What a wonderful day! I only stepped out of the house long enough to deliver my sweet children to the grandparents' house and then head back to my cozy home to clean, clean, clean. There is nothing like an empty house and no appointments that just lends itself to making the most of a little caffine-induced energy.
I got the whole house picked up and vacuumed today, and I even mopped the entire hardwood floor. I washed three loads of clothes and started on the actual "cleaning" before it was time to stop for dinner. Tomorrow, I will do the down-and-dirty cleaning stuff like bathrooms and dusting, and maybe even get to the baseboards and ceiling fans...and perhaps even...the windows.
I was thinking as I was mopping the floor for the second time in less than a week (instead of two times a year...definitely a record,) and I recalled a conversation I'd had recently with a friend who has a house cleaning service. The friend said I should "get someone" to come over and do my cleaning for me every week or so. Then the house would be clean, and I would have all this time to myself to do things I wanted. I assured the friend that, although my house was far from Southern Living picture-perfect all the time, that I was managing, thankyouverymuch.
I had a cleaning service once upon a time. The gals would come over every other week to dust and mop and clean the bathrooms and vacuum. They were in and out of my house in about an hour, and when they left, the house SEEMED clean. But on closer inspection, there was the telltale evidence that the deep-clean just wasn't there. And then there were the items that turned up missing and were later located in the garbage bags from their visit. I was rummaging through trash every time they left just to make sure nothing was pitched that shouldn't have been.
I finally decided that I was quite capable of keeping this little house under control all by myself, so when the opportunity arose, I declined their services and went back to doing all the chores myself. Well, not all of them. I taught the kids to do some of them, and they are very capable themselves.
Anyway, I was thinking about all this as I was pushing the Swiffer back and forth across the floor. I mean, what else is there to do, right? And I came to the conclusion that I made the right choice in letting the "help" go.
Who else would realize that the little fuzzy ball on the floor is not trash, but a treasured cat toy?
Who else would know that the realistic tomato wedge on the floor is not old food, but part of a realistic plastic salad the kids use when they play restaurant?
Who else would know not to toss the popsicle sticks with the purple paint on them because they are part of a pirate ship my daughter made?
Who else would know that the white socks with the yellow stripe on the toe belong to my daughter, while the white socks with the red stripe go in my son's room?
Who else would know to put the grey pants in the laundry, but the darker grey pants in the dry cleaner bag?
Who else would bend over while vacuuming and rescue the 1/4" piece of K'nex because it goes to my son's space shuttle?
Who else would know the skinny markers go in one bin while the fat markers go in another?
Who else would know in which box to put the stray puzzle piece?
There is no way under the sun to convey all the nuances of a home to people who only come by one day every other week to "tidy" the spaces and swipe a feather duster and vacuum cleaner over them. There is no way to tell them how much certain things mean, no matter how much they resemble garbage. There's just no way to get that much "personal" into a service.
Therefore, I'll clean my own house, thankyouverymuch.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Another Day in Paradise
And another wonderfully regular day in our house. There's nothing like an average, everyday day to make one appreciate the regularity of mundane-ness. No headlines here for sure. And that's quite alright with me. Sometimes having nothing to report is the best news of all.
In fact, I said to a friend just this afternoon that when I retire from homeschooling and get the baby off to college, I'm going to beat a hasty retreat to some hermitage and happily live out my remaining years in relative solitude. That will be quite wonderful.
Funny...later this evening I said to my sweet honey that I wanted to have a tea party here at the house. Must be spring in the air that does that to me. Something about the impending azalea blossoms that makes me want to drag the patio furniture out into the yard and invite friends over for finger foods and hot tea. Yeah, that's it. Because everyone knows that the rest of the year, I'm perfectly happy being sequestered here in my little house in the suburbs. (Read that with as much sarcasm as you feel necessary.)
And with that, I'm off to bed. The kids and I did our thing today, I found a few irresistible BOGOs at the grocery store, and my sweet honey made it home safe and sound from work. So I can cross this one off the calendar and spend the night being unconscious after a yummy dinner of baked salmon and a couple of glasses of sweet red wine. Not a bad game plan at all.
In fact, I said to a friend just this afternoon that when I retire from homeschooling and get the baby off to college, I'm going to beat a hasty retreat to some hermitage and happily live out my remaining years in relative solitude. That will be quite wonderful.
Funny...later this evening I said to my sweet honey that I wanted to have a tea party here at the house. Must be spring in the air that does that to me. Something about the impending azalea blossoms that makes me want to drag the patio furniture out into the yard and invite friends over for finger foods and hot tea. Yeah, that's it. Because everyone knows that the rest of the year, I'm perfectly happy being sequestered here in my little house in the suburbs. (Read that with as much sarcasm as you feel necessary.)
And with that, I'm off to bed. The kids and I did our thing today, I found a few irresistible BOGOs at the grocery store, and my sweet honey made it home safe and sound from work. So I can cross this one off the calendar and spend the night being unconscious after a yummy dinner of baked salmon and a couple of glasses of sweet red wine. Not a bad game plan at all.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Who Cut the Cheese?
Ah...no cooking today. I decided to just rest up for the big finish...tomorrow. I did spend the morning typing up all the serving instructions for the meals so I won't have to hunt around in cookbooks each time I thaw out something. Then I worked on a schedule of when to eat all the food. I doubt I will stick to it, although it will at least give me a general idea of the order to eat them so we don't end up with 7 seafood dishes in a row.
Today was way too cold to play outside, so we headed over to a friend's house to play with our homeschool buddies for park day. That was fun, and when we left there, we went to a different friend's house to pick up some things my son left at the last sleepover.
As we headed for home, we were making good time in the dark when we topped a rise and saw police cars and blue lights everywhere. I didn't know if it was an accident or a roadblock, but since the line was moving at a decent pace, I chose to wait out the jam-up. As we neared the cops, I could see they were just speaking to the drivers and then waving them on. Turns out, there was a gas main break between us and home, so we had to detour around a bit.
I wasn't worried because I had my trusty GPS in the car. I cranked up the little lady and headed down the road the friendly policeman had indicated. I turned left and right and then left as prompted, but then I started to be a bit concerned when she said turn left again. Three lefts with a right thrown in for good measure pretty much makes a circle, and I knew I wouldn't be any better off coming up to the intersection from a different direction than I was before.
Sure enough, as I rounded the corner, there were the blue lights again. Sigh. I turned a street before them because I really couldn't face that same cop again. The next time the lady said "Turn left," I turned right just to see what she would do.
We went a little way in that direction, and then I realized she was trying to get me to turn right to go back to that same road. I kept going straight. She wasn't all that happy with me, but she tried again. When I finally turned right at her insistence, we wound up at a traffic light where the very air was heavy with the smell of rotten eggs.
So much for detouring around the gas leak...we'd driven right into the heart of it. The kids were groaning and saying "Aw, man! What's that SMELL?" Within a minute of sitting at that red light with more blue lights flashing against our brains and that putrid smell inundating every corner of the car, we all had headaches and dizzy feelings. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
We made a couple more turns, and then we ran off the road into a field. At least that's what the GPS lady showed on the screen. We were on a brand-new 4-lane highway that wasn't even in the software yet. I just kind of kept going forward, following the taillights ahead of me, and then we arrived at still another traffic signal. At least that one I recognized...it was the one we'd been trying to reach before the detour. Whew. I could get home from there without help from anyone. I turned off the lady and put her back in the console. Time to update the software.
Happily we're home safe or this story would be much longer. I gave my starving family dinner and settled them in front of their TVs. I'm just glad to be breathing fresh air. That natural gas stuff is just wicked.
Today was way too cold to play outside, so we headed over to a friend's house to play with our homeschool buddies for park day. That was fun, and when we left there, we went to a different friend's house to pick up some things my son left at the last sleepover.
As we headed for home, we were making good time in the dark when we topped a rise and saw police cars and blue lights everywhere. I didn't know if it was an accident or a roadblock, but since the line was moving at a decent pace, I chose to wait out the jam-up. As we neared the cops, I could see they were just speaking to the drivers and then waving them on. Turns out, there was a gas main break between us and home, so we had to detour around a bit.
I wasn't worried because I had my trusty GPS in the car. I cranked up the little lady and headed down the road the friendly policeman had indicated. I turned left and right and then left as prompted, but then I started to be a bit concerned when she said turn left again. Three lefts with a right thrown in for good measure pretty much makes a circle, and I knew I wouldn't be any better off coming up to the intersection from a different direction than I was before.
Sure enough, as I rounded the corner, there were the blue lights again. Sigh. I turned a street before them because I really couldn't face that same cop again. The next time the lady said "Turn left," I turned right just to see what she would do.
We went a little way in that direction, and then I realized she was trying to get me to turn right to go back to that same road. I kept going straight. She wasn't all that happy with me, but she tried again. When I finally turned right at her insistence, we wound up at a traffic light where the very air was heavy with the smell of rotten eggs.
So much for detouring around the gas leak...we'd driven right into the heart of it. The kids were groaning and saying "Aw, man! What's that SMELL?" Within a minute of sitting at that red light with more blue lights flashing against our brains and that putrid smell inundating every corner of the car, we all had headaches and dizzy feelings. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
We made a couple more turns, and then we ran off the road into a field. At least that's what the GPS lady showed on the screen. We were on a brand-new 4-lane highway that wasn't even in the software yet. I just kind of kept going forward, following the taillights ahead of me, and then we arrived at still another traffic signal. At least that one I recognized...it was the one we'd been trying to reach before the detour. Whew. I could get home from there without help from anyone. I turned off the lady and put her back in the console. Time to update the software.
Happily we're home safe or this story would be much longer. I gave my starving family dinner and settled them in front of their TVs. I'm just glad to be breathing fresh air. That natural gas stuff is just wicked.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
If the Power Goes Out, I'm Never Cooking Again
Golly, where does the time go? Oh, I know...into my freezer. No matter. I'm about to wrap up this freezer-cooking session, and then we'll be able to enjoy fresh, home-cooked meals in the evenings after rushing about and doing other things during the day.
I almost got everything done today. My goal was to finish, but I ran out of steam. Same thing yesterday...by 8:30 I was fast asleep and didn't even stir until the weather alert radio alarmed at 6:00 for the incoming thunderstorm. When the storm hit before dawn, I had a brief horrifying image of the power going out and all my freezer meals turning to cat food. Not a pleasant way to greet the day, let me tell you.
Tomorrow, I think, I will assemble the calzones and the last two chicken meals, and then ta-da! I'll be able to cross the whole project off my list. In my defense, though, today was art class day, so that pretty much did away with my morning. If I'd had all day, I'd have finished by now, no question.
My next goal is to type up a nice meal list to put on the front of the freezer for easy reference. That'll be the easy part! No standing up for that.
Truly, one of the toughest things about this marathon cooking event (dirty dishes aside,) has been the constant standing at the stove, sink and counters for four days. But I keep thinking of all the goodies we'll be sampling over the next two months, and the aches subside, sort of. In fact, I made a double batch of cheese-filled pasta shells today so we could have some tonight for dinner, along with a couple of extra baked potatoes from the twice-baked potato meal. Yum.
The kids were an awesome help today, too. My daughter stirred the roux and veggies for the Shrimp Gumbo and Shrimp Creole, and my son de-tailed and chopped the shrimp and shredded the cheese for the Seafood Lasagna. He also helped me coat the fish for the Baked Breaded Salmon dinner, and they both tried their hands at opening cans with my 100-year-old worn out can opener, but I ended up taking over that job after I'd scraped the baked potatoes out of their skins.
Truly, this project has taken up all my time over the last couple of weeks. I go to sleep thinking of the order of events for the morning, I wake up making out check-lists in my mind, and all day long, I go around talking to myself. But then again, my family is used to that. It's pretty much the norm for me. When my sweet honey came home from work, I was in the basement, peering into the freezer at all the tantalizing packages and parcels I've tucked away in there, humming a little diner tune. (I froze the bagged dinners flat and then stood them up on end to make a little library of entrees. Very satisfying.)
Despite all this whirlwind activity, I still have the odd thought now and again about how COOL it would be to pre-bake some desserts and have THEM on hand to go with the dinners. But then I just take a deep breath, eat some chocolate and the feeling passes.
Anyway, I'm worn out again today. Right after dinner, I'm headed to dreamland, and tomorrow, I'll have a wonderful wrap-up kitchen party just for myself. I'm sure there'll be chocolate involved.
I almost got everything done today. My goal was to finish, but I ran out of steam. Same thing yesterday...by 8:30 I was fast asleep and didn't even stir until the weather alert radio alarmed at 6:00 for the incoming thunderstorm. When the storm hit before dawn, I had a brief horrifying image of the power going out and all my freezer meals turning to cat food. Not a pleasant way to greet the day, let me tell you.
Tomorrow, I think, I will assemble the calzones and the last two chicken meals, and then ta-da! I'll be able to cross the whole project off my list. In my defense, though, today was art class day, so that pretty much did away with my morning. If I'd had all day, I'd have finished by now, no question.
My next goal is to type up a nice meal list to put on the front of the freezer for easy reference. That'll be the easy part! No standing up for that.
Truly, one of the toughest things about this marathon cooking event (dirty dishes aside,) has been the constant standing at the stove, sink and counters for four days. But I keep thinking of all the goodies we'll be sampling over the next two months, and the aches subside, sort of. In fact, I made a double batch of cheese-filled pasta shells today so we could have some tonight for dinner, along with a couple of extra baked potatoes from the twice-baked potato meal. Yum.
The kids were an awesome help today, too. My daughter stirred the roux and veggies for the Shrimp Gumbo and Shrimp Creole, and my son de-tailed and chopped the shrimp and shredded the cheese for the Seafood Lasagna. He also helped me coat the fish for the Baked Breaded Salmon dinner, and they both tried their hands at opening cans with my 100-year-old worn out can opener, but I ended up taking over that job after I'd scraped the baked potatoes out of their skins.
Truly, this project has taken up all my time over the last couple of weeks. I go to sleep thinking of the order of events for the morning, I wake up making out check-lists in my mind, and all day long, I go around talking to myself. But then again, my family is used to that. It's pretty much the norm for me. When my sweet honey came home from work, I was in the basement, peering into the freezer at all the tantalizing packages and parcels I've tucked away in there, humming a little diner tune. (I froze the bagged dinners flat and then stood them up on end to make a little library of entrees. Very satisfying.)
Despite all this whirlwind activity, I still have the odd thought now and again about how COOL it would be to pre-bake some desserts and have THEM on hand to go with the dinners. But then I just take a deep breath, eat some chocolate and the feeling passes.
Anyway, I'm worn out again today. Right after dinner, I'm headed to dreamland, and tomorrow, I'll have a wonderful wrap-up kitchen party just for myself. I'm sure there'll be chocolate involved.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
You Want to Trim the Bushes TODAY? NOW?
Another productive day! Today I finished over half of the seafood meals and most of the vegetarian meals for the freezer. I even managed to do all but one of the pork meals. Then before I began to rescue the kitchen, I made a written plan that should help me finish all of the entrees that are left, including a few breakfast items, over the next two days. In between my other obligations, of course.
At least we're staying home all day tomorrow, so I can get the Monday housework done, school work done, and half the remaining freezer meals completed.
I would have gotten further along today, but my sweet honey started a yard project that needed my help. Didn't he know I was busy today? I had plans I've been hatching for weeks!! But he came in the kitchen and said he had a "family" project in mind. Um...okay.
I continued stirring the soup I had on the stove, wondering if I should go out and help him, or just send out the boy and hope for the best. That's when I heard him fire up the chain saw. Uh oh...that's my cue.
We have six very large privet bushes along one side of our property, and apparently today was "trim the privets" day. Then all the trimmings had to be ground into mulch. Oh, yeah, we have a tool for that, too. Well, that's where I came in. My son dragged the branches over, and my honey and I shoved them into the chipper as fast as we could.
Manicuring four of the six plants took nearly two hours out of my day and all the wind out of my sails. It took a cup of hot tea and three biscotti followed by a mug of warm mocha latte to get my mind back into the kitchen work. After all that caffine kicked in, I was in high gear and got a lot done before dinner. I did start dinner this morning by putting a pork shoulder in the crock pot with some chili sauce, sloppy joe seasoning and beef broth and letting it cook on low all day. Delicious.
This evening after I washed and put away all the dishes, I even swept and MOPPED the kitchen floor! For those of you who know me, you know what a huge accomplishment that is for me. For those of you who weren't aware of my slight aversion to dragging a Swiffer wet across my hardwood floor, let me just say, I'd nearly rather call the paramedics with the jaws of life to wrench my feet from the sticky floor than to mop even one board. So, at least I can go to sleep tonight secure in the knowledge that I don't have to do that again for some time.
I know, I know, if I didn't put those things off for so long, they wouldn't be the monumental tasks I make them out to be. But then again, my life wouldn't be nearly as interesting, now would it? I know you think I just sit around all day wondering, "Now what else can I do to complicate my life?" Heh. Honestly, though, if I'm not in the middle of some project...I'm bored.
And with that...I'm off to bed. I'm "bushed."
At least we're staying home all day tomorrow, so I can get the Monday housework done, school work done, and half the remaining freezer meals completed.
I would have gotten further along today, but my sweet honey started a yard project that needed my help. Didn't he know I was busy today? I had plans I've been hatching for weeks!! But he came in the kitchen and said he had a "family" project in mind. Um...okay.
I continued stirring the soup I had on the stove, wondering if I should go out and help him, or just send out the boy and hope for the best. That's when I heard him fire up the chain saw. Uh oh...that's my cue.
We have six very large privet bushes along one side of our property, and apparently today was "trim the privets" day. Then all the trimmings had to be ground into mulch. Oh, yeah, we have a tool for that, too. Well, that's where I came in. My son dragged the branches over, and my honey and I shoved them into the chipper as fast as we could.
Manicuring four of the six plants took nearly two hours out of my day and all the wind out of my sails. It took a cup of hot tea and three biscotti followed by a mug of warm mocha latte to get my mind back into the kitchen work. After all that caffine kicked in, I was in high gear and got a lot done before dinner. I did start dinner this morning by putting a pork shoulder in the crock pot with some chili sauce, sloppy joe seasoning and beef broth and letting it cook on low all day. Delicious.
This evening after I washed and put away all the dishes, I even swept and MOPPED the kitchen floor! For those of you who know me, you know what a huge accomplishment that is for me. For those of you who weren't aware of my slight aversion to dragging a Swiffer wet across my hardwood floor, let me just say, I'd nearly rather call the paramedics with the jaws of life to wrench my feet from the sticky floor than to mop even one board. So, at least I can go to sleep tonight secure in the knowledge that I don't have to do that again for some time.
I know, I know, if I didn't put those things off for so long, they wouldn't be the monumental tasks I make them out to be. But then again, my life wouldn't be nearly as interesting, now would it? I know you think I just sit around all day wondering, "Now what else can I do to complicate my life?" Heh. Honestly, though, if I'm not in the middle of some project...I'm bored.
And with that...I'm off to bed. I'm "bushed."
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Which Frozen Entree Shall We Have Tonight?
Whoo Hoo! I dove into my freezer meal cooking with gusto today. After a quick run to the grocery store where ground beef was on sale, I came home and started browning stuff. 18 pounds of browned ground round later, I ended up with 12 frozen entrees, all cooked and ready to heat-and-eat on those days when I'm rushing about with more things to do than time to do them. I also made a giant stockpot of spaghetti sauce to use with some of the meals, plus to have some on hand for pasta dinners.
There's lasagna, baked ziti, meatloaf times two, chili times two, sloppy joes, stuffed peppers, shepherd's pie and three meals with meatballs. There were four, but we had one tonight...Meatball Stroganoff. Total yum. A couple of those meals are large enough to last a day or two for lunch leftovers, so I really ended up with 15 plus actual meals.
I have all that frozen Honey Baked ham from Christmas chopped and ready to make into casseroles and ham-and-Swiss calzones, plus I bought quite a bit of fish that was also on sale today to assemble into some baggies with marinade. I even got the ingredients to make a seafood lasagna...can't wait to try that one. I'll work on those little tasties tomorrow.
As soon as whole chickens hit the 99-cent price again, I'll be off and running with the birdie dishes on my list. When it's all said and done, I expect to have put away about 50 dinners in the freezer, not counting those that will stretch out a couple of days. That should make life a little easier when my kids get back into their sports next month.
I also grabbed a couple dozen eggs for the awesome quiche recipe I found. It's a mix-and-match recipe that gets frozen in a gallon zipper bag and then poured into a pie crust on baking day. I plan to do a veggie version or two, along with several breakfast dishes so we can have yummy pre-made meals on weekend mornings.
Hopefully, all this cooking won't take too long. I figured if I do one meat type at a time, I won't get so overwhelmed. I'm thinking by next weekend, it'll all be done...depending of course on the chicken sale. I can wait patiently until they're marked down. Paying retail stinks!
I guess the biggest drawback to doing this kind of mega-cooking is the sheer amount of dishes that get dirtied. I believe I went through four sinks of dishwater this afternoon, ran the dishwasher once before dinner, and I'm about to fill up the sink again for one last pass for the dinner dishes. Whew!
Anyway, that was my day. The kids played at their friends' house most of the afternoon, and my sweet honey prepped the yard for spring with grass seeds and fertilizer. As they filtered in the house, everyone wanted to know "what smells so good?" but I kept having to tell them it was food for the freezer, not for tonight. That's why I went ahead and made the meatballs. I couldn't have them drooling all over the kitchen and then throw a pb&j sandwich at them. That just wouldn't be nice.
So, who's coming over for dinner?
There's lasagna, baked ziti, meatloaf times two, chili times two, sloppy joes, stuffed peppers, shepherd's pie and three meals with meatballs. There were four, but we had one tonight...Meatball Stroganoff. Total yum. A couple of those meals are large enough to last a day or two for lunch leftovers, so I really ended up with 15 plus actual meals.
I have all that frozen Honey Baked ham from Christmas chopped and ready to make into casseroles and ham-and-Swiss calzones, plus I bought quite a bit of fish that was also on sale today to assemble into some baggies with marinade. I even got the ingredients to make a seafood lasagna...can't wait to try that one. I'll work on those little tasties tomorrow.
As soon as whole chickens hit the 99-cent price again, I'll be off and running with the birdie dishes on my list. When it's all said and done, I expect to have put away about 50 dinners in the freezer, not counting those that will stretch out a couple of days. That should make life a little easier when my kids get back into their sports next month.
I also grabbed a couple dozen eggs for the awesome quiche recipe I found. It's a mix-and-match recipe that gets frozen in a gallon zipper bag and then poured into a pie crust on baking day. I plan to do a veggie version or two, along with several breakfast dishes so we can have yummy pre-made meals on weekend mornings.
Hopefully, all this cooking won't take too long. I figured if I do one meat type at a time, I won't get so overwhelmed. I'm thinking by next weekend, it'll all be done...depending of course on the chicken sale. I can wait patiently until they're marked down. Paying retail stinks!
I guess the biggest drawback to doing this kind of mega-cooking is the sheer amount of dishes that get dirtied. I believe I went through four sinks of dishwater this afternoon, ran the dishwasher once before dinner, and I'm about to fill up the sink again for one last pass for the dinner dishes. Whew!
Anyway, that was my day. The kids played at their friends' house most of the afternoon, and my sweet honey prepped the yard for spring with grass seeds and fertilizer. As they filtered in the house, everyone wanted to know "what smells so good?" but I kept having to tell them it was food for the freezer, not for tonight. That's why I went ahead and made the meatballs. I couldn't have them drooling all over the kitchen and then throw a pb&j sandwich at them. That just wouldn't be nice.
So, who's coming over for dinner?
Friday, February 22, 2008
The Ham Bone's Connected to Dinner
So, I was poking around in the freezer today, looking for something to cook for dinner, and lo and behold I came upon a beautiful sight: the bone from the Honey Baked ham we got for Christmas. Yum.
I began to think of all the things I had in the house I wanted to use up, so I got out a big stock pot and put in some water and that scrumptious bone and let 'er roll. After a couple of hours, I peeled some potatoes and dropped them in the water whole. Another hour, and I threw in a bay leaf, a couple of onions and celery stalks, whole. An hour later, I added a bunch of white and yellow corn and two slices of the ham I'd frozen along with the bone. When the soup got back to boiling, I used my immersion blender to turn it all into chowder. Man alive, was that good stuff. I baked some catfish fillets and wheat dinner rolls to go with it.
Heh...I didn't realize until we sat down at the table that I'd made a "tan" dinner. There wasn't a speck of color on the whole table unless you count the Valentine decorations. Oh well, sometimes it just turns out that way. I guess one monochromatic meal every now and then won't hurt anything. I'll make sure I throw in some greenery tomorrow.
In the mail today I received three of my favorite magazines: Southern Living, Tea Time and Victoria. I love to look at all the great table settings and read the delicious-sounding recipes. I get all motivated to decorate and cook stuff. Of course, I'm still in the mode of trying to use what I have on hand. I have my freezer meal plan all laid out, but there are some recipes that require grocery shopping, and I just want to wait until those things go on sale before I buy two dozen of anything. I do have some of the necessary ingredients already, so I can at least get started this weekend if I want to. We'll see.
The grandparents were out of town today, so the kids and I had a regular school day. I even managed to organize a couple of shelves in the laundry room between subjects. All in all, a good day, and I have enough chowder left to freeze for another day. Hey...I think that counts as getting started on my freezer meals today!
I began to think of all the things I had in the house I wanted to use up, so I got out a big stock pot and put in some water and that scrumptious bone and let 'er roll. After a couple of hours, I peeled some potatoes and dropped them in the water whole. Another hour, and I threw in a bay leaf, a couple of onions and celery stalks, whole. An hour later, I added a bunch of white and yellow corn and two slices of the ham I'd frozen along with the bone. When the soup got back to boiling, I used my immersion blender to turn it all into chowder. Man alive, was that good stuff. I baked some catfish fillets and wheat dinner rolls to go with it.
Heh...I didn't realize until we sat down at the table that I'd made a "tan" dinner. There wasn't a speck of color on the whole table unless you count the Valentine decorations. Oh well, sometimes it just turns out that way. I guess one monochromatic meal every now and then won't hurt anything. I'll make sure I throw in some greenery tomorrow.
In the mail today I received three of my favorite magazines: Southern Living, Tea Time and Victoria. I love to look at all the great table settings and read the delicious-sounding recipes. I get all motivated to decorate and cook stuff. Of course, I'm still in the mode of trying to use what I have on hand. I have my freezer meal plan all laid out, but there are some recipes that require grocery shopping, and I just want to wait until those things go on sale before I buy two dozen of anything. I do have some of the necessary ingredients already, so I can at least get started this weekend if I want to. We'll see.
The grandparents were out of town today, so the kids and I had a regular school day. I even managed to organize a couple of shelves in the laundry room between subjects. All in all, a good day, and I have enough chowder left to freeze for another day. Hey...I think that counts as getting started on my freezer meals today!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Oh the Things I Could Do
We didn't make it to bed until midnight last night, and the eclipse was awesome. Today was to have been a relatively slow day to make up for our late night, but we wound up running all over the place for various reasons.
My daughter had yet another doctor appointment today, this time for her regular checkup. If you don't count the little broken bone, she's just perfect. But we already knew that.
After sacrificing an hour and a half to the pediatric gods, we ran a couple of errands, came back home and did our schoolwork, finishing up just in time for Daddy to get home. Leftover spaghetti for dinner, a quick kitchen tidy, and now the three of them are out in the rain, getting ice cream. I declined to go due to the fact that I can't even walk PAST a Cold Stone Creamery without gaining 5 pounds, plus I'm on precarious ground as it is with all the Girl Scout cookies and Valentine's candy still lurking in cabinets around here.
I'm really ready for spring. If it weren't for the treadmill in the basement, the most exercise I'd get every day would be walking out to the mailbox. I'm looking forward to strolls in the parks and hikes in the mountains, and even an ATV ride or two...just to get out of the house and into the fresh air. (Durhamtown does NOT count with all that wretched dust...hack hack...)
Anyway, I'm trying to decide if I want to catch up on some housework tonight or just go take a nice bubble bath while the family is out. The bubbles are currently winning, but that's only because I can't see the general ruin of the house from the vantage point of my desk. As soon as I sign off here, I'll have to walk through the chaos to get to the tub, and I may well spontaneously begin to tidy something. Fifteen minutes in a couple of rooms would do wonders both for the house and my morale, but I can already smell the lavendar bath oil and see the candles flickering around the tub and hear the Zen music on the CD player...
Ah...never mind. They're back.
My daughter had yet another doctor appointment today, this time for her regular checkup. If you don't count the little broken bone, she's just perfect. But we already knew that.
After sacrificing an hour and a half to the pediatric gods, we ran a couple of errands, came back home and did our schoolwork, finishing up just in time for Daddy to get home. Leftover spaghetti for dinner, a quick kitchen tidy, and now the three of them are out in the rain, getting ice cream. I declined to go due to the fact that I can't even walk PAST a Cold Stone Creamery without gaining 5 pounds, plus I'm on precarious ground as it is with all the Girl Scout cookies and Valentine's candy still lurking in cabinets around here.
I'm really ready for spring. If it weren't for the treadmill in the basement, the most exercise I'd get every day would be walking out to the mailbox. I'm looking forward to strolls in the parks and hikes in the mountains, and even an ATV ride or two...just to get out of the house and into the fresh air. (Durhamtown does NOT count with all that wretched dust...hack hack...)
Anyway, I'm trying to decide if I want to catch up on some housework tonight or just go take a nice bubble bath while the family is out. The bubbles are currently winning, but that's only because I can't see the general ruin of the house from the vantage point of my desk. As soon as I sign off here, I'll have to walk through the chaos to get to the tub, and I may well spontaneously begin to tidy something. Fifteen minutes in a couple of rooms would do wonders both for the house and my morale, but I can already smell the lavendar bath oil and see the candles flickering around the tub and hear the Zen music on the CD player...
Ah...never mind. They're back.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Total Eclipse of the Moon
I just popped in to warm up a bit before I go back outside to watch more of the lunar eclipse. What an awesome event, and a great teaching moment.
The orthopedist took another x-ray of my daughter's arm this morning and said there was no change from last week, so we're in a holding pattern for a couple of weeks. He thinks that as the bone heals, it will draw the fracture into more of a straight line, so hopefully there won't be any need for a pin or anything drastic like that.
We went to a jumpy-place called Monkey Joe's for park day today. (Yes, I let both kids jump and slide...she's pretty invincible with that plaster arm.) After that, we raced home and got dinner ready and eaten so we could be ready for the eclipse.
It's a little chilly out there, but not too bad. The kids have the telescope out and are marvelling over the craters and the way light and shadow play over the moon's surface. I love the moon anyway, and eclipses are just awe-inspiring to me.
I'll try to get a lunar picture and post it tomorrow. Gotta go...right after I snag a cookie from this box on the desk... (The number on the scale wasn't so bad this morning after all.)
The orthopedist took another x-ray of my daughter's arm this morning and said there was no change from last week, so we're in a holding pattern for a couple of weeks. He thinks that as the bone heals, it will draw the fracture into more of a straight line, so hopefully there won't be any need for a pin or anything drastic like that.
We went to a jumpy-place called Monkey Joe's for park day today. (Yes, I let both kids jump and slide...she's pretty invincible with that plaster arm.) After that, we raced home and got dinner ready and eaten so we could be ready for the eclipse.
It's a little chilly out there, but not too bad. The kids have the telescope out and are marvelling over the craters and the way light and shadow play over the moon's surface. I love the moon anyway, and eclipses are just awe-inspiring to me.
I'll try to get a lunar picture and post it tomorrow. Gotta go...right after I snag a cookie from this box on the desk... (The number on the scale wasn't so bad this morning after all.)
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
See Bottom of Page for THE Letter
I got tired of forwarding my Holiday letter in emails to folks, so I just included it on the blog, hopefully to add some clarity to my ramblings. Enjoy!
Typical Tuesday
Yep, same old same old. Art class, a few groceries, schoolwork and housework. However, out of the ordinary: the girl scout cookies I ordered came in today. That's going to be a serious problem for my ongoing weight management.
Not only that, we went out for pizza tonight. I'd planned a nice dinner for us, but there was a last-minute business associate meeting-thing that came up, so we sort of had to meet him out somewhere. Well, I could have said the kids and I would just stay home, but I'm sure the children would have mutinied if they'd heard the "P" word and then been told "just kidding."
So, I was good and got a salad...and then ate pizza anyway when it arrived at the table all hot and pepperoni-y. That, along with the box of samoas I inhaled on the way home from art class (and the cappucino I got at BP when I filled the car) ought to be good for a couple of pounds on the scale tomorrow. Sigh.
Well, that's ok. Even during my six months of self-imposed starvation, there were days I totally indulged in whatever called to me. Then, I'd just get back to the business of not-eating the next day. No prob. It's a fact that if your body uses up more calories than it takes in, it will get the necessary energy from somewhere...even your thighs. Heh. And therefore, tomorrow...I fast.
Oh, and for all you stargazers out there...tomorrow night will showcase a total lunar eclipse. Can't wait!
Not only that, we went out for pizza tonight. I'd planned a nice dinner for us, but there was a last-minute business associate meeting-thing that came up, so we sort of had to meet him out somewhere. Well, I could have said the kids and I would just stay home, but I'm sure the children would have mutinied if they'd heard the "P" word and then been told "just kidding."
So, I was good and got a salad...and then ate pizza anyway when it arrived at the table all hot and pepperoni-y. That, along with the box of samoas I inhaled on the way home from art class (and the cappucino I got at BP when I filled the car) ought to be good for a couple of pounds on the scale tomorrow. Sigh.
Well, that's ok. Even during my six months of self-imposed starvation, there were days I totally indulged in whatever called to me. Then, I'd just get back to the business of not-eating the next day. No prob. It's a fact that if your body uses up more calories than it takes in, it will get the necessary energy from somewhere...even your thighs. Heh. And therefore, tomorrow...I fast.
Oh, and for all you stargazers out there...tomorrow night will showcase a total lunar eclipse. Can't wait!
Monday, February 18, 2008
It's Important to Stay in Touch
Yay! The dentist said my daughter's broken tooth isn't a problem, and can wait until our next regular visit to be fixed. I was glad of the news, but I'm still a little skeptical that we'll be able to wait that long (July) without some kind of dramatic event. Although we are only a mile from the office, so I suppose it won't be too much of a risk.
Today was pretty much a standard Monday, what with cleaning and laundry and school. There was an awesome phone call for me today, though. We were working on our fine arts lesson (and you know the kids were totally hanging on my every word,) when the phone rang. It came from one of my cousins in Florida that I haven't heard from in 20 years. What a wonderful surprise!
My dad and his dad were first cousins, so we used to visit back and forth when we were younger, and then while he was in the service, he'd come stay with us sometimes. My parents kept in touch with his mom over the years, but when they passed away, I lost that connection. So, a few weeks ago, actually while I was sitting in my car during gymnastics, I wrote his mom one of my weekly "stay in touch" letters, which she shared with him. I am so looking forward to catching up with him about his life, his brothers, his kids, and to sharing some of our adventures with him.
Anyway, he's planned a trip to Stone Mountain for his son's spring break, and hopefully we'll be able to meet him there so I can introduce him to my family. I am so very happy!
After we finished school today, I spent the rest of the afternoon working on freezer meal recipes and just generally hanging out. I could hardly wait for my sweet honey to get home from work to tell him about my day. I think tomorrow I'll head up into the attic to retrieve some old photo albums so I can trip down memory lane. I want to have all my stories straight when I start to tell them. (!)
So, goodnight to you all, and let me say again how worthwhile it is to spend a few minutes each week dashing off a few lines to far-flung family and friends. You can never tell what reward the effort will bring.
Today was pretty much a standard Monday, what with cleaning and laundry and school. There was an awesome phone call for me today, though. We were working on our fine arts lesson (and you know the kids were totally hanging on my every word,) when the phone rang. It came from one of my cousins in Florida that I haven't heard from in 20 years. What a wonderful surprise!
My dad and his dad were first cousins, so we used to visit back and forth when we were younger, and then while he was in the service, he'd come stay with us sometimes. My parents kept in touch with his mom over the years, but when they passed away, I lost that connection. So, a few weeks ago, actually while I was sitting in my car during gymnastics, I wrote his mom one of my weekly "stay in touch" letters, which she shared with him. I am so looking forward to catching up with him about his life, his brothers, his kids, and to sharing some of our adventures with him.
Anyway, he's planned a trip to Stone Mountain for his son's spring break, and hopefully we'll be able to meet him there so I can introduce him to my family. I am so very happy!
After we finished school today, I spent the rest of the afternoon working on freezer meal recipes and just generally hanging out. I could hardly wait for my sweet honey to get home from work to tell him about my day. I think tomorrow I'll head up into the attic to retrieve some old photo albums so I can trip down memory lane. I want to have all my stories straight when I start to tell them. (!)
So, goodnight to you all, and let me say again how worthwhile it is to spend a few minutes each week dashing off a few lines to far-flung family and friends. You can never tell what reward the effort will bring.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Didn't Like Durhamtown
Ok...I did it. I was coerced into going with the family to Durhamtown this weekend. Yesterday I rode ATVs with the family all through the woods on trails that were bumpy, dusty, noisy and filled with motorcross dirt bikes and other ATVs buzzing around us like ducks in an arcade game. The good news is that the kids had a good time, and I made it out alive. The better news is that I never have to do that AGAIN!! I'm not a 4-wheel girl. I can only be a good sport for so long before I just want to slash holes in the ATV tires and walk home.
Durhamtown is a neat place, don't get me wrong. It's just not my kind of place. I prefer quiet Zen music, scented candles, sweet-smelling fragrances and soft fabrics. Durhamtown is a rugged, sporty, outdoorsy kind of resort where folks and their toys can play. The trails are extensive and well-marked, the tracks for kids are challenging and also supervised, and the lodge is, well for lack of a better word...cute. Like I said, though...been there, done that, my husband got a T-shirt, and I can cross that off my to-do list for good. Whew.
We spent the night in a hotel in Athens, and then this morning went to a private piece of land to ride in the woods. That was 100 times better. Quiet trails blanketed by leaves, no other people for miles, and a slow pace that allowed us to really enjoy the day. Now, that I would do again, even on 4 wheels.
When we got home, we spent some time de-funkifying the van and hosing off the machines. Ok, when I say "hosing" I really mean "pressure-washing." We can't do anything the simple way...there always has to be More Power involved. Heh.
Our riding friend came over to see our new ATV-hauling trailer, and afterwards he and my sweet honey headed downstairs to catch the Daytona 500 while the kids plunked down in front of the TV in the office. I made coffee and mocha lattes and popcorn for everyone and then started some homemade spaghetti sauce. I left the sauce to simmer on the stove for a couple of hours and sipped my latte as I worked on my latest kitchen adventure...planning a few freezer meals to use up some of the ingredients I have on hand. I'll spend a few hours over the next couple of weeks pre-cooking some entrees to freeze for meals later in the month.
So, tonight the boy was completely exhausted and fighting everything tooth and nail. I yanked off his riding outfit and pushed him into the shower, lowered the lights and lit some lavendar incense. He'll be a noodle when he gets out, but at least he'll be more agreeable.
Sadly, when the girl went to her room to get ready for bed, she found her fish, Rosetta, floating at the top of the fishbowl. Now I have to change my profile and everything because we're down to just one inside fish. She took it in stride, however. Thank goodness. I couldn't have handled another meltdown today.
My sweet honey is nearly asleep, and I just finished cleaning the kitchen. I haven't done a spot of housework in nearly a week, so I have my work cut out for me tomorrow...but hallelujah...it'll soon be Monday.
Anyway, that was my weekend.
Durhamtown is a neat place, don't get me wrong. It's just not my kind of place. I prefer quiet Zen music, scented candles, sweet-smelling fragrances and soft fabrics. Durhamtown is a rugged, sporty, outdoorsy kind of resort where folks and their toys can play. The trails are extensive and well-marked, the tracks for kids are challenging and also supervised, and the lodge is, well for lack of a better word...cute. Like I said, though...been there, done that, my husband got a T-shirt, and I can cross that off my to-do list for good. Whew.
We spent the night in a hotel in Athens, and then this morning went to a private piece of land to ride in the woods. That was 100 times better. Quiet trails blanketed by leaves, no other people for miles, and a slow pace that allowed us to really enjoy the day. Now, that I would do again, even on 4 wheels.
When we got home, we spent some time de-funkifying the van and hosing off the machines. Ok, when I say "hosing" I really mean "pressure-washing." We can't do anything the simple way...there always has to be More Power involved. Heh.
Our riding friend came over to see our new ATV-hauling trailer, and afterwards he and my sweet honey headed downstairs to catch the Daytona 500 while the kids plunked down in front of the TV in the office. I made coffee and mocha lattes and popcorn for everyone and then started some homemade spaghetti sauce. I left the sauce to simmer on the stove for a couple of hours and sipped my latte as I worked on my latest kitchen adventure...planning a few freezer meals to use up some of the ingredients I have on hand. I'll spend a few hours over the next couple of weeks pre-cooking some entrees to freeze for meals later in the month.
So, tonight the boy was completely exhausted and fighting everything tooth and nail. I yanked off his riding outfit and pushed him into the shower, lowered the lights and lit some lavendar incense. He'll be a noodle when he gets out, but at least he'll be more agreeable.
Sadly, when the girl went to her room to get ready for bed, she found her fish, Rosetta, floating at the top of the fishbowl. Now I have to change my profile and everything because we're down to just one inside fish. She took it in stride, however. Thank goodness. I couldn't have handled another meltdown today.
My sweet honey is nearly asleep, and I just finished cleaning the kitchen. I haven't done a spot of housework in nearly a week, so I have my work cut out for me tomorrow...but hallelujah...it'll soon be Monday.
Anyway, that was my weekend.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Just Another Quiet Friday
Ah...tax day. Good news this year...we've already paid in what we owed during the year and so we get a little back. Nothing like loaning the IRS a little money interest free--as long as they return it eventually, right? Argh.
My sweet honey and I had lunch at a little sandwich shop near the CPA's office, and then I sent him to fetch the kiddies from their sleepover while I went to the spa to have my hair done. Yeah...that's what I call a great afternoon.
Why is it the only day your hair style looks GORGEOUS is the day the stylist does it? From then until you're shaggy, needing to see her again, it's occasionally lovely, but mostly just mediocre. That's just not fair. Oh well, at least I have four days a year to look like a movie star. (My stylist is REALLY good.)
This evening the kids and I went to a friend's house so I could meet the friend's daughter's friend...uh...yeah, that's right...who's an awesome, incredible, amazing artist. I saw some of her work tonight (although she's rather shy about letting anyone see her drawings,) and I was thoroughly impressed. She's very interested in illustrating my children's book, and I think she can see the same images I see when I talk about the scenes in the story. I can describe what I want, but I just don't have the talent to take it from my mind to paper. She, I think, will have no trouble at all. I'm thrilled!
Anyway, I'm totally looking forward to seeing her preliminary sketches in the next few weeks.
Well, we're off to ride the ATVs this weekend, so I'm fairly certain I won't be home to post tomorrow night. I'll fill you in on the adventure when we return!
My sweet honey and I had lunch at a little sandwich shop near the CPA's office, and then I sent him to fetch the kiddies from their sleepover while I went to the spa to have my hair done. Yeah...that's what I call a great afternoon.
Why is it the only day your hair style looks GORGEOUS is the day the stylist does it? From then until you're shaggy, needing to see her again, it's occasionally lovely, but mostly just mediocre. That's just not fair. Oh well, at least I have four days a year to look like a movie star. (My stylist is REALLY good.)
This evening the kids and I went to a friend's house so I could meet the friend's daughter's friend...uh...yeah, that's right...who's an awesome, incredible, amazing artist. I saw some of her work tonight (although she's rather shy about letting anyone see her drawings,) and I was thoroughly impressed. She's very interested in illustrating my children's book, and I think she can see the same images I see when I talk about the scenes in the story. I can describe what I want, but I just don't have the talent to take it from my mind to paper. She, I think, will have no trouble at all. I'm thrilled!
Anyway, I'm totally looking forward to seeing her preliminary sketches in the next few weeks.
Well, we're off to ride the ATVs this weekend, so I'm fairly certain I won't be home to post tomorrow night. I'll fill you in on the adventure when we return!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
If She Breaks Anything Else, I'm Giving Her Away
I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day. My sweet honey and I stayed home tonight and compiled our tax information for our meeting with the CPA tomorrow. I know, very romantic, but that's ok. The kids are sleeping over at a friend's house, we're finished crunching numbers and the night is still young!
My honey did come home for lunch today bearing treats for all. Cards and candy, roses for the girls...he's such a romantic at heart. And he always, always finds the perfect cards for me and the kids.
Then the kids and I went to the gymnastics place so the folks there could sign the cherub's cast. She and they are looking forward to the day she can come back for class.
Before I sent the children away to terrorize, er, I mean play at their friends' house, I took them to a homeschool valentine party where they had a blast and consumed mass quantities of sugar. I didn't take any pictures there because I spent a good portion of the time on the phone with my daughter's dentist. Why, you ask? Because she broke her tooth on the way to the shindig. Yep. "What next?" I say.
I was calling to see if it needed to be fixed right away (she'd miss the sleepover--gasp) or if it could wait a day. The dentist seemed to think that if she wasn't screaming as I was speaking on the phone, that it was a minor thing and could wait until Monday. Yipes. Famous last words, right? Murphy's Law says I'll be phoning the emergency number sometime around midnight Saturday night when all they can do is phone in a prescription for pain meds. Fortunately, I got her broken-arm-surgery gooooooood painkiller 'scrip filled the day before she went in to the hospital. Heh...maybe I am ready for any tooth dilema after all.
So, with that report, I'm off to open a bottle of something merlot-ish to round out our romantic day. Love to you all, and I mean that. : )
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Wrap It Up and INK It
My daughter got her hard cast today. After perusing the various color offerings, she chose a pink one.
Unfortunately, the x-ray they took today showed that she had shifted the fracture out of place in the last two weeks, so unless the fiberglass cast holds the bone in place, she’ll have to undergo surgery again. Sigh. 
Ouch.
Because of the cold day, we did an indoor park day at a place called INK (Interactive Neighborhood for Kids.) http://www.inkfun.org/ It's a place with small rooms set up as stores and offices, stocked with uniforms and supplies where the kids can role-play as all different kinds of workers and customers. There's a bank, doctor's office, vet, diner, grocery store, hair salon, post office, library, theater, dentist and school, plus a real fire engine, police car and airplane the kids can climb in and operate.
The boy restocking the shelves.
The girl and a friend waiting for customers to feed.
The girl giving a panda a shot at the vet's office.
We did have fun signing her cast today, and her friends all put their names on it at park day. Then, when we got home, Daddy got to sign the cast, and the kids and I sat around and made Valentine cards for a party tomorrow.
The writing on her upper arm says,
"My deductible for the year. Get Well Soon. Love Daddy."
This says "My Dad paid for this."
What a very interesting day.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Super Site for Super Cooks
I have officially reached heaven. Today, one of my homeschooling friends sent me the link to a website that does just what I’ve been craving for years. You enter in all the food items you have in your house on an inventory list, and this site will search the Internet for recipes that use what you have on hand. It even puts the recipes on top that don’t require any additional ingredients, so no last minute trips to the store. Ha!! Nirvana!! I don’t have time to blog anymore tonight, people…I have to go enter my ingredients!!
www.supercook.com
www.supercook.com
Monday, February 11, 2008
Things I Learned Today
1. If you take a 3-foot high stuffed dog and stick its head under the bed, make snuffling sounds and then bark loudly, three things will happen. One cat will hiss loudly. One cat will claw the fuzzy aggressor fiercely. Both cats will rapidly vacate the premises, holding their puffy tails high in the air. Heh heh. Then the kids will try to imitate you until you have to threaten them with grounding to get them to leave the poor, stressed-out cats alone.
2. Never to let a 10-year-old artist with a broken arm clean out the fireplace no matter how much she pleads. She will not only attempt to make paint from the ashes mixed with the liquid squeezed from the Swiffer Wet cloth, but she will also end up coating every horizontal surface in the room with a layer of ash to rival Pompeii.
Of course, when she was done, (read—Mommy made her stop messing around in the fireplace,) I had to help her wash her hand. Naturally, only one hand got dirty because the other one is in a sling. However, because of that, she was unable to wash the filthy hand by herself. I got soap and began to lather her hand at the kitchen sink, when she folded her hand into a puppet and cried, “Oh, no! Not water! (drowning sounds) Help! -- Need air!! – (more gurgling) – You’ll never take me alive, coppers!” What a clown.
3. If you’ve told the kids not to eat spoonfuls of NesQuik powder out of the can, do not attempt to speak while you yourself have a mouthful of the powder or it will floof out onto the counter in plain view of the kids, who will point at you and say, “Moooommmmeeeeeeeee!”
4. If you look through a mail-order catalog long enough, you will find something you just have to own. However, if you look through the catalog while drinking warm mocha latte and sitting in the sun, you will be way too sleepy to get up and order the item online.
5. When you fire up the vacuum cleaner and push it roaring through the doorway of a child’s room, said child will begin to frantically run around the space picking up toys and clothes like the robot Rosie on “The Jetsons” when she had a short circuit. Heh, heh.
6. That I should never question my son’s photographic memory. I purchased for him, on one of our many trips to Dahlonega, a hematite bead necklace with a turquoise pendant. I thought he didn’t like it very much, but today, he decided to wear it. He was leaning over the dining room table and the necklace broke, sending beads bouncing all over the hardwood floor. We gathered the beads, and he sat at the table and restrung them. I tried to help him remember the order of the round beads, the oval beads, the oblong beads, the seed beads and the square beads, but he assured me he knew what he was doing. When he was finished, I picked up the strand to take to the kitchen so I could melt the end of the plastic line into a blob that would hold the screw-catch on. Well, the whole thing slipped from my hand and beads went everywhere.
We rounded up the strays, and he strung them again. Then, just as he was finishing up, one end slipped off the table into his lap, and yes, beads scattered for a third time. Once he got them all together and strung yet again, I carefully melted the end of the line in a candle flame and secured the necklace around his neck. It looks just the same as when I bought it. I don’t think I could have gotten the order right once, much less three times.
7. That I lead such a wonderful, fun-filled, rewarding life.
2. Never to let a 10-year-old artist with a broken arm clean out the fireplace no matter how much she pleads. She will not only attempt to make paint from the ashes mixed with the liquid squeezed from the Swiffer Wet cloth, but she will also end up coating every horizontal surface in the room with a layer of ash to rival Pompeii.
Of course, when she was done, (read—Mommy made her stop messing around in the fireplace,) I had to help her wash her hand. Naturally, only one hand got dirty because the other one is in a sling. However, because of that, she was unable to wash the filthy hand by herself. I got soap and began to lather her hand at the kitchen sink, when she folded her hand into a puppet and cried, “Oh, no! Not water! (drowning sounds) Help! -- Need air!! – (more gurgling) – You’ll never take me alive, coppers!” What a clown.
3. If you’ve told the kids not to eat spoonfuls of NesQuik powder out of the can, do not attempt to speak while you yourself have a mouthful of the powder or it will floof out onto the counter in plain view of the kids, who will point at you and say, “Moooommmmeeeeeeeee!”
4. If you look through a mail-order catalog long enough, you will find something you just have to own. However, if you look through the catalog while drinking warm mocha latte and sitting in the sun, you will be way too sleepy to get up and order the item online.
5. When you fire up the vacuum cleaner and push it roaring through the doorway of a child’s room, said child will begin to frantically run around the space picking up toys and clothes like the robot Rosie on “The Jetsons” when she had a short circuit. Heh, heh.
6. That I should never question my son’s photographic memory. I purchased for him, on one of our many trips to Dahlonega, a hematite bead necklace with a turquoise pendant. I thought he didn’t like it very much, but today, he decided to wear it. He was leaning over the dining room table and the necklace broke, sending beads bouncing all over the hardwood floor. We gathered the beads, and he sat at the table and restrung them. I tried to help him remember the order of the round beads, the oval beads, the oblong beads, the seed beads and the square beads, but he assured me he knew what he was doing. When he was finished, I picked up the strand to take to the kitchen so I could melt the end of the plastic line into a blob that would hold the screw-catch on. Well, the whole thing slipped from my hand and beads went everywhere.
We rounded up the strays, and he strung them again. Then, just as he was finishing up, one end slipped off the table into his lap, and yes, beads scattered for a third time. Once he got them all together and strung yet again, I carefully melted the end of the line in a candle flame and secured the necklace around his neck. It looks just the same as when I bought it. I don’t think I could have gotten the order right once, much less three times.
7. That I lead such a wonderful, fun-filled, rewarding life.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Pearls of Waist-Doom
I was looking around at my Valentine’s Day decorations today, thinking something was missing, when it hit me…Peanut M&Ms. And then I remembered that those candies were what led to the complete demise of my figure last year.
Early December 2006, I weighed 136. Happily, I might add. To round out the Christmas decorations that month, I brought home a couple of bags of red and green peanut M&Ms and emptied them out into cute little holiday dishes. How totally Martha Stewart! Well, it was so very convenient to snag a handful each time I walked by those bowls, that the treats were gone before the 15th. Of course I had to get more…I couldn’t just let those little bowls sit there EMPTY, now could I?
So, I kept the little dishes filled all month long, and decided the reason my clothes were fitting a little more snugly was all the other holiday food I was eating every day. Right.
Then came January, and I bought more candies. Of course I decorate with blue and white that month, so I actually sorted out the blue ones for my snowman dish. Yep…ate the other colors, and then the blue ones when the month was out. February brought the red, pink and white bags of Valentine’s M&Ms, and March found me snarfing down the other colors after I’d picked out the green ones for my shamrock bowl. By the time the bags of pastel Easter candies were empty, I weighed in at 160 pounds and in no way fit into my regular clothes. All I can say is thank goodness for elastic waistbands.
Anyway, I kind of got angry with the number on the scale, so I stopped eating any kind of food for about six months and ignored the perfectionistic cravings for complete holiday decorations. (I nearly caved with the red, white and blue patriotic ones for the 4th of July…oh, and those cute little Halloween ones!!) Sigh.
Well, the rest of the story is that I managed to get down to 130 by Christmas 2007, and last week I hit 128. Clothes stopped fitting in November, so I had to go buy smaller sizes and found that I’d totally skipped a size. That was fine with me.
So, after going cold turkey on those peanut-filled chocolaty morsels of holiday-themed candy-coated pearls of waist-doom, it just hit me today that I haven’t had a peanut M&M in almost a year, not counting the tiny bag I wolfed down at gymnastics a couple of months ago (as my reward for hitting 130.) Of course, the little heart-shaped dishes on my tables were crying out in injustice. To quiet their wailings, I filled the bowls with shiny red and white beads. Same effect, zero temptation.
Early December 2006, I weighed 136. Happily, I might add. To round out the Christmas decorations that month, I brought home a couple of bags of red and green peanut M&Ms and emptied them out into cute little holiday dishes. How totally Martha Stewart! Well, it was so very convenient to snag a handful each time I walked by those bowls, that the treats were gone before the 15th. Of course I had to get more…I couldn’t just let those little bowls sit there EMPTY, now could I?
So, I kept the little dishes filled all month long, and decided the reason my clothes were fitting a little more snugly was all the other holiday food I was eating every day. Right.
Then came January, and I bought more candies. Of course I decorate with blue and white that month, so I actually sorted out the blue ones for my snowman dish. Yep…ate the other colors, and then the blue ones when the month was out. February brought the red, pink and white bags of Valentine’s M&Ms, and March found me snarfing down the other colors after I’d picked out the green ones for my shamrock bowl. By the time the bags of pastel Easter candies were empty, I weighed in at 160 pounds and in no way fit into my regular clothes. All I can say is thank goodness for elastic waistbands.
Anyway, I kind of got angry with the number on the scale, so I stopped eating any kind of food for about six months and ignored the perfectionistic cravings for complete holiday decorations. (I nearly caved with the red, white and blue patriotic ones for the 4th of July…oh, and those cute little Halloween ones!!) Sigh.
Well, the rest of the story is that I managed to get down to 130 by Christmas 2007, and last week I hit 128. Clothes stopped fitting in November, so I had to go buy smaller sizes and found that I’d totally skipped a size. That was fine with me.
So, after going cold turkey on those peanut-filled chocolaty morsels of holiday-themed candy-coated pearls of waist-doom, it just hit me today that I haven’t had a peanut M&M in almost a year, not counting the tiny bag I wolfed down at gymnastics a couple of months ago (as my reward for hitting 130.) Of course, the little heart-shaped dishes on my tables were crying out in injustice. To quiet their wailings, I filled the bowls with shiny red and white beads. Same effect, zero temptation.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Mocha Latte, Hold the Bugs
It must be spring. In the dead of winter, most rodents hibernate and tend to stay out of my house. Let the temperature get over 50 for a few days and darned if they don't pop right out of their snug beds and into the clutches of bored prowling cats. You'd think the critters would just move away, but no, every year, there are a few stalwart specimens that don't learn their lessons quickly enough and become mere feline playthings. This time it was a little grey mouse. I'm sure the chipmunks aren't far off.
I just found out yesterday that one of my favorite authors, Diana Gabaldon, is adding a new novel to her _Outlander_ series later this year. I can hardly wait. I walk on the treadmill reading those books. There are six in the series for now, and I’m on my second trip through them, currently reading _Dragonfly in Amber_. How thrilling that I can look forward to what happens next.
I’ve discovered my new favorite hot drink. I had purchased some chicory coffee to have for Mardi Gras, and I made some yesterday morning. I filled a big mug halfway with milk, and then topped it off with the rich coffee, splashed in an ounce of Nestle Quik chocolate syrup and a spoonful of sugar. Presto! Mocha latte, way cheaper than the Cinnabon kind in the can, and oh, so decadent.
Last night was date night. The kids spent the night with Grammy and PapPap, and my sweet honey and I went out to a quaint little Italian restaurant we frequent. I had an amazing dish called Shrimp Oreganata, a spinach salad and a couple, okay three, glasses of Opus One. Yum. Then I kept dreaming all night of being thirsty. In each dream, I’d be parched, so I’d grab a bottle of water and drink it. Then I’d start another dream just as thirsty as before. I finally woke up at about 4:00 and got a bottle of water out of the little fridge and gulped it down. That was the end of the weird dreams.
The little fridge is a handy thing. It is actually a brand new Cuisinart wine cooler that we snagged at a yard sale for 25 bucks, but it fits in the bottom of the TV stand in the bedroom, so we keep bottles of spring water and cans of sparkling water in there for middle-of-the-night drink runs. I think my daughter even put some grapes in there so she can snack on them while she watches recorded Mythbusters in the afternoons.
Today was a semi-restful day. I got laundry done and groceries bought, but I also spent a couple of hours playing a new game I got for my Nintendo DS. My children played the game also today, but my daughter was way ahead of her brother when she accidentally saved his file over hers and had to start over. She howled and cried and raged for at least 45 minutes about how unfair it was that she had to go through the sheer TORTURE of playing the game again from the beginning. Egad. My son came in a little later and tried to comfort her, but she was having none of that. Fortunately, she was able to get back to the spot where she had been before, even through tears. Methinks adolescence is going to be a nightmare.
I also realized today that I ain’t gettin’ any younger. I had purchased some bulk chicken parts on sale at the store. I opened up all the packages on the kitchen counter to break them up into serving-sized bundles and then went downstairs to the pantry. My son was in the basement playing a video game, so I asked him how he was doing and gave him a 15-minute deadline to wrap up his playing, and then opened the door to the pantry room. I stood there for half a minute or so, and then called up to my daughter in the kitchen, “Why did I come down here?” She cracked up and reminded me that I had gone to get some more freezer bags for the chicken parts. Oh, yeah. Right. I went back upstairs muttering under my breath about how ridiculous aging is anyway. If it weren’t for the bright thought that getting older is better than the alternative, I think I’d just go in the woods and eat bugs or something.
As long as I had a good book, a bottle of water and a mocha latte, I think I’d be alright.
I just found out yesterday that one of my favorite authors, Diana Gabaldon, is adding a new novel to her _Outlander_ series later this year. I can hardly wait. I walk on the treadmill reading those books. There are six in the series for now, and I’m on my second trip through them, currently reading _Dragonfly in Amber_. How thrilling that I can look forward to what happens next.
I’ve discovered my new favorite hot drink. I had purchased some chicory coffee to have for Mardi Gras, and I made some yesterday morning. I filled a big mug halfway with milk, and then topped it off with the rich coffee, splashed in an ounce of Nestle Quik chocolate syrup and a spoonful of sugar. Presto! Mocha latte, way cheaper than the Cinnabon kind in the can, and oh, so decadent.
Last night was date night. The kids spent the night with Grammy and PapPap, and my sweet honey and I went out to a quaint little Italian restaurant we frequent. I had an amazing dish called Shrimp Oreganata, a spinach salad and a couple, okay three, glasses of Opus One. Yum. Then I kept dreaming all night of being thirsty. In each dream, I’d be parched, so I’d grab a bottle of water and drink it. Then I’d start another dream just as thirsty as before. I finally woke up at about 4:00 and got a bottle of water out of the little fridge and gulped it down. That was the end of the weird dreams.
The little fridge is a handy thing. It is actually a brand new Cuisinart wine cooler that we snagged at a yard sale for 25 bucks, but it fits in the bottom of the TV stand in the bedroom, so we keep bottles of spring water and cans of sparkling water in there for middle-of-the-night drink runs. I think my daughter even put some grapes in there so she can snack on them while she watches recorded Mythbusters in the afternoons.
Today was a semi-restful day. I got laundry done and groceries bought, but I also spent a couple of hours playing a new game I got for my Nintendo DS. My children played the game also today, but my daughter was way ahead of her brother when she accidentally saved his file over hers and had to start over. She howled and cried and raged for at least 45 minutes about how unfair it was that she had to go through the sheer TORTURE of playing the game again from the beginning. Egad. My son came in a little later and tried to comfort her, but she was having none of that. Fortunately, she was able to get back to the spot where she had been before, even through tears. Methinks adolescence is going to be a nightmare.
I also realized today that I ain’t gettin’ any younger. I had purchased some bulk chicken parts on sale at the store. I opened up all the packages on the kitchen counter to break them up into serving-sized bundles and then went downstairs to the pantry. My son was in the basement playing a video game, so I asked him how he was doing and gave him a 15-minute deadline to wrap up his playing, and then opened the door to the pantry room. I stood there for half a minute or so, and then called up to my daughter in the kitchen, “Why did I come down here?” She cracked up and reminded me that I had gone to get some more freezer bags for the chicken parts. Oh, yeah. Right. I went back upstairs muttering under my breath about how ridiculous aging is anyway. If it weren’t for the bright thought that getting older is better than the alternative, I think I’d just go in the woods and eat bugs or something.
As long as I had a good book, a bottle of water and a mocha latte, I think I’d be alright.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Happy Everything!
Happy Chinese New Year!
Wow, the festivals are coming thick and fast…I won’t know what to do with myself in the month between Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. I’ll have to look online and discover some obscure celebrations like Do a Grouch a Favor Day or National Bread Day or even Doctor Seuss’s birthday. Then there’s always Presidents Day and Leap Year Day, but I don’t have decorations for those. Heh, unless I throw ones and fives all over the place. Of course, then it would just look like I was careless with money.
I got ambitious today and put away the Mardi Gras decorations and got out the hearts and things. All that red goes with the Chinese New Year items still out on the table. I was explaining to my son today how the different lunar celebrations are calculated each year. I enjoy the movable feasts, because I think it makes the actual celebrating more interesting.
I had planned to make a nice oriental-themed dinner tonight, but since I didn’t make it to the store today, we’re having hot dogs or something like that. My whole routine is confused since we’re not in gymnastics this session. Usually early Thursday morning is reserved for meal planning, coupon organizing and list making, and then I do the shopping in the afternoon while the kids are busy. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself for 7 more weeks. We may totally run out of food! Or not. There’s always Tuesday morning after art. Oh, and all the groceries in the pantry.
After consulting with my daughter about making a new king cake this morning, we both decided to bag the whole idea and forget about it, at least until next year. I was just too tired to think about all the prep work anyway. The cats kept waking me up last night. The cats that were in the bedroom wanted out, and the cats that were locked out in the hallway wanted in. If it’s not loud meows, it’s banging on the door. I still don’t know how they do that, but they make it sound as if they have a wrecking ball and are about to make their own entrance, never mind me.
Then there was the bird explosion to greet me in the kids’ bathroom when I got up. No bird, mind you, but the evidence was extensive. I never knew birds had that many feathers. Thank goodness for good quality vacuum cleaners. And speaking of cleaning, my son has taken over his sister’s weekly chores without too much complaining. He knows he has to help out while she’s recuperating, and he plans to have her pay him back as soon as the cast comes off. I can’t wait to eavesdrop on those negotiations.
Anyway, with sweeping the hardwood floors and changing the linens on the beds and tables, I seem to have gotten quite a bit accomplished today. The nice thing about staying home all day is that we get so much schoolwork completed. I don’t have to fit the subjects in between trips out somewhere, so we can take our time and explore deeper into areas that pique the children’s interests. I like that part.
The problem with staying home all day is that I have free reign of the kitchen, which is very dangerous since I’m a “bored” eater. I won’t touch a bite of food when I’m stressed out, but when I can’t find enough to do, I scavenge anything not nailed down. I think I need more projects. Maybe now would be the time to check out National Anthem Day.
Wow, the festivals are coming thick and fast…I won’t know what to do with myself in the month between Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. I’ll have to look online and discover some obscure celebrations like Do a Grouch a Favor Day or National Bread Day or even Doctor Seuss’s birthday. Then there’s always Presidents Day and Leap Year Day, but I don’t have decorations for those. Heh, unless I throw ones and fives all over the place. Of course, then it would just look like I was careless with money.
I got ambitious today and put away the Mardi Gras decorations and got out the hearts and things. All that red goes with the Chinese New Year items still out on the table. I was explaining to my son today how the different lunar celebrations are calculated each year. I enjoy the movable feasts, because I think it makes the actual celebrating more interesting.
I had planned to make a nice oriental-themed dinner tonight, but since I didn’t make it to the store today, we’re having hot dogs or something like that. My whole routine is confused since we’re not in gymnastics this session. Usually early Thursday morning is reserved for meal planning, coupon organizing and list making, and then I do the shopping in the afternoon while the kids are busy. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself for 7 more weeks. We may totally run out of food! Or not. There’s always Tuesday morning after art. Oh, and all the groceries in the pantry.
After consulting with my daughter about making a new king cake this morning, we both decided to bag the whole idea and forget about it, at least until next year. I was just too tired to think about all the prep work anyway. The cats kept waking me up last night. The cats that were in the bedroom wanted out, and the cats that were locked out in the hallway wanted in. If it’s not loud meows, it’s banging on the door. I still don’t know how they do that, but they make it sound as if they have a wrecking ball and are about to make their own entrance, never mind me.
Then there was the bird explosion to greet me in the kids’ bathroom when I got up. No bird, mind you, but the evidence was extensive. I never knew birds had that many feathers. Thank goodness for good quality vacuum cleaners. And speaking of cleaning, my son has taken over his sister’s weekly chores without too much complaining. He knows he has to help out while she’s recuperating, and he plans to have her pay him back as soon as the cast comes off. I can’t wait to eavesdrop on those negotiations.
Anyway, with sweeping the hardwood floors and changing the linens on the beds and tables, I seem to have gotten quite a bit accomplished today. The nice thing about staying home all day is that we get so much schoolwork completed. I don’t have to fit the subjects in between trips out somewhere, so we can take our time and explore deeper into areas that pique the children’s interests. I like that part.
The problem with staying home all day is that I have free reign of the kitchen, which is very dangerous since I’m a “bored” eater. I won’t touch a bite of food when I’m stressed out, but when I can’t find enough to do, I scavenge anything not nailed down. I think I need more projects. Maybe now would be the time to check out National Anthem Day.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Chuck E. Who?
Well, the king cake I tried to make this morning was a dismal failure. I was under the impression that yeast is yeast, but apparently bread machine yeast won’t work in a king cake recipe. The dough didn’t rise at all, so I made little muffin-like hockey pucks that tasted quite nice and were even palatable with the cream cheese filling designed to go inside. Tomorrow…I try again.
Today was park day but it was rainy, so we headed over to Chuck E Cheese’s for some indoor fun. I pawned off my little king muffins on my friends and no one choked or gagged, so that’s a good sign.
The kids had a blast. This is my daughter and her “boyfriend.” I’m not sure she’s actually old enough for one of those, but they’re going on a year as pals, so maybe it’s possible. He’s definitely a sweetie.
This is my son up in the suspended hamster tunnel. I think I may get one of those cages to have handy in the house for days when the kids are just on my last nerve.
I wouldn’t let the girl up in there because of her arm, but not ten minutes later, she was leading everyone around the restaurant in a mad chase. Good grief. I will be very happy when she gets the hard cast on the 13th. I’ll be much less worried about that arm then.
After we left CEC, all the group stopped by a local homeschool store, where I got a few phonics books for my daughter, the horrid speller. Then we came home and I got to work on dinner.
The red beans and rice were delish, although I have to confess I used a mix (Zatarain’s) instead of making it from scratch, and then added in some chopped ham. Even I know when shortcuts are better. The baked oysters weren’t quite ready by the time everyone else was, so I’m saving them for a side dish for later. I wonder if they’ll go with Chinese New Year cuisine?
Today was park day but it was rainy, so we headed over to Chuck E Cheese’s for some indoor fun. I pawned off my little king muffins on my friends and no one choked or gagged, so that’s a good sign.
The kids had a blast. This is my daughter and her “boyfriend.” I’m not sure she’s actually old enough for one of those, but they’re going on a year as pals, so maybe it’s possible. He’s definitely a sweetie.
This is my son up in the suspended hamster tunnel. I think I may get one of those cages to have handy in the house for days when the kids are just on my last nerve.I wouldn’t let the girl up in there because of her arm, but not ten minutes later, she was leading everyone around the restaurant in a mad chase. Good grief. I will be very happy when she gets the hard cast on the 13th. I’ll be much less worried about that arm then.After we left CEC, all the group stopped by a local homeschool store, where I got a few phonics books for my daughter, the horrid speller. Then we came home and I got to work on dinner.
The red beans and rice were delish, although I have to confess I used a mix (Zatarain’s) instead of making it from scratch, and then added in some chopped ham. Even I know when shortcuts are better. The baked oysters weren’t quite ready by the time everyone else was, so I’m saving them for a side dish for later. I wonder if they’ll go with Chinese New Year cuisine?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Tomorrow Is Another Day
Happy Mardi Gras! 
Aren't my kiddies good sports?
Aren't my kiddies good sports?
My daughter's panache for decorating for the holiday.
Tonight was to have featured another one of those meals I had all planned out to celebrate the event, but I forgot my sweet honey had a business dinner out. Oh well, we’ll have red beans and rice, baked oysters, chicory coffee and king cake tomorrow night.
I found a neat recipe for king cake this morning when I was doing a search for Mardi Gras recipes. I got all exited about making the treat from scratch and quickly scanned the ingredient list to see if I needed to stop by the grocery store on the way home from art class. Turned out I had all the stuff, but I needed a couple of other things for the entrees, so we pulled into Publix and grabbed a cart.
Now, both of my children insist on riding in the cart, lazy little gremlins that they are. She climbed over the side and bumped her arm just enough to remind her that it was broken. (Yipes!) He squirmed underneath so he could drive a toy car alongside the wheels as I pushed. Now, grocery carts are notorious for being unwieldy at best. Add 150 pounds of wriggling kidlets to the mix and let me tell you, it’s not a picnic. I get a workout, but at least I know where they are at all times.
As we bumped across the threshold of the store through the sliding glass doors, we beheld a glorious display. A bright light descended from above and somewhere I could hear a choir singing…a shelf of ready-made king cakes just pleading for us to take one of them home. I stood there gazing at the confections, and from somewhere in my dim memory, I replayed the scene where we actually ate last year’s cake, and I didn’t remember it being overly tasty. I sighed and moved on to my actual list. Yes, my king cake recipe will take 4 ½ hours to complete, including rising time, but it will taste so much better. I hope.
Tonight one of my friends came over and brought her kids to play with mine. My daughter has been completely insufferable from lack of social interaction this week. She reminded me in the car that her broken arm is "one week old today." Yesterday I thought my children were going to kill each other. Thank goodness for diversions in the form of homeschooling pals.
The boys went downstairs to play video games, so we didn’t see them for hours. The girls went upstairs to do makeovers or some such other “safe” thing that won’t break my daughter’s other arm. The grownups enjoyed some quiet kid-free time and exchanged FlyLady successes and broken bone stories.
Anyway, now we’re all off to bed. I’ll be dreaming of postponed celebrations, content in the knowledge that I now have meals planned for the rest of the week. I hope nothing good goes on sale at the grocery store Thursday…but then again…that’s Chinese New Year…I’m sure I’ll need at least one or two things to make the festivities complete.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Air and Hair
The boys had a big day yesterday. I was looking forward to hanging out in bed until 8:00 or so, but they had other plans. My husband was up at some ungodly hour, getting the machines organized on the trailer, the alarm went off at 5:00, our riding friend called at 6:00 saying he was on the road already, and I was politely asked to help get the boy ready to go. Sigh.
Then the male contingent went back to Durhamtown for some more ATV action. I hear they had a blast, and I see my son is not afraid to leave the ground on a four-wheeler. There were even a few impromptu drag races (?) on the machines. I'm sure I would have freaked out had I been there.
The utter destruction of the house on their return attests to the vast amount of mud in which they played all day. There are muddy clothes, shoes and gear EVERYWHERE, on every level of the house. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.
Not to be outdone, the girls had a big night last night. My daughter and I met a homeschooling friend and her daughter at Macaroni Grill for a yummy dinner. We were hanging out in the ladies room with three other young ladies after we ate, when a gentleman came out of one of the stalls, looking rather confused. "Did I come in the wrong one?" Um...yep. So then we looked at the doors, and above the sign for WOMEN, it said Signore, which is Italian for women, but can also be translated as "Sir." Now, on the door clearly marked MEN, it said Uomini, which to my non-Italian sense looked like it could be pronounced to sound a lot like "women." Whatever. He was definitely in the wrong one, and there were the universal toilet signs on the doors to prove it.
We left the restaurant and went to see the Hannah Montana 3D concert-movie at the mall theater. I was rather dreading the actual show, what with teeny-bopper music and squealing girls, but it really was well done, and the 3D effect made it feel as if we were actually there. My kind of concert...plush theater chairs and no one being crushed in the mad rush to the edge of the stage. My daughter had been very worried when she broke her arm that we'd have to cancel the outing, but I had promised her I'd carry her if I had to...we were not missing the event. She did great and had a wonderful time.
As we were leaving the theater, we realized we were parked on the other side of the mall from where we were standing, but the mall had closed by that time. Rather than walking all the way around the building in the rain, we coerced a couple of security guards to show us the way through the delivery corridors. We popped out of the mall right where our cars were, and said our goodnights.
We got home around 10:00, and by the time I got everyone settled down from telling about their day, I was exhausted. I sent everyone to bed and crashed at 11:00. And I thought this broken arm would slow us down!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Dessert Pizza
Happy Groundhog Day. General Lee here in GA said spring would be early, even though Punxatawny Phil saw his shadow and dove back underground for 6 more weeks. Who knows. It's also Candlemas and Imbolg, and I usually do a little something special for the holiday, but I just wasn't up to it today. Maybe I'll light some candles later tonight.
I’m not really sure where the day went anyway. I don’t think I can account for my activities for most of it…I think I puttered. I do remember starting a fire in the fireplace and burning old files and papers and then getting some tax records together and paying a couple of bills. I know I read quite a bit, and I took my car to the repair shop. (It still has water in the back floorboard, and now all the electrical systems are going haywire…I think it’s officially possessed.)
The final diagnosis when we went back to pick it up was that the drains from the windshield were blocked with leaves, so the rainwater was just running down the channels into the back under the floorboard and then wicking up into the carpet, but only on one side. The electrical problems were caused by the excess humidity inside. Whatever. I still think it’s possessed.
I took down all the blue and white January decorations and put up the green, purple and gold symbols of Mardi Gras, plus a small table of Chinese New Year trinkets. Next week, we’ll have crawfish etouffe or jambalaya on Tuesday and something oriental on Thursday to celebrate the Year of the Rat...hm...never mind..., plus our weekly “state dinner” on Wednesday or Friday…we’ll be studying Maryland then. I like having celebrations and themed dinners because then choosing what’s for dinner becomes not a matter of “what to fix” but instead becomes a quick Google search to find traditional entrees and side dishes for the occasion. I know, it’s all very Martha Stewart-ish, but I have fun.
I was a little bored this afternoon, so while my sweet honey and son worked outside on the ATV trailer, my daughter and I made a cookie pizza. That was fun and only took about 20 minutes to put together. We took some toll house refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough and smooshed it down into a pizza pan and baked it.
After it was done, we topped it with icing, Heath bar toffee chips and sprinkles. When I went looking for the mini M&Ms I had stashed in the “general store” I wasn’t able to find them. Daddy was the guilty party who had munched them on the sly, so he felt bad and went to the store and bought more. So, we decorated the dessert pie with the chocolate candies and refrigerated it for a half hour or so to stiffen up. Yum. Total decadence. I was going to take a picture of it for the blog, but by the time I’d gotten my cell phone, they had already sliced it up and started snacking. After we each had a piece, we all sat around in a sugar-induced stupor for a while and then went back to our puttering.
Calamity Jane is doing quite nicely, no pain and in great spirits. She even rode her scooter (!) down to the neighbors’ house to play. I didn’t know she’d done that until she was halfway down the street and couldn’t hear me calling her to bring back the scooter and walk. By then, it really didn’t matter, as she was already there, but the friends weren’t home, so she scooted back. I told her not to do that again because it gave me heart palpitations, and she promised me she’d stay off the wheeled toys for the next 8 weeks.
So now that I look back on my day, I realize maybe I did get some things done. Whether or not they were productive things doesn’t matter, I guess. I do have (almost) half a dessert pizza to show for it.
I’m not really sure where the day went anyway. I don’t think I can account for my activities for most of it…I think I puttered. I do remember starting a fire in the fireplace and burning old files and papers and then getting some tax records together and paying a couple of bills. I know I read quite a bit, and I took my car to the repair shop. (It still has water in the back floorboard, and now all the electrical systems are going haywire…I think it’s officially possessed.)
The final diagnosis when we went back to pick it up was that the drains from the windshield were blocked with leaves, so the rainwater was just running down the channels into the back under the floorboard and then wicking up into the carpet, but only on one side. The electrical problems were caused by the excess humidity inside. Whatever. I still think it’s possessed.
I took down all the blue and white January decorations and put up the green, purple and gold symbols of Mardi Gras, plus a small table of Chinese New Year trinkets. Next week, we’ll have crawfish etouffe or jambalaya on Tuesday and something oriental on Thursday to celebrate the Year of the Rat...hm...never mind..., plus our weekly “state dinner” on Wednesday or Friday…we’ll be studying Maryland then. I like having celebrations and themed dinners because then choosing what’s for dinner becomes not a matter of “what to fix” but instead becomes a quick Google search to find traditional entrees and side dishes for the occasion. I know, it’s all very Martha Stewart-ish, but I have fun.
I was a little bored this afternoon, so while my sweet honey and son worked outside on the ATV trailer, my daughter and I made a cookie pizza. That was fun and only took about 20 minutes to put together. We took some toll house refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough and smooshed it down into a pizza pan and baked it.
After it was done, we topped it with icing, Heath bar toffee chips and sprinkles. When I went looking for the mini M&Ms I had stashed in the “general store” I wasn’t able to find them. Daddy was the guilty party who had munched them on the sly, so he felt bad and went to the store and bought more. So, we decorated the dessert pie with the chocolate candies and refrigerated it for a half hour or so to stiffen up. Yum. Total decadence. I was going to take a picture of it for the blog, but by the time I’d gotten my cell phone, they had already sliced it up and started snacking. After we each had a piece, we all sat around in a sugar-induced stupor for a while and then went back to our puttering.
Calamity Jane is doing quite nicely, no pain and in great spirits. She even rode her scooter (!) down to the neighbors’ house to play. I didn’t know she’d done that until she was halfway down the street and couldn’t hear me calling her to bring back the scooter and walk. By then, it really didn’t matter, as she was already there, but the friends weren’t home, so she scooted back. I told her not to do that again because it gave me heart palpitations, and she promised me she’d stay off the wheeled toys for the next 8 weeks.
So now that I look back on my day, I realize maybe I did get some things done. Whether or not they were productive things doesn’t matter, I guess. I do have (almost) half a dessert pizza to show for it.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Surgery Day
5:30 Yawn. At least I laid out all the clothes last night, along with my diversions (laptop, phone, magazines, book,) so all we had to do was roll out of bed, dress and leave the house at 6:15.
6:30 Arrive at the hospital in the pouring rain. My sweet honey parked both cars while I checked the cherub into the hospital.
6:40 They called us back into a prep room where she got into her little hospital gown. Then came the parade of nurses and other folk taking vital signs, asking her questions and giving her various things to drink for pain and potential nausea and to help her relax and having me sign a dozen forms. Dr. Garrett (the anesthesiologist) came in to tell her what to expect with the nitrous oxide, and gave her a wonderful lesson in how the oxygen sensor on her finger operated. After she got all settled in with cartoons on the TV, Daddy went to work, and then Grammy came in.
8:00 We went to the holding area/recovery room, and by that time her "relaxation" medicine had kicked into overdrive, and she was just talking and singing and laughing...what a hoot. Dr. Garrett came by to check on her and to give her the mask she'd breathe through to fall asleep. She was loopy by then and had lots of fun playing with it.
8:45 The weather here this morning was rainy and just plain yucky, and the orthopedist (Dr. Middlebrooks) got caught up in traffic, so he was a few minutes late. I kissed her bye, and they rolled her back to the OR where he went right to work.
9:10 Dr. Middlebrooks came in the waiting room to tell me and my mom-in-law that the little princess was out of surgery and had done just great. Dr. Garrett came in a couple of minutes later and said that she had captivated everyone in the place and had them all wrapped around her finger. He said he had promised her a Krispy Kreme doughnut when her meds wore off. Then she went back to sleep.
10:15 True to his word, he brought her doughnut to the prep room. She was perky and watching cartoons when we walked in, but she had to wait for awhile before the nurse would let her eat her treat. She had to eat a popsicle, some graham crackers and drink some ginger ale first.
I'll take a moment here to give kudos to the folks at the hospital. They were wonderful, both at the ER on Tuesday and today in surgery. I don't think they could have made it a better experience for all of us.
10:45 They watched her to see if the food stayed down, then discharged her and put her in a wheelchair for the trip to the front entrance. I got the car, picked her up and we came home, where she promptly went downstairs and planted herself in front of the TV (with her doughnut.)
12:00 "I'm bored. Can some of my homeschool friends come over?" I declined, saying I really needed a nap.
12:20 Just as I dropped off to sleep, Grammy brought the boy home, and I decided to just have some strong tea and stay awake.
12:30, 12:45, 1:00, 1:15. 1:30, 1:45, etc..."I'm bored!"
3:30 When the neighbor kids got home from school, the girls and a mom came and took my daughter for a stroll down the street while they sold Girl Scout cookies. Thank goodness...she was driving me crazy.
I told you it was going to be a long 8 weeks.
6:30 Arrive at the hospital in the pouring rain. My sweet honey parked both cars while I checked the cherub into the hospital.
6:40 They called us back into a prep room where she got into her little hospital gown. Then came the parade of nurses and other folk taking vital signs, asking her questions and giving her various things to drink for pain and potential nausea and to help her relax and having me sign a dozen forms. Dr. Garrett (the anesthesiologist) came in to tell her what to expect with the nitrous oxide, and gave her a wonderful lesson in how the oxygen sensor on her finger operated. After she got all settled in with cartoons on the TV, Daddy went to work, and then Grammy came in.
8:00 We went to the holding area/recovery room, and by that time her "relaxation" medicine had kicked into overdrive, and she was just talking and singing and laughing...what a hoot. Dr. Garrett came by to check on her and to give her the mask she'd breathe through to fall asleep. She was loopy by then and had lots of fun playing with it.
8:45 The weather here this morning was rainy and just plain yucky, and the orthopedist (Dr. Middlebrooks) got caught up in traffic, so he was a few minutes late. I kissed her bye, and they rolled her back to the OR where he went right to work.
9:10 Dr. Middlebrooks came in the waiting room to tell me and my mom-in-law that the little princess was out of surgery and had done just great. Dr. Garrett came in a couple of minutes later and said that she had captivated everyone in the place and had them all wrapped around her finger. He said he had promised her a Krispy Kreme doughnut when her meds wore off. Then she went back to sleep.
10:15 True to his word, he brought her doughnut to the prep room. She was perky and watching cartoons when we walked in, but she had to wait for awhile before the nurse would let her eat her treat. She had to eat a popsicle, some graham crackers and drink some ginger ale first.
I'll take a moment here to give kudos to the folks at the hospital. They were wonderful, both at the ER on Tuesday and today in surgery. I don't think they could have made it a better experience for all of us.
10:45 They watched her to see if the food stayed down, then discharged her and put her in a wheelchair for the trip to the front entrance. I got the car, picked her up and we came home, where she promptly went downstairs and planted herself in front of the TV (with her doughnut.)
12:00 "I'm bored. Can some of my homeschool friends come over?" I declined, saying I really needed a nap.
12:20 Just as I dropped off to sleep, Grammy brought the boy home, and I decided to just have some strong tea and stay awake.
12:30, 12:45, 1:00, 1:15. 1:30, 1:45, etc..."I'm bored!"
3:30 When the neighbor kids got home from school, the girls and a mom came and took my daughter for a stroll down the street while they sold Girl Scout cookies. Thank goodness...she was driving me crazy.
I told you it was going to be a long 8 weeks.
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