Baby blog updated

Teeth pictures.

Do as I say, not as I do

There are many things I want to instill in my child(ren). Things I learned from experience, from observance, and from obedience. One thing I really hope my children have is compassion for and a defense of the underdog. I don't know why I've thought of the following experience recently, but it's actually been on my mind a lot.

Because I grew up in a relatively small city, I went to school with many of the same people for 12 years. One of the girls in my grade got picked on in junior high (it mortifies me I can't recall whether high school was easier for her). She was picked on a lot. One incident is vivid in my memory: the teacher's back was turned and a boy kicked her. The whole class erupted in laughter. She crawled under a table and accused, "You kicked me!", which only prompted more laughter from her classmates and tears from herself.

I can't remember why she was picked on. Who knows how bullies choose their victims. As I look at this girl with adult eyes, though, I realize there were probably things going on in her life that made her a target--abuse, neglect, money issues, etc. The adult in me cringes that my little 12ish-year-old self didn't even think about walking in her shoes and never came to her defense.

In school I was fortunately insulated from the nasty kids. I don't know why. Was it my type-A, take-no-crap personality? Was my confidence a deterrent because I wouldn't be a fun victim? Did my sassy attitude show I could take it and dish it back worse? I don't know. But I wish I had taken that blanket of social safety and wrapped it around that poor girl. I wish I had, at least once, told the kids to leave her alone.

I know why I did nothing: I didn't want to become the focus of the nasty little junior high hecklers. Isn't that horrible? Because I was afraid of being negatively noticed, I let it go. Granted, I never participated in being mean (I'm so glad I wasn't one of those kids), but I also never befriended or defended the friendless picked-on girl.

I hope I can teach Nadine the importance of defending those who are unable or unwilling to defend themselves. And I hope she's the kind of person who will do so, no matter the perceived cost.

Our house, in the middle of our street

Because very few family members have been in our house, this post is nothing but photos of the house we're renting in Maryland. I love this house; it is definitely the bright spot of the move. We're so blessed to be in it.

We no longer look like college bachelors (minus the Ramen noodles in the corner), sitting on a blow-up mattress and eating off plastic plates; and we're not swimming in a sea of boxes (because my mom and sister Kelsey basically unloaded every box when they were out here dropping Whitney off at law school; I am so grateful for their help).

Here are the "befores" in July. The living and dining rooms were quite empty.

Here is a "transit" in August. This was such an overwhelming amount of boxes.

And here's now. Even the pictures are up!

Nadine has her Seussical Experience room again. It was so nice to get her out of the Pack & Play, her bed for 7 weeks, and back into her crib.

Notice the built-in dresser and mirror. Most of the bedrooms have this. It's so cool.

The basement is also fantastic; do you see the wall on the right that is nothing but shelving?! I love having so much space for our books.

Peekaboo

Cute video on the baby blog.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore

This post is not about love. Well, it kinda is, because I love pizza. And that's what this post is about.

We make homemade pizza about four times a month. I have a fantastic dough recipe that is actually really easy to make. I was talking to my mom tonight on the phone as I made the sauce, and she asked for the dough recipe. Because I was going to compile, I thought I'd share it with you all.

I got this recipe from a girl at a book club and found the honey addition online, so I can't claim any of the recipe as my own.

1 pkg. dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil (a bit more for bowl)

2-1/2 to 3-1/2 cups flour

2 Tbs honey (Yes, honey. It honestly is the best part of the dough.)

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixing bowl.

2. Add salt, olive oil, honey, and 2-1/2 cups flour. Mix at speed 1 for about one minute.

3. At speed 2, add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time.

4. Mix for about two minutes or until dough clings to hook and cleans side of the bowl (this is the trickiest part to master, but regardless of the texture the dough still tastes dang good).

5. Mix on speed 2 for about two minutes longer (if it's too dry, add a bit of water).

6. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, for about an hour or until doubled in bulk.

7. Punch down dough.

8. Place on pizza pan. Roll out and for edge (I just pound and moosh the dough until it covers the pan, and I don't even attempt edges any more).

9. Put sauce and toppings on pizza. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes.

That's it! It's a bit labor-intensive, but the dough is fantastic and worth it if you love homemade pizza.

You can use whatever sauce, but I like to make my own sauce and let it simmer as the dough rises. You can use tomato sauce, but I puree canned tomato chunks because it tastes richer (though you usually have to thicken it with corn starch). For sauce I add the following to taste:

1. Dried basil (mmmm, fresh basil is so tasty, especially as a topping)

2. Dried oregano

3. Refrigerated garlic

4. Onion powder

5. Ground pepper (I do freshly ground)

6. A few pinches of brown sugar

I add all the ingredients until I think it tastes yummy, then I just let it simmer on low. The major plus is your house starts smelling like pizza long before it's ready to cook. Yum.

Another tip is we always keep frozen Italian sausage (low fat = less grease) in the freezer for the days we randomly decide to make pizza (seriously, I make it a lot). We like to use turkey pepperoni (again, less grease); a grocery store-size bag of turkey pepperoni can be divided in half, which is about the perfect amount for pizza, and then frozen. I also buy bulk shredded mozzarella (Costco had a 5 lb bag--perfect!) and put about 2 cups' worth into individual freezer bags.

For the frozen pizza toppings, they can either be thawed in the fridge in the morning or on the counter in the afternoon. Italian sausage can be cooked frozen, which is wonderful.

So there are my hints for homemade pizza. Again, it's a bit labor intensive, especially as you figure out how to perfect the dough, but my goodness it's good. Easy hints: freeze as many ingredients as possible and buy them in bulk and when on sale, and make your sauce as the dough rises. Also, for Mother's Day this year Todd got me a pizza stone (I told you we make a lot of pizza); those are fantastic and truly do make a difference.

Baby blog updated

Shrieking banshee video. It's ear-shattering.