Kitchenry, sketchbookery, and other tidbits.

The kitchen is the heartbeat of our home.  There is always something going on here.  Always a gathering of bodies.  Here are some of the things we've been up to during the week...

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Busy, busy, busy week.  And so I haven't had much time to pop in here for the most part.  A few interesting things of note have happened though that I'd like to jot down, aside from kitchen goings-on.  Bear with me - I'm not very organized in my thoughts.  By the way, since today and tomorrow are cleaning/cooking days I am running around a bit so I'll make it brief...  

:: My first tea kettle watercolour.  A herald of things to come... I hope.  

:: J started swimming all by herself.  Yes'm.  My 3.5 year old is now swimming around the pool with her face barely above the water.  So funny to watch.  The water lapping at her lips, her curls drenched, a half smile on her determined face, and her legs and arms treading, kicking, paddling with all their might.  

:: I got stung by a wasp.  On my tongue.  Don't ask.  It swelled up for a day, then mostly went away.  A bit of a scare on the whole.  Now I look back and shake my head.  You just never know.

:: Pickles.  Several jars of them.  Finally put up for colder months.  Actually, that's not true - we have one open right now in the fridge, so they're not just for colder times.  :)  I would love to try lacto-fermenting them.  Next year maybe.  

:: Stuffed cabbage.  My first attempt.  It was delicious.  You take parboiled cabbage leaves, roll them around a rice/ground beef stuffing.  Place in large pot and add: a sprinkle of mint, a tablespoon of butter, a generous amount of chopped garlic, juice from a lemon, and some water to finish the affair. Then you boil for an hour or two until leaves are translucent.  So tender and filling.  I could eat it all day!  :)  Honestly, it's one of my favourite meals.  Incidentally, I had empty lemon rinds sitting on the counter afterwards, so naturally, I had to make a lemon marble cake.  I love using up everything - even scraps.  Reminds me of olden days.  

:: J is now putting sounds together to make words.  She was so determined to learn those letters.  Amazing!  M went through the same process, but I'm just as awed watching my second baby blaze through this!  

:: S now has two upper molars poking through.  Praise the LORD!  That baby doesn't take molar teething very well.  Lots of sleepless nights and cranky days.  Hoping the bottom ones get it over with soon!   

:: I stayed up late last night trying to finish the Hello Kitty hat.  No dice.  But I did finish most of it.  :)  Just have the eyes, nose and whiskers left.  Then it's off to fabricland for some polar fleece lining. Ya, I had an epiphany: why am I making these hats for my babies if they're not warm enough for wintery days?  What's the point of having like 3 hats?  See?!  So all they need is something warm to line the inside and they should be perfect for the colder months.  

Joining Heather and friends for This Week In My Kitchen blog hop.