Settling In

We've been in WA for a month now.  Doesn't seem like it should be, but time has just flown by.  We have been out meeting our new neighbors, finding a church home, and getting the girls in their "school" groove.  So, a quickie update that doesn't fit into another post:

Sarah finally found the new bicycle she wanted.  This was a belated birthday present for her - we promised that she can pick out any one she wanted when we got to the States since we were in the throes of a move.  She loves riding it up and down our driveway and around the cul-de-sac we live on (especially if Mr. Ed has the puppies out).

We have our first child back home with us.  Cleo has spent the last 26 months enjoying the peace and quiet at Grandma's house in Florida.  As you can see, she has made herself right at home. 

Yesterday morning, we woke up to some snow flurries on the ground.  By the afternoon it had all melted, but the girls had fun playing in it anyway. 

Overflowing Baskets

A few months ago, my friend Nicole posted about Bountiful Baskets, a wonderful food co-op she had been participating in down in AZ.  Curiosity set me on the path to find out if something similar was available in WA... and to my great excitement it was. 

Fresh produce was a luxury in Korea... if you bought from the commissary, then the odds of it not wilting or rotting within a day were slim to none. We opted to purchase from the 4-9 market, but you can't get everything you want or need from there.  So what's a girl to do?  Unfortunately it was on to frozen and canned foods for almost two years and day of trips to the commissary to ensure the produce wouldn't go to waste.  Once we moved to WA, Ronnie and I vowed to buy the freshest produce by taking advantage of the farmer's markets, food co-ops/CSAs, and even planing our own salad garden in the spring. 

We started participating in Bountiful Baskets a few weeks ago.  They are an all volunteer group that pools the money received to buy fresh fruits and veggies in bulk.  You are guaranteed to receive 50% fruit and 50% veggies for your donation of $15 per week.  I wanted to share what all we are getting for our $15 and, more importantly, what we are doing with it.  Here is our basket for this past weekend:

The picture on the left is what Ronnie brought home from the pickup; on the right is it all organized.  We received grapes, blackberries, bananas, apples, persimmons, oroblancos, and kiwi for fruit.  We got celery squash, onion, sweet potatoes, and baking potatoes for our veggies.  And yes, all this for $15...  and having to get out of bed at 6:45 am on a Saturday. 

Now with all this wonderful food filling our pantry, we turn around and meal plan for the week.  That way, we all have a plan and I don't have anything spoil from my box.  What I do is put the weekly menu on little slips of paper and place them in a "draw" bag that the kids draw from in the morning. 

1. Chicken Parmesan with salad - I had leftover salad fixings from last week's basket.


2. Corned beef and cabbage with boiled potatoes - again, leftover cabbage from last week's basket and using some of the potatoes from this week's basket.

3. Cheesy chicken casserole and green beans - a kid favorite.  Here's the recipe if you are so inclined: http://www.food.com/recipe/weight-watchers-chicken-and-cheese-casserole-158634

It's a WW one ;) I normally use a can of cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom vs both being mushroom. Then again, I've also used a can of cheddar cheese soup too. It's really good and simple. Oh, and it freezes AWESOME!

4. Sweet potatoes and chili beans - This is a fantastic recipe from The Sprouted Kitchen.  http://sproutedkitchen.com/?p=3451  I add a pound of ground beef to the chili beans for Ronnie.

5. Roast chicken, squash casserole, and mashed potatoes - From this week's basket. 

6. LEFTOVER NIGHT!!!!!

7. Pizza night if the kids earned it. If not, there will be a second leftover night.

We use the fruits for snacks and desserts.  We made a wonderful pear and blackberry cobbler for dessert one night and an apple crisp another night. 

So far, this has really been working for us.  We hardly have any wasted food, are eating very healthy and fresh food, and the kids LOVE the draw bag.

Play is the Real Work of Childhood ~ Fred Rogers

We are so accustomed to seeking indoor play options because of the Korean weather that the PNW weather doesn't phase us...  But on to building a  new list of places to go and play when Mother Nature isn't exactly cooperating. 

Such was our day on Saturday.  We had planned to go to the zoo at Point Defiance, but a slow, drizzly, cold day cancelled those plans.  Luckily, I had read up on some other things to do in the Tacoma area, so we visited the Children's Museum of Tacoma.  What a great place!  Tons of play areas, dress-up areas, art areas.   The girls were enthralled for hours and we were warm and dry.  

They are in the midst of building a new museum right down the road which promises more "exhibits" and more areas to play. We were so impressed that we invested in a membership... that way we can come and play anytime we want!

Bursts of Color

The leaves are falling, the leaves are falling!  Hopefully next year I will have my stuff together to go and photograph our beautiful foiliage...  we have an especially nice drive to the base.  But for now, here are some of the girls playing in the leaves.  So much fun!

Boooooo!

We had a wonderful Halloween this year.  First up, the costumes.  After some back and forth, Holly decided she wanted to be Barbie.  I know - cute right??  Sarah had her purple fairy costume that still fit her, so we decided to make them a pair from one of the Barbie movies. 

Next, decorating the house.  I was so excited to find the box that contained our Halloween decorations.  Sarah and I got out and hung the lights, then when Holly got home we made a big spider web out of purple yarn.  Got that great idea from Made (http://www.dana-made-it.com/2011/10/tutorial-10-min-yarn-spider-web.html).  This house is so much fun to decorate...  it really just gave us a taste of what to look forward to for Christmas. 

Then it was on to the partying.  Holly's school had a "fall festival" on Friday night, but it was more like a school dance. They had a DJ, dancing, games, and lots and lots of candy.  The PTA did a fantastic job and we had a wonderful time!  On Monday, we decided to go to a trunk or treat that one of the local churches put on.  Again, well organized chaos but so much fun and the girls got their fill of candy and games again. 

Ahhh! Celebrating the holidays in the States.... Sometimes it is good to be "home."  Now, on to the rest of the season!

Not Quite Right

It seems that since we have returned to the Land'O Plenty, I'm the one that's not quite right now.

I think us ex-Osaners need a 12-step program to reintegrate into society.  See if you agree with me

My house is big and beautiful and quiet.  The kids have a yard to play in, I finally have room to put our things.  It's weird to go immediately from "yes, we can go out in a minute, let me finish this up right quick" to "Ronnie, where are the kids?  Oh, they're outside."

I can't get used to people of Asian descent speaking English.  I want to say "Annyeong" and bow slightly all.the.time. 

There is good beer everywhere...  I get excited because it's not just fizzy yellow beer.  I try to stock up everytime we go to the store and they have something good. 

I screamed, "OMG look at all the beer that's on tap!!!!" while pointing and jumping up and down.

The commissary is HUGE!  I get the deer in the headlights look when I go in for a few items.  Then I get asked if I need any help.  I say no, I'm doing fine, but I feel like I need to apologize to people and explain that I just got here from Korea.  Oh, and people look at you funny when you talk to them in public, even if it's being helpful and pointing toward something they were looking for.  So what if they didn't ask me, they said it out loud and I was right there and knew the answer. 

And the BX is even bigger.  I swear it's the size of a Wal-Mart.  And if they don't have it, guess what, I can go to Wal-Mart or Target.  It's weird being able to have selection again that doesn't involve online shopping.

Catchin' Up

A family of three tomatoes were walking downtown one day when the little baby tomato started lagging behind. The big father tomato walks back to the baby tomato, stomps on her, squashing her into a red paste, and says, "Ketchup!"

Sorry...  I know we have been out of touch the last month.  I swear I'm blogging, I just haven't been posting.  I need to get the pictures off of my camera so I can get everything in order... 

Anyway, we have made it safe and sound to our next assignment.  Ronnie is with the 5th ASOS at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in lovely Tacoma, WA.  We have moved into the beautiful dream house and our household goods have already been delivered.  Needless to say, we've been unpacking and setting up house, getting Holly registered for school, and buying Ronnie a car.  It's been a busy few weeks. 

So please check back soon...  I have a few blogs to post about our last few weeks in Korea, our DMZ trip, and our reintegration back into American culture.