Saturday goings-on

Yard sailing this morning turned out to be a flop... so disappointed! Even if it is threatening rain, it seems that everyone cancels. But there's always next week...and, I use poor yard sailing as an excuse to go thrifting :) So after Abel's nap, we're headed back out!

This morning while Daddy worked, Abel and I hit the veggie co-op and picked up 5 lbs of cabbage and collard greens. For $35, we get 24 weeks of veggies, 5 lbs a week. We also get tons of free corn and a pumpkin! The line was long this morning and the pickings were slim, but we regularly buy cabbage at the grocery store (so getting it cheaper here was great) and I'm looking forward to cooking something new (the collards). Usually, I pick our fresh veggies for the week from the grocery store based on sales. My hope is that this summer nearly all our veggies will come from the co-op. Since I'm planning on making Abel's food when he begins eating solids (in 2 months or so) we will be using the extras for that endeavor.

We visited Reed at Starbucks after picking up the vegetables. I love how Abel looks for Reed when we're there, and how once he finds his Daddy, he just stares at him. The typical handful of people stopped me to coo at Abel, saying how precious and sweet he is. I think that in 4.5 months, I have yet to go out without someone stopping me to talk to Abel. I love it! He gets tons of smiles as we walk by people, but I am surprised at how many people actually come up to us to chat with him, and to ask me his name and age. I've been out with lots of babies, and he really gets reactions like I've never seen. It's nice to know that other people agree with how cute I think he is!

Tonight we're watching the son of a couple Reed and I worked with in college. I first watched this little guy when he was only 2 weeks old, and his mom had to go back to school. She and her hubby had class at the same time twice a week, so I took care of him in one of the academic buildings during that time slot. We still watch him occasionally, and have been invited to all three birthday parties. It's been fun seeing him grow, and I'm glad his parents feel comfortable enough with us to still call and ask us to watch him. I'm glad we're able to help out.

Looking forward to Reed getting home this afternoon! I still get so excited when I hear his car pull up :)

Baking?!

You know, if I do say so myself, I'm a pretty good cook. I enjoy trying new things, reading new recipes, and tasting new creations. Cooking is one of my favorite ways to spend extra time, and when the budget allows, money. However, I cannot bake.

Really. I can't.

Some of my favorite memories from my childhood are from times when my mom and I would bake things in the kitchen for holidays. We met at either my aunt's or grandparents, and my mom seemed to always bring the desserts. A couple of the cousins had favorites, I think an aunt requested an ice cream cake a few times, and my mom always obliged. We would make fudge, all kinds of cookies, cornflake peanut butter things, rice crispie treats.... you name it. I loved helping. Mom claims that I've been able to crack an egg since I was two (which is funny, since I haven't been able to do it without getting shell in the bowl since I've been married). While mom and I were baking, I was allowed to lick the bowl of course, but I always wanted to try more of the finished product than I was allowed. A few times, okay every time, I would find some that 'happened' to be broken and begged to be eaten. One year, we were in a minor car accident on the way to Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone was fine, but the impact shattered the plate that the fudge was on. I still remind my mom that if she had allowed me a few more pieces, not as many would have been wasted. :)

Now I'm the aunt. Reed and I are joining his sister and brother, their spouses, and our niece in Tennessee in a few days. I thought that it would be fun for me to bring the desserts, like my mom does. (If I had things my way, I'd be cooking the dinner... maybe next year). I decided to start with these mints cookies my mom and I use to always make. After getting underway, I discovered that I could not finish them, because I bought the wrong ingredients. So, I decided to move on to the peanut butter cookies. After setting off the smoke alarm, I realized they were all black as tar on the bottom. I used the remaining dough to make a small batch, and had to go running into the kitchen when I saw smoke pouring out of the oven. I peeked inside, and saw that the wax paper was singed.... I thought that stuff could go into the oven!?!?!?!


Then I moved on to something I CAN make... my roasted garlic and herb bread. That turned out well :) So did the pumpkin cheesecake, even though the crust was a little burnt. My chocolate biscotti- which was suppose to go with the Christmas coffee we bought everyone- is another story. I made a huge batch, and even raw the dough tastes good! I thought I was off to a good start. So, I put it in the over to bake and went to the computer to start this post. After a brief absence from the kitchen the smoke alarm started blaring and I ran into the kitchen. If the smoke was pouring out before, from the cookies, then this time it looked like I had started a fire in there on purpose! I ran in, turned off the oven, threw open the porch door, and started fanning the smoke alarm. While I was fanning, my husband walks in! He knew I was baking though, and I think he has come to expect disaster!