Rocky Mountain, Hi!

Some people are beach people. I am not one of them. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of the ocean. It's just that I prefer looking at the ocean from a hotel balcony, or the deck of a ship. The beach is different. It has all that sand, and sun, and jellyfish. It's just not my thing. Give me the mountains any day.



Kev and I just got back from Colorado, where we attended a wedding. A beautiful outdoor wedding on the side of a mountain in Breckenridge. Did I mention it was outside? In June? and it was chilly! And there were no mosquitos! What a nice break from the heat of Texas, where I get bitten by bugs within seconds of stepping out my front door. In that picture above, there was snow right near us, and it was FREEZING! It was no place to be tromping around in flip-flops and a t-shirt. And it was GREAT.



During the trip, I saw two new birds to put on my list, which is always exciting for me. I saw the mountain bluebird in the top picture...Kev managed to get a couple great shots of him. I also saw the tree swallow, below. These tree swallows know how to have a good time. They swoop and dive and sing and seem to be having so much fun. It would be so cool to be a bird. We also saw a little red fox, but I didn't get a picture.



Besides the wedding, we had time to do a few touristy things. We walked around the town of Breckenridge, where there are lots of shops and restaurants. We saw this funny-face aspen tree:


And we ate crepes:




As I sat there with my crepe, next to the giant sign that says crepes, a lady walked up and asked me what I was eating. Pretty funny. That crepe there in my hand was GOOD. It was a S'mores crepe, loaded with chocolate and marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs. Mmmmmm. We went back the next day for more.



And, we rode horses. This was my first time on a horse, and it was pretty fun, although I don't know if it's something I would do again. It hurt my knees, and I got a pretty bad sunburn on my arms. And Caesar, my horse, was not the most cooperative. But overall, I enjoyed riding the dusty trail, and we got to see a lot of pretty scenery.

I think Colorado might be my favorite place. It's right up there with Maine. I was trying to think of bad things about Colorado. Here is all I could come up with:

• It has a really dorky state flag.
• The altitude gives you a headache for a couple days.

Even Denver is cool. It has a great downtown with a lot going on, and it's really clean. So, go to Colorado, be cold in the summer, ride a horse and have a crepe. You'll be glad you did.

More pictures on Flickr if you wanna see...

Break Time

Going to take a few days off from the computer. Back on sometime early next week. Have a good weekend.

Haircut!

Haircut!
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

This is what my hair can look like when a nice stylist spends half an hour drying it straight. Tomorrow, it will be curly again. Dangit.

Look! It's all straight and swoopy and smooth and soft. Sigh.

And I don't even have anywhere to go. Kev is in Phoenix for a meeting. I'm wasting a whole straight-hair day waiting for Daphne to wake up so we can eat frozen pizza and watch the Muppet Show.

If only I could make it last. I feel like Cinderella when the clock is nearing twelve.

If You Give a Kid a Donut

The Devil
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

I have managed to avoid ever going to Krispy Kreme in spite of the fact that it is right next to my grocery store and it pipes the scent of its deep fried donuty goodness into the parking lot. I avoided it, that is, until yesterday, when a rainy day dictated meeting up with friends at Krispy Kreme for a play date. I gotta admit, it's a fun place. You get a cool paper hat, and you get to watch the donut-making process in action. And I can't speak for the other flavors, but my blueberry donut was delicious. Daphne chose the one with sprinkles, of course. And this was her first ever donut. I was afraid of what might happen after she ate it, and at first, it didn't seem to affect her. She didn't misbehave, or bounce off the walls. In fact, she was really good. Until nap-time. Then, she couldn't sleep. So, no nap. Then the sugar really hit her and by the time it wore off, she had colored with a blue (washable!) crayon all over my closet door and was generally naughty. Then she woke up about an hour after she went to bed, crying hysterically...most likely a donut-induced nightmare. She won't be going back to Krispy Kreme anytime soon. But I probably will.

Relief

Yesterday we had a big storm which made it cool outside so we all took a walk. Daphne wore her rain boots and splashed in puddles. We had no electricity most of the day. It was nice.

Blog Blues

I am feeling like the LRHS needs an over-haul, so if I get some time, I may make some changes. Maybe it's time for another logo design contest. In the meantime, I have added a button over on the right that is a link to etsy.com. I encourage everyone to go there if you need any interesting gifts for the people and animals you like. It is all handmade, and most of it is very reasonably priced and if you look around, you will find a lot of really great stuff. Like, say you have a friend who likes owls, and you want to find them a cool gift. Type "owl" in the search and you get all this! Or say you want a Steven Tyler from Aerosmith necktie, well you can get one here. And here is what you get if you type in "Spock." So, there's something for everyone on etsy.com, and you can be sure it is something they won't find at the mall. It's good to buy handmade.

Happy Father's Day, Dad

Happy Father's Day, Dad
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

My dad is about the only guy I can think of who is nicer than Mister Rogers. I bet he even gave me a bite of that cake!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy-O

Happy Father's Day, Kev
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Fanks for letting me play your dwums. You are a good daddy. Love, Daphne-O.

Hostess with the Mostess

You know the hypothetical that is often discussed: If you could have any four people over for tea, who would they be? Well, today I had tea with Daphne, Tyrone, Austin, and Tiny Ben Franklin. What an eclectic mix! You can only imagine the conversation.

A couple days ago, I overheard Daphne tell Austin and Tyrone they had to go to time out. Then a couple minutes later, I heard her say, "Are you guys ready to be nice?" It's Monkey See- Monkey Do around here these days, so Kev and I are really going to have to be careful.

Thanks to Uncle Jeff for the Ben Franklin action figure, by the way. It was a birthday gift. He has a tiny kite and key, too, but I put them away until Daphne can be trusted with tiny items. She managed to pull a necklace apart the other day and I think she ate a bead.

Pajama Party Time

So, it's Father's Day weekend, and Kev and my dad are both out of town. My dad went on his annual Canada fishing adventure, and Kev is in Colorado at a bachelor party. So, last night, the Peanut and I were on our own. We put on our pajamas, ordered a pizza, had ice cream for dessert, and watched the Curious George movie for the second time this week. There were also pretend tea parties and picnics, and I worked in a little knitting. I started a new hat, this time it's for ME. I've been assured it will fit, even though as you can see, it seems about the right size for Daphne.

Tonight, we're going to stay with my mom, so it'll be another girls' night in. I guess we'll have to have Father's Day next week.

Show and Tell

I didn't know Kevin's sister, Kim, could paint, but look at this! It is the church where we got married. She sent it to us with Daphne's birthday gifts. I am going to get it framed and hang it in a special place. I love it. Maybe being pregnant is making her extra talented.



On flickr, you can participate in craft swaps with other people who make stuff. There is usually a theme, and it is really fun. These are owls I received in an Owl Swap. Daphne tried to make them hers, but I'm keeping this batch for myself.




And finally, I cooked something that isn't yellow! Kev and I went to Cafe Madrid not too long ago, and the waiter suggested piquillo peppers with goat cheese as his favorite thing on the menu. I politely told him I don't like peppers and he politely told me that if I didn't like these ones, I wouldn't have to pay for them. Guess what. We paid for them. They were delicious. So I made them at home. You have to buy the peppers in a jar, and at my grocery store, this jar is $9.99, so I won't be making them often. Anyway, I just opened them up, scraped out the seeds, and rolled them up with goat cheese inside. Stuck them under the broiler until the cheese got all melty and the peppers started to brown. Mmmmm. Daphne even liked it. She kept calling them pepperoni. (by the way, I got two batches about this size from one jar).

It is windy. I hope it will rain. That is the only time we get relief.

Yesterday at the grocery store I was grumpy because I was REALLY hot, but then I saw one of the guys from Sudan in the parking lot rounding up all the carts. He was wearing a safari hat and the biggest smile you ever saw. I was less grumpy after that.

All Done

This afternoon, I finished reading the Perks of being a Wallflower book that Bleach suggested. Now I am sad. Good books never seem to last long enough. And it was a really good book. I think many of the people who read this blog would probably like it.

I guess that means it's time to get the sewing machine back out.

Someone keeps hacking into my email account and sending spam to my contacts. This is most upsetting. I really don't want to have to change my email address. Computers can be a real drag.

To cheer myself up, I will tell you that we have been watching a lot of Mister Rogers lately, and we have seen him knit AND play the melodica. Did you guys know that his mother knitted him all those sweaters he wore on the show? She must have shown him how to do it. And his melodica was exactly like mine. And I felt so happy until the music shop lady said "it's a great instrument for little kids to start on," which made me a little sad. But then I forgot about that and felt happy again because Mister Rogers took it back to "his place" and played one of his songs on it and it was just cool. Also, YoYo Ma has been on his show about three times since we've been watching regularly. And then one day he (Mister Rogers, not YoYo Ma) went to visit the doctor's office and actually got a shot just to show little kids it's not that big of a deal. I love Mister Rogers.

Daphne has to go to the doctor's office tomorrow. She has to get two shots. In spite of Mister Rogers' efforts, she isn't going to think it's not that big of a deal. It is going to be pretty traumatic for everyone, I'm afraid.

Now I feel sad again. Brad, I need another book...

Book and Video

Thanks for the suggestions of books to read. I went to Border's today while Daphne was napping (don't worry, Kev was home with her!), and used my five free Border's Bucks toward the book recommended by my cousin Brad. It is called "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." I am only a few pages into it, but I already love it. Thanks, Bleach.

Also, my other cousin, Ben, sent me a link to this YouTube video, which is worth watching. Thanks, Bean. You know me very well.

I like my cousins.

Birthday Re-Cap

Gumdrop Tea Cakes
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

So, Daphne is two. Her birthday has come and gone, and it was quite a production. Pictured are the tea-cakes I made in lieu of a big giant birthday cake. My original plan was to make these very elegant and lovely looking tea-cakes as pictured on the packaging of the cake tin, but instead they came out looking more like gumdrops. Which is fine, because Daphne is obsessed with gumdrops. Or the idea of gumdrops. She's never actually had one. Anyway, the cakes tasted good, and everyone seemed to like them, so I was pleased.

On her actual birthday, which was Thursday, we took her for a corny dog and ice cream at Harry's. (There are plenty of photos on flickr if you want to see). Kev's parents came from New York to join us, and Daphne had a big time playing with them.

He party was Saturday, and I kept it small like last year. We had cake, and then let the kids play in the new $8.00 wading pool and lady-bug sprinkler. We attempted gift-opening after the cake, but there were too many distractions and it was chaos. I can't handle much chaos, so we moved the party outside. It worked out well, and I think everyone had fun.

Meanwhile, on Long Island, Kev's sister was catering a birthday party. For a six-year-old. I heard the family spent $3000.00 on this affair. For a six-year-old. I bet they had better hors-d'oeuvres than we did, but I bet our kids had just as much fun - or more - in the $8.00 pool. Give me a break.

So, I have spent the last couple of days recovering from all the celebration. There are lots of new toys to play with and new books to read, so Daphne has been having a blast. Thanks to everyone for all the nice gifts. I am going to have to get rid of some of the old stuff. But I'll save that chore for another day.

For now, I think I'll stop because I feel like I'm getting a cavity from looking at that cake picture.

My Little Baby is Two

Happy Birthday, Little Peanut. You make me happy when skies are gray.
I love you!

I Put My Sewing Machine Away and Now I Need Something to Read

Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you.

Pay Attention to ME!

A couple nights ago, I made spaghetti and meatballs. Daphne found a mushroom, and made this announcement: "I found a mushroom!" I told her she was so lucky! And for the rest of the meal, we looked for more lucky mushrooms. Each mushroom was a cause for celebration.

Last night, we had left-over spaghetti and meatballs. This was after a very long, hot, and tiring day, and Kev and I had about enough energy to lift our forks, but that was it. Not a lot of meal-time banter was happening. Suddenly, Daphne announced, "I found a mushroom! I'm so lucky!" She received no reaction. So, she said it again. "I found a mushroom! I'm so lucky!" Silence from the crowd. So, she looked at us, and said, "Laugh."

That got a reaction.

Brush with Fame

So, the other night after the big Pink Martini show, we were walking back to the car, when we saw the great Thomas Lauderdale (their pianist/director) signing autographs outside the backstage door. He is a sort of strange little man. For some reason he carries a red plastic backpack all around but never seems to open it. But he's HUGELY talented, and a funny story-teller. So, anyway, I got a piece of paper and pen from Kev (always prepared!) and asked Thomas Lauderdale, not for his autograph, but for the name and composer of a piece played as a duet by him and Nicolas Corosa, the violinist in the group. He was very nice, and wrote it down for me. I swear to you, this was one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. I was in tears by the end.

I just bought a version by Joshua Bell from iTunes, and it's good, but it just isn't the same. I don't think you can capture something like that in a recording. Especially when you have to listen to it on computer speakers. Maybe it will sound better when I use the iPod dock. I'm not crazy about Joshua Bell anyway. But, it's better than nothing. I will see if there is a way to post a link to whatever kind of file I purchased from iTunes, but in the meantime, if you look up the piece on YouTube, you can see various people playing it and you'll get the idea of it. Praeludium and Allegro. Genius.

Thanks, Thomas Lauderdale.

Ralph-in-the-Box

Here is one of Daphne's birthday gifts. Don't tell her. She will love it.

I am mad because sockmonkey-in-the-box was MY idea. I thought of it a long time ago. I looked it up on the internet even, to see if anyone else already thought of it, and there was no such thing. Then suddenly, there it was at Froggies for $31.95.

People need to start supporting my million dollar ideas.

All Done

At last I have finished the knit tank-top. (There was a great deal of stress and bribery involved in getting Daphne to model it for this photo.) I think it turned out really good. I love the colors. I am going to have to take in the straps just a little, but otherwise it seems to fit. I am so glad to be done. On to something new...

Aside from the evil hot weather, our Memorial Day weekend was pretty good. We had Sunday breakfast at La Cubanita, which was very good, although I think the dinner was better. On the way home, we literally saw a chicken cross the road. OK, technically it was a rooster. But still. It's not something you see every day here in the big city. We have no idea why it crossed the road. Maybe the answer can be found in this funny book. Check it out next time you're at Barnes and Noble.

Monday, my mom made a brisket, so we went over there. Daphne got to swim in the little pool, and I got to watch little baby wrens in a nest on my parents' back porch. All day long, the mommy and daddy wrens tirelessly brought worm after worm to the little guys. So dang cute. I must have checked on them every ten minutes. There is one picture on flickr, but it didn't come out that great.

Various other pictures from the weekend on flickr if you want to see. Hope you all had a good weekend too.

Now, I must go clean the bathroom. Woo-hoo.

What is Blog Tag

Since people have asked...

I think it is basically when someone tags you, you have to answer their tag question, usually I have seen it in the form of making lists, like "Name Ten Things about You" or "Name Five Things You Always Have in Your Purse", or something like that. I think then you are supposed to keep it going by tagging other people, but I'm not really sure.

I looked back at the tag from MelJo and it included a whole bunch of questions. I am going to choose just one.

8 songs I could never get tired of listening to:

No, that's too hard.

8 things to do before I die:

1. See the penguins
2. See the Grand Canyon
3. Learn to make the perfect coconut curry sauce
4. Play in real snow with the Peanut
5. See a whooping crane in the wild
6. Spend more time at sea
7. Record more songs with Kev
8. Watch the Red Violin and go bowling (long story).

Anyone who reads this and wants to make their own list can consider themselves "tagged" and do so in their own blog or in the comments.

Julie Tagged Me

OK, Julie. I am gonna try to do this. But I am having trouble coming up with anything you all don't already know.

Ten Things About Me:

1. I am pretty good at tap dancing. Too bad it is a completely useless skill.
2. I lived in London for four months during college. It was cool.
3. My favorite record of all time is Van Morrison's Astral Weeks.
4. I have never seen Top Gun, Casablanca, or any of the Indiana Joneses. Or Dancin' with the Stars.
5. I have Osgood Schlatter disease on my left knee. It's no big deal.
6. The first real concert I saw was the Police, Ghost in the Machine tour, 8th grade.
7. I like spaghetti in my chili, and ketchup on my corny-dogs.
8. I can't stand the words "dollop," dawdle," and "unfurl."
9. I can only wink my left eye.
10. George is my favorite Beatle.

That must have been so interesting for you to read!

This reminds me that MelJo tagged me a while back when I couldn't blog much, but I forget what the question was. I'll have to go back and see if I can find it. Sorry, Melissa!

Good Thing Bad Thing

Good thing: Yesterday, Daphne said, "I'm gonna grow up to be a mommy, just like you."

Bad thing: It is officially too hot. I am going to try not to complain.

Big Night Out

Kev's birthday is December 26. The day after Christmas. That is a really unfortunate day to have a birthday. Just think about it.

So, Kev's birthday is usually pretty low-key. I think one year we tried to go bowling, but it was closed.

I don't even remember what we did for his most recent birthday. But I do remember the gift I gave him: two tickets to the May 21 Pink Martini show at the House of Blues. So, last night, we gave Kev a birthday celebration, albeit a late one, that was actually cool.

We started at La Cubanita, a new restaurant sorta in the neighborhood. I have my three or four favorite restaurants, so it's rare that I am adventurous enough to try something new, but I am so glad we did. It was DEEEElicious. I had some grilled shrimp in a coconut curry sauce (I have already spent several minutes on line this morning trying to find a recipe), and Kev had some kind of meat kebabs that he really liked. For dessert, we had tres leches cake that was even better than Gloria's. And the decor at the restaurant was really cool, too. If not for the giant flat-screen TV tuned to ESPN, we could have pretended we were in Havana.

After dinner, we went to Froggies and did a little birthday shopping for the Peanut. We found a Sock-Monkey-in-the-Box (a million dollar idea I had a LONG time ago), and a cool wooden ice-cream set from Melissa and Doug (they make the best toys). Daphne has become obsessed with sweets. She's like Augustus from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Every night as I put Daphne to bed, I ask her what she is going to dream about, and she always spouts off a list something like this: "Deem about mommy and daddy and Daphne and hippos and penguins havin a party with gumdrops and marshmallows and cake and ice cream and pineapples...". Thankfully she is a good eater, and while she THINKS about sweet stuff all the time, she eats her vegetables and other regular foods at mealtime.

Anyway, finally it was time to go to the HoB for the show, and I am telling you, if you like Good Music and Fun, go to see Pink Martini. It was a fantastic show. These people were really on to something when they started this band.

All that, and we were home by 10:30.

So, Happy Birthday, Kev! I hope you had fun.

They Were All Yellow

As promised, pictures of food. Fried plantains, baked garlic cheese grits, lemon icebox pie, and a Spanish potato omelet. Everything I've been cooking lately is sorta yellow. Not on purpose. It just happened.

21st Century Peanut

We love Dan Zanes at our house. If you don't know who that is, you probably don't have kids. Dan Zanes used to be in a cool band in the 80s called the Del Fuegos. Now he makes CDs for kids, but the music is very adult-friendly. He plays a lot of old-timey classics, complete with banjos and mandolins and fiddles and accordians and MELODICAS! So, thanks to Dan Zanes, Daphne has learned a lot of cool old songs that she would probably never hear otherwise. One of those songs is Sidewalks of New York...you've probably heard it. It's in 3/4 time, and makes you want to do a little soft shoe. It always reminds me of Bugs Bunny when I hear it. Anyway, the lyrics go "East side, west side, all around the town..." and so on. But when Daphne sings it, she says, "East side, web-site, all around the town." A young victim of the age of technology I guess.

She starts off singing really well in the video, pretty close to being right on pitch. Not sure what happens at the end. Maybe she's singing the harmony part! ("She made it her own, Dawg!") We may not have the next American Idol here, but I think she's right on track for joining the PPHPHB.

Happy Smother's Day

That is what Daphne wished me, first thing this morning. "MOM-my...Happysmothersday mommy!" And a Happy Smother's Day it was indeed. I will show you pictures of today soon, but I will tell you now that it involved lots of delicious food, shopping, and an apron with owls all over it, among other things.

So, Happy Mother's Day to my mom, and to all the other nice hard-working mommies (and soon-to-be-mommies) I know out there in bloggerland. It's a hard job, but I think it's the best one there is.

Knitting in Circles

Knitting Again - WIP
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Here is the knitting project I have been working on lately.

It is going to (hopefully) turn out like this pattern from Knitty.com, only I am doing a mint green bodice and ruffle with brown trim (instead of the bodice and ruffle being different colors), and I am doing it in the round instead of straight, so I don't have to do any seams. I love the colors...it reminds me of Daphne's favorite thing these days: mint chocolate chip ice cream.

It's a fun and simple little project, but it's taking me forever. I have to just keep knitting around and around and around until the thing is 8.5 inches, and then I have to start over for the ruffle. I want to have it done by Daphne's birthday (in less than a month, she will be TWO!), but I don't know if it's gonna happen.

I'll post another picture if I ever get finished.

I'm No Lady, I'm Your Mommy

Going places with Daphne has become a real adventure since she learned to talk. The other day, we were at Central Market, and she wanted a bagel from the bagel case. "Mommy, can I have a bagel please?" I told her no, explaining that we had to pay for them before we could have them. She thought about that for about a microsecond. Then, she said to a lady nearby, "Lady, can I have a bagel please?"

A couple nights ago, we went to Williams Sonoma. We saw a lady who worked there. "Lady, may I have some chocolate, please?" So, of course the lady thought it was cute, and hurried to the back room only to return with a BROWNIE. She didn't even bother to ask me if I minded her giving my two-year-old a giant hunk of chocolate at 7:00pm. Luckily, Daphne likes to share, so I took two big bites and left her with just enough to achieve a sugar high that caused her to spend most of the rest of the mall trip growling or shrieking at Kev and me. Thanks, lady.

Sometimes, she calls Kev and me by name. "KE-ev...what are ya DO-in?" she will sometimes shout from the next room. "Tara, what are you talkin' about?" she will ask when I try to talk to Kev about something. We don't mind so much, really. It's kinda funny. But tonight, she stepped over the line. At the dinner table, she looked right at me and said, "Lady, can I have some more watermelon please?" Nice, huh? Now I know where I stand. Right up there with the strangers in shops and grocery stores whose job is solely to retrieve things for the Peanut.

Sigh.

At least she has good manners.

Back in the Saddle

At last, Kev's new work computer arrived, so now I have a computer to use at home again. And some space has been cleared so that I can load pictures without making it crash. So life is good. Above is a picture of the Peanut last month sitting in the wildflowers. We had to take about 150 pictures to get a few that turned out good. The Peanut isn't much into posing, so we got mostly action shots and pictures of the back of her head. Oh well. Anyway, there are some more on the flickr page if you want to see them...use the flickr link on the sidebar.

There are also pictures on flickr from the craft fair. It went really well, and we sold some stuff and got some good feedback. I think we'll do it again sometime. It was fun.

The weekend was good. Kev got the yard cleaned up and I did lots of cooking. The weather was beautiful, and we spent a lot of time outside.

I hope to have something blogworthy this week now that I got the computer back. If all else fails, there'll be pictures of food.

Hot Property

You may remember a few weeks ago when much to our surprise, Pancho returned to our backyard, wife in tow, and scooted under our house. Since then, we have heard them puttering around down there, doing whatever possoms do. I don't mind so much, as long as they don't bite Daphne, or die and stink things up.

So this morning, imagine our surprise when we saw two racoons coming across the yard and disappearing under the house in the exact same spot! What is going on?! Is there a whole Woodland Creature Community developing under our house? Did the Raccoons somehow oust the Possoms? Or have they arranged some sort of time share deal? Who knows.

Anyway, the racoons were really cute, and I tried to get a picture but I was too late.

Since our Possom is Pancho, it seems only logical to call the male racoon Lefty. (Or perhaps Cisco, but I think my dad may have been the only reader that would get that sort of obscure pop culture reference). So, WELCOME, Mr and Mrs Lefty! Please make yourselves at home. Don't bite the Peanut, and please don't invite your skunk friends to join you all down there.

Someone is calling "mommy" from another room. That's my cue.

PS. By the way, I am disappointed in the response to the Earth Day challenge set forth a few posts ago.

Music News and a Musical Fun Fact

My friend Ken is going to be on Jay Leno this Thursday night with his band, the great Old 97s! He is nervous because he said he has to play a tricky guitar solo. So watch if you can, or set up your Tivo. Also, their new CD comes out May 13.

In other music news, the PPHPHB has slowy been recording some new songs. Our new CD will probably come out by the time Daphne starts middle school.

FUN FACT: Apparently, male mosquitos are driven insane by the musical note "C." I am going to do some research to prove it. If it's true, then it's time to invent some motorized chimes that play a constant "C." Then again, constant C chiming might drive me insane too. Too bad no-one has invented a removeable chime silencer.

Kev has ordered a new computer, but it will not be here for several more days. I will continue to blog short blogs when I can.

Earth Day!

So far, my dad is winning the LRHS Earth Day Challenge 2008. Today he planted two trees.

Today for Earth Day, we tried re-using a paper towel roll as a pretend telescope/pretend trumpet. But then Daphne chewed the end and it got all soggy and fell apart. But it was fun for a little while.

Happy Earth Day Eve!

A quick little blog before Kev takes the computer.

Tomorrow is Earth Day! And even though EVERY day should be Earth Day, I'm glad maybe some extra attention will be brought to making our home cleaner and healthier.

This year, we switched to Green Mountain Energy, and I got re-usable bags for the grocery store. And our neighborhood finally got recycling bins, so we've been using those. It isn't much, but it's SOMEthing.

So, I hope you will take the LRHS challenge, and report back at least one nice thing you did for the planet this week. I might just give away a prize.

Time to go hang my flag!

(PS. Smarty-pantses won't win)

Got No Time

Hi, and please don't stop reading this blog. I can't post often because Kev takes the computer to his new work, and because I am furiously working on preparing stuff for a craft fair next weekend. I will try to blog more blogs when I get a chance...

Five Years

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KEV!

Love,
T

What is the What

Here is the book I have been talking about. I borrowed it from LarryFeathers, and didn't think I would read it because it is a serious and heavy book with very small print. But I did read it, and I'm very glad I did because it has really affected me. It is a novel, but it is based on the real life of Valentino Achak Deng. Achack grew up in Sudan and became a refugee at about age six or seven when his village was attacked during the very scary and confusing Sudanese conflict. He then walked with a group of other young boys from Sudan to Ethiopia where a camp was established, only to be driven out of Ethiopia and into Kenya and another camp. He was finally chosen several years later to go to the US and start a new and better life. If you want to know how that all turned out, you'll have to read the book. But, here is what he went through in Africa in a nutshell: His village was attacked, his home was burned, he was separated from his parents and had no idea if they survived. He WALKED to Ethiopia. During this walk, he had almost no food and no water and only the clothes he was wearing. He had to worry, during this walk, that at any time he could be attacked by soldiers or bandits. He had to worry about disease like malaria. And if all that wasn't enough, there were LIONS. LIONS!!! He had to swim across the Nile where he could see crocodiles waiting to eat him, but he didn't have a choice because there were guys shooting at him as he ran away. All this, and he was only a little boy. So, you can see what I mean by it being serious and heavy. But, surprisingly, there are some really funny moments in the story, and some uplifting moments too. I wish everyone would read this book. It will help you remember that no matter how stressful your life is, at least there are no LIONS. Can you imagine? I reckon we have it pretty good.

After I read the book, I realized that a lot of the guys that work at my grocery store were probably Lost Boys from Sudan, like Achak. I wanted to talk to them so badly. I wanted to know their stories. Mostly, I wanted to make sure they were OK and were being treated well and fairly here in Dallas. I wanted to invite them all over for dinner. But how do you even start?

It just amazes me what is allowed to go on in the world.

So, anyway, I really recommend this book. It is a great story. And if you are inspired at all to learn more or help, you can go to http://www.valentinoachakdeng.org/ and read about what Achack is doing now. It's pretty cool.

And THAT is the What is the What.

Focaccia-cha-cha, Pancho Returns!, and Yo Yo Mommy

On Sunday, I went with my mom to a baking class at Sur la Table. It was really fun, and we learned how to make herbed focaccia among other things. So I decided to make some at home. There it is, above. It was my first time to make a bread from scratch with yeast, and it turned out really good and made the house smell great. Next time, I shall use more herbs. I was too conservative.



This morning, we realized we did a bunch of laundry including a stick of lip balm which was left in a pocket accidentally. There are now oil spots all over lots of our clothes. My favorite skirt is ruined. RUINED! As we were lamenting this situation, I looked into the back yard, and who came scampering across the lawn but Pancho, our long lost possum, this time with MRS Pancho following right behind. They apparently have moved in under our back porch. Welcome back, little friend. Please don't bite the Peanut! If you have forgotten the tale of Pancho, you can search this blog for more posts, or listen to this PPHPHB classic (scroll down to Song for Pancho):

That is Julie and Rob on vocals, by the way. Great work.


This morning, Yo Yo Ma was on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, so we got out the old family cello and sqeaked around a little. I love Mister Rogers. I hope he has a show about going to the doctor soon. And maybe one about how you can't really eat oatmeal with your fingers.

One more quick thing. Daphne has all these Playschool Little People, like 12, and all but three have disappeared. While they were in NY, I looked all over for these missing Little People. I looked under the couch, between the cushions, everywhere I thought Daphne could have possibly shoved, stuffed, or hidden them, and no luck. They're just gone. I'm thinking about offering a reward. Where have all the Little People gone??!! It's a mystery.

OK, so there's a quick blog for ya. I haven't forgotten about What is the What, but it deserves a post I can concetrate on.

Phew!

We have one tulip this year. Here it is from the outside



and from the inside.

What a change from my last post which featured lawn furniture covered in snow. That's Texas for ya.

So, after two cancellations, countless delays, lost luggage, and apparently the poopiest diaper in the history of ever (don't ask, I didn't), Daphne and Kev arrived in New York last Thursday where they enjoyed lots of good times with Kev's family, including some sing-alongs, Easter Egg hunts, and a HUGE announcement. It seems I am going to be an aunt for the third time! Woohoo! Congratulations, and all the best to Kim and Marty and their little chickpea. K and M are going to be the most awesome parents. And bonus: Now I will have a new baby to make stuff for. Yay!

Meanwhile, I have been in Texas. At home. ALONE. I have about an hour before I have to leave for the airport, and although I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed my free-time, I cannot wait to see my little family.

Here is a quick breakdown of my big week:

• Cleaned Daphne's room and closet. Got rid of stuff. Put away some toys for future rotation. Assembled new small shelf/stand for the diaper wipes so they are no longer on a tower of empty boxes.
• Went shopping with my mom in Historic Downtown McKinney and the Allen Premium Outlet Mall. Had pie.
• Sewed: a skirt, a pair of pants, a pair of pj bottoms, and a shirt for Daphne, a skirt for me, and a coaster and a tissue holder with some scraps just for fun.
• Did a couple other secret projects.
• Watched three movies on PPV: Superbad (A-...the minus is for too much swearing), Stardust (B+...the plus is because Robert DeNiro was great), and August Rush (C).
• Finished the novel I was reading.
• Went to IHOP. Yuck.
• Ate Haagen Daas coffee ice cream with magic shell.
• Relaxed.

Then there was this morning, my last free morning. What a whirlwind. I got up at 7:30, put some pork in the crockpot, started some laundry, went to breakfast at the coffee shop, drove through the carwash, stopped by the fabric store, went by Tom Thumb for some bread, went to the party store to get airport balloons for Daphne, dropped off some stuff at Goodwill, and made it to the nail place by 10:00 for one last treat: a pedicure. Happy Feet! Then when I got home, I prepared corn fritter batter for dinner, put a loaf of lemon poppy quickbread in the oven, and blogged. That is why the title of this post is PHEW.

Time to check on my bread and prepare for my family's arrival.

See ya later.

Hello

It all started last Friday morning, actually 2 Fridays ago, when I woke up and saw this. Snow. So we immediately got the Peanut dressed in the warmest outfit we could assemble and took her outside. At first, she didn't want to step on it, but after I demonstrated the fun of stomping around, she joined me in the yard. Not exactly a winter wonderland, but it'll do. Too powdery for a snowman though. Maybe next year.



That afternoon, the snow melted and we went to Oklahoma, where we lived for 3 days in a treehouse. It was a great weekend, spent with good friends. Daphne had kids to play with, and after they all went to sleep, we grown-ups played dominoes and had grown-up people conversations that did not involve snacky-snacks or the Backyardigans. We also went on a safari and went to a big waterfall, and ate Original Fried Pies. These fried pies were so good that I bought four more and brought them home. They are in my freezer. The fried pie lady offered me a lengthy explanation of how to freeze, then thaw, then re-heat my fried pies once I got them home. This explanation, which was delivered with a very very strong small-town Oklahoma accent (think Oh Brother Where Art Thou), ended with these words: "They-ull keep prob-lee six to tee-un days in yer ice-box. (Thoughtful pause, knowing smile) Well, mine never laysted that long cuz they wuz ate." I believe her. This woman was no stranger to fried pies. Friendly as could be, she even gave Kev a small sample of the coconut cream. I have rarely seen him look so happy because of a food. Pictures from our Oklahoma adventure are here if you are interested. You can see the fried pies for yourself!

Since we got back, we have been cramming in as much activity as possible before Kev has to start his new job. Wednesday we went to the zoo. It was kind of a beating, but at least it wasn't too crowded. We've been outside a lot because after last Friday's winter blast, it started getting progressively hotter and hotter, and this past Friday I think it actually hit 90 degrees. Crazy. My allergies do not like all these temperature swings and wind and pollen and I have been feeling yucky all week. But I refuse to get full-on sick, because Kev and Daphne leave for New York in two days, and I have a lot to do while they're gone. But, that's another blog. And so is the Souffle Restaurant, What is the What, the funny list I got at the zoo, and other things I need to catch up on. It's just been hard to blog lately with all the family outings and whatnot.

Anyway, there's a blog for ya. More soon.

Popcorn Experiment

Popcorn Experiment 2
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

So, we watched an episode of Alton Brown the other night where he made popcorn in a stainless steel bowl on the stovetop, and I knew it was only a matter of time before Kev attempted this at home. As it turns out, it was a matter of about 30 minutes. He made some as soon as Daphne went to bed. You can't combine science and snack food and expect Kev to resist. It was pretty good!

We are off to Oklahoma tomorrow to sleep in a treehouse, apparently in the snow. I will report on that, and the souffles, and What is the What when we return. Have a great weekend.

PS Big scary guys with pitbulls will be staying at our house while we're up the tree.

Too Hot for Housepants? Wait 'til Tomorrow!

Here is some snow that happened on Monday night. Two nights before, Kev and I walked to a restaurant, sat outdoors on a patio and ate dinner. Today, it is warm...probably 65-70. Tomorrow it may snow again. So, there ya go. Texas in March.

Kev has taken a (very) short-term contract (3 months) in Dallas, so we're here at least for a few more months. No decisions have been made after that. It seems likely that if we move, it will be to Virginia or some such Washington DC area state. It isn't a lot of fun feeling temporary and uncertain all the time, so I probably won't talk about it much on here. Just wanted to give you the latest.

On the Peanut front, we are making some progress on the potty. She has earned 9 Muppet Show stickers thus far. Every day she makes us laugh by saying funny things like "This is my friend Daddy" or "My name is holly, I live in a tree like squirrels and stuff" or "Baa baa black sheep, any any wolves." She also sings songs a lot. Songs from The Sound of Music, and a lot of Dan Zanes. We love Dan Zanes. He used to be a Del Fuego, you know.

I really like American Idol this season. I am for the dreadlock kid, the cute little 16 year old boy, or the Carly Simon girl with the long blond hair.

Last night, we watched The King of Kong on PPV. It was awesome. You should watch it, especially if you are from the 80s like me.

Next time I blog, I will tell you about a great book called What is the What. I don't have time to do it justice right now because I am getting ready to finally go to the restaurant of all souffles. Our dinner there got cancelled last week, so we are going tonight. I'll let you know how it is.

This blog is for Julie because she complained.

Pitiful Peanut

More video was requested by the people at Jeff's office, so this is for them.

Drumroll, Please...

Tara is actually going to blog!

I have neglected my blog for a long time, so I am going to quickly update if I can before the Peanut wakes up.

So, we are about halfway through Kev's second week as a "Man of Leisure." It has been nice having him home, and we have done lots of family activities. I have also been cooking. Below is experimental Stuffed Artichokes from my New Orleans cookbook. They were good, but I will probably never make them again. Artichokes are a real pain to work with, and they proved in this case to be really only a vehicle for the stuffing, which was excellent. Next time, I will stuff mushrooms with it instead.



Our big outing last week was DOWNTOWN. We took the Peanut on the train, which is fun but is also a breeding ground for germs of all kinds and I was paranoid that we would all get sick. So far, we have survived. We got off the train at the West End, and wandered our way to the Dallas World Aquarium, via Downtown Corn Dog (below).




I could kick myself for not following the directions on the door, and getting N there for a corn dog. (I later read a review of the place that said it's very good!). The funny thing is, you can tell it used to be called Downtown CornyDog, but they scratched out the "Y." I guess they thought Corn Dog is a little classier.





Anyway, we made it to the Aquarium, which is a great place to go. There's me and the Peanut in a fish tank above. Fun times. Except when the toucan flew right at Daphne's face (it was behind a plexiglass panel) and she screamed like she saw Freddy Kruger. I am happy to report that nobody got pooped on by the Spoonbill this time.





After the aquarium, we walked to the House of Blues for lunch. Daphne was wearing the right hat for it! Man, oh man, do I love the House of Blues! It is a really cool place, and the food is terrific. It was a big day, and Daphne was wiped out.

Saturday night, Daphne spent the night with Gma and Gpa so Kev and I could go out. We had big plans to go bowling, but when we got to the place, there was a 2 hour wait, so we went to the Studio Movie Grill instead, and got tickets to the movie that was starting next. Unfortunately, this movie was "Vantage Point" and it was one of the worst movies we've ever seen. On top of a really gimmicky plot, there was a car chase scene that lasted about 30 minutes. It was really loud and stressful, and there were tons of scary crashes and by the time we left, my nerves were shot. But, at least I got to hang out with Kev and have a BBQ chicken wrap and sweet potato fries.

Sunday morning, Kev and I went back to the House of Blues for their Sunday Gospel Brunch. The food again was awesome, and included things like cheese grits and bread pudding. There was a big show on the stage...several large African-American women singing very shouty music about Jesus, while waving scarves all about. It was fun. Definitely something you don't see every day.








Yesterday, we went to the Arboretum for a picnic because it was 80 DEGREES. In February! More big fun. Daphne ran and ran. I got to see the first tulips of the year. So pretty.

Now I am tired. I need a day off from fun. Today it is windy and cold out. I am going to go take a little rest now.

Tomorrow night I am going to dinner with a couple of friends to a restaurant that is All Souffles, All the Time. I will report back.

So long for now.

Happiness in a 9 x 13

Officially, Kev's position on Valentine's Day is "against." This is based on it being a made-up holiday pushed upon us by the people of Russell Stover, Hallmark, Zales, and the like. I am pretty sure that a quick search of Wikipedia would prove that Valentine's Day was around long before "Every Kiss Began with Kay (sic)", but I can see his point. All that being said, Kev always gets me a nice gift and gives it to me the day before so as not to be accused of participating in the madness.

This year, he gave me a cookbook from Williams Sonoma's series of cookbooks from cities around the world. I got New Orleans, which is where we spent our honeymoon, and is the city, in my opinion, that has the best food on the planet. Williams Sonoma cookbooks are great because in addition to good recipes, there are lots and lots of pictures. It's a really nice gift.

So, I decided to try some of its recipes over the weekend, and I made variations of a grilled chicken in the book, and some fried bananas as well. But the best, BEST thing I made was a Cheese Grits Souffle. Oh my gosh. Just when you think cheese grits can't get any better, you find out it can be made into a SOUFFLE! I swear, I would have been happy if the grits were the whole meal. It was like eating a fluffy cloud of happiness. I know all the clouds in Heaven are made of Cheese Grits Souffle. I am tempted to make Saturday night officially Cheese Grits Souffle night at our house. Just look at them up there, all puffy and steamy and golden and cheesy.

So, happy Valentine's Day to me...I don't think Kev knew just what a great anti-Valentine he was giving me.

My Funny Valentine

PRESS PLAY

Daphne and I went on a Valentine's date today...breakfast and ice cream at the mall. She's a good little kid and we had fun. Now, I am going to take a Valentine's nap.

Groovy hat knitted by my friend Cheryl, who once had a cow in her living room. On purpose.

The Big V

Happy Valentine's Day to you all, and just for you, I have a little Valentine's Day tip: If you are having trouble expressing yourself to your friends and family this Valentine's Day, you can go here and get all the help you need by simply filling in the blanks. Have fun!

Na-Nanny Boo Boo

Na-Nanny Boo Boo
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

It's February, and we have spent the whole weekend playing outside. As Kev said, this is our reward for making it through August in Texas.

Yesterday we played in the yard, grilled burgers, and ate dinner on the front porch. Today we went to the lake and fed the ducks and coots and gulls.

It has been a good weekend.

And to make things even better, it is close enough to Mardi Gras that I decided to make Jambalaya for dinner. Hoooo-Weeee!

Just a note: We told Daphne to make a happy face for this picture, and this is what we got. I guess Fake Smiling is a skill that takes more time to develop.

Palo Pinto Kitchen Disaster Causes Panic, Ends Happily, Then Causes More Panic

Last night I decided to continue my effort at trying new recipes, and attempted this one for potato-chip crusted chicken. As I was putting the chicken in the pre-heated 450 degree oven, my hand slipped and all the chickens slid off the cookie sheet and onto the oven rack. Potato chip crumbs were everywhere, the oven started smoking, the fire alarm went off, and I ran around in circles like Robot from Lost in Space, crying "Danger! Danger!". What a mess. Dinner was ruined, the yummy Indian food smell was replaced by charred potato chip and smoke smell, my recently cleaned oven was no longer clean, and I got made fun of for crying, "Danger! Danger!".

So, we went to Gloria's and had a much better dinner. Everyone went to bed fat and happy.

Today, I debated about re-self-cleaning the oven. Mysterious comments from my cousin Brad made me concerned. But, since I needed to use the oven tonight, I decided to do it. Guess what. Just minutes ago, the house filled with smoke, and the smoke alarm went off and I saw a small flame in the oven. So, I turned on the vent, opened a window, and shut off the oven cleaner. And this time, I thought, "Danger! Danger!", but I did not cry it out, because I didn't want to wake Daphne unless we needed to run from the burning house.

The flaming stopped and the fire alarm stopped, and miraculously, Daphne slept through it all.

Maybe I better not be the one to teach Daphne to cook after all.

Parakeet Peter

A very special thanks to GG for sending me..uh, I mean Daphne... this great vintage children's book about a boy and his bird. I remember having some of these Elf books when I was a kid. This one is great. Daphne enjoyed it at story time the other night.

Speaking of birds, I walked outside this morning to check the temperature (hot) and saw a yellow-bellied sapsucker! It was cool.

Thanks, GG. Watch your mail for a surprise.

Chef Daphne's Cage

In response to my mentioning that I wish Daphne had a place to stand and help me cook, my dad went to Lowes and bought supplies to make this one-of-a-kind PVC pipe Sous Chef Cage. I am going to paint it a pretty color and let Daphne help me cook more often. The sooner she learns, the sooner she can take over. Thanks, Dad!

Tula '08

My penguin, Tula, had two more chicks this season, and in spite of a lot of difficult weather, they have both survived thus far. You can see them there, hiding behind their mommy. So dang cute.

If anyone is trying to think of an interesting and unique gift for Valentine's Day or whatever, I recommend this Adopt-a-Penguin program highly. Email me or Kev if you want more info. I originally got the gift of Tula from my brother-in-law, Pat, and it made me cry when I opened it. Not that it's that hard to make me cry. But still.

Weekend Update Update

OK, so I lied. There is nothing similar to the hot fudge cake in my chocolate cookbook. A little internet searching found lots of versions of this recipe, mostly the same, sometimes with vanilla and an egg. Here is one I found that is basically the same, but with coffee (and vanilla, and an egg yolk). I may give this a try next time. It might be a little better.

Weekend Update

So, I told you I was going to make this recipe. And I did. On Friday when I was at my parents' house, I made this cake, which is cakey on top and hot-fudgey on bottom.



Here it is with some ice cream. Looks pretty good, huh? To be quite honest, it wasn't that great. It needed something. More salt for sure, and maybe some vanilla. Plus, I had to use 1% milk, and I think whole milk would have been better. Anyway, I probably won't make it again anytime soon. But it was fun, and it wasn't bad. I think there is a similar recipe in my chocolate cookbook, so I will compare and contrast sometime in the near future.



The Peanut was sick on Friday and Saturday, but she was feeling better on Sunday so we went to the Arboretum. Not a lot going on there at the moment. Mostly pansies. But it was nice to get outside, and Daphne had a blast running and running and running.

Our Super Bowl Sunday meal was Rogan Josh (below). I LOVE Indian food! All the spices and herbs (above) make the house smell so good. Every once in a while this morning, I have caught a brief whiff of cardamom. Mmmmmm.

We watched the Super Bowl, which is weird. I haven't watched football in years, and don't care a bit about the teams that played yesterday. As usual, I was for the Jets. But since they weren't actually in the game, I found myself cheering for the Giants. Next best thing I guess. I love a good upset anyway. And Tom Petty was so great.

What kind of a name is Plaxico, anyway?

Hope all y'all had a good weekend.