We now return to our regularly scheduled craft blog.

In case you were afraid I had given up making stuff in favor of blathering endlessly about the virtues of our new house:This was a roadside rescue I gleaned in October. It was filthy and kind of beat-up, but cleaned up nicely with a can of blue Rustoleum and an IKEA curtain (Goodwill!) to hide reupholster the (previously fuchsia) seat. It's been claimed by the boys for use as a desk chair.

Itty-bitty blather: check out the floors in the study!

A little snow is a wonderful thing

...except when they forget to plow the street where we live, and my grocery-getter flails pathetically in the driveway every stinkin' time I pull in. But other than that, my little clan has been reveling in the flakeage. This afternoon, we spent a blissful half hour horrifying our new neighbors snowballing with the kids in the yard, and being a little in awe of their snow-sculpting skills. We're plodding along a bit in the moving department (you try moving 8 people's worth of stuff in 2 feet of snow in a pickup truck!) but finally got the rest of the bookshelves in today. Since I was feeling like a bit of a slacker, I decided to kasher the oven for extra credit. (I have become one with the oven. I know its darkest secrets; I have seen the accumulated grease of 52 years pour like tears down its enameled walls. And as an added bonus, my hands have been relieved of their topmost layer of skin.)

I sweep, therefore I am.

As I swept my long-coveted-cork-flooring for the umpteenth time today, it occurred to me that
a) I spend a ridiculous amount of time with broom in hand
and
b) the sweepings that result from my frequent floor forays are tiny collages of our days.

For example, the post-prandial pile to which you were privy above pretty much encapsulates our evening. A cozy bowl of not-microwave-popcorn, a jigsaw puzzle and a light supper of steamed broccoli and brown rice (with Iron Chef's General Tso's sauce, in case you wondered how I conned the rugrats into eating broccoli...) rounded out by a Twizzler for dessert (look closely!) and, of course, the ubiquitous Tinkertoy. Perhaps, if you're lucky, I'll show you my laundry and dirty dishes tomorrow. One can always hope...

Lights (and Gratuitous Snow Pictures for Richard)

I'm getting a crick in my neck. I can't help myself. Mrs. Doctor's assiduous attention to detail landed me some of the very coolest light fixtures around. Seriously. That was the light in the guest room, and I spent an embarrassing amount of my allotted unpacking time staring at it as though it was going to reveal to me some great truth if only I was patient enough. No truths revealed, other than this: Fabulous design is abso-flipping-lutely timeless.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (and it is a ranch, coincidentally..) we're getting heaps of snow. Which is fun, if you're not schlepping all of your worldly possessions through said snow. Or if you live in a place (like The Roch) where you pay appalling--nay, stultifying--amounts of taxes, and the roads (and sidewalks, no less!) get cleared by the Plow Fairy before the first flake hits the ground.
Anyway, because Richard wanted snow pictures, here they are, in all of their glacial glory.

Nooks and Crannies

This house is chock full of little details that make my heart sing. It's a bespoke home, built in 1958 for a doctor and his wife. Mrs. Doctor had impeccable taste (except for the crime-against-humanity-wallpaper in my bedroom, dammit...) and an eye for attractive durability, bless her. They lived in the house for more than 50 years, and did little to update in those years. Which means I've got a music room. With a pipe organ. And a built in phonograph. The kitchen is a marvel: glass-fronted wood cabinets. Cork flooring. Storage options deemed "too rich for my blood" when I did my Miami Dream Kitchen remodel five years ago lurk inside every drawer and cupboard. And there's a built in can-opener.

We got it.

After a very long, drawn-out series of (torturous) events, we got the keys to our new home this morning. May it always be filled with family, friends, and happy occasions.

Pack. Unpack. Repeat.

Yup, that's what we've been up to. Every box I unpack is a personal victory. And in between boxes, I wander around and gawk. The picture up there? Those are the music rolls for our player piano. In my book, that's cooler than a Wii. How 'bout the pool table? I'm smitten.The bar is a another nifty little perk in the Rec Room, which also has shuffleboard courts laid in the original flooring. I am gaga over this house. Come and visit, ok?

Big news in the offing...

Stay tuned for the exciting reveal!

(And, no, Mom...I'm not pregnant.)

Personal chef?

After I had my third child, I lost a tremendous amount of weight on Dr. Dean Ornish's program--a vegetarian, very low fat regimen that was both effective and user-friendly. Three kids later, about half of the weight has crept back on, and it's time for me to do something about it. I've been asked to create weekly menus and do the cooking for another couple in our community, and will be using the opportunity to get myself and my husband back on track, as well. So...I'm menu-planning properly for the first time in years, and with more of an audience than my own family, I have to consider things like presentation, and avoiding repetitive ingredients (I could happily subsist on lentils, chickpeas, and sweet potatoes...) while maintaining a balanced, low fat menu. To add to the challenge, one of our participants has diabetes, and another has IBS. I made a quick trip to the library today in search of cookbooks to sift through, and came back with a few of my old favorites, in addition to some newer titles. I also spent some time on the fat free veggie archives and am nearly done with this week's menus. If anybody's interested, I'll post the finished menu plan when I'm through.

Bangarangs!

Everybody has a go-to recipe, something to make for that "I'll-bring-dessert" occasion that pops and finds you lacking the time, energy, or inclination to experiment. When I need to look like I hang with Martha, I make meringues. If my rugrats are clamoring for 'bangarangs,' they get the simplest version: plain-old vanilla meringues. For a vort or a shalom zochar, expect them to be flavored with mint or raspberry and bedecked with nonpareils or melted chocolate. The beauty of the meringue is this: It's a no-brainer. As long as you have a decent mixer, a bag of sugar, and some eggs, you're golden. Here's my ridiculously easy recipe for Bangarangs:

8 eggwhites
1.5 cups granulated sugar
1t. flavored extract (vanilla, mint, raspberry, orange...)
nonpariels, colored sugar, etc. to decorate

Preheat oven to 250. Your eggs should be at room temperature and your mixer bowl should be chilled when you begin. First, use the wire whip attachment at full speed to whip your eggwhites till they form soft peaks. Add the sugar VERY slowly while continuing to beat the mixture. When all of the sugar has been added, the mixture should be glossy, and hard peaks will form when you remove the beater. Don't do that just yet, though. Add the extract and beat for a half a minute, still at full speed. Now, drop by dollops (or go all fancy like I do and make pretty swirls with a pastry bag or decorator) on a parchment lined cookie sheet. If you're adding sprinkles or the like, do it now.Bake for 90 minutes in a 250 degree oven. Let cool in the oven, then drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired, and transfer to an airtight container or a Ziploc bag.

What's your go-to recipe?