Charlie's birthday slideshow EXTRAVAGANZA!

I don’t know if it’s really an “extravaganza” per se, but whatever.  It makes the title So! Exciting!  I wanted to have this posted yesterday on her actual birthday, but Vimeo was being an asshat.  So it’s a day late, but you’ll forgive me when you see the cuteness inside.  I cannot believe she’s five.  Five!  She had her first birthday the year we moved out here, and that is just so bizarre to me.

Also? If it doesn’t make you tear up a little then you are a cold, heartless robot.  (Like me.)

Various and sundry

I have stuff floating around in my head, so I’m going to vomit it here. On my blog. Which is, I think, supremely appropriate.

1. Did any of you see that Amazon boycott/public outcry over the pedophile book?  Amazon ended up “caving” to public pressure, and took it down. I’ve seen backlash over it lately, and all I can think is what the shit, people? Really? No, a book does not a pedophile make. Don’t be idiotic. The fact that Amazon would CHOOSE to list that book for sale is disgusting.  A book that gave instructions on molesting kids.

As someone that’s given Amazon thousands of my hard-earned dollars over the years (and for other reasons I won’t discuss) I took a personal and intense interest in getting that shit off the site.  And no, this is not the same as the church banning Harry Potter.  Keep it in perspective.

Also? It doesn’t make you cooler for not jumping on the bandwagon, so get over yourself.

2. In two days I have to take myself, Thea, and Marissa on a plane to SoCal. I am dreading the crap out of the flight, layover, and second flight. Let me just say this: the first person that looks at me sideways when my baby cries is getting a swift and forceful finger in their face, and should thank me for not punching them in the guts. 

3. Speaking of said flight, I’m really struggling with cloth or paper diapering Thea for this plane ride.  She will be cloth diapered when we’re there, but I can’t for the life of me decide whether I should just let it go and use paper for the plane ride itself.  I’m having a huge mental block against buying paper, but as far as space goes, I really think I have to.  I’m leaving this until the last minute though, in case something changes.  Like they invent a bag where you can stuff a house in it, but it magically shrinks and is super small and weighs almost nothing.  And smells like cotton candy.  And is embellished with rainbows.  *fingers crossed*

4. I was trying to sew a t-shirt for Thea the other day, and my machine was just eating up the knit like a monster.  I saw some tutorial that said to use a walking foot, so I ran a quick search to price them out, and LO AND BEHOLD.  I discovered that my machine came with one when I bought it.  I was so happy I think I squealed.  Saved myself $35, and made sewing the shirt soooo much easier.  It’s not done yet, but when it is I promise to post pics.  I know you’ll barely be able to concentrate on your life until I do, right?

That’s all for now.  I must go stress about babies and laptops and suitcases and TSA agents touching my junk. 

Deodorant!

I’ve been on a diaper ointment-making kick lately, so while gathering the supplies together for that I also decided to make some deodorant.  I first saw the recipe at SewGreen (see the entry here).  How easy does that look, right?

I didn’t have any arrowroot powder, so I ordered that some along with lemongrass EO from Sahara’s Supplies on Etsy.  Once everything got here, it took about 2 seconds to make.  I mixed all the powders together, and then melted 5TBS of coconut oil in the microwave.  I added the EO to the coconut oil, then mixed it all together into a really super runny paste.

I popped it into the freezer for a few minutes because I wanted to see what it would look like all firmed up (coconut oil is a solid at room temp, but has a very low melting point).  It looks exactly like the picture on the SewGreen site, like a really thick frosting.  I’m able to scoop it out of the container really easily and rub it on my skin with no trouble.

With the lemongrass EO it smells like candy.  In other words, I totally want to lick my pits.  It’s a little gritty going on, and I think it may leave some residue (like if I wear a tank top you might see it) but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.  Also it’s not an antiperspirant, but I’m more concerned about smelling like a moldy sweat sock, so whatever.  Priorities, people.

So far so good, and the one batch made enough to keep me stink free for quite some time.  Score!

Make your own pepperoni rolls

Have you all heard of pepperoni rolls?  I guess they’re very popular out here… my mom (having lived out here) used to make them for us when we were younger.  I thought it was something she just made up, but no. It’s like a thing. A. THING.  They sell them in the grocery store and the gas station.  They have big ones and small ones, in bags and individually, with all different sorts of pepperoni and cheese.

So I make my own, since that way I can use lots and lots and lots of pepperoni.  And sometimes we add cheese, but not if I’m feeling lazy.  I tweeted about the last time I made them and some fine young lady requested the recipe.  I am nothing if not accommodating.

Unfortunately you only get this crappy iPhone picture of what they look like when they come out of the oven.  Rest assured they were gone about 10 minutes after this picture was taken. Also, they look burned in the picture, but whatever.

So, recipe.  I use the “ABM dinner rolls” recipe I found years ago online here, and make the dough in my bread machine.  Really, any dinner roll recipe will do.  Also, I found a big ass stick of pepperoni at the store, so I cut long strips and use this to stuff the rolls. (Heh.)  I like to make the pieces pretty thick because I want equal bread and pepperoni, thankyouverymuch.  Usually, though, I use the round pepperoni slices you get for pizza.  Be generous with the slices.

You can also stuff cheese with them, but you don’t eat these babies hot, so the cheese might not be that appetizing to you if it’s cold.  I think it’s good.  Onward!

1 c. water
2 T. butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
3 1/4 c. bread flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
3 t. active dry yeast

Measure carefully, placing all ingredients in bread machine in order recommended by manufacturer. Select Dough/Manual cycle. Do not use delay cycle. When cycle is complete remove dough from pan with lightly floured hands. Cover and let rest 10 minutes on lightly floured surface.

Divide dough into 15 equal pieces (I usually make more than this). Cover and let rise in warm place 30 to 40 minutes or until double. The last time I made them I forgot to let them rise for 30 minutes, and they turned out fine. *shrug*

Keeping your hands floured (this dough is sticky, y’all) shape each piece into a ball, and stuff with pepperoni and cheese (optional).

Place them on the cookie sheet touching each other, and bake at for 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve warm or wait until they cool off.  I store these on a covered plate, but they never stick around for very long.

If you give them a try let me know what you think!

Halloween!

This Halloween was a BLAST. Last year I was what, 2 or 3 days postpartum? Not in the most Halloweenie of moods at the time, and Thea was (clearly) too small to do anything but nurse and poop.  This year, though, she was big enough to get a huge kick out of it, and we had time to plan and put together all the kids’ costumes, and get everything decked out for trick-or-treating.

My dad came over to pass out candy while we took the girls to get our their candy.  I may have held a gun to his head to show up early and carve a pumpkin… it’s been *years* since I can remember carving pumpkins with him.  He did us proud with his crazy vampire number.

We had lots of trick-or-treaters this year (the first year we were here I think we had less than a dozen, no lie).  So glad that our street is getting more kid traffic, and more houses are passing out candy.

Belle was Dr. Blake Downs (from Children’s Hospital). I had gotten a bald cap, but it was a pain in my ass to get it attached and I didn’t have the right supplies to blend it in, so we left it off.  Bryan did her makeup.

Phoebe was Velma, and Charlie was a vampire. Phoebe’s was super easy, the glasses are really what made it. Charlie’s cape (although a nightmare to sew) was perfect. The collar made it perfectly vampirey.

Thea’s was the super easiest — no sewing!  I think store-bought costumes are cheating, so I’m a complete hypocrite for having her wear it, but I could not pass it up.  We bought this from Amazon in June when they were having a sale ($6, bitches!). The only way I could’ve made it cheaper is if I wrapped her in tinfoil and sent her as a baked potato (lame) so I’m ok with it.  And she didn’t scream or try to pull the hat off, so we win.

It was a busy busy week (2 birthdays and Halloween) but it was a great time, and a huge success.  I already can’t wait for next Halloween, and I have their costumes all picked out. :)