Another fun trip to town yesterday, even though I did get in a wee bit of trouble at the Library.
Our library has an ongoing book sale, and those racks and shelves are usually my first stop. This week I found an encyclopedia of sorts about Nature. 11 of the 13 books were there, and after looking through the first one I decided this was a must have for my library. Of course I didn't stop there. After loading my arms up with these 11 books, I continued to browse in my favorite book store. I found a great Science book. "Project Learning Tree: Environmental Education Activity Guide" put out by the American Forest Foundation. This thing is packed full of great lessons, including fun activities for grades K-8, and most of the lessons include multiple grade level activities. I was reading through it last night and am just tickled with my purchase!
12 good sized books were becoming a bit heavy, so I grabbed a basket and rounded out my shopping with a hard cover "Clan Of The Cave Bears". The kids thought it odd I would purchase this book, as we already had the paperback at home, but I'm fond of hard covers, and besides, I figured this way Nathan could have the Paperback in his own library.
Toting my basket of books, hoping the handles wouldn't snap off from the weight, I headed over to the DVD section where I was in search of the kids' movie of the week. A short while later the kids, finished with their book browsing, joined me. Of course the first thing they noticed was my basket brimming with books. "You're gonna be in trouble!" "Dad's gonna be mad at you!" I shushed them, telling them not to say anything, I'd be hearing about it soon enough. The fellow perusing titles next to me was smiling.
A few minutes later Pa showed up at the end of the aisle. Naturally, the kids both rushed over to him. "Look what Mom got!" Geez! They just couldn't wait to tattle on me! Pa snarled, saying he'd seen it, and something about me having to wash a lot of bottles and dishes to pay for my purchase. He then told me I'd have to find a way to pay for it all, as he sure wasn't going to. At this point,the fellow we shared the aisle with wasn't even pretending to look at movie selections any more. He was kind enough to at least attempt to muffle his laughter behind his hand.
I did get my books, and Pa gave in and payed for them. The Librarian asked if I needed a bag to carry all my books. Thanking her for the offer, I declined, saying it was a short walk to the car. Pa grumbled again, saying something about the walk might be longer than I realized. The Librarian wasn't so kind as the stranger in the DVD aisle. She knew us well, and wasn't afraid to smile broadly and chuckle out loud.
Last night, Pa was still grumbling about the 13 additions to my ever growing book collection. I told him we just needed a new Book case. Perhaps that would be a good project for him and Nathan. Oddly, he didn't seem quite so enthused at that idea as I was ;-)
Hmm. It's beginning to look like I'll be adding woodcrafting to my list of skills. I bet there's a book available that would help me out with that!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Good To The Last Drop
Yesterday's post about my choice of containers for toting my crochet project, and the reaction it recieved got me to thinking about coffee, the choices we have, and the prices we pay for this magical brew.
There's the good ol' ground that many of us grew up around. That which our Mother's measured into the basket, placing in the top of the pot filled with water on the stove. Then we stood back and watched as the heat did it's magic, forcing the water up into the bubble in the top of the lid, where it merrily danced, and sang before descending back through the coffee grounds awaiting it's attention in the basket below, resulting in the perfect cup of pick me up for our parents.
Of course, by the time I was old enough to fully appreciate the benefits of this brew, the coffee pot's design had changed a bit. Mr. Coffee had made it's debut.It was no longer called a coffee pot, but a coffee maker. I still had to measure my water in, although it was in the back of the machine, rather than in the pot itself, and I needed to measure the grounds into the basket. Then it was just a matter of pushing a button and the machine performed it's magic. I gotta admit, although I did enjoy the convenience, there did seem to be something missing in the experience. I didn't get to sit back and watch the water pulsing up through the magic bubble, nor did I experience the familiar sound of percolation. However, it was kinda nice to have the coffee ready for consumption within a few minutes time.
These days we have more choices, both in our coffeemakers of choice, and in the types of coffee we purchase. No longer is it merely a choice between brand names. We have various grinds to choose from, multitudes of flavors, and even whole beans, for which we pay a premium price to take home and grind ourselves.
This takes me to my big question of the day. Does it not stand to reason that the less work a manufacturer performs to provide a product to the masses, the lower the cost would be? Although the whole beans, ground fresh daily at home is my preferred choice, it has always struck me as odd, that I need to go out and purchase a grinder for this purchase, perform the work of grinding myself, and pay at least twice the price for the pleasure.
I've seen the old fashioned coffee grinders in antique shops, and as decorative pieces in restaraunts and such. There is a warm, nostalgic feeling that rushes pleasantly over me as I view these pieces, even though I never actually saw one being used. I have to wonder how the folks who did use these things on a regular basis, as part of their daily morning routine would view our current coffee rituals, and the price we willingly pay to do it ourselves.
There's the good ol' ground that many of us grew up around. That which our Mother's measured into the basket, placing in the top of the pot filled with water on the stove. Then we stood back and watched as the heat did it's magic, forcing the water up into the bubble in the top of the lid, where it merrily danced, and sang before descending back through the coffee grounds awaiting it's attention in the basket below, resulting in the perfect cup of pick me up for our parents.
Of course, by the time I was old enough to fully appreciate the benefits of this brew, the coffee pot's design had changed a bit. Mr. Coffee had made it's debut.It was no longer called a coffee pot, but a coffee maker. I still had to measure my water in, although it was in the back of the machine, rather than in the pot itself, and I needed to measure the grounds into the basket. Then it was just a matter of pushing a button and the machine performed it's magic. I gotta admit, although I did enjoy the convenience, there did seem to be something missing in the experience. I didn't get to sit back and watch the water pulsing up through the magic bubble, nor did I experience the familiar sound of percolation. However, it was kinda nice to have the coffee ready for consumption within a few minutes time.
These days we have more choices, both in our coffeemakers of choice, and in the types of coffee we purchase. No longer is it merely a choice between brand names. We have various grinds to choose from, multitudes of flavors, and even whole beans, for which we pay a premium price to take home and grind ourselves.
This takes me to my big question of the day. Does it not stand to reason that the less work a manufacturer performs to provide a product to the masses, the lower the cost would be? Although the whole beans, ground fresh daily at home is my preferred choice, it has always struck me as odd, that I need to go out and purchase a grinder for this purchase, perform the work of grinding myself, and pay at least twice the price for the pleasure.
I've seen the old fashioned coffee grinders in antique shops, and as decorative pieces in restaraunts and such. There is a warm, nostalgic feeling that rushes pleasantly over me as I view these pieces, even though I never actually saw one being used. I have to wonder how the folks who did use these things on a regular basis, as part of their daily morning routine would view our current coffee rituals, and the price we willingly pay to do it ourselves.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Spinach 'n' Peas ... Eye Charts 'n' Coffee
Yesterday, we made a trip to town for Lindsay's eye checkup. Previous appointments had taught me that sitting in this particular waiting room tended to be a lengthy experience, and the reading material provided not always the best, so I decided to take along a little something to keep me occupied.
My diversion of choice, of course, was a yarn related project, in this case, my crocheting. The project I chose was a small one, so I really didn't see the need to take my big ol' knittin' bag. Rather, I took a clean Folgers coffee "can", one of the newer plastic varieties. It turned out to be the perfect size for my small project, although it did recieve some curious glances, beginning with my dear Hubby. As I hopped out of the truck with my coffee can he looked ever so confused, and inquired as to why in the world I had elected to take coffee into the eye clinic. I'm thinking my next project might be one that would result in covering my handy coffee can so I'm not looking like a walking advertisement for Folgers...
Last time we went in for Lindsay's eye appointment, 2 months ago, the Dr. noticed some small improvements. She said that was encouraging but wanted to see if we could bump things up just a bit, so she upped Lindsay's patching time from 2 hours to 4. Lindsay was not thrilled with this new developement, but she went along with it. She's been so good about it, even choosing to go as long as 5 hours a few times. Yesterday was the pay off. She'd been saying she could see better, and I'd noticed she didn't seem to be holding her face as close to the screen when playing her computer games, but none of us expected to recieve such an excellent report as we did yesterday.
The first time she read the chart, back in April, she couldn't see the chart at all. Basically, she was blind in the one eye. Two months ago, she was making it out in the 500 range, the largest scale she was shown. Yesterday, she had improved so much that she was nearing the 100 range. The Dr. was happy. Ma and Pa were happy. Lindsay was happy. When we stopped off at the little store down the road on the way home and picked up some extra little treats for the kids to celebrate, Nathan and Lindsay were both happy!
We were just one happy family!
More good news on the homefront! You may recall my rather unhappy discovery of the canine intruder in my garden last week. Well, I re-sowed the area he had spent most his time in. Of course, those seeds havent had time enough to sprout, at least not to the point they would be visible to mere mortals but, yesterday I noticed the doggies romp about my spinach bed hadn't been completely devastating. Although there are some bare spots, there is also quite a lot of little green spinach sprouts popping their little heads out, looking happy. Now, if we can just keep the slugs at bay, I could end up with quite the mess of spinach! Nathan has been busy looking through all his gardening books, and is ready to begin his anti slug experiements, so I'm daring to hope...;-)
We've harvested the first of our peas. The kids had fun picking and shelling them, then I blanched them and stuck them in the freezer so we can add to them when the next batch is ready. In the meantime, my green beans have sprouted and are looking quite happy. This year's garden isn't going to be nearly so fruitful as I had hoped, but at least we'll get enough out of it to keep our hopes alive for next year.
It was early to bed last night, and early to rise this morning. I'm thinking I may as well take advantage of the extra time and get something done around the house today. And with that, I'm off! :)
My diversion of choice, of course, was a yarn related project, in this case, my crocheting. The project I chose was a small one, so I really didn't see the need to take my big ol' knittin' bag. Rather, I took a clean Folgers coffee "can", one of the newer plastic varieties. It turned out to be the perfect size for my small project, although it did recieve some curious glances, beginning with my dear Hubby. As I hopped out of the truck with my coffee can he looked ever so confused, and inquired as to why in the world I had elected to take coffee into the eye clinic. I'm thinking my next project might be one that would result in covering my handy coffee can so I'm not looking like a walking advertisement for Folgers...
Last time we went in for Lindsay's eye appointment, 2 months ago, the Dr. noticed some small improvements. She said that was encouraging but wanted to see if we could bump things up just a bit, so she upped Lindsay's patching time from 2 hours to 4. Lindsay was not thrilled with this new developement, but she went along with it. She's been so good about it, even choosing to go as long as 5 hours a few times. Yesterday was the pay off. She'd been saying she could see better, and I'd noticed she didn't seem to be holding her face as close to the screen when playing her computer games, but none of us expected to recieve such an excellent report as we did yesterday.
The first time she read the chart, back in April, she couldn't see the chart at all. Basically, she was blind in the one eye. Two months ago, she was making it out in the 500 range, the largest scale she was shown. Yesterday, she had improved so much that she was nearing the 100 range. The Dr. was happy. Ma and Pa were happy. Lindsay was happy. When we stopped off at the little store down the road on the way home and picked up some extra little treats for the kids to celebrate, Nathan and Lindsay were both happy!
We were just one happy family!
More good news on the homefront! You may recall my rather unhappy discovery of the canine intruder in my garden last week. Well, I re-sowed the area he had spent most his time in. Of course, those seeds havent had time enough to sprout, at least not to the point they would be visible to mere mortals but, yesterday I noticed the doggies romp about my spinach bed hadn't been completely devastating. Although there are some bare spots, there is also quite a lot of little green spinach sprouts popping their little heads out, looking happy. Now, if we can just keep the slugs at bay, I could end up with quite the mess of spinach! Nathan has been busy looking through all his gardening books, and is ready to begin his anti slug experiements, so I'm daring to hope...;-)
We've harvested the first of our peas. The kids had fun picking and shelling them, then I blanched them and stuck them in the freezer so we can add to them when the next batch is ready. In the meantime, my green beans have sprouted and are looking quite happy. This year's garden isn't going to be nearly so fruitful as I had hoped, but at least we'll get enough out of it to keep our hopes alive for next year.
It was early to bed last night, and early to rise this morning. I'm thinking I may as well take advantage of the extra time and get something done around the house today. And with that, I'm off! :)
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Yet Another Mystery ...
Last night, after tucking the kids in, Pa and I were relaxing in the living room when Lindsay, our youngest came striding into the room. While not all that unusual, (there are times she gets up and asks for a drink of water) it did take us by surprise when she announced, with a smile on her face, that her tummy hurt.
Hmmm. She doesn't look sick. She seemed just fine an hour ago when I tucked her in. Just the same, immediately all sorts of causes for her sudden illness began running through my head. Had she perhaps had a hard tummy bump when she fell off her bike earlier? Maybe she picked something up when playing with the neighbor kids the day before? Nah, That'd only been one day ago. Then again, we had gone to town on Saturday...Perhaps she'd picked something up then? For that matter, had she washed her hands when we returned home from town on Saturday?
My imagination now switched to high, I began to question her.
"What kind of hurt is it?"
"Sick hurt."
"Where does it hurt?"
"Right here!"
"That's your belly button!"
"Yeah, that's where it always hurts when I get sick."
"What kind of sick?"
"Just sick!"
I sighed at this response, beginning to understand how my Mother felt when I was a child and my response to her query of what my "sick" felt like was, "Lettuce"...
I resumed my questioning, "Do you feel sick anywhere else?"
"No, just my tummy"
She looked like she was beginning to enjoy this game of twenty questions.
"Does it feel like throw up sick?"
"No"
"Okay, that's good. Does it feel like diarrhea sick?"
That got me a blank look.
"Do you feel stinker sick?"
Laughter, "NO!!!" More laughter.
Okay, so just how sick could this giggly child with no fever be?
"Do you feel hungry sick?"
"No"
I was running out of options here! "Do you feel too full sick?"
"Yes!"
Aha! We hit paydirt!
"But, you didn't eat that much dinner..."She agreed. "Then again, you did eat quite a large portion of dessert.."
"Yeah! And it was filling!"
"But, you ate a lot, and you ate it fast!"
"I had to! It was really, really good!"
Uh-huh! I glanced around the kitchen briefly before informing her, "We don't have any 'too full sick' medicine."
"Oh! Darn!"
"I'm afraid the only thing I can think of for 'too full sick' is to go to sleep, then when you wake up in the morning, you won't be 'too full sick' anymore"
"Oh! Okay!"
She smiled and skipped off towards her room, leaving me standing there, shaking my head, as Pa stood off to the side, laughing. I'm thinking, in the future perhaps some portion control for the "really, really good" desserts would be a really, really good idea.
Hmmm. She doesn't look sick. She seemed just fine an hour ago when I tucked her in. Just the same, immediately all sorts of causes for her sudden illness began running through my head. Had she perhaps had a hard tummy bump when she fell off her bike earlier? Maybe she picked something up when playing with the neighbor kids the day before? Nah, That'd only been one day ago. Then again, we had gone to town on Saturday...Perhaps she'd picked something up then? For that matter, had she washed her hands when we returned home from town on Saturday?
My imagination now switched to high, I began to question her.
"What kind of hurt is it?"
"Sick hurt."
"Where does it hurt?"
"Right here!"
"That's your belly button!"
"Yeah, that's where it always hurts when I get sick."
"What kind of sick?"
"Just sick!"
I sighed at this response, beginning to understand how my Mother felt when I was a child and my response to her query of what my "sick" felt like was, "Lettuce"...
I resumed my questioning, "Do you feel sick anywhere else?"
"No, just my tummy"
She looked like she was beginning to enjoy this game of twenty questions.
"Does it feel like throw up sick?"
"No"
"Okay, that's good. Does it feel like diarrhea sick?"
That got me a blank look.
"Do you feel stinker sick?"
Laughter, "NO!!!" More laughter.
Okay, so just how sick could this giggly child with no fever be?
"Do you feel hungry sick?"
"No"
I was running out of options here! "Do you feel too full sick?"
"Yes!"
Aha! We hit paydirt!
"But, you didn't eat that much dinner..."She agreed. "Then again, you did eat quite a large portion of dessert.."
"Yeah! And it was filling!"
"But, you ate a lot, and you ate it fast!"
"I had to! It was really, really good!"
Uh-huh! I glanced around the kitchen briefly before informing her, "We don't have any 'too full sick' medicine."
"Oh! Darn!"
"I'm afraid the only thing I can think of for 'too full sick' is to go to sleep, then when you wake up in the morning, you won't be 'too full sick' anymore"
"Oh! Okay!"
She smiled and skipped off towards her room, leaving me standing there, shaking my head, as Pa stood off to the side, laughing. I'm thinking, in the future perhaps some portion control for the "really, really good" desserts would be a really, really good idea.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Boondock Mysteries
Yesterday evening Pa treated us to a fantastic meal, of round steak, which he had pounded, sprinkled with tenderizer, then marinated for several hours before popping it out on the BBQ. Along with that we had rice and green salad.
After that exremely satisfying meal, we waited a bit before having dessert, which was something I came up with to utilize the yogurt cheese I'd created earlier in the week, as well as a few other ingredients I wanted to use. After dessert, but before I informed the kids of the "mystery" ingredient (they'd tasted the plain yogurt earlier on and declared it "yuck!"), my family chose a name for my creation:
Boondock Bog Puddin'
*Yogurt Cheese, made from 1 quart (give or take 1/4 cup) yogurt
About 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
About 1/2 tsp. raspberry extract
About 2 tsp. sweetener
1 8 oz. tub whipped topping
1 banana
1 (14.6 oz.) can raspberries, drained, reserving a small amount of berries for garnish
Your choice of Vanilla wafers, Angel Food Cake, Pound Cake, etc.
Optional: Salamanders, frogs, and other slimy bog creatures (personally, I don't recommend this option but, Pa thinks it would be entertaining :-) )
*To make the yogurt cheese, place cheesecloth in a colander over a container large enough to hold the colander. Dump approximately 1 quart yogurt in lined colander, cover and let it drain over night.
Melt chocolate chips over low heat. Let it cool a tad bit and add to yogurt cheese, along with raspberry extract and the sweetener. Mix well. Fold in approximately 1/2 (or a little more if you desire, please see note) of the whipped topping. Set aside.
Generously cover the bottom of a good sized serving bowl with broken Vanilla wafers, or pieces of cake . The juice from the berries will find their way to the bottom, so the more generous you are with this layer, the less soggy your finished product will be.
Pour about half the chocolate mixture over the bottom layer, carefully spreading out. Slice banana over top, arranging to pretty much cover. Spread raspberries over banana slices, then top with remaining chocolate mixture. Before serving, spread more whipped topping in center of puddin', then top that with the reserved raspberries.
*******
Note: If I were to make this again, and I probably will, as it went over really well, I think I would add closer to 2/3s of the whipped topping to the chocolate/yogurt mixture. Also, if I had fresh raspberries I would have used them for the top for a prettier presentation. If I were to use fresh or frozen raspberries within the puddin, I think I would use a bit of raspberry preserves as well, so the bananas would be completely covered.
Note 2: Sorry about the "approximate" amounts. I've got this really horrible habit of just grabbing and dumping! ;-)
********
Just as we were finishing up our dessert the kids asked, "What's that noise?" Neither Pa or I heard anything, so they tried to describe it. Still didn't hear anything. I walked into the front room and then I heard it. I followed the mysterious noise and found myself gazing into the corner where the kids keep their school books. It was an odd noise.It sounded a bit like a small motor whirring, but missing some beats, and it seemed as though it was coming from Nathan's Binder. I looked a bit closer and determined it was coming from a small jar tucked in with their books.
At that point Lindsay came rushing over and grabbed the jar. We were all amazed to discover the jar, which contained a cocoon we had given up on quite some time ago, had indeed finished it's life cycle, and there, fluttering away in the jar was yet another "beautiful" moth!
Lindsay took the moth outside, and after it had stretched it's wings a bit he flew off, with Adventure Cat, eyes wide, chasing and jumping after it, until it disappeared, far beyond her desperate reach, in the trees.
A Classical Anniversary
Today, Pa and I are celebrating our Anniversary. We were surprised to learn we share our Anniversary date with Mozart! How cool is that??
After that exremely satisfying meal, we waited a bit before having dessert, which was something I came up with to utilize the yogurt cheese I'd created earlier in the week, as well as a few other ingredients I wanted to use. After dessert, but before I informed the kids of the "mystery" ingredient (they'd tasted the plain yogurt earlier on and declared it "yuck!"), my family chose a name for my creation:
Boondock Bog Puddin'
*Yogurt Cheese, made from 1 quart (give or take 1/4 cup) yogurt
About 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
About 1/2 tsp. raspberry extract
About 2 tsp. sweetener
1 8 oz. tub whipped topping
1 banana
1 (14.6 oz.) can raspberries, drained, reserving a small amount of berries for garnish
Your choice of Vanilla wafers, Angel Food Cake, Pound Cake, etc.
Optional: Salamanders, frogs, and other slimy bog creatures (personally, I don't recommend this option but, Pa thinks it would be entertaining :-) )
*To make the yogurt cheese, place cheesecloth in a colander over a container large enough to hold the colander. Dump approximately 1 quart yogurt in lined colander, cover and let it drain over night.
Melt chocolate chips over low heat. Let it cool a tad bit and add to yogurt cheese, along with raspberry extract and the sweetener. Mix well. Fold in approximately 1/2 (or a little more if you desire, please see note) of the whipped topping. Set aside.
Generously cover the bottom of a good sized serving bowl with broken Vanilla wafers, or pieces of cake . The juice from the berries will find their way to the bottom, so the more generous you are with this layer, the less soggy your finished product will be.
Pour about half the chocolate mixture over the bottom layer, carefully spreading out. Slice banana over top, arranging to pretty much cover. Spread raspberries over banana slices, then top with remaining chocolate mixture. Before serving, spread more whipped topping in center of puddin', then top that with the reserved raspberries.
*******
Note: If I were to make this again, and I probably will, as it went over really well, I think I would add closer to 2/3s of the whipped topping to the chocolate/yogurt mixture. Also, if I had fresh raspberries I would have used them for the top for a prettier presentation. If I were to use fresh or frozen raspberries within the puddin, I think I would use a bit of raspberry preserves as well, so the bananas would be completely covered.
Note 2: Sorry about the "approximate" amounts. I've got this really horrible habit of just grabbing and dumping! ;-)
********
Just as we were finishing up our dessert the kids asked, "What's that noise?" Neither Pa or I heard anything, so they tried to describe it. Still didn't hear anything. I walked into the front room and then I heard it. I followed the mysterious noise and found myself gazing into the corner where the kids keep their school books. It was an odd noise.It sounded a bit like a small motor whirring, but missing some beats, and it seemed as though it was coming from Nathan's Binder. I looked a bit closer and determined it was coming from a small jar tucked in with their books.
At that point Lindsay came rushing over and grabbed the jar. We were all amazed to discover the jar, which contained a cocoon we had given up on quite some time ago, had indeed finished it's life cycle, and there, fluttering away in the jar was yet another "beautiful" moth!
Lindsay took the moth outside, and after it had stretched it's wings a bit he flew off, with Adventure Cat, eyes wide, chasing and jumping after it, until it disappeared, far beyond her desperate reach, in the trees.
A Classical Anniversary
Today, Pa and I are celebrating our Anniversary. We were surprised to learn we share our Anniversary date with Mozart! How cool is that??
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Weekend Roundup
This last week Lindsay decided she wanted to learn to ride a bike. We just happened to have a bike, given to us several years ago sitting out in the shop, so Pa brought it out, pumped up the tires, raised the seat and the handle bars and, within an amazingly short period of time Lindsay was off and riding.
A couple years ago we got the kids some scooters, with which they happily zip around at amazing, and sometimes for me rather alarming speeds. We've had a couple scraped knees, a few tears, and a lot of concern from me, from whom I am assuming my children inherited their rather vivid imaginations...
Yesterday, we made a second trip to town. There were a few reasons we needed to make the return trip, but the main one was to search for a good used bike for Nathan, who, understandable is a bit jealous of his younger sisters newest mode of transportation. We struck out on that search, but we did find a few items which has already helped to settle my nerves.
In addition to a bike helmet for Lindsay, Nathan found a motorcycle helmet that he just had to have. Although it seemed a bit on the side of overkill for a bicycle helmet, we figured why not. If he likes it, then odds are we won't have to fight to get him to wear it when the time comes. We also found a set of protective gear for Lindsay. It included knee pads, elbow pads, and the cutest little fingerless gloves, which she just loves. One child is now happily riding about on her bike fully protected. The other child is happy with his new helmet, and the knowledge that it is the first step in acquiring the wheels he desires. All in all, a good ending to a fun week.
Saturday Night At The Movies
Last night we stepped back in time a bit for the kid's viewing pleasure. Get Smart Again, starring the memorable duo of Don Adams and Barbara Feldon was a highly entertaining romp for the whole family. Don Adams had all 4 of us laughing at his antics. For those, like us who are old enough to remember, it is a delightful stroll down memory lane, and oddly satisfying to note the "Old fashioned" comedy still works, even for the younger set. One warning. The political jabs in the original series are still alive and well in this film ;-)
The second film of the evening, the "late night" after the kids have settled in was The Dream Team. I understand there are those who feel it is making light of, or even making fun of the mentally challenged. We really didn't get that out of it. With excellent casting, including Peter Boyle, Michael Keaton, Stephen Furst and Christopher Lloyd , it was good comedy, and somehow, in the end it managed, for me anyway, to show hope for those characters it portrayed. With some violence, and a wee bit of nudity (Peter Boyle's backside) it is not what I would consider a family film, unless your family consists of teens on up.
I managed to sleep in a bit this morning, a nice ending to our week off, yet it somehow makes me feel like I started my day behind schedule. It's nearly noon in my time zone, so I need to jump in to the day's activities before the day gets away from me. This last week went by so fast, I feel I need to make the most of the one day that is left before our next week begins.
Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!
A couple years ago we got the kids some scooters, with which they happily zip around at amazing, and sometimes for me rather alarming speeds. We've had a couple scraped knees, a few tears, and a lot of concern from me, from whom I am assuming my children inherited their rather vivid imaginations...
Yesterday, we made a second trip to town. There were a few reasons we needed to make the return trip, but the main one was to search for a good used bike for Nathan, who, understandable is a bit jealous of his younger sisters newest mode of transportation. We struck out on that search, but we did find a few items which has already helped to settle my nerves.
In addition to a bike helmet for Lindsay, Nathan found a motorcycle helmet that he just had to have. Although it seemed a bit on the side of overkill for a bicycle helmet, we figured why not. If he likes it, then odds are we won't have to fight to get him to wear it when the time comes. We also found a set of protective gear for Lindsay. It included knee pads, elbow pads, and the cutest little fingerless gloves, which she just loves. One child is now happily riding about on her bike fully protected. The other child is happy with his new helmet, and the knowledge that it is the first step in acquiring the wheels he desires. All in all, a good ending to a fun week.
Saturday Night At The Movies
Last night we stepped back in time a bit for the kid's viewing pleasure. Get Smart Again, starring the memorable duo of Don Adams and Barbara Feldon was a highly entertaining romp for the whole family. Don Adams had all 4 of us laughing at his antics. For those, like us who are old enough to remember, it is a delightful stroll down memory lane, and oddly satisfying to note the "Old fashioned" comedy still works, even for the younger set. One warning. The political jabs in the original series are still alive and well in this film ;-)
The second film of the evening, the "late night" after the kids have settled in was The Dream Team. I understand there are those who feel it is making light of, or even making fun of the mentally challenged. We really didn't get that out of it. With excellent casting, including Peter Boyle, Michael Keaton, Stephen Furst and Christopher Lloyd , it was good comedy, and somehow, in the end it managed, for me anyway, to show hope for those characters it portrayed. With some violence, and a wee bit of nudity (Peter Boyle's backside) it is not what I would consider a family film, unless your family consists of teens on up.
I managed to sleep in a bit this morning, a nice ending to our week off, yet it somehow makes me feel like I started my day behind schedule. It's nearly noon in my time zone, so I need to jump in to the day's activities before the day gets away from me. This last week went by so fast, I feel I need to make the most of the one day that is left before our next week begins.
Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Do A Little Dance...
Last Wednesday, as you may recall. we took the day off from school for Family Fun Day, and spent the day at the County Fair. Monday, being Nathan's Birthday was an automatic day off. Tuesday, the kids were practically begging for another day off. Actually, they were trying to convince me that since we had Monday off there really wasn't much point in having school that week at all. That logic didn't quite do the trick for me, but I did realize that Pa and I (youngsters that we aren't) were completely worn out from all the festivities, and it had been awhile since we'd had a "vacation" from school, so I gathered the kids together and ordered them to enjoy their week of Summer vacation.
Of course it took me completely by surprise when both of my children reacted with gleeful prancing about the yard, and big plans of how they were going to spend their week of freedom. For the most part the week was spent at home, Pa and I alternately enjoying our restful times with getting some extra stuff done around the house. In the meantime, the kids enjoyed the extra play time with the neighbor kids.
This morning our children are watching their weekly TV shows. It's hard for me to believe the week has passed so quickly. I will however, resist the temptation to extend our vacation for a second week ;-)
One of the extra things I accomplished this last week was to get my recipe for Vanilla Creamer down just the way I like it. After years of feeling a bit like a martyr, dutifully making do with stirring cheap powdered creamer into my coffee each morning, as I really couldn't justify the expense of the good stuff except for special occasions,I decided it was high time for a personally gratifying kitchen experiment. This is the happy result of the experimentation:
Boondock Ma's Semi-Frugal Vanilla Creamer
2 cups powdered creamer (I used generic)
1 Cup sugar, or equivalent (I used generic Splenda)
2 Cups HOT water
2 Cups cold water
1 TBSP good vanilla
Place creamer and sweetener in a shakeable, pourable, covered container. Add hot water, crank the radio up then shake-shake-shake, as you dance around your kitchen. Add vanilla and cold water. Turn the music up and shake some more. Pop it in the fridge. Next morning smile, as you enjoy your morning indulgence.
Of course it took me completely by surprise when both of my children reacted with gleeful prancing about the yard, and big plans of how they were going to spend their week of freedom. For the most part the week was spent at home, Pa and I alternately enjoying our restful times with getting some extra stuff done around the house. In the meantime, the kids enjoyed the extra play time with the neighbor kids.
This morning our children are watching their weekly TV shows. It's hard for me to believe the week has passed so quickly. I will however, resist the temptation to extend our vacation for a second week ;-)
One of the extra things I accomplished this last week was to get my recipe for Vanilla Creamer down just the way I like it. After years of feeling a bit like a martyr, dutifully making do with stirring cheap powdered creamer into my coffee each morning, as I really couldn't justify the expense of the good stuff except for special occasions,I decided it was high time for a personally gratifying kitchen experiment. This is the happy result of the experimentation:
Boondock Ma's Semi-Frugal Vanilla Creamer
2 cups powdered creamer (I used generic)
1 Cup sugar, or equivalent (I used generic Splenda)
2 Cups HOT water
2 Cups cold water
1 TBSP good vanilla
Place creamer and sweetener in a shakeable, pourable, covered container. Add hot water, crank the radio up then shake-shake-shake, as you dance around your kitchen. Add vanilla and cold water. Turn the music up and shake some more. Pop it in the fridge. Next morning smile, as you enjoy your morning indulgence.
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