Garlic Pasta & Shrimp (On the table in less than 20 minutes!)

I had big plans for today. We were going to get school finished up early and then I was going to
overhaul the pantry. We did get school finished, but after lunch I made a mistake. I sat down. You never sit down when there's a laundry list of crap to get done. It's like sitting down in the middle of a race. You just don't.

At any rate, by the time I hoisted myself back up off the couch and got the baby down for a nap, I was a little behind schedule on the pantry issue. Then I got halfway through and felt like taking a nap. Alas, no nap - ever. Because? Four kids. Do I need to explain that to you? I didn't think so. Your current mental image is surely sufficient. Anyway.

I recharged with some Halloween candy and other random (likely expired) junk I found shoved in the back of the pantry and, we pushed forward. I got the pantry put mostly back together with one or two shelves left to go through (another today...like next year) and it was like 4:40pm. Dinner is served about 5:30 here. But, I really needed to take a shower.

So, quickest shower ever and back to the kitchen to start tonight's kid-friendly supper - garlic pasta and shrimp. VERY easy! The shrimp takes 12-14 min in the oven; angel hair pasta takes water-boiling time plus like 5 minutes and then sautéing some mushrooms with butter takes about as long as the noodles. It all goes together great. Unless.

You forget about the shrimp.
And set off the smoke detector.
Then your kids shriek in terror.
And the baby chokes on an apple because of said commotion.
And your husband has to save the day with the heimlich.

Friends, that little episode of "Mommy Burnt Dinner Again" terrified me. Alas, a few minutes later we were all sitting around the table, totally composed and enjoying the garlic pasta and shrimp before heading out the door to the next thing.

Sometimes it just feels like "a day." And then, in the midst of all the burdens we're carrying, we take a look around and see all of our people; all of our blessings; all of the sovereignty; all of the abundance and we have nothing left to say except - God is good. All the time. Even when nothing goes as planned. Even when we are let down; even when we are in need of a never-happening nap; when people all around are falling apart; when we are anxious; or making dinner on the crispy side, again... God is good.

Hope you enjoy the pasta. It's pretty phenom.

Here's what you need: 
-1pk crispy butterfly shrimp (you know, the kind from the freezer section that's good, but not good for you).
-Angel hair pasta (however much serves your family)
-Shiitake mushrooms
-Half a stick of butter (or more, if you dare)
-A bunch of garlic
-Salt and pepper.

Here's what you do:
-Cook the shrimp according to package
-Boil the pasta
-Sautee the mushrooms in garlic, lots of butter, salt & pepper.

Got all that? Throw it in a giant serving bowl when you are done and tell the kids it's fancy food. Hope you love it!

Keep Calm and Zentangle!

Ok you guys, I spent a significant amount of my childhood sitting at a table blowing through reams and reams of white copy paper just doodling. I also spent a significant amount of time in school (when I was supposed to be paying attention) doing the same. Though I think I only took one art class in high school, I spent an awful lot of time drawing. I never really realized that doodling, in fact, is one good way to de-stress. Even if you wouldn't label yourself as "artsy" or "artistically inclined," I think there's still something to be said about spending a little quiet time rolling a pen over a clean sheet of paper. 

Recently, I learned that someone is actually making money off this concept - that art can be used for relaxation. Who knew? :) My mom came back from a trip with her ladies' group and told me I had to learn all about Zentangle because I was sure to love it. After a quick web search, I tried it. 

Then I tried it again the next day...and the next...and the next. Hmmm...I think I do love it!

Then I made a Zentangle Pinterest board and had four Zentangle books in front of me with some fresh new Faber Castell Pitt Pens. Ah, I absolutely love it. 

This form of art is basically shapes and patterns. The best part is, there's no right or wrong way. Our 7 year old can even do it. Every piece you do ends up being a surprise in the end. I usually do some Googling for ideas, or flip through the Zentangle books (which are really good references by the way). I saw a feather that I liked and drew the basic shapes, all of the patterns within the feather are just random.

The possibilities are endless and you can create a drawing big or small. A lot of times, I work on a smaller flower in a sketch book while I'm having coffee. Just enough time to take a breather, have re-fuel and do something creative at the same time. It's really hard for me to get anything done unless I'm doing 12 things at once. Understand? 

Also, you don't need anything fancy to do Zentangle. A lot of the enthusiasts use Micron pens and Copic markers, but I just use my favorite drawing pens by Faber Castell (Pitt Pens). My selling part on the Pitt Pens - they don't smear when you erase pencil lines! Wahoo! You could also use fine point Sharpie markers. If I want to add a little color, I use my Prismacolor Art Markers, but you could use anything - including Crayolas. Additionally, gel pens add a nice sparkle to your work. I recommend the Gelly Roll pens by Sakura.

As far as paper goes, you can use anything from scrap paper to a paper that's constructed specifically for ink drawings. I prefer that the nicer paper when I'm doing a larger project because my markers tend to bleed over lines on regular multi-use paper and I like to minimize the chance of problems like that. If I'm doing coffee and doodles, it's usually on the back of the grocery list.

So, in short, here's what you need: 

• Paper of your choice
• Fine tip and/or medium tip pens
• Pencil and kneaded eraser (optional, just if you want to sketch out first)
• Colored pencils, markers of your choice (optional). 
• Most importantly, your imagination. :) 

Hope you try it and enjoy!