Boys vs. Girls--camping

Before I had kids, I thought that each child was an individual, and didn't believe much in gender stereotypes in children. Little boys ran and jumped a lot because that's the kind of games they were taught. Little girls played with dolls because that was the kind of toys they were given. I thought that if all kids, regardless of gender, were exposed to the same things, they would have the same tendencies. Then I spent some time in the real world of kids and figured out that I was wrong. Possibly there were some differences between boys and girls. From time to time, I'm going to share some of my experiences that led me to this conclusion. However, so as to not bias you, I'm going to let you guess, who are the boys in the stories and who are the girls. 

Today's Story

When he was 11, Wally and I were discussing Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps. He was telling me what he had done at the camp that he had just returned from, and I was reliving my days at Girl Scout camp when I was about the same age. Among other things, we were comparing tents, cooking, and swimming. One of us swam in a lake and one of us swam in a pool. When one commented that there was a long hill that they walked down to go swimming, the other one said, “Did you race down the hill to see who could get there first?” To which the reply was, “No, we stayed in a group and sang songs.”

You chose: Which was the boy and which was the girl?

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Answer: I was the one going down the hill singing songs with the other girls. It never occurred to us to race. However, that was the first thing Wally thought of when I said that had a long hill to go down.

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But Wait, There's More:

I didn't provide answers to the other Boy vs. Girls stories and some have been asking. So here they are if you want to play catch up. 

Boys vs. Girls--the Stuffed Animals 

Answer: Lily was the one cuddling her animal and talking to it. Wally was the one dragging his animal on ground and generally not paying much attention to it unless he hit something with it. It was very clear that Lily had a baby, and Wally had a toy.

Boys vs. Girls--Wally's Valentine Party 

Answer: The girls were the ones carefully opening each valentine and reading the messages. The boys ripped any candy off the valentines they got, then started playing with one of the party treats--Red Hots cinnamon candies. Each boy would put increasing numbers of candies in his mouth until it got too hot for them. They were definitely trying to out do each other during this game.

  (Of course, we all know that each person is a unique individual with their own set of special characteristics. No one is all boy just as no one is all girl.)   

From Head to Toe

Our town museum opened a new exhibit that I am participating in. Or I should say, my grandmother's hats are. The exhibit is called From Head to Toe and features hats, shoes, and accessories among other things. Several of my grandmother's antique hats are on display, and I'm sure that she would have never dreamed that that would happen. My sister and I had a good time as we got them ready for the exhibit. We tried to imagine her wearing each hat and where she got it. We never knew her as the fancy Italian hat wearing kind, so it was an interesting exercise.

One of the best parts of having a local museum, besides being able to participate in the exhibits, is listening to others tell stories about what they have brought for display. One person associates hat shopping with her mother as a happy time which wasn't always the case. Another person wore hats and gloves when she went shopping and to church. The stories abound and maybe I'll tell more of them another day. In the meantime, below is a sampling of a few things from the exhibit.

The museum is in a small, portable building. Some day they hope they can raise enough money to have a permanent place.

My grandmother's hats. Also, notice the hat box on the end and how the word "Exclusivery" (Exclusively) was translated from Japanese to English. That box is from a hat Miss Landers got when she was living in Japan.

This may have been the fanciest hat there. Certainly, one of the most colorful.

 

This Beaver Hat came with a very fancy cushioned hat box. All of the hat boxes I knew about before this were made of cardboard.

The dapper man who wore the fancy beaver hat above probably carried this fancy umbrella with a mustache comb in the handle. The other side of the handle had a mirror.

If these shoes are any indication, our feet have gotten a lot wider over time.

These two ladies may be dressed in their finest hats, but it didn't look like they were taking the situation too seriously.

Apparently, one size does not fit all.

Thankful Sunday--March 10, 2013

I am thankful for those who came before me.

I am thankful for the risks they took, the hard work they did, and the lessons they learned that brought me to the good life I have today.

Books, book, and books

or What I am mostly not reading

Are you one of those people who like to be reading several books at once? You may have one by your bed, one in the living room, and one in the bathroom. Or you may have a novel, a how-to, and an inspirational book that you're perusing. I'm usually not one of those people although I know many that are. I like to be focused on one book until I complete it and then move onto something else. Occasionally I vary from this, but that is the method I am most comfortable with.

Therefore, I was surprised at how many books I had checked out from the library. I knew that I had several, but decided today that I should gather them up to see what I actually had. And I found that I had more than one, more than two, and more than three--the numbers with which I am most comfortable. How did this happen? Well, the first thing is that I work in the library and am surrounded by interesting  (and not so interesting books) everyday. However, I don't really have time to look at them during work, so anything that catches my eye, I take home for further investigation. I'm not sure why more things have been catching my eye recently, but it may be related to the fact that I can't seem to settle into a book right now.

Nevertheless, here's what I found on my book hunt today.

The Mad, Mad, Mad, Sixties Cookbook by Rodgers and Maclean--This book caught my attention when another staff member was reading titles of some of the recipes. They reminded me of all of the good stuff I'd had at cover dish dinners both long ago and recently. Some recipes never get old.  So far, I've only read the introduction, but I hope to spend more time with this book.

Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho by Fodor's--I hope we can go on a vacation to these areas this year. I will look at the book more if I can get the rest of the family to agree on a time that they can go.

Sarah, Plain and Tall by MacLachlan--One day the children's librarian was saying how this book is beautifully written with just the right amount of words. I haven't read it in a very long time, so I thought it was time to revisit it. I haven't opened it yet and it may go back before I do. There are plenty of copies, so I should be able to easily get it another time.

Help, Thanks, Wow by Lamont--This book about prayer was actually a gift, but I want to read it. I'm just getting  into it, but I really like Lamont's style. She puts things in a very accessible way whether or not you are a religious person. I started this book with Wally and hope I can continue it with him.

The Peculiar by Bachmann--One day the children's librarian was listening to some music by the author of the book. This exceptional kid wrote the book when he was sixteen and has composed symphonies as well. When I asked her if the book was any good, she said that it was and it showed up on my desk a couple of days later. I've only read a couple of chapters of this dark fantasy novel and while I would like to read the whole book because it starts out with an intriguing story, I don't know if I will finish it before it is due back.

Repairing Antique Clocks by Smith--Theo is learning to repair old clocks, so I though that I would learn a little about the subject myself. So far, I have only looked at the pictures, but Ward is reading the book. He is finding it quite interesting.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Skloot--I read this very good book a couple of years ago about the life of Henrietta Lacks, her contribution to science, the ramifications that had for her family. This is our book this month for book club, so I'm trying to read it again. If you haven't read it, I highly suggest that you check it out.

South Dakota's Black Hills and Badlands by Insider's Guide--another vacation book that hasn't been opened.

The Diet Cure by Ross--I am usually not attracted to diet books. There are so many of them and they all claim that they have THE answer. So I don't really know why I brought this one home except the cover said that it would end food cravings and right about then I really wanted some Oreo cookies. However, I skimmed the entire book and started reading the first couple of chapters. I may actually spend some more time with this book. It seems very reasonable so far.

Home to Harmony by Gulley--This is a charming book about life in a small town much of which I can relate to. However after I read a few chapters in it, I lost it for a couple of weeks. I finally found it at the doctor's office I had taken it to to read while I was waiting for my appointment. If I hadn't lost it, I would have finished it. But I'm not sure how it will stack up against the rest of this pile before it has to be returned.

So there you have it. A big pile of books, none of which is getting the attention it deserves. If I had any doubts before, they have been to put to rest. I can't seem to manage a lot of books at once. But how nice that I have a library that let me try this experiment.

What is your reading style?

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Mar. 8,2013

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. Also, I am using this public forum to encourage us to eat out less which includes better meal planning. You can follow how we are doing in this endeavor by reading True Food Confessions.

 This Week's Food Waste

Nothing

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

This Week's True Food Confessions

Some of the food we enjoyed last week.

Last week, I went out with friends one night, and Wally and Ward planned their own night out. However I had chili in the crock pot ready for their dinner, so they decided to stay in. But they didn't stop thinking about their plans. Therefore on Friday, we had pizza at the local pizza shop and Sunday they met Theo for brunch while I was at work. The rest of the week we ate at home. The surprise treat of the week (besides Girl Scout cookies) was a cantaloupe. I let it ripen on the counter for a week before I cut it and it tasted just like it had ripened on the vine in the middle of summer--sweet and juicy. I bought another one and hope the results will be as good.

Our new recipes for the week were Almond and Oat Crusted Chicken Tenders and roasted carrots. We roast many of our vegetables here, but had never roasted carrots before. I read several different ways to do it, but of course, picked the simplest way. We tossed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted them in the oven for 20 minutes at 400° F. They were wonderful. Theodore, who says the he doesn't like carrots, ate more than any one else.

The chicken was also a big hit. I got the recipe from the Weis grocery store magazine, Healthy Bites. They put this out every couple of months with recipes and tips on healthful eating. The latest one featured the baked chicken that we tried. The chicken coating in this recipe was different than most I've made before. It included almonds and oatmeal, and also, the chicken was dredged through Greek yogurt. Something else I've never used with baked chicken. The spices included smoked paprika which added a good flavor. Everyone in the family was very happy with the chicken. It will definitely be added into our regular rotation of meals.

I've included links above for the recipe if you want to try the chicken. A couple of comments that I have from when I made it. I had a lot of  yogurt and coating leftover. You may want to adjust the amounts or cook more chicken. I didn't add the cayenne pepper because I don't like hot things. I don't think the recipe suffered at all and neither did the rest of the family who like the hot stuff.

Not sure what's up for next week except I have a lot of fresh vegetables in the fridge that we're going to have to pay attention to in a timely manner. Until next time...
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But Wait there's more,
Is anyone else as confused as I am about when to use healthful vs. healthy? I used to understand it, but I think the uses have blurred overtime. I think soon we will be able to correctly use healthy in all instances. I rarely even see anyone use healthful these days.