For Christmas, CD gave me a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, and a Cuisinart Bread Machine. OOOO. Very fun. We have made a batch each of chocolate and vanilla ice cream and a loaf each of whole wheat and cinnamon swirl bread. SJ, who has become a big bread eater, LOVES the fact that we have bread on hand, and the boys love how it smells all the time ( Read more... )

In an attempt to give me a kiss, SJ gave her first zerbert! She thought it was very funny, and so did mama. I love the kisses, though recently there have been sharp little teeth involved. She's learning what I mean when I say "Softly, please. Don't bite." She's still so pleased with herself that she can move about independently. Crawling is ( Read more... )

It's so fun to watch all the new things SJ is learning and trying. After mastering crawling last week, she has decided that standing is well within her reach. Unfortunately for me, that means she insists on standing in her little bath tub. She was so proud of herself for that one. She managed to pull herself up using the door track on the big ( Read more... )

I'm surprised once again at how cold it gets here, and yet most things stay so green all year long! Drops down to the low 40's at night, nice fall colors everywhere. I would like to get out and take photos of the vineyards changing colors. It's harvest time. Beautiful clusters ready to be picked. Winter berries coming on the trees for the ( Read more... )

Last weekend we were able to get a good start on two projects we have been thinking about for some time. The first was a compost pile. It's small, but for our needs, it should work. It's a much smaller variation of the type I helped my parents build at their house. Theirs worked great, when they watered and turned it properly. I hope this one ( Read more... )

So, I know they are called milestones because they supposedly mark the passage to some distant, and better (or is it just rumored to be so?) place. But when it comes to developmental milestones, it makes much more sense to me to think of being so frustrated with all the crying that I would like to throw a stone a mile away. Why must the pain of ( Read more... )

finally the minor freak out at work about racial bla blas has subsided. it stopped as abruptly as it all started, which is fine by me. class still hasn't started, we haven't even got our books yet. which means the pre-class assignment has yet to be assigned, much less completed. i think the first class is supposed to start on saturday. nobody ( Read more... )

is it just me, or a cell phones really not worth the hassle. okay, so it really saved my booty when i got a flat in the first 45 min. of a 3 day drive...and that day my car wouldn't start after church and nobody would help me b/c i had changed clothes so i could go to work (i'm assuming it was the clothes). but other than that, it really has been ( Read more... )

i found a few interesting websites in a magazine left on the break-room table the other day. eCreamery.com and ExoticMeats.com wow, that's some weird stuff. the ice cream one lets you basically make whatever kind of ice cream you want, add in flavors, toppings, and then name it. there are a few, like cucumber dill, that sound icky. and there ( Read more... )

thanksgiving...wow, now that is my kind of holiday. nobody really notices how much i eat b/c they are all gorging themselves. it's nice ( Read more... )