Homemaking 101

A few random items I've been mulling over that all fall under the heading of "homemaking."

First, 2 recipes you MUST try (and then drop off in a small lunch-sized container on my door as a thank you gift):

1. Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Honey Lime Dip
Follow the link to the recipe and then follow the recipe to a T (or is it tee? tea? whatever - don't stray from the recipe directions). Doing sweet potato fries in the oven can be tricky and they can end up rather mushy, but her directions and tips worked perfectly for me. The trick is to cut them thin and space them apart; and if you have 2 pans going, have at least one oven rack between them. The dip is AMAZING! And if you don't like sweet potatoes, honey or lime, at least visit the link for her pictures of the process. She did good.

2. Lemon Couscous
(This recipe comes from the Southern Living Easy Weeknight Favorites cookbook - I made it my own by omitting the pecans...)

1 cup chicken broth
1 TBSP grated lemon rind
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 TBSP butter
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup couscous, uncooked
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
1 (2-ounce) jar sliced pimentos, drained (I diced them a bit)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Add couscous, stirring well; cover, remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork. Stir in parsley and pimentos. Yield: 3 servings. Do not shampoo; Do not rinse; but DO plan to repeat. Because you will pull a Laura and stand over the stove and eat the entire pan full and have a table full of disappointed family members.

3. I posted this to facebook, but it bears repeating here for those who are not my "friends." :)
An important safety bulletin: NEVER try to eat large chocolate covered caramels while suffering from a very stuffy nose. You will likely suffocate yourself. But it might be worth it.

4. I have a Masters Degree in Library Science (i.e., I can organizing information). I have mad skills at organizing and archiving huge quantities of digital images. I have been mothering three small children for 7 years and 7 days. You would THINK that I could organize laundry. I need your help, dear reader. Laundry overwhelms me. And my room. I would really like my room back one day. I have tried things like "only do laundry on Mondays," and "kids! guess what? you get to help mommy with laundry today! hooray!" And things like only washing socks in one load and then just towels and then just shirts and then just leotards and then just Christmas dresses and then just St. Patrick's Day novelty wear. None of this works for me. And so I'm soliciting your genius, because I KNOW I must be the only mom of three small children in the whole world who can't believe the overwhelming amount of laundry all the people in this house produce. Tips? Tricks? Naked Wednesdays or PJs all weekend? I'm up for anything. And if anyone can step up and come organize my laundry woes, I will offer to come fold your laundry on Saturdays for a month! Seriously! I love folding laundry, but I just can't keep on top of it around here. I couldn't even stand on top of it if I wanted to. My ladder is not tall enough.

5. Have I ever told you I love my Green Machine? I thank said naughty little dog for introducing us.

6. You will excuse me if you visit my home this month and the Christmas tree is still up and decorated. I like it.

7. Words from the 2-year-old: She has learned a new word. Rude.
"I saw Ms. Molly Anne's cookies, but I didn't get one see-cause I was rude."
me: "Rella , who told you you could sneak that donut while I was vacuuming?" "See-cause I was rude."
me: "Why were you crying and wanting to leave your ballet class?" "See-cause I was rude."
Rella: "[My friend] was crying in my class last night." me: "why was he crying?" Rella: "see-cause he was rude."
So she's learned to use this new word, maybe just not quite correctly yet. :)

Happy Homemaking! G'night.