Job Extension and Potties

HOORAY!!! It appears my temporary employment has been extended. Well, if we can get the paperwork through our HR office.

Next week would have been my last week at my job. After my husband got laid off, I got my old job back as part-time temporary with an approximate end date of August 7th. Which is next week. I found out yesterday that they would like for me to stay on for a while longer with no definite end date. I can do that. For now. Hubby has an interview on Thursday morning (if we can find someone to watch our two kids for real cheap!) for a possible job. I hope something happens for him soon. But it is also a relief to know that my job will last longer. We will be able to continue to pay bills and buy groceries. And diapers.

Which reminds me. I am so wishing I could be done with diapers. My son is almost 19 months old. He will tell me when he is poopie. Or he will go into his bathroom and sit on the little potty and go poo-poo. He even tells me "I poo-poo." So I am wondering if he is about ready to be potty trained. But how to do a boy? Teach him sitting at first then standing? Teach standing for #1 and sitting for #2? What if he has to do #1 and #2 at the same time? It was so much easier with my daughter. I just let her run around without a diaper for a few days and she went in the potty every time. I just do not trust my son at all for that. The doctor said to wait til my son is closer to 3 years old to start with him on that. Really??? My daughter was potty trained long before that. I obviously have no clue what I am doing.

But on a good note, I did find out that my local Harris Teeter sells whole vanilla beans on its spice aisle. And Wegman's website says they sell vanilla beans as well. Yay!

Vanilla Beans

I made vanilla ice cream on Monday night. I had most of the ingredients at home but needed heavy cream. So I ran across the street to Bloom. Which is usually not my store of choice but it was getting late and just needed the cream. While I was there, I thought I'd grab a vanilla bean to add to the ice cream instead of the bottled vanilla I had at home. It would taste better and I liked the idea of the black flecks in the ice cream.

Here is a picture of vanilla beans, in case you don't know what they look like:

I didn't see any vanilla beans when I got there, so I asked an employee if they had them and where they would be. He thought for a moment then took me to the canned beans aisle. He thought they would be in with the baked beans, garbanzo beans, etc. The next employee I asked was honest and told me he had no idea what I was talking about. I just gave up and went home to use my bottled vanilla. The ice cream tasted great (I added chunks of homemade dark chocolate fudge) and got great reviews from co-workers.

I don't know. It still kind of makes me giggle when I remember that poor guy looking for vanilla beans in with the baked beans. I know that he didn't know better, but still...

The Next Food Network Star Ep 6

Well, Debbie stayed. Michael went home.

I can see the judges point of view what with Michael repeatedly saying he hates the camera. But Debbie's lack of integrity! Puh-lease!

A few things:
· Debbie's food tasted the best, per the judges. Duh! She only worked on hers instead of helping everyone else.
· Michael was told by the judges that his salmon had no flavor. Maybe Debbie took it out of the marinade too early so that she could focus on her own food?
· Go Melissa for calling out Debbie in front of the judges!

I was never a conspiracy theorist before but I feel I am turning into one now. I really hope that Debbie gets sent home next. I used to think she was the judges favorite and had been picked as the winner since the first episode. Now I don't think she will win. I don't think they would have showed Debbie to be such a liar if they wanted her to have a fan base.

Anyway, in this month's Food Network magazine, Debbie's hot dog stand is mentioned but I also noticed what looked like other NFNS recipes. A watermelon-feta salad. (Eddie?) A jicama slaw (Jamika?) was in there as well.

The Next Food Network Star Ep 5

Well, first of all I want to say BRAVO to the production staff at TNFNS for all the hours they must spend editing this show. I went to Rachael Ray’s website to watch the full-length clips. Such a difference from what I saw on Sunday night. I didn’t get to dvr RR’s show last Thursday as there was no advertising that TNFNS would be on her show. Kudos to the PR team as well!
So to recap the show – shall I do it just from TNFNS point of view or add in what I saw on RR?

Maybe I won’t even do a full recap.

The judges selection committee kept remarking that this week was their mid-term so you really got the feeling that they were not judging on this week’s challenge alone. This made me think Katie was going home. Then as the show went on, I had a feeling that Jamika would be leaving. She didn’t do well last week and seemed to be sinking this week. I really like her and was hating how she seemed to freeze on RR.

But go to Rachael’s tv site and watch all the clips and decide for yourself. http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/

All in all, I don’t think anyone was awful enough to go home this week. I was sort of hoping that this week would be a free week and all would get to go to Miami. But I believe the judges selection committee had their minds made up before the challenges even began. They were done with Katie and it was her time to go.

And just one last thought, because I have to…
I cook with A LOT of garlic and soy sauce. Does that mean I am Korean???

Celebrating America - Small Town Style

At first, I was thinking why bother to post as nothing has really happened in a week.

We were super busy this past weekend. Friday night we went to the 'First Friday' event in Old Town Warrenton. The first Friday of every month from May through September, Old Town Warrenton keeps the shops open late, farmer's market, and activities for children. We went this past Friday and it was the Warrenton Fire Department's 85th birthday. Claire was excited to have birthday cake. It's her favorite thing in ever

The Flying Circus was there with a mini plane that children could climb in and pretend to fly. Nicholas was not too keen on that part. He kept trying to climb on the wing. Claire loved piloting the plane. Maybe she will be the pilot and N can be the wing walker. I hope not though! I always get nervous watching that part of the airshow

There was also a Bouncy House which was also a huge hit for Claire. She played in that for a long time. Nicholas enjoyed it until he got stuck at the top. The best part about Old Town being full of firefighters and junior firefighters? They were all eager to send up a rescue mission for Nicholas. Three of the junior firefighters went up after him and brought him down to safety. I was just glad that I didn't have to climb up there.

Then both Claire and Nicholas received their 'party hats' which were plastic fire hats. So I had them stand next to the fire hydrant. Nicholas wouldn't keep his hat on his head.

Evenings out like this make me happy I am raising my family in a small town.

The next day was the Fourth of July!

Up early for the parade in Old Town. It was a children and pets parade. We got there early and ended up sitting with some good friends. The parade was supposed to start at 10 am with Uncle Sam leading the children and pets down Main Street. Well, a little after 10:00 a police car crawled down Main Street with its lights flashing. A couple hundred children and pets followed. Then there was Uncle Sam running down the street. He was late and missed the beginning. The kids and pets were cute all dressed in red, white, and blue. The ones on bikes and in wagons had everything decorated. Then it was over. No fire trucks, no marching bands, nothing. As we were leaving, Claire, who is three, was very mad that she didn't get to see the parade. She just didn't get that THAT was the parade. She whined about it most of the afternoon.

That evening we headed over to our Sunday School teacher's house for a cook-out and fireworks. It was very low key and wonderful. Claire and Nicholas got to run around the huge yard playing with their friends right up until the fireworks. Not too many fireworks, but just the right amount for little ones.

The Next Food Network Star Ep 4

This episode was the best this season thus far. I was surprised and a bit saddened to see Tedd go this week. I think it had a lot to do with last week's drama. His food was better [cooked] than Katie's on the burger challenge. True, he froze during his presentation on the Intrepid but I felt so bad for him. While he was fumbling for the right words and looking at his palm, I was cheering for him.

Jamika. Wow. Definitely not a hit on the Intrepid. I guess she cannot be stellar every week. It was sad to see how awful her food was received. Saving grace this week had to have been her presentation on the Intrepid. I am still rooting for her overall.

I was lukewarm about Jeffrey this week. I felt bad that he received the oddest combo of ingredients for the main challenge. Blueberries and lobster? Plus, he had a great disadvantage having to deal with the lobsters, cook them in all less than an hour and a half. Had he been happier with his dish, I believe his presentation would have been more enthusiastic. You could tell even he was having a hard time trying to find a way to present his dish in a positive light.

Michael - I still like him a lot but think he could do a whole show in s Martha Stewart style. Maybe in front of a live audience? I was so glad he won the 1st challenge. He truly deserved that win. He will be one of the final three contestants.

Debbie - HAHAHAHAHA! I admit that I had to rewind the part where she got hit in the face and watch it a couple of times before moving on. First of all, anyone with any kitchen experience knows that you never walk up behind a cook who is taking something out of the oven without announcing your presence. We always did that at my house growing up. Secondly, she blamed the blandness of her chicken on her injury but her chicken was almost done before she got hit. She milked it for what it was worth and then some. Finally, I am sick of hearing her talk about her southern/Asian heritage. Same story every week. blah blah blah blah blah

Katie is still pretty unforgettable to me. Only now when I think of her, I just think of raw meat. The lamb a few weeks ago and now the turkey burger. I honestly think she should have been sent packing instead of Teddy this week. And, to be honest, her tears do nothing but aggravate me.

MELISSA! She was so awesome this week. Not only did she win the main challenge, but I believe that she has now earned the respect of the other finalists.

Who I think should be in the Top Three:
Melissa
Michael
Jamika

Who will probably be in the Top Three:
Debbie
Melissa
Jamika

Hmmm...the judges, ooops I mean Selection Committee, love Debbie more than she deserves. Either it is the editing - which I highly doubt - or she had dirt on each one of them.

Fun Days

Today is our Family Day.

Where we all hang out and have fun together as a family.

So far, we have had breakfast, played, had a snack, went to the pool, and now naptime.

First of all, the snack.

It is from a cookbook called 'fun food for Healthy Kids' that I recently acquired.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup smooth or crunchy almond butter (I actually used peanut butter)

2 T milk chocolate chips

1-2 T milk

1 (8-inch) whole wheat tortilla

1 large banana, peeled

To Do:

Combine almond butterm chips, and 1 T milk in medium microwavable bowl. Microwave on MED for 40 seconds. Stir well and repeat if necessary to melt chocolate. Add more milk if necessary for desired consistency. (I didn't use a microwave, I used a double boiler.)

Spread mixture on tortilla. Place banana on one side of tortilla and roll up tightly. With a sharp knife, slice into 2 one-inch slices.

Here is what it should look like:

Here is what it looks like after an 18-month old boy has it:

Pure joy on his face!!!

Since the children were on a slight sugar high, we took them swimming. N won't go in the pool. We tried everything and he just screams. I am going to have to take him to a small wading pool to get him used to the water. Last year he loved it! He cried everytime we took him out of the water. Complete opposite this year. Claire loves being in the water as long as she doesn't have to let go of me or J. Death grips on our neck. And both kids had float devices on them. It was only our second pool attempt this summer. I intend to keep taking them back so they get used to it.

And sign them up for swim lessons soon.