So, in case you haven’t noticed, my posts have been two weeks behind, not one. It’s been challenging keeping up with the posting, and I wanted to honor my commitment to myself to post every Monday. So, please indulge me, for now, in this two week buffer.
********************************************************************************************
July 4, 2010
This is the view, looking northwest, from our front stoop. We spent a quiet evening at home watching the storms in the sky and listening to the wind and rain beat against the house. Instead of fireworks, we had cloud rotation. WAY more exciting.
********************************************************************************************
July 3, 2010
I’ve mentioned our evening walks in previous posts. This is one of the alleys we walk. If we were more conventional people, we’d probably walk the sidewalks like most of our neighbors, but Ryan and I both find these “backstories” to be more interesting than the stories people and properties tell out front.
********************************************************************************************
July 2, 2010
Uncle Dane and his Lady J came up from Westminster tonight. We were going to do a picnic, then Art Walk in Old Town, but the thunderstorms rolled in after dinner, so we let Art Walk pass and just concentrated on food. Which was alright by me.
If you look closely at this photo, you can see Ryan is actually looking at Dane and Jackie, not at the camera. I think he’s noticing and celebrating Uncle Dane’s PDA. Very Historically UnJohnson. And, as Ryan has chosen to do in his relationships, Very Let’s Rewrite What It Means to Be a Johnson.
Cheers, fellas. And Salut to Jackie.
********************************************************************************************
July 1, 2010
On the way back from a visit with Grandma and Grandpa, Sydney, Annie and I stopped off at The Farm to pick a bouquet. I planted these flowers last Spring while we were still living there. I’m a lot happier when I’ve got cut flowers in the house, and it seems silly to pay a bunch of money for them every week when I can take advantage of “free” ones. These are Alaskan Shasta Daisies and a white Scabiosa. I put them in a spongeware pitcher in the kitchen.
********************************************************************************************
June 30, 2010
Sydney is all about her new toy. We got it Sunday night at Dandelion Toys while we were out shopping for sunglasses. It’s made by Manhattan Toy, and Syd digs it: she can gnaw on it, toss it, pick it up using multiple grips, and exercise dexterity with all the shapes and sizes. It tends to travel with us from room to room, on walks and over the river and through the plains to grandmother’s house when we go.
********************************************************************************************
June 29, 2010
I had a hankering, and its been eons since I baked cookies. So long, in fact, I discovered I was OUT of brown sugar. Not to be thwarted, I made my own.*
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 3/4 – 1 C light or dark brown sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp or so vanilla extract
- 2 C. all purpose white flour
- 3/4 bag of dark chocolate chips
- a handful of broken pecan (or walnut) pieces
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Lay a silpat or some parchment paper across your favorite baking pan. Cream the butter and brown sugar. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour, one cup or so at a time. Toss in your chips and nuts. Scoop out a Tbsp or so of the dough for each cookie, so 12 fit on a tray. (I get 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on how much dough I eat before the cookies make it to the oven.) Bake in the middle of the oven for 6-9 minutes.** Let the cookies cool on the pan for 3-5 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling rack.
* For a cup of dark brown sugar, add a glug of molasses to a cup of granulated sugar. Blend with a fork.
**I bake at 5000 feet above sea level. I don’t use an air bake cookie tray; I just use an old-fashioned cookie tray/jelly roll pan with a sheet of parchment paper on it. Because I always let the butter sit too long on the counter, in the summer, I have to bake for about 9 minutes. In the spring, fall and winter, I bake for 6-7 minutes. I get a soft cookie that stays soft.
********************************************************************************************
June 28, 2010
We took a little post-dinner trip into Old Town with the intention of finding a pair of sunglasses for Sydney. We did not buy this chic little pair because we figured she’d be pulling them off and dropping them over the side of her stroller, completely unaware of how adorable she looks OR she’d be hyper-aware of how adorable she looks and demand we cover every surface in her bedroom with white roses, honey bears and little dishes of M&Ms–no brown ones allowed.
PS We bought a sporty red pair with a strap. (They were out of black.)
2 Comments
That cookie dough picture is just plain evil!
I bought Lexie a pair of pink sunglasses a while back, I would be happy if she would wear them for .2 seconds lol. Does Syd keep them on her face?
@Courtney, we’re batting .500 on the sunglasses. And we seem to be losing ground. She’s not a fan of her sun bonnet either.