Some Tuesday Thoughts

1. I love my rockstar husband. He may not be perfect, but he is perfect for me.

2. I love my little brother. I've always wanted a younger sibling. My mom and step-dad adopted him when he was two days old. He'll be six in August and he's awesome. He's super smart (and cute). When he was three, he would say things like, "I'm a clever boy!" We're going to go on a little sibling "date" to see Toy Story 3, just the two of us. I'm not sure who's more excited...him or me.

3. We had to re-plant a lot of our garden. Only three stalks corn came up and barely any lettuce or spinach. I'm not sure why, but the potatoes are growing like there is no tomorrow. I'm super excited about that because mashed potatoes are my favorite food. Someone told me you should only really try to grow the things that cost a lot in the store. Potatoes, corn, lettuce, tomatoes and onions are all pretty cheap to purchase. I'm growing all of those things. Because I want to.

4. Life is short. Life is fragile. Don't waste it being bitter or angry or unforgiving (at least, that's what I have learned). Be thankful for the little joys in your life. Love on people. Dance around and laugh and enjoy the moments others might take for granted.

5. Read books. Of all kinds. In all genres. And write. Often. I don't do either of those things enough and I should, because I like to do both.

6. I need sleep. I can't function on only a couple hours like I used to. Once upon a time I used to stay up way too late and then get up and go to work. How was it possible?? I have no idea. Now I need at LEAST 7 hours of sleep to function properly.  I guess that's what happens when you start getting older.

7. It's hard to be a homeowner. It's AWESOME, don't get me wrong, but it's a whole HOUSE to keep clean. I'm working on it. I realize I'm not always the best at it, but like I said, I'm working on it.

8. I love that rockstar guy a lot. Yes, I know I already said this, but it's my list, so I can say it twice if I want.

9. I need to use my crock pot more. There are days when I just really don't feel like cooking and the crock pot would totally ease my pain. I have a recipe book for crock pot meals. I should use it. Did you know you can make dessert in your crock-pot? I didn't.

10. I miss my dad. I wish he lived down the street. He's coming to visit next week and I can hardly stand it! I will be sure to take a million and two pictures and write a post about his awesomeness. He sings in a barbershop quartet (just one of the many things that makes him awesome) and has been for the past 30 years or so. When I was a little lass, I used to sit around our dining room table and listen to them practice. To this day, I totally love anything to do with barbershop quartets. It reminds me of my dear old dad and how much I miss him and wish he lived down the street.

Heaven Gains A Warrior

This past Thursday we lost a great friend, Michael.
He was also:
a son
a husband
a father
a mentor
an amazing witness to many.
It was an honor to know him.
He will be missed.
Heaven definitely gained a warrior.

Sunflowers

The other day, I arrived home from a day of thrift store shopping (LOVE those days) and found these little beauties on my doorstep:

I smiled and was saddened at the same time, as I knew exactly what these were for. They were from my friend Amy. I knew this without even reading the attached card. That part made me smile. "She remembered," I chuckled.

And then my smile faded ever so slightly. These bright and beautiful sunflowers were a sign that she DID remember... she remembered the birthday of my first daughter, Lyla. She would be 3. A "Happy Birthday" bouquet of sorts.

Some of you know the story, but for those of you that don't:
In 2006, I learned I was pregnant.
On January 25th of 2007, my world was flipped upside down. At 20 weeks I had my first ultrasound. We learned we were having a little girl. We also learned she had Anencephaly, a terminal disease which caused her to be missing the majority of her brain. She would not live long after birth, but might not even make it that far.
My heart broke.
I wept.
What a day.

On June 20th of 2007, at 1:27am, I gave birth a beautiful little girl. We named her Lyla Grace. Her heart was slowly beating - almost just enough to say a quick hello. I clutched her in my arms, caressed her cheeks, held her little hands, kissed her tiny toes and listened to her heart slowly tiring. After twenty-three minutes of feeling every emotion imaginable, I listened as her small heart beat slowed to a stop.

Every year on June 20th, we remember and celebrate our precious Lyla.
We don't have a big party or remind our friends.
The day goes on like any other day, but we remember.
We visit the Memorial Gardens where she is buried.
We talk about the day she was born...
...how Amy brought us ice cream in the hospital the night before.
...how we played the Wii in our hospital room and some of the nurses played too.
...how we didn't know what to expect.
...how we hoped she would be born alive.
...how our doctor took my rockstar husband out to eat while we were waiting.
...how she looked when we met her.
...how beautiful she was.
...how she fought real hard to be born with her heart still beating.
...how much our hearts overflowed with love the second we saw her.

...how much we miss her.

Amy took this picture. She took a lot of pictures. Pictures when I was pregnant and pictures after Lyla was born. I cherish each one.
I remember Amy weeping when Lyla was born.
She lost a child too.
She understands.
She remembers.
And so every year we remember each other's little one's birthdays.
And this year, she gave us Sunflowers.

I've always liked sunflowers.
I like them even more now.

I miss you, Lyla.
Happy birthday, beautiful girl.

Random Thoughts

Lemon Bars

I like dessert.
I like sugar.
I like sweet things.

I also like my mother-in-law. Can you believe it?
Her name is Rhoda. 
She ALSO likes dessert and sugar and sweet things.
We get along great.

She makes great desserts.
She makes cheesecakes and pies and cookies and puddings on a regular basis...
and Lemon Bars.

They're delicious.
And oh so simple.
You'll see.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

First we start with the crust.
1 cup of butter (which I softened), 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 2 cups of flour.

 Add a dash of salt and mix the above mentioned ingredients with a fork.

Rhoda did advise me of a slight alteration she made to her recipe, "By the way, it's not in the recipe, but I add a little vanilla to the crust. I just think it makes it taste even better."  Good call Rhoda. So, it's up to you. Add it in, or leave it out.

Keep mixing...

Perfect. You want the crust to be nice and crumbly.

Press the crust mixture into a slightly greased 9X13 dish and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Now for the filling. 4 eggs, 2 cups of sugar, 4 tablespoons of flour, 6-8 tablespoons of lemon juice, and a dash of salt. Mixed the flour, sugar, and salt together. Beat up the eggs in a separate bowl.

Mix the eggs with the flour/sugar/salt mixture.

Again, Rhoda let me in on a little tip, "..and I add a little vanilla to the filling also." Thanks again, Rhoda.

Add the lemon juice. 6-8 tablespoons. I added 7. I don't like my lemon bars super tart. You can add less or even more than 8 tablespoons. I admire you, 8+ tablespooners.

 

By now, the crust should be done cooking. No need to let it cool. You're just going to put it right back into the oven. Pour the filling mixture on top of the crust.  Make sure the filling layer is even and pop that puppy back into the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges turn a nice golden brown.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and....

Eat three or four, right then and there.



Here's the recipe for your copying and pasting pleasure:

Lemon Bars
Crust:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
dash of salt

Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups of sugar
6-8 tablespoons lemon juice
dash of salt
4 tablespoons flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Crust: Soften butter. Mix all crust ingredients (plus a dash of vanilla extract) together with a fork til crumbly. Press the crust mixture into a slightly greased 9X13 dish and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
 Filling: Mixed the flour, sugar, and salt together. Beat up the eggs in a separate bowl. Mix the eggs with the flour/sugar/salt mixture and add a dash of vanilla. Add 6-8 table spoons of lemon juice. Pour the filling mixture on top of the crust.  Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the edges turn a nice golden brown.



I'm SURE I have a sweet TOOTH, but is there such a thing as sweet TEETH?? I mean, seriously.

Cell Phone Sunday: Father's Day Edition

Happy Father's Day!

The rockstar is an awesome dad.
He rocks (hahaha...rockstar, get it?)
I love him.
He lets me take I take his picture allllll the time.
Here's the proof:

...proof that he started teaching the kiddo to play the Wii at a very early age.

...proof that he's tall, but not THAT tall.

 ...proof that he likes Macs. A lot.

...proof that sometimes he dresses up like John Lennon on Halloween. And can totally get away with it. And doesn't even need to buy a costume.

...proof that he doesn't make me shovel snow in the winter. I dashed outside to take this picture and then dashed back inside.

...proof that he loves our girl. Always has - always will.

...proof that he DOES dress up from time to time. See the sport coat?

...proof that he likes taking care of the yard.

...proof that he's REALLY proud of his yard. I caught him looking out the window at the front yard, admiring his work.

...proof that he's amazing, and snuggles with the kid, and tells her stories about her little dolly.

I love this man.
LOVE.

And of course there's MY dad.
He lives 1500 miles away. And I miss him.
He's a great dad.
He loves his kids.
He loves his grand kids.
He's a brilliant gardener too.
He's amazing and hilarious.
Happy Father's Day, pops.

I HEART Dessert: Ritz Bliss

You should stop what you're doing right now and make this recipe.

Unless you are:
driving
working
at a wedding
nursing your child
in church

if so, you should just wait til things are finished and THEN go and make this. It's so easy and super delicious. What more do you need?

Here are the main ingredients:

52 Ritz crackers (don't ask me why 52)
1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts
6 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of sugar
Hershey's with Almonds bar
a BIG tub of Cool Whip (I'm not sure why it's not pictured, but trust me - you need cool whip)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lets begin.

Throw all 52 crackers in a bag and crush. I like using a can of Kidney Beans to do the job.
I usually have cans of kidney beans on hand because I like making Chili. A lot. Just thought you might like to know.
THAT delicious recipe coming soon.

After you crush the crackers (sounds like an old punk rock song. "And now the Red Kidney Beans will sing their number 1 hit: Crush The Crackers!!!" ...and the crowd goes wild), pour into a large bowl and set aside.

Chop the walnuts until you have about 1 1/2 cups. Mix together with the crushed crackers.

Beat 6 egg WHITES until fluffy.

Bingo.

 Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1 1/2 cups of sugar to the egg whites and mix - making a meringue.




Add the ritz/walnut mix to the meringue and pour in a greased 9 by 9 inch dish. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. (I know it looks a little strange, perhaps naked - like it's missing something, but we're not finished yet. And, trust me, it's gooooood).

Let it cool, cover with Cool Whip, and sprinkle with a ground up five ounce Hershey's with Almonds chocolate bar.

I love chocolate, yes I do. I love chocolate, how 'bout you?

Share with friends and family...
or just eat the whole thing all by yourself!
I won't judge.



Here's the recipe for your copying and pasting pleasure:

Ritz Bliss

Ingredients:
52 Ritz crackers
1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts
6 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of sugar
5 ounce Hershey's with Almonds bar

a BIG tub of Cool Whip


preheat oven to 350 degrees
Crush crackers in a bag.
Chop the walnuts to make 1 1/2 cups. Mix together with the crushed crackers.
Beat egg WHITES until fluffy.
Add vanilla and sugar to the egg whites and mix - making a meringue.
Add the ritz/walnut mix to the meringue and pour in a greased 9 by 9 inch dish. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
Let it cool, cover with Cool Whip, and sprinkle with ground up Hershey's with Almonds chocolate bar.



Yay for dessert!