Archive for the ‘life’ Category
Summer Reading
I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve read books that don’t rhyme every other sentence. I mean, I do read from time to time, but mostly it’s with the kids. And then there’s my long relationship with craft books and other DIY manuals, but not a lot of fiction. Abby is an avid reader (we are so proud of her), and right now she loves mysteries. She would rather read than play soccer, I think.
Ollie on the other hand is still in the picture book stage, and once in a while we borrow graphic novels from the library (think comic book) like Teen Titans or Iron Man, to satisfy his superhero cravings.
So, the last two summers I signed up for the reading club at our local library. If the kids signed up, why shouldn’t I? It definitely forced me to pick up books I normally wouldn’t even give a second thought, and in one case, I was introduced to a historical fiction/mystery series that I’ve come to enjoy. Unfortunately, since I’ve only read them during the summer months, my husband pointed out that it may take me sixteen more years to finish (eighteen books in the series – I’ve read 2).
Here are some favorites:
Food Books for Kids
picture from taliajenea.blogspot.com
Food for Thought: The Complete Book of Concepts for Growing Minds (Elffers & Freymann) * The pictures are clever, creative and well done! Makes you want to take a closer look in the produce section.
picture from www.jamakimrattigan.com
Dumpling Soup ( Jama Kim Rattigan) * In this book, the family celebrating New Year’s with dumplings and relatives is so much like our our family. If you go to the author’s site, you’ll find a recipe!
By Amy Wilson Sanger: Yum, Yum, Dim Sum (board book) and First Book of Sushi and Let’s Nosh * I love the colorful collage images
Mom’s Historical Fiction Picks
Picture from www.ameliapeabody.com
The Ape who Guards the Balance by Elizabeth Peters (The Amelia Peabody Series) * A slow start for my second book by this author, but I’ve grown fond of the characters. I really should start with the first book next time. Set in 1900s Egypt, follow the Emerson family through archaeological exploration, mystery and murder.
Picture from www.ameliapeabody.com
The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters (The Amelia Peabody Series) * My first Amelia Peabody book, but number eight in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between protagonist, Amelia Peabody, and her archaeologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson. In 1900, The Emerson family gets caught up with a mysterious criminal to find a lost queen’s tomb in Egypt.
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan * Take a (fictional-with-a-bit-of-fact) look into the life of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, his choices, and relationship with Mameh Cheney. I’ve studied FLW’s work and biography, so I knew how the story ended. And even then let’s just say, without spoiling it too much, I had a slightly difficult time getting through the tragic ending.
Anyone out there have favorite summer reads from this year to share?
Did I Hear My Kids Singing?
Alright, my kids really don’t perform in front of people. With the older one, it’s definitely not her style, she doesn’t enjoy it (she’s quite talented when it comes to drawing, though). I still have a chance for a fine arts performer with the little one… maybe. But the other day, my husband and I were sitting at the dining room table and all of a sudden we heard Ollie’s little voice singing to the tune of Smash Mouth’s “All Star”:
Somebody once told me the world’s a macaroni/so i took a bite out of a tree
It tasted kinda funny so I spitted out a bunny/and the bunny started pooping on me
Apparently, it was his older sister’s creation and she lovingly taught it to him. Precious. I can only imagine what I have to look forward to as their music tastes develop.
Unrelated updates
- Some of my recent article postings at Craft Critique can be found here and at this search results page.
- I’ve finally restarted my t-shirt quilt and am happy to report it’s shaping up nicely. Pictures soon!
- The garden has survived the crazy 90+ degree weather we’ve been having. We’ve even had a few tomatoes. Unfortunately, I haven’t put as much time into the garden as I would like because of the heat, rain and vicious mosquitoes. (Sounds like we live in the tropics or something.)
- Lastly, the compost barrel is working out nicely, but I’m afraid to look inside it. I just open the hatch, dump my scraps, latch it back up and run.
- School starts next week for my daughter!
Tags: kids, music, singing, Smash Mouth, summer
Catching Up and Homemade Pasta
It’s back to the kitchen and catching up on chores this week. The weather has been so nice that I’ve neglected the decluttering and mini-mountains of clothes that need folding, and instead have been riding my bike with Ollie and hanging out at various parks. The kids have also had a little education in local and federal government as the whole family applied for passports. Abby laughed as we posed for our pictures, “Mom, it’s like we’re in jail?!” Yes, but would we by smiling?
I like Ollie’s first attempt:
Last weekend we hosted a House Party sponsored by Calphalon and Williams-Sonoma and while we weren’t selected as the hosts to have Chef Michael Symon visit, we had a fantastic time with our guests. The easiest part about this dinner party: the menu, along with recipes and a grocery list, was supplied by Calphalon and Williams-Sonoma. We were so busy cooking up dinner, I had my brother-in-law and cousin take some pictures and I hope to post some soon.
Friends came over a few months ago and taught us how to make homemade pasta. We tried homemade potstickers so I thought, homemade noodles shouldn’t be too difficult.
Basic recipe
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups semolina flour
- 6 large eggs (at room temperature)
- pinch of salt
We combined the dry ingredients in a large bowl, made a well in the middle then cracked the eggs into the flour. Using a fork, begin beating the eggs lightly as if scrambling them, and the flour will start “falling” into the egg mixture. Continue beating the eggs to incorporate the flour slowly. The mixture will begin forming into dough, and then once the dough begins to stiffen and all the flour is incorporated, you can take it out of the bowl to knead. It wasn’t very pretty, pulling and pushing the dough, squishing it around. Our friend made it look all nice and rectangular. Mine sort of looked amoeba-shaped until I folded it over again to knead some more. I think we did this for a few minutes before running it through the pasta machine. And when we did, it took a few passes to get to the thickness we wanted. We hung the noodles up as we finished the rest of the dough and got a big pot of water and salt to a rolling boil. The noodles cooked quickly in less than 5 minutes.
Tags: Friends and Family, homemade, noodles, passport pictures, pasta
Hello and Thanks
I feel remiss in saying hello to anyone who is new to my site especially via Craft Critique, Blog Frog and Top Mommy Blogs! Thank you for taking time to come by and reading ramblings about my crafty-foodie life which often involves my family. Having the site for 1-1/2 years now, it’s still surreal to believe there are readers who visit regularly or whenever time allows. It’s nice to know that I’ve helped or inspired others to do something different, something new. The crafting and cooking will return soon…
It's the simplicity I envy sometimes
I’m feeling a little introspective lately. Like everyone else, just lots of things going on with family and life, but things are under control. I mean really, I have a great family life and I’m finally exploring the artistic side of me which before, I hardly had time. At least now, I sneak it in once in a while: a late night, drawing or sketching in the car while waiting in the school pick-up line. I often wonder if my daughter remembers I used to work outside the house and I used to take her to the office with me. Or is this the me she sees now: mom, wife, personal secretary, chauffeur, cook, launderer, housekeeper, etc. I want to make sure my kids know I love them, want to set a good example, teach them life skills. We all do the best we can.
I think I just get run down with the parenting-homekeeping part of me, so it was great timing that a friend of ours managed to arrange two tickets to The Oprah Winfrey Show! How surreal is that? I ended up going by myself because Eastman had a prior school event – out of town, even. And, while there was the “extra” ticket, how could I possible pick one friend to come along? How do you pick? I didn’t. It’s almost impossible. How does that Petula Clark song go *grin*?
Like a good audience member, in accordance to the “guest contract” I signed at Harpo Studios, I won’t blog about the program I saw (it was the Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers show, by the way – aired last Friday), but I can certainly document my journey there. It was really refreshing to have some time for myself…
I had a chance to forget all my troubles, forget all my cares… downtown.
(Thanks, Darwin! Thanks, East!)
Tags: craft critique, downtown, harpo studio, oprah, petula clark, readers, time
Some Website Clean-up, Fun and Giveaway
Funky Monday soup, right? We’ll get to that in a moment. I’ve been toying around with this site layout. I’m no web programmer by any means, just playing around. Some of the additions are:
- Along the right hand side of the blog, I’ll post some books and products on cooking, crafting, etc. Some books I own, some I’ve borrowed, read at the library, seen at friend’s homes… I just think they’re cool books, and I think you might like them too. I promise not to clutter up with too much advertising. That was never my intention with this site.
- Further down the right hand side, there is a “Google Friend Connect” box. I don’t know if there are people other than my family who are following my craziness – well, on a regular basis. I sure do appreciate it if you are, and if you feel so inclined to follow along, feel free to sign-in.
So, around 8:00 PM last night, I realized, “OH, it’s Sunday!” It was one of those, “Gee, I thought it was Saturday” moments, and I have to get my head back into the weekday routines. But no, I was wandering around cyberspace and found this site: Sign Generator from RedKid.net. So much fun to be had. There are lots of images to choose from – pick one and enter your phrase. That’s how the Monday Soup came about.
How about your own Oscar award? Street sign? Magic 8 ball? I would have to shake the ball again if I got this fortune. We all have those days, don’t we? I feel like making a bunch of goofy ones and sending them off to my friends.
Lastly, go by Craft Critique today to see my review on Donna Downey products (there are 3 articles, mine is number 2 or 3), and sign up for the wonderful giveaways! I’m so excited to be able to bring these fun opportunities to readers! Entries are open until Wed., May 5… Happy Cinco de Mayo!
(My Craft Critique legal disclosure that I have to include so I or others don’t get in trouble!)
Tags: fun, funny, wasting time, websites
A Weekend of Firsts
My first born…
…celebrated her First Communion. Walking down the aisle with her, seeing her wear communion veil I wore, I thought, this isn’t the first time you were all dressed up in this church.
We attended our first craft show together, a first of many mother-daughter crafty outings I hope.
With Laura (Bugawumps.blogspot.com)
And she played in her first soccer game.
Am I a soccer mom yet? I think not. It was the first time I screamed out loud, “GO, ABBY! RUN!!! Get the BALL!!” but not the first time I’ve cheered her on. That’s every day: when she leaves the car (Bye, Mom!) and runs off to school, when she’s working really hard on her homework or a project, when she’s sitting with her little brother and reading a book to him, when she tells me a funny joke and she’s messing around with her dad. Go, Abby!
