Some Firsts

I experienced a few firsts this past week.

First up, we went down to visit one of our neighbors who has a pet python. Pet and Python really should not be in the same sentence, but it is. Wait. Maybe a pet python would be easier than a Great Dane.

I digress. Back to our firsts. This is the first time I got to see a python squeeze his dinner. Okay, so the mouse was already dead, but apparently it's just engrained in them to squeeze the living daylights out of their meal first.

So here she is squeezing away. Then the main event was underway - watching her gulp down the mouse. Simply fascinating!


Next up, my first time ever doing a french braid in Alicia's hair that actually looked good! Working with all the different strands makes my hands shake just thinking about it, but they're learning to get the hang of it, so for one of Alicia's choral collection performances, I did her hair up nice and fancy.



These pictures are actually the ones I took for Alicia at her request so she could see what the back looked like.

And lastly on the list of firsts for the week, I made homemade egg rolls for the first time. After spending a fortune on the pre-made ones at the store, I decided I would give these a try. They are amazingly easy to make, especially if you bake them like I did rather than frying, and they were surprisingly delicious!

Kimberly helped me put the egg rolls together.

Of course Shenzie wanted to know what we were making.

And Wa-La! The final product with some sweet and sour sauce. Delicious.

If you are interested in trying them, here is the recipe I used:

1 lb. pork
1 package egg roll wraps
1 bag shredded cabbage and carrot mix
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg (beaten, for sealing the rolls)

Fry up the pork. Mix together the cooked pork, cabbage and carrot mixture. Season with 1 tablespoon of oil, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Follow the instructions on the back of the egg roll package for rolling up and use the egg to seal the final edge.

I decided to bake the egg rolls per the instructions on the package because it would save me time. They were fabulous! I may just be making them again in the near future.