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.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Learning Lace - Latest FO
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.
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
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.
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.
Monday, September 22, 2008
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.
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.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
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...
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...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Best Part of Cookie-Making
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!
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!
Friday, September 12, 2008
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!
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!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The Big Day
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...
Monday, September 08, 2008
Three More Days...
...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
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.
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.
New Albany is a really good place to call your home town.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Stinkers
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 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.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
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.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
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...
Friday, August 01, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Sick Day
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.
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
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.
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.
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