Ten on Tuesday

1 .All of my family is OK as are our homes.  One family of friends lost their home, and another lost his business.  Once it is clearer how best to help them I'll share a link here.

2. Yesterday was just the hardest day in an already hard week.  I really don't have words to process it and so wish I were writing about end of the year festivities instead.  So here are a few things.  Sadly, there will be less pictures for awhile as it appears that my laptop needs to be sent off to the shop... sigh.

3. This story about the love and fear of the Oklahoma skies really resonates with me right now.

4.  I also found this article about the very unusual "Tornado Emergency" designation useful and fascinating.

5.  Just one more, this one is about how the tragedies continue to define us along with the Oklahoma Standard.  Long before this disaster one of my former bosses would introduce me by an ever changing number of tornadoes I'd seen so clearly we've been "defined" by this for awhile already.

6.  I have been so touched by the outpouring of love from outside Oklahoma for me personally from friends and colleagues far away, and for the state in general.  It really matters so much.

Yes, I'm having trouble moving past this...

7. So, yesterday was the Kindergarten Revue - in theory. The above video (apologies if it is sideways???) Was the second song in the program.  Where the video ends is where the program ended.  The tornado sirens blew and we were all to go to the tornado safe rooms or take our student and go home.  There did not appear to be an immediate threat so we went home.  We were home safe and watching the other storms unfold as our kids acted crazy and we tried to teach them to love Gary, spot hook echos, and read radar maps (like you do)  (See description in  article #3 above if you are unfamiliar with this). Somehow the "living in the heart of America" seems appropriate, just now.

8.  In true resilient spirit, we tried again today.  B is, perhaps, even harder to see in this video. However, it is the song he has been loving to learn for at least a month.  As the concert progresses he does try vigilantly to be a bit more visible as you can see below.

Dress Rehearsal - M is on the far left

9. Oh, and there was M's dance recital.  Right as it was time to go to the dance recital on Sunday, we had to dash to the tornado shelter (well, as quickly as five people can move with flashlights and stuff--oh, did I mention we didn't have power for two days...right, that).  So, we hung out there for awhile as the storm passed and meteorologists called out our cross streets.  M was in the storm shelter in costume, so we hustled everyone up, everyone but M changed clothes and we made it to the recital.  She did a fabulous job!! She was a little shell shocked when I picked her up, but we loved getting to see her dance.  I did forget my "big" camera, but there will be a dvd and some phone pics as well as these that were taken at the studio earlier in the week. There are some pictures on my camera from home and dress rehearsal too, but again some technology issues....

Ballerina's need sustenance and this one got to have Braums afterwards with her support crew of friends and family--- just like we used to do after programs with our Grandparents!

 10.  On Saturday, we also went to "Touch a Truck" --- where the kids climbed all over everything (once they got over all the horn honking noises).  We also met some lovely people from Edmond Electric with power trucks who explained how they dig holes for power poles and set the poles.

Little did we know how relevant that lesson would be.  We still can't drive south on Penn from our house, which is resulting in all sorts of crazy routing around here...

Mostly, as you can tell it is just chaotic crazy town.  Tomorrow is the last day of school for the bigs and day one of two of final exams for Brent's classes.  Who knows that happens after that, but I'm hoping it is less "exciting" for awhile.

Much love to you all!

Scrappy Sunday

After several M pages this week, we have several "B" pages this week.  First up, is a layout featuring B when he was only maybe 20 months old.  He seems so little and so adorable.  It is a very simple layout using a new banner from Heidi Swap and full of memories of B discovering new things, like the ipod shown here. 

Grandma B is around for story time at least once a week lately.  I am not sure what they were reading here, but love the eclectic mix of things going on in the photo and stretched that out in the the theme of adventure being everywhere in their books.  Most often these days Grandma B reads them selections from Winnie the Pooh who is always on an adventure as well. (Supply Note: The space themed items are from the OA Rocket Age collection.  They have been sitting around for a year or two and I am glad they are in the book.  They are some of our favorites!)

The design of this layout is inspired by one of Susan Weinroth's with the April SC Kit.  It captures a very normal weekend morning around here and I'm so glad this bit of every day is in the book.  Also, I love those fun star sequins I found in the clearance section at Hobby Lobby.  Hooray!

More stars, but also Lady M's smiling face in a beautiful page of flowers.  This page was definitely one of those papers I've been "aging" hoping for the right page and am so glad to have finally used it with my happy girl.  Today is her dance recital and I'm sure that I'll have many more stories to tell.

Happy Scrapping!

Ten on Tuesday

1.  Telecommuting is weird.  You probably knew that.  The transition is tricky as you're never quite in one place or the other.  That said, I do love it and am so glad I get this opportunity.  I had a wonderful dinner with some of my girlfriends here this evening and will have another.  We are all finding our nitches careerwise and each is so different!

2.  DC in May is so beautiful.  There are flowers blooming everywhere and the evening air was rich with the scent of Iris, Peony, and Rose as I walked home.  The yards s in this old neighborhood are so small by Oklahoma standards, but overflowing with beautiful flowers.  Love it.

3.  I miss my kids, already, still, always. I'm glad my Mom and Brent are there with them and know it is tough for them to pick up my entire routine at odd intervals, but I am glad they do it so well and graciously.

4. M had Dance pictures today. I think there was some timing issue, but she looks adorable:)  I believe those are "Swan" arms from a bit too much watching of Swan Lake with Prima Princessa?

5. E finally got his first baby haircut.  Grandma, Uncle Able, Daddy and I worked together and there is no longer a baby mullet, but it may need a bit more trimming up one of these days.  I did almost cry.  He looks much more like a little boy now.

6.  It is the last full week of Kindergarten.  Where did the time go? They are having all sorts of random end of the year things almost every day.  I think B is having fun.  We even got his yearbook this week!  (This makes me sound old, but did you know that yearbooks are in full color these days?)

7.  I slept for most of the plan rides today.  It was a very unusual and nice thing.

8.  I love my coworkers.  They are so sweet and give me hours of big hugs when I arrive back in DC. Next week marks 10 years of working for OGC if you count way back to when I started as a law clerk.  It is amazing.

9.  Brent is nearing the end of the semester as well.  He is in that place where he both needs more time and is kind of relieved that vert zoo at least is coming to an end.

10.  The next week includes: Board week, Beach Day (B), Dress Rehearsal (M), Dance Recital (M), Kindergarten Revue (B), Spring Program (M), Last day of School (M&B).... it is going to be wild.

Scrappy Sunday

Lots of Lady M pages this week, complete with bright colors.  For inexplicable reasons, I've been using a bit more orange lately.  This is a bit tricky as I don't really own many orange bits.  Here, I used a cut sheet so many of the bits are actually cut from the same piece of paper.  I also continue to try and use every one of the pieces on the gold thickers sheet.  The journaling is about preparing her for the beginning of school and encouragement to her.  The background is a bit more layered than usual with cool butterfly masks, ink splatters and sequins too. 

Recently, I got a bunch of glitter POW paper on sale.  The paper is delightfully glittering, but sealed so the glitter doesn't get all over.   I've been using bits here and there, but this time, I bold used the entire sheet as a background. This layout is M's fashion show right after her birthday party.  She's showing off her new sparkles and fun. I love all the expressions. 

We don't tend to keep all the book jackets we have.  I had a hard time parting with Tallulah though.  The book, as you can tell by some wrinkles here, is well loved and in constant rotation this winter.  I cut the front of the jacket and a short description from the back flap and added them along with a random picture of M and some tidbits of teal.  It is a great way for me to document what she's really into right now. 

This layout was inspired by a sketch by Allison Davis.  It is a good way to work in a series of smaller photos from a given event.  This page is just about us getting ready, on a complete whim, for the fairy ball in the Paseo last October. I had heard of it, and when we found out our neighbors were going we decided to pull together some costumes and go as well.  The kids were adorable and it was our first attempt at outfitting all three!  Those ombre letters are quite nice too.  

Happy Scrapping and Happy Mother's day!

Use Your Spices: B's Favorite Fish

B's favorite dish these days is also the fastest, easiest, and most crowd-pleasing dish in our rotation. This is how simple it is, ready?

B's Favorite Fish

Ingredients:

1-2lbs white fish fillets (flounder, tilapia, etc..) I typically buy frozen and thaw at the last minute in cool water.
1-2 tsp Cherry Creek Seafood Seasoning
1-2 T. Olive Oil

Pre-heat oven to 425.  Lightly oil a cookie sheet with olive oil.  Baste fish lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle generously with the Cherry Creek Seasoning.  Bake for 7-9 minutes until the fish "flakes" using the tines of a fork.  The fish will be lightly browned at the edges.  Serve to happy children everywhere.

*Cherry Creek Seafood Seasoning  contains: Salt, lemon peel, our Four Corners Peppercorn blend, red bell pepper, dill weed, cracked dill seed, onion and citric acid.  It also makes a lovely dip mixed with yogurt or sour cream.

Ok, so that was super easy.  What do I serve it with? Well, B prefers Risotto, but that is a bit more time consuming so here is my quick dinner fix alternative.


Smoked Paprika Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients are scaled to amount per large sweet potato so you can adjust to the size of your family.  Right now, my family usually uses 2-3 med/large sweet potatoes.

1 large sweet potato
1/4 tsp smoked spanish sweet paprika
1/8 tsp hot smoked spanish sweet paprika (optional/to taste)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 T of olive oil
1/4 tsp sugar (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 425 (note, same as above!).  Cut sweet potato into 1/4 inch slices and then cut each slice into roughly 1/4 fries.  Drizzle cookie sheet with olive oil. Add remaining ingredients, and toss well together.  Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 7 minutes (roughly).  

I have this for lunch sometimes and add a small handful of peanuts during the last two minutes. So good!


I hope you enjoy all of these quick and easy meals with your families too!