Semi-fail

Well, the pita bread didn't puff up like it was supposed to.

Looks like pork chops, I know

But it did make a tasty flatbread.  Next time I will divide it into smaller portions, and perhaps more rising time will give us the puffiness of pita.  It's definitely on the "tasty" list, though.

This is Why We Go Camping

We went camping up in the Poconos this weekend.  It's our favorite area to camp in - lots of little family-friendly campgrounds, a variety of things to do, and usually cool and pleasant.

JC stayed home, by himself, for the first time.  He had plans with friends, and also? Doesn't particularly fit in the trailer anymore.  There are 4 bunks in the "bunkhouse".  He is too heavy for the top bunks and too long for the bottom bunks.  And he declined our offer of a private tent.  However, he did have the excitement of a severe thunderstorm the evening after we left.  Torrential rain, high winds, and the next-door neighbors lost a major tree.  Fun times!  We came home to a large branch balancing on the power lines, but John was able to cut it off.

 Back to the trip. We drove through the rain and had a completely dry weekend. Made pancakes and bacon,went to a local flea market, hung out at the pool some, and did a fair amount of this.

We acquired a new accessory for our trailer - a Jiffy Pop extended handle!  Allows you to safely use your Jiffy Pop with a campfire.  Worked great.

And my favorite part of the whole weekend?  Rachel decided that William should read Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry (yes, THAT Dave Barry) and Ridley Pearson.  It's a pretty rip-snorting adventure, perfect for adventure-minded kids, but William was resistant.  So she offered to read it to him.  This was around the campfire Saturday evening.  They had started that morning in the car on the way to the flea market, and every moment in the car since.  And a session in the afternoon.  Not too long after this picture, Rachel decided her throat was getting sore, so I read for a while.

And now that William is finishing the book by himself, John and I may have to borrow it so WE can finish.

Taking Advantage

It is HOT and humid today.  Not a day for cooking.

BUT...

I thought... what if I made pita bread?  On the grill?  That wouldn't heat up the kitchen and would be tasty for dinner with our left-over steak and salad.

So I have made the dough, and since it says to let it rise in a "warm place"....
I stuck it out on the deck.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Haiku - Just The Basics (by Rachel)

The first line is five. The second line is seven. The third line is five.

Mom Was Right

I heard this story this morning on NPR and thought it was fabulous.
http://www.npr.org/2012/06/01/154100293/when-mom-is-right-and-tells-police-theyre-wrong

I love that he doesn't quite say that he was more scared of his mother than the police.

Loose Ends and Micro Cupcakes

1.  Rachel had a good time at the dance and a better time at the amusement park the next day.  I have seen one picture of her from the dance - she looks lovely and happy but you can't see the fantastic hair or the whole outfit.

2.  The Pampered Chef party was swell - the thing I was forgetting to do was take a shower after cleaning all day.  The consultant walked in, and I said, "Oh!" and abandoned her for 15 minutes to walk through the shower.  And the thing I was most worried about DID happen - I had so much hostess cash to spend that I really struggled with finding things to spend it on in the catalog.  I suppose there are worse problems.

3.  Still no picture of JC in his costume.  He had to skip the LARP event this month because it coincided with the Memorial Day parade.  If you are going to be in Marching Band, you have to march in the parade.  It was hot, though not as hot as last year.  The director didn't let them take off their jackets during the speeches, but he did let them march without their helmets.

4.  We had two snow days this week.  I suppose it would be more accurate to say that we had two days given back because we didn't use all our snow days this year, but it's more fun the other way.  William only got one - his school was closed for several extra days after the snowstorm in October because the power lines were down.  Yesterday, after he left for school, Rachel and JC and I (and a friend) went to New York City.  Mostly, we went to a Japanese bookstore with an excellent Manga selection (Rachel is a little obsessed).  But we also got lunch, of course, and found some tasty little cupcakes.  REALLY little cupcakes, they're barely a mouthful.  That means, of course, that you can have more than one, so you can try several varieties.  We got a dozen for the four of us, and simplified by ordering three kinds.  Yum.  But since they're smaller than mini cupcakes, I decided they were micro cupcakes.

5.  We also went up the Empire State Building because we were there and we had time.  Touristy, but really, you have to go.

Girls Are Different

We have tried fairly hard to raise our children "non-gendered".  Within reason.  I fix things around the house, John does laundry, we try not to label things as "man's work" or "women's work".  I bought a dollhouse for Rachel and didn't comment when William played with it more than she did.  They all played with trucks.

BUT...

Tonight is the 8th grade dance.  It is the culminating social event of the Middle School.  It also takes place as part of an overnight trip to an amusement park, which only adds to the complexity.

When JC went, the biggest issue was teaching him how to tie his tie.  John practiced with him several times, but I ended up printing out instructions from online just in case.  Turned out that JC did fine on his own but a couple of his roommates borrowed the instructions.  Beyond that?  Nothing - didn't worry about what to wear - dress pants, shirt, dress shoes, tie.  All the boys wore the same thing.

Now it's Rachel's turn.  It's been a bit of drama, and I will fully admit that it is mostly my fault.  You see, she's not really a girly-girl.  She is perfectly happy to head off to school with her hair in a very simple ponytail, no makeup, no earrings, t-shirt and jeans.  Her fashion sense leans toward "tomboy", and "modest" which is just fine with us.  (Have you SEEN what teenage girls wear these days?  OMG!!!)  Having watched several friends with girls go through 8th grade dance prep in previous years, I was concerned that if she didn't amp it up a bit, she was going to feel uncomfortable and out of place.

So we talked and shopped and finally found a compromise outfit that is perfectly Rachel but fancy enough (skirt and boat-neck top).  She actually liked the dangly earrings and bracelet that coordinated.  And I talked her into getting her hair done - the school lets parents take the kids out of school for an hour to get their hair done during the school day before they leave.  We tried painting her nails last night to match her top, but she mangled one nail almost immediately so we took it all off and just put on clear shiny undercoat (actually much more age-appropriate).  I gave her a crash course in makeup application and am hoping her roommates may provide some guidance.  She got her hair done today.

There's about a million bobby pins and about half a can of hairspray (maybe more) so I think it will last until the dance.

Because, you see, the worst thing about all this?  Since the dance takes place at the hotel at the amusement park, I don't get to see her all dressed up!  They had a full day of school (sort of, it was pretty relaxed from the sounds of it), then loaded up the buses and left from school right afterwards.  They all had to bring their luggage to school in the morning (to get inspected for contraband) and will dress for the dance there.  Buffet dinner, dance, then tomorrow morning they will hit the park for most of the day.  Back on the buses, and call your parents about 15 minutes before you arrive back at school tomorrow evening.

It's been a lot of angst and some arguing, at least for me.  But I think she will be comfortably appropriate - I don't think there's many things more uncomfortable than being under dressed for an occasion.  Especially when you're 14.  I hope she has a really good time.