He Gave Me Permission

I revealed my enexplicable passion for bento to my DH. I even showed him some websites. His comment:

"Maybe we can try some bento picnics this Summer."

I didn't tell him the boxes are 3-6 weeks away. Baby steps you know. I wouldn't want him to know I'm completely over the edge. Though I think he suspects.

I did promise myself that I would not accessorize my bento until...well look at that; I didn't give myself a deadline...until Summer then. No accessorizing until Summer.

Solstice Summer, or School Summer, or Weather Summer? If we're going to have picnics we'll need the accessories sooner than later. See ya. I'm going shopping. Again.

Favorite Things Friday: Cooking Websites

When my smallish stash of cookbooks fails me, I turn to the internet:

www.epicurious.com Recipes that have been published by various cooking mags.
www.allrecipes.com A database of recipes from anyone. Read comments first because they can have more info than the recipes do.
www.everydaydish.tv This one is a new one I found since I became vegetarian. They have recipes with videos and the recipes are great. I've made a handful of them already.

Dear Colorado

Dear Colorado,

I'm Sorry. It has been cold, wet, tumultuous, and gray (though the Seattle part of me is okay with this). Please accept my apology. You see, I put my winter clothes away. I know, it's my fault and I take full responsibility. I thought I would be safe to wait until June.

To make it up to you, I'll put the Summer clothes away on Labor Day and ensure another three months of heat and sun.

Yours Truly,

Mountain Mama

It Had to Happen Sooner or Later

I don't like milk anymore.

I've heard so many stories of people who become vegitarian/vegan and start to dislike certain foods they used to love.

Yesterday I schlepped all over the city to run some errands for my husband. When I finally got to him (to deliver casual attire for a conference) he presented me with a mocha. It was really very sweet of him. I took one sip and asked if it was soy--the taste was off.

"No, just a nonfat mocha"

Hmm. Maybe because it was from a hotel which "Proudly Brews Astrodollars" as opposed to the "Astrodollars" shop.

But this morning our power was out and I schlepped the kids to the "Astrodollars" and ordered a simple latte. The taste was off. And when I got back to our power-restored home I drank some of our milk (after a sniff test). The taste was off.

I don't like milk anymore.

From Bento to Bags

I am quickly losing my ability to be rational.

I found my perfect bento.

It's a charming blue and has a dragonfly motif. In a house of boys I felt the dragonfly would be considered manlier than fat bunnies or flowers. Although the darling bunnies were tempting. And the flowers.

I then found that this bento has a whole darned series: Three different sizes, special bands, chopsticks, drawstring bags, cutlery and something called a Furoshiki.

I ordered the whole kit. Then I looked up Furoshiki. And I ended up on a site where my pretty bento (arriving in 3-6 weeks) is an accessory.

It seems a Furoshiki is a piece of fabric in which you wrap your bento (or books, watermelon, wine) with a couple clever little folds and knots. The origami artist in me... Ah you didn't know I was one of those did you? Or perhaps you forgot--I was in a job interview and they asked me to fold something. I made a darling little frog (with a high difficulty level). I'm sure that's why I got the job. But I digress...The origami artist in me is enchanted with Furoshiki.

Luckily, along with the one included with my order, I also have a stash of fabric. I could make these. And be the envy of...

...well, no one actually.

Catch Me Now I'm Falling

I stumbled on this website and have become head over heels infatuated with bento boxes. They so charming. They're so portable. They're making me live the delusion of making charming little lunches for my family everyday. Forget the fact that my husband will insist he needs for than 2 cups of food. Forget the fact that neither kid will be having lunch at school next year. Forget the fact that I can barely get lunch on the table at lunchtime.

And then there are accessories. Little tiny bottles for sauce. Little tiny chopsticks. Little tiny dividers in various patterns.

I'm swooning.

My best friend is in pain.

I am 1100 miles away.

I want to go to her and give her a big hug and listen to her and cry with her.

And I am 1100 miles away.

Why Can't I Drop This Weight?

My kiddos were watching Toy Story last night. There's a THX clip before the movie that involves a robot playing with one of those cow toys that you turn upside down and it make a mooing noise.

My 2yo saw this toy and said "Look W---, ice cream!

Where would he get this idea? How did he make the correlation between cow splotches and ice cream? My guess is with number 10.

And for your very own mooing pleasure: A cut-out cow.

Eventually my diet will be dairy free, and I confess I will miss the ice cream.

He's Just So Sweet Right Now--What's Wrong?

My little 2yo is sick. He has slept on the living room couch all day and only surfaced to vomit or drink home made pedialyte.

He's such a sweet, snuggly, small-fry right now. Except for the three extra loads of laundry, two extra showers, five dirty diapers and his absolute misery, I could keep him like this forever.

McVindication

My 5yo's last day of (overpriced) preschool was yesterday. There is very little (enthusiasm) pomp and circumstance at this (overpriced) facility so I took it upon myself to let him forget his lunchbox and surprise him with a happy meal.

All was going well. My 2yo got a happy meal too and was happy as a clam sitting with the big kids and eating their processed, genetically modifed, greasebomb food. I was doing what I usually do--standing there waiting for the kids to finish their lunch while I chat with the teachers when I glanced at my 2yo.

The child had barfed spectacularly. For a kid who ate ten cheerios and a bite of a peach for breakfast there was a phenominal amount of vomit. How can a kid make quarts of puke while eating nothing? Miraculous. Seriously, physicists everywhere should test their matter/mass/energy theories on young children. Don't tell me that in order to create mass you need astronomical amounts of energy. . . oh wait, young children have astronomical amounts of energy.

So now the table, chair, floor and child are covered. Child is screaming. Pregnant teacher is gagging and other teacher is trying to control the class. We all struggle to assist terrified 2yo and manage to get him, the chair, the floor, the table somewhat clean.

And it's time for us to go. I would have liked a better send-off for my 5yo, but it was not to be.

And we are going the whole Summer without Happy meals.

Favorite Thing Friday-Recent Movies

My favorite movies over the past year:

The Red Violin
Keeping Mum-This is what happens when Fargo goes to Britian.
The Illusionist-Great date movie
A Very Long Engagement

Of course, I will always fall head over heels for a good Corset Drama.

The House Fights Back

I felt so virtuous a month ago. I got not one but two gigantic containers of laundry detergent. I got two because they were on sale. It's a brand normaly out of my price range but it was on sale and I bought two. This equates to about six months of laundry. For six months I don't have to worry about if we have enough detergent, if it's the right kind (HE), or if it's on sale.

This is the kind of thing that makes a Stay at Home Mom on a budget happy; deleriously happy. 192 loads of laundry happy.

So I opened the first container. It's one of those spigot things and I don't have a shelf in my laundry room (stacking my machines forced me to remove it), so I put it on top of the dryer, which is on top of the washing machine.

All the domestic goddesses out there know exactly where I'm going with this.

During the spin cycle I heard a crash, but thought it was the possessed box of pasta falling off the pantry shelf (again). An hour later, my 5yo informs me that there is "Poison" on the bathroom floor. I run in to see what he is talking about and there it is:

95 loads of laundry detergent in a huge puddle on my laundry floor. Huge puddle. 95 loads.

The quote of the day goes to my DH:

"I just want to wipe down the walls in case it stains."

God help housewives everywhere if laundry detergent stains.

Zzzzz

I am tired. I fall into bed and fall asleep almost immediately. I fall asleep if I sit on the couch during naptime. I become a walking zombie after 8:00 pm.

I think it's because of calorie reduction. Watching my family consume over 2000 calories in breakfast sausage while I ate a scrambled egg burrito with sauted mushrooms, spinach and zucchini and my mom's canned salsa made me realize this. I'm eating as much quantitywise as before, but caloriewise, it's less.

So I will need to eat more. More beans, more nuts, more grains.

Or my body can start harvesting that nice energy reserve on my butt.

Happy Birthday Dear Yummy Bear!

My 4yo becomes a 5yo today.

I love you Yummy-Bear!

Favorite Things Friday-Cookbooks

My Favorite Cookbooks:

• The Joy of Cooking-Duh. Or as my mother calls it "The Rombauer"



• Rosie's Bakery Chocolate-Packed Jam-Filled Butter-Rich No-Holds-Barred Cookie Book- The quatities are realistic, every recipe works, makes my mouth water



• The Hay Day Country Market Cookbook-Read this in January and you will be inspired to buy everything at the farmer's market in Summer.

I also have all my handwritten recipes in a three ring binder. I have lots of cookbooks, but more often than not, something doesn't inspire. I end up checking books out at the library so I can try before I buy. Haven't bought in a long time though.

A few of My Favorite Things

I love podcasts. I listen during naptime and while working out. I subscribe to about 30 but there are a handful I really look forward to getting:

Agatha Christie Radio Mysteries-The original episodes from oldtime radio
Cast-On-My favorite knitting podcast. Her show is like reading a knitting magazine.
Librivox-Free audiobooks in the public domain read by volunteers.
Wait Wait Don't Tell Me: NPR's News Quiz, the only news I get during the week
Wormwood: A cross between Twin Peaks, X-Files and every other twisted story you love but are afraid to admit.
Yogadownload.com-free 20 minute yoga classes. Pictures provided.

Like I said, I listen to many, but these are the one's that I reserve for special moments.

And I'm thinking about blogging a "Favorite Thing Friday." Time will tell.

Woe to the Housekeeping Homemaker

I have a friend visiting me and the housecleaning is on the front burner--I figure she might not want to sleep on the crumbs in the fold-out. The other day I was talking to a lady who said she hired a housecleaner once a week for two hours "just to have the whole house clean for a day."

Yes that is a lovely dream. A typical day in my house:

Prepare breakfast, do a load of laundry, pick up living room, clean kitchen,

Children invade living room--toys everywhere.

Clean dining room, now dirty dishes are in kitchen, clean kitchen again. Put away clean laundry, pick up in bedroom and bathroom.

Children invade, clothes and toys everywhere. Two boys in bathroom (use your imagination).

Pick up living room, sit down a second.

Realize it's lunch time. Start whole process over.

An entirely clean house? This indeed is a wonderful dream. But why hire a housekeeper if I'm home all day?

Soul Searching

For the past month I have been making some changes in my lifestyle and diet:

• I have been baking ALL my own bread. Including tortillas (though when I break this, it will be with tortillas).
• I have switched to making my own natural cleaners that are more environmentally friendly.
• I have made an effort to cut back on red meat. This proved easy as I rarely eat red meat, so I have decided to remove meat from my diet.
• I will make an effort to avoid eggs, fish and dairy, but I will not beat myself up about those if I slip. Eventually they will be gone too.

I have been soul searching this month and my reasons for the above are, in order:

• Environmental concerns
• Personal health concerns
• Animal Ethics concerns

And to quote Colleen Patrick-Goudreau from http://www.compassionatecooks.com/:

Don't do nothing because you can't do everything. Do something, anything.

I had a pleasant (crappy) surprise the other day.

I started knitting a summer tank from Vogue knitting. I loved the lace hem and the braided straps but I added some waist shaping. I pulled out some paper and wrote up a lovely little schematic with my measurements and determined how much to decrease, then increase, and how fast to do it.

I cruised along merrily for four days. I took it to my SnB and made it to the straps. The next morning I tried it on to determine how long to make the straps.

The thing was huge. It looked like a shapeless bag. Hugging no curves. Looking not cute in the least.

What happened? Is my guage off? I had swatched (I always do...now...but that's another story) so I checked the guage and it was darn near perfect (the entire bust was 1/4 inch more than I was aiming for, but that's pretty near perfect. Were my decreases wrong? Nope, everthing went as planned.

What then? I measured myself.

I have misplaced two inches of my bust. I don't know where they went. They're simply MIA.

Now, it's great that I'm shrinking. Quite frankly, I could stand to lose about 10 more inches. However...

If I had to chose one measurement to decrease by two inches I would have nominated my waist, or butt, or thighs. Not my rack. And alas that is the only shrinkage that has occured.

So I frogged the whole thing and for somereason I'm knitting much slower now. Weird.

Other Projects

Although I am in love with Ravelry I recently completed a project which I am very proud of, but I cannot post in ravelry as it's not knitting.

It all started on a trip to the thrift store yesterday. Behold the chair:

Ugly huh?

But wait there's more: It's child-sized and it reclines!

(Yes those are hand knit socks)

Ugly as it is, for $12.99 I can't pass this up! Next door the the thrift store is a craft store where I found clearance upholstry fabric for $2.00/yd. Two bucks! And it coordinates with my home!

Some grunt work, a million staples out, a million in, new foam and batting:

And Voila! A new chair!

And the mini-man doing what men do best.



As I was icing my hand last night from staple gunning like a sniper, I don't forsee too many reupholstering projects. But it's nice to have options.