Miss Magoo right before we sat down to eat. (Those are Eva's turkey decorations in the background and her place settings on the table.)
Showing posts with label thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thanksgiving. Show all posts
Thursday, November 25, 2010
cats like thanksgiving too
Miss Magoo right before we sat down to eat. (Those are Eva's turkey decorations in the background and her place settings on the table.)
pumpkin thoughts revisited
I went with the pumpkin cheesecake. It was delish. (I'm happy to say it also turned out.) And- I'm also happy to say, I'm happy I made it. It was definitely the right decision {even if I did break my mixer while trying to whip up the cream cheese}.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
thankfully warm
Today was one of those days. Although, to be fair, my feelings and thoughts about it have changed so frequently that now I just feel grateful to be home, washing my dishes and making french fries, all preparations for Thanksgiving put on hold a bit longer. As Samuel put it earlier, it was a fun adventure. But now it's not.
Our power went out this morning around 4 or 5 am and by the time I finally got out of bed at 8:00 am, all of the things I normally enjoy in the morning- heat, light, Internet, food, hot water- were long gone. It was so cold that my guinea pigs, usually morning larks like myself, stayed huddled in their igloos, concerned eyes looking toward me, barely coming out for their greens.
I took Samuel and Eva first to the pancake house for breakfast and coffee. Then we did a few errands, making light of the matter, taking advantage of the holiday feel of the day to peruse shops. When I checked in with the electric company, though, the estimated time for the power to be reinstated had been moved back a few hours. And that was the way of the day. We found another warm spot, drank more warm beverages, perused more warm stores. And the time was pushed back again. And again. Until finally it was late afternoon when we reached another warm, well lit place, packed with happy consumers, flush with the glow of the holidays approaching.
And then a call- one call from the electric company- and we packed our things immediately, without a backward glance, without buying more coffee, without perusing more objects. And we skipped and ran, giggling, back to the car. Never happier to be going home. Never happier to be immersing my hands into warm soapy water, finishing off a sink full of dishes. First delighted, then grumpy at the turn of events, turning a day that should have been filled with baking and good smells in preparation for tomorrow's feast, to one filled with cold hands and fussy children, tired of seeing shops, tired of smelling coffee. Hungry. Cold.
And my thoughts turned to things like generators and chargers and self reliance and irritation. For a brief time, I wondered at the gratitude that comes from deprivation, at the exercise that gratitude can become when we are taken out of our element and we must make do, even if just for a day, and it seemed fitting to have such gratitude the day before Thanksgiving, even if the other part of me sneered at the perfect poetry in this lesson and mocked the simplicity found there.
Still, I enjoyed washing the dishes. Am looking forward to a hot bath. Can't wait to continue to stay warm. And while it has been a day of looking at what I am grateful for in that deprivation-sort-of-way, it is also a reminder to me of the time I make each day to be grateful. And how what comes up for me each day is different than the next. And that today I am particularly thankful for heat and light and home.
Our power went out this morning around 4 or 5 am and by the time I finally got out of bed at 8:00 am, all of the things I normally enjoy in the morning- heat, light, Internet, food, hot water- were long gone. It was so cold that my guinea pigs, usually morning larks like myself, stayed huddled in their igloos, concerned eyes looking toward me, barely coming out for their greens.
I took Samuel and Eva first to the pancake house for breakfast and coffee. Then we did a few errands, making light of the matter, taking advantage of the holiday feel of the day to peruse shops. When I checked in with the electric company, though, the estimated time for the power to be reinstated had been moved back a few hours. And that was the way of the day. We found another warm spot, drank more warm beverages, perused more warm stores. And the time was pushed back again. And again. Until finally it was late afternoon when we reached another warm, well lit place, packed with happy consumers, flush with the glow of the holidays approaching.
And then a call- one call from the electric company- and we packed our things immediately, without a backward glance, without buying more coffee, without perusing more objects. And we skipped and ran, giggling, back to the car. Never happier to be going home. Never happier to be immersing my hands into warm soapy water, finishing off a sink full of dishes. First delighted, then grumpy at the turn of events, turning a day that should have been filled with baking and good smells in preparation for tomorrow's feast, to one filled with cold hands and fussy children, tired of seeing shops, tired of smelling coffee. Hungry. Cold.
And my thoughts turned to things like generators and chargers and self reliance and irritation. For a brief time, I wondered at the gratitude that comes from deprivation, at the exercise that gratitude can become when we are taken out of our element and we must make do, even if just for a day, and it seemed fitting to have such gratitude the day before Thanksgiving, even if the other part of me sneered at the perfect poetry in this lesson and mocked the simplicity found there.
Still, I enjoyed washing the dishes. Am looking forward to a hot bath. Can't wait to continue to stay warm. And while it has been a day of looking at what I am grateful for in that deprivation-sort-of-way, it is also a reminder to me of the time I make each day to be grateful. And how what comes up for me each day is different than the next. And that today I am particularly thankful for heat and light and home.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
more pumpkin
I just read through my pumpkin post discussing what type of desserts there will be on Thanksgiving. And while I like my practical side because it is so much a part of who I am. I like where it gets me. How thoughtful it can be. How it can take care of everything. Sometimes- sometimes- it leaves just a little bit to be desired in the choose-what-you-really-want category. I don't want to say it's lackluster. That seems a bit harsh. Let's put it this way. It's not exactly the part of me that chose to go ahead and buy the cashmere yarn today. But! it is the part of me that chose the neutral color. So- the idea is that when I put the two sides together, something lovely can come out of their agreement. When one side or the other goes crazy alone, it can feel more than slightly off balance. Not exactly what I want.
After thinking about it a bit more (Thankfully, both sides like to over-think things. {Ahem.} Or is it think-things-through?) I feel like I'm actually leaning more toward the pumpkin chocolate tart or the spicy pumpkin bundt cake. Or cheesecake. I've been thinking about cheesecake a lot lately but am still not {quite} convinced about pumpkin cheesecake. Plus, I need to buy a springform pan for that recipe. Although, the bundt cake needs a pan, too... Ah. So many recipes. This could be another reason my practical side sometimes steps in. It can be oh-so-much-easier to make choices from my practical side. And then? Then it's all taken care of. Decision made.
Right now, though, I'm going to think a little bit more about pumpkin recipes and if I still can't find one I am absolutely thrilled with (and choose from that place), I will go ahead and make the squares. Which, by the way, I am sure will be tasty in their own right. Not really lackluster, as I said, just not as exciting as I would like either. So there you go.
After thinking about it a bit more (Thankfully, both sides like to over-think things. {Ahem.} Or is it think-things-through?) I feel like I'm actually leaning more toward the pumpkin chocolate tart or the spicy pumpkin bundt cake. Or cheesecake. I've been thinking about cheesecake a lot lately but am still not {quite} convinced about pumpkin cheesecake. Plus, I need to buy a springform pan for that recipe. Although, the bundt cake needs a pan, too... Ah. So many recipes. This could be another reason my practical side sometimes steps in. It can be oh-so-much-easier to make choices from my practical side. And then? Then it's all taken care of. Decision made.
Right now, though, I'm going to think a little bit more about pumpkin recipes and if I still can't find one I am absolutely thrilled with (and choose from that place), I will go ahead and make the squares. Which, by the way, I am sure will be tasty in their own right. Not really lackluster, as I said, just not as exciting as I would like either. So there you go.
pumpkins
I've been thinking quite a bit about Thanksgiving dinner lately. Or should I say, Thanksgiving dessert. Even going so far as to peruse Martha Stewart for pumpkin recipe ideas today. The problem for me is not whether I can make a particular recipe, but rather whether anyone else will actually eat said recipe. I mean, I will eat some. On Thanksgiving Day, Ellen and Evan will eat some. Then I will send some more home with Ellen and Evan. But if I make a pumpkin cheesecake, for instance, that will still leave quite a bit of cheesecake sitting around. Because you know there will be other desserts as well. Ellen might make a pie. And there will also be pomegranate granita. Maybe some of those Pepperidge Farm cookies of the Milano variety because the kids like to keep that tradition going. Samuel will want fizzy apple cider as he so lovingly calls it. And, you know, it's just a huge influx of food all at once to keep track of.
So- while the ginger pumpkin bundt cake looks amazing- or the pumpkin cheesecake- or the refrigerator pumpkin pie- or or or- I am going to go with the pumpkin-chocolate-chip squares (so far) and hope that the chocolate chips do enough talking to persuade everyone that the pumpkin really is alright after all. Otherwise, if that doesn't work, I can always freeze those really easily and eat them one-at-a-time until the other Holiday cookies start kicking in.
So- while the ginger pumpkin bundt cake looks amazing- or the pumpkin cheesecake- or the refrigerator pumpkin pie- or or or- I am going to go with the pumpkin-chocolate-chip squares (so far) and hope that the chocolate chips do enough talking to persuade everyone that the pumpkin really is alright after all. Otherwise, if that doesn't work, I can always freeze those really easily and eat them one-at-a-time until the other Holiday cookies start kicking in.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
feast
I have this awesome picture to post from yesterday. Eva and Samuel set up a Thanksgiving feast for the Lego guys and the Little guys. There was a table made from the wooden blocks with smaller wooden blocks pulled up for chairs. The Lego guys sat on the blocks. Several of the more important Little guys sat there as well. The Beauties (as in Beauty of the Wonders and Family) sat nearby at their own table. Some of the other Little guys did some entertaining. Samuel said there was food and wine of course and that their feast lasted much longer than ours did. They sat feasting and celebrating long after we had said goodnight and gone to sleep. In fact, they are still there now, recuperating, no doubt, readying for the next celebration to grace them.
And where was this magnificent feast? Under the table, of course. Yep. All the way through Thanksgiving dinner, their merriment floated up from under the table and out from beneath the table cloth. If I hadn't known it was there, I would have mistaken it for spider songs and whispers.
But my camera batteries were co opted for the wii remote and I am waiting for another pair to be charged. Until tomorrow for the photos.
And where was this magnificent feast? Under the table, of course. Yep. All the way through Thanksgiving dinner, their merriment floated up from under the table and out from beneath the table cloth. If I hadn't known it was there, I would have mistaken it for spider songs and whispers.
But my camera batteries were co opted for the wii remote and I am waiting for another pair to be charged. Until tomorrow for the photos.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
This year's stuffing-
sprouted grain bread
apples (Oregon)
shallots (CSA)
garlic (my garden)
celery (CSA)
thyme (my garden)
giblet broth
Also this year I am making pomegranate sorbet which is based on the pomegranate granita recipe from Chez Panisse Fruit. We love it! I am making extra because it is gone before I know it every time!
Juice of one pomegranate
1/4 cup sugar with 1/2 cup water, simmered until dissolved. Mix. Put in ice cream maker until done. You can make it into a granita by putting it into a bowl and putting it in the freezer and taking it out to break up the pieces every once in a while. Either way it is delish!
And the thankfuls? Last night I asked the kids to think of something they were thankful for. Samuel said, "I'm thankful for you guys. For making this such a great life." That about sums it up I thought.
And off the top of my head, here's what I am thankful for today- yarn and eva singing and guinea pigs, good food, plenty, now, love, friends, trees, rain, heat, pomegranates, satsumas, love, walks in the woods, upicking, berries, pie, chocolate, friends, love, joy, meditating, writing, feeling, being, alive, dreams, kale, pea shoots, reaching, growing...there's always more. The more I find to appreciate, the more there is. Cliche as it sounds these days, it is indeed true. Love and there is love. Trust and there is trust. Appreciate and there will be something to appreciate. Happy Thanksgiving!
sprouted grain bread
apples (Oregon)
shallots (CSA)
garlic (my garden)
celery (CSA)
thyme (my garden)
giblet broth
Also this year I am making pomegranate sorbet which is based on the pomegranate granita recipe from Chez Panisse Fruit. We love it! I am making extra because it is gone before I know it every time!
Juice of one pomegranate
1/4 cup sugar with 1/2 cup water, simmered until dissolved. Mix. Put in ice cream maker until done. You can make it into a granita by putting it into a bowl and putting it in the freezer and taking it out to break up the pieces every once in a while. Either way it is delish!
And the thankfuls? Last night I asked the kids to think of something they were thankful for. Samuel said, "I'm thankful for you guys. For making this such a great life." That about sums it up I thought.
And off the top of my head, here's what I am thankful for today- yarn and eva singing and guinea pigs, good food, plenty, now, love, friends, trees, rain, heat, pomegranates, satsumas, love, walks in the woods, upicking, berries, pie, chocolate, friends, love, joy, meditating, writing, feeling, being, alive, dreams, kale, pea shoots, reaching, growing...there's always more. The more I find to appreciate, the more there is. Cliche as it sounds these days, it is indeed true. Love and there is love. Trust and there is trust. Appreciate and there will be something to appreciate. Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 28, 2008
pomegranates
We never got around to making this yesterday and the kids are already tired of turkey (remind me to go back to a smaller turkey next year, so much for growing bodies) and what better way to fill your belly than with pomegranate sorbet. This recipe is actually originally for pomegranate granita in Chez Panisse Fruit but you can also put it in the sorbet maker. Either way it is so worth it and really good. Samuel looks forward to pomegranate season all year.
Combine 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar, simmer until sugar is dissolved; pour this into 1 cup pomegranate juice. Taste and adjust with a squeeze of lime (oops, just remembering this now...) OK I added some lime juice, tasted the results, no harm done. For sorbet, simply pour into sorbet maker and go write...For granita, pour mixture into bowl and freeze. After about an hour or so, stir the mixture so that it doesn't separate into juice and syrup. Once the mixture is frozen, chop it up with a knife or pick and transfer to smaller container and cover tightly. Alice Waters likes to serve this with tangerine sorbet.
Here is a quote from last year's pomegranate season-
I keep thinking this will go really well with a little dark chocolate...
Combine 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar, simmer until sugar is dissolved; pour this into 1 cup pomegranate juice. Taste and adjust with a squeeze of lime (oops, just remembering this now...) OK I added some lime juice, tasted the results, no harm done. For sorbet, simply pour into sorbet maker and go write...For granita, pour mixture into bowl and freeze. After about an hour or so, stir the mixture so that it doesn't separate into juice and syrup. Once the mixture is frozen, chop it up with a knife or pick and transfer to smaller container and cover tightly. Alice Waters likes to serve this with tangerine sorbet.
Here is a quote from last year's pomegranate season-
And we made pomegranate sorbet/granita. It is so worth it! Just so you know, it takes about two full pomegranates to make a cup of pomegranate juice. It is good stuff and it goes quick!Yes- it does take two full pomegranates to get enough juice for this recipe. If you have a larger sorbet maker, you can double the recipe. Take out seeds, put in food processor. Process. It is all a process, after all. Strain, strain, strain. Eh voila. Pomegranate juice!
I keep thinking this will go really well with a little dark chocolate...
I broke with tradition yesterday twice and cooked the turkey without stuffing it AND I made the stuffing/dressing with sprouted grain bread (Alvarado Street Bakery). The stuffing turned out amazing and I highly recommend it. I didn't dry the bread at all before using it, just cut it up and added celery, celery leaves, thyme, shallots, leek, garlic and some of the broth from the giblets. Oh and butter. And apples.
The kids wrote up their Christmas lists for Santa Claus today. Samuel sent his off in a hurry, in the mail, direct to Santa Clause, The North Pole. We usually get a reply letter from him after a couple of weeks. Eva opted to hold onto her list and leave it for Santa with his cookies and eggnog on Christmas Eve. I was remembering leaving lists in the fire place? at one house I lived in while growing up. I had completely forgotten this memory until reading something about this tradition somewhere out there on the Internet. Fascinating what memories are still in there somewhere.
I am happy to say that our rat Charlie is feeling a little better and has regained a bit more mobility in his leg thanks to the anti-inflammatory meds I have been giving him. I think his leg is permanently wounded but it isn't purple any more and he has more energy. It is hard for him to sit on my shoulder and move around because of his foot being not as flexible, so I have to move slower than usual and sometimes give him a hand, but it is definitely an improvement.
We are reading the second book in the Mushroom Planet series- Stowaway to the Mushroom Planet...we are suspicious of one of the new characters and there is a distinctly suspense-ish feel to the beginning part of the book. And at long last we got Comet in Moominland after a couple of friends highly recommended it. Looking forward to reading about the Moomin Trolls, particularly after reading so many troll stories of late.
I at long last have Oscar Wao back in possession and need to hurry up and finish it before I need to return it again...It is really just such an amazing book, night and day with some other fiction I have tried to read recently. Wondering what will come along to read next.
The kids wrote up their Christmas lists for Santa Claus today. Samuel sent his off in a hurry, in the mail, direct to Santa Clause, The North Pole. We usually get a reply letter from him after a couple of weeks. Eva opted to hold onto her list and leave it for Santa with his cookies and eggnog on Christmas Eve. I was remembering leaving lists in the fire place? at one house I lived in while growing up. I had completely forgotten this memory until reading something about this tradition somewhere out there on the Internet. Fascinating what memories are still in there somewhere.
I am happy to say that our rat Charlie is feeling a little better and has regained a bit more mobility in his leg thanks to the anti-inflammatory meds I have been giving him. I think his leg is permanently wounded but it isn't purple any more and he has more energy. It is hard for him to sit on my shoulder and move around because of his foot being not as flexible, so I have to move slower than usual and sometimes give him a hand, but it is definitely an improvement.
We are reading the second book in the Mushroom Planet series- Stowaway to the Mushroom Planet...we are suspicious of one of the new characters and there is a distinctly suspense-ish feel to the beginning part of the book. And at long last we got Comet in Moominland after a couple of friends highly recommended it. Looking forward to reading about the Moomin Trolls, particularly after reading so many troll stories of late.
I at long last have Oscar Wao back in possession and need to hurry up and finish it before I need to return it again...It is really just such an amazing book, night and day with some other fiction I have tried to read recently. Wondering what will come along to read next.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
happy thanks-giving
On this day when my cat keeps licking the turkey and my dog is eyeing it suspiciously, growling and barking at the unknown form in the kitchen, I wish to send out peace and love to family and friends, wherever this day may find you. I am thankful for the abundance and peace in which I find myself, for the love that surrounds me and for each of us in our uniqueness of purpose and spirit. For Be-ing. For the trees, the air, the cats. For everything that is.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
I was finally able to finish knitting a doll for Eva and am happy to say she turned out lovely. Eva loved her so much and put a barrette in her hair and made a necklace for her. She told me she didn't care what she looked like and that it was only important that I knit her. So of course I gave her the doll when I finished and did not save her for Christmas, which had been my original intention. That, and the fact that I am going around finishing up projects (or ripping them out entirely) so that I can have a fresh plate for the New Year. Every New Year for the past several years I have gone around and tossed any lists I find (to-do, to-get, to-be, to-read...) and I am also now trying to finish things up. Some of the unfinished projects are not a bother and others really keep me from moving on. The doll is finished! And I am sad to say that my camera died yesterday so there will be no picture forthcoming, at least not in the near future.
We got our turkey for Thanksgiving today at the market!
Oh, and I made this awesome soup with the kabocha squash from my produce basket. I cooked the squash (and removed the seeds, etc after it was cooked), sauted leeks, garlic, one potato, added cooked squash, two cups broth/water and thyme from the herbs out back and some wild rice/brown rice. It was amazing. You could blend it all up and then add the rice or leave the potato and leek chunks, which I chose to do because I have had several pureed soups of late.
No picture today. Today's picture would either have been of the leaves, which will soon be raked again, or the new baby doll, all pink and purple with braids and a pink barrette bow in her hair.
Oh and I think I am going to knit some of these leg warmers for Eva, who is in need of warmth!
We got our turkey for Thanksgiving today at the market!
Oh, and I made this awesome soup with the kabocha squash from my produce basket. I cooked the squash (and removed the seeds, etc after it was cooked), sauted leeks, garlic, one potato, added cooked squash, two cups broth/water and thyme from the herbs out back and some wild rice/brown rice. It was amazing. You could blend it all up and then add the rice or leave the potato and leek chunks, which I chose to do because I have had several pureed soups of late.
No picture today. Today's picture would either have been of the leaves, which will soon be raked again, or the new baby doll, all pink and purple with braids and a pink barrette bow in her hair.
Oh and I think I am going to knit some of these leg warmers for Eva, who is in need of warmth!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Eva made a fancy tree for her little guy Gilbert. It is a pipe cleaner tree and she decorated it with pon poms and some sticky molding stuff I can't remember that name of. She was asking me just now if I knew about Turkey Trees for Thanksgiving, so of course I said, no, I don't know about those. Apparently, there are these turkey trees that you can buy in stores. They grow the trees and then they put cooked turkey on the trees and on Thanksgiving you can just eat the turkey right off the tree. Something new every! single! day!
Rain on one side of the house and not the other; tea time for snowy owl
Eva and I made cupcakes today. She has been asking for days now it seems. The whole time she helped add ingredients and mix things up, she wore her purple crown, lip stick, and plastic high heel princess shoes. I tried to get a picture of the shoes but my camera battery died. Maybe you can imagine how cute that is? And a little precarious too.
We found The Force Unleashed for the wii yesterday to rent and Samuel finished it today. He is just loving it, although I think he was surprised that he was able to finish it off so quickly. I know I was surprised. Not sure if it will be on his Christmas list or not as this point.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Thanksgiving and then some
Leaf raking and playing on Thanksgiving.
Lot's of leaves!
Dive right in!
Samuel basting the turkey.
Eva and Katherine playing.
Everyone feasting; Alexandra at the table; Samuel and Evan playing a chess match against Danny.
I asked Eva about this photo and she said she was showing Katherine photos of pumpkins and Katherine was putting the baby in the CD player.
Samuel and Eva using hammers to break up the ice yesterday.
Samuel preparing for ice breaking today; some lovely photos he took of the oak leaves in the ice. Eva didn't join him today and he brought some icy leaves inside for her. They are now in our freezer. When we take them out to look at them, they melt a little and we put them back in the freezer quickly!
Eva said these are the Buddha's meditating among the flowers, which help them communicate when they are not talking to one another. The snakes can help with this as well.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
This was posted on a homeschooling list I am on and I liked it-
A Parent's Thanksgiving List
by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard
Friday, November 16, 2007
Thanksgiving usually inspires parents to start a diet. But if
you'll indulge with me for a while, I'd rather list a few things I'm
grateful for as a mother.
I'm grateful my children demand I talk to them when I don't feel
like talking, feed them when I'm not hungry, and change their
diapers even when I'm all dressed up and ready to go somewhere
special. I don't think I'd discover the world outside my own needs
without them.
I'm grateful my children haven't learned how to hold back their
tears when they're sad, laughter when they're happy, or screams when
they're frightened. They constantly remind me that emotions are for
sharing.
I'm grateful my children have broken nearly everything in my home
and used a crayon or ink marker on the rest. They've taught me that
things aren't important, but people are.
I'm grateful my children start out small and helpless so they don't
become aware of my incompetence until they're teenagers. By then,
we've both grown so accustomed to each other, we somehow manage to
make it through the rest of life together.
I'm grateful my children get their pants dirty, pick their noses,
burp without saying "excuse me," and quarrel in public so I'll never
be able to get too arrogant, proper, or judgmental of other people's
children.
I'm grateful my children sometimes call me names like "weird"
because sometimes I am "weird," and it helps keep a person humble to
be told they're "weird" when they're acting weird.
I'm grateful my children occasionally miss the bus at the precise
moment I've stepped out of the shower, contemplating the well-
planned, organized day ahead of me. Experiences like jumping into
the car after throwing on whatever's handy and racing to school have
a tendency to loosen rigid plans into something better known as
spontaneity.
I'm grateful my children always need new shoes, piano books,
prescriptions, haircuts, fieldtrip money, tuition, food, toothpaste,
and underwear. That way, I don't have to waste my time thinking
about a new sofa. It's difficult to get wealthy and think about
luxuries when you have to buy toilet paper and milk by the truckload
each week.
I'm grateful my children know how to play. My five-year-old asked me
to come downstairs so he could "teach me how to play" with his
plastic animals. While Jacob demonstrated the subtle techniques for
sinking a rhinoceros into couch cushions while pretending it was
quicksand, I realized my young son was right. I really do need
someone to "teach me how to play."
I'm grateful my children question my every command and giggle when I
get angry. It's difficult to feel too powerful or self-righteous
with kids around to remind you of how funny you look when you're
pointing your finger.
I'm grateful my children insist I hug, kiss, rock, or put my arms
around them often. Otherwise, I think I'd forget how the sense of
touch is so healing.
I'm grateful each of my children is unique when the same strange,
inexperienced mother raised them. Somehow they don't seem to let me
ruin them much.
And lastly, I'm grateful for the gift of children in my life. God
willing, I'd like to fill the rest of my days with those interesting
people who call me Mom (yes, and sometimes "weird") but
eventually "weird grandma."
From Families Who Laugh . . . Last by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
stir crazy
Well, the kids have been sick and we have all been a little stir crazy. Or maybe it is just me. I have been spending a lot of time playing zoo tycoon with Eva and doing lots and lots of puzzles and every piece of laundry is done and I have picked up the house, every toy out of place, over and over in an effort, I suppose to move around a bit. Ah. Winter. So it is almost dark by 4:30 by now and completely dark for sure by 5:00. And I am remembering how long the time between getting up in the morning and the time we go to bed at night can seem when the kids can't spend a good bit of it in the evening outside and this is exacerbated when they are sick because we aren't even taking an evening walk, which can be great for everyone, particularly for all of us.
We are eagerly counting down the days to Thanksgiving, which is, as Samuel pointed out, just one day now. The day after tomorrow. It is finally here. We are having turkey and potatoes and stuffing and salad and squash ala Ellen and apple pie ala Ellen and pumpkin muffins and fruit like satsumas and pears and cranberries. Oh, and some kind of kale maybe. I like to stick it in when I can. Herbs from the backyard. Probably some kind of bread like rolls or I may make some artisan loaf if I am inspired tomorrow. My friend Sara and her family are going to join us this year as they are in town from New York and I think they will bring another pie or dessert of their choice.
I tried to get a local turkey but they were all sold out. I was even laughed at by a farmer at the market, "We sold out in September..." Gosh. I know I wasn't thinking about ordering a turkey in September, but now I know. I put it on the calendar for next year. Get turkey in September! So the turkey will be from a pretty good place but not entirely local and I will pick it up from New Seasons, which is, after all, doing pretty well to help us buy as local as possible. The produce is all local except those satsumas we all love so much. I got salad mix, squash, potatoes, onions, garlic, brussel sprouts, celeriac (which was so neat looking that I thought about putting it into water so that it could maybe take root again. It looked like a pineapple when it showed up in the basket and that, with the brussel sprouts still on the stem, were stunning!) and then some from my produce basket this week and of course you all know how much kale we have in the garden and there are plenty of herbs still thriving back there and I found local cranberries and pears and apples at the market. As well as cider. I forgot to mention we will probably have brussel sprouts as well. So maybe no kale? Not sure. I do know that the little leaves and stalks on the celeriac are going into the stuffing. I still don't have definite plans for the celeriac root itself, although my guess is that it will fare better than the fennel, which is, by the way, still in there. And another was added this week. Maybe fennel for Thanksgiving? Probably not.
Eva and I just made some really delicious raspberry-blackberry sorbet (u-picked!) in Ellen's sorbet maker that we still have. She is, alas, taking it back tomorrow. Oh well. Maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas? They have them at Macy's and they are quite reasonable, just in case he can't make one in his workshop.
It's funny, but for the last several days, including today, Eva has been very restless and we have done so many activities, puzzles, books, games, talks, puppet shows, baths, you name it. And there has been a hint of dissatisfaction surrounding her and the activities with her stomping her feet at me and wanting me to just sit wherever she is, irritation between the two of us at several points. Just now we made the sorbet together, both of us thoroughly enjoying ourselves and, just like that, we are connected again. Connection can sometimes be so elusive and other times right on. And it is, after all, one of the main processes of parenting and childing. Without it, people around here tend to run around yelling pell mell all over the house. Hmmm. Maybe it hasn't been stir craziness that has infected everyone around here. Nothing a little sorbet making can't fix. And sitting still doesn't hurt either. Just more parts to the process.
We are eagerly counting down the days to Thanksgiving, which is, as Samuel pointed out, just one day now. The day after tomorrow. It is finally here. We are having turkey and potatoes and stuffing and salad and squash ala Ellen and apple pie ala Ellen and pumpkin muffins and fruit like satsumas and pears and cranberries. Oh, and some kind of kale maybe. I like to stick it in when I can. Herbs from the backyard. Probably some kind of bread like rolls or I may make some artisan loaf if I am inspired tomorrow. My friend Sara and her family are going to join us this year as they are in town from New York and I think they will bring another pie or dessert of their choice.
I tried to get a local turkey but they were all sold out. I was even laughed at by a farmer at the market, "We sold out in September..." Gosh. I know I wasn't thinking about ordering a turkey in September, but now I know. I put it on the calendar for next year. Get turkey in September! So the turkey will be from a pretty good place but not entirely local and I will pick it up from New Seasons, which is, after all, doing pretty well to help us buy as local as possible. The produce is all local except those satsumas we all love so much. I got salad mix, squash, potatoes, onions, garlic, brussel sprouts, celeriac (which was so neat looking that I thought about putting it into water so that it could maybe take root again. It looked like a pineapple when it showed up in the basket and that, with the brussel sprouts still on the stem, were stunning!) and then some from my produce basket this week and of course you all know how much kale we have in the garden and there are plenty of herbs still thriving back there and I found local cranberries and pears and apples at the market. As well as cider. I forgot to mention we will probably have brussel sprouts as well. So maybe no kale? Not sure. I do know that the little leaves and stalks on the celeriac are going into the stuffing. I still don't have definite plans for the celeriac root itself, although my guess is that it will fare better than the fennel, which is, by the way, still in there. And another was added this week. Maybe fennel for Thanksgiving? Probably not.
Eva and I just made some really delicious raspberry-blackberry sorbet (u-picked!) in Ellen's sorbet maker that we still have. She is, alas, taking it back tomorrow. Oh well. Maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas? They have them at Macy's and they are quite reasonable, just in case he can't make one in his workshop.
It's funny, but for the last several days, including today, Eva has been very restless and we have done so many activities, puzzles, books, games, talks, puppet shows, baths, you name it. And there has been a hint of dissatisfaction surrounding her and the activities with her stomping her feet at me and wanting me to just sit wherever she is, irritation between the two of us at several points. Just now we made the sorbet together, both of us thoroughly enjoying ourselves and, just like that, we are connected again. Connection can sometimes be so elusive and other times right on. And it is, after all, one of the main processes of parenting and childing. Without it, people around here tend to run around yelling pell mell all over the house. Hmmm. Maybe it hasn't been stir craziness that has infected everyone around here. Nothing a little sorbet making can't fix. And sitting still doesn't hurt either. Just more parts to the process.
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