Often times, I wake up, in the early hours of the morning - it's still so dark out...and I wonder what I wrote. Sometimes, it begins to drift back to me, and, it seems that, in those waking moments, I've forgotten to put down so much - the writing is often a sprint, as I work towards ending the day. Lupe commented on something that I wrote - I think in the Christmas Tree post, and I told her I had no recollection of writing. Anything.
Some days, I'll go back and add some things. Yesterday, I just tacked on what I had forgotten to the beginning of a new post. I don't think I can ever get across all that goes on, in such a way as to paint that perfect picture in your mind of the memories, what happened and how things are going...Some things, I don't think I can ever put into words - because the moment was too dark or the feelings too complex - no matter how they itch to see the light of day.
But, a small skip to the post from two days ago - I embedded a YouTube link at the very end, of a new 50 Cent song featuring Adam Levine and Eminem. What a talented young man Adam Levine is, crossing a lot of genders in his career and able to appeal to a diverse audience. Each of the bambini were delighted. No more so than Cody, who came out of his room at a slow jog when he recognized that I was playing a tune with 50 Cent and Eminem that he had never heard before. "Is that new Dad?" he asked, already scrambling to open up the app on his phone that would allow him to download it. And Autumn, is a big Maroon 5 fan, as was Kim - she loves Adam Levine. I got her their latest CD and she will play it over and over and over and over (you get the picture) again - even when we are driving. "Dad, can you put my new CD in?" sometimes I'll tell her "Oops, sorry honey, it's in the other car."
This morning, after dropping the bambini and getting my running done, I added some lights to the olive tree out front and got the rest of the lights plugged in and on timer. So, when they arrived tonight, after a fun afternoon and evening with Lupe, Manny and Monsi, they were greeted by a brightly lit up house. They are getting better about not waiting up for me ( I usually get home around 11:30ish when I close the bookstore)...small steps!
A day at the Desert Museum...I should have kept a tally of how many times we were blessed to have enjoyed this place together...
Can't remember if I've already posted this one of Kim when she was about two years old. She's the beauty on the far left, red shoes - fashionable already! Her sister Terri is the other little one, her brother Ken - sporting the bow tie, her sister Debbie and, of course, her Mom and Dad.
Kim's always with the kids in all of these photos, isn't she?
Love that smile and the sparkle in her eyes...
She always made it fun for these guys!!
The last few weeks, I have spent a lot of time in the kitchen - cooking Kim's recipes for the bambini - trying to throw in the same amount of love, energy and making it special for them. Autumn has been clamoring for Kim's Mediterranean salad for some time, but every time I'd go to make it, I'd be short at least one key ingredient. Last night, I made it and the kids really appreciated it and ate it up!
They enjoyed it so much, that, it made me realize I have not posted any of her recipes in quite a while...so here it is:
Mediterranean Salad
1/4 cup, plus 3 tbsp of olive oil
2 garlic gloves, minced
1 lb box of couscous (or any small pasta will work!)
3 cups of chicken broth
Juice from 2 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of freshly ground pepper
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves
2 cups diced cucumber
2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered, depending on how large they are)
4 oz crumbled Feta cheese (if desired)
1/2 cup of pine nuts (if desired)
In a nice pot, warm the 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the couscous and cook until toasted and lightly browned. Stir often for about 5 minutes. Add the broth and the juice from 1 lemon and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until couscous is tender, stirring now and then, for about 10 minutes. Drain, if there is any broth left.
In a large bowl, toss the cooked couscous with the 1/4 cup of olive oil, the juice from the 2nd lemon, the zest, salt and pepper. Let cool.
Once the couscous has cooled to room temp, add the fresh herbs, cucs, tomatoes and Feta and pine nuts if you want. I also sometimes grill some chicken, slice it thin and lay it on top when serving.
We actually grow the basil in the side yard, and this year, taking Angie's advice that mint leaves come in handy (especially when making albondigas!), we grew that too.
Doing a little Christmas gift wrapping at the bookstore to raise $ for Kim's foundation...had a lady come up, read about her foundation and where the money goes. She looked at each picture on the poster board Aimee Snyder, who was a teacher at RVMS, where Kim worked, had made for me for an event last year - "She has the brightest smile and the prettiest eyes" she observed...and she placed $20 in the jar and walked away....later, Lola, the 87 year old frequent late night shopper, who I call the Patron Saint of our Bookstore because she always comes in late, spreads cheer and good advice, sometimes brings snacks from Trader Joe's and is always so positive, came buy and openly wept while looking at the photos...she hugged me, dropped $5.00 in Kim's bucket and wandered off, lost in the stacks of books....We're going to get some comfy recliners - for the visitors and patients at St. Joseph's, that's next!
I think that's all I have...Tomorrow's another day, as Kim was fond of telling me...
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dB9dL9mKdIg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> I'm not running anymore, because I'm so tired. Lost my mind, but kept my faith, lost my direction.
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