favorite things

It's interesting how different things can trigger memories. Yesterday the small children and I shared a cantaloupe (yes, between us we ate the entire thing) that was really good. I couldn't cut the thing fast enough to keep up with the speed at which they were shoveling the fruit into their mouths. But this cantaloupe was very good - it tasted just like the ones we used to eat at Grandma Jackie's house during the Fourth of July in Iowa (where it's not a little sketchy to buy produce from the farmers selling on the side of the road out of their pickup trucks). I so want to take my kids to small town Iowa for the small town Fourth of July celebrations, which aren't that much to speak of, but they also aren't put on for the show. It's not like I have memories of days that were without their share of drama. I remember it was always either ridiculously hot or raining, and I have no doubt that we were usually a chore to entertain. But I also remember how much fun it was to watch the fireworks, play bingo, watch the parade, and how good the cantaloupe and the watermelon tasted, and how the adults in my family didn't try and entertain us at every moment with this plan or that but let us figure things out for ourselves.

I haven't been to Yale, Iowa, for the Fourth of July celebration in a really long time. I'm sure things have changed, and I'm sure there are plenty of not-delightful things I would notice about small towns and their residents were I to return. But that doesn't change my desire to go back.

The other thing that has stirred memories lately has been a return to using matches. I think I really prefer matches over a firestick. Yes, a firestick may be easier, but there's nothing remarkable about it. Matches have an instantaneous, unmistakable smell associated with lighting them that just reminds me of afternoons after school, going downstairs to do my homework and lighting either a candle or incense from India. Even accounting for the homework, it's a pleasant memory.

so tired

I realized something depressing the other day. I probably won't be able to get back to Omaha until next May or June. That will make it a full year and a half between visits. I know that I probably sound crazy in my inexplicable attachment to a place, but it is what it is. Everything just feels different there. And there are some people who will point out that the drought between visits is largely my own fault, which I acknowledge but reject as a valid argument. :)

Anyway, so a few weeks ago, when my mom was here, I offhandedly remarked that I wanted fried ravioli from Malara's. It's one of those funky little restaurants in the middle of a neighborhood that is just barely converted from a house itself. One of the things this restaurant is famous for is its fried ravioli. It really is amazing. So when we were in Target today trying to figure out what to get for lunch, I stumbled upon a box of frozen fried ravioli. Attempting to contain my excitement, I decided neither the price nor the ingredient list were too appalling and subsequently had fried ravioli for lunch. It didn't even remotely resemble the fried ravioli from Malara's, but it was decent enough, particularly because I have never seen fried ravioli in another restaurant, much less a grocery store.

By way of update, my new washer is amazing. The clothes are actually cleaner, which I had hoped for but never really expected. Things like children's socks, for which there is little hope anyway, have returned to a state of actual whiteness. It is truly a wonder. And so the list of appliances which need to break is down by one...

for the record

I'm just going on record to say that I did not kill the washer. I have wished it dead for some time now, but I did not kill it. However, that does not change the fact that it is dead, which does not bode well for the clothing situation.

I made an amazing discovery the last time I went to the grocery store. Whole Foods has organic tater tots! I know this probably does not seem all that amazing, but really it is. I had some for lunch, with cheese on top, and it was yummy.

conquered! (almost)

I can't say it's been completely conquered until I have successfully done it more than once, but this afternoon I made a really good smoothie, and it made me happy! :) I would even dare to say that it was as good as the one I got from Smoothie King last week.

Just a little update for everyone who I know was very concerned about me and my smoothies.

83

Yes, that is the number of this post. Pathetic, compared to Ashlee's 403. I guess it means that Ashlee is 4 times cooler at blogging than I am.

Does anyone know how to make smoothies? I'm terrible at it, and I really want one. There is a Smoothie King right by my house, but $6 for a smoothie is a little more than I'm willing to pay (unless I'm desperate).

One of the great things about my mom being here was that she just took care of things for me. Like making breakfast for me. I know, it sounds pathetic, but I have been making my own breakfast basically since I was old enough to pour milk. So today when I really wanted eggs but didn't have the stomach to make them myself, there was no one here to make them for me. (Yes, I'm just whining, but it's my blog, so deal with it.)

There's something wrong with my dumb cats. They have never, ever fought with each other. But for some unknown reason, this morning they've decided they don't like each other. It's been the whole thing - growling, hissing, weird cat moaning. I'm thoroughly annoyed. The thing they don't know is that if they start injuring each other, they're both done for. I really do love my cats, but not when they're acting so bizarrely and unpredictably.

happy birthday to me!

Today is my birthday. Is it okay that I don't feel like I'm 29 or act like it seems someone almost 30 should act?

This morning, while waiting for everyone to get their acts together so we could go downstairs for breakfast, Jadyn looked out the window in my room.

"The moon is out! Oh gravy!"

wahooo!

"So many things I see remind me of what I've read in a book...when, shouldn't it be the other way around?" Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail

A movie I haven't thought about in a while has resurfaced in the past week. The other night, after all of the children were in bed, I came downstairs to see if there was anything on tv and just not think for a while. To my delight, I found the movie I.Q., in HD and widescreen beauty. So I quickly determined that it was on again during the middle of the night and set the DVR to record it. Then I proceeded to watch the first hour and was reminded of why and how much I do love this movie.

This weekend, Joe took the small children outside to enjoy the very nice and not very frequent weather we've had. Yesterday, just before time to go in, Joe was throwing a beach ball into the air, where, of course, it got stuck in a tree. If you have ever seen I.Q., you will understand why we both started laughing. If you haven't, there is a scene early in the movie where Einstein's 3 scientist friends are playing badminton and get a birdie stuck in the tree. And these brilliant scientists, who between them "can't change a lightbulb," send this mechanic into the tree to help with their "gravity problem." Maybe you have to be a nerd, but Joe throwing the soccer ball to try and get the beach ball was hilarious in its similarity. And the reenactment was complete when he had to climb the tree to get the ball. (He didn't fall out.)

"We threw the racket up to get the birdie."
"We threw Godel's cane up to get the racket."
"We were going to throw Godel up next!"

dangerously close to a month

I didn't intend to not blog for so long...it just happens somehow.

It's so easy to think that life is just going to go along and that things will always be the way they are. But I don't know how to live thinking that things could be completely different tomorrow.

Alaina had her first softball practice last night. I felt a little out of place; it's kind of a club where everybody already knows what's going on. I don't think it's intentional or malicious, but I don't like feeling like I'm trying to catch up. It will be interesting to see how the season goes. Alaina was a little disappointed last night because she thought she was going to be playing softball "like Daddy does at church." We explained to her how she has practices and games and that seemed to be okay. She was so excited last night before practice, she could hardly stand it. It was pretty funny.

Why is it there is never enough time during the day?

5 years old

My little (or not so little) baby is 5 years old today. I don't even really believe it. I can't even pretend she's not a child yet. She hasn't been even a "preschooler" for quite some time, but somehow, saying she's 4 is much easier than saying she's 5. Honestly, it's hard for me to even remember her as a baby, except when I look at pictures. But I think that's okay. I don't want to ever hold any of my children back because they've grown up and I can't handle it.

One of the very important things I'm learning with her is how to love and parent her for who God made her to be, instead of who I would make her to be. When she was born, I had this mistaken notion that I had more influence over who she would turn out to be than I really do. God gave her her personality, and while that may be difficult for me at times, it's so much better that way for her and for me.

It's funny how 5 years is so very long and yet so very short all at the same time.

get this

So here's an article about how playing the Wii actually helps surgeons perform better. Specifically, games like Marble Mania, which apparently is all about precise controller movement. [Sidebar: I think I might have to look into getting that game - it's mazes with marbles!] The researchers are planning on developing a surgical training tool for the Wii, which could be used in developing countries to train surgeons.

Anyone who has played Wii knows how cool it is, and now it's socially-minded, too!

a funny

Either due to my lack of watching anything other than children's programming on tv, or the typical lack of political ads aired in Texas, I have not seen this political ad in Texas. So I'm sharing it with the vast readership of my blog because it is hilarious and because I have politics in my blood.

thanks

Thanks to everyone who has (knowingly or not) been helping to pull me out of my annual January funk. Lisa and Ashlee, who basically told me I could do whatever I wanted. My mom, who is coming down here for my birthday in March. Raj, who told me about Pandora internet radio, although Raj is on the bubble because I'm a little miffed he didn't tell me about it before. (Check it out, it's awesome.) For the record, I'm still sticking by my RSAD (reverse seasonal affective disorder) because though I may not be in a funk anymore, 80 degrees in January still hacks me off.

If anyone is keeping track, I did not find a VeggieTales calendar this year. I am fairly confident, through my exhaustive (not really) internet research, that there isn't one this year. So I went to Barnes & Noble and got an M.C. Escher calendar for half off.

Another reason to love Starbucks: I got free coffee last night in return for a promise to bring the baristas rice krispie treats next week.

And here's a picture from Christmas - the first time my babies have played in the snow. Alaina and Jadyn are making snow angels, and Jared is just trying to get around.

happy new year?

It's not a new year for me without a new VeggieTales calendar (which I don't have yet) and a new pillar added to my moral stance (about which you are soon to read). Sorry if you tuned in expecting a cute Christmas picture and/or nice Christmas vacation vignette...I'm aiming for that for the next post.

I returned to my normal routine this morning to find this story among the Relevant Magazine "slices" that I was catching up on. Basically, the RIAA is suing a man for ripping CDs that he purchased onto his computer for his own use.

The last grasping death throes and wheezes of an industry so out of touch with the people that it is marketing to are just pathetic.

Perhaps it seems odd that I would get worked up about something like this. I am a stauch supporter of artists getting paid for their work. I have long been opposed to the blatant copying and distribution of CDs, particularly over the internet with any and every random person. I would even rather have a physical CD than use iTunes or whatever to purchase music. But when the idiots of the RIAA, who have been completely bilking people on the price of CDs for a very long time, decide to tell me that I can't listen to music I have purchased in the format that I want, then I'm done.

Until something changes with the RIAA and their policies, I won't be buying any more CDs. I'll be buying all of my music online. I really like Amazon's mp3 website - DRM-free and cheaper than iTunes.

It's no wonder that so many bands are making a beeline for the exit when it comes to record companies.

oh, the snowmanity!

So that was really just for dramatic effect. (And because Joe said that, above, and it was funny.) The snowman cake actually behaved quite nicely:

And Jadyn did finally decide that she was, in fact, 3 and not still 2. ("I'm still little!" is what she kept telling me.)

We painted "snow" on the windows, which was ridiculously cute. Jadyn kept getting upset because somehow, she kept getting painted with snow. This was, of course, a tragedy since the snow paint was made out of soap. "I not a window!" (best read with accompanying frown/grimace)

I think she had fun, and the best news is that today she is still 3.


And now basically everything is over. Sounds absurd, huh? I have a week to pack, and then it's Christmas in Omaha. I'm really glad I have a week to "take a breaver" (as Jadyn says) before Christmas.

In another exciting development, I got a Dremel tool set for Christmas. I am super excited about it, and no doubt I will be posting pictures of my accomplishments throughout the next year! First up, jewelry box.

party!

Jared's birthday "cake." (Out of the 7 birthday parties I've done so far, we've only had a cake twice. And one of those times, the cake looked like Pablo's face, so it was a pretty involved cake.) Isn't it cute?! I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Sometimes I never know if what I cook up in my head is able to be executed in a manner acceptable to my standards. And it's Monday morning, and only the letters and part of the caboose (and most of the wheels) have been eaten.
The birthday monster really likes rice krispies! (And puppy chow, and anything else he could get someone to feed him!)

Then Jared opened presents with his daddy, and then he had to leave his own party early to take a nap. Rough.

In a completely unrelated note, we netflixed the movie Stranger than Fiction, with Will Ferrell (and a bijillion other people). It was really really good. If you haven't seen it, you need to. I'm still thinking about it.

happy Jared!

This look says, "I know mommy wants me to cooperate, but I think I'm gonna continue to do whatever I want!"

Today is Jared's first birthday. For his birthday, I took him to the doctor. Aren't I nice? But before that I made homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I have this tradition of making cinnamon rolls for birthdays. Until this point, they have definitely been popped out of a can. (Who can resist popping open those cans?) But this time, I made them. I think I have bitten by the organic/no preservatives bug...but that's another blog.

His birthday party is Sunday - there will be better pictures then.

In some ways, a year goes by so fast...in other ways, it's been a really long year!

we're going to the beach, the beach, the beach

I can always tell when it's time for me to take a vacation because I very suddenly have no more ability to be productive. I also get impatient. The trouble is, actually taking a vacation is no longer very relaxing for me. So I've found myself embarking on mental vacations. I picked up a sudoku puzzle the other day and figuring out a system of solving those puzzles was interesting diversion for a couple of days. Then I busted out a book of logic puzzles. Doesn't sound much like a mental vacation? Well, it's a departure from the things I have to think about (or at least should be thinking about/doing).

You are witnesses; I am starting the trend. Here is the first "year in review" for 2007: 2007 was pretty much as stinky as 2006, in a whole new way. There were perhaps a few more good things in 2007 than there were in 2006, but there has certainly been just as much drama.

my mom is cool

In case anyone ever wondered where my penchant for kooky ideas comes from, this should explain everything:



Yes, those are my parents. Yes, that is a giant rice krispie treat wedding "cake." Isn't it cute?!

My mom came up with this idea for a friend's wedding party/reception, and my dad helped her execute it. I think it's super cool, and I love that my parents do crazy things like this. I just wish I could've been there to help!

Jadyn is learning a valuable lesson: if she doesn't eat her food in an expeditious manner, chances are good Jared will finish it for her.

This morning, she left some of her pop tart (as usual), and Jared came along and finished it. (Not ideal, but he's almost a year old and pop tarts aren't the worst thing in the world.) This upset her greatly, although I think it was mostly because he ate her food, not necessarily because she was ever planning on finishing it herself...