Pioneer Woman

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and I’d like to share this exceedingly meatless treat with you that I’ve been saving since December.

It’s absolutely, positively, delicious.

Let me begin by warning you that this dish contains tofu.

I just laughed when I typed “tofu.” It ain’t exactly…my thang.

But guess what? I used to eat tofu regularly. Go figure. I was a vegetarian for several years before I met my husband and he cooked me a steak sizzling in butter, thereby rescuing me forever from a world without meat, and even though I’m no longer a vegetarian, I still could eat tofu every day of my life. I don’t, mind you…but I could. I love the stuff.

The thing about tofu is…well, you have to get past the name. The word “tofu” just gets a bad rap and might as well be up there with wheat grass juice and mashed yeast on the list of Things Folks Want to Consume. So call it something different if you’d like. Call it what it is: Soybean curd.

Actually, never mind. Just call it tofu.

The second thing you have to realize about tofu is that straight out of the package, it’s grody. Soft and flavorless and bland. I love it panfried, with lots of color and sizzle on the surface area, and I love it with lots and lots of flavor (usually soy sauce-based) on the outside. And that is the irony of tofu: it’s high in protein and low in fat and calories…but I have to slather all sorts of good stuff on it before I want to eat it.

But that’s my own private struggle.

 
 
 
The Cast of Characters: Firm tofu, romaine hearts, fresh or frozen corn, chili powder, soy sauce (not pictured because I’m an airhead. UPDATE: yes it is pictured. I repeat: I’m an airhead), balsamic vinegar (optional), and avocado.

Very good things are about to happen here.

 
 
 
Slide the block of tofu straight into a hot nonstick skillet with a little bit of peanut or olive oil.

IMPORTANT NOTE: A nonstick skillet is really, really good here. It allows the tofu to keep cooking and bubbling up without sticking and burning.

 
 
 
Break it up into pieces with a spoon…

 
 
 
Then continue breaking it up until it’s in very small pieces.

 
 
 
Now, you just want to cook it over medium to medium-high heat for several minutes. The primary goal is to cook off a little of the liquid in the tofu and get a little color and texture going on the surface of the tofu.

Tofu, tofu, tofu.

Oh, and a nonstick skillet really helps.

 
 
 
As it starts to achieve color, you’ll notice that it begins to resemble scrambled eggs…or at least scrambled egg whites.

 
 
 
Okay, this took a good five minutes. The tofu isn’t as juicy and watery, and it’s got some nice color going on.

 
 
 
Next, I shave the kernels off of a couple of cobs of corn and throw it into the skillet.

 
 
 
Stir it around…

 
 
 
And cook the corn for a few minutes. You want it to stay nice and crunchy, though, so no need to cook the heck out of it.

 
 
 
If you like a little spice, sprinkle on some chili powder.

I am addicted to spicy food these days.

I think I need the endorphins or something.

 
 
 
Then comes the soy sauce, which is what makes all of this make sense. Just drizzle what looks right to you; I’d say 1/4 a cup should be plenty.

 
 
 
Then just stir and cook until the soy sauce has cooked in and the whole thing looks like chicken.

Ha.

 
 
 
Finally, and this is entirely optional, drizzle in a teeny bit of balsamic vinegar. It’s totally delicious without it, but it just adds a nice somethin’-somethin’.

 
 
 
Grab a romaine heart (one of the smaller ones in the center is best) and pile on the corn/tofu mixture.

Oh my.

 
 
 
Now, listen. Let me just tell you something. This…is…DELICIOUS. Utterly crunchy, extremely flavorful…out-of-this-world delightful.

But wait.

There’s more.

 
 
 
Lay on a few slices of avocado.

I love life.

 
 
 
This, my friends, is the perfect meal if:

a. You’ve always wanted to try tofu but have been afraid
b. You’re observing Ash Wednesday and not consuming meat
c. You want to serve your family tofu and watch them freak out when you tell them they’re about to eat tofu
d. You want to eat something delicious
e. All of the above

Enjoy, guys!

Here’s the handy printable:

 
Recipe: Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time: 5 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 15 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 6

• 2 teaspoons Peanut Or Olive Oil
• 1 package (about 12-14 Oz. Size) Firm Tofu
• 2 ears Corn (or 1 1/2 Cups Frozen Corn Kernels)
• 1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder (more To Taste)
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• Romaine Lettuce Hearts
• 2 whole Avocados, Sliced
• 1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar (optional)

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in the tofu, then break it up into very small pieces. Cook tofu for several minutes, until much of the liquid cooks off and tofu starts to turn golden.

Cut kernels off the cobs of corn and throw it in with the tofu. Cook for a few minutes (corn can remain crunchy.)

Add chili powder and soy sauce, then cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Turn off heat and stir in balsamic if using.

Pile mixture into romaine hearts, then add sliced of avocado. Fold up and chow down!

Posted by Ree on February 22 2012

By Heather Sanders.

The Kinder-1st Galloping the Globe class Emelie teaches at our weekly homeschool coop traveled into Egypt right on the heels of our recent excursion to the Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs exhibit in Houston, TX.

Galloping the Globe was created as a one to three year curriculum. Our coop follows the one year schedule, which leaves Emelie with only one week to focus on Egypt.

I am sure you will agree that one day is not NEAR enough time to cover a country as magnificent as Egypt!

Using this curriculum, Emelie has spent the 2011-2012 coop year teaching her students about world geography. There is an enormous amount of printable worksheets available for her to use, including word searches, mazes, maps, flags, and puzzles.

Each week Emelie prints out a few different take home pages from the curriculum for her students. At times they cover some of the worksheets in class, but most of the time they are sent home in the kids’ notebooks.

Because this curriculum is designed to meet the needs of K-4th graders, there are three Galloping the Globe classes offered in our coop – PreK, K-1st, and 2nd-4th. Individual teachers decide how much of the material will be taught/reviewed in class and what will be left for the parents to read or teach at home.

During each class Emelie shows her students where they can find the country on the globe or map and gives a weekly printable of the country’s flag for her students to color.

Emelie always makes an example of the country’s flag for her students to mimic. They can get started coloring their flags in class while Em teaches a bit about the country, but often the flags are completed at home.

In addition, Emelie comes prepared with an activity specific to the country or an age-appropriate craft.

This week Emelie’s initial plan was to help her students make mini sugar cube pyramids, but after realizing the kids would not have enough time to complete the project, she took a different route.

Deciding to focus on Hieroglyphs instead of pyramids for her craft, Emelie showed students how to mimic the clay square tablets used by the Egyptians. The kids practiced writing hieroglyphs on their own “stone” (play dough) tablets.

To begin, Emelie printed out this Hieroglyph Alphabet from the Virtual Egypt website.

Next, using this Cream of Tartar Playdough Recipe, she mixed-up two batches of Playdough and sealed them separately in plastic bags.

Then, using the Hieroglyph Alphabet, Emelie labeled paper lunch sacks with each student’s name. After the lesson, and using the hieroglyph alphabet as a decoder, students “found” their bags before opening them to start their craft.

Inside each bag was one sealed bag of play dough and a couple of toothpicks.

The kids flattened their playdough and, using their toothpicks and hieroglyph alphabet, practiced writing their names and anything else they wanted to write.

Admittedly, some of the images were challenging for some of the K-1st graders in the class. Still, Emelie and her parent helpers were impressed with how diligently they kept trying – mashing out their mistakes and starting all over again.

OMSH/Heather L. Sanders is “Momma” to three kids, Emelie, Meredith and Kenny. When not homeschooling, or writing about homeschooling, Heather is busy designing websites.

Marlboro Man’s uncle died recently, and his funeral was last week. It was a wonderful celebration of his life—a week filled with reminiscing, family togetherness, food, old friends, and (sometimes) uproarious laughter.

 
Another thing that made it really special was that many cowboys in the area, including Cowboy Josh, Cowboy Tim, and Cowboy Pete, Cowboy Chris, Big John, Earl, Justin, Justin (another Justin!), Derek, Dave, and Tyler, paid homage to Tom by leading the funeral procession on horseback. They rode down the hill behind our house, escorting the family down the snowy road that leads to the cemetery, where Uncle Tom was to be buried. These same cowboys were the pallbearers at the funeral service, and filled up the first two rows of the church with starched shirts and vests, boots and Wranglers.

And their spurs jangled in unison as they departed the sanctuary.

It was lovely.

 
 
 
I’ve seen this kind of horseback tribute just a couple of times since I’ve been married to Marlboro Man.

As I watched last week, I cried and smiled.

 
 
 
Cried, because Earl led Uncle Tom’s horse. In keeping with tradition, Uncle Tom’s boots had been placed backwards in the stirrups.

 
 
 
Cried, because a life has ended.

 
 
 
Smiled, because Uncle Tom’s children were reminded in such a perfectly fitting way how much he was loved and appreciated.

And for that, I thank God for cowboys.

By Kristen Chase.

Even with the cold snap here in Atlanta, I do my best to get the kids outside. We’ve all been fighting a horrible virus, and somehow I feel as though the fresh, crisp air does wonders for everyone’s health and well-being.

And I’m not sure about your kids, but mine seem to have no trouble occupying themselves for hours with absolutely nothing when we’re outside. No toys, no iPads, just dirt, rocks, and whatever else they can get their hands on.

A couple of mornings ago, I gathered them up for some much-needed outdoor play. It’s been cold and rainy, and the cabin fever was raging! And after a few rides in the wagon and on their scooters around our cul de sac, they settled down to play on the sidewalk in front of the house. As I finished up on some work and drank my coffee on the porch, I couldn’t believe how quiet they were being so I had to go take a look to see what they were up to. And here’s what I found:

My oldest had discovered a few leftover rocks from my husband’s patio project and had gathered up various natural elements to create art. Look how green the grass translates when rubbed onto the rock!

Because it’s been so warm here, she found a few flower petals, which she used to make a beautiful pink color.

I just love the bright orange hue from the clay rock she uncovered.

Look at one of her final results – gorgeous!

My son decided to get in on the action, but instead of using natural elements as paint, he created rock people. Apparently this is me.

Of course, this creative play is just wonderful on its own, but I’m thinking of extending it for another day or two by having the kids look up the plants they used to see their names, as well as try to find others that might work for other colors. Also, this is such a great lesson if you’re studying Egyptian History like we did last year thanks to Story of the World.

Kristen Chase is a mom of 4, writer, and co-publisher of Cool Mom Picks and Cool Mom Tech, a popular shopping and trendspotting blog for moms, as well as 4 Kids or More, an online resource for the modern larger family. She’s a 2nd generation homeschooler, having been taught middle and high school by her own mother back when people were still using quills and ink wells, and is now a very well-adjusted and socialized homeschool mom herself.

By Mark Spearman.

At the start of a recent commute home from work my car radio crackles to life with a sharp debate about war veterans returning from Iraq. How and when shall they be honored for their service? New York City, it is pointed out, has a tradition of ticker-tape parades for our celebrated heroes, even sports teams, most recently the Super Bowl-winning NY Giants. Yet not a speck of confetti has been strewn for soldiers of this war. Where is their parade?

There is the view that any official welcome should wait until all are home, including, most certainly, those in Afghanistan. There are people of good faith on both sides of this conversation, but it brings to light a larger issue, one America has long struggled with: How to welcome home its warriors, and more importantly, how to help them adjust to life “after.”

A film I’ve loved for many years takes an unflinching look at this question. Remarkable for its time and ours, The Best Years of Our Lives is, by virtually any definition, a great movie.

Inherent in the issues explored in this film is that the personal sacrifices of war are more than we can wrap our minds around. We have our words, our statues and memorials, and yes, sometimes, parades. But they’re like scientific notation, something raised to the power of something else. Abstractions. Coefficient and exponent, symbols to represent a truth with a magnitude that’s beyond us.

The Best Years of Our Lives follows Army Sergeant Al Stephenson (the great Fredric March), Air Corps Captain Fred Derry (the sorely underrated Dana Andrews) and Navy Seaman Homer Parrish (movie first-timer Harold Russell) returning to their fictional Midwest hometown of Boone City after World War II.

They’re strangers who all happen to hitch a ride home on the same B-17. Al, we will come to learn, is a platoon sergeant, “away from home a couple of centuries,” weary from too much enemy fire on too many beaches. Fred revisits, in frequent nightmares, the wickedly unpredictable fog of war in bombing raids over Europe.

Homer, one-time hero of the Jackson High football team, has lost both of his hands; they were burned away when his carrier went down in the Pacific.

All three are apprehensive about returning to wives, girlfriends and families, but none more than Homer, who is engaged to beautiful high school sweetheart Wilma, literally the girl next door.

For his new friends he shows off the prosthetics he now has for hands. “I can dial telephones, I can drive a car, I can even put nickels in the jukebox. I’m all right, but…well, you see, I’ve got a girl.

“Wilma’s only a kid. She’s never seen anything like these hooks.”

The three share a cab from the airport. They marvel at how much their town has changed. Homer notices his uncle Butch’s saloon has a swanky new neon sign. “Best joint in town,” he tells them.

The cab turns down a quiet, leafy street of neatly trimmed lawns and slows to a stop outside Homer’s house. His parents and little sister await him. Wilma is at home as well. Now more nervous than ever, he stalls for time.

“Hey how about we all go back to Butch’s place and have a few drinks first, and then we’ll all go home.”

Al gently touches the boy’s arm, then reaches for the door handle. “You’re home now, kid.”

I defy anyone to find another 65-year-old film that endures on so many levels. It is authentic and timeless. I could watch it every week and never grow tired of it.

So I digress a moment for a gripe. The Best Years of Our Lives is Number 37 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Best Movies of all time. When it was released in 1946, it was the highest grossing film since Gone with the Wind. Winner of eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Two of those Oscars went to Russell, who was not an actor. He was a veteran who enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor, served in the 13th Airborne and lost his hands in an explosion.

Despite the stature of this movie, the big video store chains don’t even stock it. There is not a Blockbuster store in America that has a copy. You won’t find one for sale at Barnes and Noble or Best Buy. At least I couldn’t. It cannot be downloaded from iTunes or Amazon on Demand.

I wanted to see it again but do not own the DVD. I finally located a copy where I should have looked first, an independent video shop in my neighborhood. Kudos to you, Silver Screen Video of Oakland, California, on Grand Avenue between Wildwood and Weldon. (You can also order it from Netflix or watch for it on Turner Classic Movies).

Aside from great writing (Pulitzer and Oscar winner Robert Sherwood), a top-shelf cast (that included Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright and Virginia Mayo), The Best Years of Our Lives is simply beautiful to look at. Director William Wyler (of Dodsworth, Mrs. Miniver, and later, Roman Holiday and Ben-Hur) worked with the cinematographer from Citizen Kane to give Best Years of Our Lives a more naturalistic look and feel than other films of its time.

An Oscar was awarded for its subtle and poignant score. It edged out It’s a Wonderful Life for Best Picture. Fredric March was chosen over Laurence Olivier for Best Actor. Wyler deservedly took Best Director. In addition to Supporting Actor honors, Russell received a special Oscar recognizing the hope he’d brought to fellow veterans with his sincere and studied turn as Homer Parrish.

It is also a very brave movie.

We tend to look to World War II as the one we got right. Veterans were universally respected and honored. But this movie testifies to the fact that there are always those, through ignorance or worse, who make such transitions difficult.

Wilma’s father delivers a patronizing lecture about veterans making good insurance salesmen.“You know, men who have suffered from some kind of disability. A few months from now, the same opportunities won’t exist that exist today.”

A snarky assistant manager at the drugstore laments that servicemen will steal all the good jobs. At the Cornbelt Loan & Trust, where Al is a vice president, the officious boss Mr. Milton bristles at the risks posed by small business loans to returning GIs.

The film even casts a glance at the isolationists and anti-semites.“We let ourselves get sold down the river,” a stranger at the soda counter tells Homer. “We were pushed into war. The Germans and the Japs had nothing against us. They just wanted to fight the Limies and the Reds… We fought the wrong people, that’s all.”

This movie takes place in a time period that has long fascinated me. The war came at great cost. After, there was grief for the lost, but things seemed possible again.

My connection to this era may have roots in a movie produced by the U.S. Department of War, or perhaps the Red Cross, filmed in my hometown. The homes, shops and streets of Mount Vernon, Ohio, were the setting for a primer on life in America’s heartland. In a short span of years, hundreds of thousands of war brides, from more than 50 countries, arrived in the U.S. The film was intended to acquaint such women with the tasks of managing a 1940s Midwest household. When I was a kid, teachers would show it at the elementary schools in town. I have a vivid memory of a scene in which a lanky store clerk with slicked-back hair deftly manipulates one of those broomstick-like tools to fetch flour from a top shelf, then presents it to a smiling housewife.

Having not seen this vintage instructional film since I was eight years old, and unable to find any trace of it on the Web, or anyone else who remembers it, I begin to think I imagined it. But a call to Mr. Gibson at the town historical society confirms otherwise. And for details he cannot provide, I am directed to the knowledgeable Mrs. Wacker, reference desk librarian, whom, I am informed by the library, will be in next week. Just so you know.

In post-war Boone City, the three returning soldiers are strangers when we meet them. But as each tries to make a new life, their stories become connected, intertwined. Fred returns to the wife to whom he was wedded a mere month before shipping out. She proves shallow and unfaithful, and is less than smitten with civilian Fred, sans dashing uniform.

Fred falls in love with Al’s daughter Peggy, and she with him. Al feels compelled to break up this budding, illicit romance. It gets complicated.

Despite what seems on the surface to be chaos, their lives begin to show promise of new beginnings. The underlying message is that we are, all of us, so much more than our sad stories.

But back to the radio program in my car. The debate continues. A listener calls in, a man from Tennessee, a veteran injured in Afghanistan. He says his wife was also deployed, in Iraq. She never made it home.

He wants the man from the Pentagon and the others on the radio show to understand that parades are not the point. He says veterans just want to know that people care about their service, the things they did, what they saw, what they lost.

The man remembers the final journey home. He says groups of travelers would notice the uniform. They’d applaud, or want to shake his hand.

“There’s been a whole lot of pain. And I don’t need a parade to say thank you. Just seeing that people care when I step off that plane is plenty for me.”

Those modest expectations brought to mind the first moments of the film, in the nose of the B-17 bound for Boone City, as Al and Fred look into out the night and prepare to reclaim the lives they left behind. Fred confides that all he needs is “A good job, a mild future, and a little house.”

Al ponders that for a moment.

“Well, I’d say that’s not too much to ask.”

I returned from New York City…

(Every time I read or hear the phrase New York City, I think of the Pace Picante Sauce commercial where the cowboys are sitting around the campfire and one of the guys reads the packaging of a jar of salsa and exclaims

“Why, this stuff’s made in NEW YORK CITY!”

And his fellow cowboys cry, in unison, “NEW YORK CITY???”

And one of them says “Get a rope.”

Still makes me chuckle.)

…Friday evening, and for the rest of the weekend we completed some projects around the house, including cleaning out a closet that could have been submitted to a certain show about collecting things…and watching lots of movies.

 
My boys and I watched Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. I covered their eyes during two scenes, both of which involved kissing, then uncovered them for the rest of the movie, which involved an enormous amount of blood, broken bones, and fighting. As you can see, I’m very strict when it comes to movies I’ll allow my children to watch.

My youngest child, having inherited his mother’s propensity toward watching movies then becoming consumed with the real-life stories behind them, is now obsessed with Bruce Lee.

 
 
He found a dragon ring in my jewelry box that I bought awhile back because I thought it would make me look and/or feel tough, and would be something I’d wear that would surprise people because usually, 43-year-old women don’t wear dragon rings, and it would be, like, soooo unexpected and edgy.

I’ve never worn it.

Not once.

And actually, it’s a gargoyle.

So never mind.

 
 
“Whaaaaa…CHA!”

 
 
So here’s how my baby’s obsession has manifested itself so far: We ordered two of Bruce Lee’s books Saturday night. Then, when I went upstairs to kiss him goodnight later, he got me in a headlock (a gentle one, but still) and practiced a few martial arts moves on my person that he’d seen in the movie. Then he said, “Mama, have my books come in yet?” This was three hours after I’d clicked “Submit” on the order.

The next morning, he asked me to help him search for information on Bruce Lee so that he could stew about him all day, then he asked me if his books had come in yet. I explained that likely a full day or two will pass before the order is even fulfilled, then it takes a few more days for the package to make it to our town, then it will take us a few years for us to find the package because sometimes they wind up on Aunt Janet’s porch or Aunt Missy’s porch.

Then he asked me if his books had come in yet.

 
 
This could be a mighty long wait.

I made these the day before New Year’s Eve last year. Any flatbread can be used—I used packaged Naan, which is a traditional Indian flatbread, and which I happened to have in my fridge after a huge trip to a huge supermarket in Tulsa a couple of weeks earlier, and which makes splendid pizza. Which, which, which.

This is one of those throw-together things you can do when your daughter has a slumber party, your mother-in-law drops by for a glass of wine, or you feel like eating pizza and you don’t want to make pizza dough. Dress ‘em up or dress ‘em down as required.

(Flatbreads like these keep really well in the freezer. I just stick the unopened packages in large Ziplocs to give them extra protection. They don’t take long to thaw—easy as pie!)

 
Cut a bunch of grape tomatoes in half (I used all red, but red and yellow are purtier) then drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper.

 
 
 
Do the same with a bunch of thick mushroom slices. These are Baby Bellas and came already sliced, but use whatever ‘shrooms you have!

 
 
 
And thick, diagonal slices of zucchini (or eggplant or summer squash…or all of the above!)

 
 
 
Throw ‘em all in a very hot (425 to 450 degree) oven and roast them until the vegetables are nice and…well, roasted!

 
 
 
Tomatoes. Yum.

 
 
 
Shrooms. Even more yum.

 
 
 
Zucchini. I could have let them go longer, but I wanted pizza, man.

But roasted vegetables. Oh, man. They’re my life.

 
 
 
So basically, here’s the setup:

Naan
Jarred marinara sauce
Jarred olives
Jarred pesto
Roasted vegetables
Sliced Mozzarella

And you can add as many other toppings as your heart leads you.

Sliced pepperoni
Crumbled cooked Italian sausage
Slices of roasted bell peppers: red, green, yellow
Grilled pineapple
Canadian bacon
Thinly sliced red onion
Crumbled Feta cheese
Arugula or other greens (sprinkle on after removing pizza from oven)
Parmesan shavings

 
 
 
This is where my heart is leading me.

 
 
 
Then everybody just builds the pizza to their soul’s content. This had a bunch of pesto on the crust as the sauce, then the veggies and cheese on top.

 
 
 
Stick ‘em back into the oven just long enough for the toppings to bubble up and the flatbread to crisp just a bit.

I have…this friend.

Every winter, this friend is afflicted with itchy calves and shins. Not hands, not arms, not the body…just the lower part of her legs. The itching is very uncomfortable and can result in this friend of mine scratching so violently that she leaves claw marks on her legs. It’s a good thing my friend doesn’t like to wear shorts, because cosmetically speaking, she’d be out of luck.

This friend of mind happens to have a younger sister who has suffered the same wintertime malady. And even though my friend’s sister is younger, she did some experimentation and diagnosed the problem.

Shaving.

My friend’s sister’s findings are that using soaps, bath gels, or even shaving creams on the legs, then using super-sharp double-edge razors to essentially slice off the extreme upper layer of the skin, combines with the dry weather and basically causes the skin on the legs to stage a protest. Add in special razors with “moisturizing” strips and the problem is only compounded. One is simply introducing too many irritants to one’s skin at one time…and chaos in the form of severe itching ensues. The body is basically saying “leave me alone!”

 
 
So on a recent visit, my friend’s younger sister gifted her with this simple kit that she declared to be the solution to the problem. Cetaphil cleanser, known for its lack of perfumes and irritants, and a simple Bic disposable razor with no moisturizing strips or special bells and whistles.

Skeptical, my friend took her kid sister’s advice and has exclusively adhered to this shaving approach for three weeks.

And here’s the outcome:

Her legs are like new again. Not a single itch. Not a single scratch.

Her legs are completely healed of the trauma they’d been through all winter long, and they’re smooth as silk and claw mark-free.

I’m ready—I mean, she’s ready to wear shorts to church next Sunday!

(Well, except for the whole desperately-needs-a-tan thing. And the whole desperately-needs-muscle-tone thing. But we’ll take those one at a time.)

Hope this helps someone’s legs!

Love,
PW

The champion romantic comedy has been decided!

Here are the winners of the $175 Amazon.com gift cards…and the final result!

The following (randomly selected) Round 4 voters each win a $175 gift certificate to Amazon.com:

Rosalie Dur…
Cindy Hur…
Emily G.

(Winners, contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com using the email address you entered when you voted!)

The winning movie is…

 
Pretty Woman

Congratulations, Pretty Woman. You fought the good fight.

But wait, When Harry Met Sally fans!

Look at how the voting turned out:

 
Okay, this is close. And while Pretty Woman remained on top for almost all of the voting period, at one point yesterday, it was a mere forty votes ahead of Harry/Sally.

Can we just declare it a tie and call it a day?

I didn’t think so.

In the interest of full disclosure, I thought I’d spill the beans on which movie got my vote in each round, for each match-up.

 
 
Winner: 27 Dresses.

PW’S VOTE: Pass (did not see either movie)

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Notting Hill.

PW’s VOTE: Notting Hill. Like, totally.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Say Anything.

PW’s VOTE: Say Anything. Like, absolutely.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: While You Were Sleeping

PW’s VOTE: While You Were Sleeping

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Maid in Manhattan

PW’s VOTE: Pass; did not see both movies

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Sweet Home Alabama

PW’s VOTE: Sweet Home Alabama

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Tootsie

PW’s VOTE: Tootsie

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Sabrina (1995)

PW’s VOTE: The Philadelphia Story (Though I actually really did like Sabrina ’95.)

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Something’s Gotta Give

PW’s VOTE: Something’s Gotta Give

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Pretty Woman

PW’s VOTE: Pretty Woman

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Roxanne

PW’s VOTE: Roxanne. Quirky, darling movie.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: You’ve Got Mail

PW’s VOTE: You’ve Got Mail.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Sabrina (1954)

PW’s VOTE: What Women Want. Sorry! I’m weird.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Working Girl.

PW’s VOTE: Working Girl. Love.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Hitch.

PW’s VOTE: Bull Durham

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Never Been Kissed

PW’s VOTE: Annie Hall. I did love Never Been Kissed…though in an entirely different way.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Runaway Bride

PW’s VOTE: Pass; didn’t see both movies

 
 
 
 
 
 
10 Things I Hate About You

PW’s VOTE: French Kiss. I’ll never emotionally recover from this one.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

PW’s VOTE: Four Weddings and a Funeral. It’s a Hugh Grant thing.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: When Harry Met Sally

PW’s VOTE: When Harry Met Sally.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Big

PW’s VOTE: Big

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

PW’s VOTE: Pass; didn’t see both movies

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: My Best Friend’s Wedding

PW’s Vote: My Best Friend’s Wedding. It’s a Dermot Mulroney thing.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Muriel’s Wedding

PW’s VOTE: Muriel’s Wedding, but I did love Valley Girl.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Roman Holiday

PW’s VOTE: Pass; didn’t see both

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Sleepless in Seattle

PW’s VOTE: Sleepless in Seattle

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Jerry Maguire

PW’s VOTE: Jerry Maguire

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: As Good as it Gets

PW’s VOTE: As Good as it Gets

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Splash

PW’s VOTE: Splash. Adored this movie.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Pretty in Pink

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Sixteen Candles

PW’s VOTE: Bridget Jones Diary. It’s a Hugh Grant thing and by no means diminishes my love for Jake Ryan.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Some Like it Hot

PW’s VOTE: Pass; didn’t see both movies

 
Winner: Notting Hill.

PW’s VOTE: Notting Hill

 
 
 
Winner: While You Were Sleeping.

PW’s VOTE: Say Anything, and this result absolutely shattered me.

 
 
 
Winner: Sweet Home Alabama

PW’s VOTE: Sweet Home Alabama

 
 
 
Winner: Sabrina (1995)

PW’s VOTE: Tootsie

 
 
 
Winner: Pretty Woman

PW’s VOTE: Something’s Gotta Give. Don’t kill me. I loved Pretty Woman. But in this matchup, all I could think about was the writing. And Diane Keaton, whom I worship.

 
 
 
Winner: You’ve Got Mail

PW’s VOTE: You’ve Got Mail

 
 
 
Winner: Sabrina

PW’s VOTE: Working Girl. I mourned this result.

 
 
 
Winner: Never Been Kissed

PW’s VOTE: Never Been Kissed

 
 
 
Winner: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

PW’s VOTE: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

 
 
 
Winner: When Harry Met Sally

PW’s VOTE: When Harry Met Sally

 
 
 
Winner: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

PW’s VOTE: Big

 
 
 
Winner: My Best Friend’s Wedding

PW’s VOTE: My Best Friend’s Wedding, but only because of my not being sure Muriel’s Wedding was in the Romantic Comedy category. And it’s a Dermot thing.

 
 
 
Winner: Sleepless in Seattle

PW’s VOTE: Sleepless in Seattle

 
 
 
Winner: Jerry Maguire

PW’s VOTE: As Good as it Gets

 
 
 
Winner: Pretty in Pink

PW’s VOTE: Pretty in Pink

 
 
 
Winner: Sixteen Candles

PW’s VOTE: Sixteen Candles

 
Winner: While You Were Sleeping

PW’s VOTE: Notting Hill. I wept.

 
 
 
Winner: Sweet Home Alabama

PW’s VOTE: Sabrina (1995)

 
 
 
Winner: Pretty Woman

PW’s VOTE: You’ve Got Mail. I wailed.

 
 
 
Winner: Sabrina…BY A NOSE!

PW’s VOTE: Never Been Kissed

 
 
 
Winner: When Harry Met Sally

PW’s VOTE: When Harry Met Sally

 
 
 
Winner: My Best Friend’s Wedding

PW’s VOTE: My Best Friend’s Wedding

 
 
 
Winner: Sleepless in Seattle

PW’s VOTE: Sleepless in Seattle

 
 
 
Winner: Sixteen Candles

PW’s VOTE: Sixteen Candles

 
Winner: Sweet Home Alabama

PW’s VOTE: While You Were Sleeping

 
 
 
 
 
Winner: When Harry Met Sally

PW’s VOTE: When Harry Met Sally

 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Pretty Woman

PW’s VOTE: Pretty Woman

 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Sleepless in Seattle

PW’s VOTE: Sleepless in Seattle

 
Winner: When Harry Met Sally

PW’s VOTE: When Harry Met Sally

 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Pretty Woman

PW’s VOTE: Sleepless in Seattle

Winner: Pretty Woman

PW’s VOTE: When Harry Met Sally

Thanks so much for voting in all the rounds! You made it so much fun, and the suspense was very exciting for me.

Next Movie Madness will be posted soon.

Until then…long live movies!

Love,
PW

I’m sharing this photo, which was taken by my buddy Richard Heeley, for the following reasons:

1. He said I could.

2. It perfectly captures the essence of this exceedingly bizarre breed of dog that has inexplicably landed in my life.

3. It effectively illustrates how effective it can be for a photographer to position himself on the same level as the subject he’s shooting.

This is one of the lessons I’ve learned throughout the course of my amateur photography experience. A photo can be so much more dramatic and interesting when the photographer is capturing the subject head on, rather than—for instance—from above. If Richard had seen the dogs going all Type A on each other and had simply pointed the camera down to the ground, he would have wound up with a photo of two Basset Hounds’ backs, their mouths locked on each other, with a big background of grass. Instead, he hit the deck and photographed the dogs down on their level. This gives a straight-on perspective, makes you feel like you’re right there witnessing the semi-brawl, and introduces the horizon, which gives the photo much more context.

(Thanks, Richard, for sharing! And for hitting the deck. Hope you were able to clean your jeans.)

Tomorrow’s Food Network show chronicles a day last November when my dear mother-in-law took all her grandchildren (my four kids, plus my niece and nephew) camping along the creek. The creek that runs alongside our house eventually feeds into a cozy wooded area with trees and rocks and plenty of flat space to build a tent. The campsite is less than a mile from our house.

My husband’s blessed mother does this at least once a year. It’s her special time with her grandchildren. They fish and play and build a fire, and they talk and lie back and look at the stars. They hear coyotes and owls and imagine bears that aren’t there, and Marlboro Man and I enjoy a night alone in our house, all the while looking at our watches and placing bets on how long it will take before one or more of the kids shows up wanting to sleep in the heated (or air conditioned, depending on the season) house.

My mother-in-law took similar camping trips when Marlboro Man and his two brothers were boys. I still bump into old friends of my husband’s who talk about their camping memories. One boy recalls a spider bite that swelled up the size of a crab apple and required a course of antibiotics. But aside from that, most everyone remembers their camping-on-the-creek experiences so fondly.

 
 
My mother-in-law invested in this tent last year since the kids are getting older and they all outgrew the original.

She’s very proud of her new tent.

I think she’s in this for the long haul.

Oh, how I love that woman.

Because it was so cold, I made all the food at the Lodge and delivered it to the campers to save my mother-in-law the labor. The menu is good, basic campout grub: beans and skillet cornbread, sausages with homemade barbecue sauce, and banana boats (grody for me, good for them) and variations on s’mores for dessert.

A fake snake also makes an appearance. I had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with this, of course.

 
 
 
And Cowboy Josh stopped by to tell ghost stories. Thank you, Josh. Three of my kids are still afraid to sleep in their own beds at night because of the heartwarming tale you told. Just look at my baby. The terror is setting in.

Of course, our watching Paranormal Activity 3 as a family could have had something do with it. Sometime in the future I’ll post in detail about my cinematic parenting approach, which prohibits my children from watching any movie that involves dating and kissing but allows any and all movies involving demon-possessed houses.

Anyway, I was so happy that we were filming the cooking show at the time of the campout so that the cameras could capture it. My favorite episodes are the ones where my kids and family are more the focus, and this camping episode fits that bill.

I hope you enjoy it!

Lots and lots of love,
P-Widdy

By Heather Sanders.

After missing the exhibit when it was in Dallas, Texas 3 years ago, the kids and I finally experienced the Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston along with other members from our local homeschool co-op.

Arriving at the museum shortly after 9:00 am, we had about 20 minutes to wait for the next available entry time. Entry into the exhibition occurs every 30 minutes during viewing hours.

Emelie discovered a love for ancient Egyptian history back in 2008 when she studied it in 6th grade.

Once in the exhibit, she stayed a few displays ahead of me and Kenny with some of her friends. Occasionally I could hear her telling something she remembered from her books, or listening to one of her friends tell something they learned.

Though I had high hopes the kids and I would walk together through the exhibit, I couldn’t deny that Emelie was learning and enjoying the time with friends while seeing these ancient artifacts up close for the first and (probably) last time.

Kenny studied ancient Egypt last year and ended up being my museum buddy. Up until the last room of the exhibit he was as enthralled as I was, staying by my side to read all the labels with me, as well as giving his thoughts on several of the pieces – even comparing them to each other.

In addition, he was diligent to keep track of where we were on the museum’s full-color map.

Meredith, like Kenny, briefly studied Ancient Egypt in 2nd grade, but because we flipped her Egyptian history curriculum this year with Texas History, she will study ancient Egypt next year.

So, while it was interesting for her, I think she was probably the least invested of my three. I imagine when we go visit the San Jacinto Monument and Museum this summer the roles will be switched.

Once it was time to enter the exhibit the camera had to be put away as absolutely no photography is allowed within the rooms of the exhibit. Fortunately, I was able to purchase Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharoahs Official Companion to the Exhibition book published by National Geographic.

Always adding to our “school library”, this hardback book chronicles the exhibition with incredibly detailed and vibrant, gallery-perfect photography of many of the treasures we saw.

More important, it gives me the opportunity to show some of our favorite parts of the exhibit.

Though the artifacts found in Tutankhamun’s tomb were what I most longed to see, there were several objects that caught my eye, like the Canopic Jar of a royal Amarna Woman (New Kingdom) made from Calcite.

Canopic jars were used to store and preserve specific organs (viscera) of the owners for the afterlife.

Made of Granodiorite, the Statue of Benermerut and the Princess Meritamun (New Kingdom) was another one of my favorites. According to the labels on the statue display and the description in the book, Benermerut was a chief of the silver and gold houses for Upper and Lower Egypt and also was an overseer for all royal building projects for Thutmose III.

“He was certainly among those greatly trusted by the king, and for this reason we see him enacting a role characteristic of the mid-18th-dynasty elites: caring for the offspring of the king.”

This particular piece caught my eye because it seems to exude a sort of loving, protective relationship between Benermerut and the child, who is thought to be Meritamun, daughter of Thutmose III.

There were a few unexpected pieces, like the limestone sarcophagus used to bury the son of Amenhotep III’s pet cat.

“The stone box is a smaller version of the type used to bury people, and it is decorated with the funerary deities, such as Isis, Nephthys, and the four sons of Horus, who regularly are invoked to protect the mummies of all people.”

Still, nothing beat the giggles that came when Kenny and I first read about this particular piece. It is a limestone latrine seat. Yes, you read that correctly.

“In an elite household, even the sanitation and privy needs of the family were cared for by workers. This toilet seat, placed upon a built latrine box, came from an Amarna palace. Certainly there must have been individual chamber pots as well, but this discovery is of true general interest.”

I imagine it was awfully cold in the winter.

A large, wall-sized video mural displayed the contents of the Antechamber of Tutankhamun’s tomb. There lay dismantled chariots, ritual couches, and pieces of furniture and boxes piled up high as if they were haphazardly thrown in. The Antechamber was only one of four chambers in the tomb.

One of the labels mentioned that, along with a team of English and American experts, it took Howard Carter about 10 years to clear Tutankhamun’s tomb, being careful to conserve and restore each object, while packing it carefully for transport.

In my opinion one of the most breathtaking statues was that of Amenhotep IV. Made from sandstone and standing over 6 1/2 feet tall, there were apparently a number of these colossal statues placed against the large square pillars in the colonnade of the king’s temple to the Aten at East Karnak.

“His double crown here, atop the nemes-headdress, alludes to the living king as representative of the sun god.”

The Collar of Neferuptah (Middle Kingdom) was just one of the amazingly intricate pieces of jewelry believed to protect the deceased in the next life.

Consisting of six alternately colored rows of feldspar and carnelian beads edged in golden beads, and then edged with drop-shaped feldspar beads, this would have encircled the neck of the wearer.

“A counterweight that hung down behind the neck effectively balanced the weight of the collar and kept it in place.”

Inside Tutankhamun’s canopic chest were carved four cylindrical cavities that held four miniature coffins of the king’s organs. Each of them was sealed with a calcite stopper – carved to look like a miniature portrait of the king’s head. Black was used to detail the eyes and nostrils and the lips were painted red.

Naturally a boy king would have an ivory game box (no doubt foreshadowing the original Game Boy – or not).

Made from gold, carnelian and colored glass, this miniature coffin is one of four contained within Tutankhamun’s canopic chest.

Gold was EVERYWHERE. Gold diadems, earrings, pectoral necklaces, ewers, rings, pendants, bracelets and cups. But the golden finger and toe covers stole the show.

Found on the fingers and toes of Tutankhamun’s mummy, it was believed they would protect his fingers and toes.

“The precious material of which they were made also identified the king with the gods, whose flesh was thought to be of gold.”

In addition to the toe coverings, these golden sandals were thought to be made special for the king’s burial as kings wore leather, not gold sandals for daily wear.

After exiting the final room (where we saw a replica of King Tut’s mummy), visitors were allowed to pull out their cameras again for a quick photo.

Obviously, we felt obliged to participate.

This boy king who only ruled 9 years, dying at age 19, continues to be somewhat of a mystery. However, the discovery of his tomb, almost completely intact, gathered worldwide attention as it revealed wealth beyond most people’s imaginations. And because of this discovery, King Tutankamun probably remains one of the most well-known pharoahs of all time.

I am happy to say the exhibit was quite impressive overall. And though it was somewhat costly at $15 for children (6-18) and $23 for adults (19+), I feel like we feasted on enough history to make it an educational investment.

Another thing that made the show flow more smoothly was the multiple positioning of the labels. They could be found above the piece, but also on multiple sides of the display cases. So, even when there were people standing in front of me, I could look up and read and then move on.

It is rumored that this exhibit will never travel again once it leaves Houston. It is scheduled to return to Egypt for its final “home” in a new $700 million museum in Cairo. So, if you have any desire to see it, and you live anywhere near Houston, Texas, you have until April 15, 2012 to make it happen.

OMSH/Heather L. Sanders is “Momma” to three kids, Emelie, Meredith and Kenny. When not homeschooling, or writing about homeschooling, Heather is busy designing websites.

We’re down to the end! Just two romantic comedies out of the original sixty-four remain.

For this round of voting, three randomly chosen voters from each round will win a $175 gift card to Amazon.com. Winners will be posted before the next round of voting.

And now for the voting!

(Note: In order to be eligible for prizes, you must enter your name and email address. But you are absolutely allowed to vote without entering your info if you’d just like to do it for fun.)

 
View Survey

(Remember: You’ll be taken back to the post after clicking “Submit.” Rest assured, your answers will go through!)

Results will be posted Friday!

Love,
P-Dub

I made these on my Food Network show last weekend, but because we had a lot of family things going on this week, I wasn’t able to post them here until today.

They’re so much fun to make.

Note: I snapped these photos as I filmed the actual cookie segment for that show, so the photos aren’t as comprehensive/step-by-step as they would be otherwise. The printable recipe below fills in all the blanks, though!

 
Make the dough, then refrigerate it for two hours. I roll it out by sprinkling cocoa (not flour) on the work surface.

Note: You will want to eat this entire bowl of cookie dough. This is normal.

 
 
 
I used these cookie cutters, which I love and adore, to cut out the cookies. Here they are on Amazon, but you can find them all over the place (they’re Ateco brand.) So many fun things you can do with them.

 
 
 
Then bake ‘em on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat. These were a little thinner than I usually like to roll out the cookies, but I did it on camera and I was in a tizzy. I also had to roll out the dough twice (don’t ask) so the cookies didn’t bake as smoothly as they would have if I hadn’t messed with them for four years.

In other words: follow the recipe below. Roll them out once. You’ll be fine.

 
 
 
Melt some chocolate almond bark.

 
 
 
And some white almond bark. I melted it in teacups because I wanted there to be enough depth to dip the cookies into. If I’d done a bowl, the cookies wouldn’t have coated as much.

 
 
 
Then just dip the cookies, one by one, into the chocolate so that it coats about 1/3 to 1/2 of the cookies. Let the excess drip off, then lay the cookie face down in the dish of toppings.

I used chopped M & M’s, chopped SKOR bars, mini chocolate chips, and finely chopped ‘stachios.

 
 
 
Keep going, using different combos, till they’re all done!

 
 
 
And I just put toppings on the top—that way the cookies lay flat when you put them on parchment. That’s a cameraman back there, by the way. His name’s Andy.

Enjoy these, guys! They’re fun for so many different occasions, are fun for kids to make, and taste as delicious as the toppings you choose to coat them with. (And the cookies themselves are divine, too.)

Here’s the printable:

 
Recipe: Chocolate Cookies with Toppings

Prep Time: 2 Hours  |  Cook Time: 10 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 16

• 2 sticks Salted Butter, Slightly Softened
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 whole Egg
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2-1/2 cups Flour
• 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
• 3/4 teaspoons Salt
• 4 ounces, weight White Almond Bark
• 4 ounces, weight Chocolate Almond Bark
• DIPPING BAR
• Pistachios, Finely Chopped
• M & M's, Slightly Chopped
• Toffee Bars, Chopped
• Assorted Nuts, Sprinkles, Candies

For the cookies: Cream the butter with the powdered sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt, and mix together until the dough comes together. Place plastic wrap on the surface of the dough and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with baking mats or parchment.

Roll out the cookie dough and cut out the cookies using a rectangular cookie cutter, re-rolling the scraps in order to use as much of the dough as possible. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, in batches if necessary, being careful not to burn. Cookies will remain the same general size and shape after they bake.

Remove from the oven and place the cookies on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely.

Melt the almond barks in separate bowls in the microwave. Dip half of each cookie into the white almond bark and half into the chocolate bark. Immediately sprinkle or press toppings from the dipping bar over both sides of the cookies.

Gently set on parchment paper or another nonstick surface and allow to cool before serving.

Posted by Ree on February 16 2012

Oh, dear. What a tough round.

Here are the random winners, chosen from the Round 5 voters…and the results of Round 5.

We’re down to two incredible movies. The final voting round will be posted soon!

The following (randomly selected) voters each win a $150 gift card to Amazon.com:

Rebecca J.
Rachel K.
Laurie E.

(Winners, contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com using the email address you entered when you voted!)

Here are the results!

Brace yourselves.

You might rejoice.

Or you might cry.

 
Winner: When Harry Met Sally

 
 
 
 
 
Winner: Pretty Woman

I’m crying.

I love Pretty Woman.

But…Sleeeeeepless in Seaaaaaaaaaaatle! Wah.

Plus, I kind of wanted a Meg-to-Meg showdown.

Okay, I’m fine now. And let’s face it—what a great matchup.

FINAL voting round will be posted shortly!

Love,
PW

Community Question is a category inspired by you. Here and there readers write in with questions that are better served by the varied, experiential knowledge of those who read and contribute in the comments.

—————————————————–

“I am in my first year of home schooling my first grade daughter. We decided to school her at home due to her issues with anxiety. The first half of the year went very smoothly, and just as I wanted to raise the flag of success, we hit a wall. As the work has increased in difficulty, all of her anxiety has returned. She is crying, freezing up, and getting deeply discouraged when she is presented with material that challenges her. No matter how much I reassure her or how creatively I present the work, any mistake feels like complete failure to her.”

I absolutely love these earrings. Wire-wrapped studs with crystals all wrapped up in the mix.

They’re totally lovely.

 
 
Indigo Wire Wrapped Signature Studs. Beautiful.

 
 
What I love about them is the petite size. They’re simple and non-dangly, but still frilly and special enough to make you feel fancy.

 
 
Wire and turquoise. Love.

And the color/bead/crystal combos are absolutely stunning.

Indie seller Victoria is a cancer biology PhD student by day and jewelry designer by night. Beautiful things, and very reasonable prices.

Here’s her Etsy shop. Be sure to page through the shop to see all her different wire/bead combinations!

Over the past several days, friends and family have been arriving in town for the funeral of Marlboro Man’s uncle. Although it’s been a sad week for Marlboro Man’s extended family, it’s also been wonderful to spend time with them all, to eat and laugh together, and to sit back, pop figurative popcorn, and listen to all the stories that tend to get told whenever Marlboro Man and his cousins get together…as well as a couple of new ones, too. Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion. Name that movie.

Yesterday was the funeral, and I didn’t get around to posting here. But what I’d intended to post was a newly updated version of a page I wrote for Valentine’s Day a couple of years ago wherein I listed, in no particular order, things I love.

Here’s my list.

Feel free to share things you love, too.

 
I love…

William Styron books.

Rain.

Babies.

West Side Story.

Marlboro Man’s goatee.

Dry humor.

Slapstick humor.

Friday evening.

Mountains.

Prairie.

Abstract art.

Jeans.

Gone With the Wind.

Napoleon Dynamite.

The Seventies.

My sister.

John Denver.

Silence.

Solitude.

My daughters.

My boys.

Orange.

White wine.

When Harry Met Sally.

Loretta Lynn.

My brothers.

Staying home.

Short ribs.

Goat cheese.

Mozart.

Pickles.

Prank calls.

Older people.

Children of a Lesser God.

Guys and Dolls.

Dryer sheets.

My husband.

Driving Miss Daisy.

The Godfather.

Lemon zest.

Cilantro.

Butterflies.

Hollandaise.

Tattoo sleeves.

Pink hair.

Blue hair.

Purple hair.

World War II movies.

Vocabulary.

Doughnuts.

Old hymns.

My grandmother.

Yoga pants.

Helen Reddy.

European History.

Gilligan’s Island.

Calves.

Horses.

Clinique Blue Eye Make-Up Remover.

Kindness.

My mother-in-law.

My nephews.

My nieces.

Black eyeliner.

Christmas Eve.

White towels.

My parents.

Cooking.

Les Miserables.

Nerds.

Teenagers.

Chaps.

My husband’s arms.

The English Patient.

China patterns.

Faith.

Wynonna Judd’s voice.

Adele’s voice.

Dresses over jeans.

Boots over leggings.

Mismatched silverware.

Charlie.

Early morning. I think.

Sense & Sensibility.

Creamed spinach.

Burgundy mushrooms.

The Graduate.

Cheese.

Fresh ginger.

Mother Teresa.

Ponytails.

Silver hair.

Roses.

Dahlias.

Cherry blossoms.

Dogwood blossoms.

Randy Travis.

Cotton.

Lord of the Rings.

Cold milk.

Friends.

Family.

Laughter.

Diet Dr Pepper.

(In no particular order being the operative phrase.)

Love,
P-Widdy-Dub-Diddy

By Kristen Chase.

This week I’m away on business, which leaves my husband to take care of the homeschooling duties. Even though I didn’t leave until Monday night, he decided to take over on Monday morning (brave soul!) while I packed and tied up a few last loose ends.

As much as I love teaching my kids, it really is nice to have a bit of a break. And really, it’s good for them to have a break from me too. I know I’m not the expert on everything, and even though my kids are still little that the instruction is really more like guidance and coaching, they can still benefit from having someone else monitoring their work.

And while my husband is not as patient as I am (even he would admit that), he’s a math whiz. And he might have ways of teaching concepts to my kids that are better than what I’ve been doing.

After listening in on their lessons on Monday morning, I’m fascinated by how differently my kids reacted to the change. And how he felt being in my shoes!

My 5-year-old freaked out, and kept coming to me to complain. But I just sent him back and he finally conceded. Since he’s only in Pre-K, the issues were that my husband was a bit pickier about how he was writing his numbers and letters than I have been, which is probably a good thing.

On the other hand, my 7-year-old daughter was completely enthralled with him, especially when it came to teaching her multiplication. Because math is his forte’, I can see that she’s really going to benefit from this week with him.

I could hear him struggling with keeping my younger two kids occupied, which is always an issue for me. It’s hard to complete a thought when you’ve got a toddler jabbering in your ear and a wee one tossing crayons at your head. But, like me, he figured out a few ways to keep them occupied while he finished up.

Impressive!

I think the best part was that he was able to see how they’re progressing and expressed how impressed he was at my daughter’s reading comprehension skills.

I’m curious to see how things go, especially since he’ll be responsible for taking them to all their activities as well, which can be pretty overwhelming. And I’m really glad that my kids are going to have a new teacher for the week. Hopefully this won’t just be when I’m out of town!

Kristen Chase is a mom of 4, writer, and co-publisher of Cool Mom Picks and Cool Mom Tech, a popular shopping and trendspotting blog for moms, as well as 4 Kids or More, an online resource for the modern larger family. She’s a 2nd generation homeschooler, having been taught middle and high school by her own mother back when people were still using quills and ink wells, and is now a very well-adjusted and socialized homeschool mom herself.

We’re down to four remaining Romantic Comedies, and I sense some real emotional pain on the horizon. Time to vote for two of them!

For this round of voting, three randomly chosen voters from each round will win a $150 gift card to Amazon.com. Winners will be posted before the next round of voting.

And now for the voting!

(Note: In order to be eligible for prizes, you must enter your name and email address. But you are absolutely allowed to vote without entering your info if you’d just like to do it for fun.)

Warning: Some of these choices will cause inner turmoil and strife.

 
View Survey

(Remember: You’ll be taken back to the post after clicking “Submit.” Rest assured, your answers will go through!)

Results—as well as the winners of the random drawing will be posted within the next 24 hours.

Feel free to shout out which, if either, matchups were particularly painful for you!

Love,
P-Dub