Epic Fail.....

November was National Blog Posting Month.......the goal was 30 posts in 30 days (hangs head in shame). I did so well until day 28 and then nada the well was dry, I couldn't find a fount of inspiration anywhere. I don't believe is was a complete waste though. This challenge really helped me to recognize the little things in each day. I now take the camera with me everywhere, you never know when a bloggable moment will pop-up. I'm going to try and keep posting daily, it's my mental floss. I'm terrible at keeping a journal and my memory is less than stellar, so this small "space" will house the anthology of my life.

Thanksgiving a retrospective

As Thanksgiving day was coming to a close T asked me ever so sweetly to cuddle with him....."Mom now that E is here you never cuddle with me, can you cuddle me to sleep tonight? I lay next to him and willed my mind to remember this moment, burn it in my cortex. How long do I have until he decides cuddling with mom is for babies? One day my son will be a man and all I will have to hold is this memory. I held him close and listened to the sweet sound of him sleeping, each breath a precious symphony. At times my life can be so crushingly beautiful , that I am nearly paralyzed with gratitude. I am gifted with these moments each day all I have to do is slow down and embrace them.

YUM!

Thanksgiving Menu

Turkey

Cornbread and apple chicken sausage stuffing

Mashed potatoes

Sweet potatoes with apples and walnuts

Green beans almondine

Cranberry sauce with orange zest

Creamed pearl onions

Roasted brussel sprouts

Peas

Corn pudding

Waldorf salad

24 hour salad

Halupki

Relish tray(pickles, olives, okra)

French bread rolls

Pumpkin cheesecake with cinnamon whipped cream

Apple Pie

Domaine du Bois de St. Jean 2007

Wordless Wednesday

Hubby Haiku

Thanks I give for you,
My happy ever after.
Father, lover, friend.

Memory Monday

Today's memory is in honor of the upcoming holiday. May you all eat well with plenty of gravy!

Oh Good Gravy

First off you must know I come from a family of gourmands...we live to eat. Cooking is more than just a hobby it is a passion to us, particularly my father. Every year at Thanksgiving we try and up the ante. New dishes are researched, cookbooks scoured all in search of the next illustrious dish. We make so much food each year that it will not even fit on the dining room table, the buffet must serve as back-up. There can not be just one of anything, two stuffings and at least two types of potatoes are a requirement. One year we decided we would brine the turkey (I highly suggest this). It was difficult to convince my mother and grandmother to let go of the turkey reins but in the end they acquiesced. Due to it's salt content it is recommended that you do not use the pan drippings of a brined turkey to make your gravy. This led my father and I on a mission to unearth the worlds best gravy recipe. We discovered that the key to excellent gravy is good stock. After even more reading and Internet searching it was deduced that the best turkey stock comes from roasted turkey wings. We were now armed with our recipe, it was time to start cooking. We began the night before and lovingly roasted the wings until they were crispy and golden brown. In the morning the wings were added to the stock pot with an array of aromatics to transform into "the stock". We diligently watched the pot skimming off the excessive foam, gauging it's hue, and impatiently waiting for the final product. After four hours of preparation "the stock" was deemed finished. My father and I beamed, this was going to be our crowning moment, we were going to make the best gravy the world had ever tasted. The stock was pulled off the stove onto the counter to await it's transformation. The kitchen became filled with the hustle and bustle of the holiday as the stock patiently rested. The occasion finally arrived and my father and I entered the kitchen to begin the mission. We appeared just in time to see my mother haphazardly pouring the stock down the sink drain. We were to late to save our doomed stock and all are hard work literally went down the drain. My ever industrious mother had already begun cleaning the kitchen and had mistaken the stock for the juices left by the pearled onions. Crestfallen we stared at my mother in shock and disbelief. Our roux would never be, all our hopes were dashed. That year we had no gravy and my mother has been known ever thus as the "gravy killer".

Please don't let this happen to your own stock; guard it with your life this year. You never know what threats are lurking in your own home.

Baby Bling

I am an avid babywearer. It all began with T. I received my first sling for free as part of a promotion for the libraries birth to four program. It was the start of a love affair that is still going strong. I believe babies should be held as much as possible, and that it is impossible to spoil them. Last time I checked E there was no expiration date stamped on his bottom. I'm not sure I could function without my slings, wraps and mei tais. On a recent out of town day trip I realized I had forgotten my wraps. I had to stop at the local fabric store and by a few yards just to get through the day. I do not even own a stroller, my children ride close to my heart. E is strapped on to me most of the day...he is such a cute accessory. Babywearing allows me the freedom to multitasks. E is there as I do the laundry, cook diner and bake bread. I have ridden carousels, danced at weddings, and hiked mountains all with a baby on my back. Babywearing is not some newfangled trend, humans have strapped their children to themselves from the earliest times. Babywearing is still universally practiced in Africa and much of Asia. I try to tell these facts to the hordes of people I meet who are "amazed" by these new baby contraptions. I'm often shocked by the comments I receive such as "I had to carry them inside me for nine months, why would I want to strap them on and haul them around any longer" or "Aren't you afraid your going to drop them" um no...aren't you worried about your stroller rolling into traffic, or being taken by a stranger? On the whole my babywearing receives a very positive reception. I always feel some secret shared sisterhood with other babyweares I see in public. They know the joy of warm baby's breath on your neck. Babies are little for such a short time. I plan on chasing after mine with yards of fabric trailing behind for as long as he will let me!

Keeping it real

"Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart." Kahlil Gibran

Today I was jokingly told by my mother that I am "depriving" my daughter" by having a "tomboy of a mother". Funny, I always thought I was empowering her. I actually view myself as all woman, no make-up, hair dye or perfume required. I hope I'm teaching my children beauty is a state of mind. I see my body as merely a vessel....it's outward appearance should not dictate my "worth". Our society puts so much pressure on women to be younger, prettier, skinnier ummm how about smarter and stronger. We don't have cable television, whenever we travel and I'm subjected to it I'm amazed by the number of commercials dedicated to "improving" the female body. Golly I'm not sure how I survive day to day without fuller eyelashes, color true lipstick, body ribbons of moisturizers and wrinkle reducers. How much money is spent in America by women in pursuit of unattainable "perfection"? My body is already perfect. The joy of my soul is displayed in each of my laugh lines. The white threads that span my abdomen are an homage to the miracle my body has performed...three times over. These less than pert breasts have nourished life. Why would I want to "fix"this. So no I'm not teaching my daughter how to blow dry, curl or shade her brow......thank goodness!

I'm Sensible

"All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds than to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason." Immanuel Kant

This week we are studying the nervous system. The nervous system is a network of cells that coordinate the body's actions and carry signals from one part of the body to another. Before any of this can happen though, information has to come into the body. Your five senses gather the information for your nervous system. Our lab this week focused on testing how well the children's senses worked. It was a great excuse to blindfold the children and subject them to hideous smells! We used vinegar and garlic to test their sense of smell...this was funny! Sight was tested with an orange and white vinegar placed in a clear jar. Next we used chocolate chips and apples to test their sense of taste. Bells and coins provide the sounds to test their hearing. Finally we used a Q-tip and a pencil for their sense of touch. The kids had to guess what everything was using only the sense specified. Fun was had by all and there was much giggling and gagging. T wanted to test his senses further and let me lead him around the backyard blindfolded.....obviously he still trusts me.....not sure how long that will last! Next week is genetics...I foresee a birds and bees conversation ensuing...wish me luck;)

There's a fungus among us

Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Series: Mushrooms

This week we have been focusing on the humble and mysterious mushroom. Mushrooms are a member of the Fungi kingdom. T found it fascinating that fungi are not considered plants or animals but rather their own separate entity. Like plants, fungi have cell walls, vacuoles and reproduce sexually and asexually. They also share traits with the animal kingdom since they lack chloroplasts and must really on organic compounds for energy sources. We have a bountiful supply of mushrooms in the area due to the deluge we endured last week. I was a little neurotic this week and must have told the children a few thousand times to"never touch or eat a wild fungus". We were able to study mushrooms more closely after a trip to the supermarket for a portabello...I love nature studies you can eat!

Wordless Wednesday

Handmade Holiday Update

Here are some pictures of the items I have completed so far. I'm really enjoying myself, I had forgotten how nice it is to have a creative outlet. I've included the links to tutorials when possible. Get to crafting y'all, the holidays are right around the corner.

Here is a sampling of the felt food I've been sewing. It's my version of Chinese takeout...I'm going to wrap it in a paper bag and pack it with chopsticks. I used the tutorial from CraftSanity to make the fortune cookies and tweaked the pattern to my liking. All the other items were brainstormed by me.

These gnomes and fairies were based on a design from Wee Folk Art.

I'm still working on making a felt fairy house and more little people for O. I'm hoping to make a doorway puppet theater and some felt camping items for T. I haven't even started on the extended families gifts yet...I'm having too much fun making toys!

Memory Monday

Having a three year old is a constant exercise in patience, fortunately this job also comes with built in humor relief. Kid's really do say the darnedest things......

Out of the Mouths of Babes

1. Last night I roasted a chicken for dinner. O was helping me while I carved it and we discussed it's anatomy. First she said she wanted to eat the wings, next the legs. Finally she asked me "Mom do chicken's have butts?" "Why, yes" I replied. "Good I'll take the butt, I want to eat chicken butt." Lovely!
2. Last week we were driving in the van and O was sassing her brother. T yells "You are not the queen of me". O looks at him with hate in her eyes and screeches "I know I'm the princess!"
3. I was putting the children to bed last week and gave them a 15 minute warning. When time was up I told O. She proceeded to tell me "I still have 5 minutes left". I replied "No you don't. You can't even count to five" Again O looks at me defiantly and states "Yes I can on my fingers,see" she raises her hand and shouts "1,3,17,8,5...time is not up!"

Some days this job may be thankless but luckily it is not short on laughs...

Elf Houses

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of building elf houses with my parents. Magical hours spent collecting twigs, leaves, moss and stones to adorn our diminutive abodes. The bases of all our trees were peppered with these small villages. We would spin elaborate tales about our wee visitors. These homes were even furnished with lovingly made chairs, beds and tables. Year after year we built these houses, often returning to our favorite haunts only to find piles of our handywork. Our hopes were never dashed we just built anew these small treasure. I have continued on this tradition with my own children. I will often peek into the backyard to find them deeply engrossed in their own fairy tales. I love to see their faces aglow with the wonder and excitement of childhood. Thankfully it is still contagious and the next thing I know I'm giggling beside them twig in hand. As a result of the storms we've endured the backyard is littered with branches and leaves. This was of course the perfect recipe for a giant elf house.

I meet a senorita with a flower in her hair

It's cold, damp and gray here....sounds like the forecast for the rest of the season. Our day was in need of some serious brightening, call in the flowers please. Much to my husband's chagrin I always save packaging and recyclables. Lurking behind every innocent box is a creation just waiting to be discovered.....today we set the playroom a bloom. The children and I used all of the crumpled tissue paper collected from years of hoarding to make beautiful flowers. They were able to do most of the folding themselves and mom only helped with a little "tweaking". Here our their magnificent blossoms.

All of these floral coiffures resulted in a sing along of a long forgotten childhood favorite.

One day as I was walkin'

A walkin' to the fair,

I meet a senorita

With a flower in her hair

Oh shake it senorita. ( Shakes both hands)

Shake it if you can.

Shake it like a milkshake

And shake it once again.

Oh she wowed them on the bottom. (lower hands)

She wowed them on the top. (raise hands)

She turned around and turned around (turn around)

Until she shouted S-T-O-P stop.

Much merriment was had by all and our gray day was transformed with the help of a little tissue paper.