Wordless Wednesday

 

  

Olympics!!

I am so excited for tonight.  Opening Ceremonies!!  I look forward to this every 4 years.  I LOVE the Winter Olympics.  Yes, the Summer Olympics are fun to watch, but the Winter ones really give me warm fuzzies.  I just can't get enough of the speed down the slopes and around the tracks.  I am not sure where this love comes from, especially since the only thing I personally enjoy about skiing is sitting in a lodge sipping a warm drink.

The Olympics are so close to us this year.  I really wanted to go.  I wanted the kids to experience the Olympics first hand.  Feel the energy.  Surround themselves with International culture.  I would be happy to be there even if we did not have event tickets.  I tried to get them.  I was on so many wait lists.  But, alas, it was not in the cards this year.  I will be watching them from my warm couch.

Whistler, BC holds a special place in my heart.  It is where Lamar and I went for our honeymoon 12 years ago.  We have been back several times and I am sure we will be back in the near future.  Pictures of the event venues on Whistler Mountain were being shown on TV this morning and Shianne thought it was cool to see a shot from the same place one of my favorite family photos was taken, high atop Blackcomb Mountain, looking across to Whistler.

For the next two weeks, Lamar will be an Olympic Widower.  I am sure he is fine with this, since I have been a football widow for months! 

Mommy Nora Beth

I often wonder if the girls ever pay attention to the way I do things and what they will pass on to their children.  This morning, Nora Beth announced that Baby Alex was hungry, so she fed her.  This is obviously behavior that she sees me doing many times a day.  You are such a good mommy Nora Beth!

Wordless Wednesday

This is a new post of a new weekly theme on Wednesday's...Wordless Wednesdays...just some random pics from the week with no words.  Enjoy the quiet.  Shhhhh

Hot Tamale

I have been wanting to try my hand at making tamales for quite some time.  It always seems like quite a large project to take on by myself and to make it worth your time, you might as well make a large quantity.  Since tomorrow is the Super Bowl party we are hosting, I thought it would be a great time to make my first attempt.  Of course, Lamar gets really nervous when I try out a new food on unsuspecting guests.  I had faith in myself and got to work.

I searched on-line for a recipe and consulted several of my cookbooks.  I never found a recipe that I really liked so I just improvised.  I made up my dough with masa harina, butter, shortening, chicken stock, salt and baking powder.   For my filling I used chicken, onion, salsa and taco sauce.  All the recipes I was looking at were using a green salsa to mix with the chicken or pork, but I prefer red, so that is what I used.

I mixed the dough to a spreadable consistency and started slathering it on the corn husks.  I then added the filling and rolled it all together. The process was actually quite simple, just time consuming.  After I got a few done I got a feel of the process and it became quicker.  I can see why more prepared people usually do this in an assembly line with others.  Next time I will have friends over and be drinking margaritas during the process!

 

After they were all rolled, into the steamer they went.  I did not have an official steamer so I improvised by using my large canner and created an elevated surface.  I was actually quite proud of myself for this improvisation.  A little over an hour later, the tamales were done.

 

 

I barely had the tamales out of the steamer before Lamar was on quality control duty.  He was rather surprised by how well they turned out.  I am really happy with my first attempt.  I made about 100 tamales...I hope this is enough for the big game!

Yin Yang

 

Yin and Yang have arrived at our house.  Lamar thought it would be a good idea for Shianne to have two rats.  Yes, I said TWO RATS!!!  Shianne is so excited to have them.

I personally find it rather ironic that we have De-Con in the basement and attic, but we have rats for pets.  Go figure!

Mom

Today is my mother's birthday.  She would have been 64 today.  She is someone that I think about often, but yet, do not know much about.  I was only 8 when she passed.  I have a few memories.  I have heard some stories growing up, but yet, I really do not know who she really was.  I have had so many more years without her, than I ever had with her.  What were her thoughts?  Dreams?  Wishes?  Plans?

As a mother myself, I cannot imagine not being there for my children as they grow up.  With everything I have had happen health wise over the past few months, this is a thought that has come up.  What would my children remember about me?  What would they pass on to their children?  What would they treasure?

I have so few things that my mother ever touched.  I don't even have a photograph with the two of us.  I do have her hands.  They are also my grandmother's hands and my great-grandmother's hands.  I did not pass these hands on to my daughters.

I am making a commitment to having more pictures with me and my children.  Since I am the one who is always behind the camera I will have to enlist the help of others.  I hope to post these here, for you to see and for my children to treasure.