Chef Rebecca

Rebecca and I made dinner last night. On the menu: meatball soup,challah bread,corn on the cob, and chocolate covered strawberrries.

We found the soup and bread recipes in Emeril's cookbook, There's a Chef in my World!

The aftermath (It looked even messier in real life.):

(Some photos taken by Joseph.)

Another Proud Mommy Moment

We spent a long weekend in New York, up for my neice's 8th grade graduation and a combo grad/Confirmation boat party. It was a lovely visit.

When we arrived home late Sunday, a letter awaited Joseph: he's been accepted into a county-wide youth orchestra!

Earlier this spring Joe auditioned for a highly competitive regional youth orchestra, but did not get in. I was proud that he was willing to gear up (mentally and musically) for another try-out. Being invited to join is a happy accomplishment for him. He's being recognized for his violin progress so far, and can now look forward to working and growing with other young musicians. I think being part of a large group will make practice seem more practical.

There are of course logistical issues--the weekly rehearsal/lesson/whatever is on week nights and not close by (I believe I've mentioned before that our metro traffic is #2 on the national "bad list"...), BUT it will be great for Joe AND I feel confident that we'll be able to form a carpool with other edge-of-the-county parents.

Three cheers for Joseph! (And thanks to his violin teacher for her talent and encouragement.)

Small Successes: Company's Coming!

"It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

Check out other words of encourangement over at Faith and Family Live.

Since Marianna's godmother is coming today (hurrah!), I finished a few jobs that don't get tackled frequently enough:

1. I cleaned the fridge. I washed while my four assistants emptied, dried, and refilled. There were surprisingly few "What's this?" moments; it needed cleaning much more than organizing.
2. I scrubbed a bathtub. All by myself. Wow!
3. I changed the linens on the guest (a child's) bed. This shouldn't be noteworthy, but we are going for small successes, right? ;-) Actually, I'm in the process of cleaning multiple sheet sets belonging to those who collapsed into bed after a long, sweaty day at the amusement park without taking a shower first.

That's it--enjoy your day! By the way, if you missed the post about our family's summer reading tradition, you can catch it here. (Hmmm.... a very linky post today.)

Blissfully Sticky and Exhausted

Because we just got back from a trip to Hershey Park. It is BY FAR the best family amusement park within driving distance. The little girls had loads of fun rides to choose from, and the big kids never ran out of exciting ones. Afternoon thunder shut things down for a while, but that made the lines even shorter when everything reopened.

We traditionally don't sleep over, so today's expedition was 17 hours door-to-door. Time for a shower and bed!

Return to the Vernal Pool

Four children and I went back to the vernal pool yesterday. We found two sizes of tadpoles with four legs each, and tiny frogs with long tails. Here are some inadequate photos (Lauren would have been a great asset):

The above picture gives a good idea of relative size, but you probably can't see the tail. Below is a slightly better view. This little guy was resting under a stick.Several of these frogs with tails were hopping around. Great camouflage, huh?There's been a lot of rain recently, so the mud was both copious and sticky.

When our shadows touched the shallows, swarms of tadpoles raced for deeper water. I stood still and watched them swim back bit by bit, gathering near the shore. I tried to take a picture of the crowd, but couldn't get anything suitable. I tried auto and manual focusing, but need some training to capture the view of something below the surface of the water.

As Promised

The recipe for manicotti is up at Come to the Table.

Imaginative Play

It seems like there are a zillion girls Marianna's age in the neighborhood. She's usually playing with someone (frequently a group of someones), but has lately been resistant to including Rebecca.

While I don't think that's ideal (I'd like Becca to have more friends her own age AND to be included with Marianna, too), the bright side is that Rebecca is great at creative solo play. I don't think that's a result of few play dates, but it makes that situation more tolerable.

Just two examples for now: This is a "habitat" Rebecca spent a lot of time constructing for some stuffed animals. I don't know where she gets some of her ideas...

Oh, and when I expressed concern about the lack of fresh air when the cooler's lid was down, she told me that the ice pack in the corner emits air for the animals.

These photos demonstrate two of her favorite activities--dressing up and kitchen play. Again, she spent a lot of time setting the table just so (four layers of coverings), and then enjoyed a meal with Pinky Pie. She'll also spend time puttering at her stove, making treats for whoever is nearby. Vegetable soup, anyone?

Becca enjoys this princess gown, but her usual dress-up garb is some sort of dancing outfit. That leads to twirling, jumping, and "tippy toe show"s. What a fun girl!

Gifts that Keep Giving

Many Christmases ago, Len and the children gave me a statue of Mary for the side yard. My wonderful husband also built a wooden arch to hold a rose bush over her.

Weather and the plant's weight eventually destroyed that arch, so now Len's gone one better: he bolted together some metal trellises and bent them into a much stronger framework for the roses. The climbing bush has almost made it across:Len's mom gave us this plant from her garden, and it has proved amazingly hardy, surviving numerous moves before its final (I hope) settlement by the basement window.It's blooming now, and should for at least several weeks. The flowers usually come back in the fall, too.In case you can't tell, these are small flowers, maybe the diameter of a quarter.

I used blooms from this bush for my sister's wedding cake almost six years ago. I brushed the petals with lightly beaten egg white and sprinkled them with super-fine sugar. They dried beautifully and were transported to NY, where another sister and I chose the best ones to decorate the cake we baked and put together.

Enough with the extra stories--this post was meant to be a thank you to my husband for the statue and trellises. I see them every morning as I walk past with Dusty. Thanks, honey!

Not QUITE Too Proud for Words

Because, after all, here come the words now:

Last night was awards night. MANY students were honored for their academic, sports, and character achievements. One student was honored for receiving a perfect score on his National Latin Exam: Daniel!

To put it in perspective: 137,000 students worldwide took one of the NLE's, and just 917 (less than 1%) received perfect scores. And Daniel's first year of Latin study was at home--a little with me, then summer cramming with Lauren and David. I know he worked hard to do so well this year. That may be what makes me most proud--that perseverance and effort.

I'm a little embarrassed to post this, because it feels like bragging, but I also want to share his happy news. It's not like I'm taking credit, after all...

Small Successes: the Foodie Edition

It will surprise no one who knows me that this week's successes are food related. The kitchen arts are my favorite pieces of the homemaking game.

1. Using recipes from four different cookbooks, Marianna and I prepared her meal together: corn chowder (good), broccoli with cheese sauce (the sauce started out too thin and became downright watery when baked with the broc, but was tasty nonetheless), hash browns (excellent), and dark chocolate truffle ice cream (how could it be anything but excellent?).
2. I helped organize the faculty lunch for one day of evaluation conferences. I've brought food before (on our conference day), but it was a new commitment for me to make a separate trip to school and to make so many phone calls rounding up the other volunteers.
3. After six weeks of neglect, I finally posted a new recipe on my cooking blog.
4. (Yes, I'm going for four--did I mention I'm a foodie?) Len and I spent over an hour pitting this year's sour cherry harvest. Our distraction was the first episode of 2008's John Adams mini series. I enjoyed it for the history (Did you know John Adams successfully defended the British soldiers of the Boston Massacre? I didn't!), but also for the comfortable, tender married love of John and Abigail. It wasn't showy, but beautiful.

What are your successes this week? Share the inspiration and encouragement over at Faith and Family Live.

Come to the Table

I've posted a recipe for homemade gyros over at Come to the Table.

Coming soon: almost manicotti.

Up Way Past Her Bedtime

But when she scampers down the stairs to deliver THIS with giggles and kisses, who am I to get mad?