Spring Break

The LRHS is officially on Spring Break.  Back next week with tales of fun with cousins, good ice cream, 90th birthdays, and Easter festivities.

Revolution

After watching Jamie Oliver's show, I am totally on board (and very grossed out). I have put the above picture on the sidebar, which links to his petition, in case you want to sign it. After Anne's comment on the last post, I am glad to see Texas has so many signers. I think I am only number 2233 or something for VA. Come on, Virginia! West Virginia, where the show is being filmed, has less than 1000 signers. Boooooo!
By the way, my grandparents lived in Huntington, WV for a few years, so we used to go there as kids to visit them. In fact, I think that is where I saw both Star Wars and Grease for the first time, and it's also where I was when Elvis died.
Anyway, good luck to Jamie Oliver. Looks like he's got his work cut out for him with those lunch ladies.

TV Talk

A couple of quick things about TV. Because I watch it sometimes.

1. I am excited about Jamie Oliver's new show, which starts tonight. Go Jamie! I recently found out that when Daphne goes to Kindergarten, she will have snacktime, during which there is the option to have chocolate milk EVERY DAY. Maybe I'm a mean mommy, but chocolate milk is a special treat in my house. Not a daily staple. I have great concerns about the food they serve in cafeterias at public schools. So, if this show calls attention to potato pearls and other such "foods," I am all for it. And I'll probably learn a thing or two about things I can do to change the way we eat at home too. All part of the re-invention. Yay!
2. Project Runway: WHAT???!!! Anthony goes??!! I thought that horrible stiff 70s rainbow dress was finally going to mean the end of Mila. Anthony isn't my favorite designer, but he brought so much entertainment value to a pretty boring season. Sad. Official LRHS Bryant Park prediction: Maya, Emilio, and Seth Aaron.
3. What is this "Glee" everyone's talking about? Is it worth watching?

4. American Idol: Andrew Garcia has let me down. Siobhan is great but should probably go a week or two without the screaming. Crystal will win.

And this is not TV-related, but if you want to feel happy while you cook dinner or drive your car around town, listen to the new She and Him (you can listen to the whole thing for free if you follow the link). It is great. Very throwback.

No Longer Separated at Birth

BEFORE

AFTER

So, here is a really dorky picture I took of myself with the webcam yesterday so I could show you that I finally got a real haircut. It's been a LONG time coming. I am very lucky that one of my new friends and fellow pre-school Mommies, Jen, happens to be an awesome hair stylist, and she happened to have an opening yesterday so that I could get a much needed new look before my grandma's birthday party next week, where people are sure to be taking pictures. I no longer feel like Weird Al's long lost twin sister. Thank God. AND I slept so much better last night without all that mess on my head. Jen is awesome, and if you are local and need a new do, I highly recommend her. Plus, she understands unruly curly hair. Thank you, Jen.

I think Kevin even actually likes it in spite of the shocking amount of hair that is now gone. At least he said he does. Then again, I think he probably learned his lesson after last time I came home with short-ish hair, when his first comment was, "What happened?!?" (And no, Kev, I will probably never stop bringing that up.) He got in trouble for that one.

Anyway, this week has been all about re-invention, as I also got some new clothes for Spring. Not many, mind you, but a few little pieces. And not from Target, but from real stores at the mall. It is time for a total closet overhaul. Next week, when I am in Indiana, it continues with a visit to my favorite nail salon for a pedicure so my feet will be as happy as my head is.

I might even haul off and wear some make-up one of these days.

For now, though, I am going to fold some laundry and watch last night's Project Runway. It's Tim Time!

Just in case you thought that top picture was really me, it's not. I promise. It's Weird Al Yankovic. I would NEVER wear that shirt.

GOOOAAAALLLLLL (Eventually)

The new gear in action.

SubUrban Outfitters

Well, I reckon it's official. I am now a Soccer Mom. Today, we took Daphne to the sporting goods store at the mall to get outfitted for her upcoming soccer season. The league sent out coupons good for today only, and half of Loudoun County was there, crammed into the small shin-guard aisle, some with their strollers. Needless to say, I was a little stressed. But, we got what we needed, and Daphne wore her new gear all the way home. Then, she practiced outside in the yard with Coach Kevin (aka "Daddy," but not on the field). She once again refused to smile for a photo...I guess soccer players are supposed to look tough.

On the way home from the mall, we had this conversation:

Daphne: Mom, I have something to say.
Me: What is it?
Daphne: I love you more than peanut butter.
Me: Thanks.
Daphne: Daddy, I love you more than peanut butter too.
Kev: Do you love me more than jelly?
Daphne: (Pause) Dad, I think we should talk about soccer.

Although Dallas apparently just got two inches of snow, Spring has arrived in the mid-Atlantic in full force. It has been beautiful the last few days. Yesterday, Daphne finally got to play with the Moonsand she got for Christmas. I had been warned to keep this stuff outside. Thank goodness. What a mess! But she had fun with it, so that's good.

Our cherry tree is blooming in spite of the damage it received during the blizzards. We had our first meal on the porch yesterday. I got to take my new cart to the farmer's market. And I feel a bike ride is in the near future. I can't believe how recently we were tromping through snow and having to wear hats everywhere.

OK...I'm off to do something else now. Like sit on the porch. Without a hat.

The Action Continues...

After a relatively normal Tuesday, things have kicked back into high gear. This photo is from Wednesday afternoon, when Daphne and some of her preschool friends took over the cul de sac with all manner of riding toys. It was a beautiful day, and I think all the kids and mommies had a good time. I was hoping Daphne would actually play WITH her friends, but she kept to herself most of the time, and dug in the dirt or attempted to mooch snacks off the other moms. I seriously don't know what to do about that. She constantly asks people for their food! Look at that picture! The kids are probably all sitting away from her because they're afraid she'll swipe their snacks! Anyway, it was a nice afternoon, and it resulted in a 2 1/2 hour nap for Daphne.

Yesterday was less fun. I had to go to a conference all day to get C. E. hours to maintain my SLP license. It was sort of interesting. The topic was neurology, specifically sensory processing. I am totally into that stuff. But as usual, the room was too cold and then too hot. The chairs were uncomfortable, the coffee was bad, and this time, there wasn't any food. You can usually count on a spread of bagels and danishes, but it turns out the people sponsoring the workshop can no longer afford to provide food in these tough economic times. The people at the Shackley meeting in the next conference room, however, had a giant table with all kinds of pastries and fresh fruit, and a mean guy to stand there to keep away anyone from our group who might attempt to take something. I just wanted to go home.

The good news is, I went to Five Guys for lunch, and enjoyed my cheeseburger and fries very much. And on the way home, I looked forward to a nice relaxing quiet evening because Kevin planned to take Daphne to the circus. Well, it was a nice thought, anyway. Instead, I arrived home to find that Daphne hadn't taken a nap, and Kevin had come home early because he thought he might have a stomach virus. So, he went to bed, and I was on my own all evening with a wound-up loopy little Peanut. We watched the Cinderella movie, which was fun, but not quite what I had planned for what was to be the first evening I would have actually been alone in my house since we moved in. Oh well. There will be more circuses. I am just glad Kev is feeling better today, and that no one else seems to be sick.

Today, I got up and baked bread and pizza roll palmier things (Darlene, I have made these three times now - love them!) to take to a disco party at a friend's house. There were a bunch of kids and moms and good things to eat, and Daphne is now sleeping it off. She had a great time. I spent most of the time guarding the dessert area, trying to keep away a certain little Peanut who wanted as many treats as she could get. I felt like the guy from the Shackley table. What is Shackley anyway? I would really like to be able to actually have a real uninterrupted conversation with another adult sometime without having to always scurry away mid-sentence to keep Daphne out of the sweets.

I think it's time for me to take a little nap. I am having a hard time keeping my eyes open, and it's only 4:00. Chances are, Daphne will wake up just as I doze off, but that's OK. Tomorrow is Saturday, and we don't have any plans until 6:30pm - a nice relaxing piano recital performed by the daughter of one of Daphne's teachers. Then, we have NOTHING planned for Sunday. And that's exactly what I intend to do.

New Favorite Side

Last night, I made this Garlic and Goat Cheese Gratin and it is my new favorite side dish. Of course, how could you go wrong with goat cheese and garlic? I pretty much stuck to the recipe, but I only had 4 oz of goat cheese, so I reduced the milk and cream a little and baked it in an 8 x 8. Also, after reading the reviews on Epicurious, I added more garlic. I used two russet potatoes because Wegman's didn't have any Yukon Golds (!?), and I baked it for about an hour and a half (I covered it with foil at about 1 hr 15 min so the top wouldn't burn). I suppose if you don't like goat cheese, you could use cheddar or something else. But it wouldn't be the same.

Daphne wouldn't eat it, but Kev and I both had seconds. There is only a small corner of it left. Not sure how it will taste left-over though. It was SO good, and really easy.

Today, about half of Daphne's class is coming over to play outside. Should be fun. The weather is suddenly beautiful. Daphne is running around with no pants on at the moment, though, and I hear banging noises coming from her room, so I'd better go supervise.

Let me know if you make the potatoes. YUM!

I Don't Get It

When WE ask Daphne to smile and pose for a nice picture, we get this (above), or this (below),

Or this:

But somehow the school photographer got this:


WHAT?! No rock and roll face? No weird fake smile?
He must have magic powers. Or candy.

On a completely unrelated note, here is something else I just don't get. How in the world did America vote for Katie Whatshername and Paige Miles and Tim Urban over Lily Scott, Kaitlyn Epperly, and the great be-mulleted Alex Lambert? Good grief. I will quit watching if they vote off Siobhan or Crystal. Well, I probably won't quit watching, but I'll be real mad.

I went to Target - by myself! - today and shopped joyfully for Liberty of London products. Thank you Target for being so cool, even if it is for a limited time only.

Now, to the library.

Pretty Chaos

Here is a quick video from yesterday's ballet recital. The teacher turned off the lights and let the girls go crazy with some ribbons.

Springing Forward

Well, it's Monday, and I actually have a few minutes to blog. What a crazy weekend. So much fun, but I am completely exhausted. We did all the things listed in the post below and they were all great.

The picture above is of my great-grandpa, Harry Sands, and my grandma when she was a baby. It's one that will be in the slide show at the big birthday party next month. I like it mostly because of the bike, and because my grandma still makes that same face. I have very few, but very specific, memories of Grandpa Sands. He and my great-grandma lived in a cute little house which always had little glass candy dishes full of butter mints and Brach's caramels sitting around on various coffee tables. They had groovy aluminum cups that are now banned because of toxicity. They had a small cabinet of children's books, and I remember Grandpa reading me the Pokey Little Puppy. In the back yard, there was a garden with a walkway winding through it, and at the very back of the yard was a slide. It was made of metal, so Grandpa would give me a towel to sit on, and he would catch me at the bottom. I'd like to go back there, but I'm sure it would be disappointing to see it now. It's probably nothing like my memory.

Daphne and I enjoyed the Cinderella play on Saturday night. She wore a fancy skirt and her ruby slippers. We were met there by some friends from preschool who were all decked out in Cinderella princess dresses. I wish I could post a picture, but probably shouldn't for privacy. But trust me, they were really cute. The play was interesting because it was performed by a cast made up of people with various disabilities, such as Down Syndrome and cerebral palsy and so forth. It wasn't the best acting I've ever seen, but the actors were really giving it their all and having a blast, and Daphne didn't even notice that they were at all different.

Friday was busy, with a playdate in the morning, then friends over for dinner in the evening. We discovered that there were some musicians among the preschool parents we have gotten to know, so we had spaghetti and meatballs, fruit salad, cookies, and some folk/bluegrass/sing-along post-dinner music. The kids even sang a little, and we had a great time. I really hope to do it again.

Yesterday, Daphne and I went to the birthday party of one of her friends, and spent one of the nicest afternoons we've had in a long time. Good food, great company, and more little girls dressed as princesses. And, Daphne skipped her nap, which made putting her to bed an hour earlier than usual a piece of cake. Maybe this time change won't be so bad.

This morning, Daphne's ballet class had its "recital." The parents were invited in to watch the last 30 minutes of class and see what they've learned over the past few weeks. It was about the cutest dang thing I've ever seen. Daphne did really well, except for being obsessed with her untied ballet slipper the whole time. Kev was able to go, and so were my mom and dad, and I think Daphne really enjoyed having a big audience.

So, now we have a couple of normal days. The sun is supposed to come out tomorrow and stay for a few days, and I'm looking forward to that. I can't believe March is half over.

OK...I think I am going to go take a rest and read a magazine now while Daphne is sleeping.
Or maybe I'll sleep too!

Busy Busy Busy

Hello there. Long time, no blog. I am writing to you from the calm between the storms. It has been non-stop action around here, and it's about to start again. But today, at least for the next couple of hours, I am stopping down for some blogging and American Idol DVR catch-up and general quiet time. Ah.

The picture above is of my grandma. I have been working with my dad to get ready for her 90th birthday party, which is in a few weeks. I've been scanning in pictures and my dad has been making them into a slide show, and I today I finished up the invitations which should hit the mail tomorrow. There is still a little more work to do to get ready, but now that the invitations are done, I can slow down a little. Yay!

Meanwhile, we had a big week last week when Mimi, Aunt Barbara, and Hunter the dog came for a visit. We packed a lot into a few days, including shopping, First Friday, a craft fair, dinner at the gas station Thai place, and a night out with Kev, thanks to our babysitter houseguests! Daphne had a great time following her buddy Hunter around all week, and she's a little lonely now that everyone is gone. I am just not exciting enough for her I guess.

Here we are headed to First Friday, where we saw Irish Dancers (Daphne was fascinated), Maddy Curtis (a great local singer who should have but didn't get through Hollywood week on American Idol), and a Celtic band complete with a piper. I LOVE BAGPIPES!

Here is Hunter. He is a good dog. Except when he gets on the couch without permission (thanks, Kim.) Daphne took this picture, and the self-portrait below, which has nothing to do with anything...I just like it.

I just love that little face.

Yesterday, it was Spring-y. So we went to a friend's house for a playdate and lunch. The food and company were great, and the girls had a blast playing OUTSIDE in the SUN. One of the girls took this picture below with Daphne's camera. The Peanut was too busy being OUTSIDE in the SUN to take pictures. It was great.

So, that's where I've been. Sorry, Mary, if you were worried about me! And don't worry if it's a while before I'm back again, as things are about to get crazy. Here is what happens the next several days:

• Friday morning: play at a friend's house.
• Friday evening: friends over here for dinner and housebanding
• Saturday night - Mommy and Daphne date to see the Cinderella play with a bunch of kids and moms from school
• Sunday afternoon - going to a birthday party
• Thursday all day - SLP workshop (dread)
• Thursday night - Circus (probably just Kev and Daphne. I'm scared of clowns.)
• Friday morning - kids from school Disco party at a friend's house

In the middle of all that, there is bread to be baked, dinner to be cooked, 90th birthday parties to plan, a Peanut to care for, and the TIME CHANGE. How I hate the time change. Ben Franklin's worst idea.

So, it's mostly all good fun stuff, but I am tired just thinking about it. Some people I know are all about action. I am not so much. I am dreaming of one of those vacations Kev and I used to take where there was a whole lot of doing nothing but maybe canoeing around a lake, playing some dominoes, and cooking up a pot of corn chowder. Someday...

I'll be back when I can!

PS. There are some really good girls on AI this season, plus Andrew Garcia. It's about to finally start getting interesting...