Weekly menu, recipes, and a few pictures

I'm not sure, but I think Tabby likes her new bed. At least, this is where I'm finding her most of the time now, usually curled up against the side of the bed, blissed out asleep. Wish I'd made the sides a little taller and the rest a bit smaller - might toss this in the washer again and see if I can reshape it. But definitely a success. It warms my heart to see her so comfortable and happy, especially since I was able to help her feel so good. Warm fuzzies all around.
This over on the right is a really bad picture of something new I started. I used some of the sock yarn that I got in the DyeORama swap that's been waiting ever so patiently to be used for something special. Thought of something I actually need and want, did some figuring, cast on, and I'm beyond happy with the results so far. Too bad my camera disagrees! Anyone want to guess what I'm working on?

Here's the menu for this week, followed by two comfort food recipes that should be perfect for colder weather. I'm not hosting Thanksgiving for the first time in many, many years, which makes me a bit sad since I love all the planning, cooking, and arranging. Well, more to the point: I love having people come over and eat my food! This year, we'll be going to a pot luck T-day with my cousin and his wife and her family. I'm doing a small turkey meal the next day so we can have all of our favorites and leftovers to pick at (isn't that the most important part of Thanksgiving? Stuffing to pick at the next day?)

• Potaju - a simple soup with vegetables and bacon I got from a Japanese cookbook - recipe to follow, fresh bread (extra for stuffing on Friday)
  
• Channa dal with herbs and garlic, basmati rice, cauliflower with mustard seeds
• Three cheese pizza (mozzarella, parmesan and romano), salad (I make pizza dough constantly, freezing half once the dough is frozen. This leaves another batch of dough ready at any time I want to make pizza without extra work. I make the sauce, too)
• Grilled chicken, sauteed cabbage with garlic
• Thanksgiving day - I'm bringing my Grandma's rolls (these are so good! I'm making 2 batches, 64 total, so we'll have enough left over), mashed potatoes, and Cranberry Jezebel Sauce
  
• Our own T-day spread: roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans wtih nutmeg and walnuts, some of the rolls, some of the Jezebel sauce, Martinelli's and wine, and Tirimisu (this was at the request of both boys)
• Leftover feast pickings the next day :-)

And now, recipes. Both for warming, comfort in a spoon of one sort or another.

Potaju
This is a soup recipe I got from a book called Japanese Country Cookbook. It was interesting to find that this is considered a Japanese dish, even the name (which surely comes from the French potage). Any way you look at it, it's warm and simple and delicious.

4 0z. bacon or fatty ham (can use a little more if you like), sliced into bite sized bits
1 medium onion, diced
6 cups water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
salt and pepper to taste (give it a good bit of pepper)

Saute bacon or ham in a large pot over medium heat until most of the fat has separated. You don't want the bacon or ham to crisp. Add onion and saute until transparent. Add water slowly so it doesn't splatter. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or so. Add potatoes and cook until potatoes have come apart, around 30 minutes. Add carrots, salt and pepper and cimmer until carrots are soft. You can serve the soup as is, or mash the vegetables a bit to thicken.

Conjee (or Jook)
This is comfort food at it's simplest and best. Rice is cooked in a lot of water until it forms a thick, delicately flavored soup, perfect for topping with just about anything.

3/4 cup short or medium grain rice
5 1/2 cups water
salt to taste (I use around 1 tsp.)
ginger, grated fine - optional

Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Combine with water and salt (this isn't traditional, but I like it) in a heavy pot, then bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook for at least an hour, though two is better. If you like, add some ginger to the rice before it cooks to add a bit of flavor and comfort to anyone with an upset stomach. Once the congee is ready, you can eat it plain or top with any number of things. Leftover meats or fish go well here. A splash of sesame oil, soy sauce, and some green onion is good. Shot of hot sauce can be nice. Vegetables are nice on top, or you can add them to the congee as it cooks so they end up tender at the end. Play with this until you find your own favorites - congee is a wonderful blank canvas.

Weekly Menu

Saturday found me sick. Very sick. Lay on the couch, hacking up a lung sick. But the menu needed to get made, so I tried to plan things that were easy and that might appeal to me and Dan (starting to get sick) and the boys (on the fringes of sick). Nothing exciting or brain bending this week, no new recipes or challenges, just comfort food on the quick. (note - I'm feeling mostly better now, but was very glad for the simpler meals so far this week)

• Leftover pork with chipotle, cabbage slaw
• Scrambled eggs, bacon, sliced oranges
• Black bean burritos, sauteed corn (I just cook frozen corn in a pan with butter, salt and pepper until it gets a bit caramelized at the edges - really good and easy)
• Congee with chicken and bok choy (lots of ginger in this, for upset stomachs)
• Chicken stir fry with broccoli, steamed rice
• "Rice Stuff" (Dan's specialty: chicken in a spicy peanut sauce that is the ultimate comfort food), stir-fried greens with garlic, more steamed rice
• TJs easy meal - here I just wandered Trader Joe's, looking for something super simple. Ended up with 4 cheese ravioli that I tossed with caramelized onions in lots of butter, along with some frozen "vegetable melange" with herbed butter. Ahhh, butter.
  

Random Tuesday

First, some more dyeing. I wanted something special to gift to Anna when she got here, so I looked through her gallery to find the most likely colors. Orange, green, and pink it was! This turned out a wee bit brighter than I'd intended, so I offered to overdye in a smidge of brown to dull the colors a little, but Anna swore she loved it as is, so I left it like that. Also notice another project in this picture - home grown tomatoes that I picked before frost hits. They are ripening on the table, making a really nice edible centerpiece. The riper ones went into a marinara last week, which was delicious.

Next, another something from the garden: my first carrot! There's something mysterious about pulling a root vegetable from the ground - will it be long, thin, thick, colorful? No way of knowing until it's out of the ground. Each time I pick one, it's an adventure. So far, the carrots are crunchy and sweet and Ryan has taken to picking them when he feels like a snack. Score one for mom!

Next, a cat bed for Tabby. Since the surgery, I've really wanted to do something that would help her feel better physically. It's been getting colder here lately, and she doesn't really have any insulation to speak of (unlike her owner), so I figured a cat bed would be perfect. I used some Patons Classic wool, doubled, and some Cascade 128 that I bought at half price last week. My own pattern, not felted yet. As soon as I laid it on the floor, she came over to sniff, so I'm thinking it will probably go over well.

Last, a calender picture for Deb. Also a bit for me, as well. You can't see it, but there are red letters on the 28th. Won't say what they are for, but I will mention that I was born on Thanksgiving day a few decades ago. The real fun of that comes every 4th or 7th year, when my birthday actually falls on Thanksgiving. I love when that happens - cooking, people I love all around, and a big meal that I can plan for and cook? My idea of heaven.

Weekly Menus

Last week was incredibly busy, so no time to post the menu. Had friends from out of town visiting for three nights - Anna and her husband came out to take a closer look at Portland, and we all had a wonderful time. This meant lots of running around and getting things in order. Plus a special meal while they were here. I did have a menu planned out, however, so I figure I'll just add it to this weeks and do two weeks at once.

• Sesame noodles, stir fried nappa cabbage
  
• Ooey Gooey Witches Fingers, salad from the garden (the fingers were a HUGE hit on Halloween, using half a string cheese per "finger")
  
• Cheese omelets, home fries, sliced apple (breakfast for dinner)
  
• Spiced red lentil soup
  
• Fried rice with egg and vegetables (this is a great clean out the refrigerator meal)
• Vegan dim sum: scallion cakes, tofu siu mai (the filling on these was wonderful, but the wrappers didn't steam properly), curry puffs, bok choy with garlic (from the garden), sticky rice, and coconut ice cream with ginger and lime
  
• Fast Food - not on the list, but I was out late enough Sunday night that we decided to just go out.
  

• Pasta with broccoli (fast, easy, and an entire meal)
  
• Dal with garlic and cumin, carrot salad with mustard seeds, basmati rice
• Vegetable soup, grilled cheese sandwiches
• Chicken curry, more basmati rice, sliced pineapple
• Potstickers, stir fried asparagus, steamed rice
• Spaghetti with marinara sauce (made from the last of our tomatoes), salad
• Pork with chipotle, roasted tomatoes and red peppers, arroz rojo, corn tortillas

I'll be back with a full report of Anna's visit very soon, I promise!

Happy Halloween!

Sorry I've been a bit absent in blogging. Busy, busy week here with Special Education meetings, evaluations, much last minute sewing, and getting the house ready for guests. At least I was able to finish Arden's Pirate costume in time. He loved every detail, from the jabot down to the fake boot covers to the hat (which he wears all the time right now). Ryan opted for a Harry Potter look with no scar ("too scary") and had a blast waving his wand around at anyone nearby.

Trick or Treaters were everywhere tonight. Grown-ups huddled together at the end of each driveway, waiting for excited ghosts and princesses and zombies to get their candy. One house was covered in orange lights, spiderwebs, gravestones, and ghosts. At another house, a man had a telescope out and helped each child take a look at the stars. But I think the best treat tonight may well have been this tiny bit of paper that the boys barely noticed.

Weekly Menu

Full disclosure - the gumbo didn't get made last week at all. This happens sometimes - when life gets really crazy I'll grab something easy out of the pantry or we'll (gasp!) go do fast food one night. But I still had all the ingredients on hand, so I made gumbo tonight. Also baked two loaves of potato bread. This week is going to be really hectic, so I planned in leftovers, sandwiches, congee (basically just rice with a lot of water, cooked for an hour, with toppings), and pizza (another easy, made it lots of times meal for me). I picked a bunch of tomatoes from the lone plant we got into the ground after we moved, and figured I'd plan them into the menu to take advantage of them and use them up in the process.

• Gumbo (from this recipe)
  
• leftover Gumbo (we have parent/teacher conferences tomorrow night for both boys with a whopping 40 minutes in between, giving just enough time to drive home and eat leftovers)
• BLTs with potato bread and tomatoes from our garden, salad
• Vegetarian siu mai, stir fried nappa cabbage with garlic, steamed rice (the siu mai is a new recipe that hopefully will be perfect for a friend who will be visiting soon)
• Congee with bok choy
  
• Beef stew (making enough to take a dinner to my cousin's family as his wife will be having back surgery on Thursday)
• Pizza with more of the tomatoes, salad
  

Twist and shout

What is this, you ask? Some sort of mutant lingere? A cute, fuzzy upside down heart? Perhaps the start of a very large, yet to be felted pirate hat? Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner here. I managed to twist 150 stitches and somehow not notice this fact until I had knit the first ten rows...twice. Dan asked for off white "fluffy stuff" at the edge, so I oblidged and bought some Fun Fur and cast on. Got into the non fluffy part of the pattern and started to worry that the fringe would be too thin, so I quickly knitted up a sample and felted it. Yep, way too thin. Frogged the whole mess and began again, this time carrying three strands instead of two. Perfect. Sigh. Oh, wait, something's wrong here....
I flat out refused to rip out all of this AGAIN and set it aside overnight, glaring at the fun fur as I stowed it in a dark corner. Bad yarn. No donut for you.

But wait. I have a sewing machine. I could steek this sucker! People steek every day and come out completely unscathed and sane. This was going to get felted anyway, so nothing should show in the end. If worse came to worse, I'd just have to start over. Nothing to lose. So I gritted my teeth and started to sew. Sewing is easy. I do that all the time.
But what about the cutting??? Please excuse the blurriness of this picture. I believe my hands were shaking just a wee bit. Nerves. Cutting knitted yarn on purpose just seems so....wrong, so horrible, I had a hard time keeping my hand still.

Well, there's no turning back now, is there?

I untwisted the yarn, grabbed a needle and black thread, and whipstitched the ends back together. You can just barely see where the ends meet in the middle of the picture above. Not a chance it'll show once everything is felted. And now I have technically steeked, albeit not exactly on purpose. I've steeked and lived to tell the tale and didn't have to frog over a thousand stitches. Nice.

Red scarf at night....

Finally finished up my first red scarf. No pictures draped luxuriously across pretty foliage - you'll have to make due with one of my ever patient Dan, who laughed at me the whole time I was trying to take this picture. "Should I try to look saay-a-xy? Does this make my butt look big?" Sigh.

Thought I'd share the pattern I came up with (though honestly, it's barely a pattern at all, more of an anti-pattern, really):


Take it Easy Scarf

Yarn: I used Patons Classic Wool in Bright Red, 1 1/2 skeins
Needles: I used US size 8s
Finished Size: My scarf ended up a little over 60 inches in length and about 6 1/2 inches wide

Cast on 30 stitches (add or subtract groups of 6 stitches to make it wider or narrower)

First row: (K3, P3), repeat to the end of the row.

Repeat this row until you're bored, until the next commercial, until you hear "stop looking at me!" from your little ones, or until you think it's time to do something different. Then, move on to the second row.

Second row: (P3, K3), repeat to the end of the row.

Repeat this row as long as you like. Then switch again. Keep alternating these two rows however you like until the scarf is as long as you want it. Cast off however you like. Fringe, or don't. It's all good.

Weekly Menu

Every week I sit sit down, usually with a big cup of milky tea, and figure out what the heck we're going to eat for the next seven days. Sometimes I enjoy the process, sometimes it's the very last thing I want to do, but it always ends up getting done one way or the other. I love how much money I save by getting everything needed for a meal all at once. I love the lack of waste, since I don't buy anything extra that isn't going to be used during the week. But most of all, I love not having to think on days that are long and hard, knowing that dinner is all planned out and I won't have to figure out what on earth to make at 5:00 when I'm starting to get hungry.

Taking a cue from my friend Danielle, I'm going to post my menu here each week. Not promising anything extraordinary or too exciting - this is food for a family with small children done on a budget. Hope you find something interesting here, or at least get an idea of what to make for dinner!

Oh, I don't assign days to any of the meals I plan. It's too hard to know if today is going to be a really late day for Dan, or my oldest will melt down completely in the afternoon and need constant attention (gotta love Aspergers!) or if life will somehow get in the way of that stew that takes four hours to cook. I take it one day at a time and pick whichever meal seems to make the most sense. I also plan in several fast and easy meals (usually ones I've made many times and can do in my sleep) for days that seem to have no extra time at all. Like, oh, today.

Our menu this week:

• Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots (I've got a whole chicken in the freezer and felt like comfort food)
• Chicken and sausage gumbo
• Fried rice, stir fried greens with garlic - this one is really fast and a great way to use up leftovers
  
• Hoisin chicken buns, steamed rice, bok choy with oyster sauce (the buns are made with the leftover chicken from the roast)
• Megadarra (lentils and rice with caramelized onions), mashed zucchini with onions, garlic and mint
  
• Chicken and broccoli stir fry, steamed rice - also quick
  
• Multigrain pancakes, sausage, cinnamon apples, and yogurt (I often do breakfast for dinner - cheap, appealing to the boys, nutritious, and easy to make)

One last thing. I can't wait to see the first episode of The Hungry Detective on the Food Network tomorrow night! I met Chris Cognac a while back through some of my food-loving friends, and he's one of the nicest and most fun to be around people I've ever met. It's sure to be a great show, so check it out if you get a chance.

Time to finish

What on earth is in that bag up on the highest shelf over there? Can't quite make out the label....oh, wait, yes I can. That's the Perfect Sweater I've been carefully avoiding for the past few months. Sigh. I got right to the point of making the buttonholes when I chickened out, stuffed it into a bag, and started packing up boxes instead of finishing it. With all the moving chaos I just haven't had the brain cells to rub together to work it all out, so off into a bag it all went - yarn, almost finished sweater, swatch, buttons, and notes. Now that the pattern is finished there's no excuses left. Besides, it's cold here and I could really use a sweater!

All laid out there's hardly anything left to do. Just knit up the right front and finish the neckline. My sweater is a big longer than the general pattern, since I wanted something to cover my slightly more generous than average hips. I'm going to add patch pockets in front as well to give a good place to keep hands warm. I'm getting excited. The finish line is almost in sight!

Had a small party today

Emphasis on the word small. Arden has really been getting into the whole concept of a tea party lately. He's had me making utensils out of pipe cleaner, made a table and matching chairs out of Legos for all of his friends, and wants to invite the whole Kindergarten class to tea. Figured it was about time he got an honest to goodness tea set of his very own. To the left, you see his honored guest, "my friend". Arden conferred very seriously with him about the menu, how the plates and cups should be arranged, and what they should have to drink. It was adorable to watch.

First, we set up the food. I cut "eensy tiny" cubes of cheese and found a cocoa lid that was the right size for a tray. Then I rolled a slice of bread until it was thin, spread it with butter, sprinkled cinnamon sugar, rolled it up and sliced, making cinnamon rolls. Arden and his friend decided on chocolate milk, so that went into the tea pot (which actually pours!). I can't get over how incredibly small everything is - look at the size of the fork Arden is holding! The tea set and ideas came from this book - much fun, and I love the whole series.

Small update on Tabby. The labs came back positive for cancer. Tabby had a hemangiosarcoma, a cancer of the blood vessels. This kind of cancer is rare in cats, but it often recurs in the same spot. She had some bruised looking areas near the tumor which may mean spreading, but we just don't know. So I'll be watching the area where the tumor was very carefully to see if anything comes back. The life expectancy post surgery is about 11 months, so it's a waiting game for now. I'm glad she got the surgery - she's much more comfortable, and if nothing else it bought her a bit more time. Not so great news, but better than hearing that she had something aggressive and fast growing. For now, I'm going to treat Tabby like a queen and get in all the snuggling I can.

Tabby's home

I picked her up yesterday after she spent the night at the animal hospital. Several of the techs commented on how grouchy she was....yep, that's my cat. I swear, if she were a person she'd be a 40s film star flashing a cigarette in a holder and keeping away from the "common" folk. She has attitude to spare, even at 16 years old. Anyway, the surgery went well. They removed the tumor, which looked pretty nasty (I'll spare you the details - suffice it to say, it would have made good Halloween fodder). Lab results won't be in until the end of the week, so I'm waiting. Poor thing looks naked now that her whole belly has been shaved, and she's less than happy about the Elizabethan collar. As it is, she still tries to get at the stitches, all 5 inches of them. They gave her "good happy drugs" that should last until tomorrow, so she's a little loopy but feeling no pain. Right now she's resting on her bed (which she grudgingly shares with me and Dan) and seems comfortable.

Meanwhile, knitting

Nervous fingers need something to do, something productive to work on. I'm truly lousy at waiting and tend to find all kinds of projects and things to immerse myself in when things get really stressfull. Now would be one of those times. So out comes the Patons Classic Wool and a handy pair of needles. Time to start up something for the Red Scarf Project, something cheery and colorful and warm. Oh, and of course I had to mull over stitch patterns, searching for something mindless, gender neutral, yet interesting enough that I'd actually be motivated enough to finish.

Ended up with something very, very loosely based on the whole Prayer Shawl idea. Three stitches each of knit and purl have a wonderful rythmn that is so soothing and easy to follow. But I didn't want something as highly textured as the alternating almost moss stitch pattern used in those shawls, I wanted something that would be a bit more open. So I decided to use a 3 x 3 rib, switching to the opposite stitches whenever the urge hit me. Voilà! Simple knitting with the added thrill of deciding when I want to switch - should it be two rows? Three? Ten? It's going quickly and most importanly, giving me something good to do for someone else. Mission accomplished.

Surgery tomorrow

Not for me, for my cat Tabby. Dan found blood on our comforter last week so we went looking for the cause, thinking the cats had gotten into a fight. Tabby had a bloody spot on her stomach over a firm mass about 2 inches in diameter. I looked and looked for a hole, some kind of injury, but didn't find any. It looked like the mass had grown out and broken the skin. Needless to say, I took her to the vet the next morning to find out what was going on.

The vet asked if I was sure Tabby was 16 1/2, since she looked so young. I assured her that I was certain - I've had her since she was about 5 weeks old, and my memory isn't quite that bad! She checked the mass and started talking to me. The vet felt this was most likely a tumor, but just in case it was an infection she prescribed antibiotics. I'd give them to Tabby for the next week, and if it was an infection, it would be smaller and more healed by the end of the week. If not, then it was definitely a tumor.

Fast forward to Friday. The mass didn't look any better - if anything, it was bleeding a bit more. I called the vet and we talked a bit. It's a tumor. Given the area of the tumor, there's about an 80% chance that it's malignant. If it is, removing it might give her another month or two, but cancers in this area are aggressive and it's unlikely that would help much. We could look at chemo, but because of her age it might end up making her last days more difficult.

The surgery is tomorrow morning. I've been cuddling with Tabby all weekend, stroking her and talking to her. I'm so worried about her right now.

It fits!

Wonder of wonders. Two "whitest white" cycles in the old front loader and things were nicely felted. I did have to do some tailoring, though - had to cut off almost 5 inches on each side (overlapped) and stitch the edges together again so that it would fit well. That's what I get for subbing yarn and not doing the slightest bit of math. Oops. Arden loves this hat. Ryan...not so much. He really wants one of the off the rack pirate hats, so that's what we'll do.

Of course, that means I have three extra skeins of Patons Classic Wool in black lying around. Guess I'll have to make one of these for Dan (the horror!)


Speaking of things knit for Dan, I managed to finish his socks last night over at Carrie's house. These were made with the yarn I dyed way back when for the Dye O Rama swap (remember?), but sadly they've been lying in my yarn basket for a while. The weather is finally starting to show signs of getting cooler, so I figured it was time to finish these puppies. They fit Dan perfectly, and he loves the colors. Success! Now, what to do with the rest of the skein.....decisions, decisions.

Hmmmm.....

Think this will fit him?

Want to see my garden?

Here's my wee Square Foot Garden in all it's glory. This spot was covered in red lava rock when we moved in, with two twisted and not at all happy looking roses poking out mournfully in the middle. We took all the rocks out and set up raised beds around the a/c - one is 3 by 7 feet, the other small one is 2 by 4 feet. The small boxes that sit up above contain things that need more growing space: two kinds of carrots and some daikon radishes.


Here's a close up of some of the greens coming up. In the back, there's red leaf lettuce and a lone broccoli plant spreading leaves open. In back of the broccoli you can just make out bok choi as well. In front on the left are wildflowers from a mix, with a lettuce mix on the right. Ryan already loves grabbing some lettuce in the garden whenever he wants a salad or some on a sandwich, and I'm loving the mix which has such a nice blend of flavors.


Here's the thing I'm most proud of. What are those shoots over to the left? Garlic! I threw caution to the wind and ignored everything I read on growing garlic. "Don't plant cloves from garlic from the supermarket, as they are treated with chemicals to prevent sprouting." HA! I had some really pungent, delicious red hardnecked organic garlic. Really loved the flavor, had no idea what kind it is. Planted those cloves and what do you know, they all sprouted. This is especially appealing since I paid less than 50 cents for that bulb, as opposed to paying $15 a pound plus shipping to buy the kind you're supposed to plant.


This is what makes me really beam. A whole salad plucked right from the garden, from lettuces to herbs to radishes. All right outside my door, all planted by me and growing and feeding my family well. This gardening stuff is pretty cool, isn't it?

Did something today I haven't done in almost 10 years

I went on a job interview.

Let's back up a little bit. I've been at home with the boys since a little while before Ryan was born. Being at home was not part of our plan. I worked in Marketing at the same company where Dan worked, and the plan was for me to work from home four days a week, then come in to the office one day and Dan would swap at home duty. We lived about 15 minutes away from work, so Dan could drive to work with the baby so I could nurse easily.

And then I was laid off. Staring down at my very large, obviously pregnant belly, I asked the HR guy who exactly he thought would hire me. He hemmed and hawed and mumbled something about it not being legal to discriminate, all with this slightly embarrassed smile on his face.

I looked for work and found not a thing. Did some freelance graphics work when Ryan was still tiny but soon found he needed constant attention. I even tried going in to do graphics work and leaving him with a friend of mine, but he was inconsolable. So home I stayed. I had a home business for a few years making baby slings, but as it got larger it got overwhelming to handle. I've sold soaps and bartered knitted and sewn goods. But that's been about it for the past few years. I needed to be at home, so that's where I was.

Now the boys are both in school, and I'd been thinking a bit about what to do next. My mother in law was job searching and came across an ad for "Autism Family Consultant" over at OHSU. Perfect! I've worked for years researching Autism because of Ryan and I already try to help other families who have children on the spectrum any chance I get. I pulled out a dusty copy of my resume and updated it, wincing at just how long it had been since I'd done anything that was easy to describe. Then Dan had the brilliant idea of adding in "Advocate" as my most recent job title, since and trying to find my way around services has been exactly what I've been doing for years for Ryan. Well, all right then. Wasn't paid, but it certainly has been a job.

Bought myself a blazer and some nice pants and proceeded to freak out. It dawned on me that I haven't been on an interview in almost ten years. And this one was in front of a committee. As in, a bunch of people all focusing on me. Ack! What if I said something stupid? What traffic was bad and I got there late? What if they didn't like me?

The interview was at 9:00 this morning and so was I. At the end of the interview, one of the committee members mentioned something about my "poise" and how "well spoken" I was (!!). I'll find out by the end of next week if I got the job.

But for now, I got through the interview well. That's enough for one day, I think.

Saturday Sky

Today was just beautiful. Ignore those clouds - it was 70 degrees, bright and sunny. Just the tiniest bit of a breeze to keep the air moving around, though not enough to keep kites aloft (the boys found this out to their great disappointment). I watered the garden, picked off some cabbage caterpillers lurking on my broccoli and cauliflower plants, and picked some radishes and lettuce mix. I'm amazed every time I look at the garden and see how much everything is growing. Must take pictures soon.

Tonight Dan's mom is taking the boys to her new apartment for "Grandma Camp"- they pack up clothes and PJs, pile in the car, then spend the night camped out on a big mattress, playing games and watching movies. Usually they go to the park and to run around a bit first. The boys just love it. Dan and I are going out to dinner at a Chinese place nearby that I've heard is really good, and later we'll watch a movie together on the couch. Good times will be had by everyone :-)

How many knitters can you fit into a book store?

Well, if it's Powells (the Home and Garden offshoot) in Portland that you're talking about, the answer is: a lot. Wednesday night Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (of Yarn Harlot fame) came to my neck of Portland, and it seems like every knitter within reach squeezed into that tiny book store. I got there a little after 6:00 (she was due to arrive an hour and half later) and there were at least 30 knitters already working on socks and sweaters and lace. It was standing room only by the time she was due to speak, and the bookstore was completely packed.

Managed to grab a seat with the nicest bunch of ladies up front. Here are my seatmates l to r: Carrie, me, Carol who has just identified herself (hi!), and Lori on the end. I snagged this picture from Chrissy, who I saw walking down the center aisle wearing her MomMA (which stands for Mom's Milk Anywhere - isn't that cool?) t-shirt. Yelled out "Knittin Mom!" and I might have surprised her a wee bit, especially since I'm not sure she knew exactly who I was even though I explained the day before that I look just like my avatar...without the crawfish.

The whole group was talking loudly, laughing, and generally scaring away any poor soul who wandered in to quietly browse. When Stephanie got there (snuck in at the back of the store, but knitters have keen eyesight and we spotted her with great ease) everyone cheered. It sounded like a rock concert at that very moment, which is ironic since Stephanie started off by explaining that she is not, in fact, cool. I beg to differ and point to the fact that she had a crowd cheering simply because she walked through the door. And add that if I had been her I would have been completely freaked out and would have snuck right back *out* the door, headed for someplace quieter. But she got up and gave a hilarious talk that had all of us laughing and feeling good all around.

I had samosas left from the housewarming that I'd stuck in the freezer, so I warmed some in the oven before I left. Added a bit of tamarind chutney as well. I got up to the front of the line and Stephanie said, "you look familiar", at which point I held up the bag o' samosas. She grinned and gave me a big hug, then looked a little confused and asked why I wasn't in Los Angeles (where I gave her the last batch of samosas). My answer? "Because Portland is better." And it really is.

Arrrrrr

We went on an adventure today. My mother in law is moving a few blocks away today and has been in and out with boxes and the moving truck, so I figured the boys could use a day out and about. We rode a trolley (yeah, they call it a streetcar - whatever) to one of the coolest parks I've ever seen. Jamison Square is right smack dab in the middle of the metro area, surrounded by businesses and people rushing from here to there. Then there's this open spot filled with children playing in and on a "tidepool" of water that fills and empties then fills again, a bit like the tide. Ryan and Arden kicked off their shoes and ran out to play faster than I could find a chair. Much splashing and running and chasing later and they finally ate lunch (said lunch looking so good, evidently, that a 4 year old who had been playing nearby came over and snagged some cheese and a mini carrot after asking very politely).

Then we rode the trolley over to Powells. How do I describe a bookstore so large you actually need a map to find your way around? It's the size of a city block, with four stories. Oh, and that's not big enough for all the books they sell - there are branches for Home & Garden and Technical books as well. It's a bookworms dream come true. I shouldn't be allowed in there with money or a credit card.

Naturally, Powells has a Cafe. We found it and got some treats : carrot cake for Ryan, an eclair for Arden, and a wee almond tart for me, and we plopped down by the window to watch the cars go by. Fortified by sweets, we ventured onward into the Rose room and therein the much fabled Children's Section. The boys saw a display on pirates and it was all over. We came home with a book for each and enough pirate gear to make Johhny Depp happy (well, minus the eyeliner, anyway). Here they are, in all their pirate-y glory:

Want to guess what I'm making for Halloween costumes this year?

Back to School

It's that time of year again. All around me I see moms scurrying here and there, buying clothes and backpacks and school supplies and generally looking harried and rushed. I'm getting ready as well - took the boys to get haircuts today, went clothes shopping, got Arden a backpack (which he loved dearly on sight), and I'm trying to figure out lunches ahead of time. Thankfully the PTA put together a group buy for school supplies that each parent pays for on the first day of school (a whopping $22 per student - not bad!), so I don't have to hunt down glue sticks, paper, pencils, etc. Oh, and both boys want me to make them cloth napkins to go with their lunchboxes. Nevermind that we just found out Arden won't be having lunch at school (he's going to morning session from 8:00 - 10:40). He still needs a napkin, thank you very much.

This year will be bittersweet since Arden is going off to Kindergarten. I can't believe my little guy has gotten so big! He can't wait to start, and I just want to give him a great big hug and tell him to stop growing so fast. He looks so much older in his new clothes, proudly carrying a backpack. Sigh. Time goes so quickly.

House warming

I've been running around like crazy this week: making lists, grocery shopping, cooking, marinating, cleaning serving trays, and getting the house as decent as it's going to get at the moment. Actually, it's in pretty good shape considering we moved from California not even three months ago and into a much larger house. There are still boxes, but not that many. The yard has been hacked and trimmed and weeded and watered and planted, though it still has a long way to go. Most importantly, we're starting to feel at home here, like this is our home now. I find fewer and fewer moments where I start to talk about something "back home", and find myself saying "back in California" more and more often. I even mostly remember to leave the "the"off freeway names, something that is absolutely ingrained by a lifetime of living in a gridlocked state where giving a road a title was pretty appropriate, given the amount of time most people spent there. Now I remind Dan not to say "the 405". He's getting there.

Tomorrow is our housewarming party. Figured it would be best to have it while we still have the excuse of not being here very long. And some extra warmth always helps. The neighbors will be coming by, and our next door neighbor even planned her garage sale so it would be over by 1:00 so there'd be extra parking.

Of course, the main thing I've been figuring out and planning and working on is the food. No surprise there! It's going to be an Asian-ish theme, all finger foods. I'm having a blast putting it all together.

We'll be having:

• Cheerwa - an Indian munchies mix
• Samosas with cilantro and tamarind chutneys
• Chicken satay with peanut sauce
• Vietnamese salad rolls with sweet and sour sauce
• Robatayaki - Japanese grilled vegetables
  
• Char siu pork
• Pineapple, kiwi, and orange slices
• Ginger squares
• Sesame-brown sugar shortbread
• Chocolate chip cookie bars (the boys begged for these)
• Kettle corn (boys idea, again)
  
• Limeade (adult types can add home made limoncello here)
  
• Thandai - an almond and cardamom milk drink
• Sodas
  

Quick knitting

I have so many projects half done or waiting to be finished. More than I'm happy about and far more than I usual - I'm a one project at a time kind of gal, for the most part. But somehow I haven't been in the mood for serious knitting at all. Nothing with charts or requiring the use of brain cells. What do do? knit slippers for the boys. These were made up in two evenings out of Plymouth Jelli Beanz, an acrylic and wool blend that has all kinds of wild colors popping out here and there. Hopefully the yarn will hold up to washing and much sliding across the wood floors - we'll see. Ultra fast knitting, which is exactly what I needed. May have to make up a few of these to donate as well. Hey Norma, does Duulan need slippers?

More domesticity

Care to guess what those are? Napkins, baby! Realized that the boys should probably be using something other than shirt sleeves (or the occasional toy) to wipe their mouths and spills after meals. However, the thought of buying package after package of paper napkins just to toss them after each use seemed really wasteful. And expensive. Yes, I'm just that frugal.
So off to the fabric store I went, in search of something that would look cheerful on our new (to us - I heart Craigslist) dining table. Oh, and all cotton. Washable and practically indestructible would also be nice. Finally found this fabric in with the quilting bolts. Something about the sunflowers and the bright, sunny print called out to me.

Making them up was pretty simple, if a bit boring. Wash fabric (always, always wash fabric before cutting anything out - you take care of a lot of unpleasant surprises this way). Meanwhile, make a square template - in my case, I used printer paper taped together and cut out to 17 by 17 inches. Cut out as many squares as you can using the template. Now, I wanted to miter the corners. Look up above - see? Nice and neat. I could have used this method, but it was far too persnickety for simple 1/4 inch hems. I did something more like this - just folding down each edge, ironing, then cutting the very tip diagonally across and stitching the whole thing down at once. It's not perfect, but just fine for an everyday napkin, at least to my mind.

I made a dozen, which seemed to take forever but more likely took a bit over an hour or so. The only thing I don't like about these is they're a little on the small size for my taste. Next batch I make will end up 17 1/2 inches after hemming, which seems about right. Cause of course I need some fancier ones, right? Hopefully I'll get those done before Sunday - we're having a housewarming party and I'd love to have cloth napkins for everyone if possible.

Picnic in the park

Ryan and Arden have eagerly been awaiting the arrival of their Laptop Lunchboxes. Both of them were attracted to the itty bitty boxes and drawn in by all the colors. I was hoping lunch would be a bit less of a struggle this year.

The box arrived right before lunch, and they were both thrilled! We decided that a picnic lunch in the park was in order, to "break in" the new lunchboxes. We all started putting things in the different sections, with both the boys coming up with some pretty good ideas. It was hard finding enough to fill out the sections - they're really big! The larger ones hold 1 1/2 cups and the smaller ones 1/2 cup, which is a lot of food. I, sadly, have no bento box container for myself, so I made do with a cloth bag and some saran wrap for my sandwich (cue violins).

The booklet that comes with the lunchboxes has a lot of really good information in it. A few recipes at the end, too, which both of the boys are excited about. We're trying "Fruit Triangle Treats" for snack this afternoon. There's a lot about choosing healthy foods, reducing waste, and a great set of lunch ideas and combinations to try.

Wanted to add that having all the containers open and all the food where the boys could see everything right when they opened the lunchboxes really made the food more appealing. It helped Ryan especially, as he's a really visual little guy and has a hard time with lunches that are all wrapped up. He kept telling me how much better he liked having it all where he could see everything. And Arden ate so much more than he usually does, I think because using the spoon (which has a cool star and moon and sun in the clear plastic) was so fun and because he liked all the itty bitty containers. It was wonderful seeing them so happy and excited about lunch. Well worth the rather large investment, I think.

Arden's lunch on the left - apple slices (dipped in orange juice so they don't brown), crackers, Havarti cheese cubes, hazelnut spread in the covered container, and pistachios.

Ryan's lunch on the right- ham sandwich on wheat with some lettuce from the garden, crackers, mini carrots, pistachios and hazelnut spread in the covered container.

After lunch, the boys played for a while - at least until Ryan noticed some ripe blackberries. We quickly emptied out Arden's lunchbox and filled it to the brim with ripe berries. Can I say how much I love being able to pick berries just a few blocks away from my house? Ahhhh...I love it here :-)

I think the kitten likes it here

It's a hunch, anyway ;-)

Hi ho, hi ho....

...it's off to work he goes. (whistling happily in my head here)

On Monday, Dan is going to start working with Hewlett Packard out in Vancouver, WA (which actually isn't far at all - maybe 30 minutes commute total). He won't be working for HP directly, but with a group that works with them. The pay is what he got at his last job, with better benefits and far more potential for moving up. Also a lot more to learn and gain in terms of marketable skills. The really nice part is that for once he was able to really think about the job and decide if he wanted it instead of jumping at any job opportunity that presented itself, since there just weren't that many jobs out there for him where we were in California. He'll still be doing consultant work on the side with his CAD software and networking skills, which means even more of a cushion financially.

It feels so good to finally be in a place where we aren't just barely getting by, where we can actually make choices. We've given up a lot financially to have me home, and that has been an important choice, but it has meant living on very little at times. I know Dan has felt like he was a lousy provider because we didn't have extras that he felt were important (even though I don't really care about having "stuff" in general). Nice to finally see him feeling like he can do all the things that he feels are important - and just to see him so happy.

My new mantra

I love my Mother-In-Law. I adore having her living in my house. I have enjoyed every minute of the last month she has been here and wake up just waiting to see her smiling face again. I will be bereft when she finds an apartment and moves her computer and lamps and chairs and books and large cans of hairspray away, as I will miss them so. I am not at all excited at the want ads and apartment listings laid out on the desk upstairs. I will miss her advice on parenting, grocery shopping, landscaping, time management, house cleaning, and budgeting.

(I repeat this, as needed, every time I walk through a cloud of hairspray or smile and nod as she cheerfully shares how I should plant the garden and/or raise the children. I do like her quite a bit, but living together 24/7 is a wee bit chafing.)

Gardening for squares

Dan just made two raised beds last week, ala Sqaure Foot Gardening. One is 3 by 7 feet, the other is 2 by 4 feet. He's also going to make each of the boys a wee 2x2 foot garden so they can plant things (Ryan wants strawberries and lots of flowers, Arden wants flowers and some "cool" purple sage in his).

I stuck with things that would do well in the Fall or overwinter well, along with lettuce that will get replanted many times. The containers are tucked next to our patio, up against the house, and are shielded from wind from the side of the house but still get good amounts of sun. I'll probably add cold frames once things get colder, but I think being so close to the house will help everything stay warmer as well.

I was amazed at how much stuff I was able to plant! All of this went in:

• strawberries - two kinds of alpine strawberries and one regular sized everbearing kind
• red leaf lettuce
• baby bok choi
• broccoli (3)
• purple sage
• cauliflower (3)
• spinach
• cilantro (we'll see if I can get at these before they bolt)
• oregano
• garlic (red hardneck)
• some hummingbird flower mix
• mesclun mix
• radishes
• flatleaf parsley
• two of kinds thyme - silver and lemon thyme (mmmm!)
• leeks
• brussels srouts
• carrots (Atomic Red and Nantes)
• Daikon radishes

I've been watering a little each day, since it's been very hot here lately and I wanted the seeds to get a good start. Almost everything has sprouted, aside from the parsley (notorious poor germinators, I hear), carrots, flowers, oregano, and garlic. Every time I look out and see all the wee bits of green peeking out over the top of the soil I get this lovely warm feeling, like I've done something good. Can't wait until everything starts getting bigger and the sprouts start looking more like actual plants. Bit like watching babies grow, though much more quickly and without the sleep deprivation.

I also filled up my new Earth Machine composter today. Got it for free on Craigslist a couple of weeks back. Craigslist rocks. I've bought, sold, given away, and gotten for free more things than I can count. We found our kitten online, too. Great, great resource. Anyway, I filled up my composter, carefully layering green plants, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds as an activator, and brown leaves. Wet everything a bit, then stirred it round. I'll be giving it a stir once a week and making sure everything stays moist for the next few months, then if all goes well shoveling out rich, deep brown soil.

The foot is doing a lot better, though it's awfully weak. I'm wearing the boot half a day now and icing it twice a day to help keep the swelling down. Seems to be healing well, though I can't wait until I can ditch the fancy footwear.

Saturday Sky

This is for you, Ms. Sandy. Below is the view from my back patio, looking over towards my neighbor's back yard. It's cloudy out today, but still pretty bright and warm outside. Perfect for puttering around in the garden. Come to think of it, I should go do that.

Like my new boot?

Basic black, up to the knee...sounds great until you see the sucker in person. Oh, and I'm only wearing one of these lovelies, which sort of spoils the whole ensemble. Though it does look particularly fetching with shorts.

The sprained ankle I had before we moved? Wasn't a sprain, as it turns out. I pulled a tendon, which oddly enough didn't get any better when I treated the injury like a sprain (under the advice of a very decent doctor who is all the way back in California). Walking was getting harder and harder, and hurting in a way that just didn't make any sense at all. I asked some people locally about where to get orthotics (still thinking I just had a weak ankle) and found Dr. Ray McClanahan of Northwest Foot and Ankle. He set me up with this big ol boot (if you find it especially appealing, you can order one here) and told me to rest my foot for two weeks, ice the injury every night, then slowly wean myself off of the boot for another two weeks. Driving a stick shift has been highly entertaining with this thing on, more so because it's my right foot. Climbing stairs is really hard. I sound like Frankenstein as I walk through the house: step, THUMP, step, THUMP! But I can't complain, since it's getting much, much better.

Time for some tea

I love tea in all forms, from chamomile to Darjeeling to genmae. One of my most favorite cups of tea is warmed with spices and mellowed with milk and a little bit of sugar. Thought I might try this iced (hmmm....now where did I get that idea?)

Masala Chai
serves 4
1 small cinnamon stick
6 cardamom pods
(or 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom)
4 cloves
6 peppercorns
3 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
3 heaping teaspoons loose tea or 4 tea bags (orange pekoe)

Place spices and tea leaves (if using) in a tea ball or tie in cheesecloth so you can remove them later. Place water and spices in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sugar, milk and tea leaves or bags, bring to a simmer, turn off heat and cover again. Let mixture sit for 2 - 3 minutes to allow tea to steep. Strain and serve.

It's a wonder that a few twigs, leaves, and flower buds can scent the whole house and bring such flavor to a simple cup of tea.

Sock and a bit

Can't believe this yarn was hand painted by me. It's knitting up so nicely, with only a little bit of pooling, and even that blends so well with all the other colors that I hesitate to call it that. These are for Dan, knitted out of the yarn I had leftover after I sent out my Dye O Rama swap. The yarn is Wool2Dye4 Supersock, and I ended up using 2.25 mm size 2 DPNs (not the larger 2.5 mm size, which was far too large) and 6 stitches around to start. These have become my tote along project, though my very favorite time to work on them is curled up on the couch with Dan after the boys have gone to bed. He's already tried on one and loves them so far. Once I'm done with these, I'll start in on the yarn I got from my talented pal Kate. That pair will be for me.

Playing in the yard

Can you tell the boys love having a back yard and actual, bona fide plants and trees to play with? They love climbing the tree out in front, and can't wait until it's time to water the lawn so they can play with the hose or the sprinkler.

I've been playing in the yard, too. It's been balmy and sunny and just plain gorgeous here for the past few weeks. I keep wanting to update but getting caught up in weeding and planning my garden and watching the butterflies and hummingbirds. Finally got around to sitting back and enjoying the quieter pace of life here. Bit of a change of pace for me, but I really like it :-)