Sara Evelyn

..... Friday, September 24th.



named for my favorite childhood book, "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Sara is the lead character. If you have girls and haven't read this, sprint to your nearest bookseller. It is awesome. I still have my original elementary school copy- safely stored out of reach. The girls can have the new fancy schmancy copy.

Evelyn is my mom's middle name and I have loved it for years.


Madeline has been a model big sister and really loves to hold the baby. She can often be found kissing the top of her head or saying "She's cute!"

Our first Sunday at church as a family of four. If we had actually gotten a picture of us as a family of four, we never would have made it to church.

I can't....

seems to be a common refrain in my world these days. I didn't realize how common it was until Mad started telling me what she "can't do".....

"I can't wear red"

"I can't color"

"I can't pick up my books"

"I can't wear a dress"

It's never said in a defiant way, but in a "this is a complete impossiblity" way. Where in the world was this coming from? I finally caught on that it was me telling her, "I can't carry you, I can't have you sitting on my lap, I can't pick you up." Darn.

Another funny is the blog picture of Mad in her raincoat. She and Jeff were cuddling in bed this past Saturday morning watching a favorite show on PBS. Jeff said to her, "Do you hear the rain outside?" and she bounded out of bed, landed on the floor and told him, "I'll be right back." Next thing he knew, she ran into her room pulled her raincoat out of the closet and put it on over her pajamas. The craziest thing is that she has never worn it outside of the house.

One of Mad's absolute favorite things is storytime at the library. This past week, the librarian pulled out a "I spy" book and one of the pages was on dinosaurs. Mad has been watching a lot of Dinosaur Train on PBS and has a favorite book called "The Mine-o-saur". The librarian asked which dinosaur has horns- to which my daughter replied- "Triceratops!" with no hesitation. This from the same girl who will just give you a blank stare when you ask her what she had for lunch. Go figure.

Preparations

So, has she had the baby yet? No. I have been frantically making preparations and tying up last minute details.

Detail #1- Make a baby blanket. Problem associated with that was I didn't have any neutral colors in my stash, so I had to make a boy and girl version. Two blankets. Testing the "8 hour blanket" theory. But they are done.

Detail #2- Make baby hat. I had plenty of neutral for this, but my first attempt was with a yarn that was sure to drive me into the insane asylum. Instead, I chose a gray Eco Alpaca- made from undyed baby alpaca, and it's an absolute delight each time it skims over my fingers. I can't wait to put it on that sweet little head.

Detail #3- Decide on, order, and then wash cloth diapers. I'm diving in people- wish me luck!

Detail #4- Prepare meals for baby's homecoming and thus, my lack of time for kitchen work. Jeff graciously smoked 3 chickens and a pork shoulder over Labor Day weekend, and that yielded about 15 main course entrees that are nesting in freezer bags for their unveiling. I also have set aside instant chocolate chip cookies, loaves of bread, Bacon Cheddar Chive scones, dozens of ham & cheddar muffins (perfect to eat one-handed), pre-grated cheese, and am currently baking a favorite quiche recipe that I will share with you here.

Spinach & Bacon Quiche

(adapted from a Southern Living 2000 cookbook)

1/2 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 (1.8 oz) envelope leek soup mix

1/4 tsp. black pepper

10 turkey bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 unbaked (9 inch) frozen deep dish pastry shell

*Before I begin, I would like to emphasize that this is a brilliant recipe to double and stash in the freezer. The pastry shell comes in a pack of two (make SURE you use a deep dish version) and the chopped spinach package has to be halved.

Drain spinach well. Whisk together eggs, milk, soup mix, and pepper. Stir in spinach, bacon, and cheeses. Pour mixture into frozen pastry shell, and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes. Serves 8.

I have personally eaten these 2 months after their initial storing in the freezer and found them to be perfect. I also have found that they taste better upon their 2nd baking!

Madeline also started pre-school last week and this is where my minimalism caught me off-guard. I had a host of lunch supplies, containers, and labels to buy. I still am searching for a divided container with 1 lid to fit in a child's sized lunch box, so if anyone has tips, please pass along. Yes, I have been to Target, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, and the ones that Ziploc makes are too big. I am sooooo clueless.....

My mom and I sewed peaceably together all last Labor day weekend. Two whole days (9-5, sing it Dolly) of panels and more panels. What does this mean?

a) my Genie sewing machine did not make it and I am searching out a lover of retro machines to give it to for scientific purposes, it runs, and I don't want it dumped in a landfill....

b) the curtains look 10 times better than if I had attempted them on my own,

c) Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mom! They are done and just awaiting window hardware,

d) I will gladly inherit my Mom's old machine- let's just hold off until the new year, okay?