Blog Fun

I recently came across this List of wonderful plans to file away for that day when your children are grown and have their own homes. I love it!!! Especially the part about the legos. Maybe we could even add some jacks to the lego mix to make it even better!

Chinese Dumplings - Potstickers

It's been along time since I have posted a recipe. Here is a yummy one. If you don't want to make your own dough, we often just use the dumpling dough from the Asian store or its also found in the fresh vegetable section of most stores. We also steam these sometimes in our bamboo steamer. It's all good!
Chinese New Year starts Feb 7 - it is the year of the Rat!!

Potstickers

Potstickers are one of the most popular types of Chinese dumplings. This
recipe includes a dipping sauce and instructions on making the dough.

Yields about 48 potstickers.


Ingredients:


* Dumpling Dough*
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 1 cup boiling water
* Filling:
* 8 ounces celery cabbage (Napa cabbage)
* 3 tsp salt, divided
* 1 pound lean ground pork
* 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions, with tops
* 1 TB white wine
* 1 tsp cornstarch
* 1 tsp sesame oil
* Dash white pepper
* Dipping Sauce:
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 tsp sesame oil
* Other:
* 2 - 4 tablespoons vegetable oil


Preparation:


Cut the cabbage across into thin strips. Mix with 2 teaspoons salt and set
aside for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess moisture.

In a large bowl, mix the celery cabbage, pork, green onions, wine,
cornstarch, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and the
white pepper.

In a bowl, mix the flour and 1 cup boiling water until a soft dough forms.
Knead the dough on a lightly flour surface about 5 minutes, or until smooth.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a roll 12 inches long and cut
each roll into 1/2-inch slices.

Roll 1 slice of dough into a 3-inch circle and place 1 tablespoon pork
mixture in the center of the circle. Lift up the edges of the circle and
pinch 5 pleats up to create a pouch to encase the mixture. Pinch the top
together. Repeat with the remaining slices of dough and filling.

Heat a wok or nonstick skillet until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable
oil, tilting the wok to coat the sides. If using a nonstick skillet, add 1/2
tablespoon vegetable oil. Place 12 dumplings in a single layer in the wok
and fry 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.

Add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water is
absorbed. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.

To make a dipping sauce, in a small bowl, mix the soy sauce with 1 teaspoon
sesame oil. Serve with the dumplings.

Look Ma - No Teeth!!!

Today we had dentist appointments in Spokane. The dentist office is really cool - they have video games in the waiting room and tv screens in the ceiling in the exam room - the kids get to pick what video they want to watch while they get their teeth cleaned. Wish I could go there too - they don't take anyone over 16 though! Ethan got a clean bill of health - Emma has two teeth coming in behind her lower front ones. They said she should wiggle her bottom front teeth and try to get them out on her own & if they haven't come out in two weeks we can take her back and they will pull them. Bailey needs a small filling and Ben has two more bottom teeth coming in with no room - so we need to take him back to get two more teeth pulled!
After we got home, we tried to talk Emma into wiggling her teeth but she wanted Mom and Dad to do it for her. We wiggled and wiggled on one of them until it was ready to just fall out - I was afraid that she might swallow it during the night so I pulled it! Mean Mom!! She was very proud of it though. We hid it from the tooth fairy so she could take it to school the next day. Now we just have to get the next one wiggled out!

Saturday

Today is the Outdoor Show at the TRAC in Pasco. It has been a tradition for us to go and for the kids to all catch a fish in the fish pond. We were looking forward to it this morning but Ethan woke up with a fever. Everyone else was feeling fine, so Rod took Bailey, Ben & Emma and I stayed home with the sickie. We spent the day in our pjs, just lounging. Several times he crawled up on my lap and just let me cuddle him. It was a good day. I know that before long he will be too grown up to do that. The years already seem to be speeding by entirely too quickly.
I opened my email this morning and found one from Mimi - Julian's Mom. Julian died this morning. I probably held Ethan a little too tight after I read about that. I just can't imagine the total heartbreak their family is going through. Here is a poem she posted:

Fly high…

Fly high, lil man,
The sun and you are one.
You won’t ever be cold again,

I will always keep my eyes to the skies…
Today, the sunshine was a little warmer,
Tonight, the Milky Way a little brighter.

I feel your hand in mine and your face on my chest.
I feel you looking up at me,
Begging for a kiss.

“Just one more kiss, Mama…
One more dinosaur kiss,
Because I really like you “

Come closer baby, It is ok now,
You are done fighting ,
You are done hurting.

Give me one more smile,
One more silly face,
And one more hug…

You can go, now,you can go,
The boys will be fine,
Daddy and I will love on them for you…

My heart is shattered, baby,
But so much bigger,so full of love…
I will miss you forever…

So for now, Fly high, lil man…
With your brand new wings,
Fly high, all the way to Heaven…


Good night, sweet pea, sleep tight,
Your mama, the lil one...

Friday Night Lights

Bailey got to be a little cheerleader and perform at the basketball game Friday night. She was so excited to show off her "moves"!!!

Feeling Nostalgic

Word of warning - don't activate the playlist on the side of this blog if you are at work or within the hearing of a child!!! I was skimming through Project Playlist and started to feel a little nostalgic for my misspent youth!! I know that Melanie will definitely understand. If I close my eyes I can see the Seidel Bros doing Stray Cat Strut, Billy Bear singing Turn the Page, Mike Lee singing The Rodeo Song and Joe Mama reciting the end of Copenhagen. Wow! Hard to believe that was over 20 years ago. I couldn't find Dead Skunk In the Middle of the Road - that would have been too entirely perfect. So, if you are brave and have a good sense of humor activate the playlist and enjoy some crazy tunes from today and yesteryear!!!

Ravelry!!!

I have a new obsession!!! Ravelry If you are a knitter, crocheter, spinner or any type of fiber enthusiast - check it out! It is still in beta and being tested so you have to sign up and wait awhile to get an invite. It is seriously cool though. All kinds of links to patterns and projects. It got me excited enough to pick up my knitting needles and make these fingerless mittens for Ben today. They were going to be regular mittens but he decided that he didn't want the ends on them. Bailey, on the other hand, said she wanted ends on hers so her fingers wouldn't get cold - guess it isn't such an issue for Ben.
I actually sorted through our knitting needles and got the double points all measured and in bags with sizes labeled. We have a tremendous number of size 2 double points. Maybe we should host a sock knitting class or something! Rod made me a new pair of wool socks this week too. They are nice and toasty warm.

Julian

For awhile now I have been following a blog written by Mimi. She is mom to Julian. Julian is 4 and is in the final stages from medulloblastoma. They didn't expect him to live until Christmas. He has amazed everyone but is getting weaker. Today his breathing has become weaker and he is on oxygen. Mimi wrote the following and I just wanted to pass it on because it is so important to make sure that we let our loved ones know that they are loved - that we say the words and give the time and the hugs.
Mimi writes: My little man is now on oxygen. His breathing has slowed down. He doesnt stay awake much anymore and has a hard time talking. He is working so hard on his wings but yet holding back...
Do you have kids?
Do you ever lay down by them? Do they ever crawl up in your bed? Do you watch them sleep? You probably do , BUT , do you sit there and count how many breaths they take in a minute? Julian is down to 12 . Not enough.
Could you please start doing this if you dont already do it? Have one night a week or every two weeks , where your whole family gets in PJ's and let everyone fall asleep together. I know some of you have more than 2 kids...take turns. Let them sleep by you or on you , just really close. Let them talk to you about anything and everything until they fall asleep. And yep, you might not sleep well and wake up with the sore neck, but it will be a forever memory , a priceless gift you are giving your children and yourself... Dont listen to the "specialists " when they tell you it is not healthy to sleep with your kids, they have never lost a child obviously or they would know that not only it is healthy ,it is part of life. What I remember as a child and a teenager and a grownup is how safe I felt falling asleep in my parents bed, by my mom talking to her... Dont listen to the ones who say how sick it is to have your teenage son come to your bed and lay with you for a while before bed or in the mornings. They are your babies and that never changes... And always remember as they talk to you to respond to them in a loving way... Tell them about God, Jesus, tell them about angels, tell them about life and death... If you dont know about death ,it scares you. Knowledge is power. You can deal with things if you know what they are... And as much as we hate talking about it ,kids need to know ,it is essential for us to answer them and not dismiss them and their questions.
I really dont know where I am going with this... Just love your kids and tell them you do because they are special and because they are a gift...And also because you never know what life might throw at you...