Snow Fun

Earlier this week we were all preparing for "snowmageddon".  In preparation I headed to the grocery store and stocked our fridge, going way over my normal weekly grocery spending.

The snowfall came but it was not as much as we were preparing for.  I think we ended up with 10" but having lived most my life in Utah or Michigan that did seem like too much - but definitely enough to cancel school (even homeschool) and play.

Here is Henry enjoying a few chomps.

Paul took the boys to play hockey on my brother's pond.

I stayed back with the younger ones and rested while they played around me (that is a trick I sometimes do).

Yes it was cold!  But there is something that happened this winter where I don't mind it so much.  In fact, it almost feels good, the sharp temperatures are just a reminder that we are alive!

Now for the real fun, sledding.  We shared a day of it with some friends.

Then this morning as I was bustling myself and kids out the door to make it to a homeschool group, Paul interrupted the process with the request for me to read something on his laptop.  I was already running late and resisted the request because of limited time.  I did a double take at the author's name and then flooded him with questions - "what"?  "when did you submit this"?  "are you going to write another one"?  

Check it out, Paul's guest piece at AnnArbor.com today.  I was both amused and surprised.  I am told there actually may be more to come - I can't wait!  

And if the forecast suggests even more snow, bring it on because my fridge is still stocked and there is nothing more satisfying than a warm hearty meal after a play in the snow.

What's in a Name?

Late last Summer the boys pooled some money together (I think it was $10 in change) and purchased an aquarium set.  But it took more than a few months for me to get comfortable with the idea of adding fish to the mix of living things to care for around here.  It wasn't until November they finally earned the privilege of live fish and though it has proved to cost more money than the original aquarium set, it has also been more fun than work.

Our first 3 fish were the $.18 feeder goldfish.  Their names were Colin Kelly (a famous B-17 pilot), Gill and Gardner (Devin Gardner Michigan's second string QB).  Gill was the first to leave us only a few days after his arrival.  When he was fished out we accidentally knocked the filter cover off and Colin got sucked in.  Gardner is still swimming strong,  perhaps a good sign for Michigan football.

The day Alabama lost to Auburn (at least that is how they recall it) I took the heartbroken boys (James and William) back to the University aquarium shop because we found a $5 coupon.  This time they both picked out fancy goldfish that cost 25x more than their original pets.  James picked out a black one with bulging eyes and named him "Carbon" after the element.  James blogged about him here but his life came to a tragic end soon after (one of the hollow ceramic ornaments got tipped over and he got stuck inside).  It was actually quite incredible how James prayed him back to life but in the end his life was only extended about 18 hours, he was a great fish.

Now James has a little yellow platie named "Joseph of Egypt" because of its many colors.  This is a funny fish because he likes to hide inside the castle and we have thought him to be a goner on many occasions, that is until it is feeding time and he surprises us to be the first one to the top feasting on flakes.  Here he is:

William's second fish was a fancy tailed goldfish named "Douglas" after one of his favorite older cousins.  He was a sturdy guy and always "kissed" George's finger when pressed up against the glass.  We lost him a few days ago but we are not exactly sure why, it may have been Ick, a fungus in fish that thrives in cold water.  You see we received an outrageous energy bill and I lost my head and turned the heat in our home down to 66 degrees.  It was the next day the fish developed their ick spots and I decided 66 was too cold for even us humans.  I purchased some Ick medicine for the fish and set in a water heater, all recovered except Douglas and now we all miss him.

William now shares a blue Beta with Henry.  His name is "Alpha".  William looked at me like I was a dummy when I asked him the significance behind the name, "you know mom, the Greek alphabet, Alpha, Beta"....... here he is, he is going strong and we have learned that Beta fish are only aggressive to other betas.

I'd like you to know I've been posting frequent updates about our fish on facebook because that is where our attention is lately, you see we don't have any T.V. service so the kids often just sit and stare at the fish and bubbles when they are bored.

One friend on facebook suggested we bury our dead fish in our house plants as natural fertilizer but I'm not there yet.  It still takes a bit of guts for me to actually fish out the lifeless bodies, but that may be because my brother use to chase us around the house with the dead fish from our aquarium growing up.

The girls are now enjoying some fish of their own.  Their first $.18 picks didn't last more than 24 hours.  When James noticed Clara's "Baby Princess" floating on its side he suggested she say a prayer, Clara responded, "maybe later, I'm too busy playing outside,".  We never did see a miracle with Baby Princess but we did pick up a catfish a few days later that she named "Caty,Caty,Caty".  CatyCatyCaty is still going strong and unlike Clara is very willing to help cleanup its surroundings.

Maryanna's first .$18 fish had 3 different names before we made it home.  She was debating between "Sparkle Buttercup" and "Princess Mermaid" but settled on "Mermaid Rock".  Mermaid Rock did not live long, not even 24 hours in our aquarium.  By this time I had shed some of my fear of dead fish and even allowed her to touch it before the "flush".  But I was taken aback with my young daughter's suggestion, "should we not eat her for dinner"?  

Now Maryanna has new fish, a bright yellow platie again named "Mermaid Rock".  Here she is (she has the dark tail) with Peter's new platie, the bully of the bunch, named "John Madden".

I admit most of the fun for me has been in the naming of the fish and watching the kids perceive different personalities.  I didn't know what to think though when Peter after staring at the aquarium for a long time asked, "Mom, what is the purpose of a goldfish's life anyways, are they fulfilling their mission here in a tank in our house"?  I told him they were adding to the life, joy and energy in our home.  

Look below, nothing gets George to babble like the fish do.  Here he is calling out at them ......"dat, dat, dat, dat".  The fact that the outside of the tank is dirtier than the inside is evidence of our family's love for these fish.

I would like to now pay tribute to the original two goldfish that joined our family in the early fall of 2001.  Their names were "Orange" and "Daddy", named by the then 2 year old James.  I don't remember them living more than a few weeks but James still remembers them.  The next fish was again named by James,  "Ahgis" but we can't recall the significance of the name.  He did last long either, in fact, even the bowl didn't survive long after that.  We had plans to add more fish but the waiting empty bowl got knocked down by a clumsy toddler.  

One more fish we will never forget is a beta named "Declaration of Independence".  It was my sister Cathy's fish and being the kind aunt that she is, let James, then age 3, name the fish.  She did not flinch at the out of the ordinary name and suggested it be called "Doi-Doi" for short.  With such a strong name I believe the fish lived at least a year.

Though often short lived and sometimes costing less than a quarter, these little pets (with their funny little names) really do brighten our days.  Though we never even touch them, they still seem to touch our hearts.....and that is exactly why I've been frequenting the pet shop like it was as necessary as a trip to Costco.

A Little Blue Horse for a Girls' Room

I've been threatening to paint some of the walls in our rental home for months but Paul suggested I channel my house frustrations in other ways, so I did. 

This mural was created to liven up the girls' little bedroom.  I got the idea from this site and allowed the girls to select their favorite mural.  Of course the little horse lovers chose the horse mural.  It is designed after Franz Marc's Blue Horse painting but we didn't discuss much about it because the creative tension was too strong for even a few words - we just dug in silently with our pastels and loved it!

This was declared as the one of the best art projects ever.  I agree, it was super exciting to see how the colors blended and how it all came together.  We mounted it on an old Ikea box (as a homeschooler I save all sorts of strange things "just in case") and it was just right.

Dont' mind the messy kitchen behind me as I steadily moved forward with this project.  After trimming it down I painted the outer edge (cardboard frame) red with and added an outline of glitter.

Here it is again mounted up with Scotch tabs above the girls' beds.

  Seeing how the girls act at bedtime I'm not sure how long it will last up there but at least cardboard and paper are harmless, there's no way I'd put any piece of glass in their room, but I learned that the hard way years ago.

Now the boys want one of their own but I've got to find another large piece of cardboard first.

Thank you Guardian Angels

My heart is still pounding from freaky episode that happened in our home yesterday.

I was upstairs changing a diaper when I saw a bright flash and heard a sharp bang.  I immediately ran down stairs to investigate but found nothing.  As quick as Paul was to announce we had lost power I was back up the stairs and smelled something funny.   Moments later Maryanna slowly tiptoed out of her room, her eyes wide, and face white carefully cradling one of her hands.

She didn't answer when I asked what happened but it didn't take long to figure it out.  In her room there was a burnt smell coming from the outlet where her lamp was plugged in.  Here's what else I found:

I got it out of Maryanna that she was trying to hide the Caprisun pouch of crayons from her sister.  She was trying to jam it behind her dresser but on the way the pouch got sandwiched between the plug and outlet, thus the flash, bang and loss of power.

Maryanna is fine.  I checked her had for a burn but there was nothing, she probably just suffered a little shock.  But I'm still wondering how the plug was pulled safely out of the wall.  As I surveyed the scene my heart raced with gratitude.  

My mind also raced back to probably the most traumatic event of my childhood when I was electrocuted at just about the same age as Maryanna.  My Dad saved my life that day but that is another story.  

In the case of Maryanna it is kind of funny to see the evidence of my caution with the outlet covers in the  above photo - of course we do everything we can to keep our children safe, but in most cases it is out of our hands and that is where we turn it over to the protection of guardian angels.  In our family prayer yesterday morning I specifically remember praying for protection from harm, I believe that request was granted and as a result, I am more than grateful, my faith and confidence have grown.

As for Maryanna, the spirited one who probably has more energy than a live circuit, she thought I was upset over her hiding crayons from her sister.  She apologized with tears and I showered her with hugs and kisses.  What a great reminder it was as to the special gift she is to our family, but even more so the reminder that miracles do happen in our very homes.           

 

Jogging Suit for Baby

My sister Bina will be having a baby girl in just weeks so I took that as a chance to sew.

It will takes months for the sweet baby to grow into this and perhaps even longer for it to be cold enough in CA to even need to wear it.  But I call it a "jogging suit" because Bina enjoys exercising with her babies in tow, she has a funny little blog about it.  This is to keep the baby warm and comfy while her mom is enjoys fresh air and exercise.  Here is the back:

The pattern is from a Japanese pattern book and you can read more about it here.  The fabric was a great find at the Scrap box in Ann Arbor.  And since Bina loves cute Japanese design as much as me I had to throw in a cute pair of leggings to wear under.

And of course the soon to be big sister (and my special little name sake Ally) needed something of her own so I whipped out another pink twirl skirt.

Right now we are suffering from an over abundance of clothes in our home so it was fun to sew for another family.  Next up on my list may be dress-up clothes, finishing up the crazy quilt, bedroom pillows or Spring/Summer play clothes.   

Oatmeal Cake

As requested, here is the favorite oatmeal cake that Peter was served for his birthday.  My sister Cheryl is the one who first introduced this recipe to me but it is originally from The Nourished Kitchen.  It is helpful to read through the comments because just like us everyone has their own way of preparing it.  

To start you need a large non-metal bowl.  I use a 1 1/2 lb box of steel cut oats (I bought a few cases when they were on sale - great deal with the addition of the case discount).  The original recipe calls for just 1 lb. but I make a smaller cake without eggs for Henry and George so I use the whole box.

Dump in the oats and cover with filtered water.  Add a bit (I don't know just dump some in) of buttermilk and a dash of salt, cover and soak overnight for 8 - 12 hours.  I've also soaked completely in buttermilk before and it makes it very soft and rich, but that is only when I have a lot of buttermilk on hand.

In the morning the oats should be a bit soft.  Strain them and maybe find something good to do with the discarded water?  I tried it on my plants, thought to serve it to my dog and really want to put it in my hair - just not last Sunday though because I was too busy preparing a lesson and Sunday mornings before church are not a good time to experiment with hair (learned that from using Coconut oil as conditioner once).  

Please note: on the occasion that I soaked solely in buttermilk I found most had been absorbed so there is no need for straining and not as much milk was needed.  

Now add in the ingredients (remember I started with 1 1/2 lbs oats unlike the original which calls for 1 lb.):

3 cups milk

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup coconut oil (this is solid so you can mash it a bit but it does bake in nicely)

1/4 cup applesauce (I add this for texture since a portion will not have eggs)

If the batter seems too watery I'll toss in a bit of rice or millet flour (we are mostly gluten free)

If the batter is too solid I'll add a bit more applesauce or milk

From here I'll take a portion of the batter and pour it into a greased bread pan for Henry and George.

For the rest I mix up 6 eggs (or less if I don't have that many on hand) and 2 Tbs. cinnamon.  Slosh it all together and pour into a greased cake pan.

It takes at least 45 minutes to bake at 375, sometimes more, sometimes less all depending on what I felt like dumping in or what I actually had on hand.  But again I recommend skimming through the 99 comments on The Nourished Kitchen because I'm not the only one getting sloppy with this recipe - and I'm not the only one finding it delicious no matter what the variation.

The one complaint I've heard was the oats being too crunchy - maybe I didn't soak them long enough?  or not enough liquid.  

On the Sunday morning that this was photographed it is a little over cooked because I was busy preparing a lesson and did not hear the oven timer.  It was still good enough to eat and lucky for us we had some leftover whipped cream, usually we just top it with plain yogurt.

Digging in

And done!  The original recipe suggest 12 - 16 servings, there are 9 of us and I added an additional half so I guess we're eating more than we should.  But paired with a kale/berry smoothie it is good for you and an especially great filler before church.  

Just a little added warning though, this could also be called "clean-out cake" because it really gets digestion moving, but that is also a good thing.

Anyone want the egg-free, brown rice, millet, ginger muffins from George's birthday?  Probably not and I don't blame you!

Baby boy turns 1!

Look who's so happy to be 1!

Has it really been a year?

Can you believe how much this sweet boy loves broccoli?  We indulged him for his birthday.

He also got a sweet little taste of an egg-free brown rice millet ginger muffin (since Henry's trouble with food allergies I'm playing it safe with George).  They were really quite good!  

Originally I purchased a vintage Fisher Price little people castle off ebay for his birthday but it got damaged in shipping.  So a quick trip to our favorite thrift stores found us a few other gifts to wrap for George.

He'll have to grown into this next one but in the meantime it serves as a walker and entertainment as siblings as old as 9 race it around the house.

As for the crown, I made it while the muffins were baking.  But that cute outfit is one I made for my nephew 4 years ago, it is the same kimono pattern and pants I made for Clara Christmas 2007.  My sister is always kind in passing on clothes and this one, made out of another one of Paul's old shirts, was especially appreciated.

While fishing out some felt for the crown I came across this old project that was worth finishing for George's birthday.  It is a fuzzy glove for finger rhymes and stories.

Brave big brother William burned his finger a few times with hot glue while assembling these cute fuzzy creatures, James typed out the words and I sewed the glove.  But I give credit to my sister Mary, a gifted speech pathologist, for the idea to start this project in the first place.

Not sure who enjoys this more, the little kids watching or the older kids performing.  Below you can see how William turned George's tears to smiles with this little kit.

Hard to believe how much a baby can learn and grow in just one year - but even harder to imagine our life without you sweet little boy.  Happy Birthday!