First the KitchenAid mixer surrendered to a fatal case of arthritis while kneading a yummy batch of whole wheat rolls. Then the major networks switched to HDTV and in the process we lost all signal. Even with the handy dandy converter box from Uncle Sam we still couldn’t manage to get a single channel that we had before! And then (yes, there is an “and then!”) the dishwasher decided to give up the ghost. So, we’ve pretty much been “unplugged” for the last week. No television, no fresh baked bread or cookies, no effortlessly clean dishes. It’s been devastating and enlightening at the same time. I suppose I could use a wooden spoon to mix up some cookies, but really, I’m not that motivated.

Suddenly we find ourselves with lots of idle time on our hands, so we watched the snow fall…

redbloom

…and marveled at the beautiful spring buds peeking through the ice, longing for the sunny days ahead.

greenleaves

The food processor is still running like a champ, so I put the kids to work sorting dry pinto beans for our homemade (unfried) refried beans.  Oh hush…show me someone who doesn’t love pureed bean dip?!

searching

Behold the discerning eye of a master bean sorter!

gross

This bean must not have passed inspection.

yuck

Or these… So dramatic!

ew

Well, I can kinda tell why this one didn’t.

howwillwegoon

The kids quickly tired of this game and swore they would never eat beans. Just wait until they aren’t in solid bean form…they will lick them off their plates and beg for more!

boring

After WW Pinto Bean the troops rallied in the kitchen. What took 15 minutes, a lift & a twist, will now take an hour and some sore knees.  Good times! On the bright side – good quality family time right here! ha…

dishes

Handwashing dishes is putting a serious cramp in my creative style,  but 15 minutes here, and 15 minutes there is enough time to put the needle to the fabric. 

sewing

This week is actually National Turn Off Your TV Week, so we have a reason not to bother with fixing the high-density dummy-maker. There are more things for us to do this week than we will have time to get to anyway. Onward to victory!