Changing Gears

For some reason the thought of blogging my travels this summer is still overwhelming, so I'll warm up with something else...like the amazing dinner I made tonight. 

For my girls I made peanut butter, cinnamon and mini-chocolate chip paninis.  :)

(i stole this picture because i no longer have a camera)

For Lars and myself I went off a recipe for Shrimp Po’ Boys from Bon Appétit, June 2011 but of course changed a few things based on what I had.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 shots Tabasco
1 1/2 pounds baby shrimp


2 tsp oil
2-French Baguettes
Butter
Swiss cheese
mayonnaise
lettuce
sliced tomatoes

Instructions:
Slice baguettes in half and lengthwise.  Spread butter on each roll and place on a baking sheet.  Toast under the broiler until crispy.

In a bowl, whisk together the first 8 ingredients. Add the shrimp and Tabasco sauce and coat all of the shrimp with the spice mix.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread a layer of mayonnaise on each roll, Swiss cheese, top with hot shrimp, then lettuce and tomatoes.
Serves 4.

It was super fast, easy and DELICIOUS!

Packing Issues

Before I left for girls camp, I drank a cup of Yogi tea. Printed on my tea bag tab were the words, "Live light, travel light, share the light, be the light." It was inspiration in a cup. I thought that was just the answer to my anxiety about packing for my trip to Iowa the day after I got home from girls camp.  I would only bring one suitcase.

I told my dear friend Nicole, who is very thorough and organized, about my stress relieving plan.  She kindly offered to print me off a copy of her packing list, just in case I wanted to use it.  I politely decline having complete faith in my traveling inspiration sent via Egyptian Licorice Tea.

I got home from camp Friday evening and in my half dazed-auto-sleep deprived mode, threw together one suitcase of clothes for all four girls and myself and all the small gifts and trinkies I had been collecting throughout the summer that I wanted to bring for my family.  Last minute I decided to bring out a duffel bag of baby girl clothes for my sister so I didn't have to ship them out when I got back.

Our flight to Iowa didn't leave until Tuesday, but Lars had Scout Camp bright and early Monday morning, so Sunday Lars drove us up to Portland and we stayed with our friends Eric and Angela until Tuesday.

Angela is one of my favorite people.  :)  She asked me why I only had two bags.  I told her I wanted to travel light.  She reminded me that when I go on trips, I usually accumulate more items while I'm there.  I could not disagree.  She suggested that we open my suitcases and repack them using an additional one that she would loan to me.  I was so tired I wanted to curl up in the suitcase and go to sleep, but I did it anyway.  The look on her face was priceless when I started pulling everything out that I had crammed into that one suitcase. 

4 grass skirts and 4 coconut bras-check
plastic flowers to make matching hair clips-check
a peanut butter jar full of sea shells-check
card games-check
1 plastic snake and 4 plastic sharks-check
hair bows for my nieces-check
tuna fish and licorice-check
toothbrushes-check
clothes for Heidi-check
clothes for Emilia-check
clothes for Naomi-um....shirts only
clothes for Leah-...also going without pants
dresses for church-Nada
jeans and sweatshirts for the sweltering Iowa heat-check and double check
jackets -check
stuffed monkeys-two
batman cape-check

I checked three suitcases. 

Apprently "traveling light" has a different meaning if you have children...and sleep.

Maglight Mishap

Girls camp ran Monday-Friday.  We had to leave Newport Monday morning at 6:30 am to get to Camp Alpine before anyone else since we were in charge of the whole shin dig.  Each day had a full schedule of events starting at 7 am until lights out at 10:30 pm...which really meant 11:30pm...or 1:30am...so by Thursday you can imagine how tired I was!

Thursday night we had a bonfire going and were having a great discussion, not paying attention to how late it was.  At some point, Elaine snuck off to the tent and went to bed unannounced.  Around 2 am the rest of us started filing off to bed as well.  I couldn't find my flashlight, so I grabbed some one's Maglight off the picnic table and went to the tent. 

I got into the front part of our tent and was rifling around for my pajama pants.  I couldn't find anything holding a twenty pound Maglight, so I tossed it onto the cot in front of me. Um, remember how I mentioned Elaine went to bed early?  Yeah, I actually tossed the Maglight onto her shins.  Like it was out of a movie, Elaine jolted awake howling and flailing her arms.

I have a problem called, I laugh when someone gets hurt.  And if it's after midnight, I pretty much laugh at everything...so when the scene registered in my giddy, tired mind, I lost it.  I collapsed onto the ground in an uncontrollable fit of laughter.  I couldn't stop.  I laughed until I wet my pants.  Yes, I really did just write that.

This is where I'm supposed to say I've never been so embarrassed in my life...but that would be a lie.

Out of breath!

I feel like I have been running a million miles per hour since school got out in June.  I immediately started working nearly every day for six weeks.  Then I went to girls camp for a week, came home, packed (sort of), flew with the girls to Iowa for a three + week vacation, got home on a Wednesday at midnight and on Thursday we looked at a new house in Waldport and decided to move.  Friday I went down to Crestview Heights Elementary School to enroll the girls and a lady backed into my car in the parking lot.  Monday Lars started working in Walport and  I packed up the house to be moved on Saturday.  Tuesday Leah started 4th grade, Naomi started 2nd grade and Emilia started afternoon kindergarten.  I've been trying to unpack this house and go back up to Newport to clean the other house.  The last two nights I passed out on the couch at 8:30 and didn't wake up until the morning.  I keep telling myself things will slow down soon and I hope they do...at least a little bit, but Naomi starts soccer practice tomorrow, Dr. appointment on Friday, soccer game on Saturday and then it starts all over again the next week! 

So basically that was a really long winded explanation (mostly to myself) of why I'm so tired and still haven't blogged about my amazing summer vacation.  Not to mention we lost the camera...which makes posting pictures a bit more difficult.  Anyway, I'll catch up as I can.  :)

Girls Camp

Since January I have been on a committee at church putting together a girls camp that took place the last week of July this year.  Young women ages 12-18 from Newport, Corvallis, Waldport and Philomath all attended.  I think there ended up being around 110 girls plus 40-ish adults in attendance. 

My part of the planning was arranging a service project and, you'll never guess....the crafts.  :)  I got in contact with a local non-profit organization called The Children's Advocacy Center.  It is a center that provides counseling and teaches skills to children and families that deal with abuse/abandonment issues.  It is a fantastic organization that does SO much for the community. 

Our service project was building a play house to put on their property.  We actually, ended up building a second one to leave at Camp Alpine. 

This is a picture of Elaine and me, gracefully hammering on the roof. 

A group of girls moving one of the houses to the trailer, after securing the walls to the foundation.

The beautiful finished product!!!!!

For crafts, I wanted to do something productive as well as fun.  The girls cut out and assembled sets of emotion cards to be given to families in therapy in the CAC.  Then they all made file folder games to be used in play therapy at the CAC as well. 

Making the file folder games.


Making the emotion cards.

For the "just for fun" crafts, the girls made flower hair bows and washer necklaces.