My name is not mom today.

My name is not mom today.
Why is that? You say.

Mom is on a pretend vacation you see.
Taking a break from your skinned knee.

Away from I want juice
and not those shoes.

Away from I don't want to
and I'll ignore you.

Away from I won't eat that
and I want a fruit snack.

Away from don't pinch your sister,
that's mean, and don't hit her.

Away from don't bite your brother,
please just listen to your mother.

My brain is mush can't you see
it's an over cooked zucchini.

I'm exhausted, haven't slept,
is it bedtime yet?

These kids are driving me insane,
oh how I love them just the same.

My name is not mom today.
Just kidding, they'll keep calling me it anyway.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

I love pickles. Crunchy delicious dill and garlic packed pickles. I've been looking for the perfect recipe for these pair with a sandwich or eat by themselves pickles and have come up a tad disappointed. So here is what I have come up with. This is for approximately 5-6 pint jars.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

15 or so Pickling Cucumbers
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups distilled water
4 tsp sea salt

In each pint jar add the following ingredients:

1 tsp dill seed
1/2 tsp dill weed (or several fresh dill sprigs)
1 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
2-3 garlic cloves smashed open
1 pinch red pepper flakes

1. Cut the pickles. Chop off the stem end and the butt. Then cut lengthwise into quarters or eights. Or slice them any way you desire.. Please note that if you slice them the width then you will need more brine due to more negative (empty) space in the jar and you will need less pickles than the recipe calls for.

2. In a saucepan bring apple cider vinegar, water and salt to a simmer. Do not bring to rapid boil. Cucumbers can't handle too much heat so if you want crispy pickles don't make your brine too hot!

3. Fill the pint jars with your aromatics. Then stuff full of cucumbers. I mean stuff them.

4. Pour brine over the pickles leaving 1/2 to a 1/4 space at the top. Place the lids on the jars and leave on the counter to cool.

5. After cooling, place in fridge and wait 24-48 hours to eat! 

These will keep in the fridge for approximately a month or so. If they aren't eaten well before then!

Cold Brewed Ice Coffee

I love iced coffee. The delicious sweet, caffeinated drink sipped through a straw on a scorching summer morning. Nothing beats it. Except wine. Wine beats everything. But considering it is morning and today the kids are being on their best behavior, for now, iced coffee it is!

Here is my simple recipe. I wish there was a way to "quick cold brew", I haven't looked into it or even tried because sometimes (on occasion) things are entirely worth the wait.

Cold Brew Iced Coffee

1 Cup Ground Coffee
6 Cups Very Cold Water

Then:
1- 14oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk or Sugar
1 1/2- 2 Cups Half & Half
4- 4 1/2 Cups Additional Cold Water

1. In a container, mix coffee grounds with the cold water. Let it sit on the counter anywhere from 12-24 hours. I shake (or stir) a couple of times within that period. I use an empty plastic orange juice container (holds 89 fl oz or 2.78 qt).

2. Strain the yummy goodness from the grounds. I use the reusable filter from my KitchenAid coffee maker, however, you can use regular coffee filters or a mesh strainer lined with paper towels. Doesn't have to be fancy just needs to get the job done.

3. Pour into the container that you will be putting in the fridge. Some people put this in the fridge and call it a day. Then every day they mix a fresh glass of iced coffee using this coffee concentrate, pouring over ice, adding equal amounts of coffee concentrate and a combination of water, half and half or milk with sugar of course!

3A. I add in all my light and sweet stuff before I stick it in the fridge. Saves time every morning. Just shake, pour and enjoy. Add to the coffee concentrate 6 cups of a mix between water and half and half or milk. I use 4 cups water and 2 cups half and half. Adjust it to your liking. I add in one can of Sweetened Condensed Milk instead of using sugar.

4. Shake, refrigerate, and enjoy over ice!

Deployment Homecoming Stress

I haven't posted because well I've been busy. I've been running a household with two young kids and recently we added a puppy which has increased my already high responsibilty level. My husband has been deployed for a long time and now that we're nearing the end I should feel relieved but I don't. I feel more stressed than ever.

Not necessarily stressed because he's coming home and there will be a transition period or because I'm worried about how being at war will affect him at home. I'm stressed because my husband, my partner in everything is coming home and while I want to spend his homecoming with him and our kids, there are people who feel as though it is important for them to welcome him home. I get it. He's been away deployed and everyone wants to see he him. It would be fine except we are a 13 hour drive or several states away from where we once called home. Our vistors would be out of towners and I don't want to entertain and I don't want to send my kids off with people to go see stuff so I can have "alone time" with my husband. I want to spend every waking moment soaking in as much time as I possibly can with him and our family because we will never be able to be together for those 8 months we spent apart. I want to do stuff as a family. And just in case you think I'm trying to dismiss "alone time" as though it holds no importance let me tell you that there is a reason our kids are in bed ASLEEP by 7:30 pm!

It sounds selfish. And maybe it is. But I deserve to have that time with my husband and our kids. He served our great nation, in a war zone and while we're trying to figure out how to transition two extreme roles back into a "normal" lifestyle, I don't need outsiders to take a front row seat. I understand that because my husband is military it takes us out of the "normal" category but look at it this way. When is the last time someone has wanted to welcome home someone eles's husband from a business trip? (Ahem, given that there wasn't a mistress of some sort! Yikes!) Even family at least waits a day or two before inviting them over for dinner. Hell, they might even just give him a call to see how his trip was. But to welcome him home and take away time from his family, it gets me wondering who the selfish ones are.

Then come the logistics of even pretending to entertain the idea of having guests. First of all, I'm not witholding his homecoming date! I have a window and then if I'm lucky I'll get a two day notice of when he will actually be home and then it will change 5 more times and he won't get in until hours after the final scheduled time. I may have an idea of when he'll be home HOWEVER, I can't tell you anything! It's operational security. I refuse to risk the lives of hundreds of militay because someone wants to know when he's going to be back on American soil. People have gone months in the past without seeing him with just a phone call here and there to keep in touch but now because he's been deployed all the sudden it's different, it's a big deal that they haven't seen him because they just can't live without him!

But me I'm just supposed to sit back and let everyone spend my time with the man I love all because we wears this countries uniform. I don't think so. The military may come first but family is next in line. So everyone who wants to see him can schedule a visit at a later date. We love you, but we love each other first.