Growing Pains
Dr. Phil once did a show on adults who had difficulty letting go of their childhood. His first guest was a US Marine, who refused to give up his baby blankie. I had a friend who cried even at the age of 17 if she forgot her “Woobie” for overnights. Years later she refused to share him with her own 2 year old daughter. I can only imagine how her wedding night went; maybe he was her ”something old” tucked under her dress. Just recently I handed down to Yaya, 3 large tubs of stuffed animals I had saved. Some of them I kept since the age of 2 or 3. We all hold on to items with memories from childhood that comfort us, but I’m surprised my daughter, not quite 16 months and with so little history to cling to, would do the same. She has her favorite toys, but nothing she can’t live without not even a blankie…or so I thought.
Today we finished unpacking her room, and repacking baby things she has outgrown. One item just couldn’t go in the box, her bassinet. Yaya slept in a moses basket next to my bed for the first 3 months of her life. I would never imagine she remembered, let alone had formed a bond with, her little bed. She spent more months sleeping in her crib, and when we came back from our trip this summer, wanted nothing to do with it; she has slept in her big girl bed ever since.
First came the sit in. Based upon her body language (back to me, leaning forward, gripping both sides) if she had the vocabulary, she probably would have chanted, “Hell no! We won’t go!”
“Yaya, can Momma put your basket away?”
She has the cutest little “no” with a long drawn out “ooooooo” and then leaves her mouth frozen in a pucker long after the sound is gone.
“Yaya, this is for babies. We have to put it away.”, I say tugging on the end.
Here comes her second favorite argument, the silent stare down complete with furrowed brow.
Then, as if she remembers those short few months next to my bed, she hops up out of her basket, and drags it into her room. ”Night night, Momma.”
Here she is pretending to go night night:
I decided not to pack this one away; it makes a great dolly bed. We tucked ”Boo Boo Baby” in with Yaya’s own bottle of Cranberry juice, and left her to go night night. Some time later, it got very quiet in the house. Three guesses as to where I found my big baby:
Here is a comparison shot. This picture was taken her first day home from the hospital:
How to Bathe a Cat
Martha wrote a very important how to article in the April 1997 issue of Martha Stewart Living instructing cat lovers on how one should bathe their feline. She writes:
‘Cats are not fond of being bathed. The key to successfully bathing cats, or any animal, is to start when they are very young, so they grow up accustomed to the process. Don’t put your cat in the sink; use three buckets or metal tubs filled with warm water instead. Add some shampoo made especially for cats to the water in one bucket and swish it around to make suds, then lower the cat in. Allow the cat to rest its front paws on the edge of the bucket — this will help keep it from panicking. Rub the suds through the cat’s fur, and use a small sponge to clean the head and face. Then lift the cat from the water and gently stroke the fur to get out the excess suds and water. Use the clean, warm water in the next two buckets to rinse the fur, and use a clean, wet sponge to rid the face of any soap. Afterward, wrap your cat in a big, fluffy towel to dry. This will be sufficient for a short-haired breed; longer-haired cats may require blow-drying.’
While I do respect her methods, I think Martha is expecting a bit much from the cat. I find the following process works much better, leaves the animal fresh, and is quite effective in killing parasites.
First, tie him in a sack with a little baking soda. Be absolutely sure to tie the sack tight so he can’t escape. Shake the sack vigorously. You will want to take him outside before letting the cat out of the bag.
Second, grab him by the back of the neck and give him a good beating with a stick. If he is still quite foul, throw him for a spin in the washing machine with some vinegar. Afterwards leave him in the sun to dry.
Good as new!
As you can see this method works well for babies, dogs, and even rabbits or Grizzly bears:
The Name’s “Beef”, Stew, That is…
This is one of my favorite Arabic recipes, and I’m sure you all will love it too. It’s called Fasoolia (fa-soo-lee-ah), a simple beef stew served over rice that doesn’t take many ingredients and is great for those chilly (or in Texas, mild mid 60s – 70s) fall days. Lucky you, you can eat it any time of year because green beans are available pretty much year round. Produce Pete gives great tips on selecting the best green beans here http://www.producepete.com/shows/beans.html
Beef & Green Bean Stew
Ingredients:
1lb Beef (I prefer to use NY Strip, Ribeye, or T-Bone steaks, but stew meat works well)
1lb Green Beans
1lb Tomatoes (Roma tomatoes that are very red and ripe give the best sauce)
2 Cloves Garlic – Crushed
Spices:
Ground Coriander
Cumin
Black Pepper
Salt
Instructions:
In a pressure cooker, put beef, approximately 1tblsp salt, plus 4 cups water and cook with top rocking at a medium pace for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut ends from green beans, split and cut into 1″-1 1/2″ pieces.
Reserve 1 cup of beef broth.
Add green beans to cooked beef and replace pressure cooker cover. Cook for an additional 5 – 7 minutes (depending upon your personal preference for amount of snap in your beans).
Chop tomatoes into large chunks and place in blender or food processor with 1 cup of reserved beef broth. Blend to a smooth consistency.
Add to tomato smoothie and crushed garlic to green beans & beef. Add spices; start with about 1 tsp each spice and after bringing stew back up to heat, adjust spices to taste. I use about 2 tsp of cumin and ground coriander, 1tsp black pepper, and salt to taste.
Serve with a side dish of rice…or alone because as the Arabs say, ‘As you like!’
*NOTE – If you are not using a pressure cooker, follow the same steps cooking the beef on a low temperature until tender (about 2 hours), and the green beans will need about 10 – 15 minutes.
