Branded

Alicia hadn't eaten in the 48 hours since Joe broke up with her, but she was on a manic high from the 24 pack of Mountain Dew she'd consumed during this time, the caffeine and sugar pulsing through her veins as she struggled to imagine life without her other half.  At first, she just laid in bed listless, waiting for him to come back and tell her it was all a mistake, that he hadn't truly fallen for the bubbly, blonde Julie that worked beside him at the new multiplex movie theater off I-10.  Hours passed and the clock ticked and no one came knocking at the door.  Alicia's roommate Teri had been in and out, but when Alicia had collapsed on her sour comforter in a pool of sobs Teri hadn't known what to do, patting her on the back and telling her it would be okay; that she'd meet someone else.

It wasn't okay and Alicia didn't want anyone else.  Alicia wanted him back.  She had to do something.  But first she needed energy.  Tired of Mountain Dew, she stood in front of the open fridge.  Food didn't appeal.  She grabbed a Zima from the veggie drawer, and let the bubbles course down her throat as she returned to the cave of her room.  She put on Guns and Roses, letting Use Your Illusion 1 fill the room, giving her company and lighting her anger.

Then Alicia grabbed her most cherished possession.  A pair of Gap jeans - the new boot cut style - a total splurge.  They fit her like a glove, and she'd sacrificed two weeks of Friday nights out to buy them.  When she wore them, they made her feel like she wasn't her usual fashion dunce self, instead she was sexy and hip, especially when she wore them with her cherished Pink Floyd concert tee.  With the Zima warming her starving belly, Alicia kicked off her Doc Martens and grabbed a permanent marker from the desk. She laid on her empty belly on the floor.  And without a second thought she started writing.

Laser light show
Tubing on the river
Road trip to Nashville
The fight at Boudreaux's

It doesn't take long for memories, Alicia's memories with Joe, to coat the jeans.  She writes madly, furiously, more and more memories from the two year relationship coating the smooth denim surface.  Eggplant parmesan.  Star Wars.  Midnight madness basketball.  She can't stop.  Hours she lays there, writing and writing, the memories rocking her body even as the second Zima spins in her sprinting mind.

When she's done, her jeans aren't blue jeans anymore.  They are black.  Alicia has coated every inch of surface, and she can't even read most of the words anymore, for the layers of memories piled over them.  She puts them on.  They still fit perfectly.  And now?  She is branded by Joe, like a horse by the sizzling hot iron, his mark permanently, painfully visible on her flanks for all to see.

 Image from Google

The prompt this week:  Jeans. They can evoke so much emotion in us: the hot jeans we wear on a date, the skinny jeans we can finally fit into, mom jeans we vow never to wear, the comfy jeans we’ll never throw out.
The assignment this week is to write a piece – fiction or creative non-fiction – in which jeans play a prominent role. You can even write an ode if you’re so inclined

All I do is cook. And take pictures of things I cook. But it's all good.

Days on the farm are so busy right now, but full of fun and adventure.  

It feels like I spend much of my time cooking.  There certainly are a lot of meals in a day, and I'm trying to use up as much of the garden as I can.  

This week I made apricot pecan muffins, for Pierce to take to school for breakfast.

A 'use up the garden' style casserole - with layers of potatoes, garlic, green peppers, tomatoes, and cheese. It was really good.

A late bloomer...

I've been scooping out watermelons and putting them into individual containers to make it easy to pack fruit for Pierce's lunches.

I recently saw a recipe for watermelon jam that I'm eager to try.  I just need to pick up some lemons (I don't typically keep lemons around).

Cort and Reid started a Mother's Day out preschool program, 2 mornings a week. 

They needed pictures to hang in their cubbies.  So we went out on the porch to snap a few.

Cort (Note that there's no paci!  He only uses it at night now) -

Reid (yes, I probably should've cleaned the dinner off his face first...)

And it's persimmon season!   We're having a really good year for persimmons - quite the abundance out there.

So far I've done a persimmon cake and persimmon fudge!  The cake recipe I came up with myself, but the fudge recipe I found online.  It turned out super sugary, and it's in a 9x13 pan so I'm not sure we can eat it all before it goes bad.  Anyone know if fudge freezes okay?

Wanna Be Spelunkers

We took the boys caving this past weekend.  Caving in the sense of a guided tour.  I'm not the type to go for headlamps and scrambling by belly through 12 inches of crawl space.  Nope, not for me.  But I do enjoy the tourist style caving.  

 It turned out to be a great activity for a day that would reach 90* with high humidity.  As soon as we walked through the doors of Dixie Caverns, the cool air beckoned.

 As did the mysterious rock formations.

 It was dark and damp, but things were well lit (except for a few times they turned off all lights to show us how the cave would feel naturally).  The boys actually did well holding hands and sticking close.  I guess self-preservation instincts tell even the adventurous toddler not to run off in a cave!

 I couldn't help but think of Tom and Huck...

This reflecting pool was interesting, because it was a few inches deep, but when they turned off the lights it reflected off the ceiling above it, and appeared to be about 3 feet deep.

This formation was called the wedding bell, because over 100 couples have been married beneath it.

And this kind of made me think of The Descent.  Anyone read it?  Great book - thriller style!

Walking down under the wedding bell...

I'm not sure what was so funny, but I think the kid was having a good time...

In front of the cabin after the cave tour (the sun was in their eyes)...makes me think of those hear no, see no, speak no evil monkeys...

Lazy (or not) End of Summer Days

The farm feels quiet with Pierce in school during the days.  The twins keep me busy, though, and there is always plenty to do around the place.  Since we ate the first two tomato pies I made, I made two more and quickly got them in the deep freeze before we could dive into them -

We continue to have loads of tomatoes and tomatillos, so I've been making large batches of salsa.

I trim the stems and then roast tomatoes and tomatillos in the oven at 400* for 15 minutes.

Stick them in the blender with 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, dash of cumin, about 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 serrano peppers (also growing in our garden) and several cloves of garlic.  Give it a few whirls, and you've got a tasty salsa!

We can plow through a batch of this pretty quickly, but I have managed to put away a few freezer bags as well.  And the tomatoes and tomatillos are still coming in.  We also have watermelons, green peppers, and green beans (still!).

Zip, giving me the eye, after a recent deworming.  

What's new in your neck of the woods?

The Twins Get Muffin Tin Lunches

I've received many comments asking me when I'd start doing muffin tins for the twins.  The time has come!  Last winter I found these Christmas tree tins at a thrift store for $1 each - and there were three of them which was just perfect!  Granted, I think they're more designed for fat cookies than muffins, but they still fit the purpose.  I did a theme of the four seasons - since we're on the cusp of autumn.

Green peas for Summer, pink watermelon for Spring, orange macaroni and cheese for Fall, and coconut cream yogurt for Winter.  The twins loved their first muffin tins, and they polished off everything except for a few of the peas.  Who would've known Summer would be their least favorite of the seasons?  ;-)

For more Muffin Tin Monday ideas, go visit Muffin Tin Mom. 

A Full Month of Fitness - August 2011 Recap

This past month I was full of motivation for working out.  I'm not sure where it came from, but I'm definitely not complaining.  I wish every month could go so smoothly.  Unfortunately, motivation (at least at this level - for me) can be fleeting.

As the days get shorter, I have been forced to either do my morning run on the treadmill, or run in the dark.  I've been opting for embracing the darkness, and I do have a little gadget that helps me out.  I've had this Black Diamond headlamp for almost 10 years now, and I love it.  The light adjusts, so you can angle it towards the ground just right, it's a solid brightness, and it's lightweight.

Total running mileage this month was 113 miles.  This included one 10K (which didn't go so well, as you may remember, but it was okay) and two track workouts.  I would've liked to hit the track more often, but it just didn't happen this month.

Crosstraining:
Yoga x 5
Circuit training w/ 10 lb. weights x 4
30 Day Shred x 8
Hiking x 1
Walking w/ my friend Tiffany x 1
Jackie's Xtreme Ab Workout x 4

No complaining this month about a lack of crosstraining - I managed to live up to my own standards for once, ha ha.  Hoping for a similar month in September with a return to a long run or two, and more track workouts.  I have another 10K coming up, and I hope to run faster than my August 10K.

Got any goals for September?  Exercise or otherwise?  Let me know in a comment, I'd love to hear about them!

My Top 10 Dos and Donts of Airline Etiquette

I'm linking up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop this week for the first time, in response to her writing prompt The 10 Dos and Donts of Airline Etiquette.  Since I went to college in Texas but my parents lived in Northern Virginia, I spent several holidays traveling back and forth.  I had some super crazy experiences on flights, and these true life events have inspired my list.

Donts:
1.  As an adult, please be prepared to open your own food and feed yourself.  Please do not expect the complete stranger who is seated next to you to do this for you.
2.  Please do not reach over a passenger before the flight even takes off to pass off a barf bag and bulk package of peppermints to your daughter, while informing random passenger that she gets incredibly airsick every time she flies.  Because believe me, said passenger is going to insist on switching seats with you immediately, and you'll be stuck dealing with your daughter's airsickness yourself. 
3.  Please do not wear massive doses of perfume.  People who are prone to migraines will thank you.
4.  Please don't fall asleep on the random person sitting next to you.
5.  Please don't try to convert your seat mate to your religious cult.  Believe me, they are not interested in joining your cult in California, no matter how awesome you think it is.

Dos:
6.  Do bring duct tape, particularly if you have stuffed 70 pounds worth of gear for a two week trip to Costa Rica is a sub-par duffle bag.
7.  Do write letters of complaint to the airline that left you stranded in Milwaukee for 8 hours (because believe me, that airport has nothing to do and it will be the longest 8 hours of your life). 
8.  Do confiscate the passport and driver's license of your absent-minded husband so he doesn't realize he's lost them as you pull into the airport.
9.  Do put everything you need in a carry on, because you know if you check baggage at least twice in your life, one of those times it'll be lost.
10.  Do limit fluids and risk dehydration pre-flight.  Because seriously, folks, those airplane bathrooms can be pretty scary.  Use as last resort only!

You can read others' airline tips and such (or join in with your own) by clicking: