The second day of Spring!

I love Spring! Yesterday, I sat in the hammock under dappled sunlight, watching the squirrels play chase in the trees and listening to birdsong. I tried to read, but my mind kept wandering. Does life get any better than this?

I've finished the pencil illustrations for the poetry book, and just in time. Substituting has picked up a lot. I try to take every offer I can since I know it will slack off in April when the dreaded TAKS tests take place. I'm practically a regular there.

So, I don't feel too guilty when I say I'm looking forward to a week away. Brendan just turned 13, so we decided to take probably our last trip to DisneyWorld. I can't imagine he'll want to go again... at least with his parents. Hopefully our week is late enough that the crowds have dispersed and we won't have to wait the 2.5 hours in line that Bill has been reading about on the message boards. It will be near 80 degrees every day. My white skin will get some much-needed sun. And, we finally get to ride all the big rollercoasters Brendan couldn't ride before, much to Bill's chagrin.

When I get back, I have a new opportunity to do some contract graphics work for a woman my parents introduced me to. Thanks, Mom and Dad! I'm looking forward to a new(old) creative outlet and the challenge. It's exciting and a little scary to resurrect long-sleeping skills that I never thought I'd use again professionally.

My family is healthy! We're going on vacation! Spring is here! Life is good! God is good!

Soup's on!

I'm moving along nicely with most of my resolutions, thank you very much. The one that has taken the back seat, of course, is the dieting. I'm finally getting some good teacher substitution work and can't be bothered to exercise when I come home in the afternoons -- I'm too hungry. To try to help in that area, I've been eating mostly salads and soups for lunch. Today, I have a dilemma. I can't decide which soup recipe to make. Which looks best to you?

Williamsburg Pumpkin Soup

¼ C chopped onions
4 T butter
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 C pureed pumpkin
½ t nutmeg
½ t salt
Pepper to taste
1 can water

Directions
Sautee onion in butter. Add remaining ingredients and heat thoroughly.

OR

Soba Soup with Spinach (from Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2009)

2T Vegetable oil
12 oz shiitake mushrooms (stems removed) caps thinly sliced
4 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T peeled and minced fresh ginger
Coarse salt
2 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth (14.5 oz each)
½ package (4.4 oz) soba noodles
1 bunch flat leaf spinach, torn
2 T fresh lime juice
1 T soy sauce

Directions
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, scallion whites, garlic and ginger; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until mushroom are tender, 6 minutes.

Add broth and 3 C water; bring to a boil. Add soba; reduce to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Add spinach; cook just until tender, about 1 minute. Add lime juice and soy sauce. Serve topped with scallion greens.

I love trying new food. Though, I can't find true buckwheat soba noodles anywhere, so I'm substituting whole-wheat pasta. Wagamamas has the BEST soba dishes, but, alas, there are none in Texas. So I'll try to do my own.

Remember, it's okay to tip the bowl to your mouth to slurp up every last yummy drop!

I Resolve

Thank goodness the new year has begun. I was feeling like a slug the last few months of 2008. The more I did nothing, the more that's all I wanted to do. A new year revives the soul with the promise of new opportunities. I plan to take full advantage of it. They say to be successful, you need a tangible, achievable goal with a firm due date. And since I work best to deadlines, here are my New Year's Resolutions.

1. Lose 10 lbs. by Valentine's Day (Feb 14)
2. Complete rough draft sketches for Chuck's poetry book by Jan 31, finals by Feb 28. Thanks Chuck for the motivation
3. Complete rewrite of Dillon and Blue for self publishing by March 31. Thanks Bill for the motivation.
4. Hardest of all, give up watching Rachael Ray so I have a good solid hour of quiet time every morning to accomplish the above tasks. I'm looking forward to the weekly recipes ezine I signed up for, the part of the show I miss the most.

I've written all of these down in my day planner - in ink! Keep me honest. Come back often to check on my progress. Good luck with your resolutions.

Happy New Year ... and Pass the Virus!

I was SO looking forward to seeing my ENTIRE family. We were scheduled to spend three days between Christmas and New Year together.

All went well the first day. We had a professional photographer come out and take family pictures. Then we enjoyed turkey and dressing and shared Christmas presents.

The next day, Audrey woke up unable to breathe (the first bad sign). We tried our hand at golfing at a local run-down golf course. At least half of us had never golfed before. We pretty much had the place to ourselves, so we goofed around and had great fun carting around nine holes. Dad was by far the most improved. Once he got the hang of it, he whacked the balls down the fairway in an unorthodox, Happy Gilmore-style swing that served him well. Brendan and Josh kept up really well, and the guys got serious on the last hole, competing for bragging rights.

That evening, we switched into birthday mode, celebrating Dad's 70th, Chris and Christina's 40th, and Nate's 30th all at once. By then, Chris and Christina had decided that Audrey was coming down with the Croup, and needed to leave to see their preferred doctor in Houston. Shawn and Kim had to leave so he could get back to work. The numbers dwindled fast.

Next morning, Becca had a stomach bug. She couldn't keep anything down and couldn't stop even when there was nothing left. We took her to the clinic for anti-nausea meds and tried to keep her hydrated.

We left for the coast the next day and hoped we'd dodged the bug. We made it all the way to South Padre Island before we heard from Mom and Dad that Chris and Christina were ill in Houston, most of Kim and Shawn's family were down with it in Austin, Mom and Dad had a mild form in Bandera. Bill succumbed that night. Out of 16 people, five of us came out unscathed, although, I'm not sure whether Hannah's symptoms were from teething or virus.

Once Bill was back on his feet, he did some research to rule out food poisoning, considering time to sickness and how it spread. I was afraid I had made everyone sick with my tamales and chili. Mom was concerned about her food. Even so, I'm sure we shared it through chips and dips and communal fruits and veggies. He decided it was the Norovirus, unrelated to influenza and much more viral. It can only be killed with bleach.

We had a challenge in that we needed to isolate Bill while he was sick. It's not easy in an RV. He got the back bedroom and the bathroom pretty much to himself, and we kept cleaning as the illness progressed. We laundered and Lysoled and scrubbed out hands often. So far, Brendan and I have been spared, although I sort of thought it would be nice to have a stomach virus to kick-start my diet. But Bill says he wouldn't wish this think on his worst enemy, so I'll just lose weight the good old fashioned way.

Year in Review

I know, it's not quite Christmas yet, but I don't know how often I'll get a chance to use the computer. With Brendan out of school and Bill learning about day-trading, I probably won't get a blog in edgewise next week.

I've been looking back through my day planner to remind myself of all the wonderful things we've experienced in the past year. Here are a few:

January began with Brendan breaking his wrist when he fell off of his skateboard. He had a distal radial reduction with a pin for good measure. He thought the camo cast was cool for about a week, and then couldn't wait to get it off! We are now strong believers in full-body gear. Brendan sweats when he skates from all the pads. Also in January, Bill's dad had a heart valve replaced with one bypass since they were already in there. Besides a headcold, I'm happy to announce that, at this moment, we are all healthy. Thank you, Lord.

Our newest niece was born February 9 - Hannah Beth! I was so honored. She's gorgeous.

Brendan turned twelve in March. He calls himself a twelve-teen, not a tween. I feel really old!

In April, Bill kindly let me leave him on his birthday to be part of a surprise 40th birthday party for a dear friend in Florida. I've never done anything like that before. It was a great girl's weekend.

I did a lot of substitute teaching throughout the spring term. In May, I worked at least three days a week. I think this could me my second career.

We spent nine weeks of the summer in Manchester, England. Bill worked a contract job while Brendan and I explored the city. It was a great way to see another part of England and visit our friends in Collingtree almost exactly a year since we left. We miss them. That was an idyllic time and place. The summer in Manchester was cool, overcast and wet.

We got back just in time for Brendan to register and start school. It took him a while to adjust to a new school, but he now has wonderful friends and enjoys his classes, even those I think must be totally boring!

In September, we took a quick cruise to the Bahamas for some fun in the sun. We snorkeled with stingrays and rode jet skis. It was a great getaway.

October was pretty quiet. I finished the dummy book for "A Pumpkin Named Jack" and sent it to a prospective publisher. I have to wait four months for a response. I officially joined the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators as Illustrator Coordinator for our area. I'm looking forward to the conference.

I stopped taking notes in November and December, but I remember them to be good times with family and friends. It's nice to be nearby for the holidays. I love this time of year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Take a moment to reflect on where you've been and where you plan to go in the future. God bless you.

Let it Snow!

You won't believe this. If I hadn't been here, I wouldn't. Yesterday we had a record high of 83 degrees. Then as the afternoon rolled by, a front moved through, it was sleeting by bedtime, and Bill woke us later so we could see the snow! Of course it was too warm to stick to the ground, but there was still snow on the cars and rooftops when we left for school in the morning. Now it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! I love it.

BTW - Brendan didn't make the basketball team. He's not too upset as only one of his friends who tried out made it. I had mixed feeling about the whole thing anyway. But now, I've lost my early morning quiet time to write. I'll have to be more diligent to get it done throughout the day.

I've just finished my family's holiday cookbook, and I'm reworking my novel, Dillon and Blue.

I hope the weather where you are is as wonderful.

I'm Back

After an extended, month-long break from writing or illustrating of any kind, I find myself with some uninterrupted time to pick it up again. Brendan is trying out for Basketball this week. He has to be at school at 6:45 AM! If he makes the team, he'll have to get there at 6:30 every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I'm determined to make good use of the quiet time. By the end of Basketball season, I should have cranked out a novel, at least. The hardest part is getting out of bed. Once I'm up, I'm up. So let's get started with a quick blog entry.

Happy Thanksgiving - a little late! By now the leftovers should be just about gone. Mom made a 17 lb. turkey for the five of us to eat, because Bill wanted lots of leftover bird for sandwiches. True to his word, it's almost gone. I froze the rest of the stuffing and gravy for later. We had a great time baking and cooking in Bandera. The scenery in the hill country was particularly pretty this year, but of course I didn't take pictures. The weather was weird -warm with low clouds and HUMID! We came back in from our morning walks damp. I hardly had to take a shower.

Since it was just Thanksgiving, Id like to give thanks for a few things. In this economic climate, it may be tough to be thankful. But we are such a blessed nation. We have freedoms other countries can only dream of. We have the freedom to participate in an election process where each vote counts. We have the freedom to worship as we wish without fear of persecution. We are relatively free from fear that when we lay down at night, we will wake up in the morning in a safe place. I am personally thankful for a warm bed, food to eat, friends near and far, a wonderful extended family who all are well at this moment in time, and an amazing son, who continues to surprise me. Allow me to brag for just a moment.

Whether he makes the Basketball team or not, Brendan is distinguishing himself in other areas. His watercolor painting of a stingray was submitted to the Reflections contest, a fine arts competition with music, poetry, drama, etc... and was selected to go the next round of judging. We have the honor of going to the awards ceremony. Also, because of his perfect score on the English portion of the TAKS test, he has been invited to participate in Duke University's TIPS program of excelerated learning opportunities. In order to place him appropriately in the program, he will be taking the SAT this Saturday! He constantly goes above and beyond what is expected in assigned projects. And even though he says he doesn't want a "nerd" award, I think he would do well in the science fair with his tornado simulator. As you can see, I'm very proud. Okay I'm done.

This year, I am collecting the "must have" recipes from all Moehring family members to put into a cookbook. Brendan's favorite dish is Mom's cranberry sauce, and I still didn't have the recipe. In the book, I'm putting photos of holidays past. We spent a good portion of a morning looking through Mom's albums looking for family photos. The one you see above is of me at my new kitchen set. It's a great trip down memory lane, and brings up lots of great stories - fodder for my writing... which I need to get to now.

Hope this hasn't been too disjointed. I had lots of thoughts running around in my head.

Merry Christmas! May God unclutter your mind and put peace in your heart.