Thursday, January 31, 2008
me today
so here's my first entry in my new scrapbook - me on the last day of the month...and my recap of life this month...thankfully i have this blog journal to help me remember what i've been doing and feeling!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
if you feed them...
...they will come.
this has been a post a long time coming, but today, i was inspired to finally do it because of this:
our house in grand haven had bird feeders, too...and we got birds. i just didn't have a good viewing area. but the house in midland has an excellent area for bird feeders. you can see them from the kitchen window, the eating area, the screen room...and boy, do those birds come.
the bird feeders were one of the last things moved and one of the first things put into place when we unpacked.
i had a hard time moving from grand haven. i'd waited for a long time to move back there and i loved having our family there. we'd been through so much with grandmoth and grandfath, it seemed like it was almost okay to go because they didn't need us anymore - for filling bird feeders, or anything else. i still had my bird feeders. and this feeling in the back of my mind that maybe the birds wouldn't come. maybe i was going to lose that part of my life, too.
literally within hours of getting them set up at the new house...they came. lots of them. and there were the usuals...the chickadees and the blue jays. but we got other birds, too. some i had to look up what they were. and i honestly felt that grandfath was telling me it was okay. i think he sent the birds.
and this morning, when i am thinking of them so much, with tomorrow looming over my head, i looked out the kitchen window to see that beautiful red cardinal, with a snowy background telling me that it's okay.
this has been a post a long time coming, but today, i was inspired to finally do it because of this:
our house in grand haven had bird feeders, too...and we got birds. i just didn't have a good viewing area. but the house in midland has an excellent area for bird feeders. you can see them from the kitchen window, the eating area, the screen room...and boy, do those birds come.
the bird feeders were one of the last things moved and one of the first things put into place when we unpacked.
i had a hard time moving from grand haven. i'd waited for a long time to move back there and i loved having our family there. we'd been through so much with grandmoth and grandfath, it seemed like it was almost okay to go because they didn't need us anymore - for filling bird feeders, or anything else. i still had my bird feeders. and this feeling in the back of my mind that maybe the birds wouldn't come. maybe i was going to lose that part of my life, too.literally within hours of getting them set up at the new house...they came. lots of them. and there were the usuals...the chickadees and the blue jays. but we got other birds, too. some i had to look up what they were. and i honestly felt that grandfath was telling me it was okay. i think he sent the birds.
and this morning, when i am thinking of them so much, with tomorrow looming over my head, i looked out the kitchen window to see that beautiful red cardinal, with a snowy background telling me that it's okay.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
today i...
got all the kids ready for school
took porter to preschool
did my full weight training and over 3 miles on the treadmill
put a second coat of paint on the kid bathroom
showered
finally mailed packages that have been in various states of mailability since Nov.
finally changed my address at the secretary of state
went grocery shopping
introduced a babysitter to the kids
cooked part of dinner
replaced the light fixture in the kid bathroom
installed bamboo roman blinds in the kid bathroom
changed all the door/drawer hardware in kid bathroom
installed new towel and hand towel hooks in kid bathroom
removed carpet in kid bathroom
cleaned kid bathroom
put up new shower curtain, towels, hand towels and rugs in kid bathroom
now all that's left to do in kid bathroom is the 'murals' and then maybe i'll have the energy to actually take some pictures of the bathroom transformation to show you all the amazing work i accomplished in just a few short days and then you should all comment on how incredibly talented i am.
good night.
took porter to preschool
did my full weight training and over 3 miles on the treadmill
put a second coat of paint on the kid bathroom
showered
finally mailed packages that have been in various states of mailability since Nov.
finally changed my address at the secretary of state
went grocery shopping
introduced a babysitter to the kids
cooked part of dinner
replaced the light fixture in the kid bathroom
installed bamboo roman blinds in the kid bathroom
changed all the door/drawer hardware in kid bathroom
installed new towel and hand towel hooks in kid bathroom
removed carpet in kid bathroom
cleaned kid bathroom
put up new shower curtain, towels, hand towels and rugs in kid bathroom
now all that's left to do in kid bathroom is the 'murals' and then maybe i'll have the energy to actually take some pictures of the bathroom transformation to show you all the amazing work i accomplished in just a few short days and then you should all comment on how incredibly talented i am.
good night.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
from house to home
the transformation is slowly happening...we've been in a holding pattern since early november, right after finishing the kid's bedrooms, because of the holidays, but i got back to it with full force this weekend...
the trim in the foyer and the mint-green stairway/hallway has two coats of white...the doors (and those dang closet doors with I SWEAR a million and one slats...) have one coat of white....i'm hoping it will only take one more coat on the trim...and probably going to be up to four on the doors. oye. i hate mint green.
i tore down the kids bathroom, including removing the window treatments, light, etc. and stripped the wallpaper...it's now got one coat of it's 'background' color...i'll post pictures of what that bathroom has become when it's done...which will hopefully be by next weekend when we're getting an 'asian invasion' from tara and family and four more people will be using that bathroom!
i'm very tired...my back is sore, and my arms and hands are worn out from all the paint brushing...and the kids go back to school tomorrow after a four-day weekend. wahoo.
the trim in the foyer and the mint-green stairway/hallway has two coats of white...the doors (and those dang closet doors with I SWEAR a million and one slats...) have one coat of white....i'm hoping it will only take one more coat on the trim...and probably going to be up to four on the doors. oye. i hate mint green.
i tore down the kids bathroom, including removing the window treatments, light, etc. and stripped the wallpaper...it's now got one coat of it's 'background' color...i'll post pictures of what that bathroom has become when it's done...which will hopefully be by next weekend when we're getting an 'asian invasion' from tara and family and four more people will be using that bathroom!
i'm very tired...my back is sore, and my arms and hands are worn out from all the paint brushing...and the kids go back to school tomorrow after a four-day weekend. wahoo.
Friday, January 25, 2008
tunnels and toboggans
today...we started with tunnels this morning and then totally kicked it up a notch by taking all the kids to the toboggan run...holy moly...i'm not sure the rollar coasters at cedar point go that fast...and yes, molly went, too. grandmom and i each took two kids a piece down the runs for a hour before hitting the regular (and rather tame in comparison!) sledding hill and ice rink (which the kids just slid around on in their boots).
i mean, it WAS nearly 25 degrees outside today (who knows what that wind chill was...) why not spend a few hours outdoors?? eek. check with me tomorrow on the status of my bruises and wind burned cheeks! still fun though.
i mean, it WAS nearly 25 degrees outside today (who knows what that wind chill was...) why not spend a few hours outdoors?? eek. check with me tomorrow on the status of my bruises and wind burned cheeks! still fun though.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
my father's daughter
it's a little after 11:30pm.
i just found myself standing in the kitchen eating toast and sliced cheese (no apples, though).
oye.
we are the product of our parents, are we not?
i just found myself standing in the kitchen eating toast and sliced cheese (no apples, though).
oye.
we are the product of our parents, are we not?
all
KQOTD:
Cara (while talking to Jason): What else do I need to get at the store? What do you want for dinner tomorrow? Friday? Saturday? Sunday?
Lilly: Taco Bell all.
Cara (while talking to Jason): What else do I need to get at the store? What do you want for dinner tomorrow? Friday? Saturday? Sunday?
Lilly: Taco Bell all.
why
obsessing about the death of heath ledger today
searching the internet for information
too much out there
body bag and 'found naked'
why is that there for me to see and read?
and yet, the answers that i want
do not exist
someone's brother, son, and father
to a child not much older than molly
i did not KNOW him
barely saw his movies, a few interviews
but feeling a loss today
and wondering why
about many things
searching the internet for information
too much out there
body bag and 'found naked'
why is that there for me to see and read?
and yet, the answers that i want
do not exist
someone's brother, son, and father
to a child not much older than molly
i did not KNOW him
barely saw his movies, a few interviews
but feeling a loss today
and wondering why
about many things
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
i love cookies
and therefore, the little kids that sell those fundraiser tubs of premade cookie dough love me.
i rarely make cookies from scratch, and when i do, it's the original nestle tollhouse cookie recipe. these rank among some of my favorites, with frosted sugar cookies and snickerdoodles close behind.
my all time favorite cookie is my uncle face's recipe for 4Cs cookies. he's a bit of a 'cookie connoisseur" if you will, having written a cookie cookbook at one time during my childhood. i can't recall what the 4cs stand for - i know one is chocolate, in fact, two of them might be...and i know a third then is cinnamon, one of his favorite cookie ingredients. that draws me to the conclusion that the fourth must be cocaine. there is no other explanation for this cookie's extremely addictive qualities. a few christmases he graced us with 'add a pound of butter to this bag of dry cookie ingredients' gifts and that resulted in my long lasting addiction to said cookies that i think it's now been years since i last tasted. he now graces us every year with his mystery seasoning mix, which again, must contain some highly addictive illegal substance. i'm convinced it's why he lives on the other side of the country and just mails this stuff to his family...cause otherwise, i'd be banging on his door. daily.
this leads me back to the fundraiser kid. i love cookies, but i don't like to make them, just bake them. so the last fundraising round we ordered FIVE tubs of premade cookie dough. i finally got around to dealing with them, and with the expert advice of my friend, tara, i have them all ready to bake! i scooped out baker's dozens (hee, hee) of each cookie kind (3 dozen of each flavor) and put them in ziploc bags with baking instructions and then froze them...so when it's 10:30pm and i dying for a warm gooey cookie, i just pre-heat and a few minutes later - voila.
i used to prebake the cookie tubs and then put them in the freezer baked and just thaw one or two when i wanted to munch...alas, this did not result in the 'warm gooey cookie fix' i was looking for. i think this method will work very well! i baked 2 dozen that night and have 12 dozen more just hanging out in the freezer until the next lucky cookie dough salesboy knocks on my door. we're probably single-handedly supporting some boy scout troop out there.
i rarely make cookies from scratch, and when i do, it's the original nestle tollhouse cookie recipe. these rank among some of my favorites, with frosted sugar cookies and snickerdoodles close behind.
my all time favorite cookie is my uncle face's recipe for 4Cs cookies. he's a bit of a 'cookie connoisseur" if you will, having written a cookie cookbook at one time during my childhood. i can't recall what the 4cs stand for - i know one is chocolate, in fact, two of them might be...and i know a third then is cinnamon, one of his favorite cookie ingredients. that draws me to the conclusion that the fourth must be cocaine. there is no other explanation for this cookie's extremely addictive qualities. a few christmases he graced us with 'add a pound of butter to this bag of dry cookie ingredients' gifts and that resulted in my long lasting addiction to said cookies that i think it's now been years since i last tasted. he now graces us every year with his mystery seasoning mix, which again, must contain some highly addictive illegal substance. i'm convinced it's why he lives on the other side of the country and just mails this stuff to his family...cause otherwise, i'd be banging on his door. daily.
this leads me back to the fundraiser kid. i love cookies, but i don't like to make them, just bake them. so the last fundraising round we ordered FIVE tubs of premade cookie dough. i finally got around to dealing with them, and with the expert advice of my friend, tara, i have them all ready to bake! i scooped out baker's dozens (hee, hee) of each cookie kind (3 dozen of each flavor) and put them in ziploc bags with baking instructions and then froze them...so when it's 10:30pm and i dying for a warm gooey cookie, i just pre-heat and a few minutes later - voila.
i used to prebake the cookie tubs and then put them in the freezer baked and just thaw one or two when i wanted to munch...alas, this did not result in the 'warm gooey cookie fix' i was looking for. i think this method will work very well! i baked 2 dozen that night and have 12 dozen more just hanging out in the freezer until the next lucky cookie dough salesboy knocks on my door. we're probably single-handedly supporting some boy scout troop out there.
Friday, January 18, 2008
crazy hair day
at the girls' school....their new haircuts made doing these crazy 'dos' much easier...
Lilly was going for a 'crown' look:
Maya was going for a 'mohawk' look:
so there you have it. crazy hair day.
Lilly was going for a 'crown' look:
Maya was going for a 'mohawk' look:
so there you have it. crazy hair day.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
broccoli
it started like this...
we served molly some fruitloops at the end of her dinner while the rest of us were eating. it stops her from screaming and grabbing other people's food, drink, napkins (which she shreds into a million pieces). anyway...she wasn't eating them. so i tried broccoli. and after about the third helping, i decided i need to take a picture. that translated into this scrapbook page, and a now famous relationship she has with broccoli.
and then came her christmas gift from kate...
and that led to the day's KQOTD - in this day of technology....
we served molly some fruitloops at the end of her dinner while the rest of us were eating. it stops her from screaming and grabbing other people's food, drink, napkins (which she shreds into a million pieces). anyway...she wasn't eating them. so i tried broccoli. and after about the third helping, i decided i need to take a picture. that translated into this scrapbook page, and a now famous relationship she has with broccoli.and then came her christmas gift from kate...
Porter - Molly, how does it work?
what the?
for the safety of my family i blocked out the address...but suffice it to say, it's mine, not my parents'...AND, to top it off, we also got one to the former owners "or current resident"....but not actually one for US - and we ARE the current resident.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
baker beauty shop
well, part of this post will provide an interesting update to something in our yet to be mailed christmas/new year's/groundhog day card....
but, tonight, our kitchen was transformed into the baker beauty shop...
first came lilly...not to dramatic, but to quote her in the mirror after "i LOVE it":
then, the inspiration for today's 'renovation' to beauty shop...while her intentions to grow the hair and donate it were admirable (only 8 inches, 2 more to go!), it was one too many crying sessions as a result of tangles for both of us today...
and then came molly's FIRST hair cut...i, personally, think she's lost some of her charm, but at least she can see.
but, tonight, our kitchen was transformed into the baker beauty shop...
first came lilly...not to dramatic, but to quote her in the mirror after "i LOVE it":
then, the inspiration for today's 'renovation' to beauty shop...while her intentions to grow the hair and donate it were admirable (only 8 inches, 2 more to go!), it was one too many crying sessions as a result of tangles for both of us today...
and then came molly's FIRST hair cut...i, personally, think she's lost some of her charm, but at least she can see.
Friday, January 11, 2008
if you insist...
KQOTD:Molly - up, UP!
Lilly - I always let you up and then you make bad choices. But if you insist.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
techno
i added a few more fun things to the blog today...
finally got a counter on the side...so um, I was #1...click away so as to up my numbers and slowly increase my self esteem.
also, bush's last day. those that know me are probably surprised it took me that long to add it to my blog.
finally got a counter on the side...so um, I was #1...click away so as to up my numbers and slowly increase my self esteem.
also, bush's last day. those that know me are probably surprised it took me that long to add it to my blog.
Monday, January 07, 2008
thunder
we've got a nice january thunderstorm here today in mid-michigan...with highs projected in the upper 50s to near 60 the next two days.
can we say global warming???
can we say global warming???Thursday, January 03, 2008
christmas #4 recap
which is also a new years eve and new years day recap!
new year's eve started with my first ever frittata - not a favorite of the kids, but not bad! the afternoon brought christmas caroling (see post of up on the housetop) and then gifting with my parents.
my dad's traditional dress...and the girls wanted to dress up, too...
and then came the horse ovaries - here's the rundown...
assorted fruit with cream cheese dip, wrapped onions, wrapped pickles, salsa, guacamole, nacho cheese and chips, smokies in bbq, shrimp, monkey bread, swedish meatballs, chocolate fondue and dippers, and cheese and crackers, and a liver pate (not pictured)
we watched a movie (ratatouille) and then headed downstairs for the extravaganza...yes, that whole wooden bowl is full of 'poppers'...way more than we needed, but hey, it was fun!
new years day brought a snow storm that delayed the arrivals of the jalandoni family, which brought our dinner party total to fourteen people. we watched the first half of the UM game and then dined on prime rib, grilled veggies, salad and deviled eggs, baked cheesy grits and sweet potato fries. then it was back to the game (and thank goodness for tivo because we missed that exciting play right at the beginning of the 3rd quarter but could just 'rewind' - insert tivo noise here - and see it!)
there you have it...the last installment of the baker holiday adventure. i'm sure i'll still be finding streamers and confetti throughout the house well into march.
new year's eve started with my first ever frittata - not a favorite of the kids, but not bad! the afternoon brought christmas caroling (see post of up on the housetop) and then gifting with my parents.
my dad's traditional dress...and the girls wanted to dress up, too...
and then came the horse ovaries - here's the rundown...
assorted fruit with cream cheese dip, wrapped onions, wrapped pickles, salsa, guacamole, nacho cheese and chips, smokies in bbq, shrimp, monkey bread, swedish meatballs, chocolate fondue and dippers, and cheese and crackers, and a liver pate (not pictured)
we watched a movie (ratatouille) and then headed downstairs for the extravaganza...yes, that whole wooden bowl is full of 'poppers'...way more than we needed, but hey, it was fun!
the destruction...
new years day brought a snow storm that delayed the arrivals of the jalandoni family, which brought our dinner party total to fourteen people. we watched the first half of the UM game and then dined on prime rib, grilled veggies, salad and deviled eggs, baked cheesy grits and sweet potato fries. then it was back to the game (and thank goodness for tivo because we missed that exciting play right at the beginning of the 3rd quarter but could just 'rewind' - insert tivo noise here - and see it!)
there you have it...the last installment of the baker holiday adventure. i'm sure i'll still be finding streamers and confetti throughout the house well into march.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
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