home, home on the range

These are the melted and charred bits of the old range. It burned almost through the metal back plate-y thing, too. Scary! The kitchen windows were wide open all night with a fan running, and it still stinks down there.

Here it is - the new range! I stopped to check out what they had in store at Sears, and what good timing! It looked like a yard sale in there. It turns out that they're re-doing all of their floor displays, so they're clearing out certain items. I'm getting the above range (which has been sitting in the display) for over $100 less than it would be if I ordered one new. Yay! It's pretty much exactly what I was looking for (smooth top would be glorious, but that one is about $100 more). It has two terrific features I'm especially thankful for. One is a hidden bottom element in the oven, which will make for much easier cleaning, and the other is a stove top which lifts up like the hood of a car so it can be easily cleaned. I'm quite excited, as I've never had a new oven to play with. I won't have to fanatically rotate things to avoid burning the back right corner! Hallelujah!

sweet baby and an oven that's toast

I took these pictures of Phillip this afternoon when he was playing with his dad, before the incident du jour.

We were going to have some friends over for supper, so I had lasagna and bread in the oven. Phillip was taking a short nap, and Adam and I were looking at the pictures I had taken. Then we noticed a melty plastic kind of burning. Of course, we thought the worst - that it was the computer. So Adam sniffed around and looked at everything, and it wasn't. We went all around the house to try to find the source - the smell was strongest in the kitchen, but there was no discernible source. I opened the oven, and it just smelled like lasagna and bread (which was pretty tasty, by the way!). It was getting pretty awful, so I got Phillip and went outside while Adam kept searching - turns out it was the top part of the stove - there was smoke coming from behind the dials. The stove is ancient and came with the house, so it's not a big loss. And it will be very nice to have an oven large enough to fit my pans in. But we weren't exactly planning on another major purchase, right after the new computer. Sigh. Anyhoo, we called the friends and asked if it was OK for us to take supper to them, and they graciously agreed. We had a lovely time, and Phillip was a gem. As usual.

roasted fall vegetable soup

I made this roasted fall vegetable soup today for lunch. The recipe is from Everyday Food, and you can find it here.
It's made with potatoes, squash, and carrots, which were all from the farmer's market. I found it needed a bit of salt, and I think that maybe if a bay leaf or two were added and left to simmer, it might be even better. Yum!

battle scars

Adam took this photo when Phillip was just a few weeks old - they've faded considerably. But honestly, they don't bother me at all. Those little feet are worth it.

apple pie

Adam, Phillip and I went to Wallace Brothers Farm this afternoon to pick some apples and pears at their weekend U-pick. Last September was our first time there. The first thing Adam said when we got home was "Should I start peeling now?"

The crust recipe I use is here; there's only butter, flour, sugar and water in it. It calls for 3 cups flour; I used 2 white and 1 whole wheat.

I don't really use a recipe for the apple part, I just add some sugar and cinnamon to the cut apples, plop them on the bottom crust, and add the top crust. And a decorative apple for good measure.

Enough of the pretty pictures - on to the funny part. I try to seem somewhat put together for the most part, but all of that went out the window during this whole pie process. I had a bit of leftover dough, so I made a few little apple tarts. I was trying to dislodge one from the very hot muffin tin, when I touched the pan with my pinkie. My finger instinctively flew to my mouth, which ordinarily wouldn't have been a big deal. Today, however, I happened to have a glass bowl in the same hand. Up flies my hand, the bowl whacks my left eyebrow, which sends it sailing, in slow motion, arcing through the air and exploding on the pantry floor. Good grief, what a mess. And of course, we keep the broom in the pantry, behind where said explosion occurred. Alas, it's all cleaned up and Adam just came all the way upstairs just to tell me how tasty the pie is. So I'd better go have a piece!

soggy around the edges

It's that kind of a day. It's raining torrentially (so I guess it's more than soggy around the edges) and Phillip and I are hanging out at home, enjoying each other's company.
I made some granola bars this morning, from a recipe adapted from this one. They're great for healthy snacks to take along on a walk or to work, and you can add your favourite dried fruit (or chocolate chips) for whatever variations you want to try out! Raisins and chocolate chips is an excellent combination. Here's the recipe, with my modifications:

Granola bars

Mix together in large mixing bowl:
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 c packed brown sugar (they still taste fine with a little bit less)
1/2 c wheat germ
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together, then add to dry ingredients:
1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c honey
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla

Add dried cranberries and almonds, stir to combine and press into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven, let sit 10 minutes, and cut into bars. Remove bars from pan after they've cooled.


Phillip is quite the little bookworm! He loves being read to and looks at the pages until you turn them. And as you can see, he's sitting up beautifully, with a little bit of help. And yes, his tongue is out again! I think it's default is 'out'. Maybe some teeth will help to hold it in! Happy weekend!

the goods from yesterday

On our Frenchy's trip yesterday, I found these Children's Place slippers for Phillip. They should be just the right size when the weather gets cooler, and he'll need something cozy on his feet for around the house.


Everything requires thought when it comes to stuff for Phillip, and sometimes I wonder if I'm overthinking things a bit. I found this crib sheet awhile ago, but I just found the skirt yesterday at Frenchy's. The sheet dilemma - it has cars on it. Very cute cars, but we don't want Phillip to think that people have to have cars, or that they're a 'boy thing'. Even though we have a car (which, since I've been on maternity leave and not driving for work all of the time has shaded the grass in its spot so much that it's died. Yay!) Now that I read that back, I think that's overthinking a bit - we have a car, people drive cars, it's not a big deal to have a few cars (and planes and boats and stars) on a crib sheet. Surely we'll be able to talk to him about responsible living on this planet and all of his learning won't come from the sheets he slept on as an infant!

On to the skirt: I'd been looking for a plain white one - hard to come by! I found this one yesterday, and the ruffles were the thing. Are they too girly? Should I buy it just because it's girly, to prove a point? We're not trying to make Phillip into a manly man, and it's fine if he wants to wear pink. Back in the day, kids were often dressed the same, regardless of sex.

Anyway, the sheet and skirt are there and staying for now. I know that it's really not a big deal, and I think it definitely makes the crib look more inviting.

the cat picked a great place to hide

When I arrrived home yesterday, after a lovely day spent Frenchy's shopping, the shed caught my eye. "Oh," I thought. "Adam must have been working on something around the shed." But as I got closer to said shed, I saw that the upturned soil was not the work of human hands, but that of a neighbourhood dog. Cats often go under our shed. Dog sees cat; dog chases cat; cat runs under shed; stupid dog digs up around two full sides of shed to get to cat. Argh, what a mess!

sweater

Ingrid knit this beautiful sweater for Phillip and he wore it out and about yesterday when Mom and I went Frenchy's shopping 'up the line' (translation: to the Clare area). He got lots of comments on how cute he looks in it, and no wonder! Adam took the photo before we left.

meeting great-nana

My favourite picture (taken by MIL, thanks!) from our long weekend with the fam.

sleeping

3 month check-up

Are these not the chubbiest feet ever? It looks like Phillip's toes are going to pop right off. We went for his 3 month check-up this afternoon, and he weighs 15 pounds 11 oz and is 24 inches long. I think he's actually a bit longer, but he was screaming and pulling his legs up when we were there, so the doctor was having a hard time measuring him. At 4:15 the other morning, he had his legs stretched out straight, and I measured 27 inches. He's a tall one!

To those of you who won the soap, I dropped it off at the post office this afternoon. This is a bar from that batch. I didn't dry it for very long, so it may be soft when it arrives - just leave it out in the air for a couple of days so it can harden a bit, and it will last longer once you start using it. Enjoy!

hiding spiders and other miscellany

I was taking a few pictures in the garden...

when I noticed someone sneaking into them.

Clematis seed thingy - I think it's beautiful!

The cutest little pumpkins from the farmer's market. Currently serving as a centrepiece, but perhaps I'll use them as serving bowls for soup. Mmmm, I love pumpkin season!

walk on the waterfront

Picture from here. I met up with another mom and babe from prenatal class on Friday to go for a walk on the waterfront. Phillip was hungry when we met up, so I fed him, changed him, and was just getting him secured in his stroller when - SPLAT! We were hit by a massive spray of seagull poop. It was on my sweater, t-shirt, and back of my neck. Also on the stroller, Phillip's pants, one glop on Phillip's forehead, and surrounding my feet. The other mom (who I don't know very well, so I was a bit more embarrassed than I would have been otherwise) was kind enough to help me get it off of me, and she pointed out that the worst of it missed us!

do you wax your mailbox?

Yes, folks, I wrote 'wax your mailbox'. I have been instructed by the box my new mailbox arrived in that I should wash and wax it every few weeks. It also merits the heading 'IMPORTANT'. Are there people out there who are spending their Saturday afternoons washing and waxing their mailboxes? Am I missing out on a key to successful life as a human? Where have I been all this time? Why didn't anyone tell me sooner?

and the winners are...

Congratulations to Jessicah, SarahC, and Mama! Adam drew your names this morning. E-mail me your mailing addresses (grahamsherrie at yahoo dot ca), and I will send some soap off to you as soon as it's made; hopefully this week. Any preferences for type? I'll see what I can do to accommodate those. Happy washing!

hands, hands, hands

It's all about the hands these days.

last day for contest entries

Just a reminder - the draw for soap made by me will be tomorrow morning from comments on Monday's post... all comments have to be in sometime today (Friday September 7). Happy commenting!

3 months

Mother-in-law took this picture of Phillip over the weekend. He's now 3 months old!

skin deep, bar soap, and a contest!

Skin Deep: I've been telling lots of people about Skin Deep, a fabulous resource from the Environmental Working Group for finding out about the health and beauty products you use. I'm not trying to scare anyone, just give you a great resource for information. The ingredients in these types of products aren't regulated, and there are some nasty things in many products. There are also better alternatives! You can search for information on specific products you use (there are over 25000 on the database), and browse products if you're looking for a low hazard item. Items are rated on a scale of 1-10, and when you click on an item, you can read the explanation for the rating. Definitely worth spending some time perusing! My goal is to have all products I use rated 5 or under.


Bar soap & contest: There's also an interesting article here about benefits of using bar soap rather than liquid. Would you like me to make you some? I haven't really gotten into many blogging contests yet, so perhaps it's time to do one myself. I've had a hankering to make a batch of soap (and I always like comments) - I'll draw three names from those who have commented on this post on or before this Friday, September 7. Those drawn will receive a complimentary bar of soap made by yours truly! Comments need to include something about the cosmetics products you use. I can't wait to see the comments!

PS- Speaking of comments, I've had a couple of people tell me they've had trouble commenting. If you click on 'comments' under any post, a window should pop up where you can type your comment in the empty box. If you don't have a blogger account, you can choose 'anonymous' and 'publish your comment'. That should do the trick!

moby wrap

I received this Moby Wrap in yesterday's mail, and I LOVE it! (I ordered it, it didn't just appear in my mailbox.) I thought it would take quite awhile to get used to it, but it literally took 5 minutes. It is infinitely more comfortable than any of the many other carriers and slings we've tried, and Phillip loves it! At the aforementioned baby shower, I wore him in it for an hour and a half, and we were both comfortable and content. I don't find that I lean back the way I do when wearing him in a Snugli, for example, so that is easier on my back. The weight is distributed evenly, the fabric is incredibly soft and stretchy, I don't feel like I have to keep a hand up to support Phillip, it can be worn a zillion different ways, and on and on. I bought it directly from someone who was selling it on her own, but check out mobywrap.com for more info. We're travelling a bit this weekend, and it is number one on my packing list!

lemon bars & shower gift

I made these lemon bars for a friend's baby shower I attended last evening - they're one of those things I make when I'm taking them somewhere, otherwise I just might end up eating them all. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar, divided
2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1 cup plus 2 tbsp flour, divided
3 tbsp lemon juice
icing sugar

Steps:
Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter in medium mixing bowl for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until combined. Beat in 1 c flour until crumbly, and press into 8x8 pan. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until golden. In the meantime, combine eggs, 3/4 c sugar, 2 tbsp flour, lemon peel and lemon juice. Beat until combined. Remove shortbread base from oven and pour filling over it. Bake 20 minutes longer, or until set. Cool, cut into bars and sift icing sugar over top, if desired. Meyer lemons, limes, or any citrus fruit could be substituted in for the lemon. Yummmmmm!




And here are a couple of pictures of the gift tags I made for the mum-to-be. I thought they turned out quite well. In case you're curious, I included reusable and disposable nursing pads, a nursing canopy, and lanolin in the basket. All things I've found very useful!

messiness

I listened to most of an episode of Talking Books on CBC yesterday, as Phillip and I were driving home from my parent's house. "A Perfect Mess: the hidden benefits of disorder" by Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman was the book being discussed, and I think I would like to read it, if only to make myself more comfortable with the seemingly inevitable mess around me. I found it interesting that all of the guests described themselves as messy, as far as their workspaces were concerned - I think most people are, to varying degrees. One of the things that stuck out in my mind was that the universe was designed in an orderly way, but tends to chaos. Sounds just like my house! People fit into categories of truly neat and anal, peple having the appearance of neatness and order while the drawers are filled with mess (unfortunately, I think this is me) and messy people. I have two friends who pop to mind immediately when I think of people who have orderly minds. I find it interesting that one of them is also very orderly in her appearance and surroundings, while the other most definitely is not. I try to be orderly; I find it very calming. It's also nice to be able to find things when you need them, without a time-consuming hunt. While I love to have things organized, orderly, and easy to find, my mind is most definitely not. Especially these days, having the wee one around, I find it's like the jumble of tacks, elastics, erasers, post-its, paper clips in a desk drawer. Everything's piled together and it takes a bit of extracting in order to find what you need. Having said that, my desk at work is usually very neat, and I generally know where things are (paper clips are in one place, tacks in another). The car is tidy (canvas totes tucked neatly in the trunk), the bedroom is tidy, but I always feel as though I'm fighting "the mess", especially in the office-y room. These days, I'm starting to accept some of the mess, as I spend my time watching Phillip smiling and cooing. That makes just about everything better. At the same time, I can't wallow in clutter until he leaves home. Like everything else in life, I guess it's a balance; finding the right place on the continuum. Note the conspicuous absence of a picture accompanying this post; I'm not yet comfortable enough with my mess to share it with the world!

embroidered bag

This is the great bag I alluded to earlier, which I picked up at Frenchy's the other day. I love it! I have another crafty thing to post about, but it has to wait until after a baby shower this week (wink, wink, SW!)

slept through the night!

This happy baby slept through the night on the weekend! 11 until 5, which I thought was great. Kind of a loose definition of sleeping through, but it works for me! MIL took this pic when they were here last week.

loaf pans

I found these loaf pans at an antiques place on Saturday, and I am in LOVE! They fit right in with the rest of the kitchen. It annoys me when places charge way too much for junk, and call themselves 'antiques' dealers when there's really a whole lot of junk and a few treasures. This place isn't as bad as some, although they were charging $10 for a commemorative civil (?) war musket trinet thingy which I saw at Frenchy's on Friday and would have been charged 10 or 25 cents for. Sheesh!

farmer's market

I went to the farmer's market on Saturday, and came home with lots of goodies, including these plums... Lots of tomatoes, for only $1.50...
and blackberries, yum!
I also came home with carrots and blueberries. Delicious!