Tasty Tuesday!

Go check out my giveaway here and then come on back for the yummy recipe. Mmmm, soup!

***

Today is Little Miss's half-birthday, so I knew that would have to play into the recipe I chose for this week.

And let me stop there, since I've recently learned that I need to explain a half birthday. In our family, we don't just celebrate our birthdays each year, we also celebrate the half birthday six months into the year. On birthdays, people get a cake, but for half birthdays, cupcakes are served. There are no presents, but the half-birthday person still gets to choose what we have for dinner.

When the wee ones woke up this morning, Mister Man was so excited to wish Little Miss a happy half-birthday. He rushed into her room and gave her a big hug and a kiss. Then he ran back into his room exclaiming, "A plan! I need to come up with a plan quickly!" He re-emerged carrying one of his treasured Atlantis Legos. What a sweetie.

It didn't end there. He dashed back into his room and came back shortly upset because "I can't find it!" I assumed he was looking for a uniform shirt, but no - he wanted to give Little Miss his Thomas birthday shirt to wear today. I quickly found it, and she proudly went through the day wearing Mister Man's shirt.

Back to cooking though -- since Little Miss chose my pizza for her dinner tonight, there went that idea. Instead, I am "stuck" with her eensy weensy cupcakes.

I bought an itty bitty baking kit baking kit from the book fair this fall that Little Miss received for Christmas. She was so excited to use it for the first time. It actually worked out well because making a cake usually means having lots of leftovers. I found a recipe that makes not too many small cupcakes, which was perfect. I adapted it to (in my mind) improve it, but I love the ability to make a treat like this without having a kajillion leftovers.

Tiny - and not too many - Cupcakes

Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1/2 c sugar
2/3 c flour
1/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 t baking powder
1/4 c milk
1 1/4 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

Directions:
In a medium bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in the egg then stir in the chocolate. Once incorporated, add the vanilla and beat again.

Add the baking powder and mix, then add the flour and stir until just mixed. Stir in the milk until the batter is smooth, but do not overstir.

Use mini muffin tins, and spray with a nonstick spray. Spoon in a dollop of batter into each muffin space, filling about three-quarters full. This made 24 cupcakes and the 6 itty bitty cupcakes perfectly! Tap the muffin tin on the counter to get out any air bubbles.

(And, yes, these cupcakes really are that little - that's a teaspoon measure sitting next to the cupcake pan for relative size comparison.)

Place into a preheated 350 oven, and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool for ten minutes, then gently twist each cupcake and turn the pan upside down to release.

Icing
Ingredients:
1/3 c butter, room temperature
1/8 c milk
1/3 c cocoa
2 c powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla

Directions:
Carefully mix together the milk and butter. Add the cocoa and stir until combined. Add the vanilla and mix again. Add powdered sugar a half cup at a time until the frosting is at the consistency that you prefer.

Turn the cupcakes upside down and twist in the frosting to coat gently, then use a butter knife to add more frosting and spread it around.

Because these are so small, they will dry out quickly. Store in an airtight container, but eat them quickly!

I Forgot How Much I Missed Her

My Gram was a special lady. She is the grandparent I related to the most, and in fact she really was my favorite person growing up.

I remember spending time in her kitchen, making her special molasses raisin cookies and mustard sandwiches (don't ask) and more. She always had a cookie for me from her special cookie jar, and we watched Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune together whenever we were together. She was incredibly fast figuring out the phrases on Wheel of Fortune. Jeopardy, she wasn't so good at, but she loved watching it just the same. If I ever needed a hug, she was there to give it to me.

Even as I grew older, I still had a special bond. In college (once I had a car on campus as a junior), I'd drive down to her house every other week to do laundry at her house, chat, and then take her out to dinner. We had some truly special times.

She was the one who taught me how to hold a conversation while simultaneously listening in on a conversation happening two tables over in a restaurant. She was the consummate people watcher, and we loved speculating about the lives of people we saw and giggling at some of the oddities we noticed that most others didn't.

She passed away in 1999.

We knew it was coming, as she hadn't been very healthy for some time before that. She'd been in the hospital for major issues twice in the past year, including one where she begged us to just let her die (we didn't and she was later grateful).

One night, I called her to chat, and she just didn't sound like herself. I asked if she wanted me to come visit (she was about an hour and a half from me, but that was nothing). She insisted she was fine, but I didn't listen to her and I drove down anyway. Once I'd arrived, I asked what she wanted to eat. She told me she wasn't very hungry (which was VERY unlike her - the woman could eat anything anytime) and that she had only eaten a single cracker for lunch. I couldn't convince her to eat anything, but we settled into her guest room to watch a little tv before I headed back to my apartment.

She laid down and started zoning in and out a little. Our conversations were hard for her to track. I was a little concerned, but I let it go. Within a half hour, I remember her laying on the couch talking about poling a raft down the Mississipi and other nonsense. She was no longer at all lucid. I called 9-1-1 and an ambulance came to take her to the hospital. My family was in Minnesota at the time, so there was no one to help me but I made a panicked call to my mom. I somehow held it together until the ambulance arrived, but I remember sobbing then.

They saved her that night. She had congestive heart failure and wouldn't have survived the night had I not been there. That fact still sticks with me now. What if I hadn't gone to visit? What if I'd listened to her and stayed at home? I thank God that I didn't, as I don't know how I would have coped with the guilt.

Unfortunately, she never fully recovered from that incident and she died a few months later. She was my favorite person in the world, and I missed her. I still miss her, but I think about her less often now.

Today was different. At church, the reading was from Corinthians - "Love is patient, love is kind." That was the reading that I had the privilege of doing at my Gram's funeral. I didn't cry while reading it that day, but I've yet to hear it since and not cry -- with one exception. I chose it as a reading for my wedding in honor of my Gram, and I was dry eyed then.

Today? Not so much. Sitting in the chancel with the rest of the choir, I couldn't quite keep the tears from spilling over. Fortunately, it went unnoticed for the most part.

But for the remainder of today, I keep thinking about how much she's missing out on. She would have loved to see the wee ones and be a part of their lives. For her to have Mister Man read to her would have brought her so much joy. I can picture her teaching them to play Uno, with chocolate Easter Egg paper scattered on the table, just as she did with me - and I know she'd pretend not to notice them cheating as when I first learned from her.

She never knew my husband either. The last boyfriend of mine she knew she loved because he could get out of the car and run around to the other side to open her door before she could. She thought that was the neatest thing. While I don't know that my husband could quite accomplish that feat, he definitely has qualities that she'd admire.

We had a concert tonight, and "Rock of Ages" was sung. It was, of course, one of her favorite songs. And again, I was wiping tears away during practice, imagining her proud face in the audience watching me sing.

She was always there, from the day I moved into my first apartment in college where she helped my mom and me clean for three hours, including her climbing on a barstool to hang curtains, to walking for hours on end - long after she passed the point of exhaustion - through Disney World because she knew her grandchildren wouldn't want to leave until the park closed.

She had the best birthday gifts, the best hugs, the best everything.

And I forgot how much I missed that.

I wish she were still here. It's hard to believe that it's been almost eleven years since she died. My life has changed so much since I last received advice from her, since she last stuffed ketchup and sugar packets from the restaurant into her purse, since the last phone call just to say hi.

But at the same time, I can picture her smile and hear her voice like it was yesterday. And on days like today, the pain in my heart feels like it was just yesterday.

I miss you, Gram. You'd be so surprised by my life today, and you'd so enjoy your great-grandchildren. I wish you were here.

You're Killing Me, Kid!

I have a Progresso giveaway going on here.

***

Yesterday, I had my fun quarterly girls' night out with some friends from when I volunteered at an animal shelter before I had children. As a side note, 312 Chicago is on my good list. Yum!

Needless to say, I had to catch the train to get downtown before I would normally be home on Fridays. Fortunately my husband was able to help out. The plan was for me to drop Little Miss off at his school in time for him to pick up Mister Man at his school in time for them all to get to Mister Man's vision therapy appointment. After vision therapy, Mister Man had the brand new Magic Treehouse book waiting for him at the library, so they were to stop there on the way home.

My husband's usual Friday? He worked at school on lesson plans and grading and such. Then he came home and hung out alone until I got home, at which point he'd help me put the wee ones to bed.

I packed a little bag for my husband, and as we were driving to my husband's school, I reviewed it with Little Miss.

Me: Alright, Peanut. Your dinner is in here, so make sure you eat that before vision therapy because there's no more food when you get home. You have your non-dairy pizza, and Mister Man has chicken and biscuits. I packed you some tangelos and carrots and a granola bar, too, if you're really hungry.
Little Miss: Can I have the tangelo now?
Me: No, you have to share it with Mister Man. Now, I also have your registration form and the check for school next year. Daddy has to take it into the office and turn it in, or you won't be able to go there next year. It's due today. I also put Mister Man's library card in here so that he can check out the book that's on hold for him. Make sure Daddy remembers to stop at the library to get that book and so you can get your fifth star upstairs.
Little Miss: I will. Mommy? She paused with an oh-so-innocent question.
Me: Yes, Peanut?
Little Miss: Is this why he chose to be a daddy instead of a mommy?
Me: Why Daddy chose to be a daddy? I'm puzzled but intrigued here.
Little Miss: Yeah. He's doesn't know how to do this stuff. That's why he chose to be a daddy instead so he doesn't have to learn how to do all the mommy stuff.

Oh. Ummm. Sure, yes. That's why he chose to be a daddy. Actually I couldn't respond. I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face and almost had to pull over.

Just A Moment, Young Lady

I have a Progresso giveaway going on here. And who doesn't love winning free stuff?

***

I've had a bit of a busy week.

Tuesday I worked in the office and didn't get home until somewhat late. When I got home, I had to go through the volunteer schedules for a museum exhibit we were hosting yesterday and today at Little Miss's preschool and finalize some arrangements, which took until bedtime.

Yesterday I left the house at 8:20 to get to school for the museum training. I worked there until I left to pick up Mister Man for language group. I then returned to the school until around 1:30 - when neither Little Miss nor I had eaten lunch. We got home in time to eat a quick lunch, then she napped for 45 minutes (yeah, that was fun to wake her up) while I typed up the instructions for the additional volunteers based on the morning experience. I picked up the carpool and dropped them at their houses before running to the chiropractor. Then it was back to the preschool for our family night, and then to Mister Man's school for a presentation on next year's school stuff. By the time I got home, it was almost 10, and I had to straighten the house before bed.

Today, I got up, got the wee ones up and off to school, and then I worked. Amidst answering calls from the school about issues with the exhibits, I got done what I needed to, and then I made dinner and fed the wee ones and got them into bed. Somewhere in there I snuck in a load of laundry.

And now? Now I was planning to relax. I was going to quietly sit and catch up on blogs and get some reading done and maybe watch a bit of tv. Ahhhh....

Silly me. I checked my email and saw a note from the principal at Little Miss's school with her article for the newsletter. Oh. Yeah. I have to write the articles for the newsletter tonight and lay them out. I forgot about that. Or maybe I just blocked it out. Either way, it's back to work for me. Annnnnd maybe tomorrow I'll catch up on some of that relaxation.

There's no rest for the wicked!

I Wouldn't Change So Much...

Last chance for Disney on Ice tickets! If you live in the Chicago area, I'm giving away a family four pack to Disney on Ice for Februay 2!

***

So Sunday I was getting a massage (I'll pause here for a moment so you can all be jealous of my ninety minutes with Sofia). I love getting a massage, and it's especially beneficial when I've been spending a lot of time at the gym. Note that I say it's beneficial, not that I enjoy it most.

When I've been spending a lot of time at the gym, my IT Bands tend to get tight. And when they get tight, Sofia finds this and works to loosen them up. And she really works. She finds some way to work out the tension I gather there, but oh does it hurt. It hurts badly enough that my yoga breathing sometimes isn't even enough. It hurts badly enough that I finally had to ask her this time to lighten up on the pressure. It hurts badly enough that two days later, I can still feel where she worked on the IT bands. But when she's done there, I have regained so much motion and flexibility there. I know I need it. But ohhh does it hurt.

This time, I tried a new way of getting through the pain, as my breathing really wasn't cutting it. I thought about how nice it would be to be able to have the luxury of the time and money to get a massage like this on a regular basis so that my IT bands wouldn't be so tight on the occasions I did make it in. I thought about how nice it would be to get just a 30 or 60 minutes massage after every time I went running.

And then I realized that I'd need to win the lottery to do that. And that I'd actually do just fine going once a week. Or maybe twice.

I'd also hire a personal trainer to work with me once a week. I don't need someone all the time. And maybe I'd only work with a trainer heavily for a month or two and then go back on my own. I just need someone to get me over the hump with running again - make me finish that 5K.

But I wouldn't sell my house. I like where I live. I like my neighborhood and my friends and where we are. We don't need a bigger or "better" house. I would remodel our upstairs bathrooms and my kitchen, but that's about it for major improvements.

I wouldn't buy a new car, nor would my husband. He wouldn't quit his job or change what he does; he loves it, and it gives him purpose. I'd quit my job though (but really, you knew that already).

I don't have huge changes that I need to or want to make. I wouldn't go out and buy new clothes or take huge trips everywhere. I wouldn't start eating out all the time, and I'd still cook.

But you know what? I'd eat all organic foods. It would be more than just the berries. The milk, the meat, the fruit, the vegetables - they'd all be organic. I'd eat fish far more often, especially sushi. And I'd be doing the cooking, not hiring someone to do it for me.

I wouldn't go out and buy all new designer clothes or shoes. What I've got works just fine for me, thanks. The same goes for flying out some huge fancy hair artist for haircuts that cost hundreds of dollars. I would like to find someone who can cut my hair so it looks good and teach me how to do my hair so I can avoid more bad hair days than not, but I want to do the daily maintenance myself.

There are a few small treats I'd buy myself -- a good fancy camera, a laptop of my own, and ummm that's all I can think of right now. There isn't a ton that I need.

Even quitting work, I don't see myself as having a ton of free time. I'm already PTO president and could so easily dedicate more time to that. I'd like to get to the gym more often. And I really want to start volunteering at a therapeutic horseback riding center. That plus the normal things that need to happen, and my day is complete once you add in spending time with the wee ones.

And to be honest with you, I think that about sums it up. My day and my life is complete. I don't need to do all sorts of fancy things or have a huge amount of money to be happy or fulfilled. While it would be nice to have some "perks" that I don't now, they're not necessary for me to enjoy life. Winning the lottery wouldn't change my life. And I think that's a good thing.

Because, honestly, I don't think my IT bands could take Sofia too much more often.

Tasty Tuesday!

Last two days -- for anyone in the Chicago area with kids, I'm giving away a family four pack to Disney on Ice for Februay 2!

***

You'll be proud of me. I have pictures this week. Yep, actual honest to goodness pictures. And this has nothing to do with the fact that I made these treasures after the wee ones were in bed and not when I was racing to get food on the table. Nope, not a thing to do with it.

So. I make granola on a regular basis. I love my granola. In fact, I make it often enough that I keep two 32 ounce containers of plain yogurt (about the only way to avoid HFCS unfortunately) in the fridge to pour over my morning treat. Yum.

I've never made granola bars though. The wee ones love them, but for some uknown reason, they've always scared me. Silly, I know. But I decided to throw caution to the wind and make some for the wee ones. I modified my regular granola recipe slightly, and voila! I have granola bars. Tomorrow, I need to get a picture of the wee ones wolfing these treasures down.

Oh, and Jen, if you ask nicely, I'll make you some of these, too.

Homemade Granola Bars
Ingredients:
3 c oats (not the quick cooking kind)
3/4 c coconut, flaked
1 c wheat bran - optional
1 c flax seeds (ground or whole, whichever is fine although I prefer whole) - optional
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg, fresh ground
1/4 c olive oil
2/3 c honey (or maybe a little bit more)
1/4 c brown sugar, scant
1 c dried fruits, variety all chopped to be about the same size

Directions:
(This part is totally optional) Place the oatmeal and coconut on an ungreased baking sheet and toast at 300 degees for about 10 minutes. This adds to the flavor but totally isn't necessary if you don't have the time.

Heat a heavy small saucepan over medium heat, and add the oil and honey (hint: if you're using a liquid measuring cup, put the oil in first then the honey atop it, and it helps the honey slide out more easily). Add the brown sugar, and heat until boiling. Stir for another minute, then remove from the heat.



Put the toasted oatmeal and coconut into a large mixing bowl. Add the wheat germ and flax seed (also both optional, but they're yummy and healthy!), as well as the cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.

Add the heated honey mixture to a well made in the center of the dry ingredients.



Stir until well mixed. This is much easier and faster than it is when making the regular granola version. Add the dried fruits and stir again. I used raisins, craisins, and cherries for my dried fruits, and they work together very nicely. You can use one kind or many, but more than about a cup total seems to make it too fruity, at least for me.



Place this into a 13x9 greased pan. I also laid a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan to help the granola come out in a single piece more easily. It worked well.

Slightly wet your hands (I figured this one out the hard way) and gently press down onto the mixture to ensure that it is flat and even. I found that I "had" to rearrange some of my fruit, as it seemed to all want to head to the edges and I wanted a more even distribution.



Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool overnight (or at least until totally and completely room temperature). Use a knife to loosen the sides, and then plop out the giant granola bar. Use a very sharp knife -- or in my case, as serrated knife, as I proved yet again that it's time to get my knives professionally sharpened -- to slice into the shape you desire. I made essentially 16 bars from this, but I probably could have made them a bit smaller or a different shape, and they would have worked out just fine.

And as for those little crumbs left over from the cutting? I just scooped them up into a bowl, and that was my breakfast... along with a little yogurt, of course.



And does anyone know how to remove the fingerprint Mister Man has apparently put on my camera lens? *sigh*

Enjoy recipes like this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday!

My Good Egg

Quick reminder -- anyone in the Chicago area with kids, I'm giving away a family four pack to Disney on Ice for Februay 2!

***

Mister Man had a good week at school this week, thankfully. His school is doing a great job of working with him and coming up with solutons (in addition to what we're doing at home), and they appear to be working. Ironically, my lesson to him that he needs to think about wht he's doing and decide if he'd like it if someone else did it to him is what appears to be sinking in the most -- or so he says.

Because he's had five green days, he earned a Bakugan (love the $1.99 Aldi sales!). Because he (finally) had a full week of straight green days, he earned a trip to go see The Princess and the Frog.

That second reward has been hanging out there for awhile. In fact, it's been since before winter break, if I recall correctly. He had been so despondant and was convinced that he'd never see the movie. Give him a few more weeks, and he wouldn't have seen it -- apparently it's near the end of its run already.

When I saw him for pickup on Friday, he came racing towards me with a huge smile on his face, which I knew was a good sign. Mom! Mom! I had a green day today! My whole week was green! Mom, do I get to go see the movienow?

Yep. Most definitely. I would have canceled any plans I had to ensure that he got to see the movie he earned. Fortuntely, it didn't come anywhere near that.

He requested permission to call Grandpa, and I handed over my phone.

Grandpa! Grandpa! Guess what! I had a green day again today, and I get to go see "The Princess and the Frog" this weekend, and do you want to come with me to see it, too?

Uhhhh, ok. We can add Grandpa. No problem.

When we arrived home, he ran immediately up to Little Miss (who had been home taking a nap and thankfully my husband was able to get home before I had to pick up Mister Man so I didn't have to wake her tired self up). Little Miss! Little Miss! I get to go see "The Princess and the Frog, and you get to come, too!

Ummm, well actually I was sort of planning on definitely not taking her with us, since she's never been to a movie theater before but seems to swallow a jumping bean every ten minutes or so, which just doesn't seem like a good combination. And I wanted her to nap during the time we'd be going. And it was really his special thing.

Before I could open my mouth, however, Mister Man turned to me with his eyes pleading. Mommy, I can invite her to go with me to share my special treat, can't I?

And when he puts it that way, how can I say no?

When my parents arrived yesterday morning to take the wee ones to swimming lessons (it's "their thing"), not surprisingly, Mister Man invited my mom to join us at the movies, as well. Daddy had also been invited in the interim, but he was coaching and unable to make it.

My nice little treat with Mister Man -- a not too expensive $15 or so endeavor -- was suddenly not so little and not so inexpensive. Since when was a 1:05 show a $7.50 per person experience?

But everyone enjoyed it. There was a part where a star was created that made me cry. The wee ones were slightly scared at a few parts. (Really, Disney? It is necessary to be that scary in every G movie?) But the loved it. Little Miss saw her first movie ever, and she was just about completely still -- and quiet -- the entire time (except when she leaned over to ask me if she would be asleep in bed at that time because she was tired). And today? Mister Man has been telling everyone he sees about how he had a green week and how that meant he got to go see a movie and how he got to share his special treat with his whole family (forgetting that Daddy wasn't there, perhaps?).

I'm just hoping that this is motivation for him for next week and the week after. And I have to admit that I'm more than just a little bit proud that Mister Man didn't want to hoard his special moment and that he wanted to share it. He's a good kid.