Living in Munchkinland

This weekend we all went to Inks Lake for Davis' cub scout campout. I used to love to camp very much but we tried when the kids were little and it was a disaster. This was a big test to see if we could have a successful campout and learn to love camping again. We took the scenic route up to Inks Lake and it was gorgeous. The weather was perfect- upper sixties and low seventies and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We didn't get the best of camp sites, but it was okay. We were surrounded on three sides with cactus. Most of the Tiger Cubs were already there when we arrived. We set up our tent and then Michael and Davis attended a pack meeting while I explored the camp ground with Sam and Dean. Later in the afternoon we all went on a two mile hike that was very challenging for the kids. Sam really struggled and all the Tiger cubs were exhausted at the end. So were we! It took us two hours and I can't believe it was really only two miles. After the hike I poured m...

I took Davis into the dentist today. We went to see Dr. Matt Johnson who is the best, coolest, nicest dentist ever. He really listens to the kids and I can't say enough about how great his whole office is. Which is good because today was not a regular cleaning. Davis has a habit of having his permanent teeth come in at an angle toward his tongue, which doesn't fully sever the root of his baby tooth. The baby tooth remains slightly wiggly and the permanent tooth comes in behind the baby tooth at an angle. This is not good. It is also a sign that our sweet little man will need braces someday. There just isn't room in his mouth for all those teeth. Today he had two wiggly teeth on either side of his permanent teeth on the bottom. Usually kids lose the bottom two and then the top two, but that is not the way Davis' mouth chooses to go and that is okay. Dr. Matt said it would be best to take out both of the wiggly teeth. He gave Davis some nitrous oxide, put Star...

Last night after I finished the night time routine of singing and chatting and cuddling with Sam, I was just slipping out the door when he said, "Mommy? When I grow up, will I have to be apart from you?" "No baby, you can stay with me as long as you want to," I told him as I turned back to the bed. "Good," Sam said, "I want to live with you forever". He snuggled into his bed and closed his eyes and I felt loved from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

I made Apple Maple Butter today and the whole house smells wonderful. The bit I tasted was delicious and I can't wait to open up my first jar and slather it on some apple cake. (Yes, I have a plan.) I got the recipe from my new canning cookbook called Tart and Sweet , by Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler. Apple Maple Butter 4 pounds mixed apples, peeled, cored, bruises removed, and cut into 1/2 inch wedges 1 cup maple sugar (I used palm sugar) 1 cup sugar 1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 2 star anise pods Juice of 1 lemon Place the apples, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cloves, star anise, and lemon juice in a large heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a simmer over medium-hihg heat, stirring frequently. Lower the heat a bit and continue to stir. The apples will begin to break down after about 20 minutes, but you can help this process along by mashing with a potato masher or a wooden spoon and stirring often. A...

Sunday: Teriyaki Tofu with steamed broccoli, carrots and brown rice from Peas and Thank You Monday: Black Bean Burgers with steamed Artichokes and Kale chips from Peas and Thank You Tuesday:Spinach Linguine with Edamame Pesto from Appetite for Reduction Wednesday: Crock Pot Day! Kung Pao Chick'n from my Vegan Crockpot cookbook Thursday: Tempeh Chili Friday: Corn, Potato Chowder with cornbread This week I am also going to do some canning and make Apple Maple Butter from my new canning cookbook, Tart and Sweet

This week we celebrated lots of birthdays. My dad, Uncle Larry, my mom and my cousin's boyfriend all celebrate a birthday within a week of each other. And then next week we'll celebrate my grandmother's and our neighbor's. We had a special birthday ranch happy hour this week with a gift exchange and fancy cake. The boys made birthday presents (finger puppets and mandalas)and enjoyed their creation and wrapping. It was good fun. Last night my dad's band played at Cheatham Street. Michael and I got a sitter and met our friends Anne, Jeff, Elizabeth and Zach at one of our newer restaurants in town called Vodka Street. The food was okay, and the martini's were very smooth, but the best part of the evening was getting to spend some grown-up time with our friends. After dinner we headed for Cheatham Street. The band was rockin' and there was a big crowd there to help celebrate my dad's birthday. There were so many people I knew from growing up in Sa...

Every Sunday I make out the week's menu and a grocery list. Lunches are usually Amy's frozen entrees, left overs, salads, or tortilla wraps with hummus and cheese. I thought I might post the menu every once in a while, both so I can remember what I made and also in case it might start a dialog. I'd love to hear what your week's menu contains. This week: Monday- Sushi Roll Edamame Salad with steamed Salmon and Miso-Onion Dressing from Appetite for Reduction Tuesday- Quinoa pasta with Eggplant and Seitan (I made this one up and Michael can't get enough of it) Wednesday- Crock pot day! We're having Pumpkin and White Bean Lasagna and salad from The Vegan Slowcooker Thursday- Lentil and Eggplant Chili Mole with Scallion Corn Bread (Uncle Larry has lots of eggplant in his garden) from Appetite for Reduction Friday- Pizza and Thai Crunch Salad from Peas and Thank You Saturday- we'll go out with friends before my dad's gig at Cheatham Street. Sunday- Pantry/F...

We drove up to Sugar Land on Friday afternoon to spend the weekend with my in-laws. We had a nice dinner with everyone and the boys were in heaven when they saw Michael's old Star Wars toys spread out on the floor. We visited and let them play and let them go to bed late. Saturday morning we woke up and headed for the new Sugar Land farmer's market. It was great! They had lots of prepared foods (including a vegan booth) and lots of meats as well asian vegetables and a few produce stands. At one of the produce stands, I totally scored and got two boxes of zucchini blossoms and a box of figs! After the market we drove out to the airforce base to see "Wings Over Houston", an awesome air show. My father in law was working at the ticket booth but we all got to say hello and then made our way into the show. The kids were totally blown away. There were tons of planes that you could just walk up to and look right in. There were military men standing with each plane ...

I LOVE these bread and butter jalepenos. My Uncle Larry has always made them in the summer and I wait for the times when I can try them. My mom always serves them over a block of cream cheese with some crackers. Last year I tried my hand at canning them. It was a bit tedious to cut up all those jalepenos, but the result was worth it. All year I've eaten them on hamburgers, salads, sandwiches, tacos and bowls of rice. I was down to my last jar this week and so my mom and I decided to work together to make a big batch. I picked in Uncle Larry's garden in the morning. We then spent the afternoon in her kitchen and ended up with 17 jars of bread and butter jalepenos. Delicious! I'll ask Uncle Larry at the next happy hour if I can share the recipe with you. If not, if you ask me nice I might share with you. Maybe.

We had a great ranch happy hour this week. My Uncle Mike and Aunt Char were visiting and Marchelle came down and spent the day with us as well. It was so much fun! I love having a couple of hours a week when the whole ranch clan get together and catch up. It's even better with close friends and more family. I'm so lucky in many ways and this is definitely one of them.

We had a rainy weekend. I know. We could hardly believe it either. We are still in a drought, but the rain was fantastic. I went for a run first thing in the morning and then Michael and I spent the rest of Saturday morning working in the front beds. Michael used the tractor to pull out five or six dead bushes and I did a ton of pruning and weeding and the kids trimmed back my basil and mint plants. Right as we finished it started pouring down rain. We ran inside and cleaned up and by the time we were pretty, it had stopped raining again. We decided to go over to my parent's house and have a little visit. We did some karaoke there and visited with my grandparents. Then we came home and got ready for our dinner date. Michael and I attended a vegan supper club in Austin and really enjoyed it. The food was great and we met several nice people. Sunday was supposed to be the Tough Mudder which is something Michael has been training for the last few months. Around 4:30AM we wo...

This afternoon I was sitting at my grandparents' house visiting with my Aunt Char, Uncle Mike and Uncle Larry. I stood up after a while and walked to the front door. Through the screen door I saw a coral snake slithering it's way up the sidewalk. I started saying, "coral snake!" in an odd, high pitch over and over again. Everyone gathered around the screen door looking out. Apparently our voices were a bit too loud and the snake turned and scooted it's way under the piece of wood dividing two sections of side walk. Uncle Larry had wisely gone around the back of the house and picked up a piece of rebar. He came around the house and Gramp pulled up the wood. Uncle Larry whacked it in the head. The snake continued to thrash around wildly though his head was smashed. Uncle Mike stepped on it's tail and Uncle Larry whacked it again. Then he picked it up and threw it in a bucket. It was all very exciting. My heart sure was pounding. Then we all sat aro...

We are over run by mice. At first we saw droppings in my kitchen drawers. Then we saw them on the kitchen counters. Then we saw several mice dash across the living room floor when we were cuddled up in the dark watching TV. I upped my bleaching and cleaning, but it wasn't working. Michael put out traps and caught a few, but obviously not enough. I am terrified of the mice. I can't help it. When I see one, I begin screaming and then I find myself perched up on the nearest counter top. We have had many mishaps as we have fought the mice. Once Michael forgot to unbait the traps before he left for work and one was snapped right at my feet while I was making the kids breakfast. The poor little thing was screaming his little mouse lungs out and I was mortified. I had to call Uncle Larry to remove it. Then our Maltese, Ellie found one of the baits and ate it and I had to take her to the emergency vet on a Saturday night where they dosed her with ipecac, charcoal and Vitamin ...

I was lay leader at our Unitarian Church yesterday, and our minister asked me to write a reflection on change and growth through learning. Here's what I wrote and delivered yesterday. (I based it on a post I wrote a few years ago, so some of it may sound vaguely familiar.) My whole life I’ve just been trying to figure out who the heck I am and learn more about the myself and world around me. In a nutshell, here's how my self awareness has gone down. Teenage years: Who the hell am I going to be? College years: Well that was wrong, maybe I'll try this identity/profession/relationship! I’ll try this new experience/flavor/location! Post college years: This is who I am! I like me! I like my life! Post marriage: Let’s have a baby or two! Immediate post baby: Can't think about that stuff, must stay awake to provide loving, safe, nourishing home for baby. Only purpose in life is baby. Post baby period: Now where do I fit in the world and what else can I learn about my place...

We drove up to Fredericksburg on Saturday morning so we could attend Oktoberfest. The drive is just a little over an hour and is very nice. Even when it's brown and drought ravaged, the Devil's Backbone is an inspiring sight and the whole drive was lovely. The weather was gorgeous! It was only in the 80's and the sun was shining. When we got there we headed straight for the kids area. Davis and Sam played plinko, whack a rat, toss a chicken and many more games. They earned tokens and redeemed those tokens for toys. They did very well and got some cars that made them happy. Michael and I deemed it beer thirty at that point and I made the decision to ignore my food allergies and do an Oktoberfest beer tasting. I think the fact that I never ever drink beer any more made the beers I had at the festival even better, because they were fabulous! We listened to some polkas and drank our beers while the kids played on the adjacent playground. Then we went to find some lunch...