Flat Stanley is back home from his Big Australian Adventure.
The doorbell rang today and as I unlocked it I wondered who on earth it could be. It was our mail carrier with an our regular mail along with an express package that required my signature. As I scrawled my name on the slip I excitedly asked "Is it from Australia? I'm waiting on a package from there." She didn't know off hand, but I knew the second I saw the sender's name. It was indeed Flat Stanley. After bidding the mail carrier goodbye I rushed indoors to open the package.
Technically the package was for Nate, but it was addressed to me so I had no qualms opening it up.
Our friends had completely out done themselves.
In addition to Stanley they had sent four little Australian flags, a bunch of books and brochures, a map of their area and a CD with 126 photos. Paul had offered to print out the pictures, but I told him a CD would be fine. I figured it would be easier and cheaper for them and seeing the number of photos I know I was right.
The first thing I did was to check out the photos on the cd. There were so many good ones I ended up going out to a store to print them out. I quickly browsed through and selected 88 frames, a number that would have surely sent my little printer over the edge.
It was hard winnowing out the pictures even further for this post. I decided to go with the classic shots that had been taken with Stanley.
The timing of the project had been perfect. I sent off Stanley at the end of September and he arrived done under during their two week school vacation. Their three kids were off from school and they would be able to give Stanley a grand tour. The kids are just the right age to help out Nate with this project. Ben is the oldest and is less than a year older than Jake. He was born in America while Paul was working in my Lab. The girls, Kirrilly and Jessica are twins that are just about Nate's age. They were born after Paul and Melissa returned to Australia.
Anyway, back to Stanley. His first trip was to the beach. It's the first picture and I love it because coincidentally Stanley's shirt features surf boards and there they are, all lined up boogie broads. It turned out to be a very appropriate choice of attire.
Stanley's next big adventure was to tour around Sydney harbor in a variety of ferry boats. Paul got a great shot of his kids holding Stanley with not only Sydney harbor bridge in the background, but also The Opera House. Which leads to the really cool photo of the steps leading to the Opera House. If you look carefully you can just see the kids at the top of the stairs.
Later in the week Stanley got to go to a nature preserve not far from our friends' home. He got to see all sorts of Australian fauna including the big two, koalas and kangaroos. There was also a very cute picture of a baby emu, but I skipped it here since Stanley wasn't in the frame. Stanley also got to go on a hike and see some of the rugged terrain in the area.
Of course no trip would be complete without at least one sporting event and Stanley got to go to several. Kirrilly participated in a Little Athletics event and later he got to watch a cricket match and a soccer game.
The soccer match was very exciting. There was face painting and their team, the Newcastle Jets won. I wonder if Stanley got his face painted? Probably not, since he was just visiting, but I bet Nate would have joined in.
I think Stanley had a great time visiting our friends in Australia. I would love it if we could go visit them too.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Samorost
While looking up one thing I rediscovered a fun little flash game I had almost forgotten about. It was made for a group called Polyphonic Spree. The music is fine, but it's the game I loved. I remembered the first time I found it it linked to the designer's website where there are a few more games of the same ilk. The link is busted (at least for me), but I was able to find it with a bit of work.
They are fun little puzzles that I love to do. I revisited the original Samorost and throughly enjoyed it and the sequel is just as good. They are quirky little whimsical animations that require attention to detail and a willingness to just give it a click.
They are fun little puzzles that I love to do. I revisited the original Samorost and throughly enjoyed it and the sequel is just as good. They are quirky little whimsical animations that require attention to detail and a willingness to just give it a click.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Artist of the Week: Sea Turtle
Max is this week's artist. I'm sorry about the graininess of the picture, but I really like the natural pose I got of him. It was at his party Sunday and for once he wasn't mugging for the camera.
The picture is particularly appropriate because of the shirt Max is wearing. It is one of his two sea turtle t-shirts. He loves sea turtles and is always pleased when I can find a picture of one.
Thus it was no surprise when he went to a Lydia's birthday party a few weeks ago and he selected the sea turtle for his craft. The party was held at a ceramic studio and each of the invitees got to select one of the ceramic sculptures and decorate it. The glazed object would be left at the studio to dry and be fired. About a week or so after the party it would be ready to go home. Since Lydia was invited to Max and Rebecca's party her mother brought the finished crafts to our party.
The turtle turned out to be very cute. I didn't get to see Max decorate it the party, I made myself scarce. I am definitely not one of those "helicopter parents" that are a constant and somewhat annoying presence in their children's lives. I knew what Max had chosen, but the end result was a delightful surprise.
I like the colors he chose, green for the shell, blue for the flippers and eyes and a touch of yellow on the underside. It was a fun project and both Max and Rebecca had a great time. We *might* just go there again.
The picture is particularly appropriate because of the shirt Max is wearing. It is one of his two sea turtle t-shirts. He loves sea turtles and is always pleased when I can find a picture of one.
Thus it was no surprise when he went to a Lydia's birthday party a few weeks ago and he selected the sea turtle for his craft. The party was held at a ceramic studio and each of the invitees got to select one of the ceramic sculptures and decorate it. The glazed object would be left at the studio to dry and be fired. About a week or so after the party it would be ready to go home. Since Lydia was invited to Max and Rebecca's party her mother brought the finished crafts to our party.
The turtle turned out to be very cute. I didn't get to see Max decorate it the party, I made myself scarce. I am definitely not one of those "helicopter parents" that are a constant and somewhat annoying presence in their children's lives. I knew what Max had chosen, but the end result was a delightful surprise.
I like the colors he chose, green for the shell, blue for the flippers and eyes and a touch of yellow on the underside. It was a fun project and both Max and Rebecca had a great time. We *might* just go there again.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Little Dog Lost
Crunch over the past few weeks has been slowly losing his mental capacity. He is still a sweet old dog, but he spends more and more of his days in a bit of a mental fog. He paces about the house, seemingly with purpose, but he never halts until I physically stop him. Little things that used to give him pleasure have lost meaning. Just the other day Larry gave Crunch an ear rub, normally this would cause Crunch to stop, lean in and give a low rumbly moan of joy. Not this time, instead he just walked on by.
At first I thought his decreased capacity had been exacerbated by the my recent trip with him and John. I figured after a few days he would settle down and all would be well, but he never did. So I planned I calling the vet and seeing what we could do for the old boy. Physically he is fine for a 15 year old dog except for a probable nasal tumor. (It's probable since the only true way to diagnose it is a CAT scan that takes big bucks and requires sedation and I refuse to sedate Crunch ever again since last time it took four days for him to recover and the vet agrees with me.)
Then Monday morning Crunch went on walk about. He was gone for a little over two hours. He had been puddling about in the backyard and I kept checking up on him. 10 minutes after the last time I saw him he was gone. I frantically scanned the woods and the road, he was well and truly gone.
After 45 minutes of searching I called my husband in tears. I wanted my dog back and I was a wreck. Larry immediately offered to come home, but we decided I should call around the neighborhood. I searched my subdivision in my car and stopped every walker I saw. My biggest fear was that Crunch had gone into the woods. We are four houses away from a state park and if he went there we would never find him again.
Then I got the best phone call ever. HI, I think I have your doggy. I drove over as fast as I could. It was indeed Crunch and I scooped him up into my arms. I sobbed while I thanked the kind soul that had found my dog. Crunch then rode home in my lap.
He seems none the worse for wear, but his days loose in the yard are over. The invisible fence no longer works on him so now I have to supervise him when he is out. But that's fine with me. I'm just happy to have the old boy back.
At first I thought his decreased capacity had been exacerbated by the my recent trip with him and John. I figured after a few days he would settle down and all would be well, but he never did. So I planned I calling the vet and seeing what we could do for the old boy. Physically he is fine for a 15 year old dog except for a probable nasal tumor. (It's probable since the only true way to diagnose it is a CAT scan that takes big bucks and requires sedation and I refuse to sedate Crunch ever again since last time it took four days for him to recover and the vet agrees with me.)
Then Monday morning Crunch went on walk about. He was gone for a little over two hours. He had been puddling about in the backyard and I kept checking up on him. 10 minutes after the last time I saw him he was gone. I frantically scanned the woods and the road, he was well and truly gone.
After 45 minutes of searching I called my husband in tears. I wanted my dog back and I was a wreck. Larry immediately offered to come home, but we decided I should call around the neighborhood. I searched my subdivision in my car and stopped every walker I saw. My biggest fear was that Crunch had gone into the woods. We are four houses away from a state park and if he went there we would never find him again.
Then I got the best phone call ever. HI, I think I have your doggy. I drove over as fast as I could. It was indeed Crunch and I scooped him up into my arms. I sobbed while I thanked the kind soul that had found my dog. Crunch then rode home in my lap.
He seems none the worse for wear, but his days loose in the yard are over. The invisible fence no longer works on him so now I have to supervise him when he is out. But that's fine with me. I'm just happy to have the old boy back.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Now We Are Six
Today is Max and Rebecca's birthday. They celebrated in fine style yesterday at home.
They had three guests, two cakes, one pinata and a ton of fun.
Max requested an orange cake with a killer whale on it. I was brave this year and tried making a new to me frosting. It's called luscious orange and it was pretty good. It never really set-up, instead it looked like I slathered the cake in marshmallow fluff. But, it tasted great with a nice full orange flavor. I'll definitely try this one again, hopefully it'll look a little less like fluff.
Rebecca meanwhile got her traditional white cake with chocolate frosting with a pretty pink pony gracing the top.
Some people are amazed that I make two cakes, but I think it is the right thing to do. It's one thing to share a party, but to make them share a cake is a bit much. They are, so far, very cooperative in selecting joint decorations. I can't ask them compromise on their cakes. However, they don't get full sized cakes. I use a small 8 inch pan and make only a fraction of the batter. Rebecca's is reduced by 1/2 and Max's by 1/3.
We end up with some leftovers, but at a more manageable level.
Enough about the cakes, the party itself was great. Max and Rebecca were in their element and so were their three friends. The five of them had a great time running around in the yard, jumping in the bouncy tent and just plain having a good time. One of the guests, Abbey (she's behind Rebecca), was brought over by her father and accompanied by her two older brothers. Her dad fully intended just to drop her off, but he and the boys had too much fun and never left. This was great for Jake and Nate as the boys all matched up in age. I think it says a lot they everybody had fun.
My mother in law and her husband had come down to visit and they were a big help. They straightened up the house for the onslaught wile I finished the cakes (I really need to stop with the last minute decorating). They were also crucial for the pinata.
The pinata was the big event and was the main reason why the party was held at home. The dynamic duo really wanted a pinata and I told them it would not be possible to have one if we held the party elsewhere.
Shopping for the pinata was an adventure. The two of them kept gravitating to different characters. The only thing they could agree on was that it could not be a pull string pinata (those are for babies); they wanted one that you had to bash for the candy. After going back and forth for quite a while I noticed up on the top shelf two of the more traditional types, a bull and a donkey/llama (I think it was supposed to be a burro, but it looked more like a llama to me). They settled on the llama and we were all set.
It turns out that the traditional styles are far more durable. It took a good long time until there was success. First the legs got bashed off and after a few more rounds Max was able to administer the final blow. It would have been faster if we had allowed the older boys to participate, but we limited it just to party guests. Grandma and Grandpa had a hard enough time corralling the six year olds.
Then it was present time and our party guests were reluctantly led away. Meryl stayed for dinner and Max declared as I tucked him into bed "This was the best birthday ever."
They had three guests, two cakes, one pinata and a ton of fun.
Max requested an orange cake with a killer whale on it. I was brave this year and tried making a new to me frosting. It's called luscious orange and it was pretty good. It never really set-up, instead it looked like I slathered the cake in marshmallow fluff. But, it tasted great with a nice full orange flavor. I'll definitely try this one again, hopefully it'll look a little less like fluff.
Rebecca meanwhile got her traditional white cake with chocolate frosting with a pretty pink pony gracing the top.
Some people are amazed that I make two cakes, but I think it is the right thing to do. It's one thing to share a party, but to make them share a cake is a bit much. They are, so far, very cooperative in selecting joint decorations. I can't ask them compromise on their cakes. However, they don't get full sized cakes. I use a small 8 inch pan and make only a fraction of the batter. Rebecca's is reduced by 1/2 and Max's by 1/3.
We end up with some leftovers, but at a more manageable level.
Enough about the cakes, the party itself was great. Max and Rebecca were in their element and so were their three friends. The five of them had a great time running around in the yard, jumping in the bouncy tent and just plain having a good time. One of the guests, Abbey (she's behind Rebecca), was brought over by her father and accompanied by her two older brothers. Her dad fully intended just to drop her off, but he and the boys had too much fun and never left. This was great for Jake and Nate as the boys all matched up in age. I think it says a lot they everybody had fun.
My mother in law and her husband had come down to visit and they were a big help. They straightened up the house for the onslaught wile I finished the cakes (I really need to stop with the last minute decorating). They were also crucial for the pinata.
The pinata was the big event and was the main reason why the party was held at home. The dynamic duo really wanted a pinata and I told them it would not be possible to have one if we held the party elsewhere.
Shopping for the pinata was an adventure. The two of them kept gravitating to different characters. The only thing they could agree on was that it could not be a pull string pinata (those are for babies); they wanted one that you had to bash for the candy. After going back and forth for quite a while I noticed up on the top shelf two of the more traditional types, a bull and a donkey/llama (I think it was supposed to be a burro, but it looked more like a llama to me). They settled on the llama and we were all set.
It turns out that the traditional styles are far more durable. It took a good long time until there was success. First the legs got bashed off and after a few more rounds Max was able to administer the final blow. It would have been faster if we had allowed the older boys to participate, but we limited it just to party guests. Grandma and Grandpa had a hard enough time corralling the six year olds.
Then it was present time and our party guests were reluctantly led away. Meryl stayed for dinner and Max declared as I tucked him into bed "This was the best birthday ever."
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Because It Makes Me Laugh
Today we had Max and Rebecca's birthday party, but I'm too tired to tell y'all about it right now.
Instead I'll share a video that makes me laugh every time I watch it.
The kids absolutely loved it as well.
Instead I'll share a video that makes me laugh every time I watch it.
The kids absolutely loved it as well.
Friday, October 12, 2007
More Cakey Goodness
So of course I made some cakes for the dog show last weekend, heck I was the unofficial dessert chair. I ended up making one sheet cake (pictured), two pumpkin pies and two flourless chocolate torts.
The pies were a snap to make and transport as were the torts. The sheet cake was a bit trickier and needed its own seat in the car. I wisely decided to save all detailed decorating at the show site's kitchen. The torts got wrapped in plastic and the sheet cake got just the base of chocolate icing.
The night before the sheet cake was served I freehanded the design on the cake. It was a three specialty show weekend and they were being called the Hunt Country Specialties, hence the fox. I was a bit bored of making Dachshunds and decided to go for the show logo instead. The first tort got its whipped cream piped on just before being served, the second one was held in reserve.
The pies were a bit hit and were mostly gone, all I brought back home was two slices. The first tort was also mostly consumed, I decided not to bring out the second "back-up tort," instead I brought it back home where it is now safely tucked inside my freezer. (It can be safely frozen for up to three months, after that it starts to lose its flavor.) Only a third of the sheet cake was consumed, people liked it, but there was just too much food. Which is fine with my family since they now get to enjoy it.
Oh and about the sheet cake. If you look closely at the upper left hand corner you will see that it is missing. My dog John nailed it while it was up on the dining room table. I trimmed up the nibbled parts and refrosted the cut area. I wasn't too concerned about what people would say, since they were all dog people. In fact it was one of the very few audiences that would appreciate the humor and would not be horrified about the idea of eating cake that a dog had nibbled. However I don't plan on letting John sample any more of my cakes, next time I'll push the cake closer to the middle of the table where he can't reach.
The pies were a snap to make and transport as were the torts. The sheet cake was a bit trickier and needed its own seat in the car. I wisely decided to save all detailed decorating at the show site's kitchen. The torts got wrapped in plastic and the sheet cake got just the base of chocolate icing.
The night before the sheet cake was served I freehanded the design on the cake. It was a three specialty show weekend and they were being called the Hunt Country Specialties, hence the fox. I was a bit bored of making Dachshunds and decided to go for the show logo instead. The first tort got its whipped cream piped on just before being served, the second one was held in reserve.
The pies were a bit hit and were mostly gone, all I brought back home was two slices. The first tort was also mostly consumed, I decided not to bring out the second "back-up tort," instead I brought it back home where it is now safely tucked inside my freezer. (It can be safely frozen for up to three months, after that it starts to lose its flavor.) Only a third of the sheet cake was consumed, people liked it, but there was just too much food. Which is fine with my family since they now get to enjoy it.
Oh and about the sheet cake. If you look closely at the upper left hand corner you will see that it is missing. My dog John nailed it while it was up on the dining room table. I trimmed up the nibbled parts and refrosted the cut area. I wasn't too concerned about what people would say, since they were all dog people. In fact it was one of the very few audiences that would appreciate the humor and would not be horrified about the idea of eating cake that a dog had nibbled. However I don't plan on letting John sample any more of my cakes, next time I'll push the cake closer to the middle of the table where he can't reach.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
While I Was Gone
Last weekend I ran away from home and joined the circus.
Well, not really.
Instead it was a dog show, but certainly felt like a circus. I had dueling divas, people with freaky hair and 100 plus dachshunds all in one building. And to top it all off I was coming down with a cold.
The divas are two very volatile people that repeatedly clashed throughout the weekend and unfortunately my job was to blunt them. I would steer them away from each other and listen to them vent. The funniest moment was when one them came to me hysterical over one aspect of the show. A vital element was missing for that day's show and the diva didn't know what to do. I politely listened and pointed out that we had the corresponding element for the next day's show on site and we could just switch them. If the missing item did not appear by day's end we could easily replace it in time for the next day. This calm reasoning completely deflated the diva. I hard a hard time not smiling as the wind left the diva's sails, there was no more drama. And as Meryl will tell you, I have no patience for drama. At that precise instant the missing item appeared. The diva then fluttered off to the next "crisis."
Then there was the hair. Most people in the dog show world are reasonably coiffed with the occasional bad toupee. The only oddity may be the tendency to use the same combs and brushes on both the owners/handlers and the dogs. But that isn't as bad as it sounds since the dogs are all squeaky clean. This weekend, however, I got to see a wig that really challenged me. Part of me wanted to take picture so I could share with Meryl, but another part realized that taking a picture would be very bad. I decided to be an agent of good, so instead I'll describe it to y'all. Imagine an average middle aged white guy, with glasses and is a bit stout around the middle sporting the locks of Michael Jackson from "Thriller."
It was just so wrong, but the guy looked so happy. All I can say is that I wish him well.
I'm telling you the movie "Best in Show" is not that far off.
Well, not really.
Instead it was a dog show, but certainly felt like a circus. I had dueling divas, people with freaky hair and 100 plus dachshunds all in one building. And to top it all off I was coming down with a cold.
The divas are two very volatile people that repeatedly clashed throughout the weekend and unfortunately my job was to blunt them. I would steer them away from each other and listen to them vent. The funniest moment was when one them came to me hysterical over one aspect of the show. A vital element was missing for that day's show and the diva didn't know what to do. I politely listened and pointed out that we had the corresponding element for the next day's show on site and we could just switch them. If the missing item did not appear by day's end we could easily replace it in time for the next day. This calm reasoning completely deflated the diva. I hard a hard time not smiling as the wind left the diva's sails, there was no more drama. And as Meryl will tell you, I have no patience for drama. At that precise instant the missing item appeared. The diva then fluttered off to the next "crisis."
Then there was the hair. Most people in the dog show world are reasonably coiffed with the occasional bad toupee. The only oddity may be the tendency to use the same combs and brushes on both the owners/handlers and the dogs. But that isn't as bad as it sounds since the dogs are all squeaky clean. This weekend, however, I got to see a wig that really challenged me. Part of me wanted to take picture so I could share with Meryl, but another part realized that taking a picture would be very bad. I decided to be an agent of good, so instead I'll describe it to y'all. Imagine an average middle aged white guy, with glasses and is a bit stout around the middle sporting the locks of Michael Jackson from "Thriller."
It was just so wrong, but the guy looked so happy. All I can say is that I wish him well.
I'm telling you the movie "Best in Show" is not that far off.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Artist of the Week: Drawing
This week's artist is Rebecca.
I got this shot of her at today's soccer practice. She's come a long way from the child I had to coerce into participating in some small way during practice (I found that the threat of no treats after the game if she didn't practice to be fairly effective).
Anyway this week piece is not about Rebecca playing soccer, but about her latest work of art.
She gave me this drawing about a week ago. I had put it aside on top of the flour cannister in the pantry (I was baking at the time)and had completely forgotten about it. Larry found it while making cookies this morning (that's right, even my husband can bake, it must be the water). Anyway it is a sweet little picture that she had made just for me.
It features me standing outside with my purse on a lovely day. Big puffy clouds are in the sky along with a brilliant red bird. Next to me is my house and on the other side of the house is a pumpkin patch. According to Rebecca the pumpkin vine grows straight up and produces a nice fat pumpkin. Most of the pumpkins are not ready for harvest and are still green. One plant was ready and it is dropping over now that its pumpkin is gone.
I think the big bumps on my head are hair. It is sort of an homage to Princess Leia, everything goes back to Star Wars in this household.
It is a charming little picture and I love it and the artist that produced it.
I got this shot of her at today's soccer practice. She's come a long way from the child I had to coerce into participating in some small way during practice (I found that the threat of no treats after the game if she didn't practice to be fairly effective).
Anyway this week piece is not about Rebecca playing soccer, but about her latest work of art.
She gave me this drawing about a week ago. I had put it aside on top of the flour cannister in the pantry (I was baking at the time)and had completely forgotten about it. Larry found it while making cookies this morning (that's right, even my husband can bake, it must be the water). Anyway it is a sweet little picture that she had made just for me.
It features me standing outside with my purse on a lovely day. Big puffy clouds are in the sky along with a brilliant red bird. Next to me is my house and on the other side of the house is a pumpkin patch. According to Rebecca the pumpkin vine grows straight up and produces a nice fat pumpkin. Most of the pumpkins are not ready for harvest and are still green. One plant was ready and it is dropping over now that its pumpkin is gone.
I think the big bumps on my head are hair. It is sort of an homage to Princess Leia, everything goes back to Star Wars in this household.
It is a charming little picture and I love it and the artist that produced it.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Celebrations
Yesterday we celebrated Simchat Torah along with Max and Rebecca's consecration at religious school. Tonight we got to celebrate Simchat Torah yet again.
Our children, along with the rest of our congregation, attend religious school up in Richmond. Including our four, there are only seven students and it was decided by the board that our children would be better served by combining with a much larger school. So instead of Max and Rebecca being the only kindergarteners, they are in a class of ten with another class of nine or so across the hall. The only downside is that sometimes we have doublings with some holidays.
So last night we were up in Richmond. The temple there is lovely and Rebecca was dressed to the nines and Max was not looking too shabby either. They were first called up and took their place on the Bima. The kids were very cute and on the whole both classes were well behaved. One little boy started to act up, but the Rabbi calmly stood behind the child and gentle rested his hand atop the boys head, all the while continuing with his speech. The boy promptly settled down.
Then it was Torah time! Simchat Torah is a joyous occasion and Rebecca danced in the aisle for part of the service. It was one of the few times I felt that I didn't have to rein her in and we both enjoyed the service more for that.
At the end of the service each child received a gift bag containing a certificate with a little honey stick taped to the back and a miniature Torah scroll. The idea behind the honey stick is the wish that their study of Torah will be as sweet as honey. Then we all moved outside for a little nosh in the Sukkot out front. There were cookies and apples for all with an added bonus of full sized Hershey bars for the children that had just been consecrated. Nate and Jake were very jealous, but got over pretty quickly. Especially Jake after he was able to snag one that was left over. Then with loaded up everybody and headed back home.
Max is very pleased with his Torah and opened it up when we got home. He then proceeded to "read" his scroll. Of course he can't truly read it, so it was more of his interpretation of what he thinks it should say. Apparently he picked up a Star Wars version of the Torah, because the passage he read was all about Gungan workers. I was unaware of this particular Torah portion until last night.
Rebecca too opened up her scroll, but I don't know if she got the special Star Wars version. She was more interested in looking at the illustrations. I think she might have hummed the Shema, but otherwise she was quiet. She looks so serious there as she studies her little Torah.
Then the two of them were hustled up to bed after one more picture.
They are an obliging pair and happily gather up their little scrolls and posed for me. I think Max looked very handsome in his oxford shirt, but he refused to tuck it in.
It must be some sort of five year old thing, because his brothers wouldn't tuck in their shirts at that age too.
Anyway I wanted y'all to see how cute the two of them were, especially Rebecca. I got her the dress last year to wear at her cousin's Bar Mitzvah. It still fits and I'm glad she could wear it again.
For tonight's celebration at our Temple we were a little less formally dressed (still nicely though, with nice shirts for the boys, a clean dress for the girl and a skirt for me), even though the service itself was little more formal. I must admit I prefer my Temple's version over the one yesterday. The Richmond Synagogue is Reformed with a capital R, while ours is Conservative. That and it is our little tight knit community and it just feels like home. A place I want to celebrate with the ones I love.
Our children, along with the rest of our congregation, attend religious school up in Richmond. Including our four, there are only seven students and it was decided by the board that our children would be better served by combining with a much larger school. So instead of Max and Rebecca being the only kindergarteners, they are in a class of ten with another class of nine or so across the hall. The only downside is that sometimes we have doublings with some holidays.
So last night we were up in Richmond. The temple there is lovely and Rebecca was dressed to the nines and Max was not looking too shabby either. They were first called up and took their place on the Bima. The kids were very cute and on the whole both classes were well behaved. One little boy started to act up, but the Rabbi calmly stood behind the child and gentle rested his hand atop the boys head, all the while continuing with his speech. The boy promptly settled down.
Then it was Torah time! Simchat Torah is a joyous occasion and Rebecca danced in the aisle for part of the service. It was one of the few times I felt that I didn't have to rein her in and we both enjoyed the service more for that.
At the end of the service each child received a gift bag containing a certificate with a little honey stick taped to the back and a miniature Torah scroll. The idea behind the honey stick is the wish that their study of Torah will be as sweet as honey. Then we all moved outside for a little nosh in the Sukkot out front. There were cookies and apples for all with an added bonus of full sized Hershey bars for the children that had just been consecrated. Nate and Jake were very jealous, but got over pretty quickly. Especially Jake after he was able to snag one that was left over. Then with loaded up everybody and headed back home.
Max is very pleased with his Torah and opened it up when we got home. He then proceeded to "read" his scroll. Of course he can't truly read it, so it was more of his interpretation of what he thinks it should say. Apparently he picked up a Star Wars version of the Torah, because the passage he read was all about Gungan workers. I was unaware of this particular Torah portion until last night.
Rebecca too opened up her scroll, but I don't know if she got the special Star Wars version. She was more interested in looking at the illustrations. I think she might have hummed the Shema, but otherwise she was quiet. She looks so serious there as she studies her little Torah.
Then the two of them were hustled up to bed after one more picture.
They are an obliging pair and happily gather up their little scrolls and posed for me. I think Max looked very handsome in his oxford shirt, but he refused to tuck it in.
It must be some sort of five year old thing, because his brothers wouldn't tuck in their shirts at that age too.
Anyway I wanted y'all to see how cute the two of them were, especially Rebecca. I got her the dress last year to wear at her cousin's Bar Mitzvah. It still fits and I'm glad she could wear it again.
For tonight's celebration at our Temple we were a little less formally dressed (still nicely though, with nice shirts for the boys, a clean dress for the girl and a skirt for me), even though the service itself was little more formal. I must admit I prefer my Temple's version over the one yesterday. The Richmond Synagogue is Reformed with a capital R, while ours is Conservative. That and it is our little tight knit community and it just feels like home. A place I want to celebrate with the ones I love.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Artist of the Week: Again with the Legos
Legos are very popular in our household. The kids are always building things and then playing with their creations. Smashups are unavoidable and are, for a brief period, a bit upsetting. But then they can rebuild and/or revise and all is right in the world.
As a result little bits of plastic are strewn about upstairs, littering the stretch of hallway between their rooms and in the bedrooms themselves. They would be downstairs too, but I drew the line there. No Legos are to be brought downstairs or I will chuck them. Period. There is nothing more painful than stepping on one of the smaller pieces with a bare foot. I want to limit my exposure to that particular risk, hence the ban. I now understand why my mother's favorite sound in the world was the distinctive rattle of a Lego as it was vacuumed up.
Anyway this week's artist is Jake and his creation was inspired by Lego magazine.
It is a sort of spaceship and I like the care and attention to detail. Jake made sure the pieces match in color and shape.
It's an elegant little vessel and I just plain like it. Especially if it stays upstairs and away from the soles of my bare feet.
As a result little bits of plastic are strewn about upstairs, littering the stretch of hallway between their rooms and in the bedrooms themselves. They would be downstairs too, but I drew the line there. No Legos are to be brought downstairs or I will chuck them. Period. There is nothing more painful than stepping on one of the smaller pieces with a bare foot. I want to limit my exposure to that particular risk, hence the ban. I now understand why my mother's favorite sound in the world was the distinctive rattle of a Lego as it was vacuumed up.
Anyway this week's artist is Jake and his creation was inspired by Lego magazine.
It is a sort of spaceship and I like the care and attention to detail. Jake made sure the pieces match in color and shape.
It's an elegant little vessel and I just plain like it. Especially if it stays upstairs and away from the soles of my bare feet.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Time To Break Out The Cake Pans
My dachshund club is holding its first independent specialty this weekend. So in addition to the usual dramas I have to deal with as being president I now have a whole new level of crazy from my club members. People not returning phone calls, others are calling at all hours. The movie Best in Show comes to mind every time I have to talk on the phone with certain members of the club.
Anyway, I’ve become the “Dessert Chair” for the luncheon. Right now I’m waiting for the chaos to resolve into some sort of order. Then it’s up to me to figure what to make. Originally part of my game plan was to make sheet cake with the show cluster’s logo, but someone decided to order a cake and have dachshunds decorating to top. Fine, mine would have probably been better, but that saves me the bother.
So now I have to figure out what else to make. I think I’ll make a couple of my flourless chocolate torts, they travel well and I can pipe the whipped cream on at the last second. Maybe I should bake a couple of pumpkin pies. They are tasty and would go well with the rest of the luncheon. I make all sorts of things; the key bit here is that what ever I do make it needs to be transportable. The show site is a good three hours away and I can’t bake anything there, just a little bit of touch ups and/or last minute assembly. Either way I’ll be baking up a storm starting tomorrow.
I don’t know, maybe y’all have some ideas.
Anyway, I’ve become the “Dessert Chair” for the luncheon. Right now I’m waiting for the chaos to resolve into some sort of order. Then it’s up to me to figure what to make. Originally part of my game plan was to make sheet cake with the show cluster’s logo, but someone decided to order a cake and have dachshunds decorating to top. Fine, mine would have probably been better, but that saves me the bother.
So now I have to figure out what else to make. I think I’ll make a couple of my flourless chocolate torts, they travel well and I can pipe the whipped cream on at the last second. Maybe I should bake a couple of pumpkin pies. They are tasty and would go well with the rest of the luncheon. I make all sorts of things; the key bit here is that what ever I do make it needs to be transportable. The show site is a good three hours away and I can’t bake anything there, just a little bit of touch ups and/or last minute assembly. Either way I’ll be baking up a storm starting tomorrow.
I don’t know, maybe y’all have some ideas.
Monday, October 01, 2007
We Have a Little Dragon
And her name is Rebecca. But whatever you do, don't call her a dragon, unless it's her idea.
Life with twin five year olds is very funny. Max is very happy to be called a soldier when he is all suited up. He loves running around and doing imaginary gun battles with Nate. Rebecca on the other hand gets quite irate if you call her a dragon when she is wearing her costume.
She glares at you if you dare call her such a thing and very firmly reminds you that her name is REBECCA. She is NOT a dragon. Then fifteen minutes later she's crawling about on all fours growling.
Hopefully she'll be a bit more reasonable come Halloween, but I'm not counting on it.
Life with twin five year olds is very funny. Max is very happy to be called a soldier when he is all suited up. He loves running around and doing imaginary gun battles with Nate. Rebecca on the other hand gets quite irate if you call her a dragon when she is wearing her costume.
She glares at you if you dare call her such a thing and very firmly reminds you that her name is REBECCA. She is NOT a dragon. Then fifteen minutes later she's crawling about on all fours growling.
Hopefully she'll be a bit more reasonable come Halloween, but I'm not counting on it.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Shiny
Jake is in Middle school and as a result he now has electives. Or rather, he has an elective class; sixth graders only get one elective. After quite a bit of thought and a phone call to the guidance consular he settled on band.
During the first class he was asked to list three instruments he would be interested in playing in order of preference. His selections were: trumpet, flute and clarinet. All three are nice to listen to and are reasonably sized. This is important since he has to schlep it to school on the bus and then tote it around throughout the day. Fortunately he has band only every other day.
After endless testing and what not, the band teacher awarded Jake the trumpet. He was very excited and we picked one out last weekend. He has been very good about caring for it (ooh, shiny!) and has been very cooperative about practicing every day. Admittedly it has only been 15 minutes each day and not the full thirty, but he is slowly building up. I'm shooting for 20/day this week. We'll see if it flies.
During the first class he was asked to list three instruments he would be interested in playing in order of preference. His selections were: trumpet, flute and clarinet. All three are nice to listen to and are reasonably sized. This is important since he has to schlep it to school on the bus and then tote it around throughout the day. Fortunately he has band only every other day.
After endless testing and what not, the band teacher awarded Jake the trumpet. He was very excited and we picked one out last weekend. He has been very good about caring for it (ooh, shiny!) and has been very cooperative about practicing every day. Admittedly it has only been 15 minutes each day and not the full thirty, but he is slowly building up. I'm shooting for 20/day this week. We'll see if it flies.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Something About a Man in Uniform
I went shopping yesterday with Nate, Maxand Rebecca in tow. The dynamic duo were birthday present shopping for their good friend Lydia and Nate was just tagging along. Lydia's party is tomorrow and I thought it would be a nice change to get the present before the big day.
As we walked into the store we got a very clear reminder that Halloween was coming up. I got the bright idea that we could also go costume shopping. The selection will only get worse as H-day draws near.
Rebecca wanted another princess dress, but I squashed that idea. She already has enough, I suggested that she could combine her Cinderella dress (which is a bit big) with her Raccoon costume and be Princess Raccoon. I thought it was a great idea, but it was greeted with a blank stare. She settled on a simply adorable winged dragon. Nate had a hard time choosing between various costumes, but in the end he seized upon a Boba Fett and is very happy.
Max was not too happy in the Halloween costume section. He doesn't like scary or gross things. In fact this aversion produced one of the funnest moments in the store. There was a particularly scary and gory death's head mask and robe in front of the costume display. Nate was intrigued by it, but was thwarted by Max. Standing next to the offending costume and in front of Nate, Max (loudly) announced that if his brother so much as touched that thing he would not go near Nate until his brother washed his hands.
Alrighty then, when Max turned away I hastily shoved the costume out of sight.
So obviously Max's costume does not fall into the scary catagory. He choose to be a solider. I thought it looked ok and the size looked fine. We then moved over to the toy section and after a lot of hemming and hawing picked out gifts suitable for a six year old girl. During the ride home everybody was very pleased with their costumes, Rebecca even managed to wiggle into hers before buckling up for the ride home. Once home the boys tore into the house and got on their costumes. Nate looked great, but Max... he was so cute. There is something about a little boy all dressed up in a uniform.
As we walked into the store we got a very clear reminder that Halloween was coming up. I got the bright idea that we could also go costume shopping. The selection will only get worse as H-day draws near.
Rebecca wanted another princess dress, but I squashed that idea. She already has enough, I suggested that she could combine her Cinderella dress (which is a bit big) with her Raccoon costume and be Princess Raccoon. I thought it was a great idea, but it was greeted with a blank stare. She settled on a simply adorable winged dragon. Nate had a hard time choosing between various costumes, but in the end he seized upon a Boba Fett and is very happy.
Max was not too happy in the Halloween costume section. He doesn't like scary or gross things. In fact this aversion produced one of the funnest moments in the store. There was a particularly scary and gory death's head mask and robe in front of the costume display. Nate was intrigued by it, but was thwarted by Max. Standing next to the offending costume and in front of Nate, Max (loudly) announced that if his brother so much as touched that thing he would not go near Nate until his brother washed his hands.
Alrighty then, when Max turned away I hastily shoved the costume out of sight.
So obviously Max's costume does not fall into the scary catagory. He choose to be a solider. I thought it looked ok and the size looked fine. We then moved over to the toy section and after a lot of hemming and hawing picked out gifts suitable for a six year old girl. During the ride home everybody was very pleased with their costumes, Rebecca even managed to wiggle into hers before buckling up for the ride home. Once home the boys tore into the house and got on their costumes. Nate looked great, but Max... he was so cute. There is something about a little boy all dressed up in a uniform.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
The Old Man
Crunch's 15th birthday is this weekend and he is really starting to show his age now. He is very much an old dog.
He wanders around the house and barks, sometimes for little reason, or least for no reason I can figure out.
He doesn't really do the stairs from the deck to the backyard yard. Going down the three steps is just too tricky, he ends up doing a bit of a tumble with a face plant. Some days he can go up, but usually he gets stuck halfway up and barks for me to come fetch him.
He still wrestles with his son John, but it is no longer the no holds barred Greco-Roman form, it's mostly a bit of a chase and John flopping over and the two of them mouthing each other.
He is longer fit to show, not even in Juniors, but he'll get to tag along to next month's show for old times sake. It's painful for me to see his decline, but it's better than the alternative and having no Crunch at all.
He wanders around the house and barks, sometimes for little reason, or least for no reason I can figure out.
He doesn't really do the stairs from the deck to the backyard yard. Going down the three steps is just too tricky, he ends up doing a bit of a tumble with a face plant. Some days he can go up, but usually he gets stuck halfway up and barks for me to come fetch him.
He still wrestles with his son John, but it is no longer the no holds barred Greco-Roman form, it's mostly a bit of a chase and John flopping over and the two of them mouthing each other.
He is longer fit to show, not even in Juniors, but he'll get to tag along to next month's show for old times sake. It's painful for me to see his decline, but it's better than the alternative and having no Crunch at all.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Artist of the Week: Cartography
Nate is this week's artist.
I love this picture I took of him last month. He is perched on a rock on the bank of the Jame's River. He's all arms and legs with the added bonus of being precariously balanced on a rock. It is so very, very like him.
He is my little man of action and even when he is still, he is in some small way in motion. There is a reason that he has a shirt that says I do my own stunts.
Anyway, what is more befitting of such a restless spirit than a map.
A map can take you to new places and guide you back home when you are done. Or, as in this case, it is a map of your making, only limited by imagination.
Nate dragged home an enormous piece of paper this week from school, his assignment was to make a map. He immediately set to work with little urging on my part. Every one else was inspired and have been making maps along side Nate. The map is mostly done and is not due until Thursday. I'll have him fix a few spelling errors and add a compass rose. On Friday I just may drive him to school to protect the map from the rigors of the school bus.
I love this picture I took of him last month. He is perched on a rock on the bank of the Jame's River. He's all arms and legs with the added bonus of being precariously balanced on a rock. It is so very, very like him.
He is my little man of action and even when he is still, he is in some small way in motion. There is a reason that he has a shirt that says I do my own stunts.
Anyway, what is more befitting of such a restless spirit than a map.
A map can take you to new places and guide you back home when you are done. Or, as in this case, it is a map of your making, only limited by imagination.
Nate dragged home an enormous piece of paper this week from school, his assignment was to make a map. He immediately set to work with little urging on my part. Every one else was inspired and have been making maps along side Nate. The map is mostly done and is not due until Thursday. I'll have him fix a few spelling errors and add a compass rose. On Friday I just may drive him to school to protect the map from the rigors of the school bus.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
You Want It Where?
We have a fair number of Happy Meal toys littered about the house and car. Some are popular, some are lame and some are unintentionally funny.
The latest to our collection are from the Cartoon Network. The toys fare characters from various CN shows and are included with a small colored pencil. The first we one got was Lazlo from Camp Lazlo, which incidentally is my second most favorite show on CN, it's just beaten out by Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.
Anyway, we got our little Lazlos and everyone was happy. They all liked their pencil toppers and I though nothing of the new addition to the flotsam in the van. Then I caught sight of the little pictograph/instruction sheet that comes with every Happy Meal toy.
According to the directions you must insert the pencil in the monkey's bottom. I know this makes me very juvenile, but I could not help giggling when I saw it. What makes it even better is the pose Lazlo was draw in after successful insertion. I think he looks a tad uncomfortable there with his wee little knees together and his popped eye expression.
Don't you agree?
The latest to our collection are from the Cartoon Network. The toys fare characters from various CN shows and are included with a small colored pencil. The first we one got was Lazlo from Camp Lazlo, which incidentally is my second most favorite show on CN, it's just beaten out by Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.
Anyway, we got our little Lazlos and everyone was happy. They all liked their pencil toppers and I though nothing of the new addition to the flotsam in the van. Then I caught sight of the little pictograph/instruction sheet that comes with every Happy Meal toy.
According to the directions you must insert the pencil in the monkey's bottom. I know this makes me very juvenile, but I could not help giggling when I saw it. What makes it even better is the pose Lazlo was draw in after successful insertion. I think he looks a tad uncomfortable there with his wee little knees together and his popped eye expression.
Don't you agree?
Monday, September 24, 2007
I Wish I Could Be Mailed To Australia
Last week went to Nate's school for its open house. We got to meet his teacher, get a guided tour of the classroom with Nate and bring home Flat Stanley.
This is actually Nate's second Flat Stanley. Last year he sent one to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Stanley got to go to NYC, eat pizza and sleep in the guest bed. He even got see far more snow than we ever get down here in Central Virginia.
This time around Nate wanted to send Stanley even farther. He first thought of my brother in Colorado. I suggested my friend in Oregon, she is an Elementary school teacher and I know she would get a kick out of having Stanley around.
Then I remembered my friend Paul in Australia. He has a son, Ben, a little bit older than Jake and twin girls, Jessica and Kirrilly, that are right about Nate's age. I emailed Paul to ask if they could do it and he said they were up to the task. The best part is that their next school holiday will be the first two weeks of October. They will be able to give Stanley the grand tour.
So today I packed up Stanley with a few things for the kids and a couple of maps and brochures of the area. I thought it would be nice if they could see where Stanley came from. The whole mess fit into a flat rate envelope and get mailed today. To be on the safe side I scanned Stanley so not all would be lost if he didn't survive the US or the Australian post.
I can't wait to see what adventures he gets to have in the land down under.
This is actually Nate's second Flat Stanley. Last year he sent one to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Stanley got to go to NYC, eat pizza and sleep in the guest bed. He even got see far more snow than we ever get down here in Central Virginia.
This time around Nate wanted to send Stanley even farther. He first thought of my brother in Colorado. I suggested my friend in Oregon, she is an Elementary school teacher and I know she would get a kick out of having Stanley around.
Then I remembered my friend Paul in Australia. He has a son, Ben, a little bit older than Jake and twin girls, Jessica and Kirrilly, that are right about Nate's age. I emailed Paul to ask if they could do it and he said they were up to the task. The best part is that their next school holiday will be the first two weeks of October. They will be able to give Stanley the grand tour.
So today I packed up Stanley with a few things for the kids and a couple of maps and brochures of the area. I thought it would be nice if they could see where Stanley came from. The whole mess fit into a flat rate envelope and get mailed today. To be on the safe side I scanned Stanley so not all would be lost if he didn't survive the US or the Australian post.
I can't wait to see what adventures he gets to have in the land down under.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
House Guest
This weekend Max got to bring home Ditto Dog from school.
It's a cute scruffy little black and white dog that came in its own little Dr. Seuss themed backpack. A note was included along with Ditto Dog asking us to take it along to wherever we go, maybe take a picture or two and write a note about its adventures. Then the whole shebang gets brought back to school on Monday.
Max had a great time taking Ditto Dog to soccer on Saturday. Ditto Dog sat on the sidelines with Max with its head just peeking out of the backpack. Then he got to watch two other soccer games before we all headed back home.
I offered to have Ditto Dog dine with the dogs using Rally's old bowl, but Max said that was silly and he was concerned that Crunch or John might eat the toy. Max took his responsibility of Ditto Dog very seriously. He has seen what our dogs can do to stuffed animals and it's not pretty.
Tonight I printed out a few pictures we took of ditto dog and asked Max which ones should he take to school when he returns Ditto Dog.
Return Ditto Dog?
Max was surprised and saddened at the prospect. He thought his teacher had given him Ditto Dog to keep.
Luckily he handled the news well and was able to come to terms with the upcoming separation from his new buddy. But that doesn't mean he can't hope to have Ditto Dog return. His big question before going up, "Do you think Ditto Dog might come back to our house?"
My reply was "I don't know Max, he has to visit everyone else first."
It's a cute scruffy little black and white dog that came in its own little Dr. Seuss themed backpack. A note was included along with Ditto Dog asking us to take it along to wherever we go, maybe take a picture or two and write a note about its adventures. Then the whole shebang gets brought back to school on Monday.
Max had a great time taking Ditto Dog to soccer on Saturday. Ditto Dog sat on the sidelines with Max with its head just peeking out of the backpack. Then he got to watch two other soccer games before we all headed back home.
I offered to have Ditto Dog dine with the dogs using Rally's old bowl, but Max said that was silly and he was concerned that Crunch or John might eat the toy. Max took his responsibility of Ditto Dog very seriously. He has seen what our dogs can do to stuffed animals and it's not pretty.
Tonight I printed out a few pictures we took of ditto dog and asked Max which ones should he take to school when he returns Ditto Dog.
Return Ditto Dog?
Max was surprised and saddened at the prospect. He thought his teacher had given him Ditto Dog to keep.
Luckily he handled the news well and was able to come to terms with the upcoming separation from his new buddy. But that doesn't mean he can't hope to have Ditto Dog return. His big question before going up, "Do you think Ditto Dog might come back to our house?"
My reply was "I don't know Max, he has to visit everyone else first."
Friday, September 21, 2007
Cheesecake Goodness
About three years ago I was poking around on the Hershey web site when I found an utterly fantastic recipe for a three layer cheesecake made with Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips. I printed it out, gave it a try and was impressed by the end result. It's a bit fussier to make than my regular cheesecake, but it is well worth the effort.
I've copied the recipe verbatim from the Hershey web site and have posted it below. Any modifications are marked by asterisks will be detailed below the recipe (you know I can't help but tweak anything I bake).
HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Layered Cheesecake
Ingredients:
Directions:
1. Prepare CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in eggs, heavy cream, vanilla and salt, beating until well blended.
3. Set aside 2 tablespoons chocolate chips. Place remaining chips in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1-1/2 minutes; stir. If necessary, microwave at HIGH an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chocolate is melted when stirred.
4. Gradually blend 1-1/2 cups cheesecake batter into melted chocolate. Remove 2 cups chocolate mixture; spread in bottom of prepared crust.
5. Blend additional 2 cups cheesecake batter into remaining chocolate mixture; spread 2 cups of this mixture over first layer in springform pan. Stir remaining cheesecake batter into remaining chocolate mixture; spread over second layer.
6. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, immediately loosen cake from side of pan. Cool to room temperature.
7. Place reserved chocolate chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at HIGH an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chocolate is melted and smooth when stirred. Drizzle over top of cheesecake. Cover; refrigerate several hours until cold. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesecake. 10 to 12 servings.
CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST: Stir together 1-1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 wafers), 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa; stir in 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter or margarine. Press mixture onto bottom and 1-1/2 inches up sides of 9-inch springform pan.
*I did not use the suggested crust, instead I went for my Oreo cookie crumb crust instead. I have the ingredients on hand and I think it makes a better crust:
In an ungreased springform pan, combine the Oreo cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Once the mixture is blended press it down to line the bottom of the pan.
**This time around I could not find Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips so I substituted with Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. Bummer I was forced to upgrade the chocolate.
Again, it was divine. We had company over last Sunday and this was dessert. Everybody loved it. It is both visually appealing with the three layers and is simply delicious to eat. I had a small problem when drizzling the chocolate on top, a big glob of chocolate plopped onto the top of the cheesecake. So ended up pouring the rest on top and raking through the chocolate with a fork to make it look nice. Once it solidified it looked great.
I've copied the recipe verbatim from the Hershey web site and have posted it below. Any modifications are marked by asterisks will be detailed below the recipe (you know I can't help but tweak anything I bake).
HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Layered Cheesecake
Ingredients:
CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST (recipe follows)*
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips, divided**
1/2 teaspoon shortening(do not use butter, margarine, spreads or oil)
Directions:
1. Prepare CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in eggs, heavy cream, vanilla and salt, beating until well blended.
3. Set aside 2 tablespoons chocolate chips. Place remaining chips in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1-1/2 minutes; stir. If necessary, microwave at HIGH an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chocolate is melted when stirred.
4. Gradually blend 1-1/2 cups cheesecake batter into melted chocolate. Remove 2 cups chocolate mixture; spread in bottom of prepared crust.
5. Blend additional 2 cups cheesecake batter into remaining chocolate mixture; spread 2 cups of this mixture over first layer in springform pan. Stir remaining cheesecake batter into remaining chocolate mixture; spread over second layer.
6. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, immediately loosen cake from side of pan. Cool to room temperature.
7. Place reserved chocolate chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at HIGH an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chocolate is melted and smooth when stirred. Drizzle over top of cheesecake. Cover; refrigerate several hours until cold. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesecake. 10 to 12 servings.
CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST: Stir together 1-1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 wafers), 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa; stir in 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter or margarine. Press mixture onto bottom and 1-1/2 inches up sides of 9-inch springform pan.
*I did not use the suggested crust, instead I went for my Oreo cookie crumb crust instead. I have the ingredients on hand and I think it makes a better crust:
1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs
¼ cup sugar (divided)
¼ cup melted butter
In an ungreased springform pan, combine the Oreo cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Once the mixture is blended press it down to line the bottom of the pan.
**This time around I could not find Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips so I substituted with Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. Bummer I was forced to upgrade the chocolate.
Again, it was divine. We had company over last Sunday and this was dessert. Everybody loved it. It is both visually appealing with the three layers and is simply delicious to eat. I had a small problem when drizzling the chocolate on top, a big glob of chocolate plopped onto the top of the cheesecake. So ended up pouring the rest on top and raking through the chocolate with a fork to make it look nice. Once it solidified it looked great.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Lunch Date
Today I swung by the school to pick up things and drop off things in Max's classroom. I arrived just before lunchtime so I decided to hang around a bit and join my two favorite kindergarteners for lunch. I didn't have anything to eat, but it wouldn't be a problem since I had just eaten breakfast and their lunchtime is very early, 10:45 am to be precise.
Max was absolutely delighted and couldn't keep his eyes off of me. He had a very hard time focusing on his teacher, but to his credit he was able to contain himself. I wasn't the only parent there for lunch and we had fun watching the teacher successfully corral the chaos of the classroom. The magic hour was finally reached and the class lined up to troop down to the lunchroom.
Once we were in the cafeteria, Max was sent to the nurse's office to get his digestive enzymes and I scanned the sea of bright chattering faces for the other half of the dynamic duo. I soon spotted Rebecca and had her move down to the guest table to lunch with her brother and me. She was too was very happy to see me at school.
Lunch was pleasant with my two little chatter bugs. Both were very generous and offered me parts of their lunches. Then a very funny thing happened as lunch was winding down. A parent stopped by our end of the table and asked Max if he recognized him. He did look familiar to me, but I struggled to remember who he was and in what context (soccer, baseball, where????). Then he dropped the bomb on Max, it turns out he is the kids' dentist.
Max immediately clammed up.
He can't stand anybody in a white lab coat and considering what he has been through, I don't blame him.
But Dr. B is a nice guy and was in his street clothes so Max quickly warmed up. in fact at one point he said "Max, i think this is the most talking you have ever done with me."
Then Dr. B's daughter showed up and it was time for the dynamic duo to rejoin their respective classrooms. We all had fun and maybe, just maybe, Max will be a little more cooperative when he next goes to the dentist.
Max was absolutely delighted and couldn't keep his eyes off of me. He had a very hard time focusing on his teacher, but to his credit he was able to contain himself. I wasn't the only parent there for lunch and we had fun watching the teacher successfully corral the chaos of the classroom. The magic hour was finally reached and the class lined up to troop down to the lunchroom.
Once we were in the cafeteria, Max was sent to the nurse's office to get his digestive enzymes and I scanned the sea of bright chattering faces for the other half of the dynamic duo. I soon spotted Rebecca and had her move down to the guest table to lunch with her brother and me. She was too was very happy to see me at school.
Lunch was pleasant with my two little chatter bugs. Both were very generous and offered me parts of their lunches. Then a very funny thing happened as lunch was winding down. A parent stopped by our end of the table and asked Max if he recognized him. He did look familiar to me, but I struggled to remember who he was and in what context (soccer, baseball, where????). Then he dropped the bomb on Max, it turns out he is the kids' dentist.
Max immediately clammed up.
He can't stand anybody in a white lab coat and considering what he has been through, I don't blame him.
But Dr. B is a nice guy and was in his street clothes so Max quickly warmed up. in fact at one point he said "Max, i think this is the most talking you have ever done with me."
Then Dr. B's daughter showed up and it was time for the dynamic duo to rejoin their respective classrooms. We all had fun and maybe, just maybe, Max will be a little more cooperative when he next goes to the dentist.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Artist of the week: Ahoy! There be Cows!
In honor of "Talk Like a Pirate Day" I picked up four foam swords at our local Dollar Tree. The swords are a huge hit with my little buccaneers and so far no one has poked an eye out. They have all had a great time whapping each other about the head and staging battles. Any way this week's artist is the fair Miss Rebecca, a master of the crayon and the foam broadsword.
She drew this picture about a month ago and it got lost amongst the papers I have piled about by the computer. It is of two cows grazing in a field and thinking. They have green mouths because their mouths are full of grass. Originally that was the picture, the thought balloons were a later addition, as you can tell because they are drawn in ink and not in crayon.
As I recall the larger cow is thinking about mosquitoes and smaller cow is thinking about a monster or maybe it's a dragon. I'm not really sure. Either way it is a very charming picture.
She drew this picture about a month ago and it got lost amongst the papers I have piled about by the computer. It is of two cows grazing in a field and thinking. They have green mouths because their mouths are full of grass. Originally that was the picture, the thought balloons were a later addition, as you can tell because they are drawn in ink and not in crayon.
As I recall the larger cow is thinking about mosquitoes and smaller cow is thinking about a monster or maybe it's a dragon. I'm not really sure. Either way it is a very charming picture.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
My Name in Books
Last week the Llama Butchers posted a fun little bit where you go over to Amazon, pull up advance book search and put your name in title field. Then check them out and post the best/amusing book cover.
Well first off Sarah is an very common name and got over 4,000 hits with a large portion from variations of Sarah Plain and Tall (until now I was unaware it had morphed into a series). The one I settled on was "Miss Sarah's Guide to Etiquette for Dogs & Their People."
I've got dogs and my biggest goal with them is make them creatures that you can live with and not be rambunctious little heathens that bark and bark and bark (unless you're a deer, than all bets are off) and hey, she's got my hair cut!
So give it a whirl and see what you get.
Well first off Sarah is an very common name and got over 4,000 hits with a large portion from variations of Sarah Plain and Tall (until now I was unaware it had morphed into a series). The one I settled on was "Miss Sarah's Guide to Etiquette for Dogs & Their People."
I've got dogs and my biggest goal with them is make them creatures that you can live with and not be rambunctious little heathens that bark and bark and bark (unless you're a deer, than all bets are off) and hey, she's got my hair cut!
So give it a whirl and see what you get.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Doe, a Deer, a Female Deer
Because we live in a very woodsy area with large undeveloped tracts nearby, we have a lot of deer. There are three does in particular that hang out around house.
Last Friday I had a close encounter with one of our resident does as I was pulling out of the garage. I had just gotten the car out and pointed towards the driveway when I spotted her lingering in the flowerbed alongside the driveway. I stopped the car and we both just looked at each other. I then remembered my camera, fished it out of its case and was just able to grab this shot as she strolled in front of my car.
She was completely relaxed in my presence and only left because I had rudely interrupted her activities.
Today I let out John and a few minutes later he was barking his fool head off. When I took a look at what all the fuss was about I saw yet another of our deer on the edge of our lawn.
John is deeply offended by the deer and always loudly announces their presence on our property. He rushes forward barking until he gets about 4 feet from the deer and breaks off his attack. I think when he gets close up to the deer he suddenly realizes just how big they are. Meanwhile the deer graze on, completely ignoring the dog. They only leave when I show up and even then it's not a pell-mell race, but a slow melting into the woods.
Our deer have completely adapted to suburban life.
Last Friday I had a close encounter with one of our resident does as I was pulling out of the garage. I had just gotten the car out and pointed towards the driveway when I spotted her lingering in the flowerbed alongside the driveway. I stopped the car and we both just looked at each other. I then remembered my camera, fished it out of its case and was just able to grab this shot as she strolled in front of my car.
She was completely relaxed in my presence and only left because I had rudely interrupted her activities.
Today I let out John and a few minutes later he was barking his fool head off. When I took a look at what all the fuss was about I saw yet another of our deer on the edge of our lawn.
John is deeply offended by the deer and always loudly announces their presence on our property. He rushes forward barking until he gets about 4 feet from the deer and breaks off his attack. I think when he gets close up to the deer he suddenly realizes just how big they are. Meanwhile the deer graze on, completely ignoring the dog. They only leave when I show up and even then it's not a pell-mell race, but a slow melting into the woods.
Our deer have completely adapted to suburban life.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Seasonal Thoughts
Summer is drawing to a close here in central Virginia. Oh I know we'll have a bit of hot weather at some point in the near future, but summer is over. Last night the temperature dropped down to the forties, but I've been seeing the signs all week.
A few days ago I was out on the deck enjoying the cooler weather when I saw a bit of color. I f you look closely at the picture you can see a spray of red leaves. Coupled with the lower temperatures my first thought was hello fall.
And I couldn't be happier. I love the crisp air and cool nights, the brightly colored leaves are just the cherry on top.
A few days ago I was out on the deck enjoying the cooler weather when I saw a bit of color. I f you look closely at the picture you can see a spray of red leaves. Coupled with the lower temperatures my first thought was hello fall.
And I couldn't be happier. I love the crisp air and cool nights, the brightly colored leaves are just the cherry on top.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Days of Awwww
Rosh HaShanah marks the beginning of the High Holy Days or the Days of Awe. This year the first day of Rosh Hashanah was more like a Day of Awwww.
Thursday morning Larry and I went to services with just Jake in tow. We did not bring Max and Rebecca because they are too young and would have been bored silly. Also I knew that a certain member of our congregation, who does not little children that at not quietly seated, would be present. Short of duct taping the dynamic duo, I knew that even on their very best behavior we would get dirty looks from him. So basically they would have to spend the entire service in the playroom. It would be pointless to pull them from school. Nate was given the option, but with the admonishment that there would be no fighting, arguing, rolling about in the pews, roaming the aisles or going to the playroom. School struck Nate as a better of the two choices. Jake, being only two years away from his Bar Mitzvah, had no choice.
Jake was an utter angel. He paid attention, followed along in the prayer book and was very well behaved. He was so handsome in his plain white shirt and black cords, but that was not the cutest part.
After the Torah portions were read and both Torahs dressed, a little help was needed with the second Torah. Mike called up Jake to the bima and had Jake sit in one of the chairs. Then he proceeded to have Jake hold the Torah until it was time to return it to the ark. I was little concerned about Jake since this was the big Torah and it easily outweighed Jake. I leaned over to Larry and whispered “It’s going to squish Jake.”
But Mike was on the ball and had Jake scoot over a bit and had the Torah standing up on its handles next to Jake in the chair. He was so cute; he was dwarfed by the Torah. I wish I could have taken a picture. And there he sat with his arm encircling the Torah and very mindful of his responsibility. I was very proud of him.
After the Torahs were safely tucked away Jake was sent back down to us. Jake told us later that Mike said he was very helpful and would ask him again to do it next year. Jake was very excited over the prospect and understood what an honor it was.
That was my day of awww.
Thursday morning Larry and I went to services with just Jake in tow. We did not bring Max and Rebecca because they are too young and would have been bored silly. Also I knew that a certain member of our congregation, who does not little children that at not quietly seated, would be present. Short of duct taping the dynamic duo, I knew that even on their very best behavior we would get dirty looks from him. So basically they would have to spend the entire service in the playroom. It would be pointless to pull them from school. Nate was given the option, but with the admonishment that there would be no fighting, arguing, rolling about in the pews, roaming the aisles or going to the playroom. School struck Nate as a better of the two choices. Jake, being only two years away from his Bar Mitzvah, had no choice.
Jake was an utter angel. He paid attention, followed along in the prayer book and was very well behaved. He was so handsome in his plain white shirt and black cords, but that was not the cutest part.
After the Torah portions were read and both Torahs dressed, a little help was needed with the second Torah. Mike called up Jake to the bima and had Jake sit in one of the chairs. Then he proceeded to have Jake hold the Torah until it was time to return it to the ark. I was little concerned about Jake since this was the big Torah and it easily outweighed Jake. I leaned over to Larry and whispered “It’s going to squish Jake.”
But Mike was on the ball and had Jake scoot over a bit and had the Torah standing up on its handles next to Jake in the chair. He was so cute; he was dwarfed by the Torah. I wish I could have taken a picture. And there he sat with his arm encircling the Torah and very mindful of his responsibility. I was very proud of him.
After the Torahs were safely tucked away Jake was sent back down to us. Jake told us later that Mike said he was very helpful and would ask him again to do it next year. Jake was very excited over the prospect and understood what an honor it was.
That was my day of awww.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Pachelbel Bedtime
A friend of ours sent us a link to this clip and it's completely dead on.
It's nice to know that we're not the only ones with sleepless children.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Shana Tovah
According to the Jewish calendar today marks the beginning of a new year. So of course I've spent the whole day cooking, in fact it was a three load day for the dishwasher.
I made a round challah, tzimmes, and key lime pie among other things for dinner. And right now I putting on the finishing touches on a cheesecake for tomorrow.
So no artist of the week this week, but it will be back. The great onslaught of art from school has just begun.
I would like to wish all of you a sweet new year.
I made a round challah, tzimmes, and key lime pie among other things for dinner. And right now I putting on the finishing touches on a cheesecake for tomorrow.
So no artist of the week this week, but it will be back. The great onslaught of art from school has just begun.
I would like to wish all of you a sweet new year.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Remembering September 11th
Six years ago today I was still (barely) a mother to just two children. It was Jake's second week of kindergarten and Nate's first day of Preschool.
I had been looking forward to the little break I was getting with both kids being out of the house. I had no big plans, just wallowing about the house in my hugely pregnant state.
Just as I was driving home at around 9:00 am I turned on the radio and heard that an airplane had just plowed into one of the two towers.
I was stunned.
I couldn't imagine it, I kept thinking that it just could not be happening. It was a brilliant September day, planes only smack into buildings when it's foggy, like when a bomber got lost hit the Empire State.
I got home and turned on the TV and I learned the full horror of that day. When I heard the original flight plans of the planes my first thought was "They're loaded with fuel, those planes are bombs."
At some point I called my husband or he called me, I don't remember, and he told me that he was coming home. His office building at the time was a multi storied affair, on top of the hill and a government building. It was a ripe target. Since he wasn't a critical state employee, he was sent home. We spent the day glued to the set, only turning it off just before Jake came home from school (Nate was shortly picked up from preschool after the bus dropped Jake off). We decided to keep the TV off for the rest of the day until the boys were tucked in bed.
We didn't tell the boys anything until the next morning. It was too awful, too raw. I wanted to shelter them for as long as possible, but... in the end they had to know. Larry and I settled on telling them that some very bad men stole some planes and crashed them. Many people died or were hurt, but not everybody and some people were very brave and tried to stop them.
I remember how quite and empty the skies were the next few days. Then, when flights resumed, how jarring the sound of an airplane can be.
Nothing is the same since then, but life goes on. I still look up when planes go overhead and there is always a teeny tiny part of me that wonders.
I had been looking forward to the little break I was getting with both kids being out of the house. I had no big plans, just wallowing about the house in my hugely pregnant state.
Just as I was driving home at around 9:00 am I turned on the radio and heard that an airplane had just plowed into one of the two towers.
I was stunned.
I couldn't imagine it, I kept thinking that it just could not be happening. It was a brilliant September day, planes only smack into buildings when it's foggy, like when a bomber got lost hit the Empire State.
I got home and turned on the TV and I learned the full horror of that day. When I heard the original flight plans of the planes my first thought was "They're loaded with fuel, those planes are bombs."
At some point I called my husband or he called me, I don't remember, and he told me that he was coming home. His office building at the time was a multi storied affair, on top of the hill and a government building. It was a ripe target. Since he wasn't a critical state employee, he was sent home. We spent the day glued to the set, only turning it off just before Jake came home from school (Nate was shortly picked up from preschool after the bus dropped Jake off). We decided to keep the TV off for the rest of the day until the boys were tucked in bed.
We didn't tell the boys anything until the next morning. It was too awful, too raw. I wanted to shelter them for as long as possible, but... in the end they had to know. Larry and I settled on telling them that some very bad men stole some planes and crashed them. Many people died or were hurt, but not everybody and some people were very brave and tried to stop them.
I remember how quite and empty the skies were the next few days. Then, when flights resumed, how jarring the sound of an airplane can be.
Nothing is the same since then, but life goes on. I still look up when planes go overhead and there is always a teeny tiny part of me that wonders.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Watching the River
I took this photo of Max, Rebecca and Nate on the banks of the James River a few weeks ago. I really like it and I thought I would share with y'all.
I took them down to the river's edge when we were knocking about Richmond while Jake was at his cartooning class. My goal was to entertain the three of them for three hours and not spend any money. So we spent a fair bit of time walking about Richmond.
The first day we did the canal walk. Since I was doing it on the cheap we ended up parking a bit upstream of the canal at the free boat launch lot. As we strolled down to our destination we found a pretty little garden tucked along the James next to the boat ramp. Everybody was too quick for me to snap a picture, but they did settle down at the river's edge.
Rebecca is holding a stick "fishing" while her brothers look on. It was a cloudy day and I like the quality of light. I think it turned out much better than on a bright sunny day. As to the fishing, well... she had no luck, but there is an amazing amount of wildlife in and around Richmond. We saw plenty of fish and all sorts of birds. The James can be a very wild place.
I took them down to the river's edge when we were knocking about Richmond while Jake was at his cartooning class. My goal was to entertain the three of them for three hours and not spend any money. So we spent a fair bit of time walking about Richmond.
The first day we did the canal walk. Since I was doing it on the cheap we ended up parking a bit upstream of the canal at the free boat launch lot. As we strolled down to our destination we found a pretty little garden tucked along the James next to the boat ramp. Everybody was too quick for me to snap a picture, but they did settle down at the river's edge.
Rebecca is holding a stick "fishing" while her brothers look on. It was a cloudy day and I like the quality of light. I think it turned out much better than on a bright sunny day. As to the fishing, well... she had no luck, but there is an amazing amount of wildlife in and around Richmond. We saw plenty of fish and all sorts of birds. The James can be a very wild place.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Soccer Girl?
Yesterday the kids played in their first game of the season. They had been practicing for the past two weeks, but now it is officially soccer season.
The biggest surprise has been little Miss Rebecca.
The last time around she hated the whole thing. Practice was spent asking when she could go home and only minimally participating. Mind you the participation only occurred because I told her if she didn't practice than she would not get any snack after the game. It was a credible threat, we both knew I would deny her the treats when push came to shove.
Games were, if anything, worse. During one memorable match that I missed, Larry told me of how she spent her time on the field stock still with her arms folded across her chest. The ball at one point came to rest at her feet and she did not move a muscle. Eventually another child careened by and booted it away.
So she skipped the following season, we saw no point in pursuing the matter.
Then I noticed a subtle change in attitude. She was spending her time watching her siblings practice and play and she started to show a little interest.
When it came time to sign up for our current season I asked her if she wanted to play and she said yes. I repeated the question a few more times over a weeks time and she still replied yes. Larry was a bit dubious, but he did sign her up along with the boys. We also signed her up for soccer camp when we up at Nana's (my mother) house in Vermont.
All four of our kids had a wonderful time, but it made the deepest impression on Rebecca. I think the camp was the turning point for her and how she felt about soccer. She got to meet other girls her age playing soccer and she found out that playing soccer is fun.
At practice she has been engaged with her team mates and was actually trying. Then there was the big moment. Rebecca wanted to know when was she going to play a game. She then proceeded to count down each day. She actually squealed with joy when she woke up on game day.
So now I have a little soccer girl. What a change from last year.
The biggest surprise has been little Miss Rebecca.
The last time around she hated the whole thing. Practice was spent asking when she could go home and only minimally participating. Mind you the participation only occurred because I told her if she didn't practice than she would not get any snack after the game. It was a credible threat, we both knew I would deny her the treats when push came to shove.
Games were, if anything, worse. During one memorable match that I missed, Larry told me of how she spent her time on the field stock still with her arms folded across her chest. The ball at one point came to rest at her feet and she did not move a muscle. Eventually another child careened by and booted it away.
So she skipped the following season, we saw no point in pursuing the matter.
Then I noticed a subtle change in attitude. She was spending her time watching her siblings practice and play and she started to show a little interest.
When it came time to sign up for our current season I asked her if she wanted to play and she said yes. I repeated the question a few more times over a weeks time and she still replied yes. Larry was a bit dubious, but he did sign her up along with the boys. We also signed her up for soccer camp when we up at Nana's (my mother) house in Vermont.
All four of our kids had a wonderful time, but it made the deepest impression on Rebecca. I think the camp was the turning point for her and how she felt about soccer. She got to meet other girls her age playing soccer and she found out that playing soccer is fun.
At practice she has been engaged with her team mates and was actually trying. Then there was the big moment. Rebecca wanted to know when was she going to play a game. She then proceeded to count down each day. She actually squealed with joy when she woke up on game day.
So now I have a little soccer girl. What a change from last year.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Whoa, Small World
I was poking about on my college's alumni website trying to find a friend's email address, when I found out something very surprising. One of my classmates (Matt) has a company that is responsible for one of our favorite shows on PBS.
The show in question is FETCH, a delightful show that has an animated host, that just happens to be a dog, direct a group of kids through a multitude of challenges. It is one of the few shows that appeals to everybody in the family. It's funny, smart and just plain fun.
For a little clip of the show, sans kids, head on over to the Global Mechanic site.
I was never big friends with Matt, but I do remember him. that is one of the advantages of going to a small college, you really do get to know most of your classmates.
The show in question is FETCH, a delightful show that has an animated host, that just happens to be a dog, direct a group of kids through a multitude of challenges. It is one of the few shows that appeals to everybody in the family. It's funny, smart and just plain fun.
For a little clip of the show, sans kids, head on over to the Global Mechanic site.
I was never big friends with Matt, but I do remember him. that is one of the advantages of going to a small college, you really do get to know most of your classmates.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
School Days
So far school has been a big hit. They are coming home with smiles and happy to go back the next morning.
Nate is settling in his new school and likes his teacher. His only complaint is that his bus ride is too long. At a little under two hours round trip he's right about that, but there isn't much we can do short of my driving him in. At least he gets to ride with a bunch of his buddies from his old school that also made the cut for the gifted program.
Jake too is in a new school with a longer bus ride. The middle school is a bit further away and as an added bonus his school starts an hour earlier than the elementary school. So far he has been bringing home tons of forms for me to fill out. Not much learning has gone on yet. The biggest change for him is that he now goes from class to class, no longer does he have his own desk. He is okay with this except he doesn't have a locker. For whatever reason the school has not yet assigned lockers to the students. So everybody is stuck lugging around overstuffed backpacks all day long. Hopefully he'll be getting one today or tomorrow.
Max and Rebecca, meanwhile, have been having a great time riding the bus and going to school. They are in separate classes (district policy for multiples) and they both like their teachers. The most interesting bit of news is that they chose not to ride together on the bus. That tells me that I was right that they were ready to be separated at school and not to buck the district policy. They are two very different and independent personalities and are not dependent on each other.
And me? I've been enjoying the quiet.
Nate is settling in his new school and likes his teacher. His only complaint is that his bus ride is too long. At a little under two hours round trip he's right about that, but there isn't much we can do short of my driving him in. At least he gets to ride with a bunch of his buddies from his old school that also made the cut for the gifted program.
Jake too is in a new school with a longer bus ride. The middle school is a bit further away and as an added bonus his school starts an hour earlier than the elementary school. So far he has been bringing home tons of forms for me to fill out. Not much learning has gone on yet. The biggest change for him is that he now goes from class to class, no longer does he have his own desk. He is okay with this except he doesn't have a locker. For whatever reason the school has not yet assigned lockers to the students. So everybody is stuck lugging around overstuffed backpacks all day long. Hopefully he'll be getting one today or tomorrow.
Max and Rebecca, meanwhile, have been having a great time riding the bus and going to school. They are in separate classes (district policy for multiples) and they both like their teachers. The most interesting bit of news is that they chose not to ride together on the bus. That tells me that I was right that they were ready to be separated at school and not to buck the district policy. They are two very different and independent personalities and are not dependent on each other.
And me? I've been enjoying the quiet.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Artist of the Week: Pen and Ink
This week's artist is me!
I found this while we were up at my mother's house. It's a book I made as an art project in high school. The spelling is atrocious and the storyline is a bit dopey, but overall I still like what I did. I did all the calligraphy and the illustrations by hand. I can't remember which order I did them in. I think I did them at about the same time. I would write a bit, leave space for a picture and then break out the watercolors after roughly penciling it out. I don't know if now I would have the courage to do both on the same page.
My teacher, Mr. Fox was very impressed and wanted to keep it, but I couldn't bear to let it go. I think I told him I was giving to my mother and prompted squirreled it away in my room. My mother only got it when my teacher commented about during a conference. Found out, I then had to give it to her. I think I did fully intend to give it to my mother, I just forgot. Teenagers are like that.
I remember the whole process I went through, experimenting with different brush techniques to get just the effect I wanted. My favorite was the Chinese dragon.
If you click on either picture it leads to the the set for the whole book. I recommend that you start at the cover page and go through the whole set in order.
It's amazing what I can find at mother's house.
I found this while we were up at my mother's house. It's a book I made as an art project in high school. The spelling is atrocious and the storyline is a bit dopey, but overall I still like what I did. I did all the calligraphy and the illustrations by hand. I can't remember which order I did them in. I think I did them at about the same time. I would write a bit, leave space for a picture and then break out the watercolors after roughly penciling it out. I don't know if now I would have the courage to do both on the same page.
My teacher, Mr. Fox was very impressed and wanted to keep it, but I couldn't bear to let it go. I think I told him I was giving to my mother and prompted squirreled it away in my room. My mother only got it when my teacher commented about during a conference. Found out, I then had to give it to her. I think I did fully intend to give it to my mother, I just forgot. Teenagers are like that.
I remember the whole process I went through, experimenting with different brush techniques to get just the effect I wanted. My favorite was the Chinese dragon.
If you click on either picture it leads to the the set for the whole book. I recommend that you start at the cover page and go through the whole set in order.
It's amazing what I can find at mother's house.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Back to School
Well we did it.
Four kids at three different schools and three different buses.
Jake was first out, that is a picture of him walking to the bus stop with his father. Larry escorted him to the stop, about one and half blocks away and then went on an early morning bike ride. There are a fair number of kids at the stop and Jake already knows a few.
One down, three to go.
Nate's bus is next, closely followed by Max and Rebecca's. They could have all ridden the same bus, but Nate is in the gifted program and gets to bused to another school.
We got at the stop at about 8:15 and waited for the gifted bus. It should arrive at about 8:25 and then the regular bus at about 8:40.
8:30 came and went, the natives were getting restless. Maybe we missed Nate's bus.
At 8:45 Max and Rebecca's bus showed up, a bit late, but still on schedule. The driver was delighted to see the dynamic duo and was a bit surprised that Nate wasn't coming on. I asked her about the other bus and she told me that she hadn't seen the other driver, but she did see another one of Nate's fellow gifted students waiting at his stop.
So we hadn't missed the bus, it was apparently running late, very late.
I waved goodbye to Max and Rebecca and told the driver that I guess I should drive Nate in myself. If we left now he would just get there on time. She agreed and then shut the door and pulled away.
Nate and i ducked back home. I tried calling another mom about the bus, but got no answer. Nate and I got in the van and started to drive to his school. When we got about a block and half from our house (Jake's bus stop to be precise), Nate's bus pulled onto our cross street. She pulled up next to me and I said" I think I've got one of yours."
"Gifted?"
"Yup."
"Send him on in, sorry about the hour, I'm running about 15 minutes late." (note:more like 30 minutes if you ask me.)
Nate skedaddled on over and got on the bus and we were all set. He would be late, but he was on the bus and it would be much easier for him to get into his new routine.
And then I was free for the rest of the day.
All I can say is that it is very quiet around here, if you ignore the barky old dog.
Four kids at three different schools and three different buses.
Jake was first out, that is a picture of him walking to the bus stop with his father. Larry escorted him to the stop, about one and half blocks away and then went on an early morning bike ride. There are a fair number of kids at the stop and Jake already knows a few.
One down, three to go.
Nate's bus is next, closely followed by Max and Rebecca's. They could have all ridden the same bus, but Nate is in the gifted program and gets to bused to another school.
We got at the stop at about 8:15 and waited for the gifted bus. It should arrive at about 8:25 and then the regular bus at about 8:40.
8:30 came and went, the natives were getting restless. Maybe we missed Nate's bus.
At 8:45 Max and Rebecca's bus showed up, a bit late, but still on schedule. The driver was delighted to see the dynamic duo and was a bit surprised that Nate wasn't coming on. I asked her about the other bus and she told me that she hadn't seen the other driver, but she did see another one of Nate's fellow gifted students waiting at his stop.
So we hadn't missed the bus, it was apparently running late, very late.
I waved goodbye to Max and Rebecca and told the driver that I guess I should drive Nate in myself. If we left now he would just get there on time. She agreed and then shut the door and pulled away.
Nate and i ducked back home. I tried calling another mom about the bus, but got no answer. Nate and I got in the van and started to drive to his school. When we got about a block and half from our house (Jake's bus stop to be precise), Nate's bus pulled onto our cross street. She pulled up next to me and I said" I think I've got one of yours."
"Gifted?"
"Yup."
"Send him on in, sorry about the hour, I'm running about 15 minutes late." (note:more like 30 minutes if you ask me.)
Nate skedaddled on over and got on the bus and we were all set. He would be late, but he was on the bus and it would be much easier for him to get into his new routine.
And then I was free for the rest of the day.
All I can say is that it is very quiet around here, if you ignore the barky old dog.
Monday, September 03, 2007
End of Summer
Today was a quiet one. Tomorrow morning all four kids get onto their respective buses and head off to school. And thusly, for our family, summer comes to an end.
We slept in (or at least Larry and I tried to), had a long and leisurely breakfast and went to the pool for one last swim. Well, except for Larry and Max on the swimming part. Larry declined to go and Max declared the water was far too cold. So I phoned home and Larry came down and brought him home.
Tomorrow morning will be chaotic, with lunches to be made and buses to be caught. I have to stop by the school in the morning to drop off Max's enzymes and then I'm on my own.
It's been a long time since I've had the bulk of the day for myself. I'm sure I'll get all sniffly when Max and Rebecca get on the bus, but I'll survive. As one teacher once said about the first day of school "We've never lost a parent."
We slept in (or at least Larry and I tried to), had a long and leisurely breakfast and went to the pool for one last swim. Well, except for Larry and Max on the swimming part. Larry declined to go and Max declared the water was far too cold. So I phoned home and Larry came down and brought him home.
Tomorrow morning will be chaotic, with lunches to be made and buses to be caught. I have to stop by the school in the morning to drop off Max's enzymes and then I'm on my own.
It's been a long time since I've had the bulk of the day for myself. I'm sure I'll get all sniffly when Max and Rebecca get on the bus, but I'll survive. As one teacher once said about the first day of school "We've never lost a parent."
Sunday, September 02, 2007
County Fair
Yesterday was gorgeous and was the last day of the County Fair.
The County Fair takes place the end of August and is eagerly anticipated all year long. Events are marked by Rebecca on whether they are before or after the fair. Last weekend was the three H's- hot humid and hideous, so we didn't even mention that the fair had opened.
Saturday was our last chance and we completely lucked out with the weather. We showed up at lunch time and got a quick bit to eat and headed to the midway. This year we all did the bumper cars, then the boys went to the race cars while Rebecca rode the much more sedate bus. Next up was the giant slide and then we were almost out of tickets. Rebecca loves the carousel so that was next.
At the last minute Max wanted to ride as well, so I sent him in by himself. He scrambled up the horse by himself and proudly rode his steed. Larry didn't even know Max was on the ride until he saw Max get off the ride.
He has gotten to be such a big boy.
At that point we only had four tickets left, enough for one person on one ride, but the siren call of the game booths filled the kids ears. Jake noticed the ping pong ball toss for goldfish and I told him no way. I was not going home with a fish. Instead we headed over to the balloon darts.
Larry and I tried to figure out how many darts to get. All four kids wanted in, but the darts cost $2 for one, $5 for 3 and $10 for 7. The guy running the booth then offered 8 darts for $10, sold! Each kid got two darts. Jake and Nate needed no coaching, but the dynamic duo were another story. Rebecca got the idea and liked being up on the counter. Max was a bit dangerous and I was glad I was behind him. The good news was that all four managed to pop at least one balloon. None of them were winners, but they did get a small consolation toy (the policy is that every kid wins). Then it was off to the races.
The same outfit we saw last year was back and as you can see we all had fun watching the animals race around the track.
Next to the pig races was the exhibition hall. Inside all of the crafts, farm produce and baked goods entered were on display. The entry is usually small, but I like seeing the quilts and stuff. Next year I might even get organized and submit an entry in the baked goods competition. I think I would have a definite shot in winning a ribbon. The highlight for the kids was the large model train whizzing about on it's track. The wooden tressel for the bridge was particularly impressive.
It was thirsty work cheering on Hammy Hamlin and looking at trains so we got some snow cones. Or more accurately, we bought snow cones for the kids. The one thing I've learned about snow cones is that I don't need to get my own. Inevitably at least one of the kids has a few bites and declares he or she is full and wants to chuck the remaining 3/4's. Rebecca was first to bail and I got hers and Max followed soon after and Larry got his.
It was a good day to have a snow cone, even if it was leftovers.
Then it was off to the barrel train. No trip to the county fair is complete without a ride on the barrel train.
This year the train was a little different. Instead of a full fledge farm tractor pulling the train a lawn tractor was acting as the engine. It was a quieter and produced a whole lot less smoke, but I missed the big tractor.
But it was still a fun ride.
You can see Rebecca, Jake and Max on board, with Nate and Larry trailing along behind on foot. I don't know why Nate didn't ride, but that's his choice. I think he just wanted to walk along with his father.
All that was left was the children's tent and the petting zoo.
Every year the children's tent has a fake cow you can milk, a fake horse you can ride and pretend to rope a fake calf, a corn crib, a sand box, ride on tractors and a Duplo table.
The kids love it. Max and Jake spent most of their time building at the Duplo table, but they did have some fun together in the corn crib. Max happily lolled about in the corn and Jake buried him. Rebecca was in there for a bit, playing with her toy from the balloon dart game, but she had other things on her mind as you'll see below.
Nate's favorite was the tractors. He spent most of his time pedaling about under the tent.
I think he looks so handsome in this picture. It's hard to believe that my boy is starting third grade next week. He looks so much older, but he still a little boy.
Rebecca meanwhile wanted to go to the petting zoo, so I obliged her.
The set up was different this year. Previous years there was a large central area filled with goats, sheep, llamas and a donkey or two that you could enter to feed the animals and actually mix about with them. This year we were cordoned off from the animals. You could still feed and pet them, you just couldn't be in their enclosure.
This was an improvement, I learned that it was best not to have food on you in the large enclosure. The goats mobbed anybody who had food. A scary situation when you have small children in tow. It was probably also better for the animals. If they did not want to be petted they could easily move away to the other side of the pen.
Of course the best part for Rebecca was the pony ride. The ring was between the children's tent and the petting zoo. I was able to get this photo as she passed by me while I was with her brothers in the children's tent.
I don't think she could be any happier.
WE all had a good time and the kid's are back to counting down the days until next year's fair.
The County Fair takes place the end of August and is eagerly anticipated all year long. Events are marked by Rebecca on whether they are before or after the fair. Last weekend was the three H's- hot humid and hideous, so we didn't even mention that the fair had opened.
Saturday was our last chance and we completely lucked out with the weather. We showed up at lunch time and got a quick bit to eat and headed to the midway. This year we all did the bumper cars, then the boys went to the race cars while Rebecca rode the much more sedate bus. Next up was the giant slide and then we were almost out of tickets. Rebecca loves the carousel so that was next.
At the last minute Max wanted to ride as well, so I sent him in by himself. He scrambled up the horse by himself and proudly rode his steed. Larry didn't even know Max was on the ride until he saw Max get off the ride.
He has gotten to be such a big boy.
At that point we only had four tickets left, enough for one person on one ride, but the siren call of the game booths filled the kids ears. Jake noticed the ping pong ball toss for goldfish and I told him no way. I was not going home with a fish. Instead we headed over to the balloon darts.
Larry and I tried to figure out how many darts to get. All four kids wanted in, but the darts cost $2 for one, $5 for 3 and $10 for 7. The guy running the booth then offered 8 darts for $10, sold! Each kid got two darts. Jake and Nate needed no coaching, but the dynamic duo were another story. Rebecca got the idea and liked being up on the counter. Max was a bit dangerous and I was glad I was behind him. The good news was that all four managed to pop at least one balloon. None of them were winners, but they did get a small consolation toy (the policy is that every kid wins). Then it was off to the races.
The same outfit we saw last year was back and as you can see we all had fun watching the animals race around the track.
Next to the pig races was the exhibition hall. Inside all of the crafts, farm produce and baked goods entered were on display. The entry is usually small, but I like seeing the quilts and stuff. Next year I might even get organized and submit an entry in the baked goods competition. I think I would have a definite shot in winning a ribbon. The highlight for the kids was the large model train whizzing about on it's track. The wooden tressel for the bridge was particularly impressive.
It was thirsty work cheering on Hammy Hamlin and looking at trains so we got some snow cones. Or more accurately, we bought snow cones for the kids. The one thing I've learned about snow cones is that I don't need to get my own. Inevitably at least one of the kids has a few bites and declares he or she is full and wants to chuck the remaining 3/4's. Rebecca was first to bail and I got hers and Max followed soon after and Larry got his.
It was a good day to have a snow cone, even if it was leftovers.
Then it was off to the barrel train. No trip to the county fair is complete without a ride on the barrel train.
This year the train was a little different. Instead of a full fledge farm tractor pulling the train a lawn tractor was acting as the engine. It was a quieter and produced a whole lot less smoke, but I missed the big tractor.
But it was still a fun ride.
You can see Rebecca, Jake and Max on board, with Nate and Larry trailing along behind on foot. I don't know why Nate didn't ride, but that's his choice. I think he just wanted to walk along with his father.
All that was left was the children's tent and the petting zoo.
Every year the children's tent has a fake cow you can milk, a fake horse you can ride and pretend to rope a fake calf, a corn crib, a sand box, ride on tractors and a Duplo table.
The kids love it. Max and Jake spent most of their time building at the Duplo table, but they did have some fun together in the corn crib. Max happily lolled about in the corn and Jake buried him. Rebecca was in there for a bit, playing with her toy from the balloon dart game, but she had other things on her mind as you'll see below.
Nate's favorite was the tractors. He spent most of his time pedaling about under the tent.
I think he looks so handsome in this picture. It's hard to believe that my boy is starting third grade next week. He looks so much older, but he still a little boy.
Rebecca meanwhile wanted to go to the petting zoo, so I obliged her.
The set up was different this year. Previous years there was a large central area filled with goats, sheep, llamas and a donkey or two that you could enter to feed the animals and actually mix about with them. This year we were cordoned off from the animals. You could still feed and pet them, you just couldn't be in their enclosure.
This was an improvement, I learned that it was best not to have food on you in the large enclosure. The goats mobbed anybody who had food. A scary situation when you have small children in tow. It was probably also better for the animals. If they did not want to be petted they could easily move away to the other side of the pen.
Of course the best part for Rebecca was the pony ride. The ring was between the children's tent and the petting zoo. I was able to get this photo as she passed by me while I was with her brothers in the children's tent.
I don't think she could be any happier.
WE all had a good time and the kid's are back to counting down the days until next year's fair.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)