January

I took my homeschool class out for pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup). She agrees that I need to learn to make this.

Finally finished this quilt order...it's ok, not really my taste.

The next order looks more interesting, but I'd rather be working with leather.

Cleaned the only carpet that we have downstairs--the water was embarrassingly dirty.

Probably should put it on the agenda for this week too. 

I noted before that tuning a piano isn't very easy.

Sooo we decided to replace the old one.  

We watched a website that sells used equipment and bought a digital piano.

We wanted a Yamaha and had to wait awhile till one came along in the right price range.

If you are looking for a used piece, watch Guitar Center's site. They have a used equipment side too.

But what to do with an old piano with a broken string? A quick check of Craigs List told us that we might as well recycle it.

Parker was happy to help pull piano keys.

Shekinah wasn't as impressed. She liked that old piano. 

She learned to play her first songs on there! 

Decomposition of a piano, it might find new life as a desk.

Hope combed Shekinah the other morning and found an N-95 mask on the bathroom sink.

Not sure why it was there...I think Shekinah was playing paramedic the other day.

Anyway it found another life as an all in one hair clip/hair band/covering.

On Friday four other moms and I were in charge of the elementary school (K-8) hot lunch--for those of you who go to public schools, our school does not serve meals on a regular basis. We have a schedule where each mom helps with one meal a year.  It comes to one hot lunch every other Friday. Served 60# sausage (baked with BBQ sauce) 2 large roasters of  mashed potatoes, 15# of peas( yeah they ate them!),  13 dozen rolls,  jello cups, and bars.

In four weeks I get to do a lunch for the high school. That will be about 110 people. For this one it is the moms of seniors that take turns. I will need to ask a few people to help me because there is no way I can make egg rolls, General Tsao's, rice and stir-fried veggies for that many people alone.

Chinese New Year is coming up, maybe I need to do a practice run. 

Merry Christmas--Happy New Year

...or What I Learned this Year

Let's see...

 I learned that maybe I should sell some egg rolls instead of leather bags to raise money for our trip to China this summer. Actually we might have to postpone that trip till late summer.

I still like them best straight from the deep fryer.

I learned that you should check you gift wrap supply immediately after Christmas is over--so that you have some for next year.

 I've learned that I get a lot more exercise since we have a dog. She really likes to go outside when the girls are at school so it is my job. I'm very glad for the mild winter weather we've had so far.

I learned that this girl has a steady hand for very fine work.

She is placing tiny little beads in the proper spots on that butterfly.

Oh, I should do a post on her quilt-making school project.

I've learned that el-cheapo Erector sets are a bit frustrating to assemble.

Should have checked a more reputable source.

When even techy big brother got a bit frustrated I knew it was a bad choice.

But I did learn that she can use a wrench and screw driver and with a bit of ingenuity she figured out how to tighten the screws and bolts.

That was the goal of the purchase in the first place.

I learned that she makes a very cute princess and that curtains + a head band make a sweet veil.

Daddy bought her an electric screw driver and she helped him improve the basement steps.

I learned that my stash of DMC floss really gets no use at all these days

 and I probably could put my divided boxes to better use.

I learned that those griddles were worth the expense ($20 each).

Zeke chose a three meat grill for his birthday.

I don't think our budget would cover a chicken, pork and shrimp meal for

 seven at a restaurant. 

We ended with lemon curd cheese cake. It was supposed to be lemon meringue.

I learned that baking meringue alone to put on a cake later isn't as easy as I thought.

I also learned that 40% of us don't really care for lemon curd.

I learned that Sichuan chicken with Sichuan peppers can be quite spicy.

Learned a new method to tenderize chicken, it involved baking soda and vinegar.

It is a method I will need to attempt again with a few tweaks.

I learned that home made wrappers fill you up much faster than store-boughten ones.

I love dumpling soup, but you should combine the ingredients in your bowl, not in the kettle.

I love watching these three play together.

They were having a truck convoy---they didn't call it that, I did.

I learned that he eventually does need sleep.

She learned that walking the dog in the rain in heels makes for wet feet...and a wet dog.

It is quite amazing to watch how fast your sisters move when a wet dog launches

 herself at them after the walk.

Other things we learned--tuning your own piano is difficult.

Buying a digital one might be a good idea, but it isn't as cheap initially.

The trash can is ALWAYS full, maybe I need to put a 55 gallon drum in the closet.

I love having Christmas vacation, but I really love that first day after Christmas vacation too.

Teaching teens to become adults is not always as easy as I thought.

Those paper packets of hot chocolate don't necessarily make a whole big mug of hot chocolate.

It's hard to get family pictures for Christmas cards. 

No matter how crazy your life seems, there is always someone who

 is having a "worser" day. Be kind.

QOTD: "People should be more like rabbits" , says Shekinah

"Huh?!"says mom.

"Yeah", says Shekinah citing the most dependable publication she could think of quickly. "It says so in the Wall Street Journal."

She wants to start a You Tube channel call "Life Lessons from Shekinah" but I CANNOT remember what the first lesson was going to be. I'll see if I can write them down as they happen.