Sweet Tooth Continues, Used for Good Cause

MORE SUGAH!

Wednesday was baking day at the Cockroft house. I spent almost the entire day on my feet in the kitchen, baking up a triple recipe of cake and another triple recipe of cookies. The cupcakes are by far the most fun as one gets to decorate them with tasty chocolate creamcheese icing after they finish baking. I just pipe the icing out of a ziplock bag. I sent a large bulk of the bounty with Martin for his students to consume after their poetry reading, but there were plenty of leftovers--of course. I always plan ahead for leftovers. So last night found me drinking fizzy juice and eating two cupcakes (hey, it's not every month you get to weigh almost exactly the same as your husband does--may as well whoop it up while the going's good) while watching side-splitting episodes of "Waiting for God--" the funniest show I've seen in a very long time. Incredibly clever.

And here's a little treat from months past: two little lovely ladies on their way to a play:

Aren't they just gorgeous, dahlin?

Leap Day

Tomorrow we have an extra day! This is something I wish I could have most days, at least it adds up from all those days that I wished I had an extra couple of hours! So, will I make the most of it, now that I have "extra" time? Probably not.

I plan to take my daughter to pre-school, then return early to be moral support while she plays her violin for her classmates, then return again to pick her up and head down to Morgantown for the violin lesson we missed today.

I plan to do a load of laundry and clean most of the house. I plan to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for my family. I plan to read plenty of stories to my girls. I hope to play Polly Pockets, Doll House, Dress Up, or whatever is the amusement of the hour with the kiddos.

After they go to bed, I plan to watch another episode of "Northern Exposure".

Is that making the most of my Leap Day? I think so. Any day I can be with the ones I love is a day worth having!

Happy Leap Day, Ladies! Any special plans?

T

Celebrate!

Mr. John W. Thompson has received tenure! Wahoo! I guess we're stayin'.

HELP!

Photo pre-dates present ownership

I need your help! I can't decide if I should paint over the wall of wood paneling that is on a 45* angle downstairs (don't know if you all noticed it, or were more distracted by the errant mole). It would make the room feel brighter and less like a dungeon, but I need to think about re-sale value...what would prospective buyers want? All comments appreciated!

T

Spring Break

In another hour and a half, I will not only be finished with work at the University for this week, but I will be finished for almost TWO weeks! Hooray...next week is Spring Break! What a relief to not have to take the girls to babysitters (and all that entails) twice in one week for a while!

It can't come too soon. We need a break. The girls have been naughty little buggers today...destructive, fighting, yelling, breaking things, hurting each other...it just won't stop. Good thing Waynesburg doesn't have a local troupe of gypsies, or I'd sell the both of them right about now.

If only we could see some sun again! Everything seems so dirty. The van is so filthy that I can hardly stand to open the doors. Every time our scant snow fall melts, it reveals the many branches and leaves littering the lawn. In contrast, the basement guest room is looking fresh and clean in its coat of "String of Pearls". Today I ripped out some redundant trim in the neighboring "media room" downstairs, and filled in all the nail holes. Tomorrow I can start making that room look brighter as well, and hopefully speak to the carpet guy about putting in some sparkling, new carpet, untouched by rodent feet!

The groundhog said 6 more weeks of winter...aren't we anywhere close to seeing SPRING?

T

Brief Indulgence: Summer and Sugar in Febuary

So just let me indulge myself in one quick daydream of summer, in this case E riding on Chester the Dog's back in the middle of lush, hot Texas. . .Elspeth actually held on for a moment before toppling off.

Here's a fun almost-local tip, though: this past Saturday we packed into our car and tooled around the back roads to Point Marion (about a 30 minute or so trip) to try to locate a little diner called "Apple Annies." Our friends in Morgantown had recommended it to us, and the girls were hungry by the time we finally got into the car. So off we went blindly; Martin with blazing ears (he defied the stereotype of men not asking directions, but in a chagrined kind of way) asked the diner's whereabouts at a car parts store.

Apple Annies, it turns out, is hidden in an unlikely little alleyway in the middle of this rather unpromising industrial town. But it is absolutely charming. It is friendly, completely nonsmoking, and rather cute inside. And super busy. I've heard the best time to go is for breakfast, but we weren't that organized so instead we ordered lunch: salmon cakes for Martin, turkey for me, a huge plate of assorted pasta for the girls. After a preface of bread basket, the food came quickly and was hot and good. Next time, however, I will skip the real food altogether and save myself for the ungodly portions of dessert that meet you immediately as you walk in the door--absolutely humongous pieces of cake slathered with icing, pies heaped with wild layers of meringue.

We chose ONE piece of chocolate cake to go, and for teatime that afternoon we split it four ways with some left over. I wish I had taken a picture. I saw one lady walking to her table while we were there balancing a mountain of vanilla cake with pink icing. . .surely, you think, it can't be all for her. . .but perhaps. . .perhaps, in a moment of complete un-lent-like self-indulgence. . . .All I know is that I did not give up sweets for Lent, and a good thing too since Beatrix seems to have an insatiable sweet-tooth.

Anyway, we should plan a field-trip soon, in which we indiscriminately stuff ourselves with sugar. All I can say is, What is consumed in Point Marion, Stays in Point Marion. The good people at Apple Annies don't tell tales.

K

My New Pan

I just got my new baking pan by UPS today. It is called "Baker's Edge" and touted as being wonderful for brownies in order to get that chewy, crusty edge (my favorite part) on all of the brownies.

I had to try it right away. I used a double recipe of my favorite Ghirardelli Double Chocolate brownie mix. They were pretty tasty with a glass of milk this evening.


Reviewers also said it was great for lasagne as all the layers would stay stacked up!

T

WOMAN POWER!

Alright Ladies, this blog is feeling a bit dismal of late. Of course this is due to all of us feeling as grey as the February skies. So, I thought I'd take this entry in another direction...let's focus on the great stuff we can accomplish on these frigid Feb days!

Congratulations to K who finally got her kitchen painted! I think most of us had painting projects in the works...anyone else making progress? I actually got 2 coats of primer on the ugly panneling in our basement guest room...it already looks brighter and more welcoming, if you can overlook the paint dribbled all over the carpet (J was "helping" me). Hopefully this weekend I can slap up some "String of Pearls" paint and pick out new carpet. The new duvet cover arrived in the mail this week, so I'll be set. We used to call this room "The Cave", so perhaps we'll need to find a different name once the project is complete.

My husband and I watched "Dreamgirls" this weekend. It is definitely a story of WOMAN POWER! Jennifer Hudson's performance was certainly worthy of her Oscar win. I sat on the floor, in the midst of a diaper change, completely rivited during her gut-wrenching song, "And I'm telling You I'm Not Going". It must have made an impression on L as well, as she belted out "No, no, no, no way..." later on!

In other news, Boards review is going well. The moon eclipse last night was amazing. And there are only 8 more days in February!

T

Points

Man, it's cold tonight! Brrr! I just left Merry snuggled under flannel and out of that little nest, I'm rather chilly!

Are we meeting this week? T and I are free tomorrow night, though I must admit I am so cold and rather tired I don't feel like leaving my house. Tomorrow, despite Elspeth's being sick, I must leave in the morning to collect some groceries, but then we're back in quarantine again. Merry, who is not sick, and who missed a lovely tea at her friend J's house today and who does not have any formal school at Aunt N's house this week, and who wants to go visit Aunt S and her boys, is sad about being quarantined with us, but then that's life.

I did watch "Jane Austen Book Club" and despite his intentions to get some work done, Martin got sucked in--and it was a really fun watch. Would anyone be interested in vegging at my place--I don't mind watching it over again. Otherwise, unless anyone says "Hey, wait a minute!" and wants to borrow it, I'll return it tomorrow in the mail.

Anything else of practicality to share? Baked a simple-super but simply-great vanilla cake today. . .Kashi is on sale on Amazon, and Celestial Seasonings is on an-order-get-an-instant-rebate on Amazon. . .as T was good enough to alert me, Lands End is running their blow-out sale. . .grapes (nonorganic) are a pretty good price at Giant Eagle starting tomorrow. . .and that may be it.

Since I have been steeping myself and Merry in English children's books lately, I feel like ordering British chocolate bars and going out for walks with my baby in a pram and having a muffin and a milk and a window-washing man drop by every day and walking to shop at market with my big basket, and knowing all my neighbors and of course having sunshine or at least having a good sturdy pair of Wellingtons in cheerful yellow. And having a delightful, wonderful bakery just down my road stocked with currant buns and fresh biscuits and crusty loaves. Anyone else fantasizing about English/European public transportation and food right about now? Or is it just me?

Oh, postscript: go visit 4obsessions . .I always enjoy that blog, as well as thistledown.


K

Uninvited Guest

It appears my bad mood has settled in for an indefinite period of time.

No energy.
No creativity.
No patience.

Just mellow, gray, dreary, burned out Mommy.

It might help to see the sunshine on a regular basis.
Perhaps someone could talk to the powers that be about that for me.

Who knew mothering young children could be so lonely?

s.

Oh, for a vacation!

Yep, right on time! In mid-February, after things have settled down after the Holidays and our string of winter birthdays, the BLAHS hit me. When the outside looks grey and dingy, suddenly everything takes on a worn and dirty feeling, and I don't feel satisfied with much at all. Of course, the recent fevers and lack of sleep may be contributing to this overall disinterest with life in the Burg.

I want to escape! Recently, I've been dreaming of castles in Europe. My friend in Germany, however, tells me that their days are equally grey and non-descript as well. My cousin in Sitges, Spain has a lovely blog filled with gorgeous photos of architecture, olive picking and the sea (check it out: http://www.kingsinspain.blogspot.com/ ), I'm sure they would welcome a winter-sick visitor from the states!

Today, there is sunshine! Ah...shine on great star! We are headed to our property for a hike, and a stop by the township park/playground on the way back. Perhaps the fresh air and sunshine will scrub the windows of my soul, and allow good old Waynesburg to look a bit more sparkly.

A good weekend to you, my friends!

T

Particularly Thankful

After a long day with grouchy children (and therefore grouchy mother), I was particularly thankful to have my husband come home. I was appreciative to have another rational adult to talk with after repeated irrational discourse with the boys. By 10:00 we were bouncing off the walls so we made a "sanity run" by getting out of the house for a bit, driving around the county to view cows and horses, chickens dining on watermelon rind and potatoes, and monstrous icicles. It's nice be be able to see countryside so quickly...no traffic, no interstate....just icy one lane country roads. (Isn't that a John Denver song?)

Fridays are definitely to be celebrated.

Congratulations, Women:

You officially made it through this cold, grey week!

This is how I feel myself, and though Martin and the girls are out at the moment and I'm always cataloging what I could do on such an auspicious occasion, I have no motivation to sweep the kitchen floor or put away overdue clean laundry or even to take a shower (though I am persuading myself in that direction). Or start a new book, for that matter. I am directionless for the most part and okay with that.

For those of you who are sick, I wish you may quickly and happily recover; for those who are tired, I wish an early night and much succor; to you who are world-weary, a good movie and connection with your spouse and with yourself.

For myself, I am hoping for an easy and hot dinner, an early bedtime for Elspeth, a sip of wine and good company, and perhaps a jot of Netflix before sleep. Aren't Fridays something to celebrate?

Rewards

Okay, kids, only two days left in the week! Breathe. . .breathe. . .breathe. It's that time of evening.

Martin's out three out of five nights this week, a total that would have driven me to crawl up the side of the house by my fingernails previously in my parenting career. But the girls are relatively easy; Merry helps more and more all the time and truly I have nothing to complain about. However--

Occasionally, an especially loud scream causes the tension to begin prickling up my back--I can feel it, like an animal, crawling up my insides, toward my throat, where, unless swallowed, it manifests itself in some sort of unattractive, aggressive noise.

How to deal with this? Singing helps a great deal, when I remember to do it (Fanny Crosby tonight). My sister has been known to growl out loud, which also helps and does no great damage to anyone unless you are excessively prone to introspective wondering (am I truly sane?). Parents of course, occasionally give themselves time-outs. Also, it helps to remind myself that certain rewards waits for me, such as a quiet viewing of an episode of "The Vicar of Dibley", at some uncertain but possible moment later in the evening.

Perhaps, occasionally, it's the constant noise that gets to me most. . .the questions, the singing, all the happy clamor of children (add to this the constant motion--the climbing, the jumping, the jiggling, the expanding and contracting of the young). I remember feeling baffled by the mother who wrote that the thing she loved best about her newborn (a second child) is that the baby never talked. Suddenly I understand.

Speaking of which--my privileges await me (reading to Elspeth). . .and I mean this with no irony. More snow tomorrow? Rewards tonight, rewards all day if I am relaxed enough to see them.

So Many Books, So Little Time

It is a very sad thing when one's books no longer fit in the constraints of one's bookshelves. It is difficult for me to part with a book once I own it, and even harder for my husband. Factor that in along with 4 years of Medical School and 2 years of PA school and the books those endeavors entail, and you're talking a lot of books. When we moved here, the movers estimated that we had over 1,000 lbs in books. I'm sure we've acquired another 500, and culled a measly couple since then.

We are dreaming of floor to ceiling bookshelves in our new study. However, when the house plans arrived 2 weeks ago, along with a breakdown of the estimated costs, we realized we would have to cut half of our dreams out. We've gone over the plans with a big eraser, taking out windows and doors. Gone is our lovely Russian furnace that we would have used to burn waste paper and wood once a day to keep our home snuggly warm. But I'm keeping the bookshelves, even if I have to build them myself!

I just finished reading "The Subtle Knife", the second in the trilogy "His Dark Materials" by Phillip Pullman. Because of the recent controversy regarding the first in the trilogy, "The Golden Compass", which was recently made into a movie, I wanted to read for myself. Apparently Phillip Pullman is a confirmed atheist, and many Christians are concerned that he has buried his beliefs in the books. (For more information regarding this controversy, see http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp .)

I must admit that I enjoyed the first book greatly. It is very imaginative and interesting. I did not find any overt references to religion, although it is apparent that the Church in this story is involved at high levels of Government. The second book, however, is preparing for a great war between good and evil. One of the main characters feels that all evil has trickled down from The Authority (or God), and is determined to kill him. I had a hard time categorizing between the good and evil characters in this book. There are a lot of twists and turns that left me feeling that a character I assumed was on one side, is actually on the other. It was a much darker, more disturbing story line. I did enjoy reading it though, and I do want to read the final book of the trilogy before I make up my mind one way or the other about this.

So, anyone else read anything good lately? I'd love to hear!

T

Drive Thru...

Heard on the radio this week: "A drive through ______ would make my life easier."

My first response was "Grocery store!" I can't understand why it takes twice as long to do this weekly chore with the kiddos along! And forget about doing it in the rain, because you have to get the kids, groceries and self soaking wet to unload the shopping cart!

My second response was "Starbucks in Waynesburg!" Although I would really actually dislike seeing a Starbucks in our little town, I would like to have some sort of drive through coffee shop here (McDonalds doesn't count, even though Consumer Reports rated its coffee as a "Best Buy".) I got a Starbucks card for Christmas, which is burning a hole in my pocket. It's just too much trouble to drag the girls into Barnes and Noble or Target in order to use it!

Wondering what your responses might be?

T

P.S. Speaking of Consumer Reports, a photo that I sent in to their "Selling It" page, was printed in the latest issue. :-) If I have time sometime, I'll scan it in. Better yet, I'll bring it to the next Society meeting!

And the Color Is

The original Elaine told my mother that if the society "needed a color, tell them the color is purple."

Thought ya'all should know.

On Sleep Deprivation and Polly Pockets

I probably shouldn't post when I'm this tired...probably will ramble. Lauren has been sick since Saturday, and instead of staying in bed and sleeping it off, like I would choose to do (if I had the chance), she is not napping, and waking every couple of hours at night. I feel like a new mother again...so lost in the fog of sleep deprivation that the cogs in my brain are sort of stuck somewhere! This is particularly troublesome since I have been unsuccessfully trying to study for my Board Exams...finally chose my review material, which arrived from Amazon on Saturday.

I was just musing today about the profound absurdity of these small dolls, Polly Pockets, that Jenna is so completely obsessed with. Besides the tiny shoes, which are just a few milimeters in size, I haven't been able to find anything so entirely rupulsive about them that they will be banned. They do dress in trendy, rubber clothing. Of course, "trendy" is relative, since I usually buy them at Big Lots or other clearance sales, so they are not exactly clothed in the absolutely latest of fashion.

So, the girls and I were playing with Polly Pockets this evening. We got a bit slap-happy (again, blame the sleep deprivation) and put upside-down shirts on dolls' heads, and Belle's wig on Flounder. Put tiny slippers on and made them tap dance. The girls were both so involved in this tiny world of Polly Pockets, I was trying to remember the last time I was so totally lost in something! (I think it might have been the last time my sensitive husband and I watched Pride and Prejudice about 18 months ago or longer.)

Wouldn't it be wonderful to not have a care in the world save which rubber gown to wear for the ball? Some times I wish I didn't have to be an adult all the time! Thank goodness for little girls who love to play with tiny dolls!

T

A Giant Clear-Out

Hello, my good women, from Baltimore. I am in the midst of a giant clear-out with my mother. Highlights of today, so far, include a complete cocktail set made out of giant (and smaller) shells from Phillipines, misc. wine/juice/Christmas glasses and a gorgeous carved platter from India with mango shapes in the wood. All on their way to Goodwill. I'm having a wonderful time working with my Mom--just like old times. . .wrapping dishes in newspaper feels as familiar and comfortable to us as jam-making or quilting or knitting feels to other mothers-n-daughters.

I thought I should update you, too, on the orignial Elaine, now in her 80s, who got a word from one of my male relative's (Grandpa somebody) photographs (he's dead) that she should begin work on a new book. She also has plans to sell her paintings at a museum and she just rode across the country and back in a Greyhound bus. So if you needed the gumption to get-up-and-go today, there it is.

Must put Merry down for a nap. Elspeth, despite licking coffee grounds off her fingers from the floor this morning, seems to be sleeping.

And if you are in the market, say, for a white soup tureen missing the spoon, let me know fast-fast before the next squeal-of-tires to the local Goodwill.

Miss you all--and even miss Waynesburg--

K

Remains of the Day

It was a lovely birthday. We have willingly and eagerly devoured the remainder of the velvet spice cake with cream cheese frosting (YUM), had tea in the floral tea cup while reading Catherine's book about "Friendship", and are eagerly anticipating the launch of all 100 new cookie cutters. As the past year held some challenges, I am looking forward to a new age and some positive kharma. Thankfully the Elaine Society members are continually energizing my spirit. Here's to spring!

s

Ice Storm

The 2 hour school delay gave me a few extra minutes to go outside and snap a few pictures of the ice. It was quite spectacular in the dim early morning light. Everything appeared transformed into something more mystical and beautiful. The deer netting around my garden looked like a spider web with dew on it. Our crazy weeping cherry tree really seemed to be weeping great frozen tears.

It was encouraging to see the salt trucks go by, making me feel better about letting John slip out into the mist on his way to work. I think I'll call and make sure he got there ok...

T

What a Rip-Off!

Just got the satellite TV bill yesterday, and this month, there was an additional small slip of paper. In tiny print, this notice proceded to inform customers that as of Feb. 27th, the rates will increase. We've had 3 rate hikes in the nearly 5 years we've been here, but unfortunately, we never get an improvement in service.

Apparently this is one of the down sides to living in the country. It may be quiet and secluded here, but we don't get cable. Up on our hill, we do get local channels fairly well with our hideous, rusty antenna on the roof. We can grow vegetables and see the wildlife. We can spend 2 hours mowing the lawn, but we can't get good TV at a decent rate!

So, for the 3rd time since subscribing to satellite TV, John and I had the BIG DISCUSSION: are we really going to continue to pay into this racket? Lately, we have been watching local channels for the most part, and episodes of "Northern Exposure" on DVD. The kids watch PBS. This morning, I made the call. I discontinued our DirecTV service. Jenna had to cry, that she couldn't watch "The Magic Schoolbus" anymore (it pleases me that her favorite shows are science based).


The compromise? Aha, you knew it couldn't be this easy, right? We are going to purchase a few more of our favorite old shows on DVD. John has been pining for "Emergency" for years, along with "Gilligan's Island". A small price to pay.


I won't miss the commercials. I won't miss paying the bill every month. I will miss the National Geographic Channel and The Food Network. Thank goodness for Cooks Illustrated magazine and good old National Geographic in print! I won't miss the big remote control with 47 buttons in various colors. Simplify, simplify, simplify!


T