Come Stitch With Me

My husband grew up in the Florida Panhandle and spent many weekends scalloping (hunting for scallops) in Port St. Joe. Homemade scallops, fries and cole slaw followed by a boiled chocolate icing yellow cake were a big treat in his family. After many years, I finally mastered the cake recipe.

This summer I finally hit a home run with the scallops – so much that hubby now asks for them on a regular basis!

Ingredients:
Greenwise Patagonian Scallops from Publix (or fresh bay scallops if you can find them)
Plain flour (about 1 cup, may need a bit more)
Salt & pepper (season to taste)
About 2 tbsp+ Old Bay seasoning
About 1 tsp paprika
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
Homemade breadcrumbs (4-5 slices day old butter bread run through the blender and crushed very fine)
Cooking oil

The bag of Publix scallops weighs 24 ounces. It’s enough for 3 meals for the two of us – so 8 oz of scallops for this recipe. Thaw scallops, rinse in cold water and pat dry on a paper towel.

Heat oil to 350 degrees (I cook fries first, then scallops)

Set up 4 stations:
(1) flour/spice mix in bowl (adjust as necessary to suit your taste)
(2) egg wash (beat egg and combine with milk in a bowl)
(3) bread crumbs in a shallow pan
(4) platter with several layers of paper towels

Roll a handful of scallops in flour mixture to coat scallops completely; dip in egg wash, shake off excess; roll in breadcrumbs, shake off excess. Place on platter. Repeat process until all scallops are coated.

Drop scallops in oil in small batches. Allow to cook 3-5 minutes until desired doneness is achieved. Stir occasionally while cooking. Scoop out scallops and allow to drain on platter lined with paper towels. Serve immediately. (Fries can hold in a 200 degree oven while scallops are cooking.)

Enjoy with ketchup, cocktail sauce or tartar sauce.

You’re welcome!

Thanksgiving week came at the right time.

It’s Wednesday and I woke up early this morning feeling ready to take on the day. I think the last time that happened was during summer break. I’ve enjoyed four days of sleep, naps, walks with Sadie, good food, supplements, water and puttering around the house. And some sewing!

So has being away from the nastiness lurking inside the a/c vents at school:

That black stuff would be mold or mildew in the vents. I’ve been breathing this yuck since we went back to school. Headaches, constant congestion, sneezing and extreme fatigue by Friday. Not like me. I am highly allergic to penicillin – very similar to mildew and mold. I changed my diet, got sleep, took meds, didn’t take meds, cut caffeine, eliminated everything I could think of to try to figure out why I was so tired all the time. I noticed that I felt much better after a 3 day weekend, but my symptoms returned after a day or two back at work.

Then I looked up and saw the nastiness on the vents.

It probably didn’t bother me as much earlier in the school year because a) I wore a mask most of the time and 2) I wasn’t sitting at the circulation desk all day. They pulled my library assistant to cover kindergarten classes for two months, which is why I sat at the circulation desk. Now that she’s back, we’ll see if my symptoms ease. I’ll also make a concerted effort to mask up when I’m outside of my office (on a different a/c system).

Admin and maintenance are aware of the issue. We’ll see if it got resolved over Thanksgiving Break.

15 work days until Christmas Break.

Then 92 contract days left until the end of school!

The countdown is on!

Our flight plan was filed and has been dutifully followed. We have two stops left on our journey…one in late March for one passenger to disembark (hubby) and the final destination will be reached in early June (me).

How do you like the flying metaphor our financial advisor used to describe this part of our journey towards retirement? 🙂

We had our periodic catch-up call this past week with our financial advisor to review our progress and talk about next steps as we move away from full-time employment to whatever’s next. The year long break we plan to take may turn into full-on retirement or we may decide to go back to work. Either way, it’ll be OUR choice.

We haven’t always had a financial advisor. Our first one was a disaster and turned us off of “professional money management” for many years. We did meet with a Dave Ramsey ELP who was very helpful at guiding us to develop a holistic view of our finances.The thing is, when most of your assets are tied up in employer sponsored retirement accounts, most financial advisors may not make time for you. They key in on investable assets or money outside your 401(k).

How to get advice in this situation? Take advantage of financial education offered by your employer or local credit union. We met with financial reps introduced to us through hubby’s work, my work and our credit union. That’s how we found our current financial advisor. We’ve worked with him for the past six years. His advice has been invaluable as we navigate all the moving parts involved in a successful transition to the next phase of our lives.

Resources we found helpful along our journey:

http://www.daveramsey.com (Basic financial principles that really work)
http://www.wesmoss.com (Retire Sooner podcast & books – really helpful to think through early retirement)
http://www.moneyguy.com (Common sense advice on a host of financial topics)