Gratituesday: foods of summer

Back in business.

My kitchen,that is.

After several weeks of things being  not where they are supposed to be,
we are almost back to normal.

Garden is kicking!

So, this week to celebrate, we are eating.

Lots of delicious home cooked meals.

I am fortunate that I like to cook as much as I like to eat.  I am not sure which I like more, to tell the truth. I am also very fortunate that my husband will eat whatever is put before him, without complaining. He is a champion of non- pickiness.

But, he also loves really good food, so that inspires me to be a good cook as well.

My kids are good eaters, one being a foodie of sorts and the other being, well, a second child.

She hates spicy foods and doesn't really care for shrimp or cantaloupe. Weirdo.

I have had a strict policy since they were babies of eating 5 bites of whatever is put before them. No special meals, no catering to one kid (except the spicy thing), no chicken nuggets everyday. That works for some families, but not for ours. I want adventurous children who will be gracious guests. Yes, they don't like certain things. Yes, the youngest will ask for other things when she can get away with it (like when she  is at my sister's house). But,  you have to try it. 

Except for peas. I hate peas, so peas are not served at Casa Swann.

This policy has allowed both of them to have a wider palette than most kids. Meaning we can go eat Indian or Thai on vacation.

But I digress. 

The kitchen is open for business. It is summertime and the living's easy.

And the veggies are bountiful. And I am grateful for my kitchen and my family of eaters.

This weeks Eating High Menu

stuffed poblano peppers (from my garden), Tex Mex burgers, sauteed kale

grilled corn crust pizzas with pesto, goat cheese and chicken

Sloppy Joes, roasted green beans with balsamic mushrooms, sauteed kale

Black bean and goat cheese quesadillas and sauteed kale

PS. I am still in love with the Olympics. Every second is so exciting. GO USA women's soccer rematch against Japan!

Dirt: My list is back

After a seriously long month...July is over.

I am both a little sad and a little glad.

Sad because summer is my favorite season, bar none. I love heat and flip flops and gardening and...

well, all of it.

But also a little glad because July was construction and grief.

 

We are almost (fingers crossed) done with the construction. At least inside our house.

We are almost back to normal, or at least normal for my house.

 

Art is almost all back

This is normal at my house

So, I am starting August with a list.

 

The rest of the year will be gone in a flash and there are things I still want to accomplish.

 

So without further adieu...

 

 

Rest of 2012 Carry Me Through Gotta Get It Done List

• Read the remaining 22 books on my list of want to reads this year
• Get my kids to eat more protein for breakfast
• Do my "Powers of a Positive Mom" daily Bible readings. 
• Exercise 5 days a week and keep a journal
• Finish the construction inside: counter tops, closet doors, paint trim and ceilings
• stain deck
• replace columns on front porch
•  Finish Christmas shopping by October 31
• Get a hobby
• Organize my office
• Clear clutter (sell or purge unnecessary items)
• Get my kids to stop eating in the living room

That is enough for now. August will be busy with pre back to school sleepovers and actual back to school, end of summer guests and final summer meals.
Ah, summer...I love you. 

Dirt: My mother.

I am not sure where to start.

 My mother passed away two weeks ago very unexpectedly. My sister called to tell me she was in the hospital  and 24 hours later, she was gone. I drove to Murfreesboro to be with Karen at the hospital and to tell my mother goodbye. The whole experience was surreal. 

There was no will or even discussion, at least while we were adults of plans. 

We had to decide about very adult things like quality of life and funerals.

My sisters and I all had different relationships with my mother.

My was tense and difficult to say the least. We had not spoken in months and what communication we did have was via email, which was easier for me.

However, she was my mother and when I was little, she was a very good one.  She taught me silly songs, introduced me to my love of music and musicals, and made me my favorite meal on my birthday (Lima beans and cornbread) and tolerated the way I played with Barbie dolls -ripping off their heads repeatedly. I was a weird kid to say the least, but my mother never made me feel like I was.

My just younger sister, Karen was closer and she is truly bearing a heavy grief. She lost not only her mother, but also the grandmother to her children and indeed a friend. Picking up the phone  to chat is no longer an option and that is devastating to her.  My baby sister, Jennifer is a champ and her relationship, though strained like mine, was stronger.

We all have mothers. As women, our relationships are complicated as we grow up and try to find our identity apart from our mothers. I watch as my daughters try to emulate my behavior and break away at the same time. Mothering is not easy.
My mother was not a great mother.  However, she gave birth to three really dedicated and awesome mothers. We have all learned from our  childhood experiences and have taken the great qualities that she had and made them our own.
My mother was a good listener and could help solve any problems that were not her own.
She also had a razor sharp quick wit that truly was unique and she was very silly. The last two qualities helped her get through the tough times in her life, many of which were caused by her lifelong depression.

I see all of these in my sisters and me.
We all are silly, and humor carries us through the difficulties we face in our lives as mothers, wives and human beings.Both of my sisters are great listeners who can make you feel like your problems are the only ones they care about. We all share the wit in varying degrees, but the sharpness is mine. Whether that is good or not is to be debated, but it is my inheritance and I see it in both of my daughters as well.

Grief is a sneaky bastard. You think you feel one way about something and then BAM! Grief sneaks in and opens up doors that have been closed for years. You think you have dealt with the situation at hand and then WHAM-O! Grief sneaks back and starts the cycle over again. Lovely.

So, as the weeks move on and we tie up loose ends, we will hopefully move onto pleasant memories and the heavy burdens we are carrying now will be lightened. Our hearts will remember her as funny and caring and forget about the things that caused us strife.

She was our mother and she will be missed.