Monday Morning - Mavericks and More

This morning, everyone woke up in a good mood.  The Mavericks won the NBA Finals last night, after all.  Five years ago, the same two teams were in the finals, with different results.  I followed the playoffs closely that year.  I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and our house in Dallas was under construction.  We had no TV during the Western Conference Finals, so we listened to games on the radio or went to a local bar to watch them.  We celebrated advancing to the finals on the roof of some restaurant next to the Granada theater.  Then, Daphne was born.  I don't think I got to watch a single minute of the final series with the Heat, and that's just as well.  I was disappointed, but I had other things on my mind.

Here is Daphne, about 2 months old, showing her Mavericks spirit (Thank you, Stacey U!).  Fast forward to last night, same two teams, and Daphne holding the same rattle (see post below), but this time, the good guys won.  And I can't think of anyone who deserved it more.  They showed a lot of class.  I am so happy for them all.

Summer is off to a great start, not just because of all the activity and sports championships, but because suddenly, the youngest member of our family is showing signs of a new level of maturity that makes life so much easier and more enjoyable.  She is easy-going and agreeable almost all the time now.  She is more independent.  And she is fun.  I'm sure there will be moments of slipping into her old behaviors, especially when she's tired, but I have a good feeling about the next few years.  Perhaps this, plus the end of basketball play-off induced stress, will slow down the rate of silver hairs taking over.

This morning, we are off to the coffee shop to work on thank-you notes.  And it's delightfully cool as promised.  Maybe summer ain't so bad.

Yes.

Summertime Rolls

Week One of summer break is coming to a close, and it's been a big one.  Monday, we went to the doctor for Daphne's annual check-up.  Tuesday, we went to her Gardening Club meeting (Green Thumbkins - put together by our friend Miss Heather...so much fun).  Wednesday, Grandma and Grandpa came over and we got our new couch.  At last.  Kev and I celebrated by watching a movie (The King's Speech) since it is now possible to sit on the couch for over 10 minutes without extreme discomfort.  Thursday was hot.  I can't remember what we did...probably not much.  Friday, we took a morning walk to Shoes:

And in the afternoon, we went to a birthday party at Pump It Up.  Saturday, Kev took Daphne to the water park:

And in the evening, we ate dinner on the porch and walked to the new Frozen Yogurt place:

And this morning, we got up early and took a 10-mile bike ride to Paeonian Springs and back, and stopped at South Street Under for breakfast.

    

Then, we set up the new Slip-n-Slide, which Daphne slipped and slided on at least 100 times.  She took a LONG nap.                                                                  

 

Tonight, we're watching the Mavericks.  Game 6.  There will be ice cream.  

At dinner, I told Daphne that there is no way we'll be able to keep up this pace all summer.   But next week, there will be two field trips, a Big Rock Show, a sleep-over, a festival, and some Father's Day activities, so maybe I'm wrong.  I'm tired, but at least I'm not bored.

The next couple of days are supposed to be delightfully cool.  I hope to be outside as much as possible.  I hope your summer is off to a good start, too.  Almost game time.  Fingers crossed...

Bells

Part of the graduation entertainment was a short hand-bell concert performed by the kids. First, they did Twinkle Twinkle and London Bridge.  But then, they busted out the Beethoven (please press play).   Not bad for a bunch of 4-5 year olds. 

The Graduate

 It was a big weekend.    Daphne graduated from Preschool on Friday.

 She played her last soccer game of the season on Saturday.

 And she turned five on Sunday.

Her Mimi and Papa were here from NY to celebrate with us.

And G-Ma made it back from Indiana just in time to come to her birthday party with G-Pa - and Uncle Jeff (not pictured).

 We celebrated with a small group of family and friends, and the guest of honor, Hunter the dog.  It was a dog-themed birthday, after all.  There were hot DOGS and PUPcakes:

and Dalmatian ice cream (chocolate chip) and candles and presents and general fun.  Good times.

And today, we began summer break.  I am not a fan of summer break.  I am not a fan of summer in general.  But I am determined to make the best of it and have a good time with Daphne before she starts Kindergarten in the fall.  I have plans and goals.  Perhaps I'll share them in another post.

But now, it's time to go to sleep.  I need to rest up for tomorrow night's Mavs game.   So stressful to watch, but I can't look away...

Pre-School Graduation

Daphne told us that her teacher told them to "walk to the beat" and turn at the floor outlet at graduation. Apparently, she took this very seriously.

So much to write, so little time. Back soon!

Taking the Plunge

Here she goes, off the starting block on the last day of swimming.  We love Miss Jenine!

Strawberry Fields Forever

 Well, it is the end of a long Memorial Day weekend, and I haven't blogged in a while.  There's a lot to catch up on, but I'll try to keep it short.  My computer is more or less fixed now (Thanks, Kev!) so I can blog more often.  I need to backtrack a little to last Wednesday, which was Daphne's last swimming class.  Above, she is getting a certificate from her AWESOME teacher, Miss Jenine.  Daphne made a lot of progress since September, when she told me she was quitting school and never ever getting in the pool.  Wednesday, she jumped off the starting block and went all the way under water.  And it was HER idea!  I have video, which I will post when my Flip software gets re-installed.  I am so proud of her.  She was really brave.

 

On Friday afternoon, Kev came home early and we joined some good friends on a strawberry picking adventure.  We took White's Ferry across to Maryland (this time in the car) and drove to Homestead Farm, where the pickin' was good.  We ended up with more strawberries than I thought we could ever use, but three days later they're almost gone.  We've had strawberry milkshakes, strawberry shortcake:

and strawberries on our cereal and on salads.  I froze some to use later for smoothies.  I made strawberry freezer jam: 

 I just used the recipe on the Sure-Jell pectin box.  It is GOOD!.  I used the "less sugar" pectin, which only calls for three cups of sugar instead of four.  And it was still REALLY sweet.  We had some on biscuits this morning, which helped cut the sweetness some.  Maybe by blueberry picking time, I'll have my act together enough to make cooked jam. 

I also made strawberry ice cream, which we had last night:

And also yesterday, Kev grilled some salmon on cedar planks, which is a method we've never tried before.  It was great.  Here is the recipe we used.  There was one on the plank package that looked good too...maybe we'll try that one next time.  A quote from Daphne:  "I LOVE THIS SALMON!"  So, that's something.

Today it was really hot.  Upper 90's.  I successfully managed not to step foot out of the house.  We have spent the day doing various projects around the house, preparing for next weekend.  We'll have Daphne's preschool graduation, her last soccer game, and her birthday, and Kev's parents are coming for a visit.  It should be a lot of fun.  I am off to check on Kev.  He is busy repairing the squirrel wall.  Happy Memorial Day.  I hope you had some strawberries.

Polaroids Rule

This is a picture of me and my Uncle Danny in 1971.  I'm happy to say he is doing better and better every day at the rehab therapy facility.  Today he had to go back to the hospital for some more x-rays, which almost didn't happen because of some kind of mix-up.  Luckily, my mom and my two aunts, Kathy and Karen, were there to take care of business.  You don't want to mess with my mom and my aunts.  Anyway, the xrays indicated that things are going well...the news could not have been better.  So yay!  Now, it's back to rehab for intense OT/PT.  It won't be easy, but he can handle it.

I love Polaroids.  Here is another one of me and Danny from 1974.  I was about six.  I remember this day.  I remember going for a ride on that motorcycle.  I just can't believe my mom let me go.  And with no helmet! 

Now she barely even lets Daphne go on the monkey bars without having a nervous breakdown. 

For the record, Daphne is not allowed on motorcycles.  Ever.  Not even when I'm dead. 

Oh, I'll know.

Computer is Still Broken, Blogging Anyway

I am going through blog withdrawal.  My computer is broken.  It won't boot up, and Kev hasn't had time to look at it.  I fear the worst, but maybe he can fix it.  Time will tell.  In the meantime, I've been using Kev's computer, which I don't like for several reasons, but at least it's something.  Just wanted to blog a quick blog to catch up on things before I forget, so here are some highlights from the last couple weeks:

• Kev and Daphne made my belated Mother's Day breakfast the Sunday after Mother's Day.  Crepes.  So great.  Then we went to ride White's Ferry (above) the only ferry across the Potomac River.  It was about a five minute ride over to Maryland, where we took a short hike.  Kinda cool.  Daphne enjoyed it.
• We've been eating meals on the porch as often as possible.  Food is better that way.
• On Saturday, Kev and I went to Vintage 50 here in Leesburg, and I had a Lobster Grilled Cheese.  After I finished it, I overheard the people behind us talking over the menu and saying you just should never combine lobster and cheese.  Au contraire, mon frere!  This was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had.  Lobster meat, melty brie, and basil.  Delicious.  Weird, but delicious. 
• Last night, I helped Kev mow the lawn.  This was my first ever lawn-mowing experience.  Don't tell Kev I said this, but it wasn't so bad!  In fact, I kinda enjoyed it!  But I wouldn't want to do it in the heat of the summer, especially when the gnats are bad.  Kev said mowing the lawn is worth cooking five dinners.  I mowed half the lawn, so I figure he owes me 2 1/2 dinners now.  I'd like gumbo, please.  Or eggplant parm.
• I took Daphne to a birthday party yesterday at Pump It Up, which is a bounce-house/giant inflatables place.  She had a blast.  We have two more similar birthday parties on the calendar in the next couple of weeks.  Meanwhile, I am planning a little party for Daphne's FIFTH birthday.  It is going to be very small this year, but fun nonetheless.  She is also having her preschool graduation next week.  Exciting times.  More on all that  later.
• Maybe the Mavs will win the NBA championship this year!  That would be cool.
• Here are some things I want to do if I can ever get my act together:  Make a new cushion for the porch swing, make pasta with my pasta-making tools, learn how to make berry preserves.   Strawberry season is almost over, though.  Maybe next year.

OK...I hope to be back on line for real very soon.  If not, I'll try to pop on here via Kev's computer from time to time.  Have a good week!

My Computer is Broken. Again.

I will blog a blog as soon as I can.

Bacon + Chocolate

In the car on Friday, I split one of these with my mom and Jeff.  It was surprisingly good.  Who knew?

Foodspotting

So, I found out about this website called "Foodspotting" where people can post photos of food they recommend from various restaurants around the world.  So cool.  If you are thinking about going to a certain restaurant, you can check the Foodspottting site to see if anyone has posted photos of the food they ate there.  Sometimes there are brief reviews as well.  And if a photo you see has lots of "noms," it means others have tried and liked that particular menu item.  Check it out...it's kind of fun to see what people have posted from your favorite restaurants.  I added a widget to my sidebar for my own pictures of food.  The most recent is the Kentucky Hot Brown I had on Derby Day at Buckhead in Jeffersonville when we took my grandma to lunch.  It just seemed like the appropriate thing to eat at the time.  I also posted the above photo that Kev took in DC of his Acadiana Sorbet Trio.  Yum.  Thanks to Jimmy B for the link and the new hobby.  I just hope I don't embarrass Kev to the point that he stops taking me to restaurants.

Home

Sunday Morning - New Albany

Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and the District of Columbia. That's where I've been during the last three weekends. This past weekend, my brother and I drove my mom to Indiana so we could see my Uncle Danny in the hospital, and so she could stay a few weeks to help out with his recovery. It was a quick trip. We drove all day Friday, spent time with my Grandma on Saturday, and drove back all day Sunday. We managed to work in two visits to the hospital, some Pizza King, and a stop at the Zesto. A good trip. My uncle is getting a little better every day, which is very good news. He gets to leave the hospital today or tomorrow and will be moved to a rehab therapy facility. I was really happy to see and talk to him.

Sunday Evening - Leesburg

Kevin and Daphne had a big time while I was gone. They did some shopping and gardening and playing and they went out to eat a few times. I arrived home in time to go out for a nice Mother's Day dinner. Next week, they are making me breakfast. I can't wait for that. I missed them. It's good to be home. And I think this time, I'll be staying a while.

Big DC Weekend

On Friday afternoon, Kev and I packed up the car and headed for the Nation's Capital for a belated anniversary weekend away. We packed a lot into our trip. Here are a few highlights:

We stayed at the Carlyle Suites near Dupont Circle. Very nice. I highly recommend it. It is very art deco and has those memory foam mattresses. I will tell you I am now a huge fan. I usually wake up all crooked and stiff and sore, but not after sleeping on the memory foam. Yay NASA!

We did a lot of shopping, including a stop at Red Onion where Kev used a gift certificate from Christmas to get some pretty good stuff on vinyl. We also went to Mitchell Gold Bob Williams furniture store and purchased a new couch for the TV room. We've been in the market for a long time, and we finally found just what we were looking for. Great store, too. No high pressure salespeople breathing down our necks. Goodbye, brown couch! At last!

We saw an amazing Cuban jazz piano player at HR-57. Chuchito Valdes. How great is that name? If we ever get a pet, it will be named Chuchito. This guy played the piano like no one I've ever seen. Check him out on youtube sometime. Incredible.

We saw a really good movie called Win Win at the E Street Cinema. REALLY good. Paul Giamatti is great.

We went to Ford's Theater to see where Lincoln was shot. Very interesting.

We had several great meals, including a dinner at Vento. I had delicious butternut squash raviolini. Yum. I recommend this place highly if you're in Dupont Circle at dinnertime.

And we had a great Sunday Jazz Brunch at Acadiana. Look how happy I am:

I had the "pain perdu" appetizer (a piece of french toast with bananas foster sauce), and the shrimp and grits and tasso ham entree. For dessert I had bread pudding. It was all really good. Kev's food was good too. I think it was probably worth the $30/person.

In between all the food and shopping and so forth, we walked and walked and walked some more. It was great. I got to spend time with Kev and hang out in a city. A real city with STUFF in it. And PEOPLE in it who go out and do stuff. I needed it. I feel refreshed. Thanks, Kev.

And thanks to my mom and dad, too, because while we were off in DC, they were holding down the fort and taking Daphne to her various weekend activities, like birthday parties and soccer games:

She FINALLY got to play. It was the first Saturday in weeks that it didn't rain. We missed her while we were away. It's good to be home.

New York Easter Circus Weekend

Happy Belated Easter.  I have been away from the computer because we spent Easter weekend in Upstate New York with Kevin's family.  A good time was had by all.  There was egg-coloring, egg hunting, baskets full of candy and toys, cousins to play with, a birthday party, lots of good food, and three cakes.  One day for breakfast, there were pancakes and ice cream cake.  Needless to say, we all, especially Daphne, had a great time.  And somehow, I managed to LOSE a pound while I was there.  Incredible.

The weather wasn't great, but that was OK. 

Easter morning was foggy, but eventually the sun came out.

The trip to NY was kinda last-minute.  We had bought tickets to take Daphne to the circus on Easter afternoon as a surprise, and thought we'd just have to skip it because of the trip, but on the way home Sunday, we realized that we could get there just in time if we went directly to the Patriot Center without going home first.  Daphne didn't know anything about it.  As we got close, we told her that our GPS must be broken, and that it was taking us the wrong way.  We stopped at the arena and went to Will Call  "to ask for directions."  Daphne was pretty surprised when we were handed three tickets and ended up at the Greatest Show on Earth. *

She chose a tiger snow-cone cup as her souvenir.  It was eleven dollars.  ELEVEN DOLLARS!  But she was happy.  After the circus, we found a nearby kabob place for dinner and didn't get home until after 9:00.  It was a long, exhausting day, but it was worth it.  

Now we're home and trying to get back into the routine.  I am doing a TON of laundry today.  What I REALLY want to do is play with my new pasta-making tools that Kev got me for Easter.  There is a lot of ravioli in our future.  But it will have to wait until next week. 

On a serious note, my Uncle Danny was in a very bad accident over the weekend.  Here is what's left of the car:

Scary, huh?  He is in the hospital with several broken bones, but miraculously NO head injuries.  It will be a long recovery, but it could have been so much worse.  So far, no one knows the cause of the accident, but there is a chance there may have been some texting involved.  PLEASE, for the love of all that is good in this world, stay off your phone when you are driving.  I cannot stress enough how dangerous this is.  I see people doing it all the time and it infuriates me.  Especially when I have Daphne in the car with me.  Nothing is so important that it can't wait until you're off the road.  And if it IS so important, just pull over.  Lecture over.  No, it's not.  DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE!  Ok, now it's really over.  Only good thoughts now for Danny and his family.  They are really good people and this shouldn't have happened to them.

OK...I better get off my soap box and get back to Laundry Mountain.  I hope you had a safe and happy Easter Weekend. 

Lots of pictures from our trip on flickr if you wanna see...

* This is debatable.  It had its moments, but I've seen greater. 

Quick Hits

• Yesterday I made spaghetti and meatballs. I used Italian turkey sausage in the meatballs and they were just as tasty as with the usual pork. No one noticed the difference. Yay, lean protein!


• The next new recipe I want to try is this one. Except without the peas.


• I just got some Elvis Costello tickets! Come on, June 15!


• Two of my favorite people and their cool kids are coming to visit us in August. I can't wait.


• If I ever start calling restaurants "restos," please smack some sense into me.


• GG suggested putting a time capsule into the squirrel wall. I love this idea. Must get to work on that.

A Conference, an Animal Rescue, Some Rain, and a Festival

Thursday, I made the short drive over the blue bridge to Frederick, MD for a conference. It was just like it always is...a big cold crowded hotel conference room full of strangers on uncomfortable chairs. But the subject matter was interesting this time. The morning session focused on current research regarding the link between toxins and autism. I won't go into detail, but toxins are BAD. And we are faced with them daily. And there's not a whole lot you can do about it. But there are a few easy things you CAN do (if you want) to reduce exposure to toxins for you and your family:

• Do not microwave food in plastic containers of any kind.


• Avoid styrofoam, especially if it contains hot things (ie. coffee). Styrofoam is bad.


• Avoid plastics with a recycle number of 3 or 6 (that's the number in the little triangle).


• Wash your fruits and vegetables. Buy organic if you can. Pesticides are bad. (Fact: Children of farmers have a higher incidence of autism).


• CFL lightbulbs contain mercury which can be released if broken. Mercury is bad.


• Avoid un-natural food dyes. Like in Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms.

None of these things are hard to do. They won't hurt, and they might help.

Slightly related: Did y'all see Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution in LA last week...specifically the segment about ground beef? Holy crap. Jamie Oliver can be a little over the top at times, but I truly believe that HE truly believes in what he's doing. He cares. Good for him. Fight the power, Jamie. I'm right there with ya. Please tell me how I can get flavored milk out my kid's school before she starts kindergarten. I will do whatever I have to do.

On a completely different note, Kev is awesome. For lots of reasons. But this time, specifically, because he rid our walls of the squirrel family which had taken up residence there. First, after a false start in which he accidentally trapped a 'possom, he trapped the Mama Squirrel:

She was really mad, but she was not hurt. She then waited in the trap while Kev cut into the drywall and fished out the babies:

Sadly, only one of the two babies was still alive. Meet Theodore:

We then took a family trip out to the country and released Theodore and his Mama into the woods of Hogback Mountain. Theodore's new nest is inside this hollow log:

Then, poor Kev completed the gruesome task of removing Theodore's brother. Daphne doesn't know about that. I kept her outside. Poor little thing. Poor Kev. Shudder. Anyway, Kev is a big hero around here. And he saved us the $450 that the squirrel removal professionals wanted us to pay for the same job. I was no help at all. I sat far away, up on a chair in case of escaped angry squirrels. Good thing we don't live in pioneer times.

So, YAY! Our house is critter-free!

Saturday, it rained ALL DAY. Soccer was cancelled for the third week in a row. Kev and Daphne had a campout in the playroom:

And Daphne and I baked some chocolate chip cookies for a snack:

Yesterday, the sun came out, so we went to the Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival with my mom and dad. It was a little crowded, but not too bad. Daphne got her face painted and collected treasures like balloons, stickers, seed packets, and so forth. And she hung out with Grandma and Grandpa while Kev and I strolled around and went to the wine and beer garden. We came home with a giant rug for our porch made completely from recycled pastic bottles (I hope not #3 or #6!) and a hanging plant container. Our porch is such a happy place now. If only we could sit on it. Every day is rainy or chilly. It is mid-April, and I have gone outside without a coat only 2 or 3 times. I keep putting off getting a pedicure because it's too cold for flip flops. This has really been a weird Spring. It was a weird winter too. Who knows what the summer will be like. I want to ride my bike, though. We're thinking about doing Bike DC this year, which is a 20 mile bike ride around the District (the roads are closed to cars). But I feel like I need to do at least a LITTLE training in case of hills before I attempt something like that.

It's Spring Break now, and Easter next weekend. There probably won't be a lot of blogging going on this week, so have a Happy Easter, and I'll be back soon. Hopefully with no tales of wildlife rescues or critter invasions. Which reminds me...I better make sure Kev picked up all the squirrel traps. Wouldn't want to catch the Easter Bunny!