There's a GREAT bakery in our neighborhood called the 'Essential Baking Company' that distributes delicious bread all over the city and also sells it with coffee on-site. Many of us love to buy their bread at the grocery store but apparently there are a lot of people who prefer to find free bread behind the bakery in the dumpster. These dumpster-divers come from all over the neighborhood and greater Seattle, and many are just looking for a loaf or two but some will clear the whole place out, suffering the wrath of the other dumpster-divers who just lost out.
This whole dumpster-diving thing has taken on a fever pitch. I don't think I could do it but it does highlight the point that we are throwing away a LOT of good food. Why doesn't Essential Baking donate their leftover bread instead of throwing it out back? (apparently they also donate, so perhaps the pitched stuff is truly wrecked somehow? if so, then why is there so much, and why are people still eating it?) Is it fair for people who can afford bread to take this great opportunity away from the people who can't? (someone commented on a neighborhood blog post that it's disgusting to see rich hipster kids at the dumpsters when there are clearly hungrier people out there)
One thing is for sure: I'm glad I can afford to buy food at the grocery store.
For the spewing of humor and rage, the melding of life and intellect, and any other news from Seattle
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Have you heard of these?
Little Free Libraries are popping up all over the place and I've been meaning to post about it on the blog. It's so surprising and clever!
Little Free Libraries are little cabinets people put in their front yard and fill with books that people can borrow, trade, or just stand there and look at. Apparently people all over are catching on to this. You can find one in your neighborhood on this map. You can also order one (they're a little pricey!) or make one for yourself!
There are a few in our neighborhood and I spotted my first one just the other day. I was surprised to find the books were in good shape (not dusty or moldy) and there was a great variety including a little section of children's books. I could easily see myself hanging out there for a while or even borrowing a book or two from it.
Little Free Libraries, or LFLs, are touted as neighborhood art, a community-building venture, and a way to share with your friends and neighbors your very favorite books.
Speaking of neighborhood art, there has been some weird stuff in our neighborhood lately. Someone moored a boat in a round-a-bout in an area called Tangletown. It has a traffic violation sticker with 'REALLY?' handwritten on it, and a blow-up doll in the driver's seat. Hmm!!
Little Free Libraries are little cabinets people put in their front yard and fill with books that people can borrow, trade, or just stand there and look at. Apparently people all over are catching on to this. You can find one in your neighborhood on this map. You can also order one (they're a little pricey!) or make one for yourself!
There are a few in our neighborhood and I spotted my first one just the other day. I was surprised to find the books were in good shape (not dusty or moldy) and there was a great variety including a little section of children's books. I could easily see myself hanging out there for a while or even borrowing a book or two from it.
Little Free Libraries, or LFLs, are touted as neighborhood art, a community-building venture, and a way to share with your friends and neighbors your very favorite books.
Speaking of neighborhood art, there has been some weird stuff in our neighborhood lately. Someone moored a boat in a round-a-bout in an area called Tangletown. It has a traffic violation sticker with 'REALLY?' handwritten on it, and a blow-up doll in the driver's seat. Hmm!!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Fancy wine
To celebrate Mother's Day last weekend, we went wine tasting in Woodinville, a mecca of WA wineries and wine-tasting shops. We haven't gone in about 2 years so it was quite an event!
We went to a new place to try a wine I had recently at a work-related dinner called Tenor. The maker also has a less fancy line called Matthews which some of you may be more familiar with. Tenor is the fancy version, running $50-$100 per bottle. They had two wine tastings of the Tenor wines (a 'spring' line and a 'fall' line). We completely hated the fall and loved the spring, which included the very well-rated (and most expensive) 1:1 blend.
We bought the 1:1, the most expensive bottle of wine I have ever purchased. We opened it when we went for our first overnight stay, at the Roaring River B&B in North Bend (about an hour East of Seattle, at the foot of the mountains). It was quite lovely!
Sometimes I think that it might be better not to even try the finer things because it ruins you for the everyday things. This wine was a little like that for me - although maybe it was also a good education on what all those crazy wine people have been talking about. I decided a while ago that since I only drink wine about once every two months I owe it to myself to drink good wine when I do.
Speaking of being ruined by the finer things, don't even try the shrimp sandwich from Paseo (a cuban restaraunt in the Fremont neighborhood).
We went to a new place to try a wine I had recently at a work-related dinner called Tenor. The maker also has a less fancy line called Matthews which some of you may be more familiar with. Tenor is the fancy version, running $50-$100 per bottle. They had two wine tastings of the Tenor wines (a 'spring' line and a 'fall' line). We completely hated the fall and loved the spring, which included the very well-rated (and most expensive) 1:1 blend.
We bought the 1:1, the most expensive bottle of wine I have ever purchased. We opened it when we went for our first overnight stay, at the Roaring River B&B in North Bend (about an hour East of Seattle, at the foot of the mountains). It was quite lovely!
Sometimes I think that it might be better not to even try the finer things because it ruins you for the everyday things. This wine was a little like that for me - although maybe it was also a good education on what all those crazy wine people have been talking about. I decided a while ago that since I only drink wine about once every two months I owe it to myself to drink good wine when I do.
Speaking of being ruined by the finer things, don't even try the shrimp sandwich from Paseo (a cuban restaraunt in the Fremont neighborhood).
We are moving to Kansas!
After 7 interviews this spring, and two job offers from great schools, I accepted an Assistant Faculty Position at the University of Kansas. We will be moving there sometime in November for a Dec. 1 start date. We are excited in particular about Kansas for a bunch of reasons - on my part, it's a good department with lots of really nice people, they have EVERYTHING I need and lots of stuff I don't even need, they have lots of internal support to help me ride through this economic trouble (really important in this field), a low teaching load, and nice lab space. With regard to the rest of the family, it's close to Grandparents, with most of them a 5 hr drive North and several more a 10 hr drive south, it's near Kansas City with LOTS of amazing job opportunities and an airport for easily getting around, and it's a super nice family friendly town just like the one we grew up in (with much cheaper cost-of-living than Seattle). Also, they have a great basketball team.
Some of you may be wondering what exactly it is that I'll be doing as an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas. This job is tenure-track, which means that if I work my hiney off for the next 5 years and they approve of me I'll get tenure and move into a secure position. Some Assistant Professor positions are research-focused, and some are teaching-focused. This one is in between, with more focus on research than teaching (which is what I wanted). I will be teaching a maximum of 2 classes per year with the rest of my time spent writing grants to get funding, mentoring graduate students, publishing research papers, presenting my work at meetings and seminars at other universities, and doing various 'service' related activities like helping with hiring, advising undergraduates, etc.
The interview process was very fun, but also very grueling. For each one I traveled to a place far away and had an intensely packed schedule with 15-25 meetings with other faculty, 2 research-related presentations, every meal and minute of spare time spent with members of the department, and a quick return home to my family where my 3-yr old had little comprehension of anything except how badly she missed me. By the 5th interview (which was Kansas), I was feeling pretty wrecked. The silver linings: I saw a lot of new and old friends on my many trips, including a particularly great trip back to Minnesota where I saw my Ph.D. advisor and lots and lots of old friends. Also, Washington pays for massage therapy treatment and all the travel warranted a lot of treatments (I had one after every interview).
So, we are now preparing for another big cross-country move, hopefully the last one we make, and we are excited!
Some of you may be wondering what exactly it is that I'll be doing as an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas. This job is tenure-track, which means that if I work my hiney off for the next 5 years and they approve of me I'll get tenure and move into a secure position. Some Assistant Professor positions are research-focused, and some are teaching-focused. This one is in between, with more focus on research than teaching (which is what I wanted). I will be teaching a maximum of 2 classes per year with the rest of my time spent writing grants to get funding, mentoring graduate students, publishing research papers, presenting my work at meetings and seminars at other universities, and doing various 'service' related activities like helping with hiring, advising undergraduates, etc.
The interview process was very fun, but also very grueling. For each one I traveled to a place far away and had an intensely packed schedule with 15-25 meetings with other faculty, 2 research-related presentations, every meal and minute of spare time spent with members of the department, and a quick return home to my family where my 3-yr old had little comprehension of anything except how badly she missed me. By the 5th interview (which was Kansas), I was feeling pretty wrecked. The silver linings: I saw a lot of new and old friends on my many trips, including a particularly great trip back to Minnesota where I saw my Ph.D. advisor and lots and lots of old friends. Also, Washington pays for massage therapy treatment and all the travel warranted a lot of treatments (I had one after every interview).
So, we are now preparing for another big cross-country move, hopefully the last one we make, and we are excited!
Taking the potty journey with Layla
Below is a full account of Layla's recent success in potty training. It's been a long road; for over six months she has stayed dry but refusing to actually go in the potty (preferring diapers). Long story short, she turned the corner this weekend and started using the potty. All the nitty gritty details of how it went down are below.
About three months ago we sat down with her teachers at school and made a plan to expunge our house entirely of diapers, and bear down for a week or two until she caves and starts going in the potty. By coincidence the same weekend we wanted to start, we had scheduled a babysitter, V, to spend the night. We asked V if this would be ok and she was onboard.
The diaper-free weekend started Friday night. We had the 'diaper fairy' come and take all her diapers. I believe Layla's strategy, which she had total faith in, was to hold it forever. This lasted until midnight, when she finally let go. I think she peed at least a gallon. Fortunately she still has a rubber-covered mattress on her bed.
In the morning, after wetting the bed again, she went back to her plan. She didn't indicate any sort of discomfort until about noon, when she started getting mighty uncomfortable. She squirmed and resisted the potty again, but this time we were on her. As soon as she finally couldn't hold it anymore, I swooped in and relocated her to the potty where most of her pee ended up going. We acted like it was a success and gave her lots of cheers. She seemed kind of surprised.
A few hours (and no nap) later, it happened again. This time, she told us "I have to go potty!" and ran for the potty. She didn't quite make it on her own but we helped her out and again most of it ended up in the potty. We considered this an even bigger success and gave her lots more cheers.
We switched duties to the babysitter V after that. V used a similar strategy only this time when Layla indicated she had to go, V made her sit on the potty until she couldn't hold it anymore. All the pee ended up in the potty this time. The next morning, V switched it back over to us. It was then that Layla turned the corner - when she had to go, she told us, went in the bathroom and peed in the potty. A few hours later she pooped (which she had also been holding in), and then did it again about 10 more times throughout the afternoon and evening.
After the turning point, some funny things happened. First, Layla decided she needed privacy. Now she goes in the bathroom, shuts the door on us (and even says "go away!" and pees on her own. Second, Layla figured out fast how to use this to her advantage and when bedtime rolled around she suddenly had to go potty over and over again. At first it was funny but eventually we actually had to tell her we were all done getting excited about it each time.
So, we seem to have really rounded the corner. Hopefully this time will be for good..!
About three months ago we sat down with her teachers at school and made a plan to expunge our house entirely of diapers, and bear down for a week or two until she caves and starts going in the potty. By coincidence the same weekend we wanted to start, we had scheduled a babysitter, V, to spend the night. We asked V if this would be ok and she was onboard.
The diaper-free weekend started Friday night. We had the 'diaper fairy' come and take all her diapers. I believe Layla's strategy, which she had total faith in, was to hold it forever. This lasted until midnight, when she finally let go. I think she peed at least a gallon. Fortunately she still has a rubber-covered mattress on her bed.
In the morning, after wetting the bed again, she went back to her plan. She didn't indicate any sort of discomfort until about noon, when she started getting mighty uncomfortable. She squirmed and resisted the potty again, but this time we were on her. As soon as she finally couldn't hold it anymore, I swooped in and relocated her to the potty where most of her pee ended up going. We acted like it was a success and gave her lots of cheers. She seemed kind of surprised.
A few hours (and no nap) later, it happened again. This time, she told us "I have to go potty!" and ran for the potty. She didn't quite make it on her own but we helped her out and again most of it ended up in the potty. We considered this an even bigger success and gave her lots more cheers.
We switched duties to the babysitter V after that. V used a similar strategy only this time when Layla indicated she had to go, V made her sit on the potty until she couldn't hold it anymore. All the pee ended up in the potty this time. The next morning, V switched it back over to us. It was then that Layla turned the corner - when she had to go, she told us, went in the bathroom and peed in the potty. A few hours later she pooped (which she had also been holding in), and then did it again about 10 more times throughout the afternoon and evening.
After the turning point, some funny things happened. First, Layla decided she needed privacy. Now she goes in the bathroom, shuts the door on us (and even says "go away!" and pees on her own. Second, Layla figured out fast how to use this to her advantage and when bedtime rolled around she suddenly had to go potty over and over again. At first it was funny but eventually we actually had to tell her we were all done getting excited about it each time.
So, we seem to have really rounded the corner. Hopefully this time will be for good..!
Thursday, May 09, 2013
All this travel
I have been traveling a LOT lately. I've learned a thing or two from all this travel, although I'm not sure if I've actually become any better at it. On my second-to-last trip, I actually left a piece of luggage behind at security, then immediately after I retrieved it I forgot my phone somewhere (which was also retrieved). On another trip my ID somehow slipped out of my purse somewhere and was turned in by a fellow friendly traveler. Fortunately most people out there are nice and forgiving.
Here are some travel tips I've picked up on the way:
1. Whenever you move, check that you have your things.
2. Dry cleaning really can be turned around in 24 hours, and it's well worth it. Spray "freshener" can only cover up so much.
3. If you forget a hairbrush and everything related to taking care of your hair, and don't realize it until 6:30 am the morning you are supposed to give a presentation, the 7-eleven sells combs and is open real early. You will be ok.
4. Time changes SUCK.
5. Don't talk to anybody important the day after you get back. My brain was totally, completely fried after the 3rd trip or so. I said such unbelievably stupid things to people that afterward all I could do was stare at them open-mouthed. The result did not reflect well on me.
6. It costs $50-$100 to get a babysitter to help the husband out while you're out of town, but the smile on both their faces when you get back is priceless.
Hopefully the travel season is winding down now. It's been a wild ride. I'm glad to be done. It was quite an adventure while it lasted but was a lifestyle I could never keep up with on a long-term basis. The Studly Hubby and kid are quite glad to have me back too, although I think they did some good bonding during all those times I was gone.
Here are some travel tips I've picked up on the way:
1. Whenever you move, check that you have your things.
2. Dry cleaning really can be turned around in 24 hours, and it's well worth it. Spray "freshener" can only cover up so much.
3. If you forget a hairbrush and everything related to taking care of your hair, and don't realize it until 6:30 am the morning you are supposed to give a presentation, the 7-eleven sells combs and is open real early. You will be ok.
4. Time changes SUCK.
5. Don't talk to anybody important the day after you get back. My brain was totally, completely fried after the 3rd trip or so. I said such unbelievably stupid things to people that afterward all I could do was stare at them open-mouthed. The result did not reflect well on me.
6. It costs $50-$100 to get a babysitter to help the husband out while you're out of town, but the smile on both their faces when you get back is priceless.
Hopefully the travel season is winding down now. It's been a wild ride. I'm glad to be done. It was quite an adventure while it lasted but was a lifestyle I could never keep up with on a long-term basis. The Studly Hubby and kid are quite glad to have me back too, although I think they did some good bonding during all those times I was gone.
Computer crash!
On May 8, 2013 the J-Funk computer crashed hard. Not 36 hours earlier, I had a not-so-unusual thought that perhaps I should back up everything since it had been a while (2 years, to be exact).
I took the computer to the computer doctor who told me the hard drive died, and it needs a new one. A new hard drive means you LOSE EVERYTHING and they give you your old hard drive wrapped in a little plastic bag with an ID tag on it. The computer got a fresh new one and is now running fine but is like a young baby with no software or knowledge of my favorite websites or even a functional mail program. It also keeps throwing fits because it can't find certain things or forgets what we told it. We are working hard to get it back to its normal self. I took the old hard drive immediately up to the hard drive doctor. I was met with encouragement for a full recovery but they won't have time to even look at it for 2 weeks to a month. Arrrghhhh. I'm really wishing right now I had set up that time machine program everyone keeps telling me about.
Fortunately, I haven't lost anything super critical. This is because luckily I have been randomly backing up things that are really really important (like pictures of the kid and some of the work-related stuff I have going). But I have to go hunting around for each little thing which is a pain.
If you are in contact with me this week, and I haven't been in contact, this is probably why.
I took the computer to the computer doctor who told me the hard drive died, and it needs a new one. A new hard drive means you LOSE EVERYTHING and they give you your old hard drive wrapped in a little plastic bag with an ID tag on it. The computer got a fresh new one and is now running fine but is like a young baby with no software or knowledge of my favorite websites or even a functional mail program. It also keeps throwing fits because it can't find certain things or forgets what we told it. We are working hard to get it back to its normal self. I took the old hard drive immediately up to the hard drive doctor. I was met with encouragement for a full recovery but they won't have time to even look at it for 2 weeks to a month. Arrrghhhh. I'm really wishing right now I had set up that time machine program everyone keeps telling me about.
Fortunately, I haven't lost anything super critical. This is because luckily I have been randomly backing up things that are really really important (like pictures of the kid and some of the work-related stuff I have going). But I have to go hunting around for each little thing which is a pain.
If you are in contact with me this week, and I haven't been in contact, this is probably why.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Layla teaching the parents to behave
One thing we really enjoy about our little one is when she uses our own tactics against us (not always logically). Here are some of the funniest examples:
Layla has been tracking favorite colors for a while, but it makes her profoundly uncomfortable if you waffle or if you try to tell her you have a second or third favorite. Tonight, she demanded her daddy change his second and third favorite colors and when he didn't immediately oblige she said 'this is the final warning! If you don't listen then I'm going to leave the room and go play by myself!!'
We often give Layla choices, and the other day she decided to try it on us. She said, 'mommy, you can either have some lavender or no lavender.' I said, 'oh! I would like some lavender please!' and she promptly replied with, 'NO! we are all out of lavender!'
When Layla has good behavior and gets ready quickly in the morning, she gets as a reward a few minutes to play on the iPad. The other day, she asked me to put on my shoes and I didn't hear her, so she said, 'mommy! you just lost your iPad privileges!!' I was so surprised I laughed out loud, and she stopped me and demanded that I cry instead. After I fake cried for a while, she told me, 'it's ok, you can try again tomorrow.'
Layla has been tracking favorite colors for a while, but it makes her profoundly uncomfortable if you waffle or if you try to tell her you have a second or third favorite. Tonight, she demanded her daddy change his second and third favorite colors and when he didn't immediately oblige she said 'this is the final warning! If you don't listen then I'm going to leave the room and go play by myself!!'
We often give Layla choices, and the other day she decided to try it on us. She said, 'mommy, you can either have some lavender or no lavender.' I said, 'oh! I would like some lavender please!' and she promptly replied with, 'NO! we are all out of lavender!'
When Layla has good behavior and gets ready quickly in the morning, she gets as a reward a few minutes to play on the iPad. The other day, she asked me to put on my shoes and I didn't hear her, so she said, 'mommy! you just lost your iPad privileges!!' I was so surprised I laughed out loud, and she stopped me and demanded that I cry instead. After I fake cried for a while, she told me, 'it's ok, you can try again tomorrow.'
A happy happy birthday Layla!
Layla turned 3 this month!!
For her birthday, her Grandma D flew out and spent the weekend preparing to party, partying and then recovering from a great party. First, Grandma D and the Studly Hubby (now: Studly Daddy) made the Most Amazing Cake Ever; a chocolate lady-cake with pink frosting and flowers (below, in the refrigerator before party-time).
In between party preparations, Layla and Grandma D ripped up the town - they went to the space needle, soccer practice (below), a scooter adventure around the neighborhood, got some sushi and watched movies and read books and played with all her toys. There was definitely no time for daycare!
We held the birthday party at the Seattle Children's Museum - we realized at the last minute that there were way too many people coming for our little house and the hippie place in our neighborhood (OmCulture) was already booked - so we thought up our other favorite places around the city and this quickly rose to the top of the list. The Children's Museum was great - they gave us a nice party room (below), and there was lots to do to burn off all the cake after the party. The only problem was, the St. Patrick's Day 5K ended there, at the same time, so we had to fight off 5,000 people and lots of closed roads on the way there - we actually arrived to our own party 15 minutes late!! But no worries, everyone else was 30 minutes late and there was nothing to set up.
The party was a success, the Grandma visit was also a success, and all in all it was a great weekend! Unfortunately, I caught a puking thing just before but had just recovered enough to enjoy a little cake.
Now that Layla is 3, she's like a whole new kid. We began to see a huge transformation a few months ago, when she moved up to the preschool room at daycare. At the same time, the Studly Hubby and I found an excellent child therapist/parenting consultant and learned a great deal from her special understanding of how to get the attention of a very fiesty young child. It not only turned our daily routine around, but also supplied us with an array of useful tools for the future (if you're interested, I put some below).
We are now completely having fun with our little girl - she tells us hilarious stories and funny jokes, sings us songs, engages us in really creative and unexpected imaginary play, and as always loves any kind of fun. She is now old enough to be in swim lessons and soccer, play with other kids and watch a whole movie (especially princess movies and Cars). She is learning the value of controlling her emotions and being polite and communicating her frustrations and feelings. One of the things I like the best is watching her play with her daddy - she adores him and he gets a kick out of her and they genuinely love doing things together, like scooting, cooking, wrestling, playing legos, and dressing up like princesses. Although I'm not sure how much the Studly Daddy really likes to dress up like a princess.
Some of the most useful things we learned (from above): 1) if you say no, be prepared to follow it through all the way to the most painful ending - if you're not prepared for that, don't say no. 2) motivate good behavior with rewards - that you can take away (it took us a while to find the right rewards that can also be taken away, and then re-pattern our day around these, but once we did that and allowed some adjustment time we found we no longer really needed the rewards). 3) (from the Love and Logic book, with our own modifications) give the kid the power to screw up and then let them realize the consequence - so they can make a better decision next time (the real challenge here is to be clear about the expectations and consistent in following through, which is point 1 and 2 above - but this is easier to do when you think about it from this perspective).
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Birthday season
Since we're part of a baby group that originated with a group of kids with close birthdays, now we have a 2-month window every year where we celebrate a birthday almost every weekend. We all decided to have a group birthday the first year and have done that ever since, but now many of us are also having our own birthdays. The first year, we had our birthday party at Gymboree, then second year it was at the Carousel Room at the zoo, and this year, the group birthday was at the Fun Zone (bouncy houses) at Arena Sports in Magnolia. It was fantastic - we went back the next weekend.
Today we had a birthday party at someone's house and next weekend will be another one at one of the neighborhood community centers. Whew! Lots and LOTS of birthday cake and tons of fun.
This means a certain little lady is having a birthday - and a birthday party! - next month. We are still deciding where but the theme will definitely be princesses. If you are coming to the party, you will get an invite once we organize the location, and we will specifically request NO PRESENTS (so Layla can focus on the cake and the venue). But for those of you who would really like to send a gift, here are a few suggestions and sizes specifics: Layla is a 5T in Gap and Old Navy, and a 4T in everything else, and a size 8 shoe. She likes Cars (especially Mator), Mickey Mouse (especially Goofy) and all of the Disney Princesses. She likes twirly dresses and fancy shoes and pretty jewelry. She loves doing any kind of art project especially gluing, cutting, stamping, and fingerpainting. She also really likes puzzles (esp princess puzzles) and Duplo lego sets. And she LOVES opening presents!
Today we had a birthday party at someone's house and next weekend will be another one at one of the neighborhood community centers. Whew! Lots and LOTS of birthday cake and tons of fun.
This means a certain little lady is having a birthday - and a birthday party! - next month. We are still deciding where but the theme will definitely be princesses. If you are coming to the party, you will get an invite once we organize the location, and we will specifically request NO PRESENTS (so Layla can focus on the cake and the venue). But for those of you who would really like to send a gift, here are a few suggestions and sizes specifics: Layla is a 5T in Gap and Old Navy, and a 4T in everything else, and a size 8 shoe. She likes Cars (especially Mator), Mickey Mouse (especially Goofy) and all of the Disney Princesses. She likes twirly dresses and fancy shoes and pretty jewelry. She loves doing any kind of art project especially gluing, cutting, stamping, and fingerpainting. She also really likes puzzles (esp princess puzzles) and Duplo lego sets. And she LOVES opening presents!
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Tubing at Snoqualmie
In Seattle, it's a whole different scene. Here, if you have a death wish you can find a black ski run just about anywhere, and use a snowboard if you really want to seal the deal. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of people do this every day all winter long so they have a pretty orderly way of doing it (although on a more serious note, and I will never get used to this, at least one person does die every year - usually not going down the black run but driving there or getting lost on their way back up the run).
Sledding is like the toddler version of a black ski run, and it's mostly toddlers who sled, so you can imagine that in Seattle sledding is a mellow event with groomed runs, people waiting politely for each other to go down and lots of hot chocolate afterwards. Today we experienced just that. Layla had a blast. We were quite pleased with both the runs and the hot chocolate. And since all kids are adorable in a snowsuit we almost died from all the cute, but other than that we stayed pretty safe.
The One Sandal
When I was little, a family friend Diane came to stay and left a pair of shoes behind on accident. She got in touch with us apologizing for the inconvenience and hoping we could bring her shoes back the next time we saw her.
It turned out, this simple task became a 10-yr long pursuit of a pair of very elusive shoes. Every year or so, we would find one of them. We would put it someplace 'safe' until we could find the other. When the other turned up, nobody could remember where the mate was put. It went on like this until we finally moved out of the place. Naturally, even then we could only find one of the shoes.
This summer, we had a similar experience with Layla's sandal. She is starting to be a bit finicky about which shoes she'll wear, so when she got attached to this one particular pair we were devastated when one got lost. We looked and looked, and finally gave up and hid the mate as it was turning the house into chaos every time Layla saw it and got upset over not being able to wear the pair of them. When we finally found the missing sandal, we couldn't find the one we had hidden. Remembering my traumatic past experience with this sent me into a panic. Luckily I found a similar pair at a used store and bought them with a sigh of relief. Immediately, we lost the mate to that one too. I believe it is just these sandals that are cursed, as we have been quite good at keeping track of her other favorite shoes. This week, as I was packing up Layla's old shoes to go to Goodwill, I found one of each of the two pairs of sandals and finally had to throw them both away.
It turned out, this simple task became a 10-yr long pursuit of a pair of very elusive shoes. Every year or so, we would find one of them. We would put it someplace 'safe' until we could find the other. When the other turned up, nobody could remember where the mate was put. It went on like this until we finally moved out of the place. Naturally, even then we could only find one of the shoes.
This summer, we had a similar experience with Layla's sandal. She is starting to be a bit finicky about which shoes she'll wear, so when she got attached to this one particular pair we were devastated when one got lost. We looked and looked, and finally gave up and hid the mate as it was turning the house into chaos every time Layla saw it and got upset over not being able to wear the pair of them. When we finally found the missing sandal, we couldn't find the one we had hidden. Remembering my traumatic past experience with this sent me into a panic. Luckily I found a similar pair at a used store and bought them with a sigh of relief. Immediately, we lost the mate to that one too. I believe it is just these sandals that are cursed, as we have been quite good at keeping track of her other favorite shoes. This week, as I was packing up Layla's old shoes to go to Goodwill, I found one of each of the two pairs of sandals and finally had to throw them both away.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Ice cream machine
Now we are in Seattle where the weather is fair and they don't seem to take ice cream as seriously. Whereas in Minneapolis we had the choice of two different Dairy Queens to walk to on a hot summer day, we have to actually DRIVE to Dairy Queen (and pay a toll!) if we want some in Seattle. You can imagine our delight when a great ice cream place opened in our very neighborhood, called Molly Moon's. Despite being mediocre ice cream, they became wildly popular because they had the right combination of yuppy flavors (like salted caramel and blackberry sage), organic ingredients and locally-sourced food items. Eventually, they modified their recipes until their ice cream became pretty decent. Over time it became one of our top favorites, although we would never dare compare it to one of the wonderful midwest creameries.
Last year, Molly Moon's ice cream published a recipe book which inspired the appearance of one of the new-generation ice cream makers - made by Cuisinart - under our Christmas tree. For the first flavor we chose cinnamon. It's a surprisingly simple recipe; milk, sugar, cream, cinnamon.You cook it, cool it, stick it in the machine (which cools it some more and churns it for you - no hand crank!), and then voila! Ice cream!
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