Broccoli

I harvested the last of our broccoli yesterday. It's been pretty warm, and I think it was getting ready to bolt. This is about 4 heads or so... we had a total of about 15 heads.
Now... time to search for some yummy new broccoli recipes. Wonder if I can blanch it and freeze it?

Play with your Food

Okay, I realize this breaks all the rules...

Noah is not a big eater, but he loves creating his own culinary delights.

Case in point:

Our neighbor brought us a bowl of raspberries from her backyard, so I put them on the table this morning to eat with our breakfast. Noah asked of we could make jam out of them, I told him we don't have enough to make jam, maybe later in the summer we can do that. I'll just make my own then, Says Noah.

He smashed several raspberries, added some white sugar, chocolate milk, and some huckleberry syrup. Then... HE ASKED ME TO TASTE IT! What's a Mom supposed to do??? Well taste it of course. He saved the rest for Dad... this should be interesting. I think he named it Raspberry-Chocolate jam syrup.

Update

Sorry for the lack posts...

Do you see what I see????

YES!!! We have little baby broccoli, and tiny little tomatoes!!

Okay, so I realize that this is turning into a bit of a garden blog, but that's okay for now. My mother commented that she'd like to see more pictures of her grandchildren. Ummm kids??? Oh yeah, they still live here too, just haven't taken very many pictures of them lately.

Life actually came to a stand still for about 2 weeks because we got sick, but we're feeling better.

Other news:

-Noah is home for the summer. It's been a challenge to keep him occupied, but we're finally finding a bit of a routine and getting into a daily groove. Since I'm not currently working,(of course I'm working!! Darn hard too I might add) I mean holding down a job that pays cashola, I thought it might be fun to have Noah home for the summer. After all, this may be the only summer we have this opportunity. Soon he'll be older, and won't want to hang out with his ole mamma.

-We have a visitor coming! Suga Ray will be stopping by for a few days on his way home to Okinawa. He's originally from Maine. We worked together briefly in Hawaii and have been friends ever since. We're excited to see him! It's always fun to have visitors!!

-My beautiful sister Fatima finished Grad School and earned an MPA at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington. Congratulations Fatima! She is moving to Philly to be with her husband who moved earlier this year for work. We'll miss you guys!

Fatima & Bella

Feeding Time!

Sweet potato with apple

Making baby food is so much fun! I love watching Bella's face squish up as she tries something new. Then she smiles, or not, and grunts and kicks and reaches for another taste.

TJ's Cloth Bag Incentive

Have you ever been to Trader Joe's? If you have ever lived or visited the West Coast, chances are you have. I love that store... sort of. I mean I do...but... it just seems that nothing in there is local, and everything is excessively packaged. Even the fruit & vegetables are sold in plastic-like tray containers. But... I love that store, especially since they have the cheapest organic strawberries. I love it because they have reasonable prices, and a different selection compared to your run-of-the- mill grocery chain. This is particularly true for yummy treats. Not that I have a sweet tooth or anything.. AHEM. Most importantly, the employees are always super friendly and helpful. Really, they are. Unfortunately, since I'm trying, really trying, to eat a more local diet, as well as cut back on buying packaged convenience food items, my visits to TJ's have become more and more infrequent.

I have been trying to cut back on convenience items by making more things from scratch. Hopefully our garden will help too. I've been buying from the bulk bins at 'regular' grocery stores and reusing my plastic bags, (one of these days I'll purchase some reusable produce bags.) And, of course I'm still using my cloth bags. I rarely see others use cloth bags. My store of choice gives a 5 cent discount for each bag you bring. Nothing huge, but a small incentive none-the-less.

Last week I went to TJ's to grab a few yummy treats and convenience items. I know, I know, BAD. But I did, and guess what? I was very pleasantly surprised that TJ's has the best cloth bag incentive I've come across. As I was being checked-out, the cashier slapped a little piece of paper on the counter which asked for my name and phone number. I was skeptical. I will NOT be giving out my name and phone number, thank you very much. What's this for? I asked. He smiled and explained that since I brought cloth bags, I could enter to win a $10 coupon. Hot diggy damn! That could cover my sweet tooth for several days! Grinning from ear to ear, I quickly scribbled my name and number on the little piece of paper. Only after the excitement had subsided, did I bother to hope that my information would be kept private. Oh Well, I'm a sucker, what can I say. Isn't it a great incentive to use cloth bags? I think so. The little container that held all of the entries was nearly full, so obviously a lot more people than I realized are using their cloth bags too... YIPPEEEE

Growing like MAD!

Finally planted my tomatoes


Corn (aren't they CUTE!?!?)

Potatoes


Kale & Beets (I'm in desperate need of Kale recipes!)


Carrots & Onions

Lettuce

Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower (See my gardening sidekick at the left?)

Invitation

Earlier this week Noah handed me a handwritten invitation to a Tea Party hosted by his class.

It's gonna be pretty delicious. There's gonna be HOT & COLD Tea!! And.... we are making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!! OH yeah, and we have to bring our own cups.
Last night before falling asleep, Noah calls me to his room. He claims he has something very important to tell me.
You know you have to dress pretty fancy for our Tea Party Mom. I'm really serious about that. Okay, that is very important! Especially since my wardrobe is in need of a serious overhaul!! I figured he'd forget by morning. No such luck.
This morning as I was getting ready to take him to school, he comes into my bathroom. Are you making yourself stylish? UMMM... Stylish....ummm nope, not really.
MOM!!!! You have to be stylish for the Tea Party!!! OH.... Yeah... Right...Of course! So I ask Noah what I should wear. He goes to my closet and picks out the one skirt that I own. He thinks all girls/women wear dresses. Naturally he picks out my one old work skirt. This is pretty stylish... I think? Bella Baby needs to be stylish too!

Soooo... I'm off to a wonderful Tea Party!



More flowers in the garden have bloomed!

Slug-Fest

In one of my gardening books from the library, I read a tip... to keep slugs at bay, water only in the morning. Slugs will come out at night, when it is cool, and much away at your garden. Soooo... I of course watered only in the morning, because I... UMMM... follow directions ever so carefully, but mostly because this made sense to me.

The past few days we've had some cooler weather and a bit of rain. The garden is oh so happy! Things are growing like mad! This morning, the rain slowed long enough for me to go gallivanting in the garden. DARNING! (darnet)As Noah would say, there were little holes on my lettuce greens! And... I found the culprit, or should I say the culprits??? There were tiny little slugs happily munching away. I didn't have the heart to squash them, they were just too cute, so I put them in my yard waste bin. Then... as I was checking out the radish, I found the Big Bad Momma of the slugs. She was eating my radish!!! The top part that was sticking out of the ground! OHHHH It's on!! Did I squash her? No, I just couldn't. I'm the girl who used to collect huge long earth worms and snails on my way to the bus-stop as a school-girl. So, she got tossed into the yard bin too... to live another day, munching on something other than my greens.

See the big munch marks???

Bella

I just couldn't resist posting another photo of Bella.

She's growing so fast.

First Harvest

Last night we enjoyed our first salad from the lettuce greens planted in the garden. To my surprise, there were tiny little radishes attached to some of the greens. I double checked my seeds and sure enough, the Micro Greens Mix includes Cherry Belle Radish! Those were gobbled before we got any pictures.

Check out this little flower! I have no idea what it is.

Garden Update

Things are (to my surprise) actually growing in the garden! Earlier this week, I thinned out the Red Cabbage, Broccoli, and Cauliflower. Very traumatic experience! Snipping all of those perfect little plants. It had to be done, for the good of the remaining plants. The kale, beets, onions and carrots are all doing well and growing!


lettuce name, with heart shape around name with beets (sprouts too tiny to see)


broccoli & red cabbage sprout


Yesterday Jaime purchased two types of potato sets, he didn't get the names. One is a small red, and the other a larger yellow. I will be using old tires (as containers) that we found buried in our backyard. He also purchased some strawberry plants, TriStar & Alpine. He picked the white Alpine, which is supposed to have a sweet pineapple taste, and because it never turns red, the birds will leave it alone, thinking it hasn't ripened yet. I'll believe when I see it! Noah loves strawberries! I keep trying to convert him to raspberries, my favorite, but it hasn't happened yet. =)

On the other side of the yard, I'm still digging... forever digging and weeding and pulling huge blackberry roots. Not to mention I'm still finding more GARBAGE! EWWW This new spot will be home to our pumpkin, watermelon, corn, and rhubarb. I haven't started my tomato seeds yet, and I think it may be too late. Maybe I'll just buy a few plants... (sign) We've also planted our raspberry and blueberry bush from last year, which have lived in pots until last week. They both have flowers! Yippeee!! Last year we had about 5 raspberries, and no blueberries. Thank goodness for the two huge blueberry bushes behind my mailbox across the street!

Strata

Do you have a large family to feed? Breakfast/Brunch guests coming over but you don't have the time to prepare a gourmet feast?
Try Strata. You prepare it the night before, then bake it in the morning.

Never heard of it?
Me either... I was perusing my latest cookbook from the library, 'Sunset 2004 Recipe Annual', and I ran across a recipe for Sicilian-Style Strata.

My version is only slightly altered:

1 (1lb) loaf of bread cut into 1 inch cubes (use whatever you have) I used sour dough
8 ounces of ham or prosciutto (use more or less depending on your taste)

half of a red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup sliced green onion

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped olives (I omitted)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

6 eggs

3 cups milk

1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt (how salty is your ham?)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

chopped parsley

drained capers

In a lightly oiled 9x13 baking dish, layer:

-half of cubed bread

-ham

-bell pepper

-green onion

-parmesan cheese

Then layer with

-remaining bread

-tomatoes

-olives

-cheddar

Whisk

-eggs

-milk

-salt & pepper

-mustard

pour over layered ingredients, cover and refrigerate till morning.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-50 minutes.

Garnish with parsley and capers

I love the versatility of this dish! You can use any type of bread, cheese and veggies. Whatever you like, whatever you have on hand.

T(ea)

I do not like Coffee. I do not like it Hot or Cold. I do not like it with Cream or Sugar. I do not like Coffee. I won't drink Coffee. Not now, not ever. I do not like Coffee!! Yes, my mother thinks I may have been switched at birth.

Way back in January, right after the New Year, Jaime surprised me with my very own glass teapot! I had mentioned to him that grocery bought tea in the bag was great, but that I wanted to venture into loose tea. This glass teapot has an infuser. Now, the only thing missing??? Yep, the tea. Yes, my lovely teapot sat in it's box...for four long months, through the coldest weather of the year! Jaime has tried to drag me out to a local tea lounge on his delivery route for months, but the idea of dragging my hyper little spider man to a quaint, relaxing tea lounge, just didn't seem right, or like fun for that matter. Today, while Jaime was at work, he picked out three different teas for me and surprised me when he got home!
-Pu-erh Ginger
-Honeybush
-Chamomile (an old favorite)
So thoughtful! Of course as soon as we had the two rascals tucked in, I put on a pot of hot water. After gulping, I mean sipping two big mugs full, my entire body feels completely relaxed, and I swear I'm a bit light-headed. UMMM Maybe it's just exhaustion? No no no, it's the Tea, I'm sure of it! This tea was so good. The Pu-erh that is. Rich and smooth, without a bitter aftertaste. Can't wait to try the others!

Happy Earth Day!

In celebration of Earth Day, we spent a beautiful day outdoors. Gardening, finding bugs, riding bikes and skateboards. The best part was just sitting in the warm sun. The news had forecasted rain for this weekend, but both days were beautiful! We also enjoyed our first backyard family BBQ.

I found the most wonderful book at the library!

SUNFLOWER HOUSES, Garden Discoveries for Children of All Ages by Sharon Lovejoy.

It has many great ideas on getting your little ones involved with the garden. Things such as writing their name with a heart around it with plants. (We did this with lettuce and beets. I will post a photo once the sprouts grow a bit more.) Creating sunflower houses..(yes, really), or a tee pee using poles, beans, gourds. Or, use hollowed out gourds for bird houses. These are just a few of my favorites.

We also spent some time discussing with Noah what Earth Day means to us, and asked him what we can do to better take care of the Earth. He sort of gets it! He's all about the 3 R's, and turning off the lights. Now... we just need to stop wasting so much water, and work on phasing out some of our 'convenience items'. Slowly but surely, we'll get there.

Aqua Boy

In preparation for our trip back to Hawaii in August, Noah has been practicing his snorkeling. He received his first mask and snorkel for his birthday, and picked it up really quickly... too quickly. I promised him that once he mastered breathing through the snorkel correctly in the tub, we'd hit the pool. It only took one night(beginners luck?)...now I have to make good on my promise and head to the pool. Ick Ick Ick!!!! I don't like swimming pools. Beats swimming in Puget Sound... I suppose. =) Hopefully with enough practice, he will be comfortable enough to venture into the ocean. He is excited to see fish and perhaps a Honu. I'm excited to take him!

As a baby, he was not afraid of the ocean, a year ago during one of our visits, he was so afraid he barely got his toes wet! HA! We'll see what happens in August.

Noah turns 5!

Our BIG little guy turned 5 today!

Happy Birthday Noah!

He was a bit tired this morning, because he stayed up late last night (as any real baker would do) making strawberry frosting for the Birthday cupcakes. Of course I needed help licking all the spoons, so that took up even more time. We were both wiped out after that. Whew!

Noah lives for sweets! One day (out of frustration) I asked him if there was anything that isn't junk food that he enjoys. That he thinks is absolutely delicious. His response? 'Of course mom, I like Tako Poke!' Tako, meaning octopus in Japanese. Tako Poke has been Noah's favorite ever since he's had enough teeth to chew it.

Last night, after work, Jaime went to a specialty store in search of seaweed. Score! He found Ogo in China town. Once we knew Noah was fast asleep, we pulled out the ingredients and started chopping.

This morning, after Noah had finished opening his gifts, and was happily talking about all sorts of things, I asked what he wanted for breakfast. 'UMMMM, remember the strawberry frosting?' he asks 'Can I have a cupcake with it on there?' Sure. He continues playing and talking, totally ignoring the cupcake! Then I sneak out a bowl of Tako Poke for him, and set it on the table. I begin my morning routine, and after about 10 minutes I insist that he sit down and eat some breakfast before we go to school. I went to my room to get changed, and to change Bella. Suddenly Noah yells, 'Hey MOM!!! You're not going to believe your eyes!!!! Who put this here?' He runs to my room with the bowl, eyes about to bulge out of his head, nearly spilling it all. He tastes it, and just keeps eating and eating. Between bites he asks me how we got Tako Poke. 'Did Nana and Tutu send it?' No, we made it! He was so happy.

We sit down together, and he eats it all. The Tako Poke that is! The cupcake got completely ignored. HA!

For lunch, I brought a fruit salad and some pictures to share with his class. He was so sweet. Helping me carry things, helping to serve his classmates. Telling everyone about how one time he caught the biggest spider ever, and how dad is so afraid of spiders. Then he laughs. His friends laugh. It's just a spider, they say. Then we sing Happy Birthday, and he snuggles into me, just like when he was little. It's a moment I'll never forget.

Happy Birthday Noah!

We love you more than words can describe!

Being a Grown-up

As my mother likes to say, 'Eva, you're no longer a Spring Chicken!'
Well... UMMM, excuse me, I still feel like one!

Yes, yes, yes, it's true, I turned the big 3-0 last year. When I was in my early 20's attending college, (and being very grown-up) planning my career and furthering my education, I never dreamed that I would marry Jaime and that we would have two children together. No Way. Not me! After all, I didn't even really like kids all that much. Yes, it's true. I didn't want to be a mother, or a wife. I just wanted to do what I thought was expected of me. Get an education, get a job, and fall into the daily grind of going to work each and every weekday! Check! After two years of this, I was sure there was more to life. To MY life anyhow.

Today, I am a stay-at-home mom. Not the most exciting prospect to some, but for me, on most days (no not every day!) I love my life! Love it, love it, love it! Motherhood has taught me two very important things.

1. Slow down to enjoy and appreciate the small things in life.
2. Learn to listen to my inner self, what really makes me happy.

I love having the freedom to do what I want. For once, I am not afraid to do what I want. Isn't that what being a grown-up is really about? To do what truly makes you happy? Granted with 2 young children, some things are on hold, but only temporarily. I have learned patience, and to put others first. My life is rich and full... full of sacrifice. I am happy, happier than ever. I'm not sure I will ever feel like a grown-up, but if things continue on this road, I look forward to further exploration of what I want to be when I grow-up. Making sure I am a spring chicken FOREVER! At least in spirit.

I try to do something every day that makes me feel like a kid again.

• Eating a gigantic spoonful of Nutella before breakfast.
• Riding skateboards with Noah.
• Laughing for no reason at all
• Dancing with Noah and Bella

Oh, I could go on forever. If this is what being a grown-up is all about...I'm glad I'm finally here!

Goofed

I messed up BAD! Totally goofed! Yesterday, Easter Sunday, we woke up early, ate breakfast, and got dressed to attend our local Community Easter Egg Hunt. Noah was so excited!

As we arrived at our destination, there was a big banner out front, inviting the community to join them for their annual Easter Egg Hunt on SATURDAY, APRIL 7TH, 10AM. Gulp. Jaime and I read the sign at the same time, pulled into an empty parking lot, and broke the news to Noah. We had missed it. Jaime begins laughing. I was speechless, my heart still in the pit of my stomach. Noah confused, thought it was all a joke. Once he realized it wasn't a joke, he asked Jaime, 'you think that is funny? I don't think it's very funny'.

OHHH, maybe next year I'll read a little more carefully.

Favorite Photos

Yesterday we had extremely warm weather, high 70's! The sky was blue, the breeze was warm, and the air carried a sweet honeysuckle smell.







P.S. my red cabbage sprouted over night! So awesome!!
Ash, if these cabbages make it, I'll be sure to cook up some red cabbage for you and family!

Garden update

I have spent the better part of last week planting and further cleaning our yard. Whew!! I have planted
-red cabbage
-white & purple cauliflower
-broccoli
-red & yellow onions
-purple & rainbow carrots
-beets
I'm such a gardening novice, but hey, this has been fun. It will be even more fun if and when something starts to sprout. Assuming the squirrels and cats don't get to the garden first.


Even Noah got in on the action. He begged and begged to please plant something. So, I sectioned off part of the garden as his own personal space. I was originally going to make his garden on the opposite side of the yard and plant the summer goodies he wanted there, with him. But he just couldn't wait. So, I put a few seeds of onion, kale, beet and carrot into a small cup, gave him a quick planting demonstration, and let him have at it!

First he planted

Then he watered

Whew, that was hard work!

I had to extend the boundaries of his garden, because he requested more space. Shortly after he lost interest. At the end of the day, he still had most of his seeds, (I gave him way too many) so I suggested we save them for another day. I went inside to bathe Bella, and start dinner. When I called Noah in, he brought in a 'empty' seed cup. HMMM.. I asked if he had been hard at work gardening again. 'Yes', he said. 'I dug a big hole, and put them all inside!'

15 Years!

15 Years ago yesterday, April Fool's Day, my family moved from sunny Southern California to tropical Hawaii. I was 15 yrs old, finishing up my freshman year of high School. Leaving behind my first 'real boyfriend', and two best friends was no easy task. In fact, I did not want to move, even if it was to Hawaii. I started to plan my escape. My step-father was in the Army, and we moved around quite a bit, every 1-3 yrs, and I had had enough!

Needless to say, I did not go through with my plan. (yes I really had one, and I think it would have worked, temporarily anyway) My mother was a pro at moving our family, but if I had tried a Houdini stunt, it would have caused complete chaos.

It took well over a year to finally get used to living there. Hawaii is very different from any other place I had ever lived. There was the heat, the roaches, learning to understand pidgin, and being a minority for the first time in my life. I did not fit in with the locals, I was after all a haole, but eventually made friends and discovered the ocean.

I love the ocean! I miss the ocean. I really really miss the ocean. I wish I could go for a swim or go diving or just stick my toes in the ocean. I miss the ocean breeze, miss kissing Jaime and tasting the salt on his lips. I miss going for 'shave ice' at the end of a day at the beach. I miss sand being in my bed, and stuck to my scalp. I miss digging sand out of Noah's ears and nose. I miss licking lilikoi (passionfruit), and crunching the seeds. I miss waking up to the smell of tropical rain entering my bedroom in the middle of the night. I will never forget the smell of sugar cane burning during harvest.

Aaahhhh, I miss Hawaii.

Determination!

Every day I try to give Bella a little Tummy Time, you know, so she can build her strength and work towards mobility. Truth be told, I only do it here and there, for very short spurts because she gets so mad! And she stays mad! Too much for me to handle on a daily basis.

Today, I put her on her belly, and boy did she get mad! Struggled! Screamed! Tears were streaming from her eyes. I picked her up, and she giggled at me. HMMM So I put her down on her tummy again. After struggling for a while, she ROLLED OVER, for the first time ever!! Hurray. Then she giggled again. We did this a total of 3 times, before she pooped out.

Ahhh, another milestone!

Funny Quotes

Sometimes Noah just says the funniest things!

Yesterday morning he climbed into my bed, coughing, with bright red cheeks.
'Mom, I think I have the flea' (flu)... yes, he is still home but feeling better.

Last night, he asked Jaime what hurts him? Nothing... says Jaime. I jump in and remind him how much those darn little paper cuts burn. Yes, those do hurt, says Jaime.
'And when I kick your pee pee...right dad?' We couldn't stop laughing, Noah was so confused. 'It does hurt...right??'

Our family

Just a few recent pictures of us... for our friends and family in far away places.





We miss you all!

Labor of Love

For three days now, I've been digging, weeding, pulling out blackberry roots from a small section of my yard. I figure if this garden thing is going to happen, I had better keep at it!

This has been a tremendous amount of work! When we first moved in about 1.5 yrs ago, this area was covered with about 15-20 ft high(no kidding) of blackberry vines. Jaime has since chopped them down, we have attempted (nearly impossible) to pick up all the dead vines. Then the seasons changed, more leaves fell, and now that spring is almost here, weeds and old leaves have taken over the yard.

As much as I love to indulge in sun-warmed berries in the summer, these blackberries are impossible to get rid of. Jaime thought he dug out most of the roots, and he did... sort of. When I started digging, and turning the soil, I found tons more... I mean tons, and they are starting to sprout... again. GRRR They are strong, and tough to pull out.

A stroll through the produce section of my local grocery store has renewed my spirit. I am so excited at the thought of eating out of my garden. Gosh I hope things grow. My gardening book from the library mentioned that soil in this region needs to be supplemented with lime, to give the soil calcium and magnesium. Apparently our winter rain leaches these minerals out of the soil. Anyone know anything about this? Do I really need to do this? Guess it just depends on my soil. Wonder if I should take a chance and just plant my crops. hmmm

Here a few pictures of my recent labor of love.

Hopefully I can update these picture in a few months of my little kitchen garden.

Culinary Delight

Jaime found this book, Man Eating Bugs by Peter Menzel & Faith D'Aluisio, at our local library!

It is one of those books that the entire family can enjoy. The photos are absolutely fascinating! Stories from around the world describe culture and tradition.

It really is a fun read for the whole family, just thought I'd share it with you all.

Buried Treasure

The other night, as I was frantically moving about my kitchen, trying to scrape together a few ingredients to make dinner, I realized that the dishwasher was in the middle of the wash cycle. I had absolutely no clean knives to chop and dice things with. HMMM So I went to my drawer where I keep some old knives; not sure why I keep them around? Anyhow, after rummaging through the drawer, I spotted a buried treasure! My favorite knife of all time, that I've kept put away for 2 years!

It is a WUSTHOF. Slices through most things with such ease! I've kept it stored away, worried that I might 'ruin' it if I use it. Soooo, I've been chopping, slicing & dicing with very old, dull steak knives that I purchased at ROSS about 8 years ago. I think I paid like $5 or $6 for 6 of them. Anyhow, since I've found my buried treasure, I have used it almost every time I cook. I will continue to use it. I seriously doubt I could ruin it! I'll just have to sharpen it occasionally.

The only downfall??? If I accidentally cut myself, it will be a nice gash!

Could it be??

Oh my! Spring is right around the corner... and it feels like it too.

The sun is out, it is the warmest day of the year (according to the latest weather report), and daffodils are blooming all over my yard! The sun feels so good! I even have the doors open for some much needed fresh air. A big fly just buzzed right by me... and I'm not even annoyed! HA

Have I mentioned that I just can't wait for spring?

Tomorrow it is supposed to start raining...again... but hey, I will enjoy today! Immensely!

These Rock!!

For Christmas, my sister and brother-in-law gave me a pair of the most comfortable socks I have ever owned! These are Smartwool, and are oh so comfy. I love them so much, not sure if I can ever purchase 'regular' socks again. Every time I do laundry, I frantically dig through the pile of dirty clothes to fish out my socks, just to make sure they get washed! My feet are so warm and toasty in these... okay, you get the picture.

Yes, there are more interesting things to blog about, but at this moment, these socks and my hot chocolate are making me very happy!

Muffins

I found this wonderful recipe for whole wheat millet muffins.
They are healthy and fun to eat. We love the crunchy millets. I added some blueberries too.

Fun

Today Noah had a half-day at school, so this afternoon we went shopping for a classmates birthday present, wrapped the gift with a paper bag and decorated it, then we dipped pretzel sticks into melted chocolate and covered them with sprinkles. FUN!! Right?? ummmm ... it could have been if I were more patient. Instead, I was very impatient, rude, and sucked the fun right out of it!

On the way to the store things were good. Noah told me he promised his friend a tractor-trailer movie for his birthday. I told Noah we probably won't be able to find one, and we'll just buy something else that looks fun. Can I pick it out? asked Noah. Yes, you can help me pick it out. Noah was excited. He picked out one thing after another, just for me to tell him NO. Then, still cheerful, he said, Mom, we can just buy what you want to buy. I felt a twinge of guilt. I asked Noah for his opinion. So we decided together. Whew, that went okay. I'm starting to feel crabby. Probably because there are a bunch of things in the store I would have liked to purchase for myself and the house.

Then we go home, I put Bella down for a nap, and begin to wrap the gift. Noah finds his markers, stickers, and glitter glue to decorate. I take forever to wrap this gift... had some trouble because of its odd shape. Noah opens the glitter glue, and asks why isn't it coming out. I look over, and it IS coming out, big globs of it. I blow up... I had asked him to wait till I was done wrapping so I could cover the table and help him. I didn't want this glitter glue all over the house. He apologizes... Sorry Mom,... are you angry at me? OHHH another twinge of guilt. I asked myself why I was being such a crab, it is washable after all. Noah was unflappable today. Very unlike him, it should have been a great day. He waits somewhat patiently without waking Bella while I continue to wrap. Then he happily decorates... again, very unlike him.

Next I ask if he wants to make a treat with me. He hesitates, but I lure him with talk of melted chocolate and sprinkles. He asks if we can give some to his friend for the party. Sure we can. We dump the sprinkles in a bowl, and begin melting chocolate. Next I dip the pretzel in chocolate, then Noah spoons sprinkles over it while I twirl the pretzel stick. Things are going great, except a few sprinkles are falling to floor, and he is moving too slow for me. I remind myself his is only 4, be patient... be patient, breathe and be patient. All to no avail. After pretzel number 4 or 5, I sharply point out that sprinkles are falling to the floor. I know he says, this sure is hard work! We keep going, then I let out a big sign. Noah looks at me and asks, why did you do that? Growing more impatient by the second, chocolate is dripping all over floor. He puts down his spoon, and asks if he can do something else. This is not so much fun, he says...another twinge of guilt, this time a big one. It is all because I am losing it. I felt awful again. Noah told me he is going to take a break from me. OUCH!!! This is what I tell him when he throws tantrums and I ask him to stay in his room until he has calmed down.

After that, I got it together a bit, and we enjoyed our time together. He was still in a surprisingly good mood, despite the fact that I had sucked the fun out of the entire afternoon! I can't wait for this rain to stop... so we can finally enjoy the outdoors again. Noah is too active to have in the house all day.

Fruits of our labor...Noah can't wait to surprise his friend tomorrow at the party.