Holidays!

The holidays have been good around these parts. Zooey likes to open up packages. Santa was good to us all. And we have had a great time with friends and family. Here are a collection of photos!

Waste.

We do grocery shopping once a week. Normally on Sunday mornings. We plan our weeks meals and then buy what we need. We rotate in refrigerated review meals and plan stuff that we already have some of the fixings for - but especially over the holidays I'm bothered by how much we waste!

We have chickens and they eat mist of the fruit and vegetables that are bad. I try to catch most of them before they get bad and juice or use them. But still there is a crazy amount of waste.

Leftovers that never get eaten. Milk products that pass their prime. Condiments that get used a few times and then never see the light of day. As I clean out the fridge one more time I've decided that my New Years resolution is to be less wasteful. You might ask how I plan to do this (especially in a house where we try new dishes a few times a week)? My answer is simple.

Plan better!

While I was cleaning out the pantry I found 4 bags of sunflower seeds that had all gone bad. Multiple boxes of crackers that were months old and yucky. Way too many boxes of popcorn. Bags of chips that are 1/4 full.

From now on here is the plan.
1. Everything will have a date on it.
2. At least two meals a week will be leftover meals or freezer meals.
3. Once a month I will clean out the deep recesses of the pantry and freezer.
4. Most important is I will make a plan to finish up stuff before it goes bad.

What do you do about food waste?

Partied Out!

Zooey went to her first kid party and just pooped herself out!

Watch Wednesdays

Can't stop laughing!

Watch Wednesday's

I know you have been missing them. Happy holidays!

Old Things!

While at my dad's house for Thanksgiving he gave us a couple old things. First was a stack of Little Big Adventure Books. They range in age from the 40's to the 70's. I can't wait to read the adventure books to Zooey! Next was a set of silver dessert forks that were my grandmothers.

Old things have such a history to them!

Grandparent Time.

Zooey has gotten a lot of quality time with both sets of grandparents. Thanksgiving has been crazy so far - but fun!

Big Girl

Zooey is learning to sit up like a big girl!

Fall!

I love fall. It is my favorite season. This little lizard seems to like it too! Which month do you like best and why?

Oil!?!

Last weekend we went to the race track. Mike was changing the oil on the RV before we left. Something happened and all the oil dumped on him. A human oil slick was left!

Watch Wednesday

Baby Food.

Zooey has started eating solid food.  Which is interesting and challenging (in that each time we try something it is hit or miss if she likes it).  She has to taste something more than once to get a taste for it (if you understand what I mean).  I've been making all of her own food - which has also been fun.  Carrots from the garden, pears and apples from the trees.  I've found that making baby food is really easy and she loves it.  I wonder if she will ever eat store bought food?

Hand Update.

In case you didn't know I had thumb surgery a few weeks back.  Here is the pre/after/finished hand.  I had a trigger thumb which needed to be fixed.  I'm pretty happy with how it feels right now.  I hope it never comes back!

Baby Update

We are working on solid foods with Zooey. Here she is eating squash (one of her current favorites)!

Watch Wednesdays

Just funny.  Can't stop laughing.

Watch Wednesdays

I have just found this lady and LOVE her!

Watch Wednesdays

I saw this and thought, "Purple Rain?"  Really ....

But she rocks!

Snuggle Time

When Mike comes home from travel there is a lot of snuggling! I wonder what will happen when she gets bigger?

Updates & All.

Well here is a brief update. I was single parenting it last week. Mike is now home and I had trigger thumb surgery yesterday. Been that sort of few weeks!

Watch Wednesdays

I love Wes and this film is great!

Juice!

I used to juice stuff all the time. But I have gotten out of the habit. I've decided to start up again and use stuff that is getting close to going bad. Do you ever juice??

Watch Wednesdays

Old video - but oh so good!

Great Bread!

A friend of mine makes this bread every weekend. I might start doing the same thing. Delicious and simple!
Bread:
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt
1 5/8 cup water

1. Mix ingredients, cover and let sit over night (you must do it over night)
2. Form into a ball using flour and let sit covered for 15 minutes
3. Dust with flour, wrap in a cotton towel and let sit for 1.5 hours
A) meanwhile heat the oven to 450 and let a Le crueset pot heat for 30 minutes (with the lid on)
4. Put dough in pot and in the oven with the lid on - bake for 30 minutes
5. uncover and bake for another 10 minutes
6. Remove, cool and eat!!!

Summer Putting Up!

Here are some more things from the garden that I've starting putting up for winter. I've found a nice recipe for the peaches and the pesto is my good old standard. What are you harvesting and saving this year?

Peaches:
Peeled and sliced. Put into a jar with sugar water (1 cup sugar to 3 cups of water). Can for 20-30 minutes.

Pesto:
2 cups basil
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup pin nuts
3 cloves garlic
3 roasted green chiles
Salt and pepper to taste
All in a blender or mixer of some kind. I put it into a Tupperware and cover the top in olive oil. Stays fresh in the freezer for up to a year.

Labor Day Fun!

We got this jogging stroller from a friend. Zooey is finally big enough to use it. We went for our first 3 mile run!

Watch Wednesdays

5 second videos.  Great idea!

Roses for Breadcrumbs.

While in Albuquerque this weekend I saw something sad. In the middle of the road there was a crushed rose. It made me wonder, "where did the rose come from?". "why did someone toss it?". "was there a fight?". "why is there only one rose?"

In my mind this is how it played out. John, the late night taxi driver, bought a dozen roses for his girlfriend. On Sunday morning after his shift he planned to give them to her. But then the fare of a lifetime got in. Bubba asked John to drive him to Los Angeles. This wouldn't normally be a big deal except they were in down town Manhattan!

As they crossed the country John felt a little piece of his love slip away. Those pieces were left on the side of the road. Roses for breadcrumbs!

Watch Wednesdays

Colin Hay and Scrubs.  Need I say more??

Another Adventure!

Abby, Dana and I did the local triathlon this weekend. We came in fourth overall. It was a blast!

Buddha Girl

Buddha Girl a video by RocketGirl* on Flickr.

We like to make Zooey talk for us and sometimes - it is funny!

Watch Wednesdays

Nothing good can come from this - but I like it!

Travel Time.

I took my first trip since Zooey was born. It was only to Livermore and only for a day, but it sure did toss Zooey and I for a loop. We have spent the rest of the weekend trying to get our groove back.

Garden Nom Nom

The garden is in full bloom. Love all the freshness in salads!!

Watch Wednesdays

When I'm out near my peach tree I sing thing song nonstop.

Family Friday - well Saturday!

Happy Baby! a video by RocketGirl* on Flickr.

Film-tastic

Well they are filming the new Lone Ranger film in town. In particular at the ski hill where I run once a week.

Watch Wednesdays

Monkeys and just a little bit of dirty.

Ten on Tuesday

Carol's question for today: 10 Good Deeds You Did This Week.  This is a hard one.
1. I cleaned out Mike's side of the closet
2. I held the door for a guy in a wheel chair who works in our building
3. I thought about a friend when at Auto Zone (something she really wanted)
4. I sent a love note to my little sister
5. I put my bitch away while running one day
6. Does eating a doughnut so that a friend doesn't count?
7. Did a little extra laundry

8. Took a little extra work from a friend
9. Planned a surprise
10. Saved a lady bug!

What good deeds have you done this week??

Family Friday

Well ... In our world sleep still rules. Zooey has slept through the night a few times, but of course now we want more. She seems to be in a growing spurt (like I can see inches on her every day) and her animation is hilarious. I'll have to post a "talking" video soon.

Watch Wednesdays

Makes me think of Mr. Darcy in a fight!

Putting Up - mid summer edition

I love my garden and I love storing my harvest for winter. More pesto and ginger apple butter have been put away. I picked 40 lbs of apples the weekend and 20 cups of basil. What a lovely time of year!!!

Family Friday

Why not take Fridays to tell you about what is going on. First Zooey is suppose to start daycare August first. I'm really having a hard time letting go. She has been at home with her Grammy this whole time. She also has started rolling over a ton, saying ah-goo and teething. How fast they grow!!

Watch Wednesdays

I think Wednesdays should be for videos.  Here is one of my favorite songs - and the video isn't bad either.

Santa Fe

We went to Santa Fe this weekend.  Poor Zooey got really hot and needed a break in the car out of her car seat.  We also went to Jackalope and saw a cool prairie dog and a kitty in one of the shops.  It is ....... the city different!

A Little Weekend Fun.

It has been a while since I've taken some time to write.  This past weekend a few exciting things happened.  1) the tour de fleece started (which means I will be spinning roving every day) 2) I had brunch with a group of girl friends 3) the weather here is hot hot hot and it makes me not want to go outside.

POTKU

A friend told me that they were looking for my blog and looked up POTKU.  Guess what it means ....

Finish for kick

Interesting I know.  Who knew that I would pick such a great word for my blog!

As a thank you to my friend here is my latest macro photo.

Baby Fashion

I love the fact that I can put Zooey in anything I want and there is nothing she can say!

Hot Hot Hot

It has been pretty hot these days. To still be cozy and get away from the heat I have fantastic summer slippers!

100 Days!

Zooey turned 100 days old yesterday. As in traditional Korean cultures we had a party. Sort of Zooey's coming out party. It was nice to see lots of people and have people meet her.