Hey y'all,
It was so nice and warm this past weekend that it got me to thinking about spring and summer.
I would love to know what everyone is doing this summer. Do you have any plans? If so, leave a comment and tell us what they are. As for me, I'm looking forward to lots of walks on pretty, sunny days. What about you?
Are you going to travel? Plant a garden? See lots of summer movies? Teach your kid how to hit a baseball?
Do tell.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Stuff
- I have been going to the gym a couple of times a week, and I am actually starting to really enjoy it. It was super hard to make myself go the first few times, though.
- Noah is officially weaned. I vacillate between being happy and a little sad about this.
- Weaning Noah means I can finally whiten my teeth. I usually do this once a year, but it's been postponed for a while, because I didn't want to put anything weird into my body while I was pregnant or nursing. So now I can have whitened teeth again. No one notices but me, probably, but still.
- The weather was very spring-like here this weekend. It actually hit 60 degrees! It made me look forward to spring so much. One of the best parts of the weekend was when I just stood in front of one of my kitchen windows for a few minutes with my eyes closed, soaking in that sensation you have when the sun is on you and your skin warms up deliciously. Like being in a warm car with the sun on you. Or lying on the beach. It's that feeling that the sun is permeating you. Is anyone getting me here? Am I making sense? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? Anybody? Anyway, it was nice. And then it snowed on Monday.
- I am beginning to like the library, despite the fact that I usually like to buy books rather than borrow them. I think the reason I like it is because I can test drive a book before I commit it to my bookshelf. I mean, what if my book club picks a book I hate? This way, if I don't like the book, I can just say goodbye forever. And if I like it, well, amazon.com is my friend.
- Nathan is probably going to be finishing up his Ph.D. this fall. This means we are nearing the end of our time in Boston (*tear*) and starting to think about a move, probably to Texas. This, in turn, means I am again obsessed with har.com.
- Speaking of weaning, I need to wean myself from political talk for a while. Everything that is going on is just making me so mad.
- It's time for bed.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Snowmobile Adventure
A few weeks ago, Nathan cashed in his Christmas gift from me, which was to go snowmobiling in Vermont with his friend, Caleb.
Here's Nathan, ready to go. Thumbs up.
He said they were able to go upwards of 50 mph, which surprised me a little bit. I've never ridden a snowmobile, but I've ridden four wheelers, and 50 mph is darn fast when you're not inside a car.
Here are the guys. Nathan said it was really beautiful there.
Here's Nathan, ready to go. Thumbs up.
He said they were able to go upwards of 50 mph, which surprised me a little bit. I've never ridden a snowmobile, but I've ridden four wheelers, and 50 mph is darn fast when you're not inside a car.
It was a fun afternoon.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Applesauce Honey Nut Bread
I was clearing out a stash of recipes that I've cut out of magazines and newspapers today, and I found one for Applesauce Honey Nut Bread. According to the recipe, it's "from the kitchen of 'The Secret Life of Bees.'" I have no idea where I got this recipe, but after looking over the ingredients, I had to make it.
The thing that appealed most to me was the simplicity and wholesomeness of the recipe. For example, I had all the ingredients on hand except the golden raisins, so I just left those out. There are no special gadgets required; you don't even have to pull out an electric mixer or even so much as a zester. All you need are a couple of bowls, measuring spoons and cups, and a loaf pan or two. And the simplicity of the ingredients matches the simplicity of the preparation: they are fruit-of-the-earth type of things (except for maybe the Bisquick!), and that appealed to me today, too. Plus, honey is probably one of my favorite things (I loved that the batter smelled so strongly of honey as I stirred it), and I don't know of anything more wholesome and homey than oatmeal.
Lately, I've been realizing that I desire more of a simple life. I want to live outside of the city one day. I want to have a garden. It just seems more wholesome to me to say goodbye to traffic and close quarters and just have more space, appreciate God's earth, and simply lead a different kind of life. That's what this recipe made me think about today, and that's why my house is starting to smell like bread....
-----
Applesauce Honey Nut Bread
2-1/2 cups Bisquick
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten (I just stirred it in with the applesauce)
1 cup applesauce
1 cup honey
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two loaf pans.
Combine Bisquick, oats, baking powder, and salt; make a well in the center of the mixture. In a separate bowl, combine egg, applesauce, and honey; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Stir in raisins and walnuts. Spoon batter into loaf pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.
The finished product:
The thing that appealed most to me was the simplicity and wholesomeness of the recipe. For example, I had all the ingredients on hand except the golden raisins, so I just left those out. There are no special gadgets required; you don't even have to pull out an electric mixer or even so much as a zester. All you need are a couple of bowls, measuring spoons and cups, and a loaf pan or two. And the simplicity of the ingredients matches the simplicity of the preparation: they are fruit-of-the-earth type of things (except for maybe the Bisquick!), and that appealed to me today, too. Plus, honey is probably one of my favorite things (I loved that the batter smelled so strongly of honey as I stirred it), and I don't know of anything more wholesome and homey than oatmeal.
Lately, I've been realizing that I desire more of a simple life. I want to live outside of the city one day. I want to have a garden. It just seems more wholesome to me to say goodbye to traffic and close quarters and just have more space, appreciate God's earth, and simply lead a different kind of life. That's what this recipe made me think about today, and that's why my house is starting to smell like bread....
-----
Applesauce Honey Nut Bread
2-1/2 cups Bisquick
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten (I just stirred it in with the applesauce)
1 cup applesauce
1 cup honey
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two loaf pans.
Combine Bisquick, oats, baking powder, and salt; make a well in the center of the mixture. In a separate bowl, combine egg, applesauce, and honey; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Stir in raisins and walnuts. Spoon batter into loaf pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.
The finished product:
Friday, March 6, 2009
A Blog Rarity: Economic Comment
From a good opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about Obama's economic policies:
"Unfortunately, our history suggests new government programs, however noble the intent, more often wind up delivering less, more slowly, at far higher cost than projected, with potentially damaging unintended consequences. The most recent case, of course, was the government's [Clinton administration's] meddling in the housing market to bring home ownership to low-income families, which became a prime cause of the current economic and financial disaster."
I just thought that first sentence really just says it in a nutshell.
"Unfortunately, our history suggests new government programs, however noble the intent, more often wind up delivering less, more slowly, at far higher cost than projected, with potentially damaging unintended consequences. The most recent case, of course, was the government's [Clinton administration's] meddling in the housing market to bring home ownership to low-income families, which became a prime cause of the current economic and financial disaster."
I just thought that first sentence really just says it in a nutshell.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wild Child
My son is a wild child.
Noah is really active, but I just figured all kids are as active as he is. Apparently not.
Exhibit A: For the past two weeks, we've gone to our town's library to participate in their story time and sing along. About twenty pairs of moms and small children show up. We all sit in a circle and either listen to a story or sing a song. And of all those kids, my child is the only one who is doing his darndest to get the heck out of his mother's lap. All the other kids sit contentedly, being entertained by the person leading the group. Noah, however, squirms and twists and wiggles, trying to get down so he can run around and get a closer look at everything. Both times, the teacher has leaned over to me and said, "It's okay; you can let him go."
Exhibit B: When I picked him up from the nursery at Mom to Mom today, the ladies said, "I bet he can't wait until spring comes so he can run around outside!" Apparently all he did today (and this is true of most days) is just run around. He generally just runs from one thing to the next or makes circles around the room. Apparently none of the other kids do that.
My mom told me that my brother, Ken, was the exact same way, and Nathan's mom said that he was the most active of all her kids. So I guess it's genetic!
And just for a good laugh, here he is, eating pasta:
Noah is really active, but I just figured all kids are as active as he is. Apparently not.
Exhibit A: For the past two weeks, we've gone to our town's library to participate in their story time and sing along. About twenty pairs of moms and small children show up. We all sit in a circle and either listen to a story or sing a song. And of all those kids, my child is the only one who is doing his darndest to get the heck out of his mother's lap. All the other kids sit contentedly, being entertained by the person leading the group. Noah, however, squirms and twists and wiggles, trying to get down so he can run around and get a closer look at everything. Both times, the teacher has leaned over to me and said, "It's okay; you can let him go."
Exhibit B: When I picked him up from the nursery at Mom to Mom today, the ladies said, "I bet he can't wait until spring comes so he can run around outside!" Apparently all he did today (and this is true of most days) is just run around. He generally just runs from one thing to the next or makes circles around the room. Apparently none of the other kids do that.
My mom told me that my brother, Ken, was the exact same way, and Nathan's mom said that he was the most active of all her kids. So I guess it's genetic!
And just for a good laugh, here he is, eating pasta:
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Postless Post
I would write a nice, thoughtful post today, but our regular laptop is at the Apple store, waiting for us to pick it up after a minor repair. Since there's 12 inches of snow outside, I just don't think we're going to make it out to the mall today to get it.
In the meantime, we've been left with our older, slllllooooooooowwwer laptop, which I believe Nathan got when he first went to college. That would be in the year of our Lord 2000. And I am too impatient to deal with the internet for long on a nine-year-old computer.
So I'll post something good sometime soon, but it won't be today. Today is reserved for eating soup and fresh bread in our pajamas.
Later, peeps!
In the meantime, we've been left with our older, slllllooooooooowwwer laptop, which I believe Nathan got when he first went to college. That would be in the year of our Lord 2000. And I am too impatient to deal with the internet for long on a nine-year-old computer.
So I'll post something good sometime soon, but it won't be today. Today is reserved for eating soup and fresh bread in our pajamas.
Later, peeps!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)