Acting like a housewife

Last Saturday, Kendall and I (and William) had a girls day out. Kendall needed a pair of dress shoes for an upcoming wedding and we decided to go have lunch before shopping. Kendall loves Cheeseburger In Paradise, mostly, I think, for the Virgin Coladas, and we hadn't been for a while, so I suprised her with her favorite restaurant. Well, we had a great lunch (my talapia was So Yummy, and what do they do to their brocolli?). Then came the bill. $50 big ones. For 2 people! I usually keep a close eye on what is being spent when we eat out, but I let loose and spent $50 on lunch!

Tim gasped in horror, but he's a great guy and that was the end of it. But the eating out must cease for the time being. So I have made a plan for meals for the week. Tonight we had Johnny Marzetti (which my dad, who is from Youngstown, OH calls Grigsley Koogsley), which in my family wasn't made with spaghetti sauce but canned or fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and a little salt and sugar (to counteract any bitterness of the tomato). It is simple and yummy and not overly spicy. William ate a whole bowl.


I have that mixer (really). I often make that face. I'm such a cool housewife!

The kids will be gone tomorrow, and I wanted to make risotto, but I'm having a difficult time finding short grain rice in Marysville. So I'll be making Coq Au Vin and Roasted Potatoes instead. It's easy to make in a slow crock pot, just put the veggies in the bottom (carrots, mushrooms, celery), the chicken on top of the veg, the herbs (thyme, rosemary, and sage - herbes de provence - and a bay leaf or two), the garlic, and the onion on top of that, add some chicken broth and wine et viola - crock pot Coq Au Vin. That being said, I am going all out and making it the old fashioned way (there is a great recipe here). With the old fashioned version, the wine sauce thickens nicely as the chicken is floured and braised. If you want a sauce with the crock pot version, you'll have to remove all of the chicken, etc, and thicken the juices. And lets face it; the stove top version just tastes better.

I'm also planning on making lasagna (which makes excellent left overs and can be whipped up ahead of time) and a turkey breast and corn pudding (a Collin favorite) at some point. We'll have a roast on a night when everyone is home (which are fewer and farther between), and I'll just have to wing the rest. I'm beginning to feel more and more like June Cleaver in tennis shoes!

All of this, and a mountain (literally) of laundry in the basement, a VERY busy baby to keep up with, and the Olympics! I am an Olympic junkie, and what a night last night! I'm probably one of 1 million people writing about the men's 4X100m freestyle relay - what an amazing race! I was a little concerned that Michael Phelps was going to have a stroke, but who can blame him! My husband and I both screamed and jumped up and down when the US won - the kids came running afraid that we'd been hurt! And I am so excited about Michael Phelps' medal prospects - the Greatest Olympian! - and the men's and women's gymnastics competitions. I was so disappointed when hometown hero Paul Hamm withdrew due to a broken hand, but then Raj Bhavsar got his spot on the Olympic team, and he is amazing! This is what I love about the Olympics; the great upsets, the looked over getting their chance to shine, and, of course, seeing the athletes do things that I couldn't do in my wildest dreams!



Well, the baby is melting down (it's his bedtime), so I must end my Sports Analysis (most likely the only one you will ever see on this blog). And I'm missing synchronized diving, which is amazingly unacceptable (or not). Some miscellaneous sites next post.

Knitting Sites Galore

So I promised some knitting sites, and here they are! I really cannot say enough about StumbleUpon; quite a few of the cool sites that I have discovered are the result of it. But enough said about that, to the sites!

The big news this month is the launch of The Twist Collective, and it was worth the wait! The articles are top notch, and the patterns - brilliant. Just check out "bonnie", a mock turtleneck sweater with genius celtic cabling (downloadable for $7). I have a soft spot for great cables, and "wisteria" by Kate Gilbert has some of the most inventive cable detailing that I have seen. If you are a sock knitter, you won't be disappointed; there are five sock patterns, an article on sock yarn, and a tutorial on the inserted heel sock. If you have not entered this wonderland of knitting lusciousness, get there now!

The Knitting Fiend is a helpful site that contains generators for many knit items, including sweaters, headbands, socks, etc. The site also includes lessons in bust darts, the kitchener stitch, gauge and yardage, and many other tricky knitting skills. There is a knitting convertor and several basic sweater patterns as well.



I really must say more about the knitting convertor on The Knitting Fiend - it really is quite wonderful. Visit this page to do all those complicated knitting calculations: converting rows and stitches from one pattern to another gauge, increases and decreases necessary to taper sleeves, knitting cuffs, etc, shape hat crowns, and on and on. Really a handy tool.

Kiss Your Shadow is not a knitting site, but it contains a really cool, really fun tool - a random stripe generator. You can choose from a large number of colors, select the allowable stripe widths and the total number of rows in your project. Useful for sweaters, scarves, hats, whatever your imagination canjures up. So fun, check it out!

This next site will make you go "Ooohhh." Chic Knits is a site with modern hand knitting patterns designed by Bonne Marie Burns. The patterns are classic and beautiful and they will make you wish that you could knit much faster than you actually can (for a prolific, inventive knitter and also a great blog, check out Canary Knits - she seems to knit a sweater a day. How does she do it?!). There is a nice section of tips and articles and a nice knitting blog.

Find yourself spending much to much on yarn? Knitter's Review has a money saving article for you, "Online Guide: Where to Find Inexpensive Yarns." Times are tough, and let's face it, part of the joy of knitting is making something out of a yummy yarn. Use this site to protect your bottom line.



You must check out Knitting Scouts. Do you love badges? Do you long for the days when cooking dinner earned you another patch on your girl scout sash? You most likely have earned one of these hilarious badges and you don't even know it.

And finally, I mentioned in an earlier post that I have been knitting a prayer shawl. There are hundreds of sites on the internet where you can find the Trinity Stitch prayer shawl pattern, but The Prayer Shawl Ministry Site is what you visit when you want to learn everything - yes, everything, about the prayer shawl. There is an interesting section regarding symbolism behind the different colors used to kint the shawl, a message board, info on how to start a prayer shawl ministry, and wonderful prayers for beginning the shawl, contemplation, and specific conditions in which the shawl may be used.

Goin' to the Zoo

A few days ago, during one of our increasingly frequent discussions with Collin about learning how to get along with his sister (Kendall got one too) we talked to Collin about how there is only 2 more weeks of summer vacation (cue Handel's "Hallelujiah Chorus") and was there anything that he wanted to do as a family before school started. He suggested going to California, going to a pro sports game, and Disney World, which unfortunately were all non-options since the money tree died, and then he came up with the zoo. The Columbus Zoo is a very much underrecognized world-caliber zoo that neither Tim nor I had visited in 10 years, so the decision was made: To the Zoo!

Kendall, her boyfriend, and Collin disappeared pretty much the second that we walked through the gate, so it was just the hubby, the baby, and me. Will has always been fascinated by animals, and we were excited to see what he would think of the zoo. Well, wouldn't you know it, he was too distracted by the other babies and children streaming by to notice much else. He did, however, have a jolly old time in the petting zoo, where the goats actually were happy to let him pet them (unlike our cats, who flee in terror when they see him).


Will makes a new friend

My earliest memory of the Columbus Zoo is much like all zoos of the time, rows of little cages with animals pacing back and forth. But when Jack Hanna took over as zoo director of the zoo in 1978 (yes, David Letterman's Jack Hanna), it was transformed into acres and acres of gorgeous animal habitats, which are now organized by continent.

Another early memory involves the 1914 M C Illions Carousel (listed on the National Register of Historic Places). It is a gorgeous carousel, complete with all 52 of its original horses, 2 chariots, and a band organ. Nowadays the horses stand pretty much upright, but when I was a kid, the horses tipped side to side and, I kid you not, they had to be at a 55 degree angle for a large portion of the ride. The majority of my time was spent clinging desperately to the pole so that I wouldn't plummet to my death off of the horse. The tipping was fortunately discontinued and now millions of kids enjoy this beauty every year.


See, the horses are straight!

Peacocks roam freely throughout the zoo, which brings me to a story about my Grandma Rosie. When I was around 10, my grandparents took my cousin Rachael and I to the zoo. Shortly after entering the park, a peacock appeared and seemed to take a liking to my grandmother. She didn't do anything to provoke its affections, but we were followed all day long by grandma's peacock suitor, who on occassion pecked lovingly at her toes and rubbed around her legs. Many displays of peacock plumage and manly strutting also transpired. When we were leaving the park, a zoo keeper had to physically restrain the peacock so that he wouldn't leave the park to live forever with his new love. The parting was tragic and a little violent, but I believe that the relationship was ill fated from the start.


Columbus's most romantic bird

The zoo's claim to fame is Colo, who, in 1956, became the first gorilla born in captivity. Since that time, the Columbus zoo has become a worldwide leader in the care, conservation, and breeding of gorillas. Colo is now a great-grandmother and is still thriving. PBS recently ran an incredibly beautiful (and heartbreaking) Nature episode entitled "Snowflake: The White Gorilla"; Colo and Dotty, Colo's great-granddaughter were featured in the episode. If you have the opportunity to see it, watch this episode, unless you don't like to get teary-eyed.


Happy gorillas at the zoo

I think most people my age who grew up in Columbus have a bit of a love affair with the zoo. Did I mention that they currently have the largest snake in captivity ("Fuzzy" the python), that they have a wonderful manatee exhibit, that they championed white tigers at a time when other zoos were euthanizing them at birth due to their genetic abnormality? Columbus really is a great city with a great zoo.

So it wasn't my intention to write a travel log-advertisement for the zoo; I did get a bit carried away, but our trip today took me back to my childhood and reminded me how much I just love our zoo. Hopefully, on our next visit, Will will become a bit more observant and start his love-affair. Until then, he can dream about new animals called goats that let him pet them and tried to eat mommy's camera cord and a land of endless babies in strollers just like him.

Say hello to these nifty sites!

Tim, Collin, Kendall, and her boyfriend Patrick (who cleaned out my microwave this morning - yes, I know, there are not words) are busy cleaning out our garage (aka, the pit of misfit household items) so that I can actually get my car into it (the motorcycle already has it's place; don't get me started). Anyway, that gives me some time to introduce some of the nifty sites that I have discovered over the last month.

Cooking

There is no end to the fantastic cooking sites on the internet! One that I have particularly enjoyed is Foodgawker, where foodies and regular schmoes publish beautiful pictures of their culinary creations, which, when clicked, will take you to the corresponding blog or food site. The homepage changes daily, but right now it includes Thin Mint muffins, Thai Chicken Sausage rolls, and Wild Mushroom Risotto, just to name a few. Very inventive and delectable recipes at your fingertips!

My grandma taught me how to cook (my mom and step-mom were partial contributors, but grandma was my main influence). So it is understandable that I would be attracted to the food blog How to Cook Like Your Grandmother. I've often thought that in this world of microwaves and fast food and saturated fat terror that people are totally losing out on the good old-fashioned meals of our childhood. Check out this recipe for Peach Cobbler and you will remember the days when food simply tasted good and you didn't have to consult your dietician and spiritual guru before eating it.


Not my grandma, but I'll bet she was a great cook!

What's Cooking America is a HUGE database of regionally based recipes, cooking articles, hints and tips, and on and on and on. I came across it because of my insatiable love of my cast-iron chicken fryer and a fortuitous Stumble. The Irreplacable Cast Iron Skillet is an excellent article on proper seasoning and care of the beloved iron pan (check out this article, too); there are innumerable other articles covering any cooking topic you can fathom. The regional recipes section is a bit sparse, but there is enough there that is it certainly worth a visit - etouffee anyone?

My mom always said that I should have been born into an Italian family because I never came across a noodle that I didn't fall in love with (Spatzel and cabbage and noodles, while yummy and filling in an German-Irish sort of way, just isn't the same). I would choose a good risotto over anything else even from an early age. Italian Home Recipes is full of more authentic Italian deliciousness than most sites I have found. Right now, the featured recipe is Risotto with Scallops (my bar none most favorite seafood which means I am drooling on my brand new keyboard). All of the recipes are rated and comments are allowed, which I have always found very helpful, not to mention that the pictures are mouthwatering. Channel your inner Italian with Italian Home Recipes.

I hope you enjoy these sites and take the opportunity to expand your cooking repertoire when you spy a new irrisistable recipe. Next post, knitting madness!

Update from the Homefront

I haven't posted for a while, so I suppose an update is in order. Actually, I was reminded that I actually have a blog and could I please post by A FAN who emailed me!!! I have a fan!!! WOOHOO! I didn't think anyone read this thing and I was just blowing smoke in cyberspace, but thanks to FaithBunker, I know that this blogging thing actually works!

Okay. I have taken a few deep breaths and a tranquilizer (not really) and am able to continue in the calm, sophisticated tone of previous posts.

Well, we've had illness in the house, which has kept me from the keyboard (which is new and actually works!). Just colds, but have you noticed that colds aren't like the happy-go-lucky colds of the 70's, when you were a little stuffy for a few days but they certainly didn't keep you from your Bionic Woman doll and all of her cool accessories? Now, colds knock me on my butt! I was in bed for two days. Maybe it's just because I'm old, but I was a wreck!

But that's not all. Kendall, my figure skater, will have to take a short leave of absence from the rink as she gracefully broke her toe last night while doing laundry. There is a pole at the bottom of our stairs, and she must have forgotten it was there, because she gave her toe a good whacking. My previous-life-as-a-pediatrician skills came in handy; I am good with a splint.


Kendall has a flair for the dramatic

William was alone in the living room with me today when he pulled himself up to standing using my pant leg, took me by the hand, and started to walk around the house with me, leading me to where he wanted to go. My heart nearly burst with maternal love! We walked to the bathroom, where he took a look at the toilet, his current object of fascination, then he took me to the front door. We walked outside, to the baby ginkgo tree, then back to one of Collin's footballs, where a short game of push and chase the football commenced. He then stood back up, took my by the hand, and we walked around to the garage, where Tim was fooling around with his motorcycle. He babbled a dissertation to daddy and then wanted to be picked up. This was the longest walk of his 18 month life and the first one that he decided upon without mommy's prompting. My baby is growing up too fast! As my mom often said to me, I'm going to have to tie a great big rock to his head to keep him little.


William taking a quite serious walk with Kendall.

Tim is doing well. Tim, who shattered his lower leg in a moped accident (he was hit by a truck driven by a man who did not yield) and swore that he would never ride again now has a new motorcycle that he hobbles up to with his crutches, turns on, strokes lovingly, and then turns off. He says that it gives him incentive to keep going and getting better. Okay. I don't ride. I am afraid of motorcycles and have only ridden with Tim once, during which I held onto him so tightly as to crush his ribcage (okay, not really) and squeezed my eyes shut in abject terror. I also don't think I took a breath for 3 blocks. I will give him the fact that they are amazingly fuel efficient (especially this one, which will sit in the garage indefinately as there is no way that Tim can ride until he can actually walk). I don't know where I am going with this particular story, except to say that I am proud of him for how far he has come in so little of a time. Okay, he can keep the motorcycle.


A wee little picture of my honey

What to say about Collin. He is 10. His life revolves around video games, inane DVDs like "Drillbit Taylor", shooting hoops, and the pool. He did go to football camp. He had a good time. He's 10, what can I say?


See that colorful quilt in the back? I made it!

So I guess that leaves me. I am now knitting a prayer shawl, which has put all other projects into hibernation. It's the widely used Trinity Stitch Pattern, which is simple and allows one to be quite meditative while knitting. Of course, I veered from the pattern by using size 10 needles, Bernat Boucle yarn (the #11's left holes where I purled which vexed me to no end, #10's solved the problem), and casting on 63 stitches. This number, and the recommended 57, is nice because you always begin with the knit stitch at the beginning of every row. I will try the recommended Lion Brand Homespun on the next shawl I knit as there will be more definition to the stitch pattern (which is obscured by the boucle). I am hoping to start a group in the community, but right now I am focusing on knitting shawls for my church to be given to whoever needs them.

We still have the Niagra in our basement. We should start charging admission. Then maybe we could afford a plumber so that I could take a bath. We do have a free-standing shower in another bathroom that is not involved in our Basement-Wonder-of-North-America, but I don't like to shower. I love a steaming hot bath. It is my evening therapy. Tim has a line on a guy at the church who is a plumber; fingers crossed that he will help us out. I miss my bath tub.


This is my basement, complete with the city in the background. Really.

So that's that. I have to go take a shower. Bah.