Comic-con

We spent a few days in San Diego last weekend for Sam to do some art demos at Comic-Con.  It was more of a business trip than I'd hoped (long hours inside the windowless, airless convention center, pushing a baby around in the stroller and trying to get her to fall asleep, or at least stop screaming)---but still really fun, and lots of interesting things to see.

We made it out to the beach a couple times.  The weather wasn't super warm but the waves were really big, and pretty.  Daisy was really nervous because they were so loud, but she cheered up once she was able to eat some sand.

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Piggies

These are two pigs Malachi loves.  The pink one and the pinkish-yellowish one (he calls them, as he carries them around and walks them up and down things).

I was playing a game with Malachi.  Our favorite game, called "Big or Tiny."  He made it up.  You just ask each other if you want a big hug or a tiny hug, a big kiss or a tiny kiss, a big tickle or a tiny tickle, etc.  He said he wanted a tiny "This little piggie," so I gave it to him, on his toes.  After the little pig said "wee-wee-wee" all the way home, Ky nodded and explained, "He was crying because his Mommy Pig went to the market without him."  Then he looked very sad.  And said, "Mommy, those words are too sad."

He is a boy after my own heart.  I knew just what he meant.  I always used to think the words were too sad, too.  [Also "Little Polly Flinders/sat among the cinders/warming her pretty little toes;/her mother came and caught her/and spanked her little daughter/for spoiling all her nice new clothes."  I always hated that one!]

So we made up some new words.

"This little piggy went to market,

This little piggy went to market too.

This little piggy had roast beef,

This little piggy also had roast beef.

This little piggy cried "Whee! whee! whee!" on the fun ride."

Not as catchy as the original, perhaps?  But it meets with this boy's approval.  "That way is better, Mommy.  Say it that way."  And now everyone is happy.

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Camp

 

I spent most of last week at Camp with twenty-one adorable young women.  It was SO beautiful.  Ever since I was a young woman myself, I have loved to go out running early so I can watch the sun come up (and enjoy the sweet, sweet quiet before the girls awaken).  When I came up over the top of a rise to see the valley just beginning to lighten below me, I'm afraid I may have started to sound like this guy. (Luckily there was no one around to hear.) 

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Baby Picnic

The other day when all the boys were staying at their Grandma's house, we took Daisy on a bike ride and picnic.  She likes bike rides (in spite of the helmet making her look like a mushroom).

eating Daal and Naan (her favorite)

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This is how it went.

First, Daisy opened the cupboard.  Then she got in the cupboard.  Then she carefully and systematically threw everything out.

Then Malachi got very worried and started to cry.  Then Abey got Daisy out.  Then Daisy got very sad and started to cry.

Then Abey helped Malachi barricade the cupboard with a chair.

And Sebby made a little bed for his monkeys.

I made a salad with one million things in it.  Sprouts, asparagus, avacado, cucumbers, almonds, feta.

And then Sam came home and we went swimming.

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Movie in the park

We watched a showing of The Muppet Movie in the park the other night.  Our seating (blankets and beanbag) had to ride over in the bike trailer with Seb and Ky.  They were totally engulfed by beanbag, but it didn't stop them from jabbering (in muffled tones).  The boys thought the MOST exciting part was watching the screen inflate.  And playing in the grass beforehand, of course.  It was a late night for Daisy, but she stauchly refused to fall asleep, preferring instead to climb over everybody and grab things.  Malachi liked the "nice monsters" (all of the muppets?).  He also reassured us that nobody could cut HIS legs off (a frog-leg restaurant is one of the perils Kermit faces) since they are "glued on."  What a relief!

*Snoof*

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Summer Garden

Hot, but lovely.  Lots of bright, fire-colored flowers, and brittle blue skies.  Wet, steamy boys, and rosy-cheeked babies. 

Picnic in the treetops

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A whiff of scandal

Snoofing

One of my aunts doesn't have a sense of smell.  I can't remember if she lost it in some sickness or if she was born that way.  It doesn't seem like one of those things that would come up in everyday conversation a lot, but whenever she was at our house when I was young, I found myself repeatedly and irresistably drawn to the delicate subject: "Mmmm, look at those beautiful lilacs; don't you just love the . . . smell . . . of . . . sorry."  (I was infected with a similar conversational magnetism, regarding sounds, whenever my deaf cousin visited.  What an awkward child I must have been.)

Anyway, smell.  It's not the worst sense to lose, perhaps.  Perhaps you think in a household of three little boys it's no serious loss at all.  But Sam has lost his, and it definitely has its drawbacks.  For one thing I can't have him smell things in the fridge for me to see if they've gone bad (one of his former Household Duties).  His mom suggested that Sam should hereafter have to change all messy diapers, which is a good idea, but since he doesn't smell them he also doesn't feel any URGENCY about them.  Likewise about taking out smelly garbage bags.  He says he sometimes senses "a change in the air" if some smell is particularly strong, but that's not a real catalyst for action, if you know what I mean.

And I also feel bad for him, not being able to smell the GOOD smells---and there are LOTS of good smells around here, mostly of things baking, yum. 

And in only slightly related news, Daisy likes to wrinkle up her nose and snoof at us.  Whereupon we all snoof energetically back.  It's quite a sight.  You ought to see it.  (If you can see, that is.  If not, please forgive my indelicacy.)

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Some people around here are cute

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Homemade Twix

Sam loves Twix.  So for Father's Day, the boys and I decided to make him these homemade Twix bars I'd seen recipes for.  (It was my brother Philip's birthday too, who is also a Twix-lover, so it seemed extra good to celebrate with Twix.  We're quite conscientious about celebrating other peoples' birthdays, actually.  "It's your sister's birthday today," I say.  "We really ought to have a cake or something," Sam says.  "We really ought," I agree.  And we do.  Selflessly.  I'm sure they would appreciate it, if they knew.)

So, these are really good.  Just look at them.  But they are a bit of effort, because of the layers.  They not only break my mom's "no-desserts-that-are-actually-two-desserts" rule, they flaunt it.  On the other hand, Homemade! Twix!  We considered it our duty to do a side-by-side test with actual (or should I say, commercial) Twix, and the homemade ones are so much better.  Chocolately, caramelly, cookily so.  I would save them for special occasions simply because they take more time.  But if you want to celebrate with someone you love (or eat a cake in their honor, in their absence), won't you consider Saying It With Twix?

A few notes:
I actually made two batches of these because I needed some for my lesson on Sunday (yes, those lucky young women) (and it tied in quite wonderfully, but I'm not going to elaborate at this juncture) so I had a chance to try a couple different variations.  Basically, as you can see, it's a cookie layer, and a caramel layer, and a chocolate layer.  I considered making the bottom layer more of a shortbread crust (like you'd use in lemon bars) but in the end I thought my fruit pizza crust (basically a snickerdoodle cookie) might work better.  That's what I did the first time.  Next, I did more of a basic sugar cookie.  Verdict: the fruit pizza crust won out for being softer/slightly more tangy?---for lack of a better word---anyway, the sugar cookie was a little bland.  I thought the fruit pizza crust had more character.  I think shortbread would be good, but really probably a better mix with a tart lemon bar or a cheesecake bar than with this sweet caramel.

For the caramel layer, I tried a recipe which used sweetened condensed milk.  That's supposed to speed up the process a little.  And it was good; very creamy and sweet.  But in the end I went back to my tried-and-true caramel recipe, cooked until the flavor deepens and the tender, buttery caramel gives just the right amount of resistance when bitten, and we all preferred it.  It had more complexity, and less sugary-sweetness, so it was a good contrast to the cookie underneath.

The chocolate is simply a ganache---melted chocolate mixed with cream.  You could add a tablespoon of butter to make it extra smooth and spreadable.

But maybe the most important detail is the sea-salt sprinkled on top.  I know that salted caramel flavor is all the rage these days, but it's not trendiness that makes it good----it's just that it's RIGHT.  You taste one of these bars without it, and it's fine, but honestly, do you want to go to all this trouble just for FINE?  You do not.  Trust me---the salt elevates this dessert to spectacular.  Ask my young women (even the one who just got her wisdom teeth out).

Homemade Twix

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