So, we are going to work on aggregating our various status updates and such from all over the social web, compiling them here for easy access to our blog reading but non social networking mothers.

Soon. Right after I do the taxes…

I decided to finish up the design, post our Christmas letter here, and include the link on our Christmas cards. Well, the cards have been mailed out and this site isn’t finished.

Come back and visit around the first of the year. It should be complete and awesome by then.

I started off by making the dip. I used minced garlic and dried rosemary, both pantry staples at our house. I was able to just mix it with a potato masher in a mixing bowl. I used a little less than a quarter cup of olive oil, way less than the cup she recommends. I also had to add a significant bit more garlic and rosemary to get a good taste. Just keep mixing and tasting till its good.

Next came the SmartBacon. When I took it out of the pack it smelled like Slim Jims. The slices kind of stuck together and I had to separate them with a butter knife.  I used about an eighth of a cup of neutral vegetable oil in my 12″ stainless steel skillet and followed the directions on the box. The bacon turned out GREAT. Just like real bacon, the edges were crispy and the center chewy. It was hard to keep from eating it all right out of the pan!

The SmartBacon didn’t leave any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, so there was nothing to deglaze. The oil had absorbed some bacony flavor. I solved the problem by tearing up little bits of bacon and throwing them back in the pot.

From there on in I just followed the original recipe. The result is an amazingly delicious , rich and complex soup. Its completely vegan and pretty low fat, too. We’re serving it with crusty french bread and vegan SmartBalance “butter”.

Considering cooking these for dessert…

Andrew got a new job and we moved to Columbia. That was in May.

We got an awesome house and have spent the last two months unpacking and getting settled in. We live right in the heart of downtown. We have gone to several of the parks and walking trails in the area, as well as some free outdoor concerts and movies. We have done sushi critiquing and established a favorite sushi restaurant (Tsunami). We went to Trustus Theater to see Elephant Graveyard, and to an awesome modern dance performance at 701 Whaley.

Our entire menagerie of three dogs and three cats moved with us. There was one trip from Galivants Ferry to Columbia with all four of us and all six animals smushed into our 2-door car. It was interesting, to say the least. This house is so big that we barely notice the animals, and there is a half acre fenced yard for the dogs. Unfortunately, they howl at the trains.

Matthew was accepted to the Governor’s School of Arts and Humanities summer program for  rising ninth graders. He did very well there, and just came home a few days ago. He gets a few weeks rest before the USC Strings Program and the SC Philharmonic Youth Orchestra start up. In late September he will be travelling to Baltimore to play at a black tie fundraiser. He’ll be going to a virtual charter school called Provost Academy this year.

Gavyn has been getting very good at digital animation, we’ll put his work up on YouTube just as soon as we have a chance to breathe. He has also been honing his chess skills and reading lots of sci-fi and manga. He’ll start Jr. Cotillion in September as well as joining the community chess club. I’ve been plotting out the homeschool curriculum this year with a heavy emphasis on his favorite subject, mathematics.

Andrew is very happy at his new job. He has normal working hours, great pay, good benefits and an excellent company culture. He is no longer a sleep deprived zombie, and just seems so much more content with life in general.

I have been on an epic GTD streak. Packing, moving, unpacking, organizing. I am so sick of it all. I would like a month’s vacation, please. Alas, that is not to be, at least not until September. I am counting the days!

The mother is a black lab. If she is not pure then she is a hound mix. She honestly looks a bit more “houndy” than most labs. We do not know who the father is, but the puppies are definitely hounds. They have low-set long ears, jowls, and long noses. They howl.

All of the puppies are black with tan markings. They have white on their chests and the tips of their toes. There is some brindling in the tan areas, and some black ticking in the white areas.

These puppies are free to good homes. We are willing to place them in temporary foster homes, but we prefer forever homes. They are eating on thier own and do not need to be bottle fed. They can start crate training now if you can let them out on a regular schedule. I will be happy to provide a feeding and crating schedule for adoptees.

The puppies have not had thier first shots or heartworm treatments. Those are due to begin in two more weeks. I will provide the first vaccine and instructions for heartworm preventative treatment that only costs $25 per year.

The puppies and their mother have been in quarantine for three weeks and show no signs of disease. The puppies should not be exposed to unknown dogs until they are about eight weeks old, in order to allow time for their immune systems to develop.

If you do not want a puppy, please ask your friends if they would be interested. We do not have the ability to individually raise three more dogs. If we do not find homes within a day or two these puppies will be taken to the pound where they will most likely not survive the quarantine period.

Today I tried using baking soda to wash my hair. I first heard of this method several years ago, but have never been able to bring myself to believe that it would work. I finally decided to give it a try just to strike it off my list of potential solutions. To my pleasant surprise, it works like a charm.

I mixed about a third of a cup of baking soda with water until it formed a thin paste. After wetting my hair I scooped up palm fulls of this mixture and massaged my scalp with it, making sure to thoroughly scrub my whole head. You don’t use it on all of your hair, you are just concerned with cleaning your scalp.

I rinsed well and then I poured abouut two cups of water mixed with three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar over my hair. I let that sit while I washed and then rinsed my hair one last time before getting out of the shower.

The first thing that I noticed after towel drying my hair was that I had a quite strong vinegar odor.  Half an hour later my still damp hair looked promisingly clean, but I was still wafting about in a cloud of vinegar aroma. Impatient to see the end results and hoping to dissipate the vinegar smell, I went ahead and blow dryed my hair. The end result was great!

Usually my hair is too dry after it is washed, I call it baby chick hair. It is downy, filled with static, and flies away easily. If I don’t wash my hair the ends are ok but the roots stick to my head like somebody glued them there. This new method solves that problem. The roots are squeaky clean and bouncy but the ends still have some weight and shine. Drying my hair also successfully dissipated the vinegar smell.

In summary, I have found a natural hair washing method that is not only equal to the traditional products I’ve been using but is actually better.  In addition, the scalp massage is supposed to encourage hair growth and the vinegar rinse discourages breakage and split ends. I’ll post an update after a few weeks, but for now this looks like a success.

Andrew has been teaching him how to play chess and how to use the internet to explore his newest passion, astronomy. We’ve been working on his communication skills, and are planning to help him create videos throughout the year. I’m hoping that the organizational skills he will learn in planning video content will help him learn better writing skills.

We have just met another homeschooling family in the area and have found out about  several homeschooling groups. Getting out of the house will be as much fun for us at it is for Gavyn!

Twila is sweet and very easy to get along with, but I’m not sure we’re going to keep her. We’re sort of on dog overload at the moment. I’m trying to put off the decision until we get rid of the momma dog & puppies. That also gives her more time to put on weight. But in the end I’m not sure that we have room in our life for three dogs, and she might move on to a Whippet rescue. I’m still glad we saved her, though.

Oscar has been allowed his first off-leash play sessions this week. This is particularly scary since we don’t have a fence. If he decides to run off and not come back there’s nothing we can do. I’m happy to report that he recalls well and we aren’t having any problem. The extra exercise he gets seems to be doing him good.

Chance, as always, is the perfect Good Dog.