Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I have thought long and hard to come up with an appropriate title for this post. At first, I really felt that the above expression was too cheesy and lame for what I wanted to express. However, as I put my thoughts together, it just kept coming back to me. (It is probably still lame and cheesy, but hey, it works).

Although it is a cliche of sorts, I can't help but finding meaning in the words. It has now been two weeks since I have seen my husband. This is, by far, the longest period of time that we have spent apart since we began dating.

My time away from home has made me feel refreshed in a way. I am missing him terribly yet at the same time, I am enjoying spending time with my sister. Being apart from Evan has allowed me to evaluate our relationship and rekindle my appreciation for him. I find myself thinking about him constantly, longing to hear his voice and feel his arms around me. I find myself missing many of the things that I take for granted or even become frustrated with when we're together. I miss his silly jokes (which I often roll my eyes at), I miss seeing him after work (which usually just seems normal), I might even miss picking up his dirty laundry (okay, maybe not).

This separation has renewed these feelings because, as you probably know, life can sometimes become monotonous and we fail to appreciate those things that mean the most to us. It is my prayer that I will remember the loneliness I feel when I am away from him after we have been reunited for some time.

Why do we take our loved ones for granted when they are close and appreciate them most fully when they are far? Why does absence make the heart grow fonder?

I miss you, love. I'm counting the days!

You may call me quirky ...

I love Pepsi. I don't like Coke.
I love Diet Coke. I don't like Diet Pepsi.
I love a clean house. I don't like cleaning.
I love my black lab/border collie cross. I don't like dogs.
I love honey mustard flavoured pretzels. I don't like pretzels (I don't particularly care for mustard either).
I love sleeping under my duvet. I don't like being hot at night.
I love bananas. I don't like anything banana flavoured.
I love visiting my family on the weekends. I don't like sitting in the car for more than 30 minutes at a time.
I love Lost, Greys Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters and American Idol. I don't like watching TV.
I love Mexican food. I don't like spicy things.
I love being a student. I don't like being stressed out.
I love coconut shrimp. I don't like coconut.
I love cinnamon raisin bagels. I don't like raisins.
I love green tea. I don't like hot drinks.
I love French toast. I don't like anything that has bread and eggs combined.
I love reading outside in the sun. I don't like sweating.
I love being active. I don't like working out.
I love cuddling at night. I don't like Evan to touch me when I'm asleep.
I love seafood. I don't like tuna or salmon.
I love talking. I don't like answering the phone.
I love sleeping in. I don't like wasting my mornings.

Do you have any quirks?

Normal Person Thing

Mom and Dave are spending the day at the new house finishing up the painting and cleaning. Kristin and I ran into town this morning with Hunter. We needed to pick up a few things and she had a chiropractor appointment. When we got home, we thought it would be a nice idea to go across the street to the only "real" restaurant in Kagawong to enjoy some lunch.

As we loaded up Hunter in the stroller and started on our way, Kristin said, "I feel like a Mommy". I reminded her that feeling is appropriate considering she is, in fact, a mommy. She replied by saying that it is sometimes hard to feel like a mommy when all you do is sleep and feed a child. True enough.

We made it to the restaurant, sat down and Kristin, beaming, said, "It feels so good to do a normal person thing". We enjoyed the most delicious chicken fingers and fries. K especially loved the meal since she's now able to eat chicken after 9 months of not being able to do so. The phrase "These are the best chicken fingers I've had in ages" was really true.

I'm glad that K and Hunter are starting to be able to get into a routine together where they are able to do normal people things.

Chocolate Milk Iced Espresso

I am currently on Manitoulin Island visiting my sister (K), her husband (D) and their new baby. My mom and I are both here to help out around the house as they get adjusted to parenthood. Mom is planning to spend two weeks up here and I will be here for three. Luckily (or perhaps UNluckily), they live across the street from Manitoulin Chocolate Works. This chocolate factory has the most unbelievable treats.

Up until yesterday I have been very successful at keeping myself away from those sinful treats. This is quite surprising as I have already been here a week and usually make a trip to the chocolate factory everyday while I am up here. I guess this time since I am here for an extended period of time I decided that going there every day for 3 weeks would not be acceptable. Anyway, K & D are not only adjusting to a new baby but are also in the process of moving to a new house. They got possession of the house one week before the baby came (he came early) but thankfully, are able to remain in their apartment until the end of August, leaving them time to do renovations and move gradually. Yesterday Mom ventured over to the chocolate shop to see if they had any boxes we could use for packing. When she returned boxless she reported that they had a fresh batch of Belgian Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes. So, she said she was grabbing her wallet and heading over to get us a treat and that she might grab a specialty coffee while she was at it. Kristin let her know that they no longer serve specialty coffee in the summer but that she thinks they may have iced cappuccinos. I was feeling a bit draggy after having a night of little sleep from helping with the baby so I thought I'd go with her and see if I couldn't wake myself up a bit with an iced cap.

I got there and chose an iced espresso made with chocolate milk. Now, let me mention that I am not a coffee drinker. It does not agree with my tummy and it usually makes me feel quite sick so I try to avoid it. But, I do like an iced cap every so often. Not 15 minutes after purchasing this beverage and I was FLYING high. I was singing, dancing and laughing. Immediately I knew that I was going to have a problem for the next few weeks.

This morning I woke up after another night of little sleep - this time the baby was not the only thing to blame - I couldn't sleep because the caffeine from the iced espresso was still in my system. You would think this would teach me my lesson, but no, I woke up thinking of iced espressos made with chocolate milk, salivating over the thought of the cool, sweet treat. However, I knew it would not be wise to be spending 2.75 on a treat like this everyday so I thought, hey, I can make my own right here at home.

So, after lunch, I got the blender out, emptied a tray of ice into it, poured some coffee, chocolate milk and French vanilla creamer in and voila - the blender was not put together properly and I had my ingredients pouring out everywhere - all over the counter! K had gone to lay down for a rest so I was trying not to be loud, calling my Mom to come to my rescue. She grabbed a bowl and we managed to get most of the drink into the bowl before it ended up on the counter. We wiped up the sticky mess and I fiddled with the blender until I was sure it was together properly.

Round two - I poured the remains of my drink back into the blender and added a bit more of everything to compensate for what had been lost on the counter. I placed the lid on the blender, turned it on and anxiously awaited the finished product. When it was done it didn't look quite the same as yesterday's delight as it was a bit more runny but, no problem, I was confident that it would be just as delicious and give me the same boost of energy.

I poured the iced coffee into a cup and lifted the cup to my lips with great anticipation. I took a big swig and .... PHEW ... spit it straight into the sink. It was so disgusting I couldn't even manage to swallow it. "Here, Mom, try it", I said. She took a sip and gave the drink the exact same review that I had given it. My creative thinking and great effort had ended up producing a watery, nasty, unswallowable, absolutely pathetic attempt at an iced espresso.

So, one sticky mess, $5.50 and a few laughs later ...



...we are quite content.

A New Life

I have been meaning to write this post for the past couple days but time has not allowed. So, here it is. On Friday, July 18th at 4:40 a.m. my nephew, Hunter Jonathan Dimmick made his grand entrance into our world. He was delivered in Sudbury, with my Mom and David in the delivery room. Kristin's labour began Wednesday evening and so they ventured to Sudbury on Thursday morning. Once there, her doc told her she was, indeed, in labour and it would be wise to check into a hotel and wait. The labour did not progress too quickly over the course of the day but once we (Mom, Dad and I) arrived around 9 p.m. Hunter knew it was time!! (We are all claiming that he was waiting for us).

Within an hour of us being there, the contractions started coming closer together so we left for the hospital around 10:30 p.m. Due to hospital procedures, only David and my Mom were permitted to accompany Kristin to the L&D ward. Dad and I dropped them off, gave them our well wishes and returned to the hotel to get some sleep. Of course, I hardly got any sleep as I was anxiously waiting for the phone call.

At around 4:45 a.m. the phone call came. It's a boy!! Mom decided to come back to the hotel room to catch some ZZZ's while Kristin, David and Hunter got acquainted. Kristin's nurse was very kind and graciously snuck Dad and I in at 4:55 to quickly meet the little man. I have never seen a more precious site! We had to get out quickly though, before we got caught. So Dad, Mom and I returned to the hotel where we slept for a few more hours.

Visiting hours began at 11:00 a.m. on Friday so we headed back over to get a really good look at the little man and introduce ourselves to him. They kept Kristin and baby in the hospital until Sunday morning (standard procedure). Dad returned to Tillsonburg on Sunday morning as well, as he had to head out on Monday to Tennessee for convention. So, David, Kristin, Hunter, Mom and I piled in the Kia and headed up to the island to show Hunter his new home.

What a blessing Hunter is to us. He is my sister's first child and my parent's first grandchild. Although my brother and I both have nieces and nephews on our in-law's sides, Hunter is the first new addition to the Kirkland family.

I have been thinking about many things since Hunter arrived. First of all, I marvel at the beauty of creation and life. It's indescribable to imagine how perfect God created this tiny being. It is amazing that one tiny baby can cause so many people to fall completely, utterly, totally, head over heels in love within a matter of seconds.

I have also had the joy of witnessing my older sister and her husband become parents. I am blessed to have time off that I can spend the first three weeks of Hunter's life with them as they make this transition. Let me tell you, my sister is a natural. She obviously had the "mommy gene" hidden somewhere in her and it was just waiting to come out. The connection between a mother and her child is one that can never be duplicated. And David, what an amazing father! He is helpful and available for each and every part of this new life. They are working together so well as a team and my prayer is that Hunter will never doubt the love and the commitment that his parents feel towards each other and to him.

Hunter, we praise God for bringing you into our lives. It is day 5 of your life today and it feels like you have been a part of us forever. I can no longer imagine life without you. We all love you very much!

Soft Pretzels

When I first became a part of the Cramp family, I was introduced to a deliciously fantastic treat - homemade soft pretzels. In fact, I remember making soft pretzels with Evan's mom (now my Mother-in-law) the first time I visited their home for Thanksgiving 2004. This treat quickly became one of my favourites and now, Evan and I look forward to making soft pretzels every so often.


Yesterday, something gave me a hankering to indulge in warm, gooey, buttery soft pretzels. I can't quite put my finger on what sparked the interest. However, no sooner than the idea had popped into my mind, I had decided my Sunday afternoon would be spent measuring, mixing, kneading, waiting for the rise, punching, kneading again, rolling, twisting, baking, buttering, and enjoying.

I must mention that the recipe I use for soft pretzels has been passed on to me. My mother-in-law copied down the recipe after experiencing the joy of homemade soft pretzels in Pennsylvania. My in-laws have dear friends in Pennsylvania who they visit with a few times a year and these friends happen to be Amish. Therefore, the recipe is meant to feed the masses. As such, I generally cut the recipe in half when baking them at home. A half portion of this recipe yields between 25-30 pretzels while the entire recipe yields between 50-60.

Today, Evan convinced me that we should go ahead and make the full recipe and freeze some of the pretzels so we have a treat later on. I agreed with him that this was a good idea as I purchased a 10 kilogram bag of flour a few weeks ago to bake bread with T and I felt I could stand to use some of it up.

Unfortunately, once I began the process, I realized that I do not own a bowl that is large enough to contain the 5 cups of warm water, 2 cups of sugar, 6 tsp of yeast, 14 cups of flour, as well as some other ingredients that are required to be successful. As you might well imagine, the mixing process was quite tedious as I struggled to combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients in a bowl that was much too small. I didn't get a picture of the bowl of uncombined ingredients (although I wish I had!) because I was too frustrated with my attempts to keep all ingredients in the bowl. Also, my hands were completely covered in wet flour, making it difficult to handle a camera. (Evan was having his Sunday afternoon nap during this step).

It took me twice the amount of time to mix the dough because I was fighting with the bowl the whole time. Eventually, I got the dough mixed enough that it was ready to knead. Kneading went very well - despite the difficulty with mixing, the dough was fantastic which made it easy to knead. After kneading, I left the dough covered in a greased bowl to rise for 45 minutes. Last time I made pretzels, the dough did not rise properly so I was happy to see that it doubled in size this afternoon. You can imagine what that looked like since it was too big for the bowl in the first place!

After the dough rose, I proceeded to punch and knead the dough until the air bubbles were gone and it was ready to roll and shape. This is where Evan comes in. We have a great system for making pretzels. I separate the dough into small pieces ready to roll. Evan rolls and shapes the dough into pretzels.



I dip the shaped pretzels into a baking soda and water mixture, lay them on the pan and sprinkle with coarse salt.


Next, we bake the pretzels for 5 minutes at 450 degrees. By our second batch we had perfected the timing - 2.5 minutes, rotate the pan, 2.5 minutes.


Finally, I brush the pretzels with melted butter and transfer them to a cooling rack and they are ready to enjoy.


My baking stone fits 7 pretzels and at the end of the afternoon we were left with 4 more clumps of dough so Evan decided we should make one large pretzel. It was quite the task attempting to roll and shape it, but it was worth it.


(Monster pretzel pre-baking).


(Evan getting excited for the monster pretzel).


(Monster pretzel post-baking).

We celebrated the completion of our soft pretzel afternoon by enjoying the fresh, warm creation with a delicious honey mustard dip that Evan made and an ice cold Dr. Pepper.



Something tells me that the extra pretzels may not make it to the freezer. Our friend, B, arrived shortly after the pretzels were done and already we are down about 10 pretzels. Fresh baked goodies don't last long around here!