We’ve been watching some of the Olympics here, mostly the skiing since my kids love the sport.
Whole Foods was having a draw. I put my kids names in the box and every time Canada won a medal, Whole Foods would pull a name from the box and the winner would get a cookie medal. Both my kids won. They felt fabulous - and loved eating the cookies.
Add comment February 25th, 2010
That is a huge stack of Valentines my children made this past week. We signed up for a swap with a number of families who also use Oak Meadow curriculum.
There were A LOT of families. Fuss and Bug decided they wanted each child to have their own. Then Fuss became completely disillusioned when he realised he didn’t have the time, resources or energy to send each one an entire fully-rendered scene. Basically he wanted to send each of the 94 children on the list a storyboard. A complex storyboard.
He decided if that was not to be, he would not participate at all and stomped off with his markers. So, Bug had to completely the monumental task. Which she did. Without complaint and while smiling the entire time. Phew. I thought I was going to end up making 94 Valentines.
Tonight is Valentine’s and my husband took me out to see Avatar. I was really keen to see it based on all the reviews. I usually like to wait for them to come to the movie network, since I pay for that and would like to make it worth paying for. Actually, I pay less per month for that than for one movie ticket.
I felt that Avatar needed to be viewed in 3D on a large screen. I believe I was correct, however I didn’t really like the movie. I was upset by the gratuitous violence and just generally completely overstimulated.
We came home after to relieve the sitter. She was planning to go out with her family and we had to see a later movie than we anticipated since the one we wanted to see was sold out. Sold out 9 weeks after coming to theaters. What an accomplishment.
So, once home, Colin took our sitter home and then went to pick up dinner. Taking a three-year-old along to pick up dinner seems to do wonders.
I thought that was about the cutest pizza I’ve ever seen!
I’m now off to bed to read a book and see if I can wind down from the wild ride that was Avatar.
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
Add comment February 14th, 2010
I just finished reading this book Regeneration, the first of the Pat Barker WWI trilogy.
It was powerful and somehow very relevant today although it is written about a time so long ago.
The setting is a mental hospital for WWI British soldiers. Many are sent there to be rehabilitated before going back to the front. Some are released from duty and sent home. What was surprising to me was the dichotomy of feelings experienced by those receiving their ’sentence’. If they were sent back, they were proud to be again serving their country and being deemed “fit for duty”, however there was the fear of going back to the horrors they have already experienced. If they were sent home and released from duty, there was relief, but horrible shame and guilt.
The characters were so believeable and I felt such sympathy for some of them. I found out at the end while reading the Author’s Note that this book is based on a true story and on real people. It’s hard to think that these are real stories. What is written about within the pages actually happened to people. Wow is the word that comes to mind, but it’s insufficient.
Aside from being an essay on ethics (essentially), it chronicles some of the psychiatric treatments of the time. Completely barbaric and I found reading about them very upsetting. At the same time it’s very fascinating that doctors can be so convinced of their modes of treatment which are basically torture. Unfortunately they were successful and therefore continued. Horrifying.
I’m not sure this book is for everyone. I did find the characters a bit hard to keep straight. They are each identified by their disorder and I didn’t really see that as an acceptable way to keep them in mind. I need physical descriptions.
I’m off to read book 2!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
Add comment February 12th, 2010
This was a super-simple really quick dinner. The kids liked it particularly since it had dipping sauce. I don’t think it matters what the sauce is particularly, it’s the dipping action my kids like.
It was also white fish, which is another of Fuss & Bug’s favourite dinners. The recipe calls for red snapper, but there wasn’t any available, so I substituted a white fish which I can’t remember at the moment. I just asked the fish seller to wrap up whatever would cook in a similar fashion. I’ve always found fish to be one that’s really easy to switch around. And white fish particularly since it is so mild and tends to take on the flavour of what’s cooking with it.
The yams were baked in the oven and were the intended recipient of the sauce, but every diner put the fish in the sauce as well. The spinach was simply steamed (I used baby spinach so I didn’t have to remove the stems or chop the leaves) and toasted sesame seeds were added. I shaped them into the logs you see. Fantastic way to get the kids to eat spinach. There was some flavour from rice vinegar and a couple of other ingredients in a dressing the spinach was tossed in before shaping and the kids also appreciated the crunch from the seeds.
The dessert was candied kumquats over rice pudding. I am horrible at making rice pudding which is a bit of a shame since it’s one of my favourite things to eat. However, I made the recipe in the book using sushi rice and it turned out totally perfectly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve attempted rice pudding just to throw out a gloopy mess. This was delightful. We could have (should have?) left it alone.
However, it called for candied kumquats. They were a bit of a time consuming little fruit. First I had to find them, then I had to remove the seeds, which were surprisingly large for such a tiny fruit. Then I thinly sliced them.
I then put them in a pan with some sugar and water and let them simmer away for some time. Easy. But, they ended up being a taste that is either acquired and we failed to do so, or I just put too many atop each dessert. The resulting syrup was tasty, but one or two kumquats would have sufficed. I think the next time I might actually make the candied kumquats but strain them out using just the syrup for a titch of flavour for the pudding.
The dish was a gorgeous colour though!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
Add comment February 11th, 2010
I’ve already done a few of the recipes from this book, and I’m totally a “start where you are” person. I may go back and discuss them, but I’m going to start now with next recipe on my journey through the Baking Handbook.
I love to bake. I also really like muffins. However, I don’t like dates and the recipe is for date bran muffins. I have a recipe of my grandmother’s for raisin bran muffins which she made me for breakfast every day during the summers (which I spent with her). Now, those are good. These have dates and so I didn’t try them. I know, you are always supposed to taste things before giving them to other people. I couldn’t.
I had to weigh the dates I had (I usually have dates on hand as I intend to make sticky toffee pudding, Colin’s favourite dessert, but never do). Pit them first actually, which is really easy to do when they are fresh. (I’ve attempted to do it on not-so-fresh ones and it’s really a chore.) Then I chopped them.
Not sure what it is I have against dates, really.
I then stirred them into the batter, which was a bit tricky since the batter was, ummm, dense and the dates were sticky. Hard to get them evenly distributed, really.
Then I put them in a well-buttered muffin tin and popped them into the oven.
Here’s the finished product while it cools.
The kids ate three apiece through the afternoon (one was enough for lunch!). I had two friends drop by separately and they each had one. Both raved, one saying it was the best date muffin she’s had and she loves dates muffins. So, even though I can’t speak for the muffins, there you go - they are tasty. I wont be making them again.
Enjoying the journey! Amanda
Add comment February 10th, 2010
I’m still in the chapter on making stock and what you can do with the stock you’ve made.
The next recipe was Matzo Ball Soup. Interesting. It’s actually very straight forward. However, I’m not shopping in the right parts of town as none of the first three grocery stores I went to carried Matzo meal. Finally, the one a block from my house had it. I don’t normally shop there, but I thought I’d give it a try as I got desperate. Good thing!
Then, no one had something called “schmaltz” which Martha Stewart thought I should easily get from my butcher. Nope. They thought that was just a silly request.
When I struck out there, rather than continuing to search all over town, I just made my own. It’s quite easy, so I’m surprised Ms Stewart didn’t have a side bar explaning how to do it. In fact, it seems like a superflousous purchase.
All you do is melt chicken fat. Really. I just cut some off the chicken before making the stock for the soup and voila!
All the solid bits went into the organics bin and the clear liquid went into the matzo balls. I only needed a small amount.
After letting the matzo ball mixture sit in the fridge for a short while (in addition to meal and schmaltz, it had whipped egg whites, egg yolks, and parsley), I took it out and got ready to shape them before putting adding to the broth.
However, meyhem insued and this is what I ended up with.
Not sure how these things happen. This is the largest bowl in a set I got at Williams Sonoma. Heartbreaking. After my husband broke my large Denby bowl (wedding gift) which we used every night for salad, I’m running short on large bowls around here….
I did manage to save the mixture and proceeded to make the soup. It was delicious. Fuss didn’t like it because on his first bite he swore he got a bit of ceramic in his mouth from the broken bowl. ~sigh~
I can totally see why some people consider this comfort food!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
Add comment February 9th, 2010
What a fabulous book!
Despite the vast popularity of The Time Traveller’s Wife, I have to say I really disliked that book. Every page of it. I found Niffenegger’s grasp on her own odd concept tenuous which made the reading shifty and unfocused. I disliked the movie even more. What a waste of time and money (referring to both book and movie).
I was totally pleased with Her Fearful Symmetry. It was much more literary than The Time Traveler’s Wife and Niffenegger was able to handle the subject (which was just as odd) much more beautifully and smoothly.
I wasn’t sure how I would feel with a ghost as such a prominent main character, but the person was just so lovely it just worked.
I was a bit disappointed in that one of the major plot twists I figured out in the first few chapters when it wasn’t revealed until much later in the book. I didn’t find that very masterful, unlike the rest of the book.
The setting was beautiful, the characters were completely believable, even the non-corporeal ones, and the plot moved along quickly, logically and was all in all a very fulfilling read.
I read this on the heels of Stephen King’s latest novel and was surprised to find Niffenegger trumping King in the creepiness category. I didn’t think that would be possible at all when I first opened Her Fearful Symmetry. But it is, in large part, a ghost story and as much as the ghosts are rather endearing for the most part, the ghost/horror story aspect sneaks in and really had me biting my nails.
I highly recommend this book. The setting is absolutely gorgeous, one Niffenegger obviously knows well and is passionate about; the characters are all rich, complex and lovable for both their redeeming qualities and their faults; and the plot was infinitely enjoyable and smooth for such a wild ride. Even at it’s most disturbing it’s most fascinating!
Add comment February 8th, 2010
I had a weak moment the other day at Whole Foods. These just looked so tasty and I went shopping without the kids which means I kind of missed them.
I bought one for each of them and they couldn’t finish half! They were so huge and so rich. And so expensive. Not something I would do again, particularly since I could have made them myself and they would have been tastier and healthier.
But it was great fun!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
1 comment February 6th, 2010
I went to the theatre the other night to see this. I can’t even begin to tell you how good it was! I loved every minute of it. Even the minutes spent covering my eyes.
This movie has much going for it - starting with Robert Downey Jr. Continuing with Jude Law. Have I said enough?
But then the story was just amazing. Talk about edge of your seat! The entire movie was like a ride. I had heard reviews stating that it was a bit long and the middle was snoozy, but I did not find this at all. Rachel McAdams is not one of my favourite actresses, but she really put herself into the role and I didn’t have to think about who it was. She was totally into the character.
I realised as the movie was starting that I have never read a Sherlock Holmes novel. I had a small panic attack during the previews because I wont see a movie before reading the book (if it’s based on a novel). The reason for this is that I want my own imagination to come up with the characters and settings. Within the first few minutes of the film I decided that this time it would be okay. I don’t mind if I’m picturing Downey and Law whilst reading. My friend and I did head on over to the bookstore after to have a look at the Doyle books. We just need to decide which one to get. Likely an anthology.
I enjoyed this so much I would even see it again. Save for the fact that movies are 12.50 here. I’ll definitely watch it again when it comes out on video.
I don’t often see movies. If I do have a chance to go out without the kids, I don’t want to spend it just sitting next to someone. I would like to have a conversation. I forgot to account for the whole escapism factor of movies. Nothing else exists except for the movie and I enjoyed that.
I’d like to see Avatar next, but people are saying it’s best by far in 3D, but 3D isn’t recommended for people who suffer from severe motion sickness. I’m one of those people! Ah well….
I’ll wait for the next Sherlock Holmes movie to come out which can’t be too soon for me!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
Add comment February 5th, 2010
One of my most favourite hobbies is scrapbooking. I’ve been doing it for years and I have a room full of stuff. I am lucky enough to have a craft room, which is really just a scrapbooking room. In our whole home organization/minor renovation (more on this in future posts) we are moving my craft room to a different part of the basement. Colin would like to use the numerous bookcases that currently hold all my crafting items.
So, he brought this home for me. There was a big antique show at a local mall and Colin was able to get a deal about 5 minutes after the week long show closed. The vendor didn’t want to load it up and take it all the way back home. (It will cover every holiday gift coming up this year until December - thanks Col!!!)
Isn’t it beautiful???? I’m so excited. I’ll post more photos once I have it in place (it’s in the garage until next weekend) and the drawers all nicely labelled.
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
1 comment February 4th, 2010
