It's Baking Time Again

About this time every year, I get the urge to bake. It's terrible for my waistline but my family and friends usually don't complain. I love to do cookies for the kids and the occasional cake, but my favorite thing to bake if given the time is pies. I like to start from scratch with my pies because the crust is really my favorite part. I love the flavor of a really good, flaky crust.

I got into a discussion with some young moms about how they couldn't possible make a good pie crust so I thought I'd share some tips here. Their problem was a dry crust which broke while rolling. Here are my tips:
Try adding more water. I used to have that problem because it was too dry. The flour needs the water to develop the gluten which is what keeps it from breaking. And use ice water. This keeps the shortening in a solid form. I use a fork to mix and do it quickly so I can roll quickly. The more you work it, the more the gluten develops, making it tough. The real trick to a good crust is just the right gluten development so that it is tender and flaky.

Also, my MIL taught me about pastry cloths and now I never roll anything without one. It is just a simple cotton cloth with flour rubbed into the grain. It prevents sticking and allows you to turn the dough for even rolling. I have a cloth rolling pin cover that came with it. I just rub flour into both and roll. Do not roll all the way to the edge; stop just before the edge or you end up with uneven edges.

When transferring the dough to the pie plate, roll it part way around the rolling pin and move to over the plate, then unroll it into the pie plate. Cut off edges with sharp knife aimed 45 degrees into the table under the plate, and crimp with a fork dipped in ice water for the decorative edges.

Cover edges with aluminum foil for the first 20-25 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Can't wait for Thanksgiving! You can keep your turkey and cranberries. Just let me have the pies!

Million Dollar Smile

I made it through the week! What a crazy one too. Every single night something was going on plus the normal daytime activities and an additional appointment with the oral surgeon for oldest daughter's surgery to pull teeth and find a lost tooth :)

We have started down this path of orthodontia with child #1 and it is pretty apparent that at least two more will need it. Mind you I wouldn't feel obligated for purely cosmetic benefits but these children have terrible teeth, a legacy from their mother, I'm afraid. This is not cheap parenting. For most of our parenting career, J and I have bought into the theory that once you have a couple, adding 1 or 2...or 5 doesn't really make much difference financially. Yes, they eat a little more but we already have the house and car, a house full of toys, clothes in both genders for all sizes. You name it, we've got it. I have curriculum from PreK and Phonics up through advanced Chemistry and Algebra. I just keep passing things down...and down...and down.

But now we have hit some costs that can't be recycyled. One of the criteria for picking an orthodontist was the sibling discount. We found one that we loved, took time to explain everything, is close to home, and offers the discount even if the kids in question are not in braces at the same time. This is a real blessing since we will probably have at least one in braces for the next 15 years.

I should try to look at the good side. The food bill might benefit since there will be days when all she can eat is smoothies and jello :).

I'm just so weary...

"No rest for the weary" is one of my favorite sayings. Not because it is uplifting or anything. I just like to be acknowledged as in the range of normal. I am just feeling very weary about right now. Tuesdays are always pretty tough after three days solid of going, going, going. By Tuesday night I just want to collapse in bed. This week is even harder since J is out of town on business all week. I never complain about his work since we have spent many months on the unemployed side of life. But it is just a fact that when he is gone, life is different. In some ways, it can be easier. I don't have to cook as much; kids prefer quick and simple. And if we happen to be home at night I can put them to bed earlier since he isn't wanting to spend time with them later in the evening.

But when the calendar is full for the week, having my other half unavailable for taxi duty is a real strain. Byt the time Wednesday night is over, I will have spent 4 nights in a row at the church waiting for some child's activity to be over. Tonight it was a Boy Scout leadership meeting. Since it concided with the monthly Rockin' for Jesus service my kids had never attended, we decided to all go along and check that out. It was "okay" according to my 13 year-old and "boring" according to the younger three. I can live without that particular style of music. I am much more inclined to a traditional service with hymns. But they are doing wonderful things in the name of Jesus so I wanted to support it.

So, after teaching for two full days and driving for three nights (so far) I am just weary. I think I'll go make some hot tea and look up Isaiah 40 again. I like that part about the eagles' wings :) It lets me know that God is right there with all of us overwhelmed moms of many. Someday the house will be empty (and clean) and I will look back on these days nostalgically. But for now I need a bit of TLC for Mom.

What's the Rush?

My husband loves baseball. He really loves baseball. And the Yankees are his team. We have two boys and the older one played a few seasons of ball when he was pretty small. It was fun; He enjoyed it. But then he tried other things and really decided he liked gymnastics better. No problem.

Well, son #2 is 4 now and dear husband thinks he should play baseball. When offered the option, of course a little boy says "Sounds like fun" So J went in search of a team. Unfortunately, in the league which practices and plays games in our neighborhood, you have to be 5. So J found a league in a neighboring suburb which will allow 4- and even 3-year-olds to play. So, he signed him up.

Why am I thinking about baseball today? Well, game #2 was this morning and I am really asking myself why we as a society are in such a rush to have our littles playing sports like baseball. Have you ever thought about how complicated a sport baseball truly is? There are more rules in baseball than a preschool classroom! Last week at the first game, it became apparent that very few of these little sluggers had a clue how to play this very adult game. On more than one occasion, the batter would hit the ball off the tee, drop the bat, and then run to catch the ball so he could "throw it to first" That is what you are supposed to do, right? Throw to first! In this league, each team is up just long enough for all kids to bat, and advance one base at a time, then they switch and let the other team have a chance to bat. They play three innings like this and then it is over. No outs, no score, no strikes. I like that. At least we aren't pressuring them and we all recognize they are just learning the game. But no one thought to teach them that there are two teams and they are doing two different things: one bats while the other tries to catch and "throw to first".

Then there is the issue of deciding when and where to run. It's not unusual at this level for the batter to drop his bat and run straight to third. I actually saw one mom today pick up her boy and deliver him from 2nd to 3rd base because he didn't know where to go. They only advance one base at a time but the last batter means everyone runs through. This is far too confusing to the poor little guy who just wants to pick the flowers in the field for his mom.

So, I ask "What's the rush?" Why are we putting our very young children out there to play a game they don't understand? Wouldn't it be better to wait until they are more like 7 or 8...or 11? Then you might not have to take a potty break in the middle of a three inning game. And they would be old enough to understand the basics of the game.

The sad part is that if your son really wants to play and you wait until he is 8 years old, the other boys will have 3 or 4 years under their cute little red belts and they will already have formed "select" teams and All-Stars. Your eager beaver son will already be behind before he ever gets out of elementary school.

Our 4 year old slugger enjoys it and his Dad is happy since this is what he wanted, so I will continue to shlep him over to practice and games. But there is more than a little part of me that mourns for the simple freedoms of boys playing baseball out front in the street.

See you at the ball game!

A Changing of Seasons

As we finally move into fall in Central Texas, many weeks behind the rest of the country, I am reflecting on how the seasons affect us. Not just the seasons on the calendar, but also the seasons of our lives. I had to take my four older children to the mall last night to get glasses fixed at Lenscrafters. I normally avoid the mall like the plague, often going months or even a year without setting foot in one. But this is our vision provider, so off we go. The kids with me were between the ages of 8 and 13. After business was taken care of, we browsed the length of the mall stopping in at Claire's for R, my prima donna, and Build-a-Bear, for all of them. The fascination with these overpriced stuffed animals is beyond me but they love to go in there. I was struck by how pleasant this trip was compared to those forced Christmas shopping trips of past years when I had to lug 3, 4, or 5 small children around the mall, find the restrooms, calm a tantrum in the Disney store, avoid Cinnabon and its temptation for all of us. No one pitched a fit when I said no to a new toy, no one fell on the escalator, and no one yelled out, " Hey mom! why is that lady so ______________ (you fill in the blank with whatever offensive observation a small child has made)?"

We had a good time together and as we walked out of the mall all together a man observed me and commented, "You sure have your hands full!" I just said, "Not as full as I did 5 years ago". I didn't even tell him I had left another child with Dad (they were at tee ball practice). I just thought about how far we had come. No longer do I have to worry about naptime and diaper bags. As my youngest is about to turn 5, I am watching him learn to read, play chess with his older brother, and even learning the complicated game of baseball. All of our first steps, first words, and first teeth episodes are past. Now I look forward to first drivers, first dates, and first jobs. My oldest daughter got braces last week. To me, this symbolizes a new era in our parenting. I am ready to embrace it without fear or trepidation but there is a tiny bit of nostalgia for the earlier days of preschool story times and watching sleeping babies on their Daddy's chest.

Welcome to the tapestry

I so enjoy reading other mom's blogs and how they spend their days. What I notice so often is the deep thoughts inspired by the ordinary day-to-day existence. I can't claim to have those deep thoughts often, but having a place to share them is a gift. I hope to share the occasional
nugget in between the mundane. Happy Thursday!