Bundle of nerves

I have been a bundle of nerves lately. And I mean if you saw an actual bundle of nerves rolling down the street dragging it's loose string nerves with it, you might mistake it as me. My stomach has been has been creating so much acid, it is a wonder that I have a stomach at all. What is making me nervous? Ha! What isn't making me nervous? I am at least glad the election is over, one less thing to stress about. Kyle took his first test yesterday, and throughout the day, he kept expressing his fear. I assured him that I knew he'd do great on it, even though he is often a bad test taker. I also wrote our school in Korea and we are waiting with baited breath, and chewed off fingernails to hear back to see if we can still hold our positions if I come early but directly after Thanksgiving. I obsessively check my email, and when I say obsessive, I mean at least every ten minutes, and it is the first thing I do when I get up and the last thing I do before I go to bed. I am dreading reading the words,"We regret to inform you."

I went to church last Sunday and as I sat praying, something I normally find relaxing, my stomach started performing summer salts. I was praying for Kyle's graduation, our school in Korea, for the teacher who refused to help Kyle in a dire situation, Kyle's grandmother, my friends and their families, especially the one's who just had grandparents diagnosed with cancer, the confessions of cystic fibrosis husband's family, my friends with illnesses, my mom who has had thousands of dollars stolen from her, Athena, my first dog who has lung cancer and the list continued. Rather than feeling that I had just lifted a burden from my shoulders, I felt as if my burdens had gained in size and weight like it was self-soothing with excessive eating. That is why it is better to be an optimist, pessimists carry around too much baggage keeping them from being able to accomplish what they could have with a lighter load. Optomists run around with the birds and the bees, sliding on rainbows and napping on clouds.

So in attempt to relieve our stress yesterday we went to a fitness yoga class. Fitness yoga is different than regular yoga in that it is designed as more of a work out, and is more muscle strengthening. No matter how many times I go, I always feel stupid. I feel like I stand out, "look there is the girl who is sooo inflexible!" I like yoga, I do and I need to get over being self-conscious. This was our first class, and I was pretty impressed. We held positions much longer than in a normal yoga class. In a normal yoga class, the position is held until before the shaking of the muscles begins. In this fitness yoga class we stood in the warrior pose, think of a gladiator, both arms outstretched, one leg straight the other in a lunge, until my entire body was shaking like a violently frightened kitten. And then there is the position where you basically have your butt sticking up in the air aimed at the person next to you, and you pray that no intestinal air will seep out and poison your fellow yoga neighbor.

Some randomness
1) I have been checking out some other blogs lately and I found something truly funny from cake wrecks blog. My aunt Nancy graciously made two cakes for our wedding, but I think I have found a new occasion for cake making, giving birth! Who wants a piece of the baby belly?

2) I think I should have an entire blog dedicated to my kitchen mishaps, I have so many of them, it is a wonder I haven't burnt down the kitchen. My recent escapade could have been much worse than it was. I was making banana bread and I was supposed to use softened butter. I scooped the butter into the measuring cup, put it in the microwave for 20 seconds and started on my next task, when I heard a "clunk" my hands shot up to my face in disbelief at what I had done. I rushed to the microwave realizing in horror that I had put a metal measuring cup in a microwave! Luckily it did not blow up the kitchen, and I am still here to tell the story! The clunking noise was from the plastic handle falling off. hmff... don't know why that happened! Anyone have any ideas? (as plug for my good friend Kate, she has started a home delivery baking goods business, check her out, turn.key.bakery)
3) Lately we have been drinking wine from tea cups. Grandma Dee Dee wasn't a drinker so the first time we wanted to open a bottle of wine, we realized we didn't have a wine opener. Our friend Aaron however ingeniously opened it by pushing down the cork with a pen. Grandma Dee Dee also did not have wine glasses, at least that we can find so tea cups were our next best option. I feel kind of like a confused English woman sipping my wine, pinky finger sticking straight up, from a tea cup. Where are my crumpets?
4) Lastly, I am going to share a recipe. It was so delicious and easy I feel that all who cook must try it.

Basil Shrimp with Feta and Orzo

Yield

2 servings (serving size: 1 cup orzo and about 5 ounces shrimp)

Ingredients

• 1 regular-size foil oven bag
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup diced tomato
• 3/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Coat inside of oven bag with cooking spray. Place the bag on a large shallow baking pan.

Cook the pasta in boiling water 5 minutes, omitting salt and fat; drain. Place the pasta in a large bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon oil and next 7 ingredients (1 teaspoon oil through pepper). Place the orzo mixture in prepared oven bag. Combine shrimp and basil. Arrange shrimp mixture on orzo mixture. Fold edge of bag over to seal. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until the shrimp are done. Cut open bag with a sharp knife, and peel back the foil. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil.