Our Gretchie loves fruit, vegetables and meat. No complaints at all about her eating habits. Compare that to Katie who still to this day prefers plain pasta and ham to anything else.
Tonight for a snack Katie had applesauce and Gretchie requested mushrooms. If that wasn't odd enough, she wanted them sauteed in butter.
I'm sure that I may have some odd snacking habits but sauteed mushrooms takes the cake.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
New Recipes
So I tried a couple new recipes for Christmas.
I found a one for Candy Cane cookies in the Nov. 29th issue of Family Circle. They are prettily decorated in the picture accompanying the recipe, mine ended up with a stripe of royal icing down the middle. Royal icing, I've found, tastes much better after the cookies have been frosted and it 'sets' for a good week or so. The cookies themselves were pretty simple, just butter cookies and with the royal icing; perfect with a cup of coffee or hot tea.
The second recipe I tried was from the Pioneer Woman; olive cheese bread. Seriously, if you are a fan of olives, cheese and Italian bread, meander yourself over to her website and use her Recipe Finder to get the recipe - since I made it, the green onions were omitted. I only used half of a loaf (since it was a new recipe and you just never know), using the other half loaf for plain old garlic bread. I did find that the baking time needed extended quite a bit and never did 'brown' but likely would had I used the broiler for a couple minutes. The olive cheese bread was really good and completely disappeared over at my parents' house. I went back for a second piece and was bummed to find the cutting board bare.
The only other things I made were tried and true: chocolate pie with graham cracker crust, almond bark pretzels and peppermint bark.
I found a one for Candy Cane cookies in the Nov. 29th issue of Family Circle. They are prettily decorated in the picture accompanying the recipe, mine ended up with a stripe of royal icing down the middle. Royal icing, I've found, tastes much better after the cookies have been frosted and it 'sets' for a good week or so. The cookies themselves were pretty simple, just butter cookies and with the royal icing; perfect with a cup of coffee or hot tea.
The second recipe I tried was from the Pioneer Woman; olive cheese bread. Seriously, if you are a fan of olives, cheese and Italian bread, meander yourself over to her website and use her Recipe Finder to get the recipe - since I made it, the green onions were omitted. I only used half of a loaf (since it was a new recipe and you just never know), using the other half loaf for plain old garlic bread. I did find that the baking time needed extended quite a bit and never did 'brown' but likely would had I used the broiler for a couple minutes. The olive cheese bread was really good and completely disappeared over at my parents' house. I went back for a second piece and was bummed to find the cutting board bare.
The only other things I made were tried and true: chocolate pie with graham cracker crust, almond bark pretzels and peppermint bark.
We had a lovely Christmas, surrounded by family, and now are content to spend a quiet weekend at home. Erik is working on little stuff around the house, the girls are enveloped in "Underdog" upstairs (thank you Jill & Todd!) and I'm half-watching reruns of British comedies on PBS.
According to my sister-in-law Sara, being a fan of quirky British comedies is a King-thing. My personal favorites are short-lived series from the 1970s - Open All Hours and The Good Life. They played regularly on the Denver PBS station when we lived in Colorado, complete with thick accents, crazy organic living inventions, mustard yellow decor, and long flowy costumes (braless, naturally).
I also love the squiggy group of older men on Last of the Summer Wine, the desperate to be upper-crust Hyacinth Bucket (it's Bou-quet!) with her slum-living sisters from Keeping Up Appearances and the blue-haired Betty Slocombe on Are You Being Served.
I'm not quite sure why they completely make me laugh, even after seeing the same episodes over and over again. Could be the absurdity of the shows, the seemingly random plotlines, the fact that the episodes are nearly 30 minutes long rather than the 22 minute American sitcoms and, of course, being on PBS there are no annoying commercials.
According to my sister-in-law Sara, being a fan of quirky British comedies is a King-thing. My personal favorites are short-lived series from the 1970s - Open All Hours and The Good Life. They played regularly on the Denver PBS station when we lived in Colorado, complete with thick accents, crazy organic living inventions, mustard yellow decor, and long flowy costumes (braless, naturally).
I also love the squiggy group of older men on Last of the Summer Wine, the desperate to be upper-crust Hyacinth Bucket (it's Bou-quet!) with her slum-living sisters from Keeping Up Appearances and the blue-haired Betty Slocombe on Are You Being Served.
I'm not quite sure why they completely make me laugh, even after seeing the same episodes over and over again. Could be the absurdity of the shows, the seemingly random plotlines, the fact that the episodes are nearly 30 minutes long rather than the 22 minute American sitcoms and, of course, being on PBS there are no annoying commercials.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
My wild and crazy husband and girls are outside in this ridiculously cold weather. They just want to see the snow up close and personal for a little bit. Toss the snow around a little, attempt to rebuild the fort that melted last week.
I am quite content to witness the activity from the warmth of the kitchen. I did volunteer to make some hot cocoa to warm their bones when they return, shivering through the front door.
I am quite content to witness the activity from the warmth of the kitchen. I did volunteer to make some hot cocoa to warm their bones when they return, shivering through the front door.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
A Question For You
Out shopping with Angie today, I made a pretty good dent in my Christmas list and have to say that I'm feeling rather Christmasy this evening. So the question I pose to you, my lovely blog readers is: What is your favorite Christmas or Holiday song and why?
Here, I'll start you off with mine, in no particular order.
"O Holy Night" -- it's the big swells of the band, the imagery of the cold and quiet night.
"Silver Bells" -- as sung by my Uncle Eddie, slightly off-beat, Frank Sinatra style.
"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" by Harry Connick, Jr. -- back about a dozen years ago when Pa and I were dating he had the tape "When My Heart Finds Christmas" by Mr. Connick in his car. It was very sweet and romantic to be serenaded on those cold fall evenings. It's still sweet and romantic, just doesn't happen quite so often these busy days.
Alright, now it's your turn.
Here, I'll start you off with mine, in no particular order.
"O Holy Night" -- it's the big swells of the band, the imagery of the cold and quiet night.
"Silver Bells" -- as sung by my Uncle Eddie, slightly off-beat, Frank Sinatra style.
"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" by Harry Connick, Jr. -- back about a dozen years ago when Pa and I were dating he had the tape "When My Heart Finds Christmas" by Mr. Connick in his car. It was very sweet and romantic to be serenaded on those cold fall evenings. It's still sweet and romantic, just doesn't happen quite so often these busy days.
Alright, now it's your turn.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Today has been one of those magically lazy days.
The girls went out to play in the new-fallen snow while Pa pushed the snow off the driveway and sidewalk. Later, the girls and I made pinecone bird feeders and I fixed chicken soup with rice. Lately, I've been getting a lot of good recipes from the Pioneer Woman and modified her Simple Chicken Soup into my own. This time I tripled the vegetables, next time I might get brave and use brown rice in place of white. It does take some convincing but the girls will eat it.
Now the girls are in bed and Pa is watching the Bears-Vikings game. I finally finished stitching the baby quilt I've been working on since May, just need Mom's help to finish the edge. We have taken our turns watching the snow fall, played games and put together jigzaw puzzles.
Overall, a pleasant day at home - and tonight we get to play Tooth Fairy, Katie lost her second front tooth. If only all she wanted for Christmas was her two front teeth...
The girls went out to play in the new-fallen snow while Pa pushed the snow off the driveway and sidewalk. Later, the girls and I made pinecone bird feeders and I fixed chicken soup with rice. Lately, I've been getting a lot of good recipes from the Pioneer Woman and modified her Simple Chicken Soup into my own. This time I tripled the vegetables, next time I might get brave and use brown rice in place of white. It does take some convincing but the girls will eat it.
Now the girls are in bed and Pa is watching the Bears-Vikings game. I finally finished stitching the baby quilt I've been working on since May, just need Mom's help to finish the edge. We have taken our turns watching the snow fall, played games and put together jigzaw puzzles.
Overall, a pleasant day at home - and tonight we get to play Tooth Fairy, Katie lost her second front tooth. If only all she wanted for Christmas was her two front teeth...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
So many things to be thankful for this year --here are a couple of them. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday.
Playing air-guitar to Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Playing air-guitar to Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The little one in her 'indian hat' that she made at preschool/daycare. On the inside of the hat band she has been practicing her Gs.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Hayloft
Not long ago the girls and our nephew were climbing, jumping and running through the hay bales. I stood on the ground, hot and dusty, brushing loose hay off my clothes trying to think back to why this was so much fun. Then, on a whim, I climbed to the top and sat down on a bale. There it was; the calm heavy air, full of the heady sweetness of fresh mown hay.
No dust stirring, a kind of closed-off top of the world. Look out the barn door and you can see so much further than just across the yard; across the acres of corn and beans, up the hill that was likely the origin of the hay, to the distant houses in the east.
As children, all summer long we would spend every possible moment in the hay loft of the old corn-crib. It’s long gone, replaced in purpose by a steel shed. Getting up into the hay loft was an adventure in itself. A ladder with at least one missing rung, dust and tiny pieces of hay swirling down as you climbed up—squint your eyes just-so to keep it all out and still see where you’re going.
We’d occasionally find a couple of eggs left by one of our escapee laying hens. Then it was a challenge to see which of us was brave enough to lean out the wide window and throw it the farthest onto the long, red farrowing shed. If you were really good, you could fling the egg up and over so that it landed on the steep sloped shingles of the hay loft. Victory could not be declared until we called it a day and went to inspect the roof.
The heavy August air did not deter us; we’d sit on the sill of the window, one leg out, shredding pieces of hay with our grubby fingernails declaring territories in the hayloft. I usually settled for something comfortable about halfway up the enormous stack while my siblings were more adventurous and would climb all the way to the top.
I fondly remember lying there – lazy in the heat of the afternoon, bare feet up a bale, kitten sleepily purring next to me, my fingers dancing in the sparkly dust lit up by the sunlight streaming through the roof cracks, arriving straight from heaven, surrounded by the calm, heady sweetness of fresh mown hay.
No dust stirring, a kind of closed-off top of the world. Look out the barn door and you can see so much further than just across the yard; across the acres of corn and beans, up the hill that was likely the origin of the hay, to the distant houses in the east.
As children, all summer long we would spend every possible moment in the hay loft of the old corn-crib. It’s long gone, replaced in purpose by a steel shed. Getting up into the hay loft was an adventure in itself. A ladder with at least one missing rung, dust and tiny pieces of hay swirling down as you climbed up—squint your eyes just-so to keep it all out and still see where you’re going.
We’d occasionally find a couple of eggs left by one of our escapee laying hens. Then it was a challenge to see which of us was brave enough to lean out the wide window and throw it the farthest onto the long, red farrowing shed. If you were really good, you could fling the egg up and over so that it landed on the steep sloped shingles of the hay loft. Victory could not be declared until we called it a day and went to inspect the roof.
The heavy August air did not deter us; we’d sit on the sill of the window, one leg out, shredding pieces of hay with our grubby fingernails declaring territories in the hayloft. I usually settled for something comfortable about halfway up the enormous stack while my siblings were more adventurous and would climb all the way to the top.
I fondly remember lying there – lazy in the heat of the afternoon, bare feet up a bale, kitten sleepily purring next to me, my fingers dancing in the sparkly dust lit up by the sunlight streaming through the roof cracks, arriving straight from heaven, surrounded by the calm, heady sweetness of fresh mown hay.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Metallica
Last night I took Pa to the Metallica concert.
That's right, I'm a loving and thoughtful wife. The concert was really good, I was surprised that I had such a good time. Partly because of the company (Pa!) and also because of the seats. While Pa would have loved hanging out in the mosh pit section, I got the seats from work so we were up above the fray in the suite box. I sneaked in our camera and took a few pictures.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Carving pumpkins!
I'm not much of a pumpkin carver. I think it's the cold gooey stringiness of the guts. I do, however love to take pictures of my kids, husband and in-laws carving pumpkins. :)
Katie & Grandma Diane drawing the pattern.
Pa having a snack. :)
Gretchen taking the scooping out part very seriously.
Daddy carving out the face.
Notice the latex gloves. :)
Gretchen's masterpiece, with a little help from Daddy. Yes, those are black licorice dreadlocks.
Katie's masterpiece, apparently indulged in a little to much red licorice.
Daddy couldn't resist the blank side of Gretchen's pumpkin.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Pumpkin Patch
My sister and I took the girls to a pumpkin patch today. Between the animals, face painting, tractors and playground, we didn't even make it to the pumpkins. Here are some pictures from our very busy day. 
Jill is always up for some aunt-niece fun. :)
By far, the biggest rabbit I've ever seen. 
Ran into some familiar faces, Ryan, Natalie, Elizabeth, Ashley and my girls on top of a straw bale.
Spooky trees
The girls love any kind of arts and crafts sort of thing so making ghosts (or as Gretch says, gos-tez) was lots of fun.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
All About Pa
Admitedly, I 'borrowed' this from Maria. What a great idea to share about the husbands!
Here's a little bit about mine:
1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? CNN, Frontline, anything on the Discovery or History Channel--unless there's a baseball or hockey game on.
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Blue cheese.
3. What's one food he doesn't like? Tomatoes--although he's become a good sport about them being in food, like chili or casseroles. He also won't eat tuna casserole.
4. You go out. What does he order to drink? Fountain Coke is his all-time favorite, though he's also partial to an ice cold beer.
5. Where did he go to high school? Des Moines North.
6. What size shoe does he wear? 13, 11 1/2 in hockey skates.
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Guns and Harley-Davidsons.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? A great Rueben or Philly cheese-steak.
9. What would he eat every day if he could? Hot wings or steak.
10. What is his favorite cereal? Oatmeal.
11. What would he never wear? Anything with any college sports team.
12. What is his favorite sports team? NY Yankees, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens.
13. Who will he vote for? I dare you to ask him--you're in for a discussion. :)
14. Who is his best friend? Me, of course. But really, I'd have to say it's a close tie with his Dad and brothers, my Dad and brothers and the Army buddies.
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Worry.
16. How many states has he lived in? Just 2 states, Iowa and Colorado and several Iraqi provinces.
17. What is his heritage? German, Swedish and don't forget the Scotch-Irish.
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be? White cake with white frosting, German chocolate or if it's been a really good year, coconut cream pie.
19. Did he play sports in high school? Yes, soccer, baseball, hockey, boxing.
20. What could he spend hours doing? Watching/reading the news, reading books by Sonny Barger.
21. Does he belong to any men's organizations? American Legion Post 562 (he's Vice-Commander), 9th Cavalry Association and Special Operations Association.
Here's a little bit about mine:
1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? CNN, Frontline, anything on the Discovery or History Channel--unless there's a baseball or hockey game on.
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Blue cheese.
3. What's one food he doesn't like? Tomatoes--although he's become a good sport about them being in food, like chili or casseroles. He also won't eat tuna casserole.
4. You go out. What does he order to drink? Fountain Coke is his all-time favorite, though he's also partial to an ice cold beer.
5. Where did he go to high school? Des Moines North.
6. What size shoe does he wear? 13, 11 1/2 in hockey skates.
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Guns and Harley-Davidsons.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? A great Rueben or Philly cheese-steak.
9. What would he eat every day if he could? Hot wings or steak.
10. What is his favorite cereal? Oatmeal.
11. What would he never wear? Anything with any college sports team.
12. What is his favorite sports team? NY Yankees, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens.
13. Who will he vote for? I dare you to ask him--you're in for a discussion. :)
14. Who is his best friend? Me, of course. But really, I'd have to say it's a close tie with his Dad and brothers, my Dad and brothers and the Army buddies.
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Worry.
16. How many states has he lived in? Just 2 states, Iowa and Colorado and several Iraqi provinces.
17. What is his heritage? German, Swedish and don't forget the Scotch-Irish.
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be? White cake with white frosting, German chocolate or if it's been a really good year, coconut cream pie.
19. Did he play sports in high school? Yes, soccer, baseball, hockey, boxing.
20. What could he spend hours doing? Watching/reading the news, reading books by Sonny Barger.
21. Does he belong to any men's organizations? American Legion Post 562 (he's Vice-Commander), 9th Cavalry Association and Special Operations Association.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Two Conversations
I had lunch with Jamie the other day and shared this little snippet of our life with little girls. I'll share with you all too.
K: So, G cut her hair on Saturday. Again.
J: Again? (laughter)
K: She was standing there with her hand down to the side, like she was hiding something...
K to G: Whatcha doing?
G: I'm so-so sorry Mommy!
G immediately caves and hands over the scissors with a dozen blond strands hanging from the tip.
K: G! You're not supposed to cut your hair!
K walks to the kitchen to put away the scissors and notices a 1/2 inch wide 6 inch long piece of the butter-colored tresses in the middle of the floor.
K: More?!
G: Mommy! I'm so-so sorry!
J: Maybe she wants to be a hairdresser.
K: Maybe we should keep the scissors up higher.
I couldn't help it. She's so cute that I had to take pictures. The funny thing is that I can't tell if she meant that she was very sorry or kind of sorry!
K: So, G cut her hair on Saturday. Again.
J: Again? (laughter)
K: She was standing there with her hand down to the side, like she was hiding something...
K to G: Whatcha doing?
G: I'm so-so sorry Mommy!
G immediately caves and hands over the scissors with a dozen blond strands hanging from the tip.
K: G! You're not supposed to cut your hair!
K walks to the kitchen to put away the scissors and notices a 1/2 inch wide 6 inch long piece of the butter-colored tresses in the middle of the floor.
K: More?!
G: Mommy! I'm so-so sorry!
J: Maybe she wants to be a hairdresser.
K: Maybe we should keep the scissors up higher.
I couldn't help it. She's so cute that I had to take pictures. The funny thing is that I can't tell if she meant that she was very sorry or kind of sorry!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
A Favorite Thing
In the mail this week, I received my newest issue of Kraft Food & Family and found this beauty. Super easy recipe involving a store-bought pie crust, 4 oz. cream cheese, 3 apples, a little sugar, flour and cinnamon--that's it! Oh, and cool whip. I love it when easy and delicious come together!
I just love apple pie and while they call this a Freestyle Apple Tart, it's close enough to call pie. The recipe calls for 2-3 apples, I used 2 granny smiths and a pink lady, keeping it an all girl pie. I bet you could use other fruit too, like pears, even peaches or plums if you're that's what you like.
If you don't get the magazine, you can sign up for it here www.kraftfoods.com/share. There are always lots of great, easy recipes that are also easy to adjust to whatever you like.
On a side note, as soon as I find the little grey cord that is used to move pictures from my camera to the computer, I'll get some pictures posted.
Also, I'm not sure what's up with the spacing on this thing it just doesn't want to cooperate right now.
** I made this pie/tart a second time this weekend and followed the directions exactly. It didn't taste quite the same and it took me awhile to figure it out. The first time I made it I sprinkled a little cinnamon and sugar on the cream cheese. It made the cheese nice and sweet rather than just cheese.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Too Busy Jumping
Saturday night Pa and I had a little dinner out for my big 33. We went to Bonefish Grill, which we would both highly recommend. Don't make the same mistake we did, though, make a reservation! We're pretty sure that the 'bang bang shrimp' sauce is just sirachi (thai) chili sauce and mayo, thinned out a little.
We got home pretty early, before 10 even, which ended up being a good thing when K was up at 1 with a splitting headache. A dose of tylenol and two hours later she was back up and still in pain. I convinced her to just try to relax and get some sleep but am pretty sure she just tossed and turned until about 6 when she convinced me that she just couldn't try anymore, and then she was unable to keep anything down for the next 12 hours before falling into a deep sleep then waking up this morning bright-eyed and bushy-tailed all ready to go. Apparently a 24 hour bug.
Amazing how quickly she recovered. Tonight she was out kicking the soccer ball with Pa, learning how to bounce it off her head. G and I were practicing letters and numbers with sidewalk chalk. She's getting really good at A, 1, C and G. After about 15 minutes of drawing and asking 'what starts with c' G announced that she was 'too busy jumping' to continue.
That's just it, they're busy jumping and bouncing soccer balls off their heads. For these little girls, there's just too much stuff to do to spend too much time doing anything whether it's resting long enough to make sure you're 100% or sit on the sidewalk and draw with Mom.
It's tiny moments like this that call to mind how thankful I am to have such healthy (for the most part), bright and energetic girls to call my own. It shouldn't just be 'too busy jumping', it should be 'too busy jumping'.*
*so thankful they are mine
We got home pretty early, before 10 even, which ended up being a good thing when K was up at 1 with a splitting headache. A dose of tylenol and two hours later she was back up and still in pain. I convinced her to just try to relax and get some sleep but am pretty sure she just tossed and turned until about 6 when she convinced me that she just couldn't try anymore, and then she was unable to keep anything down for the next 12 hours before falling into a deep sleep then waking up this morning bright-eyed and bushy-tailed all ready to go. Apparently a 24 hour bug.
Amazing how quickly she recovered. Tonight she was out kicking the soccer ball with Pa, learning how to bounce it off her head. G and I were practicing letters and numbers with sidewalk chalk. She's getting really good at A, 1, C and G. After about 15 minutes of drawing and asking 'what starts with c' G announced that she was 'too busy jumping' to continue.
That's just it, they're busy jumping and bouncing soccer balls off their heads. For these little girls, there's just too much stuff to do to spend too much time doing anything whether it's resting long enough to make sure you're 100% or sit on the sidewalk and draw with Mom.
It's tiny moments like this that call to mind how thankful I am to have such healthy (for the most part), bright and energetic girls to call my own. It shouldn't just be 'too busy jumping', it should be 'too busy jumping'.*
*so thankful they are mine
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Soup's On!
It's soup season around our house -- we started a little early this year with just chili and baked potato so far and do have to admit that the baked potato was a cheater mix.
I love Bush's Chili Starter in mild, (we tried the Texas version and it was just right for Pa but too spicy for me) it has sauce, spices and beans, just brown and drain a pound of ground beef (I bet you could use turkey, and we've used cut up minute steaks) add a can of tomatoes and that's it. We usually add some chopped onion and green pepper, too.
A new one to try this year, chicken tortilla and looking for others to give a shot. I might get ambitious and try to make a vegetable or vegetable beef but I know I can't come close to matching my Mom's so I may just wait until she says she's making it. :) I am working on perfecting baking powder biscuits -- made some a week or so ago and they disappeared, and am looking for a nice moist cornbread recipe. Any ideas?
I love Bush's Chili Starter in mild, (we tried the Texas version and it was just right for Pa but too spicy for me) it has sauce, spices and beans, just brown and drain a pound of ground beef (I bet you could use turkey, and we've used cut up minute steaks) add a can of tomatoes and that's it. We usually add some chopped onion and green pepper, too.
A new one to try this year, chicken tortilla and looking for others to give a shot. I might get ambitious and try to make a vegetable or vegetable beef but I know I can't come close to matching my Mom's so I may just wait until she says she's making it. :) I am working on perfecting baking powder biscuits -- made some a week or so ago and they disappeared, and am looking for a nice moist cornbread recipe. Any ideas?
Goal!
Tonight, in her fourth season of playing Park & Rec soccer, K finally made her very first unassisted goal! Woo-hoo! Pa says she had a soccer version of a hat-trick: a goal, an assist and she was yellow-carded. (Not really, they don't yellow card in 2nd grade, but she did "accidentally" trip another player.)
G has trouble concentrating during K's soccer games. The fields/pitches are set up southwest of town with little hills coming off of each field. G likes to roll down the hills and run dizzily back up, to do it over and over the 50 minutes that the game takes. Tonight, silly us, we sat closer to the middle of the field and G was too scared of the other people there to go over and roll down the hill. In her whiny boredom, at one point tonight she lay down on the ground and plucked grass, spreading it all over herself. Ah, to be 3 and so strangely entertained...
G has trouble concentrating during K's soccer games. The fields/pitches are set up southwest of town with little hills coming off of each field. G likes to roll down the hills and run dizzily back up, to do it over and over the 50 minutes that the game takes. Tonight, silly us, we sat closer to the middle of the field and G was too scared of the other people there to go over and roll down the hill. In her whiny boredom, at one point tonight she lay down on the ground and plucked grass, spreading it all over herself. Ah, to be 3 and so strangely entertained...
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Walking
I've started walking a lot lately, a couple miles almost everyday. Sometimes I take the girls with me, sometimes I go with the girls at work. If all the stars are in alignment, I get to take the long route (3.2mi) all by myself. The trouble is getting it in before it gets too dark.
I think that I started walking to get some exercise and drag the girls out from in front of the tv on Saturday mornings. Now I walk for a brief 45-60 minutes of clarity. Just me. That's rare for a parent of two young girls and I am thankful that Pa encourages me to go.
At church last Wednesday night, waiting on K to finish class, I was leafing through a hymnal and towards the back found the Morning Prayer of St. Patrick. The first stanza has popped into my mind while walking lately. Now, I'm not much of a praying person but this makes me think of being part of something bigger, something more important than the laundry and making sure to sweep the kitchen floor.
I arise today
through the strength of heaven,
light of sun,
radiance of the moon,
splendor of fire,
speed of lightening,
swiftness of the wind,
depth of the sea,
stability of the earth,
firmness of the rock.
I think that I started walking to get some exercise and drag the girls out from in front of the tv on Saturday mornings. Now I walk for a brief 45-60 minutes of clarity. Just me. That's rare for a parent of two young girls and I am thankful that Pa encourages me to go.
At church last Wednesday night, waiting on K to finish class, I was leafing through a hymnal and towards the back found the Morning Prayer of St. Patrick. The first stanza has popped into my mind while walking lately. Now, I'm not much of a praying person but this makes me think of being part of something bigger, something more important than the laundry and making sure to sweep the kitchen floor.
I arise today
through the strength of heaven,
light of sun,
radiance of the moon,
splendor of fire,
speed of lightening,
swiftness of the wind,
depth of the sea,
stability of the earth,
firmness of the rock.
Monday, September 8, 2008
An Old Favorite
I'm very happy to once again have found my favorite calendar ever. It was published for years and then for some reason abandoned in 2008. (I was stuck with a similar-in-design Garfield substitute.)
And now, thankfully, it has returned for 2009. It's the "Life is just so daily" calendar by Mary Engelbreit. I'm not 
very technical so, yes, I still rely on a wall calendar. A few of my favorite features: it's 12x24 inches when it's opened up so fits nicely inside a cupboard door so no one has to see it, with 5 writing lines within each week everyone gets their own line and I'm not confused about who has a dentist appointment, and there's a nice pocket at the bottom is a great place for invitations and soccer schedules.
My very favorite part--it matches my kitchen curtains! Here's the link to the store where I found it. I'll be buying soon. :) http://www.calendars.com/xq/asp/PID.1/MGID.-1/IID.44885/qx/product.htm
Sunday, September 7, 2008
It's been a rather busy weekend around here. I got a late start on Saturday, it was my day to sleep in and I intended to sleep until about 9 but ended up sleeping way later than that. After 10 long weeks, I finally got a haircut, freeing my neck from the yuckiness that was my overgrown 'do.
Took K shopping for some much needed pants since she had a rather sudden growth spurt and was down to one pair of pants and couple capris. K is always an awesome shopper as long as it's just one on one. Add another parent or kid into the mix and it's just torture for everyone. We watched 2 girls get their ears pierced so she could see what it's all about but she's still not quite ready.
G and I went to a baby shower for Pa's cousin today. She was pretty good, in spite of skipping her nap. It probably helped that I didn't say a word when she scooped frosting off her cake with tortilla chips. Sometimes nutrition goes a little by the wayside. :)
Tomorrow it's back to work and school for the girls. I really wish that the weekends would last a little longer, spend more time with the fam and have the house more in order. Then reality sets in and I'm dropping G at preschool and pulling into the parking ramp. Such is life...
Took K shopping for some much needed pants since she had a rather sudden growth spurt and was down to one pair of pants and couple capris. K is always an awesome shopper as long as it's just one on one. Add another parent or kid into the mix and it's just torture for everyone. We watched 2 girls get their ears pierced so she could see what it's all about but she's still not quite ready.
G and I went to a baby shower for Pa's cousin today. She was pretty good, in spite of skipping her nap. It probably helped that I didn't say a word when she scooped frosting off her cake with tortilla chips. Sometimes nutrition goes a little by the wayside. :)
Tomorrow it's back to work and school for the girls. I really wish that the weekends would last a little longer, spend more time with the fam and have the house more in order. Then reality sets in and I'm dropping G at preschool and pulling into the parking ramp. Such is life...
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
End of the season
Last night Pa's brother came out to watch the chicklets so we could go to his last hockey game of the season. (They finished in 2nd place!) It's a lot of fun to get to watch him out there on the ice and hear the comments. Mostly, it's a lot of fun to hear him rile up his teammates and the opposition. He gets them just about ready to throw off their gloves and have a big brawl and lets off just enough to not get blamed for anything. Sounds about right, doesn't it. :)
Monday, August 25, 2008
First day of school
Unbelievably, K started second grade last week. So far the best parts of 2nd grade include: a morning snack, sitting wherever you want at lunch, and having a locker to share. I'm sure we'll get to hear about the worst parts as soon as she brings home homework.
My favorite season
I can hear it now... a collective "ewww" from the peanut gallery. A fascinating insect, harmless on all issues, it doesn't bite animals or people, this particular version of the species doesn't destroy crops. The cicada actually spends most of it's life underground as sort of a slug, then, once it has reached maturity and developed wings, it finds a nice dry spot to shed it's skin for the last time.
We walked through the front yard the other night to find four of these babies clinging to the tree, their fresh green wings drying in the warm sunshine. Granted, I'm not a big fan of these bugs when they are all dried off and buzzing away in the trees, but the symmetry of their wings is really something to take a closer look at when they are glossy new green, completely vulnerable, clinging to the bark of a tree in one of the final stages of their lives.
The cicadas are a pretty definite sign of fall, my very favorite season. I love cool weather clothes, was always ready to start another year of school, and of course my birthday is in September. Many people think of fall as a time for everything to begin dying off. I prefer to think of it as settling in for a crisp-cold winter, gearing up for some beauty next spring. Fall gets you thinking about soup and casseroles, cornbread and warm biscuits, lets you pick up the prime root veggies at the grocery store--which are my favorites right after green beans and tomatoes. There are lots of reasons to love fall, feel free to add your own in the comments.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
My laundry helper
K has been really great about taking on new chores, she just has a few but it's been great to help her learn how to do stuff -- she loves to learn anything new and really thrives on praise so anything she does she tries her best to do it really well. And, I dont' like to dust so she really comes in handy!
She has started helping with laundry. She's been helping fold for at least a couple years and now she drags her laundry and her little sisters to the laundry room -- which at our house means going from the second floor all the way down to the basement. Usually she takes the clothes down, moves clothes to the dryer and loads the washer then I follow close behind with detergent.
Tonight she took both baskets down and loaded the washer to the brim and turned it on. The poor clothes didn't stand a chance! They were crammed in there so tight there was no hope of getting clean, not to mention no detergent. Easily remedied and very sweet of her to try!
She has started helping with laundry. She's been helping fold for at least a couple years and now she drags her laundry and her little sisters to the laundry room -- which at our house means going from the second floor all the way down to the basement. Usually she takes the clothes down, moves clothes to the dryer and loads the washer then I follow close behind with detergent.
Tonight she took both baskets down and loaded the washer to the brim and turned it on. The poor clothes didn't stand a chance! They were crammed in there so tight there was no hope of getting clean, not to mention no detergent. Easily remedied and very sweet of her to try!
Monday, August 18, 2008
So I finished Wicked...
The last 100 pages or so where the Wicked Witch of the West is anticipating Dorothy & Co. arriving to do her in make the prior 300 worth the wait. Really, just fascinating. The book shows the vulnerability of the Witch and how she tries everything in her power to keep them from arriving at her castle. I really enjoyed the book though did have to make up some pronunciations to fit into the flow of my reading. :)
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Fair Time!
Somehow, I talked Pa into one of his very least favorite activites. We took the girls to the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday. Here they are checking out a pig. It rained all morning so we waited until afternoon to go and then had beautiful weather. The girls did Little Hands on the Farm where they roam around picking up plastic veggies and milking water out of a plastic cow. They had a lot of fun and really liked buying a snack with their pretend dollar. Best part -- get to keep the awesome grass-green Pioneer seed caps. I took the girls down the giant slide, which K loved and G got to the top of the stairs and didn't want to go down. As you can see, there's only one way down. The last picture is for my dear friend Jen A. Diamond Jacks was the place we were way back in '94. We'd sit on the fence that used to be in front and people watch. They've spruced the place up a bit and the fence has been replaced with park benches. Guess the fence had seen it's share of people.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Here we go...
I became enamored with blogging when my friend Jen started one awhile back. I love being able to catch up on the on-goings of friends and family that I don't get to see or even chat with as often as I'd like. That and I used to journal and write occasional poems and lately find my thoughts rambling so might as well write a few of them down. So here goes nothing. :)
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