Heart of glass

Please pour yourself something yummy (My new obsession is the Pumpkin Spice Latte).  And slather some jam on something tastey.  I finally got around to making some homemade bread.  Is there anything better than a house that smells like fresh bread?  I think not.

Let's talk about what's been going on around Lola's house.  I've been playing with the new camera.  I've read the manual enough to get me through a couple clicks, but I need to read it again & highlight certain passages.  I enjoy fact that I don't miss photo ops, but still need to learn how to focus & find the light.  But I enjoy how the colors & details pop with ease.  Now if I can just get Gus to like the camera as much as I do.  This is one of the only "cheeses" Momma could squeeze out of him.  At least his smile is in focus.  All other photos of him are candid shots. 

Gus is with SK's parent all week!  We're thrilled & have a week of baby-free events planned.  Movies & dinners, nothing dirty, people!  I'm using the time to finish Tilted Duster.  My little scratch pad shows that I've got 5 more groups of the skirt piece until I can bind-off.  Since you increase 2 stitches 3 times during each group, it gets increasingly longer each row.  But with the air getting crispy, I'm getting very anixous to finish it.

I'm almost finished with Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  I have about 20 pages left & I've been putting them off for the past 2 days.  I'll actually be really sad when I shut the book.  I used to get jealous when people would talk about books, movies or songs that had an impact on their lives.  What's wrong with me that I can't connect with something?  I've loved books, & had moments where I've wondered, "Did that happen or was it part of a book that I read?"  But no more!  I've got myself a book!  Kingsolver doesn't bully you into only buying organics or push for Vegetarian (quite the opposite).  There's no condescend tone in the chapters; she gives you facts in a polite and mature way.  We've added more local vegetable dishes to our dinner schedules.  I'm trying to skip meat from restaurants unless I know where the meat has come from.  Not an easy task.  Chipotle has info on their website (how much I can trust from them is up for debate, but I don't want to live life like that).  It's also a nice way to eat more fruits & veggies for TBA.  I've always eaten very well during pregnancy, but I think this time the habits may stick once TBA pops his head out.  We haven't gone crazy & only bought organic produce, milk, & meats.  We just eat less meat.  Our farmer's market has a great vendor that provide free-range meat at almost the same cost as grain-fed.  Also I can't go the Organics-Only route.  I don't find it's always necessary & there is a huge cost difference.  For example, I bought a butternut squash at a chain store for $6+.  The next day at the market I bought one for $1.50.  Listen, I do have to kid to put in daycare.  I'm not saying that I'll never enjoy a Quarter Pounder again, everyone falls off the wagon at some point.   

Speaking of Butternut squash.  I've been stocking up on veggies for TBA.  I started roasting the squash & after 45 minutes both pieces were still rock hard.  I had read somewhere that a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan helps.  So my dumbass added water to the dish.  It was one of those moments when you just knew not to do something, but you still did it anyway.  Ta-Da!  One good thing, SK cleaned the stove & it looks like the first day we bought it.  I'll start over tomorrow.

-L

p.s. I sat down & forced myself to finish the last 20 pages of AVM.  I was a bit weepy at the end when she talked about her first Turkey chicks.  Maybe she'll write another book about food, but until then I've got How to Pick a Peach waiting for me at the library.  Probably not wise to throw another food book in right after my beloved, but I'm getting crazy with Gus at the in-laws.

Comments

[Cath]

Oh, bummer. I only saw the picture at first and thought, Hmm ice in the oven? (I do that sometimes while baking bread=nice crust) I tend to microwave the squash a bit, and finish them off in the oven. I'm impatient that way sometimes.

[Sarah]

Oh, that sucks! But at least you got a clean oven. I have AVM sitting around waiting for me to read it -- you might like "What to Eat" by Marion Nestle, on the subject of good food writing. It's a very interesting book, and also gives really useful explanations of food politics, labeling, and tips for getting what you want and avoiding what you don't in food.

[Lauren]

So, I'm traveling for work and on the plane I read Julie and Julia it's about a woman who spends a year cooking her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child.

This is probably the exact opposite of Barbara Kingsolver's book (who btw is one of my favorite writers ever) but I really enjoyed it. I'm planning a nice big blog post when I get back from my trip.

Enjoy your week of childlessness :)
Lo