greetingarts

all over the place

That's me lately, totally disjointed, flighty, can't seem to settle on anything.  Does anybody else ever get like this?  I'm in some sort of dejected, dissatisfied funk, even though there are at least a dozen different things I could be working on.

A little bit of sewing, another block from Ramblin' Rose Meets Jamestown.

Putting together some crocheted hexagons for a baby blanket to give to charity by the end of the month.

Test knitting for a talented designer.

Trying to wrap up some embroidery I started many, many months ago.

Entertaining the girls with nests made from white chocolate and crispy chow-mein noodles, decorated with jellybean eggs, colored sprinkles and more chocolate.  At least this was one project we did manage to finish.

putty in her hands

First, let me say thank you to all of you who sent me comments and emails about Becca's dental appointment today.  I was getting seriously worked up about it (gee, I wonder where Becca gets all her anxiety from?), but aside from the fact that she ate two bites of a friend's peanut butter cracker at snack time when I *told* her she wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after breakfast, and had a mild panic attack when the dentist was in the middle of filling one of her cavities, she was such an amazing little trooper.  I think what bothered her most of all was the cotton roll they put in her mouth to prevent her from accidentally biting her own lip or cheek while it was numb.  She can't stand to look silly, or have people make fun of her, and that cotton sticking out of her mouth just about killed her. 

But I did my darnedest to make her happy for the rest of the day.  First stop was Pinkberry for a dentist-approved cold treat, and then we went home to take advantage of some Jessie-free time and made some Valentines for Rebecca's class party tomorrow.

Using the recipe found here, we made homemade clay.  I did all the stove top stuff, and Becca measured all the ingredients, added the red food coloring, and kneaded the dough.

She tried using the rolling pin, but turned out to be a little over-zealous, leaving some parts paper thin, so I was quickly assigned that job.

We used cookie cutters to make heart shapes, and bagged them up in Strawberry Shortcake ziptop baggies, with a special one for the teacher.

I let her eat a Cup O' Noodles on the coffee table in front of the television, I let her get away with no bath before bedtime, I read her the book she chose as she snuggled in her bed, eyes closing before the last note of her favorite song was sung.  She's still my baby, and I'm so relieved that this dental appointment went so well.  One down, two more to go...

Oh, and by the way, I'm not getting all my Typepad comments emailed to me lately.  Some are coming through, but not all.  So if you've recently commented and I haven't replied, please don't be offended or think I don't care.  I do, very much!  Frankly, your words and the friendships I've made through blogging are really what makes this worthwhile and rewarding for me.  I treasure every single person that passes by here, even if they choose to remain silent.

sweetie

I took Becca to work with me today, picked her up after school and drove to a local Catholic school where we helped teach a chocolate workshop.  It was a lot of work, almost 20 junior high school girls, and just my boss, me, and Becca.  She was a real help, passing out waxed paper, paintbrushes, bowls of chocolate.

In the midst of all the craziness, Becca and I managed to make these little boxes out of white chocolate, brushed with Luster Dust for that sparkly, glittery effect.

My boss was so sweet (ha! no pun intended) and gave Becca $4 at the end of the afternoon for being the greatest little helper.  Becca was so thrilled she couldn't think of a single thing to say except for a teeny little shy "thank you," and if you know my girl, you know that's pretty remarkable!  Those four dollar bills lay cradled on her lap as she fell asleep almost the instant she was buckled into her booster seat.  She slept for an hour and a half as we drove to pick up Jessie from Grandma's house, then sat in traffic on the way home.  And later, she still managed to fall asleep within 20 minutes at bedtime.  I guess making chocolate really tuckers a girl out.

coming out of the pantry

Ali, this post's for you, as promised.

I have a confession to make.  I have a lot of cupcake liners, paper cases, baking cups, whatever you call them, I've got them.  Lots of them.

Plain pastel.

Valentine's, regular and mini.

Mini Halloween.

Christmas ones.

And I hadn't even realized it, but they pretty much all have silicone siblings.

It's shocking, I know.  In my defense, all of these were purchased *after* each holiday, when they were on clearance.

Maybe I'll break out the cookbook and get baking with my girls when Becca gets off school today.  Nice treat after homework, don't you think?

orange + yellow

This week's color photo was taken back in November, when I was trying to spice up a boring day spent indoors.  Just strategically placed slices of tamago, bread, and some seaweed salad for the face and hair (yeah, my kids will eat that).  By the look of those smiles on my girls' faces, I think I succeeded.

Christmas vacation ends tomorrow, then it's back to school on Monday.  It might be difficult to get back into the routine, especially the early to bed and early to rise.  Hopefully, though, there will be a renewed energy, greater focus, more patience and understanding on everyone's part.  I think I'm ready for 2008.

merry merry

May your days be merry and bright.

And may there be peace on earth and goodwill toward siblings.

Much love to you all!

blue + yellow

Happy Saturday morning!  The babe lost 6 pounds in about 12 days while she was sick.  But now she hasn't stopped wanting to eat since the wedding, and I'm happy to oblige.  Put a little butter in a skillet, use a cookie cutter to cut a shape out of the middle of a piece of bread, crack an egg inside, let it set up and flip once, then serve on a Cinderella blue plate.  Grown up, yet fun, and not a crumb left over.

And here's the cut out shape, which gets toasted right alongside the rest of it.  Uh oh.  That looks so mean and unfair, doesn't it?  But, Jessie, you said you didn't want an egg!  Oh, shoot.  You know what she's looking at, right?  Sitting next to her?  Picture #1?  Oh, my heart is breaking and my mom is going to call me the minute she sees this post.  I'd better go make another...

pizza party day

We couldn't let this day pass without celebrating it, so we had make-your-own bagel pizzas tonight for dinner. 

Having donned the proper attire (aprons + tiara for Rebecca), and with mountains of shredded mozzerella and bowlfuls of sauce, pizzas were made.

I should have measured this one, but I think it was something around 4 inches tall.  Yum!

Hope you have time to enjoy a pizza or two this weekend!

tumbleweed

It's 50 degrees right now, at 10:30 in the morning.  Four days ago, it was 84.  What the...?



Oh, whatever, it's the perfect day for vegetable soup.  Becca's going to cut up all the mushrooms, pour in the soup stock and add the ingredients.  Can't wait, my mouth is watering.

gold

Don't know if this actually counts as cooking, but I've been working on gifts for my husband to send to his work-related friends and associates.



You take some Double Stuff Oreos (I got the special holiday mint-flavored ones), a trip to the cake supply store (bring that credit card, those little sprinkly guys and fancy royal icing figures are pricey!), melt some good chocolate, and start dipping, sprinkling, and playing.



Before you know it, you've got gold. 

I wish I'd thought to take a photo of them all lined up in rows on the wax papered cookie sheets.  Looked really neat that way.  I made 10 boxes total, with half a dozen treats in each, and it took me two nights after the girls were asleep.  Usually Rebecca gets to have all the fun with things that involve sprinkles and sugar, but this time they were all mine.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and eat one or two that didn't pass inspection.

(Updated on 1/6/2007: This link was added to Whiplash in the GIFT category just to add to the idea pool.)