Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Home again.

I got home this afternoon from a very quick trip to Lynchburg to rescue the cell-phone-less daughter who goes to school there. Saturday night she realized she hadn't gotten any texts all day, then the next morning in church she got 25. Later that day she got another 80. And whenever she sent me a text, I got it two or three times, or not at all. Such is the life of a cheap phone.

Anyway, I went down Tuesday afternoon. We went to see the friendly folks at the Verizon store, then to Ross and Target because I committed the sin of not buying myself anything for my birthday and Abbey was determined we would right that wrong. We did, and then when I told her we could eat dinner anywhere she wanted, she chose Chipotle. She's a girl after my own heart.

Then we stayed up late making busy bags for Bean and Button, and then watched Baby Mama.

Stop touching it when I'm touching it!

Your stupid space car won't let me out!

Free speech. Look it up. It's in the thing.

This morning we went to convo, which is always fun (think church with 15,000 college students), I made Abbey and her housemates some homemade bread, and then I came home. Oh, and I stopped at the farm for fresh milk and eggs on the way, and found the short way home—25 minutes rather than 45. Aside from finding out the hard (haha) way that our air mattress has a leak, it was a fun time.

Now I'm home, the laundry is started, the dog hair swept up in the laundry room, and I'm skipping church tonight to work, since I blew it off for two days.

Be thankful ~

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Welcome to 51.

Yesterday was my birthday, so today is my first official day of being 51. Here's how I woke up this morning.

I had a dream. In my dream, Matt Damon was at our house (don't be jealous until you hear the whole story). He was just here to hang out. As soon as he arrived, he told us he had a brain tumor and was pretty depressed about it. Then the boys were wrestling with him in the living room, and after they were finished, he fell asleep. So Man-squared (about 15 years old at the time) decided to put him out of his misery and shoot him. Yes. My son shot Matt Damon.

Then somehow the family decided that Abbey would take the blame so Man-squared wouldn't go to jail. And Ben was convinced that if we just told the police his name was Ron Day, they would never know, and I kept asking, "WHO is not going to know that's Matt Damon???"

Then I woke up.

Here's my interpretation of the dream:

1. I am so sad Matt Damon is not in the new Bourne movie that he is dead to me.

2. No matter how old they are, boys will always wrestle in the living room.

3. Abbey loves her brother and will do anything for him.

4. I am the voice of reason in my family.

5. I should not eat peanut butter on Ritz crackers before I go to bed.

Be thankful ~

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Chocolate Banana Muffins and the Mixing Bowl.

It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to . . . cry if I want to . . . cry if I want to . . .

Raise your hand if you just sang that with me.

I was four years old when that was a hit, and though it's not my party, it is my birthday, so in honor of myself, I got up early this morning and made these amazing muffins. Just because I wanted them. I had visions of enjoying a hot muffin on the deck in this lovely fall weather with my mug of coffee. I saw myself reveling in the wonder of my 51 years on this planet, thinking back fondly on all I've accomplished, and dreaming of what is still to come.

But real life had other plans. Garmins die, and daughters are stranded in the Mixing Bowl of the Capital Beltway. And if you think that's not really a place, here's an actual, unretouched aerial view of the Mixing Bowl:

 

Anyone who lives here knows the fear that grips your guts when you get in the 395 lane when you're trying to go toward Tysons Corner. It could take you half a day to get back. There are no U-turns and cars and trucks are racing past you, dodging and darting at 80+ miles per hour. Or you're on Backlick and suddenly it turns into Franconia Drive and you're being funneled into the Metro Kiss-and-Ride lot and you never saw it happen. I know people who have lived here for years who still don't know that the inner loop travels clockwise and the outer loop goes counterclockwise. It's such a jumbled mess of high-speed traffic it creates its own force field. And people wonder what's wrong with Washington. 

Anyway, it's quite intimidating for the directionally challenged. So I enjoyed my muffin and coffee while jumping back and forth through three computer screens, all of which had different Google maps open on them, and we finally got her to her destination. I have no idea how she's getting out of there.

Back to the muffins. I wanted to share this recipe, which I stole from my daughter's website, Wholesome Homemaker. If you make these, your people will love you, I promise.

Start with this stuff in a bowl


Then do this


to two of these


and stir them up with this


Pour it into the first stuff


and do this


just until it looks like this


Do this


and end up with these!


Aren't you glad I shared this? You can get the particulars here. Now get your coffee ready!

Be thankful ~

Monday, August 20, 2012

Monday's post about last Tuesday.

Last week on Tuesday (I'm a week late with this), Leah, Abbey, Cori, and I went to the Museum of Natural History up in DC. We didn't leave until late morning and had to be home in time for Tuesday night Bible study, so we didn't let any grass grow under our feet, but we had a good time anyway—once we figured out how to buy metro tickets, which is not nearly as simple a procedure as it used to be.

I wanted to get inside the glass and give this big guy a hug. Doesn't he look like he's waiting for it? He's calling to me . . . here, little human . . .


We found Dori (or is it Dory?)

and Nemo

Cori gave us her moose impression. Very realistic, don't you think? One of his antlers is bigger than she is.


And Abbey compared her leg to an elephant's.


We got to see just about everything in there, including the very unimpressive Hope Diamond. Big rocks just don't do it for me. Then we just had enough time to run to the fountain in the sculpture garden and stick our feet in before we headed for the Metro


with a stop on the Mall to Tebow in front of the Washington Monument.


Then Saturday Leah and I went up to NoVa to look at a few apartments, and we stopped by her school so I could see where she would be teaching this year. It's the number five high school in Virginia! Woot!


Since I've had a cold all weekend, I haven't done much other than sleep, read, and fold a few baskets of laundry. Tomorrow I'll try to get up and actually do something. I have a recipe coming, as well as a new project I'm working on little by little.

Be thankful ~

Friday, August 17, 2012

My new favorite blog.

When my children were little, I loved teaching them things. I taught them to pee in the potty, how to sit quietly in church, and how to calculate the volume of a triangular solid using pieces of cake. I loved teaching them. It was my full-time job. So when it came to an end a little more than a year ago, I thought I might miss it. I was surprised to find out that not only do I not miss it, but now that I'm out of teaching mode, I'm learning more than ever from them. They have become the teachers!

Whenever I have a technology-related question, I call Mike. When I need help with photography or decorating or anything artsy, Abbey is my go-to girl. If I'm having trouble with a workout, I ask Man-squared. And Leah helps me understand politics while she's doctoring me with herbs.

But when I want advice about cooking? Deb is the guru. She knows so much more than I do, and she's so much braver about trying things than I am. When she got married, she knew she wanted to feed her family "real food" rather than processed junk, and she has made a career of it.

A few months ago, she began building a website called Wholesome Homemaker where she shares recipes and helpful advice about cooking and eating real food. Real food that real people will cook. I just found it today. She's been trying to lay a strong foundation for her website, so she didn't tell many people about it, but after spending an hour reading recipes and advice, I told her she needed to share it.

So I'm doing my part by directing you there, but be prepared to drool. Her writing and pictures and recipes make me want to run to the kitchen and get started.

This will be tomorrow's breakfast.

This and this will be made one night next week.

And this sounds pretty amazing.

So go look around. You'll surely find something that makes you want to cook. And you'll get to see a few pictures of my grandbabies, and what could be better?



Be thankful ~






Thursday, August 16, 2012

How many trucks . . . never mind.

Abbey went back to school today for her LAST semester. Can I get a A-MEN? You would think she would have this down to a science by now. That packing would be a breeze. That she would know there's only so much she needs for one measly semester.

Oh, no. The longer she goes, the more stuff she takes, and this trip topped them all by a long shot. It took four of us to pack the trucks.

Did you get that last word? Trucks? Yes, that's plural.

This is a sofa they're carrying out. A sofa to go to college with. Because there's no way we're going to sit on the floor and watch football. We must have a reclining sofa.


This all started a few weeks ago when Abbey and I were out scavenging in thrift stores, and we walked in one and saw this sofa:





You can read the story of it here if you want. I'll just tell you that we brought the new one home and couldn't wait to throw the old one off a cliff. But Abbey had an idea (go ahead and say uh-oh). The house that she and her "family" all hang out at on Sunday afternoons has a couch, but it's not much of one. I couldn't imagine it was any worse than this one, but she insisted. She called the guys who live in the house, and all she had to say was "it reclines," and they were hooked. So this morning, we loaded it in Man-squared's truck, along with Abbey's desk, two chairs (yes, two), and rubbermaid tubs. The extended cab of this full-size pickup is also loaded with food and other "necessary" stuff.



Then we loaded Abbey's truck with a bookcase, huge suitcase, more rubbermaid tubs, and garbage bags full of clothing. And I think there's a pillow pet in there somewhere. She was very proud that her craft box wasn't the biggest one there. A craft box? I never took a craft box to college.


Anyway, we got them loaded up and on the road. As I walked back in the house, all I could think was, "It will take a U-Haul to get her home."

I miss her and all her stuff already.

Be thankful ~

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Saturday stuff.

Abbey and I switched lenses again today, which we do every so often. Now I have the 50mm f1.4 on my camera. So this afternoon while she and I and Man-squared were hanging out in my bedroom with all the shades closed to keep the hot sun out, I snapped a few pictures.

Angry Birds.


Afternoon coffee.


Happy mutt. Isn't he photogenic? That's his one good trait.


Concentration. Man-squared is the Angry Birds champion of our house. Probably because he's the only one who plays.


Learning to shoot a silhouette.


Then I went outside and snapped a few pictures of the hummers. Okay, it was more like 53, but I'm not putting them all up here.


Even with a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, her wings are a blur.
 

How do I know it's a female? Because these are ruby-throated hummingbirds, and the females have no ruby; only the males do. Isn't that sad? She needs more bling.


I wondered if it might be a juvenile, but then it would have some gray-brown streaking on the throat, which it doesn't. It's a girl.

A hungry girl. Every time another hummer came near the feeder, she dive-bombed it. On second thought, maybe she's a teenage boy.

Be thankful ~

A few random tidbits for a Saturday morning.

If you've been here for just a little while, you know I love birds. So this summer I asked Ben to hang a hummingbird feeder where it wouldn't drip on the deck (it attracts ants). But then we (the boys) started demolishing and rebuilding the deck and the feeder kept getting moved. The last time it wound up in bright sun, which isn't good for sugar-water, so we took it down for a while. Then Abbey and I noticed the hummers were flying around the deck every day looking for their food, so we took matters into our own hands and shoved the pole down in a big pot of flowers at the edge of the deck where no railing has been put up yet.

(Isn't it amazing that I can make a story about a hummingbird feeder this long? It's a gift.)

So in my haste to get the food out there, I made up the mixture and boiled it, then poured it into a glass measuring cup and put it in the freezer to cool it quickly.

Then promptly forgot about it.


The next morning, Man-squared opened the freezer looking for waffles and stopped in his tracks. He said, "What the . . . " and I immediately answered, "Dang. It's the hummingbird food."
 
 

I took the measuring cup out of the freezer and Man-squared said, "Well, they can chip it out . . . "

Lucky for the hummers, we have a microwave, and they are now happily sipping out of their feeder.

Also, this morning I got this picture of Button from Deb


with the caption: someone is a SERIOUS morning person. She says he wakes up this happy every morning.

I can tell you where he did NOT get this from.

And finally, YAY, PAUL RYAN!

Be thankful ~




Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Eight is . . . (a multiple-choice quiz)

A. The atomic number of oxygen.

B. Seventy-two days fewer than it took Phileas Fogg to travel around the world.

C. The number of days until Abbey leaves for Lynchburg and her last semester at Liberty University.

D. The number of days this blog has been postless.



No matter which one you picked, you're right. It's not that nothing happens; it's just that I have no time to document it. So here are two big happenings of late.

Our sofa has been dying a slow, painful death since about six months after we bought it eight years ago, and last week Ben announced that he didn't intend to go another winter with it in the house. That just happened to be the day before Abbey and I made the rounds of local thrift stores, looking for a bedside table for her new house in Lynchburg (more on that later). We never did find the table, but at one of the stores, we found a like-new couch. Tan-ish with beautiful carved wood trim. I've admired sofas like this for years, but honestly, with two kids in college, who can afford a new one?

Abbey and I sat down on it. We stood up and looked. We turned all the cushions over. We pulled it out and looked at the back. The only thing we didn't do was turn it upside-down trying to figure out what was wrong with it. We couldn't find a single flaw.

The tag said $200. I turned the tag over, then back the right way. It still said $200. I looked over the sofa again, and still nothing was wrong with it. The tag still said $200. I bought it. (Sorry for the sub-par cell phone picture.)



Every time I walk through the living room I'm amazed all over again at how God provides not just what we need, but so often what we want. And he's under no obligation whatsoever to do that!

Also, we've spent most of the summer trying to find an apartment or house for Abbey to live in for her last semester at Liberty, and possibly next spring if she can find a job and wants to stay there. We've gotten our hopes up numerous times about places that looked promising, only to have them dashed in the end. Abbey's been very stressed about it.

Then one day last week, I was perusing the message boards again and came across an ad for a house that sounded perfect. There was also a photo of the house, which is just as cute as a button—very artsy looking, which according to Abbey is "inspiring." And that's important when you're an artist. So I texted the girl right away, we went to see it a few days later, and signed a lease while we were there. To say that Abbey is excited is the understatement of the decade. She would have packed up and left right then and there if she didn't still have a job at home. We kept saying all the way home from Lynchburg that God is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." What an amazing Father we have!

And now it's 10:17 pm, I've eaten pizza and ice cream, and I have to drag my fat self to Pitaiyo at 9:30, so I'll go to bed.

E. More than the number of days until my next post. I hope.

Be thankful ~