This week's artist is Nate, caught here in a snowball fight with his co-conspirator.
Nate decided this year to team up with his very good friend N for the science project. Which was good and bad. The two of them were able to get things done with little or no nagging from their respective parents, BUT it meant quite a bit of chauffeuring them back and forth at 20 minutes per one way. I joke about us being in the boonies, but N's family has us beat by many, many miles. Fortunately they are considerate boys and scheduled their times together wisely. Hence N sleeping over the night of the big snow storm. It was a Sunday night, but it was a school holiday on Monday and N's parents could swing by when doing something else with N's big brother.
Anyhoodle, they had to finish building their 15 (!) bridges and then destroy them. Originally it was going to be 25 bridges, but sanity returned and they decided that three bridge types (flat, trestle, and suspension) was more than enough. For a month they had been chipping away, first making the 15 bases, essentially the flat bridges, and designing the the other two.
For the final assembly Nate wanted me to buy a boatload of small clamps. Being the queen of improvisation I said no and instead pulled out some 1 inch binder clips. I would be happy to buy those in bulk, particularly since 1 clamp costs as much as a dozen binder clips. As the glue dried the boys stacked the bridges, it got to be a fairly impressive sight.
Then it was time to have fun. The boys, again, wanted me to go out a buy materials. This time it would be weights for the bridge busting. The weather was getting serious at this point with the snow and again I demurred. I told them to use a bucket and water. They didn't think it would work, that is until they picked up the 5 gallon bucket and realized just how heavy water is. I sent then out to the driveway with the bucket, some rope, a large measuring cup, and two sawhorses. They had a great time and got some good data.
As the snow continued to blow they knocked off before the suspension bridges. A few of those still needed to dry and it was getting unpleasant out in the driveway. In the morning they were all set to bust their remaining bridges when I asked an important question, did they photograph the bridges?
Oops.
Luckily they had an extra flat bridge and they were able to cobble together another suspension bridge. I was able to get some nice pictures of all three bridge types plus the underside. Then it was back to breaking bridges.
N did the data analysis and Nate wrote up the experiment. It really was a joint effort. So often one kid does the bulk of the work, but these do fairly split the tasks. I helped out with the poster board by trimming up the printouts and gluing them together. For whatever reason Nate never seems to be able to glue things down, everything always drops off the next day. The whole mess got turned in last week and it'll be a while until we know what happens. They made some lovely bridges, and did a good job with the write-up.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
MCP Project 12: Love and Snowballs
I've been meaning to post this picture for about a week. It is from Sunday before last, during our big winter storm.
Rebecca made a snowball and thought it looked heart-shaped. She then worked on it a bit and asked me to take a picture of her creation. I was more than happy to photograph it along with her brightly smiling face. As I recalled it was shortly destroyed in the epic snowball fight happening in the backyard.
I thought this picture would nicely finish up this month's MCP Project 12 theme of Love. It is of a little girl I dearly love that created a token of love.
Rebecca made a snowball and thought it looked heart-shaped. She then worked on it a bit and asked me to take a picture of her creation. I was more than happy to photograph it along with her brightly smiling face. As I recalled it was shortly destroyed in the epic snowball fight happening in the backyard.
I thought this picture would nicely finish up this month's MCP Project 12 theme of Love. It is of a little girl I dearly love that created a token of love.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
404 Laundry
I actually like doing laundry. It's satisfying emptying out the three hampers and having nice clean clothes when I'm done. It's the putting away I can do without. I have a loose schedule of twice a week, necessary with six people. It all gets done without being totally overwhelming.
Now the laundry room is upstairs, which I love since most of the laundry is up there, but the placement leaves a bit to be desired.
It's a large closet that is partially beneath the attic stairs. Of course the washer is jammed in the far corner so you have to stoop under and around the slope of the ceiling to reach inside. It works, but barely. Thus you have to be a certain height in order to reach inside, a step stool doesn't quite fit.
So yes, I do need to teach my children, Jake is certainly tall enough now to reach into the bottom of our very awkwardly placed top load washer. But it'll be a while until I completely give up the job.
Now the laundry room is upstairs, which I love since most of the laundry is up there, but the placement leaves a bit to be desired.
It's a large closet that is partially beneath the attic stairs. Of course the washer is jammed in the far corner so you have to stoop under and around the slope of the ceiling to reach inside. It works, but barely. Thus you have to be a certain height in order to reach inside, a step stool doesn't quite fit.
So yes, I do need to teach my children, Jake is certainly tall enough now to reach into the bottom of our very awkwardly placed top load washer. But it'll be a while until I completely give up the job.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Cold Blossom
My poor beleaguered daffodils, they don't know what hit them this week.
Sunday we had our big snowstorm that buried them in four and half inches of very wet snow. Some blossoms were knocked flat to the ground and all of them were tightly furled. The one here was pictured at just the start of the snow fall, the rain was just transitioning over to a more frozen form. You can just make out the crystals of ice in and amongst the water droplets.
Today the temperatures spiked all the way to 83. No that's not a typo, it was Eighty Three freak'n degrees outside. So of course we had a huge blow of a thunderstorm whip through tossing all the trees. Now the temps have dropped to 48 and the stars are out in their full brilliance.
This winter has been unbelievable.
Sunday we had our big snowstorm that buried them in four and half inches of very wet snow. Some blossoms were knocked flat to the ground and all of them were tightly furled. The one here was pictured at just the start of the snow fall, the rain was just transitioning over to a more frozen form. You can just make out the crystals of ice in and amongst the water droplets.
Today the temperatures spiked all the way to 83. No that's not a typo, it was Eighty Three freak'n degrees outside. So of course we had a huge blow of a thunderstorm whip through tossing all the trees. Now the temps have dropped to 48 and the stars are out in their full brilliance.
This winter has been unbelievable.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
What Happened on Tuesday
For whatever reason I got into the spirit of Fat Tuesday and decided I should make a King Cake. I don't know why I got this notion, but after a bit of searching on the internets I found a likely candidate over at Gourmet Girl.
I wasn't in the mood for the more traditional cinnamon type of cake, cream cheese filling was what I wanted. Mind you I have only had King Cake once before and that was about 16 years ago when I was in Louisiana for a field trial. So I'm far from an expert and this is uncharted territory for me. The recipe seemed to be fairly straight forward and I was willing to give it a shot.
It all came together very easily. I had most of the ingredients on hand, the exceptions being the colored sugars. Purple was impossible to find so I had to make my own with a few drops each of blue and red food coloring. The only modification I made was to the icing. I tasted it as I was mixing it up and thought it tasted to strongly of raw sugar. I made an impromptu double boiler with the bowl and a pot of boiling water and threw in a tablespoon or so of butter (everything is better with butter). After 10 minutes it tasted much better and was a breeze to drizzle onto the cooled cake. I sprinkled on the sugars and I was very pleased with the end result. As for taste, it was scrumptious! The lemon was a nice counterpoint to the sugar and the cream cheese. This one is a keeper.
Now I couldn't just have King Cake and I decided if I was in for a penny I should be in for a pound. I have always wanted to make jambalaya and this would be as good a time as any. I always thought jambalaya smelled wonderful, but each time I was offered some shrimp/crayfish/prawns were involved and I am horribly allergic to them. S back to the internet, I decided to make one with chicken and andouille sausage.
The jambalaya was little harder to make than the cake. I found the sausage right off the bat, but the seasonings were much harder to come by. In fact I never did find the file powder. Rebecca was a bit concerned about my skipping an ingredient, but I explained to her that this was spicy enough and we wouldn't miss it. Which brings me to the other modifications I made. I like some heat, but I could tell this would blow my socks off. I decided to half the amount of red pepper flakes and entirely omitted the hot sauce. Larry loves spicy food so I gave him the hot sauce on the side. As for the peanut oil, I switched it over to olive because Rebecca and I seem to have a minor peanut allergy.
Turns out toning down the spices was a very good idea. It was at the upper range of what I can tolerate and was beyond Max and Rebecca, Jake was basically okay with it as was Nate, and Larry happily poured on the hot sauce. It was very tasty, smelled wonderful, and will definitely be repeated.
It all came together very easily. I had most of the ingredients on hand, the exceptions being the colored sugars. Purple was impossible to find so I had to make my own with a few drops each of blue and red food coloring. The only modification I made was to the icing. I tasted it as I was mixing it up and thought it tasted to strongly of raw sugar. I made an impromptu double boiler with the bowl and a pot of boiling water and threw in a tablespoon or so of butter (everything is better with butter). After 10 minutes it tasted much better and was a breeze to drizzle onto the cooled cake. I sprinkled on the sugars and I was very pleased with the end result. As for taste, it was scrumptious! The lemon was a nice counterpoint to the sugar and the cream cheese. This one is a keeper.
Now I couldn't just have King Cake and I decided if I was in for a penny I should be in for a pound. I have always wanted to make jambalaya and this would be as good a time as any. I always thought jambalaya smelled wonderful, but each time I was offered some shrimp/crayfish/prawns were involved and I am horribly allergic to them. S back to the internet, I decided to make one with chicken and andouille sausage.
The jambalaya was little harder to make than the cake. I found the sausage right off the bat, but the seasonings were much harder to come by. In fact I never did find the file powder. Rebecca was a bit concerned about my skipping an ingredient, but I explained to her that this was spicy enough and we wouldn't miss it. Which brings me to the other modifications I made. I like some heat, but I could tell this would blow my socks off. I decided to half the amount of red pepper flakes and entirely omitted the hot sauce. Larry loves spicy food so I gave him the hot sauce on the side. As for the peanut oil, I switched it over to olive because Rebecca and I seem to have a minor peanut allergy.
Turns out toning down the spices was a very good idea. It was at the upper range of what I can tolerate and was beyond Max and Rebecca, Jake was basically okay with it as was Nate, and Larry happily poured on the hot sauce. It was very tasty, smelled wonderful, and will definitely be repeated.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Artist of the Week: Illuminated Dream
This week's artist is Max. I got this picture of him Monday, the day after our big snow storm. We got about 4 1/2 inches and it was all pretty much gone Tuesday afternoon. Tonight's rain pretty much guarantees that not a speck will be left Thursday.
Anyhoo I have learned to immediately send children outside after any sort of snowfall. Heck I even sent them out Sunday night at around 8:30. There was about 3 inches of perfect packing snow and it would have been a shame for them to miss and opportunity to play in good snow. They spent an hour in the yard having a terrific snowball fight and completely churning up all the snow on the ground. In the morning it was a bit crusty, but by midday the snow had softened up again. The battle was resumed, this time in the woods where the snow was in better condition. Everybody had wet boots, coats, and gloves by the time they were done. It was a big mess, but I'm glad we finally got winter. We had pretty much given up, so this was a nice surprise.
Now the art was not a surprise. It was a Sunday school project and I was there to help. The project was to create an illuminated text using tracing paper and a construction paper frame. I ended up doing the lettering for the prayer because Max was getting very frustrated. Hebrew is written (and read!) right to left and Max kept smearing the letters. After about four tries I offered to do the writing. The rest of the illustration is all Max's doing.
He created the abstract design and traced the figure of the dog from an example of medieval illuminated text that was put out for inspiration. Max decided that the dog was thinking about Israel and the torah as it ran across a field. I think it's an utterly charming creation and had fun working with Max.
Anyhoo I have learned to immediately send children outside after any sort of snowfall. Heck I even sent them out Sunday night at around 8:30. There was about 3 inches of perfect packing snow and it would have been a shame for them to miss and opportunity to play in good snow. They spent an hour in the yard having a terrific snowball fight and completely churning up all the snow on the ground. In the morning it was a bit crusty, but by midday the snow had softened up again. The battle was resumed, this time in the woods where the snow was in better condition. Everybody had wet boots, coats, and gloves by the time they were done. It was a big mess, but I'm glad we finally got winter. We had pretty much given up, so this was a nice surprise.
Now the art was not a surprise. It was a Sunday school project and I was there to help. The project was to create an illuminated text using tracing paper and a construction paper frame. I ended up doing the lettering for the prayer because Max was getting very frustrated. Hebrew is written (and read!) right to left and Max kept smearing the letters. After about four tries I offered to do the writing. The rest of the illustration is all Max's doing.
He created the abstract design and traced the figure of the dog from an example of medieval illuminated text that was put out for inspiration. Max decided that the dog was thinking about Israel and the torah as it ran across a field. I think it's an utterly charming creation and had fun working with Max.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Baking With Julia- Chocolate Truffle Tartlets
As I mentioned last week my second Baking with Julia assignment was Chocolate Truffle Tartlets. The host blogs (which feature the recipe) are Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon, Spike of Spike Bakes, Jaime of Good Eats and Sweet Treats, and Jessica
of Cookbookhabit. They all have lovely pictures of the finished product and one has a video of Julia Child in action.
I made my tartlets for Valentine's day. The recipe is for six tartlets and there are six people in my family, a perfect match.
Over all the tartlets were pretty good. I was a bit disappointed with the crust, I may have overdone them a smidgen and I think the crust was too thick. If I make these again I'll try to keep that in mind. The filling, on the other hand, was scrumptious! Rich and chocolatey, the only thing I would do differently would be to chop things a little bit finer. The chunks tasted great, but it made the filling a bit awkward and lumpy to work into the shells.
I'm not sure if I'll make these again, but they were fun to bake and eat!
I made my tartlets for Valentine's day. The recipe is for six tartlets and there are six people in my family, a perfect match.
Over all the tartlets were pretty good. I was a bit disappointed with the crust, I may have overdone them a smidgen and I think the crust was too thick. If I make these again I'll try to keep that in mind. The filling, on the other hand, was scrumptious! Rich and chocolatey, the only thing I would do differently would be to chop things a little bit finer. The chunks tasted great, but it made the filling a bit awkward and lumpy to work into the shells.
I'm not sure if I'll make these again, but they were fun to bake and eat!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Lemonade Stand
Here is this year's Movie Extra Winner from Tropfest, Lemonade Stand.
I rather like this one, however it does have bad language and a few rather rude illustrations.
I rather like this one, however it does have bad language and a few rather rude illustrations.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Winter Hath Arrived
The news for the past few days have been filled with reports about a potential snow event starting today. We have been looking at snow maps and getting cautiously excited. Maybe, just maybe, we will have a real winter after all.
It started clouding up last night and this morning it smelt like snow was on it's way. For non-Northerners the air has a particular cool, crisp smell about it before it snows. I really can't describe it. I just know it when I smell it. Then some point after lunch it started. Max and Rebecca were transfixed by the sight of little misshapen clumps of snow fell outside.
For quite sometime nothing was sticking. It was still in the upper 30's and the ground was too warm for the snow to accumulate. As the temperature dropped magic started to happen. The snow first started to stick on the deck, but only on a select few boards.Meryl said those were the cool ones. It was an odd sight, the stark white stripes surrounded by soggy grey.
The flakes were still lumpy and not at all the beautiful and refined crystals of colder weather. And yet, it is still snow and that is all the matters.
By eight o' clock the deck and yard were covered in a soft blanket of snow. I tromped out and got a measurement of two inches! It is wonderful packing snow and I sent the whole crew out to play. Since tomorrow is a holiday Nate has a friend staying over and he joined in the fun with borrowed boots and gloves. Even John joined in on the fun, having a marvelous time romping in the snow. Dell elected to stay indoors and made it very clear that he did not want to join his brother. I think they all spent a good hour outside and thoroughly churned up the yard. By then the snow was measuring 3 inches and still coming down.
When I last checked at 10:30 the total was at four and still accumulating. I've always said we get our winter in February.
It started clouding up last night and this morning it smelt like snow was on it's way. For non-Northerners the air has a particular cool, crisp smell about it before it snows. I really can't describe it. I just know it when I smell it. Then some point after lunch it started. Max and Rebecca were transfixed by the sight of little misshapen clumps of snow fell outside.
For quite sometime nothing was sticking. It was still in the upper 30's and the ground was too warm for the snow to accumulate. As the temperature dropped magic started to happen. The snow first started to stick on the deck, but only on a select few boards.Meryl said those were the cool ones. It was an odd sight, the stark white stripes surrounded by soggy grey.
The flakes were still lumpy and not at all the beautiful and refined crystals of colder weather. And yet, it is still snow and that is all the matters.
By eight o' clock the deck and yard were covered in a soft blanket of snow. I tromped out and got a measurement of two inches! It is wonderful packing snow and I sent the whole crew out to play. Since tomorrow is a holiday Nate has a friend staying over and he joined in the fun with borrowed boots and gloves. Even John joined in on the fun, having a marvelous time romping in the snow. Dell elected to stay indoors and made it very clear that he did not want to join his brother. I think they all spent a good hour outside and thoroughly churned up the yard. By then the snow was measuring 3 inches and still coming down.
When I last checked at 10:30 the total was at four and still accumulating. I've always said we get our winter in February.
Friday, February 17, 2012
MCP Project 12: Love and Valentines
This little present was what Rebecca gave her teacher. Her teacher is a perfect match for Rebecca and they both truly appreciate each other. It is a wonderful thing when a student and teacher click, fourth grade has been the best year for my girl.
So understandably Rebecca wanted to give Mrs. S something special. Over the weekend Rebecca made more of the chocolate covered Oreo truffles and it was decided that a little container of them would be very appropriate. Rebecca placed five truffles in a little plastic container and I wrapped it all up in tissue paper.
I think Rebecca was very proud of the fact that she was giving something that she had made. I liked the fact that her little act of generosity was unprompted and mostly of her own doing (wrapping with tissue paper can be tricky I thought I would spare us the frustration that would follow if she did it herself).
So understandably Rebecca wanted to give Mrs. S something special. Over the weekend Rebecca made more of the chocolate covered Oreo truffles and it was decided that a little container of them would be very appropriate. Rebecca placed five truffles in a little plastic container and I wrapped it all up in tissue paper.
I think Rebecca was very proud of the fact that she was giving something that she had made. I liked the fact that her little act of generosity was unprompted and mostly of her own doing (wrapping with tissue paper can be tricky I thought I would spare us the frustration that would follow if she did it herself).
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Mail Call
Getting mail addressed to them is a big deal to the kids, particularly the dynamic duo. Whenever I collect the mail I am breathlessly asked if any is address to them. For the most part the answer is no and there is always a bit of disappointment with that answer.
Today Max collected the mail and discovered an envelope with his name prominently displayed in the address window. Now I didn't see this when it happened but, judging by the shredded appearance of the envelope, Max was very excited as he tore the letter open.
The letter was from our health insurance and it was a detailed report of the financial aspect of Max's most recent visit to the CF clinic. Somehow a two page table of the clinic's initial charges, subsequent adjustments, what insurance will cover, and what ever else they threw in there was far from interesting reading for a 10 year old boy. The letter was tossed aside in disappointment.
Poor guy, today he got initiated into the world of boring mail.
Today Max collected the mail and discovered an envelope with his name prominently displayed in the address window. Now I didn't see this when it happened but, judging by the shredded appearance of the envelope, Max was very excited as he tore the letter open.
The letter was from our health insurance and it was a detailed report of the financial aspect of Max's most recent visit to the CF clinic. Somehow a two page table of the clinic's initial charges, subsequent adjustments, what insurance will cover, and what ever else they threw in there was far from interesting reading for a 10 year old boy. The letter was tossed aside in disappointment.
Poor guy, today he got initiated into the world of boring mail.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
7 Years Plus This, That, And The Other Thing
And all a day late.
I truly meant to post yesterday, but I was busy. Between the baking, the dinner making, and the late night out with my hubby I wasn't able to sit down and post. So here is the belated blogiversary, Valentines Day, Baking with Julia, and date night version.
So yes, seven years. In dog years my blog is older than me. I figure that dog years better captures the relative age of this blog thing. It's a little harder now with children becoming a little more opinionated about what gets posted and I do try to respect their wishes. Rebecca was less than thrilled with the last picture I posted, but I did point out that I haven't released any videos of her without her approval and honestly those have a better chance of being passed around. Anyhoodle seven years is a pretty durn long stretch and as long as the grandparents are interested I'll keep it up.
Valentines day around here has become very low key. Rebecca was the only one that did the card exchange at school, Max wasn't interested and once you are out of elementary school it's over. We did however have a lovely roast chicken for dinner and Larry got me some absolutely scrumptious chocolates. The man certainly knows what I like! The best part is that none of the kids like them. I happy to share with Larry who appreciates fine chocolates.
Which brings us to Baking with Julia. The selected recipe was Chocolate Truffle Tartlets and I thought they would be fun to make for Valentines day. The recipe makes 6 tartlets which is perfect for my family. I think they were pretty good, but the crust needs a little work. I'll give a full reportage on Tuesday, the official day for Baking with Julia.
As for the other thing... Larry and I had a very late night out on the town. We didn't get home until nigh on 2:00 am. We are friends with a few members of some local bands, The Santamaria Bothers and Soundstorm, and there was a splendid double bill last night. Both play a sort funky jazz infused music and the venue has good acoustics. The highlight of the evening was when the two bands joined together. Once in a while it's fun for the two of us to go out and kick up our heels.
I truly meant to post yesterday, but I was busy. Between the baking, the dinner making, and the late night out with my hubby I wasn't able to sit down and post. So here is the belated blogiversary, Valentines Day, Baking with Julia, and date night version.
So yes, seven years. In dog years my blog is older than me. I figure that dog years better captures the relative age of this blog thing. It's a little harder now with children becoming a little more opinionated about what gets posted and I do try to respect their wishes. Rebecca was less than thrilled with the last picture I posted, but I did point out that I haven't released any videos of her without her approval and honestly those have a better chance of being passed around. Anyhoodle seven years is a pretty durn long stretch and as long as the grandparents are interested I'll keep it up.
Valentines day around here has become very low key. Rebecca was the only one that did the card exchange at school, Max wasn't interested and once you are out of elementary school it's over. We did however have a lovely roast chicken for dinner and Larry got me some absolutely scrumptious chocolates. The man certainly knows what I like! The best part is that none of the kids like them. I happy to share with Larry who appreciates fine chocolates.
Which brings us to Baking with Julia. The selected recipe was Chocolate Truffle Tartlets and I thought they would be fun to make for Valentines day. The recipe makes 6 tartlets which is perfect for my family. I think they were pretty good, but the crust needs a little work. I'll give a full reportage on Tuesday, the official day for Baking with Julia.
As for the other thing... Larry and I had a very late night out on the town. We didn't get home until nigh on 2:00 am. We are friends with a few members of some local bands, The Santamaria Bothers and Soundstorm, and there was a splendid double bill last night. Both play a sort funky jazz infused music and the venue has good acoustics. The highlight of the evening was when the two bands joined together. Once in a while it's fun for the two of us to go out and kick up our heels.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Making of a Shade
I love watching how things are created. I particularly like the use of the light to help gauge the thickness of the shade. The end product is lovely and so is the music.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Why I Love the Improbable Research Blog
Where else can I find delightful articles about how a Whack on the side of head spurs creativity and "Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated self-assessments."
Friday, February 10, 2012
MCP Project 12: Love Freshly Baked
This month's MCP Project 12's primary theme, as opposed to the one I covered last week, is love. Which isn't too shocking considering the big non-holiday on Tuesday.
As I mentioned on Tuesday the bread was very well received. Rebecca for whatever reason was calling it the baby and I got her to pose cradling the loaf. Mind you it stopped being a baby once the bread cooled down to an edible temperature.
So really what better way to show love in a non-February clichéd manner than a loaf of bread baked with love that was in turn loved by the recipients.
As I mentioned on Tuesday the bread was very well received. Rebecca for whatever reason was calling it the baby and I got her to pose cradling the loaf. Mind you it stopped being a baby once the bread cooled down to an edible temperature.
So really what better way to show love in a non-February clichéd manner than a loaf of bread baked with love that was in turn loved by the recipients.
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Holding Pattern
A month ago an elementary student in area died from a severe peanut allergy. The horror of the story has been compounded by the fact it was from a fellow student sharing a peanut based snack on the playground. When the news first hit I immediately thought of one of Max and Rebecca's classmates who has such a life threatening allergy. She is a very sweet kid with a wonderful mom that makes a point to come to every party and field trip to ensure her daughter gets only things that are safe her her to eat. It wasn't her that died, the child was much younger and in a completely different school.
Meanwhile it looks like Rebecca has developed a sensitivity to peanuts. A couple years ago we went to Five Guys Burger and Fries and Rebecca started coughing. It was a dry, almost asthmatic sort of hacking cough. She wasn't sick and she wasn't choking, but something was clearly up. Then I realized the place was awash in peanuts. Open boxes of unshelled peanuts were all over the place for patrons to snack on while waiting for their food. Rebecca has never cared for peanuts and that's not an unusual aspect of a food allergy. Young children often instinctively avoid foods that make them sick. I for one never wanted to eat shellfish as a kid, almost blasphemy for someone of New England stock.When I finally did try some crab meat salad at my cousins wedding I promptly had an extreme allergic reaction. Luckily my family is loaded with asthmatics and such and they were able to stave off the attack. So yes, food allergies are not unheard of in my family.
Anyhoodle back to the whole peanut allergy thing in school. For the past two school years I have carefully noted on Rebecca's information card that she has a minor peanut allergy. Since she does not like peanuts and is uninterested in other kids' food I didn't worry about her. At some point I would get her tested, but I wanted her to be a bit older and better able to deal with the prospect of a prick test. This was all fine and dandy until three weeks ago. Our school board decided that my little note was no longer enough. More details and an action plan were needed.
Sigh, so it was off to the allergist today.
Rebecca had a simple prick test on her forearms. Just three little jabs, the peanut on her right and the controls on her left. Fifteen minutes later the Dr. check her arms. The saline (negative control) was clear and the histamine (positive control) produced a large, red, and itchy welt. Just what was to be expected. The peanut however, well was not quite so clear. There was definitely something going on, but at most a three on a scale of one to ten.
Which was about what I expected.
However, it wasn't an equivocal answer, more of a kinda sorta. The upshot of it all is that now Rebecca got the added treat of a blood draw to see what is going on. It'll be another week until we know the results and even that won't guarantee us an answer. In the mean time her Dr. said it was best if she carried on avoiding peanuts.
Meanwhile it looks like Rebecca has developed a sensitivity to peanuts. A couple years ago we went to Five Guys Burger and Fries and Rebecca started coughing. It was a dry, almost asthmatic sort of hacking cough. She wasn't sick and she wasn't choking, but something was clearly up. Then I realized the place was awash in peanuts. Open boxes of unshelled peanuts were all over the place for patrons to snack on while waiting for their food. Rebecca has never cared for peanuts and that's not an unusual aspect of a food allergy. Young children often instinctively avoid foods that make them sick. I for one never wanted to eat shellfish as a kid, almost blasphemy for someone of New England stock.When I finally did try some crab meat salad at my cousins wedding I promptly had an extreme allergic reaction. Luckily my family is loaded with asthmatics and such and they were able to stave off the attack. So yes, food allergies are not unheard of in my family.
Anyhoodle back to the whole peanut allergy thing in school. For the past two school years I have carefully noted on Rebecca's information card that she has a minor peanut allergy. Since she does not like peanuts and is uninterested in other kids' food I didn't worry about her. At some point I would get her tested, but I wanted her to be a bit older and better able to deal with the prospect of a prick test. This was all fine and dandy until three weeks ago. Our school board decided that my little note was no longer enough. More details and an action plan were needed.
Sigh, so it was off to the allergist today.
Rebecca had a simple prick test on her forearms. Just three little jabs, the peanut on her right and the controls on her left. Fifteen minutes later the Dr. check her arms. The saline (negative control) was clear and the histamine (positive control) produced a large, red, and itchy welt. Just what was to be expected. The peanut however, well was not quite so clear. There was definitely something going on, but at most a three on a scale of one to ten.
Which was about what I expected.
However, it wasn't an equivocal answer, more of a kinda sorta. The upshot of it all is that now Rebecca got the added treat of a blood draw to see what is going on. It'll be another week until we know the results and even that won't guarantee us an answer. In the mean time her Dr. said it was best if she carried on avoiding peanuts.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Artist of the Week: Blastolene And The Decoliner
There is a little part of me that is a would-be gearhead and this week's artist reflects that part. Below is an interview with Randy Grubb a member of the artistic collective known as Blastolene.
During the interview a couple of pulse engine vehicles are shown, but the main story is the Decoliner. It is a beauteous beast of a vehicle with some very startling features. At one point in the clip it is stated that isn't so much the miles per hour, but the smiles per hour that matter. I completely agree. Watch it and enjoy.
There is some incredible craftsmanship that went into the creation of the Decoliner and it certainly qualifies as a piece of art.
During the interview a couple of pulse engine vehicles are shown, but the main story is the Decoliner. It is a beauteous beast of a vehicle with some very startling features. At one point in the clip it is stated that isn't so much the miles per hour, but the smiles per hour that matter. I completely agree. Watch it and enjoy.
There is some incredible craftsmanship that went into the creation of the Decoliner and it certainly qualifies as a piece of art.
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Baking With Julia- White Loaves
I've joined in with a cooking project that I learned about over at Diane's blog, Ginosko. Last year the group did Tuesdays with Dorie, cooking recipes from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking From My Home To Yours," this year the cookbook is "Baking with Julia Child." From what I understand two recipes will be selected per month. I love Julia Child's style of cooking and I'm always up for a bit of baking. Throw in so blog fodder and I'm game.
The inaugural recipe is White Loaves and I must say it was a wonderful dough to create, silky smooth and not at all sticky. The recipe was pretty much dead on, my only issue was I had longer rise times, but that was due to my cool house and not the dough. In the summer I'll be able to easily find a nice warm spot for the dough to rise. My only deviation from the recipe was to make one of my loaves a cinnamon swirl. Before folding up the dough and plopping it into the pan I brushed the surface with melted butter and sprinkled on both cinnamon and sugar.
The bread smelled heavenly while baking and it was very hard to keep the kids away while it cooled. The plain white loaf, on the right in the picture, was soon gone. I got only one slice and it was delicious. The second loaf I squirreled away for tomorrow. I figure it'll be a nice treat when it's toasted with a bit of butter. I'm looking forward to my next assignment!
The inaugural recipe is White Loaves and I must say it was a wonderful dough to create, silky smooth and not at all sticky. The recipe was pretty much dead on, my only issue was I had longer rise times, but that was due to my cool house and not the dough. In the summer I'll be able to easily find a nice warm spot for the dough to rise. My only deviation from the recipe was to make one of my loaves a cinnamon swirl. Before folding up the dough and plopping it into the pan I brushed the surface with melted butter and sprinkled on both cinnamon and sugar.
The bread smelled heavenly while baking and it was very hard to keep the kids away while it cooled. The plain white loaf, on the right in the picture, was soon gone. I got only one slice and it was delicious. The second loaf I squirreled away for tomorrow. I figure it'll be a nice treat when it's toasted with a bit of butter. I'm looking forward to my next assignment!
Monday, February 06, 2012
RE-COLLECTION
It's that time of year again that I dip into Tropfest. This year they are continuing on with the idea of the letting viewers pick out the 16th entry. A the Tropfest channel on YouTube you can see the 10 contebders and vote for your favorite. I went for the slightly darker themed film that is a great variation on turnabout.
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Just About Little Old Me
Robbo has an interesting post about introversion and such that includes a fun (at least to me) "Are you and Introvert Test." Yay a meme! I don't veiw my self as strictly an introvert, but I do live on the quiet side.
The more you agree with the following statements the more introverted you are.
1. I prefer one-on-one conversations to group activities. Depends upon the group and the activity. For me smaller is better.
2. I often prefer to express myself in writing. Ha! More like photography or baking. Seriously I do like to talk to my friends on the phone. This blog thing I do is a bit of a stretch for me, I am not a writer. I am a much better story teller in person, ask Meryl who is a writer.
3. I enjoy solitude. Yes, I do cherish my alone time during the school year. The first week of summer break is brutal, but I adjust. For this reason alone I seriously doubt I could ever home school.
4. I seem to care about wealth, fame, and status less than my peers. Not really, but then my peers are my friends for a reason. I'm not driven to be famous, but a big lottery win would be nice.
5. I dislike small talk, but I enjoy talking in depth about topics that matter to me. Fairly true, hell to me is a cocktail party.
6. People tell me that I’m a good listener. Yes I do listen, but I will share my opinion if it seems wanted.
7. I’m not a big risk-taker. Another big Ha! Depends on the risk. I've moved out to the Midwest to be with my then boyfriend/now husband. I quit my job, line up a new job ahead of time, and moved from CT all on my own. However I never would have dared done the rattling around Europe and South America as my very extroverted brother did. Oh yeah and I've dyed my hair purple. Twice.
8. I enjoy work that allows me to “dive in” with few interruptions. Yes, I like a clear task that I can wade into.
9. I like to celebrate birthdays on a small scale, with only one or two close friends or family members. True, very true.
10. People describe me as “soft-spoken” or “mellow.” Yes, although it has been noted that I'm all very quiet and agreeable until you cross the line. Then look out.
11. I prefer not to show or discuss my work with others until it’s finished. Yup.
12. I dislike conflict. Very true.
13. I do my best work on my own. Yes, I'm having a hard time baking with my daughter. It is hard to let go, I want it done right.
14. I tend to think before I speak. Generally yes. I try not to blurt out whatever crosses my mind.
15. I feel drained after being out and about, even if I’ve enjoyed myself. No, I do have fun going out and about.
16. I often let calls go through to voice mail. If I don't want to answer a particular call I will let it go to voice mail (I'm looking at you political "surveys" and telemarketers). However I do frequently answer when it's for an individual. I volunteer for my dog club by fielding inquires and dachshunds. I can talk to anybody for long stretches about dogs.
17. If you had to choose, I’d prefer a weekend with absolutely nothing to do to one with too many things scheduled. Yes!
18. I don’t enjoy multitasking. I'm fine with multitasking. It's a bit a necessity with four kids.
19. I can concentrate easily. If the subject interests me, absolutely.
20. In classroom situations, I prefer lectures to seminars.If the subject matter is interesting and the professor is engaging, yes to seminars.
So roughly 15 out of 20, but when I do veer off it's in a big way. I can be bold as brass when the mood strikes me. I mean really, how many 46 year old hard core introverts with purple hair are out there?
The more you agree with the following statements the more introverted you are.
1. I prefer one-on-one conversations to group activities. Depends upon the group and the activity. For me smaller is better.
2. I often prefer to express myself in writing. Ha! More like photography or baking. Seriously I do like to talk to my friends on the phone. This blog thing I do is a bit of a stretch for me, I am not a writer. I am a much better story teller in person, ask Meryl who is a writer.
3. I enjoy solitude. Yes, I do cherish my alone time during the school year. The first week of summer break is brutal, but I adjust. For this reason alone I seriously doubt I could ever home school.
4. I seem to care about wealth, fame, and status less than my peers. Not really, but then my peers are my friends for a reason. I'm not driven to be famous, but a big lottery win would be nice.
5. I dislike small talk, but I enjoy talking in depth about topics that matter to me. Fairly true, hell to me is a cocktail party.
6. People tell me that I’m a good listener. Yes I do listen, but I will share my opinion if it seems wanted.
7. I’m not a big risk-taker. Another big Ha! Depends on the risk. I've moved out to the Midwest to be with my then boyfriend/now husband. I quit my job, line up a new job ahead of time, and moved from CT all on my own. However I never would have dared done the rattling around Europe and South America as my very extroverted brother did. Oh yeah and I've dyed my hair purple. Twice.
8. I enjoy work that allows me to “dive in” with few interruptions. Yes, I like a clear task that I can wade into.
9. I like to celebrate birthdays on a small scale, with only one or two close friends or family members. True, very true.
10. People describe me as “soft-spoken” or “mellow.” Yes, although it has been noted that I'm all very quiet and agreeable until you cross the line. Then look out.
11. I prefer not to show or discuss my work with others until it’s finished. Yup.
12. I dislike conflict. Very true.
13. I do my best work on my own. Yes, I'm having a hard time baking with my daughter. It is hard to let go, I want it done right.
14. I tend to think before I speak. Generally yes. I try not to blurt out whatever crosses my mind.
15. I feel drained after being out and about, even if I’ve enjoyed myself. No, I do have fun going out and about.
16. I often let calls go through to voice mail. If I don't want to answer a particular call I will let it go to voice mail (I'm looking at you political "surveys" and telemarketers). However I do frequently answer when it's for an individual. I volunteer for my dog club by fielding inquires and dachshunds. I can talk to anybody for long stretches about dogs.
17. If you had to choose, I’d prefer a weekend with absolutely nothing to do to one with too many things scheduled. Yes!
18. I don’t enjoy multitasking. I'm fine with multitasking. It's a bit a necessity with four kids.
19. I can concentrate easily. If the subject interests me, absolutely.
20. In classroom situations, I prefer lectures to seminars.If the subject matter is interesting and the professor is engaging, yes to seminars.
So roughly 15 out of 20, but when I do veer off it's in a big way. I can be bold as brass when the mood strikes me. I mean really, how many 46 year old hard core introverts with purple hair are out there?
Friday, February 03, 2012
MCP Project 12: Leap... Sort of
This picture from April 23, 2010 would have been a perfect choice for this month's MCP Project 12's alternate theme Leap (and not too bad for the primary Love). Sadly it's not from this month and is ineligible.
Bummer.
For a bit of background on the sculpture head on over my post from April 2010 when I first featured this particular work of art. I featured the other picture back in 2010 because of the rainbow, but I think compositionally this is the better photo.
Bummer.
For a bit of background on the sculpture head on over my post from April 2010 when I first featured this particular work of art. I featured the other picture back in 2010 because of the rainbow, but I think compositionally this is the better photo.
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Wonderful Stories
I found the sweetest article today over at Neatorama, 7 Amazing Stories of Lost and Re-Found Wedding Rings. I don't know how I got there, but it was certainly the picture of the beringed carrot that got my attention.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Artist of the Week: Minecraft
This week's artist is the now camera shy Jake.
He really does not want anybody taking his picture now so I have to settle on a back view from way back in August. The more recent pictures I have are from band performances and I have already featured them. He'll eventually come around, I just have to give him his space. He is very much 15.
Anyhoodle I'm featuring him for what he has done on Minecraft. For those not in the know, Minecraft is a video game where you create everything from different textured cubes, for a better run down click here. It looks very interesting and Nate very much wants me to play, but I have demurred so far because I can see it can become a very big time sink. Case in point Jake.
He is currently the mayor of a town on one of the servers. Along with a few other co-mayors, he shapes how the town grows. He has his own buildings and has created some wonderful structures, one of which is a Spleef stadium (Spleef is a game within the game). Jake has created a neat little world and I wish I could show it you.
He really does not want anybody taking his picture now so I have to settle on a back view from way back in August. The more recent pictures I have are from band performances and I have already featured them. He'll eventually come around, I just have to give him his space. He is very much 15.
Anyhoodle I'm featuring him for what he has done on Minecraft. For those not in the know, Minecraft is a video game where you create everything from different textured cubes, for a better run down click here. It looks very interesting and Nate very much wants me to play, but I have demurred so far because I can see it can become a very big time sink. Case in point Jake.
He is currently the mayor of a town on one of the servers. Along with a few other co-mayors, he shapes how the town grows. He has his own buildings and has created some wonderful structures, one of which is a Spleef stadium (Spleef is a game within the game). Jake has created a neat little world and I wish I could show it you.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
January Blooms?
It's nigh on February and I feel that I should be taking and posting pictures like this one of Rebecca. You know something seasonally appropriate. This picture was from our grand trip up north. Admittedly there wasn't a whole heck of a lot of snow up there, but we were able to find some in sufficient quantities to go sledding.
Since then my mother has gotten a bit more snow. Nothing epic, but a goodly amount. There is a nice layer of snow and the temperatures have been fairly close normal.
Around here, however, we have daffodils in bloom an temps soaring into the 70s.
Seriously? 70s?
I joke about how lame Virginia winters are and that we have to go up north for real cold weather, but really this is too much. On the bright side I have been enjoying the impact on my heating bill.
Since then my mother has gotten a bit more snow. Nothing epic, but a goodly amount. There is a nice layer of snow and the temperatures have been fairly close normal.
Around here, however, we have daffodils in bloom an temps soaring into the 70s.
Seriously? 70s?
I joke about how lame Virginia winters are and that we have to go up north for real cold weather, but really this is too much. On the bright side I have been enjoying the impact on my heating bill.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Champis - The Herding Rabbit
I think I found this little gem in the comments of... something.
I love the song "Run, Rabbit, Run" and the video itself is delightful.
The language in the description is Swedish and roughly translates to:
The rabbit is a beloved pet that really does herd sheep. If you are willing to check the blog referenced and translate it all from Swedish you will learn quite a bit more.
I love the song "Run, Rabbit, Run" and the video itself is delightful.
The language in the description is Swedish and roughly translates to:
Who needs a dog when there are ... rabbits!
If you like to learn more about Champis, see:
www.gardsbacken.blogspot.com
The rabbit is a beloved pet that really does herd sheep. If you are willing to check the blog referenced and translate it all from Swedish you will learn quite a bit more.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Troubled Skies
We have had an incredibly mild winter so far, temperatures from the 50s and up. However as this warm weather has been fairly wet. Moody skies like this have been the norm.
I snapped this one just after I parked my car at the library. As I stepped out I glanced up and saw this wonderful cloudscape. For whatever reason I had my camera in the car, so I ducked back in and fished out my camera. The picture only needed a little tweaking of the contrast, the sky really was this dramatic. Interestingly directly overhead was blue skies, this was all south of me.
I snapped this one just after I parked my car at the library. As I stepped out I glanced up and saw this wonderful cloudscape. For whatever reason I had my camera in the car, so I ducked back in and fished out my camera. The picture only needed a little tweaking of the contrast, the sky really was this dramatic. Interestingly directly overhead was blue skies, this was all south of me.
Friday, January 27, 2012
MCP Project 12: Raindrop Resolution
So far it has been an unbelievably mild winter in Virginia. It has been 50s and 60s all week long and I think it hit 70 today. Last week, during the morning walk I take with a few other people in the neighborhood, we noticed that there were quite a few daffodils in bloom. I resolved (ha! there's that theme word again) to take a few pictures before the temperature started to drop.
It took a few days for the weather to cooperate and for me to remember my camera. I finally got my moment after a rain shower this morning. I really like the details I captured of the raindrops on the flower's petals and the bright crisp light. I went back a few hours later and the blooms were all cloaked in shadow. It really behooves you to move quickly with the variability of natural lighting, when you see the "shot" you must not dawdle.
It took a few days for the weather to cooperate and for me to remember my camera. I finally got my moment after a rain shower this morning. I really like the details I captured of the raindrops on the flower's petals and the bright crisp light. I went back a few hours later and the blooms were all cloaked in shadow. It really behooves you to move quickly with the variability of natural lighting, when you see the "shot" you must not dawdle.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Growing Up
Our middle boy is growing up.
He had his big Bar Mitzvah a little over two months ago and yesterday he and I went to the bank and opened up a savings account. I'm proud of the fact that the bulk of his money went to the bank and wasn't just frittered away. He bought a few games, Minecraft being one, and a basic iTouch.
Next up will be a cell phone, which will be very interesting considering how social he is. We are only going to get him the most basic of phones, he only needs to be able to be able to call home. We'll see how that works out.
He had his big Bar Mitzvah a little over two months ago and yesterday he and I went to the bank and opened up a savings account. I'm proud of the fact that the bulk of his money went to the bank and wasn't just frittered away. He bought a few games, Minecraft being one, and a basic iTouch.
Next up will be a cell phone, which will be very interesting considering how social he is. We are only going to get him the most basic of phones, he only needs to be able to be able to call home. We'll see how that works out.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Artist of the Week: Dreaming of Doughnuts
This week's artist is Rebecca from way back in December of 2011. Remember that post I did, Not Moose and Squirrel? Well the whole reason I was at this art opening was because our dear little Miss Rebecca had a piece on exhibit. We got an invitation from her student teacher with all the details of when and where.
I was going to post about this earlier, but life (and the holidays) intervened. Honestly last December was a bit of a blur to me. I thought that after Nate's Bar Mitzvah everything would calm down, but instead it was holiday madness with a desperate catch-up from all the things I had neglected.
Anyhoo better late then never.
The art work that was exhibited was a sort of mobile. The students illustrated a dream on a paper plate and dangling from the plate was a brief description of the dream, hence the odd angle of Rebecca's portrait. I wanted to have the piece (which was hanging from the ceiling) to be like a dream bubble above Rebecca's head.
The quote from Rebecca that describes her dream is as follows:
Which is entirely believable for Rebecca.
I love how the little figure representing herself looks like a little fairy, wings and all, in the land of giant doughnuts. A fitting dream for a child whose first words were doughnut and chocolate.
I was going to post about this earlier, but life (and the holidays) intervened. Honestly last December was a bit of a blur to me. I thought that after Nate's Bar Mitzvah everything would calm down, but instead it was holiday madness with a desperate catch-up from all the things I had neglected.
Anyhoo better late then never.
The art work that was exhibited was a sort of mobile. The students illustrated a dream on a paper plate and dangling from the plate was a brief description of the dream, hence the odd angle of Rebecca's portrait. I wanted to have the piece (which was hanging from the ceiling) to be like a dream bubble above Rebecca's head.
The quote from Rebecca that describes her dream is as follows:
I have dreamed of thousands of doughnuts and dollars.
I have dreamed of flying.
I have dreamed of never ending fun.
Which is entirely believable for Rebecca.
I love how the little figure representing herself looks like a little fairy, wings and all, in the land of giant doughnuts. A fitting dream for a child whose first words were doughnut and chocolate.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Purple
So for the second time in my life I've embraced my inner punk and dyed my hair purple.
There is no flying under the radar with my vibrantly hued locks. Strangers and friends ask me why and I say because brown is boring. I'm 70% grey and it's not a flattering grey like it is for some people I look tired and old, far older than my years. So I have being coloring my hair for the past 15 years. Brown, auburn, the odd red, I have done them all. I'm fortunate that my hair takes color well and is fairly resilient. My hair keeps growing and I keep coloring.
I guess in a way it's my super cheap mid-life crisis. It's non-permanent,which is annoying since all the purple dyes in the US are only semi-permanent. I get a lot of malarkey about purple isn't available in a permanent form because it is an "unnatural" color and the hair won't take it in. Really!? Any hair dye is unnatural, this is a very weak argument. It turns out there is one available, but it's in the UK and not worth the expense of shipping it to here.
Anyhoodle, it's fun and inspires all sorts of conversations wherever I go. And really it's a much better form of rebellion than tattoos and piercings, both of which are painful and can be devilishly hard to get rid of.
Update: Ha!
There is no flying under the radar with my vibrantly hued locks. Strangers and friends ask me why and I say because brown is boring. I'm 70% grey and it's not a flattering grey like it is for some people I look tired and old, far older than my years. So I have being coloring my hair for the past 15 years. Brown, auburn, the odd red, I have done them all. I'm fortunate that my hair takes color well and is fairly resilient. My hair keeps growing and I keep coloring.
I guess in a way it's my super cheap mid-life crisis. It's non-permanent,which is annoying since all the purple dyes in the US are only semi-permanent. I get a lot of malarkey about purple isn't available in a permanent form because it is an "unnatural" color and the hair won't take it in. Really!? Any hair dye is unnatural, this is a very weak argument. It turns out there is one available, but it's in the UK and not worth the expense of shipping it to here.
Anyhoodle, it's fun and inspires all sorts of conversations wherever I go. And really it's a much better form of rebellion than tattoos and piercings, both of which are painful and can be devilishly hard to get rid of.
Update: Ha!
Monday, January 23, 2012
The Piano
A short animation by Aidan Gibbons, Music by Yann Tiersen. A piano player reflects on his life while playing the piano. One of those little gems that YuoTube recommends to me that are definitely worth watching.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Moments of Hilarity
For the most part our crew gets along. There is of course the endless sniping and requests to go away that Larry and I as parents have learned to tune out. We want our children to not rely on us to settle their differences, they need to learn to figure it out on their own. Mind you we do have some ground rules, no cruelty and no hitting, but for the most part they are able to deal with their differences. It might get a bit loud (hello four loud kids, hence the blog's name), but it's generally fairly mundane.
However once in a while we overhear a real gem. Today Rebecca loudly declared "You're the weirdest brother I ever had!" I'm not sure who it was directed towards, but the capper was the immediate objection by one of the non-accused that he was the weird one.
Around here there is never a dull moment.
However once in a while we overhear a real gem. Today Rebecca loudly declared "You're the weirdest brother I ever had!" I'm not sure who it was directed towards, but the capper was the immediate objection by one of the non-accused that he was the weird one.
Around here there is never a dull moment.
Friday, January 20, 2012
MCP Project 12: Resolution to Coats
My children have the awful habit of shedding their coats and leaving them all throughout the house. I tired of tripping over coats and dealing with the last minute scramble in the morning to find said coats.
I have decided to take action and find a solution.
My resolution to the problem? I toss the offending jackets out onto the deck. So if you don't want a a frost covered coat you have to put it away on one of the many coat pegs/hooks out in the garage.
Of course if the jacket isn't put away and oh lets say it rains, the owner of the jacket has to put it in the dryer and hope that it will be ready in time for school. A certain member of the family was less then pleased when this happened two days ago.
Consequences baby, consequences.
I have decided to take action and find a solution.
My resolution to the problem? I toss the offending jackets out onto the deck. So if you don't want a a frost covered coat you have to put it away on one of the many coat pegs/hooks out in the garage.
Of course if the jacket isn't put away and oh lets say it rains, the owner of the jacket has to put it in the dryer and hope that it will be ready in time for school. A certain member of the family was less then pleased when this happened two days ago.
Consequences baby, consequences.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Sunrise with the Moon and Stars
This morning as I let the dogs I gazed out at the lightening sky. The sun wasn't quite up, but it's glow could be seen through the trees that surround us. The I noticed the moon hanging low in the sky. The lighting was such that it seemed you could see the dark side along with the brightly shining crescent. Three morning stars lay to the right right adding to the magic.
I had to take a picture.
I went back inside to hunt down my tripod. It took a bit of doing as it hadn't been returned to the closet, but was instead languishing in the dining room. Why there, I have no idea other than in all likelihood it was my own fault. I first set up the camera and tripod indoors since it was a bitter 25 degrees outside. Once my camera was ready I went out and took pictures.
The lighting was challenging. It was hard to get what I wanted, but I came very close. I think I might just submit this one to MCP Project 12, I just have to figure how it relates to Resolutions.
I had to take a picture.
I went back inside to hunt down my tripod. It took a bit of doing as it hadn't been returned to the closet, but was instead languishing in the dining room. Why there, I have no idea other than in all likelihood it was my own fault. I first set up the camera and tripod indoors since it was a bitter 25 degrees outside. Once my camera was ready I went out and took pictures.
The lighting was challenging. It was hard to get what I wanted, but I came very close. I think I might just submit this one to MCP Project 12, I just have to figure how it relates to Resolutions.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Chocolate Covered Oreo Truffles
Last week Rebecca had checked out from the school library The " Paula Deen's Cookbook for the Lunch-box Set." Inside were numerous recipes that Rebecca wanted to give a try, one of which was Oreo Truffles. I had just done a fair amount of baking and told her we would do it on Thursday and bring them over to the neighbor's house if we all got together the next day. Rebecca tought it was a good idea and was pretty patient all the way to last Wednesday, but I held firm.
I knew to would be too hard to hold off eating them if we made them before Thursday. I did, however, got the ingredients ahead of time to mollify Rebecca.
Thursday after school Rebecca was ready to roll. We had a brief snit over the cream cheese (she got impatient over how long it took to warm up), but that was our only problem. The Oreo truffles are ridiculously easy to make.
One 15 -18 oz bag of Oreos
8 oz of room temperature cream cheese
about a pound of melted dipping chocolate
Either crush the oreos in a plastic bag using a rolling pin or use a food processor, mix in the cream cheese, chill the dough for about an hour, make small (about and inch or less in diameter) balls of the chilled dough and dip them in the meted dipping chocolate. Plate on wax paper and chill until the coating hardens.
Rebecca was able to do most of the work, all I did was scrape out the food processor for her and dip the balls in the chocolate. I forgot the wax paper, but I was able to gently warm the bottom of the plates I put them on and that loosen the truffles enough so that I could remove them from the plate. The truffles themselves are delicious! They were a big hit with the neighbors and our family. We will definitely make these again.
I knew to would be too hard to hold off eating them if we made them before Thursday. I did, however, got the ingredients ahead of time to mollify Rebecca.
Thursday after school Rebecca was ready to roll. We had a brief snit over the cream cheese (she got impatient over how long it took to warm up), but that was our only problem. The Oreo truffles are ridiculously easy to make.
One 15 -18 oz bag of Oreos
8 oz of room temperature cream cheese
about a pound of melted dipping chocolate
Either crush the oreos in a plastic bag using a rolling pin or use a food processor, mix in the cream cheese, chill the dough for about an hour, make small (about and inch or less in diameter) balls of the chilled dough and dip them in the meted dipping chocolate. Plate on wax paper and chill until the coating hardens.
Rebecca was able to do most of the work, all I did was scrape out the food processor for her and dip the balls in the chocolate. I forgot the wax paper, but I was able to gently warm the bottom of the plates I put them on and that loosen the truffles enough so that I could remove them from the plate. The truffles themselves are delicious! They were a big hit with the neighbors and our family. We will definitely make these again.
Friday, January 13, 2012
MCP Project 12: Resolution
So it's a new year and a new photo assignment group. This year it is title MCP Project 12 and will be on a monthly format. I think the weekly themes overwhelmed the mods and they are dialing it back this year. It is possible to still do a weekly submission (and I will try to!), but the relentless pace of a new theme each week has slowed down to one per month.
This month's theme is resolution, which is something I'm not that into. Oh I do believe in bettering oneself, but making New Year's resolutions is not what I do.
That said I had to come up with something and decided that to laugh more and have fun would be good ones to work with for this theme. I ended up submitting a series of pictures showing Nate starting to laugh. He was watching Captain Sparklez YouTube and I was nearby with my camera at hand. (And yes I already used the second photo for a post on Wednesday, but you have to admit it is too good to not use.)
I don't know how it'll fly over at MCP Project 12, but I really like the resultant linked sequence.
This month's theme is resolution, which is something I'm not that into. Oh I do believe in bettering oneself, but making New Year's resolutions is not what I do.
That said I had to come up with something and decided that to laugh more and have fun would be good ones to work with for this theme. I ended up submitting a series of pictures showing Nate starting to laugh. He was watching Captain Sparklez YouTube and I was nearby with my camera at hand. (And yes I already used the second photo for a post on Wednesday, but you have to admit it is too good to not use.)
I don't know how it'll fly over at MCP Project 12, but I really like the resultant linked sequence.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Livin' Large
Honestly what can I say. My daughter is practically doing something straight out of "15 Things White Girls Do on Facebook."
This was part of the silliness that happens on New Year's day. The hat and glasses are Nate's, but the rest is all Rebecca. She put them on and immediately struck a pose and asked for the camera.
This was part of the silliness that happens on New Year's day. The hat and glasses are Nate's, but the rest is all Rebecca. She put them on and immediately struck a pose and asked for the camera.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Artist of the Week: Skyrim!
This week's artist is Nate. I got this picture of him while he was busy watching a rather silly video by Captain Sparklez (Seriously that's the guy's online name). I love it when I can photograph my children when they are completely unaware of what I am doing. Thus I have silenced all the beeps and boops my camera makes. I don't need a chime when my camera is turned on or off, it bugs me and inevitably distracts my subject. You know you take too many pictures of your dog when they come to you when they hear the camera go on.
Anyhoo, it's a great picture of Nate with a natural and relaxed expression.
Skyrim, however, is not relaxed. It's a game that Nate is very excited about, to the point that he drew this picture. He's a bit disappointed with the dragon and wishes he did a better job, but I think it is still a good effort. We were up north at my mother's house when he drew the picture. He had been pestering me for hours for a pencil, forcing me to go out to the car to fetch one (we couldn't find my mom's stash- just her pens and the crayons she has on hand for our visits). Paper was procured and the boy was then off happily drawing for an hour or so.
It was fascinating to see how agitated he was when the inspiration to draw hit. He paced about and would not settle until he had his drawing materials. There is a lot of drive in that boy.
Anyhoo, it's a great picture of Nate with a natural and relaxed expression.
Skyrim, however, is not relaxed. It's a game that Nate is very excited about, to the point that he drew this picture. He's a bit disappointed with the dragon and wishes he did a better job, but I think it is still a good effort. We were up north at my mother's house when he drew the picture. He had been pestering me for hours for a pencil, forcing me to go out to the car to fetch one (we couldn't find my mom's stash- just her pens and the crayons she has on hand for our visits). Paper was procured and the boy was then off happily drawing for an hour or so.
It was fascinating to see how agitated he was when the inspiration to draw hit. He paced about and would not settle until he had his drawing materials. There is a lot of drive in that boy.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Circle Dogs with Bad Kitty
Remember that picture I took titled "Circle Dogs"? You know the one with the dogs in virtually the same pose, but with a different book?
Well Larry noticed they were up to the same, but this time with "Bad Kitty." He thought it was an excellent photo op, and dang it he's right! I think it's just so very funny to have that book with the dogs clearly turned away.
Bad kitty indeed.
Well Larry noticed they were up to the same, but this time with "Bad Kitty." He thought it was an excellent photo op, and dang it he's right! I think it's just so very funny to have that book with the dogs clearly turned away.
Bad kitty indeed.
Monday, January 09, 2012
Urban Skiing
We haven't yet gotten any snow, but that wouldn't stop this skier.
My understanding is that this is just a short segment of a much longer film "All.I.Can." by Sherpas Cinema, either way it's a fun shhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifort to watch. I think I found this over on the sidebar of Fetch My Flying Monkeys.
My understanding is that this is just a short segment of a much longer film "All.I.Can." by Sherpas Cinema, either way it's a fun shhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifort to watch. I think I found this over on the sidebar of Fetch My Flying Monkeys.
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Dell, by Nate
I've been sitting on this picture for awhile. I just didn't have anything to post with it and then things got busy and we then were off on vacation.
It's a wonderful picture of Dell taken by Nate. I love how most of the picture is in shadow, all that is visible is a bit of rug and half of Dell's face. The focus is dead on, which is remarkable considering the low light levels. Both Nate and Dell were rock steady for that brief moment in time.
It's a wonderful picture of Dell taken by Nate. I love how most of the picture is in shadow, all that is visible is a bit of rug and half of Dell's face. The focus is dead on, which is remarkable considering the low light levels. Both Nate and Dell were rock steady for that brief moment in time.
Friday, January 06, 2012
New Jersey Sky
I never quite got to the MCP Project 12 this week, which really isn't a big deal now that it's a monthly theme. So instead I'm featuring a quirky picture from our drive home from up north.
Larry was at the wheel as we drove through New Jersey. It was not the nicest of days, the sky was still overcast from the previous days weather. The clouds, however, had the strangest almost luminescent quality about them.
I was struck by the clouds' strange beauty and fished out my camera. I have done nothing to this picture, except a bit of cropping. The clouds really and truly looked just like the picture. It was as though the sky was painted in watercolors.
It is not the *best* picture, but considering we were bombing along at highway speeds I am happy enough with the shot I got. It was sometime after 11 am and I have no idea what caused that interesting atmospheric effect.
Larry was at the wheel as we drove through New Jersey. It was not the nicest of days, the sky was still overcast from the previous days weather. The clouds, however, had the strangest almost luminescent quality about them.
I was struck by the clouds' strange beauty and fished out my camera. I have done nothing to this picture, except a bit of cropping. The clouds really and truly looked just like the picture. It was as though the sky was painted in watercolors.
It is not the *best* picture, but considering we were bombing along at highway speeds I am happy enough with the shot I got. It was sometime after 11 am and I have no idea what caused that interesting atmospheric effect.
Thursday, January 05, 2012
MCP Project 52: What Life Is All About
This picture was my finial submission to MCP Project 52. The theme was "what life is all about" and I thought Max running down the hill with a sled was a good selection. It's going full tilt and living in the moment.
I'm sad that it's over, I had a lot of fun working on the weekly theme format. This year it will be a monthly theme. You have the option of doing weekly, but the theme will remain static through the month. I'll give it a try, but already I'm challenged by the first theme.
I'm sad that it's over, I had a lot of fun working on the weekly theme format. This year it will be a monthly theme. You have the option of doing weekly, but the theme will remain static through the month. I'll give it a try, but already I'm challenged by the first theme.
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Artist of the Week: Even More Dominos
This week's artist is the hugging machine known as Max. Nobody, and I mean nobody, leaves this house without a hug. Max is one of the biggest huggers I know and takes his self appointed job as chief hugger very seriously. Fortunately he does ask before hugging and will back off, much to the relief of his hugged out siblings.
Anyhoo, we dramatically increased our domino collection when we brought back from Nana's (my mom) a 55 piece piece set complete with storage tin! Max was positively thrilled and has pretty much built something with them every day. I don't think they will ever be used for the original purpose, but I fine with that. How could I deny such a sweet boy his favorite building blocks? Of course many of his creations must be documented with a picture as per his request, a request I'm more than happy to fulfill.
In addition to the tower Max made this complex of buildings. There is a walled compound with five buildings and a large out building separate from the compound. The much larger assortment of dominoes is very much to Max's liking. He immediately asked me to photograph both structures and, wonder of wonders, asked to be included in at least one of pictures. He is positively beaming in the picture.
Anyhoo, we dramatically increased our domino collection when we brought back from Nana's (my mom) a 55 piece piece set complete with storage tin! Max was positively thrilled and has pretty much built something with them every day. I don't think they will ever be used for the original purpose, but I fine with that. How could I deny such a sweet boy his favorite building blocks? Of course many of his creations must be documented with a picture as per his request, a request I'm more than happy to fulfill.
In addition to the tower Max made this complex of buildings. There is a walled compound with five buildings and a large out building separate from the compound. The much larger assortment of dominoes is very much to Max's liking. He immediately asked me to photograph both structures and, wonder of wonders, asked to be included in at least one of pictures. He is positively beaming in the picture.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Winter Album
I have a lot of pictures to share so this post is going to be more of a photo album of a few of my favorite pictures from our trip up north.
Every year we slog up north during the school system's winter break. It usually runs about two weeks which gives us more than enough time to travel, visit family, and recover. My mom thinks we are a bit crazy to do all that traveling during the winter time. However, winter in Virginia is for the most part lame and this gives our children a taste of what real winter is like.
This year there wasn't much snow on the ground when we first showed up at my mother's house in VT, but that night we got a dusting of snow. I love the clean white of the snow contrasting with the dark trees and their shadows.
I also like this little statue of a bunny that is on my mother's deck. I thought it looked so cute partially surrounded with the little patches of drifted snow. As I recall I wasn't wearing proper footwear (slippers perhaps?) and I didn't want to step down into the snow. So I squatted down and stuck my camera in front of the bunny and snapped a picture. I think it came out rather well! I did not do a thing to the picture except titling it and that really doesn't count.
Of course we didn't spend all our time at my mom's house. She did have some snow, but it wasn't enough to go sledding on.
Instead of going to the park down the street with it's snowless hill, we went to my cousin's house. His house is about 20 minutes north of my mother's home and he got a bit more snow. He also has a rather epic sledding hill in the fields adjacent to the house. We wee invited up to go sledding and we gladly accepted the offer.
The drive was a bit more exciting than I would have liked. I did a half-assed job tying the toboggan down and guess what happened. The dang thing flipped off the van and skidded across the road. Fortunately no other cars were behind us and the the oncoming traffic was sparse enough that they avoided the sled. I quickly pulled over and hustled down the road to collect our wayward toboggan.
Remarkably it was unharmed by it's misadventure. I was able to stuff the other sleds in the rocket box on top of the van, but the toboggan was too long. In the end we stuffed it inside the van with us. It was a tight fit, particularly for Nate (he was such a trooper), but we made it work. The rest of the drive was far less exciting and we finished it in due time.
The view from the hill was spectacular and I got some great shots of the mountains to the east. It was a crisp bright day and the snow was loose powder. The sledding wasn't perfect, but we all had a great time.
We never made quite to the tippy top of the hill. The field wasn't as well mown up there and as a result there was a fair amount of dried out plants poking through the snow cover. You can see it in this picture. Larry and Max ventured up into it on the broad path where the snow was a bit smoother. I think it was about 4/5ths the way up the hill. plenty far enough for a good long run.
Another of my cousins showed up to visit and she expressed a little concern about how far up were going. I told her that the kids were fairly experienced and had enough sense to know when to bail. There were a few fence posts to avoid, but not roads to worry about. I was perfectly happy to send them up the hill.
And speaking of fence posts, they are featured in one of my favorite shots. This particular line ran parallel to where we were sledding. I noticed them as I was trudging along and loved how the fence line mirrored the slope of the distant hills. I had a lot of fun composing the shot in the viewfinder and I proud to say it, along with the rest of the pictures in this post, is straight out of the camera. No tweaking of adjusting was necessary. Just download to my computer and post.
Every year we slog up north during the school system's winter break. It usually runs about two weeks which gives us more than enough time to travel, visit family, and recover. My mom thinks we are a bit crazy to do all that traveling during the winter time. However, winter in Virginia is for the most part lame and this gives our children a taste of what real winter is like.
This year there wasn't much snow on the ground when we first showed up at my mother's house in VT, but that night we got a dusting of snow. I love the clean white of the snow contrasting with the dark trees and their shadows.
I also like this little statue of a bunny that is on my mother's deck. I thought it looked so cute partially surrounded with the little patches of drifted snow. As I recall I wasn't wearing proper footwear (slippers perhaps?) and I didn't want to step down into the snow. So I squatted down and stuck my camera in front of the bunny and snapped a picture. I think it came out rather well! I did not do a thing to the picture except titling it and that really doesn't count.
Of course we didn't spend all our time at my mom's house. She did have some snow, but it wasn't enough to go sledding on.
Instead of going to the park down the street with it's snowless hill, we went to my cousin's house. His house is about 20 minutes north of my mother's home and he got a bit more snow. He also has a rather epic sledding hill in the fields adjacent to the house. We wee invited up to go sledding and we gladly accepted the offer.
The drive was a bit more exciting than I would have liked. I did a half-assed job tying the toboggan down and guess what happened. The dang thing flipped off the van and skidded across the road. Fortunately no other cars were behind us and the the oncoming traffic was sparse enough that they avoided the sled. I quickly pulled over and hustled down the road to collect our wayward toboggan.
Remarkably it was unharmed by it's misadventure. I was able to stuff the other sleds in the rocket box on top of the van, but the toboggan was too long. In the end we stuffed it inside the van with us. It was a tight fit, particularly for Nate (he was such a trooper), but we made it work. The rest of the drive was far less exciting and we finished it in due time.
The view from the hill was spectacular and I got some great shots of the mountains to the east. It was a crisp bright day and the snow was loose powder. The sledding wasn't perfect, but we all had a great time.
We never made quite to the tippy top of the hill. The field wasn't as well mown up there and as a result there was a fair amount of dried out plants poking through the snow cover. You can see it in this picture. Larry and Max ventured up into it on the broad path where the snow was a bit smoother. I think it was about 4/5ths the way up the hill. plenty far enough for a good long run.
Another of my cousins showed up to visit and she expressed a little concern about how far up were going. I told her that the kids were fairly experienced and had enough sense to know when to bail. There were a few fence posts to avoid, but not roads to worry about. I was perfectly happy to send them up the hill.
And speaking of fence posts, they are featured in one of my favorite shots. This particular line ran parallel to where we were sledding. I noticed them as I was trudging along and loved how the fence line mirrored the slope of the distant hills. I had a lot of fun composing the shot in the viewfinder and I proud to say it, along with the rest of the pictures in this post, is straight out of the camera. No tweaking of adjusting was necessary. Just download to my computer and post.
Monday, January 02, 2012
Vivian Maier, Street Photographer
I found this very interesting piece on Vivian Maier. She was a nanny that would do street photography during her time off. She had an incredible eye and took absolutely wonderful pictures that she never shared. It took the auctioning off of her storage locker to bring her work to life.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Sledding into the New Year
Happy New Year!
I figure I'll make a return with the New Year. We had a wonderful vacation, visiting friends and family.
It was a bittersweet trip this year as my mom will be moving and it will be the last Christmas/winter break at her house. The new place will be smaller and much easier for her to manage. We will be able to still visit, my cousin has a house not too far away. There is an epic sledding hill there that enabled us to have one good afternoon of sledding before we headed south. The snow was pretty much nonexistent at my mother's home, just a dusting across here yard and nothing on the hill down the street at the park.
As for New Year's eve, we spent it at home with some good friends that came down from DC for the evening. We ate far too much food- flank steak, roasted potatoes, cheese, more cheese, and two desserts (one after dinner and one before midnight) and drank lots of lovely wine. We never did get to the bubbly, we had switched to coffee so our guests could drive home safely. It was a perfect way to spend the evening.
I hope all are well and that you all had a good winter's break!
I figure I'll make a return with the New Year. We had a wonderful vacation, visiting friends and family.
It was a bittersweet trip this year as my mom will be moving and it will be the last Christmas/winter break at her house. The new place will be smaller and much easier for her to manage. We will be able to still visit, my cousin has a house not too far away. There is an epic sledding hill there that enabled us to have one good afternoon of sledding before we headed south. The snow was pretty much nonexistent at my mother's home, just a dusting across here yard and nothing on the hill down the street at the park.
As for New Year's eve, we spent it at home with some good friends that came down from DC for the evening. We ate far too much food- flank steak, roasted potatoes, cheese, more cheese, and two desserts (one after dinner and one before midnight) and drank lots of lovely wine. We never did get to the bubbly, we had switched to coffee so our guests could drive home safely. It was a perfect way to spend the evening.
I hope all are well and that you all had a good winter's break!
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