Friday Night Leftovers

• As a stay-at-home-mom with a husband who works a non-traditional schedule, Fridays are generally just another day of the week to me, but this week?  TGIF.  I suspect it has something to do with the fact that both The 1st Grader and The Preschooler are back in class this week and I am having a hard time readjusting to our new schedule.


• Everything seems to be going well so far for both kids.  The Preschooler is just thrilled to be playing with new-to-her-toys and with kids that she isn't related to and The 1st Grader is so shell-shocked by being in a new classroom with a new teacher and new classmates that several days this week the only response I got from him when I asked him about his day was a wink.


• My gardens are on the verge of exploding.  We had such a cool wet spring and early summer that all the plants are HUGE, but have been very slow to produce, and my tomatoes are just now starting to think about turning red.  We planted green beans, peas, and pumpkins in July and should have enough to keep us in fresh vegetables through September.


• My husband got a promotion this week.  This means a little more money, a few more responsibilities, and a little more time in the office instead of on cases (translation: things are staying about the same.)  Being in management, however, apparently means that he is now expected to attend social functions and that I am to come with him.  Despite the fact that this means nights out without kids, I am not really thrilled.  My pajamas expect me promptly at 7:30 each night and I don't want to disappoint them.


• I am planning on making a cheesecake for dessert after Sunday's family dinner.  My mouth is already watering.

Thank you to the incomparable Danifred for hosting Friday Night Leftovers!  I love purging and rearranging the thoughts in my head just as much as I like purging and rearranging my kitchen cabinets when my husband is out-of-town because I think it is hysterical to watch him spend 10 minutes looking for his breakfast cereal.

I Haven't Gotten My Pumpkins Out - Yet

When I used to manage outdoor swimming pools, the last day of summer came with a list of things that had to be done and steps that needed to be taken before the pool could be closed for the off-season.  There was the obvious things like taking care of the chemicals that were stored at the facility and making sure equipment was stored and locked-up for the winter, the tedious things like making sure all of the paperwork for the summer was in order and turned in to the appropriate places, and then there was the checklist.  Oh, how I loved that little checklist!

The checklist was a series of things that needed to be done over the course of the day: "At 12:00 turn off the heaters."  "At 2:00 turn off the chemical feeds." "At 4:00 turn off the hot water heater."  The whole thing culminating with, "At 6:00 turn off the main pump."

I can still remember very clearly all the times I walked down the stairs to the basement pump room and flipped the switch on the pump to 'Off' for the very last time each summer.  It was always a bittersweet moment, filled with the tiredness that day-after-day of standing in the endless heat of a Colorado summer brought, the relief of having made it through another season of sunscreen and screaming daycare kids and the drama that was having well over a dozen teenage lifeguards, and the excitement of going back to school for another year.  It was the ultimate defining moment between summer and fall (despite the fact that we often closed in mid-August and the temperature would continue to climb well into the 90s for several more weeks.)

In the years since, the line between summer and fall has become blurred.  Before having children and when my kids were young, there wasn't anything as tangible as flipping a switch to signal the end of one season and the beginning of another . . . the days started getting shorter and the temperature started getting cooler, but summer lingered well into September, and it wasn't until the realization that Halloween costumes and candy were beginning to appear in stores that I would realize that it was fall. 

It seemed like the line might get a little clearer once my oldest started preschool and then entered kindergarten, but since the school he attended was on a year-round calendar and the new school year started in early July, that wasn't the case.  The walk to school took us past the neighborhood pool, where we could hear the kids who hadn't tracked back on yet splashing and yelling and doing their best to beat the 90+ degree heat - and while he was thrilled to be going to school, he was equally happy when his day was over and we could spend the rest of the afternoon cooling off.  As the school year got underway and we got busier with school related activities, trips to the pool feel to the wayside, and we once again unceremoniously entered fall.

Last December, the school district decided that enrollment in our elementary school was low enough to warrant going back to the more common (and cheaper) traditional calendar, with the school year starting in late August and ending for the summer in early June.  On Monday, I got to flip the imaginary switch that takes me from summer to fall, sending The Kindergartner off to become The 1st Grader.  (Can we pause for just a moment here to take that last sentence in?  I am the mother of a 1st grader!  Holy herd of cows, Batman!  Anyway . . .)

We had a wonderful summer, filled with frequent trips to the pool, a couple afternoons at the splash park, two full days at Water World, a week of zoo school, a smattering of afternoons relaxing in the air conditioning and watching movies, hours of riding bikes and scooters up and down the sidewalks, and handfuls of other outings and activities that kept us just busy enough.  And now, despite the fact that we hit a scorching 98 degrees today and the neighborhood pool is still open, it feels like fall.

Kid-Style Fancy

I am generally pretty good about serving a variety of meals and foods to my family - except when it comes to lunch.  We rotate between a 'main course' of peanut butter and jelly, cheese and crackers and lunch meat, cereal bars and yogurt, and turkey sandwiches made on mini bagels, but it all gets boring.  (Read:  it gets boring for me to make.  The kids rarely complain about what they are being served!)  I pulled the following out of a magazine awhile back and tucked it into the 'Appetizer' section of my cookbook, but have found that it makes the perfect lunch!  (And don't let the fact that it uses puff pastry intimidate you - it is very easy to use!)

Apricot Turkey Pinwheels

¼ cup apricot preserve
½ teaspoon ground mustard
¼ pounds sliced deli turkey
½ cup Monterey Jack cheese
1 sheet Puff Pastry

Spread apricot preserves onto puff pastry sheet. Sprinkle with ground mustard. Layer with turkey and Monterey Jack cheese. Roll up jelly-roll style. Cut into 16 slices. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned.

More Happiness On A Stick

Remember those cakepops that I mentioned a couple months ago?  As it turns out, those things are pretty popular!  Shortly after I wrote that post, I made a couple batches to send into my husband's office (mostly because I wanted to try making them again and didn't want them sitting at my house and partly because the company he works for is pretty darn good to my family - and not just in the form of the paycheck they send home with him every 2 weeks.)  I had a pretty awesome afternoon reading all of the e-mails he forwarded me from his co-workers thanking him (and me) for the cakepops and raving about good they were.  Also among those e-mails?  A request that I make 200 of those little pops for a birthday party that one of his co-workers was hosting the following weekend - for which she would pay me!  I hemmed and I hawed for a few hours before deciding to take on the challenge.  The end result?

(The host used styrofoam rings to 'stand' the pops around centerpieces of cotton candy, which is the dessert specialty of the venue where the birthday party was held.  I unfortunately do not have any pictures, as they were delivered while I was hosting my sister's baby shower - thank you my husband and kids for that one!)

Imagine my surprise when I got an e-mail shortly after the party asking me if I would make a batch for a bachelorette party!  And another asking for cakepops for a bridal shower!  And another one for a baby shower!  And an engagement party!  You honestly could have tipped me over with a feather!  Those e-mails have led to these:

And these:

And this.

Excitement Might Be Overrated

Several months ago, a guy I used to work with contacted me with a proposition.  Yes - that kind of proposition.  His thoughts on why it would be a good idea?  "You need a little excitement in your life."  Ummm . . . yes.  Yes I do.  Not, however, in that way.

(Let's pause for one second while I say this:  while I in no way condone cheating on one's spouse, I will not pass judgement on those who do - for many, many reasons, none of which I care to discuss right now.  And also?  Flattered is putting it mildly.  I had 4 babies in 4 years and am a stay-at-home-mom . . . the fact that someone from my past saw a picture of me on Facebook and thought that I still had it?  Don't tell me you wouldn't have gotten just a little excited!)

Anyway . . . after getting over the initial shock of being contacted out-of-the-blue with such a bold request, I have to admit that I was a little ticked off.  I mean, seriously!  Who is he to say that my life needs some excitement in it?!  And how dare he assume that cheating on my husband is the way I want to go about getting it!  And then I was a little sad because honestly?  It's true.  Don't get me wrong - being a mother and a wife and a homeowner and a pet owner and all the dozens of other 'things' that I am is exciting - and each in their own way - but after 6+ years as one, 8+ years as another, and still more as some of the others, I really could use something fresh.  Apparently, the Universe was listening.

Thanks to a couple batches of that I made for fun and sent into my husband's office, I am now apparently in the business of making cakepops!  To date, I have made them for a birthday party, a baby shower, a BBQ, and a bachelorette party, and I have orders for another birthday party, a bridal dinner, a bridal shower, and an engagement party.  And I am not just making them - I am getting paid to make them.

(Here is where I will pause again and tell you this:  I don't know the first thing about running my own business.  To date, I have determined that the health department says that my kitchen needs to be certified as commercial grade in order for me to make and sell things from it - which would be fine if it didn't involve a 21-page application, a non-refundable $100 application fee, an additional $48/hour to review said application, an inspection that must be paid for . . . and so on and so on.  I can choose to omit this step, but if I register my business so that I can file taxes for it and advertise and the health department catches wind of it, they will fine me.  Plus . . .)

This is scary.  Exciting, but scary.  Trying something new.  Adding to the chaos that already exists in a household with 3 kids, a workaholic husband, and a dog.  Meeting demands and timelines and staying up later than I have in YEARS.  This is an amazing opportunity for me and something that I enjoy doing (not just the cakepops, but baking in general - which is why advertising would be nice . . . I make a mean Bundt cake!)  But . . . I am not sure that I can.  As much as I want to, I am simultaneously being choked with self-doubt, and while I can look to well over a dozen of you, dear readers, to find inspiration in taking a big chance and going for it, I just can't bring myself to step to the edge of that metaphorical gap to even think about taking the leap.

I have given myself until the end of the summer to decide what I want to do and to figure out how to go about doing it.  The Kindergartner will be in 1st grade in the fall, going to school all day, everyday and The Preschooler will be in her second year of preschool, going Monday through Thursday afternoons.  The Toddler is so easy-going and content that it is feasible for me to take this on, and I can't tell you what it would do for my self-worth to have something that is not only my very own, but for which I am recognized (though, to be fair, The Preschooler did thank me for helping her wipe after her last trip to the bathroom.)  Honestly though?  Just thinking about making some decisions has me completely overwhelmed.

I am hopeful that this is one of those things that will become clear to me as time goes on; that the little lightbulb that seems to pop on when it is time to jump on something and go will either burst from brightness or fall completely out of the socket and shatter, making it crystal clear to me what I should do.  A girl can dream, right?!

As American As Apple Pie - Only Easier

Easier Than Apple Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust
1 egg white, lightly beaten
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (about 4 medium apples)
1 teaspoon sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare crust as directed on package. Place on foil-lined baking sheet. If necessary, press out any folds or creases. Brush crust with about ½ of the beaten egg white.

Mix ¾ cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Toss with apples. Spoon into center of crust, spreading to within 2 inches of edges. Fold 2-inch edge over apples, pleating of folding crust as needed. Brush crust with remaining egg white; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.

Bake 20 minutes or until apples are tender. Cool slightly before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

(All the taste of a homemade apple pie with WAY less work.  And awesome with vanilla ice cream!)

If Only Squinting Really Hard Actually Worked

At least a half-dozen times a day I tell one of my kids to focus on what it is that they are doing.  To The Kindergartner it is usually, "Please stop looking around and focus on getting all of your pee into the potty."  To The Preschooler it is usually, "Please stop daydreaming and focus on eating your lunch in a timely manner."  And to The Toddler it is usually, "Let's stop trying to catch the moth flying through the playroom and focus on getting your diaper changed."  What has been sorely lacking as of late, is someone looking me in the eye and telling me that it is time to focus.

I want to blame my blogging hiatus, the stack of papers on my desk, the unfinished papercraft projects, and the dozens of others things that need to get done on the fact that the kids are out of school for the summer or on the fact that my husband has been working an insane amount as of late or on the fact that I have taken on too much and just don't know where to start in clearing some of it off of my plate, but the reality is that I am lacking in focus.  I know how to get the things that need to get done and the things that I want to get done accomplished, I am just lacking the direction (and sometimes motivation) to do it.

In the past, I have struggled with the opposite - having so much drive and determination that I missed out on the things happening around me; I was so hell-bent on getting from Point A to Point B that I forgot to enjoy the journey that was getting there.  And yet, despite the fact that my focus is all but gone, I still seem to be forgetting to enjoy the journey.  I am putting the little things that don't matter a bit before the big things, obsessing over the things that I can't (and actually really don't need to) control, and getting myself so worked up over all of it that I am lost and overwhelmed before I even try to start.

Like nearly everyone I know, I flipped the calendar yesterday and declared that there was no way that it was July 1st.  June (like nearly every month before it) has flown by, and I wince every time I walk through the kitchen and glance at all of the things being added to the 31 days in July.  Before I know it, it will be August.  The pool will be closing, the kids will be back in school, the days will be getting shorter, and the weather will be getting colder.  And then it will be September and then October and . . . you get the idea.

I want to dig in my heels and deny that time is flying by - and to deny that I am wasting it by failing to pull my head out of my rear and focus on the things happening around me.  It is time, however, to stop.  There is probably an analogy to be made about remembering to smell the roses at the same time I am weeding the garden, and a lesson to learned about multi-tasking and about having the courage to say no once in awhile and I am hopeful that I find them both - sooner, rather than later.