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Home is where your heart is…

And home is where your story begins…..

Growing up, my grandparents all lived half a mile from us.  And by all, I do mean all because both sets lived across the street from each other up until about 5 years ago.  That’s right.  My parents grew up across the street from each other. 

From the time I was 8 or 9 years old, I spent summer vacations with my mom’s parents – sort of.  They were my check in point (which means I usually ran in to make a ham sandwich for lunch and then ran off again with my childhood best friend).  I spent my time on my pedal bike, roaming the woods with friends and finding amazing things, such as this waterfall in ‘The Brook.”

Not only was it not a big deal that we explored and had forts and clubs in clearings in the woods, but it was also not a big deal for us to just take off on pedal bike to meet friends. 

We had dinner at my grandparents at least once a week.  Going to their house after Sunday morning mass was the norm.  Or baked beans and red hot dogs with ployes on Saturday nights after they came home from mass (because they always went on Saturday so they didn’t have to get up on Sunday). 

It was a completely different way of life…

When I moved away to be with T nearly 8 years ago, it left a huge gaping hole in my soul.  I eventually got over it and we made a good life for ourselves away.  I still missed being near my family but was shown time and again that it’s only a quick 4 hour drive.  And home will always be there for you when you need it.

After Monkey was born, the ache came back.  The ache to be near family.  The ache for a simpler life.  The ache to go home.  The time wasn’t right, even if we could have. 

After Little Man was born, the ache became even stronger.  But I was shown once again that family is just a quick 4 hour drive.  Things happened that reinforced the distance is only a small hurdle for if we need each other. 

Yesterday while I was at work, my grandmother called me to tell me of a horrible accident my cousin and her 2 young children were involved in.  Her children are the same age as mine.  I spent hours at the office yesterday with my head and my heart back home waiting for news.  We share an aunt and uncle by marriage and my aunt ran to the hospital to be there with and for the kids while their mom was still stuck in the car.  I’m sure many other family members rallied together to be there.  They were all, thankfully, ok.  Broken bones and cuts and bruises are nothing compared to what could have happened. 

On my drive home last night, I got to thinking about it and I cried.  I could see myself in her shoes and imagine my children being whisked away to be sure they’re ok and being stuck and helpless.  If that were to happen to me here, who would be there for my kids?  What familiar face would be there at the big, scary hospital to comfort them?  Yes, we’ve surrounded ourselves with wonderful people….  but it’s not the same as knowing your family would be there.  That Grammy could kiss and cuddle until Mommy arrived.  That Great Tatante would be there to try to make you laugh and giggle.  That quick 4 hour drive may as well be days in a situation like that.

So now I ache some more.  And the hole in my soul I thought I’d patched up slowly starts to rip open again.

Home is where they love you….

A peek into what I’ve been doing…

 

When we first came to see our house, the “finished” room in the basement looked like this:

A storage room.  Yay.  Because the other side of the basement acting as storage isn’t enough, right?

Well, we weren’t any better.  Actually, we were worse.

Wow.  That’s a lot of junk. 

After I got pregnant for Monkey, we decided to move my office to the basement so we could still have a spare bedroom upstairs.  We started clearing it out and organizing. 

 

Well, at least it’s clean.

And then T got to work.

Even the ceiling got some love.  I attacked cobwebs with a broom and then gave it some paint.

Ooh.  Ahh.  A new cubby for the water tank.  A nice new actual paint color. Is that paint I see on the cement floor? And nice new insulation.  Oooh.

Check out the great wood on the bottom half of the walls.  And this would be the built in desk my dad put in for me.

It was really coming together well, wasn’t it?

Well, then Monkey was born and life happened.

Good Lord we have a lot of junk.

So I’ve started organizing again.  And cleaning out.  I’ve gotten rid of some stuff on freecycle.  I’ve listed some stuff on craigslist.  Other things have either been trashed or put in storage elsewhere for me to go through at a later time.

It’s still got a ways to go…  but I think the kids are enjoying the new family room quite nicely.  (Scope out the new carpet my dad installed last week for me – just a section for the kids to play on).

I’m hoping to share a nearly finished product later this week.  T needs some muscle help to move a few things into place and my poor brother-in-law doesn’t realize his muscles are being put to work when they come over for dinner tonight (that was not planned – it just worked out very well in our favor.  hehe).

I’d love to hear what home improvement projects you’ve been working on!

Recipes of the week

 

Image from Martha Stewart Living

I tried out Steak Au Poivre with Balsamic Reduction earlier this week.  Instead of using random pepper and grinding it myself, as Martha suggests, I used a Taste of Inspirations rub/seasoning (I don’t remember the name as I’ve had it a while without the name on it – it was Monterey Citrus or something or other).  It was easy to make and tasted ok, but I’m not making it again.

Also from Martha Stewart Living is Chicken Parmigiana.  It’s one of the many recipes I find in her magazine and can’t find online, which is unfortunate.  T made it.  He told me it was easy and we all enjoyed it. 

Image from Martha Stewart Living

And yet another from Martha Stewart Living is Fried Rice with Shrimp and Snow Peas.  We rather enjoyed this one, as well.

Image from Fresh Magazine

Finally, we move on to Fresh Magazine where we find Sesame Beef with Green Beans.  The sauce you make to go with it has a hoisin sauce taste to it.  It was good and I still can’t get over how much Monkey loved it.  She practically licked her plate clean.

Enjoy your kitchens!

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Recipes of the week

I have a couple of failures to share with you this week. Both are from Fresh Magazine.

We tried Beer-Braised Chicken and Dumplings the other day. I enjoyed it but T did not. It's not being saved.

We also tried Cashew Chicken with Red Bell Peppers and Broccoli. This time T enjoyed it and while I didn't mind it, it's not the best stir fry I've ever made. I'm not saving this one, either.

The last recipe I have to share is a concoction I came up with for yet more variation to our veggie sides. I sauteed a chopped shallot in a splash of olive oil. I then added green beans and a splash of chicken broth and cooked it until it was warmed through. I added a handful of toasted pecan pieces to the finished product. It was really tasty. I will say my green beans were a little soggy - but I would expect that since I was using some of my frozen garden stash. With fresh beans, I'd cook them to crisp tender. I also had a thought yesterday that adding a small handful of chopped prosciutto before serving would be another good variation to this. YUMMY!

Enjoy your kitchens!