she’s painting!!!

Hannah is painting!!  Whoohoo!!  One coat down–2 more to go.

Jake is 9 months old

We are over half way through the insane puppy phase!  Whoohoo

reconstruction, part 2

Work is proceeding slowly in HM’s room.   She has walls!  The taping, mudding and sanding should be done by the weekend.

Next up: painting the walls, buying and painting the trim work, installing the floor, staining the floor, and building the semi-loft bed.   That should keep us busy through August!

For September: finding a dutch door to fit her door opening, building the writing nook, and finding an amoire.

For October:  Curtains, linens, rug, big comfy chair.

my week and peanut butter pasta

Today is Day 100!  I’m down 19 pounds and 19 inches and I feel great.

Last week was quite stressful.  Our son, MA hurt his thumb at work.  He spent the better part of Tuesday in the ER, Wednesday morning at a specialist, and Friday morning at a specialist.  This is really the first bit of real stress I’ve had to deal with since the diet change.  I’ve managed to continue my eating plan (although I did have a fish sandwhich the ER day) and I’ve gotten in most of my exercise.  Still the stress has triggered a minor relapse of the RA.  Last night was the worst of it, and today it already feels like it is subsiding.  I didn’t even have to take an advil.

Tonight I am making an easy favorite.   It tastes so good, takes about 10 minutes to prepare (and most of that time is waiting for the water to boil), and makes enough for 2 days.

Peanut Butter Pasta

• 12 oz pasta (cook)
• In a blender:  2/3 c peanut butter, 3/4 c water, 2 TBSN balsamic vinegar, 2 TBSN tamari/soy sauce, 1 TBSN honey, a little grated ginger, and a little cayenne pepper.
• 1 1/2 c frozen peas
• Toss all in a bowl and enjoy!

daybook . . . from the ER

FOR TODAY, JULY 14, 2009
Outside my window… a nurses’ station
I am thinking… trauma nurses are wonderful people
I am thankful for… trauma nurses, doctors and the grace of God
From the learning rooms.. .how nylon microfilaments are made
From the kitchen…
I am wearing…black t-shirt, denim capris, teva hurricane sandals
I am creating…
I am going…
I am reading…
I am hoping…that MA’s thumb heals well
I am hearing…the sound of medical jargon, quiet nurse talking, and tennis shoes on tile floors
Around the house…
One of my favorite things… is watching my son’s strength on display
A few plans for the rest of the week . . . doing what needs to be done
Here is picture thought I am sharing…

Idea taken from The Simple Woman’s Daybook

grocery store wars

I hope I did this right.  HM showed us this video and we all loved it.

things they never tell you

When you line dry your laundry there may be unforeseen consequences . . .

Wasp and Yoga Shorts

pad thai

I found another favorite.  It was so easy to make and tasted delicious.  HM and I even tried to eat it with chop sticks.  We managed pretty well.  It took a little longer to eat, but it was fun.  I finally finished my bowl with a fork just so I could get those darn peanuts!

Recipe:

• Soak 6 oz of rice noodles in hot water for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile:  Slice 1 package of tofu into chunks and stir-fry for 5 minutes.  Add 1 TBSN  tamari and then set tofu aside.
• Then stir fry 1/2 of an onion (chopped), 1 red bell pepper (chopped), and 1 medium tomato (peeled, seeded and chopped)
• Add to the vegetables:  2 TBSN sugar, 2 TBSN rice vinegar, 1 TBSN tamari, 1TBSN red chili paste
• Stir in the tofu and the noodles.  Let simmer 3-5 minutes.
• Top each portion with no-salt peanuts or lightly salted peanuts and 1 lime slice

Yum!!

reconstructing hm’s room, part 1

After several weeks of deconstruction, we’ve moved on to reconstruction.  Poor HM lived with bare studs for a while, but this weekend the majority of the dry wall went up.  There are some tricky pieces left to cut.

So next weekend we’ll be taping and mudding and sanding.  Then painting.  Then laying floor.  Then staining the floor.  Then hanging molding and baseboards.  Then hanging a new door.  Then . . .finally moving her stuff back into her room.

homemade vegan ice cream

2 scoops

Recipe:

• 1/2 c coconut cream (just put a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight, then scoop off the top layer)
• 1 c soy milk (or rice, almond, or hemp)
• 1 TBSN vanilla extract
• 6 oz silken tofu (I used chocolate tofu.  Yum!)
• 1/2 c sweetner (organic cane sugar, agave, honey, maple syrup — your pick)

Chill and then pop in your ice cream maker.   I have a Cuisinart Electric that I love.  It only took about 20 minutes of churning.

2 scoops