Weekend Out of Nowhere

Talk about impulsive and acting on a whim. We didn't have any plans this weekend and I figured we'd just hang out and I could do real man work on the barn and help a friend move, and before I know it, we're heading down to Nashua for the night, hotel and all. Where did that come from?

R's friend has a quilt that is being shown at some big quilter's convention in Nashua. Apparently her quilt has won awards and was accepted into this show, so it's kind of a big deal, and since she lives in Minnesota, she couldn't actually be here in person. She mentioned to R that it was near us, and if we had a chance, to check it out. I wasn't sure what to make of it, not being a quilter and all. We were originally just going to go down and see it, maybe grab some dinner and then head home, though it is an hour and a half drive. Well, it sort of evolved into a hotel stay and then dinner and a movie, without the movie, of course. Having never been to Nashua, I didn't know what to expect.

But before we could go, we had other things we needed to do on the home front. KR was moving out to the neighboring town and sent out requests for assistance. I was more than happy to help, but couldn't spend the whole day and indicated as much. After helping KR, I was to meet with my Mentor to help him move some hot air balloon baskets, then we'd hit the road for Nashua. We could have stayed for the entire day on Sunday, but I had signed up for a class at King Arthur Flour to make pizza, which was to begin on Sunday morning at 11:00, so we'd have to leave early to get home on time.

Anyway, helping KR move was a breeze, she doesn't have a lot of stuff, and most of it she'd moved already. Plus, she wasn't going far. Fortunately I had my Mentor's car, so we managed to get everything over there in one trip, how's that for packing light? Her new flat is actually a house with lots of space, and she's right next to A's horse riding teacher, in a really cool part of town. Hope it all works out.

Also got to meet T, who might have a bike he'd like to sell for R to use, but we'll see.

After the move, I jetted back home and met with my Mentor, and we loaded a bunch of stuff into his truck, which he moved to Quechee. Then we hit the road.

The drive down was fairly painless, especially considering some of the drives we've done in the past year. The drive home from New York drove me to tears. We got to the hotel, which was designed to look like a Medieval castle and also happened to be hosting the quilt convention. Then again, what really mattered to us was the fact that they had a swimming pool, a key consideration when your kids are running the show. It was interesting because you could tell something was up by the inordinate number of women (not too many guys at a quilting convention, why is that?) walking around in elaborately quilted jackets and vests.

Now I've never been one to really appreciate quilts, and upon first glancing at them, I thought they were nice, but nothing overwhelming. In fact, after we'd found her friend's quilt, I was ready to hit the road and get some food. I'd seen enough stitching for one day.

However, R and the kids wanted to check out some of the quilts (do you really want to?). Naturally, I was forced to wander and browse a little, and you know what? After spending a little time and just checking out the details that go into these pieces of art, you really begin to appreciate the level of skill, thought and craftsmanship (crafts-person-ship?) that is involved. It's mind boggling, dare I say pathological. Every single loop and curve has been stitched in, and these quilts were the size of bed sheets. The details were incredible, to the point where I thought it might even be cool to give it a shot myself, except my Mentor would disown me if he found out... or at least make me give back his hammer, and my brother in law would stop returning my emails.

Anyway, it was kind of cool. I don't think I'd have the patience or fortitude to do it, I think it takes literally years to make these things. I guess machines are becoming more common, though that seems a little like cheating, but who am I to say (nobody)? There were in fact several quilts that were done entirely by hand, a feat I still can't imagine. Kudos to them.

After the show, we ventured out into suburban hell and got a mouthful of it. We went a Mexican restaurant in town that got good reviews and was it ever crowded. A 45 minute wait. I can't remember the last time I had to wait to eat dinner. They give you this pager that buzzes when your table is ready, which was good for entertainment value for the kids. We didn't want to sit around, so drove through the strip malls and found a CVS to get supplies. Our timing was perfect, because within five minutes of getting back, our buzzer went off and we got our table.

The food was okay, about as good as you'd expect to find in New Hampshire. We ate, went back to the hotel, and went for a swim. I was exhausted by this point and for whatever reason, when I jumped into the pool, it felt like jumping into the Arctic Sea. I was freezing and couldn't stop shivering. I felt like a wimp, but what could I do? Maybe it was fatigue, but I got out, dried off, and promptly passed out on the lounge chair.

That's what happens when you're running on fumes. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

More Martha and Here We Go Again

One of the kid's favorite dishes is cauliflower casserole, and for the record, it's a great way to get them to eat cauliflower. In fact, it keeps them coming back for more. It takes a little preparation, and it requires baking, which I always equate with a big production, but man do they love it, as do mom and dad. The plan was to make casserole and bagels, since I loathe the idea of using the oven to make just one thing. It just seems wasteful.

In the morning, I made the sponge for the bagels and let it sit pretty much all day, mainly because I had so many manly things to do in order to compensate for my Martha Stewart aspirations. After taking A to guitar lessons, where KR was astute to teach her my favorite song, Orphan Child, I did school work with the kids, then went to work on the barn. After lunch and doing the dishes, I set about getting dinner ready.

Normally it's nice when the kids want to help, because it shows they're interested and it can be a lot of fun. But when you are pressed for time and are juggling many things, having kids in the kitchen can up the stress level and complicate matters significantly. Still, you don't want them to feel unwelcome, and we adults need to lighten up. So they joined me in all the preparation. N in particular likes to stir and saute and I know is longing to chop with the big knife, but that's a few years away. Also, I figured R wouldn't be home for several hours, so I had plenty of time to clean up all the disasters.

We had a great time using our beautiful new food processor to make bread crumbs, and it was worth the entertainment value alone. We also discovered a good accompaniment to dinner - baked beans. If you get the right brand, they don't use high fructose corn syrup, and it's all natural with no artificial preservatives or colors. Good enough for us, and they taste great. We also found they go well with the casserole. Throw in sweet potato soup, and you not only have a great vegetarian meal, but you get plenty of fiber and protein, and you've covered your veggie colors (green and a red or orange).

Now for the good part. Yesterday I whined about having to make R's raisin bread late into the evening because I'd run out of time during the day. Of course it called for a repeat performance. Since there was so much going on, I couldn't make the bagels until after dinner. I toyed with the idea of either just tossing out the dough and quitting while I was ahead, or leaving it in the cold room until the next day. At the prompting of the kids, however, we decided to forge ahead, with them helping. They actually like making bagels because it is kind of fun... kind of.

Anyway, we managed to get it all done, though I wondered to myself how I get into these situations. Wouldn't it be easier to just buy the things? Yes and no. They don't sell them right around the corner, it's a bit of a trek to get to a bagel shop, and they are expensive. So yes, it is easier to buy them, but not as gratifying or economically savvy (they are both related) as making them.

Besides, you have to ask yourself, what would Martha Stewart do?

Making Martha Stewart Proud

Excuse me it I'm being redundant, but we went out and got a food processor, and I have to confess, the thing has changed our lives. And I got the small one (it was cheaper). Just think if I'd bought the big monster, we could have changed the world.

As I may have also mentioned, we bought it on Macys.com because we had gift cards my mom gave us four years ago, and figured we had to use them for something. Anyway, we used the thing to make falafels, and it was amazing. We try to eat vegetarian at least 3-4 days a week, and as I'd discussed with DR (my sister in law), cooking vegetarian is harder. Meat is easy, you cook it, add a sprig of parsley as a garnish, and just like that, you have a gourmet meal.

Not so with vegetables/beans. You really have to spice them up (literally and figuratively) to make them interesting, especially for kids. In this respect, falafels are a winner, because they almost seem like meat, and are a great way to fulfill your protein and fiber requirement.

The only problem is, they are labor intensive. In the past, pre-processor days, I used to mash the chickpeas in a mortar and pestle. The blender didn't work because they need liquid. Then all that chopping of garlic, onions, and parsley. If the kids didn't love them so much, I'd never make them.

The processor, however, has changed everything. I love that thing, and it scores high on the entertainment scale, so you can't go wrong. Except, of course, when your Mentor shakes his head and wonders to himself, "How did I ever become associated with such a big sissy?" Oh well, you can't win them all, and in the end, your manhood takes a hit now and then for the good of your family. Believe it or not, it can be a fairly liberating experience.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

What a Day and Cat Crazy (with a bright side)

Since the weather is getting cold, it's time to break out the winter gear, which means going up into the attic and bringing down snow pants, ski boots, and all that good stuff. Unfortunately, due to more bad planning on my part, I forgot to account for the fact that one of the cats was still inside the house (Misty), and she hopped up the stairs and into the attic. I tried to grab her as she was at the threshold and instead got a major claw through my finger, almost bad enough to warrant stitches, if not for the fact that I'm training to be a real man. Either way, now I had the problem of getting the cat out of the attic, which is not an easy thing to do because they can hide just about anywhere. I worried that if she hid out in the eaves, she'd be stuck for good, which almost happened. To complicate the matter, in my frenzied efforts to nab her, I managed to scare the heck out of her. Why can't I keep my cool?

I spent a good half hour trying to cajole her out, employing all of A's suggestions, to no avail. She finally settled into the farthest corner of the attic and buried herself into the insulation. I could tell she was scared because she tried her best to become invisible. What made it especially difficult was that the nails from the roofing made it hard to reach in and get her, and I must have stuck my head into them at least a dozen times. The situation, of course, was compounded by my worries of stepping through the joists and putting my foot through the ceiling. How do I get myself into these things?

Anyway, she was scared stiff, so I got my footing, reached in and grabbed her by the scruff, fully expecting her to bite or scratch me out of fear, but she didn't. I was thankful for that. I carried her to A, who was patiently waiting at the top of the attic stairs, and she carried her to the bedroom to comfort her. She and N have a magical way with that.

I finished up in the attic and came away from it having learned an important lesson: lock those darn cats down the next time I go up there. There's enough drama in our lives. On the bright side, however, it afforded me a great opportunity to get a good look-see at the attic, which requires our attention, especially with winter approaching. Because the cat was holed up in the eaves (I think that's what they're called), I got to look down and see the insulation situation down there, and best of all, it appears that there's hope. My initial concern was that I wasn't going to be able to push the vent spacers down in there because of the nails, but I just might be able to pull it off, and it took getting that cat to force me to see. I guess I should thank her... nah!

Speaking of drama, we had a crazy day yesterday. In the past, A's horse teacher and I have had good timing in terms of scheduling, but she called to reschedule A's ride, and it threw off my plans for the day. In all fairness, she was only looking out for our interest because the forecast for Thu called for snow and rain, and she was canceling all lessons. Wed would be our only chance, maybe for the season, so I told her we'd be there.

We'd also planned on ice skating, and we were all really excited about it, so we couldn't cancel that. The plan would be to skate, take A to riding, entertain N, then pick up A, get home, make dinner, etc. This, of course, would mean that I'd get nothing done around the house or barn, and our day would be spent out and about, though I did manage to get some key supplies for the barn.

Skating was a blast, and the kids looked great out there on the ice. A&N's skating is smooth and easy, they look really comfortable on the ice. Initially there was some awkwardness, but they've come a long way, and we had fun. Also, we were literally the only ones on the ice for the first hour before the middle school kids showed up. It must have been some sort of PE class, but there were about 30 of them, and some of them clearly played hockey and skated beautifully, though they were awkward as heck around the girls, making fools of themselves. Kind of hard to watch.

We took A to her riding lesson, and then N and I hit the town. Usually we go bowling when A rides, but skating, riding and bowling all on the same day was too much. Instead, we took care of some business, and N was more than happy to go along for the ride. Since our day was taken up, our initial plans for dinner had to be scrapped, because it was going to require baking, which always takes up a lot of time. Plus, we had to make mom's raisin bread, which we'd started in the AM. The beauty of employing the sponge is that it can sit for hours.

Instead, it was going to be an emergency meal: spaghetti with meat sauce. You need some backup meals at times like these. Mac and Cheese is the last resort, but things like spaghetti or veggie burgers and even quesadillas work out well. Just thaw out some meat, cook it in some sauce, and voila! The ultimate bachelor meal, enhanced for family enjoyment. Throw in some fresh bread and veggies, and you've got a healthy meal.

After dinner, the kids sacked out with a movie while went to work on the bread. It was one of those "reach deep within" moments, because I was beat, and the last thing I wanted to do was bake, but R loves the stuff, and we were out. It wasn't so bad. In fact, despite the exhaustion, it was actually easier because during the day I have to attend to the kids, while at night, they are occupied and R is there to help out.

Anyway, you can't beat the feeling of accomplishment against all odds. Before becoming a parent, I never, and I mean never would have pulled all that stuff off, because it's just too easy to give in and quit. Once you do it and realize anything is possible, you come away from it with a feeling of satisfaction. It helps when most of your day is spent getting flogged with a stick by everyone around you.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Pottery Class and Math

The kids have been taking pottery class and they love it, but what's really cool is that N in particular has really taken to it and made some really cool stuff. The significance of this lies in the fact that most of the activities that we take part in revolve around A. She loves to read and rides horses and takes guitar lessons (and perform) and many of their friends are in fact her age, while N seems to go along for the ride, though he has fun. A is just good at capturing the spotlight (the big stage could be next up), she's a natural, while N is more reserved.

Even still, we scramble to find and encourage his own interests. He loves baseball because he's such a jock, and we regret missing out on soccer (I know, I know, so cliche), but in the meantime, we sit back and watch and wait. A loves books and creating worlds out of materials around the house, she's every imaginative that way. N, on the other hand, doesn't read as much, though he loves being read to. Unfortunately, mom and dad don't always have the time to drop everything and read to him, though we make sure he gets exposed to a lot of books. We check out tons of them.

Anyway, a few months back, HH mentioned her kids (A&I) take pottery in town. There is a woman, KR, who teaches a class at the local gallery. We love the idea of the kids getting their hands dirty, so we signed them up, but the class was expensive. Those sort of things always are. Their friends were taking it, so we jumped on the opportunity, but weren't exactly sure what would come of it.

Well, as it turns out, they love the class, and they get to make some pretty cool stuff. AND, N seems to have found something he really digs. In fact, it could very well be an activity that we could pursue further with him, because he gets into it and makes some amazing stuff. He made a cup for mom and a bowl for dad. Keep in mind, the pic does not do justice to the quality of the work. He does a great job. The class ended last week, and we wrestled with whether or not to enroll them again because of the cost, but after seeing what they made, how could we not? It's not easy discovering what interests your kids when they're searching themselves.

Then again, now that it's Winter, we have skiing and ice skating, both of which they love (mom and dad do, too). Let's hope for snow, lots of it, and soon.

On the academic note, just wanted to mention that N has also taken a real liking to math. He can read very well for his age, and could easily zip through certain easy reader books (level 1, maybe level 2), Henry and Mudge and Biscuit books, he just isn't interested. Math, however, really gets him excited. He's such an engineer, just like his uncle and grandad. We hope he can spend more time with them and see the cool things they do to really spark his interest.

Now that he's a math machine, it also makes teaching that much easier, because he's enthused. We don't have to wrestle him to the ground to get him to practice his problems, he actually asks for them. How cool is that?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Rainy Halloween

Halloween sort of came and went, and now it's onto the next holiday. We've had good luck in years past with the weather on Halloween, so the odds were against us this time and sure enough, it rained, and at times, it poured. That's not to say that we didn't have fun, but there seemed to be a lack of good vibes to the whole evening. It wasn't a bad night, just not stellar as in years past. For all it's worth, however, the kids raved about how much fun they had, so that's all that matters.

First off, we, meaning mom and dad, weren't in the spirit of things like in the past. We've had a busy month, and just when you think you have time to stop and take a deep breath, something new comes along. It's crazy at times. In fact, we hadn't carved our pumpkins until the zero hour, which was kind of a bummer, but we managed to get it done. Part of the problem was our pumpkin patch crashed and burned. For whatever reason, we got no pumpkins this year. In years past we had tons of them, for as far as the eyes could see. Then again, it was a poor year for the garden.

We also didn't get our costumes together until the day before, but that wasn't a problem because they were pretty simple ones, and N hadn't finalized his decision until the day before, so we were doing our best over here. On Saturday, Halloween, I worked on the barn all day pounding framing nails into my fingers while they toiled away at their costumes, and then that night we carved the pumpkins. The kids made great designs, and we lit them and put them on the porch, and then got ready to hit Woodstock.

Unfortunately, about an hour before takeoff, it started raining, pretty hard at times. It made me wonder what we were going to do, but there was no stopping A&N, and we weren't going to stand in their way. We hadn't heard from friends, either, so we weren't sure what others had planned. In the past, when we went to Woodstock, we saw tons of our friends, and we all ended up at the Woodstock Inn for candy, fun, and hot cider. This year, for many reason, I'm sure, they really toned things down, and we didn't see anybody we knew.

In fact, not only were the streets fairly quiet, but many of the houses were dark. The spirit of the season was somewhat dampened, maybe because it was Saturday night and people were out, maybe because it had rained so hard. Whatever the case, it had cleared up by the time we went out, and A&N had a blast. N in particular was excited about this year, and he really charged out of the gates and led the way. Fun to see.

Personally, it was my kind of Halloween, because it was not too crowded with crazy teens, the kids had fun, and we ended the night fairly early without too many social obligations. I hate to seem like such a Scrooge, but by the end of the day, I'm beat. I felt bad because the kids didn't really get to see their friends, which they did not indicate, but I can't help but project. I learned later that a lot of our neighbors end up going into downtown for trick-or-treating, and the businesses stay open and hand out candy. They also do a big thing at Cobb Hill. I also learned our buddies A&I were going to stop by our house, but it was late and they had to get home, and we weren't there anyway.

So now we know what to do next year. The kids love going to Woodstock, but we could start the night local and then head over there. That seems like a good plan. That will maximize our chances of seeing our friends, which is what it's all about. A&N raved about how much fun they had, and we're glad for that, even if it sort of rained on our parade, but that's life.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Behind the Curve

Shame on mom and dad for this one, but we are well behind the curve on our Halloween preparations. And it's two days away. Just last night, right before bedtime and at our daughter's insistence, we started putting some things together for their costumes, but we still haven't carved our pumpkins. I can't believe it. Then again, we have all day today (sort of) and tomorrow. Even still, it just seemed to come out of nowhere because it's been a busy and crazy two-three weeks, but when you try to get kids to see things your way and have some compassion and understanding, all that comes out of a parent's mouth is "Blah, Blah, Blah." Nothing, after all, replaces action.

So with this in mind, we have to get to work. The problem is today we have lots of stuff going on. We have a show at the Hop at Dartmouth, and then pottery later in the day, a makeup class. Of course, I have my real man training on the barn, but that's a subject for another blog. We also might need to make a stop at Joanne's Fabric, one of our favorite places. So many things, so little time.

We'll work on costumes today/tonight and tomorrow. I think we have plenty of time, because the best costumes are the ones you put together at the last minute (I'm not justifying here, am I?). And it's imperative that we make them rather than go out and buy something. That's just not acceptable.

As for pumpkins, we somehow just lost steam since our pumpkin garden crashed and burned. We literally got nothing, which is a bummer because not only did we get a bounty in past years, but nothing gets you pumped up and excited about the season more than picking your own pumpkins from your own patch, but such is life. We'll make do with some local ones that we both purchased and were given to us by our neighbors. For now, that's as good as it's going to get.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Paul Bodea / Freshot.com for the pic.