mama musings

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part of elinor’s bedtime routine is a bit of piano with papa.  {check out these two in action here} as you can see, it is pretty darn precious.  elinor doesn’t exactly “tickle” the ivories.  it is more of a spastic thrust or smack at this point.  but we have plenty of time to work on her form and finesse.  for now, we are just loving her zeal.  she gets so excited when she is plopped down on her papa’s lap.  she breathes in deeply and reaches out toward the sheet music with wild eyes.  mostly, she just wants to get her little fingers on the pages so she can nibble on the notes and spread her drooly goodness…but we like to think that she is just our tiny prodigy who can’t get enough music. {delusional parents alert}  then she places her hands on the keys and plays a note or two or three while papa harmonizes or resolves the melody or other such musical jargon that i know nothing about…

anyway, in addition to her contemporary composition skills, our little einstein on the beach has also figured out another neat trick.  she has learned how to wrap her parents around her highly capable finger!  she has rather quickly come to understand that her parents are praise-giving fools.  just once, after a particularly rousing performance, ben and i clapped and let out a simultaneous “yeeeaaaahhhh!”.  well, that pretty much did it.  now, after every few notes that she plays, elinor retracts her hands in one swift and dramatic motion and shoots me an expectant glance.  “mama?  approving applause, please…” she says with her eyes.  uh oh.  we have created an applause junky.  and she does it every time now.  and what on earth am i supposed to do?  just sit there and pretend like her playing is just no big deal and withhold clapping from the cutest thing i have ever seen?  fat chance.

well, looks like we are creating a little diva.  great.  i guess we have managed to hold off for a decent chunk of time. who had their money on 28 weeks?

nutter butter

homemade-nutter-butters

picture and recipe from the fabulous emily schuman @ the cupcakes and cashmere blog

cupcakes and cashmere strikes again.  miss emily is so lovely and smart.  her blog always inspires and encourages me to try new things…and throw a party!  because, well…why not?

this time, my eyes settled on homemade nutter butters.  genius.

just to be transparent here, i go through a big tub of chunky peanut butter every single week.  i am sure that i am single-handedly keeping the whole foods pb segment going with my weekly purchases.

anywho…back to cookies.  nutter butters pretty much take the cake when it comes to grocery store cookie aisle purchases.  i could eat a sleeve without batting an eye.  but then, all that processed gobbledygook tends to leave my tummy feeling less than happy. now i could just have one or two and be okay.  but who can stop at one?  that is is silly talk.  go for the gusto, am i right?  i know they use all those preservatives and concoctions to give them a longer shelf life…but really?  i mean, how long do they need to stay fresh after you’ve opened them.  like, three, maybe four days tops?  i don’t know about you but when there are cookies present in our home, they don’t last long.  hubby and i get the job done.  no preservatives necessary.  maybe if i were stocking up on snacks for my fallout bunker and wanted to make sure i had some peanut buttery morsels around for during a 2045 nuclear attack…

so, a real food recipe – with ingredients that i can pronounce and purchase without any chemistry necessary – that i can make in my own kitchen is the solution here.  a cookie that has the perfect balance of crunch and creamy and salty and sweet.  with ingredients like peanut butter and eggs.  you know the perfect treat that i don’t feel {as} badly about eating a handful at a time.

 

mama musings

i found this post and just had to share.  these are such good reminders.

i might need to commission some fabulous printer to make this into a fancy print for me to frame and hang in our home.  i’m sure etsy has a store for that…

Advice for Raising Godly Children
John Witherspoon – Scottish Presbyterian pastor, President of Princeton (1768-1794), and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
  1. The best exercise in the world for children is to let them romp and jump about, as soon as they are able, according to their own fancy.
  2. A parent that has once obtained and knows how to preserve authority will do more by a look of displeasure, than another by the most passionate words and even blows. It holds universally in families and schools, and even the greater bodies of men, the army and navy, that those who keep the strictest discipline give the fewest strokes.
  3. There is not a more disgusting sight than the impotent rage of a parent who has no authority.
  4. I have heard some parents often say that they cannot correct their children unless they are angry; to whom I have usually answered, then you ought not to correct them at all.
  5. Nothing can be more weak and foolish, or more destructive of authority, than when children are noisy and in an ill humor, to give them or promise them something to appease them.
  6. Let it always be seen that you are more displeased at sin than at folly.
  7. Nothing is more destructive of authority than frequent disputes and chiding upon small matters. This is often more irksome to children than parents are aware of.
  8. I am fully persuaded that the plainest and shortest road to real politeness of carriage, and the most amiable sort of hospitality is to think of others just as a Christian ought, and to express these thoughts with modesty and candor.
  9. Many parents are much more ready to tell their children such or such a thing is mean, and not like a gentleman, than to warn them that they will incur the displeasure of their Maker.
  10. It is a very nice thing in religion to know the real connection between, and the proper mixture of, spirit [i.e., matters of the heart] and form [i.e., disciplines like family worship and church attendance]. The form without the spirit is good for nothing; but on the other hand, the spirit without the form never yet existed.

chef…or shall i say…baker ben {macarons}

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as some of you may recall, my chef ben decided to set a new year’s resolution for himself - to become baker ben.  he normally isn’t too keen on the baking arts.  cooking fine cuisine, yes.  making up tasty recipes, absolutely.  but for some reason he has always left the baking up to me.  not that he isn’t into baked goods.  he is a cookie fiend.  but, he prefers preparing a savory entrée over frosting a layer cake.

so, when he decided to take on the baking realm, naturally, he started with the tough stuff.  delicate and intricate and temperamental macarons.  way to ease into things, chef.  and naturally {slash sickeningly} he killed it.  i mean, he totally killed it.  and as a result, i have eaten WAY TOO MANY of these little pretties.  i can’t wait for the next round.  baker ben said that he will make some intense chocolate for me so i expect those to last all of three hours.

{step 1}

create the candied grapefruit peel with star anise and vanilla bean

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{step 2}

whip the egg whites to create the merengue and then gently fold in the other ingredients.  including a perfectly measured amount of food coloring to create a vibrant pink-orange hue.

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{step 3}

melt the white chocolate for the ganache.  add in the campari to give it that citrus zing.

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{step 4}

assemble the cookies

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{step 5}

refrigerate the cookies for 24 hours to let the flavors meld. 

AKA endure the brutal wait until you can FINALLY eat the long-awaited cookies.  {darn those french and their delayed gratification} but let me say, it is more than worth the wait. 

and then…you eat as many as you can handle before slipping into a sugar coma.  amazing

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pan di ramerino

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these little tuscan rolls look so, so delicious.

raisins, rosemary, and sea salt with a subtly sweet glaze.  sì, grazie.

i have a feeling that i would down quite a few of these cuties. yum.

from the gorgeous blog of la cucina spontanea

click here to view the recipe.  and don’t fret, they do include the english translation…keep scrolling.

mama musings

Taken and processed with Cameramatic app.

you know what i love?  mirrors.  mirror playtime is amazing.   elinor makes faces and watches as the expressions of “baby in the mirror” change.  she also likes to blow bubbles and look goofy to try to evoke a response from mama.  such a ham.  and i must add that her mama gets in on the act too.  i mean, is there anything sweeter than making your baby smile and giggle.  nope.  isn’t it amazing the lengths to which we will go in order to get that smirk or laugh?  i sure am smitten.

i just had to capture this precious moment.  two funny faces in the mirror.  with matching raised eyebrows and everything.  i hope that elinor always wants to play and take silly pictures with me.

mama musings

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one of my very favorite things?  the walk upstairs to put this little bundle down for a nap.  when miss elinor gets sleepy and is finished with playtime, she rubs her eyes, tosses to and fro, and begins searching for her thumb.  this is my cue.  i scoop her up and take her upstairs.  in some kind of precious baby pavlovian response, elinor grabs my sleeve with her right hand, sucks on her left thumb, lets out a sweet sigh, and curls herself up, nuzzling right under my collarbone.  every time.  every day.  every nap.  and it just melts me.  ya know?  wowee.  thank you, Heavenly Father for these sweet moments in life.

i just had to chronicle this so i will never forget that overwhelming feeling of mama bliss.  that’s all.

something splendid

Absinthe_Meringues_Spoon_WEB__24680_1361476024_460_504

a spoonful of springtime.  jeni’s splendid ice creams proudly presents absinthe + meringues

are you ready for spring?  perhaps this will get you in the mood…

bright, warm absinthe—with a soft, mild licorice flavor—in grass-grazed cream, with airy sweet, hand-piped meringues. matcha powder for color and a clean finish. inspired by the 100th anniversary of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, it tastes like a pizzelle.

elinor live

oh i just had to share this with the world.

{and by world, i mean those of you who happen to check out this blog…hi mom!  hi dad!  hi amy!  hi adele!}

would you look at these two?  how sweet are they?  would you just listen to those sweet gurgles and coos?  and look at her launch off of her papa, so strong.  and that yawn.  playtime with papa can really tucker you out!  oh, that little face.  and look at my hubby.  he is just beaming with pride and happiness and contentment.  he sure does love his little girl.  i could gush for days.

and i could share video after video.  oh wait!  and now i can.  i recently joined the super cool vine community where you can create 7 second videos and share them on a feed.  they just loop and loop!  it is like video instagram.  love it.  and it is so much fun to see how creative people can be.  me?  not so creative.  i just post video after video of little miss e.  get ready for cuteness overload!  so, if you are looking for another social media outlet, feel free to head over to your app store and pick up vine.  you can find me at “rachel whitehouse”

toodle-oo!