The Most Random Musings

As I'm weeding through recent pictures, I realize that I have a bunch of random pictures from multiple events that don't really go together with anything in particular. So, here's my randoms for the month.

Shelby, Kinzie, and Karalee

A family brunch before Scott and Natalie's wedding... 

Amanda surprised me. She. SURPRISED. Me. Big time. I seriously had absolutely NO idea. But it was a pleasant surprise, so I went along. 

The next-to-be-married couple... 

Amanda and Macy 

Little Lee. I just can't get enough of him. Right now he has little rabbit teeth.

 

 

Oh man. He's so handsome.

And this is little Josephine. She's absolutely darling, big eyes, and worried eyebrows... 

Aubrey and Eric's engagement party...

 

Lunch with Jean and Laura before Amanda had to leave... 

Visiting a friend of mine - Angie is on the left, she is the nurse who's place I took at the clinic when she had to retire due to health reasons. She taught me a lot and she is one of the sweetest, kindest, most caring people that I know. Vhi is on the right - she is our office manager and keeps the clinic hopping with entertainment. There is never a dull moment when Vhi is there. She switches between English and Tagalog when she gets upset and it's acutally quite humorous because no one has any idea what she's saying.

Those are my randoms.

The Twins 1 Year

Harper and Leighton are ONE! Hard to believe when I look back at pictures of when they were first born, so teeny and fragile. I had the privilege of taking some pictures and I had so much fun doing it!

Leighton on the left, Harper on the right

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their birthday party was at Nelson and Shirley's... 

Look at the teeny pair of pants on the far left - one of the girls was wearing those in the hospital.

Leighton enjoyed her cake very much, Harper was a little more hesitant to dig in.

 

Sushi Making

So, I've loved sushi as long as I can remember, never even crossed my mind that it would be possible to make it myself. But many thanks to my dear sister, she taught me how a couple weeks ago and I've already made it three times since then (once including about 30 rolls for an engagement party). So, if you are a sushi lover as well, and want to try making it for half the price (or less), here's some tips.
You will need:
Short or Medium (preferably short) grain white rice
Rice Vinegar
Roasted Seaweed (Nori)
Protein such as crab, cooked shrimp, or smoked salmon
Cream cheese
Cucumber
Jalapeno
Avacado
Soy sauce
Wasabi
Any other fillings you may like

First, I cook the rice with a dash of salt and a couple tablespoons of sugar to make it sticky. Let 4 cups of water, salt, and sugar come to a boil in a saucepan or skillet, add 2 cups of rice and cover, cook for about 20-25 minutes. Set aside to cool completely (if I have time, I refrigerate overnight).
Mix a couple scoops of rice with a couple tablespoons of rice vinegar, until it is moist, but not saturated. 

Lay out the seaweed with the flat side underneath. (A sushi bamboo mat is pictured, I ended up not even using it, it is easier for me to roll sushi on the counter or a cutting board)

Spread the rice in a thin layer across the seaweed, leaving a 1/2 inch space on top and bottom of sheet. 

Sprinkle wasabi or soy or sauce of your choice across rice. Layer ingredients tightly together on the end closest to you.

Dab the 1/2 inch spaces at the top and bottom of the sheet with a couple drops of water so that the seaweed will stick together when you roll it.
Tightly roll the seaweed away from you. Gently, now. Good job. Seal the end by pressing gently with your fingertips.

Ta-Da! There you have it! A roll of sushi!

If you have time, let the roll sit for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing it, the seaweed is softer and it is much easier. The longer the sushi sits, the softer the seaweed is and the less strong the taste of it is. I have left a roll unsliced in the fridge overnight and it was perfect the next day for slicing. 

Enjoy, fellow sushi-lovers!

Cameron's Graduation 2012

Cameron graduated with much pomp and circumstance last night. Heh.
Here's a few of his senior pictures.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here we have the memorable flash mob to a sped-up-cell-phone-held-close-to-the-microphone version of pomp and circumstance. Cameron is on the front row, close to the middle, with the white collar. He pulled out all his good dance moves. A son after his father's heart.

 

There he is, all grown up and such.