Family Alive

Brian, Kristine, Analise, and Josiah Toone

What’s Cookin’… Apple Pie!

22nd November 2007

I love homemade apple pie. I learned to make it from scratch, courtesy of Lori Thompson and Betty Crocker, while in Nicaragua, and since then, I’ve been determined to make it myself. Today, I didn’t get it done in time for dinner. Bummer. But I made the dough yesterday, and finally had the time to peel, core and cut the apples and roll out the dough this afternoon. Since I didn’t have anyone to share it with over dinner, I thought I’d share it with you.

I used Paula Deen’s Perfect Pie Crust recipe and Betty Crocker’s Apple Pie recipe. I was afraid the pie crust wouldn’t hold together, but after patting it into a ball, flattening it into a thick disk, wrapping it in Saran and chilling it overnight, it rolled out really well.

Yum, apples…I even used organic:) Tossed with flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt.

I have to say the crust crimping wasn’t the best, but I’ll work on that next time. But the leaf and acorn cut-outs looked good!

Golden out of the oven.

Yum. Too bad I had to enjoy it alone. Anyone want to come over for pie and ice cream? It was DELICIOUS!

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Happy Thanksgiving from the Toones!

22nd November 2007

Here’s a glimpse of our Thanksgiving…

The Martha Stewart pinecone turkey project (using one HUGE pinecone from the California redwood forest). Quick, easy and fun.

The Thanksgiving feast table at Brian’s parent’s house…
rolls, turkey, cranberry sauce from a can, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes,
corn casserole, cranberry relish and green bean casserole (the last 3 were my contributions with links to the recipes).
Our pinecone turkeys joined the ceramic one 🙂

A sneak peek at our family Christmas card picture!
We’ve attempted it 3 times now, with a total of 12 pictures, but this one turned out the best.
Now, let’s see if I can get the cards in the mail before January… But if I don’t, at least you faithful readers can appreciate it!

Analise wore a pretty dress that Poppa Dale found at a University of Minnesota textile store. It looked so pretty on her!

Modeling by the Christmas tree next to our front door. No, I wouldn’t normally have Christmas trees up this early,
but she found it in the basement garage this week… (see below)

And insisted Brian bring it up for decorating with a couple ornaments she found digging around. Then she piled all her toys under it as presents:)
But just to set the record straight… she’s not going to be about the trees, decorations and presents, though I’m sure those are pretty exciting.

*EVERYTHING* is about Baby Jesus right now. We’re trading off being Mary, Joseph, shepherds and Baby Jesus.
Analise is wrapping "cloths" around Baby Jesus, and tucking him in (but really "her", because it’s usually her dolls Annie or Dora…
kind of disconcerting to ask where Baby Jesus is, and to hear her say, "She’s over here!")
I came home the other evening to find they’d arranged the chairs into a stable, with Dora playing the starring role.
Analise wanted to sleep in the stable, and she’d brought nearly all the toys, crayons and puzzle pieces she could find out to be gifts from the wise men.

Here’s another glimpse at a recent Nativity set up, with the Care Bear in the starring role, with Tigger, Strawberry Shortcake and the Veggie Tales squash looking on. Yes, the shoe is a perfect manger. …

She’s played with my cherished Willow Tree nativity set for a long time, and
it’s always a little internal battle for me to let her play with something that’s so fragile and means so much to me.
A couple weeks ago, I’d gotten a hand carved olive wood nativity set, very pretty and perfectly sized for her hands. Last night, I gave her the first of the Advent gifts I’d gotten, because, well, we can’t keep secrets around here:) No, really, I knew she’d enjoy it every day until Christmas, and probably until Easter. Oh, yes, and I’m hoping this one of her own will allow me to put mine on display for the holidays.

But today at Toones, Beverly gave her a Precious Moments nativity set to keep at their house. She was busy with that all afternoon.

Here’s everyone crowded into the stable. But the best part was when I overheard her saying the wise men had to go home because their Mommy needed them.
Two quick recommendations… we’ve recently just won "A Wowie Bozowie Christmas" featuring Boz the Bear and "The Very First Noel". Both are wonderful, but The Very First Noel is a beautifully animated sweet story, featuring the Wise Men’s trek to the Holy Child, narrated by Andy Griffith. Great music – Analise is already singing entire Christmas carols, awesome story, definitely a holiday tradition. (Both available together here, for only $19.99).

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The day before the feasting

21st November 2007

Quiet gray day here. We’re going to play at some friends’ house this morning, and I’ve got an apple pie to make. I *LOVE* making apple pies, though I don’t do it often enough (4th of July and Thanksgiving). I like to make the pie crust from scratch, and between that and peeling all the apples, it takes some time, but I’ll get to it this afternoon. Tomorrow, I’ve got to make the green bean casserole (this cheesy recipe is yummy – though I didn’t use the Velveeta) and the corn pudding

We’re also going to make a couple of these Martha Stewart pinecone turkeys for the table. They look pretty easy, and I think Analise will have fun making them. Happy day before Thanksgiving….

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Just the moments of life

19th November 2007

There’s so much I should be blogging about. We’re getting a huge photo backlog with the new camera, so of course, there are plenty I should be sharing. I’ve got lots of deep thoughts on lots of things I’d love to put together into eloquent, thought-provoking, tender, poignant posts. But really… if I get caught up on that, I’ll hardly ever get anything posted. My life is pulled in too many directions right now, and I’m lucky to finish an email without getting pulled away. But I’ve got to start just putting the moments of life to the keyboard, because they are too sweet to forget.

So here you’ll find some random memories of my sweeties. They’re growing so fast.

Every night I go in to make sure Analise is covered. I’m nearly brought to tears at how big she looks in her bed. Just 6 months ago we moved her out of her crib into the big-girl bed. She was still flopping all over the bed, thank goodness for the railing we installed. I imagined that she’d never stay on a pillow, sleeping in one direction all night, and that we’d probably use the railing until she was 10! But these days, she wants to be tucked under her quilt, head on the pillow, with a book to read by the soft light we leave on, with some CD playing. I’ll check on her a couple hours later, and usually find her still tucked under the covers, curled up, looking so big in her bed. Not at all the toddler she was just months ago. She’s growing into a little girl… BIG girl!.. in so many ways.

Yes, we’re still having the terrible-2’s moments carried over into the 3’s. I bragged about her having reached the Age of Reason in August, but we had a regression, back to tantrums, impatience, and lots of whining. Not sure what caused it, but it’s been frustrating. This week, though, she’s been very good, and it’s so encouraging.

She talks all the time. All kinds of random chatter, always a question. Her mind is always working. Her preschool teacher is amazed at how much she talks, and she’s always laughing about things Analise has said. As are we:)

Josiah’s quite a strong-willed little boy. He’s still full of trouble, always into something. He knows what he wants, and he’s determined to get it, no matter what he has to climb to get there. He’s also very sweet and snuggly at moments, coming up to my leg while I’m at the kitchen sink or sitting at the computer, and laying his head down, wrapping his little arms around my leg. It usually lasts less than 10 seconds, but it’s so sweet. It just melts me.

He still uses a pacifier to sleep, which is fine by me. He knows to toss it in the crib when I get him up from his nap or pick up him in the morning. He loves to have more than one to fall asleep with. In fact, tonight, there was only one in his crib, which he giggled and put into his mouth. I left him for a moment to find the other one that had gotten misplaced during the day. When I brought it to him, he was already curled up against the end of the crib, on his chest with his knees up under him, butt in the air, holding onto his blanket. I put the pacifier next to his hand, and he rolled over, found it, and started giggling excitedly, before switching the one in his mouth to the fresh one. So cute. He goes to bed so well… he knows when it’s time (btw 6:30 and 7pm) and naptime. He likes to curl up in his crib, and I’m so happy that I can just put him in and know he’ll be asleep by himself quickly.

Ok, enough mom thoughts. Maybe I’ll come back in a few with some pics…

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On more tender mom link…

15th November 2007

This is from one of my favorite bloggers, Notes from the Trenches. She also posts regular posts at The Parenting Post, where she shared this poignant letter to her newly teenage firstborn. This tender paragraph tugged at my heart…

It is such a cliche to say that time has passed in the blink of an eye,
but it is true. Of course when I was going through those toddler and
preschool years with you I thought they would never end. But now
sometimes, just for a brief minute, I wish you were still three,
hanging off my leg, and thinking that I had all the answers for all the
questions in the world.

Yep, that’s where I’m at these days. Analise chattered a mile-a-minute yesterday, full of questions, comments, and stories. She wanted to know about everything. It is amazing how she thinks I’m the source of all information. I wonder how long this will last?

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Something to make the mom’s smile :)

15th November 2007

Someone sent me this from YouTube.com: The Mom Overture. Very funny and true!

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The wrong attitude

12th November 2007

In yesterday’s Huntsville Times, an op-ed article was published that’s had both Brian and I up in arms. (I originally posted the link, but decided that we could spare the newspaper all the extra clicks, so here it is, in entirety:

Free-wheeling cyclists must obey the rules of the road

Sunday, November 11,
2007

Huntsville Times

Do all bicycle riders have a death wish, or just the ones I
happen to see? Among a number of other transgressions, I
have noticed time and again that they don’t stop at
intersections. They breeze right through. Are they not
supposed to stop at the signs the same as cars?

Spray paint some shorts on you, get a little pointed
Styrofoam helmet and you are exempt from the rules of the
road – and bulletproof.

As long as you don’t make eye contact, the
fossil-fuelers can’t hurt you. It’s like the
jaywalking in New York theory: Never look at the approaching
cars; play like you don’t see them.

I waited my turn at a four-way stop on a busy four-lane road
in Mississippi. A cyclist zipped past. If she saw the stop
sign I couldn’t tell it. She never slowed. She was
hunched over the handlebars in that awkward position, even
more than normal, fiddling with something. She weaved around
as I came up from behind about 100 yards down the road.

Then I saw what she was doing. She was punishing a
Blackberry, text messaging someone furiously while riding
among a bunch of vehicles, the smallest of which, mine,
would have squashed her like a bug.

A half-mile down the road, I saw her counterpart on his
bike, answering her texts with a Blackberry of his own. How
do I know they were together? They wore matching outfits –
Honey Bear and Sugar Face. A roadside mailbox or an open car
door would have made the perfect ending to this story. Alas,
wishing didn’t make it so.

I probably shouldn’t feel this way, but there’s a
something about many cyclists, an attitude that turns into a
sense of entitlement beyond sharing the road. It approaches
ownership. There can be a piety that’s exceeded only by
Toyota Prius owners – and there’s a good chance
they’re one and the same. It’s an "I’m
skinny and green and you’re fat and emit toxic fumes
from your tailpipe" kind of thing.

I’ve seen herds of cyclists run lights in an endless
stream, a Tour de Chance, just daring you to run them over.
And when it happens? Whose fault will it be? The driver of
the car, of course.

Lance Armstrong rode all over France for seven years and he
didn’t stop at no stinkin’ stop signs and traffic
lights. He didn’t yield. No speed limit applied to him.

If you’re a cyclist, you’ve probably pedaled up a
pretty good case of righteous indignation by now, especially
if you’re doping up for a big race.

Just kidding. Settle down before you rip your Spandex.
Obviously I’m not talking about you – you’re
different. It’s the rest of the bunch that lacks
manners.

And I don’t hate bicycles or riders in general.
I’ve been out in the country and witnessed packs of
cyclists pass with a soft whisper as the sleek machines
cleaved the air and ran with the wind. It’s beautiful
and requires a dedication and determination beyond most.

I know cyclists had to fight hard to get any respect on the
road, and I agree they are yours to use, too. I’ll give
you extra room and make all kinds of allowances for you. But
that doesn’t make you above the traffic laws that
attempt to keep us from running over you.

You have to take some responsibility, too.

What if you ran across an idiot in a car who was texting
while driving and maimed you while you were being an idiot
and texting while cycling?

On second thought, never mind. Just keep doing what
you’re doing. I believe it’s called
"Darwinism." Of course, if you’re a
creationist you don’t believe in that anyway. Ride on.

Ricky Thomason’s e-mail: RickyThomason@aol.com


Brian sent a civil response last night to both the editor and the writer. Ricky wrote a flippant note back this morning, saying that Brian must not have any regards for his (Ricky’s) job, and maybe (Ricky) should be heading out to look for a bike, since he won’t be able to afford a car any more. Hrmph. Not sure he had any regards for his job to be writing and submitting something like this for publication.

I mulled the article over through the night and this morning, and with the thoughts that came to mind, I composed this email:

Mr. Thomason –

My family moved here from Davis, California, one of the most
cycling friendly towns in the nation. I’m amazed to find such an
absolutely opposite attitude here in Alabama. In California, an article
like this would *NEVER* have appeared, and in my time there, I never
heard motorists complain about sharing the road with cyclists. It was
part of life and a given that cyclists have an equal right to be on the road,
as do pedestrians. Throughout Alabama, the prevailing attitude is that
roads are for cars alone. Thankfully, in Birmingham, there is a bit more
tolerance for cyclists than it sounds like there is in the Huntsville
area.

I agree with a majority of your article. And written
in the right tone, I think you might have gotten a positive response from both
cyclists and motorists, including one from me. But calling for cyclists
to be harmed for not obeying the law is ludicrous. There are just as many
distracted drivers out there endangering my life every time I get in a car, and
no one’s calling for them to be harmed.

As I glanced at your other articles, I noticed that you’ve
written about the racism in our state. Kind of disappointing to see such
double-standards, as you’re inciting the same hatred toward cyclists as racism
breeds between cultures.

My husband commutes to work each day on his bike. He
knows every time he puts his helmet on that he has to be on guard for unalert
drivers, motorists who choose to bend the law (i.e. flooring it to make it
through a red light or breezing through stop signs), and cars that just plain
don’t see him, in spite of his neon yellow tagged backpack and blinking
light. He’s been on the losing end of a hit-and-run with a driver who
made a left turn directly into him, even though my husband had the right of way
on the main road. He knows that when it comes down to car versus bike,
the winner is obvious.

And in spite of his alertness and safety on the bike, he was
worried enough to change his brakes last night and leave extra early to
minimize his chances of encountering ill-tempered motorists who might have read
your article. Though I’m inclined to hope that people in Birmingham would
not give your article a second thought because it was so irrational.

*******************************
Kristine Toone

Birmingham, AL 35216


I’m pretty proud that this letter doesn’t overflow with my anger that such an inflammatory article could be communicated in such a public forum. I don’t get angry very often. But it feels like he’s just made Brian’s life considerably less safe.

In a whole different discussion, I’m very torn as to what my feelings/reactions should be as a Christ-follower? Should I just ignore Ricky and his views? Should I pray that somehow in the onslaught of mail (and possibly reprimand) he’s sure to receive that his feelings are changed? Should I try to get beyond myself and LOVE him, remembering that his malice and slander are equal sins to any other, specifically those that I’m struggling with?

Ok, now that I’ve completely laid all this out here, I’m going to go try to get on with my day. Ricky and his silly views have eaten up more than enough of my thoughts, emotions and time.

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Babyproofing gone bad

8th November 2007


Um, yes… the baby is supposed to be on the OTHER side of the fireplace gate.


Now, he’s stuck, trying to get out. We still don’t know how exactly he got in there!
Hope we can get this gate Josiah-proof before we start building fires.
I tell you, we NEVER had problems like this with Analise.

And one last picture, for those lucky ones who got this far… my new haircut:

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Daddy fall colors adventure

4th November 2007

Kristine had a party to go to yesterday afternoon, so I had the kids to myself. See pictures from our fun fall adventure below!

bright leaves
While the kids were playing on the playground, I tried to take a few
pictures of the fall leaves all lit up by the setting sun.

bright greens and red
Bright reds and greens.

our transportation over
Here’s how I got both kids through the woods over to the playground.


Pretty yellow leaves on our walk over to the playground.

josiah snuggling
I knew it was time to leave when Josiah got very snuggly.

few leaves left
It’s interesting this year — some trees have lost almost all there leaves, while others
haven’t even started turning yet. Here you can see a tree with just a few of its leaves left
and yet in the background are some green trees that haven’t even started to turn!

brave chipmunk
This chipmunk came right up to our door while we were taking pictures of the squirrel. Brave little fella!

squirrel eating on the base of our bird bath
This squirrel was chowing down on a nut for several minutes on the base of our bird bath.

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An extra hour of sleep?

3rd November 2007

Seriously… whoever invented this Daylight Savings Time must not have had kids.  Just a couple years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed the extra hour of sleep that "falling back" gave me.  Tonight, I’m wondering just how early my morning is going to come.  Josiah’s been waking before 6:30 lately, and that would translate to 5:30 or earlier tomorrow am.  If I wanted an extra hour of sleep, I should have gone to sleep when Analise did.  That would have given me an extra couple of hours:)  Hope everyone else enjoys an extra hour or so for me…    

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