watching, waiting, and watching some more

Little Al is missing today.  Karl let him out early this morning.  It's shocking that he wanted to go out at all this time of year!  When we open the door for him in the winter, he usually stretches his neck out, sniffs a few times at the open door, and hightails it back inside.  We can see evidence (his tracks) that he went under our deck, but Karl checked for him at midday, and he wasn't there anymore.  We walked along the bike path and nearby streets, talked to three neighbors across the street, and sent almost every other neighbor a message on facebook to keep an eye out for him.  Whatever happened to him must've occurred shortly after getting out because he would never be gone this long when it is this cold out.  I'm hoping he's trapped in someone's garage, and will show up tomorrow.  I keep expecting to see him standing at the window with his claws stuck in the screen every time I look out the living  room window...

In other news, Albin is done sorting Magic cards after having one more sleepover.  Elise had some good long playtime today and yesterday--just what she needed.  We also did some art together.  Ever since she was wee high, any painting project she started ended up sort of like this:

(No, folks, those are not gloves that she is wearing.)

bread and snow

The snow is really piling up on the picninc table.  Having the garden in the foreground reminds me about the book link I posted yesterday, where I had just gotten to the chapter on gardening.  I am starting to get excited about next year's garden.  In fact, I fell asleep wondering if we could build a new carport next to the house and tear down the garage--which is sitting on some of our prime sunny land.  (We don't have full sun anywhere in this yard, but there's a good half to two thirds sun in that part of the yard.)  Needless to say, for our gardening abilities, that would be ridiculous, but...

I really have to catch the children doing something else, but here's a photo of them 'as they were' yesterday afternoon, anyway.

I made Elizabeth's bread recipe yesterday.  (Don't you like the morph on the table from bread to paperwork/financials to sewing?)  It rose in the bowl just fine (sitting on our radiators), but was not quite as happy rising in the muffin tins.  Apparently I need more bread pans.  The cookie sheets were all in use at the critical shaping moment baking wheat crackers, and my one bread pan (which makes the food taste like pan if you leave it in at all after baking) was sticky on the bottom.  I still had all of Erika's muffin tins in my mudroom, so gave the individual breadettes idea a whirl.  I let them bake much (much!) longer than the recipe said, as they were not sounding done.  When I finally pulled them out, the insides were cooked, but the outsides were extremely crusty.  Not so crusty that you couldn't get your teeth through it, but you would get a shower of crumbs with every bite.  We put all of them in ziplocs overnight to see if they might soften up a little.  The crustiness was actually pretty good, but not so much the crumb shower.

Snowy Thursday

I'm feeling snowbound today and couldn't be happier about it.  We already have a few inches down, and several more are expected during a day of on and off snow.  I plan to wach Cranford with Elise, make bread, finish sewing an apron for Elise's friend (I finished Elise's new Edwardian apron last night), and read more of this book.  It is a fabulous book!  The second chapter is titled "Chickens, the most exciting backyard accessory since lawn darts."  I wonder if I can squeeze all that into one day...

Mondays

We are back to our normal Monday schedule, which means a lot of driving.  Albin has physics and computer programming, and Elise does gymnastics and violin.  We are dropping writing and group violin class for the spring.  Elise is contemplating taking an acting class with homeschoolers on Tuesday mornings, and possibly an art class for a month at a local teaching studio...on Tuesday afternoons.  I don't think it would be too much for her, but she does need a lot of creative downtime. 

I started my next reproduction dress, and I'll sew this one by hand.  I dyed some white flannel I had in my stash for it, and it came out not very splotchy.  Maybe next time I'll swish the load in my washtub for the full half hour, but just couldn't do it last night.  On a side note, I'd really like to get this pattern, and do some summer and winter dresses from this style.

Elise and I watched the last episode of "Cranford" on PBS Masterpiece last night.  That was the best story I've seen told on tv or in movies for years.  It was just fabulous.  (And the dresses were great!)  In case you are reading this before Jan. 10th, here's where you can watch it all, too: PBS Video.  Another similar (sort of) show I've been enjoying the last few months is "Lark Rise to Candleford", also on PBS.  That one can't be viewed online, so you'll have to catch it on your own PBS station.

Time to fix the pizzas for dinner.  I'm going to remember to put the olives on this time!

We went on the candlelight hike in the snow even though it was coooold.  It was still above zero...I think... and no wind, so it could've been worse.  It was a beautiful, crisp night to be in a candlelit wood--made me wish I knew the Robert Frost poem.  I'll have to look it up.  Elise appreciated the cider and bonfire after the walk much more than the walk itself.  Karl and Albin liked the hot dog and brat, while I thought the chili was best (after the woods, of course).

We never made it to the holiday show in lights during December, so we decided to drive over tonight.  It would be a pity to miss it, as the children have gone every year since they were born.  Albin remembers being able to unbuckle his car seat to see better out the window when he was little.  That little blurry blob under the blue and red fireworks is the state capitol, in case you were wondering.

The pretzels were a bit chewy this year, but the salt made up for it.  Next year we'll have to make them smaller (and more of them), no matter what the recipe says!

Karl and Albin cleaned up the basement floor and are setting up the trains this afternoon.  Elise went to play at the neighbor's house, and I finished my first reproduction dress.  I even took notes so I know what to change about the next one that I make.

We planned a mini vacation for the summer.  We'll go to Ripon, WI for a weekend history reenactment and farm breakfast (it's the weekend before Elise's birthday).  There's even a family-owned local motel in the town the festival is being held.  I was planning to just go with Elise, but none of the bed and breakfasts in area will take kids under 12.  The motel is cheaper, and it would be fun if we can all go.  Oshkosh isn't too far away, so if Albin can't stand all the history, he and Karl can go look at planes for a day.  It should be a great trip!

Happy New Year!

We had a quiet New's Year's Eve at our house.  Elise went with our neighbors to a friend's party, where she had a good time with the kids and went sledding outside well past midnight.  Wheee!  Karl, Albin and I stayed home and were very quiet.  I sewed, read, and fell asleep at 11:00.  The boys played computer and watched the ball drop on tv.  Elise came home around 1:30 and told me all about her evening.

Of course, they had to sleep in this morning.  I'm almost done with my first replica dress, and thanks to Carola's help with changing the pattern, it fits pretty well.  Yay!  When everyone was up and ready to go, we went sledding at Indian Hills County Park with homeschooling friends.  It was about 10 degrees F, but the kids had a good time.  Albin and I need better boots for next time, though--freezy toes!

Now Karl is starting our traditional New Year's pretzels.  They'll be ready to shape and bake in about an hour.  Hmmm.  Maybe that's supper.  More pictures of those later.  Probably.