Just Dip It.....

Tonight for our fun family dessert Kennedy decided we should do a re-make of the ganache we used last week to top her cupcakes. Only this time dip whatever the heck we felt like. Ganache=easy and tasty. It also equals happy faces.

Strawberries and pretzels were the favorite tonight.

The strawberries went fast. Especially with our little fruit mongers.

Monger #1:

Monger #2:

Landon even quit dipping after a bit and just started eating the strawberries alone. "I just want to be healthy mom". (Yeah. Until tomorrow's valentine party.)

The beautiful baker herself:

Ethan (who is a wierd texture kind of kid) even got in on the dipping action. Of course only pretzels. Strawberries are a fruit. The kind of food group he avoids entirely.

Jack. Jack. The chocolate king. Without a shirt and still managed to get chocolate on his clothes. Uncanny.

We were even able to entice Shawn away from Scrabble blast on his iphone long enough to endulge in a chocolate dipped banana. Nothing better than a carb dipped in a carb!

I think it's safe to say that ganache dipping was a success.

Let's hope bathtime is just as successful.

The Fever....

Today I took Kennedy to see the new Justin Bieber movie "Never Say Never". One could assume that Kennedy was on her hands and knees begging her old mother to take her to see the hip star in all his glory. But. One would be wrong in this case. When I saw that it was in theaters I asked her if she'd go see it with me. Her response? "Mom. No way. I'm not a Bieber fan." Slam. I somehow convinced her, and we went. Now. Before all these crazy rumors start about me being infatuated with a 16 year old pop star, it's just not the case. Frankly I think the boy needs a haircut. And to pull up his pants. (Wow. I am old.) The movie for me wasn't about the music. (Though I admit that I do enjoy some of his tunes) It was the coming of age story. The boy-next-door-trying-to-use-his-gift-to-achieve-his-dream story. It amazes me that someone so young can achieve all that he has achieved in his short life span. He was raised by a single young mom, and his grandparents. When he gets a short break from tour he's expected to clean his room before he can go out with his friends. He's a kid. Who likes to eat McDonald's, play video games, annoy adults around him by boyish behavior, and just being a kid. Only. He's expected to live in an adult world making more money than most adults. And behaving like an adult in certain business ventures. That's a lot of pressure for a kid. But he's doing it. And doing it well. The movie made me think of my own kids. What their talents are. What kind of people I'd like them to grow up to be. Justin Bieber's Dad came to one of his concerts and cried like a baby back stage. I know those tears. Experienced them. Tears of pride. Pride that your kid is shining for others the way you see them shine always. This movie made me feel like I need to support my kids in whatever crazy adventure they are trying to pursue. Rubik's cubes, baking, karate, coloring, whatever. I just want my kids to feel like I know they are capable of amazing things. So they won't be selling out Madison Square Garden when they are 16. That's most likely not their destiny. Being the best little people in my world? That they can achieve.

Blizzarding......

Blizzard of the century happening. Right now. Outside my warm and cozy house. The kids were released from school early yesterday as it started to rain ice. It didn't start to snow until the wee hours of this morning. And it's been going strong ever since. And blowing. Ridiculous amounts. Shawn went in to work around 6:30 am to do an epidural, but he returned around 8 and his been home since. I've just been enjoying doing absolutely nothing. Wait. I did shower. Then I put back on my pajamas. Glorious. For some odd reason at 2:00 Shawn decided he better see if he could pull the Denali out of the garage. He does have to work tomorrow. Early. I guess it was his little test. I had just finished page 3 of a book I've been trying to start for a few days when my cell phone rang. It was Shawn. And he was stuck. "Could you come push the front of the Denali to get me moving?" (I vividly remember doing this exact same thing when we were brand new marrieds to our Toyota corolla. But not because of the snow. Just because that is how we got it to start.) I donned my boots, hat, and coat and headed out to the garage. Only he had just got it maneuvered enough that he was able to pull it back in. We decided if we shoveled a bit it might help the situation. Remember. It's a blizzard outside. Whatever. Because we lack a snow shovel I trudged through the 4 foot drifts to our neighbors the Heaths to borrow one. Lucky day. Chad Heath has a new snow blower. I took the shovels and he followed behind with his new toy. Pretty soon Jack and Kennedy were dressed and outside wanting to help.

Chad blowing the snow. We owe him. BIG time.

My front door. My wreath is dusted with the white stuff. Kind of pretty. If you are looking from the inside with your blanket and hot chocolate.

Shawn was following the blown paths with a shovel just to keep it clear. Underneath the snow is our very own private ice skating rink. Treacherous.

Kennedy was shoveling her own little spot. Chad aimed his blower just right and she fell over. Hilarious. She loved every minute of it. Crazy girl.

My frozen man. While I'm typing this he is still out there trying to keep the driveway clear. "It is like shoveling snow in a blizzard".

I've got my own little Jack Frost. Minus the teeth.

It's supposed to keep snowing and blowing until tomorrow morning. School has already been cancelled. My guess is they are out the rest of the week. As I was standing in the garage, taking turns with the kids and the snow shovel, I came to the conclusion that all along my lines of thinking have been correct. I've often said "Doing laundry in this house is like shoveling snow in a blizzard!" Or "Doing (insert whatever) is like shoveling snow in a blizzard." Today confirmed that statement for me. Shawn just walked in the door. As the door shut I looked out the window and the driveway is once again covered. Much like when I exit the kitchen admiring the cleanliness only to return to a cluttered counter and a sink full of dishes. After only 5 minutes. Painful. And all that clean laundry in the laundry room waiting to be folded? I have just as much in my kids bedrooms waiting to be washed. My life is like shoveling snow in a blizzard. Depressing? Sometimes. Discouraging? Sometimes. But. There are those few moments when you sit down with your hot chocolate and warm blanket despite the blizzard of life. It makes all the shoveling worth it. (Now I have to go see what damage was done to the kitchen while I took the time to blog this event. Lovely.)