My sister and I are sitting here chatting and supervising, sipping lukewarm coffee, because we both know that it will never truly be hot, as long as the kids are little. Q is cutting and building Puppet Man, complete with ears and a penis. The Bee is gluing, folding and gluing some more. Nephew #2 is creating his first painted masterpiece, both on the paper and himself.
It's good.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
tomorrow can't come soon enough - upside and downside
I'm totally jazzed - I get to see my sister tomorrow! And my nephew! They'll be at our house for a week, until I take them back next Saturday. I am so looking forward to their visit. I can do without the goodbye scenes though. I suck at those. And you would think I might be good at it by now, seeing as I have been saying goodbye to people since I was seven. Nope. I still cry, almost every time.
The downside is the broken camera. We went and looked at them tonight, and one store had a semi-broken display model of one of the cameras we're interested in. So, we had to go to a different store to look at it. It's hard to compare cameras when one is sort of broken. Now, I need to sit down and make a spreadsheet to figure out who has what at what price and what not. This is way more than the last camera - oh, that will fit in my purse and/or the diaper bag, let's get that. And I would usually not mind if we did not have a camera, but tomorrow is Poppa's 77th birthday, and a good number of us will be there (4 of the 5 adult kids, 6 of the 10 grandkids, 4 of 4 great grandkids) so it would be really nice to have a camera. I think I'm borrowing my Father In Law's camera tomorrow - I just have to remember to get it from him when I pick up the kids in the morning.
Yep, that's right, no kids, house to ourselves, and I'm blogging and my husband is submitting one of his turns for an online game forum he's on. Woo Hoo! What a rockin' kidless Friday we have!
Back to the camera ... it's also a good thing I DID NOT send my husband by himself, because he would have come home with the Cadillac of cameras, to the tune of $3500. I'm not saying it's not a nice camera, because it is a very lovely camera, but I think that for us, a camera like that would be over kill.
So now I have to narrow it down to the Nikon D80 and the Canon Rebel XTi, with an upgraded lens.
Anybody have any thoughts on DSLR cameras? If so, leave me a note, I'd love to hear what you think.
The downside is the broken camera. We went and looked at them tonight, and one store had a semi-broken display model of one of the cameras we're interested in. So, we had to go to a different store to look at it. It's hard to compare cameras when one is sort of broken. Now, I need to sit down and make a spreadsheet to figure out who has what at what price and what not. This is way more than the last camera - oh, that will fit in my purse and/or the diaper bag, let's get that. And I would usually not mind if we did not have a camera, but tomorrow is Poppa's 77th birthday, and a good number of us will be there (4 of the 5 adult kids, 6 of the 10 grandkids, 4 of 4 great grandkids) so it would be really nice to have a camera. I think I'm borrowing my Father In Law's camera tomorrow - I just have to remember to get it from him when I pick up the kids in the morning.
Yep, that's right, no kids, house to ourselves, and I'm blogging and my husband is submitting one of his turns for an online game forum he's on. Woo Hoo! What a rockin' kidless Friday we have!
Back to the camera ... it's also a good thing I DID NOT send my husband by himself, because he would have come home with the Cadillac of cameras, to the tune of $3500. I'm not saying it's not a nice camera, because it is a very lovely camera, but I think that for us, a camera like that would be over kill.
So now I have to narrow it down to the Nikon D80 and the Canon Rebel XTi, with an upgraded lens.
Anybody have any thoughts on DSLR cameras? If so, leave me a note, I'd love to hear what you think.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
celebrating
a few things ...
International Talk Like a Pirate Day
If you're interested, click here.
If I had known about it earlier, I totally would have done something with this.
Perhaps we'll watch a little Pirates of the Carribean tonight.
and ...
it looks like the planets may have actually lined up, because as of last night, my sister and my nephew are coming down on Friday, and will be at my house from Saturday the 22nd until Saturday the 29th. Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog!
It should be a fun week ... now I just have to shell out money for a new camera. Shit. Not celebrating the spending of the money, but, rather, the purchase of a new camera. The money spending part still sucks. Bleck.
Or, in pirate speak, Aargh!
International Talk Like a Pirate DayIf you're interested, click here.
If I had known about it earlier, I totally would have done something with this.
Perhaps we'll watch a little Pirates of the Carribean tonight.
and ...
it looks like the planets may have actually lined up, because as of last night, my sister and my nephew are coming down on Friday, and will be at my house from Saturday the 22nd until Saturday the 29th. Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog!
It should be a fun week ... now I just have to shell out money for a new camera. Shit. Not celebrating the spending of the money, but, rather, the purchase of a new camera. The money spending part still sucks. Bleck.
Or, in pirate speak, Aargh!
Monday, September 17, 2007
line up the planets
in the hopes that my sister and my nephew can get her act in gear and be ready to come down here this weekend and stay for the week.
I haven't heard from her yet this week and am leaving messages, hoping to get an answer. She needs to either pay her phone bill (or actually, the boyfriend does, since he is in charge of the money - more on that later) or call me back or drop me an email.
Dad is coming down this Saturday for Poppa's 77th Birthday Party, which is also dual purpose, for Madison's 3rd Birthday. All Dad has to do is swing by, pick her & Will up and c'mon down!
So ... if you ever think about these types of things, could you send out a thought that the stars line up, the ducks get in a row ... whatever it is that has to happen to get them here.
If it's not this weekend, it won't be for at least two or three more weeks, if not more. I don't think I can wait that long.
Keeping everything crossed ...
I haven't heard from her yet this week and am leaving messages, hoping to get an answer. She needs to either pay her phone bill (or actually, the boyfriend does, since he is in charge of the money - more on that later) or call me back or drop me an email.
Dad is coming down this Saturday for Poppa's 77th Birthday Party, which is also dual purpose, for Madison's 3rd Birthday. All Dad has to do is swing by, pick her & Will up and c'mon down!
So ... if you ever think about these types of things, could you send out a thought that the stars line up, the ducks get in a row ... whatever it is that has to happen to get them here.
If it's not this weekend, it won't be for at least two or three more weeks, if not more. I don't think I can wait that long.
Keeping everything crossed ...
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Oh crapinski!
as my mother used to say ...
Our digital camera broke today. This is not good. Not that I put a lot of pictures on here (my husband has me phobic about that), but I normally take a decent amount of pictures, and we have a separate website that we host that actually does have pictures of the kids.
Otherwise, the day was fantastic-inski! We spent a couple of hours at the Big Rock Plow Match. We saw a 4H cow show. The kids rode on some carnival rides. The weather was beautiful.
I finished a baby blanket, for a baby that is now six weeks old! Ack! It goes in the mail tomorrow.
It should be another busy week ... let's hope to get some more good weather out of it.
Our digital camera broke today. This is not good. Not that I put a lot of pictures on here (my husband has me phobic about that), but I normally take a decent amount of pictures, and we have a separate website that we host that actually does have pictures of the kids.
Otherwise, the day was fantastic-inski! We spent a couple of hours at the Big Rock Plow Match. We saw a 4H cow show. The kids rode on some carnival rides. The weather was beautiful.
I finished a baby blanket, for a baby that is now six weeks old! Ack! It goes in the mail tomorrow.
It should be another busy week ... let's hope to get some more good weather out of it.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Joy
on so many levels ...
The house is open, I have a wonderful breeze blowing through the house.
I can hear the crickets in my garden, just outside the window where I sit.
My daughter is next to me cutting and gluing.
My husband and my son are playing checkers in the living room.
I have a counter full of garden grown tomatoes, waiting to be turned into sauces and Bruchetta in a Jar.
Dinner is in the oven, and we're hoping Uncle Jeff will come over for dinner.
I am sipping a cup of hot coffee out of one of my oversized mugs.
I made the neighbors Christmas gift today, pickled hot banana peppers, and they are sitting on the counter, cooling.
I talked to my Dad this morning, and all is well in Florida.
Where did you find joy today?
The house is open, I have a wonderful breeze blowing through the house.
I can hear the crickets in my garden, just outside the window where I sit.
My daughter is next to me cutting and gluing.
My husband and my son are playing checkers in the living room.
I have a counter full of garden grown tomatoes, waiting to be turned into sauces and Bruchetta in a Jar.
Dinner is in the oven, and we're hoping Uncle Jeff will come over for dinner.
I am sipping a cup of hot coffee out of one of my oversized mugs.
I made the neighbors Christmas gift today, pickled hot banana peppers, and they are sitting on the counter, cooling.
I talked to my Dad this morning, and all is well in Florida.
Where did you find joy today?
Friday, September 07, 2007
Recipes
I started going through the cabinets earlier this week, in my attempt to corral some of the errant recipes I've got floating around here. Tonight, I started transferring the "keepers" to index cards to be filed away.
I have two recipe card boxes, both were my Mom's.
1. The Campbell's Soup recipe box that she got a few years before she died, one of those you got if you sent in enough upcs or whatever. It came with an assortment of recipes, I have it, but I don't use it much.
2. The Other Box. I saw it on ebay once, it was listed as vintage, from the early 1970's. I assume that my Mom got it when she was newly married. It has definitely yellowed with age, and the lid doesn't shut quite right, but it is usually kept open anyway, so a wonky lid doesn't factor in that much.
I was going through The Other Box tonight, and in doing that, I see bits and pieces of my Mom. The pecan pie recipe, most likely my Aunt Alma's, written on a dessert size paper plate, folded in half and in half again. Two copies of my Grama's Pineapple Upside Down Cake (PUD Cake), stored in two different places - C for Cake and P for Pineapple. The very yellow, and very worn, recipe cards for fudge, brownies, banana bread and cookie bars. Those are my most used cards, and they don't even get filed away, but rather stuffed back in the front, like she did, with the Happy Home Recipe.
My Mom died over seven years ago, and I've had the recipe card box for almost as long ... it was one of the first things I grabbed when I went back home shortly after she died. I didn't take a lot ... the recipe card box, a few things from her dresser, her Tupperware mixing bowl with the handle and the lid. If you were to look at what I kept, it wouldn't be worth more than $2 at a garage sale, but to me it's the world. It's a bit of her, who she was, what she taught me. The recipes have her hand writing on them - something to show my kids. The recipes are who she was - what she liked, what she was thinking about. It's like going back in time a bit ...
It also brings back the memories you have with the dish ... the party you served the Swedish Meatballs at, the picnic where Lisa introduced us to Apple Dip, the instructions for Swedish Potato Sausage, our traditional New Years Day meal. It's also the time spent in the kitchen, the conversations had while mixing up a meatloaf or stirring up chocolate for another pan of fudge. It's so much more than a recipe ... it's my history, it's my kids' history.
I'm slowly adding my most loved recipes to the front of the box - green pepper soup, pound cake, yeast bread. The new white index cards blend with the yellow and the frayed. The hands that touch them now are mine, cooking for the people that I love. Dog eared corners, splats where water may have dripped, chocolate fingerprint smudges ... what you can't see is the love that goes in there. Thats what I'm sharing every time I go into the kitchen.
Thanks, Mom.
I have two recipe card boxes, both were my Mom's.
1. The Campbell's Soup recipe box that she got a few years before she died, one of those you got if you sent in enough upcs or whatever. It came with an assortment of recipes, I have it, but I don't use it much.
2. The Other Box. I saw it on ebay once, it was listed as vintage, from the early 1970's. I assume that my Mom got it when she was newly married. It has definitely yellowed with age, and the lid doesn't shut quite right, but it is usually kept open anyway, so a wonky lid doesn't factor in that much.
I was going through The Other Box tonight, and in doing that, I see bits and pieces of my Mom. The pecan pie recipe, most likely my Aunt Alma's, written on a dessert size paper plate, folded in half and in half again. Two copies of my Grama's Pineapple Upside Down Cake (PUD Cake), stored in two different places - C for Cake and P for Pineapple. The very yellow, and very worn, recipe cards for fudge, brownies, banana bread and cookie bars. Those are my most used cards, and they don't even get filed away, but rather stuffed back in the front, like she did, with the Happy Home Recipe.
My Mom died over seven years ago, and I've had the recipe card box for almost as long ... it was one of the first things I grabbed when I went back home shortly after she died. I didn't take a lot ... the recipe card box, a few things from her dresser, her Tupperware mixing bowl with the handle and the lid. If you were to look at what I kept, it wouldn't be worth more than $2 at a garage sale, but to me it's the world. It's a bit of her, who she was, what she taught me. The recipes have her hand writing on them - something to show my kids. The recipes are who she was - what she liked, what she was thinking about. It's like going back in time a bit ...
It also brings back the memories you have with the dish ... the party you served the Swedish Meatballs at, the picnic where Lisa introduced us to Apple Dip, the instructions for Swedish Potato Sausage, our traditional New Years Day meal. It's also the time spent in the kitchen, the conversations had while mixing up a meatloaf or stirring up chocolate for another pan of fudge. It's so much more than a recipe ... it's my history, it's my kids' history.
I'm slowly adding my most loved recipes to the front of the box - green pepper soup, pound cake, yeast bread. The new white index cards blend with the yellow and the frayed. The hands that touch them now are mine, cooking for the people that I love. Dog eared corners, splats where water may have dripped, chocolate fingerprint smudges ... what you can't see is the love that goes in there. Thats what I'm sharing every time I go into the kitchen.
Thanks, Mom.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Revenge
I spoke earlier of the Trifecta of Terror ... some small revenge is being eked (is this how you even spell that word?) as i speak.
The hornworms have now become the breeding ground for some sort of wasp that uses the worm as it's place to lay eggs. So now I have one very fat hormworm that looks like he's been rolling in a pile of rice - those are the eggs for the wasp. It will be kind of cool if I can see these things hatch. Maybe I'll pull the branch off of the plant and toss it in a jar or something.
It's actually pretty cool looking in a gross sort of way.
Now if I could only keep Charlie Chipmunk and his relatives away. He/They are having a field day in this one tomato plant ...
The hornworms have now become the breeding ground for some sort of wasp that uses the worm as it's place to lay eggs. So now I have one very fat hormworm that looks like he's been rolling in a pile of rice - those are the eggs for the wasp. It will be kind of cool if I can see these things hatch. Maybe I'll pull the branch off of the plant and toss it in a jar or something.
It's actually pretty cool looking in a gross sort of way.
Now if I could only keep Charlie Chipmunk and his relatives away. He/They are having a field day in this one tomato plant ...
Wacky Wednesday
I don't think that yesterday could have gotten any wackier. Or if it could have, I'm glad it didn't.
The day started off as an average Wednesday, I sent Q with The Husband to The Office so he could take Q to school at 11:45. I had agreed to take G & G to the airport for the return flight to Arizona. As of 8:00, no problems.
8:15 - Problem 1 - I forgot that the furnace guy was coming to clean and service our furnace (they are usually so good at giving reminder calls!) ... so no shower for me then. I opened the door with what must have been a look of utter panic, because the first thing I blurted out was "Oh God, I forgot about you. I have to leave at 9:00!" He told me he would hurry and sure enough, he had a check in hand at 8:55. I zoomed past him at 9:00 as he was sitting at the curb, just up the street. most likely waiting for his next stop. Problem 1 Solved.
9:05 - Problem 2 - The Bee is insisting that I take her home to go potty. I told her no, we couldn't do that, but she could go at the hotel. No. She cries. She screams. We go to the hotel.
9:15 - arrive at the hotel. G & G are in the lobby with Mimi (The Husband's Mom). Mimi offers The Bee a donut, which she declines. This should have been a HUGE tip off of what was to come, as she NEVER passes up chocolate. I walked her down to the potty, which she had finally agreed to do. As she's on the potty, we're talking about whatever, and she proceeds to arch her back and pee all over her underwear. Beautiful. I left her in there, asked Mimi to go sit with her while I went out to the car for Outfit #3 (the first had yogurt, and the second had pee). This solved Problem #2, but created Problem #3.
9:20 - Problem 4. After she got dressed, I went to the bathroom. As I was coming down the hall to the lobby, I noticed pink all over the floor, and my first thought was "Where did she get juice from - I hope her clothes are dry." WRONG. Vomit. All over the lobby, all over her. And, just for Mommy, one more shot all over the lobby. Lovely. "Welcome to the Hampton Inn and Suites, please ignore the crying preschooler just to the right of the entrance, and especially ignore the scent of Frankenberry Laced Vomit. How will you be paying for your stay today? We're so glad you chose us."
So we got this all figured out - The Bee went home with Mimi, after I gave her my carseat, and I took G & G to the airport. Normally, it wouldn't be a huge deal, except that Gpa was adamant about the fact that he arrive TWO HOURS before his flight. It was a 12:45 flight, so he wanted to be there by 10:45. He's also 77 years old, and not the quietest or most tactful.
Off to the airport we go - zoom zoom. Luckily, traffic was working with us instead of against us. I pulled up to the sky cap at 10:15, got them checked and the wheelchairs ordered. The police officer let me pull up closer to the curb for easier unloading. I got them out, their carry ons, and sent them in with instructions on where to go. Beautiful. In the airport at 10:30. But ... their hearing is horrible ... so I ran back to the police officer and asked, almost begged, if I could run in and see that they made it to the wheelchair holding area, just to be sure. I promised that was the only place I would go and I would be right back.
I ran in, they were in the right spot, one more hug and kiss for each of them, and back to the car I went. Big sigh of relief. Very big.
I made it home in time to take Q to school, back to pick up the Bee. She had been sick once more at Mimi's house ... and in a move of perfect timing, we had been home five minutes and then she proceeded to blast the kitchen floor, wall, cabinet, and in a move that I had never experienced, the spin to give Mommy a hug and blast her too.
Several different versions of that scene were repeated throughout the day ... although I can say, that my daughter handled it very well, and she was actually very good in spite of being sick.
G & G made it home safely and uneventfully. They called to thank me for such a great flight ... all I did was get them to the airport, I have nothing to do with weather or air travel.
And then, finally, at 9:00 last night, I got The Bee into bed, no more throw up.
She did get me up at 2:30 to tell me that she didn't think that her brother had brushed his teeth before bed because she didn't see his toothbrush on the counter (I had put it away) ... and then she needed someone to snuggle with her. So I grabbed my pillow and spent the rest of the night in her room.
To date, I have not gotten sick.
Let's hope that every Wednesday is not a wacky one.
The day started off as an average Wednesday, I sent Q with The Husband to The Office so he could take Q to school at 11:45. I had agreed to take G & G to the airport for the return flight to Arizona. As of 8:00, no problems.
8:15 - Problem 1 - I forgot that the furnace guy was coming to clean and service our furnace (they are usually so good at giving reminder calls!) ... so no shower for me then. I opened the door with what must have been a look of utter panic, because the first thing I blurted out was "Oh God, I forgot about you. I have to leave at 9:00!" He told me he would hurry and sure enough, he had a check in hand at 8:55. I zoomed past him at 9:00 as he was sitting at the curb, just up the street. most likely waiting for his next stop. Problem 1 Solved.
9:05 - Problem 2 - The Bee is insisting that I take her home to go potty. I told her no, we couldn't do that, but she could go at the hotel. No. She cries. She screams. We go to the hotel.
9:15 - arrive at the hotel. G & G are in the lobby with Mimi (The Husband's Mom). Mimi offers The Bee a donut, which she declines. This should have been a HUGE tip off of what was to come, as she NEVER passes up chocolate. I walked her down to the potty, which she had finally agreed to do. As she's on the potty, we're talking about whatever, and she proceeds to arch her back and pee all over her underwear. Beautiful. I left her in there, asked Mimi to go sit with her while I went out to the car for Outfit #3 (the first had yogurt, and the second had pee). This solved Problem #2, but created Problem #3.
9:20 - Problem 4. After she got dressed, I went to the bathroom. As I was coming down the hall to the lobby, I noticed pink all over the floor, and my first thought was "Where did she get juice from - I hope her clothes are dry." WRONG. Vomit. All over the lobby, all over her. And, just for Mommy, one more shot all over the lobby. Lovely. "Welcome to the Hampton Inn and Suites, please ignore the crying preschooler just to the right of the entrance, and especially ignore the scent of Frankenberry Laced Vomit. How will you be paying for your stay today? We're so glad you chose us."
So we got this all figured out - The Bee went home with Mimi, after I gave her my carseat, and I took G & G to the airport. Normally, it wouldn't be a huge deal, except that Gpa was adamant about the fact that he arrive TWO HOURS before his flight. It was a 12:45 flight, so he wanted to be there by 10:45. He's also 77 years old, and not the quietest or most tactful.
Off to the airport we go - zoom zoom. Luckily, traffic was working with us instead of against us. I pulled up to the sky cap at 10:15, got them checked and the wheelchairs ordered. The police officer let me pull up closer to the curb for easier unloading. I got them out, their carry ons, and sent them in with instructions on where to go. Beautiful. In the airport at 10:30. But ... their hearing is horrible ... so I ran back to the police officer and asked, almost begged, if I could run in and see that they made it to the wheelchair holding area, just to be sure. I promised that was the only place I would go and I would be right back.
I ran in, they were in the right spot, one more hug and kiss for each of them, and back to the car I went. Big sigh of relief. Very big.
I made it home in time to take Q to school, back to pick up the Bee. She had been sick once more at Mimi's house ... and in a move of perfect timing, we had been home five minutes and then she proceeded to blast the kitchen floor, wall, cabinet, and in a move that I had never experienced, the spin to give Mommy a hug and blast her too.
Several different versions of that scene were repeated throughout the day ... although I can say, that my daughter handled it very well, and she was actually very good in spite of being sick.
G & G made it home safely and uneventfully. They called to thank me for such a great flight ... all I did was get them to the airport, I have nothing to do with weather or air travel.
And then, finally, at 9:00 last night, I got The Bee into bed, no more throw up.
She did get me up at 2:30 to tell me that she didn't think that her brother had brushed his teeth before bed because she didn't see his toothbrush on the counter (I had put it away) ... and then she needed someone to snuggle with her. So I grabbed my pillow and spent the rest of the night in her room.
To date, I have not gotten sick.
Let's hope that every Wednesday is not a wacky one.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Happy Labor Day!
Have a fantastic Labor Day! Here's hoping that you don't have to work today, and get to spend the day as you choose ...
We're getting ready to head over to my husbands parents' for the day - a combination Labor Day, G & G are going back to Arizona party. We'll have brats from the local meat market, I'm bringing two blueberry pies and a tomato salad, Gram has the chips and hummus ...
Factor in five kids, the inflatable water slide, and a nice sunny day ... woot!
Have a Great Day!
We're getting ready to head over to my husbands parents' for the day - a combination Labor Day, G & G are going back to Arizona party. We'll have brats from the local meat market, I'm bringing two blueberry pies and a tomato salad, Gram has the chips and hummus ...
Factor in five kids, the inflatable water slide, and a nice sunny day ... woot!
Have a Great Day!
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