Recently in Real Life Category

Colcannon and Irish Soda Bread

| | Comments (1)

For your St. Patrick's Day dinner, here are my favorite recipes for this day:

 

Colcannon

2 tsp. vegetable oil
3 tsp. butter, divided
1 leek, halved and cut in 1/2 inch strips
1 onion, halved and cut in 1/2 inch strips
8 red potatoes, baked
15oz. beef broth
salt and pepper
1 green cabbage, quartered, cored, and cut in 3/4 inch strips

1.  Heat oil & 1 tsp. butter on medium.
2.  Saute leek 7 onion until they start to brown.
3.  Add half the cabbage, stirring and turning until coated with oil and wilted.
4.  Continue adding cabbage and stirring one hand full at a time until wilted.
5.  Pour in half of broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until cabbage absorbs broth. Add remaining broth. Cook until cabbage is soft.
6.  Slice baked potatoes and add to cabbage.
7.  Add shredded or sliced corned beef.
8.  Salt and pepper. Add remaining butter.

 

Irish Soda Bread (from Martha Stewart)

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup whole-wheat graham flour
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 2/3 cups buttermilk

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or your fingertips, blend in butter until it resembles small peas. Add buttermilk all at once; stir with a fork until mixture holds together.
  2. In the bowl, pat the dough into a domeshaped loaf about 7 inches in diameter. Lift out dough; transfer to lined sheet.
  3. Lightly dust top of loaf with flour. Cut a 3/4-inch-deep cross in top, reaching almost all the way to edges. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Count Me In

| | Comments (0)

Have you received your 2010 Census Form? Be sure to fill it out and send it back. Census records have always been an important part of genealogy and I want my descendents to be able to look me up in 72 years.

At my house, we have 2 White Puerto Rican guys, 1 White Puerto Rican girl, and 1 plain ol' White girl. In truth, we're a bunch of ethnic mutts here at my house - something we're proud of but something the census, unfortunately, does not capture.

So, here's my Census 2010 addendum:

1 male Spanish/French/Basque/African or Puerto Rican Indian

and

1 female Irish/Scottish/English/German?/American Indian

married with a boy and a girl

The census asks what color our skin is but I think the bigger question is whether America is a melting pot or salad bowl. I was taught by a teacher in high school that we are a salad bowl, but I am sure now that America is a melting pot. Why else would my little Puerto Ricans eat Colcannon on St. Patrick's Day?

4 Moms, 35 Children: Schedules

| | Comments (0)

Much like Emma Woodhouse in Jane Austen's "Emma", I love to make plans. I don't always follow them, but I sure do enjoy making them. Schedules and routines are some of my favorite plans to make and what better way is there of finding new schedule ideas than peeking into the schedules of four moms with a total of thirty-five kids.

The moms linked below have kindly offered a view into their lives and detailed their daily schedules:

The Common Room

Life in a Shoe

Raising Olives

Smockity Frocks

I suddenly feel a planning yen coming on.

Thrifty Framing

| | Comments (0)

If you take one Martha Stewart poster (about 13-years-old) and you remove the cheap plastic poster frame and you take a free picture & frame from the Eighties and you remove the tacky pastel print, you may get a sunflower poster in a wooden frame with an interesting mat.

Reframed sunflower poster

 

This is hanging in my hallway, by the school closet and visible from the living room. Sorry for the awkward angle and using the flash.

What do you think?

I think I like it but the mat is throwing me. But see how perfectly it fits the poster? Also, see my ugggggggly door bell box? That needs to be painted or disguised.

Back to the picture. Yay or nay?

New Birth Certificates For All Puerto Ricans

| | Comments (0)

As of July 1, 2010, all Puerto Rican birth certificates will be invalid. This is because of a law enacted by the government of Puerto Rico last December.

It seems it was a common practice for Puerto Rican schools to retain a child's birth certificate while the child was in attendance at the school. Some criminal groups saw those unguarded collections of birth certificates as a way to easily provide illegal Hispanics with American birth certificates, as all Puerto Ricans are born Americans. After many schools were robbed, the government of Puerto Rico decided invalidating all birth certificates and issuing new ones was the only way to prevent fraud.

The new birth certificates will not be available until July 1, 2010 and will cost $5. The fee will be waived for those over the age of 60 or for veterans.

Those living outside Puerto Rico (as does my husband) will need to write the Puerto Rico Office of Vital Statistics on or after July 1, 2010 to request a new, state-of-the-art birth certificate. 

More details are available in this PDF from the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration.

 

Great Backyard Bird Count 2010 Review

| | Comments (0)

Monday we participated in the GBBC 2010 and enjoyed ourselves much. This was the most I have exerted myself since my brain surgery in November, so I was very tired afterwards. We stayed in our own neighborhood and didn't travel the local trail, as we usually do. Because of this, we didn't spot as many birds as in past years, but I think we still did well.

Here's our tally:

See? Not too bad. As you can see, we found many water birds - thanks to the three ponds in our tiny neighborhood.

The best part of the bird count was that we got a chance to see a newly laid clutch of Muscovy eggs.

Thirteen

 

A few photos from the bird count:

Common Moorhen
Common Moorhen
 
Stork
 Wood Stork
 
Five in a row
 White Ibis
 
More of my photos are at Flickr.
Photos by S here.
Photos by D here.

Mail Call: Trigeminal Neuralgia

| | Comments (0)

I'll be frank here: I am the world's worst correspondent. Honestly, my closest relatives have to call me to find out if I received their important emails. And don't ask the age of that lovely stack of unused stationery on my desk.

However, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Below is a recent comment from a visitor and I'd like to respond in a new post because I have had many visitors lately with Trigeminal Neuralgia.

 

Dear Mrs. Happy Housewife,

A friend of mine found your website while she was searching the web to find out what Trigeminal Neuralgia is. I too have TN and under went MVD surgery on July 1, 2009. I have to tell you that my surgeon did a much better job at sewing me back up. I can hardly look at your picture, but I am very squeamish. It has been just over 6 months since my surgery and I am having some re-occurring pain after being almost completely pain free during the month or so prior. It's been devastating to say the least. Tears came to my eyes when my friend told me about your website. As you probably know, it's difficult to explain this condition. It would be wonderful to have someone to share with. I've started the rounds of doctor's appointments and scheduled MRIs.

I hope that you are recovering quickly. It takes some time so be kind to yourself and take it easy. If you're anything like me, I couldn't touch the "hole" for months (for those who don't know...it's covered by a metal plate, but there is an indention under the scalp). It just freaked me out. Now I'm an old pro at it. My hair has grown out a few inches and with my other hair down (which is also long), no one can tell that anything ever happened.

I'll keep you in my prayers!

Sincerely,

TNFriend

 

Dear TNFriend,

Thank you so much for your comment. It is wonderful to hear from another Trigeminal Neuralgia patient. I hope you are currently doing better than when you wrote me. 

It is now a little over three months since my surgery. I know my scar photo was rather gross, but what looked so terrible was mostly surgical glue. The scar is much better and less Dr. Frankenstein now. It's also very smooth. My hair, like yours, covers the scar and the indentation in my skull. I don't touch the area because doing so makes my ear ache. As for the rest of my recovery, I feel normal again, though I don't have as much energy and it's unpleasant to hang my head down. I'm certainly not as afraid now of brain surgery. I feel a bit like a wine bottle with a popped cork.

I am so sorry to hear that you are not painfree, especially since this is a most horrible pain we live with. And it is terrible to have your hopes dashed when you expect the surgery to cure you. As to the success of my Microvascular Decompression: practically none. I'd say none at all, but, truly, I can eat and smile and laugh with a bit less pain than before my surgery. I think I have had far less improvement than most patients of MVD because of the fact that my trigeminal nerve was not in a typical situation for this problem

As to side effects of the surgery: the attempt to deaden the nerve a little means I often use eye drops in my left eye and for a while I heard a frequent ticking noise in my head; now, I sometimes hear a roaring (like the sea) in my left ear. I've been told that healing can last more than six months. My surgeon has suggested that we try Stereotactic Radiation Therapy, but I am still waiting to see if I have any more improvement - to the chagrin of my husband who would like me to stop hurting.

I'd love to hear from you again. I'm also on Twitter, if you'd like to chat there. Thank you for taking the time to leave me a comment and I appreciate your prayers. You are in my prayers also.

Blessings,

Mrs. Happy Housewife 

 

Stupid Floridian Fun

| | Comments (0)

For days...and days...and days, H has had a glass of water outside at night in a desperate quest to see it solidify. Yes, Floridians are silly and a bit odd.

After repeat failure, I told H to move the glass away from the heat of the house and last night he finally obtained his goal.

Ice on a plate

Naturally, we were all very excited this morning. I mean, really, how often does one see a glass of ice?

And to all Floridians who got sleet, flurries, or snow yesterday: I only hate you a little bit and am sure my envy will fade. Eventually.

Spry Old Ladies and Good BBQ

| | Comments (0)

Titi Pepita - 2006

After H got home from work yesterday, we went to visit his great-aunt, Titi Pepita. The photo above is from four years ago, when she flew here from Texas. Back then, she was still able to play basketball with my kids. You might remember my mentioning her before. She's 104 this month and as fit as a fiddle, save for her hearing aid. There was a big scare a while back when she caught pneumonia and was very near death. At that time, I asked for your prayers. Y'all must have caught God's ear because she recovered and is as chipper as before. She is always happy and high-spirited. Even yesterday she was jolly, though H's grandmother who recently passed was Titi Pepita's best friend since childhood. Her vitality amazes us all. 

Well, Titi Pepita is flying back to Texas tomorrow to see her sickly daughter and I'm sure she'll be detained by some ignorant TSA agent. If Joan Rivers is a danger to security, what will they think of a short, old lady from Puerto Rico who can't speak much English and can't hear? I just hope they don't confiscate her hearing aid as an incendiary device.

Titi Pepita says she'll return later this year and we look forward to seeing her again.

After visiting with Titi Pepita, we happened to drive by a hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint we have passed for ages. It always smells delicious from the road and we say each time we pass that one day we'll have to stop there.  Well, yesterday we made a u-turn and seized the day. Let me tell you, the BBQ was as delicious as it smelled. The people inside were so pleasant, too. They even gave the kids free drinks while we waited for our to-go order. It turns out that the place is run by an ex-football player from the Buccaneers (Go, Bucs!). We tried a combo of pork, beef, sausage, BBQ beans, potato salad, fries, and their special sauce. All was so, so good - much better than the chain BBQ place, Sonny's. I was rather sad to let go of the leftovers so that H could take them to work today for lunch. If you find yourself near the Tampa International Airport, stop by Jazzy's BBQ. You will not be sorry.

And that is my "Carpe Diem" story for the week.

With Joy

| | Comments (0)

The Kids on Christmas Eve

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. We managed to have a good holiday (as you can see from the children's glee shown above) despite illnesses and a death in the family.

Mother's Day 2005

If you follow my Twitter, you already know that my husband's last grandparent passed away right before Christmas. This is the same grandmother who gave me so many craft materials over the years, including the plastic canvas S used recently. After her death, all of her crochet yarn and metal hooks were brought to me, as she had requested. I also have many other items she had given to me over the years. I feel honored to have so many of her treasured things about me and I'm happy that she is once again at the side of her beloved husband who passed nine years ago.

Between her death and my brain surgery, I seem to have been slapped with the truth that we are all here for but a moment. It's not that I didn't take death seriously already, it's just that death is brushing too closely by me lately.

The night she passed away, H and I were sorrowful. We had not visited her as much as we should have. But while it's true that we should have made more time for her, I knew that we had always brought her a lot of joy and had worked hard to give her a close relationship with two of her eleven great-grandchildren.

Sometimes your best is not all it should be, just all it could be.

A post like this usually ends with a plea to spend more time with those you love, but I won't tell you that. Until Death comes riding down your street, such platitudes are empty. I will tell you, though, that regrets are many and days are few. Too many die with "I wish.." on their lips, but Carmen died with joy. I hope when my time comes that I do too. 

About this Archive

This page is a archive of recent entries in the Real Life category.

Quizes is the previous category.

Science is the next category.

Mrs. Happy Housewife

Mrs. Happy Housewife

I am... a Christian, a woman, a wife, a mother, a housewife, a homeschooler, a Conservative, a Republican, Pro-life, and 33.

I'm full of opinions and curiosity. I'm not an expert, but on a quest of self-improvement.

Welcome to my life.

Follow mrshappyhousewi on Twitter

MrsHappyHousewife. Get yours at bighugelabs.com


I Like Ike is my son's blog. Aside from pestering him regarding grammar, I have no input. Please be nice if you comment on his blog.


The old site is slowly being transferred here.





blog advertising is good for you

Archives



Technorati Profile





blog advertising is good for you

 Subscribe in a reader

Add to Google Reader or Homepage

Subscribe in Bloglines

Subscribe to Mrs. Happy Housewife

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner


Add to Technorati Favorites