September's renewal

Last year I was unexpectedly thrust into the classroom three weeks into the school year. It was a great year and it ended with me agreeing to stay on. This year I had the luxury of planning! Bliss!! I walked in the first day of school with lessons plans, units plans, music picked out and many returning musicians. Those that returned are excited to get to work and after hearing them sing (on the first day), I am too. It's going to be a great year!

I also have a lot happening at home. Em and Syd are busy high school teens, Iv is a growing-like-a-weed pre-teen and Gar is in his last year of elementary school. This year will involve marching band, dance, church, a new driver, choir, pep band, youth group, ADHD, piano lessons, a new 504, tons of food, concert band, sports, musicals, a basement project, tons of food (is that in there twice?) and the like. It's going to be a great year!!



Syd's official MB debut

Because of all of this, I've had to take a hard look at what I can and can't do. I'll be continuing to craft, that's for sure. Cobb Cabin Crafts is not going anywhere, but it will look different. I've decided to stop selling small animal cage accessories online. I just cannot get down to my sewing machine like I used to. I will continue knitting for the shop. While this may not seem fair as it takes way longer to knit a sweater than to sew a liner, the deciding factor was portability. I can take my knitting with me almost anywhere. In fact the only places I do not knit are in the loo, in bed and at work. I worked on the sweetest little sock at last night's football game marching band concert. More than once, it was raised up as the team scored and it was held lovingly as my daughters took the field with the band.



It was a perfect night!

So just as September signals the start of the school year, I'm officially starting anew. God, Family, Students, Crafting with some food prep too (seriously Iv, what is going on with all the eating!?!).

Something Crunchy!

I find myself at home today because my youngest is home with a fever. :-( There are a couple of nasty bugs going around NWOhio and thankfully he only has a fever! So while he's on the couch watching movie after movie and taking naps, I thought I'd make some granola for his yogurt.

Years ago my mom cleaned out her kitchen cupboards and gave me a gem of a recipe book from Quaker Oats (printed 1979). This recipe is loosely based on one of the recipes inside.

Cobb Family Granola
3 Cups Rolled (or quick) Oats
1 Cup chopped nuts or seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, flax) ~ I used pumpkin seeds.
1/4 Cup brown sugar OR honey ~ I didn't have any honey, so I used brown sugar.
1/4 Cup melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 Cup (or so) dried fruit ~ I used raisins and a handful of chopped dried apples.

Combine all ingredients except the dried fruit in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes (warning: your kitchen will smell amazing). Stir in fruit. Cool thoroughly and store in an air tight container.

Cooling, but I should warn you...it's hard not to sample it warm!

We like it as a topping for yogurt or as a snack, but it would make a nice cereal as well.

A Lick and A Promise

This past Fall Mr and I started High School again....not as students, but as parents of  a High School student. Wow, were we ever not prepared for the time this takes. The best part is we will have a child in High School for the next 9.5 years and sometimes two children at the same time. At this point we have a freshman, an eighth grader, a fifth grader and last but not least, our third grader. I have also started a new job teaching music to.....drum roll....basically the same ages. Sigh.

I'm turning grey.
Everyday a new one.

The schedule is worse than any college math problem I've ever seen (go ahead ask ask how many math classes a music major needs to take...). We have dance three nights a week, basketball games twice a week, basketball practice 4 nights, piano lessons, concerts, church, pep band, marching band, laundry, cleaning, XC in the fall, quiz and track in the spring ...it just goes on and on.

I'm turning grey.
Everyday a new one.

I'm told I'll miss them when Mr and I are empty nesters. And I think we will. Syd has played basketball with the same group for 4 years now and could play another 4 with them. We know those girls, we've watched them grow into young ladies. Lady Streak Basketball won't be the same without them. Same for band, XC, choir concerts, and the like. Friendships have been rekindled from High School years as fellow school mates have children in many of the same events. It's a good season of life and I will miss it, I think. So I've decided to enjoy the next 9.5 years. I have a feeling it will fly by.

I'm sure I'll be able to keep track of time though...I'll just count my grey hair. Sigh.

Something new from the kitchen

Every once in awhile I get bored with the same old recipes in the kitchen. We all have our go-to meals (mine are spaggetti, hamburger rice casserole & pancakes) but it's nice to branch out and try something new. Sometimes they are recipes that are never made again, but talked of from time to time (Summer Spaggetti... ask Mr about that one) and sometimes I find a new gem.

Spinach & Black Bean Quesadillas

Keep in mind, I never follow a recipe, so I'm not breaking any rules posting this.

Sautee a clove of garlic (minced of course) in a couple TBL of Olive oil in a pot on the stove.
Wilt a good handful or two (like my measuring system?) of rough chopped fresh spinach (Salt and pepper to taste).
Remove from heat and toss with a can of black beans (drained and rinsed).

Fill flour tortillas with bean/spinach mixture (maybe 1/4 cup?) and shredded cheese (use whatever kind you like and however much looks right to you). Mr's philosophy is the more cheese, the better!

Fold in half and pan fry over medium heat. I use a skillet on the stove that I've sprayed with olive oil.

Flip to other side. They are done when cheese is melted and tortilla is a nice golden brown. Top with your favorite salsa and sour cream if you like.

This was a hit with ALL of the Cobb children and Mr had 4 quesadillas for supper. It's a keeper!

All things homemade

I firmly believe that my creative craftiness is an inherited trait. My father is a woodworker and can fix almost anything. Many times, my sister or I will start to describe something we saw that we mostly liked, but would have rather it be slightly different and we can just see the wheels start to turn in his head. It doesn't go too lomg until he has the item planned out. My mom gardens, preserves her own produce, and enjoys cultivating African violets. If I go back a generation to my grandparents, it's even more obvious: my family tree includes bakers, cooks, seamstresses, farmers, inventors, and those who were creative in the face of no other options. I guess you could say I get it honest.

Which explains why one of the most common thoughts I have is "I bet I could make that."  Sometimes I have success, other times not so much. Happily the following recipe was a success.

Homemade Greek Yogurt 
adapted from Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'Dea

First, I cook 8 cups milk (I used 4C skim & 4C 1% Milk) for 2 1/2 hours on low.

I started mine at about 3p.m.

Then unplug and let it sit for 3 hours. (5:30p.m.)

Whisk in 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or leftover yogurt from your last batch). Put the lid back on and cover for insulation. Let it sit overnight. (8:30p.m.)

The next morning it should look like this and was nicely thickened:

Then drain the yogurt to make a greek style yogurt. I place a colander inside a big bowl.

and line it with clean muslin (nothing fancy, I serged the edges so I can wash and reuse).

The yogurt was poured in and placed it in the fridge for a few hours.
After a few hours it will look like this:

Here is the whey I drained off:

My secret ingredent is added, Mexican Vanilla (1 Tablespoon or so). I also added a scant 1/4C sugar (still way below commercial yogurt).

To say that my family loves this yogurt would be a vast understatement. I like to make it during the late spring through summer months. That way I can puree up some fresh fruit as a topping (sometimes adding a dash of lemon juice for brightness).

What fruit depends on you, we like strawberries, blueberries, peaches, blackberries, or really any fruit you want to try. This year I plan on cooking up some fresh rhubarb and giving that a try.

I puree my fruit because I have a couple of children with texture issues. You can do whatever you like with your fruit topping. ;-)

 

It's been a long day!

My love affair with pit orchestras started sometime during college. I would play in "the pit" for a local community theater every summer while on break. It was a great way to stay in shape over the summer (and make my flute professor happy). I then started playing for a few of Otterbein's productions and continued on for various local productions in the first few years of teaching. It seemed important to me that I modeled playing music after graduation for my music students. I've been in the pit for several fun shows; Evita, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Sound of Music, The Man of La Mancha, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and this year's musical: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, to just name a few. To be totally honest, if I could make a living doing it (and keep my current lifestyle), I would.

Pit playing is nothing like playing in a band or orchestra where everything is rehearsed until perfect (or close to perfect). It's fraught with tension and excitement. Anything could happen at any time. The singers might jump a measure and we have to scramble to find them. The crowd might really get into the production one night and everything becomes somehow magical. Tempos change. Stage fright can cause all sorts of unrehearsed moments. Props do odd things. It's all part of the fun. You can play the same show three nights in a row and it's three different experiences.

I took a break from pit playing about the time the second baby Cobb came along. Evening rehearsals just became too difficult to juggle. I started back up about 6 or 7 years ago when a local school asked me to play for my all time favorite show, Joseph. A year later my Jr High band director started directing the pit for my Alma Mater and she asked me to play. After Mr and I talked it over, I was cleared to play one show a year (nope not sexist, he limits his time away from the family too). I have every year since and it is a blast!

This week is show week and in my sleep deprived state, I've given some thought as to why I throw the family's rhythms (and my sleep patterns) into this tailspin each year. I don't play in the pit to recapture any old glory (I actually play much better now than I did in HS), and it's really not a way to gain any current glory (really, who notices who is in the pit).

So why do I do it?

Because I love it, it's one way I can give to my school system, the students on stage really appreciate it, throughout my life many people did something similar for me and it's really important for my own children to see me do what I'm really good at. Out of all of those reasons, I think the first and last are key. You see my children know their dad plays basketball, loves golf, enjoys history and knows a lot about airplanes. Outside of the laundry, cleaning, cooking, homework hounding, crafting, and all, I think they need to know me too.

Next week though....I'm back to laundry, cleaning, cooking, homework hounding and most importantly, CRAFTING!

Yummy Fruit Enchiladas

Years ago Mr. and I were eating with some friends and she made the most amazing dessert. As we do around here, I asked for the recipe and she graciously gave it to me.  Fast forward a few years to yesterday and I happened upon a can of pie filling (used in pie irons for campfire pies while camping) in our pantry. I exclaimed "I know what we'll have for dessert!" That comment ALWAYS gets my family excited and this time was no different. I'm happy to say, it was a success and I thought I'd share it here for you.

Fruit Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 can pie filling (apple, blueberry or cherry...any will work)
6-12 (8-inch) flour tortillas
cinnamon (I just use my cinnamon & sugar shaker)
1/3C butter or margarine
1/2C sugar
1/2C brown sugar (packed)
1/2C water

Directions:
Spoon fruit filling evenly down the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle with cinnamon (whatever you think looks good). Roll up and place seam side dowm in a lightly greased baking dish (8x8 will work for 6-8, 9x13 if you make more). Bring butter, sugars and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. TReduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle with more cinnamon if you like. Bake (I cover the pan with foil) at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Is awesome with ice cream!

Now, for those of you who like to go really homemade, I see no reason you couldn't make your own tortillas or pie filling!

Sadly, I have no picture of it because it was gone almost as soon as it was served!

Anytime is a good time to knit

As a mom, I do a lot of waiting. Orthodontist appointment? I knit. Dance practice? I knit. Swimming lessons? More knitting. It's not that I'm patiently waiting because I'm not a very patient person. It helps me to have something to work on while I (im)patiently wait.

As the mother of a couple of budding athletes, I attend stress filled events where my children slide into bases, run through water, get hit with softballs (accidentally), try to tackle people, set picks, etc. It wears on me to see my children test their limits. Knitting calms me. Keeps me from shouting odd and embarassing things like "Be careful, honey!" or "Don't get hurt, Sweetie!" or the ever embarassing "RUN BABY RUN!"

Currently, my favorite time to knit is oral reading time. My youngest needs to spend time reading outloud as part of his weekly homework for school. It is so much fun to sit beside him and listen to his little voice reading. He's quite the kid and likes to use expression when he reads. I tell him he keeps me company while I knit and he takes his job seriously. I'll miss it when he becomes a bookworm like his older siblings.

As a friend/daughter/sister/etc., I often pray while I knit. I've knitted projects for friends and family members that they won't ever receive because giving them the knitted item was not the point. Praying for them was. Spending time knitting and chatting with God about the happenings and needs of others is time well spent, I think. We've had lots to discuss this past year and I have the knitting to prove it!

Sigh, it's so quiet today

I'm not even sure I can really explain how it feels to send my children back to school. The house is quiet right now. It's rather unnerving how quiet it is. I do have the guinea pigs and Fluffy to keep me company, but they just don't generate the energy level that four children (8,10,12,& 14) do.

I wonder how their day is going? Do they have friends in their classes (remember how important that was?) or are they stuck with classmates they don't really know? (OK, that last one is a wee bit irrational as our local school system isn't very big, maybe 80-95 in each grade level, of course they have friends in their class). Did they eat all their lunch? Who did they play with at recess? Did they miss me? Oh the worries of a mom left behind.

The ironic thing is that starting at 4:00p.m. today the house will be terrifically loud and busy again. Piano lessons, cross country practice, supper, laundry (I wash & fold, they put away), homework, and the other natural family rhythms & routines we have. I'll have my questions answered and we'll all fall into bed tired ready to go again tomorrow.

For now, it's just me, my worries, some Binky's fudge http://www.etsy.com/shop/SexyStitches and coffee. I'll make it just fine, I always do...

I should go craft!

Have some Potato Soup

As far back as I can remember, my grandmother's potato soup has been one of my favorite soups. We would have it with chunks of cheese melted in it (and yes the melted strings of cheese mixed with crackers would create cheap jokes about sneezing into the soup), freshly baked bread, home canned pickles, and relishes. So lets rewind a few years (roughly 17) and imagine my excitement over receiving her potato soup recipe, written in her own hand, as a gift at one of my bridal showers:

Potato Soup
Several Potatoes
onion- a little
cook until done
thicken with a little flour
add milk and "season to taste"

That's it. Those were the instructions I had. Armed with that recipe I set out to create this soup I had been raving about for my new husband. Any ideas what that recipe becomes when given to a rookie cook? Boiled potatoes!!! Needless to say, my husband started getting a little worried about his diet for the rest of his life.

Happily, I have made a few modifications over the last several years! That "season to taste" part now includes a pat of butter, glop of sour cream, celery chunks, rivels* and fresh herbs (chives are great) if I have them. I'm proud to say that it is one of my children's favorite soups and Mr. is pleased it's become more than boiled potatoes!

*I'm not sure how to describe these! They are made with 1C (approx.) flour and one egg. I mix it together with a table knife until I have bits of dough the size of lima beans or almonds. They cook instantly when you add them to hot soup. My mom just uses the egg yolk, but I never know what to do with the leftover egg whites. They come from the German/Mennonite tradition I hail from.

Have a good one everyone...

Well come on in and sit a spell...

Those are the words I remember hearing every time we walked in to my Grandma's house. They were quickly followed with coffee, cookies, and whatever else she could find to feed us. We rarely made it past the kitchen table at grandma's house and I cherish those memories. Even today in my mind hospitality equals a kitchen table. That being said, grab a coffee, a cookie or whatever you like and "Come on in and sit a spell" with me as I share about life, crafting, guinea pigs, and whatever else comes to mind!