Father's Day Blog

Father's Day weekend started with meatloaf. I SO did not want to make meatloaf on Friday, but I did and it was good and the best part was that Daphne liked it and ate it all up and dinnertime was very pleasant. Saturday morning, we drove to Herndon for breakfast at the Silver Diner, where you have your own personal jukebox and there are good pancakes. There are NOT good grits, so I didn't make the mistake of ordering them this time. When we got home, we gave Kev his father's day gifts, part of which was having Daphne "outfitted." She came downstairs with a new backpack, kid binoculars, a flashlight (which broke immediately - thanks, WalMart), Adventure S'Mores Goldfish Crackers, and a bow on her head. She announced that she was "Ready For Adventure!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and the plan was made to go on a hike the next day. To prepare for this, Kev and Daphne went to the attic to have a practice adventure in the teepee while I cleaned the house. Then, after naptime, we went bowling. After some initial fear and refusal to participate, Daphne really got into it:

She scored a 54. Not bad.

Dinner was meatloaf, part 2.

Sunday, we got up early, packed a lunch, and drove to Great Falls for Daphne's Father's Day Adventure Hike:

We saw a chipmunk, a hawk, several herons, some daddy long-legs, and a duck. Daphne was a real trooper and carried her backpack the whole time and didn't get cranky until the very end.

The falls were cool, the weather was pleasant, and all in all I'd say the adventure was a success. I look forward to the next one. Back at home, Daphne slept and Kev cut the grass. Dinner was grilled meat at the new Kabob place followed by Milwaukee frozen custard.

I am exhausted.

Today it is hot, and it is going to get hotter. It was nice this morning, so we took a short walk. But now it's hot and Daphne is upstairs NOT napping. I looked ahead in the forecast and saw 96 degrees on one of the upcoming days. It was bound to happen sooner or later. But I'm going to try not to complain too much, because we've had it pretty good so far. I mean, it's almost the end of June and I think it's only been in the 90s once or twice. I can handle that.

So, Happy Father's Day once again to Kev and my Dad and all the other good Dads out there. I hope you all had a nice day doing whatever it is you like doing. You deserve it.

I am now going to try to figure out the meal plan for the week, which may or may not include meatloaf. There is still some left...

Summer, Cont'd

Daphne got a popsicle making set for her birthday, so we made some. The first ones we made were OJ and vanilla ice cream mixed together, and they were really good...like a Dreamsicle. The next ones were lazy popsicles, just some peach-mango juice from a carton. I didn't try those. I don't like peaches or mangoes. The one above was the most work. It is made from watermelon, strawberries, sugar, and lime juice (recipe from Everyday Food). I haven't tasted one, but it looks like Daphne is enjoying hers. I need to ask the neighbors what we have to do to get an ice cream man to come to our street. I could really go for a bomb pop. For some reason, tonight's meal plan is "meatloaf." Oh, how I don't want to make a meatloaf tonight. I want ice cream. At least there will be leftovers for the weekend.

Yesterday, we did some arts and crafts. I let the Peanut use some of my supplies, and she made her first all-by-herself handmade cards:

Today was (finally!) the last day of school here in Loudoun County. I have noticed a much greater than usual number of teenagers walking up and down our street today. The ones that are smiling and carrying ice cream don't worry me, but the moody-looking others seem like they may be up to no good. There's not much scarier than a teenager with time on his hands.

Happy Father's Day to all you good dads out there. I hope you have a fun celebration that includes a nice juicy steak. I'm not sure what we're going to do. Various ideas (bowling, blueberry picking, brunch) have been thrown around, but we'll see what happens. I'm just hoping there are no fits and a reduced amount of whining. I can't take the whining.

Have a good weekend, everybody.

Number Six

The next Thing That Makes Me Happy is having fresh flowers in the house. These hydrangea flowers just showed up in the garden, so I did a little research and tried this "boiling water" method to cut them and try to prolong the blooms. We'll see how long they last. Here is what they look like outside:

Unfortunately, it is on the side of the house behind a giant spruce (?) tree, and no one can really see it except my next door neighbor. There is another hydrangea outside that is just starting to bloom, and it looks like the flowers are a sort of magenta color. It's in the front, so we'll be able to enjoy it. Can't wait to see what's next. Interesting things are happening in the swamp...should see some blooms soon on whatever they are.

Dave Pepper is Everywhere

Daphne was back to being an early riser today, so I only got about 7 minutes of porch time this morning. But during that time, I saw Dave Pepper. That makes about 8 non-gig sightings. He was walking down the street with his dog. I guess he must live somewhere in the neighborhood.

Five

Haven't done this for a while, but Thing That Makes Me Happy Number Five is having orange shoes. These came in the mail today, an early birthday present from my mom and dad (Thanks!). I used to have these ones but I wore them out, and now they don't make them any more. Tip: If you find a favorite pair of shoes, maybe buy a back-up pair. I'd give anything to have done that. I loved those shoes. The new ones are cool too, and they can go in the water. They inspired me to suggest a family walk after dinner tonight, and I must say, they were very comfortable. Maybe I should order more for the sad day these have to be retired...

PS. We saw a very cute little rabbit on our walk.

Summertime, and the Livin' is Easy...

Another weekend is in the books, and it was a good one. Friday night, we decided to walk over to the Hamburg Doner German restaurant (Now called Doner Bistro, much to Kev's dismay) for brats on the patio and some music by the omnipresent Dave Pepper. Dave Pepper is an English transplant who plays (mostly) classic hits (think Beatles, Kinks, etc.) and who I see EVERYWHERE I go around town. He messes up the lyrics now and then, but he's a lot of fun to see. Daphne was even singing along. This week, he added Mad World to his set, probably due to the recent Adam Lambert version being so popular. Such a great song. I will have to bust out some Tears for Fears if I can find it.

Saturday, we had another block party, this time because two families on the cul de sac are moving away this summer. It is such a drag. Five of Daphne's friends will suddely be gone. I am hoping for good new neighbors with nice kids soon, but houses around here aren't selling very quickly, and the neighbors we're losing will be hard to replace. One of the neighbors put up the water slide (above) to keep the kids entertained during the party, and did it ever! They had so much fun. It took Daphne about 30 minutes to work up the nerve to get in, but once she did, there was almost no getting her out. I have to admit, I really wanted to go down the slide, but I was told the age limit was about 10, and I'm pretty sure I couldn't pass for that. Anyway, we grilled burgers from the farmer's market (b-y-o-Meat) and had a great time watching Daphne have fun with her friends. Good times, but kinda sad.

Sunday morning was all about yardwork for Kev again. Daphne and I went out to play after he finished mowing. It wasn't too hot and gnatty, and we had a lot of fun checking out all the new stuff growing in the yard. The tomatoes will be ready soon. Too bad I don't like tomatoes. I wish we could grow grits or goat cheese. Actually, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a goat. It might save Kev some time on the yardwork.

Sunday afternoon, we got a babysitter so Kev and I could take a three-hour vacation. I packed up a lunch, and we went to two local wineries, Fabbioli and Tarara. The drive was so pretty. We saw wildflowers:

And donkeys and ostriches and cows and goats and hills and mountains and forests. It was great. I didn't want to go home.

This morning, by some miracle, Daphne slept in a little, and I got to spend about 20 minutes alone on the porch swing with my coffee. A very good way to start the week. The rest of the day has been hectic, though, and Daphne only took a 20 minute nap, so I didn't get a break this afternoon. I had big plans for naptime, too. Our Netflix subscription ran out, and I have to watch the last movie we have and return it by Thursday, so I was gonna watch it today. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

So, things are good. Time is flying and that means my parents and Jeff will be here soon. The next couple of months are going to be busy. We have Father's Day next weekend, then visitors from Texas for a week, then 4th of July, a trip to Long Island, a couple of little mini classes for Daphne at the rec center, a trip to Ocean City, and a trip to Hershey. Fall (and the first day of preschool!) will be here before I know it. And that's fine by me. I gotta say, though, summer here hasn't been terrible. At least so far, it's delightfully cool in the mornings and evenings, even on hot days. I feel for everyone back home, where I think it's supposed to be 99 degrees today.

So, everyone, hurry and move to Virginia! You can hang out with me on my porch! At least three houses are for sale within walking distance of mine...

I'm just sayin'.

Shout Out to Ryan

Happy Graduation, buddy! We're proud of you!

Watercolor Kev

Daphne painted this for Kev today. It is a picture of him "playing in the attic and wearing his flip-flops."

Kev could not have been more proud.

The Day I've Been Waiting For...

Today, Daphne said, "Mommy, I want to make some crafts." I've waited so long to hear that! She's been really into coloring and painting lately, and she likes to make stuff when I initiate it, but today, this was all her idea. First, she wanted to cut paper with scissors. I got out the ones Kev got her a while back, but that she had forgotten about. She was so excited. "They are just my size!" While she was cutting, I carved up a leftover potato into a couple of simple stamps. I made a heart, and then she asked for a diamond.

She is still sitting at her table, working away. She just came over and said, "Mommy, come look how my cutting is going." She is so proud. So am I.

Maybe someday, she will want to learn to knit. Sigh.

I have one more thing to show you, but it's a surprise for Kevin, so it will have to wait until he gets home. Stay tuned...

Three Thumbs UP

...and with this final blow, Daphne's Birthday Season 2009 officially ended. It went on for a long time, huh? But it was fun.

We took her to see UP on Friday. We were worried about what would happen when the popcorn ran out, but she sat through the entire movie and didn't even squirm. It was a really great movie, for kids and grown-ups, and I challenge any of you to make it through the whole thing without crying. Plus, it featured a colorful bird named Kevin, who turned out to be a girl, so we all enjoyed that. I give it an A.

The weekend was mostly about taking care of business. The house got cleaned, the lawn got mowed, the trees got trimmed, and the poison ivy is now gone. Hooray for Kev! As it turns out, some of the poison ivy was actually something called Box Elder, a common poison ivy imposter, so there wasn't as much yard peril as we originally thought.

Today, we loaded the Peanut in the Burley and took a family bike ride before it got too hot and gnatty, and tonight we had jambalaya for dinner. Now we are all exhausted. Just in time for Monday. Hope all y'all had a good weekend.

Happy Birthday, Peanut

Happy Birthday, Peanut
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Happy real birthday, Peanut. I am so proud of you.

Love,

Mommy

Hot Dog

Here is Daphne, ready to rock in her new Rocknoceros shirt. She got it for her birthday, along with their new CD. When we told her they came in the mail from Coach - along with an autographed sticker - she was beside herself. The dog in her hand was a gift from a little boy on the cul de sac named Sean. He is a "big kid" and Daphne follows him all around saying, "Sean, look at me do _____(whatever she happens to be doing)." The dog, after a couple of days of debate, was finally named Quincy. He goes with us everywhere. Today, he went with us to see Rocknoceros, but he had to wait in his doggie purse in the stroller. There was brief panic today at the mall when Coach was late getting to the show because he was volunteering in his son's kindergarten class. Every 30 seconds or so, I had to reassure Daphne that Coach was on his way. A great roar went up among the crowd when at last their be-whistled hero hit the stage. Preschool is out for the summer pretty much everywhere now, and I think half of Virginia's toddler population was at the show today. Daphne was pretty stressed out by the crowd, so she clung to me for most of the show, but she sang along a little and seemed to have fun. They are playing again next week, and several Thursdays this summer, but I don't know if I can take another Big Day at the Mall again so soon. I had to take a nap this afternoon.

Tomorrow is Daphne's "real" birthday at last, so I think we're taking her to see UP at the Tally Ho. We'll see if she can make it through the whole movie this time. We're going to have to be strategic with the popcorn. Movie review coming soon...

June

June is here, and it is hot and gnatty outside. In spite of this, we play out as much as we can. The patio has fewer gnats and some shade, so that's where we spend most of our time. Here is Daphne, armed with sidewalk chalk and dressed to save the planet.

Azaleas are blooming in the front. Another great garden surprise.

This is about to bloom in the swamp:

I don't know what it is, but it looks a little like the butterfly bush that Kevin's mom gave me. We'll see what happens when the buds open. There is also quite a bit of purple salvia in the swamp. It is kind of overgrown, but pretty.

And Snoopy may be gone, but we spotted a new back yard critter yesterday:

He is really cute and has a fluffy white tail, which we saw when he hopped away. This is bad news for Kevin's garden, but I'm always happy to share the yard with the local wildlife. As long as it's not snakes, that is.

Tomorrow is the first Thursday of the month, and that means Rocknoceros at the mall. Today we're just taking it easy at home. Writing thank you notes and playing with birthday toys. They say it may storm this afternoon, and that tomorrow's high will be 64. I like the sound of that.

Birthday, Cont'd.

Grandma and Grandpa arrived on Thursday. Their visit had two main purposes: to help us celebrate Daphne's birthday, and to buy a house. I am happy to report that they accomplished both. I am looking forward to the day they move up here and don't have to make visiting a big production. Instead, they'll be able to hop in the car and be here in 45 minutes. Yay.

The birthday party was on Saturday, and I have to say it was a success. I think everyone had a great time, and we had perfect weather for the theme, which was "Colorful Birthday in the Back Yard." There are pictures on Flickr if you want to see.


The cake was cupcakes, of course, in order to avoid my germophobic issues with the blowing out of candles. As it turns out, there was no actual blowing anyway, as the wind did the work, but that's another story. The cupcakes were a caterpillar, ladybugs, and worms in dirt, and I think the kids thought they were pretty cool. They were fun to make. I'd do it again.

The main activity was an idea I totally stole from my friend Whitney, who told me that at her daughter's birthday party, they let the kids paint flower pots and then plant a little flower to take home. The kids really got into it, and I was pleased that they seemed to enjoy it so much. The biggest drawback was that even though I said on the invitation that the kids would get messy, a lot of them showed up in party dresses which inevitably got paint on them. Look how serious they are down there, hard at work:

Here is Daphne's finished pot, which is now decorating the front porch:

So, the kids had fun, and Daphne got lots of nice gifts, and we enjoyed a really nice day in the back yard. The next day, the gnats arrived. Millions of them. I was not told about these gnats, and it was shocking. If it is going to be like this all summer, then it's going to be an awfully long summer. I am hoping it's just temporary, or that there is a solution. I'd almost rather there be mosquitos.

On a happier note, the stuff under my peonies that I thought was poison ivy is in fact wild strawberries:

Who knew strawberries have leaves of three?! We still have poison ivy in other places, but it is not nearly as rampant as I thought.

My mom and dad are on the way back to Texas now, and it's quiet here. Hopefully next time they come, it will be for good. June is going to be a quiet month, as we don't have any big plans until the arrival of my friend Emily and her awesome kids on the 29th. I can't wait for that. It will be so much fun. My goal before then is to catch up on some stuff at the house, and find a gnat solution so there can be picnics.

I hope you all had a nice weekend wherever you are.

Coffee Talk

So, since I don't have a job with other adults to talk to, this blog is my water cooler. Here are a few things I might stand around wasting valuable time talking about if I could:

• American Idol: This was the best season yet. There were at least 4 contestants that I would actually choose to listen to and am interested in seeing what they do post-Idol. I was happy that Kris won. And it was fun to watch this group because you could tell they genuinely liked each other. About the finale: It was about half and half, cheesy vs. cool. I loved seeing Queen, the Black Eyed Peas, and Cyndi Lauper. I could not get to the FFWD remote button fast enough when they paraded Rod Stewart out there. He is terrible. The variety show type numbers were really corny, and I FFWDed through most of that too. And a special note to KISS: You guys are icons of my youth, and I am a HUGE fan. But please stop. Just stop. You are old and fat and it is just silly and kind of sad now. I will freely admit that I love American Idol and will watch every episode until it ends for good. Kev hates it. It drives him from the room. And I try to get Daphne to watch it with me, but she doesn't really like it, and just asks questions like, "Mommy, why is that guy squeezing his eyes like that when he sings," and "Is that microphone talking guy (Seacrest) going to get a turn?" So, thank you, inventors of the DVR. Can't wait for next season!
• The Commonwealth of Virginia has just banned smiling in your driver's license picture. It's hard enough to look decent in those pictures after waiting on line at the DMV for hours. At least if you can smile, it kind of hides the beaten-down-edness you are feeling. I actually got a pretty good picture this time, before the smiling ban thank goodness. Maybe they'll rethink this before I have to get a new one. If not, I don't think they've banned stink-face, so maybe I'll do that and try to look real rock.
• Star Trek was really really good. Very well done. I am grateful that Kevin got me into watching the original series, because I really like that too. It's nerdy, but it's true. On the other hand, I could not have less interest in the Terminator. I tried watching the first Arnold movie and it was terrible. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep.
• These John and Kate people, whoever they are, are getting way too much airtime. All I know about them are from headlines, and they seem very annoying.
• My friend Troy is in a Toyota commercial that you have probably seen. He is at his mailbox, and then takes off running. Look for him on TV!
• I have never known a town to hate its own baseball team as much as they hate the Nationals around here. What gives?

Discuss.

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Oreo Ice Cream Cake, and Subaru

Last Thursday, we packed up the Subaru and made the journey to the beautiful Hudson Valley in Upstate New York for Memorial Day weekend with Kev's family. A good time was had by all. There was baseball (above). There was "hiking" in the woods:

There was driveway fun with cousins and 3D sidewalk chalk:

There was a pre-birthday celebration for Daphne, with grilled burgers and hot dogs and delicious Oreo Ice Cream Cake:

And various other activities. Kev and I got to go out to dinner and we also got to see Star Trek (awesome!) on possibly the world's smallest big-screen at the great Roosevelt Theater. I got to have a bbq chicken wrap from Coco's, a breakfast sandwich from Cranberry's and watermelon sherbet cake from Friendly's. It was fun hanging out with the family and seeing my niece and nephews. And we saw three frogs!

On the way home Monday, we stopped at what Kevin called "the playground that time forgot," somewhere near Scranton (Go Dunder Mifflin!), and had a little Memorial Day picnic and played on the old-school playground equipment:

The only thing they didn't have was one of those evil scary metal merry-go-round things that everyone stands on while one kid pushes the thing and jumps on at the last minute. Thank goodness. I'd have lost my Oreos on that thing.

So, big fun in New York. Thanks to everyone for the nice gifts for Daphne. It was good to see y'all.

This week, my parents are coming up for a visit and another birthday party for the Peanut. This time, I'm hosting, and the neighborhood kids are coming. Wish me luck. I will need it.

HEY batta batta batta...

SWING!

Mission Accomplished

Today Daphne got a haircut. The haircut place is conveniently located in the same strip mall as...

...Dairy Queen. Yes.

Bird News

Spring is here and that means birds. This is our front yard robin. We watch it fly down, pick up worms, stop for a minute on the fence post, and fly up to its nest over and over and over. When it arrives at the nest, the babies, which are unfortunately too high up to see, start cheeping furiously for their share of the worm. You'd think it was grits or cobbler or something the way they get so excited.

This nest is in our side yard in the cherry tree. I thought at first that this was a baby peeking out, but now I'm pretty sure it's a mama robin sitting on eggs. It seems a little late for them to hatch, so I hope everything is OK. There should be babies soon.

And I forgot to mention that on Mother's Day, I finally saw a new bird to add to my list: a gray catbird. We have them in the yard now, and one perched above me during our picnic dinner the other night, threatening to ruin the tranquility with poop. I was happy when it flew away. I am no stranger to bird poop, and I don't like it. Anyway, I will try to get a catbird picture sometime if I can.

That's all I have about birds right now.

Small Town / Wild Kingdom

Tuesday was a beautiful day, so we took a walk: Grocery store, playground, hot dog place, town hall (a guy was playing guitar and singing on the green), home. As we crossed the bridge over the creek, we saw a heron, so we watched it for a while and saw it catch this snake. It was so violent, but so cool. Then it flew off. Daphne said it was going to cut up the snake into pieces for its babies. Pretty exciting stuff for a Tuesday. Then it got hot.

On Thursday morning, a neighbor's kids came to stay with us overnight:It was a lot of work watching three kids, and I was exhausted when they left on Friday afternoon, but the kids were good, it was fun, and Daphne had a great time at her first sleep-over. She had to practice sharing and being flexible, which was really good for her. She needed it. I am already fretting about the first time her preschool teacher next year tries to get her to do something she doesn't want to do. I am expecting some phone calls.

Friday was National Ride Your Bike to Work Day, so Kev rode his bike to work:

Here he is getting home. It was a pretty long ride, but I think he really enjoyed it. And there were rest stops set up along the trail, which made it really nice. Way to go, Kev!

The weekend was pretty low-key for once. Saturday we went to Kev's office for a little barbeque lunch. We got to see part of the cool rocket he is working on, and Daphne got a sort of sling-shot rocket toy that she thought was the Coolest Thing Ever. Sunday I cleaned bathrooms all morning. Then we went birthday shopping for the Peanut, and after Kev cut the grass, we ate dinner at the picnic table in the back yard. So nice.

This morning, I cut these peonies and put them by the sink (which seems to be where I spend most of my time). I had to be very careful of the poison ivy, which is slowy but steadily taking over, but it was worth it. You should smell these things. Delightful.

The poison ivy is causing me to have a lot of anger. Every time I go outside, I discover more. And we can't spray it, because doing so will kill the peonies and the rose bush. Our only choice is removal, but that is going to be a very big very difficult somewhat dangerous job.

I suppose that if some poison ivy is all I have to complain about, though, life is pretty good. So I will try to just let it go. Calm blue ocean...calm blue ocean...calm blue ocean,,,

Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh.

OK, off to the Dollar Tree. Woohoo!