Hot Cocoa

Hot cocoa isn't something one should agonize over. Yet, every year around this time, hot cocoa becomes a thorn in my side. Is this brand gluten free? How about that brand? What about that flavor? The artwork on the package has changed - has the formula also changed? Do I have time to call the manufacturer to play a game of 20 questions? (The answer to that last one is NO!)

Hot cocoa should be easy.

So, now I make it myself. Every ingredient in this recipe is a staple in our house. As an added bonus, I can pronounce and identify all the ingredients! Like most scratch versions of convenience products, this tastes miles better than any mix. I will NEVER go back to those little packets.

Hot Cocoa
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup dry milk
splash of extract if desired
hot water

Mix the dry ingredients in your mug. Add a cup or so of hot water. Stir. Add extract. Drink.

You can, of course, leave out the dry milk and substitute hot milk for the water. Hot soy, almond, rice, or any other kind of milk would work here, too.

Halloween 2011

There's something about sewing at the 11th hour..... We had "trunk or treat" at church on Sunday. I don't know if y'all do this up North or not. Essentially it is trick or treating in a parking lot. People decorate their trunks and hand out candy. There are usually other funfair type activities going on and it is an event that is usually sponsored by a church. We have a lot of "Fall Festivals" or "Hallelujah Celebrations" down here as an alternative to Halloween. Hell houses, too, which are the conservative Christian version of a haunted house. THAT warrants a whole separate post, though.

Anyhow, our church had a very small trunk or treat that the big kids hosted for the little kids. There were less than 50 people there and it was all very sweet. The problem was, I realized on Sat. night that I had to work all day on Sunday and wouldn't have any time for last-last minute costume shenanigans before trunk or treat. I hadn't done anything on Alice's costume.

Ooops.

Enter speed sewing. I made this costume start to finish in 2-1/2 hours. I have NO idea how I managed that. (The combination of the serger and ingesting too much caffeine is my guess...) My goal was to be done by midnight and I finished up at 10:30. I ditched the dress pattern that came in the envelope and made up my own. The dress is a front, back and two sleeves. All cut generously and then I used elastic for the neck and cuffs.

I didn't follow any of the instructions on the pattern. I actually threw them in the garbage after trying to read through them and getting confused. My way was better.

In any case, I got it done and it fit perfectly. Phew!

Alice as Laura Ingalls Wilder Halloween 2011

Kiri's Dress

Made by me, photographed by Tim.
Kiri is the daughter of our associate conductor, Jim, and his wife Sarah (who is a trumpet player.). They asked if I would make a baptismal gown for Kiri.


The gown - 40 inches long!


The slip








(Alice wearing pants! Of her own volition!)


Here is a link to Jim and Sarah's blog with pictures of Kiri at her baptism.

Exhibit night!

Earlier this month, Alice's school had its first "Exhibit Night." The school is the arts magnet elementary school for the county (as well as housing the honors program). They do all sorts of neat things. There is an actual dance studio, multiple rooms for music, and art has a main classroom and second classroom with a kiln. At exhibit night, the whole school was transformed into an art gallery. It was really neat to see all the student work.


A student-made mural of ceramic tiles


2nd grade ceramics - Alice's is the yellow and brown cup in the center.

This map is in the hall near Alice's homeroom. It is HUGE!




Art by the other 2nd grade classes:


Alice's class did an extensive unit on Japan. They went to a museum to see Japanese artifacts, learned how to play "rock, paper, scissors" in Japanese, and had a visitor come talk to them about Japanese culture. All this was in addition to the more typical types of learning that go on in a classroom!
They learned how to write their names in Japanese:

They also each learned to write another word and created a picture around it. Alice's word was "school":


Next we went to see the instrumental music teacher. He is AMAZING. He had all kinds of instruments laid out all over the classroom for kids to play. Everything was very hands-on. His room was loud and chaotic in a good way. Everyone who walked into his room that night left having learned something new - myself included.

A piano Mr. Reynolds took apart so the kids can see how it works.


Demonstrating sound waves and vibration with a ping pong ball dancing on a speaker.

We also got to meet some of Alice's new friends.

Finally done!

It was a push, but I got this done for church on Sunday.



I started this dress a year ago, and, at some point got tired of the embroidery (or distracted by Christmas dresses). It sat in my sewing basket until a few weeks ago. I decided I'd better get to finishing it before it was outgrown.




I wasn't happy with the vertical buttonhole, so I changed the rest. I was going to rip out the first one and re-sew it to match, but Alice said it looked cool and I should leave it, so I did.

Now I'm madly constructing a baptismal gown for a friend. I'm all out of smocking, though. Time to pleat something new!