my version of NYC popovers

I might need this pan now.

Made these popovers tonight for dessert. With this butter, except I used marionberry jam, because that's what I had. They were very good. I did not have a popover pan, so I just used muffin tins. I filled 9 tins with my batter. My only wish/complaint was that there wasn't more. EVERYONE ate one and then we were staring at each other... hoping nobody else wanted the last three. We split them, but I will certainly double (if not triple) that recipe next time. I would definitely triple if that was our breakfast. Just thought I'd share!

NYC

Pictures by Jane The food of NYC did not disappoint. Favorites??? I don't know if I can pick. Those french fries and hamburgers from Shake Shack hit the spot, not once, not twice but...three times. The Cuban corn on the cob was super tasty. I even googled a recipe for it. We all had our share of cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, YUM! We walked into John's Pizza and I remember I had eaten there with Scott a few years before. Although, that picture is from Patsy's and it was delicious too. I had never had a popover before, and now I'm afraid no popover will ever compare to the one we had in NYC with strawberry butter. I have found recipes for those treats as well and plan on making them soon. Not only did Jane take most of the pictures, this was her 5th time to NYC, so she led us to all the good eats. Thanks Jane!

As we were walking the streets of NYC, I looked up and saw this cute dress. It was in a shop on the second floor, that you had to be buzzed into. This dress cost $1400!! Cute...but not that cute. Jane did take my picture and I sent Scott a text telling him about all the money I just saved.

Most of you that know me know that we trekked over to NJ one day to check out the Cake Boss. When we arrived the line to get into the bakery WAS HUGE. Not a single one of us felt like waiting in that line, so we asked around and got a recommendation for a good deli close by. Sarah and I got these huge "Big Paulie" sandwiches, and we both ate them up. Not everyday do you have a prosciutto, sun dried tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese sandwich. After lingering for about and hour and a half at the deli, we set off for NYC. However, as we passed the bakery, this white navigator passed, and people were yelling "hey buddy hey buddy". We snuck around to the back alley, and who was there??? Buddy and his little elves, I mean helpers. They were loading some cakes into delivery vans. Buddy and Frankie stayed out for a little picture session. Good times!

On Friday we went and saw Memphis. Very entertaining! Good story and great music.

The rats in the city were huge. I knew they were there, but I didn't expect to see them as much as I did. The first night we came out of the subway and we were walking, only to spot several at the end of the corridor scurrying about. For the most part, they stayed down by the tracks. But they were huge. We saw one lady buying rat traps in a Time Square Walgreens. Yuck. Those necklaces come from a vendor that we saw in a Brooklyn flea market. He made necklaces out of old coins, then he would put some kind of charm to go with it. The one that spoke to us, was this old subway token and the RAT charm. I thought it was very cute.

I sported my sensible shoes around NYC. Except for Sunday, and I had a skirt on. The Dansco shoes kept my feet happy all day long. Here we are in Brooklyn, we came to this pier to get some ice-cream. I also ate a handmade pretzel and a shaved ice. Usually not a huge fan of the shaved ice, but it was hot and it sure looked good that day.

So, that is just a little glimpse into my trip to New York City. Thanks to Carrie, Becky, Sarah and Jane for all of the good times!

It was taking way too long to download the pictures the other way, so I just "blogged this" from picassa, and it was much faster.

More pictures of the Japanese Gardens.

I thought this place was very beautiful.

Hope and Liam. Liam is my friend Julie's little guy. Hope and Liam love each other. I have about 20 pictures of them kissing and/or hugging each other. This was the day before we left, they were saying goodbye. Eventually, Liam tired of all the hugging and kissing, but not Hope. Toward the end she would say...."Just one more kiss Liam!". Liam would kiss and Hope would say, "ON THE LIPS LIAM". Is it so wrong to arrange a marriage? They would be perfect together and I so love Julie.

Taken off my front (well my old) porch. Loved looking out and seeing those deer.

Here we are at the Japanese Gardens in Portland. From the first day I lived in Camas, I wanted to go to the Japanese Gardens. Not sure what took me so long to get there, but...I was going before we moved. When my Mom came to visit right before we left, I took her and all the kids. Hunter had just gotten his screws removed a few days before. He hobbled around on crutches. But we made it to the Japanese Gardens, and boy am I glad we made it.

dilemma

I'm in the middle of trying to decide which pictures (from our last family photo shoot) to print...and put on the walls. I want to do a bunch of them in the canvas wrap around, but they can be $$ and I want them ALL that way. When I like something I really like it ;) Hope is asleep, Hunter and Hannah are in WA, Scott and Hayden are at a Round Rock Express baseball game. I need another person's opinion, and since I don't have it, I decided to blog. Makes perfect sense to me. But anyway, I have a nice big spot to do a big family shot, and then perhaps some single pictures of each child separate. Would it look weird to have one canvas and the others in frames? That would be a cheaper alternative. What do you think?

Family pictures...first you have to decide what the heck to wear, then you have to have them taken, then you have to decide which ones to print. Funny story: I rode down to the place where we were having our pictures taken with wash clothes shoved between my shirt and body. I'm a sweater. Not so much because I'm hot, but when I'm stressed...watch out! Just thought you should know that.

Found a preschool today for Hope. I liked it. She liked it, and Hayden asked if he could go there to school. He was really impressed with the indoor play structure and slide. Texas knows how to do preschool. 9-2 and it's not a co-op. That makes me rather happy. Not that I don't love and cherish the time I spend with Hope, I do...but she will love it, and it sounds kind of nice to have a few hours a week all on my lonesome.

We are all doing good. I have upgraded from "fine". I guess for a while everything was "fine". Hunter started commenting on how "oh it's fine again..." I have cried a few times, felt lonely a few times, been overwhelmed a few times. But overall, things are coming into place, and life is looking brighter again. Still miss WA (alot), but that's okay. I embrace those feelings and try to move on. I'm off to read my book now. Good night.

Green is my favorite color

I have been drinking green smoothies for a long while now. If you are interested look here or here for starters or not, but you should, just saying. I don't remember when I started, but a while ago. I usually make a green smoothie at lunch time. I eat a few smallish other things to get some protein in, but I honestly have developed a taste for them. I like my green smoothies. I also make a yummy citrus smoothie in the morning with all kinds of different citrus fruit, honey, and yogurt. We drink that instead of OJ now. I just got a good deal on a Blendtec and I'm very excited about it. I had been using a regular blender which was fine, but this is nice. It made my smoothie really...well smooth today at lunch.

Anyway, I want to tell you about something else I have been doing/drinking. Back in April I went to this class at Relief Society. I went because I was teaching a class. I taught everybody about all my homemade lotions, potions and cleaning supplies. I learned some stuff about sprouted wheat that night. Like how to do it and how easy it was. It's super healthy for you to eat it, and easy. But as I was doing research on sprouted wheat later that night and the next day(I even found and made some sprouted wheat bread recipes) I started learning about wheatgrass too. I was really amazed. The benefits are really amazing. The funny thing is how easy it is to grow. First you have to sprout it, then once it's sprouted you let it grow. I have bought some little trays, but I also grow it in an 8x11 Pyrex dish. All you do is cover it for a few days, and let it start to grow, then take the cover off and let it keep growing.

But a few weeks ago, I went into the eye doctor because I was having trouble seeing. Never a good thing. So, I went it and had my eyes tested. My eyes had improved!! and I was over being over corrected with that prescription. That has never happened to me, if anything my eyes have gotten worse and worse over the years. I was really excited and thinking this was truly a miracle until Hayley told me the same thing happened to her a few years ago, and she isn't drinking the wheatgrass juice. But I will pretend that didn't happen to her, and continue to think the improved eyesight is due to the drinking of the wheatgrass juice. Scott even drinks it when he is home. I have all kinds of cleaning up to do on that boy.

The other thing I noticed, is...less gray hair. I used to sit and pick out gray hairs EVERYDAY. I started to tell myself I had better stop or else I was going to get patches of bald. But I haven't been picking lately, and I haven't been noticing as many gray hairs. Seriously. I had a patch in the front of my head that was pretty gray. Yes, it was very small, but it is gone. I don't know, it's not a miracle cure all, but I am noticing some interesting changes.

I don't know, I'm not super obsessed about it or anything, I just find it to be very interesting. The whole idea that food can almost be viewed as a medicine or a purifier. You know? I do eat 7-10+ fruits and vegetables a day. I try and eat super healthy and nutrient rich foods. I do eat plenty of treats though too. So, I'm not perfect. I just made chocolate chip cookies the other day, so...take that for what it's worth. I just love to eat good, real, whole foods. I do view my body as a machine, and I'm trying to fuel my machine with the best possible fuel available. I have been spending a lot more on groceries though. Eating healthy can be expensive. But that's a whole other blog post, that I could go on and on and on and on about.

You'll need to

read the previous post to understand what I'm about to say. I was trying to not be so long winded buy my entire shower I was thinking about what I didn't say that I wanted to say. So, here it is...

I was embarrassed about my toes until I felt that lady checking me out. (You might be thinking enough about the toes, but it's symbolic for my I think so bear with me.) Then, I got kind of bossy. I told her I was a runner and I had lost my nails training for Hood to Coast. That made me feel proud, no more embarrassment. She told me I could get a fake nail put on there to make it look better. That made me feel kind of pissy. I looked at her with her fake blond hair, her fake nails and her fake boobs, and said yeah I could, but the podiatrist said I could get a fungus under there and I don't want a fungus. That shut her up quick. She didn't want to chat about a fungus. I put my foot up on the bar proudly from then on out. I don't care what she thinks. Why should I. I am who I am nail-less toe and all. I kicked her skinny little butt in that class. She kept needing the teacher to come over and correct her posture. Not me, I got compliments on my form. Carrie remembered my name was Heather.