Perplexed

Things that perplex me, in no certain order:

• Actors on kids' shows.  Do the hosts on The Sunny Side Up Show really love their job?  What about the actors on The Fresh Beat Band?  I doubt they make a ton of money so there has to be some love, right?  Are they hoping for the next big break?  Did they lose a bet?  I'm intrigued. 
• My children.  I love them.  I love them more than anything in the world.  How do they drive me so crazy?  
• Doctors, their "policies"and how those policies aren't always effective.  Tater and I once waited on a neurologist for over 2 hours.  I had to drive an hour and half home and it was already 4pm, so I decided to leave before Tater ever saw the doctor and you can bet I was determined to never go back.  But Tater's pulmonologist really wants him to see this particular neuro.  The appointment has been made and I received a notice that states:  If you are more than 15 minutes late for your appointment, you will not be seen and the appointment will not be rescheduled.  I'm sure they say this is so they don't get backed up and have to make patients wait.  Ha.  Hahahahaha.  Not funny.     
• How a loving God would pick my child to have the burden of a special needs life.  How a compassionate God would take a sweet little boy named Angus, who had the most gorgeous smile and who dealt with so much in his short life, away from his family.  How a nurturing God would let any sweet child deal with any obstacle.  I don't get it.  I'm reading When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner.  I hope I can find some perspective.
• (full circle here) Is Dr. Scott the Paleontologist the most dynamic paleontologist they could find to host a children's show?  Is dynamic paleontologist an oxymoron?  Dr. Scott is cute, he obviously knows his dinosaurs, but he's lacking a certain je ne sais quois I've come to expect in my children's programming.  

Thanksgiving

We headed to South Carolina for Thanksgiving.  We were able to see Mr. A's extended family and had a wonderful time being with that side of the clan.  We ate dinner at Gigi's house on Thursday and enjoyed being with all 23 of the people there.  My camera stayed in my purse the entire weekend so there is no photographic evidence of the fun had.  The boys are definitely grateful for their cousins, 'Pencer and Lucas, and love them very much.  

We drove home Friday night.  Mr. A insisting on watching the Iron Bowl before we left-wow, way to go Auburn-WAR EAGLE!!- so we didn't leave until it was over and got in very late.  Saturday we got up early and went to Coco and Papa's house where we ate lots of food despite not being hungry at all.  It was the epitome of being a glutton-being full from a late breakfast but getting a plate of food at lunch then repeating that cycle a few hours later when the gathering moved to Grandma and Bill's house.  I am still full.  

I'm now sitting on the couch while the boys are piled up on Mr. A in a chair.  They're all giggling and laughing and saying nonsense words and being happy.  I'm so very, very thankful for my family-my boys, all 3 of them, mean the world to me.  

And so I can look back at this and remember all that I have:

-I'm thankful Mr. A's family has accepted me as one of their own in spite of my inability to filter the things that leave my mouth.  

-I'm thankful my boys have close cousins and that we get to see them fairly often.   

-I'm thankful my parents live close by.

-I'm thankful for my dad who can do literally anything and cooks breakfast for us even though we were late and the kitchen had already been cleaned from the previous breakfast. 

-I'm thankful for my mom who loves her grandkids and literally drives all over tarnation to make sure they are taken care of.  I'm especially grateful for how much she helps me with my kids and jumps in to take over whenever there is a Tater-related medical event.  And for her gardening knowledge.  

-I'm thankful for my sweet nieces and nephews-although one of those nephews is now 15, is no longer baby-sweet but is becoming a man and it blows my mind how fast he has grown up. 

-I'm thankful for my sisters and brother, Mr. A's sisters, all of their spouses and how well we all get along even though we are all so different.  

-I'm thankful for Memaw, Grandma Burns and Grandpa Bill-I'm so lucky to have my grandparents.  

-I'm thankful for Tater's nurse, Pat, who just became a grandmother but loves my kids like they were her first grandchildren.  

-I'm thankful I am able to complain about being full and still have food to consume.  

-I'm thankful for being tired from a family-filled weekend.  

-I'm thankful for my kids.  Kisses from those 2 stinky boys are the most wonderful thing in the world.  

-I'm thankful for my most awesome husband.  He is the best father and he is my best friend.  

Renovations and a Recipe

We are in the midst of some renovations around here.  Hallelujah.  When we bought this house 6 years ago, the first thing we were going to do was paint the exterior.  Mountain homes should not be Colonial Blue, in my humble opinion, and we are not blue house people, anyways.  But then we got a few quotes for someone painting the house and it didn't seem so important anymore.  I have always hated the blue paint but I have enjoyed eating and amenities such as heat and air conditioning more.

Y'all!  My house is no longer blue.  It is Tea Leaf (or olivey-browney-green).  Of course it started raining before the painters could finish the trim and such but the important part is my house is a shade that is found in nature and doesn't scream, "Look AT ME!!"  And because it's raining and the painter is giving us such a good deal on the labor (it helps that he does a lot of work for my dad), we're having him paint the walls in our house that have had flat, white paint on them.  Flat, white paint and 2 little boys do not mix so now we have walls that look nice.  ALSO!  Our roof is one wind storm away from utter destruction so the nice people we pay lots of money to for house insurance are now giving us a little bit of that money back for a new roof.  AND!! Mr. A, who has a coronary even thinking about spending money, has agreed that if we're in for a penny, we're in for a pound.   So I think we're going to get hardwoods downstairs and replace our nasty carpet upstairs.

Y'all, I didn't know all this would make me so happy.  I've always loved this house-now it's going to feel more like me.  And I think we've been kind of dragging our feet on home improvements because we just didn't know what was going to happen in Tater world.  In my crazy mind, home improvements=Tater doing well!  I'm just giddy about the whole deal.  I'll share before and after pics when it's all done but here is a before until then.  It's lovely in blue, it's just not me:

And what better way to celebrate going broke than to share a recipe involving heavy cream and wine?  We just had this for dinner and I had to get up from the table to find bread so I could sop up the sauce.  Mr. A and I were purring, it's so good.  It's by Shirley O. Corriher (a real cook, not one of those skinny twits who doesn't eat their own food) and there should be a pair of elastic-waist pants named after her.  I doubled the sauce and made some egg noodles to put the chicken on.  It is heaven:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130596892

Classic French Chicken

Makes 2 servings.

2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and white pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil or very mild olive oil

1/2 cup chicken stock or chicken stock and dry white wine

4 or 5 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup heavy cream

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place each breast between two pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper and lightly pound the thick end to make breast more equal in thickness.

Over medium-high heat, heat a 10-inch skillet until the upper edge of the pan feels hot to a quick touch. Remove from the heat; pour in the oil and tilt to run oil over the pan. Return to the heat and immediately place the breasts into the pan with the rib side up. The breasts will sizzle and they will be stuck.

This is a Zen moment. Think happy thoughts. Be at peace with the world. Twiddle your thumbs. Do anything but don't touch the chicken. After about 90 seconds which will seem like an eternity, the breasts will lightly brown and release all by themselves. Turn each over. Again, they will be stuck. Wait again until they brown and release, and then remove them to a platter.

Pour the stock into the hot pan. Scrape the pan to loosen any stuck-on particles. Add the thyme, and bay leaf. Boil on high heat and reduce until a only few tablespoons remain. Stir in the heavy cream and continue to reduce until the sauce thickens. Remove the bay leaf. Slice each fillet at an angle into 3 pieces. Spoon the sauce over the fillets and serve immediately.