Next Day

I'm feeling moody and reflective today. You could call it hormones, or lack of chocolate, or too much cleaning up of poopy messes thanks to my chillin's. So for whatever reason today I was reminded of this poem that I used to ooze over when I was in college. It was sort of my fear of what my life would be, because I knew that I would be a stay at home mom. Just knew it. But what if years from now I became unloved and forgotten? What if being a mom sucked all the life out of me, and I was left used up? That was my fear. Perhaps irrational at the age of 20, but there you have it.

And then I met this poem via Contemporary American Literature class. Yes, I say met. Why? Because when you come across a poem that over time becomes a friend, yes, there is a meeting.

Let me introduce you. Dear reader, meet Next Day.

Next Day
By Randall Jarrell

Moving from Cheer to Joy, from Joy to All,
I take a box
And add it to my wild rice, my Cornish game hens.
The slacked or shorted, basketed, identical
Food-gathering flocks
Are selves I overlook. Wisdom, said William James,

Is learning what to overlook. And I am wise
If that is wisdom.
Yet somehow, as I buy All from these shelves
And the boy takes it to my station wagon,
What I've become
Troubles me even if I shut my eyes.

When I was young and miserable and pretty
And poor, I'd wish
What all girls wish: to have a husband,
A house and children. Now that I'm old, my wish
Is womanish:
That the boy putting groceries in my car

See me. It bewilders me he doesn't see me.
For so many years
I was good enough to eat: the world looked at me,
And it's mouth watered. How often they have undressed me,
The eyes of strangers!
And, holding their flesh within my flesh, their vile

Imaginings within my imagining,
I too have taken
The chance of life. Now the boy pats my dog
And we start home. Now I am good.
The last mistaken,
Ecstatic, accidental bliss, the blind

Happiness that, bursting, leaves upon the palm
Some soap and water -
It was so long ago, back in some Gay
Twenties, Nineties, I don't know... Today I miss
My lovely daughter
Away at school, my sons away at school,

My husband away at work - I wish for them.
The dog, the maid,
And I go through the sure unvarying days
At home in them. As I look at my life,
I am afraid
Only that it will change, as I am changing;

I am afraid, this morning, of my face.
It looks at me
From the rear-view mirrior, with the eyes I hate,
The smile I hate. It's plain, lined look
Of gray discovery
Repeats to me: "You're old." That's all, I'm old.

And yet I'm afraid, as I was at the funeral
I went to yesterday.
My friend's cold made-up face, granite among its flowers,
Her undressed, operated-on, dressed body
Were my face and body.
As I think of her I hear her telling me

How young I seem; I am exceptional;
I think of all I have.
But really no one is exceptional,
No one has anything, I'm anybody,
I stand beside my grave
Confused with my life, that is commonplace and solitary.


Yeah, totally uplifting! I was such a moody little snot nosed brat.

Aloha Friday!

From An Island Life

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you'd like to participate with your own question on your own blog, head on over to An Island Life to link up and join the fun!

Today's question is: Wear a tie much??



Or you could just answer one or more of these questions: Did you watch The Office wedding last night? What did you think??? Your favorite part?

I'd have to say my favorite part was Michael talking to Pam's mom at the church. It's like we got a glimps past the "I'm trying too hard" Michael and got a piece of the real deal, which always makes me feel sorry for him. lol

Dory Cove & Stacy's Covered Bridge Restaurant Reviews - Things I Love Thursday

Two more restaurant reviews by my mom. Hope you enjoy!

Dory Cove in Lincoln City, OR is a classic good choice, even relocated on Highway 101 instead of at Roads End. A fire a number of years back forced the change. A dependable Rave Review for food. Same owners, same cook, same menu. My husband has clam chowder and parmesan cheese bread. This toasted bread is WONDERFUL! Hubby has three clam chowders in three different locations in two days and voted this the best. (Including a well known place that will remain nameless.) I have fish and chips and salad. The salad is crisp and very good. The fish and chips were the same as before and very good. I've been coming to Dory Cove since I was a little girl and that was a LONG time ago - hey I even have a t-shirt! The decor is a bit off putting but when they bring the food it is ALL good. A lot of locals come here and that tells you something. We wish them the very best!

A definite Rave Review for Stacy's Covered Bridge Restaurant in Cottage Grove, OR, on the main street across from City Hall just off of I-5. What initially catches my eye is two winged backed chairs facing a linen covered table, beautifully set, on the sidewalk... We are fortunate to be seated before 6 pm and hence eligible for the special selection of six choices for a three course meal each for $10.95! These choices sound gourmet. I opt for Chicken Tuscany with artichoke hearts and kalamata olives, in a light cream wine sauce. The first course is salad with a wonderful variety of fresh greens -NOT the usual dinner salad- and a wonderful cucumber dressing. Yum! Then the outstanding large serving of chicken. The vegetable is julienne zucchini with herbs. Really outstanding flavor and lightly steamed to perfection. Served hot and not overcooked. The third course is a choice of strawberry or chocolate large ice cream sundaes. Amazing! The decor is small and upscale. The servers are busy but work well as a cheerful team with the owner. The tone is relaxed even though the staff is really busy. This place is a hidden gem. The food is superb! And hey, if you happen to be there in July you can take in the yodeling and whistling contest in city hall. We did!

Come back next week for restaurant reviews from my parent's trip to Nashville & Kansas!


For more Things To Love visit thediaperdiaries.net!

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash - Fresh From My Garden

This was a total improvise, so I was really excited when it turned out to be so good! But with these ingredients how could you go wrong? Bacon, onions, mushrooms and cheese doesn't make this a light recipe, but a delicious way to use any patty pan squash you have hanging around.

What? Never had patty pan squash? It's a bit sweeter than zucchini, cooks up nice and firm so excellent for stir fry or sautee. My mom likes them best sauteed with garlic and olive oil, and I can't say I blame her. But if you wanna do something a bit more fancy you could give this a try. :)

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

6 patty pan squash
1/2 pound of bacon
1/2 an onion, diced
1 tomato
1/2 pound of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup of cheddar
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Carve the tops off the squash and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon or melon baller. Set aside.

Brown the bacon, allow to drain on paper towels. Drain all but 2 teaspoons of bacon grease. Add the onion to the hot skillet, cook until soft and it has taken on some color from the bacon grease. Add the tomato and mushrooms, saute until veggies are soft. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl combine bread crumbs, cheeses and seasonings. Add crumbled bacon and vegetables. Stir well to combine. Stuff mixture inside hollowed squash. Return tops of squash to the top of each one. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and place squash inside. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. You want the cheese to be bubbly, the squash should be firm but hot.

Family Update

No new news on Hubs' shoulder. We're getting the feeling that the doctor that supposed to provide the second opinion is giving us the brush off. So we're researching other doctors. If anyone knows an orthopedic surgeon in the Portland, OR area who specializes in shoulder injuries please let me know.

My parents are back in town after being gone for the past 2 weeks. They attended my dad's family reunion in Kansas and also went to the Christian Counselor's Association Conference (say that three times fast!) in Nashville, TN. So you can look forward to more of my mom's restaurant reviews covering different places they ate while on their great adventure.

I for one am very glad that they are home. I tend to take their help for granted, and whenever they leave I quickly realize how much they do for us. They watch the girls so Hubs and I can go out, they provide a huge and very important part of my social circle, and my mom is flat out awesome when it comes to helping with projects such as canning peaches or making jam. I know I tell them thank you all the time... but seriously, there aren't big enough THANK YOUS for what they do for us.

To celebrate their return, they came and babysat for us last night so that Hubs and I could go out for a date! HURRAY!! And since Hubs birthday is next week, and my parents are going to watch the girls so we can go out again... I decided that it was MY turn to pick where we were going to eat. So I picked On The Boarder. Why? Because we had never been there before and I've wanted to go there for a long time due to rave reviews from friends, and Hubs HATES trying new places... so HERE WAS MY CHANCE!! And oh man, it was GOOD! The first bite Hubs took of his carne asada steak was enough to practically melt him into a puddle, that's how good it was. And my combo plate with beef empanadas, chicken enchilada, and beef taco were all fantastic. The only thing we weren't wild about were their chips and salsa. We both prefer white corn chips, and theirs were yellow corn, so no matter how awesome they were for yellow corn chips they just were not as good as white corn. We also indulged in margaritas, because what Mexican meal is complete without them, right? We started off with their most expensive top shelf margarita, and then decided to try their "shaken margarita. My opinion? The top shelf was excellent, but pricey. Next time I'll just go for the shaken because it too was very delicious and was enough for the two of us to share.

And then we went and bought a Wii! And came home, and hooked it up, and played! So far I'm lovin' it! In fact I'm gonna go play some more after I finish this post. I'm ashamed to say that my Wii age is 74... and I'm really hoping that I can blame that on the margaritas but in all seriousness I just can't hit a baseball if my life depended on it regardless of my alcohol intake. Hopefully I can do better today... but I'm not betting on it. lol

So a lot about me... but what about those cute little kidlets??

Well, the kidlets are doing just awesome! Mommy feels like she needs a vacation though. They are getting SO busy!!! By the time nap time comes around I feel like I'm going to fall down. And when they get up I sigh and think, HERE WE GO AGAIN!!! I'm trying really hard to enjoy it, and they do provide an endless source of fun and entertainment and love (let's not forget the LOVE!), but they totally wear me out. I feel like I'm in a constant state of exhaustion from which I will never recover.

But enough doom and gloom! Weren't we supposed to be talking about the kids??

They are constantly doing funny stuff, and I am constantly running for my camera, and then when I get it on and point it at them they come squealing and running at me and I totally miss the thing I was trying to capture!!! So as a result I have very few pictures of them over the past few months. I think I need to hire a film crew to come follow us around for a day just so I can get some memories on tape!

So what would a film crew capture in our typical day?

-Dancing, lots of dancing. Cute adorable toddler dancing. Dancing that involves jumping, kicking of feet in the air, and spinning around in circles until they are dizzy and fall down.

-Ziva blowing spit bubbles, and then saying, "Buh boowwww" which is the signal for me to pop the bubbles with my finger.

-Books books BOOKS!!! Pointing to pictures, saying words they know, indicating that I should tell them what something is, and for Ziva... identifying a few letters. Her smartness somewhat terrifies me.

-Moving furniture. BECAUSE THEY CAN! Carrying chairs to things they want to reach, and then standing on them, and helping each other out to reach whatever it is they need to get their grubby little hands on.

-Much more proficiency with spoons and forks. Lately I give them each their own serving of yogurt or applesauce (yes, mommy is getting braver!). Yesterday once their faces were all messy Ziva said "Beeeer". What honey? You want some beer? "No, Beeeeeer!" Oh! BEARD! Yes honey, you have a beard. Tee hee!!

-We've discovered the trick of putting their pajamas on backwards in order to keep them ON at night! Yes, for weeks and months I've woken them up only to find them totally naked and soaked. Super awesome laundry practice for mommy! Hoping this whole backwards jammy trick will continue to work for a while.

-Anya is becoming more assertive about keeping toys, and is becoming more territorial of Mommy. Part of me kind of hopes that she's swaying away from the Daddy kick she's been on for a while. But the other part of me really doesn't like to be guarded like a dog guards their food. When Ziva comes close Anya will put her hands on my face and then push her face right up against my faces so that our faces are smooshed together as if she's saying, "I NEED YOUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION NOW!!!" I get it Anya. I do... now can I please have my face back?

Cha Cha Cha Chia

Seriously... what is this world coming to?



And why isn't there a Regan Chia?

How To Make Traditional Bread & Butter Pickles - Mystery Spice Monday

Canning.

It's what I've been doing all summer while not attending to my blog.

I've learned a lot! I've learned that when you overfill canning jars they erupt in your canner and then you have a mess plus not enough liquid in your jars. I've learned that I should definitely plant less cucumbers next year. And as a result, I could make bread & butter pickles in my sleep.

And they are soooo good! WAY better than dill or sweet in my opinion.

And I now have enough to give them away plus have plenty for myself.

YUM!

Oh, and since I thought you'd be interested, here's a bunch of stuff I picked which necessitated the making of pickles:



Yup, that's bunch of tomatoes, a zucchini, and 6 cucumbers. And believe it or not, my cucumbers are slowing down. In previous weeks I'd pick 8-13 cucumbers in a day and 4-6 zucchini.

Now you know why I haven't been around!

So lets get down to business with the cucs shall we?

Slice approximately 7 cups of cucumbers and 4 onions and place them in the largest bowl you own.



Cover them with 1/2 a cup of canning and pickling salt. This is important, regular salt won't dissolve properly.



Cover completely with water and let it soak for at least 2 hours. While they are soaking you can prepare your canning jars, rings and lids. This will make 5-7 pint size jars so I usually prepare 8 just in case.



Once the soaking is done rinse completely. I rinse mine in small sized batches to make sure I get all the salt water off.



Then I set up my stove. The small pot in the back has a little bit of water and lids set to low heat until simmering. The front left pot has 3 cups of white vinegar, 2 cups of sugar, 2 Tbs. of mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon of celery seed and 1 teaspoon of tumeric. Cook this until it comes to a boil and the sugar is disolved. On the right front burner is my steamer canner (it's the same as a water bath only it steams, you can use a regular water bath).




Once your pickling solution comes to a boil you can add your veggies. I do small batches at a time using veggies I've just rinsed.



Return them to a boil. Once it starts boiling they're done! Easy peasy!



Remove your pot of goodies from the heat and start filling jars with a slotted spoon.



As I do this I often stop and sort of gently bang the jars on the counter to shake them around a bit and get the veggies to compact.



When I'm done with a small batch my solution looks like this. And I put it back on the stove on med-high heat until it returns to a boil. Then I add more veggies, boil, fill jars, etc.



Once the veggies are all cooked and the jars are all filled I top them off with spoonfuls of pickling solution. You want to leave a generous 1/4 inch headspace.



Run a knife around the jars to release any air bubbles. Add more solution if needed.





Then a VERY important step! Take a wet rag and wipe the rims of the jars. If you don't, the lids won't seal and you will have done all that work for nothing.



You guessed it! Then you add the lids. I have a handly little magnetic lid lifter that came in a box of canning supplies. They're not necessary, you could just use tongs, but since I have it I'm using it.



Place the lids.



And then put the rings on. You want them to be "finger tight". My definition of that is only twist with the tips of your fingers, don't use your whole hand to get it as tight as possible. I do put them on tighter than my mom, she barely screws them on. The good news is that we both have successfully preserved food so I don't think it's that big of a deal.



Put the jars in your canner. Use manufacturers directions on whichever canner you have. Remember, canning is not just cooking, it's science. So it's important to follow the directions precisely.





For mine I need to wait until steam comes out of those little holes on the side before I start my processing time. And I never really knew how HARD it was to take a picture of steam! This was the best I could do. :P



Process them for 10 minutes, after that my canner needs to sit off the heat for 3 minutes. And then Voila! Preserved pickles!



Lift them out of the canner using that cool lifter tool from your canning supplies box.



Let them set for 24 hours, and delight in the music of popping lids! That's the sound that means "I'm sealed!".



After 24 hours, any lids that aren't sealed (you can test them by pushing in the middle of the lid, if it gives it isn't sealed) just toss them in the fridge and use them within the next week or two.

I know some of you said that you might participate this week in Mystery Spice Monday, and that's AWESOME! But I still haven't figured out how to do the new Mr. Linky (it's on the to do list!). So if you have a recipe to share please post your link in a comment and I will add a permanent link to the bottom of this post. Thanks for your understanding! :)