Category: family

To frost or not to frost?

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, family, friends, tweens

My daughter and I were looking for something interesting to bake last weekend and came upon a recipe for blondies. Not just any blondies...pumpkin blondies. Now it's not often that we bake things that don't list chocolate as one of the top ingredients, but these looked and sounded so great that we decided to take the leap. … Continue reading To frost or not to frost?

Dinner, revised

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, tweens

As I was rushing to get out the door the other morning, trying to make it to the gym before my workday, I heard my daughter say to my husband, "What's for supper tonight?" He replied, "I don't know yet. What do you want to have?" I didn't hear the response, having made it outside … Continue reading Dinner, revised

Tangled

by Karen, posted in family, local fun, movies, tweens

If you'll forgive the tired old cliché, Tangled is a "coming of age story" for Rapunzel, Flynn, and even (in a weird way, a "coming of old age" ) for Rapunzel's evil, passive-aggressive step mother (who continues the long tradition of evil stepmothers in Disney Movies.). What's totally great about Rapunzel is that she is a normal looking girl. … Continue reading Tangled

Making a list

by Karen, posted in family, tweens

I've been working on my Christmas gift list recently, and I've warned the children that Christmas will be, um, leaner this year than in the past, so they should be prepared. I guess I kind of went a little overboard last year, and am trying not to repeat that this year, especially since the big … Continue reading Making a list

Fun with tweens on the weekend

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, family, friends, local fun, shopping, tweens

My tween daughter invited a friend to spend the day, and as the 7 hours loomed ominously unfilled ahead of us, I wondered:  What the heck should we do?   First, I decided to do something for me: I had a 20% coupon to Kennebooks in Kennebunk so that was our first stop. A quick check of the local … Continue reading Fun with tweens on the weekend

Buon Natale

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, italian, local fun, tweens

I took my daughter to Buon Natale, the Italian Christmas bazaar at St. Peter's Church on Federal St. in Portland. This was something my Italian grandmother always took me to when I was growing  up, and it remains a happy childhood memory for me to this day. I wanted to share this with my daughter. … Continue reading Buon Natale

Val Walker at Kennebooks

by Karen, posted in books, education, family, friends, good grief

Val Walker came to Kennebooks to talk about her new book The Art of Comforting. This author's talk started off feeling like a course in sociology, as she described different models of counseling (companioning, relational....), but then it quickly became more personal, as she related some examples of comforting from occasions in her own life when … Continue reading Val Walker at Kennebooks

Secretariat

by Karen, posted in family, local fun, movies, tweens

I took my daughter to see this movie with a bit of trepidation. First of all, it is 2 hours and 3 minutes long, a very long time for a tween to sit still and remain engaged, especially in the uncomfy old theater seats. Second, although it is a Disney movie, it isn't a kids' movie per … Continue reading Secretariat

Midlife crisis, part one: losing my mind

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, Midlife Crisis, tweens

I was standing in the kitchen talking to my husband last week, and he told me he was irritated because of something I'd told him earlier in the week that turned out not to be true.  What was it? I sure don't know. I didn't know then, and I don't know now. He remembered the … Continue reading Midlife crisis, part one: losing my mind

Emergency food stash

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, friends, shopping

In keeping with one of my goals this year of Food Security (well, full disclosure: it's my goal every year, but this year it's an official, written down type of goal), I thought I'd write a little about different food "emergencies" that a person might experience and how I prepare for them. Here are 5 food emergencies that often come … Continue reading Emergency food stash