create or perish

What can we say? We love color!

2011-08-20T09:01:00.001-06:00

Fi & I (& later Lib joined the party) decided to sort our polishes by color instead of brand. Hope this helps avoid future dupes.

Back in the saddle

2011-04-23T17:23:00.000-06:00

New(used)computer!! An old emac G4. Why didn't I think of this before?! A bargain for $149+. To think, I've been away from blogging for so long that probably nobody even checks to see if I've updated -because I haven't. And for what? Because my laptop & the PC were useless? Because I thought I had to save my pennies for a "Mac"? Well, got the Mac & I'm back online without cutting off an arm. I'm pretty stoked! On another high note, I'm actually blogging from my new (not used) iPhone 3GS!! It's almost as good as using a laptop!  Did you miss me? I missed you! Aaaaah...it's good to be back.

a temporary fix

2010-02-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

Well, after my promises to post more frequently, what happened??! My computer crashed. Kind of. Sometimes it works. But too frustrating to bother trying at this point. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of uploading the xmas pictures & didn't have a chance to move them to a memory stick. Grrrr. Guess I can open up the back & check out the insides before I call someone in to repair. I got a good 2 years out of a $200 laptop -hours of daily use. Not too bad, really, considering. And no, we didn't get the extended warranty: It cost more than the laptop itself.

Garrett got his bonus a couple weeks ago & bought a laptop for himself. So, here I am.

What's new? I went back to work 2 weeks ago. I was spurred on by the need to pay off the year of debt that was accumulated while I wasn't working. And a desire to save moola for a laptop of my own choosing (mac). And, truth be known, to get my ass off the couch & get some exercise. And adult conversation. And, well, the reasons are myriad. So far, so good. I'm really enjoying it.

Oh, here's a tip: another reason I've been MIA & now I'm back? I blame it on the drugs. Seriously. Gah. Is there no happy medium? I mean, c'mon, are they not called "happy pills". It's so freaking bizarre, that distinct difference in creativity (or lack thereof) when I'm on them as opposed to when I'm not. Which is it now, can you tell? I'm sure my family could tell you the answer.

It's almost 6am. Time to make the doughnuts.

I'm right here!

2010-01-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

So my computer crashed, so to speak, on Saturday. Trouble's been brewing for a couple weeks. You know, slow to start, slow to connect kind of stuff. Then last week it wouldn't start at all. I deleted a bunch of stuff in the hopes of freeing up some space. Apparently I need to do a bit more cleaning than that. Luckily I already removed all my pictures -EXCEPT my San Fran pics. I was panicky at first, thinking that those 700 pictures were a goner. Late last night I remembered that I had uploaded all those pics to Flickr. Whew! So really, the only "important" things I have on my computer are knitting pattern PDFs that I haven't printed out yet. And a couple vids of the littles. Dang it, I used to be pretty good at troubleshooting and fixing my computer. I was teaching myself HTML. I haven't messed around with computer details in so long, I feel really out of the loop. Kind of out of sight, out of mind. Out of practice. Whatever. I suppose I've been spoiled by having a new computer the last couple years. And by Blogger going to the user friendly blog building interface. I suppose it's time I got back in the loop & did my research about recovering this particular laptop. Wish me luck!!

love/hate relationship pt 4

2010-01-19T21:13:00.001-07:00

So in November the headaches were so bad that, even though I wasn't necessarily sleepy or tired, I had lie down & keep my eyes closed in defense from the pain -on a nearly daily basis. Blech. And then I had to take Tylenol PM periodically to escape the pain to get to sleep at night. Yeah, not a fun month.

Sooooooo, here's what I did: I purposefully quit taking the Prozac just to see what would happen. I wanted to be more cognizant of how & when it affects my body & to therefore have more of a handle on the situation. And all the better to gauge if I want to continue with this particular treatment -tease out the difference in strength between those pros & cons that I mentioned earlier.

I didn't keep a physical diary, but I do know that I felt fine for a week or so. Then slowly my mood slipped lower & lower; I could feel my ire over stupid little things rising. The bitch was back, so to speak. And I wanted to stay inside, preferably in bed, crying. BUT at the same time, the headaches were gone. And I started to feel the urge to "create" (Ta da!)

Being mindful of my experiment, I refilled my script & proceeded to surmise the effects of taking the meds. So far I've been pretty darn sleepy, getting more chill daily, and almost immediately, the headaches to beat all came back. Just as I suspected. What to do, what to do?

love/hate relationship pt 3

2010-01-18T22:36:00.002-07:00

Hmmm, so that's the "love" part of the relationship. I get that even keel, chill attitude, pretty much all day, every day. And that's good for everyone, right? I'd agree, except here's the "hate" part of the relationship.

At the outset of taking this drug, I'm beat. All the time, tired & yawning & eyes tearing. I want to just sleep for inordinate amounts of time. It's not even so much "want" as "can't keep my eyes open". Thankfully I'm not working right now, or I'd be falling asleep at work. Yes, I would. I'd compare it to a mild form of narcolepsy, except I don't just fall asleep randomly. But I could fall asleep at will. Now, for someone like me who often finds herself wide awake with insomnia for days on end, this should sound heavenly. And I guess it could be. But I have things to do, people to see, places to go, so sleeping all day puts a damper on accomplishing anything for about the first week or so. At some time in the 2nd or 3rd week, I start to feel "normal", & by that, this time, I mean "not sleepy all the time".

Another aspect of the "hate" side of things: Prozac kills every ounce of creativity in me. I don't want to write. I don't want to sew. I don't want to paint. I don't want to read. I don't want to cook -as in create my own recipes. I don't want to snap pictures. I don't want to blog -hence the 3 month hiatus, see? I don't mind knitting, but I think that's because it's so meditative & really takes no extraordinary thought process. And if you know me, you know I HATE not being able to express myself creatively.

So then, I get no highs, no lows, no creative juices flowing. And no sex. That's correct. Absolutely no interest in it whatsoever. And I'm a Scorpio, for crying out loud! It's a sad state. Gah!

I feel like there's something else that I'm missing here. But really, those are probably the most important pros & cons. Oh, I remember now. Headaches. I get serious headaches recently & I'm attributing that to the meds. More on that later.

Truth be told, Prozac makes for a kind of boring existence. Honestly, boring. After a while I miss being able to be really giddy, happy. Or even to be good & pissed off when necessary. Instead, everything is a-okay. Not a bad attitude to have & actually, as I said before, more like how I used to be. It's a relief to not feel "out of control", but really, am I "in control"??

TBC

love/hate relationship pt 2

2010-01-17T10:23:00.003-07:00

So here's been the usual routine: I take my meds faithfully...until I feel absolutely "normal". And what exactly is "normal"? Is normal for me the way I am WITHOUT the little white capsule? Or is the definition of normal that socially acceptable persona who is patient & kind. FYI, that's kind of, really, the way I USED to be, before 6 or 7 years ago. I once heard this quote, "Depression is rage turned against oneself" & thought it was appropriate.

But on the flip side, is it true that "Rage is depression turned against everyone else"? In my case, yes, yes it is. My kids even have named that alter ego "mean mommy". Yes, seriously. Without that darn mood stabilizer, I am a bitter, screaming, irritated, raging, throwing, slamming bitch. Mean mommy. As in, "Oh no. It's mean mommy. Let's go play in our room." Hearing that really made me wake up to the realization that without Prozac, I was turning into a carnate version of Mommy Dearest. Thankful for the grace of God, I did not purposefully or inadvertently lay a hand on my sweet girls during these bouts of temporary insanity. I just kind of stewed inwardly, muttering under my breath, until, like a whirling dervish of over-energized fury, I spewed all manner of mean, angry words as I stomped through the house performing some semblance of housekeeping; i.e. throwing some item in the general direction of it's home, slamming doors & cupboards, etc, etc, etc. Eventually I would end up in crumpled pile of overwhelming sadness & disgust & shame, bawling in the bathroom-bedroom-behind-some-closed-door. Spent, I resurface to face the world & the girls come out of hiding, asking if I'm okay. Yep. Temporary insanity, I tell you. Or at least that's how it feels.

So, I take the meds religiously until I feel chill on a 24/7 basis. This takes about 2 - 3 months to achieve. And then I forget that I need to take them to feel chill. Or I feel so chill that I think "Hey! I've beat it! I'm normal! I don't need no stinking pills!" (Like the time I fell asleep with my contacts in, woke up with perfect vision & thought "It's a miracle! I'm cured!" LOL!) So I stop ingesting the prescribed dosage or I forget to renew the prescription. Eventually, inevitably, the chemicals from the Prozac that have been built up in my brain fade away & I cycle back into "can't get out of bed-can't leave the house-endlessly crying-barely caring for self-contemplating my demise & subsequent effects on those around me". After that spell, "mean mommy" returns. And so it goes.

TBC

movies

2010-01-16T20:16:00.003-07:00

Here's something I used to post about. Used to. Why did I stop? No clue. Let's give it another go.

Madster & I viewed this "horror" flick last night. Maddie's been working on her "ability" to watch scary movies. You know, getting used to being frightened temporarily without being afraid after the movie is over. I figured this would be an appropriate flick towards that goal. I was not disappointed.

Typical Sam Raimi. You know, over the top "horror" & special effects. Not brilliant special effects, mind you, just over the top. By that I mean the kind of effects that make one squirm & squeal & laugh out loud all in the same shot. Not overly scary, but some good sequences that made us jump. Maddie still covers her eyes & plugs her ears when she thinks something really bad is going to happen onscreen. It took until about halfway through the movie for her to realize that this movie wasn't all that "bad".

Also plenty of those "something" following the main character shots reminiscent of "The Evil Dead" but perhaps perfected in this version. And one scene in particular looked higher quality than the rest of the movie -the money shot, shall I say?

Side notes: Justin Long was too good for this role. And the ending was NOT what I expected. At all.

If you don't "get" Sam Raimi's work, skip this one too -unless you can watch it with an open mind & not expecting to be "scared sh*tless". But if you do enjoy his other work, you won't be disappointed here.

ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-01-16T14:52:00.003-07:00

there, just a few to start. And I combined my old blog with this one because, well, what a waste to not use it anymore. Some stuffs I had completely forgotten about! And you too, I bet; or maybe other (older) aspects of my life that a new reader wouldn't even know about! It's refreshing to see that I have over 1500 posts in 5 years. Sadly, only 82 were from last year. That too has passed. Hmmm, should I go for the daily post goal?

it's a love/hate relationship pt 1

2010-01-16T10:42:00.003-07:00

between me & prozac, that is. I find it to be a necessary evil. I've posted before -at least I think I have- about how I've had depressive symptoms pretty much all my life. Hereditary, I think, since I have a maternal aunt & a paternal uncle (& who knows who else, because it's just not talked about) who are so "afflicted". Anywho, I finally bit the bullet a few years ago after I had Lib & post partum depression was unbearable. After a couple weeks of incessant crying & ruminating on my life (or possible lack thereof), I called my doc & begged for some kind of relief. Fluoxetine was her answer. And a therapist -which has been an on again/off again experiment.

Needless to say, breastfeeding Lib was out. I felt like I was letting her down, but hey, at least she still had a mom in her life to bottle feed her. Those little white capsules were a lifesaver thrown to a drowning woman -and for her family.

TBC

heard ya missed me; I'm baaaaack!

2010-01-15T13:34:00.002-07:00

Well, not exactly so much today. Just in general. I'm still here, just haven't been so motivated to write lately...or the last 3 months. And that's a story for a longer post. Thinking of re-doing the layout, etc. Maybe altering the focus for a temporary kick. Yeah, that kind of stuff. Yep. I'm back for sure. Truth be told, I didn't think very many people actually read this, since I don't get many comments & no one even commented that I had been away. Then Nikki voiced some sarcastic 21 year old comment about the link to my blog in my Facebook page. And I watched "Julie & Julia" last night. Inspirational for blogging, no? Check back tomorrow for some revisions. & pictures. I have pictures. You tell me if the girls have changed since I last posted pics of them on here. I have videos too. Well then, I'm off to the the girls' school for my Friday afternoon volunteering stint. Then gymnastics for the littles. BBL :)

10 on the 10th @ 10pm :D

2009-10-10T22:01:00.002-06:00

I got this idea from my blogging-friend Rosey.

Here's my list of 10 -with 2 hours to spare!

10 things that put a smile in my heart -without fail

a. listening to my daughters' laughter

b. thinking about the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup

c. seeing that man jogging in the morning -he looks like I imagine a professor from the 70's might look. He wears what looks like dark blue Dockers, & a button up long sleeve shirt & a knit pullover vest & running shoes. & he wears silver wire rim glasses & his hair is kind of like a graying Gabe Kaplan style (Welcome Back, Kotter)

d. seeing either or both of the two sets of older couples on our block going to or coming home from morning mass -every day

e. good graffiti (not tagging)

f. talking/chatting/hanging out with girl friends

g. birdsong in the morning

h. snowboarding

i. creating/crafting

j. interesting architecture

Plain & simple, no pics to post today. And not exhaustive: next month might be another list :)

spilling her heart on the page

2009-10-09T18:33:00.001-06:00

deciphered, for your reading ease:

"Your heart is the trophy!
You are the true love.
We spend the time together.
You are like a snowman.
You are like a diamond, red or pink.
You always smile.
You are like a silver button.
You fill my heart.
You are joy."

And I melted.... Have I told you lately how much I love my kids?!

for Nikki

2009-10-09T17:42:00.000-06:00

randomness

2009-10-07T20:19:00.002-06:00

new wheels for Fi: what is old is new again -or I was having 80's flashbacks

NatGeo in our laundry room: the spider versus the millipede thingy. I have never actually seen a spider wrapping up it's dinner in a web, à la Charlotte; it was fascinating. The spider was working it's little bee-hind off & the meal was doing it's best to wriggle away. I think the dinner got away: When I looked a couple hours later, the show was over & the entire web was gone...and a few days later I saw said escapee crawling across the floor.

This was how we chose to entertain the girls one night while waiting 45mins for our food to be served at an Ethiopian restaurant. Maddie was taking pictures with her phone, Fi was playing sudoku on Garrett's phone, Lib played chess on mine. Sign 'o the times?

Looky what our school got over the summer: Denver's first public elementary school authorized by the International Baccalaureate to offer the PYP programme!! Sweet!!

late one Saturday morning a few weeks ago, we heard fire engines -no big deal. Lib asked if it was on t.v. or outside, I said outside & then the sirens got louder & closer. Yep, 2 of the these bad boys and a rescue truck across the street from our house. Exciting & good eye candy ;P Thankfully it wasn't a serious fire!

since we're expecting snow

2009-10-07T20:08:00.002-06:00

here are the last vestiges of summer 2009

monkey girl rigged up a jump rope to the monkey bar

Lib did not find the jump rope swing to be fun -or comfortable

a few more memories

2009-10-04T12:33:00.003-06:00

the reason I started the list of appealing-to-me-things, & then I forgot to post them:

the sound of a flash bulb going off, you know that high pitched sound that I can't accurately describe right now but it kind of starts lower in pitch & slowly, but not so slowly, whines higher until it "pops"

the way those old Kodak flash cubes looked after they were spent

the way a wiggly tooth used to make my scalp tingle -I'm guessing it was neurons

this 'n that

2009-10-02T21:33:00.003-06:00

a few things that I find appealing:

that fresh out of the wrapper, new sponge wetness

stepping on sand near the edge of the water at low tide & the look of the sand when my weight displaces the water immediately surrounding my foot

katydids & praying mantises & stick bugs

dental hygienist appointments

listening to the littles carry on conversations

rediscovering favorite music from my childhood that I had forgotten about in the chaos of everyday life

imagining everything I drive past turning into cartoon or mosaic

imagining brilliant color where there is none

the sound of a breeze in the woods

the pinkish "color" of gasoline seen through the little window in the hose while it's being pumped from tanker to in-ground tank

the sound of gas station tank lids being lifted & dropped on the pavement for the tanks to be "sticked" late at night/early in the morning

the cloud of mud & muck & algae that dissipates when river rocks are moved looking for crawfish
and the smell that goes with it. And the feel of the teeniest fish biting on my ankles in the process.

finding the smallest of small seashells -amazing that something soooooooo tiny lives in an expansive ocean

wooden matches

memories of smells:
-the gas smell from old time kitchen stovetops that had to be lit with said wooden matches
-my mom's old lily of the valley perfume
-school paste & tempera paints
-that rosin-y smell in gym class
-my dad's old Aqua Velva
-Blue Jeans cologne from the 70's
-wet pine needles on the forest floor
-axle grease, motor oil, gasoline vapors
-fresh cut hay
-waking to Sunday morning breakfast cooking in my mom's kitchen
-fresh mimeographed paper -and it's accompanying warmth

food stuffs

2009-09-30T10:27:00.005-06:00

first up: we had a blast making delicious & nutritious (and easy!) gnocchi. They turned out okay, but I'll make some adjustments to the recipe for next time. I think I'll try boiling the potatoes in the skins instead of baking. And maybe use more egg and more flour and maybe some ricotta.

Lib's job was to cut the dough into individual dumplings

Fiona's job was putting the divots in each dumpling (the better to hold the sauce)

don't they look good -even before boiling?

after boiling

Fi chose to test the divots & decorated her plate before eating. Presentation counts for something, right?

Dinner at my good friend Kelly's house. Both recipes came from the Barefoot Contessa. So delicious!

I was hungry for matzo ball soup, well before fall. Homemade stock, natch-what else to do with the leftovers from beer can chicken? I took my inspiration & a few tips from this website. MMMMMM comfort food!

the banana bread recipe that I've been using for so long that I don't need to refer to it anymore. This time I improvised a bit & used peanut butter for the fat instead of vegetable shortening. It was tasty without being overwhelming. Bonus: peanut butter has less fat than shortening -& it's a healthy fat too! I also used white chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet or milk chocolate. I will definitely try this again.

two finished projects

2009-09-29T17:27:00.003-06:00

I'll post details later...I just wanted to get the pics up since I haven't been here for awhile -& now you know why :)

The first hat is called Spring Beret. I think I'll do another one but in a different color -and probably a different yarn. This is in Lily Peaches & Cream cotton. I'm afraid that it'll shrink like the dishcloths I've knit...and then I'd have an American Girl Doll sized hat for Fiona's Julie ;P

This one is called Foliage. I had seen the pattern last year some time, then while I was still working at JoAnn's I saw this yarn that was part of a four skein kit to make a felted purse. I thought it would be perfect for the Foliage hat. And then the kit went on clearance for $7.00 (plus discount!)!! And voila! A handmade christmas present from me for Olivia (hence Fiona is modeling)

kids these days

2009-09-29T17:23:00.003-06:00

generally don't appreciate their roots. And why, oh why, can't we have decent, innovative music here & now in the 2000's??? Must I ever more listen to "classic" rock? *sigh*

hyper sensitive sensory system

2009-09-22T08:23:00.005-06:00

I know dogs have an acute sense of smell. And their hearing is also superior to humans in some respects. I imagine it all works together beautifully, as a complementary package. What I'm wondering today is exactly how acute is that system? I mean, it's one thing for my dog to hear the milk truck coming 'round the corner at 3am -and bark in warning for the whole neighborhood. And of course, the mailman gets a daily dose of "keep away from my territory" starting when he's 3 houses down on the other side of the street. But how hypersensitive are her senses to wake up at 5am when a coyote is padding down the middle of the street? And you know, me being the light sleeper that I am, I was immediately & rudely awoken so as to all the more quickly jump out of bed & take a look out the window at what intruder might be lurking nearby. Don't get me wrong, this time I wasn't disappointed. I'd started to think that the neighborhood coyote thing was an urban myth. But still. The twilight was silent -the birds weren't even singing yet. It's not like a coyote is clomping around in Doc Marten's or unlaced high tops. Padding might even be too loud of a description. Or was it the scent? Funny that she couldn't care less about the neighborhood fox. Ever. And the fox is the stinky one. It's the cat who get's all territorial with the fox. I loved that the coyote stopped to pause & consider our house more than once. Was it tempted to break that Cody mandated perimeter out of curiosity or defiance? Or was it hearing that vociferous warning & moving on down the line to less injurious pastures? Personally, I think our dog would sooner play than attack (not that I'm testing that theory out on the mailman anytime soon.) She's just that kind of gentle soul. Big old bark, no bite at all. And that's fine with me.

nature's mischief

2009-09-16T07:17:00.002-06:00

a single, tiny leaf
suspended in midair on an invisible thread
twirling silently, magically, in the early morning light.
a wee mobile for a faerie child?

How to Make Time Stand Still?

2009-09-15T10:16:00.004-06:00

"I'm going to be tall, mom." she says this morning on our walk to the bus stop
"I'm going to be taller than dad. THEN I'm going to be a super model."
Asserted with the self-confidence of a promising future
Like only an eleven year old can muster.

And she spouts poetry off the top of her head
At the dinner table.
Exuberantly, nonchalantly
She doesn't even realize what she's doing.

"I'm really pretty, aren't I mom?" she asked me last night,
Not really needing -or even waiting for- my approving response.
A rhetorical question.
"I could be a model."

And she bursts out in song at the top of her lungs
in the car.
Proudly, all happy-go-lucky,
She can't stop, even when it irks someone else.

"I love you, mom" she whispers to me at night.
She snuggles in closer,
Though her body nearly equals mine in length.
How did this happen, overnight, without my knowing?

Too many memories to trust to my sieve-like mind.
My heart aches,
Bursting full from the excess weight of delight and wonder
And love

Obama speech aftermath

2009-09-14T11:20:00.003-06:00

I just remembered that I forgot to post this last week:

I haven't read anything yet today about it, but I know that Maddie watched the speech live yesterday. And they didn't discuss it afterwards, but went back to their normal science lesson. Come to think of it, there wasn't a whole lot to discuss. It was a pep talk geared toward the 11+ crowd. The littles didn't view it nor do I think they would have walked away with much from it. Maddie did say that she wished Obama had said her name, as in: "Maddie, who had to live with 3 sisters and yet she is the now the founder of this environment saving thing". verbatim. (I never realized that living with siblings was such a trying circumstance to overcome, but apparently to an 11 year old girl, it is?)

Nikki had to watch it in one of her classes & there was debate afterward that leaned into politics. I guess anyone can read politics into anything, if they really want to. Someone said Obama was spoiling little kids' dreams by telling them they wouldn't be professional athletes -like telling them there is no Santa. Someone else said that he was excluding the blue collar jobs that are necessary for the country to function by encouraging kids to want to be scientists & doctors, etc. I say, thankfully he didn't mention that there's a place for everyone in society to be a "worker" -can you imagine the field day the conservative right would have with a "socialist" statement like that!? Poo poo.

As it was, the speech was merely a nationally televised, beginning of school year rally encouraging kids to do their best. Who better to deliver this message to our children than the president of the US. Pep talks from the president shouldn't be reserved for graduation commencements only.

it's a small small world

2009-09-10T21:47:00.004-06:00

Proof positive that we all breath the same air -when a wildfire burns unabated in Cali, the sky in CO is blech & the mountains disappear. Look at that horizon. I could be in Kansas....

And the sunrise outside our house. Wah! It was like this for four days too long! Hope the firefighters continue to be successful in the fire's containment.

Look what Maddie & I found at ARC last weekend! We were going to take it outside but when Maddie started carrying the book it was on, the Katydid started freaking out so we left it there. Yeah, I empathize; sometimes I'm most content when surrounded by books, too :)

details details details

2009-09-08T17:23:00.006-06:00

more interesting architecture from Mad's school neighborhood

Obama's live speech to school children

2009-09-07T11:04:00.007-06:00

I've embedded it here (hope it works), if you happen to be perusing my site at the time -or you can click here to watch it on the gov site.

I've been waiting on pins & needles for this speech with great curiosity as to what the all the furor is. Lucky for us, written speech was published today. I cannot fathom what fear the conservatives & stalwart anti-Obama folks have about this. I mean, seriously. I've read people comparing this to nazi indoctrination in 1930's Germany. Oh.My.God. Same people state that they will not allow their children to attend school on this day. That's right. Go on and hide your heads in the sand.

I personally feel that there is nothing wrong with the President of the United States speaking to children via a live broadcast at school. It's not a secret. It's not something that's been all on the down-low & children aren't allowed to talk about it with their parents. Or that parents can't view the same broadcast simultaneously as their kids. Now, if any of those factors were in place, THEN I'd have a problem with the speech.

What about the accompanying curriculum that the Board of Education has constructed that schools MAY use as a tie-in to the speech? I see nothing wrong with my kids writing a letter to themselves to be opened at a later date -no matter the "wording" in the purpose (i.e. "to help the President"). My 11 year old did this activity in school at the beginning of the year in, I think, 3rd grade. Not at the suggestion of the Board of Education. Or was it? She was in a US public school, led by a teacher who went through her own higher education in the US, and as a public school teacher in the US has to adhere to rules & suggestions made by the local school district -which in turn is accountable to the BOARD OF EDUCATION. Oh revelation of revelations! (And you know what?? My daughter's taken it upon herself to write subsequent letters to herself -sealed, to be opened at a later date -because she thought it was a good idea.)**

The thought occurred to me the other day -actually, a few thoughts: "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what can you do for your country"; and "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

People can run scared from the unknown- the leadership now at our country's helm is just that. A black man in the highest position of power in the USA with new ideas. But really, the only cure for fear of the unknown is education. I suggest instead of dragging heels into the present (and ultimately the future) like a petulant child being made to do some necessary chore, we be supportive of our President -all the while keeping an open mind to possibilities of success and staying abreast of the FACTS of what's happening. Change can't happen if we continue the way things have always been. And change is what we sorely need, as what's been done in the past clearly isn't working for the present.

Instead of "listening" with fingers in ears because the suggestions come from "a black man", (yeah, people may deny that, but you & I KNOW that covert racism in this country is insidiously rampant & that is the exact, albeit unspoken, sentiment of some Obama foes), actually listen. And listen well. And THINK before shooting down ideas that are different from the past. God help us all if we can't get over ourselves & come together as reasonable, responsible adults to fix what's wrong in our country and the world.

addendum:
**(nor would I have any problem with my kids actually learning about the PRESIDENT of the United States in SCHOOL -living or deceased, whether or not I voted for him/her & whether or not I agree with all of his/her policy stances. As far as I know, there's still a system of checks & balances in place here that sometimes works in MY favor, sometimes not, so I'm not worried much about any one politician "indoctrinating" my kids. It's all a part of civics, is it not? to be aware & educated about how our government works & who exactly comprises said government. Hello!?!!)

17 days now

2009-09-03T08:07:00.002-06:00

Lib asked me this morning why do I make green smoothies every day. Because they're good for me & they taste good too. I think I've become kind of addicted to them. I can't imagine starting the day without one, actually. This one has spinach, o.j., banana, vanilla spirutein, and beet. Yes, beet. It was quite tasty. Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it!

beauty in my own town

2009-08-30T12:06:00.006-06:00

I drive past this house nearly every day & decided to finally pull over to take a quick snap. How awesome & unique is this?!?!?!?!

This is by far the coolest historic building I've seen in Denver thus far. I mean, really, check out all the interesting design details -in one building. And far from being overwhelming, it all works together nicely, I think. It's currently under some kind of renovation. I hope they're just fixing it up & not changing it. And do click on some of them to get a closer look. I'll post more when the renovations are completed; can't wait to see the finished look.

10 days in

2009-08-27T11:14:00.005-06:00

Some may say it's blasphemy, I call it the perfect pint.

I've been doing the morning green smoothie for 10 days now. So far so good. I ran out of vanilla Spirutein on Tuesday so yesterday's smoothie was a bit, well, green. I used romaine lettuce, a peach, a banana, & o.j. Very lettuce-y tasting. Today had a couple plums instead of the peach & I added a teaspoon or so of vanilla extract & a teaspoon of agave to offset the lettuce taste -it turned out really yummy & saved about 100 calories. Spinach definitely adds the least amount of extra flavor. I do like collards in my smoothie, though. Yes, raw collards. It's quite tasty. I think that's what this picture is.

I'm back on track with my C25K running program. I took some days off after Spain because I had jet lag so bad the first week back. A couple days turned into more like 2 months. I ended up starting all over again just for the sake of not pushing too much & injuring myself, like I did last year when I tried this program. So far, so good. Tomorrow will be week 3, day 1. This morning I went as soon as I dropped off the littles at school. There's a bike path nearby & the loop I did was just about the perfect distance. I think that's what's going to work out best until I can get back into going to bed earlier so I can run before I take Maddie to school (I just can't seem to wake up at 5:30 am to go running when I fall asleep at 12:30am. Go figure.)

miscellaneous stuffs

2009-08-27T10:29:00.003-06:00

the darker color is the previous wall color, the lighter is new. BUT I'm not liking the light color now that I have the trim finished. Repainting is in order today.

I didn't get a shot of the door before repainting, but you can see the blah brown color that it was on the hinge there

more tattoo fun. They took turns on each other's foot. I think on the left is "Tails" from Sonic. And maybe that's "Amy Rose" -also from Sonic - on Lib's foot on the right.

Fi especially wanted me to get a shot of her smiley face

Shhhh, artist at work

another school year

2009-08-21T23:09:00.013-06:00

This is her "take my picture but I'm going to act like I don't want you to" look. So far she's had her schedule changed 4 times. But she seems to be rolling with it. I can only describe her reaction to middle school as exuberantly enthusiastic. Yes, Maddie. And I'm not talking about snowboarding. It's SCHOOL! Wow, who would've thunk it. So far she's tackling her homework as soon as she gets home (except Fridays -have to work on that so she's not waiting until 8pm on Sunday, like this past weekend). She really is impressed by her teachers. I don't know if it's because her classes are all geared toward the "gifted" population & so they're taught differently than traditional classes so that appeals to her. Or maybe it's the stimulation of having a different teacher for each class so she's not bored sitting in the same classroom all day. She's still a bit reserved -like she was at her new elementary school all this past year. I'm hoping she can come out of her shell & let the "real" Maddie shine out for everyone to see (not just for me!). She told me that she may want to drop orchestra because it's "just not my thing"; she'd rather be in drama. I'll have to write a letter to request it, though. Hope it works. It'd be nice for her to be in some kind of drama activity -as a healthy outlet for all her own drama ;P

what the little's did the day before the first day of school: drew tattoos on each other & then proceeded to take pictures of them. What can I say: It's a wonder Nikki never got into drawing "tattoos" on herself. I mean, she was the child who was raised around the tattoo scene.

and an artistic shot of an ankle tattoo. Not bad for a 6 year old photographer/photo shoot director, I think. These two littles kind of keep me in awe.

Lib, ready to rule the roost. She's familiar with her new teacher because Fi had the same teacher last year.

Fi with her schultuete. Garrett reminded me at 1am the night before that Fi needed one. Oops. How could I forget, right? I mean, it is the family tradition handed down from my own German mom. My siblings & I each had one. Nikki & Maddie had theirs. Of course the littles will have theirs. So I broke out my crafting supplies -had to work with what I had on hand. Not bad, huh? (Lib's already planned how she wants hers designed next year -Sonic the Hedgehog will be involved). The teacher was fairly sparing with handing out the candies, so the schultuete still sits in the classroom. Maybe she's using them as treats or rewards? Little Chrissy -I mean Lib sneaks in after school to get a piece for herself occasionally. (Indeed, Fi brought it home today, passing out candies to her friends & teachers that she saw on the way to the car.)

And a reminder: how little they looked last year. They've grown leaps & bounds it seems.

2 days in

2009-08-18T09:41:00.010-06:00

so I've started on this 30 day challenge that was initiated by Sara at Happy Foody. Some of you know I've been contemplating returning to a vegetarian lifestyle. And that I've been contemplating going completely raw. In my search for info on a raw lifestyle, I came across the Happy Foody blog. The 30 Days Green challenge seemed just right & the timing was perfect (found it Sunday night). Do you love synchronicity as much as I do??

The challenge is to drink a green smoothie every morning, exercise of some sort every day, salad with lunch or dinner, no soda, & no white sugar. Easy enough & all good. Seems like a smooth transition to a veg diet.

Yesterday's smoothie consisted of o.j., low fat yogurt, spirutein, and spinach. Did I mention that the Cuisinart handheld blender is my new favorite kitchen appliance? I've been having a smoothie nearly every day for the last month or so, but I've never added greens. Why? It was just as tasty as without, but had that many more nutrients. Today was o.j., spoonful of HOMEMADE yogurt, spirutein, frozen red grapes & spinach. Yum. Hmmm, come to think of it, I'll have to check the ingredients of the spirutein for sugar. I like it for the protein, but have never thought about the sugar content -or what kind of sugar might be in it.

I found a new favorite recipe for raw kale salad -sooooo freaking delish, I almost ate the whole thing in one day!!! I found it also at the Happy Foody blog. Actually, I think I found this recipe & then spied the 30 Days Green challenge. I never knew kale could be eaten raw. I think I may never eat it cooked again. Seriously, this recipe is that darn good! It's definitely going to be a once a week salad. I used the hemp seed oil, tomato, a whole avocado instead of half, lemon juice, sea salt & a couple splashes of Cholula instead of cayenne, and a couple shakes of Seto Fumi Furikake. I might try adding some pine nuts or sunflower seeds next time.

(oh, & the sweetness in Spirutein comes from fructose. whew!)

Japanime button workshop

2009-08-16T16:04:00.016-06:00

(so that's where all those DAM stickers end up)

Maddie & I participated in this workshop through Fresh City Life at the Denver Public Library. When I first told Maddie that I had signed her up, she was less than enthusiastic about it; she said she wasn't interested in Asian culture anymore. I made her go anyway. And she was glad I did. She's already planning on going to the next workshop & has her sisters wanting to go as well.

The workshop was held at a little coffee shop called NOVO. OMG. One of the best cups of coffee I've ever had. Seriously. Right up there with Paris.

first we cut out pictures for our buttons

then we used a template cutter to make the pictures round

then we stood in line with 30 other folks to have our turn making the actual buttons

Afterwards we walked around the block, no traffic, hardly any people (the library closes at 6pm most days of the week; crazy, right?)(and the DAM closes at 5; more craziness).

interesting sculpture outside the coffee shop

the famous horse on chair sculpture outside the library

I don't know the name of this sculpture outside the old section of the DAM

Denver Public Library -central branch, west entrance

Denver has a cool city & county seal, no?

the new section of the DAM jutting out over the street in front of the library

And then Maddie had her haircut -an inspiration she had early Thursday morning. She was so pleased with the cut, she couldn't stop gushing about it during the drive home & all the rest of the night. I personally received an abundance of hugs & kisses & verbal thanks for taking her (& paying for it). I have to agree -it really is a super cute look on her. (I haven't seen her this happy since she was in the Mediterranean in Spain)

proudly displaying her new 'do and handmade by Maddie buttons

what do you think???

happy 21st birthday to my eldest daughter :)

2009-08-12T13:16:00.003-06:00

How did I get to be the mother of a 21 year old? Time, tears, laughter, snuggles, hugs & kisses, serious talks & random chats...and more. It seems like she was a little girl not so very long ago. Now she's a self-supporting, living on her own adult and nearly a college graduate. Wow.

Some random memories:
-Guinea Pig in the Barbie jeep being pulled around the courtyard.
-Elementary school sleepovers & making movies
-Missing the DD bus at 5:50am & trying to catch it further up Colo Blvd. or the B or BX downtown...or Westminster -or 104th -or Broomfield...for 4 years of high school!
-Camping trip in Dinosaur, CO along the Yampa River...and counting 100+ mosquito bites upon returning home
-Cross country road trips
-T2 & the DIY John Conner haircut in the bathroom -pile of hair on the toilet lid & scissors hidden behind her back
-face mask for baby sister's first solo diaper change
-London
-Scotland
-Vermont
-myriad Discovery Zone visits
-"Sweet Child of Mine"
-Rhinny
-Scully & his mysterious leg afflictions
-"booya to the dude eating a cheeseburger for breakfast!"
-xmas list for the mall Santa was an animal cracker box full of pictures
- $300 texting bill
-Saturday night Nickelodeon viewing
-Brotherly Love
-bad batman & queen frostine & princess patasa & baby slobber
-myriad nicknames: Nik, Snick, Snickerdoodle, Nikkel, Nikkicita, Nikkolai, Nikkivitus

(this picture is from Spain & is not typical behavior...but I think tonight there will be some alcohol consumption!)

oh, the cleverness of Lib

2009-08-06T01:04:00.005-06:00

a couple zingers tonight:.

While driving home from the store, in the backseat the girls were playing pretend of some sort. Lib says, "How 'bout if I have all the super powers and I'm awesome." Not so much a request or question, but a statement, lol! Nothing like going for the gusto :)

At dinner, Lib decided that indeed she does really like tomatoes. But there weren't any left for her to have more than the already consumed requirement of "you have to take one of everything & taste a bite of each." Fi had her one tomato & wasn't going to eat more than the "taste", so I told Lib she could have it. Fi passed it to Garrett, who put it on Lib's plate -fingers to fingers to plate. Not so concerned about those germs, she asked Fi, "Did you bite it?" with that look of disdain for those germs, if you know what I mean. I said, "No, she didn't bite it." Lib looked incredulous & pushed the tomato to the side of the plate. So I said, "Who cares if she did bite it? You have the same germs." -thinking of the shared sodas & lollys, and whatnot. Lib retorted, "No, we do not have the same germs. My germs are pink and sparkly!" Yep. Captured forever with my camera eyes.

Oh, & don't forget the box of sugar cubes I found under the computer desk while Lib & Fi stood in front instead of sitting to play on the computer. (All the better to reach the box and not get busted, my dear.) "But they just taste so goooooood," was her response when questioned about it. Have I told you that we have our very own Little Chrissy? (seen the movie "Pecker"?)

random lazy summer days

2009-08-03T20:12:00.004-06:00

Taught this to the girls one night, now it's one of Lib's favorite "faces" to make

wait for it, wait for it

ah, sweet relief from what little summer heat we've had

Mad's taken up Snick's old board & helmet

Then there's butt boarding (I think the spin she tried down the hill freaked her out a bit, so she wanted to lower her center of gravity)

Hey! Wait! That's MY helmet

another outside painting project

2009-08-03T20:07:00.002-06:00

halfway finished

another addition to the yard last summer that didn't stand the winter

basic black for the base coat

to be continued...

this is my proud to make a hole in one pose

2009-08-03T13:23:00.002-06:00

It was an "L" shaped putt with a bank in the left corner. After 18 holes, she decided that she no longer wants to play soccer in the fall: "Golf will be my sport!" She also had more than a couple 2 shot holes. Not too shabby for a 5 year old, huh?

Life is a catwalk for this little

2009-08-03T12:46:00.004-06:00

If only I could have the camera at the ready all day long to capture the many poses she expresses. And no, these are not coached or rehearsed; she just enjoys striking a pose or five. Voguevoguevoguevoguevogue

And finally the delicious "heavenly brownies" with cream cheese frosting made by Maddie

falling behind a bit

2009-08-03T12:29:00.004-06:00

I had intended to post everyday to keep the pics of our comings & goings up-to-date. Here are a few more pics from the RenFest.

What's so amusing?

Little girls find an empty stage to express their dance skills

Maddie remembers a few stepdance moves to show Fi

CO Renaissance Festival '09 pt2

2009-07-28T14:04:00.005-06:00

Maddie always requests the elephant ride. I don't recommend after this year; it lasted all of 30 seconds for $4. Boo!

Jeremy was chosen from the audience to participate onstage with The German Brothers. "Brother! He's flexing his 'moobs' -that's German for man boobs"

"Brother! He's clenching!"

"They face off nose to nose"

Jamey's catwalk wasn't too impressive but...

his best Zoolander pout was the piece de resistance

the Brother asked of Nikki, "Does he give you that look at home?"

Who knew Jamey could be so good at improv onstage?

not one, but TWO thumbs up for his performance from that little guy

more from Sunday, 19 July

2009-07-27T17:25:00.005-06:00

Lib is the only pickle eating girl in our family. It is her favorite "vegetable".

Hello, gorgeous!

#1 thing to do on Fi's list for the day: camel ride

"Mom! They're creeping me out!"

observing the observers

Always Lib's #1 request at the RenFest; & she always comes away wanting one of her own to keep in the back yard

purdy boy with wonky teeth

my favorite part of the RenFest -except for the flying bits of tomato (just don't wear white & stand too close). $1/tomato, take your best shot & be prepared for relentless verbal payback. By far the most humorous show of the day (other than the one that Jamey was chosen to participate in...check back tomorrow for those pics)

Washing Well Wenches -must sit up front for the best interaction

quick post for now

2009-07-24T08:37:00.003-06:00

Can you guess where we went on Sunday? I'll post the rest later....

These scrummy brownies made by Maddie lasted less than 24 hrs. She even improvised & found a recipe for cream cheese frosting instead of the usual chocolate. It was a whole pan-full of homemade one-bite brownie heaven!

how to keep girls busy...

2009-07-23T15:09:00.002-06:00

...for about 60 minutes: hand them a hairbrush, spray bottle, and assorted hair ties, bobby pins & barrettes

I'm a sucker for pretty packaging

2009-07-22T10:11:00.001-06:00

pretty AND delicious AND local!

mystery sweets

2009-07-20T10:37:00.003-06:00

When I was in San Fran in May, I spent part of one day in Japantown. One little store sold sweets. I had no idea what to buy, so I went with "cute" and "sale". It was a surprise in the literal sense.

What? You say there's sugar-y goodness in there?

They look interesting & cute...but how do they taste?

I can't read Japanese, but the cute pics are self-explanatory

Inside & out, it was like a fig newton, but not as sickly sweet. I've had some bean pastes that were not as sweet & -to me- not so tasty. This was a pleasantly successful experiment in yum.

Maddie's bday 2009

2009-07-18T16:56:00.011-06:00

First we celebrated on her actual birthday while we were in Spain. She was quite concerned that it would be a horrible day because she wouldn't get a "real" birthday. Tell me what you think? Was it a horrible day?

Her birthday this year was on a Sunday. The plan was to first go to El Rastro -the biggest (so I read) flea market in Europe. I didn't get as many pictures as I could have because I was too busy shopping! It was huge & fun!

interesting name for clothing store?

The flea market stretched down all these alleys & streets; I couldn't get one comprehensive picture, but if you click to enlarge this one, you get an idea of what I mean.

reminded me of "Transfomers"

ornate iron work

oh lovely art deco

front facade of our hotel in the daytime

When we arrived back at our hotel, we found this lovely confection in our room, complete with "11" candles. Along with an ice bucket filled with champagne & 3 milks. "Compliments of the hotel manager"! How kind!!

After cake, we went to the world renowned El Prado for a couple hours. Free on Sundays! and it was just across the street from our hotel.

On our stroll to the museum, we saw street performers

this cool souvenir store

this church on the hill above el Prado

this side entrance at least had a sign notating where we were; the main entrance did not

this awesome statue

Pressies at home. (goodies I found at Japantown in San Francisco for her!) She had to look up the Kanji b/c I didn't know the exact translation. So far she's figured out "______ Sweet Home"

The M.A.C. lippie, she already knew about, was from Macy's here

a phone charm for her new cell. (turns out the phone she got, sadly, doesn't have a notch for the charm)

one project near completion

2009-07-17T18:55:00.005-06:00

I bought this plain pine picnic table last summer. Cleaned it up with TSP & painted it with clear sealant. Garrett assembled it & we enjoyed most meals outside all summer long. It wasn't happy with the Winter though, & it started to mold this Spring. I'm hoping primer & paint will eliminate that problem recurring.

after primer & one coat paint. It had a neat, transluscent-y look but I went ahead & did 2 coats.

They found some teeny tiny spiders to examine. Oh, the attention span of littles. I think they "helped" all of 10 minutes -with 30 minute breaks in the middle!

Notice the big green paint swatch on little sister's back? Yep, that's what middle sisters are for; I'm surprised that was the worst of it -and no retaliation!

after two coats. What do you think? Too "Cook Forest" green? What can I say, you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl!

Only a few more final touches left to do.

too tired to think

2009-07-16T09:07:00.007-06:00

So there's major road construction going on near our house. Very near. As in, about 2 houses down from us. It's been an ongoing process since the end of May. They just happen to be at our end of the street now. What's finished of the 2 mile stretch looks smooth as a baby's behind. Yesterday they were up & at 'em at 7am. I thought that was bad & I was not a happy camper. I should have saved my complaints for today. 3am. Yes, 3am. That's what time they were ripping up the street last night. Ugh. I'm so tired, my brain isn't functioning properly. Yeah yeah yeah. I know, it would help if I could get to sleep before 2am. Well I can't right now. So suffer I must & hope that they'll be finished with our little patch of street sooner rather than later.

These pics are all from a day at the end of May. I can't even think what else I wanted to say about them...so without further ado, I give you: Geocaching in the urban-suburb.

Goin' on a treasure hunt!

always gotta be Miss Independent

after the rain

holy blooming pine tree, Batman!

I think I need to get these city girls out in the mountains more; they were amazed by the pine tree flowers. (Note the sticker @ the side of the eye look that she occasionally sports)

our very first geocache find! We had to go twice b/c the first time we didn't read the whole location description online. Live & learn. This one was a tad disappointing for the girls who had brought some goodies to leave behind...and all they found for their effort was this little bitty logbook.

Sisters rule!

foxes & rabbits & coyotes, oh my!

Look ma, no training wheels! Yes, that is a jeans skirt over jeans. Told you she has her own style. Yeah, I don't get it either, but good on her for being able to comfortably (physically & mentally) wear such an ensemble

Garrett took the wheels off last year but she just couldn't quite get the hang of it. Put a damper on the bike riding because she insisted, but then couldn't do it. Cut to this year & she's off like a rocket. Needless to say, Garrett got a workout that day

the latest in original 6 yo hairstyles

2009-07-15T09:38:00.003-06:00

Fi's handiwork. She was born with a style all her own.

And there's Lib, looking more like Snick every day -throwin' down some kind of signs that only make sense to a 5yo.

sisters rule!

How much do we miss Spain?

2009-07-14T08:40:00.005-06:00

Let me just say, por ejemplo: Mad got a watch as a continuation present -nothing fancy, just a fashion watch from Target. She set the time in Spain but hasn't worn it since we've been home. She came across said watch the other night and sighed. She said, "Oh look,it's 8am in Spain. I miss Spain so much, I'm going to leave the time set like this forever." I've heard similar sentiments from Fi & Lib. Fi talks about, "Don't you miss Spain? I do. I wish we could live there forever." Lib still asks to watch "Bob Esponja" on t.v. and only says "gracias" for thanks. I saw a book on Spain at the libray last week & showed Fi a picture of La Puerta de Alcalá. Her response? Her eyes lit up & she said, "Oh we saw that when we lived in Spain!" Suffice it to say, this was a successful, memorable vacation.

awesome Haribo store in La Opera district in Madrid

the whole top of this circular Monument to Alfonso XII, in Parque del Retiro was covered in these bas relief children doing different tasks...a very socialist feel

cherub on top of La Puerta de Alcalá

cool ironwork dragon above door on Calle de Alfonso XII

Brown & yellow patchwork landscape flying into Spain. So different from the US green & brown patchwork. I was curious as to what else would be different. One word: Everything

fashionista in the making

2009-07-13T08:01:00.002-06:00

Yes, this is how my middle child chooses her clothes for the day. And she's only six. It's time consuming now; what will the future bring? Oh yeah, & she does break out the "I have nothing to wear" complaint from time to time. Really, that's funny, the last time I checked, you couldn't get your dresser drawers shut properly because they're overflowing with CLOTHES -all in your size, all in fine, wearable condition, and they're all made for girls, so it's not like your only choices are too big, too small, holey, ratty, or boy clothes. What indeed will the future bring?

Friday night car show

2009-07-12T13:39:00.016-06:00

Why can't modern cars be fuel efficient, beautiful, AND fun???? Dang it, I'll say it again: I was born in the wrong era.

Father's Day 2009

2009-07-09T11:35:00.005-06:00

Afternoon at the zoo:

we ran into Snick & her dad's side of the family a few times.

How far can you jump?

from the moment we enter the ape section, they pester to get to the drums

cute & unusual oinkers

wagons ho!

Let's pretend this is our house...

so difficult to get a good shot of the carousel in action

dontcha love the Elvis glasses? (actually, I think they're "Hannah Montana; but they scream Elvis to me)

peek-a-boo

makes me want to drive to Mount Evans, etc, to see them in a natural setting

cool door handle to the lion habitat

and finally dinner at GB's Fish & Chips...only the best in Denver...indeed probably the next best to being in Ireland

in case you thought I was kidding about the hail damage

2009-07-06T14:21:00.010-06:00

This is what the hostas looked like when we got back from Spain. Initially, I thought we must have had some kind of snail or other garden pest munching on the leaves -until I found out about the storm that blew through.

This is what they looked like after the 2nd hail storm. Yes, you're looking through a leaf.

As you can imagine, my rhubarb is in an equally sad state. The beans weren't quite out of the ground for the first storm; they faired well enough through the 2nd storm. Now you see why I said I'm glad I hadn't planted lettuce yet. The poor hostas & rhubarb, I'm cutting them back today just because they look like they're in pain (or rather, b/c they're so painful to look at?)

The storms this summer have been hard & heavy & pass pretty quickly. But for Colorado, it's been a ton of rain -at least as of lately. I suppose it's cyclical, as I remember when I moved here 13 years ago, the first 2 summers were fairly wet at the outset. Is it indicative of our snowfall this coming winter? If I recall correctly, those 1st few winters were heavy snowfall years. Then the drought -summer & winter. I suppose only time will tell if it is indeed cyclical.

The hail isn't large -so no autobody damage. But boy it came down like bullets on the broad leaves. And that last picture is about 4 inches deep outside the laundry room door, hence the laundry room flood. Area rug & every towel in the house soaked up the mess; the usual arid Colorado climate took care of the residual dampness over the next few days.

homemade goodness on a Sunday

2009-07-06T13:58:00.008-06:00

Maddie woke up in a cooking kind of mood & made these scrummy pretzels...from scratch. Yes, she did. The girl does like to cook. She's in the kitchen nearly every other day preparing something. Usually she's successful; sometimes her experiments go slightly awry. She's learning -kind of- to read the whole way through the recipe first -to make sure she has all the ingredients so she doesn't have to improvise (usually those are the concoctions that don't get eaten). And yesterday she learned the very valuable lesson of not placing anything on the back burner when the oven is turned on (trip to Bed Bath & Beyond is necessary for a new flour container thing...oops) This recipe is from a kid's cookbook my mom sent to her. The book has a not so attractive cover, but you know the old adage about judging a book by it's cover; it's become one of Maddie's go-to cookbooks when she wants to prepare something without adult help. Lately she's been using this book, written by the host of You Are What You Eat(one of our faves on BBC America.) And then there's this, the first cookbook I bought for her exclusive use. She's used it a few times, but the Betty Crocker is for sure her favorite right now.

half sweet, half salty

I was in a cooking mood too & spent most part of the afternoon preparing our "Sunday is dessert day" treat. From the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook, Apricot-Cherry Upside Down Cake. I had to make almond paste first, though, b/c it's not something that I readily have on hand. Thanks to Sunflower Market, I had an abundance of apricots (67 cents/lb!) and cherries. Although it was a bit time consuming, it was well worth the effort. Not the usual brown sugar & pineapple upside down cake. I had to double the ingredients b/c the recipe called for an 8"x3" round cake pan, which I didn't have. Couldn't fit all the batter in the 9"x13" pan, so it was a little flat. Delish, nevertheless!

the largest nightcrawler I've ever seen, year 2

2009-07-06T13:45:00.019-06:00

The largest nightcrawler continues to grow fatter & longer on our compost.

And why is it that my previous post about said nightcrawler under the title "the largest nightcrawler I've ever seen" gets more hits from Google than regular visitors to my blog? Folks from all over the world must be really interested in finding sizable nightcrawler pictures online, no?

He (are worms male or female or nonsexual or what? I'll say "he" for the sake of the phallic nature of worms) was about 12" when I found him stretched out crawling on the ground. (Wait, worms don't "crawl". Inching? Worming? What is it called, how they get around?) Of course when I tried to pick him up he was all "retreat retreat!" & shrank up for protection (see, phallic, right?). So these shots don't really do him justice. Just how big will he be next year? Do worms have definite lifespans? How old can they live? Just curious. FYI, I hold my breath when I turn the compost, hoping I don't spear the little guy with the pitchfork. That would be tragic & I think I'd be a little sad. Hmmm, except don't worms regenerate when cut in half? (or is that an urban legend?)

Last year

this year

he's a fast little bugger for a worm

...more than meets the eye!

2009-06-24T11:38:00.004-06:00

Yes, we went to the midnight showing -or rather 12:01 am. I had thought about not going, but it doesn't happen often that I WANT to go to a midnight opening night showing of a movie -Batman IV (yeah yeah yeah, I know, save your breath), Charlie & the Chocolate Factory come to mind. So I scored tix online at 10:30 with bated breath as 3 of the 4 screens at the closest theatre were sold out. We arrived around 11:20, so Madster held our seats while I went to the concession stand. I have never seen lines like these at a movie theatre concession stand -4 or 5 registers open & all were 20 people deep. Yeah, I wondered if I would get back in time for the beginning or if I should just give up the quest for popcorn (MUST have popcorn; you know me). Wished the movie theatre would do like a stage theatre & dim the lights momentarily to warn folks of the impending start of the show. As it was, I got back in time for commercials, various shouts of "TRANSFORMERS!!!!!" from some teenaged male voices, & chillin' with the Madster.

The crowd was mostly kids Snick's age, give or take a couple years. Personally, I couldn't get the cartoon theme song out of my head & sang it a few times until Mad told me to stop on the way in to the theatre because I was, you know, embarrassing . "Told ya so", I responded when we heard other renditions around us.

The previews were "appropriate for all ages" but apparently MPAA didn't have my daughter in mind when they were labeled. She sat through the preview for "2012" & while folks around us chuckled, she clutched her belly & whimpered. Don't know if it was the popcorn, lack of sleep from the night before's sleepover, or the depiction of end times on a big screen, or a combination of the 3, but she immediately didn't feel well. Poor thing. She left 2x & tried to watch Transformers when it finally started, hoping it would take clear her mind. No dice. I reassured her that we could get rainchecks & come back another time. Finally she couldn't deal anymore & we left. She was close to tears as we left, she felt so bad -ill & disappointed & apologetic.

So, we will return, this weekend probably.

I did learn this much from the beginning 10 minutes that I can pass on to you: Sit as far away from the screen as possible. We had the usual choice seats almost in the center of the screen -just back from center, but it wasn't far enough. I don't know about you, but I abhor, loathe, despise movies that are sooooo freaking larger than life that you can't actually see what's happening on the screen -and I suppose theatres that are too short for said movies. There's that.

AND -for all you parents out there- just the short bit we saw was MUCH racier than the first movie. So much so that I thought the guy next to me was going to bust a nut viewing the first shot of Megan Fox...& I kind of wished I hadn't brought my DAUGHTER (or my son, if I had one). Seriously. Call me old fashioned, but the below & behind, slowly panning in & up, shot of Megan Fox's ass cheek hanging out of her too too short Daisy Dukes while she's laying prone on a motorcycle isn't exactly how I want my kids to think girls should behave or dress. And you know the subtle, over-the-kids'-heads sexual innuendos in the first flick? Not so subtle this time around.

That said, I'm still psyched to see the rest of the movie. OOOOH! and the
new Camaro???? SWEEEEEET. 306 HP AND 29 MPG??????!?!????? and that body design????!! Be still my heart!!! I think I've found the mini-van replacement (please please please seat 5!) All you folks who think Transformers is nothing more than a 2 hour Chevy commercial: Bite me!

another thing

2009-06-19T11:30:00.003-06:00

Did I mention that daylight lasts longer in Spain? Oh yeah. 10pm in Spain looked kinda like 8pm in Denver. I'm finally over the jet lag. I think the difference in daylight had something to do with it. I really really enjoyed the longer days. Of course I already knew that from my experience in the Scottish Highlands 10 years ago.

And why can't the parks in Denver be beautiful & artful? Can't a park be practical, greenspace & pretty at the same time?? Hmmmm, no changing that anytime soon. The only recourse I can see in the short term is to create something beautiful in my own little world. Pictures when I'm done.

The Bucs are in town this weekend. I wish the Stanley Cup were visiting too.

No plans for Father's Day yet. Any suggestions?

I wanna do the Muddy Buddy in August. Anyone want to be on my team? I have a maybe from my lovely friend Amber. What can be more fun than running+biking+mud+friends+Boulder? Well, maybe some things come to mind, but it sounds like a good time.

My new, favorite kitchen utensil is my KitchenAid blender wand thing-y. OMG. Why didn't I have one sooner???? Smoothies without having to drag out the whole, honking blender? LOVE it!!

The girls are now subjecting me to daily doses of "Jonas". Is there no mercy? Sure each episode is fair enough funny. But thanks to the modern marvels of Comcast & OnDemand, we get to view each episode over&over&over&over, ad nauseum. Blech. Fine, it's not that I let them watch it all day, every day. But really, once is enough. And then there's the OnDemand JoBros music videos. It's gonna be a long summer.

mas pequeñas sobre España

2009-06-16T08:02:00.002-06:00

egg yolks in Spain are, like, orange-y. You know how commercially bought eggs here in the States have yolks that are getting lighter in color? Yeah, I wonder what the difference is? Are they fresher? Not factory farmed? Something the chickens are fed? Just curious.

The food in restaurants is saltier than I like.

We had tapas at a small cafe in Requena. We tried the waitress (from Romania!) recommended "robos" She couldn't think of the word in English or Spanish (not that we would know it in Spanish), so she drew a picture. Pig tails. deep fried pig tails. Yes it's true. We tried it. From barbequed "snoots" in St. Louis to "robos" in Spain. Yes, the girls & I have tried pig end to end -well, maybe not pig's ears & pig's feet. And like the snoots, it was tasty.

I gained 4 pounds on vacation. And promptly lost it when I came home. I think it's the salt.

ALOT of bottled water in Spain. As in, order water at a restaurant, & they bring a bottle of mineral water. And it's not quite the same as in the UK where they will do the same unless you order tap water. It just seemed that everyone drank bottled water -not a Nalgene or Sigg in sight -except for the one Lib brought in her carry-on (?)(Yes, she packed her own, & she also brought a Hannah Montana microphone, about 10 books, and her beloved pink tape measure, along with her inseperable DS)

SHOES SHOES SHOES! OMG I was in shoe heaven!! Alot of leather shoes from Spain, and some imported from foreign lands -you know, the toxic smelling pleather kind of footwear that you can smell as you walk past. We avoided those latter. BUT the leather shoes from Spain! So many choices! Shoe stores everywhere. And I should call them boutiques because they weren't the cookie cutter stores like we have in excess here. And talk about COMFY! I swear from now on, I will strive to only buy shoes made in Spain. Seriously.

And in Spain, it is the groom's family who pays for weddings. Ha! Oh the (un)luck of the draw to be born in the US & have 4 girls!

Mas mañana!

mas España

2009-06-15T14:37:00.006-06:00

Okay, all the pics are up on Flickr (you know the drill, click the link over there in the left sidebar), but most of them don't have descriptions yet.

Two more notable things...I thought Pittsburgh streets & alleys were narrow -until we were driving in Valencia.

And what Spanish did the littles learn last week? "Bob Esponja, Bob Esponja, Bob Esponja...Bob E-sponja"!

These were taken in Valencia

España

2009-06-15T13:41:00.005-06:00

I put up the Madrid pix the other day on Flickr.

I think what piece of my heart that I didn´t leave in San Fransicso, I left in Spain. Seriously. Well, Valencia anyway. Madrid I liked well enough. I didn´t get to take as many pictures as I would have liked b/c my camera battery wouldn't charge properly & died two days in a row :(

I was blown away by the marvelous, historical buildings. And you know me with my obsession for doors, doorways, wrought iron anything, architecture, little things that most people don't notice. PLENTY of that in Madrid. BUT what I noticed was that most of the people I passed didn't smile. They looked unhappy? (?!?!?!) and/or "unfriendly". It kind of bummed me out. Especially since there's so much beauty in Madrid. And -at least the district where we were staying- folks seemed really judgmental; as they passed, they eyeballed you up & down as if to judge what you were wearing. Wow. I don't think I've experienced that before -even in Paris. It was bizarre.

BUT BUT BUT! Valencia! OMG!!! From the moment we entered the city limits -actually even a couple miles out- I could tell it was going to be overwhelmingly fabulously beautiful. And I was not disappointed! It was like San Francisco -but older & European. EVERYWHERE I looked was something different & beautiful. And, well, I don't know what else to say about it. We only drove into the city to have lunch the first day & I so badly wanted to stay longer. We spent only 1 day in Valencia -and even that was only about 4 hours. Soooooooooo not enough time! I could have stayed forever. Yes. I enjoyed it that much. See -like San Francisco, that much. It was worlds different than Madrid. And the people were way friendlier -well, except for the two old ladies who asked me directions -en Español- & I couldn't help them.

And the food. I was sad to come back to the US for all of the above AND the food. I ask you, how can I be expected to eat this American cuisine after I have eaten in Spain? It's just not fair, I tell you. I tasted some of the most delicious food I've ever eaten. Ever. Now I need a Spanish cookbook to re-do our whole menu. Unfortunately -oh how unfortunate- I can't get the seafood in Colorado, maybe not anywhere in the US. I_Can't_Stand_It.

Can I go back already? Please?

Bourbon Madrid - cafe across from Westin Palace Hotel - pizza song

2009-06-14T14:30:00.000-06:00

Bourbon Madrid - cafe across from Westin Palace Hotel - pizza song

and later that same day...the 5th grade continuation

2009-06-13T10:09:00.005-06:00

freshly dyed hair especially for the event is easy to pick out of the crowd :)

She was one of 6 fifth grade students who won the "Bradley Eagle Feather" award for portraying all PYP (Primary Years Programme) attributes and attitudes of the IB (International Baccalaureate) Learner Profile. But being her normal 'tween self around the fam -i.e. moody AND modest, she wouldn't pose for pictures with the award.

That's her good friend C, whom she's known since 1st grade. They had 1st & part of 2nd grade together. Ended up in the same school again this year. Yay! Sadly, they won't be in the same middle school next year. But, we live close enough that they can hang out whenever they want...I just hope it doesn't turn into one of those youthful romances & then the friendship ends, ya know what I mean?

good day for a Kinder bridging over ceremony

2009-06-13T09:02:00.010-06:00

(I used to be able to caption each photo, but then Blogger changed the format & I don't feel like messing with the HTML right now to sort it out. I guess I'll just put captions at the top & bottom of each post for now)

The bridging ceremony was so cute. Miss Dale called each child's name & he/she climbed up the stairs, paused on the bridge for a photo op & then went down the slide to receive his/her "diploma". It was timed just right so that as one child received the diploma, another child was paused on the bridge. Don't know if it was purposeful or if it just worked out like that, but with the timing each child got applause twice :)

Pictures of the new 1st grader with each of her sisters. Little sister looks unhappy...maybe because she's not the center of attention? And there's Jamey, aka Jermany, Nikki's BF.

Mr Lerner was the class Para. He's retiring this year; Fi is sad that she won't see him anymore & Lib won't get to have him in class next year.

Miss Dale is Fi's beloved teacher & inspiration for her current "what I want to be when I grow up". Lucky Lib will have her next year :)

There was a picnic & games & face painting after the ceremony. AND a special trip for the littles to the Nature & Science Museum with Snick & Jamey before heading back out for Mad's Continuation that evening.

FYI

2009-06-13T00:49:00.004-06:00

"The last road team to win Game 7 of the championship round in any major league was the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates." Put that in your pipe & toke it, ya naysayers....

p.s. my heart is still pounding & my hands are still shaking & I still have a euphoric perma-a-grin; someone pinch me. Squeeeeeee!!!!! We won The Cup! It's sorta like a dreamy dream. Yes, it continues to be the best year ever :)

We are the Champions, my friend

2009-06-12T22:09:00.005-06:00

and we'll keep on fighting 'til the end!

Congrats to the Penguins on a freaking awesome Stanley Cup run! They made it look easy, even when it was challenging. And Lord Stanley comes home to the 'burgh once again.

Yay Pittsburgh! City of Champions! (c'mon Buccos! Get on board!)

What an incredible feeling!

ECE graduation, Friday 22 May 2009

2009-05-23T18:06:00.010-06:00

Pomp & Circumstance over the loudspeakers made it even more memorable!

Lib & her teacher Miss Reese. It was a fabulous first year for both, I think.

Quick! before midnight!

2009-04-19T22:53:00.006-06:00

So yeah, again a month between blog posts. What can I say, I've become addicted to Facebook. Gah. And nail polish. I have decided to grow my nails. It's been, what, since I moved to Colorado? That's 13 years. What the heck, why not? I'm not rock climbing right now. And I can't afford tips at a salon, and that's so unhealthy anyway. A manicure is easy enough, more affordable, and longer lasting when done at home than in a salon. Or so that's been my experience. Really, this is an experiment to see if I can do it, how long can they be, kind of thing. So far, so good. After 3 weeks, no breaks. I have had to wrap 3 or 4 nails to keep them from ripping off at the tips. Forgot all about that little trick. So I've taken to checking out nail polish blogs. There are some good ones out there. My personal favorite is Nail Juice from New Zealand. Dang it, I've found a new something to "collect". And collect I have. How to describe this? Nail polish is so colorful now. It's like a rainbow in little bottles. oooooooh so many pretty colors. And all at my fingertips, pun intended :P

Tomorrow is the start of what used to be called "Turn Off the TV Week". It's one of my favorite weeks of the year. So I'm getting this post in before midnight. Get it? Because people are spending more time in front of all types of "screens" -not just t.v.- they've changed the name to "Mental Detox Week". Sounds good to me. So I won't be online, I won't be watching movies or tv, and I'm even including playing Bookworm on my cellphone (yes, when I'm not reading to fall asleep, I'm playing Bookworm to doze off!) The girls won't be playing on their DSs or the computer, nor will they be watching t.v. & movies. Can't vouch for Garrett. I'm guessing he won't be participating. I plan on getting alot of sewing & knitting done. And finishing that puzzle that's been under the futon the past year. Gardening. Crafting with the girls. Reading. Unplugged unplugged unplugged. Of course now I feel like I want to blog. Because I can't.

Tomorrow is also 4.20. I think I'm heading downtown to check out the happenings. I haven't been, so it'll be a first for me. Don't worry, I'm going as an observer. I shall photograph what I see & blog all about it...next week :P

Things are moving right along for the girls. Fi got her glasses -for reading & writing only, and only the left eye needs corrected.

Mad has a piece of art hanging in the Denver Public Library central branch downtown. It's the Denver Public School K-8 Art Exhibition, so it's a fairly big honor. She didn't win, but her piece is hanging in a case at the entrance to the children's section on the main floor as apposed to up on the 5th floor with the rest of the show. So I imagine it's getting a lot more looks. Also the science fair is tomorrow. And yes, she did finish her project, albeit today, but she did all the work herself! That always makes me happy.

Lib is cute as ever. She's afraid the snowman we built yesterday is coming closer to the house & she won't go downstairs by herself. Bizarre.

I took the girls to the Hannah Montana movie yesterday evening. It was actually kind of good. Humorous & not awful. You can wait for the DVD, though.

We went to a school dance on Thursday. The theme was "disco". Everyone had a blast. Some good looking outfits.

Next week Maddie gets to go to outdoor ed. She's been looking forward to this for over a year. Seriously. She's also counting down the days 'til her birthday when she gets a cellphone. Another thing she's been looking forward to - yeah, since 2nd grade. I kid you not. It's been a near constant barrage of inquiry for 3 years. Maddening, really, and annoying. Will the next big thing be a car? Well, maybe not. It's not something that she can come home tomorrow whinging that "so & so has a car. Can I have a car? I neeeeeeeed a car! When can I have a car? Can I have a car next year? What about when I'm 14? Can I? Why not? You don't understand. EVERYONE has a car. I'm the only one without a car. Mom, you're so mean. Ya know, I was looking around today & my whole class has cars. PLEEEEEEEEZE! Please Please Please!?! What if I keep my room clean every day for a month? Then can I have a car?...." THANK GOD KIDS UNDER 16 CAN'T DRIVE!!!!! Remember that t-shirt from the 80's "Insanity is hereditary...you get it from your kids". Exactly.

Easter was enjoyable -other than the fact that I spent most part of the day & evening in the kitchen. Maddie wanted to help with the baskets & help hide the eggs. I let her help put the grass in the baskets but convinced her to not help further...stay a little kid for a while longer, please. Speaking of eggs, the Easter Bunny has to hide them better next year. I think the girls found 3 dozen eggs in 5 minutes flat. Yes, I'm not even kidding. Nikki came down for dinner & stayed way late -Jeremy & Garrett were sucked into the XBox playing Guitar Hero World Tour until 1:30am! Don't ask; I don't get it either. But it was superb hanging out with Nikki & Jamey, so I won't complain.

Dress up is almost every day at our house:

fresh dye about a month ago

2009-03-21T13:36:00.000-06:00

alrighty then

2009-03-21T12:45:00.004-06:00

I haven't been here in over a month!!! It's not that I haven't been online at all. Au contraire, mon ami! I've been busy contacting old school mates on Facebook (very addicting), watching YouTube makeup tutorials (equally addicting), watching Hulu (movies & t.v.) while knitting (both addicting). See a pattern here? And none of the above entails physical activity. Sad but true.

(only read the following paragraph if you aren't weak of stomach) So today I awoke with the reminder from Garrett that I wanted to roll out of bed & go running. Mere seconds later, I could feel that my nose was bleeding -back into my throat- so I proceeded with the typical nosebleed actions: tissue, pinch nose, etc. Only to have blood from BOTH nostrils. A bit alarming, to be sure. Started panicking a bit & hollered for G to come back upstairs from his recently reclined position in front of some FoxSports soccer game. Yeah, it was a good half hour or more of non-stop profuse bleeding. That was 9:30. So what to do now? I can't tell if the "post-nasal drip" I'm feeling is blood or mucus. And my head hurts. Blech. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my Saturday!

What else?? Fi started soccer last week. She really likes it & is always asking when is the next practice. She won't play with G because "Daddy's mean. He won't let me have the ball".

Maddie is tentatively starting lacrosse. She went to one practice. She really needs a physical activity & swim team doesn't work out right now for her school schedule. I hope this one sticks.

Lib tested in to the advanced kindergarten. Next year she'll have the same teacher as Fi has now. Fi also got into the 1st grade at our current school of "choice". Yay! Now we only have to worry about where Maddie will go to middle school next year. I think any of the three schools we're hoping for will be fine. If the 2 choice schools don't work out, our neighborhood school is good too.

Fi lost her first tooth! The adult tooth was already through behind it, so she never had that gap between the two teeth that's so cute.

Maddie's hair is fading; we're going to dye it burgundy...maybe today!

I have a job interview on Monday!!! Yay! I can't wait! I went to the ARC to find work clothes & scored 2 pairs of black trousers, 2 black skirts, 2 shirts(& two books for the girls)...for $33! I love thrift shopping!

Madster lost her last baby tooth :( She's growing up so quickly! I'll be calling the orthodontist this week to make an appointment.

It's spring break!!! We have a couple play dates planned, a few lunch dates, maybe a day snowboarding/skiing. Sadly, the weather is supposed to turn after the weekend, so I may not get any gardening in next week.

Fi had her birthday party at the gymnastics studio. Good times for all the little kids. She has FINALLY finished her thank you cards so she can FINALLY play with her gifts. (Now mom has to remember to send them out to everyone!)

Lib had her 5th (& only) birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. Another fab time for all the littles involved. Lib's working her way through her thank-you's so she can play with her gifts too.

We have rhubarb coming up! So exciting, even if we can't harvest it until next year.

I got a new phone. An LG Incite! I absolutely love it!! I think that all phones should be touchscreen: it is virtually impossible to dial while driving -and that's not a bad thing! Well, then again, unless one goes ahead & continues to drive while attempting to dial despite the difficulty, then the probability of causing an accident would increase, in which case, one would be an idiot for being a slave to one's phone in an adverse and dangerous manner & probably shouldn't have a driver's license anyway.

Lib was a vampire in a former life, I think. She has told me on a few occasions that she used to drink blood. And liked it.

I could go on, but my headache is getting worse.

to be continued...

hang in there...

2009-03-15T15:39:00.001-06:00

I'll be back this week :)

the reasoning of a 6 year old

2009-02-12T09:17:00.002-07:00

Overheard last night, Fi speaking to Lib, "If you hiccup while blowing a bubble, your brain will explode." (Lib was chewing gum & had the hiccups)

'cause I missed Hump Day last week

2009-02-09T01:49:00.002-07:00

How can you not smile while watching this?

our front door & front window...

2009-02-09T01:14:00.002-07:00

as decorated by Mad & Fi. I love how Fi can't spell "Let's" but she sure knows how to spell "Steelers"!!!

etc

2009-02-08T11:39:00.007-07:00

So the interview went well. I'm sure she made a memorable impression thanks to the blue hair. We then went to breakfast at Tom's Diner -excellent homemade green chile to smother my omelet.

Later we went to The Arc to score those cloisonne bracelets I've had my eye on. Half price sale day is always a good thing...exactly how I scored Fi's dresser last weekend!

Then we went to Babysitter's Nightmare & Fashion Nation so Maddie could check out the clothes. Of course I got to reminiscing & wondering what happened to some of my old clothes. Well, I know I gave my old Docs away. Not that they would fit me or Maddie now. Those last two kids ruined my perfect size 6 feet, you know. And Mad's feet are nearly as big as mine are now. (Did I tell you that humorous story about trying to pass down my old snowboarding boots to her?) I do have my leather jacket...it still smells like patchouli :) But my spiked leather belt? No clue. And don't forget that moment of lunacy when I gave away all of my concert t-shirts. Yeah, don't remind me.

We also drove over to Lakewood to check out Gimme Gimme Pillow Toast 'cause you know how we are with kawaii! And Maddie's become enamored with the gothic lolita style. She so badly wants to dress differently than everyone else in her school, but right now only feels comfortable having different hair colors. She's such an interesting kid & it's exciting watching her grow & change.

Good luck, Maddie!

2009-02-06T21:44:00.004-07:00

Maddie has her middle school interview tomorrow morning! She feels this school is a really good fit for her -and I have to agree. She's excited, and if she's nervous she's not showing it. I'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, here are a few snaps from two weeks ago. We started on the Sunday night & finished on the Monday morning before school. Last night we retouched the blue so that it looks vibrant again. Makes me want to do something more radical than just highlights & lowlights.

It's a beautiful week in the neighborhood

2009-02-04T21:47:00.002-07:00

You know some of it: the freaking awesome, nail-biting, down to the last minute Steeler Superbowl win on Sunday!

Then Groundhog Day on Monday -near & dear to my heart. Plus I was the "mystery reader" in Feefer's kindie class that day. Then the next day was Feefer's birthday. AND Nikki made her way down from Bo Co to be the "surprise mystery reader" for Feef's class; she stayed for dinner & then some too! Oh yeah, finally got the insurance check so I can get my car back from the shop. Found a dresser at ARC to replace Feef's 40+ year old dresser that is finally giving up the ghost.

What else? Hmmm, Madster had her allergy tests today so we can finally get that mess sorted out. Poor thing is HIGHLY allergic to cottonwood & various other tree, weed, & grass pollen. More tests needed for some of the food allergies. Thankfully, no reaction to cats & dogs (no surprise there, really).

Let's not forget the 70 degree weather we're enjoying during the next couple days. And you know a new SModcast (link in the sidebar. Go there. Now.) always puts a big ol' smile on my face.

Oh, and did I tell you I found this incredible webstore for nail polish? It's calledHead 2 Toe Beauty & I swear I may never buy polish at Ulta or Sally's ever again!

Hope your week goes equally well!

happy get yer weekend groove on!

2009-01-29T21:43:00.004-07:00

something to make me smile:

a baby Guinness

here we go Steelers!

2009-01-27T00:49:00.001-07:00

happy weekend!

2009-01-23T16:39:00.008-07:00

missed Hump Day, so here's a happy weekend shot.

Boba makes everyone happy! Haven't had one? Well, what are you waiting for? Get to your local Lollicup (or other boba shop) & enjoy. I guarantee you'll be hooked :)

love me some Pittsburgh sports

2009-01-19T10:59:00.001-07:00

can't hardly wait

2009-01-17T10:53:00.006-07:00

I don't know what's more exciting...the countdown timer in the sidebar that says "2 days" left for George Dubya (remember when it said 900+ ?)

or this:

after a more than a year!

or this!

Whooooweeee! It's an exciting week!

what we did New Year's Eve '09

2009-01-16T17:23:00.001-07:00

or: Silly girls

Pens game 10 Jan 09 vs Avs

2009-01-16T15:20:00.003-07:00

We had freaking fantabulous seats -17 rows back! Got snaps of Nikki & her bfriend Jeremy aka Jermany aka Jamie. And the true definition of "extended family" -Madster & my ex Bry (a million thanks for the tix!) A few shots of my future son-in-law Sidney. We had an awesome time! Too bad for the Pens loss. I tell you what, with all the Pens fans in attendance, we OWNED the Pepsi Center! Seriously. We Pittsburghers were so much more vocal than the Avs fans. There were a few Terrible Towels, too. We stopped off at Brooklyn's on the way home for a few beers...thankful to live near light rail & no need to drive :)

more xmas snaps

2009-01-15T11:53:00.002-07:00

over at Flickr. Click the link in the sidebar! I put them up, but I haven't organized them yet.

yes, finally

2009-01-14T22:17:00.005-07:00

xmas snaps. A few here. More later.

Happy Hump Day!

2009-01-14T08:13:00.008-07:00

Supposed to be record highs in the next couple days! I'm getting some gardening fever already. Just a few snaps from our meager harvest last year. I will definitely be planting earlier this year. Hmmmm, I didn't take any snaps of the pumpkin patch or the cukes or the heirloom tomatoes.

Here's the compost pile. I'm gonna have freaking awesome soil this year!

the largest nightcrawler I've ever seen

2009-01-14T08:10:00.004-07:00

It feeds well on the compost!

UPDATE! click here to see the summer 2009 picture!

ingredients for happiness**

2009-01-07T08:25:00.003-07:00

mountain, check
snow, check
snowboard, check
5th grade passport, check
10 year old powder hound, check

**thank you thank you thank you Kelly!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T12:50:00.004-07:00

May all your wishes come true...

Happy Hump Day!

2008-12-31T08:03:00.004-07:00

Since I didn't post last week, today I'll give you a 2fer :)

I love finding "art" on the ground. This isn't the best example, but it's the most recent. Can't remember where this snap was taken, though.

My good friends Mark & Carol have had a clock like this for a long time. I've wanted one ever since I first heard theirs. I finally bought one for myself for my most recent birthday. The particular hour is marked by one of 12 birdsongs. The only one I can ever remember is the 8 o'clock eastern bluebird (of happiness!), but it makes me smile no matter what the hour is that I hear.

I spy with my little eye...something...red

2008-12-30T09:15:00.002-07:00

Can't you see the gleam of happiness in all of their eyes... the believers & semi-believers & know betters alike.

St Nicholas night/day pics (Dec 5/6 for the uninitiated)

2008-12-27T11:49:00.002-07:00

it's a wonderful night for a moondance

2008-12-23T10:06:00.002-07:00

My bestest moon picture yet. Taken with my slightly fancier camera. Of course it helps when Mother Nature gives me a prime opportunity: the moon at it's brightest for the year & a super clear sky

nom nom nom

2008-12-22T21:41:00.004-07:00

or: what we did on Friday last. Also starring Lib's bestest, inseparable friend

lmao but...

2008-12-22T10:07:00.003-07:00

sad state of affairs. Found while Stumbling (my current addiction)

guess who I saw today?

2008-12-21T18:40:00.009-07:00

We finished up some xmas shopping at Toys R Us today. I saw this tall, handsome, young man with a baby face who looked familiar, but for the life of me, I could not place his face. Dressed kind of neat casual with a beanie covering his head all the way to just above his eyes. As we were leaving, we drove past this same man who was putting his purchases into his car. Hmmmm. Nice car. A logo I had never seen before -Maybach- but noticed the Mercedes-Benz name on the car. Slowly, my mind put 2 & 2 & 2 together. Doh! It was none other than our beloved Melo!. Sweet ride. No wonder I've never seen it before. Not many people driving a car that costs more than my house. But good to know he can shop at a "normal" store without being hounded for pics & autographs.