Weekend Photos

A little midweek weekend update. I just moved all my photos off my phone, so I thought I would share some from this weekend. Right now it is so cold here, our heater is having a hard time keeping up, but the weekend was actually pretty nice, though windy.

A blurry shot from the farmers market.

OJ and chocolate raspberry scones.

Haircuts for the boys.

Christmas present cookie cutters in use.

Soaking up some sunlight in the park.

More Pandit

 We finally got Pandit to the groomer and he always looks so small afterwards. So far, each time we've taken him, we've been asked if we would like a "Cocker cut." I am not quite sure what that means, but images like the one below pop into my head. I ask them to just cut it short. 

This time, though we didn't notice right away, he came back with a cut on his neck. We will have to find a new groomer for next time.

Pandit likes to sit in the window like a cat. Only he's a bit more clumsy.

Reuben Sandwich

I could easily live without peanut butter and jelly, but one American sandwich that I really like is the Reuben. This is how I make a vegetarian version of it: Take two slices of rye bread, spread one with (vegan) mayo, add a heap of sauerkraut, a couple slices of Tofurky, a slice of Swiss cheese (or vegan Daiya) and the other slice of bread. Fry a few minutes on each side and enjoy! There you go, a fried sandwich to bust your new year's diet! :)

Kids Bake: Vegan Blueberry Orange Cupcakes

Sarasvati got a baking kit for Christmas, and today she tried it out and made us blueberry orange cupcakes for dessert. She loves blueberries (and hates bananas). We used the vanilla cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and added frozen blueberries and orange juice concentrate to the batter. Then she made a vegan buttercream icing with a little orange juice in that as well. The kids loved the color of these cupcakes: "It's more like green than blue!" and "This one is darker than that one!" I think we'll be making these again. :)

The cupcakes went fast! Next she wants to try her new cookie cutters with some sugar cookies. Fun!

Weekend

We spent the weekend switching bedrooms with the girls. I am sooo tired! We didn't even finish everything (bunkbeds!) but I think it will end up being much better than before. Hope you had a good weekend!

Puppyversary!

2012 was a great year for us. So many exciting things happened. First out was Pandit, our dog. Today it is exactly one year ago that we brought him home. He is the bestest and cutest lap-warmer I've ever had! I know he always looks sad in pictures, but in real life he is full of energy and a real wiggle-butt!

Looking back, I am not sure exactly why we thought it would be a good idea to get a dog while we had a three year-old in the house. I think I remember someone suggesting we wait, but then I kept pulling up cute pictures from the adoption website, and someone changed his mind. Anyways, the energy level has been a bit intense with the two of them, but the three year-old is now four, and things are slowly settling down.

Tomorrow it's off to the groomer, he needs it badly! So much dirty winter slush sticks to him while we are out on our New Year's resolution walks.

Amazing Swedish Immigrant Photos

Man(!) washing clothes in a bucket.

As a Swedish immigrant (and a big fan of Vilhelm Moberg's Emigrant Novels), I absolutely love this blog of photos from a Swedish-American family living in Texas around the turn of the last century. The photos are truly fascinating! I can't even imagine what it must have been like to come over as a poor immigrant at that time, but I always try to think about it when I get homesick, or can't get a good connection with my family over Skype. So many more awesome photos on the blog, check it out!

Finishing Things

 

Another one of my resolutions for the new year: work through all the craft projects and materials we have collected over the years. The girls just finished these cross-stitch patterns that they got last Christmas and we hung them up on their door. Aren't they cute? They have so many more projects to go through. I think we'll have to make sure to schedule a craft-hour as a daily event. If you have kids this age and your house is not cluttered with craft supplies, I would love to hear your secret!

I got the cute cross-stitch patterns from the Etsy shop Chezsucrechez.

Happy New Years!

a little belated...

I had such a great time in Sweden over the holidays. We made it back safely, but it is always so hard to leave. I love my family, and wish I could see them all the time. The kids had a great time too, with their grandparents and cousins. I took a bunch of photos, so maybe I'll get some up here soon. One of my thoughts for the new year is to be a bit more active here. To post more often. Maybe more recipes, but mostly just life. I basically have no memory, so I need to document more. We'll see how it goes...