Congratulations
Advanced!
Your final score is: 1200 out of 1500
Your final score is: 1200 out of 1500
And the scary part is that I once did have a subscription to Popular Mechanics.
Courtesy of Jordana over at Curmudgeonry.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Hey! I'm Handy!
And the scary part is that I once did have a subscription to Popular Mechanics.
Courtesy of Jordana over at Curmudgeonry.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Artist of the Week: Cat
This week's artist is my action guy, Nate.
Nate is one of those kids always in motion. There isn't sport he has encountered that he doesn't want to do. Being a natural athlete and very determined, he quickly gets up to speed. He was so happy to find a body board amongst the beach stuff in the barn at my cousin's house. So what if the water was a bit cold and the waves practically nonexistent, he was going to have fun in the water. And boy did he have fun.
Anyway today's post is about art, not beach fun.
I was going through some old papers when this little kitty showed up. I vaguely remembered when he brought it home, but it got lost in the vast amount of paper the kids bring from school.
It is based on the style of a particular artist, but for the life of me I can't remember the name. I asked Nate and he couldn't either. The closest I could get was the wonderful print of 100 Cats and A Mouse. The cats are not quite the same, but they are close. If any of y'all out there can name the artist please drop a note in the comments. It's maddening not be able to remember. I do like this beastie and Nate made a good use of color. It pops from the page without being garish.
Nate is one of those kids always in motion. There isn't sport he has encountered that he doesn't want to do. Being a natural athlete and very determined, he quickly gets up to speed. He was so happy to find a body board amongst the beach stuff in the barn at my cousin's house. So what if the water was a bit cold and the waves practically nonexistent, he was going to have fun in the water. And boy did he have fun.
Anyway today's post is about art, not beach fun.
I was going through some old papers when this little kitty showed up. I vaguely remembered when he brought it home, but it got lost in the vast amount of paper the kids bring from school.
It is based on the style of a particular artist, but for the life of me I can't remember the name. I asked Nate and he couldn't either. The closest I could get was the wonderful print of 100 Cats and A Mouse. The cats are not quite the same, but they are close. If any of y'all out there can name the artist please drop a note in the comments. It's maddening not be able to remember. I do like this beastie and Nate made a good use of color. It pops from the page without being garish.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Let the Games Begin
This weekend marked the end of our free time and the start of sports. Mind you the kids have been going to practice for a couple of weeks, but on Saturday they had their first official games of the season.
Max and Rebecca are both playing soccer with our local recreational league. For the first time ever, they are on separate times, which is both good and bad. Bad because their practices are on different days, good because they are not being lumped together. Max's team was first up and did a bang up job at their first game. They completely overwhelmed the other team. Rebecca's team did well in the extreme heat. Both teams were quite ragged by the end and a tie was a rasonable result.
Over on the gridiron, Nate played in his first, non-instructional game. I didn't get to see it, being over in soccer world, but Larry did take a bunch a pictures and told me all about it afterwards. Nate got a lot of playing time. One of the first string kids was sick and Nate got put in his place. He did a great job as tight end and really impressed the coaches.
I found out about the coaches on Monday from our dentist. I had a teeth cleaning and my dentist, who is also one of Nate's coaches, chatted about Nate. I found out that they were all amazed at how quickly Nate was picking up the nuances of the game.
As for Jake, he got to stay home in the 90+ degree weather. He had just made the middle school soccer team on Friday and will be having his first game this week. He was very excited to have made the cut and he looks forward to practices and his first game of the season Thursday.
So I'm not just a soccer mom, I'm a football mom too.
Max and Rebecca are both playing soccer with our local recreational league. For the first time ever, they are on separate times, which is both good and bad. Bad because their practices are on different days, good because they are not being lumped together. Max's team was first up and did a bang up job at their first game. They completely overwhelmed the other team. Rebecca's team did well in the extreme heat. Both teams were quite ragged by the end and a tie was a rasonable result.
Over on the gridiron, Nate played in his first, non-instructional game. I didn't get to see it, being over in soccer world, but Larry did take a bunch a pictures and told me all about it afterwards. Nate got a lot of playing time. One of the first string kids was sick and Nate got put in his place. He did a great job as tight end and really impressed the coaches.
I found out about the coaches on Monday from our dentist. I had a teeth cleaning and my dentist, who is also one of Nate's coaches, chatted about Nate. I found out that they were all amazed at how quickly Nate was picking up the nuances of the game.
As for Jake, he got to stay home in the 90+ degree weather. He had just made the middle school soccer team on Friday and will be having his first game this week. He was very excited to have made the cut and he looks forward to practices and his first game of the season Thursday.
So I'm not just a soccer mom, I'm a football mom too.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Still President
My dachshund club had its big annual meeting today and, to absolutely no one's surprise, I remain president.
I brought cheesecake and Swedish sugar cake to the party. Both were very popular and caused one person to declare that my baked goods were the reason I'm president. And I always thought they were the reason I got to be a member. Either way it was a tasty election.
I brought cheesecake and Swedish sugar cake to the party. Both were very popular and caused one person to declare that my baked goods were the reason I'm president. And I always thought they were the reason I got to be a member. Either way it was a tasty election.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Problem of the Day
Or are you smarter than a gifted fourth grader?
Part of Nate's homework this week was a sheet having four separate Problem of the Day. He pretty much whipped through them except for one. It was a bit of a puzzler in three parts and he could only get the first one. When he brought it to me for guidance I was able to get the next two parts after a bit of thinking. The hardest part was coming up with a way to get him pointed in the right direction without giving him the answer.
So I present to you the POD that took a bit of coaching to solve:
Which number does not belong in each group. Explain your answer.
A) 12 48 62 20 51 28
B) 23 50 17 41 14 599 320
c) 181 225 747 400 933 862
Post your answers in the comments.
I'll reveal them Monday.
Update: Come on, at least somebody should give it a shot. I'll hold off until Wednesday.
Hmmph:
A) 51, it's the only odd number.
B) 17, when you sum the digits the total is 5 for the rest of the group, 17 sums to 8.
C) 862, it's the only one without a repeated digit.
Part of Nate's homework this week was a sheet having four separate Problem of the Day. He pretty much whipped through them except for one. It was a bit of a puzzler in three parts and he could only get the first one. When he brought it to me for guidance I was able to get the next two parts after a bit of thinking. The hardest part was coming up with a way to get him pointed in the right direction without giving him the answer.
So I present to you the POD that took a bit of coaching to solve:
Which number does not belong in each group. Explain your answer.
A) 12 48 62 20 51 28
B) 23 50 17 41 14 599 320
c) 181 225 747 400 933 862
Post your answers in the comments.
I'll reveal them Monday.
Update: Come on, at least somebody should give it a shot. I'll hold off until Wednesday.
Hmmph:
A) 51, it's the only odd number.
B) 17, when you sum the digits the total is 5 for the rest of the group, 17 sums to 8.
C) 862, it's the only one without a repeated digit.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Seven Years On
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the attacks on 9-11.
I thought this picture I took at Jake's school was appropriate, particularly with the motto of Virginia being visible.
Sic Semper Tyrannis, which is the shortened form of the state's motto: Sic Semper Evello Mortem Tyrannis, "Thus always death comes to tyrants."
I thought this picture I took at Jake's school was appropriate, particularly with the motto of Virginia being visible.
Sic Semper Tyrannis, which is the shortened form of the state's motto: Sic Semper Evello Mortem Tyrannis, "Thus always death comes to tyrants."
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Artist of the Week: Organization
This week's artist or rather artists are the fine folks that design stuff for Pier One.
For quite sometime I've been struggling with all the stuff the kids have around the house. When school is in session the problem worsens. Backpacks litter the hallway, school papers drift about the first floor and extra school supplies disappear.
For a while I've toyed with the idea of having a set of cupboards to be built below the counter ledge in our dining area. There would be four sections and each child would have their own space for pack packs and whatever. But this was wishful thinking, it would only be in our budget after bunch of other things had been done around the house.
Three weeks ago, as I readied the crew for school, I decided that I really needed to do something about the impending tidal wave of school work. All four would have homework this year and we needed a better system.
So I started off looking at Ikea and found a piece that would neatly fit under the supports of the ledge and provide sufficient storage for all four. However the shipping cost was more than the actual unit and Woodbridge, VA was too far to drive for just a shelving unit. I looked at few other websites, but all I could find was the fantastically expensive or things that we could afford that just missed.
Casting my net further I went to all sorts of stores in the area with my tape measurer. After a half a dozen places I ended up in Pier One and struck gold. The piece fits perfectly under the ledge. Each kid has their own drawer and (double bonus!) I now have a place to store our crayon bucket/ misc. art supplies and another spot for extra school supplies. Then looking about the store a bit more I found the perfect unit to hold backpacks.
So hats off to the nameless entities that designed these attractive and sturdy solutions for our storage needs. Now when we clear the table we have a place to put away homework and they can now get their own paper and what have you.
For quite sometime I've been struggling with all the stuff the kids have around the house. When school is in session the problem worsens. Backpacks litter the hallway, school papers drift about the first floor and extra school supplies disappear.
For a while I've toyed with the idea of having a set of cupboards to be built below the counter ledge in our dining area. There would be four sections and each child would have their own space for pack packs and whatever. But this was wishful thinking, it would only be in our budget after bunch of other things had been done around the house.
Three weeks ago, as I readied the crew for school, I decided that I really needed to do something about the impending tidal wave of school work. All four would have homework this year and we needed a better system.
So I started off looking at Ikea and found a piece that would neatly fit under the supports of the ledge and provide sufficient storage for all four. However the shipping cost was more than the actual unit and Woodbridge, VA was too far to drive for just a shelving unit. I looked at few other websites, but all I could find was the fantastically expensive or things that we could afford that just missed.
Casting my net further I went to all sorts of stores in the area with my tape measurer. After a half a dozen places I ended up in Pier One and struck gold. The piece fits perfectly under the ledge. Each kid has their own drawer and (double bonus!) I now have a place to store our crayon bucket/ misc. art supplies and another spot for extra school supplies. Then looking about the store a bit more I found the perfect unit to hold backpacks.
So hats off to the nameless entities that designed these attractive and sturdy solutions for our storage needs. Now when we clear the table we have a place to put away homework and they can now get their own paper and what have you.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Going Bollywood
This was been my favorites over at YouTube for quite some time.
It's a beautiful song with beautiful imagery. I really need to find the movie, Dil Se, that it was lifted from.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Odd Moments in Parenting
Today I found myself saying one of the oddest things. Maybe not as weird as the no sniffing armpits rule, but it's up there.
I told my six year old son to go do his Chinese homework.
Yes, that's right our public school is now teaching Chinese once a week.
I get the whole teach them a foreign language when they are young, but Mandarin Chinese?
Spanish would be far more useful around here and it would be a nice boost for the kids who come from Spanish speaking families. There is not a whole lot of Chinese spoken around here and it's hard to learn a language without some sort of reinforcement outside of the classroom.
Also, I know precious little Chinese. So Max and Rebecca will be getting no help from home. At least with Jake and his upcoming Bar Mitzvah we have Grandma helping him out with his Hebrew. If it was Latin I could really do a lot with them. I could even help a bit with French (admittedly I bailed on French when I learned about regular vs irregular verbs and that there 16 different conjugations). But Chinese... well they are on their own.
So tonight during Rebecca's soccer practice Max got to practice writing Chinese with me looking on and having absolutely no idea what he was doing.
I told my six year old son to go do his Chinese homework.
Yes, that's right our public school is now teaching Chinese once a week.
I get the whole teach them a foreign language when they are young, but Mandarin Chinese?
Spanish would be far more useful around here and it would be a nice boost for the kids who come from Spanish speaking families. There is not a whole lot of Chinese spoken around here and it's hard to learn a language without some sort of reinforcement outside of the classroom.
Also, I know precious little Chinese. So Max and Rebecca will be getting no help from home. At least with Jake and his upcoming Bar Mitzvah we have Grandma helping him out with his Hebrew. If it was Latin I could really do a lot with them. I could even help a bit with French (admittedly I bailed on French when I learned about regular vs irregular verbs and that there 16 different conjugations). But Chinese... well they are on their own.
So tonight during Rebecca's soccer practice Max got to practice writing Chinese with me looking on and having absolutely no idea what he was doing.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Lovies for Dell
Dell is a very silly and very affectionate dog, but he can also be very destructive. The kids have (mostly) learned not leave stuffed animals on the floor. John seems to ignore the toys, but Dell still picks them up, carries them about and then chews off the ears, nose and/ or tail of whatever stuffed animal he happens upon.
That being said, sometimes Dell just wants a lovie in his crate at night. He'll snag a toy and bring it into his crate and sleep with it. The toy will be unharmed when we finally notice it inside Dell's crate. I'm tempted to get him his own stuffed animal, but I'm fairly certain it will get destroyed in short order.
The funniest part about the lovies is John. It seems that John does not approve of Dell's antics and will remove the toy from Dell's crate the first chance he gets. And that is how we often find out about Dell's toy of the moment. After the dogs crates are opened Dell bursts out in a rush of happy energy. John, however, waits for Dell to go around the corner before he ducks into Dell's crate and removes the toy. John only does this if it is not a dog toy. Bones and balls are left to languish in the crates, but not the stufed animals that belong to the kids.
That being said, sometimes Dell just wants a lovie in his crate at night. He'll snag a toy and bring it into his crate and sleep with it. The toy will be unharmed when we finally notice it inside Dell's crate. I'm tempted to get him his own stuffed animal, but I'm fairly certain it will get destroyed in short order.
The funniest part about the lovies is John. It seems that John does not approve of Dell's antics and will remove the toy from Dell's crate the first chance he gets. And that is how we often find out about Dell's toy of the moment. After the dogs crates are opened Dell bursts out in a rush of happy energy. John, however, waits for Dell to go around the corner before he ducks into Dell's crate and removes the toy. John only does this if it is not a dog toy. Bones and balls are left to languish in the crates, but not the stufed animals that belong to the kids.
Friday, September 05, 2008
The First Week of School
It's over and I'm pooped.
I've been busy this week helping out Meryl move and figuring out trophies for an up coming dog show, so I haven't had much quiet time during the day.
As for when the kids come home... well it's a bit like having squirrels on amphetamines running around in the house. They do eventually calm down and it will be better as they settle down in school time routines, but for now they are exhausting.
I've been busy this week helping out Meryl move and figuring out trophies for an up coming dog show, so I haven't had much quiet time during the day.
As for when the kids come home... well it's a bit like having squirrels on amphetamines running around in the house. They do eventually calm down and it will be better as they settle down in school time routines, but for now they are exhausting.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Good Roads to Drive
I've always been a fan of odd road names. If a name is odd enough I'll even go out of my way to drive on it.
The first oddly named road I ever drove one just for the heck of it was in college. I stumbled upon Gungywamp Road in the neighboring town of Groton while trying to find a short cut. I loved the name and later went back to drive it so I could say I've been Gungywamped. I didn't know the story behind the name until today, thank you internet. It turns out it refers to a archaeological dig site in Groton, CT the name itself is the Gaelic for "Church of the People." There is even a Gungywamp Society. Anyway the road itself was a cool leafy tunnel that runs down a hill and around a bend, not nearly as exotic as it's name.
Fast forward to today.
I was driving around in a subdivision trying toget back to the main road. The road I was on dumped me onto Full Rack rd. I found the name to be so hilarious I had to share it with Meryl. I told her where I was and commented that now I know where all the busty babes live, they're on this road. We then discussed that this would be the ideal location for a barbeque joint, which of course would be called the Full Rack. Then we had to go back to our tasks at hand, me to finding a shoe repair shoe and her to packing up her apartment.
But it was fun going for a ride on the Full Rack.
The first oddly named road I ever drove one just for the heck of it was in college. I stumbled upon Gungywamp Road in the neighboring town of Groton while trying to find a short cut. I loved the name and later went back to drive it so I could say I've been Gungywamped. I didn't know the story behind the name until today, thank you internet. It turns out it refers to a archaeological dig site in Groton, CT the name itself is the Gaelic for "Church of the People." There is even a Gungywamp Society. Anyway the road itself was a cool leafy tunnel that runs down a hill and around a bend, not nearly as exotic as it's name.
Fast forward to today.
I was driving around in a subdivision trying toget back to the main road. The road I was on dumped me onto Full Rack rd. I found the name to be so hilarious I had to share it with Meryl. I told her where I was and commented that now I know where all the busty babes live, they're on this road. We then discussed that this would be the ideal location for a barbeque joint, which of course would be called the Full Rack. Then we had to go back to our tasks at hand, me to finding a shoe repair shoe and her to packing up her apartment.
But it was fun going for a ride on the Full Rack.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Artist of the Week: Cookies
This week's artist is Max. I captured this photo during our trip up north. It's a dynamic shot with the splash of the water and the swinging about of his hair, very appropriate for such a dynamo of a guy.
He is an active little guy with all the typical fascinations of a little boy. Currently all three of my boys are interested in all things pertaining to World War II. They have checked out stacks of books and pored pictures of airplanes and guns. Even Rebecca has been affected and drew an absolutely hilarious picture of army pigs. Anyway this brings me to this week's art.
Max got to decorate some cookies today. They were sugar cookies in various Halloween themed shapes, bats, cats ghosts and pumpkins. He had three different frostings to choose from (vanilla, chocolate and orange tinted vanilla) and a rainbow of writing gel tubes.
As for the decorated cookies, well Max did them in his own fashion.
White frosting made the ghost cookies too scary, so they got chocolate instead. He then carefully drew a face and a belt. Made you this wasn't an ordinary belt, but one that would blow up the ghost in 100 days. The two cats below the ghost appear at first rather ordinary, but they aren't. The orange kitty has a miniature bazooka and the brown cat has a rifle.
The best cookie, sadly, has already been eaten. It was a bat holding a balloon that Max said had the phrase "I love fruit" written on it.
The cookie and its decorations were delicious.
He is an active little guy with all the typical fascinations of a little boy. Currently all three of my boys are interested in all things pertaining to World War II. They have checked out stacks of books and pored pictures of airplanes and guns. Even Rebecca has been affected and drew an absolutely hilarious picture of army pigs. Anyway this brings me to this week's art.
Max got to decorate some cookies today. They were sugar cookies in various Halloween themed shapes, bats, cats ghosts and pumpkins. He had three different frostings to choose from (vanilla, chocolate and orange tinted vanilla) and a rainbow of writing gel tubes.
As for the decorated cookies, well Max did them in his own fashion.
White frosting made the ghost cookies too scary, so they got chocolate instead. He then carefully drew a face and a belt. Made you this wasn't an ordinary belt, but one that would blow up the ghost in 100 days. The two cats below the ghost appear at first rather ordinary, but they aren't. The orange kitty has a miniature bazooka and the brown cat has a rifle.
The best cookie, sadly, has already been eaten. It was a bat holding a balloon that Max said had the phrase "I love fruit" written on it.
The cookie and its decorations were delicious.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Back to school
We got our new shoes all lined up last night in antcipation for this mornings rush.
And a rush it was.
I over slept a bit and Max was less than happy to be woken up early for this morning therapies. His complaints didn't gain any sympathy and only the admonishment that maybe he should spend a little less time chatting with his brother and wandering about the hallways at bedtime and a little more time sleeping.
That said, they all made the bus and I'm a free woman!
To celebrate I've gone on an extra long bike ride and now I'm going to head over to Meryl's to help her pack.
Woo hoo!
And a rush it was.
I over slept a bit and Max was less than happy to be woken up early for this morning therapies. His complaints didn't gain any sympathy and only the admonishment that maybe he should spend a little less time chatting with his brother and wandering about the hallways at bedtime and a little more time sleeping.
That said, they all made the bus and I'm a free woman!
To celebrate I've gone on an extra long bike ride and now I'm going to head over to Meryl's to help her pack.
Woo hoo!
Monday, September 01, 2008
Hot Dog Day
On Saturday I headed up to northern Virginia for a neighboring dachshund club's picnic. I headed out right after services and Rebecca decided to tag along.
We did a quick stop at home for Rebecca to change into something a little more casual and to load John up in the car. Originally I was not going to bring a dog, but I decided since Dell is off being shown why shouldn't John have a bit of fun as well. Then it was off we went.
It was a long drive, but in Rebecca's mind it was well worth the trip. It turns out our host had a litter of nine standard longhair puppies.
We didn't see the puppies at first. We were too busy setting up our gear and participating in the fun match. John got a second for best movement and a third for best adult. It wasn't until Rebecca took him in that he got a first. He so very patient with her dragging him around in junior handler that he earned a first placement. In the real world junior handling doesn't start until the child/handler is 9, but it was an informal match. Then we all broke for lunch.
That was when Rebecca noticed the kennel run full of puppies. She saw there were some older girls in the run and asked me if she could go in as well.
We asked our host who said she could, but only if I stayed in the run too. She was a bit concerned about the puppies safety and wanted another adult in there to keep an eye on things. I had no problem agreeing, because there are few things cuter than a longhaired dachshund puppy. I love smooths, but the longs really are cuter. Little spaniel heads with round tummys and short little legs. Their soulful eyes can melt the hardest heart. I was very happy to watch them tumble about with little Miss Rebecca.
At first Rebecca ran around in the pen with a little line of puppies trailing after her. Then she sat down to do some serious puppy cuddling and the pups were happy to comply.
In this picture it looks like the puppy is whispering in Rebecca's ear. You can see that cute little puppy tummy and a little paw waving in the air. The puppy is utterly relaxed in Rebecca's lap. She has a natural way with animals and I never had to remind her to be gentle. I only had to remind her to watch her feet so as not to step on any of the puppies swirling about.
Some kids are a bit rough with puppies and will manhandle them into position. Not Rebecca, she knows that if she waits for a bit a puppy will tumble on its own into her lap.
And tumble they did.
I think her favorite moment was when Rebecca laid down on the grass and one pup crawled up on her. I know it is my favorite picture. Her look of joy as the puppy licks her chin can't be topped.
It was shortly after this when one of my friends stopped by the pen and leaned over the fence to say "You need to have a longhair."
I get this every couple of years. Mostly its because these are friends of mine that want a good home for one of their dogs. I always say back thay I love my polyester smooths. I'm far too lazy (and busy) to do any serious grooming. It's hard enough to keep the everybody's (dogs and kids alike) nails trimmed. I don't want to have to add brushing out coats and keeping those trimmed as well.
But I know Rebecca would love to bring home a little longhair puppy.
We did a quick stop at home for Rebecca to change into something a little more casual and to load John up in the car. Originally I was not going to bring a dog, but I decided since Dell is off being shown why shouldn't John have a bit of fun as well. Then it was off we went.
It was a long drive, but in Rebecca's mind it was well worth the trip. It turns out our host had a litter of nine standard longhair puppies.
We didn't see the puppies at first. We were too busy setting up our gear and participating in the fun match. John got a second for best movement and a third for best adult. It wasn't until Rebecca took him in that he got a first. He so very patient with her dragging him around in junior handler that he earned a first placement. In the real world junior handling doesn't start until the child/handler is 9, but it was an informal match. Then we all broke for lunch.
That was when Rebecca noticed the kennel run full of puppies. She saw there were some older girls in the run and asked me if she could go in as well.
We asked our host who said she could, but only if I stayed in the run too. She was a bit concerned about the puppies safety and wanted another adult in there to keep an eye on things. I had no problem agreeing, because there are few things cuter than a longhaired dachshund puppy. I love smooths, but the longs really are cuter. Little spaniel heads with round tummys and short little legs. Their soulful eyes can melt the hardest heart. I was very happy to watch them tumble about with little Miss Rebecca.
At first Rebecca ran around in the pen with a little line of puppies trailing after her. Then she sat down to do some serious puppy cuddling and the pups were happy to comply.
In this picture it looks like the puppy is whispering in Rebecca's ear. You can see that cute little puppy tummy and a little paw waving in the air. The puppy is utterly relaxed in Rebecca's lap. She has a natural way with animals and I never had to remind her to be gentle. I only had to remind her to watch her feet so as not to step on any of the puppies swirling about.
Some kids are a bit rough with puppies and will manhandle them into position. Not Rebecca, she knows that if she waits for a bit a puppy will tumble on its own into her lap.
And tumble they did.
I think her favorite moment was when Rebecca laid down on the grass and one pup crawled up on her. I know it is my favorite picture. Her look of joy as the puppy licks her chin can't be topped.
It was shortly after this when one of my friends stopped by the pen and leaned over the fence to say "You need to have a longhair."
I get this every couple of years. Mostly its because these are friends of mine that want a good home for one of their dogs. I always say back thay I love my polyester smooths. I'm far too lazy (and busy) to do any serious grooming. It's hard enough to keep the everybody's (dogs and kids alike) nails trimmed. I don't want to have to add brushing out coats and keeping those trimmed as well.
But I know Rebecca would love to bring home a little longhair puppy.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Wonderful
I was poking about YouTube listening to some Adam Ant when I found this little gem.
I remember when this came out, but I never knew who made it. Now a mystery is solved and a new favorite is added.
That is what I like about YouTube, finding old favorites and something new, to me.
It's wonderful.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Raining Buckets
Literally
Courtesy of Fay it had been raining heavily the past day and half.
Last night I went to check out the buckets we have out on the deck to see how much rainfall we had gotten. I was shocked to find a very full bucket. The water level was at about 6 inches. I dumped it out and overnight we got another inch and half.
I think I don't have worry about water restrictions for a while.
Courtesy of Fay it had been raining heavily the past day and half.
Last night I went to check out the buckets we have out on the deck to see how much rainfall we had gotten. I was shocked to find a very full bucket. The water level was at about 6 inches. I dumped it out and overnight we got another inch and half.
I think I don't have worry about water restrictions for a while.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
A New Season Begins
I resisted for the longest time, but now my baby is a football player.
I don't having anything against football per se, I objected to the daily practices and the niggling concern that our kids are on the small size (We are a family of late bloomers, I grew 4 inches freshman year in college. I went in 5 ft 2 and came out 5 ft 6.)
Nate has been pleading his case for quite some time and I finally agreed this year. During his first practice he got welcomed to the south's other religion, football. One of the coaches, towering above the kids had in all seriousness this to say:
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT PAIN IS?!"
"IT'S WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!"
Oh my, football is serious business down here. Though I have to admit Nate does look pretty darn cute, but don't tell the other players I said that.
I don't having anything against football per se, I objected to the daily practices and the niggling concern that our kids are on the small size (We are a family of late bloomers, I grew 4 inches freshman year in college. I went in 5 ft 2 and came out 5 ft 6.)
Nate has been pleading his case for quite some time and I finally agreed this year. During his first practice he got welcomed to the south's other religion, football. One of the coaches, towering above the kids had in all seriousness this to say:
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT PAIN IS?!"
"IT'S WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!"
Oh my, football is serious business down here. Though I have to admit Nate does look pretty darn cute, but don't tell the other players I said that.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Artist of the Week: Tower of Blocks
This week's artist is Rebecca.
This is one of the many, many pictures I took while we were away up north. One of these days I'll give a proper accounting, but that'll have to wait for when I have a bit more. Like oh when everybody is back in school, which thankfully starts back up next week.
Anyway, this week I'm featuring one of her building block creations. She, like her brothers, loves to play with blocks. She was very proud of this structure and asked repeatedly for me to photograph it. She put a lot of effort in getting the blocks to balance just so. I liked the little dinosaur perched on top.
He makes me think of Godzilla and King Kong. All we need is a few tiny planes buzzing about to complete the image.
Her tower is simpler than the elaborate structures her older brothers make, but that's understandable. She is 6 going on 7 soon while Jake is 12 and Nate is nearly 10. I think what she has achieved with form and balance is remarkable. Getting the cylinders to line up and balance with the little dino is quite a feat. It'll be interesting to see if she starts making buildings with room, like her brothers, or if she explores the more artistic side of building blocks.
This is one of the many, many pictures I took while we were away up north. One of these days I'll give a proper accounting, but that'll have to wait for when I have a bit more. Like oh when everybody is back in school, which thankfully starts back up next week.
Anyway, this week I'm featuring one of her building block creations. She, like her brothers, loves to play with blocks. She was very proud of this structure and asked repeatedly for me to photograph it. She put a lot of effort in getting the blocks to balance just so. I liked the little dinosaur perched on top.
He makes me think of Godzilla and King Kong. All we need is a few tiny planes buzzing about to complete the image.
Her tower is simpler than the elaborate structures her older brothers make, but that's understandable. She is 6 going on 7 soon while Jake is 12 and Nate is nearly 10. I think what she has achieved with form and balance is remarkable. Getting the cylinders to line up and balance with the little dino is quite a feat. It'll be interesting to see if she starts making buildings with room, like her brothers, or if she explores the more artistic side of building blocks.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Just One Thing After Another
Today was one of those days when just one thing after another goes wrong.
Luckily it was only for a small portion of the day, but it was a big deal (and really funny) nonetheless.
Max had a doctor's appointment this morning, we left a wee bit late but I wasn't too worried. I leave a bit of a buffer for our depart time with this particular doc, she's always on time so I make an effort to be on time for her as opposed to the CF clinic which is usually running about an hour behind. So we went on our merry way and I decided to go a slightly different route that normally takes the same amount of time, but would set me up better for parking.
However the highway we were on was being repaved and the traffic was horrendous. I had to call home to get Jake to read off the offices number on the fridge for for me. I wanted them to know that we would be late and the receptionist completely understood what was going on and got the doc on line for me. The Doctor had the same experience this morning and was fine with the delay. The traffic started to clear and I told them to expect me in 10 minutes.
It turns out that was a bit optimistic. Once off the highway and on the streets of Richmond we got stuck behind a funeral procession. I detest funeral processions, they gum up the traffic and are a huge nuisance. I understand why they happen, but I'm against them. In fact I would like to state here that after I pass if some fool member of my family decides that a funeral procession is needed I'll come back and haunt that individual to their dying days. Anyway we were, again, stuck in traffic while the police waved in a slow moving line of twenty or so cars. Then we had to plod along until the whole mess turned off.
Once freed of the dead and the mourning I got to turn onto the street the office was located. I happily drove down the road until... and you won't believe this... I ended up behind a street cleaner.
Eventually I got there and all was well even though I was 30 minutes late. Max's Doctor and staff thought it was pretty funny (as did I) and she said some days it is sometimes better just to go back to bed and start over.
Luckily it was only for a small portion of the day, but it was a big deal (and really funny) nonetheless.
Max had a doctor's appointment this morning, we left a wee bit late but I wasn't too worried. I leave a bit of a buffer for our depart time with this particular doc, she's always on time so I make an effort to be on time for her as opposed to the CF clinic which is usually running about an hour behind. So we went on our merry way and I decided to go a slightly different route that normally takes the same amount of time, but would set me up better for parking.
However the highway we were on was being repaved and the traffic was horrendous. I had to call home to get Jake to read off the offices number on the fridge for for me. I wanted them to know that we would be late and the receptionist completely understood what was going on and got the doc on line for me. The Doctor had the same experience this morning and was fine with the delay. The traffic started to clear and I told them to expect me in 10 minutes.
It turns out that was a bit optimistic. Once off the highway and on the streets of Richmond we got stuck behind a funeral procession. I detest funeral processions, they gum up the traffic and are a huge nuisance. I understand why they happen, but I'm against them. In fact I would like to state here that after I pass if some fool member of my family decides that a funeral procession is needed I'll come back and haunt that individual to their dying days. Anyway we were, again, stuck in traffic while the police waved in a slow moving line of twenty or so cars. Then we had to plod along until the whole mess turned off.
Once freed of the dead and the mourning I got to turn onto the street the office was located. I happily drove down the road until... and you won't believe this... I ended up behind a street cleaner.
Eventually I got there and all was well even though I was 30 minutes late. Max's Doctor and staff thought it was pretty funny (as did I) and she said some days it is sometimes better just to go back to bed and start over.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Best Fair Ever
If you read yesterday's Very Important Post ( If you haven't, you really should go read it right now) you know that it's county fair time. This is possibly the most anticipated event in my children's secular calendar. At least for the dynamic duo all events are gaged as being before or after the county fair.
This year we went whole hog and got Nate, Max and Rebecca wristbands so they could ride all the rides they wanted. No more pesky tickets to keep track and no quandary over what to do with the last couple of tickets. Jake, never a big fan of the rides, elected to blow his money on the midway amusements.
All four had a very good time. Max and Rebecca teamed together for most of their rides, resulting in the very cute driving Miss Rebecca photo op. But they were not always together. Rebecca got to ride the ferris wheel with her Daddy. She looks so cute nestled in next to her father. At this point Max was in a bit of a snit. He saw all the loot Jake was collecting and wanted to play games too. I explained that it was an either or proposition, ride or play, we were not going to pay for both. In the end I did let him and his sister play one game apiece. Rebecca was happy either way, but Max was pouting and refusing to go on any more rides. So Max and I watched while Rebecca went on the ferris wheel with Larry.
Nate, meanwhile, went (again) on the Paratrooper. He was absolutely getting his money's worth with the the wristband.
Sometimes it was a little tricky for him to get on a ride. A few, like the Paratrooper, did not allow single riders. You had to buddy up with someone before you got on. I had a hard time keeping Nate in line, he kept drifting off and I kept steering him back. Finally, a girl roughly his age wandered by and I locked eyes with her mother. We pushed our respective charges towards to ride and off they went.
You can just make out Nate in the picture, his gondola is the second one in on the top from the right. You can't see his grin, but I promise it's there, splitting his face from ear to ear.
Once Nate was done Max got over his snit and wanted to ride the ferris wheel. We ambled on over and just missed getting on after Rebecca and Larry got off. The ride started up and we waited for our turn. Rebecca then wanted to ride the merry go round. It was right across form the ferris wheel and I was able to snap a few pictures before our ride started. She loves it and no trip to the fair is complete without at least one shot of her on board. I'll tell you more about our ferris wheel adventure in a little bit.
Then it was off to dinner. Max wanted to do more rides, but he agreed to sit down and eat. It was nothing spectacular, except for my dinner that I got from the local grange. It was an honest plate of bbq with some outstanding coleslaw and a rich buttery biscuit. Nate topped off with some funnel cakes while Jake went for shaved ice.
Then we went for our old standby the barrel train. I was happy to see that the full sized tractor was back, belching smoke and rumbling along. This year there was a new addition to the tractor exhibit. You could go for a hay ride. Admittedly the wagon was bereft of hay, but I didn't miss the scratchy hay bales. It is far nicer to sit on a smooth wooden bench.
We then parted ways. Nate was hot to go on the zipper, but Max and Rebecca wanted to play in the agricultural tent. They love rolling about in the corn crib and burying each other in the corn. So Nate went off with his dad and Jake stuck with the dynamic duo and me.
We ended up waiting a long time for Larry and Nate's return. Nate had the same problem before, no singleton riders aloud. They waited a long until the operator finally waved Larry on sans ticket. Nate loved it, Larry was happy it was over. They returned to the tent to find the dynamic duo ready to go on a few more rides. I left Larry in the tent with the older boys and took Max and Rebecca.
But before the rides we had to see the animals. We inspected the baby chicks in the farm implement tent (I really don't know why they are there) and declared them cute. Then visited the poultry tent were Rebecca and I got to pat a silkie chicken. Our last stop was the pigeon tent and we got to see some very unique birds. The prettiest was the fan tailed.
Then it was show time.
We hit quite a few rides in a short span of time. One was the dragon wagon which is just a simplified roller coaster for the younger set. I really like how I got the lights of the ferris wheel in the background. Afterwards I tried to herd them back to the giant slide and homeward, but Max pointed out that I had promised him one ride on the race cars.
He was absolutely right. He had seen Rebecca go on it while he was up in the ferris wheel and he wanted to go too. I told him we would go after dinner. So we made our way across the midway.
We got there just when the last car got filled up.
So we had to stand there and wait our turn.
And I'm so glad we did and that I had my camera. I got what I think is one of the best photos I have ever taken of the two of them.
They were completely focused on the ride, waiting in calm anticipation. The lighting was just right and I was able to frame the shot between the bars of the side rail. When I took the photo I knew I had something special. I had to do almost no futzing with the color or do much in the way of cropping. Some times a picture just comes together on its own. You just have to recognize it when it happens.
Now about our ferris wheel adventure. This year I was very brave and went on the ferris wheel with Nate and Max. While we were going around I shot a little movie to kept back the thoughts of doom going up high always gives me. I'm not incapacitated by heights, but it's not my friend either.
I just love Max's little declaration at the end. It was the best fair ever.
This year we went whole hog and got Nate, Max and Rebecca wristbands so they could ride all the rides they wanted. No more pesky tickets to keep track and no quandary over what to do with the last couple of tickets. Jake, never a big fan of the rides, elected to blow his money on the midway amusements.
All four had a very good time. Max and Rebecca teamed together for most of their rides, resulting in the very cute driving Miss Rebecca photo op. But they were not always together. Rebecca got to ride the ferris wheel with her Daddy. She looks so cute nestled in next to her father. At this point Max was in a bit of a snit. He saw all the loot Jake was collecting and wanted to play games too. I explained that it was an either or proposition, ride or play, we were not going to pay for both. In the end I did let him and his sister play one game apiece. Rebecca was happy either way, but Max was pouting and refusing to go on any more rides. So Max and I watched while Rebecca went on the ferris wheel with Larry.
Nate, meanwhile, went (again) on the Paratrooper. He was absolutely getting his money's worth with the the wristband.
Sometimes it was a little tricky for him to get on a ride. A few, like the Paratrooper, did not allow single riders. You had to buddy up with someone before you got on. I had a hard time keeping Nate in line, he kept drifting off and I kept steering him back. Finally, a girl roughly his age wandered by and I locked eyes with her mother. We pushed our respective charges towards to ride and off they went.
You can just make out Nate in the picture, his gondola is the second one in on the top from the right. You can't see his grin, but I promise it's there, splitting his face from ear to ear.
Once Nate was done Max got over his snit and wanted to ride the ferris wheel. We ambled on over and just missed getting on after Rebecca and Larry got off. The ride started up and we waited for our turn. Rebecca then wanted to ride the merry go round. It was right across form the ferris wheel and I was able to snap a few pictures before our ride started. She loves it and no trip to the fair is complete without at least one shot of her on board. I'll tell you more about our ferris wheel adventure in a little bit.
Then it was off to dinner. Max wanted to do more rides, but he agreed to sit down and eat. It was nothing spectacular, except for my dinner that I got from the local grange. It was an honest plate of bbq with some outstanding coleslaw and a rich buttery biscuit. Nate topped off with some funnel cakes while Jake went for shaved ice.
Then we went for our old standby the barrel train. I was happy to see that the full sized tractor was back, belching smoke and rumbling along. This year there was a new addition to the tractor exhibit. You could go for a hay ride. Admittedly the wagon was bereft of hay, but I didn't miss the scratchy hay bales. It is far nicer to sit on a smooth wooden bench.
We then parted ways. Nate was hot to go on the zipper, but Max and Rebecca wanted to play in the agricultural tent. They love rolling about in the corn crib and burying each other in the corn. So Nate went off with his dad and Jake stuck with the dynamic duo and me.
We ended up waiting a long time for Larry and Nate's return. Nate had the same problem before, no singleton riders aloud. They waited a long until the operator finally waved Larry on sans ticket. Nate loved it, Larry was happy it was over. They returned to the tent to find the dynamic duo ready to go on a few more rides. I left Larry in the tent with the older boys and took Max and Rebecca.
But before the rides we had to see the animals. We inspected the baby chicks in the farm implement tent (I really don't know why they are there) and declared them cute. Then visited the poultry tent were Rebecca and I got to pat a silkie chicken. Our last stop was the pigeon tent and we got to see some very unique birds. The prettiest was the fan tailed.
Then it was show time.
We hit quite a few rides in a short span of time. One was the dragon wagon which is just a simplified roller coaster for the younger set. I really like how I got the lights of the ferris wheel in the background. Afterwards I tried to herd them back to the giant slide and homeward, but Max pointed out that I had promised him one ride on the race cars.
He was absolutely right. He had seen Rebecca go on it while he was up in the ferris wheel and he wanted to go too. I told him we would go after dinner. So we made our way across the midway.
We got there just when the last car got filled up.
So we had to stand there and wait our turn.
And I'm so glad we did and that I had my camera. I got what I think is one of the best photos I have ever taken of the two of them.
They were completely focused on the ride, waiting in calm anticipation. The lighting was just right and I was able to frame the shot between the bars of the side rail. When I took the photo I knew I had something special. I had to do almost no futzing with the color or do much in the way of cropping. Some times a picture just comes together on its own. You just have to recognize it when it happens.
Now about our ferris wheel adventure. This year I was very brave and went on the ferris wheel with Nate and Max. While we were going around I shot a little movie to kept back the thoughts of doom going up high always gives me. I'm not incapacitated by heights, but it's not my friend either.
I just love Max's little declaration at the end. It was the best fair ever.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Prize Winning Baker
And the ribbons go to ... Me!
For the past couple of years I've been toying with the idea of entering some baked goods at the county fair. Last year I seriously looked in to it, but alas I was too late to enter. This year I remembered in time and was able to submit two things, an orange cake and my triple chip chocolate chip cookies, to the the fair.
The rules on the website for the fair were a bit vague, but I was able to show up at the appointed hour and drop off my entries. I didn't know how much they needed so I brought the entire cake and two dozen of the best looking cookies in the batch.
In baking competitions I know that appearance is just as important as taste. So I tried to make the most aesthetically pleasing bake goods possible. The cake had to be moist with an even coating of glaze coving the top and artfully cascading down the sides. The cookies had to be perfectly baked. I practically hovered around the oven while they baked. I made a serious effort to have the cookies be consistent in shape and size and have an even chip distribution.
On Thursday at the drop off I found out that they only wanted one fourth of the cake and four cookies. The ladies doing the intake kindly provided me with a plastic knife to cut the cake and the requisite white plate and plastic bag for each entry.
They I had to go home and wait. Judging took place Friday morning, but I wouldn't find out until we went to the fair.
So today, Sunday, we went to the fair. We immediately went to the Arts and Crafts building to see the results. Much to our delight I was in the ribbons with both entries. The cake got third place in its class. Which I didn't expect after reading how the cakes would be scored.
CAKE
(Butter, Sponge and Chiffon)
Appearance: shape and size 15
Flavor: taste and aroma 30
Crumb: texture, lightness, moisture 50
Crust: color, uniformity, thickness 5
Total 100
FROSTING
Consistency: creamy, moist, free from crystals, stickiness or crustiness 50
Flavor 40
Suitability of frosting for cake 10
Total 100
I pretty much missed it on the creamy moist part since it's a glaze. But it was good enough for third place. Woo Hoo!
And that brings us to my cookies. Or rather my blue ribbon cookies. I completely kicked butt in the chocolate chip cookie catagory. There were at least four other entries and mine reigned supreme. The second place cookie was the one I eyeballed as my competition on Thursday.
The kids and my husband were all very excited for me and we are already looking forward to next year.
For the past couple of years I've been toying with the idea of entering some baked goods at the county fair. Last year I seriously looked in to it, but alas I was too late to enter. This year I remembered in time and was able to submit two things, an orange cake and my triple chip chocolate chip cookies, to the the fair.
The rules on the website for the fair were a bit vague, but I was able to show up at the appointed hour and drop off my entries. I didn't know how much they needed so I brought the entire cake and two dozen of the best looking cookies in the batch.
In baking competitions I know that appearance is just as important as taste. So I tried to make the most aesthetically pleasing bake goods possible. The cake had to be moist with an even coating of glaze coving the top and artfully cascading down the sides. The cookies had to be perfectly baked. I practically hovered around the oven while they baked. I made a serious effort to have the cookies be consistent in shape and size and have an even chip distribution.
On Thursday at the drop off I found out that they only wanted one fourth of the cake and four cookies. The ladies doing the intake kindly provided me with a plastic knife to cut the cake and the requisite white plate and plastic bag for each entry.
They I had to go home and wait. Judging took place Friday morning, but I wouldn't find out until we went to the fair.
So today, Sunday, we went to the fair. We immediately went to the Arts and Crafts building to see the results. Much to our delight I was in the ribbons with both entries. The cake got third place in its class. Which I didn't expect after reading how the cakes would be scored.
CAKE
(Butter, Sponge and Chiffon)
Appearance: shape and size 15
Flavor: taste and aroma 30
Crumb: texture, lightness, moisture 50
Crust: color, uniformity, thickness 5
Total 100
FROSTING
Consistency: creamy, moist, free from crystals, stickiness or crustiness 50
Flavor 40
Suitability of frosting for cake 10
Total 100
I pretty much missed it on the creamy moist part since it's a glaze. But it was good enough for third place. Woo Hoo!
And that brings us to my cookies. Or rather my blue ribbon cookies. I completely kicked butt in the chocolate chip cookie catagory. There were at least four other entries and mine reigned supreme. The second place cookie was the one I eyeballed as my competition on Thursday.
The kids and my husband were all very excited for me and we are already looking forward to next year.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Season's End
Today was the big end of Tennis party, awards, medallions and t-shirts were handed out. And of course no party is complete without these.
The kids had a great time. Nate was the accidental winner of the 10 and under age group. It was accidental because one of the coaches put him in with the younger kids, he should have been with the older group (at nine years old he belongs there, but he plays at the older age group level). Oh well, he earned a trophy and next year we'll be sure he plays up a level.
Meanwhile Jake and Rebecca were the runners up in the doubles competition. It turns out they are a very good team . It'll be exciting to see what happens next year.
After the pizza and cupcakes all the kids started messing about the pool. Some had a mini-Olympics in swimming, others splashed about and a few went to the play ground next to the pool . Then they all decided to make a fort. Chaise lounges were pull in to place and towels were carefully draped about. If you click on the photo you'll get a few more shots of the fort.
We were down by the pool for several hours. Max grew restive and after putting him off we left as the other families started to pack up. It was a nice end to a fun tennis season.
The kids had a great time. Nate was the accidental winner of the 10 and under age group. It was accidental because one of the coaches put him in with the younger kids, he should have been with the older group (at nine years old he belongs there, but he plays at the older age group level). Oh well, he earned a trophy and next year we'll be sure he plays up a level.
Meanwhile Jake and Rebecca were the runners up in the doubles competition. It turns out they are a very good team . It'll be exciting to see what happens next year.
After the pizza and cupcakes all the kids started messing about the pool. Some had a mini-Olympics in swimming, others splashed about and a few went to the play ground next to the pool . Then they all decided to make a fort. Chaise lounges were pull in to place and towels were carefully draped about. If you click on the photo you'll get a few more shots of the fort.
We were down by the pool for several hours. Max grew restive and after putting him off we left as the other families started to pack up. It was a nice end to a fun tennis season.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Me and My Bike
Except for our journey up north I've been very faithful about my daily bike ride. Much to my amazement I've just bumped it up to five miles. I really thought to would take a bit longer to get back in the groove after our trip, increasing my ride's length just three days after getting home never even crossed my mind.
I still like riding and I even did a little off-roading down a fire trial. I never really viewed myself as an athlete, but I have been bitten by the exercise bug. which is good considering the baking I do.
I still like riding and I even did a little off-roading down a fire trial. I never really viewed myself as an athlete, but I have been bitten by the exercise bug. which is good considering the baking I do.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Artist of the Week: Doing the Right Thing
This week is a little bit different, but hey it's my blog and my rules.
The artist this week is my Mother in Law aka Grandma.
The kids adore her and always have a good time when they are with her. She plays endless games of Monopoly and is great audience for whatever jokes they have. She and her husband are mostly retired now. She was a lawyer and he was a judge.
Today I'm recognizing her for something she did a long time ago when she was a practicing lawyer.
This past weekend we stopped at Grandma and Grandpa's on the way home from Vermont. It's a convenient lay over for us and breaks up the long slog home. While there I read and article in the NY Times about a camp for foster kids that has a special siblings session. Sadly, not all siblings stay together in the foster system, but for one week they can be reunited. It was an extremely touching article.
My mother in law also thought it was good and pointed it out to me. We talked about it for a bit and then she brought up a story she had never told me before. It was, in her words and I must agree, her proudest moment as a lawyer.
One of the many things she did as a lawyer was to represent children in court. It was often times a very heartbreaking job. In this particular case, however, there was some joy. A child, horribly abused by his parents, was going to adopted by his foster family. Meanwhile my MIL was assigned another case. After meeting the child and reviewing the case she realized this second child was the other child's younger sibling. She was able to bring the children together (and they looked just like each other) and convince the foster parents to adopt both.
This happened a long time ago, but to this day it still brings tears to my MIL's eyes.
The artist this week is my Mother in Law aka Grandma.
The kids adore her and always have a good time when they are with her. She plays endless games of Monopoly and is great audience for whatever jokes they have. She and her husband are mostly retired now. She was a lawyer and he was a judge.
Today I'm recognizing her for something she did a long time ago when she was a practicing lawyer.
This past weekend we stopped at Grandma and Grandpa's on the way home from Vermont. It's a convenient lay over for us and breaks up the long slog home. While there I read and article in the NY Times about a camp for foster kids that has a special siblings session. Sadly, not all siblings stay together in the foster system, but for one week they can be reunited. It was an extremely touching article.
My mother in law also thought it was good and pointed it out to me. We talked about it for a bit and then she brought up a story she had never told me before. It was, in her words and I must agree, her proudest moment as a lawyer.
One of the many things she did as a lawyer was to represent children in court. It was often times a very heartbreaking job. In this particular case, however, there was some joy. A child, horribly abused by his parents, was going to adopted by his foster family. Meanwhile my MIL was assigned another case. After meeting the child and reviewing the case she realized this second child was the other child's younger sibling. She was able to bring the children together (and they looked just like each other) and convince the foster parents to adopt both.
This happened a long time ago, but to this day it still brings tears to my MIL's eyes.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A Little Bit of What We Did
I haven't had a chance to go through all the pictures we took, but I'll share this one for now.
One of the high points of our trek up North was our beach adventure. The bulk of my family lives outside of Boston and have been in the area for a multitude of generations. One of the perks of having such deep roots in the area is having an ancestral home. My cousin Peter has Burnside (yes the house does have a name) and it's smack dab on the ocean with not just one beach, but two. There is the little beach which is strictly family and the big beach which is family plus a few other houses. We lucked into some good weather and had a great time playing on the beach for two days.
When I get a chance I'll throw up some more pictures, maybe a movie and a bit more about our trip.
One of the high points of our trek up North was our beach adventure. The bulk of my family lives outside of Boston and have been in the area for a multitude of generations. One of the perks of having such deep roots in the area is having an ancestral home. My cousin Peter has Burnside (yes the house does have a name) and it's smack dab on the ocean with not just one beach, but two. There is the little beach which is strictly family and the big beach which is family plus a few other houses. We lucked into some good weather and had a great time playing on the beach for two days.
When I get a chance I'll throw up some more pictures, maybe a movie and a bit more about our trip.
Monday, August 18, 2008
I Go Away
And my blog all goes to pot.
Sorry about the duplicated YouTube posts. I had originally tried posting those from YouTube and they got hung up somewhere out there in the ether and decided to come to roost last week.
Anyway, as y'all probably guessed I was away last week. It was a a lovely trip with little or no internet access, so no posting. But I'm back and now we are back to whatever passes for normal around here.
Sorry about the duplicated YouTube posts. I had originally tried posting those from YouTube and they got hung up somewhere out there in the ether and decided to come to roost last week.
Anyway, as y'all probably guessed I was away last week. It was a a lovely trip with little or no internet access, so no posting. But I'm back and now we are back to whatever passes for normal around here.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Adventures in Color
I've been going to the same hair salon pretty much since we moved to this house. It's been over nine years and I've gone through four different stylists. The first one stopped cutting hair, the second one disappeared (I think her schedule and the salon's was not working out), I didn't like the third one and the fourth one moved to Philly.
The most frustrating part is just when I have the stylist cutting my hair just right she leaves me. My hair cut isn't particularly fancy, all I want is a graduated bob. A bit of a variation on Louise Brooks' classic hairstyle. The only challenge is learningto belive me when I say I want to cut off 2 inches. My hair grows very fast and I'm not afraid to go very short. Oh and then there is the gray.
I always had a few gray hairs, but when I was pregnant with Jake they came in with a vengeance. As you can see from my rots I am at least 60 % gray (all right 80%). When my hair grows out I get what I call my skunk stripe.
Since I am now between stylists I'm a bit adrift. I hate having to go through training a new stylist and I'm tired of shelling out all the money to color my hair. So I decide to be brave and color it myself.
I picked a color that was fairly close to what I wanted that was geared towards coloring gray hair. The process was a bit messy, but at one sixth the cost- I can deal with it.
I think the end result is pretty good. The pictures really don't do it justice, the coverage is much better. I think I have bought myself some time before I next have to go in and I don't think I be paying for a stylist to color my hair.
The most frustrating part is just when I have the stylist cutting my hair just right she leaves me. My hair cut isn't particularly fancy, all I want is a graduated bob. A bit of a variation on Louise Brooks' classic hairstyle. The only challenge is learningto belive me when I say I want to cut off 2 inches. My hair grows very fast and I'm not afraid to go very short. Oh and then there is the gray.
I always had a few gray hairs, but when I was pregnant with Jake they came in with a vengeance. As you can see from my rots I am at least 60 % gray (all right 80%). When my hair grows out I get what I call my skunk stripe.
Since I am now between stylists I'm a bit adrift. I hate having to go through training a new stylist and I'm tired of shelling out all the money to color my hair. So I decide to be brave and color it myself.
I picked a color that was fairly close to what I wanted that was geared towards coloring gray hair. The process was a bit messy, but at one sixth the cost- I can deal with it.
I think the end result is pretty good. The pictures really don't do it justice, the coverage is much better. I think I have bought myself some time before I next have to go in and I don't think I be paying for a stylist to color my hair.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Artist of the Week: Map
Jake is this week's artist.
He is very much like his father in his love of maps. Larry is slowly collecting vintage maps of where our ancestors originated. So far his family is covered, now we just need to find a reasonably sized and priced one of the UK. (I'm English, Scottish and Welsh- my 6 months studying abroad in England was a bit of a home coming for me, I really blended in. That is until I opened my mouth and spoke.) In fact we all love maps. I am amazed whenever I encounter someone who can't read a map, it is so natural and easy for us.
Anyway Jake loves creating maps of new countries and carefully filling in the details.
He made this map just over a week ago. I don't know what inspired him, but I do know that I like it.
He has carefully included a key (which he almost always does) and noted the city centers and the surrounding urban areas. I like the rugged coastline and the logical placement of the urban areas. Ports and rivers are classic locations for cities. The ready access provided by water to other areas is a sensible place for the first colonists. And from there the populations can move outwards.
It'll be interesting to see what Jake does later in life. He has an interest in architecture which produces maps of a different sort.
He is very much like his father in his love of maps. Larry is slowly collecting vintage maps of where our ancestors originated. So far his family is covered, now we just need to find a reasonably sized and priced one of the UK. (I'm English, Scottish and Welsh- my 6 months studying abroad in England was a bit of a home coming for me, I really blended in. That is until I opened my mouth and spoke.) In fact we all love maps. I am amazed whenever I encounter someone who can't read a map, it is so natural and easy for us.
Anyway Jake loves creating maps of new countries and carefully filling in the details.
He made this map just over a week ago. I don't know what inspired him, but I do know that I like it.
He has carefully included a key (which he almost always does) and noted the city centers and the surrounding urban areas. I like the rugged coastline and the logical placement of the urban areas. Ports and rivers are classic locations for cities. The ready access provided by water to other areas is a sensible place for the first colonists. And from there the populations can move outwards.
It'll be interesting to see what Jake does later in life. He has an interest in architecture which produces maps of a different sort.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Tea Time with Rebecca
Dell has really blossomed in our home. He loves being a house dog and having four children to follow around.
Most of the time I'll find him on the floor rolling around with Nate, but Dell also enjoys tea parties with Rebecca. Yes, that's right, Mr. Dell is an aficionado of tea time.
Rebecca goes out on the deck with her little tea set and offers Dell Tea. He is fairly polite and almost never knocks over his tea. If you click on the picture it will lead you to a whole set of photo's from Rebecca's last tea party. Mostly it just Rebecca with Dell, the rest of the crew is uninterested, but John did put in appearance at the end.
We really did hit the jackpot with our dogs, but then again I wouldn't expect anything less from Crunch's puppies.
Most of the time I'll find him on the floor rolling around with Nate, but Dell also enjoys tea parties with Rebecca. Yes, that's right, Mr. Dell is an aficionado of tea time.
Rebecca goes out on the deck with her little tea set and offers Dell Tea. He is fairly polite and almost never knocks over his tea. If you click on the picture it will lead you to a whole set of photo's from Rebecca's last tea party. Mostly it just Rebecca with Dell, the rest of the crew is uninterested, but John did put in appearance at the end.
We really did hit the jackpot with our dogs, but then again I wouldn't expect anything less from Crunch's puppies.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Be Your Own Pet
My husband told me about this band. He is always looking for new groups to listen to and points out the ones he thinks I'll like. He has a pretty good sense for what will appeal to me and I've admitted that at heart I'm a punk rock girl. This group is right up my alley. I particularly like this video.
For a while (before it got too hot) I would bike down to tennis with the kids. The instructor liked seeing our little biker gang pulling up to the courts. We'll never be as cruel and mean as BYOP, but I do love the little boy's expression at about 56 seconds in.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
In Praise of Big Brothers
It isn't always sweetness and light in this household. Siblings yell at each other, slam doors and whine about the unfairness of it all, but on the whole they all do get along remarkably well. Last night was one of those moments when I'm really amazed at how much they care for each other.
For the past two nights Nate had been on an extended sleepover. This has been a bit rough on Max because he shares his room with Nate. Max doesn't like sleeping alone, which is understandable since he has never been alone except for the odd sleepover for Nate.
Max started roaming the hall and went in to see Jake. He asked him if Jake could come sleep in his room. Jake called down and asked if it was all right with me. I said it was completely up to him. Jake then moved into his brothers' room and slipped into Nate's bed. He hung out there until Max was fast asleep. He came out and asked if it was okay if he went back to his own bed. I said sure and told him I was very proud of what he did for his little brother.
Jake is a very kind and loving big brother and times like these I'm very proud to be his mom.
For the past two nights Nate had been on an extended sleepover. This has been a bit rough on Max because he shares his room with Nate. Max doesn't like sleeping alone, which is understandable since he has never been alone except for the odd sleepover for Nate.
Max started roaming the hall and went in to see Jake. He asked him if Jake could come sleep in his room. Jake called down and asked if it was all right with me. I said it was completely up to him. Jake then moved into his brothers' room and slipped into Nate's bed. He hung out there until Max was fast asleep. He came out and asked if it was okay if he went back to his own bed. I said sure and told him I was very proud of what he did for his little brother.
Jake is a very kind and loving big brother and times like these I'm very proud to be his mom.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Pizza
A little homemade pizza to round out the week.
Every now and then we have make-your-own-pizza night. It takes a bit of planning, but the end result is well worth the trouble.
The most important step is to start the dough early. It is best if it has two hours to rise before you make the pies. The recipe I used is one I found on the back of a bag of King Arthur Flour.
Their web site has a great tutorial on how to make pizza, but for whatever reason they changed the recipe. The original one is what I use:
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 packet/tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
In a big bowl dissolve the sugar in the water, then add the yeast. Once the yeast has finished proofing (it needs to sit a few minutes, once its bubbly you are ready to go) add the salt. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the flour. Add the olive oil and mix some more. Then turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and springy. Clean the big bowl add a bit of olive oil and return the dough it the bowl. Roll the dough around in the olive oil (this keeps the surface of the dough moist) and then cover the bowl. Let rise until the dough is doubled in size (1 to 2 hours).
Preheat the oven to 450. Punch down the dough and divide into 4 pieces (two of the four get divided again- this results in four pie tie 9 in sized pies and two 12 inch pies). slowly roll out and stretch the dough to fit the appropriate sized pan. I like to lightly brush the pan with olive oil and the top of the crust. If you allow the dough to periodically rest it will eventually fill the pan and not shrink back.
Then top with sauce, cheese, what have you. I used fresh tomatoes marinated with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and basil instead of sauce. Then a liberal sprinkling of cheese, some onions, a little bit of minced garlic and pepperoni. It takes about 15 minutes for the pie to cook.
And oh boy does it taste good!
Every now and then we have make-your-own-pizza night. It takes a bit of planning, but the end result is well worth the trouble.
The most important step is to start the dough early. It is best if it has two hours to rise before you make the pies. The recipe I used is one I found on the back of a bag of King Arthur Flour.
Their web site has a great tutorial on how to make pizza, but for whatever reason they changed the recipe. The original one is what I use:
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 packet/tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
In a big bowl dissolve the sugar in the water, then add the yeast. Once the yeast has finished proofing (it needs to sit a few minutes, once its bubbly you are ready to go) add the salt. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the flour. Add the olive oil and mix some more. Then turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and springy. Clean the big bowl add a bit of olive oil and return the dough it the bowl. Roll the dough around in the olive oil (this keeps the surface of the dough moist) and then cover the bowl. Let rise until the dough is doubled in size (1 to 2 hours).
Preheat the oven to 450. Punch down the dough and divide into 4 pieces (two of the four get divided again- this results in four pie tie 9 in sized pies and two 12 inch pies). slowly roll out and stretch the dough to fit the appropriate sized pan. I like to lightly brush the pan with olive oil and the top of the crust. If you allow the dough to periodically rest it will eventually fill the pan and not shrink back.
Then top with sauce, cheese, what have you. I used fresh tomatoes marinated with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and basil instead of sauce. Then a liberal sprinkling of cheese, some onions, a little bit of minced garlic and pepperoni. It takes about 15 minutes for the pie to cook.
And oh boy does it taste good!
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