Dinner Crib Sheet Revised

My most recent Dinner Crib Sheet!  Same ol', same ol'.  I think it might be time to add some different ones (though, they both still refuse beans of any sort, and Bud won't eat potatoes and Sis doesn't like casserole-type dishes.)

Dinner Crib Sheet

Chicken

Chicken and Veggie stir fry—saute chicken, add veg and sauce--1 c stock, ¼ c soy, 2 T sesame, 1 T rice vinegar.  Soak Sai Fun noodles in hot water 10 min or serve over rice

Baked Chicken with rice and gravy—15 min @ 500F then 1 c water for 1 1/2hr @ 350 or 6 hr HIGH 2 1 c water  in crockpot; gravy--4 T oil + 4 T flour + 4 c broth

Chicken and Dumplings—dumplings: 2 c flour, 2 t salt, 2/3 c milk, with ½ c milk added to broth

Chicken Noodle/Vegetable/Tortellini Soup—NO tomatoes; add cheese and corn tortillas for Tortilla soup; Goya azafran for "Spanish" soup

Chicken Pot Pie—4T butter, ½ c flour, 4 c stock, veg, cooked chicken, crust @350F for 1 hour (or filling over noodles)

Soy Sauce Chicken and Rice—saute chicken and flavor with soy sauce

Baked Drumsticks —marinate in soy sauce then 1 hr @ 375F (breasts closer to 30 min)

Chicken cutlets—seasoned flour/egg & milk/breadcrumbs @350 for 30 m

Kebabs marinate—1/2 cups oil, lemon juice, soy sauce marinade

Ground Turkey/Beef (beyond tacos and chilli)

Meatloaf/balls—2 lbs beef/turkey, 1 egg, bread crumbs/oats, milk, soy sauce, seasoning, bake at 350F for 45 min

Goulash--saute onions and brown ground meat.  Boil pasta.  Make cheese sauce (I use 1/4 c each butter and flour; 1 cup milk or so, to favored consistency + approx 2 c grated cheese) Combine all ingredients and serve.

Stroganoff—saute onions and mushrooms, add ground meat and water, then sour cream; serve over egg noodles

Ma’s omelet—ground and scrambled egg

Pork

Smothered Pork Chops—sauteed with onions and seasonings (w/water for gravy)

Pork & Sweet Potatoes—2 lb roast+ 4 sweet potatoes, garlic, 1 c broth, 1 onion @ 6 hrs LOW in crockpot

Baked Ham—325F for 1 ½+ hours

Pork and Apples—sauté pork and cook with sliced apples

Roasted—pork chops, salt and pepper, broiled 5-10 min each side

Pasta

Spaghetti Pie—1 c mozz, ½ c ricotta, ¼ c parm, 10 oz. frozen broccoli, ½ lb pasta

Fettuccine w/ cream sauce & ham—1 egg, 1 T milk, 1 T butter, ¼ c cheese--can be Parm or Mozz (can add asparagus or peas)

Mac and cheese--white sauce (equal parts butter & flour, add milk; I use 1/4 c each butter and flour; 1 cup milk or so, to favored consistency) + approx 2 c grated cheese + cooked pasta; optional bake in oven w/panko and cheese

Easy Marinara--28 oz Marzano peeled tomatoes + 5 T butter + 1 yellow onion peeled and halved; simmer for 45 min

Sausage Pasta—saute sausage, onion, peppers, seasonings, oil and toss in pasta

Breakfast for Dinner

Crepes-- 2 eggs, 1 c milk, 1 c flour, 1 T melted butter, 1 T sugar, ¼ t salt

Dutch Babies— 2 eggs, 1 t. oil, ½ c milk, ½ c flour, 2 T sugar, ¼ t salt, ¼ t cinnamon.  10min @ 425F; 5-8min @ 350F

Pancakes—mix plus 1 egg, 1 c milk, 1 T butter

Waffles--3 eggs, 1 c milk, 1/2 c butter, 1 T vanilla, 2 c flour, 1/2 t salt, 1 T powder, 2 t sugar

Other Dinners

Baked Potatoes—pierced, oiled, and salted for 1+ hr @350F (N won’t eat these)

Broccoli Noodle Soup—onions, 6 c broth, 8 oz noodles, 2 pkg frozen broccoli, 6 c milk, 1 lb cheese

Cowboy supper—layers of red potatoes, carrots, onion, sausage, bell pepper, cabbage in beer/stock

Brisket—4+lbs w/potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, stock, 2 bay leaves on LOW 8-10

Welsh rarebit—8 oz cheddar, 3 T milk/ale, 1 tsp mustard poured on toast

Quiche--3-4 eggs, 2 big spoons sour cream, cheese, protein/nuts, veg (def. frozen spinach) in crust @ 350F for 45 min

Potato and Greens soup—butter, oil, leeks, kale/greens, potatoes (even chicken or beef), stock

Winter Veg Soup—kale, potatoes, white beans, diced tomatoes, stock

One Pan Dinner—chix breasts/pork chops, potatoes, broccoli, green beans etc, olive oil bake 350F for 30-45

Roast Veg—gb, asparagus, broccoli, potatoes, yams (w/brown sugar & cinnamon), carrots with oil and salt/pepper at 375+F for 30 mins+

Italian Wedding Soup—meatballs, stock, kale, orzo

Seasonal Hobbies

When I'm not chaffeuring kids or doing any of my volunteer work or chores and errands, I am exploring a few new hobbies, which change a little with the season (I crochet more during the colder months, but I do have a spring project.)  And there's always piano.  I don't read as much as a). people seem to think I do or b). I'd like.  I do have several on my kindle and proverbial night stand--a book on the porcupine theory of parenting, a book by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich on Mormon women in the 19th century, a history of stone walls in New England, a travel essay book on recreating the Oregon Trail, and who knows what else, really.

I just signed up for a class in recognizing bird songs through the orinthological lab at Cornell.  As I was following the sample lesson on the American robin ("cheerily, cheerily, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up"), the cats went nuts!  Soon, Albus was at my shoulder and Hermione was at my feet, both with big wide eyes.  They kept looking around trying to locate the singing bird.  For the cats' response alone, I signed up for the class!

I still have my weekly Natural Singer lessons, either audio or video alternating.  I do the audio ones more often because I can play them on my phone as I do chores around the house.  I don't know if I'm improving, but I do have more confidence.  I'm a better singer if I do it accapella than if I try to sing along to something, becauseI can't keep up with the words or the breathing.  Still, I'd rather sing along to my favroite songs.

With the good weather, we're doing more bike riding.  Mama has worked out some local trails that we can all do (wide and flat.)  I'll need some more practice before I can really do a long ride.

And then there's my Yoga Dance class!  I think this is my first exercise class ever, unless you count a few seasons of ballroom dancing.  I'm not sure it's an exercise class in the truest sense of the word, nor a yoga class either.  It's more of a free-form movement class with some more choreographed segments.  And there's an overlay of mysticism (is that the word?), with references to chakras (which here has to do with slower or faster, abdomen or arms, etc.)  I love it.  I knew I'd found my people when, during the first lesson, the teacher would move left and some of the class moved left and some moved right!  See, I always follow the teacher, as a mirror, not going the way she is going, i.e. to right or left.  I can't do it, or even explain it!  Anyway, it begins with some mat time and then lots of dance--sometimes based in yoga poses like Warrior 2 or Goddess (I don't really know their names), sometimes free-flowing, sometimes a class form (like a promenade)--and then some final mat stretches.  I wear a skirt because I like the swishing feeling, with bike shorts underneath.  And these little grip socks so I don't slip.  What's not to like?

Weekend Sports Warriors

It was a weekend of activity for us.  Sis had her first horse show of the season on Saturday, a home show which was kind of a dress rehearsal for the rest of competition.  She rode Steeler, which made her happy; through, really, riding any of them--Tucker, Pooh, Murphy, Brooke, Levi--would make her happy.  In fact, I'm convinced that she'd be just as glad to be around them as ride them.  Horse love is strong with that one.  She earned third and fourth places in equitation (don't ask, I don't know) and then first and second places in pole jumping.  She was very pleased, even commenting that she had one of each color now (which is what I said about swim meet ribbons decades ago!)   She stayed afterwards to help with clean up and to hang out with the other riders.  She loves it all.

On Sunday, Bud had a kung fu performance at a local college's dragon festival.  It was outside, which was a bit of a surprise, but it was at least a beautiful day (it had rained Saturday, so Sis's horse thing was inside.)  Bud performed his fist, broad sword, nine chain, and straight sword forms.  There was some trouble with the mats on the concrete--they kept slipping, making the kids recalibrate their forms to adapt.  We were afraid someone was going to be injured during a jump.  Bud landed funny on a cartwheel and hurt his ankle some, but he is better this morning.  He loves kung fu.  And we love watching him.  Any performance is a great learning experience, even one that is less than ideal.  He isn't competing this May, because of the school play, so now he can enjoy the sport instead of stressing over form for a few weeks.  He'll like that.

Tidbits

Just some short stories, as I mull over my post on schools, leveling, racism, and my kids' future.

But first, something from yesterday on my historic house tour.  There was a beautiful moment that solidified for me why we work so hard to try to get the tours right for our students. We were in the keeping room and one of the students had asked me if the characters in the Reader's Theater were real, historical people. The answer is yes, though the scenario is imagined, and so I went through the list explaining who each one was. I explained that we had specifically included a free African-American businessman who really ran a fishing business on our river, because we wanted students to hear more than that there were slaves in Connecticut living in the basement of other historic houses--that some slaves became free, and also that some people of color hadn't been slaves and even owned businesses. And this little African-American boy sitting at my feet whispered, "Because black lives matter." And I said louder, so the whole class could hear, "Yes, black lives do matter."  It's why my colleagues and I do what we do.

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We went to the Bronx Zoo over spring break on one of the beautiful spring days.  Mama and Sis went in search of the big cats while Bud and I went to the penguins.  Call it method acting research for his part as a penguin in the school play!  We all met up to do the bug carousel, butterflies and gorillas, who had several new babies among them.  I teased Bud that he was like a baby gorilla, very clingy on mom when he's asleep.  On vacations, I often share the small hotel double bed with him and he's a heat-seeking missile, rolling my way constantly; I guess I'm an adequte substitute for his Mr. Big penguin, who doesn't travel.  It's actually pretty cute.

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We tried something new with egg-dyeing this year.  Instead of the traditional vinegar-and-color-tablet, we did three different kinds of eggs.

• Whipped-cream eggs:  Soak boiled eggs in vinegar for 3-5 minutes.  Meanwhile, spread whipped cream (or shaving cream) on cookie sheet.  Dot with liquid food coloring and swirl with wooden skewer.  Roll eggs in cream and keep them covered for 30 minutes.  They were beautiful until we washed off the cream and the color came off, too.  We'd try again, though.
• Nail-polish eggs:  In disposable conatiners filled with water, we dropped and swirled different colors of nail polish.  We then dropped the egg through the water.  It would have been better if we'd had the little wire scoopers from the Paas kits to retrieve the eggs.  As it was, our hands were covered in nail polish.  And the room stank.  But the eggs were lovely.
• Later, without the kids, I tried the crayola trick--warm hardboiled eggs in hot water and then write on them with crayon, which will melt onto egg.  Meh, it just looked like I'd colored on the egg.  Maybe my eggs weren't hot enough.

The Bunny liked them all, though.  This year she didn't put anything in all the plastic eggs, just left a reward at the end of the hunt.

Updates

Spring break was relaxing and wonderful.

School has been crazy this week, mainly because of a big controversy in town that has many parents upset.  Mama and I are figuring out what our plans are.

Easter, the Bronx Zoo, bike riding.  Plus all the usual Girl Scouts, kung fu, speedskating, horses, piano . . . and my new Yoga Dance class.

And today is the first day of historic house tours!  I've been running around this week finalizing set up and a new Reader's Theater script we're going to be presenting.

Whew.

At least we didn't get the flu, even after being exposed to Gong (who only found out later he was sick.)

Spring Break

Spring Break starts in about three and a half hours.  I know we're all ready.  We've been going at it pretty hard in the last few weeks, even the fun stuff.  And we could all use some sleep and R&R.  By "we" here, I mean the kids and me.  Mama doesn't have any time off before next Friday.  And then we'll do Easter prep and a big meal with her parents here on Saturday and the Bunny will be here before Sunday morning.

Until then, I'm doing a little planning, both for spring break and the Easter prep meal.  Here's what I've come up with.

Ideas for a Spring Break at Home (beyond video games)

• bicycle riding
• a hike/nature walk at a nearby park
• teaching the kids how to quill
• baking/cooking
• game night
• sea glass search and kite flying at the beach
• puzzle (for those rainy days)
• garden clean up (it's way too early to plant)
• nostalgia time with Lego sets?
• home movie night
• maybe a trip into the city to see the new miniatures exhibition?  or the Central Park Zoo?
• and, of course, there will be movies (Sing! perhaps)

Easter Meal Ideas

• ham with madeira and green peppercorn sauce?  Trying to find the recipe Mama used last year (I've been inconsistent in blogging recipes, which is most frustrating when I can't find them.)
• macaroni and cheese or scalloped potatoes
• green beans?  
• green salad
• almond bundt cake?  or some other yummy baked good.  Every time Smitten Kitchen posts a new baked good, I want to make it; my list is long.
• rolls
• deviled eggs
• roasted nuts? chex mix?

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I think this might be the recipe, adapted from a book called All About Braising by Molly Stevens.

Ham with Madeira and Green Peppercorn Sauce

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 medium yellow onions (12 ouncew total), coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 heeaping tablespoon green peppercorns, in brine, rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
four 3 inch leafy fresh rosemary sprigs
2 small or 1 large bay leaf
1 cup dry madeira, such as sercial or rainwater
1 cup chicken or veal stock, homemade or store bought
one 6 to 8 pound bone in ham, fully or partially cooked, preferably shank or rump

1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees

2. The aromatics: in a large dutch oven or deep braising pan (7 quart) large enough to hold the ham, heat the oil over medium high heat. when the oil is shimmering, add the carrot, onions, and celery. saute, stirring a few times, untilo the vegetales brown on the edges and begin to soften, about 10 minutes. add the peppercorns, garlic rosemary and bay leaft, stir and saue for another 2 minutes

3. The braising liquid: pour in the maderia and bring to a boil lower the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes to meld the flavors and reduce the liquid somewhat. pour in the stock, bring to a simmer and simmer for another 5 minutes

4. The braise: whether you bought a fully cooked or partially cooked (sometimes labeled "ready to cook") ham will affect the cooking time. lower the ham into the pot, setting it eithe flat side down or on its side, whichever fitw beswt. cover tightly with the lid or heavy duty foil and slide the pot into the lower part of the oven. for a fully cooked ham, braise until fork tender and heted lo l the way through, abut 1 hour and 45 minutes. for a partially cooked ham, braise until the ham is fork tendr and an instnt red thermometer read 155 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of the ham, closer to 2 1/2 hours (be careful that the thermometer does not hit the bone, which will give you a falsely high reading)

5. The finish: transfer the ham to a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. strain the braising liquidf, and discard the vegetables - they will be too salty. skim as much fat from the surface of the braiswing liquid as yu can withyout losing patience. taste, if the liquid tasts a bit weak, pour it into medium saucepan and simmer to reduce until it tastes like a mild broth, 10 to 15 minutes. if the liquid is already tasty as is, set if over a low burner to keep warm. the sauce will not need any salt - in fact, if you do reduce it, be careful not to go too far, as it can quickly become too salty.

6. Serving: carve the ham into think slices and erve warm or at room temperture with a bit of the warm sauce spooned over the top.

Our Last Winter Weekend

It was raining in Connecticut but snowing in Vermont where we were staying last weekend.  Sixteen inches, in fact.  Beautiful!  And Vermont is wonderful about keeping the roads clean, though less devoted to stairs and paths--mainly because everyone is hearty and in boots, I think.  (I can't imagine what folks with mobility issues do up there.)  I loved having a last winter hiatus, especially as I type this in the middle of a Connecticut spring rainstorm.  An added bonus?  Uncle Goo joined us.

A few highlights:

• SNOW!  Oh how I love snow.  Snow on the evergreens, snow on the fields, snow on the houses, snow on the mountains.  Falling gently.  I watched it most of Saturday.  I was, however, unprepared for the hugs glacial chunks sliding off the unique Vermont metal roofs with disturbingly-loud thuds.  Frightened me the first few times.  Surprised us all.  Who know you had to watch for falling icebergs?  Turns out, all Vermonters know (because apparently there are tragic accidents every year.)  






• So, we were very prepared for the snow, with all of our winter gear.  I even did alright in my boots, with my crampons on.  But, my coat had been left behind, which we didn't realize until we were there.  Thankfully, Goo had an extra jacket that would keep me dry and under which I could wear layers for warmth.  Saved the weekend because, though we checked, there weren't many coats left on the sale racks.  
• I love the VERMONT COUNTRY STORE!!!  Sure, it's a touristy institution, but I love the diversity of goods from soups to nuts, hats to hand lotion.  We got our usual favorites--Vermont Common Crackers, "Today's Cut" cheese, Vermont Summer Sausage, chocolates for the kids--and a few other things like a little pair of earrings for me, vanilla orchid hand lotion, wild blackberry lip balm, a carousel tin of caramels (I have a thing for carousel tins.)
• MacLaomainn's Pub:  our evening meal on Friday at the local, family-friendly Scottish pub, owned by a real Scotsman.  Goo got haggis, which Bud loved.  The rest of us had less adventurous fare--cock a leekie soup, auld reekie beef stew, bangers and mash, mince with tatties and skirlie (an onion-and-oats saute), and sticky toffee pudding.  SO good.  
• Games, games, games.  How is it that I belong to a family of gamers?  Goo loves them, all types.  The kids and Mama are a bit more selective but will try most any game once.  We played Uno, Oregon Trail, and Snake Oil.  In Oregon Trail, I "died" of a snake bite and Bud wrote my tombstone like a FB post.  "Marmee died of a snake bite.  Comments (1) So Sad.  14 likes."!!!!!  Snake Oil has you pitching fantastical products (using the item cards you are dealt) to a customer with a particular profile (hermit, rap star, Viking, mortician, etc.)  Goo was wonderful at voices and banter.  The best product?  A "Meat Beard" for a Viking.  There were also computer games--Goo brought his new Nintendo Switch and Bud got to play a bit of the new Zelda game, Breath of the Wild.  He was ecstatic and talked Zelda all weekend.
• SKIING  Mama and Sis hit the slopes at Killington, while the rest of us did our own thing.  I crocheted and Zentangled; Bud and Goo went off wandering together.  The first day of skiing was very hard and challenging, with snow falling and lots of powder.  Sis, who had taken to it immediately, had a lot of trouble with it.  But the next day was beautiful--blue skies and groomed slopes--and she persevered and had so much fun on the slopes.  She and Mama met one of Mama's coworkers who took them on the most appropriate trails.  Sis learned a bunch from him (he skies almost weekly and has a house up there; the mountains are his backyard.)

  

  
  

  
  
  
  











• I went on a mountain peak!  For most of the ski time, I sat in the K1 lodge at the bottom (well, not the very bottom) and crocheted while watching the beautiful snow.  It was just amazing to see the skiiers and snowbaorders.  And I had a beautiful view of a little rivulet and some trees.  But on Sunday afternoon, I went with everyone on the gondola up to the very top of Killington.  I was petrified at first, not liking heights, but I got used to it. And when I could look out--to the peaks of New Hampshire and also New York--it was amazing.  I didn't quite like walking around on the snowpack, scared of falling off a mountain, but I did love the view.  I admit to shedding several tears at the sight (and for my pride of quite literally conquering the mountain, so to speak.)   






• GLASSBLOWING:  Mama finds the most interesting activities and is the best travel agent.  We were all excited by our personal glassblowing lesson at Hot Glass in Manchester.  It really is an amazing process.  And though I'd seen the like on tv and studied the glass of Egyptians, Romans, and Gothic cathedrals, it's amazing to make the magic with your own hands.  Though, I was definitely very wary of the molten glass and hot steel.  But no burns.  And we made the most amazing articles:  Goo made a blue carafe; I made an "opal rose" and white flat-bottomed vase; Mama made a forest green and white cylindrical vase; Bud made a red and white wavy bowl; Sis made a pink and teal regular bowl.  Bud's was the most amazing to watch, as he and our teacher dipped his molten sphere in a wavy mold and then spun out the now-wavy lump that flared into a beautiful bowl.  We picked them up the next day and they're all lovely.  






• Country Girl Diner and Sugar & Spice:  two more delicious meals, both with pancakes!  Country Girl Diner is even in an old polished-chrome dining car.  
• We were supposed to go dog sledding, but the heavy snow coupled with some quick meltage made conditions unsafe for the dogs.  Next time.  Besides, with the free time, we were able to take that gondola ride.  And I have a feeling we'll be back in Vermont next winter!

Retreating

Gommie and I spent three days tangling our hearts out!  Such a wonderful time.  Before we left for our formal Zentangle retreat at Copper Beech Institute in West Hartford, CT, we warmed up a little at home.  I taught her my Zendala tangle/string TWYST.  With some practice, she got it down.

TWYSTing with Gommie

I also flipped through Gommie's sketchbook, which had these wonderful tiles . . . . 

Which I proceeded to blantantly copy!  I don't know the names of the tangles (except Springkle, which is just an enlarged version of the one I usually do)--and I didn't even get the gist of the middle one.  But I like them and will keep practicing.

We headed to Copper Beech midday Friday.  It's the place I attended my first Zentangle class two years ago.  We had a wonderful time--delicious meals (albeit Lenten, so lots of fish, which I don't generally eat), rejuvenating yoga and meditations, a lovely walk to the snow-covered labyrinth, and, of course, the Zentangle sessions.  I especially liked the yoga and meditations, from my first gentle yoga session to the even gentler Restorative yoga session (where you support your poses with cushions and just breathe into them), followed by a lovely tea in the art gallery (with a delicious "Om" blend of cardamom, rose, etc from Culteavo.)  And of course the labyrinth!  Even partially snow-covered, I like the meditative space.  Perhaps especially snow-covered.  No owls this time, though.

There were about 26 of us in the Zentangle retreat.  For the first night, they split the beginners from the more experienced tanglers, with our experienced group doing a black-and-white project working with negative space.  I liked the results.

On Saturday, we did two more projects, both tangential to pen-and-paper tangling.  With Janet, we explored the use of polymer clay to created tangled beads, basing our designs on such tangles as Printemps and Tipple.  We made canes of our designs and Gommie had the great idea to do a class bead and to share our cane patterns around.  In the afternoon, we experienced Zenquility, or paper quilling.  We used basic flowers with coils and teardrops as the start of a Zendala or other tile.  I especially enjoyed this, seeing the possible applications in Zendalas.  Quilling is much like 3D tangling.

I really liked our session Saturday evening, which was a guided meditation with verbal cues for the tile.  The teacher described the tangles, trying not to name them (though, eventually, she did say flux and pokeleaf.)  It was very similar to something we did at the Zentangle retreat at Kripalu.  See the results in our class mosaic--similar yet so individual!  I can't wait to try this kind of meditation in one of my advanced classes.  Over the course of the weekend, we did a few breath mediations, including one called Four Corners or Box meditation--you draw a box slowly, with the verticals and horizontals representing the exhales and inhales.  We also did the Breath of Joy--three inhales and then an explosive "ha!"

Our class mosaic from the meditation

Our last session, was a very complex terrarium, using some Zentangle patterns and sophisticated Renaissance shading in browns, blacks, and whites.  The result is a Zentangle-inspired art work (ZIA). I have to admit this was not my favorite--with the use of compass and eraser, all that representation and specific orientation, the focus on product over process, and not much repetition of most of the patterns save in the base with meer, nzeppel, and tipple.  We barely finished--you can see I didn't finish the shading or even decorate the mushroom.  Still, I learned some shading suggestions, like working from darks to lights, and picking one side for lights and the other for darks (the teacher arbitrarily does darks on the left and whites on the right.)  And I loved the woodless 6B pencil we got--it's nice and dark and smudges beautifully.

Altogether, it was another wonderful weekend and I look forward to the next year's.

When we got home, Gommie and I continued to tangle, playing with some 3Zs.  I drew a continuous string on six of them and we each went to work.  Here are mine and hers in progress.  See the nice shading on mine?  Yep, 6B!






Happy tangling, Gommie!

Whirlwind

Gommie has come and gone since my last post, in a whirlwind visit.  We had Indian and Latin fusion meals, Lenten fish dinners, and homemade chicken and dumplings, plus a delightful visit to a local tea shop.  Gommie heard Bud's piano lesson and watched Sis's horseback riding and speedskating lessons.  And we went on retreat, with lovely meals, rejuvenating yoga and meditation sessions, lots of Zentangle, and a delightful walk around a partially snow-covered labyrinth.  Whew!

Oh, and she saw Sunset Boulevard with Glenn Close and loved it.

More on the retreat later.  Trying to get resettled here.

Gommie Time

Gommie is in the northeast, train-bound to us as I type.

She arrived in NYC last night and had a great time at Sunset Boulevard, though she said the walk to the theater was very cold.  Wait til she steps out into 20F this morning!

She'll be here through Tuesday, with most of the visit comprised of a Zentangle retreat we're taking together.

So I'll update you about all of that after the fact.

Happy first weekend of spring!

London

My thoughts are with London and my friend Lambeth in England.  The attack yesterday must have been so frightening for those near the House of Parliament.  And devastating for those injured and the families of those killed.  We stood in that spot just 3 years ago.  We love London.

The Struggle is Real

I have to go to the dentist today.

I hate the dentist.  Not just my particular, current dentist, but all dentists.  Not the people themselves, just their professions.

I know it goes way back to childhood.  I had some horrid dentist coupled with some bad genetics.  I had lots of cavities and they would fill them all at once in a tiny room with lots of adults and drills and shots.  I remember fear and pain.  And shots.

And so I'm an awful mom.  My memories of the dentist get in the way of my own kiddos.  I hate taking them.  And I've even put off appointments.  I'm passing along my phobia.  (And it's not generational--my mom loves going to the dentist.  But then she's had very few problems.)

Actually, I've been very lucky.  Cavities as a child, now some wear at the gumline that hurts.  No root canals, no crowns.  Very lucky.

I hope I'm as lucky today.

But I still hate going.

Snow Report

You probably know by now (except perhaps Lambeth, my friend in England) that we're facing a huge snow storm on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Blizzard warnings are in effect and predictions are for 12-24".  I've got enough food to eat for days, with or without power.  I'm expecting the kids won't have school on Tuesday or Wednesday.  We'll see.

Sis in her gear

In other news, on Saturday morning when we woke to 14F temperatures, Mama decided to take Sis skiing!!  Mama herself hadn't skied in 30 years; Sis had never been.  But they went to a nearby place and had a wonderful day.  Sis took beginner's lessons in the morning but, because of her speedskating ability, only spent a few minutes on the bunny slope before being moved to the green and then the blue paths!  Apparently, she's really good.  And Mama didn't break her back--and could even get up on Sunday morning.

Bud on the slopes

Which is when they went back, taking Bud with them!!  Sis skied green all day by herself, while Bud took lessons and Mama later skied with him on the smaller hills.  He had fun, too.  I think Sis and Bud even skied together.

I think there will definitely be more skiing, though not for me.  I have memories of one disastrous ski trip as a teen.  A quick morning lesson during which I could barely stand still or upright--I had no control over the skis--and yet the instructors still took me on the mountain on the lift and promptly abandoned me.  I skied down by myself, though I'm pretty sure you can't call it skiing.  I ran into a child, who wasn't hurt, and a tree, before taking off my skis and walking the rest of the way down.  It sucked.  I think I ended up walking in town the rest of the afternoon.   I don't think I'll be trying that ever again.

On the ski lift together

But I'm glad my kiddos love it.  And I'm so glad Mama had the gumption to give it a try--she loved it!  So, our plan is to go back to Vermont to ski next year and I'll sit in a nice cozy lodge by the fire and crochet, just like I like.  But I'll love watching them all ski.

And we'll all love the snow days this week.

Kidbits

It's blowing like mad outside--it even knocked over our freestanding basketball hoop!  But it's sunny and warm.

Until tonight, when we might have 2-5" snow, depending on the forecast.  Which means, there could be a school delay . . . and since it was already an early dismissal, they might not have school at all.  Which is great because Mama wanted to try to take the kids skiing.

And I hear there might be a nor'easter in the pipeline for snow on Tuesday.

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On Tuesday night, there was a hip-hop dance lesson at school.  Both kids went, but Bud was much more interested in it.  And he's so good!  Several people said he was a natural.  He certainly is flexible and he learns quickly!  (Though, I heard Timberlake's "Can't Fight This Feeling" too many times.)  Maybe we can get him into dance lessons this summer.

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Summer.  Yep, already planning summer activities.  Sis will do a week away at computer camp and a week at speedskating camp.  Bud will do theater camp and maybe those dance lessons.  As a family, we're going to a weeklong Audubon camp in Maine.  And then we'll visit Texas for a bit in the summer, which will be great (and really hot.)

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Speed Racer

I'm constantly impressed with our little speedskater!  We had such a wonderful time at her second competition and are so proud of her.

We're learning more about speedskating every week.  Though, I don't quite know the lingo, every competition meet is divided into several races, by distance and then by ability (with odd, almost inappropriate, names like "midgets" and "pee wees"--which are teenagers!)   I believe each meet has a series of 6 or 7 races in decreasing distance--the 1500, 1000, 500, 333, 111--with semi-finals for a few races and the newbies doing the 500 and 333 more than once.   Each place in each race has a set of points awarded; these are tallied at the end of the meet and one set of gold, silver, and bronze awards are given per division, by ability and gender.  No participation awards.

Sis bested her times in all of her races.  Her coach had told her to focus on her technique, not on just going fast or winning.  So she kept herself down in first position and did her crossovers.  She raced against 3 others--2 girls and a boy who raced with them but was in a different division--and was last in all but one race--she beat the boy!  But it didn't matter because she ran clean races, improving with each one.  On the second to the last race, she really pushed, wanting to beat the boy who was from her own club (it's a friendly rivalry)--you could see her hunker down and push.  She fell at the end, a terrifying moment for us, though it was clear that she wasn't hurt--she fell on her butt and slid across the finish line (her skate has to cross.)  But she was so proud of herself!  Her first fall in competition, a milestone.  And she got right back up, all smiles, and had another race later.  And when she won bronze in her division, she was so excited, so proud--more than she won an uncontested gold in the last meet (she was the only girl).  She said she'd rather have competitors.  So very proud of her.

The sushi case!  The store is the size of a Target.

Just one fake food display,
at just one of the food stalls

We had fun outside of the competition, too.  We stopped at Mitsuwa, the huge Japanese grocery store on the banks of the Hudson, looking across to Manhattan.  I could see the GWB, Grant's Tomb and Union Theological, near Columbia, and all of the skyscrapers of Midtown.  And we love the store.  Mama a lot as a child; we also went to the one in Chicago several times.  Beyond lots of imported tasty treats, there is an awesome food court.  Bud and Sis had sushi, I had katsu-don, and Sis had gyoza.  There were also a Japanese bookstore and also a knicknack store, with Pokemon, Pusheen, Totoro and other Miyazaki movies, amigurumi books, origami paper, and lots of anime things.

We also stopped by the Schuyler-Hamilton House, where Alexander Hamilton courted Eliza Schuyler in 1780.  It's a beautiful white colonial from 1760 owned by the DAR, now on a tight little run-down street.  They only do tours on Sunday from 2-4 p.m.  I was glad just to see it.  One day, we'll go back for the tour.  And all the other historical sites in the area.

There will be other chances because Sis loves speedskating.  And we do, too.

Under the Whale, Under the Whale . . . .

I slept under the great blue whale on Saturday night!  The blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History, that is.  With my family and a few hundred others.  It was the museum’s famous sleepover, our own Night at the Museum.  And it was wonderful!  I don’t have an official bucket list, just an idea of things I’d like to do, including speak another language and play piano (check! check!), and this had been on it for a long time.  In fact, generally speaking, I’d wanted to sleep in some kind of museum ever since I read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler.

We arrived with sleeping bags and stuff in tow, around 4 p.m., earlier than needed.  We were hungry and so headed to CPW where there were food carts.  We started with lovely Waffles&Dinges, including a waffle with ice cream, one with caramel apples, and one with speculoos cookie supreme.   We also got Nathan’s hot dogs and crinkle fries.

We didn’t know yet where exactly we would be sleeping.  In addition to the whale, guests also slept with North American mammals and the hall of minerals.  I wanted the whale and was thrilled that we got it (I think our crowd was below the 465 people maximum and so everyone slept under the whale!)  I was so excited.  We waited awhile as the guards quickly cleared the museum and then were escorted to the Hall of Biodiversity and Oceana, where we chose a spot on the edge, under the tail, near the polar bear.  Cots were provided and made a good sleeping spot.  But that was not for six hours!

In the meantime, we had almost free range of the museum.  We wandered the semi-dark and almost completely empty hallways.  A volunteer took our photo in the magnificint entry hall with the dinosaurs—with no one else around!  We were alone with the Moai—“dum dum, me want gum gum” if you know the Night at the Museum movie.  We saw the birds, the Plains Indians, the Asian peoples, mostly by ourselves.  It reminded me of my years working at museums, where I greatly enjoyed being alone when they were closed to the public.  This is as close as I’ll be able to share that with the kids. 

We saw an animal demonstration, with Barn Owl, Golden Eagle, alligator, opossum, black-throated monitor, and python.  We wandered the dinosaur halls during a flashlight fossil find, shining our lights on the stegosaurus, triceratops, titannicasaurus, and pterodactyls.  Mama, who took photos throughout the whole evening, had fun photographing the illuminated fossils.  We also stood in the darkened turret and looked out over the city.  And then we saw a movie on the wonders of the Arctic!  Plus a snack and a bedtime story. 

My favorite part, besides the experience of being in the museum after closing, was visiting the butterflies.  I love butterfly-ariums!  The one at AMNH is small, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.  I even had a few land on me—one on my hand, one on my shoulder, one of my skirt, and one on my forehead!  That last one, an owl butterfly, stayed put for 20 minutes even as I walked around; I finally had an attendant remove it so we could continue our explorations.  It felt so light, and tickly, like my own live butterfly headdress.  Sis had one land on her arm and Bud had one do a touch-and-go landing on him, too. 

And then we readied for bed under the whale, around midnight.  Many kids were riled up, running around screaming, but Bud was asleep before the bedtime story (Trenc’s original picture book Night at the Museum) and Sis was asleep right after I gave her one of my ear plugs and didn’t even hear me sing “Baby Beluga” to her.  I listened to the ruckus but mainly focused on the whale above me, flickering in the flashlight lights as if it were under the sea.  This effect was even stronger when they shut off all but emergency lights, but the sky lights behind the whale were swirled shades of blue.  Beautiful, mesmerizing.  I almost couldn’t sleep.

The view from my cot

But eventually I did, waking only once when Sis needed the restroom.  The hall of hundreds of people was very quiet, except two very loud almost caricaturish snorers, and that beautiful whale.  I loved sleeping "under the sea."

The next morning found us having a quick breakfast, picking up some pins and magnets at the shop, and heading home, talking about how this was tied for best sleepover ever with the 19^th-century ship Conrad at Mystic.   It just occurred to me that both have connections to whale, though the latter’s is pretty gruesome.

I much prefer the image of that giant blue whale above us.  I’ll treasure that for a long time to come.

Projects in Progress

I've been getting a lot of crocheting done recently, both because of the snow days and holiday and also the raffle prizes I volunteered to make.

I made a blanket for Sis's speedskating raffle, a blanket for their 6th-grade class fundraiser, a blanket for a raffle at Bud's kung fu anniversary celebration, and a blanket for a fundraiser at the historic house.  I had made blankets for their three main teachers for Christmas and also a blanket for my hospice patient.  Plus one for a friend.

Right now, I have my travel bag project--a blue-green rectangular granny square which might become a baby blanket for a teacher we know--and my couch project, which is a rainbow-y afghan in double crochet and granny clusters.

And, as we were purging the basement yesterday, I came across yarn for more projects.  Always good to have extra yarn in the house!

(I keep a collection of patterns I use here.)

Great Backyard Bird Count

It so happened that this year's Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) landed on a beautiful weekend here in CT.  At one point, temperatures reached over 60F--Bud was in shorts and we had all the windows open.  Lovely.  And so we went out at least once each day to participate in the GBBC.  I had written up a list of birds we were most likely to see and the kids were in charge of the tally marks.

Now I should say that I'm not very good at identifying birds smaller than hawks or owls; in fact, we call them all "tweetie birds."  And I definitely can't identify most birdsongs, except the mourning dove and the nasty blue jay.  And a woodpecker.   We heard more birds than we saw but couldn't count them.  So it was definitely a challenge, particularly because most were in flight.   I don't even know all the small backyard birds in still photos, much less in motion or at a distance!

Still, we managed to count dozens of house sparrows, 27 Canada geese, a turkey vulture, two woodpeckers, two blue jays, two chickadees, a few mourning dove, and several European starlings.  There were two birds we definitely saw but couldn't identify and many more we heard.  Not an impressive list--not even the local Monk Parakeets or a nice Red-tail Hawk--but it was a good first try.

And I think I can recognize the song of the house sparrow now.

Proud Mommy

The kiddos are in the school musical!  With speaking parts!  The show is Madagascar Jr.  And Bud is one of the penguins, Rico, who eats a lot and does martial arts.  Sound familiar?  Sis is Police Officer #1, which also makes some sense.  (She is a bus safety patrol, after all.)  We're excited for them and so proud that they auditioned--acapella in front of 4 adults in the big auditorium and then again at callbacks for Bud.  Not easy.  It'll be a lot of work from now til June, but they enjoy singing and being with their friends.  Besides, it's their last year at the school, their last musical.  Which makes it doubly special.  Here we go . . . .

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On a side note:  Some kids who had larger parts before were very mad about the casting this year, going to the extent of stating that some who got parts don't have talent.  Talk about sour grapes.  A few are even threatening to quit already.  So we had to talk to Sis and Bud about attitude, good sportsmanship (so to speak), jealousy, and not to let it spoil their experiences.

Ready for Her Close Up

I don't even know where to begin about our MARVELOUS weekend.

See, we saw Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard!!!  And she was amazing.  Really, I don't think I know enough positive adjectives to describe her performance.   The crowd cheered when she first appeared on the stage.  We went wild after "With One Look," stopping the show with clapping.  There were cheers and claps after her signature lines--"I am big.  It's the pictures that got small."  "I'm ready for my close up."  And we stopped the show with a standing ovation after "As If We Never Said Goodbye."  And I think there were 4 or 5 curtain calls!



I loved it.  I had seen her in it 22 years ago and I thought it was marvelous, too.  But this one is even better.  Sure the giant staircase and elaborate sets are gone; the lovely costumes are exactly the same. But her performance, I thought, was more human, intimate, vulnerable, and fragile, a little more wild and unhinged, less controlled and haughty, and honestly I think her singing was better.  It works that Glenn Close is not a Broadway belter because of course her character was a silent film star who didn't make it in the talkies.  But she has a lovely, expressive voice.  And such presence.  Like the line she says about her people in the dark wanting her in every scene-- I wanted her in every scene!

Mama loved it, too.  She hadn't seen it 22 years ago with me, though I stayed with her in NYC when I came back to see it.  I'd purchased the ticket long before we met.  So, in many ways, seeing Sunset Boulevard together was a kind of touchstone for us.

The kids enjoyed it, too.  Though, they both thought there was too much kissing!

Glenn Close talking to Sis and Bud,
hidden behind the phone and programs

It got even better that they met Glenn Close afterwards!!!  Yep, we stage-doored afterwards and, being small, they squeezed up in front.  And both got her signature, as did Mama.  They said they thought she was great and admitted that they mainly knew her as Nova Prime in Guardians of the Galaxy, not as Cruella DeVille in 101 Dalmatians.  She was kind and friendly.  The kids also talked with a few of the chorus and the actors playing Joe (the writer-turned-gigolo) and Max (the butler-who-was-her-first-husband.)  It made the whole evening that much better.





We opted to stay in the city, thinking it would be easier to drive home in daylight after some sleep.  So we had a midnight supper from Junior's.  But the forecast changed and Mama drove us home safely through ice and snow on the unplowed highway.  We talked about the show the whole time.

Honestly, I rank it right up there with seeing the original cast of Hamilton as the ultimate Broadway experience.  If you can, go.