There is something in a spare bedroom in my house that drives me absolutely insane. The light switch plate is crooked. Michael tried to fix it when he replaced the switch with no luck and now when I am in that room it is the first thing that my eyes go toward. It has been that way since I first moved into the house, but it just hit me the other day is the reason that it bothers me so much.
I grew up with two parents whom were extreme perfectionists, the most severe case being my father, who was a photographer. We had tons of his work hung around the house and every piece was perfectly centered and absolutely straight. The only tools I really remember my dad messing with were a hammer, a measuring tape and his level. He would spend hours making sure that every photograph was hung perfectly. I would stand by his side holding whatever he needed, sometimes even the ladder in which he only would have one foot on while the rest of his body swung around like a monkey. I was a very nervous child and remember being terrified that he would fall, but as luck would have it he never did.
So the other day I found myself looking at that stupid light switch and getting so irritated when I started to laugh. It was as if I could hear my dad finding the humor in that damn switch being crooked, and then I had my epiphany, it didn't matter, not even in the slightest. I have a wonderful family and amazing friends, a roof over my head, even though sometimes I would like to burn my house to the ground, and my health. Does everything have to be perfect.....no. Life is so short. I still wouldn't mind if it magically straightened out though ; )
My birds are not picky eaters, but the both tend to favor different foods. Crockett absolutely loves asparagus and brussel sprouts and Tuesday favorites are apples, strawberries and broccoli. They do have one absolute favorite food in common and that is pasta! This past Friday I shared my dinner with them. It made for some very happy, yet messy birds : )
Two years ago I purchased my first blackberry bush. It takes two years for them to produce fruit so I thought I would be smart and plant a second bush the following year, then eventually I would get a decent amount of blackberries. It's a long time investment, so I was delighted in June when I notice my first couple of berries growing. And right before I went on vacation in the end of June I noticed at least 10 berries which I guessed would be ready when I returned from my trip. My big surprise was when I got home, not only were they ripe, but they had also already been "sampled." The damn squirrels had taken a bite out of all but one! Didn't even bother to eat the whole thing! Grrrr! So two years of waiting, this was my only survivor. Not not even going to go into what they did to my tomatoes! 
Our friends Brad and Kelli are expecting a baby boy this November. Kelli is doing the baby's room in animals and I really didn't want to do another monkey since I made one not too long ago for Maddox. Had to be special : ) So I found this "baby gorilla" pattern and I will be the first to say that mine does not look like the picture or even a gorilla for that matter, but I guess it's the thought that counts. I adjusted the pattern some and omitted the pole part.
So my garden has had a rough year, but fortunately there were some survivors. The other day I found a tomato and a small handful of green beans ready to be picked. I ended up making a tomato and green bean salad mixed with feta cheese, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. I blanched the green beans, meaning I put them in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then tossed them into iced water to "shock" them. This way they aren't raw, but keep their fresh color.
I'm not much of a sausage eater, but Michael loves it, so we compromised on 3 with sausage and 3 with a ricotta and zucchini mixture (the zucchini also from the farmer's market for .50) I made a sauce with olive oil, tomato paste and sauce, garlic, onion, bell pepper seeds and fresh basil from my garden (and no cheese which is weird for Michael and I).
While that simmered I mixed the sausage with and egg and some mozzarella, stuffed the peppers and made meatballs with what was left. For the ricotta mixture I added zucchini, an egg and some spices. Put the peppers in a olive oiled pan with the sauce and baked in the oven uncovered at 350 for about an hour. We ate it with rosemary bread that Michael picked up at Sam's Club and an antipasto plate which was inspired by freshly ripened tomato and basil from my garden. Yum!
