3 Years Later

This past week marked my third year of employment with Sunflower CASA Project!

It all started back in 2005...I was in need of an internship to graduate and I met with my class professor to discuss some placements she had in mind.  One was with a legislator in Topeka but we both knew I would immediately butt heads with that particular lawmaker.  The other was with a local agency that worked with abused and neglected children in the Manhattan community.

I had never heard of the agency and didn't really even know that much about abuse or neglect.  I had already been working with the Crisis Center and the Women's Center on campus so I was more than familiar with partner abuse and those dynamics.  I could handle those dynamics so I decided I would meet with the agency's Executive Director.

At the meeting, I met Jayme, the Executive Director of Sunflower CASA Project, Inc.  I was a bit embarassed to be a Political Science major until she disclosed that her background was in biochemistry.  Really?!  I immediately felt 10x more comfortable and decided to proceed with the training and then my internship.

I eventually wrapped up my internship and continued to serve as a CASA volunteer.   Graduation from K-State arrived and I accepted a job working with the geriatric population.  NOT quite the kiddos I had fallen in love with, but it was a job and income.

A few years later, CASA was hiring for a new position.  I applied and was offered the job!

I would spend part of my time working with their brand-new Child Advocacy Center.  Basically...Child Advocacy Centers, or CACs, coordinate a collaborative partnership of professionals who are dedicated to providing child-sensitive interviews and advocacy services to children and their family. Professionals from SRS, Riley County Attorney's Office, Riley County Police Department, Pawnee Mental Health, Mercy Regional Hospital and other disciplines provide a coordinated team response when a child reports abuse or when there is reason to believe a child has been abused or neglected.  Our CAC specializes in sexual abuse and let me tell ya, the things you hear make you sick, sick, sick to your stomach.  However, it's beyond amazing to see a team of professionals come together and give their everything for a child.   What's even more amazing?  To witness how resilient some of these children are.  The unimaginable has happened but they bounce back and continue to do great things with themselves!

The other part of my time would be spent working with the Child Exchange and Visitation Program.  The CEVC is a safe and neutral location for visitation arrangements with children, without direct contact between parents or caregivers and a secure environment in which to conduct parental exchanges.  Most of our families are court-ordered to participate in the program because of the presence or past history of domestic violence within their relationship.  One of the first lessons I learned at CASA is this: children love their parents, even though some horrific things may happen within their family unit.  More often than not, children want to see their parents and we're fortunate to have a safe location for the visitation to occur here in our community.

Last April, I reduced my status to part-time and dropped my responsibilities with the CAC to go to work for the school.  There are can be some extremely challenging days in social services, especially when working with families in conflict, but the good days outnumber the bad days.  Otherwise, I would have run far, far away a long time ago!  In fact, when the school gig came up I was torn--I did NOT want to leave CASA.  I will be forever grateful that Jayme let me stay on part time...and now I'm celebrating 3 years with the agency! 

I figure some day I will eventually be the old lady who retires from working and when that day comes, I can't wait to serve as a volunteer advocate again.  Prior to my employment with CASA, I was assigned to 3 different cases...one case closed successfully, one case moved to a different judicial district and the other case, well, I still worry about that kiddo.  But that's how I am...I just hope that these kids will stay strong and continue to do great things with themselves.  One thing we do know is that children who have CASAs are much more likely to find stable, long-term homes and do not bounce in and out of the system at the rate that children without CASAs do.  It's always nice to have a little bit of reassurance that the work of a CASA does make a difference :-)

If you're interested in finding out more about being a CASA volunteer, please check out:
http://casa.manhattanks.org/
or
http://www.casaforchildren.org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/b.5301303/k.6FB1/About_Us__CASA_for_Children.htm. 

I-Wants

I have had a serious case of "I-Want" lately...we're trying to curtail our spending (wasn't even like it was out of control to begin with!) as Justin's summer school and lack of income is less than a month away.  It reminds me of going on a diet--when you tell yourself you can't have something, you suddenly become fixated on that one item.

My problem--I am fixated on a bijillion items!

The legs of our metal motel chairs are starting to rust out...I dream of replacing them with a wicker bistro set with big, thick cushions!

A fan for those beautiful evenings spent sitting on the front porch

Or even a regular old light fixture to replace the currently exposed light bulb that we have for a porch light!

Various boards on our porch swings are breaking--a contoured swing would be sooooo comfy!



And while I'm mentally decorating the porch, the blue outdoor rug would be the perfect eye candy for the floor!



A Craftsman-style front door...I love our original front door but it drive me NUTS that I can't see outside--and unfortunately, a peep hole can't be installed in our current door either :-(

I would love to have this Pier 1 lamp sitting on our nightstand in the bedroom!

I want this media unit for our bedroom--in the dark teal option. 

And this would be the perfect rug to put our bed on!

Can't forget about my kitchen-wants!  I still dream of getting my new black countertop and mint green tiles!

A plum gel-pro kitchen mat to stand on while in the kitchen!

I don't want a whole lot.  Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

But I don't think I will get ANY of it, anytime soon...Yesterday morning, Justin came upstairs from doing laundry and announced it took 3 washes to get his clothes clean.  I've noticed over the past few months that the washer has become problematic (and the drier is a bit iffy as well) but man....I really don't want to buy a new appliance!  Our current washer came with the house so we have no idea how old it is or how well it had been treated prior to us.  Obviously, I have other things I would love to spend my money on--or better yet, just keep it in the bank account--but at the same time, I don't want to wait until it completely dies on us and then we're stuck chasing down a washer.  It always amazes me how things have an unfortunate way of timing their breakdowns and malfunctions!

Indian Butter Chicken

Last week as we were putting together the grocery list, Justin specifically requested "that Indian chicken you made one time."  WHAT?!  The guy who "hates" Indian food is actually requesting it?! 

I have to be honest--I've grown tired of my standby recipe so I decided to try something different.  I had seen a recipe for Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken) and we had most of the spices on hand...it sounded like a perfect blend of curry, garam masala and cardamom. We added it to the menu and popped all the ingredients into the slower cooker yesterday afternoon.

Not trying to brag, here--but it turned out delicious!  It reminded me of the Butter Chicken from The Globe in Topeka.  The spice blend was perfect--it wasn't spicy but it wasn't as strong as some Indian dishes can be.  We served it over rice and had regular peas on the side.  I have never made a successful peas paneer but oh, they would be great with this dish!  When it was time to eat, Justin asked where the bread was--I completely forgot to pick up some naan but as this recipe creates a lot of sauce, the naan would have been the icing on the cake. 

I've recently developed a strong aversion to reheated chicken...but I decided to be brave this morning (okay, I was starving and there was nothing else to eat) and have the left-overs for lunch.  I think it was almost better the second day!

Crockpot Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)
adapted from Stephanie O'Dea at www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (mine were frozen solid)

1 onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 T butter
15 cardamom pods (I used about 2 t. ground cardamom instead)
2 tsp curry
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (you can adjust this to make it more spicy)
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 can coconut milk (I used light)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 T lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt (to add at the end, I used greek yogurt)

Use a 5 quart or larger crockpot. Carefully sew together the cardamom pods using a needle and thread. You can put them in a little cheese cloth bundle, instead, if you have that in the house. Put chicken in crockpot, and add onion, garlic, and all of the dry spices (this is where I added the ground cardamom). Plop in the butter and tomato paste. Add lemon juice and coconut milk. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. The chicken should shred easily with 2 forks when fully cooked.

Stir in plain yogurt 15 minutes before serving. Discard cardamom pods. Salt to taste, serve with white or brown basmati rice.

Grillin' Out

Many Americans equate Memorial Day with grilling...in our household, we try to grill as much as possible regardless of what day it is.  It's hard to beat the smoky flavor and easy clean-up.

However, I do get tired of store-bought rubs (TOO salty) and it seems that you can only make a marinade several different ways.

Ohhhh, but the Pioneer Woman changed our lives!  lol...

I've never purchased one of her cookbooks but we recently became Facebook friends and she posted a recipe for "Hot and Spicy Pork Chops."

The rub is super simple...but almost so simple that I wasn't quite sure about it.  However, we had a tray of pork chops that needed a little something something before they went on the grill so we gave it a try.

They turned out UH-mazing.  When you first bite into the meat, you get a hint of sweetness but then the cayenne pepper kicks in.  We're fans of heat--and some people aren't.  The nice part of this recipe is that you could easily adjust the amount of cayenne that you use.  We added a bit more than the recipe called for :-)

Hot & Spicy Pork Chops
by Ree Drummond

■4 whole Thick Cut Pork Chops
■4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
■½ cups Brown Sugar
■2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
■1 teaspoon Salt
■1 teaspoon Black Pepper

Brush pork chops with canola oil. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and then generously rub mixture onto both sides of the pork chops.


Set grill to medium-low heat and cook pork chops about 10 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

The Summer Top 10...In No Particular Order

Summer break is finally HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have so many plans for summer and I hope they all come to fruition!

1.  Finish staining the fence.  Who were we kidding when we thought it'd only take a few days...

2.  Paint the back stoop to match the front porch.

3.  Install shelving in the kitchen "cubby"...and maybe go ahead and paint the kitchen grey while my work schedule is slower



4.  See George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic in concert

5.  Roadtrip for a meal at Gate's (this is #1 on Justin's to-do list!)

6.  Clean out the basement and our closets...then have a garage sale!

7.  Read!  I already picked up one book that isn't very captivating, might be moving on to the second one fairly quickly.

8.  Learn to knit.  The class starts in July!

9.  Learn to can.  Last year so much of our produce went to waste because we couldn't eat it fast enough. 

 

10.  And finally, relax.

Number ten might be the hardest for me to achieve--I have a hard time sitting still.  However, I'm sure I can get used to not running around 24/7.  There are so many other "small" tasks I want to achieve this summer but it will be nice working only 20, rather than 60, hours a week.  Summer break always goes way too fast but I hope that this year I will be able to get a few things done!

Batter Up!

Last night was Justin's first softball game...ever.

A few months ago, Justin came home from work and announced that his company was forming a city-league softball team and he was signing up to play.

I stopped dead in my tracks and asked him, "Have you ever played baseball???"

His response, "Not really.  When we were little, we would find a dirt patch and hit tennis balls with big, long sticks."

My next question: "Do you even know how the game of baseball works?"

Justin: "You hit the ball and run around bases.  Can't be that hard."

Me:  "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Justin:  "Yup.  I can hit a ball, I can run and I can catch things.  I'm pretty sure I can do this, Briaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (when he drags out the "a" I can tell he's slightly annoyed with me)"

Me:  "If you say so.  But do they even make gloves big enough to fit your ginormous hands?"

Justin: "I already called Dick's in Topeka and they carry extra large sizes so I'm going there this weekend to get one."

Fast-forward to that following Saturday and sure enough, we found ourselves at Dick's Sporting Goods in Topeka.  As promised, they had extra large sizes in stock but even the biggest glove barely fit Justin's hand.  Something told me this could be interesting!

It was finally time for Justin's softball game to start last night.  His team was to take the field first--as Justin's running out of the dug-out to his position in outfield (hehe) I noticed he forgot his glove.  I tried to get his attention but it wasn't until the rest of his team yelled at him that he even noticed!  Ohhhhhh, man!

Justin is in the orange.  And yup, he has his back to everyone.  Does this remind you of those old pictures we all have of us digging in the grass or doing kartwheels while playing outfield?

Eventually, it was Justin's turn at bat.  He struck out his first time but then hit a short ball into the infield his second time at bat...It was pretty obvious he didn't even need to run to first base so he gently put his bat down on the plate and walked back to the dug out.  Oh, well!

Justin made sure to wear long pants so his legs "wouldn't get all roughed up" in case he had to do any sliding ;-)

At 14-4, the umpire called the game.  But hey, the guys survived five innings!

We got in the truck to leave and Justin was definately frustrated.  He was bored playing right field and wanted in on the action--maybe like at first base.  The ump had a terrible strike zone.  Their pitcher definately choked and the team needed more practice...yada yada yada.

After some further talking, Justin realized that maybe softball wasn't the sport for him. Heck, Michael Jordan tried crossing over into professional baseball and look at how that turned out!  But most importantly, the guys--and even Justin--did have fun and it was entertaining to watch them!

Grinding My Gears

You know what really grinds my gears???

If you follow my Facebook, you may have remembered something about us getting a letter from Code Services about having our "holiday" lights up past 90 days.

I have to admit--we forgot to take the top lights down (the icicle lights were taken down back in January as we saw them everyday and they took 2 seconds to remove).  This winter was so cold and brutal that when it finally warmed up this Spring, we were no longer thinking about the top lights.

From what I could gather in the letter, having lights up 90 days after the holidays is deemed a fire hazard.  I'm also guessing the intent of the code has something to do with keeping the neighborhoods looking nice..

My issue with the code:
1) Our lights had been unplugged since Jan 7...can't really see a legitimate fire hazard here
2) Since when can the city determine which religious--or even cultural--holidays I celebrate with the hanging of lights?  Boy, can I see a lawsuit here if they messed with the right homeowner
3) If they want to be in the business of keeping up with appearances, why did they cite the most maintained property on the block?  What about the landlord across the street that has 6 nasty-@#$ trashcans with no lids sitting on the city sidewalks all year long?  The landlord was reported almost 4 weeks ago and the city has yet to take any action.  What about all the other properties around town with 3-foot tall grass, houses that look like they need to be razed, beer cans in the yard 5 days a week, etc?  I'm sure out-of-towners would be more put off by those sights than a house with lights still up.
4) You couldn't even see our stupid Christmas lights.  You really had to look to see them.  We hung clear bulbs along the top of the gutters.  But then you have the Griswold-style homes that everyone flocks to each Christmas and their tacky lights are still up.

But you know what REALLY grinds my gears???  I just noticed yesterday evening that downtown Manhattan still has their lights up.  Um, talk about visibility!  Their lights are placed on top of all the buildings, just like our lights.  I realize Downtown Manhattan Inc (the group responsible for hanging the lights) is a separate entity from the city, but really???  REALLY? 

It's pretty obvious that I'm annoyed by this.  I'm also annoyed that our new City Commission is repealing an ordinance that requires landlords to keep their properties maintained and up-to-code by conducting rental inspections.  What is more important?  Ensuring tenants have safe, clean housing or the city taking the time to make sure residents have removed their holiday lights within 90 days?  Man I tell ya--we love living in the Little Apple but there are some things that definately make ya shake your head.