Thursday, November 30, 2006
Crunch Time
It's not even technically December and already I'm in crunch mode: craft crunch. Yet again, I'm determined to hand-make several Christmas gifts this year. Last year, for those who may recall, I made my sisters some fun black mittens with faux fur cuffs (crochet) and wine charms. They were well received.
This year, having been introduced into the world of knitting, I've decided to tackle hats. I know, booorrrriiinnggggg. Hats? Yes, hats. With cables. They're actually pretty cool looking, if I do say so myself. I'm using a pattern from this booklet from Leisure Arts, if anyone is interested. I just finished my first one and IT TURNED OUT PERFECT!! Sooo cute! It fits, first and foremost. Even the inside (wrong side) of the knitting looks respectable. I had to use circular knitting for the first time (fun!) as well as double-pointed needles and a cable needle. I think having years of crochet experience helps me do OK with knitting so quickly. At least, it can't hurt. I need to make at least 2 more hats - one for each sister (I'm the oldest of 4 girls, so I have 3 sisters). But don't feel bad for my sisters for getting just a lame hat for Christmas, oh no. I also scored cute microfleece zip-front hoodies for each of them as well. Target had them on sale post-Thanksgiving and I got there in time to have a choice of colors and sizes. They were each under $10. That's right: $9.88 each. And Oregon doesn't have sales tax - whoopee! So I could afford to get them each a fun little jacket AND make them a hat to match (sort of). I think that will be nice, don't you? But wait! There's more! I'm also giving serious consideration to making them beaded necklaces to boot. By crocheting with wire, no less. I've done a few and they look fantastic. I snagged a bunch of beads at Michaels and JoAnn's on Black Friday, so I have a full stash to pull from. And if I can get the hats done, I just might.
But it will all have to be on hold for a day or two because I need to put the knitting needles down and pick up my cookbook instead: I have two - count 'em, two - cookie exchanges to bake for. The first one is tomorrow. But that's the fun one because it's the annual Girls Night Cookie Exchange with my girlfriends, and it's usually a blast. So I have that to look forward to. Except that making the cookies will SUCK - my kitchen is still all torn up. And who likes to cook in a demolition site? Not me. That's why this year I'm going with no-bake cookies. A blast from my past, if you will. My all-time favorite Christmas cookies from my childhood: Cathedral Cookies. Have you had them? They seriously kick ass. You can find the recipe online if you search for Cathedral Cookies. Do it - you won't be sorry.
So that's what is going to be keeping me busy all month. It's crunch time. Time to create like a fiend. But I love it and look forward to giving my family treasures that I made for them with my own two hands. It's simply more special than running out and buying something. At least, I think so.
Is anyone else making gifts this year? I'd love to hear about them as I'm always open to new ideas. Share!
This year, having been introduced into the world of knitting, I've decided to tackle hats. I know, booorrrriiinnggggg. Hats? Yes, hats. With cables. They're actually pretty cool looking, if I do say so myself. I'm using a pattern from this booklet from Leisure Arts, if anyone is interested. I just finished my first one and IT TURNED OUT PERFECT!! Sooo cute! It fits, first and foremost. Even the inside (wrong side) of the knitting looks respectable. I had to use circular knitting for the first time (fun!) as well as double-pointed needles and a cable needle. I think having years of crochet experience helps me do OK with knitting so quickly. At least, it can't hurt. I need to make at least 2 more hats - one for each sister (I'm the oldest of 4 girls, so I have 3 sisters). But don't feel bad for my sisters for getting just a lame hat for Christmas, oh no. I also scored cute microfleece zip-front hoodies for each of them as well. Target had them on sale post-Thanksgiving and I got there in time to have a choice of colors and sizes. They were each under $10. That's right: $9.88 each. And Oregon doesn't have sales tax - whoopee! So I could afford to get them each a fun little jacket AND make them a hat to match (sort of). I think that will be nice, don't you? But wait! There's more! I'm also giving serious consideration to making them beaded necklaces to boot. By crocheting with wire, no less. I've done a few and they look fantastic. I snagged a bunch of beads at Michaels and JoAnn's on Black Friday, so I have a full stash to pull from. And if I can get the hats done, I just might. But it will all have to be on hold for a day or two because I need to put the knitting needles down and pick up my cookbook instead: I have two - count 'em, two - cookie exchanges to bake for. The first one is tomorrow. But that's the fun one because it's the annual Girls Night Cookie Exchange with my girlfriends, and it's usually a blast. So I have that to look forward to. Except that making the cookies will SUCK - my kitchen is still all torn up. And who likes to cook in a demolition site? Not me. That's why this year I'm going with no-bake cookies. A blast from my past, if you will. My all-time favorite Christmas cookies from my childhood: Cathedral Cookies. Have you had them? They seriously kick ass. You can find the recipe online if you search for Cathedral Cookies. Do it - you won't be sorry.
So that's what is going to be keeping me busy all month. It's crunch time. Time to create like a fiend. But I love it and look forward to giving my family treasures that I made for them with my own two hands. It's simply more special than running out and buying something. At least, I think so.
Is anyone else making gifts this year? I'd love to hear about them as I'm always open to new ideas. Share!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Photos!
I'm so behind the times. It's pathetic, really. I just now decided to set up a Flickr account. I know! 'Bout time, right? Well, when you consider that we've been without a digital camera for months now, it's not like I'm overflowing with pictures to share. We're limited to our manual 35mm to capture these moments, and frankly, we don't drag that behemouth out much. Because it's big. And cumbersome. And a hassle. Plus there's the whole expense of film and then developing the film, and it takes us a long-ass time to go through a whole roll and then get it processed.
Please Santa, bring me a new digital camera this year! Even a super-cheap one, I don't care. Just make it work and allow me to take more frequent pictures of the kids because they're growing up so fast and I'm missing it! I've been a good girl this year, I promise. Thanks in advance, big guy.
And so, without further ado, I invite you to go here to see some semi-current photos of us. They go as far back as last spring, but mostly are from fall. Some good ones of the kids, including my new favorite of Lauren.
Please Santa, bring me a new digital camera this year! Even a super-cheap one, I don't care. Just make it work and allow me to take more frequent pictures of the kids because they're growing up so fast and I'm missing it! I've been a good girl this year, I promise. Thanks in advance, big guy.
And so, without further ado, I invite you to go here to see some semi-current photos of us. They go as far back as last spring, but mostly are from fall. Some good ones of the kids, including my new favorite of Lauren.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Open During Construction
This is the weekend. The weekend 6 months overdue. The weekend we FINALLY got started on the kitchen floor. You see, before we even moved into this house we lost the flooring in our back hallway due to dryrot. It was really pretty hardwood floor - the same as most of the flooring on our main level. But the insipid dryrot of the exterior seeped under the threshold of the back door and rotted out part of the subfloor in front of the door to our backyard, and even rotted out some of the hardwood flooring - from the bottom up. Sure, we noticed a little discoloration in front of the door, but presumed it was normal due to people/animals coming in with wet feet, etc. over the years. We were wrong. Oh so wrong. The entire back hallway had to be ripped up down to the subfloor to fix the rot, and we've been living with the hallway like that ever since. (note the top picture - it's of the hallway that has since been stripped of the hardwood floor down to the subfloor. The other two pictures are of rotted areas found elsewhere.)
We quickly came up with a plan. We decided we would put pretty tile flooring in that space rather than try to replace the hardwood and try to get it to match the rest of the hardwood. Which would have been costly and tricky. But tile would be good from a durability point of view since that hallway is the main coming and going point to the backyard. Plus, we could then also do the kitchen in the tile and get rid of the old linoleum in the kitchen (the hallway connects the kitchen to the stairs to the master bedroom). The tile we found was a do-it-yourself'er dream AND on clearance. So we bought it. Nearly 7 months ago. It's been stacked in my living room ever since (it's pulling double duty as a not-so-attractive end table in the corner. I almost don't notice it anymore.)
Here is the tile we purchased. We went with the lighter color - ignore the darker tile in the middle. We rejected that in favor of the lighter option.
So on Friday, the day following a lovely and delicious Thanksgiving feast, we got started on the demolition part. What an incredible mess! Mr. Chick took up the linoleum only to discover another layer of even older linoleum underneath (a faux brick style). He tried to get that off, but realized it wasn't necessary and it would come up with the underlayment. We needed to even get rid of the chip-board underlayment and go all the way down to the subfloor, like what is in the connecting hallway (for lots of reasons, but mostly because we feared further dry rot damage and the depth of the chip board underlayment was too thick to accommodate the tiles. They would sit too high where they meet up with the other flooring) But that chip-board crap wasn't coming up easily. It shredded with every attempt to pry it up. Our kitchen is a decent size, so there was a LOT of this to get up. Mr. Chick spent an entire day with a huge pry bar tool repeatedly thrusting, banging, jamming, pulling, cursing, and forcing that underlayment up. My job was keeping up with the clean-up element. We had to use a circular saw to cut into the floor and create smaller sections, supposedly easier to work with. Dust was/is everywhere. The underlayment came up in such small pieces. Seriously. Most of that floor came up in pieces that would fit in the palm of your hand. A big piece was one about the size of a piece of paper. We celebrated those. Those felt like progress.
A picture of our kitchen, right before we moved in. You can see it's a large-ish kitchen - lots of floor space (it goes back another 5 feet or so beyond the pantry on the left side - room for a desk - before you reach the edge and move into the dining/family room area and hardwood floor. The hallway in question extends off the right side (not seen in picture). The ugly ceiling fan will ultimately be replaced with drop pendant lights, we'll install knobs on the cabinets to dress them up a bit, and the walls will be painted a light sagey green to coordinate better with the tile floor.
We discovered that the cabinetry and island were installed on top of this chip board underlayment. So we have to remove it up to the edges and then try to get as close as we can in order to fit the new underlayment along the edges as tightly and level as possible. This is not easy. We don't want to damage the cabinetry. We also have to tackle a leveling issue. Our house has some slope-y areas where it settled over the years. Nothing major, but it's there. And with the tile we purchased (2 tiles pre-mounted on a board that fits tongue-in-groove with the next board) you must be perfectly level or you risk the tiles cracking. Oh yes, this is a FUN project.
So that's where things stand as of today: kitchen down to subfloor, a few rough edges along the cabinets to be dealt with, and having to figure out the best way to level the floor. Mr. Chick has done some reasearch and it seems we likely need to use this self-leveling mixture that we'll spread on the floor, but he's consulting with his buddy who works in flooring to confirm before taking the next step. So for the next week or so, my refridgerator sits in the hallway, blocking all passage and forcing us to go around, there are large sheets of chip board stacked in my dining area, buckets of debris in the kitchen and a huge pile of the large chunks in my garage, old linoleum heaped on my deck, and dust everywhere. The house feels very dirty and chaotic. We're trying to keep the kids out of the kitchen as much as possible, but that's not easy.
Aren't all DIY projects like this? You think it will be fairly simple and straightforward and can be done in a long weekend, but once you start you run into snags that delay and prolong everything. That's certainly the situation with this floor. One headache after another.
And did I mention? With the recent wind and rainstorms we've discovered that the area in the hallway in front of the door is still getting wet. The worthless contractor that we fired, but who fixed the rot (or so we thought...) didn't fix the cause of the rot in the first place. Water is still getting through under the threshold of that french door, and we're not sure why. Will a simple storm door fix the problem? Is it something bigger? Is the deck the cause? Who knows. But had we installed the floor immediately we wouldn't know that the problem still exists. So that's the silver lining.
Living through a remodel - even a minor one like this - sucks. The results afterwards will make it all worth it, but enduring the process is not fun. I'm not looking forward to renovating the upstairs bathroom at some point in the next year or so. DIY my ass!
We quickly came up with a plan. We decided we would put pretty tile flooring in that space rather than try to replace the hardwood and try to get it to match the rest of the hardwood. Which would have been costly and tricky. But tile would be good from a durability point of view since that hallway is the main coming and going point to the backyard. Plus, we could then also do the kitchen in the tile and get rid of the old linoleum in the kitchen (the hallway connects the kitchen to the stairs to the master bedroom). The tile we found was a do-it-yourself'er dream AND on clearance. So we bought it. Nearly 7 months ago. It's been stacked in my living room ever since (it's pulling double duty as a not-so-attractive end table in the corner. I almost don't notice it anymore.) 
Here is the tile we purchased. We went with the lighter color - ignore the darker tile in the middle. We rejected that in favor of the lighter option.
So on Friday, the day following a lovely and delicious Thanksgiving feast, we got started on the demolition part. What an incredible mess! Mr. Chick took up the linoleum only to discover another layer of even older linoleum underneath (a faux brick style). He tried to get that off, but realized it wasn't necessary and it would come up with the underlayment. We needed to even get rid of the chip-board underlayment and go all the way down to the subfloor, like what is in the connecting hallway (for lots of reasons, but mostly because we feared further dry rot damage and the depth of the chip board underlayment was too thick to accommodate the tiles. They would sit too high where they meet up with the other flooring) But that chip-board crap wasn't coming up easily. It shredded with every attempt to pry it up. Our kitchen is a decent size, so there was a LOT of this to get up. Mr. Chick spent an entire day with a huge pry bar tool repeatedly thrusting, banging, jamming, pulling, cursing, and forcing that underlayment up. My job was keeping up with the clean-up element. We had to use a circular saw to cut into the floor and create smaller sections, supposedly easier to work with. Dust was/is everywhere. The underlayment came up in such small pieces. Seriously. Most of that floor came up in pieces that would fit in the palm of your hand. A big piece was one about the size of a piece of paper. We celebrated those. Those felt like progress.
A picture of our kitchen, right before we moved in. You can see it's a large-ish kitchen - lots of floor space (it goes back another 5 feet or so beyond the pantry on the left side - room for a desk - before you reach the edge and move into the dining/family room area and hardwood floor. The hallway in question extends off the right side (not seen in picture). The ugly ceiling fan will ultimately be replaced with drop pendant lights, we'll install knobs on the cabinets to dress them up a bit, and the walls will be painted a light sagey green to coordinate better with the tile floor.
We discovered that the cabinetry and island were installed on top of this chip board underlayment. So we have to remove it up to the edges and then try to get as close as we can in order to fit the new underlayment along the edges as tightly and level as possible. This is not easy. We don't want to damage the cabinetry. We also have to tackle a leveling issue. Our house has some slope-y areas where it settled over the years. Nothing major, but it's there. And with the tile we purchased (2 tiles pre-mounted on a board that fits tongue-in-groove with the next board) you must be perfectly level or you risk the tiles cracking. Oh yes, this is a FUN project.
So that's where things stand as of today: kitchen down to subfloor, a few rough edges along the cabinets to be dealt with, and having to figure out the best way to level the floor. Mr. Chick has done some reasearch and it seems we likely need to use this self-leveling mixture that we'll spread on the floor, but he's consulting with his buddy who works in flooring to confirm before taking the next step. So for the next week or so, my refridgerator sits in the hallway, blocking all passage and forcing us to go around, there are large sheets of chip board stacked in my dining area, buckets of debris in the kitchen and a huge pile of the large chunks in my garage, old linoleum heaped on my deck, and dust everywhere. The house feels very dirty and chaotic. We're trying to keep the kids out of the kitchen as much as possible, but that's not easy.
Aren't all DIY projects like this? You think it will be fairly simple and straightforward and can be done in a long weekend, but once you start you run into snags that delay and prolong everything. That's certainly the situation with this floor. One headache after another.
And did I mention? With the recent wind and rainstorms we've discovered that the area in the hallway in front of the door is still getting wet. The worthless contractor that we fired, but who fixed the rot (or so we thought...) didn't fix the cause of the rot in the first place. Water is still getting through under the threshold of that french door, and we're not sure why. Will a simple storm door fix the problem? Is it something bigger? Is the deck the cause? Who knows. But had we installed the floor immediately we wouldn't know that the problem still exists. So that's the silver lining.
Living through a remodel - even a minor one like this - sucks. The results afterwards will make it all worth it, but enduring the process is not fun. I'm not looking forward to renovating the upstairs bathroom at some point in the next year or so. DIY my ass!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Testing...Testing...1-2-3
Craigslist.org is my new best friend. Have I mentioned that before? Well, I'm digging it. Yesterday, a quick look revealed a post in my town asking for young boys who wear shoe sizes of 13 or 3.5. Nicholas wears a size 12 or 13, depending on the shoe. This posting was saying they needed kids to test these new shoes for a few weeks, share your opinions of the shoe, and get paid $25 for your effort. Now, I recognize that $25 isn't much money, but it's a Christmas present, if nothing else, and every little bit helps. Plus, Nicholas will get to wear some new shoes for a bit and give his everyday sneakers a much-needed break. He pretty much wears the same shoes every.damn.day, so they're already showing some hard wear after just a couple of months.
So I called. They asked me to come down and get him fitted. We went. The shoes fit fine.
They're cool-looking basketball shoes, which strikes me as sort of funny because Nicholas is on the short side for his age and has never played basketball. He's never worn basketball shoes nor has he ever asked to. But he's excited about his "borrowed" shoes. They're black leather with white accents and little hints of red here and there. Semi-hightop, lace up shoes. From Converse. That's about all I can say about them because we're sworn to secrecy. This is top secret stuff we're doing, apparently. Only a small trial run of these shoes were made for testing, and based on the surveys and analysis of the wear patterns, changes will be made before full production and roll out of these shoes.
We have to wear them for only 3 weeks, and we don't keep the keep then when we're finished with the test period. I'm not exactly sure how much wear and tear there will be after just 3 weeks, but whatever - it's their test. We're not supposed to be "careful" with them. Wear them just as we would regular, everyday shoes.
Nicholas was pretty excited to wear his new shoes to school today. He commented to me just before getting on the bus this morning whether Bus Driver Don would notice them (he didn't). He fully understands that he doesn't get to keep them, but that what he thinks about them is important. After he tells "the people in charge" what he thought about the shoes, they'll make "thousands" of them for other kids. That is big stuff in his eyes. I'm giving consideration that Nicholas should get the $25 after the test and use it to buy a present or two for Christmas. Something he could pick out for Lauren, maybe. He IS doing all the work, after all.
So all of you out there with boys - keep on the lookout for new black basketball shoes from Converse coming to a store near you in the next couple of months. Then think of us - we had a hand in making sure they are good, solid, comfortable shoes for your sons.
So I called. They asked me to come down and get him fitted. We went. The shoes fit fine.
They're cool-looking basketball shoes, which strikes me as sort of funny because Nicholas is on the short side for his age and has never played basketball. He's never worn basketball shoes nor has he ever asked to. But he's excited about his "borrowed" shoes. They're black leather with white accents and little hints of red here and there. Semi-hightop, lace up shoes. From Converse. That's about all I can say about them because we're sworn to secrecy. This is top secret stuff we're doing, apparently. Only a small trial run of these shoes were made for testing, and based on the surveys and analysis of the wear patterns, changes will be made before full production and roll out of these shoes.
We have to wear them for only 3 weeks, and we don't keep the keep then when we're finished with the test period. I'm not exactly sure how much wear and tear there will be after just 3 weeks, but whatever - it's their test. We're not supposed to be "careful" with them. Wear them just as we would regular, everyday shoes.
Nicholas was pretty excited to wear his new shoes to school today. He commented to me just before getting on the bus this morning whether Bus Driver Don would notice them (he didn't). He fully understands that he doesn't get to keep them, but that what he thinks about them is important. After he tells "the people in charge" what he thought about the shoes, they'll make "thousands" of them for other kids. That is big stuff in his eyes. I'm giving consideration that Nicholas should get the $25 after the test and use it to buy a present or two for Christmas. Something he could pick out for Lauren, maybe. He IS doing all the work, after all.
So all of you out there with boys - keep on the lookout for new black basketball shoes from Converse coming to a store near you in the next couple of months. Then think of us - we had a hand in making sure they are good, solid, comfortable shoes for your sons.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Bendy and Strong
Today was Lauren's first ever gymnastics class at the YMCA. There were just 2 little girls in the class today: Lauren and the instructors daughter, also 3 years old. Lauren was given a sparkly leotard for her birthday in anticipation of this class, and she wore it proudly today (although, my tomboy daughter firmly told me, in no uncertain terms, that she did NOT like the sparkles. At least I don't have to get up to my eyeballs in princess and Barbie crap this Christmas, right?)
I was the lone observing parent, but I was enthralled watching Lauren. She was so damn cute I was nearly bursting out of my skin. The teacher had the girls sit on these little circles for stretching, and Lauren was just beaming. Smiling the whole time, just happy to have a teacher and eager to play. Of course, I had to act as an interpreter a couple of times when Lauren would say something random and the teacher couldn't understand her, but that's a different story. ("I have sparkles on my pants", which sounded like "I hah partles on mah pants", and making the Spiderman web-slinging fingers out of the blue and announcing "I was Spiderman for my birthday", which sounded more like "I wah Piderman for mah birday". I could be confusing to the uninitiated of Lauren-speak.)
Lauren did a decent job of listening to her teacher and doing what was asked. They practiced sommersaults, forwards and backwards. They did some jumping and balance stuff. Lauren was giddy and couldn't stop hopping or jumping or simply moving. But she was able, despite her body being constantly in motion, to balance a bean bag on her foot and go from a sit to a stand without it falling off. And she could walk across the mat with the bean bag on her head without it dropping. Pretty good, I'd say! They got to dance with some ribbons, which she enjoyed very much, and did a few things on the high bar - mostly hanging from it. Which is where Lauren excels - in strength stuff. She's freakishly strong. She could jump up and grab the bar and then just hang there like it was no big thing. Sometimes dropping one hand and dangling from the other only to then re-grab the bar like she's a born monkey. And I wish I had her ab strength - she could be hanging from the bar and then just lift her legs and hold them up like she was sitting down instead of hanging from a bar. It was impressive.
Lauren is such a sweet little girl. She's fearless and will try just about anything (other than most foods, that is). She's eager to tell you things that are important to her, and usually has a smile on her face. And when she's not happy, it's usually short-lived. Tomorrow she starts a new session of swimming lessons, having advanced to the next level. My little fish. I'm doing what I can to channel some of her energy and let her experience fun new things. She's a very willing spirit so we'll keep going for as long as we can.
All in all I was very happy with this little gymnastics class. It will be good for her. It's not fancy or sophisticated, but it doesn't need to be: she's only 3. This is something just for her - nothing her brother is doing also. Just Lauren. And I'm relishing it. I love watching her. Her little body is so perfect and strong. Watching her try something new and not be scared to fail is very cool. Watching her be brave is very cool. Watching her look to me for reinforcement is almost magical. It just struck me that she's so young and trusting right now but won't be for long. I need to really pay attention and soak it up now. And I am. I really am. I loved how she would give me a exuberant thumbs up from across the room after she did something. I loved how she looked very proud of herself after she did something new and earned praise from her teacher. And I especially loved how she gave me a big hug when class was over and held my hand as we left the gym all the way until we got to the car.
She's a sweet, sweet girl and I'm very lucky to have her. My bendy and strong daughter.
I was the lone observing parent, but I was enthralled watching Lauren. She was so damn cute I was nearly bursting out of my skin. The teacher had the girls sit on these little circles for stretching, and Lauren was just beaming. Smiling the whole time, just happy to have a teacher and eager to play. Of course, I had to act as an interpreter a couple of times when Lauren would say something random and the teacher couldn't understand her, but that's a different story. ("I have sparkles on my pants", which sounded like "I hah partles on mah pants", and making the Spiderman web-slinging fingers out of the blue and announcing "I was Spiderman for my birthday", which sounded more like "I wah Piderman for mah birday". I could be confusing to the uninitiated of Lauren-speak.)
Lauren did a decent job of listening to her teacher and doing what was asked. They practiced sommersaults, forwards and backwards. They did some jumping and balance stuff. Lauren was giddy and couldn't stop hopping or jumping or simply moving. But she was able, despite her body being constantly in motion, to balance a bean bag on her foot and go from a sit to a stand without it falling off. And she could walk across the mat with the bean bag on her head without it dropping. Pretty good, I'd say! They got to dance with some ribbons, which she enjoyed very much, and did a few things on the high bar - mostly hanging from it. Which is where Lauren excels - in strength stuff. She's freakishly strong. She could jump up and grab the bar and then just hang there like it was no big thing. Sometimes dropping one hand and dangling from the other only to then re-grab the bar like she's a born monkey. And I wish I had her ab strength - she could be hanging from the bar and then just lift her legs and hold them up like she was sitting down instead of hanging from a bar. It was impressive.
Lauren is such a sweet little girl. She's fearless and will try just about anything (other than most foods, that is). She's eager to tell you things that are important to her, and usually has a smile on her face. And when she's not happy, it's usually short-lived. Tomorrow she starts a new session of swimming lessons, having advanced to the next level. My little fish. I'm doing what I can to channel some of her energy and let her experience fun new things. She's a very willing spirit so we'll keep going for as long as we can.
All in all I was very happy with this little gymnastics class. It will be good for her. It's not fancy or sophisticated, but it doesn't need to be: she's only 3. This is something just for her - nothing her brother is doing also. Just Lauren. And I'm relishing it. I love watching her. Her little body is so perfect and strong. Watching her try something new and not be scared to fail is very cool. Watching her be brave is very cool. Watching her look to me for reinforcement is almost magical. It just struck me that she's so young and trusting right now but won't be for long. I need to really pay attention and soak it up now. And I am. I really am. I loved how she would give me a exuberant thumbs up from across the room after she did something. I loved how she looked very proud of herself after she did something new and earned praise from her teacher. And I especially loved how she gave me a big hug when class was over and held my hand as we left the gym all the way until we got to the car.
She's a sweet, sweet girl and I'm very lucky to have her. My bendy and strong daughter.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Crumbs On The Floor Of Life
I'm feeling a bit scattered lately, so this might be all over the map. First: TGIF! Finally, the weekend is here. Well, almost here. Still have to get through today. But the best part? I'm having my girlfriends over tonight for Wine & Dessert Night. I've been desperately craving some socializing time lately, so this is exactly what I need. And as a bonus, since it's at my house, I don't have to worry about driving home and can get my drink on! It's been a hard week and I really want to let my hair down and have some fun with my friends.
The kids are driving me CRAZY. Seriously. I nearly dissolved into a puddle of tears a couple of times yesterday. I'm OTR, so I"m hormonal - a big contributing factor to the "I'm losing my shit" sensation. And the kids have had minor colds - another big contributing factor in my desire to kick their butts into next week and just be done with it already. Geez! We haven't exactly been gelling well over here. Lots of tension on my part. Too much yelling (me), not enough listening (them), and too much fighting (all of us). It's been really unpleasant, frankly.
Nicholas has been copping a very major "know it all" attitude that just rubs me the wrong way. Gah! He just assumes he can do something because he's seen us to do and feels he knows how. Whether or not he should do it, or is allowed to do it, doesn't factor in to his wee 5 yr old brain. Like when he decided to make himself breakfast. Which is a good thing, right? Most of the time I'd be down with it, but he was making himself a fried egg. He fully expected to be able to pull a stool up to the stove, turn the burner on, and crack the egg into the pan all by himself because I let him HELP me do it the day before. He conveniently forgot the part about him not being allowed to touch the stove.... and THEN he had the gall to get all huffy and indignant and downright pissed off when I told him in no uncertain terms was he to be touching, using, turning on the stove period. "But MooommmMM (ah, my ears! they bleed with the whining!) I can do it! I'll be careful. See? You just put the pan here and turn this knob that says "front" to here, put in some butter until it's melted, and ..." NO! Step away from the stove. Now. Followed by angry and frustrated harumphs and grumbles and door slamming. Oh yes, it's been a real party. He's been a real shit towards his sister, too, with a never-ending barrage of taunts and teases. Lots of "nah nah nah" stuff that is the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard to me.
And Lauren's no princess these days, either. She's been resorting to physical hitting to retaliate against Nicholas. She's bitched-slapped him more than once (which he might have had coming, but I can't allow it anyway. Damn), which makes my overly-dramatic son start screaming like a banshee, even though he started it. Then the fighting really starts and I end up with two screaming and crying kids that I have to separate. God, it's exhausting and I'm tired of it.
I've been feeling isolated and trapped. Mr. Chick has been gone an awful lot, so I'm lonely and on my own. Because of the ridiculous morning Kindergarten hours, there isn't a lot I can do in the morning with Lauren. So we're home most mornings until Nicholas gets back. Then we have something in the afternoon (swimming lessons, spanish class, working out, etc.), but that's for the kids and not exactly a fun social outing for me. It's not like I get to visit with people I know and are friends with. Then it's dinner and the kids are in bed by 7:30pm. Which means I'm now trapped at home all evening long. Just me and the tv. I'm bored. But because money is still pretty tight around here, it's not like I could just go out and do something different even if I could leave. So home I stay.
But I've been checking out the job listings. I've dusted off my resume and have even applied to a few positions. Most of them want full-time, which I am NOT interested in, but I send in my resume anyway on the off-chance that they might be flexible. Part-time is the most I could consider. But there aren't a lot of professional-level part-time jobs in my field that pay enough to make it worth it. I'd have to find a preschool/daycare program for Lauren (now that she's 3 I'm ok with considering it) and something for Nicholas after school as well. But working half-day mornings or something might be just the thing I need to perk me up. Bring in a few extra bucks and give me an outlet. I'm feeling ready. But it has to be a good opportunity for me to do it. I'm not going to take just any job if the conditions aren't right. As much as my kids are difficult right now, I'm not willing to just dump them somewhere for a mediocre job with no upside growth potential. It's gotta be something that would make it worth it to overcome the guilt.
So now I'm going to go tidy up for my party tonight. WooHoo! I'm SO looking forward to connecting with my friends again. I thought I'd be seeing them more frequently since moving back, but sadly, that isn't happening often enough. People are just busy with their lives and routines. I'm just as much to blame for it as anyone else. But when we can get together we make the most of it, so tonight should be a good time. Tomorrow may be a completely different story. Gotta be sure to have the Tylenol handy....
TGIF!
The kids are driving me CRAZY. Seriously. I nearly dissolved into a puddle of tears a couple of times yesterday. I'm OTR, so I"m hormonal - a big contributing factor to the "I'm losing my shit" sensation. And the kids have had minor colds - another big contributing factor in my desire to kick their butts into next week and just be done with it already. Geez! We haven't exactly been gelling well over here. Lots of tension on my part. Too much yelling (me), not enough listening (them), and too much fighting (all of us). It's been really unpleasant, frankly.
Nicholas has been copping a very major "know it all" attitude that just rubs me the wrong way. Gah! He just assumes he can do something because he's seen us to do and feels he knows how. Whether or not he should do it, or is allowed to do it, doesn't factor in to his wee 5 yr old brain. Like when he decided to make himself breakfast. Which is a good thing, right? Most of the time I'd be down with it, but he was making himself a fried egg. He fully expected to be able to pull a stool up to the stove, turn the burner on, and crack the egg into the pan all by himself because I let him HELP me do it the day before. He conveniently forgot the part about him not being allowed to touch the stove.... and THEN he had the gall to get all huffy and indignant and downright pissed off when I told him in no uncertain terms was he to be touching, using, turning on the stove period. "But MooommmMM (ah, my ears! they bleed with the whining!) I can do it! I'll be careful. See? You just put the pan here and turn this knob that says "front" to here, put in some butter until it's melted, and ..." NO! Step away from the stove. Now. Followed by angry and frustrated harumphs and grumbles and door slamming. Oh yes, it's been a real party. He's been a real shit towards his sister, too, with a never-ending barrage of taunts and teases. Lots of "nah nah nah" stuff that is the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard to me.
And Lauren's no princess these days, either. She's been resorting to physical hitting to retaliate against Nicholas. She's bitched-slapped him more than once (which he might have had coming, but I can't allow it anyway. Damn), which makes my overly-dramatic son start screaming like a banshee, even though he started it. Then the fighting really starts and I end up with two screaming and crying kids that I have to separate. God, it's exhausting and I'm tired of it.
I've been feeling isolated and trapped. Mr. Chick has been gone an awful lot, so I'm lonely and on my own. Because of the ridiculous morning Kindergarten hours, there isn't a lot I can do in the morning with Lauren. So we're home most mornings until Nicholas gets back. Then we have something in the afternoon (swimming lessons, spanish class, working out, etc.), but that's for the kids and not exactly a fun social outing for me. It's not like I get to visit with people I know and are friends with. Then it's dinner and the kids are in bed by 7:30pm. Which means I'm now trapped at home all evening long. Just me and the tv. I'm bored. But because money is still pretty tight around here, it's not like I could just go out and do something different even if I could leave. So home I stay.
But I've been checking out the job listings. I've dusted off my resume and have even applied to a few positions. Most of them want full-time, which I am NOT interested in, but I send in my resume anyway on the off-chance that they might be flexible. Part-time is the most I could consider. But there aren't a lot of professional-level part-time jobs in my field that pay enough to make it worth it. I'd have to find a preschool/daycare program for Lauren (now that she's 3 I'm ok with considering it) and something for Nicholas after school as well. But working half-day mornings or something might be just the thing I need to perk me up. Bring in a few extra bucks and give me an outlet. I'm feeling ready. But it has to be a good opportunity for me to do it. I'm not going to take just any job if the conditions aren't right. As much as my kids are difficult right now, I'm not willing to just dump them somewhere for a mediocre job with no upside growth potential. It's gotta be something that would make it worth it to overcome the guilt.
So now I'm going to go tidy up for my party tonight. WooHoo! I'm SO looking forward to connecting with my friends again. I thought I'd be seeing them more frequently since moving back, but sadly, that isn't happening often enough. People are just busy with their lives and routines. I'm just as much to blame for it as anyone else. But when we can get together we make the most of it, so tonight should be a good time. Tomorrow may be a completely different story. Gotta be sure to have the Tylenol handy....
TGIF!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Schweaty Balls
I LOVE this SNL skit - one of my all-time favorites. It was recently sent to me because 'tis the season for holiday baking. Enjoy!
I LOVE this SNL skit - one of my all-time favorites. It was recently sent to me because 'tis the season for holiday baking. Enjoy!
Monday, November 13, 2006
It Was A Dark And Stormy Night....
Oregon has been on the receiving end of some nasty weather for about the past week. Rain, rain, and more rain. Which, I know you're thinking, is normal - it's Oregon we're talking about. Land of the perpetual drizzle. Except this was different rain - heavier. More deluge-like. We got something like 7+ inches of rain in 4-5 days, and the people who live closer to the coast got much, much more. Lots of roads were washed out by mudslides, trees came down, streets were flooded and a few homes sited too close to swollen rivers washed away.
We live in an area with lots of trees. 100+ ft tall pines, mostly. I think there are at least 6 on my property alone. And they're lovely to look at. I like the trees (minus the crap they drop ALL.THE.TIME. Husks in the summer, needles and pinecones in the fall, deadwood in the winter - it's always SOMETHING clogging up our gutters and being tracked into the house.) But when you get hit with buttloads of rain for days on end, saturating the ground, and then a giant wind storm sweeps in like the one we got last night, living with the trees can be scary.
Last night was a mother of a wind storm. The weather people had all been giving dire warnings about it all weekend long. With the saturated ground there were lots of fears of falling trees that could crash into houses and/or take out powerlines, etc. All these "experts" were coming on to talk about how thinning big trees (like the ones we have) is good to do, but in winds like what was expected it would only make a nominal difference. Strong winds can topple even the sturdiest tree, blah blah blah. So we were nervous. We got the kids down and put in a movie (M:I:III). Every so often the wind would really start howling and we'd pause the movie and watch the trees sway in the wind, the whole time hoping that all the ones closest to our house were strong enough to stay standing. Those suckers can really move. It was freaky. The house was constantly pelted with falling crap. We'd hear all kinds of thuds and cracks as branches and other debris hit the roof. One hard enough that we felt it.
After the movie we went to check on the kids, as we normally do before going to bed ourselves. Lauren's bed was empty. Wha - ??! Our first thought was that she went to our room, which she has done in the past. But 3 seconds later we found out we were wrong - she wasn't in our room. Instead, she sought comfort from the storm from Nicholas: she was sleeping - on top of the covers - at the foot of his bed. Just her curled up with her blanket, happy with the little space she'd carved out for herself on her brothers bed. He seemed completely unaware of her presence. We didn't have the heart to move her so we covered her up, took a picture (because it was just too damn cute!), and went to bed ourselved. It was trippy and sort of sweet to think that Lauren took refuge in Nicholas's room instead of ours. Or even with us at all because she must have gone into his room while we were watching the movie, and normally if she wakes and hears us she'll come to us.
Not this time. This time it was her brother, not her mother, that she wanted.
And when I went to wake up Nicholas for school this morning, Lauren wasn't on his bed anymore. She'd gone back to her own bed at some point. Not our bed - her own. Which is exactly what we'd want her to do, and yet I couldn't help but feel a little wistful that she didn't come to me/us. I felt a smidge obsolete, suddenly. I guess she felt "any port in the storm".
And the storm? It blew over during the night, leaving a huge mess of debris all over the neighborhood. Everything is covered with wet needles and small branches. It feels icky outside, like nothing is clean. The trees near us are still intact and standing tall, but a neighbor 2 blocks over wasn't so lucky. A big tree in her yard split and part of it came crashing down, taking out a gutter, her fence, and her swing set. I guess she called the local news when it happened and they sent a truck out to her house at 4:30am to get video of the damage. I'm just glad to hear the damage was more significant and no one was hurt. And that it didn't happen to one of our trees.
We live in an area with lots of trees. 100+ ft tall pines, mostly. I think there are at least 6 on my property alone. And they're lovely to look at. I like the trees (minus the crap they drop ALL.THE.TIME. Husks in the summer, needles and pinecones in the fall, deadwood in the winter - it's always SOMETHING clogging up our gutters and being tracked into the house.) But when you get hit with buttloads of rain for days on end, saturating the ground, and then a giant wind storm sweeps in like the one we got last night, living with the trees can be scary.
Last night was a mother of a wind storm. The weather people had all been giving dire warnings about it all weekend long. With the saturated ground there were lots of fears of falling trees that could crash into houses and/or take out powerlines, etc. All these "experts" were coming on to talk about how thinning big trees (like the ones we have) is good to do, but in winds like what was expected it would only make a nominal difference. Strong winds can topple even the sturdiest tree, blah blah blah. So we were nervous. We got the kids down and put in a movie (M:I:III). Every so often the wind would really start howling and we'd pause the movie and watch the trees sway in the wind, the whole time hoping that all the ones closest to our house were strong enough to stay standing. Those suckers can really move. It was freaky. The house was constantly pelted with falling crap. We'd hear all kinds of thuds and cracks as branches and other debris hit the roof. One hard enough that we felt it.
After the movie we went to check on the kids, as we normally do before going to bed ourselves. Lauren's bed was empty. Wha - ??! Our first thought was that she went to our room, which she has done in the past. But 3 seconds later we found out we were wrong - she wasn't in our room. Instead, she sought comfort from the storm from Nicholas: she was sleeping - on top of the covers - at the foot of his bed. Just her curled up with her blanket, happy with the little space she'd carved out for herself on her brothers bed. He seemed completely unaware of her presence. We didn't have the heart to move her so we covered her up, took a picture (because it was just too damn cute!), and went to bed ourselved. It was trippy and sort of sweet to think that Lauren took refuge in Nicholas's room instead of ours. Or even with us at all because she must have gone into his room while we were watching the movie, and normally if she wakes and hears us she'll come to us.
Not this time. This time it was her brother, not her mother, that she wanted.
And when I went to wake up Nicholas for school this morning, Lauren wasn't on his bed anymore. She'd gone back to her own bed at some point. Not our bed - her own. Which is exactly what we'd want her to do, and yet I couldn't help but feel a little wistful that she didn't come to me/us. I felt a smidge obsolete, suddenly. I guess she felt "any port in the storm".
And the storm? It blew over during the night, leaving a huge mess of debris all over the neighborhood. Everything is covered with wet needles and small branches. It feels icky outside, like nothing is clean. The trees near us are still intact and standing tall, but a neighbor 2 blocks over wasn't so lucky. A big tree in her yard split and part of it came crashing down, taking out a gutter, her fence, and her swing set. I guess she called the local news when it happened and they sent a truck out to her house at 4:30am to get video of the damage. I'm just glad to hear the damage was more significant and no one was hurt. And that it didn't happen to one of our trees.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
And Then There Were 2
A few days ago Mr. Chick had to provide a (ahem) sample for his first post-vasectomy check to see if the river has been successfully dammed. Believe it or not, obtaining such a sample is not the easiest thing to do, as my services are required. It's a team sport here. But the pressure to perform and produce is, well, somewhat counter-productive for these types of sensitive things. And I thought all guys could just do it (*snap*) like that. Silly, ignorant me.
I couldn't help giggling and laughing at his obvious discomfort at having to do this. Completely laughing at his expense, which is oh-so-wrong of me. But it was funny, and so completely opposite of how things normally are. I couldn't help myself. Plus, it sort of eased the tension to laugh. I mean, if you can laugh when you're doing it, when can you laugh? Regardless of the inappropriate giggling, the necessary outcome was achieved and whisked off to the lab for analysis, tucked neatly under Mr. Chick's arm the entire drive in order to keep it warm. As the lab requested.
And today, they called with the results. Mr. Chick has..... wait for it..... 2 sperm left in circulation. 2. So they tell him to continue with the necessary precautions against pregnancy because he's not technically sterile. But 2? Don't you think out of the normally millions of swimmers a man produced in order to give pregnancy the best possible odds of happening, only having 2 is essentially sterile?
But I"m not taking any chances.
2 is 2 too many. I've heard too many stories of post-vasectomy babies. And so we'll continue to be cautious and repeat the fertility check in another month or so. By then, the count better be zero.
And really, 2-3 months post-snip is better than the woman I chatted with recently who confided in me that it took her husband 8 months before his count was zero.
I'll be happy with our measly 2.
I couldn't help giggling and laughing at his obvious discomfort at having to do this. Completely laughing at his expense, which is oh-so-wrong of me. But it was funny, and so completely opposite of how things normally are. I couldn't help myself. Plus, it sort of eased the tension to laugh. I mean, if you can laugh when you're doing it, when can you laugh? Regardless of the inappropriate giggling, the necessary outcome was achieved and whisked off to the lab for analysis, tucked neatly under Mr. Chick's arm the entire drive in order to keep it warm. As the lab requested.
And today, they called with the results. Mr. Chick has..... wait for it..... 2 sperm left in circulation. 2. So they tell him to continue with the necessary precautions against pregnancy because he's not technically sterile. But 2? Don't you think out of the normally millions of swimmers a man produced in order to give pregnancy the best possible odds of happening, only having 2 is essentially sterile?
But I"m not taking any chances.
2 is 2 too many. I've heard too many stories of post-vasectomy babies. And so we'll continue to be cautious and repeat the fertility check in another month or so. By then, the count better be zero.
And really, 2-3 months post-snip is better than the woman I chatted with recently who confided in me that it took her husband 8 months before his count was zero.
I'll be happy with our measly 2.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Get The Vote Out
I'm not going to stand on my soapbox and try to tell or convince you how you should vote in these elections, but I WILL tell you that you MUST VOTE. Period. There is NO EXCUSE for not voting. None. You have to live in a cave on a deserted island to not see/hear a gazillion political ads on TV and radio. You have heard the arguments for and against the various measures for months now. You surely have an opinion, even if it's semi-uninformed and based strictly on biased advertising. Right??!!! Not to mention, we live in a democracy, and that requires a little effort from you to work.
Here in Oregon, I would wager that most people vote by mail. And that makes it EVEN EASIER to vote. No going to the polls. Simply voting in the comfort of your own home in your own time (hopefully BEFORE ballots are due, of course.) It took me less than an hour to sit with the fat voting pamplets (more like books) and read the summaries of the measures/candidates and the arguments in favor and in opposition. So what are you waiting for?? GO VOTE!
PS: (getting on soapbox momentarily) In Oregon, I strongly urge you to vote NO on most of the measures. NO NO NO! The only one that warrants a yes vote is the one about prescription drugs. Otherwise, shoot 'em all down. They're all bad news for Oregon. Vote for whichever candidate you like for govenor, judges and reprentatives - I'll not make a case for anyone specifically. But the measures? VOTE NO! (stepping off soapbox now.) Thanks.
Here in Oregon, I would wager that most people vote by mail. And that makes it EVEN EASIER to vote. No going to the polls. Simply voting in the comfort of your own home in your own time (hopefully BEFORE ballots are due, of course.) It took me less than an hour to sit with the fat voting pamplets (more like books) and read the summaries of the measures/candidates and the arguments in favor and in opposition. So what are you waiting for?? GO VOTE!
PS: (getting on soapbox momentarily) In Oregon, I strongly urge you to vote NO on most of the measures. NO NO NO! The only one that warrants a yes vote is the one about prescription drugs. Otherwise, shoot 'em all down. They're all bad news for Oregon. Vote for whichever candidate you like for govenor, judges and reprentatives - I'll not make a case for anyone specifically. But the measures? VOTE NO! (stepping off soapbox now.) Thanks.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Retakes?
I need your input, oh objective ones. We got Nicholas's school pictures back and I'm just not sure whether to keep them or go for retakes. Part of me wants to just keep them - they're not that bad - and every now and then you must have a semi-questionable school photo to look back on and, well, laugh at. This one might qualify.
His eyes - they are mighty squinty. That's my biggest complaint. That and someone must have combed his hair before the photo because it's almost too neat. Don't get me wrong - I appreciate the effort of cleaning up the kids before pictures. But his hair all helmet-like makes him look even geekier than he already is. And he's pretty geeky (said with love, of course). Usually I comb his hair but then run my fingers through it to break it up a bit. Tousle it, you might say. Make him look a little more natural and like his everyday self. This hair, however, looks almost like a comb-over, and I'm not down with that. (don't you think he's sporting an awfully deep side part swept all the way over his forehead here? I do.)
If you look closely, you can detect his cross-bite the dentist pointed out to us a few months ago.
And I'm able to see into the future with this picture and can evision the chisled jawline he'll have as a man. Ooooh baby - Nicholas will be a hottie like his dad fo' sho'!
So what do you think? Keep this one, or go for retakes? I'm on the fence. Mr. Chick and my mother vote for retakes, but I worry that a retake could end up looking even worse. And really, this one isn't so bad..... is it?
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