I hope your day was made of awesome! Happy Birthday, kiddo!
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Happy 10th Birthday to The Zoester!
Double digits!
I hope your day was made of awesome! Happy Birthday, kiddo!
I hope your day was made of awesome! Happy Birthday, kiddo!
Marathon Day
So, tomorrow (Sunday) is the marathon. Here's the deal: a while back, I hurt my foot. It's better now but not 100%. I've not been able to do long runs or much any real marathon training, which is a bit of a problem. (Understatement.) I really debated whether to pull out of the marathon, but ultimately decided to go ahead with it anyway.
I'll be mostly walking, not so much running, and I'm probably not going to be able to finish, but I'll be there at the start. My plan is to go for as long as my foot holds out. (Pete says this is not a plan, but hey, it's all I've got.) I have no idea what my pace will be or how far I'm going to go. I could limp off the course at mile 1 or still be trudging along 6 hours later. Who knows! Won't this be fun...
Anyway, to celebrate the fact that, injury aside, this year I'm actually healthy enough to be at the start -- which, for those of you who remember my health debacle from last year, is indeed something to celebrate -- we're going to be at Lucky's in Mendota post-marathon. I reckon we'll be there by 4 or so. If you're so inclined, stop on out! Have a beer, munch on some onion rings, and help us celebrate my DNF. Because in this case, it's not remotely about the journey, destination, or the finish. It's all about the start, baby. Yeah.
I'll be mostly walking, not so much running, and I'm probably not going to be able to finish, but I'll be there at the start. My plan is to go for as long as my foot holds out. (Pete says this is not a plan, but hey, it's all I've got.) I have no idea what my pace will be or how far I'm going to go. I could limp off the course at mile 1 or still be trudging along 6 hours later. Who knows! Won't this be fun...
Anyway, to celebrate the fact that, injury aside, this year I'm actually healthy enough to be at the start -- which, for those of you who remember my health debacle from last year, is indeed something to celebrate -- we're going to be at Lucky's in Mendota post-marathon. I reckon we'll be there by 4 or so. If you're so inclined, stop on out! Have a beer, munch on some onion rings, and help us celebrate my DNF. Because in this case, it's not remotely about the journey, destination, or the finish. It's all about the start, baby. Yeah.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
How times have changed
A writer whose blog I follow recently wrote about how a question came up: would people's kids recognize an ashtray? She showed a picture of an ashtray to her 9-year-old daughter. Lo, the kid didn't know what it was.
So of course, I had to try this on my two. I asked the girls to look at this image, and asked them if they knew what it was. "Uh," Emma said blankly. "Is it a bowl?"
Morgan stared at it for a bit longer. "Oh, I know," she exclaimed. "It's a hot dog cooker!"
I almost spewed my coffee all over the laptop. "A hot dog cooker?" I said when I had recovered. "Why do you think it's a hot dog cooker?"
She explained how the notches along the sides are clearly for the sticks to rest on (duh, Mom), and you put the fire in the middle, and voila! Hot dog cooker. (That's pretty ingenious, now that I think about it. Maybe we should market this.) She wasn't quite sure how it would work lugging this thing to and from a campground, though, as it would be messy, heavy, and big. When she said that, I finally realized she thought it was much bigger its actual size, like campfire ring size. I explained that it's actually about the size of my palm. "Well, then, I don't know what it is," she said, and she and Emma said together: "What is it?"
I told them that it was an ashtray. They boggled over that much as you would boggle over any relic from the olden days , then went off to eat their breakfasts.
When I was a kid back in the dark ages of the 1970s, it seemed like everybody smoked. My parents didn't smoke, but they had ashtrays on hand because most of their friends smoked. Most of my extended family smoked. My grandfather smoked (and it killed him). It was everywhere. People's houses, restaurants, offices, airplanes. Today, things are different. I know a few smokers but they're the exception, not the norm, and they're not smoking in their houses. Restaurants and everywhere else are smoke free. And until this morning, my 10 year olds had no idea what an ashtray was. (Hot dog cooker. HEE.) It's cool how much things have shifted in a generation, but it's also a little bizarre. Or maybe that's just me turning into an old foogy. Back in my day...
So of course, I had to try this on my two. I asked the girls to look at this image, and asked them if they knew what it was. "Uh," Emma said blankly. "Is it a bowl?"
Morgan stared at it for a bit longer. "Oh, I know," she exclaimed. "It's a hot dog cooker!"
I almost spewed my coffee all over the laptop. "A hot dog cooker?" I said when I had recovered. "Why do you think it's a hot dog cooker?"
She explained how the notches along the sides are clearly for the sticks to rest on (duh, Mom), and you put the fire in the middle, and voila! Hot dog cooker. (That's pretty ingenious, now that I think about it. Maybe we should market this.) She wasn't quite sure how it would work lugging this thing to and from a campground, though, as it would be messy, heavy, and big. When she said that, I finally realized she thought it was much bigger its actual size, like campfire ring size. I explained that it's actually about the size of my palm. "Well, then, I don't know what it is," she said, and she and Emma said together: "What is it?"
I told them that it was an ashtray. They boggled over that much as you would boggle over any relic from the olden days , then went off to eat their breakfasts.
When I was a kid back in the dark ages of the 1970s, it seemed like everybody smoked. My parents didn't smoke, but they had ashtrays on hand because most of their friends smoked. Most of my extended family smoked. My grandfather smoked (and it killed him). It was everywhere. People's houses, restaurants, offices, airplanes. Today, things are different. I know a few smokers but they're the exception, not the norm, and they're not smoking in their houses. Restaurants and everywhere else are smoke free. And until this morning, my 10 year olds had no idea what an ashtray was. (Hot dog cooker. HEE.) It's cool how much things have shifted in a generation, but it's also a little bizarre. Or maybe that's just me turning into an old foogy. Back in my day...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Dinner: soup
This is one of the kids' all-time favorites: homemade chicken noodle soup.
No squinchy faces for this one. Emma approves!
(Sides not pictured: homemade bread with butter, and milk from the cows at Cedar Summit Farm.)
The girls say I should sell my soup secrets to a soup company. I think not! But I will tell you what's in my soup:
water
onion
garlic
oregano
thyme
pepper
carrots
celery
chicken
noodles
salt to taste
Pretty simple. Pretty good.
No squinchy faces for this one. Emma approves!
(Sides not pictured: homemade bread with butter, and milk from the cows at Cedar Summit Farm.)
The girls say I should sell my soup secrets to a soup company. I think not! But I will tell you what's in my soup:
water
onion
garlic
oregano
thyme
pepper
carrots
celery
chicken
noodles
salt to taste
Pretty simple. Pretty good.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Hodge podge post
There were a bunch o' images hanging out on the memory card...time to get them processed and filed away. Here are some of the highlights.
Here's Morgan snuggling with Bailey, our beagle-basset Humane Society refugee. [Insert "Awwwww!" here.] Oh, how the girls love that dog. Oh, does that dog ever have it good. Sleep, eat, cuddle. Soak up the love of two adoring little girls. Repeat. Can we say that this dog totally landed on her feet when she came to live with us?
Saturday, the four of us plus the Felschkins took part in the Plymouth Firefighters 5K. Eric ran the 5K and did quite well, finishing in 26:something. Val, Pete, and I are all coming back from various injuries and other woes, and so we did a walk/run combo. All of our girls did the 1 mile fun run and had a blast doing it. Great fun! I forgot the camera in the car and so didn't get any pictures of the actual events, but here's a close-up of the shirt.
(For the record: since November 2008 I've run 6 5Ks and walked/run 1 5K, completed 2 half-marathons and 2 triathlons, and I have 5 days to go until the Twin Cities Marathon. Which I'll be starting but probably not finishing, and I'll be mostly walking, not so much running. More on that in a later post.)
There were frost warnings all over the place for last night, so after dinner I went out and harvested what I could from the garden.
Bye bye, summer.
Here's Morgan snuggling with Bailey, our beagle-basset Humane Society refugee. [Insert "Awwwww!" here.] Oh, how the girls love that dog. Oh, does that dog ever have it good. Sleep, eat, cuddle. Soak up the love of two adoring little girls. Repeat. Can we say that this dog totally landed on her feet when she came to live with us?
Saturday, the four of us plus the Felschkins took part in the Plymouth Firefighters 5K. Eric ran the 5K and did quite well, finishing in 26:something. Val, Pete, and I are all coming back from various injuries and other woes, and so we did a walk/run combo. All of our girls did the 1 mile fun run and had a blast doing it. Great fun! I forgot the camera in the car and so didn't get any pictures of the actual events, but here's a close-up of the shirt.
(For the record: since November 2008 I've run 6 5Ks and walked/run 1 5K, completed 2 half-marathons and 2 triathlons, and I have 5 days to go until the Twin Cities Marathon. Which I'll be starting but probably not finishing, and I'll be mostly walking, not so much running. More on that in a later post.)
There were frost warnings all over the place for last night, so after dinner I went out and harvested what I could from the garden.
Bye bye, summer.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Breakfast: Doughnuts by Morgan
I helped. Just a little.
Raw doughnuts.
Into the oil. Morgan was scared of the hot oil (I don't blame her -- it scares me too sometimes!), so I was in charge of sliding them in and lifting them out.
The doughnut maker and her doughnuts.
Mmm, fresh doughnuts. (They tasted even better than they looked.)
Western Doughnuts
from King Arthur Flour: Whole Grain Baking
p. 535
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
5-6 cups vegetable oil for frying*
To make the dough: Whisk together the flours with the baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl. Beat in the melted butter and sugar. Add about 1 cup of the flour mixture, and beat until the mixture comes together. Stir in one-third of the milk. Add 1 cup of the flour mixture and half the remaining milk, then repeat the process once more until all the ingredients are combined. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To cut the doughnuts: Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.** Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it in half.*** Place one half on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the dough with flour and roll it out until it's 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2 & 3/4-inch doughnut cutter^, cut out as many doughnuts as you can, and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets with a spatula. Use a 1-inch round cutter^^ to make small doughnuts from the scraps; don't reroll, or the doughnuts will be tough. Refrigerate the doughnuts while the oil heats.
To fry: Heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a deep, heavy skillet until it reaches a temperature of 375F. Deep-fry the doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, turning them over after about 3 minutes.^^^ Remove the doughnuts from the oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
*We used canola oil.
**I didn't have any parchment paper, but greasing the baking sheets instead worked quite nicely.
***I don't know what happened -- recipe fail? cook error? -- but that dough was not dough but liquid glop, even after a half hour in the frig. There was no way we were cutting that in half. Pouring it, maybe, but cutting, no. We had to add a lot more flour (I'm not sure how much -- 2-3 cups?) than the recipe called for to make it work.
^A regular round cookie cutter did the job just as well as a doughnut cutter.
^^We used a shot glass.
^^^We didn't time them, but waited until they floated to the top, then turned them, let them fry until Morgan pronounced them "Just Right!" and lifted them out.
Raw doughnuts.
Into the oil. Morgan was scared of the hot oil (I don't blame her -- it scares me too sometimes!), so I was in charge of sliding them in and lifting them out.
The doughnut maker and her doughnuts.
Mmm, fresh doughnuts. (They tasted even better than they looked.)
Western Doughnuts
from King Arthur Flour: Whole Grain Baking
p. 535
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
5-6 cups vegetable oil for frying*
To make the dough: Whisk together the flours with the baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl. Beat in the melted butter and sugar. Add about 1 cup of the flour mixture, and beat until the mixture comes together. Stir in one-third of the milk. Add 1 cup of the flour mixture and half the remaining milk, then repeat the process once more until all the ingredients are combined. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To cut the doughnuts: Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.** Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it in half.*** Place one half on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the dough with flour and roll it out until it's 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2 & 3/4-inch doughnut cutter^, cut out as many doughnuts as you can, and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets with a spatula. Use a 1-inch round cutter^^ to make small doughnuts from the scraps; don't reroll, or the doughnuts will be tough. Refrigerate the doughnuts while the oil heats.
To fry: Heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a deep, heavy skillet until it reaches a temperature of 375F. Deep-fry the doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, turning them over after about 3 minutes.^^^ Remove the doughnuts from the oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
*We used canola oil.
**I didn't have any parchment paper, but greasing the baking sheets instead worked quite nicely.
***I don't know what happened -- recipe fail? cook error? -- but that dough was not dough but liquid glop, even after a half hour in the frig. There was no way we were cutting that in half. Pouring it, maybe, but cutting, no. We had to add a lot more flour (I'm not sure how much -- 2-3 cups?) than the recipe called for to make it work.
^A regular round cookie cutter did the job just as well as a doughnut cutter.
^^We used a shot glass.
^^^We didn't time them, but waited until they floated to the top, then turned them, let them fry until Morgan pronounced them "Just Right!" and lifted them out.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Dinner: pasta
Murray, the giant puppy, thinks my tomatoes and peppers are some kind of weird tennis balls. He keeps plucking them off the plants and trying to play with them. (He has yet to figure out that they don't make good balls. Splat! Crunch! Splat!) I think there's a fence in my garden's future. For now, though, I'm going out on tomato and pepper raids and putting the rescuees up on my kitchen window sill, safe out of doggy reach.
Tonight I used them in our dinner. This is a white bean pasta: whole wheat pasta, garlic, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, pesto, cannellini beans, and a little bit of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano to top it all off. Very simple.
Very nice with a glass of red wine.
Tonight I used them in our dinner. This is a white bean pasta: whole wheat pasta, garlic, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, pesto, cannellini beans, and a little bit of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano to top it all off. Very simple.
Very nice with a glass of red wine.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Wanted: lens cap
Lens cap to fit a Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II, because rubber-banding a dust cover over it is a PITA.
Dinner: stir fry
I went grocery shopping in the morning yesterday, only to realize when I started the dinner prep that 1) I'd run us out of soy sauce the last time I did a stir fry and 2) I'd forgotten to put it on The List. I didn't feel like going back to the store just for soy sauce, so I poked around and found this substitute. I made a few changes, like adding 4 tbsp chicken broth and reducing the bouillon to 2 cubes (because do we really need that much sodium? I think not), and using a pinch of ground chipotle pepper in place of the white pepper (because somehow, we're out of white pepper too)...The result was quite good, so good that I may not buy soy sauce ever again.
I think next time I make it, I'll cut the bouillon down even further, to 1 cube. Oh ho ho, I am so daring!
Stir fries often get a bad rap. If you do them the right way, though -- i.e. cooked in a little bit of oil over high heat for a very short amount of time -- they're quite good for you.
I marinated some tofu in a mix of my soy sauce substitute, fresh squeezed lime juice, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and then grilled it:
The veggies went into 2 tbsps of sesame oil in the wok over high heat for 2 minutes. I didn't get a picture of them sizzling, but here's a shot of the veggies pre-wok.
Earlier, I'd made brown rice (in the pressure cooker, because IMO that's just the best way to make brown rice: quick and never soggy).
When the veggies hit the 2 minute mark, I tossed in the tofu along with 2 cloves of minced garlic and cooked it all for 1 more minute. The rice went into bowls, the stir fry went on top of the rice, and voila. Dinner was served.
The girls loved it.
Not! But they did eat it without too much complaining, so that's something.
I think next time I make it, I'll cut the bouillon down even further, to 1 cube. Oh ho ho, I am so daring!
Stir fries often get a bad rap. If you do them the right way, though -- i.e. cooked in a little bit of oil over high heat for a very short amount of time -- they're quite good for you.
I marinated some tofu in a mix of my soy sauce substitute, fresh squeezed lime juice, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and then grilled it:
The veggies went into 2 tbsps of sesame oil in the wok over high heat for 2 minutes. I didn't get a picture of them sizzling, but here's a shot of the veggies pre-wok.
Earlier, I'd made brown rice (in the pressure cooker, because IMO that's just the best way to make brown rice: quick and never soggy).
When the veggies hit the 2 minute mark, I tossed in the tofu along with 2 cloves of minced garlic and cooked it all for 1 more minute. The rice went into bowls, the stir fry went on top of the rice, and voila. Dinner was served.
The girls loved it.
Not! But they did eat it without too much complaining, so that's something.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Breakfast
Egg. Toast. Avocado. Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper. Coffee.
It would have been better with a tomato, but this was pretty good.
It would have been better with a tomato, but this was pretty good.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Blowing the dust off this poor, neglected blog
I've been feeling the urge to document what we're eating, so tonight I picked up the camera and did just that. This may or may not be the first in a series of posts.
Tonight's dinner was wonderfully simple. Romaine lettuce, tuna, apples (from our apple trees!), pine nuts, avocado, a few other things.
I like prep work. Messy, but relaxing.
I came across a cooking tip recently about how you can use a shot glass to measure not just alcohol, but food. Like, an ounce of tuna equals 1 shot glass of tuna. Given that I don't own a kitchen scale but do have a shot glass or two, I think this is brilliant.
Chopped, mixed, and ready to go:
I toasted some whole wheat pita bread as an accompaniment.
Pete and I thought this was quite good.
The girls liked the pita bread.
Tonight's dinner was wonderfully simple. Romaine lettuce, tuna, apples (from our apple trees!), pine nuts, avocado, a few other things.
I like prep work. Messy, but relaxing.
I came across a cooking tip recently about how you can use a shot glass to measure not just alcohol, but food. Like, an ounce of tuna equals 1 shot glass of tuna. Given that I don't own a kitchen scale but do have a shot glass or two, I think this is brilliant.
Chopped, mixed, and ready to go:
I toasted some whole wheat pita bread as an accompaniment.
Pete and I thought this was quite good.
The girls liked the pita bread.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Canning summer
One local strawberry farm,
one enthused kid,
one mutinous kid
(who would like it noted for the record that she picked more strawberries than the enthused kid),
some 30 lbs of strawberries later,
and one weekend of double, double, toil, and trouble,
fire burn, and cauldron bubble
(blah blah blah)
resulted in a little over 4 gallons of jam.
Strawberry jam. Strawberry honey jam. Sherried strawberry preserves.
All together now: Yum.
one enthused kid,
one mutinous kid
(who would like it noted for the record that she picked more strawberries than the enthused kid),
some 30 lbs of strawberries later,
and one weekend of double, double, toil, and trouble,
fire burn, and cauldron bubble
(blah blah blah)
resulted in a little over 4 gallons of jam.
Strawberry jam. Strawberry honey jam. Sherried strawberry preserves.
All together now: Yum.
Monday, July 13, 2009
July event
My friend Val and I did a triathlon on Sunday. We went into this with a slight disadvantage -- my training schedule got blown all to hell, thanks to a foot injury, and Val's training schedule didn't even happen, thanks to a Wild West vacation and work and other things -- but veni, vedi, vici, anyway. Or, as Dr. Peter Venkman says, "We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!"
We got into town Saturday afternoon, unloaded the dogs, kids, and Pete, and then Val and I went to pick up our race packets. This was a first triathlon for both of us. Being utter novices, we had no idea that they'd be writing our bib numbers and wave group on us for the swim portion of the event. We had a few other errands to run after we'd got ourselves markered up, and some of the looks we got as we sauntered into the stores with our numbered arms and legs made me feel a bit like an escaped convict.
Once we got back to Val's place, we had to get everything organized for the next morning -- and try stuff on for size, of course. Swim caps, goggles, and bib numbers, so sexy.
Too, too sexy.
Val's husband Eric made calendar art for the triathlon. Cute.
I don't have any photos of us doing the actual event, save for the finish. I took it easy, didn't worry about time or place, and had an insane amount of fun. Seriously. I have never done an event that was this enjoyable. (It helped that the weather was perfect, low to mid 60s, and the bike portion was easy, no real hills, and the run portion was flat, flat, flat.) We swam 1/3 mile, biked 15 miles, and ran 3.1 miles, and I came through the finish at 1:59:52 (my watch said 1:59:51). I lost quite a bit of time during the swim-to-bike transition -- 6 minutes! -- but that was mostly due to having to get my foot all braced up. And then I lost more time during the bike-to-run transition -- 2 minutes, 41 seconds -- but that was mostly due to the girls running over and squealing at me through the fence as I hauled the bike to the racks, and jumping up and down and being so darn excited and encouraging that there was no way I couldn't stop and chat with them. I'll work on those transition times for the next triathlon. Which I think shall be in August at Lake Phalen...
Val, who did this thing cold, pretty much no training (the last time she was in the water before this was when we went to a water park over spring break), came in at an amazing 2:17:32. And she poured it on at the end!
After we'd finished, Val said, "We're triathletes!" And you know what? We are!
For the record: since November, I've run 6 5Ks, 2 half-marathons, and completed 1 triathlon, and I have 2 months and 3 weeks to go until the Twin Cities Marathon.
Next event: the St. Paul Triathlon.
We got into town Saturday afternoon, unloaded the dogs, kids, and Pete, and then Val and I went to pick up our race packets. This was a first triathlon for both of us. Being utter novices, we had no idea that they'd be writing our bib numbers and wave group on us for the swim portion of the event. We had a few other errands to run after we'd got ourselves markered up, and some of the looks we got as we sauntered into the stores with our numbered arms and legs made me feel a bit like an escaped convict.
Once we got back to Val's place, we had to get everything organized for the next morning -- and try stuff on for size, of course. Swim caps, goggles, and bib numbers, so sexy.
Too, too sexy.
Val's husband Eric made calendar art for the triathlon. Cute.
I don't have any photos of us doing the actual event, save for the finish. I took it easy, didn't worry about time or place, and had an insane amount of fun. Seriously. I have never done an event that was this enjoyable. (It helped that the weather was perfect, low to mid 60s, and the bike portion was easy, no real hills, and the run portion was flat, flat, flat.) We swam 1/3 mile, biked 15 miles, and ran 3.1 miles, and I came through the finish at 1:59:52 (my watch said 1:59:51). I lost quite a bit of time during the swim-to-bike transition -- 6 minutes! -- but that was mostly due to having to get my foot all braced up. And then I lost more time during the bike-to-run transition -- 2 minutes, 41 seconds -- but that was mostly due to the girls running over and squealing at me through the fence as I hauled the bike to the racks, and jumping up and down and being so darn excited and encouraging that there was no way I couldn't stop and chat with them. I'll work on those transition times for the next triathlon. Which I think shall be in August at Lake Phalen...
Val, who did this thing cold, pretty much no training (the last time she was in the water before this was when we went to a water park over spring break), came in at an amazing 2:17:32. And she poured it on at the end!
After we'd finished, Val said, "We're triathletes!" And you know what? We are!
For the record: since November, I've run 6 5Ks, 2 half-marathons, and completed 1 triathlon, and I have 2 months and 3 weeks to go until the Twin Cities Marathon.
Next event: the St. Paul Triathlon.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Toothsome
Three years ago, I started a little raspberry patch in our backyard. Raspberries take a while to get established, a concept the girls have had a difficult time with. (Patience, my darlings. It truly is a virtue.) The first summer, we had a few berries. The second summer, a few more. Just enough to whet two little girls' appetites.
This summer, we have raspberries.
So many raspberries, in fact, that last night the girls and I were able to make our first batch of jam.
And there are still more to come!
Mmmm. Raspberries.
This summer, we have raspberries.
So many raspberries, in fact, that last night the girls and I were able to make our first batch of jam.
And there are still more to come!
Mmmm. Raspberries.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
The faces of Morgan
Outrage. Pouty. Cute.
Whenever Emma gets around to waking up (a morning girl, she is not), we'll do a "Faces of Emma" too.
Whenever Emma gets around to waking up (a morning girl, she is not), we'll do a "Faces of Emma" too.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Angry faces, begging faces
Every morning, I give the girls a project. Writing, kitchen science, math fun, painting, nature hunts in the backyard, that sort of thing. Well, this morning the project was drawing. More specifically, cartoon-type drawing. Fun stuff. Very fun stuff.
They really wanted me to draw something.
So I did. 2 quick sketches of the girls*. Took about 3 minutes, max, to do each one. (In other words, this is not exactly fine art, people.) They think these are hi-larious. Funniest thing ever. (They're 10. What can I say.) And they want the world to see the cartoon versions of themselves. So, at their command, I'm posting 'em for the world to see.
Right. Now we're going to go do something really exciting, like clean our rooms. For real. Uh oh, here come the angry faces...
*Yes, I know, they currently have short hair. But I can't quickly draw short-haired girls. So I gave them long hair. Just pretend, OK?
They really wanted me to draw something.
So I did. 2 quick sketches of the girls*. Took about 3 minutes, max, to do each one. (In other words, this is not exactly fine art, people.) They think these are hi-larious. Funniest thing ever. (They're 10. What can I say.) And they want the world to see the cartoon versions of themselves. So, at their command, I'm posting 'em for the world to see.
Right. Now we're going to go do something really exciting, like clean our rooms. For real. Uh oh, here come the angry faces...
*Yes, I know, they currently have short hair. But I can't quickly draw short-haired girls. So I gave them long hair. Just pretend, OK?
Monday, May 18, 2009
2009 Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour
As some of you may remember, last year Pete and I did the Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour. It was a blast*. This last Saturday, we did it again. I am not a really bike-y person (meaning, that while I like to bike, I don't own 14 of them), so I'll leave the bike-talk, i.e. makes, models, etc., for Pete. What appeals to me about the 3-Speed Tour is the slow pace, the leisurely attitude, the camaraderie, and the sheer civility of this whole pre-WWII cycling tour mindset. It's a lovely way to spend a few days. And then there's the pie. More on that in a bit.
We left the kids and dogs with the in-laws, loaded up our 3-speeds, and headed out to Red Wing. We got there a little late, but we did make it in time for the letter from Buckingham Palace and then the Blessing of the Bikes.
The Sons of Norway gave us a great little send off.
It was chilly! I don't know what the actual temp was, but my knees were freezing. It wasn't too bad when we were moving, but when we were stopped: brrrrr. We didn't linger at the Bow & Arrow Historic Marker but got right back on our bikes to attack the Bay City Hill. And get pie at the Smiling Pelican in Maiden Rock. Mmm. Pie.
Last year, the Bay City Hill conquered us/me. This year, we conquered it.
After the hill, we stopped at Lake Pepin Historic Marker, but thanks to my chilly knees and pie focus, we were ahead of the group and didn't have anyone to take a "together" picture of us. Nor did we have a tripod on which to mount the camera and use the timer setting. So, we took pictures of each other.
Last year, I rode a borrowed 1971 Dunelt. After the 3-Speed Tour, I went out and found a 3-speed of my own, a 1967 Robin Hood. Coincidentally -- truly coincidentally -- Pete's 3-speed is a 1959 Robin Hood. Aren't we cute.
We got back onto our bikes and coasted down into Maiden Rock, where, after all that talk of pie, I got the strawberry trifle instead.
Properly fortified, we decided to do some pass storming and went on the optional climb to the top of the Maiden Rock overlook. It ended up being quite an adventure, as we (inadvertently) took the road much less traveled.
Fortunately, the view was worth the hike.
We rode our brakes down from the overlook into Stockholm, had a well-earned lunch and a pint at the Bogus Creek Cafe & Bakery, then went in search of pie. (I was a woman on a mission.) A fellow Nutter had given us the tip that there was a great pie shop in Stockholm, with pie so wondrous that it's made grown men weep. I'm made of sterner stuff than that, so I did not weep, but I did make the "OMG RAPTURE YUM" face. Truly, I've never had pie this good outside of a grandmother's kitchen. Fan-freaking-tastic.
We were sworn to secrecy, so I'm afraid I can't reveal the location, but here's a hint.
We meandered our way through Pepin and continued on to Nelson and the Nelson Cheese Factory, where we sat out on the patio with some of our fellow Nutters and enjoyed some lamb and beef sticks. Yes, I know, you're supposed to get ice cream there, but after that wondrous pie, ice cream wasn't appealing. I can't believe I just typed that.
From Nelson, it was on to Wabasha. Did anyone ever find out who put up the sign?
We checked in to our lodgings,
cleaned up, and went across the street to the Eagle's Nest for dinner, where Jan and Jim did their usual bang-up job of making us feel right at home.
The next morning, we set off for Lake City. The forecast had called for more cold in the morning, perhaps even frost -- but the forecast was wrong. It was beautiful.
One of our fellow Nutters gave me this for my bike. How adorable is this?!
A bunch of Nutters at the River of Rafts at the Lake Pepin Geologic Marker. I'm pretty sure the cars were slowing down to take a look at us, not the Marker.
Last year, we saw so many eagles along the way from Wabasha to Lake City that we pulled off and stared up into the sky, and kicked ourselves for not bringing the binoculars. This year, we had the binoculars, and saw nary an eagle. Sigh.
Lunch was at the Rhythm and Brew Coffee Shop in Lake City, followed by dessert -- surprise, more pie! -- at the Chickadee Cottage Tea Room. It couldn't compare to the stuff in Stockholm, but it made a valiant effort.
From Lake City, it was on to Old Frontenac and the old stone wall. Last year, we didn't get a picture there (I don't know why; not only were we there, but I took pictures of other people getting their pictures taken). Hmm. I don't see much of that wall behind us. Ah well. I guess that means we'll have to do the 2010 3-Speed Tour.
I'm not sure what the story is with this, but Pete said it had to be taken for the guys at Hiawatha Cyclery. So, here you go, guys. And look, there's that stone wall that you really can't see in our picture.
While we were there, Ron Grogg asked if I wanted to take his Moulton Standard for a little spin. Oh, my. That is a FUN bike. Me want now.
I think I'm not the only one who'd like to take this little darling home.
Pete got to ride it, too.
After Old Frontenac, we meandered our way back to Red Wing, and a final meal and a pint at The Staghead with our fellow Nutters.
And that concluded the 2009 3-Speed Tour. For two days that are so delightfully slow and easy, it went by much too quickly. It's a cliche to say that I'm already looking forward to next year (and more pie)...but I am. What a marvelous, lovely time!
*I wrote an article about the 3-Speed Tour for the Red Wing Republican Eagle, which you can read here.
We left the kids and dogs with the in-laws, loaded up our 3-speeds, and headed out to Red Wing. We got there a little late, but we did make it in time for the letter from Buckingham Palace and then the Blessing of the Bikes.
The Sons of Norway gave us a great little send off.
It was chilly! I don't know what the actual temp was, but my knees were freezing. It wasn't too bad when we were moving, but when we were stopped: brrrrr. We didn't linger at the Bow & Arrow Historic Marker but got right back on our bikes to attack the Bay City Hill. And get pie at the Smiling Pelican in Maiden Rock. Mmm. Pie.
Last year, the Bay City Hill conquered us/me. This year, we conquered it.
After the hill, we stopped at Lake Pepin Historic Marker, but thanks to my chilly knees and pie focus, we were ahead of the group and didn't have anyone to take a "together" picture of us. Nor did we have a tripod on which to mount the camera and use the timer setting. So, we took pictures of each other.
Last year, I rode a borrowed 1971 Dunelt. After the 3-Speed Tour, I went out and found a 3-speed of my own, a 1967 Robin Hood. Coincidentally -- truly coincidentally -- Pete's 3-speed is a 1959 Robin Hood. Aren't we cute.
We got back onto our bikes and coasted down into Maiden Rock, where, after all that talk of pie, I got the strawberry trifle instead.
Properly fortified, we decided to do some pass storming and went on the optional climb to the top of the Maiden Rock overlook. It ended up being quite an adventure, as we (inadvertently) took the road much less traveled.
Fortunately, the view was worth the hike.
We rode our brakes down from the overlook into Stockholm, had a well-earned lunch and a pint at the Bogus Creek Cafe & Bakery, then went in search of pie. (I was a woman on a mission.) A fellow Nutter had given us the tip that there was a great pie shop in Stockholm, with pie so wondrous that it's made grown men weep. I'm made of sterner stuff than that, so I did not weep, but I did make the "OMG RAPTURE YUM" face. Truly, I've never had pie this good outside of a grandmother's kitchen. Fan-freaking-tastic.
We were sworn to secrecy, so I'm afraid I can't reveal the location, but here's a hint.
We meandered our way through Pepin and continued on to Nelson and the Nelson Cheese Factory, where we sat out on the patio with some of our fellow Nutters and enjoyed some lamb and beef sticks. Yes, I know, you're supposed to get ice cream there, but after that wondrous pie, ice cream wasn't appealing. I can't believe I just typed that.
From Nelson, it was on to Wabasha. Did anyone ever find out who put up the sign?
We checked in to our lodgings,
cleaned up, and went across the street to the Eagle's Nest for dinner, where Jan and Jim did their usual bang-up job of making us feel right at home.
The next morning, we set off for Lake City. The forecast had called for more cold in the morning, perhaps even frost -- but the forecast was wrong. It was beautiful.
One of our fellow Nutters gave me this for my bike. How adorable is this?!
A bunch of Nutters at the River of Rafts at the Lake Pepin Geologic Marker. I'm pretty sure the cars were slowing down to take a look at us, not the Marker.
Last year, we saw so many eagles along the way from Wabasha to Lake City that we pulled off and stared up into the sky, and kicked ourselves for not bringing the binoculars. This year, we had the binoculars, and saw nary an eagle. Sigh.
Lunch was at the Rhythm and Brew Coffee Shop in Lake City, followed by dessert -- surprise, more pie! -- at the Chickadee Cottage Tea Room. It couldn't compare to the stuff in Stockholm, but it made a valiant effort.
From Lake City, it was on to Old Frontenac and the old stone wall. Last year, we didn't get a picture there (I don't know why; not only were we there, but I took pictures of other people getting their pictures taken). Hmm. I don't see much of that wall behind us. Ah well. I guess that means we'll have to do the 2010 3-Speed Tour.
I'm not sure what the story is with this, but Pete said it had to be taken for the guys at Hiawatha Cyclery. So, here you go, guys. And look, there's that stone wall that you really can't see in our picture.
While we were there, Ron Grogg asked if I wanted to take his Moulton Standard for a little spin. Oh, my. That is a FUN bike. Me want now.
I think I'm not the only one who'd like to take this little darling home.
Pete got to ride it, too.
After Old Frontenac, we meandered our way back to Red Wing, and a final meal and a pint at The Staghead with our fellow Nutters.
And that concluded the 2009 3-Speed Tour. For two days that are so delightfully slow and easy, it went by much too quickly. It's a cliche to say that I'm already looking forward to next year (and more pie)...but I am. What a marvelous, lovely time!
*I wrote an article about the 3-Speed Tour for the Red Wing Republican Eagle, which you can read here.
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