Lime Cookies

I'm not really a creative cookie maker, I have a couple tried and true recipes that I tend to make over and over, probably because cookies aren't really my thing (certainly they can't compare to donuts or ice cream in my adorations) so I whip up my standard batch for the rest of the crew here and don't give them a second thought.

So when I came across this earth-shattering recipe I had two thoughts. "Why didn't I think of putting lime juice in a sugar cookie?" followed by "Oh no, this is bad, very bad. These wicked things are going to be my downfall."

And so it has been. I could eat a whole batch by myself with hardly a pause for a breath and I probably wouldn't even hate myself. Not entirely. I've toyed with the idea of adding white chocolate chips or macadamia nuts into the mix but then I don't know if I could handle the goodness that would result so I've just let it be one of those things that I'm sure would bring bliss without actually knowing first hand.

Shoot, these guys would probably bring an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict if we could just get both sides to sit down with a plate or two and a jug of cold milk. No one could walk away angry after their second bite.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest (optional)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter, sugar and egg. Mix in lime juice and lime zest. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.

Roll dough into small balls (dust hands with flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking), place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 minutes or until they are slightly browned.

Place cookies on a cooling rack and sift powdered sugar over cookies.

***

Oh, and by the way. We finally got around to seeing the movie Up and though I'm late to the party on this one I will say that it was completely wonderful. I had been uninterested in it after the ambiguous preview added to the dismal two hours I spent stuck in front of Wall-E (even with the beauty of A Bug's Life and Finding Nemo I had a hard time forgiving Pixar for that one) but I kept hearing how great it was. David put it on reserve at the library and when his turn eventually came we watched it together and loved it.

The beginning was tender, the rest was warm and funny and I died laughing when the doberman spoke for the first time. If you haven't yet seen it, get your own name on the list because it's worth it.

Sponsored by Color Incorporated Digital Prolab for your digital printing needs.

You've Been Sentenced Game Giveaway

The review for this week is a strange but lovely coincidence. I was in our local toy store checking out new games and I noticed that the word game You've Been Sentenced was listed as a staff pick (and I happen to trust their staff very much). I was intrigued by the rave reviews so when the company approached me about trying out the game I was amazed at their fabulous timing and their mad ESP powers.

I was sent us a complimentary copy of You've Been Sentenced (along with their Twisted Fish card game) to check out and the verdict? Great game. Players use five-sided cards to build silly sentences for points such as "Abraham Lincoln punched the peppers" or "She threw the exploding lemon through the mattress."

I had to help our 7 year-old at first but then she got it and was right there with the rest of us. The biggest thing is that when you first begin the temptation is to try and use every card in your hand in one sentence and when you try to do that you end up with a lot of ungrammatically correct sentences followed by a lot of heated arguing and an end to family unity--all over whose sentence is legit and whose is not. We had to patiently explain that despite the desire to win at all costs and the satisfaction of pounding one's brother into the ground it is actually better strategy to concentrate on making a true sentence rather than one with seventeen illogical modifiers.

So once we got that down it was smooth. I like how it's a game that gets the kids learning about grammar without knowing it and the kids liked the silly factor. The basic game is fun and educational--you get to explain how sentences use that basic subject-verb-object structure--but it gets even better when you add the expansion decks that are filled with words around a unique theme: sci-fi, pop culture, food, sports and even a deck with Reader's Digest super words.

So you can get cards with "Darth Vader," "George Bush," "tortilla" or "dug out" which makes for even better sentences such as "Darth Vader smacked George Bush with a tortilla behind the dug out."

I guess the staff at our Over the Rainbow Toys know their games pretty well because I'd completely agree with their five-star rating. And as a beautiful conclusion to this story the good folks at McNeill Designs are offering five You've Been Sentenced games, each with a set of theme decks to five winners this weekend. You're going to love this!

* And the Twisted Fish game? Also great. It's a fun take on the classic Go Fish that you'll love. Go fish!

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday morning go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all readers with a U.S. address. Good luck!

Our Evening Thrills

I've had recent emails asking what Andrew and I are doing about our barefoot running now that we're heavily sedated under a snowy, cold winter blanket up here. The question made me chuckle because while I am proud about being tough enough to actually run barefoot I am the epitome of the word "Whimp" (capital W) when it comes to the discomforts the outdoors have to offer and the idea of running barefoot through the snow like one of Santa's reindeer really cracks me up.

However, once the snow came we happily switched from running to cross country skiing and we're having a grand old time of it.

Andrew and I (and frequently Spencer as well) will grab our gear after dinner and head to the hills. Ten minutes from our house is a little ski resort that, while good for beginning alpine skiers, also happens to have a wonderful tangle of Nordic trails, groomed and lit and perfect for satisfying our "need for skied."

We do a 45 minute loop through the Alaskan spruce and now that I'm getting good enough not to be constantly focusing on not falling and keeping my glide even I've started to notice how darn spooky it is. It's dark (as you see) with light posts here and there lighting our way but it's not uncommon to have a light or two in a row out and skiing in black has a way of giving me the shivers. As I ski along the trail the noise of my skies and poles will sometimes echo off the nearby trees so that I'm convinced there's something big and carnivorous waiting for me to get close enough to eat.

It doesn't help that there have been coyotes spotted on the trails (so I've been told, though I haven't seen any myself) and several times we've ran into moose. One came out of the bushes and started to feed on the branches next to the trail so that I stood there, shouting at it to move but it just looked at me and kept right on munching. Apparently word had reached it about my previous moose encounter and I've lost all my cred so I waited patiently for it to leave.

Eventually it did go away and I was able to get home before hypothermia set in but I can envision rushing downhill at top speed only to have one of those guys belt out from the bushes and dart across the trail and I can imagine exactly what it would do to my body should collision occur. I don't think it would improve things any.

But that hasn't stopped us skiing and we are having a great time. I noticed a couple weeks ago that I actually am beginning to develop arm muscles. Who would have thought?

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Scotland Yard: The Game

Being the crazy game monsters that we are we got very excited to try out a new one recently. Scotland Yard looked like it had a good set up (and good games are like good movies, you need a good set up) and it looked a little different from some of our other favorites so it started with promise.

You play with up to six players and one player is designated as "Mr. X." (you want to be Mr. X, trust me, it's lots of fun) and the rest of the players are detectives. The game is a board version of hide-and-seek where the detectives have 22 moves in which to catch Mr. X by trying to land on the space he's secretly occupying.

Mr. X's position on the board is kept a mystery at all times except for special "reveal" rounds where he must show his location before disappearing once again. The players move around a map of London (which is kind of fun) via taxi, bus and underground to get to about 200 different stops around the city. Mr. X can be hiding on any one of those stops and it's the detectives' jobs to get him before he moves to his next destination.

It's great fun, we've loved it so far, though I say that with a lot of "buts" in there.

We loved it, BUT . . .

It's not an easy game for small children. Even older children have to be very careful to not make illegal moves or it throws off the game and makes it impossible to catch Mr. X. So if you're playing with smaller children don't let them be Mr. X unless they have an adult "escort."

It's a game that really requires a lot of players. The minimum number is three but with only two detectives trying to catch Mr. X you pretty much have a zero-percent chance of nabbing the guy. There are just too many hiding places for only two detectives to cover. However, if you only have three players you can double up so that each detective actually is playing as two detectives, with two pieces instead of one. That way you at least have four detectives rather than two. Much better odds.

It's a game that is rather delicate in fact. Six players and your Mr. X is nearly guaranteed to get caught. Four players and he's going to have an easy ride so five is nearly perfect. If you have to you can, once again, have players managing extra pieces to try to achieve this optimal balance.

It's a game of skill and logic. There is NO luck. No dice, no spinner, no drawing cards--only Mr. X and his opponents. Now this doesn't mean it's bad or good, it's just a fact that makes the game what it is. Again, harder for small children.

We've played it with friends and had a great time, though to make it really fun you need to have a shot at playing both a detective and Mr. X. I could give you a couple tips for what we've discovered along the way but then half of the fun is figuring those out for yourself.

***

Congratulations to Linda of San Jacinto, California, Amy of Anchorage, Alaska and Jennifer of Port Aransas, Texas for each winning a Baby Bjorn bouncing chair from last weekend's giveaway.

Sponsored by Sorella Jewelry Studio for fine personalized jewelry.

The Road Kill Grill

Seems like the cat is officially out of the bag and the world now knows how real Alaskans can dress a moose--and we're not talking a suit a tie here folks. I apologize in advance to any PETA people out there but life in Alaska sometimes deals with brutal things like hunting and fishing and it's pretty common to have your freezer stocked full of tasty vittles such as bear steaks, caribou sausage and moose fillets.

Do I personally have a freezer full? Um . . . no. I myself have never been into hunting and fishing and I'm not into eating strange and unusual things that once had a head attached. I've eaten reindeer sausage (which is completely excellent by the way) but never eaten bear (I hear it's pretty horrid and if you think about what bears eat that shouldn't surprise you). I haven't had muk tuk or mikiaq or any part of a whale though I have had moose. In high school I had dinner at a friend's house and after the meal she let me know with a huge "I just slipped one past you" grin that I'd just consumed a bona fide moose taco. Talk about your fusion cuisine.

I went home and gagged but then I was really weird about meat back then--I even remember freaking out when my mom tried to serve a pork butt roast. The very thought of eating a pig fanny so grossed me out I refused to partake. Apparently no one felt it necessary to inform me about where ham and sausage comes from and I was able to hold onto my innocence a little longer.

Even now I still have a hard time dealing with raw meat, de-boning a chicken breast is my absolute limit, so you can be pretty sure than I'm not up here, sitting on a pile of frozen meat that we shot and butchered ourselves. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Which brings me to my topic for today. Anchorage has a bit of a moose problem. Yes, they're big and impressive animals and seeing one of them can give you a thrill . . . the first half dozen times. Then when you find them destroying your garden or taking over the school playground they suddenly become a lot less awe-inspiring. What I worry about the most is hitting one with the car. They're all over the place, especially higher up on hillside where I tend to spend a lot of time, and all I need to make my day complete is to have one gallop out of the bushes across the icy road to smash up my car. I have no moose clause in my insurance policy you know.

People hit moose with their cars fairly regularly here and if you feel so inclined you can march yourself down to the local authorities and get yourself on a list so that whenever someone in town hits and kills a moose with their car the next person in line gets a call to come and collect the carcass.

I think they give preference to non-profit and humanitarian organizations--feeding the homeless and that kind of thing--but if you really have a thing for fresh, industrially-tenderized moose steaks you too can find yourself in possession of a very large quadruped for your grilling pleasure.

It's kind of like in the movies where someone is on the heart transplant list and they have a special phone line reserved, waiting for the time when the call will come in. We've had friends on the road kill list, waiting with that same hope and longing for the time when their phone will ring and they can run out with their chain saws and ropes to claim their prize.

My brother-in-law got on the list and while his father was in town the call came: a moose had been killed and they were called into action. He grabbed his tools and his gloves, jumped in his SUV and went out into the wild Alaskan night to harvest his moose.

But why not? Maybe other cities could adopt similar policies. Phoenix residents could start looking for ways to cook up coyote, New Yorkers could make it posh to nosh on pigeon and Texans surely could come up with creative ways to use all those smooshed armadillos.

Seems to me it's the ultimate in 100% organic, eco-friendly, free-range meat. We Alaskans are serious trend-setters you know.

Sponsored by Dimples and Dandelions

Garlic Oven Fries

I've never met anyone who didn't like fries. A month ago I met someone who said they didn't like potatoes--which really floored me, it's like not liking bread or something--but never someone trying to claim they didn't like fries.

Because they're really about the tastiest food right? It doesn't matter if you're not hungry, if I were to make a plate of these guys and set them in front of you I promise you'd still take a bite. And then probably another.

What's nice too is that being baked, they're a little less evil than normal fries and since I used olive oil it made me feel as if I was at least attempting to be healthy. They're good, I promise you.

Oh, and a final note. I have been taught that when you heat olive oil some of the flavor is mellowed and lost. When producers extract oil from the olives they typically do what's called a "cold press" where they squeeze the olives to get the oil but after several rounds of pressing the fruit, each round yielding less and less oil, they will use heat to get those last drops.

All this means that if you're looking for the best, most flavorful olive oil you want to buy the extra virgin "first cold press" variety. However, once you cook with the olive oil the heating process ruins some of the flavor so if you have a recipe that won't be heated--such as salad dressing--and want maximum flavor, be sure to splurge on the good stuff. But if you're going to be heating the oil such as you would in this recipe then go cheaper and use lighter versions because some of the flavor will be lost anyway.

The original recipe I found at The Purple Foodie. They're good with homemade ketchup, ranch dressing or Thousand Island dressing.

2 tablespoons minced garlic
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 russet potatoea cut into 12 wedges each
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 440 degrees.

In a small saucepan combine garlic and olive oil, warming it over medium low heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Coat a large oven-proof casserole dish with the infused oil.

Add the potatoes and toss to coat. Wrap dish tightly in plastic wrap and microwave on high until the potatoes are beginning to cook around the edges, about 3 to 6 minutes, stirring potatoes half way through.

In a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sprinkle over the hot, partially-cooked potatoes and toss well to distribute coating. Arrange potatoes on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and bake, turning once half-way through, until brown and crisp, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Sponsored by Dimples and Dandelions

Baby Bjorn Giveaway

With my first three children I didn't have the typical baby equipment but by the time I had my youngest I borrowed a bouncy chair and I wondered how I'd ever made it through three babies without one.

They are so wonderful they're right up there with diapers as "must have" equipment for parents everywhere. Unless, of course, carrying a child on your hip while simultaneously trying to cook dinner and fold laundry calms and soothes you.

Baby Bjorn just has two products for your inspection today--first, the BabySitter Balance is a bouncy chair where the baby's movement rocks and bounces the chair to help them with their motor skills and to soothe and comfort. And if you've ever had a chair like this you know it works very well.

Here's their new video clip to give you an idea of what it does.

And then they've also got their new Baby Carrier Active which has the great feature of a rip-away back so that you can easily get the baby out of the carrier should they fall asleep (one of those "why didn't someone think of this earlier?" things).

Both products look fabulous and Baby Bjorn has offered three random winners one of their new BabySitter Bouncers to see just how great they are. Thanks Baby Bjorn! To get yourself into the drawing just follow the directions below and, if you'd like to, leave a comment about what your favorite "must have" piece of baby equipment is--it's always good to know what others like out there.

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday morning go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all readers with a U.S. address. Good luck!

One Hundred Ten Days

About this time each winter I get a little restless. The days are getting longer but it's still so cold that I dress in layers of wool and turtlenecks with my breath hovering in the air in front of me. When I walk out to my car in the darkness the snow crunches and groans and my fingers feel stiff with the chill.

And while I'm surrounded by four more months of snowy darkness I start to dream about places I could be . . .

Do you have things that you want to do before you die? Near the top of my list it says "travel around the world" but I'm a lot more specific than that. When I should be folding laundry or vacuuming crumbs from the floor I sometimes stop to sneak a peak at a cruise that I promise you someday I will take.

The trip I want is a complete circumnavigation of the globe. Doesn't that just sound wonderful? Sailing around the entire earth in one voyage like some modern Magellan--but with a lot more comfort. The M.S. Amsterdam leaves Ft. Lauderdale on January 5, 2011 before crossing the Atlantic for Spain where it will sail through the Straits of Gibraltar then through the Mediterranean, stopping at Seville, Rome, Naples, Athens and Ephesus.

After a stop in Cairo and Aqaba (to see Petra) it will sail through the Red Sea and around to Dubai, over to Mombai and on to Singapore. From there it's Hong Kong and Manila then on to Cairns and Sydney, farther south to Tasmania and over to New Zealand where it will bounce along the southern Indian Ocean and up into Polynesia and Bora-Bora.

The ship will traverse the Atlantic to Easter Island then up along the western coast of South America past Peru, Equador and through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean, stopping at Grand Cayman before returning to Ft. Lauderdale one hundred and ten days later.

I can't describe amount of longing I have to be on that ship. Yes I know that one hundred and ten days is over three and a half months but that's the point. What would it be like to walk up the gangplank and leave winter and icy roads and dirty cars all behind and just see the world? To be able to visit places with names so fat and luxurious they roll around in your mouth like a ripe strawberry?

Cartagena . . . Rarotonga . . . Papeete. Twenty-six different countries. Just saying the word "Papeete" gives me chills of romance and the idea of waking up one morning, walking out of my room and finding myself staring at Gaugin's beaches and palm trees is enough to make me sigh. Someday that boat will leave with me on it.

Six continents, all in complete comfort and with a grace and elegance that you can't find with any other form of travel. I want to be on a ship and feel myself rock to sleep each night or wake up each morning to see the ocean going past with dolphins and flying fish playing in the wake as I follow Sir Francis Drake and James Cook.

I would need some steamer trunks. Big ones, covered with leather and fancy tacks and fitted with brass corners like the trunks Tom Hanks uses in Joe v. the Volcano. Definitely. Though I'd update and include this trunk here which includes a portable office because I would be blogging every mile of the way, making you all wish you had a cabin too.

So for three and a half months at sea what do you think you'd pay? Take a guess. Here's the amazing part--I could buy a ticket on the M.S. Amsterdam for $17,000. Think about it--you'd have airfare to Florida and some taxes to pay but you could see the world and live like a king for nearly four months, eating so much they'd have to roll you down the gangplank when it was over, all for under $20,000. When you compare it to those overpriced Disney cruises where you spend $7,000 for nine days it blows them away.

So my point is, it's not an unrealistic idea to say that someday I'll be there. Of course it won't be while my kids are living at home but at some point in my life Andrew and I will have tickets and steamer trunks ready to go and then you won't hear from us for four months. Bon voyage.

Sponsored by Color Incorporated Digital Prolab for your digital printing needs

Notice Anything?

So what do you think? It's a different look--I figured after nearly two and a half years it was time for a bit of a face lift.

Special credits go first to Cynthia at NW Designs for putting it all together. She was extremely patient with me as I completely messed up on things like centering and justification and probably deserves a medal.

And further credit goes to Randa Clay who designed the logo for me. I've worked with her before and love her designs. If you go to her portfolio page you'll see my beloved Quillish logo for quillish.com that I've had big plans for but never been able to use. Isn't it a great name and a great logo? Love that orange.

Anyway, if you'd like a button here's what it looks like:


And here's the code:

<a href='http://scribbit.blogspot.com'><img alt='Scribbit' class='alignnone size-full' height='111' src='http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e98/amitton/screenshot_02-1.jpg' title='Scribbit' width='150'/></a>

It goes with anything and is oh so stylish!

And I forgot to mention--when I started Scribbit I used a pen name. Call it newbie paranoia but I thought it would be safer and then by the time I figured out that I was probably being overly cautious it was too much of a pain to change it. But I finally got around to changing everything over to my real last name which is what you'll now see on my Twitter and Facebook pages and everything associated with my blog. So if you're confused as to why you're suddenly seeing "Michelle Mitton" you're not alone. I've received several worried emails about my marital state so I thought it might need a tiny explanation.

Not to worry, we're still married.

The Wonder Scarf

I've been doing a little knitting in the evenings again. Not every night, but just here and there and I've been looking for projects that don't require a lot of yarn. I have lots of leftover skeins in the craft closet and it's nice to find something to do with them.

This particular project is from Coco Knits, they called it the Fear of Commitment Cowl because of all the ways you can wear it. I'm showing two different styles but they have half a dozen chic ways to keep warm with this beautiful little gadget.

The whole trick is the button. It's not a regular, stay-put button but two buttons linked together with elastic string so that you can wiggle it through the knitted stitches and hold your scarf in place in various fashionable ways. I'm showing a picture below because it kind of took me a bit to picture what the directions were saying.

I didn't have any toggle buttons on hand so I'm rather proud of my little artsy hack here made out of Sculpey clay and the end of a paperclip. Instant toggle button. I'm like the MacGyver of knitting.


Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Chicken and Thyme over Pasta

If it's one thing I've learned over the years it's that slow cookers are my friends. There's nothing like coming home to the wonderful aromas that can be yours with only a few ingredients and a little forethought (of course that forethought part seems to be the hardest thing with me--you wouldn't believe how many times I have to flash cook something because I forgot to stick it in six-to-eight hours before dinnertime).

But this recipe sounded so good and was so perfect for a snowy winter day I made sure I was on the ball and it all paid off. Soft, tender chicken with a bit of spice. Sundried tomatoes (the best kind) and lovely mushrooms--it made me very happy.

You might notice from the photo, though that it's piled on top of macaroni. Yes we're classy but somehow the rotini got lost between the checkout stand and the kitchen shelf. Have you ever had that happen, where you know you bought something, it's on the receipt but then you can't find it? I tore the car apart looking for the box but couldn't find it so we went with macaroni underneath. Oh well--it still tasted wonderful.

3 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 jar sundried tomato pieces packed in oil
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 1/2 cups hot cooked rotini, fettucine or hot cooked rice
3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

1. In a large slow cooker mix mushrooms, onion, carrot, and sundried tomatoes with oil. Stir in broth and vinegar, sprinkle with tapioca, thyme, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Place chicken pieces on top.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. To serve, arrange chicken and vegetables over pasta or rice; spoon juices over it all and top with crumbled cheese.

Sponsored by Polkadot Peacock for children's bedding.

Going Rogue, Eh? Or Should It Be 'Going Vogue'?

I may have mentioned Ms. Sarah Palin around here once or twice--the population of Alaska just isn't that large so when one of us hits the Big Time the rest of us finally have something to talk about. I started out as a fan, was cautiously optimistic of her possibilities as a vice president, but it wasn't too long after the campaign that my feelings for America's most famous Russia-sighting-hockey mom soured.

Call me fickle, call me unrealistic, but I kind of figured she'd stick around and finish her job here instead of abandoning us for the likes of Bill O'Riled and Pox News. Maybe I've got a bit of the scorned-lover syndrome but it ticked me off that she used Alaska and her mad moose-hunting skills to get people's attention then dumped us once she got a taste of the good stuff. And for the record the way she talks is NOT an Alaskan accent. We don't have accents, thank you very little.

My husband laughs when I tell him this and asks me what my problem is--after all, when she scurried out of the governor's mansion it left us Sean Parnell as a replacement who is actually a much better executive, and one with a less volatile relationship with the press and legislature so it's been a win-win situation for we hicks who are still stuck feeding chickens back at the ranch but still . . . I'm irritated at her and not a little bitter over the whole breakup thing.

So I no longer find myself on Team Palin. And please don't call her "Governor" Palin because, darn it, she's not anymore--remember? She quit. Because after all, if I recall correctly the biggest gripe against her as vice-president was her lack of experience so it makes perfect sense that she'd abandon the only job that would have actually made up for her shortcoming and given her more political clout and wisdom. Ugh. I'll stop there . . .

But my husband disagrees with me and it's caused some friction. He firmly dislikes Obama (not that I myself am sporting one of his bumper stickers or anything) and has promised to hold his breath unless the man resigns so naturally Andrew gravitates toward the only visible Republican alternative. Which deeply disturbs me and has led me to ask on more than one occasion, "Who are you? Because I don't feel like I even know you anymore!"

"How can you like her? She a flake!" I've been known to say. Sometimes repeatedly. Because if you can't convince them with brilliant rhetoric and deep political discourse go for the easy kill and call your opponent an idiot.

"How can you stand Obama? He's evil incarnate!" He might have replied. Or hissed.

And round it goes. I think the last time we clashed over the issue we realized that if we wanted to salvage our marriage we'd need to find some common ground so he very nobly admitted that it seemed as if Obama could possibly be a halfway decent family man and I conceded that time might prove Sarah to be only a partial extremist-whacked-out-nut job with guacamole for brains. Just as Brittney Spears might run for office herself some day. It was big of me.

So I think we're making progress. And yesterday at lunch my dear husband and I were calmly and rationally discussing our former governor over the phone and in the course of the conversation one of us mentioned her new book: Going Rogue and the conversation went something like this:

"You know," he said thoughtfully, "being a rogue really isn't that great."

I considered the word a moment before saying, "Yea, I guess you're right."

"I mean," he continued, "if you look it up in the dictionary [which he straightway did] it says:

1. Rogue: a dishonest or unprincipled man.

2. An elephant or other large animal driven away or living apart from the herd and having savage or destructive capabilities.

3. A person or thing that behaves in a faulty, aberrant or unpredictable way. An inferior or defective specimen among many satisfactory ones.

And after a pause he concluded with "Rogue. Hmmm. . . "

"You're kidding," I said, "That's the dictionary definition? Does the woman even read?"

There was silence on the line for a moment as we had little response to that revelation. What can you say? Because apparently our dear former governor likes to think of herself as either a male crook or as a savage elephant, quarantined from the rest of normal humanity, who needs to be sedated because she's trampling people to death with her unpredictable and savage ways.

Then we laughed hard because really, that's just poetry I tell you.

I think our marriage will survive politics. Irony like that is worth its weight in gold.

* And you know I'm kidding quite a bit here, right? I mean I don't care for Palin and Andrew doesn't like Obama but I'm playing it all up a bit though this was in fact an actual conversation we had.

Sponsored by Dimples and Dandelions

The Dollhouse

Guess what happened? Just guess!

I have an aunt who is the nicest, the sweetest, the coolest, the greatest aunt ever and this weekend she gave me this gorgeous dollhouse that she made herself. It's so beautiful, from the individual wooden shingles on the roof to the attic dormers with lacy valences to the authentic porcelain bath fixtures.

Lillian has sat in front of it for hours playing "I Spy" with each of the nine rooms, discovering all the fascinating details and delicate accessories, getting so wrapped up in the tiny world that she wished she were tiny enough to spend the night in the little pink bedroom and snuggle in with the tiny pink pillows.

I'm sharing pictures so you can enjoy it too.


I spy a basket of oranges, a mouse and a set of salt and pepper shakers (my aunt says those are her favorite things in the house).


She made the living room chairs herself and the area rugs in each room are ribbon that's been mitered and sewn in a rectangle. Love that tiny bird in a cage and the tennis racket.


See the perfume bottles in the master bedroom? See? See?


It's probably the only time in my life when I've seen toys left out all over a bedroom floor and flipped out in rapture. Aren't they just the sweetest things? See the stacking rings and the wagon and wooden train?

Here's the wrap-around deck with tiny Adirondack furniture and potted geraniums. Every detail is perfect.

And below is my favorite room--the attic craft room. I'm in love with the dress form and pattern on the wall and the basket with scissors and the bolts of fabric in the armoire. It does not get cuter than that folks.

Thanks Aunt Ann, we'll treasure this forever.

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The Things We Do for Kicks Around Here

See this here? This is the biggest mound of snow in the Free World. We live a few blocks from our church which has a huge parking lot and when they plow it in winter they pile the snow up in this enormous mountain that attracts children for miles around.


We reserve each Monday night as a family night and when we asked the children what they wanted to do for family night last week they said they wanted to go dig in the snow. I wondered how I was going to squirm out of that one at first but when we got to the mountain at the parking lot I caught the thrill of it all and joined right in.


This is the view from the top of the pile which, as you can see, is like the surface of the moon. There were tunnels all over the place including one that went down a ten-foot chute only to open out into a five-foot wide antechamber with two more tunnels branching off of it.


So we built a tunnel of our own. Here's Lillian standing on top of the entrance which went all the way through for about ten feet to the outer wall. It was like reenacting The Great Escape.

All they can talk about is wanting to go back and dig more holes.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Eggs en Cocotte

I feel rather sheepish posting so easy a recipe. It's not really fair to call it cooking it's so simple but I do love me some eggs. I will eat them in a pan, I will eat them in a flan, I will eat them poached or fried, I will eat them on the side . . .

So another sweet way to eat an egg makes me happy.

If you're running short on time but have it together enough to throw this in the oven for half an hour you'll have a fancy warm breakfast that will make you look quite elegant.

Originally the recipe calls for butter and cream but I've substituted lighter ingredients that worked satisfactorily.

6 eggs
3 tablespoons butter (I substituted light cooking spray)
6 tablespoons cream (I substituted low fat milk)
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Use 1 tablespoon butter or light cooking spray to thoroughly grease each of three ramekins. Crack two eggs into each ramekin then top with 2 tablespoons cream or milk, salt and pepper. Divide the crumbled cheese between the three dishes (I used Alouette's Mediterranean goat cheese and it was amazing) then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with a side of juice and toast and you're in business.

***

So we finally saw Avatar. For Christmas Grace gave Andrew and I tickets to see it because she knew he was dying to go. Me? Not so much. I mean I know that James Cameron is known for painting with a brush of subtle artistry but I just didn't want to worry about whether this movie would live up to the high quality and multi-level significance of, say, Terminator or True Lies (pardon the sarcasm).

Though I told Andrew that Cameron making a CGI film makes a lot of sense--it's really a logical step for him because given his history with his actresses I'm bettin' the current missus is limiting his work to strictly computer-generated leading ladies.

Anyway, we tried to go last week and it was sold out. We tried again this week and bingo . . . success. I have to admit I was curious because everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) is raving about how great this movie is. Critics seem to like it and here it is three weeks after opening night and there are still lines in snaking through the theater half an hour before show time. I know people who have already seen it two or three times.

And I hate to be a nay-sayer . . . but seriously? That was it?? I mean it's definitely a visual effects movie and if you like visual effects to the point that two and a half hours of James Horner blasted at you over 3-D CGI is your idea of a great way to spend $15 then this is your lucky day but I had a hard time sitting through the whole thing. It was probably a case of there being no way this movie could meet all the hype I'd heard.

"WHY?" You screech? Well I guess I objected to being repeatedly hit over the head with Cameron's morality play. The "save our planet from the evil corporate white man" thing has been done to death seventeen times over and I was kind of expecting that a movie ten years in the making would have started with a creative, unique or even mildly interesting plot. Isn't that the first item on the "How to Make a Movie Checklist"?

1. Write great plot.

So that kind of disappointed. Though it has been said, and I do agree, that there are no new plots. Everything gets rehashed in one way or another and I suppose that's the case here. In fact, if you've seen Dances with Wolves you've seen Avatar. Only Dances with Wolves was slightly less formulaic and had a lot more clothing. A LOT. In fact I think the word "avatar" in Latin must mean "without clothing"--I'm pretty sure.

And while the computer graphics really were amazing I wasn't buying into Cameron's view of utopia. Though I guess I can see how a man of his wandering-eye reputation might be attracted to a society of naked supermodels loping through the forest, stopping occasionally to squat in provocative poses. No really, and for all the nipples and bare breasts you see there's not a saggy one among them. Apparently that low-gravity thing is really working for them.

But maybe I'm just thinking too much. Go go for the "wow!" visual effects. Go for the chance to relive the life of a 12 year-old boy sneaking peaks at the National Geographics in hopes of seeing something naked. Maybe go for the chance to sit with your husband and enjoy some nice "alone" time. Shoot, even go to see what all the hype is about. But if you're going for a story that will transport you or for dialog that lifts you with its richness or for characters that thrill you with their universal timelessness and roundness (and not that kind of roundness) then you might want to instead try out Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakquel. I'm just saying . . .

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What Christmas Brought At Our House

My grandfather is 86 years old and he makes things out of wood. Because he was a carpenter he helped my parents build their home and in most of my childhood memories he's nailing shingles on the roof, putting up studs and carrying sheets of plywood while wearing his striped overalls with his red handkerchief sticking out of the back pocket. I can't go into Home Depot, Lowes or any construction site and smell lumber and sawdust without thinking of him--it's been wired into my brain forever.

This year he made me a chest. When you open it you take a deep breath to catch the burst of cedar as it releases into the air and it has a little brass plaque inside that says, "2009--to Michelle from Grandpa Nichols" and it has the fancy, heavy hinges that let the lid glide closed without a sound. It's supposed to be one of those "hope" chests and it stores my great-grandmother's quilt that won her a blue ribbon in an Idaho county fair ages and eons ago though Lillian calls it a "casket" and likes to hide in it. Rather disturbing, but what are you going to do with a seven year-old?

When Grace saw it and read the little brass plaque she said, "Wow, Mom, it's so beautiful." Then with a sly glance to the side said, "That's something you can even pass down!"

Because she didn't know that Grandpa surprised us both and made one final trunk--he swore it was his seventeenth and last one--for her. It's nearly identical to mine but with the inlaid dovetails slightly altered and we saved it for her for Christmas morning. Of all the things either of us could have got for Christmas it was perfect gift. Times two.

Sponsored by Dimples and Dandelions

Once in an Ultramarine Moon

First it was New Year's eve then it happened to be a full moon which is rarer still. Then on top of that it was a blue moon which happens every 2.7 years but as a final thrill for the last day of the decade we also happened to have a lunar eclipse--at least here in Anchorage. It's not just a blue moon, it's an ultramarine moon.

The next time we'll have a second December full moon falling on New Year's eve will be 2028 but who knows when everything will again align to also bring a blue eclipse? I'm taking it as a very good omen for the coming ten years.

The kids and I drove up on the hillside to see the eclipse which was supposed to be at its zenith at 10:38 am but which, because of the dawn, was easier to see at 9:50. I thought they'd get bored, just sitting in the van, watching the moon and listening to Owl City cycle through the radio every ten minutes but they seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.


Here's to a great decade.

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Blissdom 2010

I'm starting to get excited for this year's Blissdom conference in Nashville next month--making plans and anticipating what fun it'll be to get Outside for a couple days and learn new things.

Are you going? I sure hope you are because I'm looking forward to meeting some of my fine blogging friends. Even more than I'm looking forward to seeing Tennessee for the first time, even more than staying in the amazing Gaylord Opryland Hotel (with the indoor gardens--have you seen it??) and even more than I'm looking forward to sharing the podium with some of the greatest bloggers out there.

Because I'll be speaking at two separate conference sessions, both on Saturday. First, I'll be there at the 10 am for "Blogging with the Stars" where Holly Buchanan will be talking about how four bloggers--me being one of them--got to where they're at. It ought to be very helpful, not only because Holly has effective insights into blogging but because Tsh Oxenreider, Dana Loesch and Melissa Michaels will be there as well. I'm hoping to learn from it myself.

Then I'll be at the 3:30 session, "Memoir Writing: The Power and Mystery of Telling Our Stories" where Megan Jordan, Catherine Connors, Tanis Miller and I will be talking about how blogging can contribute to your writing in other genres--the marriage between blogging and writing your memoir, the problems that can arise and the benefits from trying a new medium. It ought to be a great session as well.

So if you haven't yet decided to go I hope you'll come and if you're planning on being there I hope we can meet up. My flight gets into Nashville Thursday evening and I'd like to plan some fun get-togethers on Friday and more on Saturday evening. Drop me an email if you have the time.

***

Congratulations to Marie of Toronto, Canada for winning the How Fast Time Flies digital scrapbooking giveaway last weekend.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

They Grow up So Fast?

Last week a commentor made the common observation that "Kids go up too fast nowadays" which made me cringe a bit.

While I'd agree that yes, children have sexuality thrown at them from every direction to the point that we see children having children (for the record, a bad thing) I'd also disagree and say that in fact nowadays children don't grow up fast enough--don't grow up at all in some cases.

With the invention of public education and the shift from farms to cities the 20th century presented a unique phenomenon: adolescence. It used to be that children were children then suddenly they were adults. You were bar or batmizvahed into adulthood either through religious ceremony, an apprenticeship or simply the expectation that you were now to provide for yourself as a man (or marry if you were a woman) but now we have this creature roaming amongst us called The Teenager, with a full-blown stage of growth dedicated to its preservation and contentment.

But it hasn't stopped there, you can see the creep that's occurring as we create new stages of human growth from preteens (or tweens) to catchy phrases like "Gen Y" or "Twenty-somethings." I can just picture my great-grandfather's face if he heard me referring to a 21 year-old male as anything but a . . . man.

You see the results of this shift in thinking everywhere. First we made age limits for drinking alcohol, then age limits for driving cars followed by age limits on getting jobs (even for something as simple as babysitting) followed by age requirements on car seats. If I didn't know better I'd say we're trying to make it illegal to grow up.

Over Christmas we watched the HBO docu-drama John Adams and dropped our jaws as the future president, John Quincey Adams, was apprenticed by his parents at age 14 to travel Europe as a private secretary. But by age 14 my own grandfather had left home and joined the military and by age 18 both my grandfathers were fighting the war in Europe--one already married to his 16 year-old sweetheart (they're still happily married today). Shocking, simply shocking.

Contrast that with the middle class Harry Potter/Twilight-loving, video game-playing, chauffeured child we have on our couches today. The one whose life is still managed by personal secretaries, coaches and pop culture, who sees no reason to get a job--even if the law allowed it--because he has an allowance and all his needs provided for. Many parents I know believe that teens shouldn't get jobs at all. Why? "Because teenagers only have this time once and they need to enjoy it."

What?

Or if you wanted to be less anecdotal you could look at the numbers: consider the average age for marriage today compared to the rest of history--even for first marriages, which are starting to be viewed as a trial run (because we're not grown up enough to get it right the first time apparently). Look at the average age for having children, the average age for getting a driver's license, the average age for graduating from college (a four-year degree now takes a whopping six years to achieve), the number of adults living with parents in their 20's, the number of adults living with parents in their 30's, or the popularity of television shows and movies eulogizing childhood and youth, begging us to be "children at heart" (whatever that means?) and portraying adults as eternal adolescents, hanging out together and shunning the responsibilities that human beings used to have--until the 20th century and prosperity allowed them to forget them and just relax.

I guess some would ask "So what's the big deal? So what if people can be younger longer, isn't that a good thing?" To which I'd say. "Um . . . no."

What has all this extended childhood accomplished? What good has it done? It's only taught our children that the world revolves around them and that the rest of us are here for their pleasure. It's taught them that high school is the most important time of their lives (a terrifying thought) and to obsess about how they look and dress during this "critical" period to the point we have anorexia, bulimia, school shootings and all sorts of newly-invented teen traumas. It's allowed us to dumb things down and lower our expectations so that our children can get by with doing less while we hover and manipulate and obsess over their lives. It's caused us to worship youth and focus our attention and financial resources (i.e. spending your retirement savings on your children's education) on our children rather than teaching them to be responsible, to think of their elders or to respect age and wisdom as wiser cultures have done.

The Century of the Teenager only raised a generation of self-absorbed, pseudo-adults living at home, unmarried, dodging significant relationships in between their random couplings, playing video games into the morning hours and acting in all ways like twelve-year olds, craving entertainment and pleasure. They didn't label it the "Me Generation" for nothing and the situation is only sliding one direction on that slippery slope, folks.

So the question is: As a mother living in a world that glorifies eternal childhood and youth what can I do about it? Should I do anything about it? To be honest, there isn't much I can do--except within the walls of my own home. I can expect my children to pull their weight with the household chores, I can stop thinking of them as "children" and more as "adults in training." I can allow them privileges and responsibilities designed to help them become adults as soon as possible, I can speak with them about my expectations and reasons for why I do things, I can talk to them less as children and more as adults. I can teach them how to date, how to get a job, how to drive a car, how to shop at the store, how to balance a checkbook and manage their finances--and I can do this before they're 18 and expected to leave home. Or not leaving home, as the case may sadly be.

I suppose it comes down to this: Are we going to treat children as accessories to our vanity, cooing over them for twenty or thirty years in an effort to keep them dependent so we can vicariously relive our youths or are we going to treat them as individuals to whom we gave the gift of life accompanied by a responsibility to better the world? Because if we keep our offspring as children forever not only does it cripple them but we'll miss out on the chance of having an even fuller and deeper relationship with them--as adults.

***

Newt Gingrich (and I find myself chuckling that I'd actually reference him) had an article in Businessweek a year ago which I only now read after writing my own opinion on the matter titled Let's End Adolescence. You might find it interesting as well. Or irritating, depending on how you feel about what I've just said--but he's got more facts and figures than I do to back up what we both seem to say.

Sponsored by Polkadot Peacock for children's bedding.

Pizza Salad

My kids love this recipe but the only problem is that they've taken to singing the name to the tune of Lady Gaga's Paparazzi.

"Pizza-pizza-pizza salad!"

Which absolutely drives me bonkers because I'm most definitely not a Lady Gaga fan (makes the sign of the cross).

Nothing like having a seven year-old singing "I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me." It's truly horrifying, I promise you.

Regardless of the insanely painful side effects this really is a wonderful salad and while it's not exactly as light as some salads it's much lighter and healthier than a big slab of combo dripping with cheese juice. Perfect for a main dish salad with all the wonderful flavors of pizza on this month of resolutions.

My cousin Amber gave me the recipe years ago and it's been a favorite though I make mine a little different than her version (I like the way the flatbread in my recipe acts as a basin to catch all the dressing) but check her Pizza Salad recipe for a nice variation. Or rather the original.

For dressing:
6 Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoons sugar

For salad:
6 small flatbreads (you can use my recipe for pizza crust, make your own or use Boboli crusts)
8 cups torn greens of your choice
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped (or I use prepared pesto directly in the dressing in a pinch)
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 crimini mushrooms, sliced
3 ounces pepperoni, sliced
6 ounces cubed mozzarella
Parmesan for sprinkling

For dressing, pulse tomatoes in a food processor until they're thoroughly chopped but not quite pureed. Saute tomatoes and garlic in a saucepan with olive oil and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar.

Place flatbread on plate, top with greens then sprinkle with chopped basil, pepper, mushrooms, pepperoni and cheese. Spoon dressing over salad and sprinkle with Parmesan if desired.

Sponsored by Dimples and Dandelions

How Fast Time Flies Scrapbooking Giveaway

At the end of each year I update our scrapbooks and albums so this weekend's giveaway is perfectly timed.

Scrapbooking is catching up to the digital age to make recording those memories more elegant and efficient--I used to cut and paste to make up each page of pictures but now I just upload pictures to digital bookmaking sites and save myself a lot of acid-free photo corners stuck to the bottom of my socks.

How Fast Time Flies works on a similar principle, you can upload your images to the site and create full scrapbook-sized pages that they'll print for you and send to your doorstep, saving you all the hassle of buying the acid-free paper and die-cuts and gluing it all in place yourself.

It's as if they've taken the best part of scrapbooking and updated it with the ease and quality of technology.

With 624 different templates to choose from you can select from themes based on seasons, events and holidays such as weddings, vacations, Hannukah or Christmas or summer time. You can see a sample above and the company sent me a sample package of some of their templates and they were all on high quality, heavy duty paper in a nice full page size. The pictures were good quality and the templates looked very professional.

If you'd like to take a crack at this new techno-scrappy alternative to the cut and paste How Fast Time Flies gave me a $75 discount coupon to offer to one of you as this weekend's giveaway prize. The winner will be able to order $75 worth of templates (each one is $5) not including shipping costs just in time for updating those albums.

Hope this is the start of a terrific new year for everyone.

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday morning go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all readers! Good luck!