Winter...almost

Yesterday morning we walked the dogs around the neighborhood. It was majestic and breathtaking and absolutely exhausting to shovel.

The most wonderful time of the year.

I just love this time of year. My house never seems as pulled together as it does during the holidays.

Autumn

Sunrise

Fall in Blacksburg

Promotion = success!

The weekend has passed successfully and I am so proud of my now Major husband. The ceremony was short and sweet, which is good because it was darn hot in the direct sun Thursday at 3:30 in the afternoon.

September will be a crazy month for us, with the promotion last weekend, the Rick wedding and Joyce baby christening this weekend and the DiSorbo babies christening in two weeks. That's two trips to NY in as many weeks. Yippie! It's a good thing our dogs love us soooo much.

Additionally, on the 21st of this month we have our first meeting with a social worker to get our home study started. Woah. We're still processing that new development.

Oreo Truffles

Yum. These truffles from Bakerella are so simple to make and so tasty! I expect they will be a big hit at the promotion party this Saturday. And the best thing about them is that they can be made several days ahead of time, refrigerated and brought out at party time.
The day has been spent cleaning, straightening and munching on Oreo bits. So far, a pretty good day.

Lucy: before & after grooming

Easy Tuna and White Bean Salad

For dinner last night I threw together my version of a salad I remember from my childhood. I would have used more basil if I had it, but it was very good nonetheless. Here's the recipe:
In a medium-sized bowl combine one can of tuna, one can of great northern beans (drained and rinsed), one half pint of cherry tomatoes sliced, chiffonade 12-15 basil leaves (stack the leaves, roll them tightly and then slice, creating beautiful thin ribbons of basil). Crush two cloves of garlic. Mix well. Add some extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and pepper to taste. I like to let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to give the flavors time to marry, but it's up to you. This is one super simple 10 minute dinner! We ate it with Wheat Thins, but if you'd rahter not have the carbs, eating this with a fork is equally tasty. Yum.

The fridge must be cleaned!

Next week my darling husband will be promoted to the rank of Major in the United States Army. (These times are ripe for many many major jokes. And they will never get old!) To celebrate the auspicious promotion we will be having a big party here, in my little ole house, for approximately 60 people. Lest you think that extreme, get this: There will be 13 people. in-law people, staying in my house for the entire weekend. Plus, it's a VT football weekend. All of these factors add up to a very stressful but not particularly sober weekend. In the week preceding the first arrivals I have been making lists. And lists and lists. There are the bathrooms up for their annual scrubbing. Floors that will need a wash. And towels that will need to be purchased, so that everyone can have a shower if she so chooses. I am a very thoughtful host.
Meanwhile, I am a SAHW (stay-at-home-wife). I think it seems logical, fair even, that I would be able to accomplish all of these housewifey tasks in between the dog walking, the yoga practicing and the absolutely necessary daily nap. And it will all get done. And I will walk around, admiring the hardwood floors that haven't sparkled so brightly since we moved in 13 months ago. And I will fish for compliments. And we will have a great visit with the whole family.
I expect my darling husband home from work any minute now, and in anticipation of his return home I started to make dinner. I haven't been grocery shopping recently and so I had to be creative. I began by removing the large salad spinner full of basil. The basil was so funky that I was overcome by the urge to skip making dinner and THROW EVERYTHING OUT. Refrigerator now purged I am faced with a very disappointing fact. Before any in-laws set foot in my house that fridge must be cleaned. Or, maybe I'll go shopping, stock the fridge, and no one will be the wiser. Perhaps I should call this blog adventures in lazyland?

Motivation

Why is it that thirty minutes of self-led yoga can seem like an eternity? Why can I put off cleaning my windows for months, literally months, but then when I'm 15 minutes into my yoga practice, I'm overcome with the need to CLEAN THOSE WINDOWS NOW.
Today was day five of my thirty day yoga challenge and when I weighed myself this morning I haven't lost an ounce. Not a single ounce. Suddenly my motivation to complete this challenge had evaporated. The thing is that yoga isn't (only) about weight for me. It is relaxing. My body feels better when I practice. I enjoy it. So why does five days of practice with no measurable weight loss begin the mental battle against this beneficial practice? I guess the answer is the same as always; I am a self saboteur of the highest order. So my challenge remains. I did my thirty minutes today and every day this week. It continues.

Yoga Challenge: 30 days/30 minutes

Yesterday was day one of my yoga challenge. As if it were New Year's Eve, I have challenged myself to practice yoga every day for the next thirty days for at least 30 minutes. Today, day two, I am on track. Both yesterday and today I used my Laughing Lotus audio class and it is working well for me. When I gain a little more confidence (confidence that I will continue, not confidence in my "yoga ability") I may start to play around with using a few of my massive DVD collection or even practicing on my own. I noticed that my arms and lower belly are sore this morning and I think that is a great sign that I actually accomplished something yesterday. I am hopeful that this will be the nudge I need to get back into a regular practice. Eventually I'd like to feel strong enough to go back to teaching...but one step at a time. First, I must finish my yoga challenge.

Learning my way around a camera

I own an amazing (for me) camera, the Canon Rebel XS. As of a few weeks ago I had never used anything other than a point and click, or as my step-mother says "A camera that only requires a PhD to use. Push Here Dummy!" Har-de-har. So my challenge is to learn how to use the camera in a manner worthy of the Canon Rebel. By way of demonstration, here is one of the first pictures I took with this awesome camera, on automatic mode: Hi Jack! It's an ok picture, for automatic mode and no photographic knowledge, but it it not going into a picture frame any time soon.




Here is a picture of Lovely Lucy that I took a few days ago, experimenting with various shutter speeds and aperture settings: Yikes! Hello , washed out Lucy!










And this evening, after a moderate amount of self study, I experimented in full manual mode and while I have eons and eons to learn, I have to say that I am pleased with my progress so far. Here are my two favorite (read: only) models. The light wasn't ideal and neither were the various contortions I executed trying to get these guys to sit and stay. But I am proud to say that I am moving in the right direction. Eventually I'll learn about composition and lenses and I will bankrupt my family with this hobby!

Quinoa "Salad"

I don't know if I'd call this a salad, a pilaf or something in between, but it is healthy, easy to make and tasty and that's all you really need to know.

Here is what you will need:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 package extra firm tofu
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
White Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt

Start by preparing one cup of Quinoa according to the package directions. For more information on quinoa and all things healthy check out 101 Cookbooks grain tutorial.
Meanwhile, chop one medium zucchini, one medium yellow onion and some (I used most of a pint) grape or cherry tomatoes.


In a skillet heat approximately 1 Tbsp. olive oil over med-high heat. Add the onions and stir periodically for about two minutes, then add your zucchini, stirring until it turns a bright green (about another minute or two) and then throw in the tomatoes and some cubed extra firm tofu. Splash in some white balsamic vinegar, to taste and allow the whole skillet to saute for another minute or two, stirring a few times.


At this time the quinoa should be ready and you're just about done. Place the quinoa into a large serving bowl, mix in the sauted vegetables and for the final touch splash some more olive oil and vinegar on the salad along with a healthy dose of sea salt, to taste. Mix it all up and you're ready to enjoy a super healthy quinoa salad. Or pilaf. Or whatever you want to call it.

July, clouds and the joys of pet ownership.

Today is the perfect day for a walk with the dogs followed by a cup of tea. Sometimes I miss being by the ocean, but the open space and clean air of Southwest Virginia is hypnotizing me into considering a forever after in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Welcome Home

Well hello there. Welcome to our quaint little family blog. Why start a blog, you ask? I've decided that since I am no longer a productive member of society, the most logical next step in my life is to become a blogger. Just kidding. Actually, I think this will be a nice way of chronicling our life since we live soooo far away from just about all of our friends and family. Come back often for updates, pictures and chronicles of how I'm spending my time, now that I am a SAHW (stay-at-home-wife).