Drew and his rock

The five year old came downstairs this morning, tousled and bleary-eyed as usual. He likes to sleep without a shirt because otherwise "I get so sweaty, Mom." I noticed something different, though.
"Is that a rock around your neck?"
"Yeah."
"Did you have it on all night?"
"Yeah."
"Well honey, didn't it hurt to lay on it?"
"Oh, I mainly slept on my back."

With Ree, Spring 2011

Last year, we went to a book signing where Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) was speaking and signing books along with Marlboro Man. Our group was composed of Hosanna and I, my friend Maegan with her daughter Ashton, and Rowena. (Thanks, Rowena, for the picture!)

While we waited in line to see Ree (about an hour, I believe), we carried on amiably and chatted and laughed and bantered back and forth as our excitement increased. Rowena and Maegan, as a joke, had brought me a little key chain holding a cow which pooped chocolate.

They are always so thoughtful in their gifts.

Someone had the bright idea that I should give it to Ree.

“No way!,” I said, “I won't be one of those people who gives her something just to get extra attention or a blog mention.”

But it was an enticingly funny idea and I thought I might just give it to her.

When it was our turn, however, something odd happened. I don't think there ever was a time before, or ever will be a time afterward, in which we were all completely and simultaneously struck speechless.

And we talk a lot. All of us. We regularly sharpen our wit and sarcasm on each other.

At that moment, inexplicably, we turned into docile little lambs who ducked our heads and smiled shyly and said hello and after a polite remark or two stood there in dead silence while she signed our books.

She even commented on how very quiet we were.

Maegan pretty much patted her shoulder-nearly stroked her hair-and stood there in a trance.

We took our picture.

We walked out of the room.

And in the hallway we instantly fell apart in nervous giggling fits and asked-”What came over us? When have we ever NOT said anything?!? We had a million things to say to her!”

I guess we were star-struck. We do love our Ree. ;)

"The More You Know, The More You Kohl's"

For starters, I love Kohl's, especially since it's about 2 minutes from my house, and it has great sales, but I do not understand their tag line. "The more you know, the more you Kohl's". Huh? That's just weird.

It's been ages since I've gone clothes shopping by myself. I ran out tonight while Tom and the kids were lounging around the house (and my $10 Kohl's cash was burning a hole in my wallet). I zipped through the juniors and misses racks and ended up in the dressing room with 30 items (slight exaggeration).

How is it that outfits look so cute on the rack, but totally deflate once you put them on in front of the mirror? Do they dim the lighting over the displays?

This fashion season, have you noticed the trend towards shirts which are short and very wide? What gives? I'm sure they look sweet hanging from wispy size two girls, but I tend to think they make the rest of us just look wide and short-waisted. I found a few with darling prints and tried them on because, as I remind my children on a daily basis, "We try new things in this house!" Okay, not going with that new thing.

Many of those shirts have extra folds over the arms which can give one the impression of wings. I couldn't stop staring at myself in the mirror while wearing shirt #10. My shoulders appeared abnormally large! And if I flapped my arms like so, I looked like an ostrich about to take off! Wheeee!

If you can pull off wearing the new style trend in shirts (which I also call The Artsy Shirts), I am truly impressed.

I consider myself fairly average. Not in the greatest shape, after 4 pregnancies and a lack of self-control in the exercise department, but not overly large or overly small (definitely not small), either. Not real short or real tall. Just average. And yet...not a single stinkin' thing fit in a range of sizes!!

I rushed over to the shoe department, having had a hankering for something cute and spring-ish and definitely feeling a little petulant. Since my feet look like small boats which have grounded and attached themselves to the ends of my legs, that's always a challenge. It also doesn't help that I have very narrow heels, so I tend to slip right out of the backs of shoes while walking.
I tried on a pair of heels that I fell in love with online (key word: online). The height of the heel in combination with my high arches made it look like my feet were in a perpetual state of springing forth, very much like one of Cinderella's step-sisters trying on the glass slipper.

Finally, after trying on both new additions and the winter sale shoes, and thinking I should embrace the ancient Chinese tradition of foot binding, I came across this little number which charmed me:

Until recently, I steered clear of wedges because I wasn't sure I wanted to walk around on cork board but then discovered, interestingly enough, they provide the right amount of support while giving the illusion that my boats, ah, feet, are slightly smaller than they actually are. And yay for a Kohl's sale combined with my Kohl's cash!

The more you know, the more you....oh nevermind.

Day Four: Branson, Missouri

Thursday:

Tom regaled us with his delicious breakfast of fried potatoes, eggs, English muffins, fresh peaches, and grape juice.

It was the first day of Silver Dollar City's “Southern Gospel Picnic” and the park was refreshingly uncrowded! We didn't have to wait in line for anything, and went on several rides together as a family. At the taffy shop, we observed them making peanut butter taffy, and we saw some of the Canadian Baptists again. After a few hours at the park, we headed back to the condo for a late lunch and preparations to visit Table Rock Lake.

We spent three hours at “Moonshine Beach”, enjoying the lake water and beautiful weather. Tom met some Ukrainian Pentecostal Baptists (as they called themselves) and enjoyed a game of volleyball and swimming with the guys. Drew worked on his underwater swimming techniques, Caleb went to and fro like a fish, and Hosanna bobbed around on an oversized life-jacket, talking to people as she bobbed.

Once we returned, I did a little Wal-Mart grocery shopping and brought back pizza. Then, early to bed! A day of sun and water had us all happy but worn out.

Day Three: Branson, Missouri

Wednesday:

We slept in even later than yesterday, if you can believe it. Breakfast was bacon, fried eggs, biscuits, fresh pears, and orange juice. One must eat well on vacation, you know, to keep up one's strength.

We headed to Springfield so Tom and the boys could visit ANOTHER Bass Pro shop, the massive one, while Hosanna and I were a few blocks away checking out a darling shop called “Red Velvet”, which I had been wanting to see for months. Hosanna loved trying on the hats, and we found one that compliments her perfectly and looks like something that walked out of “Alice in Wonderland”. We shared a truly AMAZING cookies n' cream cupcake that was everything a cupcake should be-moist but not crumbly, and bursting with rich flavor. We also shared our first-ever bubble tea in a raspberry flavor and agreed it was a favorite.

After joining the boys, we all had a late lunch (everything is fashionably “late” during vacation) at a Chinese restaurant. I think Springfield should also be called the “Cashew Chicken Capitol of the World” and that is what we had for our cheap but tasty middle-of-the-day meal. Also crammed in the tiny restaurant was a Baptist Church group from Manitoba, Canada, loudly exclaiming over and enjoying their lunch as well. It was quite entertaining.

Then, we were off to the old downtown district to do a bit of browsing. The boys went to a family-owned scooter shop to talk scooters while Hosanna and I searched through an “all things vintage” shop next door. When did the 80's become “vintage”? I'm confused. :)

Rounding a corner, we stumbled upon a coffee shop and cafe called “Boca Mocha”, which literally pulled me right in; it could not be helped. I fell in love with the interior design and chatted with the shop owner, a lovely young woman also named Rachel and about my age, who was busy behind the bar whipping up delicious coffee treats. She gave a large slice of chocolate cake to the kids when our wait turned out to be longer than expected. They consumed the cake and the raspberries that went with it before I could even grab the camera. Tom took a little nap on one of their comfy couches. Next time I'm in Springfield, I'll definitely make my way back to this eclectic spot!

Once back to the condo, we relaxed for a bit and while Drew slept hard, Tom took Hosanna and Caleb swimming. After a dinner of various leftovers, we headed out in the relative cool of the evening for miniature golf at “Pirate's Cove”. Tom beat us all, of course, with Hosanna coming in 2^nd, Caleb and I tying for 3^rd, and Drew coming in last, although he did get a hole in one once. I heard Drew say that his pirate name was “Fat Bobby”.

Day Two: Branson, Missouri

Post-script from our arrival night: The kids saw a raccoon and chased it but were unable to catch it (to their consternation and my relief). Caleb wanted me to make sure I noted this.

We all managed to sleep in a bit this morning (such a hardship). Breakfast was pumpkin pie and granola. We had hoped to spend some time swimming at Table Rock Lake, but due to heavy rain went instead to Branson Landing, starting out at the Bass Pro shop and then weaving our way down the strip, in and out of shops as the rain came and went.

The highlight for the kids was probably the candy shop-they each got a small bag of their own to fill with the goodies of their choice, to their rapturous delight.

At The Children's Place, Drew said loudly after exiting the bathroom: “Those bathrooms were SO clean, Mommy! I was afraid to touch the toilet, it was so clean. They are waaaay cleaner than our bathrooms!”

Once the rain stopped, we enjoyed a late lunch outside on the patio of a gourmet Mexican restaurant- Cantina Laredo. I think that was some of the most delicious Mexican food I have ever eaten! It was located right next to the Landing fountains, which boast a special fire & water musical display every hour. 

The question Caleb posed to us all was, “Where in the world would you go, if you could?”

Tom: Swiss Alps (although his first answer was, “Wherever Rachel is”)

Rachel: Venice

Hosanna: China

Caleb: Amazon Rainforest

Drew: Wisconsin

Our cheerful server told us that Drew was the American version of one of her favorite Hispanic actors, a 5 year old named Javier Gutierrez (of the "Pequeños Gigantes" on Univision).

When we at last made it back to our condo in the late afternoon, a siesta was in order. What is it about vacations that make you tired? It must be all the relaxing! After that, off to the pool for more swimming. We met a lovely Christian couple celebrating their 35^th anniversary. They enjoyed playing with our kids and telling us about their five grown sons. The Dad was a mechanical engineer, so he and Caleb chatted it up quite a bit.

A late dinner of hot dogs, raspberries, and carrot sticks ended with the kids on the couch and Tom reading stories. Then, one more episode of Andy (can you tell we are making our way through all 8 seasons?!?). After they were in bed, Tom and I shared a slice of Dino's famous carrot cake which we had purchased at the Landing. Scrumptious! I love to visit places, big and small, that I've read about. A tasty end to a perfect day.

Notes from the start of our vacation...

Sunday evening we arrived safely in Branson. Our condo is located in a quiet, wooded area not far from Silver Dollar City.

We had a late night, one pot supper of Aldi's orange chicken and rice stir-fry. Then, one episode of “The Andy Griffith Show”, peanut m&m's, and snuggled down to bed. The kids were sooo excited!

Monday morning, fresh blueberry pancakes and sausage. Then, while Tom and I took care of some necessary “paperwork”, the kids had the time of their life playing in our ginormous jacuzzi tub. They emerged quite some time later like wrinkled prunes. Drew had been swimming underwater (yes, it's that big) so he was rewarded with a peanut m&m.

Then, we fried their brains with some educational T.V. while Tom finished with his work. Once that was done, we were off to play tennis. More like, off to catch balls. I forgot what an uncoordinated klutz I am. Caleb earned more peanut m&m's catching my stray balls. I do so love to bribe my children.

Then, off to the nearest Wal-Mart (just a couple miles down the road) for a few grocery and vacation necessities, like ice-cream cones. Bought peaches at a roadside stand just a few feet from the trees they were picked from.

Sandwiches for lunch, followed by ice-cream and more lounging around while watching another episode of Andy. Drew needed a nap, but it was our first day of vacation! Some concessions were in order.

Then, Tom took the kids around the corner to swim in the ultra cool water-park while I stayed to make yet more phone calls regarding our house purchase (making sure all our utilities and such will be set up in time for our move!).

A full afternoon of swimming in the lovely weather was a perfect way to finish out the day. The kids chose one of their favorite meals for dinner-spaghetti with garlic bread, fresh steamed green beans, and apple pie for dessert from Wal-Mart's illustrious bakery. The apple pie was Drew's idea. When I asked the kids for meal suggestions, that was his only one. Apple pie, and lots of it.

Drew, while driving

Drew likes to talk on and on in the car, so he can be quite entertaining and I think, "I need to write this down!" The kid is strapped in a car-seat and has nothing better to do than expostulate about my driving ("You drive as slow as a PICKLE, Mom!") or talk endlessly about what he is going to do when he grows up (the latest: "build mini bulldozers "), what we need at the store, why his brother and sister are bothering him, why we are taking this particular route, when am I going to cut my hair?, and anything else that pops into his over-sized curly head ("My shoes are getting WEAK, I need new ones, Mom.")
When I've reached my destination, sometime I'll grab a little notebook I keep in my purse and record a line or two from his dialoguing.
Here's a random question he posed:
Drew, seriously: "Mom, will you give me a dollar if I don't ask for gum for 25 years?"
Why yes, dear, I think that's a reasonable request! But you have to last the 25 years before you get your dollar.

 

Photo credit goes to my friend and amazing photographer Angie Parrett!

Random Trip Notes

We have walked up a lot of steps. To towers! To arches! To see expansive views! We have legs of iron! Okay maybe not. More like jellyfish.

We are literally subsisting on 1 1/2 meals a day. We're travelers on the cheap! Parisian food is yummy...but costs a pretty euro! ;)

We've seen several groups of school children. The girls wear blue scarves, the boys have red. Everyone wears scarves in Paris!

We don't see that many trash cans. And public toilets? Nope. However, there is plenty of urine on the street corners and in odd places in the metro. Where are the Parisian women supposed to pee?

Most people are in pretty fit condition. How can this be, with all the pastry, bread, and cheese being consumed? It must be the metro...all those steps...and steps...and steps...your daily workout is a given!

Baguettes are quite popular. We see people gnawing on them everywhere. It seems common to pick one up for lunch, a snack, or on the way home for dinner.

While sitting on a park bench on the famous Champs-Elysees avenue (people watching is so fun) a bird pooped in Mara's purse. Yes- IN, not on. Somehow it missed her white jacket and the white exterior of her purse and landed neatly in one glop in her side pocket. The look of astonishment and disgust on her face was priceless!

I'm getting pretty good at using foreign keyboards. Our hotel has three different kinds! It has been quite an honor to show different clueless people where the "@" button is. :)





Quotes:

Mom, commenting on the lack of available toilets: "I hold my water well."

Rachel, pointing negligently towards a statue: "That guy looks German." It was Winston Churchhill. Ooops

Mara, while crossing the street during a no-walk light: "If the cars come at us too fast, at least they'll get that old lady first."

The Awful P.I.

Earlier in June I wrote this post in an itching craze, and then promptly forgot about it until just now when I found it in "Drafts". I find a lot of stuff in "Drafts" that will probably never get posted....

P.I. That's what I call poison ivy. It has plagued me since childhood. For the most part, I've managed to avoid it the past couple summers, but a couple weeks ago somehow, somewhere, it came in contact with my arms. I really think I got it from the kids' clothes.

Once that oil gets on your skin-it's near impossible to remove. The product "Tec-Nu" is great as a preventative, and for use before the rash appears if you know you've been desecrated, and even when the rash is just starting to show. After that, you're in for it. Hopefully, you're part of a lucky group of people who only get a mildly annoying and itchy red rash. The other group of people, of which I am President, end up with oozy, nightmare-inducing blisters that make you want to amputate and spend the rest of your life in a sterile environment landscaped with rocks and not a green bush in sight.

Once you get a bad case of poison ivy, you begin to see it everywhere and a simple walk in the park could end up with you hugging the nearest asphalt and yelling, "Get me away from those trees! They're covered in poison ivy vines!!"

Did you know that you could get the poison from a stick? Yes, a stick. The plant doesn't even need to have green leaves in order for it to wreak havoc.

I used to get it really bad as a teenager. I seemed doomed to get it on my face every summer. A friend was commenting on my recent poison ivy rash and said, "Oh I remember when you got it on your face. You looked like a cauliflower."

That was me. Cauliflower girl. I'm surprised my skin didn't scar from the awfulness. With my large glasses, my over-bite, and my puffy poison ivy face, I was quite the beauty. Those were such fun, happy days.

I tried everything I could think of to rid myself of the poison ivy, every remedy I read about or was told to try. Some helped. Most did not. I pretty much rely on Tec-Nu and good ol' distilled white vinegar right now, which helps dry it up faster. Basically, I have to let it run it's course, which is about 2 weeks.

If I ever disappear from polite society for that length of time, you'll know I got it on my face and turned into Cauliflower Girl again.

Rain-Scented Laundry

There's a scent for everything out there. Candles. Detergent. Room fresheners. Hairspray.

"Satin Sheets."

"Sugar Cookies."

"Tropical Breeze."

"Mulberry and Pine."

"Your Grandma's Perfume."

Well maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. Ever smell a "fresh rain" scent? Here's how to give your laundry that unmistakable whiff of summer glory:

Leave your clothes or sheets on an outdoor clothesline for at least two days, during which a quick thunderstorm passes by. (You can plan to do this when the weather forecast calls for showers or, if you have my luck, it'll rain within 2 hours of hanging clothes on the line anyway. I always trigger the weather when I load up the clothesline. It's like magic.)

Let dry completely in the sun, in order to lock in that unmistakable rain scent and fade the clothes just a bit. Or a lot. If completely drenched, this may take an extra day or two.

Remove, inhale deeply, fold and put away! Easy! "Fresh-Rain Scent" the low budget way!

Hosanna's Art 2

That would be...my homemade biscuit.

That would be...Hosanna's finger.

I laughed aloud when I found these pictures on my camera. I knew she had taken the first one (yesterday's photo) but these were a surprise! There are all kinds of quirky. :)

Hosanna's Art 1

Hosanna arranged and took this photo. She's definitely got the funky/bizarre art thing going on.

Raw Foods Diet Attempt

You may remember that in an earlier post I mentioned trying a raw foods diet. I had been feeling kind of "blah" lately and knew I needed more living foods in my diet, plus I was inspired by my amazing friend Rachel D. She has experience with raw foods diets and their wonderful benefits.

I wanted to last a whole week.

It was more like 4 days.

Before you laugh hysterically, let me whine a little. It was hard! Nothing cooked, nothing remotely processed. Fresh everything. And this by a girl who lives on Bacon and Butter. I ate a lot of spinach salads, including the one above.

But I'm very happy I tried it and my energy level increased by leaps and bounds, even in that short time! Since then, I've continued to eat more raw and be more balanced in my eating habits.

Maybe next time I'll make it to 5 days!

Meet Fred

My children introduced me to this special young man. Hi, Fred!

This is for you, Mara!

Found at a shop in Estes Park, Colorado.

Face of Summer

Boy with Fudge Popsicle, age 2 1/2.

Drew with Sparklers

He never appeared afraid of the fireworks, and begged to watch and participate in them, but when it came to the sparklers he seemed a little concerned! He gave them his full concentration. Woe to anyone who got too close to him; apparently he needed his space. Funny!

Team EPIC

To follow the story of some wild adventurers, Team EPIC, of which Tom's brother Carl and my brother Ian are a part, click on this blog link to read about their antics and view pictures of their trip out to Oregon and back.

Vacation in Branson

We arrived home this Sunday afternoon from a week of family fun in Branson. Thanks to my Grandma's generosity, Tom and I and children, and my parents and siblings, were able to stay in spacious condo units near Silver Dollar City. As the kids get older and have more commitments, and with some of us in school and work, finding time to ALL be together is getting hard! This worked out beautifully.

Various cousins, aunts, and other adorable relatives were able to join us for some festivities as well. We wore ourselves out at SDC, boating on the lake (in which none of us females were successful in getting up on the water skis), flea market shopping (Hey, us girls are bargain hunters! And when we went to Starbucks afterwards we discovered we were all using gift cards-it was pretty funny.), miniature golf, go-carts, tennis, and lots of swimming.

The downer was/is that Hosanna has been dealing with heat exhaustion, so she wasn't able to join in as much. We've been giving her electrolytes and keeping her out of the sun as much as possible.

I did remember to bring my camera, but I forgot batteries. And never remembered to pick them up from the store. But, my brothers were taking a lot of pictures as usual so when they post them on Facebook I'll probably steal them.

Other news:
Tom crashed his radio airplane. Poor guy, he never really learned how to fly it well and then the last evening we were there he decided to fly it...into the concrete. He thinks it's fixable. I'm not so sure.

I re-discovered my love for Almond Joys. Buying those mini size candy bars was a waste of time. I should have gotten the biggest size available! I think my body needs coconut. Or almonds. Anyway, I've been taking care of myself, that's for sure.

On vacations we make 98% of our food (Tom and I went out to dinner, once, with Mom, Dad, and Mara) and tend to stock up on things we don't normally keep around like chips, chocolate pudding, candy bars (Snickers actually have a lot of protein), Gatorade, beef sticks, etc. The kids loved it. I loved it (think: Almond Joys). Our family dinners consisted of meats that Mom had already cooked and brought along, such as sloppy joes, or shredded pork sandwiches. She's amazing like that! Then we all added our special sides. There was a lot of hodge-podge (it seemed like we consumed an unusual amount of pork: Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, bacon) but that's part of the fun.

During some of our downtime, in which we watched TV-I think there were about 8 to go around-I learned some new tricks for roasting chicken that I am dying to try out. I also watched 5 minutes of ,"The Man from Snowy River", "The Lion, Witch, & Wardrobe", "High School Musical 1 & 2", "Pride & Prejudice", and something with Bruce Willis. Now I remember why we don't have TV--
One, I would be addicted (I'm weak that way-esp when it comes to new ways to roast a chicken)
Two, It's a time waster (see number One)
Three, I'm not missing anything, when it comes right down to it (except a lot of stuff I don't want to know)
Four, what a lot of junk!
Five, the commercials are insanely long and usually leaving me wondering where everyone's clothes are and why they walk around in underwear, and
Six, Tom is way to busy to watch it anyway so with all those factors why have it?
It's nice for vacations, though. Especially when all the kids are watching Animal Planet with their mouths wide open during the "tapeworms and other disgusting creatures are living inside me" episodes.

I'm really grateful we had the opportunity to get away from Tom's crazy-busy-gone-a-lot work schedule, and hang out with no Internet, barely any phone, and a bunch of hilarious and wonderful people. Smiles all around!