the longest day

Yesterday I spent the afternoon running errands. After work i went to pick up Knox, who was sleeping (this is normal). However, I decided to wake Knox up early from his morning nap to go ahead and go to the grocery store. Mistake number one. Knox did pretty well most of the trip, though dealing with whiney moments throughout (which I guess would be understandable, seeing as how I hadn't fed him lunch yet and it was about 12:30...mistake number two). Until the checkout line. I believe I witnessed one of the largest tantrums that anyone in the civilized world has ever seen. After trying to discretely discipline, and quickly trying to get out of there, we left to run a couple more errands. After trying hard neither to let Knox bite Sam's fingers nor Sam pull Knox's hair, we arrived for lunch. Sam ate relatively quickly and was off to bed. Knox ate much more quickly, but wanted to hang around and play for a little while, so I let him (mistake number three). By this time it was at least two or so (early for him not have fully napped in the morning), so he should have been ready to sleep, but like any two-year-old, Knox wanted to stay up and play. Robin & I ate a VERY YUMMY lunch of her homemade chicken penne alfredo while Knox played in bed. After lunch, since Knox was still not asleep and was getting quite unruly, I picked him up to take home, where we both crashed until around 6 or so. Then, wesley came home from working out and we headed off to his parents' house, stopping by Burger King (mistake number... i lose count). We order. We double check my sandwich to make sure that it is infact grilled chicken and plain. It is, so we continue on our way, about 20 miles out, to Wesley's parents' house. We arrive; we pull out our combos only to find Wesley's sandwich is no where to be found. No where. So, I call Burger King, get it sorted out (and we can go pick one up whenever we choose, though that didnt' help us any last night). Finally, Knox began to start his I'm-sleepy-defiance-of-rules bit that children do when they've been up too long, so we put him to bed. Well, that just doesn't work well when you are over exhausted and two and at your grandparents' house. So, after about and hour of dealing off & on with an unpleasant child from the bedroom, he finally went to sleep! (Hallelujah!!!!) I put my feet up, watched much too much tv for one night, and went to bed way too late to get up as early as i did this morning. But, I am at work early this morning, and perhaps i'll get a nap in this afternoon. Wesley & I got to peek in on Knox before we headed out to work early (Wesley's mom is watching him today) and he is so almost angelic looking when he sleeps. What a sweetie. And we have lovely plans of friends coming for dinner, so I am very excited about what this day holds. Oh, and we rented Run Fatboy Run, so I'm excited about getting to watch it, as well!

i just realized that my shirt has been inside-out all morning.

Knox was poking at my newly "outie" belly-button this morning, and I was explaining that there's a baby in there. While he was poking around at my belly, the baby kicked, so I told him to put his hand on my tummy where he could feel his baby brother. He looked pleased. When I started to sit down, he wanted to poke at the baby again and said, "belly brother, belly brother!" :o)

My version of the yumminess I ate at Red Tree Coffee

I call them biscuit muffins.

4 eggs
a pinch of cheese for each muffin
1/2 slice of ham, sliced quite thick (and cut into cubes)
1 can of whop-biscuits, flaky style
onion powder to taste
garlic salt to taste

Preheat oven to whatever degree your biscuit can says. Spray the muffin tin with Pam. Put 1 biscuit in each muffin tin, pinching the sides up the tin. Mix the eggs where the yolk and whites are inseperable and add onion powder and garlic salt to taste. Pour on top of each biscuit. Add a few ham cubes to each egg mixture. Add cheese on top. Bake for about 15 minutes or until biscuits and eggs are both done. Eat! Yummy!!!

Yellow Butter Cake & Chocolate Frosting

Chocolate Frosting

1 lb. semisweet chocolate chopped
6 T. Dutch processed cocoa powder
6 T. boiling water
3 sticks unsalted butter
½ cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt

Melt chocolate in a double boiler until melted, turn off heat (about 15 minutes).
Combine cocoa & boiled water, stirring until it’s dissolved.
Beat butter, powdered sugar, & salt on med-high (3-4 minutes). Add melted chocolate, & beat on low until combined (1-2 minutes). Beat in cocoa mixture.


Yellow Cake

2 sticks butter
1.5 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 cup cake flour
1 T baking powder
½ t salt
1.75 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1.25 cup milk

Preheat to 350. Butter 2 9x9” round cake pans and line bottom with parchment paper. Sift flours, baking powder, & salt.
Beat butter & sugar till light & fluffy (3-4 minutes). Beat eggs (1 at a time) and vanilla. On low, add flour. Bake, rotating ½ way through, for a total of 30-35 minutes. (20 minutes if making cupcakes.) Cool 20 minutes. Trim cake to make level. Add ¾ frosting to middle layer, and frost the remainder frosting around the sides and on the top.

Fudgy Brownies

1 stick butter, unsalted
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1.5 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
¾ cups all-purpose
½ t salt

Preheat to 350. Butter a 8” square pan. Line with parchment paper.
Combine butter & chocolate in a double boiler stirring frequently until melted (7 minutes). Cool 10-15 minutes. Stir sugar until combined. Whisk in egg 1 at a time. Wisk in vanilla. Fold in flour and salt. Bake 40-45 minutes.

Icebox Butter Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter
¾ cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 t salt
½ cups sugar

Beat butter & sugar on medium (2-3 minutes). Add egg, vanilla, and beat again. Add flour & salt on low. Divide in half & roll into logs 1.5” in diameter. Cover completely in parchment paper, put in paper towel rolls, & refrigerate 1-24 hours. Preheat oven to 350. Roll logs in sugar. Slice ¼” cookies, place 1” apart, and bake (rotating ½-way through) total of 15-20 minutes. Cool.

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour ¼ t allspice
2 t baking powder ¼ t salt
2 t baking soda 2 c pumpkin puree’
2.5 t ground cinnamon 1 c packed dark brown sugar
½ t nutmeg 1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs ¼ cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat to 350. Coat 2-8.5x4.5” loaf pans w/butter. Whisk flour, baking powder, soda, cinna, nutmeg, allspice, & salt. Combine puree’ with both sugars, mix on medium (2-3 mins) add eggs & oil, mix until incorporated (2 mins). Add flour on low. Bake (rotating ½-way through) total 55-60 minutes.

Blueberry Muffins

1 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla extract
½ cup milk

Preheat to 375. Butter pan & dust with flour. Whisk flour, baking powder, & salt. Toss blueberries with flour. Beat butter & sugar on med-high until light & fluffy (3 minutes). Add eggs one at a time & mix until combined. Mix in vanilla. Add flour on low until just combined. Add milk; fold in blueberries. Bake, rotating pan ½-way through, about 30 minutes total.

Planning

Lee & Brad are in town, and I am enjoying spending the weekend with them. They are at a friend's wedding, and I wish they weren't, b/c I'm dog-sitting for them instead. But, Ellie's a sweet girl, and I don't mind. Oneday, maybe they'll babysit! :o) And this gives me an opportunity to watch some much-missed cable television (i.e. Law & Order).
Today Knox, Lee, Mom, and I went for a little walk around town in which Knox promptly spotted a "little horse," a "ly-won," and white flowers (the little horse being an anti-bellum horse & carriage pitch that is so common here in small southern towns, the ly-won being how Knox says 'lion,' though he mistook a yorkie for it, and white flowers being, well, white flowers). Wesley has been working on music all weekend, though mostly not his own, so far. He recorded a co-worker's music most of the day today, thus sending Knox & I to Dad's for a good part of the day. Then, after a quick dinner, he headed off to band practice. I am excited that he is getting back into playing with a band. I really enjoy his acoustic work, but there is an aspect to playing with a band that I think Wesley misses when he doesn't play with a group for a while. I don't know if its just that its something he really enjoys, or that its b/c he has basically always played music in bands since he was quite young (or both), but either way, it's good for him to get back into it.
This week, I have planned a menu and already bought the groceries, so I am excited to get started on the meals! :o) Here it goes!
Sunday a.m.: my best attempt to re-create the breakfast-biscuit-egg-muffin things that I had at a little coffee shop in Kingston Springs, which are incredible.
Sunday p.m.: Mammy's Cupboard's recipe of Vegetable Beef Soup w/my Granny's Jalepeno Cornbread Muffins
Monday: Slow-cooked Chicken with bacon & greenbeans, and "potato salad" (though if you know me at ALL, you know this must not have the "m"word in it. It doesn't. I'm going to do my best attempt to duplicate the potato salad from the restaurant Zoe's Kitchen).
Tuesday: Mammy's recipe (again) for Chicken Salad Sandwiches (but, again, without the M-word, and instead, fat free plain yogurt) with a side of vegetable soup and mixed fresh fruit
Wednesday: church night
Thursday: chili dogs with Kosher dogs & wheat buns & fat free turkey chili, and steamed broccoli
Friday: miniature whole-wheat pizzas
Saturday: breakfast with Dad, and a wedding to attend that night, so I'm sure we'll eat there

our trip

Ok, so, we are back from nashville. I say we had a good trip. nothing in particular is settled, and though we do have some job leads, nothing is certain. it was nice, however, to even get out of town for a few days and spend some quality time with wesley. so, i say its a success. in addition to putting in job applications, working on the record, and trying to meet with some hopefully future boss(es), we:
-visited with some friends;
-caught 2 movies;
-walked around several shopping centers;
-ate at an Italian restaurant with REALLY good food (Antonio's of Nashville)
-got some other really good food (5 guys burgers, or something like that, Zoe's Kitchen, etc)
-rode around and saw different neighborhoods;
-saw just about every guitar store in the nashville area.

and when we finally got home last night, we were soooo excited to see knox, and hoped during the whole ride home that he wouldn't say, "shoot," or, "dang-it" when he saw us. he didn't. he bawled. (eyes rolling)

currently

so, we're currently in nashville looking for jobs. please please please pray that wesley is able to meet for interviews and get a job that will provide for our family.

wheat pizza dough

yummy. this recipe is from the best of cooking light.
1 pkg dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)
1/4 tsp sugar
1 1/2 c. warm water (100-110')
2 1/2 to 2 3/4 all-purpose flour, divided
1 c. whole-wheat flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
cooking spray

1. dissolve yeast & sugar in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 mins. lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, and level w/a knife. add 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour whole-wheat flour, oil, & salt to yeast mixture, stirring until well blended. turn dough on a floured surface. knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 min's); add enough of the remaining flour, 1 Tbsp at a time, to prevent the dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).
2. place dough in a large bowl coated w/cooking spray, turning to coat top. cover & let rise in a warm place (85'), free from drafts, for 45 min's or until doubled in size. (press 2 fingers into the dough. if indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) punch down; cover and let rest 5 min's. divide dough in half; roll each half into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. top & bake at 450' for about 15 min's on a pan or stone. note, if you want a crisper crust, place directly in oven (off pan) w/about 8 or so min's left.

life without gas

we don't have gas right now. it was shut off because we have a big leak problem in the pipes under the house. but its really not been that big of a deal, practically, with it being off. we can't use the stove or oven, and we do not have hot water, but that's it. we have a little toaster oven that i have been suprised at what all you can do in it. we also have an electronic water-boiler thingy for wesley's tea that i have been using to heat up water, though with the heat outside, i don't nearly mind the cool water as if it were cooler out.

Sooo...Gustav...

We made it. We got power back on yesterday, and there was no damage to our house. I am very thankful. This afternoon I have the daunting task of ridding the fridge/freezer of everything. Thankfully we still have bread, peanut butter, noodles/sauce, and canned stuff that we can eat b/c there is NOTHING food-wise in any of the grocery stores here. Even some of the fast food restaurants have nothing.
Lee (my sister) said that Baton Rouge is a Mess. No one still has power and trees are down everywhere. She said that for the first hour of the storm, she and her husband just watched trees fall down on houses in her neighborhood. Brad (her husband) went outside and watched. They say that the damage is almost (if not worse) than Katrina there b/c of the wind damage, not water damage. But they were peeved b/c none of the national news people are reporting it. They all go down to New Orleans, and saythat, well, it wasn't that bad. Not as bad as we expected. But it is that bad in Baton Rouge. Thankfully, the police and National Guard were ready, and they are helping patrol the area. Some area drugstores and Walmarts are opening, letting people in about 10 at a time with flashlights, and people are getting some supplies. They are waiting hours and hours in line for the stuff, but Lee said that they didn't even care that much b/c they don't have anything else to do.
Lee is here for a while, and her husband will be joining her soon. We went to Jackson Tuesday, adn stayed until yesterday, since we didn't have power. Thank you Brooke & Chad for letting us stay! :) We had a fun time! While we were there, we were able to get some sushi-making supplies that I have been needing and wanting since forever. We got sushi rice, seaweed, chopsticks, rice paper, and soba noodles from a little Asian Market. I also got some cute glass canisters from Hobby Lobby that I have been wanting along with a couple of seasonal candles. We got back last night around 10:30 or so, and went strait to bed. Knox didn't sleep a wink on the way home, so he slept in this morning.

Sooo...Gustav...

So, we're riding it out here in good 'ole southern Mississippi. Winds are blowing pretty good, and rain is pretty regular, but I don't think the worst of it has hit us yet. There's a little tree down outside of my Dad's house, and thankfully it landed on part of a powerline of some sort, or else it would have clobbered our car. However, I am still hoping it doesn't do any scratches. And, while we still have the internet & electricity, I have decided to watch a movie and catch up on blogging. Here are some pictures that I have been needing to post.

Go Tigers!

blueberry "nuffin" faceKnox singing into his drumsticks

Wesley singing into Knox's drumsticks