Dragon Ship

M has really been able to express herself better in her drawings over the last few weeks. This week she's drawn a bird, people with bodies (rather than sticks) and hair, dinosaurs.

The Evolution of Stick Man (which have all been named by M)

A Family

Belly Man

Robot Man

Lucy

And now this masterpiece. This is my favorite drawing to date --

Dragon Ship (with green water, blue sky and yellow sun)

As for ARose, she's cutting her top two teeth. These teeth have proven to be hard for her but she's feeling much better now. Back to her normal laughing, smiling self. She's starting to stic up a little bit at a time on her own (before plopping to the floor), scooting some (OK, that may be a stretch but the other day I put on the floor and came back a couple of minutes later to find her in a different place, that's got to mean something, huh!) and eating some solid foods. She likes the baby cereals. We've tried them all and she digs them. Chris is also making her homemade baby food. So far, butternut squash, green peas, green beans, sweet potato, avocado, edamame and applesauce. She loves the squash but gags on the edamame and applesauce. She's even starting a little bit of finger foods.

A Bird by M

Tractor

When Chris and I first moved to Chicago we were shocked by the CRAPPY roads. Some may say potholes but they are more like ponds without the water! So each spring/summer/fall, it seems like every street and expressway is under road construction. It’s sort of Chris and M’s thing to check out the different construction vehicles around and for M to see them in action. The city girl loves it. This fall we had some landscaping work done at our house. What’s the connection to our crappy roads, you say? For a few days we had a Bobcat tractor parked in our back yard. This was particularly exciting for M because she had her VERY OWN tractor. I can’t explain how happy she was to have this tractor. I think she felt like Bob the Builder.

Soon, the neighborhood gang caught wind of our tractor and had to sneak a peak.

Dim Sum

Last weekend we met our friends John and Amanda for dim sum in Chinatown. Neither had experienced dim sum before or Chinatown for that matter. We took them to New Three Happiness which is our spot for dim sum. It was good as usual and the newbies seemed to really like it. That said, I think we should venture out and try other dim sum in the area. This place is good but I have a feeling there is better dim sum out there. I am open to any suggestions!!!

While walking through Chinatown we took them to our favorite little art gallery there. Did you know that Dr. Seuss had another side to his art? I didn’t. (check out the Secret Art of Dr. Seuss…really cool stuff). I also had a hot bubble tea drink….this was a first for me. I liked it but the usual smoothie bubble drinks are my favorite.

Gravy in the Making

Once a year Chris and I hunker down in the kitchen (usually during the Winter months because that just makes sense) and create MomMom’s Meatballs and Gravy. The smells that permeate the house are heavenly. We eat a meal or two with the new gravy then freeze the rest so that we can pull it out when we need a little down home taste. This time we added homemade Hot Italian Sausage from Freddy’s. WOW! This one is always a crowd pleaser.

Multerer's Visit

Over the holidays the Multerer's visited with their two adorable little girls, E and C. We always have a blast with them just hanging around the house! We made sweet potato pancakes from scratch. E (who is 2) learned how to use chopsticks--no kidding. Even better than Chris or myself. The girls took a bath together...kids seem to LOVE that. And the boys (who were severely outnumbered) escaped from the ladies for a little run. Thanks Ed and Ti. We love you guys!!

Random Snow Images

Heirloom Series: Cookware

Some people may not think of pots and pans as an heirloom but Chris and I get into that sort of thing. For Chris, it is MomMom's (this is what he called his grandmother) Club Aluminum cookware. This cookware is the hallmark of quality and durability (here's an interesting article about its history). MomMom had them for many, many years, used them everyday, passed them on to us which we use daily as well. They may not look as fancy as some of their newer, more contemporary counterparts, but they are part of our most prized possessions. Some of Chris' earliest memories are at MomMom's house in Philly making gravy and homemade pasta with Aunt Bella and MomMom while using these pots and pans. When MomMom passed a few years ago these pots and pans were the only things Chris wanted. They are real treasures to him (and to me). Although we haven't kept them as tidy as MomMom would have (she was OBSESSED with all cleaning, seriously!!) I am sure MomMom would be pleased to know that her pots and pans are being put to good use. We even give them a good scrubbing with steel wool every once in a while--in her honor!

For me, it is a cast iron skillet with a hand-hammered top from Granny Rose. It is at least 20 lbs....no kidding. Given the weight, needless to say, we don't use it very often. I wish I could say that I remember her using it, but not really. She didn't really cook that much. What I remember most of her cooking is her giblet gravy at Thanksgiving---yummy! Nonetheless, every time I see or use the skillet I think of Granny Rose and I guess that's what having heirlooms is all about.....remembering your loved ones.

Some other cookware related treasured heirlooms are these walnut and pewter salt & pepper shakers. I think these are stunning (if salt & pepper shakers can be stunning). These were also MomMom's (courtesy of Chris' mom....long story there!).

Happy New Year