My mom flew into Chicago for a girls weekend with my two aunts. My mom called on Friday night when they arrived. I sat on the floor and put her on speaker, so Gavin could hear his grandmother’s voice. He backed up until his legs hit my legs, sat down and stared intently at the phone as my mom’s voice came out of it. Gavin has seen us talk on the phone (and mimics talking on his own toy phones), but I’m not sure he fully realizes there’s actually another person on the other end.

Saturday morning was the one opportunity to see my mom while she was in town (she was staying with my aunt – but, don’t feel bad, we just saw her in January and will see her again in a couple weeks). Gavin and his similarly aged girl cousin, Rosey, turned the corner in their development. Instead of pure parallel play, they noticed each other and were sometimes interested in what the other one was up to. One of my favorite moments was when the two of them were looking out the front door, which has long windows in it. Just behind the front door is another door, making for a little vestibule entryway. Rosey decided she was done looking out the front door window, so turned around and proceeded to close the door on Gavin. Just as it was about to lock shut, Rosey was jolted a bit by Gavin pushing back from within. He pushed his way out of the vestibule and gave her what amounted to a dirty look.

That evening, I went out to dinner with a girlfriend. I don’t do that very often – go out with just a girlfriend. Because, going out usually involves Gavin. And when it doesn’t, it is such a luxury that it almost always involves Sweets. But, this girlfriend was in need and dinner was best suited for just the two of us. It was a nice night out (plus, I got to take care of this major sushi fix I’ve been having lately).

I figured, since I got home around 11:00 and didn’t go to sleep until after midnight that Sunday morning would surely be the day when Gavin woke up at 6:00. I wasn’t far off. He woke up at 7:00. But, I was able to pull him into the guest bed with me and coax him back to sleep (i.e., laid down with him and gave him a pacifier – that kid is a tough sell). Next time he woke me up, I looked at the clock. 10AM!!!!! That kid slept in with me until 10AM. Not only did we sleep in, but Sweets made us eggs and ham for breakfast. Those boys are my heroes!

Sleeping in does a body well. Gavin was full of life during his music class. He was infatuated with his teacher. Before class started, his teacher was looking at some paperwork that was on a windowsill. Gavin ran over to him, stood next to him and just stared up at him, watching his every move. During class, Gavin was intent on playing his teacher’s guitar. So, when his teacher sat on the ground while we did music time in a circle, Gavin walked across the circle and stood right in front of his teacher. He spent his time dancing, watching intently and sometimes trying to also play the guitar. We tried not to intervene, unless he was actually hitting the guitar (which turned out to be quite a bit). Gavin loved bubble time and didn’t seem to mind that one of his classmates kept giving me hugs and then would sit in my lap.

While Gavin napped in the afternoon, I made this chili recipe. Y’all, it was really good. I’ve tried probably a handful of chili recipes and this one was, by far, my absolute favorite. Our neighbors asked for the recipe, because they said it made their own recipe pale in comparison. Know what I loved about this recipe? It was truly a one-pot recipe. None of this browning meat and setting to the side. Nope. Each step involves adding more stuff to the pot. And the seasoning is the perfect amount of heat without requiring the fire department to put out the 4-alarm fire in my mouth! I wish I could share taste with you through this blog, because it was really that good!

We had our neighbors come over for the Superbowl. I made nachos along with the chili. Our neighbors made a cookie-in-a-brownie dessert (scrumptious!). I thought the game was excellent, the commercials were meh (though there were some good ones – my favorites are below) and the Madonna halftime show was not so great (I’ve seen her in concert and all I can say is the FCC has ruined the creativity behind these shows). But, let’s end on a positive note, shall we? My favorite commercials:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn3mktl30iw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUFSHzT2xuY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9L-8372A3w

Oh, and a little eye candy cannot be ignored. Thank you H&M.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQb_-OY7Z0E

If you watched the Superbowl, what were your favorite moments of the night?

I’ll admit, at first I was a little nervous. I’ve never spent a day baking a ton of cookies. And Nora? Has a family tradition of making cookies around this time of year. So, not only was I attempting something new, but I was replacing a day Nora normally spends with family. No pressure, kids, no pressure.

Not surprisingly, we had a blast. Nora brought three tried and true recipes while I contributed one new recipe. She got started right away and I sort of took a bit to warm up (let me use chasing Gavin as an excuse for my failed focus during the first recipe).

First up, peppermint fudge. The recipe is Nora’s family secret, so I’ve been sworn to not reveal the details. But, I can share with you that we made the boys help smash peppermint sticks. And then, voila, it was ready. It’s kind of ridiculous how easy the recipe was. It took about 15 minutes to make two batches. I’m not kidding.

Don’t mind the TERRIBLE flash on these photos. We couldn’t quite figure it out … and it’s not like cookies sit around waiting to be photographed – they disappear (into our tummies) after too long!

Next up, these oooooey, goooey oatmeal, chocolate chip, caramel bars. Again, not my recipe to share. But, it was fun pulling out the Kitchen Aid Mixer to make these bars of yumminess. Of course, I couldn’t pull my face away from eating these bars long enough to take a photo of the finished product. Fail!

I think the third recipe was my favorite. Chocolate covered pretzel rods. There really isn’t a secret to this recipe. Pour melted chocolate over pretzels. Add sprinkles. Let chocolate set. The recipe was super easy. And I love the sweet and savory combination of the salty pretzels and sweet chocolate.

Our last recipe for the day was salted caramel cookies. I saw the recipe here and kind of had to try it. I’ll admit, there were a lot of steps. Nora and I agreed it’s one of those recipes that we’d have to try a couple more times to work out the kinks. But, you guys, holy cow. Sugar cookies. Homemade caramel. A sprinkle of sea salt on top? Even the imperfect batch of cookies melt in your mouth. AHHHHHHMAZING!

I’m not gonna lie. My feet really hurt after standing all afternoon. My belly especially hurt after trying, well, trying everything (at least once, if not more than once). It was exhausting. But, it was so much fun. And, I think I passed Nora’s litmus test, because I’m pretty sure I heard her agree to making this an annual get together with us in years to come! Talk about a big WIN for us!

]]> http://somispeaks.com/2011/12/13/cookies-2/feed/ 14 http://somispeaks.com/2011/11/29/gobble/ http://somispeaks.com/2011/11/29/gobble/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:27:19 +0000 SoMi's Nilsa http://somispeaks.com/?p=5162 Happy week after Thanksgiving! Y’all, let me tell you, I indulged myself this weekend. Oh yes I did!

Thursday was Thanksgiving #1 for our family. (Well, technically, it was Thanksgiving #2, since Thanksgiving #1 took place in October.) My aunt and uncle hosted almost 20 guests. The best part about the meal? My aunt and uncle only cooked the turkey and mashed potatoes. Every guest provided another part of the meal, which was DELICIOUS! (I made a butternut squash / leek / Granny Smith apple soup with a cider cream and bacon bit topping from this amazing book and a pumpkin pie, thanks to the sassy Paula Dean.)

Friday, Sweets had to work (a travesty!), so I packed up the truck with Gavin and SoMi and we went to visit our dear friends who left the city for the far out suburbs. Gavin got to play with some girlfriends (he’s a lady’s man, for sure!). I got to catch up with our friends (and talk about future overnights at their home – fun stuff!). And we all took a fabulous walk to a local farm, where Gavin met his first horse and SoMi chased a cat into a barn (while I frantically yelled at her to come back)!

Friday night, a dear friend celebrated her anniversary with her husband while I babysat her adorable children. (I should write an entire post dedicated to the art of establishing a baby sitting exchange with friends – it’s brilliant!)

Saturday was Thanksgiving #2 with Sweets’ family. Gavin adores his older cousins, so it was fun to watch them make him laugh. Gavin also had the opportunity to learn how to play his grandfather’s drums. One day, I’ll regret the decision to let him learn the love for all things loud. =)

Sunday was our day of rest … snicker, hahaha, yeah right. (Just imagine Sweets saying, “we can sleep when we’re dead,” because that was pretty much his mantra all weekend.) We went to Gavin’s beloved music class where he was largely quiet until the last 15 minutes of class. By that point in class, he began giggling, dancing, playing with other children’s shakers, chasing bubbles, screeching with joy, playing the drum and guitar, and generally having a wildly good time.

After class, we met friends for lunch and sat at a table next to a fireplace. I think it was our first time teaching Gavin about the dangers of hot fires. He seemed to get it, though he also needed to be reminded from time to time to “make a different choice” as his course seemed to be heading straight towards the flames. After Gavin took a 3-hour nap that afternoon (score!), we went over to my bestie’s home for dinner. She made an outstanding spread (she always does) that included an early birthday cake for me (yummy!). It was a good thing we had SoMi join us, because she did a magnificent job of cleaning up after Gavin. ha.

And now we’re back to work. I’m full. Full of yummy food and time well spent with cherished people. Hope you had a most excellent weekend full of good food and good times, too!

Saturday, we were supposed to have plans with friends from Wisconsin. Due to a work trip extension, they asked for a rain check, which was fine. We were also supposed to go to the far out suburbs to visit friends who recently moved there. They asked us to reschedule. We agreed.

With all this free time on our hands, we quickly made plans for a play-date (as a make-up for the play-date I had to cancel the previous weekend). And I accepted an invitation to go to a girls night out party instead.

Our friends canceled the play-date last minute. And I bailed on the girls night out (Sunday nights = winding down, so I couldn’t muster the energy).

Don’t let this post become a pity party. Far from it. We actually enjoyed a really nice weekend together.

• Sweets’ friends from college were in town this weekend, so they stopped by to say hello and to pick up a bike Sweets was giving them. Their youngest (a boy) is a few months younger than Gavin – it was cute to see their girls playing so well with Gavin (clearly, they’ve had practice).
• We went to Gavin’s regularly scheduled music class (though, there was a substitute teacher, since Gavin’s teacher was sick … the first time we had a sub since we started this class in the spring … go figure it’d happen to us on this weekend!). )1(
• I took SoMi on a run – for the first time in ages, she actually cooperated and followed my lead for when we would run versus walk.
• We had dinner with our neighbors.
• We went grocery shopping without rush. )2(
• We watched a Lisa Ling special on PTSD and veterans. We cried. )3(
• We sorted through and ordered our holiday cards. )4(
• We slept in.
• We napped on top of sleeping in.
• We had long, rambling breakfasts that consisted of hours and hours of eating.
• I tried on a mail-order dress and decided to return it upon gaining agreement from Sweets that it made me look like a pilgrim (might be OK for Thanksgiving dinner, not so much for a wedding in late December).
• I looked up recipes for a soup I want to make for Thanksgiving. )5(
• We finally purchased outlet protectors, since we’ve spent the past few weeks saying, “No, Gavin, make a different choice” as he eagerly veers towards a couple key outlets that are very much exposed.

See, we did stuff. It was a largely unplanned, but it was a fun and productive weekend.

)1(    There are a few families in that class whom we seem to be drawn to every week. We always sit together or near each other. Or we make eye contact during class. Or we flat out wind up in conversation with them. I would definitely love to get our kids together outside class. But … I think about making the offer and then chicken out. How can I fairly start that conversation knowing full well our calendar is so darn full already?! I really should just get over it and extend the friendship hand.

)2(   A few weeks ago, I noted to Sweets that when you go grocery shopping at 9:30 pm, you run into a bunch of mothers/parents who have escaped their house for some kid-free shopping. Well, this weekend, I added an observation that when you go grocery shopping at 9:30 am, you run into a bunch of mothers/parents who go shopping with their kids! =)

)3(   Have you watched Lisa Ling’s series, Our America, on the Oprah Network? Sweets and I started watching it a few months ago and I gotta tell you – it’s powerful. It’s a series of one-hour shows – each show covers a part of our country that is wounded and often misunderstood. It could be sex trafficking or polygamy or spiritual healing. Lisa Ling approaches each episode acknowledging the misconceptions, admitting to her own misunderstandings and investigating/interviewing to figure out whether her initial viewpoints were entirely correct. Oftentimes, she discovers how flawed her (our!) initial thinking is. It definitely gives Sweets and I pause to learn about some of the dark corners of our nation.

)4(   Do you know how much fun I have looking at and choosing holiday cards with matching photos? If I could make a job out of sorting through your favorite photos and providing you with the best matches for holiday cards (or invitations or thank you cards or whatever), I totally would. And, y’all, our cards turned out soooooo cute. Seriously. I’m so excited about them. And I want to share them here soooooooo much. But, I don’t want to ruin the surprise for those family members and some select friends who read this blog. For now, trust me. They’re cute. And I promise I’ll share the card with you once our loved ones have received the real thing.

)5(    I’ve been reading a lot of blog posts lately that focus on two things: being thankful and starting/continuing family traditions. A few years ago, I decided to make soup to contribute to our family Thanksgiving. To me, Thanksgiving dinner is full of warm comfort foods … a nice soup definitely feels like home. This year, I want to make soup again … and I’m thinking about making it an ongoing tradition from here on out. I don’t necessarily associate soup with the traditional Thanksgiving meal, but somehow the right soup feels like it fits in well with any turkey day menu (plus, my family never sticks to the rules, so why start now?!?!?).

Since my friend has two kids of her own (whom she left with her husband), she asked and we agreed to let her sleep in on Saturday morning. As we were feeding Gavin breakfast, we learned something new. We don’t really have to cut up all of Gavin’s food.

It was a proud parenting moment. Gavin grabbed an apple and just started eating it. He knew exactly what to do. He worked and worked and worked on that apple at breakfast … and we wound up giving it back to him at lunch, where he continued to work on it. Later in the weekend, he grabbed a clementine and started eating through the skin. We peeled it for him and broke it in half. He took it from there, eating the rest. Clearly, he was very proud of himself, too. =)

Knowing we’d be taking Gavin out for a long walk, Sweets decided to do a little DIY project that might take a few hours, since he’d never done it before. He wanted to remove our crappy kitchen faucet that leaked and install a new one we bought last week. Gavin decided he wanted to help.

But, we didn’t let Gavin bother Sweets for long. the weather was a perfect fall day – sunny, crisp, in the 50s. So, we bundled up Gavin, strapped him in the stroller and started walking. We wound up at a playground in the park across the street from us. Gavin enjoyed being in the swing for a few minutes. And he was intrigued when I helped him take a few trips down the slide. But, he only had on socks, so I didn’t want him walking around.

Yeah, you read that right. My baby was shoeless. From what I understand, babies who are learning to walk do best when their bare feet touch the ground as much as possible. That means, no socks and definitely no shoes. However, when the weather begins to get cold, we have to adjust, right? So, we bought soft-soled shoes for him, but it turns out they’re too big. I had yet to buy new shoes (a goal for Saturday was to buy new shoes that fit him!).

So, back in the stroller went Gavin and we continued walking. We wound up at a local children’s shoe store. Since my friend’s son is about to begin walking, we were both looking for shoes. Once we made our purchases, we continued on our walk.

It didn’t even occur to me that these shoes share the same colors at the Chicago Bears – Sweets was happy to remind me when we got home (clearly, he liked the shoes, too!).

As we were walking through the neighborhood, we happened upon a food truck. I’m pretty sure the fact that it was a PINK food truck selling CUPCAKES is what really caught our attention. The food truck was aptly named Sweet Ride. Yummy! We bought three for dessert that night.

While Gavin was a super star in the stroller, we knew he needed to get out and move. And, now that he had his new RileyRoos shoes on, we could go to another playground. Gavin was able to fit under the equipment and had a blast hanging out in a parent-free zone. Apparently, this is where all the young kids go when they ditch their parents, because a little girl walked up to Gavin and kissed him. On. The. Lips.

When I reported back to Sweets later in the day, he asked what did Gavin do with this girl kissing and hugging all over him. My response? “He didn’t know what to do. What guy does know what to do when a girl jumps him like that?!” hahaha.

After the playground, we stopped by the grocery store for milk and cream and then headed home. We had a quiet night in and I took my girlfriend to the airport Sunday morning. That afternoon, I went to a baby shower. And that evening, I crashed. This mama was darn tired.