"It's Worth It"

You've heard that phrase thousands of times.  

What are things in your life that get tagged as "worth it?"  Here are mine.  Some are deep and meaningful; some are just for fun.  They are in no particular order.

1.  Going out to eat.

I love to eat at restaurants.  Choosing from a full menu, the anticipation before the food arrives, the way drinks always taste better at restaurants (Have you noticed?  Even water and soda taste better.  Why is this?), not having to clear tables and do dishes...it's worth every penny.  

My two favorite places in Mason City (and my typical orders):

The Quarry
On the tapas menu: the edamame, Lala's mussels, and chicken wings
From the dinner menu: the grilled Caesar salad with salmon, scallops with orange glaze, New Age white.

Chop
Appetizer: the Beef and Bleu Fondue
Entree: Filet Oscar with Greek pasta, cabernet.

Okay, now I am hungry.  Moving on.

2.  Expensive makeup.

I bought Cover Girl and Maybelline for years, with an occasional Clinique splurge whenever it was "bonus time."  Before Tom and I got married, I was introduced to Bare Minerals and I haven't looked back.  I LOVE each and every product I've ever used.  My favorites are the original foundation and the Mineral Veil.

3.  Flying.

To me, there is no better way to travel.  Road trips sound great in theory...but the United States is big.  Before reaching your destination, you have to put up with a lot of boring space between landmarks and cities.  Give me a fast, efficient airplane over a gas-hungry, uncomfortable vehicle any day.

4.  Labor.

18 hours of pain, exhaustion, frustration, and endless waiting...absolutely WORTH IT. 

5.  Professional hair color.

This beautiful friend of mine is Kati.  She is my stylist and she is a genius.  Sometimes I have an idea for color and she'll look at me and say "No."  :)  She's always right and she always, ALWAYS has a great idea for my next hair color.  Right now I have a rainbow of low-lights and I'm excited to get back in there soon for an all-over brightening session for spring/summer!  Love you, Miss Kati.

6.  Top-of-the-line guitars.

When I started playing guitar, I was 17 years old.  My dad and I went shopping at a local music store and I got to pick out a "pretty" instrument of my own.  The shop owner sold me the one I wanted.  There was no discussion of neck width, string spacing, electronics, hardware, action, tone or general fit.  I picked the one that looked prettiest!  HAHA!  Now, 16 years later, it's completely laughable.  When I started playing more seriously I was graduated from college and doing worship music and coffeehouse gigs with a group of friends.  I complained that I couldn't play bar chords, no matter how hard I worked at it.  My friend Jesse looked at my form and said "it's because the neck is way too thick for your hand."  He handed me his Taylor guitar, and I never looked back.  I saved my money, promptly sold that "pretty" Fender and went to Bob's guitars in Cedar Falls where I got to pick out my very own Taylor guitar.  It is, of course, one of my all-time favorite purchases.  The neck is nice and slim, the waist is small, the body is slimmer, I had the action adjusted to fit my fingers, and I can play bar chords effortlessly.  I have my eyes on another Taylor model and I am waiting until my Masters degree is done to buy it!  Exciting!!

Sidebar: The Mohawk girls just WON!  On to their next game, against Ankeny Centennial.  I am at home with my sleeping boy and so, so thankful that KGLO broadcasts the girls' games so I don't have to truly miss any of them.  Tim Fleming is the absolute BEST announcer!  I am so proud of my husband and his team!  Go Mohawks!!  I also saw that the Clear Lake team is on to state...YES!  

So, tell me: what are things that you have found are "worth it?"  I want to know! 

Enjoy the rest of the precious weekend...spring break is almost here!

Betsy

He's nearly 10 months

Baby Jude will be 10 months old on February 17 (!!!) and I can't believe it.  Hand me a tissue and play some sappy music while I have myself a good bawl about my baby turning into a little boy right before our eyes.

I've been teased for being sentimental about Jude growing up so fast, so let me defend myself.  It is more than simple sentiment.  Surely, every mother understands this.

I am not upset about it.  I am thrilled, proud, and excited that he is healthy and thriving, hitting every milestone and growing like a weed.

However...what makes me cry is that his baby days are all I know of him.  I can't see into his future.  What we've lived for 9 and a half months is what I know and treasure.  I love him so dearly and hold the memories so close to my heart that it is--yes, SAD--to see those stages fade away into nothing but photographs.

For 9 months he was a part of my body.  There's a part of me crawling around in the world.  My very heart, out there becoming a little man.

He has a squeaky giggle, and he lights up when Daddy walks into the room.  I can't get enough of his cuddles even at 3 am.  His hair is wild and fuzzy...I refuse to cut it.

Loves: ALL baby food, puffs, popcorn, rice biscuits, milk, and the soft-serve ice cream that Grandpa Rich fed him at the Timberwolves game.  Bathtime, books, his Harrod's teddy bear from London, knocking over towers of blocks, his binky, playing his drum and xylophone. 

Hates: getting out of the bath, the nose bulb syringe, having Mommy walk out of the room... it's hard to think of anything else!  He's a very content and happy baby.

Here are his 9-month pictures, snapped by the always-brilliant Jeanne Hansen:

I love you, baby Jude Thomas.

Accidental Kitchen Success!

Cheers to late Friday nights!  Aka...basketball season...especially away game nights.

I hate going to bed when Tom's not here, so winter brings a lot of late nights for me.  Jude went down at 8:00 which meant a 90s chick flick and some quiet time for me!

So tonight we're discussing what happened at dinner time.

Over Christmas, when we were in Calmar with Tom's family, I made a very simple garlic cheese bread recipe that turned out pretty nice.  It's so easy it's ridiculous.  You can thank my best friend Martha Stewart for the recipe.

1 package cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

4 cloves garlic minced (or microplaned which I prefer)

1 tsp Italian seasoning (or just oregano, and fresh if you can get it)

Mix everything and spread onto thin, diagonally cut baguette slices.  Broil until brown and bubbly.

A few days later, I decided I wanted to make a variation of this recipe for the New Years party at our friends' house.  First I added chopped green and kalamata olives, with some of the lovely brine from the jar of kalamatas.  Then I threw in some roasted red peppers, which made the mixture a pretty shade of pink.  Lastly I decided more parmesan cheese was a good idea.  The result, when broiled to a nice toasty brown on a baguette, was nice.  It was a good punch of salt, tasting really good with a glass of wine.  I might add some fresh rosemary next time and roast the garlic instead of adding it raw.

Fast-forward...I still had the leftover cream cheese mixture in my fridge (I doubled the recipe) with no intent of making more cheesy toasty things with it.  So, I decided to make it into a pasta recipe.  

*Forgive me for having no pictures.  Please take my word for it; it's delicious.*

I used linguini which worked perfectly.  The only other pasta shape I would use for this is farfalle.  Because I love it.  No other reason.

I prepared the pasta.  I always throw in 2 T sea salt and subtract at least 2 minutes off the recommended cooking time, by the way.  I want al dente.  No, I NEED al dente.  Overcooked pasta is worthless and must not be risked.

After it was done I took out some pasta water, maybe 1/2 to 3/4 cup, and kept it on the side.  The leftover cream cheese mixture went into the hot pot, and so did the pasta water and linguini.   I let it melt, then I added some Sauvignon Blanc (1/2 cup maybe?) and turned up the heat for approximately 30 seconds -- or however long it took my weird electric stove to actually convey heat -- and the results were fabulous.  I remarked to my mom and dad, who were there for a short Jude visit, that it could use some shrimp.  Or even better, seared scallops and a sharp hit of lemon.  If it had lobster on the side I might die.  It was good stuff.

I hope you find joy this cold, cold month.  Hang in there and remember these two promises:

1.  Mercies are new every morning.  Look out your window in the early hours.  Winter mornings are beautiful.

2.  Chocolate tastes better in the winter

3.  Spring will come.

That's three, I'm told.  Did you know that I had to re-take freshman algebra?

Have a fantastic weekend!  Love, Betsy

Prettig Kerstfeest!

(Dutch for "Merry Christmas")  :-)

My mom and I have a lovely tradition of assembling Dutch letters during the Christmas season!

Dutch letters are pastry tubes made with an almond filling.  Traditionally they are shaped like a letter S, and this is usually how you will find them at a Dutch bakery.  Since the pastry dough is kind of fragile and thin, my mom and I have had the most success making lowercase Ls :-)

According to the Jaarsma Bakery's website (Jaarsma is in Pella where my sister lives), Dutch letters have been a favorite treat in the Netherlands since the 1800s, and when the children celebrated Sinterklaas on December 6 they would leave the pastries for him.

Mom put the dough and filling together ahead of time for our baking extravaganza.  If I can find the recipe, I'll post it -- it may be on my computer somewhere.  In the meantime, here are some pictures of the assembly process:

Roll out a 2-oz piece of chilled dough...

...until it is 14" long and 4" wide, approximately.  You have to use a ton of flour to keep these babies from sticking to your countertop.  

Grab some of the almond paste mixture (Mom pre-measured it with a cookie scoop)...

...and form it into a snake.

Fold the dough over the top...

...then seal the other side with a bit of water to create the letter. 

Poke the letters with a fork so the steam can escape...

...and brush the tops with beaten egg white.

Lastly, sprinkle a bunch of coarse sugar on the top!  Be generous--the sugar makes a lovely crunchy top.  I use raw sugar from Hy Vee.

They're all ready to bake at this point, at 350 degrees for 20-ish minutes or until golden brown.  Or, put the cookie sheets into the deep freeze, and when the letters are frozen, bundle them up in foil or plastic wrap and they'll keep for several months.  I like to freeze a few dozen and keep them on hand for special gifts.  

My chalkboard.  Translation?  Delicious!  

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family and friends.  Tom, Jude and I got to travel to his hometown for Christmas Day, and then to Pella to join up with the Neerhof side.  We are glad to be at home now and soaking up the rest of the week off.  This time of year we are always so happy to have our break from school.  From my perspective: concerts are done and I am DONE singing Jingle Bells until next December.  From his perspective: basketball season is crazy, so this is precious time to spend with family and to catch up on sleep.

The rest of the winter will fly right by!  Betty and the Gents will play some fun shows (Valentine's Day at MC Brewing, for one) and we will keep busy with everything else we do.

I always make a Summer Bucket List when March or April rolls around and we get the first glimpse of spring.  Maybe it's time for a Winter Bucket List...

I'm thinking as I type, so these are in no particular order.

- Eat dinner at 1910 Grille.  This time, no pregnancy nausea!

- GO SKIING.  Yes.  I want to SKI for heavens sake.  I haven't been skiing since.... gosh, it must have been 2006 or 07.  That is pathetic.  My family traveled to Colorado every few years when we were growing up and skiing was a huge part of our lives.  Why have I let it slip away?  I don't need a trip to Colorado...don't have the funds...but a weekend in Minnesota would be splendid.  (By the way, Tom doesn't ski and he doesn't want to learn.  Can you please help me convince him that it's the most fun thing in the world?)

- Go to a movie.  I haven't seen one in a theatre since before Jude was born.  It's time.

- Go sledding.  Because it's fun and I like to pretend I'm ten years old again.

- Go ice skating.  Did you know I used to be a figure skater?  True story.

- Make a snow angel.  Because why not?

- Eat more sushi.  Tom and I went to the Mall of America on the first Monday of break and we ate at Crave, which is one of our favorite places in the mall.  I ordered a beautiful sushi platter and it was so good I wanted to roll around in it.  (Weird?  Yeah....sorry)  There is this place in Des Moines I would like to visit, and we can't wait to return to our go-to date night spot in Minneapolis, Seven.

- Decorate my house.  I got some gift cards for Christmas to all of my favorite places, so I can find unique and beautiful decor for our house!  I can't wait to rally my mom and sister sometime, and hit up these stores so I can make this place look like a home.

- Spend more time with family.  Enough said.  Isn't family worth every struggle, every disagreement, every moment of stress and worry?  In the end, it's those people who will love you the most and be there for you.  We need more time together.

- Start lifting again.  Sometimes I feel like finding the time to go for a run or walk is impossible...and lifting weights again is only in my dreams.  I miss it.  It will happen again.  Hopefully soon.  Would it be weird to bring the pack-and-play and set it up in the weight room so Jude could come along?

- Write on my blog.  Ha.  We'll see if this happens past this week :-)

Enjoy the last remaining days of the Christmas season (it's not over yet!) and have a wonderful New Year!

Love, Betsy

the good stuff.

It feels good.

It feels good to have a clean house, thanks to my hero, whom I also call Mom.  I would fall apart if it weren't for her.

It feels good to have had a Friday night last week without a basketball game, so Tom and I could attend a fabulous Christmas party and just relax for the evening.

It feels good to have sore abs and an aching face from laughing so hard at said Christmas party.

It feels good to know that my happy little boy was taken care of while we were away, and not having a single worry about him.  Again--I love my mother.

It feels good to have another grad class done and checked off the list...I will now be endorsed to teach TAG.  How crazy is that?  "Here is our music teacher, and oh yeah--she also can teach TAG if we need her to."  It's laughable, right?  But it is also totally me.  I'm thrilled to carry this "ability" and add it to my credentials.  Gifted learning is so, so often overlooked which is a huge problem.  I am passionate about these talented learners who are, in my opinion, just as entitled to extra time, effort and funding as our special needs kiddos.  They are the ones who have the skills and capabilities to do amazing things in the future...so why are districts shoving TAG programs to the side and focusing so hard on at-risk learners that the gifted ones get forgotten altogether?

Geez...sorry.  Sometimes I create soapboxes without trying sometimes.  And, I realize that I might be controversial.  Moving on.

It feels good to have hosted our first formal dinner party last night with some wonderful people.  We had Italian Night, complete with ingredients that made the trip from Italy with John and Donna (pasta, wine, even olive oil!), gourmet cheese, an AMAZING tiramisu, Prosecco, bruschetta, opera music, and gelato.  Our next dinners will be German (YAY!), then fondue, then Greek (COLOR ME EXCITED!  OH MY GOSH!  I ADORE GREEK FOOD!).  Food, friends, and laughter are my favorite things.  The world needs more relaxed, strung-out meals where guests stay for hours and just enjoy the food and each other.  If you're ever stressed out, please call me and say "let's make dinner."  :)

It feels good to know that we have 8 days of school left before a two-week break.  Ha.le.lu.jah.  You know me -- I love my job.  But if it weren't for our guaranteed breaks, I'd be a crazy person.

It feels good to have my house decorated for Christmas.  The past two years in our shoebox house, we didn't have room to decorate, so we didn't.  No tree, no garlands, nothing.  Tom hung exterior lights but that was all.  This year we've got the tree.  We've got garlands.  We've got wreaths.  We've got sparkly things.  I love it!  I'm realizing quickly how expensive decorating is...so I'm taking it one room at a time.  How fun will it be to pack it away, knowing next year I'll be able to drag it all out again?!  I'm feeling very, very blessed with this gorgeous space.

It feels good to have the Gents back in the rehearsal room upstairs, gear out and tunes flying.  We have a gig on the 20th and it feels like it's still so far away, but it'll be here before we know it.  I sent them a text a few days ago that said "let's practice soon, because I miss my sanity."  :)  There is a part of me that can only be calmed down with music-making.

See?  This is serenity.  Even my arm hair is glowing because I'm so happy.

*Gig is at Mason City Brewing, from 8-11 pm.*

Lastly:  it feels good to sit here and write.  In my perfect world, the day would have more hours so I could do this more.

Goodnight, my dears!
Betsy

50 Things

*lets out exasperated sigh*

*Debbie Downer sound effect from SNL*

I'm complaining about grad school again.  I am so, so ready for it to be over.  I have better things to do with my time.

I can do this.  I can do this and it will be worth it.

I just submitted another assignment, and tomorrow I have another presentation.  When 5 pm rolls around tomorrow, I will be on Thanksgiving BREAK!  Whoop whoop!  Again...I can do this.  I can do this and it will be worth it.

I decided to do a 50 Things list instead of a "real" blog post.  It's a random list of 50 Things About Me.  I saw this on another blog years ago and I recently remembered it...I have had it in the back of my mind for a few weeks now.  

It reminds me of those email surveys my friends and I would send to each other in college.  I loved those things.  They were like self-interviews...little moments where you typed out things you didn't even realize about yourself.

So, here are my 50 Things.

1.  I could eat oranges and grapefruits every single day.

2.  And salmon nigiri.

3.  I enjoy convincing people who say they don't eat sushi "because they don't like fish" that it is absolutely one of the most delicious foods in the entire world.  Because it is.  And you will like it even if you don't like fish.  I promise.

4.  I would rather run than walk 90% of the time.

5.  I was a pottery instructor at a Bible camp one summer, before my senior year of college.

6.  I grew up respecting authority and rules, and I plan on teaching my children the same.

7.  I don't have any tattoos.  Sometimes I'm tempted to get one.  I have a lot of friends who have them and they look beautiful.  I'm too chicken, though.

8.  Swimming in the ocean is one of my favorite memories.

9.  I love Jesus.  I'm crazy about Him.  I'm a Christian.  I am not perfect, because no one is.  I'm human.  The amazing thing, though, is that I'm forgiven.  He loves me and He loves you, too.  

10.  My favorite type of book to read is historical fiction.

11.  I haven't read a book since the summer of 2013.  Unless you count grad material and "What to Expect When You're Expecting."

12.  Tom is a super-extrovert that gets energized by groups of people.  I love friends; I can handle groups every now and then, but I am a serious home-body most of the time.

13.  I love shopping.  LOVE IT.

14.  I hate birds.  HATE THEM.

15.  I never played sports past 8th grade.

16.  I was a cheerleader in high school.

17.  I like to make poffertjes (Dutch mini-pancakes) rather than regular pancakes.

18.  My family is Dutch.   Pella's Tulip Time is our annual holiday and we dress in the traditional costumes (from my Grandfather's province in the Netherlands) and participate in all the events.

19.  I've sung the 7th Inning Stretch at three Twins games.

20.  I was 11, 12, and 13 years old when I sang them.

21.  I actually think going to the dentist is relaxing.

22.  I am certified to teach K-12 music.  That means band, choral, and orchestra.

23.  I am certified to teach band and orchestra...not qualified.

24.  I used to like risotto. 

25.  I can't eat risotto anymore because I ordered it the first night I started feeling nauseous....I was 7 weeks pregnant.

26.  I love, love, love the movie "The Wedding Singer."

27.  I quote it almost daily.

28.  Especially when I am singing at a wedding, or when Brett is around.

29.  Our wedding was on August 11, 2012.

(photo by Jalisa Mayer - JM Studio)

30.  I love the Olaf character in "Frozen."  Yeah.  Why?  :) :) :) 

31.  Tom, Jude and I have breakfast at Hy Vee every single Friday morning.

32.  Giving birth was the hardest, most exhausting thing I've ever done.  Also the coolest.

33.  My favorite country in our 2002 European Tour with Wartburg Choir was Germany.

34.  No, Austria.

35.  Favorite TV series:  Modern Family.

36.  I don't steam vegetables anymore.  I roast them with coconut oil, coarse salt, fresh ground pepper in a 450-degree oven.  

37.  My earliest memory is playing beauty shop in my bedroom with my doll and little red plastic chair that swiveled.  I was two.

38.  I love the Hawkeyes and Cyclones equally.  Tom has issues with this sometimes.

39.  A perfect day is waking up slowly to sunshine coming in through the windows...coffee smell in the air...a giggly pajama-ed baby cuddling with me in bed...hubby downstairs listening to Sinatra and cooking breakfast...playtime with Jude in our living room...stroller walking along Clear Lake and lunch at Starboard Market...dropping JT off with parents at our house so Tom and I can go to dinner and a movie.  Bliss.  

40.  The best interior paint color is "greige."  We have it on our bedroom walls.

41.  In my opinion, Instagram is the superior social media outlet.  Facebook is nice, but stressful at times.  Twitter is fun if used properly, but wow, there is a lot of junk that comes along with it.  Instagram is great because it's photographs...and you can filter them.  Simply pictures.  Love it.

42.  My sister is my best friend.

43.  In college I had a pair of terribly ugly red sweatpants that I wore almost every single day after class.  By the end of my senior year I had to throw them out because they'd been through the washer so many times.  I got teased a lot about those sweats...but oh my gosh they were comfortable.  

44.  College!  I went to Wartburg.  I had an amazing 4 years.

45.  I wanted to go to Luther for a year before I decided on Wartburg.

46.  At the end of my senior year at the Burg, the neighbor girls and my roommates and I made a slide on the stairs.  We used the mattresses from our beds.  We discovered that the only way we could go fast is by wearing swishy pants (remember those?) but only 2 girls had swishy pants.  There were at least 10 of us using the slide, so we took turns wearing the pants.

47.  We also made up a dance to Motown Philly one night and had every intention of performing it at a wedding later that summer.

48.  Jude's laugh is my favorite sound in the whole world.

(photo by Jeanne Hansen)

49.  I need to go boot shopping.  I wonder when I'll have time for this.

50.  I have a glass of cab next to me.  Goodbye!

"You should be on The Voice"

I've heard it from several folks and it really is a nice thing to hear.  People are so, so kind.

You know me -- singing is what I do.  I love to perform.  It energizes me and it just feels "right."

And, I like to watch The Voice. (I must say though, Tom and I are behind on, um, 14 or so episodes.  We haven't even started watching this season and it's likely we never will.)  It's quality entertainment.  Even better is The Sing-Off.  I love the a capella groups...and I love Ben Folds.  He is intelligent and talented and funny.  I want to be related to him so he could play piano at family reunions and we could sing duets together.

Anyway.  

People have said I should sing on these shows.  But I disagree.  I respectfully disagree with each of them, and I would say no thanks to the opportunity to "be on The Voice."  Or Idol.  Or America's Got Talent.

But WHY?  Doesn't every performer want to be famous and rich, with platinum albums, sell-out crowds, tour buses, and lengthy riders full of ridiculous dressing room requirements?

No.  

And I'll tell you why.

1.  I want to own the music I write.

I've written a handful of songs.  If I were to sign under a record label and use them on an album, they would no longer be my own.  Something I put MY heart and soul into would no longer be MINE.  They'd be "owned" by the label.  That's not okay.

2.  I want to choose who I play and sing with.

My name is Betty, and I have three Gents.  They are my best friends and I can't imagine playing music with anyone else.  Period.

3.  I want to stay here.

Hollywood doesn't appeal.  Neither does New York City.  Let's go on a vacation or two, but don't make me live in either place.  The midwest is where it's at...I like to walk down the street and get a smile and a hello where I live.

4.  I don't have a big voice.

I don't sing "big"...and I don't want to.  Stretching my range to fit the famous-female-singer expectation (think Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood) would be pretty unhealthy...my voice wasn't created to reach those notes.

5.  I have a family.

(source)

If I were to go somewhere and "make it big" (I really don't like that phraseology btw) in music, I could kiss my precious family life away.  The thought makes me shudder.

6.  I'm already famous...because I am a music teacher.

It's the best kind of "fame" -- I walk into my school building and get surrounded by squealing 6-year-olds and mauled by their hugs.  Coming back from maternity leave was comparable to being a victim of an elephant stampede.  The kids are my "fans" -- and I am THEIR biggest fan.  They're my perfect singers and I am their teacher.

And now I'll go back to listening to Coldplay and being grateful for their talent, and thankful I'm not in their shoes.  :)

Love, Betsy