Life Lesson

If you decide to enjoy a glass of wine whilst folding laundry, skip the red.

Choose a Chardonnay.

Then, when you knock over your full glass of vino and it spills all over the just-folded basket of whites, it won't stain your favorite white tank top.

Or your best fitting white t-shirt.

Or all your light colored undies.

On the up-side: You are more than entitled to another glass.

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I am still here.

Life has been keeping me busy.

That and re-washing whites.

What's For Dinner? (an extended version)

This is a menu that has a little past, present, and future. I wrote it last week with enough meals planned to cover the remainder of spring break along with this current week.

The past.

Last week I made:

*this quinoa casserole and a salad

The kids were gone and we decided to stay in one night. I figured I could cook big and The Mr. would have enough leftovers to get him through the work week while I was out in the country. He referred to it as eating bachelor-style vegan.

*taco soup, minus the meat and ranch dressing mix, with added taco seasoning

This is what I made for Mom and Pops. Hearty, flavorful, and totally vegan. Combined with cornbread, it was the perfect introduction to a new way of eating for my meat-and-potato driven parents.

The next night we had burgers. There was the traditional beef patty, but I also brought a box of these. They held up well on the grill. Pops even tried one to show The Boy that real men can eat veg. I was proud.

The introduction must have gone over well. Pops sent me a text today letting me know they finished off the last of the soup. He also sent his menu for the remainder of the week. Not a bit of meat to be found! I asked if he was going vegan. His response: as vegan as I'll ever be.

I'll take it.

Here's to your health, Mom and Pops.

We got back home on Saturday.

We went to a vegetarian buffet for dinner. Upon hearing our destination, The Offspring were not enthused. Then they saw that they could eat with chopsticks.

I guess meatless options are infinitely better when you can dine with wooden sticks.

They were begging to go back before we had pulled out of the parking lot.

Thank you, chopsticks.

Since it was Saturday night...and we hadn't seen each other in a few days...and the kids were asleep...I thought it appropriate to get a little crazy. I poured some wine and...

...headed to the kitchen to make seitan.

That Mr. hit the jackpot with me. *wink*

Which leads me to this week's menu...

Sunday: "chicken" seitan, stewed squash, garlicky greens and mushrooms

Monday: black eyed peas, corn pudding, tomatoes

Tuesday: grilled tempeh and vegetable skewers

Wednesday: refried black bean burritos, guacamole, tomatoes

Thursday: spaghetti

Friday: hamburgers, oven fries

Saturday: back to the veggie and chopstick buffet

As I've mentioned, all our meals start out with a large salad, either romaine or spinach, with a bit of this, some seeds, tomatoes, cucumbers. As long as it's fresh and raw it's fair game.

I made some more chocolate chip cookies over the weekend. The Boy and The Mr. are weak in the knees over the latest batch.

I question The Girl's sanity, yet again.

She would prefer Life cereal.

And there you have it: seitan, chopsticks, and Life cereal.

I know you foodies are jealous.

Livin' Large, Baby...

A peek into my rock star life...

A late night beer with a side of guacamole.

The Mr. and I know how to live it up when the kiddies are away.

I think I'm the only one that likes the time change.

Late night baking is fun when you don't have to set an alarm.

Most things are fun when you don't have to set an alarm.

I did some spring cleaning.

Beds were stripped.

Quilts were washed.

Rooms straightened.

Since The Offspring were gone, it stayed that way for a few days.

I took some time off from kitchen detail.

The Mr. and I went out for vegan enchiladas.

I think mole sauce and corn tortillas are a match made in heaven.

Victory.

My first batch of perfectly prepared tofu.

Mid-week I headed out to the country to gather The Offspring and visit with Mom and Pops.

I made a completely vegan meal.

Now, if you know my Pops, you know that he ain't the vegan sort. He is meat and potatoes all the way.

I was proud of Pops. He cleaned his plate. And even had seconds.

This cornbread = amazing.

If the vegan label makes you wary, set the bias aside. It was like corn cake. A perfect mate to the meatless taco soup we had for supper.

Perk of being in the country: Your table's centerpiece is picked from the backyard.

The downside: no dishwasher.

But, being able to watch a Spurs game on television with my Pops made it all better. So did beating Dallas. And then watching all the slow-mo replays during the post-game show.

Yeah. Doing the dishes by hand was well worth it.

I am a Spurs nerd. To the core.

St. Patrick's Day: the wee ones had green Sprite while the not-so-wee ones had green Lone Star.

Pops put a lot of food coloring in that beverage.

The Girl's upper lip was tinged green for two days.

Another perk of being out in the country: The Offspring spend most of the day outside playing.

Easy to do when weaponry is involved.

Don't worry. He didn't shoot his eye out.

All too soon, it was time to head back to the city.

Back to our crib.

Back to all the furries.

The Mr. still has his beard, so I'll include him in that group.

Did you see the moon last night?

It was a little cloudy here in H-town. But it was still big and bright.

Guess what peeps?

It's officially SPRING!

So, what's been going on in your rock and roll life?

Spill it.

And then share it over here.

So Long, Winter

Dear Winter,

Today was your last hurrah.

It was in the 80's.

I think that Spring already has you in a headlock.

I won't miss the drip, drip.

Houston pipes are fragile.

Your early darkness was a bore.

A total buzz kill.

You are a tease, Mr. Winter.

You promised snow. A rare treat for south Texas kiddies.

Instead, you left two measly icicles.

Cheeky, you are.

No, I am not sad to see you go.

Although, I must confess that I will miss the once-in-a-blue-moon-snow-day-with-no-snow, hot chocolate, and warm cinnamon toast on a cold, crisp day.

So long, Winter.

Until next year.

The world is in turmoil, so I'm writing about granola...

The world is c-r-a-z-y right now.

So it's only fitting that I write about granola.

I've never been a fan of granola.

It usually has coconut. I hate coconut.

It's also obscenely expensive.

I was inspired by this post and this post.

I more or less combined the two. Then I spliced them with my own take on things.

A mix of almonds and chopped walnuts.

Sometimes maple syrup, sometimes agave as a sweetener.

Meh. There are no hard and fast rules with breakfast cereal.

Mix it well.

Spread it out on a baking sheet.

Stick it in the oven.

Mix it around every 20 minutes for about an hour.

Let it cool.

Then stir in some dried cranberries and cherries.

Or whatever combo sounds good to your morning taste buds.

Granola.

The Mr. thinks it's better than sliced bread. When the granola canister runs low, he sounds the alarm.

So I double the recipe.

That way he'll share.

Perfect with vanilla almond milk.

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As I eat my homemade granola with vanilla almond milk while sitting in my comfortable, warm, dry home with running water, clean clothes, a working bathroom, and my family close at hand, I can't help but think about those in Japan that have nothing.

Nothing.

It's all gone.

I admire the strength and civility of the Japanese people that are having to endure such hardship. They are an example to us all.

I encourage you to donate to the Red Cross or one of the other charities that are giving assistance to those that have been devastated by the earthquake and tsunami.

I will admit to being a bit dismayed over the lack of (publicized) help being shown to this country in need. I've seen no Hollywood-sponsored telethons, special charities established, or other such displays of support. From what I understand, donations are much lower for this disaster than those previous.

I realize times are tough.

Belts have been tightened.

But it's $10.

You'll enjoy your granola even more if you give just a little.

Livin' Large, Baby...

A peek into my rock star life...

The Girl went to a birthday party with a henna artist.

She chose the most masculine design offered. What the...?

There was no swaying her decision.

Girl goes to the beat of her own drum, I tell ya, and she keeps me guessing.

There are nights when The Offspring skip a bath because I am just too tired to clean up the trail of destruction that is left in their wake.

They must have some disorder that prevents them from picking up their clothes, underwear, shoes, socks, and wet towels from the bathroom floor.

Yes, I know. They should pick it up.

They do. But their version of picked up and my version of picked up are very different.

And for the record, I've grown weary of sharing the bathtub with Hulk.

Thank you, Lord, that ketchup is vegan.

I had a panic attack of sorts. Or at least that's what I think it was.

I was sitting on the couch, folding some clothes and watching Forrest Gump on television, when suddenly I had the overwhelming feeling that something bad was going to happen. I couldn't shake it. It just got stronger and stronger.

The Mr. returned from band practice only to find his usually stoic wife having some sort of hyperventilating meltdown...because Forrest and Jenny finally got married...and Captain Dan got new legs...and then Jenny died!

Really. It wasn't the movie.

I don't know what triggered it.

All I know is that Valium can be a wonderful thing.

The iPad is not helping my cause when it comes to getting to bed earlier.

I started another project.

At least I thought about starting another project. What you see here is about as far as I got.

I really should finish that damn afghan. And the lightweight sweater. And the wrap. And the summer tank top that remains in pieces.

Should finish.

If cleaning up after The Offspring weren't enough fun, the kitties are adding even more frivolity to the mix.

They have knocked over three of my plants and are eating a fourth.

Good thing they're cute.

Why can't you eat oatmeal with chopsticks?

The Mr. has grown a beard.

I have always told him that if he grew a beard he would be sleeping on the couch.

Last week I changed my mind.

Maybe I've been looking at too many cute and bearded indie rockers.

I must say: He sports it well.

I've found myself glued to the television the past few days.

The devastation in Japan leaves me speechless.

I cannot imagine.

This hits home for us. I've never been to Japan, but The Mr. goes almost every year. He has seen the before pictures in person.

I'm in awe of nature's power.

On a happier note...

The Mr. surprised me with Spurs tickets.

Then he gave me an even bigger surprise.

Check out that ticket.

Row 1, baby. Just off the court.

I could hear Manu arguing a call with a ref!

The Mr. is awesomeness.

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And that's just one week.

I'm livin' large over here in H-town, yo.

What was your week like?

Show off your rock star life and link up over at Kimberly's place.

It's what all the Blog Land ballers are doing.

Ten On Ten: March

March 10th.

Ten pictures taken over ten hours.

Wrinkles, begone.

Tofu prep.

Solo ride: a rare treat.

Word building.

Lessons learned.

Author study.

Texas proud.

Teddy's hangout.

Comic relief.

Waiting.

Parking lot.

A handful of images captured throughout the day...

It was a long one.

Thursdays always are.

School, tutoring, traffic.

Home.

Finally.

Now if you'll excuse me...someone just spilled a whole bottle of grape juice inside the fridge.

I have some cleaning to do.

And then I need to wash my mouth out with soap.

It's spring, yo!

I'll see you in April with another set of ten.