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tools of the trade

Confession: I occasionally exhibit obsessive/compulsive tendencies. (mmmmm . . . from whence do they come?) Case in point: in order for me to enjoy this little baking hobby that has ambushed me, I need to have everything organized. Flour is quite messy and difficult to control. Here is how I have decided to store my ingredients. I have baked several loaves of bread w/my new storage system in place and it seems to be working out . . . perfectly. Mom, Dad, and Grandma? This is where I spent some of the Christmas money. Thank you.


Merry Christmas from Mom and Dad and Grandma!

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the great noodle caper

Yesterday I was invited to my aunt and uncle’s house for a delicious lunch. As we chatted after the meal, I drew a picture of a French style rolling pin. My brother and uncle went out to the woodshop and returned within 30 minutes with a redwood rolling pin. After treating it with mineral oil, I made my first ever batch of homemade noodles. Have I mentioned that the pounds have been packing on since I’ve begun this baking kick?


in the beginning . . . there was an egg, flour, and salt


the maiden voyage of the made-in-America, French style rolling pin


done with the rolling and cutting


too bad your computer monitor is not a scratch and sniff . . .

This dish is a really good meal to make if you happen to have fresh red peppers, scallions, baby bella mushrooms, sour cream, chicken broth and gruyere cheese in your chilly bin (that last term was in honor of my brother Matt who lives on the bottom of the world in that great country of New Zealand.)

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the structure

My brother is building a “structure,” for our father. Dwight specializes in changing the skylines of small towns and rural horizons. To inquire about the possibility of altering a vista near you, click here.

Of course, structures like this do not spontaneously appear, so I have condensed the chronology for your viewing pleasure.


1) setting forms for the foundation


2) burning the stumps


3) Uncle Kenny checks out the pour


4) ah, it’s a beaut, eh?


5) working in sub-freezing temps? priceless!


6) paradise


7) threading the needle


8)


9) Dad supervises the close work


10) with a little practice, they perfected the method


11) finally, the rafters are up


12) the roof’s on just in time for the predicted freezing rain


13) movable scaffolding–it’s the latest rage in construction accessories


14) interior shot


15) Mark plans the next angle cut


16) the front of the structure

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daughter of a friend

Today was quite nice because I had uninterrupted time to work on my primary focus this year–aside from enjoying momhood. Although the photos were taken a couple of weeks ago, I am just now getting around to selecting, cropping, etc. My friend Rachel is also dancing “la Mom-ba” with her daughter, the subject in these pictures. Here is this morning’s output:





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my dance partner (1st post)

For ten years my identity has been closely tied to my career as a high school English teacher; however, I am taking this year off in order to enjoy my son’s senior year in high school. In order to chronicle this year, I purchased a new camera and have been quite busy getting my money’s worth. This is the first picture that I took of my dance partner with the Nikon D50. It was taken this summer in the courtyard of Willard Residence Hall on the campus of Northwestern University.

In addition to taking senior pictures of my first (and only) born, I plan to share some of the other activities that I choose to do while he is at school for eight hours a day.