In Honor of Making it Home....a Poll!

I look forward to sharing with you tomorrow the events of our departure day, but I had to present a poll tonight before the holiday season is offically over with the arrival of the New Year. I have been meaning to pose this VERY IMPORTANT question for some time now but kept forgetting. So please vote!

Everything is Grand with (Grand) Big D

Brooks is really enjoying the "Texas floor plan" of his PawPaw's house. Gotta love the wide open spaces, including a long front hallway where he can practice his walking:

Our last full day in Austin also brought with it plenty of computer time with Big D:

And slide time!

We head home later today and, while we're eager to settle back into our quiet life, we've had a fabulous time in Central Texas!

PS-- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE COOLEST JEOPARDY CHAMPION WE KNOW!!!!!

Hill Country Christmas

I had never spent any time in the Austin area before Seth and I started dating in 1999, so I've had quite an education in the last almost 10 years. His hometown, Dripping Springs (AKA Drippin'), is the "Gateway to the Hill Country" and looks nothing like even Waco or Dallas, let alone Corning. Seth's mom and stepdad live on a great piece of land way out in the country and always cut down their own cedar tree to use for Christmas:

Did I mention there were 19 people there? There were more stockings on another wall, too:

The famous "goodie table" full of homemade treats: (Every single one of the tins and glass containers holds something different. Yeah, I gained 10 lbs!)

Seth's grandmother came to Drippin' from East Texas just so she could pose with 2 of her grandchildren and all 4 of the great-grandchildren:

Aunt Sara got in some snuggles with Jackson:

Brooks's dazed look was in full effect despite Caleb's best efforts to get him to smile:

Rachel figured out the trick to breaking B's catatonic stare-- try to attack him with hugs and kisses! (Called "giving sugar" in these parts!):

Baths with Grandma worked, too!

Mighty Fine to be Back Online!

Well, helllllllloooooooooo there!

We have entered the final phase of our Central Texas Christmas with our return to Grand Big Daddy's house. We started our visit here with Christmas Round One on Thursday night, and then traveled to Grandma's house for the weekend. There were 19 of us gathered together for Christmas Round Two and this large group resulted in a strangely catatonic state from Mr. B. Apparently he prefers a smaller crowd! Amidst all the wonderful familial chaos, however, he managed to have a few adventures...

Christmas tree-dancing:

Learning about the Astros:

Playing some tunes:

FIRE:

Looking intellectual:

And, of course, plenty of smiles (when not overwhelmed):

Tagged...with a Christmas Bow!

Kelly, one of my oldest friends (as in someone I've known the longest, not in terms of actual age!), tagged me recently to list facts about myself. Since I've already bored you with such triviality before, I figured I would put a holiday spin on things. In light of the fact that today is Christmas, please find below 7 random holiday tidbits/traditions-- many of which are from the days of yore in honor of the friendship longevity of she who tagged me:

1) Opening presents (whether on Christmas morning or alternate date) must include Sheils's cranberry bread. Broil one side, flip over and butter the other side, and then broil again. Broiled grapefruit is a classic Moore family accompaniment but I've always thought that was kinda weird.

2) When we were growing up, I took very seriously the artistic task of arranging my "display o' prezzies" after gift-opening. If ever you visited our house on Christmas day, I'm sure you thought it was odd that I'd set everything up in a corner of the living room-- just so! I think I learned this from Santa Claus, because he always arranged our presents--unwrapped--in a similar manner!

3) I went through a period recently where I would spend months trying to think of a childhood item Geoff and I loved, and then buy a version on ebay to give to him. There's been the Purple Pie Man from Strawberry Shortcake, Salacious Crumb from Star Wars, Game of the States (which had been at my grandmother's house from when my mom played it back in the day), and surely others I'm blanking on now. Then there was the year I designed two T-shirts for him, each of them quoting a line from the best game EVER-- the Clue VCR Mystery game! Yes, we're dorks.

4) We were lucky enough to be taken by my parents to London for two recent Christmases (2002 and 2006), and they were both amazing experiences. There's nothing like walking through historic streets all lit up for the holidays only to arrive back at the rented "flat" (which would generally have 3-4 floors) and eat tons of food and play bridge. Oh, and go to the grocery store, of course. Sheils, just how many times DID you go to Waitrose last time?!

5) I hope I don't incite any riots with this one, but I am pretty ignorant of the "classic" Christmas movies. I think the only notable one I've seen is A Christmas Story, and it is even better when quoted by Geoff in various character voices. But seriously-- that's all I've seen. I've never been a big fan of the classics.

6) There was a family in our neighborhood in Corning that hosted an annual caroling party when we were growing up. For many years, they cajoled Opa into dressing up as Santa for all the kiddies to climb upon and tell their wishes. It was always very cute!

7) If the Moores are together, Geoff is ALWAYS in charge of handing out the gifts in a very strict order, from oldest person to youngest person. He wears a Santa hat and we each open a present one at a time after "Santa" selects it from under the tree. No exceptions.

Speaking of Christmas... we decided to open presents yesterday since we're off to Austin today and will be "doing" Christmas with Seth's dad tonight and his mom tomorrow....

B loves his new "busy gears" toy! I walked down the Kohl's aisle last week looking for something to get him (best place ever-- toys were 50% off and then I had a 30% coupon), and he got really excited from his perch in the shopping cart when I demonstrated this particular one. It was no less exciting when he unwrapped it:

Just in the last couple of days, Brooks has started waving as soon as he hears anyone say "bye-bye." This puppy uttered the words as he was being turned off, and B immediately started waving:

But his fave gift of all? Spatulas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wednesday Wriddle and Wrecipe

Here's the (w)riddle:

What Will Ferrell scene are Boss Lady and PigDeer acting out below? Extra points if you can give the famous (according to Polly-- I learned all of this from her) line that follows the action pictured:

Now for the (w)recipe:

Several of you asked about the custard pie, and I am happy to report that even with our crust hijinks and several other "issues" due to my general impatience, it still tasted fabulous! The yumminess to difficulty ratio is really high, so get to it, Betty and/or Bobby Bakers!

Custard Pie (from Seth's mom)
4 slightly beaten eggs
1 C sugar
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 T flour
2 1/2 C scalded milk with 1 T butter

Thoroughly mix eggs, sugar, salt, flour, and vanilla. Slowly stir mixture into scalded milk/butter. Pour at once into ramekins or pie shell (I need to talk to the source about whether it should be pre-baked although after our experience, I'm guessing not) and add dash of nutmeg to top.

Bake at 475 degrees for first 5 minutes and then 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until set when jiggled!

PS-- Merry Christmas Eve!

Earning that Second P

While the Pack and Play has seen plenty of packing (and sleeping), it hasn't provided much in the arena of play. I gave up on the idea of using it as a "playpen" months and months ago when B learned to stand.

If you're on the maternal scene, you probably have noticed that ball pits seem to be quite the rage these days. Brooks gets SO excited when they pull out the baby pools full of balls after library storytime. All the stores now sells bags of balls and we had been contemplating getting an old baby pool from someone so we could have a house set. Then my friend Brenna came up with the ultimate suggestion-- put the balls IN the P&P and perhaps it would become a successful containment facility after all! (This is why I love my moms group-- others are so much more creative than I am!!)

So thanks to the Christmas generosity of a certain fake aunt and uncle, Brooksie's P&P has now been made much more fun:

(doesn't he look like a CHUNK in the picture above? It was 14 degrees here yesterday morning so I put him in his thickest sweater and fleece-lined jeans and it was like he'd been the one eating a plate of Christmas cookies, not me!)

Chewing on all the balls is a highlight:

But NOTHING compares with the joy of throwing balls onto the floor...over and over!

Bring on the Cheese!

We were so excited that Karen and Ian came to play with us Saturday night! Since they live on the other side of the Potomac, we don't get to see them as often as we'd like, so we have to bring our A-game for our visits! In return, Ian brings his super-duper camera and provides documentation for the evening.

Ian hired me for my first post- graduate school job and Karen worked in the same office, as well! Even though we each went in separate directions several years ago, we love to hang out-- mostly because they know true beauty when they see it:

Yes, my friends, that is PigDeer, the bearer of much Christmas cheer. (And yes, we know ReinPig would make more sense, but we prefer PigDeer.) He is a wonderful photographic companion, so if you live locally, feel free to come by and get your picture taken with him against the backdrop of our big living room wall that is still devoid of any decoration!

We also love them because they complement each other so well. I imagine Ian, while taking this picture, was encouraging Mr. B to do something even crazier. Karen, however, doesn't look quite so approving:

Brooks likes Ian. Or his camera. Yeah, probably his camera.

He definitely loves his daddy:

And we all love him, especially when he's angelic baby wrapped in a fluffy towel post-bath:

After the young gentleman retired for the evening, we got down to the real point of the visit: FOOD. Karen ably took on the task of preparing a delicious fondue in our fabulous new fondue pot (thanks, Carole Jean and Maxey!) After the cheesy goodness, we turned our attention to what I do declare as one of my favorite winter recipes: Risotto with Butternut Squash, Pancetta, and Jack Cheese. I implore you to make it-- it is so yummy!

Dessert was a bit more comical. Opa will probably disown me when I admit that things went a little south with the custard pie we made using one of his delicious homemade pie crusts leftover (and frozen) from Thanksgiving. As you can see below, apparently we didn't roll it out large enough, because-- HA HA-- it floated to the top when we poured in the custard. So basically, we had custard pot pie:

And then it was game time, where hilarity reigned per usual. Just in case you're concerned-- I was indeed present:

Q: What Do These 2 Toys Have in Common?

Yes, they both have bright and shiny primary colors, but the REAL answer is that I checked them both out of the library!! I continue to be so thankful for our fabulous public library system. Each branch loans out tons of toys. They have a sort of card catalog for showing pictures of each toy/puzzle/game, and then they give you the actual toy individually bagged in mesh bags. For the bargain-lover in me, it's hard to beat free! So for my "moment for (maternal) mission" for today, I encourage you to check with your local library to see if they have a similar arrangement!

You Asked for It!

(Well, some of you did!)

It's Totally in ALL the Child Development Books!

Eleven-month-old boys have exactly 3 ways to move around the kitchen.

One can dance with Auntie Polly (with unbuttoned overall legs, of course):
One can walk (we're up to about 3-4 unassisted steps):

Or one can be twirled around by a crazy lady who is also snapping pics:

A Day Late (and Many, Many Dollars Short!)

Happy 11-month birthday, Mr. B!

Poor Brooks has been quarantined since Saturday morning due to an alternately runny/crusty nose. Yuck! Thankfully, he seems to be feeling much better today.

Since we've done nothing of interest to report, I thought I'd attempt on the fly to list Brooks's 11 favorite things in honor of the occasion (in no particular order...well, except maybe for the first one):

1) his daddy
2) the flour sifter in the drawer under the oven
3) The Itsy-Bitsy Spider (especially when sung by Grammie over Skype)
4) the pink squirt bottle in the bathtub
5) bananas
6) the shape-sorter-- for dumping
7) pulling all the trash bags out of the box
8) trying to get his hands in the toilet water
9) "helping" to unload the dishwasher
10) grapes
11) touchy-feely books (see photo above)

Gotta run--- B has taken out about 7 trash bags in the last 30 seconds of me writing this...

Did You Know Coins Can Only Be Changed Once Every 25 Years?

I do! Well, I do now.

Thanks, Em, for giving me this forum and for all of your support. Thanks, too, to all the kentobean readers who tuned in and cheered. I really, really appreciated it.

Last week was sort of an odd one. I had taped the episodes in mid-October, so I had gone through the highs and lows once already. To go through it again, especially watching it on tv, was certainly a unique feeling. I was definitely in a funk all day Wednesday, knowing that my "reign" was soon to end.

They tape five shows (a full Mon-Fri week) each day, three days a week. Contestants are told to bring three changes of clothes. The shows tape in nearly real time. They film each segment exactly as it airs, only stopping if there's an issue with a question or an answer. Then, there are five minute or so breaks where the commercials will go in. At that point, Alex takes questions from the audience while they reset the cameras, etc.

To answer the bathroom break question, yes, you get a break in between episodes. For instance, before my second and third episodes I had about five minutes to change, powder my nose, etc. Then it's right back in and into the next game. They don't mess around and run a tight ship.

Alex himself seems perfectly nice, but there is very little contact between the host and contestants. Due to the up-to-the-minute nature of the questions, they try very hard to avoid conflicts of interest. For instance, if he came out and chatted with the contestants, and conversation turned to current events, and someone brought up Gov. Blagojevich, and then there was a question about him, that could be odd. So we only talk to him during the televised interview and the little moment during the closing credits.

There is no study book or anything like that. I auditioned in the spring online, then had an in-person test and interview, and then was called with a date to show up for taping. You're on your own as far as prep work goes. And there's really not a whole lot to study. In most cases you're either going to know it or not--there's certainly an element of luck as far as the categories and questions go. I brushed up a little on state and national capitals, presidents, that sort of thing. Other than that, I just went with it.

All in all, it was a lot of fun. Sure, I wish I'd beaten Ken Jennings' record (which by the way, having gone through it, impresses me even more), but it was beyond my expectations to have done as well as I did.

So, thanks again to all of you who followed along and yelled at your television. I really appreciate it.

Geoff

Let Me See a Show of Hands

How many Baylor mamas out there have purchased this green and brown bear one-piece pajama suit from Target? Anyone?? (monkey socks optional.) I know I have a hard time passing by anything with such a Baylor-esque theme!

Style 'Em if You Got 'Em

I looked away from B for one moment while he was in the highchair (I know-- Horrible Mother Award), and, when I looked back, I was surprised to see his hair had taken quite a contemporary style. Weird, because I didn't remember trying to make him look cool like loyal reader Gabe:

Then I realized how that came to be:

Remember how I mentioned earlier this week that I'm lazy? Yeah- so if you see me out and about and my child's hair is sticky and going in a bunch of different directions, don't look too closely or you might see an entire fruit salad stuck in there!

A Wise Man, Known for his Cartman Impression and Supreme Knowledge of All Things

Who is Geoff Moore?!

I've spent many years protesting, but the simple truth remains that he is easily the smartest Moore! In fact, he's a downright genny-us!! I figured such a momentous experience definitely deserves the scanned-picture collage special. We're in awe, Lyman Green!

PS-- I'm kinda hoping that we can get the champ on here as a guest author, so leave in the comments any questions you might have about the Jeopardy experience!!

So Much Excitement Deux!

HOORAY for the 2-day Jeopardy champion!! (Your biology-teaching brother-in-law was a little disappointed you didn't get "Atlas" right, but wow did you blow through some of those categories!)

Brooksie hasn't gotten to see his uncle on TV since the show airs after he goes to bed, but he did get to see some friends yesterday! We made our way to Emily2's house for some playtime. The twins wore coordinating overalls:

The host graciously shared his ball pit:

Which B promptly took over for Halloween apple-bobbing practice:

I took with me the remaining Peppermint Snowballs, which reminds me that I need to provide the recipe. But first, let me share with you the awesomeness that was the White Elephant gift from the party Monday night:

No-- I already had the sleek double chin! The present was a set of adhesive mustaches in all colors, shapes, and sizes!! Surely you know what's coming next:

Thanks, Dunbars!!

Now for the recipe. I'll type it as it appeared and then include my notes at the bottom...

PEPPERMINT SNOWBALLS, from Penzey's* One magazine (Volume 3, Issue 4)

1 C butter, softened (2 sticks)

1/2 C powdered sugar

1 t vanilla extract

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C ground nuts, optional

Filling:

2 T cream cheese, softened

1/2 C powdered sugar

1 t milk

3 T crushed peppermint candy

1 drop red food coloring, optional

Topping:

1/2 C crushed peppermint candy

1/2 C powdered sugar

Cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and mix well. Gradually add the flour and ground nuts (if using) and mix well. Knead the dough and then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling by beating together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, crushed candy and food coloring until well blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into balls (about the size of a teaspoon). Make an indentation in the center of each ball and fill with 1/4 tsp of filling. Cover the indentation with another 1/4 tsp of dough. Smooth and reshape the dough balls. Combine the topping ingredients in a bowl. Roll the dough balls in the topping and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake until firm, about 12 minutes. After removing from the oven, roll the warm cookies in the topping once again.

My notes:

The recipe claims to make 3-4 dozen, but I couldn't get many more than 2 dozen either time I've done it. Because there are fewer cookies, there ends up being way too much topping so I recommend doing maybe 1/4 cup of each instead of 1/2 cup.

For my second batch, I bought little mini candy canes and those were much more easy to crush than round mints.

It helps to make a pretty deep and wide indentation so that the filling has somewhere to go. I imagined it kind of like making a bird's nest.

I did not use the nuts but did use the food coloring.

Let me know if you end up making them!!

*My love for Penzey's spices will be expanded upon in a future post!