Thank you for all of the nice messages you sent after my post about my grandma's passing. It meant so much to read them and I'm glad so many friends related to it. We're all doing fine, but miss her terribly.
My mom and I pay a lot of attention to signs and intuition, and it's interesting to me that every day since my grandpa died last year, I have seen at least one bright red male cardinal, his favorite bird. I don't remember seeing many female cardinals, maybe that's just because they're not as noticeable as the males. However, since grandma passed, it never fails that I now see female cardinals along with the males.
We're more than ready for spring weather here in Nashville, especially after the last few gloomy, rainy, snowy days! Jason and I promised Sophie a trip to see the "purple ooh-ooh aah-aah" (Monkey Joe's) on Sunday afternoon since the weather was rainy and cold, and she had the time of her life!! This kid is totally fearless (except for her fear of the blow-up monkeys at Monkey Joe's) and has such a zest for life. It's impossible to watch her without smiling. We took this video of her 9,999,999th trip down the slide and couldn't stop laughing - she looks like one of those old cartoon characters whose legs are moving too fast for her body as she runs away.
I've been cooking a lot the last couple of weeks and have been on a roll with some great, healthy pancake, waffle and muffin recipes. Bananas and unsweetened applesauce are two of our pantry staples for those recipes and I can usually find very ripe bananas on clearance at our local grocery store - perfect for baking or chopping and freezing for smoothies. Here's one of our favorite muffin recipes:
Photo courtesy of chiquitabananas.com
I made a few modifications to this recipe, using whole wheat flour, egg substitute, and 1/4 cup of raisins and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. Also, I never keep buttermilk on hand, but it's easy to make it at home by mixing 1 cup of milk plus 1 T of vinegar and letting it sit for at least five minutes before adding it to the wet ingredients. I also omitted the topping for the muffins, simply because I didn't want to make it! We didn't miss it at all and the muffins didn't last long around our house.
Here's hoping spring finds all of us sooner than later!
After a few really good months in Nashville, my grandma had a setback last month when she was admitted to a local hospital with a myriad of issues, from Influenza A to edema to an infection in her arm that caused intense swelling. She seemed to be recovering from her ailments and we were making plans to move her from the hospital to skilled care when the call came in the middle of the night last week that she took a turn for the worse and we needed to get to the hospital to say our goodbyes. My mom and I were able to spend her last hours with her, telling her about our most treasured memories, praying with her, holding her hands and just making sure she wasn't alone.
There is a line in the song "Big Yellow Taxi" about not knowing what you've got until it's gone, but I've lost a lot of people dear to me already and with those kinds of losses you learn to appreciate what you have while you have it. I was unbelievably fortunate to have grandparents who truly loved having grandchildren. I can't think of a single time in my life when they weren't there for me when I needed them and I hope they thought the same of me.
Thanksgiving 2009 -karaoke night with my grandparents was priceless!
When my dad suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident in the early 1980s when he was my age and I was Sophie's age, my grandparents didn't hesitate to whisk me away to stay with them for weeks on end or to shuffle me back and forth from their home outside St. Louis to my childhood home in Galesburg, Illinois, all so my mom could face what the situation demanded. I loved spending days at their plumbing and heating business, playing with the plumbing parts (and creating an inventory nightmare, I'm sure) or with the old-fashioned cash register or walking down the street with grandma to the German deli down the street.
As I got older, there were outings with grandma to a ladies' clothing store in St. Louis called Cunningham's, where she would buy beautiful clothes and I got in trouble for trying on the expensive hats. Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, we went on marathon shopping trips. Grandma was always so stylish and classy and she's still my inspiration for the way I dress.
Beautiful Grandma
There were countless trips across the country in their motor home, trips to Disney World and to visit family in California and New York. They were there for every milestone in my life from birthdays to graduations to holidays. There were lots of little things they did for me that I didn't know until much later that they were responsible for because they didn't need the recognition for them. When my dad died in 1998, they were there for us then, too. As the years went by, Jason and I loved making weekend trips to visit them and some of our favorite memories were taking them to a Cardinals game on opening day at the new Busch Stadium, Grant's Farm, Missouri Botanical Garden, and just the random weekends we would spend with them, talking, playing cards and enjoying being together. What a wonderful gift to be able to look back at your life and know you were loved and supported by your grandparents every step of the way.
Typical goofy family photo at my baby shower in Moline
When I found out I was expecting a girl, there was no question that her middle name would be Marcella, after grandma. She was already suffering the effects of dementia by that point, but she was so excited to hear she had a namesake and I'll never forget the first time she held Sophie. She always loved seeing her and pictures of her.
It was really an honor for me to be with her last week when she passed. I'll never forget that I was holding her hand and talking to her about that first time she held Sophie when she finally found peace.
This week I found a card tucked away in a drawer at work that I've had for several years, a thank you she sent me for running in the Race for the Cure in her honor (she was a 20+ year breast cancer survivor) with a $5 bill tucked inside. The $5 bill is still in the card because I could never spend it. It's too precious. This was typical of her - she was always sending cards with funny little notes. This one said:
"Dear Heather, Your mother told me that you ran in the Race for the Cure for me. Thank you very much. I know that you are a very busy lady. I will be seeing you maybe in December. Heather, anytime you want to come see Grandpa and Grandma we will be looking for you. Thanks again. Love, Grandma oo and Grandpa xx"
I know I will be seeing you again, Grandma, and even though my heart hurts because I miss you, I'm happy you're at peace. xxoo Heather
I will be so sad when soup season is over this year. I know the time is coming but, as I say that, Nashville is predicted to have an inch or so of snow in the next couple of days so maybe we have a little longer!
Soups have been a saving grace in our house for the past few months because they're generally easy, provide lots of leftovers and are relatively healthy. I love making a huge pot of soup on Sunday afternoon, knowing that it means I don't have to cook at least one other night during the week.
We have a roster of a few favorites, like a spinach bisque recipe to mimic the soup at one of my all-time favorite restaurants, The Landmark, in my hometown of Galesburg. Although the original recipe contains chicken base, we modified it to a vegetarian version that tastes almost as good. We're always looking for new favorites to add to the list and this corn chowder was easy (especially for me as all I contributed was buying the ingredients; my mom did the cooking!) and tasty.
Pour cream-style corn and whole-kernel corn in a slow cooker set to Low; add hash browns and stir.
Heat butter
in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir all vegetables and peppers in the melted butter until all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir vegetable mixture into slow cooker;
top with half-and-half and milk.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Healthy muffins are another staple in our house, not just for Sophie but for all of us. Jason is a Vitamix smoothie chef extraordinaire, whipping up nutritious and delicious smoothies with frozen fruit, kale, spinach, almond milk and other treats almost every day. Sometimes we need a little more substance and muffins usually do the trick.
We made these coconut sunbutter muffins, adapted from Daily Garnish, on Sunday to last us through the week. Turns out, my pantry was not stocked like I thought it was, and I was out of coconut. I added a small handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips instead and the substitution seemed to work. We're not gluten-free, so I also modified the recipe to replace the various GF flours with whole wheat flour. They were really good!
The muffins turn green as they cool down because of the chemical reaction between baking soda and sunbutter, and that made for an interesting conversation with Sophie.
Photo courtesy of Daily Garnish
My grandmother is still in the hospital and has had a lot of ups and downs this week. She may not be able to move back to her memory care facility because of some setbacks, but it's still up in the air whether she can build back some of those things in a short-term skilled care setting or if it's time for her to move to a long-term care facility. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers these past two weeks for her. If there are two people in the world who always make me smile, they're Sophie and Jason. I have the best little family and I love them so. Last weekend, we took Sophie to Radnor Lake to walk the Lake Trail, and she had the best time spotting chipmunks, squirrels, turkey, birds, ducks and more. Every stage of her life has been fun and crazy, but I think two is my favorite so far. She is hilarious and charming and maddening sometimes, and there's no one I would rather spend time with.
Radnor Lake
I hope you have a great weekend with the ones you love!
I wasn't really sure what to write about this week, not because this week has been uneventful, but because it has been full of highs and lows and I wasn't really sure where to start. I had a fantastic weekend with my family. We made homemade pizzas on Friday night (love those Trader Joe's whole wheat crusts!) and treated Sophie to some Bubble Guppies entertainment. Saturday, we made banana pancakes and headed to our favorite greenway for a family run with Sophie and the dogs.
Banana Pancake photo courtesy of Skinnytaste.com
There's a
great playground about halfway through the route, so we stop and let
Sophie run and play before finishing the run. It's always fun to see
the other families stop to pet our sweet dogs. They love the extra
attention! The route is a nice, relatively short distance of about 4.5 miles. We promise Sophie each time that she can "run" the last stretch of about 1/4 mile. How can you not smile when you watch this video of my little runner?
On Saturday night, I had a date with my mom. We had a great dinner at a neighborhood restaurant in Green Hills called Firefly Grille. I've only been there twice, but the food is fantastic and the menu changes about every 6-8 weeks, so they keep it fresh. It was nice to spend time alone with her. It was just the two of us for so long growing up, sometimes I miss that time together.
On Sunday afternoon, my Grandma, who moved to Nashville in November along with my parents, was taken to the hospital by ambulance from her memory care facility. She had a fever and an infection in her arm that was causing pain and swelling, and found out later that she also has Influenza A and some other issues. Not a huge deal for a young and healthy person, but at 90, things like this are difficult to overcome. She's still in the hospital and has a few days to go before she might be well enough to move back home.
Grandma hasn't
always been an easy person to be around and she was never warm and
fuzzy, but I have always known that she loves me and I love her fiercely. I hate watching her struggle with dementia and the loss
of my grandpa, and it's hard to watch her struggle with this latest set of issues. I know she has had a long and full life, but it doesn't
seem fair that she has to suffer at the end of her life. I hope somehow she knows she's still surrounded by people who care about her.
I've been thinking a lot this week about my grandma and all the memories we created when I was a little girl, and the nostalgia led me to a few old photos from when I was Sophie's age. Here's an oldie but a goodie from the 1980s Olan Mills collection!
Me at about 2 years old. Love the corrective shoes!
Here's hoping the next few days will bring some improved health for grandma and fun with the family. Have a great weekend!
P.S. I just signed up for the Glencliff High School Stampede Against Diabetes 5K on Saturday, April 6 at 8:00 a.m. with a route starting and finishing at Glencliff High School. Please consider registering to support Glencliff's efforts!Here's the link.
I'm trying to do a better job of planning ahead when it comes to cooking. The last two weeks, I have successfully made at least a couple of meals in advance on the weekend so we could reheat them during the week and spend more time as a family and less time stressing out during that ridiculous 5-7pm time after work and before Sophie's bedtime.
Last week, I made this Rustic Tomato Rice Kale Stew (courtesy of Happy Healthy Life), modified slightly, on Sunday. The only change I made was omitting the frozen pea and carrot blend and instead starting with sauteeing a frozen mirepoix blend before following the rest of the recipe.
I made some quick cheddar biscuits along with the stew, and we had enough leftover for a couple of lunches. My picky little eater loved the cheddar biscuits and even agreed to try a few bites of the stew. I call that a victory!
Photo courtesy of Happy Healthy Life
I also made ahead what I intended to be a black bean enchilada dish, but after the tortillas kept breaking apart as I rolled them, I improvised and it turned into a mexican lasagna of sorts. Sophie and I had dinner with one of my girlfriends Monday night while Jason was in session and we all devoured the dish - Sophie had two helpings. I need to work on food photography or at least taking pictures before diving in to the finished product!
Here's the recipe: Ingredients: small corn tortillas, 1/4 onion, shredded light Mexican cheese, 2 cans black beans, 1 can light cream of mushroom soup, 1 8oz container light sour cream, one small can chopped green chiles, cilantro, cumin, lime juice
Filling: Saute 1/4 chopped onion of choice until it softens. Add 2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed and 1 can of real crab meat (I used Trader Joe's and this could easily be omitted) drained and rinsed and take the pan off the heat. Have several ounces of light Mexican cheese ready to add to the dish once you begin layering. Sauce: Mix 8 ounces of sour cream with a small can of reduced fat cream of mushroom soup and one small can of diced chiles. Add chopped cilantro, cumin, salt, pepper and lime juice to taste. Assembly: Coat a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil from a mister and spread a few spoonfuls of the sauce, enough just to coat the pan. Place small corn tortillas along the bottom of the pan (mine were already torn in half, but you could place them whole), followed by a layer of the black bean and crab mixture, and a light layer of light Mexican cheese. Repeat 2-3 times, depending on how hearty you want the dish to be. Spread another layer of the sauce over the top layer and add additional shredded Mexican cheese. We'll see if I can keep up the make-ahead meals. I know not every weekend will allow enough time, but it's so much easier on our family when we're not running around quite as crazed after work and we can enjoy being together. Speaking of being together, we celebrated Valentine's Day as a family with a fun dinner out with Sophie's daycare BFF's family followed by the Preds game last night. It was so fun seeing Sophie and her friend interact and be crazy together. We couldn't keep them still long enough for a good photo, so this is the best I could do.
Sophie and her BFF
Watching her with her friend takes me back to my best friend when I was not much older than Sophie is now, Megan. I'm happy to say she is still one of my best friends and I can only hope that Sophie will be lucky enough to have lifelong friends like her. Until next week!
This has been another busy and crazy week, but we've had a lot to celebrate! My grandmother turned 90 on Saturday. She has dementia and lives in a memory care facility in Nashville. I'm not sure she understood it was her birthday we were celebrating but I know she was happy to see Sophie and she was having a really good day. And I know she has the biggest sweet tooth ever, next to mine, so she was thrilled to have a delicious birthday cake.
We were happier than we appeared!
How lucky are we to have another photo of the four generations of Essenpreis/Corum/Powell ladies? Here's our last four-generation photo a year ago:
Christmas 2011
Just for fun, here's a photo of my great-grandma Dena Willmann, Grandma Ruby Essenpreis, mom Jan Meyer, and me.
We continued the celebrating on Tuesday for my mom's birthday. I wish I had a photo to share from her birthday, but we were having too much fun to think about photos! Happy birthday, mom!
I haven't written much about my love of cooking on this blog, but it's one of my hobbies and I love trying new recipes and experimenting in the kitchen. Jason, Sophie and I are all vegetarian, although we occasionally eat fish. It surprises people to hear that Jason went veggie first, but he did. I know one day Sophie will ask for a hot dog or a chicken nugget and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, though, she's on Team Veg. On Saturday and Sunday I made a couple of recipes ahead of time for this week, including parsnip and potato mash, vegetarian sloppy joes, and a veggie lasagna.
I followed the Parsnip and Potato Mash recipe pretty much exactly, but I modified the Sloppy Chicks recipe a bit. I had extra firm tofu on hand that I needed to use sooner than later, so I drained the block and squeezed out the extra moisture before adding it to an olive oil coated pan heated to medium (5 out of 10). I crumbled the tofu in the pan and cooked more of the moisture out, letting the tofu brown just a bit before removing and following the recipe otherwise. I added the tofu back in before simmering the mixture. I served the sloppy chicks with the parsnip and potato mash, and Sophie actually kind of liked it! I love browsing through new recipes and am always looking for friends to share their favorites. It was great to have a couple of meals prepared in advance this week so we could enjoy our limited family time together in the evenings. Until next week!
I skipped over an important milestone this month, the swearing in of the 108th General Assembly, a group of men and women that includes my husband, Jason. Anyone who knows our family knows that the year 2012 was filled from beginning to end with endless campaigning and sacrifices of family time. The challenges made us stronger and we also had the chance to expand our world by meeting new people and making lifelong friends, many of whom worked tirelessly to help Jason succeed, and our appreciation for our community has grown as a result. Earlier this month, Jason was sworn in and Sophie and I were able to be with him on the House floor along with his mother, Mary. My parents were able to be there as well, watching from the balcony above the House floor.
Taking the oath of office
Sophie really was happy for her dad, I swear.
We knew it would be next to impossible for our fun-loving toddler to sit quietly for nearly two hours, so she got a special treat, a lollipop, to keep her happy. A reporter asked Jason about it after the ceremony and that resulted in a brief mention in The Tennessean the next day.
The sucker that grabbed the attention of The Tennessean
This week marks the official start of session for lawmakers in Tennessee. We know we'll see less of Jason for the next several months, but there are many rewards that come side by side with the challenges. We're looking forward to seeing where this road takes us!
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