11 ways to...Green Your Life

Here is a link I came across with ways to green your life:

http://parkhowell.com/?p=1800

From his list, #6:

Opt-out of receiving phone directories: YellowPagesGoesGreen.org

Thora at 23 months

Trip to Eugene
We spent a week in Eugene, OR visiting Sean’s parents. We had a wonderful time. The weather was amazingly cooperative, giving us practically a week of sunshine and mild temperatures, something that’s pretty remarkable for February in the Pacific Northwest. And so Sean and I were able to do some of our favorite “Eugene” things, like running at the Amazon Creek bark-dust, 1-mile loop path and climbing Mt. Pisgah 3 times.
We enjoyed the company of Brian and Beverly, and grandparents and grandchild adored their time together. Beverly and Brian generously babysat at least some part of everyday so that we could go for a run or make a quick trip to the gym. Sean and I were even able to go out to dinner just the two of us and to see a movie, our second(!) cinematic experience since Thora was born.

Thora’s Numbers
It was during this week that Thora finally said the word “two” instead of her version up to this point: “kng.” And she’s begun down the path of the numbers between 11 and 20. She often now goes directly to 11 after 10 and then says 12. However, she hasn’t grasped 13, 14, or 15. She jumps straight to 16, but then gets 17 (“Fesen-teen”), 18, 19, and 20. She also regularly completes any counting to 20 (or sometimes to 10) with an impression of Count von Count from Sesame Street: “Ah Ah Ah!”

Thora Singing
And it was also during this week that she really started to sing along with us when we sing songs. Also recently, I’ve caught her, a few times now, singing a few lines on her own of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” or her absolute favorite, “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” from Mary Poppins.
“Why these songs?” you ask. While we’re still holding off going whole-hog with tv/dvds for Thora, occasionally we will sit with her in front of the computer and play her short YouTube videos. In the past, I would catch myself singing a song from my childhood memories of Mary Poppins or some other movie. But usually I only remembered a couple lines and sang those over and over. Until, that is, I thought to check YouTube, where I found short clips from Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, ballerinas dancing the “Sugar Plum Fairy” solo in The Nutcracker, Ernie from Sesame Street singing, “Rubber Ducky,” Dorothy singing in The Wizard of Oz, etc. This has been great for Thora—she loves these videos and getting visualization of these songs I’d been butchering—and great for me, since it’s allowed me to re-learn all the words. The obvious drawbacks: she asks me to sing these songs CONSTANTLY and asks to watch these video only slightly less constantly.

Random things that I want to put down for posterity: Thora is fascinated with Sesame Street’s The Count and his “Ah, Ah, Ah!” She fixates on his bit roles in books like Molly Moves to Sesame Street and Oscar’s Grouchy Day. * * * I know a lot of kids do this, but she just started to tickle her ear with one hand while drinking, holding the sippy cup with the other hand. It’s really adorable. * * * Thora says, “Keys...Wallet...Phone.” When we’re all bundled up, ready to head out the door, before we even say something to this effect, she says it for us. * * * When Thora wants to be watched, when she’s doing something that she thinks merits someone’s attention, she’ll say, “Thora doing,” a shortened version of “What’s Thora doing?” This is another example of her saying the phrase that we say. * * * Some great books we discovered while in Eugene: Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes, Late Night Moon by Cynthia Rylant, and Time for Bed by Mem Fox, what will likely become our new final book before bedtime.

Fasteners Box Update

I've been working away, cutting and stitching and hot-glue-gunning, for the last few nights and I'm making some good progress. I feel a little pressure (self-imposed) in that my goal was to have this completed before we headed west on our trip to visit Thora's grandparents. I thought this might make for some good, in-flight entertainment.

The Fastener Box has taken a new direction, namely a Fasteners Book. This was something that I'd wanted to do in addition to the box, but decided to work in to the project at hand.


Here is the front cover, with a magnet snap fastener to bind the book closed.





On the book's first open page, I've given Thora two more buttons.







Then on the book's next page, I've given Thora her favorite fastener of all: a click!






Then on the next page, I've given Thora a buckle to do and undo.

There are a couple more pages left in the book and I've got ideas for them. Stay tuned for more updates and the finished product.

Cheese! (This time with skim milk!)

I tried my hand at cheese-making* again this morning, this time with accidentally-purchased skim milk.

(By accidentally, I mean I deliberately went for my "cheese-making brand," but then seemed to go completely blank of mind and forgot what I was getting it for, mindlessly reaching for the skim out of habit. But so you don't think I'm a danger to myself and others, by going "blank-of-mind" regularly, say behind the wheel or walking across busy intersections, I did have a loose-and-energetic Thora with me and so it's fair to say that I was particularly distracted and more prone to blank-of-mindness for all things besides keeping her from pulling breakables off the shelves and walking backwards into the annoyed man pushing his cart that we KEPT crossing paths with.)

I was using the Garelick brand again, (a large dairy company located in MA, so the milk doesn't have to travel as far, and therefore, doesn't need to be pasteurized above home-cheese-making temperatures), so I was mildly confident. However, I think up until this point, I had only a 50% success rate, so this confidence was tempered with memories of dumping a ridiculously large blob of cottage-cheese-looking goo down the drain (after thinning it out with water first). And to top it off, I'd never had success with anything but whole milk, so I was skeptical. But amidst the dissonance of my luke warm confidence and lurking doubts, I plunged ahead.

Things weren't looking good at first. I let the curds and whey separate for 8 minutes, and when I attempted to cut them, they kind of immediately went all brain-looking. They kind of seized up into a few balls the size of a softball, a baseball, and a racquetball. I forged ahead nonetheless.

Then comes the draining, which I did carefully, but more speedily than in the past, scooping the curds into a colander and then pouring all the whey out over the curds to get all the smaller curds as well.

Next comes the part I dread: the microwaving. Our microwave is exceptionally strong and I don't know if this is the problem. But even in the failed attempts, the cheese always looked pretty much how it's supposed to look, until, that is, it gets the microwave step, which results in cottage cheese-looking goo that quickly progresses into a cream of wheat-looking goo.

However, today, after 45 seconds in the microwave, I already had a shiny, stretchy ball of cheese. I was floored. Was it the skim milk? Was it the slightly more than a quarter of tablet of rennet that I used. Was it the shortened trips in the microwave. I stretched it and pulled it, rejoicing in this silly little success. I put it in the microwave one more time, this time for just 20 seconds, so that I could mix in the herbs and cheese salt blend (1/2 tsp of cheese salt, and 1/4 tsp of dried oregano, basil, and rosemary). I quickly got the seasoning incorporated throughout and then pressed it into a small glass bowl, so as to avoid the ridiculous-looking end product that I've had in the past. (The photo above is of the cheese setting up in the bowl which is sitting in a couple inches of very cold water.) The cheese sets up very quickly, I've found, and so to take too long means that the cheese is randomly seasoned and looks like a long snake of cheese that's been shaped into a ball, rather than looking like the shiny, smooth ball of mozzarella which is so pleasing to the eye.

I've tasted it, and it's good (I'm 3 for 5 now!), if a little too herbaceous. I might ease up a bit next time, perhaps still using all four flavors, but just a smaller combined total measurement. However, this was eating it straight, cut from the whole. I have high hopes for it when melted onto something like tomatoes under the broiler.

*I use the 30-minute mozzarella kit from the folks at the New England CheeseMaking Supply Company.

Creative Outlet: Fasteners Box

This is a project that I'm finally getting started on after thinking about forever. Actually, I was inspired by a "quiet" book that a friend of mine had. It is a handmade cloth book, and on each page is some kind of fastener, that when unfastened, reveals something. Long before seeing that book, I'd been thinking about covering some of these small boxes with felt and hiding photos or other small toys in them. But after seeing this book and watching Thora's growing interest in all sorts of fasteners, I decided to create a box with many different fasteners in and on it, some of which need to be unfastened in order to open the box. I'm in the early stages so it looks a little rough. But I'm pretty tickled that it's finally coming to fruition that I wanted to show it off.

Here is the top of the box. There are two large ladybug buttons and below them, a large hook-and-eye fastener. These are hot-glue-gunned to the top of the box, which is wrapped in felt. (The edges look pretty rough, but I'm hoping to edge them in a length of felt.)

And once the box is opened, there are suspenders, with "overall" fasteners.

I have more big buttons and fasteners that I plan to work into the inside and outside of the box. Stay tuned for the completed project!

Play Kitchen: A Centerpiece to Thora's Play World

Two weeks after it was built, Thora's play kitchen is still holding center stage in her playtime, and also, still holding up! And if you're thinking of making one of these yourself, please glance at the designer's blog here. In addition to other interesting and beautiful posts, she's posted photos of some of the people who've followed her design and built their own kitchens. (Mine is there, too!) Some people have made some very creative and interesting adaptations. They have me very inspired.

While I've yet to put the very final finishing touches on it, I added a couple reinforcements--very discreet strips of extra cardboard glued for support. Thora was using the kitchen to pull herself up, and so the horizontal shelves and countertops were sagging a bit. This was normal wear and tear by a toddler. But also, she's been known to do exactly what I'm asking her not to do, since it gets such a wonderfully intense and immediate reaction out of me. Like, "Oooh, please don't climb the kitchen. No, don't climb it. It'll break. No, DON'T climb it!" Ahhh... year two. The joys!

But seriously, I'm terribly proud of my work; extremely happy with the design and instruction from anna at forty-two roads; and I'm quite satisfied that such a well-used and stylish toy was made from recycled material.

Ta Daa: Play Kitchen

I don't have much time to write about this, since I'm totally spent and dying to get to sleep. But I couldn't resist posting a photo of the finished product: Thora's new play kitchen made out of recycyled cardboard. I'm very pleased with the end result. Firstly, I completed it before Christmas day, which I was beginning to think was an impossiblity. Secondly, I think it looks really nice and seems relatively sturdy. I say "relatively" only because toddlers are known for some unpredictable and wobbly movements. And also, I say "relatively" since my measurement and cutting was done with a less than machine-like accuracy. Part of me is stunned that it even fit together! But I do think it's going to be a great addition to Thora's play toys. So pleased!

Here's a closer view of the oven door.

The one thing that this is missing is a fabric curtain below the sink. That will come soon. And I think I might like to create a window in the oven door.

I'll write more about my experience in building this later. Now, must... go... to... bed.

Building a Cardboard Play Kitchen

So I'm moving right along, building Thora a play kitchen made of recycled cardboard. As I mentioned before, I found this project here, on Etsy.com. I spent what seemed like an eternity scouring my neighborhood for pieces of cardboard big enough for this project. (The main upright pieces, actually not pictured anywhere here, are almost 40" in height.) Then the other day, recylcing day in our neighborhood, I was lucky enough to spot an intact box that had recently held a storage shelving system. If only friends of mine could've seen me, a crazy woman, running down the streets of Cambridge with a huge cardboard box over my shoulder.
Our living room is currently overrun with bundles of cardboard that I've gathered from the neighboring grocery stores, most of which are too flimsy or small. But once I scored the gem of the storage box, I began actually following the instructions. And that was measuring and measuring, cutting and cutting. I would suggest you really invest in a metal ruler!

Anyway, I've finally got all the pieces cut out and reinforced. Now I'm ready to start cutting out the notches that create the joists. Don't want to get bogged down with blogging about it. Better just get back to it. I mean, this thing isn't going to build itself by Christmas. And Georgia and Kitty are shitty elves!

Holiday Shopping

I am so compelled to hype all the great gifts I've been finding for friends and family this year, many of which are green. Except that my readers consist almost entirely of friends and family. I don't want to spill the beans and so will post about some of the big hits after the gifts have been opened. But I can say this: I've fallen hard for Etsy.com, a site that hosts artists, crafters, designers, etc., and their products. As someone with a creative impulse, I feel a connection to these artists, posting their art, jewelry, clothing, and I'm happy to support them.

And it was on Etsy that I stumbled upon this gem, the instructions for building your own child's play kitchen out of cardboard. Check out the link here. The materials are recycled cardboard (I'm going to the Trader Joe's on Monday to collect some of their broken-down boxes), hot glue, wire hangers from the dry cleaners, and some other odds and ends for detailing, making this is a very post-consumer waste, eco-friendly piece of play equipment. I hope to get the odds and ends this weekend, the cardboard on Monday, and to start building next week. This is one of Thora's Christmas gifts. And for as much as she's wanted to be apart of the kitchen activities, I'm hoping that this will encourage her kitchen play. I'll definitely post my progress and final product. So stay tuned.

How to Make an ENORMOUS Batch of Soup

So, as planned, but later than hoped, I made a batch of the Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup from the recipe that my in-laws emailed me, coincidentally on the same day that I came back from the last Farmer's Market, totally drowning in sweet potatoes and butternut squash. The verdict on the soup? ...Awesome.

So, if you want to try this soup and would like to feed a neighborhood or just your small family for a while by freezing it (what I plan to do), here are the steps.

First, you must pretend not to know how much 1 pound of diced sweet potatoes looks like. If you have a good idea, throw it out the window. If you're like me, proceed by chopping up two large sweet potatoes. You will soon realize, when you're chopping and adding the other ingredients, that you've doubled the recipe, at least. Then go back and chop more onion, since there won't be enough. And chop more butternut squash to even out the ratio of potato to squash. And forget to season while it's simmering. This all sounds really complicated, but if these basic steps are followed, you'll have a yummy, savory soup without the chaos of my cooking technique.

2 tablespoons oil (I used olive oil although the recipe calls for canola)
2 medium onions, diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I accidentally didn't get around to doubling this part of the recipe, but would have, had I been more on the ball about what was going on. My point is, it still tastes great without doubling.)
1 large butternut squash (and if you're like me and you didn't know that there was an easy way to peel a butternut squash, check this out.)
2 large sweet potatoes
3 medium potatoes
12 cups of chicken stock

I heated the oil in a pan and sauteed the onions with a little added salt to help soften them. I then added the ginger and let that saute for a minute or so. I added the squash, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes and stock. I simmered it for over an hour, until the squash and potatoes were mushy.

Then I transferred the vegetables and onions into the food processor, being careful to keep most of the stock in the pot. I learned quickly that the soup would be way too runny if I used all the stock I'd cooked the vegetables in. I figured I could always add more liquid if the soup was to thick. So I was careful to strain it before blending. Basically, I have a ton of chicken stock left, but the end product is a golden yellow, shiny, smooth, creamy, savory soup. (The salt in the stock and the pinches of salt I used when sauteeing the onions was enough seasoning for this soup. I never seasoned it again, and don't think it needs it.)