Latest Fairy Gardens

Gnome Home, using a old bird house my son made and broken pieces for a clay cherub. The gnome was a birthday gift.

Bunny and fairy friends

Fairy and duckling friends

Just the start of decorating an old wooden swing hung on my fence

Radio Flyer Fairy Garden

Fairy Friends enjoying the arbor and a wee fire

Gnomes gardeners work area and mushroom garden

Far corner of the Radio Flyer Wagon Fairy Garden

"Walking Dead" Fairy Garden

Fairy gardens are a fast growing trend, one I have dabbled in a bit over the last couple of years. I have a good friend who has amazing fairy gardens. I can only hope to be as good as her some day.  This year I took the fun to a whole new level for me. I had made an indoor garden, then a few weeks later a bigger one that will go outside.  One day I was looking through the big one and discovered some 'visitors'. My husband had placed a couple of Chibis zombies and Merle in with my fairies.  This got me to thinking.  A few weeks later I would make my "Walking Dead" fairy garden.  Hope you enjoy the pictures!  We have really enjoyed the garden and hope to add "Rick" and "The Governor" as soon as we get a packet of Chibis with them in them.

Overall Picture

Top View

On a run

Guarding the entrance

Camp close-up

To give you an idea of actual size of the Chibis

I will post pictures of my other fairy gardens another time. I can't wait to build the one that will be in our ole radio flyer wagon as soon as we are past the risk of a hard freeze.

Disney's Frozen and It's Underlying Theme

Disney’s movie Frozen is available for purchase today and I wonder if there will be enough copies of this sensation that has swept the nation.  Everywhere you go you hear kids belting out the songs...Let It Go, Do You Wanna Build a Snowman, For The First Time in Forever...

Frozen products were in such demand, when I was at Disney in Orlando in January it was impossible to find a single Frozen item for purchase, and they had been sold out for weeks. Obviously Disney did not expect the movie to be the sensation it has become.  Why has this quirky Disney movie hit such a cord? I think it has to do with the underlying theme…shame. 

Have you seen the movie?  

We have two sisters, Elsa and Anna, who are as close as two sisters can be. Elsa is ‘special’, and accidentally harms Anna. Her parents are warned not to let others see her ‘gifts’. So Elsa is separated from her sister and society is kept away from both. Elsa spends years hidden in her room, ashamed of who she is, and what she can do. Fighting daily to be someone different than she was meant to be. Anna longs for the days of old, where she and her sister frolic and play. She is confused and doesn't understand, as the truth has been hidden from her.

Eventually Elsa is forced out of exile to face her destiny. Her fear is all consuming and she can't hold back. Suddenly everyone knows the truth of what/who she is. Instead of standing strong and being proud, she runs away. She spends a few euphoric moments feeling free, but she has really done is traded one prison cell for the other and become even more isolated then before.

In the end, Elsa unwavering love for her little sister Anna will bring her out of that cell and break the binding chains of shame, allowing her to be exactly who she was meant to be. 

We have all felt shame at some point in our lives.  Someone of us have gotten past that shame, and it no longer holds us prisoner. Others have not been so lucky. So is it really any wonder why this movie has been so popular?

St. Patty's Day Antics

When the kids were little I used to have so much fun on St. Patty's.  For years I had them convinced we had a wild little leprechaun who showed up and created all kinds of mischief over night.  When they weren't paying attention I would put a wee bit of green food coloring in the bottom of their glasses.  As I poured them their milk, it would magically turn green.

It did not end there.  While cooking scrambled eggs, or macaroni and cheese, or spaghetti noodles, or mashed potatoes the same thing would happen, they would magically be turned green sometimes in the cooking process.  (thanks once again to the ole green food coloring.)

As they got older they became determined to try and catch the wily little fella.  So they would set up traps with some 'gold coins' in them. Some years it was chocolate, later as they lost their teeth and had the tooth fairy bring them gold dollars, they would use those. It was so fun to go through and 'trip' all their traps and make the gold disappear.  (the gold dollars were returned to their piggy banks unbeknownst to them, I usually froze the chocolate to reuse, but some did get eaten, after all being a leprechaun is hard work!)

Sadly my kids are teenagers now and the fun of St. Patty's day just makes them roll their eyes at me. I miss the days of silly innocent fun. It will be interesting to see if the tradition carries on when they have children. (at least 5 years from now...no sooner, 7 or 8 would be good)

Adventures in Vegetarianism (is that even a word?)

So my young daughter declared she was going to go meatless during Lent. I quickly jumped on board with her, as I have always wanted to give it a try, and who knows, even if I don't stick with it full time, I hope to stay with it at least 75% of the time.  We are not doing fish, as I feel that is a meat.  I confess I love shrimp.  I like a good hamburger, and chicken is always yummy, and I can't resit lamb when ordering Indian.

Anyway, I digress.  Today is the second day as a vegetarian and so far so good.  However, as I see and smell the regular beef burgers the boys are enjoying, I am having a hard time waiting for the homemade veggie version is currently awaiting the oven to finish heating up. (maybe I should not have let myself get so hungry.  I did snack on a small bowl of plain brown rice to tide me over)

I am really excited for these as I have had some in restaurants.  I also like a giant portabella mushroom cooked up to substitute for that ole burger experience.

So here is the original recipe, from  Delicious Living magazines May 2012 edition.

Black Bean Burgers

3 cups coked black beans (or 29 oz can unsalted, drained and rinsed)
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chili powder
3 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup finely ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 400 and lightly oil an oven-safe dish and set aside.
2. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except sesame oil and water. Alternately adding the oil and water, process until mixture is sticky enough to hold together, but not wet, scraping down sides occasionally (process in batches if necessary). There will still be chunks.
3. Form into 10 patties and place in dish. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and bake for about 25 minutes, rotating pan and gently flipping burgers halfway through.

Now, that being said, anyone who knows me knows I fiddle with a lot of recipes.  This time some of the fiddling came down to "oops, I didn't recall using the last of that, what can I substitute easily."  That would be the case with the chili powder, so I used 1/2 chipotle powder (which I love) and 1/2 chili lime powder. Tasting the mixture tells me this will be a bit on the spicy side, but then I like spicy. I had the same problem with my sesame oil, I had used it all and not replaced it, so substituted olive oil. I knew I did not have nutritional yeast, so had not planned on using that.  I had most of the patties done when I realized I had forgotten the ketchup!  I was not redoing them, as they are kind of a sticky mess.  So instead I just brushed some on the tops.

*sigh* I thought I would be eating by now, as I hoped they would be cooking while I typed, but I goofed and shut my oven off instead of setting the timer once it was finally hot.  (Don't ask) For some reason, my oven wont always come back on. So I am cooking one in the skillet.  I will 'bake' the rest once my stove will let me heat it again.

FINALLY, my stove top patty is done!

Topped with lettuce, tomato, avocado and grilled onions.

Well, it is yummo, and on the spicy side as predicted.  It's a little fragile, I don't know if I got it too moist, or if the nutritional yeast would have made a difference, or actually baking it will firm it up. I will know how at least one of those elements make a difference when I can bake the others.

Update:  They are out of the oven and seem firmer.  We will freeze the extras (it made 12!) and pull them whenever we fix the boys burgers.  Tasty!

Words of Wisdom From My Amazing Paternal Grandmother.

In the wee hours of the morning, my father was going through a bin of stuff his sister-in-law had given him upon the death of his brother. It contained pictures and some papers of my grandmothers. He found this little gem written by her. I have left all the grammar, punctuation and paragraphs as written. I always knew I was a lot like her, but I saw a lot of my own thoughts reflected here. She has been gone many years now. Her ashes spread around a giant tree at her little country church. She loved her trees and her church, I can think of no better place for her to lay. Miss you Grandma!

Joyce Sargent Allen...fall 1942...baby-Son Tom
More than likely taken in New York

What Life Means to Me

Joyce Sargent Allen Kraus

Sometime in the 1950's, possibly early 1960's


For me, life is like Nebraska weather, ever changing and not always pleasant, but never boring. There are calm times, dreary times, almost perfect times, and on occasion a veritable tornado threatens everything.

The most important influence on my attitude toward life is no doubt my religious faith, which keeps me on course through all the storms. This is a gift for which I am truly thankful, and one which never seems to stop growing and developing.

I grew up during depression times, the oldest child of a large family, but I have never felt that this did me any harm. It prepared me for managing in the lean times,and also for really appreciating the more prosperous ones.

It seems to me that the stormy times of life are the real growth periods, because at these times we are forced to make sometimes painful decisions about what our values are, and to take a stand for what we believed in. I believe that real maturity consists of this knowing what we stand for, and having the courage of our convictions. Many quite young people show this quality, and many older ones seem never to have developed it, and some just seem to drift along without ever standing for anything.  Here I do not mean that we should take the stand of the bigot--our ideas should be open to change and refinement. I do contend that we should be willing to think about and discuss the vital issues of life, and I admire the person who does whether I agree with him or not.

Consideration of others should be one of our first obligations. I believe that all of our talents should be regarded as gifts and developed for the general good, and shared gladly with others. I thoroughly dislike the snobbish pride which causes a person to look down on others who are less well blessed as though the color of his skin or the ability or I.Q. he has were his by his own merit.

Everyone seems to be searching for security, but I think a good many are searching in the wrong direction. Money and material things are nice to have, and we need some of each just as we need food and shelter, but they are only comforts. In analysis religious faith and integrity of character are the only real security, and these are the qualities I have tried to help my children develop. I firmly believe that this is the best legacy I can leave them, because with these gifts they can life successfully under almost any condition. No amount of money could buy them this security.

Henry Ward Beecher summed up my feelings about life much better than I can when he said, "No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according  to what he is, not according to what he has."

The church she where she lays at rest.

Menu Planning

So a friend suggested that I should post my menu plans for others to get inspiration from. I make out my plans two weeks at a time, and let me tell you, as I enter into my 3rd week I wonder why I didn't do this sooner.  Does it take a bit of effort at first, you bet! However, the pay off in time thinking about "what's for dinner" tonight has been wonderful!

The first two weeks we stuck pretty close to the plan. One Saturday my husband and kids went to Omaha, so that turned into an eat out night. I switched that meal for the one on Monday I still had to buy most the stuff for.  Another I had to adjust when I didn't read the new recipe well enough and discovered it had to sit 8 hours before cooking.  So instead of Peach Stuffed French Toast, we just had French Toast. There was also a change of plans on the 2nd Friday, and we ate out that night too.  All in all we ate at home, and decent, delicious homemade food more often the last two weeks than we have been.

So here you go...the first two weeks:

Monday: Grilled Cheese and Homemade Tomato Soup (Recipe in Food on the Table AP)
Tuesday: Rosemary Pork Tenderloin (Recipe in Food on the Table AP), Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Wednesday: Boys on their own, Girls eat at church
Thursday: Eat out, Dive Meet
Friday (Valentine's Day): T-Bone Steak, Twice Baked Potatoes, Salad with Lemon Dressing, Rice Pudding
Saturday: Husband and kids ate out, mom at left overs
Sunday: French Toast, Hash Browns, Bacon

Monday:  Crescent Burgers, Roasted Garlic Cabbage
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Whiskey Steak, Rice, Roasted Asparagus
Wednesday: Boys on their own, Girls eat at church
Thursday: Jamaican Jerk Turkey (Recipe in Food on the Table AP), Fried Honey Banana's
Friday: Eat Out
Saturday: Porcupine Meatballs, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli
Sunday: Birthday dinner at my brother's house

Here is the next two weeks line up:

Monday: Eggplant Parmesan (Recipe in Food on the Table AP), spaghetti noodles, Salad with Italian Herb Dressing, Garlic Toast
Tuesday: Tacos/Nachos, Grilled Zucchini
Wednesday: Boys on their own, Girls eat at church
Thursday: Grilled Chicken, Hungarian Noodles, Easy Pea Salad
Friday: Sausage Ravioli with Alfredo, Grilled Fish (for my son who is not a fan of the Ravioli...the rest of us do not care for fish)
Saturday: Eat Out
Sunday: Hamburger Stroganoff (previously made and frozen), Egg Noodles, Salad with Balsamic dressing

Monday: Dive Potluck, taking Steak with Gravy (Crock Pot Recipe), Rice, Corn State Bake (Corn and Broccoli side dish, check out tasteofhome.com for the recipe)
Tuesday: Creamy Chicken Dijon (Recipe in Food on the Table AP), Oriental Cabbage Slaw
Wednesday (Ash Wednesday): Cajun Pot Roast, Rice, Roasted Cauliflower
Thursday: Spicy Onion Burgers (Recipe in Food on the Table AP), Roasted Potatoes
Friday: Broccoli Cheese Soup, Crackers with Meat & Cheese
Saturday: Friends coming for dinner. Grilled Pork Chops, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Creole Green Beans, Classic Lemon Bars

Maybe some day I will have time to post my recipes.  I have a lot of them in a great little site, onetsp.com.  Love it!  My kids can easily find my recipes if they want something, even my daughter away in a different state for college.

My Name Is Darci, and I Am Addicted To...

PINTREST!!!!

I am sure that does not come as a big surprise to many, however, my addiction while defiantly touching on a personal level, it actually has been extremely helpful in my job.  I have twice as many pins that are work related than any other kind.

I gather all kinds of inspiration, have found lots of supplemental classroom activities and glean knowledge in new areas.  Recently I spent quite some time online attempting to find that 'just right' activity.  Frustrated I went to Pintrest, typed in a keyword which then brought up exactly what I was looking for.  It is fast becoming one of the first places I look to.

Now to spend sometime organizing better, because one board is over 500 pins....need more sub-categories!!!!  Happy repinning to me!

My Attempt at Meal Organization

Two years ago I made the decision to go back to school and finish my degree. When I woke up the Monday after Easter school was far from my mind, yet by 4 pm that afternoon I had started the process, two days later I got my acceptance letter...and the rest is history, I am nearly there...Spring of 2015 will see me at the conclusion.

In December, when I was nearing burnout from being a full time mom, full time wife, full time employee and a full time student I knew something had to change.  I enjoyed a 6 week break, got some of my house in order, and relaxed.  Just a few days before the start of class I decided I needed to be much more intentional about my meal planning and preparation to help keep us out of a rut and restaurants.

Working towards being tech savvy, I looked for Meal Planner Aps.  I downloaded "Food on the Table", "A.M.P." and "Pepper Plate".  All have value of some sort, but I like "Food on the Table" best.  Tonight the 2nd 'new' recipe we are trying is cooking as I type (and avoid school work, shame). The feature it offered that won me over was the sales ads. It shows me the sales of 3 local grocery stores, and lets me know what meats are on sale so I can plan my recipes easier. The grocery list is awesome too as it sorts items by place in store (diary, meat, etc), but you can 'arrange' it by your own stores set up. (SCORE...I confess to being neurotic about my list being set up that way)

The down side, and they all had this down side...there is no way to add my own recipes.  Now I would be in a perfect world if I could some how mesh my all time favorite "onetsp.com" with "Food on the Table".  Alas, I am not so lucky, so here is how I have 2 weeks worth of meals scheduled.

It's so nice to know what is for supper!  I am also helping myself with a running list of items needed at the store.  Both lists are right on the fridge for easy access for the whole family.

Diving Treat Bags 2014

Each year as High School diving comes to an end, I like to put together fun treat bags for the team. This year I really had fun by tying all the treats into some form of a diving theme.  I really wanted Frito Twists in individual bags, and the Flipz crackers too, but no such luck.

~The red bag and red Gatorade are a nod to team colors (red and black).
~The Goldfish because they all have to be able to swim to the side.  In the case of our school some of the divers swim in relays with the swim team too.
~The Little Debbie Spinwheel, well, because divers tend to SPIN in the air.
~Splash gum, obvious...but in reality they want to RIP, not SPLASH!
~Fun Dip, because divers have fun going for a dip.
~Simply Balanced Twisted Fruit Ropes, because divers TWIST as well as spin.

I still want to make stickers to put on the outside of the bags that have various diving sayings on them. (If I have time)

I love my "diving monkey" and am so proud of all her hard work. She does things I never had the nerve or flexibility for.

______________________________________________________

THEY ARE FINISHED!!! I got the stickers made.  I used swimgraphics.com for the dive graphic, they have some good ones.  Found all the 'sayings' online. If I could upload a PDF I would gladly share with you, but alas, I have not figured that out yet.