Weekend in the City by the Bay

It was lovely. A perfect weekend getaway. For those who don't know, Brian's been working in San Francisco for the past few months. He has come home for a couple of weekend trips, but other than that, we've been doing the long-distance-relationship thing. Not so fun. So, we planned a little trip without the kids, so I could go be with Brian. yay!

Let me paint the picture... Me. With just a purse and coat at the airport. Those who travel with children know the immense sense of freedom I was feeling setting off on the trip. No car seats and 20 bags to haul and check. No stroller to fold down at the security gate. No wild one-year-old running through the metal detector. No "taste testing" of a bottle of milk. No rummaging through a bag of diapers, wipes and fruit snacks to find my boarding pass and ID. Wow! I actually slept on the airplane! And it's only an hour-and-a-half flight. Imagine.

Now, don't get me wrong. I missed my kids, and brought back special presents for them, talked about them every few minutes of the trip, etc. But I was also very appreciative of the break, and very aware of all the extra freedoms and indulgences of going sans children. (Like sitting in the hot tub at 11 p.m., keeping the TV on at a regular volume past 9 p.m., staying at the beach a little longer even though we were both getting hungry... luxuries that just don't happen when travelling with kids, right?)

So, we got a great hotel deal, down in Sunnyvale, near where Brian was working. Soooo cute! It wasn't the fanciest place, but it was all decked up like some Mediterranean resort... little extras like bamboo chairs, a colorful canopy over the bed, and darling little courtyards between each block of rooms....

First night we ate at a great Middle Eastern restaurant that Brian has been to a few times. Delicious. Didn't bring the camera, or you'd have great pictures of a fabulous platter of hummus, tabbouleh, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, yogurt-mint-cucumber salad, and some raisin-cinnamon/rice dish with eggplant and cauliflower. Wow! That was delightful!

Saturday... well, we had plans of going into San Fran, riding the trolleys, visiting Chinatown, and going to all the touristy spots. But then I had the bad-back problem. Oh well. Plan B: Golden Gate park, then hit the beach, go up the coast, visit a lighthouse. It was perfect.

Me and Golden Gate Park...

The Bridge... Us and the Bridge, after crossing and driving up a very winding highway with fantastic views of the bay and bridge and coast...
Best shot of the Bridge and the City. Isn't San Francisco just an amazingly beautiful city? I love seeing it from "above" like this. So gorgeous! (Zoom in for a better view, if you like.)

We drove out to Point Bonita Lighthouse. Very cool. I got a little book of 101 Hikes around SF area... found it at a thrift store here in Idaho, just the day before I left. It suggested this lighthouse as a fascinating spot to visit -- only open Saturdays and Sundays from 12:30 to 3:30. How convenient for us; we crossed the Golden Gate at noon, and headed on over. yay!

The literature about the lighthouse said it was the first one built near the Bay, and before it was built (1848) they had tons of shipwrecks during the fog. Also inside, there was a little write-up about the bay and the bridge, with this interesting little diagram...

I can't remember exactly how DEEP it said the water is under the bridge, but let's just say there's a reason that's a suspension bridge, rather than a bridge with a post or two stretching a few hundred feet down there! Interesting, to me at least.

Best part, the waves. We watched the waves roll in right by the lighthouse for over an hour, I bet. They were humongous. Gigantic. If I believed in the word (which I don't, btw), I'd even say gi-normous. Anyway, they were amazing to watch. Massive barrels, perfect crests, crashing and splashing right underneath our little perch up above. Lovely, lovely ocean.

Pictures really do it no justice, but here's more waves, and Brian, looking cute (and cold, if you ask me!)...

The suspension bridge to get out to the lighthouse is not for those who have a hard time with heights. It's a little rickety, and there's a sign saying they plan to replace it soon because it's not the sturdiest, safest bridge.

Plus, they have forest service people standing on either end, and they only allow two people to cross at a time. TWO. Seriously! The sign says something like "this bridge is deemed worthy to handle foot traffic of up to two persons at a time." Two.
Me, waiting for our turn to cross. Do I look nervous? (You can say, no, Kam, you look wind blown... which I was.)

After the lighthouse, we drove around on the far side of the bridge for awhile... loved the darling little town of Sausalito. (I got mixed up and called it Sausagito, which we now prefer.) And then, back to do some of the more touristy things. Like Lombard Street....

Super-dooper steep Hyde street...
We ended the evening with a walk around Fisherman's Wharf, and a trip to In-n-Out Burger -- my first time. (I hate to admit, I wasn't all that impressed. Sorry all you Cali folk!)

That's all for now, folks. Stay tuned for Sunday's festivities, coming up next!

Upcoming blog updates...

No time to blog tonight. Seriously. I have been skimping on my sleep, and I'm feeling it. So I'm fully committed to have lights out at 11p.m. (It's 10:29 right now, and I still have all that "bedtime routine" stuff to do, so....)

But I thought I'd at least say that I DO plan to blog soon. In fact, I have several blog ideas just waiting to be written. Thought I'd share the teasers, just so y'all can stay on the edge of your seats, waiting for the upcoming editions.

1. San Fran with Brian, the details and the picts

2. San Fran II, the best dining experience in a loooong time

3. Spencer's words... he said THREE new ones for the first time ever, today (hot dog, apple, and get-down)! I sense a vocab explosion coming soon.

4. Home Improvement 201 -- includes paint and pictures, how exciting!

5. Halloween redo

Oh, I'm sure you're all so very eager to get these next posts, right? Well, hopefully tomorrow I'll get going. In the meantime, thanks for the concern about my back. Got a great chiropractor, thank goodness, finally! And I'm feeling much better. Still have a ways to go, but I'm seeing progress. yay!

Okay, 10:35 -- must go, must make this goal!

wood smoke

Sammie, tonight, as we walked outside:

Mmmm!! It smells like....... like..... like someone is camping in their back yard.

After more sniffing and deep breathing of our neighbor's wood stove:

No, actually. It smells more like burning bananas.

hmm. Descriptive, that's for sure.

Pictures, anyone??

Oh, I should drag this out and make it last! Finally, some pictures to post on my blog, yay!! So many fun, beautiful pictures. Yep, these are from our weekend trip to San Francisco. Actually, to be honest, we weren't in a very "urban" mood. So, instead, we got a lot of this kind of action...



And it was lovely! All of it. I will add more pictures -- ones that actually include us -- in the next few days. And you will hear all about the Northern Cal coast, so exciting. For now, I'm so sleepy, folks. G'nite.

The good with the bad

Good: My parents came for a visit this week, and we had a great time together. Trent and Mel and their kids came too. We all went to dinner at Applebees (kids 99cent menu, again.) And Melissa even made cupcakes, yum!

Bad: I threw my back out the night before they came, at midnight. I literally crawled to bed, it was miserable. I wasn't sure how I was going to make it through the next day. And I didn't get that laundry folded but instead had to sleep with it on the bed because I was in too much pain to even push it off the bed!!

Good: Thanks to my parents, and parents-in-law, the kids were well cared for. My mom and Samantha even folded that mountain of laundry and put it away! And, I was able to crawl into a chiropractor and get some relief.

Bad: One of the "reliefs" is a big, strong, heavy-duty elastic brace to wear. It looks and feels like a corset. Only, it doesn't go all the way up in front, like a corset does, so it squeezes all my lovely "extras" up to the top of my stomach and I get this huge bulge right above my belly button. Looks terrible.

Good: Might not look great, but that back brace does the job it was meant to do! When I have it on, the residual back pain (which I'll probably have for a week or so, according to the dr) stays pretty isolated to that one spot in the small of my back. Also, a side perk is that I am eating half as much when I wear it because I just don't feel hungry with my stomach all squeezed up like that. May be the new diet solution I've been looking for. ha!

Bad: When my parents were leaving today, there was a tiny wee bit of "tension" because my dad wanted to hurry home while my mom wanted to linger longer.

Good: Samantha set Grandpa straight in a private conversation where she told him he was "being silly" and "not acting the right way!" (hilarious, I think, to have a three-year-old doing a little experimental marriage counseling.)

Bad: I'm going to miss my kids this weekend, as they'll be staying with Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dale, and Mark and Dalana.

Good: I'm going to be with Brian, in San Francisco all weekend. yay!!

Bad: Wearing that back brace.

Good: On the beach? I hope!

Bad: Still no camera. (I've been looking, I promise!)

Good: We're going to borrow one. So, maybe you'll even see pictures in a future post. Just imagine....

Bye for now.

Happy November!

Stop me if I've mentioned before (I think I have, actually). Brian and I play this game where we race to see who's first to remember to wish each other a Happy November -- or whatever month it happens to be. He waited until 12:01 a.m. Sunday morning (or really late Halloween night) and got the honors this month. Just a fun little celebration of a new month. yay.

Anyway, so, we had a lovely Halloween, spent the evening gorging ourselves on chocolate and candy, like the rest of the nation. We did the NEW traditional "Trunk or Treat" at the church parking lot. Both kids made off with bundles of candy in a record time of 42 minutes flat. Then we came back home and did the OLD traditional "Trick or Treat" around the neighborhood. (But Sammie kept mixing it up and saying "trunk or treat" at each door. She actually thought we were ridiculous when we told her it's "TRICK or treat."... I guess old traditions are dying?)

Still no camera, and not a single picture of our darling trick-or-treaters. (or TRUNK or treaters?) But maybe I'll try to recreate the moments when we DO get a camera (which may be very soon, let's get excited!!) Even if no pictures are forthcoming, I'm sure you can imagine how adorable our little pumpkin Spencer was... black corduroy pants and a pumpkin jacket with stem hood.

I painted a black triangle on his nose, and two above his eyes, so he looked like a little jack-o-lantern. Truth be told, he acted more like a grizzly bear, he was so grumpy! At the church party, he double-fisted two suckers, and that sort of kept him from crying that Mom was holding his basket of candy. Then, the first two houses we went to for trick-or-treating, he went barging right into our neighbors' living rooms, and kicked a big fit when I dragged him out of their houses. He was stroller bound for the rest of the neighborhood, and whined about it a lot.

Samantha was a VERY happy little barbie fairy princess butterfly. She lost her wings half way through the night, and just decided to be Cinderella after that. She was really good at saying thank-you, and loved all the "cute" comments about her costume. Our next door neighbor, Mrs J, is in her 80s. She was especially excited to see Sammie, and made a big fuss over both kids, which we all loved. (What parent doesn't enjoy the doting grandparent figure?)

We had an "after" party at our house, with Mark and Dalana's family, Reed and Alysa's fam, and another cousin, Amber, with her kids. Fun to see all the kids' costumes, and get a chance to visit while Brian was home. I made caramel corn and fudge, which my stomach is still not appreciating. ug. Between the rest of the group, we also had pumpkin pie, hot cider punch, cookies and cake -- not to mention the heaps of candy from all the trick-or-treating! whew!

Good times. After living in London, I still feel like I'm warming up to the Halloween holiday. It's just not a big deal over there. But I'm liking it more, I decided. Only, now what do we do with soooo much candy? My kids really don't need it, and I, of course, have resolved to be good once again (while my stomach is still recovering!)

And on to November. Is anyone else appreciating the riddance of daylight savings?! I certainly AM!!! I know, I know, it gets dark so early now, which is not fun. But it also is LIGHT again in the mornings, and the sun is actually UP before 8 a.m. That's worth appreciating, in my book. Plus, we got that extra hour Sunday morning, which we used to full advantage, lazily sleeping until... well, I don't remember, but it was lovely. Hats off to the new time zone!

Bye for now. And Happy November to you! (I got you this month! ha!)

Things you won't see...

.... Because we still don't have a camera.

-- all the wonderful leaves around here. I know y'all have your own pictures, but I sooo have been wanting to walk off into the woods with a camera. It's been so perfectly fallish here.

-- Sam and Spence helping Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dale pick up all the walnuts from their yard yesterday. They were soooo cute in little old hats and gloves Grandma found for them -- sitting in the wheelbarrow on top of all the leaves. It was perfect lighting, too. But the wind was bad for pictures so I guess I'll have to be content.

-- Spencer's four eye teeth FINALLY all cut through (you know, the sharp vampire-looking corner teeth?) He's been cutting them one at a time since August, poor buddy! Actually, he might not let me get a picture of those anyway, but I'd be trying, of course.

-- Sammie's cute halloween costume... She's a "Barbie fairy butterfly princess." or something like that? She wore it to preschool today and looks adorable. It's really just another new princess dress that she is in love with. Maybe next year we'll have moved on to cowgirl or bride or something?

-- Spencer's cute pumpkin suit. Actually, he may continue wearing it, because it's just a darling little jack-o-lantern jacket with a stem hood. So cute.

-- Those stinkin' cute kitchen valances. I still just ADORE them every time I go into our kitchen. Someday they'll have their own blog feature, but not yet.

--My haircut... been chin length since the end of August, right after our last camera "walked away." The haircut is actually growing out now, to the "awkward" almost-shoulder-length stage. But it was cute. I don't think a single picture was taken while it was in the cute phase though. Oh well. It can be cut again, right?

-- The spick-and-span cleaner-than-ever condition of ALL our bathrooms at this moment. It's a most rewarding feeling to walk in and just KNOW the bathroom is so clean. But yeah, maybe I wouldn't be posting pictures of that. Guess that's just a news item for you.

-- Me in San Fran next weekend. Okay, maybe we'll get a camera by then because I just can't STAND the thought of not getting some picts of the Bay and the trolley cars and the Redwoods, etc. oh, and Brian, of course. :)

Good night, all.

vegetables are nasty

This one is for Randilicious.

I ate collard greens tonight.

For the first time. Ever.

They came from a can labelled "Southern Style Collard Greens -- with onions, garlic, and savory broth."

They were nasty. Disgusting. Despicable.

I felt like a kid at school again, reliving that one day in fifth grade when the principle made me eat every last green bean and I gagged because they were saltless, overcooked, gushy, cold green beans.

Okay, so the collard greens weren't cold or saltless, but they were green. And gross. And I ate a full 3/4 cup of them to set a good example for my children. Of course, after tasting the first bite, I did not even put ANY collard greens on either of their plates. They don't even KNOW how they should be thanking me. The leftovers (from a can the size of Libbys pumpkin pie filling) are still on the stove and will be until morning at which time they will find their way to the disposal because, who wants food that sat out all night, right?

Vegetables ARE nasty, Rand. At least collard greens.

Things I thought in the night

Yes, I tossed and turned last night, and couldn't sleep for a few hours. That gets frustrating because now I need a nap today and will probably have trouble sleeping again tonight. Oh well. It's because I have a cold, so I plan to take it easy today. Anyway, here are some of the random thoughts that "kept me awake?" or maybe I just thought them because I was already not sleeping?

-- Why, in a brand new house with granite countertops, did we end up with the most BASIC heat and cooling system? Why isn't there a single "auto-timing" button? And why can't they design systems that can be controlled room by room? Keep dreaming.

-- Why do I think someone is playing the piano every time the train goes by at 3 a.m.? Or, is that someone playing?? (get up to check, one more time.)

-- And why does that train sound soooo loud when I know it's nearly 2 miles away!?? Isn't it? Or maybe there's one that's a lot closer that I just don't know about.

-- I wonder if we have any sudafed, and if it would just keep me awake longer? and how do you spell pseudophed anyway?

-- I wonder if it's still too early to call people in London?

-- Were our library books due today? Or was that email notice for tomorrow?

-- If I could have any snack right now, what would I want? Maybe some smoked gouda cheese on garlic toast or something I couldn't actually produce from my own fridge even if I wanted to.

-- If it's this cold and windy tomorrow, I'm going to have to insist that Samantha wear her cute pullover turtleneck sweater to preschool. She won't like that, I'm sure. Why did she get so picky about clothes? And why does she always want to wear dresses now? And why does she ruin every pair of tights after one or two wearings?

-- That's where all our extra money goes -- to buy Samantha new tights. And Spencer's diapers, of course. Will he ever stop pooing first thing in the morning?

-- If I had to move away from here, where else would I want to live? Where would Brian want to live? What kind of work would he really, really, like to do? Should I wake him up and ask him? I'm not sleeping, no reason why he should be, huh?

-- I wonder if Wade will come for Thanksgiving. That would be so fun to have him around, even if he's off gaming with friends a lot.

-- Is it raining out there, or is that just the wind? or the train?

-- I need to do laundry. Again!? Already?! I need to remember to wash that huge pile of wash clothes in my bathroom, I keep forgetting those, and we're almost completely out.

-- That is so crazy that Marissa has hard evidence that the new toilet paper rolls are SHORTER than the old ones. Did I comment on her blog? I need to. Better have a look again tomorrow.

-- Also need to get working on my writing projects. Maybe I should just get up now and write? Ug. It's too cold. Maybe I should try to stop thinking and sleep.

Yeah. Pretty much random nothingness, as you would suspect.

In other news, we went to my cousin's wedding in Rexburg last week. It was gorgeous. I was especially excited to see his older sister, who's my age, who lives in Minnesota. Haven't seen her in six or seven years. Also, it's just always nice to see the fam.

Still no camera. Bye for today.

Fresh Pumpkin Pie

It's fall, the leaves are changing, the pumpkins are orange and plentiful. I'd post pictures of all those things, but still no camera. Hence, the lack of bloggering lately. Sorry! It's true, I shouldn't have to have pictures to write on my blog. But they sure make things more interesting. Without pictures, what can I tell you today?

Well, you probably won't be as excited as I am, but I'll announce that my kitchen valances arrived this week, and I hung them up last night! They are.... PERFECT! I LOVE them. I haven't experienced this much domestic satisfaction in... how long? maybe ever? Ah, but at this point, wouldn't a picture of those darling little curtains just give you a reason to share my excitement?! I know! I NEED a camera.

Another something to tell... I cut Spencer's hair this week with the clippers. It was getting really long on top, and while I loved the 'baby' look it gave him, it started to be very unmanageable. So, he got a real boy hair cut. And he looks so much older to me. He still does all his cute little one-year-old baby boy things, but because he's so tall, it kinda looks like he's a bigger kid, doing those 'baby' things. Oh well, I do like the hair cut -- even though he screamed and hated the buzzer. The end result is good. (again, just think how much you'd enjoy a cute little picture of the boy and his cut. sigh)

I took the kids to a pumpkin patch play date with some of the other kids from church this week. It was so much fun picking out our own pumpkins. A couple in our ward offered a big garden plot to anyone who wanted to grow fresh produce this year. The last of the crop is a HUGE row of hundreds of pumpkins, and we were allowed to take as many as we wanted. Fun! Now we have a porch full of orange pumpkins, and I'm thinking of all the pumpkiny goodness of seasons past.

If you're a long time follower here, you'll remember me writing about the good ol' days of PUMPKINFEST (always capitalized). When I lived in Boston, back my single days, one of my awesome roommates, Randi, was positively obsessed with this time of year. (positively, as in, obsessed in a very good way.) PUMPKINFEST was really Randi's thing... a huge party where everyone invited was supposed to bring something "pumpkin" to share.

I confess, I am new to the love of pumpkin, and I owe this love to PUMPKINFEST. Where else would you find all different ways of experiencing that delicious vegetable in so many delectable ways? We had pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, pumpkin rolls (those goodies with cream cheese filling, oh yes!), roasted pumpkin, spiced pumpkin seeds, pumpkin soup, and of course, pumpkin pie. Wow! What a versatile vegetable. Let's hear it for the pumpkin! And for Randilicious, for introducing me so kindly.

I've often thought it would be fun to throw my own PUMPKINFEST. Maybe I'd even make it a lowercase pumpkinfest, so as not to disrespect the REAL PUMPKINFEST. But really, it wouldn't be the same as, would it? I know it wouldn't. So, instead, I honor PUMPKINFEST by writing about it and telling people about it every year.

This year, I'm posting my favorite pumpkin pie recipe. I fell in love with it in London one Thanksgiving when a friend served it for our little American feast. Fresh pumpkin and honey. Good combo.

Enjoy!

Fresh Pumpkin Pie

(doesn't come with a crust recipe, so just use your own favorite crust)

1 medium sugar pumpkin

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

(I sometimes use 2-3 teaspoons of "pumpkin pie spice" instead of cinnamon and ginger, works just great)

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup honey, warmed slightly

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Cut pumpkin in half, and remove seeds. Lightly oil the cut surface. Place cut side down on a jelly roll pan lined with foil and lightly oiled. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Cool until just warm. Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel. Either mash, or puree in small batches in a blender. (I prefer it mashed, for a chunkier texture. Puree makes it more like canned pumpkin.)

In large bowl, blend together 2 cups pumpkin, spices, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, honey, milk, and cream. Mix egg mixture in with pumpkin. (Don’t overbeat, or you’ll lose the texture. I'd say to beat by hand, rather than with a mixer, for a dense, rich texture.) Pour filling into pie shell. Bake at 400 degrees F ( 205 degrees C) for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted 1 inch from edge of pie comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Best served with real whipping cream on top, mixed up with a bit of honey.

General Conference Prayer

The kids and I spent General Conference weekend for our church at my parents' house -- a really nice, relaxing time for us. We ate too much, slept too little, and thoroughly enjoyed all the conference sessions via radio. My parents usually just listen, rather than watch, since their TV isn't equipped to get the broadcasts. Well, Sunday afternoon, Samantha decided she really, really wanted to SEE General Conference -- not just listen. She kept telling me, "I really want to see the prophet speak."

What's a mom to do, but dress her up and take her to the Stake Center so she could "see the prophet speak?!" It was a rainy, cold day, and when we got to the church building, there was only one other car in the lot. Also, there was only one other person in the chapel -- a 16-yr-old young man who was probably just there to make sure the broadcast was streaming properly in case anyone came to watch.

Well, Samantha and I settled in a couple of rows from the back. I had brought along some crayons and paper and a few things, in case she lost interest. But she was glued for the first half hour. She LOVED the singing, and seemed quite interested in the speakers as well. Then her attention waned and she colored, took a few "bathroom breaks," played in the foyer, etc. I called her in during the last 15 minutes, so she could see President Monson give his closing remarks. Again, she was glued, and especially loved the closing hymn.

That night, as I was tucking her into bed, Sammie said the sweetest prayer. She thanked Heavenly Father for a good day, asked for Daddy to be safe, asked that we could drive home safely the next day, please bless Spencer to sleep good, bless our swing set and fence to be safe, and that Mommy can cheer up and be happy even when Daddy is gone.

It was so cute, and so very thorough. As she closed, I kissed her goodnight and thanked her for saying such a nice prayer for all our family. She got a really big smile and said, "Mom! That was almost a General Conference prayer!"

Too precious! She really is growing up, isn't she?

Report on the day

Wow! How exciting to see so many people commenting on my little to-do list. Since you all seemed so interested, I thought I'd give a report at the end of the day, and see how I did...

DONE...

-- Two loads of laundry, but they're not folded, and the second one is actually still in the dryer at 11 p.m.

-- One suitcase unpacked. Spencer's is still packed, but mainly because it has a bunch of summer clothes in it, and I'd rather not put them back in his drawers.

-- One batch of fruit leather -- it's in the oven still, will be done when I go to bed in a few mins, I hope. (Jeni, it's like homemade fruit roll-ups... just fruit puree and honey, kinda tasty and somewhat healthy too.)

-- Pants and shirts for Spencer. None for Sammie today, though I did look. All the cute stuff I saw today was for my boy. Sam was a bit disappointed, but I think that kind of disappointment is probably good for her from time to time.

-- Curtains ordered for the dining room, plus I bought curtains and a rod for the piano room as well. Can't wait to have our house all curtained and homey!

-- Ordered those books on Amazon, as I was hoping. Funny how writing something down sometimes makes it happen, just like that.

-- Called Ruth in London. She's doing well, though we only chatted for 5 mins. We were both running out the door, so couldn't talk long. But was good to touch base, been missing her.

-- Worked on my writing "project." It's no secret really, just trying to write about Brian's and my dating days. I didn't get a full page of real story written, but I organized some good raw material -- emails, journal stuff. If I ever get brave, maybe I'll post a page or two of my writing on here. It's a good enough story, if I can just tell it properly... three rounds of dating over three years. hmmm.

-- Ate at Applebees. Yep, they really do have 99cents day for kids on Wednesdays. My friend and I took our kiddos along for an evening treat. Good food, though eating out with kids isn't really as "fun" as... not?

-- Took a nap. My late hours demanded it. I'm trying for earlier tonight. hmm.

-- Wrote two cards and mailed them, along with two bills.

NOT DONE...

-- Didn't make it to the humanitarian day project. I keep wanting to go to our monthly meeting, but it just doesn't happen with kids. Maybe next month.

-- Laundry room is still quite a mess, but better than it was yesterday. Work in progress, right?

-- Didn't lay out our bedroom wall arrangement. I'll try that again tomorrow. After I mow the lawn and clean up the mess of a house that I didn't touch today!

To do tomorrow

I'm tired of not having a new "something" on my blog. The swing set post was exciting for about five minutes. Well, it's not that we haven't had excitement around here. It's more that I'm just in a blogging slump. And I'm camera-less. And I have a itchy-throat cold and sinus pressure thing, with an eye that is sealed shut every morning. (no complaining here, right?)

So, I thought maybe y'all would like to see my "to do" list, as a switcheroo from the swing set post.

Tomorrow...
-- Do laundry, at least three loads, to clean out all the bags from our trip to my parents' last week.
-- Empty suitcases and sort out stuff from trip, at least enough to get our laundry room back in order.
-- Write a couple of thank you cards (and no, I'm not saying to whom. If it's for you, you'll know when you get it, right?)
-- Call Ruth in London
-- Lay out wall arrangement for our bedroom wall (that's been on my list every day for a couple of months now. sigh)
-- Go to church humanitarian day activity thing.
-- Go to Applebees (what? I mean, c'mon, sometimes I need a little break, and they have a 99 cent kids menu on Wednesdays. It's a worthy to-do item, no??)
-- Write one page for my "project" (those in-the-know on this one know this has also been on the wait-list forever)
-- Do something with all that plum puree I made today. Maybe fruit leather? Or jam? (I would have done something with it tonight, but I'm not so sure about making fruit leather in our gas oven. May explode or something; Brian advises against it.)
-- Make a decision on curtains for the dining room/kitchen. Turns out I'm curtain picky. I have searched long and hard for the perfect little valances for our kitchen. Think I may have finally found them, if I have the guts to order them.
-- While I'm ordering, I should order those two books from Amazon I've been eying for the past couple of months. (Can you believe that's really how you spell "eying?" It just looks funny, doesn't it? But spellchecker assures me it's correct.)
-- Get Samantha some new jeans. How is it that she is already growing out of the two pair I just bought her?
-- While I'm at it, Spencer could use some more new pants, too. And socks.

Okay, so maybe I should go to BED tonight, so I can start doing at least a FEW of the items from my list tomorrow by the time tomorrow is over? Yeah, I better add "take a nap" to the list, as I'm getting tired just thinking of all that needs to be done. Or maybe it's because it's so late. Again.

later!

Swing Set

Guess what, folks!? This past weekend, for only $30 on craigslist, I purchased one of the keys to a mother's sanity, and I am thrilllllllled with my new purchase! Those who own one already know what I'm talking about. And those who can read the title of this post can probably guess, as well. That's right, it's a .... swing set!

It may be an older model, the kind that squeaks and squawks a little bit from time to time. But it has all the swing set essentials -- slide, swings, see-saw and even a glider (remember those?). It's sturdy, it's safe, it's purple (imagine Sam's delight) and best of all, it's assembled in our back yard. yay!

So, as of 4 p.m. this afternoon (approximate time we completed assembly), I have been able to make a delicious custard dessert, prepare dinner in peaceful silence, and even clean the kitchen with no little people "uncleaning" everything I just cleaned. Is that not a measure of sanity worth appreciating?!

Yeah, I know it's just the "newness glow", and that soon enough our swing set will be just another piece of outdoor furniture that sits in the back yard, seldom used -- just like everyone else's. But for now, it is the new best thing, and we are loving it! Yay for swing sets.

(special acknowledgement of appreciation goes out to my father-in-law, who helped me disassemble and reassemble the set, he's a real handyman!)

Late night ramblings

I have been having trouble sleeping this week. I think it would probably help a little bit if I closed the computer and turned off the light, no? But in the meantime, I will also say, part of my problem is a pain in my arm. Usually Brian hears me out on all the aches and pain of this getting-older body of mine. But tonight, for lack of a listening Brian, I share just a small ouchy with my bloggers.

I have a pain in my shoulder. It hurts worst when I sleep, especially when I'm on my side and it's the shoulder on top. So weird. But it's not in the rotater cuff (I surmised from all I've read and studied about rotator cuffs in the past few weeks). It's also not any of the other problems I've read about as I've tried to figure out what's hurting. My brother told me it may be a torn muscle, and he very well could be right. He also told me the cure for a torn muscle is to not use it and let it heal up.

If that's all true, then I will continue to have a sore shoulder until Spencer learns to climb in and out his bed, car seat, and high chair by himself, and also prefers never to be held again. He is one hefty little guy these days. And I AM hefting him soooo much, it seems. I notice it even more for the ache in my shoulder. Sigh.

Samantha was saying her prayers tonight and she prayed specifically that I would go to the doctor and get my shoulder fixed. Whoah. I guess I've been whining to HER about it a bit more than I thought, huh? So yeah, I'm going to call a doctor. But I just wonder what kind of doctor to call on something like a weird shoulder pain that is not the rotater cuff? I can already invision my GP giving me a "never heard of that" look. A chiropractor wouldn't do much good on this one, I think, because it really does seem muscular. But I already did go to a massage therapist, and he just rubbed it until I wanted to scream, and I don't think that was the right "fix." So, maybe I need an orthopedic specialist or something? I know the first step in the insurance game is probably the GP, and he'll guide me on from there, right? Don'tcha sometimes hate the insurance game, though? Wouldn't it be nicer (and more timely, cost effective, and helpful) to just go to the person who can fix it right the first time around?

In other late night rambling news... I am camera hunting again. I mentioned that we lost our fourth camera, right? Now looking for number five. Yep, we've been married five years, and we're now averaging one digital camera per year. Nice average, I think. I've gone to a few stores, scoping out the scene. We really liked our last one -- a Canon Elph model something or other. (And I bet whoever helped us "lose" it is also quite liking it now, with its cute little red carrying case to boot!!) Anyway, I'm curious what other people think about their cameras. The time to toot your cameras' horns is now, folks. Only, if it's really pricey, keep in mind our "average" mentioned above -- the lifespan of a camera in our Bishop family is pretty short. Leave a comment and tell me some good camera options, if you please. I'm really keen on cameras that get the lighting right, and have a quick turn-around time after a picture is taken. Any suggestions?

What else? Something less interesting... I bought a bunch of cheap old VHS movies at a thrift store this week. Just a dollar apiece, I thought they'd be fun little "rentals" for sometime. Well, halfway through my first viewing of the first movie, my VCR stopped working. Actually, I had stopped my movie to put in one for Sam. The VCR ate it -- Barney (ha!), which was very disappointing to Sammie. But how sad that I have all these movies, and now no VCR to watch them. And all of you are thinking, yeah, that's why people use DVDs, right? Point well taken, I suppose. But I was really disappointed. I guess I'll have to go spend another $3 at the thrift store (which is how much I paid for the current non-working one) and buy another VCR to watch my $1 movies, huh. Not much worse off than renting from Red Box, I suppose.

Okay, folks, this is really rambly, really late. I just felt like my pepper salsa post had been up there way too long and I had to write SOMETHING. But alas, maybe sometimes nothing really IS better than something? Well, goodnight then.

HOT Chili Pepper Salsa

Okay, so I've been canning again. Not sure if I mentioned I was canning before, but I did quite a bit a few weeks ago -- corn, peas, pickles, beans, relish, peaches, and a few tomatoes. I kind of got "canned out" so I took a break for a bit. Then yesterday, I decided to get with the program and do some more canning. (How domestic of me, no?!)

Well, Brian's mom has this great salsa recipe, and conveniently, our family garden produces everything it takes to make some delicious salsa. So, I picked a bunch of tomatoes and peppers a couple of days ago, and spent most of yesterday morning and afternoon chopping tomatoes and getting things ready for the actual "canning" process. After the kids went to bed, I started chopping the peppers and onions. 14 anaheim peppers! Wow! That's a lot of peppers, but anaheims are mild and sweet, right?

And, they also look somewhat similar to habanero peppers.
My mistake.

I was in the middle of chopping what I thought was an anaheim pepper, and all of a sudden I started sneezing and coughing, sensing the air was getting hot. I picked up the pepper and tasted a tiniest bite, only to go running to the sink, coughing and sputtering as I sucked water straight from the tap as fast as I could. hot, hot, hot, hot!!! I think it was a habanero, or something similar in heat! whew! I was on the phone with Brian, who was laughing at my dramatics. ha!

Luckily, only a little of that fiery piece of pepper ended up in my salsa! I was able to put the rest in the trash, and spent the next few minutes carefully cleaning my knife, cutting board and counter top. (I've heard the juice and oil from peppers can leave a residue.) I then washed my hands thoroughly, three times over. All set, and back to chopping anaheims and bells.

Fast forward half an hour. My hands were SCALDING, BURNING. ON FIRE! Unless I was running cold water over them, they felt like someone was holding a blow torch over them. Oh my goodness! I kept doing the salsa, hoping the hands would calm down after a while. Two hours later, I was in even MORE pain, as it seemed like that pepper was somehow living inside my palms and fingers, under my fingernails, in every little crevice of my knuckles. ouch!

I'll tell you now, folks, that really, really hurt! My hands were hot enough that I was picking up pints of salsa fresh out of the canner kettle, and moving them to a cloth -- with my BARE HANDS! I couldn't even tell if the jars were hot or not, because my HANDS were so hot! I admit, I was sort of crying by that point. But only sort of. Just a little bit. Mainly just really whining.

What did I do? Well, I decided it would be too painful to try to sleep, so I stayed up and kept doing salsa. Canned 22 pints and 3 quarts (ran out of pint jars). Once my last batch was processing, it was about 1:30 a.m. and I decided to look online for a remedy.

Here's the list of possible remedies for pepper burns, in case anyone is remotely interested...
-- soak in a milk bath, or drink milk
-- rub yogurt all over it
-- wash in lemon juice
-- wash in vinegar
-- wash in bleach
-- wash in orange juice
-- wash in rubbing alcohol
-- ice it, then pour table salt on it
-- dip it in sugar
-- get drunk so you forget about it
-- put a baking soda paste on it

Okay, so I didn't try all of those fixes, but I tried most of them. (No, Mom, I didn't get drunk.) And sadly, most of them did not work. The rubbing alcohol offered temporary relief, 2 - 3 mins max. The lemon juice stung like nothing else. The bleach still smells lovely today, of course.

Wanna know what worked? Probably not really, huh? Yeah, I know it's silly, and probably anyone who isn't suffering from a serious pepper burn really cares about this. But, in the event that you may one day be forgetful enough to cut a pepper without gloves, I'm going to tell you ... the baking soda paste really did work. In fact, it worked well enough that I smeared it all over my hands, then wrapped my hands in ziplock baggies, covered the bags with socks and went to bed.
At 2:30 a.m.
Happy to be out of pain.

Yes, I now have baking soda all over my bed and swollen, chappy, bleachy hands. But at least I don't hurt. And at least I didn't ruin that lovely salsa.

Did you catch that I did 22 pints? And 3 quarts besides? Not too shabby for one evening of agony, eh?

Preschool

Today was Samantha's first day of preschool. Actually, she was supposed to start last week, but because we were gone, she started today. She was VERY excited to go, and LOVED every minute of it. We decided to put her into a Spanish preschool program. I was amazed at how inquisitive she was about "what does that mean in Spanish?" All afternoon she was asking me "Spanish" questions, wondering how to say certain things. We covered all the family member words, please and thank you, a few colors, etc. Day 1 -- a success!

I was really nervous for her, and kept debating whether we should try preschool right now. But so far, so good. I wish we had a camera to post some pictures of how cute she looked this morning. She put on her new school pants that are still just a little long on her. And then she sat sooooooo still as I did her hair. That's a first, and one I'm ready to repeat on many more school mornings! ha!

One funny thing, I spent so much time getting her ready this morning, I just kind of fluffed up my hair and put on one of my work-out shirts so I could run her to school. She took one look at me and said, in a very matter-of-fact tone: "Um, is that the shirt you were thinking of wearing?"

I looked at it, then at her little incredulous face. I paused before asking, "Did you think maybe I should wear something different?"

"Yes, please."

I was laughing to myself as I rummaged through my closet to find an appropriate shirt -- one that wouldn't embarrass my daughter. She finally gave her approval when I pulled out a nice button-up blouse. Wow. Am I really already a possible "Embarrasing Mom" candidate?!

Babysitting

I now value adult conversation a little bit more than I did before this week. I'm babysitting my brother's four kids, with my two as well. We're staying at their house so their kids can go to school, etc. Brian is at home, working on stuff, so I'm solo here for now. For the weekend, we went to my parents' house. Then came home to the kids' house last night.

Today is Day #3. Looong day. I feel like a bad mom, and a bad aunt. I don't like being the "enforcer." Who knew it's such hard work to get kids to do their homework? or eat a few bites at dinner? or do their hair before school? or most everything "the mom" is supposed to do as far as "enforcing the rules/schedule"? I seriously feel like the bad guy, no matter what I do. I keep reminding myself my job is to keep them safe, and happy. (I write as one one-year-old is bawling, one three-year-old [sammie] is trying to rollerskate up the stairs, the other one-year-old is attached to my knees [spence], one five-year-old is mad at me for life because I asked her to eat two bites besides her chicken nuggets at dinner, and one seven-year-old is depressed because Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles is over. I think the other 3-year-old is currently okay, but he's upstairs so who knows??)

Ah, well, this is all very interesting. An experience, as Brian would say. Oh no, they all escaped to upstairs, unsupervised. I better go. And to think, I used to be set on having 6 kids! Dream fulfilled...
xx

Prelim Results

Hey y'all. Thanks for all the feedback on my photos. I really appreciate everyones' comments. I ended up submitting seven different pictures... The water spout one, the red tulip field (my personal favorite), the lavendar field, Sam on the phone, Alhambra palace, Egyptian temple columns, and another one that I forgot to post -- a cathedral in Guatemala. I also had the volcanic lake picture ready, but it got something on it at the last minute, so I couldn't submit it. Rats! oh, and I blew up the Harvard Yard picture, too, but I need to go back and find the negative, because it was an old one, and the scan was a little blurry as an 11x14.

Anyway, it was fun to put it together, and do something exciting with my little hobby for a change. When I went to turn them in, I got a little bashful, seeing everyone else's VERY professional-looking works. I started biting my nails (always a bad sign) and got really impatient in the line -- almost left, even. Weird, huh? I heard three other people in front of me tell the volunteer picture people (the ones who were accepting the photos and organizing them for display) that it was their first time. Lots and lots and LOTS of photos in this little fair competition, it seems. I don't expect to win anything, but I'm excited to get to see the display. How fun to see my work on the wall, eh?! I'll keep you posted if I DO by-chance win anything.

Photo votes

Okay, this is totally random. Just for fun, I've decided to enter some of my amateur photography at the Eastern Idaho State Fair. For those unaware, the Eastern Idaho State Fair is THE place to be the first week of September. Actually, it's the place I used to be every September all my growing-up years. Maybe that's because it's headquarters are right in good ol' Blackfoot, Idaho.

But also, it's where the biggest, fluffiest tiger ears in the world are made, not to mention the BEST homemade ice cream cones stacked three and four scoops high. It's where my best friend Amber actually touched Randy Travis' hand at a concert when she was 16. It's where I first encountered the fabulous turn-your-stomach carnival ride called The Zipper. It's where I entered -- and modeled!-- my own sewing project at age 12, a peach jumper with matching peach and white tee-shirt. Ahh... the memories.

So, anyway, I'm choosing this famous world-class state fair as the place to enter my very first photos... cash prizes for the winners, can you imagine?! Anyway, I need some help choosing from some of my favorites, so I'm putting it up for a vote. Below, you will find some of my very own artsy pictures, each with a title and a number. I'm welcoming comments and even criticism, if you're tactful, of course! Mainly, I want to know the top three photos I should enter at the fair. There are several different categories, so my "themes" vary. Ready? Here we go, in no particular order (and no laughing at my cheesy names!)...

1. Green Leaf Cover

2. From the Spout

3. Fringe on Top

4. Fringe on Display

5. Fire and Ice

6. Pleasant Perch

7. Pineapple Topper


8. Paradise Lookalikes

9. Lavenders Blue

10. Ice Box Bandit

11. Rubber Leaves

12. Red Deliciousness

13. Zebrafly

14. Wall of Mums

15. Harvard Yard
16. Temple Columns
17. Volcanic Lake
18. La Alhambra
19. Chichi
20. Personal Call
21. Hello, Grandma?
22. Redhead Bedhead
23. BT1
24. BT2

Mini Triathlon

So, as I mentioned earlier, my friend and I decided to run a mini triathlon, just for fun. (And to help us stick with our running goals!) We trained for about a month and a half. And last Thursday, we had our race. Yay for us!!

I thought I'd show some pictures, and a few details as I go along. So, here's my little fan club. It was raining throughout the race. And I think Sammie was more interested in her princess umbrella than she was in the race, who can blame her?!
Me in the water. I forgot to put on my goggles until about 3/4 the way through. By then they were so foggy I didn't really use them anyway. I was worried the water would be really cold, especially with the rain. But it was actually a really nice temperature and not too dirty, either.

Coming out of the water, I was still smiling. I was one of the last to finish the swimming. I just can't swim with my head under the water, so I was pretty slow. Plus, I pulled something in my shoulder a few weeks before the race, and it was (and is) still bothering me. Oh well.
Biking was a nice relief after swimming. It was a little chilly, but not too bad. Lots of the men from the division that started just after me passed during the bike section. They all had road bikes and were spppppeeeeding along. I was on a mountain bike, and was not about to take a spill on one of the corners, especially with the rain!
Running was good, though my legs were pretty shaky after the bike ride. I was able to pass several people from my division while biking and running, which was nice. I remembered Scott Buchanan's advice of picking out a person in front of me and working hard to pass them. My nemisis was Braid Girl, who I passed, then she passed me while I was messing with my time chip for a second. I worked really hard to pass her again, and finally did.

Across finish line, and feeling good about it! Yay, I'm the winner. ha!

My friend, Angela, after she finished. Funny thing, we registered separately and ended up in separate divisions. So, she started and ended 20 minutes before me. Oh well. It was better because she actually went faster than I did and didn't have to feel bad about ditching me. ha!

It was a short race, as far as triathlons go... 1/4 mile swim, 6 mile bike ride, 2 mile run. It was a good first race for me. I've always wanted to run in a race, and now I have achieved that little goal. It took me 1 hour, 13 minutes. Not a great time, as far as racers know. But it was good enough for me!

Cute Conversation

We were driving home late last night from a birthday party for one of Samantha's cousins. In the car, I was prepping Sam on the quick-quick bedtime routine, to minimize difficulty once we reached the house. We had the following conversation...

Kam: Okay, Sammie. When we get home, we need to get to bed really quickly tonight. (She was already in pajamas.) So, right when we get out of the car, you need to go in, go to the bathroom, brush your teeth, say your prayers, and get straight into bed. Okay?

Sam, giving no affirmative response whatsoever: And maybe have one quick little story.

Kam: Well, first you need to go to the bathroom, brush your teeth, say your prayers, and get straight into bed. Okay?

Sam: (pause) And a quick little story??

No response from Kam. (I was having that mental mother's debate about whether to fight over the story, seeing how late we were already getting home.)

Sam, more sweetly: I just want one quick little story.

Kam, knowing how she thrives on repetitive lists : Well, if you can use the bathroom, brush teeth, say prayers, and get into bed really quickly, then maybe we'll do a quick story. But if it takes too long to go to the bathroom, brush your teeth, and say prayers, we might not have time for a story.

No response from Samantha.

Brian, seeking an affirmative response: Does that sound good?

Sam, slightly disgruntled, after a long sigh: Not if there's no story!!

It sounded just like a spoiled teenager who just learned there might not be cable at the hotel. It made me laugh so hard the rest of the way home.