Christmas Chez Nous

I love this picture, even though it's blurry. The raised eyebrows, the pursed lips...

We had a wonderfully mellow Christmas this year. On Christmas Eve we celebrated by watching the third "Mummy" movie while noshing on camembert-tomato sandwiches, Martenelli's, and a spread of assorted stinky cheeses and olives.

Between the olives and the camembert, our house stunk to high heaven (and still stinks every time we open the fridge). But DANG it was tasty. That blue cheese in the photo is Papillion Roquefort, which made me giddy with cheese-joy when I put it in my mouth. I don't want to consider my saturated fat intake for that night...so I won't. :)

On Christmas morning we slept in. We didn't have any presents to open*, and Atty's too young to care, so we had a leisurely morning eating pancakes and watching the James Bond marathon on tv. About the time I started thinking about going for a walk, the wind picked up and brought with it some pellet-y snow. So we stayed in. Atty liked having both parents with him all day--he got lots and lots of snuggles, and some extra snuggles by proxy for Nana.

It snowed all night, so when James left for work this morning at 6 am, the snow was almost knee-deep. I have a feeling it will be another snuggly day.

*Don't worry, it wasn't a gift-less Christmas. My present is at the frame shop, and we'll be using Christmas gift money to shop for James's and Atty's presents at the after-Christmas sales tomorrow.

Happy Babbles

99 Things

I tag everyone who has a blog to do this. It actually brought back some fun memories.

Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog. 2. Slept under the stars. (does in a tent count?) 3. Played in a band. (bells in junior high and HS) 4. Visited Hawaii. 5. Watched a meteor shower. 6. Given more than you can afford to charity. 7. Been to Disneyland/world. 8. Climbed a mountain. 9. Held a praying mantis. 10. Sang a solo. Not necessarily in public... 11. Bungee jumped. 12. Visited Paris. 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. 15. Adopted a child. 16. Had food poisoning. 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. 18. Grown your own vegetables.19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. 20. Slept on an overnight train. 21. Had a pillow fight. 22. Hitch hiked. 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb. 26. Gone skinny dipping. 27. Run a marathon. (this used to be on my bucket list) 28. Ridden a gondola in Venice. 29. Seen a total eclipse. 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. 31. Hit a home run. (I'm lucky to get a hit at all) 32. Been on a cruise. 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language. 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I'm satisfied now, but I don't necessarily want to be in this situation forever. Does that mean I'm not truly satisfied?) 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing. 40. Seen Michelangelo's David in person (breathtaking) 41. Sung Karaoke. (badly) 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. With Suz and Bobby :) 43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant. I'd forgotten about this. A good memory. 44. Visited Africa. 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. 46. Been transported in an ambulance. Three times now. 47. Had your portrait painted. 48. Gone deep sea fishing. 49. Seen the Sistene chapel in person. 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling. 52. Kissed in the rain. 53. Played in the mud. 54. Gone to a drive-in theatre. 55. Been in a movie. 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout cookies. 62. Gone whale watching. 63. Gotten flowers for no reason. 64. Donated blood. 65. Gone sky diving. 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp. 67. Bounced a check. (sadly, yes) 68. Flown in a helicopter. 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. (Mona still sits by my bed) 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten caviar (just last week! there was some roe on my sushi, and I actually liked it!) 72. Pieced a quilt. 73. Stood in Times Square. One day I'll visit New York, I swear. 74. Toured the Everglades. 75. Been fired from a job. 76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London. 77. Broken a bone. 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person. 80. Published a book. 81. Visited the Vatican. 82. Bought a brand new car. 83. Walked in Jerusalem. One day... 84. Had your picture in the newspaper. 85. Read the entire Bible. 86. Visited the White House. 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. 88. Had chickenpox. 89. Saved someone’s life. 90. Sat on a jury. 91. Met someone famous. (do general authorities count?) 92. Joined a book club. 93. Lost a loved one. 94. Had a baby. 95. Seen the Alamo in person. (only the outside--it was Christmas Eve, one of the few days it's closed) 96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake. Though I've walked through some stinky, brine-shrimpy mud to touch the water 97. Been involved in a law suit. 98. Owned a cell phone. 99. Been stung by a bee.

The Milky-Faced Cherub

He's still working on nipple control.

Conversation with Atty

Me: Atty, don't you want to play on your mat?

Atty: No, Mama, I just want to climb on you and bite your face.

M: Um, I'd rather be working on some other things right now. Don't you know you're supposed to just play quietly and coo at me periodically when I have other things to do?

A: No, Mama, I just want to climb on you and bite your face.

M: Is that the only thing you want to do?

A: Yes. And maybe pull your hair or burrow into your chest. Those would be fine, too.

M: How about if I put some formula in a small bottle so you can feed yourself?

A: Oh ok, but only for a minute. Then I'm going to want to start kicking you.

M: Ok. Just as long as my hands are free.

So I type this while being kicked by a milky-faced cherub. Maybe I can embroider while he sleeps...soon...I hope.

Clap on, clap off

We have our Christmas tree lights hooked up to "The Clapper," which greatly simplifies our tree lighting and enjoyment. The other night, though, Atty got upset and shrieky, and he kept turning on and off the tree with his cries. We thought that was pretty funny. It hasn't happened since we switched to the three-clap mode. Maybe he needs to start working on timing his crying better if he wants to keep turning off the tree. :)

**Update** Atty is smarter than the Clapper. He succeeded in turning it on/off twice today (15 Dec): once when he hit himself in the face with his jingle ball, and again when he didn't want to take a nap. That kid can shriek.

"...brown paper packages tied up with string..."

These are a few of my favorite things. Obviously not my VERY favorite, like my family and faith and country, but more like a few items I've come to love enough to want to tell you about them. If I were Oprah I'd send you each a gift basket of these things, but I'm not Oprah. Sorry. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Songs for Christmas by Sufjan Stevens. His version of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" just makes me happy. (The bells toward the end make it Christmasy...) I'm also very fond of "Sister Winter." I have yet to buy the whole album, so there are probably other favorites waiting to be discovered.

2. 100 percent cotton 800-thread-count sheets. It's like a little present to myself every time I put them on our bed. They are heavy and silky and drape like a dream, and will probably last forever. It was a bit of an indulgence, but I found a great deal online and haven't regretted it once. The only drawback is that they wrinkle like the dickens when washed and are impossible to iron, so I have them dry cleaned. Needless to say, I have only one set and rotate it with our regular sheets, but that makes it that much nicer when they are on the bed.

3. "Excite" personal lubricant. Oh my, it works. I will say no more.

4. Hershey's chocolate truffle kisses. They're dark chocolate kisses with a truffle filling. I've been disappointed by some of the other limited-edition Kisses (cherry cordial and candy corn being the most stomach-churning), but these are fantastic.

5. The MoTab/Sissel version of "Angels from the Realms of Glory" (available here). Best listened to on headphones, with the volume as high as you can tolerate. Absolutely thrilling.

That's it for now. What are some of your favorite things?

TEEF!!

Atty cut his first tooth on Saturday--the bottom right--and the bottom left broke through today. I'd post a picture, but they're really hard to see, especially since he keeps his tongue over them most of the time. But you can definitely feel them. He's been drooly for a while, but lately he's really earned his new nickname, "Droolicus."

We're still trying to get him to eat solid foods. I tried mixing some canned pumpkin with a little cereal, and he liked it ok. He still doesn't get the spoon concept, though. I have to feed him by putting food on my finger and wiping it on the inside of his cheek. You can see how impressed he is:

But he does like playing with the spoon.

As far as non-spooned solid foods, we've discovered he really likes salty things. I gave him a Ritz cracker on a whim one day, and he licked and sucked all the salt off, rotating it in his hands to get it all. I took it away from him after he broke it so he wouldn't choke on the big pieces, but he ate all the crumbs off of his shirt. The other day I gave him a jumbo olive, and he really dug it. I've tried ice cream and chocolate, and he wasn't nearly as excited. He definitely takes after James. :)

Friday Cuteness

It's been a while since I've posted any pictures of Atty, so here we go. The one above is him in his Halloween costume. He's supposed to be a bear, but I didn't have the right color felt for the ears, so he looks more like a furry deer or a Monchichi. Either way, he's adorable. Auntie Lara gave him the bunting when he was newborn and tiny, and I swore he'd never be big enough for it, and then I was afraid he'd outgrow it before it was cold enough to wear it. But it was perfect. I added the ears. He was the cutest thing EVER.

In this next one he's just chillin', showing off his new bottle-holding skills like it's something he's done all his life. Yes, it's a tiny bottle, but he's good at getting it into his mouth.

He's becoming more aware of and interested in his surroundings, craning his neck to check out the shadows on the ceiling or inspect the textures in the couch fabric. He's really vocal, too. I love his babble chatter, but I'm not so fond of the high-pitched squeals and shreiks. We call him "teradactyl boy" when he gets shreiky like that. He chews on anything he can get his hands on, especially his rubber pacifier, so we know those teeth are on their way. I just looked over and he had the entire pacifier in his mouth. Silly boy.

I'm officially on Etsy!

I've talked for a while about selling some of my Christmas stockings and ornaments online, and I finally got it all put together. Check it out here: http://www.bennetthp.etsy.com/. Let me know what you think!

Call me Arquenniel

That's my name in Elvish. Check out this list to find your name in Elvish. The site also has a "useful Elvish phrases" section, where you can learn how to say things like "le gwennen?" ("are you married?") and "ava vanta i salquessë" ("keep off the grass"). No end to the usefulness there... :)

I'm hyperventilating

Holy cow, I need this:
I would pretend it was for Atty, and maybe, just maybe, I'd let him play with it someday, but it would totally be for me. It comes with everything shown, and it can be taken apart and reassembled different ways. And the pulleys actually work. I think I'm in love...

I'm officially a mom.

I timed my morning routine, and I have it down to 15 minutes. I can go from pajamas to showered, dressed, and presentable (make-up on, hair done) in less time than it took me to shower in high school.

I really did take 15-minute showers in high school, and I have no idea why it took me so long. I did wash my hair twice and shave my legs to the hip, but still.... After my mom told me that her leisurely showers took only 5 minutes (she could be in and out in 3), I tried to take a shorter shower, but it didn't work.

Unfortunately I also look like a mom, complete with stretchy pants and my hair in a bun every day. Oh well, I never was too glam anyway.

Just a friendly reminder...

I guess we're trendy after all

I just discovered something distressing. Check out this list of "Hipster Names":
James doesn't know where the idea for Atticus came from, so maybe there's something in the air, some kind of hipster zeitgeist we can blame. Plus, since before we were married we've talked about naming a daughter Rosemary, which isn't on the list, but our nickname of choice is: Romy. How depressing is that? Who knew that Atticus and Romy were this generation's Ashley?

I've never been hip, and I have no desire to start now. I totally blame James for this.

Ornament Exchange

So I'm trying something new this year--I joined an ornament exchange. When you sign up you commit to send one other person a Christmas ornament worth around $10. You can make it or buy it. Once everyone has signed up (deadline 25 October), the "moderator" pairs people up. I'm excited to get something pretty in the mail.


If you want to sign up or just get more info, click here.

Random Memory

While I was feeding Atty this morning, random bits of songs were running through my head, and one of them reminded me of the classic Young Woman song "Walk Tall You're a Daughter of God." And much to my surprise, I was able to remember all the words to first the chorus, then one of the verses. I had to look up the rest of the words online, and they seemed vaguely familiar. I guess the second verse was always my favorite.

So I was looking for an image of the YW medallion to put with this post, and I was shocked to discover that they CHANGED THE MEDALLION!! This probably isn't news to most of you, but I'm totally behind the times. The girl with boofy hair and the long flowy dress is GONE! Now it's an image of the SL temple spires, which is much less mock-worthy. I guess that's why they changed it....

Anyway, it was a fun, short trip back to YW days.

The view from my window

I really love this view for some reason. Ever since Paris I have a thing for rooftops. If I could paint, I'd paint this view, complete with window frame and TV antenna.

Yes, we do go outside sometimes. Here's proof.

Today the ward moms' group went for a walk in Memory Grove. The weather was perfect, and the company was lovely. Atty slept through half of it but seemed to enjoy it when he was awake.

He really likes being outside, and I like the exercise. I just don't normally take the camera with me. Now that the weather is nicer, I plan to go for walks at least a few times a week, if not every day. He loves to look at the trees and watch the world around him. Sometimes when he's fussy he'll calm down if I just take him out on the balcony. He's a boy after my own heart.

More Atty Photos

Here are some photos from the last few weeks.

He's discovered his feet.

This is the playmat I made him. He's not sure what to do with it yet.

If you look closely, you can see his one long hair sticking straight up from his head. This long hair gives us hope that he won't be bald forever.

I Heart Costco

Two weeks' worth of formula for $19.50!! The pediatrician finally gave us the go-ahead to stop feeding him the "super preemie-grow" formula (Similac Neo Sure) that cost $15.99 a can, each of which lasted about 2 1/2 days. So yeah, we love Costco formula.

We've also started feeding him cereal. Here's a video of his first taste of oatmeal. He wasn't impressed.

We've since discovered that he likes barley cereal mixed thin enough to drink from a bottle. He chugs that stuff down really fast and gets mad if you try to stop him halfway to burp. So we'll try the spoon method again later and see if he catches on.

Atty-rific

Sorry for the drought of Atty-ness. I hope this makes up for it. Here he is in my favorite outfit. The shirt is the first one I fell in love with at FOOEY. It's a robin on a branch with three blue eggs in her nest. If you judge by the amount of drool around his neck, Atty seemed to like it too. He's taken a liking to sucking on his fingers. He hasn't chosen a favorite yet, sometimes going for the thumb, sometimes for various combinations of the fingers, sometimes right hand, sometimes left. Mostly left. :)

And he's absolutely adorable when he sleeps. I love his little crossed legs and his soft rosy hands.

I know it's blurry, but I just love this picture. We put his pants on his head, to quite a stunning "Pharaoh" effect. He raises his blurry fist in defiance. He didn't like it as much as we did, so by the time I fixed the flash setting James had taken off the hat.
In these next two pics he's chillin' with James. We see this face a lot. It's like he's trying to figure out how the heck he got himself mixed up with us. And oh, that rosy peachy skin! He has my coloring, so I feel a little funny going off about how beautiful it is, but I just can't get enough of it. It looks better on him anyhow.


And finally, a video of him laughing. Daddy is so funny...

A bit of political commentary

I try to avoid talking about divisive issues here, especially politics. I know that as a Democrat I'm a minority in Utah, and even among my family and friends. And this election has been particularly charged with emotion. But this article described exactly my frustration with the political process. The author points his finger squarely at conservatives, but all candidates and parties share the same problem. Romney just happens to have made the most recent ridiculous statement. Here's a rundown:

In his speech at the Republican convention, Romney said:

''We need change, all right. Change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington. We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington - throw out the big-government liberals.'' - Mitt Romney, Sept. 3, 2008

And after a bit of ranting, the author states:

Washington is already what Romney wants to make it. Our current state of affairs, love it or loathe it, is indisputably a product of conservative governance. . . . That it doesn't matter much at all you can credit to conservative politicians who have, over the years, trained their followers to respond with Pavlovian faithfulness to certain terms. Say ''conservative'' and they wag their tails. Say ''liberal'' and they bare their fangs. More to the point, say either and all thinking ceases, so much so that a representative of the ideology that has controlled most of Washington most of the last 12 years can say with a straight face that his ideology needs to seize control of Washington to fix what is broken there. And people hear this Orwellian doublespeak . . . and cheer. . . . Turns out, all it requires is a limitless supply of gall and the inherent belief that people are dumber than a bag of hammers.

Like Taylor (not a Democrat), it drives me crazy that elections are more about buzzwords and personality than the issues that really matter. Words like "conservative" and "liberal" and "choice" and "change" are so weighted with politics that they've become abstract ideas that conjure up images so distorted from the reality of everyday life that they've almost lost their meaning entirely.

And this is how we choose our next president. San Dimas County High School Football rules!

A bit of hope

Do you ever wonder if there's anything GOOD going on in the world? If, even with all the bad news going on all around us, people still take care of each other? Read this. The situation is heartbreaking, but hopeful and joyful at the same time. And the fact that the story of a Mormon family living in Mesa would make the New York Times is in itself inspiring.

I've been following this story since it happened. I read the blog of this woman's sister, who I'd like to think would be a good friend if we happened to actually know each other. What's most inspiring, though, is the reach these women have and how many people they've inspired and touched. It makes me want to be a better person.

Concert goers

Tonight we went to see the immortal Al Green at the Red Butte Garden amphitheater. It got a little too loud for Atty, so we had to leave early, but what we saw was amazing.
Al comes out with two very tall men in white suits who do nothing but dance, and he's carrying a bunch of roses. He hands out the roses to women in the audience, and random white women who've had too much chablis kept jumping on stage to give him hugs and get roses. Once he ran out of roses security got much better at keeping the women off stage. His latest album is definitely a must-have. Or just download my favorite, "Lay It Down."

Oh but the best part was that we got the tickets for free from SLUG, and we didn't know until we got there that they were VIP tickets. So we show up with our blankets and Subway sandwiches, and we get to sit in the section with comfy chairs and a free buffet of curried Israeli couscous, stuffed tomatoes, and all the free wine you can drink (I'll have that bottle of water, thank you). It was pretty posh.

And last week we took Atty to see the magnificent Neko Case. I absolutely love her. When we saw her last year in Park City we scored a place right up front, so we stared up her nose all night. This time it was a free concert at the Gallivan Center, so we were much farther back and surrounded by people who were there for the free show and not so much for Neko. But it was still fantastic. No one belts it out like she does.

For that concert we gave Atty earplugs, and he slept through most of it. I wonder if he would have slept better tonight if we'd remembered the earplugs. Oh well, maybe next time.

What Have You Eaten?

Erin passed along this interesting one: what from this list have you eaten, would you eat, or would you never eat? I had to look up some of the items on the list, but I was pleased to see that I've tried a lot of the list.

Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions. Bold all the items you've eaten. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating (or eating again). [I don't know how to cross out text here, so I've put the "never eats" in red. And the "have tried" in blue for good measure.]

Venison
Nettle tea
Huevos rancheros
Steak tartare
Crocodile
Black pudding
Cheese fondue
Carp
Borscht
Baba ghanoush
Calamari
Pho
PB&J sandwich
Aloo gobi
Hot dog from a street cart
Epoisses
Black truffle
Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
Steamed pork buns
Pistachio ice cream
Heirloom tomatoes
Fresh wild berries
Foie gras
Rice and beans
Brawn, or head cheese
Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (not into heat)
Dulce de leche
Oysters
Baklava
Bagna cauda
Wasabi peas
Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
Salted lassi
Sauerkraut
Root beer float
Cognac with a fat cigar
Clotted cream tea (I've had clotted cream with herbal tea, but this might be something specific)
Vodka jelly
Gumbo
Oxtail
Curried goat
Whole insects
Phaal
Goat's milk (I totally forgot about the goat that lived in our front yard until Erin reminded me)
Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
Fugu
Chicken tikka masala
Eel
Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
Sea urchin
Prickly pear
Umeboshi
Abalone
Paneer
McDonald's Big Mac Meal
Spaetzle
Dirty gin martini
Beer above 8% ABV
Poutine
Carob chips (I ODed on them at the international cinema and haven't eaten carob since)
S'mores
Sweetbreads
Kaolin (I bought a bag of "Georgia White Dirt" on our trip to Atlanta. All sorts of health claims)
Currywurst
Durian
Frog's Legs
Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
Haggis (not so tasty...)
Fried plantain (I gagged down boiled plantain and have no desire to try it again)
Chitterlings or andouillette
Gazpacho
Caviar and blini
Louche absinthe
Gjetost or brunost
Roadkill
Baijiu
Hostess Fruit Pie
Snail (both land and sea, both tasty)
Lapsang souchong
Bellini
Tom yum
Eggs Benedict
Pocky
Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant (on my "bucket list")
Kobe beef
Hare (does rabbit count? I've had that a few times)
Goulash
Flowers
Horse (I haven't but James has)
Criollo chocolate
Spam
Soft shell crab (I can't stand to watch people eat whole crab, so I doubt I'll ever try it)
Rose harissa (I've had non-rose harissa)
Catfish
Mole poblano
Bagel and lox
Lobster Thermidor
Polenta
Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
Snake

James has been kicked off the high council...

...and called into the bishopric. He's the second counselor. It's a completely new bishopric, and he's with two very good men.

I keep thinking of President Benson's saying: "Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies." I'm beginning to believe that we're not meant to get too comfortable in life. Not that this calling is a bad thing, but it will definitely be a learning/growing experience for both of us.

Quote of the Day

"If you ever leave me this much time, I will drop dead and haunt you."

James, after the first speaker and the intermediate hymn were done with 35 minutes left in sacrament meeting

BEETS!!

There's a reason Dwight Shrute grows beets--people aren't supposed to like them. They're "peasant" food, something your ancestors kept in the root cellar to sustain them through the harsh winter. They're ugly in their raw form, dirty and hairy and looking very much like the roots they are:

I know a woman who detests beets but has several cases of canned beets in her food storage so that "when the marauders come, I'll have something to give them." That's a direct quote. (I don't know why marauders wouldn't knock her over and take her entire store, but maybe they'll be happy with whatever she decides to give them. If they ever come. Apparently there are polite marauders in her version of the apocalypse.)

Anyway, I like beets. I only knew the pickled variety until I went to France, where you can buy cooked whole beets in the produce section or go to the deli for tasty marinated beet salad. Then when I started growing them in my garden, I truly became addicted.

Susan asked for my recipe for gingery beet salad, and I started making some today, documenting the quantities for everything. I don't know what I was thinking, though, and I put in a healthy dose of dijon mustard instead of ginger. It was dang tasty. Here are the proportions for that one, though everything is to taste, really:

4 c shredded beets
4 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1.5 Tbsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

The gingery salad is about the same, but instead of mustard you put in lots and lots of fresh grated ginger. (My favorite ginger tip: keep wrapped in plastic in your freezer, then grate it still frozen with a microplane grater/zester. It grates like a dream, and you don't even have to peel it. And it keeps forever.)

My other beet stand-by is roasted beets. They taste much better than boiled, and they couldn't be easier. Just trim and scrub them, wrap them in a foil packet like a tinfoil dinner, and pop them in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Make sure the beets are about the same size so they cook evenly. Here's what I roasted today:

Funny note about the long, skinny beets--I have been a bad beet steward, so this is the first time I've thinned the herd, so to speak. So I thought that I'd created a mutant variety with all the overcrowding. But then I remembered that I planted two varieties, one round and one skinny. Oh yeah.

After roasting the skin comes off super easy. Then I slice them and put them in a salad with goat cheese, arugula, and the mustardy vinaigrette. Again, super tasty.

What are your favorite beet recipes?

Pickles

Today I tried something new: making pickles. I started with green beans and a recipe from Emeril. Green beans, fresh rosemary, and lemon rind in a brine of white vinegar, water, and salt. Here's the "in process" picture:

Steam process for 15 minutes, then let "cure" for 3 weeks. I don't know if I'll be able to wait that long.... It seemed wasteful to heat up the whole canning pot for just two pints, but it felt like the beans needed to be cooked, so I didn't want to skip that step. And this way I can keep one pint for later.

Then I tackled bread and butter pickles. Lara inspired me with her success story, and then there was a recipe in this month's Cooking Light, so it was fate. Cukes are from the Borskis. This mixture smelled wonderful:

The b&b pickles don't require processing, so I just put them in a big jar and will keep them in the fridge. Here are the finished products:

I'll let you know how they taste...

Apricot Curd

OH ... MY ... GOODNESS ... this is tasty stuff.

I love lemon curd, but I'd never heard of apricot curd until Lena mentioned it on Saturday. She gave me the recipe (see below), and I finally got around to making it today, and I'm floored by the results. I was a little skeptical, since it sounds like apricot jam with eggs in it, which doesn't sound tasty at all. But it's amazing how creamy and pudding-like the warm results are, how rich and flavorful. I assume it will be a little firmer than pudding once it cools. Honestly, it tastes like lemon curd with apricot mixed in rather than the other way around. I'm not complaining--I love lemon curd, and this version is just a bit sweeter and more complex.

Oh, and a note to Salt Lakers, Mary Boyer still has tons of apricots, if anyone wants to try this recipe.

8 oz fresh apricots

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1½ oz (2½ Tbsp) butter, diced

8 oz* superfine sugar (I used regular)

2 eggs, beaten

Wash the fruit and put into a pan with very little water and cook until soft. Push the mixture through a sieve into a heatproof bowl and stir in the sugar, lemon zest and juice and the butter. Place the bowl over a pan of hot (not boiling) water and cook, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the eggs and continue to cook until thick. Pour into warm, sterilised jars and cover with waxed discs and lids or cellophane covers. Store in a cool place.

*Note that this is 8 oz by weight, not volume. I expected it to be one cup, but it was considerably more than that, closer to two cups. I thought it seemed like too much sugar, so I used only 6-7 oz, and my curd is a little tart.

Any canning experts out there want to suggest processing times for longer-term storage? I'd love to give this away as Christmas gifts, but I'm a bit wary of leaving it unsealed that long. (I think modern standards even rule out the parafin seal for jams and such.)

Next time I think I'll reduce the lemon and increase the apricots. I wonder how many other fruits are curd-able?

"Research shows..."

I read the other day that (and I'm paraphrasing here) that in one study children who ate only instant oatmeal for breakfast ate 80% more calories throughout the day than children who ate a veggie omelet and juice for breakfast (steel-cut oatmeal fared a little better). The conclusion was that it's important to include protein at breakfast.

Um, ok?

I'm ok with having protein for breakfast, but I have a few problems with this report, especially with the concluding statement. Did both meals have the same number of calories? Same amount of fat? Did they try adding protein powder to the oatmeal? How many kids were in the study? What were their eating habits before? Did the study conclude that we need protein at breakfast, or was that the magazine's inferrence? How do they account for steel-cut oatmeal's difference?

This is just one example of the millions of health-related blurbs we get bombarded with every day, each with authoratative "research" behind it. Too often I get sucked in, but this time I just got annoyed. And I had to share.

Talk amongst yourselves...

Meeeem-rieeeeees

I saw this on Susan's blog and it looked like fun. Participate if you like. Ignore it if you don't.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It’s actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don’t want to play on your blog, or if you don’t have a blog, I’ll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Atty's feet smell like cheese

They do! It's the strangest thing. I guess it's because he sweats milk-based formula. Oh, and he has started smiling. This is especially fun. And he's cooing and gurgling more.

He had his 4-month checkup a couple days ago, and they said he's just perfect, which of course we already knew. He also got more shots, which he didn't like very much. But he's taking it like a trooper.

Blessing Day

Atty was blessed over the 4th of July weekend. James's mom and my sister Susan and her family were able to come in from out of town, and we were happy to have our friend Brian K. join us in church for the blessing.

He was blessed with a keen sense of humor, that he would not suffer any long-term effects from his prematurity, that he would grow physically and spiritually, and that he would accomplish the goals he sets for himself. At first we thought he would cry through the blessing, but he stopped fussing as soon as James started talking. Good boy. :)

After church we had lunch in our friends the Lewises' back yard, since our living room is too small to accommodate everyone. Plus there was room and toys for the kids to play on, which was great until the sprinklers came on and trapped my nieces Aubrey and Ella in the playhouse. Luckily they both survived the ordeal.

Here are more pictures from the luncheon:

Atty and Nana

Susan and Alice

Atty looking confused and Grandma Poulson smiling behind him

New Photos

Sorry for the long blog silence. I just kept forgetting to transfer photos off the camera. Here are some of my favorites from the last few weeks:

Three-month birthday, chillin' with dad

Looking precious

Sporting a "Magnum P. I." look, courtesy Carrie & Devin North (shoes from Marian W.)

Wearing a piggie onesie I embroidered

In the pram