The Very Important Paper Sack

For the past two months, this paper sack has occupied the corner of our bedroom.

I’d gladly toss the thing out, but this extra large fast food carry-out bag holds precious contents.

If you’ve ever owned a cat, then you know that they treasure:

• paper
• caves
• any paper that can be used as a cave

Exposed rump aside, Baby Girl thinks she’s invisible right now so pretend you can’t see her.

Paper bags also transform cats into ninja’s, so be prepared for an attack.

Once a paper sack enters our house, it takes roughly two days to go from perky to disheveled thanks to multiple pouncings and rounds of “Choo-Choo Train.”  (A game where Baby Girl jumps into the bag and I pull her around the room hooting and hollering like a locomotive.)

However, despite its torn sides and missing handles, this sack is not refuse yet.

No, sir!

Not by a long shot!

Now it can finish out its days as a:

• lounging medium
• cave
• bunker
• fort
• slip’n'slide
• strong hold
• best friend

Or maybe I should just order out from Jason’s Deli again…

Does YOUR cat have a similar fetish? 

Thanks, Julia, I Needed That

Raise your hand if you’ve been a Debbie Downer this week.

No?  Just me?

Well then…can I tell you a teensy, weensy, leetle seecret?

I am a pessimist.

I also:

*…believe the grass is greener on the other side

*…compare myself to others

*…use the words “always” and “never” all the time

*…see the glass half empty

*…say “Awe, #$%@!” when I drop something

*…say “Awe, #$%@!” for everything else.

Yes.  It’s true.

I see the glass half empty and YET if anyone tries to fill it up for me, I say, “No-no-no!  I was gonna do that myself!”

But every once in a while, I reach a point when I am out of answers and WOW does it feel good to drink in the wisdom and words of others.

So I’ll ask the question again: Any Debbie Downers in the room?

Then maybe these words will refresh your glass like they did mine….

Happy Friday and weekend, everybody!

I feel it’s gonna be a good one.

The Brodiño

Shhhh.

Proceed quietly, please.

Musn’t disturb Brody while he’s in his brodiño.

What is a “brodiño,” you ask?

It’s a word I made up that means “cat blanket cave.”

One day, while humming a old Mexican tune, I spotted Brody in his encasement and the word just popped out of my mouth.

(Around our house, cat-related [non] words are added to our vocabulary on a regular basis.)

We have found that Brody LOVES being under cover.  He’ll tunnel his way into the folds of his favorite mangy blanket and stay there for hours at a time.

While in his brodiño, Brody likes to purr and knead and ponder the meaning of life.

Pretty soon though, it will be too warm for a cat blanket cave.

Honestly, I am more than ready to rid our den of this eyesore of a blank—

“Ok, that’s enough!  You’ve lingered too long.  Go find your own brodiño and leave me in peace!”

Oops.

Sorry Brody.

Well, you heard him.

Scram. 

What are some words in your family’s cat vocabulary?

Dear Momma

Dear Momma,

Thank you for teaching me that fresh cucumber slices refresh the skin.

And thank you for everything else that makes you my Momma:

Like sewing our Easter dresses when we were young.

And making homemade bread and apricot-pineapple jam.

For growing tomatoes and sunflowers.

For your eagerness to laugh.

For your industriousness.

Thank you for blueberry muffin breakfasts on the front porch.

For feeding the hummingbirds.

For your gentle direction.

For your company and conversation.

We love you so much, Momma.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Fish Tacos on the Grill

Is it just me or can you never have too many quick and healthy dinner ideas in your pocket?

A favorite of mine is fish tacos topped with pineapple-mango salsa.

I just love how all of the different flavors blend together in this dish.  Who’d have thunk that fish would taste so good inside a corn tortilla?

Pair with a lightly dressed slaw, and you’ve got dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less. (Unless you plan on catching and cleaning the fish yourself.)

Fish Tacos with Pineapple Mango Salsa

Let’s start with the salsa so that the flavors have time to marry.

(You could also make this a day in advance.)

For the salsa, you will need:

*1 cup cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped

*1 medium tomato, diced

*1 cup fresh pineapple, diced

*1 large jalapeno, small-diced

*1 large mango, peeled, seeded and diced

*1/4 cup red onion, small-diced

*1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and set aside.  Makes approximately 4 cups.

Now for the tacos!

For the tacos, you will need:

*4  3-ounce Tilapia (or Cod or Swai) filets

*8-10 corn tortillas (depending on how many people you are serving; Dave and I eat about 2-3 each.)

*1 lime

*Olive oil

*Salt, cumin and chili powder

First, prep the grill if that’s how you choose to cook the fish.  (Otherwise, preheat oven to 415 F.)

Grab a long piece of foil and on half of it, arrange four Tilapia filets.

Season both sides of the fish with a brush of olive oil mayo, a dash of cumin and chili powder, a pinch of salt and a squirt of lime juice.

Now fold the other side of the foil over the fish, fold up the edges and seal tightly.

Next, brush tortillas on both sides with olive oil.

Place foil packet on the hot grill (about 450 degrees), cover grill and cook for 10 minutes.

Carefully remove packet from heat and set aside.  Do not open the package just yet, however.

Allow the fish to “rest” while you heat the tortillas.

Heat tortillas for 30 seconds on each side or until they are soft and pliable.  Transfer to a plate and cover with damp paper towels to maintain pliability.

Open foil packet, and flake fish using a fork.

Divide fish among the tortillas, top with salsa and serve immediately.

Happy grilling, everyone!

When Only A Sweet Sara’s Cookie Will Do

Today is a very important day in our household because today Dave starts his new job!

As a way to celebrate, I wanted to surprise my husband with cookies on his first day.

And I knew just the ones I wanted…….

A couple months ago, I was browsing the ol’ Facebook when these outrageously cool cookies caught my eye:

(When your husband is a Batman freak, you tend to keep an eye out for Batman stuff.)

Turns out, the confections were made just down the street from my office at a home baking establishment called:

Intrigued by Sara’s knack with the Batman, I began browsing her photo gallery…

(Does anyone else suddenly have a hankering for cookies and cupcakes?)

What really struck me about Sara’s cookies was the level of excellence they were made with.

Even I, a stubborn do-it-yourselfer, knew I didn’t have the patience or skill to try to create my own version.  In fact, it would be a shame for me not to place an order!

In doing so, I discovered that Sara really is sweet.    She started the business a couple of years ago out of her home and tries to use local ingredients such as eggs and honey whenever possible.

Sweet Sara herself!

She was even gracious enough to share a couple decorating tips with me!

Tip #1: The trick is in the tools

Using the right tools makes all the difference when making intricate designs.

A few of these tools include:

*A spray bottle provides just the right amount of control when adding water to icing.

*Tips of all sizes are a must if you want controlled and detailed lines.

*White sanding sugar is a clean slate for mixing your own colors.

*Scrapbook paper is a great inspiration for color combinations and patterns. (not shown)

Tip #2: Custom-color your own sanding sugar

Red or yellow sanding sugar is easy to find…but aqua or lime?  Not so much.

Save time and money by purchasing white sanding sugar and coloring gel (both at Hobby Lobby) and mixing your own custom color.

You will need:

*1 cup white sanding sugar

*A few drops of food coloring gel (NOT the liquid food coloring)

*1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

*Ziploc baggie

Step 1: Pour sugar into the bag and add your coloring.

Step 2: Seal the bag and, leaving enough air in the bag for the sugar to move around, shake the bag.

Step 3: At this point the sugar will be damp.  Therefore….

Step 4: Add a small amount of cornstarch.

Step 5: Give the sugar another good shake.  Rub in any beads of the color gel that remain.

Step 6: Pour sugar on a parchment or wax paper-lined plate and allow to dry for about 15 minutes.

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Thank you Sweet Sara’s for your beautiful creations!  I can’t wait to see Dave’s face when he gets his Batmans.  Batmen.  Whatever.

Share the love!  Support a local business!

Live in the Abilene area?  Order a batch of cookies or cupcakes by contacting Sara on her Facebook page.

Not in the Abilene area?  Unfortunately, home baking laws do not allow Sara to ship her creations. However, investigate to see if there are any excellent home bakers in your area!

My Favorite Room In Our House

Half the fun of nearly everything, you know, is thinking about it beforehand, or afterward.

-Howard R. Garis

What is your most favorite room in your house?

There are so many to choose from: the kitchen (were you get to eat!), the bedroom (where you get to sleep!), the bathroom–(nevermind!).

For me, it’s our study.

I love everything about this little space: its coziness, its built-in bookshelves, its funky walls, its own separate entrance.  (Strangely, our house has two front doors.)

Most of all, I love how creative I feel in this room.

In fact, it’s my dream of dreams to set up shop and blog full-time here.

Of course…I will need a dream desk on which to work.

A dream desk like this one:

And since our study is a perfect place for enjoying a nice cup of tea, I imagine my work day will include a tea time.

Of course…I can’t finish a whole pot of Earl Grey by myself, so do please come over for a cuppa from time to time!

Oh dear.

Sorry about that.

Currently, our study is home to the cat tree.

Can you see me now?

Sigh!

On days when I need an extra dose of faith that dreams do come true, I recall the 9-year-old version of myself who dreamed of one day owning a house with a study.

So thank you, unknown person who built our house, for setting aside a wee space for thought and stillness.

Now…if only I had a fat, comfy chair to think and be still in.

Poof!

There!  Perfect.

I tend to get impatient when I think about the life I want to have, but as the quote says above, half the fun of nearly anything is thinking about it beforehand and afterwards.

Perhaps in doing so we will prolong the enjoyment of the good things we want in life? 

So until our study can be my full-time creation station banana-fana-fo-fation, I will continue to drift away in delicious reverie…

What are your dreams?

I’d love to hear them!