Blessed Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Greatness

"I have never been the kind of person who has defined myself by a career or a job... People used to ask me that during the course of the campaign: ‘Is it hard for you to have stepped off the track and devoted your life to his dream?’ But the truth is that I believe in this man as our president, and his vision for the country. And if that meant stepping away from my particular job . . . that’s a small sacrifice to make.”

Michelle Obama, Nov 26, 2008, in her interview with Barbara Walters.

Background from Wikipedia:

Alma Mater: Princeton University, Harvard Law School.

According to the couple's 2006 income tax return, Michelle's salary was $273,618... while [Barack Obama] had a salary of $157,082 from the United States Senate.

I want to dedicate this entry to a friend who has recently been taking a lot of heat for expressing her enjoyment in being a stay-at-home-mom and supporting her husband on the domestic front.  As you can see from the universally popular upcoming First Family, staying at home and bringing up your own children is the new cool!  :D

Kefir

Several weeks ago, our friends S&S gave us a few kefir grains and instructions on how to make our own kefir drink. It's funny that they are called grains because they look like cauliflower and are rubbery in texture. Kefir grains are a combination of bacteria and yeasts, like yogurt.

In Japan, I remember watching infomercials on TV about something being similar to, but is even healthier than, yogurt that comes from Russia. I think it was kefir. According to Wikipedia, it is becoming increasingly popular due to new research into its health benefits. Many different bacteria and yeasts are found in the kefir grains, which are a complex and highly variable community of micro-organism.

Making a kefir drink is really quite simple. I just add milk to the grains and leave it to ferment in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. When we feel like drinking it, I just pour the stuff out into our cups, rinse the grains with cold water, put it back into a clean container, add milk and leave it for another 24 hours or so. It's a little sour, like yogurt, and it's more so the longer we leave it in the fridge. It tastes great with honey though.

The kefir grains keep multiplying so they never actually run out. I'm happy to give some away to whoever who wants to try it!