Nice weekend.

Well, I was sick most of last week, and it caught up to me on Saturday. Thankfully Rafi took full parenting duties so I could sleep most of the day. I really needed it. Mateo had a blast because his daddy took him to have bagels for breakfast and then to the park. I have to fess up that he came into the house all red, sweaty, and stomping around throwing his water cup down. He had run out of water and was taking it out on Rafi. (The park is a 1 minute drive from our house.) Humorous to watch.

Sunday we found a new swimming pool for Mateo, as his old one was a baby pool. He ended up spending 2.5 nonstop hours in it after Rafi and I mowed, edged, and weeded the yard. We also enjoyed a nice outdoor dinner of steaks from the grill and mashed potatoes and peas. We chased it all with juice popsicles. Sadly we took no photos of anything.

And in other news, or non-news I should say, we're still doing the fertility thing with the Texas Fertility Center. Every month we cross our fingers, so this month cross yours, too. It's getting tiring, but I know what happens or doesn't happen is how things are supposed to be. So I'm learning to be at peace with it all.

Mateo is getting funnier and funnier. He really cracks me up every day. Today he was pointing out the moles on my neck. And then in front of company (thank goodness it was just our good friend Andres) he proceeded to point out the " pink mole" on my face - a pimple. How can you not laugh at that?! Like I said, he's my little funny man. :)

Recycling Update

I just wanted to update that since we instituted our new "recycling center," we have cut the amount of trash that actually goes to the curb each week in half. I really think it's less than half now that I think about it. I just brought our first full trash bag to the can almost 5 days after our trash pick up. That's pretty good progress, I'd say!

My first pies.

I'm a lousy crust crimper, but here they are. The full crusted one is apple and the polka dot crust is cherry.

Super duper exciting news!

Today Mateo peepeed in the potty for the first time. He asked for the book himself - Space Kid.

Channeling my granddad.

Today we shopped a local farmer's market. Mateo and I scored some lovely strawberry-blueberry bread and a few zucchini and squash. But what we enjoyed most was the music. As soon as we had parked Mateo started cupping his ear saying "'tar! tar!" (guitar). There was a bluegrass duo playing today. We listened for a while, tipped the band, and then made our way to the car to leave. Once we got to the car panic set in. Mateo HAD to have more "tar." So we went back and listened for a while. He loved it. I loved it because it made me think of Granddad who enjoyed bluegrass festivals with my Mimi. So I'd like to think a little piece of him was being channeled today. After all, Mateo Roy was named after him. :)

Lemon Garden Pasta

The original recipe came from my friend Gen (thanks, Gen!), but I've doctored it some to my taste. It's really simple and great for summer. Skip the chicken, and it makes terrific vegetarian fare. I like recipes like this that aren't an exact science.

• Pasta, cooked (something flat or tubular is best)
• Chicken, browned and cut into strips.
• Garlic, crushed or sliced, 3 or more cloves depending on your taste.
• Red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp or more or less.
• Salt and Pepper.
• Spring vegetables (I used broccoli, but it would be really good with asparagus, squash, zucchini, peas, strips of carrots, etc.)
• Couple of lemons.
• Parmesan cheese (I like to use the cheap powdery Parmesan for mixing and then grate fresh on top for serving. Keeps the cost down, too.).
• Chopped parsley (Mine is from my garden.).
• Approx 3 tbs olive oil.
• Butter.

In saute pan, saute olive oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic until fragrant. Add pasta. Turn off heat. Toss. Move to bowl. In same pan saute your vegetables slightly with butter and salt. Keep them slightly crunchy. Move veggies and chicken (cut into strips) to bowl. Add pars ley. Squeeze the juice of two or so lemons on top and toss. Add about a quarter cup of Parmesan toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with more Parmesan for serving.

Austin Zoo

This morning we had an enjoyable visit to the Austin Zoo. Mateo was like an animal himself - hard to restrain at times. He really enjoyed the huge tortoises, feeding the goats, and the train ride. I enjoyed feeding the goats and visiting a certain pig best myself. The blind jaguar was really a sight to behold, too. Mateo took a really great nap when we got home. Several times during the day he told us he was happy. This makes me happy, too. :)

Happy early birthday, Ingrid!

It's not quite her birthday yet, but we celebrated it with Ingrid, Victor, and their friends/family this Saturday evening. We had a really great time and thank them for inviting us!

Visiting the tios.

This Saturday morning we took Salma (our new futuristic and unbelievable car) to San Antonio to visit with Rafi's aunt and uncle. We beat the rain there, but boy the rain pelted us when we went to lunch. Salma handled it beautifully, of course.

Mateo quite enjoyed their electric piano/organ and their dog Glory. Glory didn't care for Mateo so much, though. Mateo was also more than happy to chat with Stella and Frank. He was shy only for a minute or two. And of course Rafi and I enjoyed the afternoon. Their backyard garden is so lovely and full of flowers. Thanks to them also for the really good pie and recipe for said really good pie!

Garden and Recycle Update

So it seems that I do not have a green thumb for broccoli. After nurturing four broccoli plants, only two of them produced anything before flowering, and even those would've offered *maybe* two bites each. Pretty sad. So out they went. And in came green beans. Gotta love green beans. My zucchinis are looking really great. Tomato plants are ultra happy. I have to keep a watchful eye on Mateo who likes to pull the green ones off and declare them "apples." We recently lost our first bell pepper to little fingers, too.

And in other news, our "recycling center" is now set up in the garage.
Here I can recycle glass, plastics #3-7, cardboard, and paper. We'll be taking our bins about once or twice a month to Ecology Action of Texas. In the kitchen I have a recycle bin for aluminum and plastics #1 and 2. These are picked up each week along with our regular trash. Once again I'm still waiting on the rain barrel and composter. Our neighborhood does have a weekly "organic matter" recycling pickup, so I've been meaning to see if that includes composting kitchen scraps or not. I'd still rather have homemade compost for our yard and garden versus buying it each year. Soon, hopefully.

Summer May Commence.

Summer doesn't start for me without two things - the first sunburn of the year (check!) and a new pair of flip flops. Thanks, Mom!

P.S. That sunburn was accidental, and I do wear sunscreen.

Mother's Day Weekend

Since Mother's Day is usually the busiest day for restaurants, we opted to eat out on Saturday instead. We took the new car to The Oasis (yes again!) so Rafi could treat both my mom and me to lunch. Once again, Mateo loved the statues and sculptures, and the rest of us enjoyed the fabulous views. The food was just as good this week as it was the week before. :-) Mateo enjoyed wearing my glasses. He was especially lovey, too.

Saturday evening after Mom and I returned from grocery shopping (getting supplies for Sunday's grill feast), we were surprised by these roses. Mom's are pink, and mine are the red ones with some of my homegrown sunflowers stuck in. Thank you, Rafi and Mateo! That night Rafi and I saw the new Star Trek movie - highly recommended.

Sunday we grilled. We rested. It was good.

Mateo Watering the Garden

Putting your finger in the spray creates exciting results!

The Paradox of Choice

The Paradox of Choice: How Less is More is a book I'm currently reading/studying. Barry Schwartz, a professor of Social Theory at Swarthmore College, discusses choice overload and its repercussions on our pursuit of happiness. How fascinating that freedom has a bell curve. Not enough freedom of choice, as in third world countries, obviously promotes less unhappiness. Just enough freedom of choice, as in lower/middle class America, makes us happy. However, too much freedom of choice, as in the wealthy elite, actually makes people less happy. How interesting, I think, to know that being able to choose anything you want (whether it be your career, a salad dressing, or a pair of jeans) makes us less happy.

And why is that? Schwartz uses the great example of wine. If a store has say 12 bottles of wine to choose from, and the wine you choose isn't so great, you feel marginally disappointed but chalk up the bad choice to there not being many options. Contrast that to visiting your local wine superstore (I'm thinking of Spec's) where there are hundreds and hundreds of wines to choose from. You choose a not-so-good wine, and all of a sudden your level of disappointment and regret is much higher because with all those options *you could've chosen better.* So the blame is shifted from the store to your own self.

Schwartz discusses countless interesting studies and experiements that demonstrate this phenomenon and more. The book is quite in depth but remains easy to read and follow. If you want the Clif notes, check him out giving his TED speech below.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html

Dinosaurs and Casseroles.

Today has been a fun Wednesday, even though it started off with a toddler 5am wake-up call. We visited Champion Park with our friends and played in the huge dinosaur sand dig and then rinsed off in the whale bones shower area. After enjoying a picnic lunch of pbj and honey sandwiches, grapes, strawberries, and veggie straws (okay, the moms had some Cheetos!), Mateo fell asleep within 5 minutes of leaving the park. I had to carry him inside.

And now we are finishing making Mother's Day cards while I make my Mimi's "King Ranch Chicken Casserole." Nothing beats a casserole!

Urban Homesteading

On my mind lately has been urban homesteading. What a neat concept, and how awesome is the way this family lives! Okay, so where do I start? First, I'll need to add more gardens, a place for chickens and my huge rain irrigation system. I will sew things, bake all our bread, get into canning, and make all my own cleaning products. I will learn how to make biodiesel. I'll need some Pygmy goats for milk and cheese. Oh! And bees! I'll need lots of bees. I might even cover our entire roof with solar panels and get a wind turbine. If I got one of those water filters they use in third world countries, we could be off the grid! Such aspirations! Such dreams!

But alas I live in reality. Oh how I wish I had the backyard space to do this (okay, maybe not the chickens and goats), but doing so would pretty much nix any "running around" room my son and dogs have. Plus I really do hate the smell of chickens, and I've never been good at sewing, despite my repeated efforts. As for the solar panels, well, I doubt my HOA would like that, nor would we likely recoup the cost in the time we have left in this house. Can solar panels be moved with you?

So what's a girl to do? Well, I can start with *thinking* about putting in another garden space - if I can find another sunny spot. I can add the rain barrel we've been wanting. I do like to bake on occasion, and I'd love to try this recipe for no-knead bread I've had bookmarked for a while.

Well, anyway it's fun to daydream about living off the land. Sure seems like a lot of work though. And besides, did I mention I hate the smell of chickens?

Super Easy Shepherd's Pie

This is a recipe post for my friend Gen... and for others who want it, of course.

Super Easy Shepherd's Pie

• leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 lb. lean hamburger meat
• chopped onions
• thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaves... whatever seasonings you want
• 2 tbs flour
• "some" beef stock
• frozen veggies

Preheat your oven to 350.
Brown 1 pound of hamburger meat with some onions.
Add some thyme, salt, and pepper. I sometimes add a bay leaf or two if I feel like it.
Throw in 2 tbs of flour and "some" beef stock. Use your eye - you're just trying to thicken it some.
Add some frozen veggies of your choosing. Usually I like to use frozen corn and peas, though on occasion I use mixed veggies.
Cook until thawed.
Pour this mixture into an oven safe casserole dish.
Spread leftover mashed potatoes on top.
Bake for 25 minutes.

Garnish with curly parsley you picked from your garden. Okay, okay, I'm bragging now. Did I mention I grew the thyme, too? ;-)

Enjoy!

Green Cleaners

I finally found a good source of recipes for making your own nontoxic cleaners.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html

The Oasis

Every now and then you need to take a mini vacation. We did that this Saturday by taking Salma (the new car) to The Oasis. The weather, the food, and our attitudes were perfect. Mateo gobbled up chips with ketchup (strange boy), while I enjoyed a piña colada. Rafi enjoyed his key lime pie. Mateo liked watching the birds - "Hola, birds!" It really did feel like we were at Gamboa Rainforest Resort in Panama.

When we left Mateo was all over the sculptures - especially the "wocket ship" and the "gator." He was pretty sad when we had to leave.

Sangria Salma

We would like to welcome a new member to our family - Sangria Salma. She's a beautiful GMC Acadia with everything you could think of - heated leather seats, navigation, backup camera, two DVD players in the 2nd row, etc. I have OnStar and XM radio for a year, too, though I'm not finding I use it much, however I do enjoy all the talk radio it offers - CNN, comedy, etc. This girl even has her own phone number!! It is incredible vehicleWe are enjoying driving her. , though we're still learning to park her in the garage!

Mateo sums it up when he says (as he's said multiple times now), "I YUV 'is car!"