12th anniversary - Thai restaurant

  Today is our 12th anniversary.  Yesterday Zeb and I went to eat dinner at a restaurant in Slippery Rock.  It was a Thai place that I had seen while taking our kids to the dentist.  It was great! I think the name of it is Elephant 8.

We got a babysitter and headed out.  It was cold and rainy, so a perfect day for some delicious soup (my first thought)!  The restaurant is run by a woman who goes by Nina, she was a fun lady with a big personality who greeted us at the door.  That honestly sold me on the place from the moment we met her.  I knew we were in for a great meal!  That personal attention and care.  You could tell she really cared about the food and our experience.  

It was a little busy but we were seated fairly quickly.  We got a sampler appetizer which was delicious.  I tried the Tom Kha Gai soup.  Very creamy and yummy.  It is not spicy like the Tom Yum soup which I normally go for with Thai food, but it was lovely and comforting.  I told you I was looking forward to some soup on this cold day and it did not disappoint!

Zeb and I ended up getting the same entrée accidentally, because after we placed our order, the owner came out to tell us that they were out of tilapia (which was in Zeb's entrée). He said that shrimp would be fine as a replacement and she told us that it is actually the same dish that I ordered! I do not remember the name but it had pineapple, cashews, peppers, and shrimp.  So good!  Zeb also tried some bubble tea which was fun.

The owner asked what brought us there for the first time and Zeb explained about our anniversary.  She insisted on giving us a complimentary dessert to split!  So kind!  We were both full but it was still enjoyable.  It was a spring roll wrapped banana, fried, with chocolate drizzled on it, yum!

On the way home we discussed how we could make this a monthly excursion.  I am always willing to eat Thai food! It has a special place in our hearts as well because we went to a Thai restaurant for our first date!  And you can imagine how that went if we are still here talking about it 13 or so years later!

Journaling plans

I am hoping to start an online family journal in this space that has been neglected over the years.  I don't know if anyone will read this but that's okay.  I am thinking it will mostly be for Zeb and I to record our family happenings and outings.  Over the years we forget when and where we had that great meal, that beautiful hike, or some special family moment.  So this is a place where we can settle these hypothetical debates by looking back at our journal. 

 Much love to anyone who may read this, 

 Carla

why Epiphany?

I have had a few questions about my Epiphany post.  Mostly "What is Epiphany?" and "Why do you do that?"

1. Epiphany, or Theophany as it is called in the eastern church, is the 12th day of Christmas.  It celebrates Jesus being recognized as the king of kings to the gentiles.  There is a lot of information on the wikipedia page.

In the church service that day, they talk about Jesus being baptized as well.  It is not only about the magi greeting Jesus but about all of his early life.

2.  Why do we do presents then?  Um... this is more of a broad answer.  First I would say that we don't do the Santa thing with our kids.  If that made you groan, you might want to quit reading here.  We do talk about St. Nicolas the man, and we say that some people believe in a modern day Santa, but it is just a fairy tale.

I don't want Christmas to be about presents.  I am appreciative of the gesture, it is a nice display of affection, but I think we, as a society, go overboard.  I think it teaches kids to be materialistic, adds to environmental degradation (what with the TONS of plastic, paper and batteries bought, also shipping fuel), and supports manufacturing of American goods in poorer countries.  For all of these reasons (I could probably think of more if I took a minute)  I don't want to associate that with Jesus's birth.

On Christmas we spend time with family, eat, go to church, just have a nice day off from work.  We talk about Jesus and the Christmas story.  Christmas means Christ Mass.  A special mass to honor Christ, a holiday.  We want that to be what it is about and that is it.

So then for the 12 days of Christmas we do something special each day.  Either make cookies, or play a game, sing carols... ect.  Christmasy stuff.  It is fun and stretches that special time out.  Honestly though, we get caught up in regular life and often have been like "Oh man, we should X, there are only 2 days left!"  It is meant to be a fun and special time, but not to strict.

Strawberries and Garlic (not together!)

Spring is so sweet, isn't it?  Big, juicy strawberries this year from the one grower's farm.  It is so nice to have them and they are organic too!  I am pretty sure strawberries are one of the "dirty dozen" so I feel blessed to have them so available.  We made jam and froze a bunch for smoothies, four flats all together!  I think we ended up with 42 jars of jam.  It is mostly for us to sell, we could never use that much between the four of us.  

Working in the garlic!  Addy has grown to be a helper with farming.  No longer am I humoring her out there, "Yes honey, thank you for that handful of soil... No, that is NOT a weed!" she can really pull her weight now.  Well, for about 45 minutes and then to play, but that is pretty good for a 7 year old!  I am just happy she gets to spend so much time outside.  

Garlic scapes are back!  I put them in everything while they are here... egg dishes, stir fry, pasta and pizza... they always go since they are not overpowering.  I am contemplating pickling them this year.  Must look into that, has anyone tried it?

Have been braiding my hair lately since it is finally long enough.  I love how it makes me feel feminine and put together.  Those two things are not phrases I would normally use to describe myself.  

I have been going through some personal changes lately.  Nothing major, just some subtle personality and philosophic changes.  It feels though like who I am is slowly shifting.  A little scary, a little exciting.  

Happy June!!

Mother's Day '12

Happy mother's day to me!  Adela gave me this "teapot" with a real teabag inside, and a coupon book of chores she can do.

My mom came over and we took some walks, it was a beautiful day to be outside.  Then we stopped by my neighbor's greenhouse so I could get my mom some plants for her garden.  

Fabe washed his hands by himself for the first time!! I didn't even ask him to, he just went over and decided to clean up! I love watching him grow and learn new things.

I had a great cappuccino made by the husband!  Yum.

Just some stuff going on in April.

Some young garlic.

Our new dog!  We adopted him a few weeks ago.  He showed up at our neighbors house.  We have not found his owners even though we tried, so he is probably ours to keep.  We named him Charlie.  He is very sweet and well behaved, and I am glad the kids have a dog to play with.

Some beauties working in the field near us!  It is incredible to see them work.

What a team!

They did all this to get the ground ready for planting.  

Have a nice week!

Harrisburg and Conference

Last week I attended the Midwifery Today conference in Harrisburg, PA.  It was great!  Here are some snapshots from my time there.

Oh those old stone buildings!

The Susquehanna River 

I had dinner at this cute vegetarian restaurant the first night of the conference.  I ordered a barbecue "chicken" sandwich with some coleslaw and fresh cut fries, It was yummy!  No conversation, some quiet reading and enjoying my food.  I was trying to make the most of my alone time.  

Here are a few snippets from the conference.  In these photos,  Angelina Martinez is showing us different techniques from Mexico using the rebozo wrap.  It is basically a long strip of fabric used as a shawl, a carrier and during pregnancy and in labor (I am sure it has other uses as well that I am not aware of).  Angelina said that in Mexico, all the women show up for prenatals already wearing the rebozo.  They use it all the time and have been for centuries, so it is a normal part of becoming a mom.  

The conference was so great for me. There were many women there from all over the world.  It was informative, empowering, and spiritually energizing.  Similar to being at a birth, I left feeling very connected to God, and thankful for the opportunity to learn from these wise, wise women!  I am sure this is my calling.