tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12794369995348802702024-03-20T05:07:38.571-07:00toddlerspitJen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.comBlogger348125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-88039904943211631552012-09-12T07:11:00.004-07:002012-09-12T07:11:41.744-07:00More On TimeI asked my students yesterday about their memories of September 11. They talked about being in third grade and their schools being shut down, watching it on television over and over again, their parents racing to come pick them up.<br />
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Jesus. I remember like yesterday sitting in the living room on Vine St., smack in the middle of my twenties, watching the news all morning, followed by days of panic and sadness. <br />
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While my now-adult students were in elementary school.<br />
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Time flies.Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-55245839402103103152012-09-12T07:08:00.001-07:002012-09-12T07:08:50.757-07:00Sentimental All of a SuddenPretty much every other moment I just want to grab my kids and hold them in one spot and prevent them from growing up one inch, one minute more. Alternating moments are spent trying to help them (push them?) to grow up right. I've spent plenty of time being an annoyed and harried parent, spread too thin and not guided enough by love. I think that has really been changing these last few months, and now I wish I could go back and do so much differently. <br />
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This guy was in the middle of the floor when I got home. <br />
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The old me would have just seen another mess to be cleaned up, I think. Now I see an artifact of my kids' fleeting childhoods. Another freaking paradox to contend with.<br />
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I should mention that I'm able to be in love a little more now because 1) we have a cleaning lady 2) we are in therapy every other minute fighting to make our marriage work and 3) my tenure package is in. The material matters. Having a bit more time for love, for loosening, really helps. Not that I couldn't have done better. I could have. But I could have done worse, too. We all need help sometimes.<br />
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<br />Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-35900303264235070822012-09-12T07:02:00.002-07:002012-09-12T07:02:22.656-07:00My Brother, 33<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My grandma Evans, 99, passed a way a few weeks ago. Which stinks, except it meant that I got to spend some time with my family, and could celebrate my brother's birthday with him. I love all my brothers, but J.B. is the one I spent the most time growing up with. We're good friends now, and I love him with all my heart. Happy birthday, J.B.!Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-56052074439381243812012-09-12T06:59:00.002-07:002012-09-12T06:59:25.748-07:00First Day of SchoolThird Grade, First Grade<br />
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<br />Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-91649212508821590912012-09-12T06:55:00.005-07:002012-09-12T06:55:44.095-07:00Us, 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-49768112305699055192012-09-12T06:55:00.002-07:002012-09-12T06:58:06.610-07:00Nolie, 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-55824861676121351922012-09-12T06:46:00.002-07:002012-09-12T06:46:16.036-07:00Wild West RelayLeg 1. It was really windy. So windy that I felt like the breath was being sucked out of my mouth before I could pull it down into my lungs. I was so anxious that I wouldn't be able to keep running because I hadn't trained like I should have. Instead I had spent a lot of time figuring out whether or not life as I knew it was over (it was, thank goodness). But it went fine. Life and the race went fine. I came in a bit under time. Winded and flushed, but in.<br />
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2nd Leg. The long one, almost ten miles. 3 miles up, dirt roads, 7 miles flying straight down. Amazing views. Gorgeous. Felt good, went fast. 8 miles in had a sense of euphoria, but also the wooziness that I now recognize as my body malfunctioning. Came in to the finish, again a little under time, thought I felt okay. Then the vomiting started. Felt terrible for the next eight hours and hogged an entire bench in the van because sitting up just wasn't an option.<br />
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Leg 3. No way I was going to be able to do it. I still had vomit on my shoes and it was the middle of the night and I couldn't find my glasses much less my running shoes and it was freezing. But I didn't want to let someone else take my leg and everyone was sleeping and exhausted. There was talk about cheating, about letting me out of the van to walk 100 yards and then picking me up again. It's not like we're going to win anything with eight people instead of twelve anyway. But I don't like the sound of that. So I walk one mile. The moon is bright, the air is cool, and I start to feel better. Woozy and very out of it--I think the moon and I had a conversation at one point--but one mile added to another was two, and then three, and then four, and finally I came in at five. Everyone was still sleeping, but I felt better, drove us to the next exchange, and then finally passed out, not nauseous, until daylight.</div>
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Last leg. Still feeling up and down. Talking to myself a lot about when to push it and when not, since that's part of what gets me into this mess. Everyone else has done so well and I was the weakest link. I can't get any food down, though, and the last leg is six miles straight up Rabbit Ears Pass. Lisa offers to trade with me, and though I hate it, I agree. I take her four miles and half-walk, half-run them. <br />
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Finally, done. So much of it sucked. I wasn't prepared and the worst thing I could image happening happened.</div>
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But I would do it again. Totally. Because of the people in all these pictures, and because sometimes we need to fight these kinds of battles and figure out some things about ourselves.</div>
<br />Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-19686222724376457732012-09-12T06:26:00.003-07:002012-09-12T06:26:36.229-07:00Beasties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-23353959324583422782012-09-12T06:23:00.003-07:002012-09-12T06:23:56.229-07:00Hive 12Another summer trip to Logan Canyon. I was alive and functioning but still pretty grief-y. I was worried about getting trained up for the long relay in August, though, and when I'm with my writing Hive (Utah is the beehive state) we work and then we play. So we made some hikes. <br />
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There were times I felt like I couldn't breathe, that my legs wouldn't work, that I might collapse in sadness and shame. <br />
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But my friends just accepted all of that, and we took one step at a time, and made it up the mountain. We sat on a rock and took it in, able to look straight down into the canyon below. It would have been so easy to fall. But I didn't.Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-18334095999759898512012-09-12T06:19:00.005-07:002012-09-12T06:19:40.967-07:00E., Mid-<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I think he's holding one of my seaweed snacks there. I'm sort of obsessed with them. And with nuts. And with slaw salads with rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. And fruit. And hummus. <br />
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Good foods.<br />
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Good E.Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-27009853839944936162012-09-12T06:16:00.002-07:002012-09-12T07:00:09.172-07:00DeerSaw this guy on a long run this summer. <br />
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There were three more in my parking lot on campus last week. Two took off as soon as I pulled in, but another stayed munching for a while, then stilled, and we had some long moments of eye contact before I finally pulled away and headed to class. <br />
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I still think it's magical to see these guys, even though they are so common this time of year, especially as so many animals are seeking food following this long drought and the upcoming winter.<br />
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The rain falls today and feels both foreign and a blessing. Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-87823915460374884762009-06-29T22:03:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.885-07:00Goodbye, and Welcome...?<div>Hi everyone!<br/><br/>I'm so sad to have to do this, but I'm afraid toddlerspit is going to have to move to a new location...blog.com just won't return my emails, and I can't upload pictures, and...well, there you have it!<br/><br/>Won't you come join me at my new blog, <a href="http://toddlerspit.blogspot.com/">http://toddlerspit.blogspot.com/</a>?  I have lots to post about this week, so check in over the next few days to see what's up.  I promise there will be many more parenting hijinks, self-obsessed ramblings, and craft projects.<br/><br/>But maybe no more lego men with penises.  That seemed to trigger this whole mess.<br/><br/>Cuz it's all about me.<br/><br/>See you over at blogger!<br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-86669061838182174812009-06-25T09:43:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.885-07:00Off to Whidbey<div>Well, I'm in the airport, getting ready to head to Whidbey Island in the San Juan Islands (Washington) for an "Engineering, Social Justice, and Peace" conference.  The word "conference" should be loosely interpreted.  I think there won't be too many of us, and that there will be walks in the woods, journaling, bonfire talks, and maybe even the making of art.  We've been invited to read Parker Palmer's <em>The Courage to Teach</em> in preparation (I'll be reading it here in a few minutes and on the plane).  The subject of the conference?  "Bringing Our Whole Selves Into our Work."<br/><br/>How I'm going to make it for four days without my trusty Janome, I do not know.<br/><br/>Not sure what to expect, but I'll let you know more when I get back.  See you Monday!<br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-58784853886858697252009-06-22T14:37:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.885-07:00Problems with Pics or, I hate blog.com<div>yes, there's a problem with the pics in the last few posts.<br/><br/>Yes, I hate blog.com, which is constantly going down, changing my settings, and otherwise being annoying.  thanks for your patience.<br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-68925277693752649782009-06-22T14:34:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.886-07:00Going, Going, Gone<div>Gorgeous<br/><br/><a href="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044270.jpg"><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044270.auto.auto.c.tn.jpg" /></a><br/><br/>Gorgeous<br/><br/><a href="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044271.jpg"><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044271.auto.auto.c.tn.jpg" /></a><br/><br/>GOOFY!<br/><br/><a href="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044272.jpg"><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044272.auto.auto.c.tn.jpg" /></a><br/><br/>This is pretty much what being five years old is all about, by the way.  When I came outside, Addie was singing, in a very adult, sultry voice, "Oh, baby, why don't you come near me, you're the sweetest thing I've ever had" (!?!).  Then, in the next minute, she was running around the yard making goofy faces and talking about being Queen of the Butt-Butts.  This back-and-forth is alternately terrifying and hilarious for the parent.  Oh my God, my kid is growing up!  Oh my God, my kid is never going to grow up!  So weird.<br/><br/>In case you were wondering:  yes I did make that dress out of pillowcases.  From the thrift store.  I did.<br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-85530487385748417052009-06-22T14:26:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.886-07:00Nano nano<div>The best money I've spent in the last week was $10 at Michael's on a gajillion pipe cleaners.  They can be used for <em>everything. </em> Addie is particularly happy making strange headgear:<br/><br/><a href="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044268.jpg"><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044268.auto.auto.c.tn.jpg" /></a><br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-62726458214524234672009-06-22T14:23:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.886-07:00Yes I did...<div>make this little dress for Nolie out of two pillow cases purchased at el thrift store:<br/><br/><a href="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044261.jpg"><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044261.auto.auto.c.tn.jpg" /></a><br/><br/>and yes, it is particularly good for spinning:<br/><br/><a href="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044262.jpg"><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044262.auto.auto.c.tn.jpg" /></a><br/><br/>Also, I think you'll appreciate this particular conversation we had on the way to Target yesterday:<br/><br/>"Mama?"<br/><br/>"Yes, Nolie?"<br/><br/>"I have a baby in my tummy?"<br/><br/>"Oh, you do?  Fantastic!  Congratulations!"<br/><br/>"Its name is Crack!"<br/><br/>"Oh, really?  What an interesting name for a baby."<br/><br/>"It's going to come out of my BUTT!"<br/><br/>"Ah, yes.  The old Crack baby coming out of the butt trick.  I know it well!"<br/><br/>"Like a poop!"<br/><br/>"Yep.  I get it.  I geeet it."<br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-57936252248322819852009-06-22T14:17:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.886-07:00Obligatory Father's Day Treacle<div>All of my favorite crafty-mama blogs are featuring sappy Father's day yadda-yaddas about the "amazing men" in their lives.  Barfo.<br/><br/>BECAUSE none could be more amazing than this hubba hubba right heyah:<br/><br/><a href="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044700.jpg"><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4044700.auto.auto.c.tn.jpg" /></a><br/><br/>I mean, HEllo.<br/><br/>Right?  Right?<br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-55058412549627038222009-06-18T13:01:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.887-07:00Skeins from the Universe<div>There are many things that need blogging about, such as the fact that my amazing husband landed a sweet new job <a title="KM" href="http://www.kmlabs.com/">here</a>; <a title="lush" href="http://www.lushusa.com/shop/products/hair">these</a> are my absolutely all-time favorite new bath products and oh-my-god they're amazing I almost couldn't get out of the shower today for all the smellgasms and you'll all be getting these for xmas in handmade bags; and on my morning walk I saw two deer, one snake, and countless red-winged blackbirds, and the greenery was as high as my waist.  Fantastic.<br/><br/>But something much more urgent calls.  And that is the fact that, three minutes ago, my doorbell rang and there was my very friendly postal carrier with a package.  For me.  Unbidden.  And inside that package were seven skeins of the yummiest felting wool around, in the most gorgeous, seashore colors of blue and green.  In my head they are already the most beautiful slate-oceanwave-forestmoss gorgeousness.<br/><br/>The person who sent them, nameless here, could not have known that on my desk the last few days was this <a title="alterknits felt" href="http://www.amazon.com/AlterKnits-Felt-Imaginative-Projects-Knitting/dp/158479707X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245353261&sr=8-2">book</a>, finally put away for a while because logic says one shouldn't knit wool in summer.  But I've been wanting to!  Wanting to knit that giant travel bag!  And then felt it!  Yum.  But I put it away, and promised to buy myself some yarn in the September.  But I didn't want to put it away, of course.  I wanted to do the knitting.<br/><br/>So, thanks, you lovely emissary of the universe, for this unexpected and thoughtful gift, and for remembering that I loved this book and the projects inside.  Sweet, sweet. <br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-60536735276030752222009-06-15T21:43:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.887-07:00I probably<div><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4041066.jpg" /><br/><br/>...should not be allowed to raise children.<br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-14326900034817823592009-06-15T21:42:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.887-07:00Firing up the Janome<div>I've been slowly, oh-so-slowly, learning my way around my new Janome 8077 (respect the Janome, y'all).  It's beautiful.  30 different stitches, purrs like a kitten, functions as it should.  Any errors that are made on that thing are user errors.<br/><br/>And I've been making them, let me tell you.  I can see the light, and all.  I can see that I will be a much better crafter/maker/do-er on this machine than I was on the other one, which just limited what I could do in lots of ways, and created so many problems with stitches and the like.  But I'm muddling through figuring it all out right now, still--how the tensioner works, which stitch lengths are happiest with which fabrics and which stitch types, how many reverse stitches I need to do.  All that jazz.<br/><br/>That big old learning curve has led to some pretty funny projects.  I don't think my Dad is on the blog these days (my mom just had her surgery, which seems to have gone okay.  But I think he's going to be busy with that for a while).  So I feel comfortable posting his Father's Day gift here.  He is, after all, the person who bought the Janome for me (facilitated by my brother, smooches, smooches to him).  I got the idea from Etsy and then executed it like a fingerless numbskull.  It really should have been hand-sewn to avoid slippage with the felt squares on the fleece backing, but I was too excited to use the machine, and so I used it, and then the squares on the board ended up all wonky. <br/><br/><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4041062.jpg" /><br/><br/>But three things I like:  first, the gray rectangle over the board is actually a pouch stitched to the side seam, and can be flipped over to play.  It holds all the checkers. <br/><br/>Second, the whole thing folds up into this neat little bundle. <br/><br/><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4041063.jpg" /><br/><br/>Handy, eh?  Cute, eh?<br/><br/>And finally, the pieces, which are little pieces of double-layered stitched felt, are adorable.  Like little baseballs.  Or mod candy.  Yum. <br/><br/><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4041064.jpg" /><br/><br/>Anyway, I'm not sure how often my Dad plays checkers, but as my other Dad (my biological Dad) says, honey, there's nothing I need, and plenty I want, but nothing you can afford.  Just send a card.<br/><br/>So, consider this my wonky, stitched card.  There's big love behind it, and every time I sit down to my machine I think of my Dad.  I'm pretty sure he knows that, and he can kick my butt at Checkers next time I'm home.  Cool.<br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-76493340388562511582009-06-15T21:29:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.887-07:00The Noles, The Noles<div>A few things you should know about Nolie:<br/><br/>1.  She goes by many names, including but not limited to Sarah, Sajinka, Cucumber Pinka, and Beastie.  Most of these she has given herself.  Can you guess which ones we chose for her?<br/><br/>2.  She has an imaginary friend named Tutu.  He is often cranky, sad, or sick.  And he is tiny and fits in the palm of her hand.<br/><br/>3.  She has an imaginary horse named Horseable Pear.  He is frequently naughty.<br/><br/>4.  Her best friend, I think, might be Owen.  At least, he really likes Nolie.<br/><br/><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4041061.jpg" /><br/><br/>How cute is this?  I mean, please.<br/><br/>A post on Addie approacheth.  I promise.<br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-27558759596339603052009-06-13T23:52:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.887-07:00<div>A rare bout of insomnia tonight.  Usually I sleep like I'm in a coma.  But a migraine hit at around 3pm today, and I had to sleep it off, and now my mind is going and going, daydreaming and scheming.  I only get migraines once or twice a year, and I can always tell they're coming on because my vision gets all screwy--like lines of static going across my eyes.  Except now I think of them as zig-zag stitches.  So I just laid down and took a rest and a snooze and when I woke up was starving and head-achey but better.<br/><br/>Now it's midnight I'm thinking about these things:  the new art space Eric and I created for the girls today.<br/><br/><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4039983.jpg" /><br/><br/><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4039984.jpg" /><br/><br/>The best part of the day was sitting in the easy chair with my coffee, watching the two of them paint.<br/><br/><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4039985.jpg" /><br/><br/>Also, lots of hows going through my mind tonight:<br/><br/>How to design a logo.<br/><br/><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4039986.jpg" /><br/><br/><br/>How to build a website.<br/><br/>How my mom is doing.  She's in the hospital, recovering from her third knee surgery.  On the same knee.<br/><br/>How to refashion the two vintage gowns in my closet.<br/><br/><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4039987.jpg" /><br/><br/><br/><img src="http://amadeo.blog.com/repository/594250/4039988.jpg" /><br/><br/><br/>And, how to get back to sleep.<br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-14264522164488932922009-06-09T13:08:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.888-07:00Clam and Corn Fritters<div>Dear Jeff and Jodie,<br/><br/>I'm writing today for two reasons.  The first is to tell you how much I've enjoyed your book, <em><a title="Working parents cookbook" href="http://www.amazon.com/Working-Parents-Cookbook-Recipes-Family/dp/0811836851">The Working Parents' Cookbook</a></em>.  Over the last five years or so, I've been excited to learn how to cook, and my husband and I like preparing fresh, yummy meals together.  We've liked a lot of the recipes from your book, and sometimes I just use it as inspiration to make up my own dishes, which is great.  We both work and have two little girls, so I also appreciate that many of your recipes are low-maintenance and tasy.<br/><br/>The second reason I'm writing has to do with that recipe in your book for "Clam and Corn Fritters."  We don't eat a lot of deep-fat-fried food in our family.  Almost none, really.  As a matter of fact, I once gave up fried food for a year, and didn't really miss it at all!  But you know, every once in a while, I do get a hankering for that crunchy itch that only deep-fat-frying can scratch.  And in the summer time, what's not to love about recipes calling for fresh corn?  Yum!  I like to use organic--it's so sweet and tasty, and good for the environment, too.  Plus, my husband got laid off, so we're trying some fun new recipes from home since we can't afford to eat out.  Clam and corn fritters, here we come!<br/><br/><img style="WIDTH: 337px; HEIGHT: 231px" height="740" src="http://www.thebusychef.biz/files/Corn_Fritter.JPG" width="987" /><br/><br/>Your recipe called for about two inches' worth of canola oil in a pan or skillet.  Heat up that oil on high heat until it's bubbling a little, and then turn it down to medium heat and throw that fritter dough in there.  It browns for a minute or two, flip it for another minute or two, and eat your heart out!  Prep time only 15 minutes, cooking time only 10.  Fantastic!<br/><br/>Of course, I might have made a few changes to the recipe, knowing what I know now.  For instance, I might have said something like, "If you put the skillet on high heat and the oil doesn't really bubble but just starts to smoke, and then all of your smoke alarms start going off in the house, and then your five-year-old who is TERRIFIED, just terrified, of smoke alarms and anything having to do with fire is around and starts screaming and holding her hands over her ears, and maybe pees her pants a little, then you should gently usher your children out to the backyard, calmly remove the batteries from the smoke alarms, and, donning a protective rubber suit, turn off the heat on the burner and let the oil cool."<br/><br/>"Furthermore, it is not recommended to disregard the signals the smoking oil and alarms and screaming children are sending you, and simply throw the fritter batter in the pan anyway.  If you do this--not that you would, you're much too smart for that--the fritter batter, which contains kernels of corn, will sputter and explode and eventually self-combust into flame.  Lord, it's like deep-fat-fried popcorn dynamite!"  I'd probably modify the recipe to say something like this, though I bet you could do it much more stylishly, in that mod way you have of writing.  My bet is you guys are really cool people, in person.  You definitely are in the cookbook.<br/><br/>Also, Jeff and Jodie, you might warn people to keep a fire extinguisher and some aloe vera lotion on hand.  Not that I needed either, really, until this morning.  The pain held off for a while, perhaps because I was in shock.  I don't remember much after the fritters exploded into flame, but I do have a faint recollection of cowering in the corner of the kitchen while my husband hopped about, avoiding exploding corn fritters and hot oil splatters, trying to reach the knob to turn the stove off.  He tells me now that he next mistakenly tried to move the skillet off of the stove and on to the counter, where it immediately bonded to the Corian, which is now blistered and scarred.  Then, after a few minutes, he moved the skillet back to the stove. Some of that Corian was still moist, apparently, from the burning, because the skillet then affixed itself to the element on the stove, via the Corian glue.  I'm crafty, so I'm thinking about how to turn the whole thing into an art project.  Please let me know if you have any ideas.<br/><br/>We've been wanting new counters and a new stove anyway, so no worries. <br/><br/>BUT, if I were to rewrite that recipe, knowing what I know now, I might advise that folks trying out deep-fat-frying for the first time use a big old stewpot, not a skillet.  I would advise that some stoves run hotter than others, and that smoking oil means things are running real hot.  Turn that mother down, yo!  I would also advise that folks put in one test fritter, before throwing a bunch in, just to see how far that corn is going to pop, so they can protect themselves accordingly.  I take total responsibility for being a deep-fat-frying moron, so not to worry.  But maybe a little more information on "Clam and Corn Fritter" making might help others in the future, who find themselves in a similar predicament.<br/><br/>After all was said and done, the fritters that weren't destroyed in the melee turned out to taste pretty good.  At least, that's what my husband Eric said.  I was too traumatized to register eating them, though he swears I did.  And we still haven't found our children, after they ran out of the house.  But not to worry, I'm sure they'll be back soon.<br/><br/>Best of luck with your next cookbook, and I'll send pics of the kitchen remodel when it's done,<br/>Jen<br/><br/><br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279436999534880270.post-46266023995494640082009-06-08T09:17:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:55:42.888-07:00On and Onward<div>Things are coming to a head this week, it seems.  Our refinance finally closes tomorrow.  It was being held hostage in U.S. Bank's underwriting department for what seemed like forever! (When I picture underwriting departments at banks nowadays, I imagine something like a war zone, with accountants and bankers sweating profusely, thin and worn, fighting their way through mountains of paperwork created by the recession.  But perhaps this is incorrect.  Perhaps they're lolling about, pretending to be busy and delaying our paperwork, laughing maniacally).  We have a reasonable mortgage payment anyway, but the refinance will make it much easier for us to carry the house on my salary alone, should things end up that way.<br/><br/>Also, Eric expects to receive his two-week notice today.  I'm relieved for him--it's been so hard to go in to a place where you feel you're not wanted or valued, and to show up every day, only to have to leave because there is no work for you.  Pretty awful, and he's been remarkably calm and good-natured through all of it.  He's also supposed to hear on the job he interviewed for almost a month ago.  It seems there was a lot of competition for it, so we'll see.  I'm not convinced it's the perfect job, but there would be lots to speak for E getting the offer now. <br/><br/>As for me, I'm back at work most days, working on the Engineering and Sustainable Community Development textbook.  We got a book contract with a small publisher, and just received a National Science Foundation grant to pursue the work on Engineering and Social Justice for the next three years.  So this summer, work-wise, is about finishing that book, trying to get a good chunk of an article done, and prepping for some new teaching assignments in the fall. <br/><br/>But there's also lots of time for sitting in the backyard, perusing yard sales, talking walks, and making home-made ice cream (LOTS of home-made ice cream).  I hope we also get to take some "stay-cations"--some little over-nighters to various parts of Colorado we haven't seen yet.  And maybe a road trip to Idaho is in the works.<br/><br/>It is odd, to be in a sort of limbo-space with Eric's job, and at the same time to find such pleasure in our everyday rhythms and activities.  Occasionally I find myself hanging out, a little blob of fear, in the limbo.  But the sweetness of the day always calls me back.  For that, huge gratitude.<br/></div><div></div>Jen Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05011052819704879104noreply@blogger.com1