Random Things.

even Sick, he's so cute.

Today we were late for church. We all woke up late. James and Naomi are my alarm clock. So, we made it to Primary and Nursery. But James's face crumpled when I dropped him off at nursery. Poor baby. He reportedly pulled it together but just was a little out of sorts and kind of sad. So he was returned to his momma shortly before church was over.

Then during lunch he emptied his stomach. Cantaloupe from breakfast. Apparently he is not well yet. He had two and a half good days since he was sick Thursday morning. So this took me by surprise. He napped and then had some soothing applesauce and water. Yummy huh?

We stick to the B.R.A.T. diet when sick. Bananas, rice, applesauce, toast.

Anyway, a sick boy means simple food for everyone and lots of lounging around on the couch. Definitely no gym tomorrow. I have a race this Saturday, the top of Utah half marathon. I am not as prepared as I hoped to be and this week will prove to stay with the same trend.

Sigh.

I will finish, but not very quickly.

Also, I think I figured out what the problem I have with my knee is when I run long distances. IT band syndrome. Anyone know anything about it? I'm stretching it and paying attention to running on a flat surface and trying not to underpronate when I run. I think it helps a little bit. Also I got a strap to help stabilize my knee while I run. I felt good Saturday after my run so maybe that's a good move too.

The kids have been eating bananas and cheese and crackers while watching Dora, Diego, Word Girl, Dragon Tales, and, my personal favorite, The Electric Company. So I am here at the computer blogging.

I am trying, maybe unsuccessfully, to change my program for school. I was set to start a masters program in Family and Human Development in a week or so. Then I was having second thoughts about school and mostly about my choice of program. It being a bit generic and I want to be sure before I invest time and money (loans) into anything. What I would really like to do is the Professional School Counselor Education Program. So, be a school counselor. It's a two year, through the Summer program. 6 credits per semester and only one night a week. Perfecto. I did a short stint as an intern at my old high school alma mater during my undergraduate final semester. I loved it. I don't know why I didn't figure out that this is what I want to do sooner. But like they say, better late than never. So we'll see how things shake out this next week. Wish me luck. I would have to take a few prerequisites for this program, it's in the psychology department and I am missing a few essentials it seems.

But for other fun stuff. I like to online shop. Online fantasy shop. I have my eye on a new dress, but I question my nerve to actually wear it. To church I mean. Because where else does a girl like me wear a dress anyway?

It's Shabby Apple, what do you think? I am having a strange new liking for animal prints. Sometimes.

And then there's this one too, but maybe it's too... something, probably short. But I really like the look. Could I pull it off? Do I want to?

(I can't seem to copy a larger image of these dresses. So click the link if you need to actually see it, sorry.)

And then there are these. I've coveted a pair of Toms since I first heard about them. But, ya know. It's pricey, but it goes towards a good cause! So maybe eventually I'll get a pair, Christmas maybe? But THEN, they came out with these hot little numbers. Wedges. I heart wedges and peep toes and just heels in general. So these are probably more "essential" than the original Toms. So practical in a Northern Utah winter too, I know, I know.

Are they not so cute? I think I like Ash best.

And just one more thing to polish this off. I have a very favorite cookie recipe. It's from Peggy Cullen's "Got Milk? The Cookie Book" recipe book. I still have a handful of recipes to try, but the classic chocolate chip cookie is just that, a classic. Seems like I've posted this before, but it's worth a repost.

The Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened. NOT melted, that=flat cookies, fyi.

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Use the real stuff.

1 large egg. At room temperature.

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. (I add more, usually about 1/4 cup more, every time. It just needs to be the right consistency, not gooey, but not dry.)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (about 6 ounces) chocolate chunks or chips

1 cup (about 3 1/2 ounces) large pecan or walnut pieces, or any nut you prefer. I usually use about 1/2 cup pecan gems.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla until well combined. Beat in the egg. Scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula, and beat for a few more seconds.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed just until absorbed. Combine the chocolate chunks and nuts in a small bowl and stir into the cough.

4. Shape the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and drop them about 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. For perfectly uniform cookies, scoop the dough using a 1 1/2-inch-diameter ice-cream scoop, leveling the dough off across the top before dropping onto the baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Let sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

These are always so perfectly yummy.

Bake some cookies and Have a Happy week!

Create

I am in the mood to create something. I've been hanging around on design blogs all day, bookmarking, making mental notes of what I could do, what materials I have on hand.
A few things that are looking attractive to me right now:

Skye-O my friend and fantastic sewer made a really cute quit. Using scraps. I have scraps! I can do that! Something about quilts is so beautiful to me. I love them. I want to make them but I never, ever have. So this might be my first attempt. It's so cute, isn't it? She got the idea from here.

IS-LY is a really fun blog. She has cool ideas and often free patterns/tutorial. Like this one. An iPhone case. Not that I have an iPhone. But I'm thinking I can alter it for my little Pixi. And use felt, not leather. Might just work.

Also from her website, these tissue poms as a mobile. It's so pretty, I want to make one right now:)

And, I've pulled out all my hair clip/bow/headband making supplies. Naomi needs some new stuff for her hair and she's been asking for big flowers. So maybe I'll get some fun stuff done tonight. I also bought some little pearl beads, I think I might be able to incorporate those into something. The trick to all this stuff is this: Hot Glue. 

And last but not least, Naomi's birthday is coming up, SOON! We looked around online at some castle cakes and picked a few that we liked best. I'm thinking I'll whip one up that's a mix between these three. I really like the sand castle structure. It's cute off-center, and round. Fun stuff ahead!

from Coolest Birthday Cakes

Sand Castle Cake from the Family Fun website.

And this video tutorial from Betty Crocker for their Pink Castle Cake.

Last year I did a Princess Belle cake. It turned out really cute and most importantly, Naomi loved it.

And on a different note, Naomi just informed me that she "needs ear drops!!!" Suddenly her ear hurts and it is 4:52 p.m. on a Friday. Awesome.

Time well spent

We went to Naomi's favorite playground ever the other evening after dinner, before bedtime. It has been named by Naomi the "Dolphin Park" because of the 1970's era dolphin-like swing she so loves. Naomi can make the swing go all on her own. I think she feels pretty proud of herself for that. She's so good on it that she gets it going pretty fast and then puts her feet up, like we used to do on our bicycle handle bars. There is also a big twisty slide and a fast short metal slide. Naomi is an old pro at them all. Recently she's been testing my reaction time by climbing to the very top of this thing made for climbing. But she's only two and she's a little bit like a cat, climbs up fast and well and then falters a bit on the way down. She's brave and prefers I keep my distance but I can just see it all turning South if she missed a step one of these times and fell about 6 feet to the ground.

James is thrilled just to be outside. He's becoming a great people watcher. Other children are fascinating to him. He will stare a at a child nearby and be all smiles and exciting sounds. He also loves swinging. James has been sick with a cold for what seems like forever. Poor baby. I hate when my kids are sick, especially babies. I guess we are entering the season of sickness.

But on to better topics- We has some friends over for dinner today, Ashley and Jess. It's always good to hang with them. We always seem to talk to them for forever, I love it. Zach made a very delicious pot roast. I'm so happy to say that we can now officially re-create my parents Sunday dinners. Mashed potatoes (using the Bosch to "whip" them), homemade gravy, a tender pot roast, lots of veggies, (we needed more today though), a green salad and cookies for dessert. The cookies are most definitely a Champlin thing though. A Z&T Champlin thing would have been to have grapes or some other fruit. I was missing it today.

I made some Chocolate Quake cookies, Ash helped me. They turned out pretty good. The recipe is from my all time favorite cookie book. It's called Got Milk? The Cookie Book by Peggy Cullen It's fabulous. Really. I've made the best cookies ever from her recipes, everything form the classic CCC to sugar cookies with royal icing to divinity. I always double the recipe and it's a good thing, the cookies are usually gone by day 2.

Tomorrow starts another week of who knows what for us, but I'm sure we'll be busy and tired and cranky and happy and everything else in between too.

All ready for church today.

Cinnamon Stix and Cards

So here I am, killing time. Naomi's asleep for the night (long ago) and Zach's typing away on some brief for school. It's due Friday so he's been s.t.r.e.s.s.i.n.g! jk, just a bit though.
We just took a snack break together, me from my mindless onlining and he from his paper, to devour a super yummy Cinnamon-stick thing. I got it at Aldi's (cool discount grocery store, must post about it later) for just a few bucks, it's pre-baked, you add the included cinn/sugar mix and then icing after you warm in over for about 4 min. IT WAS AWESOME:) ok, that's sad. But really, it was better than anything I could have baked from scratch! Not that I do that anymore, too lazy:) I like say it's because I'm too busy but really I'm lazy about it. I shifted to other time-consuming interests.
Speaking of other interests. I have a renewed surge for card making. I was just not feeling it for a while there, my cards were lacking some umph:) And there wasn't a decent scrapbook store within 100 miles of this city. But I discovered a little joint called Hobby Lobby and came home with under $20 of really great stuff, most on sale. Needless to say, I was feeling like a hero! I got some seriously cute paper and ribbon.
Trisha's super-cards, coming to a mailbox near you!

California Rolls

I have been toying with the idea that I can make my own sushi at home. California rolls are what I crave. I can buy them, take out, at a local Japanese restaurant but I want the satisfaction of making them myself.
I did some preliminary research online today and discovered there are many variations in recipes. I debated about buying a sushi recipe book but then opted out, I can find it all online, it's just a little less convenient than the hard copy. Anyway. I bookmarked 4 different pages with recipes I liked. Some had good pictures, others had good ingredients and others had helpful instructions. I'm hoping to perfect the roll to my specific taste. I'm so excited!!!
I made a list of things I need to make Sushi that I don't already have:

Nori (dried seaweed) one sheet per roll.
Imitation crab (must remember to squeeze out excess water:)
Sesame seeds (roasted ones were recommended on one site, another said get b&w for flair)
Bamboo sushi mat, rolling mat or Makisi. (googled this, about $3.00)
Sushi vinegar (or I can get the ingredients and make this, but hopefully I can find it made)
Flying Fish Roe. This took some research, turns out it's caviar, that's right- FISH EGGS:) I will probably opt out on this one, it's expensive.
Wasabi
Ginger (need to find out if the kind in the restaurant is marinated or something?)
Chop Sticks

Other things I need are: cucumber, avocado, short grain rice.

OK

There is a little International Grocery store close to where we live and I'm hoping they have all the exotic items I need, particularly the nori. The little lady who runs the store is sooo sweet!
I just got a bottle of Tahini (sesame butter) so we could make humus. Zach's in heaven. It's a little garlicky this first try but I'm sure he'll have it fine-tuned in no time. Now we just need some really good bread to eat it with, all of ours is too soft.

So here's a few sites with pictures of what my finished product is going to look like.
Tokyo Food Page nice pictures on this page
About.com great tips
Foodnetwork makes it sound easy...
Sushi Links picky recipes

Wish me luck!