Food Friday: Pork Tenderloin with Honey butter

Okay so it is Saturday!    I am going to try and upload pictures from the, as i have kept my camera in my pocket all week.  Interesting to say the least….

This goes along with Sara’s five things….it has only five ingredients and let me tell you it is sooo good!!  Thanks to Martha Stewart here is the recipe:

Pork Tenderloin with Honey Butter

Ingredients

Serves 4.

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed, thin end folded up and tied
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a Dutch oven or ovenproof skillet, heat the butter and honey over medium-low heat, stirring to melt butter. Season the pork with salt and pepper and place in pan. Cook until lightly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat if honey begins to burn.
2. Transfer to oven, and roast until pork is cooked to 145 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.
3. Add water to pan, and place on stove over medium heat, cook stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits. Add any accumulated pork juices from the plate, and simmer until sauce is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Slice pork on the diagonal, and serve drizzled with the sauce.

Second Interview

Interviewed again!  Wahoo! I love it!  Sara totally made me think…. I hope you enjoy my second set of questions!  Again I am willing to interview you if you want….I interviewed Carrie and I gave her tough questions but as always she did a stand up job!!

I interview my friend Dave! Check his answers out as well they are good!  I miss ya Dave keep reading I promise to do better about writting more often!!

Why did you start a blog?

well my first blog, i started about a year before this one. It was meant for me to dump into.  When i felt no one was listening and it was a great way to look back at how far i had come…

Then this blog, well it all started with Mike!  Yup!  I would tell him stories about camp or about kids and he said, BLOG ABOUT IT.  i found it a little strange other people the i knew would want to know the inner workings of me…but guess what!  I have loved it.  I have been able to just let things go. and as a single mom some of those funny moments i can share here.  My kids are going to kill me some day!

What would be the soundtrack to the movie of your life?

Well now that i have lost my iPod….lets not talk about it, I am in denial….I will do my best to pick songs for my soundtrack to my life movie…in no particualar order…

• So What, Pink
• This Womans Work, Kate Bush
• Breathe, Sia
• Home, John Popper
• Jenny Says, Cowboy Mouth
  
• Who Knew, Pink
• If you want to sing out, sing out, Cat Stevens
• Parachute, Guster
• Realize, Colbie Caillat
• Many the Miles, Sara Bareilles
• It’s the end of the world and i like it, R.E.M.
• Mineral, Buffalo Tom
• Gravity, Sara Bareilles
• Brokendown Palace, Grateful Dead
• All along the Watchtower, sang by Dave Matthews
• Sunday Morning Yellow Sun, October Project
• Some Mad Hope, Matt Nathanson
• Sunrise, Norah Jones
• Wish you were, Kate Voegele
• Collide, Howie Day
  
• New Soul, Yael Naim & David Donatien
  

What is your first memory?

First memory…tough one, i am not sure it is a first memory or it is a story that has been told over and over again.  so here it is…i remember one christmas at my grandmothers.  the whole family was gathered around, we had all opened presents.  Then my grandfather disappeared.  Up from the basement he came, carrying a huge doll house.  He had made this doll house just for me! I was the first granddaughter.  I remember everyone being so emotional. But i was so excited for that awesome doll house. It got a lot of use over the years.  The seaport used to have the most spectacular doll house. It was on loan and I would go and see it.  I had always wanted a little girl, then thinking about it, i am not sure i could share it…it still lives in my moms attic…thanks mom

How have you been impacted by the kindness of a stranger?

Phew this one is tough one!!  It actually stumped me enough not to post last night.  I had to go over and over in my memories.  Kindness of a stranger…I want to be the stranger giving kindness….but a light  bulb went off, I knew it…my angel…Now I am not a religious person, but i do believe in guardian angels….

Let’s go back to May 2000, I was very pregnant, I was very sick.  I was in trouble, i was 24 weeks and it was WAY to early for the twins to come.  I was so dehydrated, they needed to get fluids in but could not get an IV in me.  I cried and cried.  I asked them to stop, I begged my mother to do it, (she is a nurse but not at this hospital), so finally this older woman comes into my room, she sits on my bed and talks to me.  She tells me she is a NICU nurse, Niki and she was here to see if she could work her magic and get an IV in.  Sure enough, she did.  Later that night she came back to my room.  she was carrying two beanie baby lambs.  She explained to me that these lambs represented my babies.  I needed to take care of them and myself as it was not time for me to have these babies….So stuck on bed rest for 11 weeks, i hung on to those little beanie babies as if they were my life.  They were. They were my hope.

Fastforward to July, I had been in the hospital for a week.  Never saw the nurse but still had my lambs tucked away.  The twins came 8 weeks early.  Delievered them and off to the NICU they went.  One of the first photos taken of Nathaniel was a picture of him screaming with a little beanie baby lamb next to him.  I saw this wonderful nurse, Niki come in and talk to me. She was calm, she helped me with everything from understanding all that was going on around me to helping me feed my babies!

We spent 3 weeks in the hospital.  We all went home happy and healthy.  A couple of weeks later, I ventured out to show off my babies and to give the hospital staff thank you cards.  Off to the nurses station, I asked to see Niki.  The nurse looked at me puzzled…I explained to her the nurse who gives babies lambs….Still puzzled i walked away.  I felt a little crazy. I was deprived of sleep and sanity.  So I did not want to tell anyone. Then years later I tell the TRUE story and realize she was my guardian angel that saved me and my babies.

What is something your readers know about you that your friends or family might not?

My family, hum, i know i have at least one family member that reads this, Hi Aunt B.  I do not think my family knows of my internal struggles i write about.  I always try to just keep it together as i feel sometimes my parents have such high expectations of me…

Pick Me Pick Me!! Ask what ever you want!

My mom would always say to me, if your friends jumped off a bridge would you?  I always loved saying, “Yup and I already did!” I jumped off a covered bridge in New Hampshire going to college.

I think Sara started it, then Elizabeth,  Erin, Carrie and even Mike, were interviewed.  So how does it work?  Your friend is interviewed, asked five questions, and they answer them.  They can be anything.  Then you read them and if you want to be interviewed you ask in the comments to be interviewed by that person.

I was talking with Carrie today and was saying i did not know what to blog about. I just did not want to blog about lifes woes…so Carrie said she would interview me!!  Yeah! Sara said she would interview me as well, so i am so excited, two posts topics done!! So here is Carrie’s questions, good ones which has needed some thought!

So if YOU want to be interviewed! Leave a message and i will send you some questions!!

1.  If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?  Why?

Procrastination!  Man I hate it. I know sometimes i work better under pressure, and everything gets done.  I think it can be a vicious cycle…I think because sometimes I am not happy I procrastinate therefore nothing gets done.  My house is a  mess, laundry is not done and it makes me even more unhappy.  Oh I need to break the cycle….(and and by the way, this is the last question i answer ’cause i was procrastinating on answering, truth!)

2.  What is the most important lesson you want your children to learn from you?

This is a hard question.  So many things i want my boys to learn….. but i think the most important would be to love unconditionally.  I want them to learn not only to love others but themselves unconditionally.  I think it is important to teach this in the world we live in because so many children are so selfish and egocentric (and plugged in)  Always want something in return, will not do anything without a reward or praise.  Why not do it for the love of the family.  so many people love with condition and i just think my children should love without.  I know it is not easy to do, I try all the time to love unconditionally.

3.   If Heaven exists, when you get to the pearly gates what do you want God to say to you?

Well if there is a God and I were to arrive at the Pearly gates what would i want him to say….hopefully i will be, sweating, dirty and smiling  sliding into heaven screaming “holy shit what a ride”  Hopefully he will be waving his arms screaming “SAFE!” “Phew I did not think you would make it”

4.    What is your greatest fear for your life? (Personally, not something related to the boys)

I think my biggest fear in my own life is failure.  I fear failing. I want to do what is right. I understand perfection is an illusion but I want it.  I feel when i was younger i was unable to read. I had a 3rd grade reading level in the 9th grade, I skated through but was always put down for all those failures of not being able to read. That has effected me as an adult as I want to succeed, I do not want to disappoint anyone.

5.    If you could have any job in the world (other than something sailing/boating related), what would it be? and why?

Wow any job in the world! This one has to be the easiest question out of all of them.  Not sailing or boating is tough but I would want to be a photographer for National Geograpic Mag. I love all their pictures and the chance to travel the world.  To be able to capture a moment in time to share with the world.  That would be awesome.

The DS Lite makes for badly behaving children

Okay for all those who are not up on the game technology, DS Lite is a dual screen hand held game.

Now a little background here, for all those who do not know me.  I have made a huge effort in my house as a single mother to do the best for my boys.  I try.  A couple of  things that i do that is not the norm…

1. I do not allow the boys to watch TV on a school night.
2. I will not allow anyone to buy a gaming system for my house.

Shockingly this is really not a problem.  This is not a new rule this is how we always have been.  Jordan my oldest did not watch TV until he was about 5 years old.  He could write his name, he knew some sight words, all his letters, and so on before he went to kindergarten!!  I also stayed home with the kids so there was no time for such things…..When i tell people that they really do nto watch a lot of tc, I always seem to get the same question… “what do your children do then?”

Really?  They all read!  The three of them play.  They talk with me.  It is kinda cool actually.   I have read six of the Harry Potter books out loud to them!!  LOVE IT!  They are  good boys, but just like all of us we  have bad days.

Well last Christmas, my parents decided the boys needed to all have their own DS Lites….I really did not want them.  So with some pressure, I compromised, (i think because my parents already bought them and felt bad saying they had to take them all back) they could get them BUT they were NOT ALLOWED IN MY HOUSE. They had to play and keep them at my parents.  My parents live 15 miles away, they are a HUGE part of our life, they are always their to lend a helping hand, so does my brother!!

The kids got them, they were excited!  Instantly addicted….it is like talking to a wall…. They were informed that they were not allowed to keep them at home.  A bit disappointed but it was that or they could not have them.  It has been over a year and it works.

Well last weekend we drove to NH.  The games are great in the car as everyone has their own and it is a treat to have them.  Well we unexpected came back early due to the weather.  We left NH around 8pm and my mom gave the DS games to the boys.  Well it was late when we got home and i was not about to drop the games off at my moms house.  After cups of coffee you can imagine i was wide awake coming home at 1am.

The kids slept on and off. I slept in the next morning, while the boys played their games.  No big deal right? It was a big deal.  They turned into zombies.  It was easier letting them play then it was trying to take them away.  So i went about my day, letting them play, swap games and so on, i got the house clean, it was great!!!.  Before i knew it, it was afternoon.  They were so glued to them they were not even interested in food.  Time to take those flashing cubes away.

Easier said then done.  Fighting, crying, yelling. It was awful. No one would eat dinner. What happened to my children.  It was awful!  I took them away, had them eat dinner and we tried to play UNO.  NO LUCK. Crying, kicking, screaming.  Everyone to bed early!

They woke up the next morning early.  I mean EARLY. I did nto hear them, usually Raymond will crawl in bed with me in the morning to say goodmorning and give me a report on his brothers. No Raymond.  I slept until at least 8am. I was shocked!  When i woke, it was quiet in the house, I had three little boys glued to their little games.  I so was not going to have another day attached to electronics. Away they went and away we went on our day.

It was awful!! I mean awful!  They just could not handle themselves.  Normally i love shopping with the boys. They have fun making the list, helping finding the items on the list, checking the coupons. It is fun.  Not that day!

We came home with one bag missing, the check out was that bad.  Off they all went to bed.  GRUMPY! CRYING! I ended up hiding the gameboys in my room. I could not wait to get rid of them.  They change my children to be monsters.

I can see how it is easy to throw a game at them and have them entertained by it. But it changes children. It makes them uninteresting in the world around them.  I can see how we might have a generation stuck.  What are we doing to our children???

You will be glad to know my children are back to their usual selves, and i am glad those games are gone!!

FOOD FRIDAY: Pecan crusted chicken

So i have not forgotten it is food friday.  Life has been a bit chaotic, i have so many things i would love to chat about, perhaps tomorrow.  But i found this recipe and made it this past weekend! It was SOOO good! we had it with carrots and risotto! Sooo yummy!  My only note to this would be to make sure you finely chop the pecans!  Otherwise awesome dish!!  Enjoy!

Pecan crusted chicken breasts

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons real maple syrup

1 cup chopped pecans

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. On waxed paper, combine pecans, flour, and salt.
2. Brush chicken breasts all over with maple syrup. Coat chicken breasts completely with nut mixture.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and stir in the vegetable oil. Add chicken, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until chicken is browned on all sides and tender.

iPod Shuffle Meme

Yeah! Thanks Amy for the tag!  I love this as i am attached to my iPod!!  Part of my trilogy, phone, iPod and camera!  (i know there are machines that will do all three but i am not ready to make such a commitment!)  So here goes:

Rules
1. Put your iPod/​iTune​s on shuff​le.
2. For each quest​ion,​ press​ the next butto​n to get your answe​r.
3. YOU MUST WRITE​ THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTE​R HOW SILLY​ IT SOUND​S!
4. Tag 3 people to complete this!

Okay, got my iPod, put on shuffle..now answer all the questions!!  I must say, if you do read this, you will find i have some odd music on my iPod, imagine these are just a few questions, funny as they may be, I still have a lot more music on my iPod.

Now i know i am suppose to tag three people, but what fun is that? If you are reading this consider yourself tagged!!

IF SOMEO​NE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY”​ YOU SAY?
Walk ON — U2

WHAT WOULD​ BEST DESCR​IBE YOUR PERSO​NALIT​Y?
Panic! — I write sins not tragedies

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/​GIRL?
Holiday in my head — Smash Mouth

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’​S PURPO​SE?
Everyone Hurts — REM

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO​?

Heaven Forbid — The Fray

WHAT DO YOUR FRIEN​DS THINK​ OF YOU?
Save me — Aimee Mann

WHAT DO YOU THINK​ ABOUT​ VERY OFTEN​?
Cowboy –Kidsrock

WHAT IS 2+2?
How can i keep from singing –ENYA

WHAT DO YOU THINK​ OF YOUR BEST FRIEN​D?
Mr. Brightside — The Killers

WHAT DO YOU THINK​ OF THE PERSO​N YOU LIKE?
Stupid _ Sarah McLachlan

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY​?
Glamerous – Fergie

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
She will be loved– Maroon5

WHAT DO YOU THINK​ WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSO​N YOU LIKE?
Bury My Lovely — October Project

WHAT DO YOUR PAREN​TS THINK​ OF YOU?
Somewhere over the rainbow – Phish

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE​ TO AT YOUR WEDDI​NG?

all at once – The fray

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNER​AL?

hit me with your best shot – pat benatar

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGE​ST SECRE​T?

Dancing in the moonlight — van morrison

WHAT DO YOU THINK​ OF YOUR FRIEN​DS?

Mudhoney acetone — Mudhoney

WHAT’​S THE WORST​ THING​ THAT COULD​ HAPPE​N?

Wishlist — Pearljam

HOW WILL YOU DIE?

Please forgive me –David Gray

WHAT IS ONE THING​ YOU REGRE​T?

See with different eyes — October Project

WHAT MAKES​ YOU LAUGH​?

Sunday Morning Song — Howie Day

WHAT MAKES​ YOU CRY?

Goodbye my lover — james blunt

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRI​ED?

I believe in you — Evanescence

DOES ANYON​E LIKE YOU?

But i might die tonight — cat stevens

IF YOU COULD​ GO BACK IN TIME,​ WHAT WOULD​ YOU CHANG​E?

Martyr — Rusted Root

WHAT HURTS​ RIGHT​ NOW?
No such thing — John Mayer

Postcards from around the world!

When you go to the mail box what do you get?  Bills, junk mail, catalogs, and flyers.  During the holiday season you get maybe a few christmas cards. But the little notes you get in the mail for the holidays are like a little present in the mail! I love to recieve snail mail…

When i was in college, taking a histroy class and my professor said With the internet we were going to lose some history.  You know he was right and that was almost 20 years ago.    He would refrerence all those love letters you parents or grandparents wrote to each other. So that year i made a new years resolution to write 365 letters that year.  I did it. I sent a lot of mail that year!!

The internet was so new to people. We had these huge home comptuers.  Not like we could carry them around like we do today… People carry the internet in their pockets!!  Someday we may even have the internet in our brain!!

Well i still love getting real mail in my mailbox.  I used to have a pen pal but we ended up sending emails as it was more instant. Then I found a guy who would write you a letter if you wrote him, kinda like a project.  I wrote to him, he wrote back but never heard from him again.  I worote about this once before and someone asked if we could be pen pals, i believe he lived in Amsterdam, we exchanged letters but that died too.  Then surfing my other blogs, one guy was going to write 1000 love letters to strangers, i did not send my name in but thought about it….

Then i found another website, Postcrossing.  The way it works is simple.  You get an account.  You request up to 5 addresses at a time.  and you send postcards to people all over the world.  They all speak english.  And how cool is it to get a little gift in the mail from another country?  As soon as you send out post cards, new ones come to you!!  I have gotten 5 postcards!

I love it!  It is quick, simple.  It is keeping a human touch to our electronic world!!  Try it out!  Let me know!!

It was hard to let go…

…i close the car down.  Holy shit is it cold outside.  Deep breathes, cold air fills my lungs and i cough….walk up to the back steps, it is brightly lite…people are going in and out.  I am with a friend.  I ask for a mint.  I think to myself i really should have brushed my teeth, i am going to have to talk to people and even hug them….hummmm….the door is open for me, i welcome the warmer air inside, we walk in, the smell is the same. it looks “nice fake”, everything seems to look plastic, it is neat in there, it still had the 70s look….if you have been to one all the rest seem the same. 

We get to the end of the hallway, we see some friends, some people out of our everyday lives…wonder how they are connected. Some talk, some watch the video, everyone is forming a line.  I stood there watching the video, it was cool, it had beautiful shots of the water, of boats, of happy people.  It was time to go.  I was feeling strong. i was not feeling emotional.  Turned the corner and was a bit relieved the casket was closed.

There is my dad’s best friend, always strong,  cantankerious older man, stubborn, never showing emotion except, annyance.  He stood strong, he was talking to everyone coming through.  I stood in front of him, and he was able to show raw emotion.  He started to cry.  His younger brother was dead.  There were people sobbing the whole wait to him. 

Then there was JR.  I had not seen him for about a year.  I knew he had gotten himself into some trouble.  I know life is not easy for him. but we have been friends for years. we sailed together in teh summer, shot off fireworks at the farm on 4th of july with the rest of the kids.  went to high school toghther, he was my prom date one year….he came home after his divorce and we sat and chatted for hours.  and then he drifted away.  he is the kind of friend where you just pick up where you left off…

tongiht, i held out my hand. both hands clutching.  In his eye you could see the pain, i could feel the pain through his hands, alls he could say was “this sucks”.  I know,  I know.  We embraced in a hug.  He held so tight, i did nto think he was going to let go.  Then I could feel his whole body shake. he took a deep breath in and as he let it out crying into my shoulder, i could feel the soul hurt. I felt a little of him let go.  our embrace let go, we looked at each other. I did nto expect to cry but i did.  As i started to cry he reached out for another hug.  It was like two worlds swirling around and unaware of the mass of people around.  I told him what you should tell everyone, i loved him and that i am always here no matter what…  he cried into my shoulder and said I know thank you….

I walked away, it was hard, i had to greet a few more people. only thing i wanted to do was get out of there.  i could nto imagine how he felt.  It was his father.  the grandfather to his children.  It really made me think about life, and do things that make us happy.  tell the ones you care about, you love them unconditionally.  be kind.

Say what?

So today was a stay at home day, SNOW DAY!!  well my kids think it is cool because they can watch TV but little did they know that only baby TV is on.  So TV off and they played.  I puttered around the house…kinda bored…like the kid left out….no big deal i tried to catch up on some of my DVR.

After lunch, we suited up to shovel the driveway.  I gave everyone instructions on get dressed and come outside.  Nathaniel was first…happy as a clam to help me shovel.  Than Jordan, not so inot shoveling.  Then Raymond, out he came, suited up, but he still had his pirate PJ pants on.  Shocked I asked him to go back in and get some pants on!!

He told me to, “Chillax mom”  …SAY WHAT??

where do these kids come up with these things? He is 8!! What will he be like when he is a teenager?

Happy Snow Day!!

Where’s Raymond?

Today was a bit crazy at work…more so than usual.  Having the director and another supervisor out of the office this week has been interesting.  When I have enough work of my own, covering for them has been a juggle.

Sadly I went to my friends father’s wake.  A friend I grew up with, a friend who i went to a prom with…. The only good thing i can say about that is…is that this man died doing what he loved most. After raising his only son and worked hard all his life,  he sold his house and property and lived on a boat in FL.

Deep breath…

So last night after i finished mopping the floor i did my nightly tuck in for the boys.  I went into Jordan’s room, yup he was asleep.  He sleeps with his chin on the pillow, i just never understood how he did not wake up with a neck ache.

Then into the twin’s room to tuck them in.   I walked in and was a bit surprised to see Raymond not on the bottom bunk.  There were no blankets or pillows.  My heart stopped for a second and then thought, he must be in my bed.  So I walked into my room, NO raymond….hummm small panic but wait he must have climbed into Nathaniel’s top bunk….

NOPE Nathaniel was asleep in his bed with his new winter jacket on.

I noticed the closet door ajar with the light.  I opened it up and there he was, asleep on the floor.

Here are a few pictures to see my random children!

When questioned this morning, Raymond said he wants his own room.  He wanted his own space so he made a bed in the closet.

I then asked Nathaniel about his jacket and he told me it was his favorite and he wanted to wear it all the time even to bed!!!.

Oh boy!  and to think this is only a snap shot of my world….. imagine it every day all day? I am sure your days are just as random as mine!  I do hope this does not win me “Bad mother of the year award”