Sick kid and her cat

Poor Thea was up all night with a stomach virus. George is keeping watch over her this morning.

Another tooth lost

Last night, as with most nights, I heard a loud ruckus upstairs after the kids went to bed. Unlike most nights, the cacophony was followed by much wailing. Liam had accidentally bumped Thea's mouth with his head and knocked one of her loose teeth looser. After she finished crying, she was actually relieved to be able to pull it out!

My knitting circle

Nylonthread and I had a great time on Sunday. We started teaching the girls how to knit. It didn't seem like they were terribly interested, but the wanted to pick it up again tonight. They got frustrated when it seemed that they had forgotten everything they learned. I told them, Keep knitting, it'll turn out just fine. Aisha shrugged and said of her mistakes, "It's part of my history." Indeed, little philosopher.

Thea, Aisha, and Asma

Fiber art

My great grandmother crocheted this blanket years ago. I'd love to learn how to do something similar, though I doubt I'd ever have her skill.

The Thanksgiving fashion show/dance contest

Here's some video I took on Thanksgiving. Liam and Omar dance like crazy men.

 

 The girls put on a fashion show.

 

Bread from a bread machine that doesn't suck

I've had a bread machine for years and have always loved it more in theory than practice. But I recently found a recipe that works pretty well. The key is to make the dough in the bread machine, then bake it in the oven. Here's the recipe:

Italian Bread Using a Bread Machine


Ingredients

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

Directions

1. Place flour, brown sugar, warm water, salt, olive oil and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
   
2. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into two loaves. Place the loaves seam side down on a baking sheet. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise, until doubled in volume about 40 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
   
4. Make a single long, quick cut down the center of the loaves with a sharp knife. TIP: If you think you haven't cut deeply enough, cut a little deeper.
   
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

A few of my favorite people

Heather and Amy were in town for Thanksgiving, which was fantastic. They stayed an extra night so I could show them a little of DC and how much it has changed since Heather left eight years ago. We went to H Street, to my favorite bar on the street, Little Miss Whiskey's, and Sticky Rice for vegan delectables, then to Red Palace for a burlesque show that we ended up skipping because we all had to be up early, alas.

Kelly, Abigail, Heather, Heather, and Amy. Mike took this using a panorama app. Cool!

But he couldn't get himself in the shot so I had to take him separately.

Thanksgiving entertainment

Thanksgiving was really lovely this year. We were joined by Heather and Amy, who drove down from New Jersey with their two dogs, and the neighbors, who are welcome and constant fixtures in our life these days.

The girls have been planning a fashion and talent show for weeks, and the performance was absolutely charming. Liam was such a supportive brother. Every time Thea came out in a new outfit, he clapped loudly and said something sweet, like "I like that color," or "Oo, sparkly." My kids are so awesome.

Pre-Thanksgiving moment

I'm thankful for reminders to be thankful.

Oh my...

I mean, whatever, it's cool. O_o