I only read one comic strip, ZITS, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman. The main character is a bit older than Pumpkin, but I can relate to it so much as we deal with our own teenager. Lots of mornings, I just burst out laughing as the strip hits the nail on the head.
Today's strip did not disappoint.
This time it brought tears to my eyes. I am guilty of just staring at my older son who is morphing into a man right before my eyes. Pumpkin will turn and say, "What?" I find the physical changes in this stage of his life to be even more dramatic than when he was a baby.
Where did the years go?
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Snow Day Baking
Friday school was cancelled due to the impending weather.
I'd had my eye on this recipe for a long time. I convinced Peanut to help me make it. What would be more perfect than a sandwich on homemade bread on a cold day?
I think the last time I attempted bread was when we had a bread machine. We got rid of that after Pumpkin was born. The smell of the bread during my pregnancy was enough to put me over the edge. Anyway, we braved the yeast, gluten, and whole wheat flour to forge ahead.
Here is the first little rest of the bread.
Peanut painted the oil on the pans.
I love watching the kids bake. I have to keep telling myself that the mess doesn't matter! Cooking is so good for math skills, organization skills, and patience. The only change we made to the recipe was to use lime juice instead of lemon. I did not have any lemon juice on hand.
Here is the bread - just about ready to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Wa La! We had two loaves of whole wheat bread! The bread stuck a bit to the pan on the right. But, it did not stop any of us from eating our lunch a bit early. The boys enjoyed the bread. We had it toasted with butter and jelly this morning with our breakfast. Wow! It was wonderful. I think we will be making more. I am even contemplating another bread machine.
When Pumpkin finally woke up on Friday morning, he wanted to bake something too. He decided to make a cake. My dad worked for Procter & Gamble for many years. Cake in our family came out of a Duncan Hines box. Believe it or not, I did not have any cake mixes on hand. Pumpkin searched through the pantry and decided on the recipe on the back of the Hershey's Special Dark cocoa. If you don't want a cake, definitely use it for icing. It is the best chocolate icing.
Here he is sampling the icing. I know this picture was taken after he iced the cake.
There he is finishing up the icing. I did not go into the trick of using waxed paper strips under the cake to clean up the extra icing.
It was good! We all enjoyed dessert. There just might be something to a cake baked from scratch. I don't think my dad would mind as P&G sold Duncan Hines years ago!
I'd had my eye on this recipe for a long time. I convinced Peanut to help me make it. What would be more perfect than a sandwich on homemade bread on a cold day?
I think the last time I attempted bread was when we had a bread machine. We got rid of that after Pumpkin was born. The smell of the bread during my pregnancy was enough to put me over the edge. Anyway, we braved the yeast, gluten, and whole wheat flour to forge ahead.
Here is the first little rest of the bread.
Peanut painted the oil on the pans.
I love watching the kids bake. I have to keep telling myself that the mess doesn't matter! Cooking is so good for math skills, organization skills, and patience. The only change we made to the recipe was to use lime juice instead of lemon. I did not have any lemon juice on hand.
Here is the bread - just about ready to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Wa La! We had two loaves of whole wheat bread! The bread stuck a bit to the pan on the right. But, it did not stop any of us from eating our lunch a bit early. The boys enjoyed the bread. We had it toasted with butter and jelly this morning with our breakfast. Wow! It was wonderful. I think we will be making more. I am even contemplating another bread machine.
When Pumpkin finally woke up on Friday morning, he wanted to bake something too. He decided to make a cake. My dad worked for Procter & Gamble for many years. Cake in our family came out of a Duncan Hines box. Believe it or not, I did not have any cake mixes on hand. Pumpkin searched through the pantry and decided on the recipe on the back of the Hershey's Special Dark cocoa. If you don't want a cake, definitely use it for icing. It is the best chocolate icing.
Here he is sampling the icing. I know this picture was taken after he iced the cake.
There he is finishing up the icing. I did not go into the trick of using waxed paper strips under the cake to clean up the extra icing.
It was good! We all enjoyed dessert. There just might be something to a cake baked from scratch. I don't think my dad would mind as P&G sold Duncan Hines years ago!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Movies from the Library
Toward the end of 2009, I started renting movies from the library. It can be hit or miss as to what is available. It is nice to have the movie for a week. I try to get new ones for the weekend. It is hard to find movies that appeal to an 11 and a 14 year old. We have relaxed letting Peanut watch more PG13 movies than Pumpkin ever did.
Some of the movies we have watched over the last month include the following:
Joyeux Noel - It was perfect to watch around the holidays. It made me think how our troops serving today handled the holidays.
Taking Chance - This was another movie with a military influence. It made me think about all our troops and the process that occurs when one dies in action. The movie is insightful.
Julie & Julia - I had just put this movie on hold at the library, when it showed up in the mail. Thanks, Justine! This was a great Christmas treat and we all thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It inspired me cook AND eat!!! Peanut loved Julia's affection for butter. He is there spreading tons of butter on his dinner rolls.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - The boys and I watched this on the afternoon of their first snow day a few weeks ago. I have to confess that I did not make it all the way through the movie. I think this is the type of movie where you have to watch more than you listen. That makes it hard to knit while you watch. I got wrapped up in my knitting and lost interest in the movie. They boys thought is was okay.
My Sister's Keeper - This is an emotional one. Pumpkin did not like the emotions it stirred up in him. No one wants to focus on death. He did come back to finish the movie. We all thought it was one that made you think.
A Beautiful Mind - A few days before we watched this movie, I was talking to someone who's son is graduating from Princeton this spring with a degree in Math. I enjoyed this movie. I think I tried to read the book when in came out years ago. I did not get very far. Boy, this movie gives you appreciation for mental illness. It made me glad that I am not off the charts smart!
The Soloist - I had wanted to see this one when it came out. I was thrilled to see it at the library this weekend. We watched it last night. It too has a view of mental illness. I was enamored with the main character's musical talent. Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx did an incredible job. The movie is a few years old. The homeless in LA at the time of the movie was very high. I am sure the numbers are higher now. I pray we'll get all this homelessness worked out.
Evening - I ended up seeing this one through. We popped it in on Friday, the boys' second snow day. They pretty much packed it in right away. I knitted away and listened. It has a great cast, but the movie is not the best.
The Notebook - I had some ironing to do and popped this one in last week. Medical researchers need to eradicate Alzheimer's! I pray that is not the way I go. But, what a love story this is!
Four Christmases - In the middle of the holidays, we were lucky enough to rent this. It was entertaining with some of the slap stick humor that a 14 year old loves!
The Reader - This one is R rated. The Big Guy and I watched it without the boys. It starts out with some steamy sex scenes. The movie revolves around sin and absolution. It makes you think about guilt, sin, and what is right. I thought Kate Winslett did a phenom job in this movie.
There might be a few more, but these are ones that came to mind. This is a small accomplishment for me. I always fall asleep during movies. But, I am getting better. We try to make the Friday night movie thing, a family thing. The boys look on the counter when they get home from school to see what movies I got. Plus, it is economical. It costs so much for all of us to go to the movies. We are trying to learn patience waiting for the movies to come out on DVD. Lastly, it is a great excuse to knit! I just knit along with the movie. It makes it worthwhile and keeps me interested in the movie.
Some of the movies we have watched over the last month include the following:
Joyeux Noel - It was perfect to watch around the holidays. It made me think how our troops serving today handled the holidays.
Taking Chance - This was another movie with a military influence. It made me think about all our troops and the process that occurs when one dies in action. The movie is insightful.
Julie & Julia - I had just put this movie on hold at the library, when it showed up in the mail. Thanks, Justine! This was a great Christmas treat and we all thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It inspired me cook AND eat!!! Peanut loved Julia's affection for butter. He is there spreading tons of butter on his dinner rolls.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - The boys and I watched this on the afternoon of their first snow day a few weeks ago. I have to confess that I did not make it all the way through the movie. I think this is the type of movie where you have to watch more than you listen. That makes it hard to knit while you watch. I got wrapped up in my knitting and lost interest in the movie. They boys thought is was okay.
My Sister's Keeper - This is an emotional one. Pumpkin did not like the emotions it stirred up in him. No one wants to focus on death. He did come back to finish the movie. We all thought it was one that made you think.
A Beautiful Mind - A few days before we watched this movie, I was talking to someone who's son is graduating from Princeton this spring with a degree in Math. I enjoyed this movie. I think I tried to read the book when in came out years ago. I did not get very far. Boy, this movie gives you appreciation for mental illness. It made me glad that I am not off the charts smart!
The Soloist - I had wanted to see this one when it came out. I was thrilled to see it at the library this weekend. We watched it last night. It too has a view of mental illness. I was enamored with the main character's musical talent. Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx did an incredible job. The movie is a few years old. The homeless in LA at the time of the movie was very high. I am sure the numbers are higher now. I pray we'll get all this homelessness worked out.
Evening - I ended up seeing this one through. We popped it in on Friday, the boys' second snow day. They pretty much packed it in right away. I knitted away and listened. It has a great cast, but the movie is not the best.
The Notebook - I had some ironing to do and popped this one in last week. Medical researchers need to eradicate Alzheimer's! I pray that is not the way I go. But, what a love story this is!
Four Christmases - In the middle of the holidays, we were lucky enough to rent this. It was entertaining with some of the slap stick humor that a 14 year old loves!
The Reader - This one is R rated. The Big Guy and I watched it without the boys. It starts out with some steamy sex scenes. The movie revolves around sin and absolution. It makes you think about guilt, sin, and what is right. I thought Kate Winslett did a phenom job in this movie.
There might be a few more, but these are ones that came to mind. This is a small accomplishment for me. I always fall asleep during movies. But, I am getting better. We try to make the Friday night movie thing, a family thing. The boys look on the counter when they get home from school to see what movies I got. Plus, it is economical. It costs so much for all of us to go to the movies. We are trying to learn patience waiting for the movies to come out on DVD. Lastly, it is a great excuse to knit! I just knit along with the movie. It makes it worthwhile and keeps me interested in the movie.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Snow Day Number Two
It is coming!
We got notification early this morning that schools are closed for today. There was not a drop of winter out there. But, they assure us it is coming. We just don't have any equipment to deal with ice or white stuff. The boys were excited and settled back into to bed for a bit.
When Adam rallied, I convinced him to help me make some whole wheat bread. I've had this site bookmarked for some time. The bread is proofing and we should have fresh bread for lunch. Yum! I took some photos and will post after I get a finished shot.
A few weeks ago, I threw away my muffin tins. They had seen their best day. There was some rust on the bottom and I just did not think that was good. I realized I had silicone liners, a gift from a Christmas past. I had never used them. They are a bit smaller than standard muffin tins, but I love them. I'd read folks have problems with sticking. So far, two batches of pumpkin muffins have popped right out. I was thrilled to use something I have and glad I did not run out and buy new muffin pans.
On Tuesday, I finally added a fleece band into the inside of this stocking hat. I bought the yarn in DC last spring break and essentially knitted the hat the entire car ride home. It just took me a long time to finish it up! There is nothing better than a handknit hat with fleece on the inside. Everyone in my family is a convert. I don't knit too much for myself, but knew from the beginning that I'd keep this one. It goes well with my very old Lands' End pullover jacket. It is my go to jacket for walking the dog. Speaking of walking, we got four straight days in. I am on a roll and hope to continue...
So, I mentioned we have a snow day today. The sleet has now turned to snow and we just might get lots of it. They are saying 4-10 inches. That is big time for here! We hope the Big Guy gets to come home and play in it with us.
I knew we were going to hunker down today. I walk the dog, a short 10 minutes, first thing every morning. This morning, I wore my flannel jammies. I've never done that before. I am sure I was a sight to see! On cold mornings, I slip on Pumpkin's swim parka. It is perfect to keep out the wind and the wet. I had that on today too. He doesn't mind. He just laughs when he finds bags in his pockets.
I know I was a scary sight, but this validates it! I donned my new gold knit cap. I wish I could say I knit the hat, but I did not. It was a Target clearance find that was too good to pass up. I never know when I might need it to go watch the Commodores play.
Speaking of Commodores - what a game on Thursday night. They beat TN at UT. They haven't done that since 2005. The 'Dores look very strong. They have another big game on Saturday. They play UK in Lexington. It is on ESPN and we'll be watching. Go 'Dores!!
We got notification early this morning that schools are closed for today. There was not a drop of winter out there. But, they assure us it is coming. We just don't have any equipment to deal with ice or white stuff. The boys were excited and settled back into to bed for a bit.
When Adam rallied, I convinced him to help me make some whole wheat bread. I've had this site bookmarked for some time. The bread is proofing and we should have fresh bread for lunch. Yum! I took some photos and will post after I get a finished shot.
A few weeks ago, I threw away my muffin tins. They had seen their best day. There was some rust on the bottom and I just did not think that was good. I realized I had silicone liners, a gift from a Christmas past. I had never used them. They are a bit smaller than standard muffin tins, but I love them. I'd read folks have problems with sticking. So far, two batches of pumpkin muffins have popped right out. I was thrilled to use something I have and glad I did not run out and buy new muffin pans.
On Tuesday, I finally added a fleece band into the inside of this stocking hat. I bought the yarn in DC last spring break and essentially knitted the hat the entire car ride home. It just took me a long time to finish it up! There is nothing better than a handknit hat with fleece on the inside. Everyone in my family is a convert. I don't knit too much for myself, but knew from the beginning that I'd keep this one. It goes well with my very old Lands' End pullover jacket. It is my go to jacket for walking the dog. Speaking of walking, we got four straight days in. I am on a roll and hope to continue...
So, I mentioned we have a snow day today. The sleet has now turned to snow and we just might get lots of it. They are saying 4-10 inches. That is big time for here! We hope the Big Guy gets to come home and play in it with us.
I knew we were going to hunker down today. I walk the dog, a short 10 minutes, first thing every morning. This morning, I wore my flannel jammies. I've never done that before. I am sure I was a sight to see! On cold mornings, I slip on Pumpkin's swim parka. It is perfect to keep out the wind and the wet. I had that on today too. He doesn't mind. He just laughs when he finds bags in his pockets.
I know I was a scary sight, but this validates it! I donned my new gold knit cap. I wish I could say I knit the hat, but I did not. It was a Target clearance find that was too good to pass up. I never know when I might need it to go watch the Commodores play.
Speaking of Commodores - what a game on Thursday night. They beat TN at UT. They haven't done that since 2005. The 'Dores look very strong. They have another big game on Saturday. They play UK in Lexington. It is on ESPN and we'll be watching. Go 'Dores!!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Proofing - Who Knew?
My oven is three years old. When we replaced it three years ago, I did not do too much research. I had a drop in style. We modified the cabinets to accommodate a slide in. There aren't too many slide in models. I looked at what was out there and picked the one I liked the looks of. It was a special order. We ordered it sight unseen.
I've developed a relationship with my oven. It cooks well and can hold lots. It has quite a few features too. We had a little problem with it right before Thanksgiving. Fortunately, it was still under warranty. As I was flipping through the oven manual, I realized it has a proofing feature. Who knew?
Last week I made a parmesan, sesame seed pull apart bread using frozen bread rolls. And, I got to use my proofing feature!
You have to look closely to see the bread rolls rising in the bundt pan.
Love it! My oven also has a drying feature. We thought about using for Peanut's science fair project but couldn't figure out how to control it, measure it, and make it a project. I just may try to dry some apples or something in the near future. Soccer is about to pick back up and I'll be using the DELAY/BAKE feature. There is nothing better than walking in from the soccer field to a piping hot dinner in the oven!
I've developed a relationship with my oven. It cooks well and can hold lots. It has quite a few features too. We had a little problem with it right before Thanksgiving. Fortunately, it was still under warranty. As I was flipping through the oven manual, I realized it has a proofing feature. Who knew?
Last week I made a parmesan, sesame seed pull apart bread using frozen bread rolls. And, I got to use my proofing feature!
You have to look closely to see the bread rolls rising in the bundt pan.
Love it! My oven also has a drying feature. We thought about using for Peanut's science fair project but couldn't figure out how to control it, measure it, and make it a project. I just may try to dry some apples or something in the near future. Soccer is about to pick back up and I'll be using the DELAY/BAKE feature. There is nothing better than walking in from the soccer field to a piping hot dinner in the oven!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Science Fair 2009
Pumpkin is done with science fairs!
Peanut, on the other hand, is just beginning...
His project was titled, The Biggest Loser. The question was which citrus fruit loses the most water. He did research on dehydration. All in all, it was a fairly simple process. He sliced citrus fruit and weighed them over a period of a week to see the weight loss. Most dehydration is done in ovens, but we could not figure out a way to control the variables. He needed to show some sort of data collection.
It was fun to watch the fruit shrival on the plate. The seeds even popped out! The grapefruit slices were so big they overlapped on the plate. By the end of the experiment, there was mold on the grapefruit.
Peanut is probably doing the oral presentation as I am posting this. He was a bit nervous as he hates oral presentations. He will do fine! Here is the infamous board that will be presented in the school gym tomorrow. We are all glad this is done:))
Pumpkin bought this yarn to use for his math project. It did not work for the project. So, he wanted me to knit something. I started on a stocking hat for his high school swim coach. Guess what? I used the wrong size needles and the hat was way too big. I hate that as there were are few hours invested in the hat. I frogged it all yesterday and I just can't get the mojo to start a new one. Ugh! I have to do something with it soon or else it will get packed away for something at a later date.
Peanut, on the other hand, is just beginning...
His project was titled, The Biggest Loser. The question was which citrus fruit loses the most water. He did research on dehydration. All in all, it was a fairly simple process. He sliced citrus fruit and weighed them over a period of a week to see the weight loss. Most dehydration is done in ovens, but we could not figure out a way to control the variables. He needed to show some sort of data collection.
It was fun to watch the fruit shrival on the plate. The seeds even popped out! The grapefruit slices were so big they overlapped on the plate. By the end of the experiment, there was mold on the grapefruit.
Peanut is probably doing the oral presentation as I am posting this. He was a bit nervous as he hates oral presentations. He will do fine! Here is the infamous board that will be presented in the school gym tomorrow. We are all glad this is done:))
Pumpkin bought this yarn to use for his math project. It did not work for the project. So, he wanted me to knit something. I started on a stocking hat for his high school swim coach. Guess what? I used the wrong size needles and the hat was way too big. I hate that as there were are few hours invested in the hat. I frogged it all yesterday and I just can't get the mojo to start a new one. Ugh! I have to do something with it soon or else it will get packed away for something at a later date.
Monday, January 25, 2010
When the Cat's Away, the Mice will Play...
One afternoon I ran a few errands. When I returned a game of basketball was occurring right in the family room!
Yes. The basketball hoop is screwed to the wall of the bridge!
I have to admit there has been lots of fun going on. The Big Guy is right there in the middle of it. Fortunately, Buddy doesn't mind and doesn't show any interest in the balls.
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