Fon-Do’s: How To Make Your Fondue Party A Success! November 6, 2007

1) Screw the skewers! Civilized utensils are the way to go. And with an electric grill (see tip #2), use a spatula!

2) Using an electric grill, as opposed to sterno flamed grill, is a much better option when feeding ravished masses.

3) Don’t come hungry to a fondue party; the tiny morsels won’t fill you up! Eat a steak before you leave your house! Think of fondue as appetizers or nibbles to go along with your wine!

4) Make sure your sterno is the right size for your fondue pan. An oversized sterno will burn your molten mixture of cheese, chocolate or whatever…Nothing like the smell of scolded cheese permeating your home! MMMMmmm.

Okay, I do jest. Slightly. Fondue is fun. I much rather prefer fondue at home as opposed to going out and spending over $100 on a meal I could have easily (and cheaply!) prepared in no time at all. What’s it take? Broccoli and cheese? Torn up pieces of angel food cake and chocolate? Lots of wine! The point is to get creative and to enjoy your company.

We celebrated Wendi’s and Anne’s birthdays with a fondue party. These tips come from experience. With seating for everyone spread between two tables, it became a race to see who could finish first. At table one, they cheated with an electric grill and Anne actually got up to get a spatula! We at table two had to wait for a very, very, very long time fot the sterno-powered grill to cook our scallops and steak.

A good time was had, though, by all as evidenced by the photos. 

                  

Happy Birthday, Little A! October 1, 2007

Today Aliyaa turns the big O-N-E! What a sweetheart!  She has been walking for about a month and a half, has a very large vocabulary for a one year old, and is absolutely in love with her mommy and daddy! And just like all the other fabulous-o Champines out there, she is BRILLIANT!

How To Get Your Children to Do Their Chores September 27, 2007

THE PARABLE OF THE WIND AND SUN

One day wind and sun saw a man walking and they both decided to have a
contest to see who is stronger. The agreed that the one who can cause the
person to take off his cloak will be declared the stronger one. So the wind
blew and blew on that man, but instead of taking off his cloak, he draws it
closer to him until finally wind give up. Then it was sun turn, he began
shining his bright  and warm light upon that man, and slowly as the
brightness of the sun grow brighter, he began to unloosen his cloak and
ultimately removed it.

yeah…I totally copied and pasted this, but I like it.

The Scientific Terms Evade Me… September 26, 2007

Just got the official word from my doctor…the lump is a very deep in-grown hair.

Gross.

 But yea!

Channeling Mary Catherine Gallagher September 25, 2007

To sum up how I feel tonight, I’d like to share a scene from the 1993 hit movie, “A Thing Called Love,” in which Samantha Mathis portrays Miranda, a woman who knows a thing or two about struggle and triumph.