Train

During our stop over in San Francisco last weekend, we pretended like we were going to take the trolley somewhere. It was enough to satisfy Momo's love for trains.


He is currently fascinated by electric trains versus steam trains. But he still likes them all: steam, diesel, electric, sky, subway. As long as they are trains, he has declared his love for them.

Spring Getaway

Spring is in the air. The daffodils are in bloom, the magnolias are bursting, the sweet scents of cherry and plum blossoms are delectable. It is my favorite season in California.


We went to Sonoma on this long weekend, partly to get out of our house for the open house, partly to show our friends Case and Maude the wine country. The weather could not have been better for us: sunny and unusually warm for this time of year. We got to enjoy Sonoma at its best.


In between wineries where the kids did not set foot into the tasting rooms, but elsewhere on the outdoor grounds, we visited Jack London State Park. It is now a peaceful valley with vineyards, eucalyptus groves, remnants of buildings that used to make up this estate, and his house that is now a museum. We walked about the place, explored the sites, before refueling at the lovely Fig Cafe in Glen Ellen.


We also played at the Sonoma main square where the kids enjoyed the playgrounds. It was here that Jim and I were informed that we received an offer for our house. After a few phone calls, on the walk back home, it was confirmed to us that we are now in escrow. We have not signed on the dotted line. We have not seen the large sum of money. But we are in contract, on our way to selling our first home. It is a feeling I am not able to describe as part of me feels like I should be happy, but part of me knows that it is not quite real until it is a done deal.


Feeling a bit overwhelmed, we were lucky to be distracted by the beauty of Sonoma and the fun that we were all having. Meanwhile, the house is still ours until the closing date in mid-March. Spring has been a sweet one so far!

Open House

Our house is officially for sale! The first big open house is this weekend and we plan to stay far away from the house itself. Our friends Case and Maude will be visiting us from Los Angeles, to help us keep our minds from wondering who will be tramping through our home and who might want to spend money on it.


The process has just begun, but I am already feeling the unpredictability of this procedure. It may be easier with no children since there are times when I will be given moments of notice that I will have to prepare the house for a private viewing, mobilize the children, and leave the house in perfect condition. Stay tuned for the progress! And oh yes, wish us luck!

Valentine's

Happy Valentine's Day!

Clouds

It has been a rainy stretch of weather here, so when we saw the first glimpse of sunshine on Sunday, we took the chance and headed for the beach. On the way, Jim reminded me how lucky we are to live here. His parents had called that morning telling us how cold and snowy it was in Michigan, with something like 7F as a high temperature. We clearly have forgotten what that feels like!


The clouds in the sky show remnants of the rain storm of the previous days. The waves were big and fierce enough that we didn't go anywhere near the shore. But we all had fun finding treasure, climbing on drift wood, and wading in a shallow creek where the ocean meets the river.

Naan

There is a new Indian food stall at our farmer's market. Not only is it fun to have ethnic foods to snack on, it's also a lot of fun to watch the making of the naan. I think I enjoy it as much as the kids do.

Naan resembles pita bread and, like pita bread, is usually leavened with yeast. Naan usually cooks in a clay oven, although the one at the market does not look like one. Typically, the naan will be served hot and brushed with ghee or butter. It can be used to scoop other foods, or served stuffed with a filling. My favorite is naan stuffed with curry potatoes and peas. I have not had one since my Cambridge days (there is a plethora of great Indian restaurants in Central Square... Watch out, here we come!).


A typical naan recipe involves mixing white flour with salt, a yeast culture, and enough yogurt to make a smooth, elastic dough. The dough is kneaded for a few minutes, then set aside to rise for a few hours. Once risen, the dough is divided into balls, which are flattened and cooked.

I have made chapati in the past (a thinner version of naan, also eaten in India), but I think I would like to try making naan now that I am reintroduced to its delicious textures and flavors. And more importantly, our kids love it!

Weekend II

Before we found out about Scooter's death this weekend, we had a lovely outing by the beach and at a British Tea House. Here are some photos to prove. Claire was especially loving to her Daddy saying "I love you, Daddy!" throughout the outing. "I will always love you, Daddy!" Do you think we can get her to sign a contract for that one? It might come in handy in ten years time.

Farewell to Scooter

Scooter
12/12/1998 - 2/3/ 2007

Scooter passed away today. How, we don't quite know. When we left the house this morning, Scooter was still alive in his hutch. And upon our return, he was lying on the cement, outside of the hutch, no longer breathing. We could speculate all we want about how and why Scooter is gone. Was it a neighborhood cat that frightened Scooter? Did Scooter have a heart attack? Had he been sick and the falling was the straw that broke the camel's back? Whatever the reason, the fact is that Scooter is no longer with us and that is a very sad reality, indeed.


Ironically, I was going to transfer Scooter to the children's preschool this Monday in preparation for the open house weekend the following week. Though it was going to be sad, we were happy that Scooter was going to be with a bunch of children that would give him the attention and love he deserved. I wonder if he knew that he was going to leave our home, forever (as we were not planning to take him back East with us). I wonder if he decided that it was now or never, and he wanted to pass away in our home instead. We plan to bury Scooter this afternoon with the children, somewhere in nature. Good bye our dear bunny. He will always be remembered as the best bunny that ever lived.

Living Earth II

Living Earth Play School lives up to its name. Many of the days that I pick up the kids, I find them covered with, what else, but earth. Yes, mud. And those are usually happy days: it means that the kids had a blast digging, rolling, piling dirt in their sunny play yard. The kids are happy, and so are the teachers. Those are the days when our children sleep like a log once they snuggle up for a nap and bed time.


There are many things about living earth that I love for our children, and will miss dearly when we move away. I like its small size, with a maximum of 12 children on any one day. I like that they focus on nature, and have the kids play, and learn in nature.


I like it that when I ask about the children's day, the teachers can tell me specific things that OUR children did that day. It means that each child receives the attention he or she deserves and doesn't get lost amongst a big crowd.


Each day at Living Earth, the children grow a little more. Some days they come home with new songs, other days they come home with new words, new concepts, new sparkles in their eyes. For the first time in my life, I wish for a chain school: I wish that there was a Living Earth Play School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Is that too much to ask?

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.