All Mine

I'm appreciating this little cuss (and the other one) very differently this week.  We hope there is peace in your home as well.

A Nice Time

Best part about vacation in December, coming home to Christmas lights and cookies and class parties and the promise of a visit from Santa.  But the weather here stinks.  It was a nice time.

Frick and Frack 2012-2013

This year's mugs are in.  Enjoy.  Henry did Lucy's hair this year and she insisted it was lovely and so proud that her brother helped her.  I didn't have the heart to fix it, even when her teacher asked sweetly that morning, "....and what would like us to do with her hair?"

Tricksters

Boo!

Growing Up

When I lapse from the blog for a while, I usually ask myself, "What have we been doing?"  I'm sure everyone has a pretty good idea, they're doing it too.  But in reading this story to the kids the other night I really connected to this paragraph about a little girl who decides very early on what she wants to do in life.

I think of this every night now as I pick up their dirty clothes off the floor while they are in the tub, make sure the homework is in the right folder, make lunches for the next day and get ready to read to them.

"In the meantime Alice got up and washed her face and ate porridge for breakfast.  She went to school and came home and did her homework.  And pretty soon she was grown up."

I hope to God it doesn't come as fast as this with our kids, but somehow I already see it happening.  I'm going to kiss the young, round, fatty parts on their face in the morning.

Grandma Freeman

Bidding adieu to my Grandma Freeman this weekend.  She was a very lovely lady.  She taught me much:

• How to iron and then to sew (the first must be done 'just so' in order for the latter to be done well).
• A 'tummy button' is a much more lady-like body part than a belly button.
• One must always watch soap operas when home sick from school.
• Cigarettes are good (I know I know, but they are! Disclaimer: no, I am not a smoker).
• How to make jam (and of course, blackberry was the best).
• Children are the ultimate gift (she had 7, although sometimes I got the impression she loved her Grandchildren even more).
• Sometimes what's for dinner, is wonder bread with butter and a hamburger patty with pepper, and that's ok.
• Ladybugs are good luck.
• Painted nails are lovely.
• Christmas time is magic.

I will miss talking with her, learning from her and feeling the way I did when she was near.  Special.  She was special too.

People Please

I wish I were a robot.  How else would I read this?:

I beg you.  You've got to stop making me do this.  For the love of robots everywhere.  Personally, I welcome a few comments from the robot community.  Why not?  They might have some real wisdom to share.

Back at it again.

Thank God.

Soul Sista' Sweet Lou McD

So Happy

Thanks for this Dad.

Glow Golf

Henry Mack hits the links with Dad for 1st Annual Glow Golf.

Scrabble Master

John is the Scrabble Master.  Playing with him has made me a much much better player, but he still sweeps the floor with me every match.  Lastnight, he played the word, RUTHENIC for a double word score and a triple word score and used all his letters in doing so for a total of 131 points.  Come on.

Our New Address

TCGC.  Before Junior Golf are Tennis Lessons, then Swim Lessons, then SNAG Golf for Lucy.  Between the Nitrates (hot dogs), Alcohol (Chard) and the Chlorine, I have really pickled myself this summer.  And developing the sun wrinkles to prove I've been a good observer.  Now I just need to start smoking and I'll officially be turning 65 on my next Birthday.  Here's to that Social Security check coming early I guess.

In more uplifting news, Lucy learned to swim swim this last week.  She beats every little pool snot that wants to race her...without using her arms.  I hear from her swim coach that if she ever does learn to use her arms, she'll be ready for level 2 with the big kids.  Next year I might even be able to bring a book to the pool.  Nice.

Birthdays

Feels like from May to August we celebrate until we bleed frosting and sweat whipped cream.  Today was our last celebration of the summer...one with Henry's Kindergarten class and his pal Jack (who share a birthday week).  We've got a whole 9 months to recover now.  Happy Day all you summer babies.

Here Fishy Fishy!

Beach Cocktails

I miss the beach house already.

Spring Cleaning

One of my goals for the spring was to have a nice lawn to play on by the 4th of July.  Both the before pictures are pretty lame as I only remembered to take them after finishing the areas halfway.  Imagine the area to the right of the shed overgrown with blackberries and sloping into the bluff and the lawn with 7 trees removed by me before we brought in the 15 yards of fresh topsoil you see in the before picture.  This was a big undertaking, but it's done.  Check!

"Full of Hot Air", a real treat

Our summer reading program consists of 1 hour in your own bedroom reading whatever you want and leaving me alone, then sitting on my lap at bedtime and reading them to me.  If I'm being honest, I'm a sour patch kid. (a little sour, then sweet...you get it.)  We ran out of books within the first 5 days of vacation.  Hit the TP Library, hard.  This one's a real treat.

PS.  The cat page is for you Jen - Happy belated Birthday old friend! (that is to reference the age of our friendship, not your literal age)

Last Day of School

To give credit where credit is due - I saw this idea on Disney.com and while they have me on the house, I think I might have one-upped the sign.  Toot toot! (That's me, tooting my own horn.  Sorry.)  Anyway, it was especially fun today as a couple of Henry's pals came home with us after their last day of school.  They all dug it...and then asked what I had waiting for them inside.  That was met with a disappointing, "well...nothing really." So I took them to the park.  Happy Summer all - hope yours does not disappoint!

Sport Saturdays

Thank you Henry for asking us to sign you up for every sport you hear about.  Thank you for giving us something to wake up for on Saturdays, something to do together, and someone extra hunky to root for.  We are all better for our sport Saturdays.  (photo: skateboarding before T-Ball at Heidelburg Playfield)

Bugs

Artist: Henry Mack (age 5)
Said he saw these in a bug book at school and wanted to draw them.

Goodwill

I love a good thrift store find.  More than that, I love having something to hunt for.  Found these 80's metal earrings at Goodwill while looking for a le creuset lid handle (to replace the one that melted off my dutch oven).  Now have something new to hunt for...in every color.

Here's to me!...again.

34 today.  Going to great lengths lately to turn back the clock.  Happy Monday.