December 24, 2011

Everyone is asleep and Santa has already visited! Now it's time for me to blog and go to bed! There is a warm cosy fire and I really want to read right now, but I have a feeling morning is going to come early here!

Christmas Eve at our house.

This is such a typical scene. My grandma and Danielle. my SIL working the electric frying pans. They are always in this spot.  My grandma has the fish and Danielle is working the perioges. Look at my brother trying to sneak something like he's 8 years old. There is my mom in the edge of the picture. My guess is that these ladies are discussing the "doneness" of the perioges. See how my grandma is leaning. She's leaning like she has an opinion about something... 

 There are two perioge factions here. One likes them crispy on the outside and one likes them golden. They did half and half this year.  

I didn't even have one.... Shhhh.... Don't tell anyone.

Someday when that picture is different I'll be glad I took this tonight. As my grandma was coming in to fry the fish she said "Well this is probably the last time I'll be doing this...."

Though that is not the first time she's said that! She's said it for like 5 years.

She'll be 88 in April.

And everyone enjoyed their meal.

16 full bellies! We had people eating in the living room too.  Both sides. Siblings, parents, cousins, grandma and Bob. Everyone had a nice time

Why yes, those ARE fresh greens on the table....

My neighbors visited after dinner tonight and right this very minute my other neighbors next door are out on their deck SINGING CHRISTMAS SONGS..... Their deck is close to my porch and I have a door to that porch in my living room. They are loud, but boy are they having a good time!

Christmas is in the air!

December 5th- Home at Last

After working 32 hours in 3 days, it was nice to have a nice normal day with my girl when she got home from school.

She asked me this morning if I thought I had to work on Christmas Eve.... oh my...(I don't, of course.) but talk about mommy guilt....

She's rocking that hat, although she doesn't like being told she looks cute in it.

Christmas Cheer

Tonight we went to Dinner With Santa at the school where my husand teaches.

These are the only photos that I have of her on Santa's Lap. I mean ever, not just tonight. Historically she has been terrified of him and tells me she's "Going to let Santa Surprise Me" just so she doesn't have to go and talk to him.

All she told him that she wanted was a Zu Zu Pet and a Barbie....Guess what? Santa didin't buy either of those things this year! I guess Santa still needs a few things.

After, we went to Starbucks, got some coffees and a kids hot cocoa and went crusing for Chistmas lights. This was one of those houses. It was the biggest one I've ever seen. It's also a really huge house. Look at the gigantic santa in the left hand side of the picture!!!!

These pictures don't do it justice. This display was incredible with all kinds of lights and statues and nativity and santa... It was so fun and crazy. You can't believe the traffic on this street either. While we were there a bus full of old people drove on by. The street ends a few houses down in a circle. I'm sure the neighbors were thrilled.

A good time was had by all. 

Where I Decide Not To Forage For Food

Yesterday we went pumpkin and apple picking. While there, I noticed a large tree that had many many shiny gorgeous chestnuts surrounding it's base.

Sweet Chestnuts

I love roasted chestnuts. I love them plain and with roasted Brussels Sprouts. I love them in stew. I love them with a glass of red wine. Love them! I picked some up off the ground. My daughter told me to drop them because she didn't want them in the car.

I didn't listen to her and hid them from her in my pockets.

A while later as we continued to drive I was musing on my luck at finding the nuts and that I was going to roast them for dinner.

My daughter, upon hearing this, asked if I brought some chestnuts with us. When I answered "Yes" she freaked out. She cried and told me to throw them out the window. She told me I shouldn't eat them. That I couldn't eat them. I laughed at her (nicely)  because I roast them all the time. She got really irate. It was pretty crazy because she loves picking plants and eating them. This year especially, she has been all in my herb garden learning their names and which ones are edible. (don't worry, she knows exactly which ones are and which ones she can try and aside from a brief period when all she wanted to do was cut and carry chives around with her, all has been fine. Trust me, you don't want to travel around with a child who smells like onions.)

But she was so irate that I told her I would look them up on the computer when I got home.

And when I got home, I found out the chestnuts were Horse Chestnuts. Toxic to humans Horse Chestnuts......That look a lot like the Sweet Chestnuts that I love. 

Horse Chestnuts

From Poisonous Plants Website: "Horse chestnut poisoning is rarely fatal, but typically causes vomiting, loss of coordination, stupor, and occasionally, paralysis." Most poisonings occur from people roasting and eating the fruit in the mistaken belief that they are the same as sweet chestnuts. They aren’t!

I don't know how she knew I should not eat them or really, what made her feel that way. Did she have a hunch? Was her intuition kicking in while I blatantly ignored mine in the face of free food???? (God, I AM a glutton.....)

I told her I was wrong and she was right and that we should not and would not be eating those nuts. 

At any rate, this all became a very very good lesson about NOT just eating something if you aren't sure what it is/where it came from. And even if you are sure, you need to be really sure. (And possibly, just buy all your nuts at the store.)

However, I think I may be the one who learned this lesson....

S/He Who Shall Not Be Named

Until we find out his/her gender for sure!!!

Yes folks, we thought it was a boy, but it looks like our new kitty just may be a girl. If you've never seen a kitty butt before, it's actually kind of hard to tell. Saturday I had both my husband and Leighanne studying illustrations from the internet and then gazing quizzically at the kitty's nether regions.

Whatever it is, it's a cutie and we're all settling in nicely together.

The first night it was pretty docile and I thought "Well isn't this just about the easiest thing, having a kitten." The next night it RAN ALL OVER ME. ALL NIGHT LONG.  And continues to do so. Why was I sleeping with it you ask? Well, the first night it decided it was not sleeping in it's new kitty bed AT ALL and as I was laying there it's started clawing it's self up the bedspread and landed up at my head. It thinks that is where it belongs. And I don't know how to convince it otherwise because it just keeps climbing back up.

It's actually smaller than it appears in these pictures.

The Cat is Out of The Bag

Well almost....

Tomorrow I'm taking my girl  on a surprise shopping trip because we need to get supplies for the kitten that is joining our household on Friday. She has very little idea although I have been asking her for the past few weeks what she would name a boy cat if she had one. She doesn't know that this little guy is headed home this week though.(This isn't the actual cat but he looks very similar, with a little more white)

The kitten is 8 weeks old and was born at the Museum. He's an indoor cat and is going to stay that way. I've been visiting him on my lunch since he was born. There were 6 in the litter and each one seems very playful and friendly. They live in the building that houses the interpreter staff (those are the people in 19th Century garb) so they have seen a lot of people who routinely pick them up and play with them. The momma is staying in that building and one of the kittens is going to become a pioneer kitten at the Pioneer Homestead.

I've never had a kitten so I've been reading up. Tomorrow we.re getting a kitty bed (I have a carrier already), scratching post, Iams food (that's what they've been eating) some litter & litter box stuff, a brush and some toys. Anything else I need?  I'm up in the air over litter. Clay? Pine? Wheat? Something less smelly preferably. This little guy is going to live in the spare bedroom upstairs for awhile until he's acclimated.  We're going to the vet next week.

Names-We're up in the air about names. My daughter insists that if she DID ever have a boy cat, she would call him Tom. I do not want a cat named Tom. I want something 19th Century or Museum related. Some ideas that have been thrown around:

• Thomas Jefferson This was suggested as a replacement for Tom but I can't imagine having a cat called Thomas Jefferson.
• Heathcliff
• Adam
• Watson (Sherlock seemed a little pretentious) 
• Something after one of the museum buildings-Hosmer, Livingston, Foster, McKay, Hamilton, Hyde, Jones.
• Whele, after John Whele, the museum founder, however 2 other cats from this litter have been named Whele already.
• We've been trying to think of a 19th century food but calling a cat Johnny Cake or Hardtack doesn't work. There are a ton of Civil War names but we're not reenactors or anything like that.
• Greives, after the museum's brewery.

We're pretty much at a loss as you can see. I think we're going to just being him home and see what he looks like after a few days.

Ear Infections, Holistic Remedies and Wegmans

Friday evening my girl complained that her ear hurt so we gave her some Children's Tylenol and I told her that we would need to call her Dr in the morning.  At 11 pm she woke up crying hysterically that it really hurt and we held her for the next hour while she cried until she finally exhausted herself and fell back to sleep.

 

Current sick bay in our house includes a full size tent and 

that creepy guy from Yo Gabba Gabba. 

Upon visiting the Dr this morning, he determined that she has infections in both ears.  I mentioned to him that I wasn't sure last night if I could have given her more Tylenol before the 4 hrs was up. He told me no, I should not do that, BUT, a good trick is to warm a little olive oil up and put a few drops in the ear and it stops the pain almost immediately. I love that guy! Olive oil. Doesn't this sound like a trick from the old country? I half expected him to tell me to rub her ear with a garlic clove too.  Her Dr, is not at all like someone from "The Old Country" and in truth, is probably not much older than I am. But this is a hint I can use. My girl is an ear infection kid so I'm sure this will come up again.

I also noticed that the Dr's office was offering H1N1 vaccines to parents or grandparents of their patients. I did not get one but I did note that this was in stark contrast to the hysterical flu clinics that were happening around town where people were on the news paralyzed with fear that they might not be able to get one.  This is not really germain to the story but I thought it was an interesting aside.

On to Wegmans where I went to fill the prescription. What a nice surprise when it rung up FREE. Yes, free. Like don't even need to see my insurance card, no co-pay, just give me the medication and the little plastic spoon and send me on my way free. They did this for a month last year but apparently now they offer it all the time. I think this is such a generous thing.What business gives products away? Just another reason why Wegmans rocks.

I felt like everyone was helping to make my girl feel better today.

Tonight she's much better & I think the tent did as much to make her feel better as the antibiotics!

Zipper Anxiety

As practice for kindergarten,my girl's teacher had all the kids line up in the hall today and whoever could put their coat on and zip it up would get a sticker.

My daughter, like most children her age, gets inordinately excited over getting a sticker. My cynical side wants to take her aside and assure her she can buy herself as many sticker as she wants when she gets older, but I know that's not the point. The point is to get your coat on. And ZIP it...

I knew there was going to be trouble as zipping isn't something she's mastered yet.

She gets the coat on. And tries to zip it

No luck.

She tries some more. Children all around her are all zipped up and proudly wearing stickers on their coats. A small boy who called me "A little old" a few weeks back, tells me: "She's can't do it."

Thanks Captain Obvious.....

I can see this really start to bother her. I'm standing against the wall opposite her in the hallway and trying not to burn holes in her coat with my laser-like stare.  My hands are practically tingling with the need to zip her jacket.

She's struggling. I watch. I think I started sweating.....

I try and use my powers of telekinesis to will the darn thing to zip, but to no avail.... 

She faces the wall and starts to cry. Her teacher tells her that she'll do it again on Wed so she'll get another chance. This does not make her feel better.

I go over, bend down and ask if she'd like to work on it a little more.

Now she's pretty stubborn and sometimes when she can't do something she completely gives up so I wasn't sure how this was going to work out. 

She literally took a deep breath and dove back into the task. I was so proud of her.

After many anxiety inducing tries, she FINALLY gets it all zipped up. I finally exhale the breath I've been holding. Other mommies and her teacher make a big deal out of this. She gets the sticker. I go over to her.  She buries her head in my shoulder and whispers,

""Now I have another problem, I've very embarrassed."

The cynical side of me wants to tell her that there will be way bigger things for her to feel embarrassed over in her lifetime,  but I know that's not the point. I can't even tell her it's no big deal because she's embarrassed and really, that's how she feels.....

Good lord, THESE are the things people forget to tell you about parenting. That some day you will be standing in the pre-school hallway and will be unable to do anything about your child's struggles or embarrasment. You will WATCH  and pray she gets it.  Because IF you help her, you really aren't helping her and she still won't get the sticker. And then you will reflect on how this is merely the beginning of this process for you and for her.

This will overwhelm you a little.  This is why people forget to tell you these things.

I wonder if her teacher was training me today more than she was making sure my girl could zip up for next year.

Next year I may look for a coat with buttons.

Indian Night

This weekend we had Indian night.

At one time, my husband dated an Indian girl and as a result, developed a great love of Indian food & culture. In fact, on one of our first dates he took me to my first Indian restaurant. He ate the entire meal with his hands while I shot sidelong glances at the other diners, none of whom were using their digits like utensils. The whole thing was a little bizarre. Luckily, the waitress was suitably impressed enough for me to figure out that this was completely acceptable. Knowing my penchant for authenticity you would think I would have been more impressed by this than I was.  I was just happy when they came around with hot towels at the end of the meal....

But I digress.

Saturday, my husband took our daughter to the Indian market where they came back with a myriad of Indian fare from homemade samosas to Indian snack food, Indian beer, mango juice and mango ice cream for dessert. They also bought incense, henna tattoos and bindis (sparkly ones!) for our foreheads. We made black gram lentil curry (from a package) and Beef Vindaloo, from scratch!  The beef was crazy good and not too spicy, even my daughter liked it. It was served over rice with a side of chapati bread, which one could use to scoop up the food with. I still opted for a fork....

We let our daughter wear the Sari that we have. She looked so cute all wrapped up! I actually wore the skirt of the sari with a tee shirt and Indian scarf. We both wore the bindis but apparently I put them too high on our foreheads (I think perhaps a slavic woman's 3rd eye may be located higher up.) We also listened to Bollywood faves on Pandora as a musical accompaniment!

Theres a Whole Lotta Chopping Going On

Around here...


We've got a pretty delicious Thanksgiving meal planned this year. However, it seems that it has a lot of pieces. Vegetable pieces that is. So my Dad picked up my daughter this morning so I could spend the day chopping. Tomorrow we can start the actual cooking, but today I'm just working on getting the food to the point where we can cook it. On my list of things to chop-Shallots, Leeks, Garlic, Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Mushrooms, Bread (which I need to first bake for stuffing), herbs & bacon.

I really like this kind of meal prep when I have the time. If I do it this way, then the cooking goes much easier for us. Tomorrow I will bake desserts and assemble the side dishes that I can. By Thanksgiving much of the work will be done and we can just pop the stuff in the oven. My husband is completely in charge of the turkey, although I just made a pancetta sage butter for the outside of it. My fridge is filled with lots of butter and enough heavy cream to give anyone a heart attack.

Today I've got a fall scented candle burning and Christmas music (uugh, I KNOW) playing and I'm in a Zen chopping mode. I'm thinking of my family who will eat this food and thinking of it all as an act of love. I'm not at all bothered by the fact that I'm spending days on this meal that will be consumed in 30 minutes. That's the complaint of so many a woman who has slaved over something all day long only to see it completely devoured isn't it. I think if I was rushing to get it done and had to produce it in one day then that IS how I would feel. This way I get to enjoy the process of it without that feeling.

Grandma Bags Thanksgiving

I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year. Yesterday my grandma called me to tell me that she would not be attending.

The reason:

She has to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend's family........

Hmmm...Isn't that something the granddaughter is supposed to call and say? Who the heck made me the adult that you call to beg off for major holidays? When did this shift occur? It's like I woke up one day and was all grown up.....

I don't mind at all. She really wants to do this for him because they always spend it with us and he hasn't had Thanksgiving with his own family for quite some time. She said they might even stop over for dessert or something.

That is if they don't have to stop off and make out somewhere in his Cadillac.

Holey Crap

My almost-5-year-old daughter, much to my chagrin, no longer naps. Once in a while she'll doze off, but not usually. And trust me, by that time of day, I really need a break.

We've instituted quiet time in her room. She listens to a book on tape/cd. Once in a while, classical music. Sometimes she lies in bed and sometimes she plays quietly with some of the toys in her room or draws with markers/crayons. It's all very peaceful. Usually.....

So it was, yesterday when I went upstairs to work in my study. After about 20 minutes there was hysterical crying coming from her room. I rushed down the stairs and when I flung open the door I stood there, mouth wide open, dumbfounded. (clearly I am easily dumbfounded these days.)

She had taken her child safety scissors and CUT HOLES IN HER PANTS AND SHIRT. The ones she was wearing!!! Lots of holes.....Big holes. There was hair laying around her on the floor. Actually, she has so much hair that it was hard to find where she cut if from. Today I found more of her hair hidden under her bed. Stephanie suggested she was rebelling from the other day when I would not let her wear a dirty shirt out in public....

She was crying so much that I didn't even have to reprimand her. She KNEW she had done something wrong. She buried her head in my shoulder and I could not even get her to look at me. I tried hard not to laugh audibly. I just could not believe she had the nerve to cut such BIG holes.

In for a penny, in for a pound I guess.

Where I Pick My Battles

Here is a picture of my daughter eating an Heirloom Tomato like an apple.

Note the crown she got the day before at "King Burger" with my mother. She won't take this crown off her head and puts it next to her bed at night while she sleeps like a real princess. She wore it into Wegmans yesterday and I could feel the eyes of all of the other moms peering into my cart to see what kind of junk food I let her have after obviously plying her with fast food before our trip to the store.

This may be worse than last year when she insisted on wearing a winter knit hat into the library in the middle of summer while wearing a dress. At least then I looked like a hippy mommy rather than a junk food mommy!

How Time Flies!

My oh my it's September already.

I've been gone from the blog for the entire summer really and I'm sure I have scarcely a reader left-Come back you 10 readers I had before!!! I'm here!

At any rate, since my husband is back to school (he's a teacher) and my girl starts her pre-school class on Monday I'm getting back into a routine of sorts and hope to be posting regularly again!

We had the most wonderful summer. I don't think I've ever had so much fun. Even as a child with a long stretch of summer vacation in front of me, my parents never had me THIS busy doing stuff I liked!

In addition to the stuff posted in my prior post we also:

-Went to Niagara Falls and the Niagara Aquarium-Frankly being THAT close to the edge of the falls with my daughter made me a nervous wreck-And it's not like she's prone to jump off railings or anything like. It's just so OPEN. This got me curious and of course I had to google death at Niagara falls when I got home (BTW, between 20-25 people jump over the falls in a given year! Yikes!)
-Went to Springdale farms-a local farm/petting zoo run but people with developmental disabilities.
-Had a garage sale
-Had a bunch of campfires with Smores in our backyard
-Hosted dear friends at our home for a week (and ate with them at all of their favorite old hangouts here!)
-I went to my 20th High School Reunion
-Got a lovely Coach bag at a Garage Sale-This was a SERIOUS score!
-Saw Oceans Alive at the Planetarium
-Spent time splashing in our kiddie pool
-Visited more farmers's markets
-Attended Laura Ingall's Day at the Genesee Country Museum with other dear friends
-Harvested so many wonderful veggies from our garden
-Had many picnics all around town
-Went on a local home tour
-I caught up with a friend I had not seen in 18 years and spent a whole afternoon talking!
-Gave the welcome speech to my daughter's whole nursery school
-Visited many playgrounds and libraries!
-Ate in our Gazebo.

I'm not happy it's over but I do have stuff to do around here-Like laundry for starters!!

See you soon!

I get by with a little help from my friends.....

I'm fortunate that I get a lot of good stuff free! (or for a very low cost.) Personally I think it's because people know I like and will take free stuff. I'm not squeamish about secondhand. I go to garage sales and happily purchase things for my use. This is not embarrassing to me at all.

(on a Small side note, a friend was once very embarrassed to offer me some of her clothes she didn't want. (some with tags still on them) she was giving ME the clothes and SHE was embarrassed! I wasn't and still happily wear her jeans!) I would rather spend nothing, create no waste, and put someone else's money to good use any day of the week!

I also hope it's because I try and relocate my things to good homes as well, when appropriate.

Ok you can probably tell by the picture what my freedbie is.

This is THE BEST FREEBIE I have ever received. Our friend Michael called with the offer from one of his friends. SOMEONE I DON'T EVEN KNOW. Apparently they offered it to to Michael but he already has one. He knew we didn't and thought of us. Saturday I took my girl to grandma's house and when I got home this wonderful thing was in my yard.... Seriously wonderful! My brother, Michael and their friend Chris had moved it and set it up for my girl. I cannot thank them enough!

It felt like Christmas around here. For her and for me! My girl didn't see it until Sunday and she has been on it ever since!

-New slide to replace cracked one. $69
-Trapeze to swing on. $34
-Friends and Family who go out of their way for you and your little girl: Priceless!

St Patrick and St Joseph

This is a neat week for our home. Tuesday we celebrated my Irish (through my Mulcahey Grandmother) roots with a St Patrick's Day dinner that featured Corned Beef and Cabbage, Irish music and dancing (Ok, technically the dancing was NOT Irish it was just the 3 of us bouncing around like rejects from a River Dance Audition.) Oh, and Guiness. But only 2 of us had that!!

This evening we celebrated my husband's Italian roots with a St Joseph's day dinner. (I guess any Catholics could celebrate St Joseph's day but I'm Catholic and had never heard of this before meeting my husband nor have I known anyone besides Italian Catholics to celebrate this. )

After pre-school, my girl and I headed over to Rubino's, the local Italian Specialty Food Store. As soon as you walk in this place you can smell it. That Italian food smell made up of cheese and pastry and spices and olive oil. I simply LOVE that place. They have the BEST home made sausage I have EVER tasted. TO DIE FOR. My favorite-Parsley, Wine & Cheese.

We purchased sauce for our Pasta Con Sarde. (and this was the actual kind we got!) St Joseph's Day Bread, Sausage, and Mini Canoli(Cheese, not cream!) Typically we have these St Joseph's day pastries called Sfinge and Sfogliatella but I didn't feel like driving to the Italian bakery in town too. The Cannoli were just fine!

After we did our shopping we sat at these little tables and had a slice of pizza for lunch. They have a HUGE array of lunch options from sandwiches to hot meals, to a special I saw today, Aunt Hattie's Tripe! We had a blast just sitting there eating and talking and watching people. I usually get the sauce early on account of my mother-in-law scaring me into thinking they might run out. (I took her some in Florida) but I think we may have started a new tradition of getting the sauce & accompaniments on the actual day-Making a special outing out of a simple meal of tradition.

Sometimes after saying grace before a special dinner or holiday we pause and each say "something nice about the holiday." as my daughter says. Tonight my husband said something about how we were celebrating Jeasus' earthly father. I said something relating to carrying on family traditions and my girl piped in with "I'm thankful that we get to eat this yummy bread!"

It was good!

Pierogi Making With Grandma Ruth

Today my grandma and I made 106 pierogi. We're Ukraininan so we call them Pedeha or Vereneke. (well we actually don't call them vereneke but a lot of Ukranians do)

Anyway, we made 106 of these and it took us 4 hours to do it. It was a slow process and it's a slow food as you roll out each piece of dough into a small circle. My grandma can't stand while she does it anymore so we sat at the table. And talked and talked. About all kinds of stuff. Funny stuff and sad stuff and meaningful stuff and gossip about her sister who is going all over the US with a new beau.

It reminded me that for eaons women have been huddled around tables or fires making Pierogi or tamales or homemade pasta or roasted wolly mammouth. More than just food was made around those community tables or fires. Now, in this time, in this place, cooking together is done so infrequently. (Heck, sometimes eating as a family is done infrequently) Last year I made them alone so its been 2 years since I've really cooked WITH my grandma. She's 85 this year, who knows how many more of these moments I get. How many times do I really get to slow down and talk to my grandma for 4 hours? When was the last time you talked with anyone for 4 hours? ( Leighanne and I talked for 4 hours at Starbucks the other evening and I'll tell you it was just as satisfying and less work.)

My grandma lives not far from my parents and I took them a plate for their dinner this evening. My father called both my grandma and I to tell us how much they loved them. The food of his youth made by his momma and daughter. How better to feel taken care of?

The ingredients for this meal are cheap, the experience is priceless.

Here are my two pierogi posts from last year if you are interested in my first attempt making them alone or the recipe.

Lonley Pierogi Maker
Pierogi Recipe

Birthday Cupcakes

I'm usually of the mind that food made at home is cheaper, healthier and tastes better than store bought or mixes. I can think of only one exception and it's the Wegman's Ultimate Chocolate Cake-My favorite cake!! But that little gem IS expensive and probably has things in it I wouldn't want in my food. (SO I don't read the label!)

Tomorrow is my girlie's 4th birthday celebration with family. (Lucky for my wallet and sanity we have not started the kiddie birthday party thing yet.) She wants pink and purple cupcakes with princess sprinkles. (I have translated that to mean pink and purple shiny sprinkles but I could be WAY off on that one!) On the plus side, I have a CHEAP killer cupcake recipe! I recently had cupcakes from Wegman's that were good. Probably full of crap. Let me tell you, this cupcake kicks the Wegman's cupcake's butt! (Did I just write that? I used to think of myself as edgy..Now I'm threatening a Wegman's cupcake....)

This recipe is by no means health food. It's all white flour. The icing is sweet enough to make your teeth hurt but it actually DOES pipe onto the cupcake like the ones you see here in the picture. The cake is not too sweet so it is actually a great cake for the icing.

It's simple! Not much harder than using a mix.There is nothing in this cake that you don't already have in your home.

It's made with real butter-I AM a butter snob, I'll admit it.

And really, it's a great cupcake!

I was going to type it out, but really, it's not my recipe so I'll just link you to it!

Best Cupcake and Frosting Recipe

It calls for self rising flour but you can make that yourself at home. For each cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Disney Princess Boots

Today my parenting moxie was tested. Not by something major and earth shattering mind you, but by a pair of Disney Princess Boots.

As I dropped my girl off at pre-school I told her I was going to buy her some boots. At that very moment she was walking by another girl and looked down and saw what I thought were an ugly pair of Disney Princess Boots. She looked up at me with the sweetest little voice and said:

"Mommy, can I PLEASE have boots like those?"

I was non-commital, mentioning that I didn't know where her mommy got them.

Apparently her mommy got them at Marshall's because they were RIGHT next to a pair of HIGH QUALITY black and purple boots that I wanted to get her.

I'm not much of a Disney Mommy. She's never seen the movies, I didn't plan to be a character buying parent (anyone who saw the red Elmo cake I made for her 2nd B-Day can laugh right now if they want.) and I don't like the idea of marketing to children. And I also think most character clothing looks cheap.

These princesses have come into our life through means completely not of our own making-through books she's been given and other girls at school with princess stuff.

Ok, it's not like I think the Disney Princesses are evil or anything extreme like that. It's just that I find the older Disney princesses vapid and longing only for husbands. It actually says in the book that the dwarves asked Snow White to stay because she COULD COOK. (one hopes that at least when she was wisked off by prince charming (who was actually a COMPLETE STRANGER), that she would at least have some domestic help to help her get over picking up after 8 sloppy men for god knows how long!) At least Belle in Beauty and The Beast likes book and gets to KNOW the Beast and loves him when he is a beast!

To my chagrin these princesses are enchanting my little girl.

What to do? I walked around that darn store with the purple boots for 30 min. I called Deanna over this moral crisis. Would I buy the nice sensible high quality boots or would I cave and get the princess boots. I would never choose something like those boots for her and yet, she, herself would be so pleased with them. I never say yes to stuff like this. Am I letting an ideal I don't support into my house on the soles of her feet or am I over thinking this?

I came to the conclusion I'm not any fun anymore and I bought the princess boots.

She loved them. Really loved them.

The only frugal thing about this entire activity is the fact that the Disney Boots actually cost less than the High Quality Purple Boots.

Seaside Gourmet

One of the happiest afternoons I've ever spent was sitting in beach chairs with Jen in the waves in Long Island Sound eating cherries and throwing the pits into the sea. We talked about everything that day. We had no schedule. We only had cherries to eat. They were the best cherries I've ever had. I even used that afternoon as my happy place visualization during childbirth (It did not work BTW...)

We have a park at the beach about 1 mile from my home. It's kind of hard to find, so as a result is usually quite empty. I took my girl there 3 times last week. We played in the sand and splashed in the water. When she was tired we sat with our toes in the water and drank watered down juice and Annie's Cheddar Bunnies. We talked. She asked me if I was tired. I said no, I just liked sitting with her. She said she liked sitting with me and that I was the "Best Mommy she ever had." They were the best cheddar bunnies I ever had.

It cost nothing. It was worth everything. It reminded me of why I'm frugal and what I'm doing here home with her. Sometimes I long for the days of 2 incomes. It was all so easy then. I liked having a job. I liked the money. I liked the people. I liked getting fancy coffee and eating out for lunch. I liked buying new furniture. I liked feeling important and smart.

I Love my girl.

Happy doesn't have to cost a dime.