On Holiday

Shaver was just what it ought to be: the Sierras. The So. Cal mountains always made me sad because I felt like they were missing something. They seem... fake or something. I realized this weekend that it was the indescribableness of the Sierras they are missing. The house we were in was perfect. Big enough for all of us, and soundproof! We had a great time!

(Brooklyn & Lucy)
(Brooklyn & Tanner with Aunty Shanny)
(Lucy up to her neck in the lake... loved walking around in the water.)

Until....
Poor Steve really hurt his back pretty badly being pulled behind the boat, so since then we have slowed considerably. He is on the mend now, but it was a very painful and almost immobile few days. Lucy has had a tough week. Naps have been elusive, and she has just been full of trouble. Being in a not totally babyproofed environment and with Steve on the injury list, it made for a few busy days
for me.

However, we've really enjoyed being away from home. There is Harry Potter to read and see, cable television, other reading material, crocheting, and baking. We chuckled that people pay big money to go to Palm Springs, but we get our own little resort right here in Selma, complete with babysitting and good company.

Today was a British comedy following Lucy around--catching things just before disaster, and then not catching the things she moved on to as I was replacing the first averted disasters-- and I admit I am beat. We head home tomorrow, and I will be both sorry to go and glad to get home.

98 degrees

No, nothing to do with the band. Rather with Selma. It is a cookin' here! We made the best time we've made in ages on the road, even with traffic. Had a great evening with my folks, and of course they think that heaven itself will be something like grandparenting. Here's Lucy playing with pretend plates and cups.


We head up to the mountains this morning... can't wait to get out of the smoggy Valley air.

Off we go!

After the shower today, we head up to Shaver Lake to be with the Earle family. It brings back lots of memories from those mountains, as my family used to have a cabin up there. We'll all pack into this great place here and enjoy several days of boating, swimming, and hiking. Then for a few days in Selma with the Sorensen family. Why is it we go to places like Nebraska and Selma for our vacations in July? I'll never know, but somehow it keeps happening.

Bud will hold down the fort for us here, and while we're gone, the little buggers around the house will meet their chemically induced end. Ah, the satisfaction of it all.

Time for a shower... for the shower...

Today

Sam's Club. Albertson's. Crackers. Lunchmeat. The floor. The monitor. Flying books. The car. The crib. The monitor. The floor. Broken plexiglass. The car. Puffy taco. Hiccups.

Basically, that translated is, what a hell of a day. It involved much screaming and gnashing of teeth on both sides. But rough days don't last, and with a toddler it can turn on a dime sometimes, so we had a nice end to a crappy day. And I got to buy a swimsuit coverup. Doesn't that make up for it?

For your viewing pleasure, here's what I was doing 18 years ago around this time... Do you like my bowl cut? Or my little brother's "mini-gentleman" pose?
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Lemon Cashew Chicken

Tonight I made lemon cashew chicken, and I believe I can say it was a success. A few tweaks next time (don't parboil the broccoli, blast it, stir fry!). I generally fail miserably with Asian food, so was glad for something yummy.

Today Lucy and I babysat a 2 month old. So did it make me want another baby right away? Not a bit! It made me want to enjoy having an only child for as long as possible. We enjoyed little baby Kate, though, and since Lucy was only allowed to touch her toes, she insisted that we do the piggies. (This little piggy went to... "Mah-KET," etc.) She was tiny and sweet and fun to visit with, but we were fine being on our own again after she went home.


Finishing up packing and getting a few things done for the shower. Tired today... Lucy was a handful most of the day. I'll be glad for a vacation with lots of extra adults and cousins to entertain!

Nothing in particular

I am so delighted with the recipes you all sent! I can't wait to try them! We had taco salad last night, Kristen. It is a favorite, but I hadn't made it in a long time. Super yum! I tried it with chopped olives instead of sliced, and it was really quite yummy.

Yesterday I was swinging between totally lazy and wanting to be super creative, which could also include organizing something. So I picked up and went to Office Max and bought file folders and a cute sticky pad. Excellent compromise if you asked me.

It will be hot here today, so I am counting on my dreams of autumn to get me through. Roasted veggies in the oven, a roast beef or chicken in there, too, candles around the house, long sleeves... oh, it does sounds so yummy! But best of all, football! Need I say more?

Busy weekend... park date today, VBS tonight, and a ton of errands in between. This weekend I clean the toys in the toddler room, too. Then I am working on getting ready for a baby shower as well as getting my family ready to leave the same day for vacation. I'm enjoying the bustle, and will enjoy the vacation even more. I love being with Steve 24/7. I am always sad when he goes back to work after vacation. But maybe if he were home all the time, I'd get annoyed. =)

Need:

Light, healthy, affordable recipes for summer. Particularly interested in non-oven recipes.

Thankfully this week I only have to cook twice! Yay!!

Happy 5th of July

We had a lovely 3rd and 4th of July. I took some more patriotic Lucy pictures, and posted them here. Hope you enjoyed celebrating our departure from those crafty Redcoats and King George. Damn your tea taxes! After my coffee, maybe I'll have some Earl(e) Gray...

New Favorite Words

Watching a vocabulary develop is a fascinating process. I don't know why God decided it should be cute... probably to keep it from being annoying. But it is a joy and a privilege to participate in. We've decided Lucy is a Cajun Canadian. "Out" sounds like "Oat," "Cow" is "Coh" (like in Coal), and "Chicken" is "Chick-KON."

Everthing is preceeded by "nah" these days, too. It's some kind of precursor to articles, I suppose. "Nah PEE-cy" means "A Piece," which means, "Hey, I want somma that!"

Some favorite words of mine are:
"Weee-bee!" It means fan, and I think she picked it up when we said, "Whee! Whee!" when we spun the blades around for her to see.
"No-goo" = Yogurt
"Bubbo" = Bud/Eric
"Chi-woh" = Cheerios
"Hoogy" = Hug
"Cup-POO" = Cup
"Bah-nay" = Bath
"Nah Poot" = Pool
"Wah-nay" = Water
"Oh NIH-NEE!" = Ninny = Pacifier
"Mickee" = Monkey
"Eee-wah" = Olivia / Ava (neighbor/cousin)
"Ta-cah" = Grandpa

I'd better keep my blog stored somewhere... this stuff's the sort of thing that's supposed to be in a baby book!

July: the Real American Melting Pot

I am not a fan of summer. It has little to offer me now that I am done with school. I feel that you spend your days couped up in rooms with air conditioning that just takes the edge off the heat, or else feels so processed you get claustrophobic. The fans are on all the time, and the tiny little hairs around your face that didn't make it into the ponytail you put up to cool your neck off constantly tickle your face like little gnats. Every day the house must be opened up and fans turned on while the morning is still cool, so that the air can get sucked into the house. This is really but a vain hope, and a 15 minute delay of the inevitable. In the mid-day when the war of the thermometor begins to be lost, we button everything up and give in to the air conditioning... the spinning meter whirring in the back of my mind all the while. You'd think that childhood in Fresno would have conditioned me for this, but someone else was paying for air then, and really, it's not a great deal better here in the summer during the day. I've decided in my dream life to own a second home up by my sister in Shoreline, Washington, and spend the summer there.

Oh, certainly there are good things. We have a pool, and it is indeed lovely. I do not have a body well-suited to the pool, however, so I'm back to griping.

And we lose the war until the end of October.

So. To counteract my bitterness of spirit, here are some of the lovely things about my summer.

Grammie came for a visit. She heard Lucy was starting to repeat the alphabet with us, and had to rush down for an emergency Grandparenting. It was lovely to have her here!
It gives me great, great joy that my daughter loves to read. She must have the right idea... this is a book about Christmas.

Car washing is always a fun passtime in the heat. Lucy has learned how to help! That running board was never so clean!
Apprentice to a former professional.

If I reeeeeeach just a little bit further, maybe I can get to the bottom of this thing!