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It's true. The Latte Talk family is one kooky bunch.
Especially recently.
For instance,
Tonight, our dinner was:
-Hot chocolate
-Popcorn
-Scrambled eggs
-Carrot sticks
-String cheese
Well balanced, mostly healthy. Fun to eat. Just a little kooky. A winner in my book.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One day, while I was buckling Isaac into his carseat, He started saying, "Mommy!" and laughing. "Moooommmmmmmmy!!!!!" And laughing some more. I finally looked in his face and he looked different. And then I looked at his body, and I realized...
..."he" was AVA.
I was buckling Ava into Isaac's car seat.
Aye de mi.
I did laugh, hard, for at LEAST 10 minutes straight. Like, snorting and all.
I must have needed the stress release.
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And, in no particular order, for your reading enjoyment, a smattering of kooky-funny-embarrassing quotes from the Latte children from recent days:
While I was watching a video of Matt Logelin, the girls came in the room.
Ava: Who is that man, Mommy?
Me: He is a man who has a blog.
Corene: I didn't know that mans could have blogs!
Ava: Yeah! I didn't think mans were allowed to have blogs!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corene: Isaac! You used to be in Mommy's tummy! Did you know that??!!
Isaac: Oooooooooh!!! Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah!! In Mommy's tummy! Like poopy!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daddy was out of town, and we'd been Skype-ing regularly...
Me: Where's Daddy right now, Isaac?
Isaac: In the computer!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prepare yourself. I almost didn't post this one.
(while helping me do laundry)
Corene: Mom, WHY do you have a sling-shot in your underwear drawer?
Ahem.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaaaaaaaaand, CUT!
That's a wrap.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Marriage Tips #1 and #2
1a) Speak respectfully to him ALWAYS.
1b)Apologize for your sharp tongue when you don't. Even if you think he's in the wrong, and if the words you said with a sharp tongue were the truth.
Basic, very important Tip. Harder to implement than expected, especially sub-Tip 1b.
*This Tip applies to mothering as well. Ain't that handy.
2) Believe he is FOR you, not against you. Get that in your head. Whatever your selfish little mind is telling you about his intentions, they are wrong. He's FOR you.
It's easy to assume everyone's against you, especially when, well, you know, you have a little bit of hormonal turmoil going on approximately 25% of the time. Or more often.
Sometimes I just HATE the emotions that go along with being a woman. Even when they're ridiculous when you look at them from the outside. When you're in them, emotions can be everything.
And I'm coping. Right here. On this public blog page.
He (my amazing, patient, hard-working, massively handsome husband) is FOR me. And, vastly more important, HE (the Sovereign Creator of this here UNIVERSE) is FOR ME. So, who can be against me?
This has been a public service announcement. And a counseling session.
Thank you very much.
How much do I owe you?
1b)Apologize for your sharp tongue when you don't. Even if you think he's in the wrong, and if the words you said with a sharp tongue were the truth.
Basic, very important Tip. Harder to implement than expected, especially sub-Tip 1b.
*This Tip applies to mothering as well. Ain't that handy.
2) Believe he is FOR you, not against you. Get that in your head. Whatever your selfish little mind is telling you about his intentions, they are wrong. He's FOR you.
It's easy to assume everyone's against you, especially when, well, you know, you have a little bit of hormonal turmoil going on approximately 25% of the time. Or more often.
Sometimes I just HATE the emotions that go along with being a woman. Even when they're ridiculous when you look at them from the outside. When you're in them, emotions can be everything.
And I'm coping. Right here. On this public blog page.
He (my amazing, patient, hard-working, massively handsome husband) is FOR me. And, vastly more important, HE (the Sovereign Creator of this here UNIVERSE) is FOR ME. So, who can be against me?
This has been a public service announcement. And a counseling session.
Thank you very much.
How much do I owe you?
Sunday, April 19, 2009
We Love You, Daddy, oh yes we do...
Have you heard that song? From the musical Bye Bye Birdie? Come on, theater junkies! Tell me you have heard it! Only it's Conrad they miss, not Daddy. Small but important change in the lyrics. -
...we love you Daddy, and we'll be true...
...when you're not near us, we're blue...
...oh, Daddy, we love you...
We've had some weeks this spring with Daddy away. They went something like this...
First week: Daddy Leaves, mommy skips happily to her list of to-do's, and starts to manically check them off one by one. Daddy comes home on day 7 and the house is spotless, the kids are happy.
Mommy thinks, "I can't wait for the next one!".
Daddy thinks "My wife is a ROCK star!"
OK, he probably didn't really think that. Maybe it was more cave-man like: "Yah. Me Wife she gooooooooood."
Second week away, approximately one month later: Mommy enters the week crabby, with a chip on her shoulder. Mommy has at least one episode of yelling each day that requires an apology to each and every child in her home, and goes to bed early every night to try and cope. She leaves the dishes in the sink and the dirt on the floor. Daddy comes home to a Mommy running out the door to him and sobbing on his shoulder like a crazy woman, and a home that looked like a frat house that had a party the night before.
Except they served white grape juice.
And PB & J sandwiches.
And cheerios.
And Mac n Cheese.
One month later. Third week away: The night before the exodus, the children are all sobbing. Mommy is thinking in her very astute mind that this may not be a good sign. Middle child cries self to sleep. Mommy is tempted to follow suit.
The goodbyes:
The rest of the story is about grace. Abundant grace. Grace in my anger. Grace in my sin. Grace in my children's longings. Grace in my child's awareness of her need for grace. Grace in beautiful laughter and tears. Grace in silly "picnic" meals on the living room floor. Grace in pizza. His grace is woven throughout my days.
What a difference it makes when I ask for grace at each breath. And then thank God for His grace at each exhale. If that doesn't cure you of a sour attitude, I don't know WHAT does.
Trust me. I have lots of experience with sour attitudes.
And God has lots of experience with all-sufficient grace.
Full story TBD. It's looking up.
...we love you Daddy, and we'll be true...
...when you're not near us, we're blue...
...oh, Daddy, we love you...
We've had some weeks this spring with Daddy away. They went something like this...
First week: Daddy Leaves, mommy skips happily to her list of to-do's, and starts to manically check them off one by one. Daddy comes home on day 7 and the house is spotless, the kids are happy.
Mommy thinks, "I can't wait for the next one!".
Daddy thinks "My wife is a ROCK star!"
OK, he probably didn't really think that. Maybe it was more cave-man like: "Yah. Me Wife she gooooooooood."
Second week away, approximately one month later: Mommy enters the week crabby, with a chip on her shoulder. Mommy has at least one episode of yelling each day that requires an apology to each and every child in her home, and goes to bed early every night to try and cope. She leaves the dishes in the sink and the dirt on the floor. Daddy comes home to a Mommy running out the door to him and sobbing on his shoulder like a crazy woman, and a home that looked like a frat house that had a party the night before.
Except they served white grape juice.
And PB & J sandwiches.
And cheerios.
And Mac n Cheese.
One month later. Third week away: The night before the exodus, the children are all sobbing. Mommy is thinking in her very astute mind that this may not be a good sign. Middle child cries self to sleep. Mommy is tempted to follow suit.
The goodbyes:
The rest of the story is about grace. Abundant grace. Grace in my anger. Grace in my sin. Grace in my children's longings. Grace in my child's awareness of her need for grace. Grace in beautiful laughter and tears. Grace in silly "picnic" meals on the living room floor. Grace in pizza. His grace is woven throughout my days.
What a difference it makes when I ask for grace at each breath. And then thank God for His grace at each exhale. If that doesn't cure you of a sour attitude, I don't know WHAT does.
Trust me. I have lots of experience with sour attitudes.
And God has lots of experience with all-sufficient grace.
Full story TBD. It's looking up.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Must. Share.
My new favorite recipe.
Grilled Thai Chicken with Peanutty Noodles (how's that for a title??)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
1 inch fresh ginger root, grated
3T peanut butter
1T honey
3T soy sauce
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 lb thin spagetti (another authentic asian noodle would probably be better, but I always use spaghetti)
2 large chicken breasts (marinated in soy sauce, olive oil, rice vinegar, and garlic powder)
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned
1 large red pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
2-4 green onions, cut on bias
1/2 cup peanuts
1)combine first 6 ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer until slightly thickened and peanut butter melts (will still look thin)
2)meanwhile, prep the veggies
3)grill marinated chicken breasts on preheated grill until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle; slice.
4)while chicken is cooking, cook noodles in boiling water until tender; drain and toss with peanut butter sauce.
Arrange peanutty noodles on large serving platter, top with chicken slices. Arrange cucumber, red pepper, cilantro, onions, and peanuts on top and serve!
It's beautiful and so very yummy.
Grilled Thai Chicken with Peanutty Noodles (how's that for a title??)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
1 inch fresh ginger root, grated
3T peanut butter
1T honey
3T soy sauce
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 lb thin spagetti (another authentic asian noodle would probably be better, but I always use spaghetti)
2 large chicken breasts (marinated in soy sauce, olive oil, rice vinegar, and garlic powder)
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned
1 large red pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
2-4 green onions, cut on bias
1/2 cup peanuts
1)combine first 6 ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer until slightly thickened and peanut butter melts (will still look thin)
2)meanwhile, prep the veggies
3)grill marinated chicken breasts on preheated grill until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle; slice.
4)while chicken is cooking, cook noodles in boiling water until tender; drain and toss with peanut butter sauce.
Arrange peanutty noodles on large serving platter, top with chicken slices. Arrange cucumber, red pepper, cilantro, onions, and peanuts on top and serve!
It's beautiful and so very yummy.
Friday, April 3, 2009
You've come a long way, baby
Jumping in the pool can be a scary thing to do. Some of us prefer two feet planted firmly on solid ground, thankyouverymuch.
But a few days of spending more time in the water than we did on land produced some desired results.
Day 2 - "I want to jump in. I really do. Mommy said I'd get some candy if I did. I really really want that candy. Yes I do. I. want. to. jump. in.
but.
I. can't.
do. it."
a.k.a. "Torture"
But a few days of spending more time in the water than we did on land produced some desired results.
Day 2 - "I want to jump in. I really do. Mommy said I'd get some candy if I did. I really really want that candy. Yes I do. I. want. to. jump. in.
but.
I. can't.
do. it."
a.k.a. "Torture"
Day 4 -
WOOHOO!!!!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Cheapest Vacation EVER
We are currently enjoying the cheapest vacation ever. Seriously.
It's Spring Break for Corene. Hubs has a gig in Sioux Falls this whole week (nice timing, thank you Lord!), which pays for his hotel, a daily per diem for food, and even gas money/mileage for the trip. So we tagged along, pretty much for free.
I figure that if we were home, I'd be buying groceries, right? Breakfast is provided at the hotel. Since we have a fridge in our room, we decided to do one meal a day in our room(PB&J all the way...).
We are ALMOST staying within his per diem each day, even for a family of 5. Woohoo.
The thing that's putting us over the top of the budget is our occasional ok daily morning coffee shop splurge. We considered bringing our espresso machine with us but figured that would be a little bit much. Ahem.
The totally sweet part about having a symphony gig out of town is that the rehearsals are in the evening, the performances are in the evening, and the days are... free!! Woohoo.
You might be thinking: Sioux Falls is not exactly a huge vacation destination, and not even any warmer than home.
So, what are we doing? One word: swimming. A pool was my only requirement for hotel. So far, we have been the only people swimming the entire time we were in the pool area (which was, um, like, the whole day yesterday).
Other highlights: TV (we don't have cable at home, and don't watch much at all). We're getting our fill for the year while we're here!!
I am going to take a risk of looking like a total wierdo here, but how cool is the Antiques Road Show? I know it's like a PBS show, I know we get it on our TV at home, haha... no wisecracks, please! But how cool is it to watch someone bring in a family heirloom diamond necklace that was appraised for $10,000 and be told that it's conservatively worth $250,000??!!!! That's my kind of reality TV show.
I know. What a dork.
Moving right along...
Wrapping it up with the quote of the week, (so far) - probably the most complex sentence ever spoken by Isaac:
Are you ready for it?
"Isaac tooted in Sioux Falls yesterday"
That, Mr. Taz, is what we call TMI.
It's Spring Break for Corene. Hubs has a gig in Sioux Falls this whole week (nice timing, thank you Lord!), which pays for his hotel, a daily per diem for food, and even gas money/mileage for the trip. So we tagged along, pretty much for free.
I figure that if we were home, I'd be buying groceries, right? Breakfast is provided at the hotel. Since we have a fridge in our room, we decided to do one meal a day in our room(PB&J all the way...).
We are ALMOST staying within his per diem each day, even for a family of 5. Woohoo.
The thing that's putting us over the top of the budget is our occasional ok daily morning coffee shop splurge. We considered bringing our espresso machine with us but figured that would be a little bit much. Ahem.
The totally sweet part about having a symphony gig out of town is that the rehearsals are in the evening, the performances are in the evening, and the days are... free!! Woohoo.
You might be thinking: Sioux Falls is not exactly a huge vacation destination, and not even any warmer than home.
So, what are we doing? One word: swimming. A pool was my only requirement for hotel. So far, we have been the only people swimming the entire time we were in the pool area (which was, um, like, the whole day yesterday).
Other highlights: TV (we don't have cable at home, and don't watch much at all). We're getting our fill for the year while we're here!!
I am going to take a risk of looking like a total wierdo here, but how cool is the Antiques Road Show? I know it's like a PBS show, I know we get it on our TV at home, haha... no wisecracks, please! But how cool is it to watch someone bring in a family heirloom diamond necklace that was appraised for $10,000 and be told that it's conservatively worth $250,000??!!!! That's my kind of reality TV show.
I know. What a dork.
Moving right along...
Wrapping it up with the quote of the week, (so far) - probably the most complex sentence ever spoken by Isaac:
Are you ready for it?
"Isaac tooted in Sioux Falls yesterday"
That, Mr. Taz, is what we call TMI.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Anybody else?
Does anybody else get the major spring-cleaning bug when you're going out of town?
This used to cause serious consternation in Mocha Man. I can remember really kind of fighting about it back in our younger days...
"Why should we clean like crazy and stress ourselves out when we're LEAVING??"
I don't know why. I just know I HAVE to do it or else I will implode.
He doesn't ask anymore.
He actually even pretends that he understands!
And he HELPS!
Anybody else get the deep-cleaning bug before a vacation?
This used to cause serious consternation in Mocha Man. I can remember really kind of fighting about it back in our younger days...
"Why should we clean like crazy and stress ourselves out when we're LEAVING??"
I don't know why. I just know I HAVE to do it or else I will implode.
He doesn't ask anymore.
He actually even pretends that he understands!
And he HELPS!
Anybody else get the deep-cleaning bug before a vacation?
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Unsupervised Children
Corene: (calling) MOOOOOOOOOMMMM! Where are you?
Me: In the basement!
Corene: (coming down the stairs) Isaac is... (pause) He got a stick.
Me: (getting up) And?
Corene: He put it in the peanut butter, and was licking it off.
Me: Where did he get the peanut butter? Who took it out?
Corene: You left it out on the table.
Me: (oops)
Me: (calling) Isaac!
Isaac: ... Whught?
(mouth full of peanut butter, hands full of peanut butter, face FULL of peanut butter, table full of peanut butter... why didn't I get a picture- FULL of peanut butter? Sorry to all the peanut moms out there... I know you are probably breaking out in a cold sweat right about now!)
Me: Where did you get the stick?
Isaac: Outside-in-ot-a-tick. (Outside and got a stick)
_____________________________________________________________________
Nice.
Without me knowing, my silent-while-destructive son went OUTSIDE, got a stick, brought it inside, and was using it as a utensil to devour a tub of peanut butter.
Excuse me, I need to go pluck a few gray hairs.
Me: In the basement!
Corene: (coming down the stairs) Isaac is... (pause) He got a stick.
Me: (getting up) And?
Corene: He put it in the peanut butter, and was licking it off.
Me: Where did he get the peanut butter? Who took it out?
Corene: You left it out on the table.
Me: (oops)
Me: (calling) Isaac!
Isaac: ... Whught?
(mouth full of peanut butter, hands full of peanut butter, face FULL of peanut butter, table full of peanut butter... why didn't I get a picture- FULL of peanut butter? Sorry to all the peanut moms out there... I know you are probably breaking out in a cold sweat right about now!)
Me: Where did you get the stick?
Isaac: Outside-in-ot-a-tick. (Outside and got a stick)
_____________________________________________________________________
Nice.
Without me knowing, my silent-while-destructive son went OUTSIDE, got a stick, brought it inside, and was using it as a utensil to devour a tub of peanut butter.
Excuse me, I need to go pluck a few gray hairs.
Friday, March 20, 2009
The Lottery
I have roughly 11,000 posts swirling in my head these days, with seemingly only 30 seconds of energy to ever devote to this poor neglected blog.
Confession: I've realized that I have kind of a perfectionism in my writing which keeps me from posting anything unless I can "craft" it to be good writing (Nothing like a trained writer, of course, ha ha, but at least thoughtfully written). And, though I have the time to sit and jot short notes down, I just never hit "Publish Post" because I've not read and reread my words enough to change it into something that I would consider "well-written".
So, the blog goes un-updated. Sigh. I really do miss it. I miss writing.
Anyhow, I'm not letting this hurried post stop me from hitting "Publish Post" to share with you this little gem of a Bible verse.
Many of my friends have been waiting in Charter School lotteries... If you're not familiar with the process, your child's name goes into a hat with 300 other applicants who want to go to that school, and the names are drawn randomly for the 22 slots available. Then they draw each name in order for the waiting list. You wait for months to get "that letter" that says what number your child's name was drawn as. You pray that it NOT be #300. This month has been the month most schools have sent out their lottery results.
It's totally random.
Right?
Proverbs 16:33 - The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
Maybe not so random, after all... Muwahahaha.
Somebody is behind it all. And He loves you and knows what you need. (Luke 12:22-34)
Confession: I've realized that I have kind of a perfectionism in my writing which keeps me from posting anything unless I can "craft" it to be good writing (Nothing like a trained writer, of course, ha ha, but at least thoughtfully written). And, though I have the time to sit and jot short notes down, I just never hit "Publish Post" because I've not read and reread my words enough to change it into something that I would consider "well-written".
So, the blog goes un-updated. Sigh. I really do miss it. I miss writing.
Anyhow, I'm not letting this hurried post stop me from hitting "Publish Post" to share with you this little gem of a Bible verse.
Many of my friends have been waiting in Charter School lotteries... If you're not familiar with the process, your child's name goes into a hat with 300 other applicants who want to go to that school, and the names are drawn randomly for the 22 slots available. Then they draw each name in order for the waiting list. You wait for months to get "that letter" that says what number your child's name was drawn as. You pray that it NOT be #300. This month has been the month most schools have sent out their lottery results.
It's totally random.
Right?
Proverbs 16:33 - The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
Maybe not so random, after all... Muwahahaha.
Somebody is behind it all. And He loves you and knows what you need. (Luke 12:22-34)
Monday, March 2, 2009
Priceless
Scene: In my Ebay work room, while I'm photographing a tank and shirt that might just win the "most hideous" award for something we've sold (and, let me tell you, that's sayin' something! Cuteness is NOT a requirement for what I sell on Ebay).
Ava: Ooooooooooooooh. Mooooooooommmmmmmmy. That shirt is SOOOOOOO beautiful! Can I touch it?
Me: Sure, you can touch it, careful!
(Ava touches material)
Ava: OOOOOOOOOOHHHH! It's sooooo soft, and the flowers on it look like raindrops! Oh, mommy, I wish I had a shirt like that!
Me: Do, you, really?
Ava: But YOU could wear it, mommy! Oh, mommy, you should wear it!!
Me: (laughing) It's not my size. It's way too big for me!
Ava: That's ok, you could wear it like a short little dress, with tight pants, like tights that are pants, you know? It would be sooo fancy!
Me: Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't think that would look very good, though.
Ava: WHY NOT???? (Donning her Fancy Nancy pose, head cocked, hip out, fingers splayed)
I think it would look lovely!
Me: (Laughing)
Props: Shirt pictured below, best described as part house coat, part bowling shirt, best suited to be worn by a woman in curlers sporting a ciggy.
Sometimes I can not even believe these things sell on Ebay in 2009.
Cost to buy ugly shirt: $3.oo
Sold on ebay for : $24.10
Chance to have above conversations and laughter that ensued:
Priceless
Ava: Ooooooooooooooh. Mooooooooommmmmmmmy. That shirt is SOOOOOOO beautiful! Can I touch it?
Me: Sure, you can touch it, careful!
(Ava touches material)
Ava: OOOOOOOOOOHHHH! It's sooooo soft, and the flowers on it look like raindrops! Oh, mommy, I wish I had a shirt like that!
Me: Do, you, really?
Ava: But YOU could wear it, mommy! Oh, mommy, you should wear it!!
Me: (laughing) It's not my size. It's way too big for me!
Ava: That's ok, you could wear it like a short little dress, with tight pants, like tights that are pants, you know? It would be sooo fancy!
Me: Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't think that would look very good, though.
Ava: WHY NOT???? (Donning her Fancy Nancy pose, head cocked, hip out, fingers splayed)
I think it would look lovely!
Me: (Laughing)
Props: Shirt pictured below, best described as part house coat, part bowling shirt, best suited to be worn by a woman in curlers sporting a ciggy.
Sometimes I can not even believe these things sell on Ebay in 2009.
Cost to buy ugly shirt: $3.oo
Sold on ebay for : $24.10
Chance to have above conversations and laughter that ensued:
Priceless
Thursday, February 26, 2009
5 random things I learned today...
*If you take out a container of breadcrumbs to make meatballs, and think "I've had these for a long time", and if you look on the bottom and notice the expiration date is April '07, then you should NOT open the container and look in it. Don't do it. Trust me on this one.
*You can make violins and guitars out of legos.
*Chiropractors are my friend.
*Homemade spaghetti and meatballs (minus the breadcrumbs) taste really good with hot cocoa, especially when it's a winter wonderland outside.
*You can make violins and guitars out of legos.
Yes, that is a pair of tights on her head. Haven't you heard? It's the newest rage.
*Chiropractors are my friend.
*Homemade spaghetti and meatballs (minus the breadcrumbs) taste really good with hot cocoa, especially when it's a winter wonderland outside.
*Having a fire in the fireplace and a postcard-worthy picture out my window makes me a very unproductive homemaker, but a productive blogger.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Pretty Spicy
Goodbye ugly spices, hello pretty spices.
It was so simple, I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. My IKEA love friend, Charlene (who has no blog to hyperlink to...yet...) told me of a simple Target item (sorry, IKEA) that helped me organize those spices.
This seems like such a BASIC place to organize, like most people have already figured out how to organize their spices. I had them in little trays that I would slide out and look through... but my spice collection grew to overflowing, and that method didn't work anymore. Look at the ridiculous amount of spices here:
I did a little bit of purging, a little bit of consolidation (I had 3 garlic salts, 2 basils, 2 oreganos - disorganization is a money waster, too...), add an ingenous stairstep spice organizer, and voila!
Pretty Spices!
It was so simple, I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. My IKEA love friend, Charlene (who has no blog to hyperlink to...yet...) told me of a simple Target item (sorry, IKEA) that helped me organize those spices.
This seems like such a BASIC place to organize, like most people have already figured out how to organize their spices. I had them in little trays that I would slide out and look through... but my spice collection grew to overflowing, and that method didn't work anymore. Look at the ridiculous amount of spices here:
I did a little bit of purging, a little bit of consolidation (I had 3 garlic salts, 2 basils, 2 oreganos - disorganization is a money waster, too...), add an ingenous stairstep spice organizer, and voila!
Pretty Spices!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
It's warm! It's warm! Oh wait. It WAS warm.
I don't even know how warm it was yesterday and today. Somewheres around 45 degrees. Warm enough to shed the jackets, and even shed the sweaters for a moment. There is but one word to describe such a condition:
Glorious.
Part of it is just breathing air that isn't either:
a)outside air that freezes the lining of your nostrils, or
b)recycled inside air that you have been exhaling and then breathing in for approximately 3 months.
Part of it is taking a walk and letting the kids splash in puddles and run around. Yes, running full speed on the melting ice, which happens to include slipping and doing full-blown belly flops or butt-plops on the ice... multiple times. (That's what we call deep sensory input, baby. It's all good)
It's all-around a God-ordained, beautiful, needed, right-about-when-I-thought-I-would-die-from-the-cold, breath of fresh air.
But.
This afternoon, Ava sang on the way to the car, "It's SPRIIIING!!!"
It's February 1. Tomorrow it's cold again. Not Spring.
Not. Spring.
And herein lies the Minnesota conundrum. We love days like this, but it makes us want things that are, um... like...
4 months away.
Glorious.
Part of it is just breathing air that isn't either:
a)outside air that freezes the lining of your nostrils, or
b)recycled inside air that you have been exhaling and then breathing in for approximately 3 months.
Part of it is taking a walk and letting the kids splash in puddles and run around. Yes, running full speed on the melting ice, which happens to include slipping and doing full-blown belly flops or butt-plops on the ice... multiple times. (That's what we call deep sensory input, baby. It's all good)
It's all-around a God-ordained, beautiful, needed, right-about-when-I-thought-I-would-die-from-the-cold, breath of fresh air.
But.
This afternoon, Ava sang on the way to the car, "It's SPRIIIING!!!"
It's February 1. Tomorrow it's cold again. Not Spring.
Not. Spring.
And herein lies the Minnesota conundrum. We love days like this, but it makes us want things that are, um... like...
4 months away.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
So. Inspired.
I love to be organized.
Stop laughing.
If you saw my house at the present moment, and I mean REALLY see my house, like looking in closets and drawers and storage rooms, you would have a very different opinion about my organization. I'm well below average in behind-closed-doors-home-organization.
The mantra "everything in its place" doesn't exactly work when, um, there isn't a place for everything.
A few years back, for our anniversary, Matt and I had a little bit of discretionary money to spend and a grandma to take our kids for the weekend. We had 2 choices of how to spend it: a night away at a B&B, a nice dinner, maybe a show or concert. OR, a trip to IKEA, dinner in the IKEA cafeteria (oooh, so romantic!), a host of organizational supplies, and a WHOLE DAY to ourselves, organizing our house.
Which did we choose? IKEA, of course. It was SO awesome, we had a ball, really, it was super fun, and my inner nesting need was satisfied. An added bonus? My house was 400% cleaner day-to-day after that weekend of organizing.
So it might sound like I have a nicely organized house after that IKEA trip, right?? Well, except that... we moved. We live in a new house, and I have many many areas in my house that are in need of some IKEA love.
I went to IKEA on Friday with a friend. You just never know what a whim trip to IKEA may do. In my quick tour of the first floor of IKEA, I got majorly inspired. I decided I am going to organize my:
pantry
spices
linen closet
music studio space
girls' closet/playroom/toys (read: PURGE)
my desk
storage closet (out of season clothes)
snacks (I'll explain later)
So my first organizing adventure was to mount a coat rack on the wall at child level in our entry room. This way, when I say "please put your coat away", there is actually a PLACE to put it that they can reach.
Here's a picture of the space:
We need to get some seating for out here, it's too cold in the winter to really enjoy, but it's an awesome morning coffee room in the spring/summer/fall.
Will you join me for an IKEA adventure through my home this spring? It will probably take me all spring, but I'm determined to tackle my trouble spots one at a time.
Stop laughing.
If you saw my house at the present moment, and I mean REALLY see my house, like looking in closets and drawers and storage rooms, you would have a very different opinion about my organization. I'm well below average in behind-closed-doors-home-organization.
The mantra "everything in its place" doesn't exactly work when, um, there isn't a place for everything.
A few years back, for our anniversary, Matt and I had a little bit of discretionary money to spend and a grandma to take our kids for the weekend. We had 2 choices of how to spend it: a night away at a B&B, a nice dinner, maybe a show or concert. OR, a trip to IKEA, dinner in the IKEA cafeteria (oooh, so romantic!), a host of organizational supplies, and a WHOLE DAY to ourselves, organizing our house.
Which did we choose? IKEA, of course. It was SO awesome, we had a ball, really, it was super fun, and my inner nesting need was satisfied. An added bonus? My house was 400% cleaner day-to-day after that weekend of organizing.
So it might sound like I have a nicely organized house after that IKEA trip, right?? Well, except that... we moved. We live in a new house, and I have many many areas in my house that are in need of some IKEA love.
I went to IKEA on Friday with a friend. You just never know what a whim trip to IKEA may do. In my quick tour of the first floor of IKEA, I got majorly inspired. I decided I am going to organize my:
pantry
spices
linen closet
music studio space
girls' closet/playroom/toys (read: PURGE)
my desk
storage closet (out of season clothes)
snacks (I'll explain later)
So my first organizing adventure was to mount a coat rack on the wall at child level in our entry room. This way, when I say "please put your coat away", there is actually a PLACE to put it that they can reach.
Here's a picture of the space:
We need to get some seating for out here, it's too cold in the winter to really enjoy, but it's an awesome morning coffee room in the spring/summer/fall.Will you join me for an IKEA adventure through my home this spring? It will probably take me all spring, but I'm determined to tackle my trouble spots one at a time.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
I AM SO MAD I COULD SPIT
**Edited to add: A fabulous commenter, Janelle, left me this link to clarify the new rules. Thanks, Janelle! Makes me chuckle that they "clarify" it now that everyone's mad, but didn't clarify to the LA Times and all the AP reporters who reported it before... maybe they are "clari-change-ifying" it. Haha. But I'm leaving the post up so everyone's informed. :) Here's the original post:
I'll try not to spit AT you sweet readers.
Have you heard about THIS?
Go read it first and then come back here.
Part of me wants to rant on and on about it, but I'll spare you.
Here's my cliff notes rant:
I'm MAD.
I think the government needs to get out of my business.
I cringe to think about how this is going to affect our planet (think about the landfills of used children's items that are *gasp* HAZARDOUS), our economy in the macro sense, as well as my little micro slice of the economy (to which this regulation is devastating).
I'm MAD.
I hope someone smacks some sense into these people before the regulations go into effect next month.
Go forth and be mad, ye fellow thrifters and crafters.
I'll try not to spit AT you sweet readers.
Have you heard about THIS?
Go read it first and then come back here.
Part of me wants to rant on and on about it, but I'll spare you.
Here's my cliff notes rant:
I'm MAD.
I think the government needs to get out of my business.
I cringe to think about how this is going to affect our planet (think about the landfills of used children's items that are *gasp* HAZARDOUS), our economy in the macro sense, as well as my little micro slice of the economy (to which this regulation is devastating).
I'm MAD.
I hope someone smacks some sense into these people before the regulations go into effect next month.
Go forth and be mad, ye fellow thrifters and crafters.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
She's a music video star
Corene has a penchant for taking pictures. And apparently, videos. She confiscated Aunt Dawn's camera on New Year's Eve and produced this gem.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Did I mention it's cold.
-3 degrees.
I got up early this morning to take my Sister and Brother-in-Law to the airport and I *almost* jumped in one of their suitcases.
They're flying back to San Diego. Of all the cruel, cruel places they could be going.
Grumble, grumble.
I know two people who biffed it bad just yesterday on the ice and snow. One took a trip to the ER and the other will be sore for many days.
On my way home from the airport, as I was entering our neighborhood, I saw a blind woman walking down the street, presumably to the bus stop. She climbed over the snow berm into the street and crossed the slick ice, back over another berm and down the icy sidewalk.
She was smiling and singing.
Lesson 101 at 6:00am today:
Count your blessings, name them one by one. Thank the One who gives you those blessings.
And then maybe you will smile.
Even if your teeth are chattering.
I got up early this morning to take my Sister and Brother-in-Law to the airport and I *almost* jumped in one of their suitcases.
They're flying back to San Diego. Of all the cruel, cruel places they could be going.
Grumble, grumble.
I know two people who biffed it bad just yesterday on the ice and snow. One took a trip to the ER and the other will be sore for many days.
On my way home from the airport, as I was entering our neighborhood, I saw a blind woman walking down the street, presumably to the bus stop. She climbed over the snow berm into the street and crossed the slick ice, back over another berm and down the icy sidewalk.
She was smiling and singing.
Lesson 101 at 6:00am today:
Count your blessings, name them one by one. Thank the One who gives you those blessings.
And then maybe you will smile.
Even if your teeth are chattering.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Hellooooooooooo out theeeeeeeeeeere...
Under threats of disowning, I hereby re-enter blog land.
For at least a day.
It feels good just sitting here staring at a blank screen. I'm warming up my writing juices. They're frozen from under-use.
And, we DO live in Minnesota, so they freeze more quickly up here.
Speaking of Minnesota, you know I can't go a whole blog post without talking about how flippin' freezin' cold it is. It snowed 6 inches today, and tomorrow it's supposed to be blowing around at about freeway speed.
We have family from San Diego coming in a few days.
Muwahahaha. Snicker snicker.
So. It's Christmas time. Time for some holiday cheer.
I have a confession. I think Santa is creepy.
Call me a fuddydud.
But, we celebrate Jesus' birth on Christmas, and what more amazing fabulous thing is there for us to be celebrating? And Santa has a way of upstaging Jesus at His very own birthday celebration. That bugs me. Really bugs me.
So, last year, I was all about telling my kids that Santa's just a pretend man. They never thought he was real, so we never dashed their hopes. Case closed.
Case closed, right?
Fast forward 12 months to yesterday. Out of the clear blue, Corene brings a clay snowman up to me and says, "I'm going to give this to Santa".
(Rembmber, this child isn't one of those story-teller types. She's my black and white child. She doesn't do imaginary pretending unless she's saying, "Let's pretend ___fill in the blank___". She's serious about this.)
Me: Really? How?
Corene: I am going to put it on a plate by the fireplace next to his cookie (!!!!!!) and put a sign that says, 'For Santa'.
Me: Huh. (thinking... do I dash the imagination? Or do I let this go on?)
Me: We used to put out cookies and milk for Santa when I was a kid.
Corene: (Eyes LIGHTING up) REALLY? Cookies and MILK? Can WE do that, TOO? Does Santa LIKE milk?"
Me: I don't know. I think it was always gone on Christmas morning.
Corene: (Thinking....) But, Mom... what if Santa's allergic to milk??
Me: (Laughing) Should we give him some of your soy milk, just in case?
Corene: But he drank your milk when you were a kid.
Me: Yes, I guess he did.
Corene: So I think it's ok. Let's give him some regular milk.
Me: (Big sigh) OK. That sounds good. (Gulp) I think he'll like that.
Corene: (Big, big, beautiful smile) Me too.
Well, my big conviction of no Santa just went kaplooee. Right down the drain. Something about her sweet belief in something just so utterly unbelievable (reindeer on the roof, and a rather large man coming down the chimney?) warmed my heart and made me smile. I just couldn't spoil the fun.
But, Christmas day? It's a birthday party for Jesus. Birthday cake and all.
How do you make the day about Jesus?
For at least a day.
It feels good just sitting here staring at a blank screen. I'm warming up my writing juices. They're frozen from under-use.
And, we DO live in Minnesota, so they freeze more quickly up here.
Speaking of Minnesota, you know I can't go a whole blog post without talking about how flippin' freezin' cold it is. It snowed 6 inches today, and tomorrow it's supposed to be blowing around at about freeway speed.
We have family from San Diego coming in a few days.
Muwahahaha. Snicker snicker.
So. It's Christmas time. Time for some holiday cheer.
I have a confession. I think Santa is creepy.
Call me a fuddydud.
But, we celebrate Jesus' birth on Christmas, and what more amazing fabulous thing is there for us to be celebrating? And Santa has a way of upstaging Jesus at His very own birthday celebration. That bugs me. Really bugs me.
So, last year, I was all about telling my kids that Santa's just a pretend man. They never thought he was real, so we never dashed their hopes. Case closed.
Case closed, right?
Fast forward 12 months to yesterday. Out of the clear blue, Corene brings a clay snowman up to me and says, "I'm going to give this to Santa".
(Rembmber, this child isn't one of those story-teller types. She's my black and white child. She doesn't do imaginary pretending unless she's saying, "Let's pretend ___fill in the blank___". She's serious about this.)
Me: Really? How?
Corene: I am going to put it on a plate by the fireplace next to his cookie (!!!!!!) and put a sign that says, 'For Santa'.
Me: Huh. (thinking... do I dash the imagination? Or do I let this go on?)
Me: We used to put out cookies and milk for Santa when I was a kid.
Corene: (Eyes LIGHTING up) REALLY? Cookies and MILK? Can WE do that, TOO? Does Santa LIKE milk?"
Me: I don't know. I think it was always gone on Christmas morning.
Corene: (Thinking....) But, Mom... what if Santa's allergic to milk??
Me: (Laughing) Should we give him some of your soy milk, just in case?
Corene: But he drank your milk when you were a kid.
Me: Yes, I guess he did.
Corene: So I think it's ok. Let's give him some regular milk.
Me: (Big sigh) OK. That sounds good. (Gulp) I think he'll like that.
Corene: (Big, big, beautiful smile) Me too.
Well, my big conviction of no Santa just went kaplooee. Right down the drain. Something about her sweet belief in something just so utterly unbelievable (reindeer on the roof, and a rather large man coming down the chimney?) warmed my heart and made me smile. I just couldn't spoil the fun.
But, Christmas day? It's a birthday party for Jesus. Birthday cake and all.
How do you make the day about Jesus?
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