Family matters

All my daydreams are disasters

So.

Yesterday went from Little Inconvenience to Teeth-Gnashing Panic to Resigned Sadness in about a 4-hour period.

Inconvenience
My age was wrong on Poppy’s birth certificate, and we had to jump through great flaming hoops from here to the state capital to get it fixed. But get it fixed we did, and Rockford is going to submit an application for a baby passport this morning. (Baby passport! I hope it’s tiny and pink!)

Panic
After our fun afternoon in the dingy little state office, we returned to find a message from the university: “Hello! Your fellowship is over! No more money for you! Have a great day!” This was not expected. Not at all. And it was not good news. We were prepared to go a little while with no income, but we don’t have the funding to cover this. We went over our options. Sell an organ? Turn to a life of crime? Go to bed and cry? That’s what I wanted to do, but Rockford is far more proactive. Which leads us to …

Sadness
Rockford talked to his boss, who agreed to hire Rockford as a “consultant” until they wrap up the project he’s been working on. That will likely take until August. Our lease expires on July 1, and it would cost more for both of us to work and put Poppy in day care than it does for one of us to stay home. Hence: Rockford will be looking for a sublease or a kindly friend with a spare room for the month of July, and Poppy and I will be visiting family solo until he finishes.

I’m not crazy about this plan, but it’s a financial necessity. I hate money.

Family matters

Nine months old

My little girl is growing up.

After her doctors appointment this afternoon, I read in the handy info pamphlet that we should expect her to be walking while holding someone’s hand by 12 months. And that made me cry. She amazes me every day.

This picture was the best of the 9-month-old baby bunch. Rockford was tasked with taking the picture this month. I won’t make that mistake again.

Eating, recipes

Sesame noodles

Here’s Phoebe’s recipe for sesame noodles, complete with Phoebe notes. We had this with a vegetable stir-fry, but I think it would make a great stand-alone dish for lunch or a light dinner.

Sesame Noodles
1 pound of pasta of your choice (I use whole-wheat pasta, usually spagetti or linguini)
1 bunch of green onions, chopped on the diagonal (they’re prettier that way)
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
3-4 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 cup peanut butter (I use chunky, but you can use creamy if you prefer)
1/4 cup Sesame seeds
6 tablespoon soy sauce (Tamari soy is particularly nice for this)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
Pinch of brown sugar
3-4 tablespoons water
Toast the sesame seeds in a pan, stirring frequently

In a bowl combine half of the sesame seeds (reserve the other half for the noodles), peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, brown sugar and water. Mix until creamy. Set aside.

Drain cooked pasta and put in large mixing bowl. While the pasta is still hot, add sesame oil, then green onions and red peppers. Toss together with sauce. Add remaining sesame seeds. Serve hot or cold.

This is especially good when it has had a few hours in the fridge for the flavors to marry. For a heartier variation, you can marinate some tofu in sesame oil, soy sauce ginger and OJ, lightly bread and fry it, and toss it in at the last minute with the sesame seeds.