the quotidian (12.8.14)

Quotidian: daily, usual or customary; 
everyday; ordinary; commonplace


My husband has a meltdown if we run out of granola.

These meatballs: good but not great.

I enjoyed this one.
(And yes, I’m still keeping up my commitment to read at least one book a month.) 

My mother puts her guests in the bathtub.
The better to visit with them or something.
We’re in the midst of a gymnastics obsession. 
The tiger suit is a bonus.

Gussied up for his first concert.

The remains of the post-concert supper at my parents’ house: soup, crackers, fruit, cake.

Wild window: an imprint of a flying owl. 
You can even see its legs!
On my mother’s stairs.

This same time, years previous: 17 needles and 4 children, holding, iced ginger shortbread, winter quinoa salad, my kids are weird, zippy me, baked corn, and play areas, scorpions, and ritual cleansings.  

12 Comments

  • Kathy ~ Artful Accents

    The owl imprint is seriously amazing. I have never seen anything like that. All we get are bird feathers and smudges on our windows. I've grown to hate cardinals for their ridiculously obsessive nature, i.e. incessantly slamming their heads into our windows. The tiger suit is hilarious!

  • Lauralli

    My husband, likewise, has a meltdown when we run out of granola. So, about a year ago, I just quit making it altogether! It never occurred to him if I had some help (all that chopping of nuts got to me!) I could keep up with consumption. He now goes to Kroger regularly to buy theirs. I miss my granola, but not the regular pressure to make more, make more! I made the same meatballs a few weeks ago! Even went and bought the popular Swedish lingonberries to go with them. We had the same reaction–good, but not great. I may have to see if our library has that book or will order it for me. I want to know more about the owl imprint! Did it fly into your window? If so, what did it sound like? And, did it survive? We have birds fly into our windows, but I've never seen an imprint! Tell us more!

    • Jennifer Jo

      Thank goodness our granola recipe has no chopped nuts. It takes me 5 minute to mix together and pop in the oven. I'm not complaining.

      I made my own cranberry sauce to add to the meatballs. I'm glad to know it wasn't due to my substituting for lingonberries that the meatballs weren't a raging success.

      The owl flew into a window at my parents' house. They didn't see it or hear it, I don't think. That's it's clearly an owl is pretty outrageously cool.

  • Karen

    Love your animated life. Your blog serves as a respite from the cold, cruel world. The holding of guests hostage in one's tub is slightly disturbing, however, and yet to be expected among meatballs, striped leotards and meltdowns. Appreciate your sense of humor more than I can say.
    Please continue to keep us updated on the books you are reading. They're another form of respite. Picked up "Does This Church Make Me Look Fat? per your recommendation. Curious,… Do you ever write about being Mennonite?

    • Jennifer Jo

      I don't normally write about being Mennonite. We're not much different—appearance-wise—from the general public. Peace and justice are key beliefs, though, but since I'm not in a profession that deals with this stuff head on, I don't have much to say. My peace and justice issues (how I live my faith) revolve around daily living. And I write about that. So in that sense, yes, I write about my faith all the time.

      I don't think that made much sense. Sorry.

  • Suburban Correspondent

    I just figured it out – it takes me forever to make a batch of granola because I need a second pan. I don't know why I didn't think of that before I saw your picture, but there you are.

    • Jennifer Jo

      Even with two trays, I still have to make it about twice a week. I wish I had some trays fitted to my oven racks—no wasted space and less time spent making granola.

    • Anonymous

      No, you're doing it the best way. Sheets that closely fit the rack size make for poor heat circulation and stuff on the bottom burns and the top doesn't bake properly.

    • Eldon

      You can get full sheet pans at any restaurant supply store. They are twice the size of the ones you have (yours are half sheet pans). Side note, when I finally figured out why the baking tray mom mom used was called a half sheet pan, it made me ridiculously happy to realize that some things have names that actually make sense.

    • Eldon

      Unfortunately, that might be slightly too large for your oven. After being curious to see if one would actually fit, I found the measurements for a full sheet pan (18×26) and measuring the rack in my oven (17×24) it is clear that a full sheet pan will not fit in a standard domestic oven. I see that as an obvious sign that you need to get a new stove with an extra-large oven… possibly one of those with 6 burners and griddle. Im pretty sure you can even justify it by telling the husband that you need it to ensure adequate granola supplies.

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