Happy birthday!

Today is DH's birthday!

He started to celebrate early by taking Friday off to got to Projekt Revolution. This is the second year that he attended. DH went with the same group of guys as last year. I heard especially good reviews of Chris Cornell, The Bravery, 10 years and the Street Drum Corps.

The celebration continued on Saturday with a fancy dinner at the Angus Barn. I went ahead and gave DH his gifts then too. I think that his favorite was his new wallet. He asked for a wallet and I got him one made from duct tape. We ended up bringing a birthday pound cake home from the dinner and called my parents for a cake emergency. They came over yesterday to help us out with that.

Last night I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting for him to bring into work.

Tonight, the celebration will continue with our fancy dinner at home. DH's selected crab cakes. Of course more cake may be in order as well...

Emma turns 6!

Yesterday was Emma's sixth birthday. I can still remember when she could fit her whole body under the sofa!

Before Emma joined our family, we had been looking for a Labrador retriever. Our agility instructor pointed us to Emma's breeder and the rest is history. Emma has turned out not to be a great agility dog, which is disappointing in some ways because she has very good structure for it, but she excels at her number one job which is to be a companion and family member in good standing. She is extremely loving and easy to get along with.

Recently someone asked me what actress Emma would be. I said Reese Witherspoon but not really Reese herself but Elle in Legally Blonde -- before she went to Harvard. I have not doubts that Emma has the smarts but she's really busy with her social life and I can picture her as president of a sorority. I also know that if she puts her mind to something, she can make it happen.


To celebrate the event, DH stopped at Three Dog to get treats -- and walked out with a cake. I made frozen pupsicles and of course Emma got some new toys (which means some carcasses can be retired).

Frozen Pupsicles

32 ounces yogurt, plain nonfat
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Blend well. Fill small paper cups like 3 ounce Dixie cups with the mixture. Freeze at least two hours. To serve, let thaw slightly and pop the pupsicle out of the cup and into a bowl.

Source: You Bake 'em Dog Biscuits by Janine Adams
Serving Size: 12

Father's Day

For Father's Day, my parents invited us over. My dear brother (DB) was on leave between Army schools and he was in Raleigh visiting our parents over the weekend. DH and I were invited for Father's Day dinner along with the Girls.

My father hasn't had a lot of hobbies since giving up golf due to his eye problems. He recently started playing clawhammer banjo. He takes lessons once a week and is signed up for banjo camp at the end of the month. When Dad took up banjo, DH mentioned that he saw a banjo related t-shirt. He sacrificed himself and went to the NOC store last time he was in whitewater kayaking and he got the shirt for Dad and we saved it for Father's Day. The t-shirt says "Paddle Faster (I hear banjo music)" in a reference to Deliverance which was filmed in Western NC. Dad has made it clear that he will never learn Dueling Banjos, much to our disappointment. He did really like the shirt and he said that he plans to bring it to camp.


DB recently graduated from the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey where he was learning Arabic. His next set of orders is for interrogation school at Fort Huachuca. No one knows for sure what is after that. He should finish his next school in November. His Guard unit has been activated and it is not clear whether he will finish school before they are deployed or if he will join them or what.

Tying up loose ends

Celebrations: Birthday, Christmas, Dog Day Afternoon

Back in November, I wrote about my angst over the holidays, my birthday and my brother visiting from out of town. I selected Option 2 and went out to eat for my birthday. We had a nice time and I'd do that again.

We had or usual Christmas Eve gathering at my parents' house, with Darling Brother there and had Dog Christmas at my house on the 27th. DH and I had a pleasant enough time on Christmas Eve. The food and wine were both great. Grandma was scheduled to go to Atlanta for holiday but changed her plans at the last minute. DB was there, having arrived in town on earlier in the day.

DB had very little to say on Christmas Eve and acted as though we were interrupting his football watching. I was pleasantly surprised that he gave gifts. I do hope that he liked what we gave him but I may never find out.

Grandma sent a thank you note saying thanks for the gift. The cookies were good. I'm guessing that means that the digital photo frame was not a hit! Actually, I think that she'll like that more once she is in her new place.

That brings us to Dog Christmas. We've never brought Hannah or Emma to my parents' for Christmas Eve and since my folks have come over to my house for my birthday on the 25th, the dogs have given gifts (it started with bark...) and received gifts. Since we moved my birthday celebration and I still wanted to have people over, we called it Dog Christmas. My mom made some beautiful quilts for the dogs this year!

DB was invited as well and he was told that it was optional. He came and then was rude to the dogs! Shoving them aside and prompting me to call him on it, saying, "Don't shove them! They live here!" DB just made a face. I don't think that he said a complete sentence to anyone the entire "visit" and he had nothing to eat or drink. His body language indicated that he didn't want to be there and he made rude faces and gestures. Why on earth did he come? The only good thing that came out of that I was not the only one to notice this.

Grandma

As you may have guessed from Grandma's change of plans this holiday, she has not been feeling well. After her 911 call, emergency room visit and appointment with a surgeon, it was determined that she should be taking Metamucil. She eats whatever despite the fact that her diet hasn't been working for her. She continues to take her medicine in some random way, not as it was prescribed.

Christmas week, she said to my mom that she was ready to look at assisted living places first discussed back in June. Mom decided to strike while the iron was hot and they took a tour of Abbotswood. The tour went well and Grandma asked to see a second place, Independence Village. I'm not sure if she is on the waiting list for Abbotswood or not. She started talking about placing furniture in the apartment there...

That about ties up the loose ends from 2007.

Goals

I'm working on my goals for 2008. I'm making good progress on them but I may need to modify a few

• core, I saw the YogaFit stuff and was inspired
  working on core but haven't gotten the DVD and probably won't
• try mountain biking and hopefully get a bike (and use it!); got a mtb, using it
• English century; still looking, in fact, I'd love some suggestions for this. It may be that I work on climbing more -- enter the 3 Mountain Madness 75 and figure if I can climb Pilot...
  
• climb better. I feel that I was not a very good climber this year; working on it
• gain some speed; working on it
• stay healthy; working on it
• Tour de Cure in June, MS150 in September; entered TdC (MS150 registration isn't open yet)
  

Alien bunny slippers

alien_bunny_slippers.JPG
Originally uploaded by j_m_k

In which aliens kidnap DH by using innocent looking bunny slippers (a la A Christmas Story but without the whole pink bunny suit)...

Secret Santa

Every year and e-mail list that I belong to does a Secret Santa gift exchange. In an earlier article, I mentioned that Hannah offered her Quality Control assistance with our outgoing package.

Each year, I hesitate before signing up for Secret Santa. I am always so unsure about what to get for the person whose name I get. I never really feel good about what I send. What do Rottweilers and Chihuahuas play with? Feeling a good bit of angst, I sent three (size appropriate) bone shaped toys in camo fabric, a rope bone, dog treats, a kong, kong stuffing, chocolates for the humans and a book called How to Have an Ill Behaved Dog (and I kept my fingers crossed that my recipient had the sense of humor that I thought she did!). On the other hand, I like reading about the secret Santa deliveries on the list.

As I see it, there are a few problems with SS.

• The sign up date is so darn early. The deadline for signing up this year was originally in October. I understand, in a way. People want to know who they are assigned early enough to order a special gift, receive the gift, wrap it and then send it in the mail. The other part of the deadline -- get it in the mail by December 15 -- is set by the Post Office. December 15 is the last day for mailing by parcel post with an expected delivery prior to Christmas. Unfortunately, some people on the list seem to think that the gift should have been received by December 15.
• The rules aren't really followed which makes me feel like I'm flying without a net.
  

  We try to set a limit at $20-$25. It is your prerogative to go over that limit, but you do not need to.

  The thing is, no one does that. So if the limit isn't really $25, where does that leave me?

Clearly these complaints aren't too serious. I participated again this year!

On Friday, we received a box from our secret Santa -- Elf Steph (aka, She Who Should Use Her Blog More). Elf Steph and her sidekick Reilly really outdid themselves and basically over did it. The girls received a Pink Pig and a similar sheep. Both the pig and sheep make a grunting nose that fascinates Emma. Hannah has been carrying one or the other around the house with her for days. They also received a bright orange retrieval kong toy for playing with outside and treats galore. Our elf also sent the human household members a gingerbread loaf (which Hannah attempted to claim for dogdom) and chocolate chip cookies and a cycling themed shirt and a desk calendar. Basically, it was an embarrassingly large array of goodies!
I only hope that my recepients enjoyed their package as much as we've enjoyed ours!

Update on The Talk

Well, I lunched with my mom on Wednesday and we did have The Talk about my birthday and my brother and it went relatively (ha ha!) well. Nothing was really decided but it was important to me to get the issue on the table. We agreed that my brother's problems are his own and my mom offered to talk to my dad about his role the situation.

We discussed a few options:

1. Status quo. Birthday celebration on my birthday at my house. Mom talks to dad to see if that will help.
2. Birthday celebration out at a restaurant, not on my birthday. Dog Christmas on another day.
   
3. Birthday celebration at my house, not on my birthday. Dog Christmas on another day.

I don't know that it will help at all but I do feel better having had my airing of grievances, albeit not at immediately after the Festivus as tradition would dictate. (Then again, with Festivus, there are no rules!)

After sleeping on it and discussing it with DH, I suggested that we give the second option a try this year. We'll see if it sticks or not!

The Talk

I'm having lunch with my mom this week and I need to gather my thoughts for The Talk. I've been dreading it. My birthday is on December 25th which poses some problems challenges. My major issues have related to the guest list and menu.

The major challenge that I have is how to deal with my brother. He is about three years younger than I am, he is single. He is now in language school. He does not communicate with the family much at all. In fact, I have not heard from him since last December despite the fact that I have contacted him multiple times since then. He is coming to the area on December 24th and I strongly suspect it has more to do with school being closed than the fact that he wants to see any of us.

Last year, when he was at my house, he made faces at what I served for my birthday dinner and he sat and pouted. My father spent most of his time trying to get my brother out of his funk. My brother seemed to make it clear that he was there because he did not see not coming as an option, not because he wanted to be there or to celebrate my birthday. Unfortunately, this is par for the course and I really I do not care to experience this again.

What I want to talk about with my mom is options. What are some good options that will allow me to celebrate my birthday -- preferably on my birthday -- and not have to deal with my pouting brother.

It would be very helpful if I could figure out what I wanted from all of this. As it stands now, I don't see a way for everyone to be happy.

Any brilliant ideas out there?

Happy Thanksgiving

This year my family had our regular Thanksgiving hoo-ha at my parent's place, about 30 minute's drive from my house. I was discouraged from riding my bike there, so I road in the morning and arrived by car with DH for our 2:00 summons. The usual suspects were all there -- my mom and dad, my aunt and uncle from France (OK, so they're not Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd), my grandmother, DH and me.

This year we are opted to forgo Grandma's inedible pumpkin pie in favor of pumpkin pie cheesecake provided by moi. We'll have to see if this is a new tradition or not. I do think that we've seen the last of the rock hard pie crust though!

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 4 cookie sheets)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325°.

Coat an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray, and sprinkle pan evenly with crumbs.

Combine sugars and cream cheeses in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add pumpkin and next 9 ingredients (through eggs), and beat well.

Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 325° for 35 minutes or until center is just set. Turn oven off, and partially open oven door. Cool cheesecake in oven 1 hour.

Remove cheesecake from oven, and cover. Chill at least 8 hours or overnight.

Source: Cooking Light, December 2005

Otherwise, we had our traditional Thanksgiving -- fresh turkey with mom's cornbread stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, baked sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, black olives, homemade dinner rolls, Grandma's fruit salad, green beans...

It was a really nice visit and I think that a good time was had by all. What a nice day!

Mom's birthday festivus

Last night we met my parents at Border's for a coffee. We gave my mom an early birthday gift while we were there. I picked up a nice piece from King's Pottery in Seagrove after I finished the Rolling in Randolph ride last month. The other part of her gift, a Carolina Hurricane's game, is on Friday.



Happy birthday Mom!

Hannah's birthday

(imported from FB, used original posting date)

5:41pm Sunday, Aug 5

Hannah turned thirteen today and she had an opportunity to leap for liver. I made Leaping for Liver "cake" for her and filled it with a "ganache" of ricotta cheese and then frosted it with sour cream.

Hannah shared her two layers of canine heaven with her sister, Emma.

Leap for Liver
From Real Food for Dogs, by Arden Moore

1 pound sliced beef liver (save the juice)
1/4 cup water
1 small box corn muffin mix (Jiffy brand 8.5 oz size)

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a food processor or blender, blend the liver one slice at a time on high until liquefied. Add a little water as you add each slice.
• Pour the corn muffin mix into a large bowl. Then add the liver liquid and mix thoroughly.
• Line a 7-by-9-inch baking pan with foile and spray the foil with nonstick spray.
• Pour the liver slurry into the pan.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the middle springs back at your touch.
• Cool and cut into small cubes. Store the cubes in resealable plastic bags in the freezer.

Hannah's cake was two layer Leap for Liver goodness filled with ricotta cheese and frosted with sour cream.

A Busy Fourth

(imported from FB)
11:00pm Wednesday, Jul 4

I had a busy Fourth of July this year. Fun but busy!

I started the day with the annual Firecracker 100k bike ride. Over 1000 riders take part each year. This year I participated in the Firecracker for the fourth time. In 2004, I did the 50k as my first ever group ride. I rode in the 100k in 2005 as my first ever metric century and I did the 100k in 2006 and again this year. The route starts and ends in Cary, NC and heads south through Holly Springs towards Fuquay-Varina and the heads west along NC42 through Cornith towards Moncure. We go north around Jordan Lake, with its heavy holiday boat traffic and head back into Cary via the farm land in the Green Level area.

There some hilly sections, especially along NC 42, where I hit 41 mph on one of the downhills. Of course going up the other side was a lot slower!

In the afternoon, my parents came over, brining grandmother too. We had grilled chicken and a lot more vegetable matter than my dad would have liked! I think that everyone enjoyed the visit.

My mom brought over some treats for the girls. She made a special stop at Gourmutt’s Bakery to get fancy dog cookies for them. Hannah and Emma both appreciated it!

An Early Father's Day

(imported from FB)

9:41pm Wednesday, Jun 13

I will be out of town this Sunday so we had an early Father's Day gifting event tonight. I met my parents for coffee and surprised my dad by giving him his gift this evening.

I heard all about the big trip to Napa and Monterey. They mentioned the tour and lunch at Domain Chandon. The sailing trip from Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Jelly Belly tour (and bag of Belly Flops), and the penny slots at Lake Tahoe. Both of my parents looked happy and relaxed.

They also said that my brother, who is stationed on the Monterey area at the moment, is doing well. Dan seems to have found a good niche for himself.

I ended up getting my dad a bottle of Domaine Chandon Pinot Noir, a bottle of Chandon Blanc de Noirs and a box of Tar Heel Chocolate Terrapins.