Krafty Kitten

So, preparing for the holiday season is well underway.  I have Big Guy all shopped for and we’re working on Little Guy. I have a major weakness when it comes to Christmas shopping though.  I like to keep going.  Big Guy gets upset with me every year and tries to limit how much I can buy for him.  This year, when I made my first purchase, he immediately got irritated and told me I spent too much, even though it was under $25.  I think it’s because he’s somewhat flustered, having a wife who tries to dote on him on the holidays.

I have to figure out what we’re getting everyone else for the holidays and work from there.   It’s a different type of holiday than last year.  It will be our first Christmas without the kids.  Luckily, we have Little Guy to focus on and we can work to make it good for him.

Right now, I am also trying to plan my Christmas Eve dinner and breakfast.  For breakfast on Christmas day, I am strongly considering a meal of “Night Before French toast” (recipe to follow), sausage, bacon, coffee, and biscuits.  But dinner the night before is usually a good meal.  My mom comes over and we have our Christmas Eve family gift exchange.  This year, it looks like I am making a turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes… I’ll have a few finger food snacks and we’ll have a wonderful night.  I am excited and looking forward to it.

The big meal the night before enables me to play around the next day and not have to worry about meals.  And Christmas Day is one of my favorite things to do.

Night Before French Toast

1 loaf Texas Toast
lots of brown sugar
about 1 stick butter
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg

Directions:

Melt butter and brown sugar together stirring frequently.

Spray a 9×13 pan (important!) with cooking spray. Pour mixture on the bottom so it’s about 1/8 inch thick. Lay the bread slices on top of it.

Mix together eggs, milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour egg mix over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 and uncover the baking dish. Bake for 30 min. You can serve with toppings of your choice.

I’m still alive and kicking.  And around here, we’re preparing for the holiday season.  The past couple months have been exceedingly busy and involved classes, Halloween, and a dead computer.  Now, though, things seem to be settling down and I am trying to get a hold of myself in an attempt to prepare for the upcoming holiday season.

For Thanksgiving, we’re visiting family and eating heartily.  I made “Russian Tea Cakes” to take to both Big Guy’s parents and my mom’s meals.  These things are delectable, delicious, and completely fattening.  The recipe I follow is the same one my mom uses from Betty Crocker , with our own little differences of course.  We can never make a recipe without improving it somehow.

And on Friday, we did participate in the rampant consumerism that is Black Friday, but we also got something good out of it.  We ended up NOT buying at any of the major stores, for by the time we arrived, all the deals were gone.  What they had left was not enough to tempt us to brave those lines.  So, we went to breakfast and then went to Big Lots where there weren’t as many people and the deals were much better.  While there, we did find some good gifts for Little Guy to open Christmas Morning.

For the rest of the evening, I imagine we’ll play games, watch movies, and eat pizza.  And for that, I am truly thankful.

Russian Tea Cakes
1    cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2    cup powdered sugar
1    teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4    cups flour
3/4    cup finely chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1/4    teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar

1.    Heat oven to 350ºF.
2.    Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together. (If it still seems dry, cover and place in a warm spot for a few minutes.  The butter will start to bind the dough together a bit more.)
3.    Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4.    Bake 10 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.
5.    Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again.

I know I’ve been gone for a while but life and work have taken up most of my attention.  Our garden, despite late breaking efforts, has not fared so well this summer.  Big Guy and I both think that our difficulties this summer had something to do with it.  I am able to harvest some very delicious tomatoes which are FINALLY turning red.  The coolness of the weather this year affected their color and I still have more green tomatoes than red ones.

We’re coming to the end of the August class.  Starting next week, I have another class of students and the cycle starts all over again. I’ve decided to go in a different direction in some cases, especially since I have access to a nice computer and a projector.

However, in the meantime, I need to finish up my OMGSUPERSECRET project because I lost a week I thought I had to work on it.  And that is what I am doing today.  I am over 2/3rds done, I just need to get that final push done and finish it this week.  Once that’s done, I can breathe a little easier and actually have some free time.  Go me!

Right now, Little Guy and I are watching MSNBC’s coverage of the death of Senator Kennedy.  It truly is a sad day.  I can only hope the health care bill doesn’t fail because of this.  That would truly be horrible.  Something that man worked so hard for, he got so close to seeing the frution of his life’s work…  And then he dies.  It’s truly a tragic story, and perhaps another chapter of the Kennedy Curse.  I’ll post more thoughts on this later, particularly my reactions to the disgusting comments the Rabid Right have posted across the internet.

On the humerous side of this story.  Senator Kennedy was known as the “Lion of the Senate.”  Every time that moniker is placed on the screen, Little Guy exclaims: “Oh!  A Lion!”  He recognizes the word.  My sweet boy, so smart and turning in to such a good reader!

It’s been a busy week. I have to admit, I am glad it’s almost over.  For me, it really is.  I don’t have class tomorrow because they are moving to the new building and that means no teaching at all until Monday.  What a break!

Now, aside from grading, I really have time to focus on some other things…  Like writing in my blog and working on my OMGSOSUPERSOSECRETPROJECT and working on my novel. It’s been a rough summer, and it is probably only just beginning to hit us exactly how rough a summer it was.  I am going through, getting rid of clothes and gathering up toys, now that the house is mostly empty.  We’re still trying to adjust to life without the kids and it’s beginning to hit me exactly how much I put into the kids.

When Big Guy and I got together, I was determined to be the best step-mom ever.  I read books, made sure I didn’t overstep my bounds, and tried to follow the best, most rational advice available.  I offered support and guidance to my husband when he tired of the games his ex was playing and really devoted a lot of time and effort into both the battle and making sure the kids had the best chance at sanity that I could provide.

So, for six years, I threw myself whole-heartedly into being a step-parent, to the exclusion of many things that I really should have been doing for myself.  And this May, when that effort was revealed to be useless, I really felt betrayed and destroyed by it.  But, through June and July, other things occupied my thoughts and time.  And now, I’m left with myself, Big Guy and Little Guy.  And it’s leaving me feeling a bit jittery.

So, where do I go from here?  Well, I work on something else.  I focus on the things that are important, like Big Guy and Little Guy.  I work on my projects.  And I sit back and breathe, take stock of where I am and figure out what I am feeling (aside from the surface emotions).  This is a new chapter in my life, let’s see what it says…

Class has started and is jam packed.  30 students in one writing class is a lot and is going to require some fancy dancing to make sure I get them all taught properly.  NOT looking forward to grading.  But I do enjoy the teaching.

Speaking of teaching, Little Guy and I are working hard on reading.  My sister-in-law loaned us her copy of the LeapFrog DVD “Letter Factory” which Little Guy LOVES.  It teaches phonics, the sounds each letter makes and Little Guy has taken to pointing out letters when he sees them now and making their sound.  Today, we even began practicing writing.

As I wrote out the alphabet for him, Little Guy named each letter and made its sound.  I was so proud of him!  And then he wanted me to help him write ‘A’.  So we wrote the letter A over and over and over again. He held the pen and I guided his hand.  At the end I just had my hand over his while he wrote the letter and he did really well.  But, when I took my hand off of his, then it turned into a big circle.

I think a big reason that he is so interested in reading is due to the fact that we have bookshelves and books in nearly every room.  The front bedroom and his room have bookshelves, the family room has bookshelves, and my bedroom has a bookshelf.  There’s books all over the place and so he sees books all the time.  Chris and I are big readers and writers, so he gets to see that in progress as well.

I am so glad that he does see that because it shows through his interest in reading and writing.

I finished my first Granny Square yesterday and I’m working on another one.  I’m probably going to do sets in different colors and sell them for a dollar a piece at the Harvet Market. I used fuzzy yarn for one and bordered a pattern with it.  It was interesting to say the least because it was hard to see through the fuzz.  So, after I bordered the square with the fuzz, I followed up by adding another couple rows of yarn.

We’ve stepped up attempts at potty training, complete with “underpants” that have trucks on them.  We give him animal crackers for going pee on the potty and once he poops, he gets a Hot Wheels car.  I plopped him down on the chair this morning and he went…  Unfortunately for us, Little Guy has inheirited some of the more difficult aspects of our personalities.  He’s stubborn and is going to do what he wants to do, which, right now, does NOT include potty training.

I watched the “big announcement” episode of Jon and Kate plus 8.  Unsurprisingly, they’ve decided to seperate and have filed for divorce.  It’s sad to see because so much could have gone differently had the communication been present.  And watching this episode, it isn’t just one person’s fault.  Kate is still pushing and determined to do things her way.  Jon doesn’t want to hear it, doesn’t want to talk to her, doesn’t want to listen to what she’s saying.

My heart breaks for the kids in all this because both parents are claiming they want what’s best for the kids while making it painfully clear that they aren’t willing to do what it really takes.  Maybe I am jaded from my experiences with “blended families”, but I would imagine the “peaceful” existance Kate is touting for the cameras is only going to last as far as it takes Jon to want to be in his kids’ lives.

Little Guy and I are working on an art project, a paper plate fish.  I got the idea for it from watching Sprout.

You take a paper plate and cut out a triangle for the mouth.  Then you glue the triangle on the opposite end to make a tail.  Let the child color it and decorate it.  Then, punch a hole through the top and attach a string to hang from the ceiling or a high up place for a swimming decoration.  Little Guy is loving the coloring part.

I’m also going to try and get the last batch of peach jam made today.  I only have a bit left to do and then I will can them and (hopefully) sell a few.  That is, if Big Guy doesn’t devour them all first in the name of “quality control”.  I’ve got one of the jars from the first batch listed on Artfire .  I think this batch may be more peach-y due to the fact that the peaches sat for a few days longer.  It also has some larger chunks in it.  Now, I hope it just sets.  That seems to be a common problem between first and second batches for me.  I don’t think I do anything differently, but my second batches never seem to set.

And, my tomatoes are finally flowering.  We’re going to have a nice crop of tomatoes when they ripen.  The pumpkins are getting larger as well, but not flowering yet.  The beans are also growing nicely, I think the past few days of rain have really made a difference.

One of the other things I need to prepare for is the Harvest Market at Woodlawn Nature Center here in Elkhart.  Mom and I have plans to sell some of our homegrown, homemade goods.  She has a ton of eggs to sell, I plan on bunching my lemon balm, oregano, and sage and selling it.  I also have hairbands, birds, and other things I can sell.  I can make small aprons for little girls, pillows and lovies, and sell some of the extraneous junk around the house, like books and knick-knacks.

It’s finally sunny.  And, of course, it is a day I have to teach.  Oh well.  I’ll do what I can.

I found two little cantaloupe sprouts from the seeds I planted directly in the garden, which is good and the potatoes need to be “hilled”.  I’m going to have to dig out some compost for that.  My tomatoes have flowers and the beans I planted in a hanging basket have taken off.  My other beans seem to have gone the way of the dinosaurs.  I think the lesson I have learned from all of this…  Seeds are probably a cheaper way to go, but around here, already established plants may be a necessity thanks to groundhogs and ants.

I was going to re-clean the pool this week, Little Guy and I emptied most of the water out of it but I was planning on letting the sun bake and evaporate the remaining water, but then it’s rained for the past 2 days.  The best laid plans of mice and men…

Yesterday, in the mail, Big Guy got a letter from his youngest daughter wishing him a Happy Father’s Day and telling him she missed him.  She had handmade a card on notebook paper and included $2.  Big Guy started crying because he does miss the kids so very much.  We wondered how she was able to get it out of the house… Now we’re trying to figure out a way to get her a thank you note without it going immediately into the trash.

Little Guy has been loving “Between the Lions ” and is now singing the theme song…  “Hey now hey wow here’s how come an’ read…  ATWEEN A YIONS!”  Between this show and Kai-lan teaching him about emotions: “I’m jealous!  I’m so ANGRY!”  Right now, thanks to “Between the Lions” we’re practicing phonics.  When we look through his picture books, I make the starting sounds A-pple, B-all, C-at, D-og and we work out what the starting letter is.  “Between the Lions” also does a bit on phonics which reinforces what we practice.  He’s figuring out the sounds slowly but surely.

It did rain a bit this morning, with no thunder.  *whew*  The sound of rain pattering on the roof is very calming, especially when you’re huddled under blankets and listening to it.

Got up this morning and went to check on Little Guy only to discover a very naked toddler sleeping in his crib!  I woke him up and asked: “Where’s your diaper?”

“Diaper?” he responded.  “Poopy diaper?”

My initial thought was: “Oh dear lord, no!”  Luckily, I found the diaper and it wasn’t poopy.  It was, however, wet.  I took him into our bathroom to try going to the bathroom on the potty chair, which was not successful.  As soon as he hit the water for his bath though, the faucet turned on.  So it was a quick, rush out of the tub to try peeing on the potty.

Gotta love kids.  He played in the tub and we practiced with his tub letters and numbers.  I pointed out the difference between 12 and 21, which he got confused.  And then the letters and numbers apparently had a war in the bubbles.  More power to them.

Doing dishes, laundry and I will hopefully get a chance to crochet.  I’ve been itching to get my hands back into the yarn, but classes and prep for the garage sale interrupted.  Hopefully, now that things have settled, I can get back to work! Plus, as I start rearranging the house, I’ll be able to sort my own stuff out rather than worrying about kid stuff.

It keeps threatening to storm and then not following through.  It’s rather disappointing.  I wish it would make up its mind so I can either go outside or huddle indoors.  In any case, I’ve gotten the Loft area somewhat organized for Little Guy.  It’s great to see it utilized so nicely.

I set up some of the books under there with his oversized animals.  Little Guy loves it.  He can curl up on his big lamb or on the teddy bear and “read”.  He loves flipping through books so we make sure he has a steady supply of them to flip through.

For the Yard Sale, Mom brought over a crate of “Young People’s Encyclopedias” which are filled with stories that pertain to certain words.  Little Guy quickly absconded with them and calls them his “number” books because there are numbers on the spine.  However, he sits in his reading area with one of them open on his lap and flips through the pages.  Last night, we caught him sticking a book underneath his door so he could see the pages as he flipped through them.

I have a hard time telling Little Guy “no” when it comes to books.  According to Big Guy, I have a hard time telling Little Guy “no” when he asks for anything.  It’s not true, but that’s why Big Guy thinks Little Guy is a ‘Mommy’s Boy’.  I think it’s because he knows that mommy loves him to pieces and I spend all day with him.

Disciplining a three year old is less about curbing bad behavior and more about distracting him to doing the things he’s supposed to do.  It’s not always successful, but it’s great when it is.

We made a homemade batch of sloppy joes.  We cooked up some ground beef, stirred in onions, garlic, ground red pepper, diced tomatoes and barbecue sauce and let it simmer…  WOW it was good.