Apples for Teachers; Pumpkins for Kiddies

For the last couple of weeks I’ve felt “left out” of the latest obsessions on my party planning/crafting/cooking blogs.  Their focus has been on Back-To-School and Halloween, as it should be.

I’m in absolutely no rush for Kyla to start school., even PREschool for that matter.  But since I always loved school right through college, I feel there is something nostalgic about new notebooks and pencils and things.  Sure, elementary school-age kids are now shopping for laptops when I was happy to get a new “Trapper Keeper” in the same grade.  But the anticipation, excitement and nervous feelings surely pass from generation to generation.

My favorite blogs presented all sorts of back to school treats, recipes for nutritious lunches and after-school snacks, and ways to say thanks to the teachers.  I looked at them, albeit briefly, wistfully thinking of what I will do when Kyla starts school.  I am insanely happy that her birthday is in March so that I can take baked goods to her class on her special day!

I realize that Kyla is still a bit too young to fully appreciate Halloween and all the fun and excitement that comes with the holiday.  This year she is learning all about the Disney princesses, and has decided that Belle is her favorite.  That will mean a trip to the Disney store for a Princess Belle costume.  (It will serve double duty when we go to Disney World for the first time with her this December.)

My best friend’s daughter Emma will turn seven in November.  Naturally she feels like a big girl around Kyla, but they have a wonderful time together whenever they play.  Now that Kyla “is older” according to Emma, she wants to go Trick or Treating with her this year.  Emma could run circles around Kyla when it comes to scoring candy.  But something tells me that true to her sweet and caring nature, she will make sure she stays in step with Kyla and doesn’t get (too much) more candy.

I read the adorable ideas for Halloween parties and treats and look forward to the days that I can plan an actual party for Kyla and her friends.  I’m sure parents who have “been there done that” will think I am crazy for wanting these things.  I am not wishing her toddler and preschool years away by any means.  It’s just that there are so many inspiring and amazing ideas out there!

I suppose that this year I will quell my penchant for parties by focusing on other “nesting” activities.  I’ll stock our pantry with all sorts of fall favorites.  I’ll do extra baking.  I’ll find cozy afghans to put around the house for snuggling, and I’ll make sure we have plenty of wood for our fireplace.  Oh, and I just might store those ideas on my computer… before I know it, I’ll be needing them!

Where have you been, Elaine?

I’ve been remiss in posting blogs lately.  It’s not for lack of activity in the Fischer home!  Kyla and I have been doing our best to squeeze in some late-summer swimming, and I’m also doing my best to get some of my DIY projects accomplished.

It amazes me, the vast amount of frugality and creativity and talent that is swirling around the blogosphere.  As I have mentioned the best I can do is copy others.  I have yet to have an original idea pop in to my mind.  I’m OK with that.  I don’t mind letting others think of things for me!  Reading all those other blogs certainly could take up my entire day, but I do my best to not let that happen.  (At least on a regular basis.)

My vintage/Shabby Chic bathroom makeover is nearly complete and I will soon post before and after photos.  I am also in the process of obsessing over a new look for our bedroom, trying to figure out how to re-do our entire living room for less than $1,500 (new furniture and all!) and trying to tie in the future look of our living room with a coordinating look for our dinette & kitchen.

When I’m not reading to Kyla or changing her wet swimsuit; when I’m not trying to find a DIY project that someone who is power tool-challenged can replicate; when I’m not going to the library for a new armful of cookbooks and decorating books I’m most likely involved in some “nesting” activity like washing all our cozy afghans to be ready for the chilly fall evenings, or looking online for a recipe containing pumpkin.

I am also trying to decide if I should move Ms. Elaine Kneeous over to FranklinNOW.com rather than keeping it on Blogspot.  I would enjoy more readership if I moved but there are some technical aspects of their system that I’m not sure I want to deal with.  You will soon find out if I’ve made the move!  Thanks for reading, in either case.

I look forward to sharing lots of new ideas and posting more fun things VERY soon!

Mars & Venus VS. Summer & Autumn

I always say that I never complain about the heat and humidity because I complain about the cold and snow.  I figure I only have the right to whine about one season’s extremes and I choose winter.  I really dislike winter.  Once the charm of the first snowfall has worn off (that takes about 30 minutes for me) and we have (or don’t have) a white Christmas, you can keep all that white fluffy stuff.  I detest winter sports even more than summer ones and we don’t exactly live in a ski lodge in Denver.  I have no use for snow and ice.  None.

I put a positive spin on even the muggiest August days by saying you don’t have to shovel humidity.  You can put your air conditioning on and sip cold lemonade (spiked or virgin) and feel completely comfortable.  As my husband Kevin says, at least it doesn’t HURT to go outdoors in the summer.  Sure, snow can be pretty… if you have the luxury of never having to shovel or never have to run to the store because you’re out of groceries.  If you don’t have to work and can essentially hibernate, sure, winter is just fantastic.

“Oh, I could NEVER leave Wisconsin…  I’d miss the change of seasons!”  If I had a dollar for every nutbag I’ve heard that from I could easily retire and live in Hawaii which is ultimately our goal.  Yeah, I’d really miss salt stains on my black pants, frostbite, wind chill factors colder than Alaska, and having to warm up my car for 10 minutes before I can comfortably drive over ice-covered roads, risking my life for a loaf of bread at the store.  I’d HATE watching palm trees sway in balmy breezes, swimming in the ocean daily, and eating fish so fresh it was in that same ocean swimming with me an hour before it landed on my plate.  That sure would be torture.

Having said all of that, I truly love Autumn.  I love it as much as Kevin hates it.  He sees the end of summer as nothing more than “winter is here.”  I see the end of summer as cooler evenings that we can sleep with windows open.  I see vibrant colors of leaves, smell the crispness in the mornings over a cup of hot tea.  I find even more reasons to bake and our kitchen is usually filled with scents of cinnamon, allspice and cloves.  I welcome the opportunity to wear jeans again, and even a sweater.  I don’t have to worry about tan lines any more.  My hair returns to a somewhat manageable condition not battling humidity.  My nesting instincts are in full swing and there is such a feeling of accomplishment when I do my fall cleaning and annual “pantry purge and rearrange.”

Kevin says the only good thing about fall is college football.  He moans and groans each evening as the sun sets minutes earlier than the night before.  He grumbles about what our heating bills are going to be in the coming winter.  (Mind you he never complains about the increased cost associated with using air conditioning 24/7.)  That man will wear shorts and flip flops into October, some of the same days I am wearing jeans and a long-sleeved top.  Of course Kevin says I could sit on a stove and still be cold, so I do tend to dress “toastier” than he does.

On chilly fall evenings, Kevin will glance out the window and mumble, “Look at this…  a couple months ago we were outside grilling at this time, Kyla was running around in the grass and I was drinking a Tanqueray and tonic.”  I will look out that same window and say, “Look at those gorgeous leaves.  Tomorrow Kyla and I will rake them up and jump in them and we’ll come inside and drink hot cider.”

Part of the difference is just me and Kevin… he prefers warm weather and summer fun, I prefer fall.  I am the eternal optimist, he is my Eeyore.  But I do believe that in general, men favor the warm weather and women look forward to chilly days and cozy nights.  I think we’re hard-wired that way.  Men are happy when we’re in our little tank tops and short-shorts, and we can’t wait for the days we can wear leggings and over-sized sweaters.  They want to make man-food over an open flame, we want to braise meat in our cast-iron casserole dish.  They want to toss back a couple cold ones, we want to mull cider.  They want to cut grass, we want to carve pumpkins.  Every man/woman combo I talk to operates this way.  I don’t think we will ever change.  Which is why I think I could make millions with my own book:

I'm Planning To Be More Spontaneous!

I have the most amazing sister in law.  Actually I have an equally amazing brother in law.  I often say that I married Kevin only because Greg was already taken!  But Greg and Bernadette (Bernie to all the family) were childhood sweethearts so I never really stood a chance with Kevin’s brother.  ;-)

Bernie is amazing to me for so many reasons.  She is a very hard worker in all aspects of her life, with her paid job and several UNpaid jobs.  Her kids are grown and (mostly) out of the house but the Fischer door is always open, especially to them.  She is always tackling some sort of home improvement project with Greg.  She keeps a very neat house despite caring for an aging Yellow Lab who has her share of messes and accidents.  She has been a caregiver to both her mom and our mother-in-law by taking them to multiple appointments, shopping for them, running errands, etc.  She never complained about all the sacrifices of time and money those caregiving roles meant.

In addition to Bernie’s heart being always open, so are her ears.  If she gets wind of something you want, need, saw but didn’t pick up, or haven’t seen but want to, trust me you’ll have it in less than a week.  I don’t know how she does it, I really don’t.

I swear, if this woman would rip open her shirt, there’s another layer under there and it has a big “S” emblazoned on it.

Did I mention she is an incredible cook, baker, and hostess?  Oh yeah, that too.  I LOVE going to their home for holidays and get-togethers.  She always makes things look so easy and effortless.  Even any new and previously untested recipes turn out perfectly.  When I’M hosting something I run around like a chicken the last 30 minutes before guests are due to arrive.  I’m firmly convinced that 30 minutes to HER guests arriving she is lounging in a lavender-scented bubble bath.

Recently she had out-of-town relatives visiting.  On Friday afternoon our phone rang, Bernie inviting us over for a farewell party the following afternoon.  I asked, as always, what I could bring.  The immediate response was (naturally) “Nothing, it’s all planned.”  But I pressed the issue, knowing that with a group of at least 30, she could certainly use one more dish.  Finally she relented and asked for a pasta salad that I make.

Knowing Bernie as I do, this get-together was a last-minute idea tossed together over lunch on Friday.  So that meant in about 24 hours she’d be hosting a party for a house full of friends and family and everything would be perfectly executed.  If I were in her shoes I would either have a nervous breakdown trying to accomplish the same thing, OR most likely I wouldn’t even attempt something like that without at least a week to plan.

You see, Bernie is all about casual ease and minimal effort.  She has learned through the years that it is OK to ask for help, and perfectly acceptable to order large quantities of food from a caterer.  She has made peace with paper plates and mismatched plastic cutlery.  Everything is always delicious, pulled-together and enough to literally feed an army.

I wish I could be more like her in so many ways.  I want to learn to embrace her efficiency and spontaneity.  I don’t think I ever will.

Excessive planning and minute details seem to be part of my hard-wiring.  I’ve read so many articles with menus that tease “Host an impromptu dinner party for eight…”  I just laugh.  Not only does impromptu NOT fit in my vocabulary, I never EVER have all the things in my pantry and freezer that I am supposed to for these drop-in dinners.  Really, with everyone’s lives crazy busy, is it even practical to think you can host this kind of get-together?  Unless you’re Rob & Laura Petrie people just don’t live that way.  Or at least I console myself with that thought as a way to excuse my obsession with long-term party planning.

I think I am going to start a planning binder on how to be more spontaneous.  Maybe if I work on it a little each day, say 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon and 10 minutes in the evening…  Maybe I could get some books on organization and efficient planning…  Maybe I could start a list of things I need to do to embrace all things last-minute… 

I have to go.  If I start my prep work now, I should be ready for that impromptu dinner party in a couple weeks.

I LOVE Being Followed!

I love it when strangers follow me!

Not in that creepy, stalking sense that screams “restraining order.”  I love it when I get a new follower to Ms. Elaine Kneeous.  It makes me feel like I truly belong in the blogosphere. 

Since I am very, very new to all of this, my heart sings when I get a sweet email from a new reader telling me they are my latest follower.

Sadly, that is the only way I know who my followers are.  Thanks to glitches in the Blogspot system, I can only tell the NUMBER of followers I have, and nothing shows up on my main page to indicate that I have any.  So I look like the unpopular kid in school.  Really, REALLY I’m not.  I have friends and followers and I am so going to go to the cool kid’s party.

So if you decide to follow me, and really why wouldn’t you want to, please leave a comment or send me an email to let me know you’ve come along for the ride.  Otherwise I’ll have flashbacks to that Jr. High dance when Rudy kissed Katie and I was just waiting for Doug to hold my hand.

Lists and Timelines and Binders, OH MY!

“Every vice is only an exaggeration of a necessary and virtuous function.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journals, 1836

MY vice?  Planning.  Parties & get-togethers of all sorts, trips & vacations, décor re-do’s, dinner menus, milestone celebrations, packing lists for any event…  I LOVE to plan.  I have lists and notepads and binders; my “favorites” menu on our computer is highly organized & categorized.  (Just don’t look in my pantry or in any of our closets because you will never believe that I am organized OR categorized!)

I think part of this comes from my many years as an event coordinator for several non-profit health organizations.  I was responsible for every detail of annual fundraising events.  If I didn’t keep track of donors, participants, volunteers and timelines, my event would fail.  My binders were my bibles and I thrived on planning & executing the details.

However, in my introspective moments, I realize it runs much deeper.  My lists help me to remember things, of course.  But my binders, my planning…  These things are my way of controlling an otherwise out-of-control world.  This does not mean I am a “control freak” in the sense that I have to have everything my way.  It’s just that I can crack open a binder and start planning my Thanksgiving menu in August and I have the brief illusion that I’m prepared & ready to take on anything, including a 20 pound bird and sides.  For a moment, I feel like Martha Stewart and a 4-Star General rolled in to one, preparing my own personal holiday/event battle plan.  Seriously, does anyone NOT know that they will serve turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie on the 4^th Thursday of November?  But for me, pouring over new twists on classic recipes, finding a fun “favor” to give our family members as they depart, reading how others in the event-planning world are going to celebrate; that’s my way to relax, & enjoy myself PLUS bring pleasure to the rest of my family.  It is my respite from the swirling chaos happening outside my humble home, the sane and safe means of retreating from too much of “everything.”  In the midst of U.S. economic crises, atrocities against children, and an overload of Too Much Information on every topic known to man, this is the one thing I am in charge of.

Do I set myself up for failure as I read other blogs about women who create culinary miracles & entertaining extravaganzas in the blink of an eye?  Of course.  Despite all my obsessive, detail-driven, over-the-top “organization” for ANY event/holiday, I will forget to put the rolls in the oven.  I will run out of time to paint family member’s names on hand-made place card holders.  I will have to use our master bedroom walk-in closet as a last-minute stashing place for an extra load of laundry that didn’t get folded & put away.

There are two reasons why this doesn’t send me in to a tailspin of self-loathing and disappointment:  My family is wonderful and forgiving and is just happy to be together, sharing laughter & telling stories and creating memories.  It also helps that they had no idea I was planning on sending each of them home with artisan-style-but-made-in-my-kitchen chocolates nestled in original/heirloom/not mass-produced boxes tied with vintage ribbon.  Maybe next year.  Hmmm…  Back to the binders.

Elaine Welcomes You!

Welcome to Ms. Elaine Kneeous! I am starting this blog because there are so many times I think, “If I had a blog, I would write about that…”  My husband Kevin has a blog on FranklinNOW.com called This Just In.  He inspires me because he writes well and writes often.  So I will share some of his popular regular features on MY blog too!

The name of my blog came from a discussion I had with Kevin.  As I was trying to think of a catchy title, he asked me what it’s going to be about.  I told him recipes & entertaining, mommy stuff, random thoughts… “Miscellaneous.”  And so, Ms. Elaine Kneeous came to be.

Let me tell you a few things you will NOT find on my blog. 

Beauty and Fashion tips.  I am the STAY AT HOME mother of a 2-year-old.  Some days I am happy that I am showered and dressed.  I don’t need a wardrobe redo with every new season.  I am happy with jeans that fit, tops that hide fingerprints, and shoes that can be stepped on. 

By the way…  I’ve been using Bare Minerals makeup for years.  I’m STILL waiting for them to live up to their commercial where a woman states, “Bare Minerals will change your life!”  Hmmm…

Organizing tips.  As previously stated I am the mother of a 2-year-old.  My priority during the day is enjoying my daughter, not rearranging my pantry.

Diet & Exercise tips.  Miss Piggy’s “Never eat more than you can lift” is about as close to any diet tip I can offer you.  My exercise routine consists of chasing aforementioned toddler around the house trying to change her diaper.

Gardening tips.  If I could plant plastic, I would.  I HATE gardening.  I have seasonal allergies AND an irrational fear of bees.  Digging in dirt is not my idea of a good time.

Home Improvement projects and DIY ideas.  I don’t know which end of a hammer to pick up, I refuse to get on a step ladder over two feet tall, and the only screwdriver you will ever find in my hand is made with Absolut and OJ.

Sports commentary and analysis.  I don’t know a basketball from a meatball.  (I guess that means you probably don’t want to read my cooking posts, huh?)  I root, root, root for the home team only because I have state pride. 

Vegan anything.  I believe we, as humans, are at the top of the food chain for a reason.  I am a proud omnivore and don’t ever plan on changing.  I often say PETA stands for People Eating Tasty Animals.

Reducing your carbon footprint tips.  I don’t think having a child is the worst thing you can do for the environment, and the last worry in my mind is global warming.  If I’ve already alienated your tree-loving soul then this blog is not for you.

So, once again, welcome!  I won’t make any claims that this blog will change your life, help you live the American Dream, or make the perfect pie crust.  While I could have the “It’s MY blog, I can write what I want to” attitude, I hope to do more than that.  I want to offer tidbits of useful information, inspire you to try a new recipe, encourage you to enjoy your family (whatever “family” is to you,) and hopefully make you laugh at least occasionally.  If you enjoy my blog, please invite a friend or two to read as well.