Tag Archives: Family

Some of my favorite turkeys

December 1, 2008Family, Food, FunFamily, Food, Funwarren

Like most of the country, our family overate on Thanksgiving. We always go to Emily’s grandparents house in a small town outside the city. But before the actual feed, we have a tradition. We usually start checking in early on Thanksgiving morning as soon as we get up. Emily’s grandmother typically gets up at dawn’s crack and does the magic that she does to get everything ready. By the time we wake, the turkey is sure to be well along in the oven. We always call and ask how things are looking at their place.

“Smells like things are getting along pretty well.” We check in a few times in the morning to make sure everything is under control. Of course, she’s been cooking for 70 or so years but I want to make sure she doesn’t need my expert advice! We try to get the kids to dress in some Thanksgiving-appropriate attire. Typically the kids dress as Native Americans. We couldn’t talk Isaac into it this year. Abigail wanted to be a pilgrim so Emily’s mom sewed her a pilgrim hat. I wanted to give her a blunderbuss to carry but Emily nixed that idea sighting the fact that my shotguns were all far too long for Abigail to carry. Darn practicality!

Anyhow, we headed to their place around 11:30 or so and start to nibble…and by nibble I mean I eat as much as I can sneak away with in my pockets. So, I nibble a turkey leg or a pumpkin pie waiting for everything to get finished up. Eighteen of us gathered for a huge feed and subsequent nap this year. Most of us were able to eat our meal and get away from the table before falling into the tryptophan-trance. We did lose a few in their mashed potatoes this year though. I guess we eat for an hour and a half. There must be a little hobbit in our family though as we always eat a second lunch as well.

Some of us took a walk around the neighborhood this year as we always do. Emily’s Mom and Dad grew up a few blocks from each other and have known each other since before they were in school. We walked through their old stomping grounds and had a great chance to chat and reminisce. I bounce a little as I walk to ensure that my food gets packed in pretty well so I can hit the dessert table again. Unfortunately, Emily had to carry me part way home from our walk this year. Too much nibbling I guess!

After dessert, we played a few games of Tripoli and Uno and goofed around with the kids. The kids enjoy playing on the playground of the elementary school next door. We continued to eating and playing until first supper sometime around 6. The dark is our cue to start to pack up and head home as we sober up from our turkey-induced hang-overs.

I think Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays (Groundhog day is right up there too…more on that another day). It is pretty low-key (easy for me to say since I just show up and eat) and is all about hanging out with family and having fun. It is still a simple holiday and an absolute joy!

My boy

November 26, 2008Family, ThoughtsFamily, Thoughtswarren

I was messing around in the family room the last night when Isaac brought a metal plane over to me to play with. He has a collection of metal planes, equivalent in size to matchbox cars. Anyhow, he said, “Here Dad, you can play with this one.” He didn’t really care much about playing with me. He just wanted to make sure I had something to play with. We each sat in our chairs flying our jets around in our own make-believe worlds. I loved playing with matchbox cars as a kid and I still can get pretty well lost in play with them. Isaac knows that and he wanted me to have something to do. We played with our planes and watched “Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” together. It all took me back. I loved being a kid (well, not junior high, junior high should be illegal). I still love being a kid…I am not so sure I like being trapped in this strange body with hair growing out of my ears and on my back…but I still feel like a kid and my boy knows it. He can look into my eyes and he knows I need a plane to fly!

Adventure at the Clay Center

November 19, 2008Adventure, Family, Fun, WVAdventure, Family, Fun, WVwarren

We used to live in Nashville, TN before moving to WV. On a visit back to TN last year, we took a tour of the Adventure Science Center. We decided to buy a family membership which is good at many museums and centers across the country…including the Clay Center in WV. This weekend, we decided to head for the Clay Center to see what we could get into. We arrived at 11:45 or so on Sunday morning and basically had the place to ourselves. We took in a planetarium show which included the movie, “Space Oddities” as well as the typical tour of the constellations (which was excellent).

We exited out of the planetarium directly into the art gallery which had a special display of WV artists in addition to the gallery-owned pieces. We each picked our favorite pieces.

In particular, Abigail liked a modern piece and wanted a picture. Of course, we couldn’t take a picture so she is determined to write the artist a letter asking for a print of the piece. I suspect she will succeed. Anyhow, it was great to see them excited to pick their favorites (though they were ready to move on as soon as they had found their pieces). We ventured into two displays they had including Milton Gardener’s Earth City and Health Royale.

Earth City was a cool model of an old-timey road-side attraction where the kids could play with water to discover how it flows as well as see all sorts of gizmos to move water and soak unsuspecting bystanders. They had boots attached to a conveyor belt that the kids manually operated to fill a bin that occasionally dumped. We watched as water trickled down through all sorts of things and saw how steam (fog) travels through a valley.

In Health Royale, there were a number of games, but in particular the kids enjoyed a Hollywood-squares-esque game where various body parts helped the kids answer questions about oral hygeine. Isaac loved the talking brain especially.

Finally, we went to an exhibit called the Gizmo Factory that was all about fun with physics. The kids got to reflect lasers through fog via mirrors, pull themselves up in a chair with pulleys, see how a computer translated their dance into sounds, play a laser harp, and watch water and a ball defy gravity.

All told, we spent 3 full hours exploring the fun at the museum. The best part was that it was all free (aside from our membership which has already paid for itself).

The kids had a blast and would have stayed longer if we would have let them.

We’ll definitely go back and soon. Next week they decorate for Christmas which includes a display of model trains and trees decorated in various styles from around the world. I can’t wait to go back!

Overheard: the girl talking with Grandma

November 17, 2008Family, ThoughtsFamily, Thoughtswarren

Abigail was talking to my Mom tonight as Emily and I listened in on the conversation and grabbed these tidbits:

“Mom says I have the smooch”

“Dad thinks farting is cool…so does Isaac…I do not”

“Carly is a G-I-R-L, not a B-O-Y”

Now let me clear up a few points…

-Abigail has croup, but she is an affectionate child also. I know she has croup…she may have the smooch as well.

-We are boys…what else can I say. I do hate that my 5 year old daughter knows the word fart but various family members who shall remain nameless gave the kids some books about Walter the Farting Dog. Actually, they are pretty funny and they have expanded the kids’ vocabulary!

-With current fashions and naming conventions, even in kindergarten, it is important to clarify!

Chinese – making our fortune…cookies

November 12, 2008Family, Food, FunFamily, Food, Funwarren

I was reading the Y-2K Hippie blog last week and saw they had posted a recipe for fortune cookies. I love Chinese food but am usually not brave enough to eat it at a Chinese restaurant. That leaves us with typically not eating Chinese…but the homemade fortune cookies seemed like a really cool idea so we decided to make some and along with a Chinese entree. I cut come strips of paper and asked the kids to write some fortunes. Being young and inexperienced at it, they quickly ran out of wisdom to impart.

I said, “just write anything, draw a picture…just fill out all the papers.” Well, they made up in ink what they lacked in content. Isaac drew all sorts of epic battles on his half-inch wide sheets. Abigail wrote things like, “dog, dog, cat, cat, Dad, Dad, Mom, Mom”. Oh, the fortunes we’re great fun. They were certainly cryptic which made them feel more fortune-like. Anyhow, we mixed up the recipe :

Fortune Cookies
1 cup Margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/4 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
I kneaded it some and then rolled it out thin (though not thin enough….it needs to be really thin). We cut circles with our biscuit cutter, added the fortunes, then folded the circles in half, then in half again. We baked at 425 for 10 min….and then 5 minutes more.

Ok, the most important part was done. We also stir-fried some beef and broccoli with a seasoning packet we bought at the store. Based on the fact that we had to add soy sauce and some other stuff, I am pretty sure we just bought a packet of corn starch with Chinese lettering. As we cooked, Mohinder our cat bravely wandered into the kitchen. He made a lot of racket and never realized the fate he could have met.

Anyhow, Emily and I stirred and tended the stuff with bamboo cookware (just to be authentic – plus, it is all we have) and bowed to each other a lot (apologies to all my Asian friends for all of the terrible cliches and inaccuracies).

It was a lot of fun! Anyhow, it cooked up great along with some delicious fried rice. We plowed through every bit of what we cooked as well as a plate full of cupcakes the kids and their Mommaw decorated. Our fortunes were interesting, but I am sure I found my real fortune in good food and good times!

A-maze-ing

November 6, 2008Adventure, Family, WVAdventure, Family, WVwarren

Last weekend, the kids went with their Mommaw and Aunt to the corn maze a few towns over. I don’t think they had ever been to such an event but everyone was gung-ho. I have little doubt that Isaac, in particular, was full-throttle the entire time.

The good thing is, the maze is huge and basically walled in with corn. They nicknamed Isaac the streak at the maze, and not because he was garment-challenged. Anyhow, I don’t know what sort of corn they planted but it was super tall and the kids were curious what would happen if they got lost. I told them to shoot sparks from their wands just like Harry Potter. I guess they didn’t buy it though. Isaac had a plan how he would just run right through the corn if necessary.

In a very serious tone, he informed me he was “ready to do what he needed to to get out.” The maze is closed now for this year, but we will probably get back out to it next year (and we’ll remember our wands next time!)

A salty bunch

November 5, 2008Family, TinkeringFamily, Tinkeringwarren

We gathered a jug of salt water from the ocean 2 years ago on a trip to Tybee Island near Savannah, GA. I had in mind when I collected it to do an experiment to show the kids how to separate the salt from the water, how crystals formed, how to research stuff, etc. I finally got around to it last weekend. We did several experiments which have had mixed success. First, we looked at various things under the microscope including epsom salts, table salt, and sugar. In our first experiment, we suspended a string in a cup full of ocean water. No crystals formed on their own so we are waiting on evaporation to expose the salt. We also mixed epsom salts and water to form crystals. This was sort of cool but not as dramatic as I had hoped.

Next, we supersaturated water with table salt. Crystals have definitely formed on a suspended string. Crystals have also formed on the side of the jar in which we are doing our experiment. We put a bunch of salt in that jar so the effect is pretty dramatic. This was closer to the effect for which I was hoping.

Both of these experiments were pretty slow to show much effect for kids though. Being anxious for my kids to ohh and ahh at my scientific knowledge and ability, I found a recipe for making crystals from salt, liquid bluing, and ammonia.

As a base, we tried to use a piece of cardboard rolled up in a tube. My expectation was that the cardboard would wick up the water and make a little crystal tree. For some reason, the cardboard did not wick any moisture.

I guess it was too dense (or maybe I was?) so the crystal tree turned into more of a crystal shrub. Still, the effect started within a day or so.

Anyhow, here are some additional methods to make crystals. The kids were in to it for awhile and had a good time checking on the progress. I’d recommend it for your own edification as well!
http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/snow/boraxsnowflake.html

http://www.squidoo.com/groweasycrystals

http://silken-didyouknow.blogspot.com/search?q=crystal

http://www.science-projects-resources.com/crystal-science-projects.html

Trick-or-treating

October 31, 2008FamilyFamilywarren

For some reason, our city declared last night to be trick-or-treat night so we headed out to family members’ houses in full dress. As usual, the kids had a good time. We always dump the candy they “earn” into a community pot. That is partly payment for my transport costs! They were paid well for dressing up – family is so good about that! Abigail was authentic right down to her pink leather cowgirl boots. I didn’t have a thermal detonator for Isaac so I shoved a cayenne pepper in his pocket and told him to make the best of it. Anyhow, today in school, they dress again and have a Halloween parade. No doubt, they will be fully sugared after school today too.

In one of their bags, they each got little video games. They were drawn to that above all else last night. It was pretty funny seeing a cowgirl and a storm-trooper playing video games.

Today is report card day so assuming things look good, we’re going to Hibachi, a Japanese restaurant where the chef cooks at the table. It’s a tradition and about the only time we go out to eat any more. Of course, it is worth the wait!

A hard lesson in science

October 20, 2008FamilyFamilywarren

We were planting garlic and messing with the bees this weekend when Abigail hollered at me. She and Isaac have this strange love of sucking on ice cubes. I don’t really get it but then, I am an adult. Anyhow, Abigail had gotten an ice cube stuck to her upper lip. I would have been surprised but apparently this sort of thing runs in the family. When Emily was a kid, someone dared her to stick her tongue to a fence post. Not one to pass up a dare, she grabbed the fence and puckered up. Needless to say, she found herself stuck to the fence, tongue frozen in place. Abigail fared better than her mother in freeing herself, however. She wasn’t terribly impressed with my finding humor in her predicament, but I think she learned a lesson in how ice works and how warm water is a great antidote. I love the opportunity to laugh a little at my kids and to teach them a little too!

Making Apple Cider – part 2

October 14, 2008Family, Food, TinkeringFamily, Food, Tinkeringwarren

Yesterday I posted about how we found some apples and mashed them in preparation for pressing out the cider. I’ll let the pictures do the talking mostly. I’ll include some lessons learned at the end.

We quickly learned that adding one apple at a time into the crusher is much better than dumping in 10 at a time. We didn’t empty the bucket for every apple but we made sure one was crushed before adding another. We also learned that you get a lot more cider if you crush the apples a lot. We ran several batches of apples through the press with a “poor crush” and got much less cider than when we really crushed the apples. We only got 2 gallons of cider so we ended up spending $6/gallon which is not cheap, though it is still of value to me since it is fresh and educational. Anyhow, we’re getting another bag of apples and will crush all of them completely. I expect at least twice as much cider. I’ll make a good crusher for next year so this won’t be a problem then. Some folks completely pulverize apples in a new, only-for-apple-cider dispose-all (like in your kitchen sink). I didn’t want to spend the money but they do get a great yield per pound of apples. I’ll likely make some sort of hand cranked grinder.

We learned that yellow jackets and honeybees can smell apples from thousands of miles away and that they can fly at supersonic speeds to get to them. Cover stuff up whenever possible.

Get a piece of metal to put between the bottle jack and the top of the wooden presing frame. I thought of it before hand and am glad I did. The bottle jack would destroy the wood otherwise. Also, have several blocks of wood around that will fit into the basket. The bottle jack probably will not fully press all the cider out at its fullest extension without adding blocks at some point to lengthen its extension.

Listen for stress on the wood when you are pressing. The jack puts the whole system under a lot of pressure and you could tear things up pretty good if you don’t pay attention. Wood will tell you when it has had enough. Listen to it!

If the cider pours over the top of the wooden plunger, release the pressure and let it go back down. Press it again and you’ll get more cider out. Also, cut a drain hole in your catch pan or empty it often so the cider doesn’t re-absorb into the pomace when you release pressure on the bottle jack.

When you are done pressing, keep pressure on the pomace a bit longer. Cider will drain for a short while after you stop pressing.

I drilled holes in a single row around the lower side and the very bottom of the stainless steel pot. I am not sure if more holes would be better or just make for a weaker pot. I will not likely add more holes.

Run the cider through a coarse strainer. It just looks better to me without chunks of apples floating in it.

We read that apples sometimes (often?) carry E. coli and that homemade cider should be drunk at one’s own risk or else be pasteurized. I have read several things but apparently heating it to 160 deg for 1 minute is enough to kill all sorts of stuff. I also know that heating cider too much ruins the pectin and sort of erases the “cider” taste/texture. We haven’t gotten sick yet but will likely pasteurize and can most of the cider. Officially, I’d recommend you do too. If you choose not to, at the very least, refrigerate it so it doesn’t ferment too quickly (good for 5-10 days). Of course, you can ferment cider and make adult beverages too. I’ll leave that for you to research.

All-in-all, this was a good time and I’d recommend building one of these if you have access to apples. The kids had a good time and the cider is hard to beat! Holler at me if you want a parts list or more specific/detailed pictures. I am happy to help!

My Home Among The Hills

Life in WV!