« January 2011 | Main | March 2011 »
--check out liz's fab dress refashion
--remember scout's (semi-successful) first birthday invitations? look at these!
--amanda served us this simple dish last weekend--so good (and healthy!)
--i heard pinterest is the new tumblr--send me your links so i can follow you?
--haha! "thanks for ruining shell art" [spotted]
***
people. this chili is award-winning stuff. so what if one's husband was one of the judges? it still counts.
***
here's a recipe to try this weekend. it's k's favorite, and i make a version of it probably 3 times a week (he doesn't eat vegetables otherwise). it's based on a salad a friend of mine used to make, but with a few changes made to simplify prep and lighten it up a bit for everyday.
spinach salad with lemon garlic vinaigrette
fresh spinach
grated parmesan
chopped or slivered almonds, toasted if you like
crumbled bacon OR
fresh thinly-sliced mushrooms
for the vinaigrette:
juice of one lemon (about 1/3 cup)
small clove of garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
canola oil (i eyeball this--maybe 2/3 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
to make the vinaigrette:
combine lemon and garlic. slowly whisk in oil until the mixture starts to thicken and get cloudy. season with salt and pepper. (be careful if you are using bacon as it is pretty salty already.)
toss salad and serve.
[photo by k]
***
a striped boy's shirt, floral pants, leopard flats, and a shrunken cardigan in a contrasting color?
why not. you go, girl.
so much of her is what i want to be when i grow up. she's creative and sure of herself in such an endearingly humble way. i tell her, "you're beautiful," and she says, "thank you." i say, "you're smart," and she answers, "i know." i ask, "will you forgive me?" and always, always her response is simply and freely, "yes".
***
today i'm sharing 5 new-to-me blogs:
.....................
.....................
enjoy!
***
we sort of fell off the wagon with the cooking classes i talked about when we were making pie. but then yesterday we made "buckeyes" with this recipe my sister sent me. if that term is as unfamiliar to you as it was to me--think peanut butter cups, only round. ohhhyeeaah. basically what you do is combine graham cracker crumbs with peanut butter, sugar, and cream cheese and then swirl it around in dark melted chocolate. it's a great recipe for kids to make. crushing crackers, shaping balls, breaking chocolate bars--all fun stuff. sure, ours are a tiiiiny bit less professional-looking than the ones on the smitten kitchen. but i think their imperfection is part of their charm and certainly doesn't (gross chewing noises) compromise (more chewing noises) the way they taste.
so i guess we're into candy making now. do you have any good kid-friendly recipes?
***
first of all, a big thank you to all of you for reading and commenting this last week. i had a lot of fun putting together the red-themed posts, and especially reading your responses. thank you for each and every one of them. you guys are great.
[note: you may or may not have noticed, i've enabled threaded comments and started responding to most comments directly on the blog here. if you haven't heard back from me, check the comments section? chances are we're in the middle of a really good chat there, you and me.]
second, another big thanks for the phone calls, emails, comments, and other expressions of love and concern for the engineer. i am happy to report that he is on the mend. in fact, there's a good chance he might even get dressed tomorrow! thank you for caring. we are fortunate to have such lovely people in our lives.
third, happy valentine's day. i hope it was special for you in some way. as for us, we didn't do much besides make a big an even bigger mess in the kitchen, but more on that tomorrow because
fourth, i'm really tired. being a mom-dad is hard work!
sweet dreams, dahlings.
***
p.s. pardon my bossiness, but you really must enlarge the photos to fully appreciate the effort that goes into enjoying chocolate + peanutbutter around these parts.
***
red lipstick.
so.not.me.
but maybe that's what makes it fun.
one of my resolutions this year is to get more comfortable being in front of the camera. i am horribly awkward and self-conscious in photos, and it shows. even my own husband has declared me not very photogenic. not because he thinks i'm a troll but because i'm so uncomfortable being photographed that i tend to pull faces without even realizing it. (or maybe i do realize it? but i can't seem to help myself.)
part of me thinks this is a pretty vain thing to resolve. why should it matter how i feel about having my picture taken? except that i sort of think a self-consciousness in being photographed reflects a self-consciousness in life. and i'm in my 30s now. shouldn't i be getting to the point where i'm comfortable with who i am?
i'm inspired by these old photos of my parents. they look so young, confident, happy, self-assured. i want my kids to look at photos of me someday and see the same. or just see me at all, which obviously won't happen if i always stay where i'm most comfortable--behind the camera.
so. consider this post the first exercise in operation...i dunno...what should i call it? photos are by the awesome 8-year-old olivia. as far as qualifications go, she is pretty non-intimidating, which is basically my number one criterion for a photographer. not to mention she works for free. she is rather shorter than me, though. so i have to squat down for photos. ("feel the burn!") also, i'm wearing pajamas from the waist down. (just keeping it real, folks).
***
the engineer is sick.
he NEVER gets sick. unless it's something really good. you know. like, the one time when his foot turned black (staph infection). oh! or when he had reconstructive surgery on his bellybutton. (he now has brad pitt's navel. i am one lucky girl.)
it's influenza.
poor guy.
no sewing for me today. but! i didn't miss the 6th day of VCW (ahem...valentine color week...duh). phew! i'm sure you will sleep better tonight knowing that.
night, all.
***
valentine color week: days 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5
***
i spray painted an old phone.
the next day i thought i was dying because i had red boogers.
corded phones are a foreign concept to my children.
they took off the cord and pretended it was a pig's tail.
when i was a kid i wanted my own phone.
remember these? that's what i wanted.
my first exposure to cell phones was zach on "saved by the bell".
my first crush was zach on saved by the bell.
but i digress.
the strangest phone call i ever received was from an old boyfriend.
he wanted his stuff back.
it had been 10 years.
the oldest message on my answering machine is maybe 5 years old.
it is my dad performing a bird call.
only it is not actually a bird call.
it goes something like this:
HOH-hoo-UH-oh!
imagine hearing it from a block away.
"is that...your dad?"
"no! what? i didn't hear anything. but i think i need to go home now."
i love my dad.
i think i am the only person in america over the age of 12 who doesn't own a cell phone.
even my dad has a cell phone.
but he never uses it to call me.
***
valentine color week: day 1 + 2 + 3 + 4
***
