Creativity

There must be something to the Ground hog's Day lifestyle of parenting that makes us crave creativity or accomplishing something concrete.  95% of the day is spent doing the same thing, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.  But to accomplish something above and beyond the daily routine always feels so satisfying.  I think that's why so many mom's scrapbook or re-arrange furniture or elaborately re-paint.  For me it ranges from wanting to set up my easel and pick up my paint brush (which likely won't happen until I get around to taking some refresher studio art classes) to baking a loaf of bread to wanting to plant something beautiful to look at.

Today I copied my daughter's brownie troop try-it project: Recipe for a Miniworld (page 100 of the Brownie Try Its book).  At first when she brought her project home from brownies I was annoyed.  A jar full of dirt and dead leaves that will sit on my counter indefinitely?!  But it grew on me.  I liked looking at it when I washed dishes.  When Elsa got overzealous with a new duster shaped like a sword and I got to clean up not only dirt, rocks and dead leaves but broken glass too:)  But I missed that silly jar so today I braved the misty rains and put together a new one out of the woods in my back yard.  I'd hung onto a neatish milk jar thinking I could re-use it in some way.  Here it is:

I'll bet it grows in nice and pretty full of misty rains inside the jar. 

Plus it encouraged me to get outside and breathe some fresh air. 

To make it: you pick a jar, toss in 2 handfuls of rock, 2 handfuls of dirt, a couple dead leaves, some moss if you can find some, little plants that you can find, put in a few drops of water then put the lid on.  It should be self contained and not need any water or weeding:)  My kind of plants!

Next up, fudgy oatmeal bars.  I'm sure I'll snack on one or two while I contemplate tackling my nightmarish pantry...

FUDGY OATMEAL BARS
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking or regular oats
1 package (12 ounces) Nestle semi-sweet real chocolate morsels
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350°. Grease jelly roll pan, 15½x10½x1 inch. Mix brown sugar, 1 cup butter, the eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir in oats. Reserve 1/3 of the oatmeal mixture. Press remaining oatmeal mixture in pan.

Heat chocolate morsels, milk and 2 tablespoons butter in 2-quart bowl in the microwave 3 minutes.  Stir until smooth- add more time if needed to get all the morsels melted. Remove from heat; stir in nuts (or pretzels), 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread over oatmeal mixture in pan. Drop reserved oatmeal mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto chocolate mixture. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. While warm, cut into bars, about 2×1 inch.

70 cookies.

Enjoy.

bath time

Example of crazy happenings with kids.

Tonight Carl (6) decided to try to pee standing up on a stool (I think so he could pee from higher up like his daddy). He slipped, his arm splashed up to his shoulder in the toilet that his brother already peed in- I think there was even a bonus pee leftover from earlier in the day too. It splashed all over his face and INTO HIS MOUTH!

Gross, gross, gross. I played it as cool as I could- got mouthwash for him to rinse with then popped him in the tub with his sister and brother.

Fun times. Never a dull moment.

Saturday (Microwave Caramel Corn Recipe)

I'm not really sure what my intent is for this blog. I don't plan to advertise it so I don't expect that anyone will read it. I think my main reason for starting it is to document all the little things that happen during the day that make me smile, make me frustrated, make me proud, make me crazy, make me laugh, make me think, make me love, and inspire me. And not doing it on facebook where it probably just annoys people. I'm on the computer way more than I ever have the energy to pick up and pen and write in my journal at night. So, maybe I'll track some of the amazing things that happen in my life so that one day I can reflect and see if my writings in the moment match up to my recollections that may be fuzzy around the edges with the distance that comes with time. Like childbirth- you rarely seem to remember it as being as bad as you thought it was in the moment.

Today Sarina is spending her second night at a friend's house in Centralia- the farthest she's stayed away with a friend. It's a different dynamic when pared down to the 3 younger kiddos. I finished Her Fearful Symmetry then read Heaven is For Real. I RARELY read during the day but rationalize that every once in a while it's good for the kids to see mama enjoy reading for herself.:) It happens maybe once a year.

The kids seems tired anyway. Carl had his first baseball batting practice that focuses on batting. He loves playing sports. Charlie, Elsa and I braved Costco on a Saturday. Wow, craziness on a mid weekend day! But stocked up for the weeks ahead and a little for our 3rd Annual Spring Break camping trip in Cannon Beach. As the kids get a little older it feels less daunting to camp. Hopefully we can keep them relatively close to the campsite without me panicking when I can't see them for more than a 2 minute stretch.

I think back on my 9 years of parenting and how it's changed with the addition of children and time. I must have been such an annoying first time mom. I know I cornered co-workers (when I worked full time) and bored them to tears with pictures and stories about how perfect and precious my baby was. I was such a perfect (at least I thought I was close to at the time), annoying mom when it was just 1 to 2 kids. Now I have a much broader sense of reality and more open mind.

My husband is at the fire station for 48 hours, so it's just me and the kids. I miss him when he's gone but enjoy the break in trying to dream up big meals. I love to cook things he enjoys and try to constantly come up with new and different meals. But it's nice to make butter noodles with fresh pepper and Parmesan with mini peppers and hummus for the kids. Quick prep and quick clean up.

Now to make caramel corn for dessert.:)

Microwave Popcorn
Recipe from my wonderful post college roommate's mom Lanie Dineen.  It's a staple in my house and usually made in the fall.

1 c popcorn kernels - popped
1 1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cubes butter
1/3 c karo light corn syrup
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

Pour popped corn into a large brown paper grocery bag.
Melt butter in microwave safe bowl.
Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt.  Microwave until starting to boil then microwave an additional 2 minutes (2 min 30 sec for me).
Remove from microwave and stir in soda- stir until foaming and well dissolved.
Pour caramel over popped corn and shake well to distribute evenly.
Microwave the bag for 30 seconds, remove, shake and microwave an additional 30 seconds.
Pour over clean (obviously) countertop to cool then break into pieces and store.

Yum.