neurosesgalore.com

Chase got a pair of new shoes today.  When I’m not in the market for new baby shoes I see tons of cute styles in all the stores but as soon as I’m actually ready to shell out for them I can’t seem to find anything that will do.  We tried Nordtrom yesterday they had a couple of different styles but they had might as well have just had two pairs of loafers, one in brown and one in black in terms of available cuteness.  I ended up buying an ok looking pair for way more than I wanted to spend because any price is too much to pay for something you don’t actually want.  I feel the same way about buying stuff you don’t need because you have coupon.  Anyway, they’re super cute and what I was looking for, I’m happy, she’s happy.  

I’ve been buying Stride Rite shoes for her since she started walking and I’m really happy with them.  The shoes, while not fabulously cute, strike a good balance between appearance and comfort.  The shoes are both sensible and durable and I haven’t heard any complaints from the wee one yet.  They make all of their shoes in wide widths that accommodate her fat little feet.  In spite of all that I still sometimes, as I do in all similar circumstance, question whether or not it’s really worth the extra money.  I have decided that it is.

I base my conclusion on a pair of patent leather mary janes that I picked up at Target.  The shoes are cute but they’re the first and only pair that gave her a blister.  The shoes are the right size but as soon as they were on she started complaining that she didn’t want to walk.  Sure enough, there was a blister on her foot by the end of the day.  That was enough to satisfy me, particularly since I discovered the Stride Right outlet at Arundel Mills.  Lots of good deals there and plenty of selection. 

Our neighborhood has many faults BUT today I was extra happy to be here.  We stumbled upon Art Blast at the BMA which ended up being a totally awesome way to spend an absolutely beautiful fall Sunday afternoon.  It was nice so we walked over to the playground.  We could hear loud music that sounded like a concert.  After swinging for about 2 minutes she decided it had to be investigated.  Of course, by the time we got down and up the other side of the park the band was playing their last number but no matter; the whole street was closed off and set up for big art projects to celebrate the museum’s newest installation.  We ran into some friends, did a little sidewalk chalk and then a big drawing that we turned into a button.  Have I mentioned that I’m really big on having fun for free?  

I haven’t posted a recipe in eons but I have one, maybe two in the works.  In the meantime, I made this fake trifle.  There’s no recipe for it.  It’s just a quick way to use up leftover cake.  I had intended to make a luscious version that I saw on Everyday Food but when it came down to it I just needed something sweet and quick.  I just cut the cake into small pieces and layered it in the cup with whipped cream, topped with berries and a little more cream and ate.  It was good though and looked really nice… made Ben jealous that I didn’t make him one, hee.  

I’m still reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma.  I’ve been looking into this for a long while but the book was the final push I needed to really get stuff done.  I found Springfield Farm a while back searching for a local farm that did eggs and meat.  We drove out there today to visit.  It’s so close to the city, only about a half hour or so up 83.  We loved it up there.  If only we had half a mil, we’d move up there in a heartbeat.  

What I wanted to find out for myself was how the animals looked, how they were housed and whether they looked as happy as the website promised they were.  They were.  I also wanted to meet the owners… the farmers.  I wanted to see for myself whether these were nice people.  Nice enough for me to want to pay a a little extra to eat the food that they produced.  They were.  We met a father/daughter team, a woman who may or may not have been the mother and the CUTEST weiner dog-puppy, cutest… ever.  They were helpful and friendly and answered all of my questions about packing the deep freezer with meat.  

The best part though is that the entire farm is open to inspection, otherwise known as playtime to some, completely unguided and at your own pace.  We had such a good time.  Chase just soaked it all in.  She liked looking at most of the animals but really what she wanted to see were the sheep.  She asked for baas over and over again.  I never know where she comes up with these things.  We saw chickens last weekend at her cousin’s house and she brought that up a couple of times over the last week so I thought she’s be interested in that, but no, just the sheep.  

I picked up a few things for the week when we were there today but the idea is to order ahead and buy for a whole month. Bulk orders qualify for a discount so that’s my plan. I made goulash tonight with the stew beef I bought. It tasted… the same as usual. But taste isn’t really what I’m concerned about. It’s the feedlot beef. Over the summer when there was that big media frenzy over the beef processors inhumanely treating cattle I tried to avoid it. I just need to see the headline to get the story I can do without the sordid details. Of course, one of the local channels managed to sneak in some footage without any warning and I have been permanently scarred, the image burned into my memory.

That is what I’m trying to avoid. I really just don’t want to be a part of it to the extent that it’s possible and Michael Pollan’s book has just served to reinforce the point that it’s still no improvement to buy the new products popping up and referred to by all manner or names, natural, organic, grass fed, because bottom line you never know. Unless you can see it with your own eyes. My point is simply that I’m just not sure there’s any difference between conventional meat and the stuff that a lot of places are selling now as organic or grass fed for a lot more money and don’t feel compelled to pay extra for it. I am however willing to pay extra for a product produced locally that I can visit and where I can look the people who are responsible for its production in the eye and see that they are in fact human.

Have you made reservations yet?  If it’s in the budget, the restaurant week price just can’t be beat.  Considering that it’s not cheap to go out for a couple of plates of microwaved slop at (insert name of big box restaurant here) I think it’s worth it to shell out an extra 20 for a really nice meal. There are a ton of fabulous restaurants participating this year but I had to think practically knowing that we’d be a party of three.  I decided around 3 on Saturday that we should go out to dinner.  We all got shined up for our 6 o’clock reservation at Pisces at the Hyatt in the Inner Harbor.  Early reservations are a good idea if little ones are tagging along, the place wasn’t packed until we were on our way out the door.

I’m more of a neighborhood restaurant type of a gal myself but a hotel restaurant seemed like a good choice in this case.  A hotel restaurant works well for fine dining with a baby because they a) see tourists in all manner of disarray and are used to serving families, if even only on occasion, traveling together; b) you’re less likely to play second fiddle to regulars, in my opinion everyone is more likely to be on equal footing at a hotel restaurant; c) this particular choice was on the top floor of the hotel meaning that we had a view of the whole harbor including boats, helicopters and trucks driving by below.  The trip included not one but two awesome rides in a glass elevator as well as a walk around the inner harbor complete with bridges and waterfalls just to get there.  

All of that and we still weren’t convinced that Chase would sit still through the whole meal.  It wasn’t easy but we managed.  The staff was really accommodating.   When Chase really liked the dried cherries on Ben’s salad, the waiter brought a little dish out just for her.  The food was really good.  I had a delicious cream of crap soup to start and glazed chilean sea bass as my entree.  I like ordering fish when we eat out because it always tastes way better than when I make it at home.  I think Ben shies away from ordering fish out because he thinks it WILL taste like I made it at home and then always realizes he’s made the wrong choice.  All in all it was a lot of fun.  It would be fun to do a date night soon but in the meantime I’ll take my gourmet where I can get it and you should too.  Just don’t forget to call ahead for restaurant week reservations.  I heard people complaining that you had to call ahead to get the restaurant week prices.  Oh, and I caught a look at the regular menu on the way out the door… ouch, good deal is an understatement.  

This could very well be the single most money-saving post ever for us hairy gals.  I remembered my mother having a friend that made a homemade wax concoction for waxing legs.  This is the information age right?  You bet, everything you need to know about the home hair removal process called sugaring is right there at the tip of your fingers… I mean fingertips, honestly, who writes like that?  

If you Google sugaring you’ll get lots of hits but this page has some good tips.  I had to make it twice before getting it right.  I think that the key, like this person says, is to not let it boil too hard.  I got impatient the first time and cranked the heat and it was hot, like molten hot right up until the time it turned rock hard and unusable.  I didn’t end up using a thermometer so you can do this without it.  The one I have ended up going off way before the mixture even started to color so I knew it was off.  I did use a glass of water to see if the sugar would hold together when dropped in.  If you search sugaring on youtube you’ll find yet more info about it.  It will look about like this:

It totally worked and I am happy to have 42 more bucks in my pocket every month.  I didn’t even wax my eyebrows off.  

My second sugary topic is about jam.  We went back to Shaw’s and picked blueberries and cherries.  You HAVE to make this jam.  This jam is out of this world.  I found it poking around the internet for recipes.  It really delivers.  I increased the lemon juice by a tablespoon and decreased the vinegar accordingly.  Obviously I didn’t use frozen berries and it didn’t make a difference.  Now for all the cherries.  The trees were just dripping with fruit.  They were so easy to pick that even Chase filled a bucket.  You just put your hands up into the leaves and you would come back with a handful of ripe red cherries.  It was my first time picking cherries but by far the easiest of the fruits we’ve tried recently and by far the most fun.. you know, cause you can get dad up on a ladder.    That’s always good for a few laughs.  

I did proper canning this time but I did make one serving for immediate consumption.  I was sitting around last night complaining that my back was sore, that I felt bruised and then later realized that my underwear was too tight.  So tight that it made my back hurt?  You think it’s because I ate almost a whole loaf of bread slathered in jam?  It was worth it!

I’m just getting back from a long night of lecture but I’m not mad because we had such a nice day with friends Anny and baby Abby.  She’ll probably be mad that I’m posting such a close up shot but I can’t help it, you can tell how nice she is just by looking at her.  My gorgeous friend Anny:

They drove all the way here this morning just to play and it was so much fun.  We started the morning in Fells Point with a pastries and coffee at Bonaparte.  They had three little bowls with quick breakfast offerings on the counter.  Butter croissants, chocolatines, and another filled with apples.  I sampled one of each but the chocolate croissant was by far the best, how could it not be?  By the time we were done every patron in the place had tripped over Chase twice and she had put tiny hand prints all over the impeccably clean glass display case in spite of my best efforts to prevent that from happening.  

From there we hopped on the water taxi to go across to Ft. McHenry (where else, I know).  The water taxi was sooo much fun but at 9 bucks a head you don’t get a whole lot of bang for your buck if you’re not using it as a true tourist.  Nonetheless the kiddies seemed to really enjoy it.  The ride was just long enough to see some sights along the way but ended just before Chase got too antsy.  She was antsy but not too antsy.  They originally said that all kids under 10 were 4 bucks but they didn’t charge us for the babies once we were on board though I don’t know if that’s because they were strapped to our backs or because the boat wasn’t that full or just because the guy was nice.  Chase really enjoyed the boat ride though so I will more likely than not shell out to do it again.. and again.  I couldn’t get a great shot of Chase on the boat.  I couldn’t get far enough away to get more than her face in the shot.  She would have either a) best case scenario fallen off of the bench or b) worst case scenario tried to climb out onto the back of the boat.  I took the shot I could get.  A picture of a water taxi and one of Chase enjoying the ride.  

At Fort McHenry we just sat in the grass in a shady spot and had a snack before catching a boat back to Fells.  Abby is so close to walking on her own, she wanted to run with Chase a lot and they were all squeals and pointing over it.  I suspect she’ll be running within a matter of days.  It was a great way to spend the morning and I hope they come back to do it again!  I highly recommend these activities to anyone who needs to get out and about.  A boat ride, imagine.  No fuss no muss, you just show up and pay they run all the time so you don’t have to plan much of anything.  You might wait 15 or 20 minutes but in the meantime you could get a fresh squeezed lemonade across the street.  Enjoying some snack:

We also saw the visiting Japanese Coast Guard Ship.  It was pretty impressive.

A belated happy father’s day to all.  What can I say?  I know it’s Tuesday but in in my defense I thought it was Monday all day to the point where I found myself standing in the Red Canoe asking what happened to story time.  The weekend as uneventful and quiet, perfect for us homebodies.  On Saturday we visited Shaw Orchards to to pick your own strawberries.  Doing some quick research I found that there is a pick your own that’s closer but the Shaw website promised a tractor ride and they did not disappoint.  The tractor ride was THE highlight of the day for Chase.  I picked a flat of strawberries which is way too many for the three of us.  I made one batch of freezer jam and since I don’t have any other bright ideas it looks like another batch of freezer jam it is assuming that I can find enough containers.  Somewhere in here a case of canning jars is hiding and laughing at me.  Here are a couple of pics from the day.  

It took us about an hour to get there but it was a straight shot from the city and very scenic once we turned exited off of 83.  We plan on going back to cherries, blackberries and blueberries as soon as they are ready, which they promise will be soon.  

I did some checking in the garden today and everything seems to be in full swing!  There are tiny little veggies on all the plants.  I can’t wait to eat a tomato.  I’m lying, I can’t wait to eat a BLT.  I bought about 10 pounds of bacon on Sunday in preparation.  

You never know what Chase will enjoy and what will just totally freak her out. She was suspicious of the moonbounce at first but by her third turn she was, as they say, tearing it up. When other babies waited out for the bigger kids to have a turn Chase refused declaring moonbounce! She didn’t actually declare it but she did get in and hold her own with the big kids though I will say that they were incredible kind to her. She wanted to get in that thing so many times that I had to buy more tickets with a check. Luckily the ticket booth guy was very sympathetic. I thought that all the activity would wear her out but she barely took more than an hour-long nap. I needed more of a nap for crying out loud.

I picked some swiss chard from the garden this afternoon for our dinner. Our little boxes don’t yield a bumper crop of anything but it’s fun and relaxing to work on and I find a lot of satisfaction in picking what we do grow. I Have a little more space to add a few plants now that the lettuce and radishes are done. We already have beans, cukes, tomatoes, peppers, zukes and carrots. Any ideas? I’m thinking maybe I’ll just put in some basil.

Bar prep that is. I saw through my first 7 hour day of review. I think I’m beginning to see more clearly that this week is sort of a waste of time beyond doing the actual practice test that we’ll take on Wednesday. I could be wrong, I could very well be eating my words come November or whenever the results are released but right now, that’s how it appears to me. I’ve also spent a lot of time agonizing over whether or not I need to take the three day PMBR course in addition to BarBri. If I was working for a firm that was footing the bill it would be a no brainer but when the question boils down to dropping another grand out of pocket on something you’re not convinced will actually help you it becomes a stickier issue. On one hand, what’s that on top of everything else I’ve spent along the way if it means you’ll pass the first time. On the other hand, here comes loan repayment. After much soul searching I’ve decided that even though I believe that I don’t need to take PMBR I won’t be able to sleep at night wondering over the tiniest shred of lingering doubt as to my decision. So.. I hunted down last year’s materials on craigs list and I think that will take care of any lingering doubt.

I was really sad to see my time off come to an end. A week is not nearly long enough. I tried to make the most of it. I napped a lot, made those dresses for Chase, started watching The Wire and read The Kite Runner. It was a real page turner. I thought up until halfway through that it was going to strictly be a profound commentary on the human condition but somewhere around the halfway point it took a turn. I suspect that the author didn’t mean for that to happen but I closed the book thinking that this book was what I expected from The Davinci Code.. only I thought that The Davinci Code just didn’t deliver. I finished The Kite Runner in about three days. It was a real page turner but it didn’t leave me weeping and fell short, I think, of leaving a lasting impression on me.

It’s spring and our strawberries have started to ripen. Pretty exciting stuff. I guess we’ve been getting about 10 per day. I think I’ve gotten to eat about a half a strawberry total. Chase loves just eating them out of hand and that’s where most of them end up. Spring fever has also grabbed hold of our cat Francis. Last week he ran away twice and stayed out all night. On the second night he, of course, came home limping. This cat has spent more time in the emergency animal hospital than I care to think about. I have spent thousands of dollars on his medical care, xrays, days and days of hospitalization. This cat is undoubtedly down to five or six lives at most. We did not visit the emergency hospital this time. How it happens that he always seems to be injured or sick on a Saturday is just totally beyond me. The only upside to having dealt with this so often is that I am pretty well versed in various warning signs. I checked out his foot and it looked ok to me. My professional opinion is that he cut the area around his paw pad jumping the six foot fence. I didn’t see anything lodged in there and it didn’t look bad to me so home we stayed. He has luckily since stopped limping. I think we’re out of the woods here. I’m going to have him listen to Hayden’s song Woody to help him understand what it’s like to be me.

We’ve also been baking bread. I’m trying to figure out how to work that into our day to day. We made this one start to finish in the bread machine. I think this might be the way for us to go at the moment.