didn't think that he would study as hard as he is, or that he would do so well on his test... but he got a B+ today on his test!! GO SAM!!

I was a bit worried about it because he's not into books. In fact he totally blew off a chemical hazard training manual that he had to read (for working in the army depot) that really worried me when he did that!!

So things have been improving with him... I am glad!! Hopefully we will have money coming in soon (besides the measly unemployment).

Now I am going to go cook up some Sweet and Sour chicken, yum... though if the Tempeh (cultured soy stuff) tastes good (and doesn't bug my body) I will try eating more of that kind of thing and less meat... (last time I tried that kind of experiment, it did not go well).

As Silly as You've Seen Me

I am tired of being tired
of trying to follow the rules
Who's rules anyway?
What do they know?

I used to do cartwheels in my living room
Dance to the music with my hair flying around me

I was the most impressionist dancer that you could ever hope to find.

I used to roll down the hill, laughing, then wander about in dizziness.

I would walk barefoot with my cousin on a hot summers day, down to the store, just to feel the heat radiating into our feet. When it got to be too much we would hop in the nearest grass and sit cross legged contemplating the random mushrooms that grew there.

I used to fly, high, high in a swing. Imagining that I could touch the clouds with my feet. Feeling the air rush over me, feeling the adrenaline.

I fly about my house now, so bothered by it all, by the world, the economy, the general messiness of things.

Yet I still want to do so much... I want to learn how to sing, really well.

I want to draw and paint.

WRITE!!

Speak Spanish with the natives.

Go running through the sand dunes again and not care that there is sand in my shoes and hair.

I want to go walking along the river again, then jump in and let it carry me away, not caring about anyone seeing me or what they think.

I want to raise Nubian She Goats and milk them to make cheese. (LOL My dad's random thought).

Or go digging for mushrooms with a wild mushroom digging pig. (Also my dad's random thought)

I am tired of being tired. Playing by the rules that I can't fathom, of watching what everyone else is doing and thinking that whatever I do is not good enough.

I can be responsible and still spend my time spreading out paper along the floor, (or maybe the grass), getting the kids into their old clothes and then letting them paint whatever they feel like.

I can clean the house, with music ponderously playing as I hold a sock hop in the kitchen.

Or run up the hill taking pictures of the stars.

I can do anything.

Living Life With Passion!!

Alright I've been in a rut. I am going to put more heart into life, dance, sing, cook, study, live... with more passion than I have been.

I have let life get me down, but not anymore!!