AT HOME IN THE COVE

What's cookin'?!?

2012-02-16T06:56:00.000-06:00

I mentioned that Bryan decided to roast a turkey - just because - and we gobbled it right up (pun intended!) despite the lack of a holiday or a large gathering of relatives to share it with. My favorite was the turkey noodle soup Bryan made which no kidding cured me from a fever, chills and burning throat that I am convinced was strep. The soup tasted incredible - even better when I topped it with a little shredded Asiago! (Bryan didn't follow a recipe, he just took all the drippings from the turkey and stuck them in a pot with a little water, onion, celery and some chopped turkey - then added noodles. Incredible.)

I also managed to successfully recreate a Hungry Howie's turkey sub by rolling out pizza dough really thin, baking it lightly, and stuffing it with turkey, Havarti cheese, mixed baby field greens and sliced tomatoes. Mmmmmm!

Lastly, I had to share some pictures of a veggie pizza we made the other night - drizzled with a balsamic glaze - my latest obsession. Before baking, the pizza was about 4" high because I had dumped an entire bag of spinach on it. Fabulous. You have to try it - especially with a little balsamic glaze on top!

What's next? Pictures of the Chicken Saltimbocca that my father-in-law cooked for us Wednesday night and the Sausage and Tortellini Soup that I'm making for my cooking club this week.

Dizzy's Favorite Person

2012-02-15T23:10:00.002-06:00

Our cat Dizzy loves Bryan so much that it's almost heart breaking to observe. He likes to sleep in Bryan's spot in the bed when Bryan is at work - and he likes to sleep on the roof of Bryan's car when Bryan is home. (Unless of course, he is in bed with Bryan.)

Snuggled up at bed time Monday night.

Snoozing in Bryan's spot on Tuesday.

When Bryan and I got married, we decided to adopt cats. I didn't want to go to the shelter for fear of driving away in a flood of tears with 17 cats in the car, so Bryan went without me. As soon as he walked in, this little cat spotted him and began following him all around the shelter. Suffice to say, Dizzy picked Bryan and the rest is history.

Dizzy likes me - but he loves Bryan.

Dizzy and Louie as teenagers.

The shelter wanted us to adopt this grumpy cat named Finster, but instead we brought home Dizzy and Louie. Dizzy established himself as the deputy head of household immediately. Louie challenged him - unsuccessfully - on many occasions as has Freddie and every other dog to visit our house. Dizzy is tough and confident. He follows us when we go for walks. He survived a coyote attack. Seriously, seventeen cats sounds like a great idea when I look at Dizzy. He's alright.

Bryan's birthday

2012-02-13T12:44:00.001-06:00

We celebrated Bryan's birthday over the weekend! The kids spent several days planning a "surprise party". Leah decorated a box for his present and Michael drew a special picture of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Add a balloon and some cheesecake and all the elements were in place to surprise Bryan with a party! (Never mind the overt wink winks Leah and I were giving each other over Daddy's birthday lunch at one of our favorite Italian places -- or that Michael kept running into the bedroom Sunday afternoon to say, "We're doing nothing, Daddy. Just nothing. And you have to stay in here.") Suffice to say, the kids were excited about doing something special for their dad.

42! Yippee!

Happy Birthday, Bryan!!!

Cooking spree

2012-02-10T07:29:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was busy in a fun way. On Friday afternoon, the kids and I visited a nature park with some neighbors and stayed until it was too dark to play anymore. That night, Bryan and his buddy Tra had a guy's night out- and then on Saturday, Bryan took the kids to the children's museum downtown while I got a manicure and went to a Blessed Be the Name clothing show. That night, we stayed home just cooking and watching TV. On Sunday, we took Leah's boyfriend to church with us and out to lunch and then we played all afternoon before heading across the street for a Super Bowl party.

Somewhere in the midst of all that, Bryan and I did some cooking:

Chicken, broccoli, carrott and mushroom stir fry
Roasted turkey
Banana pancakes
Pimiento cheese panini (with this cast iron panini press)
Chili cheese dip with corn chips (for the party)

With a whole roasted turkey deboned and sitting in our refrigerator, you should expect to see the following on this week's menu: turkey and baked potatoes (tonight), turkey soup, turkey sandwiches, turkey pizza and/or a jazzed up version of the turkey sandwiches made the way Hungry Howie's made them for me - daily - when I was pregnant with Michael. (I like to roll out a thin pizza crust and add a layer of swiss or havarti cheese and bake it lightly before stuffing it with sliced turkey, sliced tomatoes and a fistfull of fresh baby field greens topped with a generous splash of a zesty homemade Italian dressing. Oh man!)

Have a great weekend! I'm headed out of town for the night to enjoy a retreat with some super cool women from our church. More on that to come...

New Year's Resolutions

2012-02-08T08:03:00.000-06:00

I realize I am a little late to be posting New Year's Resolutions but I thought I would share this. I don't sign up to anything unless I mean it - better to commit to things you should do and will do. One year, my resolution was to get a babysitter so Bryan and I could go out at least once a month. (Anyone with tiny children understands why that needed to be a resolution!) We stuck with it - had a great time on all of our dates - and have kept it up. That's my kind of resolution.

This year, I made two resolutions:

#1 I will use Facebook for good, not evil. (That's how my friend Sharon paraphrased it anyway - and I like it.) I have committed to using Facebook in only constructive ways this year which means no cynicism (gasp), no sarcasm (double gasp), no despair or exasperation or frustration or irritation, no opinions, absolutely no politics - or football, basically nothing controversial, no virtual eye rolls, and nothing that will inspire anything other than good stuff from people. This is my own grassroots effort to embody my "Why can't we all just get along?" spirit beginning with the dozen or so people who read my Facebook posts. Ha!

Leah brought me this cup of water with a fresh daisy and
this sweet little note one night as I was working late.

#2
I will pray about it. The "it" here is a situation that has had me in a twist for a while now - and I can see God working quickly and in unexpected ways. I really shouldn't be surprised, but I am.

On an unrelated note, Bryan and I have been praying for God to "make our paths straight" regarding some big decisions. It all took an unexpected twist last week and in the midst of my oh, good grief !?! moment, Bryan laughed and said, "Now don't pray for a clear answer and then complain when you get it!" Haha! So true!

Black Dog Licorice

2012-02-07T06:28:00.000-06:00

I think this is really funny. Years before Freddie joined our little family, we bought a print by Ken Bailey called Black Dog Licorice. It hangs by our breakfast table. Cute dog.

Last winter, we adopted this little tiny puppy - a mutt's mutt - not knowing what he'd grow up to be. The other day I looked at Freddie and then looked at the poster and then looked at Freddie... He may have a career opportunity as the stunt double for the Black Dog Licorice dog. What do you think?

I couldn't get him to pose like the dog in the picture, but I did manage to capture this shot of Freddie eating Michael's leftover broccoli chicken stir fry. Freddie will put anything - and I do mean anything - in his mouth except dog food. He only eats his dog food when he's hungry to the point of delirium.

Freddie is so skinny that he can still squeeze through our fence - and he's full grown. Gotta love a fence that is purely decorative. Sigh.

He drives me crazy sometimes - mostly when he greets people coming into our house by jumping all over them. I know it's just all the love and excitement in his sweet little heart but I am not sure our guests appreciate it! Anyway, he's a pain but he seems to actually enjoy "playing Star Wars" with Michael and has never shown any aggression toward the children in the face of tail pulling or having a food pried out of his mouth.

Good boy, Freddie.

Seen and heard at our house...

2012-02-06T18:00:00.001-06:00

I just have to recap some of the highlights of things seen and heard around here lately...

Leah - running in the front door breathlessly shouting: "Mommy! Mommy! Emergency! Emergency! Come quick! Your iPod is in the creek!"
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Leah - saying the prayer before dinner: "...And let Michael be a good boy at school and color really good and let him be a strong boy."

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Michael: "Mommy, can I get a new pool float this summer?"

Leah: "We're probably going to have to say no to you on that one, Michael, because you cut up the last one you had."

Me: "Excuse me! I am the mommy."

Leah: sigh

Here's the Prince and Princess dressed up for a ball in our living room.

(Actually, Michael said he was dressed up for a special football camp at the palace.)

Our neighbor, Mr. G to our neighbor, Mrs. H: "Will you please turn off those Q-beams you're shining into our yard"

Mrs. H: "The floodlights on the back porch?"

Mr. G: "Yes! They are right where I go pee!"

And y'all questioned whether I would actually stick it on the blog!!!

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Michael - to me or Bryan or both depending on the day: "I love you to Heaven back and all the way to China."
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Michael: "Mama, know what? Guess what? Mama, know what? Guess what?" (Rinse and repeat x1000.)

Here's Michael helping me make pancakes.

Michael - en route to preschool this morning: "I am still thinking about where I want to go to college. I haven't really decided yet."

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The next two are actually from last summer but I forgot to post them so here goes...

Me - when we were visiting neighbors across the street and Michael wandered off: "Michael, don't go inside without telling me. I didn't know where you were."

Michael: "Sorry, I was distracted."

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Michael - emerging from his room after a timeout: "I adjusted my attitude."

Michael's Super Deluxe Smoothie

2012-01-31T06:06:00.000-06:00

The other day, Michael told me he wanted us to make smoothies and immediately began rifling through the fridge and freezer for fruit. The end product may have been the best smoothie I have ever had so I thought I would share his recipe since he picked this combination himself...

Michael's Super Deluxe Smoothie

In a blender, combine:

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
4 frozen strawberries
3 tubes mixed berry yogurt (*)
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
2 T honey

Yum!!!

Life on Pebblestone Path

2012-01-27T06:45:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, I organized the office and positioned the desk so I can look out the window as I work. I like to throw the window open or run out the front door to say hi when my friends walk their dogs. (Everyone on Pebblestone Path has a dog!)

This winter has been so warm that the kids have been hopping off the bus after school and running to the creek to play. The moms end up congregating nearby and neighbors walking their dogs or driving by will stop to talk.

Sometimes, I think back to the frigid December afternoon when we first saw this house. Michael was 8 weeks old and tucked into a Baby Bjorn as my Aunt Ginny, our fabulous realtor, took us from house to house. It was so cold that no one was outside.

One of the great things about Pebblestone Path is that we came here from all over the country and we all arrived looking for friends. I took a while for our friendships to gel - I think seeing each other twice a day at the bus stop did the trick.

There's a little conflict at times - mostly because every mother is certain it was the other kid's fault. (And some of them are right.) But most of the time, I feel very lucky to be here. I know the moms who have my back and they know I have theirs. These friends top the list of unexpected surprises that have blessed our years here in the Cove.

Epic

2012-01-26T18:28:00.001-06:00

I love that Michael can have epic battles complete with dramatic death scenes all by himself. Michael is never bored.

I could have sworn he was very sick last night - red, glassy eyes, coughing, ear ache, fever. He was genuinely pitiful, so I kept him home today. Amazingly, he woke up feeling fabulous and has battled The Dark Side all day long - leaping from the sofa with light sabers in each hand - only taking breaks to eat or watch "The Clone Wars" and then eat some more.

By 11:00 AM, Michael had eaten toast with jam, 2 apple sauce cups, 3 yogurts and an apple - and was asking me to please make him a grilled cheese sandwich.

It has been a very good day.

Garlic Asiago Shrimp (now entirely sorted)

2012-01-26T06:58:00.000-06:00

Despite last month's shrimp pasta disaster, I decided to give it another go, incorporating some lessons learned. First lesson: Don't make Leah eat shrimp - buy her a box of California rolls while at the fish counter. Second lesson: Don't add the cheese to the sauce, just in case it decides to clump; use it as a garnish instead. The result? Super deluxe!

Kimmy's Super Deluxe Garlic Asiago Shrimp

Cook 1/2 box of pasta and set aside.
In a skillet, sautee 2 tbsp. chopped garlic in 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat.
Add 1 lb. steamed shrimp and 1/2 cup white wine. Stir and allow to simmer briefly.
Drain a large can of diced tomatoes, add them to the skillet and turn off heat.
Stir in 1/2 cup half-and-half and combine with pasta in a large bowl.
Top each serving with shredded Asiago cheese (or shredded Parmesan).
Total time: 15 minutes.
Serves 6-8.
Tip: Pairs well with garlic green beans.

The success of this recipe hinges on technique - not measurements. If you love garlic, add more garlic. If you love pasta, add more pasta. If you love scallops, add scallops. You cannot mess up this recipe by scaling up or down on ingredients. You can totally mess up this recipe by over-cooking the shrimp or the pasta - or by trying to get the cheese to melt into the sauce. Those are the only pitfalls I've found.

Mmmmmmm....

A chuckle to go with your chopsticks...

2012-01-25T06:38:00.000-06:00

Before I show you the pictures of the broccoli and chicken stir fry that has become a regular on our dinner menu rotation, I have to share a couple of funny things I have overheard recently...

Leah: "The nurse came to our class today to check our hair. She said it is important to have healthy hair."

Me: <muffled groan> "And did everyone in your class have healthy hair?!?!?!?"

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Michael: "That freaked the willies out of me."

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Me - to a house full of children: "Who wants popcorn?!?"

Our cute little friend Alex: "I want turkey bacon."

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Leah: "Sushi is my favorite food! I like California rolls, Alaska rolls..."

Michael: "I like cinnamon rolls."

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Fried Rice

Here's my post about how to make an awesome stir fry, if you're interested in a recipe. Lately, I've been doing it the easy way - just chicken and broccoli. Leah asked for fried rice and it didn't quite turn out, but...

She took this picture of her plate as evidence that it was still pretty good.

And now, we exhale...

2012-01-24T14:32:00.000-06:00

We're alive! (In case you were wondering.) January began with a furoious rush of activity - mostly due to school, work and germs - and subsequently, we have been out of touch with pretty much everyone. In addition to a trip out to Austin to meet with my favorite client, I worked 100 billable hours over about 2 weeks. (How's that for "part time"?) The kids got stomach viruses while I was gone and then Bryan came down with strep throat when I got home. By the end of last week, my project was complete, the kids were healthy and happy and Bryan was on the mend, so we enjoyed an exceptionally lazy weekend to catch our breath.

This week, I'll be posting several updates from the kitchen...

Speaking of the kitchen, we ate black eyed peas and collard greens on New Years Day. Did you? I think this is a specifically Southern tradition, but the collard greens are supposed to bring you wealth and the black eyed peas are supposed to bring you good luck. We may not have eaten enough of them... Haha!

I hope your New Year is off to a great start!

Elvis was back in the building!

2012-01-15T16:28:00.001-06:00

***UPDATED*** Thanks, Mom, for the corrections on when and where you saw Elvis way back when!

We had the best time last night! Back in college, our friend Mitchell Brown began impersonating Elvis. (Well, he began impersonating Elvis publicly in college. Apparently, he had been doing Aloha from Hawaii re-enactments in front of the bedroom mirror for years.) Mitchell was always very good at it so we leaped at the opportunity to see him in concert. Bryan and I were cracked up at how many of our friends from college traveled from all over the southeast to to hear Mitchell Brown and the Twickenham Orchestra perform last night! My parents and Aunt Ginny went with us and we had a blast!

Photo hijacked from Mitchell's Facebook. I think he uses it for press/media. A blog is press/media, right?

It was a fabulous performance! My mom and Aunt Ginny were fans of Elvis (the first one) back when he began performing in Sheffield, Alabama in the early 50's and was a regular at our Aunt Mattie and Uncle Lonnie's restaurant, the L&M Drive-In. My mom and her sisters saw Elvis in concert back in the day and raved about Mitchell's authenticity.

Mitchell organized the concert as a way to honor the memory of his dad, Ed Brown, by raising proceeds to save the high school music program in his hometown. Kudos to Mitchell, the band members, and both the Jenkins Brick and Acme Brick companies for sponsoring the event.

All good.

Headed to Texas...

2012-01-08T11:57:00.005-06:00

I will be in Austin for the next few days... back here later in the week.

Photo credit: www.flux-rad.com

Judith's Eggs Sardo

2012-01-06T05:26:00.000-06:00

Bryan's sisters are both amazing cooks, but I have to share this picture of Judith's Eggs Sardo that she made for all of us while we were in North Carolina. With the exception of the Hollandaise sauce, it seems like a really simple dish...

She served each of us two eggs over easy drizzled with Hollandaise on a bed of field greens and garnished with a few capers and cherry tomatoes - then added an English muffins and two slices of thick cut bacon. It was stellar.

Back to the grind!

2012-01-02T18:13:00.000-06:00

I really don't understand our school system. The year began in the sweltering heat of August when we all should have been in the pool, then after an abbreviated Fall Break, the kids have nearly three weeks off for Christmas. Were they expecting us to sail around the African cape over the break? Anyway, suffice to say, my consulting work didn't take a three-week hiatus so I had to juggle a few telecons among the playdates - but not so much. I've enjoyed a nice little break from the usual pace and actually feel kinda, sorta, almost refreshed. I'll take it!

One morning, the kids surprised me by bringing me breakfast into the office. Too sweet.

Christmas: The Recap

2011-12-31T16:35:00.001-06:00

I don't know what to say about Christmas this year except that something in the formula was a little off. The good stuff was in there: a visit with Santa, a couple of Christmas parties, lights on the tree, wreath on the door, cards, letters, lights and luminaries in the neighborhood and botanical garden, time with family and friends... But somehow it all felt a bit too hurried (or maybe I just procrastinated too much?) and way too hot (forget snow). I was a little low on magic, folks. I think it was just me.

My family was here for a very quick pre-Christmas. We had a great day together cooking, eating and telling tales. Steve only reminded me once (or twice) that I had ruined Christmas. (He teases me every year about spending holidays with my inlaws and/or having Santa come to our house, not Nana and Paw-Paw's house, like he used to. It's a running joke.)

Later that week, Santa graciously agreed to come early to accomodate our travel schedule... Gotta love Santa! The kids woke up at 5:00 AM and discovered all kinds of fun toys. I think my favorite was Leah's "Computer Engineer Barbie" for combining a bit of Bryan's and my careers with one very shiney pony tail and some rocking pink horn-rimmed glasses. Freddie was styling in his new jacket, Leah's doll (Angie) got a snowboard and new clothes, and Michael was super excited to get the Samurai Castle he's been wanting since summer.

We then packed up for a road trip to Highlands, North Carolina to celebrate Christmas and my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary. There were 16 of us in one house - which you might expect to be a bit maddening but we actually had a really great time together. Leah and Michael were thoroughly entertained by their cousins and Bryan and I enjoyed the down time. It's a family of cooks, so the meals were amazing. We cooked, ate, took some walks/hikes, shopped downtown, played games and told stories. It was so relaxing - and I can really never get enough of Bryan's sisters!

Goldilocks was from North Carolina

There's a little tiny picture below of the killer Eggs Sardo that Judith made for breakfast but what I really want to point out is the shot of Michael next to the wooden garbage bin that a bear tried to claw open. Michael announced to me that he was a "Padawan" and was "going to battle" and I discovered him alone on the front porch a few minutes later - which was only slightly unnerving because we were so isolated up in the mountains and trees - and then, no kidding, we later realized a bear had been by for a visit. Sigh. All is well that ends well - and I don't know the exact timing of the bear's visit - but I have to wonder if a little Padawan in battle spooked him away.

The picture on the bottom right is Bryan and his dad on bear patrol. Hee hee! We're two for two on bear encounters in North Carolina. We may need to find another place to vacation next time... Ha!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and will enjoy a safe and fun New Year's Eve! Be careful! Assume everyone is a drunk driver - or just be smart like us and stay home!!!

P.S.

2011-12-29T15:33:00.002-06:00

This blog post on Simple Lovely is a great example about what I mean. You grab the very best of each day because it is all so fleeting.

And, by the way, the house is clean and we're having homemade soup for dinner: broccoli cheese - and - chicken noodle. ;)

What Sharon knows... and you suspect

2011-12-28T19:58:00.001-06:00

This afternoon, my friend-and-neighbor Sharon was teasing me about how perfect my life looks on this blog and how it's all so Norman Rockwell. This was on the heels of my confession to her that my kids ate Pop Tarts for breakfast and popcorn for lunch because there is no food in our house... and that the house is such a wreck that you'd swear we'd been burglarized. Of course Sharon is right, I won't be blogging about that... I will wait until tomorrow night when the house is clean and we're eating homemade soup and I will snap a photo of the broccoli and tell you something funny the kids said.

The blessing and curse of Bryan's MS is that I never get the luxury of a day that I can forget how fragile life is and just take it all for granted. That's a little heavy - sorry - but it's why I find myself looking for the best in the most mundane moments - that the weather was nice this weekend and the kids played in the creek and we baked banana chocolate chip muffins. It helps curb the Oh my gosh, I don't know how to do all of this... and do it well... and at the same time!! Eh, we all have our own stuff to deal with and I know enough to know I can't complain.

So, I will keep blogging about all the good stuff for my own psyche and you can just know in your heart that I walk to the bus stop each morning looking like a homeless person and I accidentally locked the cat in the house when we left town for Christmas and half my houseplants died after I blogged about my best tips for keeping houseplants alive... even though there won't be photos or actual evidence of any of it!

And more importantly, I will know in my heart that Sharon loves me anyway!

Sharon texted me this photo of our sons this afternoon with this note:

A friend + some peanuts + an iPad =

a happy place!

So maybe I am not the only person seeing the best in life's simplest moments.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Our Christmas Letter - 2011

2011-12-25T22:40:00.000-06:00

The Christmas Herald

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Annual caveat: Management accepts no responsibility for Christmas-letter-haters who read this and cringe.

Greetings from The Cove! We hope you and your family have enjoyed a blessed 2011. We've had an eventful year watching our kids grow and change day by day...

Leah is now 7 and in 1st grade. She loves ballet and Barbies and continues to have a wild imagination and a flair for drama. She has a wide circle of truly precious little friends. Pink is still her favorite color but she doesn't wear it every single day anymore. She is alternately startling mature and yet still my baby girl.

Michael is now 4 and in preschool. He loves Batman, Spiderman, Captain America, Star Wars, everyone's dog, and women, particularly his sister. Michael says exactly what he is thinking whether you want him to or not. He's strong, independent, affectionate and very loyal to the same small circle of sweet little friends he's had since he was a baby.

Now, here's the lowdown on a year that went by way too quickly... Last WINTER was awesome! Not only did we wake up to snow on Christmas day but we were pounded with snow again and again all winter! Eventually, we caught on and bought sleds. In February, our household grew to include a crazy little dog named Freddie who, despite a rocky start, has become a beloved member of the family.

We rang in SPRING by participating in the MS Walk to raise funds toward a cure for multiple sclerosis. This year was extra special because we were joined by Bryan's entire family! The love and ongoing support of our family and friends has lifted our spirits in what has been the most challenging year of Bryan's battle with MS.

We celebrated a beautiful Easter service with all four grandparents (and Bryan singing in the choir) before taking an unplanned roadtrip to Wisconsin in the wake of the South's devastating outbreak of tornadoes. We were so fortunate to escape harm.

Leah's little "boyfriend" was over for a playdate last week. Michael was, as usual, feeling a bit protective and possessive of his sister. He suddenly turned to the unsuspecting little boy, pointed to Leah and said adamantly, "BEST. GIRL. EVER!"

We kicked off SUMMER with a vacation to DC and Ocean City inspired by a sweet friend who offered us her beach house for a few days. My parents joined us which allowed Bryan and me to enjoy an evening out to celebrate my 39th birthday. (Shut up.) The rest of the summer was blur of lazy days at the pool punctuated by our annual trip to Jonesborough and the family reunion we host each summer - and there was the excitement of a little ~~drama~~ karma compliments of Michael's mischief.

This FALL has been busy, as Fall always is. Leah was taking Spanish and German classes after school plus ballet - and Michael was doing taekwondo a few days a week. Bryan and I began to fear for our futures as professional chauffeurs! Over Fall Break, we enjoyed a really relaxing vacation at Orange Beach with Bryan's parents. Later that month, I got to visit my niece in Vienna and see some old friends before heading to Auburn to take the kids to the Ole Miss game - all fabulous. We spent Thanksgiving with my family and look forward to celebrating Christmas with both of our families.

Bryan and I have been so blessed this year by our family and friends - right here in town, all around the world, and at our church - who lift us up in prayer and surround our little family with their love. We have so much to be grateful for and pray for God's blessings for your life as well.

Fröhliche Weihnachten • Glædelig Jul • Sretan Bozic • Srozhdestvom Kristovym • God Jul • Buone Feste Natalizie • Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket • Zalig Kerstfeest • Geseënde Kersfees • Merry Christmas, Y'all!

Wishing you a safe and happy 2012!

Captain America!

2011-12-14T11:15:00.000-06:00

Michael finally decided how he wanted to spend his birthday money and asked Bryan to take him to Target to buy some Captain America stuff. When he came home, he was so excited to tell me about what he bought and added, "And it only costed two dollars!" I asked him if one of the dollars had a 10 on it and one had a 20 on it and Daddy nodded yes.

Here's Michael as Captain America - and hanging out with his buddy Alex who dressed as Captain America on Halloween!

Leah's Bedroom Makeover!

2011-12-13T11:12:00.000-06:00

Leah and I began strategizing her bedroom makeover last summer. The "princess kitty cat" theme she picked out as a 2 year old was beginning to look a little babyish. Leah still loves pink but decided she would like a pink-and-brown room with an owl theme. (I am loving the resurgence of owls! Reminds me of the 1970s and an owl pendant necklace my mom used to wear!)

Leah helped me paint over the kitty cat wall mural...

Pink and Brown

I found these Restoration Hardware Baby & Child bed linens on final clearance at an outlet store a few months ago. They matched the flannel sheets we already had perfectly.

Owl + Tree

I found the tree on etsy.com and got the rest of the wall stickers from Target. ($15 for a pack for 40+ stickers.) The Chinese paper lanterns were $5 for a set of three at a local hobby store.

Owl Friends

These were all part of the big pack of wall stickers from Target.

Paper Chain + Curtains

I bought plain white curtains at Target and added matching ribbon. The room's color scheme emerged from this pack of owl themed scrapbooking paper that I picked up at a hobby store. I cut each sheet in half, folded it over and stapled it. It was super easy and it is my favorite part of the whole room!

Cork Board

We kept Leah's wooden letters and added a cork board that I covered with color-coordinating fabric and mounted in an open frame.

White Frames

Leah wanted more white in her room so I painted all the picture frames. It really lightened up her room!

Original Art

I refreshed her frames by changing out the photos and adding some of her own artwork, like this precious piece she did in kindergarten showing herself playing with two of her little friends. The "mat" is pieced together from the extra scrapbook paper I bought for the paper chain.

Owls in the Bathroom

I got an inexpensive plastic shower curtain and wall hook from Target - gosh, I love Target - and used more of the wall stickers from that same big pack.

Leah was just a little bit excited when I brought her in for the grand reveal. That was the best part of all!

I love it, too!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2011-12-12T10:42:00.000-06:00

The holiday season is officially in full swing at our house! Bryan took Leah to the ballet see The Nutcracker - something Bryan is making an annual father/daughter event.

All dressed up for a date with Daddy!

The kids got tired of waiting on us to decorate the Christmas tree and surprised me by hauling a 9' tree (2.75 m) from the garage into the living room, standing it upright, and decorating it (see below) without anyone's help!

O Tannenbaum, O Tannanbaum, wie schoen sind deine blaette...

We spent the rest of the afternoon putting ornaments and lights on the tree and putting up the rest of our decorations. It's a good thing 2 people in the family are in the spirit!

We're getting into the spirit!

2011-12-10T13:27:00.001-06:00

We've been dashing around a bit too much so it hasn't really felt like "the holidays" yet this year - but we're about to dive headlong into the spirit of the season. We have all kinds of fun things happening this month: Bryan and Leah's annual trip to see the Nutcracker, our Sunday School class Christmas party, a brunch with moms from the neighborhood, a tour of the Christmas lights at the Botanical Gardens and a visit to Santa's village, a special Christmas service at church (with Bryan singing in the choir), time with each of our families, a visit from Santa and a couple more really fun things that I'll blog about later. All kinds of fun stuff!

Here's the best Christmas card Bryan and I will get this year. :)

Merry Christmas!

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger - like spinach

2011-12-08T19:56:00.001-06:00

***UPDATE***

I had lunch with a friend today who is an attorney and after hearing about her court cases, I decided I am really not having a bad week and thus need to edit this blog post!

Last night, I wrote three paragraphs about everything that broke and had to be replaced this week (the vacuum, the printer, the car battery) and the injustice of undue criticism and price gouging - and a dead, petrified lizard in the dining room - and getting head shots taken for my consulting practice and discovering after the fact that I had spinach stuck in my teeth! Cruel, cruel world!

I don't want you to miss this so I will zoom in...

It looked even better - and greener - in high-resolution on the jumbo-tron at the photography studio. Forget what a complete dork I look like in these pictures without the spinach!

But really it was a good week because all the things I am thankful for are entirely intact. It has been an exercise in maintaining my sense of humor! It just took a hunk of spinach to remind me to laugh!

You can't win them all...

2011-12-01T10:09:00.001-06:00

Michael and I went to the grocery store yesterday after school and bought jumbo shrimp to make this pasta dish that I recall being heavenly. I cooked it like I always do, but something was off. My parmesan didn't melt. The sauce was more lumpy than creamy. The shrimp tasted.... shrimpy. And to make it worse... I forgot that Leah hates shrimp; but bless her heart, she took a bite at my urging and I honestly thought she was going to throw up.

Just say no to shrimp.

Michael, on the other hand, was digging in, but saying strange things like, "This tastes like fish. This tastes like raw fish. This tastes like dead fish. No, this tastes like dead cat food. This tastes like skin off a lompster! Best shrimp EVER! Best mommy EVER!"

Shrimp: It's better than toast with jelly.

Christmas!

2011-11-29T00:20:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving is over, which means it must be Christmas...

Okey dokey!

Thanksgiving...

2011-11-24T06:19:00.000-06:00

Visiting Nana and Paw-Paw
in Auburn in October

In the moments when I find myself complaining, I try to stop and remember how very, very lucky I am to live the life that I do. I've always wanted to live a life of gratitude and sometimes I succeed! Here's what I find myself feeling most appreciative of lately...

Our family - the little one in this picture and the big one not in this picture
Our friends - the ones far away from long ago and the ones here in our community who bless our lives each day
Our chuch - for their prayers and encouragement and for reminding us that your family can be more than the one you're born with, even when that one is fabulous (see #1)
Our health - despite the challenges, we know how good we have it
Our jobs - that pay us to do things we'd enjoy doing anyway and have spared us suffering as so many have during this recession
Our community - for being a safe and wholesome place to raise our family and live the life we've dreamed of for ourselves and our children
Our home - the epicenter of our best memories and the place I describe to my children at bedtime as "the happiest, safest place in the world"

That's my list! What's yours?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Weekend + Cooking

2011-11-21T21:16:00.001-06:00

Our weekend was perfect and - since our camera is broken - you'll have to take my word for it! We had so much fun from start to finish!

It began with a super deluxe sleepover with Leah and Michael's best friends, Ava and Tucker. The kids made their own dinner - homemade pizzas - and then we had fondue! The next morning, Leah and Ava helped me make buttermilk pancakes. Throughout, the kids had a ball - and so did Bryan and I! When all 4 of them jumped onto the bed Saturday morning, I had a very predictable wistful thought about how wonderful it would be to have a big family. Ha! Maybe we should just have the neighborhood kids over more often...

Photos compliments of partybluprintsblog.com and flavors.me.

Our neighbors helped us put up a rope swing which brought a steady stream of kids over to play all weekend - and on Saturday night, Bryan and I took the kids on a "date" to their favorite sushi/hibachi restaurant.

Photo compliments of treeswing.info.

It was my favorite kind of weekend + more...

Spinach+Garlic+Tomato+Ricotta Pizza

The pizza I made for Bryan and myself on Friday night is my new favorite: I bought fresh pizza dough from a bakery, spread it on a lightly greased pan, smeared a little olive oil across it, spread a copious amount of chopped garlic across it, then added pizza sauce, globs of ricotta cheese, slices of tomato, and a big mound of baby spinach before topping it all with mozzarella cheese and baking it at 350 for ~15 minutes... It was killer.

Easy Fabulous Fondue

I melted Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. (I used milk chocolate because it melts easier than semisweet chips.) I then gave each child their own little bowl of melted chocolate so they could double-dip their hearts out - and gave each of them a plate with 2 of each of the following: strawberries, pretzels, marshmallows, tiny sugar cookies and banana chunks. After a few curious looks, they dove in!

Ode to Converse

2011-11-18T06:36:00.000-06:00

The first pair of shoes I got for Leah were little tiny pink Converse. Bryan took a photo of our feet side by side and I thought it was hilarious.

Leah and Mommy - Winter 2005

That photo inspired me to snap pictures of the kids' feet over the years. Afterall, I have always worn Converse and thus so do the kids. We've had plenty of opportunities to snap Converse shots.

My how we've grown - Fall 2011

I can't wait to see what their shoes look like side-by-side when Michael is 15 and Leah is 18! So, I plan to take more pictures to build bigger collages - just a fun way to show how the kids grow and change over the years.

I'd say we're off on the right foot. Ha!

(Where's a good cymbal crash when you need one?)

My sentiments exactly...

2011-11-16T11:30:00.001-06:00

"Here's the deal y'all. The world keeps spinning on... might as well do the same."
- Melaine, Philosopher Extraordinaire

My friend Melaine posted this as her Facebook status and a friend of hers replied, "I might throw up a little." Pretty much sums it up, huh?

It's good to be 7 years old...

2011-11-15T20:02:00.001-06:00

Inspired by this post and this one over on Murphree's Law, I took Leah to Atlanta to celebrate her 7th birthday! It was a whirlwind extravaganza of good times that began with a visit to the Georgia Aquarium...

The Georgia Aquarium is the largest in the world and warrants a trip to Atlanta on its own. The exhibits were super - I mean, what's not to love about sharks who can't bite you - but the live dolphin show was the highlight of our visit. Synchronized swimmers are impressive when they are human! But dolphins? Just amazing.

OK, now to the really good part. (If you are 7 and have princess fantasies...) The Marriott Alpharetta has these "American Girl" packages that are so much fun! It begins with a special check-in desk for girls and their dolls and improves from there.

I think Leah enjoyed the hotel as much as the aquarium which is saying a lot. She turned down my offer to grab dinner at The Cheesecake Factory so we could go swimming and then have room service in bed while watching a movie on the Disney Channel. The next day, we did more of the same. The entire hotel was full of mothers and their little girls - ditto for the indoor pool.

Now, the final leg of the trip was really pretty fabulous: We went to the American Girl Boutique and Bistro to officially celebrate Leah's birthday, enjoy lunch and birthday cake in the bistro and spend all the savings she had accumulated this year. (Oh how we battled temptation in the toy aisle of Target these past several months!) It was worth the wait. American Girl is the sweetest store for little girls... ever!

All in all, it was a perfect trip! Next year? Paris! Just kidding.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET LEAH!!!

Outer Space

2011-11-14T07:03:00.000-06:00

The kids are totally fascinated with Outer Space - maybe because we've visited the US Space & Rocket Center a few times - or maybe because we know so many aerospace engineers, including their dad - or maybe because they pretend to be characters from Star Wars more days than not. In any case, they decided to create their own galaxy collage on our back door...

In a galaxy far, far away...

"Star Wars" is a planet - just FYI.

I loved that they collaborated on the project. They really work well together - despite the bickering and ongoing power struggle. It took them hours to color all the planets, cut them out, name them, and position them on the door.

Life in the modern South ain't what you think...

2011-11-10T06:22:00.000-06:00

I was driving around downtown this weekend and thinking about how different our city is than what most people seem to think it is... By "most" people, I mean people who have not spent time down South.

People have amazingly negative stereotypes about The South. Admittedly, stereotypes are sometimes true and that's the challenge in refuting them: a simple construct is easy to believe; a more sophisticated construct requires effort and most people are lazy.

Working as an IT consultant, I meet people from all over the country and they generally respond awkwardly when I tell them where I live. I try to be a good ambassador and tell them a bit about our city - that we're regularly ranked among the best places to live in the US, that every child in my daughter's class in public school has two college educated parents, that we have more engineers per capita than Silicon Valley...

But, honestly, I don't think they believe me.

I sometimes add that I have lived in 5 countries and 6 states and chose to move here because it's such a nice place to raise a family. At that point, they look at me like I've had some sort of head injury or - maybe worse - like I'm just being defensive.

My cousin Mark works in high-tech as well and says when people tease him he just responds with big lies about living in a trailer with chickens running loose in the yard. (Silly, Mark! He keeps his chickens in a pen!)

I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes...

"Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many people need it sorely on these accounts."
- Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Maybe I should arrange sightseeing tours. Then again, maybe it's nicer keeping the place all to ourselves!!! Hahahahaha!!!

Waking up early is not all bad...

2011-11-09T09:15:00.000-06:00

Knowing that our children wake up with the sun regardless what the clock says, we decided to take advantage of the time change on Sunday by taking our Christmas card picture before heading to Starbucks and then on to church. I was so glad to be ~~caffeinated~~ awake for the service because our minister shared a really touching lesson about Abraham and those moments in life when we must put our lives and our faith in God's hands. That's something Bryan and I have really had to embrace as we navigate all the uncertainties of life with multiple sclerosis. I am working on some FAQs to post for our friends to try to answer all the questions they have - and sometimes ask. Until then, I will share a sneak peek of our Christmas card photo session...

You can't really see the kids in this photo but what you can see is the beautiful and colorful Fall morning we enjoyed... a little reminder from God to enjoy today and not try too hard to figure out what happens tomorrow.

Sunshine + Creek

2011-11-07T07:41:00.000-06:00

The sun shined all weekend which drew all the kids to creek to try out our neighbor's new rope swing and leap into a big pile of leaves... for hours and hours... on Saturday and Sunday.

Hope you had a great weekend, too!

Halloween on Pebblestone Path

2011-11-04T20:20:00.001-05:00

We had an awesome Halloween! First, for context, I have to explain something. There is a street in our neighborhood that I will call Stony Valley that is renknowned for having amazing block parties. Over here on Pebblestone Path, we sometimes have a little Stony Valley envy. So when a neighbor said (perhaps sarcastically) that Bryan and I should host the Pebblestone Path Halloween Chili Supper, I said OK. I don't think anyone knew we were serious until I called on Monday afternoon to confirm they were coming. I made cheese sandwiches and a big pot of traditional chili with beans and a second pot of turkey chipotle chili. Our friends brought jalapenos and hot sauce and homemade corn muffins. The kids wore their costumes, we all ate, and then we took the whole pack of kids trick-or-treating! It was awesome - and we all decided to make it an annual event!

Michael (Spiderman), Leah (Wizard), Johanna (Cleopatra), Lexie (Witch), Jason (Spiderman), Jackson (Raul Castro?), Ellie (Birthday Present) and Alex (Captain America).

Kim's Favorite Chili Recipes

TRADITIONAL BEEF AND BEAN CHILI

1/2 large yellow onion

2 lbs. ground beef

4 cans chili beans

2 large cans diced tomatoes

2 T chopped garlic

cumin

chili powder

salt

black pepper

This is the easiest chili recipe ever - and it always tastes so good! Chop the onion and sautee it in a big pot until soft. Add the meat and cook until browned. Add the beans, tomatoes and garlic - then sprinkle in cumin and chili powder and let it all sit and simmer on low for as long as you can hold off a hungry crowd. (You'll probably need to add 2 tablespoons each of the cumin and chili powder - but everyone has their own definition of "spicy" so just keep adding it until it tastes right to you.) Top with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and the hot sauce you like best!

TURKEY CHIPOTLE CHILI

Follow the recipe above - exactly - but replace the ground beef with ground turkey and add a sprinkle of chipotle along with the other spices. Warning: A little chipotle goes a long way!

Vienna - Part 3: The third official IU reunion...

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

A fabulous fringe benefit of visiting my niece in Vienna is that it inspired my friend Manuela to organize an International University alumni reunion. It also gave my friend Wendy yet another good reason to make the trip with me and prompted our friends Sergey and Zhanna to fly in from Kiev. This was our third reunion in 10 years and we're already talking about plans for 2013. Every time we get together, it's as though no time has passed!!! We're back laughing and telling stories like it's 1993... Except now there are a lot more cute stories about the kids. Ha ha!

We always meet at a little heuriger called Bach Hengl. It dates back to 1137 and sits in a leafy neighborhood on the edge of Vienna called Grinzing. The restaurant backs up to a vineyard and is well-known for it's delicate, new wines. After a leisurely dinner of 5-6 hours, a group of us always heads to Cafe Studio, our old hangout in the 2nd district, where we play darts and talk and laugh until we're too sleepy to go on...

As Wendy, Sergey, Zhanna and I left our friends at Cafe Studio, we walked through the crowd at Schwedenplatz to head to our hotels. (I could not believe how many people were out at 2:00 AM, but I haven't been out that late since the last reunion three years ago!) We stopped for käse krainers - these awesome pork sausages with chunks of cheese inside. They're best served in a baguette with lots of ketchup! And better still when eaten at 2:00 AM!

My favorite part of the reunion was hearing all about everyone's kids. (Maybe because I was really missing mine!) Suncica's son David - who is Michael's age - is growing up in Croatia and loves Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and dinosaurs. Sergey and Zhanna's daughter, Ivanna - who is Leah's age - is growing up in Ukraine and likes watching iCarly and singing Selina Gomez and Justin Beiber songs. And Gugi and Andy's sons Philip and Leon are growing up in Austria and love Star Wars and Batman and Ben 10...

The world is small, people. I like it that way. And I love these friends.

Bringing autumn indoors...

2011-10-31T06:04:00.000-05:00

Fall really is my favorite time of year. The weather cools off, football season is in full gear, and we have two low stress yet entirely fun holidays. Plus, all my favorite colors come to the forefront. Here's a glimpse of autumn at our house...

A lot of this stuff is out all year round just because I love fall colors.

HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Vienna - Part 2: A little nightlife, a little culture...

2011-10-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

Taking my niece to dinner at Zwölf-Apostelkeller was at the top of my to-do list for my trip to Vienna. The restaurant is built in Roman catacombs from the 1100s - which is kinda cool - and the food is always good. The next day we had lunch at Salm Bräu, a microbrewery my friends and I frequented during grad school, and the day after that, Wendy and I took Emily to the Griechenbeisl, an inn that opened for business in 1447. Mozart and Beethoven used to eat there. How crazy is that?

One thing about Austrian culture I love is that dinner is such a leisurely affair. We spent at least 2-3 hours at dinner each night without ever being hurried out.

Wendy and I took Emily on a tour of the Bermuda Triangle, a neighborhood around Vienna's oldest church and synagogue that is home to a dozens of little bars and pubs. It's pretty quiet up there on a Tuesday night but we got a picture of Wendy, "Sister Goldenhair" herself, in front of a bar called Roter Engel where our friend James used to perform that song with a band called Andy und die Indianer when Emily was probably still in diapers. I suddenly [re] realized how old we are!

We wrapped up our final evening in Vienna with a tram ride around part of the Ringstrasse, a walking tour of the lawn around the Rathaus (city hall), and a long, leisurely visit to one of Vienna's most famous coffee houses, Cafe Landtmann. (I snuck in a couple pictures above of Emily and me in the Art History Musem as well.)

Vienna got under my skin a very long time ago and every time I go back, I kinda just want to stay! It was fun to see my niece enjoying her time there much as I did years ago. It struck me, too, that almost everyone in our family has been to Vienna now: Bryan's parents, both of his sisters and their husbands and 4 of our 5 nieces and nephews - plus one of my brothers and both of my parents.

Makes sense to me.

Stay tuned for Vienna - Part 3: The third official IU reunion...

Vienna - Part 1: Pastries, shopping and sightseeing (in that order)

2011-10-27T18:20:00.000-05:00

My niece Emily is a sophomore at Lipscomb University and is spending this semester in Vienna, Austria. As you might guess, her Aunt Kimmy is just a little bit excited about that. I had to go over for a visit and ensure she is having a good time. As you can see, she is devastatingly homesick... Hahaha! No, actually, Emily seems pretty smitten with Vienna which makes good sense to me.

My friend Wendy and I met in Vienna many years ago so she joined me for the trip. Her primary objective was to introduce Emily to Krapfen - these awesome little jelly doughnuts!

Wendy and I just enjoyed being there and experiencing Vienna with Emily. We shopped for goodies to bring home from Julius Meinl am Graben - a gourmet grocer that organizes its enormous selection of chocolate bars very much as it organizes its wines - and we took Emily shoe shopping at the Humanic on Mariahilferstrasse. (Walking everywhere, especially on cobblestones, is brutal on shoes. And yes, I added that comment just for you, Kathryn, since the credit card bill is coming your way! Hee hee heeeee!)

Emily, Wendy and I toured Schloss Belvedere, the summer home of Austria's Prince Eugene. The palace is stunning in its own right but it also houses the largest collection of paintings by Gustav Klimt. (Bryan and I have his "Tree of Life" hanging in our bedroom.)

Stay tuned for Vienna - Part 2: A little nightlife, a little cutlure...

Mugging for the camera

2011-10-26T06:19:00.000-05:00

Just the appearance of a camera gets our kids mugging...

I do not know where they get it from!!!

Today, I am scheduled to fly home from my visit with my niece and some old friends in Vienna. (Photos coming soon!)

I can't wait to be home and see these three ~~silly~~ sweet faces!!!

How to have a successful road trip with kids...

2011-10-24T06:58:00.000-05:00

Growing up, my family's cross-country road trips were a lot of fun! Cars were built like tanks so there were no seatbelts - just books and toys to entertain us and comfy pallets in the back of the station wagon for a nice nap.

These days? Cars are made from plastic so we have to strap kids in like little astronauts! No wonder they're so cranky. Despite being immobilized in the back seat, our kids have really become ace travelers thanks to a few things we have learned:

A portable DVD player is the best $80 you'll ever spend. And trust us, a one year old can learn to operate one on her own... just saying.
It's easiest to drive in the evenings when the kids have eaten and are ready to settle down.
A cooler packed with grapes, yogurt tubes and juice boxes goes a long way toward staving off complaints and requests to stop.
A tote bag stuffed with art supplies and toys can keep kids entertained for hours.
Blankets and pillows ensure everyone can get "cozy" when it's time to sleep.

Crayola has something called Crayons for Windows (the kind of Windows made of glass, not the kind made by Microsoft) that are a lot of fun, especially when they're only for roadtrips! The crayon washes off with warm water.

On the trip back from Orange Beach, Leah drew this picture and titled it "Home Sweet Home".

Michael drew this picture of a whale coming out of the water, a bird going into the water, and thunder and lightening in the sky. Or so he tells me...

Speaking of road trips, we crossed a significant milestone with our 2005 Toyota Highlander on the way back from the beach! It has been a fabulous car!

Seen and heard at our house: The Michael edition

2011-10-20T06:17:00.000-05:00

Michael: "Mommy, I like girls and your the best girl of all - and you're the beautifulest."

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Michael: "Mommy, when I grow up, I want you to still take care of me, but I don't want you to be the boss of me. OK?"

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Michael: "Did you know Jesus won a donkey race?"

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Me: "Now, Michael, next time we wait in line at the Post Office, are there some things we can do to make it go better?"

Michael: "Yes - next time we shouldn't wait for so long."

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Michael: "When I'm a daddy, I am going to let my kids do whatever they want."

Me: "Oh, really? Whatever they want?"

Michael: "Yes, whatever they want." [Pause.] "And when they're being naughty, I am going to put them in time out."

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Michael: "Dark Vader is in Heaven."

Papa P: Hahahahahahaha

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Michael: "Mommy, you said Darth Vader. It's Dark - kuh - Dark Vader."

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Seen and heard at our house: The Leah edition

2011-10-19T06:23:00.000-05:00

One day last week, Leah walked into our bedroom at 7:00 AM and announced she had just finished packing lunches for herself and Michael. She was completely dressed for school (see photo below - and please note the scarf) and she was already wearing her backpack. This child is 6 going on 26. She actually packed very nice lunches - like I would do. (She pointed that out to me saying, "I already did all the stuff you usually do in the mornings. I picked out an outfit for Michael to wear to school, too.")

On Saturday afternoon, the kids were playing and I promise you I heard her say to Michael, "Yes, what?" And Michael said, "Yes, ma'am." (I hope she enjoyed it because Michael has what I call "leadership aspirations" of his own!)

When school started in August, Leah asked her daddy to show her how to set her alarm clock and has been using it to wake up and get ready on her own. I make breakfast and pack lunches. On Saturday morning, I walked into the kitchen and she had Michael sitting at the bar eating breakfast. She made him a "special recipe" she claims she learned from her cousin Anna: multi-grain toast with cream cheese, sliced bananas and a liberal drizzle of chocolate sauce. He loved it.

One morning this week, she popped me some popcorn... for breakfast.

The other day, we were riding in the car and Leah was humming the tune from the first movement of Eine kleine Nachtmusik. I said, "I'll give $1 to any child who can tell me who wrote that song!" When Leah replied Mozart, I thought I would faint amidst my joy. Then she turned to Michael and said, "Now you tell me who made up this song," and began singing a little Katy Perry: Baby you're a firework...

Orange Beach wins!

2011-10-17T06:27:00.000-05:00

I've been lucky enough to visit a lot of beaches from the Aegean sea to the French Riviera and all over the Caribbean - and can I just say the prettiest beaches in the world are on the Gulf of Mexico? The Riviera may have its celebrities but nothing compare to the raw beauty of the white sand and emerald green waters of the beaches from Mississippi to Alabama and down the western coast of Florida.

We spent our Fall Break in Orange Beach, Alabama.

There's nothing to do in Orange Beach but enjoy the beach... so we did just that! Notice to absence of crowds of people in these shots of the kids running down the beach...

Leah and Michael played in the surf and sand along the coast and on the bay. Red flags were flying every day (strong current) so we saw a lot of kids out surfing.

When I asked a local where to go for a good cup of coffee, she said, "People come to the beach to drink beer, not coffee." I had to laugh!

Bryan's parents joined us and enjoyed reminiscing about bringing the family down here in the good ol' days when the best seafood in town was from a cinderblock hut called Hazels. Orange Beach has grown a bit since then... But it's still small. And seriously, it's just condos and some nice restaurants. No fast food. No tacky airbrush t-shirt shops. Just beaches and seafood and places to sleep.

Bryan and I just enjoyed having uninterrupted time with the kids and each other away from the whatnot of everyday life. Our agenda for the vacation was, "Uh, let's make pancakes one morning..."

And to make it all the more fun, we got to see dear friends we knew when we lived in Florida. It's amazing - and wonderful - that friends who have seen each other maybe 6 times in the past 4 years can love each other so much!

I think we might need to make this little trek down to Orange Beach a regular gig.

October may be the finest month...

2011-10-14T18:02:00.003-05:00

I haven't had time to blog lately... to point out the obvious! But I wanted to share a few pictures that have me loving this glorious cool-but-sunny Fall weather... Here are a few shots from around our yard. With any luck on the weather-front, we'll be spending some quality time outdoors this weekend.

My upcoming business trips to London and Dallas appear to have been cancelled and I can't say I am disappointed! Our calendar has been packed this Fall between work, school, church and the kids' extra-curricular activities. I get unhappy when week after week runs together in a blur... For now, I'm just happy that I get to be home to go trick-or-treating with Spiderman and a Nice Witch!

Happy Birthday, Michael!

2011-10-11T21:09:00.002-05:00

Our little Michael is 4 years old!!! We celebrated with a trip to Orange Beach. Here are a few highlights from his "birthday party day"...

Michael began the day on the beach...

That afternoon, he got a chocolate Star Wars birthday cake and opened some fun presents...

Then we had an early dinner at Lulu's with live music and a sand pit the size of a football field...

And finished the day with a sundown cruise along the lazy river...

Being back in a condo on the Gulf of Mexico reminded me of our first few weeks with baby Michael. That really was a magical little window of time... and no, I cannot believe my sweet baby is 4 years old!!!

More pictures from the beach trip coming soon...

CSI: The Cove

2011-10-07T06:37:00.000-05:00

I cannot capture the horror that accompanied the crime scene we discovered in the family room last week. Freddie had eaten the face off of Leroy and left stuffing strewn across the floor. Freddie has chewed up half our house. He loves to chew off the limbs of Barbie dolls about as much as he loved to dig into a good button-nose. No stuffed animal is safe!

Four years ago, we spent our last weekend in Florida with our dear friends, Tara and Alex, and their precious daughters. Tara and I took the girls to Build-a-Bear and Leah picked out Leroy. (The name was the unfortunate result of a miscommunication between Mommy and 3 year old Leah.) Leah's world was turned upside down between the move and a new little brother and Leroy was there through it all. He was special.

Argh! Freddie!

Death by laundry

2011-10-06T06:59:00.000-05:00

Our laundry situation was so out of control that I recently found myself standing in the laundry room evaluating the disaster scene from an operational perspective: Why are we always doing laundry? Why is it so time consuming? How can the process be re-engineered to be more efficient? I concluded we have too many clothes and spend too much time sorting by color to go into the wash and then re-sorting by person when it comes out of the dryer.

Process improvement #1: I cleaned out our closets. Nice no-longer-used clothes have gone to charity and all the stained and worn out clothes made their way to the trash. I have no idea why we hang onto stained, worn out clothing! It's just more to wash and dry!

Process improvement #2: Each person now has their own laundry basket (see photo) plus we have a little round one for towels. I wash and fold and put away one person's clothes at a time. No sorting and re-sorting.

Actually, we just need Alice from "The Brady Bunch" to move in with us! But until then, I am just enormously happy with the improvements in our laundry room. Sad, but true!

Little House in the suburbs, please...

2011-10-04T06:34:00.000-05:00

Leah and I have been slowly working our way through the Little House books this year. They are pretty raw as compared to the wholesome goodness of the 1970s TV show. I do some editing as I read, but I keep reading because their lives are so interesting. They have essentially no obligations - aside from the tiny matter of survival. That's where the romanticism of the books ends for me. I don't day dream about living in a log cabin on the prairie because I know how uncomfortable I am when the winter thermostat drops below 67! I read these books and think Thank you, God, that I don't have to live a horrible, horrible, horrible life like the Ingalls!!! (My friend Tara is laughing now because she thinks life on the prairie sounds pretty nice.)

Here's Leah playing "Little House" in our front yard one Sunday last month. She's unloaded the wagon (literally in this case) and made beds and set up a kitchen for our new homestead.

My little astronaut movie star...

2011-09-30T06:24:00.000-05:00

When Leah was 3 years old, she told me she wanted to be an astronaut when she grows up. (Well, that was the crux of the message - or let's say it was!) I'm more than happy to oblige any inclinations toward science and engineering because everything is possible and I happen to know a great school where Leah and Michael could pursue some big dreams... or at least learn a bit while having a little fun.

Leah and Sarah as Astronauts

I love thinking about the possibilities of the life that lies ahead for Leah and Michael... Although looking at these pictures, I am inclined to think Leah will become an actor!

Bella

2011-09-29T23:18:00.000-05:00

Sadly, our little four-legged friend, Bella, was hit by a car and killed Thursday night. She was a sweet little dog and well-loved by all the neighbors. We're all very sad to say goodbye.

Dog party at our house!

2011-09-28T06:56:00.000-05:00

Our neighbors, Barbara and Sharon, usually dog sit for one another. Well, this past Saturday, they both needed to be out of town which meant we got to keep the doggies! Bear in mind that Bryan and I are "cat people". I was a little concerned that it would be crazy having three dogs in the house, but we had a ball! Bella (the fluffball) and Tootsie (the chocolate lab) are Freddie's best friends. As far as he knew, we were having a dog slumber party! Freddie couldn't have been happier! Bella and Freddie chased each other and wrestled all day long. Tootsie watched over them and took nice long naps at our feet. The dog across the street, Karl, came by for a playdate as well.

Leah and Michael would have been happy to keep Bella and Tootsie forever!

BFFs

2011-09-27T06:44:00.000-05:00

I am so proud of Leah and Michael for gravitating to kind children. It is so important to have good people in your life! And I love all of their little friends! (Even the kids they have refer to as a "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" are the kinds of kids I would like to see in high school homecoming dance photos someday.) Here are a few pictures of a playdate we had last week with Leah and Michael's best friends, Ava and Tucker, a precious sister/brother duo from the neighborhood.

Leah and Ava

Tucker and Michael

Bliss.

I found myself thinking, Oooh, this is what it would have been like if we'd had more children!

Indian Summer

2011-09-26T06:10:00.000-05:00

This weekend was gloriously warm and sunny - a true Indian Summer on the heels of the chilly weather that had us in sweaters and jackets for the football game Friday night. (We had so much fun at the game! I suspect it was the first of many, many times we'll go do that.) We spent the rest of the weekend at home - our favorite place to be. It was just the four of us - very peaceful and relaxing.

I loved that Michael had on shorts and rain boots and nothing else.

It's Friday! It's Friday!

2011-09-23T06:23:00.002-05:00

The weekend is here! Yippee! Hopefully we're not too tired to enjoy it... We're going to a high school football game at a private Christian school that is on our radar for someday. Aside from that, we intend to be quite lazy. How about you?

Is it my imagination or does Freddie appear to be chuckling?

Oktoberfest

2011-09-22T06:26:00.004-05:00

I have noted - happily - that there are more German restaurants in our city than in the entire Dallas/Fort Worth metro area. (Which is saying a lot if you know anything about the restaurant-to-resident ratio of DFW.) The Germans are entrenched here and yet somehow this was our family's first year to hit Oktoberfest. It was fabulous! (One might have even confused it with the official Oktoberfest.)

Here's a view from the ferris wheel, which I jumped on to ride with Leah, temporarily forgetting that I am terrified of heights. There were no seat belts, no safety bars, and our bucket had saloon doors on it that could swing right open. I thought I would die. I plastered a smile on my face, held my breath and repeated over and over: I will not transfer my phobias to my children... I will not transfer my phobias to my children...

Nana and Paw-Paw were in town for the weekend! (Notice how good my hubby is looking!)

A real beer tent! With a Polka band!

My daughter was on this insane ride screaming with glee!

(Definitely her daddy's genes!)

This was Michael's first time to ride rides. He's smart like his mama and prefers rides that are unlikely to result in injury.

We ran into several neighbors so the kids all got to play together. It was so much fun! It hadn't occurred to me until that night that so many of our neighbors are German and/or used to live in Germany. It just added to the authenticity. Hee hee!

hi-YA!!!

2011-09-21T14:17:00.001-05:00

Michael is loving his Taekwondo class! The instructor is pretty intense and absolutely never smiles so I was a little worried Michael would be scared of him. I kept telling him that the instructor is not allowed to hurt the children - he knows the mamas would take him down. (I don't really know about my ability to "take down" Mr Blackbelt but my brother Hal said he'd put his money on me. Awww...).

Michael's favorite part is sword fighting the instructor! For the first few lessons, he hid behind me, but then he finally worked up his courage to run up there and whack Mr B. Oh, he was so proud of himself!

Whack!

One Chuck, two Chucks, red Chucks, blue Chucks...

2011-09-16T16:24:00.000-05:00

I am working on a little project that I will tell you about later. For now, here's a sneak peek...

Have a great weekend!

Evidence

2011-09-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

Evidence trickled in over the weekend that told me Bryan and the kids were having a pretty good time without me. My favorite was a text message from Bryan that read: Do we have a Magic Eraser?

The kids had written notes for me. One said "We mist you..."

That Magic Eraser?

I laughed so hard when I saw all the splattered paint and glitter. Yes, we have a Magic Eraser - and no, it didn't work!

Flying on 9/11

2011-09-12T10:14:00.002-05:00

Each year, I spend the second weekend of September in Philadelphia helping my friend Wendy with a National Ovarian Cancer Coalition event. I decided not to be superstitious about flying home on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 or about being assigned seat 13 going out of gate 13... It took less than 5 minutes to check in, pass through security, and place my order for a latte. Suffice to say, there were no crowds.

Everyone was subdued and listening to the coverage of 9/11 memorials on the airport TVs. A young man recounted being in elementary school in Manhattan that day and how he became more accepting of other people. I thought how beautifully that contrasted with the divisiveness of the terrorist's ideaology.

It always feels good to touch down and know you're home, but yesteday it felt extra good to pull up in my driveway and see the kids playing in the yard.

Speechless...

2011-09-08T06:42:00.001-05:00

Leah recently rendered my dad speechless by exclaiming, "Paw Paw, all my boyfriends are Alabama fans." Dad wasn't sure which side of that sentence to react to.

Leah now vehemently denies all of the above but this mama happens to know a certain Little Shaggy Headed Boy spent last Saturday in Bryant Denney stadium.

US Space and Rocket Center

2011-09-05T22:37:00.002-05:00

Labor Day weekend is the one protected weekend my family commits to spend together each year. It coincides nicely with the 1st football game of the season, my brother Steve's birthday, and my parents' anniversary - a veritable triple tri-fecta of fun. (Haha! No, actually, it really is fun just to get all of us together in one place and tell tales!) This year, we all needed to be 4 hours north of Auburn for our cousin's 50th wedding anniversary, so I was envisioning a weekend spent exploring the waterfalls and state parks of north Alabama. Tropical Storm Lee threw a hitch into the plans, so my brother and sister-in-law (Hal and Glenna) and the four of us decided to catch the final weekend of the T-Rex exhibit at the US Space and Rocket Center. (Gotta love that combination of old + new!)

One nice surprise of all the last minute changes to our plans is that we were able to spend Monday in Tennessee with Bryan's family for an official Bon Voyage (or rather Gute Reise) for my niece Emily who is headed to Vienna for the Fall semester!

Competence

2011-09-02T06:14:00.004-05:00

In order to restore balance in the world after Monday's post about Michael's recent mischief, I'll tell you a little bit about how amazing he is. First of all, he's three and he knows how to pick out his own clothes and get himself dressed in the morning. I think that's pretty amazing - that and a lot more. Michael has been clicking his own seatbelt for a year now. He throws his own pull-up in the trash can each morning and knows how to brush his teeth and shampoo his hair. He can spread Nutella on his toast and if he's thirsty, he gets a cup and either gets some water or pours himself some juice. Michael knows how to make his bed. And, as we're leaving for school in the mornings, he regularly stops to feed the cat.

Michael just does all these things because he sees Bryan, me and Leah doing all of these things. So when he tells me he is going to move to Africa when he's big and be an animal tracker, I just say, OK, because I am sure by then he'll be more than capable of handling himself in the wild. He's a very competent little fella.

Michael wears a tie quite often lately. (Just like Daddy.)

When I was a little kid, my parents encouraged my brothers and me to do things for ourselves and then stepped back to let us figure it out. I loved that sense of self-sufficience I felt and am trying to foster it in our kids. That really only works if you accept going to school with clothes on backwards, hair that only got shampooed right on top, and little Nutella fingerprints all over the kitchen counter... Small sacrifices in the pursuit of self-sufficiency!

I can just imagine all the ways his confidence and independence will be manifest as he grows up. Please remind me to get out of the way when he decides to go rock climbing or parasailing or runs off to the wilds of Africa to track big game...

Yippee!

2011-09-01T23:26:00.001-05:00

I am really excited because I made reservations today for a trip to Vienna in late October for a visit with my niece and some old friends. My friend Wendy (who I met in Austria 18+ years ago) is flying over to join me!

Thank you, Bryan, for sharing your frequent flyer points with me!!!

I know, I know... he's three.

2011-08-29T10:31:00.001-05:00

I can still remember being three years old: flushing an entire roll of toilet paper, breaking my dad's tape measure, coloring a mural on the wall, setting the gerbil free from his cage... I remember doing all kinds of things.

Michael has pretty much wrapped up his entire list of mischief in one week: He cut the arms off of Leah's baby doll. He gave Freddie a haircut - then trimmed the fur on his favorite stuffed animal, Henry. He cut holes in a couple of our blankets. He colored on the wall. He unraveled an entire roll of toilet paper and flushed it - which then flooded his bathroom floor with blue water. And then he dismantled the tropical plant in our family room leaf by leaf. When I saw the leaves all over the floor, I said, "Michael! What were you thinking?!?" And he replied back, "I wasn't thinking at all!"

It's amazing how often Bryan and I turn our heads to hide a smile or a laugh when we're trying to scold the kids. They totally catch us off guard sometimes!

Captain America? Meet Mr Mischief!

At three, Bryan drank gasoline, ate poisonous berries, and drove his tricycle off an embankment thus breaking his arm. So all things considered, a dog with notches of fur missing is really not a big deal. And as my sweet friend Sharon reminds me in these moments, "He's just three."

Yes, he is. And sweet as can be.

P.S.

2011-08-25T16:45:00.000-05:00

In case you were wondering, Bitter Yuck didn't work. I saturated Freddie's latest dog bed with it, and he chewed it right up anyway. Please note the untouched dog chew toy sitting next to the chewed up bed.

The @#$% Dog, or, Time for a Makeover?

2011-08-22T06:27:00.011-05:00

I spent a year hunting for the perfect comforter for our bedroom before finding a crème brûlée colored velvet quilt that I really love. I have enjoyed the mix of creams and browns and blues - which comes as no shock to anyone who has visited our home. Every room begins with brown...

Yup, I was pretty happy with the way it had all come together... until Friday morning. I heard Bryan say something mean to Freddie-the-dog and I said, "Bryan," in a disapproving tone. What could our sweet little Freddie do... Oh, you should have seen the smirk on Bryan's face - and the wry grin - and the oh you just wait little chuckle.

I braced myself...

The quilt you see through the hole is a lightweight layer we use in the summer months. Oh, and the hole Freddie chewed is right smack in the middle of the bed. There is no throw pillow arrangement in the world that is going to hide it.

He had already chewed up the corners on the throw pillows... the ones on the bed... the ones on the sofa... Can I tell you that half of everything in this house has been chewed up?!?!?

I am about to go crazy.

Freddie's newest dog bed has been saturated with a product called Bitter Yuck. Is it a bad sign that he carries the bed around in his mouth?

So, after Friday morning's chew-a-palooza, Freddie ran away - twice - just for grins. I picked up my phone at noon and saw 4 missed calls! Two from a lady who found him and then brought him home. And two more from another lady who found him and was keeping him in her fence. I did go pick him up... despite enormous temptation not to... and he looked so delighted to see me. Oh, good grief. He's trouble, but he sure is cute.

Michael's first day of K4

2011-08-19T17:39:00.002-05:00

Short version of a long story... We loved Michael's [former] preschool. It was like a throwback to 1970 in the best possible ways. We were incredibly disappointed when they called just before the school year started and said they're cutting back to 3 mornings a week. Hey, thanks for the heads up! We got Michaael onto the waiting list at another school and I then called every week-or-so to ask whether he'd progressed on the list. No progress...

Then an idea hit me: Since he is almost 4 maybe he could be in K4 two years in a row like his big sister. The school responded by asking me about Michael's maturity level. I choked on a laugh and resisted the urge to say he's diligent in saving for retirement and giving back to the community... He is 3! How mature do you think he is? I said, "Ummmm... Well, he's potty trained and he's pretty verbal." (That's Mommy code for this one talks non-stop! I hope you're good at answering questions at the pace of machine gun fire!)

On the first day of school, the teacher commented that Michael is the youngest - and biggest - child in class. By the end of the first week, she said he was the most mature. Ha! I guess those other kids are still wrestling with their purpose in life... Just kidding. I am pretty sure "mature" is teacher code for this one know how to zip his own pants. Now let's hope none of the other parents read my blog!

A very mature 3 ½ year old.

The sweet part of this story is that Michael was so excited about starting school that he set out his clothes the night before - then he came into our room at 6:00 AM dressed for school and saying, "I'm ready to go!"

Michael loves his new school and so do we. Funny how things always seem to work out right in the end...

First grade

2011-08-17T06:29:00.006-05:00

First grade seems to be off to a roaring start! Leah has 8 friends in her class from last year - and we have heard nothing but compliments about Leah's teacher. It should be a great year...

I have a new sympathy for the parents who sign up their children for non-stop extra-curricular activities because Leah wants me to sign her up for everything (except soccer) that a child could possiby do this Fall. For now, we are committed to ballet, taekwondo, German and Spanish.

It stinks to be 3...

2011-08-16T07:49:00.001-05:00

As I sit typing this post, my little buddy is snuggled up next to me on the sofa telling me about the day we went to the fun indoor playground and he got his face painted. He is at home today - too little to ride the school bus, too little to go to school with his sister, too little for football, too little for daycamp, too little for soccer, too little for swim team, too little for Fall baseball, too little for pretty much everything the big kids get to do. It hurts his feelings...

Three stinks. (Apparently.)

And then a little ray of sunshine... Guess what you can do when you are three? You can take taekwondo. Real taekwondo - with a real uniform and everything.

***UPDATE***
Michael had his first taekwondo class last night and seemed to thoroughly enjoy punching and kicking and schmack-talking the big, big man who is the instructor. After class, Bryan and I took the kids out to a Thai place we like. They tried a new sushi dish - rainbow rolls topped with salmon, tuna and red caviar - and they sampled iced Thai tea and shared a Pad Thai dish. (I couldn't help but think of how small our world is that all this is normal enough in our little not-particularly-cosmopolitan corner of the world.)

What's cookin'?

2011-08-15T11:25:00.002-05:00

Bryan gave up red meat a few months ago, so we have been revamping our go-to meals. I have to laugh because I hated beef my entire life and then Bryan introduced me to the amazingly tasty beef from pasture-grazing cows raised by our brother-in-law! Anyway, Bryan is committed to this change and we'll all be healthier for it, so no complaints!

I made taco soup with ground turkey last week and it was the best taco soup we have ever had! Who knew? I love this recipe, too, because it is something I can make very quickly even on a day when my client has me scrambling to meet a deadline. Here's how I make it...

RIDICULOUSLY EASY, TASTY TACO SOUP
In a large pot, sautee an onion with a little olive oil, then add 1 pound of ground turkey. Brown the meat, then add 2 cans of black beans (drained), 2 cans diced tomatoes, 2 can chili beans, and 2 cans of corn. Add enough of your favorite broth to make a thick soup/stew. Sprinkle in chili powder and cumin (lots) and chopped garlic (lots and lots) to taste - and add a dash of salt and pepper if you like. We garnish ours with cheddar cheese, sour cream and our favorite Louisiana hot sauce. Serves 8-10.

Bryan's parents came for a visit and brought fresh blueberries from their orchard! I made a blueberry+cherry cobbler. (Hey, no red meat here! Ha ha!) If you are not Southern, a cobbler is bascially a very juicy pie made in a square pan. It is best served hot with vanilla ice cream.

Bryan's parents also brought fresh tomatoes from their garden plus some of Earl's amazing homemade pesto. We have eaten bruschetta half a dozen times in the past week using pecorino romano or asiago cheese. Both are pretty spectacular.

This is a variation on one of our favorite recipes. I sauteed asparagus and spinach in a little olive oil and fresh garlic then added it to fresh cheese tortellini with a splash of chicken broth and some shredded asiago. What's not to love? Even the kids ate it.

What's your favorite red-meat-less recipe?

war eagle.

2011-08-12T17:57:00.001-05:00

NCAA football is gearing up which reminded me I better write this post now while I have a shot at sounding credible. It's the sort of thing you can probably only say when your football team holds the title of national champions.

My family is from Auburn. Most of the kids who attended preschool with me at Holy Trinity later graduated from Auburn University with me. My dad is a retired Professor Emeritus. My husband, his aunt, our nephew, my mom, both of my brothers, and several of my cousins are Auburn alumni.

Auburn is my hometown, and my school, and my team. It's where Bryan and I met, reconnected, had our first date, and got married. I really like Auburn - it holds good memories for me. My dad started his college career at Georgia on a football scholarship and so Georgia is my 2nd favorite team, which apparently is against the rules. Florida is our other 2nd favorite team because Bryan got his masters from UF. I really like any SEC team that's not playing Auburn.

When I lived in Texas, it was fun having a big AU sticker on my Jeep that got me a honk and a big "War Eagle!" about once a year. But here in the southeastern US where we're plagued by obnoxious SEC barnacle fans who name their children after mascots and hang framed portraits of football coaches over the fireplace where something like, say, a family portrait might belong? I find myself in one big, protracted eyeroll that lasts all season long.

And that was a very long explanation for why I keep buying the kids Texas Longhorns t-shirts.

war eagle.

Mad as a wet hen?

2011-08-11T10:11:00.001-05:00

There is an old expression country folks use, "mad as a wet hen" that would have been well applied to me and several other mothers on Monday. The short version of a long story is that the school bus arrived Monday afternoon and Leah was not on the bus. (I can still feel that pit in my stomach just thinking about it).

Just then, a neighbor got a text message from her 10 year old saying, "Mom, a bunch of us are still at school because the bus was full." We called the school office and were told the kids were on their way. Suddenly, a storm rolled in and the thunder and lightening added a nice flair to the general level of anxiety up and down our street. The next school bus arrived and I stood in the pouring rain to welcome home my 6 year old from her first day of 1st grade, but Leah was not on the bus. Again.

I drove to the school, expressed my concerns, rounded up Leah and a pack of her little friends, and drove them home. School had been out for an hour and a half! The highlight was seeing a mother walk in behind me, dripping wet, who said, "I am so angry at someone, and I don't know who it is yet, but I am going to find out!" What a great line. Suffice to say, the problem was resolved in a timely manner and order has been restored to our tiny corner of the universe...

A welcome sight!

First day of 1st grade!

2011-08-08T09:42:00.001-05:00

Leah started school today! She woke up at 6:15 and was practically bouncing off the ceiling with excitement! The Schultüte was back, too! Bryan got Leah a Barbie, a pack of stickers, Burts Bees lip balm, Jolly Rancher candy, Goldfish crackers and two new books!

I am using lots of exclamation points today! But it has been a lots of exclamation points kind of day! And it's only 9:30!

My essay on what we did this summer...

2011-08-05T09:21:00.003-05:00

This is our last weekend of summer, regardless what the weather man says. School starts on Monday and as exciting as a new schoolyear may be, it's always a little bittersweet to bid summer adieu. Last spring, Leah and I put together a list of everything we needed to do this summer...

The list above was edited to remove our shortcomings:
four weekend trips to visit grandparents and friends that we didn't make.
I think this is why the summer felt so busy - even our weekends were booked!

I keep deleting and rewriting this paragraph! Suffice to say, I am not ready for summer to end and not ready for the deluge of activity that comes with fall, however fun it may be! Here's a photo recap of our summer...

I knew summer was coming to a screeching halt when the school posted classroom assignments last week. We've been in back-to-school mode ever since! It was so exciting to find out whose class Leah would be in and which of her friends would be with her. All the moms were texting each other saying, "I hear Mrs. Q is great!" - and - "So glad the kids will be class together again this year!" The anticipation is thick around here!

So, while our summer may have been a bit busy and was absolutely too short, it sure was a lot of fun! Hope yours was (and is), too!

Have a great school year!

Of apples and trees...

2011-08-03T09:12:00.003-05:00

There is really no denying that "my" children look like their daddy. A friend of ours kidded me by asking whether I ever wonder what it would be like to have children who look like me! Ha!

Well, these pictures of Michael...

and these pictures of Bryan will say all you need to know about how far the apple fell from the tree...

Same little football helmet and same little [handsome] face!!!

Family Reunion #4

2011-08-01T14:10:00.003-05:00

Moving to The Cove after nearly two decades on the lam put me within spitting distance (as we say in these parts) of all my relatives. The first summer we were here, my mom's entire family came over for a potluck lunch and we had such a great time that we decided to make it an annual event. We plan the weekend around the annual visit from my cousin Sheila and her boys who drive in from South Carolina each July.

There are 30 people in the family including all my aunts, uncles, cousins/spouses and their children.
We were missing Darryl, Diane, Kristi, Matt and Lindsay this year.

We always have a potluck lunch - spiral cut ham, green beans, Veg-All casserole, black eyes peas, fruit salad, pies - and then we spend the next 5-6 hours just "visiting".

This year, my mom's older brother, Uncle Bob, drew out the floorplan of the old house in the country where they all lived as children. (Mom was born there in 1940 and the house burned down in 1943 prompting her dad to leave farming to join the war effort in the shipyards.) Uncle Bob, Aunt Betty, Aunt Ginny and my mom had a lot of fun reminiscing...

Tips for planning a successful family reunion:

Define the scope of who is invited, e.g. all the offspring of Grandma Taylor
Set the date 4+ months in advance and send out a "save the date" email
Choose a location that's reasonably easy to reach and allows everyone to linger for as long as they like
Send a printed invitation or reminder email 2-3 weeks before the event
Make it a pot luck dinner (also known as a covered dish dinner) where everyone brings a dish and you set up an impromptu buffet line
Do not try to engineer who will bring what food - with a large group it will all sort itself out
As host/hostess, provide the meat, drinks, cups, plates, napkins, utensils and serving pieces + be sure to have cling wrap and aluminum foil on hand
If the reunion is in your home, borrow folding tables and chairs from your neighbors to ensure all the adults have a place to sit
Set out placecards to reserve seats for special guests, e.g. Nana and her siblings (I forgot this year!)
Ensure everyone feels at home so you can relax and have fun - no need to play "hostess" with your own family

On the go...

2011-07-29T13:34:00.000-05:00

Bryan got his new scooter! The kids were really excited and wanted us to go for a bike ride around the neighborhood. That's not something we've been able to do and it was so much fun! I love the age in which we live for all its conveniences - particularly for the technology we enjoy and the freedom it brings.

Hope your weekend will be as much fun as ours!

Morgan

2011-07-28T12:43:00.001-05:00

This summer has felt a bit too busy to me, personally, but the kids have had a lot of fun with a college student named Morgan who has taken them off three times a week to just play. They have gone to the pool and the playground and the botanical garden. They have been to the movies and out to eat and to the craft store. And occasionally, they've stayed home to play in the sprinkler or do arts and crafts projects...

Today is Morgan's last day with us before she heads back to MSU... We're going to miss her so much!

How to take care of your houseplants

2011-07-27T06:12:00.002-05:00

A friend of the family gave me a wandering jew for my 7th birthday and I have absolutely loved houseplants ever since. It took me 30 years to learn how to keep them alive, so I thought I'd save you some time and share what I now know...

If you're a novice, buy your houseplants from someplace like Home Depot or Wal-Mart because they don't stock the complicated/high-maintenance plants you see at finer garden centers.

TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CARING FOR HOUSEPLANTS

Houseplants can grow in any room that has a window - even if they're not close to the window
It is better to neglect a houseplant than to over water it
Green, droopy leaves are generally an indicator that you need to water
Crunchy tips on the ends of your leaves are generally an indicator that you have over watered
Houseplants grow best in pots that allow drainage
Some pebbles on top of the dirt makes the whole plant look prettier even though it makes it a bit tougher to gauge how dry the soil is getting - just shove your finger down into the dirt
Let the dirt get dry before you water again
You really don't need to fertilize as often the the fertilizer companies would like you to think - I rarely bother, but when I do, I follow the instructions exactly and I use MiracleGrow products
Too much fertilizer will kill a houseplant
It's not dead until all the pieces are crunchy right where they come out of the dirt - but always remove dead bits so the plant won't waste it's energy trying to revive those parts

The pots shown at the top do not drain and really only work for plants that could survive in a swamp. I really need to move my diaffenbachia out of the white vase! The pots on the bottom work for any plant because they allow drainage. I suggest putting large pots on casters since they'll be quite heavy once filled with dirt.

The pictures on top show dried tips on the end of my tropical plant (too much water - even in a pot that drains) and all the missing leaves resulting from Freddie eating the plant and Michael playing rodeo and lassoing the plant... Aside from that, it's healthy. The pictures on the bottom show crunchy tips from overwatering.

A special word on FICUS TREES: They grow beautifully (and slowly) indoors and endure a lot of neglect, but they do not like to be moved so pick a good spot for your tree and never move it again.

Landscaping for Dummies + Mud Wrestling

2011-07-25T11:36:00.000-05:00

OK, I cracked. I've been wanting to add some color to the garden all summer and couldn't muster the patience to learn Landscaping 101, so I opted for Landscaping for Dummies, in the most figurative sense... I just bought plants I like and planted them. Once I formalize a landscaping strategy, I will move them around accordingly!

The funny part of my afternoon was wrestling an overgrown Pampas Grass out of the ground. Don and Donna from Wisconsin (total strangers) pulled up and asked if they could take a picture of me since I was covered in mud and looked so hilarious! Then they offered to wrap a strap around the roots and pull it out with their truck. I'd been digging for a couple of hours and gladly accepted the offer! (Seemed a fair trade for pictures taken with two iPhones and a digital camera! I was lookin' that good!)

Aside from ~~mud wrestling~~ digging up the Pampas Grass, I planted more Hostas (shocker!!!), plus three small Lantana (upper left), two varieties of Hibiscus (upper and lower right), and more Nandina Fire Power (middle right) for a pop of red this Fall. And I also noticed my little sickly Japanese Maple (lower left) has sprouted new shoots with dark red leaves. Yay!

Up next? My mom is ordering us some bulbs from Brecks that we can plant this Fall.

Landscaping 101

2011-07-23T20:52:00.003-05:00

I want to learn about landscape architecture so I can create a grand plan for our lawn to work toward over the years... A plan that includes a lot more trees... and flowering shrubs... and paths... and a deck... and a fountain... and a fireplace... and lots of red, orange and yellow against a backdrop of green...

On my flight back from Austin yesterday, I was reading Better Homes and Gardens and dreaming of all the things we could do to our lawn, if I just knew where to begin!

Anyone ever used a landscape designer before? Or some of the design-it-yourself landscaping software out there?

These are the good ol' days, but you knew that, right?

2011-07-19T08:56:00.002-05:00

Time is our most valuable resource. You really can't buy it or save it - you have to spend it, by definition, and you either spend it wisely or you squander it. I know it's just a figure of speech, but I cringed the other day when someone said to me, "I can't wait to retire so I can start enjoying life!"

Let me tell you something. I am just old enough to have figured out one thing: These are the good ol' days and they're going to be whatever we make of them. Your real life is happening right now. You can waste it waiting for whatever - and a lot of people do - or you can decide to get happy about today just as it is. Whatever you're waiting and hoping for won't bring you happiness if you haven't figured out how to get happy with Tuesday. Trite, but true!

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln

Caught this sunset the other night while taking out the dog.

Twenty years ago, I met a one-legged man who lived in a shack with a tin roof and a clay floor next to a dirt road in the mountains of rural eastern Jamaica. He had a stick to help him hop around and he rode a donkey when he needed to go anywhere. He was wasn't waiting for a marriage, or a divorce, or a child or grandchild, or a house with a floor, or a job, or retirement, or even a prosthetic leg. He wasn't waiting. He was just happy.

The Ring Bearer

2011-07-18T15:53:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, Michael had the honor of serving as ring bearer in our nephew Drew's wedding. Having little cousins and nephews serve as ring bearers holds a long honored tradition in Bryan's family - or maybe it's just that the boys in this family are all so cute?!? (Drew's little brother, Will, was the ring bearer in our wedding and Drew was a groomsman.)

Michael was very impressed with Drew's Navy buddies - most particularly with their swords. He turned to me and asked, "When I grow up, can you take me to the Navy?" I said we could probably work something out. "Good," he replied. "I don't even know where the Navy is!"

Everything about the day was beautiful.

Congratulations, Drew and Cassie!

Home

2011-07-13T06:01:00.000-05:00

There is something to be said for making a house your home. My brother Steve lived in middle-of-nowhere Montana for a while and renovated the tiniest little house into a beautiful home. (Seriously, I think the whole house was about 400 square feet.) His dog slept on an Oriental rug in front of a cast-iron stove in a den with animal heads on the walls which is entirely "Steve". I believe that's what made it so great. I loved that house.

"Having a warm home that looks good and works well, and that you and your family and friends enjoy must be one of the most worthwhile things in life – the foundation of a good life…"
Terence Conran’s “The House Book” (1974)

Plants make a home come alive, so I keep adding more!

I bought this cabinet at a junk shop in Maidenhead, Berkshire just outside London when I moved there in the late 90's. It was in rough shape and sat in our garage for years until a neighbor refinished it this Spring. Now it's in our foyer. I love it because it is really old and doesn't match any of our other furniture.

I keep thinking about what it is that differentiates a house from a home and I have concluded it's the imperfection of it all - the fingerprints and dings and nicks and the odd combination of pieces you buy and things you inherit. It all comes together as a reflection of the inhabitants of the home.

I'm thinking we need some color...

2011-07-12T06:50:00.001-05:00

Our family room + kitchen is an ode to brown wood. First, the builder put in brown wood cabinets and brown wood floors. Then we put a bunch of brown wood furniture in with it. Now, you may have noticed that I like brown... a lot. But this much brown? Brown wood? I keep looking around thinking we need some color. I have covered the kitchen island with paint chips. Any suggestions?

What color are your kitchen cabinets? I need some inspiration!

How to make [awesome] stir fry

2011-07-11T06:24:00.002-05:00

Making stir fry is not difficult if you follow a few simple tips. We make it all the time because the kids will eat vegetables if we call it "Chinese" or "Japanese". Go figure. Here are my best tricks:

A word on ingredients: A good stir fry must have a meat, a fresh vegetable (or two or ten), a nut or seed (think sesame seeds or cashews), and a starch (either rice or noodles) plus onions and garlic with soy sauce, sesame oil, and teriyaki sauce. The best part? You do not need to measure! Trust me. It's all about dumping stuff into a pan.

Amazing Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry with Noodles

Note: Because this is a fast process with short cooking times, I start the water boiling to make my noodles before I begin my stir-fry. When I do noodles, I use thick spaghetti to balance the weight of the meat and large chunks of veggies.

Heat 2 TBS of oil in a large sauce pan and add chopped boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Stir regularly until browned, adding a small amount of teriyaki sauce and a liberal sprinkling of sesame seeds, then remove to a large serving bowl. (Go easy on the teriyaki.)
If the sauce pan looks dry, add a little oil, then add chopped onion and sliced carrots. Sautee uncovered until barely softened, then remove to the serving bowl.
If the sauce pan looks dry, add a little oil, then add chopped mushrooms and chopped broccoli - then sprinkle chopped garlic across the top of the broccoli. (Warning: Garlic burns quickly but you can curb that here because the mushrooms will give off a lot of moisture + you have a lid on the pan to keep the moisture in the steam the broccoli.) Cook until barely softened, then add to serving bowl.
Stir the meat and veggies together and serve over noodles with a splash of soy sauce.

Mmmmmmmmm!

Important rule #1: DO NOT OVER COOK. Err on the side of crunchy vegetables and al dente noodles. Nothing is more disgusting than mushy stir-fry.

Important rule #2: USE SESAME OIL. Or Canola oil. Or maybe even peanut oil. But don't use olive oil no matter how much you love it. Olives are not native to Asia and the strong Mediterranean flavor will make your stir fry weird.

Musical beds...

2011-07-10T23:23:00.000-05:00

At our house, people walk around in the middle of the night. There's a lot of activity. Someone's always going to the bathroom, letting the cat out, letting the cat in, changing to a different bed... I happen to know that 2 adults, 2 children, a cat and a dog can fit in a king sized bed, but I don't recommend it. The biggest risk in getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night is that you may lose your spot in bed!

Freddie is not allowed on the furniture. Can't you tell? He seems to like Bryan's side of the bed best. It's cozy.

Jonesborough Days

2011-07-05T17:19:00.002-05:00

We just returned from our annual trek to Jonesborough, Tennessee to meet up with dear friends and enjoy an old fashioned 4th of July parade and street festival. Molly and I have been friends since childhood and since we live 800 miles apart, this is our one chance each year to see one another. We feel a lot more like family than friends, actually. Her parents, Terry and Sandy, feel the same way and love Bryan and our kids just as much as they do me. They even included us in the family photo that hangs on their living room wall! It's just love all around!

We have a great line-up of kids: Leah (6½), Lucy (6½), Michael (3½), Leo (3½) and Eli (1½). Terry and Sandy took the kids to a waterpark and gave them lots of golf cart rides downtown to the Jonesboro Days Festival to jump in the bouncy houses and play in the sand pile. We rode on a parade float again this year as Terry played the banjo and sang "God Bless America" and "She's a Grand Ole Flag" with the other members of the Jonesboro Novelty Band - and we all watched the town's fireworks show from the back yard.

Our four days together always go by too fast!

Ocean City

2011-06-27T22:49:00.001-05:00

I finally have pictures to share from our beach trip last month! A good friend of mine offered up her beach house for my birthday weekend, so with my parents along to help, we flew into Baltimore and drove across Maryland to Ocean City for a little rest and relaxation...

My friend's beach house had big open porches and sits a block from the beach in a beautifully landscaped gated community. (See the pale yellow house pictured above left.) It was awesome! We didn't do much more than wander back and forth from the house to the beach...

The beach was small and isolated and faced a bay - it was the perfect place for small kids to get in the water and play. We saw a lot of seagulls and horseshoe crabs - and didn't have to share the beach with many people. The kids spent 90% of their time building sand castles while the grown-ups enjoyed the sunshine and the breeze...

It was the most relaxing vacation we have had in a really long time! And it was a lot of fun to have Nana and Paw-Paw with us!

Things Leah says...

2011-06-22T10:04:00.000-05:00

I'm going to file this one under Things Leah says that I would never have said at her age:

"One of my friends at cheerleading is a Justin Beaver Princess - just like me."

One small bit of progress on the dream lawn...

2011-06-21T16:10:00.002-05:00

So, I will begin today by clarifying that the 4 (now 14) trees in the yard doesn't include the trees lining the creek next to our house. I've been assessing them for years now trying to figure out how to hang up a hammock without hanging precariously over the creek. I'm not so much worried about falling a few feet as I am remiss to nap in a hammock that's slung across a snake paradise. Anyway, I think I finally figured it out...

Yesterday, I stretched out in the hammock for the first time, looked up at a canopy of trees and listened to birds calling. It was nice. It will be even better as the years go by...

Today, I am inside on the sofa in the living room watching rain pound down as I listen to Roberta Flack, Lionel Richie, Steve Miller and a little Elton John + Kiki Dee. It's really nice, too. Gotta love afternoons in the summer... Nowhere we gotta go. Nothin' we gotta do.

Dreams of a canopy of trees...

2011-06-20T11:43:00.001-05:00

I saw a photo on Simple Lovely recently that absolutely captivated me...

I like every-single-thing about this picture. Everything.

When we bought our house late in 2007, it had 5 trees in the yard - 4 were alive and none of them were as tall as our single story home. Today, we have 14 trees! And they are growing! And more will be joining them! It's cheaper, more practical and environmentally friendly to create a wooded lot than to pack up and move to a wooded lot. (That's my story anyway! Ha!)

I have dreams of a canopy of trees - a lawn with hammocks and pathways winding across a shaded lawn of hostas, ferns and ivy. I dream of summer nights in a back courtyard with slate tile flooring, strings of lights hanging overhead, comfortable patio furniture, a ceiling fan, curtains blowing in a cool breeze, blankets and a movie on the porch at sundown.

For now... we must improvise. Last Friday night, we ate outside: grilled chicken tacos with black beans and avocado. Then we rolled the TV out our bedroom door onto the porch, passed around little sacks of movie candy and began a movie just as the sun was setting. By the time ET phoned home, we were snuggled under blankets in the darkness of night. It was pretty great... even without the slate flooring, curtains, strings of lights or canopy of trees...

Hmmm... Whatever works, right?

Happy Father's Day, Bryan!

2011-06-19T07:32:00.002-05:00

Here's a picture of Bryan knee-boarding in the summer of 1991... twenty little bitty years ago. Way back then, when we barely knew each other, I recall thinking he would make a great husband. I didn't realize what a wonderful father he was going to be to our children, too.

Wasn't it great to be 21? I love that look on his face!

Happy Father's Day, Bryan!!!

And a happy father's day to my dad and to my father-in-law!!!

From the garden to our pizza

2011-06-17T00:18:00.001-05:00

We recently saw someone throwing the dough at an authentic pizzeria, so Leah and Michael wanted to give it a try tonight. I'm just glad our kitchen floor was clean-ish. (Let's just say it was...) I am still using the pizza crust recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook - and it's good - but I really want to learn how to make a thin, chewy, authentically Italian crust! Any suggestions?

We took the first 2 tomatoes from our garden this year and added them to pizzas with parmesan, asiago and ricotta cheeses. I intended to add fresh basil and then realized we never planted any basil in the garden! (The garden center was out that day and then... we just forgot...) Still, our pizzas were great and we had a spinach salad with strawberries and sliced almonds to go with it - perfect for summer.

I cuochi poco.

Les Chefs petits.

Die kleinen Köche.

The little chefs.

Six going on sixteen

2011-06-16T12:08:00.000-05:00

Leah likes to act like she is older than she is - and sometimes she can pull it off rather convincingly. I regularly remind her that once you're an adult, you're an adult forever. I try to make that sound as formidable as it is before continuing that she really needs to enjoy being six because she'll only get one chance. None the less, she asks me about once a week when she will be old enough to wear make-up and dangly earrings.

Leah likes to copy me, which is sometimes flattering and sometimes a shocking reminder that I really better behave!!! Today, she sat scrutinizing my hair and said very matter-of-factly, "These grays will not do."

Until recently, Leah said she was going to be "a consultant" when she grows up... although yesterday she said she's going to be a fairy princess. (See, she doesn't always want to be sixteen!)

Leah really enjoys sitting with one of our laptops and "working" (cough) and saying to Michael "you need to go play - I have to get this done before my teleconference." (Yipes!)

Drew + Cassie + Boats + Planes

2011-06-14T06:58:00.002-05:00

Our oldest nephew, Drew, has been very busy. He reconnected with his high school sweetheart last Fall, proposed to her this winter, graduated from Auburn a few weeks ago, was commissioned into the Navy as an Ensign, is getting married in July, and heads to flight school in August!

Drew's fiancée Cassie just graduated from college as well and plans to be a history teacher.

Here's Drew with his parents, Scott and Kathryn, at his commissioning.

I have to include this picture from our wedding... Drew is pictured 2nd from left. He was in the 8th grade! Now he's 22 and a college graduate and getting married himself! A lot has happened in 8 years.

Congratulations to Drew and Cassie!!!