Tuesday, September 23, 2014
29 | 37
This song is my anthem right now. It says everything I want to and musically it has the kind of composition that I find moving. Makes me want to sing at the top of my lungs. It's my anthem because it draws me back to what's important, what matters... in this world of overstimulation and everything competing for my attention, this song instantaneously zeroes me back to the point of my existence. And gives me goosebumps to boot. :)
Thursday, September 18, 2014
29 | 32
We transitioned Aidan to a "big boy bed" this week after I found him like this when I went to get him up from naptime one day:
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Mommy was not pleased.
Aidan has done pretty well with the transition. We converted the crib to a twin bed that is low to the ground, but unfortunately doesn't have side rails. He's managed to fall out one time so far, but that's not so bad, I guess. And he seems to be enjoying his new found freedom of being able to get out of bed when he wakes up. This has not been so fun at 5:30 a.m.
Today Michelle was over during Aidan's naptime. We were enjoying the cool weather on the back porch when all of a sudden we start hearing honking, like someone's car alarm going off. It starts, and then stops, and then starts again. Suddenly I realize Aidan has gotten out of bed and has found one of our sets of keys and is pushing the panic button. Sure enough, I run in the house and there he's standing in the dining room holding Michelle's keys. We promptly put them somewhere out of his reach.
About ten minutes later, the doorbell rings. Michelle and I both went to the front door to see who it was; when we opened the door it looked like a repairman had come to call. But the guy just said, "Wanted to let you know your truck is open, too." Apparently he had been around for the car alarm show. I smiled and said, "A toddler found the keys." He said, "I heard the trunk release clicking over and over again... I wondered what was going on." Ha!
Aidan has done pretty well with the transition. We converted the crib to a twin bed that is low to the ground, but unfortunately doesn't have side rails. He's managed to fall out one time so far, but that's not so bad, I guess. And he seems to be enjoying his new found freedom of being able to get out of bed when he wakes up. This has not been so fun at 5:30 a.m.
Today Michelle was over during Aidan's naptime. We were enjoying the cool weather on the back porch when all of a sudden we start hearing honking, like someone's car alarm going off. It starts, and then stops, and then starts again. Suddenly I realize Aidan has gotten out of bed and has found one of our sets of keys and is pushing the panic button. Sure enough, I run in the house and there he's standing in the dining room holding Michelle's keys. We promptly put them somewhere out of his reach.
About ten minutes later, the doorbell rings. Michelle and I both went to the front door to see who it was; when we opened the door it looked like a repairman had come to call. But the guy just said, "Wanted to let you know your truck is open, too." Apparently he had been around for the car alarm show. I smiled and said, "A toddler found the keys." He said, "I heard the trunk release clicking over and over again... I wondered what was going on." Ha!
Monday, September 15, 2014
29 | 29 Eliada Home Corn Maze
This Saturday we celebrated toddler friends Maggie, Davok, and Rowan's second birthdays at a party at Eliada Home Corn Maze. It really felt like the first day of fall. The air was cool-- Aidan had to don a sweater that I brought just in case... that fit him last year but was laughably small this year. He's grown so much! Eliada Home is set in the countryside just outside of Asheville proper, and the scenery is beautiful. Blue sky, green fields, pumpkins and hay dotting the landscape... autumn has arrived.
It really is a great place to take young kiddos... There is the large corn maze, a mini hay bale maze for toddlers and young kids, a "spiders web" made out of rope to jump on, a "corn box" (a giant sand box filled with corn kernels instead of sand), corn hole, big tube slides down the biggest hill on the property, a hay ride behind a big tractor, and a "cow train" (a tractor pulling a train of carts painted like cows. We didn't go in the large corn maze (except when the hay ride took us through part of it), but we did all of the other activities which Aidan loved. He is at a perfect age for it, and it is just fun to watch him have so much fun. Joshua was working so I took the kids to the party by myself. It was an overwhelming prospect, but everyone else there was so helpful. Aidan was dying to ride the cow train, but I couldn't go with him. I strapped him into the seat and told him he was not allowed to stand up, but I was still really nervous, imagining him standing up and toppling out and getting run over by the rest of the train. I think Darren could see my unease and so he offered to walk beside the train the whole way. I was really relieved and took him up on the offer; he definitely got his exercise in for the day (he had to walk at a pretty fast clip and he was carrying Kaden in the Ergo!). Other moms and dads helped me keep track of Aidan and get him from point A to point B many times. It is lovely to have such a great group of friends.
After the party was over and the kids had wrung as much fun out of the place as possible, a group of us headed to Denny's for dinner. Joshua met us there after his shift at the hospital was over. It was seven adults and six children ages two and under... I'm sure we made quite a sight; with all of our high chairs and car seats we probably looked outnumbered! But kids eat free until 10p on Saturdays at Denny's, so you know we couldn't pass that up! Despite being plenty dirty and thoroughly tuckered out, the kids were really well-behaved and gobbled up as many chicken tenders as we could put on their plates.
A really fun day... we had the same birthday party there last year for the first birthdays of Maggie, Davok, and Rowan and it was fun to see how much the kids have grown and how many new babies have arrived since then! A new little brother or sister is in the picture now for Aidan (little sister Maddie), Davok (little brother Kaden), Rowan (little sister Ryleigh), and Maggie (baby Cates due in December!). Baby boom! Wonder what it will be like this time next year... :)
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| View from Eliada Home |
It really is a great place to take young kiddos... There is the large corn maze, a mini hay bale maze for toddlers and young kids, a "spiders web" made out of rope to jump on, a "corn box" (a giant sand box filled with corn kernels instead of sand), corn hole, big tube slides down the biggest hill on the property, a hay ride behind a big tractor, and a "cow train" (a tractor pulling a train of carts painted like cows. We didn't go in the large corn maze (except when the hay ride took us through part of it), but we did all of the other activities which Aidan loved. He is at a perfect age for it, and it is just fun to watch him have so much fun. Joshua was working so I took the kids to the party by myself. It was an overwhelming prospect, but everyone else there was so helpful. Aidan was dying to ride the cow train, but I couldn't go with him. I strapped him into the seat and told him he was not allowed to stand up, but I was still really nervous, imagining him standing up and toppling out and getting run over by the rest of the train. I think Darren could see my unease and so he offered to walk beside the train the whole way. I was really relieved and took him up on the offer; he definitely got his exercise in for the day (he had to walk at a pretty fast clip and he was carrying Kaden in the Ergo!). Other moms and dads helped me keep track of Aidan and get him from point A to point B many times. It is lovely to have such a great group of friends.
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| Aidan and Davok figuring out the hay bale maze |
After the party was over and the kids had wrung as much fun out of the place as possible, a group of us headed to Denny's for dinner. Joshua met us there after his shift at the hospital was over. It was seven adults and six children ages two and under... I'm sure we made quite a sight; with all of our high chairs and car seats we probably looked outnumbered! But kids eat free until 10p on Saturdays at Denny's, so you know we couldn't pass that up! Despite being plenty dirty and thoroughly tuckered out, the kids were really well-behaved and gobbled up as many chicken tenders as we could put on their plates.
A really fun day... we had the same birthday party there last year for the first birthdays of Maggie, Davok, and Rowan and it was fun to see how much the kids have grown and how many new babies have arrived since then! A new little brother or sister is in the picture now for Aidan (little sister Maddie), Davok (little brother Kaden), Rowan (little sister Ryleigh), and Maggie (baby Cates due in December!). Baby boom! Wonder what it will be like this time next year... :)
Thursday, September 11, 2014
29 | 25 Tom's Creek Falls
Maddie Grace is so cute. How are babies so adorable? Just walked into the other room where she is napping to check on her and my heart melted. One simple movement of changing positions as she sleeps and I'm a complete goner. Man, oh man.
Yesterday we went hiking again, this time out to McDowell County to the Falls Branch trailhead in Marion. It's a short trail, less than a mile, to Tom's Creek Falls, which neither Joshua or I had hiked to before. It's a hefty drive out there (an hour and a half) but it's a beautiful drive over the escarpment that rises between Old Fort and Black Mountain. (There's that word again... Joshua says it's one of my new favorites.) The trail to Tom's Creek Falls is one of the easiest around; the forest service has done a good job with clearing the path and even built a bridge to cross the creek at one point. Halfway up the trail the ground starts to sparkle... thin pieces of mica are all over the place. Turns out there's an old mica mine entrance across the creek from the falls; we explored that, too!
Aidan hiked the whole trail up to the falls on foot (rode in the pack on the way back to the car; man, he loves that thing). Joshua taught him how to use a walking stick which was super cute.
Sadly, the trail and the base of the falls were the most littered I have ever seen any part of Pisgah National Forest. There were plastic bottles and trash everywhere on the trail... in fact, when we first spotted the mica we thought it was pieces of plastic. Someone even abandoned a tent near the falls. It was sad. But the falls themselves are beautiful. You can see them through the trees as you ascend the trail.
At the base of the falls is a small pool that's perfect for wading (especially for toddlers!). You can climb the rocks and explore a bit closer if you're daring. Joshua and Aidan did that part while Maddie and I watched from solid ground.
We had a picnic lunch there and then hiked around the surrounding area, and some locals came up to the falls as we were leaving and offered to show us the "cave." Just a few careful steps over the creek opposite the falls and there's a short trail that immediately takes you into the mountainside. Rock walls climb 50 feet on either side of you and then there is the mouth of the mine. It's filled with water and seems to be really deep. The guy that led us there said that divers went in one time and couldn't find the bottom.
On the way home we looked up what mica is used for and found out that it is used for a ton of things! Joshua guessed makeup, and that is one of its uses. The sparkle in your blush and eyeshadow is from ground mica. I didn't know it, but these mountains have been mined for many substances, especially in the area we were in.
It was a fun day and I would recommend the falls for families with young children and for bringing out-of-town visitors to if they aren't up for a lot of exertion but still want to see some waterfalls. Feels a little more legit than just driving up to Looking Glass Falls and parking the car to get out and look, but it's not difficult by any stretch.
Today we've stayed home. Sweet and somber day-- anniversary of 9/11 and all the thoughts that accompany that... and a nice quiet day spent making batches of soup and freezing them for the coming autumn. Today I've put away chicken noodle, garden vegetable, leek and potato, and curried butternut soups. My version of harvest, I guess. :)
Yesterday we went hiking again, this time out to McDowell County to the Falls Branch trailhead in Marion. It's a short trail, less than a mile, to Tom's Creek Falls, which neither Joshua or I had hiked to before. It's a hefty drive out there (an hour and a half) but it's a beautiful drive over the escarpment that rises between Old Fort and Black Mountain. (There's that word again... Joshua says it's one of my new favorites.) The trail to Tom's Creek Falls is one of the easiest around; the forest service has done a good job with clearing the path and even built a bridge to cross the creek at one point. Halfway up the trail the ground starts to sparkle... thin pieces of mica are all over the place. Turns out there's an old mica mine entrance across the creek from the falls; we explored that, too!
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| Tom's Creek Falls |
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| Aidan and his walking stick |
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| Can you spot the waterfall through the trees? |
At the base of the falls is a small pool that's perfect for wading (especially for toddlers!). You can climb the rocks and explore a bit closer if you're daring. Joshua and Aidan did that part while Maddie and I watched from solid ground.
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| Hiking buddies again! |
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| The old mica mine entrance |
It was a fun day and I would recommend the falls for families with young children and for bringing out-of-town visitors to if they aren't up for a lot of exertion but still want to see some waterfalls. Feels a little more legit than just driving up to Looking Glass Falls and parking the car to get out and look, but it's not difficult by any stretch.
Today we've stayed home. Sweet and somber day-- anniversary of 9/11 and all the thoughts that accompany that... and a nice quiet day spent making batches of soup and freezing them for the coming autumn. Today I've put away chicken noodle, garden vegetable, leek and potato, and curried butternut soups. My version of harvest, I guess. :)
Monday, September 8, 2014
29 | 22 Gorges State Park
Today I woke up and wanted to go to Gorges State Park. It's quite a way's away in Transylvania County and the weather outside looked gray and dreary, but I've been reading these novels set in the time period just after the Revolutionary War that take place in Western North Carolina/Tennessee and I wanted to go to the visitor's center at Gorges because they have a great display on the early settlers and Cherokee history of the area. It's a long drive (about an hour and a half from South Asheville) and so we decided to tack on some hiking at Gorges to make it worthwhile. When Joshua first moved Asheville he went waterfall sliding at Turtleback Falls. We've been trying to find it ever since, to no avail. The old parking spot was closed off and you have to access it through Gorges now. Through some Google searching, we figured out that it was just past Rainbow Falls, also accessed through Gorges. So we set off on the Rainbow Falls trail after spending some time at the visitor's center.
Aidan was excited to go on a hike... he didn't care for the long car ride overly much. We let him walk (read: run and trip and run and trip) at the beginning for awhile, but thankfully brought the hiking backpack with us since we didn't check the mileage for this hike before we started. It ended up being 4 miles total and we were exhausted by the end of it!
The hike started off easy enough within Gorges; the path was well-marked, graveled, and mostly downhill. About half-way in you leave Gorges State Park and enter national forest (I'm thinking Pisgah?). Right after that the trail forks and if you take the path to the right, it will lead you to Rainbow Falls. At this point the hike becomes more strenuous-- the path is more natural and there are also a lot of steep climbs including stairs. We aren't in very good shape these days and we were certainly huffing and puffing along. But we made it!
The view certainly was beautiful, and the mist rising from the falls was nature's AC. Only 0.2 miles further and we reached the elusive Turtleback Falls, where we stopped to have a snack and enjoy the view.
The hike out always seems shorter than the hike in, but somehow it still managed to seem that we were climbing uphill both ways. That could be possible since we were hiking along the ridge of the Eastern Continental Divide. Also learned about the WNC escarpment today, which is what creates so many waterfalls in the area.
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| Maddie and I were hiking buddies today. |
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| We made it to Rainbow Falls! |
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| Rainbow Falls |
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| Turtleback Falls |
We arrived back to the parking lot sweating profusely and red in the face, and a young woman came bounding up to us and said, "Did you go to Turtleback Falls?" We answered yes and she asked how far of a hike it was. We told her it was four miles round-trip, which took a bit of explaining as she thought the trail went in a circle... then she said, "Four miles isn't bad, this guy we were talking to made it seem like it would take like an hour to get out there!" We had been on the trail for three hours. So I said, "It will take you an hour, at least..." Joshua went on to explain that the trail was steep and somewhat difficult, but she was not to be dissuaded. She asked me if we swam at the falls, which I said no to because the water was flowing so forcefully today. If you are from WNC, you would have gathered by now that a) this is not an easy hike, b) this is not a quick hike and c) the water is not the most suitable for swimming today. But she turned around and said to her mom and dad, climbing out of the car, "If they can do it with two kids strapped on, we can do it!" Overweight Dad lit up a cigarette as Mom commented that they didn't bring any water. As Joshua and I put the kids back into the car and prepared to leave, I said, "Don't think the dad's going to make it very far today." Joshua said, "They aren't from around here." Sure enough, I looked over to their vehicle to check the license plate... Florida. Wonder how far they made it!
It was a wonderful day for our family, even though I'm sure we'll have sore muscles tomorrow. I'm happy we finally found Turtleback Falls again! Love the Blue Ridge.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
29 | 18 Chicken Fried Rice
Tonight I tried my hand at something new in the kitchen... Chinese-style chicken fried rice. I don't have a wok so I used more pans that it should've required and made quite a mess. But the result was yummy!
Cast of characters:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 cups cooked rice, day-old
- 1 bag frozen peas and carrots
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 egg
- sesame oil
- Bragg's liquid aminos
- brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. butter
The process:
I started off by melting 1 Tbsp. butter and some brown sugar and Bragg's in a non-stick pan. When it had melted into a liquid, I added the chicken breasts and cooked them over medium-high heat until almost cooked through. Next time I'll make sure they're done before I take them off. In a clean pan I cooked the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in 1 Tbsp. of sesame oil over a relatively low heat since sesame oil really isn't meant to be a cooking oil. When the onions were nicely browned, I removed the mix to a bowl and set aside.
Then I lightly beat the egg plus three drops of Bragg's and a Tbsp. of water and poured into the pan that was still greased with sesame oil. I swirled the pan around to coat with the egg mixture and waited until the egg started to puff. Then I flipped the egg over to cook on the other side and when done removed from the pan to a cutting board. Since my chicken wasn't all the way done, I heated some grapeseed oil in the pan and finished cooking it over medium high heat, adding some garlic salt and pepper. Then in a separate pan I heated more grapeseed oil and threw in the frozen peas and carrots. I let them thaw a bit and then added in the cooked chicken and onion mixture. I stir fried that for a few minutes, then added in the cooked rice plus at least 4 Tbsp. of Bragg's and more sesame oil. I just kept adding Bragg's and sesame oil until I thought the rice was the right color. I stir fried that all together for about five minutes. Finally I chopped up the cooked egg and added that into the mix and stir fried for an additional minute.
I ate it right away and thought it needed salt and pepper and was a little bland. But I came back for seconds about three hours later and found that the flavors had blended very well and it tasted really good. A super simple meal (especially if I had a wok!) and one I'll make again. Might add some bean sprouts next time... Yum.
Cast of characters:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 cups cooked rice, day-old
- 1 bag frozen peas and carrots
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 egg
- sesame oil
- Bragg's liquid aminos
- brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. butter
The process:
I started off by melting 1 Tbsp. butter and some brown sugar and Bragg's in a non-stick pan. When it had melted into a liquid, I added the chicken breasts and cooked them over medium-high heat until almost cooked through. Next time I'll make sure they're done before I take them off. In a clean pan I cooked the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in 1 Tbsp. of sesame oil over a relatively low heat since sesame oil really isn't meant to be a cooking oil. When the onions were nicely browned, I removed the mix to a bowl and set aside.
Then I lightly beat the egg plus three drops of Bragg's and a Tbsp. of water and poured into the pan that was still greased with sesame oil. I swirled the pan around to coat with the egg mixture and waited until the egg started to puff. Then I flipped the egg over to cook on the other side and when done removed from the pan to a cutting board. Since my chicken wasn't all the way done, I heated some grapeseed oil in the pan and finished cooking it over medium high heat, adding some garlic salt and pepper. Then in a separate pan I heated more grapeseed oil and threw in the frozen peas and carrots. I let them thaw a bit and then added in the cooked chicken and onion mixture. I stir fried that for a few minutes, then added in the cooked rice plus at least 4 Tbsp. of Bragg's and more sesame oil. I just kept adding Bragg's and sesame oil until I thought the rice was the right color. I stir fried that all together for about five minutes. Finally I chopped up the cooked egg and added that into the mix and stir fried for an additional minute.
I ate it right away and thought it needed salt and pepper and was a little bland. But I came back for seconds about three hours later and found that the flavors had blended very well and it tasted really good. A super simple meal (especially if I had a wok!) and one I'll make again. Might add some bean sprouts next time... Yum.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
29 | 16 Buttermilk
My Facebook status says it all tonight:
Courtney: Does this have buttermilk in it?
Me: Yes. Just call me Buttamilk.
#AddictivePersonalityAtWork #GaveUpCokeTookUpButtermilk
Courtney: Does this have buttermilk in it?
Me: Yes. Just call me Buttamilk.
#AddictivePersonalityAtWork #GaveUpCokeTookUpButtermilk
Monday, September 1, 2014
29 | 15 Before I get too tired
There is an endless list of things to do each day, some items more pressing than others and all superseded by two precious and precocious children. Tonight I need to clean this house and do laundry and try to wrap my head around what the rest of this week is going to look like (especially while Joshua is at work) but first I just needed to sit down and write a little. And half of those things probably will not end up tackled at all before I fall into bed and my head hits the pillow.
Tonight I am thankful for friendships. We went over to Colton and Kim's this evening to have a Labor Day cook-out and it is a beautiful thing to just walk into a friend's home and make yourself comfortable on the porch with a beer in hand and pass babies around from person to person and let toddlers chase each other through the yard and down the hall. It's one of those moments in life where you've realized you've hit the sweet spot and you just wish you could freeze the passing of time and live it forever, just like this. Juxtaposed with that peace and contentment at the Kilgores' tonight was the sadness of watching the Hayes pull out of the driveway this morning and start their journey home to Kentucky. It's been a week of living in a house that's full of love and life and life-noises... laughter and chit-chat and dishes clanking and toddler giggles and guitars and singing on the back porch and music playing on the iPod dock in the kitchen and people moving up and down the stairs and in and out of the front door. It feels so lonesome and empty without them here now. Although I respect the sanctity of families and boundaries, I don't know why Americans insist on cloistering themselves away from the vibrancy of living in community. We're better together, people.
So I am thankful and sad-- thankful for this week with Michael and Jain and their kids in and out of the house, and thankful for times like tonight when we gather with friends and just enjoy the time being together; sad that the sweet spot isn't permanent this side of heaven and we only get to savor it temporarily and then live on the memory until the next time we happen upon it again. Gives us something to look forward to in eternity, though, doesn't it?
Tonight I am thankful for friendships. We went over to Colton and Kim's this evening to have a Labor Day cook-out and it is a beautiful thing to just walk into a friend's home and make yourself comfortable on the porch with a beer in hand and pass babies around from person to person and let toddlers chase each other through the yard and down the hall. It's one of those moments in life where you've realized you've hit the sweet spot and you just wish you could freeze the passing of time and live it forever, just like this. Juxtaposed with that peace and contentment at the Kilgores' tonight was the sadness of watching the Hayes pull out of the driveway this morning and start their journey home to Kentucky. It's been a week of living in a house that's full of love and life and life-noises... laughter and chit-chat and dishes clanking and toddler giggles and guitars and singing on the back porch and music playing on the iPod dock in the kitchen and people moving up and down the stairs and in and out of the front door. It feels so lonesome and empty without them here now. Although I respect the sanctity of families and boundaries, I don't know why Americans insist on cloistering themselves away from the vibrancy of living in community. We're better together, people.
So I am thankful and sad-- thankful for this week with Michael and Jain and their kids in and out of the house, and thankful for times like tonight when we gather with friends and just enjoy the time being together; sad that the sweet spot isn't permanent this side of heaven and we only get to savor it temporarily and then live on the memory until the next time we happen upon it again. Gives us something to look forward to in eternity, though, doesn't it?
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