Seven Quick Takes

1. My parents and little brother, Scott, were in town last weekend before heading back to Shanghai. We didn't do anything particularly exciting, because they mostly had lots of errands to run and the weather was kinda crummy (why is that always the case on the weekend?) but it was great to see them again!

2. On Sunday, Maggie woke up from her morning nap early, so we headed to the park for a bit before the 11:00 Mass. When I told Claire we needed to leave for church, a little boy (maybe five?) asked what church was and what we did there. He was completely serious and it just broke our hearts. The first thing I thought of to tell him was that it's where we go to see Jesus, you know, who's birthday we celebrate on Christmas. He gave me an "ohhhhhhhh" response, like, "ahh, so that's the point of all this." I've often thought Christmas and Easter must be so confusing for kids who only get the secular celebrations.

(This little stinker loves getting to eat breakfast with just mom and dad. Which is why she insists on waking up at 6:00 everyday, while her big sister keeps snoozing for at least another hour.)

3. Anthropologie just happened to be having a 15% sale the day of the Edel Gathering, so Allie and I headed there first thing Saturday morning. I got this shirt, which brings my tally of short-sleeved tops to a grand total of two. Well besides, these plain Everlane v-necks. But I loooove it and have been wearing it twice a week. At the conference, I also bought this bracelet from Christian Bling. I've worn it daily ever since and looking down at my arm never fails to make me happy.

4. My goal for this month is to spend as close to zero as possible on everything, but particularly groceries. Reading American Wasteland inspired me to use up as much stuff in our pantry/freezer as I can. So far, I bought the following at Whole Foods:

Produce: bananas, strawberries, watermelon, green pepper, parsley, celery

Pantry: flour, cocoa powder, red beans, coconut milk, apple juice, a box of Annie's mac & cheese

Toiletries, etc: Mrs. Meyer's all-purpose cleaner

Our total was $50.25, including two slices of pizza for lunch. I know, I know. If I am trying to spend less on groceries why am I shopping at Whole Foods? Well, they are the only store besides Costco that has double shopping carts. And we like eating lunch there. But, really, if you only buy the essentials it's comparably priced to any other grocery store, I promise. (Oh, and we get milk and eggs delivered once a week, which is why they're missing from this list.)

5. I needed the apple juice to make applesauce, using apples from our very own backyard tree! I used the Pioneer Woman's recipe, which was delightfully easy, especially with an immersion blender. I'm mostly planning to make her applesauce pancakes with it. After I filled two mason jars with the fruits of my labor, I realized it made much more sense to freeze two-cup portions in Ziploc bags instead. Definitely not as pretty though.

6. Remember how I mentioned that I should only make pies from now on, since they're somehow the one dessert I'm not tempted to sneak pieces from all day? Well, I did an informal, but fairly exhaustive, survey of pie cookbooks from the library and have concluded that either "First Prize Pies" or "The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book" (both from Brooklyn bakeries) would be a welcome addition to my cookbook collection, come Christmas list making time. Maybe I'll just keep checking them out from the library until then...

(She needed a "costume" to watch an episode of Daniel Tiger.)

7. Adam is going camping with a group of guy friends this weekend. He loooooves going camping and I do not, especially now that we have a toddler and a baby, so I'm glad he's getting a chance to go. Not so glad that I'll have to go two nights without watching Once Upon A Time! Do you think he'll notice if we're a few episodes ahead when he gets back?

Happy Friday, everyone! Go see Jen for more quick takes.