Time

I am pretty sure that it was just Friday night, wasn't it? I have no idea where the time went - it is now Sunday evening and I still have a ton of things that I wanted to get done this weekend. There is so much to be done before we leave for vacation on Saturday that my head is positively spinning. There are all of the regular vacation type things like laundry, shopping, packing, etc; plus, Paco and I each have to get 15ish signatures on some (local, political) petitions before we leave and I have a picnic tomorrow night that I cannot miss. Incidentally, I am currently in the process of hydrating/cooking some black eyed peas for Texas Caviar to take to this picnic.

1 lb. dried peas Hydrate overnight, drain. Add fresh water, cook for 40 minutes. Drain and cool.

Add 1 chopped onion, 3 cloves chopped garlic, 1 chopped bell pepper, 3 bunches chopped scallions, 1 bottle zesty italian dressing and 3T hot sauce. Serve with chips or crackers.

Anyway, I know that I am really going to enjoy getting away next week. But, I also know that I am going to HATE this coming week just as much!

My Faith and A Woman I Don't Know

I had a few things in mind that I wanted to write about, but it appears they are going to have to wait due to a subject that has caught my attention. I link to a blog from here that I enjoy reading. I have never met the woman, although I appreciate her humor and she has recently passed the bar in California and is practicing law, which is something I am hoping to do someday (here in NY, anyway). Anyway, she posted about some events in the Anglican/Episcopal church that sparked some debate. What really caught me, and what caused me to keep going back, was the discussion that was going on between her and a reader. I consider myself a faithful person; I pray at night and am trying to teach my children about God. However, I am generally rather internal with my beliefs and do not discuss them with very many people. In fact, I do not even pray out loud - my religious practice is very internal. While reading this woman's blog entry and the comments that followed, I found myself in awe of her ability to discuss her faith and defend herself against someone who was bent on making her mis-speak and look stupid. Religion is often a very touchy subject, which is a shame. I enjoy learning about other faiths and trying to understand different points of view. (I took several religion classes while getting my BA, but that was a while ago.) I don't know, though, how I thought that was going to happen if I am not occasionally willing to bite the bullet and talk about it myself. This whole thing has caused some soul searching on my part - how about you?

My Garden

Princess and TBell had a dance recital this past weekend and rather than buy them flowers that day, my mother took them shopping for flowers for our garden. Now, I have mentioned before that a gardener I am not. But, since my mother spent the money, I figured I should make an attempt at planting them.



This is part of the garden right next to the entrance to our house. I need to buy some more soil and I certainly need to remember to water. But, I don't think its half bad for a first attempt. The next big project is to plant the daisy's I bought for the backyard next to my rose bush. (If I am not careful, I am going to start sounding like a woman from garden club!)

While we were getting the flowers, I decided to buy oregano and cilantro plants. I know that I could have replaced the herb garden (see the May 27 post), but that seems like too much right now. I bought these plants yesterday and used the oregano in our lasagna today. Mmmmmmm!

On a somewhat unrelated note, although it does pertain to the above mentioned lasagna...do you think that making lasagna is cooking or just preparing? Do you even see a difference? (To make the lasagna tonight, all I did was cook the noodles and layer them with canned sauce, pre-shredded mozzarella, canned parmesan and my special ricotta mixture.) The reason I ask is that my sister is currently running a cooking discussion and this is precisely what she is talking about. Any thoughts?

Hell Hath No Fury

I typically try to stay away from political and religious discussions in situations where they are likely to get out of hand. Consequently, I thought that I would avoid those subjects on this blog unless mentioning them in the most general terms. However, if you are not outraged at this story (specifically at the so-called church), then I think you need help. Regardless of what religion (or not) you practice or what political party you belong to, human decency should be the most important value you possess. If those people don't like our country that much, then they should get the hell out.

The Dinner Fantastic

Last night, Paco and I went to The Buffalo Chophouse for dinner with someone from his office and a vendor that is in from Philadelphia. I had never been there before and was very excited to go; it did not disappoint - the food was SO good. It may have been somewhat overpriced, but it was not out of the park compared to similar restaurants. The crab cakes with goat cheese fondue were fabulous and I can't say enough about the bacon wrapped scallops. But, the highlight of my evening was definitely the chardonnay by Villa Mt. Eden. It was from their Grand Reserve and it was absolutely phenomenal! I highly recommend you try it when you get the chance. However, since I did not pay for any of the meal or drinks, I cannot give you any indication of the price.

One Good Deed...

Don't have a lot of time, but this is an interesting read.

Sports

Well, the Sabres lost the Stanley Cup semi-finals...but not before forcing a game 7 in the series. While it certainly would have been wonderful if they had advanced in the play-offs, I am so excited about the mood here in WNY. In the past, Buffalo has very publicly lost play-off games in many sports and it has always been embarrassing. (Wide Right! No goal!) This time, however, the entire region is standing behind the team that wasn't even supposed to make the play-offs this year, let alone get as far as they did. Not even excessive injuries to their best players kept them from showing up at the games and giving it their all. The days after a big loss in Buffalo are usually spent moaning and complaining about how all of us (read: the men in Buffalo) could have done it better and that we were ROBBED of a victory. The past few days I have heard nothing but what a great team the Sabres are and what a fantastic season they had...we're Talkin' Proud!

Coffee Coffee Coffee Coffee

I read an article last night that women who drink 4 or more cups of regular coffee a day are less likely to have breast cancer. I have no idea how accurate this information is, although it did reference a study at a decent university (I can't remember the name). I have decided that I am going to wholeheartedly believe the findings, though, because I am a coffee lover and the daughter of a breast cancer survivor. The article did say that two cups does seem to provide some protection if four is more than one wants to drink, but I feel that if a person is going to do something she should do it with gusto. Coffee deliciousness - here I come!