renewal

i am still basking in the beauty of today. it was truly near perfect. maybe it is the effect of spring blossoming and the season of lent and new beginnings, but i feel something renewing happening...or maybe i sniffed too much bleach cleaning today - also a possibility...we got out to the bike path this morning that runs along the ocean in long beach. becky and asher and ella jayne joined us and we ran for 4.2 miles...which i know because sara turned me on to this site. amazing. plus on our way out this iris greeted us - the one i took a picture of before about to bloom. the colors are just breathtaking. i mean if that doesnt motivate you to get out i dont know what will!

after our run we ate breakfast (sure it was 11:00 by then, but eggs=breakfast to me) after breakfast we headed home and got some cleaning done and bryan worked outside with bryson and i took bodie grocery shopping. i decided bodie is going to be my shopping buddy. i am going to start grooming him to enjoy shopping...can this be done i wonder? if so i will see to it that he at least can make it through one store without a fit. that to me would be an accomplishment.

it was a rather chilly day so immediately i had a craving for chili...chilly chili...hehe. i used her recipe thanks to rashelle for turning me on to it! you can find the recipe here. i immediately was turned on to it because i saw the ingredients called for liquid smoke and molasses - 2 things i had never put in chili before and now i always will. i am getting closer and closer to my perfect chili concoction i can tell..and this was a serious turning point. the flavors were very powerful in this, but not overwhelming. it called for a picante sauce and i just used what we had in our fridge and didnt check the label, but turns out it was VERY hot...so i wouldnt do that again, because i dont enjoy sweating while eating chili...but i loved the kick of the worstechire and the liquid smoke and the sweetness of the molasses and sugar. you can tell her father cared very much about the ingredients and took a long time getting it right since he called for 5 tablespoons of things...


while the chili was simmering i was inspired by her to make some butter. so super yummy. bryson and i tried to do it in the mason jar...he gave up after about 25 shakes, which i had suspected. so then i started doing it for him and he lost interest after about oh 3 seconds and ran to find a gun somewhere...so i cheated and put it all inthe food processor. we are saving the buttermilk for some biscuits...okay i am drooling...this probably wasn't the best thing for me to make...especially since i still have 20 lbs of baby weight to lose and trying to be good...i blame my mom. she is to blame. her and her dairy genes.

after that i decided that it was time to open the scottish ale i made...it still has 1.5 weeks to go, but i couldn't wait...and i was not let down - it could still carbonate, but this is seriously the best yet. max had let me know that my sugars weren't all eaten because my attenuation numbers were low and it was a little on the sweet side, but not such a bad thing after all. i also got to enjoy a movie with bryson laying on my legs and bodie by my side and even the cats joined in the love bubble..anyway the boys are both in bed and bryan is at a concert so i have the whole QUIET house to myself, which is very nice and very rare. i will use this time wisely and not peruse the internet (oops...too late) i do have a nice warm bath and a nice book waiting for me afterwards i will most likely pass out smiling because i was able to do so many things i love today with people i love and that is quite possibly the point of it all.

cheers!