Thanksgiving down south!
Boy did we ever have a great Thanksgiving! We ate turkey, mashed potatoes - everything AND I got to read a whole book!!! We drove down Tuesday night, immediately after our 7pm parent teacher conference, a little book shopping and a stop at Burger King for dinner, hello 8:30pm! Arrived in Dobson, NC at 3am - Dan drove the whole way. Good thing too, since I fell asleep at least 3 times with out knowing it!
We spent Wednesday recovering and chatting about Grandmom and Grandpop's new house. It's very cute and very nice. Thursday we had a great fun eating everything, gravy so yummy...mmmm! The cheese cake was super great, although I've been told by Bethany that she can make better and I better not bring any bought cheese cake to Christmas. [What is it with you people and new food items?!? Just cause I use some peanut butter chips in my Congo bars you declare them NOT Congo Bars! Fine we'll call those Pongo Bars, p for peanut butter and Pennsylvania. Well get this - I'm going to add walnuts, craisins to the chocolate chips next time and then I'm going to call them Walcra Bars!]
Then Friday and Saturday we went in search of flea markets... the kids though we were getting fleas for the dogs or giving the dogs baths to get rid of the fleas, depending on which child you spoke with. I got a brand new $5 runner for our upstairs hallway, Marshall got a free McDonalds happy meal toy from 1987, a baseball bat/whiffle ball combo for $1 and Ri got two sterling silver rings for $1. A very great and successful expedition! On the way home, Saturday,we visited a restaurant called Pirates Landing and boy were the prices good - we left stuffed and not broke! The kids were happy too since they got some Pirate treasure in the form of bead necklaces and the waiter, Duane (Dee-waine), who was dressed as a pirate, was very nice and tolerated the kids (Marshall talked A LOT) quite quite well.
So, if you're ever on Rt 77 in NC, just north of Elkin watch for the Pirates Landing - kids meals with drink and desert for under $5!
the smell, the warmth, the feel
of a woodfire in a fireplace is sublime. I sit, snuggled beneath my striped fleece blanket, rocking back and forth in Dan's grandfathers recliner. The warmth of the laptop adds to the toasty-ness.
Looking forward to Thanksgiving in North Carolina! Leaving Tuesday night after parent teacher conferences... can't wait for that!
HAPPY, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Surprise Thanksgiving Programs
I have no camera! No cam corder! No one told me my cute darling little 4 year old, who is growing up way too fast, would be dressed as an indian doing hand motions while singing an uninteligible song. AND I feel like I've been cheated out of an opportunity to capture, for future tourturing purposes, my son on film.
Well here we go... found the problem, online newsletters w/no reminder to the busy moms to read them. *sigh* oh well. I'll have him re-inact it and take some pictures... that will have to do.
true sacrifice
my husband, the consumate sports fan, is being more than considerate this evening. 7pm started a Flyers game - we clicked back and forth between it and my sappy woman show. even more is that the Eagles game is about to start and we're watching another sappy woman show, again going back and forth... this one is actually sappy, a guy is crying, how much sappier can you get than that.
crazy crazy
since I've turned 33 I've noticed things going on that I don't quite like.
1. I can't seem to control my couch.
2. Children randomly pick their noses at the worst times.
Now, let me explain these first two things before I go any farther. The out of control couch is mostly due to the children, BUT after I've gotten to take care of their things and the couch is looking pristine something happens. I leave the room, or just even stop looking at the couch and when I turn around cushions are on the floor. For quite a while I blamed the kids, but one day when I was home alone it happened again. You have to understand that couch is a very proper couch, it was Dan's grandmother's, it's cream colored with fancy fabrick, curved back and cherry trim. Proper couches shouldn't just explode, not like this. So, I decide to steakout the couch from the recliner - a good idea in theory, but as I'm sure most of you could predict, I fell asleep.
However, about 20 min. into my nap I hear a funny scratching noise. Prying my eyes open I see that our mild mannered house cat is digging behind the couch cushions. Thinking she's after a bug, I let her dig and go back to napping. Upon waking I discover a totally disassembled couch with said mild mannered cat curled in a ball on the floor in a secure corner of the room. The cat! It was the cat that's been tearing the couch apart! To this day all I have to do is totally clear of the couch and within minutes she's tearing it apart. I no long blame the kids unless I actually see them taking it apart.
Now about #2, I'm just out of time so we'll have to review random nose picking next time.
farewell dear beans
It's a sad sad day when you realize your body's ability to properly process beans has been lost.
Ivy will understand my sorrow, she's witnessed my fondness of beans on many a taco night - I am especially fond of refried beans. I like them warm and spread on the inside of a soft taco - it's the warm goo that holds a great taco together. My love for refried beans is so great that, on occasion, I have been known to eat them cold, straight from the can. I know some of you may be distressed by that picture, but it's the one that best shows my true true love of beans, lentils even.
So, it is with great sorrow that - having eaten only beans for lunch - I must conclude that the time for unprotected bean consumption is over. I will be investigating a product called Beano and will, unless authorized by close family members, not eat any more beans with out said Beano.
Much like my lactose intollerance - I will overcome! The day of the bean will return... just not today and possibly not tomorrow (not sure when I can get to the pharmacy). Rejoice in the knowledge that you're... well not anywhere near me right now!
Aging
Seems like everytime I turn around the kids have changed. Their faces, their arms, their legs... who are these little people and what happened to my babies?! I'm having full fledge conversations, discussions... ok, arguments - about what types of pants or overalls she will or will not wear. I'd let her dress herself...only she shows up wearing shirts inside out and it's just quicker to lay something out. I know I'll have to stop soon, and it will probably be easier to start easing off now. *sigh* Well at least I can still dress the boy :)
Larry Boy's Visit
To all of those parents out there who make a childs costume I send you my simple nod of understanding and encouragement. My own costume thrillogy started when Marshall declaired that he wanted to be Larry Boy for halloween. Putting all my feelings about halloween aside I decided that if he were to participate the I liked the idea of him being Larry Boy. No one sells Larry Boy costumes - no one!
We buckled a bike helmet on his head and made a tube of cardboard around him. Then we added shapes to the tube and poked holes in it - what fun! Then quick quick we put a layer of paper-mache over it and left it in the basement to dry. Next day another layer - this one took two days to dry - then another layer and two days later we started to paint. Larry Boy was alive and looking pretty happy about it.
I'm hoping to string him up in Marshall's bedroom so he looks like he's flying.
