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My girl is home!
Aug. 31st, 2010 12:05 pmAnd i am so glad to have her back. There's a lot to say at the moment, but not from the wee iphone keyboard.
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Random on a Saturday
Jul. 19th, 2008 09:28 pmWork is still insane. Will likely be for the foreseeable future.
First corn of the season from the farmshare this week! When I soaked it to put it on the grill, Wiley says "You don't really think we're going to eat all six of those do you?" "Well, I know *I* want two" (and unsaid, and I'm not going to listen to whining if Widget decided she does too, so yeah, six it is). I'm displeased with the meat CSA this month - between last week's "we swear we sent out an e-mail" rescheduling and this week's weak assortment of meat, I'm not a happy camper.
But! In happier news, I bought a cheesemaking book and some starter culture to make Fromage Blanc at the beer store today. I ordered a thermometer and the muslin I think I need online when we got home and I can't wait to start. I think I may need to wait to start for it to get a *little* cooler, since I'm thinking 90+ degrees is NOT the room temperature they mean when they say to let the cheese drain.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
prunesnprisms, do you think you want to come over for this - I suspect it's going to be very anti-climactic (heat milk, add culture, hang in muslin to drain for 24 hours).
Also going to make zucchini bread this week, use up some of the damn things in a form even Widget will eat. Anyone got a favorite recipe, preferably one with chocolate chips? Am ordering spices from Penzey's to make pickles too, since we got the first small batch of pickling cukes in the share this week. Yum! Reading random blog, and suddenly struck with a desire to try and make pretzels, too. Or perhaps I should pace myself.
Indigo Girls on Wednesday were great. Widget had a blast, and is still recovering from the crazy late night. (Random thought, it always amuses me when you tell someone you went to a concert and they respond with "Wow, are they still around?" Ummmm, yeeeeesssss, since I just told you I went and SAW them play...? "Oh I didn't know they were still around" seems like a much more reasonable response, doesn't it?)
Had kind of had plans to go see Mamma Mia this week with some friends, but I don't think the day we'd picked out is going to work for me this week. Bummer, but it is what it is, I guess.
First corn of the season from the farmshare this week! When I soaked it to put it on the grill, Wiley says "You don't really think we're going to eat all six of those do you?" "Well, I know *I* want two" (and unsaid, and I'm not going to listen to whining if Widget decided she does too, so yeah, six it is). I'm displeased with the meat CSA this month - between last week's "we swear we sent out an e-mail" rescheduling and this week's weak assortment of meat, I'm not a happy camper.
But! In happier news, I bought a cheesemaking book and some starter culture to make Fromage Blanc at the beer store today. I ordered a thermometer and the muslin I think I need online when we got home and I can't wait to start. I think I may need to wait to start for it to get a *little* cooler, since I'm thinking 90+ degrees is NOT the room temperature they mean when they say to let the cheese drain.
prunesnprisms, do you think you want to come over for this - I suspect it's going to be very anti-climactic (heat milk, add culture, hang in muslin to drain for 24 hours).Also going to make zucchini bread this week, use up some of the damn things in a form even Widget will eat. Anyone got a favorite recipe, preferably one with chocolate chips? Am ordering spices from Penzey's to make pickles too, since we got the first small batch of pickling cukes in the share this week. Yum! Reading random blog, and suddenly struck with a desire to try and make pretzels, too. Or perhaps I should pace myself.
Indigo Girls on Wednesday were great. Widget had a blast, and is still recovering from the crazy late night. (Random thought, it always amuses me when you tell someone you went to a concert and they respond with "Wow, are they still around?" Ummmm, yeeeeesssss, since I just told you I went and SAW them play...? "Oh I didn't know they were still around" seems like a much more reasonable response, doesn't it?)
Had kind of had plans to go see Mamma Mia this week with some friends, but I don't think the day we'd picked out is going to work for me this week. Bummer, but it is what it is, I guess.
I wish I knew what this was
Jul. 14th, 2008 12:12 amThe muscles in my leg above my knee have spent the past week or two doing this deep slow muscle twitch nearly constantly.
It doesn't hurt or anything, but it is driving me completely insane
It doesn't hurt or anything, but it is driving me completely insane
Things that are NOT brushing your teeth.
Jul. 13th, 2008 08:48 pm- dancing in front of the mirror on the bathroom door
- singing a little song with the toothbrush dangling out of your mouth
- petting the cat
- spinning in circles in the bathroom
- stomping on the bathroom floor
- asking me if you are done brushing yet
Now, if only I could convince Widget of these fundamental truths.
Vegetables!
Jul. 11th, 2008 11:34 pmThird week of the CSA today. I love my farmer's markey. Today there was a guy with raw honey (yum), the goat cheese lady, the bakeries and there were reports of someone selling eggs who'd sold out by the time I got there. There was also a local coffee shop selling iced coffee, which about made the entire trip completely perfect, in my mind.
Got honey, a snackie for the afternoon and a loaf of some cheese bread that made some of the most divine toast I've ever ever eaten this evening for my dinner.
Our box this week was more greens, a couple heads of lettuce, a bulb of fennel, two HUGE bunches of beets, 3 each of zucchini and yellow squash, some arugula. They hade a giant box of basil, and I asked if there was basil in my box this week, and they said "There can be!" and dumped a giant bunch in. Awesome. I'm making pesto iffen I can find pine nuts tomorrow!
When I got home tonight, I tool all the greens left from the last box, cleaned them, blanched them and put them into the freezer to keep for later in the season. I think that's going to be my strategy, at least for right now - anything e don't eat in the preceding week gets frozen when the new box arrives, so that we don't end up wasting as much as we did last yea - even though frozen is not as good as fresh, it's a damn sight better than throwing it away.
I saved the last bit of the Swiss Chard for my dinner, though - sauteed a clove a garlic and the chard in a little oil, then at the end tossed in some sliced up salami. Added a few eggs, dropped in the last of my garlicky goat cheese and then popped it under the broiler to brown. With a couple slices of cheese bread toast, I had myself a fantastic dinner. Awesomeness.
I think on Sunday, I'm going to try and pickle this week's beet assortment, but we'll see if there's demand for eating beets this week before I do it.
Got honey, a snackie for the afternoon and a loaf of some cheese bread that made some of the most divine toast I've ever ever eaten this evening for my dinner.
Our box this week was more greens, a couple heads of lettuce, a bulb of fennel, two HUGE bunches of beets, 3 each of zucchini and yellow squash, some arugula. They hade a giant box of basil, and I asked if there was basil in my box this week, and they said "There can be!" and dumped a giant bunch in. Awesome. I'm making pesto iffen I can find pine nuts tomorrow!
When I got home tonight, I tool all the greens left from the last box, cleaned them, blanched them and put them into the freezer to keep for later in the season. I think that's going to be my strategy, at least for right now - anything e don't eat in the preceding week gets frozen when the new box arrives, so that we don't end up wasting as much as we did last yea - even though frozen is not as good as fresh, it's a damn sight better than throwing it away.
I saved the last bit of the Swiss Chard for my dinner, though - sauteed a clove a garlic and the chard in a little oil, then at the end tossed in some sliced up salami. Added a few eggs, dropped in the last of my garlicky goat cheese and then popped it under the broiler to brown. With a couple slices of cheese bread toast, I had myself a fantastic dinner. Awesomeness.
I think on Sunday, I'm going to try and pickle this week's beet assortment, but we'll see if there's demand for eating beets this week before I do it.
A widget tale
Jul. 9th, 2008 11:57 pmMost of you who know me in real life know that I have a terrible time making choices. An overly stocked menu can send me flailing into "everything looks so good" paralysis that is only snapped by the panic of the waitress being RIGHT THERE pen at the ready. Forget about important life choices - they reduce me to a gibbering mess of indecision.
Widget has started doing the same thing. I'm torn by how to react to it. On the one hand, it drives me up a TREE (there's nothing like one of your bad habits reflected in your kid), especially the little eye roll I get when she asks me to pick for her, butI somehow pick wrong, but then she also won't take the opposite of what I picked. On the other, I don't know how to handle it. It is some inate nature that she's inherited from me, therefore immune to anything I might do? Is it some kind of insecurity or fear of being "wrong" that I should be concerned about and try to find ways to bolster her confidence? Is she sensing that it drives me out of my gourd and doing it on PURPOSE?
Then tonight at Friendly's when she was trying to decide which kid's sundae to have, she raised the bar.
"I want something like the kid's hot fudge, but I want to choose my toppings."
"How about the Candy Shop Sundae (where you can choose your flavor and two toppings, and whipped cream and a cherry) and pick what you want?"
"But I had that LAST week." (I know, but we somehow got into the routine of going to Friendly's after the library on Daddy's snowboarding night)
"Well, you can have it with different stuff on it this week. Or, you could ask for kid's hot fudge, but with a different sauce (thinking maybe she was hung up on ordering the one)."
"But then it won't be a kid's hot fudge"
"Well, I know, but you said you wanted something different that that."
"Fine, I'll have Candy Shop *sigh*"
(Note, this is about when I marched her out of Friendy's altogether, sighing over having to CHOOSE which ice cream sundae she wanted.)
And then there was 5 minutes of angst over which toppings, whereupon she ordered the same exact thing she ordered last week.
*headdesk*
Widget has started doing the same thing. I'm torn by how to react to it. On the one hand, it drives me up a TREE (there's nothing like one of your bad habits reflected in your kid), especially the little eye roll I get when she asks me to pick for her, butI somehow pick wrong, but then she also won't take the opposite of what I picked. On the other, I don't know how to handle it. It is some inate nature that she's inherited from me, therefore immune to anything I might do? Is it some kind of insecurity or fear of being "wrong" that I should be concerned about and try to find ways to bolster her confidence? Is she sensing that it drives me out of my gourd and doing it on PURPOSE?
Then tonight at Friendly's when she was trying to decide which kid's sundae to have, she raised the bar.
"I want something like the kid's hot fudge, but I want to choose my toppings."
"How about the Candy Shop Sundae (where you can choose your flavor and two toppings, and whipped cream and a cherry) and pick what you want?"
"But I had that LAST week." (I know, but we somehow got into the routine of going to Friendly's after the library on Daddy's snowboarding night)
"Well, you can have it with different stuff on it this week. Or, you could ask for kid's hot fudge, but with a different sauce (thinking maybe she was hung up on ordering the one)."
"But then it won't be a kid's hot fudge"
"Well, I know, but you said you wanted something different that that."
"Fine, I'll have Candy Shop *sigh*"
(Note, this is about when I marched her out of Friendy's altogether, sighing over having to CHOOSE which ice cream sundae she wanted.)
And then there was 5 minutes of angst over which toppings, whereupon she ordered the same exact thing she ordered last week.
*headdesk*
Fun pictures
Jul. 7th, 2008 12:22 pmA few weeks ago, I let Widget wander around with my camera for a while. She, like nearly all kids, likes taking pictures (and so spoiled with getting to see them right away!).
I'd forgotten about it, so when I hooked up to download some pictures of knitting projects, I was pleasantly surprised to find a whole bunch of random photos on the memory card.
I think they're kind of cute, but I'll hide them, so as to not bore all of you.
( Pictures! )
I'd forgotten about it, so when I hooked up to download some pictures of knitting projects, I was pleasantly surprised to find a whole bunch of random photos on the memory card.
I think they're kind of cute, but I'll hide them, so as to not bore all of you.
( Pictures! )
A Widget funny
Jun. 30th, 2008 10:38 pmWidget and I were driving home from camp today, and the Deathcab for Cutie song that's got a line in it "I will possess your heart..." came on. Widget was singing along with it, and I'm not sure how we started discussing it. but she said something about hoping she would possess someone's heart. I asked her who's heart she thought she would posses, and she thought about it for a minute and then busted out with "I think, a lover, someday."
And I about damn near ran us off the road.
And I about damn near ran us off the road.
Anyone lose a llama?
May. 21st, 2008 07:14 pmWe seem to have a spare one around here.
She's fairly small, doesn't eat much, but is prone to a little bit of excessive drama.
I dared to cook summer squash this evening. The horrors!
I don't generally cook things I know Widget doesn't like (just like I'd not cook something Wiley or I hate), but Wiley'd bought the stuff, and I didn't want to let it go to waste.
She had to eat 6 whole pieces! Which was 1 1/2 half inch slices. That I wasn't even going to make her eat (at our house, you always have the option of leaving the table instead of eating something you don't want. If you don't finish1 helping of everything served, you forgo dessert or seconds.)
Apparently, this is worth of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
So, anyone lose a llama?
She's fairly small, doesn't eat much, but is prone to a little bit of excessive drama.
I dared to cook summer squash this evening. The horrors!
I don't generally cook things I know Widget doesn't like (just like I'd not cook something Wiley or I hate), but Wiley'd bought the stuff, and I didn't want to let it go to waste.
She had to eat 6 whole pieces! Which was 1 1/2 half inch slices. That I wasn't even going to make her eat (at our house, you always have the option of leaving the table instead of eating something you don't want. If you don't finish1 helping of everything served, you forgo dessert or seconds.)
Apparently, this is worth of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
So, anyone lose a llama?
Weekend in review
Mar. 24th, 2008 10:06 pmWas a good, but seriously exhausting weekend.
Friday night was our usual playdate, that we've missed for about a month.
Saturday I'd decided earlier in the week that I wanted to make it over to Athan's for knitting brunch and despite thinking later on that it might not be the best time management plan, I wanted to do it anyway. Went, knit, ate, talked, drank WAY TOO MUCH coffee. Was excellent. Raced from there to I and S's place for the baby shower forwhuffle and halleyscomet. By the time I got there, the coffee had kicked in and I was WAY too buzzed. There were sooooo many people there, I really couldn't cope with the size of the crowd. The food was excellent though, and I got to catch up with a few people I'd not seen in a while. Then the coffee turned off, and it was about all I could do to keep myself upright. Thankfully, that was pretty near the end, because I still had to go grocery shopping for the Easter dinner I was cooking for us and my parents (see, that's where the time management issues kick in). Dragged Widget shopping, went home, realized I'd forgotten half the ingredients for the tart I was making (ARGH). Wiley volunteered to go to the store for me on his way out to a party for someone or other that he works with. I went to bed, since I couldn't do the baking.
Up early (though not as early as I planned) on Sunday to cook. Got the Citrus tart made (it was AWESOME, and I finally used the tart pan D bought me as a housewarming present almost 7 years ago) an the potatoes peeled and the cauliflower chopped and ready (mostly) before my parents appeared. Left them to entertain Ms. Widget while I got ready for church. Churched, socialized, Wiley talkedliddle_oldman into giving my Dad a tour of the crypts, then home for dinner type stuff.
When we came home, Wiley found a mystery package shoved in our door. I don't *think* they would have delivered on Easter, but I *really* didn't think it was there Saturday when we came home. Inside was the cutest knitting kit ever from my swap pal. A little kit to make little knitted gnome dolls (okay, I don't know for sure that they're supposed to be gnomes, but that what they look like to me, so I'm going with it).
Dinner was roast lamb with thyme and garlic, mashed potatoes, roasted cauliflower and roasted asparagus. Double Citrus tart with fresh whipped cream (first time I've ever made whipped cream from scratch. I think I shall never go back to the canned stuff. Yummers). Dinner was delicious, although the lamb was... recalcitrant. Greatly enjoyed having my parents up, and loving that my mom is going to be around on the weekends now (not nearly so glad as she is I bet).
Then I stayed up WAY too late, because I was making such good progress on the Widget sweater, and we were having fun watching House. Was zombie-fied for most of today because of it, but that's okay. I'll go to bed soon and try to get closer to caught up. We went out for clams tonight, just because we could. Yay for the clam shops re-opening. Yay spring! I think I might be a little buzzy from the Diet Coke I had there, but I could be mistaken.
Had some exciting possible stuff pop up today, but I'm keeping that cryptic for the moment, just cross your fingers for me!
Friday night was our usual playdate, that we've missed for about a month.
Saturday I'd decided earlier in the week that I wanted to make it over to Athan's for knitting brunch and despite thinking later on that it might not be the best time management plan, I wanted to do it anyway. Went, knit, ate, talked, drank WAY TOO MUCH coffee. Was excellent. Raced from there to I and S's place for the baby shower for
whuffle and halleyscomet. By the time I got there, the coffee had kicked in and I was WAY too buzzed. There were sooooo many people there, I really couldn't cope with the size of the crowd. The food was excellent though, and I got to catch up with a few people I'd not seen in a while. Then the coffee turned off, and it was about all I could do to keep myself upright. Thankfully, that was pretty near the end, because I still had to go grocery shopping for the Easter dinner I was cooking for us and my parents (see, that's where the time management issues kick in). Dragged Widget shopping, went home, realized I'd forgotten half the ingredients for the tart I was making (ARGH). Wiley volunteered to go to the store for me on his way out to a party for someone or other that he works with. I went to bed, since I couldn't do the baking.Up early (though not as early as I planned) on Sunday to cook. Got the Citrus tart made (it was AWESOME, and I finally used the tart pan D bought me as a housewarming present almost 7 years ago) an the potatoes peeled and the cauliflower chopped and ready (mostly) before my parents appeared. Left them to entertain Ms. Widget while I got ready for church. Churched, socialized, Wiley talked
liddle_oldman into giving my Dad a tour of the crypts, then home for dinner type stuff. When we came home, Wiley found a mystery package shoved in our door. I don't *think* they would have delivered on Easter, but I *really* didn't think it was there Saturday when we came home. Inside was the cutest knitting kit ever from my swap pal. A little kit to make little knitted gnome dolls (okay, I don't know for sure that they're supposed to be gnomes, but that what they look like to me, so I'm going with it).
Dinner was roast lamb with thyme and garlic, mashed potatoes, roasted cauliflower and roasted asparagus. Double Citrus tart with fresh whipped cream (first time I've ever made whipped cream from scratch. I think I shall never go back to the canned stuff. Yummers). Dinner was delicious, although the lamb was... recalcitrant. Greatly enjoyed having my parents up, and loving that my mom is going to be around on the weekends now (not nearly so glad as she is I bet).
Then I stayed up WAY too late, because I was making such good progress on the Widget sweater, and we were having fun watching House. Was zombie-fied for most of today because of it, but that's okay. I'll go to bed soon and try to get closer to caught up. We went out for clams tonight, just because we could. Yay for the clam shops re-opening. Yay spring! I think I might be a little buzzy from the Diet Coke I had there, but I could be mistaken.
Had some exciting possible stuff pop up today, but I'm keeping that cryptic for the moment, just cross your fingers for me!
Absurdly proud of myself
Mar. 18th, 2008 09:03 pmA few years ago, I bought Widget an adorable skirt from a company called Impwear. She loved her skirt, and has been really sad that it's finally, after two+ years of wearing it, starting to get too short to be decent. She's probably got another inch before she can't wear it anymore. We looked at the site to order her another, but weren't grooving on the fabric choices available at the moment.
I studied the skirt for a little bit, and decided that it really WAS a simple enough pattern that I could deconstruct it to make her one out of whatever fabric she wanted from the fabric store. We went and picked out fabric, and then it sat in my project basket for forever, mostly because I was a little worried I'd not be able to manage to get it right. She kept asking about it, and I finally decided to get it done. Part of this whole "clearing my plate" thing I'm trying to do this year.
So a couple of weekends ago, I cut out all the pieces. Sunday and yesterday, I sewed them up, and damn if the skirt didn't come out nearly as cute as the original! Widget loves it, and wore it to school this morning. Today, she wore it purple side out, telling me that next time she was going to wear it black side out.
(yes, she wore the tiara to school today)
I think I'll definitely be making more of these, since now that I've done it once, I think I could get one done in an afternoon.
As an aside, if you're looking for cute kids clothes, and want to support a small business, the stuff we odered from Impwear was fantastic, and the woman that runs it was super helpful and really made sure we were happy with what we ordered. I'd absolutely be ordering from her again instead of making my own if Widget had liked any of the current fabrics, and if I'd not gotten it in my head that this would be a fun challenge.
I studied the skirt for a little bit, and decided that it really WAS a simple enough pattern that I could deconstruct it to make her one out of whatever fabric she wanted from the fabric store. We went and picked out fabric, and then it sat in my project basket for forever, mostly because I was a little worried I'd not be able to manage to get it right. She kept asking about it, and I finally decided to get it done. Part of this whole "clearing my plate" thing I'm trying to do this year.
So a couple of weekends ago, I cut out all the pieces. Sunday and yesterday, I sewed them up, and damn if the skirt didn't come out nearly as cute as the original! Widget loves it, and wore it to school this morning. Today, she wore it purple side out, telling me that next time she was going to wear it black side out.
(yes, she wore the tiara to school today)
I think I'll definitely be making more of these, since now that I've done it once, I think I could get one done in an afternoon.
As an aside, if you're looking for cute kids clothes, and want to support a small business, the stuff we odered from Impwear was fantastic, and the woman that runs it was super helpful and really made sure we were happy with what we ordered. I'd absolutely be ordering from her again instead of making my own if Widget had liked any of the current fabrics, and if I'd not gotten it in my head that this would be a fun challenge.
Widget busted out this afternoon with "Daddy told me this morning that I'm getting chubby."
"He did? Really?" (meanwhile, rational brain is trying to re-assure the lizard brain that it's VERY unlikely that he did any such thing. Lizard brain is FAR too busy trying to figure out the best way to flay him for maximum pain if he did.)
"Yeah. But he told me that it's normal - when people grow up, they don't just get taller, they grow out too."
"I see."
So, when Wiley comes upstairs, I ask him "Did you really tell Widget that she was getting chubby?" and got the real story.
He'd merely told her that the jeans she wanted to wear this morning are too small for her. Which they are - I'd like to see the kid they were made for (I had to trim 2 inches off the bottom, and they totally don't fit her. They're made for the girl's size equivalent of a runway model, it would seem.)
So glad. I'd hate to have clean all that blood of the walls.
"He did? Really?" (meanwhile, rational brain is trying to re-assure the lizard brain that it's VERY unlikely that he did any such thing. Lizard brain is FAR too busy trying to figure out the best way to flay him for maximum pain if he did.)
"Yeah. But he told me that it's normal - when people grow up, they don't just get taller, they grow out too."
"I see."
So, when Wiley comes upstairs, I ask him "Did you really tell Widget that she was getting chubby?" and got the real story.
He'd merely told her that the jeans she wanted to wear this morning are too small for her. Which they are - I'd like to see the kid they were made for (I had to trim 2 inches off the bottom, and they totally don't fit her. They're made for the girl's size equivalent of a runway model, it would seem.)
So glad. I'd hate to have clean all that blood of the walls.
(no subject)
Feb. 7th, 2007 08:30 pmToday is a proud moment for me, as a mother.
Today, Widget showed off her talent for burping on command.
God help me, I laughed.
Today, Widget showed off her talent for burping on command.
God help me, I laughed.
