Kumquats and such

Here's to a wonderful brother/brother-in-law/uncle!  Hope you have a wonderful birthday Uncle Geoffrey. We hope to see you soon.  Don't work to hard:)

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, and while I'm a bad Catholic and didn't attend church, I am planning to give up something for Lent.  Growing up, we always gave up sweets...all of them!  Let me caveat by saying that we also always cheated on St. Patrick's Day, Jessica & my birthday, and our mom's birthday:)  Yeah, I suppose we're Catholics-of-convenience! Well, last year, being pregnant, I didn't think my system could handle a total withdrawal of sweets, so I merely gave up gummy candy (my favorite) much to the delight of my dentist.   This year, I'm saying goodbye to all of it.  (Except on my birthday of course...hey, I stick to tradition.)  So last night I made a butter cake frosted with whipped chocolate icing.  No I did not eat all of it, though I strongly considered it.  But I did pass on 2/3 of the cake to my neighbors and helped myself to a larger portion than usual of the treat.  Now the rest has found the trash can and thus begins ...

Looking for something easy to cook?  Here's a delicious and very simple recipe: Light Tortilla Soup ( Family Circle ) Ingredients : 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 medium-sized green pepper, seeded and finely chopped 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped 1 tablespoon chili powder 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (from a rotisserie chicken) 1 can (14.5) ounces no-salt added diced tomatoes 1 can (14.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed 2 tablespoons lime juice 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 firm ripe avocado, cut into chunks 1 cup crumbled baked tortilla chips (optional) 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese (optional) Directions : 1.  Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add green pepper, onions and jalapenos to sauce and cook, stirring often for 7 minutes.  Stir chili powder into pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. 2.  Pour broth and 1 cup water into sau...

When Jason leaves for an extended period of time, I usually get most of my reading done because I'm banned from watching any of the TV shows we DVR.  Not watching them was actually my idea, because I know I don't want to sit through a bunch of episodes I've already seen, so it's actually a pretty good deal. During the January exercise, on my way to visit Jen Gaj in Charleston, SC, I listened to Dead Irish , by John Lescroart, on CD.  Here's the gist of the story provided by Publisher's Weekly : "Dismas Hardy, an ex-policeman and lawyer who has withdrawn from his former life as a result of a personal tragedy, tends an Irish bar in San Francisco. When his boss asks him to investigate the apparent suicide of Eddie Cochran, Hardy agrees. Cochran was a friend and proving his death was not suicide will free the insurance money to his pregnant widow. As he becomes close to Eddie's parents, his emotionally distraught younger brother and family friend, Fathe...

Two weeks ago, my sister Julie and her daughter, Julieta, came to visit from Mexico.  They were here for two reasons: 1) to meet Miss Reagan and 2) to file taxes.  Both were accomplished - albeit, one easier than the other - so we'll call the trip a success.  I was hesitant even before they arrived (Jessica and Sean were nice enough to go pick them up from the local airport since Reagan was already asleep), because I heard some things from Julie about how crazy her daughter was!  As soon as they walked in the door, I learned that my hesitation was not ungrounded... Jessica was already nearing her tipping point (apparently Julieta wasn't a huge fan of the car seat we put her in and voiced such disgruntlement with loud screaming), Sean retreated upstairs to watch TV almost immediately, and Tommy, the ever nosy dog, was investigating everything.  Julieta walked in the door and tipped over Tommy's water bowl.  Then, leaving a trail, she made her way around th...

For those of you who have never written a morning brief for your Commanding Officer...NSTR = nothing significant to report.  We've had great weather lately, so here's a shot from one day last week.  I'm planning to do a small write up of our time with Julie & Julieta after they leave on Sunday, so for today, this picture is all I have.  But isn't she cute?!