36 posts categorized "Out of the Kitchen"

Chloe is 7!: July 13, 2011
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
Somehow our youngest daughter turns 7 today. It doesn't seem that long ago that I went into labor during a work meeting at Patti's house. But here we are, 7 years later, and Chloe is her own little person with...

Disinfectant Scrub: May 19, 2011
Categories: Out of the Kitchen, Season: Anytime
As promised, here is the recipe for the other homemade cleaning product that we use regularly, a scrub for the bathrooms and the kitchen. Again, it has Dr. Bronners as the base, and baking soda gives it some graininess to...

Grapefruit All-Purpose Cleaning Spray: May 10, 2011
Categories: Out of the Kitchen, Season: Autumn
A few years ago, as our children got old enough to start helping more with household chores, I had a moment of horror as I watched one of them grab a rag and start scrubbing with one of the commercial...

Weekend Snapshots: Savannah, Georgia: April 27, 2011
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
We're back in town after spring break in Orlando and Miami. Gabe's family is in Miami, and this is the first year that we drove, partly to save money and partly because we thought it would be easier to stop...

Sunday Suppers: March 24, 2011
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
Last year's food-related resolution was to have a meal together every day and we almost made it. This year, I had a different idea, a silver lining kind of idea. As I have mentioned, this past year was a tough...

Weekend Snapshot: Birthday Month: March 16, 2011
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
Our two oldest children now have 20 years of living between them. Olivia turned 11 on Monday, and Oscar's 9th birthday was Saturday. These have been busy days for us, and I am finally taking time to reflect on the...

Grief and Consolation: January 24, 2011
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
I have been struggling lately to keep it light at home and on this blog. The past year has seen three of my favorite people struggle with beastly health issues. I have not felt comfortable writing much about these battles...

Happy New Year 2011: January 4, 2011
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
As the calendar turns and we begin another year, I just wanted to wish you kind readers a Happy New Year. Thank you for stopping by this site and sharing our adventures in and out of the kitchen. I hope...

Homemade Gingerbread Houses: December 23, 2010
Categories: Dessert, Out of the Kitchen, Season: Winter
If you're looking for an example of a perfect gingerbread house, you won't find it here. Fine detail work and perfect design just aren't my thing. What I will give you, though, are step-by-step instructions for making your own gingerbread...

This Moment - December 10, 2010: December 10, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
Inspired by SouleMama, here is a snapshot of a moment from the week that I want to capture. Feel free to leave a link to your moment in the comment section. Twilight.

Thanks Giving: November 24, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
As we head towards the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to pause to think about the many things for which I am grateful. Much on my mind are the difficult illnesses of two people we love very much. Yet there is...

Happy day!: October 29, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
My birthday is tomorrow and with plans for a party, last minute Halloween preparations, and life's general chaos, the recipes that I have rattling around in my head will have to wait until next week. We'll be celebrating Halloween here...

Back in Business: August 31, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
I can't believe I have taken such a long break! I didn't intend to, but we went up to the lake for 2 weeks and let the relaxation seep in. And we unplugged. Up there in the woods, there is...

The Governor's Picnic: July 19, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
I left work early last Thursday, swung by home to pick up the makings of the crostini, and headed up to Annapolis for the governor's picnic. It was a bit of an odd contrast, going from lawyer mode in my...

This Moment - July 2, 2010: July 2, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
Inspired by SouleMama, I will try to post a snapshot each Friday (without words) of a moment from the week that I want to capture. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your moment -- or...

Summer Reading: June 17, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
Today is the official first day of summer for us; the children's last day of school was yesterday. Some of my favorite summer memories are long, lazy days curled up with a good book. What a luxury to have uninterrupted...

Empty Nest: June 9, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
As you may have guessed if you saw this picture a few weeks back, we hosted a family of robins this spring. When we returned from our spring break trip, I found long grass, hay, and flower blossoms strewn on...

Happy Mother's Day: May 7, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
I have been blessed with a wonderful mother. There are so many things that I love about her, but today I am particularly grateful for the freedom that she has given me. At some point, she stepped back and set...

Roman (and Parisian) Holiday: March 26, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
We are about to launch on a grand adventure. We are taking the children to Rome and Paris. As soon as the kids were old enough to hold a fork, we told them that if they could learn to twirl...

Tissue Paper Easter Eggs: March 24, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
We do not usually blow the egg out of the shell when we make Easter eggs. But my sister has beautiful eggs that she saves from year to year and about this time in the spring she gets them out...

Ten on Pi Day: March 14, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
When pregnant with Olivia, this Irish lass was very amused that my due date was Saint Patrick's Day. But when, two years later, the doctor told me that I again was due on March 17, I was shocked. As it...

Eight: March 12, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
I don't know how it happened, but Oscar will be eight today. He's not there yet, because it won't happen until 6:50 this evening. He is very insistent about this. But it will happen, despite all my protestations. To celebrate,...

Digging Out: February 15, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
So here we are in the depths of winter, under tons of snow. It has been the snowiest winter in this area's recorded history, I understand. We found ourselves at Sears this past weekend to replace the dishwasher, the latest...

Family Meals with a New Buddy: February 5, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
Now that January is over, I wanted to reflect on our family dinner project. In some ways, it was easier than I thought it would be to get together for a meal every day. And it was usually dinner. I...

Wee Handmade Gifts: Calendars, a Puzzle, and Yoda: January 29, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen, Out of the Mouths of Babes
I have been wanting to get the children involved in more handmade gift giving, but it has not been easy to find a gift that is easy for them to accomplish and still, um, how to put this tactfully. ....

Anniversary: January 18, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
I can't believe it, but a year ago tomorrow, I posted my first recipe (banana chocolate chip snack cakes). I have loved working on this blog far more than I ever thought I would. It has been a wonderful outlet...

Handmade Gifts: Hand Warmers: January 15, 2010
Categories: Out of the Kitchen, Teacher Gift
One of my goals with my children has been to give them a gift for Christmas each year that I have made. This would probably be easy if I were a knitter, a sewer, or super crafty. But I'm not....

Reindeer Stew: December 24, 2009
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
These days here have been filled with busyness. Making, baking, wrapping. So many secret things being created and hidden. And, of course, there was the preparation of the reindeer stew (for the reindeer, not of the reindeer). I get so...

Joy: November 29, 2009
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
I felt the joy of all my blessings this weekend, including: - grandchildren snuggled into their grandparents' laps - aunts and uncles who know just the right thing to say or do to connect with nieces and nephews - sharing...

Thanksgiving: November 24, 2009
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I can't think of a better way to spend the day than cooking and sharing a meal with family. One of my best Thanksgiving memories was the year that Olivia suggested that we all write...

Heading Out: July 27, 2009
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
We have had a busy couple of weeks around here. Camps for the children, the Governor's House shindig, and, on Saturday night, a big bash at Sarah and Ed's vineyard to celebrate my father's birthday. I am so happy to...

At the Governor's House: July 21, 2009
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
Last Thursday was Maryland Governor O'Malley's Buy Local Cookout. Sarah was there with her Black Ankle wine, Tracy Kirkman came from Cherry Glen, and I was there with tons and tons of stuffed grape leaves. Mostly I will let the...

Buy Local!: June 29, 2009
Categories: Farmers' Market Find, Out of the Kitchen
So do you remember that a couple of weeks ago, I told you that Sarah and I had jointly submitted recipes for Maryland Governor O'Malley's Buy Local Cookout? Well, we just learned that the recipe for Grilled Grape Leaves Stuffed...

Natural Egg Dyes with Botanic Prints: April 6, 2009
Categories: Egg, Out of the Kitchen, Season: Spring
Our family has had a wonderful experience at our children's preschool, Acorn Hill. Unless there is a thunderstorm or it is frigid, the children go outside every day. The classrooms are filled with beautiful handcrafted toys made from natural materials,...

Moorenko's Chef of the Week: March 4, 2009
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
Apparently, the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach, too. Or at least that is true for this woman. For two years in a row, our school's silent auction offered the opportunity to be a guest chef at...

Wee Hand Made Valentine's Cards: February 11, 2009
Categories: Out of the Kitchen
I know this has nothing to do with food or cooking, but once in a while I have to step out of the kitchen. I love hand made Valentine's Day cards. I don't know whether it is watching my children's...