MommyCoddle

good eatin'

Thank you for all the book suggestions, folks! I just sat down and created a huge checkout list from my library. My local library can be accessed online. I can reserve books and have them "sent" to a drive-thru window where I pick them up and checkout. It's pretty much what keeps my reading life alive b/c any time spent at the library is usually spent downstairs in the children's department. Now if I could just find a grocery store with a drive thru window....

Strawberries aren't quite in season here, but were are just on the cusp. So I'm getting ready because I'm pretty much a strawberry fanatic. My grandmother told me that you should only wash the serving of strawberries you are going to eat because they spoil more quickly after you've washed them. So armed with that wisdom, I now only wash a handful at a time. This ritual had me thinking how much I wish I had a tiny collander to wash my one serving of berries. So I emailed my genius potter friend, Melissa and described what I was looking for and offered a swap for her design and potting services.

She sent me this beauty in the mail last week and it is just perfect. Perfectly sized for a large handful of berries--enough this morning for my cereal, a few in my mouth right away and some extras for my berry-lovin' babe, Elizabeth who was tugging on my leg and grunting for more. Melissa, I love it. And if you want one of your own, she says she'll be making more later this month. So go favorite her etsy shop and keep watch. And Melissa, your swallow mobile is in the works.... :) **edited to add: she's making more next week!**

And on the topic of food, I made this snack for the girls today which is straight from the latest issue of EDF's after school snack section. Oh.My.Man. as my children would say. It is so good--cinnamon swirl bread, toasted. Plain cream cheese. Apple slices. Oh geez. Try it.

Yesterday, I called my mom on the phone. The woman makes the best salads in the world. So as I was making out my grocery list this week, I called to ask what key ingredients I needed to make a mom-esque salad...She really doesn't know exactly what makes them so good. They're these clean out the refrigerator, never the same twice kinds of salads. But her guesses were the cheese--feta. The olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper. Those were the base of almost every salad. So today, I made one for lunch--using the same base and adding some leftover grilled salmon, and some black beans. It was really, really good and filled me up for the rest of the day. (It's 4:30 right now.) Now if only I'd made some crackers to go with it.

I'm still doing my weekly meal planning and I'm not sure I'll be able to turn back. It is so helpful. (Although this week, I was a few days behind on my big shop and had to leave a "Dear John" letter on the fridge for Dan about his breakfast that wouldn't be there for him.) But unfortunately my grocery bill keeps creeping higher and higher. Gone are the days of the $79 shopping trip. These grocery prices are making me want to add an extra acre to my garden. I saw a gallon of organic milk for seven dollars!

a few good reads for you, for me

A good family friend, Sarah, has just started blogging in the last few months as she courageously (and with a lot of spunk and style) battles breast cancer. Yesterday, I was catching up on her blog and I read a post about how good it felt for her to do "normal" things. She was just starting to feel better after a recent treatment and was so excited to be able to vacuum and change sheets on the bed. Reading that post was the reminder I needed this week. Here I am dragging my feet and grumbling through my "normal" day's activities but reading Sarah's blog entry quickly brought everything into perspective for me. It was a much needed little kick in the pants, slap in the face. Thank you, Sarah.
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When Dan and I moved from Wisconsin to the farm apartment, we only brought the necessities. We were putting our house on the market weeks before everything fell apart and we blindly thought we would be reunited with our stuff in just a matter of months after the house sold. Hahaha!!! So here we are, two years later and the reunion has just begun. (though not because we've sold the house!) But one of the things we didn't intend on leaving behind were several large boxes of children's books. It wasn't until we started unpacking and saying, "Where are all the girls' books???" that we realized we'd forgotten them. So this week, Dan has been bringing over a box or two in the evenings for the girls to dig through. Oh, it's so much fun!

Since my pre-mommy days were spent as an elementary school teacher, I have quite the collection of books and I'm finding many multiple copies as I dig through boxes. So, as I come across them, I figure I'll share some of those extra copies here with all of you. The two I found in the first box, ironically, are about the same topic--Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance expedition whose goal was to cross the Antarctic continent on foot. If you don't know this story, you must read a book on it. It is an amazing story of willpower and strength and courage and leadership and adventure. Dan and I have this book which you should definitely check out, if only for the amazing photography.

But moving on, I have two children's books about this story to share today. The first is called, "Trapped in the Ice", which you can read about here. It is an easier read, soft cover picture book.

The second is called, "Shipwreck At The Bottom of The World". It is also a soft cover book, but definitely more in the young adult category or maybe a read aloud. Read about it here. It has some of the amazing photography that you'll find in the book Dan and I have.

So if  you're interested in one of these books let me know in the comments. If there are more than one or two of you, I'll just draw a name again.

Now do me a favor...I looking for a good book to read. What are you reading these days? Any suggestions?

truths I believe to be universal

Children become engrossed in their most creative, independent, cooperative play just as one wants to put them down for naps, or take them to bed.

At the moment, it is well past  their usual nap time but because they are dressed in fancy dresses (Emma in my circa 1991 glittery homecoming number) wearing white washcloths on their heads as caps, drinking tea, and talking about things that are "splendid", they're getting some extra time.

Children are their most irresistible in the middle of the night, when they come to your bedside all doe-eyed, drowsy and whispery-voiced asking to snuggle.

Mary has been showing up at my bedside quite regularly the past few nights asking to sleep in between me and Dan. She kicks like an angry cow, throws arms and elbows around and has a mean pair of what is known in our family as "thermal thighs", but darn, she's too cute to turn down. At least for now.

The best thrift stores are in sleepy little towns where the ladies sit behind the counter watching soaps, and bounce your baby on their knees and feed her bright orange peanut butter crackers while you shop.

It was fill your bag for five dollars. I didn't fill mine all the way so they only charged me four. But I brought home this tattered quilt top. Think there's some pillows in their somewhere? Or maybe a little kitchen window curtain? And the ladies held Elizabeth until her 26 pounds of chubs became too heavy for their frail laps and fragile arms and she slipped down their legs onto the floor to happily dig in the hanger box.

Kittens are cute.

kitten update 5. 6. 08 from molly balint on Vimeo.

Wrestling kittens are even cuter.

Untitled from molly balint on Vimeo.

video mode in the hands of an excited six year old

Well, hello there! The nice thing about a giveaway is that I get to meet so many of  my "quieter" readers. So many of you de-lurk to say hello. I love it. And for that, I'd say it IS better to give than receive. Thanks to the random number generator, the winner of Amanda's book is.....

MANDY of sewspun. Mandy, send me an email with your address and I'll get it in the mail to you, asap.

I have two more books to give away this week--children's books, so I'll try to get to those tomorrow.

This weekend was another week of work at the house. It was one of those, "the house is killing me" weekends. But the floors are getting close to being completed and we're at the point now where I think we'll just move in and work on everything else once we get in there. The house takes Dan away from us so much. It's really wearing on all of us. Saturday night, we gave up watching the Kentucky Derby to take a surprise picnic dinner over to Dan. I could tell he just needed to have his family running around the place while he worked. So we christened our back deck with its first meal and then walked around and explored more of the property after supper. 

Emma discovered the "movie" setting on my digital camera and I gave her full reign while we were hanging out after supper. I was casually observing the footage she was recording and I was really excited to download the things she had filmed. She was getting some great stuff on there of herself, her sisters. I couldn't wait to see. Looks like I'm going to have to give her a little more instruction about how it works. She must have gotten a little crazy with her trigger finger--there were only little ten second segments of video. I guess she was "taking pictures" instead of letting the thing just run and record. There's really nothing that earth-shattering about these videos, I just like to put them up on my blog every now and then. A little change-up...some live footage is always fun, right?

A little background for her clips: our friend showed up in the driveway in his tractor. A  boy that hangs around the farm a lot and plays with the kids. Emma got a tad bit excited but still managed to maintain her commentary to the camera. (hold on to your stomach while you watch...) **I think the videos are coming up as private. Let me work on that...**

Untitled from molly balint on Vimeo.
Untitled from molly balint on Vimeo. Try to ignore the junky yard and big old wood pile dumped in the driveway...work in progress, remember? Happy Monday, everyone.

off the cutting room floor

The back of my National Geographic magazine has a page that shows one picture that didn't make the cut. One picture that was tossed aside and didn't make it into the preceding pages of stunning photography. Yet there was still something special about the photo. Special enough to rescue it from the cutting room floor and share it at the close of the magazine.
When I go through my week there are many posts that get written in my head that never make it to the blog. And there are many pictures that get taken but never shown. So today, I decided to rescue a few of those shots from my past week or so and share them here together--off my "cutting room" floor, if you will...

There is the picture that is one of my favorites I've taken in a really long time--shot holding my camera out the car window, feeling warm and blessed for the beautiful place where I live and wide open spaces.

The sunset shot, on the same evening that really captured the colors my eyes were seeing.

A day of lingering in the parking lot of the farm, watching the girls roller skate. The lingering that put me in the right place at the right time, to hear someone's cries for help, who was seriously hurt.

The post that made me notice and appreciate an early morning with all my girls in the kitchen with me.

The climax of the Star Magnolia tree outside my grandmother's porch.

The pillow--made for my dear college girlfriend--who sent me "the" envelope--and asked me to put together a package that would reveal the surprise to her and her husband. The pillow says, "oh boy!".....

The rainy day of math disguised as games...that started out so fun, but soon turned to attitude problems and then ended with me, sitting on the floor by myself wondering what happened.

Sometimes it makes me sad, when an idea or a moment, doesn't get shared. Because more often than not, I forget those moments. I've been keeping a five year journal now for the past six months. When I flip through old entries, I'm amazed while reading those four or five lines I jot down each night, how much I've forgotten. It's just the nature of life, I suppose. So maybe I'll start doing this a little more often--rescuing a few photos, a few stories off the cutting room floor at the end of the week. Then just maybe they won't be completely forgotten and that simple sentence or picture will remind me of a moment, a lesson learned, or a beautiful view that I don't want to lose.

to give :: to receive

So they say that it's better to give than receive, but after some of the things that have been coming to my mailbox lately, I'm not so sure. I'll have to get back to you. I'm going to "give" at the end of this post, so I'll let you know which feels better!

First of all my dear long-time blogging friend Kristen, sent me a nice little package a few weeks ago. In it were some of her fabulous fabrics, which are the nicest fabrics that have ever graced my fabric shelves, along with a MollyBirds print, in a new (my favorite so far) colorway.  Who knew a little woodworking project could inspire something so great? Kristen also sent along two pads of her new line of papers. I love them and I'm beating my children off with a stick to keep them away from them. They've got sticky fingers those girls so I've taken to hiding them in different places around my desk.

And Kristen, for the record, Happy Belated Birthday! I made you a video message to send as a little "gift", but I chickened out. I'm working on "take 2". Thank you, friend! You know what I love.

As if that wasn't enough, Molly,(whose new banner I love), my dear blogging friend and new penpal sent an extra large "letter" in the mail for our last exchange. In it she included this cute little puzzle wreath, these books that she scores at her "friends of the library" sales (I'm jealous), and some homemade marshmallows. Molly, the books were key--especially the horse-drawing one. I'm not turning it over to Emma quite yet because apparently my horses aren't "real-ish enough" these days. I need some lessons.

Now about the marshmallows...I'm not sure if I should admit this openly, but I've never had homemade marshmallows. Whoa. Is there any ounce of comparison between powdery puffy store-bought nothingness and fluffy, sweet, perfect homemade? The bag was gone the next day--probably another thing I shouldn't admit openly--but I did have lots of help with the finishing...

And last of all, one night when Dan was well into dreamland, I was up late on the computer and somehow stumbled upon the etsy shop DoggiePiggie. I'm not one for impulse buys, but as soon as I saw these animal tracks alphabet cards, I knew I needed a set for me, (I mean, the girls.) I love them. I'll probably somehow use them to decorate in their new room. And tonight I see that the shop owner at doggiepiggie was holding out on me!! She now has a Memory Card Game, Counting Flash Cards, and great sets of flat and folded cards. Her profile says she's combining her love of science and art. I think they've come together beautifully.

Now for the giving....I've somehow managed to have an extra copy of Amanda's Creative Family book. And I would love to give it away to someone who doesn't have a copy. If you are a mother, auntie (uncle? anyone?), grandmother....you should be reading this book. I can't tell you how many times Amanda's words come back to me throughout my day. Leave a comment indicating that you'd like your name in the hat. I'll pick a name later in the week. You can read my review of her book here.

I actually have two other books to give away, but I'll save them for another post soon. This turned into a longer post than I anticipated.

I gave the bloggity-blog a facelift today. I just needed something new. This was different. The seasons are changing and I get blog-design-ants-in-my-pants. I feel much better now.

music is magic

Sunday afternoon my grandmother invited me along to a recital of young students at a somewhat new Conservatory of Music that has formed in our area. My grandmother is an enthusiastic supporter and family friends with the founder of the school.

As I sat in the auditorium and listened to the students play and sing, it made me think of two things:

1. You never know what's inside someone.
I watched some of the kids in the foyer before we went into the concert--wobbling in their high heels, holding hands and giggling, nervously playing with neck ties and shying away from the girls in the corner. And then, minutes later, that same student would step out on the stage--focused, confident and full of music. You'd never think it--this kid, who I might normally blow off as shallow, giddy, immature, shy--has something inside them. There's more to them than what you see on the outside. You never know what gifts and talents lurk quietly behind a child's sometimes awkward exterior.

2. I had a great music teacher growing up.
When I was young, I went with my sister to Ardinger's music shop where she purchased her first instrument, a flute, in order to begin taking music lessons as part of the school's fourth grade curriculum. The man who owned the shop must have sensed my eagerness and jealousy. He handed me a small, black plastic recorder and said, "You practice on this. Come back in four years and I'll give you private lessons." I went back four years later to purchase my own first instrument and he remembered who I was.  So began eight years of private lessons from this seventy-four year old man who was such a strong presence in my life. He was tough as nails, gentle as a kitten. He'd make me want to cry and then overflow with praise. He never charged me a penny and he is someone who shaped and changed my life.

I remember how he used to always hum. Oftentimes when I'd show up for my lesson I didn't know where he was in his house/music shop. But I'd follow the humming and sometimes join in while I tracked him down. "You're FLAT!" he'd growl . I remember he'd sneak into my performances when I had a solo, usually not wanting to be seen. He'd linger in the background, and afterwards convince my mother and I to go out for pie and coffee in celebration, even if it was a school night. I remember sitting on his porch drinking 7up with a lime after every lesson while he had a martini. One every day. We'd turn on Benny Goodman or Artie Shaw and he'd have me play along with the CD or the record player so that I would start to sound just like them. He had shelf after shelf of records--numbered and alphabetized. I remember the day he told me I was better than him. I remember the day when he cried telling me how important I was in his life, how proud he was of me.

He taught me not just to play notes, but to sing.

It's the piece of advice I give to every young musician I come across. When I listened to some of these students today I thought, "Has anyone every told you to sing the music? Don't just play it."  And I remember when he died--after my senior year of high school, during summer vacation. I remember going to his funeral and being so disappointed. Here was a man who had brought music into so many lives and not a single instrument was played or note struck at his funeral. His funeral was common. It was normal. He was not. If I'd had my instrument and I had known, I would have gotten it out and played a tune in his honor.

I remember thinking that it was probably for the best that he died before I went to college. It might have broken his heart that I was going off to play volleyball and not become "the next Artie Shaw." But then again, if he could see me now, he'd see that the music is still there inside me. That I'm still singing. And I think, my children are singing. I think he'd be proud.

And then I think he'd say, "Get your kids some music lessons! What are you waiting for?" Okay, well maybe that's not what he'd say, but it's what I was saying to myself as I got in the car to drive home Sunday afternoon.

And do yourself a favor, go read Confessions Of A Pioneer Woman's post about soccer/children's choir. It's good.

beauty in the every day

I always feel funny posting late on a Friday afternoon. Like everyone has left for the weekend and I'm still in the office. I had a wonderfully relaxing evening yesterday...Elizabeth was having a late nap, Dan had taken the girls to the hardware store and I was left, alone, in my kitchen to prepare supper. Last night was the first dinner meal I've prepared for my brother-in-law, while he has been here helping with the new house. And as I sat at the table and peeled apples for a quick batch of applesauce and mixed together the bright yellows of farm fresh eggs and lemon zest for a cake, I was reminded of how much I enjoy cooking for people, having people over to eat and talk and relax. It's one of the things I've neglected while living here in the apartment and one of the things I enjoy. It's one of the things I look forward to doing more of once we have a little more room around the table.

There's something romantic about working in the kitchen. Following a creative process from raw materials--eggs, flour, sugar--to end product--a warm bowl of applesauce, a lemony cake. It's part of the beauty in the every day.

I hope you find a little beauty in your every day this weekend.

See you on monday.

work week progress

It's been a busy week so far--ferrying lunches and mid-morning snacks over to the "new" house, fitting in a load of laundry and a trip to the grocery store here and there. The girls are champing at the bit, knowing Dan is just around the corner, and yet so busy.

And of course I waited until the last minute to tackle a birthday present for my cousin (yes, when you're father comes from a family of 15, you have cousins the same age as your own children) whose little birthday get-together was tonight.

It was her turn for a pillow, just like I had done for her older brother a year or two ago. I think she knew it was coming, especially when she saw a soft, square gift, wrapped in paper. And she was happy. This project made me realize two things:

1. My fabric supply needs some replenishing--starting with the fact that I need some more solid colors and simple prints.

2. I love hand sewing. The minute I sat down in my rocking chair, flicked on the lamp beside me and began to stitch up the last little opening on the pillow, I felt so much busy-ness and stress and worry leave my mind and body. I need to make more time for this kind of simple sewing, or even knitting. It brings such peace. Isn't it a gift that we have these simple ways to unwind?

Dan and his brother have been doing some crafting of their own at the house this week--tearing out and replacing rotten logs, and laying down new floor. It has been so fascinating to see the old bones of the house. The progress is slow and there's always something that doesn't go as planned. But having the extra help here and the solid week of work is making things move along.

I intended to share some good mail in this post, too...but I think I'll call it quits for tonight. My book, journal and clean sheets are calling to me. And I need to coax my achy, sore, tired husband from the couch to the bed. The girls tucked him in before I took them to bed for the night--he has a pillow over his face and a blanket draped over his knees and ankles. I'm going to guess he'll be more comfortable in our bed.

More soon......good night, friends.

the boys are back in town

Dan and his brother arrived safely home after a 21 hour drive, two fill-ups of a 50 gallon diesel truck, and a stay in a hotel that, as my brother in law put it, "I felt dirtier after my morning shower than when I began." But they are here.

My sous-chefs and I went over to the house this morning with egg sandwiches and warm muffins and they were already up to their eyebrows in work. I walked in to a bare dining room floor consisting only of the log beams running across the floor and an eerie view into the basement. They're jacking things up and preparing to lay down the barn flooring later in the day. I try not to ask details, just the basics, like, "Now when we put our dining room table on this floor, will we fall through to the basement?"

And right now, I shouldn't be sitting here, but dealing with the unmade bed on my right, the hairy, dusty floors below me, the piles of laundry I'm tripping over in front of the washing machine, and the thousand legger corpses in my kitchen sink. They come out in droves when our house sits empty for any length of time. And they seriously creep me out.

But I'm drinking my reheated coffee from this morning--three hours later. And taking the moment to pop in and say hello and thank you--for all your overwhelmingly encouraging and "I'm so happy for you" comments from my last post. You're great people. What would I do without you all? Thank you for reading the long version and for taking your precious time to leave me a comment and tell me about your experience, your excitement, your understanding. It really means the world.

More reno pictures coming, I'm sure. But first I must regain control of the apartment homestead.

(The muffins were from the current issue of EDF. The basic recipe and I added a topping made of brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, flour and some oats to sprinkle on top. yum.)

Happy Monday. (Oh and go here to get yourself some free pastels from Pentel. One per household and use the promotional code SA2008. )