QUOTE OF THE DAY

(Put on your best whiny voice here....)

""I want food.

I need a diaper change.

I need sleep."

These babies, they are SO babyish.  I don't even understand them."

Butterzopf Takes the Cake

One of the things we miss the most being back here is the bread.....mostly the Butterzopf and the Shoggi Gipfeli's (the chocolate filled croissants).  It just doesn't exist here.  So,

Several weekends ago I busted out the "Taste of Switzerland" book that I got for Christmas and was determined to recreate our favorite Butterzopf bread.  To pronounce it right, I like to think of the word "boo-tay", in the sense of hey, you have nice boo-tay.  Boo-tayr-tzopf.  Get it right folks.  I am sure my Swiss counterparts are cringing right about now. 

After much research on the different types of flours and what to use, I was still left helpless and with conflicting information.  The Swiss book says to find a "strong" bread flour, while many internet recipes say that buttertopf is made with a low gluten flour.  Not sure where to go with this one......so to simplify things I decided to just go with Gold's "Better for Bread" flour. No where on any flour package could I find it list gluten content so I crossed my fingers on this one and hoped for the best.

First round wasn't so successful. I had some left over yeast I brought back from Switzerland (yes, I am THAT cheap). It apparently didn't survive the flight home, and so my first attempt didn't work.......the bread didn't rise and decided to wait until I attempted it again.  So this weekend after a somewhat depressing dinner outing last night (let's just chalk it up to bad food, expensive bill, fast service.......yes, we actually miss 2-3 hour meals), I decided to fill my Sunday with a little re-do bread making to widdle my sorrows away.  My favorite thing I got out of storage was my Kitchen Aid mixer.  No more dinky hand held mixers......no more bread kneading by hand.  This old champ does the trick and in under 5 minutes I might add. 

We let the bread rise for 2 hours, and then started the intricate process of braiding with 2 strands.  We practiced with towels for awhile before hand, and did pretty good on the first take, I must say.

We let her rise one last time and she was off to bake.  And what a beaut she was. 

It was about 90% spot on...the more you ate of it, the more I convinced myself it really did ALMOST taste like the real thing.  Next time we are going to try and dissolve the butter into the milk instead of cut it into the flour, maybe that will better evenly distribute it.  And maybe a couple tablespoons of honey will sweeten things up.  That'll be in a couple weeks.....take 2 coming soon!

The Super Defender

Here they all are at the recent basketball game saying the YMCA creed about playing fair, staying true to themselves and others, treating your teammates and opponents nicely.....wondering if the half hand across the heart is any indication that the boy probably had a finger on his other hand crossed behind his back.

Basketball has definitely been a humorous adventure in 6 year olds playing sports.  It's a brilliant concept...they pair the kids together by colored wrist bands, so throughout the whole game Chance knows that he has to defend the player on the opposite team with the same color as he.  The first thing to click was definitely the Defense......this week we saw a little too much hands in the face and grabbing with a mean little grin.  Think we need to go over the meaning of that little creed they recite.

Chance's biggest strength is that he can stay on his man like a hawk.  So much so that the first couple games he didn't quite realize that you don't have to stay on your man when you are on OFFENSE.  That week's home lesson: during offense you need to try and get away from your defender.  The next week's game was full of Chance running in circles around all his other teammates (who were trying to score) to get away from his defender....a concept taken a little too literally.  For some reason this brought back sore memories of me on the 7th grade team.  I was "A" teamed solely for the fact that I was tall, and spent most games stationed under the posts saying in my head, "please don't throw the ball to me, please don't throw the ball to me".  Think I would have been better off running in circles around the court! 

So this week's game we worked on getting open instead of getting away, which brought drastic improvements.

I've gotta give him credit for getting out there and trying his best now that we are back state-side and access to so many sports is at our finger tips. 

And of course at every game and practice, Chance's most loyal fan is there cheering him on, wondering when he'll be old enough to play too.

Mad About You, Flipper

Friday night Ryan made it home early and we went up to the community center after dinner to enjoy the "water park" there.  After we had our fill of the lazy river, water slides, and mushroom fountains, I took Brooks in to change him and the boys decided to have one last hurrah inside on the diving board. 

I can't remember how it went down exactly, but shortly after Brooks and I entered the indoor pool area to collect the boys, my attention is brought to the fact that amongst all the 6 and 7 and 10 year olds doing cannonballs off the diving board, my husband is showing off his talents that are unbeknownst to me......apparently the man can do a front flip AND A HALF, quite beautifully actually.

This is why I love you babes......you always have something up your sleeve and you manage to keep it pretty darn interesting.  It's been a great 9 years (12 really).....HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.

Quote of the Day

We were driving back from the gym this morning, and there's a pasture of horses that we pass each time.  There's been a little brown foal since we moved here, but today there was a new tiny black one.  I yell trying to get Chance to look up from his gameboy and see the new baby.....he of course misses it but then asks,

"Was it as cute as Brooks?  Of course it wasn't.  I could never say that anything is cuter than my special brother cause he is in my family.  And he's the cutest, bestest boy ever".

Dry Feet

It's funny to look back on blog posts and read what was going thru my mind at the time.  I guess that's why I write this thing anyhoo......for self therapy among other things.  Some days are good and some are bad, today wasn't the highest on the list.  It's little things that really set me off, I have to admit this part of the "grieving" process was very unexpected.  My friend Amy, that lived down the street from us in Zurich, moved back to our area a year before we did, told me a story about how shortly after moving home she went to the store to look for a tabletop fireworks birthday popper (it's a real firework that you ignite a string at the bottom and it blows a fuse and explodes birthday confetti all over the table), very unsafe by American standards and so you'd never find one here.  I remember her telling me that this set her in to tears in the middle of the store.  Yesterday evening we headed over to the park with Chance's little neighbor friend.  They stayed for about 15 minutes and then had to head back for a piano lesson, but while the dad and I were talking, he happened to draw my attention to the fact that we were the only people at the park, that the neighborhood was filled with a million kids, and where in the world were they?  It's like an undisturbed ant mound in this neighborhood, everyone's nesting inside apparently.  So he implants that in my head, and then happens to mention the gas drilling that will probably take place right down the street from us so that we can all get cancer, and then leaves me with "ya and the tornado that came thru here last year broke all sorts of trees in our back yard, and can you believe that it actually took the middle out of an electric pole with a diameter of more than a foot."  EERK.  Tornados rank almost as high on my fear list as black pool drains, of which we have 2 of them in our back yard. 

Then they leave us there to play ALONE.  I look up and realize, wow this park is EMPTY and all I want at that moment is to go back to Zurich, to my nice big park where tons of people we know were always there, where we could lay down a blanket and spend the afternoon.  So then the crocodile tears come.....I'm going to die ALONE leaving this abandoned park, running from a giant tornado that will pick me up and throw me in my pool so I can get eaten by pool drains, and if that doesn't kill me, the cancer from the gas drills will.

Drama, I know, but it's an uncontrollable flight reaction that keeps ringing in my head, get me out of here, back to Zurich and fast. 

Ryan said last night on the phone, maybe honey this all will pass once your hormones stabilize.  Sometimes not the best choice of words for a woman who hasnt ovulated for the past 18 months but I do see his point.   Jen.......what's that magic herb you found?  Can you send me a care package?

So back to the beginning of the story.  I was looking at a blog post I wrote just before moving here, where I was so excited to plant our new vegetable garden.  Somewhere inside I am still excited to do it, maybe that's what I need to do to finally get my feet wet and admit that yes, we do live here.  I keep remembering one of Jen's emails where she said that we had a great thing, and now it is gone, we are all in different places, and we just have to let ourselves mourn for awhile. 

So I'll let you know once I'm willing to set my feet down and get them wet.  I think the vegetable garden will be the beginning of sticking my toes in the cold water, we'll see.  Maybe in the fall.

Get Your Guts

Chance asked me before Umpa came to visit, is he coming all this way to get my guts?  Umpa and Chance have this continual taunting they do, claiming that each one will get the others guts.  And Chance never ceases to remember to go and grab Umpa's "guts" first. 

So, Umpa, Lisa and Matthew came to visit for the weekend on the tails of Cyndy leaving.  It's been nice to have a house full of people for awhile, it keeps it lively.  Chance was in heaven with Matthew being here, and the boys got to catch up thru a ton of wii playing and swimming. 

Saturday morning we got to attend Chance's first basketball game.  He's been practicing so diligently and really giving it his all.  I was questioning how things would go down at the first game considering the coaches never told the kids what a real game would be like, much less give them any insight in to playing another team.  Up until now it's just been dribbling and shooting practice.  Nothing about actually needing to get the ball down the court and in to your teams basket, or keeping the other team from doing the same. 

Last practice before the game, the coach pulled out colored wrist bands and attempted to explain that each kid would get their own colored wrist band, and one kid from the other team would have the same color, and that they were to defend that kid the whole game.  I knew it wouldn't be pretty when the first kid asked, "are these magic wristbands?"

So the first game was quite a hoot, Chance was all over his man, but a little too all over his man.......he was focused and driven but somehow forgot that he might want to keep an eye on the ball and that when you are on offense, you don't keep needing to playing defense.  It will come. 

I've gotta say though, the one shot he did take looked pretty darn awesome

And no game is complete without some pretty avid fans in the audience cheering on the ultra defender.

Brooks says that if you aren't old enough to play basketball, at least you can watch and eat one instead.

The rest of the weekend was spent soaking up time with the boys, counting toes and getting guts.

We spend a nice evening eating at our new restaurant find on the lake, and on Sunday we took Chance to a baseball game......lesson learned, better get the kid some exposure before little league starts in the fall.  No, truth be told, Chance has been working very hard on his summer reading club at the library and he earned himself a free ticket to the game.  So we all tagged along. 

We lasted a whole 4.5 innings, with Chance asking every 20 minutes when it would be over, and Brooks happily decided not to nap cause it was way more interesting to have mommy or daddy hold you at the top of the stands so you could woo all the ladies in to coming over and talking to you.  I swear the kid can bat eyes at the ladies already.  He's never met a stranger.  And when that got old, we'd sit back in the stands and throw cheerios all over the floor. 

As we were walking to our car I asked Chance if he had a good time.  "Ya, I liked it" he responded.  "Would you ever want to go to another game?" I asked.  "No thanks," he responded, "I think that was enough". 

Today's Conversations

I can't sing enough praises about Chance and the love he has for Brooks. 

He's always looking out for him, and again almost tackled Amy's 16 month old when he got too close to Brooks.  He likes to take an active role in whatever he can, so today I let him feed Brooks his milk.  He held him in his lap and held his sippy cup.  Midway thru Brooks lets out a cry for who knows why, but it happened and Chance responded: "Brooooooooks, can't you see I am trying to help you so that you'll grow up to be as great as I am?" 

Later at the kitchen table, Chance is eating his lunch, I am sitting there munching on bread I'm not supposed to, and Brooks is crawling around the front hallway.  Chance asks me, "Mom, have you noticed yet that Brooks is crawling?"  Uh, ya I noticed that about over a month ago? 

As we were sitting there Brooks holds up his hand to show me something he has found on the ground, something very small that is likely headed straight for where all things end with Brooks, the MOUTH.  Chance yells, "I'll get it", and runs and grabs the piece of lint out of Brooks's hand.  I mention something about Brooks being in to everything, and Chance responds, "Ya, he's a really good finder."

Happy 4th

Mimi came the week before the 4th to start the on sleuth of visitors that we'd have for the next 2 weeks.  It's nice to add a little flavor to the house, and it actually makes me clean, which is always a good thing.  The look on our visitors' faces was priceless every time, the first time they'd see that our "guest room" is actually an offshoot of our bedroom, and that they'd be merely separated from us by some french doors.  Potential visitors beware.  Not sure which is more shocking, that, or the fact that we keep our AC on 79......as a courtesy from the normal 81 degrees that we keep it at.  Gotta keep those outrageous electric bills in check.

While in town, Mimi got to see one of Chance's basketball practices. 

He was eager to perform for her

I've been so impressed with his willingness to give it his very best, and really listen hard to what the coach is saying, usually taking things very literally.  The coach instructed them to dribble down "around" a cone, and then shoot a basket.  "Around" meaning just go to the outside of it.....but to Chance, the literal meaning was dribble a full circle around it.  Little misinterpretations like this keep us in check to the age of the kids we are dealing with........really, they are just little people!

For the 4th, we spent the morning at a very "American" parade, full of people decked out in spirited garb, waiting on the side lines of the road for the parade to come by.  I felt very American to be back there participating in that, but I've gotta say these American gatherings are taking some getting used to.....it's just down right culture shock which ever way you tackle it. Found myself wishing that there could be just one cappuccino stand amidst the concessions, one clean toilet, and some form of sausage other than a gross hot dog.  

After the parade we headed back to our place, where the full on Baganz family joined us for lunch, along with the Williamson's.  We busted out our Swiss fondue set and did it up Texas style with chips, salsa and queso.  And my Danish water carafe from Linda got to hold the Sangria.

Brooks as usual, batted eyes at every one and doesn't know a stranger except for Joy who continues to make him cry.  It's just plain embarrassing, really, such behaviour out of my child. 

So cheers to a Happy 4th!

Date Night

The shortened version of the story goes something like this.......... 12 years ago when we were wee little pups at UT, I lived at a the Parapet, a Melrosish apartment complex near campus with a great big Magnolia tree in the middle courtyard.  I came home one night to find some new neighbors had just moved in, and they were celebrating just a little too much.  Some how I ended up down in the courtyard celebrating with them. 

Several nights later I get knock at my door, and it's my new neighbor holding 2 Ziegenbock beers.  A couple weeks later we went on our first date, on June 26, 1998, and the rest my friend is history......

We went out to celebrate this occasion, that we are still in it for the long haul, and that yes, we still happen to REALLY like each other.  We decided to try out a little dive restaurant just around the corner from our new house on the lake.  We snuggled up to the bar, ordered up two tall Ziegenbocks for good times sake,

and spent the rest of the evening gazing in eachother's eyes while the band played in the background and the drunk people danced. 

It made us remember how one year we danced in the corner all night long during one of my work parties.  And if you know me, I dont do dancing all night long, in the corner.  If I remember correctly, that was also the night Ryan didn't quite make the window........and then proceeded to tell the car wash attendant the next day that his date puked in his car. 

Good times, good times.  We hope for twelve more twelves.