The dreaded question...

There are many articles that talk about the lack of support women in this country have when it comes to the decision to work or not to work. On some level, we self-perpetuate the myth that women should be able to have a career and a family. Companies don't have day care onsite, which they should. Companies don't push to offer more time off for a mom and a new baby, which they should. You have to fight to pump your milk someplace other than the bathroom because companies want to ignore that some of the employees will lactate.

I got the question today or perhaps it was a statement on my current life choice, "SO, does this mean you'll finally quit and stay home with the kids?"

Why is it a question only for woman? I have a Masters in Electrical Engineering and a career in semiconductors spanning twelve years. It is assumed that I will give it all up. Why do we as a country not find a way to better support women and families in the work place instead of assuming that half of our workforce should be at home.

Why wasn't the question, "So, will your husband finally quit and stay home with the kids?"

We don't know how to handle professional women. Period. Let's look at the latest CEO of Yahoo. She started the job six months pregnant. Should this be a major issue? At six months pregnant there was no way she was trying to hide it. However, investors panicked. Pregnancy should be viewed as good thing. It shows that this woman is healthy and young with lots of time to invest in the company. And let's be realistic, as a CEO day care costs will not be an issue. It's a little different for those of us lower down in a company, but somehow her pregnancy upset the business world.

As a professional woman, it is hard and it is even harder to connect with other women and feel like part of a community.

Going back to work with a newborn is hard. There is no ifs ands or buts about it. You don't want to leave your baby with someone else, but your do. Not to mention, if you do not have a good day care situation (another story for another day) it goes from hard to horrible. Maybe my job situation will change, there aren't any job options for me in a small town and my boss could tire of my working remote. Until that happens, I will continue to work.

Some quiet time

I am not posting as much as I used to. I'm not sure what changed, I definitely have things to say. I am feeling as if I am talking to myself these days. Perhaps it is working by myself that is doing it. I am spending so much time alone that I don't need to write notes to myself, too. I need to find an outlet that involves real people.

Recycling and Sewing

I had a bright idea as I looked at one of Pete's shirts destined for the rag bag. The front was stained beyond what I would allow him to wear in public, but I thought that the shirt had a better future if I could re-purpose it.

I cut off the sleeves and modified an existing pattern for a little boy's shirt to work around the stains and pen marks.







The last photo is Big N in the finished product prior to adding buttons and button holes. All that is left is to cut the threads from the button holes and wash and press the shirt. I've added the buttons, but have not had a chance to take a photo of Big N in it. For some reasons, clothes really do not excite him as much as his sister.

Big N has mentioned that he finds zippers much easier to work than buttons, but I'm not ready to send him out to join the bowling league, yet. I have promised that he can pick out the shirt from the rag bag so I can make one with a zipper for him on my next project for him. There are plenty.

A lovely tea party

Little N and I had a tea party the other day. It was a lot of fun for everyone involved. She enjoys real tea with milk and sugar. I have to agree, what's not to love?

We also had snacks with our tea. Little N made one type tea sandwiches. I sliced some cheese for her and she made crackers with cheese sandwiches. She suggested that we serve fruit and strawberry jam sandwiches, too. She especially enjoyed adding milk and sugar to my tea.

It was a beautiful afternoon where we both managed to lose track of the time and enjoy our time together.

Little N had snowflakes on Valentine's Day

Just in time for Spring, we have snowflakes! Little N wore this dress to church this morning.



As I mentioned earlier, my New Year's resolution has been to use up what I have, as far as craft projects. I purchased a beautiful blue corduroy fabric with white snowflakes before Big N was born. And, yes, that was 6 years ago. The plan had been to make overalls out of it. After Little N was born, I thought this might make a cute baby dress. That was 4 years ago.

I'm really glad my plans didn't work out! Or perhaps, this is positive reinforcement that procrastination can work for you.

Little N loves her dress. It twirls well when she spins, which is her only requirement.

On the sewing front, I learned how to gather a skirt and sew a button hole. Skirt gathering is a requirement if I want to make anything that twirls for little N.

Sewing during my vacation

My new year's resolution is to use up some of the fabric and yarn I already own and make some things. It is New Year's eve, and I've already made a small dent.

Here we have brand new flannel jammies pants for Big N. He loves them, and not just because they match the sheets I made him a few years ago.

Instead of using a pattern, I based these off of a pair of pants he loves. I made them narrower, as he is narrower. They are a perfect fit! I left a little growing room in the elastic and the hem can be lowered.

Little N now has a fleece nightgown. I used a pattern for this one. I originally picked up this fleece before she was born intending to make her a baby blanket. I'm very happy with the outcome, even though I stored the fleece for over 4 years. The nightgown is very large on her. She wore it over her clothes until dinner time last night, when she got "too warm!"

The Grass is always Greener...

They say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but in some cases perhaps what they should say is you just need to invest in a good sprinkler and run through it a few times on a sunny day. In that case, you wouldn't have to look over the fence.


Our front yard

One habenero...

I love to cook. Anyone who knows me will agree to that. Whether I cook well or not is debatable, but I do enjoy trying new things.

My latest cooking experimentations have included peppers. In particular, spicier peppers. I've grilled peppers as a side dish and added them to mango salsa over shrimp. My most recent attempt was an oven roasted pepper dip. I've made this before with only sweet peppers, but I thought a little heat might add some depth.



I roast the peppers the night before and let them cool so I can peel the skins off. I treated all the peppers the same, including those 2 innocuous looking little orange peppers. Once I got the peppers and onions into the oven to roast, I cleaned up and washed my hands.

Once I had the peppers roasting, I decided to snack on a pluot we had picked up from the farmers market. About 15 minutes later, I noticed that my lips were burning. It took me a second, and I realized that the residue from the habenero must still be on my hands.

I scrubbed my hands like you would see an actor playing a doctor scrub for surgery and they still burned.

In the future, I will use gloves to handle the peppers.

Roasted pepper dip

1 sweet red pepper
1 sweet yellow pepper
1/4 sweet onion
1 or 2 habanero pepper
1 clove garlic
kosher salt
pepper
cooking oil
Cream cheese
Sour cream
juice of half a small lemon

The night before you want your dip, preheat your over to 400 degrees.

Lightly coat a large baking sheet with oil. Clean and cut peppers into quarters, throw out the seeds and veins. Lightly toss in oil. Spread out on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut the onion into rings (1/4 inch thick or so). Add to sheet, coat in oil and add salt and pepper. Place into a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove small habenero pepper from pan and continue to roast larger peppers for 20 minutes longer.

Place onions and peppers into a plastic container and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, peel the skins from the peppers.

Take the garlic clove and crush into a paste with some kosher salt. Add this to the bowl of your food processor. Add the peeled peppers and onions and mix to a coarse paste. Add 1 heaping Tablespoon of cream cheese and sour cream and mix. Add additional Cream cheese and sour cream until desired consistency is reached. Add fresh lemon juice from half of a small lemon.

Serve with chips!

Apple Blossoms

Our trees are blooming... They are beautiful and a reminder how fast the winter has flown by. The days are getting warmer and longer. We are once again able to enjoy the lingering sunshine on the back porch after dinner.

About two weeks ago, on one such evening, the kids were playing on the slide and I noticed the blossoms. The light had a pink cast to it, warming up everything in view. I immediately ran inside to find my close-up set and my favorite lens (85 mm). I think taking photos was in the back of my mind after talking with Mica when I recently ran into her.

This summer, I promise to not let the months fly by so fast. I need to take more photos. I need to do that for myself as much as for the kids. I am horribly out of practice, making mistakes that I notice on the screen and would have noticed through the lens in the past.

Send 'em back

Around New Year's, when I was reflecting on what I wanted to change for the coming year, I came across a nicely written post by a friend of mine. One of her new year's resolutions was to take better care of herself. As I read her well written post, it dawned on me I was up early on a Saturday why shouldn't I take better care of myself? I decided I would do something right then, and thought about the drowned rat appearance I had ignored shortly after my morning shower. The drowned rat appearance I ignore most days as we rushed through our week.

I proceeded to the bathroom, where I pulled out my long neglected, velcro curlers. I was going to curl my hair. That's right, I was going to gussy up and get girlie for my husband. I carefully parted my hair and covered my head with the giant curlers. I am somewhat out of practice, if the recently gone swimming look I tend to sport is any indication. After about 30 minutes and at least four mumbled statements including profanities, I walked out to the living room, curlers in place, to make breakfast for the kids. By this time, both kids were out of bed and cuddling with Pete on the couch.

I was ok with the looks of amazement from their little eyes and the chuckles from Pete until I got past little N. "You should give Grandma back her curlers!"

"These are my curlers, honey. Mommy doesn't use them that often."

She of course wanted one of grandma's curlers in her hair and I complied. She then insisted that I give them back to grandma when we were done.

No, mom, I did not steal your curlers.