salmon & milk

Thanks for the Memories

2010-06-20T13:21:00.008-04:00

Stacy's brother Chad loved baseball and collected thousands of baseball cards. On our most recent visit to their parents' house, we decided to see what level of interest Hollis might have in looking through some of them....Ha Ha Ha, little did we know how obsessed with owning and organizing them our little Rain Man would be!

We now have regular sorting sessions such as the one just completed where we put all the players in their team piles, and boy have we stumbled across some gems:

A young Pittsburgh Pirate named Barry Bonds circa 1990, when his head was the size God meant for it to be. A young, svelte Babe Ruth pitching for the Red Sox. A 1970 Rich Gossage rookie card, yes before apparently he earned the nickname "Goose", and before he too was a Yankee (White Sox).

Unfortunately speaking of the Yankees, we also just discovered Jim Leyritz's 1990 rookie card. In fact, 20 years ago this month Leyritz was called up from the minors and 6 years later "The King" as he was nicknamed, would deliver one of the most memorable home runs in postseason history, at least if you're a Braves fan. If you can stomach watching it again go here to refresh your memory.

Meanwhile, Hollis, Jack and I have settled into our Sunday routine of watching baseball, while Stacy prepares to escape to the grocery store, and what do you know the Yankees are playing the Mets on TBS (isn't that just all kinds of wrong?!). I have managed to indoctrinate poor Hollis with an almost visceral disdain for Yankee pinstripes (thanks mainly to Mr. Leyritz), but I informed him a moment ago today we actually have to root for the Yankees (wave of nausea hit me as I said it). We need them to win to keep the red hot 2nd place Mets off the backs of the first place Braves in the NL East.

Former Brave Mark Texiera, just hit a grand slam for the Yankees, and we....cheered (seriously where is the Pepto-Bismol?!)

And if the memories gets any better than this, I don't know that I have enough room left in my Fathers Day full heart to hold them.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-01T22:04:00.002-05:00

Immaculate Traditions

2009-12-23T00:37:00.001-05:00

For the past 2 years between Thanksgiving and Christmas following dinner we've read bible verses relevant to the birth of Jesus, starting with the prophecies in the old testament, and mercifully moving to their realization in the new testament.

Tonight we read Matthew 1: 18-25 and I realized that for most of my adult life I did not believe in the immaculate conception. It’s not that I doubted Christ’s divinity, it’s that I didn’t see the necessity for God to do biological intervention to make it happen. I considered the story necessary political propaganda used by the writers of the gospel to make a point in the only way it could be made in those days (of the “divinely lead” Roman Empire) – that our messiah was/is truly the son of God.

5 years ago this past Sunday I walked into church with no expectation of this intellectual position being melted like chocolate in the summer sun. The music leading into the sermon was a rendition of Amy Grant’s “Breath of Heaven” , a song I had never heard before, sung beautifully and authentically by a teenage daughter to the piano accompaniment of her father, the music director for the church. It made Mary’s experience very palpable to me, and suddenly the virgin birth rang true, in my heart more so than my head, but more powerfully in my heart than my head.

Still reeling from how moved I was by that performance, the minister then launched into a message about the miracle birth of Jesus that I never could have been more open to than I was in that moment.

I can’t remember why Stacy wasn’t with me that morning, but we met for lunch and she had news. We had been trying to get pregnant for several months and I was at the point where I had to wonder if God knew better than me what I needed, and that a child wasn’t what I needed. It was a crushing thought but I’d found myself unable to avoid thinking it in those days that lead to this day – the day she discovered she was pregnant.

We bribe our child’s attention each night with Hershey kisses per verse reading, and many times we have Christmas music playing in the background. Tonight, just before we read Matthew 1: 18-25 our Christmas playlist landed on Amy Grant’s rendition of her own song – a rendition that will never live up to version I first heard, on the day I realized we all come from God’s breath.

Faster than 66 Cheetahs

2009-12-07T22:17:00.001-05:00

Saturday is a Workday when you’re 4

2009-12-05T11:38:00.001-05:00

At least according to Hollis it is. His father’s Saturday will be defined by college football, especially the SEC Championship game. Eleven years ago today his mother and I attended the SEC Championship game between Tennessee and Mississippi St. (seriously, Miss St.). Not connected enough to figure out how to get on the Georgia Dome jumbotron, my plan to ask her to marry me would have to wait until Sunday.

Thank God I got my work done that weekend!

Sawdust and Snot

2009-12-05T10:31:00.001-05:00

Hollis and his Grandfather (aka “G-Dad”) caught here getting some post Thanksgiving work done. Hollis had a pretty bad cold, so I’m wondering what snot + sawdust equals?

He Finally Knows

2009-11-28T12:00:00.001-05:00

Hollis, having already disclosed that he had "figured it out" as I pointed to his mother's pregnant belly, when posed the question, "what would you prefer, a baby brother or baby sister?", answered: "whatever comes out of my mommy's belly, that's what I want"!!!

Hollis seen here showing his Maternal Great Grandfather the “World’s Greatest Tow Trucks”. Seated to Pop’s left is his first child in the home of her third child.

Boy Child and Dog Child

2009-10-28T23:10:00.001-04:00

Nothing like a little excitement and danger on your 10th anniversary!

2009-09-26T23:08:00.001-04:00

What a long day of swimming will do to you

2009-08-13T20:19:00.001-04:00

Welcome Back!

2009-05-06T23:50:00.004-04:00

Wow! It's been a long time since I've been here hasn't it? Oh, well, let's not bother with the excuses and just call it water under the bridge and what not.

Speaking of water (smooth transition, no), Hollis had his first swimming lesson yesterday. He is taking classes with his friend Sadie twice a week for thirty minutes. We signed them up a while ago and ever since Hollis has been trash talking Sadie. Unfortunately for Hollis, this is not Sadie's first time at the swimming rodeo. For awhile, he took ever available opportunity to insist that he was a better and faster swimmer than Sadie and that he would be the champion; "like in the Olympics". His entire basis for this theory revolves around the fact that he is older (3 months) than her and therefore faster. It is questionable logic, but he is going with it. So far we haven't seen any Olympic caliber swimming although though they both took unexpected plunges during the class. Tomorrow is the second class and I have been told that diving will be involved. I'm not holding my breath, but hopefully Hollis is.No pre-lesson jitters here. Also, what is he doing in this picture? You can not see his ribs like that in real life.Pick me, pick me! I am ready to jump!

Picture Paternal Pride

2009-04-19T22:09:00.005-04:00

So somebody's got to pick up the slack around here and I thought I could at least link to my post over on mobiquizoid. That post was ostensibly about the quality of my current phone's camera, but it was really about setting up this post.

See I had no idea when the day started Saturday that I would for the first time ever visit the resting place of my father's ashes with his grandson. Once there I found it very difficult to leave (not unlike visiting the other grandparents). We walked all the way around the lake (2 miles) and every time I berated Hollis not to approach the mud again or pick up another stick or rock, I could almost hear my father warning me to let him be who he wants to be. Hollis had no idea he had help dealing with my dictatorial reflex, no concept of all the things that had transpired to bring us there yesterday. One day he will, and he will also understand that it was as it had to be.

Here's a bonus picture or three taken today, and for the record Hollis is still 3 and needs no tee.(and Stacy was offering nothing but windswept lefthanded junk pitches too)

Sons eventually discover a father's pride is seamless as it spans each generation.

A Statement I Never Thought I Would Have To Make

2009-03-10T23:15:00.004-04:00

"You can't eat dinner without your pants on".

I will let you decide who I had to say that too.

Sanitized for your protection

2009-03-09T22:45:00.004-04:00

It seems that we have made a full recovery from the stomach virus/flu/plague. Food is being consumed, school is being attended and most importantly, all bodily functions are working correctly again. Hollis has been washed and lysoled. Ugh, it's the worst.
Last Sunday afternoon he seemed to be on the mend so I planned to send him to school on Monday. Everything seemed good Monday morning; he ate breakfast and was running through the house, so off to school we go. I should have known something was not quite right when he didn't take off his seat belt and jump up into the front seat as we pulled into car line. I chose to ignore this red flag so I could do my grocery shopping in peace. I know, you don't have say it, I am Mother of the Year...I am sure my trophy is in the mail. Everything was fine until about 30 minutes before pick up time when I got the dreaded "Please come pick up your child" call. Unfortunately, the stomach virus revisited him before I was able to get there. I will spare you the gory details and just say it involved emergency clothes, several bags of laundry and a bath once we got home.
He seems unscathed by the experience and headed back to school on Wednesday and took John for "Donuts with Dad" on Friday. Hollis feeling better and busy driving the train.

Notes from the Germ Factory

2009-03-01T17:16:00.002-05:00

We have been overtaken by the stomach virus and all the pleasantness that goes along with it. Hollis got sick on Thursday and thankfully seems to be on the mend today. At one point on Friday I called the Nurse Advise Line to be sure he (I) was going to survive this particular illness. After doing the meningitis test (when they ask you if your child can touch his chin to his chest - that's the meningitis test), she asked if he was confused or disoriented, I said no and we ended the call. Later that evening I was heading to the store to pick up some Tylenol and asked Hollis if there was anything he needed. While laying on the couch under his Thomas blanket and watching a movie, he managed to mention that he did need something..."just one Matchbox car, just one". Confused? Hardly. Who can say no to a sick child? So not only did he acquire his 1,668,348th Matchbox car, he also got his 275th car magazine. Things are looking up today and hopefully the snow won't keep him out of school tomorrow, three days of togetherness is enough.

Mix it up Monday: Happy Birthday Edition

2009-02-17T00:01:00.002-05:00

Today is my birthday. According to my drivers licence I am 34 today, I don't see how that could be right though since I just graduated from college last week and high school the week before that. The way I figure it, I am about 24. Although, as my loving husband pointed out while discussing the possibility of renewing my drivers licence for 10 years, having a drivers licence picture of yourself when you were 30 will only emphasis how much you have aged when you are 45. So maybe I shouldn't lie about my age. Oh, and John is for sale, by the way.
Anyway, I baked my own cake today after spending last week trying to decide what I wanted. I wanted something new, not cookies and not something I would not have to frost. I decided on this Peanut Butter Pound Cake. You may recall my previous pound cake attempt, of which most ended up in the trash. This cake however was pound cake perfection. I am not sure if I should thank Bake or Break or the handy new KitchenAid my mom got me for Christmas. Either way, it turned out just like a pound cake should, soft in the middle with a crispy crust. I did make a few additions and substitutions. The recipe calls for 5 eggs and what do you know, I only had 4. I debated the risk of only using 4 eggs and then remembered that I had a recipe for a vegan flax seed egg substitute. Super easy way to cut back on eggs in your baked goods, 1 tbls. ground flax seed and 2-3 tbls. of water heat about 1 minute in the microwave or simmer 5 minutes stove top until you have the consistency of an egg, yields the equivalent of 1 egg. So I mixed that up and subbed it in for 1 egg. Instead of buying peanut butter/chocolate swirl morsels, which I have never even seen, I used what I had, about 1/2 bag each of chocolate and peanut butter chips. After I poured the batter into the pan I decided a little Nutella would be a nice addition so I mixed in what I had in the pantry. It wasn't much since I had been snacking on it all last week, about 1/4 cup. I baked it for 1 hour and 20 minutes and served it ice cream after my birthday dinner...and I may have snuck another piece while John was walking the dog, but hey, it's my birthday!

Valentine's Fail Whale

2009-02-15T16:58:00.002-05:00

I hope you all had a perfectly lovely Valentine's Day. I hope that unlike me, you did not completely foul up your child's first memorable Valentine's. Here's the deal, I am failing preschool...Hollis is doing great, me not so much. At Christmas Hollis told me that "all" mommies came to the Christmas party, except me. I was at pilates, I have my priorities. His teacher cleared this little piece of guilt up for me, "some" parents came early to pick up there children for the Holidays. With this in mind, I thought I would come pick him up at the Valentine's party on Friday. The problem is, I still have pilates - priorities people - which gets out at 11:30. Plenty of time to get over to school before noon, right? Wrong. When I got there and got inside I walked into the middle of a pool of barely controlled parent/child/teacher/sibling carline chaos. Somehow, in the midst of all that, his teacher saw me and brought him over...so I totally missed going to his classroom. He seemed fine with that, so we headed to the car. Once we got buckled in, he started to tell me about his day: heart bingo, stories, songs, heart shaped cookies. Then the highlight of the day, a new race car! I thought certainly this was a gift from the teachers. When we got home and dumped out the bag of valentines I was surprised to see that every (and yes, I mean literally EVERY) child gave a little "something extra" with their valentines. Candy, playdough, more candy and one child who gave hotwheels cars. Hollis's little folded paper NASCAR valentine's paled in comparison. I would have been able to let this go with the thought all the parent's appreciated me for not contributing the their child's sugar high, sadly, it's a repeat performance on my part. On Wednesday we had a big Valentine's playgroup party. I brought the heart shaped jelly sandwiches and valentine's day cups, but guess what I forget. The valentines. Fortunately, I can think fast and Hollis was preoccupied with toys that belonged to someone else. I had bought a bag of individually wrapped Princess and Cars chocolates which conveniently had To/From spaces on the back, so everyone got one of those. Had I combined the items from Wednesday and Friday, I would have had the perfect valentines for everyone. Better luck next year I guess!

**Thanks for the picture Sara, I didn't take any of those either!

Mix it - Lightened Up

2009-02-10T22:19:00.003-05:00

It is feeling a little spring like here this week, so I thought something chilled would be in order. I decided on a sorbet. I don't own an ice cream freezer, but it is easy to make sorbet without one. I let Hollis decide which flavor: mango, strawberry or lemon. He choose lemon, one more than one occasion. So lemon sorbet it is. There are a lot of sorbet recipes out there, all of which are basically the same: simple syrup, lemon zest and lemon juice. Some add an egg white or cream, but those are typically higher in calories. This is the specific one I used, although, after reading the comments, I did simmer the zest in the syrup before adding the lemon juice. The zest was pretty fine, so I didn't strain it. It made a pretty tart sorbet, but that is exactly the way Hollis likes it. The good thing about this recipe is that you could use the same basic technique with a number of different fruits. You can even make a watermelon sorbet. This will make a perfect summer treat and even though I don't have the calorie count for this specific recipe, sorbet generally has less than 100 calories per serving. Enjoy!

This Blog Can Haz Muse

2009-02-01T20:53:00.001-05:00

First born son is named after him too!

Conferences

2009-01-28T19:50:00.003-05:00

On Monday we had parent/teacher conferences at Hollis's preschool. I find this hilarious in and of itself, but there I was for 15 minutes with Ms. Nancy. What I learned is that Hollis is practically perfect in every way...okay 97% perfect. Apparently there are issues with the jacket being put on upside down, preferring to play instead of completing his work (I don't know where he would have gotten that) and not coloring. The coloring perplexes me the most since I was an avid colorer as a child and feel this may be evidence of a maternity ward mix up. But, I've had him this long, so I'll probably keep him. I was also surprised to learn that sometimes "doesn't participate" in the singing. I find this odd considering the amount of singing he does at home, in car, at Target...everywhere except school apparently. He is certainly bringing home the songs from school though. Here is one of his current favorites. As you listen, remember that he attends preschool at a local church and you maybe as surprised as me to hear it.

Mix it up Monday: Peanut Butter

2009-01-26T22:47:00.004-05:00

I am sure you have heard that we are not supposed to be eating peanut butter products. We are big peanut butter fans around here and I, for one, have found it hard to know what is safe and what isn't, or might not be. One way to get around the problem is to make your own peanut butter products. Everyone agrees that the Jif and Peter Pan in your pantry are safe, so get them out and mix up some salmonella free snacks. Of course, you could throw caution to the wind and add in your own salmonella, but I wouldn't recommend it. I picked this recipe, from Dinner and Dessert, because it is similar to a peanut butter cookie, but has a little something extra with the chopped peanuts and chocolate chips. Also, if you go back to the Peabody post, you will see that she used salted peanuts in place of the unsalted ones called for. I think next time I will do that too, for two reasons: 1) I like salt and especially salt and chocolate 2) John complains when he sees unsalted nuts in the pantry. These are quick and almost as easy as picking up tainted store bought cookies, the hardest part will be waiting an hour for them to cool. You probably already have most of the ingredients, so make these...they'll make your kids happy; unless your kids are allergic to peanuts, in which case, stay far, far, away.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Love Bars
Slightly Adapted Recipe

2 cups unsalted peanuts
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups tightly packed brown sugar(light)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces (I used chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toast the peanuts on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool the nuts to room temperature before chopping by hand.
Use a stiff whisk to blend together the peanut butter and brown sugar in a bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until thoroughly blended. Add the peanuts and the chopped semisweet chocolate, mix well. Transfer mixture to a 9X13X2 inch pan. Use your fingertips to press the mixture onto the bottom of the pan and into the corner and sides, creating an even layer. Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 22 minutes until set in the center. Remove from oven and cool at room temperature for 1 hour before cutting.

Source: Dinner and Dessert from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, who adapted them from Death by Chocolate Cookies by Marcel Desaulniers

Vacationing

2009-01-21T16:46:00.005-05:00

John has been on vacation since Sunday afternoon. He would tell you that he is "traveling for work". Pssshh...let's look at the evidence and you decide:

1. 4 hour plane ride during which, I assume, he was able to listen to, read or watch whatever he desired. Likely the only interruption was by someone asking him if he wanted a snack or drink.

2. He is in a part of the country were yesterday the average temperature was 85 degrees. It was 25 degrees here yesterday. He would argue that he wasn't able to enjoy this warm weather because he was in a conference room all day. I would argue that it doesn't matter because I was inside all day with a three year old and a dog with anxiety issues - and it was cold.

3. He is sleeping in a fancy hotel room, which I imagine has room service - more people to bring him snacks and drinks. I also imagine the hotel doesn't ask him to clean up the kitchen, take out the trash and the dog and bath a small child.

Sounds like a vacation to me.

In the interest of full disclosure I do have to admit that he did miss out on some fun things:

1. Another trip to aquarium where Hollis saw his first 3D movie.

2. Free inauguration donuts at Krispy Kreme.

3. Hugs, kisses, I love yous and construction work.

Mix it up Monday: Lesson learned

2009-01-20T15:49:00.003-05:00

Here is what I have learned: if I want to bake and blog about it on the same day, I need to start the process before 10:30pm. Who knew? I finished the Date Nut Bread at about 11:45pm last night, and frankly didn't have it in me to write a post. I also haven't tasted it yet, so maybe take my words with a grain of salt, or sugar as the case may be. Although, I did have to stay up late to finish it, the bread itself, like most quick breads, was easy to put together. I have never baked with dates, so that was interesting. I bought them whole and had to chop them which was more difficult than I expected. I have one of those hand choppers, where the blade chops and turns. They were too sticky to do that way, so I just chopped them with a knife. After chopping the dates the recipe calls for you to soften them by add a cup of boiling water and butter. It does have 1/2 cup of walnuts, but you could also use pecans or leave the nuts out all together. The recipe call for baking for 55 minutes, but I baked it for more like an hour and five minutes. This is the second recipe that I have had to extend the baking time, so I am starting to wonder if there is something wrong with my oven...God forbid. It looks like a nice moist bread that would be great for breakfast with a little cream cheese. I will let you know how it tastes tomorrow, but I do have to admit one thing, I threw out last week's Pumpkin Swirl Brownies, they just weren't doing it for me. Oh, well...win some, lose some.

Censorship

2009-01-15T23:04:00.006-05:00

Before I had Hollis I was a firm believer in self censorship. I felt that parents were solely responsible for the television shows, movies and books their children were exposed to. I have come to realize the flaw in this mindset: TV commercials. Seriously, are there no standards? Now, I understanding advertising revenue and demographic and whatever, but sometimes my three year old watches football with his father. Or we might want to watch the news while dinner is cooking. Or maybe just have something on that is not animated. Hollis has learned more for 30 second spots than he has in 6 months of preschool. Maybe you remember the foot in the toilet incident, well I am pretty sure he got that from a Two and a Half Men commercial. During this spot, which came on as I was looking for the remote to turn the TV off, had the two main characters one of which was standing in a toilet. The volume was turned down, in an attempt to keeping him from hearing anything he shouldn't, but apparently the picture was all he needed. A few days later he asked me about the ad and why, "that daddy was standing in the potty". I tried to explain that it wasn't real, but I don't think it took. "Well, what do you expect, having network TV on", you may say, but what about Noggin on demand? While going through the two page on demand menu in order to get to a Noggin show, they ran a commercial for the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler movie, Baby Mama. Having learned my lesson, I again had the volume turned down - too late - he had already seen the scene with Amy Poehler's character using the sink instead of the toilet. Again, lots of conversation about make believe as well as why we don't potty in the sink. So my stance on censorship has softened somewhat over the last year or so...now I think all commercials should be heavily censored with preschoolers in mind. I think this is a public policy we can all get behind.

And now, the obligatory Hollis picture.
Hollis and John taking their "mini nap".

Mix it up Monday

2009-01-13T15:24:00.005-05:00

I did actually bake these yesterday, but it was nearly midnight when I finally took them out of the oven. You may remember the Great Hazelnut Debacle of 08, since then Kroger has decided to occasionally stock chopped hazelnuts. Oh, Kroger, how I love thee and your haphazard inventory (don't get me started on the Danimals - the one dairy product my child will drink). So I have had a bag of chopped hazelnuts just waiting to be used. I had planned to use them at Christmas, but good grief, the food, it was overwhelming. So I searched out what I thought would be a different use of hazelnuts, but lo and behold, they have already been made here and here and over here. I guess I don't get any points for originality. My problems do seem original though. To start with, I had 3 oz of semi sweet chocolate and 3 oz of unsweetened chocolate. After some google research, I decided that the thing to do would be to add some extra sugar. Now, I really thing that was unnecessary. They aren't overly sweet, but I think the sugar in the semi sweet would have sweetened the unsweetened chocolate enough. Mine also did this funky "rising" thing. I don't know how to describe it and am not sure you can see in the picture, but the center sort of...well, rose. You know how bread rises in the center and then splits, like that but without the split. Why would it do this? I have no idea. The recipe calls for a baking time of 40-45mins, after 45 mins mine was no where near done in the center so I baked it for closer to an hour. I was happy to see that Aimee from UtHC also complained about the forty bajillion bowls, spoons, measuring cups and spatulas this recipe used. I hate that. They also aren't what I would call a traditional "brownie", they are thicker and more dense, more like cake. But, they are good and would certainly fit the bill for a Halloween or Thanksgiving treat, or a Monday when you have hazelnuts to use.

Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.
Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.
With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.
Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

Least you think I sold Hollis to the gypsies, here he is enjoying a Pumpkin Swirl Brownie. He declared that he "loves it", to be fair though, he loves a lot of things right now.

2009-01-12T15:32:00.003-05:00

Mix it up Monday isn't quite ready, but I wanted to share a couple of things since I have such a slacker recently.
I didn't pick Hollis up from school today until 1:00pm. Don't worry, I didn't forget about him, again. Today was his first day of lunch bunch. Basically he eats lunch at school and plays for an extra hour. Whee an extra hour! What will I do with myself. Let me give you some reasons why this didn't pan out has planned
First of all, an hour is not that long and his school is 20 minutes from my house. If you figure an hour at the gym, an hour for grocery shopping and driving back and forth, I basically had time to throw the milk in the fridge before I had to head back out. Yeah free time.
Secondly, I have to send lunch with him. This is a problem because there is not much I hate more than packing lunch. I don't know why...but it is quite anxiety provoking for me. I talked about packing lunch all day Sunday just so I won't forget. Guess what? I forgot. In my defense, I told everyone in my house to remind and no one did. I remembered on the way to bed. I also have issues about what to pack for lunch. Maybe I just have issues. Anyway, no peanuts. Hollis eats peanut butter and jelly EVERYDAY. I offer him other things, but he always says, "peanut butter and jelly, of course". I don't know where he gets it from.
Maybe next week will be better.

Lastly, and completely unrelated, scroll down to the bottom of the page. See that new banner down there? That link will take you to Hopeline.com. Through the Kristen Brooks Hope Center, the Hopeline operates as a national crisis hotline number for people who are depressed or suicidal. The hotline connects callers 24 hours a day with a certified crisis center in their area within 20-30 seconds of the call being received. They also host conferences, community programs and education and a college music tour in order to increase awareness and decrease the stigma of mental illness. It is a worthy cause that I hope you will consider when making your charitable gifts this year.

Mix it up Monday

2009-01-05T23:25:00.004-05:00

Last week I resolved to post some healthier dessert options this year and here is the first. A lighter dessert would not have been my first pick this week, but a promise is a promise and it turned out pretty good. This is an old Weight Watchers recipe, my printout is date Aug 2003, but is a good "lighter" version of blondies. I made a few changes by using the 50/50 whole wheat and white flour and flaxseed. Instead of 2 cups of flour, I used 1 3/4 cups and 1/4 cup of flaxseed. It has more of a whole grain texture than a regular blondie would. John tried one tonight and said it was definitely whole wheat. You could either use all purpose flour, or the blend without the flaxseed for a less grainy texture, but truly, they are not bad this way. One of the keys to keeping these low calorie is to cut them according to the directions, two-inch squares. I don't know about you, but I usually cut my brownies into larger than 2 inch squares...hmm, maybe that is part of the problem. You should get 24 two-inch servings. Each serving has 135 calories, 3.7 g fat and .6 g of fiber when made as directed. Adding the whole wheat blend and flaxseed will greatly increase your fiber. They would also be good with nuts added. But, while heart healthy, a 1/4 cup of walnuts has 164 calories and 16 g of fat, so that would probably take you out of the "light" category. Made they way they are written, these are any easy treat to make that you won't regret in the morning.

Weight Watchers Chocolate-chip Blondies
2 cups all-purpose flour (or a combination of whole wheat/white)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
1 1/2 cups unpacked brown sugar
6 Tbsp. light butter, softened
2 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup water
6 oz (3/4 cup) mini chocolate chips

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt
-In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy
-Add egg whites and vanilla
-Gradually beat in flour mixture alternating with water
-Stir in chips
-Spread into a foil lined 9x13 pan
-Bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes
-Cool on a wire rack
-Remove foil and cut into 24 two-inch squares

2008: A Year in Pictures

2009-01-02T23:05:00.016-05:00

One day I will once again dazzle you with my witty content, maybe. For now, more pictures.

January - It snowed! You'll just have to trust me that that is snow, some people would call them flurries - we stocked the pantry.

February: Puddle jumping

March: Meeting the Mouse

April: The Easter Bunny brought his first bike!

May: The Braves game

June: We take a bite out of the Big Apple. On the ferry to the Statue of Liberty

July: Fourth of July parade

August: Hollis turns three - and starts school and goes to the beach (it was a busy month).

September: Trying on the firefighter pants

October: Halloween and his own firefighter outfit.

November: One little Indian Boy

December: Merry Christmas!

Four Christmases Salmon & Milk Style

2009-01-02T14:45:00.010-05:00

You may be familiar with the movie. Here's how it played out for us:
Christmas #1: Hanging upside down and (nerf) firearms.

Christmas #2: Stories, snacks and Army shirts

Christmas #3: Ice cream and Krispy Kreme donuts, Mimi and G-dad and Santa brings trucks - what else?
Christmas #4: One more present for everyone, another truck (!) and wrestling with the big boys.

I hope yours was equally exciting!

Mix it up Monday

2008-12-29T23:24:00.004-05:00

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that Santa did not forget to stop at your house. I assure you, he didn't forget ours. I had thought about skipping Mix it Up Monday this week because, honestly, who needs more baked goods after Christmas? I don't, that is for certain. The problem though is, I have this living in my house now:

I was calling to me to bake something tonight. So, I made these which I was able to lighten up a little. I used 1 3/4 cups of 50/50 whole wheat and white flour and 1/4 cup of flax seed. I also used skim milk. I used real butter because I had it left over from the Christmas baking, but you could certainly use a light butter. I used walnuts and the whole bag of mini chocolate chips, but you could leave out the nuts and cut back on the chips. I got 12 regular muffins and 14 mini muffins. These are a quick and yummy muffin, but maybe not the best for my first KitchenAid project. The recipe wanted you to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately and then combine, but I only have one bowl for the mixer, so I just dumped it all in together. Oh, well, they turned out fine and really it was more about using the mixer and less about the product.

You will be happy to hear that I am resolving to bake at least one "lighter" or "low calorie" item each month this year. So get ready with your plain yogurt and unsweetened applesauce. What are you resolving to do in 2009? Happy New Year!

Musical Interlude

2008-12-24T08:58:00.005-05:00

I seem to have an unexplained absence from this blog, even though I can explain. You see, we are up to our eyeballs in Christmas over here and frankly any spare minutes are being spent wrapping, baking or, well, on Facebook. Enjoy a little Christmas cheer from Hollis while you celebrate.

And for comparison, last year's singing.

Merry Christmas!

Mix it Up Monday: Christmas Cookies Part 1

2008-12-15T22:22:00.003-05:00

So this is super dorky, but while I was deciding what to bake for Christmas, I thought I would like to do cookies with three different "holiday" flavors. So I picked nutmeg, peppermint and cranberry. For the nutmeg, I made the Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies from Halloween. Same cookie, with a little more nutmeg and cut out into Christmas shapes. John says they remind him of eggnog...that sounds about right. Today I made the peppermint cookies. Let me give a little history behind this cookie first though. When I was younger, probably about middle school age, I baked the chocolate chip cookies for Christmas. Everything was perfect, except there was an unusual flavor to the cookies. We finally figured out that I had used peppermint extract in place of the vanilla extract. Since my family is so kind and loving, this story never comes up for fear of causing undo embarrassment...yeah, right. So this year I am revisiting the Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies - but intentionally this time. I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, so I kind of winged it, but they turned out pretty good. I used the basic Toll House Cookies recipe from the back of the chocolate chip bag. I left out the nuts and added peppermint extract and crushed candy canes. The peppermint flavor is, I think, very subtle. If you wanted to you could make it stronger by increasing the amount of extract and/or candy canes. You could also use Andes Mints, although they are not really peppermint. I also an almost empty bag of chocolate chips in the fridge, so I added those...no point in perfectly good chocolate just sitting around. I probably ended up with about 2 1/4c. of chocolate chips. It is hard to see in the pictures, but the cookies have small red flecks from the candy canes and some have holes where the candy melted. The recipe also made a ton of cookies - close to 7 doz, not counting what Hollis managed to eat before they were baked. I froze a little more the 5 doz along with the sugar cookies for our trip to Columbus and then for Christmas next week.
Stay tuned next week for the cranberry cookies!

I threw away the chocolate chip bag with the recipe on the back, so here is a link to the recipe. To make these Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies omit the nuts and add 1 tsp of peppermint extract (more if desired) and about 1/4 c of crushed candy canes.

Meeting my quota

2008-12-12T22:02:00.008-05:00

It seems that there are some people (person) who are trying to blackmail me into putting pictures of my child on this blog for the whole (10 people) internet to see. So, fine, in the name of peace and quiet, here are some pictures. Also, there are no pictures of the sock in the toilet incident, because he was naked except for his socks and, well, this just isn't that kind of blog. Enjoy:
Hollis and friends on a carriage ride. William, Mitchell and Sadie
Wow, look at all those fish, man! (GA Aquarium)In line to ride the Pink Pig, or for the Bhutan Death March...not sure which. By the way, I totally made that shirt...are you impressed with my iron-on abilities?
Post Pink Pig ride with Elle.

Happy Weekend!

His Mistake

2008-12-12T15:38:00.003-05:00

I am grateful beyond words that, for the most part, Hollis has decided to use the potty alone. Obviously, I still take him when we are out somewhere and occasionally he will call me in to "stay in here and watch me". But generally, I can tell him to go and he goes on his own. A few times I have even found him in the bathroom using the potty without being prompted (trust me, that is about as exciting as it gets). However, we do still have the occasional accident, usually when he is overly preoccupied with something or tired. But the other night we had the first, and what I hope is the last, "mistake". Hollis was in the bathroom before getting ready for bed and John and I were in the kitchen. I hear Hollis call to me from down the hall, "Umm, Mommy, I made a mistake". Not really the words you hope to hear coming from the bathroom. So I go to see what the "mistake" is. "I stepped in the potty", he said. Not ON mind you, IN. With his socks on. You might, like me, ask, "Why?", sadly there was no answer. I tried my best to keep a straight face, but it was pretty funny. I still don't know why he stepped in the potty, but I did assure him that it was not funny. No matter what the look on my face might say.

The Spirit of Giving

2008-12-09T23:55:00.002-05:00

We are awash in toy catalogs here and that has lead to the "I wants". Anything that he sees that is not "for girls", he wants. When asked what he wants, the answer is "lots and lots and lots". Unfortunatly for him, he is getting maybe, one lot. With all this in mind, I thought this would be a good year to start some lessons on charity. I selected a child from the Salvation Army Angel Tree. I decided it would be more meaningful to him if we got a boy about the same age. We bought gifts for Diego, a three year old boy. We set out to Target to buy the gifts. I tried to explain to him that we are buying gifts to help children who don't have as much as we do. He asked, "But won't Santa Claus bring Diego presents?"....hmm. Okay, yes so Santa is bringing him gifts, but we are helping. Hollis brought one dollar from his piggy bank and spent 20 minutes in the Matchbox aisle picking out the perfect truck. After picking out that and the remote control truck Diego asked for, Hollis came up with a great idea - When we take these presents to Diego's house , I can help him open them and then we can play with his new truck. Ummmm, yeah, We aren't going to be taking these gifts to Diego's house. So I tried to explain that we were taking them to the Salvation Army where Diego's parent's would get them. "So we are going to the Army? Will they have on their Army shirts?" Yes absolutely.

Yesterday, we dropped the bag of gifts off (don't tell Hollis - I threw in a baseball glove, ball and book that he had duplicates of) and it was another series of questions about the army, Santa and who has enough toys. I think he was disappointed that no one had on their "army shirts" and there were not any cars for him to play with. I am not sure he grasped the spirit of giving.

Mix it Up Monday: Easier

2008-12-08T23:40:00.002-05:00

So, I know that you all ran right to your kitchens and whipped up last week's Pumpkin Cake. No? Well, maybe you will prefer this one: Pecan Pie Cupcakes. We are big fans of Pecan Pie around here. Honestly, we are big fans of desserts, but Pecan Pie is right up there. With the short and simple ingredient list I was surprised how much these tasted like pecan pie, especially if you undercook them just slightly. The recipe is so easy to make and you probably have the 5 ingredients already in your house. I made them in a mini muffin pan which made the perfect bite sized amount. We ate them straight, but drizzled with chocolate or topped with ice cream would be fantastic. You could also mix in a few mini chocolate chips for a chocolate pecan pie flavor. You can mix these up and have them baked in under 30 minutes, so there is no reason not to make them for a Christmas treat.
*They were gobbled up so quickly, I didn't get a picture, but the ones at Bake or Break are better than the ones I would take anyway, so take a look over there.

Miss Me?

2008-12-05T21:31:00.005-05:00

Do you miss me yet? I had to take a little blogging hiatus after that whole blogging (almost) everyday gig. And have you noticed that it is almost Christmas. I am up to my eyeballs in Christmas over here. Here are a few lessons: don't sit out boxes of Christmas decorations planning on getting to them "later". The three year old will deem later to be NOW and everything will be haywire. Do not unpack your bells, jingle or otherwise, just trust me on this one.
We started out the Christmas season with a trip to Callaway Garden's Fantasy in Lights. I would tell you how wonderfully beautiful it was, but I was too busy trying to taking the perfect picture of both Hollis and the lights...on my little point and shot. I played with the flash, the speed, the settings. And this is the best one I got:
Pretty cool, admittedly, but where is Hollis you may ask. In the dark somewhere, who knows. However, John managed grab the camera and snap this perfect picture of Katie and Tommy. Stupid husbands and their auto setting.

Mix it up Monday: Thanksgiving Cake

2008-12-01T23:04:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had lots of yummy baked goods along with their turkey and stuffing last week, I know we did. I made two things for Thanksgiving, I am giving you one today and you will have to wait until next week for the other. I stumbled across a new blog and this cake was her latest post. One look at that picture and my Thanksgiving search was over. Unfortunately for me, I didn't bother to read the list of ingredients or directions. I printed out the recipe on Tuesday morning and discovered it was THREE PAGES long. I was already mentally committed to this cake so I had to make. I started Wednesday morning and the whole process to the majority of the day. However, it was well worth it. And I learned something...there is not actually any scotch in butterscotch. Things might have gone a little more quickly if there had been. When I read that the cake had a butterscotch filling I guess I assumed it was butterscotch chips or something, certainly not that I would be creating butterscotch. In a semi panic on Tuesday, I bought a box of powdered sugar. I was sure I had left it off my grocery list and would need it for the icing. That is the kind of icing I alway make. This is not that kind of icing. It is a cooked brown sugar and cream icing that is supposed to cool in an aluminum bowl. I don't have an aluminum mixing bowl, so I just let it cool in the aluminum pot I made it in. This recipe is not for the faint of heart, or really anyone on any type of special diet for living until tomorrow, it contains 5 sticks of butter, almost 2 boxes of brown sugar and 2 cups of cream. Don't let all this deter you however. The cake is wonderfully moist and held up well on the ride to Columbus and over the weekend. It is very rich and filling, so a small piece at a time is all you need. Looking at the picture on Dinner and Dessert, her filling seems to be smoother than mine turned out, although I did use the optional walnuts so maybe that is the difference. This is not an easy or quick cake to make, but if you break it down into three parts: cake, filling and icing, concentrating on only on part at a time; you can do this. Believe me, I did it, you can do it too. Next week, a much, much easier dessert option that would be great for Christmas too!

The End

2008-11-30T23:26:00.002-05:00

So you may have noticed that I didn't post anything yesterday, thereby blowing the whole NaBloPoMo thing. Oh, well 29 out of 30 posts isn't bad. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by over the past month. I will try to keep up with regular posting and hopefully give you something entertaining to read every now and then!

2008-11-28T22:24:00.003-05:00

I am not sure if the post John did yesterday "officially" counts toward NaBloPoMo or not, but as I realized that I had posted while falling asleep last night I decided I did not care. I think it counts...there was a post here, that's all that matters.

We are celebrating with John's family in Columbus and I have managed to eat up any extra calories I may have inadvertently burned off yesterday morning.

Even though I said I won't be participating in Black Friday, John and I did do some holiday shopping today - online. That is the way to go people. The $9 I paid in shipping was well worth staying in bed and not fighting my way through the masses.

I hope everyone had a filling Thanksgiving!

Impressive Finish!

2008-11-27T10:55:00.000-05:00

Stacy started her Thanksgiving by finishing the 6th annual "Gobble Jog" in impressive fashion. 5k in 41:49 = More Dessert!

Thanksgiving is Hilarious

2008-11-26T22:00:00.003-05:00

I wanted to post a sweet video today of my sweet three year old wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving and telling you all the things he is thankful for. Alas, what I have instead is a video of a wound-up three year old who hasn't had a nap in three days telling you what he is thankful for...like his foot. And apparently, it is very funny.

Why I hate people

2008-11-25T22:47:00.003-05:00

I think that one of the perks of being a stay at home mom is that I should be able to go shopping on a Tuesday afternoon without having to beat my way through a throng of humanity. Hollis and I went to the big W after storytime today and you would have thought people were preparing for the second coming. Seriously, where is a recession when you need one? Not much aggravates me more than shopping carts parked in the middle of the aisle. Today, I had to deal with that and people clogging up every available free space AND staff setting up new displays. Really, was this the best time to make that change? As Hollis and I cruised down a less crowded aisle, a wine delivery person was unloading boxes and stacking bottles on the shelf. Since I had the ricketiest cart in the store, I am sure he heard me coming, but did he stop to let me by? NO. He just keep unloading his bottles until I was standing right in front of him. Even though he is over the weight limit by like seven pounds, I had made Hollis sit in the cart, because frankly, Walmart makes me nervous with its huge space and every which way aisles. He was dying to get down, but I am sure he would have been trampled to death by some old lady racing for the last box of strawberry jello. I finally let him get out and walk around the toy department, which was strangely uncrowded. He was disappointed that there were only eight aisles of toys. What does it say about my child when there is not enough for him to choose from at a Super Walmart? There is not one thing in this whole wide world that could make me return to that store on Friday. If you are a Black Friday shopper, Good Luck and may the force be with you. I will be digesting turkey and possibly napping.

Mix it up Monday - The Winner!

2008-11-24T22:37:00.004-05:00

We have a winner folks, Sara and her Mom's Pistachio Cake. There was really no contest once John heard the word pistachios. They are one of his favorite things, along with Cool Whip, which there is plenty of in the icing. The funny thing is, since I know Sara in real life I wanted to make sure I got the recipe right. All the ones I came across started with a cake mix. I, by the way, have no problem with dressing up a cake mix...or using a cake mix as directed for that matter. So I asked Sara if this was the way her mom made it. No, no, I'm sure it's from scratch she said. Guess what? It's not. Sara's mom has been fooling her this whole time. Anyway, it is a really good cake and one that I would never have picked on my own, which was sort of the point. I made it in a bundt pan, but I imagine you could use cake pans or make a sheet cake. It has a little green tint to the cake which you could bump up with some food coloring if you wanted. The frosting is easy and fairly light in texture with a pretty green coloring. I added chopped pistachios to the top and Sara mentioned that her mom sometimes adds cherries to make it a wreath for Christmas. I think it would also be pretty for Easter with some green colored coconut and small candy eggs. And obviously it would work for St. Patrick's Day. John declared it, "The. Best. Cake. Ever". Even if you are not a huge fan of pistachios like John, I'm not, you should still try this cake, the pistachio flavor is not overwhelming. So thanks Sara and Sara's Mom for this yummy treat.

Cake:
1 box white cake mix
5 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 pkg. pistachio pudding mix

Icing:
1 1/2 pkg. pistachio pudding mix
1 small tub cool whip
1/2 pint heavy cream

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into a prepared pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Mix icing ingredients, I used my hand mixer for both. Let cool completely before icing.

Nature vs. Nurture

2008-11-23T22:37:00.003-05:00

On Saturday we went to Sadie's 3rd birthday party. Hollis and Sadie have been in a playgroup together for a long time. The group is usually a pretty good mix of boys and girls. They have all always played well together and with many of the same toys. The differences between the boys and girls, however, started to become apparent at the birthday party. The children were all playing with balloons, throwing them, hitting them, running and screaming. At some point, a group of about 4 girls started playing a game in which they all sat on the floor in a circle and rolled the balloon back and forth. At about the same time, a group of about 4 boys decided the best thing to do with the balloons was to bang them together. The differences in their choice of play was stark, and funny. Of course, Hollis was right in the thick of the action. Anyone who believes that gender differences are wholly the product of their environment, wasn't in that room on Saturday.

Something I Love

2008-11-22T20:47:00.003-05:00

I stumbled across another great blog and want to share it with you, Tip Junkie. This is a great site for all kinds of fun "tips" from party planning to decorating and more. Right now she is having a Mom-prenuer Shop-a-thon which features moms from all over and their handmade items. This is a great place to find unique Christmas gifts. She is also having all sorts of giveaways over the next few days. Be sure to check it out!
Have a great rest of your weekend!

A (way) off Broadway debut

2008-11-21T23:26:00.006-05:00

Today was Hollis's Thanksgiving Feast at school. Let me start this story by another story about how Hollis did not want to be an Indian. All of the three year old classes were having their "feast" and singing some songs for their parents. They were all to dress up like Indians. So we sent pillowcases (the height of Indian fashion apparently) which they decorated, they made feathered headpieces and beaded necklaces (with which to later buy back Manhattan). On Wednesday, a note came home explaining all this. As Hollis and I sat in the car after school talking about there program, I notice that tears start to well up in his eyes. After some prodding, he says that he does not want to be an Indian because he is a firefighter. I spent the rest of the afternoon convincing him that he could be an Indian firefighter. I even busted out the Google to show him pictures of Indians. He seemed satisfied. Come to find out, this same conversation took place early that day with his teacher. I have no idea why dressing up in a pillowcase and pretending to be an Indian for 30 minutes warrants tears, but I guess to him it did.
So today was the big day. I dropped him off with wishes of "have fun being an Indian" and headed to the grocery for feast supplies. The other mothers and I cut up enough fruit to justify the term "feast". Then the little Indians were ready. Each class marched in with their costumes and sat down to their feast of fruit, muffins, goldfish crackers and apple juice, reminiscent of the first Thanksgiving to be sure. I noticed that while Hollis had agreed to wear the costume and headgear, all the other children had beaded necklaces that he lacked. I decided not to ask, because I was afraid he had lost or forgotten it and didn't want to cause a panic. Later, though, my curiosity got the best of me and I asked were his necklace was..."In my bag" Why? "I not want to wear it". Okay, stubborn.

Then with much fanfare and excitement, the singing began. Parents who had settled into sets earlier, realized they were not in prime videotaping position and jockyed for a seat on the floor up front. I mistakenly left my seat where Hollis had seen me and moved to the front (for a video for you). Hollis spent the whole performance looking for me. About midway through, in between songs, I hear a familiar voice say, "Daddy, where is Mommy?" and I thought certainly that was not Hollis. You guessed it...it was. A few minutes later, after I crawled (literally) across the floor to get to the side he was on, he finally spotted me and sang the last verse of the last song. Here is the little Indian Chief in all his glory. Notice he is no longer wearing his feathered headpiece...or beads.

**sorry for the sideways video...I hate it when people do that too! I took the video and then couldn't figure out how to rotate it.

We have a Winner

2008-11-20T22:48:00.003-05:00

Thanks for all the suggestions for Mix it up Monday. Everything sounds yummy and I am sure they will show up soon. But to find out who got the thumbs up from John (and Hollis by proxy) you will have to check back on Monday. In the meantime, I have decided on what to bake for Thanksgiving. It is going to be yummy! If you are spending Thanksgiving with me you are in luck, if not, my mother-in-law reads this blog, leave a comment and maybe she will invite you!

Do as I say, not as I did

2008-11-19T22:56:00.003-05:00

I heard a statistic on the radio today that said that high school students take either the SAT or ACT an average of 3 times, improving their score each time. I found this a little disheartening since I took each test exactly 1 time and was pleased as punch with my scores. I was able to get into the school I wanted, so I didn't see any need to take them again. Also, hours spent coloring in bubbles on a Saturday morning, not my idea of fun. My scores and grades were good enough to get into the school I wanted to go to, so what more was needed? In fact, unlike a lot of my friends, I only applied to two schools. Once I found out I had been accepted at my first choice school, I didn't even bother completing the applications for all my back up schools. Maybe I just know what I want and go after it with laser like precision, or, and probably more accurately, I am/was a lazy student. I have always been able to test well, but my grades never seemed to reflect what the testing showed. And by testing, I mean standardized, no prep required, go in with your #2s and fill in circles kind of testing. I know my mom is reading this right now laughing her head off because she knows it is true and knows that she has likely cursed me by saying, "I hope you have one just like you". Since probably preschool, teachers have told my parents that I didn't work up to my potential, that I didn't manage my time well. Now, looking back, I can see why they would have thought that. Take Latin for example. When my family moved to Tennessee before my sophomore year of high school, I decided Latin would be good language for me to take. Coming from a high school that offered your choice of either French or Spanish to a school that had not only those, but German, Latin and one year, Russian, it seemed like a waste not to. Once I got into the class however, I realized there was some actual work involved in learning a new language, even a dead one. So I befriended a boy in the class who came to do most of my translations. Fortunately, no one actually speaks Latin, so words on paper were enough. As an aside, he seems to have done pretty well with all this Latin knowledge as he is now a pediatrician. So, for all the extra translation practice that I am sure came in handy while in medical school, you are welcome. When I started college I was able to test for placement in language classes so I took the Latin exam. By some strange miracle (see also, tests well) I tested out of the first quarter of Latin and was able to move straight into the second and final required quarter. Did I take advantage of this? No, I was done with Latin and thought I would try something "easier" like Spanish. I waited until my senior year to fulfill my language requirement and promptly failed Spanish. The most embarrassing part of failing the class was that at the time I was living with a first generation Cuban American who spoke fluent Spanish. I blamed it on not being able to hear and missing the "nuances" of the language. I even promised the professor that I would never travel to a Spanish speaking country and let on that I had taken classes from him. For some reason my advisor bought all of this and allowed me to sign up for Sign Language in order to fulfill my language requirement. Lazy student, expert manipulator? I was all for that (I had also been all for Latin and Spanish and you see where that got me), but the class was canceled because not enough people signed up. Somehow I managed to talk my way into Classical Literature as a language fulfillment. Since I was an English major, this was right up my alley. I think I ended up in the English Dept. mostly because you don't really have to "know" anything. Except how to read. Check. Even if you never finish a reading assignment, you can generally talk your way around it enough to seem like you know what you are talking about. Please don't all the English majors, teachers and professors comment about how much you know and how smart you are...I am talking only about me here. In the English Department at my school, one of the requirements for graduation was sitting for and pass three "comps". These are basically three compositions written on materials given at the beginning of the year. There were six genres and various examples within each genre that you were to read in preparation. I had decided to write on Romantic poets (poems are easy to read), the American short story (hello, short) and Shakespeare (it was meant to be heard, not read). Lazy. Others in the department started their reading right away and some sat for multiple comps before passing all three. I started reading about a month before the last sitting offered for the year, took all three at once and passed all three. I am not telling you this to show how smart I am, but to say that I probably could have had a more illustrious academic career had I been willing to work a little harder (shut up, Daddy). And maybe I could have had a medal to wear with my cap and gown. I do sometimes regret having not worked harder, but I think all in all, I have a pretty illustrious life anyway.

A boy and his dog

2008-11-18T23:06:00.008-05:00

When John and I got married I started hounding (haha) him for a dog. At the time, we were renting a townhouse that did not allow pets, so it was mostly a pipe dream. About six years ago we purchased our condo and I started looking for a dog. Since we were both working, we decided it would be best if we didn't have to house break a puppy. We searched the Atlanta Pet Rescue website and fell in love with a little beagle name Linus. Unfortunately, so did the rest of Atlanta. We filled out the forms and meet with the organization, who ultimately decided Linus wasn't the dog for us. Strange, I don't remember going through all that when we decided to have a baby. Anyway, a few weeks later, we found Clarice and she came to live with us. At first she was very timid and she has always had a lot of anxiety, but with all of her flaws, she is part of our family. Much to her chagrin, we had a baby. Clarice was about 5 years old when Hollis was born, so well past the puppy stage. At first this was not a problem. Hollis mostly laid around and ate, which fit in well with her plans. But as they both aged, the differences in their mutual expectations began to become apparent. He LOVES her, he told me she was his best friend. On the other hand, Clarice has a mild indifference toward him, John is her best friend. Hollis is now 3 and Clarice is 8. If they were children this would be a big age difference, but since Clarice is about 57 in people years, she could be his grandmother. She has always been very patient with him and we have never had any problems with her behavior, however, you can tell that she is just barely tolerating him. Often we will hear her let a huge doggy sigh when he leaves the room. You see, in Hollis's mind, Clarice is one of those young, active dogs he sees on TV and he wants her to play with him constantly. In reality, Clarice prefers to spend the majority of the day sprawled out on our couch. Throughout the day you can hear Hollis yelling, "Clarice, come here". She never goes to him, so eventually I get tired of hearing him call her and take her into the room. Then he wants her to sit and stay with him, which means shutting the door and that makes her nervous (see above re: anxiety). After a few minutes I will go rescue her and inevitably she will be sitting right in front of the door, starring at it like she is willing it to open and with a look on her face that clearly says, please save me from him. Through all of this, he is not deterred, she will play with him. Until she does something he doesn't want her to do, then all bets are off and he wants nothing to do with her. You know, some horrible doggy sin, like sniffing his animals or stepping over the railroad track. It is a delicate balancing act. Every night at bedtime, Hollis asks me to stay in his room for a minute and then to send in Daddy. The other night when John went in to stay goodnight, Hollis was almost asleep and said to John, "Send in the dog", she went begrudgingly.

**
Hey, don't forget to send me your baking ideas. You don't have to send the whole recipe, just an idea and I can find a recipe. Next week's Mix it up Monday is dependant on you!

Mix it up Monday: A Game

2008-11-17T23:20:00.003-05:00

Hi there Internet Bakers! I have to admit that I am experiencing a baking lull. Even though I have every imaginable recipe at my fingertips, I just can't find anything I am interested in baking. So bakers, let's play a game! Here it is: You post a comment with a recipe you would like for me to bake. John and Hollis will review the entries and pick the winner. I will bake your suggestion and post it for next week's Mix it up Monday. Let's say that suggestions should be posted by Wednesday at midnight (EST) in case I have to make a trip to the grocery store. Don't worry if your recipe isn't picked this time, I am sure there will be another lull.

I did bake though this weekend, I know, such a martyr. But I am pretty sure I have posted something similar before, Chocolate Banana Bread. See, I need your help people, don't let me down!

#2

2008-11-16T23:50:00.001-05:00

If you would like a glimpse into my life, read John's blog and take a peak at what I deal with everyday...

Happiness List

2008-11-16T23:31:00.003-05:00

Swistle posted her happiness list last week after reading Kara's gratitude blog. I think this is a great way to practice your thankfulness ahead of next week's festivities. Here are some things I am happy about this weekend:

1. A child who has finally adjusted to the time change and is not waking up at 6:30am.

2. Friends with new babies and babies on the way.

3. Sweaters

4. Surprising finds at the Dollar Store

5. Yellow leaves on the ground

6. Finding old friends on Facebook and see how great they are doing

7. Oatmeal Granola Bars

8. "And to Think That I Saw it On Mulberry Street"

What is making you happy?

2008-11-15T22:57:00.003-05:00

Happy Saturday! Tonight we were visited by Hollis's favorite (local) aunt, Rae. For some reason this turned Hollis into a running, screaming wild banshee of a child. He had spent the majority of the day with his father, so I am not entirely certain that John didn't slip him something while I was away.

PS - don't visit our house and not expect to have your picture taken and possibly posted for all the world to see.

Sticks and Stones

2008-11-14T23:19:00.005-05:00

Have you seen this? What a perfect addition to the Toy Hall of Fame. It may create a problem for parents however:

Parent: Do you think toys just grow on trees ?
Child: Well, yes actually, they do.
Come to think of it, it may pose a greater danger to children. Besides the obvious concern of poking your eye out, any child who has that conversation with their parent is going to get smacked for being a smart ass. Possibly with their own stick.

I know that Hollis for one is a big fan of The Stick. We have several models currently on our back porch. He also manages to snag a new one every time we go out. Spoiled, I know. Thankfully, The Stick is also compatible with several other toys we already own such as: The Ball, The Hole and The Leaves. It is especially entertaining when combined with another periennal favorite, The Box It Came In. No Target for me this year, one big box full of sticks and Santa is finished!

For those of you not familiar with the workings of a three year old boy, that is three boxes used together to create a ramp for cars to race up before landing inside the largest box. The point of the game, obviously, is to get as many cars into the box as fast as possible.

Run Away

2008-11-13T23:00:00.004-05:00

Guess what came in the mail for me last night? You'll never guess, so I'll just tell you...Runner's Digest. Okay, it's not that funny - really. I have always said that they only way I would be running is if there was a fire. But recently I have been running. I will give you minute to pick yourself up off the floor...Now don't get excited, these are short distances, slow paces and inside on a treadmill. Although, it seems that God knows something I don't. So, I am officially signed up to run the Gobble Jog 5K on Thanksgiving morning. What is up with me signing up to do these crazy things this month; NaBloPoMo, 5K, what's next, underwater basket weaving? Wish me luck!

Leaves

2008-11-12T22:56:00.002-05:00

I don't have anything interesting to say tonight (see also #4), so enjoy this picture of Hollis playing in the fall leaves.

10 things you should know about me

2008-11-11T16:29:00.006-05:00

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. I am left handed. John is praying diligently that this trait has been passed on to our son.

2. I was born in Georgetown, DE. You should know that this is BELOW the Mason Dixon line. I know this because it was a huge deal when I moved to South Carolina at 5 years old and was called a Yankee (gasp!). My parents now live in Tennessee. That is were I graduated from high school and consider it my "hometown".

3. The first blog I ever read was Purple is a Fruit. That one no longer exists, but Linda writes a here (among other places) and I still love her writing. I started reading her and was attracted to her writing because she is funny and honest and has a little boy the same age is Hollis. Now I read about 40 blogs.

4. I am a world class procrastinator. Which is one reason why posting everyday is so hard for me, I wait until 11:30pm before I start thinking about it.

5. Even though I procrastinate, I always (usually) get done what needs to be done. Just don't bug me and let me do it on my own time. When I was in college, I would get up early in the morning to finish (start) papers that were due that day. One of my roommates finally said that this was stressing her out, I told her to look the other way.

6. I have "significant" hearing loss. I am completely deaf in one ear and partially (mostly) deaf in the other. I have adjusted to my hearing loss and don't have plans to do anything particular about it. I am trying to keep it a secret from Hollis as I am sure he would eventually use it against me. So, when it seems like I am ignoring you, I really just can't hear you. Here is my secret trick though - I read lips. Usually without really meaning too, but I need to see you to hear you.

7. This came from meningitis that I had at the beginning of my freshman year of college. Since nothing for me is totally normal, I also had meningitis when I was three. The two illnesses were separated by 15 years, almost to the day. We held our breath this past October, which was 15 years since the second one. Get your children vaccinated - first when they are babies and then again at about 12 years old for protection against both viral and bacterial strains.

8. I am the oldest of three children. I have a brother and sister. Sadly, my brother is no longer with us, but would be 31. My sister is 25.

9. I am really bad with directions. If you are wise, you will never ask me how to get somewhere. I tend to confuse basic things like east and west, left and right. I also drive by landmarks, not street names, so I don't know where anything is. I have lived in Atlanta for over 10 years and I still have to use google maps - regularly.

10. I am very sarcastic. It sometimes comes across as mean or uncaring, but I really don't mean to be hurtful. I had another friend in college once tell me that if people didn't know me they wouldn't get my sarcasm and would think I was mean.

So, that is me, tell me about you.

Mix it up Monday

2008-11-10T23:42:00.002-05:00

Thank God for Monday! I don't have to think up something to write about. I really only like to write about my baking successes...things that were so yummy you want to like the screen. Sadly, I have had a couple of duds lately. Not anything horrible, but just kind of...meah. This week continues the trend. I picked up a copy of the Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham (not this one...Sunday, Monday Happy Days. Hehehe) at the library. I flipped through it for awhile (all 598 pages!) and settled on a pound cake. I decided to skip the Simple Pound Cake starter recipe and moved straight for the Almond-Butter-Crusted Pound Cake. Sounds yummy doesn't it? I am sure it would have been, if I knew what the heck I was doing. I don't, in case you are wondering. I couldn't pinpoint what the problem was, it just didn't seem right. Today at the grocery store I read a little of a article in Cook's Illustrated about pound cakes and how if you don't mix them correctly the turn out "short, squat and dense". Well, that pretty much describes it. And, yes, I am a huge dork reading Cooks Illustrated at the grocery store instead of US Weekly like a normal person. So anyway, I need some more practice with the pound cake...and apparently a copy of Cook's Illustrated (could I type that magazine name one more time - or use one more set of parenthesises?)

Almond-Butter-Crusted Pound Cake
Almond Butter Crust
6 T butter
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/4 c flour
1 c sliced almonds

Pound-cake batter
2 eggs
6 T butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese at room temp
1/2 c sugar
1 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
2 t vanilla

To make the crust: Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, and beat until well blended. Add the flour and blend into the butter and sugar until the mixture is crumbly. Add the almonds and stir lightly to distribute them well. Pat mixture over the bottom and halfway up the sides of an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To make the cake batter: First put the uncracked eggs in a bowl and pour hot tap water over them. Let stand a few minutes to warm the eggs gently.
Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl, and beat until smooth and blended. Crack the warmed eggs into the batter and beat well. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder and stir them together. Add to the first mixture and beat well, then add vanilla. Continue beating until the batter is smooth and well blended; it will have the consistency of a soft frosting.
Spoon into the crust-lined pan - it will be about half full. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a broom straw (what? I used a toothpick - my broom was dirty) inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set on a rack to cool. When completely cool, run a knife between the crust and the sides of the pan and turn the cake out onto a serving boarding or platter. Serve in thin slices.

2008-11-09T22:34:00.002-05:00

This morning I was pleasantly surprised that my WHOLE family slept until 8:30am. Unfortunately, that also made us late for church. You would think 2 hours would be enough time for three people to eat, get dressed and in the car, but you would be wrong. I feel certain God will forgive this lapse, since the extra sleep was badly needed for everyone and gave us a better day today. I have been thinking on this verse today "Pleasant words are like honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones." ~Proverbs 16:24, and thought I would give you my own little sermon. I hope that no one in my family who actually writes sermons for a living reads this post and is embarrassed for me.
How do we use our words everyday? I remind Hollis constantly to "use his words" when he is frustrated or upset. To find words to describe his feelings. How am I using my words? Am I giving sweetness to his soul and health to his bones at the end of the day, when I have had my fill of mothering? Or early in the morning when I would rather be sleeping? What about the words I give John? How is his soul being feed? We all get frustrated and tired throughout the day and often the ones we love the most feel the brunt. But maybe our words are pleasant, but our tone is hateful. This was my problem growing up. My parents always said that it was not what I was saying but the way I was saying it. What kind of tone am I using today? What about to the cashier at Target? Or toward the waitress who can't it get right today? How do you use your words? I am going to work on being more aware of not only the words I use, but the tone with which I do it.

2008-11-08T22:19:00.004-05:00

Did yesterday's post seem like a cop-out? Yeah, well, so is today's. Listen, blogging everyday is hard and I warned you about the boring stuff. I do have a few fun things though:

1. Fall has arrived in Georgia. Never mind that we were still wearing short earlier this week, look these leaves.

2. And guess what, this is my 100th post! Okay, so John wrote some of them, but this is the 100th post so I am taking the credit.

Have a fun rest of the weekend.

Shocking!!

2008-11-07T23:02:00.002-05:00

I hate to be an alarmist, but according to my facebook page there are only 48 days left until Christmas. Certainly that must be wrong, we we just on vacation last week and Hollis only just started preschool. I have no idea what to do for Christmas. I haven't even started to think about gifts. Any ideas for a 3 year old? How about a 37 year old?

Yesterday and Today

2008-11-06T22:06:00.005-05:00

When Hollis was a newborn the majority of my days were spent in my bed or on the couch. There is not a lot of activity with a new baby, especially your first one I imagine. Eat, sleep, poop, lather, rinse and repeat. Do you remember the show Judging Amy? I watched the entire series from start to finish - twice. It is not that great of a show. To help pass the great expanse of time from morning to bedtime, we would meet John for lunch and spend the morning at Target. Somethings don't change - we still spend mornings at Target. It was not the most interesting time of my life and on several occasions I questions my choice to stay home with him. Now, three years later, with a baby who is no longer a baby and wants to "do it myself"; the tables have turned and I can't imagine not being on the go. I DVR shows that I don't want to miss and never finish all the things on my list. We are always doing something or going somewhere, so much so that one of the first things out of Hollis's mouth is usually, "what are we doing today". And he is interested in everything, so everything is interesting. There are still days when I question the choices I have made, but they are fewer and farther between. And I can always appreciate the whiling dervish my baby boy has become.

Doing my best

2008-11-05T22:36:00.002-05:00

So, here we are at day 5 of NaBloPoMo and already I am strumming my fingers wondering what to write about...this is going to be a long month. How many days are in November again? Next time I am going to do this in February.
Should I tell you about how I was late (again) picking up Hollis today? And how this time he really was the last one and there was no one left in car line? You see, I had this little errand I needed to run and really it is right down the road so I had plenty of time, really. Turns out it is a little further down the road than I thought, and they were feeling chatty. So I was late - again. But I assure you, the image of my little three year old boy sitting in the office, holding his big red bag and his feet not even touching the floor while he waited for me is seared into my brain forever. So no, I don't think we need to talk about that.
Instead, I will tell you about all the fun things Hollis is doing this week to assuage my mommy guilt. So far, we have seen Brer Rabbit and Friends at the Center for Puppetry Arts, ate at the Varsity and painted pottery. Tomorrow we are going bowling. See, I AM a good mommy!

Civic Duty

2008-11-04T15:30:00.007-05:00

We did ours today.Surprisingly, we had no wait at all. If you aren't from around here you may not have heard, but the early voting lines were hours (and hours) long. The biggest voting obstacle I had to overcome was convincing Hollis that he could not actually vote for Bach Obama by inserting his "Martha Speaks" bookmark into the machine. Is this considered tampering with the voting machine?

Mix it up Monday: The Last Halloween Cookie

2008-11-03T18:04:00.003-05:00

One last hurrah for Halloween. I wanted to make one more thing for Halloween, but really had a hard time finding what I wanted. There are lots of ideas for cakes and cupcakes, but who needs a whole cake in their house. Since I would eat 98% of it, we certainly don't. I wanted to make a cookie that wasn't a cut out cookie, since I had already done that. I also wanted to MAKE a cookie, not just assemble it. So I finally settled on these Betty Crocker Witches Brooms. This a great cookie for you salty and sweet fans. They were really very easy make and assemble. It is just a basic cookie recipe, pretzels and melted chocolate. Make cookie balls and insert a pretzel. The recipe wanted you to cut the pretzel in half lengthwise. I suppose this was to help them lay flat, but have you ever tried to slice a pretzel stick? Not easy. So I skipped that step and used them round. It was fine. The original recipe also has you drizzled chocolate and butterscotch, but I had chocolate and peanut butter chips, so that is what I used. Okay, no more Halloween baking...on to Thanksgiving!

Kids say the darnedest things

2008-11-02T23:25:00.004-05:00

Wow, it is only the second day and already I have almost missed it. I do want to share this funny story with you though before it is forgotten. Yesterday evening, Hollis came into the kitchen with tears in his eyes and exclaimed, "I don't want to get married." We thought this was sort of a strange statement since we had not been planning to sell him off as a child groom. His reasoning became crystal clear moments later when he explained that, "It is too 'spensive for me". You have no idea son.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-01T21:11:00.006-04:00

We made it through Hollis's first trick or treat experience. We hit two subdivisions on our street and I think we were the first ones out at 5:30pm. He managed to hoof it the whole way after giving me his hat, fire fighter axe and bag of candy. I had prepped him on the correct Halloween lingo and he managed to use it, mostly. I had to refrain from teaching him the "smell my feet" version. Now you will be reciting that all day, your welcome.
The most interesting part of the evening came when Hollis spilled some candy leaving one of the houses. As we stopped to pick it up he exclaimed, "damn it". And I thought, "damn it, someone has taught my child how to curse". Now normally I would blame this on John, but honestly, I don't think he has heard it at our house. I did ask him what he said, just to clarify that we was cursing and using it correctly. He said it again and when pressed admitted to learning it at school. Some heathen child is already corrupting my innocent baby. We may have to start homeschooling. No, wait, that would probably lead to more cursing.
Later we crashed a neighborhood block party. Fortunately, everyone was friendly and didn't seem to mind a three foot tall fire fighter touching their cupcakes. After sharing in their candy and snacks, we hightailed it out of there. With a heavy bag and tired feet, we headed home for pizza and the Great Candy Dump of 2008. Because really, what better why to celebrate the devil's holiday than with pepperoni, cheese and candy? After a few minutes of bouncing off the walls, everyone settled down to sweet dreams of candy, pumpkins and fire fighters. Happy Halloween!

**
I have, perhaps foolishly, signed up to participate in NaBloPoMo, which is National Blog Posting Month. The point of which is to post to your blog every day for the month of November. Seems like a stretch, don't you think? Get ready for some boring shit...oh, wait, I meant stuff, we are trying to teach Hollis not curse.

The rest of the story

2008-10-31T16:23:00.004-04:00

Happy Halloween Internet! You will have to wait until tomorrow to get the Halloween update. But I wanted to pass on this little piece of child rearing advice to all you childless people out there. For those of you with children, just stop reading right now because you will think, "It took her this long to figure that out, she's an idiot".
Here it is:
If you happen to notice that the sheets on your child's bed have not been changed for awhile and you think, "hmmm, I should go ahead and do that today" - resist the urge. They will most certainly have an accident on those newly clean sheets. I changed Hollis' sheets on Sunday afternoon and have changed them at least once, sometimes twice, every day since. And at least once in the middle of the night. That is 6 days worth of sheet changes people. Hollis only has 4 sets of sheets and two mattress protectors...so you do the math. Needless to say our washer and dryer have been working overtime. Okay, that is not really true, I just wait until the last clean one is on the bed and then do one big load. Awesome, I know. Then Hollis had the audacity to tell me last night that he though he was almost ready to wear big boy underwear to bed. Ha Ha, you are nowhere near ready buddy.

On a cleaner note, it is 4:30pm on Halloween. We are waiting for John to get home. I sent Hollis to his room to "rest". There is an incredible amount of noise coming from the room of a person resting. I am afraid he may have a nervous breakdown if he gets up realizes we are not ready to leave yet. He has only been asking to go trick-or-treating since 7:30 this morning. And I have threatened not to take him at least twice. May the force be with me.

Mix it up Monday or Tuesday

2008-10-28T17:23:00.005-04:00

I had this ready to post yesterday, but I am up to my eyeball in dirty sheets. That is a story for another time, you really don't want to know while reading about cookies. We are almost through with Halloween, so almost through with the Halloween baked goods. Last week our playgroup visited a local pumpkin patch so Hollis and I baked pumpkin cookies to take along. This recipe could not be any easier, even with Hollis "helping" it only took about 15 minutes. The secret is cake mix. The cookie by itself is really not that bad for you, no butter, eggs or oil, just yellow and spice cake mixes and canned pumpkin. It is the icing that pushes it over the caloric edge. I made my own cream cheese icing which honestly doesn't take any longer than adding cream cheese to the premade frosting like Jenny at Picky Palate suggests. Two things to keep in mind though: 1)the recipe makes a lot of cookies. I started out using my cookie scoop, but they were huge, so I just used a regular tablespoon. 2) October in Georgia is still too warm to have cookies with cream cheese icing in your car - yuck. I forgot to take a picture of the cookies, so here are two from the pumpkin patch. Happy Halloween!PS - I got Hollis' haircut so he is looking a little less like a blonde fifth Beatle.

For the love of the game

2008-10-22T23:23:00.010-04:00

Hollis loves baseball...in theory. See, he loves hitting, pitching, running, sliding. He loves the songs, books about baseball and talking about baseball. What doesn't he like? He doesn't like watching baseball. We were given really great seats to an Atlanta Braves game recently, right behind first base. We thought these would be perfect since he would be able to see everything easily. Apparently, we still don't know our child very well. After the excitement of talking about going to game, driving to game, walking to the stadium, meeting Rae and eating lunch at the Chop House, he didn't have much energy left for WATCHING the game. The game started and Hollis waited with his glove for a ball to come his way. Nothing. He made it through about 2 innings before he decided he needed to be "doing" something. So we went for ice cream. That got us through about 2 more innings. The Braves organization has this wonderful place for you to entertain your child/be separated from your money - Scouts Alley. Far be it from me to tell Hollis that he is not big enough for the games. He tried his best to hit the balls from the pitching machine, but couldn't quite make contact. We returned to our sets to get John and Rae so that they wouldn't miss out on the fun of strolling the stadium. As we waited for the inning to end, Hollis summed up his feeling about the game, "I am tired of all this hitting". We made it all the way through the game and I am sure we will try it again next year. I am not sure how he is going to handle the upcoming end of the baseball season.

Mix it up Monday

2008-10-20T23:30:00.003-04:00

So I have decided to ride the wave of Halloween enthusiasm. We spend a lot of time talking about whether or not it is Halloween, what we are going to dress up as for Halloween, pumpkins and ghosts in general. I find all this interest in Halloween a little strange since this is the same child who will turn the TV off and declare, "I don't like giants" at any hint of a freakishly tall character. I also had to retrieve him from the top of the Chick-fil-a play structure last week because he was sobbing over one of the other children "roaring" at him. So, yeah, I really didn't think Halloween would be up his alley.
In keeping with the Halloween frenzy, he and I baked sugar cookies last week. Before you log off thinking, "Yawn...sugar cookies. So boring, I can buy those in the refrigerated section". But these are different than any sugar cookie you have made, unless you are my mother, in which case you can stop reading. This recipe was my Great Great Grandmother's. Don't worry, the release of the family secret was okayed by the higher ups. The big differences in this recipe is brown sugar versus the standard white granulated sugar and now, wait for it...
NUTMEG. Mmmm, I love nutmeg and it certainly gives these cookies a distinct flavor. And color. These cookies won't look like what you think a sugar cookie looks like, they are much darker. Try them and let me what you think.

My Brown Sugar Cookies
3/4 c. Crisco (or butter, softened)
1 c. brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
nutmeg (my copy of the recipe just says nutmeg, so I put in everything I had, about 1 T. - so about that is good)

-Beat Crisco, sugar, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer or mix with a spoon. Stir in remaining dry ingredients.
-Cover and chill at least 2 hours (try not to eat all the dough while your child is napping)
-Heat oven to 400 degrees.
-Lightly grease cookie sheet (I use a silicon baking sheet)
-Roll to 1/4 inch thick and cut into desired shapes
-Bake 4-5 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.

A few (more) tips: The dough is pretty sticky, so generously flour your surface for rolling. I also found it works best to only roll out a small amount of dough (about 1/3-1/4) at a time and leave the rest in the refrigerator.

Not permanently scarred, yet

2008-10-17T15:56:00.003-04:00

Hollis is in preschool three days a week from 9am until noon. We are consistently running late leaving the house since neither one us feels terribly motivated in the mornings. I have generally been on time to pick him up though. My theory has been that as long as I am not the last car in the carpool line - either AM or PM - then we are fine and somebody else can be the bad parent of the day. This week has been a little tough though. For the first two days of the week I was late picking him up, not "where's the emergency contact number" kind of late, but about 10 minutes. And the last one in line.
On the second late day, Hollis got into the car with a sticker on his shirt that said, "Hooray for Me!". I asked him what he did to get the sticker and his answer was, "I was sitting so nicely". "Okay, great", I thought, "I am glad he is behaving so well at school" and really didn't think anything else about it. Later that night, when telling John about the sticker he elaborated on the story and including a few new crushing details. His teacher gave him the sticker since he was sitting waiting patiently in the carpool line and was the LAST CHILD FOR THE SECOND TIME. Ooh, knife through the heart. Then he topped it off with this gem, "I was just sitting there waiting and waiting". Yeah, I am pretty sure my Mom of the Year Award is in the mail. Don't worry though, I made it up by being early this afternoon.

Join the Army

2008-10-16T23:30:00.006-04:00

This is probably a big "no duh" for all of you, but October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. The Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and the Avon Foundation have launch the Love/Avon Army of Women. Again, you probably already know this, I am little slow on the upswing so bear with me. The point of the Army of Women is to recruit one million women to take part in breast cancer research. Women of all ages, races and medical backgrounds are needed. After you sign up you will be contacted regarding studies in your area. If you qualify you can choose to participate, or not. I signed up tonight and it took less time then typing out this post. You should do it too. We all know someone who has battled, or is battling, this disease and every bit of insight brings us closer to a cure. Here is why signed up, how about you?

I'm not doing it so much for the shark, just John and Hollis.

Mix it up Monday

2008-10-13T22:48:00.004-04:00

Today's Mix it up Monday is ooey, gooey, chocolate and peanut butter goodness. Basically, a brownie not quite baked all the way and topped with warm peanut butter. Seriously, what else do you need?
When I started to make these, I realized I didn't have enough chocolate chips for the brownies and the topping, so I melted semi sweet bakers chocolate for the brownies then stirred in the chocolate and peanut butter chips. This is fine except that chocolate squares take a lot longer to melt than chocolate chips. I though my arm was going to fall off from all the stirring. Also, her tip about the peanut butter in the ziploc bag? Yeah, that didn't work so well for me, I ended with warm peanut butter all over the pan and counters. If you really want the peanut butter to be more inside the brownie than on top, you can get a Bismark pastry tip which is designed to do just that. Don't worry though, peanut butter on top or inside will be the least of your concerns once you start eating these babies. Enjoy!

Hollis demonstrates the ooey, gooeyness.

P.S. - Thanks Rae for the fancy countertop shot!

Mix it up Monday: Pumpkins

2008-10-06T22:09:00.003-04:00

Hey, it's 75 degrees in Georgia, must be Fall! We are having a bit a pumpkin obsession at our house right now. Over the weekend I put out a few jack-o-lantern decorations and Hollis immediately thought it was Halloween. John and I have tried to explain that there are many days until Halloween and yet the first words out of his month this morning were, "Is it Halloween?". This is going to be a long month. I thought pumpkin muffins would be the perfect addition to his Halloween anticipation. Also, they sell them at Great Harvest Bread Company which was closed today. All I did was take my favorite pumpkin bread recipe and make it into muffins. The recipe calls for cloves and raisins, neither of which I like, so I leave them out. I did put in a quarter cup of walnuts and about a third of a cup of chocolate chips. This recipe makes two loaves but I usually half it. The bread and muffins turn out moist and not too heavy, a perfect compliment to your holiday menu, or obsession.

Exploitation

2008-10-04T23:08:00.002-04:00

I don't know who it was that decided we needed child labor laws in America. Why should children be allowed a laze around all day when there is work to be done? Who needs a childhood? Put your children to work, they love it. And it makes them tired, which is by the way, the basis for my entire parenting philosophy. Hollis spent a, dare I say, ENJOYABLE afternoon dusting and sweeping. I would have taken a picture to post, but I didn't want to distract him while he was on the clock. I think this may revolutionize my housekeeping. Now if I could only get him to scrub the toilet...

Using our benefits

2008-10-02T21:39:00.006-04:00

This week we have taken full advantage of our insurance benefits. Since Tuesday we have been to the dentist, the eye doctor, the audiologist and an ear, nose and throat doctor. Are we dying or what? Well, the dentist visit was for Hollis' first cleaning. I have to say that I was more nervous than he was and had been putting it off for a year and half. Peer pressure finally broke the camel's back (did I just call myself a camel?) and to the dentist we went. The problem you see, is that about 18 months ago Hollis had a run in with the vacuum cleaner and knocked out one of his front teeth. At the time we went to the emergency room to determine that he did not need stitches and followed up with a visit to the pediatrician. Everyone agreed that the tooth would fall out on it's own and there was nothing that could be done. We also didn't have the aforementioned dental insurance on Hollis at the time. So we didn't go to the dentist. Then I started to feel bad about having not taken him. So I put it off some more. I like to ignore problems and hope they go away...you're right, it rarely works. Anyway, I was worried that I had made some horrible parenting blunder by not taking him to be checked by the dentist. But never fear, all is well. The xray did show that the tooth broke off and a piece of the tooth and the root are still left, but the dentist was not concerned. He did fine with the cleaning, exam and xrays. He particularly liked the fish with teeth for him to brush and the water spray and suction. He also wanted to take home the protective covering from the xray because it was heavy and therefore a firefighter jacket. Oh, and don't forget the bus in the waiting room.
All the other appointments were for me. I still can't see, so I got contacts. The audiologist said I still can't hear. The ear, nose and throat doctor said I have a sinus infection and wrote me a prescription. I think we will survive.

Rituals

2008-09-30T15:08:00.003-04:00

Parenting experts will tell you that in order to ensure a restful night's sleep for your child, you should establish relaxing bedtime rituals. They recommend a warm bath, dim lighting, quiet songs and stories. This is our new bedtime routine:

What? Running through the house with your shirt on your head isn't considered relaxing?

Mix it Up Monday: Hollis Edition

2008-09-29T22:33:00.007-04:00

This week's Mix it Up Monday creation is brought to you by Hollis. We went with our playgroup to the Young Chef's Academy last week and made Mini Cinnamon Rolls. It was a great playgroup, all the kids (4 three year olds!) sat quietly and listened and followed directions without (much) help from the moms. We all know Hollis loves to help in the kitchen, so this was right up this alley. He learned to knead the dough (that should come in handy), roll the dough, spread the butter and sprinkled on the cinnamon and sugar mixture. We discovered that they are "Mini" Cinnamon Rolls because three year olds can't manage to wait for them to rise the second time. These are tasty and easy. If you have a child who likes to help, this is a great recipe to use. Make the dough ahead of time and then let the helpers knead, roll and make the filling. The original recipe from the Young Chef's Academy is a vegan recipe, but you can substitute butter and milk for the oil and water for a non-vegan dough.

Kneading.
Listening to Directions.
(we are framing this one for future reference since we don't see this very often!)
Mmmm, butter.
Enjoying the fruits of his labor.

Young Chef's Academy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
1 c. warm water
1 package active yeast
1 t. salt
2 t. sugar
3 c. all purpose flour
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 c. each of brown and white sugar
1 T. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
Sifted powdered sugar for garnish

-Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl with a dough hook and combine until a smooth ball of dough
-Lightly knead dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes
-Place in a lightly greased deep bowl covered with plastic wrap in a warm place until doubled in volume (about 1 hour)
-Knead dough 3 times after rising on a lightly floured surface
-Roll out to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. Spread or paint softened margarine or butter over entire surface, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar
-Roll up dough in a tight spiral. Cut with waxed dental floss or string into slices
-Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes on a lightly greased sheet pan
-Remove from oven and allow to cool. Top with powdered sugar, icing or enjoy alone

For larger rolls, allow them to rise a second time for about 15 minutes before baking.

Hollis Swing Vision

2008-09-27T13:29:00.000-04:00

Doesn't get cheated does he?! Little did everyone in the vicinity
realize what danger they were in when he made contact, says proud
father.

Via La France

2008-09-25T11:44:00.003-04:00

If any of you happen to run into Hollis and he starts speaking to you in French farming terms, don't be alarmed. John downloaded the French, instead of English, version of Old McDonald and Hollis finds in very interesting. I am not sure what this means for his future; will he be French or a farmer? I am voting for the farmer.

On Consumerism

2008-09-23T16:10:00.003-04:00

In case anyone out there is concerned, Hollis will not be going naked this fall. This is his fall wardrobe, washed, fold and ready to be but away. But since we live in Georgia and it is still 85 degrees, it will probably be awhile. It seems that I may have gone slightly overboard. This stack includes 14 pairs of pants and at least twice as many shirts (hello, laundry once every two weeks!). What you don't see in this picture are three new jackets, one of which is a firefighter jacket; three new pairs of shoes, one of which are firefighter boots and 4 pairs of pajamas. So, he is well clothed. In my, somewhat lame defense, when we started trying last season's clothes on I said to John, "I can't believe nothing from last year fits!". Well, lo and behold some things still fit. And apparently, the consignment sales were well stocked this year. Hey, who says it is more fun to dress girls? Bring on the cold weather.

Mix it Up Monday Double Decker

2008-09-22T23:01:00.003-04:00

We have been baking up a storm this weekend. I finally got all my dough making skills together and made the pretzels. They are, ummm, okay. Which is a shame since a) I love me some soft pretzels and 2) they take a lot of time and really heat up your kitchen (475 degrees!). They were a little soggy and not as hard on the I outside as I think they should be. Apparently, this recipe is the "traditional" way to make them which includes boiling in baking soda. I really have no idea since I have never made them before. I might try them again one day, but for now I will stick to Aunt Annie's.
Also this weekend I made Snickerdoodles. Yum. It was Hollis turn to bring the snack to preschool. I had been promising him we would bake something together. I reneged on the "together" part and made them by myself at 9:00pm on Sunday night. Don't feel too bad for him though, I am paying $15 for him to have a cooking lesson at the Young Chef's Academy on Wednesday. Snickerdoodles are a great cookie and easy to make. They really are good to make with children because the dough is rolled in sugar and cinnamon before baking - perfect for little fingers. If you have never had them, well, that is a sad story and my heart weeps for you. So I sent Hollis off today with a Ziploc bag full of cookies in the big "snack basket". I even asked him twice if he wanted me to walk in with him and help him carry the snacks. He said no, that he could do all by himself. I was afraid to ask a third time, he might have asked to be dropped off at the corner.

Snickerdoodles
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. shortening
2 large eggs
2 3/4 c. all purpose flour
2 t. cream of tarter
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. sugar
2 t. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Beat 1 1/2 c. sugar, butter, shortening and eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium
Stir in flour, cream of tarter, baking soda and salt
Shape dough into small balls (I use a small melon baller)
Mix 1/4 c. sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish
Roll balls in sugar/cinnamon mixture
Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet
Bake 8-10 minutes or until set
Remove immediately to wire rack to cool

9 Years

2008-09-18T21:37:00.004-04:00

Some of you may have heard of the Love Thursday posts some bloggers are doing. Don't worry, I am not starting another weekly feature that I won't be able to keep up with, just this one post. Love is 9 years old:Maybe not the most traditional wedding photograph, but since I was married in the dark ages, all our pictures are on (gasp!) film and only a few have been scanned, so this is the best of the bunch. We have been through a lot in 9 years, fortunately more good than bad, and hopefully the next 9, nineteen or ninety will be just as good. Happy Anniversary and Happy Love Thursday.

Mix it Up Disaster

2008-09-16T21:33:00.003-04:00

So, yesterday I was already to give you pretzels. There was such an outpouring of enthusiasm about my pizza dough (hello, anyone...) that I thought you were ready for another dough recipe. I also thought this would be a fun recipe for Hollis since you rolled the dough into "snakes" and then folded them into pretzels. Here is what I learned:
-2 3/4 cups is a lot of sugar for pretzels. It's a lot of sugar for cookies.
-1 cup of water can not dissolve a packet of yeast and 2 3/4 cups of sugar.
That glaring fact did not stop me from dumping 2 3/4 cups of sugar into a bowl with yeast and warm water, twice. The first time I dumped it out because by the time I got all that sugar in the bowl, the water was cold. It takes some time to measure out that much sugar. The second time I let it sit and waited for the yeast to activate and it never did. After dumping out 2 packets of yeast and 5 1/2 cups of sugar, I decided to read the recipe. It was actually 1 TABLESPOON of sugar and 2 3/4 cups of FLOUR. Duh, that makes a lot more sense. In my defense, the ingredients in the recipe were written out of order. Whatever, that was all the yeast I had, so no Mix it Up Monday. Today I bought more yeast and a bundt pan to try out a Sandra Lee Semi Homemade recipe. Hollis decided that today was a good day for a birthday party, so we made the cake. Sandra Lee recipes are great, because they usually start out with some type of convenience food that she then dresses up. Tonight we made the Marbled Sour Cream Cake. The base of the recipe is a yellow cake mix, but it turns into a lovely marbled, moist bundt cake. I also have to say that her way of layering the batter to create the marbled effect is much easier than trying to swirl it once it is in the pan. I made the recipe as written except I already had milk chocolate chips open, so I used those instead of semi sweet and I used reduced fat sour cream.
Marbled Sour Cream Cake
Non Stick Cooking Spray
1 c. semi sweet chocolate morsels
1 package yellow cake mix (18.25 oz)
1 c. sour cream
1 c. water
3/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. granulated sugar
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray a 10 inch bundt cake pan with cooking spray.
Melt chocolate chips in microwave. Stir to blend.
In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients.
Using an electric mixer, beat until well blended, about 2 minutes
Spoon 2 cups of cake batter into the melted chocolate and mix thoroughly to create a chocolate batter.
Spoon chocolate batter and yellow batter alternately into pan.
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
Let stand until completely cool.

While you are waiting for the cake to bake, stop by I Think You Should to hear a awful and yet somehow hilarious story of multiple root canals. Sounds funny doesn't it, believe me, when Mandee tells it, it is.

Mix it Up Tuesday

2008-09-09T15:32:00.006-04:00

I am late. I know. Whatever. Shut-up. When you see what I have for you you will forgive me my tardiness(i.e. laziness/amazing ability to procrastinate/addiction to facebook games). Pizza Dough! We like to have pizza around here, but have found that you either have to shell out the same amount as you would for a dinner that is not served in a cardboard box or save some dough (ha, ha, ha) and have a pizza that tastes like you are eating the cardboard box. We tried various frozen pizza with moderate success. Then I saw a post from Amanda at Mandajuice about the pizza dough she makes. I was skeptical, because I had tried pizza dough before with no luck. But eventually I though, "Hells bells, if she can do it, I can do it". I think that a lot and it is often not the case, but come to find out, I can make pizza dough. Amanda's post gives you step-by-step instructions and photos. It is a really easy process but does take a fair amount of time, so plan ahead. Never fear though, the time is almost all waiting not working. I make mine with whole wheat flour (shocker!) and usually add some oregano, but the beauty it is that you can make it to suit your fancy. We top ours with pizza sauce, cheese and turkey pepperoni because we are so cosmopolitan. The recipe makes two crusts. I usually cook both and save the leftovers, but you could freeze one for later.

Small child and dump truck not required.

An Open Letter to John McCain

2008-09-05T21:54:00.004-04:00

Dear Senator McCain,
I wanted to take this opportunity to inform you of a glaring oversight by your campaign committee...the crucial three year old vote. Although we tend to be a more right of center household, it seems that Hollis has decided to voice his own opinion. Apparently, Senator Obama has captured his vote. Hollis joins in his parent's discussions by telling us what "Bach Obama*" says. He is also impressed with Sen. Obama's firefighter background. You weren't aware of that? Sure, "Bach Obama" wants to be the chief. He was very impressed with "Bach Obama's" birthday party last week, but missed your's due to the late hour on the east coast. So, I am afraid you may be falling behind with this crucial demographic. Perhaps Gov. Palin's recent experience with young children will be able to breath some life into this area of your campaign. Maybe some campaign materials safety pinned to the preschool bags, advertising during Handy Manny (watch the language though) or a sing-along with the Imagination Movers would really draw Hollis in. I know you are losing sleep over capturing this important vote and I just want to do my part.

*I know that the Democratic candidate for President is Senator Barack Obama, but Hollis calls him Bach Obama.

Mix it Up Monday

2008-09-01T16:36:00.003-04:00

Hey, it's Labor Day! I hope you are having a great time doing whatever it is you are doing. This recipe is perfect for Labor Day, or any other day for that matter. It is quick(15mins!), easy(only 6 ingredients!) and you don't have to turn your oven on. I got this Scotcharoos recipe at a wedding shower, my own almost 1o years ago, and only made it for the first time last year. It looks like Rice Crispy Treats, but oh so much better. Trust me, make this today, it is so good you will kick yourself for not making it sooner.
Scotcharoos
1c sugar
1c corn syrup (light)
1c peanut butter (I use creamy)
6c Rice Crispies
1/2c chocolate chips
1/2c butterscotch chips

-Heat sugar and corn syrup until sugar is dissolved.
-Add peanut butter and combine.
-Remove from heat.
-Add Rice Crispies.
-Pour into greased 9x13" pan
-Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips (I do it separately, but you could do it together)
-Pour melted chips over Rice Crispies, add a little milk to melted chips if needed to spread more easily.
-Let cool at least 30mins

See, how easy is that. The hardest part will be trying not to cram the whole pan into your piehole. Go, make them, now...and have a great holiday!

The Man Behind the Curtain

2008-08-29T21:02:00.003-04:00

I think it is time that I fess up to how things really work around here at Salmon and Milk. You see, I may be the Great and Powerful Oz, but John is the Man Behind the Curtain. You may know that John started this blog awhile back for our family and then encouraged me to "write a few posts". Lo and behold, I have taken over and made it my own. The problem is I often have a lot of pots on stove, some days literally a lot of pots on the stove. I am often writing while doing other very important things (i.e. ignoring Hollis, eating, watching tv, playing facebook games - I have a full and varied life). This may lead to some interesting and (hopefully) funny content, but it is not so good for the grammar and spelling portion of our show. And while I have tried to be more conscientious, many times there are errors I miss. I think because in my mind I know what it should say so I just read it that way no matter what is actually written. Sadly, I think this is an inherited trait as my Mother tends to do the same thing. So if you are here one day reading a post and can't quite figure out what it is I am trying to say, check back later because chances are the Man Behind the Curtain has logged in and fixed it. You can thank him later.

Last trip of the Summer

2008-08-28T15:29:00.009-04:00

We have been home from the Beach now for over a week, so I thought it was about time I coughed up some pictures. We had a great time relaxing with GPop, Roo, Katie B, Rae and Jeff. And while you are never "on vacation" when you have a child, it is always nice when other adults are around to help out. Here are some highlights:

Building sandcastles

Sleeping with the (star)fishes.

Playing in the fountains.

The beach by flashlight.

Joe Cool relaxes at the beach

Ta Da!

The Second Day of School

2008-08-27T23:07:00.006-04:00

What? Everybody posts about the first day of school. With the cute clothes and new bags. It's been done to death. I wanted to wait until the second day of school so you could see a picture of my child with a huge Snoopy band-aid on his forehead. He fell on a wooden peg on Monday night and gashed his head. In a moment of selflessness though, he did ask if I was alright since I was covered in blood from carrying him to the bathroom. Nothing says back to school like a head wound. I am going to start labeling all the posts in which Hollis is hurt, you know, for easy medical reference.
So, today was the second day of school. The first day of car line (for the uninitiated, that is where you pull up and a stranger removes your child from the car. In some places it is also called carjacking or kidnapping) for both drop off and pick up. So far, there have been no tears. And Hollis has done pretty well too. After two days, this is what I know about Preschool:

-If you ask him how school was he will say, "Good" and if you ask him what he did he will say, "I not know". I am sure this is God prepping me for a surly teenager.
-Out of 11 other kids, he can only remember the names of two. One of whom brought cupcakes for snack today.
-Hollis and I have the same number and this means we go together.
-The best part about Preschool is the big trucks. The teachers were smart enough to be sure there was one for each boy. Coming in a close second to the trucks are the blocks and dinosaurs, and occasionally the kitchen.
-When you go outside to play, you play on the green playground, not the blue one.
-Hollis has a new song..."The Big Fat Gorilla" sung to the tune of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". He will sing it for you in his deepest gorilla voice.
-Miss Nancy has a pointer. The conversation went like this:
Him: Miss Nancy has a pointer!
Me: Yeah, what does it do?
Him: It points (said in his best "Mom is a complete idiot" voice. Again with the teen training).

So, school is good, everybody is happy and I am enjoying me newly found free time. Ooh, 9 hours a week...it's almost a part-time job. I did take first day pictures just like every other mother in America...of course, not every other kid in America is a cute as mine.

Mix it up Monday: Birthday Party Edition

2008-08-25T21:46:00.010-04:00

So Saturday was the big third birthday fire truck Extravaganza(you have to say that with flair, and a slight Spanish accent). Most of Hollis's best friends were there. After a menacing start, hey, it's not a party until somebody(or two) falls down and has a run in with the cops; everyone had a great time. There were slides, swings, things to climb on, walls to jump off so that your parents can have a heart attack. We wrestled all the children together for a few games(Stop, Drop and Roll and Water Relay) and a craft (fire trucks made from graham crackers). Then the cupcakes. The ones I bought the new mixer for. The cupcakes were easy and I decided three dozen would be a good amount, really two dozen would have been enough. Then I started on the frosting...the dreaded frosting. The plan had been to make red (ha, ha, ha), yellow and orange and then pipe the three colors together onto the cupcakes to look like flames. Turns out, my imagination is much greater than my actual skill. I ended up with a pinkish red and a little yellow. And no flames. And red food coloring all over my hands, face, clothes, counter top and refrigerator. You get the picture. I bought the Wilton gel that is supposed to make vibrant colors. I bought Christmas Red. You are only supposed to use the tip of a toothpick to add color. I used the whole 2 oz container. Plus some red liquid food coloring. Then John helpfully reminded me that Hollis is a boy. So I mixed the red(ish) with the yellow to try for orange, frosted the cupcakes and sprinkled some red sugar on top, stuck them in the fridge and called it a day, or night as it were. They actually turned out really well, and pretty red, even though three year olds are not terribly discriminating when it comes to cupcakes. Hopefully, I still have some friends left since in addition to graham cracker and frosting fire trucks, candy bracelet prizes and cupcakes, I hired an ice cream truck! I know, I am the best Mom ever. Hollis insisted on opening presents right then and he went home with a nice selection of trucks, books, balls and everything else a boy could want. Even though Hurricane Fay threatened to both drench and blow us away, I think everyone had a great time. I know I did.

Life Changing Revelation

2008-08-25T11:15:00.002-04:00

1 3 year old boy + 1 Mommy who leaves the bag at home /1 hour of church = 1 Big Mess + Borrowed Shorts.

What, you were you hoping to hear about the birthday party?

On the Occasion of your Third Birthday

2008-08-20T21:46:00.005-04:00

Dear Hollis,
Today is your birthday. Actually, by this time three years ago you had already been born and were waiting for me in the recovery room. From what I understand you were none too happy about this situation. We spent the next five days(!) recovering and getting ready to face the world. It was a sad, sad day when we did leave the hospital since none of the nurses were coming home with us. It was rough going for a little while, but through many tears(yours and mine)we eventually figured it out. In the past three years you have gone from a little 8lb 8oz squirmy bundle to a 40(ish)lb jumpy ball of energy. You have an active imagination and are constantly making up stories and scenarios for your cars, trucks and animals. Often one truck will actually perform the duties of several trucks throughout the day. You love to sing and make up your own songs about the things you are playing with. Your vocabulary is immense and you can easily make your wants known. You also make up words to suit your needs. Currently, you are in "Why" stage and frankly, I have run out of answers. You would happily spend all your time outside sitting in the grass with your trucks, picking up sticks and other treasures or playing one of your favorite sports. Too bad the mosquitoes swarm in our backyard. You have had a busy summer; a trip to New York and one to Destin, swimming and playdates with our friends, your first official babysitter, finishing 2 1/2 years of Gymboree classes and growing and learning through it all. Three will be a big year for you. It started off with a bang today. The first thing you asked before you even got out of bed was, "Where is my cake?" There was no cake for breakfast, but we did have a doughnut, maybe a new birthday tradition. You opened presents from Mommy and Daddy; two of your favorite Real Wheels videos, unbelievably one of them you had not seen, a flashlight and firetruck silverware. Tigger called this morning to wish you a Happy Birthday. At first you weren't sure about it, but then you tried really hard to tell him all about your birthday so far. It's tough to get a word in on Tigger. We invited our friends to join us at the playground and then followed up with lunch at the "space shuttle McDonald's" per your request. The most exciting thing all day may have been Daddy joining us for lunch. Every time we go someplace, whether to the grocery store, library or playground, you always have two questions, "Will our friends be there" and "Is Daddy coming?" Today you got both. Anyone who said "Happy Birthday" to you today was given their own "Happy Birthday" in return and you sang Happy Birthday to yourself several times. This year you are starting preschool (Monday actually) and singing in the choir at church. In the fall you will take swimming lessons and have more fun playgroups. You are growing up everyday, we can see your little brain processing all of your experiences. Although there are times when I am tempted to stuff you in a box and ship you to Siberia, you are still the greatest joy of my life. Happy Birthday Monkey!

So many things...

2008-08-19T23:19:00.002-04:00

There are so many things to tell you about...beach trip, birthdays, preschool, general three year oldness...but right now I am up to my eyeballs in firefighter birthday, so soon. You can all breathe a collective sigh of relief however, that I did get a new mixer. Cupcakes coming up!

Back from the Beach

2008-08-17T21:45:00.003-04:00

What a relaxing trip we had. So relaxing in fact that I left my mixer there. Whoops. It is hard to bake with no mixer. It is also a little troubling since I have the Three Year Old Firefighter Birthday Blowout this weekend for which we will need cupcakes. I guess I will be buying a new one this week, maybe a better one. Maybe this one. Don't talk to about stand mixers, I would love one but sadly, there is not one extra inch of cabinet or counter space in my kitchen. Needless to say, there is no baking today. Instead here is a food meme from Mandee at I Think You Should

A. List of 100 items
B. Bold items you’ve eaten
C. Cross out items you’d never consider eating

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos Rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. ~~Black pudding~~
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich (sort of, I don't like jelly)
14. Aloo gobi
15. ~~Hot dog from a street cart~~
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. ~~Brawn, or head cheese~~
26. ~~Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper~~
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. ~~Whole insects~~
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. ~~Sweetbreads~~
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. ~~Frogs’ legs~~
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. ~~Haggis~~
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (in cornbread)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

How about you?

Mix-it up Monday: VACATION EDITION

2008-08-11T19:15:00.002-04:00

Well, lovely readers, I am currently in Destin, FL. I didn't have time to bake anything this weekend what with all the packing, laundry, buying of beach paraphernalia. If I had had time, this is what I would have made. I don't fancy myself a big pumpkin eater, but I have made this bread on several occasions and it alway turns out nice and moist. I make it with walnuts and leave out the cloves and raisins because, yuck, I don't like them. And of course using 1/2 whole wheat flour and adding a little flax seed won't hurt. If you don't like that, take a look at this. Good, huh?
Stay tuned for beach stories, like retrieving an alligator from a toilet. Now your curious aren't you? Fun times.

The Height of Preschool Fashion

2008-08-09T21:22:00.002-04:00

We have started the fall shopping, since NOTHING, he has from last year fits. Okay, maybe a shirt or two, but no pants, not even the ones I bought in March. Grrr, stupid growing. Hollis seems to be in an unusual place clothing-wise. In many brands he is able to wear clothes from both the baby boys section as well as the big boys section. The styles of clothing also runs the gament from smocked jon-jons to superman tshirts. And everything in between. I try to mainly dress Hollis in the in between. I don't really think is knows who most of the "older" characters are, although he has been known to walking around the house shouting SUPERMAN. He hasn't requested anything specific other than "army pants" (and an army shirt, but I drew the line there). So he got his pants, which is terribly excited about. We are starting to load up on his other staples, khaki pants and tshirts and I am trying to keep dressing him like a little boy instead of a surly preteen.

Old School Firefighter

2008-08-09T10:57:00.001-04:00

From the "BIG Library" in Marietta