George and Christina Bailey

Videos

2008-02-05T00:36:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to remember how to publish videos effectively. Until then, I did find out how to upload video from imovie to YouTube. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E6EBC6E2267E2C4F

Flipper Boy

2008-01-01T04:42:00.000-08:00

I hope these two movies have worked. If they have, then this one will show you why he´s flipper boy lately.
Enjoy

2008-01-01T04:38:00.000-08:00

(Movies)
So here’s our flipper boy. We keep him warm in this suit that’s a little too big for him. He’s already grown out of the nice warm suit Maureen gave him. It was wonderful while he fit in it, but he’s four and a half months old and already ready for 6-9 month clothes (it’s the length). He doesn’t fit into 3-6 anymore. He just hit 7 kilos (about 15.4 pounds) last Thursday. He doesn’t like to perform for the camera (I ain’t your circus monkey, mommy!), so this smile you’re getting should make you feel really lucky.

My little Boy

2008-01-01T04:37:00.001-08:00

Ok, I had a brainwave. I could prep all my stuff to put up at home at my own leisurely pace and then just quickly upload them when George and I go to his office. It’s not nearly so fun to think of all the things to share when under pressure. So many people to write, so many things to say; I’m glad that I finally (with some help) thought of a way to get some long-awaited pictures out to family and friends. This is the most recent one of joe. He’s had a cold, and it’s tough to get a smile out of him, but he’s still our happy little boy overall. We had a great Christmas. Joe got some toys for his mobile just as he was starting to really take notice of it and grab and pull things. We’re still waiting on his commando crawl, but he’s liking the time on his tummy a lot more now than he did before. He’s turning from his back to his side pretty reliably now too. He can turn from his stomach to his back sometimes, but he can’t really remember how to do it most of the time reliably yet. George got a lot of chocolate for Christmas, and I got some really beautiful place mats and a table runner for our nice new table. (we need to protect it somehow).

Flour Flour Everywhere, and not a bit to bake

2007-11-18T23:32:00.000-08:00

. . . Or at least until recently. Sorry guys, no photo this time. I had a great idea for this post yesterday night, but I forgot to take the pictures. Here in Germany everyone sells flour, but yeast, baking soda, baking powder and cream of tartar are really difficult to find. One store had yeast (only), another had only baking soda. I finally found baking powder last Saturday (they didn't have baking soda - or yeast I think). I'm still looking for cream of tartar. I heard you can find it at a German pharmacy (where they sell monistat but not nursing pads). Strange place, Germany, sometimes. Anyway, until a few days ago I wondered why in the world sell all that flour when there's nothing to leaven it? Don't try to tell me that all the Germans bake their own flatbread, dumplings, and nothing else? (I think even dumplings take baking soda). And please don't tell me they're all eating tortillas. Even that takes baking powder. Anyway, having found yeast, we made pizza twice this week. Fresh mozzarella, prociutto, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, salami milano, roasted bell peppers (we had a couple of different kinds of pizza). . . it was great. We had Ingo and Margret over for dinner last night and showed them phase ten. They had a lot of fun. Speaking of phase 10 and other card games. We found a place that sells tons of toys (we saw a German phase 10 there). It's rather expensive, but there's no place like Wal-mart (or even Target) here. Remind me to tell you why Wal-Mart failed in Germany (yes, I said failed, . . . miserably). It's pretty cool.

Sleeping with his eyes open

2007-11-14T00:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, he's not on his boppy this time, but he's been doing this slightly eerie trick of sleeping with his eyes open. Maybe he's trying to grow up to be a wizard. Well, the poor little tyke's cold has turned to a cough (me too). We've been getting good at going out anyway, though. I promise that I'll start taking pictures of Germany instead of Joe, but he's growing so fast. He'll be three months tomorrow (I'll see if I can't take some video). I've decided to get out of panic mode (forcefully) and start planning things like Christmas and Thanksgiving. That's so much less stressful (at this point in time) and so much more fun. I've still got some unhappy to dos (like moving again next week), but soon I'll put up cookie recipes and other fun stuff to prepare for Christmas. Until then, enjoy the creepy cute stare of a sleeping Joe.

Maybe I Could Yodel

2007-11-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just don't feel like getting up in the morning. Sometimes I just don't have the time/energy to publish my blog. Sometimes life's just hard to get going. Joe's had a cold this past week, and is having trouble not letting mommy sleep at night. He's also having trouble eating and breathing at the same time, necessitating the use of that bulbous blue snot sucker, which he hates. So this morning when George went out to breakfast I called him back and said, "take him! take him! Put him on his Boppy while you eat! Let me sleep!" I felt guilty later because it almost made him late to work, if not late to class. But, even though Joe's still feeling rather like this:

I feel like letting out a good ole cowboy yipee kai yai yay! Why? I just remembered! We signed for our new apartment yesterday. The only thing that's even more sure is when they put the key's into our hand and we sleep there. Not only that, but we also got paid today. Yay! I can finally balance the budget (almost). There's still a few things that we can get the government to give us (something called the Kindergeld for one: everyone gets paid for having a kid - about 150 Euros a month I think). Every little bit helps. It's nice to have things like that working.

Already Growing Out of Clothes

2007-10-29T23:25:00.000-07:00

Thank you Sarah for the awesome sweater and jeans. He's just starting to grow out of his newborn clothes and into his cute cute 3-6 month clothes. He's only 2 and a half months, but he's such a long child it's hard to find clothes that feel tight around the waist and don't flood - both ankles and wrists. He's sure gaggling a lot with us now, and it's easier to have a smiling contest with him, but he's still content just to kick around. He hasn't rolled anywhere yet. It's probably a good thing too, or I'd worry about putting him on my computer desk while I work. I'm right next to him, but it'd make life harder than it already is trying to do stuff while he's awake.
Germany is getting colder every day. It still hasn't become bitter cold, but we bundle up before we go out. I'm excited to go out today. My friend Charlotte is going to pick me up so we can go look at some second hand furniture. It'll be so great. She raves about this place. She checks it every day and often finds these gorgeous antique tables, wardrobes, etc for dirt cheap. By the way, wardrobes are an essential here. All my childhood I thought they were just a relic of the past, but when you don't have built in closets, you gotta hang your clothes somewhere. I like it so much, I think I wouldn't mind a home later without built in closets – wardrobes can be so much prettier, and you can move it around the room just as you please. Just remember, never shut yourself into a wardrobe, always leave the door cracked. . .

My little Cutie

2007-10-24T03:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been told that those who know us just can't get enough pictures of the little guy so I took some this morning. I like this one a lot. It just goes to show that what they can't do at night, they can do mid morning. I'm trying to get him to go down in his crib at night, but he just ends up staying awake longer. It'll take a while, but he'll learn. He makes such great cooing noises and smiles back at us now. He makes us so happy. . . I've been wanting to upload video lately, but I need a firewire cable. That means a walk to Promarkt, and I've got too many other things to do lately. I've almost solved the problem, but it might be a few more days until you guys see the fruit. Anyway, the weather is cold and often overcast with a little wind thrown in. I love it. I always enjoyed these "gloomy" days more than the hot and sweaty sunny ones. My favorite sky is a deep blue autumn one or a partly cloudy stormy one. I have to admit those Texas sunrises were gorgeous, but not quite worth the heat+humidity. Give me the dank and dreary fall days. That's for me.

The Packages Came!

2007-10-15T02:27:00.001-07:00

You see a picture today because our packages came in the mail. Yay! Within them was the cable that allows me to upload images to my compy. Here you see George and Joe sleeping together. Aww! Cute! The kicker is that this is during the last half of the last session of conference. Naughty! (The afternoon sessions are 10pm to midnight here, so don't be too hard on them!)

Germany, thank you for not smoking

2007-10-11T00:29:00.001-07:00

Ok, I've been waiting for a picture, but I think it's going to take too long to wait for the cable to hook my camera to my compy. . . . The title today doesn't really encapsulate my experience here at all. I'm just sitting here at my compy next to a window that should be open to prevent mildew but usually ends up closed because of a chain smoker who lives right belos us. It's rather annoying, not to mention it tends to scare away the five or six bunnies that like to come and munch on the lawn out back. The black forest is beautiful, and right outside our window. The 3rd of October is German unity day (when west Germany and east Germany reunited), and everything was closed so George and I went walking. We felt like Hansel and Gretel. We found one of those signs that shows you what flora and fauna are in the wilds you are walking in. Although the fauna listed were surprising (including foxes, eagles, and wild boars) the flora were even more so – and amusing. The sign listed 9 or 10 different kinds of mushrooms. Which tasted good, which tasted bad, and which killed you. Later we saw an older-than-us couple out walking with a bag strike off the path . . . mmmmmmmm

One Month and Counting

2007-09-17T00:54:00.000-07:00

If you'll kindly notice, this email is being posted around 2am. Yes 2am feedings are very real. (I like it better when he sleeps from 10 to 6, but we can't have it all). Here's the little guy on Sunday the 16th. We're in the throes of packing, during which Joe likes to sit on his "throne" and watch or fall asleep. International moves are crazy. Just don't get planes and customs involved, ok? In any case, little Joe's really rather cute, even if he is a little (ok, a VERY lot) irritated when mommy has dairy. We'll try having dairy again in a week or two (. . . when it's yummy European dairy. . . mmmmm). I'm going to get better with the camera, and get more of our story out, illustrated and all. Maybe with the video camera!

New Arrival

2007-08-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

Here he is! Joseph Dale Edwin Bailey. 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 21.5 in. long. Mom and baby are home now, but with certain restrictions on holding time (Joe's got jaundice and needs time under uv light– we can't fit in the suitcase with him so it's been renamed "the toture box"). He's eating well and is very strong. He'll hold his own head up often. He might just take over the blog for a while.

Okay, so I typed in Reubens before Jaime . . . so what?

2007-06-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

As I was putting in recipes this morning, I felt more inclined to grab the Russian sauce recipe than the Thai salad dressing. So sue me. I told Aunt Barbru I'd post it anyway. Note to her - just omit the horseradish and you'll get what you ate a couple of weeks ago (love you!). I've gotta remember to stick them in the toaster oven, they're so much nicer and crispier. Anyway, here's our Reuben menu:
Reuben's with Russian Sauce
Creamy Veggie Soup (usually doubled or tripled)
Pickles for everyone
Chocolate Almond Torte with Strawberry Sauce.

So here goes.

Reubens with Russian Sauce
Reubens influenced by internet research
Russian Sauce from The Joy of Cooking
 Rye bread (we like dark)
Russian Sauce (see below) - half a recipe will cover 4 sandwiches, it’s a good dipping sauce too
Corned Beef (freshly deli sliced is worth the extra cost) - about 6 oz. per sandwich
Sour sauerkraut (jar, not can, and drained really well - we weight it down on top by putting as many cans as we can in a bowl pressing it down through the strainer) - be very generous. We use about 3/4 of a big jar on 4 sandwiches
Swiss cheese (deli is best, but hey, we’re all on a budget) - about 3 or 4 slices per sandwich
Butter

Serve with Creamy Veggie Soup and a dill pickle (one’s enough)

Russian Sauce:
Combine:
1 cup mayonnaise
*2 Tbs grated horseradish
*2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chili sauce *and* ketchup *combined *(if wanted hotter more chili to ketchup ratio, if milder . . )*
*2 tsp grated onion
*a few Tbs chopped parsley
*they also list caviar as optional. We’re not that free with our food money yet, but we’d love to try it.

1. I lay out all the bread and do the same thing to each slice (so your Reuben ends up Palindromic - bread, sauce, beef, cheese, sauerkraut, cheese, beef, sauce, bread). Be generous with the sauce. About two or three slices of corned beef on each slice. About 2 slices of swiss, then pile on the kraut.
2. Slap those suckers together. Butter generously one side of the bread and put the sandwich, butter side down on a preheated grill. Do with all the sandwiches you can fit on your grill, butter side that’s up at the time and try to flip only once.
3. Put in an oven or in a toaster oven on toast to make sure the sauce and juice of the kraut don’t make the bread soggy and finish melting the swiss, making for a nice, crispy, melted, delectable Reuben. Enjoy with your soup and pickle. The Chocolate Almond Torte with Strawberry Sauce is a great dessert for this meal (and kosher too).

Creamy Vegetable Soup (For Reubens)
From The Joy of Cooking
 2 Tbs butter
1 1/4 Tbs flour
1 1/2 c. vegetable stock *chicken stock*
1/2 c. cream or stock *whatever on hand, we usually use milk*
*1 1/2 - 2 potatoes (midsized) diced and steamed
*3 carrots diced and steamed
*1/2 c. corn - frozen works
*1 onion, sautéed well 2 Tbs. chopped parsley

1. Melt butter, add and stir flour until blended. Add and stir stock until smooth.
2. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Lower the heat and add: cream or stock and steamed vegetables.
3. Heat thoroughly. Don’t boil if adding cream *(It makes a skin on top)* Parsley is a garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chocolate Almond Torte with Strawberry Sauce
From Christina’s searching on the internet for Passover recipes
 1 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup margarine, softened 4 eggs, separated 2 1/4 cups almonds, sliced, blanched 7 oz. unsweetened chocolate 
Sauce: 2 cups strawberries, frozen, unsweetened 1 cup sugar 
1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Line the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan with wax paper; grease paper. With blender, mix sugar and margarine until fluffy. Add egg yolks. In a food processor, process almonds and chocolate until finely ground. Stir into sugar mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Mix 1/3 whites into batter. Gently fold in remaining whites. Spread batter into pan, smoothing top. Bake about 1 1/2 hours, until top springs back. Cool for 10 minutes before releasing. 
Sauce: thaw and puree 2 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries. In small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and puree. Simmer 3 minutes. Cover and cool. 
Place sauce on plate. Place torte on top. Garnish with fresh strawberries.

Have fun!

First Recipe

2007-06-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that this is the first recipe to go up because it's already typed in. We have it with a great Thai salad from Jaime Oliver's book "The Naked Chef Takes Off," and white rice. Jaime's recipe to follow soon. Comments between the *s are our modifications.

Thai Chicken Soup with
Coconut Milk and Galangal
by Otti Kiraly

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 shallot (thinly sliced)
1/2 teaspoon garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon lemon grass (minced)
1 tablespoon dried red chili flakes, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground chili pasts, or to taste
1 (1-inch) section frozen or fresh galangal (thinly sliced and bruised with the back of a knife) *we use dried because its so hard to find fresh out here in Utah. We get ours at Chao's (asian supply store between 100 and 200 North on University Ave), but I've seen in in Indian supply stores too.*
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons fish sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk *we use 2 cans*
1/3pound chicken breasts or thighs (cubed)
1 cup straw or white mushrooms
1 cup red ripe tomato (cubed)
1/2tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 kaffir lime leaves (cut in half)
6 fresh cilantro sprigs (chopped, for garnish)

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat until moderately hot. Add the shallot, garlic, lemon grass, chili flakes, and chili pastes and brown slightly, about 30 seconds. *we put in any chili after the chicken broth. It's not as fragrant – but then again – with chili we found fragrant more often translates into eye burning fumes throughout the house. *
2. Working quickly and without burning the spice, add the galangal, chicken stock, fish sauce, sugar, and coconut milk.
3. Bring to a boil and add the chicken, mushrooms, and tomato.
4. As soon as it comes to a second boil, turn off the heat and add the lime juice and lime leaves and serve immediately. Garnish with the cilantro.

Optional: For a richer broth, increase the proportion of coconut milk to chicken stock. For a thinner broth, reduce the ratio of coconut milk to chicken stock. Or, substitute regular, lowfat, or nonfat cows’ milk for the coconut milk. Advise guests not to eat the galangal and lime leaves—they are for flavoring only. *Otti also told us the last time we visited that if you cut out the chicken broth it becomes a curry to pour over rice instead of a soup. We haven't tried it ourselves yet, but it sure sounds yummy. *

Joe's second sonogram pictures

2007-06-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

I swear we're not going to let the little guy take over, but he's so cute! He's a lot bigger than before - 4 lbs and something (I forgot). We can't convert the VHS tape with what we've got up here, so we'll wait on seeing more video. They were one tech short anyway that day and rushed us through after being late. So the video isn't as fun, but still more fun than flying blind. The best news is that his thyroid isn't enlarged, which means my thyroid antibodies haven't done him any harm.

Food

2007-06-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

If you know us even a little, you know we love to cook. We hope to soon put up some of our recipes from menus we've been developing lately. We'll try to give credit where credit is due, but we tend to tweak everything until we get it just how we like it, so friends – don't be surprised if we say we got it from you and it's just a little different here and there. Mostly we're working on dinners, but maybe we'll throw in a breakfast or something now and then. Until then, just know that this post is an effort at getting more stuff up on the blog. Then it really can be Christina and George's blog, not little Joe's blog ( . . . at least, until he shows up, . . . then he'll probably take over again).

Joseph's First Home Movie

2007-05-16T08:24:00.001-07:00

Click To Play

This is our first little home movie of the little critter. He's twenty weeks old here, and already 15 oz. Cutie!