Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Our decision

Andy and I chose to go to Durham, and stay in the Marriott downtown.
We are here!
Yippie!
We love it. :)
More later
Ten years ago today, we were about to have a rehearsal dinner and ...well, get married!
Yahoo!!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

A party in every room...






The pictures do not go with the post:
The pictures are of outside this morning--before it snowed a lot!
We went out in the woods and Andy pulled the children in the kayak.

The title of the post pertains to last night.
We had a video in Victor's room.  We had a Thomas train tent in the living room--the "Clubhouse"
The dining room was a pirate adventure.
And all around was a shoot out--Victor has learned to cock his new Nerf gun...so he shoots it
one sponge dart at the time. ;)...so sweet!

It reminded me of college when people would have parties and there would be a different party theme in each room of the house.
Kiddie style...

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Wait for it, wait for it....

Getting together with all of the family is always so...{fill in the blank}.
Right now I am going to talk about the funny part.
The next time you get together with yours, notice this:
From each person, there are some things that they will always say, regarding certain topics, or certain
ways that they always address certain prompts (like ones that call for a certain story they always tell), or
some opinion they have {that everyone knows} that, each time the topic comes up the
person (include yourself here) must always state that opinion--just in case you have forgotten it, from last time.
HA!
Andy's sister and I were saying, "If only we could invite a stranger--a rich one--and bet on what everyone would say..."  We would certainly not have financial worries.
It almost as if these get togethers were rehearsed.
Throw wine in, and it just gets funnier. :)

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas!

Well, it't the countdown, for Daddy and for me, now.
The countdown for kids has ended.
They have gone to bed.  Not to sleep, yet..only to bed.

We have tracked Santa on Norad.
We have watched the videos.
We have gone to Church to sing Carols and have a pageant.
We have visited with Family.

The only part left, now, is for Andy and Me to work our buns off
and get this stuff set out.
We have to find it all--some of it I have hidden from my own self! ha!
No fireballs this year. :)
http://spilgree.blogspot.com/2009/12/okayim-sayin-it.html
last year's fireball...
That was me trying to link back to an earlier post--let's see if it works!
I usually do not wrap all of it.
So, we'll see on that one.

Favorite highlights this year, {so far}
Hearing Victor sing, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" for the second year, as it is his all time favorite
Having Camelia over with her girls to exchange gifts...she is soooo sweet, and tonight she brought
us tamales for supper--she makes two special ones for Elena and Victor that are not hot--tied
with a corn husk bow "Mama, I love Camelia's tamales!"
Finding a Marie Antoinette Action figure for my sister--"with head ejector action" {super ha!}
US Cellular's "all our phones are free" deal...oohoooohhh it was so tempting..but I did not take them up on it...we are waiting for two incomes...b/c GOD knows I love a gadget!
Those are the ones so far...but one might anxiously await my excitement when it snows tomorrow. ;)

Good night!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Just that way I like it....

So...an impromptu get together!
Tomorrow night, we will be...
Laura
Lara y Cal, Y Lily Y julia,
Jacinto y Camelia y Yineth Y Yailin
Y
Sissy Y Danny, Y Caroline, y Collin y clarissa...
All in our house
con snacks y algo para tomar..
y regalos (gifts) y fun!
Salud y Tierra y Merry Christmas!
No invitations..just come as you are, and float in and out as you wish. :)
The more the merrier.

Beautiful Picture --If I do say so myself

This was the girl's club after church last Sunday.  We were all dolled up. :)  I almost cannot believe that Andy and I pulled that off..it does help that Victor wears regular clothes to church.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Goody Bags


Each goody bag had two or three haystacks and two or three cookies...almost everyone ate the goodies immediately.
The other goody up there at the top is Eva Lou and her {thumb} this AM when she woke up ...so sweet!
She was also sweet singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to me last night at 2:00 in the AM (the first time she has ever sung it).

Making cookies for {goody bags} last night

Last night we made haystacks and snickerdoodles.  This first picture is of the table after we made cookies...Eva got her hands on the bowl of cinnamon sugar...and well....

 I sure do wish I could edit the roll out of these two...ooooohh weee....
But besides that...Andy was capturing the moment.
Roll a little ball and then roll it into the cinnamon and sugar..
Now that one is too little...Is this one right Mommy?  --you get it...







 A Picture of each child making the cookies...and then
 Eva...Do you need your diaper changed?

Ahh haa...Mommy...I love making cookies..I want some more Pepsi, please...No, I do not feel one bit
bad that you are having to sweep and mop the floor.

Today we took all of the cookies to school to give them out in little treat baggies that had Christmas ribbon and a gift tag..A picture of that is coming too.

My question to Andy as I was punching holes in ziploc bags and feeding ribbon through tags and bags..."Do you see what having a {bleep} compels me to have to do?"
His answer:  "You know you love it."

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Pictures of Christmas stuff in house

This post is actually going to end up being comical...b/c you know that is how stuff turns out when you have three children running around--and none of them is even big enough to make a sandwich.
I start out with all of the decorations placed decoratively.  Then, depending on how the children react..they all get moved.
Sometimes the new spot is one the children choose.
Other times it is one that gets chosen by Andy or me or the babysitter who is being driven crazy watching the stuff {almost} get broken. :)



Elena made this wreath last year in school.  It started out low down...and ended up...at the top of the china cabinet...notice my lladro girl up there too..oh yeah she watches us from a high perch--lest she lose a limb!

 This is my wonderful cabinet that I would {love to have} as a spot to look beautiful..
lets see...the soft/plush snowmen that sing are up there..someone wanted them to shut up, I bet...
Ommm the pinecone turkey is hanging out til Christmas..There is one of those nesting doll things.  ha!  Wonder how many of the little ones are actually still in there...
The nativitiy scene has been placed at the way top (I did none of this mind you).  When I took that out it was put in front of the hearth---you can see it in the other picture I took of the mantel...
Now
this lovely little table also resides in the dining room and is low enough for little eyes and little hands.
Eva is not content with pushing the button on the gingerbread house...oh hell no!---She has to carry it around the house..we have had this since Victor was a baby...and I KNOW he was able to look and "only push the button"  If Eva sees this...she has to carry it.  That Santa/Rocker/Piggy bank--is made out of some kind of resin..we know b/c it got dropped and the back of a rocker fell off and we figured out that it is not ceramic.
"It won't cut you Grandaddy, see?  It's actually made out of plathtic"
Oh, good then...

See it all starts off pretty..then...well, you can see..we have the decor--it is just not placed well..
No wonder Martha only had the one kid--can you imagine what she would do around here?

To see some more Christmas decor {stuff} in some more peoples' houses--go here. :)
http://jenontheedge.com/
She's got us hooked up! :)

So ready for a break!

PS--my throat is hurting like crazy!!! This is b/c i have gotten too worked up about something..I do not know what it is ..but when {whatever} it is is over with--the throat will get better...
Yuck!
Hey out there in bloggy land..if you are looking for my Christmas house pics...scroll down a bit. :)
Or read til you get there.
They are good. :)

Today I zoomed to get my haircut, then zoomed home out of the snow.  It is just ice/raining here.
Tomorrow we have a singing thing at church.  Elena will only participate if Victor does it.  He is the guts of their sibling endeavors.
I think he enjoys this.
Then Monday..the next to the last day of work before a nice little break. yippie!  We all need a break.
I am going to get some baby sitters...and get away by myself some too.
Riding in my car, by myself and listening to my music was the best today...by myself. :)
So, I have two more times to dress everyone, and try to look well put together before Christmas...I am thinking this is all going to work out. :)
Good night.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

It matters {to them?}

This evening, after I got home from work, and watched Oprah (very interesting today, btw), and then fed everyone..I went into the bathroom to freshen up...
you see...we were off to a CHRISTMAS PAGEANT.
I was standing there..pondering what to do with my greasy face (wash it or not?), what to do
with my greasy hair...not wash it --that's for sure...
what to do with the corduroy pants I have on that have been slimed my children all day...
What to do....
Knowing in my sensible mind..that ugh..who cares?  You have been at work all day,
your husband is out of town...ummm you have three children...
JUST GO TO THE PAGEANT ALREADY...IT IS NOT A FREAKIN BEAUTY CONTEST.
Au contraire...mi amigo!
Ummm..
oh back to thinking standing at the sink..I thought, this is my new resolution..no pageants..no shows...no
participating in any concerts until any given child enters the ole kindergarten....NADA!
I mean --do they even care about it?  would it not be better for them to be in the bed?  i mean the pageant is always at supper time...and then bed time...it is almost comical to watch all these people their fiftylleven children into church bawling and squalling and hollering...all in their Christmas clothes and bows...
when they out to be in the BED!!
So...that was my resolution for about ...oh, half a second.
I realized {actually} it does matter to my kiddies...my offspring...they do remember their shows.
They do like to get up there and mumble baby Jesus stuff (I think in their own mind they are singing out loud??)
They do like to watch the video later on...
So off we went--video camera in hand.
It was all over in 50 minutes..not too painful...
BUT--To fill you {all} in on the beauty protocol..ughh...don't show up to these extra curriculars in your street clothes..lest ye be called raggedy..oh no honey..I think even a few moms pulled their big ass bows out tonight, AND the matching smocked dresses...
ughh..once again..I am actually beginning to agree with Victor--he just wears his pants that {look like} pajamas no matter what the occasion..and he is still handsome to me..
and as I sat there I thought.....

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Aha!

Thursday afternoon 3:45:
Me:  Manyana en la escuela les van a dar a todos los estudiantes un libro gratis.  Es un regalo.  Van a tener todos los libros sobre las mesas y las clases pasan alla en la biblioteca, y cada alumno va a poder escoger un libro y guardarselo para siempre.
Elena:  Oh, Mama do I get to go back to school, then, tomorrow, I want one!

AHA!  Gotcha!
I was talking to Camelia. In Spanish, and who joined in??? Elena!
I was telling Camelia that on Friday they were going to give out books at school.
A gift for each student.  They all pass through the library and pick out a book.  They get to keep the book.

She did, btw, get to go to school on Friday and pick a book.  She has not put it down since she got
home yesterday.  She has read it non-stop.  She read it with a head lamp in the bed last night...
be still my heart!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Update...

The fever turned out to be --sinus infection..very swollen tonsils...two prescriptions...
Could one nerve attack about a violin concert do all of this???
E is quite sick! :(
She is trying to be well, as she does not like to miss stuff at school.
BUT--she will be staying home until further notice. :)

Monday, December 6, 2010

Poor thing!

So, we had an interesting outing tonight...
To a gigantic Assembly of God church--warehouse sized (won't even begin to imagine the things that might go on in that worship service--nope)
It was a pretty, and nice/warm church, though...
Oh, we had to drive a good 45 minutes to get there...
to go to a...
Violin {concert}.
Well, you have to try everything {once} right?
Here is how it all went down...
We arrived at the church with me having to pee like crazy...
I got out of the car--with Victor in the backseat SLEEPING.
I drug him out of the car....threw his coat on him, and proceeded to run into the church..
My exact words, "I WILL leave you in this parking lot if you start all that crying mess!"
Then I just ran.
We entered this fine est. with Victor trailing behind me wailing as only a three year old {boy} can.
On to the actual rehearsal, in which Victor decided that standing in front of the church with oh, 60 other kids, and his violin was not his cup of tea, today....soo....
You guessed it!! He {cried}, and he did not stand up there.
On the other side of childhood....and personality...there stood Elena...
I took Victor out, and she just stood there...
The whole time.
We watched her..proud.
When all was said and done--she was trembling uncontrollably..scared/nervous to DEATH!
So, to summarize.
We are not a violin concert performing family.
Ya esta!

We did try just b/c we love our Violin teacher so dearly.  She is such a breath of fresh air...in a small town.
She is fun.  She was glad to see us there.  She was playing with the orchestra.
If we go tomorrow night we will go as a family, eat sushi first and then go to the concert --to {listen}.
I do not thing I will ever forget Elena's little sweet self trembling, at the end of that!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

blog updates

So, just in case you follow the sidebar...
I have added a cool blog that is all about the Duchess of Devonshire.  I am attracted to this blog, simply because it exists..and entire blog devoted to this subject...fun to read.
I have deleted Big Mama's blog--well and so did blogspot, apparently, according to Cynthia (the blog master of that blog).  She never updated it, and it got deleted.
Let's see...
Oh, and thanks for all the compliments.  When I put {decorator} in {} those...
That meant, that I am not one.
When there is an empty space that needs some love, I just put some stuff I like there.
I pay no attn. to symmetry, spacing, centering, appeal...nah...
It's more like this..
Mantel, stuff I like, stuff on Mantle.  I can do some simple things like--I have two of these so one could go on one side and one on the other...
Something like that.
BUT--using a critical eye to determine if I have placed all of the favored objects to achieve maximum happiness for the senses of another person....nah...
So, when something comes out really super (as determined by a person who does have those kinds of skills), then I get excited!  woo hoo!!!
Okay, that is all...y'all check out that blog--I mean if you do ever follow my sidebar, and if you are into the 1800's and nobility at all...

Friday, December 3, 2010

Christmas Decorations




Well,
Actually, the top one is of Eva Lou drinking her morning cup of coffee.
We all drink coffee now!  Of course the childrens' coffees are mostly creamer {pumpkin spice} for Victor, and sugar, and then just enough coffee for flavor.
I don't think it would really hurt them if they wanted a full cup, to be honest--but they like it
the sweet way.
So about two years ago I ordered those snoopy cups--three, not two {just in case}.
They are teeny and the have Snoopy on one side, and on the other one it says, "Sometimes it helps to pretend you don't hear."
Eva LOVES this cup, and her coffee, and holding the cup all by herself, and making her "drinking warm coffee" face.
Re:  Christmas decorations...
That mantle--in my humble {decorator's} opinion--is the freakin bomb!!!
Eva and I gathered the holly and the nandina berries today.
Those balls are like individual mini disco balls..they have LED lights that turn different colors slowly...then the cut out snowflakes make them cast shadows onto the mantle...so fun, and exciting.
I usually do not do any mantle decorating.
I still need to tell the story of Victor and decorating the tree.
It is coming soon.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Question:

Andy has proposed a teeny trip--two or three days--for our anniversary.
The anniversary is right about New Year's Eve...
He thought NYC--but then we said --not on New Year's Eve.
Y'all give me some ideas..
We thought skiing--but there is not snow yet...is there?
....
Ideas anyone???
Cool places you have been on short excursions??

Monday, November 29, 2010

whew...

So, over Thanksgiving Andy was gone.
We had a lot of fun.
Full days...and FULL nights!!
Full of nightmares, vomiting, stomach fireballs {mine}, coughing, nightmares....{no sleep}.
Last night when Andy got home he was exhausted.
Last night when Andy got home, I was exhausted.
This morning, after I stayed awake half the night, and woke up {sort of}
on the sofa, cold...I determined that today would have to be a mental health day.
Children went to school and to Camelia's (which they loved btw).
Andy went to school.
I stayed ON THE COUCH.
My mama brought me my favorite sandwich which I ate ON THE COUCH.
I watched all of my "Mommy shows"
I took a nap.
I took a HOT BATH...did my nails..all 20 off them {poor toes}.
Then at 3:00 I left the house to see my Mama for about 10 minutes.
Came home...and get ready....
Cleaned up!  It was irresistible.
Eva is staying with Andy's mama.
So, Elena and I cleaned out all of the toys and reorganized.
Then, Elena and Victor and Andy and I put the Christmas tree up....It is gorgeous...

Remind me to tell y'all about --the three year old in my house..and the day of raking...
Right now I am off to bed...no bad dreams...no worry, no stomach fireballs, no crying baby--she
is at Andy's mama's house. ;).

Saturday, November 27, 2010

The one I want...

There is a little girl at school.
She is pitiful.
I want her.
I want her to come home with me and I want her to be my child.
Last year, everyone knew this, and an incident happened that was sort of a
{straw that broke the camel's back} for DSS--which means
something TERRIBLE happened at her house.
You all might remember the story about when I went to the house
where all the little boys in diapers came out barefooted to greet me--four of them--
in their diapers.in November, in the cold!!.these are her little nephews and her little brothers..
I want her to be mine.
I love her.
In the night I wake up and I worry about her.
There is an interesting story.  Her mother and father both live in the house.
They have no bath tub..but they are bathed. (in the sink I guess?)
They sleep on dirty mattresses  in the hall--I have seen the mattresses.
They have a closet with a lock on the {inside} to hide in for when bad guys come.  She tells me
all about it.
And the time when the Police took them to the hotel--so they would be safe--and they got
ice in their sodas...

When the social worker called me and said, "were you serious when you said you wanted ___ and ____?"
I had to say, "yes, but what i want and what I can actually do, are two very different things..i have a husband and three children, and almost no money, and one bathroom!"  She said, "okay."  No judgments--I could tell...
Then she said to her husband, "We are taking these girls..."  Just like that a STATEMENT.  No request.
No question.
DSS said no.  They said if she could not take all of the children...she could not take two.
So there they all sit.
It breaks my heart.
I want her.
I want her to be mine.
She knows. :)
I do not tell her this... that would be confusing and cruel.  But we all love on her.
We buy her books, clothes.
All the buying in the world, on our part, cannot change what will become of her....

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Common Theme..

I have seen and read about this in several different places today.
After all the excitement and getting ready in the morning....the kids, by lunch time,
they are all partied out already!
It happened here too. :)

{Endearing}

The book fair was at Eastern Elementary the other week.
When the book fair comes I get a little crazy.
Let's just say it takes me back.  And since I work with children every day, and since I have three...
Well, when the book fair comes I just live vicariously.
This is the first year that one of my actual children has been at school with me.
So when it was parent night and she got to go in a pick out a book--well, we were both pretty excited.
I just let her pick out whatever she wanted...one book and one for her sister and one for Victor.
Well, the one she picked surprised me.
It is not pink, or glittery...no Fancy Nancy, no Pinkalicious....
She picked the National Geographic Facts book!  Yippie!  Be still my heart!
Andy and I have managed to produce {hopefully} a fellow nerd. ;).
She has carried that book everywhere she has gone since she got it.

Last night we had a little topical index sesh.  She was all into picking out  a word and looking it
up to see if there were any facts in her book about that topic.
I must say seeing her do this is really endearing to me...it reminds me of well..... {ME}!

Okay, this nerdy mama is off to warsh and then cook a bird. :)

Oh, no wait, I have to procrastinate for one more story.
The other night I had a nerd sesh on my Nook and I looked up my mama's family name--
Dewar--the author who came up was named George Albemarle Bertie Dewar.
Whoa --talk about a name! (I bet his children wore some big ole hairbows)
Well, it turns out he was some English nobleman and that he really like to write books.
It also turns out that he is not related to me -- hee hee. :)
But his writings are interesting--I guess if you were a nobleperson it was pretty easy to get published in the early 1900's.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

you can go back...

i am not sure if anyone else does this...or if this happens to other people...
but sometimes scents and sounds and sights just take you back.
sometimes the scenes you go back to in your mind are so sweet...
sad...
angering...
just neutral..but back nonetheless.
The other day at church and when we were getting in the car the smell in the air took me
back to being in Sevilla in the fall that i was there.
I would love to know which scent it was...what was it?
I have never had that here.  The air was damp and fresh at the same time, but it instantly took
me back.  Some smell registered itself deep in my brain..right behind my nose, {actually} hee hee..
Sometimes there is a song.  These are more predictable, and one can do this on purpose.
Certain ones take me to my friend Sara's big bedroom with the wood floors and our cigarette
smoke in high school...and listening to music, and trying on clothes, and talking...
Other ones go right back to when I was little.
Last night Andy and I watched videos of our children from the past two years.
Oh how dear!  Those can {almost} take you back.  They are more reminders of
how your children looked or what they were doing..
I am thinking, right now, that scent is the thing that takes us back the most, and in the
most sincere way, and uncontrollably.
What is bad is when we go back to some emotion or situation that was not the best, and
all sorts of feelings are conjured up.  I do not do this often...it happens by accident {usually}
or maybe PMS causes it...
That does happen, though, no?

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
I have spent this week planning cooking...which I love to do, but can't do well
anymore b/c my mama always gives us her extras.
I have also been explaining the {real} story according to {me} about the Indians...
It trips my children out...Who do we  believe??? ...ahhhhh...Mama or our {teacher}???
I tell them..you can believe whichever, really..Mine is the {truth.}  Andy smirks. ;).
This afternoon in the car Victor asked me, "mama, why did the pilgrims kill the Indians?"
I said, "oh, b/c people can be mean as hell, Victor."
"oh, okay," he said.

Nighty Night...happy eating!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Sunday Drives

I think I have done this post before....
One thing is for sure, I will not link back to that post, b/c I do not know how. ;).
BUT today Elena and Victor and I went riding with my Daddy.
We went to see my Aunt Joyce and take her some pine cones.
We rode by all kinds of stuff...his deer stand, the house he grew up in from
the fifth grade until he graduated from highschool,
the spot where the house was where he was born, the all of the fields and farms
he used to work on --"I bailed hay there, I used to pull corn out there, one summer I tended that farm.."
He can go on and on.
The spot where my grandaddy and got in a wreck and his brother (my grandaddy's) was killed, the spot
where the bridge is over a creek where he used to fish, the spot
where there used to be a little store, where he would go to get a drink (like pepsi--we don't say
"soda" around here).
Anyway, when we got to the house that is still standing that he actually lived  in, Elena's eyes got as big
as fifty cent pieces!--The house is a shack---no paint--it is falling in...falling down you cannot
go into it.
We looked into the house from outside..."There was the kitchen...what...is that a toilet inside there? (I
thought he was going to go in and get that..) I know we sure didn't have one..."
So my Daddy and at least four of his siblings at any given time and his mama and daddy lived in that house.
I WAS REALLY WISHING for my camera! --It is impressive to see...
It made a big impression on Elena..
Then we went on to see my Aunt Joyce.
She is my Daddy's older sister and she is losing it a bit...she is a bit senile we think.
But today she got right up, she got out old picture books and she started looking through them with me.
This was a treasured moment, b/c sometimes she does not know who we are anymore.

Okay--enough..I am off to read. :)

Monday, November 15, 2010

weekend {away}

So this weekend Andy and I went to the beach...just us.
We met friends and stayed at the beach cottage.  They were running the 1/2 marathon.
We were not. :)
We had a blast on Friday afternoon.
We went to a bar and had a drink--no worries, no hurries...then we talked
and hung out together all afternoon.
Then on Saturday we both realized that we missed our children.
It was an {almost panicky} kind of miss.
We did have fun all weekend.
I watched a movie, I read....I shopped.
We all went out to eat together TWO TIMES.
BUT--on Sunday we were ready to come home!  We missed the babes.

I am very interested, now, to know--or discover--how the people feel who are able to leave their children more regularly for vacations.
We all talk about wanting one...but do we really?
I am thinking, now, that I actually don't.
I know people who go off with regularity without their children.
They take vacations for three or four days...more than once a year, and travel farther than just two
hours away to the family beach house...
I have always thought that I would like this...but would I?  Could I?  Could we?  Andy shared my sentiments.

Ahhhhh...parenthood. :)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Tracks in the...{dirt}


So this
afternoon we all went out to the woods behind our house for little walk.
Andy is so good about reminding us that we all need to get outside...
These are the tracks we found in the dirt that is the {last little patch of dirt} before you hit
the grass coming into our yard.
I have BIG FEET.  I took this picture for perspective.  I wear a size 10 (11) shoe.
My boots are at least a foot long.
These are bear prints.
Victor found them and we were all so excited! :)
I have always known there were bears in {our woods}..they were actually
Grandma Eva's woods...now listed by a realtor. :(.

Anyway, the walk was wonderful.  Eva rode in the backpack carrier and she enjoyed every minute of it.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Halloween



The children had a ton of fun
trick or treating this year!
It was cooler this year...not the 90 degrees of last oct.
Andy was here this year...and we went with friends--not the mama sola trapsing around the hood.
AND Eva was able to come..oh! and don't forget my jeans were not {as tight}...which for all you moms out there means--I was a bit happier b/c having a hunk of fat hanging over your too tight jeans as you walk around in the 90 degree weather...well, it it not fun...
So back to fun:
We got lots of candy.
The kids were brave enough to run up to the doors by themselves...FUN!
ummm....we are almost finished eating all the candy. ;).

Friday, October 29, 2010

Cool Blog in Sidebar

IF you are into downtown Durham...that is.. :)
I have a soft spot in my heart for Durham....
ohhh  awww.....

Here is a picture--that I took from that blog--which that blog got from a newspaper...
The picture is of a service station near where Andy and I used to live.
It is basically in ruins now--although, it might be about to get a new do--
I love, love, love this building!  Look at the cool roof...awww...the little service windows.
I always had so many dreams and plans for it when I was running, jogging, walking the dog, strolling the baby...I would just go by it and dream about cool things that could happen there!
Check that blog out!
This post was from June 17th 2008.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

couldn't resist...



I have tried to resist posting this song...one of the videos is full of images of pills...which that IS what the song is about--duh...but there is just something to all of this.
I know of very few mothers around me each day who do not have some form of "mother's little helper"
Today, in the depths of PMS--I was really thinking...there has got to be some relief from this feeling.

Just to TRY to describe what it is like....
I want to go into a sensory deprivation chamber --I want to listen to NO ONE.  No one asking, no one telling, no one commenting.
I want to be touched by NO ONE (except my mom's hugs).
Sleep--forget it...crazy thoughts prevail...totally crazy!
I do not want to smell anything, or hear anything.
Even looking at stuff can get on my nerves.
So this seems like I am having a hypersensitivity issue...you know--everything is getting on my NERVES!!!

Today at school several of my colleagues weighed in --of course these were ones who I am also friends with.
They all had pharmaceutical remedies to suggest.
None of which are really options for me.
So this afternoon I asked Camelia (maybe there is some ancient Mexican remedy she knows of) ...
I asked, "you know, the week before your period....Do you feel really angry, sensitive, mean, tired, sad, weepy etc?"
She said, "Oh yeah! ... :) she grins all the time..."  I said, "Oh, okay, so what do you do?"
"she said..oh, pues, nada..."
I just do nothing...

my remedy from last month--you might be  wondering about that--if you are still reading..
Well, I think I was not on top of it this time.
I need to be more in tune to my {cravings} next month.

Does anyone remember Mr. Wilson's {nerve pills} from Dennis the Menace?
I wonder what those were?
No play dates for me tomorrow!  I would definitely get myself into trouble!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

al fin

se murio la reina...
la mataron con the guillotine..
I kept wanting the book to turn into one of those choose your adventure ones..
Then I could pick the route where Marie Antoinette says, "oh, to hell with my fat slob husband, I am getting the heck up outta here!"
But no, history is history...and she suffered an ill fate at the end.

Andy says...but think about all those around her who were starving and starving..how do you think they
all got so mad?
BUT she was the heroine.

V-Man


Sunday
We all got up....I got everyone ready for church---no time to eat..you'll get a snack there!
Come on!
I cried--almost every Sunday this happens--will God forgive me when I get there?
Will my children?
What do they think when I get to Church...all dolled up--and I have my {game face} on?
I bet they {get it} already....

Sunday afternoon--Andy and Elena are at the Soccer field.  Victor and I are resting, while Eva naps...
our bellies our full....our duties are fullfilled..
Victor goes outside to play..and then he comes to me with a box of treasures...
"Thethe are the things God gibs uth Mommy."
"I found you a boxth of treasures"
"Thee?" (See?)

{See?}

Monday, October 25, 2010

So long...Antoinette

After this Marie Antoinette book, I am finished with my obsession.
It is too tragic, the whole story....
It makes me nervous, and anxious...
I guess it's back to US weekly, shopaholic...and this free stash of books I just found
beside my bead that includes..Nora {Roberts?}, and some other much heard of's who I have
never read...

Maybe it will all be lighthearted.
:)

Oh! and when I was doing my Mega Googling to find out {ALL I COULD} about good ole Marie...
I discovered that her ancestor--Carlos V de Spain...his lower jaw was deformed --all that inbreeding supposedly...and he could hardly chew his food....YIkes! (I do not remember this from all those portraits of him in museums btw)...anyway..he had lots of indigestion.
{Poor} guy

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Shopping {vicariously}

So my {salt} friend and I had a shopping trip yesterday....it was full of laughs, bathroom emergencies, nursing the baby all over the mall, and more laughs...and SPENDING MONEY.
Now, since Andy and I have no money, the money spender was Sissy.
She had a fun time!
We both just went in every store she wanted to go into and she tried on and tried on and tried on...I was the public relations girl, the hang it up girl, and the hold the baby girl...which was all fine with me as long as I had my spiced chai ice storm from Nordstrom, and my stroll through the Nordstrom's shoe dept.
Sissy came away with:
Two pairs of boots
A pair of designer jeans--the reallyhhhiilllyy expensive ones
about six or seven shirts
some camis--which, much to my chagrin will NOT go away (should we really agree to buying three shirts just to get one?) {down girl, down}
Gifts for Caroline's birthday
I think that is all.

Elena and I got boots, haircut, and camis--Elena was not with me--btw, she was playing soccer.
We came home exhausted!

Friday, October 22, 2010

When Washington is fun

So tonight Andy and I went out with all three children to {dar un paseo}.  We went out to Music in the Streets.
It was fun.
not {fun}, sino, fun.

We walked up and down Main Street--which was closed to traffic--and socialized and looked at stuff, and listened to music.
This is something that has been happening for several years here now, and it is fun.
It always happens on Friday nights, and there are bands and musicians all up and down the road.
All of the businesses stay open and you can browse etc.
We have two restaurants down there that were open!--Yippie!
They were so full that no one else could get in there to eat---particularly not a couple with three children.
So we ended up behind someone's bar eating a barbeque plate--they were cooking a pig behind the coffee shop.
SO FUN!
Eva is the hambone--she was a live wire...her usual bedtime is 6:30--tonight at 6:30 she was dancing to music in the road and playing peek-a-boo with my friend.
We left at 8:00.

In other places around--well, everywhere I guess--people do stuff like this all the time.
Here in the l-dubs people don't do stuff like this...hang out in the road talking.
At 8:30 here on any {normal} night--there are not even any cars on the road--and that is not an exaggeration.
So we will be going out to Music in the streets again--I think the last time we went was the Summer of 2008.
I posted about it...Victor had a melt down about his ice cream melting....

Current obsession

Marie Antoinette

I am copying my sister {some things never change}.
She has been obsessed for years.
Now --thanks to her loaning me all of her {stuff}--I can obsess too.
How to have  {proper} obsession Lara/Susan style?
Well, you read all the books you can about something.
Watch a couple movies, and google {research} the topic a lot.
Then, when you have a listening ear--like your sister's --you tell her all you can.
Not in a bragging way, sino, in a guess what, this is so cool! kind of way.

So I am on the first book--see sidebar--and it is absolutely captivating.
On to the recipe for obsession:
Then you hang pictures on your wall that make you think about the topic, then you plan a trip {which will be
dreaming} to go and see the stuff...

Genes are crazy things! :)--Sometimes my sister and I are so much alike --even though we are also like night and day.  We are very alike in our nerdiness styles---although she likes formal academics way more than I do...that is why she attends school perpetually.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Girl's night out

Tonight was it.
The third Thursday of the month.
It is really sort of a social club thing.
All the ladies...we go to a restaurant..or to someone's house..whatever our nerves can take.
Tonight I did not want to go.
I went anyway.
Andy convinced me!
It was soooooo worth it.
whew...I needed a moment to vent, and to have fun, and to talk to girlfriends...
Fun. :)

On to other matters---check the sidebar for the post about European men.
When I was in Spain..I was TALLER than all the men.
When I rode the bus and held on to the overhead bar--they came up to my armpits.
I was WAY FATTER than the women--who only smoked and drank coffee from what I could tell.
AND I was too sloppy...
The men there were prissier than me...and for me--that is a no-go.
If you smell higher than a Georgia pine, have shiny shoes, and tight jeans on...
Well, I am just not even interested...not even just to see if I can.
I like stinky, not prissy, boot wearing men.
So I guess I could sum this up by saying--who cares?  European women, can have the
European men. ;).

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Suzuki {more}

Okay, so I have read this book (see sidebar) by Shinichi Suzuki and there were so many wonderful tidbits in it.
I will share two of them here:
These are quotations from his book.  I did not say this, Dr. Suzuki said this.
**There are many insensitive people in the world and many people think nothing of wounding the heart of another person in public.  When ugly words are said to someone, he will become angry.  If a person could feel the hurt and anger in another, he would not say such ugly words. He also quotes a musician named Leopold Stokowski as saying, "My life philosophy is not to hurt anyone, therefore not hurting my own heart."
*There are some people whose only ability is to display anger and their facial expressions always look angry. Such people may start by becoming angry only occasionally, but eventually as they scold more often, it becomes a habit to be angry. The habitually angry person is a habitual scolder and his face colors with anger at the smallest things.  What an unhappy person.
He goes on to explain how he trained himself not to become angry....usually anger was arising because of some other real emotion--nervousness, embarrassment, sadness etc.
This all struck a chord with me (pun intended we are talking about a musician here) :) ...
I do anger easily...I anger around my children frequently...hmmm...
Now, I do have a game with myself...let's see... are you being mean, mama?
why, mama?--(I am stressed, in a hurry etc)
Then I decide --I will laugh, or I will make a joke, or at least just calm down.
Dr. Suzuki made himself a sticker chart (like we do for children)

This is a good book...
I really do recommend it.

Nighty night...I am off to read my latest book --from my sister about Marie Antionette!  What a find!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Really good teacher gifts....feel free to add more...

Gift certificates to a spa
Gift certificates to restaurants
Items that are personal that you know they would love--like if they love their dog...something for the dog
That is about my list, really.
I just think that if you go in with someone---you can get the teacher something they will love.
One time Sissy and I went in together...we spent 20 dollars each (there was only one teacher back then)
and we got a forty dollar gift certificate for Elena's teacher...
It was to a cool shop here in town.
She was able to pick something cool out for herself.

This year, I have no idea what the gift will be--I am not seeing a lifestyle grant anywhere in my future.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Must buys....

Okay...here is a MUST BUY for the Halloween--Fall season...get ready Morgan and Melissa....
Little Debbie pumpkin delights...oh yeah!! Good Lord--that is a good cookie...
the kind that makes me wanna hide and eat the whole box. --stuff my mouth full by eating the
whole thing in only two bites....you just wait til PMS rolls around again.....just wait!

And another must buy..some boots!
I want some of the shoe boots ones... (Like I had in the fifth grade) ha!
Andy has reminded me that for the rest of the month we TECHNICALLY do not even have money for food.
I would like to officially apply for what I would call a lifestyle grant.
It would be a large sum of money that would last me until next July.
With this money I would buy myself clothes, facials, shoes, and clothes for my children, and
teacher gifts (good ones), and date nights, and books for my nook, and a light fixture that I want.
Who might be giving out lifestyle grants...hmmm...someone who loves me very much..
who is not Andy--who actually has money to give...
I got ! GRANDMA!
So as soon as she gets back from her {escape} beach trip--I might just propose this idea to her.
I am thinking that my application might get turned down...guess I'll have to just hold out until....

(I wonder if that shopaholic book rubbed off on me????) Good lord this was a pretty {wanty} post.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Fighting it

Today at church it was my turn to keep the nursery.
Sometimes the nursery at church seems to be a gathering place---eek!
What a terrible place for people to pick to gather.
I understand why it happens..but that does not mean my nerves can handle it.
The elderly like to admire the babies.
The big kids like to admire the babies...well, i guess everyone likes to admire the babies.

Today a man in our church came in and sat and sat  and sat--I guess he did not want to go to Sunday school?
Maybe he just wanted to visit???
Who knows..his foster child was in there--being babysat.
So....
He started talking about all the money and vouchers and money and vouchers he gets for being a foster parent.
I am not sure why he wanted to talk about all this.
But, I found it hard to fight the aspect of my personality that wanted to inquire and engage him in discussion.
The other two women in the room did not want to...
But some part of me could not fight it.
I just kept asking questions....commenting...
The problem with all of this is, I am opinionated, and I get all wryled up (not spelled correctly).
It bothers me that people make all these babies and then the gov't pays for all the babies that
people who are irresponsible to not take care of...it bothers me for their babies, and for my own.
{It takes my paycheck}
What I forget is that the other two ladies in the room {probably} do not care what I think.
Also, the man speaking does not...he also does not need my interaction.  He would have discussed this
topic regardless of whether I was engaged in conversation with him.
This is what he wanted to talk about--he would have  just talked and talked.  I did not need to even
say anything...
But I could not fight it...

Ugh.... Oh Silence why hast thou forsaken me! ;).

So then, I just called Sissy to vent, and then I vented to Andy--they made me feel better.
One day I will not only know to just shut up....I will be able to actually do it.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

fotos--for your viewing pleasure

Some of these truly deserve to be picnicked and to have a cute border and caption..but
it's Thursday, and I am tired!!! :)
Silly Hair in the tub...this baby loves a bath more than any other I have ever known...she basically will not skip a night.

 This was the day with all the rain, we were going to a play date, and before the play date we made
coffee cake--from the Pioneer Woman's blog btw--check out that recipe--Hello! Yummy! So then all the babies washed dishes...these types of images stay in somewhere in my head....and they take my breath away...Did I really push all of these babies out and nurse them for a year each.... Ay que sweet!
 I take this shot b/c this is how I see it...I did not add the one Andy took with my big ole behind in it. ;).
 This is our backyard during the rain...it rained and it rained and it rained... In the background is a large ditch, it goes into a creek.  There are large swampy areas in the woods behind our house...big dips with cypress trees etc...well these are full now so that means--hello swarms of mosquitos...welcome, yes, we have your blood...
 This is me and my Daddy at a cookout...and Eva--she is Grandaddy's girl-- :).
It does not look like it in this picture--but she really takes to my daddy...
This is the funny hair do I do when we take a bath...V-man will have none of this silliness..but the
girls--they love it! Eva does not even know what I have done....I think it is fun!  I have to snap it quickly b/c Elena's hair will not stand up long.

have a great weekend! :)

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Out of the mouths of babes...

I work with small children...very young...only up to first graders..
Here are things I have heard in my small groups in the past three days...

"My sister, she beat her baby" (The baby, by the way, is two weeks old)
"Dis is how she shake her baby"--The sister, by the way, is 15....

Has your heart dropped yet?  Mine does...it keeps going...

Hit--this was a simple word we were sounding out...
This is what I heard blurted out..
"Da Mama, she hit her baby!"  That is a sentence with hit (At this point I had to stop and give a small talk about what types of sentences could be shared in my group).  This was a different group, too, than the above group.

It keeps going....
One girl has told me "Mrs. Hill, my bottom be hurtin me today.." {Yikes} She blurted this out right on the sidewalk...which was fine--she did go to the doctor and she is fine --lest ye all be worrying.
ummm...let's see, what else...
Oh, and when we were going over /s/ blends---there was a picture of a stamp.
The child said "Picture".
I said, "Yes, this could be a picture, but it is a stamp.  Do you know what a stamp is?"
"Oh Yeah, "  she said, "Das wha you have to use whe(n) you mail a letter like to someone in jail!"

Be still my heart --it is beating irregularly a this point...

This all came from four different students in three days..

Where is superman??? --In jail?  hmm???.... I can tell you one thing, most of my students at school sure
do not have a super(anyone) looking after them at home.

Does it ever amaze anyone else the lengths human beings will go to to rescue one another, and at the other end of the spectrum how absolutely terribly many humans treat our very own children?
Do you ever wonder why there are no stories in the news about how little parents do for/with the children they are {blessed} with...when there are SO MANY stories about how TERRIBLE teachers are etc.?

In case you are wondering:  Yes, I have called DSS several times this week.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Homecoming

Yesterday was homecoming here in the LDubs... (Little Washington's nickname among my contemporaries).
On the spur of the moment we decided to go to the homecoming parade.
FUN!
I have been caught in these (believe it or not) the past two years...
It happened like this..I needed something downtown, and without realizing it was homecoming parade time I ended up on Mainstreet--and ooohhh!! Here comes a parade! OH!

Well, yesterday we went down there on purpose.
Watching "all the pretty homecoming queens" on their cars...really made me think...
Let's see in Middle school I watched this and {hoped} to get to do that one day --Look beautiful on the back of the car (a cool convertible) with my boyfriend driving me...
In High School--I got to!
Yesterday we were..... take a guess--what Sissy and Lynn and I did while we watched the parade...
We babysitter shopped!! HA!
There we were, with our children on the curb eating ice cream ...looking at the pretty girls ...commenting..
"Oh, yeah..I heard she is a good babysitter..oh and she lives right down the road from you..you better call her, and then --Oh!  that is the one who has the business cards!"
It was a hoot! :)
It was also a beautiful afternoon...all of the little children sitting on the curb--was a sight to see...(I wish I would have had the camera!)
Victor's comment was, "Mama, dat parade was NOT totally awesome--becauthe they did not even trow candy!"
HA!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Exclusive

Yesterday I heard something from my children that I have not heard yet.  It was a first.
It was this: "I am going to make a sign that says, 'Victor is not allowed in my room.'"
(Insert the sound of my heart beginning to break into tiny little chips that are falling right off the side...a teeny bit)
I was a little sister.
When my sister did this to me when I was little --it broke my heart.
I just wanted to do whatever she was doing--even if she was being mean and bossy...
When she excluded me it was the most dejected feeling...she was the buddy I got to take for
granted...
But I also learned something very important being the little sister who was cast aside. It was this:
Well to hell with you then...I will just go and play in my own room.
I had to learn this lesson.
You see, if she knew she was breaking my heart--it made the exclusion that much sweeter.
I did not know this as a child--I just knew that my mama told me--
"Oh, Susan, it's okay sweetheart...don't let her bothah you, it doesn't mattah...just go and play your own game"
This was definitely a lesson that was good to learn.  I have used it all my life... .
You don't wanna be around me--well fine...I will just go and play my own game (even if it is by myself)...
It has kept me out of a lot of trouble.

So back to my own children.  Something happens...
It could be:
1.  A child learns to make a sign
2.  A child really wants to be left alone
(both of those are okay reasons in my mind)
or
3. A child wants to exclude another--for some feeling they get from being exclusive...

So interesting to me is this idea of exclusivity...adults do it too, {of course}.
More on that later....
Yesterday, I just told Elena --how to make the sign...
Then I suggested that keeping your siblings on your side is a good idea...and maybe it would
be better to exclude someone who is not a member of our family.
I can't bear to see Victor's dejected face....

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The sound of silence....

So, on the first Tues. night of every month I go to Circle meetings.
Church ladies....doing church lady stuff, and organizing ourselves to get it all done...

Those of you who know me personally know:
1.  I like to get stuff done
2.  I like to be around people

If you read my blog you know:
1.  I am constantly re-discovering that I am terrible working on {committees}
2.  I am practicing silence these days on all committee type activities...that's right..no talking.
{put a sock in it, Susan}

So, tonight was probably my best one yet.
I bet I only said three snippets the whole time--two were social snippets--so those do not really
count--I was not being opinionated --I was simply visiting.
The other WAS AN IDEA/opinion..which was immediately shot down by the person in charge...

so there you have it...the reason not to {share} at meetings....

So, did you ever wonder how the brass chancel rail at church gets cleaned, or how the Chrismon Tree gets put up and expertly decorated?, or how those beautiful flowers appear on the alter each Sunday, or how these great bake sales happen..... I'll give you a hint...XX.
That is what we organize and talk about at the Circle meeting.... And please keep in mind that I am
not trivializing any of the above important happenings...

I just think it is interesting that I am discovering how little so few have to say in order for it all to happen....
really I don't do much either to be honest..the ones who talk a lot--also do a whole bunch....

Live and learn, no? :)
Good night!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

The rain in Washington...

Umm...
I am starting to become a bit concerned....
It has not stopped raining here in four days.
The rain is coming from a Tropical Storm.

We are getting flooded.
The ditch in the back yard that borders the field is full--about three feet deep....soooo..
all the rain from the yard, which would usually flow into the ditch, then the creek, well,
that is in our yard.
Our yard is under about four inches of water. YIKES! :!.

I have some cute pictures..will post later.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Getting to them...

This seems to be the hard part...the "getting to the pictures"--I have them in my bloggy stash, but then
when I try to save them to a file on the computer --they just save themselves as tiny little blips...
AY Que Molestia!

Some Pictures....This is an accidental post...




This is an accidental post.  I am trying to get fotos from my mama's house and put them in a place so I can get to them....
HA!









Spot on!

Spot is our family's chihuahua.  He is what we call, "an evil dictator/stuffed animal come to life".  Sometimes, after he has ...