Whirlwind Weekend

I was looking forward to a nice,

relaxing,

quiet,

weekend.

(Ok, I was going to butcher chickens,

but you know what I mean...)

BUT

Friday morning I got a panic call from

the school director.

Could I head down to Hialeah (north Miami)

for the weekend?

I assumed the instructor was sick.

Nope.

The instructor was fired.

It was a little bit of a fiasco.

But the hotel was really nice. 

An older Courtyard Marriott.

And it was a nice drive - only 2.5 hours.

Saturday morning, class starts at 8.

I got there at 7:30 to meet the guy with the key

and take a tour of the facility.

NICE office!

(And a really nice guy - especially for 

having to get up early to let me in...)

At 8:00 there were exactly ZERO students.

Sigh.

So I started snooping through boxes of stuff.

And found about 7 boxes full of old curriculum.

Which is a HUGE violation.

So I dragged those all out to the main lobby.

(We were on the 2nd floor, I'm not shlepping

boxes of books down two flights of stairs.

Sorry...)

At 9:00 I called the director to tell him about the boxes.

(I already told him about the students, or lack of, at 8)

While we were on the phone,

in walks this random woman.

Carrying old books, so I assumed she

was just coming to review.

Nope.

She was in class the previous weekend.

But the instructor told her class starts at 9 on Saturdays.

???????????

Whatever.

Then she said these old books were what the

instructor gave out and was teaching out of.

(which makes no sense since there were

FOUR full boxes of NEW books right there

in the closet... AND we just did a two day

seminar in Orlando in February where I taught

out of the NEW manual to get the other 

instructors up to speed on the new books!

Sheesh!)

Another HUGE violation!

So we sat down and I got started figuring out

what had been taught and what hadn't...

When in walks ANOTHER random woman!

(Sorry I'm a couple of minutes late...)

(Try an HOUR AND A HALF!)

So then there were two.

We had a good class.

And during breaks and while they were doing

workbook stuff, I kept snooping.

Found the class cabinet which is to ALWAYS 

be locked.  It was open.  Of course.

And inside were MORE old curriculum books.

And the FINAL EXAMS.

And the ANSWERS.

My poor boss was nearly having a coronary.

Turns out there was a field auditor attending class

last Saturday morning.

He arrived at 7:30, stayed in the parking lot until 8:55,

reported no instructor and left.

The instructor showed up at 9:15 claiming car trouble.

But no phone call to the director.

So automatic fired.

Luckily he WAS late, because if the auditor HAD

attended class and been issued the old books

and witnessed the unlocked cabinet,

our entire SCHOOL would have been in jeopardy.

So.....

It all turned out for the best.

The students learned what they needed.

And I got to eat dinner at the Don Shula Hotel

in Miami Lakes (the super cute place I substituted

at over Christmas) and have their incredible

fish sandwich and cheesecake.

So all is right with the world.

And the chickens got to live another week.

Lucky Girls.

Sweet Potato & Oat soup (E)

I'm just putting this here because the Trim Healthy Mama E'zine goes away after a month and I want to keep this recipe....  I'll do a new post tomorrow...

Sweet Potato & Oat Soup (E)

Oatmeal is not just for breakfast, it also makes a wonderful thickener for soup! This soup could not be more packed with nutrition. This will nourish your whole family with vital nutrients we all need in daily living. Kale, sweet potatoes and oats are all powerhouse whole foods that will bring more benefits than we can count! This Energizing meal is also easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs olive oil or butter
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 cups sweet potato, cubed
6 cups chicken broth
¾ cup old fashioned oats
2 tsp high mineral sea salt
pepper(to taste)
3 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed or shredded.
2 cups kale, chopped

Directions:

-In a large pot, sauté the chopped onion in the butter or olive oil.
-When the onion is soft, add the garlic, celery, sweet potato, chicken broth, oats, salt and pepper.
-Simmer on low for 30 minutes or until the vegetables and oats are cooked.
-Add the cooked chicken and kale.
-Heat another 10 minutes or until kale is wilted.

*You could cook the 3 cups of chicken with your onion in the first step if you do not have any pre-cooked. A rotisserie chicken would be a Drive Thru Sue option as well.

One all-star among many in this soup is the Sweet Potato. These are high in fiber, beta-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, as well as vital minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium. All of which are needed for enzyme, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. Amazing!

This makes about 4 servings of soup. You can easily double or triple the recipe to suit the needs of your family or get together. Enjoy this warm, rich soup during the cold, winter months while you nourish your body with good things!



New Digs

We had a VERY busy, fun, busy weekend.

But for now...

Rod spent the morning fixing up the "middle coop"

for the Black Stars.

They were getting too big for their house.

And now they have lots of room to spread out.

And grow big.

And start LAYING EGGS!

(no pressure girls...)

A Week in Review/Preview

It has been a busy week!

And getting busier...

Let's see.

Saturday Kyle and I were home together.

We went to Samuels' and fed their horses and cows

and walked the property so Kyle could show me

all the work he has accomplished in the 3+ years

he has been working there.

It's impressive!

We did our Sams Club grocery shopping

then across the street to Tractor Supply

where they had CHICKS!

Lucky Kyle was with me or I would have

bought the 5 little Cornish Rocks (meaties)

But since there are 58 little black chicks

in the "grow out" cage

there's no place to put them.

Whew!

We spent the afternoon cooking stuff for the week

and watching TV.  Just relaxing.  Aaaaaah.

Sunday we headed down to Barefoot Bay 

to attend "Twig".  We have Sacrament Meeting

and Sunday School and then, since there's

only one room we can't split out to Priesthood/Relief Society

so we just have pie.

LOL

Our Sister Missionary (couple) made some yummy

peanut butter/chocolate squares that were enjoyed.

But she also made a savory treat that was gone

in a FLASH!

Roll out crescent roll dough in a 9x13 and bake it.

Then cover it with a mixture of cream cheese,

sour cream, mayonnaise and Knorr vegetable seasoning.

Top with chopped veggies (she used grated carrots, some

broccoli and some tri colored peppers)

DELISH!

Several of the sisters requested blessings, so

Rod (the Barefoot Bay Home Teacher extraordinaire) 

and another brother were busy for a bit.

Then we headed back up north to our chapel to meet

with the Stake Presidency representative to

ordain Rod as a High Priest.

He has been attending High Priests for quite a while,
I guess they didn't realize he wasn't one.

And then to another room to be extended a call.

I told Kyle he's going to be the new Stake President.

Kyle said "I'm pretty sure you have to be a High Priest

longer than 10 minutes to be a Stake President.  Try again."

Smarty Pants.

Monday Rod had to work 12 hours, so he was gone

by 5:30.  I was going to get up and feed all the animals

but Kyle said he would, so I went back to bed.

(grin)

Looking back I guess there wasn't much happening.

Tuesday I dashed home from work and whipped up

a batch of fettuccine alfredo (no shrimp though!)

and took it over to the church for the Relief Society

Birthday Celebration.

They had us all split up at tables by birth month.

It was a nice way to visit with folks you might not

normally get an opportunity to.

We had a nice dinner, visit, and played Jeopardy

with Relief Society, the 50's, 60's, 70's & 80's as

categories.

Our table won.

We're smarties.

And vocal.

Wednesday saw the guys at scouts and me at

the kitchen sink washing eggs.  I loaded 24 dozen

into the little yellow wagon and trundled them over

after feeding all the animals.

Ethel (rabbit) was busy "nest building" but hasn't

pulled fur yet, so no babies.  Should be today though.

I made a yummy dinner but it took FOREVER to cook.

Jim came by after work (8:30) to meet a guy who bought

one of the extra dirt bikes.

He has sold 2 cars and a bike so far this week!

HAPPY MAN!

(Dinner was jalapeno/cheddar sausage in a bed of 

roasted yellow squash, zucchini and onions.  Once it was FINALLY

done it was really yummy, but WOW was it hot!  I'll have to skip

the jalapeno part next time...)

(this was one I made last week, used bratwurst... ok,

but too bland... so I need something "midway"...)

Today I need to swing by the grocery store on the way

home and pick up a gallon of skim milk (we only drink almond

or cashew) so I can make some more yogurt.  I strain it

to make Greek and Rod LOVES it.  He takes a bucket

with some frozen blueberries most days as his lunch desert.

And then, of course, we need to walk over next door and

get paid for the eggs.

And hopefully have new bunnies.

The Blue Angels are in town (arrived yesterday) so 

they will be having practice flights right over Rod's

airport and my office.  I might need to move my

computer to the parking lot.

Big air show this weekend.

I'll be teaching.

I hope.

(only 2 students so far... but they sometimes

pull it out of the bag at the VERY end...)

Friday night is the Stake Rodeo out at the

church ranch.  It's always a fun evening.

I haven't been able to go for YEARS since I'm

generally teaching out of town, but now that I'm

local, I get to do stuff like that again!

Yippeeeee!

And then teaching.

Whew!

GATOR

Rod had to take Thursday off since the airport was closed.

I think they were sponsoring a 5K run or something.

Anyhow.

He was off for the day.

And I "accidentally" stayed an hour extra

on Tuesday.  (I couldn't balance...)

(Grrrrrrrr)

Anyhow.

I left early on Thursday since Rod was home.

And Kyle was home.

And the kayaks were calling our names.

It was a gorgeous day

with almost no breeze

and no current on the creek.

We did find some little friends.

LOTS of little friends!

And, of course, one BIG one.

He was happy laying in the sun.

His eyes were open and he was 

definitely watching us.

But he was pretty confident he could

eat us if he needed to.

So we were more worried than he was.

We kept our distance and after a couple

of pictures, went on our way.

He was still there on the way back.

Which I was happy about.

I don't like knowing there is one around

but not knowing where exactly...

(grin)

All in all it was a great trip!

Daylight Savings

We may have skipped spring this year.

It was 68 outside this morning.

And dark.

I actually LOVE Daylight Savings Time.

Makes life a little confusing for a little bit

since Arizona doesn't play.

And lots of my family lives there.

But the trade-off is SO worth it!

I got home from work yesterday.

Visited with Jim and Kyle for a bit

(Jim was at the house printing up his resume)

and then washed all the eggs.

Got those done and Kyle helped me

deliver them next door.

Then he headed to scouts and I went to

the barn to feed all the animals.

When I was done, it was STILL light out!

Which meant I got to sit in my lawn chair

and read my Kindle for nearly 45 minutes

until the mosquitoes decided to come out too.

The night before Kyle mowed the yard

(looks SO good)

and gathered up all the random wood

so we could have a fire in the burn barrel.

I'm REALLY enjoying these longer evenings!

I LOVE Avocado!

I LOVE Avocado

I just wish I could spell it.

Took me three tries to title this post.

Sheesh.

Anyhow.

Soni and I are happily

Trim Healthy Mamas.

(Rod is a Totally Hot Man)

(tee hee)

I made a DELISH breakfast burrito

this morning.

Saute 2 pieces of turkey bacon.

(I sometimes use pork bacon, but

Sam's had a GREAT sale on a huge

package of turkey bacon, so that's

what's for breakfast this week...)

Anyhow.

Saute 2 pieces of turkey bacon.

Meanwhile spread 1 triangle of

Laughing Cow Lite Swiss on a

low carb tortilla

(or an Easy Peasy Crepe - but I ate them all)

Spread the bacon on the cheese

Scramble a big ol' fresh egg

Spread that over the bacon

Mash up and spread 1/2 of an 

avocado on the egg/bacon.

Fold the tortilla over and brown in butter.

YUM!!!!!!!

So.

In my quest for all things avocado

look what I found!

I'm TOTALLY trying that!

Speaking of trying yummy stuff

I made some No Tortilla Chicken Enchiladas

for dinner last night (and lunch today)

It was FABULOUS!

(Even Kyle liked it...)

SUPER duper easy too!

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

(steamed and shredded)

1 onion diced

6+ mini red, yellow, orange peppers diced

1 can enchilada sauce

(I'll make my own now that I know I like it...)

2 C grated cheese

(I used a colby/jack blend, but pepper jack 

would've been awesome)

Saute the onions/peppers while the chicken is 

steaming.  Shred the chicken and put it on the

bottom of an 8x8 baking pan.

Layer the onions/peppers on top.

Pour sauce over everything.

Cover with cheese.

Add green onion if you have it.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 min at 350.

Uncover and bake another 10 min.

I did it in the toaster oven

(so I didn't have to heat the whole kitchen.

It was 85 outside yesterday...)

Served with sour cream on top and a BIG

green salad on the side. 

Avocado dressing would have been THE BOMB!

LOL

Enjoy!