Hedgehog Hill

Square Foot Gardening on the Gulf Coast: Grids, building and pricing

2013-03-08T22:37:00.001-06:00

One of the main requirements of square foot gardening seems to be the grid system. The grids should be carefully measured so that each opening is as close as possible to a square foot. Seed spacing later on will depend on having adequate space, soil, and water. Also, the grids will make it easy to identify what should be growing in each foot sized space, and what is a weed. I suppose this would help with plant control. Part of the square foot ideal is to grow less plant but produce more vegetables.

So our grids were pieces of untreated 1" x 2"s. They were 8', and we cut them in half. The pieces were .82 each and we bought 14. We had a real problem deciding how to cheaply tie the grids together. They also needed to be easy to store during the off season.

My solution was to drill two holes about 14" apart and in the middle of the boards. I secured the boards together with tent stakes from the sporting goods store. The cost at our store was $2.50 for 4. They hold well and the grids are also anchored into the dirt. At the end of the season I can pull everything up and store it as a stack of 4' boards and a bag of tent stakes.

I ran ribbon hoses before I placed the grids. The book "All New Square Foot Gardening" recommends watering a cupful at a time which really isn't an option, summer around here gets busy with kid's activities.

Eventually, when we have healthy young plants, the beds and hoses will be covered in a layer of mulch to help with weeds and grass.

A disclaimer to anyone following along: These blog entries are mostly my own records to help with my recollection for next year's garden. I am making it public just in case anyone's trying the same thing and wants to see how it works. I am no horticultural expert, just a woman with a book and a yard. Enjoy the blog, and I will try to help and answer questions as I am able.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Square Foot Gardening on the Gulf Coast: Trellis's go up

2013-02-27T21:26:00.001-06:00

Today I constructed the trellis system in hopes of training some of the vining vegetables into vertical crops. The construction technique I used is mostly identical to Mel Bartholemew's method.

I went to Lowes home improvement store and purchased 1/2 conduit and had them cut it to appropriate lengths with their pipe cutting machine. They were a little reluctant and told me it was going to scratch the conduit, I said it didn't matter because it was destined for the garden. My advice is not to take no for an answer on the cutting, I had two denials before I convinced someone to do it.

I needed 4 trellis, so I bought:
1/2 conduit cut into 8 5' pieces, and 4 42" pieces.
8 screw on elbow conduit connectors
8 pieces of 3/8" 24" rebar
2 nylon vegetable nets, 5'x8', they were in the greenhouse section by the bamboo stakes.
A roll of twisty tie with an attached cutter

I drove the rebar 12" into the ground and fitted the assembled trellis on the rebar. I tied the nets and then used the twisty ties to secure my ties since the nylon seemed slick and I didn't want the trellis coming unknotted while full of plants.

Our soil here is very soft so I also drove some wooden stakes that I had lying around into the ground beside the trellis. I tied the stakes to the trellis and felt like the whole system was much more secure. I would guess guide wires might work as well.

On a side note, I was working through noon and noticed that my two older beds were mostly shaded. So even when the sun was the brightest, those beds got partial sun to shade. I had done most of my gardening in the afternoon and I'd totally missed this fact!

No wonder my tomatoes and peppers struggled, my lettuce and herbs did well, and I guess okra could grow under a barrel on the moon, because it had prospered in that spot as well.

This will have a huge bearing on how I decide to plant this year. I am planning on following that old saw, "If you eat it's leaves, plant in the shade, if its for fruit or root, full sun."

A disclaimer to anyone following along: These blog entries are mostly my own records to help with my recollection for next year's garden. I am making it public just in case anyone's trying the same thing and wants to see how it works. I am no horticultural expert, just a woman with a book and a yard. Enjoy the blog, and I will try to help and answer questions as I am able.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Square Foot Gardening on the Gulf Coast: Dirt and Cost Shock

2013-02-23T20:54:00.001-06:00

We put the soil in our boxes today and sadly we had to cut a few corners and take a detour from the wise advice of the book, "All New Square Foot Gardening". The recommendation for the soil mix is 1/3 peat, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 compost from several sources. But when we got to the garden center it was pretty clear this was out of the question.

We decided to add a yard of topsoil to our mix so we could cost effectively fill the boxes. Here is a breakdown of what we spent today:

Yard of topsoil - $40
2 cubic bags of peat moss (3 cu ft each) - $20
6 large bags of various composts - $24
2 large bags of vermiculite - $45

So about $130 to fill 8 3x3 boxes at a depth of 6 inches.

Mixing the components in the truck before we wagoned them to the boxes.

Here are some things I should have considered:
- It takes a lot more dirt to fill boxes than you might imagine.
- as you add the fluffy soil and wet it, it compresses.

What effect will this substitution have? Time will tell. My biggest worry is weeds. The topsoil is supposed to be clean so hopefully we won't have a run away weed patch by June. I am also a little concerned about the compact nature of the sq ft system. So many plants so close together are going to have much larger nutrient needs than a simple row garden. I hope we still have a worthwhile harvest.

The garden boxes are full of nice looking soil and one step closer to growing!

A disclaimer to anyone following along: These blog entries are mostly my own records to help with my recollection for next year's garden. I am making it public just in case anyone's trying the same thing and wants to see how it works. I am no horticultural expert, just a woman with a book and a yard. Enjoy the blog, and I will try to help and answer questions as I am able.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Square Foot Gardening on the Gulf Coast: We Begin

2013-02-22T21:01:00.001-06:00

We've had a wet winter/ spring here on the gulf coast of Texas and I've had time to read a book called "The New Square Foot Gardening " by Mel Bartholomew. We had tried raised bed gardening a few years ago and lost most things to bugs and fungus.

So, we are trying again, back in the saddle, here is what I am doing:
- Starting and using the correct mixture of soil components. This seems to be the key to keeping moisture up and weeds down. I cleaned the old soil out of the old beds and spreading it in the yard. It was full of weed seeds and acorns.
- Building two more sets of beds. I want more diversity in our crops. Growing too many of the same plants makes it easier for bugs to take over. Spreading out types of plants means fewer infestations.
- Lining the beds to keep grass and weeds from coming from below. I am using newspaper instead of plastic.

Beds cleaned and new ones constructed

The beds also need to drain well, so I've placed the new beds on higher ground.

Checking for worms, saw several and that's a good sign!

A disclaimer to anyone following along: These blog entries are mostly my own records to help with my recollection for next years garden. So basically it's a personal diary that I can analyze to do better in the future. I am making it public just in case anyone's if trying the same thing and wants to see how it works. I am no horticultural expert, just a woman with a book and a yard. Enjoy the blog and I will try to help and answer questions as I can.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Great Wolf Lodge: Money Saving Strategies for Maximum Fun

2012-07-19T16:50:00.000-05:00

This way to the fun!

We just got back from the Grapevine location and let me say it was one of my favorite vacations ever, and that includes European vacations! It's that fun! We took ourselves and four kids and spent five days. Of course, it's the kids that make it fun, I don't think it's much of a couples place so when you see those reviews for GWL that complain about noisy kids or lack of fine dining . . .keep in mind those people should probably have tried the Gaylord across the road.

1. Get the best rate you can for the smallest room you need. And remember that most rooms have a pretty decent fold out couch. The rooms are also more spacious than a typical hotel room. Subscribe immediately to their email list. The lady at the desk said the best rates are online, flexibility is the key. Check the website periodically for new codes and then call and have your reservation lowered to the new code. I booked our July trip in March. I lowered my rate with codes once, and managed to get the Kid Cabin room for $230 per night but we had to stay at least three nights and that was a Sun-Fri trip.
2. Paw Pass is a special offer that varies by location. I WISH we would have done this, it would have covered a magi quest wand and game, given us some tokens for the arcade and a nice stuffed animal. Check the deal, if you are going to do the things on offer anyway, I estimate it saves about 25-30%.
3. Magi Quest is so much fun, do it with your kids and let them try to figure it out before you. They love it. BUT buy only one wand then trick it out with toppers, compass, etc. Once you start playing, this makes more sense . . . I know I know, they all want a wand, but it will save a lot of confusion about who got what items and who missed and has to go back, plus you only pay one activation fee which is good for four days. Don't activate your wand until you begin playing, we ran out of "manna" before we finished a much anticipated mission.
4. Take advantage of the Wolf Walk, lobby shows, and character appearances if you have little ones, it's something they look forward to doing and you've basically already paid for it with your room fee. Everyday we went on a wolf hunt with my 4 and 2 year olds. When we'd spot the characters, the little ones would squeal with delight.
5. Be aware of busy times around the Lodge. In Grapevine, most people were swimming in the morning and Magi questing in the afternoon. So we reversed it. Magi quest after breakfast. No lines for challenges, it was great. Then lunch, free time for big kids and naps for little ones, early dinner, swimming till 8 or 9. Short lines for slides and no overcrowded rides and it's July. Then a snack, maybe some compass quest for big kids, and bedtime. There are busy places too, request a room away from the stairways and magi quest stops, the party doesn't stop till 11 pm and those repetitive messages can get annoying. Also, try to get a room on a floor other than the first, second, or sixth. First and second elevators are always busy because those floors have the attractions and the sixth floor is a large hub for magi quest.
6. Budget a certain amount each day for the arcade. My husband and kids swear its one of the best. No broken games, generous ticket rewards, and a good mix of older and younger age group games make it a winner. For us the budget was $50 a day and then we would stop. We saved our tickets up for the last day and left with a lava lamp, stuffed wolf, and a lot of candy.
7. Food is huge for us. It's really too much money and hassle to take 6 people out to eat three times a day. Fortunately GWL allows you to bring in your own food and each room has a mini fridge with a tiny freezer space, small microwave, and deep stainless sink. We went to the grocery store as soon as we arrived and I made it a goal to eat two meals per day in our room. At the end of this post I will give a list for what tools you need and a few recipes for satisfying meals to fill up your busy kids. Let me also say that this is a huge amount of trouble if you only have 2 small kids, there is a large mall nearby with several dining options, not to mention the restaurants in the lodge. That being said, my $100 worth of groceries probably saved us $1000 in dining out costs.
8. Bring a cooler and fill it with ice from the machine in the hall. Bring cases of bottled waters and chill a few at a time. Drink these instead of pricey sodas. If your kids need something sugary, buy the powered koolaid canisters and add a little to the bottles after they open them. They will still be getting much less sugar than with sodas or juice. Hydration is important, a lot of their swimming is done indoors but it's still 84 degrees in there and they lose fluid as quickly as playing outside in that temperature.
9. Starbucks at the lodge allows you to keep your paper cup and refill it with regular coffee at a great discount. There is a coffee maker in the room but it's small and frankly can't compare with a Venti Starbucks for pick me ups in the morning.
10. Our kids went swimming once or twice a day and we generated a lot of wet clothes. There is a clothesline in the shower but even with several extra swimsuits we never got things totally dry. There is a laundry on the 6th floor, it was $1 per load for the washers and dryers. The detergent was expensive so bring your own in ziplocks, pre measured for a load.
11. Don't bring your pool toys, they aren't allowed. They also provide decent floatation vests for your little ones. There are lifeguards everywhere and the place feels very safe but the jackets were there so we used them each time.
12. If you want souvenirs, look on the lowest shelves in the shop. Half price T-shirts, discontinued stuffed animals, jewelry singles, can all be had if your eyes are sharp.
13. Treat yourself each day. Seriously! You did all the planning, price hunting, packing, organizing, probably some driving, and you are probably making sure everyone else in the group has the best time possible SO go on! Get a mani at the spa, have an enormous frosted brownie, buy a nice souvenir for just you to use. These things aren't budget busters and it's your vacation too!

What I took for cooking/eating:
-Plastic disposable bowls
-Paper plates
-Plastic cutlery
-Ziplock bags, gallon or quart, probably a handful of each.
-Paper towels
-2 cleaning rags
-Sponge
-Small basin for soapy water for dish washing. You have one good sized stainless sink but no stopper. I poured my dishwater down the toilet so the crumbs wouldn't stop up the sink.
-Small leakproof bottles, one filled with dish washing soap, the other with bleach, because there is no telling what you will cleanup during your vacation. You might need it really clean. Pack these in a ziplock in case of leaks.
-Laundry detergent and softener if you use it.
-Cutting board
-3 sharp knives. One long chopper, one medium chopper, and one small paring. I brought a small sharpener along too.
-Measuring spoons and a measuring cup, a one cup with graduations is probably fine.
-7 cup Pyrex bowl with lid, an additional smaller size is handy too but not necessary. Remember as your picking these bowls that if a bowl is large and wide it won't fit in the small microwave. Think height + volume.
-2 cheap correlle plates from Walmart. These cook bacon, cover your Pyrex while things are cooking, and give you a place for ingredients after cutting.
-2 small plastic microwave safe bowls. These were Viking brand I believe and didn't get as hot as the glass type.
-Whisk
-Funnel, if you are making koolaid water bottles
-2 cooking spoons. I like those silicon spoonulas. I brought a tiny one for scraping out cans.
-Metal forks, spoons, and a butter knife. Not many but you won't want to use plastic as you are trying to prepare food.
-Spice set. This helps enormously. Take sandwich bags and fill them with about a tablespoon of your favorite spices. For us it was Cajun spice, herb garlic mix, and chicken bullion granules. Buy a pre filled set of salt and pepper on the spice aisle and take with you so you don't accidentally break your home set. Take all of it and put in a larger ziplock.
I didn't bring any appliances other than my electric fondue pot. I know that sounds crazy but its so easy and my kids love having "fondinner" with bread, sausage or precooked chicken, veggies, and apples. Throw some chocolate chips in a bowl with some heavy cream, slice up some strawberries and it's the easiest dessert on the planet. I will add the fondue recipes at the end for you brave ones.

Here are some recipes to try and I know these are heavy on canned, and more expensive precooked items but I was trying to avoid raw meats as much as possible.
Breakfasts
Keep in mind that your cleaning space is limited, as well as real seating so I tried to stay away from bowls of milk and cereal because of the mess.
Try:
Muffins and fruit
Granola bars and yogurts
Eggo waffles with peanut butter and chocolate chips or butter and jelly.
Breakfast burritos
Eggs, microwave each egg in a small bowl for a minute, stir and add more time if still wet. Or microwave them all together, stirring after one minute and continuing to microwave until thoroughly cooked. Add salt, pepper or butter to your taste before cooking.
Bacon, lay paper towels on a plate, then lay 5 to 6 strips of bacon down in a single layer. Microwave for 3 min. Flip. Microwave another 3 min.
If bacon isn't your thing, look for precooked sausage crumbles. Microwave them till warm, about 45 secs.
Microwave suitable amount of tortillas for 30 sec.
Fill tortillas with eggs, bacon/sausage, shredded cheese, and salsa.
Omlette or Fritatta
Follow above directions for bacon and eggs, microwave your eggs with some finely chopped onion and bell peppers and top with cheese or fold over for an omelet effect.
Cupcakes, yep for breakfast, with chocolate milk. Hey, we're on vacation!
Lunches
Hot dogs
Remove from pack, place in your large Pyrex bowl, add a little water, cover with a plate and microwave for about 3 min. Serve on buns with chips and sliced apples or pears.
Frito pie
2 cans of turkey chili with beans, microwave 3 min. Stir. Microwave another 3 minutes. Pour onto fritos in bowls, tops with cheese or sour cream, shredded lettuce and tomatoes. Pre made guacamole and chips make a nice side.
Sandwiches, fruit, chips or pretzels. Cold cuts or peanut butter and bananas, whatever your kids like.
Salads, my kids love spinach with madarin oranges, chun king crunchy noodles, and asian dressing. Yours may like chicken, bacon, ranch salad too. Add some crackers and its a meal. (Use the precooked tyson type grilled chicken to avoid any raw meat issues, you can find it in the deli section or frozen and thawed in the fridge. Microwave a little if you kids prefer it warmed.)
Don't forget about meals you eat microwaved at home. My husband puts down a layer of tortillas chips, sprinkled with cheese, microwaved 30 secs. and the kids go crazy for it. Maybe tv dinners work for you, or egg rolls, or even microwave pizzas, there is a tiny freezer in the fridge.
Dinners
Shepherds Pie
Peel 5 potatoes, cut them into cubes and place in the large pyrex bowl. Spray with Pam and sprinkle with salt, stir. Cover with a plate and Microwave for 10 min. Stir and microwave another 10 minutes. Place a few potatoes in each persons bowl.
Microwave 2 cans of your favorite chunky soup, we liked sirloin burger. Pour the hot soup over the potatoes. Serve and enjoy.
Jambalaya
Microwave instant rice according to directions. Make beds of rice on disposable plates. Cut up smoked link sausage (like hillshire farms type) into rounds and microwave covered for 3 mins.
Mix 1 can Rotel or stewed tomatoes with a can of cream of mushroom soup. Add Cajun seasoning to your liking. Microwave 5 min. Chop up two green onion and stir into the sauce. Stir the sausage into the sauce and spoon over the beds of rice. Serve.
Spam Delight . . Stay with me here, it's good!
Peel and dice about 5 potatoes. Place them in the large Pyrex, spray with a little Pam, add a little salt and pepper, microwave 10 min. Stir, and microwave another 5 min.
Dice a small onion, cube a can of spam and add them to the large bowl along with the potatoes. Stir and microwave 5 more minutes. Serve on tortillas, or in a bowl topped with cheese or salsa.
Chicken Quesodillas
Microwave precooked southwestern chicken until its hot. (its available in the deli section or cheaper in the frozen section, it will thaw in the fridge but its full cooked and therefore not dangerous. I buy ours frozen and leave it in the fridge, it thaws and we use it in about a week no problem)
Place two tortillas on a plate, sprinkle with cheese and randomly place as much chicken, pico de gallo, or whatever you enjoy on the tortillas. Microwave for about 40 secs. or until cheese is melted. Quickly smush the two tortillas together, cut and serve.
add some Easy Guacamole
Peel and de-seed 4 soft avocados. Mix in the juice of one lime, mash to desired consistency with a fork. Add a can of drained rotel tomatoes, garlic salt, cumin, coriander, and ground chipotle pepper. Taste before each addition to keep from over seasoning. Stir, serve with chips.
Snacks
Don't forget snacks, there is a lot of delicious snack opportunities at GWL, it can seriously get expensive if your eating on impulse. Stock the room with pretzels, blueberries, roasted or flavored nuts, oatmeal cookies, granola bars, big bags of trail mix, yogurt raisins, etc. Think low sugar, high fiber to keep them feeling full while they are playing.
Fondinner
Cut a smoked sausage or hotdogs into big sized pieces. Microwave until hot and steaming.
Cube a loaf of French bread, making sure that each cube has some crust attached.
Cut some baby carrots in half and microwave until just tender, about 3 min.
Cut up some fresh broccoli into small florets and microwave till bright green, about 2 min.
Cut up some green apples into bite sized chunks.
To make fondue, heat up the pot to medium and melt a tablespoon of butter in the bottom. Add a Tblsp of very finely diced onion and sautée.
Add a cup of water and enough chicken billion to make one cup of broth. Heat until dissolved and bubbling.
Toss 6 oz of your favorite shredded or crumbled cheese with a teaspoon of cornstarch. Then slowly add the cheese to the fondue pot a little at a time, whisking the additions till melted.
Add a round of Boursin cheese and stir til everything is melted, well mixed, and warm. Don't forget to turn your pot down to low now!
Give everyone a fork and start dipping!
Chocolate fondue
Cut some pre made (like little Debbie) brownies and rice crispy treats into dice sized pieces. Put these on a plate with some pretzels, marshmallows, strawberries cut in half, and chunked bananas.
To make the fondue, add a bag of chocolate chips (milk chocolate, or semisweet, or a combination of the two according to your family's preference) to your large Pyrex bowl. Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream and microwave 30 secs. Stir well, microwave another 30 secs. Continue microwaving and stiring until the chips are melted. Be careful not to over cook, or you will have lumps of hard burnt chocolate.
Preheat your pot to low, pour in your melted chocolate. If you like peanut butter, add 1/2 cup. Stir until full incorporated. If you like caramel, add a can of dulce de leche, that's also about 1/2 a cup. Ice cream caramel works too but it's more expensive. Or just have plain chocolate, it's delicious too!

No, Great Wolf Lodge or any of its entities did not sponsor this post. They didn't offer me a thing and probably aren't aware that I've even posted. I came up with this all on my own, its my own thoughts, recipes, and experiences. I just think this place is great, and I think big families deserve great vacations as much as small families. Use this information at your own risk and with your best judgement.
Kind regards, DJ
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Portal Cake

2012-05-13T20:50:00.001-05:00

Portal is a much beloved game at our house and if you too are addicted then perhaps you are also craving the cake and wondering how to make it. Here is a very easy approximation that makes just enough and will impress even GlaDos.

Here are the ingredients you will need but read through the recipe first because things will be added at different times.
1 chocolate cake mix, preferably devils food
1 can Dr. Pepper or Coke
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened variety)
1 can dark sweet cherries (not maraschino)
4 oz at least of good thick chocolate bar for shaving

Note that there is no rhubarb or semi-permeable membranes required.

Add the can of soda to the cake mix, stir well, pour into a well greased and floured 9 or 10" cake pan. Only 1 pan, you've left out all the eggs and oil and saved a ton of calories, fat, and time. The trade off? Smaller cake. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick in the center comes out dry.

When the cake is baked, let it cool in the pan for 5 min, then cover cake and pan tightly with aluminum foil until cake is entirely cool. This step gives you a really moist cake.

To make your frosting, stir the cream cheese, 1/2 cups of the sugar and the vanilla. Beat until fluffy, then slowly slowly add in the whipping cream. You don't want the cream to separate from the cheese/sugar so take care to add it little by little and let it work in.

When the cake is cool, turn it out on a plate and use a bread knife, cake wire cutter, or dental floss to cut the cake horizontally. Now you have 2 layers, lay the top one aside carefully.

Open the can of cherries and drain. Set aside 8 whole cherries and cut the others in half. Unwrap the chocolate and use a potato peeler to make curls and shreds, you can use a grater too but it wont be as pretty.

Spread a nice thick layer of the white frosting onto the first layer, place the cut cherries evenly on the frosting. Place the second layer on top of the first. Dip out about 1/3 cup of the white frosting and set aside.

Add the rest of the sugar and the cocoa to the frosting and beat until it is well blended and stiff. Spread it all over your cake. Pat the chocolate shreds onto the frosting. Add 8 dollops of the white frosting evenly around the edge. Put a cherry on each dollop for that authentic "yea . . .you survived!" look.

So there, its a triumph, HUGE SUCCESS . . .Serve it to loved ones or eat it yourself if you are extremely unlikeable . .

Here is GlaDos's recipe I'll leave it to you to decide which might be easier.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Fried Rice Secrets Revealed

2012-02-17T10:33:00.000-06:00

We have fried rice of some sort about once a week, but it took me a LOOOONG time to get it right. You, Dear one, can have all my secrets quickly and easily and you won't have to eat one bit of mushy rice along the learning curve. First, here are two recipes. One is savory and one is sweet. They've been throughly tested:

Original fried rice

Hawaiian Fried Rice

Here are some tips to get perfect fried rice that tastes like you've been working in a chinese restaurant since you were six.

Cold Cooked Rice I cook my plain rice ahead of time, spread it on a cookie sheet and stick in the fridge for a few hours. You can also freeze leftover rice and thaw it out on fried rice day.
Have Everything Ready ahead of time. That actually means everything is chopped, grated and sauces mixed when you start heating your wok. Chinese cooking depends on high heat to get the right flavor and things happen fast. Running back to the fridge for the eggs can result in a smoky mess.
Don't Fear Fish Sauce and Oyster Sauce because they don't taste like fish or oysters. These sauces are the secret to your really authentic flavor. Fish sauce smells bad and tastes awful on its own, but mixed into a dish it adds a bitterness that perfectly balances the sweetness in rice and vegetables. Look for the light colored, thin version of fish sauce, I use one with three crabs on the label. Oyster sauce is thick and brown, and it adds smoky depth to any stir-fry, you will fall in love with it. You get what you pay for, the pricier, the bigger the flavor punch.
Hot Wok and I mean really hot. Use a skillet if you must but when you cook asian food, be sure to preheat just like you would an oven. This sears your food and seals in the flavors. When you add the rice to the hot oil it should be popping and crackling on that wok. Stir it around in the oil, then let it sit and sizzle. Then turn from the bottom to the top, sit, sizzle, repeat. It takes a while, be patient for lots of crispy fried rice grains.
Cook Everything Separately like meats, remove, then veg, remove, then rice, add it all back together at the end. Reason being that if you cook everything together, it will all taste the same. What makes really good asian dishes is that things have different flavor notes that mix together as you eat them. Plus you will be happier with your dish because you won't have a crowded wok that equals boiled rather than stir-fried foods.

The great thing about fried rice? Its a good excuse to clean out your fridge. Anything goes, just follow the basics above. Here is a list of things we've successfully added to fried rice:

crawdads, cut up chicken mcnuggets, lotus root, tofu skins, bacon, red cabbage, kimchi, breakfast sausage, leftover bbq, lychees, almonds, cucumbers, green chiles, cilantro, leftover noodles, spam, baby corn, wild rice, shitake mushrooms, and of course. . . . frozen peas 'n carrots :o) Good luck!

WannaMakeSumtingCool? Electronics Charging Yard

2012-01-31T13:17:00.001-06:00

Look at this, no, I didn't plant SD cards and grow devices. This is a charging station and it nothing but $15 worth of stuff and about 5 minutes of work. I went to a store that carries crafty stuff and accidentally found the first important component:

1. A patch of plastic grass that is made of a grid with tufts of grass attached on top. It was in the Easter section but it might be in the floral section as well.

2.Next I bought a cheap decorative tray.

3.At home, I put a surge protector in the tray, plugged in the chargers, put the grass mat on top of that, and ran the wires up through the grass grid.

That's it!! That's all! The devices stay put and the cords are hidden. This is not my original idea, I saw something similar at the container store but it was missing its surge protector so I didn't buy it. I believe my charger ends up being much cheaper and you can scale it up to however many devices you have as long as you an find a container large enough, just trim the grass mats to fit.

WannaMakeSumtingCool? Photo Album on a Kilt Pin

2009-07-07T11:09:00.027-05:00

Got cute kids to show off and need a sparkly eye catching way to do it? Maybe you need to make this:

I got this craft idea from a great book called Crafty Mama Makes 49 Fast, Fabulous, Foolproof Projects pg. 223. This is my interpretation and showing all the steps.
First, your supplies:
Some small photos: any small photos will do, aim for faces about half an inch wide. I took some pics, shrunk them in photoshop and then sent the order to walgreens for printing. Wallets and mini wallet photos work well too, so will any crayon or pencil drawings.
Small charm sized photo frames: I found mine at the dreaded HobbsterLobbster, but most good art or craft stores will carry them.
Beads: Any kind you like. Special glass ones saved from broken antiques, alphabet beads for names w/pics, metal beads for balance. Visit a bead store and really find some you like, you don't need very many beads for this project and they should be small so you can splurge and get some you'll be proud to show off. Let you imagination run crazy!
Kiltpins: buy a pack of at least 3, after you make the first one, you'll want to make some of these for friends or family.
Headpins: get some that end with a pin head and some that end with a loop.
Jumprings: get a couple of sizes, figure 8 connectors will work as well.
Tools: a 3-in-1 jewelers pliers (with the rounded tips) will work fine, but a full kit would have some very small needle-nosed pliers, a flush cutter, and a pair of jewelers pliers (round tips).
Something to seal in the photos: Anything that will become transparent when dry will work well. The frames may come with some small clear plastic disks for this purpose, but these seem to gather dirt and eventually get lost, taking the photo with them. I like Liquitex Glazing medium, but plain clear nailpolish will work fine.

Making your photo charms:

The charms come in 3 pieces (usually). A frame, a small white backing piece, and a clear plastic piece. When you have your photos ready, use one of the small backing disks to trace a circle around the face of your subject.

Cut out the photo, insert it into the frame. Add all the pictures to all your frames now.

Now very carefully, dip a paintbrush into the glazing medium/clear nail polish/sealant of your choice and drop a big glob on the middle of the picture inside the frame. Carefully spread it around so that it covers the entire picture and fills up the frame a little bit. The stuff will be cloudy, but after a few hours that will change.

Add another smaller glob if you need to. Later after this coating is dry, you can add more coats for protection. A few thin coats is much better than one very thick one.

Useful stuff, pricey but lots of applications.

Creating the beaded danglers:

Now for the fun! You should have several nice little "cameos", a kilt pin, some loose beads, headpins, and some idea of what you'd like to do. Here is how to make the little hanging bits that add personality to your personalities in the frames.

Add your beads to a headpin with a loop.

Bend the headpin wire around the round pliers, leaving a little room between the beads and the pliers. We will need to wrap the wire around this area to finish the loop.

Using your fingers, wind the end around the wire between the loop and the beads.

Holding the loop with your pliers, use the cutters to nip off the extra wire as close as your can to the wound part. If you have a 3-in-one tool, you can hold the charm with your fingers while you cut, just be extremely careful.

TA DA! Finished your dangler!

Headpins are handled the same way, just go back to step one and you'll end up with a very similar lovely thing.

Attaching with Jumprings:
First off, if you need really securely attached charms. No judgement on your personal habits, just saying. . . Anyway, they make wonderful double rings that are made and work very similarly to tiny keychain rings. These take a bit more patience, but could be worth your time. Also, there are figure 8 connectors that can be more secure. Look around the shop where your buy your supplies, ask for help. Learning is growing.
Here is how to attach with a simple jumpring.

Open the jumpring by twisting it sideways, not by pulling it apart.

Add your charm, place the charm and the ring onto the pin and then twist the ring closed again. I usually overlap my ends, but there are lots of schools of thought on this. IF you can make your rings ends meet again with no light shining through, then by all means, work your magic. Its easier to attach the charms to the dangles before attaching the dangles to the pin.

Now you should have a well-attached, handmade, sparkly charm.

Check that the ring is on well before going on to the next dangler or charm. The charms could be attached with rings, or added to the danglers during the loop making shown a few steps back.

As you practice these techniques you'll soon find shortcuts and new creative ways to highlight your beads and your talent. These simple charms will make nice necklaces, dangle-y bracelets, keychains, or just about anything that you'd like to add your favorite beads too.

GOOD LUCK!

WannaMakeSumtingCool? Magnetic Chalkboard Calendar

2009-06-24T22:12:00.011-05:00

Busy? Kids keep getting dropped off at the wrong activities? Then this may be a good little weekend project. It combines the flexibility of a magnet board with the style and simplicity of a chalkboard. Here's what you need (basically):

a large magnetic bulletin board I found one at Walmart for about $7. Size does matter, get one as large as you dare. You'll want lots of room to write.

Chalkboard paint This is available at Home Depot or even most craft stores. I bought the rustoleum brand because it seemed the most durable. You will need a few coats and probably a little extra for other projects you think of while working on this one
Paint pens Get whatever color you'd like your grid and numbers/letters to be.

Something to make a frame out of I just used some old molding I had (painted yellow in the pic). Then used some 1/2" square dowels to keep the board in the frame (painted red).

.

Magnets To use for your dates/months. You could just write these in with different colors of chalk if you wanted to, or draw the days in with the paint pens. I used some old wooden decorator elements and then glued them to blank magnets. The numbers and letters were done with stampers and paint pens.

How to start:
1. Paint your board, it should take 3 or 4 good coats to get a thick coating that will stand up to use. Follow the directions on the can for drying times. If you've bought a metal board with a dry erase coating, you may need to wipe it with mineral spirits or use some fine grit sandpaper to roughen the surface so that the chalkboard paint will adhere better.

2. While the board is drying, start building your frame. Use a miter box and saw, the inner dimension of your molding frame should match the outer dimension of your board. Measure twice, cut once! A few good staples on each corner from a staple gun will be enough to hold together. Try to square your frame up as much as possible, the board will help with this. I left the molding open to the front, glued in the board, then glued in the square dowels to hold the board inside the frame. Paint the frame and set it aside when you are happy with it.

3. After the paint on the board has dried, mark out your grid. You will need 6 rows(5 weeks and room for the month name) and 7 columns(days of the week). FIRST, measure how much of the board will be covered by your frame or dowels and mark this off. Now measure the board that will be inside the frame. Divide those measurements by 6 or 7 , and that should tell you how far apart to make your guide marks. You can do this as a portrait view or landscape, whichever you prefer. Use a yardstick and a pencil and draw out your grid completely. Make sure the spacing looks even and that you are happy with it.

4. Using the paint pen, trace the grid lines. Use the yardstick or a quilting ruler. Go slowly so the lines will be nice and dark and even. Let one direction dry before drawing the other direction. After the paint pen grid is good and dry, cover the entire board with chalk lines, then erase. This is an important part of "seasoning" the chalkboard.

5. Work on your date/month magnets. These can be simple or elaborate, but they do seem to give this board its personality. Put some real thought into how well you can fit this into your decor. You can make magnets for kids names, or chores, or icons for birthdays, holidays. Make your days or months in spanish or sign language symbols. You are the designer and this is where your personality can really shine.

6. Glue the board into the frame. I used tacky glue for this, choose a durable glue that has worked well in the past. I wouldn't use hot glue because it will probably cool before you can get everything stuck well. Make sure there is enough of a "lip" on the frame for the chalk to rest.

7. Once the board is dried in the frame, you can add hangers and a wire to the back. I usually use soda can tabs, nailed into the frame and a wire strung between them.

If you stuck with it, you should now have a gridded board, glued to frame, ready to hang on the wall. STOP, add your magnets and your notes now. It's just easier now than after its on the wall.

This system works well because it can be hung in a central location where all family members can see what is planned for the day and week. Things can be easily added and cancellations can be erased.

Good luck!

WannaMakeSumtingCool? Nuts and Bolts Chess

2009-04-29T13:05:00.018-05:00

This project should result is an easy, fun, and durable chess set with pieces that can be easily replaced. This one is for use on our outdoor chess table and was made specifically for my 8 yr old boy.

To make things easy, I will give you my shopping list. When you get to the hardware dept. you will find a huge array of pieces. Let your creativity run wild. This is just what I used to produce this set and when you get to the store you may find other things you like better, and be prepared to spend some time finding and fitting things. The assembly stage will be much quicker than the gathering of materials. I based my set off 1/4 in. coarse thread pieces of hardware.

At least 32 1/2"-13 coarse thread hex nuts
At least 32 1/4" cap nuts
4 - 1/4"-20 3" round head machine screws
4 - 1/4" 3" eye bolts
4 - 1/4" hooks (clothesline hooks work well, these will have to be cut with bolt cutters to size)
4 - 1/4"-20 1 1/2" round head machine screws
16 - 1/4" 1" course thread hex bolts
4 - #12 finishing washers
4 - smaller flat washers
2 - wider flat washers
box of 100 coarse thread 1/4" hex nuts
8 - 5/16" lock washer, ext. tooth
4 - 1/4"-20 coarse thread wing nut
Good epoxy, use the two ingredient kind that dries fairly quickly. You should only need one package of this.
Spray paint

First step:
Insert a cap nut into a 1/2" hex nut. Turn the nut over so you can see the round part of the cap nut and apply a small amount of epoxy.

A note about Epoxy: It is nasty nasty stuff, smells bad, toxic as heck, not for use by any child, no matter how competant. Use it outside, away from any pets or where small children can get at it. Mix your epoxy very well or it will not set up hard enough.

Mix up a little bit of epoxy at first, it will become hard to work with quickly. Do all cap nuts and 1/2" hex nuts this way. These are the bases for your pieces and will keep them from toppling over while you play. Be neat with your epoxy and don't use to much or your pieces will not stand up straight.
ALLOW THE EPOXY 24 HOURS TO SET UP BEFORE YOU SCREW THE PIECES INTO THE BASES.

Second step:
Creating pawns. Pawns are made from a 1" hex bolt and a few nuts. The exact number is up to you. I used 1 nut per bolt. Do this for 16 bolts.

Third step:
Creating Rooks or Castles. Take a 1 1/2" machine screw, add a finishing washer. If you want it to look like mine, put the washer on upside down. Add a nut, skip some space, add 3 more nuts. Do this for 4 bolts.

Fourth step:
Creating knights. Knights could be just about anything. I really liked the idea of the hooks as horse heads, but feel free to use whatever you prefer. I bought clotheline hooks and then used a bolt cutter to make them slightly taller than my rooks and shorter than my bishops. For easier threading of nuts, before you cut the bolt place a nut all the way up the bolt. Then cut, then use a wrench to remove the nut. This will repair the bolt threads after the cutting. Once I cut the hooks, I added a wing nut and a hex nut. Do this for four hooks.

Fifth step:
Creating bishops. I used eye bolts for my bishops because they reminded me of bishops croziers, but you could use any bolt that had a sort of imaginative head on it. Bishops are powerful pieces so they can get a little more "arty" than rooks and knights. I used a 3" eye bolt and even though my royal pieces were 3", this gave the bishops a better proportion than using shorter bolts. Put a hex nut on, then a lock washer, then another hex nut. Do this for four eye bolts.

Sixth step:
Creating the royals. I used 3" round head machine screws because I wanted to be able to screw pieces all the way to the top. You should have 4 of these type screws. For kings I added a smaller flat washer, wider washer, smaller washer, then a hex nut. Skip some space, add 2 more nuts, skip space, add 2 more nuts. You should make 2 king this way.
Queens call for more panache. To your machine screw add 1 upside down finishing washer, one lock washer, and one wing nut. Skip some space, add a nut, skip more space add a nut and so on. You should have 2 queens.

Seventh step:
After you assembled your pieces and waited a good 24 hours for your epoxy to harden, you can begin screwing all the pieces into the cap nuts glued into the 1/2" nuts that form the bases. You may have to adjust some of your hex nuts to get the right look. In the end you should have 32 pieces that stand up fairly well to hard use, outdoor play, and offer adequate representation of a finer chess set.

Eighth step:
Decoration. I just spray painted mine with rustoleum according to what my son suggested. But the options are really limited by your imagination. Craft stores sell all types of paints that can give your set any look you wish, aged, precious metals,
pearlescent, and if you don't like that set, make another!

Collections: Getting it Together

2009-04-29T12:19:00.004-05:00

Antiques Roadshow has helped convince us that we may all be sitting on goldmines. Truth is that most collections are pretty useless, or at least not as valuable as space and comfort. I think one of the reasons that people hold onto so much stinkin' stuff is that they believe it has a value. Its "paid its way" into their houses, so to speak. Most cluttered houses have a stack of things somewhere which are all of the same relative type. If you ask the owner, they will say it is their collection. Not that I am anti-collection, it's just that calling something a collection seems to become an easy excuse for accumulation. These are my questions everytime I find a bunch of stuff that I've been moving from home to home over the years. It has helped me let go of so much garbage:

-What is your plan for these items? Sell later? Pass down? Will I be unduly burdening someone else with this stuff?

-Can I display this in my home? Are these nice to look at? Do they tell a story?

-Do I still need or want to use these things? China, books, and toys fall into this category.

_Is this organized? Do I know what I have? Can I view and enjoy these things without much hassle, do I enjoy looking at these things often?

-If this is an investment item, what could I really get for it? Look it up on ebay, see what its going for and then subtract shipping, listing fees. Most items, even very old things are totally worthless.

-If this stuff was given to me, is it something I really love, or am I hanging onto it because of attachment to the person who gave it. Maybe instead of keeping the entire collection of pinecone animals, I keep my favorite.

-How long am I legitimately prepared to keep this? Will it go to the nursing home with me?

The above pic is my fiesta collection. It started as a wedding present from my husband, and has grown over the years. I can display it, I can use it, it does have some monetary value, and I can pass it down (if any of my kids are interested, that is). So it meets my criteria for a collection to be kept. We are keeping a collection of family quilts that do see some use during the year, my husband has a small coin collection that he rarely pulls out but he does keep it organized and it does have value.

All things have a weight, emotional and physical. I have thrown away a tshirt collection that was packed up in boxes, sold a living dead dolls collection which couldn't be displayed or played with by my children, given away an entire bookshelf of books, donated a collection of bluebird items, amish hex signs, copper jello molds, and a tea set to my local thrift shop. I don't miss any of it and I'm glad to know someone else is probably enjoying it where I was just storing it.

The Clutter Effect: Getting it Together

2009-01-28T21:34:00.006-06:00

I think most people want the same thing from our homes, good light, harmonious colors, convenient access to tools and entertainment, a clean area to eat and prepare food, and a relaxing, quiet place to sleep. So why are most homes miles away from this?

My 2 cents follows: We go shop, out of boredom. We buy things we may not use enough to justify a place in the house. We cannot throw it away because that would admit that we'd wasted our time and money. And in some bigger way, it refutes our entire consumerist culture. In the end, its just easier to keep it around then sort through and dispose of it. Clutter wastes money by making it unclear what I really have or need, it wastes my time by placing itself between me and my chores and hobbies.

Clutter situations that are stressful:

-Guilt about not living in a healthy safe home.

-Unfinished projects piling up, begging for free time.

-Its hard to clean up around all the clutter so visitors aren't invited in or around because the mess is embarrassing.

-Trying to work around clutter makes every job more time consuming and difficult.

-Emotional attachment to things that deprive us of a peaceful and relaxing home.

So once I get all this cleaning done, I'm hoping for a more organized, spacious and zen-like space. The journey continues!

Stuffed Animals: Getting it Together

2009-01-24T20:20:00.004-06:00

My kids are like possession vegans, they can't throw away anything with a face. Dolls and stuffed animals outnumber humans 1000 to 1. They had run over onto my daughters closet floor, and my son has an animal bin the size of a subcompact car. So being the mean mom I am, I decided we needed to make a change.

Problem:

-Saved every toy every given, from happy meal freebie to teddy bear bestowed on day of birth.

-Animals are dusty, neglected, no one plays with them out of fear of disturbing the precisely stacked pile.

-Kids can no longer properly clean because animals take up most of the closet space and are beginning to gather junk in corners.

-Too sentimental about inanimate objects, this is the big lesson in giving up things you don't use that clutter your space.

Solution:

-We took every animal out of the bins and looked them over, any that were free or meaningless were automatically out.

-Then we decided on a fair amount to dispose of. We decided on getting rid of a quarter of the animals and dolls that were left.

-Kids got to keep 3 animals for every one they put in the "away" pile.

This worked like a charm with fewer than expected tears, the kids discovered old friends and began to play with their animals again and they were able to clean them up when they were through playing.

If you decide to do an animal clean-out, call your local police department. Ours appreciates donations of stuffed animals in good condition. They take them along on domestic violence calls where children are involved.

Clothes: Getting it Together

2009-01-19T22:50:00.003-06:00

Clothes are mostly clutter. They really are! How often do I wear that? When am I actually going to fit into that? Why am I hanging onto that? Clothes are such an impulse item for me, and they do stack up, take money, take space, take energy to deal with.

The Problem:
-Closet is full, wardrobe is full, there are 2 boxes of clothes in the bottom of the closet that I haven't unpacked from our move 3 years ago. Drawers are full too.

-Redundant clothing, 8 pairs of black leggings. These are a workout staple, but I keep buying because I don't know how many I have or what condition they are in.

-Emotional connections to clothes, I bought this there, or wore this when. . .

-Wearing the same sets of sloppy ts and "easy" clothes when I have nicer stuff buried somewhere.

Solution:

-Separate bottoms from tops. Bottoms in my half of the closet. Tops in the wardrobe. This really allows me to keep track of what I have, what color it is, and what season its meant for.

-Get rid of all "free" clothing. I threw out all the t-shirts I've gotten at various bike rides and events, and all clothing given to me that I don't wear.

-If I can't wear it at my current size, I am throwing it out. No more skinny clothes, if I get down to a size 8, I'll treat myself with new duds.

-Throw out most of the painted, stained clothing that I wear while doing housework. I'll keep 2 shirts and 2 pants. If I work more days between wash days than that, I'll just wear them dirty.

-Make a shopping list for clothes, no more perusing the clearance aisle for fun.

-Throw out all the drawer clutter, unsexy undies, unmatched socks, uncomfortable pajamas, they gotta go.

-If it doesn't look good on me, its going away. Nothing old, worn out, and if it has some sort of emotional connection it is automatically suspicious. A closet is not a scrapbook.

My clean out went really well, I got rid of tons of stuff. I didn't take it to the goodwill because I heard that about 80% of the clothes they receive are actually unsellable and they just have to throw them out. Instead they went in the rag bag in the garage so hubby and I can use them for messy jobs and throw them out.

My closet and wardrobe are so clean now. . . my first reaction was that I needed more clothes. There was no way this was enough, but its FINE! A wardrobe full of tops is enough for anyone. I've got a new rule: one in, one out. Whatever new I buy, something from the existing collection goes.

Small change but a huge time saving each day, plus money will be saved if I'm not buying things I can't really use.

Storage Containers: Getting it together

2009-01-13T22:14:00.004-06:00

Martha would gag and die at my house. I have kids, a baby and a dog, the dirty house triple threat. So this blog is not my manifesto for higher housekeeping, it's just some simple ways I've found to make things easier and carve out a little inner peace.

The problem:
-Trying to put away the leftover spaghetti was making me old before my time.

-Couldn't find lids to fit. Bowls were stained, melted, pitiful.

-Disposables mixed up with nice lock-n-locks, mixed up with really nice stuff my aunt bought at Sharper Image, I didn't know what all I had.

-I was unnecessarily hanging onto a bunch of tupperware items that I NEVER USED. You know the story, they were expensive, they seemed so useful, the onion keeper, the pickle keeper, lunchmeat keeper. Great ideas except that onions go fine into ziplocs, pickles come in jars, and lunchmeat becomes mystery meat if you take it out of its wrapper.

Solution:
-Take every damn thing out of the cabinet.

-Keep only good quality stuff, freebies that came with other stuff in it can probably go away now.

-If it doesn't have a lid, it doesn't deserve to stay. Find some way to store the lids separately from the bowls. It does make life easier.

-Disposables that stack together are better than those that don't.

-Keep no more items then you would conceivably use in a week. Remember that you will do dishes and just so much will fit in the fridge anyway.

-If you haven't used that thing (hello tupperware) since you bought it, let it go. Craigslist it if you have to, but get it out of there. It's wasting your space and tying you down with guilt. The next time you go to one of those parties, offer to buy a piece FOR your hostess, she's obviously into the stuff, right?

-Put things you use most often towards the front, bigger (but still useful) things towards the back. I don't believe in cutting your storage supply to the bone, I mean, I may only use that cake carrier once a year, but when I need it, I need it.

-Recycle. 99% of these don't have to see a landfill.

GOOD LUCK! Here are some before and after shots:

Getting my act together

2009-01-12T22:12:00.003-06:00

For the next few posts I am going to be going through my home and cleaning specific clutter points. Nothing fancy, just a systematic organization of places where things have gotten out of hand. We've usually moved by this point so I think maybe I've just missed a good cull or two, but no excuses. Stuff must leave or I will go totally barking, snot-slinging crazy. Tune in.

Dumpster Dollhouse

2008-10-02T13:58:00.004-05:00

This has to be the coolest thing I've ever pulled out of the trash. When I was taking my son to school this morning I passed a house that was being gutted and this was on the curb with lots of other stuff. I asked if the family still wanted it, they said no. It had been damaged and they didn't want to fix it.

As best I can tell, it just needs a new turret, a few pieces replaced and some paint work. It still has all its windows and doors. They've done some really cool brickwork along the bottom. Someone put some real time into this house and I'm glad to give it a new life. If anyone out there has any info on the brand or name of this house, I'd appreciate it. As we fix it, I will post pics.

Laptop Lunches: The Silverware Dilemma

2008-09-30T22:00:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone in lunchland,

We survived IKE and the kids went back to school so the lunch routine is in full swing again. Here is a link to my IKE pics:

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52043&l=ccf96&id=715117465

(Just in case you weren't sick of the 24/7 coverage on CNN) We didn't have it bad and I'm happy to say things are just about back to normal around here.

Now back to lunch, sadly, we've lost some of our original laptop lunchbox silverware. Apparently no one threw any away or lost any, it just evaporated. I checked on the laptop lunchbox site to buy some more, and unfortunately they were sold out. So I headed off to target to buy some disposable stuff to tide us over. As a lot of you laptop lunchers know, regular silverware is too long to fit into the utensil slot on your lunchbox. I was really not happy with the disposable option either but the kids needed to eat their yogurt and straws just seemed wrong.

While I was at the store, I found Zoopals plastic ware. It fits in the utensil space of the lunchboxes, costs about $5 for a set of 12, and its kinda cute.

The set consists of knives, forks, and spoons molded into animal shapes. It seems to survive the silverware basket in the dishwasher OK, and the kids haven't lost one piece yet. But if they do, who cares? Much less drama than losing the good laptop lunchbox set.

By all means, buy the good stuff if you can. But if you stuck without your true laptop lunch silverware, or if you just have kids who seem to lose and forget their nice silverware, this is a very livable option. Its also recyclable after its useful life is over.

Now I bet your wondering what's for lunch around here.

Bologna and laughing cow on kaiser rolls

Butterscotch pudding with chocolate animal crackers

Tangerine and carrots

Half a chex mix bar and some Halloween candy

and yes, those are zoopal spoon and fork in the boxes.

Chow for now!

Back in the saddle again

2008-08-08T16:03:00.003-05:00

OK, where the hell have I been? I mean seriously. I looked at my blog page and realized I've not posted in 6 months?!? Too much real life getting in the way. So here's a rundown:

Kids finished school with no mishaps, fine grades, etc.

Recitals went well.

Summer drug along and then of course we had another child.

She's a little sweetie, but she's both nocturnal and marsupial at this point so not much gets accomplished in a day.

Today was my first day back with old friends and functions. Everyone met baby and cooed appropriately. I was supposed to bring brownies to the party today, but I sat down to feed and burned them. Oh well, life continues.

I promise this will not turn into a whiny blog that only deals with sore nipples and the obsession that seems to grip new mothers - is the child developing normally?- This will continue to contain the same nonsense and helpful lunch hints that it always has.

My oldest daughter is off to sail for a weekend, so me and son are home doing whatever. Maybe we'll build some legos, maybe we'll go to the beach. We could make a picnic and take some legos to the beach. . . nah. Maybe we'll just stay home and catch up on those thank you notes.

I almost wish people wouldn't give us baby gifts, just so I don't have to write a thank you note, or at least feel the guilt of not writing a thank you note. I know what's right, I know what proper etiquette is, and yes I do get pissed when people just email to say "hey thanks". So I'm off to hallmark to find appropriate overpriced cards, think of sincere sounding praise for the 10th set of baby towels and wash cloths I've recieved, and then attach a stamp so it can travel across town to someone I see on a near-daily basis. OK, that sounded whiny. Sorry, I'll do better next time.

THANKS so much for reading my blog. I can't tell you what a nice surprise it was to watch my feedburner counter go up by 1. Little (insert baby name) will enjoy hearing from you, so please stop by when you can. Love, hoppers and family

Laptop Lunches: Tips on packing

2008-02-13T14:06:00.006-06:00

I broke down and bought 2 more laptop lunchboxes. It was just too much of a hassle to clean each container each night for the next day. And they weren't really getting a proper run through the dishwasher often enough. So we sprung for a set in black and red and a set in pink and fuschia. Forget about keeping the small containers straight. That plan went out the window the first day. I just try not to put too many pink and purple containers into my sons lunch. Speaking of, on the first day of the new black/pink sets, I got them mixed up. Yep, my son came home to tell me that he had to tell all his friends it was his sisters lunch box (lest they think he'd developed an affinity for pink, perish the thought)

In an earlier post, I had mentioned that laptop lunches take a little more thought and probably effort than a typical baggie lunch. I will share a few of my ideas and hopefully anyone who is thinking of trying this can find a little help.

First off, no matter what the laptop lunch people say, a regular sized sandwich will not fit in the large container. Or at least no sandwich bread I've tried will allow this. So an easy option is to use cookie cutters to make the sandwiches smaller and cuter. You should be able to minimize waste by strategically placing the ingredients between the bread. A second, more creative option, is to use alternative breads. I made 6 "mini" ham and cheese sandwiches out of one long french roll a few days ago. Wraps cut into 1" pieces make fun "whirls". Crackers, tortillas, and cheese balls can be added for a variety in sizes and colors.

DO: Try out fun shapes. Pieces of fruit, cheese, meat, bread can all withstand cutting with an average metal cookie cutter. This also makes the most of room while making things look yummy.

DO: Place "messy" sandwiches (like the chicken salad above) into cupcake cups to keep things neat on the way to school

DO: Make a few jellos on Monday night, with some fruit, to use during the week (see pic on the right, strawberry lychee jello under press n seal)

DO: Make sure there is a good combination of savory and sweet items. I think kids eat more if the tastes contrast slightly.

DO: Make sure kiddos are getting lots of calcium if they are not having milk with lunch. Hard cheeses, yogurt, even pudding are good bets even for picky kids.

DO: Buy carrots already cut into matchsticks or "mini" carrots. Buy an apple slicer. You can even get celery already cut into sticks. Small grape tomatos are easy to add, and require no prep besides washing. This will make your packing much quicker and provide interesting veg for lunches.

DO: Fill all your containers and then add them to the big box. This will save you counter space while working and help you keep track of who's getting what, i.e. son likes tomatos, so blue container gets tomato, daughter likes cheese, sandwiches in pink container have cheese.

DO: Use lemon juice or Fruit Fresh (found with the canning supplies in most grocery stores) on apples, pears, avocados, etc. Browned fruit may taste the same, but often kids will shy away from it.

DON'T: Waste food if you don't have too. This goes back to the creativity idea. Above I cut strawberries into star shapes, the extra pieces were stirred into the plain yogurt for flavor. Leftover chicken mcnuggets taste fine cold the next day. Extra rice from dinner? Add sugar, milk and cinnamon and have a "rice pudding" dessert ready for lunches.

DON'T: Pack canned fruit in a container without a lid or some press n seal. No matter if its been drained and thoroughly dried, this stuff just liquifies during the day and will ruin everything else in the box.

DON'T: Assume lunch is OK if no one says anything negative. I regularly ask the kids what worked and what didn't. I get some surprising answers like, "Instead of PBJ can we just have ants on a log next time?" I don't want anyone to drive themselves crazy trying to please their kids, but its probably better to pack what they'll eat rather than what's just easy.

DON'T: Worry if something gets left/lost/thrown away at school. If you call the laptop lunch company, they can provide you with replacement containers quite reasonably from extra stock.

Happy packing!

Of Feline Bondage

2008-02-08T13:49:00.000-06:00

We are on day 4 of the cat's quarantine and while I've never really liked cats and never cared for this one especially, I found myself feeling a bit sorry for him this afternoon. I went upstairs to his cell (also known as the upstairs bath) and gave him some food. I thought I'd close off the outer part of the bath so he could roam a little farther but he stopped in the doorway and wouldn't come out. It makes me wonder what he's done for 4 days in a 6x6' room. I guess he just eats and fills the litterbox up. He's as calm as a Buddhist monk so I don't think he's experiencing any feline stress. I talked to him for a little bit and fed him, and he even rubbed my leg. Which he doesn't do. . . I think it could be Stockholm syndrome.

Did I break a mirror or walk under a ladder or something?

2008-02-05T19:05:00.000-06:00

Things just got a bit stranger at Hedgehog Hill today. At 8 am my nieghbor on the other side (not the crazy kids/dog poop people) came to the door to tell us that our cat had snuck into their house last night and bitten his wife on the hand. She was going to have to get antibiotics and animal control had to get involved since it was an animal bite. My thought "I guess this was the wrong week to stop sniffin glue"

This is the nasty old outdoor cat that adopted us two houses ago and has hung around with little to no care and irregular feedings, but on paper he is our cat. My neighbor and the animal control lady needed his shot record. His what? I'm sorry, you must have us mistaken for responsible owners. So the original verdict was that our cats head would need to be cut off and sent to A and M for diagnosis. This has mellowed to an in-house quarantine for 10 days. So we have Mr. Grimmy locked in an upstairs bathroom for the next week and a half, checking him for frothing of the mouth or other Cujoesque behaviour.

Oh that, and the plumber came back today and found that we had a water leak in the pipe in the mudroom. He had fixed an upstairs toilet last week thinking that was the problem, it wasn't. So now we have no sheetrock in the mud room, and new PVC pipe overhead. We were lucky here, they found a junction. For a while this morning it looked like all the galvanized pipe in our house was going to have to be removed and replaced. Oh joy, the kids just love peeing in the yard. So hopefully the plumbing drama is over, the kitchen faucet has now ceased working for some reason, but that minor and I wanted a new one anyway. Time to count some blessings before I start shopping for accelerant and plausible arson scenarios.

Green Lunches: Son reviews Laptop Lunchbox

2008-02-01T09:06:00.001-06:00

One thing that I've learned about our new laptop lunches is that normal lunch food doesn't always fit. Oh, I shouldn't say that, it fits, just not like your used to. Here is my first grader sons fave lunch:
hot dog
grapes and carrot shreds
pudding with "honey bees"
and cheddar bunnies

He ate all of this food, complaining only that the grapes were sour. This is really great considering that he complains about everything constantly. His review follows:

"You make good lunches Mom, I figured out how to open the lid but it took a little while."

"The silverware was good, I used the spoon for pudding and the fork for grapes"

"The hotdog was kinda frozen. I ate it anyway, but I don't like them frozen."

So, I am thinking that the cold pack must chill the food a little too well. I'm not sure how to combat this, as the pudding really needs the ice pack, but I agree with the frozen hot dog comment. YUCK.

The Nalgene bottles arrived and work really well. The only prob is that without a "lunch kit" that contains everything, the kids are using the water bottle throughout the day and then leaving it at school. I'm sure my daughter has several amoeba cultures thriving in her locker by now. So to remedy this, I went to Bass Pro Shop (yes, this is Texas in case you were wondering) and bought some small mesh drawstring bags. These were about $4 and so far so good. They are really easy to clean as well.

So what is my synopsis of the whole laptop lunch kit thing? Well, I have to say I really like this design as long as you are willing to make accomodations for it being really different from the usual way of making kids lunches. And you will need to rethink your present lunch kits or else buy the whole kit from the laptop lunch website. Its a great product for kids, I think it allows them more choices for lunch and they seem to like the way its presented. Here's my only warning, parents:
You will have to get a little more creative with what you pack. I handful of chips, a sandwich and a fruit roll up looks pretty sad in those snazzy lunchboxes. I have found two websites extremely helpful:

Bento Corner - This mom lives in Japan and makes really unbelievable lunches. I can't really strive to this level of cuteness or creativity, but its a good starting point.

Lunch in a Box - This is a long-running bento blog with great practical hints for fitting things together and acheiving some really appealing lunches.

A few of these hints go a long way to making the food look good, and you learn that you can really fit a lot more into a compartment than you might think. Good luck with your lunch endeavours!

Green Lunches: Daughter reviews the laptop lunchbox

2008-01-25T17:37:00.000-06:00

Today was the debut of the laptop lunchbox for my middle-schooler. Here's what I packed:
Little Smokies
quesadilla shaped like a duck and egg
apples and grapes
veggie crisps
yogurt with granola

I know its not exactly the health food suggested by the laptop lunchbox book, but I was a little worried about doing too much too soon.

Her comments about the lunchbox follow:

"I liked how no food got mixed up or smushed together, it all stayed neat. Nothing was crammed into the lunch box."

"The real silverware was really good, not the plastic kind that breaks apart."

"I didn't have to make sure I didn't throw away something important. I didn't have to sort the trash. I could just bring it home."

Her only negative comment was:

"I wish it had a strap on it so I could carry it more easily."

So I guess my new quest is to find some sort of bag that can be washed to carry the laptop lunchbox, the bento sleeve, and a nalgene bottle of water to the lunchroom in style. Wasn't this supposed to make everything easier?

Stay tuned, the 6 year old reviews on Monday.