Meringue

This weekend I tried a new recipe - well, new for me... I made a chocolate pavlova. Yummy! This dessert, the Pavlova, was created and named for Anna Pavlova, a famous ballerina in the early 1900's. New Zealand and Australia both claim to be where this recipe came from, but the jury is still out. Okay, here are the basics of this dessert: a layer of meringue covered with whipped cream topped off with fresh fruit. After looking online at some different recipes, and looking at my kitchen to see what I had, I ended up doctoring a variation of the original. My dessert was a chocolate meringue covered with real whipped cream topped with cherry pie filling. It looked good and it tasted good! Yummy! I love real whipped cream!!! I took it to a wedding shower at our church, and didn't bring any home.
chocolate pavlova

Options

We now have to consider our schooling options. Dot is too smart for her own good, and something must be done. Her teacher this past year suggested a few things, one being skipping a grade (which is not our school's policy), and the other being attending a PACE school. At home we have discussed the PACE option, homeschooling, and simply continuing at her current level.
Dot was all for homeschooling, and Jim likes the idea of being her teacher (and main influence on her character development!). However, it poses a problem for me - how to do housework and keep an toddler happy while trying to homeschool as well? I know that many women do this successfully everyday, and that it happened all the time in past centuries, but I am not ready for it! (Insert scream here!)
Yesterday we went to meet with the school principal. After going over her grades, we discussed our options. Surprisingly he offered to move her up a grade! We had not even discussed this at home, not thinking it possible. Now we have to consider this, too, weighing it's pros and cons. She may not be ready socially. (She may never be ready socially!)
What to do? What to do?

Portrait Studio

Yesterday a package arrived in the mail. It was the free 8x10 we had been promised from Olan Mills - we had our photo taken for the church pictorial directory! Apparently we were right in choosing not to buy any of their portrait sheets (at $20 a piece, or $25 for a re-touched one, where they take 5-10 years off your face), for it was a bit disappointing. Needless to say, it is not going up on our wall.
Today we are going to Target to have James' two-year-old portrait done. (If we had an endless supply of money, we might actually go to a good portrait studio that is not attached to a store. However, we are not independantly wealthy, and they charge more than we can afford... and all their shots are tempting because they are all so well done!) I hope he will be good for his picture. Last time he kept climbing off the platform to go dig through the props. Apparently they had a large stuffed Clifford that he desired... I hope they have that hidden this time.
Someday we will have to go to school to pick up Dorothy's school class photo. It has been waiting there for awhile, and I know she will be happy to get it.

Growing

This morning, bright and early, we went to the doctor's office for a two-year-old check-up. We have a healthy 29 pound, 37 inch boy who did not need any immunizations! He was in a really happy mood, and gave great big "aaahh"s when asked to open his mouth.
Yesterday we found that he does have a silly sense of humor. He laughed so hard when he saw someone on a movie sneeze. Then he went on to get us to pretend to sneeze, and laughed hysterically! "Ah... ah... ah... atchooo!"
We should be getting his picture taken this week, so next month we should have picturess to send out to you...

This week in Bawlmer, Hon.

This past weekend the Baltimore area had a very unique event - the Hon Fest. Check out the beehives!


Coming up, Flag Day. If the kids are healthy, we might go to the Flag House Museum. Remember to fly Old Glory! See here to brush up on your flag history and etiquette.


Next week we will join the crowds at the local library - it's almost time for the summer reading program! Any "must reads" for Dorothy?


I might be spending money here, they have a few things I want (okay, I would love to be able to plant MOST of these, buy my yard is only so big...). Jim thinks it is a little too goody-goody, but it seems like a fairly good deal. Ooh, I can just see those ferns by my bleeding hearts, and the black eyed susans by the daisies!

Back to work... in a big way!

Vacation is over... at least for me. School is out and Dorothy has summer vacation. It was a wonderfully restful week that James and I spent with Mom and Dad in Ohio. Even James seemed to take it easy - the only door we had to block off was to the computer room. (Unlike at home, where we have three gates on the main floor!)

Perhaps it was a good thing that last week was restful, for this week is busy. Dorothy's friend is over every day this week, and we expect Andy & Sharon tomorrow. Yesterday I had to grocery shop and do laundry (still working on that last one...), put away everything from our trip, and get ready for our church directory portrait. Oh yeah, and I have make sure the kids don't kill each other! Hmmm... it's Jim's turn to provide the birthday treat at work... The garden needs weeding.... The deck gate fell off... What's for dinner???

I think I need a nanny.