Kitteh or King of the Jungle?

Kayaks and Room Rearranging...

Just a couple images to catch up from the past two days:

Wednesday:
Wake Up Paddle going down the Ohio.


Thursday:
Rearranged my room...now I actually have some floor space!

Dental care package overload

This is the care package I got from the dentist today.
My teeth are pretty good but I had some sensitivity on one side so we're playing it safe with the Sensodyne kids...

I'll never have to buy toothpaste again at this rate!

Chef Tricia strikes back!

I'm not known for being too handy in the kitchen...not that I'm bad at cooking but I just don't do it enough to be completely comfortable with it. So from now on, I'm committing to cooking dinner every Sunday night (unless I'm on vacation or something). I will post the results here so you know I'm actually meeting my commitment. :P

It helps that my house gets a share of a CSA (community supported agriculture) so every Thursday we get a box of fruits and veggies from a local farm shipped to our door. I saw that we had a kohlrabi in the fridge so I looked up a recipe in my handy dandy "Simply in Season" cook book and made this:



It required a lot of prep work with the veggie cutting but it was fairly simple to make. It was really tasty and made me feel like I had my face in a garden while eating it.

Oh, and the real achievement of the night was that I managed to clean the kitchen at the same time:


Two points for chef Tricia!

So, here's the recipe in case you might want to try it out for yourself... I kind of doubled the recipe, but still found it made more like 4 huge servings with the rice... so I'd say their serving size is on the smallish side. PS - get the Simply in Season cookbook if you get a CSA or have a garden or are adventurous at the Farmer's Market...it's the awesome!

Kohlrabi with Peas and Potato
(serves "4")
............................................................
1/2 cup onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced)
In a large pot, sauté in 1 TB oil about 3-4 minutes.

1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
1/4 tsp ground coriander
Add and stir-fry for about 30 sec.

1 cup kohlrabi bulbs (peeled and chopped)
1 cup potatoes (peeled and chopped)
Add and stir briefly

1 cup tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 cup water
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
Add; bring to a boil then simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 15 min.

kohlrabi leaves (finely chopped)
Add and simmer 8-10 min.

1/2 cup peas
Stir in and cook until peas are done. Serve over rice.

My finished tattoo

I'm not sure why this is showing up so small.

Anyway, here it is - the finished design that took 5 1/2 years from conception to completion. It may require a few more tweaks or touch ups but for all intents and purposes...it's done.

The words "Remain in my love" come from John 15 where Jesus tells his disciples that he is the vine and they are the branches.

The basic idea is to remind myself that my identity is rooted in God's love and my ability to love others stems from that First Love. Also that real love is often painful (like the tattoo itself) - that's why there are thorns - but still worth it. The wilted flower petals also remind me that I'm not supposed to have it all together, but God uses me in my weakness...and the idea that God became weak (human) to show his love for the world. I firmly believe that we relate more to each other as humans in our weakness rather than in our strength.

Two weeks until its fully healed. Thanks to Doug for his beautiful work! :)

Finishing my tattoo!

I'm finally getting around to finishing my tattoo! I got my hearts on my wrists and both feet a year and a half ago, and the heart on my right wrist was originally part of a bigger design of a flower and vine that wraps around my wrist. When it came time to get the tat, I balked at the idea of putting so much ink on myself at first, so the multiple hearts idea came to mind. Now I sometimes forget I have them!

So later on Friday I'll be heading over to Doug's shop to get it finished. The design was originally conceived back in 2005 after college...so it's about a 5 year endeavor!

I'll post the "after" pic as soon as I can get the bandage off. :)

Rainbow

I was lucky to get a shot of this out of the window after our rained-out softball game (and post-visit to the Sharp Edge):



It was one of those times where after the storm, the sun comes out, but the sky is still really gray. The late sun on the buildings created a really great contrast with the darkness of the sky. And there was a rainbow too.

This image doesn't really do it justice.

I think life can be like this too. During a storm, everything can be very confusing and tumultuous (yes I used that word). Afterward, there can be a rainbow, promises of new life to come. Things become clearer after a great struggle. The things that we took for granted before, now become brighter and more precious than ever.

Just be patient...all storms will eventually pass and leave behind something better in its wake.