Okay, let's face it, I was a little sad to be celebrating my anniversary in Texas. For seven years, Tanner and I have gone to the same restaurant, the very first restaurant we went to as a married couple -- Pazzo's Ristorante, famous for it's gnocchi and lemon drop martinis. I'd gone to several places this year in search of gnocchi and a passable lemon drop, but hadn't found any, so with a heavy heart, I resigned myself to eschewing all of our traditions except for one -- bowling because I had discovered a great bowling alley just a few blocks from our house.
Tanner had a restaurant in mind, so this morning I reminded him to call the restaurant to make a reservation even though I doubted we would need it. Imagine his chagrin when he discovered that they were open Thursday through Sunday. Life intervened and for some strange reason he ended up taking Kate to the store to pick up a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk. I didn't like the idea of leaving him with the burden of finding a restaurant. I sat down at the computer and looked at the search he had been performing. There was a list of fine dining restaurants in our area. I clicked on one titled Christopher's. It looked interesting, the type of place that offers live jazz on the weekends and interesting menu choices for dinner.
We dropped the kids off at a friend's house and headed out for dinner. We were seated in a large booth, surrounded by plush pillows with eclectic jazz music wafting around us. Crisp linen table clothes AND correctly placed utensils (which is an immediate tip off for all fine diners), large glasses for red wine, smokey lighting, and a cocktail list. They had a lemon drop for $10. I ordered it. I'm happy to say it was BETTER than Pazzo's Ristorante. Then they brought the menu. I was perusing it and had decided to order lamb when I read the last item: Wild Western Duck...served with gnocchi.
I almost burst into tears. Isn't it amazing how God blesses us in such minuscule ways? I had given my traditions into His keeping, and He gave them back to me. Aaaahhh...the gifts of God are given without repentance, and it was the best anniversary present He could have ever given me.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Yesterday and today
Yesterday it was 70F outside. The day before it was 72F. The sun was shining. A gentle breeze whipped little faces into cherry red smiles. Today, it is raining. Today it is 40F. Today, all the children are inside, snuggled between central heating and cartoons or in our case, space heaters and jars of paint. Today, the boredom was alleviated by a late arriving Christmas box.
Luckily it arrived while the girls were taking a bath, so I was able to disembowel it while leaving the shipping popcorn relatively intact, or should I say encased? Reagan opened her present and discovered a new set of princess paints. She promptly enacted an infantile example of Irish Jigging. Kate found a teal blue shirt, and exclaimed, "Oh, Mommy, it is exactly what a I wanted!" Georgi wasn't interested in her cute little red and black jumper, but Mommi was. I'm afraid that the biggest hit of all was the large jar of artistically layered candy. There was much excitement and hopping from one foot to the other as I undid the tape and the string. So, thank you for the late Christmas present. It has kept the girls gainfully occupied for the last hour and a half. I am looking forward to making cards; Tanner is wearing his shirt, and we are just about to get ready to celebrate our anniversary: dinner and bowling. I think we did that last year, too, but we like bowling, and we like dinner, so there you have it.
Luckily it arrived while the girls were taking a bath, so I was able to disembowel it while leaving the shipping popcorn relatively intact, or should I say encased? Reagan opened her present and discovered a new set of princess paints. She promptly enacted an infantile example of Irish Jigging. Kate found a teal blue shirt, and exclaimed, "Oh, Mommy, it is exactly what a I wanted!" Georgi wasn't interested in her cute little red and black jumper, but Mommi was. I'm afraid that the biggest hit of all was the large jar of artistically layered candy. There was much excitement and hopping from one foot to the other as I undid the tape and the string. So, thank you for the late Christmas present. It has kept the girls gainfully occupied for the last hour and a half. I am looking forward to making cards; Tanner is wearing his shirt, and we are just about to get ready to celebrate our anniversary: dinner and bowling. I think we did that last year, too, but we like bowling, and we like dinner, so there you have it.
Monday, December 28, 2009
The lure of after Christmas sales
I could feel the tug all day Saturday. Women understand that strange, wanderlust that comes over us twice a year, that persistent voice urging us to just take a quick look. I assume that some brilliant psychologist came up with the idea of Black Friday and Day-After Christmas sales. Whoever it was, he or she should be awarded some kind of prize, maybe the peace prize because as long as we women get to indulge on those two days of the year most homes exist for the rest of the year in sensible harmony. I was disappointed because I couldn't indulge in a Saturday orgy of shopping. I had to work. I worked all morning, all afternoon and late into the evening. I got home at ten o'clock.
Sunday swept by as I handed out skates, showed little kids how to move across the ice, fetched cones, swept the main entry, washed windows and all that good stuff, but Tanner is a unique individual. He doesn't question this right of passage. He instinctively understands the delicate balance that exists between Woman and Stores. After I got off of work, he took us out for Chinese food and then without a single hint from me, he pulled into the Target parking lot. Oh, the bliss, the wonder of wandering down aisles stacked with ill displayed items, sifting through piles of jumbled stockings, candies, ornaments and wreaths, wading through reams of mismatched tissue and wrapping paper. The whining of bored children wafted across the store like gentle background music. The pitter pattering of feet dashing down a long aisle was a mere whisper of wind as I rummaged through discounted Christmas cards and ribbons. As Tanner struggled to keep three little girls in order, I browsed, searched, gathered and discarded.
There were similar couples there sharing similar fates. Some of the men were resigned; some, the 40somethings, smiled and nodded knowingly; some were distracted; but we were all intrinsically bound together. Each hoping to find the best, the greatest prize of all: Deep Discounts.
After negotiating the check stand, loading the car and driving home, I pulled out our Christmas Boxes and carefully laid our latest possessions on soft pillows of crumpled newspapers. And so...our home will exist for another year in sensible harmony...until next Black Friday.
Sunday swept by as I handed out skates, showed little kids how to move across the ice, fetched cones, swept the main entry, washed windows and all that good stuff, but Tanner is a unique individual. He doesn't question this right of passage. He instinctively understands the delicate balance that exists between Woman and Stores. After I got off of work, he took us out for Chinese food and then without a single hint from me, he pulled into the Target parking lot. Oh, the bliss, the wonder of wandering down aisles stacked with ill displayed items, sifting through piles of jumbled stockings, candies, ornaments and wreaths, wading through reams of mismatched tissue and wrapping paper. The whining of bored children wafted across the store like gentle background music. The pitter pattering of feet dashing down a long aisle was a mere whisper of wind as I rummaged through discounted Christmas cards and ribbons. As Tanner struggled to keep three little girls in order, I browsed, searched, gathered and discarded.
There were similar couples there sharing similar fates. Some of the men were resigned; some, the 40somethings, smiled and nodded knowingly; some were distracted; but we were all intrinsically bound together. Each hoping to find the best, the greatest prize of all: Deep Discounts.
After negotiating the check stand, loading the car and driving home, I pulled out our Christmas Boxes and carefully laid our latest possessions on soft pillows of crumpled newspapers. And so...our home will exist for another year in sensible harmony...until next Black Friday.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
1st installment: Reagan's birthday party
What is it like to have a birthday party in Texas during the month of December? I can't tell you right now, but I can tell you what it is like to prepare for it.
We started yesterday with a clean sweep through the house, painting a wall, and opening all the windows and doors to air it out. Then Tanner drove to the store and picked up the doll cake. I went ice skating. Then we switched and Tanner went ice skating. End of day one.
This morning Tanner grabbed the circle saw and drilled holes through a board so that we could have a bean bag toss. He painted it blue. Then I realized that I didn't have bean bags (minor oversight, I know) so I found our secret stash of water balloons. We spent an hour filling up balloons outside with the hose. Yes, we were outside in cloudy but warm weather. The thermometer is registering 71F. We told our guests that the party would start at 11:00, but in reality we are planning for 12:30. Like Hawaii, so many people here seem to be on island time. I figured if they actually showed up at 11:00 then they could help with set up, but no one did, and since it is almost noon, I will expect them to show up within the next hour or so.
The girls are scrubbed. Kate has learned how to make ponytails, so Reagan is sporting two of them. Georgie is down for her morning nap, and we are currently waiting for the first guests to arrive.
We started yesterday with a clean sweep through the house, painting a wall, and opening all the windows and doors to air it out. Then Tanner drove to the store and picked up the doll cake. I went ice skating. Then we switched and Tanner went ice skating. End of day one.
This morning Tanner grabbed the circle saw and drilled holes through a board so that we could have a bean bag toss. He painted it blue. Then I realized that I didn't have bean bags (minor oversight, I know) so I found our secret stash of water balloons. We spent an hour filling up balloons outside with the hose. Yes, we were outside in cloudy but warm weather. The thermometer is registering 71F. We told our guests that the party would start at 11:00, but in reality we are planning for 12:30. Like Hawaii, so many people here seem to be on island time. I figured if they actually showed up at 11:00 then they could help with set up, but no one did, and since it is almost noon, I will expect them to show up within the next hour or so.
The girls are scrubbed. Kate has learned how to make ponytails, so Reagan is sporting two of them. Georgie is down for her morning nap, and we are currently waiting for the first guests to arrive.
Monday, December 21, 2009
So, what happens when you miss 4 days of Advent?
The last few days have been a little hectic. On Friday I worked in the afternoon. Then on Saturday I worked from 8:30am until 11:30pm. On Sunday I worked in the evening, so Monday we finally gathered around the Advent wreath and did a lot of catch up. The problem with catching up is that the kids got to open four doors on the calendar. Inside each door were three pieces of candy and usually 3 small toys. I'm sitting at the computer typing this as Georgie zooms by screaming at the top of her lungs, quickly followed by Reagan growling and Kate jumping like a kangaroo. Then they come to an abrupt halt at the Christmas tree and turn around and reverse their direction to the back room. Now, I'm hearing Kate shouting, "Help! I can't get out!" and now Daddy growls and suddenly the girls are running around in the back room and Kate is no longer shouting help. Strange goings on in this household.
I did manage to figure out how to do roll-on texture all by myself. My first attempt was an abysmal failure, resulting in splotchy patches of texture. I discovered that it was because my mixture was too thin, so I took the joint compound and mixed it with a small amount of primer in a 3 to 1 ratio, and I now have a beautifully textured wall that is curing overnight before I put on a coat of paint. One wall down 5 more to go. Correction: 5 more that are waiting, there will be a lot more than just 5 walls requiring texture.
Reagan is getting excited about her birthday. She wanted a doll cake, and I fully intended to make it for her, but then my hours started to pick up at the rink, and I knew that I wouldn't have time, so we toddled on over to HEB and ordered a doll cake from there. I cringed at the price, but it was either that or nothing. I asked Reagan what else she wanted to eat at her birthday party and she said, "Peanut butter sandwiches, celery, broccoli and raisins." I guess I'm doing a good job with the vegetable training. A present from Auntie Emily arrived today for her, and Reagan proudly carried it all the way into the house. She was so "gecited!" I asked her what she thought was inside the box and she said, "A cake!" I guess that's what everyone is suppose to get her for her birthday.
Today, I realized that I didn't have my mom to make quiche for Christmas morning. What am I going to do? I actually had to BUY bacon, spinach, swiss cheese and half-n-half.
I did manage to figure out how to do roll-on texture all by myself. My first attempt was an abysmal failure, resulting in splotchy patches of texture. I discovered that it was because my mixture was too thin, so I took the joint compound and mixed it with a small amount of primer in a 3 to 1 ratio, and I now have a beautifully textured wall that is curing overnight before I put on a coat of paint. One wall down 5 more to go. Correction: 5 more that are waiting, there will be a lot more than just 5 walls requiring texture.
Reagan is getting excited about her birthday. She wanted a doll cake, and I fully intended to make it for her, but then my hours started to pick up at the rink, and I knew that I wouldn't have time, so we toddled on over to HEB and ordered a doll cake from there. I cringed at the price, but it was either that or nothing. I asked Reagan what else she wanted to eat at her birthday party and she said, "Peanut butter sandwiches, celery, broccoli and raisins." I guess I'm doing a good job with the vegetable training. A present from Auntie Emily arrived today for her, and Reagan proudly carried it all the way into the house. She was so "gecited!" I asked her what she thought was inside the box and she said, "A cake!" I guess that's what everyone is suppose to get her for her birthday.
Today, I realized that I didn't have my mom to make quiche for Christmas morning. What am I going to do? I actually had to BUY bacon, spinach, swiss cheese and half-n-half.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Upset stomaches and more...
Hopefully we've seen the last of the stomach bugs for the rest of the year. Kate wasn't feeling well on Wednesday night, and Thursday she had the regurgitation woes. Today she is a little bit better, and has managed to keep some food down.
Today we are experiencing a weather pattern similar to a September day in Portland. The sun is golden. The air is crisp. A light jacket is a must. The only difference is the month of December. I'm letting the girls play in the luxurious sunshine. Kate's braids seem to be stretching out in the golden light as she runs around in the backyard. Reagan's nose is beginning to resemble Rudolph's, but it's not from the temperature, it's from all of the nose blowing she's been doing the past few days.
The weather here isn't always bliss. Yesterday it rained. Two days ago the temperature dropped below 40, and we've had a couple of frosty mornings already. The only difference is that we get anxious when there are 2 days of cloudy skies, and if there is sporadic rainfall during that period of time, everyone starts going just a little nutty.
I remembered a little park in the city adjacent to ours that had rubber matting under the play structure, so I took the girls there this morning. I wanted them out of doors today, but wasn't looking forward to the six inches deep in mud. The rubber playground was perfect. The only thing they got was wet, and that was because they insisted on going down the only slide that I hadn't wiped down. I guess the dry slides just weren't that interesting.
You will be delighted to know that Georgianna has learned how to say "candy cane". The only other words that are intelligible are "mommy" and "ba-ba". Though mommy is for any adult that will pick her up, and ba-ba is for anything that she can insert into her mouth whereas candy cane is intended only for candy canes.
Today we are experiencing a weather pattern similar to a September day in Portland. The sun is golden. The air is crisp. A light jacket is a must. The only difference is the month of December. I'm letting the girls play in the luxurious sunshine. Kate's braids seem to be stretching out in the golden light as she runs around in the backyard. Reagan's nose is beginning to resemble Rudolph's, but it's not from the temperature, it's from all of the nose blowing she's been doing the past few days.
The weather here isn't always bliss. Yesterday it rained. Two days ago the temperature dropped below 40, and we've had a couple of frosty mornings already. The only difference is that we get anxious when there are 2 days of cloudy skies, and if there is sporadic rainfall during that period of time, everyone starts going just a little nutty.
I remembered a little park in the city adjacent to ours that had rubber matting under the play structure, so I took the girls there this morning. I wanted them out of doors today, but wasn't looking forward to the six inches deep in mud. The rubber playground was perfect. The only thing they got was wet, and that was because they insisted on going down the only slide that I hadn't wiped down. I guess the dry slides just weren't that interesting.
You will be delighted to know that Georgianna has learned how to say "candy cane". The only other words that are intelligible are "mommy" and "ba-ba". Though mommy is for any adult that will pick her up, and ba-ba is for anything that she can insert into her mouth whereas candy cane is intended only for candy canes.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
God is providing.
Tanner and I have been discussing at length how to balance his job, his school and his family. Most of you know that I got a VERY part time job (try 3 hrs a week) at the ice rink and that I've been teaching violin on the side in order to supplement our income. But the last few weeks have shown us that a full time job, plus full time school is way to stressful for a full time Dad, and the only promise we have is that it is going to get a worse once he starts at A&M.
So, I started to pray again, asking God to give me the right job. I ended up applying for a position at a retirement home that would have required me to work from 3:00-11:00, 5 days a week. Translation: Kate gets to see mom on the weekends and cancel all violin lesson AND no choir at church. I was willing to make the sacrifices if it meant Tanner could get through the next term with less stress. The first interview went very well. I loved the atmosphere and the camaraderie that existed. I prayed and asked God to have them call me by Friday, but no phone call.
On Saturday I went to work at the ice rink, I was suppose to meet a group there and then we were going off site. All hell broke loose. Literally. We had angry parents calling, the general manager calling, our manager freaking out because the ice man didn't call, didn't show, didn't nuthin' and this was the SECOND year in a row that this particular obligation was getting ditched. It was a God-thing because I got to show my amazing customer service skills and smooth things over. I got to chew the G. M. out for incompetency. I got to show him that I have what it takes to handle ANY stress, AND I got a sit down meeting resulting in my getting ANY shift I wanted, and as many hours as I wanted. Plus, I still get free ice skating.
So, today is filled with lots of thanksgiving to God. Because not only did I get a "job", but I passed my state govt. finals with an A+, Tanner finished his Calculus final with time to spare and Kate gets to do a Christmas show tonight.
So, I started to pray again, asking God to give me the right job. I ended up applying for a position at a retirement home that would have required me to work from 3:00-11:00, 5 days a week. Translation: Kate gets to see mom on the weekends and cancel all violin lesson AND no choir at church. I was willing to make the sacrifices if it meant Tanner could get through the next term with less stress. The first interview went very well. I loved the atmosphere and the camaraderie that existed. I prayed and asked God to have them call me by Friday, but no phone call.
On Saturday I went to work at the ice rink, I was suppose to meet a group there and then we were going off site. All hell broke loose. Literally. We had angry parents calling, the general manager calling, our manager freaking out because the ice man didn't call, didn't show, didn't nuthin' and this was the SECOND year in a row that this particular obligation was getting ditched. It was a God-thing because I got to show my amazing customer service skills and smooth things over. I got to chew the G. M. out for incompetency. I got to show him that I have what it takes to handle ANY stress, AND I got a sit down meeting resulting in my getting ANY shift I wanted, and as many hours as I wanted. Plus, I still get free ice skating.
So, today is filled with lots of thanksgiving to God. Because not only did I get a "job", but I passed my state govt. finals with an A+, Tanner finished his Calculus final with time to spare and Kate gets to do a Christmas show tonight.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Family Calendar
Okay, here is an update on the family calendar if you go directly to my blog website, http://www.ourtexanadventure.blogspot.com , and you scroll to the bottom of the page, you will see a calendar. It should have all of the dates and events coming up for the month on it. Those of you that I have sent links to, can update the calendar with all of your infomation. Those that I haven't, send me an email, and I will add you to the list.
This worked out great for us down here in Texas. When my Aunt went to Thailand, we were able to know when to pray for her, when to expect her back, etc... It also has helped us keep track of birthdays. Please update the calendar or else we really won't remember things like birthday cards, anniversary cards, etc... If we all check the calendar once a month, we should be bable to keep in better contact. Thanks you guys! Love, Noelle
This worked out great for us down here in Texas. When my Aunt went to Thailand, we were able to know when to pray for her, when to expect her back, etc... It also has helped us keep track of birthdays. Please update the calendar or else we really won't remember things like birthday cards, anniversary cards, etc... If we all check the calendar once a month, we should be bable to keep in better contact. Thanks you guys! Love, Noelle
Santa's Wonderland
So, we weren't going to go to this event because it costs money, but how could I resist? Lights, lights, lights. We took the kids. Pictures pending, okay, but boy did they have fun. Fake snow fell from the sky. Hot chocolate because we were dangerously close to 32F. I mean 63F at 6:00 in the evening is not a good sign for most Texans. Yes, we shivered our way past the bull ride and hay bales to the pony rides and petting zoo. I watched Georgie run up and down the gravel pathway and thought about her Grandpa Howell missing out on this. He would've loved to watch her run round and round in circles. Every time her foot touched something other than gravel she would stop, back up and then restart her circuit. We watched Reagan steal the show when she started to rock out in front of the audience that had gathered to listen to the singer who was crooning Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. We watched Kate belt out the lyrics right along with him. All in all a successful night, only thing missing were extra family appendages to laugh along with us.
Re: Santa Clause
Well, I gave up on the last entry about Santa Claus because the video took almost an hour to load. The girls had a marvelous time with Santa. Reagan gave him a hug. Georgie would have nothing to do with him, and Kate showed him her list. Then we munched on pretzel sticks and went to the play place.
I guess I'll be doing Santa Claus every year. I still won't tell them that he brings the gifts, but they can go ahead and pretend. I think it's the novelty of sitting on a bright red lap, snuggled up to a fuzzy white beard and having an old person actually listen to your chitter chatter that makes Santa Claus such an attraction. After all, my favorite people to talk to are my grandparents.
I guess I'll be doing Santa Claus every year. I still won't tell them that he brings the gifts, but they can go ahead and pretend. I think it's the novelty of sitting on a bright red lap, snuggled up to a fuzzy white beard and having an old person actually listen to your chitter chatter that makes Santa Claus such an attraction. After all, my favorite people to talk to are my grandparents.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Santa Claus
Well, I've never been a really big fan of Santa Claus. It must be cuz I never got to sit on his lap when I was a little kid or maybe just cuz we never really celebrated Christmas. So, I was a little surprised to over hear this conversation between Kate and Reagan.
Reagan: I love Santa Claus.
Kate: Yes, I got to see hime once.
Reagan: You did?
Kate: Yes, Auntie Joanelle took me and Emma and I sat on his lap and he gave us candy canes. Let me tell you, they were delicious. AND they took our picutre.
Reagan: Can I see Santa?
Kate: No, Auntie Joanelle isn't here to take us.
Hmm... (That's me in the kitchen with a plate of sandwiches.)
So, I announced early on Saturday morning that when I got back from work we would go to visit Santa Claus at the mall. You should have seen the excitement. Yes, you could actually see it. It manifested itself in two small girls jumping up and down, clapping their hands and shouting at the top of their voices and Reagan giving a huge "super bark".
Now, I digress. You might be wondering, "what is a super bark?" Watch the cartoon BOLT. There's a wonder dog that can do a super bark, and Reagan can mimic it. Or better yet, watch the video that I'm posting.
When I got home, Kate she had a list. She wanted a dog and a table lamp with glittery beads. So we went to see Santa. Reagan wore her blue jacket with striped pants. She attracted so much attention while in line because she kept shouting, "Santa! Hi, Santa! I love you!" So, they got a picture, a candy cane and a little coloring books. Then we went to the food court and had sushi.
So, I'm sitting here wondering about the Santa Claus phenomena. I've never told them much about Santa Claus only that he was a real man, who lived a long time ago and gave away all of his riches to the poor.
Reagan: I love Santa Claus.
Kate: Yes, I got to see hime once.
Reagan: You did?
Kate: Yes, Auntie Joanelle took me and Emma and I sat on his lap and he gave us candy canes. Let me tell you, they were delicious. AND they took our picutre.
Reagan: Can I see Santa?
Kate: No, Auntie Joanelle isn't here to take us.
Hmm... (That's me in the kitchen with a plate of sandwiches.)
So, I announced early on Saturday morning that when I got back from work we would go to visit Santa Claus at the mall. You should have seen the excitement. Yes, you could actually see it. It manifested itself in two small girls jumping up and down, clapping their hands and shouting at the top of their voices and Reagan giving a huge "super bark".
Now, I digress. You might be wondering, "what is a super bark?" Watch the cartoon BOLT. There's a wonder dog that can do a super bark, and Reagan can mimic it. Or better yet, watch the video that I'm posting.
When I got home, Kate she had a list. She wanted a dog and a table lamp with glittery beads. So we went to see Santa. Reagan wore her blue jacket with striped pants. She attracted so much attention while in line because she kept shouting, "Santa! Hi, Santa! I love you!" So, they got a picture, a candy cane and a little coloring books. Then we went to the food court and had sushi.
So, I'm sitting here wondering about the Santa Claus phenomena. I've never told them much about Santa Claus only that he was a real man, who lived a long time ago and gave away all of his riches to the poor.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Lest anyone should think that Texas is merely fire and brimstone, today the temperature is 34F. Yes! 34F! We are shivering and complaining because of the cold. No, they haven't shut down schools because the sky is a clear blue, the sun is bathing the streets in winter gold and there's not a hint of frost on the ground. It is still 34F and very cold. I had to wear sunglasses to drop Kate off at school. I also wore a jacket, scarf, two shirts, jeans, double socks and had the heater on full blast in the car. Poor Kate was shivering in the back seat and didn't warm up until we were half way to school.
On a more pleasant note, even though it is 70 inside the house, the girls are bundled up in sweaters, socks, long pants and double shirts. They are finally getting warm, and Georgie is standing in the middle of the living room, spinning round and round singing. Reagan is crouched in front of the heater playing with a doll. I am shivering at the computer, but I still have my jacket on. I did take off the scarf.
On a more pleasant note, even though it is 70 inside the house, the girls are bundled up in sweaters, socks, long pants and double shirts. They are finally getting warm, and Georgie is standing in the middle of the living room, spinning round and round singing. Reagan is crouched in front of the heater playing with a doll. I am shivering at the computer, but I still have my jacket on. I did take off the scarf.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Happy Birthday to ME!
This is the year for unusual birthdays. Tanner's fell during midterm week, and mine has fallen during finals week. So, when people ask me what I'm doing for my birthday, I say, "studying!" Of course, it's not all studying. I took the kids to the Children's Museum. I made a ham dinner. I did a short stint at the foodbank, and now, I'm blogging. But, while at the museum, I read and made notes, and dinner was made during study breaks. The kids are entertaining themselves, and I am only vaguely alarmed at loud banging sounds from the back room. I figure as long as no one is screaming, I can keep on studying.
I can now officially post the totally, awesome, exciting, breath-taking, jumping-up-and-down news that Tanner was accepted into the engineering department at A&M. His application arrived 2 days before the close date, and they had already filled all the slots for Chemical Engineering, so they have him on the Industrial Engineering track. Lest you think that is bad, we were told that 700 people were denied their first pick of Industrial Engineering, and the admissions department told us most people that don't make the Chemical Engineering cut are sent to general studies which means that A&M really wants Tanner in the Chemical Engineering department, they just didn't have room. So, we have to apply for a transfer in June. We are just relieved that he is in. There were times this year that we were scared that our move might have been for nothing since A&M is such a competitive school. It's nice to know that so far everything is falling into place. I use the term "falling" loosely, since it is obvious to us that God is truly guiding our steps and facilitating the entire process.
We continue to pray that God would keep His hand upon us, that He would provide for us (especially now that Tanner is in A&M and it looks like Mommy needs to get a job), that our children will feel loved and heard, that we take the right classes and choose the right teachers, that we find time to continue working on the house, that the roof doesn't start leaking like a seive, that the cockroaches stay under control, that we find friends for Reagan, and that we continue to adjust to Texan culture.
I can now officially post the totally, awesome, exciting, breath-taking, jumping-up-and-down news that Tanner was accepted into the engineering department at A&M. His application arrived 2 days before the close date, and they had already filled all the slots for Chemical Engineering, so they have him on the Industrial Engineering track. Lest you think that is bad, we were told that 700 people were denied their first pick of Industrial Engineering, and the admissions department told us most people that don't make the Chemical Engineering cut are sent to general studies which means that A&M really wants Tanner in the Chemical Engineering department, they just didn't have room. So, we have to apply for a transfer in June. We are just relieved that he is in. There were times this year that we were scared that our move might have been for nothing since A&M is such a competitive school. It's nice to know that so far everything is falling into place. I use the term "falling" loosely, since it is obvious to us that God is truly guiding our steps and facilitating the entire process.
We continue to pray that God would keep His hand upon us, that He would provide for us (especially now that Tanner is in A&M and it looks like Mommy needs to get a job), that our children will feel loved and heard, that we take the right classes and choose the right teachers, that we find time to continue working on the house, that the roof doesn't start leaking like a seive, that the cockroaches stay under control, that we find friends for Reagan, and that we continue to adjust to Texan culture.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Yikes...
This week is going to be a roiling week! It started today with school, choir for kids, choir for mom, school for dad. Then it will slowly simmer on Thursday with dress rehearsals, work and more school. Add a little more heat on Friday with library duty, work, performance and of course homework. Rolling boil stage is reached on Saturday with performance, work, performance, work, and thank goodness the heat is turned off on Sunday with only church and a Christmas parade to walk in.
And then I have to study for finals, and Tanner has to study for finals. I'm looking forward to an entire month of non-stimulating brain activity. Maybe I'll check out New Braunfields...
And then I have to study for finals, and Tanner has to study for finals. I'm looking forward to an entire month of non-stimulating brain activity. Maybe I'll check out New Braunfields...
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Christmas Lights!
There is nothing that makes me feel like Christmas is Christmas than lights. Lots of them. We started the tradition the first year we were married when we haunted Peacock Lane, hunkered down in our gold subaru.
We continued it, with variations over the years. Sometimes we would drive around Portland, up and down the hills looking for sparkling light shows all through the month of December.
Then we discovered zoo lights and decided that the best thing was to buy a year long membership since admission to zoo lights cost just about the same amount. That was the part that left me feeling just a twinge of regret, so I determined to fin a light spectacular for Christmas this year. 
We did pile into the car instead of walking, but then we parked and wandered around the park enjoying the spectacle. The girls grinned from ear to ear and not a single shiver assailed us as we enjoyed a balmy 70 degrees. Actually, the website suggested that we bring a picnic.
We continued it, with variations over the years. Sometimes we would drive around Portland, up and down the hills looking for sparkling light shows all through the month of December..
Then we discovered zoo lights and decided that the best thing was to buy a year long membership since admission to zoo lights cost just about the same amount. That was the part that left me feeling just a twinge of regret, so I determined to fin a light spectacular for Christmas this year.
And lucky me...this show happens about a mile from our house in Central Park.
We did pile into the car instead of walking, but then we parked and wandered around the park enjoying the spectacle. The girls grinned from ear to ear and not a single shiver assailed us as we enjoyed a balmy 70 degrees. Actually, the website suggested that we bring a picnic.Friday, November 27, 2009
Kindred Spirits
On Tuesday, one of my violin student's parents asked me if I ever did Black Friday shopping. I smiled, and said, "Once. And I did it by myself and had a ton of fun." Well, this Friday, I headed out with the same student's parents at midnight to brave the horde of shoppers at Toys-R-Us. We actually lined up at 11:00 and already there were severl hundred people in front of us. We were smart, though, we weren't there to browse, but to buy certain items, so when we hit the sales floor, we managed to grab all of the items in barely under 10 minutes. But, here is the thing about Black Friday: it's not hard to get in, but to get out. One of us stood in the checkout line while the others went to grab the items. Even then, it took us almost 40 minutes to check out of the store.
Some of you might be shuddering at the idea of stepping into a toy store at any time during the Christmas season. Some of you might be thinking well at least you got that done and could go home. But then, some of you might not know that it was just the first store, and that I didn't go to sleep that night. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and some caffeine to drink and then hung out at my house until 2:45am. Then we split up since Target opened at 5:00am and Kohl's opened at 4:00am. We were in and out of Kohl's in 20 minutes. Drove to Target. Waited an hour to get in, and then were in and out of Target in 15 minutes. Then we drove to Half Price Books and waited for an hour and a half, but were sustained by a quick run to grab some kolaches. By the end of the stint, I was ready to crash, so I picked Tanner up from work and came home. I made breakfast, got the girls dressed and started decorating the house for Christmas while Tanner slept.
Oh, did I mention that I had been up since 5:30am the previous morning because I made a fabulous beer turkey?
My hero brother, Jonathan, finally came to my rescue at around 10:30am and said that he would watch the kids for me so that I could sleep. I crawled into bed, and then Georgie crawled into bed with me. She downed a bottle and the proceeded to roll onto my head where she fell asleep. I finally fell asleep for about an hour or until Georgie woke up. Muddled through the afternoon with Tanner muddling right alongside me and then I grabbed another nap when Reagan and Georgie took an afternoon nap only this time I didnt' wake up when they did and slept soundly until 8:00. Aaahhh...now for some left over turkey and chocolate cream pie.
Some of you might be shuddering at the idea of stepping into a toy store at any time during the Christmas season. Some of you might be thinking well at least you got that done and could go home. But then, some of you might not know that it was just the first store, and that I didn't go to sleep that night. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and some caffeine to drink and then hung out at my house until 2:45am. Then we split up since Target opened at 5:00am and Kohl's opened at 4:00am. We were in and out of Kohl's in 20 minutes. Drove to Target. Waited an hour to get in, and then were in and out of Target in 15 minutes. Then we drove to Half Price Books and waited for an hour and a half, but were sustained by a quick run to grab some kolaches. By the end of the stint, I was ready to crash, so I picked Tanner up from work and came home. I made breakfast, got the girls dressed and started decorating the house for Christmas while Tanner slept.
Oh, did I mention that I had been up since 5:30am the previous morning because I made a fabulous beer turkey?
My hero brother, Jonathan, finally came to my rescue at around 10:30am and said that he would watch the kids for me so that I could sleep. I crawled into bed, and then Georgie crawled into bed with me. She downed a bottle and the proceeded to roll onto my head where she fell asleep. I finally fell asleep for about an hour or until Georgie woke up. Muddled through the afternoon with Tanner muddling right alongside me and then I grabbed another nap when Reagan and Georgie took an afternoon nap only this time I didnt' wake up when they did and slept soundly until 8:00. Aaahhh...now for some left over turkey and chocolate cream pie.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
November in Texas
This morning dawned bright, clear and nippy. At least it was nippy for us because it was about 68 outside. I shivered into sweats, made the girls wear warm clothes and then we headed out for coffee, breakfast and early last minute food shopping.
When we got home, I started the turkey brine and found a recipe for apple pie and royal icing. We left the girls outside to play in the backyard. About an hour into all of this, Reagan came into the house and shouted from the back room, "Mommy, can I have a towel." That is never a good phrase. It's definitely not a good phrase before 11:00am during the month of November. I turned to see Reagan standing in her diaper with rain boots, soaked hair, wet body and goosebumps. Of course, I had to ask, "What were you doing?" Why do moms ask such silly questions? We deserve the anwers we get, like Reagan's, "I was filling my boots with water." I pointed solemnly to the backdoor, and both Tanner and I burst into laughter as we heard water sloshing about in her boots as she headed for the door.
So, I ended up dumping out a great quantity of water from her boots, discovered that Kate had changed into a bathing suit, explained that even though it was 72 outside bathing suits and water play were out of the question, dried the girls and sent them out to play with strict instructions to make mudpies not have pool parties.
When we got home, I started the turkey brine and found a recipe for apple pie and royal icing. We left the girls outside to play in the backyard. About an hour into all of this, Reagan came into the house and shouted from the back room, "Mommy, can I have a towel." That is never a good phrase. It's definitely not a good phrase before 11:00am during the month of November. I turned to see Reagan standing in her diaper with rain boots, soaked hair, wet body and goosebumps. Of course, I had to ask, "What were you doing?" Why do moms ask such silly questions? We deserve the anwers we get, like Reagan's, "I was filling my boots with water." I pointed solemnly to the backdoor, and both Tanner and I burst into laughter as we heard water sloshing about in her boots as she headed for the door.
So, I ended up dumping out a great quantity of water from her boots, discovered that Kate had changed into a bathing suit, explained that even though it was 72 outside bathing suits and water play were out of the question, dried the girls and sent them out to play with strict instructions to make mudpies not have pool parties.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Update.
Well, what to blog about today? Georgie has learned how to say, "Help!" I guess she hears that word frequently from her older sisters who play act falling off of cliffs and fighting bad guys. I think it is so funny that she hasn't grown very much. She just grows wider, but not taller. Neither Kate or Reagan grow like that. Kate has topped 46 inches and Reagan is at exactly 3 feet.
I'm not sure what to do about Kate's school clothes. I bought them a size and a half too big. At the beginning of the year she was 5T, so I bought size 6 pants. Not 6X, but 6. Now they are barely skimming the bottom third of her shoes. In September she wore size 12 1/2, but I had to fit her into size 13 skates on Sunday. Kate had her first crush and then her second and then her third, all within about a week. She has several good friends at school and at church.
Reagan is officially in love with Kai-lan. I found a Kai-lan outfit on clearance at Target. She was rhapsodic when I took it out of the bag. She danced around and around and around and sang out, "You make me so very happy!" For those of you that don't know: Kai-lan says that ALL the time. I am constantly amazed at Reagan's 2 year oldishness. We were at the store the other day, and Tanner told her to come. She wanted to look at this toy so badly. She got very frustrated and stomped her foot and said "aargghh!" and then walked to Daddy. That was it. That was her temper tantrum. We stopped and asked her what was wrong, and she looked up at me and said, "I am so very frustrated. I want ALL the toys!" A hug and kiss, a short explanation of looking and enjoying but not buying and she was all sunshine.
What other accomplishments? Let's see...Reagan can identify all the letters of the alphabet. She can count to 10 in chinese and spanish, and 20 in english. She draws circles and faces. She tried a triangle the other day, but it didn't quite work out so she threw it away. She sings and makes up songs and tries to dance. But her greatest accomplishment is her friendliness. Everyone is her friend.
Potty training is progressing slowly. Reagan actually told me once today that she had to go potty, and she managed one tiny drop into the potty chair. Then she turned around and pooped in her diaper, then peed in her diaper and then pooped in it again even though I was putting her on the potty every hour. I was hoping to have her potty trained before swimming lessons start in January, but it doesn't look like it will happen. Someone suggested putting her in panties, but it doesn't work. She just pees and poops in her panties, and then I have to clean them. So, someone else suggested just throwing the panties away, but that would be a trifle bit to expensive, since we would probably go through about 6 panties a day. She just doesn't care. I've heard of boys being like this just happy to sit in poop. Well, now I know of a girl: Reagan.
Georgie on the other hand is showing signs of early potty training. She sits on the toilet and tells me when she needs a diaper change. I just wish she could be a little more clear. I just don't pick up on her babbling until it is too late. One problem is that she doesn't make the same sound twice. She keeps experimenting in order to find the right sounds to tell me. Ultra frustrating that one. Hopefully, I'll get her to a toilet in time one day. Sure would be nice to have at least one kid out of diapers.
For the longest time, she was showing a distinct partiality to me. She would want to snuggle with mommy, sleep with mommy, be carried by mommy. Then last night she wanted to stay up, but I wouldn't let her. So, currently, Mommy is not the favorite. Like Tanner said, "I'm glad our kids have some kind of will, but..." I've been out of favor with her all day, and she only wants Daddy. If I pick her up she starts to cry and arch her back. Ouch. I'm not looking forward to her teenage years when she'll throw all of my mistakes in my face.
I'm not sure what to do about Kate's school clothes. I bought them a size and a half too big. At the beginning of the year she was 5T, so I bought size 6 pants. Not 6X, but 6. Now they are barely skimming the bottom third of her shoes. In September she wore size 12 1/2, but I had to fit her into size 13 skates on Sunday. Kate had her first crush and then her second and then her third, all within about a week. She has several good friends at school and at church.
Reagan is officially in love with Kai-lan. I found a Kai-lan outfit on clearance at Target. She was rhapsodic when I took it out of the bag. She danced around and around and around and sang out, "You make me so very happy!" For those of you that don't know: Kai-lan says that ALL the time. I am constantly amazed at Reagan's 2 year oldishness. We were at the store the other day, and Tanner told her to come. She wanted to look at this toy so badly. She got very frustrated and stomped her foot and said "aargghh!" and then walked to Daddy. That was it. That was her temper tantrum. We stopped and asked her what was wrong, and she looked up at me and said, "I am so very frustrated. I want ALL the toys!" A hug and kiss, a short explanation of looking and enjoying but not buying and she was all sunshine.
What other accomplishments? Let's see...Reagan can identify all the letters of the alphabet. She can count to 10 in chinese and spanish, and 20 in english. She draws circles and faces. She tried a triangle the other day, but it didn't quite work out so she threw it away. She sings and makes up songs and tries to dance. But her greatest accomplishment is her friendliness. Everyone is her friend.
Potty training is progressing slowly. Reagan actually told me once today that she had to go potty, and she managed one tiny drop into the potty chair. Then she turned around and pooped in her diaper, then peed in her diaper and then pooped in it again even though I was putting her on the potty every hour. I was hoping to have her potty trained before swimming lessons start in January, but it doesn't look like it will happen. Someone suggested putting her in panties, but it doesn't work. She just pees and poops in her panties, and then I have to clean them. So, someone else suggested just throwing the panties away, but that would be a trifle bit to expensive, since we would probably go through about 6 panties a day. She just doesn't care. I've heard of boys being like this just happy to sit in poop. Well, now I know of a girl: Reagan.
Georgie on the other hand is showing signs of early potty training. She sits on the toilet and tells me when she needs a diaper change. I just wish she could be a little more clear. I just don't pick up on her babbling until it is too late. One problem is that she doesn't make the same sound twice. She keeps experimenting in order to find the right sounds to tell me. Ultra frustrating that one. Hopefully, I'll get her to a toilet in time one day. Sure would be nice to have at least one kid out of diapers.
For the longest time, she was showing a distinct partiality to me. She would want to snuggle with mommy, sleep with mommy, be carried by mommy. Then last night she wanted to stay up, but I wouldn't let her. So, currently, Mommy is not the favorite. Like Tanner said, "I'm glad our kids have some kind of will, but..." I've been out of favor with her all day, and she only wants Daddy. If I pick her up she starts to cry and arch her back. Ouch. I'm not looking forward to her teenage years when she'll throw all of my mistakes in my face.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Jelly and cookies
This week I introduced Reagan to the joys of making sugar cookies. Tonight I taught Kate how to make jelly. At first she thought we were making jello, and she asked me what the big jars were for. We had a lot of fun. I just made a small batch about 4 quarts. Kate was fascinated as we boiled the jars in hot water and then made the jelly with pectin and sugar. She was a little skeptical that the soupy substance could ever be jelly, but tomorrow morning she is going to be in for a surprise, and maybe I'll let her open a jar and have her jelly on toast.
Georgie has a terrible cold, but she's true to form just like all my girls, and she has already figured out how to blow her nose. I think they must really hate the nose sucker thingy because it always happens around this age. They get a cold. I use the nose sucker on them. They suddenly start blowing their noses. Unfortunately, the cold seems to making it's round, and Reagan is coming down with it as well. It doesn't seem to effecting the adults too badly. I had the cold, followed by a cold sore, but it only lasted a couple of days. I feel bad for Georgie because there isn't anything I can give her to alleviate the runny nose.
I've discovered that she loves being in the backpack. Ever since Tanner has started school, it's been a struggle to get the food shopping done and all of my errands run because Georgie does not like the stroller or the cart, and keeping track of Reagan and Kate at the same time that Georgie is screaming next to the apples and oranges is just absolutely awful. One day I decided to take a walk, but Georgie in the stroller wasn't working, so I grabbed the backpack. The one that both Reagan and Kate absolutely hated. I put Georgie in it, slung it on my back, and suddenly I had a happy baby. There was much rejoicing in the Howell family on that great day.
Georgie has a terrible cold, but she's true to form just like all my girls, and she has already figured out how to blow her nose. I think they must really hate the nose sucker thingy because it always happens around this age. They get a cold. I use the nose sucker on them. They suddenly start blowing their noses. Unfortunately, the cold seems to making it's round, and Reagan is coming down with it as well. It doesn't seem to effecting the adults too badly. I had the cold, followed by a cold sore, but it only lasted a couple of days. I feel bad for Georgie because there isn't anything I can give her to alleviate the runny nose.
I've discovered that she loves being in the backpack. Ever since Tanner has started school, it's been a struggle to get the food shopping done and all of my errands run because Georgie does not like the stroller or the cart, and keeping track of Reagan and Kate at the same time that Georgie is screaming next to the apples and oranges is just absolutely awful. One day I decided to take a walk, but Georgie in the stroller wasn't working, so I grabbed the backpack. The one that both Reagan and Kate absolutely hated. I put Georgie in it, slung it on my back, and suddenly I had a happy baby. There was much rejoicing in the Howell family on that great day.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Getting Ready for Thanksgiving
This year for our Thanksgiving Day project we are going to decorate sugar cookies and put them in cookie tins. Then I'm going to let the girls give them to our neighbors on the weekend. That means this week is a labor intensive cookie baking week. Reagan and I just finished our first batch of sugar cookies. They taste delicious, but I ruined an entire pan. For some reason the cookies stuck.
I think Reagan really enjoyed making cookies with me. The entire time she stood on her chair and kept asking when she could like the beaters. She's use to me making cake. But she helped me measure and mix and roll and cut out the cookies. I was surprised that the project held her attention for so long. She chatted in her very Reaganesque way about her dollies and someone named Penny. I'm sure I will meet Penny very soon. I wonder if it is one of her new dollies that she earned for going on the potty.
No, she's still not trained, but I've got her on a schedule so that she sits on the potty every hour. We've only had a few accidents the last few days, but today, I wanted to see if she would remember to go on her own. Nope. She came running to me shouting, "Mommy, I went pee-pee on my dress!" Oh, well. I'll keep slogging away.
I think Reagan really enjoyed making cookies with me. The entire time she stood on her chair and kept asking when she could like the beaters. She's use to me making cake. But she helped me measure and mix and roll and cut out the cookies. I was surprised that the project held her attention for so long. She chatted in her very Reaganesque way about her dollies and someone named Penny. I'm sure I will meet Penny very soon. I wonder if it is one of her new dollies that she earned for going on the potty.
No, she's still not trained, but I've got her on a schedule so that she sits on the potty every hour. We've only had a few accidents the last few days, but today, I wanted to see if she would remember to go on her own. Nope. She came running to me shouting, "Mommy, I went pee-pee on my dress!" Oh, well. I'll keep slogging away.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
After soooo much prayer...
Well, God has come through once again. We have been praying for over 2 years for a Chinese teacher for Kate. Then two weeks ago, I was talking to one of my students who had studied Japanese in college, and I jokingly said that if only he had studied Chinese then I would exchange lessons with him. His eyebrows shot up and he said, "Well, my girlfriend is Chinese..." The long and the short of it is that Kate is getting private Chinese lessons and all it is costing me is a violin lesson. Wow! She learned how to write the numbers one through ten this evening and reviewed her colors and things like that.
The Camel
This past weekend there was an international festival at the Wolf Pen Amphitheater, so we decided to take a break from all of our studying and take the girls for a little festive fun. It was really a big deal. I was surprised since I've been to other festivals in the area, but none of them were as packed as this one. There were booths where you could sample native cuisine, children's arts and crafts, chinese painting, traditional dances and of course food booths. We ran into some friends at the festival, and decided to eat lunch on the grassy hill that leads down to the main stage. The kids had fun rolling down the hill, running back up and then rolling down again. They skipped and danced to the music and had a generally good ol' time.
The best part of the event was the camel. Or should I say camels? As we rounded a bend in the path, Reagan tightly gripped my hand and said, "Look! Mommy! Dinosaurs!" Yes, with all the exclamation points and breathless pauses inbetween. Of course, Mommy didn't have the nerve to take the girls to pet the dinosaurs, but luckily for us, Daddy was there. He had to carry Reagan and Kate because they were just a little afraid of this towering four footed beast with a long neck. It did look very much like one of those long necked dinosaurs. Afterward, Kate said it felt like a fluffy blanket, and then asked if we could keep one at home.
The best part of the event was the camel. Or should I say camels? As we rounded a bend in the path, Reagan tightly gripped my hand and said, "Look! Mommy! Dinosaurs!" Yes, with all the exclamation points and breathless pauses inbetween. Of course, Mommy didn't have the nerve to take the girls to pet the dinosaurs, but luckily for us, Daddy was there. He had to carry Reagan and Kate because they were just a little afraid of this towering four footed beast with a long neck. It did look very much like one of those long necked dinosaurs. Afterward, Kate said it felt like a fluffy blanket, and then asked if we could keep one at home.
Reagan and fluffy
Reagan is in that annoyingly cute stage where she has to take ALL of her stuffed animals with her. You should see this 36 inch little girl trying to carry 10 stuffed animals to the car. She has her Minnie Mouse, Minnie the Bear, Aggie the Bear, Chica the Bear, Pinky, Fluffy, Kitty, Kipper, Doggy, Bobo, George and Rainbow. This doesn't include her Polly Pocket dolls which are typically shoved in her pants pockets or the dolly's car which is clutched in both hands, or her blanket which is tucked up around her shoulders like a fluffy poncho. She manages to maneuver all of this to the front door. At that point it is either mommy's or daddy's responsibility to take over and get all of them out to the car.
I know some people might say that we should just leave them behind, but they don't know Reagan. She's the type of person that will gather up all of the lonely little animals. She's going to be the one putting bandaids on the neighbor kids' knees. She believes in doll hospitals. She has to take the animals with her so that they won't be lonely or scared. After all, if we left her at home she would feel lonely and scared. So, after carrying Georgie and an armful of dollies to the car, I end up coming back inside for the second load and then a third load. And when we come home, I just pray that it's not raining so that my trips to and from the car are easy.
I know some people might say that we should just leave them behind, but they don't know Reagan. She's the type of person that will gather up all of the lonely little animals. She's going to be the one putting bandaids on the neighbor kids' knees. She believes in doll hospitals. She has to take the animals with her so that they won't be lonely or scared. After all, if we left her at home she would feel lonely and scared. So, after carrying Georgie and an armful of dollies to the car, I end up coming back inside for the second load and then a third load. And when we come home, I just pray that it's not raining so that my trips to and from the car are easy.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Of griddles, canners, and food dryers.
So, your worst fears are realized. I am turning into one of those ladies that read about online that have freezers full of food, cans of jellies, bins of dried fruit, enough food to last for years. Well, okay, maybe I'm not that bad, but today I realized that I was on the verge of cukeness when I made a quadruple batch of whole wheat pancakes just so that I could freeze them and then I looked over at the counter and saw the dryers going at it with my third batch of banana chips. Then my eyes traveled to the floor where all of my canning jars are stacked. It's a scary thought, but I'm turning into my mother.
I remember my mom in her long blue mu'umu'u slicing pears, apples and bananas, carefully spreading them on trays before sliding them into the food dryer. I remember climbing onto the back of the couch and leaning on the counter, craning my neck to watch the food dry. I'd check back in every couple of hours just to watch the fruit shrivel. I could never understand why it too so long for the fruit to be ready.
Of course, I think I've surpassed my mom in cukeness in one area. She never had an EXTRA freezer. I have stacks of marinated lamb, chicken and beef. I have trays of lasagna and spaghetti, containers of pumpkin soup and tortilla soup, and tubs of ice cream. Okay, I don't make the ice cream, but still, I must have at least 50 gallons of ice cream in my freezer.
Of course the pancakes don't go in the big freezer. They go in the the regular freezer in the kitchen because I discovered something during my freezing mania: I CAN MAKE MY OWN FREEZER WAFFLES AND PANCAKES. Talk about freedom for mommy on school mornings. I just throw a couple of pancakes into the toaster and breakfast is done. Some morning it's chocolate chip pancakes or buttermilk or whole wheat or just plain white, but at least I know what's gone into them, and I don't spend a fortune at the store. I haven't really gotten into the waffle making part. Mainly because you need a big waffle iron or else you spend all day making waffles and my mini iron just doesn't cut it. I do have a big griddle. I can make six pancakes on it and a quadruple batch cooks in about 1/2 an hour. So, there you go. I am just a little cukoo, right?
I remember my mom in her long blue mu'umu'u slicing pears, apples and bananas, carefully spreading them on trays before sliding them into the food dryer. I remember climbing onto the back of the couch and leaning on the counter, craning my neck to watch the food dry. I'd check back in every couple of hours just to watch the fruit shrivel. I could never understand why it too so long for the fruit to be ready.
Of course, I think I've surpassed my mom in cukeness in one area. She never had an EXTRA freezer. I have stacks of marinated lamb, chicken and beef. I have trays of lasagna and spaghetti, containers of pumpkin soup and tortilla soup, and tubs of ice cream. Okay, I don't make the ice cream, but still, I must have at least 50 gallons of ice cream in my freezer.
Of course the pancakes don't go in the big freezer. They go in the the regular freezer in the kitchen because I discovered something during my freezing mania: I CAN MAKE MY OWN FREEZER WAFFLES AND PANCAKES. Talk about freedom for mommy on school mornings. I just throw a couple of pancakes into the toaster and breakfast is done. Some morning it's chocolate chip pancakes or buttermilk or whole wheat or just plain white, but at least I know what's gone into them, and I don't spend a fortune at the store. I haven't really gotten into the waffle making part. Mainly because you need a big waffle iron or else you spend all day making waffles and my mini iron just doesn't cut it. I do have a big griddle. I can make six pancakes on it and a quadruple batch cooks in about 1/2 an hour. So, there you go. I am just a little cukoo, right?
Thursday, November 12, 2009
We spent Tanner's birthday feeling pretty exhausted. He managed to catch a couple hours of sleep inbetween classes. Thank you everyone who called to wish him a happy birthday. I'm sorry that he didn't answer the phone, but I put the phone on mute and took the girls to the park so that he could sleep undisturbed. He listened to all your messages, and hopefully will find time during the week to return all of the calls. Our class schedule is in crunch time. The week before Thanksgiving, and since colleges here are on the semester schedule there will be finals to take the week after that. I like the semester schedule because we will end up with almost a month and a half off of school. It's tempting to take a crash course during that time, but we've decided to take a break, work on the house and recover from the grueling schedule we've been keeping for over six months.
In early December we'll be part of the local ice show. Our class opted to do the show rather than individual performances. It's kind of neat because there have been quite a number of students that have worked really hard at the ice skating, and so they actually look good. Whatever might happen, I'm hoping that Jonny will be able to bring the girls to one of the shows though that might be a little difficult for him to manage.
We're gearing up for the Christmas season in choir. We have over 20 anthems that we are practicing and will open the season with The Hanging of Greens on the 29th of November. After that we will have our normal Sunday load as well as a performance with the Brazos Valley Symphony. Lots and lots of fun and very challenging. Every time I sing I wish my mom and mom-in-law were down here belting it out with us. They would have so much fun with all the different types of music, plus being surrounded with ADULT singers rather than children.
Reagan loves her choir school. She looks forward to every Wednesday, and when I tell her that she needs to take a nap so that she can go to school, she crawls into bed without protest. I love listening to Kate and Reagan chanting and singing songs as they pick up toys or run around in the backyard. Another plus is that while the girls are at choir, I get a little one on one time with Georgie.
In early December we'll be part of the local ice show. Our class opted to do the show rather than individual performances. It's kind of neat because there have been quite a number of students that have worked really hard at the ice skating, and so they actually look good. Whatever might happen, I'm hoping that Jonny will be able to bring the girls to one of the shows though that might be a little difficult for him to manage.
We're gearing up for the Christmas season in choir. We have over 20 anthems that we are practicing and will open the season with The Hanging of Greens on the 29th of November. After that we will have our normal Sunday load as well as a performance with the Brazos Valley Symphony. Lots and lots of fun and very challenging. Every time I sing I wish my mom and mom-in-law were down here belting it out with us. They would have so much fun with all the different types of music, plus being surrounded with ADULT singers rather than children.
Reagan loves her choir school. She looks forward to every Wednesday, and when I tell her that she needs to take a nap so that she can go to school, she crawls into bed without protest. I love listening to Kate and Reagan chanting and singing songs as they pick up toys or run around in the backyard. Another plus is that while the girls are at choir, I get a little one on one time with Georgie.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Too much Kipper
I think I've been letting Reagan watch too many Kipper episodes. It is such a sweet cartoon series that whenever she asks for it, I find it hard to say, "No." You see, Kipper is a dog. A British dog. He has a friend named Pig.
The other day, Reagan came up to me and said, "Mommy, you are a Pig." Luckily for Reagan, I had been listening to her playing conversation for some time, so I promptly responded, "Why thank you Kipper." She proceeded to ask me, "Pig, have you seen my torch?"
I almost burst into laughter because we had just bought her a brand new flashlight, but to her it was called a torch. I managed to respond, "Why, no, Kipper. What is that you have?"
"Oh," said Kipper, "this is my clunker." Reagan showed me a little ribbon tied around a small bow. "You see," she continued in a very British accent, "if you have a clunker, and I have a clunker then we can play a game."
"Well that sounds rather nice," I responded. "Yes," said Kipper, "rather." Then she skipped off to her room to continue her search for her torch. I heard her say to Georgie, "Arnold (that's another one of Kippers friends), would you like to play clunkers?"
The other day, Reagan came up to me and said, "Mommy, you are a Pig." Luckily for Reagan, I had been listening to her playing conversation for some time, so I promptly responded, "Why thank you Kipper." She proceeded to ask me, "Pig, have you seen my torch?"
I almost burst into laughter because we had just bought her a brand new flashlight, but to her it was called a torch. I managed to respond, "Why, no, Kipper. What is that you have?"
"Oh," said Kipper, "this is my clunker." Reagan showed me a little ribbon tied around a small bow. "You see," she continued in a very British accent, "if you have a clunker, and I have a clunker then we can play a game."
"Well that sounds rather nice," I responded. "Yes," said Kipper, "rather." Then she skipped off to her room to continue her search for her torch. I heard her say to Georgie, "Arnold (that's another one of Kippers friends), would you like to play clunkers?"
Friday, November 6, 2009
Another good reason for Worcester Sauce
Today was such a beautiful day and for once both Tanner and Jonathan had the day off, so we headed for the outdoors to work on the house. I let Georgie outside into the backyard with Reagan as I grabbed some bug poison from the shed to do a little grounds maintenance since we had been seeing spiders inside the house. Tanner got out the roll of Tyvek while Jonathan finished uninstalling one of the air conditioners. Reagan was running around the backyard reveling in the great outdoors and Georgie was standing in the tall grass looking around with big eyes when she started to cry.
You know how tempting it is to ignore a crying baby, especially when she's been whining all day, and you have just a little bit more to do before you are all done with your project. I'm glad I didn't do that today. For some reason, I suppose it was God prompting me, I put down my can of bug poison and walked over to where Georgie was standing -- In a Fire Ant Nest! I grabbed her, shouted to Tanner, ran to the hose and started to spray her and brush the ants off. Poor kid, she was hollering and crying. Tanner rushed over and did a much more thorough job since he's stepped in an ant's nest before. They were crawling all over her, in her diaper, her shoes, under her dress...I cringed as the little red welts began to appear, but was releaved to see that they were only on her legs. I grabbed my handy dandy bottle of Worcester Sauce and sprinkled a liberal amount over her legs.
Yes, a little known fact about Worcester Sauce is that it somehow neutralizes the cyanide from a fire ant bite so that the sting stops hurting and the itches stop itching. So, I'm inside right now. Georgie is climbing up the bar stools and onto the table. Reagan is hiding under the table, but no, she isn't going poo. Oh, well, at least I got 20 minutes of sunshine.
You know how tempting it is to ignore a crying baby, especially when she's been whining all day, and you have just a little bit more to do before you are all done with your project. I'm glad I didn't do that today. For some reason, I suppose it was God prompting me, I put down my can of bug poison and walked over to where Georgie was standing -- In a Fire Ant Nest! I grabbed her, shouted to Tanner, ran to the hose and started to spray her and brush the ants off. Poor kid, she was hollering and crying. Tanner rushed over and did a much more thorough job since he's stepped in an ant's nest before. They were crawling all over her, in her diaper, her shoes, under her dress...I cringed as the little red welts began to appear, but was releaved to see that they were only on her legs. I grabbed my handy dandy bottle of Worcester Sauce and sprinkled a liberal amount over her legs.
Yes, a little known fact about Worcester Sauce is that it somehow neutralizes the cyanide from a fire ant bite so that the sting stops hurting and the itches stop itching. So, I'm inside right now. Georgie is climbing up the bar stools and onto the table. Reagan is hiding under the table, but no, she isn't going poo. Oh, well, at least I got 20 minutes of sunshine.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Pledge of Allegiance
Nowhere will you find greater evidence of the fierce, loyal Texan culture than in an elementary school. Today, Kate came home saying that she had learned the Pledge of Allegiance. So, I asked her to say it for me and she said:
"Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible."
Yup, that's the pledge she learned today.
Dadum, dadum, dadum...another weather update from the sunny land of Texas.
So, I'm sorry if ya'll are getting bored with these updates, but I just think they are funny. Yesterday I was out and about in the morning, and felt a little cold, so when I got home to pick up Reagan, I dressed her in pants and a long sleeved turtle neck. We packed the kids up into the car and then I went to pick Kate up from school. It wasn't a freezing cold day, so I opened the moon roof to enjoy the fall air. Reagan grabbed her blanket and pulled it up to her nose while saying, "Mommy, close it, the wind is so freezy." I shrugged, closed the roof and proceeded to drive to Kate's school. So, on our way to her school there is this little reader board that advertises the time and temperature. I happened to glance at it (drum roll please). It was 82F.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Little beach. Big ship.
Little Beach:
Sunday, we took the girls to what they call, "Little Beach" at Lake Conroe. [Try to think of Lake Oswego, Oregon on steroids with water-front lots at $90k.] We chose this place because it's only about 70min-ish form our house, has calm water, and has volley-ball courts so the girls can play "sand" with their buckets and shovels. Reagan still thinks it was the ocean, as lakes (especially this one) are more like that than like the other body of water she knows - the river.
[Does anybody else find it to be weird that "volley" is from the German word for "wave", and that both volley-ball and waves are so commonly associated with the beach?]
The two older girls had their first try at staying on the "Boat Dog". Katie wondered at why that "fisher-guy" is standing in the water while fishing, while Reagan noted that the water goes both up and down. Georgie joined them in the sand, where like their hero "Kipper the Dog", they manufactured a boat from sand. [Don't laugh; if it gets hot out, it could be a glass bottom boat. And the way it rains here, they might need it in a pinch.] They saw swimmers, ducks, and a speed boat or two. Lot's of fun for 90 min., then headed to the play place in a nearby city to escape the heat.
Big Ship:
Today, I discovered that should we have gone all the way to Galveston, we might have seen the arrival of the SS Cape Gibson. Had I known about her then, I'd have found a reason to go to Galveston to watch them sail her into the harbor.
Presumably, she's "parked" where the old dumpy ship was. This will make great viewing since from Galveston island one easily can see across the small harbor/channel made by Galveston island and A&M's island (name?).
FYI: The SS Cape Gibson is A&M's new classroom for maritime majors (Commercial Shipping, Naval Officer, Maritime Engineering, etc.). You can see her and/or read more half-way down the page at the following link:
http://blogs.texags.com/blogs/spirit_and_mind/archive/2009/10/26/10976.aspx
Sunday, we took the girls to what they call, "Little Beach" at Lake Conroe. [Try to think of Lake Oswego, Oregon on steroids with water-front lots at $90k.] We chose this place because it's only about 70min-ish form our house, has calm water, and has volley-ball courts so the girls can play "sand" with their buckets and shovels. Reagan still thinks it was the ocean, as lakes (especially this one) are more like that than like the other body of water she knows - the river.
[Does anybody else find it to be weird that "volley" is from the German word for "wave", and that both volley-ball and waves are so commonly associated with the beach?]
The two older girls had their first try at staying on the "Boat Dog". Katie wondered at why that "fisher-guy" is standing in the water while fishing, while Reagan noted that the water goes both up and down. Georgie joined them in the sand, where like their hero "Kipper the Dog", they manufactured a boat from sand. [Don't laugh; if it gets hot out, it could be a glass bottom boat. And the way it rains here, they might need it in a pinch.] They saw swimmers, ducks, and a speed boat or two. Lot's of fun for 90 min., then headed to the play place in a nearby city to escape the heat.
Big Ship:
Today, I discovered that should we have gone all the way to Galveston, we might have seen the arrival of the SS Cape Gibson. Had I known about her then, I'd have found a reason to go to Galveston to watch them sail her into the harbor.
Presumably, she's "parked" where the old dumpy ship was. This will make great viewing since from Galveston island one easily can see across the small harbor/channel made by Galveston island and A&M's island (name?).
FYI: The SS Cape Gibson is A&M's new classroom for maritime majors (Commercial Shipping, Naval Officer, Maritime Engineering, etc.). You can see her and/or read more half-way down the page at the following link:
http://blogs.texags.com/blogs/spirit_and_mind/archive/2009/10/26/10976.aspx
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Picture link
So, if you want to see Georgie's picture from our night at the museum, click on this link:
http://www.theeagle.com/slideshows/view/Night-at-the-Museum
It's a slide show, but she made it into the paper twice. Mmmmm....ain't she cute?
http://www.theeagle.com/slideshows/view/Night-at-the-Museum
It's a slide show, but she made it into the paper twice. Mmmmm....ain't she cute?
Friday, October 30, 2009
So...we did a costume party thingy...
Well, Kate has been looking forward to this day for weeks. She has kept her own private countdown. Every day she would get up, eat her breakfast and then tell me, "Hey, mom 14 days until Halloween." We knew that we had to address this issue, and address it really soon. We had intended to go to our church's party on Saturday, but then I got called into work, so we made a quick change of plans and when Kate got home from school today, we got all dressed up and headed for the George Bush Museum.
Kate wanted to be a princess, of course, so I ironed her Cinderella dress, attached jingle bells to her socks and gave her some rings to put on her fingers. She took Reagan's pink-cock-horse. Reagan had no idea what to expect. She just thought it was cool that she got to dress up like a kitty cat. You should have seen her with the little ears on her head and whiskers on her nose. She found a mirror and positively preened. I pinned a little lost mitten to the back of Georgie's costume which was a pumpkin for Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater.
We ended up at the museum pretty early, but by the time we had left, I was so glad that we had come early. The line into the museum stretched out all the way to the auxillary parking lot. We were second in line. The girls' costumes were an instant hit. It helped that Reagan played kitty and catterwauled to anyone that passed by. George was just cute.
I was glad that we decided to do this costume party. We got to go to the museum for free and as we toured the exhibits there were attendants with candy. I told Kate to go and ask one of them for a piece of candy. She frowned at me, but Reagan heard me, so she went up to one of them, held out her hand and said, "Candy, please." Imagine her surprise when they gave her a chocolate bar. After that, there was no stopping those girls. They were delightfully bewildered at the fact that all these people wanted to give them candy. The attendants thought it was cute that they kept saying, "Can I have some candy, please."
Kate wanted to be a princess, of course, so I ironed her Cinderella dress, attached jingle bells to her socks and gave her some rings to put on her fingers. She took Reagan's pink-cock-horse. Reagan had no idea what to expect. She just thought it was cool that she got to dress up like a kitty cat. You should have seen her with the little ears on her head and whiskers on her nose. She found a mirror and positively preened. I pinned a little lost mitten to the back of Georgie's costume which was a pumpkin for Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater.
We ended up at the museum pretty early, but by the time we had left, I was so glad that we had come early. The line into the museum stretched out all the way to the auxillary parking lot. We were second in line. The girls' costumes were an instant hit. It helped that Reagan played kitty and catterwauled to anyone that passed by. George was just cute.
I was glad that we decided to do this costume party. We got to go to the museum for free and as we toured the exhibits there were attendants with candy. I told Kate to go and ask one of them for a piece of candy. She frowned at me, but Reagan heard me, so she went up to one of them, held out her hand and said, "Candy, please." Imagine her surprise when they gave her a chocolate bar. After that, there was no stopping those girls. They were delightfully bewildered at the fact that all these people wanted to give them candy. The attendants thought it was cute that they kept saying, "Can I have some candy, please."
Study. Eat. Work. Study. Eat. Study. Work. Eat. Sleep.
That pretty much describes our days. We've made it past the midterms, but now all of the big term papers are due right before Thanksgiving, so we are very busy. Tanner isn't getting much sleep on Tuesdays and Thursdays since his schedule is split. We've learned that putting the classes back to back is very important. He's still keeping good grades, and he gets a lot of "make-up" sleep on the weekends. Today, he heaved a sigh of relief because he gets two days off after a grueling run of tests, quizzes and homework. Lucky for him, he gets to sleep until this afternoon. We've decided to take the girls to a costume party this evening so that they avoid the whole "Halloween" thing, and then tomorrow night we are going to make caramel apples, popcorn, a candy-Thanksgiving chain and maybe watch a movie.
I've been pulled into the first soprano section in choir. Yuk. I do not consider myself a first soprano because I can only hit the high notes at forte, but apparently that's good enough. So, I'm soaring at double forte on a true B above high C. Poor Jonathan has been cringing during my practice sessions at home. I don't blame him. I'm cringing, too.
Kate and Reagan love choir. They come home singing and chanting all sorts of songs and rhymes. Reagan says that her choir teacher "Miss Ilene" is her favorite person. Don't let the "miss" fool you. She's a formidable matriarch, but in Texas everyone is "miss" or "mister". That's right, I'm Miss Noelle, and when Kate isn't listening she becomes Miss Kate, as in, "I said to put that away, Miss Kate." If she's really not heeding my voice she becomes "missy". "Just what did you expect to happen, Missy? Hmm?"
Yesterday, Kate asked me "Wuld ya git me a cuppah wadah." I wish I had mastered the art of raising one eyebrow, but I'm limited to both eyebrows reaching sky high. I responded, "Excuse me, missy? What was that? In english, please." I guess I can't lecture her too sternly since everyone has become "ma'am" and "sir". I almost said "Yes, ma'am" when I was talking on the phone with my mom because that's just what you say to your mamma when she's telling you what is what. Even Kate does it.
Me: Kate, you need to go pick up your toys.
Kate: Yes, ma'am.
Reagan asked me if she could have her own gun. She said she wants a pink one. Looks like I have to find a kids safety training school and a shooting range for kids though I'm not buying a PINK gun. Besides the fact that Tanner would look silly shooting a pink gun, I think it would just be way to attractive for the girls. They would want to play with it. So, I think we'll settle for a nasty, black gun.
Reagan is learning to read. I'm serious. I took her to the Children's Museum yesterday, and she saw all of the alphabet letters. She ran and picked one up and said, "Mommy, it's a G. G says guh." I'm thinking that Kate must be teaching her.
Tanner and I are learning how to couple skate. We took a really bad spill on Wednesday. I was on my right edge (all the way) and Tanner thought we were going straight instead of turning, so out went my foot, down I went, down went Tanner who hit the ice chest first. Ouch. At least we're experienced with falling on the ice. No broken noses or bones, just a bunch of really sore muscles and one really big bruise.
Georgie thinks she can talk. I hold entire conversations with her in baby blabber. She tells me all about the food that she ate, the clothes she pulled out of the drawer, where she squirreled away her last bottle and the toys that Reagan snatched. Every once in a while a clear word will emerge usually it's "Tatie" or "Weg" or "mamma" or "banana" and of course, "dadadadadadadadada". I think, in order of her favorites: Daddy is first, followed by Uncle Jonathan, then Mommy, then Kate, then Reagan. She and Reagan get into a lot of toy tussles. The funny thing is that Reagan usually doesn't win. Georgie is one tough little cookie and snatches and grips onto toys pretty hard. Her favorite thing to do is steal Reagan's blanket. Georgie will throw it across her shoulders and run away with it, laughing the whole time while Reagn cries.
I've been pulled into the first soprano section in choir. Yuk. I do not consider myself a first soprano because I can only hit the high notes at forte, but apparently that's good enough. So, I'm soaring at double forte on a true B above high C. Poor Jonathan has been cringing during my practice sessions at home. I don't blame him. I'm cringing, too.
Kate and Reagan love choir. They come home singing and chanting all sorts of songs and rhymes. Reagan says that her choir teacher "Miss Ilene" is her favorite person. Don't let the "miss" fool you. She's a formidable matriarch, but in Texas everyone is "miss" or "mister". That's right, I'm Miss Noelle, and when Kate isn't listening she becomes Miss Kate, as in, "I said to put that away, Miss Kate." If she's really not heeding my voice she becomes "missy". "Just what did you expect to happen, Missy? Hmm?"
Yesterday, Kate asked me "Wuld ya git me a cuppah wadah." I wish I had mastered the art of raising one eyebrow, but I'm limited to both eyebrows reaching sky high. I responded, "Excuse me, missy? What was that? In english, please." I guess I can't lecture her too sternly since everyone has become "ma'am" and "sir". I almost said "Yes, ma'am" when I was talking on the phone with my mom because that's just what you say to your mamma when she's telling you what is what. Even Kate does it.
Me: Kate, you need to go pick up your toys.
Kate: Yes, ma'am.
Reagan asked me if she could have her own gun. She said she wants a pink one. Looks like I have to find a kids safety training school and a shooting range for kids though I'm not buying a PINK gun. Besides the fact that Tanner would look silly shooting a pink gun, I think it would just be way to attractive for the girls. They would want to play with it. So, I think we'll settle for a nasty, black gun.
Reagan is learning to read. I'm serious. I took her to the Children's Museum yesterday, and she saw all of the alphabet letters. She ran and picked one up and said, "Mommy, it's a G. G says guh." I'm thinking that Kate must be teaching her.
Tanner and I are learning how to couple skate. We took a really bad spill on Wednesday. I was on my right edge (all the way) and Tanner thought we were going straight instead of turning, so out went my foot, down I went, down went Tanner who hit the ice chest first. Ouch. At least we're experienced with falling on the ice. No broken noses or bones, just a bunch of really sore muscles and one really big bruise.
Georgie thinks she can talk. I hold entire conversations with her in baby blabber. She tells me all about the food that she ate, the clothes she pulled out of the drawer, where she squirreled away her last bottle and the toys that Reagan snatched. Every once in a while a clear word will emerge usually it's "Tatie" or "Weg" or "mamma" or "banana" and of course, "dadadadadadadadada". I think, in order of her favorites: Daddy is first, followed by Uncle Jonathan, then Mommy, then Kate, then Reagan. She and Reagan get into a lot of toy tussles. The funny thing is that Reagan usually doesn't win. Georgie is one tough little cookie and snatches and grips onto toys pretty hard. Her favorite thing to do is steal Reagan's blanket. Georgie will throw it across her shoulders and run away with it, laughing the whole time while Reagn cries.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Muscle strains...
Last night Tanner and I went to Wolf Pen to practice our ice skating, and I ran into our dentist. Now, our dentist is a really nice lady, and I was surprised that she recognized us. She asked us what we were doing, and we got to talking about getting injured on the ice. She must be about 44 or so, and she takes lessons, but protects her rear, knees and wrists with all sorts of padding. I found out where she got all the stuff from, and she said, "Oh, you don't have to worry about getting injured. Your body is young. It'll spring right back." I looked at her incredulously. "Are you kidding me?" I asked. "I'm 32. That's not young anymore. That's definitely middle aged." Her mouth dropped and then she dragged her 13 year old daughter over and said, "You'll never guess how old this lady is." Her daughter guessed, "20?" Long and short of it is that my doctor agreed that I should get padding. 32 is middle age, and the old bones and muscles don't spring back quite so quickly anymore.
I was practing my lunges, and strained my thigh muscles, so now I have to wait for that to heal up a bit since it hurts even after I take ibuprofen. Tanner continues to look beautiful on the ice, and last night we even managed to ice dance a little bit since my backward skating is getting much better.
Jonathan strained his wrist at work, so he's going around with his arm wrapped and he's been popping ibuprofen, too.
We've been battling flies the last few weeks in our house. They just seemed to keep springing up out of nowhere. We discovered that a couple of potatoes had rotted, so we threw those out, and figured that perhaps that had been the cause of the flies, but a couple of days later, the flies still kept appearing. We cleared out the pantry. We cleaned the counters, the cupboards and the stove. We cleaned under the stove, inside the fridge, and around the microwave. Still, the flies kept coming. Until this morning. This morning I decided to make a quadruple batch of pancakes, and I ran out of sugar. So, I pulled out my stash of sugar and exposed a gooey mess of baby flies, sugar, water and I don't want to know what else. Disgusting. Gross. At least it didn't smell. Why does this stuff happen? Luckily it was only in one of the bags and the rest were protected because I individually wrap my sugar bags in plastic, but still it was gross. I managed to clean the mess up with a solution of boiling hot water, bleach and a couple of towels that I just tossed after using them. I threw away all the plastic bags and repackaged all the sugar. So, here's hoping that we've found the last of fly breeding grounds.
I was practing my lunges, and strained my thigh muscles, so now I have to wait for that to heal up a bit since it hurts even after I take ibuprofen. Tanner continues to look beautiful on the ice, and last night we even managed to ice dance a little bit since my backward skating is getting much better.
Jonathan strained his wrist at work, so he's going around with his arm wrapped and he's been popping ibuprofen, too.
We've been battling flies the last few weeks in our house. They just seemed to keep springing up out of nowhere. We discovered that a couple of potatoes had rotted, so we threw those out, and figured that perhaps that had been the cause of the flies, but a couple of days later, the flies still kept appearing. We cleared out the pantry. We cleaned the counters, the cupboards and the stove. We cleaned under the stove, inside the fridge, and around the microwave. Still, the flies kept coming. Until this morning. This morning I decided to make a quadruple batch of pancakes, and I ran out of sugar. So, I pulled out my stash of sugar and exposed a gooey mess of baby flies, sugar, water and I don't want to know what else. Disgusting. Gross. At least it didn't smell. Why does this stuff happen? Luckily it was only in one of the bags and the rest were protected because I individually wrap my sugar bags in plastic, but still it was gross. I managed to clean the mess up with a solution of boiling hot water, bleach and a couple of towels that I just tossed after using them. I threw away all the plastic bags and repackaged all the sugar. So, here's hoping that we've found the last of fly breeding grounds.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Whassup?
To all you Northwesterners that are now suffering from cold, bitter, October winds; to those of you that have already had to don jackets, sweaters and windbreakers; to the unfortunate that have already found their boots, tennis shoes, socks and umbrellas...you have my deepest sympathy. Our weather today was 80 with a light breeze. No need for an air conditioner or fans or heaters. Just the natural, warmth that happens on a lovely, fall day in Texas. I am constantly amazed that the girls are still running around in tank tops and shorts, though sometimes I make them put on a t-shirt so that they don't get too cold. The nights do cool down, all the way to the upper 50's, so we make sure that the girls have blankets and warm night clothes. But other than that, I haven't had to make any winter preparations.
Well, one of the problems that we knew we would encounter with Kate going to school was the dreaded mention of the jack-o-latern. She came home on Friday with a painted pumpkin and the news that everyone at school already had jack-o-lanterns at their houses. We have been debating about this for some time, and so on Sunday, we took Kate to the pumpkin patch and let her pick out a pumpkin. She was so funny because she didn't want the ugly, orange pumpkins, she wanted a white pumpkin. Reagan was only interested in the little tiny pumkins that had "handles" on them. So, we brought them home, and today we decorated them. Yup. I bought a big tub of sparkly jewels and glitter paint and we glued and colored our pumpkins. Kate made a curly haired lady with big red lips and blue eyes and long eyelashes. Reagan just stuck stuff all over the place, and mommy made something a little arabesque. Then we got out all of the Thanksgiving decorations and decorated the house for fall. Whew...another successful season navigated...now, if I only knew what to do about a costume for the costume party.
Oh...update on figure skating class. We are now skating on one foot with our legs extended behind us. It's called a spiral because our legs are suppose to make a 180, but most of us only manage 90 at best. We're doing one footed spins, and lunging as we move across the ice. You should have seen that lesson. The whole line of us started out with strong pushes, moved our right foot forward, dropped the back leg into the lunge position and tumbled into a heap like a row of unsightly dominoes. We were all laughing, including the teacher. Up we got and did it all over again. Not to worry, we did manage to finally do a couple of lunges, but the backs of my legs are sore. If you think that lunges, with hands behind your head, while walking are hard, just try the same thing while balancing on a skinny little blade that is sliding across ice. On the plus side, I'm becoming a rink rat. Last week I was at the rink every day except for Tuesday. This week, I think I'll be there every day including Tuesday. I've decided to be proud of my accomplishments. I've only been taking lessons for six weeks, and I can already skate around in a Chuck E. Cheese-like costume. I think I'm kind of impressed...hehehe...of course, Tanner looks so much better on the ice. He has no fear. I've seen him fall maybe half a dozen times, and three of those happened during the lunge class. He does a lovely two footed spin, and only has to practice half as hard as I do. Sounds like what we use to go through in high school. That's okay with me, just as long as I can catch up eventually.
Well, one of the problems that we knew we would encounter with Kate going to school was the dreaded mention of the jack-o-latern. She came home on Friday with a painted pumpkin and the news that everyone at school already had jack-o-lanterns at their houses. We have been debating about this for some time, and so on Sunday, we took Kate to the pumpkin patch and let her pick out a pumpkin. She was so funny because she didn't want the ugly, orange pumpkins, she wanted a white pumpkin. Reagan was only interested in the little tiny pumkins that had "handles" on them. So, we brought them home, and today we decorated them. Yup. I bought a big tub of sparkly jewels and glitter paint and we glued and colored our pumpkins. Kate made a curly haired lady with big red lips and blue eyes and long eyelashes. Reagan just stuck stuff all over the place, and mommy made something a little arabesque. Then we got out all of the Thanksgiving decorations and decorated the house for fall. Whew...another successful season navigated...now, if I only knew what to do about a costume for the costume party.
Oh...update on figure skating class. We are now skating on one foot with our legs extended behind us. It's called a spiral because our legs are suppose to make a 180, but most of us only manage 90 at best. We're doing one footed spins, and lunging as we move across the ice. You should have seen that lesson. The whole line of us started out with strong pushes, moved our right foot forward, dropped the back leg into the lunge position and tumbled into a heap like a row of unsightly dominoes. We were all laughing, including the teacher. Up we got and did it all over again. Not to worry, we did manage to finally do a couple of lunges, but the backs of my legs are sore. If you think that lunges, with hands behind your head, while walking are hard, just try the same thing while balancing on a skinny little blade that is sliding across ice. On the plus side, I'm becoming a rink rat. Last week I was at the rink every day except for Tuesday. This week, I think I'll be there every day including Tuesday. I've decided to be proud of my accomplishments. I've only been taking lessons for six weeks, and I can already skate around in a Chuck E. Cheese-like costume. I think I'm kind of impressed...hehehe...of course, Tanner looks so much better on the ice. He has no fear. I've seen him fall maybe half a dozen times, and three of those happened during the lunge class. He does a lovely two footed spin, and only has to practice half as hard as I do. Sounds like what we use to go through in high school. That's okay with me, just as long as I can catch up eventually.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Another sample of Kate's writing
This one took a bit of circular reading to get.
Transcription starts:
I wil hellp you wosh the dishes too get mi badu. frum kate. i luv yoo momy.
Translation: I will help you wash the dishes to get my beta. From Kate. I love you mommy.
Our Kate is Learning to Write
Transcription:
Dady i luv yoo. Yoo luv me. I rot u letr to mome and this letr is for yoo. This ses that yoo luv mome and yoo r a vare speshol persin. luv kate.
Translation:
Daddy, I love you. You love me. I wrote a letter to mommy and this letter is for you. This says that you love mommy, and you are a very special person. Love, Kate.
At the risk of offending a few people...
President Obama is scheduled to visit Texas A&M today. They received such an overwhelming response to his proposed visit that they declared that they would have to register all of the people that wanted to come. Here's the catch. If people wanted to attend they had to declare whether they were attending to support the president or protest the president. Once everyone had declared why they were going to attend the speech the event became invitation only. And invitations were sent out to a mere 600 supporters. The rest of the crowd is protesting in another area of the campus.
This is the funny part. This is a campus of 50,000 college age kids, and there are only 600 supporters out of the entire group.
When one aggie was asked the question, "Did you know that the president is here at former president George Bush's invitation? Shouldn't you extend hospitality?"
The student responded, "Hospitality is a value that I hold very dear, but I'm an Aggie, and Aggies don't lie, cheat or steal or tolerate those who do."
I wonder if this will be covered on CNN or MSNBC. Probably not, but here in the heart of Aggieland you can't help but hear about it. So, those of you that don't like conservative politics should probably stay away from Texas because next to Austin, College Station is considered the most liberal city in Texas.
This is the funny part. This is a campus of 50,000 college age kids, and there are only 600 supporters out of the entire group.
When one aggie was asked the question, "Did you know that the president is here at former president George Bush's invitation? Shouldn't you extend hospitality?"
The student responded, "Hospitality is a value that I hold very dear, but I'm an Aggie, and Aggies don't lie, cheat or steal or tolerate those who do."
I wonder if this will be covered on CNN or MSNBC. Probably not, but here in the heart of Aggieland you can't help but hear about it. So, those of you that don't like conservative politics should probably stay away from Texas because next to Austin, College Station is considered the most liberal city in Texas.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Humorous as it sounds, Texan's go just a little nuttier than usual when more than 2 days of rain occur. During class a girl turned to me, her eyes slightly glazed and tic in the corner of her eye and said, "I can't take it any more. It's been raining for TWELVE days." Then she took a deep breath. I patted her shoulder and reminded her that she was in Texas. The rain would go away very soon. She stared at me in numb shock. How could I handle this so well. TWELVE days!!! I smiled urbanely and explained to her that I come from the northwest. She still said, "Twelve days is a lot of rain!" I shook my head, "oh, no, dear, try 65 days." She almost slipped and fell on the ice. "Don't worry," I reitterated, "I'm sure that in a few days, maybe even tomorrow, we'll have some sunshine."
I felt really sorry for her. We were at the rink and she was wearing thermal underwear underneath her longsleeved t-shirt that peeked out from her parka. Gloves, sock-hat, scarf and of course the double layered pants completed her outfit. I wondered how she managed to stand much less skate in all of the gear as I felt strangely naked in a light weight jacket, t-shirt and yoga pants. I dressed a little more warmly for the rink because ever since the rain had started to fall, the air in the rink had become increasingly damp. I always stripped the jacket off when leaving and when we climbed into the car we would turn the air conditioner on full blast. Even though it was raining, it was still pretty warm, usually in the mid 70's. I suddenly realized that this wasn't normal. I glanced around at the other native Texan's and I could see a similar pattern in all of them: numb stares. I wondered if we needed to start a support group for the "rain" afflicted.
The next day, the weather pattern broke and we had a balmy 85, light breeze, sun peeking through clouds and of course humidity because all of the water that had been falling had to go somewhere. The girls and I stretched out on the front porch and soaked in a few rays, hoping that some vitamin D would get their immune systems into gear.
Yesterday was choir practice. When I told Reagan that we were going to singing school, she jumped up and down and turned circles. She could hardly contain her excitement as we went to pick up Kate from school, and then dropped them off at choir. She gave me a quick kiss, waved goodbye and scooted into the building as fast as she could. She didn't even look back. I followed her all the way inside, watched her hug her teacher and signed the two of them into class. Kate showed more appropriate signs by kissing me and hugging me goodbye.
I felt really sorry for her. We were at the rink and she was wearing thermal underwear underneath her longsleeved t-shirt that peeked out from her parka. Gloves, sock-hat, scarf and of course the double layered pants completed her outfit. I wondered how she managed to stand much less skate in all of the gear as I felt strangely naked in a light weight jacket, t-shirt and yoga pants. I dressed a little more warmly for the rink because ever since the rain had started to fall, the air in the rink had become increasingly damp. I always stripped the jacket off when leaving and when we climbed into the car we would turn the air conditioner on full blast. Even though it was raining, it was still pretty warm, usually in the mid 70's. I suddenly realized that this wasn't normal. I glanced around at the other native Texan's and I could see a similar pattern in all of them: numb stares. I wondered if we needed to start a support group for the "rain" afflicted.
The next day, the weather pattern broke and we had a balmy 85, light breeze, sun peeking through clouds and of course humidity because all of the water that had been falling had to go somewhere. The girls and I stretched out on the front porch and soaked in a few rays, hoping that some vitamin D would get their immune systems into gear.
Yesterday was choir practice. When I told Reagan that we were going to singing school, she jumped up and down and turned circles. She could hardly contain her excitement as we went to pick up Kate from school, and then dropped them off at choir. She gave me a quick kiss, waved goodbye and scooted into the building as fast as she could. She didn't even look back. I followed her all the way inside, watched her hug her teacher and signed the two of them into class. Kate showed more appropriate signs by kissing me and hugging me goodbye.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Figure skating class is so much fun. Yesterday, we learned how to skate backward on one foot and how to do that really cool skating move called a crossover. I don't look very cool right now, and during class I was an utter failure, but then I came back for practice with a pair of knee pads, and managed to figure out how to do the moves. I think most of my problem is that I'm afraid of falling and REALLY hurting myself. After all, I'm 32 and can't really afford to get hurt. I mean, if I hurt my knees, who is going to carry Georgie, clean the kitchen, vacuum, and take Kate to school? So, the knee pads really helped.
After a series of very cold days (we barely broke 74) the weather is warming up again. It is still cloudy outside, but there's a delicious muggy feeling that is typically only felt during the last part of June in Portland. It's that sensual feeling that drags you out of doors to work in the garden or wish you could go kayaking. It's the weather that takes you on a picnic to the Rose Garden or a stroll on the water front because you know there won't be thousands of people crowding around only like minded individuals soaking up the rich, moist air. It's the call of Powell's Bookstore and Illy coffee and a quick trip to the NorthWest district or an even quicker skip to the Pearl. It's also the annoying reminder that some idiot declared that the Rose Festival had to occur at the beginning of June while everything is damp, dank and rainy instead of sensibly setting the dates for the last week of June. Here, in Texas, it's the call to open you windows and let the wind blow through the rumpled bed covers, maybe pull on a pair of rubber boots and take a walk through mud puddles, or dust off the seat of the bike and swish along the sidewalks and side roads on the way to the park.
I am sensibly not going to do any of those things because I still have three girls at home with sniffly noses and cute, deep little voices, and I have the ominous itching of the throat feeling. I think we'll stay at home with just a few windows open to help air the house out, but other than that, this is going to be just a very sensible day, spent doing sensible things like laundry and dishes and general housework since I also have to teach lessons this afternoon.
I am missing the Sauvie Island pumpkin patch right now. I wish I could just hope on a plane and take my kids to get their traditional pumpkin, hay ride, train ride and maze, but that just isn't going to happen any time soon. We live in a part of Texas that caters to BIG farms, so there aren't any nearby pumpkin patches. The closest we have found is just north of Katy, Texas, and it costs $11 a person just to get into the thing. Yeah, that's what I thought, "11 bucks?!?!" So, maybe we'll have to figure out another way to get our yearly stash of pumpkin seeds. That is the whole reason for going to the patch. Kate loves pumpkin seeds. If I didn't monitor her intake she would eat cupfuls in a single sitting. Luckily, I also make a great pumpkin soup, complete with salted pumpkin seeds. Unfortunately, I really don't care for pumpkin pie or pumpkin bars or pumpkin scones or anything else like that so we end up with a lot of frozen pumpkin.
Here's to happy hunting for me. I hope I find a pumpking supplier somewhere soon.
After a series of very cold days (we barely broke 74) the weather is warming up again. It is still cloudy outside, but there's a delicious muggy feeling that is typically only felt during the last part of June in Portland. It's that sensual feeling that drags you out of doors to work in the garden or wish you could go kayaking. It's the weather that takes you on a picnic to the Rose Garden or a stroll on the water front because you know there won't be thousands of people crowding around only like minded individuals soaking up the rich, moist air. It's the call of Powell's Bookstore and Illy coffee and a quick trip to the NorthWest district or an even quicker skip to the Pearl. It's also the annoying reminder that some idiot declared that the Rose Festival had to occur at the beginning of June while everything is damp, dank and rainy instead of sensibly setting the dates for the last week of June. Here, in Texas, it's the call to open you windows and let the wind blow through the rumpled bed covers, maybe pull on a pair of rubber boots and take a walk through mud puddles, or dust off the seat of the bike and swish along the sidewalks and side roads on the way to the park.
I am sensibly not going to do any of those things because I still have three girls at home with sniffly noses and cute, deep little voices, and I have the ominous itching of the throat feeling. I think we'll stay at home with just a few windows open to help air the house out, but other than that, this is going to be just a very sensible day, spent doing sensible things like laundry and dishes and general housework since I also have to teach lessons this afternoon.
I am missing the Sauvie Island pumpkin patch right now. I wish I could just hope on a plane and take my kids to get their traditional pumpkin, hay ride, train ride and maze, but that just isn't going to happen any time soon. We live in a part of Texas that caters to BIG farms, so there aren't any nearby pumpkin patches. The closest we have found is just north of Katy, Texas, and it costs $11 a person just to get into the thing. Yeah, that's what I thought, "11 bucks?!?!" So, maybe we'll have to figure out another way to get our yearly stash of pumpkin seeds. That is the whole reason for going to the patch. Kate loves pumpkin seeds. If I didn't monitor her intake she would eat cupfuls in a single sitting. Luckily, I also make a great pumpkin soup, complete with salted pumpkin seeds. Unfortunately, I really don't care for pumpkin pie or pumpkin bars or pumpkin scones or anything else like that so we end up with a lot of frozen pumpkin.
Here's to happy hunting for me. I hope I find a pumpking supplier somewhere soon.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Well, thank you for all of your prayers. I got 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep, and Reagan's fever broke this morning at around five. Kate only has a runny nose, and Tanner seems to be on the mend as well.
I feel great. I went to work at 8:30 and stood in the rain until 2:00 dressed in my costume. We thankfully packed up early, and I came home, hung my suit out to dry, made lunch, discovered that Georgie hadn't had a diaper change ALL day, and then discovered that my potatoes had rotted and there were maggots. Gross. Tanner cleaned it up. Typical of me isn't it?
Then, I took Kate and Georgie shopping. We went to Target to get Georgie a birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa Howell and Tiffani and David and Talia and Jacob. She ended up with two hoodies and night clothes and a toy organizer. Then we swung by a craft store to pick up a hot glue gun and then to Home Depot for a couple bags of gravel. Home. Spread the gravel. Made dinner. Cleaned the girls room. Got Georgie ready for bed. And now, I'm resting. It feels so good to finally have energy.
I feel great. I went to work at 8:30 and stood in the rain until 2:00 dressed in my costume. We thankfully packed up early, and I came home, hung my suit out to dry, made lunch, discovered that Georgie hadn't had a diaper change ALL day, and then discovered that my potatoes had rotted and there were maggots. Gross. Tanner cleaned it up. Typical of me isn't it?
Then, I took Kate and Georgie shopping. We went to Target to get Georgie a birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa Howell and Tiffani and David and Talia and Jacob. She ended up with two hoodies and night clothes and a toy organizer. Then we swung by a craft store to pick up a hot glue gun and then to Home Depot for a couple bags of gravel. Home. Spread the gravel. Made dinner. Cleaned the girls room. Got Georgie ready for bed. And now, I'm resting. It feels so good to finally have energy.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The light at the end of the tunnel.
This week has been a test of our fortitude. Not only did Tanner come down with a full fledged flu, he passed it Kate. That wasn't so bad, but I had just recovered from a cold, and it hit me at the same time that Kate was puking in the toilet at 3:00am on Tuesday. I kept thinking that I could make it just as long as no one else got sick, but then last night as Reagan nestled her cheek next to mine, I discovered another case of influenza and almost broke down crying. I'm not sure if it is swine flu or not, but it's a little late no matter what, so we're just dealing with the situation.
The shopping lists this week have been pitiful. We've made two trips to the store to get chicken noodle soup, 7up, tylenol and dayquil and gypsy cold care. Then we made a third trip to resupply our house with Robitussin, cough drops and tissue. Then Tanner headed out for saltine crackers. I made a trip to get bannanas and applesauce. Jonathan bought bread so that we could make toast. Yesterday was the first day that I felt somewhat normal, so I actually foraged for some fruits and vegetables, but no one has the stomach for them, yet.
A woman from our church dropped off a huge crockpot of homemade chicken noodle soup which the kids devoured. Kate licked her lips and said that she thought it would heal her tummy.
I did have a meltdown yesterday. I started crying while washing dishes. I seemed to be the only one capable of washing dishes and cleaning the house while puking my guts out and cleaning up all the kids. Today was much better with the two guys finally chipping in, and I've only had to wash dishes once, and Tanner cleaned up when Reagan lost her lunch in the living room. I'm not sure if that was because I was at work or if he would have done it even if I was home, but at least it wasn't waiting for me when walked in the door. So, we're all hanging in there. I'm thankful for the cooler weather. It's much easier to keep a fever in check when the outdoor temperature is 70 rather than 90. So, now we just have to make it through Reagan, and I'm sure we'll have to deal with Georgie. Hopefully, Tanner will get enough rest so that he'll recover though it seems to have hit him the hardest and he is not bouncing back very quickly.
If you want to pray, please pray for rest for the adults and health for the kids. I suppose health for the adults would be good, too, but right now, we need sweet, uninterrupted sleep.
The shopping lists this week have been pitiful. We've made two trips to the store to get chicken noodle soup, 7up, tylenol and dayquil and gypsy cold care. Then we made a third trip to resupply our house with Robitussin, cough drops and tissue. Then Tanner headed out for saltine crackers. I made a trip to get bannanas and applesauce. Jonathan bought bread so that we could make toast. Yesterday was the first day that I felt somewhat normal, so I actually foraged for some fruits and vegetables, but no one has the stomach for them, yet.
A woman from our church dropped off a huge crockpot of homemade chicken noodle soup which the kids devoured. Kate licked her lips and said that she thought it would heal her tummy.
I did have a meltdown yesterday. I started crying while washing dishes. I seemed to be the only one capable of washing dishes and cleaning the house while puking my guts out and cleaning up all the kids. Today was much better with the two guys finally chipping in, and I've only had to wash dishes once, and Tanner cleaned up when Reagan lost her lunch in the living room. I'm not sure if that was because I was at work or if he would have done it even if I was home, but at least it wasn't waiting for me when walked in the door. So, we're all hanging in there. I'm thankful for the cooler weather. It's much easier to keep a fever in check when the outdoor temperature is 70 rather than 90. So, now we just have to make it through Reagan, and I'm sure we'll have to deal with Georgie. Hopefully, Tanner will get enough rest so that he'll recover though it seems to have hit him the hardest and he is not bouncing back very quickly.
If you want to pray, please pray for rest for the adults and health for the kids. I suppose health for the adults would be good, too, but right now, we need sweet, uninterrupted sleep.
Is it cold?
Today, we woke up to a light, gray drizzle and a chilled house. I was snuggled up close to Tanner (he is my electric blanket) and discovered that I had three blankets on top of me. I guess Tanner got up in the middle of the night and got a couple of blankets. We usually sleep with just a sheet because it is so muggy and hot that you don't really need anything else. I shivered my way out of bed and to the heater and actually turned on the heaters. They gave out their first belching, smokey scent and the smoke detectors started to beep, but after a few minutes the smell dissipated, and we are sitting in a newly warmed house.
Jonathan came out of his room wearing socks, jeans, long sleeved shirt over a long sleeved t-shirt. We're all wearing sweats except for Reagan who has a fever and is contentedly sitting in my rocking chair covered with her blanky.
This kind of weather makes me reminiscent of my childhood, so I opened the jar of gauva jelly today, smeared butter and jelly on a cracker and took a little trip through Portland snow and hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. And then, my little bubble popped because I looked at the temperature on-line. It's currently 71 outside...
Jonathan came out of his room wearing socks, jeans, long sleeved shirt over a long sleeved t-shirt. We're all wearing sweats except for Reagan who has a fever and is contentedly sitting in my rocking chair covered with her blanky.
This kind of weather makes me reminiscent of my childhood, so I opened the jar of gauva jelly today, smeared butter and jelly on a cracker and took a little trip through Portland snow and hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. And then, my little bubble popped because I looked at the temperature on-line. It's currently 71 outside...
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Sick, sick, sick...
We have got some sort of stomach virus. Georgie came down with it first, then transfered it to Uncle Jonathan, who gave it to me, and then I gave it to Tanner, and now Reagan seemse to be coming down with it. That leaves Kate, but today she was saying that her tummy did feel right, so I'm not sure how long she will hold out.
Other than that, our days keep rolling by. I still have to make bread, granola, breakfast, lunch, dinner, do the laundry, go to work, clean the house, teach violin, study, change diapers, give baths and all that good stuff. Tanner has to go to work, study, mow the lawn, fix the house and sleep. I don't know what we would do without Jonathan. Today, he tagged teamed with me and changed a couple of diapers and handed out drinks and snacks. Of course, it doesn't seem like much when I write it down, but I am so thankful that he is around to help pick up some of the slack.
Today was one of the gray, rainy days that are so familiar to Northwesterners. I pulled on a pair of pants and a sweater this morning, but after a mere 1/2 hour, I felt sticky and hot, so I changed into a t-shirt and jeans and finished making the granola. An hour later, as I wiped my brow, I decided to open the windows to let some cool, fresh air inside the house. Imagine my surprise when a blast of hot, sticky air hit me. I checked the sky, and it was still cloudy, gray and raining, but it was HOT. I closed the window, turned on the air conditioner and found some shorts. When I checked the weather report this afternoon, it said we had a high of 89. It never stopped raining, and if the girls hadn't been sick, I would have let them play outside with their rubber boots and bathing suits.
Other than that, our days keep rolling by. I still have to make bread, granola, breakfast, lunch, dinner, do the laundry, go to work, clean the house, teach violin, study, change diapers, give baths and all that good stuff. Tanner has to go to work, study, mow the lawn, fix the house and sleep. I don't know what we would do without Jonathan. Today, he tagged teamed with me and changed a couple of diapers and handed out drinks and snacks. Of course, it doesn't seem like much when I write it down, but I am so thankful that he is around to help pick up some of the slack.
Today was one of the gray, rainy days that are so familiar to Northwesterners. I pulled on a pair of pants and a sweater this morning, but after a mere 1/2 hour, I felt sticky and hot, so I changed into a t-shirt and jeans and finished making the granola. An hour later, as I wiped my brow, I decided to open the windows to let some cool, fresh air inside the house. Imagine my surprise when a blast of hot, sticky air hit me. I checked the sky, and it was still cloudy, gray and raining, but it was HOT. I closed the window, turned on the air conditioner and found some shorts. When I checked the weather report this afternoon, it said we had a high of 89. It never stopped raining, and if the girls hadn't been sick, I would have let them play outside with their rubber boots and bathing suits.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
The sweet smells of...autumn?
The grass in our backyard decided to take off like there was no tomorrow, and in the last week or so, it has grown so tall that if I let Reagan out in it, she would be hidden. I use to wonder about that redneck joke: what does a redneck security system look like? Answer: grass so tall you can't see the car or the front porch, so would be burglars would get lost and die of thirst before they ever found their way out again. I've gained a new appreciation for that little joke. Once the first autumn rains hit, the grass just takes off like wildfire. Neatly clipped and groomed lawns suddenly sprout green oceans of grass and slumbering wild flowers wake up and give us nodding blooms.
I was saying that since the grass has grown so tall in our backyard, I've had to send the girls out into the front yard which necessitates my standing or sitting on the front porch watching them. Most parents in this neighborhood don't do that, so I'm sure that I am considered over-cautious, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. So, today, I let the girls outside, grabbed a couple bubble wands and we spent an hour blowing bubbles. It was delicious fun watching Reagan's golden hair whip this way and that as she darted around trying to pop as many bubbles as she could. Even Georgianna participated. She stood on the porch and squealed and squeaked and looked pleased that she got to be outside, too.
The late morning and early afternoon were gloriously sunny. Our concrete porch was warm underneath my barefeet, and the damp smell of freshly cut grass hung in the air. I heard lawn mowers start and stop and restart like a strange automotive chorus. I wondered if Tanner would be able to mow the lawn this week, but didn't like to ask him. I contemplated asking Jonathan, only he hasn't been feeling well lately. So, I sat on the porch and watched the tip of a thunderhead creep toward our house.
A few minutes later I felt the first splash of rain, and watched all the well trained, texas-native children glance up and then scurry into their houses. I called to my wandering girls who clambered up the steps with crestfallen faces. An ominous wind kicked up as I gathered the bubble wands and plastic cups. By the time I had ushered the girls into the house and closed the door a steady rain was falling and the air was cooling down. Perhaps the lawn will get mowed one day, perhaps not, but at least an unmowed lawn is giving me days like this, where I take time out of my studying, baking, cooking and cleaning to watch little hands tickling the underbellies of glistening, wet blossoms of bubbles.
I was saying that since the grass has grown so tall in our backyard, I've had to send the girls out into the front yard which necessitates my standing or sitting on the front porch watching them. Most parents in this neighborhood don't do that, so I'm sure that I am considered over-cautious, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. So, today, I let the girls outside, grabbed a couple bubble wands and we spent an hour blowing bubbles. It was delicious fun watching Reagan's golden hair whip this way and that as she darted around trying to pop as many bubbles as she could. Even Georgianna participated. She stood on the porch and squealed and squeaked and looked pleased that she got to be outside, too.
The late morning and early afternoon were gloriously sunny. Our concrete porch was warm underneath my barefeet, and the damp smell of freshly cut grass hung in the air. I heard lawn mowers start and stop and restart like a strange automotive chorus. I wondered if Tanner would be able to mow the lawn this week, but didn't like to ask him. I contemplated asking Jonathan, only he hasn't been feeling well lately. So, I sat on the porch and watched the tip of a thunderhead creep toward our house.
A few minutes later I felt the first splash of rain, and watched all the well trained, texas-native children glance up and then scurry into their houses. I called to my wandering girls who clambered up the steps with crestfallen faces. An ominous wind kicked up as I gathered the bubble wands and plastic cups. By the time I had ushered the girls into the house and closed the door a steady rain was falling and the air was cooling down. Perhaps the lawn will get mowed one day, perhaps not, but at least an unmowed lawn is giving me days like this, where I take time out of my studying, baking, cooking and cleaning to watch little hands tickling the underbellies of glistening, wet blossoms of bubbles.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The best kept secret about Texas
This morning, I woke up very late. Tanner and Jonathan had made Kate's breakfast and most of her lunch. I'm not sure how I manged to sleep through all of the noise. It might have had to do with the fact that both Georgie and Reagan ended up in our bed last night. Anyway, I woke up late. I did manage to pack the chocolate pudidng, fruit snacks and apple into her lunch box. I was going to let Tanner take Kate to school because it's on his way to his class, but I decided to quickly get Georgie and Reagan ready because I wanted to do some fabric shopping.
For the harvest party this year, we were thinking of dressing our entire family up as "Silver Bells", and I wanted to find some cheap fabric to see if this idea I had would work.
So, I got the little ones ready and myself ready, and hustled them outside. I came to an exultant, abrupt stop on our front porch, and slowly took a deep breath. A light breeze was rustling the grass, the hibiscus was blooming in vibrant reds, a faint smell of salt wafted along and I had a deep longing for the sand and the waves. It was a balmy 78. I couldn't help but fall in love with Texas all over again. Who cares about six weeks of 100 degree weather, when the rest of the year is just like this? This is the time of barbecues and potlucks, of picnics and harvest dances. I'm curious to see what a pumpkin patch will feel like when we don't have to wear scarves and mittens and worry about the kids being too cold during the hay ride. I can't wait to bundle up the kids in hats and gloves because it's 68 degrees out and just too cold.
Yes, this is the secret time-- the time to linger on the front porch to exchange greetings with our neighbors or dawdle on the corner with the trash bag and wave to the kids on the school bus or even pause at the trunk of the car before unloading groceries to find out what the neighbor next door is cooking up for dinner. This is when we soak in the gentle breezes, experience the better parts of southern hospitality and pass from our time into another time when things moved more slowly and people were people not numbers or cars or jobs.
For the harvest party this year, we were thinking of dressing our entire family up as "Silver Bells", and I wanted to find some cheap fabric to see if this idea I had would work.
So, I got the little ones ready and myself ready, and hustled them outside. I came to an exultant, abrupt stop on our front porch, and slowly took a deep breath. A light breeze was rustling the grass, the hibiscus was blooming in vibrant reds, a faint smell of salt wafted along and I had a deep longing for the sand and the waves. It was a balmy 78. I couldn't help but fall in love with Texas all over again. Who cares about six weeks of 100 degree weather, when the rest of the year is just like this? This is the time of barbecues and potlucks, of picnics and harvest dances. I'm curious to see what a pumpkin patch will feel like when we don't have to wear scarves and mittens and worry about the kids being too cold during the hay ride. I can't wait to bundle up the kids in hats and gloves because it's 68 degrees out and just too cold.
Yes, this is the secret time-- the time to linger on the front porch to exchange greetings with our neighbors or dawdle on the corner with the trash bag and wave to the kids on the school bus or even pause at the trunk of the car before unloading groceries to find out what the neighbor next door is cooking up for dinner. This is when we soak in the gentle breezes, experience the better parts of southern hospitality and pass from our time into another time when things moved more slowly and people were people not numbers or cars or jobs.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Dr. Appt.
Never thought I'd be so happy to hear him say, "she has a stomache virus."
I truly believe Jesus answered all of your prayers, and that he somehow miraculously protected Georgie from this very dangerous strain of flu. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. The flue season is just getting started in Texas. They closed down Huntsville schools because 14% of the student body is sick with the swine flu and over half of the staff is sick as well. Huntsville is about 30 miles away from us. We are hoping to avoid the swine flu until the vaccine is available next week. Please remember to pray for Reagan and Kate since they come in contact with other kids on a very regular basis.
I truly believe Jesus answered all of your prayers, and that he somehow miraculously protected Georgie from this very dangerous strain of flu. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. The flue season is just getting started in Texas. They closed down Huntsville schools because 14% of the student body is sick with the swine flu and over half of the staff is sick as well. Huntsville is about 30 miles away from us. We are hoping to avoid the swine flu until the vaccine is available next week. Please remember to pray for Reagan and Kate since they come in contact with other kids on a very regular basis.
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