Scavenger Hunt for Rebekah

Cute little socks without an owner . . . Hmmm let's see where this leads!

Next I see a little pair of pants, all alone, the little pockets staring up at the ceiling right where their owner wriggled out of them.

And there she is! One half dressed baby!

She pulls her socks off, and scoots on her belly until she can wriggle out of her pants. She is getting pretty fast at it!
So truthfully they weren't all that far apart, but I had to laugh because this is how I find this kid often. She really hates clothes-- I don't know what I am going to do . . .

Amazing Cinnamon Rolls

Every fall I get the urge to make cinnamon rolls-- the kind that take all day to make --not the kind in a can-- don't get me wrong, I like the ones in the can, but I don't crave them. There is just something so fun to me about mixing the dough and letting it rise and punching it down and rolling it out, filling it with ooey-gooey fillings, rolling it up and cutting it with a string. I have memories of making cinnamon rolls with my mother-- and sprinkling them full of butter, sugar, cinnamon, raisins, chopped apples, and nuts. I admit I don't put all of those things in-- I stop at butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, but I love the whole process. I did it last year with Preston, and this year he was much more involved and loved it. I didn't think to take pictures until we were finished, so you only get those! Just for the record, we kept a small pan of 6 and took the rest to Burke's office. Thankfully, the pan came home empty!!

Oh Calgon . . . Take me Away!!!

I checked the mail today. We have one of those community mail receptacles at the end of the block farthest from my house (not that I am complaining because I like having the mail on my street versus 15 minutes away at the post office!) Usually I stop by while I am driving, but occassionally I will take a little walk with the kids to check out the mailbox.
I peered into my mailbox today to find a large yellow bubble-wrapped envelope with my name on it. I was trying to figure out what I had ordered, or who it was from as the printed labels rendered me clueless as to the sender or contents . . . Well after pushing the stroller with one hand, juggling a stack of mail in the other and feeling my blood pressure rise trying to convince my two year old that he should walk by me on the sidewalk instead of running up and down the street without me, I was most pleasantly surprised when I finally got around to opening the package. Inside I found a cute card from my old roommate Camille and a box of Calgon bath beads. She reminded me that I had introduced her to the wonderful stuff several years ago when we were roommates. One of the great things about Calgon is that when you take a bath you seriously just feel so much better about your life. Problems seem minimized and you can face the world again. Somehow Camille must have known that I had forgotten the magic of Calgon, that I haven't treated myself to this blissful escape in years. So tonight Burke was gone , I put the kiddos to bed and I treated myself to a nice long soak . . . well 10 minutes and then the baby started crying . . . but I could face the world again. So thanks to my sweet friend Camille for thinking of me and reminding me to take care of myself. Ahhhhhh. I feel like a girl again!

Pictures

I took a few pictures of my kids the last few days. They need some more editing, but here are a few of my favorites.

Rebekah . . .

This girl cracks me up! So adorable :)

Rebekah is starting to push up a bit on her hands a bit-- she really loves to roll and scoot. She is sitting unassited for short periods too. She is starting to be a little mischief maker-- this week as luck would have it she fell in love with Preston's favorite teddybear--and she doesn't get distracted easily so the old trade thing isn't as effective as I was hoping (It probably doesn't help that Preston prances around and says, " NO Rebekah-- this is MY bear!" while waving it just beyond her reach . . .I guess that is what older brothers are for!)

I think I would cuddle and hold this little girl all day if I could. She is so enjoyable to be with . . .

Mud

It doesn't matter how little or how much mud is around, little boys will be boys.

Yes the pants and shirt are on backwards and he is wearing a hat that is about a million times too big for him! It was only later that I learned that the mud where he was playing (which came from the sprinklers running out into our driveway) was by a pipe that was experiencing sewage overflow-- I am SO sick every time I think about it. Oh well. He seems to be fine even a few weeks later.

This is the back yard jungle. We love having a yard with grass, but it needs so much work! At least the sprinklers are in and work well :)

eggplant must be an aquired taste . . .

Last night I attempted to make Eggplant Parmesan. I think it turned out right . . . there were not problems as far as overcooked or undercooked . . . except that I can officially say I don't like eggplant so it wasn't a hit. At the risk of boring you here is the story:


So one of our neighbors grows a humongous garden and is a chef. He gave me the eggplant and told me how to prepare it. I told him that we had tried eggplant a few times, but I had never been pleased with the texture or flavor. So here goes nothing I decided. But I was wrong. 4:30 pm I start--Burke is usually home by 6. I peeled and sliced the eggplant and set it out on a cooling rack to "sweat"-- a process that removes the bitterness of the plant by sprinkling coarse sea salt on the surface. Rebekah started crying and I was washing dishes. I finished the dishes and sat down to feed the baby. Hmmm. Where is Preston? He has snuck a bag of Sunday's rolls into his bedroom and is having a tea party. Bread and crumbs everywhere. Some rolls can be salvaged. I didn't yell. Back to the eggplant. Rinse and dry the eggplant. Rebekah is shrieking again. Put Rebekah in the front pack. Head back to the Kitchen. Pull out the blender to make breadcrumbs. Make the breadcrumbs out of stale loaf ends. Beat a few eggs in a square pan. Dip the eggplant slices and bread. Rebekah wants to touch everything so it takes longer than it should. Finish the first pan. Where is Preston? After some hunting I find him (because it is strangely quiet and he is not answering my calls) Found . . . in my closet spraying all of my clothes (& let's face it Burke's too) with purfume. There is also a bottle of hairspray on the floor and his hair is very sticky. I yell this time. 5:36pm Where is Burke?! He has been off work only 6 minutes-- and that is if he left on time-- can't count on him for help just yet! Clean up Preston (somewhat) and redirect. Return to the kitchen. Dip and bread the second pan of eggplant. Bake 10 minutes per side. Burke gets home and takes Rebekah at this point. I tell him if he doesn't like this dinner we are going out to eat. It has just been that kind of day. I start cleaning again (I do miss all of the counter space I had in my last kitchen. I keep telling myself we are going to have a nice evening and enjoy each other. I am feeling less stressed. By 6:30 I am assembling the casserole-- layering eggplant, red sauce, and cheeses. End with cheese and sprinkle with basil. Bake 20 minutes more. Then I remember that I am supposed to serve with pasta. No water boiling. I decide I can still land on my feet. Put the water on high heat. Find some pasta. Somehow it is now after 7. Why is everything taking so long?! 7:30 we finally sit down to eat. Whew! I am feeling relieved and ready to be done. I am the only one eating. Burke and Preston are picking at this afraid it might jump out and bite them. It is an unusal taste, but not terribly gross. I decide I probably won't make it again. Preston declares he is finished. Burke asks where I want to go to dinner. I almost start to cry. He is nice and appreciative but I still feel bad. Three hours of work. We still need dinner. How is Burger King better than what I just made? I find myself not hungry. I order a milkshake. While I drink it I decide eggplant must be an aquired taste. I think we are having ramen noodles tonight!