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Decades of T-shirts

Aug 28th, 2008 by

I’ve acquired many T-shirts over the years.  (The OED capitalizes the “T.”)  Many are difficult to part with, even though I rarely wear them anymore.  They are imbued with nostalgia, with sweat marks, and with delightful dyes.  Each has a story.

Alas, as I have aged to a ripe six-and-twenty, I now enter a professional life with State licensing, malpractice insurance, and billable hours pursuing me every waking moment.  Accordingly, I’ve begun planning a wardrobe purge–and believe me, little excites me less than the thought of clothes-shopping.

Em (as by now, gentle reader, you must have surmised that your loyal blogger matriarch has not authored this post) turned to rid my bureau of its most prized possessions, adding to the Goodwill stack shirts of her own.  In tribute, therefore, I conceived this post in order to bid a final farewell to many an important T-shirt.

(N.B.: WordPress likes to convert my perfect HTML into its imperfect attempt at “assisting” me in its automatic conversion from sensible HTML to nonsense. Bear with me, as the photos are poorly aligned. Alas.)

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Slow Cooker Cassoulet

Aug 28th, 2008 by

This one’s for Kat, who asked me about our favorite soup/stew recipes, and for Leann, who is looking for new and exciting ways to eat beans.  This is one of our favorite cheap winter recipes, from the cookbook of Alice Robinson, an amazing hostess from my church growing up.  We’ve also eaten it in Carcassonne, where I believe the meat was rabbit, not smoky links…

Slow Cooker Cassoulet

(1/2 cup chopped onion) –I don’t usually add because I prefer a bit of minced garlic

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 lb. cocktail-sized smoky links (or slices of kielbasa, or sausage, or any type of meat)

1 or 2 cans pork and beans (or red kidney beans, or whatever you have on hand)

(2 cups frozen baby lima beans) –I usually add pinto beans instead

2 c. frozen green beans

(1/3 cup packed brown sugar)–I don’t add anymore because we like it less sweet

1/2 cup catsup

1 T. vinegar

1 tsp. prepared mustard

2 bay leaves

In slow cooker, combine all ingredients.  Stir to mix.  Cook in slow cooker for 4-8 hours or can bake in covered 3 qt. casserole for 1 1/2 hours (stirring once after 20 minutes.

The great thing about this recipe, as you may see from all my adjustment notations, is that it’s a really basic recipe, but it’s really flexible with what kind of beans or veggies you like or have on hand.  We’ve played around with different seasonings, but we think that the simple combination of catsup, mustard, and bay leaves is the best flavor for us.  You can drain and rinse your canned beans before adding, or you can dump in the whole can for a little added sweetness.  (That’s when we leave out the extra brown sugar to avoid feeling like we’re just eating baked beans.)  Even if you add a bit of meat, it’s mainly a bean-based dish.  By buying all Aldi canned beans and the little smokies on sale during the holidays, it ends up being very inexpensive.  As Derek says (in his very limited French), “Je veux le cassoulet!!!”

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One Nap

Aug 23rd, 2008 by

Blogging from Denver, where the sunrises are beautiful (I should know)…

This week Tommy decided that he is a one-nap dude.  We’ve been spoiled by his two 90-120 minute naps each day, when, out of the blue, at the 18 month mark, he decided that the second nap was unnecessary.  Throw in the travel chaos of this week, and his sleep needs have suddenly decreased from 16 hours a day to about 9.  Last night we rolled into Denver after 13 hours in the car and didn’t get him to bed until about 9:30.  Since Tommy operates on the “less sleep I get, less sleep I need” principle (basically, the more sleep-deprived he is, the earlier he gets up), he woke us at the delightful hour of 4:00 am.  I don’t get up willingly at that time unless I’m nursing or being paid $7.11 an hour to make coffee.  Since Geneva was still sleeping in the next room (like reasonable, well-behaved 18 month olds are wont to do at 4 am), we came downstairs to play.  When that got too loud, we headed out to explore the subdivision and watch the sunrise.  I must admit, I was praying pretty hard that this sleep deprivation would be an opportunity for sanctification instead of anger at my child, and I’m not sure how well it worked, but by the time the clouds turned purple and pink, I was at least relenting on offering Tommy up for adoption on ebay. 

With my generous husband taking over with baby duty, I turned in for a nice, long nap that has me feeling a lot more human.  Tommy, however, fell asleep on our (second) morning walk and did a quick one hour nap that I fear may be all we can get today.  Oh well, at least I know that when he’s so sleep deprived from today that he wakes up early tomorrow, we’ll have a lovely sunrise waiting for us on a walk.

Query for fellow moms: How long did it take for your kiddos to settle down once they dropped that second nap?  This transition may the most brutal yet (at least for me!)…

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Tommy's Last Day

Aug 21st, 2008 by

Today was Tommy’s last day in our Manderly Drive house.  I was so sad about all the “lasts”…last night in his room, last playtime in the basement, last climb up the stairs, last nap in St Louis.  I told him to say “bye-bye” to our house, but he was so excited to get into the new “Doot-doot” (the Vue) that he didn’t even wave to the house as we pulled out of the driveway.  I have so many memories of him in that house…will he remember any of them?  First veggies (carrots), first time in a high chair, having his own room, learning to crawl, hanging out in his exersaucer on the front porch while Mommy did yardwork, dressing up as a hot dog for Halloween, playing in a leaf pile, making a snowman, proving that he knew what “no” meant when he learned not to touch the Christmas tree, looking out the window for Daddy every evening, starting to talk and sing and dance, the first birthday party, weaning, learning to walk, playing hide and seek, Saturday morning family cuddle sessions, climbing up to his chair onto the top of the built-in bookshelves to sit and read a good book, pushing his little doot-doot (push truck) all around the house, helping swiffer the floors, the first haircut, and many, many more.  No, he won’t remember any of those things, but I’ll have the pictures and video to show him and lots of stories to tell about our beloved little house in St. Louis.

Posted in Family, Tommy | 2 Comments »

Biscuits Supreme

Aug 19th, 2008 by

Laura Liebmann gave me this recipe as part of a great collection of recipes and household tips from my Hillsdale bridal shower.  Shortening-based recipes are great for families like ours with dairy allergies/intolerance, and it’s easy to substitute the milk with silk or rice milk (either have worked well for us).

Biscuits Supreme

2 cups sifted flour (I’ve used 1/3 cup whole wheat in there)

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup shortening (butter-flavored transfat-free crisco is my shortening of choice)

2/3 cup milk (or Silk or rice milk)

Mix the dry ingredients.  Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the milk all at once, and stir until the dough follows the fork.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for half a minute.  Pat to 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter (we use a glass).  Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 450 for 10-12 minutes, until golden.  Makes about 16.

(I’ve also just done these as ball biscuits when I’m short on time–I skip the kneading and just shape the dough into a ball before I drop it on the pan.  They are more crumbly that way but go well with chili, stews, and other dishes that Derek would crumble his biscuits into, anyway.)

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18 Month Stats

Aug 18th, 2008 by

Today Tommy is 18 months and one day old.

He weighs 29 lbs. 5 oz. (80th %)

He is 32 3/4 inches tall (60th %)

His head diameter is 19 1/8 (don’t have a %, but the nurse said “wow”…)

He is healthy and right on track developmentally.  Praise God for his continued health and safety!

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Olympic Musings, Part Three

Aug 15th, 2008 by

Well, I’ve been switching between the NBC and CBC Olympic coverage these last couple of days, and I have to say that I’m not as wowed by Canadian tv as everyone had said I would be….

Derek’s big complaint about NBC coverage is that they highlight gymnastics and swimming and Americans in medal contention.  I’m realizing that those things are what I want to watch!  I do give props to CBC for showing something other than beach volleyball in non-primetime coverage.  I like normal volleyball, but girls in bikinis in the sand just doesn’t seem like a real sport.  But when both stations are showing the same event, NBC is more professional, and I really would rather hear more about the Americans (who are usually medal contenders) than the Canadians who usually aren’t.  Don’t get me wrong–in honor of our favorite Canadian, we cheer for the Canadians next after the Americans.  (Australians and Brits tie for a distant third–except in swimming, when I assume that the Aussies are doping and don’t cheer for them at all.)  But I’m fiercely patriotic when it comes to sports, and NBC shows me replays of the athletes I recognize.

When we go home, I will miss the HD tv and the extra cable channels of coverage.  Watching Michael Phelps with rabbit ears and a tiny screen wasn’t as exciting as it has been here.  As for CBC…..I’m underwhelmed.

Posted in Musings | 1 Comment »

A Two Car Family

Aug 14th, 2008 by

vueWe can now announce the most exciting news of the week–we are now a two-car family! Here is a stock photo (since our camera/computer issues continue) of our beautiful new (for us) 2005 Saturn Vue.

Now some of my readers may be wondering…didn’t Emily just email me this weekend to ask about bikes? Wasn’t she planning to buy a bike and a trailer for Tommy so they could save gas and let Derek have the car for work? What happened to that brilliant idea?…well, as of Monday morning, I was still gathering advice on bikes, cheerfully thinking that Tommy and I were destined to zoom around the streets of Chicago for a few months. Then Derek took our car into the shop for an oil change and tune-up. After they suggested a couple thousand dollars worth of repairs that all probably are needed soonish, he came home and started looking up used Vues in town. After all, we have about 5,000 miles of driving planned this month, and do you really want to do that in August, in a car with 130,000 miles and lots of necessary repairs, with a toddler? So by Monday afternoon we were at the Saturn dealership in St. Charles, test driving. After three and a half hours (handled very patiently by Tommy, who was in heaven surrounded by doo-doos [cars]), we emerged as proud owners of a second Saturn vehicle (#5 for the Willett family).

 And let me tell you, our road trip to Detroit has never been easier!  Yay for SUVs!

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Olympic Musings, Part Two

Aug 12th, 2008 by

You know, I really haven’t missed my computer or decent internet access very much this week. Guess it’s because I continue to be glued to the Olympics. Good thing most of the exciting events are after Tommy’s bedtime, or our minimal-tv-for-children standards would have to fall by the wayside!

My discovery of yesterday–men’s gymnastics (which I don’t really remember watching before) is really exciting! I was just waiting for more swimming (if Michael Phelps is due up, the housework WILL be neglected), and I actually got caught up in the athleticism of the US gymnasts. Great. Another Olympic sport for me to watch…

Also, I think I need to credit the US men’s 4×100 relay for inspiring me to great feats of athleticism. I took three walks yesterday–one with Derek and Tommy in his wagon, one long one to Target and the post office, and my traditional Monday night walk-and-talk date with Leann. Two and a half hours of walking in 12 hours makes for sore calves.

My next post will be from Detroit, where Derek assures me that Canadian Olympic coverage is vastly superior to NBC. Stay tuned for my own assessment…

Posted in Musings | 2 Comments »

Olympic Musings, Part One

Aug 9th, 2008 by

Since my computer is really dead (and all of our pictures and videos from the last week are trapped on it until we get a new one), my blog posts will not be as well-illustrated for a while.

So I’m totally an Olympic junkie, and as much as I dislike rewarding human rights-violating countries with positive press coverage, I’m going to watch as much of the Olympics as possible! My musings on the opening ceremonies, which I only watched for about 2 hours off and on:

–I guess Le Bron James is the only American athlete competing in these Games. Too bad, because I had heard of some others that would have been fun to see in the Parade of Nations. I guess NBC disagreed with me.

–I thought the little kid marching in with Yao Ming was pretty cute….until the announcers told us the story of him saving two of his classmates in the earthquake for the fifth time in as many minutes. Just in case we’d forgotten. Gotta love Bob Costas! Also, I guess Yao Ming is the only Chinese athlete that anyone (or NBC) cares about. The other 600+ were conveniently ignored.

–I still think the Archer lighting the flame in the ’92 Barcelona Games was the best of my memory, but this one was pretty cool.

–I want to watch all of Michael Phelps’ races with the suspense of ignorance, so I’m going to have to drive around without listening to the radio for the next couple of weeks. Because let’s face it, swimming is only exciting when you don’t know the outcome (sorry, Peter!). Stupid time change tape-delay…I’m still bitter about having the ’98 Lady’s Figure Skating finals ruined for me just two hours before I was scheduled to watch it…

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