Dunkley

the weekly quote

2012-01-28T21:25:00.000-06:00

If you don't ask, you don't get.
- Mahatma Gandhi

'tis the season

2012-01-26T14:23:00.000-06:00

Ah, wintertime. The cold (not present much this season).....the snow (none on the ground)....the sniffles.

Gah, the sniffles.

First, Blythe had an ear infection a couple of weeks ago. Then hives as a reaction to the antibiotics. And this week, she came down with some sort of awful combination of a runny nose, scratchy throat, and cough. It began on Sunday afternoon and kept her from attending her cousin's first birthday party. Instead, she hunkered down at home and indulged in one of her favorite treats - Pedialyte popsicles.

She is much improved today, but Monday and Tuesday (day AND night) were challenging. And I know this is only the beginning of the illnesses that will surely pass through the Dunkley home as her exposure to group settings increases.

I'd like to trade in the sniffles for more cold and snow, though....any takers?

pizza bites

2012-01-23T15:50:00.003-06:00

As is the case lately, I found this recipe for pizza bites (pizza puffs, specifically) on Pinterest - I tried it first on my unsuspecting friends a few weeks ago, and have made it twice since then. It hails from Lick the Bowl Good and I followed the recipe nearly exactly, just switching up the pepperoni option (for plain cheese, or canadian bacon - the options are endless) and omitting the red pepper flakes. So I'll defer to her site for the recipe itself as I made no alterations.

a manic melting pot - my randoms

2012-01-21T23:41:00.000-06:00

Ah, time for some randoms thrown all into one all-over-the-place post. Things I love, things I am thinking about, what I'm doing. Blah blah blah, you can find it all here or you can turn away now :)

I'm just finishing up the book Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Payne and I'm enjoying it, although much of it does seem to be quite obvious to those who are already in the mindset of wanting to keep toys, tv viewing and that sort of thing streamlined and without clutter. Not to say I don't have clutter - anyone who has visited my house can attest to that.

I struggle with the decision about whether Blythe should/will be an only child multiple times on a daily basis, realizing at the same time that the decision might be made for me in a variety of ways and also realizing there is no use in obsessing over the topic. Will she resent us for not having the experience of a sibling? Feel burdened by us as we grow old? Will I be a better mom to one child than to a few? Will I personally regret not having multiple children? Is the ease of having one vs. two a selfish reason on my part? I guess the fact that I'm wrestling with it means that I'm not quite ready to take the plunge on another.

I just discovered the emilynoel83 youtube channel after reading my latest issue of Self magazine. While I wouldn't want to copy her looks exactly (I do not wear such dramatic/transformative eyeshadow looks), I enjoy hearing about new products so that I can fuel my obsession with knowing about (and coveting) the latest stuff. She has spurred me on to want to buy the Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow creams.

Thanks to Small Notebook's Simplified Skin Care post, I would also like to purchase nearly everything she listed as part of her daily routine.

I could eat an entire slice/hunk/section of brie cheese in one sitting if given the opportunity.

I'm interested in most documentaries and books on the topic of the nutrition and the foods we "should" be eating - which, of course, varies depending on the expert/random bystander you are referencing. It's to the point that I feel a bit paralyzed about what "plan" is the "right" one - Paleo, veganism, wheat-free, a balance of anything along with healthy fruit/veggies....GAH. If only I could win the lottery and have a personal chef, but that's a bit of a digression.

I have thrown my back out twice in as many weeks.

Alright, enough navel-gazing. At least for this evening.

the weekly quote

2012-01-20T20:04:00.000-06:00

You should study not only that you become a mother when your child is born, but also that you become a child.

- Dogen

ain't nothin' gonna break my stride - even hives

2012-01-17T16:03:00.000-06:00

Blythe had been in the midst of a round of antibiotics to treat her second ear infection in as many months, when she woke up on Monday morning covered in hives.

After a trip to the doctor's office to confirm they were, in fact, "just" hives, she was diagnosed as allergic to penicillin. Her ears looked much better so she's off of the amoxicillin, and we're now just waiting for the hives to subside. Thankfully she hasn't exhibited any signs of physical suffering (itching, trouble sleeping...), and they certainly aren't keeping her from going about her normal crazed-toddler days.

For instance, she interrupted this blog post-drafting to scream at me to please unzip her play purse. And then zip it. And then unzip it. And then zip it. Rinse and repeat.

She's also quite helpful to clean up her spills as she makes them. Almost instantaneously, in fact. You might even think she spilled on purpose :)

This morning, on Day 2 of Attack Of The Hives, her eyes were quite puffy and swollen, and she still had spots all along her legs. I hope they work their way out of her system quickly or we might have Sloth on our hands by Wednesday morning.

Oscar seems quite concerned about whether these "hive" things are contagious - so much so that he has been barking ALL DAY out of concern. Nonstop. I might have started barking along with him at one point. We even ran out of bitter apple spray.

But anyway, back to the poor human child with hives. She's on post-nap round 2 of "spill for fun and clean it up" so it appears she will persevere! Although I must admit seeing her splotchy little face is heartbreaking and I hope it is all resolved very soon :(

the weekly quote

2012-01-13T21:32:00.000-06:00

Custom has made dancing sometimes necessary for a young man; therefore mind it while you learn it, that you may learn to do it well, and not be ridiculous, though in a ridiculous act.

- Lord Chesterfield

whole wheat bread - veganized

2012-01-12T15:48:00.001-06:00

As has been the case lately, I believe I found the original recipe for this bread via Pinterest. I was on the hunt for a whole wheat sandwich bread, and this one looked like one I could easily veganize with some substitutions.

Even Ryan, the ever-critical bread evaluator, said that this one was great - light and fresh and fluffy.

I was a bit nervous about the success of the bread, given my foray into vegan substitutions and that I was making (and potentially ruining) 4 loaves. So I was even more pleased with my accomplishment - until I freaking dropped one of the bread pans full of dough right before putting it in the oven! Bah! Three loaves it was, then.

My substitutions included earth balance as a replacement for the coconut oil/butter, and agave nectar for the honey.

Since Musings of a Housewife has the step-by-step instructions with photos, I'll defer to her recipe and instructions without restating them here.

Go make some bread! And then become intrigued by various blog posts and books and wonder if you should eat any at all!

we've been flocked

2012-01-08T22:40:00.000-06:00

Earlier this evening a little flamingo fairy dropped these on our front lawn.

Our church youth group is "flocking" people as part of a fundraiser for a youth conference this summer. If you find yourself with these pink little darlings, you can wait 48 hours for their removal at no cost. For $20 you can have them removed ASAP, and an extra $5 can send them on to the friend of your choice - add $15 and it is guaranteed that they will only visit your house once.

The deliverer of these flamingos is super stealth - she somehow dropped them all into the ground during the very short time frame between when we closed our window blinds and when our garage door started to open...we only barely caught her as she peeled out after spotting the garage door's movements.

You would think we were naming our child all over again with the consideration we gave to who would next receive the flock. If you know us personally and live in the same city, consider yourselves warned :)

the weekly quote

2012-01-06T23:46:00.000-06:00

Coffee falls into the stomach ... ideas begin to move, things remembered arrive at full gallop ... the shafts of wit start up like sharp-shooters, similes arise, the paper is covered with ink... - Honore de Balzac

chickpea quinoa pilaf

2012-01-05T15:20:00.001-06:00

This is clearly not the most visually appealing dish, but it ranks as one of my new (and permanent) favorites. Blythe even loved it, which is no small feat at this stage in her toddlerhood. It's also a "one pot" recipe so you won't dirty up multiple dishes during the prep.

I don't frequent the blog from which this recipe came (it was found via Pinterest), but if they keep on churning out these recipes I'll probably start visiting. Even if the blog title is "The Life & Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch". Ha.

Git yerself into the kitchen and whip this up!

chickpea quinoa pilaf

adapted from Grumpy's Honeybunch

1 medium white onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup quinoa

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are soft. Add cumin and saute a couple if minutes. Add salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Stir and cook one minute. Add quinoa and saute about 2 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until quinoa has soaked up the liquids.

creamy avocado pasta

2012-01-03T13:30:00.000-06:00

I'm on Day 8 of my 30-Day Vegan Challenge, and I can't say it has been without it's challenges - but I have found some really great recipes to incorporate into my usual meal rotation, whether or not I remain primarily vegan.

The point of the challenge has not been to fully convert myself to veganism, so I probably won't be maintaining a fully vegan lifestyle. After watching a few documentaries and reading most of the Challenge book, though, I had no remaining excuses in my arsenal, so off I went on this 30-day adventure.

One of the first recipes I tried was found via Pinterest and comes from Oh She Glows. This 15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta was very flavorful, thanks to the punch of garlic and the black pepper. I'm finding that the challenge in cooking vegan meals is to keep from comparing them from anything they might be imitating - in this situation, the avocado sauce stands on it's own. I didn't want to compare it to a cream sauce, because an alfredo or other creamy sauce has it's own flavor which I can equally appreciate.

Anyway, to make the long post a bit shorter, this pasta dish gets a full two thumbs up from me - I'll be making it again, long after the vegan challenge is over.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

via Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted
1/2 lemon, juiced + lemon zest to garnish
2-3 garlic cloves, to taste
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 cup Fresh Basil, (optional - I didn't have any on hand so I didn't use it)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 servings/6 oz of your choice of pasta
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.
3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Serve immediately.

bring it, 2012

2011-12-31T23:51:00.000-06:00

NYE 2011:

NYE 2012:

Happy New Year! Time for the obligatory New Years Resolution post!

I enjoy making resolutions - there are always aspects of my life I would like to improve, and while I can certainly set goals at some other point during the year, January 1 is the universal time to start.

In no particular order of importance or mundanity:

run a 5k - I am most definitely NOT a runner at the present moment, so this might be the biggest challenge of my 2012 goals
be more stringent about sticking to our budget - larger financial goals include saving for a down payment on a future car (ours are '04 and '05 models, still running well), increasing Blythe's college savings contributions, and saving up for a potential move to a new neighborhood
read more books - as sad as it may seem to many, my goal is a measly 30 books this year. I need to get off of the Internet and it's constant pull, and back into reading for fun.
shape up for the wedding of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Jessie!! Thank goodness I have until September for this one :)
drink more water (64 oz/day)
fully purge and organize the house - even if it means one drawer or closet shelf at a time, I am more than ready to rid myself of so many of the things we've accumulated that have no true value

I'm hoping to keep myself accountable by blogging a monthly or quarterly update on my progress. Get PSYCHED for that :) Hope you are all feeling renewed and motivated, and Happy 2012.

the (perhaps weekly) quote

2011-12-30T10:18:00.001-06:00

He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul's estate.

- Thoreau

tiptoeing back in

2011-12-29T16:43:00.000-06:00

If this post itself isn't an obvious indication, I'm baaaaack! A large "thank you" in advance for anyone who still has my blog on their radar.

I guess I just can't quit the internets - and I especially missed this place to share the (albeit mundane) events of our life, as well as recipes and other tidbits I'd like to remember. So anyway, we're back in action and I'll start it out by sharing a few of the eleventy billion pictures I took on and around Christmas. We had a very happy and full holiday, visiting both of our families and various friends.

If I look tired in the first picture below, it's because I most definitely was - this was taken on the tail end of all of our celebrations. As you can also see, any number of Blythe's "babies" must be with her at all times lately.

Blythe has also recently mastered the art of the posed/cheesy smile. Coincidentally it was in response to her first taste of a doughnut. You'll see many more in the pictures that follow.

At our parents' house, an excited "ooooooh" was uttered as each person unwrapped their gifts.

Decorating a gingerbread house (and cookies) was a fun tradition to start up, although Ryan took the lead on the project and Blythe and I spent most of our time looking on and project managing the situation.

Christmas Eve was spent mainly with Ryan's family, and I realized on that evening how much I need to master low light photography. She had such fun with her three cousins, tearing through gifts and generally running amok.

Our big gift to Blythe was an IKEA play kitchen - we're all loving it, although I don't particularly love the lesson that stoves light up nut aren't actually hot. I hope she doesn't learn that real-life lesson the hard way.

It's hard to try and summarize the last 2+ months so I won't go so far as to attempt a huge update of events. Most recently, though, I've started up a 30-day vegan challenge (I'm only on Day 3) following a viewing of Forks Over Knives as well as a gifting of The 30 Day Vegan Challenge book. I'll be sure to update on that as I near the end.

Blythe is 19 months (!?!) next week, and on the whole is just more and more fun the older she gets. Ryan is working on mastering his margarita-making skills and both he and I will be benefitting from the testing of recipes. And Oscar is his usual endearing barking-maniac self :)

I'm very happy to be back, and I hope you'll have me!

hiatus

2011-11-11T23:22:00.000-06:00

I have had the intention to write up a quick post for more than a few days now, but I seem to always become sidetracked by something, and/or I assume that few people are sitting at their computers, clicking onto my blog, and thinking "hmmm...where is that Dunkley character?".

After some reflecting on how I spend my time on a daily and weekly basis, I came to the recent conclusion that "the Internet" is taking up too much of my waking time. Factoring in email, message boards, Facebook, blogging, Twitter, Pinterest, and a few other regular internet reads, a few of those things had to hit the chopping block - and, for now, blogging is one of them. I've never admitted to being brilliant at figuring out basic life skills such as "how to blog quickly and effectively", and as such blogging can be a time-consuming endeavor.

Even as I write up this post I realize how much I miss typing up the snippets of our life and posting them here. I'll probably be back - I mean, I'm clearly a natural narcissist and can't NOT share my life with you lovely assorted persons who take the time to browse this blog on occasion.

And just you wait, now that I'm about to hit "publish post" on this one, I'll probably start back up with some regularity before you even have a chance to read it :)

Thank you for reading the stream-of-consciousness that is often this blog of my life, and thank you for (hopefully) sticking around for my inevitable return. Happy upcoming holidays to you all!

the weekly quote

2011-10-21T15:37:00.001-05:00

Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.

- Jim Rohn

Blythe had another ductal surgery on Thursday morning - this time the procedure was more involved, as they both broke the membrane of her tear duct and inserted a tube to keep the duct open for the next six months.

She's completely back to her old self today, but the recovery yesterday was slightly more rough than the one following her surgery in August. She woke up from her afternoon nap crying quite a few times, and just seemed more cranky than usual. Who can blame her, though - I wouldn't want anyone messing with my eye either and lots of strangers prodding me when I'm hungry and thirsty, either.

Anyway, all's well that ends well, and Blythe is a trooper!

good eats Oregon

2011-10-18T18:06:00.000-05:00

I'm going to break some of my recent travel posts into pieces, as I'm feeling quite overwhelmed at the thought of recounting everything I've been up to recently. This first post relates to my Oregon trip with Jessie and the culinary culprits behind all of my pants being too tight at the moment.

Jessie found a Living Social travel deal a few months ago for a stay at an inn on the Oregon coast, and when she asked me to join her I couldn't possibly decline! It was my first vacation without Blythe, and I'm glad I took the opportunity to start what will hopefully become regular getaways with Jessie (and eventually with Blythe and the rest of the little immediate family we have between Jessie and myself. That means the men, if it sounded a bit cryptic - don't get any ideas about anything procreation-related.).

We extended the trip a bit by flying into Portland a day early and exploring the city before driving down the coast to the Depoe Bay area. I had never been to Oregon, or the Pacific Northwest in general, and was excited to get a feel for the area.

We putzed around a neighborhood close to Jessie's friend Annalea, as we had initially planned to stay with her overnight. Unfortunately, she and other close friends of Jessie had become quite sick, so we nixed the plan to stay with Annalea and instead booked a hotel for the night.

Along our initial walk around the area, we stopped into the Colombia store, various overpriced antique shops, and landed at Jade Bistro for a late lunch.

I had the thai iced tea as well as the Vietnamese rice vermicelli salad. Jessie had the rice noodles if I remember correctly. We split some Oregon truffle oil french fries, as well as a chocolate, a coconut, and pistachio macarons. It was all delicious, the atmosphere was very laid back, and we enjoyed hanging out for quite a while as we figured out our hotel situation.

Later in the evening we hit up Por Que No for some awesome Mexican food. I had a Mexican coke (fun story about briefly losing my ID will be forthcoming at some point - I therefore wasn't able to enjoy a margarita that evening) and two chicken tacos, and we split some chips, salsa, and guacamole. I'm so glad we had some friends send us recommendations of places to eat, because this one was a spot we might not have otherwise found. I also wish I had taken more pictures, because it was a very eclectic, hole-in-the-wall place that I can imagine I would frequent regularly if I lived in the area. The long line was well worth the wait.

Jessie discovered a wine tasting by Hip Chicks Do Wine, and we are not ones to turn down a wine tasting opportunity. $7 bought us 6 different tastings.

The industrial location felt a bit strange, and the interior could use some reworking - I'm not a huge fan of fake grapevines and chintz. But for the price and the experience of tasting some local wines, it was a fun off-the-beaten-path activity. I got a feeling that we were pegged as a young lesbian couple when an employee told us that one wine would go very well in a jacuzzi. Ha.

Far and away our best dining experience of the entire trip was visiting Tasty n Sons for a late brunch before heading out of the city. Our 45-minute wait allowed us to walk around the neighborhood and visit some nearby stores, and we were then seated in a corner of the bar area.

We each had coffee, and I ordered a grapefruit mimosa while Jessie had a fancier orange one.

We started by sharing Erin's sweet biscuits with Oregon berry compote. Oh my gosh these were amazing - the dish was the perfect blend of light and sweet without any overpowering sugary flavor.

The dishes are intended to be eaten family-style, and our main courses were the English Breakfast with bacon, baked beans, tomato, eggs and a homemade English muffin, and the Cast Iron Frittata with grilled corn, gypsy peppers, caramelized onions, feta, tomato & oregano salad.

We finished our brunch with the Chocolate Potato Doughnuts with crème anglaise. All of the food was just perfect, the atmosphere was casual and welcoming, and the meal will certainly rank as one of the top 10 of my life.

Although we had obviously stuffed ourselves comfortably with Tasty n Sons, it was absolutely necessary to hit up the Tillamook Cheese Factory on the way to our final destination.

We walked around the observation deck and observed (duh) the factory at work, and also sampled some cheeses and enjoyed their ice cream. The facility was very touristy and commercialized, and while I wouldn't rank it as a favorite stop, I'm glad we visited it for the novelty factor.

The Depoe Bay area had quite an interesting variety of dining options. We visited "The Cave" for a free wine tasting, and had our first evening's dinner at Gracie's Sea Hag. We each ordered the crab cakes and enjoyed the melodious tunes of Michael Dane, who yukked it up with the waitresses.

The following day we traveled all along the coast, stopping at one point for a wine tasting at The Flying Dutchman.

Upon the enthusiastic recommendation of one of the Inn employees, we made a reservation at Tidal Raves for our final dinner of the trip. Our reservation options were 5:15 or 7:45, and while we opted for 7:45 we were unable to see the ocean view that is such a part of the appeal of the restaurant. Oh well - lesson learned.

I ordered the Dungeness Crab Casserole, also based on a recommendation. While it was good, I could have recreated it with chicken easily myself - everything seemed to pale in comparison to Tasty n Sons.

I had the citrusdrop cocktail in both lemon and orange, and also had the bread pudding in Kentucky bourbon sauce.

Our final culinary stop on the way back to Portland was at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company in Tillamook. I enjoyed this wine tasting the most, both due to the wines themselves and the employee's knowledge and friendliness. There were also quite a few cheese and other food samples throughout the store. If we had built in even more time for the visit I could have browsed for quite a while.

Whew. Looking back on this post, I realize (and can physically feel the effects of) how much Jessie and I truly did eat our way through Oregon. It was all so worth the effects on our waistlines and pocketbooks, though.

the weekly quote

2011-10-14T07:33:00.000-05:00

Happy 30th Birthday to Ryan!

A thoughtful, kind husband and devoted father describes him quite perfectly.

It is a wise father that knows his own child.

- William Shakespeare

Wenninghoff's, aka I need to escape my house

2011-10-13T12:22:00.000-05:00

By the Sunday following my lymph node surgery, the natives were restless. Any lingering anesthetic and/or pain medication had worn off and I was simply a bit sore - and although Ryan and Blythe had taken a few quick trips here and there around the city, I had not and was in need of a change of scene. Sleeping the day away can only last so long, which pains me to say as I like to consider sleep a hobby.

As luck and location would have it, our house is only a few minutes away from Wenninghoff's farm, and we used it as an excuse to go pseudo-pumpkin picking! They were charging $6 to walk back into their field and pick out pumpkins, so our cheap asses lingered in the general retail area.

Even though Omaha is a sprawling metropolis of roughly 500,000, drive a maximum of 10-15 minutes in any given direction (except towards downtown, I suppose) and you will encounter farmland. Wenninghoff's is situated near quite a few new-ish subdivisions, though. I enjoy having options other than Walmart or Hy-Vee when it comes to conveniently picking up seasonal things like pumpkins.

Blythe enjoyed (and became very possessive of) her own toddler-sized pumpkin.

She didn't even mind that her double chin was prominently displayed in pictures, so enchanted was she with her little gourd-like squash.

Back on the home front, we put away the pumpkins and enjoyed the beautiful weather outside. I am already mourning the little summer dresses Blythe had been able to wear until recently.

That Sunday was just what my doctor might have ordered (along with hydrocodone) - an excuse for me to attempt to join the rest of the living world by dressing like I was coherent, and an outing (and time outside) to kick the fall season into full swing.

travelin' woman

2011-10-12T22:42:00.000-05:00

I just spent a very fun 4-day vacation with Jessie, hitting up Portland and other areas of Oregon, throwing 'bows and taking names! It was my first child-free trip since having a child, in fact. Yay me! I am a human being independent from my own child such that I take vacations without her!

I returned home late Tuesday evening, and we are off (pulling out, if you will - what's up with your road signage, Oregon??) for a family trip in the near future as well.

So while I was foolish enough to think I might actually have a full post about the Oregon trip up tonight, it is not happening. See you on the flip side, where I'll likely have many picture-heavy posts from the recent adventures.

the weekly quote

2011-10-07T08:35:00.000-05:00

My favorite thing is to go where I've never been.

- Diane Arbus

CSA week 19

2011-10-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

Only one more week to go!

This week brought us:

Jisa's cheese cheddar nuggets (not pictured)
white bread
pie pumpkins
onions
peppers

We also received a thank-you card from our CSA, along with a fridge magnet and an invitation to join them for a party next Saturday where we can meet farmers, sample foods, and other fun stuff.

I wasn't up for posting last week on the day of my surgery, but last week we received eggs, fagel bread, apples, acorn squash, turnips, and cucumbers.

I'm interested to possibly try my hand at making something with freshly cooked pumpkin - other than roasting seeds, it will be my first time attempting to successfully use something other than the canned stuff.

lump carnage

2011-10-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

(iPhone pic of my "wound")

Good news: My lovely lady lump, while unpleasant and troublesome, is not malignant!

I received a phone call today with the pathology results, so that was a relief - to put it mildly. I will have an appointment with my doctor on Friday morning to discuss the results in detail, but it seems that the lymph node's large size might be the result of a chronic tonsil infection. At least, that was the main theory discussed a few weeks ago as an alternative to lymphoma....here's hoping I don't need a tonsillectomy in the near future!

Thanks to all of you who read my posts about this, commented (even Anonymous and her comment that one of my eyes appears smaller than the other!), thought of me, or anything of the sort.

I have a lovely healing 1-inch-ish scar to show for the experience, but I'll certainly take it given the alternatives.

fall

2011-10-01T19:21:00.000-05:00

Fall has been in our area for a few weeks, and it's wonderful. The hostas are on their last legs, and the hydrangea are now a deep raspberry color. We have a lot of yard work ahead of us during this season (if we're being honest, Ryan has more yard work ahead of him than I do), but I'll just enjoy the scenery for now.

(p.s. My surgery went well and I'm sore but otherwise fine. I'll find out my biopsy results on Friday).

the weekly quote

2011-09-30T13:05:00.000-05:00

To insure good health: Eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life. - William Londen

my lovely lady (neck) lump

2011-09-28T18:20:00.000-05:00

This is me.

This is my neck lump. Can't see it? Neither can I.

This is a pictorial representation of my general feeling about having my neck lump (enlarged lymph node, medically speaking) surgically removed and biopsied Thursday morning.

I found the lump in late June and went through a couple of different antibiotics to see if it would reduce or disappear with those - it didn't. So I was referred to a general surgeon....who specializes in bariatric surgery. I therefore went to an ENT for a second opinion, received a CT scan, and had few appointments to monitor the node and discuss the available options. Since my lymph node is on the high end of normal (.9 cm) I was given the options to have it removed or to wait two months and see what had happened to the ol' lump. After careful consideration, I decided to have cut this sucker out.

If it is not lymphoma (and please baby Jesus, let it not be lymphoma), my doctor's theory is that it is related to my "chronically inflamed tonsils" - apparently I've been living with unusually large tonsils all my life without a thought. While we're at it, I also have a severely deviated septum (who knew??) and excess ear wax. Ha! Those ENTs are nothing if not thorough.

So off I go, bright and early tomorrow morning for a 7 a.m. surgery. I should hopefully be home and resting easy by the afternoon if all goes as expected.

Looking forward to putting this lovely lady lump behind me.

Indy

2011-09-27T10:35:00.000-05:00

Last weekend (beginning on Friday), my mother, father, Blythe and I flew out to the Indianapolis area to visit my grandmother, aunt & uncle, and cousins. This was the first time Blythe was able to meet all of her Indiana relatives, and I was especially excited for her to meet my grandmother.

We touched down in Indianapolis and went first to my Aunt Karin and Uncle Joe's house, and then over to pick up my grandmother, landing for the evening at my cousins' house. It was a bit of a tearful reunion to see Grandma, Blythe's second living GG :)

John and Anne live just next to a beautiful pond, so feeding the ducks (and eating the bread herself) was a favorite past time for Blythe, along with chasing her second cousin Lily.

On Saturday morning we went out for breakfast, and nailed the most decent four-generation shot of all of us.

John was nice enough to wrangle the girls and wander around outside for a bit - he returned with a toddler on each arm.

If we were ever wondering what we should do with Blythe (although we were never out of ideas during this visit), the playground would have been our go-to option. My dad took Blythe down the same tunnel slide at least 20 times in a row.

Saturday evening was spent at my Aunt Karin and Uncle Joe's house - thank goodness for the swing set yet again!

My cousin Annie was a wonderful pinch hitter with the girls.

We took one final, blurry picture at the end of the evening before saying our goodbyes and flying home early on Sunday morning.

As far as toddler travel is concerned, I couldn't have asked for a better experience with Blythe - with the caveat that flying with a toddler is never truly a joyful stroll through a land of puppies and rainbows.

There are no direct flights to Indianapolis, so we had a layover in Minneapolis. B slept for the entire second leg of the flight, both on the way to Indy and on the way home. Thank goodness we had a seat next to my mom to help with entertainment during the awake in-air time. I'm sure it would've been exponentially more difficult if I had made the trip with Blythe solo.

I'm so glad we were able to take this trip - even if Blythe won't actually remember the events, it means so much that she and my grandmother were able to meet and spend time together, and that she could also spend time with that part of my family.

the weekly quote

2011-09-23T09:20:00.002-05:00

It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves.

- Carl Jung

CSA week 17

2011-09-22T21:14:00.000-05:00

Week 17! Sad, that means it's coming to an end soon.

quark cheese
cranberry orange bread
apple butter (!!)
red potatoes
cabbage
radishes
shell beans/butter beans

I sound like a broken record, but it's yet another great week on the CSA front! I already had the apple butter on toast with my breakfast for dinner this evening, and was tempted to eat the entire jar in one sitting. I'm looking forward to eating all of the rest of the haul as well - no kohlrabi or other slightly foreign item in sight.

all smiles

2011-09-21T19:06:00.000-05:00

Blythe and I explored the backyard a bit together last week during a slight cold snap (hence the coat and corduroys) and I couldn't help but bring along the camera.

Although her right eye seems to still have some issues and she was suffering from a slight cold, being outside cures all ills for B. And the kid can hop on and off of the Fisher Price bike thingy (thanks Uncle Mike & Aunt Jess!)! And she rocks violently back and forth on it! What happened to my little baby...

Senors no more

2011-09-18T19:21:00.002-05:00

An old standby of Omaha has closed it's doors. Senor Matias is no more. If I knew Spanish, I would work on a few plays on words, but alas I studied French in high school so you'll just have to live without my poetic prowess.

A crew of us have been going to Senor Matias on a weekly basis for years - I'm not part of the original mafia, but Ryan and I were lucky enough to have been part of the gang off and on for a few of those years. I missed it terribly when Blythe was a tiny baby and both her demands and my sleep loss kept me from those late nights, but have been back in the swing of it for a number of months. And although we'll try to find an alternate location, I'll still miss good ol' Senors, their bean tacos, flour chips, horrible service, and post-9 p.m. margarita specials.

They closed up shop on Saturday, and our final farewell occurred on Wednesday night.

Of course, I ordered one (well, two if I'm being honest....) bean tacos and a margarita. I was NOT about to pour one out for my homies, though, even though mine was in an unusually large glass and I therefore had some blended marg to spare.

As you can see, I still had half of the margarita remaining after finishing the first taco, which naturally required me to order a second.

I contemplated stealing this sculpture for most of the night. The emergency exit was located just a few feet from our table :)

So long, Senor Matias. You will be missed by our motley crew.

lemon cardamom cookies

2011-09-17T13:47:00.000-05:00

Inspired by this epicurious recipe for orange cardamom cookies, I made a lemon version to bring to our small group last weekend.

After reading through a few reviews, I increased the amount of cardamom and heavy cream, but otherwise left the recipe as-is. The cookies were more of a shortbread consistency and were very flavorful - I wish I had more of them, but unfortunately ended up freaking overbaking half of the batch when my forgetful self started browsing facebook. Bah!

The icing was a simple powdered sugar glaze with a bit of food coloring.

Next time I'll be more diligent about checking the clock so that I can enjoy all of them.

the weekly quote

2011-09-16T09:30:00.001-05:00

Looking at the room, I can tell that you are the most beautiful girl in the room.

(In the whole wide room)

And when you're on the street

(Depending on the street)

I bet you are definitely in the top three

- Flight of the Conchords

CSA week 16

2011-09-15T18:16:00.000-05:00

Week Sweet 16!

farm fresh eggs
sweet potatoes
butternut squash
cinnamon chip bread
apples - lots of them because the CSA ran out of yellow squash, and I chose to supplement with apples instead of the other options of cucumbers or peppers

I also purchased french bread and heavy cream. What a week! I know I can put all of these things to great use - the only dilemma is whether to visit the apple orchard for the experience, or just use these apples and skip it. I'm sleaning towards visiting the orchard and establishing the annual family tradition. Those things are usually less about the end product and more about the experience, after all.

boreddog

2011-09-15T13:53:00.000-05:00

Someone wants the baby to wake up so that we can head out and play - and technically I could go outside and play with him while Blythe is napping, but I'm lazy and like B to do most of the dog chasing :)

stuffed green peppers

2011-09-14T12:22:00.000-05:00

Our fridge was overflowing with green peppers from our garden and CSA recently, so I combined a few ingredients I had on hand and whaddya know, I made some stuffed green peppers!

I don't have an exact recipe for this, but I combined couscous, tomato, ground beef with onion, parmesan, and a bit of olive oil. Bake for around 30 minutes at approximately 350 degrees.

chocolate chip walnut zucchini muffins

2011-09-12T05:56:00.000-05:00

Mmm hmmm. Thank you, smitten kitchen, for the awesome recipe. I was initially afraid it would be too strong on the cinnamon front, but everything worked together perfectly!

the weekly quote

2011-09-09T09:23:00.001-05:00

photo by paultomlin

Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.

- Bill Cosby

CSA week 15

2011-09-08T18:52:00.000-05:00

This week:

monterey jack cheese
whole wheat sunflower bread
savory
peppers
personal watermelon
eggplant
baby cucumbers

I also purchased some local whole milk and heavy cream from the Tomato Tomato store.

I'm looking forward to trying out a few recipes for stuffed peppers, between the CSA share and our own garden full of them! Any ideas for the eggplant? I'm coming up short.......

All Church Retreat

2011-09-07T22:20:00.000-05:00

Labor Day weekend was so much fun for us. We spent Friday evening until Monday afternoon at a campground 2 hours from Omaha, at our church's All Church Retreat.

Assume what you will about what an "All Church Retreat" entails. For us, it meant spending lots of leisurely time with great friends, eating lots of food (notice I didn't necessarily include "good" food in that description), learning a few things, taking time away from the usual pulls of home life, and sleep deprivation :) Oh, and I tried Zumba for the first time. It's so hilarious and fun! And I am such an uncoordinated sloth!

Saturday was the first game of the season for the Huskers, so Blythe had to don her little Big Red jumper from our friends Liz & Mike! Let's ignore the fact that Mike was the only official Husker out of the four of us, and defected for law school.

Some people still took advantage of wi-fi hotspots. :::cough cough::: Will. Amy.

I decided to hang with Blythe on and around the playground during much of Sunday morning's service - this also involved playing with our nephews a bit, although they were pretty intent on completing their singular mission for the day: digging a hole and filling it with lake water.

Thank goodness there are no pictures from the Zumba experience - and I probably wouldn't have let them see the light of day in any event. Instead I'll leave you with pictures from the sandcastle competition at the lake.

I want to go back. I would really want to go back if I could eat all of that food again and not see any consequences on the scale.

hydrangea

2011-09-04T08:20:00.001-05:00

You can consider it an annual event now - sometime in August or September, I will have a blog post about our hydrangea. Mark it on your calendars.

Mid-August is the usual blooming period for our beautiful white hydrangea, and the tradition was carried on into 2011 - funny how those perennial plants work. Even though it's now September (how did that happen?!) and the blooms are less than spectacular, I'll have my pictures to carry me through until next August.

This year we'll intersperse it with a few pictures of toddler feet, since she was my assistant - my crazy-haired assistant resembling an abandoned child clothed in only a diaper, meandering around the driveway while I took some morning photographs.

the weekly quote

2011-09-02T11:26:00.000-05:00

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.

- Martin Luther

CSA week 14

2011-09-01T21:30:00.001-05:00

No pictures for you this week! Womp womp.

Most of our share is going to my sister, so I didn't bother taking any photos - she's a vegan, though, so we'll be keeping the bread and eggs! On this list:

farm fresh eggs
blueberry bread
beets
acorn squash
tomatoes
basil
raw honey
okra
honeydew melon

It was a heavy bag! And I have weak, untoned arms which didn't exactly help the cause.

urban decay deals

2011-08-31T14:03:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I was alerted to a huge sale at Urban Decay and scooped up a couple of fun things.

First I received the Eden + Ammo eyeshadow set, which also came with a full sized eyeshadow primer potion. I also bought the Vintage Urban Defense Tinted Moisturizer in Halo. I received a sample cream highlighter with my purchase as well.

Now, I'm not saying that I plan to wear, say, "shattered" or "last call" on a regular basis, but the primer potion alone was worth the purchase of that palette. And I already love "smog" so I'll consider it a win of a purchase!

we get by with a little help from our friends

2011-08-29T13:57:00.000-05:00

We are still benefiting from the thoughtfulness of one of our friends last week, during our relatively short bout of medical mania. Kris surprised us at the beginning of the week with a delivery of homemade soups (vegetable lentil, and potato), shortbread with berries and cream, garlic bread, and broccoli salad.

I mean, for real - we could not be luckier in the friend department. Thanks to everyone for their concern for us.

the weekly quote

2011-08-26T09:56:00.000-05:00

photo by kaibara

There are only two kinds of people who are really fascinating --people who know absolutely everything, and people who know absolutely nothing.
- Oscar Wilde

CSA week 13

2011-08-25T19:15:00.000-05:00

This week:

watermelon
acorn squash
cheddar cheese
garlic
onion
zucchini
old-fashioned white bread
basil
meat share: sliced ham, chicken breasts, new york strip, ground pork, ham steak ground beef

Niiiice. Reeeeal nice. I'm looking forward to making some zucchini bread and have already baked one of the acorn squash with butter and brown sugar. And I can kind of eat the entire loaf of bread myself each week, but we'll just keep that between ourselves :)

this one's for the girls

2011-08-23T15:04:00.001-05:00

We have a bit of a crazycakes week going on.

I had a CT scan and second ENT appointment Monday morning, which led to a practice in more patience and waiting - 2.5 weeks more, when I'll hopefully find out something definitive.

Blythe has a ductal probe procedure/surgery on Thursday morning to clear up her right eye's blocked tear duct. It's completely standard (although she is apparently a rare exception to the usual rule that these things happen before the child turns 1 year old), but of course going under general anesthesia and all of the other stuff involved is not something I like to take lightly. Along with that, she has a pediatrician appointment to clear her for the surgery.

And then I'm doing a wedding this weekend. And I work. And have all of that other life stuff.

Of course, the challenges of this week are relative - and we are very fortunate that this is really the first and only medical "issue" we've had to face with Blythe thus far. There is a lot to be thankful for - including the flowers Ryan ordered for us to cheer up the next few days!

cantaloupe "caprese" salad

2011-08-22T08:26:00.000-05:00

I made this twist on a caprese salad the other day as a way to incorporate the cantaloupe we received with our CSA. Simply combine mozzarella, tomatoes (from our backyard!), basil (backyard again!), cantaloupe, some salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

The cantaloupe fit in quite well with everything else, and was a very refreshing summer salad.

fudge with pretzels

2011-08-20T13:25:00.001-05:00

I found this recipe in a recent edition of Everyday Food and brought it to the pool party we attended last weekend. Unfortunately for Ryan and I (but fortunately for our waistlines) we didn't have any to bring home! I consider that to be a very good thing, though, since I could use fewer fudge pretzels on my thighs - but staring at these pictures isn't doing anything to aid in my self control.

And c'mon - the entire pan was gone! That has to say something about how great this recipe is - I can vouch for at least one piece, myself :)

Everyday Food's pretzels with fudge

2 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups crushed pretzels

Combine butter, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate, salt, and vanilla in a heatproof bowl and melt over a double boiler. Heat until just melted but not hot, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups of pretzels. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cups of pretzels on the top and press firmly to secure them into the fudge. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.

in lieu of the weekly quote

2011-08-19T08:44:00.004-05:00

In lieu of a weekly quote, I would like to encourage anyone who reads this post to register to become an organ, eye, and tissue donor, and tell your family about your wishes.

Four years ago today my dad was the recipient of a life-saving heart transplant. Without it he would have surely died in a very short time.

Currently, over 110,000 men, women, and children need life-saving transplants. Every ten minutes someone is added to the national transplant waiting list, and 18 people die each day waiting to receive a transplant.

Because of the gift of organ donation, my dad was able to become a grandfather and can see his granddaughter grow up - and she can have memories of him. And I am able to work with him and continue to learn from him. And he can go on multiple daily walks with my mom, and go to spinning class. And many, many other things are possible.

Thank you to the man who died far too young, and whose heart lives on in my father. Your gift and that of your family is never taken for granted.

CSA week 12

2011-08-18T14:44:00.004-05:00

This week:

farm fresh eggs
nine grain bread
green peppers
honeydew
eggplant
golden arrow peppers
cucumber

We are set for the weekend and beyond!

whole living's baked tomatoes, squash, and ptoatoes

2011-08-18T13:15:00.000-05:00

When I turned to this recipe in the September 2011 issue of Whole Living on Tuesday and realized I had all of the necessary ingredients to make the dish (thanks, CSA!) I started making it immediately. I'm glad to have magazines like this to give me new recipe ideas, because my little brain hadn't ever considered combining these vegetables (well, technically with a fruit due to the tomatoes) into a baked dish.

And, shamefully or not, I will fully admit that I ate the entire thing in one sitting for dinner. Along with a little help from Blythe.

Whole Living's baked tomatoes, squash, and potatoes

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 onion, thinly sliced
2-3 small tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium yukon gold potato (or 2 smaller potatoes), sliced 1/4-inch thick
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (omitted)
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat oil over medium and cook onion until tender and lightly golden, 6-8 minutes
Arrange the onion on the bottom of a 9 x 13 in ch baking dish. Overlap tomato, squash, and potato on top of the onion. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with thyme and parmesan, and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, 30 minutes more.

lip balm-balooza

2011-08-16T16:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I received my loot of lip balm after winning a recent TwirlieGirls giveaway! The lip balms were:

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm, Honeysuckle
Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
Eos Lip Balm Sphere, Lemon Drop
Lip Smackers, Dr. Pepper

So far I am especially loving the tinted Burt's Bees and Lip Smackers - both have a nice tint to them. And now I can save a little bank and (try to) convince myself that I don't need new lip balm for a few months :)

Thanks TwirlieGirls!

pool day

2011-08-14T16:01:00.000-05:00

It's a miracle that Blythe doesn't have a raisin for a bottom, after yesterday's wet and wild day.

We began with a water-centric morning spent with 2 of Blythe's cousins (Ruby is probably not yet old enough to enjoy an entire morning of water follies) and Oscar's dog-cousin Sophie. Oh, and Uncle Mike. Duh. We also tested the limits of fun that could be had in the small square footage of our patio. As it turns out, the ratio of fun-to-space is not a large one.

Of course, the one morning we have to chance to invite the cousins over for some impromptu fun with water toys, it happens to be a bit chilly in the shade. No matter though, since Blythe has her trusty pink Baby Unabomber swim cover to keep her toasty.

We have all been learning some basic signs (and hope to become more proficient as time goes on) in order to better communicate with baby Ruby, and Lawrence showed me the sign for his name!

We scored this little water table for $15 on clearance, thanks to an alert from my friend Erin. It has already earned it's return in just one day, considering it's heavy usage. Holler for that!

Oscar needed a bit of a rest break from the enthusiastic Sophie-the-dog.

The kids had their own rest break, exhibiting their best serious-contemplative-zombie stares.

They quickly swung back into action after some orange juice and snacks!

Lots of action, as evidenced by nearly naked Andersen :)

Oh, and in case you didn't know it, you have to earn your keep when visiting the Dunkley household. We put the boys to work picking tomatoes. Mostly red, although there were a few green casualties.

This is my attempt at a Saturday-morning-I'm-trying-to-be-moderately-presentable hairstyle. I realized in hindsight that I tend towards sister wife-ish updos.

Blythe's version of a cool and refreshing beverage is pool water. Chug-a-lug!

We took a brief commercial break for lunch and nap time, and then traversed the city to spend the late afternoon and evening with more of our peeps. At the pool, naturally. Blythe is going to be the female Michael Phelps (minus the drug experimentation) if it kills me.

Baby Allison stole the show in the cutest baby swimsuit known to mankind. Second in cuteness only to the swimsuit are those little (big) legs.

Blythe's favorite past time of the afternoon was throwing rocks from the landscaping into the pool. Ruh roh.

Also, don't be fooled. Or alarmed. Ryan does not actually wear women's racerback tank tops - he's simply suffering (and I mean suffering, if you ask him) from a wicked sunburn as a result of spending most of last weekend in a life jacket on a jet ski.

And duh, we have to end with a picture of A!

Yesterday was one of those Saturdays that just can't be beat.

the weekly quote

2011-08-12T20:52:00.000-05:00

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

- Confucius

CSA week 11

2011-08-11T21:24:00.000-05:00

Week 11!

Jisa's monterey jack cheese
American Rye Bread
potatoes
sweet corn
onions
cantaloupe
eggplant

I sound like a broken record, but this CSA thing is really great. I'm falling a little slightly behind on using my produce before the next week's pickup, but will catch up soon. Half of the sweet corn went straight into our dinner within a few minutes of picking it up from Tomato Tomato. Love that.

lately

2011-08-09T22:36:00.000-05:00

I haven't had enough energy (or pictures) for individual posts for the following, so they will all be lumped into one unrelated string of things.

Last week Blythe experienced her very first visit to the zoo! We have a pretty amazing zoo here, so it's likely shameful that we hadn't yet exposed her to the wonders of masses of children, smelly animals, and general herding through small spaces.....but she can now check it off of her bucket list :) So much more fun than just hanging with boring old Mom, we went with her cousins, Aunt Jess, Aunt Stacey, and Grandma.

Sadly, I don't have many pictures of the big event as things were chaotic most of the time, and/or Blythe would have been featured prominently in her stroller for the most part.

Blythe also donned what I consider to be a super adorable dress for her friend Allison's recent dedication at church. I found it on finale sale at the Gap and now want her to wear it every waking second until it is outgrown. Ha.

Poor Blythe also seems to have a blocked tear duct in her right eye. She has been through two different rounds of antibiotics, as well as "duct massage" by yours truly, to no avail. Gah! I really don't want her to have to undergo any sort of surgery, duct probing, or all of the other things Dr. Google told me might be necessary.....but we'll just have to go to the pediatric opthamologist and see what he or she recommends.

And really, telling me to just generally massage Blythe's tear ducts several times daily is neither helpful nor realistic. Massaging a toddler's eye? It's like wrestling a lizard. Or honey badger.

We'll end with some scones I recently made, because that's much more pleasant than the thought of ductal probes.

pesto

2011-08-06T15:50:00.001-05:00

Last night I picked what seemed like a ton of basil in our vegetable garden - and at the end it looked as if I had barely made a dent. Maybe I overdid it on the plants this year, but I will at least have a ton of pesto to work with during the off-season.

I don't have a strict pesto recipe this time around, as I just threw all of the basil into the food processor (at least 4 cups of it), and added what I had of parmesan, garlic (4 cloves), and walnuts, drizzling in olive oil at the end.

I froze most of it in ice cube trays for later use, and saved a bit of the fresh stuff for some pizza this afternoon! Other ingredients included Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza crust, roma tomatoes and mozzarella - the tomatoes and cheese were both from our recent CSA shares.

the weekly quote

2011-08-05T09:58:00.000-05:00

Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them.

- Lady Bird Johnson

CSA week 10

2011-08-04T21:58:00.000-05:00

Week 10!

cinnamon chip bread
roma tomatoes (not pictured - totally forgot to include them in the shot)
turnips
green peppers
onions
squash
basil
whatever that long-stemmed item is (something in the onion family? help! I feel like a doofus)

Once again, I'm looking forward to using everything! Well, nearly everything....turnips are not my specialty :) I even have some produce left from last week that is in good shape, so it's time to plow through it all.

dig it, deuce

2011-08-01T21:29:00.000-05:00

I wrote a post in March detailing some completely random things I had been loving (and still do love). None of the ones I'm about to detail are necessarily new or revolutionary, but they work for me!

Aveeno Ultra-Calming foaming cleanser. I have been using this cleanser for years and it works perfectly for me - it easily removes all of my makeup without stripping my face and making it feel tight. I start to get the shakes when I realize I am down to the last few washes and must immediately restock at Target.

The Clarisonic Mia. I've had it quite a while, and this product is probably old news to some of you. I use it daily in the evening, after removing my makeup, and I have felt a noticeable difference in my skin - and I feel a difference when I don't.

Sonia Kashuk's lip gloss from Target. Specifically, the Ultra Shine Sheer Lip Gloss in Whisper. I don't really use "lip color" so this is just the perfect finisher and alternative to the usual lip balm.

Melissa & Doug toys. If you have a kid, you probably already know about this company and their products. We have quite a few of them, and most recently bought the tower (shown in the above picture). Most of the M&D items we have were purchased at consignment stores, and I've found it easy to buy these toys well below the usual retail price.

This is probably a "duh" moment for those of you who know me "in real life (ha), but I pretty much love every show on Bravo. I mean, I can't really get into the Millionaire Matchmaker because her employees are so hideous, but I still watch it. My absolute favorite is Flipping Out. Other top choices include Top Chef, The Rachel Zoe Project, Bethenny Ever After, Million Dollar Listing, and most of the Real Housewives series. And I wish they would bring Work Out back.

peach pie, the Betty Crocker way

2011-07-31T22:14:00.000-05:00

Oh, man, this was (and is) good pie.

We received three pounds of peaches in our CSA share on Thursday, and they were ripe and ready to be used this afternoon. I had not yet made peach pie, let alone from scratch - and I'm not sure what I was waiting for. The process took very little time (even less since I didn't really care to be pretty about crimping the pie crust together well) and now I have awesome pie ready for breakfast or dessert. Or both!

For things like tried and true staple foods - such as pie - I know to turn to my Grandma's old Betty Crocker cookbook. I didn't have lard or shortening on hand, so I made the "oil pastry" recipe - it seemed a bit...um...oily at first, but baked perfectly. I'll share the 9-inch two-crust recipe below.

Ingredients

For the Pastry

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2-cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
3-4 tablespoons cold water

For the Filling

5 cups sliced fresh peaches (9 medium)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbs margarine or butter (I omitted this)

For pastry: Mix flour, oil and salt until the size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl. If pastry seems dry, 1 to 2 tablespoons oil can be added. Do not add water. Gather pastry into a ball.

Shape pastry into flattened round (for two-crust pastry, divide in half first). Place flattened round between two 15-inch lengths of waxed paper. Roll pastry 2 inches larger than inverted pie plate. Ease pastry loosely into plate.

For filling: Mix peaches and lemon juice. Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon; stir into peaches. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate; dot with butter. Cover with top crust that has slits in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2-to-3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake at 425 until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, 35 to 45 minutes (I found mine to take nearly an hour).

the weekly quote

2011-07-29T14:35:00.000-05:00

A man is known by the books he reads, by the company he keeps, by the praise he gives, by his dress, by his tastes, by his distastes, by the stories he tells, by his gait, by the notion of his eye, by the look of his house, of his chamber; for nothing on earth is solitary but every thing hath affinities infinite.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

CSA week 9

2011-07-28T22:44:00.000-05:00

I picked a different location in the house for taking pictures of my CSA loot, and a certain sidekick felt like stealing the show. And the food.

This little piggy went to market.

Week 9's haul:

zucchini
red potatoes
peaches (3 pounds!)
mozzarella cheese
cabbage
onions
Dakota bread, which is apparently just bread with various seeds in it (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower...)

We also received our monthly meat share today, but it is in the garage freezer and I'm not about to haul myself out there for the sake of listing out everything. I do know offhand that we received chicken breasts (both seasoned and plain), bone-in pork chops, bbq shredded pork, ground beef, and then a few other things I have forgotten.

I am most excited about the peaches and mozzarella this week. Looking forward to making something (hopefully) fantastic with the peaches, and it's always nice to have some fresh mozzarella - better if it's local!

weekend at the lake

2011-07-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we road tripped north a bit to spend a fun weekend at our friend's sister's cabin on the lake! Yay for friends with connections! :)

You may recall that we embarked on a similar trip when Blythe was a mere 4 weeks old. Having a toddler in tow this year definitely changed things, but also made them more fun. For one thing, I wasn't sitting around nursing 24/7, so holler for that!

Blythe and I began Saturday morning with a stroll around the area.

The cabin:

The non-lake view:

Blythe and Allison had a lovely time together. Well, perhaps I should alter that statement to reflect that Blythe had a lovely time with Allison. I'm not sure all of the poking, hugging, sharing of the pacifier, and climbing into Allison's seat were completely welcome by little (big) baby A. She was a good sport.

Blythe thoroughly enjoyed the kid-sized furniture all around the deck. She did not thoroughly enjoy the baby gate across the deck stairs. Ha.

The kiddie pool at the lake house was a definitely draw for Blythe. When she wanted in the pool, she wanted IN. NOW.

This trip also taught me the lesson that I should photograph my friends as well as my child. I have 1-2 pictures of 2 of our 5 friends. Whoopsie.

Blythe was not a fan of the boat rides, mainly because she screamed bloody murder at the idea of putting on a life jacket. She also chucked her pacifier out of the boat, so her ride lasted all of 4-5 minutes before we returned to the dock to drop her off.

"Bye bye, boat! Happy to be on the sidelines!"

I loved her little swim hoodie. Reviewing the pictures below makes me want to stop time in it's tracks.

I call this "the creeper pic":

What a lovely weekend to get away for a bit.

pigtails!

2011-07-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

I uploaded these pictures to a blog post last week, and totally forgot to hit publish.

Although they lasted a grand total of 10 minutes before Blythe ripped a pigtail from her hair and tried to eat the hair band, she can now rock the pigtails!

the weekly quote

2011-07-22T13:00:00.001-05:00

Personality is only ripe when a man has made the truth his own.

- Soren Kierkegaard

CSA week 8

2011-07-21T22:38:00.000-05:00

Week 8!

salad greens
carrots
onion
farm fresh eggs
honey wheat bread
green beans
sweet corn

This was a great CSA haul! We'll be at our friends' lake cabin, and all of this will be put to great use along with some of what we received in our monthly meat share a couple of weeks ago.

Ina's banana crunch muffins

2011-07-19T17:13:00.000-05:00

These banana crunch muffins were amazeballs, if I do say so myself. I spotted the recipe online one day and already had nearly all of the ingredients to make them happen.

While the recipe calls for 1 cup of walnuts, 1 cup of granola, and 1 cup of shredded coconut, I pared that down a bit. I omitted the coconut and only added 1 cup of walnut granola. Success! I think I'll throw in some chocolate chips next time, too :)

babies beat the heat

2011-07-18T14:20:00.001-05:00

After a bit of rescheduling due to recovering from trips and embarking on trips, my friend Erin (dating back to high school! Woop woop!) and I got together for breakfast with our kids.

It was hot enough outside that the girls took a dip in the pool for a bit. Evie took a little rest in the grass.

Blythe is all about figuring out how things work and are put together, and was insistent that the shade cover be put back on the pool. She even tried to hoist it up herself!

We will definitely need a larger pool next year - or, better yet, a pool membership. Love those girls!

Alaskan Amy

2011-07-15T23:01:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday evening, a gang of our peeps gathered at our house to wish our friend Amy "bon voyage." Amy has moved to Alaska (by now)! Having cool friends who live in exciting places is a great way to live vicariously from the comfort of my own couch :) Seriously though, we need to start up an Alaskan travel fund!

While one of the guests had promised to bring seal poop as a side dish to the party, we ultimately served some relatively normal, non-Alaskan fare, including couscous salad, homemade salsa, and Ellen's eclair ring. I like to recycle recipes in that way - sometimes I leave you guessing and you end up a recipe guinea pig in my home, and sometimes I go old school!

We like to keep it classy here at the Dunkley estate, and toss our child into the pool completely naked. Don't forget the obligatory piece of poop stuck to the child's bottom, and make sure it plops straight into the pool for all to see!

Blythe seemed a bit nonplussed by it all.

Elevate your party to a higher level of elegance by letting minors play games with beer bottles.

The Alaskan-bound most-fashionable-of-all-my-friends herself!

Baby Allison!

More naked toddler!

Befuddled onlookers!

Crazed sunburned men!

Cute kids!

There you have it. We will miss you very much, Amy, and we hope you don't forget your kooky Omaha peeps :)

the weekly quote

2011-07-15T08:40:00.003-05:00

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.

- W.H. Auden

CSA week 7

2011-07-14T22:26:00.000-05:00

CSA week 7:

kale
tomatoes (had my choice between these, turnips or cabbage)
horseradish cheese
tomato herb bread
2 heads of broccoli
cauliflower

I might need to pawn one of the heads of broccoli off on a friend tomorrow, because I'm not sure I can singlehandedly take down two of them myself (Ryan is not a vegetable lover - trying to change this little by little).

Another great week! Thanks, Tomato Tomato (not that you read this blog)!

afredo with basil, parsley and broccoli

2011-07-13T23:21:00.000-05:00

This was my lunch today - homemade alfredo sauce, pasta, broccoli, parsley and basil. Sometimes when I'm home during the day I feel like making a more substantial lunch, and this one was definitely that - I wasn't even hungry when dinnertime rolled around, which is a major surprise to those who know me personally!

I love that we used our CSA broccoli as well - apparently more broccoli and some cauliflower are on tap for tomorrow, but hopefully it'll be light on the beets.....or alternatively, bring on your best beet recipes!

Time to close out the post before I'm tempted to reach into the fridge for a nighttime bowl of pasta :)

Colorado, part two

2011-07-13T09:21:00.000-05:00

We trekked it up to the Winter Park area (Snow Mountain Ranch, specifically) on Saturday afternoon, and nearly immediately hit up the closest playground. Swings and slides again!

Damn those mountain pine beetles.

We hopped over to Jessie's apartment for a bit and B took a nice snooze. Ryan took a nice crazy moment.

Shortly thereafter it was time for some exploring - of both dog beds and musical instruments. We roll with the daredevils!

Grand Lake is pretty awesome - for people watching especially.

Back at the homestead of Snow Mountain Ranch, we spent the 4th of July soaking in the scenery and topped it off with a cookout at Jessie's boyfriend's place! A walk along the creek was perfect - just a simple walk with beautiful views. Bracco (Jessie's dog) joined us, of course.

My one picture of Marty - how sad is that? He is the director of the entire summer camp, so summers are his busy season to say the least. We were lucky to see him as much as we did!

We capped off the 4th by driving to the nearest fireworks show. The stars aligned and Blythe fell asleep on the way over, so we parked in a perfect spot and just waited. And waited. And waited. But over an hour later we were rewarded!

Our little family trekked it over for a nearby waterfall hike on Tuesday morning. Thanks to Ryan for wearing Blythe in the backpack, because my lazy ass could not have done it.

Blythe's "thing" was to always have at least one dandelion in her hand at all times. It was just the cutest.

Thanks for such a fun and relaxing trip, Jessie!

so long, tree

2011-07-11T21:53:00.000-05:00

I interrupt my regularly-scheduled blogging (in other words, Colorado part two) to bring you news of a tragedy that has struck our little plot of land.

If you already know me via facebook, twitter, or some other online medium, you're probably thinking to yourself, "WTF Sarah, move on already about the tree!". I promise, I'll get over it. But I'm still a bit sad about it right now.

Behold, our formerly beautiful, flowering crab apple tree (very old picture):

And it's state as of this morning (sorry, some pics altered on instagram, and all from the iphone):

A pretty crazy storm rolled through our part of the city last night. At 1 a.m. I heard Ryan walk downstairs and shortly thereafter emit a loud "Oh my God" - thinking something had actually hit our house, I rushed after him. The poor tree was the first thing I spotted, and I immediately felt brokenhearted. Peering out of our patio door revealed that a very large branch from one of the trees in our backyard was on our patio.

We were very lucky not to have sustained any damage to the house, but the lack of that tree in the front yard really negatively affects it's appearance, I think. The trees were a factor in our decision to buy this house four years ago, and now we're short a very prominent one.

Our area also lost power around 2 a.m., and it was restored this evening at 7. I was able to escape the heat at work, and Blythe was at Gran's house, while poor Ryan came back home from work to oversee the tree removal and clean up.

Now it's time to get used to the new view.

Blythe was certainly oblivious to the change and enjoyed prancing up and down the block while Ryan looked wearily on.

So long, tree. You'll be missed.

Colorado, part one

2011-07-10T20:00:00.000-05:00

I'm breaking our Colorado trip into two posts, because I'm exhausted from the photo uploads. Well, exhausted might be an exaggeration, but it was a bit of a monotonous and tiring process.

Our flight to Denver was Blythe's first flight ever! We tried to time our air travel so as not to mess too much with her usual early afternoon nap. Our flight out of Omaha was scheduled for late morning and departed right one time. Snacks and toys were at-the-ready and in large quantities, so we could really only hope for the best and put our most enthusiastic "let's have fun in a small space" faces on :)

I'm happy to say that Blythe's first ride in the sky was a success. No crying or screaming aside from a few excited shrieks. I think it helped that we tried to anticipate what she might want/need and stayed ahead of things. Ryan even wore quite the hilarious outfits for entertainent value - party beads as earrings? Sure! The SkyMall magazine as a hat? Why not!

After picking up our rental car (duh), we arrived at my Aunt Lynda's house where we were to stay for a few days before heading into the mountains.

Luckily, Aunt Lynda is a grandmother to my cousin's two children, so she had plenty of fun items to occupy B-diggity in addition to our own.

My cousin Joanna was able to spend some time with us on Thursday evening as well as briefly during lunch on Friday.

We so need a larger, non-1970's bathtub.

Unlike our boring 'hood, Lynda has trails and parks all around, and we took full advantage of that fact.

It's so much more enjoyable to take a walk with a view.

On Friday we drove up to Boulder to meet up with Joanna and putz around a bit. We shopped at Pearl Street and hit up the Boulder REI store.....damage to the wallet was inevitable, and I bought a "hippie dress" that Ryan hates, so of course I loved it.

Back in Highlands Ranch, Blythe's favorite occupation became watering the flowers....while donning a napkin cape.

We took a Friday evening walk around the 'hood, oooing and aaaahing over some of the impressive homes - and scenery - in the area.

Saturday morning I met up with a couple of "internet friends" (oh man, that sounds dorky) and we had a lovely time chatting about lots of random topics

And so ended our Denver

the weekly quote

2011-07-08T13:18:00.000-05:00

Using a camera appeases the anxiety which the work-driven feel about not working when they are on vacation and supposed to be having fun. They have something to do that is like a friendly imitation of work: they can take pictures.
- Susan Sontag

CSA week 6

2011-07-07T20:36:00.000-05:00

This week:

farm fresh eggs
broccoli
tomatoes
beets
onions

I think they forgot to throw the cinnamon chip bread in my bag, but I will survive. I just pulled out a frozen loaf of cardamom bread instead!

My sister picked up our share from last week while we were on vacation, which included our meat for the next four weeks, as well as cheese. She's vegan, so the meat and cheese are all ours! Muahahahaha.

mountain mama

2011-07-06T21:36:00.000-05:00

We're back tonight from a wonderful week-long vacation in Colorado to visit family and friends. More later once we all get our bearings back at home.

Scavenger Dash

2011-06-25T21:52:00.002-05:00

This afternoon, Monica and I became adventure racers!

Monica is such a fun, lively, positive, and enthusiastic person - so when she posted about the Scavenger Dash on facebook a few months ago seeking a teammate, I was ON IT. She, along with her daughter Jessie (who was with us in spirit from Colorado) are the perfect partners for events such as this - really, any event or adventure that takes me out of my normal comfort zone. We had an amazing time racing around a region of the city, solving clues and completing challenges.

As the site indicates, "teams of two solve twelve clues, have a wild city adventure and complete fun challenges while discovering the city in a different way. An amazing race on a local level, where anyone can participate."

I kind of want to bore you with all of the details because it's all so fresh in my mind. I'll try to restrain myself at least a bit :)

We started out at the Crescent Moon, and shortly after receiving our instructions at exactly 12:00, raced over to the Mutual of Omaha dome to receive our 12 clues. Based on the geographic locations of the answers to the clues, teams were able to pick their routes around the city. We were able to utilize our smart phones, any maps, and lifelines/phone-a-friends. A few locations contained challenges (sucking a skittle with a straw, transferring it to your partner's straw, and dropping it in a glass 5 times was not a favorite), a few simply required pictures, and other challenges could be completed at any point.

The major challenge to the race was that we could use our foot (i.e. running or walking) or public transportation (i.e. the bus - no cabs) but were not permitted to use anything else. So no biking, rollerblading (ha!), hitchhiking, etc.

All pics were taken with Monica's sweet new Nikon point-and-shoot. Holler!

An award was also handed our for best costume. We weren't up for all of that tomfoolery, but loved these gnomes and hoped they won - our sweaty, smelly selves did not remain for the awards ceremony and raffle drawings.

At Bright Ideas, one team member had to be pictured climbing the "tree that is always in bloom."

At yet another challenge location, one of the two of us had to be pictured petting this dog.

I'm hoping and assuming these homeowners were made aware of the event, as we (along with 74 other teams) had to be pictured standing in front of the home featured in About Schmidt.

Making a crayon rubbing of the plaque recognizing the Japanese attack over Dundee during World War II.

One of the most challenging elements of the race was capturing a photograph of Monica, two strangers and me blowing bubblegum at the same moment. These wonderful diners at McFoster's humored us for far longer than was necessary. Dude in the middle couldn't blow a bubble to save his life, though!

Also, I swear if these two weren't apparently a mother-and-son duo, I would've pegged the woman in yellow as a man. I did a major double-take at her low, masculine voice - and believe me, I have my own low, masculine voice. But I'm going to shut up because they were nice enough to spend 5+ minutes trying to blow bubblegum for complete strangers.

Although we were allowed to skip one of the non-mandatory stops, I'm proud to report that Monica and I finished every single challenge. We walked the majority of the route and finished in exactly 3 hours. That's 3 hours of intense, brisk walking peppered with fun and hilarious challenges. According to my mapping skills, we traversed over 7 miles of the city (1 mile was due to an error on our part with one of the clues) - keeping in mind all of the challenges we completed along the way, and we had definitely earned our tshirt and dog tags at the end!

Thanks to our phone-a-friends and to Monica for making today such a fun-filled exciting adventure!

the weekly quote

2011-06-24T10:31:00.000-05:00

The poor dog, in life the firmest friend. The first to welcome, foremost to defend.

- Lord Byron

CSA week 4

2011-06-23T22:14:00.000-05:00

Week 4:

farm fresh eggs
cornbread
kale and other greens
beets
radishes
garlic scapes
bunching onions

I still have last week's kohlrabi to deal with, but luckily my CSA sends a weekly newsletter with recipes so I won't lack for resources. I think I'm going to try their recipe for roasted beets with feta, and will report back!

apple rhubarb cranberry crisp

2011-06-21T22:15:00.001-05:00

My breakfast all week. Yum.

Pops!

2011-06-19T11:26:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe Ryan was Dad to such a tiny little baby last year, and is now one to a full-blown toddler!

Happy Father's Day to a wonderful father. We especially miss you today while you're out working hard!

SummerFest

2011-06-18T22:35:00.000-05:00

With Ryan yet again working like a dog on a Saturday, Blythe and I felt the need to mix things up a bit - so we headed over to Benson's SummerFest! Thanks to some weird nap action and late late lunch (both on the part of Blythe - ha) we made it to the tail end of the fun before the evening concerts began.

We parked at our friends' house and walked a couple of blocks over to the mayhem.

I bought a very cute pair of earrings (for only $5!) and we stopped at the booth of my friend Erin of e custom cards. I was a creeper and took a stealth action shot of her sketching a free cartoon for a couple, but I'll just send it directly to her instead of posting without permission :) She is a very talented artist who makes personalized, hand drawn cards. And her son Miles is the cutest, as I can personally attest to, and as evidenced by her blog.

We stopped back over at our friends' home, and wouldn't you know it, we ended up hanging out until 8:00! Blythe had a great time toddling around with her pal Ingrid and hanging on the front porch with everyone, and I had a wonderful time drinking Will & Rachel's wine and eating their food. And enjoying the company of everyone, but I hope that goes without saying!

Ingrid received a henna tattoo at SummerFest, so simmer down if you were planning to get riled up by the pics below :)

And look at the awesome sketch/cartoon (I feel like it should be called something more substantial, because it's so great) Erin drew of Blythe! Even more amazing that she seemed to do it in two minutes while simultaneously processing and responding to all of my conversational blabber. Love it, all the way down to the little hair clip!

the weekly quote

2011-06-17T08:49:00.000-05:00

Take the world as it is, not as it ought to be.

- Proverb

CSA week 3

2011-06-16T20:49:00.000-05:00

Week 3:

kohlrabi (again....sweet Jesus)
rhubarb (we had a choice between this and radishes)
strawberries
colby cheese
cheddar bread
bunching onions

I already used the onions, tomatoes, ham (from our monthly meat share), cheese and eggs from last week to make a frittata for dinner. And nearly one-third of the cheddar bread is gone.

Logically, I know that we paid up front for our CSA share last winter, but it ends up feeling like we're receiving all of this food on a weekly basis for free! At the very least, it's keeping our grocery bill quite low - now, if only we had our own milking cow so that I wasn't running to the store every 2-3 days for one item.....