09 August 2013

Seven Quick Takes Friday, Vol. 42

Linking up with Jen & Co!

I
I missed last week's Quick Takes with a migraine, and will be missing next week's for a much better reason: we are finally taking our first camping trip as a family! We're planning to spend one night at a lake in the mountains and one night in Denali Park. I am looking forward to it so much!

II
Thirteen months is too young to be throwing tantrums. Isn't it? Little Bear is definitely starting to make a scene when he is displeased, though. He yells when I take the wrong cereal out of the cupboard, when I offer him a bite, when I don't offer him a bite, when I put him in his chair, when I take him out of his chair, when I set him on the floor, when I set him on my lap, when I don't let him play with Daddy's computer cables, when I decline to sing "Rain Rain Go Away" for the seventeenth time in a row... Because he's so little, though, I'm not sure how to teach him that he can't do that. Timeouts aren't effective yet, because he simply doesn't understand.

III
We ordered a couple of things from Cabelas for our upcoming camping trip, and in the box there was a promo code for a company called NakedWines.com. They seem like a legitimate company, and $160 of wine for $60 sounds like a pretty good deal, but there is the little problem of the note on their FAQ page: "Alaska and Hawaii are really far out so they're used to the fact that paying a lot for shipping is the cost of living in wild serenity." Ouch. I mean, yes, we are used to everyone charging an arm and a leg in shipping, but most people aren't that blunt about it... So I don't think we will be using our code, and I'd be happy to let someone else have it!

IV
Hypothetical scenario: You have the opportunity to go to daily Mass today. Your child(ren) should be napping, but since that's not happening, you load up and head out. By the time you are halfway to the church, the traffic is backed up, the child(ren) screaming, and it is obvious that you are going to be late. Do you go anyway, knowing that you need the grace, or do you turn around and go home, reasoning that no one wants to see your screaming offspring at the church anyway?

V
The other weekend at a garage sale, I picked up the first two Mitford novels for fifty cents. They aren't quite my usual genre, but I'd heard them spoken quite highly of, and I'm so glad I have them a try! The best words I can find to describe them are "comfortable," "cozy" and "charming;" they chronicle the everyday adventures of the quiet, rural southern appalachian town of Mitford, experienced by the older Episcopalian rector. I picked up the next six at a used bookstore this week, and a friend passed down her copy of the final book, so I have the whole set to work through during Little Bear's afternoon naps.

VI
Matt came home from work early today -- which never happens, so it scared me half to death when I heard someone opening the front door -- with a great deal of pain in his mid back. He's spent the rest of the day laying down with heat on it, taking ibuprofen every few hours, and would sure appreciate some prayers that it clears up soon!

VII
And... I have nothing. Um, camping food? I'm supposed to be working on a menu for our three-day-two-night adventure; if you have any suggestions for camping meals that don't require a whole lot of preparation or clean-up, I'd love to hear them.

Have a lovely weekend!

3 comments:

  1. I would continue on to Mass. Maybe by the time I got there the kids would have settled down. Also, if I were late, I could at least spend some time in adoration after the Mass, maybe even talking quietly to the kids about Jesus in the Tabernacle.

    Have fun camping!

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  2. I love doing pie irons! Do you have any or know someone's you can borrow? Slather some butter on bread, put the bread butter side to the iron, pour on some pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings, bury in coals until bread is golden brown (you can open to check occasionally). For dessert....put on more bread/butter and scoop in some pie filling. Mmmm...

    Uh, and s'mores. Right? You knew that one? ;) I always loved hot dog/s'mores/chips for a campfire. Making eggs and bacon in a cast iron skillet for breakfast, or taking cold cereal/milk. Packing fixings for sandwiches so you don't have to make a fire mid-day.

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    Replies
    1. I'd never heard of pie irons; that sounds like a fun idea! Maybe we will be able to find some before our next camping expedition. As for s'mores, they were always part of camping trips for both of us growing up, but Matt doesn't like marshmallows, so... I don't know. I'm planning on oatmeal and banana bread with peanut butter for breakfasts, just to keep things simple and limit the amount of things we have to try to keep chilled!

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