Tom & Brenda's Family Journal

I gave copies of Mastering the Art of French Cooking-Vol. I & II to my children for Christmas. I also got a copy for myself and the plan is for us to share what works and doesn't work from this cooking classic by Julia Child. I saw the movie Julie and Julia this summer that is based on someone trying to cook through the book and recording her attempts. So this is similar but I want it to be lots of fun. It wasn't so much fun for the girl in the movie. I had heard that Julia Child's most famous recipe is boeuf bourguinon so I decided to start there. The English title is Beef Stew in Red Wine with Bacon, Onions and Mushrooms. Child describes it as "one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man." I would have to agree. It has an intense flavor. It did take all afternoon to prepare. Tom, Jennifer, Kristen and I enjoyed every bite of it. I served it with boiled potatoes like Child suggested. It was even better reheated the next day. This t...

I decided to make my plum pudding this week. It took several calls to my mother to ask specifics about the recipe. The recipe came from my Grandma (Ma) Erickson and she wasn't always very exact on her recipes. For example, the ingredients called for 'small cups' of some things, big teaspoons of soda, and enough flour to make it stiff. My mother shared some directions that weren't in the recipe which I am sure were necessary for success. The first step was to cut up the suet. My mother said she always has the butcher grind it when she buys it, so I will have to remember that for next year. The suet is important because it is the fat or oil in the pudding. The recipe calls for regular raisins and seeded raisins. We can't find seeded raisins anymore so my mom suggested dates as a substitute. That works well. The dry ingredients look like this when mixed together. But you then add molasses for flavor and sweetness. Then you gradually add enough flour to make i...

This is the current view from our balcony (11 AM). It is very cold and windy with snow falling and blowing sideways. But the blizzard of 2009 appears to be a failure as a blizzard and is just a Michigan winter storm. it has resulted in 2 snow days for most of us though. Tom was down in Berrien Springs working as a book buyer at Andrews University for the end of semester buy-back. He came home early because business was so slow and I'm sure the weather impacted the buy-back. I've been home with 2 snow days and snow days still fun even though I don't work everyday. Yesterday my sister Kathy spent the day here and we did lots of interesting things. I was showing her things on the computer such as how to blog, how to download to iTunes, and burn cd's etc. As with everything on the computer, things don't go easily. But we got through it. I also have worked on my columns for InsiderRacingNews.com. I've been writing a weekly column for them almost 2 years an...

I know I haven't been nearly as faithful writing this blog this fall. I miss sharing and even thinking about what I should share with my blogging friends. My positions at Hopkins Middle School & MAISA (Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators) have kept me working almost full-time with only an occasional day off. This week I was in Lansing Monday - Wednesday attending two different conferences. Both dealt with using data from student work to improve the teaching. The emphasis in education is changing from the focus on the teaching to a focus on what the students are learning. It is a subtle difference but it makes huge differences in the end product-the achievement of the students. Then Thursday and Friday I was at Hopkins Middle School working with teachers to implement strategies to help students better understand and remember what they read. Hopkins Middle School is a small school with great kids. I'm enjoying my work there getting to know the...

This week started like every other week. I meet Joyce, my sister-in-law, for running down Kettle Lake Drive. We've been doing that every Monday for years. On Wednesday we run in a different location. We run about 3 miles and we think it is a great way to start our day. But this week, I stepped in a pothole which I didn't see because of the dark. I twisted my ankle. At first, I thought it was just bruised but by Wednesday, the bruising and swelling convinced me to get it checked out. I have a small fracture and am now on crutches and keeping off my feet. This has really crimped my style. I did work yesterday but because I work in a school and visit many classrooms, I put many 'miles' on my crutches. Today I'm so sore that I can barely get around. The soreness is in my arms and shoulders and I'm bruised from the crutches too. I see an orthopedic doctor on Monday and I hope I can get more mobile then. I am developing a new appreciation for people wit...

Here are some pictures of our new condo. You can see that we aren't completely unpacked and there aren't pictures on the wall but we are getting there. Moving was very stressful but actually everything went smoothly. I learned a valuable lesson during the entire process of selling the house and moving. Don't focus on how much work you have in front of you. Focus on what you have already accomplished. I found that once I started thinking about how much I had to do, it slowed me down, made me nervous and kept me from doing all that I could do. We are living in a complex called Jasonville Farms which is near Caledonia, Michigan. We only moved 2 miles but went from a 5 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom condo. Our balcony is enclosed and gives us extra living space. We put an air mattress in there last weekend when Jen visited and it worked well. We call this space our Arizona room because it reminds us of the time we spend at Kristen's in Arizona last winter. Every d...

This first picture was taken on our moving day. I looked out front and found Madelynn laying on the couch that was ready to leave. She was reading a book she had found and was enjoying herself there. This week has been one of special treats. We got Anna and Madelynn American Girl dolls. The plan was to go to Chicago and pick them out at the store but with the move this fall it became impossible to find a day to do that. We're still planning on a trip soon. So we ordered the dolls and they arrived Monday. It was very exciting. The boys weren't as excited about the dolls as you can imagine so they have a special treat coming-yet to be decided upon. Tom and I went up to the Soo over the weekend and returned with our new toy. A 5th wheel camper and a truck to pull it with. We're looking forward to many happy days traveling around with the 5th wheel. We haven't planned any trips yet but will be in the future. We are newbies to the RV life, so if you have any hints ...