The Cooking Phase

Friday, April 11th, 2008 by Alyice

Anyone who knows me knows that there are only a few things that I can cook and cook well— ceviche, tacos, enchiladas, gourmet hamburgers, meatloaf, and quiche. Other things I can make in the kitchen that my family enjoys are: sushi, Nana’s green bean soup, Val’s home-style chili, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, Gram’s dirt pudding (it’s not what you think), and Mom’s pumpkin pie. Everything else is basically a hit and miss and I miss far more than I hit!

But that didn’t stop me from spending a year, back in 2006, torturing my family as I tried to cook new and exciting things. I even tried to cook healthier—which they swore me to never do again! But that got old really fast as I discovered that I had very little patience for spending hours in the kitchen prepping and cooking then another hour cleaning up the mess.

Of course it was always a great treat when my mother-in-law, Val, showed up to help me cook. We’d prep, cook, and clean up together—making the time fly by. I’d learn a few tricks of the trade—always resulting in better cooking skills—and enjoyed an evening eating a feast fit for a king.

In October my daughter and I decided to throw a Halloween party but to make sure the food was eatable, she enlisted the help of her grandmother. We both chuckled when she asked grandma to come to her party and do the cooking. I learned a lot that day, including the fact that sometimes even recipes could use a little tweaking.

We made Frankenstein meatloaf with mashed potatoes, herb hand-shaped bread, and a few other treats. Then at Thanksgiving we got together to make turkey shaped cookies and apple pies. As you can see from the photo below, my pie didn’t turn out so well. But looks aside, it tasted pretty good.

I may never become a gourmet chef, but I can honestly say that I’ve discovered the secret to cooking good meals lies in having fun. Now when I want to cook up a feast and invite a few guests over, I start with a clean kitchen, turn on the music, and just take my time. I’ll sing and dance while I stir, cut, and baste. And I’ll hold conversations with guests as they arrive. I just wish my kids liked cooking more; it sure would be a lot more fun with them in the kitchen with me. Ah well, one day…

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The Crochet Phase

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 by Alyice

When I was a little girl my grandmother, a.k.a. Grams, bought me a very long crocheting needle and showed me the basic chain stitch. She told me that once I mastered the single stitch she’d teach me another stitch. Unfortunately that never happened. I held onto that blue needle for years, hoping to one day share the love of crocheting with my Grams.

Then last year, during an away baseball tournament, my mother-in-law brought along her bag of crocheting supplies and I was hooked! I crocheted my little heart out all weekend and by Sunday evening I had half a blanket completed. My son’s friends got a kick out of watching a “young mom” sitting in the stands with a bag of yarn, crocheting like there’s no tomorrow while screaming praises to the team.

I went on to make 10 blankets for my kids, my friends, my family, and even my chiropractor’s new baby. It was nice being able to sit down to a movie and not find myself fidgeting and thinking about a zillion other things I could be doing with my time. I simply pulled out the yarn and started crocheting. Counting stitches and keeping my fingers active helped me to just “sit and relax” and having lost my mom in March of 2006, the time spent crocheting and watching television was a welcome treat.

My only regret is that I didn’t learn more stitches because eventually I got bored with the single stitch and the fun began to disappear. That is until I learned a new stitch—one that involved creating squares. My only problem now is that I goofed up somewhere and the blanket I am completing is beginning to come loose as the colors transition from yarn to yarn. That means I’ll have to go back over those areas and tie some knots to keep everything together.

I think I will purchase one of those beginner’s videos on crocheting as I simply cannot understand the books I’ve checked out of the library or perused in the bookstores.

The best thing about crocheting, for me, is that it is one of those things I have absolutely no desire to turn into a side business which means it will always be a wonderful way for me to relax—guilt free—in front of the television set.

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The Fence Phase

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 by Alyice

After painting every room in our home, I ventured outside to paint the fences. I bet you thought I was going to say outside of the house, didn’t you? While I did have a neighbor who did a lovely job of decorating the outside of her house with stencils, I just couldn’t get myself to go there—too afraid of the cost to fix my mistakes.

I did, however, have a blast painting vines and flower gardens on our front porch and side fence while the kids enjoyed a painting session on the fence in the backyard. Our house had many “tourists” who’d stop by to admire my work.

I hate to admit it, but I would peek outside my windows when I heard talking, then quietly open the doors to listen to their conversations; every once in awhile I would spook a few. It was actually quite entertaining to watch them jump a foot or two. Once, I met a lady who had even gone as far as calling up her friend from a neighboring town to make a special trip to our town just to see my artwork and get a few ideas for her own yard. It was always humbling to have them praise my work—as simple as it was.

And I learned a very valuable lesson when it came to painting those fences: make sure you use “outdoor” paint because craft paint fades really fast and you have to do the work all over again!

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