Who's Excited for a Gi?

Sam has been taking a martial arts class for a couple of months now. Last week, after class, he asked me about the 'white suits' many of the other kids and adults wear. So we talked to his Sensei about a gi for him. He's been excited all week for it, and last night he got to wear it for the first time.

As I was helping him into it, I noticed he was rubbing his hands and taking deep breaths and generally just ancy. I said, "Sam, are you excited about your gi?" He couldn't even speak-he just nodded and gave me a big bear hug! It was fun to see him so excited about something! And he looks so cute in his new gi!

Pie, Anyone?!

For most of my life I have been opposed to 'cooked fruit'. So pie wasn't really something I partook of very often. Then several years ago, we started hosting a 'Pie Night' before Thanksgiving. The purpose was to get both sides of our families together and share pies because after you eat a delicious and giant Thanksgiving dinner, you usually don't have room to eat as much pie as you would really like to.

This caused me to start trying my hand at making different types of pie. The result was a growing appreciation for some 'cooked fruit'. I also realized that pie crust is truly an art form! One of the pies I tried 2 years ago was a Strawberry, Rhubarb pie (even though it was November), and I loved it!! I have been working on the recipe for the last couple of years and I think I almost have it the way I want it.

In February, when all the strawberries appeard in the grocery stores, it gave me a craving for some of that Strawberry, Rhubarb pie! And, oh, it was delicious! I was particularly excited with how this one turned out! YUM!