Happy St Patrick's Day

This photo was from a couple weeks ago, but I thought the green would look nice for today. I went to check on Kateri after lights out, and found her asleep, wearing these. I'm not sure what they were all about, but I thought it was cute. Boys are so creative, especially when it comes to weapons. A stick becomes a sword, a pine cone a grenade, and in this case a toy pan, a rubber band, and pencil, become a "shooter" I especially liked the scope he made using my milk frother attachment.

This morning I came into the kitchen and found this. Audrey and Cyril had done his phonogram dictation and were moving on to his reading lesson. Cyril said he prefers Audrey's teaching methods.

"She knows how to calm me down. And I only got four wrong."

His reading time improved from 15 to 10 min as well. It was cute to see Audrey reading the manual and setting up the lessons. I think its good for her too to reinforce what she learned. And she likes teaching. Maybe I'll get her started on the younger kids soon too.

We had dinner at Shane's parents' house on Sunday. When it was time to leave we could not find Cyril's shoes anywhere. After 30 min I said we needed to leave. It was late and the kids needed to get to bed- Kateri had already fallen sleep under the dining room table-so we left without the shoes.

The next morning , while I was on the phone with Trudy, I interrogated Kateri. She was the only one unavailable for questioning the night before. She sat up in bed and looked like she was thinking, then said with an 'I'm not certain of this' look on her face,

"I think I saw someone put them in that thing. I don't know whats it called. You know that thing by the door?"

"You mean in the hall tree? The little lid you lift up?"

"No, not that. I mean like that little door. With the vacuum things. I think maybe they put them in there."

Trudy moved the boxes blocking the door and opened the front hall closet. And there were Cyril's shoes. I could just picture her carefully moving all the boxes, stashing the shoes, putting the boxes back, and going to lie under the table, where she fell asleep.

And then Kateri, realizing the shoe's had been found, revealed the true motive behind her master plan,

"Now we can go to Grandma's?"

Black Holes

Ok. Only one black hole. But apparently one is enough for concern.
I had my annual MRI on Friday. The imaging place was super efficient this time and actually had me stop filling out paper work so they could get me in the machine sooner. And the doctors office scheduled us right afterwards so we didn't have the time in between where we usually go out to lunch. But we did get coffee on the way in and had lunch afterwards so it all worked out.

So the bad news. The neuroligst didn't like the look of my scans, but to each his own, I say. Not too much new activity and he thought the areas of activity could have been worse. Most of the spots are in the area of the brain that affect your thinking, as opposed to areas that involve your mobility. So I can walk and talk. I just may not make much sense. not sure which is better. One are has "gone dark" meaning the damage is deep enough to cause fluid build up- the water on the brain he mentioned last year-and it shows up like a black spot on the scans. As he pointed out, clinically I look great- I did get my hair done recently-but he is concerned about any more activity and thinks it is time to change my medication. Which we are not thrilled about. I have been on Copaxone off and on the last 5 years and aside from a daily poke and the build up of scar tissue in various sites- Shane tried to make me feel better by saying "at least you weren't a model and had to give up your career" He has such a way with words. But really, it was not a big deal and as I could take it while nursing, it was not too much of a disruption to how we like to live.
However, the new drug, is an iterferon and does come with some side effects and warnings, possible liver damage, suicidal thoughts, flu like symptoms and a host of other pleasantries. And possibly no alcohol or other things that tax the liver. And you have to get you liver enzymes minitored every three months. I'm not sure if I'm more apprehensive about those or the fact that is made from a human protien which they get from plasma. Human plasma. And I think somehow a chinese monkey ovum might be involved. That last bit sounds funny. But its true. Or at least something close to the truth. As is the name they use for their little injector. Copaxone has one called the "Autoject". Which sounds like what it is. A little spring loaded contraption that shoots the needle into you so you don't have to manually stab yourself. Well we were driving back from lunch and I was reading over the "welcome" package from Rebif and found their version is called, I am not making this up, the "Rebiject". Immediately, Shane and I came up with the various ways we could use the word, like how when I the last one chosen on the soccer field, I felt "rebijected." Don't people think of these things when they make up names? maybe they are just no imaginative enough. I thought Rebif was silly enough. It makes me think of the Narnia books: Reepicheep felt rebijected when he lost his tail. OK maybe its getting silly. But Shane, always looking on the bright side, pointed out we never would have learned the word if we hadn't gotten the packet. I guess I'm not feeling like I have gotten enough mileage from it to tip the scales yet. And I'm not convinced that is the way I'm going to go. There are other interferons, but they are all basically made the same way. One drug site boasted that mad cow has never been found to be transmitted from albium. That does make me feel much safer.
So I told the dr. Id think about it for a few months, take a vacation to Palau with Shane, and get back to him. Or I may choose secret option #4 and come back from vacation pregnant. Then I could put switching drugs on hold until after the new one was weaned. They need to come up with a drug that makes your body act like you are in your third trimester all the time. Minus the burgeoning belly. But if the Rebif is basically morning sickness, might as well get the real protective and natural benefits of being pregnant.
Oh, and on the way home we stopped and I finally found an acceptable bathing suit. But Shane was with me again and as I said, I usually come home with something if he's there. And I discovered, a patterned fabric can hid a multitude of whatevers, whereas a solid is a blank canvas just waiting to show off your evey irregularity. And its a two piece so it could work for maternity wear too.
Thats all our news here. Time to get the kids up and ready for liturgy. Have fun with "rebiject" and let me know what you come up with. We can all always use a laugh.

Nothing Terribly New

New shoes. Trudy kept the kids overnight and Shane had the day off. So we decided to go downtown and visit Courtney and do some shopping. I don't really enjoy shopping. Mostly because its hard to find things I like, that fit, and are not too expensive. Shopping with Shane is a little different. He has more varied tastes, thinks everything looks cute, and if you can't decide which, says get both. So I usually come home with something if he's there. It was also really nice to not have the four kids crowded into the changing room with me as well. I found these shoes at REI and thought they were cute. And comfortable. And I actually needed some summer shoes. And they were about the same price as the tank top at Courtney's store.

A new recipe, French Onion soup from cooks Illustrated. I think I got the proportions wrong. I made my own chicken stock but I think it needed to be diluted. And I think I used too many onions as well. It was a neat recipe where you roast the sliced onions for two hours in the oven and then on the stove top, de-glazing it 3-4 times with stock. and then dry sherry, which I was out of. That would have cut the richness a bit. I tried cutting it with half and half. It was still too much for me to have much of. Shane ate it but said he's fine if I don't make it again. A new snowfall. In March. We have had very strange weather. The nights have been very cold and then we woke up to snow and hail throughout the day on Monday. The kids were excited. I was sort of bummed to be pulling out all the snow gear again. I'm ready for Spring. I actually did some "gardening" a few weeks ago, on a nice sunny day. Actually, I just stuck all the potted plants we bought last year and never put in because I hadn't figured out where I wanted them to be. I figured if they live where I stuck them, great. If not I'll have to come up with a new planting scheme. And plants. I only had rosemary and lavender, and the kids strawberries. They look kind of sad right now. But if they perk up grow, I'll take a picture.

A new look for Pippin. We went to Richland the other week-end to visit Gran and Great Aunt Adele. WE had nice visits with both and even got to play with the cousins for a little bit at the park. For dinner that night, we went to Anthony's and had some tasty mahi-mahi and crab. Cyril got the crab. We had a very nice waiter, Larry, who suggested ways to get Cyril some warm crab with butter without having to order him a whole Dungeness. He was very friendly and helpful and took it in stride when Pippin announced to him,

"We are going to da hotel and go swimmeeen, but you tan't 'cause you have to stay at da westwant."

Towards the end of dinner I noticed Pippin's eye looking a little swollen. I was afraid he was re-acting to the seafood. Last lent we had two episodes where he ate crab/shrimp, and then threw up. We quickly finished and ran back to the hotel, where I had luckily packed the Benadryl. However, in a couple hours, it was clear that instead of allergies, he had Kateri's eye infection. Luckily, I had brought her eye drops and started him on them as well. And when we got home we went right to the walk in to get a re-fill. Actually, Pippin and I sat in the waiting room for almost 2 hrs, while Shane and the other kids continued on down the road to Grandmas for dinner. We were both starving by the time we finally got done and were able to eat too. But I got the refill and now everyone is well.

It was kind of cute to see his eye all puffy. The Doctor said eye infections always make the kids look so pitiful. That coupled with Pippin's meek little voice makes for a pathetic little boy.

Scones, Ganache, and The Ransom of Red Chief

But first, some art work. Kateri loves drawing and writing, as our walls show. The other night she asked for a pencil and paper before she went up to bed. Figuring a pencil was safe, I gave them to her. The next morning, I found a cute picture on her bedside stand. It took me a second to figure out what it was. I realized she had traced the first page from the book "The Abbot and I". I love the face she added to the Abbot and the cat. They look very happy. It better if you click on the picture to make it bigger. I am saving this one for sure. Tomorrow, being the first day of Lent, is a strange time for posts about desserts. And being Eastern, our lent started yesterday, so it is even less fitting. but whenever my diet is restricted in any way, I suddenly feel the desire to cook all kinds of things. And stock pile and freeze them. It has come in handy in the times I've tried various diets and helped me be more creative. But as soon as I tried cutting out wheat, it was spelt-apple-rum cake. Eggs?-how about some vinegar chocolate cake. Dairy? Tofurella pizza with quinoa crust. The Swank diet? Canola, egg white, oatmeal cookies. Which were actually very tasty and I'd make them again if I had the recipe, but have not been able to find it.
Friday we had lunch with some friends and I bought some heavy cream to make the ganache for teh cream puffs. Well I happened to go to Costco so I bought the 1/2 gallon of heavy cream. And it just so happens I have a very good recipe for scones, which calls for heavy cream. Not wanting it to go to waste, and scones freezing well, I made a couple batches this morning.

One of the many, many things I love about my in-laws is their use of real butter. Butter was its own food group in my family and the first time I had dinner as Shane's parents' I was releived to see better on the table and to find it in all of Trudy's recipes. Another thing I felt at home with was their appreciation of good food. Which kind of goes hand-in-hand with butter. My mother-in-law gave me a book of family recipes, hand written, and I have to keep taping the pages back in. It has almost been like going to cooking school, all the new recipes and techinques I've learned. So here are a couple out of a lot. I'll put up Trudy's Delicious Bars another day, which, if you have been to any of our receptions or showers, you have tried. They are the ones with the pecans on top. That is the most requested recipe. But I have to find a picture as I have not made them in awhile.

First up is Trudy's Chocolate Ganache. It is so easy and so yummy. I love it for dipping cream puffs in. And Bananas, and strawberries, and just for fun I tried Pepperidge Farm Harvest Wheat crackers. Move over Keebler elves. If you refridgerate the left-overs, is makes a super rich fudge/mousse. With a spoon and a cup of strong dark coffee, you have a wonderful dessert.

To make Trudy's Chocolate Ganach:

Place 2 cups chocolate chips in a metal bowl and set a side.

In a sauce pan, heat until boiling:

1 cup heavy cream

2 T sugar

2 T butter

remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let sit 5 min then stir. You have to stir for a little while until all the chocolate is incorpotated. Let cool slightly then dip, drizzle, pour, or whatever you like.

The other night Audrey came downstairs saying she was scared and was afraid of being kidnapped. I told her there was nothing to worry about and that I would look for a story to read them the next night but for now she was safe and go back to bed. She did, excited about the new promised story. So the next night, I found The Ransom of Red Cheif by O.Henry. I had forgotten how funny it was. Audrey asked me several times to stop reading because she was laughing too hard and couldn't hear. And I had to stop a few times because I couldn't read for laughing. I t was success and inspired lots of playing the next day. I decided to sit out the games, knowing what role I would get to play, but they had fun.

These are my favorite scones, because they don't use butter, which can be a pain to cut in and it makes them too crumbly. These scones get their fat quota in the form of heavy cream. I usually make them small so they are sized nicely for little tea parties. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law.

Dee's Cream Scones

2c flour

1/2 t salt

1 T baking powder

1/4 c sugar plus more for sprinkling

1 1/4 c heavy cream plus more for brushing on the tops

Mix all dry ingredients in bowl with a fork. Make a well in the middle and pour in cream. Stir with fork until just barely mixed.

Tranfer dough to floured surface and knead few times, just until you can make a round with it.

Cut into wedges, bruch with extra cream and sprinkle with sugar.

If freezing, place on cookie sheet and freeze 1 hour or more. Then place in zip-loc bags and return to freezer. When ready to bake, either fresh or frozen, place cookie sheet- either greased or use a silpat- in 425 degree oven 15 min. Just until very, very lightly golden. If I see a tiny spot darker than cream colored, I take them out. 10-12 min if I make them tiny.

Its great having a quick, tasty, treatreadily available for impromptu tea parties or unexpected company. Fabulous with butter-of course- and strawberry jam. But also super tasty alone. I've added blue berries as well, but have found we mostly prefer them plain.

Maybe I'll put up some tasty lenten recipes later, yes there are some, but not now. And if anyone has the Swank Diet oatmeal cookie recipe, I'd love to make some. To freeze. Of course.

A Few Good Men, Or at Least Very Smart Ones

Here is a fascinating news piece about Peter Schiff. Its like he was reading yesterday's paper, only it was over two years ago. Shane ordered some of his books and we're excited to read them. It would be nice if anyone listened to what he has to say.


Speaking of the economy,bailouts, and good advice, it was very heartening to read that Governors Jindal, Barbour, Otter, Perry, and Sanford are all turning down their portions of the bailout pie. As Governor Perry expains it,

"If this money expands entiltements, we will not accept it. This is exactly how addicts get hooked on drugs."

Hmmm, lets accept the money, start programs we cannot afford or sustain, and then leave people high and dry when the money runs out. Or mandate major non-voluntary public funding i.e. tax hikes. Sounds like a government plan. Well, six good men is a place to start.

My Mistake

I cannot stand door-to-door sales. It drives me mad sometimes. And inspires me to be not as polite as I would normally be. Unfortunately, today, I practically invited the guy in. Accidentally.

If you are in the library reading e-mail, and it is dark outside, and the porch light is not turned on, you can hardly see out the windows. So when I was in the library doing said activity, waiting for Shane to get home, and saw a sihlouette coming up the steps I smiled and waved enthusiastically. Probably surprised to get such a greeting, he waved back and I jumped up to get the door. Definitely surprised, I opened the door and to my great disappointment found a little man offering carpet stain treatments. Before he even started I told him I was not interested.

"We are offering a free service for carpets. Do you have any stains you've been unable to remove?"

(What did he want me to list out loud all the things I have embedded in my rugs? Couldn't he see I have four kids? One not fully potty trained. What a gross man. )

"I'm sure I do but I'll take care of them. Thank you."

"Well we have a brand new sanding technique to remove all your unwanted stains"

(But they could leave the ones I wanted?)

"Thanks, but I've seen the sawdust technique on my parent's rug. And I'm not interested."

(My parents were vacuuming up the sawdust, that had so lovingly been ground into their rug, for years. And when they pulled it up, even more years later, the sawdust had to be removed before the new carpet could be layed. The last thing I wanted was the same experience with sand.)

"Oh, but this is different. This is a patented Kirby service."

At the word Kirby I thought I had him.

"Actually, I have a Kirby (this is true) so I can shampoo and all that myself. Thank you anyway."

Still not to be deterred, he continued,

"Oh great. So you are familiar with our products. Can I ask which Kirby you have?"

Not wanting to hear about the next generations millions of evolved attributes and thinking this had gone on far too long I answered,

"The one I want."

I'm contemplating making a new sign.

Kateri Knows Her Letters

As proof, I found this message on the computer desk upstairs. I think its funny she doesn't even consider her work is incriminating. Who else is going to write "Kateri Jack" on everything.

She has not decided if her pen is mightier than the cross-bow. Or which is more fun.

Following in Papa's foot steps, she has taken to drawing army scenes. I think her little green tank is about the cutest thing I've seen. Its so cute, it kind of disarms you and you don't realize you are about to be blown up until its too late. Kind of like Kateri.

The same day, I found this written under the counter. It is pencil so will wash of nicely. At least she uses pencil, mostly because I don't keep pens down. I have some of the other kids writings etched in furniture. Cyril's motor boat on his dresser, "A"s for Audrey on a shelf. It does make it easier to save and display their artwork, and its kind of hard to lose a book case.