Family Fun

Rowan had a great idea to go to the playground Saturday morning. Since we're all feeling better and the weather was nice, we went. Fresh air can do wonders for your spirits. So can swings!

Climbing high

Raleigh's favorite

Rowan telling me a story about his pretend restaurant

Treasures from our adventure walk

Post-walk refreshment

Signs?

My sweet tomatoes

Oh, yeah and Jeremy's tomato plants are in the background. 


Ha ha! I just noticed that Rowan has Tow Mater on his shirt! Wow. And... get this - We were on our way to have dinner at Sweet Tomatoes!!! 


Chill bumps, y'all. I can't stand it. It's too much. 


"Is it possible that there are no coincidences?" (from Signs - Graham Hess, as played by Mel Gibson)

Worth Reading

I've been checking out a few new blogs recently and thought I would share them with you. 


The Meaning of Pie 
If you're looking for food fantasy fodder, check out Kelly's sheet cake recipes. Actually, just check out everything, 'k?


Bev Cooks 
... and she makes me laugh. Food and fun, fun and food. It's a winning recipe.


Alisa Burke: Redefine Creativity 
She makes cool stuff, is inspired by nature, and uses bold color.


goop 
This is Gwyneth Paltrow's weekly blog about rich people stuff. Her recipes are fun and she writes about London. 


In the movie about my life, I'd like to thing GP would play me. You know, 'cause we look so much alike and all. 

Who would play you in the movie about your life? And, what are you reading that I need to know about? 

Summer Fun

When you can't get to the pool, the sprinkler works just fine. Hope you're having fun and staying cool, too.

Cracker Barrel of Laughs

Raleigh was coloring and drawing on the kids menu color sheet. She was talking with my mom and dad about the girl with the pigtails on one of the pages.

G-Daddy: What’s that girl’s name?
Raleigh: Sally.
G-Daddy: Sally. Like Sally Goodin?  
Raleigh: Yeah. She’s not naughty.


Later in the toy area of the store after dinner...


The hostess calls out over the loudspeaker, “Michelle, party of 4.”
Raleigh: That’s not us.
Me: No, it’s not. We’ve already eaten.
G-Daddy: And that’s not our name. Are we the Millers?
Raleigh: No. We’re done.

Under the Covers

People that know me well know that I have a "thing" for lovely bed linens. It's been something that I've battled for several years. But, I am getting much better about it (avoidance is key here) and have reduced my collection to a manageable size. But this post isn't about bedding.

There's a Dwight Yoakam album titled Under the Covers. Good tunes on that one, let me tell ya. I enjoy the music, but the title is what gets me. I'm a sucker for a good pun. They get me right there (pointing to elbow) [Name that movie]. Puns and cover tunes:  Yes, please!

Some people have issues with cover songs; i.e., they don't like them. Not me! I don't mind if someone stays true the original. I don't mind if they shake it up, add in things, or strip it down. I will even admit that there are some covers that I like better than the original. It's true.

Here are some of my favorite cover songs.

Whichita Lineman, REM
Drew Carey told me (and the thousands of other Underground Garage listeners) that he has an insane number of versions of Louie Louie on his iPod. It's a song that people like to sing. They are compelled to do it; they cannot control the urge. I think the same is true for W.L. It's a smooth tune with haunting lyrics. It wants to be played and sung and the people want to hear it. Play on!

Dancing Queen, The Yayhoos
A lively, rockin' version that still makes you want to dance, jive, and have the time of your life... Ooohhh ooh ooh


I Can't Go for That, The Bird and The Bee
I grew up on Hall and Oates. They have a special place in my musical heart. The Bird and the Bee don't disappoint with their tribute. Their other H&O covers are pretty good, too.

Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues, Dwight Yoakam
Waylon Jennings has a good version, but I prefer the Dwight treatment. Besides, how could I mention D-wight's album and not feature a song?


What do you think about cover songs? If you like 'em like I do, which ones rock your world?

Stories and quotes

Here are some funny odd and ends from the kiddos.

RALEIGH
R: Can I have a popsicle?
Me: No. We aren't having popsicles now.
R: I need it! (slams door)

At the Stone Mountain kiddie ropes course playground
R: Ouchie! Stop! (to a random wild kid who was at least 5 years older)

R: Knock, Knock!
J: Who's there?
R: Johnny Cash!


ROWAN
We had kielbasa for dinner a while ago. Rowan proclaimed "I ate all my Chewbaca!".

G-Ma: What do you like on your pizza?
R: Cheese, mushrooms, peppers, and those meat discs.

In the parking lot, a noisy car drove by and startled Rowan. He yelled, "Piece of junk!" as it drove past... with the windows down.

On the way to school the other morning, I told Rowan that the name of the band playing the song on the radio was called the Beatles. He laughed and said that was a silly name. I tried to explain that they didn't mean it like the bugs, they were trying to be funny. Music has a beat, so BEATles.
Me: Those words sound the same but they have different spellings. They're homonyms.
R: No, you mean Hampton Inn.


MISC.
As I was heading into the grocery store...
Rowan: What are you getting?
Me: Just bread. Why, do you have a special request?
Rowan: Yeah! Candy, M&Ms...
Raleigh: I like Nims!

Rowan was frustrated with something Raleigh was doing or saying and started to get a little testy. I told him he needed to cool down.
Raleigh: What happened, Bub?
Rowan: You happened!

Hello, strangers

I needed a little break from blogging. I didn't know it was going to last two months, but here we are.
Here's the whirlwind tour of what's been going on these past weeks.

May
I went to Denver for work. It was good. I used FaceTime for the first time and it was awesome-so much better than Skype.

We took a family trip to Chattanooga for 3 days during Rowan's school break. We had a nice time and plan to go back, maybe in the fall. We stayed at the "historic" Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel. That was an experience. In this case, historic was more like long-in-the-tooth. I told Jeremy I felt like we needed to be wearing polyester and have bigger hair, perhaps driving a Riviera... and smoking. But, it was clean, quiet, and spacious. And, the kids liked the pools. I must admit that I was entertained by the reservation desk clerk who looked like a twenty-something Tim Blake Nelson sporting a Green Lantern ring, Superman ring, and Captain America belt buckle to personalize his hotel uniform suit. However, Hampton Inn will be getting our business next time.

June
We've been sick a lot this month. I think we are on the mend now.



See? You didn't miss much. I've got some funny quotes and short stories on the way. Stay tuned.

Re: Monkey Joe's

Jeremy and Rowan were on the way to a birthday party at Monkey Joe's, one of those indoor bouncy house places. Rowan wanted to know if they ever closed. Jeremy told him that the workers needed to go home and rest. Rowan's reply:


"I just don't know why you would ever want to leave that place."


Rowan thinks you should be allowed to spend the night there. He may be onto something.

Mind Games

You can usually hear a faint array of favorite hits from the 80s, 90s, and today floating from the cafeteria at work. Adele, Mariah Carey, The Police... You know what I'm talking about. Normally I don't pay much attention to what's on after I identify the song title and artist. Today was different.


This morning, when I went to fill up my water bottle, I was greeted by the hushed intensity of Kenny Loggins singing about the highway to the danger zone. It made me want to creep around the salad bar and sneakily grab my ice and water before... Well, I don't know exactly. Before the Russians nabbed me, I suppose. 


What can I say? Kenny Loggins stirs my imagination. At least it wasn't Footloose.


Please tell me you do this stuff, too. If you don't, how do you get through a Monday morning, standing in line at the post office, or other mundane task?

Deep thoughts

Rowan was telling about the field they play in at school sometimes. It's more of a grassy plaza on the college campus very close to his school. There's also a park next door to the school. Rowan told me that you can get to the park using the path from the field.


R: Bad guys don't use that path. They use another one. The wrong one. Bad guys always choose the wrong path.


I told him that he was absolutely right on so many levels. Ah, the wisdom of babes.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Raleigh!

Happy Birthday to Raleigh! We had a great weekend-long celebration. The party theme was Old MacDonald's farm with ladybugs. It turned out cute. Photos to come.

• Likes: ladybugs, hair bows, her new toy baby stroller and doll, outside
• Dislikes: hair washing
• Skills: singing complete songs, counting things
• Communication: She has started recounting stories, especially ones involving boo-boos.
• So big! Shirts 2T, Pants some 18mos some 2T, Shoes 6, Diapers 4

Dear, sweet Raleigh. Happy birthday to you. We love you very, very much.

5 Things

1. Spring blooms. I love 'em! The plum trees are exqusite this year. I pass by a small grove of them on my way to work and can't help but extoll their beauty every time. The azaleas, pear trees, dogwoods, and cherry trees are lovely, too. And so vivid! The colors are almost Seuss-like.
2. Pinterest. I've known about Pinterest for a while but finally took a minute to explore it. It's a neat concept, particularly if you are planning something (like a wedding or room re-do) or like collecting things. It's easy to use and appeals to my organizational sensibilities. Warning: You can lose a lot of time wandering around in there.
3. Cropped pants. I have a black pair but I want more. Definitely khaki, possibly red, maybe floral if I am feeling brave. Look what you can do at H&M's website.
4. The Pool. We belong to a community pool and it's time to renew our membership. I can't wait for it to open!
5. Running. I replaced my worn out (and muddy-beyond-cleaning) running shoes and have yet to try them out. I must get to the gym.

What have you been thinking about or pining (pinning?) for? 

Running for my life

Oh yeah... I also forgot to tell you about the zombie 5K I did at the beginning of the month. It was fun. It was challenging. It was messy. I felt like a tough chick after finishing that kick-butt course--a very orange, tough chick. Check out the photos, but do it soon. They're available only for a limited time. There are some more photos on Facebook if you are really, really interested. Look for orange-hued ones from Atlanta on March 3.


We had torrential thunderstorms the night before the race. (For those of you who are not aware, Georgia clay does not respond well to rain. Clay + Rain = Super Mess) Running on sand is tough. Running on wet clay is a total body workout. You're trying not to slip while avoiding zombies who are greedily grabbing for your life force (football flags) and trying not to lose your shoes in the tenacious clay that envelops your foot, sometimes up over your ankle. (I kept thinking of Mr. Rooney and the mud scene in Ferris Bueller.) To add to the challenge of it all, the clouds opened up for a 5 minute soaker rain just before our start time. It provided a nice slick surface-perfect for wiping out as you ran a curve. Not that I did that or anything... 


You'll get a slight idea of the clay situation in the photos but they really do not tell the complete story. When I got back to my parents' house afterward, my mom directed me to the water hose out back and brought out a washtub for my race clothes. I lost one pair of shoes, a towel, and a shirt to the clay. My skin was stained for 2 days following, even after several showers with scrub brushes.


In addition to zombies, there were obstacles throughout the course. Some of the more interesting ones were 

• a huge vat of water, topped with logs suspended right at water level that you had to go over or under, with zombies positioned in between
• swimming across a freezing cold creek - no zombies there, just freezing cold, nasty water that took your breath away and induced temporary hyperventilation
• sliding down clay mountain into a man-made pond (that was the finish line)

Don't let this post fool you-it was a good time. I partly wanted to do it for the adventure and partly to prove that I am not too old to do this sort of thing anymore. You could tent camp the night before or after the race... in the rain and mud. I am definitely too old for that crap.

In case you were wondering, I didn't cross the finish line alive. I was turned into a zombie somewhere around the half-way point. I lasted longer than I predicted and that's fine by me.

Would I do it again? Maybe. Maybe I'll try something else instead. Come on, world. Show me what you got!

Hello again...

Wow! That hiatus was a tad longer than I planned. We've been busy and my computer's been out of commission. Here's a brief rundown of what I've neglected to share with you. 


* I turned 36. Jeremy and I had a swanky kid-free night on the town that included a ham tasting. Yes, you read that correctly. I have also affirmed that I really enjoy bourbon - just as it is. Mother's milk, I tells ya. I don't know how I feel about it yet, though. 


* My computer got new guts and a battery and is working like a champ. Thank you, Jeremy. In other tech news, I have a new toy: an iPad2. I'm using it right now as a matter of fact. I hope to be using it more. Again, thanks to my Geek-in-residence, JT for the hook up. 


* There was a lice outbreak at Rowan's school. Thankfully we were unaffected. But, we did keep Rowan home most of the week as a precaution. Bugs freak me out. (shudder) And, Jeremy's been sick this week. So far, the rest of us remain healthy. 


* I wear glasses now. If I can snap a decent photo, I will share my new look with you. 


There, now you're all caught up. You didn't really miss out on much. My latest idea is to take my iPad to work and blog during lunch. We have free wi-fi down in the cafeteria (not at our desks, which I find typical of government). I guess we'll see how that works. Bear with me as I work through the formatting/compatability issues. 


Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Rowan and Alex

The pure delight... The cupcake-crumb goatee... I can hardly stand it.

Veggie Tales

Me: Wow! You sure grew a lot of hair since the last time we were here. It must be all those vegetables you eat.
Fred: What’s your favorite vegetable?
R: Cabbage. Fred: (looks at me skeptically)
Me: He does like cabbage, especially purple.
Fred: You know, I heard that cabbage makes your hair grow well.
R: That’s why I eat it.


I thought Fred was just teasing, but thought I would troll the Internet to research the topic. Turns out that a mixture of boiled cabbage and lemon juice applied to the scalp is but one natural remedy to stimulate hair growth.


So, hairs to you, Fred for helping me learn something new. (Snorting with laughter)


Why do I have to be so nerdy?

Table Talk

Jeremy made some delicious soup last night-- kale, potatoes, chicken sausage. It was very tasty. We all ate it up. It also inspired some funny statements from Rowan. Pieces of kale kept covering the pieces of sausage on his spoon.

"This is camouflage meat."

"I see through your disguise, meat."

Mental Jukebox

Here's the playlist running through my mind lately. Like an ample bosom with no support, it's all over the place.

Courtney Jaye: Sweet Ride 

Metronomy: The Bay
Toe-tapping music, a video that makes you smile, the way he says "Berlin". C'est si bon!


Freedy Johnston: Bad Reputation
Love this tune. Actually, the whole album, "This Perfect World" is good. It's a great album to listen to while making soup on a rainy winter day. "...and it isn't just talk, talk, talk."


Maroon 5: Moves Like Jagger and Flo Rida: Good Feeling
Just try to keep still during these songs.

The Dandy Warhols: Bohemian Like You

Good Gracious!

That was one of Raleigh's exclamations, accompanied by hands on cheeks, Christmas morning and we laughed every time. I think it nicely sums up our 2011 experience. This year's celebration was overflowing with hugs and kisses, laughs, good food, and lots of presents. I hope your Christmas was just as good, if not better. 


Enjoy these last few days of the year and remember the good times and teachable moments it has brought. I am grateful for another year of learning and loving and am hungry for more. What will 2012 bring? There's no telling for sure but I am curious to discover the treasures and delights it has to offer. 


Cheers to a Happy New Year!