Sugar River

I just figured out how to make a river for my son's diorama (it's a dinosaur scene). I liquefied sugar, adding some powdered food coloring (blue of course) before the sugar started to melt. If you're wondering how to liquefy sugar, just put on the stove and heat - start stirring when it starts to melt and just keep stirring as it liquefies. It makes a fantastic glue for gingerbread houses. Once liquified I poured it into a glass measuring cup so I could gently place it in the riverbead (made from the salt dough he and I made last week). I noticed it bubbled quite a bit, wasn't sure what to do about that. So I didn't do anything. Before it completely cooled and solidified, though, I took a toothpick and kind of drug it along the bubbles to pop them. It turned out okay, maybe less food coloring next time but it has a nice dark greenish-blue color to it so I think it will work!

Have Beads, Will Party

The Mardi Gras, french for Fat Tuesday, happens this Tuesday. It is the culmination of the Carnival season, a centuries-old Catholic tradition (dating at least back to the middle ages, however its roots go even further into history). Carnival - which means "farewell to flesh," is a period of feasting before the fasting of Lent. Carnival begins on January 6 - the feast of Epiphany. Which means just about anytime between January 6 and whenever Fat Tuesday occurs is free game for a PARTY. So we took advantage of the situation, and threw our own Mardi Gras party last night. Plus we thought it was fitting since yesterday we SIGNED CLOSING PAPERS FOR OUR HOUSE!!!! More on that later...

But back to the party...it was a great time - and G-rated, I might add (this was a family event!). Rich made his soon-to-be-famous Jambalaya and Red Beans-n-Rice (one hot, and one milder version for the more faint at heart such as myself). We had cornbread, french bread, appetizers (thanks to all who brought them!), mardi-gras punch (a-la hurricane sans alcohol) and other assorted beverages. We topped it off with a traditional, authentic King Cake flown in from New Orleans!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I Really Don't Know How...

...my son became a huge NASCAR fan. Rich and I are not NASCAR "people", never have been. Sure, the Daytona 500 was on in our house every so often, as it the "biggest race of the year" (not unlike Indy), and thus carries with it a similar flavor to other major events we (meaning my husband and I) don't follow like the Kentucky Derby - it just has a lot of ballcaps and beer instead of prim hats and mint juleps.

So back to my son the NASCAR fan. His favorite driver is Jeff Gordon. He is a diehard fan, even though #24 had a less than stellar year last season. He's not as rabid about the "sport" as he was when he first got into it, but he knows a lot more about it than I even knew existed. He used to go onto NASCAR.com, study the track for the upcoming race, and build models with his blocks. Pretty amazing ones at that. He'd even tell me "see Mom, turn #3 is between a 27 and 32 degree angle...", and all I could think of is why would a 7 year old (at the time) know that? Is he doomed to be an engineer?


He's been to about five races or so now, and it's likely he will be begging to go to the next one at PIR in April. Since NASCAR season has officially started again, the TV is on with all things NASCAR. I have to admit, the Viagra commercials trouble me on many levels, not the least of which being that my 9 year old son is watching (Ryan: "Mom, what is Viagra for?" Mom: "Ask your father.")

Soup Weather

Oh, how I love soup weather. I miss it, since moving to the desert. In Rock Port, though I couldn't count on it by Halloween, I knew it wasn't far off, and I'd be whipping up batches of butternut squash soup, baked potato soup, and my favorite sherried mushroom bisque, among others, to warm the cooler days and bitter cold nights. For 12 years that was my norm.

Now we're back in the desert, where it isn't uncommon to be wearing shorts in January. Just last week, we hit 85 one day. Don't get me wrong; I love it - no more ice storms, no more 20 minutes of bundling up for the 5 minute drive to daycare. But I sometimes miss the coziness.

Except today! It is rainy, wet, dark, and no warmer than 55 degrees! That's cold! Well, relatively speaking, that is (all my Rock Port friends are laughing at me now, I'm sure. When we first moved here, we told Ryan he could drop the "above" after citing the temperature, as it's unlikely he will have to tell temperatures in terms of the relativity to 0 degrees Fahrenheit anymore).

Seriously, though, with the wind actually howling (it blew the cover off the patio furniture and now the cushions are all wet. WAH!!!), rainy cold weather has me aching to make soup. Hubby got called home today to pick up a feverish Alex from school (it was Rich's turn), so I also left early in order that Ryan could still go to Tae Kwon Do. And then, instead of logging in and continuing my work from home...I made soup. Sherried Mushroom Bisque. It's quietly simmering on the stove, foretelling of a quiet, cozy evening. I can't wait till it's ready!!! Come on by and I'll serve you up a cup.