this past weekend, kenny and i enjoyed a DATE! (i know you other parents of young children can't remember what those are. believe me, i had to refer to Webster's for a reminder of what a "date" was once myself).

fortunately for our babysitter, adam was asleep before we left (he enjoys a bedtime of 7:00 p.m.), so it was a relatively easy evening.

in these neck of the woods, it's hard to find a restaurant that isn't a 45-60 minute drive that's worth the cost of a babysitter. there are plenty of chain-restaurants and loads of bar-restaurants, but we hadn't found anything worth returning to yet. until last friday night. someone recently recommended a restaurant we had never heard of, so we jumped on the internet to find it. as is the case for most of the local restaurants that aren't a franchise, it didn't have a web site. it took a while to actually find it, but once we found a phone number for it, and an address, we were on our way.

the black forest inn (or was it lounge?) and beer haus was a welcome treat. it looked like a highway bar from the outside, but once inside, it was cozy and felt like you were in a mountain chalet, or ski resort restaurant. the menu was german. it was in english, but it was german food. the beer menu was impressive as well. i settled for a becks dark, and kenny had a hof-something-or-other-stauten. after an extensive study of the menu, i decided on a roast beef with onion gravy meal, while kenny, the more adventurous of us, ordered rabbit (or according to the menu, "hasenpfeffer"). we ordered side dishes that we'd share (potato pancakes and warm german potato salad) and settled into our beers while we contemplated outloud where the rabbit came from. was it local? was it from a rabbit farm? was it wild rabbit? we also wondered how german rabbit actually was. i know that "rarebit" refers to something from whales, but germany? (jonathan???)

the food came, and my beef was delicious. kenny dove right into his rabbit, which i have to admit, didn't look all that appetizing. or filling.  we ordered another beer to share (this time, our old summer favorite: yuengling lager) and half-way through that one, i was ready to give the rabbit a go.

it was amazing. kenny told me that it tasted like chicken....but it was the best tasting chicken i've had in a long time. it was tender...savory...just plain delicious. if it weren't for all the picking around the bone, i'd have ordered it myself.

so now we have a place to go to. the owner knows us now (we had a long conversation over coffee and a shared dessert of black forest cake), and it's only a 25 minute drive away.

and if you still haven't figured out the reference to laverne and shirley, go to the hasenpfeffer link above.

if you've recently had any trouble leaving a comment on my blog (especially since the redesign), please drop me an email: liz(at)smithical(dot)com 

i've recently had 4 people tell me they've left comments only to find them not being published.

thanks!

my old church suffered a fire today.

a few hours ago, my mom called me and said, "i have some sad news...your old church burned today." as she gave me the details of what happened, i took it in and asked her why she was so sad. we left the church over a decade ago. she answered, "we spent a lot of years in that church, liz." close to 20 years.

and then i read a few more local news stories and began to feel the sadness my mom was talking about. the story described rooms that i went to sunday school in, prepared coffee hour refreshments in, listened to sermons in, took part in my first communion in, and learned to say, "he is risen indeed!" to the easter greeting, "he is risen!" and then i read quotes from pat lowry, mike berkenpas, and jack wilson. people i used to worship with. and i understood why my mom was sad. she and my dad exerted a lot more energy into that church than i ever did...and these people quoted in the newspaper stories still worship there, and have been for more than a few decades themselves. the sadness and wonder they must be feeling tonight....

everyone knows that the physical building of the church isn't what makes it a church yet it's still a painful blow to the body of a church when it's damaged or lost. so please pray for the members, attenders, and pastor of covenant orthodox presbyterian church in wilkinsburg as they worship tomorrow morning under a different roof.

one of the many reasons kenny and i wanted to move out to "where the stars shine brightly" is to raise chickens. when we lived in the city of pittsburgh, we found out that it was perfectly legal to raise chickens in our backyard as long as we weren't making profit from keeping them (in other words, we had to consider them pets, and not income by selling their eggs or meat). we decided against raising chickens in the city for several reasons, one of which was the fact that we had rowan in july of 2003 and i was pregnant again by the spring of 2004, prime times to receive and begin raising chickens. and our hands were full with babies. :) so we decided to wait until we had the room, the land, and the time. and that time is now!

 

in the coldest part of the winter, where we most certainly are now, you begin to plan for your chickens. for the past few weeks, kenny has been mulling over plans for building the chicken coop and the chick brooder, and calling different hatcheries: local and ones as far away as texas. we are planning for about a dozen buff orpingtons since they're friendly birds and good egg layer. (free, organic, free-range!)

 

we think the boys will have a lot of fun watching the day-old chicks grow from little fuzzy yellow spheres into small awkward half-feathered birds, then finally into full-grown golden hens freely running around the yard.

 

my brother, andrew and his wife, laura had three chickens until recently. they live in not-so-rural asheville, north carolina. a few weeks ago, he told us that the chickens had gone missing, and there was evidence of a struggle (many feathers in the yard). this is the part of raising free-range chickens that worries me the most. we live in a pretty rural area, so there are bound to be hawks, raccoons, or even dogs (all three of our neighbors have big dogs) that will salivate at first sight of our beloved chickens.  they'll have a coop to run to for safetly, but sometimes, they won't be fast enough. and we'll have to break the news to the boys, i'm sure.

 

(andrew...what did you tell ramona about your chickens?).

 

as our plans unfold, i'll post more information and pictures of these little additions to our family.

i was browsing through my archives just now and realized that i blogged on the past two shrove tuesdays. it would be like breaking some spiritual code if i were to not blog today, shrove tuesday 2007

i secretly look forward to this day in the church calendar. i absolutely adore pancakes, and i do love getting together with the people of our parish. but really, any excuse at all to have pancakes for dinner is a good one. our old church's youth group made and served the pancakes. in our new church, the responsibilty falls on "the men of St. Paul's."

unfortunately, rowan woke up this morning with a fever, so the boys and i had to miss out on the pancakes ala church dinner style this evening. instead, i whipped up kenny's famous pancake recipe (it's from the Joy of Cooking, and it's the best recipe for pancakes) as he headed out the door to make the pancakes with "the men." since dinnertime is usually a bit on the crazy side with both of us here, i had to fend off two hungry boys while feeding a third (adam doesn't wait until our dinnertime to eat!) alone. our pancakes were "browned butter" flavor since i melted and cooked the butter for the batter. the boys still ate three whole pancakes EACH.

tomorrow is the start of Lent...another favorite season of ours (next to Advent). i think we like these somber seasons so much because we are sure of the light at the end of the tunnel. that despite the somber-like worship services and meditations in Lent and Advent, we know they lead to JOY. i am so grateful for the annual liturgical calendar. each year we are reminded that there is JOY coming in eternity. and that we begin to live that JOY now, if we make the right choices.

it's been a busy week here in the woods of fenelton, my (new) hometown.... the crazy week rushed in with the snow on tuesday but by saturday, the pace began to slow down.

it seems the blogs i visit are plagued by writers block right now, and i'm feeling it as well. for whatever reason, i feel i've nothing to say to the blog-reading world. so i'll point you to my favorite blog-read-o-the-week:

my friend serina had three great entries this week on "real world whole foods living." check them out - and don't forget to read the comments section as they're chock full of tips and more information!

it's sunday evening, the end of the first day of the week. to most, the end of the week. i have to admit that although it's a day of rest, it does feel like the end of the week come sunday night. monday always looms a few dark hours in front of me, and even though i don't shower, dress, and drive to an office on monday mornings anymore, mondays can still present themselves as difficult.

this week, i'm prepared. the kitchen is cleaned. the dishwasher is EMPTY...all the dishes are clean and put away, and breakfast is already cooking away in a crockpot (steel cut oats-n-apples). the coffee is ready to brew with the touch of a button. and what's even more exciting? weather.com predicts that a week from today, it will be 55 glorious degrees! i'm shivering at the excitement of it (or maybe it's because it's already at 8 degrees outside now...)

monday morning, here we come!

Today is the 76^th day in a row that it’s snowed. I shouldn’t be complaining because I did ask for it…but I really only wanted a few small snowfalls here and there...enough for some sledding, and a good excuse for hot chocolate every once in while (I’m actually getting sick of hot chocolate!).

As the entire nation now knows, a major snowstorm has hit the midwest and the northeast over the past few days. My parents drove up here yesterday and were going to drive home this morning, but it was still snowing (after a night of freezing rain), so they decided to stay for another day in the country. It stopped snowing around 4:00 this afternoon, and it’s gorgeous outside. I look out our back windows and can’t believe that it will ever be green again. It’s like looking at a black and white photo.

I think 3 cars have past our house today. Several ATVs, snowmobiles, and MAN TRUCKS with PLOW have driven past as well as one tractor plow and one cinder truck. The dentist office called at 8:30 last night to cancel Kenny’s appointment today (he was incredibly thankful). The local news interviewed several Pittsburgh Penguin players who made fun of they way the city shut down with the 13 inches of snow we got.  Because they're all from places like Buffalo, Canada, and Russia. I guess it's fair because we make fun of places like North Carolina that shut down when they get a dusting of snow. It's all what you're used to, I guess.

We've got a bit of cabin fever. Thank goodness for Nana and PopPop being snowed in up here to keep the boys entertained.

Perhaps we'll be able to walk outside tomorrow....

the boys are borrowing a toy from one of their old babysitters who happened to be in the neighborhood last week. it's one of those toys that you, as a parent would never buy...but you as an auntie or grandparent (read: someone who doesn't live in the house with the toy and child) would buy in a heartbeat. the kind of toy that has 587 SMALL parts to it, and  when one of those parts goes missing, the entire toy is deemed "worthless" (by a 2- or 3-year-old) until it's found.

it's a "little people" toy and it's actually quite entertaining. the circular road goes around in circles while a variation on the same tune plays over and over, as many times as the child wants it to (by just one touch of a button!).

the tune this particular toy plays is "here we go 'round the mulberry bush." a tune that everyone knows, but few know the real words to (except for the "here we go 'round the mulberry bush" part...). my particular "problem" is that i know COMPLETELY different words to this littly ditty and only my brothers (or at least one or two of them) and my parents will understand this: that every night when the boys are in bed, what is going through my head, to the tune of "here we go 'round the mulberry bush" is: "the duty which God requireth of man is obedience to his revealed will."

when we were little, my dad helped us learn the westminster shorter catechism by putting some of the harder-to-memorize answers to a tune. kenny was the one who, just a few months ago, broke it to me that the tune for Question 39 of the Shorter Catechism was "here we go 'round the mulberry bush" and not an original David Laughlin work.

but at least i know what God requires of us humans. (word-for-word!)

i know a great deal of you who read my blog pray so i'm asking you for your prayers.

our church family lost a member this morning. evan william campbell died this morning at children's hospital where he has been with his parents for weeks, and in and out since he was born in july of 2006 (7 months ago).  this has completely rocked the congregation as things seemed to be on the "up and up" for evan this past week: he just moved out of the ICU and onto the recovery floor.

so i'm asking for your prayers for the family. evan's parents have been through so much this past year, and i can't think of anything better for them right now than to be covered in prayer. even by strangers.

from the book of common prayer:

i wish i had a more interesting post for you all today.

i did have one...about five minutes ago, complete with lots and lots of links and stories...but it is lost in cyberspace due to the poor service of our blog host.

so i just wrote a scathing email to the support folks, asking for a good reason why the blog was down AGAIN...this time at a very crucial moment (publishing a post), causing me to lose 45 minutes worth of typing. and that's precious time, too! the boys are asleep, the kitchen is clean, and i'm not that tired...i could do a whole host of other things at this time of day. we bloggin' mommas only have a few moments in a day to actually blog (the rest of the day is spent thinking of something to blog about - ha ha ha!).

any way...have yourselves a great weekend. i've really enjoyed hearing from all of you who have "come out of the closet" as blog readers via commenting and sending me private emails. it's nice to know there are more than just my immediate family members reading this!

we "cool oj drinkers" are still in the lead with the "uncools" just barely behind us. and since the poll software i used allowed you all to be anonymous (save for brent and katie who made their views known publicly), i'm staying clear away from it the next time a poll just happens to show up. i really missed out on hearing the reasons behind the voting...i liked hearing that audrey grew up hating V8, but now likes it (all doctored up, mind you!).

tonight, as i was getting the boys ready for bed, i gave rowan (3 1/2) the responsibility to dress himself. he's done it before, but since he's "new" at it, it usually takes a lot longer than if i would get him dressed myself. but he's gotta learn somehow, right? and kenny wasn't here for bedtime routine tonight, so i needed him to exert his independence while i changed and diapered the other two.

when he was all done, he came running up to me yelling, "look mommy! look at me!" to which i responded with much praise and adulation and said, "you're such a big boy, rowan! i can't believe it!"

he responded, "yeah. i'm a BIG person now. now i can drive...i can sleep in mommy and daddy's room...i can...i can make dinner."

so there you have it folks. my 3 1/2 year-old is now ready to take over the menu-planning, grocery shopping, cooking and cleanup of dinner.

where do i hang my apron?

i just don't get it. i've been nicely sending and resending emails to my friends with aol accounts and they keep getting sent back to me. and rather rudely, i'd say. my friends aren't being rude, it's the aol software spitting my rejected emails back at me that's being rude.  ARGH.

now back to the party. and speaking of parties...there is nothing like getting all dressed up and showing up ready to have a good time when the lights just fizzle, or the food is all still frozen or you realize you forgot to put on your shirt. or whatever. i apologize to those of you who experienced technical difficulties this morning. our provider was going a bit berzerk with something. maybe their pipes froze overnight (like everyone's pipes have done these past few freezing days) and they haven't been able to shower in days. or the water fell all over their computers. who knows...but i do know that it ruined the atmosphere a bit. again, i apologize.

and since last week's V8 poll was so popular, i am taking a random guess that you all like to give your opinion when asked...that's FABULOUS, because i like a good discussion from time to time. sometimes i like a fluffy one, and sometimes i like a deep, thought-provoking one. right now, i'm kinda in that don't-make-me-think-too-deeply kind of mood. probably because my brain is in a temporary freeze along with my fingers and toes. (how DO you keep your hands warm these frigid days?!?! mine are constantly in water getting food ready, washing clothes. i like how the mention of "washing clothes" in the same sentence as "cold hands" makes it sound like i slave every day washing all our clothes by hand. ha!).

now to the blog-party-poll (the rules are...anyone can play, just be nice one to another). this morning, the older two boys woke up EXTRA early (as they have been for about two weeks now - not sure why), so we made them lie on our bed and watch sesame street (yeah, we REALLY had to twist their arms to do that) until at least 6:45. adam wakes around 5:30-6:00, and kenny and i take turns taking him downstairs, turning on the porch fireplace, turning on the coffee until the other one of us comes down to join the first in the wee hours of the morning. it's nice to sit quietly in front of a fireplace before the boys erupt from sleep (and erupt they do! they're ready to go the MOMENT they get up - we have produced three morning people, just like us) so early in the morning with a steaming hot cup of coffee or a glass of orange juice (WITHOUT pulp). and here's where kenny and i differ once again on beverages (we have a lot, don't we? our pizza beverage of choice, and our views on tomato juice...and now this). he would prefer if i bought OJ with pulp. but i just can't bring myself to. i know it's healthier, i know there's more fiber, but i just would prefer drinking my oj clean and refreshing without all those bug-like pulpies getting in the way. and sticking all over the glass. so...is kenny gonna win this one too? vote - and leave a comment to explain your answer (if you don't want to remain anonymous).

 

welcome one and all (how many of you are there, anyway?) to the new edition of smithical dot com. it's a blog party, celebrating the new look and design of our own little cyberhome.  all of you are invited! all of your friends are invited. your entire family is invited (no need to pay for a babysitter!).  so pull up your laptop into your favorite armchair and join me as i am inspired to write by the best little muses i've ever had. there they are - right at the top of the screen, my babies, growing way too fast for this mama to handle.

my ever faithful husband created the new look and feel to this blog, with my micro-managerial tendencies input. it took him a long time to come close to liking the background. i found it cozy and warm...i see it and want to drink a cup of tea just hang out here for hours. i know you all do that, too - read my blog in all your spare time.

so to kick off this here party (please come back soon and often as the side navigation bar will change as i find time to fill it in), make yourself known to me. if you're a regular commenter, welcome all the "lurkers" out there and tell them it's a friendly place to comment. i might even comment back! leave me a comment, tell me if you have a blog, and we'll be cyber friends. are you a long-lost gradeschool friend of mine?  of kenny's? out yourselves! :)

 

when kenny got home from work, he pulled out a small space heater that we had from our old house (that 50-year-old brick house in the city with the 50-year-old furnace) and put it into the laundry room. it's on the first floor, but it's not insulated. so last night, the water line to the washer froze. fortunately, it was ready to do my laundry by this evening. it's so toasty here in the office (which is right next to the laundry room) - i normally freeze when i'm at the computer in the evenings. now i can stay here all night!

Sues - as i told you earlier today, i'm thinking about you these bitter days...i KNOW how hard this is for you. better days ahead - i promise! unfortunately, i can't promise that they'll be too soon - although the groundhog DID predict an early spring this year! ;)

Brent - bimmer? is that short for something? is it a gadget that gives you advice for the day? if so, i want one.

Savannah - see, i love the cold weather. i actually feel sorry for people who have to celebrate christmas in shorts and t-shirts. but this weather is actually REALLY annoying. :) so yes, i'd love to be where you live today!

Serina - when kenny read your comment he said, "i've always heard about the brick in the bed thing, but i've never actually known anyone who did it!" Jason is now famous in our household as "the guy we know who slept with hot bricks like they did in "Sense and Sensibility." :)

regarding a wood stove...we looked into purchasing one for our enclosed back porch a while ago, but couldn't swing it then. it's a dream of ours to have one as well, and i can see why you don't just up and install one in your city house (unless you road-tripped out here to get all the free wood you could possibly want!). we actually found a great, inexpensive, 99% efficient gas stove that heats the entire first floor of our house (which is pretty spacious) on normal cold days, and we are able to shut down our oil furnace during the day. we use the oil at night. but on days like these, it only heated up a portion of the first floor. but a wood stove is one of our long-term goals!

________________

i did respond to a bunch of the comments in the previous posts, but the comments section was getting far too long and skinny with all the comments. i love hearing from you - but all the empty "green space" was driving me nutty.

HOWEVER...one of these mornings, you'll wake up to a new and improved smithical dot com. kenny is very close to finishing up the customizations on a new blog for me (i know NOTHING of blog design), and i'm excited about a few new features:

- the comments section is "hidden" like in most blogs. you'll have to select a link to get to the comments. this will allow all the space in the world for all of those readers who have not yet commented but are dying to (ha!), and for me to respond to every single comment, if the spirit moves me.

- you'll be able to leave your web site/blog address in the comments - just like in any other blog.

- new pictures! see those adorable little eyes peaking out at you from the top of the screen? that's sawyer when he was about 6 months old (that's younger than adam is now!). he's 2 1/2 now. we need a new "masthead" - and one that i can change regularly.

stay tuned...

i'm taking a break from the fascinating conversation about the undeliciousness of V8 juice to talk about the weather (i'm getting the most comments over V8 juice..i should keep that in mind).

it's a whopping high of about 5 degrees out there. the windchill is in the negative double digits. our water line to the washing machine is frozen. our garbage hasn't been picked up yet (and they promptly pick it up between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m. EVERY week), school in pittsburgh is canceled (where it's a balmy 2 degrees warmer than here), kenny's car barely started this morning, and i just can't seem to get my hands warm.

how do people survive in places where this is typical winter weather?

wow, y'all. you have totally surprised me. because while i was holding my nose shut trying to finish my 8 oz. of nastiness yesterday, i was certain (certain!) that everyone in the world hated the stuff as much as I did. how could anyone drink it without being forced to? i mean, my husband likes it, but since love is blind, i've overlooked that fact about him.

but you guys? come on...you HAVE to be kidding. kenny was pretty sure there were other people out there who liked it -- how else could they still be selling it in every grocery store across the country? but i was so certain he was wrong.

and i'm always right. it's probably the single worst trait that kenny doesn't like about me. (well, that and the angry-pillow-in-his-face when i have to get up and feed the babies when they wake during the night.)

but i guess you proved me wrong. for the very first time in the history of my short life, i was wrong.

it was, however, interesting getting your opinion on something. so interesting, in fact, that i'm going to poll you (my blog readers) every once in a while. so stay tuned for the next "poll" and weigh in with your opinion.

back to the superbowl. it's rather boring this year - i'm not hanging on each play by play. i am thinking of my chicago friends tonight, as they are probably sitting on pins and needles right now (still pulling for you, Bears fans!) and wow. Prince can still rock "Purple Rain."

Because I just gotta know...do people actually LIKE drinking this stuff?

I gave it a shot - more than a shot's worth, actually. I drank an 8-oz glass of it. It only took me an hour to finish, but I just gotta know...does anyone out there agree with me that drinking it is pretty close to torture? Or do you agree with my husband who loves the stuff?

ETA: savannah - we did drink the low sodium stuff. i can't imagine it's any better with more sodium.