Knee deep in books

I am by no means an expert in the world of children’s books, but I do find myself knee deep in them each day. Not only do I wake my child up with a morning read and put him to sleep with a book each night, but I have also been running a children’s book drive at my place of work for the past two months. So when I’m not reading these beautifully crafted pieces of literature for our youngsters, I’m boxing, sorting, and distributing them to community agencies in Durham.

The selection available to children these days is never-ending. The classics are still good and the new stuff is beyond my imagination. I even love the important lessons that can be learned at such a young age. Take these two books for example, which teach our children completely opposing concepts:

The Little Red Hen - a classic, and The Rainbow Fish - another classic

 

The Little Red Hen is a tale about a hard-working hen that finds a grain of wheat and decides to plant it. She asks for help throughout the book with the reaping of the wheat, the carrying the wheat to the mill to be made into flour, the making of the dough out of the flour, and the baking of the bread. No one ever lends her a hand. But everyone wants a piece of the final product, her fresh baked bread. The Little Red Hen refuses to share her bread, because everyone refused her help along the way.  The book’s message is clear – I keep what I earn.

The Rainbow Fish is tale about the most beautiful fish in the entire ocean who learns that giving all of himself to others and making others happy is much more important than being selfish. He gives all away but one of his shimmery scales. He is no longer the most beautiful fish in the ocean, as now all the fish are equally beautiful. Not trying to think too deeply about its message, which some argue conveys socialism, the book encourages sharing and selflessness.

Although both messages are drastically different, we turn the final page on each book satisfied with the story it tells.  Each book presents the positive side of two strongly opposed schools of thought, and primes our children to decide for themselves what is right.

Santa visits Caleb

What better way to ring in the holidays than to have Grandpa disguise himself as Santa Claus and surprise Caleb on Christmas Day. This marks Caleb's first ever Santa Claus sighting!

 

My Dad has always been a fan of doing whatever it takes, be it silly or wacky, to make kids laugh. Thank you Dad for showing Caleb the spirit of Christmas.

Babes in toyland

My mom used to tell stories about me as a toddler who so easily entertained herself.  According to my mother, I would sit under the kitchen table and play by myself for long lengths of time.
And while my own child hasn't yet grasped the concept of extended self-play, he does find the smallest of things entertaining.
Like ripping up squares of toilet paper and placing them in a colander.

 

Now that's fun!

 

Or putting non-matching, far-too-large gloves on our hands.

And coloring isn't as much fun as taking the crayons out of the box and then putting them back in.

  

 But the best toy is also a crowd favorite - the basketball. 

Every morning he wakes up and immediately looks for the basketball. He can roll it, bounce it, and kick it.  And since he is still learning to share, it is a good thing we have two basketballs.

Acrobatics

 

Daddies play with their children in a much different way than do mommies. Daddies do flips, throws and acrobatics. Caleb always squeals with delight when daddy hangs him upside-down by his ankles. Mommy would never do this. Mommy is scared of everything. It's a good thing that boys have their daddies!

Merry Christmas portrait

After much debate over whether or not we should get a real Christmas tree this year - or even a Christmas tree at all, the Busbee family finally decided on a beautiful, 4-foot evergreen. We were afraid that Caleb wouldn't be able to keep his little toddler paws off the shiny and sharp ornaments that go with a Christmas tree. So we figured that a small tree strategically placed on a table behind our couch would do the trick - and so far so good.
And while in years past we have not been known to break ornaments while decorating, this year we broke a record. No less than three shattered ornaments and three shattered glass bulbs, as well as an entire shelf falling down that lead to a shattered wine glass, etc.
Sweet Caleb wasn't to blame - his sloppy parents were at fault.
Nonetheless, we all survived and were able to sit down for a quick family portrait. It feels good to have some holiday spirit in our house, no matter how late a start we got.

My Snow Gnome

This weekend brought with it an unexpected snow to Durham. Well, unexpected if you pay absolutely no attention to the weather, as was the case with myself. Hubby, Caleb and I were delightfully surprised with the white blanket of snow to top off the bitter temperatures.

Feeling nostalgic and wanting to live vicariously through my son, I decided to dress Caleb in his bulkiest coat and set him free to roam in the snow. 

He first stood on the front porch and stared in awe at the white flakes dropping out of the sky.

He then wandered cautiously out into the yard where he took on the appearance of a garden gnome.

He was done with the snow after 5 minutes of standing around. It just wasn't for him. Back in the house he went. Who could blame him? It was bone-chilling outside.

Winter Dinner 2010

With guests in town yesterday, hubby and I decided to prepare a four-course wine dinner for the evening. As usual, hubby creates the first three courses and I am in charge of dessert. This time around we left the wine selection up to our friends at Wine Authorities. We gave them the menu, they asked our price range and hand selected a wine to match each course.

We came home with five wines:
Our gathering wine: Domaine St. Vincent, Brut, a half chardonnay, half pinot noir champagne-style sparkling wine, NV
First course wine: Nackenheimer Weisserburgunder (Pinot Blanc) Kabinett Trocken, Germany 2009
Second course wine: Alma de Blanco Godello, Galicia Spain 2009
Third course wine: Abbay Sylva Plana, Faugeres "La Closeraie," a Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvedre blend, France 2008
Fourth course wine: Elio Perrone, "Sourgal" Moscato d'Asti, Italy 2009

OUR MENU
First course: Sweet Potato Pancake, Red Cabbage Slaw with Endive and Leek, Orange Supremes

Second course: Parmesan Polenta Cake, Braised Brussel Sprouts, Crushed walnuts/walnut oil, Crispy Local Salami

 

Third course: Coca-Cola Braised Pork Shank, Southern Collard Greens, Roasted winter root vegetables

Fourth course: Pumpkin Cream Pie

Hubby's dishes are originals. When it comes to my dishes, I don't really do original. My Pumpkin Cream Pie recipe was borrowed from the Pioneer Women.

Ask the Chef

Below is another installment of Ask the Chef, a culinary-themed Q&A with my hubby as the star.  I will plan on posting a few of the cooking questions that roll around in my brain and hubby's answers to share with my online community.  Feel free to comment with your own questions.

TODAY'S QUESTION:
What makes a dish Southern (i.e. - Southern Collard Greens, Southern Fried Chicken)?
I ask this question because often I will hear chefs name their dishes with the word 'Southern' preceding the ingredients.  It made me curious - what makes it Southern?

Although I don't believe there is a textbook definition for Southern-style dishes, I do believe that my Mississippi-based husband might know a thing or two about what gives a dish its Southern flair. According to the chef, collard greens when cooked with pork fat are considered Southern. Same thing with baked beans. Stick some fatty pork in the mix and those beans take on a Southern personality.
Well what about the Southern Fried Chicken? Fried chicken did not originate in the American South, but it did thrive and spread through the Southern states almost like a virus during the 19th century. Southerners use seasonings and spices different from other parts of the world and the South's version of fried chicken tends to include multiple layers of batter for extra breading and lard for frying. Consider it the most fattening styles of fried chicken.
In summary, it appears that much of what is considered Southern-style cuisine is categorized as such because of its tendency to be cooked using lard and/or fatty meats such as pork.

Who let the Caleb out?

My beautiful boy has a rapidly growing vocabulary. Sometimes I can even understand what he is trying to say. There is one word in particular - well, more of a demand than a word - that Caleb says every day.
"Out!"
"Out!"
He loves to be outdoors. Even when it is pouring rain and freezing outside, he still wants to escape the house to play in the yard. If I even mention outside, he runs for the door and screams "out," "out," "out" until he wins.
These pictures are him trying to escape out the back door into the sun room.
With a face that cute, he always wins. Outside we go!