A very happy Mother's Day to my kids' Grandma Rena, Nana Barbara, Grandma Louise, and the aunties and other special women in our lives who love, nourish and nurture Zoralee and Ziah, both when we are near by and when we are far away.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
good night, folks
There's a scene in the delicious mockumentary, "A Mighty Wind," where the Folksmen have ended their song but are cued to stand up there and kill time because a member of the next act is missing. Harry Shearer's character starts giving a history lesson in a very low, scholarly voice. But when the next act is suddenly ready to perform and the Folksmen are signaled to get off the stage, Shearer stops mid-sentence and says brightly, "Good night, folks!" It's a very funny moment.
And that's how I feel right now. I have a dozen blogs building up in my head, and if I don't get 'em out there, I just may burst. But alas, I instead must say brightly, "Good night, folks!" and promise to come again to the internet another day or week or month. I received a text from Verizon yesterday that we've used up 50% of our monthly data allowance in our first week of service. Turns out you can watch like 8 or 9 hours of Netflix on a 5GB plan. Weird, because I had a long conversation with the Verizon salesman about how watching Netflix might affect our data, and he reassured me that we would be fine, just fine.
So by now, because the first device they sent us was defective and the second didn't work with our laptop, and their suggested fixes for my laptop didn't work, and setting up J's phone as a mobile hotspot for my laptop didn't work, and blah-dippity-do, I am now past the 2 week trial period and will probably have to claw my way out of this contract. Because, yes, the 2 week trial period starts the day you receive the first device, even if it's defective. But I've generally been happy with our Verizon phone service (other than their prices), and their customer service is pretty good, so maybe they'll play nice.
See ya around the block. Thanks for tuning in this last couple days anyway!
And that's how I feel right now. I have a dozen blogs building up in my head, and if I don't get 'em out there, I just may burst. But alas, I instead must say brightly, "Good night, folks!" and promise to come again to the internet another day or week or month. I received a text from Verizon yesterday that we've used up 50% of our monthly data allowance in our first week of service. Turns out you can watch like 8 or 9 hours of Netflix on a 5GB plan. Weird, because I had a long conversation with the Verizon salesman about how watching Netflix might affect our data, and he reassured me that we would be fine, just fine.
So by now, because the first device they sent us was defective and the second didn't work with our laptop, and their suggested fixes for my laptop didn't work, and setting up J's phone as a mobile hotspot for my laptop didn't work, and blah-dippity-do, I am now past the 2 week trial period and will probably have to claw my way out of this contract. Because, yes, the 2 week trial period starts the day you receive the first device, even if it's defective. But I've generally been happy with our Verizon phone service (other than their prices), and their customer service is pretty good, so maybe they'll play nice.
See ya around the block. Thanks for tuning in this last couple days anyway!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
love is strange
At the grocery store a few weeks ago, Ziah was standing in the back of the cart while Zoralee rode up front. That's how we roll (literally), because our store doesn't have double seat carts. Zora was in charge of feeding Ziah bits of snack to keep them both busy. All at once he grabbed at her, probably because she wasn't moving bits toward his mouth fast enough. This annoyed her, and she hollared out at him. There was a grand pause in time as realization crossed his face. I mean, I witnessed the moment he realized he could purposely do this to elicit a response. And on he went, grabbing and annoying Zoralee.
* * *
Zoralee interrupted me as I was saying bed time prayers last week and said with honest incredulity, "Why are you thanking God for Ziah?!"
BUT!
One of my all time best mothering moments also came this month. We were out for a walk, and I peeked into the jogger to see this. I didn't want to open the screen and risk them moving.
It's perfect that Zoralee has recently been choosing to play on our computer the song, "Love is Strange," as performed by Everything But The Girl, and she has been asking what it means that love is strange. Ahhh, little pickle.
* * *
Zoralee interrupted me as I was saying bed time prayers last week and said with honest incredulity, "Why are you thanking God for Ziah?!"
BUT!
One of my all time best mothering moments also came this month. We were out for a walk, and I peeked into the jogger to see this. I didn't want to open the screen and risk them moving.
It's perfect that Zoralee has recently been choosing to play on our computer the song, "Love is Strange," as performed by Everything But The Girl, and she has been asking what it means that love is strange. Ahhh, little pickle.
Monday, May 7, 2012
back on the world wide web
Hi!
It has been a solid month of zero blogging and zero catching up on others' blogs (other than visiting Rachel's once via Jason's iPhone). I seriously feel out, out, out of the loop! Is everybody still alive? Does anybody live in a new country or have a new child I don't know about? Sheesh. But yeeeeeah, we've had a series of set backs getting internet hooked up at this new place. And viewing the web from Jason's iPhone, I dunno, I just can't get into it. Plus, the phone itself isn't very accessible on account of his schedule. The times he's home just aren't great for me to be hunkered over a tiny screen, taking 20 minutes to leave a three sentence comment.
But I'll be checking in on you, friends. And I'll be posting too, I think/hope.
The kids are fine. We're getting more chickens. The dog we were dog-sitting, Shasta, was found on a Canadian farm, and she has now been purchased by some Canadian cousins of that family. If you want the whole story, come by for tea. It really is a doozy. Our house is "coming along" (or this is what we hear from people who go weeks between seeing it - it feels like half an eternity to us). Evidently I sprouted a whole head of gray hairs overnight last night, like tripling what I already had. So, that's fun. I cooked up a Jicama for the first time tonight. Jicamas are members of the potato family, and we're fans of the yam, so it worked out just fine. Made french fries out of it, along with a yam. Coated them in coconut oil, rosemary, and garlic salt. But first fried the spices in the oil on the stove top, to really soften the rosemary and bring out the flavors.
I hear a male child upstairs a-fussin.' He went to bed at like 4:30 p.m. and is just now waking up. Ai-yai-yai. Could be a weird night. More gray hairs for me, no doubt. Livin' la vida loca.
It has been a solid month of zero blogging and zero catching up on others' blogs (other than visiting Rachel's once via Jason's iPhone). I seriously feel out, out, out of the loop! Is everybody still alive? Does anybody live in a new country or have a new child I don't know about? Sheesh. But yeeeeeah, we've had a series of set backs getting internet hooked up at this new place. And viewing the web from Jason's iPhone, I dunno, I just can't get into it. Plus, the phone itself isn't very accessible on account of his schedule. The times he's home just aren't great for me to be hunkered over a tiny screen, taking 20 minutes to leave a three sentence comment.
But I'll be checking in on you, friends. And I'll be posting too, I think/hope.
The kids are fine. We're getting more chickens. The dog we were dog-sitting, Shasta, was found on a Canadian farm, and she has now been purchased by some Canadian cousins of that family. If you want the whole story, come by for tea. It really is a doozy. Our house is "coming along" (or this is what we hear from people who go weeks between seeing it - it feels like half an eternity to us). Evidently I sprouted a whole head of gray hairs overnight last night, like tripling what I already had. So, that's fun. I cooked up a Jicama for the first time tonight. Jicamas are members of the potato family, and we're fans of the yam, so it worked out just fine. Made french fries out of it, along with a yam. Coated them in coconut oil, rosemary, and garlic salt. But first fried the spices in the oil on the stove top, to really soften the rosemary and bring out the flavors.
I hear a male child upstairs a-fussin.' He went to bed at like 4:30 p.m. and is just now waking up. Ai-yai-yai. Could be a weird night. More gray hairs for me, no doubt. Livin' la vida loca.
Monday, April 9, 2012
just because we keep chickens in the bedroom doesn't mean we can't have a Martha Stewart moment
People are asking how the move is going. I can't exactly look 'em in the eye and say, "Fantastic! Home ownership is where it's at!" I can only look 'em in the kneecap and say, "I get depressed watching fish swim in aquariums. Otter Pop, anyone?" By the way, is it just my family that refers to the plastic tubes of frozen Koolaid as Otter Pops? They go by lots of brand names, so maybe what a person calls them reveals their generation. And since Otter Pops haven't been around all too long, by generation, I mean, what year of your life you ate those things like crazy that also coincided with being very impressionable. I'm sure a computer program could be written that would categorize us by what we personally call frozen sugar water. To quote Jack Handy, how about it, Science?
Our living room and bathroom, the main places we started out to renovate, are stuck back at what was supposed to be early stages. The living room's outer walls have been demolished and furred out an extra 2 inches, insulated much better, and sheet rocked. There are four big, shiny, new windows, a bigger L-shaped living room instead of two small rooms, now that a silly old wall has been removed, and a soffit with can lights that goes all around the edges of that L. It's very snazzy! There's still the old nasty floor, a plastic wall blocking off the kitchen, where another silly wall was removed, boards and power tools and dust and grime everywhere. As for the bathroom, no toilet, no sink, and no working shower yet, though the old hefty tub is nestled back in place, and the walls behind it have been redone, reinsulated, etc. You see, the tub/shower was another interesting surprise. Whoever installed it tucked the tub surround (the plastic walls of the shower) behind the bathtub and didn't caulk it. So, water being liquid and doing what liquid does, every time someone showered, ran down the surround and into the walls of the house. Um. Bottom line, the house is a construction zone, and not a remarkably tidy one. As a side note, we're currently staying in the home of some vacationing friends - win!
Here are some random shots of the house from the old pocket camera, then the story will resume.
The kids and I were at the house Saturday to start unpacking the kitchen and also to stare at boxes in wonderment that we still have so many when I've supposedly been minimizing for three months. Since the kitchen is the only spot on the main level we haven't demolished, it's Grand Central Station for tools and supplies, and now boxes of dishes and food stuffs. One thing about packing for a cross-town move vs. a cross-country move is that you don't take care to whittle down your food supply. At least, I didn't. So, work in the kitchen is slow and unsteady, especially with You Know Who and You Know Who #2 at my feet. In the late afternoon, we took a break and settled in for Otter Pops. Enthusiasm abounded and all unpacking fatigue was forgotten until Zoralee's hands got cold. What happened next was...wait, I need to build this up more.
Pause and reflect. A dirty child had cold hands. Everywhere was grime and plastic, power tools and boxes of things we don't need. Just around the corner was a kiddy potty chair full of familial piddle [it has been too bitterly cold and windy to run out behind the barn all day], and the chirps of 24 three week old chickens descended from an upstairs bedroom [yes]. I grabbed for our newly drawer'd washrags to wrap around the pops, so that my darling's hands would be comfortable, and by pure happenstance, I wrapped a green rag around the green pop and a orange/salmon colored rag around the pinkish pop. Strange colors, you might say. Right. They came in a set of 12 rags for $3, looking already like they'd been in a car mechanic's shop for one hundred years.
Right then, you guys, I was ON TOP OF IT. Can't you tell by the children's faces that they believed this moment to be brilliant? The fantasy illustration for motivational speakers? Akin to winning the lottery? By the way, who of you would sign a petition that the lottery folks start drawing 640 one million dollar winners rather than one single 640 million dollar winner? Know what I'm saying? Who needs 640 million dollars? Nobody, that's who. But 640 of us could use one million quite readily. Anyway, I just knew there was a camera crew outside the house, waiting to be let in so that they could [traipsing over piles of flooring yet to be installed] ask me how I do it, how I manage to be so organized, so coordinated, so sexy, as to wrap matching wash rags around the children's frozen juice tubes.
The answer, of course, the only true and correct answer, would be, "We-heh-heh-ell, I can't take all the credit. My mom was just visiting us for three weeks, and she is a bright star that all other stars would be smart to align themselves with. And, well folks, I aligned. Somehow, smartly. Subconsciously. Otter Pop, anyone?"
Our living room and bathroom, the main places we started out to renovate, are stuck back at what was supposed to be early stages. The living room's outer walls have been demolished and furred out an extra 2 inches, insulated much better, and sheet rocked. There are four big, shiny, new windows, a bigger L-shaped living room instead of two small rooms, now that a silly old wall has been removed, and a soffit with can lights that goes all around the edges of that L. It's very snazzy! There's still the old nasty floor, a plastic wall blocking off the kitchen, where another silly wall was removed, boards and power tools and dust and grime everywhere. As for the bathroom, no toilet, no sink, and no working shower yet, though the old hefty tub is nestled back in place, and the walls behind it have been redone, reinsulated, etc. You see, the tub/shower was another interesting surprise. Whoever installed it tucked the tub surround (the plastic walls of the shower) behind the bathtub and didn't caulk it. So, water being liquid and doing what liquid does, every time someone showered, ran down the surround and into the walls of the house. Um. Bottom line, the house is a construction zone, and not a remarkably tidy one. As a side note, we're currently staying in the home of some vacationing friends - win!
Here are some random shots of the house from the old pocket camera, then the story will resume.
 | |
| Here you can still see lathe, long flat sticks, on the far wall before Jason demo'd it. That is a new west facing window; it used to be solid wall. |
 |
| lunch time |
 |
| My father, the thug of water systems. |
 |
| tangled surprises underneath the porch light |
 |
| Here are re-insulated walls and a bigger south-facing window. We do like us some daylight and some warmth. We've talked to several people who had relatives that owned this place 30-50 years ago; that availability of history is a side benefit of living in a small town. They describe the house as cold, drafty, and dark. Hopefully these remedies will help to make the winters here a little cozier and a little less frozen wastelandy. |
The kids and I were at the house Saturday to start unpacking the kitchen and also to stare at boxes in wonderment that we still have so many when I've supposedly been minimizing for three months. Since the kitchen is the only spot on the main level we haven't demolished, it's Grand Central Station for tools and supplies, and now boxes of dishes and food stuffs. One thing about packing for a cross-town move vs. a cross-country move is that you don't take care to whittle down your food supply. At least, I didn't. So, work in the kitchen is slow and unsteady, especially with You Know Who and You Know Who #2 at my feet. In the late afternoon, we took a break and settled in for Otter Pops. Enthusiasm abounded and all unpacking fatigue was forgotten until Zoralee's hands got cold. What happened next was...wait, I need to build this up more.
Pause and reflect. A dirty child had cold hands. Everywhere was grime and plastic, power tools and boxes of things we don't need. Just around the corner was a kiddy potty chair full of familial piddle [it has been too bitterly cold and windy to run out behind the barn all day], and the chirps of 24 three week old chickens descended from an upstairs bedroom [yes]. I grabbed for our newly drawer'd washrags to wrap around the pops, so that my darling's hands would be comfortable, and by pure happenstance, I wrapped a green rag around the green pop and a orange/salmon colored rag around the pinkish pop. Strange colors, you might say. Right. They came in a set of 12 rags for $3, looking already like they'd been in a car mechanic's shop for one hundred years.
Right then, you guys, I was ON TOP OF IT. Can't you tell by the children's faces that they believed this moment to be brilliant? The fantasy illustration for motivational speakers? Akin to winning the lottery? By the way, who of you would sign a petition that the lottery folks start drawing 640 one million dollar winners rather than one single 640 million dollar winner? Know what I'm saying? Who needs 640 million dollars? Nobody, that's who. But 640 of us could use one million quite readily. Anyway, I just knew there was a camera crew outside the house, waiting to be let in so that they could [traipsing over piles of flooring yet to be installed] ask me how I do it, how I manage to be so organized, so coordinated, so sexy, as to wrap matching wash rags around the children's frozen juice tubes.
The answer, of course, the only true and correct answer, would be, "We-heh-heh-ell, I can't take all the credit. My mom was just visiting us for three weeks, and she is a bright star that all other stars would be smart to align themselves with. And, well folks, I aligned. Somehow, smartly. Subconsciously. Otter Pop, anyone?"
Sunday, April 8, 2012
If you happen to be in a tomb, my friends, a tomb of depression or regret, of a fragile or crumbling marriage, loss of home, dream, pregnancy, parent, or child, in a tomb of grief for your youth and your innocence, then my prayer is that you'll see The Christ there in the tomb with you, and that you'll hear Him say, simply, your name.
You are loved.
You are known.
Happy Easter!
John 20:11-16, English Standard Version
(Thanks to Pastor Deb for inspiring this thought.)
You are loved.
You are known.
Happy Easter!
But Mary [Magdalene] stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
(Thanks to Pastor Deb for inspiring this thought.)
Monday, April 2, 2012
update
Three days left have we in this house. We've gotten most of our things packed up and moved over to the new place. Today Mom and I worked on big meals to freeze so that I'll have some margin for cooking as we get adjusted. It has been unbelievable to have her and Dad here.
Ziah is teething again, and he's a bear! Poor kid. I think it's his two top middle teeth.
Jason and my dad have been working at the new house for 2 weeks, 10-14 hours a day. As probably happens to anyone who starts poking too deep into the recesses of a 100 year old home, they're running into "problems." Such problems include, but are not limited to, the electrical wiring being a nightmare, parts of the septic system being blocked / utterly inadequate / drain pipes running uphill, and finding that one of the main support beams of the house, located in the basement, was simply sliced in half and moved aside by whoever installed the heating system years ago and didn't have a curvy enough pipe to go around the beam. This house is full of surprises!
The dog we're dog-sitting went missing today. We've had her for several months, and now, three days before we turn her over to her parents, she's gone. Drrr. No sign of her along the roads closest to us. My hope is that she is safe and warm in a neighbor's house, though the closest neighbors are miles away.
What else...what else.....
I have been pondering unschooling, disciplining (or not) children, and simplifying our kitchen and food systems. The food thing has been a Lent focus for me. One of the best concepts I've gathered is that with traditional cooking you've got to think two dinners in advance. So if you're cooking one dinner, you're soaking beans for the next dinner and maybe soaking grains for the following one. I don't know. As a friend and I were discussing, getting into traditional food prep is a big deal. Some of the concepts I'm already on board with, but others seem like they'd take all day and night. I'm sure it won't seem this way after I've gained more knowledge and developed better habits, but sheesh maneezy. It's back to the basics, but it feels like back to the holy cow, maybe I'll stay in blissful ignorance. And I already value homemade meals and whole foods. I can't imagine coming to this from being a staunch boxed macaroni and cheese eater. I have to plug a website though that has been helpful to me, because the author, Wardeh, makes very accessible print outs and holds webinars and generally tries to make good eating approachable. www.gnowflins.com.
And on that, I sign out for the night.
Happy trailing to you all.
Ziah is teething again, and he's a bear! Poor kid. I think it's his two top middle teeth.
Jason and my dad have been working at the new house for 2 weeks, 10-14 hours a day. As probably happens to anyone who starts poking too deep into the recesses of a 100 year old home, they're running into "problems." Such problems include, but are not limited to, the electrical wiring being a nightmare, parts of the septic system being blocked / utterly inadequate / drain pipes running uphill, and finding that one of the main support beams of the house, located in the basement, was simply sliced in half and moved aside by whoever installed the heating system years ago and didn't have a curvy enough pipe to go around the beam. This house is full of surprises!
The dog we're dog-sitting went missing today. We've had her for several months, and now, three days before we turn her over to her parents, she's gone. Drrr. No sign of her along the roads closest to us. My hope is that she is safe and warm in a neighbor's house, though the closest neighbors are miles away.
What else...what else.....
I have been pondering unschooling, disciplining (or not) children, and simplifying our kitchen and food systems. The food thing has been a Lent focus for me. One of the best concepts I've gathered is that with traditional cooking you've got to think two dinners in advance. So if you're cooking one dinner, you're soaking beans for the next dinner and maybe soaking grains for the following one. I don't know. As a friend and I were discussing, getting into traditional food prep is a big deal. Some of the concepts I'm already on board with, but others seem like they'd take all day and night. I'm sure it won't seem this way after I've gained more knowledge and developed better habits, but sheesh maneezy. It's back to the basics, but it feels like back to the holy cow, maybe I'll stay in blissful ignorance. And I already value homemade meals and whole foods. I can't imagine coming to this from being a staunch boxed macaroni and cheese eater. I have to plug a website though that has been helpful to me, because the author, Wardeh, makes very accessible print outs and holds webinars and generally tries to make good eating approachable. www.gnowflins.com.
And on that, I sign out for the night.
Happy trailing to you all.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
clap clap
I feel about 79 years old to say this phrase, but Ziah is such a joy to have as a baby.
Photo by Grandma Rena
one of Zoralee and Grandma Rena's conversations
Grandma: Be sure to eat your chips with cheese, Zoralee. You need the protein!
Zoralee: I'm drinking all of my milk instead, and it has protein.
Grandma: Yes, but the cheese has more protein, so you need to eat it.
Zoralee: Grandma, milk has cheese in it.
Grandma: Well, cheese has milk in it, yes.
Zoralee: No, milk has cheese in it. My mom told me that milk has cheese in it.
[back and forth dialogue on whether cheese is in milk or milk is in cheese....]
Grandma: Okay, fine; whatever you say. I'm not gonna argue with you. When your mom comes out, we'll ask her.
Zoralee: You came here to be rude!?
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