Grown Up Highlights

The highlights of the trip for me & Jeff weren't as focused as those of the kids. For Jeff, just seeing "real mountains" (as opposed to the little hills we get in Tennessee & Kentucky on the way to Florida) was a big deal. Also, he got a real kick out of all the animals in Yellowstone. He got the best of the bison pictures, in fact.  We also saw some baby bison, but nothing in the way of elk.

 Another animal was one of my particular highlights.  I'd never seen a bear in the wild before, and the killer zoom lens on my camera meant I didn't have to get close AT ALL.  I did have to wait a bit for him to pick up his head from eating whatever vegetation was on the ground, but not too long. There were a lot of people who did get much closer and stayed much longer. In fact, there was a regular traffic jam on the side road, and as we were leaving, we saw a ranger driving in, with his lights flashing and an annoyed look on his face.

The REALLY best parts for me, though, were getting to see old friends. I hadn't seen either Pat or Terri in about 20 years, and catching up was great. Pat took us out to dinner and then up to Stanley Lake, which is now my top destination in Idaho (yes, even more than the Diamond D).  Jeff was joking that he was finally glad to meet him in person, because he'd been convinced for years that Pat was nothing more than a figment of my imagination.  So when Pat was leaving, he leaned in and stage whispered, "so will you send a check to my agent, or just pay me now for this role?"

Hanging out with Terri and Jess and their girls was also too much fun--in fact, we spent so much time chatting that it put us a little behind schedule!  We had brunch at Shorty's, and then just hung out near their electronics store for a while longer.  Jeff talked with Jess and Sarah with their older daughter Shae while Terri & I gabbed, but poor Lauren was bored to death. 

At one point up in Stanley, I nudged Jeff and murmured, "Don't you think this should be an annual trip?" Unfortunately, I don't think it's likely we'll go back that often, but I'm reasonably confident that it won't take us another 20 years to get back. (and yes, we are already thinking about our next trip!)

Travelogue: The Golden Spike

The Golden Spike was one of Lauren's requests. She saw something about it in her history book, and since it was apparently right along our path from Idaho down to Colorado, we figured it would be no big deal to stop.

And yeah, technically it is right along the way. It was about half an hour off the highway. But MAN!  It is out in the middle of NOWHERE.  I know--most of the West is the middle of nowhere. But this was one of those really hot, stifling days on the trip, and we got there half an hour after the visitor center closed. That was my fault--I spent too long talking with my friend Terri, but it was worth it, because that was one of MY best parts of the trip.

So when we got there, the place was deserted. There was a big monument out front, and a few maps on the wall we could see, but it looked like that was it. Oh, except for the bees. There were a lot of bees, or maybe they were hornets. Ever since getting stung last year at camp, Lauren has a real aversion to flying stinging things, so she wasn't too happy there.

In spite of that, she was convinced that there was more we could see around back. We walked along the edge of the parking lot.  "See?  There are the train tracks right back there!"  Unfortunately, "right back there" was across a field of sagebrush I didn't feel like walking across, and I convinced her to head back to the car. But as we were starting to drive away, I decided to look at one last spot. Sure enough, the fence only extended out from the visitor's center a little ways, and we could easily get behind it.

Jackpot!  Well, jackpot was probably inside, where it was air conditioned and had a lot more information. But the main event was indeed out back.  It didn't appear to be a Golden Spike, though--more of a shellacked railroad tie with a plaque on it.

Memorial plaque for the Irish laborers.

An adorable Irish couple asked if I would take a picture of them standing on either side of it, their hands reaching out over it to just barely touch. "That's a great picture idea!"  Sadly, Lauren was already scampering back to the car; Sarah & Jeff hadn't gotten back out at all. It was really hot, and did I mention the bees? 

Do I consider the Golden Spike a "must see," or someplace we'll want to return?  No, not really. Yes, it was cool. Yes, I'm glad we went. But even without the visitor's center, I think we pretty much saw what we needed to see. Lauren disagrees--it was one of her favorite parts of the trip, she'd like to do the Junior Ranger program.

Travelogue: The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado

Originally, I was going to do these posts in strictly chronological order.  But I feel more like jumping around to whatever catches my fancy on any given day.

Today, The Stanley Hotel is on my mind.  This is the hotel that Stephen King based The Shining on, and it's billed as "The Most Haunted Hotel in America." Sarah, amateur ghost hunter, was WILD to go there. We weren't sure if we'd be able to get in--I thought it would be like the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island, where you only get to stand on the front porch unless you're a paying guest.

When we pulled up and saw the guard shack, we were ready to be disappointed, but for $5 parking, we could walk around the grounds and the first floor. That's a cheap price for a good compromise.  It's not unreasonable to expect people to stay off the floors with the rooms.

In the Billiard Room

The lobby is beautiful, and EXACTLY what King describes in the book. The original movie shot at a different hotel, but the mini-series shot there. The music room and billiards room are currently empty, but you could walk around in them. Sarah wanted to be alone in the billiards room to see if she could see a ghost, and she thought she could sight of a shadow in one of the mirrors, but that was the extent of the adventures.

They have the old fashioned keys on a board behind the front desk, and they're all identical except for 217 (and maybe 401, but I didn't look for that one--I was trying to be subtle about taking the picture, but after the fourth or fifth attempt at trying to get a clear shot, I don't think I succeeded!)

I didn't know there was an amphitheater on the grounds (we didn't wander around much, but she really wants to go back and stay sometime, and the price isn't THAT outrageous for a couple people), and we also missed the bronze statue collection out back.  "Next time!"

The area around it is quite built up now, but they had a panoramic shot from back in the 70's, and it was indeed more isolated, though King exaggerated a bit for the purposes of the book.  I told Sarah a little bit of the plot, and she wants to read it now, but I told her she has to wait a couple more years. I think she needs a little more Poe first.

Travelogue: The Hotels

We stayed at 10 different hotels on our trip. The average price was $100, but they were (of course) vastly different.

1. Extended Stay America: Rochester, Minnesota $87

• very nice room with small but complete kitchen and full sized refrigerator (many of the other rooms had mini-fridges)
• no pool
• grab & go breakfast

2. EconoLodge: Keystone, South Dakota $71

• tiny room (Jeff thought he had booked us two queen sized beds, but realized when we got there that it was just one, so the kids slept on the floor)
• nice pool & hot tub
• good breakfast  
• kind of a ways out of town--not good for walking to dinner

3. Super 8: Powell, Wyoming $129

• really nice Western -y decor, especially in the breakfast area
• small but nice pool
• good breakfast
• laundry facilities

4. Sawtelle Mountain Resort: Island Park, Idaho $89

• nice room
• no breakfast (went to Pond's for breakfast as well as dinner the night before)
• nice pool, but in a separate building

5. Wood River Inn:  Hailey, Idaho $129

• this is the one we all agree was the best
• very nice room
• great pool
• very good breakfast (first time we had the "make your own waffle" option)
• nice, easy to use computer center
• great location, easy walking to downtown

6. Bridge Street Cabins: Stanley, Idaho (two nights) $119/night

• rustic room, but nice
• tiny bathroom
• difficulty with WiFi, but it did work eventually
• door had a broken lock plate, so we could only deadbolt it from the inside, while leaning on it
• next door to a bar & grill that was hosting a lively wedding reception our second night--and by lively, I mean "loud guests talking all night long right outside our cabin that made me want to go out and yell at them to shut the hell up."

7 Crystal Inn: Brigham City Utah $100

• pool
• nice breakfast
• nice room 
• laundry facilities

8. Motel 8: Laramie Wyoming $62

• nice basic room
• no pool
• no breakfast
• well out of town, but we walked across the parking lot to a really good Mexican restaurant

9. Grand Hyatt: Denver, Colorado (two nights) $113/night

Kids:  "Oooh, Aaah!"

• beautiful lobby--kids especially very impressed
• great room
• great pool
• great downtown location--this was our deciding factor here, so that we could walk to the baseball game, and that alone made it worthwhile
• had to pay for parking
• no breakfast--if we wanted to eat at the restaurant downstairs, it was $18 for the breakfast buffet
• no free WiFi in the room. I didn't mention it in any of the other hotels, because they ALL had it and it never occurred to me that anyplace wouldn't have it!  I could use the WiFi for free down in the lobby (but it was a pain to haul my computer down there) or I could have paid an extra $10/day to get it in the room. In the grand scheme of things, $10 isn't that much, but I wasn't about to pay it. 

10. Colfax Inn: Iowa $80

• pool being renovated
• nice breakfast
• nice basic room

When we were looking for hotels on this trip, cost was the first factor. A pool was the second. Going forward, I will also make sure that free WiFi is available in the rooms, because that irritated me a LOT. I realized that I also like the breakfasts a lot, even if it's just a bagel & some yogurt.

Travleogue: Day 1

The first day was one of the longest, driving-wise.  We tried to find a balance between "drive like hell to get to your destination" and "the journey IS the destination." We wanted to do a lot of fun, different things along the way, but Wyoming, Idaho and Colorado were our main goals.

We crossed over the Mississippi River, which wasn't all that impressive that far north, but it was notable. We also saw a lot of wind farms in Minnesota, which Jeff & I both found interesting, and wondered why there weren't more of them throughout the country. Later on the trip, I realized that there are some negative attitudes toward wind farms, but I'm still not sure why. I'm going to do some research to see what I can find out.

Our first stop in Rochester MN included our first hiccup. Lauren wanted to wear her sweater slippers in the car, which was no problem, but obviously she couldn't wear them beyond that. Guess what? She didn't bring any other shoes. I'm pretty sure I told her to pack sneakers, but did I check? Nope. So we went to Old Navy and got her a pair of cheapo canvas sneakers (she still owes us the $12 for them) and they've held up pretty well. Next time I'll give her a packing list so she can just check stuff off.

Happy burger eatin' girl!

That taken care of, we hit Fat Willy's for dinner, which was really good! It's a retro automotive themed burger place, and those burgers were great. Sarah now wants me to try making pizza burgers, which I think I can do.

Travelogue: The Stats

• We were gone for 13 days and 12 nights. 
• We stayed at 10 different hotels, 6 of them with pools.
• We drove over 4750 miles, and spent almost $500 in gas.
• All told, we spent about $3000, which astonishes me. I was positive it would be considerably more than that.  We didn't splurge, but didn't skimp either, and had a really good time.

I'm going to try to do at least a short blog post about our trip every day for the next few weeks, until everyone is sick to death of hearing about it.  Hey, at least you won't have to look at our photo album. Oh, wait . . .

Recipe Review: Peanut Butter Cookies

Or, Sarah's Choice (which has nothing at all to do with Sophie's Choice, thank you God).

Sarah is coming back from Salem's youth group mission trip tonight. She's been gone for about a week. When she was gone for a week last summer at Civil Air Patrol encampment, I took her cookies when we went to pick her up, and she inhaled them, along with every other cadet there who saw that she had home made goodies.

When I asked what kind of treat she'd like as soon as she got back from this trip, she asked for peanut butter cookies. I found this recipe: Classic Peanut Butter Cookies and just got done making them.

And now for a word on peanut butter. I really hate cheap, hydrogenated peanut butter.  I really like natural peanut butter. For the kids, it's exactly the opposite. And frankly, the dog gets more peanut butter (as a treat in his Kong) lately than any of us, so I'm not inclined to spend a lot. It's Aldi brand for us, creamy instead of crunchy.

This is less than half the batch.

The batter went together very easily. I added a little vanilla to the wet ingredients, and a little  cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Have I ever mentioned that I almost never mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl anymore?  I just dump the flour on the well-mixed wet ingredients, then add salt, baking powder, etc. on top and mix that gently before I mix it into the dry. It turns out fine and one less bowl to wash makes me just that much happier.

Of course, sometimes I manage to find ways to make extra work for myself anyway.  For example, when I was making the criss cross pattern with the fork, I thought, "Hey, aren't you supposed to roll them in sugar first?"  So I got out a little sugar and started doing that. Then I thought, "HEY, wouldn't these be even better rolled in cinnamon sugar?"  So I got out some cinnamon sugar and rolled some in that before taking the fork to them.

Here's the thing about extra work. I feel that if it's a little bit of extra work for a lot of extra result, it's worth it. (See:  getting the skins off chickpeas before you  make hummus)  If it's a lot of extra work for little or no result, why bother?  (See:  using fresh pumpkin to make pumpkin pie)  Rolling the cookies in sugar wasn't hard, but it was time consuming.  I tasted one of each variation after they'd cooled (in the name of science, of course!) and could barely detect any difference. Maybe a little, but not enough to justify the extra time.

The point is, I ended up just scooping them out onto the cookie sheet, having at them with a fork, and baking them. Today, simplicity trumps everything else.

They're delicious, by the way!

Book Review: Bud, Not Buddy

OK, here we go. A book I can totally get behind. Yes, there are some sad parts, and some difficult topics (I see a big discussion about welfare and labor unions in our future), but nothing I found to be soul-killing.

Bud, Not Buddy is a fast, easy read, but I think both of my kids would enjoy it.  But goes through a lot of hard experiences, but stays true to himself. His official Rules and Things are cute and clever, but also have a lot of truth in them.

Number 328: 

When You Make Up Your Mind to Do Something,

Hurry Up and Do It, If You Wait You 

Might Talk Yourself Out of What You 

Wanted in the First Place

Yeah, been there.

Here's a study guide from BookRags that I think looks good: Bud, Not Buddy Study Guide & Plot Synopsis

Book Review: The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963

When I started reading The Watsons Go to Birmingham, I enjoyed it right away. This was a family I felt I knew. Hey, complaining about the cold during a Michigan winter is something I can really get behind. Getting teased for being smart--I remember those days. As I kept reading, I had a feeling Lauren might not like it too much--she hates it when kids are mean to each other--but I thought I might have found one of our road trip audio books.

Then I got to the end.  I thought, "You idiot!  Didn't you read the title?  The Watsons. Go. To. Birmingham.  1963. How did you think it was going to end?!?!"  Yeah.

I still think it's a good book, a book I'd like to keep on my shelves. I'm still going to recommend it to the girls. But I'm not going to recommend it this summer, so soon after the Boston bombing.  Also, I have no idea how to deal with the "How can people be so monstrous" question. When we get to Lord of the Flies, I think I'll be OK. When it's time for Anne Frank, not so much.

I really want to find something fun and light to read next, but we have a lot to do to get ready for that road trip, so I should take a break for a bit. When I get going on a new book, I tend to ignore other responsibilities.

Edited to add study guides:
This is a very long, very thorough guide, designed for a classroom setting. A lot of good activities here.
http://lwinliteracy92011.wikispaces.com/file/view/The%20Watson%27s%20Go%20to%20Birmingham%20-%20Lit%20Unit.pdf 

Scholastic also has a very long guide that has a lot of background information but also some good chapter review questions and follow up activities.
http://clay-chalkville.jefcoed.com/Teachers/brittanybullard/Lists/Announcements/Attachments/8/watsons%20scholastic%20reading%20guide.pdf

Book Review: Seedfolks

Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks is a quick book. There are only 87 pages, with a 13 page afterword. There are thirteen chapters, each with a different narrator. Normally, I like a book with multiple points of view (I'm seriously hooked on George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series).

But there wasn't enough here for me. I felt barely introduced to these characters. Fleischman says he didn't want to bore readers, and I understand that. I did enjoy getting to see what the garden meant to different characters, and I appreciate the vignette concept of only seeing the first year.  But this felt like it was no more than an introduction; I felt left hanging.

Will I suggest it to the girls?  Maybe, although some of the subject matter is a little adult: the pregnant teen who desperately wants to miscarry, for example. I think Lauren can wait a little while to be confronted with that particular concept.

Would I keep it for myself to read again?  Also maybe, although there isn't a lot of meat here. There isn't even much in the way of a traditional conflict, despite the build up in "Sam," the sixth chapter, when he talks about people putting up fences and even barbed wire. How does that resolve?  No, I think this one would go on the "sell back" shelf relatively quickly, although I did enjoy it well enough.

Book Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society

Another mystery, Stewart's The Mysterious Benedict Society one is definitely more engaging for kids. It also has a lot more going on.  Hound of the Baskervilles was more straightforward, with one mystery and everything leading toward it. Mysterious Benedict Society feels more like several mysteries that intertwine. My only complaint is that the ending was a little pat; things tied up a little too smartly for me, but I think that's more common with younger fiction.

One thing that I thought was quite mature was the concept of thought control and media, almost as a precursor to 1984 ("The missing aren't missing, they're only departed.").  Yes, I've been thinking about 1984 more lately, and plan to read it again soon. I also like the struggles the kids went through, especially when Reynie was questioning himself and the power of The Whisperer.  I'm going to recommend this one for both girls as a fun summer read.

Is it a keeper?  Yes, it would stay on a pretty high shelf, but it's not a "never sell"  like The Phantom Tollbooth, Little Women, or Watership Down.

Book Review: The Hound of the Baskervilles

I've been looking for some new books to read lately, as well as some summer reading material for the kids. Pages like NPR's Backseat Book Club and GoodRead's Required Reading in High School have given me a lot of good ideas..In addition to my reviews, I'm going to ask the girls to start blogs of their own to do the same.

First up for me is The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  It's a classic straightforward mystery, and I was a little surprised at how little Sherlock Holmes appeared in the first half of the story. Several chapters take place without him at all.  Frankly, the mystery itself wasn't all that mysterious, although I was eager to see how it all played out at the end.

For me, the real test of a book is how much I want to keep it. When I was in college and money was very tight, I had a great used book store. I could take in a stack of novels, and walk out with one or two new ones, and no money changed hands.  When I needed a new book fix, I'd look through all my books, and decide which ones I could bear to part with before walking past the library (oh the irony) to the bookstore.

Hound is sitting on a pretty low shelf; it would be one of the first to get sold. It's not a bad book, but I know the plot already and the characters and setting aren't enough to keep me coming back, so it isn't likely I'll read it again.

Would I "assign" it to either of the kids to read?  No, but I will make it one of their options. (I generally have a crate of books available and have them pick from it). I found this study guide at Quizlet.com, which is helpful. The language & concepts are a little archaic, but not too bad.

Recipe Review--Kumara (Sweet Potato) Salad

Since I had sweet potatoes sitting around, I made this salad with dinner tonight. Spinach, red onions, sweet potatoes, dressing.  Yum!

I thought it was great (I slapped a piece of fish on top to complete the meal), Lauren thought it was good and would eat it again, and Sarah thought the dressing was a little too sweet, but she'd eat it again. 

Edit: I just realized that I forgot to put in the red peppers! It was still good, though. 

Back in the Groove

I've been trying to get back into the "healthy" groove for several weeks now, but nothing was working. I haven't been walking in literally months, and fast food, pizza and other easy, brainless foods have been going into my mouth far too often.

I've tried. The thought of going out West this summer at a too-high weight isn't appealing. Neither is that fact that a lot of my clothes are rather too small now.  So I've tried, but without a lot of success. I've been working a lot more hours lately, and although that's great for the paycheck, it's not so great for the home life.

Sometimes, you can't force yourself back into the groove. Sometimes, you have to fall into it.  And that's what I just did Tuesday afternoon. Literally.  I was walking into a store and tripped and fell, hard. I stumbled a bit before I fell, and actually thought I might be able to pull it out before I hit the ground, but no such luck. I actually had time to realize that the last time this happened, I was at about the same weight I am now. 

Apparently, that was the realization that woke me up. I realized that my excess weight was pulling me off balance. I was helped up by a nice store manager, who also showed me where to find what I was looking for (za'tar, for the record).  When I got home, I gingerly made myself dinner of fish over a bulgur wheat/tomato/ green bean/green onion salad. It was tasty, and when I realized I'd made too much bulgur, I immediately put the leftovers in the refrigerator instead of just eating all of it.

My eating isn't "perfectly" healthy. In the past, I've been very successful at losing weight, but I've been rather obsessive about exactly what I'm eating. I've watched very closely my calories, my carbs, my protein, etc. The thing is, I know how to eat healthfully. My problem is that I tend to have an all or nothing mindset. I'm either totally 100% in the groove or I'm not.

I'm trying to change that now. I'm trying to think, "what can I eat that's tasty and well balanced?"  I have to admit, it's easier for me to be healthier in the summer. I like to walk when it's between 60 and 70 degrees, which it usually is early in the morning. I like to eat things like main dish salads. I like all the fresh produce that's available.

So I feel pretty encouraged that I can do this balanced thing, and keep myself from falling into any more sidewalk grooves.

Back to Sewing

My latest sewing project was a dress for Lauren. She had picked out a great blue seersucker to make into lounge pants at co-op sewing class, but decided she also wanted a sundress from the same fabric. Unfortunately, when we went to JoAnn's they didn't have any more of it, so she picked out a very soft, floaty, summery print. Very different fabric from the sturdy seersucker, and kind of a pain to cut out--it didn't want to stay put.

She picked out option B on Simplicity 1927 (sundress style), which wasn't too difficult to make. As usual, I mangled the pattern by cutting it as a size 10 around and size 14 for length. Even then, I had to take the side seams in a little, and skimped on the hem.

I cringed when I realized there were darts, but got through them ok. Adding the top band was a little funky, and I had to be careful ironing it down so that the wrong side of the fabric from the inside didn't show along the top edge. I added an extra row of top stitching, too.

It only took about a day and a half to make, which is pretty good time.  She likes it a lot, and it's a good church dress. Of course, she's since told me she wanted more of a PLAY dress. . .

Edit: I forgot to say that since the pattern & fabric were both on sale, everything cost about $15 (including thread & zipper).

My Trip to Downtown Detroit

Cold met my toes as I got into the car. “My first day on the monorail.” I thought. ” Wow.” As we drove toward Detroit, we saw the long blue Ambassador Bridge. “Someday we’ll be on that bridge.” I thought.

When we got to American Coney Island, I was already warming up. But when dad opened the door, a blast of cold wind met my face. I didn’t want to leave the warm car. But reluctantly, I got out of the warm car to stand on the cold sidewalk and waited for Dad to pay for parking. Cold wind kept blowing into my face as we crossed the street.

Finally Dad opened the door to the restaurant and one last blast of wind met my cold face and we stepped into, for the first time, the world famous American Coney Island! As we sat down, (way in the back of the restaurant) and as dad told the waiter what we wanted, (hot dogs with fries and coke) I gazed out the window at the cold street outside. I saw cars passing the place then stopping at the light ahead. I sighed and then got up from my seat.

“Where are you going?” said Sarah. “The bathroom,” I said. I needed to go to the bathroom AND I wanted to see what the place’s bathroom looked like. I didn’t like Lafayette’s bathroom at all. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years! Gross!!!!! But when I opened the door, it was completely different than Lafayette’s bathroom! The walls were clean and it didn’t look like someone throw up in there! I went to the bathroom for 2 minutes then I went back to the table and shared my info with Dad and Sarah.

“Wow. “Said Sarah. After lunch we walked through the Lafayette Garden (yes, Lafayette!) A light breeze fluffed my hair as we walked from the garden to the monorail station.

We put our coins in (click!) and then walked onto the platform waiting in the biting cold for the monorail. Even though I was wearing a big coat, I was sill shivering in the cold air. “Is that it?”I said. There it was, coming down the track toward us, the monorail!

As I climbed on it, I felt excited. My first time on the monorail! I sat down on a seat and stared out the window and after a minute we began to move. And as we moved across the track, we made stops once every minute.

On the third stop, a family stepped on board. One of the kids looked like Merida from Brave. She looked at me and I looked at her. “Hi.”I said. She was a bit shy through almost all the ride, until we saw Canada across the Detroit River. “Wow!”She said. Mom was not there so I took pictures for her.

When we got to our stop, I said bye, and stepped off the monorail. I felt cold on my toes as we walked toward Comerica Park. The Tigers will play at the park that night. We searched for our family paver stone hard. We looked and looked. Until….” Dad, here!”I said. There it was, reading, GO TIGERS JACOBS FAMILY.

Then we walked to the pro shop and entered. The place was PACKED with people, I tell you! As I saw a Tiger hamburger plush doll, I saw the people from the monorail standing a few feet away!

We left the shop and rode the monorail back to the car. As I got in warmth filled me up very fast. At that moment I started a new goal. When Mom gets home I will tell her all about my trip to Downtown Detroit.

(note: this is a Personal Narrative Lauren wrote for her English class about their adventure while I was in  Florida)

Orange Food Tastes Good!

(Apologies to Anne Burrell.)

Thanksgiving is next week!  When did that happen? We're going up to Jeff's parents' for dinner, and bringing pumpkin pies.  When Jeff was a teen, an entire pie was reserved just for him, but he's more moderate now. I'll make a traditional pie and whipped cream to go with it, but it's nice to have something in the healthier arena as well.

I made Chocolate Covered Katie's Crustless Pumpkin Pie last night. It was very easy and everyone really liked it. Not having to make a crust saved a ton of time and effort.  Since we're not vegan, I added an egg, but left the oil out.  Less than 100 calories per slice!  I also added a little ginger, because I love that bit of kick. Next week, I'll make the traditional version, but I'll be making Katie's version regularly this winter.

I also made Roasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Pilau last night, to go next to pork chops/fish.  The girls thought it was ok, but Jeff really liked it. Like, said three times how much he liked it.  I didn't have pumpkin, but I got a kuri squash last week, and they're pretty close, so I used that. I don't like how sweet potatoes sometimes get black spots when you roast them in the oven (no, they weren't burned), but they're still tasty. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken, and added some diced dried apricots because I had them and it sounded good.  I'm going to mix the leftovers with either diced chicken or ham for lunches this week.  This is another one I'll be making pretty steadily. 

The Calculus Dress

I've made a lot of things over the past ten years or so with my sewing machine. I've made Halloween costumes, Christmas dresses, Easter dresses, sundresses, pajamas, skirts, tote bags, lunch bags, quilts, and hats. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting.

But most of those things have been for kids, either my own or others. Last summer, I decided to start making a few things for myself. A lot of this was due to a seriously depleted wardrobe. I'm not much of a clothes horse to begin with, and losing weight left me with a lot of space in my closet. This is certainly a good problem to have, but it's still a problem.

I made a couple skirts for myself, nothing too difficult, and learned a little about what works for me and what doesn't.  But I wanted something a little more challenging.  I found Simplicity 2217 and really liked the wrap style of the bodice. I found a couple yards of a nice heavy fabric in the basement. It's a peacock teal, with a subtle woven effect on the right side, and I thought it would be just right.

Once I got the pattern, I knew I'd have to make a muslin first. I didn't want to cut into my fabric before I was sure what I had was correct. I first measured the pattern pieces, then myself, and realized that the bodice pieces would have to be lengthened. I've actually done that before, so I wasn't too worried. But then I looked at the bodice front pieces, at the jagged line along the bottom (to accommodate the pleats).

Enter the "deer in the headlights" look.  Um.  Well, that's different. I'd never seen a pattern piece like that. A Skype to my mom was in order.  She was trying to explain to me what I needed to do, but it just didn't translate to me, even though I could see her. Without being able to manipulate the fabric, we weren't getting anywhere. The realization hit us both at the same time. I needed to go to Florida so we could sew together!  When my Dad found out about the idea, he insisted on paying for my plane ticket, as a birthday & Christmas present for me. Is he great or what?

I packed with happy anticipation.  I was really looking forward to learning some new skills & tricks and advancing my knowledge.  I realized that sewing is kind of like math. Sarah & Lauren can use the machine to do basics--addition & subtraction, if you will.  I know lots of people that can do "multiplication & division" sewing.  I know a few people who are doing "pre-algebra, exponents, maybe a little scientific notation" sewing.  I'm confident in my "algebra & geometry" sewing.  I was expecting the dress to take me to "trigonometry" levels.  It would be a stretch, but not insurmountable. 

Nope.  Once I got down there and my mom started working on it, I realized that this was a "calculus" dress.  Hell, "ADVANCED calculus." Luckily, my mom has done "NASA-level astro physics" sewing.  I realized that fitting and tailoring are well beyond what I can do, and more than I could learn in the course of a weekend in Florida.  That level of work really needs more of an apprentice like program.

So my mom ended up doing all the heavy lifting on this dress--she determined where the pattern pieces needed to be altered, did all the darts and pleats, put in the zipper, and made sure every seam she worked on was perfect.  I learned how to ease a seam, and how to stitch a facing so it would lay flat--both "trig" tricks if I ever saw them.  I also set in the sleeves and hemmed it.

And so I give you (drumroll, please) . . .
The Calculus Dress.

We're on our way to church now!

Breakfast

I am a carb junkie, no doubt. Bread pudding is one of my favorite things ever, my stepmom's Thanksgiving stuffing being a close second.

I made Skinny Apple Pie Bread Pudding for breakfast this morning.  It was really good, but I ended up eating way too much of it. Sarah also liked it, but Lauren just thought it was ok.  I don't have custard cups, so I used my square 8x8 baking pan and used an extra piece of bread.  It worked out well, but did I mention that I ate way too much of it?  I'm going to get some custard cups/ramekins soon, because that kind of portion control is really necessary for me.

I'd also like to try Pumpkin Baked French Toast, which is essentially the same thing but with pumpkin (also vegan). Dark Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding looks ridiculously delicious, but it's no even remotely appropriate for breakfast.  That's another one that needs ramekins for portion control, so I have an excuse to wait on that one.

Sewing post coming SOON!

What's Cooking?

(a dressmaking post will be coming soon)

I made Apple Scones last week, and they turned out pretty good, but not as amazing as I'd hoped. I'm sure that's largely due to the fact that I've largely fallen off the healthy bandwagon, and am more used to cooking with a lot more fat & sugar than these called for.  I might make them again, but I'd rather go for some cinnamon rolls.

I took some BBQ chicken and put it into biscuit turnovers last week, to rave reviews from both kids. I'm trying to think of other things I can put inside a biscuit.  Sloppy joe meat looks the most promising based on kid reactions.

I'm also trying to decide what to do with the lone pound of ground beef in my freezer. One pound can go for burgers or chili or sloppy joes or meatballs or shepherd's pie or Hamburger Helper. It's not quite enough for pasties.

All of those are good things that will get eaten.  But I'd really like to try empanadas. They're similar to pasties, in that they have meat & vegetables and have a pastry crust, but the meat is cooked ahead of time, and of course the flavors are totally different. I really like trying new things, although they aren't always a hit with everyone else.