Utter Nomsense

Photo Book Comparison

2013-04-09T19:14:00.004-06:00

Digital photos are awesome. I love how you can just delete them (even though sometimes you don't when you really ought to). But I just don't go through my digital photos very often. Part of the problem is that there's too many of them; the other part is that there's not really a convenient way in most programs to say "Show me all the photos of Sapphire" or "Show me all the family pictures from 2003-2007" or "Show me 2005 in 5 minutes". So I thought I would print one photo book every year for the past year so we have a durable, tangible way to peruse family memories.

So I wondered, "Where's the best place to buy photo books?" That question has caused me to order from from several places, so I thought I would share the results with you in case you find yourself in a similar situation. I mostly ordered 8.5x11 20-page landscape photo books, so YMMV with other sizes.

Photobin - There was a Google Offer for $18/book that I bought a while back (they are regularly about $40). Their interface was a little slow, and required a lot of manual fussing to get the pictures exactly how I wanted them -- but, on the other hand, I did have the flexibility to have photos and backgrounds and text and colors exactly how I wanted them. These are nice, hardback books with photo wraparound covers, and the quality is quite good.

Shutterfly - Here I bought an 8x8 book, but I imagine the 8.5x11 is similar (regular price is $35). The interface was easy to work with - they have both an auto mode and a manual mode. I like to start with the auto and then move things around. The interface was snappy and well-designed, without a lot of lag like some of the other sites. They also have the hardback books with photo covers.

Walgreens - Cheapest price at $19.99, but you kind of get what you pay for. I ordered the cheapest one with the linen cover, and it really looks like they printed out the pages, stuck them between linen-covered cardboard, and fastened them all together. I'm not sure how long it will last. The software was alright, but didn't do everything I wanted. They do have sturdier options that are more expensive that maybe are higher quality. The coolest thing about Walgreens' photo books is that you can have them printed at your local Walgreens and pick them up the same day (which also means no shipping).

MyPublisher (Costco) - Costco gives you a 20% discount at MyPublisher (which stacks with other coupons, BTW). For their photo books you have to download and install software, which only runs on Windows, so that was kind of annoying. In addition, even though it was running locally, it didn't seem much faster than sites where you run the software in your browser. But, if you don't have a fast internet connection this might be a good way to go. The software was fine - it had an auto-fill that worked pretty good, and then you could customize that if you wanted. They also had a lot of different options for book format - lay flat, leather bound, different colored linen covers, etc. Shipping was expensive, about $10 (which, of course, you don't find out until after you've spent an hour or so on your book!). The actual book was pretty nice, but I think I like the wraparound photo covers better than the linen covers.

Lulu - I didn't actually order any photo books from them, since they didn't offer the size I wanted. Prices when I checked were in the average-high range, and I do photo calendars with them every year, for which they have a good interface and good quality.

In summary, Walgreens is good if you are in a hurry, MyPublisher is good if you need to work offline, and Shutterfly and Photobin are both great quality (and prices are reasonable if you can get a deal).

Wherever you decide to get photo books, they almost always have a special deal or coupon out there somewhere that can save 20-50%. If you are flexible about when you order your book, you can make your book and save it, and then order it whenever they have a good deal running.

Volcanoes, Quartz's Pokemon

2013-03-23T15:06:00.001-06:00

We went on a hike to the Volcanoes here in Albuquerque (totally not active; they erupted like 100,000 years ago), and it was a nice little hike. There's both short and long hike options, which is nice, and the volcanoes weren't as far as they looked. There's not a lot of vegetation, which makes it a good spring hike, as there's not much shade in the summer. Apparently it's a popular rattlesnake hangout, but we didn't see any (maybe they are still hibernating?).

They let me be in front for about 5 seconds while I took this picture


So glad I captured this rare moment of affection!

Quartz and some of his friends at school have been VERY into Pokemon cards lately. Being the sneaky mom that I am, I am always looking out for ways to use my kids' interests to further their education (in fun ways, of course). So I was excited when we found this website that lets you upload photos and make your own Pokemon with whatever stats you want (granted, most Pokemon we end up making are pretty overpowered). Here's a few Quartz did:

Fun, Practical Math

2013-03-19T17:22:00.003-06:00

I was looking in the bookstore for fun, practical word problems for some extra math practice for my boys, but I couldn't find anything fun. Everything was either pages of drills (boring), or dry abstract math (not very exciting either).

So I decided to make my own! I have 5 fun, practical math worksheets now with various word problems; if you would like to add some fun word problems, you can just add them right to the end! Or, if you are interested in printing some out for a classroom, or for summer enrichment, or long car trips, feel free. I think it's sad that so many educational materials are really expensive, when, really, they're not that hard to make, especially at the grade-school level.

Here's a sample problem from the set:

1. You have a remote-control lawn-mowing robot! You are ready to mow the school’s lawn with it. You need to first send it around the edge of the lawn so it knows how big it is. The school’s lawn is a rectangle about 100 meters by 300 meters.

How much grass is there? ______ square meters

How far is it around the edge of the lawn? ______ meters
Write instructions to tell the robot how to go around the outside of the field. You can tell it to go forward a certain number of meters, or turn a corner to the right or the left.

Spring (?) Break in the Snow!

2013-03-11T18:01:00.000-06:00

For Spring Break we stayed at a nice cabin in the Jemez on an Alpaca ranch. We were lucky enough to get about a foot of snow the night we arrived, and they had a great hill right next to the cabin for sledding!

Then we came back to Albuquerque to balmy short-sleeves weather, which made it REALLY feel like suddenly spring. :-)

Arrrrr, grrrr, grrrandma!

2013-02-23T13:27:00.001-07:00

Onyx draws our family as pirates (and one mermaid).

Quartz is ambivalent about his science fair project.

My mom came to visit, yay! We had so much fun I forgot to take pictures most of the time, but here's one of all the kids trying to hide behind grandma and not be in the picture.

Also, Sapphire loves everybody:

And Onyx loves to scare everybody:

Bigglesnort's, my kids are all aliens

2013-01-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Did you know there is a new toy store in town? I love toy stores! This one is called "Bigglesnorts" and it is on the SE corner of Juan Tabo and Montgomery (in the same shopping center as Great Harvest and Active Imagination). If you've been missing the Out of the Blue that used to be on Paseo, they have a similar selection, so stop by sometime. Free gift-wrapping is great for last-minute present shopping!

There is also a new indoor trampoline park called Xtreme Hang Time. The floor is made of trampolines. You heard me! They also have an area where you can do flips and tricks into a giant pit of foam, a dodgeball area, and a little kids' area so the little kids don't get trampled. It's kind of pricey, but for a special occasion it's great for exercise and fun, and if you just want to watch, it's free.

And now, some quotes:

Andrea: "Every ewok who brushes their teeth and uses the bathroom now will get a piggy-back ride upstairs from Chewbacca."

Wes: "Meatballs with BBQ sauce are my favorite thing! After you, and bacon."

Sapphire: "I am an alien that looks just like a kid. I really am. I'm not pretending."

Onyx: "When I came here in my alien spaceship I blew up my spaceship. I remember when the dinosaurs were here because I have been alive forever."

Quartz: "Will your kids and grandkids be aliens, too?" Onyx: "I probably wouldn't want them to be." Sapphire: "Would they be scared of you, or your alien friends?"

Fauxreos - Low-Carb Gluten-Free Brownies

2013-01-06T20:14:00.004-07:00

Everyone needs brownies once in a while, right? Even if you're on a gluten-free, dairy-free, and/or low-carb diet, sometimes you just want a little treat. So here's a brownie recipe I adapted that, when added to vanilla ice cream or just whipped cream, tastes kind of like Oreos.

Fauxreos

(Low-Carb Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Brownies)

Ingredients
1/4 c. soy margarine or butter
sweetener of choice (I used 2 TBSP agave and 1 packet Stevia)
4 oz. 85%-100% chocolate (depending on desired amount of sweetness)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. almond flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
dash salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. In a saucepan, melt butter and add sweetener. When melted, turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until melted, heating over low heat if necessary. Stir in egg and vanilla, and then add almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Press into greased 9x5 pan, and bake at 350 for 17-20 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or coconut cream.

Mad Libs, Christmas, and Yog-Sothoth

2012-12-30T14:35:00.003-07:00

Did you know they have crowd-sourced mad libs at wordlibs.com? You can read the one I wrote about a galactic hero's interview.

Christmas was fun! Even though Wes was sick the whole day, he put on a smiling face and we had a good time anyway.

It's a gymnastics mat for indoor tumbling!

Sapphire LOVES her chemistry set!

...and more LEGOs!

of course there are LEGOs...

We also had an End of the World party where we went back in time to the 20's to save the world from Yog-Sothoth (playing Arkham Horror). SO, now you know why the world didn't end on December 21st like some thought it would.

2012 Anthropobiological Species Report (Earth, United States, New Mexico)

2012-12-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

2012 Anthropobiological Species Report
(Earth, United States, New Mexico)

surveillance photo taken in June at Mammoth Cave in Utah

landaker quartz - This specimen has increased greatly not only in height, but in knowledge of electronics, science, and reading. He appears to enjoy video games, legos, and riding his scooter with friends. Vocalizations include "I wish that the bus driver forgot how to get to our bus stop over Spring Break." and "That's the thing about wizards. Do they even have moms?"

landaker onyx - When we checked on this human again, we were surprised to find him reading large quantities of books. We were not surprised to see that he still builds legos, though the complexity of his designs has noticeably increased. He was overheard to say, "I wish we didn't have to eat so that we would never have to use the bathroom" and "Grandma is full of a googol kisses and a million hugs".

landaker sapphire - We were a little confused when this specimen was reported to have said, "I'm part zombie, part ghost, part person, and part vampire" until we realized that the subject was pretending. She seems to spend a lot of time pretending, and frequently invites others to do so as well. She also enjoys making marks on paper to communicate with others.

The adults of the species do not appear to have changed much. The one called "wesley" appears to have built a primitive 3D printer that can create plastic objects, and has changed his eating habits to exclude grains and simple carbohydrates, leading him to lose mass and shrink. We are unsure if this behavior is intentional or instinctive. The one with the appellation "andrea" has started taking care of a small non-human avian creature called a parakeet, and continues to make strange objects and foods that the humans sometimes seem to enjoy. We will update our report next year as these humans continue to surprise us with their changes and strange behavior.

Low Carb Holiday Treats

2012-12-12T17:02:00.001-07:00

Low Carb Christmas/Holiday Goodies

It seems like sweets are a holiday tradition almost everywhere. People trying to follow a no-sweets diet might feel a bit left out. But, here are some natural, low carb, dairy-free, no artificial sweetener, low glycemic index, actually yummy treats you can make easily.

Chocolate Covered Nuts
Chocolate Dipped Coconut Pyramids
Peanut Butter Fudge

Chocolate Covered Nuts

There's a macadamia inside! My attempt at tempering didn't work so well, though...

You will need some shelled nuts, preferably raw & unsalted (macadamia, hazelnut, and almond are great choices), and some chocolate. I use 3.5 oz 90% Lindt bar, which does have a tiny amount of sugar in it, but it has a great texture. If you use a bar of unsweetened chocolate, you will probably need to add some sweetener (half a packet of Stevia or a tablespoon or so of agave work well to make bittersweet chocolate).

First, melt the chocolate. You can use a double boiler, or do it 30 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring in between. The main idea is to melt it slowly and stir it a lot. Add any sweetener you are using to the melted chocolate.

Next, you will need some sort of chocolate mold that fits your nuts. You can use an ice cube tray, or a well-washed soap mold, or muffin tins, or silicon muffin cups, or anything that the nut will fit in. If it's too big for individual nuts, you can put it several nuts to make clusters. Grease the mold (spraying them works well). Pour a thin layer of chocolate into each mold you are using.

Put a nut into each mold that has chocolate in it. Then, pour chocolate over it until it's covered. Let cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then in the fridge for another 10 minutes. The idea is to cool the chocolate slowly so that it will temper better and not have those unsightly spots, but it comes out of the molds better from the fridge.

Turn upside and tap the molds to get the chocolates out, and enjoy!

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Pyramids

These gluten-free treats can also be made low carb by using the following recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. agave
pinch of stevia powder (optional)
3/4 c. shredded dried unsweetened coconut
1 large egg white
dash of salt
1 tsp. melted butter or shortening
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
1 oz. chocolate for dipping

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone. Put in a bowl the agave, stevia, coconut, egg white, salt, melted butter, and extracts. Stir thoroughly (you can use your hands if you like), and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Moisten hands with water so the cookies don't stick. Take about a tablespoon of the coconut mixture and squish it in your hands until it's a compact ball. Place them on your cookie sheet, and then press them into a pyramid shape. You can use your hands to make a pyramid with three sides, or use the back of a spatula to make a pyramid with four sides. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.

After they have cooled completely, melt the chocolate (as described above, either in a double boiler or in the microwave) and dip the top half of each pyramid in the chocolate. Let cool at room temperature until the chocolate is hard.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients
3/4 c. chocolate (chips or bar of your choice, broken up)
1/2 c. peanut butter (unsweetened for serious low carb)
1/4 c. chopped peanuts
1 tsp. vanilla extract
(optional sweetener or choice)

Heat the peanut butter in the microwave for about 1 minute or until melted. If it starts to bubble or pop, stop it right away. Add the chocolate and stir until completely melted. Add the peanuts and vanilla extract and sweetener, if desired.

Pour mixture into greased 8x4 pan and refrigerate until firm. Enjoy!

Small Business Saturday

2012-11-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

So everybody knows about Black Friday (it doesn't sound very fun to me, but I guess you can get some good deals sometimes). I recently came across a new marketing campaign for Small Business Saturday, to try and get more people to do holiday shopping at local small businesses. Even though I know it's mostly just marketing hype to get people to shop, period, sometimes you want to shop locally. So here's a list of Albuquerque small businesses that I enjoy, in case you want to check them out sometime, too.

I don't know if they are doing anything for Small Business Saturday, but they will be open, and you can even shop online at some of them, too. They probably don't have the absolute lowest prices, but if you want something unique or specific, these are great places to shop!

Out of the Blue (Rio Grande Blvd north of Menaul)- wonderful toys that encourage creativity and thinking (and are also fun). Free gift wrapping, and kids can play with trains while you shop, and they put your purchase in a discreet black bag for ninja shopping.
Page 1 Books (Juan Tabo south of Montgomery) - new, used, and vintage books in all genres. Personally, I don't mind if gifts are used (though I know some people would be aghast at receiving a used gift). They also have lots of cool reading accessories (bookmarks, covers, lights, etc) and local books.
Alamosa Books (Paseo del Norte west of Ventura) - great selection of children's books, especially activity books, and also some really cool children's art supplies and toys.
The Kickstand (Menaul west of Juan Tabo) - great bike store and repair shop. Their repair prices for minor repairs are especially reasonable and well-performed.
Active Imagination (Juan Tabo south of Montgomery) - game store that has board games and pen-and-paper games and war games. If you want some dice, or the latest Munchkin set, or an obscure German board game, this is a great place to go.
Bricks and Minifigs (San Mateo north of Osuna) - If you know you want LEGOs, they have lots. New and used, and have some pieces and packs you can't find anywhere else.
Now We're Cooking (Wyoming north of Academy) - If you're shopping for someone who loves to cook, you will find something they could use here.
Sakura (Wyoming south of Montgomery) - This is a restaurant, not a store, but it's one of our favorites. Great southeast Asian food (especially the laab), and the Japanese food is good, too.
Consignment Interiors (Juan Tabo & Eubank) - Secondhand furniture and art in great condition and at reasonable prices.

What are your favorite local businesses?

Sleeping with the Fishes

2012-11-17T13:14:00.003-07:00

I was so excited to spend the night at the Aquarium with the boys at one of their sleepovers. There was a scavenger hunt that even stumped us on a few questions, despite the fact that when the boys were preschoolers we practically lived at the aquarium, and a jeopardy game that everyone was excited about. They had fun seeing the rare and exotic (and grotesque?) hagfish, petting rays and sharks, and finally, bedding down next to the lobster tank.

But our favorite thing of all was in the morning, when we got to go behind-the-scenes to see the aquarium kitchen, where they prepare food for all the aquarium animals, and look down into the tanks from where the aquarists feed and take care of the fish. SO COOL!

Looks like a high-tech secret lab!

We barely managed to refrain from petting the sea turtle

This is Halloween

2012-11-03T15:26:00.001-06:00

This is the first year that nobody whined about being tired while trick-or-treating. This is also the first year that the majority of the people in the house can put on most of their own costume by themselves.

We went to the neighborhood Halloween party on the Saturday before Halloween, and it was really fun. Everyone played games and ate hot dogs and ran around and wanted to be in the costume contest, and then we all went home tired and happy (though we did wish, not for the first or the last time, that there was a bathroom at the park).


Indiana Jones

our little pumpkin

Not just any vampire; LORD vampire

RoboMom

RoboMom's creator

Baby Gandalf

2012-10-30T22:40:00.002-06:00

O: "My mom is just awesome"

S: "I can remember things for a *very* long time. Just not for a day."

S: "Carry me! I'm Gandalf as a baby!"
Q: "That's the thing about wizards. Do they even have moms?"

S: "I'm part zombie, part ghost, part person, and part vampire."

Camping at Fourth of July campground

Fall Festivals

2012-10-07T20:19:00.000-06:00

Fall is such a nice time of year -- milder weather, fun festivals, and a feeling of change and excitement in the air.

We eschewed the State Fair this year for some other celebrations -- Bubonicon in August, the Renaissance Faire in September, and the Rio Grande Farm's Maize Maze in October.

The Ren Faire was the most crowded I'd ever seen it, but we still had a good time. We saw some really neat events on horseback, all the kids got to try archery, and we saw some great costumes at the costume contest.

The corn maze was pretty fun, though half of it was really muddy, and it took us awhile to figure out that North on the map was actually South. It was fun climbing on hay bales, though I had to work hard to keep from diving into them ala Assassin's Creed.

And, of course, I haven't forgotten about the Balloon Fiesta -- but most of the time I like to see the balloons in a later-in-the-day, less hectic sort of way. Nothing's exactly like the experience of being down on the field as the balloons are glowing and breakfast burritos are cooking, but for those years when you just don't want to get up at 5am (or stay up until 10pm), here's my favorite way to enjoy the balloons.

First, make sure the balloons went up the morning you're thinking of. Around 9am, mosey on down to the parking lot at Alameda and Alameda Park Dr. At this hour, it won't be crowded and you can just park in the commercial parking lot right there. Then you can walk (or bike) up the diversion channel trail towards Balloon Fiesta park. There's always plenty of balloons to see, and a lot of them are landing at this hour, so you can see them fairly close up. The trail goes all the way into Balloon Fiesta park if you wanted to see more, but usually a walk up the trail and back is all my little helpers desire.

Speaking of which...

Low-Carb Staples

2012-10-02T21:38:00.000-06:00

So, I was a bit skeptical when Wes said he was going to try eating low-carb. I was like, "so what are you going to eat?!" Well, for any of those who are curious, here are our low-carb staples that he eats often (actually, all of us enjoy most of these):

Low Carb Snacks

peanut butter on celery
nuts, all kinds
coconut, dried or fresh
fruit-and-veggie smoothies, made with unsweetened coconut or soy milk
berries
deviled eggs
lunchmeat
beef jerky (sometimes homemade)

For meals, he will usually have just whatever I make for everyone else, minus the starch. This means I don't have to learn how to make a whole bunch of new things (and the kids don't have to learn to like a whole bunch of new things). Here's our most common meals:

Low Carb Meals

Sausage or bacon & egg with bell peppers and onions (or just salsa if I'm in a rush)
Spaghetti sauce with vegetables and sausage or chicken
Stir-fried chicken and vegetables (without rice)
Taco Salad (taco meat + refried beans + lettuce & tomato)
Chili (homemade; just cooked ground beef + 2 cans beans + 1 can tomatoes + 1 can green chile)
Grilled Pork & Snow Peas (or any grilled meat and vegetable)
Pan-fried fish & sauteed vegetables
Chicken caesar salad
Coconut shrimp curry with vegetables (no rice)

Reading and Lethal Vegetables

2012-09-30T21:22:00.001-06:00

Everyone has been reading more lately! I'm so happy about it. It just seems like reading is a lot more fun for the boys now that they can read chapter books on their own. Sapphire just likes to do what they are doing, so that's fun, too.

Speaking of reading, if you're in the Albuquerque area and enjoy children's literature, I highly recommend Alamosa Books (on Paseo & Ventura, just west of Trader Joe's). Their books are organized in a way that really makes kids want to pick up the books and look at them (and they have a nice spot to put books for reshelving if you have no idea where your kid picked up a certain book). They also have a great selection of toys/crafts that reminds me of the Out of the Blue toy store that used to be on Paseo and Wyoming. They also have a great selection of Dover activity books (coloring & activity books for all ages at very reasonable prices). I have no idea about the adult book section; I had so much fun in the kids' section I did not even look in there.

This week's quotes:
Quartz: "Aaaahhh! A vegetable!"
Andrea: "One vegetable is not going to kill you."
Wes: "If you eat a vegetable and it kills you, I will not make you eat any more vegetables."

Sapphire: "Pretend to be a grandma and I'll be a kid!"
Andrea: "Why, because grandmas are nicer than moms?"
Sapphire: "Yes."

Onyx: "Pyramids and castles almost always have traps."

little bit 'o' bliss

2012-09-13T18:18:00.002-06:00

finishing up the dishes, Wes is designing a replacement part for a kitchen utensil, Quartz is riding a scooter up and down the street with a friend, Onyx is reading to Sapphire, a breeze is blowing and the bird is singing and for just this minute everything is perfect.

i know in a few minutes someone will skin their knee or fight over a book and another mess will be made and it will rain, but i'm enjoying this one minute, right now . . .

Jemez Camping, Cool Kids

2012-09-02T21:20:00.000-06:00

We went camping this weekend and, even though it was just for one night, we really enjoyed it. The Jemez is beautiful this time of year, with lots of wildflowers, mild weather, and plenty of trees and water! We stayed at the Jemez Falls campground, which, though quite filled, was nice and quiet and clean and right next to great hiking trails.

I think my kids are now cooler than me. I'm not sure whether to be proud or to feel old. :-D

Don't worry. They're not TOO cool.

Las Vegas NM, School, and Love it love it love it!

2012-08-19T20:36:00.001-06:00

We took a trip to Las Vegas with Wes' folks! Las Vegas, NM that is. If you haven't been, it's a little city north of Santa Fe near the mountains. It's got a nice historic main square and a cool wildlife refuge. We mostly hung out at the KOA and played games and froze in the swimming pool.

School started! So far everyone seems happy with their new teachers, though Sapphire misses the boys a lot. She is always asking me to play "where you are the kid and I am the mom". She makes me breakfast and I pretend like I have chores and ask her to help me. :-D

Did I look that jaded in 1st and 2nd grade? I don't think so!

I haven't posted any videos before, but this one of Sapphire just cracks me up.

Out-of-context quotes:
Wes: "Hey, I love vegetables, especially when they're making out with meat."
Sapphire: "Do the boys have school this day? Do they have school the day after this day? Do they have school the next day after that?"
Sapphire: "I don't want to go to Panda 'Press, I want to go to Penugin 'Press and eat penguin food."

Giant Spiders, Snake Sweaters, and Low Carb Bars

2012-07-25T18:00:00.001-06:00

Onyx to Quartz: "Ask Mom if I can bring Shelob to bed."
Sapphire: "What if I was Professor X for real?"
Wes: "So basically I've been stuffing myself and eating as much as I want of all the foods I love and I feel really healthy and I've lost ten pounds."
Sapphire: "I want a sweater for my snake." Quartz: "We only sell pasta here." Sapphire: "I could make a sweater out of pasta."

Low-Carb Nut "Granola" Bars

If you're trying to eat low carb, and craving something like a granola bar but with a crunchy homemade taste, try these!

4 c. nuts (almond, hazelnut, pecan, macadamia, etc)
3/4 c. nut butter
1/4 c. agave or honey
1/4 c. shredded coconut
1 c. seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax, etc)
1/4 c. chocolate chips or freeze-dried raspberries (optional)

Chop nuts in a blender or by hand. I put them in the blender until about half were a coarse meal and half were pieces. Heat the nut butter in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour the nut butter and the agave over the nuts, and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until everything is moistened and will stick together. If you need to add a bit more nut butter so it will stick together, go ahead. Spray a 9x13 cookie sheet, and press the mixture into it. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until browned and crunchy-looking.

Low Carb

2012-07-11T16:27:00.000-06:00

Since Wes has been eating low-carb lately, I've been trying to implement that more in my cooking (though the kids and I still eat plenty of bread, cereal, etc). I jokingly call it the "Sausage and Salad" diet, since that seems to be a lot of what he eats, so here's a way to have sausage *and* salad in one healthy meal. Carrots and lentils aren't the lowest-carb thing ever, so feel free to leave them out if you're being really strict; it will work just fine with out them.

Sausage Spinach Lentil Soup

2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 c. chopped celery and/or bell pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 lb. sausage (I like bratwurst or kielbasa for this recipe)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 TBSP curry powder

1 chopped carrot
4 c. beef or chicken broth
4 c. water
1 c. lentils
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 c. chopped cilantro
10 oz. spinach
1/4 c. lemon juice

Saute onion, celery, bell pepper, carrots, and sausage until the sausage is cooked through and the vegetables are starting to get soft. Add garlic, ginger, pepper, and curry powder and mix. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Add the lentils and turn the heat down to low to simmer for 30 minutes. Add tomatoes and spinach, and heat until spinach just barely wilts. Turn off the heat and add cilantro and lemon juice.

Kettle Corn Recipe

2012-07-09T16:17:00.003-06:00

And now, to live up to my nomsensical name, I offer you a recipe! Kettle Corn, that slightly sweet popcorn, is delicious, but I never had good luck making it when I added the sugar afterwards. So here's a recipe for perfect kettle corn. This makes about 12 servings (enough for an elementary school class or a party).

1/2 c. oil
2 c. popcorn kernels
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar

Use large stock pot. Put oil in cold pot, making sure it coats the bottom. Add popcorn kernels and salt, coating kernels with oil. Heat on medium-high, shaking the pot so nothing burns. When the first kernel pops, after 2-3 minutes, pour sugar on evenly and put the lid on. Shake the pot. The popcorn will start popping again after 1-2 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium. Keep shaking the pot until they are almost all popped (1-2 seconds between pops). Turn off the heat, and shake the pot a little more until they finish popping. Take off the lid, sprinkle on a little more salt to taste, and pour out into a bowl to cool. There may be a few burned ones stuck to the bottom; just leave them there (I put them out for the quail in the backyard). To clean out your pot, let it soak in water for a few hours with the lid on, and then wash it out.

Nature Scrapbook & Natural History Museum

2012-06-30T12:46:00.000-06:00

We went on a few nature walks (some of the kids feel intimidated when I call them "hikes"), and some of the kids enjoyed using this Nature Scrapbook to keep track of the things they found. Feel free to print one out if it sounds fun to you!

Also, we went to the Natural History museum a few times and saw the snakes up close, and also the animatronic dinosaur exhibit -- make sure you check those out if you live in Albuquerque, because they'll only be here through the end of the summer or so.

Canyons, Cabins, and Caves

2012-06-24T11:53:00.000-06:00

We just got back from our summer vacation to southern Utah. On the way, we stopped at The Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave near Grants, NM. It was in a nice pine/aspen forest, and there were volcanic rocks all over the place. We could really imagine this huge mountain erupting 10,000 years ago and making all these cool formations.


It was freezer-cold in the ice cave, though it was hot outside

After staying the night in Flagstaff, where we visited the Museum of Northern Arizona (lots of art, native artifacts, and a few fossils), we headed up to a nice cabin (okay, it was really a huge house) in Hatch, UT. Though the town was not much to speak of, the house was comfy and plenty big enough for our family and my parents and brother and sister.

The next day we headed up to Zion National Park, about an hour away. Though the park was a little crowded (think Yosemite), we enjoyed the sheer rocks, the mile long tunnel through them, and the river and the wildlife. We went on the River Walk Trail, which was cool and shady with plants everywhere. Sapphire loved the Hanging Gardens portion of the trail, where water trickled down a shady rock face and fed ferns and other plants there. My folks continued on through the Narrows a bit. This is a trail where the river *is* the trail -- you wade through the narrow canyon walking in the river. The river was so refreshing on the hot summer day.

On a different day, we went on an adventure to Mammoth Cave (N 37° 34.103 W 112° 35.219). This is not a developed cave where a ranger gives you a tour; neither is it a large, dangerous cave with drop-offs and many confusing passageways. It's a lava tube, so it's fairly level and not too large, and it doesn't have too many branches. But it was big enough to explore and feel like we were really in a different world. In some places the ceiling was quite low, and it was difficult to crouch through (though the kids didn't even notice), but mostly the ceiling was comfortable for walking. We found some cave crickets, and a bat, and at the end we found a lot of ice turning into mud.

Everyone is happy after the cave, even though Onyx is covered in mud

On our last night, Quartz and I went on a sunset hike at Bryce Canyon National Park with my brother and sister. It was the perfect time to go hiking. The weather was cooler, and the sunset on the red rocks and hoodoos was beautiful. We got to see some rare bristlecone pines, the longest-living trees in the world. Then, when it got dark, my brother pulled out his telescope and showed us Saturn, Mars, star clusters, the moon, and the Milky Way. We could see so many stars from there; it felt like being on a different planet.