friends and dinner February 23, 2011

My friend Jenn set up a dinner tonight for me, the kids, and some friends.

She cooked all afternoon:

And then the friends came–Steve, Colleen, Danny, and Ryan:

And we ate and talked and drank some wine. It was such a fun night.

I’m thankful Jenn planned this dinner because I don’t often have dinner with friends during the week and it was amazing to get together with close friends and share a meal. I’m so thankful Jenn cooked dinner and OH MY GOD, it was an amazing dinner. I didn’t even take any pictures because I was so absorbed in my meal.

I’m so thankful to have such great friends.

Really, life is so good.

breaking the law December 27, 2010

WordPress is having some serious technical problems, so I’ll have to check back tomorrow and post what happened then, but till tomorrow….i’m thankful for breaking the law.

UPDATE: Well, now that word press is back to normal, let me continue.

I’m not usually a law-breaker. Being raised in a strict household with a sheriff as a father led me to believe that rules exist to be followed.

But every once in a while, you just gotta break the rules.

Like today, when I had planned a pretty easy hike with the kids and my friend Melanie and her kids and yet there was a foreboding sign at the trail entrance:

Usually the parking lot for this hike is also packed, but because of the closure, it was empty. My friend Megan who was meeting us as well got to the entrance before me and left because it was closed. But I thought it couldn’t be that bad. It  was only closed due to the rain and it hadn’t rained in a few days and it’s not like it had been closed due to wild and dangerous animal sightings. Luckily, my friend Melanie agreed. So off we went.

It’s kind of nice hiking on a trail with four kids and no one around. It makes stopping and meandering much more enjoyable.

 

 

I’ve never seen the creek so full:

And yes, the weather conditions were wet, and it was really muddy. But the kids loved trekking through the mud and getting dirty. I’m thankful for breaking the law a little bit today. It made for a good hike.

 

 

P.S. This has nothing to do with breaking the law, but I’m also thankful for a nice dinner with Maddie. Luke was with his dad, I was tired of cooking, and we were itching to get out So we went down to our local noodle shop and had dinner.

 

baking December 22, 2010

I am not a big baker. I like to cook, but baking has never been my thing.  I can’t stand that every measurement had to be exactly correct and I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to throw something out because it came out horrible.

Yet, once a year when the holidays roll around, I dust off my measuring cups and my rolling pin and spend one entire day baking up a storm in the effort of gifting some homemade goodies to friends.

Today was my baking day. And oh, did I bake. All day.

I made cranberry-orange bread:

Cookies:

Thyme & sea salt crackers (they’re already in the wrapping):

There are a few more goodies we made as well.

Bags are packed (decorated by Maddie and Luke) and ready to be delivered tomorrow:

I’ve enjoyed my day of baking, and I’m thankful for the fun we had making all these goodies. I’m also thankful that I probably will not be baking again until next year =-)

the good and bad of it all December 8, 2010

BAD

• My students have lost their minds. Observe a conversation I had with a student today (Note: She was first in line of about 15 students waiting to see me):

Me: Good morning student. How’s the essay? Did you make any progress since we last talked (Note: I saw her 3 days ago and we went over her essay for about 30 minutes)

Student: Hey. Yeah. Not really. Could you look at my essay again and go over what needs to be changed?

Me: Ummm…I did that 3 days ago????

Student: yeah, I know. But I forgot what you said.

Me: Are you serious?

• My kids have lost their minds. Letters written to Santa today:

Dear Santa,

For Christmas I would like an iPod Touch. I know you won’t get me one so don’t get me anything.

Love,

Maddie

**I think she won’t be getting anything at all for a letter like that.

Dear Santa,

 

I would like a pie for Christmas.

 

Love,

Luke

**Really, a pie, Luke? Cause I could have sworn you said you wanted a bike for the past month and now you change your mind? Guess what? You’re getting a bike. Not a pie.

GOOD

• Taking Luke and Maddie to see Santa. While Maddie refused to sit on Santa’s lap, Luke did and looked completely confused:

• Watching the lighting of the menorah. Today is the last day of Hanukkah and we accompanied my sister and her family (whose husband is Jewish) to watch the lighting of the last candle. It was beautiful.

• Making a new dinner for the family and the kids loved it! It was Naan pizzas with broccoli pesto, roasted red peppers, and sausage and arugula salad (recipe from this months Sunset magazine). Divine. But eating a healthy dinner with the kids: even better.

 

I’m thankful the GOOD outweighed the BAD!

tri tip dinner November 18, 2010

Maddie’s school has a huge fundraiser every year: a tri tip dinner. Basically for a $35 ticket you get a dinner of tri tip, beans, potato salad, and garlic bread. Each dinner feeds a family of four, and each student has to sell 3 tickets.

It’s actually a pretty good deal and the tri tip is always perfectly cooked.

So tonight I’m thankful I didn’t have to cook anything for dinner–I just had to drive on over to the school and pick up our meal.

I’m also thankful that we shared our dinner with my friends Jason and Brian, who–even thought they are adults AND professionals–act like children half the time and so they fit in very well with us.

Overall, a great meal to end a pretty good day. I really, really wish every night could consist of a wonderful dinner with friends. It makes life so much better.

free afternoon October 7, 2010

The community college gives it students and staff today and tomorrow off. It’s not officially a holiday, and although these days are called ‘flex days,’ it’s really just a reason for students and staff to have some time to relax or catch up.

What this meant for me was that I was done teaching at noon instead of 4:30. What this meant for Luke was that he only had to be at preschool for a few hours. This was exciting for both of us. (Maddie, on the other hand, didn’t have one change to her schedule. Poor her.).

Luke and I got to spend the entire afternoon playing and napping. Oh how I love lying down to have a nap with Luke. I also decided to make a nice dinner since it’s been awhile since the kids have had a real cooked meal from me. I mean, I always cook for them, but lately it’s been really quick dinners–basically nothing too special.

I decided to make eggplant parmesan because I needed to eat all those eggplants and tomatoes I gathered from my garden last week. But as I started to prep the eggplants, I realized that I had a whole chicken in the fridge that needed to be cooked by today as well. Then I looked closer and realized that there were some Italian sausages in my fridge whose expiration date was also today.

So I made and cooked the eggplant, the chicken, and the sausages. It was a flurry of cooking in my kitchen from about 4 to 6:30, and even Luke helped:

(or really just made a mess on the kitchen floor for me to clean)

But the chicken and the eggplant and the sausage all came out great and this may be the first time EVER my kids have had such a variety of dinner choices.

I’m thankful I didn’t have to teach at the community college and for these ‘flex days.’ I’m thankful Luke didn’t have to be in preschool all day. I’m thankful Luke and I had a great afternoon together. But most of all I’m thankful for the amount of cooking I did because now we’ll have left-over dinners for at least four or five days!

trader joe’s April 27, 2010

I know, I know…this may seem like a weak day. I am thankful for Trader Joe’s today? Come on!

Well, it was a weak day in terms of thankfulness. I felt like a rushed around all day and I am feeling really stressed about all the work I have coming up. I don’t think I paid good enough attention today.

But, seriously, the one break I had today was taking Luke to Trader Joe’s. We needed some serious food. Since tomorrow is Wednesday and I’m going to make a good dinner, I needed ingredients. We also needed lunch stuff: bread, ham, cheese, granola bars, juice boxes, etc. Finally, we needed snacks…badly. Luke had been snacking on carrots and bland crackers for a few days. Luke crushing the crackers into the floor was him signaling to me that we needed some other alternatives.

When Luke and I arrived at Trader Joe’s, we got a cart and just started strolling up and down the aisles. We shopped slowly and didn’t rush. I opened a bag of popcorn for Luke to eat, I had some of their sample coffee, and I even ran into a friend I haven’t seen in a while. We also looked and found Sammy the Seal (did you know they hide Sammy the Seal in a new place everyday and if your kids find it, they get a treat?). At the check out, I chatted with the checker, helped bag our groceries, and then Luke got a balloon as we left.

As I drove home, I began to think about how much I like this store. Everyone that works there is so nice and helpful, it’s reasonably priced, it has unique food options, and they give free balloons to kids! Who does that these days?

While it may seem like a stretch to be thankful for Trader Joe’s, I really, really, really am. Perhaps it is just the fact that it’s a great grocery store, but perhaps I’m so enamored by Trader Joe’s today because going there was the only time all day I got to relax, hang with Luke, and not feel rushed or stressed out.

It’s probably a combination of the two, but today I’m thankful for Trader Joe’s.

a bajillion? April 21, 2010

Blustery. That’s how I would describe today. And as I awoke in a pretty mundane mood (can a mood really even be mundane? Probably not, but it perfectly describes how I felt this morning), I thought how thankful I was for the blustery and rainy weather. It seemed to match my mood. Also, already by 7 a.m., I had something to be thankful for. Yay, I thought.

But then, I decided to make Martha Stewart’s mom’s pierogi recipe. I have never had pierogis before but I had watched Martha make them years ago with her mom and was intrigued. They’re Martha’s favorite meal, so I thought, I don’t really have anything to do today, so why not attempt it. Considering this is a long(er) and detailed recipe and I didn’t even know if I would actually like a pierogi, I felt like I was being risky. And so I was.

To make a pierogi, I had to make a dough, let it sit for at least an hour, make the fillings–both potato and cabbage, roll the dough out and cut into 3 inch circles, fill the dough, and then cook for a few minutes, and then make the butter sauce. It literally took all day.This is not so much due to the recipe, but more due to the fact that Luke wanted to be a part of everything and he can be–at times–very demanding.

So we made the dough:

There was flour everywhere–literally everywhere!  But we both had so much fun. And in the midst of this, my mood lifted, and I thought, “Forget the weather; I’m thankful for cooking with Luke.”

Then I made the filling, and stuffed the dough circles, and noticed they did not look anything like the pictures of Martha’s. Hers were perfect! Mine were…hmmmm….well, kind of doopey.

But I got over the look of them; after all, I was only cooking for myself, Luke, and Maddie. I threw them in a pot of boiling water and watched them sink to the bottom and then a few minutes later, rise to the top. In the meantime, I made the sauce: a simple (thank God)brown butter sauce. And voila, I had made my first ever pierogi.

And I loved them. I liked the potato better than the cabbage, but both were really good. My kids liked them, but I wouldn’t say they loved them. As I ate them, I thought, “Forget about cooking with Luke, I’m just thankful I like these.” Because, you see, I would’ve been seriously pissed had I spent all day kneading and cooking to not like the end result.

Also today, I received a belated birthday gift–a poster made by my friend Jenny. It seems that Jenny went around to my friends and asked them what they liked about me and then complied “A Bajillion things we Love about Courtney.” This poster, what can I say?

It made me cry, it made my heart swell with love, it embarrassed me, it humbled me, it inflated my ego, but most of all, it amazed me.

I read kind words from my friends–about me!–and felt amazing. The past three years have been such a difficult time in my life that it became easy for me to forget about the good things that are part of me, and just focus on the mistakes I’ve made. It also amazed me how true some of these statements were:

From Leslie: Because she wears her pessimism on her sleeve and her optimism on her heart.

From Jim: I love her blend of ironic humor and stylish appearances with a thread of the tragic and a dash of elusiveness.

There are more, and I could go on forever, but I won’t. I’m not that into myself =-)

O.K. One more.

From Jenny: Her life is an open book. When you meet her, she’s an instant friend.

I like that one because it’s true. I am an open book, and I never try to hide anything (which can get me into a lot of trouble sometimes). It’s the one thing I pride myself on–If we’re friends, we’re probably friends for life. You’re stuck with me. Possibly forever. You may regret your decision to be my friend. But I’ll love you forever and help you in whatever way I can.

Even though I woke up feeling mundane (I’m serious, that’s really how I felt: common, banal), I’m going to bed feeling the exact opposite (so perhaps extraordinary?). I’m thankful for cooking with Luke, tasty pierogis, and thoughtful friends who make me feel special and beautiful and better about myself. And I guess I’m thankful for this blustery weather after all.

wednesday! March 31, 2010

Wednesday is my new favorite day! With the new quarter starting and a new schedule, I now only teach one class on Wednesdays, from 12-1p.m.

This is amazing! I now have almost all day to play with Luke, help Maddie with her homework, and cook and clean without feeling like I’m under a time crunch.

Today, I did all of the above. Luke and I had the morning to ourselves; I cleaned the entire house (actually not the entire house; I didn’t venture into Maddie’s room); I helped Maddie with some homework (thank God it wasn’t math); and I cooked dinner for some friends.

I made another Martha Stewart dinner–zucchini lasagna; percorino cheese & lemon artichokes; a salad (made by Tasha); and a great loaf of bread. The lasagna was great, but I wasn’t too impressed with the artichokes. Regardless, it was so nice to see my friend Mike, who had a long day at work; my friend, Christine, who’s in town for the week; Christine’s boyfriend, Derek; Tasha; Jason, my neighbor; and of course, my kids.

Our dinner conversation revolved around syphilis & suicide, which is not a normal for us, nor is it normal conversation banter in general, no matter where you are. But trust me, it was interesting. And I don’t want to talk for everyone, but I’m pretty sure we all had a really nice time.

Then we had dessert: Christine and Derek brought over homemade brownies (made by Derek!). Soooooo good:

Christine and Derek stayed later and we all kept the conversation going (we did change subjects) and then watched Modern Family (for which Jason came to join us). If you’re not watching and loving Modern Family, then something is wrong with you. Seriously. We cannot be friends.

As you can see, today, Wednesday, was wonderful. I’m going to bed so satisfied and looking forward to next Wednesday. Today, I am thankful for…well, today: Wednesday.

It is also Cesar Chavez day in California, and I am incredibly thankful for all this Mexican American farm worker, labor leader, and civil right’s activist did. Growing up in California, I see how hard farm workers labor and how little they make. I also grew up in a union family and highly value to importance of unions. Today, I feel honored to celebrate Cesar Chavez:

sushi March 30, 2010

Maddie and I used to go out to dinner every week, and we almost always went to our local and favorite sushi restaurant (seriously–Maddie’s favorite food since she was two!). However, after Luke was born, time and money became (almost) a thing of the past.

We rarely go out to dinner anymore.

But tonight, since Luke was at his dad’s house and I let my class out early, I surprised Maddie by taking her out to dinner–sushi! We invited my best friend, Tasha (also currently living on my couch as she finishes writing her Master’s thesis), and we all had a long and enjoyable sushi dinner. We ate well, caught upon each others’ lives, and had a really relaxing and fun time (no Luke throwing utensils across the table!).

Today, I am thankful for sushi and for a nice and relaxing time with my daughter and my friend.