Summer

It’s been a slow start to summer up here in TL as usual. We have enjoyed a few beautiful days here and there. So, here is a video and pictures to share…

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/17005385@N04/4660551757/[/flickrvideo]

Driving us to Drink

Yep the weather has got us down.  There is more snow on the way, but we are finding ways to get through it. Not by getting the Wee one sauced up on Spaten though. Just thought it was a funny picture. She was actually trying to copy her Dad and his bottle “tooting” skills.

Anyway there are no signs of Spring up here in Timbucktoo… yet… We are managing thanks to good neighbors with plow trucks and a road crew with lots of sand. The wee one and I have ventured out for some shopping and library visits.

I set up an Art Station to help bust up the Wee Ones boredom. This morning we painted with water. We also invested in a new box of Twistable Crayons. A great solution to our crayon eating problem. We also love to play with sticky notes and tape. Yes the bottle goes everywhere with us she is addicted and I’ve found it’s not the contents because I’ve watered everything down and it doesn’t phase her at all. So any suggestions on how to overcome bottle security issues?

We also have a new member of the Marcoccia household. Meet Dorothy the fish. Gary picked her up while we were in Germany. Do you think he was lonely? Poor guy. She seems to be happy here with lots of light and plenty of things in her water to play with like plant dirt, feathers, pretty much what ever is on the floor. Hopefully she can survive Ellie’s little fish experiments and live a long happy fishy life.

One last thing. I found a new Soup Recipe. I’m not really a soup person but this one is yummy. I think it has a lot to do with the bacon. It got us through the first few storm days…

Bean and Bacon Soup

8 oz Cannellini Beans

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 onion chopped

3-4 carrots chopped

2-3 Celery Stalks chopped

1 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary

4 strips of Bacon

2 Garlic cloves crushed

1 can diced tomatoes

4 cups chicken/veg stock

4 cups water

2 tbsp fresh parsley

Heat oil in sauce pan over med heat.

Cook onion, celery, carrot, bacon, herbs, and garlic about 5 min

add beans, tomatoes, chicken/veg stock, water bring to a boil

Simmer gently for 20 minutes over medium Season and serve with parsley

enjoy…

Dinner With Ellie

Ellie wasn’t going to eat her dinner last night until we let her feed her self. Once she got a hold of the “greens” she seemed as though she had an insatiable appetite.

Zen and the art of Chicken Soup

UPDATE

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Well I spoke too soon. The Wee One is sick. She had a temperature of 102.7 on Sunday evening so we  took her down to the “5’minute clinic” in Heber. Her temp registered 103.5 there yikes. We had a relatively good experience at the clinic the PA there was very helpful, understanding, and thorough. She was tested for strep, influenza, and urinary infection. Which all came out negative. So we loaded her up with some children’s Tylenol and some Motrin.  Yesterday and today the fever has been up and down. We took her to our regular Dr today to follow up. They did a chest x-ray and blood work. The x-ray was fine and we will get a call on the blood work later. We know she pretty much caught Gary’s virus but the MD’s wanted to run all those tests so they could rule out any other secondary issues. This is the first time Ellie has been really down and out sick. She’s had a little cold last year but never has had this high of a fever. Needless to say she is exhausted today after all the poking and proding. I’m not sure it was necessary to take her into the Dr today and put her through all that testing but it comes down to we are better off safe then sorry. So far today her fever has been more mild. So we will continue to direct our thoughts to healthy bodies and love…

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We had grand plans of going to Alta for a ski day today. Unfortunately Gary woke up with a very stuffy head ughh. It’s been around for a couple of days and he has put up a good fight but last night/this morning it has the upper hand. He caught this little cold while in Vegas last weekend. I was under the impression that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Humm….

So, Ellie and I took to the grocery store this morning to get some Chicken Noodle Love Soup essentials. You know like chicken, parsley, onions, Rootbeer (I can’t explain my RB obsession lately, weird), and a donut for good measure.

Here is my recipe:

Take a whole fryer chicken and put it in a big stew pot with 8 cups of chicken broth. Cook that up for about an hour. Meanwhile, chop all the veggies you have on hand like onions, carrots, celery, leeks, squash, and such. Think about how much you love your family while you chop. Chop up some parsley and dill while your at it. Reflect on the things that make you happy like a beautiful blue sky day, dogs, and laughter. When the chicken is done do what has to be done, and you know, separate the meat from the bones. This part is the worst but if it helps your sick one feel better it’s worth it. Put some more loving thoughts into what you are doing. Strain the chicken broth. Just smelling it is already making the sick one feel better. Add your veggies and chopped chicken to the broth and more water if you need it. Let these cook. Think some more about healing the sick one with some love and soup. When the veggies seem soft add some noodles. Again, pour some good healthy thoughts in there too and stir it up. Finally when the noodles are done serve it up. While enjoying your chicken noodle love soup think about how your not going to get sick.  Really,  your not and neither is the Wee One.

One more thing you can enjoy with your soup.

“Ginger Lemon I Feel Sorry for You Honey Tea”

Fill your teapot up with water, peel and slice some fresh ginger, add some lemon slices. Heat it up until nice and steamy. Spoon out a dollop of honey into your favorite mug. Poor the ginger-lemon water over the honey spoon. Sip and relax.

First Snow Day of the Season

Ellie and I went out and played in the snow today after lunch. She was more prepared than me thanks to our friends Jen and Scott. Who have generously out fitted the “Wee One” with hand-me-downs both this winter and last. My winter/ski gear still needs to be brought out of storage. So needless to say I was soaked by the time we came in. We even tried out sledding with a cookie sheet. It worked pretty well. I just couldn’t tell if she liked it or not. As usual she was a little stoic. No crying but no shrieks of laughter either.

Afterward we came inside and warmed up with an excellent afternoon treat of Donut Muffins and warm Milk. Ummm… Donut Muffins you say?? Yep, they are muffins that taste like a donut and I think they are great. I found the recipe here. Which is now my new favorite food blog. Did you see her Bake tattoo? I love it although I’m not so sure I’m that dedicated of a baker….

Please forgive my out-of-focus photography. I’m learning

Operation Baking Gals

My sister recently got involved in an organization called Operation Baking Gals. Baking GALS (GALS stands for Give A Little Support) is a group of volunteer bakers who bake and ship homemade goodies to our heroic troops that are currently deployed.  Each soldier is “Hosted” by a blogger, and potential bakers are “recruited” from the bloggers own site as well as the GALS site.  Each Host recruits between 20-25 bakers, meaning LOTS of goodies get delivered to our soldier…so many, in fact that he or she has plenty to share with their fellow troops!

Leslie enjoyed it so much she decided to form her own team for her friends who are now serving in Iraq. Captains Terry and Hammons. These guys are Army Dentists that do an excellent job maintaining the smiles of our soldiers down range. In their dental unit there are approximately 25 Soldiers that will benefit from our sweet treats. This group of professionals see aprox. 1000 soldiers per month doing everything from fillings to root canals to crown and bridge work to dentures. They service a patient population of 60,000 soldiers and another 60,000 Third Country Nationals, Contractors, etc. on an emergent basis.

I’m excited to be apart of Leslie’s group and be able to show my support to these guys in some small way. I made some Gingersnap cookies for them. Gingersnaps are one of my favorite cookies I like the spice. So, I hope Captain Terry and Captain Hammond enjoy them as well. Cheers to them and all of their efforts, sacrifices, and hard work.