It Is Finally OVER!

I have discovered a few things during this tropical storm Ida that has breached our shore. One thing, like a storm, a recipe can appear to have one outcome but the reality is yet another thing.

I began the PW Cinnamon Roll recipe yesterday approxiamately 11:00. After a brief hold up, due to lack of ingrdediants, I began a journey that would take about 24 hours to complete. All of this for some cinnamon rolls that honestly I am not a huge fan of. Don't get me wrong I like them, with all that butter and sugar what't not to like. But it is not like "I HAVE TO HAVE A CINNAMON ROLL OR I WILL DIE" situation. I just thought I would try something new and a little out of my comfort zone. I have to admit I have been nervous to ever attempt anything that requires a certain shape, or preferred visual outcome. Food presentation has never been a gift of mine.

However, after a good try I was pleased with what went into the oven. If you look at PW's recipe you will see that it yields about about 50 rolls. I had to split the batch into several baking trays

What came out of the oven is a different story.  This is the result of not having the right baking tray, not having a great oven and me not being the most patient baker in the world.

Final words on the cinnamon roll 24 hr event.  I will probably NEVER make these again.  There is a reason a huge corporation (Cinnabon)  has made a lot of money off of  cinnamon buns, so rookies like me do not have to torture ourselves with the LONG process of rolling TONS of BUTTER and TONS of SUGAR together...just to burn the bottom of one whole tray.

And another thing, I don't know if I can ever eat a cinnamon bun after I know what goes into making those sweet little harmless looking rolls.  I am finding that to much Pioneer Woman is making to much Lisa...

I Needed a Good Cry...Thought I Would Share

..just because we all need a good cry every now and again
...because tomorrow we honor our Veterans
...because these men were daddies
...because we are so lucky that parents raise good people to do hard things

Hurricane Ida

I heard on the news that we were having a hurricane today or tonight. Lately, I am not a news watching person. The reason being is anytime I sit down or show the least desire to do something guaranteed tragedy breaks out, and my attention is needed elsewhere. So, I gave up trying to keep current with things like the weather. I know it is raining because I get up at 5:00 in the morning and I can't go running  it must be pouring. And since I had Priscilla my rain proof running shoes don't fit anymore.

Anyway, it is starting to rain and it feels very cozy. I read on PW's blog that her cookbook is #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. In her honor I am making her cinnamon rolls.  I know, most people prepare for a hurrincane a little differently.  Some get batteries and bottled water.  Others get a generator and some extra gasoline.  Not me, I grab my trusty assistants and start baking!

And because I am a little insane any time I know I am going to be trapped in the house for a couple of days I have been keeping myself busy. I ran to the store this morning with all my peeps and got some stuff to get by on over the next few days, in case Ida brings some issues.

Recently I have been obsessed with making Pesto. I absolutely love home made pesto. I think I finally got the right mix for me. I basically use:
2 cups of basil
1 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cup GOOD Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves
probably more salt than most (I am the only pesto lover at the moment so I can indulge, right?)
some pepper

I think most recipes call for less cheese. But the basil at our grocery store is not the most flavorful, so the cheese gives the pesto a richer taste.

Anyway, while Ida is here I plan to eat Pesto on anything that stands still and then finish off with some cinnamon rolls. And by the looks of this recipe I am going to eat cinnamon rolls for the REST of my life.

If anyone has a good pesto recipe, or a suggestion PLEASE post a comment so I can continue to perfect my Pesto making obsession.  Check back in for more hurricane updates.  I may decide to bake another pie!

Things I Hear All Day

Mama, I'm hungry...
Mama, Lucy spilled something....

Mama, Emily (fill in any name of your choice)...just talked rudely to me, hit me and left me for dead...and she/he does not even care.

Mama, I'm hungry!

Can I have a piece of chocolate?

Other than those sentences, there is lots of crying, laughing and other noises that don't seem to stop. So, when I don't return your call just know that I am knee deep in these moments that can be very loud and fun...all at the same time!

White House Antiques

There is this little place that I consider to be a semi- retreat center. Located in Grand Bay Alabama off of I-10 is White House Antiques. Tracy, the owner fixes up and paints old furniture and sells it for a great price. It is one of those places that does not look like much from the road, but there are treasures inside.

My friend found her website from Craigs List and we drove out to the little shed and fell in love with Tracy and just about everything she sells.

Add this to the list of things I would like to do one day...have a small shop that sells cute furniture that I brought back from the brink of destruction.

I always leave with great stuff, good laughs and the instant desire to return soon to see what else she has to brighten my humble home. I usually have to go with an empty trunk, or even a trailer...it's that good!

Check out her website.

www.whitehouseantiques.com

Friday Night Policy Review

I am NO EXPERT. Please do not tell my children that, but I will admit to NOT knowing what I am doing half the time when it comes to parenting this small group of people. I have a few tricks that has seemed to work during this 8 year trial and lots of error period. First, I am a big believer in policy and procedure. Most of my day runs on preexisting policy that I have made up out of necessity because these little people look to me for direction and I figure if I don't give it to them, they will make it up themselves.

And since it is Friday and Pete and I made a really great dinner and I drank a really large glass of wine I will share some of my policies with you. Some of these I am not proud of...they just seem to work. Some of these are old school and not very popular in the " This book I read said to do this" category of parents. Some of my policies only apply to a small population of our family. Keep in mind I AM NOT EXPERT and I do not think there is only one way to skin a cat. And another thing , I reserve the right to eat my words at any given moment.

Melnick Policy #1: When trouble occurs and I can not quickly figure out the perp and the victim they all parties are equally punished.
Melnick Policy #2: If I find shoes in places other than the designated shoe area then the forgetful shoe owner owes me one dollar. This dollar is collected IMMEDIATELY!
Melnick Policy #3: If any person does not obey than that person spends a good amount of time on their bed doing NOTHING.

*This is a great little trick I picked up from a friend who has 8 kids. If I have asked a child to do something, or NOT do something, and they did not comply they must sit on their bed for a certain period of time. This is very similar to the popular "time out" technique, however I find it more productive for them to cool down in a private location where they can really take a break from the rest of us. This has helped me also calm down in lots of situations because I can close the door and not hear the begging, crying and other noises that come from a child who feels wronged. I especially love this for the toddlers because I sometimes think over stimulation is the reason for misbehavior and when they can lay in their beds with their comfort items they can really take it down a notch. And mom can actually finish that Hail Mary I so need!

Melnick Policy #4: We have assigned seating in ALL locations. People are always told where they will be sitting, standing or waiting. This really helps in the grocery store and parking lot where just unloading the people can be enough to send me back home sniffling.
Melnick Policy #5: No chocolate before 9:00 in the morning unless it is a birthday or early mass where donuts are served (compliments of CiCi Travers circa 2005)
Melnick Policy #6: We talk kindly. Always saying please and thank you, even if you are the victim . For example instead of saying "Stop Lucy" you say, "Lucy, no thank you for hitting me in the nose and making me bleed all over."
Melnick Policy #7: If I see a naked Barbie it goes in the trash (naked dolls CREAP me out).
Melnick Policy #8: Any baby needing to be removed from the pew at church is removed by mom. Dad belongs in the pew with the children. I think it is so important for children to see daddy on his knees, since they know mom basically lives there!

So there you have it. The 8 policies I feel comfortable sharing at this time. I will say this, some of our policies have become obsolete. We seem to deal with certain problems for a short time and then just as fast as they came..they leave and are promptly replaced by another.

 We also have removed children from the dinner table and sent them to bed EARLY for disruptive or inappropriate table behavior. Some things have only been done a handful of times because when one child witnesses another's punishment they make a concrete decision to not repeat that offense in order to save themselves from a similar fate.

I really do have a lot of fun with these little people. However, helping to form them into people that I can stand to be around can be challenging, tiring and difficult. I remember feeling completely overwhelmed one particular day in Sitka and my dear friend Kathy said to me "These are just moments in time and you can handle each one as it comes". I hope I can...

2 Things Are For Sure

Pete is home!! Yeah! And after all the hugs and kisses and "oh how I missed you after a 48 hour separation", 2 things are certain.
#1. There will be MORE laundry to deal with,

#2 The house will be dark.

Whenever Pete has a night flight, or class, or is out of town the house is well lit. I am able to go into a room, turn on a light, leave the room for a moment and return with the room still illuminated. When Pete is home I NEVER WALK INTO A LIT ROOM!!!

I thought it must just be a trait of a good husband wanting to take such good care of us financially that the thought of wasting power drove him to living in unusual darkness. But now I have a son. A little guy who is but 3 years old and he is constantly turning off the lights behind me. He will ask me, "Should I turn off this light mama?"

Amazed, I thought the overwhelming need to shut off all lights must be a dominant male gene. Something the good Lord programmed into men because He knew women like to have light in a room. God is all about balance.

Then I thought..power bills are a newer concept, one the Lord may not have been to focused on during Adams creation....

And then I realized I had spent plenty of time trying to figure out why I have to live in darkness when Pete and Jack are around...and I just flipped back on the light and laughed, glad to have Pete here to turn off the lights behind me because a well lit house is one where Pete is not home!