Treasure Hunt Day Two Winner and My Wednesday

And the winner is . . .

Phyllis Lamken of Idaho!

Congratulations Phyllis!

Long, hot day today. Took Princess to dance class and mailed a few packages. Went to the massage therapist. As I was driving home I saw my friend Joan, walking. I picked her up and dropped her off at her massage appointment! That was funny.

These days I am mostly working on sorting out the new inventory I brought home from my trip--I've got some wonderful stuff and I can't wait to get it listed! Anything you're looking for? When do you start shopping for Fall clothes? There are lots of theories on this at the seller's board I am part of, but I thought I'd ask some "real" (non-seller) people :)

Princess spent the day adoring her new "pet" seahorse. She found a little plastic one she got last year and decided today it was her most favorite thing in the world. We even had to google what seahorses needed to be happy in their habitats . . . in case you wonder; sea sponges and shrimp to eat, stuff to curl their tails around, and stuff to hide behind. She spent hours today creating a habitat for it.

"Habitat" is one of her favorite words these days, and tonight at dinner we had some fresh mini mozzarella balls from Costco which concerned her because they were in a tub of liquid. Worried her until I told her that it was just what they needed to stay fresh and delicious. Then she says:

"Ah. So it's their habitat?"

"Sort of."

"That's great! I bet they are soooo happy in their little habitat! And we want them to be happy little mozzarella balls, right Mom?"

Right. I hate it when my midnight snacks are grumpy.

Crossing things off the list & Early gifts

I got a box from my dad and stepmother today with a really kind note, NEW SILVERWARE to add to my meager supply and this:


Which I think is meant as a bit of a joke :) I do not buy Jell-O and my husband was practically apoplectic with excitement at the thought of making Jigglers!

Yeah me! Today I finished and mailed a project I started before Baby Bear was born. My grandma wanted to create a family history book for her sisters and children that detailed the descendants of her parents. I got so sick while being pregnant that it was all put on hold the end of 2006. I did some work on it the end of last year and then again last month when I was visiting her, and I really wanted to get it to her. We had an understanding that this would be a work in progress--a workbook of sorts for each person to make changes to and update.

Gram turns 79 on Tuesday and as I was getting her birthday presents ready to send I decided that it was time to finish the books up and send them off to her. So, this morning I printed close to 1500 pages of family group sheets and personalized card stock dividers, packed them carefully and took them to the post office. Any prayers you can spare that they arrive intact would be most appreciated! Of course there is the updating and filling out of additional details and frills like photos and copies of documents that needs to happen, but the basics are finished and I am breathing a sigh of relief!

Also today my Visiting Teacher dropped by this:

Isn't that beyond sweet? I know there are those who sniff and scoff at "treats" being part of the program, but personally, I love goodies and flowers and poems and stuff. I love that someone took a moment to think of me, I love them dropping it by and surprising me, and I love having something bright and happy and sweet on my table, reminding me that someone cares enough to take the trouble.

It's so good to have good television back on. As much as I respected the writers' need to strike, I hated it. I was tired of the re-runs, tired of the really stupid stuff they pulled out of the reject pile and showed because they had nothing else to show. Then there were the new reality & game shows. Public idiocy has reached a new level of insanity in the past few months. Ai-yi-yi!


I like television. I know that's really not PC, but it's true. My husband has tried over the years to convince me that I don't really want to have a TV, and he's never found an argument he could win with. I avoid most comedy, since there's barely one of those shows that is not filled with gratuitous inappropriateness, but I love a drama. While I stay away from the truly gritty stuff, I do tend towards crime fighting and medical and supernatural sorts of shows, where we get to see the bad guys caught. My husband doesn't share most of my taste in television. He flat out dislikes a far amount of what I watch--he doesn't disapprove, he just doesn't enjoy or appreciate it. We've talked about why I watch this stuff, what draws me to it . . . and I think it comes down to two things.


First, I like to see the triumph of the human spirit. Really, really horrific things happen in this world. There are awful people who do awful things and amazing people who live through those things. There are also those who clean up; law enforcement, doctors & firefighters and, well, vampire slayers. It's not the evildoers that interest me, don't worry :) It is those who live through the evilness and go on to be happy and those who clean up the messes. I have great respect for people with those kinds of jobs partially because it takes a special kind of person, one I am not.


Second, it makes me feel better to see the resolution. Media often relays the news about the worst elements of society and we never hear anything after the initial story, we just hear the terrible stuff. Newspapers and newscasts are enough to really scare me these days. When a single episode or a story arc takes us from the Bad Thing Happening, to the Bad Guy Gets Got, or Person Gets Better, or Eventually Everything is Okay, I feel safer. I feel like even though this doesn't happen every time in real life, it probably happens sometimes and there is hope. It reminds me to have faith in law enforcement (despite corruption), in medical personnel (despite malpractice), and in the absolute truth that Good will triumph over Evil, always, eventually.


Anyway, I'm happy that May sweeps are almost here and I the writers are writing again! Now, on to something else. While in Idaho I had the chance to sample some of the best butter toffee that exists. I got it at Walgreen's, and I didn't have any idea what I was in for. Now, I think most of the rest of what this company makes tastes fairly nasty (I got the gift pack sampler, so that is how I know), but this stuff? This stuff is to die for. Crunchy, not to hard or too soft, not too sweet, buttery, buttery, buttery. Seriously, this is about my new 2nd place favorite candy, right after Dan's Chocolates (which are worth every penny of their considerable expense). As Oobi would say, "tasty-good". No Oobi bashing in the comments, okay? He's one of my favorite baby shows :)

Just fed Baby Bear lunch, or tried to, and got some classic "asleep in food" photos! He didn't wake up when I reclined the highchair, or when I washed his face, or when I scrubbed the Zwieback toast off his hands. Poor tired baby! He is trying so hard to get his teeth and it's wearing him out.

Getting ready for the Night Writer's HFPE group meeting tomorrow and I almost have things together. Each meeting we have a quote for inspiration/discussion, a writing exercise to do at the meeting and share, and a writing exercise on a 4x6 card that I send home with them. I started this group just before I found out I was pregnant with Baby Bear. I promptly became so sick I could not get out of bed, much less lead the group. Melynn came the rescue and took over, and under her watchful and experienced eye (she's a professional literary editor) it grew and flourished. We never discussed me "taking back" the group--in my mind it belonged to her as soon as she stepped in. We have a very talented group, with almost a dozen women now and half that many genres.

A couple months ago she told the group she wanted to change the format and was open to suggestions. I called to talk to her about it (I always have an opinion) and in the course of our conversation, she asked if I was interested in taking back over. She needed to step back, she said and so I told her I would do it. Part of me is so excited to be doing this again! I have loved participating and enjoy teaching in general and am thrilled to get to share my support and love of writing with these women that I have so much respect for. On the other hand, it's scary. I want to do right by them and provide a useful, positive outlet for them and I hope I am able to do it.

This will be my third meeting since taking over again. I think it is going well for the most part, except that last week I was 15 minutes late and we ran late, and I couldn't find the book I wanted and so was flustered when I needed to share the exercise because I didn't have the passage which explained it. I hope that they'll be patient with me and not start throwing rotten produce quite yet.

In addition to running this group, I am the group coordinator for my ward. I am still new to this, but the same sort of excitement and nerves come into play. I want to do right by the women in my ward. I want each one of them to have at least one need met through this program, which I do believe is Divinely inspired. I am still getting my feet under me, working out plans for group activities, trying to find people to lead the activities, praying a lot for inspiration. The program is pretty loosely defined in a lot of ways, so it has been a challenge to come up with parameters and purposes, but I think over all it is going well. Currently I am trying to create outlines for all the activities I want to start in 2008, considering a budget (which is currently non-existent--literally), and creating some serious advertising strategies and materials. Speaking of which, I should probably be doing that instead of this :)

Home again, home again, jiggety jog

An optimist is the human personification of spring.

-Susan J. Bissonette

Well, I have now been officially 32 for a whole week. I'm not sure it feels much different than 31, but I like even numbers, so I'm hopeful that the year will be an auspicious one.

About three weeks ago, my husband started in on the "what do you want for your birthday" line of questioning. I, of course, have a long list of fun stuff I'd like, but I wasn't really craving anything for this birthday, so I hemmed and hawed. He continued to pester me for a week oer so and then finally said, "Hey! I know what to give you for your birthday!" at which time I of said, "What?" and then he said, "Let's go visit your mom and grandma!" So we packed the car last Saturday and drove through a few states and arrived at my Gram's house.

From the time I was eight, until I hit twelve and began to spend my summers at dance workshops (and occasionally after that), I went all by myself to stay with my Gram and Grandpa for a few weeks. My Gram has always been a special and important person to me and I really wanted her to meet Baby Bear and get some 4-generation photos of us with her.

The trip was an adventure from the start, since my little corner of the Northwest decided to have a terribly uncharacteristic late March blizzard! The roads were crazy because of the weather and so it took us almost 3 hours longer to get to half way than it usually does (including the stop to help stranded motorists on the freezing, slushy mountain pass), so we ended up at a Best Western in the the middle of nowhere at about 1 in the morning needing to rest.

These people had the BEST Continental Breakfast I have ever eaten at the sort of non-sleazy-but-still-cheap motel I generally stay at while travelling! Seriously, I should have taken pictures of those Belgian waffles. Yes, that's right, I said Belgian waffles. What is cooler than Belgian waffles at a Best Western? Belgian waffles at a Best Western you can make yourself! They had this nifty batter dispenser and a restaurant-style waffle maker that I now covet (in a healthy way of course). The batter tank dispenses into your paper cup the perfect amount of batter, and then you pour it onto the waffle maker, do this fancy twisty-turny thing to the handle (and yes, I stood there and stared at it for an extra 2 minutes before I figured out the twisty-turny thing the first time) and when the thing beeps, you open it and voila! Perfect golden Belgian waffles! I was enthralled as you can probably tell.


The rest of the trip was great. We went to the zoo, shopped, visited with family, ate at my favorite fast food restaurant which they do not yet have within many hours of my home, worked on a some genealogy projects and got some awesome 4-generation photos with me and the kids and mom and grandma. Princess got spoiled, Baby Bear grew hair, I got two birthday cakes, and my husband got to see huge amur tigers close enough to touch (if it wasn't for the tiger-proof Plexiglas between him & them). All in all, it was all good.

Sickos

Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.

-The Hausa of Nigeria

Well, we're all sick. Me and the baby bear have the worst of it and I feel bad for him if he feels like I do which is horrible. If my throat doesn't feel better by tomorrow I think I'll be heading in to the doctor. Cough, congestion, sore throat, general misery galore here.

Last night I used another Dream Dinner - fruit & nut stuff pork roast, and added baked potatoes, green beans and pears as a side. It was pretty good, but the stuffing was a bit stronger than I liked, even with a stuffy nose. I buy Dream Dinners when they send me a $20 off coupon and have a special "chef's treat" session where they do the assembly and all you do is pick it up. That sort of seems to be contrary to their point, which is for you to come make your own meals. I use about one per week and it is so nice to have a break from prep work and thinking about what to do next. It averages out to be about $15-$20 per 6 servings from them, but they are generous in size and they feed me, my husband and Princess for two meals, which makes the alternative on days when I am busy and/or tired (fast food) close to equal or more than the cost. This way, the meal is healthier and includes good leftovers! It is an indulgence of sorts...I don't typically make meals which cost quite that much, but I'm grateful for it!

Baby Bear is crawling! He has 2 teeth! He eats people food (more than just eating me even) and today I found him pulled up to his knees on the ottoman and trying to get a foot under him to push up. Won't be long I don't think!

Princess is in a serious questioning phase. I think she asked me in excess of 400 questions yesterday and that is not meant as an exaggeration. From "What does 'we' mean?" to "what are rocks made of". It exhausts me, but it's also delightfully amazing to see what she thinks about. Her questions are a window to her brain and it's a beautiful brain indeed.

February catch up

I so wanted to post more in February, but the month got away from me. The weather has finally turned warmer and the kids and I are getting out more these days, which is great. We all have miserable colds as of last night though, so sadly, I think church will have to wait another week.

Valentine's Day was nice. My husband remembered flowers and cards for the three of us & a big box of chocolate for mama. Packages came from both of my parents which included some junk food and lots of fun stuff for the kids. It was a pretty low-key day, and I made Princess a Valetine's Day lunch she loved of red anjou pears cut like a heart, red organic corn chips & a toasted, heart-shaped, almond butter and lingonberry jam sandwhich.

Princess choose the dinner menu: asparagus (which she'd only heard of), roasted turkey (okay so we did chicken since it is hard to find a whole turkey for a reasonable price in February), garlic mashed potatoes & gravy (my husband's favorite), caprese salad, more red pear slices, fresh rolls, and sparkling cranberry juice. It was all good, but the caprese salad was amazing--the ingredients were fresh and wonderful.

We also had cookies that we made and sent to my family from the recipe I posted in January. We did three varieties: cranberry with white chocolate, blueberry with milk & white chocolate, and chocolate caramel coconut pecan. We made 15 dozen and everyone we gave them to said nice things.

Food adoration

I love reading cook books and so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I adore food blogs. The "Blogs" folder on my favorite lists receives additions on almost a daily basis, most of them filled with eye-popping, mouth-watering photographs of yummy stuff and descriptions of cuisine complicated or simple, but always unbelievably delicious.

Last night, my husband, Princess and I made cookies together. It was a wonderful evening and I hope that nights like those are something our children remember with fondness as they grow up. We started with a fairly ordinary oatmeal chocolate chip recipe. However, like me, Princess (who as a sign that we watch far too much Food TV, has taking to calling herself my sous chef when we're in the kitchen--"Mommy, your sous chef is getting the eggs out"), can't seem to leave a recipe alone. What we ended up with were these.

Our White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal
1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup dried cranberries

Mix together the first five ingredients until creamy. Add remaining ingredients. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

My husband absolutely loved them and I think we'll be making them a lot, although I'll likely be experimenting with substitutions for all that butter :)

In other baking news, we attempted to make Figgy Pudding just after Christmas:

It turned out alright, but I can tell it's a recipe which will take some refining to more closely match our family's tastes. It was really fun though, and the first time I've ever cooked in a waterbath or made an English-style pudding.

My massage therapist and I both love food and my sessions with her are often filled with discussions about our favorite recipes and things we have recently eaten. I was drooling over her descriptions of the special holiday feast she makes using her grandmother's traditional recipes for things like pirogis, and last time I was there she asked for the easy zucchini recipe I found this summer that is now my favorite because it does not require me to grate the zucchini (read: knuckles)! I misplaced the recipe, but when I find it for her, I'll post it here too.

Writing notes, I'm sick, Recipe

Last night I went to my writing group and we had some great conversation. I told them about NaNoWriMo and they were all supportive. We reviewed and critiqued the work of one of the women for the first time and it was great - the piece and the discussion. I love critiquing/editing/helping to make stuff better.
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I got my first real taste of this when I helped others edit their fanfiction in a process called "beta-ing". This is really just having someone read and review your writing, but they call it this in the fanfiction world. I love doing it for others and having others do it for me. Even when I've written something I think is good, the chance to make it better is both challenging and exciting to me. I think one of the things about NaNoWriMo that will be most insanity provoking for me is the no editing thing. To have no time for clean-up or meaningful feedback might push me over the edge.
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I got a few ideas on the drive home - yeah! I think I have decided on my heroine's name - one I thought I made up, but apparently someone else did too as there is a dragon drawing by that name at Elfwood.com. Anyway, I am going to try and write the required number of words everyday between now and the 1st, to see if I can get myself used to it. Not on The Novel of course, but this and other stuff.
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I am sick. Sniffling, sneezing, coughing, stuffy-head, nasty cold sick. I thought I was better, but then yesterday it hit me again with a vengeance. The rest of the family seems fine - thank heavens - but I am wishing for a nice, warm, dark cave to crawl into for a few days. Instead I have 4am feedings and a 4 year old who wakes up at the crack of dawn, followed by her baby brother. Please, let them not get sick. I don't think I could handle it this week.
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I do have to say how appreciative I am that they wake up exuberantly - it's hard to be unhappy, regardless of how I feel physically, when I am awoken by two blissfully cheerful cherubs. Even with the hard moments, I truly do delight in my children. I can't imagine a better thing than having them.
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Allie asked for the Overnight Butterscotch Buns recipe, so I thought I'd share it with everyone. It has a different actual name, that is just what I call them.

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BUTTERSCOTCH BUNDT PAN ROLLS
Julie Badger
Meridian Magazine
Easter 2005

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18 to 20 Rhodes frozen rolls
1 (3 oz.) pkg. butterscotch pudding (not instant)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup melted butter

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Arrange frozen rolls in a greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle pudding, brown sugar and pecans over rolls. Drizzle butter over all. Cover with damp towel and let rise overnight or about 12 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool 10 to 20 minutes before inverting to a serving plate.

Lara's note: We have theorized that this recipe what could be made with any flavor of pudding and add-ins.

Monday, Monday...

"The common conception is that motivation leads to action, but the reverse is true — action precedes motivation. You have to prime the pump and get the juice flowing, which motivates you to work on your goals. Getting momentum going is the most difficult part of the job, and often taking the first step is enough to prompt you to make the best of your day."

— Robert J McKain

I so grew up listening to The Mamas and the Papas... I can sing the lyrics to almost all of their songs. My parents both liked their music but I remember listening to them with my mama, first on the record player, then on tape. My husband recently took a tape a snitched from my parents when I left home - the Greatest Hits album - and converted it to mp3 so we can listen to it on the computer, worn out though the recording is after a good 20 year stay on my play list!

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It's Monday again, and this week is for cleaning, tidying, menu-making and trying to stay calm about the impending descension (is that a word?) of guests coming next week. I'm having a hard time getting myself into that mode where I'm thrilled to be getting my house in order. I'm not as sick as I was over the weekend, so that is good, I just feel like doing nothing.

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We've ordered the new queen size air bed and the plan is to clean up the study, move Princess' single bed into there for Granny and put the air bed in Princess' bedroom for Grandma M. Still need to decide about begging, borrowing, stealing (or buying) sheets for the air bed... We had thought to just by a king size air bed so we could use the sheets we already have, but there is no place large enough in our house for another bed that size without removing other large pieces of furniture!

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I also need to figure out food for the Blessing Day dinner. So far I have: frozen mini frozen spanakopita and a huge ham and that is it. I have a couple other ideas, like my Apple Feta Arugula salad and Overnight Butterscotch Buns... but the menu is not easily taking shape at this point.

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My sister-in-law is having her directing debut this weekend! Wish we were there, but instead I'll send flowers. I've never met a theatrical type (myself included) who didn't appreciate a floral tribute!

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Why can I not get the spacing to work except spordically and accidentally? Anytime I try to fix the spacing, bad, bad things happen.