my little fry cook 12 January 09

okay, i know that it’s been a year since i started this blog & i haven’t really documented things this year like i intended to, but i’m fixing to do better.
here’s a start…

molly got a fabulous cook book from santa. it’s the dk children’s quick & easy cook book. j & i love the dk cook books ’cause they have lots of pictures. b decided to try out the chicken nuggets & funky fries as her maiden voyage with the book. she & dada really turned it out.

here’s the finished product. it was so good. the fries were exceptional.

random molly quote 12 December 08

as we were coming home from molly’s school the other day, we were talking about our dogs (dan, marge, and grady). molly told me, “grady looks like a fine dining waiter. he seems like he’d have a rose in his jacket.”
and, you know, she’s right.

so this whole facebook thing has got me thinking… 17 November 08

if i’ve got time enough to mess around on there, i could pick up any new habit, or pick back up an old habit (knitting, playing the guitar, etc.). i should really do something about my poor time management skills.

i can’t help it, the siren song of facebook is too strong. i’m up in there all the time these days. but i’ll bet it will go the way of myspace–or my poor unkept blog–something that is just an occasional diversion. it can’t go on owning me.

while i’m here:

sunday: turkey sandwiches, beer cheese soup

monday: pan roasted salmon with tomatoes & white beans, salad, baked cheese grits

tuesday: chicken stir-fry with zucchini and mushrooms, jasmine rice, egg rolls

wednesday: swiss steak and mashed potatoes

thursday: pork chops in mustard sauce, sauteed greens, roasted sweet potatoes

friday: mr. t’s and cold beverages

gorham’s bluff 30 October 08

last weekend j and i revisited the “scene of the crime” (or opposite, i guess– we were actually making it legal). anyway, we went back to where we got married.

it was really nice. we stayed in stephen’s cottage
the weather was perfect & we have vowed to go there at least once a year from now on.

b is 4, y’all 15 October 08

without further ado, here are a few pictures from molly’s 4th birthday party…sadly, i didn’t get a lot of pictures since i was so stressed (jerad was on the couch with pneumonia ((sp?)), so i was trying to fly solo with party prep–thank jebus for the kindness of stacie, gigi & papaw, the ormsbys, and g-mama & aunt sarah).

though nothing can compete with the outstanding work of ms. jackson (her work can be seen in the photos from last year’s party), jackson bakery did us right on the cake & addictive thumbprint cookies!

molly & her running crew

molly & her bff, finn.

only one year ago…

and what seems like yesterday…

great–now i’ve gone & gotten myself teared up. why do they have to grow up so fast? excuse me while i go find a tissue & a drink

in the kitchen with stephanie 2.0 12 October 08

update: i ain’t gonna get those pictures on this weekend, but since the football cheerleading season is over, i have a respite for a week or two until the basketball insanity starts (never. again.), i’ll still try to get some stuff on here. the pictures from b’s party are pretty good, and i just realized that i never posted any of the downer family va-cay to mountain lakes resort (our favorite version of a redneck riviera). we had a huge time down there–molly caught her first “lawge-moweth bayus.”  i love that little county girl.

anyway, i digress. the chatt. market had NO okra–or that’s what jerad would have me believe. he had to go instead of the whole fam because moll started to complain of a tummy ache, so we scraped all our plans for the day. we hated to miss harper’s #1 b-day party, and we had to cancel plans to meet up with rob & kelly, plus we’d scheduled a spider hike this morning.  i don’t know why we even pretend to be able to plan things with any degree of certainty–it’s always a crap shoot (sometimes literally) when you have a young’un. she snapped out of it by this evening until she realized it’s a school night; then she “remembered” that her stomach hurt & thought it was probably not a good idea for her to go to school tomorrow. whatever, faker.

i don’t know what the okra crisis of ‘08 will mean for my creole chicken. i hate it when the best laid plans are all for naught.

at least it’s dexter night.

i heart fall break 10 October 08

i’ve been meaning to catch the old blog up over fall break, but, what with all the fall breakin’ to be done, well, you know…

we’ve had a late summer/early fall, for real tho’. i’ll try to get pictures posted soon of some big time milestone shit. molly got her first charm bracelet for b-day 4; her pony party was tons of fun despite the lack of a pinky pie pinata (a future therapy topic, i’m sure); we had a fun mommy/daughter adventure day today–the creative discovery museum>lulu’s for a new ‘do.

who knows what we’ll get into this weekend…  word on the screet is that tomorrow is free day at the chattanooga zoo. the laundry is caught up & the house is relatively clean, so the world (or at the least the tri-state area) is our oyster.

i’ve been doing some painting over the break this week. nothing too thrilling–just doors & stupid trim. i’m toying with the notion of having the outside painted. anyone who has seen it would agree that our front porch needs attention. it’s all southern gothic/ghetto. any color ideas for the house would be appreciated. most discussed this week: gray or taupe-ish (martha stewart “homespun”-y, you feel me?).

anyhoo, i was just checking in to try to be a better half-ass blogger. i started this incarnation of my blog at new years to try to do a better job of keeping up with events in the lives of the family b. i haven’t been nearly as diligent as i pretended to think i’d be, but, what you gonna do?

so one more weekend till back to the work-a-day life of the public school teacher. you will never convince me that students enjoy breaks from school more than teachers.

hope all’s well with all y’all.

sdb

how our garden grows 2 July 08

while i have a minute or two, i thought i’d post some (fairly) recent pictures of our front-yard flowers.
this is by the front fence that my precious baby daddy built for me after i bugged him about how much i wanted a white picket fence for a couple of years. the delphinium in the picture is actually blooming now. i’ll try to get some more recent photos up soon. the hollyhock, delphinium, and foxglove are just lovely!

here’s the hydrangea in front of the porch. this is just its second year being in that spot–i transplanted it from the bed by the gate to the backyard. it bloomed all blue back there, but now it’s all sorts of colors! we’re really enjoying seeing what color will show up next.

this is one of the lillies that i moved up from the back yard last year. they are enjoying the full sun that the front beds get.

two bits of brewerness 29 June 08

sorry this update has been so long in coming, but i’m happy to say that the family brewer has a couple of reasons to celebrate!

reason one- after a lengthy application & interview process, molly has been accepted by the montessori school. we are so excited that she’ll begin her pre-k year there in august. we are really impressed with their program & are very much in agreement with their educational philosophy. i think it’s going to be a great fit for our family.

reason two- last night molly earned her second “blue wibbon” at the long hollow saddle club. here are some photos of her “in the saddle.”

From a death shrouded in mystery…to a new critter in the cage! 21 February 08

that’s right. after an appropriate period of mourning for our dear guinea pig rose, we have taken on her sister (or brother?) whom molly has named “susannah.” so far, so good. maybe this one will not meet such a tragic end. here’s hoping…

as i’ve been under the weather this week (like everyone else–pandemic, anyone?), the dinner fare has been kinda spotty this week. our romantic date on saturday kind of fell through, but due to the ever-present ormsby hospitality, the evening turned out to be great anyway–full of good food, good music, and copious amounts of mezcal (elisa brought a bottle back for us from her recent jaunt south of the border). on sunday, since we were still “childless,” we spent the day taking it easy (i took TWO naps!) & ordered pizza from mr. t’s for dinner. once b-dog got home on monday, we finally made it to the grocery store & bought provisions for the week…

monday- tomato soup & chicken salad sandwiches

tuesday-rosemary/lemon/garlic chicken with roasted onions & potatoes, brussels sprouts in mustard sauce

wednesday-pork carnitas, black beans

thursday-i was supposed to go to a school function this evening, but since i feel so lousy, i’m gonna lay low so i can finish out the week at school tomorrow. dinner for this evening remains to be finalized. i may do a chicken pot pie with the leftover chicken, or we may just have leftovers from last night. we’ll see.

friday-???

this week has been an exercise in endurance. we had a holiday on monday, but by tuesday evening i was feeling pretty bad. wednesday i got ready for school, but a fever & general malaise sent me back to bed. i was back in the saddle today, but not feeling great. 2 of my 4 classes were down to under a dozen students! they are dropping like flies–this version of the flu ain’t no joke, man!

y’all wash your hands & take your vitamins!