MmMmTasty

At least someone finished her projects on time

 

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Finding Fairies

 

Two Saturdays ago, inspired by the Tinkerbell movie, we headed outside before breakfast or coffee or the shedding of pjs, to hunt for fairy clues. We also tried to erect a fairy house or two.

 

We slid into dangerous territory with Sizzles, of course. She couldn't find any fairies and her eyes were swallowed up with tears. Thankfully, it was easy to explain that fairies are magic and you can not see them. You can only look for clues that they have been around.

I hope these little pictures and words will be the 'magic' of their childhood one day - evidence that it existed, even though I can no longer see it.

 
 
 

The Reading Nook and The Book Cave

After 3 days, Porkchop finally pooped, so I can finally put him down long enough to blog.  ;)

The promised post:

I think it is important to create spaces in our home that are specifically designed for the little people that live here.  For example, our sunroom is our main play space, and we keep all the toys here, rather than in the girls' bedrooms.  Eventually, I hope the sunroom/playroom will be a place to create parent-free art projects as well.  I envision a space where they can help themselves to art materials and create at will.  Right now we have this with crayons and pencils, but things like stamps and watercolors remain something that they either have to ask to use, or that I set out for them.  Here is a picture when the room is in action:

 

But I digress.  Recently, Sizzles was excitedly telling us that she had decided to save up her dollars (play money used as a reward system at school) to pick a friend for 'reading and relaxing' up in her classroom loft, rather than spend them (on trinkets) in the goodie store.  This gave me an idea.  We needed a cozy little kid space for snuggling up with books.  So I made the 'book nook' in a small space between the couch and a window in our sunroom.  

It was so popular (read, fighting over it ensued) that I created a second space, the 'reading cave', upstairs in the linen closet.

 

To quote the A-team, "I love it when a plan comes together."

A few of her favorite things and (FINALLY) we return to recipes of the week

Activity:  Music Class 

Food:  Macaroni and Cheese

Music:  Taylor Swift's song, "Love Story" & "The Lonely Goat herder" from The Sound of Music

Color:  Purple

Toys:  Her doll Charlie, Linkin' Logs and a bag of several dozen vintage handkerchiefs, hand-embroidered that I found in grandparent's radio room, a small room my grandfather used to listen to police calls and other random things he would find on his ham-radio (I think that is what he called it).

So, the recipes of week on my sidebar?  

I believe I last updated that sidebar last Fall, um, like, 25 weeks ago or something?  So, in honor of Sticky-Butt I am going to share a homemade Macaroni and Cheese dish that I found on allrecipes.com that rocked our world.  

I have never tried "cooking" in the microwave.  I pretty much use the contraption to reheat leftovers and to make instant grits.  (Yes, I know instant grits repulse many of you out there, but I really prefer them to slow cooked grits with the exception of the grits my friend Jen used to make when Brian and I would visit their two bedroom cottage in Cahaba Heights, Alabama circa 1999 or so).

But back to the recipe. 

No one in the house really digs mac and cheese all that much, except Sticky Butt, who LOVES it. I have always felt if I found the right recipe the low status of macaroni and cheese in our home could be turned around.  This may be the recipe folks.

You cook the pasta on the stove, while making the cheese sauce in the microwave with real ingredients, and without the use of any kind of cream soup. 

 It was tasty and everyone ate additional helpings.  Which is pretty much the requirement for me to make something more than once.  Beware, the recipe doesn't make much, so I highly recommend doubling it for a normal family who chows on cheese with pasta.

How to play hockey

 The other day,  Brian was asked by the girls if he would play hockey with them.  He was surprised to hear that they knew what hockey was.  This is how the girls play 'hockey.'

RUN, RUN, RUN, 

JUMP!  JUMP!

Shake your booty, Shake your booty, Shake your booty.

Got it?

I know, I know

It has been forever since I have been on a regular blogging schedule.  It is totally laughable to think that I entered into 2009 thinking I would try to blog EVERY day.  So what have I been doing with all my spare time?  Well:

• Growing a baby (due in July)
• Getting my house ready to sell (went on the market one week ago) 
• Looking at mini-vans (See bullet number one) 
• Looking at the "national school of excellence" kindergarten at our neighborhood public school (see bullet number one) 
• Looking into half-day preschools for the other kiddo (see bullet number one)
• Cramming a full time job, into part-time work (see any national newspaper for a story on MRSA, C.diff, healthcare-associated infections or antibiotic resistance work going on at the CDC)   

So, that is all the grown-up stressful stuff (well, except for the growing a baby part).   

What have I been doing the rest of the time?  

All the good stuff!  :)

Making mini-cheesecake tartlets with my peanuts.

 

Welcoming my dear friend Bill, back to Atlanta, as he takes over as the new Food Editor for Atlanta Magazine.  

Ethiopian food for SIX anyone?  (Hint to any restaurant owner out there who may be reading this blog:  when two people pop in for lunch and order half the menu, there is a food critic at the table.  Also, when one of those persons whips out a camera and tries to snap a quick picture of the food, there is a food critic who has a blog at the table.)

Don't forget, fulfilling a craving for a bagel and cream cheese after a fun hour of music class with Sticky-Butt; who growing up so fast, can now nail her resting tones after the Dump Truck song.

And last but not least, FINALLY choosing this to knit for the baby and ordering the CRAZY amount of yarn it will entail.  And finishing the "garter stitch hat with pom pom"  for the baby, from this book.

Clearly, I have had PLENTY of time to blog.  :)

PS

Now, I just need to figure out how to take the date stamp off the new camera Bry bought me for X-Mas!

A few of my favorite *Christmas 2008* things

I have been meaning to sit and write a recap post of Christmas 2008, but it seems when I have a second to write, my thoughts dry up.  We had a super busy week of feasting when Grams and Popop were in town, but in the week that followed we did a whole lot of blissful nothing.  Or more accurately, I worked from home, Brian also worked from home, and the girls played with all their new loot.  In the crooks and crannies of each of those days, we had great moments together as a family, that in my belief, is only able to happen when we have nothing but a sea of time laying before us.  Here are just a few shots of those lovely moments: