possibly we watch too much Avatar

Last night in bed with Dillo:

me (sharply): Dillo! Quiet down and go to sleep!
Dillo: I'm angry!
me: Why are you angry?
Dillo: Because I want to fight!
me: Why do you want to fight?
Dillo: Because I'm fire -mumble-!
me: You're a fire truck?
Dillo: I'm fire NATION!
me: Oh, being fire nation makes you want to fight?
Dillo: I have all my powers!!! In my tummy. -does a variety of 'bending' moves, which involve flailing his limbs around-

Have I mentioned that nearly every sentence begins with "because"?

Have I mentioned he is SO TWO lately? Clothes are a real struggle (though, honestly, Casper was worse at this age), everything is the assertion of self and it must be just right and NO, I don't want milk in THAT cup, I want THIS cup, and I need the PINK spoon, and so forth. At least I have been through this before, and know it will pass.

Yesterday everyone went to school and work and stayed there without any untoward incidents. The kids were way tired when we got home, which meant that bath time was a festival of tears, and this morning was also rather rough (especially for Dillo, who 1.5 miles after we passed the Dunkies was still crying, "I never get donuts! I want to get some donuts, and eat 'em.")

Casper has been helping me paint the kitchen, which is progressing in very slow increments. All the parts she can reach are now painted. I have 1.5 walls left to do the cutting in on, and then a very fast time with the roller should complete the job, but I don't expect that to happen until the weekend. At which point we will buy new paint for the next step (white, for the lower part of the dining room, which is currently two-tone blue and green, and to paint the upstairs bathroom. We should also look for some primer and trim paint for upstairs, and downstairs too for that matter - someone did a crappy job of touching up the trim in a different white from what was already there. I think Sherwin Williams Harmony is going to be our next trial of low/no-VOC paint. We were very happy with the Yolo and will probably get more for the bedroom, but they don't really make plain white, and also we have to go to Atlanta to get it.

Spitzbuben

Last December my friend Marian brought these to book club. They are wonderful and so very addictive. I have a special sweet tooth for baked goods with ground almonds in them. At the time Marian said the recipe was a family secret, but she has now decided to share! I'm hoping to make them this weekend.

The cookies I had were 1.5 inch round sandwich cookies, with the tops and bottoms coated in powdered sugar, and raspberry preserves between the layers.

Nonna's Spitzbuben -- translated by AnnaGram

Spitzbuben

2 1/4 sticks butter
7/8 cup sugar
5 oz. almonds (not blanched), finely ground
1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour (or less - need to adjust)
Raspberry preserves (or part chocolate frosting)

Mix ingredients - butter,sugar, vanilla, almonds, then flour. Roll out on a board, make small round shapes, bake until light yellow in moderate oven (375o or less?) for 8 -15 minutes (depends hugely on kind of cookie sheet and oven temp!)

While still warm, dip tops into sugar, and spread flat bottom with jam or chocolate (even both!) and lay another cookie on top.

(These ingredients are translated from German pounds. If you have a gram scale, and keep in mind that 500 grams = 1 German pound, the quantities are:

1/2 lb. butter
200 gr. sugar
1/4 lb. almonds
1/2 stick of vanilla
420 gr. flour - but I use 390 or less)