Updates on Life in General

Many things have been happening with the family as we transition from our winter activities into spring sports.  Two boys will be running track for their schools.  High school has already begun practices and middle school will start this week, however the first couple meets have already been rescheduled because it is still too cold and snow has not completely melted.

Benjamin my 8th grader has been quite a handful lately, he is all attitude lately, addicted to video games, and we've had some grade issues.  (How's that for transparent)  Discipline measures have been put into place and limits on the gaming but it has made for another challenge in an already trying season.  Soccer is starting soon and with that regular physical activity back in his routine he'll start to chill out a bit, not to mention just getting over our severe cases of cabin fever.

Ethan has been sticking with Forensics.  He changed his piece and category.  His 3 Wizard Poems did not achieve any recognition but his second time presenting his Storytelling piece "The Three Little Javelinas" by Susan Lowell earned him 3rd Place at the MSCI Middle School Tournament in Novi this past weekend.  He received some great comments from the judges and is excited to continue to refine it for the spring finals coming up at Wayne State University next month.  He will again be playing rec baseball this year in addition to running track.  Rock band practices are going well and he is becoming more confident singing leads. Today he also turned in his application to attend Space Camp like his brother did last summer.  He had three great recommendation letters submitted on his behalf and wrote a decent essay, we'll see what happens.  In June he is going to MSU for their Exploration Days event spending three days, two nights on campus taking part in a Flash Animation workshop and another called Improved Life Skills Using Duct Tape which should be interesting. 

Fox is kicking it into high gear getting ready for his senior year and investigating choices regarding college.  He is done with Model U.N. events for this year but is planning to participate again next year.  An even better experience than the school events was a trip he made to Lansing to participate in the 4H Extension's Capital Experience.  For three days they met senators and representatives in the Capitol, discussed various issues, composed bills, and worked to get them passed before the House.  The kids from our county were treated to a personal tour of the House floor by Senator Kevin Daly which was a real treat.  Since he was a part of the Education committee for this event his group got to meet with members of the State Board of Education.  They were all very personable and helpful.  It fact all the representatives and house members that they ran into around the Capital were extremely nice and accommodating.  Fox thought it was an amazing program and is looking forward to going again next year.  MSU is definitely on the top of his list for college choices.  He really likes the idea of having the resource of all our local government being so close by.  He met some kids at the conference that already do internships with the reps in their counties.  In other news he is enrolled in his first online class this trimester Intro to Computer Programming I: Visual Basic.  He likes the way the class is set up online and has been able to get through the first couple weeks of lessons fairly quickly.  We are still waiting to find out if he made it into the LAB: Free Enterprise Camp at Northwood University this summer.

My dear husband is recovering nicely but still taking things slow.  He will be taking a trip to California next week for a job but details are still being worked out.  Most of the winter he spent working on his new company website, conducting paid phone consultations, selling parts online and trying not to go completely stir crazy.

Me?  I've been getting my runs back into the weekly schedule, going out less but running farther distances when I do get out.  I've also been writing and editing regularly.  Sometimes just random thoughts, sometimes on my novels, some times articles for possible submission, or just journaling.  My goal is to keep it part of my routine as much as possible.   I also signed up to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo next month which is very similar to the event that runs in November.  Will do a combination of continued development of my third novel and editing my second. 

Lately I've come to the point again where I feel it necessary to scrutinize my volunteer activities.  While in the past I operated under the idea that if I loved something so much that I was willing to do it for free eventually the fates would make way for me to gain income from those passions.  However lately some of the programs I've been involved with have been creating more stress and confusion than joy which makes me feel that maybe it's time to let those things go in order to put my time and energy towards other goals.  Don't want to make any rash decisions so I'll let it simmer before making my final choice.

..... to be continued.

Soup's On!

Over the past month I've been playing around with some new soup recipes, just the thing on a cold, snowy evening.  The top one is a wonderful Tortelli en Brodo with a chicken stock broth, spinach, carrots from my garden, and a bit of herbs. 

This next one below is a vegetable broth with grilled tofu noodles, mushrooms, corn (from my garden) and spinach again plus this one was super spiced with curry, turmeric and anise. Very tasty, the boys hardly noticed there was tofu in it.

I also used more of my frozen home grown corn to make a fantastic Chicken Corn Chowder that turned out fabulously.  So good we got right to eating and I forgot to take a quick picture.  I used potatos in it, onions, milk and half/half, seasoned with salt, pepper, dry mustard, and dill.

One of my greatest defenses against illness that I use in pretty much everything I cook is herbs and spices.  When you buy processed foods they use natural and artificial flavorings which gives you nothing nutritionally.  Using these flavorful and healthful plants made a world of difference for your body, mind, and taste buds!  Even something as simple as sunny-side up eggs I add a little dill on top with the salt and pepper.  Pumps up the flavor and looks pretty too!  Stir-fying is a staple for my family, it is an easy way to get great ingredients into one pan.  Sometimes it is served over rice, sometimes noodles, or it can get a little more exotic with couscous and quinoa.  I also try to use as many colors in my cooking so we can "eat a rainbow" every week.

It is rare that I eat in restaurants for a variety of reasons but one near our home that I am always excited to visit is the Flint Crepe Company.  Click on the name to visit the website.  Their recipe guidelines alone make me happy.  From the site:

Our recipes will...
​-be made from scratch.

-be driven by the food that is currently available based on our region and season.

-be sourced from growers and producers that operate their businesses ethically and responsibly.

-Offer something for everyone (ask us*).

The menu constantly changes depending on what is available seasonally and they never dissappoint.  Last week I went on a field trip with a friend and we stopped in for lunch.  I had an incredible Reuben Crepe and a loose leaf green tea.  Heaven.

What was the field trip you ask?  We went to the Flint Institute of Arts to see an A la Carte program about Women in Art.  The original film has some technical difficulties but the replacement was just as amazing, informative, and inspiring.  It was about Kiki Smith, an amazing artist who works in many mediums, as she prepared for a house museum exhibit in Venice, France.  After the movie we perused the galleries with new pieces and were fortunate enought to have a delightful interchange with one of the museums trustees.  We also got to see the new ceramic and welding wing that had recently been added to the art school.  That is something on my bucket list, to take a ceramics class again someday.  I had done many art classes as a kid but got away from it as an adult.  It has been my experience that people who completely imerse themselves in artful endeavors and keep their youthful thinking tend to live more healthy and ultimately longer lives.

Eat Happy.  Art Happy.