A Beautiful Work In Progress

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T13:24:00.002-05:00

Now, I'm not religious, but I do believe in God. I read this early this morning and felt humbled by it and amazed at how far most of us have come from the original intent of this day.

May you have a wonderful day filled with family and memories, and may you find purpose in the words that follow:

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful
knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

A First

2009-11-19T22:26:00.000-05:00

My daughter, Josie, took this photo of Nicole and I on our recent trip to see her at her place (Who said I wouldn't make it back within a decade?!) Not a bad photo, huh? We were amazingly well centered and almost completely in focus! I just had to fix a little red eye. Nothing to be done about the glare in my glasses without some photoshop work, which I'm just not up for tonight.

Good job, Josie!

A Moment With Katie

2009-11-19T22:19:00.000-05:00

Josie Loves Her Daddy

2009-11-19T22:17:00.000-05:00

The Recent Tackling of Aunt Niki

2009-11-19T20:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Little Girls

2009-11-19T20:10:00.000-05:00

My Three Little Ones

2009-11-19T20:09:00.001-05:00

Katie:

2009-11-19T20:09:00.000-05:00

. . . Being Woody, from Toy Story, who has just been surprised by a person and has quickly flopped to the floor.

Having Fun With Christmas: Part I

2009-11-16T16:25:00.003-05:00

While the kids played outside in some amazingly warm and sunny weather, I gathered up all of our Christmas-themed books and movies and wrapped them all in the same wrapping paper. They now tantalizingly reside in a big wicker laundry basket, waiting for December 1st, when we get to pick one to open. Each child will get a turn to pick and unwrap a surprise for each day leading up to Christmas.

And to think I did it two whole weeks ahead of schedule . . .

A Favorite Recipe

2009-11-12T12:47:00.004-05:00

Fast. Cheap. Healthy. Delicious.

These are the ideal characteristics of a great meal around here. We have a favorite that I adapted from a far (if you can believe it) simpler recipe that was lacking a bit in flavor. My version takes no more time than the original Rice and Beans recipe I had read that fateful day, because all my extras can be done in the time it takes to cook rice. But my version has a whole lot more flavor and it looks beautiful on the plate.

I forgot to take pictures last night as I made it and I didn't think to until the plate was already nearly empty, so I'll update with pictures next week.

Ingredients:

3 cups of water
1 tbs tarragon
1 tsp ground savory
1 tbs chicken base (or enough bouillon for 3 cups water OR replace water with chicken stock)
1 1/2 cups white rice (You can sub in brown rice if you have the time)
One large onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 tbs butter
1/4 cup good white wine
1 can black beans
1 can red beans (or sub in any beans you like. Add extras too!)
Fresh parsley, basil or any other lovely herb you might have. Or, in a pinch, dried will work to.

Directions:

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Turn down heat and cover. Simmer for 12 minutes then turn off the heat. No Peaking ;)
Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in butter until onion is translucent, but not browning. Pour white wine into onion pan and scrape the bottom vigorously with a spatula (or spootula if you happen to know my children) to get up any delicious bits that might be sticking there. Then dump in the canned beans, juice and all. Heat through.
By now, your rice is done. Choose a pretty serving dish. I like to use a wide shallow bowl for this. Dump your rice in the middle of the dish and flatten out to cover the whole bottom of the dish. Then dump your bean mixture on top, spreading it out to almost cover all the rice (leave a little rice showing around the edge. It's pretty!)
Sprinkle some fresh herbs on top and garnish with a little sprig of parsley if you have it. If not, use dried herbs for garnish. You can also top with a little grated cheese for added flavor. You can serve this up just as it is or with some salsa if your family likes it.
Enjoy!

(Original recipe, if you want to try it, was simply cooked rice with canned beans mixed in. Not sure why that recipe crossed my path or why I found it inspirational for making this recipe, but there you have it!)

On My Mind Tonight

2009-11-08T20:31:00.002-05:00

I'm currently reading a fascinating book about George Washington and, just a few chapters in, I'm already in awe. More than that, I'm struck by how many of his thoughts about the British government at the time can so perfectly be applied to our own time now. The following are three quotes which are weighing on my mind tonight:

Written to a friend shortly after the Boston Tea Party and the subsequent 'Intolerable Acts' imposed by Great Britain:

". . . God only knows what is to become of us . . . while those from whom we have a right to seek protection are endeavoring by every piece of art and despotism to fix the shackles of slavery upon us."

To a correspondent, who had suggested that humble requests to the throne would work better than Washington's plan for the colonies to avoid ordering/importing any British goods on which a tax was imposed, he wrote the following:

"As . . . I observe that government is pursuing a regular plan at the expense of law and justice to overthrow our constitutional rights and liberties, how can I expect any redress from a measure which has been ineffectually tried already? . . . Shall we, after this, whine and cry for relief when we have already tried it in vain? Or shall we supinely sit and see one province after another fall a prey to despotism? . . .
I am convinced, as much as I am of my existence, that there is no relief but in their distress; and I think, at least I hope, that there is public virtue enough left among us to deny ourselves everything but the bare necessaries of life to accomplish this end. This we have a right to do, and no power upon earth can compel us to do otherwise till they have first reduced us to the most abject state of slavery that ever was designed for mankind."

And lastly:

"An innate spirit of freedom first told me that the measures which administration have for some time been and now are most violently pursuing are rebugnant to every principle of natural justice."

I wonder if these ideas resound as much with you as they have within me.

Shower Caps and Bunk Beds

2009-11-03T20:08:00.005-05:00

**UPDATE**
The oil worked like a charm!! I washed every ones hair yesterday morning and apparently most of the bugs just washed out (what could be easier than that?) and the rest (just 2 or 3 ber head) combed out. Best of all, they were dead. All but one who was hiding out in a tiny un-oiled spot in the middle of Josie's head.

By the way, if you ever have this problem, do not waste money on other combs. Just go online to buy the NitFree Terminator. It is, by far, the best comb for the job. It actually does get all the nits, which other combs do not. We tried several different brands, including Rid, with no success.

A side benefit to the oil: Smooth, soft and shiny hair. Our heads have never sported silkier locks than they do right now, though I don't think I'll be doing this again any time soon.

For your reference, here's what to do to get rid of lice:
1)Obtain a NitFree Terminator comb. It is worth the price and the two day wait to get it from Amazon.com.

2) Before bed, put olive oil in hair until it oozes out when you squeeze the hair. Make sure to get every hair, from scalp to tip, especially around ears and the nape of the neck. Put on a shower cap to protect bedding and go to sleep.

2)Shower. Wash hair very well to get oil out (it takes 2 or 3 washings at least). Use conditioner, and rinse. (This makes the fine combing go much better).

3)Brush your hair to get all the tangles out, then run the nit comb through your hair from scalp to tip and rinse comb out after each pass. You'll want to look close at the comb each time too, to feel the satisfaction of spotting those few dead little bugs that remain. You'll also see, if you look carefully, any nits that were in your hair.

4)Continue to comb your hair with the nit comb every day for 7 to 10 days. This will insure that if any nits were left behind, for some reason, you'll get them soon after they hatch and before they can lay more eggs.

5)Comb through hair one more time about 7 days after your last combing from step 4, just to make sure there has been no re-infestation. If there has been, you'll have caught it before it gets bad and can just comb daily to get rid of them.

There. That's about it for this gross lesson. Hope you never have to use the information.

I was itchy for weeks before I realized what was happening. I figured it out completely by accident, too. Sarah walked by me, after playing hard in the leaf pile for about an hour, and I saw a bug crawling through a poof of her hair, so I reached out and grabbed it out before she could notice it. Then I took a look at it. It wasn't a little flying outdoor bug from the leaves like I thought. This bug was different.

I looked it up online and discovered that this bug doesn't enjoy flying, or jumping or even really doing much walking, for that matter. This bug was only happy in hair, human hair, to be specific. And it was the reason we were so itchy lately. It was a louse!

After freaking out for a few minutes and trying to get over the gross factor involved in this situation, I went out a bought lice shampoo, because that's what you do, right? We came home, washed everyone with special shampoo that really stings if you get it in your eyes, and then I started brushing and combing all that hair with those tiny little lice combs. Ugh.

I was under the impression that the shampoo would kill the lice. The reason I was under that impression was because the package said it would. Except it didn't. I was pulling live lice from every head. So what was the point of that shampoo? I have no idea, other than the fact that it cost us a LOT of money per bottle.

So I was able to comb the live lice out and I was very confident that the combing got to every one of them. However, there were eggs on our hair. Lots of them. I spent days picking nits out of our hair and I knew that I wouldn't be able to get them all out. Sure enough, we've got more lice this week. So I did a little more research and learned a new trick. These bugs breath through holes in their sides, tiny, tiny holes. And they have to be at least 7 days old to lay more eggs, so we have a small window here to kill them before they can cause more damage.

So tonight, my children went to bed with their hair soaked in olive oil (which will plug the breathing holes of the little crawlies on their heads and kill them overnight) and some lovely shower caps to keep it all contained.

Don't they just look adorable? Aside from the bugs in their hair? I'll be sporting a pink cap tonight, too. And Daddy, if he elects to join the fun just to be safe, will get to pick white or blue. Then, in the morning, we'll all shower, leave some conditioner in our hair and comb everything out with a super lice comb, which I'm confident will allow us to get all the lice and any left over nits, too. Cross your fingers for me, please. This is such a gross issue and I'm looking forward to it being over!

Notice the boxes in the background of this picture? Those are the new bunk-beds for the kids. I'll tell you that fun roller coaster ride next time. The kids are so excited with their surprise and we'll be having fun putting these up tomorrow.

I really hope this oil thing works.

In The Spirit

2009-11-02T13:04:00.004-05:00

It seems that the moment I finished making ghost costumes for the kids to use on Halloween, my mind made the leap to the next holidays coming just around the corner. Never mind that Halloween was still two weeks away, and never mind that I usually don't want to think about Christmas until Thanksgiving is over. This year, I've caught the spirit early and I'm sharing it with my children.

We had a lovely planning meeting this morning over breakfast (a delicious blueberry coffee cake that I was testing out for Christmas morning) during which we made some excellent decisions about what the children would like to give for Christmas. They came up with several amazing ideas that I would never have thought of. And it was very gratifying to hear them list the people they love with whom they'd like to share the holiday joy. Their gifts and recipients are completely their idea with no embellishment from Mommy (except for telling them the name of the gift they described). Even better, their ideas are largely items they can make, with only a little help from Mommy.

I credit my strict no-advertisements rule for the beautiful and sweet ideas the children can come up with. We watch very little television and what we do watch is mostly on DVD or pre-recorded so I can skip the ads. Their ideas aren't tainted by commercialism, and I'm proud of them for it.

Now, my question for you: What are your traditions leading up to Thanksgiving and/or Christmas? We have a few things we do every year, but my lack of planning keeps things hectic and traditions to a minimum. This year, I'd love to add some special things to the weeks leading up to these two special days. I'd love to hear what you do!

A New Blog to Enjoy

2009-11-02T01:03:00.002-05:00

Such lovely ideas and inspirations for frugal holiday celebrations that put the focus on family rather than commercialism and lots of great ideas for everyday too. That's what you'll find in the upbeat and beautiful posts by Molly.

Go check her out soon. She's doing a lovely '30 Days to Thanksgiving' thing right now. Even though I'm not hosting that particular celebration, I still like to create a beautiful climate for my family through the days leading up to the big day and I have found her encouragement to be quite uplifting and inspiring.

Enjoy!

Sweet Surprise

2009-09-25T16:18:00.002-04:00

It's cool today. Windy, too. The cooler temperatures have brought a few things back to our daily life that had been in hiding for many months. Among the highlights for the kids are their jackets (they just adore those hoods) and the fact that we can leave the back door open all they want (no more reminders to close the door to keep the air conditioning in).

They were truly delighted, however, when they saw me bring out one more of their 'friends' from cold weather: The chocolate pot!

Yes. We have a tea pot, glazed a rich, deep brown, that we have designated as our chocolate pot. When they see me carry that out, they know they are about to enjoy some sweet, warm, chocolaty goodness. The only sad part of it is when we pour the last drop!

A Treasure to Share

2009-09-22T17:18:00.005-04:00

I just happened upon this delightful book which, I'm happy to say, is free for all of you to download! It's an old book created for children about 12 years old, filled with little rhymes to remember cooking rules, wonderful recipes from long ago, and a very sweet, motherly tone. I fell in love with this book the moment I read the following poem:

The Witch's Test

Put eggs in cold water to test them for food.
If they float they are bad, if they sink they are good.
And some people say that an egg is all right
If you hold it up close to a flame that is bright
And look through it endwise and still see a light.

There are many of these types of poems sprinkled throughout the book and each recipe not only tells the child what ingredients to have on hand, but also what hardware they'll need to gather! Recipes include gentle reminders, such as to make sure you don't let any eggshells get into your scrambled eggs.

I do hope you click on the title (it links right to it) then click the download button, towards the right side at the top of the page the link brings you to. I'm printing a copy, and I hope to enjoy this book with my children in the years to come.

Enjoy!

I'm A Homeschooler

2009-09-20T11:38:00.003-04:00

It's official, though not necessarily permanent. I am homeschooling my children! My dear husband even told a friend of his that I was homeschooling, "for now," he qualified it. Still, it's a big step for him and a big step for me, too!

We're using a version of workboxes that takes up far less space that the original design. I have a crate with large envelopes into which I put our activities for the following day. We've been through just one week of 'school' but I can see how well this idea will carry us through the year. And, because all the materials are laid out and ready for us in the morning, we get far more done in a morning than we ever did during my experiments early in the summer.

One day, last week, we had done 10 of our 12 envelopes before lunch. We enjoyed our meal together and then went outside to play in the sunshine. About a half an hour later, Katie came to me and said "Can we go inside now to finish our envelopes? Please?" As soon as they heard her request, her sisters quickly came over to add their voices to the cause!

They love the routine of it all and they were sad when Saturday came and I said "No school today." I might go ahead and put together a couple of envelopes for weekends, just to keep them happy. Nothing required, of course, but they certainly do love to 'do school'. They even told a friend that they get to go to school "right in our own house!"

I'm sure I'll have more to write about this in a week or two. I'll be sure to keep you updated on our successes and failures. And thank you in advance for forgiving the rambling nature of this post. My excitement doesn't seem to allow me to be terribly coherent!

Convoluted

2009-09-06T00:27:00.000-04:00

Isn't this a really amazing looking tree?

It lives happily just outside a house we're thinking of buying. It's a weeping cherry and it's one of the coolest trees I've ever met.

You gotta try this!

2009-08-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you've never seen this toy, you are missing out on some very serious family fun. We were given these sets by a local family that had out grown it and we have had such a great time with it!

There are sturdy bars and flexible bars, connectors and bases. They all snap together magnetically, so it's very easy for the kids to do. Then there are fabric pieces that clip on to the bars to make walls.

What could be more cool than building your own kid-sized castle right in your living room?

Sarah certainly had a great time crawling through the maze we made for her.

The sets included some carnival pieces and Katie and Josie enjoyed being part of the zoo.

Even their Daddy couldn't keep his hands off this fun, creative toy! He built them a helicopter when it was time to pull down the castle.

I highly recommend this toy to keep aside for rainy days. It's a great way to have some at-home family fun.

Cuteness Part Two

2009-08-20T13:04:00.002-04:00

Last night, while saying goodnight to Josie, I started to tickle her, as I often do. She giggled a bit and then told me

"That's enough tickling, Mommy. But I could use some back scratching . . . " I laughed and dutifully scratched her back.

"A little more," she said.

"A little more," she said again.

"Too much!" She leaned away and smiled at me. Then she held my laughing face in her hands, kissed me square on the nose and hopped down to kiss her daddy.

Cuteness Part One

2009-08-20T12:58:00.003-04:00

We were visiting Aunt Eileen yesterday and she had a joke to tell the kids.

"What goes snap, crackle, squeek?"

The children, having no idea about rice crispies or what on earth their crazy Aunt Eileen was talking about, said "You do!"

(See the comments for the real answer)

Fun in the Sun

2009-08-20T12:43:00.000-04:00

The kids just adore this pool and they get so excited when they see me pull it out and fill it up with air. The giraffe spits water at the slide, making it super fast. It's a bit small, but the kiddos don't seem to mind it one bit!

A Bad Taste In My Mouth

2009-08-17T11:00:00.002-04:00

I love coffee. I don't mean that I just enjoy my morning cup, I mean I love it. I love the act of making it, from grinding to pouring. I find great joy in tasting the many different varieties and detecting the differences between them. And I enjoy taking each of the varieties and making them in different ways, sometimes straight through the coffee pot, sometimes espresso, cappuccino, iced, latte . . . oh, there are so very many delicious choices!

So I was very intrigued by the trial offer sent to me from a company called Seattle Coffee Direct. For just $15 they would send me two bags of any of their coffees I would like, plus a few little extras like travel mugs etc. I ordered it and waited for my coffee. I waited two weeks, which was alright with me. They micro process each batch, so I was willing to wait a little to taste the difference that might make in the coffee. When it finally arrived, I happily made my first cup of their coffee late in the evening just to try it and I was fairly pleased with the results.

The next day, however, I saw a charge on my card for nearly $40. I was a little displeased at the timing of this, since I had barely had time to try their coffee and decide if I wanted to continue getting it, nor had I had a chance, had I made a decision, to contact the company to cancel! Just 4 days later there was coffee on my front step. Two bags for $40. Not the four bags I was expecting.

I called the customer service number. When the phone was answered the woman asked me what she could do for me today. I told her to cancel the account. She requested my information to locate my account, sent me a confirmation email and said it was all done. She did not want to know why I wanted to cancel, nor did she care when I tried to explain. It wasn't information the company wanted to have.

Any company that refuses customer feedback and does not deliver what they promise will quickly disappear, but if you have occasion to try this company out before they go out of business, I highly recommend you skip it.

What Comes Next?

2009-07-14T14:24:00.004-04:00

What comes after a hundred? - A thousand.
What comes after a thousand? - A million.
What comes after a million? - A billion.

So began our conversation last night at dinner.

"And what comes after a billion, Mommy?"
"A trillion," I replied.

"And do you know what comes after a gazillion?" Sarah exclaimed.
We all looked at her with anticipation, because her face told us she had the answer:
Her eyes bright with excitement, her mouth curved in that way she does when she knows she has everyone's attention, Sarah let us in on the answer.
"A Vowzand!"

I've never heard of that one, but it sure sounds good to me. I'm sure I've read her that book a vowzand times, and I'm certain I've reminded her to use her napkin instead of her shirt a vowsand times, and I'm pretty sure that, despite my admonishments to use less, she has probably gone through a vowsand sheets of toilet paper this week. What's more, she's probably given me a vowsand kisses today and reminded me that she loves me a vowsand times and she's probably told me how much she loves that something-or-other I gave her or the things hanging on the wall or the way the birds land on our bird feeder or the chipmunk that visits to eat what they drop or the way the wind blows her hair along her back or, well, a vowsand other things.

Aunt Sugars Bread and Butter Pickles

2009-07-09T12:31:00.003-04:00

Mix the following three ingredients together in a big bowl:

8 Cups thinly sliced cucumbers
2 Cups thinly sliced onions
1/4 Cup salt

Let stand 6 hours or overnight. Drain very well! Then place them in a pan.
Then add:

2 Cups vinegar (5)
3 Cups granular sugar (7 1/2)
2 Tsp. celery seeds (5)
2 Sticks cinnamon (5)
2 Tsp. white mustard seeds (5)
2 Tsp. turmeric (5)

Toss cukes to mix well. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. DO NOT LET IT BOIL.

Add a few small pieces of lump alum to each jar before adding pickles. Seal hot.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above recipe was written by Aunt Sugar. I had the benefit of talking to her about it too. She said she only used pickling cucumbers when they looked great and were inexpensive. Otherwise, she just used regular cucumbers. It takes about 8 or 9 pickling cucumbers to make this recipe. I got three pint jars out of it.

The numbers in parentheses, I think, are for doubling the recipe. I remember her saying she liked it sweeter than the regular recipe called for, which leads me to this conclusion, since she asks for an extra cup and a half of sugar in the doubled version.

One final note: There is no need to water bath process these. Just seal them while they are hot with fresh, hot lids and they will seal up and the pickles will keep a better texture for you.

If anyone knows why the recipe calls for lump alum, I'd love to know. I found some and used it, but I don't know why.