Bubbles

I couldn't resist. Momo was calling himself "Santa Claus" as he piled soapy bubbles onto his chin. "Know what, Momo, Santa Claus isn't real," reminded his sister. She enjoys the bubbles, but being a girly girl, she didn't want to get too crazy. Bubbles in her nose doesn't make her happy.... you know how girls are. But she had fun 'bathing' Momo with all the soap, and cleaning it off for him.

Weekend

Some photos from the weekend. Claire likes to put on a 'show' of some sort of ballet (The Nutcracker inspired) now, and Momo mixes dancing with conducting a train. He also insisted that I took a picture of him with Brown Cloud. It was a fun weekend which ended with the kids taking a bath with Daddy!

Blueberry Muffin

Quite possibly the best blueberry muffin recipe. It was not all my idea, but due to limited resources at home, I had to change the recipe a little bit from its original, so I feel okay calling it my own! If you have some left over, do heat it up before eating (microwave is fine) and you will get the same soft, smooth, warm flavor like it just came out of the oven. It's such an easy recipe that our kids were able to make it by themselves (with a tiny bit of help from me)!

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 oz sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 half pints fresh or frozen (drained) blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, sour cream and buttermilk. Mix well together.

In another bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Gradually add this to the wet ingredient bowl. Fold in blueberries and make sure the batter is well mixed, but not over mixed.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin pans. Bake 25-30 minutes until muffins are lightly brown on top and a cake tester comes out clean (knife or toothpick work, too).

If you bake this in a loaf pan, follow the same directions. It will take 10-15 minutes longer to bake.

Market

The kids and I went to the market yesterday. They were good little helpers, I must say. I gave them each a basket and a $5 bill, both of which came in handy. It had been a long time since the three of us went to the market together, so it was a fun treat to walk by all the vendors with them.




We got some Indian Naan bread for a snack and sat down to eat in front of a performer playing a UFO-like instrument. He was busy talking and playing that I didn't get a chance to ask him what the name of the instrument was. All I heard was that it can cost up to $1,500 each! Momo was especially mesmerized by the music and the performer. "Why does he close his eyes when he's playing, Mama," asked Claire. "Because he really likes the music he's playing," was my reply. How else do you answer that question so that a three year old can understand?


We managed to purchase some produce and honey after that. The little baskets were full, and our experience satisfied.

Cheese

Our current favorite cheese is made in Point Reyes Station, just north of San Francisco. We were introduced to it in Cayucos, not by the taste, but the aroma. In fact, it wasn't love at first smell for the cheese stunk so much that we were sure there was something not so alive in the house where Case and Maude were housesitting. "It's the cheese!" they warned. "It's really stinky, but it's sooooo good!" they tried to assure us. That same evening, we took the stinky cheese down to the beach with a delicious loaf of french baguette. As soon as the creamy stuff entered our mouths, the apprehension faded, and a love affair with the cheese began.

Cowgirl Creamery produces a variety of cheeses, not just the stinky one we had, which by the way, is called "Red Hawk". We have also enjoyed the "Mt. Tam", and "Pierce Pt" from them. They have a store front in the Ferry Building in San Francisco where we can purchase these heavenly creamy bundles. Soon, I hope, we can visit the true source, meet the cows, and the producers in person. They have a website if you would like to read more about them:
www.cowgirlcreamery.com

Meanwhile, we have a few stinky and not so stinky chunks of goodness in our fridge to enjoy!

Sonoma

Our trip to Sonoma was short, but sweet. We arrived at night and were greeted by Terry, Rob Lile, and Ginny, the latter two being those who had traveled far (very far for Rob) to be with us all. Our kids were treated to a late night (past 10pm) and Mommy and Daddy sleeping with them in their beds.




The following day we all had an adventure in San Francisco. Rob had never visited the city, so we thought he deserved at least a cable car ride, knowing full well that all the children would enjoy it just as much. The cable car took us up and down the hills of the city by the bay, ending up near North Beach, the home of Little Italy. We had lunch there, walked through Chinatown, and took the bus back to the downtown area to pick up our cars.


We shared stories back at the Sonoma house over a great meal. Claire helped Grandma make pumpkin bars, and helped lick the spatula clean. Rob showed us photos of his home and his friends. He also tried to tempt us to move to New Zealand which he may succeed at some point in the near future. Both Ginny and Rob had to leave this morning: Ginny back to Michigan and Rob to Canada for a two week pre-baby ski trip.


Though it was a very short visit with them and Terry and Anders, we all had a wonderful time. Having Rob there felt as if a little piece of Chris is still very much alive and with us today.

To Sonoma

We are driving to Sonoma tonight after Jim gets done with work. Grandma MacDonald is spending the week there, and she just received a surprise visit from Chris' New Zealander friend Rob Lile, direct from New Zealand! Nickolai is out of town, unfortunately, and Dave is back holding fort in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We will have fun, regardless, with lots of stories to share and little toddlers roaming free in the wine country.

House Photos

The agent took photos of our house the other day in preparation for the listing in about 3 weeks or so. I decluttered, depersonalized, and beautified the house for the photo shoot. What do you think? Is it worth 720K? I would say no if you asked me (or anyone else anywhere else in the country), but the person across our street would say yes, since he bought his house which is identical to ours for 735K about 2 months ago!

Claire's Story

Claire's hair is getting long. Because it is also curly, it needs some taming. Every night after bath, I brush her hair, and usually braid it, so that when she wakes in the morning, she doesn't have crazy hair. Understandably, it's difficult for a little girl to stay still for the hairdo. She generally cooperates and doesn't fuss much. But tonight, she was impatient. She wiggled about quite a bit and asked: "why do I have to braid my hair every night?" "Do you want to have short hair then," said I. "NO! I don't want to look like a BOY!" she replied sitting more still. And she's just turned three!

Cold Day

Something is not right when the forecast for Boston is warmer than San Francisco. We are having a bit of a cold spell here. People are freaking out. I can tell that people here don't quite know how to dress when it's 30 something degrees outside. They have all sorts of layers on, mismatching colors and styles. Little do they know that they are lucky to have the sky be blue and the sun be shining. And that the New Englanders would pay anything for a day like today in mid January. Our kids mumble about being cold, too. Is it not nice to tell them that it's going to be colder in Cambridge next year, so toughen up??? At least they look cute in their winter hats!

Warm Day

It is a balmy January day in Northern California; the temperature is somewhere in the 70's. Hard to believe this is winter. I am soaking up the sun, opening all the windows and doors to let in fresh air. Like everything good thing in life, this will not last. So I am enjoying it while I can!

Scooter

Scooter, our black bunny, has had quite a life. We found Scooter 8 years ago at a pet shop in Hanover, New Hampshire. Jim was doing a medical rotation at Dartmouth, and I was visiting him. We happened to walk into the pet shop on a cold winter day for no rhyme or reason (probably for the warmth more than anything else). Our other rabbit, Tweetle, had passed away a few months prior and we were not looking to replace her.

But what did we see when we walked in, but two tiny black rabbits. One of them came up to us right away while the other was more shy and seemingly lazy. The pet shop owner told us that they were siblings, one male, one female. We couldn't resist the temptation to bring the friendly one home, which was in Maine at that time. We asked the shop what gender it was. A girl, they said. Great, we thought. Tweetle was a female bunny, too, so we already knew what to expect.

After a year or so in Maine, Scooter moved here with us to California. She took the cross country flight by herself (which I still wonder how it worked). She had a great life outdoors here, a whole patio to run around, and plenty of greens to eat year round. The birth of our children took our attention away from Scooter somewhat, but once the kids were old enough to appreciate her, Scooter got the love she deserved again.

Notice how I have been calling her a 'she' this whole time, right? Well, to us, Scooter will probably always be a she. But one day about a year and half ago, I took Scooter to the vet as I had found something lumpy and suspicious on her rear. "You said your bunny is a female?", asked the vet technician. "Yes," I replied with confidence. "Well, looks like it's a testicle that's swollen, and we should get a biopsy," announced the technician. I don't remember what I said, but in my head, what was more astonishing was the gender in question than the possible cancer in my bunny. A boy? Scooter is a boy bunny? That's impossible! I couldn't wait to tell Jim, who until this day refuses to accept the fact. By the way, the mass (swollen testicle) did turn out to be malignant. The surgery was supposed to be the cure.


Scooter turned 8 years old a month ago (pretty old for a bunny). Because we will be relocating back East, I don't think it's fair to a bunny to have to make the trek again. But I believe we have found the perfect home for Scooter. She/he, whatever you would like to use for Scooter, will be living at the kids' school. In fact, while we were in Thailand, they were so kind to let Scooter stay there for a month. The students love her, and she loves all the attention, too. She has been a wonderful pet for us and I am glad that she will spend the rest of her life in a loving environment. Needless to say, we will miss her dearly.

My Grandmother

My grandmother is a wonderful woman who will always be a huge part of my childhood memories. She is currently recovering from a surgery that removed cancerous tissues from her lung. Just about 4 years ago, she underwent chemotherapy and radiation for throat cancer. She suffered from a lot of pain: imagine your throat burning like fire from radiation treatments. And imagine trying to swallow in that condition, or sleep, or eat for that matter. But she was brave, and patient, and strong.


Her throat looks fine now, but the lung cancer was found almost by accident. She will have to recover from this surgery and perhaps tolerate through some more radiation. I know that she will be fine. My family is there by her side, but still I wish that I could be there to give her encouragement. I am so glad that we got to visit with her on our last lengthy visit to Thailand. And I know we will get to visit with her again on our next trip home. Regardless, I am thinking of her, sending her love, and support. Get well soon, grandma!

Bath

Just a few photos of a happy bath time. Lately we have added some oatmeal to the bath to help Claire with her rash (viral). Tonight was the first time in a few days that her rash was gone. But they still sprinkled some oatmeal bits inside just for fun.

Rainy Day

Our passion flower managed to bloom on this rainy day.

Addendum:
As the day went on, I realized why the flower was blooming amidst the rain shower today. Perhaps it is a tribute to Chris, Jim's late sister, as today is her birthday. We are thinking of you Chris, and wishing you a Happy Birthday wherever you are.

Happy New Year!

So far New Year's has been fun. Jim and I jogged with the kids in the stroller down to one of the coffee shops in town that is open today. We came back to play at the park, and home to clean up the patio (our garden). Now that it is 2007, the clock is ticking! We have 5 months left here in this house, and less than that to sell it. Think good house selling thoughts for us! We wish all our families and friends a very happy and healthy new year!