Simplistic Complexity

How I am loving soft boiled eggs and their trusty English "soldiers" for dunking. A perfectly done egg is such victory! So velvety and scrumptious.

In my ever-so-brief European summer in college, we ate soft-boiled eggs most every morning. A little bit of skill to develop so one can crack and then scoop without bits of shell to munch on, but a rather pleasant routine to attend to.

I have found, however, our very round American spoons are not always accommodating. Must keep a thrift-store eye out for the pointy "egg spoons" that make eating these treats so much easier!

A Little Bit of Life

Because even though I prefer a sight like this:

It frequently looks like this:

And this:

Of course a bit of this:

And definitely some of this:

Life isn't always tidy ... and that is just fine.

Days of Opportunity

When I took my New Year's morning earlier this month, I thought about what I wanted to be more purposeful about this year. I'm not much for resolutions, but wanting to capitalize on my own life ... yes, I would like to pursue that.

Early morning New Year's window display, Portland

I came up with three things I wanted to give specific effort to. Regular exercise, reading more books aloud to the children, and ... gulp ... actual family breakfasts' during the school week.

Exercise. One of those things I'm always glad I do ... once it is over. I'm averaging four times a week for about 40 minutes on the treadmill. This is a good start, but far from becoming habit. Blah. Must keep going.

Reading. I often am rushing to get the children into bed so the quiet part of the evening can begin. Storytime has become a casualty of this pursuit, which is horrible given my near desperate and personal love for literature. My father's old third grade copy of Clarence Goes to Town (passed on to me when I graduated and set off to teach my own third grade class) has come to the rescue, and this part of our day is quickly becoming an easy habit. Hurrah!

Breakfast. This past year we established Sunday dinners and it has proven to be the highlight of our week. The food? Yes, it's wonderful. But combine it with time together and it becomes a rich experience. So, enter breakfast. It's always been slapdash during the week. Oatmeal, muffins, pancakes or eggs, all nice enough, but pretty much tossed at the kids to eat at the counter while Pops and I scurried around with our own agendas.

We've now done two weeks of breakfast together. Sit-down style at an actual table, eating with each other. Yes, I get up a little earlier than I used to. Yes, I plan it out a bit more than before. However, our mornings are so ... pleasant! It's not yet routine, but I think it just might become so.

Do you ever feel like me? Realizing there is just so much in your own life to participate in that you don't want to pass you by? My days are full of life's imperfections, but still, such opportunity they hold.

Love in the Kitchen

Ah, Pyrex. You began many a love-affair generations back and you are still just as suave as you ever were. A darling dish that can handle the heat? Just listen to the housewives purr.

Speaking of which, would you look at this vanilla casserole dish with gold dandelion puffs? I adore this pattern and I adore Pyrex. You can do almost anything to this stuff, and don't we all love dishes that can go from the oven to the tabletop?

If you do any measure of thrifting, you are certain to run across the divided Pyrex dish. True, some look like they've had a life of hard work, but others still seem to sing. And if you find them with the lids? Even better.

And while I'm always drawn to these particular divided dishes, I find myself never knowing what exactly would be a brilliant use for them. A dual cobbler? Heating leftovers? Ladies, do tell!

Blue-Eyed Friends

Pickle Attempts

Attempting the refrigerator pickle over here. The slicing and experimentation have begun. Most recipes have you boil the brine, but I've read of other kindred spirits who embrace their laziness and skip that part all together. I'm definitely trying the dump and splash method on this first batch.

Jane is excited. Jane loves pickles. Apparently she loves cider vinegar too. She cleaned up all the counter spills ... with her tongue.

They have to soak for a few days and then the evidence will be examined by a panel of three short and cute judges and one who is rather large and swarthy (but still cute). I'll let you know when the verdict is in.

An Original

A card from the hands of Lucette. Sketches of all that delight her, a swatch of turquoise with favorite buttons sewn on. What could be better?

Sugar Coated Strategy

They gotta' come home from chess club and practice some maneuvers.

It's serious business around here.

Especially when licorice is involved.

Full of Surprises

Now, would you just look at this sweet face.

You'd never guess this little doll would wedge her bare leg in between the back slats of a wooden chair at the library, now would you? Nor would you guess that globs of lotion from the librarian might loosen, but not free that little appendage.

And you certainly wouldn't imagine that the nice men from the city public works department would come take a look and have to break out the hack saw and set to work on the chair just to free the dear.

No, you wouldn't think it. But sometimes the days are full of surprises.

On the Reading Docket