mountain man brother of mine called me last night to inform me of the message my grayce left on his phone.
"cam, this is grayce. my mom is pregnant. they just told us today and apparently she has known about it for 11 weeks! i think my dad was in on it too because when they told us, he had the video camera going."
we gathered them round with a lovely golden egg containing one beautiful ultra sound picture. we told them it was an egg the easter bunny forgot (we do our hunt on saturday). they opened the egg and grayce asked with a very eight year old voice why on earth we would put an ultra sound picture of one of them in an egg. scotty told them to look at the date on the picture. it read 3/16/2010. she loudly declared:" the third month, the sixteenth day 2010, YOU'RE PREGNANT!"
i was very impressed with her excitement as well as her ability to recite the day!
info. 10/24/10
sick as a dog and know it is worth every second ;)
we are incredibly happy, and weepy. this is very anticipated good news.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
firstborn
the first born is always, always that "one". however their little spirit comes out, it is your first, your guideline, your "normal". the redhead and i are both the first born in our families, so our little hearts go out to our beautiful daughter. the world revolved around her for 2 years and 4 months. the one time i got upset with her before easton was born was a cold camping trip that she insisted on getting up before the sun and before firewood could be fetched for a fire. it is one of those moments that i relive and regret often. i was so sick and pregnant with easton and it was so cold. i confess that my austrailan blood filled it's hell and damn quota before the sun rose. such shame. when your heart expands to love another little person, often times it comes with a price and cost of patience for the one before.
we are going thru change with grayce like the lion and lamb reference to march. except, i never know which day will be what. some days a lamb and i can tolerate her 8 year old antics and not roll my eyes, other days, well. i am scared stupid for the teenage years. where's my magic wand that shrinks and brings back my baby? really. it is not fair. she has a crush on a boy all of the time. what does that say about our parenting? really? she tells everyone she knows that she has a crush on this mop headed ruffian. i bite my tongue, encourage reading with a fresh supply of new books monthly, encourage her to play with the neglected guinea pig, i sic ella on her to play dolls. she is changing and reminds me daily that she is a "mature young adult"as she puts it. before long, womanhood will be descending upon that sweet body and my tears will stain my pillow for the trail of childhood she is leaving in her wake of mature young adulthood. there's the lion.
my lamb days with her include tales of playground rhetoric, the classroom guinea pigs she spoils into oblivion, her discovery of judy bloom, her packing of "a light in the attic" by shel sivlerstein everywhere she has 5 minutes to read, brushing her long locks every morning asking what she wants me to create with them, her love of choir that beckons her out of bed at 6:50 am 2 days a week. those are my lambs. her love of american idol and her dreams that are laced with a victory in her name. there is always something to hold on to. there is also always something to be worked on. at the end of every day at my review of days activities on bended knee, some heaviness hangs around my heart wondering how i could have done better.
last weekend i was ready for a cup to be filled with some inspiration, some reading bliss. i wanted reality, not escape. i wandered down to the local mormon discount store and stumbled upon the book "the mother in me". it is a compilation of essays that the writers and contributors at seagullah had compiled. it was at the very back on a severely discounted table and to that i thought, oh darn, what a great idea. obviously it wasn't good if it is already appearing on the discount isle at the already discounted shop. at $4.99 something told me to take a risk. i holed myself up in my bedroom and dove in. two hours later i was basking in a fulfilling feeling. i felt so refreshed and so inspired. many of the essays touched me, but one in particular has lingered and wrapped itself around my heart with its truthfulness.
it was one talking about the ups and downs of toddler hood. the hopes and dreams a parent holds for a child. the responsibility that can often times become burdensome and tiring with the expectation of ones self. in her murky self criticism the thought very clearly occurred to her that a father in heaven also claims that divine responsibility of parenthood. she contemplated his role and his amazing ability to not take on any of our imperfections when we fail as his children. he stays the same, constant thru our error and our faults. he doesn't demote himself because of our frailties or bad decisions but remains still and constant thru them. the essay is incredibly beautiful and i can whole heartedly recommend the book. it was so profound for me as an imperfect mother that often times finds sadness at the end of the day because of how i responded to my kids and took their missing library book as my neglect or fault. she also cited the fact that our father in heaven knew these babies wouldn't be coming to perfect homes, he knew that they would be immersed in imperfection but counting on us to show these spirits firsthand how the atonement works.
it's been in my heart, those thoughts. it's helping me to be the kind of mom that doesn't feel bad for grayce because she is the firstborn. it left me feeling hopeful that she is seeing the full spectrum of human emotion and imperfection and that at the end of the day and the beginning of the week, i kneel and i attend so that i can more fully understand that garden and how a father in heaven beckons with love.
Friday, March 19, 2010
cool
my mom pointed this one out to me a couple of months ago and i have subsequently seen it pop up many times since. this is one of my very favorite messages. it touches every single heart string i have. enjoy, and grab a tissue. i am usually a puddle on the the floor by the messages end.
click here
click here
Thursday, March 11, 2010
free
guinea pig. the last watering and feeding of our bella was missed yesterday. in keeping in line with the parenting with love and logic concepts, this yellow lover of oranges is yours if you'd like.
poor grayce lou. has to learn sometime, right?
free food, cage, house cover, transporter, water bottle,cage liner, ball dealio, and even some oranges.
yellow fur, name is bella, squeaks when she eats, once a week cage cleaning required. little kids get a kick out of her, she is a runner and darter in her cage. oh, and the "she" business. that cannot be confirmed or denied. i just might not suggest mixing with another one unless you were hip on babies.
holler. scott4heidi@aol.com
poor grayce lou. has to learn sometime, right?
free food, cage, house cover, transporter, water bottle,cage liner, ball dealio, and even some oranges.
yellow fur, name is bella, squeaks when she eats, once a week cage cleaning required. little kids get a kick out of her, she is a runner and darter in her cage. oh, and the "she" business. that cannot be confirmed or denied. i just might not suggest mixing with another one unless you were hip on babies.
holler. scott4heidi@aol.com
Sunday, February 28, 2010
nowhere else
yesterday was this large conference i talked about in my last post. it is kind of the rage in utah. conferences put on by professionals for women. just for her. they have classes on every kind of female interest one can think of. our local stake adopted this concept and planned a large spiritual gathering for 300+ women. we had marriage therapists lined up, scholars in scripture, mothers sharing parenting and grand parenting ideas, food prep instruction, how to keep our homes protected from the world and so on. the final speaker came with marvelous accolades to her name. hers is the job of inspiring women to find out what their talents are, discover the talent that could take them places. she was all fired up, this quiet group of ladies before her. i live in a modest, quiet area. it is hard to crack jokes and get responses i have noticed when i congregate with these stalwart people. i think she had to adjust her presentation for a stone faced, reverent crowd. because my attendance was necessary to place all of the flowers, i attended, trying to select speakers that would fill my inspiration cup.
i was ready to come home with lists of things to change, new ways of loving and doing things, a spring makeover so to say.
it was during the grand finale speaker whose job was to motivate that i had to fill out a survey reflecting my contentedness with life. i filled out my work sheet and looked at my answers. my friends were looking around at each others scores and comparing notes. i had this moment where the speaker was asking women what their wildest dreams were, what their deepest desires were. i heard answers of wildlife photographers, home builders and so on. nothing yesterday resonated with me. nothing was put to paper on my list of things to improve. this motivational speaker only talked to me, didn't really touch me.
when i came home and was discussing my predicament with my handsome redhead, he was glad i didn't have a list of fix it's for our marriage and parenting skills. one woman that i know that was at the conference commented to me how glad she was that she was past my phase of life and gave me her deepest condolences. i confidently told her that i loved every minute of my life and wouldn't fast forward for anything. my answer to her summed up my feelings as of late.
this main event speaker also asked us to remember when we were little girls and the world was ours, what was it we wanted to do? doctors, teachers, broadway singers.
i played dolls, kitchen, and teacher. i was always the teacher helping with homework or reading to kids. i concurred that i am doing exactly what my little girls heart desired. i am fulfilling every dream i ever could have come up with for myself. and somehow i think that little girl would smile if she could have looked ahead to see the life i live.
by no means am i claiming perfection of self in any way. but i am saying that i know where to find the inspiration needed to move forward as a mother. i know where all of my parenting skills receive refinement and inspiration. i know where my devotion to my husband comes from. i know where my self help is found.
it's found in a garden.
it's found at the empty tomb.
it's found on the raging sea that was calmed.
it's found in the stable with lowly means and humble parents.
it's found with the thought of my mediator and advocate before a loving father.
it's all found in love.
(and in case you are wondering i am home with a sore throat{ed} little fella, missing my worship services, so it feels appropriate to say.............)
AMEN.
i was ready to come home with lists of things to change, new ways of loving and doing things, a spring makeover so to say.
it was during the grand finale speaker whose job was to motivate that i had to fill out a survey reflecting my contentedness with life. i filled out my work sheet and looked at my answers. my friends were looking around at each others scores and comparing notes. i had this moment where the speaker was asking women what their wildest dreams were, what their deepest desires were. i heard answers of wildlife photographers, home builders and so on. nothing yesterday resonated with me. nothing was put to paper on my list of things to improve. this motivational speaker only talked to me, didn't really touch me.
when i came home and was discussing my predicament with my handsome redhead, he was glad i didn't have a list of fix it's for our marriage and parenting skills. one woman that i know that was at the conference commented to me how glad she was that she was past my phase of life and gave me her deepest condolences. i confidently told her that i loved every minute of my life and wouldn't fast forward for anything. my answer to her summed up my feelings as of late.
this main event speaker also asked us to remember when we were little girls and the world was ours, what was it we wanted to do? doctors, teachers, broadway singers.
i played dolls, kitchen, and teacher. i was always the teacher helping with homework or reading to kids. i concurred that i am doing exactly what my little girls heart desired. i am fulfilling every dream i ever could have come up with for myself. and somehow i think that little girl would smile if she could have looked ahead to see the life i live.
by no means am i claiming perfection of self in any way. but i am saying that i know where to find the inspiration needed to move forward as a mother. i know where all of my parenting skills receive refinement and inspiration. i know where my devotion to my husband comes from. i know where my self help is found.
it's found in a garden.
it's found at the empty tomb.
it's found on the raging sea that was calmed.
it's found in the stable with lowly means and humble parents.
it's found with the thought of my mediator and advocate before a loving father.
it's all found in love.
(and in case you are wondering i am home with a sore throat{ed} little fella, missing my worship services, so it feels appropriate to say.............)
AMEN.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
the flower voices
a month or so ago a kind woman in my house of worship approached me. she was soliciting help for a large women's conference for the area. she was asking my help for the decor. now, i might be into architecture like there's no tomorrow, but my house sits empty waiting for the right furniture and just the right wall decor. i readily accepted the assignment because i was in my house of worship which usually puts one in a very nice mood. when i got home i wondered what i had done. those who know me know that i don't do crafty or cute{sie}. i don't have bows anywhere in my house and i don't usually participate in anything involving toll paints. it just isn't me. i am not an accessory woman. i have a few prized broaches, a wedding band and a good pair of sterling earrings but fluffy isn't my thing. i admire a mother who accessorizes herself and her children, don't get me wrong. i have many an accessorizing family members and friends. cute matching bow headed children that i look at admiringly. my disdain only comes from the fact that accessories overwhelm me. really, really overwhelm me. bows and flowers for girls hair laying around my house make me so nervous. i am a strong believer in a good hair cut and a very nice polished look for your hair, and we do have an occasional head band laying around that occasionally makes it on some one's head. all of this said, i am a simpleton in the area of decor and accessories simply because my brain doesn't work that way.
now, being a good mormon woman one is put into the position to decorate a church gym once in a while. your turn will inevitably come. i just thought my confidence in the kitchen would take me places that would altogether avoid the gym decor, but no. not only was i shocked, but all i told also had a gaping jaw. well, forgetting about the frugality of mormons, i envisioned carnations by the truckload with the stems cut off sitting beautifully adorning tables in all white with limes mixed in on a beautiful table runner. that is my idea of simpleton decor. when i sat thru our first meeting i was to find that my budget was consistent with mormon values, putting all of the money on the food, we sure know how to eat. so with a zero budget and 44 tables to decorate with a spanish theme, my mind was ringing tacky. tacky, tacky, tacky.
do you have voices in your head that lead you to crazy decisions? combine that with my problem of passion and focus and i had myself making 1000 paper flowers. 1000, 1000, 1000. it couldn't be less. the voices drove me to do it. by the end i had multiple friends involved cutting, fluffing and consoling in behalf of the 1000 paper flower voices. i am proud to announce that i am now the owner of 1000 paper flowers. they adorned the gymnasium today and i was shocked at the buzz. this non decorator lady entered the world of mormon crafting at its finest. i was asked when my class could be attended.(i might be coming to your next homemaking ;)) i have dates booked out of other women needing these lovelies. all the flowers caused quite a female stir. every mormon stereo type ensued. so now i gladly join the ranks of the mormon crafting mother with my 1000 mexican paper flowers. (and a great case of carpel tunnel from all of the cutting)
a deep thanks to all of my best{ies} who helped make the voices quiet in my head......but mostly the redhead, who did as many as i did. and while we didn't watch the olympics, we listened, focusing all of our eye power on the flowers.......i love you scotty!Tuesday, February 23, 2010
he he he
an apology of sorts for the last post. i have had many a friends thinking it might have been an announcement on my part. so sorry to disappoint. we are in the business of expanding the family but it seems we get to play the waiting game for a bit here. sorry for the alarm!
i was just referring to the fact that all of the contributors on our food blog have had at least one pregnancy each, some two since we started it! it's no wonder we go a bit in between posts. not to mention, most of the gals have husbands in residency, law school or big gun jobs!
but here's to regular posting at our table!
i was just referring to the fact that all of the contributors on our food blog have had at least one pregnancy each, some two since we started it! it's no wonder we go a bit in between posts. not to mention, most of the gals have husbands in residency, law school or big gun jobs!
but here's to regular posting at our table!
Friday, February 19, 2010
a miracle of sorts
but we have started posting again at our food blog. click here
and to our credit, there have been many, many babies born since our haitus. there are seven of us lovelies in fertile condition involved here. be patient ;)
and to our credit, there have been many, many babies born since our haitus. there are seven of us lovelies in fertile condition involved here. be patient ;)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
my birthday wishes
happy happy birthday to my favorite red headed husband. i thought it especially sweet that he sent his mother flowers today with the card reading "thanks for giving birth to me 31 years ago."
really, really sweet.
Friday, January 15, 2010
white subway tile for sale
when we took on this house building project there were certain absolutes.
subway tile was one of them. it was outrageuosly priced in my local area so i took to the www.
i was pleased to find a great price if we bought 1440 sq feet. it was cheaper that paying full price around town (not to mention it was back ordered for 5 months around town) but i only needed 350 sq feet.
here are some pictures of how i obsessively used it also.
subway tile was one of them. it was outrageuosly priced in my local area so i took to the www.
i was pleased to find a great price if we bought 1440 sq feet. it was cheaper that paying full price around town (not to mention it was back ordered for 5 months around town) but i only needed 350 sq feet.
so we find ourselves with incredible amounts of leftovers but it was worth saving money.
so here is our ad (click here). if you are interested in buying some subway tile, we are here for you ;)here are some pictures of how i obsessively used it also.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
wedded bliss in beer and cheese country
the red head had wonderful classmates back east. i was worried for the poor lad that he might not have any friends. i mean, hello, 25 year old kid with a wife AND TWO toddlers in tow. awkward. His class was full of ambitious young (mostly single kids).
i was ever wrong. being that the red head's specialty is nice, he was very happy with his circle of friends. a couple in particular. j, rough, raised in the bronx and italian irish. here in the rockies we don't refer to our roots like they do in NYC. it is serious business. i knew j was italian the minute i met him, just as i am sure he knew i was a mormon without horns. it wasn't the kisses on the cheek that gave him away or the thick accent, but his look, i just knew.
j , scott and rox, another classmate, were study buddies. thru the year my red headed husband could tell there was some love in the air although they might not have admitted it for almost 2 years. we were thrilled to find out these two were getting married and that we were invited.
they made our utah love story seem silly. j took rox to italy to propose, they planned this wedding for a year and a half and i am telling you, it was an event not to be forgotten. j called me a year before the wedding and told me that it was a wedding or a condo in brooklyn, they chose a lavish wedding. i don't think i will ever see anything like it ever again. it was phenomenal.
it started out very early in the morning {3am} to leave for the airport for milwaukee.
as the red head was loading our luggage onto the shuttle bus at the airport i noticed out of the corner of my eye a large but fully clothed in white bum cheek staring at me. i started laughing and told the red head that was real funny wearing ripped up pants to travel in. his whole countenance turned bright red and he realized in our early morning departure he grabbed from the work pants pile instead of the nice regular pile. he informed me that it was the only pair he brought. like a hormonal jr high girl, he had to wear his sweater around his waist for a full day of travel.
once we checked into our hotel, he quickly requested a sewing kit to nip this in the bud, literally. so here you have it, not only can he sew spines, brains and humans, but tada - our family seamstress!
after we settled into our very sleek and modern hotel, we took to touring the city on foot. the city was cold and rainy. i felt bad that their autumn wedding turned into a cold weekend. for all of their planning, sad.
the tent was called into action with all of the rain coming down. the ceremony was held at a local nature center overlooking lake michigan.
that dress. one word. kleinfeld's. yes, that's right.
this cake was a top a lovely round of a tree. it was all very autumnal themed.
the reception was held at the grain exchange. when folks walked up from the cocktail hour to the reception, there were audible gasps. a comparison of the grandeur of this building is comparable to grand central station. it was so glorious.
these two here, they know how to hold a party. i mean. when they were announced into the reception, each wedding party couple had a great dance to accompany the long walk down the stairs to the dance floor. when jason and rox took the floor, they were accompanied by a band of bagpipers to which they danced and jigged for four songs. i cried. it was electric.
it was a lovely weekend. and yes, rox is about 90 lbs. and five foot nothin.
i was ever wrong. being that the red head's specialty is nice, he was very happy with his circle of friends. a couple in particular. j, rough, raised in the bronx and italian irish. here in the rockies we don't refer to our roots like they do in NYC. it is serious business. i knew j was italian the minute i met him, just as i am sure he knew i was a mormon without horns. it wasn't the kisses on the cheek that gave him away or the thick accent, but his look, i just knew.
j , scott and rox, another classmate, were study buddies. thru the year my red headed husband could tell there was some love in the air although they might not have admitted it for almost 2 years. we were thrilled to find out these two were getting married and that we were invited.
they made our utah love story seem silly. j took rox to italy to propose, they planned this wedding for a year and a half and i am telling you, it was an event not to be forgotten. j called me a year before the wedding and told me that it was a wedding or a condo in brooklyn, they chose a lavish wedding. i don't think i will ever see anything like it ever again. it was phenomenal.
it started out very early in the morning {3am} to leave for the airport for milwaukee.
as the red head was loading our luggage onto the shuttle bus at the airport i noticed out of the corner of my eye a large but fully clothed in white bum cheek staring at me. i started laughing and told the red head that was real funny wearing ripped up pants to travel in. his whole countenance turned bright red and he realized in our early morning departure he grabbed from the work pants pile instead of the nice regular pile. he informed me that it was the only pair he brought. like a hormonal jr high girl, he had to wear his sweater around his waist for a full day of travel.
once we checked into our hotel, he quickly requested a sewing kit to nip this in the bud, literally. so here you have it, not only can he sew spines, brains and humans, but tada - our family seamstress!
after we settled into our very sleek and modern hotel, we took to touring the city on foot. the city was cold and rainy. i felt bad that their autumn wedding turned into a cold weekend. for all of their planning, sad.
the tent was called into action with all of the rain coming down. the ceremony was held at a local nature center overlooking lake michigan.
that dress. one word. kleinfeld's. yes, that's right.
this cake was a top a lovely round of a tree. it was all very autumnal themed.
the reception was held at the grain exchange. when folks walked up from the cocktail hour to the reception, there were audible gasps. a comparison of the grandeur of this building is comparable to grand central station. it was so glorious.
these two here, they know how to hold a party. i mean. when they were announced into the reception, each wedding party couple had a great dance to accompany the long walk down the stairs to the dance floor. when jason and rox took the floor, they were accompanied by a band of bagpipers to which they danced and jigged for four songs. i cried. it was electric.
it was a lovely weekend. and yes, rox is about 90 lbs. and five foot nothin.
let the countdown begin....
i was thrilled for this option here.
since it seems my holiday 5 {lbs that is} haven't gotten me too down, i think we will make good on this lovely offer.
since it seems my holiday 5 {lbs that is} haven't gotten me too down, i think we will make good on this lovely offer.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
hanamura
friday nights are happiest at our house when a date night with myself and the redhead is achieved. his work schedule allows for it and plus, it was a religion at my house growing up. EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT.PERIOD.
last night i was feeling asian. which at one time i swore once wasabi was consumed it got in my blood and wouldn't leave. but recently we did find a family relation in the area and he happens to be asian. it explained the mysterious tale of my moon eyes and how on our wedding day my red head might have thought his bride turned asian. ( i was smiley that day) i love asian food, especially in the winter time. the trick to a good asian place is lots of fresh vegetables, fresh- no grease. there are a few local places that we have had obsessions with thru the years. windy's is an old favorite. but the problem with it is that it is just that. old. we took my family there once and they were horrified by the old smells and need for remodel. it is a very hot place usually requiring a wait and we haven't been able to go back since the parentals sited this ghastly problem. plus, it can get heavy and greasy.
a couple of weeks ago our friend who i will classify as meat and potatoes told us a funny story about her bosses taking her to a lunch to celebrate her long career with their bank. they took her to a cool little japanese place and ordered edamamae. looked like snow peas to her, so she daintily shoved the whole thing in her mouth chewing endlessly on the tough skin. she had to spit it out after her bosses were bright red and choking from laughter. that was our only recommendation for the place so we decided to give it a whirl last night.
this is why you should all be running to hanamura.
it is right behind the macey's on 36th in the town of O for all you locales.
it was clean, fresh, bright and incredibly inviting. it is family run which makes my heart leap. there are good things going to happen when mom and dad are cooking in the back. it was not stuffy. last month i tried the new TONA, also in our little town, with no desire to go back. too salty, too stuffy and apparently only the raw sushi is fab. the redhead frequents there often with his MD and they gorge on exotic rolls. if this is your thing, tona offers a very wide range of flavor for sushi, but in my opinion not for anything else.
as we were seated we noticed the loyal patrons eating. all knew this cute waitresses life and her parents. the prices were a bit high (17.50 for the delux dinner)so i was planning on being disappointed. i decided to go with the gyoza dinner. you can always tell the quality of a japanese restaurant by the gyoza in my opinion. if there are signs of vegetables united with the ground meat you can be sure it is fresh and not some rubbery mystery meat stuffed inside. and boiled. a good gyoza is gently fried on the outside with a bit of crunch when consumed. we were started with miso soup. i appreciated the light colored bowls that allowed me to see that it was a nice creamy color. one indicator to me of a good fresh restaurant is how their foods are cut. big sloppily cut food usually means a bummy don't care about it kid is on prep duty. the tofu in the soup was daintily and very finely cut.
next the appetizer plate was brought out which was included with the meal. it was brought out by the sweet mother that was so cheery and happy that we were eating her food. it was an incredible array of things which I REALLY LOVED. salad, an amazing prawn that was grilled in the shell, i am assuming brined and served cold, it was amazing. also, asian short ribs on bib lettuce and a plethora of amazing bites. i loved the array. i did not grow up or live anywhere in asia. therefore, my buds are always willing to expand and taste more. it was a great way to taste a great variety of things, it was killer.
our main dish was then brought out. it was beautiful. served with a crab salad sushi roll, gyoza, beautiful tempura on a skewer, and salad with the perfect ginger dressing.
i ate every last crumb. the portions were well thought out and were in no way overwhelming. i left with my appetite so incredibly satisfied i can't stop smiling about it. i talked about it all morning with my red head and now, i share with you. i know this might turn you on to my crazy food passion, but i do like to discuss food, analyze and critique. i can't help it. today i was in charge of a funeral dinner and i think there were some eyes in the kitchen helping that were opened to my silly food passions that lead to intense conversations. i am serious about my food folks!
last night i was feeling asian. which at one time i swore once wasabi was consumed it got in my blood and wouldn't leave. but recently we did find a family relation in the area and he happens to be asian. it explained the mysterious tale of my moon eyes and how on our wedding day my red head might have thought his bride turned asian. ( i was smiley that day) i love asian food, especially in the winter time. the trick to a good asian place is lots of fresh vegetables, fresh- no grease. there are a few local places that we have had obsessions with thru the years. windy's is an old favorite. but the problem with it is that it is just that. old. we took my family there once and they were horrified by the old smells and need for remodel. it is a very hot place usually requiring a wait and we haven't been able to go back since the parentals sited this ghastly problem. plus, it can get heavy and greasy.
a couple of weeks ago our friend who i will classify as meat and potatoes told us a funny story about her bosses taking her to a lunch to celebrate her long career with their bank. they took her to a cool little japanese place and ordered edamamae. looked like snow peas to her, so she daintily shoved the whole thing in her mouth chewing endlessly on the tough skin. she had to spit it out after her bosses were bright red and choking from laughter. that was our only recommendation for the place so we decided to give it a whirl last night.
this is why you should all be running to hanamura.
it is right behind the macey's on 36th in the town of O for all you locales.
it was clean, fresh, bright and incredibly inviting. it is family run which makes my heart leap. there are good things going to happen when mom and dad are cooking in the back. it was not stuffy. last month i tried the new TONA, also in our little town, with no desire to go back. too salty, too stuffy and apparently only the raw sushi is fab. the redhead frequents there often with his MD and they gorge on exotic rolls. if this is your thing, tona offers a very wide range of flavor for sushi, but in my opinion not for anything else.
as we were seated we noticed the loyal patrons eating. all knew this cute waitresses life and her parents. the prices were a bit high (17.50 for the delux dinner)so i was planning on being disappointed. i decided to go with the gyoza dinner. you can always tell the quality of a japanese restaurant by the gyoza in my opinion. if there are signs of vegetables united with the ground meat you can be sure it is fresh and not some rubbery mystery meat stuffed inside. and boiled. a good gyoza is gently fried on the outside with a bit of crunch when consumed. we were started with miso soup. i appreciated the light colored bowls that allowed me to see that it was a nice creamy color. one indicator to me of a good fresh restaurant is how their foods are cut. big sloppily cut food usually means a bummy don't care about it kid is on prep duty. the tofu in the soup was daintily and very finely cut.
next the appetizer plate was brought out which was included with the meal. it was brought out by the sweet mother that was so cheery and happy that we were eating her food. it was an incredible array of things which I REALLY LOVED. salad, an amazing prawn that was grilled in the shell, i am assuming brined and served cold, it was amazing. also, asian short ribs on bib lettuce and a plethora of amazing bites. i loved the array. i did not grow up or live anywhere in asia. therefore, my buds are always willing to expand and taste more. it was a great way to taste a great variety of things, it was killer.
our main dish was then brought out. it was beautiful. served with a crab salad sushi roll, gyoza, beautiful tempura on a skewer, and salad with the perfect ginger dressing.
i ate every last crumb. the portions were well thought out and were in no way overwhelming. i left with my appetite so incredibly satisfied i can't stop smiling about it. i talked about it all morning with my red head and now, i share with you. i know this might turn you on to my crazy food passion, but i do like to discuss food, analyze and critique. i can't help it. today i was in charge of a funeral dinner and i think there were some eyes in the kitchen helping that were opened to my silly food passions that lead to intense conversations. i am serious about my food folks!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
funny face
i do love the show, audrey is brilliant, beautiful and so strong. but these qualify as a funny face also.
thanks ash!
thanks ash!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Mrs. Citizen Take Two
i found myself rushing to wal mart the other day for a few items forgotten for yet another candy making day. i was feeling ill from all of the candy i had consumed in the week which had set off a nasty case of colitis which i became subjected to thru the last pregnancy. (a whole personal post that would make my face red after my recent blogging hiatus.)
hence a shaky mom facing the most unchristmas{y} place on the block. right as i was pulling in to the little planet in and of itself, the world of wally, there was a girl, not more than 16 with some gangly and devious looking friends. this 16 year old girl happened to be pushing a stroller and a stray toddler was tagging behind. now this scene might bear resemblance of normal for the area of town until i paint the part about them being in the middle of the road in no hurry to be safe. i stopped prematurely, trying to muster some christmas nice and let them cross. these "friends" started yelling at one another and going in all different directions. this poor little toddler started following the devious friends into the oncoming lane of traffic until her 16 year old mother grabbed her by the ponytail and dragged her across the road, by her pony tail, dragging her across the road, screaming and crying dragging her by the ponytail, an innocent toddler caught up in the mess.
chalk it up to my new found mrs. citizen self or a case of the christmas blues, but suddenly. my horn was honking at her and thru my closed door window i yelled in that scary voice, "you don't do that!!!" pointing and shaking my hand.
unfortunately this time she yelled words we learned in the ghetto of new haven. my kids were nervous about being in the same car as mrs. citizen and asked why i yelled at the lady. i engaged them in a story about how some moms don't know how to show love or kindness to their kids and are mean. i told them about the incident and how that is not how adults should ever treat children.
my face was hot as a july night in the desert and i was shaking internally with anger. kids have been on my mind as of late. at a young age i knew that i would be lucky to get one. now three miracles later, 4 seems good. i would be happy with 10. you know the drill. sometimes a mothers heart gets pulled in all directions trying to figure out how to collect her family. by now you know i take this family collection stuff seriously. with this very heavy on my mind, this situation seemed all the more saddening to me. here i am, a mother who would love to take that baby in the stroller and the toddler with a pony tail. i would take them and love them, read them stories and tickle their little arms until they fell fast asleep in a safe warm bed where their only worry was what picture to paint when they awoke.
i rushed thru that insane store gathering neatly the needed items and headed for my car. i ran into my mother confessing my mrs. citizen moment that was burning a hole in my heart. the ride home i was determined to do something with this broken heart and this frustration. i was wildly going thru possibilities that i could do that would make the hurt stop. that would make me stop thinking about a little girl who was dragged by her hair that needed a warm fire and a brimming christmas tree with love abounding. in my fury of possibilities i pretended i gathered her up in my arms and took her home with me. we opened presents on christmas morning and talked about the baby jesus.
and then for a moment i thought about the baby jesus. i have been reading from the 4 gospels the past few nights about the miracles that were recorded about this baby. about the fish and the loaves that were enough, the water that calmed, the virgin mary and the babe in the manger that descended below all to be greeted by a faithful woman, a brave joseph and awaiting animals. my thoughts then turned to another bystander that night. the literal father of the babe. i thought about how he watched the dissension below all, a precious son to be given no room at the inn. a father watching brutality and sorrow of a son who trod a lonely path. suddenly i had a place for this hole burning in my heart. i felt christmas. some years pass and we don't get the chance to feel the significance of that lowly manger. i suddenly felt the burden that baby carried as he grew to a man aware of his divine nature. i felt the sorrow and the joy. the joy that adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy. the bystander, that often times i fail to recognize his significant role as a parent, felt the same way i did as he saw that toddler abused. that's why he watched that lowly dissension of his literal son. he knew the price his holy son paid would satisfy the demands of justice and somehow make it up to this toddler and her ponytail. he knows how my heart aches as we try to expand our family through earnest prayer, humble hearts and open minds. he knows. and therefore, he gives us christmas.
hence a shaky mom facing the most unchristmas{y} place on the block. right as i was pulling in to the little planet in and of itself, the world of wally, there was a girl, not more than 16 with some gangly and devious looking friends. this 16 year old girl happened to be pushing a stroller and a stray toddler was tagging behind. now this scene might bear resemblance of normal for the area of town until i paint the part about them being in the middle of the road in no hurry to be safe. i stopped prematurely, trying to muster some christmas nice and let them cross. these "friends" started yelling at one another and going in all different directions. this poor little toddler started following the devious friends into the oncoming lane of traffic until her 16 year old mother grabbed her by the ponytail and dragged her across the road, by her pony tail, dragging her across the road, screaming and crying dragging her by the ponytail, an innocent toddler caught up in the mess.
chalk it up to my new found mrs. citizen self or a case of the christmas blues, but suddenly. my horn was honking at her and thru my closed door window i yelled in that scary voice, "you don't do that!!!" pointing and shaking my hand.
unfortunately this time she yelled words we learned in the ghetto of new haven. my kids were nervous about being in the same car as mrs. citizen and asked why i yelled at the lady. i engaged them in a story about how some moms don't know how to show love or kindness to their kids and are mean. i told them about the incident and how that is not how adults should ever treat children.
my face was hot as a july night in the desert and i was shaking internally with anger. kids have been on my mind as of late. at a young age i knew that i would be lucky to get one. now three miracles later, 4 seems good. i would be happy with 10. you know the drill. sometimes a mothers heart gets pulled in all directions trying to figure out how to collect her family. by now you know i take this family collection stuff seriously. with this very heavy on my mind, this situation seemed all the more saddening to me. here i am, a mother who would love to take that baby in the stroller and the toddler with a pony tail. i would take them and love them, read them stories and tickle their little arms until they fell fast asleep in a safe warm bed where their only worry was what picture to paint when they awoke.
i rushed thru that insane store gathering neatly the needed items and headed for my car. i ran into my mother confessing my mrs. citizen moment that was burning a hole in my heart. the ride home i was determined to do something with this broken heart and this frustration. i was wildly going thru possibilities that i could do that would make the hurt stop. that would make me stop thinking about a little girl who was dragged by her hair that needed a warm fire and a brimming christmas tree with love abounding. in my fury of possibilities i pretended i gathered her up in my arms and took her home with me. we opened presents on christmas morning and talked about the baby jesus.
and then for a moment i thought about the baby jesus. i have been reading from the 4 gospels the past few nights about the miracles that were recorded about this baby. about the fish and the loaves that were enough, the water that calmed, the virgin mary and the babe in the manger that descended below all to be greeted by a faithful woman, a brave joseph and awaiting animals. my thoughts then turned to another bystander that night. the literal father of the babe. i thought about how he watched the dissension below all, a precious son to be given no room at the inn. a father watching brutality and sorrow of a son who trod a lonely path. suddenly i had a place for this hole burning in my heart. i felt christmas. some years pass and we don't get the chance to feel the significance of that lowly manger. i suddenly felt the burden that baby carried as he grew to a man aware of his divine nature. i felt the sorrow and the joy. the joy that adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy. the bystander, that often times i fail to recognize his significant role as a parent, felt the same way i did as he saw that toddler abused. that's why he watched that lowly dissension of his literal son. he knew the price his holy son paid would satisfy the demands of justice and somehow make it up to this toddler and her ponytail. he knows how my heart aches as we try to expand our family through earnest prayer, humble hearts and open minds. he knows. and therefore, he gives us christmas.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
mrs. citizen take 1
growing up, my dad was incredibly regulatory about what our minds inhaled from the tube. we could freely watch any public television shows but anything else required his approval. steve erkel won by a landslide. larry and balki from perfect strangers was always a grey line and full house always won him over with the special time music when the valuable lesson at the end was proclaimed.
taking all of this into consideration, he had some sons. some sons he wanted to scare into being good citizens. while most families would gather on a saturday night for a heart warming movie or a game night, our TV set would be fixed to COPS. it was the beginning of reality tv in my opinion. we would watch with incredible intensity and belt out the theme song, "bad boys bad boys, whatcha gonna do when they come for you". we would laugh and then proceed to watch what would happen if we were ever engaged in civil disobedience. there was never a time for my parents to sit us down and give us any kind of "just say no" talks or anything of the sort, we all knew that the COPS would come for us if we engaged in any such activity.
my dad doesn't put up with garbage and definitely doesn't take the cowardly approach to being a good citizen. one time there was a woman drunk as a skunk exiting our local little caesar's with some tipsy pizzas in hand. my dad got a hold of a cop in no time pointing out the crime as we followed the apprehension all the while singing "bad boys bad boys" in the buick at the top of our lungs. he kept us updated about the DUI and i can say that none of his children have ever had a DUI.
thru the years he has earned the nickname of mr citizen. one time at the local community pool i accompanied my small siblings to the pool to lounge. i was 8 months pregnant with a ribcage condition and the water freed my pain. we went often. as i beached it in the kiddy pool the pool manager let me know my 4 and 5 year old siblings were too old for that small pool. she made us get out and go to the part that was over their heads. my dad was on the phone with her within minutes of our departure. while his complaint was filed, the woman asked who he was. he responded with, " i am mr. citizen. i am a taxpayer who lives in this community and you will not be hassling people anymore". and thus, mr. citizen was born.
call it genetics or whatever you want, but it seems his daughter is falling in line right nice.
last month i was cooking dinner and decided it was time to fetch the kids. i walked out of the house and across the street to the "fort" and told them to come and eat. as grayce followed me in, little bud "e" stayed behind for one more minute of stick finding. as i walked in the house i left the door open knowing the little fellow would be following shortly. as i found myself in the kitchen i heard two screeching wheels coming around the bend to the dead end of our street. it was a pimple faced baby practicing his racing skills with his mom's ford taurus. all of a sudden my sweet boys face came into my mind and i bolted out the door. not knowing what i was going to do all of a sudden i could smell blood. i was out for this kids throat. mrs citizen came to life and was born in the middle of the road. he raced down to the the bottom of the street, squealing on two wheels to turn around and on his way back up he found this newborn mrs citizen in the middle of his path. acting as a times square traffic cop i was waving him to slow down. he quickly snapped his brakes and rolled his window down. i had to control myself to not reach down his throat and remove his gullet with my bare hands. i yelled with a voice i didn't know existed, just like a newborn animal discovering their surroundings. i told him there were kids playing around here and to slow down. there were no vulgar words used to my own surprise. his response was pure fear and he cried out his apologies to me. he looked like a 12 year old david archuleta. he was so dumbfounded by my scolding that when i was done he sat there, not moving. i yelled at him "go!!!!!" he rolled out at negative 5 miles an hour and i am sure his mother wanted to know why her drivers seat was wet.
an hour later i got a call from the only other house on our 14 lot cul de sac. she is the farthest house down. she started by saying "you go girl". she then proceeded to tell my she heard every word of my scolding to him and her doors were all shut, as were her windows. she heard the car coming down and had the phone in her hands as she had watched my kids out playing earlier. fearing some fatality she kept the phone close as she watched this unfold. once she got to a window she could see there weren't any kids in the road but as she watched her enraged neighbor stand in the middle of the street to a speeding car she said she kept it ready to call 911,ready for mrs. citizens short lived life. i counted how many houses on the other side of the street are between us, 8. she heard me that far away.
it is amazing what you pull out of the hat when you are called mom. protection skills of a grizzly come out of a lady wearing a flowery apron.
taking all of this into consideration, he had some sons. some sons he wanted to scare into being good citizens. while most families would gather on a saturday night for a heart warming movie or a game night, our TV set would be fixed to COPS. it was the beginning of reality tv in my opinion. we would watch with incredible intensity and belt out the theme song, "bad boys bad boys, whatcha gonna do when they come for you". we would laugh and then proceed to watch what would happen if we were ever engaged in civil disobedience. there was never a time for my parents to sit us down and give us any kind of "just say no" talks or anything of the sort, we all knew that the COPS would come for us if we engaged in any such activity.
my dad doesn't put up with garbage and definitely doesn't take the cowardly approach to being a good citizen. one time there was a woman drunk as a skunk exiting our local little caesar's with some tipsy pizzas in hand. my dad got a hold of a cop in no time pointing out the crime as we followed the apprehension all the while singing "bad boys bad boys" in the buick at the top of our lungs. he kept us updated about the DUI and i can say that none of his children have ever had a DUI.
thru the years he has earned the nickname of mr citizen. one time at the local community pool i accompanied my small siblings to the pool to lounge. i was 8 months pregnant with a ribcage condition and the water freed my pain. we went often. as i beached it in the kiddy pool the pool manager let me know my 4 and 5 year old siblings were too old for that small pool. she made us get out and go to the part that was over their heads. my dad was on the phone with her within minutes of our departure. while his complaint was filed, the woman asked who he was. he responded with, " i am mr. citizen. i am a taxpayer who lives in this community and you will not be hassling people anymore". and thus, mr. citizen was born.
call it genetics or whatever you want, but it seems his daughter is falling in line right nice.
last month i was cooking dinner and decided it was time to fetch the kids. i walked out of the house and across the street to the "fort" and told them to come and eat. as grayce followed me in, little bud "e" stayed behind for one more minute of stick finding. as i walked in the house i left the door open knowing the little fellow would be following shortly. as i found myself in the kitchen i heard two screeching wheels coming around the bend to the dead end of our street. it was a pimple faced baby practicing his racing skills with his mom's ford taurus. all of a sudden my sweet boys face came into my mind and i bolted out the door. not knowing what i was going to do all of a sudden i could smell blood. i was out for this kids throat. mrs citizen came to life and was born in the middle of the road. he raced down to the the bottom of the street, squealing on two wheels to turn around and on his way back up he found this newborn mrs citizen in the middle of his path. acting as a times square traffic cop i was waving him to slow down. he quickly snapped his brakes and rolled his window down. i had to control myself to not reach down his throat and remove his gullet with my bare hands. i yelled with a voice i didn't know existed, just like a newborn animal discovering their surroundings. i told him there were kids playing around here and to slow down. there were no vulgar words used to my own surprise. his response was pure fear and he cried out his apologies to me. he looked like a 12 year old david archuleta. he was so dumbfounded by my scolding that when i was done he sat there, not moving. i yelled at him "go!!!!!" he rolled out at negative 5 miles an hour and i am sure his mother wanted to know why her drivers seat was wet.
an hour later i got a call from the only other house on our 14 lot cul de sac. she is the farthest house down. she started by saying "you go girl". she then proceeded to tell my she heard every word of my scolding to him and her doors were all shut, as were her windows. she heard the car coming down and had the phone in her hands as she had watched my kids out playing earlier. fearing some fatality she kept the phone close as she watched this unfold. once she got to a window she could see there weren't any kids in the road but as she watched her enraged neighbor stand in the middle of the street to a speeding car she said she kept it ready to call 911,ready for mrs. citizens short lived life. i counted how many houses on the other side of the street are between us, 8. she heard me that far away.
it is amazing what you pull out of the hat when you are called mom. protection skills of a grizzly come out of a lady wearing a flowery apron.
anyone there....
as of today, december 19, we now have internet at the house.
merry christmas
thrilling. and horrifying.
i have been without internet for 5 months. only mandatory sessions at my mom's to clear my email account. like feeling important does include hearing aol tell you about your email and seeing 253 new messages. i have only skimmed the past few months and all of this seems like a new language to me. being absent from this bloggosphere for a bit has made me a real gal completely taking the cyber gal from me.
i can't imagine that people read my blog to find out what i am doing and enjoy it. it is a funny thing the www. i keep thinking really, there is a world where people want to see what i did over the weekend and see pictures and i in return will want to read about theirs? stunning. and then i think, glory be, i have shown a picture of my bathroom over this vast black hole, kind of horrifying with this long absence. it has made me red in the face thinking that i have shared personal stuff in to the black hole for anyone to see. and now, i know how my grandmother feels when i tell her about blogging.
my self proclaimed writer self will come back. i do have some great stories to tell. i turned into mrs. citizen this past fall which included 2 stories about my screaming self to bystanders. me? really? it will come out....
merry christmas
thrilling. and horrifying.
i have been without internet for 5 months. only mandatory sessions at my mom's to clear my email account. like feeling important does include hearing aol tell you about your email and seeing 253 new messages. i have only skimmed the past few months and all of this seems like a new language to me. being absent from this bloggosphere for a bit has made me a real gal completely taking the cyber gal from me.
i can't imagine that people read my blog to find out what i am doing and enjoy it. it is a funny thing the www. i keep thinking really, there is a world where people want to see what i did over the weekend and see pictures and i in return will want to read about theirs? stunning. and then i think, glory be, i have shown a picture of my bathroom over this vast black hole, kind of horrifying with this long absence. it has made me red in the face thinking that i have shared personal stuff in to the black hole for anyone to see. and now, i know how my grandmother feels when i tell her about blogging.
my self proclaimed writer self will come back. i do have some great stories to tell. i turned into mrs. citizen this past fall which included 2 stories about my screaming self to bystanders. me? really? it will come out....
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
mysterious{ness} of sisterhood
i was a budding sophomore in high school before i was blessed with a sister relationship. we waited and waited for the two caboose children born to our family after 10 anxious years of waiting for their glorious arrival. there was the first family, myself and 3 brothers born in a five year span. then... 2 caboose children born just 12 months apart. we were all thrilled with their arrival.
i had always dreamed of having a sister. always dreamed of sharing clothes. doing make up. all things girl. why my lovely neighboring household boasted 4 sisters. e,h,j and s. wonderful girls that were always calm, played barbies and other magnificent girl activities that made it very apparent that our household was lacking the female variety in quantity.
imagine the honeymooning phase of sisterhood i embarked upon as a teenager to get a sister. it was worth the long wait and certainly void of any indifference expressed in a normal sisterhood other peers had expressed disdain with.
my red headed mate only experienced the male variety growing up. with a family boasting 4 strapping boys he never saw the effects of sisterhood. why when we were first married as we were getting ready for church one sunday, he tried expressing his admiration over my lovely church apparel which turned out to be a slip. he had a modest mother who never let on to such feminine secrets.
at the news that our third bundle of joy was going to be all female, i was thrilled with the prospect of have 2 sisters under my roof. thrilled. being such new territory my limited experience and naivety was a bad combination. upon seeing 2 female personalities develop at our house there are lots of weary glances exchanged between the red head and i. as sweet as the tender moments exchanged they are very dramatic and well, girl.
the other day i found myself in the garage working on my year long project of the rescued buffet. the door was opened and i could hear the girls setting up for a lovely tea party to discuss the fate of the boxed up halloween decor. "winds of love" was fetching some pumpkin chocolate chip bread for herself and offered the gesture to "hella" while they embarked on serious planning discussion. before i knew it there was what i thought to be squeals of delight at the prospect of a tea party. i was soon educated on the squealing only to find "winds of love" had been trapped in the jaws of "hella". "hella" wanted grayce's square of cake and was not going to wait. when grayce refused giving her peice up, hella took matters into her own hands, or teeth actually, and hunkered down on sisters biceps.
i doctored the wound with an ace bandage holding an ice pack to help the swelling. it was a gory battle wound fitting for a halloween horror show.
later that night we were fetching supplies for grayce's costume at the local emporium. she had brought her own money and upon remembering that the little devil would turn three on october 18, as hella will tell you, she decided it would be appropriate to spend all her funds on matching webkinz they could play with. my jaw dropped to the floor as i watched her struggle to get her money out with her injured arm. had she so quickly forgotten that this devil of a sister nearly caused an ER visit that could have entailed sewing a chunk of skin back on to make her whole? i almost felt the need to remind her but bit into my tongue that was bleeding by the time the venture was coming to an end.
i mulled the days activities over in my mind countless times looking for the eternal principle found here. last night as i was going over holy scripture, i came upon a chapter heading that answered my question. it declares, "faith is a hope which is not seen which is true." maybe this is far fetched for some, but my minuscule mind was opened and i saw with the innocence of my gracye. she knows the eternal bind she shares with ella can't be stopped by a bite or mean words. and it reminded me of my hope and faith in the sisterhood i share with paige. it goes beyond bites and fights. it is faith and hope that lace our relationship and pulls us together in the perils of life..
i had always dreamed of having a sister. always dreamed of sharing clothes. doing make up. all things girl. why my lovely neighboring household boasted 4 sisters. e,h,j and s. wonderful girls that were always calm, played barbies and other magnificent girl activities that made it very apparent that our household was lacking the female variety in quantity.
imagine the honeymooning phase of sisterhood i embarked upon as a teenager to get a sister. it was worth the long wait and certainly void of any indifference expressed in a normal sisterhood other peers had expressed disdain with.
my red headed mate only experienced the male variety growing up. with a family boasting 4 strapping boys he never saw the effects of sisterhood. why when we were first married as we were getting ready for church one sunday, he tried expressing his admiration over my lovely church apparel which turned out to be a slip. he had a modest mother who never let on to such feminine secrets.
at the news that our third bundle of joy was going to be all female, i was thrilled with the prospect of have 2 sisters under my roof. thrilled. being such new territory my limited experience and naivety was a bad combination. upon seeing 2 female personalities develop at our house there are lots of weary glances exchanged between the red head and i. as sweet as the tender moments exchanged they are very dramatic and well, girl.
the other day i found myself in the garage working on my year long project of the rescued buffet. the door was opened and i could hear the girls setting up for a lovely tea party to discuss the fate of the boxed up halloween decor. "winds of love" was fetching some pumpkin chocolate chip bread for herself and offered the gesture to "hella" while they embarked on serious planning discussion. before i knew it there was what i thought to be squeals of delight at the prospect of a tea party. i was soon educated on the squealing only to find "winds of love" had been trapped in the jaws of "hella". "hella" wanted grayce's square of cake and was not going to wait. when grayce refused giving her peice up, hella took matters into her own hands, or teeth actually, and hunkered down on sisters biceps.
i doctored the wound with an ace bandage holding an ice pack to help the swelling. it was a gory battle wound fitting for a halloween horror show.
later that night we were fetching supplies for grayce's costume at the local emporium. she had brought her own money and upon remembering that the little devil would turn three on october 18, as hella will tell you, she decided it would be appropriate to spend all her funds on matching webkinz they could play with. my jaw dropped to the floor as i watched her struggle to get her money out with her injured arm. had she so quickly forgotten that this devil of a sister nearly caused an ER visit that could have entailed sewing a chunk of skin back on to make her whole? i almost felt the need to remind her but bit into my tongue that was bleeding by the time the venture was coming to an end.
i mulled the days activities over in my mind countless times looking for the eternal principle found here. last night as i was going over holy scripture, i came upon a chapter heading that answered my question. it declares, "faith is a hope which is not seen which is true." maybe this is far fetched for some, but my minuscule mind was opened and i saw with the innocence of my gracye. she knows the eternal bind she shares with ella can't be stopped by a bite or mean words. and it reminded me of my hope and faith in the sisterhood i share with paige. it goes beyond bites and fights. it is faith and hope that lace our relationship and pulls us together in the perils of life..
Thursday, October 8, 2009
hollywood here we come
last year my "winds of love" got the chance to play Lady Macbeth. we lucked out and got a teacher who lets her 2nd grade students perform shakespeare every year.
the local news station was at the school yesterday and my lovely got to do her little line and showcase her drum skills. we had to be to the school by 6:30 am which was almost the death of me. my inner self wanted to roll out of bed and go in a hat, my worldly outer self wouldn't let that happen. so, i was up far too early round brushing my mane......the threat of being caught for one millisecond on camera in a hat and no make up got my hind quarters out of bed far too early.
you can view here. our beauty in her orange dress is in clips 3 and 5. 3 is her lady Macbeth debut and 5 are her drum skills......
and i guess her speech impediment that i love with all my heart is pretty obvious in her Shakespearean lingo, but i am in love with it. i hope she keeps her lisp all the days of her life.
did i ever tell you the story about the meeting the school requested my presence at over my daughter's special education?
i have been meaning to and i hope i don't offend. please read with a light heart.
last year about the spring quarter i got a letter that informed me of a meeting to take place with the principal, "winds of love"'s teacher, and the special education teacher. our daughter hasn't attended any special classes and as far as i knew her grades were great. i hadn't noticed any problems and was sick to my stomach reading this letter thinking something was wrong and why on earth would the school pick up on it and not me? good gravy trains.....
the meeting was 3 weeks away. a normal person would have called the school asking about why they think my lovely needed special education. but i stewed and worried instead. it's my love of ulcers i guess.
the time came for the meeting and i went with sweaty palms. i went to the instructed room number with my daughter and waited for the dignitaries to join us. i was shaking and thought i just may vomit from worry that something was seriously wrong. i mean the principal was there, hello.
the meeting started and i listened to the special education teacher talk about how they had tested my daughter for speech, recognition, speaking interactions and such and how she had failed and tested in the handicap range for 23 sounds. i was sweating and horrified until 15 minutes into the meeting i realized they were telling me in a most politically correct way that my daughter had a lisp. at that point i had to put my hand over my mouth as this team of people were talking about how we can correct her handicap. i was stifling my giggles and trying not to soil my shorts i was giggling on the inside so hard.
then they showed me what she qualified for from federal funding because of here severe handicap and please sign here so we can receive a check every month she is in therapy. and oh, she will need at least a year of extensive training and correction. i then found out that this "special education teacher" was a speech pathologist. at that point it seemed that particular parenting ulcer of the month could have been completely avoided.
nonetheless. i was concerned that my beloved had heard them refer to her speaking as handicap and was worried. i talked to her afterwards about it and she promised to work hard at speech therapy. i secretly wished that she wouldn't, because after all, one of my favorites blogs for people with lisps. and where would we be without her?
the local news station was at the school yesterday and my lovely got to do her little line and showcase her drum skills. we had to be to the school by 6:30 am which was almost the death of me. my inner self wanted to roll out of bed and go in a hat, my worldly outer self wouldn't let that happen. so, i was up far too early round brushing my mane......the threat of being caught for one millisecond on camera in a hat and no make up got my hind quarters out of bed far too early.
you can view here. our beauty in her orange dress is in clips 3 and 5. 3 is her lady Macbeth debut and 5 are her drum skills......
and i guess her speech impediment that i love with all my heart is pretty obvious in her Shakespearean lingo, but i am in love with it. i hope she keeps her lisp all the days of her life.
did i ever tell you the story about the meeting the school requested my presence at over my daughter's special education?
i have been meaning to and i hope i don't offend. please read with a light heart.
last year about the spring quarter i got a letter that informed me of a meeting to take place with the principal, "winds of love"'s teacher, and the special education teacher. our daughter hasn't attended any special classes and as far as i knew her grades were great. i hadn't noticed any problems and was sick to my stomach reading this letter thinking something was wrong and why on earth would the school pick up on it and not me? good gravy trains.....
the meeting was 3 weeks away. a normal person would have called the school asking about why they think my lovely needed special education. but i stewed and worried instead. it's my love of ulcers i guess.
the time came for the meeting and i went with sweaty palms. i went to the instructed room number with my daughter and waited for the dignitaries to join us. i was shaking and thought i just may vomit from worry that something was seriously wrong. i mean the principal was there, hello.
the meeting started and i listened to the special education teacher talk about how they had tested my daughter for speech, recognition, speaking interactions and such and how she had failed and tested in the handicap range for 23 sounds. i was sweating and horrified until 15 minutes into the meeting i realized they were telling me in a most politically correct way that my daughter had a lisp. at that point i had to put my hand over my mouth as this team of people were talking about how we can correct her handicap. i was stifling my giggles and trying not to soil my shorts i was giggling on the inside so hard.
then they showed me what she qualified for from federal funding because of here severe handicap and please sign here so we can receive a check every month she is in therapy. and oh, she will need at least a year of extensive training and correction. i then found out that this "special education teacher" was a speech pathologist. at that point it seemed that particular parenting ulcer of the month could have been completely avoided.
nonetheless. i was concerned that my beloved had heard them refer to her speaking as handicap and was worried. i talked to her afterwards about it and she promised to work hard at speech therapy. i secretly wished that she wouldn't, because after all, one of my favorites blogs for people with lisps. and where would we be without her?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
adjusting...
to this wonderful place. it has been really great to finally be in our new house. we have waited forever to be settled. it is funny how once all of the distractions fizzle life seems to slow down a bit. we had a few months this summer where every day was a new tragedy to figure out how to deal with.
s.mac started his new job and is officially addicted to neuro surgery. he comes home so happy as his hands have been working all day in someones back and brain. he is loving a 4 day a week surgery schedule, really loving it. although his neck has needed some rubbing as he is constantly looking thru the microscope.
our little rocky dog has found happiness 3 doors down as the 2 littlest ones have been on constant albuterol and inhalers since his arrival. our 9 year seach for the perfect dog ended tragically as his hypoallergenic"ness" hasn't proven true at this house. i swear, hold my kids up to a dog and if they can take it you would find a real hypoallergenic dog. luckily we found a great dog that found himself with a waiting list of families to go to. the first one on the list took him and we are hoping they love his great nature as much as we did. the kids have gone to visit him often and are coping with the loss well. still it is sad to know that we won't be a dog family. there are so many benefits to dog loving.
i have to admit to much loneliness as the two oldest are in school. hella and i are getting used to the quiet house for a few hours each day. i have had to stock up on some books and do the same for her. we bought her first set of KUMON the other day and are excited to start that.
we are not quite moved in yet. we needed a mandatory break from crazy, thus no computer service quite yet. it has been crazy to be without computer and tv for almost 6 weeks now and then almost a great vacation. the house has seen so much garden produce pass thru it. last night the red head and i pureed 2 gallons of tomatoes and there is a bushel of peaches waiting to be placed.
my favorite thing so far has been the windows. we are so sad to think they might ever need shutters you know? the views can't be beat. canyon and mountain views thru every window. one of the funny parts about being the lone house in the cul de sac is seeing prospective buyers come thru. every night more cars and then the next night maybe the same people coming thru. we have one family right now with a mirror family like ours. they are looking directly across the street or right next door. how lucky would we be to get some kids next to us. i have had to keep my house tidy as our door seems to be ringing constantly with curious folks. some come to tell us they love the design, others come because they have heard about that kitchen of ours. one such spectator came thru the other night because of the tales she heard of our kitchen. she was a rocky mountain girl wanting stained wood and cupboards adorning every square inch of the walls. i think my non conventional kitchen horrified her as she couldn't even lie about liking it. she just stared in possible horror. suddenly i felt the need to tell her of my funky likings and how i kept saying to myself, what would ina or giada do as i designed it. she just sat with her jaw on the ground.
that said.
i love our house. i love every crazy ceiling line, every willy wonka closet, and every memory we make there. last night i was reading the oldest kids a chapter from where the red fern grows. i loved watching bud "e" listen intently with his eyes so focused on every word telling the tale of big dan and little ann. i love this little space we have to hold our memories we are making as a family!
s.mac started his new job and is officially addicted to neuro surgery. he comes home so happy as his hands have been working all day in someones back and brain. he is loving a 4 day a week surgery schedule, really loving it. although his neck has needed some rubbing as he is constantly looking thru the microscope.
our little rocky dog has found happiness 3 doors down as the 2 littlest ones have been on constant albuterol and inhalers since his arrival. our 9 year seach for the perfect dog ended tragically as his hypoallergenic"ness" hasn't proven true at this house. i swear, hold my kids up to a dog and if they can take it you would find a real hypoallergenic dog. luckily we found a great dog that found himself with a waiting list of families to go to. the first one on the list took him and we are hoping they love his great nature as much as we did. the kids have gone to visit him often and are coping with the loss well. still it is sad to know that we won't be a dog family. there are so many benefits to dog loving.
i have to admit to much loneliness as the two oldest are in school. hella and i are getting used to the quiet house for a few hours each day. i have had to stock up on some books and do the same for her. we bought her first set of KUMON the other day and are excited to start that.
we are not quite moved in yet. we needed a mandatory break from crazy, thus no computer service quite yet. it has been crazy to be without computer and tv for almost 6 weeks now and then almost a great vacation. the house has seen so much garden produce pass thru it. last night the red head and i pureed 2 gallons of tomatoes and there is a bushel of peaches waiting to be placed.
my favorite thing so far has been the windows. we are so sad to think they might ever need shutters you know? the views can't be beat. canyon and mountain views thru every window. one of the funny parts about being the lone house in the cul de sac is seeing prospective buyers come thru. every night more cars and then the next night maybe the same people coming thru. we have one family right now with a mirror family like ours. they are looking directly across the street or right next door. how lucky would we be to get some kids next to us. i have had to keep my house tidy as our door seems to be ringing constantly with curious folks. some come to tell us they love the design, others come because they have heard about that kitchen of ours. one such spectator came thru the other night because of the tales she heard of our kitchen. she was a rocky mountain girl wanting stained wood and cupboards adorning every square inch of the walls. i think my non conventional kitchen horrified her as she couldn't even lie about liking it. she just stared in possible horror. suddenly i felt the need to tell her of my funky likings and how i kept saying to myself, what would ina or giada do as i designed it. she just sat with her jaw on the ground.
that said.
i love our house. i love every crazy ceiling line, every willy wonka closet, and every memory we make there. last night i was reading the oldest kids a chapter from where the red fern grows. i loved watching bud "e" listen intently with his eyes so focused on every word telling the tale of big dan and little ann. i love this little space we have to hold our memories we are making as a family!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
i had to email these
to the appraiser and thought you might like a peek. we are so far from settled. really. i am pooped. sick dog, home loan number 1,234,534 that just can't seem to close, gas leak, water leak, leaky toilet, s.mac gone for teachers camp and youth conference, old car died had to get another dave ramsey get along, need an unexpected $13,000 to close the loan(easy peasy right?), dirt and rock lawn sucks, juan not done painting, can't make up my mind about sending kids to charter school or public (i just want some peace about it), haven't paid homage to northshore pool, no lagoon, no cherry hills, finished life insurance policies. the last few weeks have put me under. there was a couple of hours yesterday that i spent looking blankly out the window.
but then i see a picture of this kitchen, oh mama. it just might be all worth it next week when we get thru this week which entails. an 8 year old party, a baptism, the temple sealing of good friends, temple endowments of a future siter in law, a big wedding dinner, the wedding, the reception, school starting, s.mac's new job, and hopefully our little rocky getting better. he is so sick. everyday i go down hoping he hasn't died thru the night. he got into the plum tree in our yard and ate into a pit and fruit oblivion. he is trying to pass the pits, poor buddy.
anyway, here you go.
but then i see a picture of this kitchen, oh mama. it just might be all worth it next week when we get thru this week which entails. an 8 year old party, a baptism, the temple sealing of good friends, temple endowments of a future siter in law, a big wedding dinner, the wedding, the reception, school starting, s.mac's new job, and hopefully our little rocky getting better. he is so sick. everyday i go down hoping he hasn't died thru the night. he got into the plum tree in our yard and ate into a pit and fruit oblivion. he is trying to pass the pits, poor buddy.
anyway, here you go.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
the hardest part you know.
for my church i have the opportunity to call on willing souls when one might be in need. our area is incredibly stable. babies are a yearly miracle, moves are rare, and we have only a few aged bodies. it has been wonderful when i have even had the chance to call upon people to help in some way or another, and also, very rare.
last week our angel lady in charge of the sisters in the area flitted off for a much needed family vacation. her son was home from a two year stint in russia and a daughter home from a 18 month stint in arizona. they fled for rest and as the angel wings left the town, we fell apart. within hours of her departure, one of the few aged bodies had a heart attack. it was very unexpected and it fell on a family with not a great family support. that is when we get to come into the picture. i called around like a mad woman coming up with a plan to save his wife's sanity. yes, indeed flo was a mess. her husband that had never been ill in all his life discovered his heartburn was the result of a heart that had 30% function. i was the first to take a meal in to her. she needed some adult company as her dinner awaited her. her feeble spirit imparted to me the strength of a 60+ year marriage. she had never been without him and was quite sure life would never be the same. she imparted to me all of her dashed dreams with this new diagnosis. i reassured her that life would go on and now, she would have an entire team to help her feel whole. we arranged lawn care, a cleaning crew, and meals for as long as were needed.
the next night our other unstable feeble bodied nora fell and broke her pelvis.
sweet as grandmas come my tears flowed freely as i called to her hospital room and talked to her and she told me how much she loved me as we ended our call. i could have sworn it was my own grandma the way her voice sounded.
a week full of filling needs, trying to think of what would make their burden light. the arrival of this weekend is serious business. 9 years of dreams are coming true as we move {for the last time E.V.E.R. mind you}. and i mean it we are moving even if it is to a tent in the back yard. with this news circulating around our acquaintances our phone has been full of kind words and deeds offered. i mean really kind. i think more meals have been offered on our behalf then when a baby is born. kindness all around us. you would never believe we are only moving a short half block away. maybe 8 houses up. but oh the kindness. it is hard to take. and that is the hardest part. taking a meal from someone when Wendy's is just down the corner and i am capable of driving down there. it is sure easy to take a meal in when you aren't the one in need. so this weekend i will be on the receiving end of others kindness. i am sure as we lay our heads to sleep in our new abode friday night for the first time, there will be a few tears of gratitude shed for the kindness shown in our behalf and that is the best lesson to be learned. accepting kindness from others.....
last week our angel lady in charge of the sisters in the area flitted off for a much needed family vacation. her son was home from a two year stint in russia and a daughter home from a 18 month stint in arizona. they fled for rest and as the angel wings left the town, we fell apart. within hours of her departure, one of the few aged bodies had a heart attack. it was very unexpected and it fell on a family with not a great family support. that is when we get to come into the picture. i called around like a mad woman coming up with a plan to save his wife's sanity. yes, indeed flo was a mess. her husband that had never been ill in all his life discovered his heartburn was the result of a heart that had 30% function. i was the first to take a meal in to her. she needed some adult company as her dinner awaited her. her feeble spirit imparted to me the strength of a 60+ year marriage. she had never been without him and was quite sure life would never be the same. she imparted to me all of her dashed dreams with this new diagnosis. i reassured her that life would go on and now, she would have an entire team to help her feel whole. we arranged lawn care, a cleaning crew, and meals for as long as were needed.
the next night our other unstable feeble bodied nora fell and broke her pelvis.
sweet as grandmas come my tears flowed freely as i called to her hospital room and talked to her and she told me how much she loved me as we ended our call. i could have sworn it was my own grandma the way her voice sounded.
a week full of filling needs, trying to think of what would make their burden light. the arrival of this weekend is serious business. 9 years of dreams are coming true as we move {for the last time E.V.E.R. mind you}. and i mean it we are moving even if it is to a tent in the back yard. with this news circulating around our acquaintances our phone has been full of kind words and deeds offered. i mean really kind. i think more meals have been offered on our behalf then when a baby is born. kindness all around us. you would never believe we are only moving a short half block away. maybe 8 houses up. but oh the kindness. it is hard to take. and that is the hardest part. taking a meal from someone when Wendy's is just down the corner and i am capable of driving down there. it is sure easy to take a meal in when you aren't the one in need. so this weekend i will be on the receiving end of others kindness. i am sure as we lay our heads to sleep in our new abode friday night for the first time, there will be a few tears of gratitude shed for the kindness shown in our behalf and that is the best lesson to be learned. accepting kindness from others.....
Saturday, August 1, 2009
being peed on
happened to me this day that i had strictly declared to be a mandatory lazy day. now, nowhere in the rule book does it clarify if being peed on ruins a mandatory lazy day, but i will say that i am on the verge of declaring that a distinct possibility. we have been sailing thru the potty training of mom really. i mean, it only adds another iron in the fire to train a small human whose "holding" muscle is really not medically capably strong to "hold it" thru tricky situations. really, mom's in fact learn to know when it is time to sit the child on the throne and cheer lead them into releasing "it". ella is quite taken with the process, wanting to be very involved in the audience of her performance, seeing everything. did i tell you my gag has been weak lately? maybe a puppy and a toddler to train altogether didn't exemplify my best sanity skills. but yes, a very weak gag from this motha. you would think after almost 8 years of mothering my own children this recent venture wouldn't bother me, but oh my friend, the tales i could tell of the gag this week.
on another note, we are moving this week. i mean it. we are.
we were going to move this weekend but then the gas company had to get involved with the leak and all. i just thought someone was having a 24 hour grilling party going on. but indeed no. a leak at our house of gas, all over. took the poor souls nearly 24 hours to restore the house back to normal. i cried when i saw my pretty house covered in yellow do not enter tape, cried a river. but i would much rather yellow tape then the stubble of black mess that could have been left in the wake of a gas leak. yes, yellow tape please.
i am barely hanging on thru this process i tell you. today, it was pajamas all day. it encouraged my red headed husband to get better. he is running a fever and coughing himself into next year. he has been running too hard for too long and it finally caught up with him. he is on bed rest i told him and the 48,965,356 people who have called needing him this weekend. he will not worship tomorrow, he'll not hang mirrors at the new house - no. none of it. he will lay in bed. now,
when i am lazy. i try real hard to live it up. not showering until night, maybe skip a tooth brushing to make it feel festive. my red head lays in bed, showered at the crack of dawn in a polo shirt. he was up early helping at the church with something or the other. he snuck out before i could grab his shirt tails begging him to be lazy. i had to sleep on the couch last night as his dr. ordered him to take some horrendous medicine causing the most atrocious smells to come from that nice husband of mine. every time i went in there i had to wear a mask and fumigate the area. poor lad. poor, poor lad. but i tell you, it could be sticky moving by myself. so i prefer a healthy moving mate. yes, indeed. all his favorite treats were fetched at the store last night to help him have something to look forward to in the midst of his laziness. wish us luck.....
on another note, we are moving this week. i mean it. we are.
we were going to move this weekend but then the gas company had to get involved with the leak and all. i just thought someone was having a 24 hour grilling party going on. but indeed no. a leak at our house of gas, all over. took the poor souls nearly 24 hours to restore the house back to normal. i cried when i saw my pretty house covered in yellow do not enter tape, cried a river. but i would much rather yellow tape then the stubble of black mess that could have been left in the wake of a gas leak. yes, yellow tape please.
i am barely hanging on thru this process i tell you. today, it was pajamas all day. it encouraged my red headed husband to get better. he is running a fever and coughing himself into next year. he has been running too hard for too long and it finally caught up with him. he is on bed rest i told him and the 48,965,356 people who have called needing him this weekend. he will not worship tomorrow, he'll not hang mirrors at the new house - no. none of it. he will lay in bed. now,
when i am lazy. i try real hard to live it up. not showering until night, maybe skip a tooth brushing to make it feel festive. my red head lays in bed, showered at the crack of dawn in a polo shirt. he was up early helping at the church with something or the other. he snuck out before i could grab his shirt tails begging him to be lazy. i had to sleep on the couch last night as his dr. ordered him to take some horrendous medicine causing the most atrocious smells to come from that nice husband of mine. every time i went in there i had to wear a mask and fumigate the area. poor lad. poor, poor lad. but i tell you, it could be sticky moving by myself. so i prefer a healthy moving mate. yes, indeed. all his favorite treats were fetched at the store last night to help him have something to look forward to in the midst of his laziness. wish us luck.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
