annie blog

I’m Drowning
Not really drowning but it sure feels like it. Yesterday was a blur. Church, shopping, lunch, meltdown (not mine), doing stuff in the kitchen, snow play, getting ready, back to church, reception, coming home. This house is a disaster. And, I’m sort of a disaster, too. This morning found me trying to get all the cashews out of a container of trail mix for one son’s lunch, locating jeans for all amidst the chaos, feeding children assorted breakfasts, realizing I left the van door open and the keys in the lock of the door — on the outside, and generally looking around wondering where to begin.

All right. I’m done with the computer today. I’ve drunk my second cup of ambition and I’m going to tackle all of this. I’m assuming that I’ll surface somewhere later.

Have a good Monday, everybody.

My E
I can’t believe that my E will be 4 in less than a month. I guess that this means that I’ll have to stop referring to him as the baby which is okay since he will always be my baby. He is an out-of-the-blue kind of child. And I say this with some authority — anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that some of my sons are kind of interesting, shall we say.

But E is different from all the rest in his own ways. For one thing, he is an extrovert. Make that a major extrovert. You know the kind….he has never met a stranger. He is always introducing me to people that I don’t know and telling me that I should talk to them. Just last week, while looking at the lobsters (something we do every time we go to the store) he noticed the sushi chef. E immediately turned to me and said, “Hey, Mommy, come meet this man. Look, he’s making these rolls. Come on, Mommy!” So, of course, I went and met the sushi chef. He didn’t know much English but sure smiled a lot. Now he’s our new friend.

Lately, I’ve been sure to bring extra change with me for the Salvation Army buckets. Why, you ask? Because he loves putting coins in. He also loves having a turn with the volunteer’s bell. He always asks to ring it and, bless their hearts, they always let him. I guess that it is nice change of pace for them to have someone not only stop and say “Merry Christmas!” but to also be so thrilled to ring the bell for a few minutes.

E has been asking for a reindeer suit lately. I finally asked him why he needed a reindeer suit. His answer, “So I can fly.” (Like, duh.) He’s also pretended to be a reindeer a lot lately. In fact, he pretty much alternates between pretending he is a train and pretending to be a reindeer.

He has his preferences, bless him, and some of them drive me crazy. Some of them are sort of strange, for an almost 4-year-old. One of these is his liking to have his hot cocoa (“NOT hot chocolate, Mommy, hot COCOA!”) in a china cup with a saucer underneath. How many boys his age care about china?

Finally, he has the funniest explanations for things. It was a little wet on Sunday, and he noticed that he could squeak his sneakers on the floor under the pew. I shushed him and told him that he didn’t need to make his shoes squeak because it was loud. He looked up at me and gasped, “Mommy, der’s mice down there!” Mice, indeed.

My E
I can’t believe that my E will be 4 in less than a month. I guess that this means that I’ll have to stop referring to him as the baby which is okay since he will always be my baby. He is an out-of-the-blue kind of child. And I say this with some authority — anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that some of my sons are kind of interesting, shall we say.

But E is different from all the rest in his own ways. For one thing, he is an extrovert. Make that a major extrovert. You know the kind….he has never met a stranger. He is always introducing me to people that I don’t know and telling me that I should talk to them. Just last week, while looking at the lobsters (something we do every time we go to the store) he noticed the sushi chef. E immediately turned to me and said, “Hey, Mommy, come meet this man. Look, he’s making these rolls. Come on, Mommy!” So, of course, I went and met the sushi chef. He didn’t know much English but sure smiled a lot. Now he’s our new friend.

Lately, I’ve been sure to bring extra change with me for the Salvation Army buckets. Why, you ask? Because he loves putting coins in. He also loves having a turn with the volunteer’s bell. He always asks to ring it and, bless their hearts, they always let him. I guess that it is nice change of pace for them to have someone not only stop and say “Merry Christmas!” but to also be so thrilled to ring the bell for a few minutes.

E has been asking for a reindeer suit lately. I finally asked him why he needed a reindeer suit. His answer, “So I can fly.” (Like, duh.) He’s also pretended to be a reindeer a lot lately. In fact, he pretty much alternates between pretending he is a train and pretending to be a reindeer.

He has his preferences, bless him, and some of them drive me crazy. Some of them are sort of strange, for an almost 4-year-old. One of these is his liking to have his hot cocoa (“NOT hot chocolate, Mommy, hot COCOA!”) in a china cup with a saucer underneath. How many boys his age care about china?

Finally, he has the funniest explanations for things. It was a little wet on Sunday, and he noticed that he could squeak his sneakers on the floor under the pew. I shushed him and told him that he didn’t need to make his shoes squeak because it was loud. He looked up at me and gasped, “Mommy, der’s mice down there!” Mice, indeed.

My E
I can’t believe that my E will be 4 in less than a month. I guess that this means that I’ll have to stop referring to him as the baby which is okay since he will always be my baby. He is an out-of-the-blue kind of child. And I say this with some authority — anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that some of my sons are kind of interesting, shall we say.

But E is different from all the rest in his own ways. For one thing, he is an extrovert. Make that a major extrovert. You know the kind….he has never met a stranger. He is always introducing me to people that I don’t know and telling me that I should talk to them. Just last week, while looking at the lobsters (something we do every time we go to the store) he noticed the sushi chef. E immediately turned to me and said, “Hey, Mommy, come meet this man. Look, he’s making these rolls. Come on, Mommy!” So, of course, I went and met the sushi chef. He didn’t know much English but sure smiled a lot. Now he’s our new friend.

Lately, I’ve been sure to bring extra change with me for the Salvation Army buckets. Why, you ask? Because he loves putting coins in. He also loves having a turn with the volunteer’s bell. He always asks to ring it and, bless their hearts, they always let him. I guess that it is nice change of pace for them to have someone not only stop and say “Merry Christmas!” but to also be so thrilled to ring the bell for a few minutes.

E has been asking for a reindeer suit lately. I finally asked him why he needed a reindeer suit. His answer, “So I can fly.” (Like, duh.) He’s also pretended to be a reindeer a lot lately. In fact, he pretty much alternates between pretending he is a train and pretending to be a reindeer.

He has his preferences, bless him, and some of them drive me crazy. Some of them are sort of strange, for an almost 4-year-old. One of these is his liking to have his hot cocoa (“NOT hot chocolate, Mommy, hot COCOA!”) in a china cup with a saucer underneath. How many boys his age care about china?

Finally, he has the funniest explanations for things. It was a little wet on Sunday, and he noticed that he could squeak his sneakers on the floor under the pew. I shushed him and told him that he didn’t need to make his shoes squeak because it was loud. He looked up at me and gasped, “Mommy, der’s mice down there!” Mice, indeed.

Pea Soup
It’s foggy today in St. Louis. Jon said that there must be lots of dementors around. As he was seeing the us off to school he yelled, “Expecto Patronum!” But the fog didn’t leave. Maybe there are dementors about. I think we should all probably eat some chocolate — just in case.

Another thing about this fog is that my youngest, E, thought that he should sample some. So, he kept sticking his tongue out trying to catch some — as if it were a snowflake. I asked him how it tasted. He paused, stuck his tongue out again and said, “Hmmmm, needs sugar.” He stuck out his tongue again, and with a decided air added, “And salt, too.”

I live with interesting male people.

Pea Soup
It’s foggy today in St. Louis. Jon said that there must be lots of dementors around. As he was seeing the us off to school he yelled, “Expecto Patronum!” But the fog didn’t leave. Maybe there are dementors about. I think we should all probably eat some chocolate — just in case.

Another thing about this fog is that my youngest, E, thought that he should sample some. So, he kept sticking his tongue out trying to catch some — as if it were a snowflake. I asked him how it tasted. He paused, stuck his tongue out again and said, “Hmmmm, needs sugar.” He stuck out his tongue again, and with a decided air added, “And salt, too.”

I live with interesting male people.

Pea Soup
It’s foggy today in St. Louis. Jon said that there must be lots of dementors around. As he was seeing the us off to school he yelled, “Expecto Patronum!” But the fog didn’t leave. Maybe there are dementors about. I think we should all probably eat some chocolate — just in case.

Another thing about this fog is that my youngest, E, thought that he should sample some. So, he kept sticking his tongue out trying to catch some — as if it were a snowflake. I asked him how it tasted. He paused, stuck his tongue out again and said, “Hmmmm, needs sugar.” He stuck out his tongue again, and with a decided air added, “And salt, too.”

I live with interesting male people.

This is Good Cornbread Weather
Why? To go along with your soup, of course. Or, you know, this cornbread is so good that you could make it on a night you’re having leftovers or whenever. When I was growing up, we always used to have vegetable suppers with cornbread. Sweet potatoes, turnip greens, pinto beans and cornbread….mmmm. Food doesn’t get much better than that. And this particular cornbread is better than most cakes.

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 T. oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put the 2 T. oil in an 8-inch cast iron skillet. Then place the skillet in the oven to heat. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the butter, milk and egg in a seperate smaller bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Take the skillet out of the oven and add the batter. Place the skillet back in the oven and cook for 20-24 minutes or until it is browned on the bottom and golden brown with some darker brown on the ridges on top. If you are not sure, use a cake tester. Take it out of the oven and invert the cornbread on to a plate.

I promise that you’ll like it.

This is Good Cornbread Weather
Why? To go along with your soup, of course. Or, you know, this cornbread is so good that you could make it on a night you’re having leftovers or whenever. When I was growing up, we always used to have vegetable suppers with cornbread. Sweet potatoes, turnip greens, pinto beans and cornbread….mmmm. Food doesn’t get much better than that. And this particular cornbread is better than most cakes.

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 T. oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put the 2 T. oil in an 8-inch cast iron skillet. Then place the skillet in the oven to heat. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the butter, milk and egg in a seperate smaller bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Take the skillet out of the oven and add the batter. Place the skillet back in the oven and cook for 20-24 minutes or until it is browned on the bottom and golden brown with some darker brown on the ridges on top. If you are not sure, use a cake tester. Take it out of the oven and invert the cornbread on to a plate.

I promise that you’ll like it.

This is Good Cornbread Weather
Why? To go along with your soup, of course. Or, you know, this cornbread is so good that you could make it on a night you’re having leftovers or whenever. When I was growing up, we always used to have vegetable suppers with cornbread. Sweet potatoes, turnip greens, pinto beans and cornbread….mmmm. Food doesn’t get much better than that. And this particular cornbread is better than most cakes.

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 T. oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put the 2 T. oil in an 8-inch cast iron skillet. Then place the skillet in the oven to heat. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the butter, milk and egg in a seperate smaller bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Take the skillet out of the oven and add the batter. Place the skillet back in the oven and cook for 20-24 minutes or until it is browned on the bottom and golden brown with some darker brown on the ridges on top. If you are not sure, use a cake tester. Take it out of the oven and invert the cornbread on to a plate.

I promise that you’ll like it.