A few months ago I was looking up some sort of event (I have since forgotten what it was) when I accidentally found out that The World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions* were coming to the Richmond Coliseum. Since Rebecca is pony mad and I too have a certain fondness for horses, it behooved me to get tickets. And so we slogged over to the coliseum one fine summer's day after somebody's orthodontist appointment (the dental school is just a couple of blocks away) to buy the tickets.
For once I find out about an event early enough to get good seats. In fact they were not just good, they were fabulous. We had our choice, from the second row on back. I decided on roughly in the middle, conveniently on the aisle. Once home I pinned the tickets to the bulletin board and noted the event on the calendar.
And life went on.
On the first of the month Rebecca asked me if I knew where the tickets are. I showed her the enveloped stilled pinned to the bulletin board and even gave her a little peek inside. Satisfied that we still had the tickets she went off to play.
Last Saturday was the big day. The plan was that after services she and I would change and then head on up to Richmond, the only potential problem was the Richmond marathon. Numerous streets would closed and it could be tricky getting into our chosen parking lot. I left a good 15 minutes earlier than necessary in case there was a problem.
Fortunately for us, it was a snap. The stretch of Broad street w needed to drive on was free and clear and parking was easy. We had more than enough time to walk the two blocks to the coliseum and find our seats.
Rebecca was enraptured by the horses, particularly when they preformed "The Airs Above the Ground." The power evident in the horse pictured above starting to lift its forefeet off the ground in the Levade is absolutely amazing. If you click on the picture it will take you to my photo set of Lipizzaner pictures. This was my second time seeing them. Last time I was almost thirty years younger and I felt the same this time around, a feeling of excitement and awe. I can ride, but not at that level of perfection. I love watching the beautiful white horses in action and so does my daughter.
* Warning the site does have music, but it is a pleasant version of "The Blue Danube Waltz" and you do have the option in the upper right corner to turn it off.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Yummy Pumpkin
This is what greeted me at the door the other day.
A little dog madly wagging his tail and desperately wanting to bring his pumpkin inside and enjoy it where it is warm and dry. This, however, was not an option and Dell was told to "drop it" before coming inside. Dell loves the pumpkins and is main culprit in their slow, but inevitable destruction.
Normally they would be gone by now, but a week's worth of extremely wet weather put the kibosh on pumpkin disposal. Now I'm waiting for the lawn to be a tad less squishy so I can use the wagon without creating ruts. Most likely it will be tomorrow, which will make little Delly a very sad dog.
A little dog madly wagging his tail and desperately wanting to bring his pumpkin inside and enjoy it where it is warm and dry. This, however, was not an option and Dell was told to "drop it" before coming inside. Dell loves the pumpkins and is main culprit in their slow, but inevitable destruction.
Normally they would be gone by now, but a week's worth of extremely wet weather put the kibosh on pumpkin disposal. Now I'm waiting for the lawn to be a tad less squishy so I can use the wagon without creating ruts. Most likely it will be tomorrow, which will make little Delly a very sad dog.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Birthday in Motion
Friday we had Nate's birthday party at the local laser tag facility. Nate got to invite a bunch of his friends and then spend the evening trying to shot them all up. Which, from the eleven year old boy perspective, is an awesome thing to do.
As is often the case, I have very few pictures of Nate that are not blurred by his constant motion. I like the one featured here because you can see the grin plastered all over his face. Even though his laser gun died halfway through the first of two games, he still had a fabulous time. Fortunately he wasn't stuck with the same gun and was able to come in second during the next game.
As for the cake, I'm very pleased on how it came out.
Nate wanted a plain cake with vanilla frosting. His only decorating request was that he would like to have a three dimension tank on top. I asked him if he wanted soldiers as well . He was delighted with the idea and said yes he would like my soldiers to make an appearance. (and yes I did say my soldiers, I have my very own set that is kept safe and is only used for cake decorating).
After a bit of thought I agreed to the task and this is what I made. It took three cupcakes (leftovers from Wednesday's cupcake drop off at school on his actual birthday), seven pretzels, and a whole lot of frosting. With careful carving of the cupcakes I was able to fashion a cute little tank. I think the best part is the wheels. I was originally planning on just drawing them on, but I got a great idea as I looked for a pretzel stick for the tank's gun. I could use the mini-twists are were in the same snack bag as the pretzel stick to represent the wheels and tank treads.
Nate loved the cake and his friends were pretty darn impressed.
As is often the case, I have very few pictures of Nate that are not blurred by his constant motion. I like the one featured here because you can see the grin plastered all over his face. Even though his laser gun died halfway through the first of two games, he still had a fabulous time. Fortunately he wasn't stuck with the same gun and was able to come in second during the next game.
As for the cake, I'm very pleased on how it came out.
Nate wanted a plain cake with vanilla frosting. His only decorating request was that he would like to have a three dimension tank on top. I asked him if he wanted soldiers as well . He was delighted with the idea and said yes he would like my soldiers to make an appearance. (and yes I did say my soldiers, I have my very own set that is kept safe and is only used for cake decorating).
After a bit of thought I agreed to the task and this is what I made. It took three cupcakes (leftovers from Wednesday's cupcake drop off at school on his actual birthday), seven pretzels, and a whole lot of frosting. With careful carving of the cupcakes I was able to fashion a cute little tank. I think the best part is the wheels. I was originally planning on just drawing them on, but I got a great idea as I looked for a pretzel stick for the tank's gun. I could use the mini-twists are were in the same snack bag as the pretzel stick to represent the wheels and tank treads.
Nate loved the cake and his friends were pretty darn impressed.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Grape Popsicle
That is my husbands name for my new hair color.
I have always wanted to color my hair something outrageous, but I always balked at actually doing something about it. I didn't want to spend the time or the money at a salon and I wasn't too keen on doing it on my own.
That is until now.
After a year of successfully coloring my hair at home I was ready to step up to the challenge.
What brought this all about was boredom with my hair color tempered with the frustration of not being able to find just the shade of auburn that I desired. As I idly scanned all the color options at my local drugstore my eyes were caught by one box on the bottom shelf, bright blue screamed for attention. Now that could be fun.
I rocked back a bit on my heels and thought about it. Maybe not blue, maybe purple would be a better choice. I had to sleep on it.
I brought it up with my husband and he was game. So the next day I sallied forth and got color stripper and demi-permanent purple. According to one shop purple doesn't come in permanent because it's not "natural"- which is ridiculous considering what some people do to their hair with so called "natural" tints.
The color stripper was ineffectual with my 10 plus years of coloring so I had to go out again and get bleach. I won't scare you here with the results of the bleaching, but if you really want to know click here. I have always maintained that I would not look good blonde and now I know it's true. The reaction among the kids was very funny- Jake gave a startled "Whoa," Nate burst into laughter, Rebecca looked upon my strawberry blonde tresses in a mixture of horror and amusement, and Max was best of all. He literally fell over backwards. He flat out refused to look at me. I decided to give my hair a bit of a rest and held off to the next day for the empurpling.
The next morning, after I sent off four slightly shell shocked kids to school, I donned my vinal gloves and did the deed. It was very easy and I am fairly pleased with the results. I expected the coor to be a bit warmer, but I prefer the cooler tone that I got. Larry likes it and dubbed it grape popsicle.
As for the rest of the world, well my friends like it. Nate's fifth grade class thinks it terrific, but then again I did have cupcakes at the time. And Max, well he is over the shock of the blonde and no longer refuses to look at me. He told me later that it is much better than blonde, but that he liked my old color more.
I have always wanted to color my hair something outrageous, but I always balked at actually doing something about it. I didn't want to spend the time or the money at a salon and I wasn't too keen on doing it on my own.
That is until now.
After a year of successfully coloring my hair at home I was ready to step up to the challenge.
What brought this all about was boredom with my hair color tempered with the frustration of not being able to find just the shade of auburn that I desired. As I idly scanned all the color options at my local drugstore my eyes were caught by one box on the bottom shelf, bright blue screamed for attention. Now that could be fun.
I rocked back a bit on my heels and thought about it. Maybe not blue, maybe purple would be a better choice. I had to sleep on it.
I brought it up with my husband and he was game. So the next day I sallied forth and got color stripper and demi-permanent purple. According to one shop purple doesn't come in permanent because it's not "natural"- which is ridiculous considering what some people do to their hair with so called "natural" tints.
The color stripper was ineffectual with my 10 plus years of coloring so I had to go out again and get bleach. I won't scare you here with the results of the bleaching, but if you really want to know click here. I have always maintained that I would not look good blonde and now I know it's true. The reaction among the kids was very funny- Jake gave a startled "Whoa," Nate burst into laughter, Rebecca looked upon my strawberry blonde tresses in a mixture of horror and amusement, and Max was best of all. He literally fell over backwards. He flat out refused to look at me. I decided to give my hair a bit of a rest and held off to the next day for the empurpling.
The next morning, after I sent off four slightly shell shocked kids to school, I donned my vinal gloves and did the deed. It was very easy and I am fairly pleased with the results. I expected the coor to be a bit warmer, but I prefer the cooler tone that I got. Larry likes it and dubbed it grape popsicle.
As for the rest of the world, well my friends like it. Nate's fifth grade class thinks it terrific, but then again I did have cupcakes at the time. And Max, well he is over the shock of the blonde and no longer refuses to look at me. He told me later that it is much better than blonde, but that he liked my old color more.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Eleven Years Later
In eleven years Nate has gone from this sweet little baby to a never ending whirl of motion.
He looks so calm, so quiet and ever so peaceful.
And back then, he was.
He was the easiest baby to care for. I could put him down on a mat and he would happily lay there watching the world. Mind you he wasn't still for long back then, always wriggling about, but in a happy way.
Now, at age eleven, he is so grown up.
He is still a happy boy, always quick to see the humor in almost any situation and heaven knows he is still active.
He is still very cute, with his bright eyes and ready smile now bound by braces. His face is framed by his curly locks that he only grudgingly allows me to trim.
We'll be celebrating his birthday this weekend playing laser tag with some of his many, many friends. It'll be fun, because it's always fun to be around Nate.
He looks so calm, so quiet and ever so peaceful.
And back then, he was.
He was the easiest baby to care for. I could put him down on a mat and he would happily lay there watching the world. Mind you he wasn't still for long back then, always wriggling about, but in a happy way.
Now, at age eleven, he is so grown up.
He is still a happy boy, always quick to see the humor in almost any situation and heaven knows he is still active.
He is still very cute, with his bright eyes and ready smile now bound by braces. His face is framed by his curly locks that he only grudgingly allows me to trim.
We'll be celebrating his birthday this weekend playing laser tag with some of his many, many friends. It'll be fun, because it's always fun to be around Nate.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wide Open
I frequently complain about the hot weather coupled with the high humidity in the summer down here in the Virginia and the laughable winters are also another sore point. But the weather we have had the past couple days almost makes up for it.
Temperatures in the 70's with almost no humidity or bugs, it's heavenly.
I've thrown open the patio doors and have reveled in the glorious weather. The leaves are falling, but you can still see a bit of color in our backyard.
Sadly, the remains of Ida are making their way up the coast and the next few days will be soggy indeed. I'm glad I seized the moment when the weather was good and put our new back door to good use.
The previous set had one false door, only the right hand side could be opened. It irked me to no end. When the bottom frame rotted out I was in a small way happy. I could finally get a proper set of patio doors.
Temperatures in the 70's with almost no humidity or bugs, it's heavenly.
I've thrown open the patio doors and have reveled in the glorious weather. The leaves are falling, but you can still see a bit of color in our backyard.
Sadly, the remains of Ida are making their way up the coast and the next few days will be soggy indeed. I'm glad I seized the moment when the weather was good and put our new back door to good use.
The previous set had one false door, only the right hand side could be opened. It irked me to no end. When the bottom frame rotted out I was in a small way happy. I could finally get a proper set of patio doors.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Max in Motion
It's the last week of soccer practice (much to Rebecca's delight) and the schedules have been rejiggered because of the time change and the near total darkness at 5:30 pm.
Originally Max and Rebecca's team had practice from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on Mondays and Fridays over on the unlit back field. Since it's pitch black at 6:00, the club moved them the front field under the lights starting last Monday for a Monday only practice from 5:15 to when ever.
The front field is for the big kids and it was the first time the dynamic duo got to use that field. This was a big deal to them and being under the lights was the cherry on top. So of course I brought my camera along.
Most of my pictures were pretty much blah, except this one.
I just love how I captured Max in motion. It took me a while to figure out the yellow blob on his shoulder, it is actually a person on the other side of him wearing a yellow jersey.
This really captures the energy that little boys (and girls) have.
Originally Max and Rebecca's team had practice from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on Mondays and Fridays over on the unlit back field. Since it's pitch black at 6:00, the club moved them the front field under the lights starting last Monday for a Monday only practice from 5:15 to when ever.
The front field is for the big kids and it was the first time the dynamic duo got to use that field. This was a big deal to them and being under the lights was the cherry on top. So of course I brought my camera along.
Most of my pictures were pretty much blah, except this one.
I just love how I captured Max in motion. It took me a while to figure out the yellow blob on his shoulder, it is actually a person on the other side of him wearing a yellow jersey.
This really captures the energy that little boys (and girls) have.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Unworldly
We get some strange looking mushrooms in our backyard. This one popped up last January. It was large and looked so very odd I took a picture and promptly forgot all about it.
I was browsing some of my older pictures today when it caught my eye.
I started to play with a bit and found if a did an extreme closeup it looked a bit like an alien landscape. For comparison check out these wonderful pictures of the planet Mars. Those pictures were taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera.
The pictures are breathtaking in their detail. Number12 in the series is the one that sprang to mind as I played with my picture. I'm not saying it is a dead ringer, but it is evocative. Either way go and enjoy these glimpses of another world.
I was browsing some of my older pictures today when it caught my eye.
I started to play with a bit and found if a did an extreme closeup it looked a bit like an alien landscape. For comparison check out these wonderful pictures of the planet Mars. Those pictures were taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera.
The pictures are breathtaking in their detail. Number12 in the series is the one that sprang to mind as I played with my picture. I'm not saying it is a dead ringer, but it is evocative. Either way go and enjoy these glimpses of another world.
Friday, November 06, 2009
Street Art
Wonderful street art I found on YouTube.
Joshua Allen Harris' Inflatable Bag Monsters are so ephemeral and I love them. What a great use of a classic feature of the cityscape, the subway grating.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Dang Pumpkin Eaters
I mentioned a few days ago that dachshunds + pumpkins = sadness.
Well the boys were at it again.
I looked out the front door and saw that a pumpkin had been dragged over with a significant chunk taken out. Halloween is over and I really don't care, except it is the same beleaguered pumpkin, Miss Rebecca will not be pleased. Although, I will note, the dogs at least had the courtesy to not chew off the face.
Again.
Dell was all excited when I came out to photograph the destruction. He spent most of the time swirling about my feet in a pumpkin induced madness. Eating pumpkin seems to jack him up to new levels of crazy dog energy. Candy, on the other hand, has no effect on him. But then, something grabbed his attention and he snapped into the perfect pose.
John, meanwhile, saw that the buffet was still open and took out a few more bites.
Silly dogs, at least they are eating something good for them.
Well the boys were at it again.
I looked out the front door and saw that a pumpkin had been dragged over with a significant chunk taken out. Halloween is over and I really don't care, except it is the same beleaguered pumpkin, Miss Rebecca will not be pleased. Although, I will note, the dogs at least had the courtesy to not chew off the face.
Again.
Dell was all excited when I came out to photograph the destruction. He spent most of the time swirling about my feet in a pumpkin induced madness. Eating pumpkin seems to jack him up to new levels of crazy dog energy. Candy, on the other hand, has no effect on him. But then, something grabbed his attention and he snapped into the perfect pose.
John, meanwhile, saw that the buffet was still open and took out a few more bites.
Silly dogs, at least they are eating something good for them.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Artist of the Week: Out of the Blue
Rebecca is this week's artist with something a bit out of the ordinary for her.
Her Halloween costume, however, was completely in character. She opted to be a fairy princess this year. For over a month she had been planning out what she was going to wear. She has a pretty little tutu from Grandma and she decided to pair it with a set of wings and a wand. For the past few weeks we had combed the internet for wings, but the shipping costs were often more than the cost of the wings. In the end we went to Target and got a gorgeous set of gossamer pink wings. They looked lovely with her tutu and were a bargain and a half and had a nice matching wand to boot.
Originally we had planned on her wearing a long sleeved white turtle neck beneath and white tights, but that proved unnecessary on All Hallows Eve. It was a balmy mid-seventies outside with a nearly full moon. A far cry from previous years that were cold and nasty.
Anyhoodle, this is about what Rebecca did earlier this week.
Her brothers have a long established tradition of fashioning all sorts of vehicles from LEGOs. Rebecca normally looks on and admires her brothers' creations. But not any more, she has stepped up and knocked one out of the park.
I think we were in Max and Nate's room corralling up the mess therein. She came in to show off her fighter jet. I can safely saw we were all impressed. She really did do a bang up job. I particularly like the little puppy pilot under the cockpit's canopy. She got all the details right from the nose, to the wings, and on back to the tail assembly.
Pretty amazing for somebody that never really expressed interest in jets before.
Her Halloween costume, however, was completely in character. She opted to be a fairy princess this year. For over a month she had been planning out what she was going to wear. She has a pretty little tutu from Grandma and she decided to pair it with a set of wings and a wand. For the past few weeks we had combed the internet for wings, but the shipping costs were often more than the cost of the wings. In the end we went to Target and got a gorgeous set of gossamer pink wings. They looked lovely with her tutu and were a bargain and a half and had a nice matching wand to boot.
Originally we had planned on her wearing a long sleeved white turtle neck beneath and white tights, but that proved unnecessary on All Hallows Eve. It was a balmy mid-seventies outside with a nearly full moon. A far cry from previous years that were cold and nasty.
Anyhoodle, this is about what Rebecca did earlier this week.
Her brothers have a long established tradition of fashioning all sorts of vehicles from LEGOs. Rebecca normally looks on and admires her brothers' creations. But not any more, she has stepped up and knocked one out of the park.
I think we were in Max and Nate's room corralling up the mess therein. She came in to show off her fighter jet. I can safely saw we were all impressed. She really did do a bang up job. I particularly like the little puppy pilot under the cockpit's canopy. She got all the details right from the nose, to the wings, and on back to the tail assembly.
Pretty amazing for somebody that never really expressed interest in jets before.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
I Voted And It Felt Good
Here is my annual election day post.
I take my civic duty very seriously and, if you can, you should too.
I take my civic duty very seriously and, if you can, you should too.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Pumpkin Mathmatics
I didn't mention this yesterday, but we had a bit of drama with the pumpkin carving.
Rebecca's first pumpkin was the one she choose to have a happy face. She carefully drew the design and was very pleased with how I carved it out for her. Once it was done I told her to set the pumpkin out on the front steps and fetch another one.
We thought nothing of it until about half hour later Rebecca went outside with another pumpkin. She came back devastated. Dell had decided to have a little pumpkin snack and completely destroyed the face of her pumpkin.
She sat on the bench howling over the tragic loss of her pumpkin.
I went out to survey the damage and I have to admit it was pretty darn impressive. Dell had very neatly devoured the entire face of the pumpkin, yet he left the lid completely intact. It was bad, but the pumpkin itself was salvageable.
I just turned the pumpkin to the opposite side and replicated Rebecca's original design. It was a fairly good match, in fact it was good enough to calm Rebecca down.
The big thing we learned was that dachshunds + pumpkins = much sadness.
Rebecca's first pumpkin was the one she choose to have a happy face. She carefully drew the design and was very pleased with how I carved it out for her. Once it was done I told her to set the pumpkin out on the front steps and fetch another one.
We thought nothing of it until about half hour later Rebecca went outside with another pumpkin. She came back devastated. Dell had decided to have a little pumpkin snack and completely destroyed the face of her pumpkin.
She sat on the bench howling over the tragic loss of her pumpkin.
I went out to survey the damage and I have to admit it was pretty darn impressive. Dell had very neatly devoured the entire face of the pumpkin, yet he left the lid completely intact. It was bad, but the pumpkin itself was salvageable.
I just turned the pumpkin to the opposite side and replicated Rebecca's original design. It was a fairly good match, in fact it was good enough to calm Rebecca down.
The big thing we learned was that dachshunds + pumpkins = much sadness.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Halloween Pumpkin Madness
Yes, I really did carve all 18 pumpkins and I have the pictures to prove it.
I was a bit off my pace this year, I didn't quite get all the pumpkins done before sundown. It is usually a close thing, but I make it. For the first time ever I cut my hand and that threw me off. I had to keep stopping because the band aides kept sliding off from the pumpkin slime until I finally got the bright idea to wear a dish glove on the injured hand. Then it was smooth sailing.
This year Nate wasn't all that into the Halloween thing. He decided against trick or treating because he wanted to wear a super scary outfit, but he didn't want to traumatize Max. So he ended up staying home with his older brother and Aunt Meryl (who stopped by). This lack of interest also extended to the pumpkin carving. Previous years he was an active participate, this year not so much. He only made one request, a spider and he left the design completely up to me.
As for the rest of the crowd, they were more than happy to tell me what to do with the pumpkins.
Jake designed all four of his and left the cutting to me. He is really getting in to the whole design phase. No longer does he want a perfect pumpkin, he has learned the joys of the warty and the strange.
Rebecca, on the other hand, still wants perfect pumpkins. She takes great pains to get just the right pumpkin and carefully draws her design. She did four of her three. It would have been all four, but her cat was far too tiny and I proposed doing that my self.
Then there is Max.
Foe weeks he has been telling me that he wanted a bat, a penguin and a turtle eating a sandwich. The first was fine, a nice traditional Halloween design. But from there they ideas get increasingly bizarre. Penguins and turtles are his two favorite animals, so there were no surprises there. It was the "eating a sandwich" part that got me. I got exasperated and asked him to draw me a picture of exactly what he meant and well in the end that's what I carved. The ant was a last minute addition and I have no idea where that came from.
So in the end eighteen pumpkins resulted in three bags of pumpkin guts to be dumped in the woods for the deer, six band aides, a ton of pumpkin seeds for roasting, and a whole lot of fun. If you want to see all the pumpkins you can click on the pictures and check out the photosets over on Flickr.
I hope y'all had a happy Halloween, we sure did!
I was a bit off my pace this year, I didn't quite get all the pumpkins done before sundown. It is usually a close thing, but I make it. For the first time ever I cut my hand and that threw me off. I had to keep stopping because the band aides kept sliding off from the pumpkin slime until I finally got the bright idea to wear a dish glove on the injured hand. Then it was smooth sailing.
This year Nate wasn't all that into the Halloween thing. He decided against trick or treating because he wanted to wear a super scary outfit, but he didn't want to traumatize Max. So he ended up staying home with his older brother and Aunt Meryl (who stopped by). This lack of interest also extended to the pumpkin carving. Previous years he was an active participate, this year not so much. He only made one request, a spider and he left the design completely up to me.
As for the rest of the crowd, they were more than happy to tell me what to do with the pumpkins.
Jake designed all four of his and left the cutting to me. He is really getting in to the whole design phase. No longer does he want a perfect pumpkin, he has learned the joys of the warty and the strange.
Rebecca, on the other hand, still wants perfect pumpkins. She takes great pains to get just the right pumpkin and carefully draws her design. She did four of her three. It would have been all four, but her cat was far too tiny and I proposed doing that my self.
Then there is Max.
Foe weeks he has been telling me that he wanted a bat, a penguin and a turtle eating a sandwich. The first was fine, a nice traditional Halloween design. But from there they ideas get increasingly bizarre. Penguins and turtles are his two favorite animals, so there were no surprises there. It was the "eating a sandwich" part that got me. I got exasperated and asked him to draw me a picture of exactly what he meant and well in the end that's what I carved. The ant was a last minute addition and I have no idea where that came from.
So in the end eighteen pumpkins resulted in three bags of pumpkin guts to be dumped in the woods for the deer, six band aides, a ton of pumpkin seeds for roasting, and a whole lot of fun. If you want to see all the pumpkins you can click on the pictures and check out the photosets over on Flickr.
I hope y'all had a happy Halloween, we sure did!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Gonna Get Medieval On Your Class
Today the gifted fifth grade classrooms had a Medieval Faire. There was a banquet, games and various information booths, created by the students, all about the middle ages.
I volunteered to cook for the banquet. Instead of my usual bakingpalooza I decided to supply a veggy dish. The teachers requested that the food have a medieval aspect to it and very helpfully provided the web site Medieval Cookery. I poked around a bit, but nothing really grabbed me. Instead, I made sweet potato and apple tzimmes.
Tzimmes is a very old and traditional dish for Rosh Hashanah and has been around in some form or another since at least medieval times. Since it was for a big crowd I ended up doubling my recipe. I didn't want to run out and I could always take the leftovers home.
Nate and a few of his friends created a game and holiday information booth. They (though really it was just Nate stuck at the table) had a few games set up like chess, backgammon, Fox and Geese, and bocce ball. He was very happy to run through his speech when he had his rare visitor. And it wasn't his fault that his booth didn't attract a whole lot of notice. Bocce ball was popular but he was competing against jousting.
And not just any old form of jousting, but swim noodle and hoppy ball jousting. Nothing says medieval more than whacking at your classmates with a long foam tube while bouncing on a ball.
Then again what do I know.
It was, however a fun afternoon. The kids enjoyed the food, I got bring back a little less than half of my tzimmes (woo-hoo, part of dinner is done!), and I even learned a little bit about life in medieval times.
I volunteered to cook for the banquet. Instead of my usual bakingpalooza I decided to supply a veggy dish. The teachers requested that the food have a medieval aspect to it and very helpfully provided the web site Medieval Cookery. I poked around a bit, but nothing really grabbed me. Instead, I made sweet potato and apple tzimmes.
Tzimmes is a very old and traditional dish for Rosh Hashanah and has been around in some form or another since at least medieval times. Since it was for a big crowd I ended up doubling my recipe. I didn't want to run out and I could always take the leftovers home.
Nate and a few of his friends created a game and holiday information booth. They (though really it was just Nate stuck at the table) had a few games set up like chess, backgammon, Fox and Geese, and bocce ball. He was very happy to run through his speech when he had his rare visitor. And it wasn't his fault that his booth didn't attract a whole lot of notice. Bocce ball was popular but he was competing against jousting.
And not just any old form of jousting, but swim noodle and hoppy ball jousting. Nothing says medieval more than whacking at your classmates with a long foam tube while bouncing on a ball.
Then again what do I know.
It was, however a fun afternoon. The kids enjoyed the food, I got bring back a little less than half of my tzimmes (woo-hoo, part of dinner is done!), and I even learned a little bit about life in medieval times.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Artist of the Week: Coat of Arms
This week's artist is a very pleased, and rightly so, Nate.
One of the things they have been studying this year is heraldic coats of arms. They learned about the meaning of each and every aspect, from color to what the different images mean. Nate was intrigued by the whole thing and asked if my family had one. I was able to show him not just one, but three different ones. Sometimes there is an advantage to be of UK origins.
Which of course leads us to Nate's Coat of Arms. The students were assigned the task of developing their own coat of arms using all that they have learned so far. They also had to write an essay about their design and why they chose the element they did. The assignment was due this past Monday and it was pretty much what Nate did this weekend. He had the whole thing planned out about a week ago, we just needed the time to pull it all together.
First off I'll give you what Nate wrote about his coat of arms.
The hardest part was the two falcons. Nate was very nervous about how he was going to make them. We ended up finding an image of a falcon in flight and used it as a guide. You can see what I printed out for him in the picture here of the shield in progress. We found the image and I flipped it to create the two mirror images. I lightly penciled an outline on the shield to act as a guide and Nate painted the birds.
They came out fantastically well. He was extremely proud of his creations and I am too. It really is his work. After I made the rough sketch I walked away. I know I do a better job when there is nobody around and it is his project and not mine. The color selection and brush stroke patterns are his work and his work alone.
So my hat's off to you Mr. Nate.
One of the things they have been studying this year is heraldic coats of arms. They learned about the meaning of each and every aspect, from color to what the different images mean. Nate was intrigued by the whole thing and asked if my family had one. I was able to show him not just one, but three different ones. Sometimes there is an advantage to be of UK origins.
Which of course leads us to Nate's Coat of Arms. The students were assigned the task of developing their own coat of arms using all that they have learned so far. They also had to write an essay about their design and why they chose the element they did. The assignment was due this past Monday and it was pretty much what Nate did this weekend. He had the whole thing planned out about a week ago, we just needed the time to pull it all together.
First off I'll give you what Nate wrote about his coat of arms.
My Coat of ArmsIt was a fun project to do with Nate. I pretty much just had an advisory role. I made up the paste for the paper-mâché and showed Nate how to created the ridges on his shield and he did the rest.
Clang! Smash! Cling! In the heat of battle, vibrantly colored shields help protect and identify knights. It was near impossible to till the difference between men in their suites of armor, so their solution was to paint something personal on their shield. They named it a Coat of Arms, which soon was used to identify royalty, and families. Soon everybody had one including some peasants, because very few people could read, plus they were fashionable. Even though there are a lot more facts about the Coat of Arms to write about the Coat of Arms I created.
My edged shaped shield incorporates the pall decision’s design on the front. The raguly heraldic lines represent difficulties I’ve encountered, like learning how to bike. I selected the color blue to represent truth and loyalty. It reflects me because I am loyal to my friends and family and I try to be truthful one hundred percent of the time. White stands for peace and sincerity. I try to be peaceful, and solve things with words. I’m also sincere about everything I say. Maroon resembles patient yet victorious in battle. I’m patient but I always get everything done that I do.
The caduceus represents balance of two items or subjects, and has a medical interest or occupation. That resembles me for I’m great at balancing two projects, and I want to be a Biological engineer when I grow up. The falcon stands for not giving up until finished. I definitely never give up, and I always finish a project even if I don’t do it on time I still get it done. A peon or spear head shows being ready for challenges. It reflects me for I usually am ready for tests and things like that.
The Coats of Arms has helped identify people and places, and has even be come fashionable proving to be very useful Doing what I did on this project has taught me a lot on the subject of Coats of Arms and I hope I’ve taught you something too.
The hardest part was the two falcons. Nate was very nervous about how he was going to make them. We ended up finding an image of a falcon in flight and used it as a guide. You can see what I printed out for him in the picture here of the shield in progress. We found the image and I flipped it to create the two mirror images. I lightly penciled an outline on the shield to act as a guide and Nate painted the birds.
They came out fantastically well. He was extremely proud of his creations and I am too. It really is his work. After I made the rough sketch I walked away. I know I do a better job when there is nobody around and it is his project and not mine. The color selection and brush stroke patterns are his work and his work alone.
So my hat's off to you Mr. Nate.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Playing In The Rain
On Saturday we had our usual assortment of sports obligations, football for Nate and soccer for the rest. As an added bonus it was picture day for Max and Rebecca's team.
It was far warmer than last weekend, but still we had the gun metal gray skies overhead. I got Max and Rebecca fed, dressed and at the picture spot roughly on time. Well I was 10 minutes later than the coach requested, but a good 15 minutes before out actual time slot. I didn't knock myself out because I had a gut feeling that the pictures were not going to happen.
And I was right.
Only one other child from our team was there. Over half the team was sick, including the coaches son. We hung around for a bit and one other player showed up, but it wasn't enough. The photographer told our coach that it wasn't worthwhile and that we would reschedule.
We then hung around for a bit for our scheduled game. After about 45 minutes and no real change in the number of players our coach threw in the towel. Five players are needed to be on the field and we only had four.
Jake's team had far better luck. Most of his team mates showed up and they were able to play, even though the heavens opened up with a deluge of rain. I was able to stay nice in dry by having Larry back up to the field. All I had to do was lift up the back hatch and flip over the seat- instant seat bench. Definitely one of the nicer aspects of having a minivan.
Meryl joined me in the back and we had a great time watching the game. Max, Rebecca and Nate entertained themselves by playing in the adjacent field and getting completely soaked.
It was far warmer than last weekend, but still we had the gun metal gray skies overhead. I got Max and Rebecca fed, dressed and at the picture spot roughly on time. Well I was 10 minutes later than the coach requested, but a good 15 minutes before out actual time slot. I didn't knock myself out because I had a gut feeling that the pictures were not going to happen.
And I was right.
Only one other child from our team was there. Over half the team was sick, including the coaches son. We hung around for a bit and one other player showed up, but it wasn't enough. The photographer told our coach that it wasn't worthwhile and that we would reschedule.
We then hung around for a bit for our scheduled game. After about 45 minutes and no real change in the number of players our coach threw in the towel. Five players are needed to be on the field and we only had four.
Jake's team had far better luck. Most of his team mates showed up and they were able to play, even though the heavens opened up with a deluge of rain. I was able to stay nice in dry by having Larry back up to the field. All I had to do was lift up the back hatch and flip over the seat- instant seat bench. Definitely one of the nicer aspects of having a minivan.
Meryl joined me in the back and we had a great time watching the game. Max, Rebecca and Nate entertained themselves by playing in the adjacent field and getting completely soaked.
Monday, October 26, 2009
It's That Time of Year Again
When I go temporarily insane and buy a ridiculous amount of pumpkins.
This is my first load, it came to only ten pumpkins. That was all I could safely cram into my shopping cart. All totaled I usually end up getting 18.
I wait and wait, biding my time as Halloween nears. I refuse to pay the high prices at the start of October and the dang things rot if you buy them too soon. The children start to get antsy come mid-October, but I tell them not until the last week and certainly not before a certain dynamic duo's birthday.
This year it's been a bit tricky, I haven't noticed the big bins of pumpkins at my regular haunts. I had to go a little further afield and pay a little more than I would have liked. But they had dropped in price by a dollar, so my annual game of chicken is working out.
So there was a great deal of celebration when they came home from school and saw the pumpkins arrayed on the front steps. The rest of the week I'll be stalking down the remaining eight and seeing how low the prices will go.
This is my first load, it came to only ten pumpkins. That was all I could safely cram into my shopping cart. All totaled I usually end up getting 18.
I wait and wait, biding my time as Halloween nears. I refuse to pay the high prices at the start of October and the dang things rot if you buy them too soon. The children start to get antsy come mid-October, but I tell them not until the last week and certainly not before a certain dynamic duo's birthday.
This year it's been a bit tricky, I haven't noticed the big bins of pumpkins at my regular haunts. I had to go a little further afield and pay a little more than I would have liked. But they had dropped in price by a dollar, so my annual game of chicken is working out.
So there was a great deal of celebration when they came home from school and saw the pumpkins arrayed on the front steps. The rest of the week I'll be stalking down the remaining eight and seeing how low the prices will go.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Halloween Past
I was going through some old pictures today for Nate. He had an assignment in Hebrew school about firsts: first steps, first day of school, and so on. The teacher requested that the students bring in as much memorabilia as possible, including pictures.
I was able to dig up the outfit he came home in from the hospital and the the very first hat the hospital staff placed on his head. What was particularly nice was that I had found pictures to go with a fair amount of Nate's big first time events, including his first Halloween.
He was just eleven days shy of his first birthday, but he had been walking for quite some time. We reused Jake's first costume for Nate, a cute little dinosaur/dragon. Jake, at all of four years of age, was in his rhinoceros costume. The two of them were utterly adorable together, the rhino and the dino. I have a fair number of pictures of them seated together, but this is one of my favorites, the two of them toddling off across the lawn.
I was able to dig up the outfit he came home in from the hospital and the the very first hat the hospital staff placed on his head. What was particularly nice was that I had found pictures to go with a fair amount of Nate's big first time events, including his first Halloween.
He was just eleven days shy of his first birthday, but he had been walking for quite some time. We reused Jake's first costume for Nate, a cute little dinosaur/dragon. Jake, at all of four years of age, was in his rhinoceros costume. The two of them were utterly adorable together, the rhino and the dino. I have a fair number of pictures of them seated together, but this is one of my favorites, the two of them toddling off across the lawn.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Dragon Ash
This was sent to me by an old high school friend who is a complete and total music geek. The group is from Japan, which makes this song all the more surprising.
Enjoy.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Bloom is Not Yet Off the Rose
Or rather the moss rose.
I bought this plant way back in June for Jake's Bar Mitzvah. I loved the colors and as an added bonus it was labeled "water wise."
And boy they were not kidding.
I think I only watered them two, maybe three times this summer. They just kept on blooming. The plants are starting to look a bit seedy now and the blooms aren't nearly as profuse, but I certainly got my money's worth.
It will be interesting to see how they fair this winter. I'm hoping for the best, but I won't be surprised if they go belly up. Either way, I'm buying these again.
I bought this plant way back in June for Jake's Bar Mitzvah. I loved the colors and as an added bonus it was labeled "water wise."
And boy they were not kidding.
I think I only watered them two, maybe three times this summer. They just kept on blooming. The plants are starting to look a bit seedy now and the blooms aren't nearly as profuse, but I certainly got my money's worth.
It will be interesting to see how they fair this winter. I'm hoping for the best, but I won't be surprised if they go belly up. Either way, I'm buying these again.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Artist of the Week: Weather
This week's artist is Mr. Max, pictured here on the beach when we were on vacation.
Interestingly enough he was just talking to me today about our trip to the Outer Banks. He loved having the beach so close by and he wants to go again. It was fun being able to play in the waves and build sand castles as the mood struck.
It looks cold in the picture, I could have warmed it up, but it was cloudy and fairly early in the morning. I try to resist doing too much to my pictures. It's tempting to keep tweaking the picture to make it better, then ultimately the heart of the picture is lost. But that is just my opinion, of course sometimes a picture just begs to be played with.
Anyway this is not about me and my pictures, but Max and his.
At school Max's class has been studying weather. They have been learning all about different forms and what a forecast is. One of their assignments was to make a little book about weather.
I found it stuck inside his folder today while looking through his backpack for any handouts. It is hard to tell from the picture, but it is a series of pages you flip up. Each page gets progressively larger as you go through the book. The book itself defines all sorts of weather related terminology. From blizzard on down to wind, it is all neatly defined with a small illustration accompanying the text.
I love Max's spare little drawings. Rebecca would have drawn things in a much bolder fashion, but that is not Max.
I think my favorite page is drought. Max drew the absolutely cutest cow skeleton. I don't know why it appeals to me so much, but it does. If you click on either of the two pictures they will take you to the picture's page in my Flickr photostream and from there you can go to the picture set. I uploaded the whole book. You'll get to see another one of my favorites, the tornado and hurricane page. I don't know if it was intentional, but I love how the word "hurricane" is upside down. The bending teeny tiny palm trees complete the picture.
I think Max did a terrific job.
Interestingly enough he was just talking to me today about our trip to the Outer Banks. He loved having the beach so close by and he wants to go again. It was fun being able to play in the waves and build sand castles as the mood struck.
It looks cold in the picture, I could have warmed it up, but it was cloudy and fairly early in the morning. I try to resist doing too much to my pictures. It's tempting to keep tweaking the picture to make it better, then ultimately the heart of the picture is lost. But that is just my opinion, of course sometimes a picture just begs to be played with.
Anyway this is not about me and my pictures, but Max and his.
At school Max's class has been studying weather. They have been learning all about different forms and what a forecast is. One of their assignments was to make a little book about weather.
I found it stuck inside his folder today while looking through his backpack for any handouts. It is hard to tell from the picture, but it is a series of pages you flip up. Each page gets progressively larger as you go through the book. The book itself defines all sorts of weather related terminology. From blizzard on down to wind, it is all neatly defined with a small illustration accompanying the text.
I love Max's spare little drawings. Rebecca would have drawn things in a much bolder fashion, but that is not Max.
I think my favorite page is drought. Max drew the absolutely cutest cow skeleton. I don't know why it appeals to me so much, but it does. If you click on either of the two pictures they will take you to the picture's page in my Flickr photostream and from there you can go to the picture set. I uploaded the whole book. You'll get to see another one of my favorites, the tornado and hurricane page. I don't know if it was intentional, but I love how the word "hurricane" is upside down. The bending teeny tiny palm trees complete the picture.
I think Max did a terrific job.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
This Way and That Way
It's very entertaining having two dogs, particularly when they are half brothers and best buddies.
They love to wrestle each other under my feet, odd noises emanating from them as they try to flip each other over and suck on each others' ears. Then they are off for, what is to them, a well earned nap.
When they go outside one will wait for the other before going down the short staircase to the lawn. I'll see then stop at the top of the stairs looking back towards the other as though to say "Come on! Lets go!" Of course all bets are off if they spy a squirrel or a deer in the backyard. Then it's a pell-mell race to get to the intruder, barking all the while.
Mind you it's not all sunshine and roses.
When they race across the lawn it sometimes looks like a roller derby. John will bump Dell's shoulder with his own to slow his brother down. John does not like it when Dell pulls ahead and does his best to head his brother off. I have even seen him barking with his muzzle literally in Dell's ear. Dell couldn't care less and keeps on going, much to John's irritation.
But most of the time you can find them nosing about the lawn together, perfectly content to just be in the now.
Like today. After a week of nasty cold, wet weather we had our second sunny day in a row. It was glorious outside and the boys enjoyed the sunshine while I tried to find something colorful and autumnal to photograph.
The leaves were a bust (which wasn't too big a surprise), but then I looked at the dogs. At first both were looking at me as I got down to take their picture. Then something grabbed their individual attention and I got this fun series of pictures of them looking in opposite directions. Normally they will look in the same direction, but not this time. I'm just glad I caught them in the act.
They love to wrestle each other under my feet, odd noises emanating from them as they try to flip each other over and suck on each others' ears. Then they are off for, what is to them, a well earned nap.
When they go outside one will wait for the other before going down the short staircase to the lawn. I'll see then stop at the top of the stairs looking back towards the other as though to say "Come on! Lets go!" Of course all bets are off if they spy a squirrel or a deer in the backyard. Then it's a pell-mell race to get to the intruder, barking all the while.
Mind you it's not all sunshine and roses.
When they race across the lawn it sometimes looks like a roller derby. John will bump Dell's shoulder with his own to slow his brother down. John does not like it when Dell pulls ahead and does his best to head his brother off. I have even seen him barking with his muzzle literally in Dell's ear. Dell couldn't care less and keeps on going, much to John's irritation.
But most of the time you can find them nosing about the lawn together, perfectly content to just be in the now.
Like today. After a week of nasty cold, wet weather we had our second sunny day in a row. It was glorious outside and the boys enjoyed the sunshine while I tried to find something colorful and autumnal to photograph.
The leaves were a bust (which wasn't too big a surprise), but then I looked at the dogs. At first both were looking at me as I got down to take their picture. Then something grabbed their individual attention and I got this fun series of pictures of them looking in opposite directions. Normally they will look in the same direction, but not this time. I'm just glad I caught them in the act.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Long Day in the Saddle
Poor Larry is not feeling so well, so today I got to play chauffeur for all four kids.
It was a long day and I'm bushed. We ran the gamut from a dental appointment, to soccer practice, and a football game. Of course they were spread out all over the county, but the timing worked out just fine, I was on time if not a bit early for each event.
Tomorrow I have a lighter load and hopefully I will have a bit more pep at days end.
It was a long day and I'm bushed. We ran the gamut from a dental appointment, to soccer practice, and a football game. Of course they were spread out all over the county, but the timing worked out just fine, I was on time if not a bit early for each event.
Tomorrow I have a lighter load and hopefully I will have a bit more pep at days end.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Party for Two
Thursday was Max and Rebecca's official 8th birthday. They didn't quite get the full birthday treatment as I was just recovering from the piggy flu (and just for the record, Tamiflu totally rocks, it's the best drug ever!).
Instead of cake for breakfast they had to settle for brownies I had made earlier in the week. I did not bring in the planned sugar cookies to share with the classmates. I decided I needed to kept my germy self at home and not serve up a batch of scratch made sugar cookies with a touch of H1N1. Instead we'll make them this coming week.
Admittedly I was feeling much better on Thursday, but I was still not well enough to bake them a cake. So Larry and I stopped by a local ice cream shop and picked up a basic 6" round ice cream cake. We got lucky with our timing and the girl behind the counter was able to pipe their names on top.
But today was a different story.
Their joint party was today.
We have gotten this twin party down to a science. Max invites a bunch of boys and Rebecca invites some girls. We tried to invite their soccer team, but between my being ill and there being no practice or games since the Friday before last we were only able to get one teammate.
For the most part the kids separate out with the boys hanging with the boys and the girls sticking together and that is the way it should be. We try to avoid double invites because I feel kind of bad when parents have to come up with presents for two kids. Mind you we do have a few exceptions. One of the boys invited rides the same bus with the dynamic duo and brought presents for both of them.
Anyhoo, we have been nervously watching the weather for the past few days. It has been cool and rainy for this week and we were hoping for just a brief respite from the rain. Today's weather wasn't perfect, but it was still pretty nice outside. I was able to fix up our bouncy tent and get it set up on the lawn.
As always it was a huge hit with our guests.
The girls did not spend much time in the bouncy tent, but that was understandable considering the how very very active the boys are. Instead they hung around indoors both downstairs and that was fine with me.
About halfway through the party, we decided to was time for our big activity, cup cake decoration. This was such a bit hit last year that we decided to bring it back this year. The kids loved getting to decide chocolate or vanilla frosting and picking out which of the sugar pieces to use. Throw in some sprinkles and you've got yourself a party.
And that is exactly what we got. In fact everyone was having so much fun, nobody wanted to go home. The hallmark of a really good party.
Instead of cake for breakfast they had to settle for brownies I had made earlier in the week. I did not bring in the planned sugar cookies to share with the classmates. I decided I needed to kept my germy self at home and not serve up a batch of scratch made sugar cookies with a touch of H1N1. Instead we'll make them this coming week.
Admittedly I was feeling much better on Thursday, but I was still not well enough to bake them a cake. So Larry and I stopped by a local ice cream shop and picked up a basic 6" round ice cream cake. We got lucky with our timing and the girl behind the counter was able to pipe their names on top.
But today was a different story.
Their joint party was today.
We have gotten this twin party down to a science. Max invites a bunch of boys and Rebecca invites some girls. We tried to invite their soccer team, but between my being ill and there being no practice or games since the Friday before last we were only able to get one teammate.
For the most part the kids separate out with the boys hanging with the boys and the girls sticking together and that is the way it should be. We try to avoid double invites because I feel kind of bad when parents have to come up with presents for two kids. Mind you we do have a few exceptions. One of the boys invited rides the same bus with the dynamic duo and brought presents for both of them.
Anyhoo, we have been nervously watching the weather for the past few days. It has been cool and rainy for this week and we were hoping for just a brief respite from the rain. Today's weather wasn't perfect, but it was still pretty nice outside. I was able to fix up our bouncy tent and get it set up on the lawn.
As always it was a huge hit with our guests.
The girls did not spend much time in the bouncy tent, but that was understandable considering the how very very active the boys are. Instead they hung around indoors both downstairs and that was fine with me.
About halfway through the party, we decided to was time for our big activity, cup cake decoration. This was such a bit hit last year that we decided to bring it back this year. The kids loved getting to decide chocolate or vanilla frosting and picking out which of the sugar pieces to use. Throw in some sprinkles and you've got yourself a party.
And that is exactly what we got. In fact everyone was having so much fun, nobody wanted to go home. The hallmark of a really good party.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Peep and the Big Wide World
Because it's Friday, it has been a dreary week, and dang it... this just makes me happy.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Eight Years Ago
It was eight years ago today that we went from a family of four to a family of six.
Tonight we celebrated Max and Rebecca's arrival in the world with dinner out at the restaurant of their choosing. We all had a good time and after wards we had an ice cream cake at home. This weekend we will have their actual party, but that's enough about them now. I'll write about their birthday party next week. Instead I'm sharing with y'all a bit about way back then.
I had already been down this road before, but it was the first time carrying twins and that made all the difference.
As twin pregnancies go, mine was text book and very easy. At the end of pretty much all my appointments my OB would declare me boring and send me home. I kept myself well hydrated, which prevented the dreaded swollen ankles and pre-term labor. From the front I looked like another other pregnant women. But from the side...
Whoa Nellie!
I was huge. I carried them straight out in front of me. From about six months on I was endlessly amused when I was out and about from the audible reactions. At first people would ask if I was due very soon, they would gasp when I would airily reply that a still had a few couple of months to go. As my due date drew near I grew larger and larger, strangers quickly cottoned on that I was carrying twins.
During the last month of my pregnancy we had all sorts of family members stay with us to help me out. The funniest moment was when I drove my brother to the airport. He had extended his stay with us and needed to get his ticket reissued. I tagged along in case he needed any extra cash. As I waddled up to the check in desk and the strained smiles turned my way very clearly told me that they did not want me to board their planes. There was an almost audible sigh when I declared my intention was not to fly, but to help straighten out my brother's ticket.
My expanding belly made things decidedly awkward for me. It was harder and harder for me to get comfortable at night. Pillows and special wedges only worked for a while. During the last week or so I ended up sleeping propped up in a comfy old arm chair in our bedroom. I was so glad that my scheduled induction was at week 36 and not 40. The last couple of weeks were agony. I mentally and physically could not go on much longer.
They were born on a Monday and my OB gave a little cheer when I showed up right on time. She thought I wasn't going to make it through the weekend. And it turned out it was a close thing indeed. I was 5 cm dilated before anything was done. Clearly Max and Rebecca were getting evicted that day.
And come they did. They both had full heads of hair, black for Rebecca and blond for Max. Ironically Rebecca had the longer hair- a punkish little hairdo. While Max, ever he good boy, had a far more conservative mop that ended neatly just above his shirt collar.
Happy birthday my littlest ones, it has been a very fun filled eight years and I wish you many more.
Tonight we celebrated Max and Rebecca's arrival in the world with dinner out at the restaurant of their choosing. We all had a good time and after wards we had an ice cream cake at home. This weekend we will have their actual party, but that's enough about them now. I'll write about their birthday party next week. Instead I'm sharing with y'all a bit about way back then.
I had already been down this road before, but it was the first time carrying twins and that made all the difference.
As twin pregnancies go, mine was text book and very easy. At the end of pretty much all my appointments my OB would declare me boring and send me home. I kept myself well hydrated, which prevented the dreaded swollen ankles and pre-term labor. From the front I looked like another other pregnant women. But from the side...
Whoa Nellie!
I was huge. I carried them straight out in front of me. From about six months on I was endlessly amused when I was out and about from the audible reactions. At first people would ask if I was due very soon, they would gasp when I would airily reply that a still had a few couple of months to go. As my due date drew near I grew larger and larger, strangers quickly cottoned on that I was carrying twins.
During the last month of my pregnancy we had all sorts of family members stay with us to help me out. The funniest moment was when I drove my brother to the airport. He had extended his stay with us and needed to get his ticket reissued. I tagged along in case he needed any extra cash. As I waddled up to the check in desk and the strained smiles turned my way very clearly told me that they did not want me to board their planes. There was an almost audible sigh when I declared my intention was not to fly, but to help straighten out my brother's ticket.
My expanding belly made things decidedly awkward for me. It was harder and harder for me to get comfortable at night. Pillows and special wedges only worked for a while. During the last week or so I ended up sleeping propped up in a comfy old arm chair in our bedroom. I was so glad that my scheduled induction was at week 36 and not 40. The last couple of weeks were agony. I mentally and physically could not go on much longer.
They were born on a Monday and my OB gave a little cheer when I showed up right on time. She thought I wasn't going to make it through the weekend. And it turned out it was a close thing indeed. I was 5 cm dilated before anything was done. Clearly Max and Rebecca were getting evicted that day.
And come they did. They both had full heads of hair, black for Rebecca and blond for Max. Ironically Rebecca had the longer hair- a punkish little hairdo. While Max, ever he good boy, had a far more conservative mop that ended neatly just above his shirt collar.
Happy birthday my littlest ones, it has been a very fun filled eight years and I wish you many more.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Artist of the Week: Bomba!
On Sunday Jake and I went to the Richmond Folk Festival to listen to a little Jazz and some Bomba.
Jake is, yet again, taking band and one of the courses requirements are attending outside activities. As a result I'm always on the look out for something a little bit different that is, ideally, free. The Richmond Folk Festival this past weekend certainly filled the bill.
Together we poured over the list of performers, listening to music samples and reading the short bios. I wanted to listen to some Zydeco, but Jake wasn't at all interested. Instead he wanted to go see Bob French's Original Tuxedo Jazz Band. Jake loves Jazz, but I pointed out to him that he has written quite a few papers on Jazz performances already and it would be a good idea to branch out into other musical genres. So in the end we settled on Jorge Negron’s Master Bomba Ensemble. And by happy accident it turned out the Jazz band would be appearing on the same stage after wards.
So I present to you this week's artist- Jorge Negron’s Master Bomba Ensemble:
They were great fun. What was really nice about their performance was that the group realized that to some extent this was an educational experience. Mr. Negron explained in between songs the differences in style and where each style originated in Puerto Rico.
I really enjoyed the interplay between the drummers and the dancers. It is one of the very few musical forms where the dancer calls the shots. The infectious rhythms of the drums, the graceful motions of the dancers (both male and female) and the blending of the voices result in a wonderful audio and visual experience.
Jake is, yet again, taking band and one of the courses requirements are attending outside activities. As a result I'm always on the look out for something a little bit different that is, ideally, free. The Richmond Folk Festival this past weekend certainly filled the bill.
Together we poured over the list of performers, listening to music samples and reading the short bios. I wanted to listen to some Zydeco, but Jake wasn't at all interested. Instead he wanted to go see Bob French's Original Tuxedo Jazz Band. Jake loves Jazz, but I pointed out to him that he has written quite a few papers on Jazz performances already and it would be a good idea to branch out into other musical genres. So in the end we settled on Jorge Negron’s Master Bomba Ensemble. And by happy accident it turned out the Jazz band would be appearing on the same stage after wards.
So I present to you this week's artist- Jorge Negron’s Master Bomba Ensemble:
They were great fun. What was really nice about their performance was that the group realized that to some extent this was an educational experience. Mr. Negron explained in between songs the differences in style and where each style originated in Puerto Rico.
I really enjoyed the interplay between the drummers and the dancers. It is one of the very few musical forms where the dancer calls the shots. The infectious rhythms of the drums, the graceful motions of the dancers (both male and female) and the blending of the voices result in a wonderful audio and visual experience.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
I Introduce My Children to Amphigorey
I was sitting in my husbands home office, idling examining the titles on his bookshelves when one grabbed my eye- Amphigorey Also.
I love Edward Gorey, his drawings are beautiful and the accompanying texts are wonderfully twisted and lyrical. I've read one description of his writings as Dr. Seuss for grownups. He dark and demented humor is not to every one's taste, but I adore his books. There is a wonderful meter that somehow presents the most macabre stories in a cheerful tone.
One of my all time favorite stories is the "Ghastlycrumb Tinies" in Amphigorey, a strange tale of children meeting their respective doom alphabetically. I read it to Nate and he was delighted. Jake stopped by and wanted to know what was going on so I handed him Amphigorey Too. When I last checked they were happily paging through the two books.
Max and Rebecca are far too young for these books, but the older two are ready. Now they will learn where mommy gets her sometimes dark sense of humor.
I love Edward Gorey, his drawings are beautiful and the accompanying texts are wonderfully twisted and lyrical. I've read one description of his writings as Dr. Seuss for grownups. He dark and demented humor is not to every one's taste, but I adore his books. There is a wonderful meter that somehow presents the most macabre stories in a cheerful tone.
One of my all time favorite stories is the "Ghastlycrumb Tinies" in Amphigorey, a strange tale of children meeting their respective doom alphabetically. I read it to Nate and he was delighted. Jake stopped by and wanted to know what was going on so I handed him Amphigorey Too. When I last checked they were happily paging through the two books.
Max and Rebecca are far too young for these books, but the older two are ready. Now they will learn where mommy gets her sometimes dark sense of humor.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Brownielicious
I'm tired, it has been a long day and I deserve a treat.
At Costco today they had some lovely looking raspberries. They smelt luscious and I just had to bring them home.
A few days ago I baked some long promised brownies for the kids. They love my brownies which are dense, a little bit gooey and oh so yummy.
Together, with the help of a bit of heavy cream, they made a lovely little dessert. I'd offer to share, but I don't think I can spare one bite.
At Costco today they had some lovely looking raspberries. They smelt luscious and I just had to bring them home.
A few days ago I baked some long promised brownies for the kids. They love my brownies which are dense, a little bit gooey and oh so yummy.
Together, with the help of a bit of heavy cream, they made a lovely little dessert. I'd offer to share, but I don't think I can spare one bite.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Getting Stuck
Have you gotten your garden variety flu shot yet?
I got mine on Saturday. There is no way we are going to have both strains ripping through our house. I'm on the fence about the H1N1, we all might already have had it by the time it is available.
I got mine on Saturday. There is no way we are going to have both strains ripping through our house. I'm on the fence about the H1N1, we all might already have had it by the time it is available.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Plague Redux
Poor little Nate.
He immediately bounced back from strep throat and had just finished his antibiotics on Wednesday. Everything seemed to be just ducky.
But his good health was short lived.
He seemed a bit under the weather yesterday, but I put it down to late night homework and football practice. He did seem a bit more easily upset than normal. He was able to go off to school and I really did think much about how he was feeling. There were no obvious signs of distress and he didn't say a single thing. However it was a very sick boy that dragged himself home.
So after dinner we made our way to the local walk-in clinic to get his nose swabbed. We got the same Doctor that Jake had two weeks ago and, as an added bonus, the other Doc was the mother of one of Nate's classmates. I got the full dish on what was going on in school and the flu. It turns out a fair number of kids have it and it is almost a matter of time.
At least we caught it early and it looks like he didn't get it from his brother, but from school.
He immediately bounced back from strep throat and had just finished his antibiotics on Wednesday. Everything seemed to be just ducky.
But his good health was short lived.
He seemed a bit under the weather yesterday, but I put it down to late night homework and football practice. He did seem a bit more easily upset than normal. He was able to go off to school and I really did think much about how he was feeling. There were no obvious signs of distress and he didn't say a single thing. However it was a very sick boy that dragged himself home.
So after dinner we made our way to the local walk-in clinic to get his nose swabbed. We got the same Doctor that Jake had two weeks ago and, as an added bonus, the other Doc was the mother of one of Nate's classmates. I got the full dish on what was going on in school and the flu. It turns out a fair number of kids have it and it is almost a matter of time.
At least we caught it early and it looks like he didn't get it from his brother, but from school.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Light as the Breeze
I drove Larry's car the other day and this song popped up on the iPod wired to the sound system. Since then it has been rattling around in my brain.
I have been dimly aware of Leonard Cohen, but this song really opened my eyes. I find it to be utterly sublime and it makes me weak in the knees.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Artist of the Week: Surprise
Rebecca is this week's artist with a little something she made last school year.
The picture of her is from our trip to the outer banks. We spent most of our time on the beach in the morning hours, which was great from a photographic stand point. I loved the lighting then, the tips of the waves would sparkle without the hard flat glare in the afternoon that washed everything out.
The pose she struck was utterly unconscious of the camera. I think I was just hitting the beach and she didn't know I was there. She is so naturally graceful as she played in the wash of the surf. Her subject matter is also something that can dance gracefully in the ocean.
It is a cute little fish that reminds me of The Rainbow Fish. A book I'm positive she has been exposed to at least once in school. The colors are similar, but that might just be coincidence, pink, purple and blue are Rebecca's favorite colors.
Her fish is a bit stouter with much smaller fins, but is none the less cute.
But that's not all.
The little fish has a bit of a surprise.
I don't know what the assignment was, but it looks like they were told to draw something on a piece of paper with an overlapping fold. After the first drawing was completed they then had to draw a second picture that incorporates part of the first after lifting the flap. Rebecca chose to make an ice cream sundae.
You can see how the tail of the fish has become the ice cream bowl. What I particularly like about the project is how well the colors work. As I already mentioned, purple and blue are among her favorites, they also work well in depicting glassware. The striations of the tail fin dovetail neatly with the base of the glassware.
Rebecca had noticed I had her picture out today and was obviously very pleased and proud of her creation. I think justifiably so.
The picture of her is from our trip to the outer banks. We spent most of our time on the beach in the morning hours, which was great from a photographic stand point. I loved the lighting then, the tips of the waves would sparkle without the hard flat glare in the afternoon that washed everything out.
The pose she struck was utterly unconscious of the camera. I think I was just hitting the beach and she didn't know I was there. She is so naturally graceful as she played in the wash of the surf. Her subject matter is also something that can dance gracefully in the ocean.
It is a cute little fish that reminds me of The Rainbow Fish. A book I'm positive she has been exposed to at least once in school. The colors are similar, but that might just be coincidence, pink, purple and blue are Rebecca's favorite colors.
Her fish is a bit stouter with much smaller fins, but is none the less cute.
But that's not all.
The little fish has a bit of a surprise.
I don't know what the assignment was, but it looks like they were told to draw something on a piece of paper with an overlapping fold. After the first drawing was completed they then had to draw a second picture that incorporates part of the first after lifting the flap. Rebecca chose to make an ice cream sundae.
You can see how the tail of the fish has become the ice cream bowl. What I particularly like about the project is how well the colors work. As I already mentioned, purple and blue are among her favorites, they also work well in depicting glassware. The striations of the tail fin dovetail neatly with the base of the glassware.
Rebecca had noticed I had her picture out today and was obviously very pleased and proud of her creation. I think justifiably so.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
You've Come A Long Way Baby
Rebecca has come a long way from when she first started playing soccer.
She hated practice and would only participate if I threatened to withhold the post game snack from her. Games at best were grudgingly attended. She was only in it for the snacks.
One time she decided, while on the field, that she was done. As she stood there, arms folded across her chest, the ball came to rest by her feet. She ignored it. Ultimately another child came by and booted the ball away.
We had her sit out a season, there was no sense signing her up if she didn't want to play. She still had to go to all of her brother's practices, sitting on the sidelines nearly bored to tears. As she watched them play and attended the end of the season parties she started to change her mind.
Now she is a little go getter on the field, running to get the ball and not at all afraid to get into the thick of things. She is turning into a fairly good defensive player and goalie. She still doesn't like practice, but now she is having fun during the games.
She hated practice and would only participate if I threatened to withhold the post game snack from her. Games at best were grudgingly attended. She was only in it for the snacks.
One time she decided, while on the field, that she was done. As she stood there, arms folded across her chest, the ball came to rest by her feet. She ignored it. Ultimately another child came by and booted the ball away.
We had her sit out a season, there was no sense signing her up if she didn't want to play. She still had to go to all of her brother's practices, sitting on the sidelines nearly bored to tears. As she watched them play and attended the end of the season parties she started to change her mind.
Now she is a little go getter on the field, running to get the ball and not at all afraid to get into the thick of things. She is turning into a fairly good defensive player and goalie. She still doesn't like practice, but now she is having fun during the games.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Look Who's Coming For Dinner
moar funny pictures
Over at AMCGLTD Scott linked to an amazing story about a polar bear that decided to pop in for a visit.
The pictures are incredible and you really get a sense of exactly how big those bad boys are. And just for the heck of it I threw in a caption for Scott.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Two Kids and a Dog in a Box
We have this storage box out on the deck. Inside the deck box we keep all sorts of odds and ends. Cushions for the chairs, an extension cord on a reel, miscellaneous base ball equipment and so on can all be found within he deck box.
The kids love to climb inside and hide. The cushions are on the top layer and make for a cozy little spot. The only rule I have about the box is that you can not trap anybody or anything inside.
Today Rebecca and Nate decided that Dell had to join them in the box. At first Dell was on his back and all you could see were four paws and a snoot. He was very happy to be inside the box and the center of attention. It was so utterly charming I had to get my camera.
Of course my getting up and going inside perturbed Dell and he was no longer paws up when I returned. But, it still made for a very cute picture.
The kids love to climb inside and hide. The cushions are on the top layer and make for a cozy little spot. The only rule I have about the box is that you can not trap anybody or anything inside.
Today Rebecca and Nate decided that Dell had to join them in the box. At first Dell was on his back and all you could see were four paws and a snoot. He was very happy to be inside the box and the center of attention. It was so utterly charming I had to get my camera.
Of course my getting up and going inside perturbed Dell and he was no longer paws up when I returned. But, it still made for a very cute picture.
Friday, October 02, 2009
They Might Be Giants: "Meet the Elements" (BB Video)
Larry found this and sent it along to me and the kids.
I love it. I always been a fan of They Might Be Giants and this is so delightfully nerdy.
My inner geek is dancing along.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Fast Asleep
Last Saturday night I was up late as usual, I'm a night owl at heart, listening to the rain pouring down on the house. It was a veritable deluge hammering on the skylights and roof. In fact it was so loud and so sudden I was perplexed at first by all the noise. At one point I got up, I think to turn off a light, when I discovered a little person had sneaked downstairs.
I found Rebecca sound asleep on the couch, I didn't even see her when she came downstairs. She must have been woken up bythe noise from all the rain. I thought she looked so cute there asleep on the couch, I just had to take a picture before I carried her back upstairs.
I was really pushing the limits of the camera's natural light setting, but I did not want to use the flash or turn on any more lights. I improvised a tripod and gave it a go. I'm pretty pleased with the resulting photo. It's fairly grainy, but I think it adds to the feel of the picture.
I found Rebecca sound asleep on the couch, I didn't even see her when she came downstairs. She must have been woken up bythe noise from all the rain. I thought she looked so cute there asleep on the couch, I just had to take a picture before I carried her back upstairs.
I was really pushing the limits of the camera's natural light setting, but I did not want to use the flash or turn on any more lights. I improvised a tripod and gave it a go. I'm pretty pleased with the resulting photo. It's fairly grainy, but I think it adds to the feel of the picture.
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