Ramonantics

This past summer, Ramona has taken up a few new hobbies and interests:

1. bracelets, or anything remotely in the shape therof
2. bras (I know, there are a couple of reasons why I should not have posted this picture, but perhaps it will make someone else laugh besides me)
3. shoes of any size, shape, or function
4. corn
5. naptime. true, naptime in and of itself is nothing new, but before this summer, she never napped like this:
(it would appear as though naptime is a lot more fun these days)
For example, there are even days when naptime does not even involve sleeping:
6. and, finally, pasta. all over the floor.

Dark Chocolate Orange Gelato

It's not over, yet. . . summer, that is! There is still plenty of time to utilize homemade ice cream as a refuge from lingering August heat.

When we made our move from Illinois to Iowa, it only made sense to assume that our ice cream making would come to an abrupt halt while we unpacked our kitchen and settled into our new home. My dad was confident, however, that the ice cream machine would resume its work within a week of the move. He was right. We were quick to crank out a couple of batches of mango sorbet (recipe courtesy of David Lebovitz), and blueberry gelato (recipe adapted from Daziano), as well as our own recipes for strawberry, chocolate, banana, and cookies and cream.

One flavor I've been contemplating but have not gotten around to this summer is dark chocolate orange gelato--a family favorite.

Dark Chocolate Orange Gelato

Ingredients:
-2 cups whole milk
-5 egg yolks
-3/4 cups sugar
-1/4 cup light corn syrup
-zest of 3 oranges
-4 oz of dark chocolate, chopped (it helps to put the chocolate in the freezer before chopping)
-1/4 cup cocoa


1. Combine egg yolks, sugar, corn syrup, and zest in a medium bowl and beat together until creamy.
2. Heat the milk in a saucepan at about medium-high heat, preferably by using a double boiler or placing the saucepan in a larger pot filled with water, as this prevents the milk mixture from boiling.
3. Once the milk mixture is warm, temper the egg mixture by scooping small amounts of the milk and gradually adding to the eggs, stirring with each addition.
4. After adding about 2/3 of the milk to the eggs, pour the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk.
5. Stir for about 5 minutes until thickened. The custard will visibly stick to the back of a wooden spoon.
6. Remove saucepan from heat. Add chopped chocolate and sift in cocoa, using a whisk to mix until the custard is an even color.
7. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
8. Strain custard with a fine mesh strainer to remove scrambled eggs and orange zest.
9. Freeze according to individual ice cream maker instructions.

Wedding weekend

Last week we drove back to Illinois for the wedding of Forest's stepbrother/long-time friend, Dan. Carol invited us to come and stay at her house, so Ramona got to enjoy some quality Grandma time--which some might describe alternatively as "getting spoiled."
Saturday morning Ramona had a leisurely dip in the pool at Grandpa's house while others were busily preparing for the festivities. It was her first time braving water deeper than a bathtub.
There were some looks of concern and trepidation . . .

. . . but she managed to light up some smiles, too.

Monkey see . . .

Monkey do . . .

Wedding time was about 5pm

I got to provide the music for the ceremony, but once the knot was tied, Ramona got to strum a few notes of her own.

The newly wedded couple with one set of grandparents

Ramona spent some time experimenting with a golf cart before the dinner. Thankfully, she is still too small to reach the pedals.
At the dinner, her food of choice was watermelon, and her seat of choice was Grandpa's lap.

Congratulations, Dan and Christie!

Pneumonia in July

This past week Forest has been recovering from a bout of pneumonia, diagnosed after:

1. three days of high fevers (you know it's bad if the digital thermometer just reads: "HI," instead of giving you a number)

2. one trip to urgent care (where the doctor could only assume he had a bacterial infection)

3. and another trip to the ER (where Ramona made friends with all the nurses and an x-ray finally revealed the true cause of the problem)

Hopefully an antibiotic a day for just a little longer will keep all the doctors away.

from Hawkeye country to Buckeye land

I spent last week in Columbus, Ohio, attending a string teacher workshop to prepare for a someday-career and earning the last two credits required for my masters degree.
At the workshop, I set the cello aside and attempted to gain some proficiency on two different instruments: the violin and the double bass. To me, one tends to feel like a dwarf while the other feels like a beast, but by the end of the week both seemed a little more manageable.
My parents made the trip with me and watched Ramona the entire time I was on campus (THANK YOU). I think she enjoyed herself despite the new teeth that were pushing through her gums that week.


I had one afternoon off from classes, and spent part of it with my parents and Ramona at the Columbus Rose garden.



Perhaps not as brilliant as the rose garden in Portland, but it was a worthwhile retreat nonetheless.



Forest came to pick us up at my parents' house at the end of our Ohio road trip. Although I had a memorable, educational experience, ten days is a long time for an Ivy to be without her Forest, and I was happy to have our little family reunited again.

June Blur, Chapter 3: Iowa

After leaving my parents' house in Bloomington, we lived out of our car and a hotel room for three days while waiting to close on the house in Cedar Rapids. Ramona found ample entertainment playing on the hotel luggage carts . . .
. . . and also discovered her new favorite park.
Forest's new job began on the 21st, while we were still in the hotel,
but the following day we were finally able to close on the house,
move in,
and, eventually, begin unpacking. The day the moving truck arrived felt like Christmas.
The movers unloaded numerous furniture donations from family (and an upright piano), as well as wedding gifts long lost in storage.
While still in the midst of unpacking, we jumped right into the process of home improvement that first weekend. The former residents were decidedly fond of the color purple--particularly a dark plum color, which covered the upper wall of the family room and the trim around most of the house. Amazingly, after one Saturday, most of that purple was gone, thanks to the generous help of Parry and Teresa.
The obligatory BEFORE:and, AFTER:
At the last minute, I asked if we could paint one wall in the living room blue, to match the chairs from Teresa. I don't hate it, so far . . .
and, I still love the house, by the way.