Just a little glimpse into our morning

Riley's morning routine today:

2:00am wandering through the house. Then to the back door to be let out, only to decide the grass was too wet and maybe it could wait.

7:30am getting forced out of bed to go outside, then inside back onto the couch to fall back to sleep

My morning routine today:

2:00am up to let Riley out, on leash so she doesn't wander, only to come right back in when she is done (see above).

6:30am waking to strange noises in the kitchen, only to find...

Katy's morning routine today:

5:15am waking up and wandering about in her room.

5:30am wandering outside of her room, presumably to the kitchen

5:35am back to her room, with my phone. Scrolling to find Pandora and then listening to the Disney musicals station we had last listened to. Also scheduling a meeting with my calendar app.

5:45am bored with music, she wanders back out to the living room to scatter my knitting bag's contents all around the floor.

6:00am to the kitchen, moving her chair to the counter to try to log in to the laptop, thankfully unsuccessfully. Then moving her chair to the sink to find the 20oz cup of lemonade I had taken out of the refrigerator last night in order to empty and toss but unfortunately forgot to. Promptly finishing said lemonade. At which point I wake up and come in to the kitchen as she is directing an imaginary marching band with two double pointed knitting needles. Upon seeing me, she gleefully explains (while holding giant empty lemonade cup) "It's all gone, mama, it's all gone!!!!"

Good grief, I'm going to be very nervous when she figures out how to open the doors to the outside. Apologies to her daycare teachers for whatever today brings. I'm guessing an early nap and a very wet naptime diaper. (insert sheepish grin here)

Tonight is another installment of "movies in mommy's bed" night. We will be screening Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I'm hoping her love for musicals extends beyond The Music Man. While I am a big fan of 76 trombones, it can get a little old after a while!

What movies are your toddlers into?

January and February goings-on

My little girl grows up so fast! For Christmas, Katy got a toddler bed from Nana and Papa. I thought the transition would be more difficult than it was. We set up the new bed in her room along with the crib. From day one, she was done sleeping in the crib. So, the next weekend the crib was out the door and onto the sidewalk for recycling/trash. This is the morning of that first night...

Katy sang and danced in her first stage performance at daycare. She was an acorn and an owl. Very funny!

We had another fun weekend with Evi and Rachel when they came to stay with us. We explored the Edinborough Park Adventure Peak playground. As per usual, Katy ran, slid and jumped for a bit then was more interested in snack time. Evi definitely got her money's worth out of the equipment :-)

We also went to our first performance at the Children's Theatre, The Biggest Little House in the Forest. The one woman puppet show enthralled the girls, it was so cute to see.

We explored sensory activities. Mixing baking soda, water and shaving cream to make fizzling, foamy fun.

We decorated the window for Valentine's Day. And while the girls are already fast friends...

they are still toddlers!

We can't wait until we see them again!

A few weeks later Valentine's Day arrived with a coating of fresh white snow.

Max and Adam came to visit. We watched Peter Pan. They were all very excited as you can see.

And because I didn't want Riley to feel left out, here's some proof that the old girl still has some puppy left in her.

If you're still with me, we're almost there! Passport drama and cruise photos coming up soon.

Cooking Weekend - the last night

For all of the time I spent being lazy last weekend, I think I was still quite productive. The house is clean, laundry is done, tub is re-caulked, driveway is cleared and the freezer is bursting with lunches for a while. And even though sleeping in for me is only 8:30, it was very nice while it lasted. This morning's alarm was. not. cool. ugh. But, as I tell Riley each morning, I have to go to work or we'd have to live in the car and she doesn't like the car. Hi ho hi ho...

Yesterday marked the last of the recipes of the weekend. I made a second batch of the Chocolate Crunch cookies (with chow mein noodles this time) and they are now residing on the counter at work. Hopefully they will get eaten or I will end up eating them all! After the first batch of cookies, Riley and I went to indoor play time at the local dog training place. It was fun to watch the hyper puppies run around with each other. Riley however, is 11. And wanted nothing to do with them. We did some walking around and she ran for a bit but then she stared at the door and sighed. Yes, my dog actually sighs. Well it was fun for a bit anyway.

Next I was on to the Roasted Vegetables. I know it's really more of a side dish but I made so much of it I guess I'll be having them for lunch alone. So tasty though!

5 Herb Roasted Vegetables
(recipe origin unknown, handwritten recipe card from so far back I can't remember)

2 lb tiny new potatoes (I used fingerling instead, they were so pretty!)
3 medium carrots, cut small (to save time I used the baby carrots whole)
1 onion
--
2 tbsp snipped chives
1 tbsp snipped oregano
1 tbsp snipped italian parsley
2 tbsp snipped rosemary
1 tsp snipped sage
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray 13 x 9" pan with cooking spray. Scrub and cut potatoes. Combine herbs, butter and olive oil in large bowl (or in extra large zip-seal bag). Add potatoes, carrots and onions, mix until evenly coated. Add mixture to pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, stir and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes until potatoes are tender.

I set the melted butter aside to cool slightly and found it a few hours later as I was cleaning up. Oops. Didn't seem to hurt too much although I bet the veggies would have had a bit more crispy to them if I'd remembered. Also I cooked mine almost an hour but I didn't cut the veggies very small. Smaller veggies, less time of course. One could easily add other veggies like squash and zucchini but I'm pretty simple when it comes to my veggies. Served with a spoonful of sour cream and it says comfort food to me.

The final recipe (cue the horns and trumpets fanfare) Linzertorte Thumbprint Cookies. I got this recipe from the ReadyMade magazine, which I highly recommend for all kinds of fun and kooky crafts and neat money saving ideas. I was looking for a good way to enjoy my sister's cinnamon jelly and this seemed to be the ticket.

1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel (peel from 1 lemon)
1/3 cup seedless red raspberry jam
Powdered sugar to top, optional

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a food processor bowl combine hazelnuts and powdered sugar. Process until nuts are finely ground. In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and cloves.

3. In a medium bowl beat butter and lemon peel on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the hazelnut-sugar mixture. Beat until mixture is combined. Beat in the flour mixture until combined.

4. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each ball of dough.

5. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove from the oven and fill cookie centers with jam. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes more or until bottoms are light golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Sift powdered sugar over the tops of cookies, if desired. Place a single layer of filled cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

I'm not sure if I love these. And I'm not really sure what about them I would change to love them more. I do think I could have baked them the entire time with the jelly as it didn't seem like it got baked enough. Also, they baked for almost 10 minutes (instead of the recommended 6-8) with the jelly on and they still seem almost just done. In any case, I still ate them!

I realized after this weekend that most families cook meals every night. Being single, I have the luxury of being lazy about my food, thus this weekend was outside my reality. I don't eat out a lot but have been known to have PB&J or cereal for dinner. I also realized that when I am responsible for the health and nutrition of my little girl my gourmet (ha) ways will change. I promise I won't post every meal like I did this weekend :-)

Now back to our regular programming...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm sorely tempted to Scrooge this Thanksgiving day. How easy would it be to wallow in the things in my life that haven't happened the way I wanted. boo hoo for me, blah blah. Well that's just not how I roll. (that phrase just can't get used enough, right?)

Instead, I choose to be thankful for everything else. I have my health (I could actually stop here, that's how thankful I am for that). I have a wonderful, mostly not disfunctional, loving and supportive family. I have a great circle of friends, a job I like with co-workers who rock and a warm and welcoming home. And of course there's Riley, who loves me no matter how Scroogy I get.

And for you, the small handful of people who may be out there reading this or even those who stumbled here accidently, Happy Thanksgiving to you too! I hope you get to see all that's out there to be thankful for too.

Safe travels and don't forget to hug your loved ones today!

Sunday Snapshot - weekend events

Saturday was a big day in many ways!

Enkutatash is the first day of the  Ethiopian New Year. They are celebrating 2003 which is different from our new year as the country uses the Julian calendar. It happens around the end of the rainy season and is marked by many celebrations. I had hoped to find some locally this year but failed to gather enough steam to make it happen.

It was the first day of meet season. It was a relatively low key mock meet that only lasted a few hours. However, it's the beginning of many weekends spent in a gym, watching hundreds of routines and listening to the same floor music over and over and over again. Don't get me wrong, I love being a judge. But I am really enjoying my last weekend of laziness for a while. 

Taking advantage of the free time before meet report time, Riley and I walked down to the Linden Hills Woofstock. It was a gorgeous morning and we wandered around looking at the various booths (me) and sniffing dog butts (Riley). It always amazes me how different dogs can be and still be dogs. Tiny chihuahuas and huge great danes, all mingling and enjoying themselves. We picked up some treats and chatted with friends and neighbors. Riley even got her picture taken by local photographer Leslie Plesser of shuttersmack. I can't believe how old she's getting (Riley that is, not Leslie).

Also happening yesterday was the 911 tribute at the Lake Harriet bandshell. I'm sad that I missed out, it is a very moving event. I did see some of the fireworks from my window at least. I can't believe it's been 9 years. In some ways it seems like it's another lifetime. I remember the quiet of the skies (I live under three flight paths, not far from the airport) and the almost silent drone of the fighter jets circling high above Minneapolis. With freedom comes responsibility and I hope we never forget that. 

All that activity yesterday has made for a lazy day today. I will have to get moving if the lawn is going to get mowed and the laundry done. Oh for another three day weekend...

Check out the great snapshots over at Ni Hao Y'all...