Recycling anyone?

While I am an SUV-driving, non-organic food buying, global-warming is crap thinking gal, I do what I can when it comes to recycling. We have a large garbage can just for recycling that we can put a variety of items in, including, aerosol cans, plastic containers, newspapers and cardboard and we have a separate container for glass and motor oil. I think we do a pretty good job of recycling but I'm sure we could always do more.

In Oregon you pay a 5 cent deposit on all soda cans, plastic soda/juice bottles and just recently added plastic water bottles and they have been talking about raising the deposit to 10 cents. Wednesdays are our garbage/recycle pick up days and Tuesday evenings and early Wednesday mornings there are several people walking through the neighborhood with their shopping carts rummaging through trash cans to find any recyclable container that someone threw away. I am amazed every week as they walk by our house with the entire shopping full as well as several large garbage bags hanging over the side of the cart full.

Now yes, recycling of cans/bottles does take a little time and you have to wear gloves, but I am unwilling to just throw away my money or give it to the shopping cart folks as I refuse to contribute to their habits (this is also true for the "change people" on every off ramp and street corner in this city, but that is a whole other topic), so Jeff and I store up our bags of recycled cans/bottles for four or five months and then turn them in. This past weekend Jeff and I turned in our cans (5 bags full) and got $17.81 back, so I am unsure why apparently so many people through my own neighborhood are willing to throw or give, depending on your prospective, their money away. Is it laziness, do they somehow not know that they get charged 5 cents per container, or are they just so well off that their 5 cents doesn't add up like mine does?

Any thoughts on recycling?

Peanut Shrimp (or chicken)Tacos

A couple of months ago I was flipping though some recipe books and found a recipe for Grilled Peanut Shrimp in the "You on a diet" book by Dr. Mehmot Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen. I have changed up the recipe a bit and made tacos. Jeff really really liked them and said they were "get lucky" tacos so I decided I would share my changed up recipe.

Kate's Peanut Shrimp (or chicken, but shrimp is better) Tacos

Servings 2 (2 tacos per person)

Ingredients:
1 pound medium uncooked shrimp (26-30 count will give you just over 10 shrimp per person), peeled and deveined OR 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for those who don't like shrimp
2 tbsp natural peanut butter (you can probably use Jif but I haven't tried it)
2 tbsp canned light coconut milk **
Juice from one lime
2 pinches of cayenne pepper (add more for a tingly smile and a clean colon)
2 tsp of honey
1/2 tsp soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 garlic clove, grated (I use a small amount of garlic paste instead)
cheese
4 corn tortilla shells
butter spray
and condiments for after they are cooked...sour cream, salsa, guacamole, lettuce, etc.

Blend together all ingredients but the shrimp in your magic bullet (No other blender will do). Add the raw shrimp to your skillet and pour the blended concoction over the raw shrimp. Cook the shrimp, only a couple of minutes on each side, until both sides are pink and the sauce has evaporated or thickened to the point that it really is no longer a sauce. In a separate pan or cast iron skillet, heat your corn tortillas, one at a time, to make them soft and plyable. Once the shrimp is done separate the amount in half and cut the shrimp into small pieces. Add the shrimp and cheese to your warmed tortilla, fold in half and spray both sides of the taco shell with butter spray to help brown the shell. Cook and flip until both sides are brown, remove from the pan, add your condiments of choice and devour---hopefully you will "get lucky" as well.

On the coconut milk, I have only been able to find one size can, which is way more than needed for these tacos, so either make a lot of tacos or find another recipe that calls for coconut milk. If anyone has another recipe that calls for coconut milk let me know.

Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival

Today Ethan and I met Nicole and Peyton at the tulip festival. Both boys had a great time walking through all the flowers, with minimal damage, and climbing on the array of tractors.








Ethan is always good for a hug!







He was tuckered out and fell asleep about 2 minutes after getting in the car.

Fast Food Drive-thrus...

I have several "pet-peeves," one of which is getting an incorrect order from the drive-thru, my gripe of which I am writing today. My husband will be laughing at me as he reads this as we have discussed this issue many times before regarding the incompetence's of the fast food worker and his motto is "Don't do it!"

First off, I am not a big fast food fan, mostly because I am a picky eater, but when I do pay for food whether fast or sit-down, I believe it should be what I ordered. Prior to having Ethan I had no issues with going inside a restaurant to order food so that I could check it out and have it fixed before leaving, however, drive-thrus can be your best friend when you have a child.

Last week I was going over to pick up something from a friend who lives on the other side of town, and as it was around 1:30 and while Ethan was napping I was working rather than taking time to eat some lunch, I decided to stop on my way to her house and get a burger from Burgerville. This particular Burgerville was downtown and has awful parking but they are right off the freeway so through the drive-thru I went. I ordered the colossal cheeseburger and a Coca-Cola. The colassal cheeseburger comes with cheese, Burgerville spread, ketchup, tomato, pickle and lettuce. As again, I am a picky eater, I asked for no tomato or pickle, which I can guarantee I am not the only person to do this. The lady repeated my order back to me and told me the price. I paid, received my order and went on my way as there were 2 cars behind me and there was no room for me to check my order before I would have been honked at. BIG MISTAKE! When I was about 6 blocks away and pulled out my burger I noticed that there wasn't any cheese. I complained to Ethan about it but figured oh well and continued on my way. I took a bit of my burger and got an mouthful of mayonnaise. Yuck! I took my burger apart to find enough ketchup and mayonnaise for probably 10 burger. What happened to the spread and cheese and why was there mayonnaise on the burger? Had I not gotten on the freeway by that time I would have been back at Burgerville complaining to the manager about the incorrectness, but instead my lunch that day consisted of a coca-cola.

Which brings me to my retorical question...what is so complicated about fast food that you can't get the order correct? I have never worked in fast food myself, but one would think that your required skills would be to read and follow directions, which is probably required for every job...or maybe for fast food that is not required and that is why I am complaining about it now.

Note to self: Never leave the drive-thru line, regardless of honking cars behind you, before checking your order.

Spring flower and summer-like weather

This past weekend and today we are having AWESOME weather and so we have been soaking up the rays and doing a lot of outside playing and had a BBQ on Saturday night. Today is supposed to be 80 degrees.

Our friends Adam & Jenn let us borrow a 100-300 lens for our camera and so I have been taking pictures like crazy. Our flowers finally opened up on Friday and they are so colorful and smell great.

Pick a posie.

This last Friday our friends, Kit, Melinda and Thomas gave Ethan a play structure for the yard. We are so thankful for their continuous generosity and appreciate them so much for all that they have done for us. We will forever be in their debt. He has had a great time with it the last couple of days. Here are some pictures from that day ...he also had to stop and pick some posies.









They also gave us another outdoor riding toy. It is a Mickey Mouse airplane and the propeller lights up, spins and sings when he pushes the button. Ethan sticks his tongue out just like Mommy when he is doing things.



He also has started to build things with the Legos and the blocks that Gpa Hadley made for him.



Last week Ethan didn't see much of daddy so one night he was still chattering in his bed an hour after I put him down for the night. Daddy had finally gotten home around 9pm and heard him chattering and got him up to say Hi. He cuddled with Daddy for a few minutes until he saw me and then had to cuddle with me. He was done cuddling after I had Jeff take the picture so he was then put back to bed by Daddy.

Happy Easter!!

Ethan had a nice Easter with several items and two baskets, one from M&D filled with bubbles, The Bee Movie, a new hat, a bunny in a car that drops jelly beans and some candy, another basket from G&G Hadley with fruit snacks, a monkey Pez, two matchbox cars, first word flashcards, a small box of goldfish crackers and some PB cups (his favorite), and a new pair of sandals, a little monkey, a duckie globe and a card with a $2 bill from G&G Berg.

Happy 2nd Birthday Hunter!

Yesterday Ethan's best buddy, Hunter, celebrated his 2nd birthday. His birthday was on April 9th. He had a Handy Manny themed party. Ethan had a great time helping Hunter open his presents, having a cupcake and ice cream and playing.

Hunter and his Mommy, Amy.