I Won!

(Disclaimer:  I was not asked to write this review, nor was I provided any compensation or product for my opinions.)

I actually won something!  There is a t-shirt company called Threadless.  They print designs chosen by the community, and they are really cool.  (I took advantage of one of their sales for several Christmas presents this year).  Lately they have been selling tote bags that I really liked the look of.  When the company ran a promotion to "Like" the Facebook page, I did, because I actually like them. I got entered in a drawing for one of the bags.

Side note, my friend K is really mad at me because I got the win announcement on my phone while we were shopping, and shrieked so loud she thought one of our kids was hurt.  Oops.

The bag arrived today, and it is perfect for me!  Its made of really heavy duty cotton, and has both small handles and a long adjustable shoulder strap.  So far, it has been great for shopping, bowling and my school books.  (I love winning!)

Sturdy Legs

My boy is growing so quickly.  Everyday, his daddy and I marvel at the changes we see.  Now days, he can get around pretty fast while crawling, and he experiments  with different styles now.  Here is Daniel trying out a stiff-legged variety:

Daniel can also pull himself up now!  This has led to an increase in small items ending up in weird places.  We have found remotes in the garbage can, toys hiding in bookshelves, and metal spoons in the guinea pig cage.

A treat for Daniel is being allowed to play with my bedside table while I get ready in the morning.  He loves to shake things and move them around.

School!

School is Cool.  OK, not really, but its not nearly as bad as I was afraid it would be.  I am taking 12 credits at Northland Community College and Baby Daniel is going to daycare for the first time while I am at class.

I am taking dummy math on Mondays and Wednesdays (seriously, we learned how to count with whole numbers and use the greater and less than signs on the first day).  This is what I get for failing the math assessment test by not remembering how to handle fractions and percentages without a calculator.   But the teacher is nice and the other students participate enthusiastically in class.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are the busy days, with three history classes in a row with the same teacher.  First Minorities in the US, followed with a 20 minute break, then US History II (after the Civil War through the 70s).  After that class there is a 2 hour break, and then I finish the day with Minnesota History.  The teacher for these classes is pretty old school, using overheads and sporting a mustache, but he likes his subject and has a sense of humor.

While I am slaving away over books, Daniel is whooping it up with other little boys.  We found a great in-home daycare provider.  She is Grandma Jewel, and a veteran with kids.  I know her daughter's family from our last church, and the two little boys he is with are the sons of a woman I know in Stamp Club.  She makes homemade lunches and feeds them healthy foods. 

So far, Daniel cries pretty hard when I leave, but is fine once I am out the door.  She has lots of boy toys to play with, and he is having fun getting out of the house for a few hours.

All in all, I really feel positive about this change, and I am exited to be heading towards a degree that I can feel good about.

Recipe of the Week: Bean Rarebit

First, I know this has a weird name.  It actually is a variation on Welsh Rarebit (or Welsh Rabbit), so called because way back in the day, poor English folks ate rabbit meat, and the Welsh were so poor, they couldn't afford rabbit, so their poor people food was cheese.  So Welsh Rarebit never had rabbit, its just a lovely cheese sauce that is great on toast.

Second, this was my mom's recipe.  She used to make this in the good old days when she had to feed a family of 9 with very few resources.  However, I remember this as some of the best comfort food, and during this especially cold time of year, it really warms us up.

Bean Rarebit

You will need:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup of butter (half a stick)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp mustard (your choice of style, I use regular yellow or Dijon)
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can of beans, drained and rinsed.  (I use white beans, but pinto would also be good)

Using a medium sauce pan, cook the onions in the butter on medium for a few minutes until all the butter is melted and the onions are soft.
Then add the flour and salt to the pan and stir into the butter and onions.
Pour in the milk and mustard and cook on medium until the sauce thickens.

Stir in the cheese and the beans and cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce is heated through.

Serve over buttered toast.  For an extra special dish, we like to top it with a fried egg.

Baby Daniel also likes this dish, and he can eat it pretty easily with his fingers if I break up the toast.  It makes about 6 servings (2 pieces of toast each).  Enjoy!

Playing with Daniel

I may have mentioned before that Daniel in his second year is not quite so sweet as Daniel during his first year.  However, lack of sweetness has been replaced with a whole lot of interesting behavior.  He is learning to hear instructions, and learning how to disregard those instructions.  He is also learning how to play in new and hilarious ways.  Yesterday, while I was shredding papers, he found the shreds were something new to play with.