My Christmas List. . .

Click the picture to go to their website. . . I'd love to play a part in giving clean water to those that don't have access to it. Maybe we could do this for Christmas this year. Any takers?

Cali pics

We're having a good time out here in California. We did a wine tour today -- driving through Sonoma County on two-lane backroads to all these little wineries. It's beautiful here and the wine has been very tasty! We decided to just focus on the pinot noir variety since it grows so well in this region. It also is a variety that Darcy and I have wanted to explore more. Some of the vineyards we visited have up to a seven year waiting list for certain bottlings of their pinot noir. Another serves their wine at the White House. All that to say that the wine here is very sought after and exceptionally good. Unfortunately Darcy still has a cold and can not taste or smell much of it. Talk about bad timing! We might stop at a few more wineries as we head north tomorrow. We are planning on spending the weekend up in the Sinkyone Wilderness area, though it's supposed to rain tomorrow evening so we may not camp until Saturday. We'll keep you posted.

Le Shaque

Your house looks great!! It's got to feel wonderful to be that finished with it. Way to go!

Ben and I took Micah & Natalie up to my fam's cabin (we call it The Shaque) a couple weeks ago. It was so relaxing - we had such a great time. I haven't been up there that late in the season for several years, and I couldn't believe how warm it was still. We were able to lay out on the dock in the sun, fish, and even take baths in the lake! (well... I didn't, but the others did) Micah brought up his canoe & explored the tiny Nickel Lake, and then wrote a little song about it :-) You can see the video of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jkYBdV41_A

I would love for you guys to get the Shaque experience someday! Here are some photos...

he's such a rebel!

the couture fashions of Port le Shaque

the view from my swing...

had some target practice --- I learned to shoot a handgun for the first time!

Pictures of the basement

Here are a few pictures that I took yesterday of the basement. As you can see, there's still a bit of touch-up work to be done, and boxes to unpack, but John and Elizabeth have officially moved in. We look forward to showing it off to you guys the next time you're out.

Here are the photos from the wee morning hours before you left. It was so fun having you guys stay! Darcy - how did everything go in NY??

I hope all the work on your house is going well... or at least as smooth as possible. I still love the idea of meeting up in NY for a weekend. When Ben's football games are done, we should find a shared free weekend and plan a mini trip! Would it work to go from a Friday evening through Sunday?

One more picture for ya.... of the sleeping boys.

48-hour film

Hey guys! We're so excited to see you next weekend... you'll be pretty busy it sounds like, but we'll be able to hang out a bit at our house.

I was part of the 48-hour film festival in Minneapolis last month which was really fun. The challenge is to write, shoot, edit, and turn in a short film all in 48 hours. On Friday evening the teams gather together and everyone is given three things that they have to use in their film: a prop, a character, and a line of dialogue. The three things are the same for all the teams. Then each team draws a film genre out of a hat, and that is the type of film they have to make. 48 hours later the teams have to turn in a finished film under 7 minutes long.

It's a whirlwind of a weekend with no sleep for the writers/directors. The films are screened at a Minneapolis theater over a week and the audience votes on their favorites. It's always really interesting to see how each team uses the required prop, character, and line.

Anyway, it's fun to see what people can come up with in such a short time, and if the script you wrote the first night sucks, there's no time to go back and try again! If you want to check out the 48-hour film website, it's www.48hourfilm.com

Here's a link to the film made by the team I was part of: www.schmidvidpro.com/film
The required elements for everyone this year were:
prop = fish
character = Mr./Ms. Perkinson, substitute teacher
line = "you look very familiar"

The genre that our team picked out of the hat was "Holiday Film" ..... we didn't win.... :-)

The Patio

OK, Ben asked me to post some photos of our patio.... I can't even explain how awesome it is! In the morning w/coffee, afternoon to read, evening with a fire, or for a big patio party, it is so great to love hanging out in your back yard!

It's also a great place for little dogs to stand up on the sitting walls & feel like king of the world.... or to bake in the sun after a long day playing...

Here's a couple other dog photos to make you smile!

livin green

this is our new grocery getter! a very fun bike and a comfortable ride. we hope to use it for runs to the store or just around town. we are going to challenge our selves to see how little we can use our car. i want to see if we can go a week without driving.





well i thought i would show you some of the things i have been up to this spring. most of the garden is planted and things are just now starting to take off. i have seen some great growth already this past week as we have finally stated to have warm weather. if you have any garden ideas or tips please share. the bees are doing well and i hope to have a summer and fall harvest. 70-80lbs of honey would be great. they are doing an amazing job of pollenating the garden as well as the wild cherry trees in our yard. i am becoming like dad i could spend days working in the garden.

new book...

My book club just chose our next read as The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Anyone read it??

I picked it up last night & didn't realize until then that he wrote No Country for Old Men. I guess he wrote The Road after that. Seems like it will be kind of dark. I'll keep ya posted...

Darcy - I love the "What white people like" website! It's all so true...

What white people like

So our friend, Ben Henderson, told us about a funny blog called Stuff White People Like. I am happy to report that I am fully living within my ethnicity because I do happen to like coffee, the great outdoors, dinner parties, microbreweries, farmers markets, organic food and Manhattan. I also dislike corporations and I hope to visit Paris next spring. The blog is definitely showcasing upper middle class white america. Many of the people I work with hate coffee and have no desire to leave the county, much less venture into an awful place like Manhattan. But I found that I related to a lot of it (though I don't know that we qualify as upper middle class).

I'd love to hear any comments. . . especially things that you really related to. Anyone have a fetish for scarves?

New Leif Enger novel

Hey Jenelle, I just saw this morning that Leif Enger has a new novel out. It doesn't sound like it's a sequel to Peace Like A River but I'm sure it's along the same vein. Let me know what you think if you get to it before I do.

Happy Birthday Jenelle!

Happy Birthday Jenelle! We hope you have a wonderful day! Wish we could be there to celebrate with you.

Love, Darcy and Jamie

East of Eden

Hey Jenelle, I just saw that you have posted that you are reading East of Eden. Both Jamie and I LOVE that book! Have you finished it yet? Any thoughts?

The first half was hard for me to get through because of how depressing the mother's life was, but I thought the second half was really good. Jamie says that it is one of his all-time favorite books he has ever read. So we'd love to hear what you think about it. . .

Good book...

Hey everyone.... just wanted to pass along the title of a book I just finished and loved. It's called Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It's set on a circus in the 1930s.
That's it..... have a great day!

We're Back!

Well, we're back from the blue skies of Colorado, impatiently waiting for Spring!
We have 6-7 weeks to wind things down at the campus. We're looking forward to
this summer and especially to the fall when we will take our sabbatical. Can't wait!

I think I have more home project ideas than we'll have time and energy for, but
I can dream can't I? Seriously, this time of year I want to really get busy on things
in the house and of course Dad is thinking about all of the outside projects needing
done. I think we'd still like to seriously consider adding on so may eventually check
out that idea!

The first couple of days back Dumah was acting wierd. We couldn't tell whether she
had eaten something she shouldn't have during her 3 week visit to the "farm" or
whether she was punishing us for leaving her for that long or whether she missed the
family's 5 children and her newest canine best friend "Bob". Oh well, all that counts is
that she is back to normal---whatever that is!

Just wanted to let you know we were thinking of you. Have a great day!
Love Mom & Dad

A little seasonal humor

Happy Friday everyone!

Home Sweet Home

We had a great time in Jamaica. We went back to our favorite place, the Home Sweet Home resort in Negril. It's a shabby little place up on the cliffs with the best view on the island! Everything there is so laid back -- it's great to just hang out with the Jamaicans at the resort and sit out on the cliffs. Of course we also made a lot of trips to the beach on the other side of Negril (4min. away!) We kept saying, "it would be so fun if Jamie & Darcy were here.... "

Here's a little video of our trip...

For Ben, from Jamie

Curried Red Lentils with Caramelized Onions
from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop
Serves 4 as a main course

For the Curried Red Lentils:
2 T canola oil
4 med. garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced gingerroot
2 tsp curry powder
3 1/2 cups water
1 c unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 c dried red lentils, rinsed and picked over to remove any stones
salt
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro leaves

For the Quick Caramelized Onions:
2 T unsalted butter3 med onions (about 1 pound), halved and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

For the Rice Pilaf:
1 1/2 c long grain rice
2 T unsalted butter
1 cinnamon stick (we just use a tablespoon or two of ground cinnamon)
2 1/4 c water
1 tsp salt

1. For the rice pilaf: Place the rice in a medium bowl and fill with cold water. Swish the rice around in the water with your fingers. Carefully drain off the water, keeping the rice in the bowl. Repeat the rinsing and draining steps until the water is no longer cloudy, 4 or 5 more times. Set the rice aside.Heat the butter in a medium saucepan, preferably nonstick, over medium heat until foaming. If using, add the cinnamon stick and cook until it begins to unfurl slightly and is aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice smells toasted but has not colored, about 3 minutes. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook (without opening the lid), until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.Remove the pot from the heat and set aside, covered, for 10 minutes to allow the rice to finish cooking. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

2. For the lentils: Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the water, coconut milk, lentils, and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring once or twice, until the lentils have fallen apart, about 20 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat, and simmer until the lentils thicken a bit (they should be loose but not liquidy), about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and adjust the seasonings, adding salt to taste.

3. For the onions: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once the foaming subsides, add the onions, salt, and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and begin to color slightly, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very tender and nicely brown, about 15 minutes. (If the onions start to burn at any point, reduce the heat)4. To serve: Spoon some rice pilaf into individual shallow soup or pasta bowls. Spoon some lentils over the rice, top with a tangle of caramelized onions, and serve.

Keeping In Touch

Don't faint! We've finally had a moment to relax now that our conference is over and we've made connections with people we wanted to see here in Colorado Springs. We're checking out of our fine accommodations in Cedar Ridge tomorrow and instead we will be in the "Black Forest" and we will be house sitting for the Tell's and taking care of their golden retriever. Did I mention that they also have a hot tub? We'll be there until this Sunday and then we'll connect with our student group as they arrive in Denver. Should be an even more relaxing time, especially since this past Saturday 45 students descended from a large bus and are currently staying at Cedar Ridge.
We are here at the collegiate office. It is already 6:00 p.m. so it's time to go have some supper. We love you all.

Another recipe

Jamie just made this soup the other night and it was fabulous. Thought I'd pass it along to you all while we still have a few days of soup-season left.

blender pancakes

now that most of us are working out and doing some kind of physical activity i would like to share with you a reinvention of the typical pancake. the pancake is made with whole grain kernels of kamut which is an ancient grain, supposedly to have originated in the Fertile Crescent. it has a rich buttery flavor and it has high energy properties. kamut is higher in eight out of nine minerals, contains up to 65 percent more amino acids and boast more protien than that of whole grain wheat. i just tried this recipe last weekend and it tasted great and made me feel great too.
as far as geeting kamut just go to a whole foods store and you will find it in the bulk grain section. i cant stress enough how important it is to get whole grain into your body and this is a easy way to do so. okay enough of trying to get you all to try these pancakes.
Blender Pancakes
in a blender:
1 1/2 cups milk of buttermilk
1 cup of whole grain kernels (kamut)
1/2 cup non-fat dried milk powder
blend on high for 3 min

Add:
1 egg
2 Tbsp veg oil or canola
1 soft banana
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 salt
blend for 1 more min

Add;
1 Tbsp. baking powder
pulse 3 times or just enough to mix.
wait for 10-15min for it to set up then cook on a skillet with butter.

if you cant find kamut let me know and i will send you some. i have a 50lb bag that i am trying to work through.

bon appetit,
jamie

Make it a Double

Tom, I know Jamie mentioned the CD on whisky for your roadtrip. Well, it looks like we probably won't get our copy out to you in time, but you can go on their website and download it yourself (along with their tribute to wine, and other sundry topics).

The website is St. Anne's Pub -- a little side ministry of a church in Spokane, WA. You can join their quarterly CD distribution list and you'll be guaranteed to get a compilation of enjoyable tidbits of some odd topic or other. Our favorite CD so far is the Tribute to Wine from several years ago (great commentaries by Doug Wilson and Michael Collender). But the current edition on whisky can be listened to/downloaded here. They also have an edition on Finding Rest, which could be interesting to hear as you both head into your sabbatical.

Yah mahn!

Well, Ben & I are off to Jamaica for a week -- One last desperate grasp at warmth & relaxation this winter. We're staying the same place as last year since Ben did more stonework for the owner as a trade. I'll post some pictures when we get back!

No prohblem, mahn.

Here's some pics from our trip to Dominican Republic earlier this winter....

Welcome!

Jamie and I thought it would be a fun way to stay better connected with you guys through a mutual blog. We've been doing this for the past year with all the Cooks and it has proven to be a very effective way to share what's going on, what's coming up and any pictures that happen to get taken along the way.

There are some topics to the right here that can be added to or changed also. We'd love to know what you're into these days. Feel free to add more topics, too. Just click on the little tool icon to add more entries.

We hope you enjoy this! We're looking forward to catching up with you on a regular basis.

Darcy