7 Quick Takes Friday - #12

Here's this week's 7 Quick Takes:

1. This week, I spent some time flipping through youtube finding some of my favorite musical theater song & dance scenes and introducing the kids to them... West Side Story's "America", Oklahoma's "The Farmer & the Cowman Should Be Friends", Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' "Barn Dance" scene... want to recommend others in this style-- big, fun music with show-stopping dancing?
   
   
2. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day: I got this book for Christmas and have been putting it to use-- and we've had some delicious breads! The basic bread is great... and we've tried Pumpernickel, Honey Wheat, and Italian Semolina... I'm loving how little time it takes and that we can have fresh bread, often... now, here in Turkey, fresh bread is their specialty... but kinds like I mentioned aren't generally available, so now I can make them from home, and it really is a 5-minute effort. Works for me!
   
   
3. For those of you who have asked about specifics, I found out today that I have lost 3 pounds, total, since starting the No S Diet in December. Not so shabby for having made it through Christmas and New Years (read: I picked up a few pounds, so had to lose those in addition to these 3)... and the fact that my hunger is still in that ravenous-leave-me-alone-I'm-starving stage of nursing. :)
   
   
4. Mold. Ugh. moving on...
   
   
5. I filled up a bag of trash today. Random mostly-used not-very-special candles, sippy cups we brought overseas with us that should've been pitched ages ago, not-special-but-somehow-they-ended-up-in-our-house stuffed animals (shhhh!), and that sort of thing. With our time in the US rapidly approaching, I really want to get rid of some of the clutter here. Anyone else doing regular decluttering?
   
   
6. Our kids are awesome. Today, while we were stuck in traffic, Maranatha (4), Ethan (8), and Silas (2, almost 3) had a conversation in the backseat speculating about where Bono from U2 lives. Awesome. A couple days ago, Ethan asked if he could make some cookies "all by myself" -- and so we had Chocoluxe cookies that I did very little to assist with. Awesome. While in the Ikea playground, my very-hilarious-with-people-he-knows-but-almost-painfully-shy-with-strangers 6 year old, Baxter, approached the lady in charge all on his own and asked for water. In Turkish. Awesome. Moses was laying by me on the floor tonight and kept lunging at my face trying to (I think) give me slobbery kisses. He kept making these wonderful inhaling-happy-shrieks and I was all warm and fuzzy. Just after lunging for me, he leaned slightly back, and out came an avalanche of mixed veggies. And none of it got on me. Awesome.
   
   
7. And finally, I have two links for your enjoyment:
   Will Ferrell sings "Maria" from West Side Story. Kind of.
   And my favorite:
   Will Ferrell's version of "Music of the Night" from Phantom. :)
   
   

Enjoy!