Yesterday was Sweetsie’s first time going to work with her papa.

Most parents take pictures of their kids heading off for their first day of school, but that’s not really relevant in our family seeing as we homeschool and all.

Going to work with Papa is our measuring stick for growing up.

When we told Sweetsie that she could go to work, her eyes sparkled and she grew two inches. Then she got all serious and business-like and went about gathering together her tape player and tapes, a blanket (“so we can have a picnic”), her coloring book and markers, her spit rag, and her lunch. Part way through her breakfast she sighed heavily and said, “I got to go to work now, Mom.” I made her finish her bowl of granola first.

Mr. Handsome reported that she ate half her lunch as soon as they got to the job site, she listened to Alvin and the Chipmunks on the truck stereo straight through about five times, and she never once—never once—complained.

Supper eaten? Check.

Dishes washed? Check.

Mr. Handsome placed in charge of the house and kids? Check.

Mr. Handsome is aware that he is in charge of house and kids? Check.

Just to be sure, Mr. Handsome has been given a list specifying what being in charge means? Check.

Got a hot shower? Check.

Shaved/shorn legs? Check.

Raining outside? But of course check.

In my bed? Check.

Noise machine on? Click-check.

Pillows stuffed behind my back? Check.

Alrighty then! It appears that I am all set to tell you about macaroni and cheese.

I can’t believe I haven’t shared this recipe with you yet seeing as I make it about once every other week, if not more often. I mean, if we’re talking minutia, then this macaroni and cheese is It.

This is not high-end stuff (Gruyere, white wine, clarified butter). Nor is it low-end (boxed) stuff. It’s not low-fat (whirled up cottage cheese with spices) and it’s not high-fat (cream cheese, triple cheese, cheese-on-cheese) macaroni and cheese. It’s a standard baked macaroni and cheese, simple, no-frills, may-I-please-have-more-mama macaroni and cheese.

Now that we’ve gotten that all straightened out, I’ll show you how it’s made.

First, boil a pot of water—salt it good. Then add a pound of macaroni and cook till soft. Al dente. Whatever.

While that’s burbling away, make your white sauce. Melt some butter in a pan. When it has melted, add some white flour. Whisk well.

Gradually add the milk, a little at a time. Cook till bubbly and thick. Salt it good.

Drain the pasta and put it back in the kettle. Add the white sauce to the pasta and toss to coat.

Dump the saucy pasta into a greased pan.

Sprinkle on the cheese.

Bake till brown and bubbly.

Eat.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

You can gussy this up, if you wish, by adding a scoop of pesto to the white sauce, some chopped oven-roasted tomatoes, other spices (think Italian), caramelized onions, ham, etc.

The white sauce can be thinned out by decreasing the flour (and made lighter—ek!—by decreasing the butter) and increasing the milk. Likewise, it can be thickened by using more flour. Or, if you like your mac and cheese to be real soupy, increase the milk to four cups. White sauces are fun to play with—don’t be shy.

Of course, you can replace some of the milk with cream or add some cheese to the white sauce to boost its cheesability factor. If you’re that kind of person.

1 pound macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
1/3-1/2 cup white flour
1-2 teaspoons salt
3 cups milk
2-4 cups grated cheese, such as cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Colby

Cook the macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

For the white sauce:
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir well. Keeping the kettle on the hot burner (medium-high) slowly add the milk, a little at a time, whisking rapidly to totally incorporate it into the flour mixture before adding more milk. (If you add the milk too fast, without taking the time to stir it in, you may end up with a lumpy sauce.) Once all the milk has been added, continue to cook the sauce, stirring steadily, until it is bubbly and thick. Add the salt and remove the kettle from the hot burner.

Pour the white sauce into the drained macaroni and stir well.

Dump the macaroni into a greased 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with cheese. Bake the pasta at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.

Note: This can be assembled ahead of time and kept covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. However, it tends to get drier (the pasta absorbs the sauce), so you may want to add an extra half cup (or more) of milk to the white sauce if you know you’ll be waiting a few hours to bake it.

I’m feeling rather evangelical…about…laundry detergent.

My girlfriend Michael Ann told me about it, bless her dear little soul. It’s the good stuff, biodegradable, fragrance-free, HE compatible and whathaveyou, but the best part is that if you subscribe to it on Amazon they’ll ship it to you for free! Michael Ann had told me about it before, but last week when I stopped by her house for a brief chat (and to pick up my kids that she was so graciously watching) she sent me home with a sample of the white powder. I guess it made her feel a little evangelical, too! That afternoon I clicked over to Amazon and signed up (no fee, no commitment—can change the subscription or cancel it at any time) to have forty pounds of Country Save Detergent (equals fifty-two dollars) delivered to my front door every six months. It arrived the very next day and I felt like a million dollars (you know, from that little high you get when you buy something, plus the coffee I was slurping…), but I haven’t gotten to use it yet since I’m using still finishing up the last box of Dollar General detergent, and now it’s raining so I’m not even doing laundry anymore…

I’m a little zealous about other, more heady, things, too, like books. I’m reading The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter (also recommended to me by Michael Ann—I’m tellin’ ya’, that woman belongs in sales) and am love, love, loving it! The story is simply Carter’s memories of when he was a young boy living with his Cherokee grandparents. It is a refreshing read, cleanly written and insightful.

Here’s an excerpt from what I read this afternoon while settling The Baby Nickel for his nap: “Folks who laugh and say … that Nature don’t have a soul-spirit, have never been in a mountain spring storm. When She’s birthing spring, She gets right down to it, tearing at the mountains like a birthing woman clawing at the bed quilts.”

And some more: “Then, when April gets its warmest, all of a sudden the cold hits you. It stays cold for four or five days. This is to make the blackberries bloom and is called ‘blackberry winter.’” Oh! So that’s what’s going on with the weather right now. Makes me feel a little better about this depressing dreary cold. At least we’ll have blackberries!

This is a book geared for adults, but I think it would make a fabulous read-aloud to children. In fact, I’m planning on reading it to Yo-Yo and Miss Becca Boo just as soon as I’ve finished it myself—I want to read it all the way through first, just to be sure it’s okay for little ears. Granted, parts of the book are still above their heads, but I’ll gladly read it again later on. It’s the kind of book that you may want to consider purchasing for your bookshelf—one that you’ll want to hand out to others because it is certain to give you that glory-be evangelical feeling.

The other book that I’m preaching is one that I borrowed from my sis-in-law, and then after I finished reading it I went ahead and ordered it on Amazon; it just came in the mail today. Nonviolent Communication by Marshal B. Rosenberg is a (sorry to say) dry read, but quite profound nonetheless. Even when the lines blurred and my eyes went shut, the intriguing ideas pulled me back to its pages the following day.

Ach, droning on and on in this depressing vein is very un-saleslady-like—nobody will ever read it if I continue on like this. But hey, I just want to be honest with you. Here, let me share a few of the book’s main ideas, or at least the main ideas that I got out of the book.

I thought the first part of the book was a little hokey (there I go again)—it was all about “I statements” and formulas (“I feel blank when blank because blank…”) and I don’t do that type of jazz (especially seeing as studies have proved them to be irrelevant—sorry to burst any I-Loving Bubbles out there). But as the book went on, it got into the parts on true listening and that part was man-oh-man profound. As in, dude, that’s deep. Basically, the key is to listen to the feelings and needs behind statements—your own and others. Sounds simple, but it’s hard—try it!

Another thing that Rosenberg says is that “should” is the most violent word in the English language. Take heed: you should never use the word “should.” Yep, and “ain’t” ain’t a word.

Some of the most (to me) profound ideas were on anger: “At the core of anger is a need that is not being fulfilled.” And, “Blaming and punishing others are superficial expressions of anger. If we wish to fully express anger, the first step is to divorce the other person from any responsibility for our anger. Instead we shine the light of consciousness on our own feelings and needs. By expressing our needs, we are far more likely to get them met than by judging, blaming, or punishing others.”

Any of you well-versed in the Christian faith will quickly realized that this has a shattering effect on our church’s teachings on salvation, redemption, and forgiveness. I’m not going to say more than that, just enough to peak your interest.

Whew! That’s enough preaching for one day. Gotta go mop my brow.