Green With Envy

Holy Smokes.

I mean, gasp, HOLY. SMOKES!

This is amazing. I am so jealous of this chicken coop. If you really want to know what I dream about...it is this...I just want all of you to know that you can chip in and get me this for my birthday. Can you imagine how perfect it would be full of Buff Orpingtons, Red Star, and Barred Rock hens?

Oh, baby.

You can see more pictures on Heather's blog (okay, Jeff, just in case you are reading this and you don't know what to give your wife for your TENTH anniversary).

P.S. It would be just fine if it were painted red with white trim. (Just sayin' case you needed to write it down.)

Where There's Smoke...

Last night I was getting dinner ready while the kids played in their rooms. I was starting to set the table when I realized that it was incredibly quiet at the end of the hall. The kind of creepy quiet you get when there is a real problem. So I yelled out, "What are you doing down there?"

Lachlan yells back in a cheerful voice, "Don't worry mom, we aren't being bad, we are just building a fire!"

Yup. Nothing to worry about there...

Fortunately, their version of a fire pit amounted to a pile of crayons and colored pencils.

I was relieved until they mentioned that "they were getting ready to burn some witches."

Witches?

Really, witches?

Where do they get this stuff?

Seriously, I haven't ever even exposed them to any local "Tea Party" gatherings.

Watch out Bob Bennett, my kids are coming for you.

Customer Service

Dear "receptionist at local place I visit ALL the time,"

WHAT is your deal?? Seriously, I have been visiting your workplace every two weeks for over a year.

I really don't think that I am overstating the fact that you have a serious attitude problem. If you worked for me--I would fire you. I could probably deal with the fake smile, or the negative body language, or the sour tone of your voice BUT the combination of all three has not only contributed to my anxiety of having to return to this place BUT the decision that I will actually GO somewhere else to have this service completed.

I am thanking you (from the other business' perspective) in advance.

Sincerely,

A former customer who also thinks that your gray acid-washed skinny jeans were a bad choice with green boat shoes.

You Know It!

I suppose that we could get Lachlan a "Whisper 2000" but then we wouldn't get the opportunity to hear things like this:

Jeff: Lachlan, you're awesome! Just awesome!

Lachlan: (nodding her head, as if this is not news to her) Yup! I sure am!!

Jeff walks out of the room.

Lachlan: That's right I'm opposum. Lachlan is opposum!

As a side note, they do both have large dark eyes and two canine teeth that poke out in every picture. :)

Reassurance

and a little laughter, because right after this picture she held up this sticker and said, "hey, mom, look at my little white beaver." Yeah, it's sick, but it's pretty funny.

What I'm Really Hearing

I've been putting off this post because I suppose that I'm a little superstitious. And I wonder if you can be superstitious and faithful and/or hopeful at the same time.

Probably not.

It's like buying a lottery ticket. You know that you're not supposed to gamble, but you say to yourself, "if we win we'll just pay a big chunk of tithing." Yeah, that ought to cover it.

And then you find yourself thinking about all the things that you would do with that money all the way home from La Tienda. "Come on, Gold Mine!"

So obviously, I'm a hypocrite (which plenty of you already knew, please don't post this in the comments, I'm well aware). That said, I'm holding out for the Luck O' the Irish, a knock on wood, shot in the dark, good Karma--and I'm making Lachlan and Jack pray for it every night (cause their younger and their prayers are more pure).

Ten days ago, we visited Dr. B for our monthly ear appointment. The fluid has returned to Lachlan's good ear. Not the ear she already has hearing loss in, the GOOD ear. It's also the ear that had the full cartilage graft surgery. The worst part is that the graft has healed completely. There isn't any way for the fluid to drain. I thought that I was going to throw up in that office.

I had the burning tears in my eyes. You know, the ones that you don't want Dr. B to see--so you look like a crazy person who doesn't dare blink their eyes.

I hate reading this in print.

uggh.

burning tears.

Dr. B is a wonderful man and he saw that I was "on the brink" and he assured me that we are just going to watch it and see if it "will go away on its own." And when I walked out of there, I just kept telling myself, "it will just go away. Calm down. Don't get worked up about this. Lots of kids get fluid in their ears and it just goes away for them!"

Then on Sunday afternoon, I saw this:

Me: Lola, what are you doing?

L: Mama, I just want to hear it loud.

Me: silence. more burning tears.

If you have kids you'll know that these "toys" are PLENTY loud.

What I'm really beginning to hear is that miracles happen for a lot of people. I've prayed for a lot of miracles in my life. But what I can see is that they rarely happen for us. Mostly, because I think that I don't really learn anything with them. I have to learn how to be patient--and it is so damn hard. I hate it. I hate it that she can't hear. It's not fair. All she wants to do is to "hear it loud!"

It's like wanting to win the lottery because you don't want to balance the budget. You want to buy furniture you'll probably never sit on and cars you'll hate to drive. But you want it anyway because you think that it will be easier. Maybe you even tell yourself that you KNOW it would be easier.

You know what the hardest part is for me? It's praying for Lachlan's ears to be healed when deep down in my gut I feel like that's just not going to happen. That we are going to have to start from square one--and I start to wonder if I have either this incredible insight or just an outstanding lack of faith??

The second hardest part is trying to not yell at Lachlan when she can't keep up with the rest of us. When I feel like "what is your problem already--I've asked you to make your bed and pick up your room eleven times--and you are still sitting here on the floor!" and then you realize from the look on her face that she didn't even know that you were speaking to her. In that moment, you feel like you aren't sure whether to kick her butt or your own.

How long does it take for the hard things to be easy? Can you ever really hear just the sound of your own faith ringing back in your ears? If so, what does it sound like...I'm not sure that I've heard that one before.

Not Much to Offer

I had a post.

I just don't think that the world is ready for it, yet.

I'll save politics, religion and worldwide readership for a Monday. It was too heavy for a Friday.

I will, however, leave you with this recipe. I've modified it a bit (and for that, you can thank me).

I took the recipe from Tasty Kitchen, but it needed a few tweaks. Also, I didn't use chicken. I substituted shrimp (cause the little people will eat more seafood). The peanut sauce is spicy, hence the name, so if you have little people you should pull out a quarter-cup before you add the chili garlic sauce. The thing that really makes this so wonderful is the cucumber sambal. The ratios of vinegar and sugar are perfect. I always use English cucs or hothouse cucs because they are sweeter and consistently NOT bitter. A bitter cucumber will ruin your week. Oh, and this whole thing can be pulled together in 30 minutes. It is quick and easy.

Spicy Chicken Peanut Noodles

Ingredients

* 4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 lb. raw/peeled/cleaned shrimp

* 8 oz. dry spaghetti or linguine

* 1/4 cups dry roasted peanuts (I use unsalted)

* 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

For Marinade

* 1 T Soy sauce

* 1 T Brown sugar

* 1 T Peanut oil

* 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

For Peanut Sauce (I doubled it cause I cooked a whole pkg. of linguine and I didn't want to be on the short side of heaven)

* 1/2 c. Chicken broth

* 1/4 c. Creamy peanut butter

* 2 T Brown sugar

* 2 T Rice Vinegar

* 2 T Fresh Lime Juice

* 1 T Soy Sauce

* 1 T Fresh Ginger, minced

* 1 T Chili Garlic sauce (this will make a medium heat level, half it if you prefer mild)

* 1/2 c. Fresh cilantro

For Cucumber Sambal (again, I doubled it. So good!)

* 1 c. cucumber (seed and dice if you don't use english cucs)

* 1/2 c. Scallions

* 1/4 c. Red bell pepper, diced

* 3 T Rice Vinegar

* 1 T Sugar

* 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (careful here, mix it in and let it sit before you add more for desired heat level)

* 1/2 T Kosher salt (I put in 1 tsp. because I just don't need that much salt)

Preparation Instructions

Don't be scared by the long list of ingredients. This meal is really easy to throw together. First, preheat grill to medium-high. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Toss with chicken and grill for 3-4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove chicken from grill pan, and tent with foil while preparing the other ingredients.

Prepare the cucumber sambal by tossing together the sambal ingredients. Set aside till serving.

Cook the pasta according to pkg. directions; drain and return to the pot. Meanwhile, prepare the peanut sauce. Heat broth, peanut butter, brown sugar, vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, and chili garlic sauce in a saucepan over medium heat to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes. Off heat, stir cilantro and salt, then pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat.

Top each chicken breast with pasta and cucumber sambal. Garnish with more fresh cilantro and peanuts.