FOUR

Pie Chain! This is so genius. No more fussing with dried beans for blind baking my pies. Just a simple little (10 ft) chain. 

 2015 week four.

V has learned a new method of frustration management: spitting and hissing and letting it drip down her chin.

And while the pie was baking, Vera helped with laundry. She has become very interested in clothes lately; more specifically dirty clothes in the hamper. She loves to drape them around her neck or force her head into the arms to make gross hats. 

Tried to make the pinterest apple roses pie. After wasting so many apples, I had to fill the middle with raspberries. And so, yes, it was lovely, and probably tasted better with the raspberries anyway, BUT it didn't taste good enough to make up for the frustration. So, never again. 

Hey, this day in January it was 70 degrees. That vest did not last long. 

The next day was 40 degrees! So what did we do? Go to In-N-Out at 1030am for a black and white milkshake! 

The workers loved her and gave her this hat that she snuggled with all day saying, "Funny hat. Funny hat." In the same tone that you would say, "Oh, you!" 

My babies helping to make pumpkin gnocchi. 

This is what she said: "Eat pumpkin easy cat." Easy Cat did not want the pumpkin.

I've been working my way through the winter chapter of A Kitchen in France. Potato pie [pretty tasty]. We also had chicken and mushrooms in puff pastry cups called vol-au-vent [really tasty], parmesan soup [the most tasty!!], roasted potatoes [just fine], carrot ginger soup [meh? refreshing.] ,  a pear custard dessert called pear flognarde [delicious!], oxtail macaroni gratin [strange but warm and creamy and tasty], roasted sausages with red wine and fennel [would have been better if I had spread them out on a baking sheet instead of a small dish]. And tomorrow we're trying the coq au vin [essentially chicken cooked in wine until it falls apart and served over noodles] with the missionaries. If it's no good, we'll get them a pizza.

V has still been hanging on to her cold like a drippy little security blanket.

She started to *shudder* grind her teeth.  I had a dentist appointment on Monday and I brought V with me, and I didn't anticipate but gladly accepted the dentist checking V's teeth for free. She said that the grinding helps to clear airways when kids have a cold. What a horrible way for kids to clear their airways. Also, the dentist said that I have perfect teeth (*ding!) and that my saliva (?) is so amazing (??) that she should bottle it (???) and sell it for a million dollars (what is happening?). But whatever. I love compliments from the dentist. I take an improper amount of pride in my good luck good teeth when I did nothing to earn these teeth other than brush them and floss when Matt's judging eyes get too much to bear. :)

Because she has had such a hard time breathing and is so sniffly and miserable, she has been sleeping poorly. And now when she wakes up in the night she goes to her door, pounds on it for a few minutes and then falls asleep behind her door. This allows her easy access to pound on it periodically for the rest of the night shouting "Good Morning!" Good thinking V. Works perfectly.