Halloween

This is Lucy as a lion

This is Lucy in an Indian dress

And Benjamin as a duck

Lucy's first date

Lucy and Andrew went on a date to Red Butte Garden back in October. She was so thrilled, we're going to try to keep that tradition going so she can get some personal daddy time.

Reunion

This is my lovely sister (far left) and two of my best friends from college. I can't believe it's been more than 10 years since we met. It was so fun to see them again!

My two favorite men

Fish 'n chips

No, we don't usually feed this kind of stuff to our kids, but we had oil in the deep fryer from the doughnut episode, so we decided to make some fish 'n chips. We still reminisce fondly about this dinner, it was one of those meals that was so good it almost moved me to tears, kind of like the day I first discovered basmati rice.

Here are the recipes from the Joy of Cooking

Fish and chips:

Cut into thick uniform strips slightly larger than French fries:
4 large peeled baking potatoes
Soak in cold water for 30 minutes.
Stir together in medium bowl:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Add and stir until smooth:
1 cup milk or water, or a combination
1 large egg
Set aside. Heat to 350 in a deep-fryer or deep heavy pot over medium-high heat:
3 inches vegetable oil
Drain and dry the potatoes. Drop the potatoes about 1 cup at a time into the hot oil and fry until the spattering ceases, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a brown paper bag or paper towels. When finished with the potatoes, increase the temperature of the oil to 365. Dip into it one piece at a time, letting the excess batter drip off:
1 1/2 pounds dogfish or other white-fleshed fish fillet, rinsed and patted thoroughly dry (we used tilapia)
and slip carefully into the oil. Increase the heat if necessary to maintain the temperature. The fish is done when golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
To finish the chips, fry the potatoes in small batches until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Arrange the potatoes and fish on a platter and serve with tartar sauce.

Tartar sauce (adapted from Joy of Cooking)
Combine:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. drained sweet pickle relish
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Thin the sauce with a little lemon juice

mmm... doughnuts

Andrew and I made some doughnuts a while back for Family Home Evening. We forgot to take a picture before we ate the really nice looking ones, so these are a little strange looking but they were delicious. The recipe is on allrecipes.com, if you're interested search for "crispy and creamy doughnuts." They were fairly close to the misspelled version available at some unnamed chain doughnut shops. And if you live nearby, borrow our deep fryer. Mmmm....

Nap time gone awry

Yes, this is paint. Apparently Lucy can open the craft supply drawer by herself now. :)

Fair Boundaries

Or, at least it should... This is one of my rare political posts, so if you're not interested feel free to stop reading. I'm not really a big admirer of either political party, but I am an admirer of democracy. If you live in Utah please consider signing the Fair Boundaries petition that is going around. You can find a full copy of the initiative here. It's been endorsed by the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune, with KSL also supporting the general idea. I especially like the idea that political boundaries would be drawn by an eleven-member independent commission who would follow anti-gerrymandering standards and keep local communities intact. If you look at maps of legislative districts in Utah right now it's pretty obvious that many of the lines are being drawn to further someone's own political career rather than to fairly represent Utah's communities. They need to collect 94,522 signatures of registered Utah voters by next April to get the initiative on the ballot in November 2010. Go get 'em, voters!

My Mothering Style

I got a book from the library today called MotherStyles that talks about the different Myers-Briggs personality types and how it relates to your parenting style. I thought it was interesting. This is me:

The "Tender Loving Care" Mother

(Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging)

Gentle and kind, the ISFJ mother provides her children with generous amounts of tenderness, affection, and the comfort of daily routine. Her aim is to "be there" for her children, physically and emotionally. She is sensitive to their feelings, offering closeness, understanding, and quiet support.
Loyal and devoted, the ISFJ mother has a strong sense of duty and consistently puts her children's needs first. She delights in taking care of the little things that matter to a child, making each one feel loved and special.
To provide her family with security and warmth, the ISFJ mother tends to the practical and domestic, aiming for a smooth-running household and an attractive home. She also observes and conveys the value and importance of family traditions.

It's an interesting little book, of course it has to over-generalize a little bit, but I think it's nice to figure out some of your strengths so you can focus on them instead of feeling guilty about the things that you're not so great at.

Our happy boy