A Very Happy Holiday

Having two weeks ina row with four days off, at home, was so luxurious. I cut out a little early on the 23rd and went home to buzz about the house. On the 24th Mike and I treated ourselves with a trip to the movies. The 10:20am Invictus show was empty and besides us there were only 4 others. The movie was so great and only got us more excited to plan our 2011 return to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup (yay!). Afterwards, we stopped into Meijer to pick up a few odds and ends and then went home to enjoy a nice dinner (3 fishes!). Christmas was just as nice. Mike went hunting, I went upstairs and wrapped presents while watching "Love Actually". That is such an amazingly good movie and it was great to watch it on Christmas morning. We opened our presents and then ventured over to Charlie and Sarah's for a little Christmas with the Sageman's. We made crepes with either ham & cheese or a berry compote for a delicious and light lunch/brunch. We played Wii for a while and then headed over to Mom's for Christmas with the family. We had soups and sandwiches that were delicious and we had lots of fun. Saturday, we made two batches of beer at the winery and relaxed some more. Finally, Sunday we capped off the weekend with a final Christmas party with the Moore's.

New Years was just as nice. I took Thursday off and went to hang out with Tiffany, Nathan and the family. It was a really nice time. Then Mike went hunting again before we headed into town to have New Years with Nate, Tara, Denise, Chris, Nicolette, Tom and Amanda. Sooooooooooooo much fun. I didn't get too tipsy, but I sure enjoyed being with all of our great friends to ring in the New Year. the rest of the weekend was enjoying my hubby at home and a deer hunt for Mike with Ben, Will and Smurf. What fun!

Pictures...

Christmas is Coming Full Throttle

Ha! That kinda sounds like a hokey Christmas action film doesn't it? Well that's kinda how life has been the last week or so. Mom's Annual Christmas Open House was last Sunday and it was a dousy! We were nose to the gristmill for 2 weeks to pound out the finishing details for the party. Mom's new-old house was glistening in it's Christmas glory and the community showed up to check it out and eat to their hearts content. I will say that the "Italian" inspired theme this year turned out some pretty amazing food. I was a pizza baking machine during the party. It was tough to navigate around all the people and shoes, but I think it all turned out grand.

Mom & Dad Keenan came north late Saturday afternoon and we had a little Christmas Sunday morning with them before the party. It was nice to just relax for a moment, have breakfast and open presents. I made fritatta and Mike whipped up some of his soon to be famous sweet potato home fries for breakfast. Mmmmm, they are yummy! Mike got some of the hunting things he had wanted and I got some perfume and several other wonderful presents. Momma K was an awesome party prepper as well during their quick visit. She came over to Mom's both Saturday and Sunday to help. She also did some very important sewing on a Christmas/Birthday present she was transporting to New Hampshire for us. Let me just say, they turned out great and I hope Christy loves them!

We also had a Cooking Divas christmas party last Friday. It was a very nice dinner out (with the hubbies) at the English Inn in Eaton Rapids. Besides the snotty waiter we had, it was a super fun evening. Had some delicious food, yummy wine and we really enjoyed our company. It was neat seeing the cozy Inn in the winter.

Looking forward to a couple of days off and a lovely holiday : )

Hip hip hooray!

Hip hip hooray and a round of applause for my husband! He passed his PE exam and will shortly be an official Professional Engineer. We went out for a celebratory dinner Tuesday night and it was a sweet celebration of hard work. I am so proud of him. He kept telling me how relieved he was to have it over with. I do believe I am just as relieved as he is. I'm pretty sure it was just as painful on my side of the isle making him study as it was on his side actually doing the studying. Being the wonderful husband/person that he is, he called me and excitedly told me his results and then told me thanks for making him study so hard.

It's nice to be appreciated for the hard work I had to do convincing him to study! And it's wonderful that he's going to be a PE for all his hard work studying and test taking!

Inspiration

Last night Mike & I had over our friends and newest neighbors (note: country ideas of neighbors is different than most... they live within 10 miles of us) over for dinner and I got to be the hostess with the mostest. I love playing hostess and cooking up a feast. Last night was a roasted red pepper fougasse, Moroccan pot pie and mixed green salad. It was topped off by Brian's delicious "gluten free" apple pie. It was so much fun, not only because our friends are great, but because I love cooking for people. The kitchen is just one of my happiest places.

So then, this morning I was reading one of my favorite foodie blogs, David Lebovitz's Living the Sweet Life in Paris, and a vision of inspiration came to me. I've been looking for something to make me more fulfilled in an creative sense and I think I've found it. On David's blog I was reading about a private supper club in Paris that was donating a place at one of their dinners for the Menu of Hope fundraiser that David is hosting on his blog. (A really fantastic cause by the way, all money raised gets donated to the United Nations World Programme's Purchase for Progress program, which assists low-income farmers to raise crops and support their local economies.) Anyways, back to the inspiration, I had heard about private supper clubs/underground restaurants before and thought that I would love to belong to one.

What would be better than that? How about hosting one? A private, members only dinner where I could spend a whole day cooking an amazing dinner that I could share with other people who enjoy great food. My friends and I often remorse about the vast lack of good restuarants in our area. I don't have the time or ambition to start a cafe or restaurant, but what if I could create one once a month? Sounds extremely fulfilling and utterly like something I was called to do. If I hadn't had our friends over for dinner last night and read that blog this morning, would this ever have occurred to me? It's amazing what the smallest things in your life can combine together to inspire. Excited about the possibilities...

I get by with a little help from my friends...

What would you think if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me.
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song,
And I'll try not to sing out of key.
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm,I get high with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends.

That's what I've been doing for months, whilst not blogging. Hanging out with my friends and family (which are included in the friends category as well). More details you want? Well let's go in reverse chronology because that's the way my memory seems to work... if it works at all. : )

This week I finally went with Mom, Dad and Ben to the ASTA conference in Chicago. Mom and Dad have been going longer than I've been alive and I've never been although I've been asked many times. Mom and I got pedicures and did a bit of the Magnificent Mile. Very fun time and as we were walking back from our shopping on Wednesday afternoon the snowflakes were huge and beautiful.

Last Sunday we had a super fun day with the family. Mom, Dad, Dana, Scott, Suzzy and family came over to our house and then we went to get Christmas trees together! So much fun! We arrived back at our house after snowball fights and 3 trees chopped down to have soup and bread. The amazing soups included Carrot & Squash Ginger soup, Turkey Barley Vegetable and White Chicken Chili. Delicious!! Mike got the tree in the stand this week and I think tonight we will do some decorating.

Last Saturday we had a baby shower/diaper party for Zach and Sarah Stewart. Both were very nice and then we scooted into EL for a birthday dinner for Nate. It was really nice getting together with everyone. We ate at the new hot restaurant in town, Enso, and I will say that it was good, but I think not quite worth the money. I'm not sure if it is the result of a packed house and a kitchen and staff stretched thin... but it definitely won't be a place we return to for dinner anytime soon.

Thanksgiving was a super fun trip to Ohio. Mike's family are all wonderful and they can cook great too! Dinner at Aunt Donna and Uncle Ron's was delicious. We continued my much treasured traditions of the pottery lottery and the thankful napkins. I was delighted to write on my napkin that I was thankful to spend the weekend in Ohio with family and I got 2 gorgeous bowls in the lottery. Aunt Debbie is so talented! We even turned the family onto geocaching and we went caching after dinner. We found two caches with the whole family and it was sooooo much fun! We did some projects around Mom & Dad's house and we also did some more caching in Columbus. It was great fun. We also had a bit of a strange, but good outing on Saturday. We had Mike's 10 year High School Reunion. It was certainly a different experience for me because so many of my high school commrades still live close to us and still are in contact with each other. Maybe it's the differnce of growing up in a small town vs Columbus. It was still strange to meet lots of people who Mike went to school with, especially because I had only ever met one until that evening. It was at a pretty cool location in the Arena District and we had a good time.

DALMAC - Part 2

Day 3

Day 3 our trip was from Lake City to Boyne City and it was 92 miles. Day 3 was the day we began to hurt. This was certainly the most challenging day we faced. My knee began to hurt, Samone hurt all over and Mike's toosh was starting to get sore as well. The ride was very rewarding though, for all of the hurting it did. We had lots of big uphills and just as many big downhills. On two occasions we went through huge long chutes that were exhilarating and beautiful. The scenery was great all day. We passed several lakes and traversed lots of wooded backroads. Samone was very ill feeling in the morning and I was worried that our SAG may have to come pick her up. I'm very proud to say that she toughed through it and was feeling considerably better by the time we took our lunch break. I'm pretty sure her illness was due to dehydration from the day before. I began pushing liquids on her like a crazy person when she began feeling ill and it helped tremendously. This day also included the dreaded "Wall". I read someplace that it is like a 24% grade. Let me illustrate... that means that over 1 mile the hill drops 1,267 ft. I also found this on a biking website and it seems to ring true:

What does this "grade" number mean?

• 0% grade is exactly flat (and a negative grade, less then zero, is downhill).

• 2% grade does not seem very steep, but it's enough to substantially reduce forward speed, and for most riders it will absorb more than half their power output.

• 6% grade is enough to cut speed to well under half, and absorb more than 80% of a rider's power output (leaving less than 20% to fight air resistance and rolling friction).

• 10% grade, and anyone who is not a fit and frequent rider is off their bike walking -- and anyone who is not a racer is reaching for all the extra power they've got.

Hmm... Seems pretty accurate to me! Samone and I made it about half way. I think we both could have went a bit farther but I had two problems. I was absolutely terrified of A. the hill (it freaked me out) and B. the fact that my feet were clipped to my pedals and there was the possibility that I would get going so slow that I wouldn't be able to get my feet out and I would fall flat on my face. So I slowed wayyyyy down because of the hill steepness and ended up quitting earlier than needed because I was scared of spiking my face on the pavement. Samone unfortunately was right behind me and had no choice to stop as well because I was blocking her. Mike on the other hand went all the way up and sat down the whole way (not to be macho, but because he geared down too far and couldn't stand up). It was hard to even walk up the hill after we got off our bikes! We were so releived to be done with the Wall that we underestimated the 10 miles we had left. It was a very hard day! We were so happy to get to the RV and the nicest high school we stayed at on the trip. That night we were all aching and sleepy. Mike and I ventured on foot into Boyne and found some ice cream/sorbet while the SAG crew and Samone went to Traverse for a visit with Mom, Dad and the Swansons.

Day 4

Day 4. Why do we look so excited in the picture? Because we made it to the final day! We were up and out about 7:15am and we were excited that it was only a 70-some mile day to Mackinaw. It was an awful wake-up climbing out of Boyne City. Big hills to get out of Boyne and I went from chilly to sweating in about 15 minutes. My knee was still bothering me to no end, but I was hoping that it would subside. The final day was a very pretty one. We rode along all kinds of lakes, including Lake Michigan. It was pretty. My knee unfortunately, someplace in the tunnel of trees, took a turn for the worse. I was trying very hard not to cry. It was extremely painful at every pedal. We stopped for a break and a kind fella taped me up to try to help. At our lunch break I took drugs and on we went. All of us were pretty uncomfortable in our seats. Our bumms had had enough! It certainly wasn't our best pace day. I was having a hard time keeping up. Again, someplace in Wilderness State Park I had to stop because of pain. Some lady (read angel) was breaking there as well and offered to rub my knee for me. I was crying by now because it hurt so bad, but the "angel's" knee rub helped. I was able to make it the rest of the way, plus one more stop and another knee rub by Mike. We were all so excited to ride into Mackinaw HS and we had quite the welcoming committee when we arrived. I can't even describe how great of a feeling it was to hear them hollering for us; Mom & Dad; Suzzy, Scott, Joey and Lisa; Scott's sister and brother-in-law and Stephen and Ashley; and Scott's mom & dad - 12 people!

WE DID IT! 323 miles in 4 days. What an adventure!

Riding into Mackinaw HS

DALMAC - Part 1

I said I would write it and I wasn't lying. Here is a narrative of our extremely challenging and rewarding bike tour from East Lansing to the Mackinaw Bridge.

The beginning is always a good place to start and so there we shall start. For anyone who doesn't know, I take my niece and nephews on a trip every year. We call them the Auntie-Niece and Auntie-Nephew trips. I let the kids pick where they want to go.One day last fall I got a phone call from Samone while I was at work.

She said, "Aunt Becki, I know what I want to do for my trip next year..."
I said, "OK, what do you want to do?"

She then informed me that she wanted to do the DALMAC. I'm pretty sure my response began with, "Do you know that it's like 400 miles on a bike?!" and it was followed shortly with, "Ummm, I guess I need to buy a bike..." So this is how it began.

Samone decided that Uncle Mike could join the Auntie-Niece trip as well and we all bought bikes. Shortly after beginning training, we all bought padded bike shorts. Very needed. We trained for about 2 months and we rode about 700 miles in our preparation. I began to feel pretty comfortable on a bike. This was pretty dramatic for me because when Samone suggested this trip I could barely ride by myself, let alone with people without fearing I/we were going to crash! Training went well and we bought all kinds of things to prepare for the ride. We had spare tires, tubes, electrolyte chews, a bike pump, etc. And then, whether we were ready or not... it was time to go.

We drove Charlie's truck into the MSU Pavilion early Thursday morning with all three of our bikes and plans to meet up with Suzzy and Lisa (German exchange student) for lunch at our house because the route went within 2 miles of our house. We got someone to take a picture of us all before we took off, but it wasn't a great picture as you can see.

Day 1

Day 1 was great. We took off about 8am. We were so excited to be on our way and the lunch stop at home with grilled pizzas was delicious. It was mostly flat from East Lansing to our first overnight stop in Vestaburg and a pretty easy 73 mile day. We were into Vestaburg by 2pm or so and Suzzy, Scott and Lisa (our awesome SAG support that were driving an RV for us to sleep in) weren't even there yet! We beat our support vehicle to the 1st stop! We had a nice relaxing evening getting settled into the RV together and making adjustments here and there after our first real day of riding. Mike, Scott and the girls went to the football game while Suzzy and I had dinner and relaxed in the RV.

Day 2

Day 2 started about 7:45am. We were trying to get on the road earlier, but suddenly it was 7:30 and we knew we needed to get going. This was going to be our first test day. We had 89 miles to go and we were a bit intimidated by it. We headed out of Vestaburg and then we had our first unplanned stop. Samone was riding along and a car that drove by startled her. She went off the road a bit and got a flat tire. We were headed downhill, so she had to shout ahead to me of her problem and I in turn had to shout ahead to get Mike to stop. Mike pulled out all of the supplies that we had spent hundreds of dollars on for this very instance and we discovered we had a problem. The spare tube that fit Samone's tires was not on any of our bikes. Whoops! So we called SAG support-Scott and he lept into action. He headed out of town towards us with the tube and we began pulling things apart to see what we could do in the mean time. We had some patches and by the time Scott arrived we already had it patched and Mike was putting the tire back together. We decided to ride the patch and see how far it got us (foreshadowing.. Man I'm quite the writer, lol.). Off we went patched and feeling good about surviving our first breakdown.

The day continued and was very challenging. The last 10 to 20 miles of all of the days seemed like they took hours and hours and hours to complete. It was of course in these last few miles, when we were all exhausted and excited to rest that we had our second unscheduled stop. Approximately 1 1/2 to 2 miles outside of Lake City, Samone's tire patches gave out. Sweaty, dirty and exhausted we stopped to fix the flat. My suggestion of trying to fill it with air and riding it soft into town was a no-go. It wouldn't even hold air for 20 feet, let alone 2 miles. This time we had the replacement tube that fit and Mike expertly changed it out. We rode into Lake City to finish our day. We were relieved to be off our bikes, looking forward to Suzzy's cooking and a shower, after completing our longest ride yet.

To Be Continued...

Down on the Farm

Guinness getting his first bath.

I've been working hard this week on projects. Most of my immediate projects are focused on the cold weather coming. Because it's going to be here before I know it! Last night was an annual bath for the goats and a thorough pen cleaning. Being gone and having friends do chores for us, two things happen. First, the goats are inside (not in the pasture) and that makes more waste on the floor for me to clean up, in comparison to when we're home. Secondly, our fantastic friends (I mean it. All who help us are amazing!!) that take care of our animals while we are away, do not clean barns. Not that I would ever expect them to, but it means when we are gone weekend after weekend... it just piles higher. Ugh.

Cleaning the barn.

All of the goats, except Pepsi, did not enjoy their bath. The two little ones, Tui and Guinness, wanted nothing to do with it. Bell I thought would be a bit calmer, but I ended up chasing her around the clothesline and almost falling many times. Pepsi, is my wonderful and calm goat. She chilled out and even gave me some kisses while getting her bath. What a sweetie!

Pepsi and I at bath time.

The big project this weekend, if we can avoid the rain, is the chicken coop. I would be ecstatic if Mike and I could get the remaining construction done so that I can get it painted, all the goodies installed and the chicken run up in the next week or so. I am going to need several weeks to get the small red barn cleaned out from the chickens and ready for the goats to live in again. I cannot wait to get some of these things done. It will make life for us, the goats and the chickens so much better!

Tuesday.

09/12/09 Bonfire picture from Nick's surprise birthday party in North Ridgeville, OH.

I'm not feeling creative and "Tuesday" is all I could come up with for a header for this entry. Not very exciting, I know.

But, we have as always been doing lots of exciting things and maybe that is why I can't muster some exciting heading. I've already used up so much excitement in doing. Last weekend was a treat for both Mike and I. He was gone golfing and I did a great many things with friends. Then we got to spend time together on Sunday. I had a super fun slumber party with Denise after my all night kitchen bonanza on Wednesday. We stayed up until 2 something and talked and talked and talked. What about? I have no idea. We just hadn't seen each other in such a long time and we had lots of stories for each other. Friday, I got some drinks and did birthday shopping with Stephenie after work and then I drove to Chris & Nicolette's for a bonfire. It was a nice night. Saturday morning I slept in, went to the farmers market, went to a Pampered Chef party, visited Mom at the winery, went shopping with Suzzy and then out for dinner and drinks with Suzzy and Lexie. Quite the day! Maybe that's why most of Sunday Mike and I just vegged out together. We did go to Suzzy & Scott's Sunday afternoon for birthday celebrations of Samone and Lisa. But, otherwise we hung out watching movies and random TV on our very comfortable sofa. On a the birthday topic, Lisa's favorite American food, just like Felipe, is cookies. So, Mike made cookies for part of her birthday present. Seriously, they were the most delicious chocolate chip cookies he has ever made.

***Little known fact. Around our house, I am not the pastry chef. I may be the head chef and even the bread baker, but I do not have the propensity for the baking of sweet things. I very much like to eat them, but they take a real concentration, commitment and some exact measurements to make... and these things are not virtues I posses, currently. (I kinda like to fly by the seat of my pants, whilst in the kitchen.) So, Mike is the official pastry chef around our house and he can make a killer cookie!*****

Last night I got a good deal done around the house and I am planning on more of the same this evening. I made an area in the barn for the storage of car cleaning items and I removed the two months worth of bug guts from my now shiny new car. I need to get some wax and a few other things to help me maintain the Forester, but I'm happy with the progress I made last night! I also have plans to get some yard work done before the frosts come and that means I need to get my rear in gear. There are a couple of trees I'd like to plant and a couple of planters I'd like to build. We shall see what I can achieve in the coming weeks.

Marathon Over...

I've been trying to catch up from the chaos that has been the last 2 months. Mike and I, as of this weekend, have been gone for 7 weeks straight with two exceptions. One weekend we were home and Mike's parents were visiting and this weekend I am home and Mike is gone. Craziness... Amidst all of the things we've done, we succeeded at the DALMAC. It was absolutely exhilarating and we are all in favor of repeating the journey next year. But maybe on a different route. The east route rather than the west. A full narrative is yet to come.

Mike left yesterday to go on his annual golf vacation with some of his college buddies. I took full advantage of it and lingered in the kitchen all night. It was wonderful. It's amazing how I am at my most relaxed in my kitchen. I took the wonderful cookbook that Kate got me for Christmas, The Silver Palette Cookbook, and opened it up randomly. I landed on a White Bean and Sausage Soup. It's delicious. I'm still licking my lips after eating a bit more of it for lunch today. I will say that it was a little arduous for a normal weeknight. This may be something more for a lazy Saturday or a Sunday early evening meal. But, seeing as Mike wasn't home professing how hungry he was and hurrying me along, I took my time and made the soup to recipe. I was also making ice cream and cleaning the kitchen at the same time. I cleaned and organized my freezer upstairs and when I looked into it this morning... it made me smile. I love when all the frozen food products are organized by type and placed on the shelves accordingly. I took some things to the chest freezer and brought some things back up. It will be nice not to have to run downstairs to find something when I would like to have it defrosting already. Ice cream making was an absolute success and I needed it after a certain incident...

Well there were actually two incidents, that I had the last time I was making ice cream. We won't get into the details, but it has to do with trying to be an over-achiever and Walker proclaimed that I was very angry after said incidents. A lesson that I oft learn, I need to focus more! Regardless, the mint chocolate chip on special request from my lady Sagemans looks gorgeous and is very tasty too. I made chocolate in a gelato style and added in some chocolate chunks before going into the deep freeze. Since quality control is very important, I tested it as well and it was great. The one thing I forgot was to strain the mint chocolate chip. I distracted myself by wanting to make sure I got it into the ice cream maker asap and left out that important step. Hopefully, it won't be a fatal mistake. I had a caramel once that I didn't strain and definitely regretted.

Today, I'm enamored with ice cream and absolutely was drooling when I found David Lebovitz's blog, while searching for interesting ice cream recipes. I think I covet his job/life currently. I know it is a sin to covet, but seriously?? Living in France, Paris to be exact... testing recipes, writing recipes and cookbooks... milling about the countryside eating with friends. Dreamy... Oh crap, I'm realizing now that I've spent way too much time dreaming about cooking and I better wake up from my fantasies and get back to work on real estate!! Ugh.

Maybe his life isn't that terrific really...

Who am I kidding? It's the image I have in my dreams and I like that image. I'm going to continue to pretend that life really is perfectly dreamy like that for someone and could be one day for me too...

Lovely Weekend. Now Time to Get Ready for the Big Show.

Well, I got the house back into one piece by the time Mike's parents arrived on Friday night. I was also excited to have Walker come over and spend the night, since school starts soon and I won't see him very much. Walker makes me smile and laugh so much. For such a serious young man, he certainly likes to enjoy himself. Mike & Diane visiting was a treat as we haven't seen them that much this summer. We are going to go to Ohio the weekend after Labor Day for a super quick trip to say hello, so we'll be seeing them a couple of times in a short period. We had a nice day on Saturday, we visited the Farmers Market, the Charm Shop and then took a trip into Threadbare Fiber Arts Studio. Momma Keenan has been wanting to check out the store for quite a while now and I was excited to surprise her with a trip there. The boys tagged along and weren't as enamoured with the knitting shop as we were. It was great fun. We tried very hard to find an argyle sweater pattern for Christy to no avail. But we did pick up some yarn and a snazzy pattern for some fingerless gloves for me and various other yarn goodies! Saturday evening we had a great dinner with my Mom & Dad, the Keenan's and Walker. Walker told me earlier that day that he wanted to stay at my house because it was fun. Alas, I told him that he had to go home that evening. But, it is my goal to make Auntie Becki's house fun all of the time, so that was a big pat on the back for me!! Sunday morning we took a 35 mile bike ride. It was Samone, Mike, Momma Keenan and I. We rode from MSU, down the River Walk through Lansing and then back to our house. It was actually one of the most challenging rides I've done yet!! My bike seat loosened and my rear-end was killing me and we were riding into an extremely strong headwind the entire time!! We stopped in DeWitt for a snack at the nicest park though and we still had a great time despite the difficulty of the ride.

Now it's time to get ready for the big show. DAL MAC is right around the corner. We will begin in East Lansing on Thursday morning and travel 317 miles over 4 days to the Mackinaw Bridge. Sunday and yesterday we went to various sporting goods stores collecting the odds and ends we didn't yet have for the ride. Tire patch kits, tire tubes, etc etc... Suzzy is planning the food and we will pack up the RV on Wednesday night with all of our clothes and whatnots. I'm pretty excited to be doing such a big ride, considering that last year at this time I didn't even feel that safe on a bike. Now it seems connected to my bottom end! I think Mike, Samone and I are going to have a fantastic time. I'm looking forward to see what we run into along the way. (For Samone, what kind of animal she might run into!! Heh.) Wish us luck and good health - Mackinaw Bridge here we come!

Cleansing...

Cleansing seems to come in so many different ways. One of my favorite forms and it seems to be one of my most rewarding tasks is redecorating and cleaning. I got on a terror-streak last night. Mike went golfing with Charlie and came home to find the house literally tore apart. Heh. You should have seen the look of confusion on his face.

I had pictures down, paint out, curtains and blinds, picture frames, knickknacks and power tools strung about the lower level of the house. It was a sight of utter disarray and craziness. Here I am in leggings and a t-shirt, corona in hand scrubbing the baseboards and filling nail holes and Mike just smiles and shakes his head. I flew through the living room, dining room and bathroom changing out, cleaning and re-arranging everything I got my hands on.

Mike adjusted rather quickly and began to pitch in. He hung some pictures and a window covering, fetched cleaning supplies for me and gave opinions when asked, like a champ I must add. He began to fade at midnight or so and I was just picking up steam. I pushed on into the bedroom and by 2:30am decided it was time to call a truce. I did have to get to work eventually. In my frenzy, I even moved the bed, while Mike was sleeping in it, to put in a new side table. He barely even noticed, even though I moved the bed a foot and a half! heh.

This morning I hadn't even lost steam. I got up and hammered away at the laundry and my closet. I began a clothing/jewelry purge project awhile back and I finished bagging stuff up for that this morning before going to the Secretary of State to get a real license plate for my car. I even did some cleaning in the kitchen before I left as well. What's gotten into me? I have no idea, but I'm loving my design sense right now. When I was turning on the Today show this morning I looked over and saw the side table, then I patted myself on the back, and thought about what a genius I am... Heh.

Going to use all the creative/project juices I have while they last. Wish me luck!!

Yes! I Knew Beer Was Good For Me!!!

This new discovery has made me jump for joy and thoroughly validates how much I love beer! It's good for me!

Check this article out, Beer May Strengthen Bones, Study Finds.

Maiden Voyage for the Forester

For those who missed the car debacle... I wrecked the civic and bought a new car. I guess there really is more to the story, but who wants to hear it? No one, so I will move on to the good stuff. I bought a shiny new 2010 Subaru Forester. It's black with black interior and it's pretty. I love it. I miss the civic, but green was not ever a great color choice for a car. Pardon me, anyone who thinks forest green is the bomb, I just tend to disagree. Mike and I decided to take a road trip to meet our newest niece in New Hampshire. With the new car it sounded like a grand idea. And really... it was!

Last week we left for New Hampshire approximately 9pm on Tuesday and arrived Wednesday morning. It was a beautiful drive across the boring part of New York in the dark and then the sun came up somewhere in the Catskills. Gorgeous! We drove through the Green Mountains in Vermont and down to Manchester. When we arrived the precious Helena was catching some beauty sleep, so we took a little nap as well. We all woke up later to give hugs hello to Doug and Helena and to eat some excellent Indian take out. Vegetable Vindaloo = yummy.

Thursday with Doug at work it was the best day for Mike and I to scoot up to the White Mountains and go hiking. Christy and Doug recommended some hikes and we settled on Mt. Peirce and Mt. Eisenhower in the Crawford Notch. Mt Pierce was our main uphill and we summited the 4310 ft in time for some lunch. We met a nice couple from CT that had a huge camera and a nice dog named Juno. I really liked Juno. Mike did not like our other visitors for lunch. Little black flies that ate the living crap out of us. Still itching some of those bites as I type, ugh. We continued onto the Mt Eisenhower Loop and summited the 4761 ft mountain. It had some amazing views all the way to the top and we took some fantastic pictures. After a small snack... leftover candy from Nate & Tara's wedding (heh)... we headed back down to re-summit Pierce and then take the Mizpah Hut cutoff down for some different scenery. The 10 mile hike was a little bit challenging and lots of fun. Doug made an amazing stir fry that night with Thai Basil. Still can smell the basil. So yummy.

Friday Mike and Doug were on a mission and so were Christy and I. Mike and Doug dug a drain field for the sump pump in 96 degree weather. Boy did they smell awful and Christy and I got pedicures. Sounds fair right? I thought so. We also went to dinner at this fantastic kitchy tex-mex place in Milford for an an adult night out. Christy re-aquinted herself with Jose. They missed each other terribly. Delicious food, a gluten free menu, local beer and great company.

Saturday Mike and I took a very hilly bike ride and we played with Helena since we were leaving soon. Christy and I also made a ton of food for dinner. I mean a ton of food! Delicious but I kinda ate way too much. Then we took off at 3am to head back home. Will definitely miss Christy, Doug and Helena. Helena is beautiful and I whispered all kinds of things in her ear about the exciting Auntie Niece trips we will go on one day. But, the good news is that we will get to visit them again in a handful of weeks in Columbus. Hooray!

Tonight, has been a nice relaxing evening, we got the bikes over to D & K to get them tuned up for our big ride. I cannot believe it's only 2 weeks until we'll be headed to the Mackinaw Bridge on bikes! I stopped by to see all of the Sageman's tonight as they were all gathered at Charlie and Sarah's. Was nice to see all three of the little cousins together. Very cute and very rowdy. During chores I also have been trying to do a few extra things each night and Pepsi got a pedicure tonight. She wasn't that enthused, but then she was glad once she began to walk about and her feet were shorter. Guinness was doing pretty well, but awful shy still. Mike and I banded him last night and gave him his pedicure. I'm pretty sure he wasn't a fan of the whole banding process. (Note. Banding for those non-farm friends is the process of poor Guinness losing his sperm producers.) Tomorrow night hopefully I can get Bell's front feet done and maybe some garden work. I want to get some more garlic in and maybe some late onions?? We shall see. I better get to the checkbook reconciling that I've been avoiding by blogging instead.

August is Exhausting

We have been doing so much in August that I'm exhausted! After our excellent trip to see the concert, we got ready to camp back at the pond for the Community Group Campout weekend. It was really nice that a whole bunch of us actually camped there back all weekend this year, instead of going home at night. There were so many people because everyone is having babies! I swear we've tripled the size of the group in just two years with all of the new kids. It was fun seeing all of the new community group babies do what we grew up doing all those years ago.


The biggest adventure of the weekend was roasting a goat. Mike & Will have been talking about eating a goat as long as we've had goats (approximately 2 1/2 years). I have absolutely denied them a taste of any of my goats. So, they found an alternate route to the goat feast they were looking for. They bought the grand champion from the Clinton County 4-H fair and we ate it this weekend. It was quite the adventure! I was in charge of cooking reconnaissance and supervision. The boys did all the hard work. They butchered the goat on Friday night. Then I seasoned the two halves up and put it in the fridge for the next day. All in all I bet hanging weight it was maybe 35 lbs. (note. Much smaller then they lead me to believe, I had lots of extras for seasoning.) I did copious research and came up with some guidelines for cooking it. The most astonishing thing I learned while researching is that goat meat is even healthier than a skinless chicken breast, amazing!! We kept the roaster around 200 degrees and it took about 7 hours. The boys tended it all day and then cut it up for dinner. I seasoned one half with lemon, olive oil, rosemary, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper, very traditional and the other half got a treatment of tomato and Worcestershire. There was much like and dis-like and a great divide between which flavoring was best. I guess I'm glad I did two different ones! I have some adjustments that I would make for the next time, but for a first goat roasting experience... it was a good one. I will say that seasoning such a large hunk of meat is tough work.

I had so many laughs and a fantastic time over the weekend with all of our family and friends. Now we're excited to head out to New Hampshire! Mike & I began packing up last night to go visit Doug, Christy and our new niece Helena!!

Lists

I've had this internal list for quite a while. Like most people (I assume) I have this list of things I want to do someday. A "Bucket List" if you will, or even if you won't... He.

I recently got to complete one of the items and I am super excited to say I am still basking in the glow of this item. I have been in love with one musical artist, more than any other, since I was in high school. I cannot deny that if I had to choose a favorite artist, it would be her. Tracy Chapman and her soulful, touching music and songs have captured my life and helped me decompress from the adventures that life has thrown me.

Tracy Chapman made a stop in Ann Arbor, MI on her short US tour (only 15 stops!) promoting her new CD Our Bright Future. I was lucky enough to get fantastic seats - 4th row center - for Mike & I and we went to the concert on Tuesday. Now, I know that Ann Arbor is not the most fantastic place in the world to see a concert. Especially because Mike & I get ill as soon as we get a whiff of that blue & gold toxicity (GO SPARTANS!), but we had an amazing time. Tracy sounded perfect and I even teared up a bit as she began the concert with a few of my very favorite songs. I knew every word to every song and to the annoyance of those sitting next to me, I'm sure, I sang every song at the top of my lungs. Pretty much the best concert I've ever been to.

So I'm excited to continue marking things off my internal list of things to do and heck maybe I'll even see Tracy in concert again before she stops touring.

Sometimes You Want To Go...

...Where no one knows your name... duh duh duh...

I have been struck by the most terrible flighty bug of late. Probably for the last 8 or 9 months I've been craving an adventure. I want to leave my responsible adult life and try something new. I've really been struggling with it. I'm not really sure what has triggered it. My possible answers to my own questions are (in no particular order) 1. Finally finishing up my last few classes for my bachelors degree? 2. Having a child for a year? 3. Living in the same place for too long?

I just feel so locked down and permanent. Most people enjoy that feeling and unfortunately, it's driving me crazy! What to do? Thank goodness my wonderful husband said he'd follow me the world over if he needs to. What an amazing man.

I watched this expedition show on Discovery and it made me just want to take my pack and start walking. I read about another explorer that trekked from Beijing or something back to Germany. It was 3000 km. A totally insane idea, I know, but I want to do something crazy. Push to do something that few others have. Discover new places, new people, new things about myself...

I picked up On the Road by Kerouac after my visit to Hilary in January. It didn't help the itch I was already having and then my obsession was only fueled more by my recent discovery of my heritage. My grandfather traveled the railroad during the 1920's like a hobo. **Hello Revelation, my name is Becki.** He even got arrested once for being a vagrant! He just hopped on a train and went across the US. I had been wondering where my wanderlust came from and I don't think I have to ponder that question any longer.

But, the question that still remains is what to do about it???

**On a side note, I would like to emphasize (and re-assure all of my family that is reading) that I do not want to be arrested like my grandfather... for being a vagrant... or for any reason. He.

Month & a Half Flew By

2009 is pretty miserable so far. At least it's half over. June and July have turned out to be a couple of the worst months yet. On top of totaling my car, we've had a number of other family tragedies and it's been very stressful and sad.

Luckily God has a way of inserting bright spots along with the very awful to make you feel like continuing on. This weekend was no exception. Becky came up to visit us and we spent an awesome time hiking the Manistee River Trail. We had perfect weather and a fantastic trip. Becky came out of the woods with a slightly tweaked ankle, but was feeling better after rest and relaxation on Sunday.

I was also very lucky to become an Auntie once again!! Christy and Doug brought beautiful Helena Rose Smart into this world Saturday, July 18, 2009. Auntie Bunny and Auntie Lindsey were there to see our new bundle right away! I cannot wait for the weeks to tick by so Mike and I can drive out to see our new niece. She is so beautiful and I can't wait to whisper to her all the fun things we will do together as she grows up.

The garden is screaming for help and tonight we are taking a break from DAL MAC training. So, my plan is to head out to save it from the weeds! Maybe some pics tomorrow of the garden, homestead, goats, chickens...

Thursday=Super Fun Day

Yesterday was both a fun day and a productive one. I worked super hard in the morning at the office to get as much done as possible and then Sarah picked me up to get some lunch and do a bit of shopping. We had a really good time and we both found some great deals. I used some gift cards that had been haunting my tote and I'm especially excited about my new yellow heels, new santoku knife and a bridesmaid dress for Hilary's wedding! Then I zoomed home to get Felipe and we ran several errands. I did chores at home and then Sarah I went to a very enjoyable Cooking Divas. Finally we went to Ben & Steph's house to have a few drinks with Amy.

To top it all off my diploma came in the mail. What a good day!

Under Water and Still Breathing

Sometimes I get myself so busy I feel like I am drowning all of the time. Ok, ok I'm sure my family will correct me so I will say instead, MOST of the time I get myself so busy that I feel like I am drowning. But surprisingly enough the last few weeks haven't felt like that. I've been insanely busy with planning parties and work and getting our exchange student back home to Brazil and the garden and the animals and friends... but right now I feel calm. I feel relaxed and great. Even though I'm under water, I'm still breathing.

I think maybe I've grown gills. :)

Only Two Weekends Left...

Well, another fun and busy weekend down and only two more to go with Mr. Felipe. This Friday we had a very fun time wishing John, Katie and Daniel a bon voyage. It was definitely bittersweet. We will miss all the fun times we have with them as they head to Minn for John's residency. Sure will miss them...

Saturday was a lazy morning and then into EL for some bike shopping with Miss Samone. I'm excited for her to make a decision so that we can get training!! I also made a return. Yes, I said a return. I rarely actually ever return items to a store, but I did it. It wasn't really that hard at all. I just had to make the time to drive to said store and give the item back to them. Why then I ask myself, if it isn't that difficult to return things, WHY don't I ever do it? I have the best of intentions. I put the ill-fitting article of clothing in the bag with the receipt and then it takes up a spot in my room for months and I never return it. I end up sending it to goodwill, tags and all. What is the inhibiting factor to me in returning items? I'm not sure that I'll know. I can only hope that this is a turning point in my shopping career, from here on out I'll return at least some things... I hope.

Sunday was a big day, graduation day for Felipe. It's hard to believe we've been through a whole school year already. It's also hard to believe that Felipe will be going home in just two weeks! Louco! Graduation was nice, but long. Kirk's (HS principal) speech was very nice as always. He is a great speaker. The rest of the speeches were the bland graduation type you'd expect. Felipe looked snazzy in his blue cap and gown as he walked across to get his diploma. Unfortunately they slaughtered his name. Felipe Ferreira Lisboa Luz is apparently not too easy to say for the average American. Ah well, it was nice all the same.

Afterwards we went to Mom's where we had dinner. All the food was delicious and I ate way too much. CJ was our main source of entertainment. The best was when Mom gave him a full chocolate chip cookie. The happiness on his face was amazing. We all laughed and laughed as he trotted around happy as a lark eating his cookie. We also ended up watching a movie before dragging ourselves home. We watched Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler. I loved it! I guess it just shows how much of a kid I am, but I enjoyed the whole movie. What fun.

A small report on the Duck Massacre 2009. We have two ducks that are going to live. The one that I mentioned before has been named Lucky Ducky. The second, who I wasn't sure about I think will live. I had to do a minor surgery on him/her last night. Walker has named him/her Mr. Quakers. Mr. Quackers kept opening his mouth and panting kind of. Last night I gave him a thorough looking over and discovered that his nostrils on his beak were plugged. One needle and some poking later... whola, he can breathe! I am a miracle worker, ha! Very happy that maybe in a week or so Mr Quackers will be doing well enough to join Lucky Ducky and the chickens.

Neighbor Dog & Up North

Well, unfortunately last night we found out who the culprit was in the duck massacre 2009. The neighbor has a Siberian husky that got loose and he was kind enough to come over last night and offer to pay for our loss. I thought that was very nice and responsible of him, but it still sucks. To date we only really have one survivor. For the time being I'm going to call him/her Lucky Ducky. Anybody have an idea of a better name???

We had an awards night at the high school last night where Felipe was recognized for being an exchange student and for being a part of the Forensics team. He was the first exchange student ever to participate in Forensics and I am very proud of him.

I got some more things done for the garden last night. I got some tomatoes into the cold frame and also planted some bulbs I had forced indoors. Also the cilantro and dill I had started in the cold frame went out into the herb box. It's so nice to get some things done!! Mike went into town last night and bought a new hose. One of the ones we had was leaking so bad we had to toss it. I was hoping that it was going to rain yesterday as predicted so that I wouldn't have to water the garden, but it didn't. So I stayed up till 11pm so that I could get everything good and soaked. Then, of course, it rained last night or early this morning. That's how it always goes.

Two weekends ago Felipe and I trekked north so that he could see more of what Michigan was like. We went to Jordan Valley pathway where we had a gorgeous hike and then by pure luck we scooted over to stay with Ken and Janet Swanson on Mission Point in Traverse City and had an amazing fun visit with them. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and it was so pretty!! Lastly we made a banzai trip to the Mackinac Bridge so that Felipe could visit the UP (if only for a few minutes). Pictures below...

Up North 05-15-2009

Spring and whatnot

Have not been blogging for a while so I thought I'd just start and try to catch up. Can't catch up if you don't begin...

Last weekend was a fantastic holiday weekend that we spent in Columbus. It was gorgeous weather. It was also great spending time with the whole family. I was so excited to see Doug and Christy and my new little niece (to be). We threw a baby shower for her at the house. It turned out so nice. I was the main organizer for the shower, but I had tons of help and it turned out beautiful! Patricia was my visionary and we got told several times that we should think of party planning professionally. I have to admit, the thought has crossed my mind several times. I'm going to think about it some more and maybe something will develop eventually.

Fresh off of that party I have another party to work on today. Felipe's open house/going home party. It's hard to believe Mike & I have been parents of a teenager for almost a year. We will miss him. I need to get some invites designed today. Brazilian colors, here I come!

This morning was a sad day for our little farm. Our first real taste of varments. We've had some minor wild animal problems in the past (thinking of an interesting story with Mom, me and a raccoon) but this morning 5 of our 9 ducks were victims! Something dug under their outdoor cage and wrecked havoc. I'm pretty bummed that my duck and turkey venture this year did not go well. I guess that's part of farming and learning. On a happier farm note, the baby goats and the goats in general are doing great. They are looking healthy and happy.

Lastly, I got an enormous amount of gardening and yard work done yesterday. After we got home and the car unloaded, Suzzy came over and we got the Farmers Market garden planted. I'm looking forward to the market this year. I think this year we will be just a bit more organized than last. Baby steps. I always have these big visions of what I want my projects to turn out like. Sometimes I have a tough time living up to my visions... But I learned my lesson (at least a little bit) about the market. I still have the same vision but now I realize it might take me a bit to get to it. More detailed garden updates soon.

Clear Roads Beckoned Me....

Well, we've finally lost all of the snow and ice. It's still very cold and the skies are occasionally sending down some flurries and rain, but nevertheless the roads are staying clear. I was in the barn last week saying hello to the pregnant goats and my bike (her name is Mari) was hollering at me. She (my bike) clearly stated that the roads were clear and ready to go now and she didn't want to wait for warm weather to get out of the barn. I begrudgingly realized that she was right and if I had any hope of surviving the DAL MAC later this year I better get going now. So, 4 days and 38 miles later, my keister is sore!! But, I've been really enjoying the evening light that we gained on Sunday. I've been getting an average speed of 10 miles per hour in the cold and wind we've had this week. For an extremely winterized (ie. out of shape) body I think that's pretty good. I'm excited to try a longer ride this weekend and spend a couple of hours on the road. Hopefully the sun stays out!

Last weekend was our annual Dodd-Moore Reunion. This is basically an anniversary celebration for Mike & I. Three years ago the Dodd/Keenan/Stephenson/Voison family ventured to the far north to join Mike & I at my parents house for our engagement party. The next year they did it again for our wedding and then we didn't want the visiting to stop. Cause, gosh darn it, we like them! So for the last two years we have been doing an annual reunion. We invite Mike's family and all of our wedding party and our family to get together for a weekend party. The last two years have been here in the far north. We've had a fantastic time. We drink, eat and play lots of games. From bowling to pictionary to a hike in the rain or in the dark field we just have a good time. This last weekend was no exception. We drank lots of wine courtesy of Momma Moore and Cork & Bottle Winery. We went on a great hike at Sleepy Hollow and ate some delicious food. I cannot wait until we travel to Cleveland next year for the big todo!

Hmmm...

Well, it took me a bit to update on the detox. But here it is. All went well until Friday evening. I tried to do the saltwater flush Friday evening and again Saturday morning. I achieved bloating and feeling awfully sick and not much "flushing". I made through the rest of Saturday, but by Sunday morning I was barely functioning and I caved. I switched over to a different detox program and I feel better to say the least! I'm back to real food again and I'm still feeling good. I have analysed what happened and I have the perfect mix of detox programs for my body for the next go 'round.

I don't know if the lack of food gave me a cooking buzz or what, but I have been going nuts lately. For many of my creations, I was very proud of the results. Felipe was excited for my first pudim. I think it turned out pretty well. I'm going to try a different recipe next time. I've attached some pictures.

Saturday, Mike got us some tickets to a Saginaw Spirits game and it was really fun. Felipe got to see a hockey game for the first time, even though the Spirit lost. Felipe has just about covered the sport spectrum now since he's been here. He's gone to a MSU football game, a Tiger's game, a Piston's game and a hockey game. Hooray for sports!

Sunday, once I got feeling better I wanted to head outdoors. Mike, Felipe and I decided to explore the Maple Rapids State Game area a bit. We headed into Section A of the flooding zone and had a lot of fun scooting across ice and trying to find which way to go. We didn't make it too far on our chosen path, but we have plans for our next exploring trip there.

February 2009

Sick of Feeling Sick

Well... after an incident on Wednesday night. I decided I'm sick of feeling sick. Now that I've finally got some of my hormone issues under control. I'm tired of other things going haywire. So I decided to try the Master Cleanse/Lemonade Cleanse.

It basically is no food for a period of time while you force the bad stuff to leave your body. I was going to try to wait until it was a bit more springy, because spring and fall are natural cleansing periods for your body... But, I just can't take it anymore!

Today is day 1. So far so good. I made my "juice" up this morning and have been chugging it down. I'm being a little mental because lunch time is coming. Lunchtime is when you normally eat, not drink some juice and think about food. It's kind of a bummer right now. I'm going to blog through it and then I can see the process I went through after it's done.

Pictures!!!

Talahassee 2009

Ice Skating!

MSU Bowl Game - Florida 2009

Holiday Season 2008

Back in the saddle again...

Eventually I knew I had to get back to blogging. Apparently the time has come. I have been striving to get more things in my life as organized as I would like them. It certainly has been helping with some things. I have been pushing myself into the mantra, "Things must be hard before they are easy." So I have been doing many things that I have been putting off for ages. Like cleaning my office. I attacked it this weekend. I have thrown out so much paper that has been clogging up my life. It felt AMAZING. Now when I go upstairs, everything is filed and I can sit down at the desk and actually do work. What a miracle.

Life has been flying by fast and furious of late. We have done so many things. I'm planning on posting some pictures from the holiday and whatever else has happened of late. This weekend made me realize how much I have yet to learn as far as being an animal caretaker. It also made me realize how good my instincts are and that I should trust them always. I will always listen to those who are more educated than I (veterinarians), but I will not feel so unsure of my instincts the next time something goes wrong. Because if there's one thing I've learned from my farm animals... Something certainly will. I also learned how wonderfully blessed I am to have people surrounding me that know so much about animals and are willing to help me grow, learn and survive having animals.

Bell stopped eating and excreting waste (nice way to say not pooping or peeing..hehe) on Friday. This mirrored Vernors symptoms exactly. For any who do not know, Vernors was one of our original goats and she got sick and died a day and a half later. The vets could not tell me what had happened to her. I was freaking out! Luckily, I eventually calmed down and Mike and I called the vet and Denny (my savior). The suggested a few things and I had suspicions of other things. We went and got some medicine from Denny and had a good talk with Pam and Denny about the possible problems. They agreed that both my ideas and the vets were plausible. We started treating for both things Friday night. By Saturday morning, Bell was up and about and eating happily. Whew! I am very excited that Bell and her babies to be are ok. It was an intense weekend, monitoring Bell and deciding what needed to change at our farm to fix the problem.

We decided to move the goats away from the chickens until we can build a new home for the chickens. Mike and I worked very hard Sunday morning cleaning a space in a different barn for Bell and Pepsi. And then Mike spent the day making a beautiful new pen in the big barn. I will take some pictures tonight and post them when I post the others. I'm going to make it a goal to build the best, yet cheapest chicken coop possible. Wish me luck!