Eight Random Facts Game

Thanks to Corinne's tagging me, here is a little game. Sorry it took so long! And that it's on the heels of my interview questions. I guess you just get to learn more about me than usual this week. ; )

The rules:

• Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
• People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
• At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
  
• Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1. I wear contact lenses almost exclusively. Once the kids are in bed I'll switch to my glasses for computer/TV/reading. I'm quite near-sighted without them and hate it when the kids pull them off my face, the lack of peripheral vision while driving, and that I've never found a pair that is comfortable and the right size. Although my current frames come pretty close.

2. My favorite topping for chocolate cake is Coconut Pecan Frosting, homemade if at all possible. I remember making it for my older sister's birthday a few times. It was a win-win situation because we got to eat it together plus I got to lick the pan after the cake was frosted.

3. I took a botany class in college and learned to identify dozens of trees and shrubs. I spent 2 hours every other day walking around campus looking at plants and coming up with mnemonic devices to remember them all by scientific and common name. It was Spring term and the only class I took. One of my fondest couple of months during school.

4. The first time I used a microwave was almost a disaster. We'd just had it put in our kitchen and my mom asked me to make some Mac and Cheese (I was 8 or 9). She stepped out into the garden for a little while. I filled the pot with water, put it in and realized I didn't know how long to set the timer for to boil the water. Fortunately I went out to ask her first. After answering "about 5 minutes" she paused and asked what container I was using. With a shrill gasp she ran in and explained the metal-microwave connection to me. This little scene still plays through my head whenever I cook mac and cheese from box, especially Kraft brand.

5. I hate sleeping with my feet tucked in. Whenever I stay at a hotel the first thing I do when getting into bed is pull the tight sheets out on the end so I can stick my feet out. Even in the winter time I have my covers ever so lightly draped so they don't feel "stuck".

6. In high school I ran cross country and track. I'm very clumsy with balls of any size. They always seem to hit me in the head no matter what. Besides, I liked the mental challenge of running. I was never very fast but I loved the team camaraderie and pushing myself to keep goals.

7. I have an aversion to the sound and feeling of scraping silverware on the textured designs of Corelle dishes. I prefer eating from the plain white ones, even though we have other patterned ones in the cupboard. I'll go so far as to hand wash a plain one if they're all dirty.

8. My favorite toothpaste is Tom's of Maine Spearmint. It's so refreshing and full without being too sharp or biting like peppermint often is. I've also used their fennel flavor in the past, it has a warm sweetness to it that is more like dessert than toothpaste.



I tag Heather and Kellie, since most everyone else I blog with have already been tagged. : ) Not the quota of 8, but hey I can bend the rules on my post if I want, right?

The Interview Game

Here's my interview questions from Kellie. I had a fun time answering these.

1. Where are you in your sibling birth order? Do you subscribe to behavioral theories about birth order? Are you like your "profile" or not?

I am the 2nd of six, two girls, a boy, a girl, two boys. I think there is some truth to birth order behaviors but huge room for individual personalities. (Since I couldn't recall off the top of my head what these behaviors were, here's a link that gives a general description.) I'd say that as a young child when I had fewer siblings I definitely exhibited more of the middle/2nd child issues of troublemaker, feeling left out/squeezed, trying to find my own niche to express myself that was different than my older sister. But as our family grew, I became more of an oldest child in my "bossiness", sense of responsibility and sense of entitlement. I've always been a competitive person (for good or bad) and I think that stems from growing up with my particular family. I think gender has a lot to do with it, too. If my older sibling was a boy instead, I'm sure that would've changed how I acted. As it was, my younger brother often felt more like an older brother to me when we got to high school and beyond. This is a topic I think about often, analyzing my own siblings and wondering how my own children will "turn out".

2. What were you doing 10 years ago? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

Ten years ago I'd just finished my freshman year at BYU and had returned home to Oregon for the summer. To the month, I was probably still really sick from a nasty colitis flare-up that plagued me the last part of my 2nd semester. When I recovered sufficiently I took a job nannying 4 kids aged 8 to 4; plus their two small (not quite potty trained) dogs. I remember reading the entire Work and the Glory series in between walks to the park, trips to the pool and refereeing all the crazy antics. Lots of air freshener and rocking out to Hootie and the Blowfish.

Ten years from now I'll be the busy mother of an almost 13 year old, 11 year old, 9 year old, and maybe one more?? In any case, my children will most likely all be in school and I might be doing some part-time work, whether paid or volunteer. If my husband is still employed by the federal government, we'll be enjoying 26 vacation days a year (WAHOO!) and hopefully we're living in a less hot-humid summer climate. I imagine my hobbies will be much the same with a few new ones mixed in. I'll probably have taken a round through the YW program at church, seeing as I haven't been that route thus far. Hopefully we have a good cash flow of college/mission savings for the kids, retirement savings for us and maybe even a cabin in the mountains picked out somewhere. I'd like to think that for our 10 year anniversary Matt and I traveled to Europe via Iceland and the British Isles, maybe taking a river tour along the Rhine/Danube. I definitely hope that I've spent my birthday (the Summer Solstice) under the northern lights, be it Alaska or Sweden! Hmmm, maybe those two will have to be in the 20 year plan! ; )

3. Do you play a musical instrument or play the stereo? Do you have a favorite genre of music? If so, what is it and what do you think draws you to it?

Well, I took piano lessons as young girl and again in high school for a year. I can pick out the right hand of some hymns or Primary songs. I really want a piano in our home so I can take lessons again and my children can learn, too. Then my answer to this question would be a simple, "I play the piano." : )

I've always liked classical music and enjoyed it even more after taking a Music 101 course in college. I've always absorbed music from the people around me: my siblings, college roommates, my husband's 70's taste of rock/pop/folk. Artists that are on my iPod playlists: Cat Steven's, Neil Diamond, Tom Petty, Peter Breinholt, Enya, David Copeland, various Classical composers, Van Morrison, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Elizabeth Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, Elton John, Norah Jones, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springstein, etc. A large part of my music listening is dictated by my 3 year old: the songs of Janeen Brady and Elizabeth Mitchell. Almost daily I "get" to hear "We Are Going to Gramma's House", my daughter's all time fave.

I guess I rambled on a bit there. I'd say folk is the genre that most draws me in. I like simple vocals with guitar, nothing twangy. I like the harmony of Indigo Girls and Simon&Garfunkel, artists I can sing along to easily. I have a knack for not hearing the right lyrics and coming up with my own strange ideas. Some classic Hollyisms: "Reverend Blue Jeans" (Forever in Blue Jeans by Neil Diamond); The interlude line in ChumbaWamba's popular song in '97: "Kissing the Night Away" (rather than relieving yourself after too much drinking); The Boxer (I am just a poor boy...) by S&G: "Asking only workman's wages I come looking for a job, but I get no offers, just a come on from the warzone on 7th Avenue..." (rather than hores). I like to think I'm not alone in these, but sometimes I feel seriously inept that I can't listen better.

Anyway, I think I've answered this question to death. I'll just add that I love it when I catch the NPR Song of the Day. If it's something I like I always tell myself that I'll check the website when I get home, but of course I never do.

4. Describe something that you experienced that made today unique.

Umh, I finished reading The Secret Life of Bees. That's 5 books this month. I can't remember the last time I read more than 3 books in a month. Not sure what got in to me, but I suppose I should look around and figure out what I've been neglecting since the time had to come from somewhere!

5. How do you respond when you get put on hold? Do you see it as a necessary evil and wait patiently, does it drive you insane, or something in between?

My first response is wait patiently and hope for the best. It all depends on who I'm calling and what it's about. If it's for information or a request I tend to not get that worked up. If it's a complaint and/or involves money I am much pricklier. I hate it when it goes that way. I usually try to go into the phone call with a positive attitude and hate it when I lose my cool and get impatient or mean about it. If there's ever the chance to leave my number and be automatically called back I take it in a heartbeat. I'm much more pleasant when the call comes through that way.



Want some questions of your own? Leave me a comment saying, "interview me!" and I will respond by e-mailing you five questions (if your email is not on your profile, email me your desire to be interviewed so I know your address). I get to pick them, and you have to answer them all. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Our Memorial Day Weekend

Matt enjoyed a well deserved fishing trip to western Maryland leading up to the weekend. Saturday when he was back we had dinner at Ledo's Pizza in Laurel. Yum-my. We went early enough that the kids weren't crazy and left before any major incidents, aside from the usual sugar package dumping, crayon chewing and food on the floor. Sunday was laid back and Monday we spent around the house, mostly fixing some yummy picnic type food. It was one of those days where I'd envisioned a family outing to a parade or park or something special but reality never played out. By the time the food was prepared (we opted for dinner) it seemed too late to go anywhere when our backyard was close and convenient. This caused some emotional/hormonal turmoil for me, realizing the day was ending without it being anything amazing. After I vented and tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to explain how I felt to Matt and figure out why I was so upset, the weirdness passed and we had a lovely little dinner of potato salad, chicken sandwiches and watermelon. And later strawberry shortcake for dessert. Yum. We failed to get a full family shot per my mother's request, we'll try later on this week!

Knitting a Scarf: Week 1

After a week of knitting I'm totally hooked. I love that I can do it outside while the kids are playing without feeling annoyed by interruptions, as when I'm reading a book. I feel productive when I'm in situations where I'm just listening. I even managed to watch most of a James Bond movie with my husband while knitting. It was slow going and I'm sure I made a few more mistakes than otherwise. And I wouldn't try it with a TV show or movie I was way into. But for something that I can look up from and pause frequently it's great! And yes, there were a couple of nights I actually chose knitting in bed rather than reading before I fell asleep, but that was only the first day or two I think. I love that I can do it for 15-20 minute intervals and not feel "deprived" when I need to put it down. I don't know why it took me this long to find such a hobby!

My big accomplishment for my one week mark is that I finished the entire first ball of yarn! I knitted in to my second one. We'll see if this next week is as productive as my first. I kind of doubt it, but we'll see. I suppose this post is a bit of "praise to me" but I just wanted to share my enthusiasm.

Bank Theft

Friday after a morning of walking and playgroup time with a friend, I stopped at the bank to deposit a check. The nice teller at the drive-thru returned the tube with two lollipops. I smiled my thanks and gave the kids their treats before driving off, keeping a close eye on Henry since I'd never actually given him a hard candy lollipop before. He did fine. Evalyn actually licked hers rather than chomping it to pieces.

Five minutes later I pulled in the driveway and turned to grab the diaper bag only to discover the plastic tube from the bank drive-thru on my passenger seat!! I groaned and laughed out loud, thankful that the bank wasn't that far away. As I drove back down the road to return the stolen property I wondered how often they have to replace these tubes because of absent minded people like me. Of course there was already a replacement tube in the slot when I pulled up, so I just added mine and sent them both on their way, smiling a bit sheepishly as I explained myself to the teller (the other one must have gone on break).

The Garden is Planted

A bit later than I'd originally planned, but we finally have vegetables in the newly fenced in garden area. It cost bit more since I hadn't started anything from seed, one step at a time though...

Since we had an "extra" day with our shortened camping trip, we took advantage of the gorgeous weather to work in the yard. While Henry napped and Matt cut the grass, Evalyn and I ventured to Meadows Farms and bought flowers and veggies. It was a lovely morning with sunshine and light breezes. Evalyn wanted to put all the pink flowers she came across in the wagon. She was overly helpful at every stop. Unfortunately, their herb section was lacking in basil and parsley. So we stopped in at Lowe's later that day on another errand.

Last spring I started a perennial bed with the help of my mom. Sadly a few of my favorites didn't make it. So I got to pick out a new Coreopsis, Dianthus, and replaced a "whirling butterfly" (Gaura) with some Bee Balm. I also added some Dahlias and Zinnias, even though they're annuals, I've never grown them before and figured this was as good a spot as any! : )


For the vegetables I scaled back our 4 tomato plants last year to just 2, and planted some peas and carrots from seed, 2 cucumber plants, 2 zucchini squashes, 4 cantaloupes and a watermelon. Matt planted some corn that will hopefully come up soon. We were hoping for our own pumpkin, but ran out of room. Maybe next year....

Garden

A Knitting Lesson

I think I'm hooked. My friend Kellie came by yesterday for lunch and a knitting lesson. We actually hadn't met before in person but knew each other through our online book group, the Sequestered Nook, and our blogs. It was great meeting in person and getting to know eachother more. She is an avid knitter and I've always wanted to try it out. So she brought several yarns for me to choose from. They were all beautiful but the fuzzy acrylic wool (I think) in shades of warm reds and oranges appealed to me for a scarf and hat. Although the blue in a similar variegated shade was a close second.

Kellie is an excellent teacher and made me feel like each row I did and little things I figured out were great feats. The yarn is very forgiving and I'm so excited for the finished product, albeit weeks away, I'm sure! I'm excited to learn to knit my own socks, too! And of course some cute baby accessories....

My kids really liked her, too. When Kellie pulled out her balls of yarn Evalyn eagerly handled them. Kellie asked what Evalyn wanted to make with it. "A kitty" was her smiling reply. What a cutie!

Jane Austen Quiz

Take the Quiz here!

This quiz was highly diverting. Thanks, Corinne for including it on your blog! The description makes it sound like I bragged myself through the quiz, but I just tried answering accurately based on the choices.... have fun! (Oh, and I had to Google most of the actresses to know who they were, I'm terrible at names to faces in this regard : ] )

Ode to Cal Tort

Our family's favorite place to eat out is California Tortilla, or Cal Tort, as we affectionately say. We love their burritos, Matt's usual is the Crunchy BBQ Ranch. Of late I like the plain Black Bean and Cheese. For the kids we get a side of black beans and rice with 2 small tortillas and water in the kids cups. And we always get the combo with Chips and Queso, or cheese sauce as Evalyn calls it. This is her favorite part of the meal: CHEESE SAUCE. When we tell her we're going to Cal Tort for lunch/dinner she says "And we're going to get cheese sauce!" with the biggest grin on her sweet face.

Eating in is preferred to take out for many reasons. The best is that the messy beans and rice stay on the restaurant floor and not ours. You get to hear the latest British metal bands on the piped in music, as well as the best of the 90's. Free refills. High chairs and boosters. And the Crunchy BBQ Ranch burrito is still crunchy and the chips still hot. Our family of four can eat out for under 16 bucks. Woo hoo! Besides, it feels good to support a local DC Metro chain as opposed to McDonald's or Wendy's. Plus I'm pretty sure it's a lot healthier!

Good News

It turns out the customer service actually comes through sometimes! The message I left on Friday with Wenzel Co. seeking replacement parts for our tent was actually heard and responded to! I received a very cheerful call from a girl asking my model number. After consulting my owner's manual stowed in it's proper notebook "Camping and Travel Manuals" we identified the broken parts and she gave me a quote of $52.57 for a replacement frame. Yay! We will get to camp in it again! And it's cheaper than buying another tent!

The Foiled Camping Trip

On Thursday morning we packed up the car and headed to Assateague State Park with some friends to camp on the beach until Saturday. We had a blast last summer when we went, but only stayed one night. This time we planned ahead, even reserving the same spots as before since we liked how set back they were. By the time we drove the 3.5-4 hours there and set up camp we were really looking forward to staying more than one night. Sadly, Mother Nature had other plans.

The weather forecasted partly cloudy skies with some winds 10-20MPH, nothing outrageous, and a slight chance of showers both days. Not perfect camping weather but not terrible either. We arrived late in the afternoon and our first disappointment was the campsites. There was piles of sticks and chunks of asphalt everywhere. We had to pitch our tents much further away than we would've otherwise and were constantly tripping on the debris. Later a park policeman said that they have to bring in dirt to build up "some" of the campsites. We looked around at the vacant debris-free sites nearby and wondered why they failed to mention this to us at check-in....

After getting the tents up we went right into dinner prep. Hot dogs for the kids and dutch oven chicken with grilled veggies for the grown-ups. I love cooking with the dutch oven. It never ceases to amaze me how little effort it takes to have flawless mouthwatering meals that are super easy to clean-up when you line the pot with heavy duty foil. Perfect camping food!

Everything takes longer when you're camping. Especially bedtime. Even though the kids were beat from all their rambunctious playing and running around, it still took more than an hour to get them to sleep. By that time we grown-ups were so tired that our long-awaited chat and relax time around the roaring campfire was reduced to some small talk as we scattered the embers and tried to keep warm against the rising wind. Matt and I finally crawled into the tent around 11 exhausted and eager to sleep. But sleep didn't come. The wind rattled and blew and snapped at the tent, not a soothing swaying breeze that can sometimes be lulling. This was a "will the tent collapse and carry us all away??" kind of wind. Amazingly the kids slept throught it all: Henry in his Pack n Play and Evalyn in her new sleeping bag. I was very comfy in my mummy sack and new air mattress, but the wind! I could not sleep a wink.

It reminded me of the night I camped in the dessert with a group of Honor's students at BYU my freshman year. It was an overnight field trip to look at fossils, geology and cacti in the San Rafael Rise area of central/eastern Utah. Exquisite beauty. But it was so windy that I kept drifting off to nightmares of my little pup tent collapsing and suffocating me to death. Finally around 4AM I left the tent and sat on a rise a little ways from camp. I watched the stars and absolute darkness of the dessert shapes grow more distinct as the sky lightened. It was a magical spiritual morning for me.

Back to Assateague: by 5AM when I stepped out for a bathroom break, the tent was all but collapsed on two sides. Our friends' tent wasn't much better. Long story short: when the kids woke up around 6:30 we ate bagels and cream cheese and broke camp in blowing wind and light rain. Our tent suffered major casualties: 4 of the 6 door poles snapped in half, 2 of the 3 fiberglass poles were splintered and snapped, and the rain fly ripped when one of the poles snapped. With heavy tired hearts and cold fingertips that we pulled away from the campground. It was the first camping trip I ever remember where we had to leave early. We managed a couple of pictures from the dune above the water line; the wind was so strong that it was painful to stay outside of the car because of the blowing biting sand. Definitely NOT how we thought our weekend would turn out.

We stopped in Ocean City for a quick WARM breakfast. We hoped to walk along the boardwalk at least but were thwarted in this by a hot rod convention of sorts where cars were paraded down the actual boardwalk. We couldn't even cross safely.

By 1:30 that afternoon we were home and collapsed into bed. Fortunately the kids were still tired even with their nap in the car. Later that night we had our friends over for our previously planned dinner of homemade Mac and Cheese with the rest of the hot dogs. Then we all went home to sleep in our own beds. THE END.

Kind of a downer. Turns out that we probably can't replace the broken parts without it costing more than the tent itself, $70 from Costco 2 summers ago. That is if the company ever calls me back. Don't buy "Ridgeway by Kelty". It is not made by Kelty and they don't have any parts for it. The company that does make it won't answer their customer service line, but they do give you the option to leave a message. We'll see!

Here's some pictures of our adventure.

Assateague in May

Mother's Day Weekend (a little late in the recap)

I realized it's been almost a week since I posted last, so I figured I'd better say something! I've been wrapped up in reading Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China with every spare minute. Excellent excellent book!

On Saturday morning I went to a brunch at The Original Pancake House with some other moms to celebrate a friends upcoming birth. It is her 2nd and also a boy, so in lieu of a shower she suggested a morning out with breakfast and pedicures/manicures at a nearby salon. It was such a treat for everyone! We all brought favorite recipes as our gift to her, a few couldn't resist an outfit or toy, though ; ). It was a gorgeous morning and I felt very refreshed having had a meal out without children, great conversation and some alone window-shopping time afterwards. A great bonus for Mother's Day weekend.

The morning had a bit of a rocky start though: Matt had suggested hitting the plant sale at the nearby high school at 8AM before I left for my morning out. After loading the kids quickly into the van we realized the battery was completely dead. I couldn't even shift into neutral to back out of the carport! Fortunately the cables were long enough to reach Matt's truck that he had to drive onto the grass. I didn't think they'd reach across the carport railing AND two flower beds! Good to know for next time... (Evalyn had left the dome light on. Needless to say I've been extra vigilant about checking the last several days!)

After arriving in two cars at the plant sale (since I'd have to leave from there at this point) we realized neither of us had any cash and the plant sale would definitely not take debit! By the time we returned from getting cash there was only time to switch cars and send me on my way. Definitely the craziest hour of a Saturday morning we'd had in a while!

I was sad to have missed choosing some plants, but Matt made out very well. When I got home later that day he'd planted his selections and brightened our yard that much more. What a man!

The next morning Matt made breakfast and had a huge present and cards on the table for me. Evalyn was very excited for me to open them. (In fact, the day before she "accidentally" told me "We got you a special pillow!" so I had a hunch what it was.) I was so excited! A Tempur-pedic body pillow for my blossoming belly! It is quite comfy and I broke it in soon after arriving home from church later that day. : D Other than that I just read my book and relaxed in my hammock. A perfect Mother's Day, although I did feel a bit guilty indulging in ME so much rather than my children who made me a mother in the first place!

A Popsicle Day

It was humid today. Not too hot, but the house was stuffy. The kids were not playing well together. I was tired. Naptime ran short for some reason. By mid afternoon it was time for a quick Target run for diapers and the other essentials in our house: milk, bread, eggs, cheese, Ovaltine. And a snack: goldfish crackers this time.

Then I released my children to the backyard. I filled the "turtle" (formerly a sandbox that makes a fabulous wading pool) with water then returned inside to grab popsicles! Evalyn keeps asking for them but doesn't eat them. She'll lick it and ask me to eat it for her. I willingly oblige. This was the first time I gave one to Henry (since we were outside in swimwear). It was a blast. He really got into it.

While Evalyn was off splashing and filling containers, Henry and I sat at the patio table slurping and giggling together. He turned it around, licked it, set it down, picked it up, sucked on it. By the end when it was slushy and dripping he was a pro. Then we finished off two homemade popsicles I'd made in cups with Kool-Aid (we never drink it, but I'd purchased to make playdough). What a riot.

I had so much fun being a kid and reveling in the simple joy of being a mom laughing with my little boy on a warm afternoon. I eventually got to reading my book (which was part of my motivation for being outside) but only after wiping up my sticky face and fingers! Henry went on to play in the dirt: his popsicle streaked chest was soon caked in it. Wish I'd gotten a shot of that.

Farewell, Flowery Yellow Couch

I am a sentimentalist. Especially when it comes to "things" and letting go. I know I'm not alone in this. It's hard for me to get rid of stuff that has strong memories and/or is still useful, even though I'm not using it. I've been doing better in some ways. But Bulky Trash Day is still better called Head-butting Day in our house.

Of course I'm fine with getting rid of the busted AC that we knocked out of the house last week. And the splintered wood with nails sticking out, the broken plastic lawn chairs or rotted picket border fence that won't stick back in the ground anytime soon, no problems there. But the black composter?? As soon as Matt pulled out of the driveway this morning and I saw that he'd put it in the pile, I raced out in my slippers and put it in the carport. Hee hee hee. Even if I don't use it, I know I can sell it or Freecycle it. And the old wooden window sashes we had replaced 2 years ago I was given one more year to sell, create or make whatever it is I think they are good for. I keep saying "cold frame" or "wall hanging".

This brings me to the flowery yellow couch. I posted it on Freecycle, but no one wanted it. Then I forgot to arrange a pick-up with AmVets or Value Village to come get it. So it is out there now, awaiting pickup with a FREE sign on it. Although I don't think anyone will take it. It's old. It's covered in little kid stains and crumbs and accidents. The cat has clawed at one corner. It's cushions are faded and worn. But it's still useful. It's still comfy. If we didn't need a sleeper sofa for guests we'd still be using it, sad as that may be. I just hate the thought of it going to the Bulky Trash Dump when it is NOT trash but still useful. All because I didn't take the initiative to donate it when I had the time.

So to make myself feel better, I'm eulogizing it here. This is the couch my husband bought for $25, including delivery, when he was living in a shared house before we met. This is the couch we snuggled on when we dated and where friends sat when we hosted Sunday Dinners at Matt's. This is the couch that came with us to our first little apartment together and served as the guest bed. This is the couch that actually matched the 70's olive green seat covers on my dining set because the couch too, came from 1978. Countless family snapshots and pictures of daddy sleeping with the baby were taken on this couch. Of course these thoughts all came through me when we moved it down to the basement a few months ago, but it was still in our possession. Now it sits at the curb, it's long life as a couch over. Sigh. Farewell Flowery Yellow Couch. Maybe someone will still pick it up this morning before the trash man cometh....

We're having a......

After a very long session with the sonographer we finally found out what we're having. A Baby! Hee hee. Just kidding.

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Here's a picture to help you out.















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Did you guess a GIRL?? You're right! Did you notice the 'XX' in the upper left? The sonographer typed that on the screen. Before she could ask if we wanted to find out, I blurted: "It's a girl!" Matt was actually out of the room wrangling the kids at the moment of revelation. So I quizzed him when he came back in and he guessed girl. Evalyn had been saying that all along. Up until this week I'd been thinking girl, too. But this morning my guess would've been boy.

So, now we can get serious about names and all of Evalyn's cute girly things will get to be worn again by her little sister! We are so excited for our new family member. Tonight at bedtime when Daddy asked Evalyn what kind of baby Mommy was going to have she said "Green!". Umh, okay. Let's hope she's not!!

Caterpillars

Today Evalyn discovered caterpillars. From the moment we walked through the gate at the park and she spotted one on the ground, she was obsessed. She stopped in her tracks and picked it up. She was only momentarily distracted by the fun birthday party festivities and food before she was on her quest to find more caterpillars. We circled the playground until coming back to the entrance where an entire birch tree was covered in caterpillars. She was practically jumping up and down to hold them. "I want to hold FOUR Mommy!" (Four or Five is her number of choice lately for wanting a lot of something.)

She played by the caterpillars almost the entire time, stopping only to watch the presents get opened before running back to the tree and bushes. When Henry started getting into too much trouble and before any major meltdowns, we readied to leave. But Evalyn wasn't about to leave without taking a caterpillar with. It had been such a lovely playgroup and nice weather and happy children that I didn't want to spoil it. Plus she was so cute and earnest in her love of the fuzzy creepy things. So we took one home.

It survived the trip home in a ziploc baggie with leaves. It survived naptime in a cup with a plastic wrapped lid. Then we made a real home for it from a Mason jar and a strip of old mesh screen for a lid. And we added more leaves and sticks. Jadie the Cat was very interested in the whole project. It warmed my heart to have my little girl be so into discovering and exploring caterpillars. It's one of those things like drinking water or running around outside or digging in the dirt that should be an inalienable right for all kids.

Goodbye Ancient of Days AC Unit

When we bought our house, we were pleased to see an in-wall AC Unit upstairs that we imagined would cool our 2nd level nicely. Until we turned it on and realized it barely blew warm air yet alone cold. At least the previous owners left behind a window unit that fit and worked tolerably well. Within that first year we also replaced the old wood windows throughout the house. The only problem was the new windows were slightly smaller so the window unit no longer fit.

By this time we also realized that using the upstairs as a bedroom during the summer months was extremely unpractical and torturous: like sleeping in an oven while the downstairs rooms, though tiny, were iceboxes by comparison. So our poor guests, usually Matt's parents, were relegated to the upstairs and lots of fans when they came to visit. And we crammed ourselves back downstairs into closet-less bedrooms and the comfort of AC.

Then came last fall and the desire for more space. We moved our bedroom and the kids cribs upstairs, bought a used sleeper sofa and turned the 2 downstairs bedrooms into an office and playroom. Life was comfortable again. Of course we knew it would get hot again, but I think we both hoped that we would've relocated by then (our constant delusion). This finally brings me to our activity late yesterday afternoon: removing the old wall AC unit. Our plan was to simply pull it out and frame in the slightly smaller window unit we'd purchased for our poorly insulated back room two summers ago.

Well, after unscrewing whatever screws we could find and putting the ladder against the house so Matt could push it in, we realized the strength of another man was required. Fortunately our good neighbor Ervind was available and willing. Between the two of them and me playing "gopher", the beast finally came out of the wall after many bangs of the sludgehammer. And last night, we slept in non-swealtering tranquility. Of course we still have to figure out how to frame it back in and reattach the sheathing on the outside of the house, but I don't think it's supposed to rain anytime soon except for a passing thunderstorm....

It was quite humorous last night after Matt and I realized we had a gaping hole in the side of our house right next to where our children slept. And bedtime was a mere 2 hours away. We quickly mobilized ordering a pizza for dinner, tag teaming watching the kids in the yard/giving baths and running up and down the stairs from the the basement to the attic nailing whatever scrapwood we could find to fill the hole and put the new unit in. It was much closer to 9 than 8 when the kiddies finally went to bed.