Kitchen Gadgets

I wouldn't describe myself as a "gadget" person in general, but I have always loved gadgets that pertain to the kitchen. I am gaining even more of a love for them. Unfortunately, I don't have a very big kitchen or much storage space. Luckily my new favorite gadgets don't take up too much space. I thought I would share them with you. If you are crazy about kitchen gadgets too, you should try these. I just love them.

So, coming in at number four is my ricer. At least that is what I think it is called. This little gadget makes perfect mashed potatoes. I also recently learned that it makes perfect guacamole. Anything that needs to be mashed comes out so smooth and even. I love it. The only complaint comes from Nathan. He hates to clean it; although, I believe it could be washed in a dishwasher if we had one. My solution... I just wash it for him when I use it. I love the results too much to begrudge the ricer of it's cleaning.


Number 3: Nathan's new panini grill. Anyone who likes grilled sandwiches should have one of these. They are quick and easy to use. Again, the clean up is not easy, but well worth the trouble. I have used this gadget almost everyday this week. Unfortunately this gadget is a little bigger in size, but I found a storage area on a shelf of our island. I do love a good sandwich. I need to try it with some of my homemade bread. By the way that is another gadget that I love but didn't make this list. A bread maker. Everyone should have one of those too.



Number 2: I love this new little toy for the kitchen. It is a pineapple slicer. It is very easy to use and clean. The hardest part is centering the core into the gadget. All you have to do is turn the slicer around in circles and the result is perfectly sliced, peeled, and cored pineapples. I do love some fresh pineapples. I may have to go buy one soon.


Drum roll please. And now, for the number one gadget of "Kayla's kitchen gadget of the week list"....
The coffee frother. Again, not sure if that is really what it is called.

I love this new toy. It makes the perfect froth for coffee. I have it down to a science. I make at least 2 cups a day now. Not sure if this is a good habit, but at least the coffee is decaf. So here is my recipe. I make a good coffee and add a little cinnamon to the beans, then let the coffee pot do it's job. When the coffee is almost done dripping I put the liquid creamer in a glass measuring cup and microwave it for about 25 seconds. (I use french vanilla cream. Yummy sweetness!) The cream should be very warm. Next I use my little gadget to swirl the cream around very fast making the fluffy froth. (Try saying those two words ten times. Bet you can't.)

When the coffee is done I fill my glass 2/3 full and add sugar or splenda to the coffee. Lastly, I pour the froth and remaining cream into the coffee and stir. Doesn't it look just heavenly!


Now that you have "Kayla's favorite kitchen gadget list of the week" what will you do? May I suggest trying one for yourself. Also, feel free to let me know if there are other gadgets that I "need".

Headaches

I hate everything about headaches and migraines. I have had my share in my lifetime. I can't even remember a time in my life when I didn't have regular headaches. I seriously hope I haven't passed this dreaded plight on to Brenna. This week has been record breaking. Two immobilizing migraines in a row. Sunday night I thought I would die but felt much better after an Imitrex and Vicaden. I even woke up at midnight hungry. I thought I was free on Monday morning, but the second beast hit around noon. Two Imitrex, one Zomig nasal spray, and a Vicaden later, I still had that monster pounding through my whole head. Finally, blessed sleep washed over me when I was able to relax my body enough through submerging most of my head into a hot bath. I think we should really look for a house with a garden tub next time. The regular bathtubs just don't cut it when an adult body tries to lie completely down.

So here's hoping that today is a pain free one. I did start the day with 3 Advil, but they seem to be kicking the hangover headache that settled as I awoke this morning.

Before this whole thing started yesterday, Brenna and I went to see a new baby. I just love little newborn babies. Jacob wasn't even a week old. So precious. I forget how little they are at first. Although this child my have the longest fingers and toes I have ever seen. I enjoyed taking a few pictures of him. I haven't put them on the computer yet, but hopefully I'll get that done today. Thanks Kelly for sharing your little one. I enjoyed our visit.

I would also like to express how thankful I am for friends. One of mine came and saved me yesterday. I wasn't able to take care of Brenna because I couldn't function, and my wonderful friend Christy came to save me and Brenna. I am so thankful for people in my life who are willing to put aside their convenience to help a friend.

Way behind on life

Can I be forgiven? I'm not sure if I will ever catch up, but I will at least try. I can't believe that I practically lost all of July. Where did it go you may ask? We were in Georgia for the beginning of July. We came home for a week, then Brenna and I went to Houston to care for Nena. We came home for one day so that I could work, then I went back to Houston again. That brings us to August. Basically I traveled July away. I guess some months are just like that.

We have been busy to say the least, but I do have a few pictures for your enjoyment. First, on our way home from Georgia, we stopped in Alabama to visit Nathan's grandmother. Brenna enjoyed the short time we had with her there. We have several pictures similar to this chronicling Brenna's growth. I thought this was a cute one. Brenna and Nana also practiced smiling with their fingers. That too was a cute picture.


In between trips, we were able to go to a minor league baseball game with some people from church. This was Brenna's first game. I think she enjoyed the mascots more than the game, but at least she had fun. For Nathan's sake, I hope she learns to enjoy baseball games more than I have. She was quite cute running up and down the isle crushing the peanut shells under her feet as she went along. I had to have at least one picture to prove we were there.


At the beginning of the week, Brenna and I spent time in Austin with Amy and Krissy. What fun we had. I'm not sure which kids had more fun: Amy and I at the expense of our girls, or Brenna and Krissy with their developing friendship. Whichever way it was, we all had fun. There were many late nights and I think we were all a little tired at the end. The girls matched hair one day and then Amy and I couldn't resist some BFF tees for both girls. They were just too cute. For those of you who knew Amy and I in high school, we just haven't changed much in some ways.



When Brenna is away from Nathan for very long, she just can't seem to get enough of him when they are back together. She really loves her Daddy. I love to listen in on their play time. Today I overheard Brenna saying, "Daddy, Daddy it's time for the wedding. You be the prince and I'm the princess". So cute. She was all decked out in dress up clothes and shoes. She can be such the princess. (It seems that Krissy, a princess enthusiast, has taught Brenna some new games.) After lunch Brenna asked Nathan to play a game with her. They sat in the chair and played a cute little video game together. Brenna can't do much but she likes to push the X when Nathan tells her it is time.


What else have I missed? Nathan and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. It was a strange celebration. We exchanged gifts on the day of our anniversary, but we didn't go on our date until the end of the week. Let me tell you this will be the year to remember for mishaps. We were supposed to go see Harry Potter and eat dinner, but the movie had left the theater. We still went to eat and ended up spending the rest of the evening in Walmart. Romantic right? What can I say, sometimes it doesn't really matter where you go as long as you are together.

No pictures

I don't think life has stopped long enough for me to write since we came back from Georgia. We had a week there at home. Now Brenna and I are in Houston taking care of Nena for the week. I don't even have any fun stories to share. Obviously there are no pictures right now either. I guess we have to wait for school to start back up to resume a normal life again.

Georgia Aquarium

Yesterday we spent the day at the Georgia Aquarium. We all had a great time seeing all the beautiful (and not so beautiful) fish that God created. Brenna loved being able to stand right at the window and look at all the fish. I think she felt like she could touch them.

Some of them she could touch.

All she can talk about now is going back to see the fish "next time". That is her new favorite phrase. Any time someone tells her we can't do something she responds with, "next time we can ________."

We have all loved this time we are able to spend in Georgia with family. We have been able to spend a lot of time with G-Daddy and Nonni. Matt and Tasha were here for the weekend so we saw them a good bit. We had a surprise yesterday when BJ came with us to the aquarium. Brenna loves both her uncles and Aunt Tasha. It was a special treat for her to be able to spend the day with BJ too since he wasn't able to be here this weekend.


I do recommend the Georgia Aquarium if you are ever in Atlanta. Kids of all ages love it. I can't tell you how many people I saw standing with hands on the window looking through the glass in awh. I could have taken a thousand pictures.


Speaking of pictures. This one was an accident. I was experimenting with different settings while we were there. Not sure what the setting was when I took the picture of this jellyfish, but it really turned out good. I was surprised with myself.


In closing. I promise I was at the aquarium with the rest of my family. The hazards of being the photographer is that I am absent from all the pictures. I'll have to remember to hand the camera over to someone else at some point. I just don't love posed pictures, so often forget to capture one with just Nathan, Brenna, and I or any with me and someone else. Well, maybe I don't always dislike posed pictures. Sometimes they just happen, I am just not in them very often.

As all Good July the 4th Should be

This year Nathan, Brenna, and I were able to spend July 4th with Nathan's family in the Georgia mountains. His grandparents, Oma and Pepere, came down from Virginia, and both his brothers showed up as well. We had a good day. There are many elements that make up a good July 4th celebration. I think we may have hit them all this year. That doesn't happen often and I thoroughly enjoyed the day.

1. Family and friends. I think I already hit on this important issue. Family and friends are a must of this celebration. Under this category, I am going to include babies. We had one this year. I do love taking pictures of babies. This is Matt and Tasha's little nephew. Isn't he a doll. You should see his smile that matches those blue eyes.


2. Food and it's preparation. Of course all celebrations should have a little food to bring the day through. I had the opportunity to help Oma prepare her yummy potato salad. I love preparing food with someone else. There is always great conversation and the opportunity to spend quality time together. There is just something about being in a kitchen together with someone you love.

The grilling is a must. Keith was in charge of that.

Then there is the consumption of a large amount of food. We sat around the porch eating, talking, and laughing. Everyone enjoyed the food and there was much laughter to lighten the load in our full tummies.


3. Good stories. Yes, we heard several of these. The stories of the even provoked much laughter. Pepere and Oma are always full of funny stories from the many years of serving our country. There are stories of childhood, and stories of diversity. There was much talking with this group.


4. A faithful Dog. People often talk about "a boy and his dog". Brenna could be included in that statement. If there is an animal around she will find it. She loves all animals. I love to watch her talk to the animals and play with them. "Patty Puppy" is no exception. Brenna loves her, and what a sweet puppy she is. Brenna really enjoyed having Patty out of the fence for the evening.


5. Swimming at the Lake. Okay, so I didn't take any pictures there, but it happened. Our little fish loved the lake, but didn't want to go under. She splashed around and laughed with those around her. Just so you know. If you don't like people, don't go to the lake on July 4th. There were so many people around, it was hard to move without bumping into someone.

6. Fireworks. Well of course you need those on July 4th. I'm glad we weren't in KC this year. I'm pretty sure they were banned because of the lack of water. I haven't ever really tried to take pictures of fireworks and was very excited about this new challenge. I checked out several sights that gave helpful pointers and set out that evening with my camera and tripod. I knew we were going to the local hotel to watch them, but it never occurred that the fireworks were going to be set off so far away. I also didn't factor the fence into my plans. When we got to the hotel, I realized that the pictures wouldn't turn out well with a fence in the way. Keith suggested that I climb on top of the van. Let me just say that I became the pre-show entertainment. Who knows how many pictures are now floating around that show my "graceful" climb to the top of the van. Luckily I did get up and down safely. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the pictures proved the effort worthwhile. We were just too far away for good pictures. We did all enjoy the show with all the "pretty colors", "booms", and "pop, pops" as Brenna describes the show.


7. Sparklers. This was Brenna's first experience with sparklers. She loved looking at the lights right there in her hand. I think we went through 3 boxes. It was late and she cried when we were all out of the sparklers. Once Daddy showed her what to do. Brenna wanted to do it "all by myself".

Welcome to Georgia

After many hours of driving we finally arrived in Georgia. Nathan promptly said, "Ahh, we are now in God's country." Not sure if I agree with that statement, but it sure is nice to see green again. I also went for a run this morning and didn't come back needing to replenish a gallon of water that I had lost. I was actually a little chilly when I walked out. I only brought the running clothes that I wear in Texas now. It was right around 60 degrees here. That is basically winter for us. It was a great run. I felt like I could go forever. My lungs weren't breathing water and the air was cooler than my body temp.

Yesterday I had a chance to take some pictures of Brenna outside G-Daddy and Nonni's house. She has a good time playing in their yard. We took a blanket out and sat on the lawn reading and playing with some stickers. I loved these pictures of her in their swing.

As some may know, I had been trying to win a toy from ebay as a surprise for Brenna. I did finally win it a few weeks back and it came right as we were walking out the door on Monday. I wanted to wait until Brenna needed something fun to occupy her time here at the house. This morning I brought out the "Little Einsteins Rocket" toy. I think it is safe for me to say that this has been her favorite toy ever in her short three years on this earth. I wish I had the video camera or my digital camera ready to take a picture of her face when I brought it out. She had the biggest eyes and smile. She breathed in a huge gulp of air and exhaled an amazed "Ohhh". How sweet is her excitement? She played with rocket for an hour before lunch. Then she was barely willing to eat lunch because she wanted to play with rocket again. Score a point for Mommy on this one. May it bring us hours of fun play.