Colorful Cookies for Summer

Here's another kid who isn't a disaster in the kitchen. While we were buying groceries at Target, I spotted this tie-dye cookie kit from Duff Goldman and knew right away he would want to do this. It took us two days. 

Day 1 was mixing the dough and dyeing the dough. The box called for four colors of dough, but he didn't want an orange, he wanted 2 yellows. My suggestion for a green was also declined. It was very difficult for him to stir the dye into the dough, so I donated some elbow grease. Then the dough had to rest, and this kid had soccer, so we had to wait until Day 2 to swirl and bake. 

Day 2 was his favorite part by far.  

He rolled the dough into four balls.

Then he smooshed those dough ball together. 

Next he rolled out a rope.

And last he twirled the rope into a spiral.

The final results LOOK good…but how do they taste??

Good.

My Kids are Not Disasters in the Kitchen

In my last post, I detailed the difficulties I had boiling figgy pudding and admitted I'm a disaster in the kitchen.

You know who's not a disaster in the kitchen? My kids!

This summer, the middle kid dedicated over an hour to making his first batch of hot sauce! He received this kit as a birthday present from his older brother, it's from a company called Grow and Make, and we ordered through Uncommon Goods.

While the kit suggested some recipes, he decided to go off on his own. He selected his peppers (1 chipotle, 2 guajillo)

He needed cilantro, and luckily he received a little "grow your own cilantro" kit for Easter. He grew it, and planted it, and was excited to use some fresh leaves. 

The aroma was very strong. 

The base we used was chopped tomatoes from Penn Corner CSA. We're trying the Farm Stand this year. 

He was a little nervous to try it….

But it was GOOD! About thirty seconds after this photo, his face transformed as the heat of the peppers kicked in. I was laughing too hard and forgot to snap a photo.

After boiling, the sauce needed to sit for a little bit, so he enlisted his brother's help in drawing a label. He decided to name his blend "It Burns."

Like his dad, he really enjoyed creating his very own mix from scratch. He was really careful during the whole process. 

The hot sauce matures over two weeks, so while we've enjoyed a few tastes, we're looking forward to the full flavor. Come on over and try some!

I Am a Disaster in the Kitchen

I am a disaster in the kitchen.

You can read the full story on twitter here  

This is not a thread about my disastrous cooking skills. This is about SCIENCE. It starts with figgy pudding. A few weeks ago, my good friend said "lets drink tea, eat my mom's homemade figgy pudding and watch The Crown!"

— Elizabeth (@OneSweetWriter) May 2, 2018

2018 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run

This was my eighth year running the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run, and again I loved it. A lot of my training happened on the treadmill and in my chilly, dim basement I'd look forward and picture the Washington Monument rising above the trees covered in blooms.

Things started getting real when I loaded up the new face on my Garmin.

I drove down to the Expo (at the very cool National Building Museum) with my friend Sandy. We spent some time finding our names on the poster with all the runners' names printed as small as possible. 

Then we headed to the Expo HQ and did some volunteering. We labelled lightsabers, taped boxes, bagged shirts, lugged things and generally helped out. I love doing behind the scenes work like this, especially on events that mean a lot to me.

As a thank you for the social media work I did this year (I was focused on fundraising) I received a new pair of UA Hover shoes. I'm looking forward to trying these out…when I'm recovered from the race.

My volunteering in the months leading up to the race was focused on fundraising for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Since I've started fundraising, I have raised over $8000. Very soon I will have raised over $10,000 and I'm incredibly proud to support this organization.

Race morning was chilly but clear and sunny. I ran without my phone so I don't have any race day photos (sad face) but I did run a great time with a great effort. I felt wonderful the whole way, satisfied with both my pace and effort. I was able to enjoy myself as we crossed the river, the monuments glowing in the sun, the blossoms blooming overheard, the spectators cheering us on. It was a magical morning. It doesn't hurt I got a little faster each mile as the race went on!! That just shows how great I felt. 

After the race, Sandy and I celebrated at Cuba Libre. One of those mojitos is mine, and we definitely deserved them!!

It's been 8 years since I started running the Cherry Blossom. I'm looking forward to running next year and I'm so grateful for the chance to be out there every year!

The World in 100 Years

On a trip to the Catskills, we embarked on an adventure to find Rip Van Winkle related murals. 

I hadn't read the story in years and was trying to recall the details to share with the kids, and luckily I found it in a country store in Tannersville. 

The biggest differences Rip experienced were escaping his "shrewish wife" and hanging with his dog. 

What will be different about the world in 100 years?

Let's Play Spring-O!

Mother Nature tempted us with a taste of spring last week. She's turned the thermostat back down this week, but we know spring is on the way.

I can't wait.

I love spring. For me, spring means cherry blossoms, running in shorts, bees buzzing, outdoor soccer, longer days, track season.

For others, spring means different things.

What symbolizes spring for you?

Last week a friend of mine commented that spring was almost here because she saw the robins return. I had never thought of robins as migrating birds, so I wondered if they really did leave during the winter. It turns out some robins migrate, but not all. And it's not just weather that motivates their migration.

Our family loves to play games and I decided to make SPRING-O, a fun little game to play while we're waiting for spring to really arrive.

The best part is, you can make this game at home and play it with your family. Make it simple for younger players, or make it complex for older kids and adults.

So let's play Spring-O!

 Play SPRING-O!

1. On a piece of paper, draw a grid of nine squares. 
2. In each of the squares, write down signs of spring. You could write down things about new plants growing, insects and animals, warmer weather, or outdoor recess and sports seasons.
3. Put a free space in the middle of your grid.
4. Play SPRING-O with your family and friends and mark off a square when you see that sign of spring. You can play to win when you have a row of three or when you fill up the entire card. 

Things That Count

Things I Count

Steps I take in a day

Ounces of water I drink 

Miles I run per week

Words I write in a story 

Dollars coming in a month 

Likes on social media posts

Pounds I weigh 

Dollars going out in a month 

Emails in my inbox 

Calls I make as a volunteer

Hours I sleep a night

Books I read a year 

Things I Can't Count 

Cookies I have eaten 

Moments spent in daydreams

Laughs shared with friends

Kisses from my husband

Tissues I’ve used on runny noses

Hugs with my children

Raindrops that have fallen on me

Phone calls to my mom 

Problems my friends have helped me handle

Bandages I’ve put on skinned knees

Licks of ice cream cones

Waves that have washed over my feet