Dynamic Duos

A & E had their second piano recital on Saturday and this one was twice as special as the last: it was a duet recital and, while the other students' partner was their private instructor, the girls had the special honor of inviting John to be their partner. It comes in handy having a Daddy who plays piano! 

Abby, Elise, and John - it has been such a treat watching the three of you work together. There were moments of frustration followed by moments of celebration! I have enjoyed taking a backseat while you tackle this project without me. And, on Saturday, your hard work more than paid off! It was a show of poise and dedication as well as teamwork and love. Definitely love.

Homemade Dog Treats

It is difficult for me to go a day without baking something, especially this time of year when we're inside quite often and keeping the thermostat turned down is a lovely excuse for turning on the oven. And I thought it should be made public that I bake for our animals (except the cat, Lucy, who is a butterball and needs no extra calories). Dog treats are a great baking activity for kids - it doesn't matter if the ingredients are out of whack, everything is edible (minus raw eggs), and they can be rolled, cut, carved into any shape. Go spoil your mutt - these treats are so good that Charlie is yet to have actually chewed one. Wait. Charlie doesn't chew any of her food. But I still believe that she finds these to be top-notch.

Homemade Dog Treats
adapted from A Kitchen Muse

• 2 1/2 C whole wheat flour (I can't remember, but I think we did 1 1/2 C organic whole wheat pastry flour and 1 C organic oats)
• 2 backyard eggs
• 1 C organic canned sweet potato
• 2 T organic peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp salt (can omit if your PB already has salt in it)
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix wet ingredients; add dry
• Roll out (using flour if sticky), cut into fun shapes, and bake for approximately 40 minutes (more or less depending on size)
• Spoil your dog... and everyone else's! This made a big batch - we shared them with at least 3 other puppy families and they lasted about 3 weeks. We also baked half of the dough and refrigerated the rest for a few days before baking the other half. 

And then there were 2...

In April 2013, we entered the world of backyard chickens... from raising the fluffy chicks in the house to building a coop to collecting eggs. Over that time, I've been the main chicken caregiver. The girls have been wonderful playmates for the flock and good egg retrievers and John is my reliable coop-closer at night. I've religiously cared for the ladies, building their humble abode, keeping them fed (well fed - I've learned that hens love warm oats, a nice bowl of yogurt, or a good helping of quinoa), watered, and clean, freeing them each morning to roam about the yard as chickens love to do. I've spent more time in the backyard, rain or snow or shine, tending to the flock. It hasn't bothered me one bit and, actually, I've quite enjoyed it (except during my first trimester, during which time the sight/smell/thought of the chickens made me wholeheartedly question my sanity in getting them - thank goodness that passed). I've only bought 6 eggs since July, and that's only because I dropped a carton of our girls' eggs. I had to tend to a dead chicken in the Fall when the neighbor's dog feasted upon Plum; I had to rescue a chicken from being pinned to the ground when a hawk attacked Lavender. No problem!

Last week, after dinner out, we got home around 8:30. John headed downstairs to let the dog out which was when he discovered Lavender on the patio. In the dark. Long past her roost-time. Strange? Yes. Worrisome? Not yet. I scooped her up, grabbed the flashlight, and headed to the coop. Hmmmm.... the fence was all closed up around their corner, so why was Lavender out and about? Strange? Yes. Worrisome? Not yet. I opened the fence, chicken still under my arm, and leaned in to stick her in the coop. I gave the doorway a quick shine of the flashlight and was met with two very large beady eyes. Strange? Yes. Worrisome? HELL YES! I screamed. Loud. Girly. Twice. And in that moment, for the first time, I thought "what have I done?".

We learned that night about opossums. Very large, ugly, chicken-eating opossums. Both Lavender and Pip had dug their way underneath the fence and escaped; sadly Peep was not so lucky. After a lot of pacing (with Lavender still under my arm, mind you), us non-farm-folk did the best thing we knew how to do: call someone who is. Within a 30 minutes, and sparing you a lot of details, one of John's co-workers came to our rescue and left with both the opossum and the dead chicken. And I'll tell you what - if you're a city-dweller who wants chickens, make sure in your network of contacts you have "that" person to call. Because I don't know a lot of others who would drop everything to wrastle a giant rodent.

Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever. Those are two words that I rarely use - I love being home and, much like my children, can easily occupy hours upon hours within the walls of our house. There is always something that can be crafted or baked, built or drawn, listened to or read. And still, in my second year away from the school system, I still eagerly await the announcement that it's going to be a snow day. I can't explain it but, if you're friends with me and work in the schools, you probably got a text, as usual, sharing my excitement over the cancellation. 

The snow days two weeks ago were different because they hit us at the very moment that we could either be devoured by or triumphantly overcome Cabin Fever. Within a week's time, Abby got sick, Elise got sick, I got sick, Abby got better, Elise seemed to be better, I got better, Elise got an ear infection, and we got snowed in. Cabin Fever clearly sunk it's claws into us.

The girls and I pick up a respiratory cold about once a year. In fact, I had Elise at the doctor on February 3rd this year and the last time I had been there with a sick child was on January 21st, 2013... one year ago. I don't dislike doctors; I believe in the power of healthy bodies to heal. I am not anti-medication; I believe in the power of healthy bodies to heal. It is hard holding steadfast to that kind of belief when I live in a world where people inundate their bodies with medication... pain relievers and cough syrups, antibiotics and antihistamines. Do the research: illnesses and diseases are smart - they learn to navigate drug-infested systems and grow bigger, stronger, and more resilient. And I can't help but wonder what it does to a healthy system to be attacked by these power-house germs? Stepping down from my soap box now. Just food for thought next time you reach for the medicine cabinet instead of a cup of tea.

We are all well... the snow has melted... and we kicked Cabin Fever's ugly face to the wayside. Enjoy some pics from our time together, both in and out of the house!

Making salt-dough Valentine magnets...

KU Women's basketball game...

From snow to shorts...

Foodie Friday

Food is always a priority around here. I will happily surrender whatever "wiggle room" there may be in our budget for groceries - I can happily go weeks at a time without purchasing anything else. I read recently that it costs an average of $191 a week to feed a family of four real, unprocessed, whole foods. We may not spend that much each week, but when push comes to shove, I'd rather buy a few extra organic food items than a new shirt. It's just worth it to me. Here's a look at what happened in our kitchen this week, not an all-inclusive menu - just a few highlights:

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

• I already shared this recipe, but wanted to put it back out here because it is so easy and makes such a good loaf of bread. I made this for John and the girls to enjoy for tuna sandwiches the night that I taught Baby Sing and Sign this week and we've been enjoying it toasted in the mornings with a shmear of coconut oil.

Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup - Using egg yolks in soup may seem odd - it did to me at first. But I've made this soup several times and the egg yolks give it such a great creaminess and, combined with the lemon, a wonderful flavor. I don't add any extra salt or other seasonings - just the veggies, chicken, broth, egg yolks, and lemon.

adapted from Good Life eats

• 1 large organic chicken breast
• 1/2 organic onion
• 2 organic carrots
• 1 large organic garlic clove; pressed
• 2 backyard egg yolks
• 1/2 organic lemon; juiced
• 1 32-ounce box organic, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 C whole wheat orzo
• 2 C organic kale; chopped
• Saute the chicken breasts until cooked through; shred and set aside
• Saute the onion and carrots for 5-10 minutes in olive oil; add garlic and saute 2-3 minutes more
• In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and lemon juice
• After veggies are softened and fragrant, pour in chicken broth; bring to a boil
• Temper egg yolks slowly with 1 C hot broth; add all back into pot
• Keep heat at or below medium - do not boil again
• Add shredded chicken and orzo; simmer until orzo is cooked
• Add kale and simmer until kale is wilted

Simple Whole Wheat Muffins
adapted from Pastry Affair

• 3 T organic, unsalted butter; melted
• 2 T organic coconut oil; melted
• 1/2 C organic coconut sugar
• 1 backyard egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 C organic whole wheat flour
• 3/4 C organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (I've started using pink Himalayan salt for all my baking)
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 - 3/4 C whole milk (add milk last as the quantity depends on your flours - whole wheat varieties need more liquid)
• Bake at 350 degrees in a greased muffin tin
• I made mini-muffins and I think they baked for 10 minutes, or so (but keep an eye if you make these as I'm not positive); made 24 mini muffins

Whole Wheat Brownies
adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

• 1 stick organic, unsalted butter; melted
• 1 C organic coconut sugar
• 1 1/8 oz organic, unsweetened cocoa powder (I weighed this on our kitchen scale because I was dividing a recipe in half)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 large, backyard eggs
• 3/4 C organic, whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 C homemade toffee chips (this is the result of the over-cooked batch of Christmas caramels that we're putting to good use!)
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Combine melted butter and sugar in a heat-proof bowl; place bowl over a pot of simmering water and heat until fully combined
• Remove from heat and add cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla
• Stir in eggs one at a time
• Add flour
• Mix in chocolate chips and toffee (or any other additions)
• Butter an 8x8 glass pan
• Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean
• This batter was thick... but the brownies are soft and delish! As you can see, the 8x8 pan produces thick brownies - I might try the same recipe next time but a slightly larger dish with a decreased baking time, just to make some flatter treats. Not that we're complaining... these will be served up at our weekly group dinner tonight with Talenti vanilla bean gelato and Valentine's sprinkles, per the request of my lovely sous chefs. :)

My sweet little ogres...

One minute we're outside, riding bikes jacket-free. The next minute, we're bundled to the max, wearing boots and slurping soup. The cold weather has virtually no impact on the girls - they are in such a groove right now with one another... all day long, they move from playing Shrek and Fiona to coloring to the dollhouse to singing/dancing to legos to reading to pretending to be Maria and Liesel. I have always thought, in my back of my mind, that we should separate them occasionally - give each one some one-on-one time without the other. But we've just never seen it as a necessity - they get along so well the vast majority of the time that we just roll with it. Over the past couple of weeks, the tides have turned: if I'm running an errand, one might choose to go and one stay, which never happened before; they both always stuck together. However, during a split over the weekend, a song came on the car radio to which Elise commented "this would be much more fun to sing with Abby here". Upon returning home, John shared that, while playing "dizzy games", Abby commented "I wish Elise was here to play dizzy with me". 

Clearly, we think siblings are important (including the soon-to-be baby of the family who is currently kicking at about the same rate that I'm typing). But having the companionship of a twin is amazing and I love that we've kept them together - in so many families, especially when there are age differences, older ones head off to preschool when the babies are just becoming interactive. I feel like keeping the girls together has provided them with the time and the opportunities to learn how to navigate a truly intimate relationship, skills I have to believe will be powerful in future relationships. 

Toss A Toy

Ahhhh.... is there anything better than a little sunshine and fresh air? Why yes, yes there is: Sunshine and fresh air and a clean car and chickens! Perfect score!

Abby and Elise - you spent the afternoon outside yesterday, pretending to be Laura and Mary from Little House on the Prairie. As you can see in the pic, Abby, your pants are soaked from scooping and pouring the remaining snow/sludge/water. Elise, your hands were completely covered in mud, which you so proudly stated "made you look just like Laura", a fellow nature-lover. Abby, you made sure to give Pip some love because, according to you, "the chickens have not been held very much lately", which is entirely true. 

Some dirt, a few containers/pots, shovels to scoop with, fresh air, and a few chickens - those were the ingredients yesterday for happy kids. That's it. And the chickens are really an added bonus - this recipe could easily be pulled off without poultry. Sometimes I just have to sit back and watch the girls as they play as my reminder of how fulfilling the simplicity is. Peruse this blog entry: Why Fewer Toys Will Benefit Your Kids. Each and every bullet-point is an absolute "must" in my book-o-parenting. And if replacing a toy with an extra shovel or trading in the cute shoes for durable outdoor boots gets us one step closer, I'm all in! Yesterday was proof of how worthless toys can be and how much I love the continued influence of Laura and Mary Ingalls.