Stepping Up in the World

Well, Ella has learned how to climb the stairs. This means change around here. I mean for the first 50 weeks and 3 days of her life she was satisfied, even content, with being on the middle level of the house. That is as long as she was able to unravel the tin foil from it’s roll, or pull out every last sandwich baggie from the box (and fyi–they don’t fit back in the box very well) or yank the cereal out of the cabinet, or eat lint out of the trash in the laundry room. (And before you ask, yes, I do watch my child.) But yesterday, once she had figured out the first step, she wanted nothing more than to climb all afternoon long. And for me, that meant standing behind her, listening to her huff and puff and squeal as she got higher and higher. And watching her turn around to look and make sure I’m there, watching her, rooting her on. And when she got distracted by a piece of lint on the stairs, and tried to sit down to check it out, I was there to catch her.

I could just put up another gate.

But then I wouldn’t get to see that little chubby face, that proud smile with all four teeth showing and her eyes wide with delight looking down at me.

 

And this way, she will know that her Mommy will always be there for her, to cheer for her, and to catch her when she falls. 

The Smell of Summer

I’m askin’ you…is there anything that smells more like summer than the smell of a pool towel, dried in the sun?

Is summer really here?!  Drink it in–it never lasts long.

Things I Love About Today

Blue skies as far as the eye can see

The Violin & Viola at 8:30 mass

Lavender and strawberry plants

Shopping with my daughter

A Cookout with good friends

Watching the kids play “kick the can”

My new merlot peep-toe wedges

Carpets that are freshly steam-cleaned

A glass (or two) of Cabernet Sauvignon

Knowing that so many men and women gave the ultimate gift so that I could live a free life in the greatest country in the world.  Happy Memorial Day America!

Next Subject Please

One of the things the children do in school is study a new country each year.  This year in the first grade, Kate learned about Australia.  Or I should say the rest of the class learned about Australia.  Because Kate knew a lot about Australia, already.

 

 

On Boys and Organizing

I know what you’re thinking…boys and organizing don’t go together.  But I’ve got a bird (or two) of a different feather.  I could hear them conspiring in their room, whispering to each other.  This is what my boys did in there this morning:

This is their treasure drawer.  Notice the neatly-stacked sweatbands… 

 

These are some of their books–organized by size…

 

Check out the shoes, lined up all neat and tidy.  Their shirts are all folded (and you can’t tell from the picture but they are organized by length of sleeve).  Even the sleeping bags are stacked up!  Oh, my heart is all a-flutter!   

 

This is the top bunk.  Do you know how hard it is for me 4 and 6 year olds to make up the top bunk?!   

 

The finished product…

 

I don’t know how it happened…perhaps there is an organizing gene (which I have inherited, too), or maybe they have learned this particular form of insanity skill from watching the way their mommy folds towels.  Or maybe they’ve watched one too many episodes of Clean House… 

Midnight Movie

Last night about 11:30, the hubster and I went to check in on Henry, to make sure he wasn’t burning up with fever.  He was burning up with fever.  We took off his jammies, got him some tylenol and ibuprofen, and a cool drink.  I wanted to be sure that his fever went down so we snuggled together, in the big chair in my bedroom, watching Ratatouille.  Only Henry calls it Ratatooti.  How cute is that?  We stayed up until 12:30 snuggling in that chair, watching Ratatooti.  At some point I dozed off, but was awakened by a kiss on my cheek and a big grin from that four year old boy.

 

It was just the type of moment you imagine you’re going to have before you actually have children.  Things rarely turn out the way you think it’s going to be.  But moments like this are sprinkled into your life, and you appreciate them all the more for their rarity.  

Rainy Days and Macaroni Go Hand in Hand

It’s raining again.  Not that I’m complaining.  Because it sure beats me having to drag the hose out to water the 100 or so plants we put in the ground over the last couple weeks.

And Henry is sick with what William had last week, so we aren’t going to be going anywhere.  It’s just gonna be one of those get-what-you-can-done-around-the-house days while the baby naps (and just for the record, she’s fightin’ it).  But I did manage to get my very best macaroni and cheese made for the kiddos.  It takes a while to put together, but I’m tellin’ you, once you’ve tasted this, you can never go back to that other stuff.  I mean when mac -n- cheese has cayenne and nutmeg, gruyere and pecorino romano in it, how can you go wrong? 

The smell in the kitchen is unbeatable, and this is for sure a comfort food.  The perfect one for a cool, rainy, not-feelin’-so-good kind of day. 

 UPDATED!  Here is the recipe y’all:

8 tbsp unsalted butter

6 slices good white bread (I use baguettes or sourdough) cut into 3/4 inch cubes

5 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne

4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar

2 cups grated Gruyere, or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano

1 lb macaroni

Butter a 3 qt casserole dish and set aside.  Melt 2 tbsp of the butter, and drizzle over the bread cubes, toss to combine; set aside.

In a med saucepan set over medium heat, heat the milk.  Melt remaining 6 tbsp butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat.  When butter bubbles, add flour.  Cook and stir for 1 minute.  Add salt, nutmeg, pepper and cayenne.  While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk.  Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. 

Remove pan from heat, add 3 cups cheddar, 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Romano, stir until combined and set aside. 

Cook Macaroni two minutes less than manufacturer’s directions.  Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.  Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.  Pour mixture into casserole dish.  Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup gruyere or 1/4 cup romano on top, and bread cubes over top.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until browned on top and cheese is bubbly.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

I got this basic recipe from Martha Stewart.  I have used whole milk, skim, different cheeses, etc., and it always turns out fantastic.  Definitely not heart healthy, but sure is good for the soul. 

Things I Love about Today

The smell of coffee downstairs in the morning

Sunshine streaming through the shutters

The sound of baby Ella waking on the monitor

Irises in bloom

 

My shy little girl in her dance make-up

Cooking out on the charcoal grill

Corn on the cob

The hummingbird who visits our flowers daily

The way the campfire in the fire pit smells

The way William can’t sit still when he eats S’mores

Laying in bed at night, next to my best friend, listening to the rain shower…

 

Things I am less fond of…

The five foot black snake in our backyard.  But oh, how the kids loved him!

 

My Friend Mike

As the five o’clock hour ever so slowly approaches, I have to send a shout out to my new friend.  Mike, we’ve really just met, but today, I call you friend. 

 

This day’s been a doozy.

WFMW

Updated:  I thought soon after I posted this that I should have included a recipe, and then one of y’all even asked for it (great minds…) so here it is:

-one cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves

-1/2 cup firmly packed parsley sprigs

-1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan

-1/4 cup pine nuts

-1 large clove garlic, smashed

-1/4 cup olive oil

In food processor combine basil leaves, parsley, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic and 1/4 tsp salt.  Pulse in food processor until paste forms.  Stream in olive oil until you reach desired consistency.  One little note here…I generally leave out the pine nuts, and have often used only basil, no parsley.  It is lovely just the same.  You may need to adjust the amount of olive oil you add if you do this.  Play around with it and make it how you like–you won’t be sorry! 

 

Summer is wonderful with all its tastes and smells, and then cometh Autumn.  Now, I LOVE Autumn–it’s my fave.  however, the fresh herbs tend to whither away pretty quickly once the weather turns.  And there is nothing like fresh basil to transport you back into summer, even on the coldest of wintry days.  I generally have so much basil I don’t know what to do with it all.  So what I do periodically throughout the summer is make pesto.  Pesto freezes very well–Just put it in ice cube trays for the perfect sized serving, freeze it, and then you have “summer” all year round!  And folks, it’s not just for pasta…you can use it as a dipper for grilled chicken, a marinade or rub, you can flavor soups with it.  I even plop a dollop of it in the middle of the kids’ spaghetti plates.  They LOVE it!  Give it a try!

Go to Rocks In My Dryer for more things that work!