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Got to love those hair days!

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anyone have any good rutabaga recipes? We got a ton of them at the CSA this week, and the only time i think I recall eating one might have been at my SILs house. I understand these root vegetables are a staple of the local michigan winter food supply.

>frankie told me this morning that she wanted a soccer ball cake for
her birthday… now where did she get that idea?????????

>Happy New Year! Only 22 days late…. Happy MLK Day! Only 1 day late!

So, my mom taught me a great lesson when I was in the 3rd grade. Our
family bought a box of chocolate chip icecream and when we opened it at home, only half the box of icecream had chocolate chips in it – the other half was only vanilla icecream. I was so disappointed. So, what did my mom do? She suggested that I write a letter to Hersheys (the maker of the icecream) and explain what happened. And, so I did. A few weeks later in the mail I received coupons galore for free icecream and other products, and a letter from the company apologizing for what had happened. Now, right before christmas the pole that helps to hold up the girls' tent broke. I searched high and low on the internet for a replacement pole, as they love that tent but couldnt find one. I almost went to Target to buy a new tent for them. the tent itself was only about $25, but I couldnt imagine wasting the natural resources. We didnt need a new tent – just a new pole. So I remembered my 3rd grade experience and wrote an email to the company who made the tent (Midwest glove) explaining what happened and where I might find replacement poles. Ten days later what do I get in the mail? A free replacement pole! thanks midwest glove! thanks mom!!!
Pictures to follow. Im just happy to get a post done today!

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Aunt Toni! Congrats to you (see answers below). The flowering tea is on its way… I had this for the first time in Japan last year and its both an aesthetic and culinary experience! anyone want to claim a consolation prize? Colleen, you should have posted….

>The middle school near our house has an awesome hill for sledding. The snow was packed just right so it was a fast ride down, and a slippery climb back up! We started off on the “bunny hill” and worked our way up to the big hill. I thought that Bee and Frankie would be scared, but they just kept asking for more! I have to learn how to steer a bit better because we kept cutting sharply to the right, but the heels in my boots, I’ve decided, have good stopping power! Bee even went down by herself, crashed landed, and came up laughing. I was so proud of her! Go Bee!

here are the girlies going up and down the hill…

and here is bee going all by herself!

>Yesterday we got about 5 inches of perfect snow man snow! We started off making a snowman and ended up with a snow family, which Bee declared was “snow frankie, snow bee, and snow koompa!” The funniest part was when koompa sniffed the snow dogs butt. Frankie just told me when she grows up she wants to be a football player, a doggie or a doctor. I love her mind!

OK, any takers on the quiz? How about if i send a prize to the winner? Lets see, Bee says to give a pack of gum for the prize, but Im willing to up the ante to a box of flowering jasmine tea or homemade dark chocolate oatmeal cookies, your pick!

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Well the forecast the other morning was for freezing fog. What the
heck is freezing fog? Scott dared the elements and went running in
it. He survived, and sported a really cool set of eyebrows and lashes
to boot! They reminded me of when I used to take
Koompa running in the winter and her whiskers would grow icicles!

Well, we are back from our trek to Wichita as well. More on that trip
later, but lets play a matching game first. Which slogan matches with
each city/state? We had some good laughs as we read the billboards,
water towers (i.e.. onions), and what not where these sayings were
posted. Lets just say that bought us a good hundred miles.

A. Crossroads of Opportunity
B. Crossroads of America
C. A level above
D. Something for everybody
E. The fine art of living well

1. Blue Springs, MO
2. El Dorado, KS
3. Effingham, IL
4. Terre Haute, IN
5. Indiana (the state)

Im still laughing at the billboards. So, I bet you can begin to
imagine our 17 hours (1 way) in the car together. I will tell you
one other weird factoid. Its almost exactly 250 miles from here to
Indianapolis, 250 from Indy to St. Louis, 250 from St.Louis to Kansas
City, and 200 from KC to Wichita. It was nice to have such evenly
spaced cities!

Once we get some quiz takers, I will post the answers.

I hope everyone is having a merry christmas… and get ready for a great 2008!

>I saw this on the new york times and thought it was super cool… so anyone out there want to make a new years resolution with me that we will take our picture everyday next year and make a movie. I think I will do it for Bee and Frankie. How am I gonna remember to take a pic everyday??????

see the article at New York Times

Living My Life Faster – 8 years of JK’s Daily Photo Project from c71123 on Vimeo.

>…Bee says to Frankie, “Frankie, can I lick your face?” LOL. I guess Koompa has taught her well. We made dark chocolate brownies yesterday and that was what bee said after I let them lick the bowl. It was a new recipe because I usually make brownies from unsweetened baking squares and I didnt have any yesterday so we used dark chocolate cocoa powder. they werent as dense as Im used to, but quite tastey. Tell me this, though: Why does the batter always taste better than the final baked product??????