Peach trick

Here is something amazing: scalding peaches to get the skin off. I mean: amaaaazing.

first, you get ripe peaches. boil pot of water, at the same time prepare a large bowl or sink of ice water. make a shallow X on the bottom of each peach with a knife. When water is boiling, place all the peaches in the water - count to ten. Take out a test peach. If the skin comes off easily at the corner where your X is, then they are done and you put them in the ice water. If not, put it back and wait a few more seconds, then try another peach. When the skins slip off, put them in the ice water, then peel and use. Amaaaazing. This takes all that time out of peeling peaches when you want to bake. If only there was a trick like this for apples...

Happy Father's Day

The best daddies that I know. You spend time with your kids. You know their likes and dislikes. You love them and show them that you love them. You provide for them - even when they are grown-ups. You rock and I am thankful for you all.

( another correction - this was one of the worst pictures of all time. 5th grade i believe? way too old for that hair )

An awesome gift

This week, my friend Melissa gave me the greatest gift, ever: A pie basket! Now, maybe a basket for carrying pies doesn't seem that useful or great to you, but to me...it is pie transportation bliss. She got this basket for me after hearing about the incident that occurred about two years ago. It was after a fundraiser in which I offered to make a pie per month for 2 different families for the summer. In honor of my cool basket, I found the email that I sent to my college girls on the day of the pie incident. Here is part of that email:

...today, however, i was determined it would go smoothly. a simple recipe for pecan pie is pretty easy. however... the crust recipe that was supposed to make 2 crusts only made one. leaving me to make an entire 2nd batch of crust after the first pie was almost done, doubling my time in the kitchen. this may seem like no big deal, but with frank taking half a nap because the dog woke him up, 3 hours in the kitchen is a very long time. then...on delivery this afternoon, the pie was still warm, so i had it sitting on a cookie cooling rack thing. i got out of the car, and while trying to shut the door the pie launched off the rack, flew 3 feet in the air and landed face down on the street in front of the Campbell's house, with my favorite pie plate broken around it. it was getting late, and i was about to cry, so i picked up the broken glass, said goodbye to the poor pie, and left. then... en route to the 2nd pie delivery, i realized i was so low on gas, that i might not make it. so i stopped at a nearby ghetto citgo. the first pump didn't work. so i moved the car to another pump. it only allowed me to pump .82 cents worth of gas before shutting off. so i tried again. .82 cents again... well then i left figuring 1.64 would get me somewhere at least. i dropped off the pie, frank meanwhile has been in the car about an hour driving from place to place (and was an angel, even when i was crying about the pie). i get home, frank won't come inside, so i make a phone call to the Campbells outside on my cell. i decide to have a picnic on the deck with frank, start to go inside to get the chik-fil-a and realize that i have locked myself out of the house. i end up climbing through a window where wasps have a nest and a dead cockroach has left his body. frank and i have a picnic - where he spills a bottle of milk on my new shoe and flies swarm us on all sides. frank ends up eating carrots for dinner.


Thanks to Melissa, I will never launch another pie in the street again.

I gotta get out more

What are the most addicting substances?
cigarettes? sure. crack/cocaine? definitely (so I hear). coffee? yes. chips? absolutely...but the one that is killing me today, and I mean really killing me is the puppy chow/muddy buddies or whatever you call them in your part of the world. I am guessing this recipe is one of those gifts from God that Satan got a hold of in this fallen world and had to go and make it fattening for you. Peanut butter and chocolate, you are meant to be together. Darn you, Kelly, for talking about it and making it so good. I had to have some myself. I love the Crispex and the big chunks...

And at the same time, there is this guy:



Hello, sir. Can't wait to get into you, too.

Why does a blueberry pie seem masculine to me?

Not sure, but there was a fascinating study on NPR a while back about how people who speak languages like French and Spanish with masculine and feminine nouns - how they view those nouns in a male and female light. For instance, they asked someone if they could give a toaster a name like Betty, but the French person said, "You can't name a toaster, Betty. It would have to have a boy's name because everyone knows toasters are male."

I am interested in how language shapes our thoughts. What kind of thoughts would I think if I spoke some tribal dialect in Papa New Guinea?

Would I be thinking:
"hey Mr. Chocolate and Mrs. Peanut Butter, I'd like to introduce you to my friends, Caleb Crispix, and Polly powdered sugar. Now why don't you all hop in this bowl and then get in my tummy?"

That's what I think in English anyway... and... I never said that I didn't have issues.

*****
On a non-food related note, here is a frank story for the road.

Scene: We are driving in the car on the way home from his art camp

Frank: Mama, Mama, Mommeee...here is something really special...
Mama: yes, frank, what is it?

F: mama.mama. here is something that is REALLY good news
M: yes frank, what is it?

F: mama, i know something that is really good news and you are going to be so happy
M: yes frank, what is it?

F: today, we got to use silver paint.

Bacon

A few months back I decided to try and learn the absolute best way to cook bacon. I tried pan frying, microwaving and baking. What i learned is this:

a) I like cooking bacon,
b) bacon makes people happy,
c) you really can't mess up bacon too much.

(side note: Jim Gaffigan does a stand up on bacon in his show King Baby. I highly recommend it. He goes on about bacon to a degree that I would not have thought possible. Check it out sometime when you need to laugh out loud)

But here is what I know. Michael and Frank like bacon. No matter how lame my dinner is, if I put bacon in it, it is a success to them. Here is my favorite way to cook it.

350 degrees
-Put one of those wire metal cooking/cooling racks above a foil lined rimmed cookie sheet.
-Put bacon on the rack.
-Sprinkle with pepper and brown sugar - if you like. I like it a little sweet when eating with eggs.
-Bake it. (about 20 to 30 minutes) I just check it frequently at the end until I get it as crisp as they like.
-Done.

Thank God for the pig, and everybody's happy.

(I forgot to take a picture of the bacon, and of michael's hair - so please accept this substitute picture found at www.baconhaikus.wordpress.com)

Giving thanks

Here are things I am thankful for today:

1. Costco fruit. Mangoes, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, oh my!
It is so reasonably priced, so good, and sold in just big enough amounts that you can eat a lot and not feel like you are stealing all the healthy food from your son.

2. Hopscotch.
Frank wanted to play. I looked up the rules. Can't believe I got to be 31 and did not know how to play hopscotch. It is actually hard and fun. Frank isn't really old or coordinated enough to play by the real rules, so I am now looking for some grown-ups who will play with me.

3. Shower caps.

4. That Sesame Street falls during Ford's morning nap. I am 2 for 2 on showering this week.

5. Curbside recycling.

6. Breeze today. (Usually there is none.)

7. Coupons that matched what I actually needed to buy today. That never happens!

8. Grace.

Changes

Michael re-arranged the furniture again.
I shaved his head.
He cut Frank's bangs short. (going for Steve McQueen - looks more like Dame Judy Dench)
Joseph cut mine.

Went to church today and felt a little embarrassed by the whole family having new haircuts.
What can I say? That's how we roll. We all get the itch to change our hair at the same time.

Ford forgot how to fall asleep. We are back to multiple wakings and crying and wanting the boob all the time.
If my hair didn't feel so good, I would be depressed by the lack of sleep, the oppressive heat, and feeling trapped in my house. But damn, my hair feels really good.
It is so soft and smooth after he fixes it. The dirty mop feels all springy and happy now. My hair follicles don't hurt anymore.

Here is my favorite soup to make in the summer. http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/late-summer-vegetable-soup?autonomy_kw=vegetable%20soup
It is delicious,easy, and healthy. Also another opportunity to use those Fire Roasted Tomatoes in a can. I love vegetable soup. We made some last week, and after 3 bowls my stomach was sloshing it was so full. Ah. That's how you know you ate too much soup or drank to much water - when you slosh.

Our friend

photo by Brooke Schwab Photography

Do you have a friend, who is more like an angel than a person?
I do.
Her name is Maggie. Margaret to some. Marty to others.
But to Maggie to us.

When I first moved to Houston, the only job I could get with my Social Sciences and Gerontology degree was working as an Activities Assistant at an assisted living facility. I made 6 dollars an hour and spent most of it driving to and from the facility that was 45 minutes away. As much as I did enjoy the bingo and bead stringing, I had hoped for something a little more challenging after graduating from college.

Hoping for the best, I showed up at my future place of employment not knowing if they were even hiring. I filled out an application, asking the receptionist to give it to the Social Services or Activities department of the nursing home. Maggie was the LMSW looking for a part time assistant. She interviewed me, and hired me the same day. I had little experience and no license, but she let me work as a "social worker" under her supervision for two and a half years. She taught me how to empathize and get tough. She taught me how to advocate for patients, but also how to leave my work at work. She made fun of my whining and encouraged coffee drinking all day long. She laughed with me and let me cry in her office when I got overwhelmed. Then she'd make me stop, get over myself, and get back to work.

Maggie was the best boss...but when I left to go to nursing school, that was not the end of our friendship. She retired shortly after I left for school, to care for her parents. She loved them and allowed them to finish their lives in dignity and comfort. When I had Frank, she was there offering to babysit with open arms. She took that fussy, crying little baby and walked him around my house for a few hours every week just so I could run some errands, and get my head on straight. When frank started school this year, Maggie was kind enough to rearrange her schedule to help me with babysitting so that I could work. She took him to school and picked him up. After Ford was born, she missed her regular hang out time with Frank, so she started picking him up once a week just for fun. They go get ice cream, feed ducks, visit the feed store or just play with construction toys at her house. It is the highlight of his week. He is completely spoiled by her, and so am I.

This week, for the ultimate birthday present, she got me a massage and watched Ford so I could go. She then picked up Frank for their weekly date in the afternoon. Are you kidding me? I don't deserve a friend like this. I don't deserve a day like this. She is just that nice to me. She loves my boys and takes care of them for free. We don't have our own awesome grandmas here in town with us, but she is definitely our Houston grandma. The only catch is that Frank has had to swear his allegiance to keep being her friend, even when she is an "old lady."

So you see why I call her an angel...and I don't go throwing that term around loosely. I don't even like to say it. I am not one of those, "Aw....precious angel.." people. But I can't come up with another word. That is why it has taken me so long to write this blog, looking for a less cheesy word. But angel is all I have to describe someone who has unselfishly helped me no matter where I have been in the last 10 years.

If you don't have a Maggie, well I am sorry for you. I doubt there are many out there. I can't give you her number, because you see, she is so busy already. There is the lady across the street she helps with various odds and ends, the elderly lady she takes to get groceries every week, little Pearl who gets loved on as much as my boys, and of course her own awesome family, and a host of funny friends. She opens her heart and has become family to us who are missing our families. She gives us all the greatest gift of friendship - she joyfully gives us her time. And in return, she has our absolute devotion.

Tell me, what would this world be like if we were all like her?

Rice cereal clean-up

Ford had his 6 month check-up yesterday and his monthly physical therapy assessment today. The verdict: he is perfect. Mama is crazy. All is right with the world.




(please bear with me as i try to post a video - not great quality here)

Fun week

Well...it has been a very fun, very eventful few days. I cannot begin to elaborate on all that we have done. Michael's birthday, a great visit from Kelly and Paige, and lots of baking: cupcakes - thumbs down, strawberry rhubarb pie - thumbs up, rice krispie treats - thumbs up, maple cinnamon rolls - thumbs up, orange marmalade rolls - thumbs horizontal. All in all, pretty successful.

I will let the pictures speak for us, and end with the lyrics to the song Frank made up and recited repeatedly:

"Jesus....he won't make you die...
Jesus...he won't make you die..
Jesus...he takes our sins...
Jesus...he doesn't sin...
and he takes our sins so we don't be rude...
Jesus...he's so powerful...
Jesus...he likes zucchini and ga go ga da do
baa ba gaaa goo goo."

A Retraction

Dear Hair:

I would like to apologize for the disparaging remarks made about you. You have been good hair for a very long time. You are curly, you are straight. You cover me and shield me from the sun. You smell good. You are mostly soft. You are something for my baby to play with. Forgive me for calling you "mousey" and librarian-like. Don't leave the team. The team needs you. It appears that you have slowed down your exit and I'd like to say thanks. Stick with me, and I will treat you to a haircut and color this week. Something really different...
Thanks for the good times. Remember the fly-trap bangs in 1989? Remember when I'd go to bed with wet braids so I could take them out and look like Daryl Hannah in Splash? We've been red, brown, and blond together-short, long and that non-committal in between length for years. You've been braided, teased, bobby-pinned and in countless ponytails. Just wanted to say thanks. Looking forward to going gray with you...someday...not quite yet.

Sincerely yours,

The head

Good morning

frank celebrating heavy trash day

a happier picture...i took that depressing one off

delicious...easy...http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/03/dads-buttermilk-biscuits/

Here is something that I just hate: finding weavels in your flour right before you are about to bake something.

There are a few things I hate today, so I think it is time for the second, Frank inspired, "Things that I am into" and "Things that I am not into" lists.

Things that I am into:

• my husband. that is hokey - but so be it - i like him. (HBTY...keeping it on the downlow)
  
• Myrna's photography: http://dulcefoto-myrna.blogspot.com/
  
• Mrs. Meyer's products - thank you, Amy, for introducing me to her. She and I have cleaned many a sticky table and chair, suckey thumb boo-boo, and counter top together - we are starting to be tight, Mrs. Meyer and I
  
• cooking with my cast iron skillet
• whole food's fresh flowers. They are remarkable - every time
  
• my small groups - awesomely awesome women
  
• the Sartorialist blog - thank you Stephanie
• baby noises
• biscuits
• coffee ice cream. Double shot espresso ice cream from the Chocolate Bar. dang-it that stuff was good
• Frank using the phrase, "mama - i want to show you how powerful my new water gun is...it has 5 pounds of powerful." I have no idea what that means, but I want 5 pounds of powerful
  

Things I am not into:

• loosing hair - it continues to happen. It is gross and makes me get a lump of anxiety in my throat.
  
• not knowing how to sew. I need curtains in the worst way and am completely at a loss of how or where to start
• that I missed Tom Waits in concert in Houston about a year ago - it still gets to me
• whining - love the whiner, hate the whining
• the crazy sleeping schedules of babies. They need sleep in their cribs, but sleep in the crib = mama and frank playing Candyland over and over and over - which, let me tell you, is not as fun as it sounds. He has inherited the Ross gene for competitiveness, which leads to more whining when i makes it to the Candy Castle first
• mosquitoes - i told frank that it is okay to use the word stupid in reference to mosquitoes and flies
• that you have to wear a swimsuit to go swimming
• consistent capitalization
  
• cleaning my cast iron skillet
• my fear of composting. i am not green. should i be? yes, I should. but i am not there yet. I do want to compost so that I can feed my pitiful garden for free, but then i think about whether or not to compost only organic stuff or should i compost everything? and then that leads to me thinking that I don't eat nearly enough organic fruits and vegetables, so it would be a waste to start a pile/or box or what have you. And then i think that we should eat more organic, but that is way too expensive, but then i think about cancer and how I don't want us to get it, not that non-organicness is going to give us cancer, but how does anyone know what gives us cancer? probably my antiperspirant is bad for me, too, but I don't want to live without my Degree, because sometimes I forget to put it on, and when you have a tight t-shirt on and no Degree, it is unpleasant to me. and that is why I have not yet started my compost pile/box.
  
• the price of pet medicine - unbelievable
  
• that I can allow my mind to waste hours on thinking of things that I am not into - seems so negative
  

i do like all 12 of you.

Peck of Pickled Peppers

I have noticed something in my garden that amazes me. My red and orange bell pepper plants are phenomenal. They are the same plants that I have had for 3 years. The past two winters, and early spring I have thought that they were dead. All I saw was brown, crispy branches that were messy and haphazardly strewn about the edge of my garden. They looked unattractive and I wanted to put some more herbs or perhaps cherry tomatoes in their place. But something always stopped me from pulling them. Instead I lopped off the really ugly, crazy crispy branches and then left the rest of the mess for a later day.

But something amazing has happened the past two or three times I was about to give up on those pepper plants. Instead of dying and decomposing - they sprout green branches and adorable, spicy little peppers. I am in awe. Now if I knew one lick about gardening - which I don't, I probably would understand all the science behind this. But as I don't know about gardening and am choosing to learn by experience, I am totally amazed.

It reminds me so much of what Jesus can do and does do in each of us. We were dead, and yet he brings new life to us. We were ugly and useless, then he gives us purpose and beauty. I am not preaching, but I am thankful that God loves and cares for me even more than my little peppers. He does not give up on me - even when I appear to be without hope. He keeps infusing me with new nourishment that gives me strength to keep growing. Now my pepper plants may one day finally die and give up on me, but I am confident that God will not ever quit his good work in those who love him.

Comments

Quick question for folks like Jane, Stephanie, and Rachel. Can you post a comment that explains how to post comments? Some of you folks have said you can't figure it out, and to tell the truth: I don't know how. I am perhaps not savvy enough to be a blogger.

comparison

Ford: one week shy of 6 months



Frank: 6 months exactly