Eden & Scratches

Also from the Pennsylvania days.

Oldies but goodies

I don't think I ever got around to uploading these, but they're some of my favorites from late summer when we'd first moved to Pennsylvania.

Bathtime and after

Eating oranges

High chair

Easy Thai Curry

One of the restaurants I was most looking forward to visiting once we moved back to the midwest was Thai Spice, which has a yellow chicken curry I've always adored.

One day not too long after we got back into town, I found myself seriously craving that chicken curry for lunch in the middle of a freezing winter day. However, it was a little hard to justify bundling up a car-hating baby and driving 45 minutes to get there (only to spend lunch chasing her around the restaurant). After some debate, I decided to take the plunge and try making something similar myself--even though Asian-inspired cuisine is the food that I've probably had the worst luck with over the years. Not feeling particularly optimistic, we picked up a few ingredients at the grocery store and got to work. Surprisingly, the results were delicious, especially given the simplicity of the ingredients and the ease of preparation. We've eaten it a couple times a week for lunch ever since--and haven't made it to Thai Spice yet.

Easy (Primal) Thai Curry

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced meat (I used boneless/skinless chicken breasts the first time, but beef, shrimp, even sausage all work great--or you can do a vegetarian version)
1 cup sliced vegetables (I use onions with the chicken curry; broccoli, peppers
A few tablespoons of oil or butter for frying
2 Tbsp curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste, which is available at most grocery stores; one $3 bottle makes us approximately 3 batches of curry)
1 can coconut milk
1-2 tsp fish sauce (I used Thai Kitchen)
Squeeze of lime
Few leaves of basil (Thai or regular)

Over high heat, sear the meat in the oil. When cooked, remove to another bowl, then stir-fry the vegetables. Add the curry paste and stir to coat. Quickly add the coconut milk, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Return the meat to the pan and add fish sauce, squeeze of lime, and fresh basil to taste, stirring until heated through. Garnish with additional basil and serve immediately. Makes two large servings.

Served as is (without rice etc) it's deliciously warming and filling, high protein, low carb and primal. I've also added a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter, which is delicious as well.

Braving the cold at Amana Winterfest

We spent the day out and about at the Amana Winterfest. It was just the thing I'd been needing because the recent sub-zero temperatures have had me feeling a little morose about moving back to the midwest in the middle of winter (or, probably more accurately, with more than half of winter left to go). I'm cold when I'm outside, cold when I'm inside, rocking multiple pairs of long underwear like nobody's business, and fighting the family's dogs for the warm spaces next to the heating vent. Mind over matter helped me stay positive about the cold until it started dipping into the negative double digits. At that point, my mind agreed with my body and said, "To hell with it. This is miserable!"

However, in addition to downing lots of hot beverages (Trader Joe's ultra-rich sipping chocolate and my own homemade chai lattes among my favorites) and wearing a hat, even indoors (a tip from my cold-loving and Wisconsin-born husband), I'd have to say that eating a steaming mug (or three) of chili outdoors and attending a charming winter festival would also have to rank high on my list of ways to beat the cold.

No, she's not a cold-despiser like her mother; Eden just woke up from a nap

Matt enjoying his souvenir mug of chili

($8 for an awesome sturdy mug and 3 fill-ups of chili, coffee, cider, or cocoa)

Eden was a big fan of the chili, too

A quick glimpse of the Ice Princess (not sure who she is or how this honor gets bestowed)

Of course, we couldn't resist!

Crosscut saw competition

Matt in the lineup for the Beard Competition--and as you can see, the competition was stiff (sometimes literally)

We didn't win this year, but I'm sure a blue ribbon is in store in the near future

Regardless, we enjoyed the drive through what we think is one of the prettier parts of Iowa, and it was also nice to get out of the house and enjoy some family-friendly activities. Things can start to feel a little cabin-feverish in our situation, even in the nicest of circumstances, and it was great to have a low-cost way to shake things up a little bit.

Oops!

Quite an outfit

New year, new everything

New location (back in the midwest). New baby (yet to come). Newfound freedom of not juggling being a nurse and student midwife and displaced family anymore...

The past months of clinicals were incredibly hard on everybody. Money was tight, quarters were very close, and we lived in an unfamiliar area with few people we knew (though those we did really stepped up as friends and support people--thanks, Maribeth!) My schedule was crazy, and my being on call close to 24/7 for births meant Matt was a full-time-plus parent and homemaker--a role he fulfilled brilliantly, but I know not effortlessly. I can never express how much his sacrifices and commitment mean to me. Having the opportunity to spend lots of time with Eden these days is something I cherish--but it's also something that makes me marvel more every day at how he managed to take care of this whirlwhind of nonstop energy and incessant demands, within the confines of a tiny cabin, with absolutely NO assistance from anyone, PLUS cook and clean and run errands--for many months on end. He's truly superhuman, and has given up so much in order for me to become a midwife, and I owe him more than I can ever say. We all felt the strain of being pulled in multiple directions, and the only thing more complicated than our life in Pennsylvania was the fact that every few weeks, we packed up and drove down to Virginia for me to work a stretch of nursing shifts. That meant unsettling the baby's routine, two long car rides, relying on the kindness of friends for a place to stay, and 14-hour days watching a crabby baby in unfamiliar surroundings (Matt) or pregnant and constantly on my feet at the hospital (me).

It's amazing now to think that that chapter of our lives--so intense at the time--is just over. It's also amazing to think of just how many people did step up to the plate to try to make our lives easier at that point--April, Pam, Tara and Mark, just to name a few. And of course, our families have been invaluable sources of support and have gone above and beyond in assisting us in our monumental move back across the country. We're thankful to everyone for their kindness and overwhelming generosity, and we're also thankful that another chapter of our lives is beginning.

We've now moved on to a new set of challenges and joys, which everyone is embracing. We're doing our best to keep up with old friendships, and slowly but surely we're starting to forge new. Eden is thriving with her grandparents so nearby, rather than depending solely on two stressed and harried parents for interaction and play. Matt and I have enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with our siblings, to go to our first movie in over 18 months, and have more than the occasional conversation actually face to face with each other. The benefits of having family close by are even sweeter than we'd imagined, and we're also enjoying the opportunities to rediscover our favorite places in the area--and getting to know some new ones. I'm sure there will be bumps in the road along the way, but in the meantime, we're relishing some much-needed downtime together.