Home Sweet Home

Here are a few pics of the new house. We finally got internet/phone/tv hooked up today. We're still swimming in boxes, but we've made progress and it's starting to feel like home. People here are really nice. They keep coming over with cookies and pies and baskets of stuff. I hope that eventually I will have time to blog a real blog. The next blog will probably be about Thanksgiving. I am cooking the dinner this year, and it will be my first time, so tune in for tales of kitchen disasters...

Happy Day

Today we moved into our new house in Leesburg, VA. Pictures coming soon. It was a freezing cold day with flurries of snow, and now we are drowning in boxes, but the difficult times are over and we can begin to settle in and enjoy life again. We won't have any internet until they come hook us up next Sunday, so if you email me and I don't reply, that's why. Hope you're all doing well and staying warm. See you soon.

Time for a Blog

Helping Aunt Kimmie
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

I think it's about time I blogged a blog, so here goes:

First of all, a shout out to my good friends, Rob and Michelle...hope you like the pancakes!

Next, the picture there is Daphne helping her Aunt Kimmie feed my awesome little nephew, Jackson. He is a really good little baby. I think the Peanut didn't know quite what to think about him...she was a little nervous when she got close to him. But, she told me that she is going to have two babies, named Jackson and Jackson, so I think she likes him.

Things here are pretty OK. If all goes well, we'll be in our new house next week. There is a lot that has to happen, but things seem to be on track. I will spare you the details, but it has been very complicated and difficult selling our house and buying the new one. Nothing has really gone smoothly, but thanks to my good friend and real estate agent Anne, who has gone above and beyond the call of duty, my family back home, who have been a HUGE help in too many ways to list, Kev's mom and dad, who drove all the way here to babysit so we could go house-hunting, my friends who have supported me through the whole ordeal, and Kev, who has somehow been keeping the wheels from flying off, I think everything is going to work out.

As soon as all parties sign by the X, I will post a picture of our new house. I don't wanna jinx anyting...

Over the weekend, we took a break from all this moving and shakiing to trek up to NY so we could see our afore-mentioned new nephew and hang out with kev's family. Daphne and her cousins are getting better and better at playing together, and they all had a great time. Kev's mom had lots of activities for them, including tie-dying shirts and making foam Christmas trees. It's a good thing, too, because it rained all day Saturday, and we didn't even leave the house. The drive to NY is long, but not TOO long, and it's very pretty. There are plenty of places to stop along the way. And we discovered that our new house is only one hour from Gettysburg, and a little over two hours from Hershey. We are never ever going to run out of cool stuff to do up here.

So, I am homesick, but hanging in. We have a play-date tomorrow with my nice knitter friend and her little boy. I can finally see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, and I know I will eventually feel normal again. Or something resembling normal, anyway. If there was only a way to watch the Mavericks...

Hope things are good with all of you. Thanks for sticking with me through the lean blogging.

Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Hope you all had a good Halloween. We enjoyed ours. Daphne was Dorothy, as you can see. It was a last-minute choice based on that was about all they had left in her size at Target. I am far away from my sewing machine, so I couldn't make her anything. Maybe next year. Anyway, we thought she looked pretty cute with her ruby slippers and pigtails, so it's all good. A nice lady that I met via a knitting forum invited us to her neighborhood for trick-or-treating, which was great because we didn't have to drag the Peanut all around this apartment complex. I can't wait to get out of this place. It is so noisy, and there are weird smells now and then.

Daphne's asleep, so I'm gonna go eat some of her candy now. She'll never know...

White House, The

White House, The
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Today we finally took a trip into Washington DC. I had never been there, and I wanted to see the White House. There is a picture of it that I took today. Look at that lawn! On the roof, to the right of the flag, you can see a sniper-type guy. There were other guys walking around the grounds with big machine-gun looking guns. What a sad world we live in.

We went in on the Metro, which was pretty fun and easy. DC is nice and calm...not at all like New York City. I didn't hear any cars honking all day. There is so much to do that I can't imagine we'll ever be able to do it all. Today we just walked around and took the Peanut on the carousel by the Smithsonian. It was a really nice day. Almost hot, even.

Tonight we went for Indian food at a little place in the shopping center by our apartment. It was really good. Daphne even liked it.

Now everyone is asleep. I am trying to stay up late because the time changes and I don't want to be up at 4:30am. Curse the inventor of daylight savings time. Oh, wait. Maybe that was Ben Franklin. Hmmm...I usually like Ben Franklin. Oh well.

A Taste of Home

A Taste of Home
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

The other day we received a package from my mom and dad which included some of Daphne's toys and book, Kevin's favorite house-pen, and this stuff in the picture: my favorite coffee mugs with some coffee from Central Market, my milk frother thing, and some Kerbey Lane pancake mix. I have been enjoying my morning lattes since this arrived, and there will be pancakes in the near future. Thanks, M & D...we needed a little cheering up around here.

We're Here

Just want to let you know we made it Virginia. We are currently living in a corporate apartment with noisy neighbors, but it's clean and it will do for now. I miss my family and my friends and knowing how to get places without a map. Today we got a GPS, so that should make things better. I don't get much computer time, but when I do, I will blog more. I hope you are all doing well.

Cruel Cruel World

Just in time for me to move away, they opened up a Paciugo gelato shop a couple blocks from my house and an Oklahoma Original Fried Pie shop near my parents' house. I swear, if the New Albany Redmen come down here and bring Chicken and Dumplings, I'm not moving.

UPDATE: Today we went to get a fried pie, and there was a sign on the door that said, "Sorry. We are sold out. Please come back tomorrow." I guess I missed my chance.

Indiana Road Trip

Indiana Fall
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Last night, my mom, Daphne, Jeff, and I returned from our big road trip to visit my family in Indiana. There is way too much to blog about, but the bottom line is, we had a great time. I got to do all the things I wanted to do (Zesto, Hubers, chicken and dumplings, apple dumplings, Fun Slide, Pizza King, etc.) and Daphne had lots of adventures. She was really good in the car and only had 2 major meltdowns in ten whole days away from home. She did manage to dial 911 at the hotel in Memphis somehow, but other than that, there were no major incidents. Please feel free to check out the pictures on Flickr...there are quite a few.

My biggest regret is that I was not able to meet the mysterious Fooie McGoo during my visit. He is supposedly a real hipster, though, so he is probably too cool for me and Daphne. Well, maybe next time, Foo.

PS. If you have never driven through Tennessee, I recommend it. It is very pretty.

Front Roll

During our trip, Daphne got to go to gymnastics class with her cousin Eavie. It was pretty hilarious. They put Daphne in this room with all kinds of colorful exciting stuff to climb on, and she went nuts. She mostly ran to a round pit in the back corner and dove headfirst into it. You can see it back there in the video. Then, one of the poor teachers would retrieve her and put her back with the group, where she would quickly squirm away and run off to the corner again. This happened at least 30 times. I promise. But, even though she didn't really follow the rules, she had a blast, and I never have to go back there and face the teachers again.

And on that Farm She Drove a Jeep...

EIEIO.

While we were in Indiana, Daphne got to drive a jeep at my Aunt Darlene and Uncle Marty's house. They live sorta out in the country. We got to see cows and horses, and pick tomatoes and peppers from the garden. Daphne got to feed the cat. But this jeep was the best part.

Breakfast for Dinner

Breakfast for Dinner
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Tonight we had breakfast for dinner. What a treat. These are the Kerbey Lane pancakes I was telling you about before. If you are ever in Austin, please go to Kerbey Lane for the real thing. You will thank me.

Learning Lace - Latest FO

Lace 2
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

I knit this lace wrap for my mom's birthday. It was my first time doing lace, and it was pretty easy, but it took a long time because I needed complete silence so I wouldn't mess up the pattern. Now, I need to knit something easy that I can do while I watch TV in my corporate housing unit.

Anyway, I think the wrap turned out really good, and I hope my mom can find an occasion to wear it.

Pattern is from KnitSimple Summer '07, and the yarn is FABULOUS Blue Sky Alpaca/Silk. I think this might be my favorite yarn so far. Alpaca has never let me down.

This is How You Eat a Corny Dog

This is How You Eat a Corny Dog
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

So, our family has been making the rounds, going to all the places we will miss the most when we move. On Saturday, we were displaced from the house for a showing, so we went to the great State Fair of Texas, and had a really good time in spite of the heat and the Daphne melt-down at the very end. I didn't blame her. The state fair is fun, but it is also a real beating if you stay too long. Anyway, there were all the usual things: corny dogs, the Fun Slide, the Texas Star ferris wheel, etc. And Daphne got to go on here first amusement park ride with no parental sidekick! It was a little viking ship ride that just went in a gentle circle, and she thought it was the greatest thing ever. Pictures on flickr if you wanna see. I will miss the fair.

Other places I will miss include the Arboretum, Cafe Madrid, Legal Grounds (coffee shop), Central Market, Studio Movie Grill and the Inwood theater (the one with the couches), the Dream Cafe (cheese grits), Mai's (#38a), Shabby Sheep yarn store, and on and on. Sigh.

However, there are a lot of cool new things to look forward to in Virginia. My cool brother-in-law, Pat, even sent me a list this morning that included a restaurant with flourless chocolate waffles, a whole store of pies, a place with cosmic bowling, and a corn maze, among other things. He also informed me that Vigiinia is home to four types of owls! So, it will be fun exploring the area and finding new places to go and things to do. Now, if we could just find a house.

LRHS Movie Review

So yesterday we went to see the Dark Night. Even though I liked the first one, I didn't expect much, but it was great. Heath Ledger was a perfect Joker. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Word of advice: Go to the bathroom right before it starts, and don't drink anything during the movie.

Four and a half (out of 5) penguins.

Another movie you should get from Netflix is "Lars and the Real Girl." It's good. I promise. I'd watch it again.

I'm an Aunt!

Welcome to the world, little Jackson Martin "Blueberry" R---. We can't wait to meet you!

All the best to Kim and Marty as the adventure begins. Great name, guys...much better than a boy named Sue. I can't believe we didn't guess it! Please send pictures soon...

The Best Part of Cookie-Making

The Best Part of Cookie-Making
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Morale has been low around the LRHS-HQ lately, so Sunday we took a day off from fretting. We made the Kerbey Lane panckes for breakfast, and they were really good. Not quite as good as the real thing, but they hit the spot. Then we had to vacate the house for a showing, so we went to the Arboretum and let Daphne run and run. She had a blast, and the weather was beautiful. Cool and breezy thanks to Hurricane Ike. It's sad that it takes a devastating hurricane to make the weather here so nice. Shout out to the people in Indiana (of all places!) who are dealing with a much more difficult aftermath. Anyway, later that evening, we made chocolate chip cookies, and as you can see, I had a helper who could not resist the spatula. I don't blame her. The cookies were good!

So, we are starting off the new week hoping we'll get some good news about finding a place to live. It's hard feeling sorta homeless, but I know overall, we have NOTHING to complain about. I shall do my best to stay positive. And chocolate chip cookies can't hurt!

The Big One is Coming

There is now a For Sale sign in our yard. We are very sad. It might not be so bad if we actually had a place to live in Virginia, but so far, no deal. It is becoming difficult to have a positive outlook, but we will muddle through. There are, after all, no lions.

Meanwhile, we're hunkering down for Ike, which will probably just mean rain and wind for us in North Texas. I just got back from the grocery store, where milk and bagel supplies were perilously low. I think about half of Dallas was there, stocking up for the weekend. Hopefully it won't be too bad.

As a treat, I bought a box of Kerby Lane pancake mix. Kerby Lane is a place in Austin that serves the best pancakes on Earth. We will have those on Sunday.

A big LRHS Happy Birthday to Kim! Are ya one? Are ya two? And so forth. Woohoo!

The Big Day

The Big Day
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Today was the first ballet class. It was very cute, but chaotic as I'm sure you can imagine. Five 2-year-olds (and their mommies) trying to learn to point toes and curtsy (curtsie?) turned into five mommies mostly chasing five 2-year-olds around to the Nutcracker Suite. But we had a great time, and Daphne didn't want to leave when it was time to go home. Ah, these are the moments you never get back...

Three More Days...

IMG_0318_1
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

...until Daphne starts her little ballet class. We went to buy the shoes today and tried on her leotard. She tippy-toed all around the room. We will only get to go to a few classes before we move, but I can't wait. It's gonna be so cute.

Fun with Dirt

Fun with Dirt
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

We have been doing various projects to get our house ready for the market. Yesterday, Daphne helped me plant a little herb container garden for the front porch. She was a pretty good little helper. Our house looks better and better every day.

Meanwhile, things are looking a little bleak with the house we are trying to buy, so we may end up back at square one. Keep your fingers crossed.

It would be nice for something to actually go smoothly for once. I'm not holding my breath.

Anticipation

In a few weeks, Daphne and I are going with my mom and LarryFeathers to Indiana to visit my family and attend the greatness of the Harvest Homecoming. There will be apple dumplings, chicken and dumplings, a Fun Slide and Carousel, numerous trips to the Zesto, pizza from Pizza King, and general fun with cousins and such. I can't wait. Fooie and Mel, will you guys be in town? If so, we can take the kids to Community Park.

New Albany is a really good place to call your home town.

Stinkers

My Favorite Picture
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Yesterday I took Daphne to an indoor playground. There were a couple "big kids" there (about 4 years old). Daphne boldly went up to them, and said "What are you doing?" And the girl said to the boy, "Let's go over here where SHE won't bother us." Then later, Daphne said to the big boy, "Do you want to play with me?" and the big boy said, "No" and walked away. I wanted to trip him. And his mom.

The Peanut is trying so hard to learn about the social world, but I can tell it isn't easy for her. She only wants to play with big kids, and they won't give her the time of day. Poor kid.

The whole thing didn't seem to bother her, fortunately. It was way more upsetting to me than it was to her.

Keep trying, little Peanut.

The Forgotten Birthday

So, I had a nice birthday and got lots of great gifts. Then I left town, and I've hardly had a chance to play with any of my new stuff. This French Press is the exception. I use it every single day. Good coffee is important.

Knitting through the Pain

During all the fretting that's been going on, one way I have kept myself sane is by knitting like a maniac. The three projects in this post were made for Kim and Marty's baby-on-the-way (whom Daphne has named "Blueberry"). It was tricky coming up with gender-neutral projects that I liked, but in the end, I chose the hat above, made with sock-monkey yarn, a nice alpaca cream-colored blankie, and a neutral cotton washcloth. If the baby is a girl, I think I'll probably make a small flower to decorate the hat a little and make it more feminine.




I actually did quite a bit of knitting on the plane, which along with the sedatives, seemed to help a lot in keeping me calm. I have a couple new projects in the works, which I will show you when they're done. I am learning a lot through all this, and becoming a better knitter, so that's good. I am already panicking about being 1000 miles away from my favorite yarn store, and my friend Emily who always knows how to help me in a knitting crisis.

Brave New World

OK, so here's the deal. We're moving. To Virginia. Things have been really chaotic lately and blogging has had to fall to the bottom of the priority list. But, it's nice to know I've been missed, and I will try to blog more.

In a nutshell, here is what has been going on: Kev got a job offer at the beginning of August for a full time postion doing rocket stuff for a company in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington DC. We had to make some quick and very very difficult decisions. We flew up to VA to do a whirlwind house-hunting expedition, which was stressful and defeating. The last day we were there, we found a house we both loved. So, after lots and lots of fretting and hand-wringing and going over and over the pros and cons, we decided to make an offer on the house and accept the new job. This has been really hard on us and on my family, who thankfully will probably be able to move up and join us in a year or so. Meanwhile, we went on vacation to New York. The whole time we were there, Kev was sick and I was sad, and we were trying to deal with real estate wheeling and dealing, but we managed to squeeze in some fun by hanging out with the family and going to the Dutchess County Fair for milkshakes and the Fun Slide, and we got to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our new neice or nephew, which we can't wait for. And the last night, Kev and I went to the movies. We saw Pineapple Express, which was funny, but not as funny as Superbad.

All of this happened over a 2 and a half week span. We flew to VA on a Monday, back to Dallas on that Friday, were welcomed home by the delightful aroma of a deceased Pancho under our crawlspace hatch, got up at 3:30 the next morning and flew to NY, and then back home 9 days later. That's 4 flights. In two weeks. And you all know how I feel about flying.

On top of all that, I turned 40, but I've hardly had time to catch my breath, much less dwell on that.

Since we got home, there has been more wheeling and dealing, lots of cleaning and packing and arranging for landscapers and fence guys and handymen, and Daphne has chosen this week to have a terrible two relapse. I think maybe things will settle down by Thanksgiving. That may be optimistic.

So, we are excited, sad, and nervous about this move. As much as I complain about Dallas, it has been my home for 30 years and I am going to miss it. And even though I know my family will join us eventually, it is going to be extremely hard to leave them. Please try to consider their feelings and be sensitive in your comments.

Sorry about the lack of blogging. I will do better. Next time, I'll try to post some pictures of something happy and/or interesting. Photos from our NY trip on Flickr if you want to see.

Thanks for being patient.

Break Time

Today is the last day of my 30's. I don't know really how to feel about that. I have spent the weekend celebrating with family and friends. It has been nice. Tomorrow, I begin new adventures in my 40's. Gonna lay low for a couple weeks, but I'll be back.

Weekend of Firsts (or WALL-E-HO!)

Once everyone stopped being sick, we had chicken soup. Go figure.

It was really good. Kevin made the dumplings. I always mess them up. But now I know the secret, so next time I will make them and they will rule!



Daphne has been really good lately. We decided to treat her to her first movie in a theater on Saturday, so we went to the 11:30 matinee showing of Wall-E at the great Inwood theater, which has changed me forever. Now, no other movie theater will do. The Inwood has big giant comfy couches with ottomans, so we sat in a couch-built-for-three with the Peanut anchored securely between us. She had her own little bag of popcorn, her juice cup, and PSB (Pink Soft Blankie), and she was ready. For about the first 45 minutes, she was completely mesmerized, probably by the sheer hugeness of it all. It was more fun watching her than the movie. Her eyes were glued to the screen, and now and then her little hand would sloooowly make its way into the popcorn bag and then to her mouth. It was so dang cute...she was like a little adult sitting there. Unfortunately, the movie was WAY over her head. There were no cute forest creatures or catchy songs. It wasn't very colorful. There was hardly any dialogue. So after the novelty wore off, the squirming began. Squirming isn't so bad, though, when you have a whole giant couch to squirm upon, so we made it through the whole movie without having to leave. The biggest problem now is gonna be taking her to a regular old theater. With chairs. We've set the bar too high.



Today we made Daphne her first root beer float. She loved it. She spent about three minutes drinking it, and then about ten minutes trying to summon every last molecule from the bottom and sides of the cup. I thought she'd cry when we finally took the cup away, but she was OK.

She got a root beer float because she ate all of her shrimp and "spaGARagus." I love my kid.



Tomorrow it is supposed to be 107. It is just not right.

Also, tomorrow I begin my last week of being in my 30's. Which is also just not right. I am not old enough to be 40.

Anyway, Kev got a wireless router thing, so I should be able to blog more blogs than I have been blogging lately.

Time to shut down for now...

Illin'

On Tuesday, my digestive system suddenly turned against me. I will spare you the details, but it wasn't pretty. There was a scary moment when I was so dehydrated that I almost blacked out while I was brushing my teeth. Blacking out is no fun. If it has never happened to you, you are lucky. It happened to me before when I was in the hospital right after Daphne was born. I got all dizzy, hot and cold at the same time, and everything started to get black and spotty. They had to carry me to the bed and use smelling salts on me. This time it wasn't quite that bad. I made it back to bed myself and put up my feet. But dehydration is nothing to mess with, man. Don't let it happen to you.

Anyway, I had to spend all day Wednesday in bed getting absolutely nothing done and feeling like I'd been hit by a bus. I couldn't even knit or read. Fortunately, I had my nice family to take care of me, so thanks to them I am doing much better now. I still can't really eat anything very substantial. And I am going kinda crazy from not having coffee for three days. Kev made some this morning and it smelled so good.

Now, I am way behind on things like blogging and returning email and chores and so forth. Sometimes I feel like I'll never catch up with my life.

On a completely unrelated note, I am seriously thinking about getting the lasik.

Sick Day

Sick Day 1
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Daphne and Kev are both sick. Daphne is starting to get better, so she's kinda having fun with her Sick Day today. I got out this hamper, and so far, it has been a pool, bathtub, car, washing machine, cage, and, in this picture, a beach chair. I don't know why we bother buying her toys when she can have this much fun with a hamper.

Kev, on the other hand, is NOT having fun. He is in bed. I will not take a picture of him. A sick Kev is not a pretty Kev.

Me and my Big Girl

Me and my Big Girl
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Here is a Sweet Daphne moment. I appreciate those moments more and more every day, because they are sometimes overshadowed by Alien Daphne moments, like the other night when Alien Daphne threw her whole bowl of rice on the floor and thought it was funny.

This picture was from music class yesterday. It was the last day of class, and Kev got to go with us. One of the perks of his working from home. A couple more pictures on Flickr if you want to see...it was fun hanging out with Daddy and playing with the parachute.

I think one of the drawbacks to ME staying home with Daphne every day is that I take her for granted. It seems like I am always rushing around doing chores or whatever, and I forget to stop and just play with her or talk to her or give her my full attention. This morning at breakfast, I asked her if she'd like to have a conversation, and she said "Let's talk about Old Sesame Street." (We've been watching my Sesame Street Old Skool DVDs lately...so much better than the Over-Elmo'ed new episodes). So, we talked about Old Sesame Street, and we talked about the Olympics, (try explaing THAT to a two-yr-old!), and the magic of Velcro (much easier to explain...used the bibs as visual aids). It was good. She is a very interesting kid who makes interesting observations, and she's fun to talk to. I like her a lot.

So, I am going to make more of an effort to spend more time with her every day, actually paying attention, and not just rushing around. Maybe that will help prevent Alien Daphne from making so many appearances.

Warning: Complaining Below

I have been too lethargic to blog, or do much of anything else lately. I heard that it was 103 today. Last week, Daphne and I walked to the coffee shop for breakfast at 8:00 am, and got home before 9:00 already dripping with sweat. I just want to be able to ride my new bike, or take my kid outside to play, or go for a stroll. If the heat doesn't get us, the mosquitos will. How long until October?

To protest the existence of summer, I am going to knit myself a huge wool scarf. And perhaps a matching hat.

The berries haven't even been very good this year.

Sigh.

At least there are no lions. They've got Elf on the USA network. I think I'll go watch it and imagine it's winter.

The Popsicle that almost Wasn't

Happy Kid with Popsicle (at last)
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

It's been a tough week at the LRHS headquarters. The sweet little girl in the picture disappeared last Monday and was replaced by a cute but defiant little alien, sent here to test our parenting skills and our patience by argueing, kicking, hitting, and being generally very poorly behaved. We are going the no-spanking route, and time out hasn't been very effective. She kinda enjoys it, I think. She sits there and sings or talks to herself and has a great time. So, we have to take away priviliges, and take them away we did! The poor kid had almost no fun last week, and neither did we.

Suddenly, Sweet Nice Daphne returned yesterday, and she was finally able to have a popsicle we made several days before (using our cool new popsicle molds I received from a very nice lady in Minnesota). Look at that face! She was good all day, and we all had so much fun.

All is forgiven, Little Peanut! I know it's hard to be two.

Spiral Scarf

Spiral Scarf 2
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

This is my latest finished knitting project, and I love it. I cannot wait until the fall so I can wear it. It is groovy and swirly and it matches my cowboy boots. Kev thinks it is "weird." It reminds him of pasta. It looks better in real life than in this bad dark photo. It is a nice sort of rust color, and it's very soft...made from baby llama yarn.

It is always very satisfying to finish a project. Now, on to the next one...

Pickles and Jam from Cheryl

Pickles and Jam from Cheryl
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

My friend Cheryl, the one who has the goats, gave us each a jar of home-made pickles and blackberry jam. I had the jam on my bagel this morning for breakfast and it was Deeeelicious. The pickles are for Kev. Pickles are one of my kryptonites. I'm glad the jar didn't break or leak on the way home from Mineola. I'd have had to sell the car.

Big Ol' Weekend

Hope you all had a good 4th of July weekend. Mine was action-packed. Friday, we went to my parents' house for the annual neighborhood parade. All the kids decorate their bikes and wagons, and ride up the street. It's pretty cute. Daphne loves to watch. This year, a big boy pulled his bike over to the side and high-fived her. She talked about it all day. There are more pictures on flickr, including one of my dad in his home-made admiral hat that is not to be missed.



Saturday morning, I headed to East Texas to spend the rest of the weekend with my good friends from high school. Highlights included sweet potato fries, antique stores, shrinky dinks, baby goats (above), and a delightful morning stroll at the Mineola Nature Preserve. The goats belong to my friend Cheryl, who has left her rock and roll lifestyle to become a full-on farmerette. She drives tractors and bales hay and has cows and goats and all that. It is pretty amazing. Quality time with my friends is rare, so I really enjoyed it, and appreciate Kev for taking care of the Peanut solo this weekend. They had a great time without me, going to the pool and watching movies and having popcorn and playing in the teepee. I should probably leave more often.



Downtown Mineola has several antique stores, and I scored some pretty cool stuff. I got this orange owl tin tea set from the 50s, as well as a family of the REAL little people for the Peanut, which she loved. If you know Kev's cousin Sean, check out the Little Person on the far left...it looks just like him. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to have Daphne playing with these.



Finally, I got this groovy tea towel from 1971. It was $1.99. How could I pass it up?



So, it was a good weekend, but I am glad to be home with my little family. I missed them.

Happy 4th of July. October just gets closer and closer every day...

Rocky Mountain, Hi!

Some people are beach people. I am not one of them. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of the ocean. It's just that I prefer looking at the ocean from a hotel balcony, or the deck of a ship. The beach is different. It has all that sand, and sun, and jellyfish. It's just not my thing. Give me the mountains any day.



Kev and I just got back from Colorado, where we attended a wedding. A beautiful outdoor wedding on the side of a mountain in Breckenridge. Did I mention it was outside? In June? and it was chilly! And there were no mosquitos! What a nice break from the heat of Texas, where I get bitten by bugs within seconds of stepping out my front door. In that picture above, there was snow right near us, and it was FREEZING! It was no place to be tromping around in flip-flops and a t-shirt. And it was GREAT.



During the trip, I saw two new birds to put on my list, which is always exciting for me. I saw the mountain bluebird in the top picture...Kev managed to get a couple great shots of him. I also saw the tree swallow, below. These tree swallows know how to have a good time. They swoop and dive and sing and seem to be having so much fun. It would be so cool to be a bird. We also saw a little red fox, but I didn't get a picture.



Besides the wedding, we had time to do a few touristy things. We walked around the town of Breckenridge, where there are lots of shops and restaurants. We saw this funny-face aspen tree:


And we ate crepes:




As I sat there with my crepe, next to the giant sign that says crepes, a lady walked up and asked me what I was eating. Pretty funny. That crepe there in my hand was GOOD. It was a S'mores crepe, loaded with chocolate and marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs. Mmmmmm. We went back the next day for more.



And, we rode horses. This was my first time on a horse, and it was pretty fun, although I don't know if it's something I would do again. It hurt my knees, and I got a pretty bad sunburn on my arms. And Caesar, my horse, was not the most cooperative. But overall, I enjoyed riding the dusty trail, and we got to see a lot of pretty scenery.

I think Colorado might be my favorite place. It's right up there with Maine. I was trying to think of bad things about Colorado. Here is all I could come up with:

• It has a really dorky state flag.
• The altitude gives you a headache for a couple days.

Even Denver is cool. It has a great downtown with a lot going on, and it's really clean. So, go to Colorado, be cold in the summer, ride a horse and have a crepe. You'll be glad you did.

More pictures on Flickr if you wanna see...

Break Time

Going to take a few days off from the computer. Back on sometime early next week. Have a good weekend.

Haircut!

Haircut!
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

This is what my hair can look like when a nice stylist spends half an hour drying it straight. Tomorrow, it will be curly again. Dangit.

Look! It's all straight and swoopy and smooth and soft. Sigh.

And I don't even have anywhere to go. Kev is in Phoenix for a meeting. I'm wasting a whole straight-hair day waiting for Daphne to wake up so we can eat frozen pizza and watch the Muppet Show.

If only I could make it last. I feel like Cinderella when the clock is nearing twelve.

If You Give a Kid a Donut

The Devil
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

I have managed to avoid ever going to Krispy Kreme in spite of the fact that it is right next to my grocery store and it pipes the scent of its deep fried donuty goodness into the parking lot. I avoided it, that is, until yesterday, when a rainy day dictated meeting up with friends at Krispy Kreme for a play date. I gotta admit, it's a fun place. You get a cool paper hat, and you get to watch the donut-making process in action. And I can't speak for the other flavors, but my blueberry donut was delicious. Daphne chose the one with sprinkles, of course. And this was her first ever donut. I was afraid of what might happen after she ate it, and at first, it didn't seem to affect her. She didn't misbehave, or bounce off the walls. In fact, she was really good. Until nap-time. Then, she couldn't sleep. So, no nap. Then the sugar really hit her and by the time it wore off, she had colored with a blue (washable!) crayon all over my closet door and was generally naughty. Then she woke up about an hour after she went to bed, crying hysterically...most likely a donut-induced nightmare. She won't be going back to Krispy Kreme anytime soon. But I probably will.

Relief

Yesterday we had a big storm which made it cool outside so we all took a walk. Daphne wore her rain boots and splashed in puddles. We had no electricity most of the day. It was nice.

Blog Blues

I am feeling like the LRHS needs an over-haul, so if I get some time, I may make some changes. Maybe it's time for another logo design contest. In the meantime, I have added a button over on the right that is a link to etsy.com. I encourage everyone to go there if you need any interesting gifts for the people and animals you like. It is all handmade, and most of it is very reasonably priced and if you look around, you will find a lot of really great stuff. Like, say you have a friend who likes owls, and you want to find them a cool gift. Type "owl" in the search and you get all this! Or say you want a Steven Tyler from Aerosmith necktie, well you can get one here. And here is what you get if you type in "Spock." So, there's something for everyone on etsy.com, and you can be sure it is something they won't find at the mall. It's good to buy handmade.

Happy Father's Day, Dad

Happy Father's Day, Dad
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

My dad is about the only guy I can think of who is nicer than Mister Rogers. I bet he even gave me a bite of that cake!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy-O

Happy Father's Day, Kev
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Fanks for letting me play your dwums. You are a good daddy. Love, Daphne-O.

Hostess with the Mostess

You know the hypothetical that is often discussed: If you could have any four people over for tea, who would they be? Well, today I had tea with Daphne, Tyrone, Austin, and Tiny Ben Franklin. What an eclectic mix! You can only imagine the conversation.

A couple days ago, I overheard Daphne tell Austin and Tyrone they had to go to time out. Then a couple minutes later, I heard her say, "Are you guys ready to be nice?" It's Monkey See- Monkey Do around here these days, so Kev and I are really going to have to be careful.

Thanks to Uncle Jeff for the Ben Franklin action figure, by the way. It was a birthday gift. He has a tiny kite and key, too, but I put them away until Daphne can be trusted with tiny items. She managed to pull a necklace apart the other day and I think she ate a bead.

Pajama Party Time

So, it's Father's Day weekend, and Kev and my dad are both out of town. My dad went on his annual Canada fishing adventure, and Kev is in Colorado at a bachelor party. So, last night, the Peanut and I were on our own. We put on our pajamas, ordered a pizza, had ice cream for dessert, and watched the Curious George movie for the second time this week. There were also pretend tea parties and picnics, and I worked in a little knitting. I started a new hat, this time it's for ME. I've been assured it will fit, even though as you can see, it seems about the right size for Daphne.

Tonight, we're going to stay with my mom, so it'll be another girls' night in. I guess we'll have to have Father's Day next week.

Show and Tell

I didn't know Kevin's sister, Kim, could paint, but look at this! It is the church where we got married. She sent it to us with Daphne's birthday gifts. I am going to get it framed and hang it in a special place. I love it. Maybe being pregnant is making her extra talented.



On flickr, you can participate in craft swaps with other people who make stuff. There is usually a theme, and it is really fun. These are owls I received in an Owl Swap. Daphne tried to make them hers, but I'm keeping this batch for myself.




And finally, I cooked something that isn't yellow! Kev and I went to Cafe Madrid not too long ago, and the waiter suggested piquillo peppers with goat cheese as his favorite thing on the menu. I politely told him I don't like peppers and he politely told me that if I didn't like these ones, I wouldn't have to pay for them. Guess what. We paid for them. They were delicious. So I made them at home. You have to buy the peppers in a jar, and at my grocery store, this jar is $9.99, so I won't be making them often. Anyway, I just opened them up, scraped out the seeds, and rolled them up with goat cheese inside. Stuck them under the broiler until the cheese got all melty and the peppers started to brown. Mmmmm. Daphne even liked it. She kept calling them pepperoni. (by the way, I got two batches about this size from one jar).

It is windy. I hope it will rain. That is the only time we get relief.

Yesterday at the grocery store I was grumpy because I was REALLY hot, but then I saw one of the guys from Sudan in the parking lot rounding up all the carts. He was wearing a safari hat and the biggest smile you ever saw. I was less grumpy after that.

All Done

This afternoon, I finished reading the Perks of being a Wallflower book that Bleach suggested. Now I am sad. Good books never seem to last long enough. And it was a really good book. I think many of the people who read this blog would probably like it.

I guess that means it's time to get the sewing machine back out.

Someone keeps hacking into my email account and sending spam to my contacts. This is most upsetting. I really don't want to have to change my email address. Computers can be a real drag.

To cheer myself up, I will tell you that we have been watching a lot of Mister Rogers lately, and we have seen him knit AND play the melodica. Did you guys know that his mother knitted him all those sweaters he wore on the show? She must have shown him how to do it. And his melodica was exactly like mine. And I felt so happy until the music shop lady said "it's a great instrument for little kids to start on," which made me a little sad. But then I forgot about that and felt happy again because Mister Rogers took it back to "his place" and played one of his songs on it and it was just cool. Also, YoYo Ma has been on his show about three times since we've been watching regularly. And then one day he (Mister Rogers, not YoYo Ma) went to visit the doctor's office and actually got a shot just to show little kids it's not that big of a deal. I love Mister Rogers.

Daphne has to go to the doctor's office tomorrow. She has to get two shots. In spite of Mister Rogers' efforts, she isn't going to think it's not that big of a deal. It is going to be pretty traumatic for everyone, I'm afraid.

Now I feel sad again. Brad, I need another book...

Book and Video

Thanks for the suggestions of books to read. I went to Border's today while Daphne was napping (don't worry, Kev was home with her!), and used my five free Border's Bucks toward the book recommended by my cousin Brad. It is called "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." I am only a few pages into it, but I already love it. Thanks, Bleach.

Also, my other cousin, Ben, sent me a link to this YouTube video, which is worth watching. Thanks, Bean. You know me very well.

I like my cousins.

Birthday Re-Cap

Gumdrop Tea Cakes
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

So, Daphne is two. Her birthday has come and gone, and it was quite a production. Pictured are the tea-cakes I made in lieu of a big giant birthday cake. My original plan was to make these very elegant and lovely looking tea-cakes as pictured on the packaging of the cake tin, but instead they came out looking more like gumdrops. Which is fine, because Daphne is obsessed with gumdrops. Or the idea of gumdrops. She's never actually had one. Anyway, the cakes tasted good, and everyone seemed to like them, so I was pleased.

On her actual birthday, which was Thursday, we took her for a corny dog and ice cream at Harry's. (There are plenty of photos on flickr if you want to see). Kev's parents came from New York to join us, and Daphne had a big time playing with them.

He party was Saturday, and I kept it small like last year. We had cake, and then let the kids play in the new $8.00 wading pool and lady-bug sprinkler. We attempted gift-opening after the cake, but there were too many distractions and it was chaos. I can't handle much chaos, so we moved the party outside. It worked out well, and I think everyone had fun.

Meanwhile, on Long Island, Kev's sister was catering a birthday party. For a six-year-old. I heard the family spent $3000.00 on this affair. For a six-year-old. I bet they had better hors-d'oeuvres than we did, but I bet our kids had just as much fun - or more - in the $8.00 pool. Give me a break.

So, I have spent the last couple of days recovering from all the celebration. There are lots of new toys to play with and new books to read, so Daphne has been having a blast. Thanks to everyone for all the nice gifts. I am going to have to get rid of some of the old stuff. But I'll save that chore for another day.

For now, I think I'll stop because I feel like I'm getting a cavity from looking at that cake picture.

My Little Baby is Two

Happy Birthday, Little Peanut. You make me happy when skies are gray.
I love you!

I Put My Sewing Machine Away and Now I Need Something to Read

Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you.

Pay Attention to ME!

A couple nights ago, I made spaghetti and meatballs. Daphne found a mushroom, and made this announcement: "I found a mushroom!" I told her she was so lucky! And for the rest of the meal, we looked for more lucky mushrooms. Each mushroom was a cause for celebration.

Last night, we had left-over spaghetti and meatballs. This was after a very long, hot, and tiring day, and Kev and I had about enough energy to lift our forks, but that was it. Not a lot of meal-time banter was happening. Suddenly, Daphne announced, "I found a mushroom! I'm so lucky!" She received no reaction. So, she said it again. "I found a mushroom! I'm so lucky!" Silence from the crowd. So, she looked at us, and said, "Laugh."

That got a reaction.