Lasagne

My lasagne is also not anything fancy. It's based on the recipe on any lasagne pasta box, but I embellish it here and there.

Linda's Lasagne

1 pound ground beef
1 jar Best Choice spaghetti sauce, any flavor
1 large container of cottage cheese, small curd, low fat
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic
1 box lasagne noodles

• Brown the ground beef until cooked through. Drain.
• Stir spaghetti sauce into ground beef. Let simmer for a few minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the lasagne noodles as directed on the box.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, mozzarella, and spices.
• Spray a 13x9 casserole dish.
• Scoop 2-3 large spoonfuls of the meat mixture into the casserole dish. Spread evenly.
• Scoop 2-3 large spoonfuls of the cheese mixture onto the meat mixture in the dish. Spread evenly.
• Lay lasagne noodles over the cheese mixture.
• Repeat layers two more times.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Lasagne hints I've recently learned:
Let the lasagne set a few minutes before serving.
Substitute Italian sausage for the beef, for extra flavor
Skip boiling the noodles and put the casserole in the fridge for at least 8 hours before baking.

How do you spice up your lasagne?

How do you spell relief? B-E-N-I-G-N

My good news, my very excellent news, my happy-happy-joy-joy news is that the thyroid nodule is benign. I'll still have surgery, probably next Tuesday, to remove the lump and half the thyroid. But no radiation or follow-up needed. Can you hear the exhale?

So, now to prepare the family for "the mama" being unavailable for a day or two, and recovering after that.

But first, celebrate with me!

Mom's Meatloaf

A high school classmate of mine just posted that she made her first meatloaf. I was amazed; we eat it probably twice a month. The comments that followed were mostly listing how gross meatloaf is...I was stunned. Apparently, the rest of the world was not as fortunate as my family is, growing up with my mom's amazing meatloaf. Not only does it taste awesome, it's so very fool-proof to make. I've tried to list quantities for the ketchup, mustard, cheese, and sauce, but it is truly an estimation. A couple squirts of this, a dash or two of that, and a handful of this...ta da!

Mom's Meatloaf
1 pound ground beef
1 pound pork sausage
1/3 cup crushed saltine crackers
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped onion
3-4 tablespoons of mustard (or 3 big squirts)
2/3 cup ketchup, divided
2 tablespoons A1 sauce (or two big dollups)
salt
pepper

• With cooking spray, spray either 2 loaf pans or 1 9X9 pan.
• In a large bowl, mix together the meat, egg, saltines, cheese, mustard, A1 sauce, salt, pepper, and about 4-5 big squirts of ketchup.
• Roll up your sleeves, and mix it all together with your hands.
• Form two equal-sized loaves with the meat mixture, either one in each loaf pan or two side-by-side in the 9x9 dish. *Hint from Alton Brown: don't pound down the meat to make evenly shaped loaves. By just plopping the meat into the pan, the meatloaf will be juicier and less dense.
• Cover both loaves with ketchup, about 3 squirts per loaf. Again, use your hands to smear it so that the loaves are completely covered.
• Cover with foil.
• Bake at 375 for 1 hour 25 minutes, removing the foil for the last 20 minutes.
• Let the meatloaf set for 5 minutes before cutting into it.

And, to make it an extra-easy meal, throw a few baked potatoes in with the meat loaf. They'll be ready about the same time.

Weekly menu: November 29 - December 5

Sunday, November 29
Waffles (make extra and freeze)
BLTs and broccoli salad
Omelets & toast with apple pie jam

Monday, November 30
Waffles in the toaster
Ham sandwiches and chips
Meatloaf and baked potatoes

Tuesday, December 1
Cereal
Grilled cheese & ham
Turkey casserole

Wednesday, December 2
Waffles
Leftover casserole
BBQ Roast Beef

Thursday, December 3
Oatmeal & raisins
BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Leftovers (clear the fridge)

Friday, December 4
Waffles
Sandwiches
Baked corn dogs & french fries

Saturday, December 5
Pancakes & bacon
Leftovers, or sandwiches
Vegetable soup and french bread

Plans, schplans

Oh, I had big plans for last week. I had a list of 12 recipes to post, great uses for leftover turkey and my mom's best thanksgiving dishes. And then, well, life got in the way.

But, I made up for that today. I have a menu planned out for December, the grocery list for making all the meals, and recipes on how to make them ahead of time and put in the freezer. In fact, I spent 45 minutes shopping and 3 hours preparing food today, and now have 6 meals in the freezer.

I'll split the meals by weeks, but for now, here's the meal list:

• Sandwiches
• Tuna salad
• Tuna casserole
• Pizza roll
• Pork stir fry
• Meatballs
• Meatloaf
• Pizza
• Omelets
• Tacos
• Turkey casserole
• Turkey enchiladas
• Beef enchiladas
• Fajitas
• Tomato soup
• Broccoli cheese soup
• Chili
• Potato soup
• BBQ beef
• Baked corn dogs
• Ham and beans

And here's the shopping list for the month:

• Milk
• Cereal
• Bread
• Tuna (3 cans)
• Beans
• Enchilada sauce
• Frozen bread dough
• Pepperoni, 4 oz
  
• Deli ham, 1 pound
  
• Saltines
• Egg noodles
• Lasagne noodles
  
• Mozzarella (2)
  
• Cottage cheese
• Cheddar (6)
• Corn tortillas (2)
• Flour tortillas (4)
• Hot dogs (2)
• Eggs
• Olive oil
• Foil containers (6 square)
• Fritos
• Spaghetti sauce
• ground beef (2)
• ground sausage (1)
• pork steak (pkg of 3)
• ham hocks (1 or 2)
• Bell peppers (3-4)
• Frozen broccoli
• Carrots

I know it seems like a lot, but this will feed your family of 5 for a month! Hopefully, life will allow me to post recipes and weekly menus tonight or tomorrow. Until then, I'm off to help wrap presents!

Second verse, same as the first (we hope)

In November 2007, I had an ultrasound-guided needle aspiration, aka biopsy, done on a thyroid nodule. Immediately after the appointment, we drove to Wichita to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Unfortunately, we did the same thing this year.

I have a lump/nodule/tumor on the left side of my thyroid. Three weeks ago, it measured 3 cm by 2 cm by about a cm. It looks like an adam's apple when I swallow. If I lay on my right side to sleep, it pushes against my throat and makes it hard to breathe. The rest of the time, it just feels like someone is pushing against my throat. It's also compressing a nerve to my ear and into my head; at least, we hope that's the cause of that pain.

The biopsy was to check for cancer. If it's malignant, I will have my entire thyroid removed and probably radiation. I'm assuming that is NOT the case. If it's benign, which I think it is, I will have surgery before Christmas to have it removed as well as the left side of my thyroid. It will be at least an overnight hospital stay. I'm hoping the recovery is simplistic, and I hope the surgery doesn't cause me become hypothyroid. I mean, who has time to be totally wiped out exhausted? At Christmas? With four kids?

So, I'm preparing the house for it. I plan to spend this weekend putting away a handful of meals. My mom said she'll come stay to give Jay a hand with the kids for a few days. (That, and she yelled at me for not telling her about the lump in the two months since I first noticed it.) I'm trying to finish all my Christmas shopping and get everything wrapped before Friday. And Friday, I have the second half of my First Aid/CPR class, so I don't want the schedule the surgery until the following week.

What am I forgetting? What else can I do/should I do before I'm down for the count for at least a few days?

Grouchy girl, Happy feet

Future ballerina?

Weekly menu for November 15

Sunday, November 15
Pancakes and bacon
Pizza
Church potluck

Monday, November 16
Breakfast pizza
Ham & Swiss Pita
Hot dogs & MacNCheese

Tuesday, November 17
Blueberry muffins
Leftover pizza
Smothered steak & mashed potatoes

Wednesday, November 18
Cereal
Leftovers
Crock pot roast pork

Thursday, November 19
Granola
Pork sandwiches
Chicken-spinach casserole

Friday, November 20
Cereal
Leftovers
Leftovers, or frozen pizza

Saturday, November 21
Breakfast burritos
Cheese quesadillas and chips
Broccoli, pasta & white sauce

Difference of opinion

Dear Natalie:
While you may feel that 8 months of being the "happiest baby in the world" entitles you to a spell of grouchiness, we feel that you are taking this entitlement to the extreme levels. We do understand that the potential of new teeth can be irritating, however we ask that you find a way to manage this irritation a little quieter. If you fuss while being held or being laid down, please be advised that you will be laid down at some point in the evening. Also, we suggest any future nights-of-screeching be reserved for evenings when both parental units are in the vicinity.

Thanks,
Management



Dear Natalie's Teeth:

Come through already. Or leave her alone. In the words of Dr. Seuss, "I do not like this, Sam I Am."

Sincerely,
The Mom

Edited to add:

Dear Hyland Teething Tablets:
You are my superhero.

Patience is a virtue...one I don't have

I wish I could be more patient.

I'm sitting here, waiting for an important call. I keep turning up my cellphone, as if by making it louder, it will make the person on the other end call me sooner. I want to know now!

I'm waiting on an email about a class that I want to take next spring. I want to know NOW!

I'm also waiting on a phone call about another class I want to take next spring. Also, wanting to know NOW!

My meetings are done, my tasks complete, I have kids waiting at daycare, but it's not yet 4 p.m. I want to GO now. but.

I want to know NOW, I want to go NOW, but I need to slow down. everything.

I recorded Lainie's speech a few times the past month, for her teachers' benefits. I learned a lot from watching those videos. The most important message I absorbed was, I don't give her enough time to answer. I'm a go-go-GO kind of person, and I need to slow down for her. I talk fast, Katie talks faster, Maggie talks fastest...and then comes Lainie. She needs to be given the time to develop her answer, and given time to correct it if she wants to. I need to slow down and have down time.

And it's not only Lainie. Natalie needs down time to get to free play, to just hang out, to move around, to crawl on me. Maggie needs down time to decompress, to relax, to go her own more-natural, slow pace. Katie needs down time to express herself, to talk about things that concern her, to know she has my attention. Jay needs my down time so we can actually talk to each other about important and trivial things. I need down time to stay healthier than I am right now and to feed my introvert-ical needs.

So, if you ever come to house and notice the pile of unfolded laundry and stack of mail not put away, think to yourself, "Good for Linda! She made down time. And slowed down. If only for a few minutes."

Speech update

Lainie's been going to K-State Speech and Hearing Center for six months now. For six months, two days a week, we spend nearly 2 1/2 hours (1 hour session, 45 minutes there, 45 minutes home) dedicated to her speech. That doesn't include the hours working on "homework", practicing the word lists for the week and incorporating them into our conversations, making her say the words to get what she wants, having her repeat us to clarify what she wanted to communicate. It's exhausting. Some days, I'm asking, "Is it worth it?" Thankfully, I have Jay and my mom to be our cheerleaders, to remind me of progress made, to help me forget, if only temporarily, the long road she has ahead.

What does apraxia mean to us? Here's a sample of a good day:





On good days, we can understand her most of the day. On good days, she might try to communicate at school and daycare. On good days, she can find the word she's looking for, at least until supper time. By supper, she's so tired for the effort of talking that it's rare for her communicate clearly.

On bad days, I think I'd understand Lassie more than my own daughter. On bad days, she goes to the playroom and plays by herself, because she gets frustrated at not being able to express her thoughts and emotions.

But on good days, her smile shines bright and her pride is clear with every word she says.

TV Dinner

Sometimes my cooking is Chopped meets Macgyver. "Your ingredients are: ground beef or pork, tortilla chips, fresh tomatoes, and eggs, and maybe some old Velveeta cheese. Invent something that five will eat." In fact, I'd like Dinner: Impossible to try to succeed at this challenge: "You have 30 minutes to prepare a meal for six while simultaneously caring for a 3-year-old and 8-month-old, finishing homework with an 6-year-old and 8-year-old, setting the table, and make it nutrition, delicious, and safe. GO!"

At least, that's how tomorrow's challenge feels. We used up (nearly) all our cheddar cheese tonight, and just about all the taco meat. What can I say? The tacos were delicious! So, now I'm improvising. I have two bags of tortilla chips and if I serve chips with dinner, the battle-of-clean-plates is non-existent, so I really want to use chips. I have lots of ground beef, pork, and sausage. So, I think I'll make a sausage con queso with velveeta and serve it with fresh chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, sour cream, the remaining fresh cheddar, and (for the adults) jalapenos.

Take THAT, Chef Robert!

p.s. Gotta give credit where credit is due. Jay the Man made tacos tonight, serving the chopped vegetables he's growing in his high tunnels. He's a good man. He even threw together an apple dessert...mostly because he wanted to use his new apple peeler.

Bierocks Casserole

Growing up, I had the best lunch ladies EVER. They were four seemingly-old German ladies in our very German community. VERY German. In the middle of Kansas, probably 90 percent of my community was German and many had grandparents who still spoke German in the home. My high school offered Spanish and German as your language choices, and I'm just now realizing how odd that was. Anyway, back to lunch ladies. These fabulous women would make homemade bierocks for my school of 100 or so students. We are talking about fresh, made-from-scratch dough with beef, cabbage and cheese inside. YUM!

This is no where near as good, but is also thousands of times faster.

2 cans crescent roll dough
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 bag cole slaw mix
2 cups shredded cheese, cheddar or mozzarella

1. Brown the beef and pork in a large skillet. Drain.
2. Stir in the cole slaw mix. Cover and let steam until cabbage is softened.
3. Line a 13x9 dish with one of the crescent roll dough, pinching the seams to make a crust.
4. Spoon in the cabbage and meat mixture.
5. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the meat.
6. Top with the second crescent roll dough, again pinching the seams to make one big rectangle.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until dough turns golden brown.

Other variations of this recipe include adding a cream-of soup, but I stick to the basics, in honor of those great St. Mark's lunch ladies.

Tuna cakes

... YUM!

Once each week, I try out a new recipe. It keeps me from being bored in the kitchen and, hopefully, exposes my kids to new tastes. This week's new recipe was a hit:

Tuna Cakes
Even if you don't like tuna, it tastes good. At least, that's what my husband claims.

2 cans (6 oz. each) light tuna in water, drained, flaked

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

3/4 cup water

1 carrot, shredded

1/3 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. CLAUSSEN Sweet Pickle Relish

1. Mix all the ingredients.
2. Put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
3. Heat a skillet to medium.
4. Put a 1/3 cup ball of the mixture on the skillet. Flatten with a spatula.
5. Heat the tuna cake for 3 minutes. Flip them over, and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Super easy. super yummy.

Better-ish

I'm grateful to hear no coughing right now. HA! Just as I post that, Lainie started another coughing attack. So, I'm grateful to hear mostly no coughing. Truly, she is doing a lot better. And Natalie's not rubbing her ear raw any more and her coughing stopped completely. For the first time, I am dealing with antibiotic diarrhea with one of my girls, so Natalie got to start eating yogurt yesterday. She stook it like a champ, and hasn't blown out an outfit in 12 hours. The grief for Nadine, the worry of money and medical issues, the feeling of being overwelmed is still there. But I don't feel like I'm doing it alone.

I have a challenge for you this week. Each night, at least once, think, "what if this was my last night with my family? What would I do differently?" And then do it. Your family will thank you, and you will benefit too.

WIth that mindset, we stayed home Friday night and walked outside all around the property. We stayed home Saturday and played with friends, baked an Easy Bake Oven cake, took long naps, cleaned the house, watched a movie together, and made homemade pizza. Sunday will be equally relaxed: church in a half hour, then home for lunch, naps, a folding-laundry marathon, and getting everything set for the school week ahead. All of that...together. Relaxed. At our pace. As it should be.

Favorite appetizers

Nothing is better than appetizers and football. Our three favorites are:

Cheesy Triscuits
2 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup chopped onion
Triscuits

Mix bacon, cheese, mayo, and onion together. Top each triscuit with about a teaspoon of the mixture. Broil on low for about 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted and triscuits start to turn golden brown.


Little Smokies

1 package little smokies (we prefer Farmland brand)
1 jar Heinz chili sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar

Mix chili sauce and brown sugar. Pour over little smokies and either warm in a crock pot for 3-4 hours, or warm in a microwave about 3-4 minutes on medium heat.



Cream-cheese and jelly

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 jar jalapeno jelly, any flavor
Triscuits

Place the cream cheese block on a plate. Pour the jalapeno jelly over the cream cheese. Serve with Triscuits.

Weekly menu: Nov 8-14

Sunday:
Scrambled eggs and toast
Tuna cakes and Mac-n-cheese
Reuben casserole

Monday:
Breakfast burrito
Leftover casserole
Tacos (make extra taco meat)

Tuesday:
Cereal
Leftovers
Super-nachos

Wednesday:
PB Toast, banana
Clam chowder (yes, from a can!)
Ravioli and Salad

Thursday:
Toast with Apple Pie Jam
Leftover ravioli and salad
Beef Enchiladas

Friday:
Cereal
Leftover enchiladas
Empty-the-fridge OR, if you don't have many leftovers, frozen pizza
(Come on! It's Friday! Take the night off!)

Saturday:
Pancakes and fruit
Apple Walnut Salad
Pork ribs & baked sweet potatoes

In case there was every any doubt about my spoiled-ness, to cook all the food on this menu, here are the ingredients I need to buy from the store:
walnuts
cereal
milk
enchilada sauce
tortillas
sour cream
ravioli
canned soup
crescent rolls
cole slaw mix

Everything else we have stocked, in our deep freeze, or still growing in the high tunnels. Not bad, eh?

Loaded Rice

My menu called for spanish rice, but I ended up improvising and created a pretty tasty meal.

3 cups cooked rice (I used the bag rice; it's much cheaper!)
1 small onion, diced
4 tomatoes, diced (keep the juices) or 1 can Ro-Tel
2 bell peppers, diced
1 pound ground sausage
3-4 tablespoons taco seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the sausage, onion, and pepper in a large skillet. Cook until the sausage in browned and the onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes and seasonings. Stir, and cook until warmed through. Add the rice. Stir, and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

My husband and I added Tabasco sauce to our servings, but kept the dish mild so the kids would eat it.

Beef Pot Pie

I love it when I come across a recipe that uses all my leftovers and allows me to create a completely different meal. This week's find is pot pie. I will modify it, though, because the crust is the best part. I plan on making a crust for the bottom and top of the pie. Enjoy!

Beef Pot Pie

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups beef broth
• 3 cups cubed leftover beef
• 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas and carrots, cooked and drained
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• pie pastry for 1-crust pie
• evaporated milk or regular milk

1. In a medium saucepan, cook onion in butter until onion is tender.
2. Stir in flour and salt until smooth and bubbly.
3. Stir in beef broth. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly.
4. Add leftover beef, peas and carrots, and parsley; heat through.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt if necessary.
6. Pour beef mixture into a 2-quart casserole.
7. Prepare pastry; roll out to about 1/2-inch larger than casserole top.
8. Place over hot beef mixture. Cut several slits in the top for steam escape, turn edge under and crimp all around.
9. Brush lightly with milk.
10. Bake beef pot pie at 450° for 20 to 25 minutes.

This beef pot pie with leftover beef serves 6.

Pikes Peak Roast

Pikes Peak Roast is not a very tender cut of meat, unless you cook it long and low. It's perfect for a crock-pot meal, especially if you are like me and are gone from the house for 10 hours on workdays.

I make up the roast recipes every time, changing it up a little bit here and there based on what I have on hand. This week's roast turned out yummy, so if you'd like to replicate it, here's the info:

1 pike's peak roast (3-4 pounds), thawed
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can mushroom stems and pieces
1 cup beef broth (or boiling water and beef bouillon cube)
about 2 tablespoons salt
about 2 teaspoons dry mustard
about 2 teaspoons dried sage
1 garlic clove

1. Mix the salt, mustard, and sage together. Rub it over the roast.
2. Place the roast in the crock pot.
3. Mix in a separate bowl the beef broth, mushroom soup, mushrooms, and garlic. Beat until smooth.
4. Pour soup mixture over roast.
5. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.
6. Remove from the crock pot and let set for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Weekly menu

What did we eat this past week?

Sunday:
Cereal
Chef Salad
Waffles and Bacon (make a double-batch of waffles and freeze leftovers)

Monday:
Waffles (leftovers, in the toaster)
Sandwiches
Tacos

Tuesday:
Cereal
Leftovers
Crock pot beef roast

Wednesday:
Muffins
Super-salad
Roast beef sandwiches, new potatoes, salad

Thursday:
Waffles (from frozen leftovers)
BLTs
Beef pot pie (using leftover beef and potatoes, and frozen veggie mix)

Friday:
Cereal
Leftovers
Spanish rice and quesadillas

Saturday:
Sausage gravy & biscuits (brown extra sausage and set aside)
Appetizer lunch (K-State vs KU football!)
Homemade pizza

Just sad

Do you ever just feel sad? Melancholy, but maybe a bit more? It's not like I don't know why I feel this way...

Dear friends of ours said goodbye to their mom yesterday. She died of leukemia, less than a week after being diagnosed. She was only 61. There is something heart-wrenching about seeing grown men sob.

Illnesses continue. I realized yesterday that Lainie's been coughing for more than 2 months now. And Natalie woke up with her cough intensified and a rattle in her chest. It's not like we haven't been here before. Katie and Maggie educated us on the different kinds of coughs and cough remedies. But I'm sad for my girls, sad that they don't feel well, sad that Lainie is out of breath after walking the stairs.

Money problems. Hell, who doesn't have money problems nowadays. We're better than we were, we still see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I'm tired of being broke. And sad about it.

Work. I'm sad that another project has failed, because higher-ups couldn't or wouldn't make decisions in time and co-workers wouldn't do their part. Why try?

I'm sure tomorrow will be better. Tonight I'll spend some extra snuggly time, reading time, playing time, silly time, with my quartet.

But today, I'm just sad.

Magic of Music

I have an uncomfortable commute to work. I'd call it bad or icky or horrid, but I know others have it worse than I do. My commute is 45 minutes -- 37 miles -- into the sun, morning and night. I usually pass the time talking to my mom or catching up with DH without the interruption of kids, but occasionally, I just groove to the music.

Today, the radio brought back all sorts of memories. Like a slide show of my past, song after song brought new images to mind.

"Party like it's 1999"... dude, I DID party like it's 1999 in 1999. We had been married about 6 months, out of college for about 7 months. Friends of ours were getting married the next day, and we all hit Aggieville for THE New Year's Party of Our LIVES! I remember dancing and dancing and drinking from a 2-foot-tall beer...which we still have in our basement. It was one of those moments that, even as it was happening, you knew it would be unforgettable.

"Like a Candle in the Wind." Ah, Elton John. And Ryan White. Ryan had AIDS. He was one of the first people, definitely first kid, to go public with his battle with AIDS. He taught us so much about the disease and defined grace, all before he reached 15.

"Zoot Suit Riot"...Jay and I won a silly dance contest with that song. Back in the day, we could really cut a rug. Now I sound 80 years old, but it's true. We'd dance every night we went to the bar, and while we were dating, that was usually 3 nights a week. No, we weren't alcoholics...well, he wasn't. We were in college, living blocks from Aggieville, and living life to its fullest.

It makes me smile to think about it.

Now, my song memories are "Brown-eyed girl" and "Good morning beautiful", "You are my sunshine" and "You Belong With Me" and the memories are just as sweet.

I love how life transitions from one phase to another without you even noticing, each phase with its own highlights. I feel melancholy when I think of the speed with which it is passing. But you can't stop life, so you might as well enjoy it.