yes, i am insane

Its hot out.. humid to be exact. Cooking is something that should be outside or by someone else where you don't have to do any dishes (aka takeout).  What did I do?    Made Kielbasa and potato noodles....  stood in front of the range for who knows how long.  I'm pooped!  What freaking possessed me to do that??  I have no idea.  Really.  I could have easily made Tim grill something.  Or had Ice Cream for dinner.

I'm going to give myself a time out now.

Date Night

Date night for us married folks is few and far between.  Who would have thought that we'd need to schedule time to be able to have dinner by ourselves... oh yeah. We have a kid.

The introduction of another human complicates the time we need to spend together as a married couple. And I'm simply talking about being able to spend some time together, minus a child, to eat and drink, talk about adult topics, giggle about adult things with having to explain what they mean in a G version and watch a scary movie and drink some more.
Now don't get me wrong.  I love my kid.  She's awesome! But I am a firm believer that a marriage can only be sustained when the spouses have some time to be together. Get back to WHY they got married in the first place.

So last night the kid spent the night at a friend's house..  she's at that age where it will be happening more and more.  The  husband and I went to Duffs for dinner....had a few drinks...  discussed our upcoming trip.  We then headed over to Borders to pick up some reading material for the plane ride...  then Ice Cream. No, Tim didn't eat 2..  one is mine and I couldn't finish it.  Then we made an exciting trip to the pet store.. ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh.. so adult.  I know.  We needed some cat food and treat for the new hamster.  Some kitteh viewing was in order.

Then we went home....  oooooohhhhh.. exciting. Well, he made one more trip for vodka so we could have Vodka Tea while we watched a scary movie.     That's Date Night...   And after nearly 10 years of marriage and 14 years of being with my best friend,  I had a wonderful time. Now we are off to mass to get the kid...  and life resumes.  

goodbye friend

Today we had to say goodbye to Steve, Erin's hamster.  He was a sweet guy and a bit daring.  We found him this morning unresponsive and we did all that we could to keep him with us.

Steve is now resting in the big Wheel in the sky.  Erin wanted to bury him in the backyard.  He's under an American flag stone, has an army dude to watch over him, a carrot and Cherry tomato.

Goodbye friend.  we love you

summer stuff.. so far

here I thought summer was supposed to be fun and memorable..  I'm damn exhausted!  Its July 4 at 11pm. It sounds like a fire fight is going on outside.  Well, what I'd imagine it would sound like..  So much for fireworks in NYS being illegal....hahahhahah!

We just got back from visiting friends for a few hours.. talking about "the good old days", swimming, playing board games.. I am burnt.  But it was nice to see friends.  Next weekend is another family party... and thats the last one for the summer.  Then its a friend's picnic, maybe fantasy island then our trip to Vegas....  then VA and maybe TX (the VA and TX trips are me.. for work..woohoo!).

yeah.. i lost where I was going with this one so since I can't keep a thought in my head, I'm gonna not even try.  Happy 4th peoples... enjoy your days...

marriage

This year I celebrate 10 years of marriage to my husband... my best friend.  I am honored to have the right and privilege to spend my life- good and bad- with the person I love.

Now.. my friends have the same right.  NYS passed a law that allows same sexed couples to be married. I am happy.  I am thrilled!  But this makes me sad at the same time.  Sad because it too so long.  Sad because I have friends who are upset with the decision because of religious beliefs.   Sad that we had to grant the right to marriage...

I'm going to go on a rant now so if you think you will be offended in any way, now is your chance to stop reading.


Still with me.. good.
I believe that love transcends gender.  Love can exist between Man and Woman, Man and Man, Woman and Woman, Man and 2 women, Woman and 2 Men.. .. etc.  The Judeo-Christian ideal is not Universal.  There are other cultural ideals that exist in this world that we in the west disregard because it goes against our beliefs.  I studied cultural differences for 4 years in college and I still study it today.  Who am I to say what a couple in another country, with a different religion with a different set of values are right?  As long as all parties involved with the marriage are in agreement... no one was forced or underage.... lets be smart about it kids..  why should I care if there are 2 wives and 1 husband?  Why should I care if there are 2 women who love each other as much as I love my husband?  ITS LOVE!  Would I marry someone of the same sex? No. I like boys.  But I know lots of people of who will now be planning weddings and I am thrilled to be able to celebrate their love with them.

almost summer

For years my Mom has tried to get me to eat Strawberries...  She wins.  These are beauties I have been munching on ....

They are grown local in Eden NY.  They are about the sweetest and juiciest strawberries you will ever find.

All I did was clean them, cut the tops off and sprinkle some sugar on it.  Yes, I know.  Why bother?  Because  it helps deal with the texture issue I have with Strawberries.  Hey, I'm eating them.

Now don't go and expect me to eat Strawberry preserves or jam...  no.  There is a texture issue at work here kids.  Again.. BE HAPPY THAT I WILL EAT THEM WHOLE!

marshmallows

I made Rice Krispie treats last night for a work lunch today.  This happens to be Erin's favorite treat for the moment.  But it has to be mine since I add more marshmallows and its softer.  Lack of teeth and hard food = trouble.

So I gave her a piece this morning as a treat like you should because its my birthday week.  She turns to me and asks "Mom, what are marshmallows made of?"
My response - "Good question.. lets look"... in other words, to the cloud (teehee).

I look up the ingredients to confirm and I start reading them off.  I pause and say gelatin.
"Whats that?"

I braced myself for the outcome I foresaw - the spitting out of whatever was in her mouth.
"Well, gelatin comes from animal skin and bones... "pause.. no response.
She keeps eating
"You know how we are supposed to use as much of an animal as possible?" I say
"Like the Sioux and Powhatan Indians used the buffalo and deer" she responds.
"Yes, exactly"
"So thats why that lady at the party couldn't eat the Igor Bars right? Because she was a vegetarian?" says the 8 year old with marshmallow hanging off her chin.
"You got it."
This next statement make me laugh... "I don't care where it comes from, just as long as it tastes good".

out of the mouths of babes....

God only gives you what you can handle

Its been a long long week.  So I apologize for the lack of updates and nifty photos.  First off, it was rehearsal week for the kiddo's dance performance.  They did Ease on Down the Road and she was Dorothy.    This consisted of a full costume/makeup rehearsal in studio on Wednesday, Tech rehearsal on Thursday and full show rehearsal on Friday.  The show was Saturday - we were there from 3pm till 10:30 or so. Yes.. it was a long show...  We had some technical issues which caused a delay but oh well.

Here's my girl in full costume with the Scarecrow and Lion.. and "Toto"..  well SoCo... The TinGirl was off getting oiled :)

She had a real dog to call out at the end of the show.

On top of the wonderful performance, she was awarded Most Dramatic.. so I foresee Musical Theatre classes for next year.

To make it even better.. my niece was also in the show (her first!) and she kicked butt despite running into the scenery due to lack of vision.  I am so proud of my girls for a great year.

On a sad note we had a family loss this week.  Its going to be rough for those involved but things will get better.  This was looming over us this week as well.  The question was how to tell an 8 year old a baby has died before her due date?  She took it well as she was more concerned for the mother... who has 2 children at home.  It was amazing to hear her rationale.. she was sad yes, but not in the way I thought she'd be.  She understood why it happened and the medical side and clearly stated her reason for the emotion.  And that was it... nothing else was said.  Death and being 8 is funny business.

With that, we venture forward and hope that time heals the wounds for everyone.  At least a little.  This week we see if the kid needs glasses (I suspect so), soccer starts this week and I have to plan a meal for 30 people.  And I turn 36. Time marches on and I'm learning to take it in stride.  Now, if it will stop raining, I'll feel better for the weekend (is it too much to ask?).

This is my memorial day. A good book, patio and wine. Yeah.. No rain. Sunshine. A good day to be outside and get burned.

lack of wisdom

At the age of 35, I had my only wisdom tooth removed.  It was fine.. not impacted at all and still not 100% erupted. My last cleaning was when it cracked.  Just the corner of it which causes issues when eating.  It wasn't possible to fill it since it wasn't in all the way.  The only option was to pull it.

So today I had it pulled.  No heavy meds... I was awake.  3 shots of Novicaine.  Thats it.  Fortunately, the tooth came out in one piece.  And I felt it all.  This didn't bother me so much as I've 2 other molars pulled.  It was the fact I needed one stitch.  One.  Watching him sew it up and feeling it...  EEWWWWWW!!!!!

Now I am sitting here in pain.  Its been about 4 hours and the Novicaine has worn off.  I feel the 3 shot spots.  My jaw is sore, my gum is killing me.  I'd hate to see what it felt like without the Hydrocodone.  Hell,  even walking hurts... the jarring pressure rattles that spot and it feels like someone is poking it.

I kept the tooth.  I wonder the Adult rate is for a tooth?  If my kid gets $1... I should get at least.. what... $20???

so worth it

I went to the salon today.. felt cruddy and blue so I thought I'd get my hair cut.  Its so thick, 4 week worth of growth is noticeable.  If you recall, I went to Super Cuts...  yeah.. never again. The care and attention to my hair is soooo much better when I go to Cortos.  Grated, it costs $24 for a cut but my hair looks so much better!!

So Thank You Jenny the stylist in the back -- you did a great job.  Not only did you cut my hair wonderfully, you remember my kid.  And that means a lot to me.  You gave me my sassy back.

How a Watch means Freedom

I posted this to Free Range Kids..  because I believe Kids should have freedom

My 8 year old daughter is one of a few kids in the neighborhood.  We're a "city" residential area so the streets are connected.  There are 2 girls her age on the street and one on the street behind.  Its spring.  I don't want them in the house...  so I kicked them out.  Here we have 4 maybe 6 girls in the house.  It makes my head hurt. They were even bored.  So I made my kid a deal.  If she has a watch on she can go.  No watch, no leaving the yard.  Go to the other kid's house, go to the park (its around the corner and just behind her one friend's house).... GO!  Be home at whatever time I say (dinner, street lights.. whatever).  She knows the rules and did get me when there was a problem.  She looks both ways to cross the street (several times in fact) and asks to pet a dog. They are even trying to dig to China from what I hear... and open a bug exhibit.  

I trust her in this small radius as she's 8.  Its a big step for her.  I used to run around our street when I was her age.  As long as she checks in.. we're good.   Kids should be kids.

manners

I wish teenagers had manners.  I know.. its an impossible request.  All I ask is that if you decide to goof off and be stoopid,....  1) watch your language  2)make sure there are no little kids around and 3) if there are little ones (meaning younger than you) then STOP.

Now is the time when the kids are out.  I totally understand wanting to be funny and horse around with your friends and show off your "style and manliness".. but really.. KNOCK IT OFF!!!!!!

mmmmrrrrr...Mama Bear will make an appearance...

nice night

I couldn't resist sitting outside when we came home from dance pictures.  It was so nice..  so I grabbed my stuff I need for tomorrow and a glass of wine and got to work.  So with the medallions done, I grabbed a cup of coffee to chill.  The kid is off with her friends across the street.  I foresee many hours this summer without my kid. I'm not complaining. She needs to be with kids her age.  Go!! Be a kid!! Please...

So here is my garden.. and me.  I'm proud of my little patch of land.  Its onions, cucumbers, lettuce, red and banana peppers and tomatoes. Some oregano, rosemary and lavender for spice.. if my basil takes, we'll have that too.

Yes, there is a grape vine behind me.  It is an evil grape vine.  I did not plant it... it was here when we moved in and has a mind of its own.  I have tired to cut it back some (not all as its a nice blocker from the neighbors behind me) but it comes back bigger each year.  And what makes it worse is that the grapes are not edible. They are a wild concord and fit for animals only.  Damn.. If they were the big ones, I would pick them then ship them to my sister in law to make jam.  

See.. cute!  Got my potting soil with said needed nutrients and those little suckers better grow. I'm counting on the tomatoes and lettuce.. and cucs too.  

So here I sit enjoying my little piece of heaven...  with coffee as the breeze has set in off the lake.  The only problem is that I get a nice sun in the afternoon but as soon as the sun starts to set, my backyard is cold.  No light at all.  

Cup from Lil.. and coffee from the hubby (for Mother's day, I got a Kuerig maker).  Time to go in.. not warm enough outside without a fire... sadly something we don't have.  

Grave?

this is my garden that the girls took over.  I'm not sure what going on.  They were looking for bugs before dinner.  After all was said and done,  Tim tells me to check out my hard work.  Yeah, sort of looks like a grave huh??

This is what I get for leaving a 7, 8 and 9 year old out side.  Isn't it grand?  My kid has been outside all day.  At one friends house, then off to another around the corner, then back out after dinner...  I'm glad she has a watch.   Maybe she'll sleep...

botanical gardens

Last day of Spring Break. Oh where did it go? Today's adventure was the Botanical Gardens. In a thunderstorm. With 2 frightened girls. They survived and even liked the place.

This is my favorite picture..  I love the colors

Chilling at the Koi pond

Posing on the little bridge

to your corners

Spring Break for us is 7 "business days"... add the weekends and you get a very very long time.  I was home for it this year and well,..  I need a vacation from my vacation.  Don't get me wrong..I love my daughter more than anything.  But I need to not be in the same room as her for a bit.

We had my niece over and we watched a friends 3 year old as well.  The zoo and the science museum were in order as it was nice the morning and rainy later.  I think E and I fought most of the time.  Its the whining and the statements of "I'm not whining!" that are driving me up the wall.

So one more day...  and back to school.  And back to work.

a year

I took this photo in October of 2009. She wanted to get an apple from the top.

This is October 2010....  still climbing...

need i say more?

motivation

I am lacking in the motivation to move today.  I have a list of stuff to do that really needs to get done...  I don't want to move from my spot. Its cold and rainy.  But I know I should get a move on it. Dishes need to be done, laundry put away, Easter Candy needs to be bought (thats going to be the hard one as I really need a piece right now), cans and bottles taken in, munchies to buy for next  week, clean the kitchen, clean the bathroom, clean the  remaining bits in the family room...  in no particular order.

Yes, yes, yes,.  I should have listened to my Mother and made sure this didn't happen in the first place.  So I need to get off my butt (and the computer) and do something.

What motivates you to clean??