Our brownies have secrets

No way.  OMGosh.  Readers, it has come to my attention there is alternative way to prepare brownie mix.
Wanna hear it?  Are you sure? 

Ummm, apparently one can puree a whole can of black beans, stir into dry mix, bake, and voila.  Brownies.  Made from smushed up beans.  Oh, yes, we tried it:   tasty enough, but we knew they held an entire can of beans which kind of ruined it (longtime readers might recall my kids consider beans evil).

Beans and brownie mix; who knew?

Thank you, Francisco Jimenez

Recently I re-read Francisco Jimenez's book The Circuit then continued to read for the first time his subsequent books.  Readers, if these books have escaped your attention, they are inspirational and worthy of room in your bookcase.  

In other news, Emmeline is perking up after seemingly endless sickness.   First the stomach, then the ear, each bug taking its time to fully arrive and leisurely leave.  

Tiny rocks and toddler fingers

The bigger kids and dad took a quick trip to San Francisco.   Alcatraz was a huge draw.  They did not have RiceORoni.

Our spring break is soon.   Trying to decide if we should use our air miles and free hotel nights from work to go to southern California for three days ... or, wait until school is out in June and travel to Arizona for five days.   If you knew how wetcolddrizzlydiscouragingboringslow Oregon can be over spring break the dilemma would be clear.  Survive March?  Longer vacation?   Which will win?

School days

Readers, in case you are wondering what seventh grade math is like these days, here:


A painter has exactly 32 units of yellow dye and 54 units of blue dye. She plans to mix the dyes to make two shades of green. Each gallon of the lighter shade of green requires 4 units of yellow dye and 1 unit of blue dye. Each gallon of the darker shade of green requires 1 unit of yellow dye and 6 units of blue dye.



 Make a graph showing the number of gallons of the two greens she can make.


List three possible solutions.

BIG NEWS ... not mine

I love to read the posts at Lifenut .  Gretchen is a supremely talented writer and mother to seven.   Peek on over there to see her BIG NEWS!!!!

Oh Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Blog Gone?

'With it's depth cut short and its wording grown long,

 oh where oh where can it be?  La La La'

Yes, I do I realize the dog/blog play on words is probably only cute to someone (me) who sings nursery songs all day long.  It's the best I have going tonight...wit deficit.

Anyway, a lot's been going on dearest readers who have dwindled to almost none, because I am too busy to post and no one wants to visit sites no one updates.   No worries; I get it.

We had company, some of us went to San Francisco, Nolan was in nine performances of a musical, and I went to my first experience of high school conferences.   And kids and baby have been sick off and on -- hey, did you know the aftermath of nursing a runny nosed toddler looks a little like one's bosom is covered in fish scales?   I'm looking good these days, peeps, I'm looking good.

How to charm the world in animal print:

Emmie fancies felines

Emmeline discovered the outdoors, and in attempt to make up for lost time she asks to go out a lot.

Ohhhh a pretty kitty!   Kitty come play?   Play with me?  Here I have your bowl.  Sorry I dumped the food  out first, just couldn't stop myself.   Down?  Come down?

Wisely, kitty is unsure of the small toddler

Oh no, kitty going away!   Kitty bye bye!  Wait for Emmie?

Oh, the kitty ran away.   Mommy, you might want to put that camera down because in three seconds I am running through this hedge! 

Haiti

It is hard to write about the trials of daily life when the tragedy of Haiti is heavy on my heart.   To acknowledge starving newborns and babies crying for their mothers, dead, is almost more than I can wrap my brain around.  

Lord, help these people.