Happiness is....

The moment your shy child who has begged to move back to your old assignment EVERY single day since you left says, "Now I want to stay here forever Mom!"

I may or may not have tears rolling down my face after such a declaration.

So thankful we have finally found something of interest for Sweetness and with a group of people who make her feel welcome and a give her a sense of belonging.

Answered prayers for sure!

Diving into the IP cult

Since its arrival, the IP has been used daily.  Its arrival was timed perfectly with my birthday gift...a new recipe holder made from an old wine barrel.  It holds my IPad and cookbooks perfectly as I work.  *Sunshine and Sweetness are just added beauty perks for this photo op.*

I have used the IP for boiling eggs (I'll never make them on the stovetop again!)  Even Sunshine was incredulous as to how easy they were to peel.

Quinoa cooked on high pressure was a wonderfully easy and the plumpest and tastiest I've ever made.

This yummy pasta dish was thrown together quickly between a doctors appointment and date night with MWC.  With no prep work done ahead of time, it was on the table in 35 minutes...even with the pasta needing a tad bit more time (user error) and my having to run a second pressure cook on it for a couple minutes.

Sunshine and Sweetness are not accustomed to sandwiches for lunch...having not had to pack any for school so many years..and prefer taking leftovers or mac and cheese for their lunches.  Making homemade is too much of a pain so we've relied on the organic boxes from Costco for the past year.  No more.  Macaroni and cheese was super easy.  I am still on the lookout for THE recipe we will use regularly but we did enjoy this batch.  It was simply a matter of making the macaroni and water in the IP and stirring in milk and cheese.  I thought the recipe as posted was a little bland and stirred in some parmesan.  I will be playing with different types of cheese and probably try a sharper cheddar in future.

I will also have to learn to adjust amounts..or they'll be taking it every day of the week or feeding their entire class.  This batch was too large and has lasted several days.  Leftover mac and cheese just isn't quite as good as freshly made.

And because not all meals are pasta...this delicious Mongolian Beef recipe was gobbled up in one sitting.  This one - served with rice - will definitely be a repeat performance at our dinner table.

Tribute to Frog Prince as he flies the coop

Another One Leaves the Nest

With my apologies to Queen

Frog drives happily down the street,

His car’s gassed and ready to go

Tinted windows, and I can’t see him,

But I know he’s ready to go.

Am I ready? Am I ready for this?

One more chickie goin out on his own
Out of the door, off he goes

Taking a part of my heart.

Another one leaves the nest
Another one leaves the nest
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one leaves the nest
Hey, I'm gonna miss you too
Another one leaves the nest!

How do you think I'm going to get along?

Without you, when you’re gone.

You’re such a force within our home,

It’s not the same when you are gone!

Are you happy? Are you satisfied?
That’s just what I want for you.
You’re all grown up, and out the door,
You’re my little boy no more.

Another one leaves the nest
Another one leaves the nest
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one leaves the nest
Hey, I'm gonna miss you too
Another one leaves the nest!

Another one leaves the nest

Another one leaves the nest

Another one leaves the nest

Another one leaves the nest

Hey I’m gonna miss you too

Another one leaves the nest!

There are plenty of ways you love a son

And want to have him around.

You can hold him.

You can push him.

You support him when he’s up

When he’s down.

But you’re ready, yes you’re ready for this.

You’re standing on your own two feet.

Out the door, and off to life you go,

Taking a part of my heart.

Another one leaves the nest
Another one leaves the nest
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one leaves the nest
Hey, I'm gonna miss you too
Another one leaves the nest!

I drank the Kool-Aid on Amazon Prime Day

I didn't realize I was drinking the Kool-Aid.  I just thought I was finally following in the footsteps of my own personal kitchen guru and BFF "LFT" and taking advantage of a great deal by buying the Instant Pot she'd been recommending to me for several months.  I quickly learned I was just one of 215,000 that took advantage of the deal and have since entered the IP cult.

LFT has told me she has used hers every day since she got it.  I'm following in her footsteps on this one.

It arrived one hot sunny day and has been a workhorse since its arrival.

I joined the FB page for Instant Pots.  I'm pretty sure the membership was at 80,000ish when I joined.  Its now over 90,000.  That's a lot of Kool-Aid since Amazon Prime Day.  LFT shoulda bought stock!

I started playing immediately and did the water test to check the pressure.  All systems go.

 A sane person would start with some simple recipe like boiled eggs or steaming vegetables.  I've never professed to be sane...especially in the kitchen where I have no qualms trying out new recipes on unsuspecting guests or making alterations to recipes on first attempts...so my first attempt was a little more involved....Texan chili which I found on another blog.   LFT told me the IP would make my meat super tender and my dishes more flavorful. She was not kidding.  The meat in this chili literally dissolved in my mouth (which was awesome given my TMJ makes chewing big chunks of meat difficult!).  The chili was delicious straight out of the pot and just got tastier with each passing day.

It was love at first pot.

A little catch up

How have I not been here since January?? Easy....life.

Today someone told me I should blog.  "Well," I blushingly responded, "I actually have a blog."  Maybe I should get back to it a bit. I enjoy it so I'm not sure why I neglect it.

It would take pages to play catch up for all of life's trials and blessings of the past six months, so I'll just share the highlights.

In March, during a routine colonoscopy, the doc discovered I had a hot dog sized appendix which needed be removed.  It was a time of testing ...and gratitude...as it was confirmed that I was spared not only cancer, but significant complications due to its early discovery.  I am thankful for the excellent medical care I received and for the Lord's mercy to me in sparing me a more formidable path.  (I'll share photos of the other highlights but I shall spare you the gory photos of my legendary appendix.  They are not for the faint of heart.)

MWC and I celebrated 30 years of marriage in May.  He surprised me with a romantic getaway (which we took in late June) to several CA places we enjoyed while he was in grad school in the early days of our marriage.

Selfie at Lovers Point, Pacific Grove, CA

Catalina Island

And in early June, Frog Prince graduated from USAFA.  Words can not express our gratitude to the Lord and our pride in Frog Prince for this accomplishment.  We, his entourage of 20 family members and friends, enjoyed celebrating with him in Colorado Springs.

The Parade Contingeny of his entourage.  

The long awaited moment...MWC commissioning our son.

Some day, I may look at this photo and not get teary....but not today.

Father/son salute

Graduation Day