Jazz in the Evening and Rock in the Morn

Last night, after dinner, Kev suggested a stroll. So, we strolled. On the way back home, we happened to walk past the King's Court Tavern (home of GREAT fish and chips), and noticed that Al and the Arcadians (above - photo from the Loudoun Times) were setting up. So, we decided to go in for a while and get a little dose of New Orleans. There were six guys in the group, and I'll betcha their collective age was pushing 550. But they were great. And Daphne loved it. They play Dixieland Jazz like nobody's business. Kev said this is what he wants to do when he's old. I am all in favor of that, but he better get to work. He hasn't played his trumpet in months, and I don't think he's gonna get very far on Pop Goes the Weasel.

This morning, Daphne and I met a neighbor and her kids at Jammin Java, a really cool coffee shop in Vienna, to see Rocknoceros (above). Rocknoceros (not to be confused with the Rhyme-noceros and the Hip-hop-opotomus) is really big with the hip toddler set of Northern Virginia. And they really were a lot of fun. They are a little like They Might Be Giants, so their music is catchy and kid-oriented, but adult-friendly enough to sit through and enjoy. Daphne was a little hesitant, and didn't join the throng of dancing kids at the front of the stage, but she did clap and dance in her seat, and at the end of the show, she met the singer ("Coach" - the guy on the left) and gave him five. I think next time she'll feel more comfortable and have a little more fun. Anyway, it's a really cool thing for kids, and they play there every Wednesday morning. It's hard to beat coffee and rock on a Wednesday morning. Tons better than storytime at the library.

Jammin Java, by the way, has real grown-up shows in the evenings, and I am excited to say that the Asylum Street Spankers, one of our favorite bands from Texas, are playing there sometime in May.

Tomorrow we are just staying home to do laundry, so it is going to be a real let-down. I'll guess have to get out my melodica and make up some Doin' the Laundy polkas.

Garden State

This morning, Daphne was eating breakfast. She suddenly started talking about some place that has "...orange carousels, and blue carousels, and green carousels, and it's aMAZing!" So I asked her, "Where is this place?" And without even a second's pause, she said, "New Jersey." Hmm.

We decided she should paint it. Please press "play."

Now, I have only been on the Jersey turnpike, so I can't really say for sure, but I don't think anywhere in New Jersey could possibly be this beautiful. I think I may write the Governer and see if he'd like to hire Daphne for a little PR work.

Butter-Making, Mystery Trees, DC, and a Dog Named Steve

See, I told ya I was gonna make butter. There it is, all fluffy and delicious. I highly recommend this activity, especially if you have kids. All you have to do is get some heavy cream, let it get to room temperature, put it in some kind of sealed container (mason jar), and shake the aiche out of it until it turns to butter (it only take about 10 minutes if the cream isn't too cold). Pour off the liquid (which you can keep and use to make buttermilk biscuits or pancakes), and spread it onto whatever you have handy: bread, crackers, your fingers...

I actually did use the buttermilk to make biscuits, but they weren't really that great. Just a vehicle for the butter, really. I whipped some honey into the butter, which was good. Next time I will probably put in some honey and cinnamon and make pop-overs to put it on. Mmmmm...

(Hint: Just make a little bit and use it up quickly. If you plan to make a lot and keep it, you have to get all the water out or it will turn rancid. Loads of info on butter-making on the internet if you Google).



One of the nice things about moving to a new house in the winter is that your yard in the spring is a total surprise. This tree is growing in my front yard. I have no idea what it is. It has just been sitting there since we moved in, completely bare, and then suddenly THIS happened. It's so pretty. I feel kinda dumb not knowing what it is. I have been seeing these trees everywhere, so it must be pretty common. So let me know if you know what it is. There might even be a prize.

Yesterday, we loaded up the car and went into DC to hang out with Jeff. It was a beautiful day - sunny and in the 60s. Just perfect. We went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History, which has a lot of cool stuff including the Puffy Shirt:

We also got to see Abe Lincoln's hat and the Star Spangled Banner flag, which is HUGE and very cool. Daphne didn't last very long in the museum, so we took her to the carousel on the mall and let her run around a little. Then we went to Eastern Market, which is a weekend flea market in a really cool neighborhood near the Capitol. We got some good food at Mr. Henry's, walked around a little, and then headed back because we were WAY past naptime and some of the group was cranky. On the way to the metro, we met a really good Mastiff puppy named Steve. You should have seen the size of Steve's feet. His owner really knows how to name dogs!

In all, it was a good day out. I really love Washington DC. We will never ever run out of stuff to do. And it's so pretty in the spring. Thanks to Jeff for taking us all around. Hope y'all had a good weekend.

Public Service Announcement (or Soapbox Alert)

As someone who has worked with kids with various special needs for a long time, maybe I am a little sensitive. But I really don't like the word "retarded." I especially don't like it when people call someone a "REtard." Even if it's just a joke. It just gets casually thrown around without a lot of thought. Some may argue "it's just a word," but words can have a pretty big impact. Special Olympics has started a campaign to get people to maybe re-think using the "R-Word." I just thought I'd mention it.

On a personal note, I could also do without stupid, hate, and shut up.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled blog...

Please Enjoy Some Absolute Genius.

This is so true. Every single bit. Thanks, Brad. Thanks, The Sneeze. And thanks, guy who composed and filmed this greatness.

It's the small plastic tub
of good lobster bisque
It's the milk that won't froth
no matter how hard you whisk...

I'm gonna be stuck on this all day.

(PS. You might not like this if you've never actually been to Trader Joe's).

Number Three

Goat cheese is definitely a Thing That Makes Me Happy. It is so creamy and delicious. If you have an especially good recipe using goat cheese as an ingredient, please pass it my way. I am always looking for new ways to use it. This particular goat cheese came from Trader Joe's, which also makes me happy. Every time I go to there, I find some kind of new good thing. Like yesterday, I was there and saw among the soups a small container of Trader Joe's Lobster Bisque. So, we had it as part of our dinner last night, and it was great. They also have awesome chocolate chip cookies. But here's something weird. Yesterday, I got some milk at Trader Joe's. I usually buy Horizon Organic 2% milk, but this time I got the Trader's Joe's brand (also organic 2%). And for some reason, it won't froth! This morning when I made my daily latte, I went to froth my milk as usual, and the bubbles just disappeared! A quick internet search told me I am not the only one who can't get Trader Joe's milk to froth, so this made me feel better. But I couldn't find a reason WHY. If you know any dairy farmers, please ask them. Speaking of dairy farmers, I am on the lookout for local fresh cream next time I go to the farmer's market because I have some pretty big butter-making plans. I'll keep you posted on all that.

Yesterday started off with extremely dense fog, but when it lifted, we were left with a beautiful sunny and warm day. Daphne and I met some friends down in Herndon at Frying Pan Farm for a playdate. It's a cute little farm with a playground and farm animals, and it's free. The kids got filthy and had a great time, and I enjoyed seeing all the baby animals. There were lambs and calves and piglets. So dang cute.

On the way home from the farm, Daphne got really sneezy. She seems better today, but she was pretty pitiful yesterday. It is not clear whether this is allergies or sickness. I sure hope she isn't going to be allergic to springtime in Virginia. That would be really really bad.

Anyway, I better get on with my day. I think I will have a bagel with delicious goat cheese to go along with my froth-free latte....

Happy Patrick's Day!

New Attitude

Daphne finally quit pouting about Patrick's Day. See, doesn't she look pretty in green?

The Second One

Here is another Thing That Makes Me Happy: My coffee-making ensemble. From left to right, it includes a large french press, a small french press, a milk-frother, decaf beans, regular beans (for Kev and guests), and grinder, and in front is my favorite coffee cup (a Christmas gift from Kev). This may seem elaborate, but it's really very simple, and it all gets used first thing every single day. I drink coffee because I love it. Not for the caffeine jolt. I have been officially decafinated for at least 6 months, probably more. I can't remember when I quit, but I had to because I was having terrible caffeine-related headaches.

A really good side effect of having all this coffee-making stuff is that I don't go out and spend money at the coffee shop. Every little money-saving bit helps in these difficult times. Not that I was going to Starbucks every day like many people seem to do, but I did get a fancy coffee once a week or so back when I was in Texas.

Perhaps I'll do a blog about "things I am doing to try to save money in these difficult times."

But now, I should go watch Charlie and Lola with Daphne. She is very grumpy because she has decided she doesn't like "Patrick's Day." First, I tried to be all fun and make her milk green in the cheerios this morning. Total failure. "I don't like green milk, Mommy." "But you've never had green milk, Peanut." "When I was at Lauren's house, when those teenagers were there, and you and daddy went to that grown-up party, there was green milk and I tried it and I didn't like it." OK, fair enough. So, I failed at being fun AND at being original. Next, after bath time, I almost caused a major meltdown trying to get her to put on a green shirt. It has butterflies on it. Daphne doesn't like butterflies. Why? They are "too exciting." I finally told her she was going to get pinched if she didn't wear the shirt, so she put it on but has been pouting ever since, sitting on the kitchen floor with her arms crossed saying, "I don't like Patrick's day." I feel kinda bad, but it looks really pretty on her with her orange hair and all.

Sigh. I wish it was Lantern Day instead.

Lantern Day

Another big weekend at Casa de Housepants. Saturday night, we co-hosted a progressive wine-tasting/appetizer party with the people on our cul-de-sac. Hosting parties makes me nervous, but it all turned out fine and everybody had a great time. Daphne got to go to a neighbor's house to hang out with her little friends and a babysitter. She had a blast and cried when she had to come back home.

Then yesterday, Daphne suddenly declared it to be "Lantern Day" (see above, Daphne in her Lantern Day outfit). She gave all her guys pretend baths, and then put teacups on all their heads (below - don't know why the photo is rotated that way, sorry):

She said it was their Lantern Day hats. Then she started singing, "It's Lantern Daaaayyy, it's lantern daaaayyy, we get to eat really good food on lantern daaaaayyy." At first I thought this all came from her crazy imagination, but I am starting to think it was based on something she saw on Ni Hao Kai Lan. For those of you who don't know, Kai Lan is like the Chinese Dora the Explorer. If you don't know who Dora is, then you must not have kids or ever go to Target or other places with toys. Anyway, I think they once had a lantern festival on Ni Hao Kai Lan, so that's probably where this all started.

Meanwhile, Kev and I decided to attempt the rare and difficult feat of cooking together. Kev was the Gumbo Meister and I was the sous chef. In order to get Daphne excited, we called it Special Lantern Day Gumbo, and told her that if she ate it all, she could have Delicious Lantern Day Strawberry Shortcake. And guess what. It worked! She ate all of her gumbo*, which was delicious:

and after a short break for Family Band Time, we all watched Dumbo and ate strawberry shortcake. I am really hoping that we can make Lantern Day a yearly tradition. It was fun. Everybody was in a good mood. And we got to have really good food on Lantern Daaaayyy.

*chicken and andouille gumbo - the final "Winter of Soup" soup.

Feel Free...

...to play along and do Things That Make You Happy on your own blog. Or, if you are one of the crankier readers, you could do Things That Make You Mad. That would be really easy for me. But in my case, that would defeat the purpose.

By the way, I just found out that Domino magazine is no more. March is the last issue. Boo hoo.

The First One

OK, here is the first Thing That Makes Me Happy: my spirally scarf. It makes me happy for several reasons, including:

• I love the color,
• I made (knit) it myself,
• it represents Fall,
• it reminds me of my good friend Emily who helped me with the pattern,
• it is made from alpaca (soft and not too itchy), and
• it is generally groovy.

It may not be Prada, but it's good enough for me. It will never go out of fashion because it was never actually IN fashion. It is timeless, if you will. I love my spirally scarf.

Here is last night's 70's "casserole concoction" as Kevin decided to call it.
I called it "Chicken Surprise." It wasn't very good, but it wasn't awful. The best part was the bread crumbs. There were a few moments of kitchen panic when I realized I was out of breadcrumbs (this is almost unheard of), but I happened to have a little left-over sourdough loaf, so I made my own in my very under-used food processor. Problem solved! I am sad to say that there is more Chicken Surprise in the fridge, so somebody's going to have to eat it.

Um...Not it!

Sorry, Kev.

Thursday Afternoon Blog

Winter isn't going to go down without a fight. Yesterday, it was about 68 degrees, but today was cold and windy, and there is a possibility of a light dusting of snow overnight. I am putting my money on Spring, though. As you can see, our cherry trees are starting to bloom,

and the birds have discovered the feeders. I am a little disappointed that, at least so far, the birds here are the same ones we had in Texas (with the possible exception of one brown creeper, which I am only about 90% sure I identified correctly). So far, we've had cardinals, blue jays, juncos, robins, wrens, house finches (above), mockingbirds (yay!), chickadees, and titmouses. We also have a lot of turkey vultures and Canada geese doing fly-overs, and one day there was briefly a hawk (probably red-tailed) in the back yard. But, perhaps as spring migration continues and the weather gets warmer, some new birds will appear.

Yesterday was so nice that we spent the morning outside blowing bubbles and digging in the dirt. Look how happy Daphne is about that bubble.

I think I remember blogging once about how I don't like Domino magazine because I get mad every time I flip through it. They have a regular feature on the last page called "Ten Things that Make Me Happy." It is always some socialite I've never heard of, and photos of their "ten things," which usually includes items like their Prada handbag that cost more than my car, and their super-ugly designer diamond studded toilet seat cover and so forth. You know what I mean. Over-expensive stuff that nobody really needs. All Daphne needs is a bubble.

So, I've decided that I am going to do some blogs about (Simple) Things that Make Me Happy to help me keep my perspective and not get so caught up in always wishing I could buy new furniture and shoes.

That will have to wait until later though, as it's almost time to make dinner. Tonight, I am going all 70's on my family by throwing a bunch of left-over pasta and chicken in a casserole dish, mixing in some cream of mushroom soup, and putting bread crumbs all over the top. Everything's better with bread crumbs. See, it's the simple things.

And Just for Fun, Here's This:

I like how she is really into it, and then gets distracted at the end.

No Mo' Snow

One week ago, it was freezing and snowing. Two days ago, we ate breakfast on the porch. It was in the 70s over the weekend, and I loved every minute of it. We spent nearly the entire weekend outside, starting Friday night when we took a walk downtown for First Friday. There wasn't a lot going on. We saw a lady playing a harp and singing, and another duo playing Irish music. We went into the bank to see some opera singers, but Daphne couldn't take it. She made an awful face and put her hands over her ears, so we had to get her out of there. Not her cup of tea, I guess. She's more of a Kinks fan. We went in because there were supposed to be free snacks, but Jeff said it was "just a bunch of carrots and stuff." Anyway, we went home and had ice cream cake on the porch and let the Peanut stay up late. Big fun.

Saturday after breakfast, we went to the farmer's market to get eggs, meat, and cheese, and some apple cherry cider. Banjer-Dan was there again with his banjo, playing whatever anyone might ask him to play. Then Jeff headed back to DC and the rest of us went to a craft fair at the rec center.

Sunday we spent the morning outside. Daphne just wanted to dig in the dirt. At least she didn't try to eat any. Then we hooked up the Burley -

- and went for a short bike ride -

- and picnic on a park bench. Daphne is shouting "hooray" for picnics. Do you see my cool bike? I love it. I was riding it around and I felt like I was 12. So much fun.

So, it was another busy weekend, packed with activity. I am exhausted, but it was fun. So great to spend some time outside.

Today has been busy as well. I took Daphne to the mall to get her first haircut:

She was nervous at first, but she did it! A couple weeks ago, she would start crying at the mere mention of getting a haircut, but we read her a book from a series called "It's OK" about a cat named Tom Cat who gets a haircut and has fun. Tom Cat has sort of become her imaginary friend, which is fine by me because he talked her into it being OK to get a haircut. I wish Tom Cat had a book about how its OK to go poop on the potty. That would solve a lot of problems around here. Anyway, I took her to this place at the mall called "Cartoon Cuts," and Daphne had a great time, although I'm not convinced she got much of a haircut. She did get a "First Haircut" certificate. And now she's not scared of it anymore, so next time will be a breeze.

After the haircut, I took her to the soft playground in the mall, and we had lunch and rode the carousel. She let me shop a little bit, so I got a couple things for spring.

Now she's asleep, and I need a nap, but I think I better tend to the messes in the playroom and the kitchen first.

I did get my bird feeders hung this weekend, but they haven't been discovered yet.

And one more thing: I discovered this cool blog, so if any of you plan to come visit us, you can use it for research.

A Slight Improvement

A Slight Improvement
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

But I'm still pretty cranky. I coulda used the Cat in the Hat today.

Calgon, Take Me Away

Calgon, Take Me Away
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

This is what I'm up against. Something's gotta give. Does anyone have a giant armoire they'd like to donate? This is why I'm cranky.

Mexican Pork Pie

Here is the Mexican Pork Pie. The recipe is from the One Dish cookbook from Williams-Sonoma. I stuck to the recipe except I used tomato sauce instead of tomatoes, and I put cheese on top (it ain't Mexican if there's no cheese). I think it needed something, but I can't figure out what. Maybe some cheddar cheese mixed into the polenta. Kev reckoned it needed some carrots or something to make it more stew-like. Anyway, we'll have left-overs tomorrow, and maybe it will be better after sitting in the fridge for a couple days, getting happy as Emeril would say.

No Coat Necessary

March 2009
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Today it is warm out. And sunny. Aaaaaaah, yes.

We just got back from the birthday party. Daphne got to get all dressed up. She was excited. She said, "Mom, I am going to make some new friends at this party!" But she spent a lot of the time hiding because the party guests were mostly loud shouty boys brandishing swords. Plastic ones, but still dangerous. It was a knights and princesses party. Luckily, her friend Lauren was there and of course there was birthday cake to make it all worthwhile. And to my great joy, the birthday cake was actually CUPcakes, so there were no candle-blowing germs for me to fret about.

I am now completely exhausted, and Daphne is all wired on cupcakes and juice. I am about to attempt naptime, but I'm expecting a battle. At least there won't be swords.

Spring at Last?

It seems like spring may finally be on its way. Monday morning's snow is rapidly disappearing, and today I wore a sweater instead of a coat, hat, scarf and glove combo. Tomorrow it may be in the 70s. The People Who Know have announced that the cherry trees are due to peak from April 3-9, which yesterday was hard to believe, but today actually seems possible. Just in time for our 6th anniversary, too. It would be nice to spend it strolling along a blossoming tree-lined path.

Here are a few LRHS quick-hits:

Daphne's new favorite band is the Kinks. She loves them. Her favorite song is Sunny Afternoon. We had a 20 minute conversation the other day trying to answer the question: Why is there a big fat mamma trying to break that guy? Today, she decided that King Street (the main drag in Leesburg) should be called Kinks Street, and she actually cried when I told her I wasn't allowed to change the names of streets. She also likes Hank. (Williams). (Senior). Daphne is cool.

Tomorrow I am taking her to a birthday party. I am totally freaked out about the kids blowing out the candles. I saw this episode of Food Detectives, see, where they proved that birthday cakes are practically dripping with bacteria after the candle-blowing-out ritual. Million Dollar Idea: someone should really invent some kind of removable cake-guard for these situations. I took Daphne to the local pharmacy today, and my nice neighbor, who happens to be the pharmacist, gave her the FluMist, and a lollipop to sweeten the deal. Better safe than sorry. Don't even get me started about library books. I am trying to just let it go.

Tomorrow night, Jeff is coming out from DC to join us for First Friday. Should be a good night out, especially if the nice weather sticks around.

Tonight I am making another recipe from the One Dish Meals cookbook. It is called Mexican Pork Pie. We shall see.

And finally, my goal this weekend is to get the bird feeders hung and filled. Spring is coming, and that means new birds. Gotta be prepared.

Daphne is up from her nap now, so I better go. Maybe we'll play outside for a while. I could totally use a break from Wow Wow Wubbzy.

DC Weekend

My mom and Jeff arrived on Wednesday afternoon, after making the long long drive from Texas. I was glad. Jeff is going to be working in DC for the month of March, so he drove his car up, and Mom came along for the ride. She was supposed to fly back to Texas today, but as you may have heard, we got another blast of snow, so she is sitting in Jeff's hotel room, wating until tomorrow. I don't think she minds. I wouldn't.

We did a lot during their visit. Wednesday night, we went to Fireworks again for pizza. Thursday, I stayed home while they went house-hunting in Manassas. Thursday night, they stayed home with Kev and Daphne while I went to my neighbor's house to play Bunco. This was an interesting experience. The group that played is called Junior Women's Club of Loudoun, or something like that. It's a group of women who do community service types of things. So, I may join, but I have to think about it. I think there is an oath and maybe even a candle holding service thing, so I'm not sure it's for me. That being said, the ladies were all really nice and there was good food. When I got home, Jeff and Kevin were debating Communism vs. Capitalism, and my mom had her head down on the table. I sorta wish I'd stayed a little later at the Bunco.

Friday during the day, I went down to Manassas with my mom and Jeff for more house-hunting. Friday night, they babysat so Kev and I could go out. Our big date was a trip to the outlet mall in search of pants, and dinner at a Thai place that adjoins one of the local gas stations. The food was surprisingly delicious! The fact that I was up all night with a sick stomach is probably just a coincidence.

Saturday, I went into DC with my mom and Jeff, while Kev and Daphne had a "Daddy Weekend." (Thank you, Kev!) I had a blast. We got to see a lot of sights and eat really good food and ride the Metro. Mom got tired, but Jeff and I went out after dinner to see Washington after dark. It was COOL. I hadn't seen the Lincoln Memorial yet, and to see it at night was awesome. And if you haven't seen the Korean War memorial, I recommend doing that at night as well. But don't take your McDonald's in there:

The next morning, we ate the free hotel breakfast, and took my mom to see the White House. It is a pretty cool thing to see, even though I had been there before. You can get pretty close to it in the front, so it's easy to get good pictures:

I bet it's really pretty in the spring. Anyway, spring does not appear to be anywhere in sight. As I mentioned, we got several inches of snow in the area last night. So, we let Daphne eat it for breakfast. What a treat! Look how excited she was:

After breakfast, it was out to play in the snow. Unfortunately, it still isn't packing snow, so we couldn't make a snowman. Too powdery. But we had fun, and Kev stayed home today, so he got to play outside with us.

Mom got her flight changed to tomorrow, so she'll be headed back to Texas. That's good, because I think my dad is lonely. Jeff is coming back to our house next weekend for First Friday, so that will be fun. And I am hoping we get to go visit him in the District again before he leaves. It is SUCH a cool place, and so much to do. Action never seems to stop around here.

Speaking of action, I think I need to go change a diaper now. Delightful. See ya later.

Happy Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone. These are a few pictures from our honeymoon in New Orleans in 2003. I love New Orleans. You will not find better food anywhere in the country. I hope the city has a safe and happy celebration this year. And I hope to get back down there sometime soon. Let the good times roll!

Monday Catch Up

Here is Daphne with her newest cousin, Jackson. Jackson came to visit us over the weekend with his mom and dad and his good boxer dog, Roscoe. We had a big time doing not much of anything. It was more about the fellowship than the action, and that is fine with me. It was a good visit.

After everyone left on Saturday, we decided to go on a field trip to Chrysalis Vinyards, which is a winery about 20 minutes away. It was a little chilly, but not too bad, and Daphne got to run around outside and see cows and geese, and we got to have a nice picnic lunch and a small glass of local wine. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to spring. It is really going to be pretty here when things start to bloom. It snowed again yesterday, but only for an hour or so. Winter is fighting hard to stay, but its time is nearly up.

Today the sun is shining, but it is really cold and very windy. Tomorrow should be better. I saw a big giant hawk in one of our trees this morning, and had a great cup of coffee. I think I am finally figuring out my new french press. It came with NO instructions.

There goes my trash can, threatening to blow down the street...be right back...

OK. Rescue complete. Anyway, hawk, good coffee...this day is starting off pretty good. Gonna go hang out with Daphne now, if I can tear her away from Clifford. But first, maybe one more cup of coffee...

Paper Cup of Happiness

Cupcake making was not as treacherous and messy an endeavor as I thought, and here is the result. It's not so much cakey as it is brownie-like. Mmmmm. I was going to make frosting at nap time, but they don't need frosting. What they really need is a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream. But they are fine on their own. This day is getting better.

Still Awating Spring...

Well, it is a truly miserable wintery day. It started off OK, with giant pretty snowflakes. But that has turned to sleety rain and bitter cold, and from what I am told, the Big Wind is returning tomorrow. Y'all know how I feel about the Big Wind. So, there is nothing else to do on a day such as this but to make cupcakes. There was a lady in the Williams Sonoma outlet the other day going around telling everyone that their organic cake mix made the best chocolate cake in the history of the world, so I bought a box. I have been promising Daphne we could make cupcakes, and using a mix is really the only way to bake with her as my sous chef. It is necessary to make the whole process as quick and with as few steps as possible. I predict at least 30% of the batter will end up on her hands (when she sticks them into the bowl because she just can't help herself), and then subsequently in her mouth and all over her clothes, my clothes, the kitchen floor, and all other available surfaces within range. Just waiting for the eggs to come to room temperature, and the fun can begin.

The Williams Sonoma outlet store was also selling a great cookbook called One Dish Meals. Kev's mom bought it and I copied (don't tell) several recipes before she left. Last night, I made this one, above. It is Baked Sausages with Herbed Beans. I thought it was really good. I never ever use canned beans, so this was a little worrisome for me, so I also bought a bottle of Bean-O, and suffered no post-bean problems. One dish meals is where it's at. Thanks, Williams Sonoma.

OK...cupcake time. Wish me luck.

A couple of Pictures

Here is the Peanut Plant - still going strong at seven weeks.

And here is our new coffee pot. Our other one cracked. This one is a French press. It makes darn good coffee. I just had some.

Another Action-Packed Weekend

Friday the 13th, Valentine's Day, President's Day, and houseguests, all in the span of four days. Phew! Here is a recap of the fun:

On Thursday, Kev's parents arrived, bringing with them two good puppy dogs. Daphne was excited to see them all. We had no food in the house, so we went to Fireworks (a local pizza place which has been highly recommended by the neighbors) and it was GREAT.
On Friday, I got the chance to check out Wegmans and I was not disappointed. In fact, I was so happy that I almost cried, right there by the fishmonger. This place is almost as good as Central Market. It has everything I have been missing in a grocery store, plus it has a day-care area where you can leave your kids (once they are potty-trained) while you shop. It was a happy happy day.
That evening, Kev's parents babysat so we could go out. We walked down to the neighborhood pub and had the best fish and chips I've ever had, and then went to see Slumdog Millionaire at the local Tally Ho theater. A good night out.
Saturday we went to the farmer's market, which is always fun. I went shopping with Kev's mom, and he played guitars with his dad.
Sunday we had a good breakfast, and after our visitors said goodbye, I read a book. It's been a LONG time since I've done that.
Yesterday, Kev was off work for President's day, so we got a couple house projects done.

That's just a few highlights. The weekend was mostly about family, good food, shopping, napping, and music. It was all good. And we'll do it all again this weekend and the one after that, as we have two more sets of guests coming. The perfect way to get through these last few weeks of winter. Spring will be here before I know it.

A Mighty Wind

Hi. I have been awake since 3:30am, and I am not happy about it. Some sort of storm came through last night, bringing no thunder, but huge gusty winds. Our 100 year old house is sturdy, but very very creaky when 60 mile-per-hour winds blow by. So, at about 3:30, it woke me up and I couldn't go back to sleep. I stayed in bed a while, waiting to be hurled into Oz, which thankfully didn't happen. So, at about 4:30, I just got up. It was pointless to try to sleep. Now, I am hurting with no nap in sight. Plus, I have to haul Daphne down to the Safeway in the stroller today because I have company coming and we have no food. I am hoping for, but not expecting, the wind to settle down a little before we head out. If it doesn't, I'll have to put on some roller skates, put a sail on the stroller, and windsurf to the grocery store.

I suppose it's a fair price to pay for yesterday. You cannot imagine a better day. It was about 68 degrees and sunny with a very light breeze. We spent the morning walking all around town, and the afternoon playing, mostly outside, with some of the neighborhood kids, who came for a play date with Daphne. Spring is going to be so great. Unless it's windy.

I Was Just Thinking

I could really go for a nice big loud thunderstorm. I cannot remember the last time I heard thunder. It looks like it might rain any minute here, so maybe I'll get my wish.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

So, while Daphne and I were hanging out in Texas, Kevin had several days to himself. I am not sure he truly appreciated it. In my opinion, every single minute of rare alone-time should be savored, but I think Kev really missed having us around. I guess we are just THAT fabulous.

He actually got a lot done while we were gone, and I am happy to say he also went out and did some fun stuff around town and didn't spend the whole time cleaning and working. He did take very good care of the peanut plant, which you can see, above, is thriving. Now maybe we can manufacture our own peanut products without worrying about the Evil Peanut Disease that is going around the grocery store circuit. Shoot, I'll be happy if we harvest just one edible peanut. I think that would be cool.

He also managed to complete the recording of a new PPHPHB song! I say "new," but this song has been around for a couple years, waiting to be recorded. Sigh. There are so many songs that are back-logged due to having a baby and moving across the country and so forth. And I think I might have been kicked out of the band for poor participation. Kev thinks I don't want to be in the band, but it's not true. I really do. It's just hard to find the time. I'd really like to play my violin and my guitar again. Maybe someday. Anyway, it's a really good song, and I will give you a link to it, but you have to promise that you won't hold it against the song that it doesn't sound as good as it really is when you listen to it through crappy computer speakers. Figure out some way to put it on your iPod or something so it will sound better. If you want to hear it, go here and click on "The Beautiful People" (I think it's #5). The beautiful people are real people in Dallas who go around town for the sole purpose of being seen. They are very annoying, in a sad sort of way. I hope you like the song. It's all Kev. Maybe I'll be on the next one.

This is where all the magic happens, by the way. Our attic is the new music room. Sometimes we take Daphne up there and try to have family band time. It never lasts very long, but Daphne's getting bigger. Soon she'll be old enough for us to force her to take drum lessons so we can have the rhythm section we've always wanted. Just kidding. I won't force her. I can probably just bribe her with cupcakes.

Anyway, I'm glad Kev got some stuff done while we were gone, and I'm glad he missed us. We missed him, too. (Now, maybe he'll let me back in the band).

Texas

Well, last night, Daphne and I returned safely home from our big trip to Texas. As many of you know, I am afraid to fly, so when I do, I have to take a Xanax. It is great...it makes me all calm and able to fly without having a huge embarrassing panic attack, which is what happened last time I tried to fly without it. But the drawback is, the stuff knocks me out. It is almost 24 hours since I took it, and I am still kinda out of it. It amazes me that there are some people who take Xanax every day. It must be a lower dose or something, otherwise I don't know how they'd function.

Anyway, under such heavy sedation, I don't have it in me to blog a big blog. Suffice it to say, we had an EXCELLENT trip, and I got to do everything on my list except go to Central Market. I could have gone, but I chose not to. I think if I had gone in there, I might never have come back to Virginia. OK, I'm exaggerating. I can live with Safeway. For a little while. There is talk of a place called Wegmans, which I will check out and report back on. It may be the grocery store I've been looking for here in the Mid-Atlantic region. Or, I'll just have to make a bi-weekly pilgrimage to Trader Joe's.

I want to mention that I did get to watch the Mavericks, and they won 5 out of the 6 games they played while I was there. Woo-hoo! I can't even tell you the name of one guy on the Wizards. Does Antwon Jamison play for them? I like him. He used to be a Maverick.

The picture up there was taken at Sonny Bryan's where I got to eat good barbeque for the first time in a LONG time. The barbeque was followed by delicious blackberry cobbler, which nearly sent me into cardiac arrest. I haven't been that full in a long time. But it was worth it. Anyway, I took the picture because it illustrated creative use of Texas license plates. I still haven't decided what to do with mine. During dinner at Sonny Bryan's, Daphne befriended a table-ful of first and second grade boys. She introduced herself, and at the coaxing of their moms, they reluctantly shook her hand and talked to her a little bit. The next night, when my parents took her to the Black Eyed Pea for dinner, she was upset. "I want to go to that restaurant with the big pile of boys," she complained.

Lots more stuff happened, almost all of it fun. If you want to see pictures, please go here.

I have no idea when or if I'll ever be back in Texas, but I hope I am. It's not so bad at all, really.

Howdy Folks

Just a quick post to let you know we made it to Texas safe and sound, and are having a great time. I have been checking things off my list. At this very moment, I can smell my mom's spaghetti...we're having it for dinner soon. Texas tales coming soon, but now it's eatin' time.