Happy Birthday remix

In case you didn't believe me about the six cakes, here is proof.

We had just enough left overs to make us happy.

In exchange for a piece of cake, we requested a haiku. Of course, many people took their cake without leaving us a haiku, just like voting (or taxes? Just trying to fit in with the times here). That's ok - we still love you.

Our favorite haiku was from Holli. She gave me permission to share.

Alexander likes dogs,

speaks Ukrainian, Russian,

wears lycopene shirts.

Katie rides her bike

she eats rabbits and heals pets

gorgeous to the core

chemistry boy's girl

veterinarian's husband

sweet loving couple.

Our second favorite haiku was from Noah. He sure didn't give me permission to share.

The cops look at me.

They want me in their prison.

I won't be taken. 

Our third favorite haiku was from me. No one asked me permission.

Hi. I'm a mammal. 

I'm supposed to nurse my young

and I have some hair. 

Ok. Enough poems.

For Alex's birthday weekend, we also visited the Great Pumpkin Patch (or GPP if you're cool) with some friends, Mark and Jill. I don't have any pictures of all of us to post (but maybe if they send me some I will post them - hint, hint) but here are a few others. 

I found me a kid. A cute one, even, with awesome hair. (Ok, he technically belongs to Mark and Jill. I was just BORROWING him.) Notice the Noah's ark of squash. Things like this I love about the Midwest. 

To my great surprise and delight, I was reunited with my good friend that I haven't seen for a couple of years. Last time I saw him was in Nauvoo, so I was very happy to see him at GPP. We didn't have a lot to say to each other, just like last time.

Hasn't aged a bit. (Nauvoo, IL, 2008ish)

We won the pumpkin pageant. 

My talent for the pageant was gourding. 

I am Lucy and I approve this message. 

Happy Birthday, Alex!

a haiku birthday

for the love of my long life.

here's to you honey.

eight years ago to-

day- that's when the deal was sealed. 

I showed up that day

with a Jamba Juice

pumpkin smash for your birthday. 

then it was for real.

don't let this girl go.

she brings goodness into your life.

good food makes good love.

now, eight years later

I don't have pumpkin smashes.

but six cakes instead.

hope it is enough. 

maybe next year we will find

a pumpkin smash. yum.

so, comments are great

especially in the form of

haikus. please. thank you.

Stuff growing in my house

I have no announcements. Alex has no announcements. There is nothing to blog about.

Except for this persistent question: why can't we grow basil?

Case in point:

This pathetic plant is the only thing that grew out of three entire seed packets we planted this year inside and out. It is a sad little basil plant. 

Here is the basil's kitchen island neighbor, a mum that I bought in April and never got around to planting. I think it is a little late now.

This is my husband sweeping up the shards of a glass that I broke as I was shoving stuff around on the kitchen island trying to take these awesome pictures. 

Here is a peace lilly growing in my house. For those of you with cats, these are actually not lillies of the sort that will kill cats like Easter Lillies. These are totally safe to have around cats. 

Finally, a picture of stuff growing in my freezer because Alex and I cannot eat cookies and muffins and bread fast enough to keep them from filling up our freezer. Feel free to stop by and have a cookie anytime. 

PS I hope no one was blinded by the whiteness of my skin in our new blog theme picture. 

Nothing like watching onions carmelize

which is what I am doing right now. So the other day the women in my congregation were asked to come up with a list of their five favorite things for a 'guess who' activity we had. I nearly agonized over it - I mean, how can anyone possibly choose their five favorite things in the world? Such a broad and personal question about all that you value and cherish in life. And only five?! Come on. So I thought about it and eventually came up with a sanitized version that I felt comfortable sharing with women I don't know very well. Of course, it started with dark chocolate, had something about good books and Alison Krauss in there, and I could not resist adding a sixth item which was goats.

After the whole thing was over and I had to tell most people which list was mine anyway in exchange for them telling me which one was theirs and I still didn't get enough names to win and after we all laughed over the person that somehow included "monkey organ grinder" in their list (thanks, Dr. Clark), I decided I had approached it all wrong. No one cares if I love dark chocolate. I mean, I do, but don't most women? So here is an non-five top list version of my favorite things.

Favorite current picture:

 

(Thanks Nat Geo. I am not a violent person nor do I condone violent animal behavior. But it is a cool picture)

Favorite artist: Allison Krauss

Favorite herb: basil

Favorite thing to do that is expensive: travel

Favorite magazine: National Geographic

Favorite thing to buy for my bottom: recycled toilet paper (because toilet paper is not a good reason to destroy old growth forests, in my opinion. Amazing how hard it can be to find 100% recycled TP. Try it some time. And please dispense with any preconceived notions that it will not be pleasant to use. You are welcome to try it out at my house any time)

Favorite thing to wash my clothes with: cold water detergent (why pay to heat your water when hard working chemists have developed detergents that work in cold water just as well?)

Favorite feature about my dog Lola: her soft, squishy lips

Favorite vegetable: toss up between asparagus and beets

Favorite thing to do that is/can be cheap: shop at thrift stores

Favorite smoothie and oatmeal flavor: pumpkin

Favorite thing to do that is even cheaper: watch international films from the public library

Favorite way to get to work: bike

Favorite hot drink not prohibited by the Word of Wisdom: Inka

Favorite fruit: raspberries

Favorite CD: The Secret Garden musical

Favorite book currently: An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler. Single-handedly teaching me how to cook

Favorite animal I do not currently own (although my parents would say that I do if you ask them): milk goats

Favorite thing I wish I knew how to do: sew

Any important categories I missed?

I think Alex should share a favorites list. Anyone else agree?

general conference is coming!!!

When you let Alex out of his cage...

This sort of thing happens.

Alex went in with Ricardo, a good friend of ours, to purchase a young (live) goat and turn it into dinner. They both worked very hard to kill the goat (humanely of course), dress the carcass and prepare it, dig a fire pit, light a humongous fire, and cook the goat for 12 hours.

Ricardo with the pre-cooked goat wrapped in burlap.

The goat was buried overnight in a bed of hot coals. Here they are unburying it.

An old wheelbarrow provided part of the oven over the goat.

Out comes goat.

The goat getting unwrapped on the goat table. Eager onlookers await.

The finished product. It was good. It tasted... goaty. 

Alex decided a) he learned a lot in the process, b) he doesn't love the taste of goat meat, c) goat anatomy is more fun than rabbit anatomy. 

His wife decided that medical students don't really have time to take on side butcher jobs. 

Three reasons

to visit Polish Chicago include the following:

1) People speak Polish. They will speak it to you, too, without bothering to know whether you speak it or not. They just assume that you do. Then, when they hear you speak Polish and realize you are a bit rusty, they will pretend like they don't notice.

That's me, next to the babcia playing the lottery.

2) You can buy Polish kiełbasa.

3) You can buy Inka.

The happy Inka nuclear family. It has expanded since last I knew. From left, there is the original Inka, then the Inka korzenna (cinnamon), Inka czekoladowa (chocolate), Inka o smaku karmelowym (caramel), and the black sheep of the family, the cheap Inka knock-off. I will let you know if Krakus is any good. It is made in Poland, so that is a start. If anyone wants to come enjoy any of the five Inkas with me, just let me know. 

There are ancillary reasons as well. 

For instance, there is an IKEA in Chicago. IKEA will expand your food horizons. Like, who knew you could buy caviar at IKEA? 

We got some of this too, so let me know if you want a taste test. 

Also, there is a temple in Chicago. 

(Actually, this is the main reason we went to Chicago. But Inka and caviar never hurt anyone.)