In which I make a dinner that doesn't involve remembering to turn off the stove

I'm tired.  Not "sleepy" tired, just physically worn out.  I chalk it up to the pregnancy (hello, third trimester).  My hips are throbby sore, my feet ache, and more significantly, I'm pretty sure my brain is atrophying.  I'm usually a fairly competent person.  I get most of my loose ends tied up.  I'm pretty detail oriented.  When pregnant however, it's a whole different story.  When I was pregnant with Abby my signature oversight was my purse.  I left it everywhere.  Jeremy just ended up getting used to lugging it around for me to make sure it didn't get left at church, at restaurants, in shopping carts, etc.  With this baby my main issue seems to be with turning off the stove.  No big deal.  I might just burn the house down around my toddler's and my ears!  One time I put some oil in a pot to cook up some onions, wandered off on another errand, then went streaking back to the stove when the fire alarm went off.  I ran into the kitchen to find open, roaring flame (and black smoke) billowing from a fantastic grease fire.  I threw baking soda at the mess and put out the flames.  I still haven't gotten the pan completely clean from the burnt-on oil.  That is perhaps the most dramatic result of my forgetfulness (Thank God!) but I can't tell you how many times after dinner Jeremy goes into the kitchen and finds burners still on.  I keep telling him I don't know why he still lets me in there.  But I do know why... Because no matter how much Jeremy has learned about cooking and is growing to enjoy it, I'm still better at it than him.  AND because every once in a while I surprise him with something like this:

Those are homemade, gluten-free thin mints.  Jeremy kept making sad mewing sounds whenever he saw girl scouts selling cookies in a parking lot.  Girl scout cookies have always been a major vice of his (ok, not just his) but now that he's figured out how much better he feels without gluten in his diet they are a pleasure he knew he would have to forego.  But not without minor whining and sad, pouty eyes.  Well, I can't stand for those gorgeous blue eyes to look sad, so homemade, gluten-free thin mints it was!  I found the recipe at Gluten-Free on a Shoestring and I followed it exactly except that after I mixed my dough it seemed a bit dry so I added a tablespoon or two of water.  The cookies turned out well.  The taste is basically exactly like thin mints but they weren't as crisp as the girl scout version.   Next time, I think I will bake them longer (probably at a lower temperature) to really dry them out.  I wouldn't roll them any thinner as I had enough trouble with them breaking as it was.  Jeremy was pleased though and his eyes were smiling again.  If you need a thin mint fix, check out her recipe and maybe take a look around her site if you are looking for other gluten free ideas.   

Needless to say, I forgot to turn the toaster oven off after I pulled out the cookies (thank goodness for an automatic timer that flipped it off after another 20 minutes).  I also forgot to turn off the big oven where I have a batch of homemade yogurt culturing.  I turned it on "just for a minute" to get the oven cozy for the yogurt and forgot about it until Jeremy came home.  I had it set as low as possible so here's hoping I didn't kill my yogurt culture.  The other thing that has been using up burner space today is some homemade chicken stock which fortunately does great if left on low heat all day long (as long as you remember to add water every few hours- so far so good).  Still, it's probably a good thing that for dinner tonight I decided to make something that doesn't involve using the stove or oven at all.  I present to you Vietnamese spring rolls.  I'm not really sure how authentically Vietnamese these are but they're fresh and yummy and the perfect supper to eat outside eat inside with the windows open cause it got too dark on a lovely March evening in the south .  

I used rice paper wrappers from a local Asian market.  I soaked them in warm water for WAY too long.  Apparently I should have only done it for a few seconds, one at a time.  I thought they'd take a few minutes so I soaked all of them at once and by the time I started to wrap them they were pretty fragile and tore a good bit.  I ended up using two wrappers for some of the spring rolls just to keep everything contained.  It didn't affect the flavor or edibility at all though.  I stuffed them with the following:

• lettuce leaves
• shredded cabbage
• rice
• shredded carrots
• cucumber
• minced leftover mint and culantro (they were getting kinda tired in my fridge so I threw them into the mix)
• basil leaves (note: if you buy basil or mint leaves at the store and they still have some stem left on them, put them in a glass or vase for several days, changing the water frequently, and they will sprout roots and can be planted in a pot- no more buying mint and basil! Another note:  apparently you can also regrow some lettuces from the stem.  It takes a while for them to fill out again but it's like a buy one get one free deal!)
• slices of egg tortilla/omelette (whatever you want to call it)- so I guess I did technically use the stove for about 5 minutes but I was under strict supervision.
• shredded chicken drizzled with peanut dipping sauce
• I would have used avocado except the ones I bought specifically for this meal were still hard as rocks so no go.  

For the peanut sauce, I've drawn inspiration from Iowa Girl Eats and her Thai Chicken Burgers (which I made with some of my own variations like adding tofu to the chicken mixture and adding more spices because I'm notorious for never following a recipe exactly- it's well worth checking out her recipe though!)

For the Peanut sauce I mixed (approximately)

2 Tablespoons natural, chunky peanut butter

2 teaspoons vinegar (I used apple cider but would have preferred rice vinegar if I'd had it on hand)

a glug (that's a measurement, right?) of soy sauce (in our case, gluten-free)

1 Tablespoon of honey

a squirt (also totally a measurement) of sriracha

some garlic powder (I was feeling too lazy too peel and press a fresh garlic but it's awesome if you do)

a sprinkle of ginger powder

a few tablespoons of water to make the consistency pourable/dippable

I drizzled a batch of this sauce over the chicken that I stuffed inside the wrappers and also had a batch for dipping (so make double).  YUM!  I was a little worried Jeremy would still be hungry after dinner.  I needn't have worried, he ate two and told me he was full.  I, on the other hand, ate four (I'm eating for two here!).

I had big ambitions for today but, as usual these days, between pregnancy brain (and body) and a toddler I only got through about half.  I really wanted to get another coat of paint on Abby's toddler bed and play kitchen while the weather was warm but  it didn't happen.  I guess the weather is just going to keep getting warmer from here but I'm also going to be getting bigger and more achy so I'm racing that clock.  Tomorrow we go to the birthday party of one of Abby's friends, which is good because every time we leave the house to go grocery shopping or something she asks if we can go see friends.  I'm really feeling like I need to work harder at giving both of us more of a social life instead of staying home all day.  I'm introverted and even I'm started to feel the isolation!

Long Weekend

We enjoyed a four day weekend this week since Jeremy has to work next weekend.  It was lovely.  Here are a few of the highlights.  First of all, we had a day to trip to Charlotte planned to go browse the Ikea store.  Maybe not Jeremy's idea of a rockin good time but I was excited.  We dropped Abigail off with her Teta (Jeremy's mom) and took off.  Ikea had a special event going on so it was pretty crowded.  If we go again, I would pick a day that would be less crowded OR know that I was going to buy a bunch of stuff so I could take advantage of the good deals offered during the event.  We were pretty hungry by the time we arrived so we got some food as soon as we could (not as quickly as we would have liked since the dining room was full to capacity and closed for a little while).  Once we had some blood sugar in us, it was much more fun to wander the showrooms.  Like I said, not exactly Jeremy's idea of a rockin good time but I started asking him questions about the kinds of things/styles he would eventually like to see in our "someday" home and that engaged him and got us dreaming.  Turns out our styles don't have a lot of overlap so our someday house is going to involve some compromise.  For example, Jeremy dreams of a man cave complete with dark, leather furniture and a wall of bookcases.  I don't dislike that idea but I'm much more into contemporary lines and bright colors.  A problem if we ever have to share a space for his man cave/ my craft room!

Here Jeremy admires a secretary desk and poses in front of a wall of bookshelves like he would enjoy in "his" room.

        

I liked this sideboard table although I'd be tempted to paint it red or lime green or some other punchy color.

I saw a bunch of fun things for Abby like some felt food for her play kitchen that we're working on.  Some cool toy storage ideas.  This crazy cute, child-sized chair.  I actually liked their Poang style, child-sized chair more but a kid was sitting in it and it would probably be weird for me to snap a picture of him and post it on my blog.  It freaks parents out.

We considered this fun blackboard/whiteboard easel for only $15.  Maybe another time...

We did find this great bookshelf for only $25.  We bought it to replace the ugly, walmart, black hole bookshelf that has been sitting temporarily in the dining room collecting piles on piles of magazines, cookbooks, and craft supplies.   This one is a bit smaller and fits better in the corner.  Also it is WAY cuter and I am committed to keeping it organized with some baskets or something to wrangle Abby's and my craft-time stuff.  

     

I haven't been to Ikea since I was kid (dragging behind my parents) so it was cool going through with my own house in mind but it was also a bit overwhelming since I didn't have a list of specific things I was looking for and the place is HUGE.  On the lower level there is a big warehouse-y section where you pick up your disassembled, boxed furniture.  Jeremy makes a great pack mule (er, I mean studly stallion that carries things for me).

When we were planning our Charlotte date we started considering whether we should try to stay overnight in Charlotte since we probably won't get another chance for a get-away for some time since little man is due in just a few months and we don't expect to be able to go anywhere for a while after that.  We talked about getting a cheap motel for the night but then I remembered that I actually have some friends from Panama days that own a bed and breakfast about halfway between Charlotte and Columbia so I contacted them about staying at their place.  They were our neighbors for a while in Panama and I used to play with their daughter when we were 8 or 9.  They were so generous to invite us to stay with them for FREE!!! It was amazing.  The house was lovely, breakfast was awesome and we had a marvelous time.  I should mention that the room we were in had a double-wide, jetted tub.  You better believe we took advantage of that!  You can check out their website at Harmony House B&B.

      

Breakfast was very nice with banana berry splits, spiral omelettes, asparagus, and pecan rolls.

    

After breakfast Jeremy and I just enjoyed each other's company and conversation  while we sat on the wrap-around porch and listened to the fountains.  We talked about ways to keep our marriage a priority as we embark on the adventure of adding another child to the mix and we prayed for a long time for our family as a whole and for specific things for our children.  The most important thing we prayed for was that both of our children will have hearts that are tender toward God and that they will embrace Him as their Lord (preferably in their childhood/youth to save them lots of heartache).  We prayed for their spirits and character and for wisdom for us as parents.  We prayed for all our other close family members.  OH!  We also finally agreed on a name for little June-bug.  Woohoo!  It was a great date!  We headed home refreshed and rejuvenated to collect our little one.  

On Monday we worked on a number of projects around the house.  We sanded Abby's toddler bed and got a coat of paint on it.  We did some work on her play kitchen.  Jeremy and Abby put together my new Ikea shelf.  Abby was a big "help" and kept announcing it "ALL DONE!!" after each screw went in.   It was nice just being together and working on some things for the house.  

Tuesday was much the same.  Plus, I cut Jeremy's hair for the first time.  It turned out pretty well seeing as I've never cut hair before!  He said he'd pay for the cut, so I guess that's pretty good.  Now we're all gutsing down for seven straight days of Jeremy working, one day off and another six days of work.  Good thing our batteries are charged!

Anticipation

It's been a while since I've written.  I've wanted to and I've had several post ideas circulating in my head but by the time I get some quiet time to myself I don't have the energy anymore.  My sister-in-law compared it to exercising.  Ha!  The past several weeks have just gotten away from me.  They haven't exactly been a whirlwind or anything but I think most people will understand when I say that life has been full of interruptions, distractions, and exhaustion (this is especially comprehensible to young moms).

We tried potty training a few weeks ago.

 

Note, I said "tried."  We made slow but steady progress during a week in which we basically didn't leave the house and I was in a state of constant vigilance, watching Abby for the slightest sign that she might have to go so I could help her learn the warning signs for herself.  We had half-accident after half-accident.  She would start to pee in her undies before she realized it then we would finish in the toilet.  Then we had a day where she actually gave me the heads up before the accident a few times and she only wet 2 pairs of undies! HURRAY!!!  The next day she woke up in a MOOD.  At this point in the week I was still asking regularly if she had to potty but if she said "no" I didn't override her.  I was trying to let her read her own body cues but just giving her reminders to pay attention.  It had worked the previous day but THIS day? Oh, THIS day she refused to sit on the potty AT ALL.  I read one book on potty training that said if your child was unwilling to sit on the toilet to put gentle but firm pressure on their shoulders and ease them down and make them stay for a few minutes before letting them up.  The book went on to say that your child might have a tantrum but let it run its course and it should be over in about 5 minutes and you can try again. HA!  That author never met my child (or any other strong willed child)!! Gentle pressure on her shoulders?  Really?  Is that all it takes for some children?  With Abigail I would end up feeling like I'd wrestled a wildebeest   5 minute tantrums?  My child can last WELL over an hour.  I've even seen her go two.  I know some people will read this and think that it's because I gave her the attention she wanted or that I made the tantrum worth her while.  I assure you, I did not.  But I digress... By midmorning she had already soaked through 3 pairs of underwear.  Shortly thereafter she climbed up on the couch, laid down and said "mommy, change diaper!" So I did.  I asked if she was sure she wanted a diaper she told me she did.  So be it.  She's supposed to be training.  I don't want to be a trained parent.  I put her back in a diaper.  Lest you think that was all for the day, allow me to share a few more anecdotes on her MOOD (dun dun DUNNNN).

First of all, Abby wanted to be attached to my side all day BUT I wasn't allowed to touch her affectionately. NO hugs.  NO kisses.  She wanted me to hold her but "no hands!"  How am I supposed to hold you without using my hands, child?  It was a "NO" kind of day.  Another example:

me: Abby do you want milk?

Abby: NOOOO

me: Do you want water?

Abby: NOOOO

me: Do you want juice?

Abby: NOOOO

me: are you just saying no to everything?

Abby: (gives me a deliberate and stubborn look and says) BUG!

I kid you not!

So, for now potty training is on hold.  The potty seat is available if she wants it (and she has sat on it a few times since) but I'm going to give it a few weeks before we try again.

Thankfully, not every day is like that and while she is always "strong willed" (yes, yes I am reading Dobson's book) we have some really marvelous days together that I just love.  Like this one:

And this one:

She has asked to paint almost everyday since.  She really got into it!

And who gets to hang out with this spunky little nut every day?  I DO!

Here Abigail styles her doll's dress as an avant garde hat.  It's a "headdress" (couldn't help it)!

This morning I woke up to my favorite alarm: the sound of Abigail singing and playing in her bed and finally calling "mommy!"  It's about a bajillion times better than the beep.Beep.BEEP. of the alarm I used to wake up to for work!  While I listened to her playing and talking to her dolls and teddy bear I was filled with a sense of excitement and anticipation for the little life that is still developing inside me.  I can't wait to look into his eyes, kiss his tiny fingers, and cuddle him while we nurse.  I REALLY can't wait to introduce Abby to her little brother.  She is SO into babies.  Her whole body language changes when she's around one.  At church she wants to hold and kiss the babies, she tries to give them their pacifiers, she tucks their blankets around them.  Sometimes, I start to feel overwhelmed by the thought of starting all over at the baby stage.  I mean, Abby is SOOOO much more interesting and fun now than when she was a baby.  I love that she can talk and communicate now.  We color and build forts and blow bubbles outside.  But then I realize it's only been two short years and in another 2 short years she'll be able to do even more and, better yet, her little brother will be able to do what she is doing now.  I can't wait to watch them play together- aww, who am I kidding?  I can't wait to play with them!  So this morning, as I listened to her singing and felt my little boy thumping around inside me I was full of anticipation for what the next few months will bring.  I even had the energy to get most of my to-do list done today.  Okay, we ended up eating scrambled egg burritos for dinner rather later than we should have because I didn't plan ahead (I mean seriously, these people want to eat THREE times a day, EVERYDAY-- how's a girl to keep up?).  BUT I did get to work some on Abby's super awesome, amazing present/project that I'm fixing up from a craigslist find. More on that later...  For now I leave you with this:  a happy mama, loving on her dear girl (who has the exact same color of blonde hair- I love that!).