Home Update

Many of you have asked for an update on house selling and moving. Here's what's up: We are having house showings every other day. I am sweeping and mowing and cleaning messes the second after they are made. All this displaced grasping for control over an uncontrollable situation has yet to result in an offer.

Perhaps our house is too odd for someone else to love. Maybe when so many people say they want vegetable gardens and the urban homesteading ideal, they don't actually want the resulting look. I feel like maybe we're weirder than we thought. The fact that I giggle at the idea of a Realtor Llama confirms that I'm weird, right?

Meanwhile, we found a house we want to love just a few miles from our current house. It has room to grow, cook, host, and teach. There are outbuildings to house creatures including a cat for Lil. We're dreaming a little, but we can't make a successful offer until we sell our current house.

I'm detached from our house now but not allowing myself to emotionally invest in the new house. I feel home-less.

The Value Of Home

Feeling as though I don't have one makes me value the idea of home more than ever.

A home is a place where we can create, where we relax, where we grow our own food. Home has edible projects hanging in the basement and fermenting on counters.

A house on the market means our creative toys and tools are packed away and we don't want to make messes anyways. The four pounds of pancetta hanging must be carefully tucked away every time we have a showing.

Our poor hounds can't find a place to rest and just when I think I can put my feet up, I get a showing request that requires a cleaning routine. Meals have become much less exciting and are often cooked and eaten at other people's houses.

In other words, for a true home maker like myself, house-selling is wearing thin.

Silver Linings

Given that we have a very nice house now and are looking to own an even better one puts us ahead of most of the world population. I don't take that for granted for a second. We are privileged folks.

So I try to recognize that some of our house-selling routines have come with unexpected benefits. We combined all the dirty laundry locations to a single basket which is now washed, dried, and folded as soon as it is full. Our new system saves so many piles of clothing laying around. Similarly, we do dishes as soon as we finish a meal. The kitchen has never been cleaner and it is truly lovely to wake up to an empty sink.

I am an impatient person who is uncomfortable with uncertainty, so it is no surprise that I am ready for all of this to be over. I just need someone to buy my house. Know anyone?

Super Mom Makes Homemade Mayo {Video Recipe}

One dark and stormy night, tragedy struck the Hound household. Sweet Lil wanted to make tuna salad but there was no mayonnaise in the house. "Help!", the selective eater cried out, unable to eat plain tuna or the delicious meal her parents cooked.

Super Mom heard her cries and rushed to the rescue!

With forearms of steel and patience for pouring, Super Mom cracked an egg, squeezed a lemon, and began whisking. Streaming oil into her potion, Super Mom transformed the three liquids into a semi-solid sauce: mayonnaise!

A few days later, Super Mom taught Lil how to make homemade mayo herself so she would never be helpless again. Kudos to intern Cami for capturing and editing the moment.

With a little practice, you too can gain the Mayo Master badge of honor and be able to create the delightful emulsion at a moment's notice! You could employ the use of a blender, but every true super hero knows how to make mayonnaise by hand.

Have you made mayo recently? How did it turn out?

PS. Join Super Mom (that's me) on Mother's Day for a class revealing all my secrets for homemade condiments at Franklin Park Conservatory. Space is limited and every participant goes home with a jar of mayo, mustard, or ketchup!

Handmade Mayonnaise Makes: about one cup Time: 5-10 minutes

1 fresh egg yolk (use a pasteurized egg if you're worried about salmonella) 1/2 fresh lemon 1/2 - 1 cup oil (use any lightly flavored oil) 1/2-1 teaspoon salt

1. Pour egg yolk into a clean medium mixing bowl. 2. Juice lemon into bowl and whisk the yolk and juice together. 3. While continuing to whisk, add one teaspoon (or one slight pour) oil and whisk until incorporated. Repeat with several more teaspoons. 4. Slowly begin increasing the amount of oil, whisking continuously. The mixture will begin to change color towards a lighter yellow and develop a stiffer texture. 5. Continue whisking and adding oil until you reach the texture of mayonnaise. Stir in salt. 6. Store in a clean container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

On a Collar Quest

I love dogs. I love Capital Area Humane Society (CAHS), the shelter that housed our hounds before we adopted them. And I REALLY love guerrilla marketing.

Naturally, I'm delighted to introduce you to the newest adoption and awareness campaign at CAHS: Collar Quest.

Volunteers and staff at CAHS are dropping 50 special signs with collars around the city every week during the month of May. Location clues will be posted on the CAHS Facebook page. Fans who find the collars will receive a 25% discount on an approved pet adoption. A few special ones are associated with a gift card to CAHS' retail shop, Bells and Whiskers. At the end of the Collar Quest, one lucky collar-finder will receive a grand prize package of a free adoption, food, vet services and training.

We visited the shelter yesterday to hang out with adoptable dogs, kittens, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Oooh the cuteness!!

There weren't many kittens on the adoption floor when we visited but there are benefits to knowing one of the shelter managers - my sister Sarah showed us some of the kitties that are too young to be adopted. (Can you see the dark mark on Sarah's hand? It's from a month-old nasty cat bite, a serious hazard of her job.)

In the end, we decided that none of the pets were a good match for us right now. Lil was a bit sad that we couldn't adopt but she chose to give a dollar from her own wallet to the shelter. She wants a cat and we've promised her one when we move. We'll be following CAHS on Facebook for collar clues. Maybe when we find one, the orange kitty will be available for adoption!

Will you join us on the Collar Quest?

Kentucky Derby Pie {Recipe}

I'm not sure I ever watched the Kentucky Derby as a child. I certainly have no memories of it.

The horse race came into my life through Alex's grandmother. She wasn't a huge racing fan but she always watched the Derby. Towards the end of her life, when she was living in Columbus near us, we spent several spring Saturdays cheering on riders together.

Though Gram is no longer alive, we continue the tradition of watching colorful jockeys every Derby Day. We drink mint juleps with fresh mint from the backyard and usually throw in a few other culinary nods to Ohio's southern border state.

Last year I wanted to create a Kentucky Derby pie. I had tasted one before that a long lost friend made. Searching the internet revealed a variety of pies, most containing corn syrup or other evils. I imagined I could do better with natural ingredients.

Experimenting resulted in a dense, walnut studded pie with dark chocolate, one I will make again this Saturday. The one-bowl pie is easy to bake up for Derby Day or any time.

Kentucky Derby Pie Serves 12 Time: 1 hour

1 pie crust, unbaked 1/2 cup flour 1 cup sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 3 ounces bourbon 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup dark chocolate pieces or bar, chopped 1 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. 2. Line 9 or 10 inch pie plate with unbaked pie crust and form edges. 3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, eggs, butter, bourbon, vanilla, and salt. 4. Stir in chocolate and walnuts until they are well incorporated. 5. Pour filling into prepared pie crust. 6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the filling comes out clean. 7. Allow to cool slightly before cutting.

Homeschool Report Card Winter/Spring 2012

Lil and I grew as unschoolers this winter and spring. We released ourselves from many routines and activities to allow more time for self-motivated studies. Along the way, we discovered unexpected benefits and challenges to homeschooling.

Even without the structure, Lil continues to develop skills. Following in the format I developed for the Fall 2011 Report Card, here's the Winter/Spring 2012 report:

Dates: January 2012 - April 2012

Activities: Reading 16-30 page books fluently Writing sentences with punctuation and capitalization Addition and subtraction fluency to 12s Counting, adding, and subtracting coins Understanding value of basic fractions Making and cooking pancakes from scratch Designing and mapping a garden plan Identifying Ohio wildflowers, Caribbean fish, and eastern US birds Mastery of snorkeling Pet care Insect life cycle observed in a terrarium Caring for garden plants including weeding, mulching and harvesting Coconut opening and palm weaving Map reading and making Digital photography, email, and typing Literature - Easter egg books, Valentine's Day books, Garfield comics, fairy tale comparisons (snow white, cinderella, three bears), Judy Moody and Stink chapter books

Weekly Classes: Homeschool Gym Gram & Tompa School Movement

Field Trips: Cleveland Natural History Museum Great Lakes Science Center Cincinnati Science Museum Cincinnati Art Museum Inniswood Metro Park Highbanks Metro Park Indianapolis Art Institute Stratford Ecological Center Columbus Zoo Columbus Children's Theater Aladdin Franklin Park Conservatory COSI (including Race exhibit) Broadway Series Mary Poppins Broadway Series Shrek Ohio History Center San Salavador Island, Bahamas

Farmers' Market Fresh - How to Store & Preserve Produce

Choosing delicious seasonal fruits and vegetables from farmers' markets and CSAs is an investment of time and money, a commitment that keeps dollars in the local economy, supports sustainable agriculture, and helps people have a healthy diet. There is much to learn about what's available when and who to buy it from. I recently contributed 'How to Shop A Farmer's Market Like a Pro' guide on Once a Month Mom with my top tips for feeling comfortable at farmers' markets.

The dedication to local food doesn't stop at the farmers' market or CSA pick up. Once the hand-picked produce is home, cooks want to use the fruits and vegetables to their full potential without waste.

Farmers' Market Fresh

Sensing a need, I created Farmers' Market Fresh, a guide to storing and preserving Midwestern seasonal produce. My one-page chart details how to keep fruits and vegetables freshest, how long you can expect them to last, and suggestions for long-term preservation.

Click on the icons in the top right to expand Farmer's Market Fresh on your screen. If you want a print copy (how exciting to think this might end up on someone's fridge!) download the seasonal produce guide as a printable .pdf.

Will you use the Farmers' Market Fresh guide? How do you get the most out of farm fresh produce?

PS. My farmers' market (Clintonville) starts tomorrow from 9 am to noon! I am so excited to be selling seedlings, microgreens, and mushrooms with Swainway Urban Farm. Stop by our booth at Dunedin and High (on the side of Global Gallery coffee shop) and say hello.

Mr. Shrapnel No More

Remember this incident? The one where Alex effectively shot himself in the leg with shrapnel from an axe?

It healed in place as the orthopedic doctor suggested, but only for nine months.

In February, Alex's thigh started hurting again. The pain was bearable for a few weeks but the inflamed feeling grew, especially when he exercised. The doc finally recommended surgical removal.

This morning, in a 90 minute procedure, a surgical team did just that. Apparently the thin foreign body was elusive and the resulting incision required eight staples to close. Alex is Mr. Shrapnel no more.

He kept the literal thorn in his side. Any ideas what he should do with it?

Baby Fruit {Wordless Wednesday}

1. concord grapes 2. red currants 3. peach 4. montmorency cherries 5. strawberries 6. raspberries 7. blueberries

I took pictures of fruit babies last year. The comparison is interesting both because the fruits are three weeks ahead of where they were in 2011 and my photography skills have improved dramatically.

Watching my fruit babies mature is bittersweet this year. The fully ripened fruit will likely be harvested by the new owner(s) of the homestead. I would like to move as soon as possible so that I can plant at the TBD new location, but at least if we stay around here long enough, we'll enjoy some fruit this summer.

Our realtor is hosting an Open House for our home at 349 Tibet this Sunday from 2-4 pm. I'm providing scones and jams - come see the homestead and grab a homemade snack!