Saturday, April 17, 2010

And so it begins....

Well, we got to have Daddy home for about 8 hours, 3 of those he had to nap thanks to exhaustion.  He had to go back to the ship tonight, and left right before I started putting the girls to bed.  They're taking it pretty well.  I'm really surprised, since this was somewhat all of a sudden for them.  We knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but found out pretty much last minute.  The ship should be starting her workups soon, so hopefully the girls will continue to be just as easy going about all this as they have been so far. 

I supposed I shouldn't put off C's study about Daddy's job and his duties any longer.  I've had the idea swirling around in my mind lately and just haven't done the planning yet.  I'm thinking about a scrapbook type project with the details of Daddy's job, the ship, his going away sometimes, etc.  I will also have pages of pictures of them, and a place where she can put letters she receives from him.  That sort of thing.  I think it will help her understand more, and also, hopefully, give her comfort in the unavoidable times of missing him.

I've definitely reacted differently this time.  When we were in Florida and he would leave for any amount of time I always felt somewhat devastated.  We were newly weds though, and I was completely new to the military life.  Every time he left, it broke my heart a little.  Now, though, I think I am much stronger.  I know what to expect.  I think my growing relationship with God is truly the main reason for the change.  He is giving me peace, and for me (since I've always dealt with anxiety,) that is such a faith building block.  Having the kids now is another reason I've reacted differently. (better?)  They make me want to be stronger, keep it together, and show them how to have faith that everything is in God's hands.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Last Minute Dessert - Raspberry Sorbet

At the last possible minute, I decided to make something special for the girls' dessert tonight.  They were both fairly well behaved all day (surprisingly,) and since today should end our week of not having Daddy around, I felt they deserved it.  I had a HUGE 16 pound bag of ice in the freezer that I really needed to make a dent in (thanks A!) so I decided to use the ice cream maker.  I also had a ton of frozen fruit in there as well.  I thought back to the fruit slushies we recently had at JoJack's (a local coffee shop,) and wondered if I could make a similar concoction and turn it into sorbet.  So, I asked C what fruit she wanted, and when she decided on raspberries, I set to work.  This is what I came up with:

Pretty Raspberry Sorbet

12 oz frozen raspberries (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 cups green tea
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Brew 2 cups of green tea in a small pot.  While it is still hot, add sugar and stir until it is completely mixed in.  Transfer tea and sugar mixture to a blender, add in the raspberries and lemon juice.  Puree mixture.   At this point, if you have time, strain the mixture through cheesecloth in order to get the seeds out.  (I didn't have the time.  The seeds didn't bother the girls or me too much.)  Cool in refrigerator, and then process in an ice cream maker until you remember it or your kid says, "Mom, I think the ice cream must be done by now!"  (Obviously, I forgot about mine, but I would say 20 minutes should be good.)  If you want a really sweet sorbet, you might want to add another 1/2 cup of sugar.  Because this was for my kids, I kept it to the minimum; the 1/2 cup of sugar was just enough to balance the tartness of the raspberries without adding extra sweetness to the flavor.  Hope you enjoy it, I know we did!