Like everyone, I love flowers. Guys, I really think every gal loves being brought flowers -- if she says she doesn't, she just means she doesn't love thinking of the $ you spent. Bring something simple ... bonus points if you (legally) pick it yourself.

When we were little, my sister and I used to pick bouquets of these yellow wildflowers for Mom. We probably did that for a few years before Dad told us we were picking ragweed, to which Mom is allergic. Luckily, Lady Bird Johnson made sure Texas springs are full of plenty of other, non-allergenic varieties: Indian Paintbrushes and Black-Eyed Susans and Mexican Blankets. Just make sure you never pick a Bluebonnet within the state borders!

Luke brings me flowers often. :) These are the survivors from a Valentine's bouquet. I'm always trying to get them to last longer: changing water, trimming stems at an angle, picking out the best ones and then finally floating just the buds in a vase or coffee cup. I've heard of adding sugar for nourishment, aspirin as a preservative, or even a capful of bleach or vodka to kill bacteria. Anyone had any luck with that?

Bjarne++

We had a great time taking Scott to met Dr. Bjarne Stroustrup, author of C++ (and Luke's advisor), at a signing for the new book. The book looks great and is full of enough information to make it heavier than a Macbook ... but much lighter than our baby.

We've also been enjoying Kelly's cooking: chicken bacon bites flavored with brown sugar & chili powder! Bruschetta chicken bake! Coffee mug cakes!

And, most excitingly -- DANIEL & KAREN ARE ENGAGED!

Creative Kitchen Week results

WINS:

• Turkey bacon wrapped shrimp. Cut bacon in half lengthwise and wrap around one shrimp, a small piece of green pepper, and sweet onion. Skewer with toothpick and back at 400F for about 10 minutes. YUM!
• Seafood crepes and sauce. Sautee shrimp with sweet onion, green pepper, mushroom, spinach (whatever other veggies you have ...). Use this to fill crepes, top with white sauce or Mornay sauce (I used a powder mix and it was super).
• Roasted turnips & carrots with creamy polenta. Slice thin, add a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400F for 20 min. Thanks, Chez Panisse Cookbook!
  

HMMM:
Tofu lasagna. Basically, replace the ricotta and all other delicious cheese with crumbled tofu seasoned with basil, oregano, and garlic. You need about 32 oz of firm tofu for a 9x13 lasagna and half that for a 8x8. Works best if you let it sit a while before cooking so the tofu absorbs the tomato sauce and seasoning flavors. I'll make it again, but won't use the no-bake noodles (they just aren't right!).

LOSS:
Nopalitos. Aw, too bad, they look so great. We tried 'em boiled with a little salt (as suggested by the grocer), but they were a bit oozy and alien-like. Much better when julienned and sauteed with onion, tomato, and plenty of potato. Pretty good when eggs were added to that leftover mix and put in a taco. In the end, though, fairly expensive and not fantastic. Maybe if I have my own Prickly Pear Cactus one day ...

Favorite things: web

• thisamericanlife.org - love Ira, love the radio show, love it all
• radiolab.org - excellently explained pop science radio show
  
• hulu.com - we don't have TV, but we watch it for free here. May I recommend Cooking Up a Story, House, The Daily Show, Battlestar Galactica, & 30 Rock?
• cbsnews.com - watch last night's news for free
  
• rookiemoms.com - pretty inspiring (& Bay Area based!)
  
• failblog.org - schadenfreude, anyone?
• cuteoverload.com - aww!!1
• postsecret.com

What are your favorite web sites?

SA. Holla.

We hung out in San Antonio last weekend for Shanna's baby shower -- she is cute cute cute and baby Logan Ray Kirkwood is almost ready for the world! I got to see Missy and we went out to the Schindlers' new property. It's beautiful. That Cross Canadian Ragweed song always comes to mind when I'm in SA: "You're always 17 in your hometown". Seventeen but better with Baby Boy, who had a great time too:

Garden Ridge

Scott's trying out solids and so far loves 'em. He's also much happier since I cut dairy out of my diet, pobrecito. Cooking without milk has made me a little more creative; this week I'm trying nopalitos (prickly pear leaves) and tofu lasagna. Results later.

Earth Mama

I'm not all-organic, but there are a few green parenting things I'm trying. So far I'm liking homemade diaper wipes. They save a little money and seem nicer on the little bottom.

I used pinking shears (they reduce fraying) to cut small flannel squares about the size of my hand. These are the wipes and I keep them in the drawer by the diapers. I tried using paper towels, cut and folded like regular wipes, but they didn't hold up well and I always had little paper towel bits in the carpet.

In a small Tupperware-type container, I mix up the solution. My favorite so far is ~2 oz. hot water, 3 drops Grapefuit Seed Extract (for its antibacterial properties), and 5 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil (not necessary, but it makes things smell wonderful!). I bought these at the local natural foods store. Alternatively, you can use hot water and a couple squirts of baby wash, but I thought this left his bum slightly sticky.

It's nice to have the solution in a microwave safe container so you can heat it up if it gets too cold. I've heard of moms keeping the warm solution in a Thermos, but haven't tried it yet. Make sure to squeeze the wipe out well so the bum can dry well -- too wet leads to diaper irritation.

I keep a larger container on the changing table and discard the used wipes there until the next washing.

Happily diapered baby with Great-Grandma

Auld Lang Syne

Happy New Year! I hope it finds you healthy and full of joy.

We had a wonderful Christmas break. It's our last Christmas in the state, at least for the foreseeable future, so a tour of Texas was a must. We traveled to Ft. Worth to see the Wagners, El Paso to see the extended Wagner family, including 2 great-grandmas (Scott did great on the plane!), San Antonio to see the Koops, and East Bernard for New Year's Day on the ranch. I got to ride horses, Luke proved he's a crack shot, and Baby enjoyed the continuous holding.

Just before the 1st we moved to our new apartment in Bryan. It was the easiest move ever, thanks to Mom, Mom, 3 sisters, and Bashar. Now we have a nursery, many windows, and room for you all to come over and visit -- name the time!

This semester I'm excited about returning to work quarter-time -- a friend and I are going to trade babysitting hours, so Scott will have a twin 20 hours a week.

More soon!