Three in FC

2011 Week 6

2011-02-07T12:48:00.016-07:00

Mr. Kenny awarded Taylor her 'black belt recommended' belt.
Looks pretty snazzy!

Mr. Jobe gets Taylor started on those new board breaks...
Success!

BIG EYES! O-O

PINK HAIR!

Taylor enjoyed a week of warm weather, even though there was
much school work to make up.

We spent much of this week in make up mode. Taylor recovered from strep throat just in time to acquire a mystery gut bug that made 2 a.m. Wednesday morning a thing to remember. This mystery gut bug she got from ? caused a mass evacuation of her GI tract from both ends. She has probably never experienced a longer hour in her life. Well, maybe that 80 minutes of pushing to deliver her into this world would top the list, but just barely! And then, as kids are wont to do, she slept like a log from 3 a.m. until 8 a.m. and was back to her energetic self. How this is possible a mere 5 hours after turning your insides out, I have no idea. She proceeded to start eating all manner of things at breakfast time and didn't stop for the next 6 hours. Blueberries, cereal with milk, a banana, toast, saltine crackers, a bowl of chicken noodle soup, pretzels, two huge glasses of juice, leftover chicken and rice...

Well, you get the idea. Despite my best efforts, she pretty much blew the BRAT diet right out of the water. :) And all was well.

Kristin

2011 Week 5

2011-02-06T12:44:00.008-07:00

THIS...

PLUS this...

EQUALS this...

PLUS this. :(

Taylor came down with the dreaded strep throat again this week. A throat swab (gag!) at the doctor's office gave us the unwanted diagnosis and sent us to the local pharmacy for some watermelon flavored antibiotic syrup. GAG! Taylor has 10 days of gagging to get through in order to rid herself of the throat plague. No fun, but we are still quite grateful for antibiotics.

John will have the first stage done next week. Getting those posts
placed in the jaw bone requires cutting, hammering and bone grafting. ICK.

John's oral surgery is coming up in two weeks' time. Anxiety all around! We have managed to figure out the funding for this much needed procedure, and best of all, it doesn't require living in a van down by the river! :) After 16 months with the right side of his mouth pretty much useless, John will be one step closer to having permanent molars again. He even jokes around about the implants lasting longer than his own teeth. I certainly hope they do. No one should have to go through this process more than once.

Some days you're the skunk, some days you're the dog.

And me? I have been working on myself. I have the tendency to panic, overwhelmed with the amount of work to be done. Just like the dog, I want to tackle the whole bowl at once. Wisely, I have deferred that impulse, thinking one bit at a time is all I'll be able to manage. I hope to be patient enough to live one day at a time, letting yesterday go as I'm able and leaving tomorrow until it arrives.

Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you, but not in the one ahead.

Kristin

2011 Week 4

2011-01-23T22:13:00.014-07:00

Taylor tested for the next level of achievement in Tae Kwon Do--BLACK BELT recommended!

Taylor is back in the Tae Kwon Do thing like crazy. She took most of December off, thinking that after 2.5 years straight, some time off was not only desired, but needed. One month later, she's accepted her black belt recommended and will test for her 1st degree black belt in April. When I asked her what she thought of her accomplishment, she asked me, "Is it possible to be this excited and scared out of my mind all at the same time?!?!??". She's a little nervous about testing for black belt, because the board breaks are real wood and the self defense moves are pretty tricky. I'm so proud of her. It's hard to be scared and do it anyway--one of life's biggest lessons.

"Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage and confidence in the doing."

The Grey Ghost rolled over 100K this week!

Another milestone occurred this week--my old jalopy rolled over 100K on the odometer. I bought this car the same year I married John. 12+ years ago. When I bought it, I never thought I'd still be zipping around in it over a decade later. Funny thing though. As much as I dream of the day when I will (finally!) get a new car, I already know I'll cry to see this one go. So many awesome things have happened in my life since the day I bought it. It's the car that we brought Taylor home from the hospital in, made road trips to Grandma Lou's in, went to our first anniversary dinner date in, took Boo and Sally for tons of drives in. The list goes on and on. Lots of life and love has happened with the ol' Grey Ghost. When the day comes to put her out to pasture, it'll be bittersweet for sure.

Maximus and his father. One of my favorite NILMDTS photos.
Picture courtesy of Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, used with permission C2011

The past two weeks have been difficult ones at work. Two families have experienced the death of their baby. Two families going home with empty arms, someone missing. It never gets any easier, this kind of loss. We have, however, come around to a much better way of handling such loss. Rather than saying such cold, bleak words as, "It wasn't meant to be. You'll have another", grieving the loss is now acceptable, encouraged, sought. Parents are given the chance to hold, love and cherish their precious child. Show their devotion and dedication. Say to their child, "we love you and will never forget you. You have blessed us with your life." So powerful.

e.e. cummings wrote a poem containing his vision and hope of what a heaven might look like. The description included this line: "a heaven of blackred roses, something stunning, defying words". I would like to think that such a beauty exists, somewhere.

Kristin

2011 Week 3

2011-01-10T12:17:00.008-07:00

This week held some surprises from Mother Nature. Our cottonwood trees in the back yard supply the framework that supports a large squirrel nest. One of the new babies from earlier this spring stopped by the back patio area to check things out.

Taylor was one of the top 5 spelling students in this year's 4th grade Linton class. She was offered the opportunity to participate in the school spelling bee and decided to brave the stomach butterflies and give it a shot. She lasted through round three, then got stumped by the word 'solemn'. She was a very good sport about it all. I was proud of her for taking the challenge and having a good attitude about how everything turned out.

John took this picture of a female Hairy Woodpecker. She was in the yard checking out tree trunks for a possible home. She's quite the beauty! I just hope her searching limits itself to the trees...

Did I forget to mention the huge snowfall that happened this past week? I don't know the exact amount that fell, but it was beautiful. Almost no wind, large fluffy flakes and warm enough temperatures to go outside and enjoy it all. I'm not sure if Sally or Taylor gets more ecstatic at the sight of falling snow, but they both absolutely love to play in it. The picture above reveals Sally at her snowed up best--a common sight at our back patio door.

That it will never come again Is what makes life so sweet.
Emily Dickinson

2011 Week 2

2011-01-08T23:21:00.000-07:00

This week contained several chances (and reminders) to enjoy the process, not just the results.

First chance? Taylor's Girl Scout Cookie Exchange. Her troop holds a cookie exchange the week they kick off cookie sales for the year. In the past I have grumbled about it, procrastinated about it, then begrudgingly made cookies for it at the very last minute. Sounds like LOADS of fun, doesn't it? This year I decided to try something new, using ready-to-bake cookie buttons, some frosting and some colored sugar. The results were a hit with Taylor and I actually enjoyed making them!

Rudolph Sandwich Cookies

Next chance? Resuming running. After several interruptions in December, I'm back on track with my training to get ready for a 10K and possibly a half marathon road race this year. Becoming a runner is all about process. It certainly doesn't happen overnight, nor does it happen in a quick and effortless fashion. In fact, it will probably take me the better part of this year to get to the point where I'm ready to run those races. And that's if everything goes right! But I want to try. I want to see how I handle the progress, improvements, setbacks, possible injuries, changes in the plan. I want to see how it feels to say to myself, "It's okay to do something for you". Then do it. :)

Asics Nimbus 12--my running BFF's. :)

At the end of the week, I also had the chance to spend the day with Taylor and enjoy the process of being a mother. We started our Saturday by bringing Taylor to the hairdresser so she could go through a 'process' of her own. Here's the result:

Hot pink!

We spent the rest of our day going out for lunch, visiting the cupcakery (where she got an extra $5 punch on her punch card for having fabulous hair!), shopping, going to the library, going to the movie store, playing a video game together and wrestling with the dog. Not once did I worry about what I got done for the day. I just spent the day, moment by moment, with one of the best people in my world. And enjoyed the process.

Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.
--John F. Kennedy

2011 Week 1

2011-01-03T21:26:00.005-07:00

1. Change yourself.
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

2. You are in control.
“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

3. Forgive and let it go.
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

4. Without action you aren’t going anywhere.
“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

5. Take care of this moment.
“I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.”

6. Everyone is human.
“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”
“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

7. Persist.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

8. See the good in people and help them.
“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”
“Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.”
“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”

9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self.
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

10. Continue to grow and evolve.
”Constant development is the law of life. A man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”

As a wise man once said...

Here I am 2011. Let's get busy.

The Cookie Pile

2010-02-11T19:05:00.003-07:00

Every year that Taylor is in Girl Scouts, we take a picture of the cookie pile. Here is this year's Mountain O' Goodness! Soon we will be scrambling to bag and tag all of the cookie orders. Our goal is to be able to see the front room sofa again in one week's time. Wish us luck. :)

Kristin

Three of a Kind

2010-02-04T21:46:00.016-07:00

Taylor gleefully participated in the 3rd grade music program tonight at Linton Elementary school!

Titled "Three of a Kind", the show was billed thusly: a story of threesomes that come together to help solve the case of Missing Baby Bear. Fairy tale triads like the three pigs, the three little kittens (who lost their mittens), three men in a tub and the three billy goats gruff sleuth out exactly where Baby Bear could have gone!

Taylor tried out for several parts in the play, including Billy Goat #1, Goldilocks and Blind Mouse #2. She was incredibly miffed about not being given the chance to try out for one of the three musketeers roles. How to explain that one? I tried to say that it would be somewhat like a boy trying out for the Goldilocks role. Which, fortunately for me, changed the subject to why she didn't get the Goldilocks role. Once again, what to say? I decided to go for the truth, which is this: it's a tough spot to land when you've got a classmate with bright blond to-her-waist hair. Taylor decided to publish a self-made book named Brownielocks, about her own fabulous brown hair, then got over it and cheerfully accepted the role of Blind Mouse #2.

All I can say is that she makes a pretty cute sightless rodent. :)

Pre-show dress rehearsal. Cute!

Taylor practiced for weeks before the show. She memorized her lines, plus the words to all of the 8 songs in the show and practiced her delivery style so the crowd would laugh at her funny lines. Her partners in crime (Blind Mouse #1 and #3) even practiced with her during recess time at school. After weeks of practice, tonight finally came. The Big Night!

Of course it was awesome. Because in spite of the weeks of practice, the things that really make memories still happened. Kids forgot their lines, then proudly delivered them with a little help from Mrs.Conover, their music teacher. Kids talked way too loudly in the microphone. Props were dropped. Kids sang off-key and out of time with the music. One kid even fell off the risers in the back! All those things that parents get misty-eyed over, a little choked up about, clap too loudly and too long over, smile ear-to-ear with pride about, happened. And I got to be one of those parents. One of the ones clapping and smiling and getting a little (okay, a lot) misty-eyed. It was great.

Here's Taylor flawlessly executing the role of Blind Mouse #2!

Taylor was pretty excited about how her role as Blind Mouse #2 turned out. In her words: "I didn't get the exciting part, or the pretty girl part. I got the smart part!" Which really means that, in the end, it's the sightless rodent trio that solved the mystery of Missing Baby Bear. To her, that was quite all right. :)

After the show, all the kids returned to their home rooms at the school to change out of their costumes and get hugs and congratulations from their teacher. John managed to capture a picture of The Three Blind Mice.

Goofy girls after the show!

After thanking her teachers and talking to classmates, Taylor was ready to go home for the night. On the walk home, we congratulated other kids we met, telling everyone how good the show was and what a great job they did. I heard Taylor talking to one kid about how things went, and she summed it all up pretty well. She said, "Yeah, that sure was a lot of work! But still, we don't get to have fun like that every day!"

Kristin

For You

2010-02-03T04:01:00.005-07:00

this is my wish for you:

comfort on difficult days

smiles when sadness intrudes

rainbows to follow the clouds

laughter to kiss your lips

sunsets to warm your heart

hugs when your spirits sag

beauty to enrich your life

friendships to brighten your being

faith to make certain what you hope for

confidence when you doubt

courage to know yourself

patience to accept the truth

and

love to complete your life.

It's a Nice Day...........If You're In the Car!

2010-02-01T14:41:00.004-07:00

Actually, I wouldn't know. I've not been outside today, as I'm feeling rather hermitish. But John knows. He's the one that took these pictures, regular style and through his sunglasses. Looks mighty fine out there!

Bare eyeballs style. Nice!

Through his sunglasses. Funky!

Back to the grind tonight. My hermitish ways will cease at sundown.

Kristin

Getting Ready for Happy Heart Day

2010-01-24T16:59:00.006-07:00

Anyone who knows Taylor knows she is in love with Valentine's Day. I can't say I understand this completely, but when I think about it from the perspective of an 8 (+ 1/2!) year old girl, I think I get it. I think.

First, there's the color scheme. Pink AND red? Together? Two of her top ten favorite colors? Actually, #1 and #2! Right on! With hearts and glitter and sappy, *cough*, er, romantic sayings plastered everywhere? What's not to like? Pretty nice if you're 8 (+ 1/2!). And a girl.

Then, add in the chocolate factor. Unlike Halloween, when she is asked to dress up in a goofy, sometimes bulky, sweat-producing, itchy costume, plus brave freezing temperatures and WORK to get someone to give her chocolate, Valentine's Day is totally easy-schmeasy by comparison. People throw the stuff at her all day long. Pretty cool, when you're 8 (+ 1/2!). When you stop to remember that chocolate is her favorite food ever, well, Valentine's Day suddenly skyrockets past several other holidays, like Thanksgiving and New Year's. Makes sense to me.

But the real clincher (as if red, pink and chocolate weren't enough) for her seems to be the Valentine's themselves. Surprising, I know, but there it is. Taylor plans out her valentines like other kids plan out the eating of their trick-or-treat stash. What color ink for which person, individualized pictures drawn for each kid (tricky, considering there's 24 kids in her class), what version of her signature she likes the best. No kidding. She really gets into it.

This year we've already got it all done. Valentines bought, signed and sealed. Mini gifts purchased for said valentines, an outfit picked out (complete with matching hair band, heart locket necklace and socks) and a Puffle buddy to add to the festivities.

Thanks to Granny Lou, Taylor already has her
outfit for this Valentine's Day.

Oh, and did I mention matching pupils? :)
Someday I'll have to learn how to use the red-eye reduction thingy...

Meet Rose, Taylor's new Puffle buddy.
Apparently, if you are in the 3rd grade, your life isn't
complete without a Puffle.
I have no clue why.

Yup. 21 days to go. Taylor is marking days off her calendar with X's. Every morning she exclaims that Valentine's Day is one day closer. Ah, to be 8 (+ 1/2!) again, when being in love with love was the biggest thing on the agenda.

Of course there will be a Valentine's Day post. You bet your sweet bippee there will!

Kristin

A Little Wiggle Room

2010-01-16T20:19:00.005-07:00

Taylor's loose tooth #8 became much looser (more loose?) yesterday with the help of Mr. Kenny, her Tae Kwon Do instructor. During class Mr. Kenny had kids pair up and practice kicking form, with one kid kicking and one kid holding a front shield pad. While Taylor was doing the holding, her partner connected with a solid kick and her hand came back and hit her own mouth. What could have become a crisis turned into sheer glee, as she checked her mouth with her tongue and found that her loose tooth had become, well looser (more loose?). What a girl won't do to make a buck (or five!) before nightfall!

After working on it for the better part of today, it's out. AHHHHHH. Finally those huge front Chiclet teeth that have been working so hard on making an appearance finally have a little wiggle room to call their very own. :)

Kristin

Starbucks Silliness

2010-01-14T22:25:00.003-07:00

Taylor and I stopped by Starbucks on the way home from Tae Kwon Do tonight. I'm not usually a Starbucks fan, as I far prefer tea to coffee and would much rather make my own chai tea at home. And have you noticed how most things there are silly expensive?

Every once in a while, though, Taylor asks to go, so we do.

Here's how things went down, MasterCard commercial style.

Chai latte: $2.75

Chocolate cupcake (with 3 inches of frosting) and milk: $3.75

Chair dancing to jazz music in Starbucks chairs: PRICELESS!

I don't know who started goofing off first, but when the piano jazz music started playing overhead Taylor and I both got happy. Think 'theme from the Peanuts, only better'. Happiness led to goofiness, then goofiness led to an all out laugh-until-your-eyes-water chair dancing fest. If I wasn't so supremely ignorant of jazz composers and musicians, I'd even tell you what we were dancing to, so you could have a chair dancing fest of your own. But alas, it shall forever remain a mystery.

Instead, I think I'll post the recipe for the cupcakes. Sounds like a good idea with Valentine's Day just around the corner.

Ultra Moist Starbucks Chocolate Cupcakes

You'll love this super moist, rich chocolate cake (or cupcakes) made with Starbucks coffee. The coffee enhances the fudge flavor of this dessert, but does not leave you with a coffee taste.

2 round cake pans or 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces Starbucks black coffee, cooled

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, canola oil, vanilla and black coffee (cooled) together.
Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder, then add to egg mixture.
Alternate stirring in flour and milk.
Don't worry if batter seems runny to you. This is normal and makes the cake so moist!
Pour batter into two greased 9-inch round cake pans.
If you're making cupcakes, line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
Spoon the batter into the cups about three-quarters full.
Bake the 2 cake pans for 25 minutes or cupcakes for 20-23 minutes. (Toothpick will come out clean when cake is done.).
After cake has cooled, remove and frost with your favorite icing. Remember, at least 3 inches tall on those cupcakes!

I don't have any pics of Taylor and I in our goofy glory. Not a one of that decadent cupcake she ate. Just some great memories of one of those times when fun happened out of nowhere. Priceless.

Kristin

A Date

2010-01-13T17:36:00.007-07:00

John has a date today.

No, not with me.

Hey, it's okay. I've known about it for a while now. The shock is over and I'm trying to get used to the idea that he'll be seeing her for a good year, maybe more.

It was bound to happen. We've known for some time that things were headed this way. We've seen several specialists and mutually agree it's the best thing. For now.

The only thing that bothers me is that all of his extra cash is now going to her. And a lot of cash that's not so extra. But what could I expect? This woman is smart, very smart. Not to mention talented. And funny. To top it all off, she's nice. And available every Wednesday. I can't compete against that!

But like I said, she comes with a pretty steep price. Today's date? $1200. Yup. You're reading that right. And they're not even leaving town. Crazy, you say?

Well, yes it is.

But endodontists don't come cheap!

We'd hoped that his endodontist was joking with us,
but apparently her door knobs are just fine! ;)

;) Kristin

Snuggie Girl and Kong Dog

2010-01-04T17:31:00.015-07:00

Taylor recently bought a Snuggie For Kids, after saving her allowance for several weeks. I was impressed with the diligence she showed. She investigated which stores carried the item of her heart, then decided to forgo spending her allowance on anything, even stuff in the dollar bins at Target (gasp!), for 3 whole weeks. I had no idea that a Pepto Bismol Pink piece of felt would inspire such enthusiasm and determination! In fact, up until the day she asked to go out to buy it, I had no idea the Snuggie was what she was saving up for at all. Apparently, it was something she had been lusting after (secretly) for quite some time. Thanks infomercials!

When the glorious day of purchase arrived, she bought it, brought it out to the truck and immediately put it on. We weren't done shopping yet, so I was graced with the presence of Snuggie Girl, Superhero for the rest of our shopping adventures. If you haven't had the pleasure of witnessing such a spectacle, just try to imagine Pepto Bismol pink on an 8-year old girl from head to toe. This girl is in Super Target, in the bathroom aisle, brandishing plungers as her weapon of choice. This girl is saying (loudly) things like, "Get back here, you miserable slime!" and "Hand over the secret weapon and no one gets hurt!". This girl looks something like this:

Ow! My eyes!
I think Snuggie Girl's superpower is the blinding Snuggie rays she emits!

Ah, yes. The afternoon was filled with one adventure after another as we made our way through Super Target, Whole Foods, Bed Bath & Beyond and our corner gas station. Little did I know that the fun was just beginning. At home, Snuggie Girl took on a whole new battle. Namely:

Snuggie Girl vs. Kong Dog!

Snuggie Girl attempts to negotiate with Kong Dog for the
safe disposal of a rogue batch of Kong Kryptonite.
Negotiations are beginning to break down!

It should be noted that Sally is a most willing participant in wrestling and a good bout of tug-o-war, especially with her favorite toy. It should also be noted that this mother of pink superhero girl asked several times to make the eye holes of Supergirl's mask larger. All attempts at saving the corneas of my daughter were soundly rebuffed.

"Give me the secret weapon, Kong Dog, and no one gets hurt!"

"You may be strong, Kong Dog, but I shall defeat you!"

Snuggie Girl: *stealth attack*
Kong Dog: YAWN!

"I will brave the jaws of death if it means the world is saved!"

"All this superhero business is making me HUNGRY. How's about a snack?"

After hours of Snuggie Girl play, one tired 8-year old girl wore her Snuggie to bed, Kong Dog at her side, snuggling her to sleep. After all, what's a little Kong Kryptonite between friends? And do not worry, never fear! Snuggie Girl is alive and well! There were sightings of her on New Year's Day:

I know. I know. The mask. *sigh*
I was hoping the hat would serve as distraction...

After several more epic battles, Snuggie Girl and Kong Dog decided they made far better friends than enemies. What's next, you ask? Well, did you know that they make Snuggies for Dogs?!?

Kristin

Christmas 2009 The Prequel

2009-12-29T22:49:00.021-07:00

John and I both had the Christmas holiday off this year, which happens every 3 years as our work schedules allow. We traveled back to my South Dakota home to spend Christmas with my mom, my brother and his family.

Tuesday, December 22nd

Destination: Granny's House in Oldham, South Dakota
Town Population: 206, according to the 2000 Census
181, as of the 2009 update
Miles Traveled: 663
Weather Forecast: impending winter storm with high winds, dense fog and large snowfall

We started our trip early Tuesday morning with suitcases packed, Durango loaded and ready to go. I worked the night prior (something I will never do again--poor planning!), so I planned to car sleep while John managed the first half of our trek. Taylor was in the back seat, armed with books, art supplies, her personal game system and several games to keep her occupied. 10 hours and 37 minutes of driving to get to Granny Lou's front door.
We kept hearing updates on the approaching winter storm, but with the exception of wind and light fog, nothing hampered our travel. Well, weather-wise, that is. A state trooper just outside Mitchell, South Dakota, hampered our travel, but just for a minute. ;) We arrived at Granny Lou's house about 9 p.m. her time and shook off our road fatigue with good food, good company and hugs all around. This tired traveler hit the nest with sounds of family and laughter lulling her to sleep.

Nice and boring, just the way we like it.

Wednesday, December 23rd

After a much-needed night of deep sleep, I woke up to sounds of Taylor and Granny having a grand old time downstairs. Which is how I always wake up at my mom's house. Best alarm clock ever. :) My mom had given Taylor a couple of pre-Christmas gifts, including a cool Search-For-Santa floor pad and a T-shirt to get her in the Christmas spirit. Not that Taylor needs any help in that category! Despite my best intentions, I must have fallen asleep again, for when I got up, Mom had already left for work and Taylor was diligently searching for items in her Santa Search. She was wearing her Santa hat and her new T-shirt.

Here's the Sassy Elf herself.
Needless to say, Taylor wanted to wear this shirt every day
of our Christmas stay at Grandma's house!

With Grandma Lou busy at work and the Nielsen's similarly so, our little family of 3 decided to drive in to Madison to get some last minute details taken care of before Christmas. We shopped for a bit, then stopped by a local bar and grill to have lunch. After eating the best potato soup EVER, we stopped by the Nielsen house to visit and relax until Mom was done with work. I last saw my nephews Sean and Chris in mid-October. In two short months they have managed to add another couple inches to their stature. I didn't ask who measured what, just marveled at the fact that neither of them are DONE yet! It should be noted that I did not manage to capture either of them on camera. They are surprisingly quick for how tall they are. ;)

Douglas John stopped smoking as of December 1st this year. So far he's done a fantastic job with his quit plan and keeping his brain occupied--the best way to fend off a smoke attack. One of his new hobbies is jewelry making with hemp and beads. After Taylor picked out several beads she took a fancy to, Uncle Doug made short work of making a necklace for her. Here it is, in one of her self portraits.

Purple and red, plus a little gold thrown in. Just her style!

Plans were made for Christmas Eve, then it was time to head back to Granny's house to trim the tree, decorate the rest of the house and get some presents wrapped! We all had fun helping put the decorations on Granny's tree. Taylor loved the variety, Mom loved the help and I loved taking a walk down Memory Lane. Mom still had stuff from when I was in grade school. Our old Santa with Rudolph sleigh. Window clings circa 1972. Ornaments that once hung on my grandma's and great-grandma's Christmas trees.

Here is my favorite ornament ever. Mom made this for me
when I was a young thing in high school.
Merry Christmas 1984!

By the end of the night it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The tree was trimmed, decorations were out in every room and a big pile of presents had formed under the tree. On top of all that, guess what else made its presence known? Yup. That pesky winter storm that had been talked about for days was finally beginning to show up in Dakotaland. There was no doubt about having a white Christmas. But just HOW white was it going to be?

Kristin

Let's Try This Again, Shall We?

2009-12-29T22:47:00.000-07:00

Or, more to the point, let me try this again, will you?

Purple Hair!

2009-12-18T20:39:00.006-07:00

For the past 3 months, Taylor has been obsessed with the idea of putting a purple streak in her hair.

Yes, really.

I know, I know.

I KNOW.

Try explaining that to an obsessed 8-year old.

Yup. I told her that too. AND mentioned it would take a really, really long time to get done.

And then, after 3 months, I caved today.

And actually? It's really kind of cool. :)

The idea to color her hair presented itself in the form of Ari, one of Taylor's BFF's at Tae Kwon Do. It should be noted that Ari has platinum blond hair and sports a colored streak in her hair 24/7. I imagine her mother can accomplish this for $5 and 10 minutes of her time. Taylor was envious of her friend's fine do, me for other reasons.

I decided to make it part of Taylor's Christmas present. This thrilled her beyond belief, as the new purple streak in her hair would match her Christmas dress just perfectly. Cringe! I have to admit, when it really came down to it, I rode the fence between Cool Mom and Responsible Mom all the way to the finish line. And like I said, it really turned out kind of cool (Cool Mom). And it's just one little tiny streak, right? (Responsible Mom) :)

The "before" photo.
We're going to do WHAT to that gorgeous hair?

Taylor chose which side (LEFT ONLY, please!)
then the bleaching began.

1/2 way there!

And voila! Purple it is.

She may be old enough to want purple hair,
but she's still little enough to ask for a sucker when she's done,
just like when she was 2.
Grape, of course. To keep with the theme of the day. :)

The final result seemed a little anti-climactic. Taylor was tired of the chair and Michelle (our hairdresser) was done for the day. Both deemed the experiment a full-on success. Time for everyone to go home.

Me? Well, I finally figured out what was really bothering me about Taylor's purple hair quest. It wasn't the purple and it wasn't the cost. It really wasn't the idea of it at all. No, what was really bothering me for the last three months was that my little girl was no longer really my little girl. I realized that she's growing up SO fast, just like everyone warned me she would. I have moments where I want to stop the clock, just for a minute. To take a really good, hard look. To keep her as she is, just for one more minute. Just one. It's all going way too fast and before I know it, she's going to be asking for the car keys. And knee deep in boys. And going off to college. Wow.

But, for now, I'll take the advice one mom gave me. "Enjoy the tween years", she said. "What comes after will take every ounce of energy you have!" True enough. I'll take these next few years, puberty-free and full of wonder, with chore lists and grade school, times tables and spelling lists. Even the occasional purple hair moment.

Kristin

Now That's a Fish!

2009-08-04T22:25:00.005-06:00

Caught this one at Dixon Reservoir last night. Biggest fish of the year using Taylors 4ft pole and 3lb test line. Apparently I've been doing it wrong. It seems I need to get a day-glow orange pole with a purple handle for myself. - John

I had to wrestle it for awhile to grab on...
Should have brought it home to eat, but I suppose it would be more fun to catch it again someday.

A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing...

2009-08-03T12:33:00.007-06:00

Now that Taylor is officially a member of the Black Belt Club at her Tae Kwon Do school, she is able to attend classes that focus on weapons training. Remember that set of nunchucks she was so thrilled to get a couple of months ago? Well, that's nothing, apparently, compared to actually learning how to USE them!

Taylor has learned that there's a simple set of rules (and a few rules to the rules) to follow when training with them:

In Tae Kwon Do, they are not called nunchucks, they are called Ssahng Jeol Bong. Repeat after me: mumble mumble mumble BONG. Try your hardest to act like you know what you are saying, but constantly call them nunchucks when you aren't actually at the TKD school.
Do not hit your instructor with them, unless he asks you to. He will ask you to try to hit him using one of the cool maneuvers he has taught you. You will be unable to. There is a reason why he is the instructor, after all. Do not let this discourage you from thinking you're cool.You're still practicing with nunchucks ( I mean mumble mumble BONGS)!
Do not hit your fellow students with them (when the instructor is watching). Remember, the classroom is made up of mirrored walls.
Do not hit yourself with them. If you do hit yourself with them, try your hardest to act like it did not happen. This is much trickier than it looks. Good luck.
Do not use them outside of the TKD school or an approved TKD competition. (Insert unanimous groans of disappointment from all kids in Black Belt class).

Almost.......got........it.........

I'm happy that Taylor is enjoying her martial arts training so much. When she first started Tae Kwon Do, I was somewhat skeptical. Would she really like the contact and competition? She's such a peace-love-and-joy kind of girl. Even though, every time we leave the school I hear nothing but praise from her about how much she loves it. Who knew my soft-hearted, artistic-souled daughter possessed such a fierce streak?

Kristin

Meet Sally

2009-08-01T21:22:00.003-06:00

After 9 months of canine-free living, we have decided it's time to add another fur kid to the Anthony clan. Meet Sally!

We met Sally, a Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab mix puppy, at her foster
mom's house. Taylor and Sally took an instant shine to each other.

Sally is a 5 month old puppy that was rescued from a shelter in Kansas, then transported here by the Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue organization. We have put in an application to adopt her and will have the home visit completed tomorrow--one more step to making Sally an Anthony!
We should find out soon if she will become ours. Wish us luck!

Kristin

Wonderful Wake Up

2009-07-31T12:17:00.009-06:00

I woke up this morning to the sights and sounds of a hot air balloon making its descent right over our house! I've always been fascinated by them--riding in one is at the very top of my bucket list. Having one come a hair's breadth (or so it seemed) from my house, however, seemed a little too close for comfort.

While I gazed at the sight from our bedroom window, (wouldn't want
the neighbors to see me in all my morning glory!) John took the camera
outside and snapped some great pictures. They're waving up there!

Their apparent destination was the open area to the back of Fort Collins High School, which is a very short distance to the north of our home. If I had known of their flight path in advance, I would have made sure to paint a huge sign for my roof the night before that read: "You make an awesome alarm clock! P.S. Come back next week!"

Kristin

Happy Independence Day--Muppet Style!

2009-07-05T17:58:00.002-06:00

Ah, the patriotism, the pride, the fond childhood memories this video brings! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDA9NbPAK8o

Kristin

Say Goodbye to #5

2009-06-13T16:37:00.005-06:00

Taylor's front teeth have been loose since Christmas. Oh, the drama! Apples have rotted in our refrigerator. Entire meals have been picked at because of the awkwardness. We seriously considered having her screen tested for Slim Jim commercials (where biting with your molars is an art form). *sigh*

Imagine our excitement last week when both loose teeth developed a distinct wobble! Woo hoo! Not much longer now! Visions of tooth fairy booty danced in our dreams. Not much longer now! Not much longer!

Just a...

few... (okay, EIGHT)...

more...

daaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyzzzzz........ (drool, snore, feign continued anticipation)

*snork*

Where was I?

Oh, yeah.

Imagine our intense relief to FINALLY (after an entire eighth day of wiggling, twisting, worrying with her tongue, testing, checking, did we mention it's been eight days since wobble onset?) to announce that #5 is really, really, REALLY, truly, no-we're-not-kidding, seriously people!, well-and-for-good, honestly GONE!

Sweet relief at last.

Kristin

#4 Is A Goner!

2009-03-28T14:28:00.000-06:00

After several weeks of waiting, Taylor has finally said good-bye to loose tooth #4! The Tooth Fairy is impressed with her perseverance and has rewarded her accordingly. Her four top front teeth also have a distinct wobble, so it won't be long before she plays the role of Toothless Wonderwoman for a bit.

Kristin

Amazing Grace Il Divo Style

2009-03-11T05:02:00.006-06:00

This is how I started my morning:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid271552717/bctid1913313052

One of the better decisions I've made lately...

Kristin

Rear Ender Fender Bender

2009-02-24T21:25:00.005-07:00

Taylor and I were involved in a rear end auto accident this evening. Taylor had finished Tae Kwon Do class and we were driving home. The biggest thing on my mind was what to make for supper. Then BOOM! We were hit by the car behind us after coming to a stop at a traffic light. The impact threw the car forward a good 3 or 4 feet, but no serious injury or damage was done. Thank God for seat belts! Taylor had eyes the size of tennis balls, but after I explained what happened and checked her over, she said she was fine. I had to count to 10 before I got out of my car though. I felt like the guy in the cartoon! It's wild what threatening my kid's safety does to my equilibrium.

I've only been in one other car accident in my entire life, but thought I knew what I was doing. I got out of the car, greeted the other driver, made sure that no one was injured and then spent a good 10 minutes getting insurance information and closely looking over the damage to both cars. We both agreed that we didn't think either car had incurred enough damage to warrant a call to the police, so we made final agreements about how to proceed and both drove off.

Well, it seems that car repairs are even more outrageously expensive than I was willing to suppose. One bumper, one muffler and a quarter panel adds up to well over $2 grand. (Insert whistle of disbelief here). I'm lucky the other guy was fully cooperative and our stories matched, or I could possibly have been left footing the bill for anything over the first $1000. Lesson learned!

We take the car in at the beginning of next week for repairs and will get to drive around a brand new rental car for a week. I'm probably a huge dork, but I'm a little excited at driving a brand new car around for a week, even if it's a Ford Focus. I'll just wear my sunglasses and a huge hat whenever I get in it... ;)

Kristin

Another Beauty

2009-02-20T06:44:00.001-07:00

Same spot, different day. Glorious.

Kristin

Flocking au naturel

2009-02-18T09:22:00.006-07:00

I left for work last night amidst drizzle and fog. I came home this morning amidst dazzle, agog.

Kristin

Cookie Crazy

2009-02-14T21:16:00.007-07:00

Taylor participated in her troop's cookie booth today. For those of you who call Colorado home, I'm sure it is no surprise that we FROZE TO DEATH! As Murphy's Law would have it, the only truly cold day this entire winter (so far) came on our cookie booth day. The good thing? 7 and 8 year old kids don't care. Even better? They have so much fun it's infectious--then the adults don't care either.

Taylor was thrilled to get the chance to wear the Thin Mint outfit at today's cookie selling spree. She spent a great amount of time waving at passing cars, greeting potential customers and trying to figure out how much change to give back. Tricky math!

Happiness is.......being the Thin Mint Girl!

Pressure tactics are surprisingly effective coming from two
enthusiastic young girls...

The girls sold an incredible amount of cookies today. I'm not sure if Valentine's Day had anything to do with it or not. When we asked customers if they were buying gifts for the holiday, most replied with a shocked "NO! These are mine!". Yeah! Get your own box! :)

Before heading home, we stopped at the store on the way home so Taylor could pick up her dad's Valentine's Day gift--a Lindt chili chocolate bar. Hot stuff! While we were shopping, one of the workers at the floral counter came over and gave Taylor a beautiful rose. She was so happy she got tears in her eyes. Sometimes it's the littlest of gestures that really touch the heart. Thank you Grocery Store Man!

The cookie frenzy continues next weekend with another booth set up in front of Sam's Club. I always have a hard time at this booth, mostly because the covetous consumer monster I usually keep well suppressed comes to the fore every time I am within 100 yards of Sam's. *sigh*

Kristin

Happy Heart Day

2009-02-14T20:20:00.002-07:00

No shoving! There's enough for everybody!

Happy Valentine's Day!

A New Kind of Ninja

2009-02-09T19:21:00.003-07:00

"I got sunshiiiiiiiiine...on a cloudy day...."

Way to go Miss Yellow Belt Ninja!

Movie Day with Mom

2009-02-07T18:19:00.008-07:00

When dad is working all weekend and the weather outside trashes your play-in-the-park plans, what's a girl to do?

MOVIE DAY!!!

Lookin' good in my 3-D Wonder Glasses!

Taylor and I went to see the show "Coraline" today. Prior to going, we'd seen a thousand previews, making-the-movie spotlights and sneak peaks, including one that showed how all the stuff that made up the movie was, well, made up. As in handmade. Right up my alley!

So why did I nod off in the middle of the show?

Hmmmmmmm.

Taylor didn't really care, as long as I didn't spill the popcorn. I cared. Not since the midnight showing of the movie "Dracula" in 1992 have I searched my eyelids for holes over the course of an hour. My insomnia must be affecting me more than I thought...

Anyway. Taylor loved the movie, loved the popcorn, loved the smokin' hot 3-D glasses and loved that for maybe an hour of her life her mother wasn't watching her every move. Even better, it was dark and the 3-D effects were amazing. A quote.

I loved the first half of the show--Tim Burton can do no wrong! But, I'm going to have to take Taylor at her word for the rest of it until it comes out on DVD. If it's anything like "Dracula", I'm going to love it and buy it for my home stash. We'll see.

After the movie Taylor and I goofed around in the lobby arcade, waiting for the scuzzy weather to improve. If you ever want to make a 7-year old's entire day, give her 50 cents to play with the Crane Grabber. 47 tries later, she will manage to get one Tootsie Roll (with a life span that has exceeded hers) and chortle with glee as she tries to chew it with her loose tooth. Bliss!

Mom calls this contraption the Torture Machine.

Ask your Mom for $500 to play the interactive snowboarding game.
If the weather is nasty enough, she'll seriously consider it.

Check out the cool new viewfinder!

Once the weather let up a little (hair plastered to head, but able to find car) we headed to Super Target for some last minute Valentine's Day shopping. I won't bore you with details about how much chocolate we bought, just that it was drool-all-the-way-home good and some of it actually made it's way into valentine envelopes.

Kristin

Trying for Yellow

2009-02-04T22:02:00.010-07:00

It's that time again--testing!

Taylor has worked for the last two months on round kicks and double blocks, side kicks and self defense. Tonight it was time to put it all together and show her instructors what she knows. The routine was more familiar than last time, thank goodness.

After the meet and greet, it was time to warm up as a group.
Start with some stretching...

After warm up, have a seat and wait for your time in the spotlight.
Try not to lose your lunch. :)

Get really excited when you get the unexpected opportunity
to help higher ranked kids with their self defense display!

Show 'em your stuff when the time comes.
Taylor starts off with a set of sparring moves.

And goes right into another set. RESPECT!

And the finale? Her form. 23 steps learned in a specific sequence.

The hard part? Waiting! Taylor won't find out until next week's classes if she scored enough points to advance to yellow belt status. Don't worry, though. She's pretty confident she made the grade!

Kristin

A Little C, If You Please

2009-01-31T17:31:00.009-07:00

When everyone in the house has a cold, or is just sick and tired of it all, it's time to make fruit salad. It's easy to make, oh-so-good for you and cures whatever ails you.

First, pick the fruit. Our mix today included blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, oranges, kiwi fruit and bananas.

What?!? I can't hear you! I've got a banana in my ear!

Kiwi! Taylor thinks these are cool because they look like hairballs
before they're peeled. :)

Taylor's favorite mix.

Put your fruit mix in a big plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Shake it like you mean it while listening to your favorite music.

Shakin' it to the Freezepops!

Put the last of the fruit on top and ta-da! You're done.
Time to eat!

Dig in!

Taylor is fighting off a cold, John is fighting off fatigue and I am headed to work. Needless to say, over half of the fruit salad is already eaten.

Kristin

Birds, Birds Everywhere

2009-01-24T18:51:00.002-07:00

Taylor and John attended a bird show today at Bath Nursery and Garden Center, right here in good ol' Fort Collins. Known as Bird Day at Bath, the event is held as part of the garden center's community events calendar and features hands-on learning experiences with parrots, owls, falcons, eagles, ducks and chickens. Quite a timely event for the 2nd grade classes at Linton Elementary, as they are smack dab in the middle of their birds unit in science.

There were exotic birds, birds of prey and farm birds to learn about at the show. Taylor's favorite? Pedgy the Cockatoo. Here he is hamming it up for the kids and the camera!

A Pedgy the Cockatoo closeup.

Pedgy's favorite trick is to pose, then ask for a treat!

Taylor seizes an opportunity to admire Pedgy close-up, along with
some of her classmates.

Taylor is currently doing an in-depth study on two different birds for her science unit, the oriole and the peacock. While neither species made a showing at Bird Day, Taylor learned a bunch of interesting stuff about other kinds of birds. She was especially fascinated by the parrots' ability to mimic. She enjoyed seeing all of the parrots perform in the bird show and learned some cool tricks for training birds. I thought this would encourage a full-on blitzkrieg about getting a bird as a pet, but so far she hasn't said a thing. Whew!

There were red ones...

and green ones...

and blue ones to see.

Small ones...

and round ones...

And everything in between!

After the bird show, it was chow time. John and Taylor took a walk around Old Town, then decided that some Beau Jo's pizza would hit the spot. Not a bad Daddy-Daughter Date Day!

The waterfall in the middle of Old Town Square looked more
like an ice sculpture today.

A great way to end the day. A little lemonade and some of the best
pizza around.

Kristin

MLKJ Day

2009-01-19T11:52:00.004-07:00

Ah, Martin. The world would be a better place with you still in it.

I find it eerie that MLK, Jr. was assassinated 17 days after I was born and that 9/11 happened 18 days after Taylor was born. While I love to listen to all of his speeches, I am most moved by this one. It's like he knew...

Kristin

A Glorious Sunrise

2009-01-17T07:45:00.005-07:00

Did anyone happen to catch the sunrise this morning?

Three pictures, one word: WOW.

Kristin

Is There an Echo in Here?????

2009-01-14T16:28:00.002-07:00

Um, yeah.

Hold on to your knickers. I've got about 20 unpublished posts that will be coming out quicker than a Dugger baby. If you know anything about the Duggers, you know that's PDQ!

Kristin

Reading Binge

2009-01-10T17:05:00.006-07:00

Firmin : This must be the most unusual book I've ever read. But fun! A neglected runt of a mouse finds himself growing up in a bookstore. What's that saying about simple beginnings?

Interpreter of Maladies : Quietly stunning. These stories stay in my head long after I'm done reading them.

The Collected Stories of Grace Paley : I've tried to "get" Grace Paley for years. I'm still not there, but I'm enjoying the journey. Some of her lines are simply unforgettable.

Twilight and New Moon : I've finally, after much hem-hawing, been sucked into the latest vampire phenomenon. I'm a very reluctant fan.

The Spice Merchant's Daughter : I love this book! An inventory of spices, followed by great recipes and anecdotal tie ins. What's not to love?
Oh, and then you get to the back cover and find out the author is drop dead gorgeous...

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men : Wow. This author is ridiculously talented and so incredibly intelligent that I'm sometimes left wondering why I'm attempting to read his stuff. Then I keep reading because he writes about the psychological underpinnings of human behavior and it's fascinating. He's also avante garde with his style and delivery. Quite refreshing, not to mention frustrating at times.

Throw in three paperbacks, two cook books, three magazines and a smattering of yoga instruction books and you've got my free time mapped out. Time to get back to work!

Kristin

It's That Time of Year Again...

2009-01-06T17:01:00.009-07:00

Yup. You guessed it. Girl Scouts are swarming the nation selling boxes of cookies. Thin Mints, Tagalongs, Trefoils, Samoas, Do-Si-Do's, just to name a few.

I'm surprised at the timing of the cookie campaign. If the financial picture in our country isn't dismal enough to curb a cookie buying spree, then the it's-immediately post-Christmas-and-I-can't-fit-into-my-jeans-plus-I've-made-a-New Year's-resolution-to-lose-50-pounds-in-a-month mentality prevalent in the first weeks of the new year would seem to prove deterrent enough. Am I a pessimist at heart? Not really. I'm just curious how the cookie thing will turn out this year.

From the Official Website of Girl Scouts of the USA:

The activity of selling cookies is directly related to our purpose of helping all girls realize their full potential and become strong, confident, and resourceful citizens.

Girl Scouts practice life skills like goal setting, money management, and teamwork—and they have fun!
Customers get a great product and get to support girls in their own community.
All of the proceeds support Girl Scouting in the local community.

From the Official Blog of a Girl Scout Mom:

The activity of selling cookies is directly related to our purpose of helping our girl realize that mom and dad are not made of money, nor do we have a money tree growing in the back yard.

Girl Scouts practice life skills like trying to remember where they put that check from Mr. Johnson, cramming 6 boxes of cookies in bags sized to fit 4, and acting like they don't care who sold the most cookies--and this is supposed to be fun!
Customers get harassed into buying more cookies than they really want or need, but realize the cookies are pretty good eats.
All of the proceeds support Girl Scouting in the local community, which is important (refer to the money tree thing).

So let the games begin! Taylor has set a pretty lofty goal this year--to outdo herself from last year. We're talking hundreds of boxes of cookies people! Wish us luck.

Kristin

After Christmas Fun

2009-01-02T23:03:00.015-07:00

Whew! After a week of broth, clear juice and lots of rest, I think I'm going to live. Better yet, I'm able to enjoy some free time with Taylor and John. After a rather dismal start to Christmas Break, we're all relatively healthy and have the opportunity to go do some family stuff.

Taylor and I went bowling a couple of days ago--just the two of us. No pictures of our all-female battle with the pins. We were much too busy trash talking and celebrating end-zone style whenever we managed to hit anything. Of note, Taylor broke the 100 mark throwing the ball all on her own. Way to go Taylor!

Next on the list was making cookies. Since we didn't have the opportunity to make Christmas cookies together, we decided to make the all-time fave: Double Chocolate Chip.

Love the cookie scoop! When I wasn't looking, Taylor dropped a
whole scoop of dough in her mouth. :)

Chocolatey Goodness Smile!

We also made some Peanut Butter and Honey dog cookies in preparation for our trip out to Aunt Abby's house. Abby has 8 fur babies of the canine variety that we love to spoil with homemade treats. She also has three kitty cats, but I haven't figured out how to make homemade treats for felines...

We planned a movie night/lasagna dinner at her house, complete with a belated, but much anticipated opening of presents. Tonight was the night and what a wonderful time it was! Much barking, laughing, good food and great company. Oh, and let's not forget the presents...

Oooooohhhhhh....The Dress!
Taylor put it on immediately and wished she'd brought her tiara with her.

Ooooooohhhh...The Pink Slippers!
If the dress wasn't enough of a hit already, the pink slippers
were the icing on the cake.

Notice the discarded pajamas on the floor...
When we arrived home from Abby's, Taylor almost had a complete
meltdown over not being allowed to wear her princess garb to bed.

We've also been out shopping, meeting friends for lunch and enjoying a little Guitar Hero when all three of us are home. Does anyone else see a sight similar to this every evening after supper?

Taylor was stuck on the 'easy' version of the song "Strutter" by KISS
for far too long. She's finally branched out and found that
Guitar Hero World Tour has tons of cool songs.

As I perhaps mentioned before, I only play video games when alone and unsupervised. :) John and Taylor, on the other hand, are naturals at this type of hand/eye coordination. I don't know what genetic defect I have that makes video games a type of torture, I just know that in over 20 years of trying, I haven't improved one little bit. *sigh*

We've still got a few days of Christmas Break left to enjoy. We're hoping to squeeze in some girl time for a manicure or pedicure and maybe take a trip south to see some of the fun stuff in Denver.

Kristin

Bonne Annee 2009!

2009-01-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year everyone!

As usual, we weren't big on celebrating the actual countdown to the new year. Taylor struggled to keep her eyes open until the ball dropped in Times Square, NY. Then it was off to bed with her. John and I weren't very far behind. :)

If there were fireworks planned of the magnitude seen in Brazil (above photo), I would have given serious thought to giving midnight some serious effort...

Kristin

A Heartfelt Thank You

2008-12-26T17:11:00.003-07:00

I thought I would take a minute to thank everyone who remembered us this Christmas.

To our families. Your love and support each and every day of the year is more than gift enough, but thanks to you as well for the presents sent, phone calls made and memories shared with us during this Christmas season. We missed your presence this year, as we celebrated Christmas in Fort Collins, but we spent a good deal of Christmas Day remembering Christmases past when we were fortunate enough to be with you. We look forward to those in the future, when we are able to do so again. We are blessed beyond measure to have you.

To our friends. Thank you for the gifts, phone calls, time spent and laughter shared. We especially loved hearing your Christmas stories, seeing your Christmas pictures and knowing that even though working through the holidays wasn't optional, work was something to look forward to because you were there. We are blessed beyond measure to have you.

Love and Best Wishes for a Spectacular 2009!

John, Kristin and Taylor

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T21:10:00.006-07:00

Merry Christmas!

Without further ado, let the picture show begin. :)

This is the sight that greeted John this morning, when sounds of
glee erupted from the vicinity of the front room...

Taylor made the very wise decision to let her parents sleep in while she made short work of going through the presents from Santa in her stocking. Among them were an Ugly Doll named Ox, chocolate and mints, that elusive Wisconsin state quarter we spent all year looking for, juggling balls, a new Hello Kitty water bottle. The piece de resistance though, was the Nintendo DS personal game system. I'm pretty sure that's what all the squealing was over. :)

Taylor played the role of helper elf, as usual. Even though 99%
of the gifts under the tree were for her, as usual.

Among all of those bright, shiny packages she found a massive
make-up set from Uncle Henry...

the much coveted "Fat Man Book" from Grandma Lou...
(so called because of the 3D pic of the World's Heaviest Human inside)

Games from Grandma and Grandpa...

And a game for her DS from Mom and Dad. I was surprised she
didn't wonder how we knew she was going to receive
a DS from Santa...

And, after about 37 gifts, give or take a couple, it was time
to make Mickey waffles.

Every year that we celebrate Christmas at home, we make Mickey waffles.
We started this family tradition on Taylor's 2nd Christmas.

I stumbled to the kitchen to whip up the batter, break out the fruit compote and whipped cream and get the table ready. 10 minutes later, Mickey joined the festivities. I even felt brave enough to attempt a bite or two, which very soon thereafter proved to be a huge mistake. No regrets, though. It is Christmas after all!

The rest of the day was spent together, talking to our loved ones on the phone, enjoying the gifts we were blessed to receive. Late afternoon was nap time for everyone. John cozied up under the beautiful afghan his mom crocheted for our Christmas gift this year.

The best nap accessory ever--a 100% wool afghan made by Mom.

Alas, the festivities are winding down. John is scheduled to work this evening and Taylor is ready for bed. I am planning on taking up semi-permanent residence on the family room sofa until this illness is gone once and for all!

We were separated from loved ones by distance this year, but as always, feel very close to them in heart. May love and peace be with you all.

Kristin

The Santa Set-Up

2008-12-24T23:07:00.013-07:00

Thank goodness for husbands.

I don't know if I've ever uttered those words out loud before, but I'm sure I should have. More specifically, thank goodness for my husband. Without his help and attention to detail, I'm quite sure our Christmas morning celebration tomorrow would be rather dismal indeed.

You see, I have caught the dreaded stomach plague that has been making the rounds in Fort Collins over the past several weeks. The past 24 hours have been truly miserable. When not writhing on the sofa in agony, I have been making repeated sojourns to the Throne of Horror. Yes, you know what I mean. I am not feeling very Christmasy--not at all.

But my husband has saved the day. Wrapping presents. Faking Santa's handwriting. Putting out Santa's snack and some Cheerios for Rudolph (a Grandma Lou tradition). Making sure all of the little things are done that will make Taylor's Christmas of 2008 a thing to remember with happiness.

First, the message board. Ever since Taylor was old enough to care about Santa and Rudolph, we've been having her write a message to him on her message board. We continued the tradition this year.

If you've ever seen John's handwriting, you know the effort
involved in this very legible message from Santa... :)

I love that Taylor still writes 'Mary Christmas' for her yearly shout out to Santa Claus, rather than correctly saying 'Merry Christmas'. When she was very little and we were living on Springfield Drive, we had next-door neighbors named Mary and Earl. Both in their late eighties, they were lovely people and absolutely in love with Taylor. Taylor's confusion about "Mary Christmas" came about quite naturally as a result. With no concept of what the word 'merry' meant, she automatically assumed that when we ran around saying "Merry Christmas" at Christmas time, we must be talking about her favorite neighbor. The cute mix-up has become a family joke and tradition, even though she does know what the difference is these days. Mary has been gone for a few years now, but the fond memories will hopefully never fade.

Next, the cookies and milk for Santa. We put out a Santa snack each year, plus some Cheerios for Rudolph. The cookies are always homemade and decorated by Taylor. I was worried about how we were going to accomplish this, as Taylor was sick for the last several days and now it's my turn. Thank goodness for friends and neighbors!

Here's an example of Taylor's finest cookie decorating efforts for
Santa this year. To be honest, this is perhaps the only reason I
can think of to be glad I have the stomach plague. :)

Taylor asked me, "How many cookies does Santa eat when he's
out making deliveries?" I said, "If they're anything like this one,
probably about 3!"

Taylor was invited to attend a sleepover at her BFF's house on Monday, but because of a last minute snafu, the date was changed to last night, the 23rd. The change in plans could not have been more fortuitous. Rather than watch me retch and kvetch, Taylor spent last night at her BFF's house making cookies for Santa and having the time of her life. She and her friend Arianna stayed up until 3 a.m. playing games, jumping on beds and carousing as only 7-year old girls can do. I am most impressed that the girls were allowed to decorate their cookies ad lib, without the influence of an overly anal adult around (me). Very memorable and quite, uh, sugary. I hope Santa enjoys every bite. And brings his injectable insulin with him in his sleigh. He'll need it if he eats so much as a single bite of one of these babies.

Knock yourself out Santa!

John set up the message board, the snacks and Taylor's stocking upstairs in the front room. We've just finished wrapping the last of Taylor's gifts. Everything is set and ready to go. According to the latest Santa Tracker update from 9 News in Colorado, Santa should be making his stop at the Anthony household sometime within the hour. Better get myself to bed!

Kristin

Christmas Caroling 2008

2008-12-16T21:28:00.012-07:00

Taylor's Brownie troop has been working on their winter project over the last several months, ever since school started up again. Twice each month the girls met to make ornaments and gifts for their friends at Respite Care. They also decided to plan an afternoon of Christmas carols at the center for all to come and enjoy.

Today was the big day! Taylor was so excited when she got up this morning. It's Christmas Caroling Day at Respite Care! She practiced her songs a little bit this morning, went to school for the day, then came home to change and get ready for the extravaganza. Here's our very own professional Christmas caroler, all dressed up and ready to sing.

I told Taylor the the combination of dressy dress, mary janes,
Brownie vest and antlers was just smashing. :)

Here's a short clip of our very amateurish camera video of the girls singing one of the classics. Doesn't every kid sing this song for a Christmas program? If you look closely, you can see Taylor on the left by the piano, with her antlers jingling, hiding behind her 'cheat sheet'. :)

All combined, there were over 40 girls that attended this year's festivities at Respite Care. The troops pooled funds to buy the facility a new microwave oven and donated their leftover cookie money from last year to Respite Care's camp fund. The girls all reported having a wonderful time and have already asked to go back next year.

It was so rewarding to watch Taylor up there singing her little heart out. I spent the whole time trying to make sure my misty eyes didn't actually well up and spill over. I really needn't have bothered. When I looked around, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Kristin

Heaven in Winter

2008-12-11T03:25:00.012-07:00

Never underestimate the effect of simple physics on the life of a child.......

What is it???????

A snowball maker?!?!?!?! Let's try it out!

It works!!!!! That is SO cool!

Unloading the wondrous creation...

By the little smirk on her face, can you tell what happened next?
SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!

Kristin

Send Me to the Moon

2008-12-11T03:24:00.005-07:00

Wow! Did anyone else stop dead in their tracks to stare at the moon tonight? I knew nothing about the lunar specialness about to show itself, but it was breathtaking. Here's what National Geographic news has to say about the phenomenon:

Look for an especially large and bright Full Moon later this week. The Full Moon of 2008 DEC 12 will occur very near perigee. That perigee will be the closest between the centers of the Moon and Earth since 1993 and until 2016. The Earth is not far from its early January perihelion. That enhances the brightness of reflected sunlight. The closest perigees occur when they coincide with a Full Moon and the Earth near perihelion. Since this month’s Full Moon will be happening near the Winter Solstice, it will appear especially high near local midnight for observers north of the tropics. Where there is snow on the ground the lighting effect may be breathtaking.

No kidding! I walked upstairs to turn off the kitchen lights and looked out our patio doors. I was stunned by the oh-so-bright moonlight reflected off the pristine snow in our backyard. I tried to take pictures of it all, but no luck there. I didn't realize exactly how hard it is to take good pictures of the moon.

For we peeps in North America, the moon will be fullest and closest during midday tomorrow, the 12th. But the difference will be barely noticeable during the two nights on either side, so in essence we’ll be seeing the effect twice. If you missed it, there's still a chance!

Kristin

Puttin' Up the Tree

2008-12-05T23:55:00.009-07:00

Today was Put Up the Tree Day at our house. Woo hoo! Every year we try to find one new ornament that we can't live without. This year Taylor's aunt Christine helped us out with that. A box arrived in the mail with this little cutie inside. Taylor was thrilled!

If you're a seven year old girl, this ornament is the cat's meow.
Thanks Aunt Christine!

Taylor also picked out the tree topper this year. We've used this one before, but she looks especially lovely with all of the dark red ornaments on the tree. Dad helped Taylor get her to the top of the tree.

Taylor loves angels, so no surprise on her choice of tree topper
this year.

With the tree up and all of the lights working, we feel ready to start the countdown to Christmas. Let the season begin! We've got Christmas carols to practice, cookies to make and many festivities to attend. We'll have posts up in the next few weeks to chronicle Taylor's holiday activities.

Kristin

The Only Child

2008-12-01T18:28:00.007-07:00

It seems everywhere I go these days (supermarket, library, car ride to Tae Kwon Do) I am bombarded with messages concerning only children. No kidding. The last three books I've read have had entire passages devoted to the topic. Just yesterday, my favorite afternoon radio show had an entire portion devoted to discussing the Only Child Curse. Then, Taylor piped up from the back seat on the way to Tae Kwon Do class to tell me that she hated being an only child.

For about two nanoseconds, I was furious. Furious at the situation that I hated. I wanted to slam on the brakes and ask her if she actually thought for one second that I had planned things this way. Then I almost started crying. Because even after all this time I still feel guilty. About what, I don't know. Just guilty about all of it. And I couldn't think of one thing to say to her about being the one and only.

Wow. If I ever thought I was prepared for this discussion with my daughter, the overwhelming wave of guilt I felt yesterday assured me that I'm very, very wrong in that assumption.

I've heard over the years many, many opinions regarding only children. The litany of negative comments is one I can recite by heart. As in: They don't learn how to share. They're spoiled. If you don't take extreme precautions against it, only children turn out unsocialized and selfish. The teenage years will be hell because of the extreme pressure an only child feels from parents. Only children are lonely. She'll hate you because she doesn't have any siblings. She'll be all alone when you die.

I think the only way I'd feel more guilty about our family size is if I had been brought up Jewish. Seriously.

Then I picked up my fourth book dealing with only children and found my saving grace. While I think Taylor is far too young to listen to discussions involving my life-long bout with PCOS, or the several miscarriages I've had, I think she's probably ready to hear something like this:

Haroun wanted to know why his parents hadn't had more children, but the only answer he ever got from Rashid was no answer at all: "There's more to you, young Haroun, than meets the blinking eye."
Well, what was that supposed to mean? "We used up our full quota of child-stuff in making you," Rashid explained. "It's all packed in there, enough for maybe four, five kiddies. Yes, sir, there's more to you than the blinking eye can see."

Haroun and the Sea of Stories--Salman Rushdie

Yeah. I think Rushdie got it right.

Someday Taylor will be old enough to understand that we tried and failed. That we didn't have a fortune to spend on 'treating the problem', that we didn't plan it quite this way, but having her made it all okay. And we'll do everything we can to make being 'the only one' okay. Or even better than okay.

As for me, I no longer have many worries about how my only child will be. If the last seven years are any kind of proof, I think Taylor will turn out great. Maybe even more than great.

Kristin

Thanksgiving Cooking Kid Style

2008-11-27T15:41:00.001-07:00

Make a request to begin the Turkey Day fun...

Start with these...

Add some heat and hear the pretty popping sound...

Wait for the bubble bath to finish...

TA DAAAA!!!

Take one of these...

Make some of this stuffing stuff...

Put the stuffing stuff in there...

Get one of these ready..
(and remind your mom you REALLY need a haircut)

And put this in it when it is ready. Then wait.

At this point, go play. Tell your mom and dad to make the pie and get the potatoes ready. After all, you're a mere seven years old and can only do so much. ;)

Enjoy!!
Remind your parents that you could do this more than once a year.
Remind your parents that you REALLY need a haircut...

When you look at it from the viewpoint of a seven-year old, it's really pretty simple, isn't it?

Kristin

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T12:23:00.006-07:00

A greeting from our house to yours.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Love to All!
John, Kristin and Taylor

P.S. Mom, I'm praying very hard for your oven to perform like a well-cleaned, Easy-Offed, turkey roasting machine! I'll miss you all like crazy--have a piece of Eunice's amazing pineapple pie for me. xoxo

The Mother Letter Project

2008-11-24T18:23:00.005-07:00

One of my favorite bloggers recently posted information about a cool Christmas project called The Mother Letter Project. After reading about the idea, I'm all for joining in and hope some of you are too. It's simple.

Go here.

Read all about it.

Do it.

Even if you don't think you're a great writer, do it. Even if you think it's all been said about motherhood before, do it. Even if you think you're too busy or too tired, do it. At least consider it.

I know I'm trying to find the words and am more than interested in what mothers everywhere have to say about motherhood--especially those who are honest enough to tell the real truth about it. I'd love to hear what all of you have to say. I'll let you see mine when I'm done.

Kristin

Miscellania and Etceteria

2008-11-24T17:57:00.016-07:00

Bonnie Bunny Buns is all cuddled up in Taylor's baby blanket--the one
she started using her first week of life and still snuggles up with
every night at bedtime.

I sent Taylor off to school today and came home to find her snuggle buddy all swaddled up and napping in her bunny nest. Too cute! When I asked her about it later, she reported a wild tale of Bonnie Bunny Buns being up all night and requiring a sleeping pill and the use of her blanket to sleep during the daytime. ;)

************************************************************************************

A week or so before Halloween, John came home after a night's work to tell Taylor and I how he single-handedly caught a robber at work. Taylor and I both said the same thing simultaneously:

"WHAT?!?"

John told us that he went outside just before midnight to take one of his 15 minute breaks. About halfway through, he heard the sound of breaking glass. With little effort, he eye-spied a young man breaking out the windows of cars parked in the PVH parking lot. Once the windows were broken, the guy proceeded to take whatever he thought was valuable. John watched him for a couple of minutes, then called 9-1-1 and told the operator what was happening. Three police cars arrived within minutes, with lights off, and used the directions John provided over the phone to catch the guy and take him away in cuffs.

John filled out an eyewitness report and talked to the police for a little bit. The guy had managed to take cell phones, cameras, car stereo equipment, CD's, etc. out of several different cars in just a matter of minutes. Apparently he had a long record of such crimes and knew what he was doing. Now he's looking at some serious jail time.

Wow! All in a day's work, huh? We've been wondering if John will be called on to provide anything other than his original statement. Haven't heard hide nor hair of the event since it happened. The guy apparently realized he was caught red-handed guilty, or it takes quite a while to get these things through the system. Either way, John gave Taylor a cool story to tell at school!

************************************************************************************

I bought a new curling iron the other day. Mine was a complete disaster, with the spring hinge practically falling off, the thumb press off and a permanent spiral twist in the cord. Taylor spied a really cool looking hot pink number, complete with LED lights to show when the iron is heated up. When I took it out of its package, I was greeted with this friendly warning:

Thank God this warning was included in the package!
A lifetime of blindness was narrowly
averted by such progressive thinking on the part of the manufacturer!

Seriously people! What grotesque comedy of errors (and litigation) was required to prompt the manufacturer to put this warning on their product? Good grief. I want to meet the person that was able to burn their eyeballs with a curling iron. It truly deserves some kind of award. Perhaps someone who lost their eyelids as a child?

I've burned many things with my own curling iron, including a narrow miss with very tender areas (don't use your curling iron when naked), but I can't imagine how anyone could do this, no matter how hard they tried. Wouldn't you blink? Burned eyelids, maybe. Eyeballs? I don't think so.

Even funnier? The "do-not-use-this-product-near-water/risk-of-electric-shock" warning was nowhere to be found. Huh.

************************************************************************************

Taylor is busy practicing the first 9 moves of her new orange belt form. They're pretty cool-looking, if I do say so myself. Here's a picture of her doing a double outer forearm block.

Taylor tries for a perfect block. Harder than it looks!
I was practicing with her the other day and was disturbed to find out
how fast a 7 year old can be. :)

***********************************************************************************************

My neighbor was kind enough to provide me with a spur-of-the-moment "Make Your Own Chai" tutorial last week. Most people who know me fairly well know that I'm something of a tea junkie. I absolutely love hot chai tea, but find most of the commercial blends way too sweet. Hence the desire to make my own. In less than an hour, my neighbor had explained everything and I was all set to try my first pot.

Sweet success! Well, in my case, not-so-sweet success. And that's just how I like it!

************************************************************************************

Have a great week everyone!

Kristin

Easy Off My A$$

2008-11-20T16:02:00.006-07:00

I have a confession to make.

After 2+ years of living in this house, I have finally, finally cleaned the oven. As with all past oven cleaning efforts, I feel it was way too late and way too soon. Anyone with me on this?

No?

Well, the way too late part is easy. Two Thanksgivings, two birthday cakes, four baked macaroni mishaps, pan roasted vegetables up the wazoo and countless spills putting food in the oven left the bottom of my oven looking like, well, like this:

If you ever get to the point where you question yourself as to the whereabouts of the fire extinguisher while preheating your oven, well, there's your sign. I thought about conducting an informal poll on this blog to find out just how many applications of Easy Off (a misnomer if I've ever heard one, but I'll get to that in a minute) Oven Cleaner you think I needed to use to actually see the bottom of my oven. But I'll put the three of you out of your misery. It took 4 liberal doses of the napalm known as Easy Off to find out what color my oven is. And that's just starting the cleaning effort way too late.

The way too soon part? Well, that's a little trickier to explain. But it goes a long way toward understanding why I wait too long to clean my oven. I think I have PTSD when it comes to Easy Off. I have flashbacks about donning body armor (complete with a gas mask) and holding my breath longer than Houdini to apply the Easy Off. Even with the oven door only open the width of my wrist, I choke and gag during the application process, like someone has thrown a canister of tear gas into my kitchen. I'm in a panic for days after the cleaning, thinking the oven is permanently contaminated and my food will be too. And 4 applications? Come on! Easy Off my a$$.

Granted, no one responsible for developing Easy Off ever considered the notion that people might actually allow lava spills to develop in their ovens.

Whatever! I'm glad the chore-that-makes-me-wish-myself-dead is over. Mission accomplished. And if any of you have a better suggestion on how to clean lava spills out of an oven, let me know. I'm all ears. :)

Kristin

Orange It Is!

2008-11-17T21:12:00.002-07:00

Orange it is! Taylor was awarded her orange belt in class today. She was beaming from ear to ear, as were the other kids who moved up with her. This is the only good picture I have of her with her new bright orange belt. Somehow, our digital camera was dropped and now has trouble focusing correctly and staying in movie mode. I'm going to have to figure out what to do....
Considering we've reached our 10,000th picture with this camera in just shy of 3 years, I guess I can see getting a new one.

Taylor also achieved a feat this week that I never came close to accomplishing at any age, let alone at 7 years old. She achieved the full center splits position (is anyone wincing with me?) which earned her an ice cream date with Mr. Kenny, her instructor. The girl is like Gumby, I tell ya.

Kristin

How About Orange?

2008-11-13T22:06:00.004-07:00

Tonight was the big night!

Taylor spent the last week practicing her forms, one-step sparring moves and self-defense moves in preparation for tonight's testing session at her Tae Kwon Do school. I spent the last week attempting to help her remember everything (sketchy at best to rely on your un-martial arts mom for advice) and figuring out how to sew the patches on her uniform. The patches proved to be the source of much personal angst on my part, which ended with me sewing them on mere hours before actual testing was to begin at the school. I believe that the air over our house was exceptionally blue in color and that my husband now has several valid reasons to request a divorce. :)

Still, the patches did get sewn on and our ninja girl did great at testing. We won't know until sometime next week if she was deemed worthy of advancing to orange belt level, but we're fairly confident of her achievement.

Here's the almost-orange belt warrior moments after testing was finished.
If you have any comments about the patches
or their placement, keep them to yourself! :)

HUH! Must be in the FRONT row! If Taylor was nervous,
she hid it very well. I, on the other hand, did not hide it well at all!

After her testing was completed, Taylor had the best seat in the house.
She joined her classmates in cheering on the more advanced kids
during the sparring sessions.

After all testing was complete, the participants lined up for a group photo.
Taylor is in the front row with some of her white belt buddies.

Taylor gets her 18-step form correct...with a little help
from Mr. Kenny. :)

Taylor had oh-so-much fun at testing tonight. Actually, we all did. John was able to show up for work a little later than usual, so he was able to watch Taylor from start to finish. After I got over the patches debacle, I was able to enjoy watching her do her thing too! We'll let you know if our favorite color is orange sometime next week.

Kristin

I Couldn't Agree More...

2008-11-12T18:05:00.001-07:00

No matter what slant you put on the phrase, I couldn't agree more. :)

Kristin

10 Things Not to Do When You're Mildly Depressed

2008-11-10T18:08:00.007-07:00

Eat potato chips for breakfast.
Learn (feebly attempt) how to knit/crochet/do anything with needles.
Sew patches on a uniform.
Read books about still born babies.
Manage (feebly attempt) your finances.
Sit by the bucket of Halloween candy.
Get on the bathroom scale.
Watch the CMA Awards.
Walk by a mirror when naked.
Become part of a large crowd in a small space.

I have done all of the above things this past week in the midst of a mild depression. No worries, I know it will get better.

Some of the things on the list really are no-brainers. As in you should really just NEVER do them, no matter what the situation (can I get a shout out for #1 and #6 anyone? Oh, and what the hell, let's throw #9 in there too, K?).

As for the rest, well, what can I say? Some things you must do in order to live your life. But they might be just a tad easier with a large amount of Prozac on board.

Kristin

Ready to Test!

2008-11-07T11:13:00.003-07:00

Taylor 'takes a knee' at class. Her attention span has grown by
leaps and bounds since beginning Tae Kwon Do training.

After almost 3 months of intense ninja girl effort, Taylor has earned her third white belt achievement stripe and is eligible to test for her orange belt! Taylor was beaming from ear to ear all during class today. She is soooooooooo excited to go to her first formal testing session at ATA Family Tae Kwon Do she can't really talk about anything else! Testing will be next Thursday, so stay tuned for some video footage and a few candids of her efforts. That is, if this mother's heart can bear to watch. Silly, I know, but I get all teary-eyed and emotional. Silly Mom!

Kristin

The Best Halloween EVER!!

2008-10-31T22:46:00.022-06:00

Here's the pink mummy fairy in all of her glory!

The title of this post is courtesy of Taylor Anne, who uttered those exact words about 33 times during her trick-or-treating extravaganza this evening. I have to agree with her. It was just about the best night for Halloween that a person could ask for. Indian summer-like temperatures, no wind and on a Friday to boot. Sweet!

Taylor got her party started at school today. An hour long parade of kids in costume, followed by an hour long classroom party. The kids enjoyed games, treat bags from Mrs. Karst and enough sugary goodness to make trick-or-treating later in the day seem rather unnecessary. Not that we caved in to guilt. Oh no! Taylor trick-or-treated for 3 hours tonight before eventually giving in to fatigue. Wonder how many miles she put on her dogs today?

Taylor and her buddy Hanna put on some of the cool loot
they found in Mrs. Karst's treat bags.

Taylor poses with her BFF Arianna before the school parade.

Right after school it was time to finally carve her jack-o-lantern for this Halloween. She put much thought into the design. Much thought. I was beginning to despair that we wouldn't get the job done. But we did and I must say her excessive pondering paid off. Very cute Mr. Kitty jack-o-lantern. Very cute indeed!

Taylor helped dad do the cut-outs this year.
Say hello to Mr. Kitty.

Then it was time to speed over to the Tae Kwon Do school to participate in their Halloween party. Taylor had fun seeing her fellow students in costume and got a huge kick out of the pinata they had there. She also had great fun practicing some of her Tae Kwon Do moves in her costume. Doing running front kicks and ninja chops as a pink mummy fairy is 20 times better than doing them as yourself. :)

The pink mummy fairy goes ninja on the pinata.
Did I say pinata? At a Halloween party? Yup.
Interesting choice too. :)

Then, finally! What she'd been waiting for all day long! Trick-or-treating! Taylor made the rounds in our cul-de-sac, visiting neighbors who were kind enough to make special treat bags just for her. Our next door neighbors were also kind enough to share their special lemon glazed ghost cookies. Wow! They were so good that none of them lasted long enough for a picture. Gotta get that recipe!

But I digress. Taylor trick-or-treated with one of her friends from school. Here they are in all their Halloween glory.

By the end of the night Taylor was so over the fact
that everyone immediately guessed who Mariah was, and NOBODY
could figure out exactly who she was supposed to be.
Apparently 'pink mummy fairy' is not in the average person's lexicon.
Who knew?

We spent a good 3 hours out on the town, visiting every house with a front door light on. We made sure to go to Rock Guy's house (neighbor who is the president of the Fort Collins geology society) and get some cool polished rocks and to visit the retired couple two blocks down that hand out enormous whole candy bars to the kids. After almost 3 hours of fun, it was time to call it a night. I must say that we have a great neighborhood to celebrate Halloween in. So many people went all out on decorating their homes and yards, not to mention ensuring the safety of all the kids. Even cooler? No vandalism was reported in our subdivision.

Here's a short video clip of Taylor's class heading over to the
gym for the all school parade. Too cute.

We hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday. Happy Halloween everyone!

Kristin

The Best Mint Ever--Now In Miniature!

2008-10-28T12:42:00.000-06:00

I have loved Andes Creme de Menthe thin mints ever since I was a kid. There was always a box sitting by any cash register at any cafe I ate at, any bowling alley I spent time at or any school function that I remember. They're perfect. Not too minty, just enough chocolate and oh-so melty in your mouth.

Guess what???

They now make them in little bits, so you can find the best chocolate cookie you've ever had and add these to the recipe to make it out-of-this-world delish! My friend Abby and I were shopping at the new Super Target and found them in the baking aisle. I almost squealed out loud. I bought three bags just in case they stop making them any time before Christmas.

I went to their website (check it out here) and found tons of recipes for their Creme de Menthe baking bits and the Peppermint Crunch ones too. There's even a sandwich cookie recipe with a whole Andes Creme de Menthe mint in the middle. Wowza! I'll let you know if I actually demonstrate any will power and make cookies with the baking bits instead of eating them like popcorn while watching a movie. :)

Kristin

Corn Maze Mania!

2008-10-26T18:49:00.005-06:00

Sorry for the extended blog vacation. A whole lot happened in October, including a great vacation to the Outer Banks and Halloween preparations. Unfortunately, a very sad event also happened to us this October. We said good-bye to our beloved BooDog and it has been more difficult than we ever imagined it could be. I will be adding posts about all of these things, but to get back in the saddle, I figured it would only make sense to resume with the present. That means telling you about our adventures at the Corn Maze!

John and Taylor had a Daddy Date Day at the Harvest Maze, one of our favorite places to visit each fall. There's so much to do out there! Taylor tried everything this year and reported having a blast. An added bonus was not having a sudden and overwhelming urge to pee in the middle of the corn maze, unlike last year. :)

Pictures tell the story better than I ever could, so here you go!

It was a lovely day for a stroll in a corn maze.
Taylor set off with a definite spring in her step.

When in doubt, try the path less chosen...

VICTORY!!!

Making corn angels!

Crossing the Great Divide. :)
You'll be relieved to know she made the jump successfully.

Here's Taylor chillin' out on the hay ride around the farm.

Taylor fell in love with the John Deere trikes. Just goes to
show you're never too old. If they'd had any for
big people, I'd have gone out there to ride one myself. :)

Here's some excellent video of Taylor taking the Barrel Train ride.
I think that halfway through the ride she probably reconsidered
her seating choice.

We'll have more fun updates to post in the very near future. Freaky Friday (aka Halloween) is coming up at the end of this week. Her costume is here and all ready for a day full of fun and trick-or-treating. Pictures of the pink mummy fairy will be posted ASAP!

Kristin

Our Beloved BooDog

2008-10-20T22:31:00.007-06:00

July 27, 1996-October 20, 2008

We said a final good-bye to our BooDog today. We were blessed with his presence in our lives for well over 12 years, rescuing him from Larimer County Dalmatian rescue when he was roughly 1 1/2 to 2 years old. I have many stories to tell about Boo, but they'll have to wait just a little while.

For now, I just want to say, "We love you BooDog. Forever and a day."

Here's a quote from one of the people at Dalmatian Rescue of Colorado. I feel every word of it today.

"There is a cycle of love and death that shapes the lives of those who choose to travel in the company of animals. It is a cycle unlike any other. To those who have never lived through its turnings or walked its rocky path, our willingness to give our hearts with full knowledge that they will be broken seems incomprehensible. Only we know how small a price we pay for what we receive; our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given."
--Suzanne Clothier

Kristin

Another One Bites the Dust

2008-10-11T20:59:00.004-06:00

Yep. You guessed it. Tooth #3 is finally a goner. Taylor lost her third bottom row tooth today while at school and was so overjoyed it was comical. I have to agree with her though. It took forever to come out. It was loose at Easter time for Pete' sake. Taylor has it safely tucked away in the pocket of her Tooth Fairy bear, dreaming of the loot she'll find in its stead when she wakes up.

Here's a picture of the toothless wonder girl.

Kristin

How Do You Spell Chalk

2008-10-10T16:33:00.010-06:00

I have remarked frequently on the surprising difficulty of the spelling lists that Taylor brings home in her homework packet each week. Words like residential and herbivore can trick up a few adults I know, let alone a 2nd grade girl. Still, Taylor has done a great job of practicing the words until she can get them right.

Imagine my surprise when she comes home with a spelling test in which she spelled the word chalk incorrectly. I'm thinking to myself, "Gee. If she can whip residential into shape, what's the problem with a sound-it-out word like chalk?" Then I take a look at her pretest to see exactly how she spelled the word.

She spelled it like this.

C-O-C-K

Whoa, Nellie! What???? Whoa!

My first thought is that I'm going to have to have another "special" meeting with her teacher. You know the kind. The ones that take place when something a little disturbing has happened in school that involves your child and they want you to come up with an explanation. And a plan.
Before you get worried, Taylor hasn't actually needed a special meeting yet, the first time was a false alarm.

My second thought is that I might need to get her hearing tested.

My final thought is that I'm going to have to have a talk with her and it might as well be now. So I ask her. What exactly did you think she said? Taylor answered me. I asked her if she knew the difference between the word chalk and the word cock. And I will have you know this. I may not always perform the myriad duties of motherhood with enough perfection to win any awards, but I managed to ask her this important question with a straight face! No laughing, not even so much as a smothered smirk. Straight face. I was immensely proud of myself.

Taylor responded very matter-of-factly.
"Chalk", she said, "is the white sticks you write on a blackboard with". "Cock", she said, "is a really mean chicken". Hallelujah! No conference with the teacher! Although my Mother of the Year award did go down the drain at this point. I couldn't possibly NOT laugh at her second definition. No way. :)

Kristin

A Stunner

2008-10-06T12:00:00.002-06:00

Taylor picked this gorgeous purple dahlia out as her
Find of the Day at the Fort Collins Farmers' Market.
Absolutely beautiful!
I wonder how long the glory will last?

Kristin

Read a Thon, Here We Come!

2008-10-03T08:00:00.008-06:00

We have spent the past week preparing for today. Announcing the 1st Annual Read-a-Thon at Linton Elementary School! Taylor has new pink pajamas, hot pink toenail polish on, several of her favorite books and one choice snuggle buddy to take to school today. Check her out!

Darla the Unicorn won the fierce competition

to be the snuggle buddy taken to the Read-a-Thon today.
The other 50 contestants are pouting up in Taylor's room.

I hope the kids all have fun today. Wearing your pajamas to school and reading in pop-up tents in the gym all day sounds like a pretty good time to me. Apparently the school fund-raiser has come a long way, baby! What ever happened to the bake sale during lunch hour in the school gym? I guess a ton of 25 cent brownies would have to be sold to keep up with the financial needs of elementary schools today.

Taylor has also been feverishly writing in her cool new book named "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Do-It-Yourself Book". Here's a few excerpts from her writings:

Good Advice For Next Year's Class

1. Never be violent.
2. Be really careful who you sit by.
3. Don't sleep during math!
4. Don't read during math!
5. Try to make it through a whole lollipop without biting it.

Questions to Answer

1. Did you ever do something bad that you never got busted for?
Her answer: 12 times

Hmmmm.....
When I asked her to spill the beans, she politely took the 5th. :)

2. Have you ever pretended you were sick so you could stay home from school?
Her answer: I don't even trie!

Either she loves school or thinks I'm a harda**. I'll believe the first until the second is proven.

Five Things No One Knows About You

Her answers:

I like pie.
I hate spiders.
My favorite band is Queen!
I like gold, purple, pink, red and violet in that order.
The most disgusting thing I ever ate was a cranberry smoothy.

My responses:

Pie lovers unite! I find this answer amusing because the only kind of pie she's ever had is pumpkin pie and it's quite evident when watching her eat it that she is more in love with wanting to love it than actually in love with it itself. Got that?

Spider hating is genetic. Welcome to the club. Grandma Lou is President and I am Vice President.

Viva la Freddie Mercury!

Having a favorite color hierarchy is awesome. I was the kind of kid that could never figure out what my favorite color was.

I've never had a cranberry smoothie, but I'm pretty sure your assessment is incredibly accurate. :)

Kristin

10 Things We Did While the Markets Crashed

2008-09-28T13:57:00.006-06:00

I left my heart in San Francisco--last year!
Marina at Sausalito, CA 2007.

1. Ate homemade cherry preserves on toast. Yum!
2. Played the game Pass the Pigs. Strangely addicting.
3. Tried out some new toenail polish. Color? Jezebel. Oh, yeah.
4. Learned some new card tricks, courtesy of our neighbor Greg.
5. Made a final decision on Taylor's Halloween costume. It was close, but the Pink Mummy Fairy costume won. I can't explain. Just wait for pictures. And use your imagination in the meantime.
6. Made some Bird in a Bowl and some of John's Chili.
7. Ate breakfast with chopsticks.
8. Shopped for a new set of PJ's for the upcoming Read-a-Thon at school.
9. Made our first leaf pile on the lawn.
10. Daydreamed about vacations past and future...

Kristin

A Little History Lesson

2008-09-25T12:16:00.002-06:00

4th of July, 2008.
I always smile when Taylor 'poses' for a picture.

Taylor treated us all to a little history lesson while we were playing handball on neighbor Greg's driveway. As kids often do, Taylor piped up with some unsolicited information gleaned from a recent history lesson at school. It's always interesting to me to hear the lesson filtered through a second-grader's brain. Here's an excerpt, as best I can remember.

Taylor: "Hey Mom! I know what Independence Day is!"

Me: "Really? What?"

Taylor: "It's the same thing as the Fourth of July."

Me: "Why do we celebrate the Fourth of July?"

Taylor: "Because it's when we got free from England. We threw a bunch of tea in the water and said we wanted to be free on our own. Then England got mad and said they wanted their money and we said no."

Me: "What was that fight called?"

Taylor: "The Boston Tea Party. I don't know why they call a fight a party, but it's when things got bad."

Me: "Did you know that fight led up more fighting and then a war?"

Taylor: "No. We didn't talk about the other fights. Just the party."

Me: "You'll probably get to that stuff later. The war was called the Revolutionary War and we fought against England for our independence as a country. That's why the Fourth of July is also known as Independence Day. Guess what, though? You know the guy that led our military in the Revolutionary War. We've seen his picture a lot lately. Do you know who I'm talking about?"

**************************************************************************************

I should point out at this juncture that Taylor and I had been working on money math every day for the past two weeks. George Washington's picture was in every math problem she'd been doing for weeks! We'd talked a great deal about George Washington being the first president of the United States and why his picture was on the one dollar bill and on the quarter.

**************************************************************************************

Taylor: "Uh, I don't know........." (she smacks the ball to Greg, thinks for another second or two, then her face lights up) "OH! I know! Grandpa Ed!"

Greg and I cracked up!

It made perfect sense to Taylor though. Grandpa Ed is a career military guy, she had seen his picture a lot lately and I had given her the hint that she knew the guy. Besides, Grandpa Ed is one of Taylor's heroes, so to her all of the pieces fit!

Sorry Grandpa Ed! A little misunderstanding about exactly how old you are is the price you pay for being a hero to your granddaughter. :)

Kristin

What I'm In Love With Right Now

2008-09-21T10:25:00.028-06:00

Since I don't really have anything noteworthy to blather on about, I thought it would be a great idea to blather on about all those simple things that make life a joy to experience. Autumn is a wonderful season with so many things to find joy in.

1. I think early fall is right at the top of my list. 80 degrees, sunny, all the leaves starting to change colors and a little nip in the air at night. What could be better? Here are a few pics of the glorious color changes happening right in our own back yard. Taylor and I went on a photo shoot today to capture some of the glory.

2. The parking garage (and the cool sky bridge connecting the parking garage with the hospital) being constructed at my place of employment gets a huge shout out from me! Long time comin', my friend. :)

3. Roasted peppers, squash and all the other early fall bounty found at our local farmer's market. Taylor and I went to the market today to ogle the pumpkins and drool over the smell of peppers roasting and kettle corn popping away. Yum yum!

4. Hayrides and horses. More fall favorites that we've been enjoying. Taylor went to a classmate's birthday party recently and was reunited with an old equine friend named Brownie. The first time Taylor rode Brownie was well over 4 years ago. Brownie is still giving out free rides at The Farm and accepting carrot and apple bribes to take the long track. Sweet!

5. Fall flowers are blooming everywhere! The mums, asters and late sunflowers are showing off, not to mention one last hurrah for the annuals. They're all loving the cooler weather and recent bout of rain.

6. Fall fishing! John has been journeying into the wild on solo fishing missions. He's caught carp, blue gills, trout, perch and this monster below, whose common name or species we do not know.

Even better than the fish (all catch and release of course), he also catches some glorious pictures of the outdoors. We still have plans to take one more sojourn up the Poudre Canyon before the weather gets too chilly.

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting
and autumn a mosaic of them all."
- Stanley Horowitz

Kristin

Meet Rosita Ocho

2008-09-20T22:16:00.007-06:00

Meet Taylor's new furry remote-controlled friend.

Taylor has been dying to go to the toy store to pick up this latest and greatest (not-so-greatest in her mom's opinion) invention from Animal Planet--a remote-controlled tarantula. Who thought this up? I have no idea, but it must have gone over in a big way in the test marketing phase. Every kid within a two-block radius of our house has declared it the coolest toy ever. Well, at least for today.

Taylor saved up her allowance money for a whole month in order to buy this furry little thing. After taking a good look at it out of the box, we think that Rosita Ocho (Taylor's name for her fake arachnid) bears a striking resemblance to this fellow we visited at the Butterfly Pavilion.

A cool specimen of spider, but we're pretty sure she doesn't do
wheelies and spin in circles like Rosita Ocho. :)

All I have to say is, "What will they think up next?" Well, that and, "If I ever find Rosita in my bed, shower or racing after me when I least expect it, that will be the end of Rosita Ocho!"

Kristin

Happy Birthday Bon Bon!

2008-09-15T14:07:00.006-06:00

The Birthday Boy on a fishing trip with Taylor.

Lordy, lordy, look who's..........well, thirty-nine. Happy Birthday Bon Bon! Even though everyone you know is trying to rush you by a year, hold fast to that last year of the thirties. Before you know it, you'll be opening the door to middle age and meeting the rest of us in the foyer. :)

When I met John in 1992, he had just turned 23. One of the first things I learned about him was that he had a list of things he really wanted to do before he died. What?!? A "Bucket List" at the age of 23? Yep. Among the things listed were:

operating a Zamboni
skydiving
returning to the Netherlands

I'm sure there were others of equally unique bent, I just don't remember them. See what happens when you enter the next decade of your life? :) I just know that the three above things were on his list 16 years ago and we haven't managed to move them to the DONE list. Hmmm... I sense a wild fortieth birthday party in the works for next year.

Kristin

Boom and Bling

2008-09-08T17:33:00.007-06:00

This post should also be known as "Our Tenth Anniversary (A Month Late...)".

This past August 8th, John and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. Where, oh where, has the time gone? Seems like just yesterday we were both looking forward to going back to school to pursue new ventures and wondering what it would be like to have a little 'us' running around our house...

For each of our wedding anniversaries, John and I have tried our best to give each other traditional gifts. I don't know who made up the traditional gifts list for anniversaries, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't compiled in this century or the last. Funny, but also part of the charm. We've given each other clocks, leather jackets, tea sets and the occasional appliance. On our 8th anniversary we decided to get Taylor's baby shoes bronzed.


Year	Traditional	Modern
1st	Paper	Clocks
2nd	Cotton	China
3rd	Leather	Crystal/Glass
4th	Fruit/Flowers	Appliances
5th	Wood	Silverware
6th	Candy/Iron	Wood
7th	Wool/Copper	Desk sets
8th	Bronze	Linens/Lace
9th	Pottery	Leather
10th	Tin/Aluminum	Diamond Jewelry
11th	Steel	Fashion Jewelry
12th	Silk/Linen	Pearls
13th	Lace	Textiles/Furs
14th	Ivory	Gold Jewelry
15th	Crystal	Watches
20th	China	Platinum
25th	Silver	Silver
30th	Pearl	Diamond
35th	Coral/Jade	Jade/Agate
40th	Ruby	Ruby
45th	Sapphire	Sapphire
50th	Gold	Gold
55th	Emerald	Emerald
60th	Diamond	Diamond

John and I both looked at the gifts to give for this year and simultaneously yelled out, "Yeah!". We've always been opposites, so it should come as no surprise that he was excited about tin and aluminum and I was excited (very) about the diamond jewelry thing. Here's the pics of what we chose for each other.

John's Boom! I don't know the name of this rifle or why it is so cool,
but John has been wanting one forever. The cool part
has something to do with the length of the barrel
and how light the assembly is.

Kristin's Bling! John picked this anniversary band out for me
all on his own. He was so disappointed when we had to
send it back to be re-sized. I was disappointed in
NO way whatsoever! :)

I was going to joke around and buy some rhinestone cuff links to give John. He probably considered trying to find a tin wall hanging to play a practical joke with. We both decided that the gifts slated for this year were far too cool to joke around about!

On our actual anniversary, John and I took Taylor to Boulder, Colorado for a night of fun. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory (yum yum!), then strolled along Pearl Street and browsed the shops. The highlight of the evening was the impromptu street show that we watched at the end of the evening. A guy named Dave performed acrobatic tricks and wowed the audience by hula hooping while balancing on cylinders. Taylor loved it.

Dave does the undoable--hula hooping while balancing
on cylinders (and ,we suspect, after tipping back a couple of cold ones...)

Ah, yes. 10 years and counting. For two souls of opposites-attract persuasion, we've sure made a go of it, as my grandma would have said. We're pretty lucky-- we both have jobs we love, a daughter we adore and a family to call our own. Best of all, we still have each other.

Kristin

Nurse and Friend, Now Author!

2008-09-07T05:38:00.010-06:00

My friend and co-worker, Peg (aka Maggie), has just published her first book for kids! I found out this terrific piece of news while at work last night and I am absolutely beyond thrilled for her!

Her book is titled "In Real Life" and tells the story of Libby, a twelve-year old girl who gets involved with an Internet predator. I haven't read the story yet, but plan to just as soon as I get my hands on a copy. The book is written for anyone and everyone, but especially for 8-12 year old kids and their parents. I plan on reading this book with Taylor and using it to teach her important things about Internet safety.

To find out more about Peg's book, go to Peg's web page and also visit the In Real Life website. Peg talks in depth about the book "In Real Life", introduces other books she is currently working on and even shares an excerpt from the book. You can buy a copy of the book by visiting the online store Book Locker , or searching for it by name at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Kristin

Happy Grandparents Day!!!

2008-09-07T01:59:00.007-06:00

A shout-out to the grandparents today!! We're pretty sure that Taylor has the best grandparents on the face of the planet and want them all to know how much we love and appreciate them. :)

Grandma Lou and Taylor on Easter Sunday 2008.

Grandpa Ed, Grandma Connie and Taylor at
The Outerbanks of North Carolina 2007.

We are separated from the grandparents by many, many miles, so each time we visit, or are visited by them, we take the opportunity to get the most out of each and every minute together. As someone once said, we should all have someone who knows how to bless us despite the evidence. Taylor has 3.

Kristin

Tae Kwon Do Progress

2008-09-05T08:13:00.008-06:00

Here's some new film on the Ninja Girl. She's about got her one-steps and forms memorized, which will earn her a third stripe on her belt. Then she's ready to test for her orange belt! Woo hoo!

Practicing one-steps at class.

Taylor tries to complete her forms from start to finish.
A little self-congrats at the end. :)

Kristin

Learning to Speak Chinese

2008-09-02T20:09:00.005-06:00

Christmas Morning 2007.
Taylor is sporting her new pink 'Chinese' kimono she got from Santa.

Anyone who knows Taylor very well knows that she is in love with all things Asian. Kimonos, silk fans, tiny tea cups and tea pots, jade figurines, Japanese animation series, artwork and good luck kitties--she loves it all.

Knowing this very well myself, it should come as no surprise that she has decided she wants to learn how to speak Chinese. She asks me on a daily basis what the Chinese word is for something: a dog? a cat? a book?

Today she came up to me and started the process in reverse. She politely interrupted my reading to ask me, "Mom, is javina (she pronounced it jahv-eye-nah) Chinese?" I thought for a second, then said, "What? That's not even a word Taylor!" She insisted several times that it was indeed a word. I repeatedly (futilely) told her that no, it is not a word!

Temporarily defeated, but undaunted, she left for a few minutes, then returned and picked up right where she left off. "Mom! It is too a word and it rhymes with China!" She stares at me stubbornly. So I then asked her, "Well, if it really is a word, what does it mean?" Thinking this would end the discussion. She immediately responded with, "It means what girls call their parts Mom".

Waiting....

Waiting...

My light bulb goes on!

I start laughing like crazy. "OH, you mean vagi..." I couldn't say it! I use the word on a daily basis at work, have even talked to Taylor about that word and what it means, yet I couldn't cough it up. Oh, but it was too funny! I explained to Taylor that no, that word is NOT Chinese, even though it rhymes with China. She was finally satisfied in her quest for knowledge and I now have a priceless memory to put in my stash.

Kristin

A Feeding Fiasco

2008-08-28T21:29:00.011-06:00

I took Taylor to Tae Kwon Do class this evening, as per our usual routine. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the last thing to do on a very long To-Do list for today. You see, I tried to get a little more than usual accomplished before Tae Kwon Do time this evening. I was, however, so intent on accomplishing said tasks that I ended up tasking myself right out of a decent meal. The whole day's intake for me through class time consisted of 2 bites of a muffin, several quarts of water and ten Tic Tac mints that I scrounged out of the bottom of my purse during class (when I finally realized I was STARVING).

Class finished at 6:45 p.m. Rather than fend off a hypoglycemic episode on the 20-minute drive home, I finally caved to Taylor's request to eat dinner at Pizza Hut. She's been asking me for forever to go to Pizza Hut and use the several 'free Personal Pan Pizza' coupons she earned for her reading efforts at school and in the summer reading program at the local library. Even though I am in no way a fan of Pizza Hut, I was hungry enough to eat a dead rat out of a homeless person's underwear. So, it really wasn't a choice as much as it was desperation coupled with the fact that a Pizza Hut is directly across the parking lot from ATA Family Martial Arts.

Apparently, when we walked into Pizza Hut just before 7 p.m., everyone else in the state of Colorado decided to order pizza delivered from this particular Pizza Hut restaurant. And you know that thing about 30-minutes-or-less-to-your-door-or-its free? Well, that same rule does not apply IN ANY WAY when you are a dine-in customer. From the time we ordered our food, it took 87 minutes to arrive at our table. And we were the only people in the restaurant.

Why wait so long? Well, in retrospect, that's an excellent question with no logical answer. All I can say is Taylor was very willing and I was out-of-my-mind hungry.

The first half hour of waiting I spent quaffing large amounts of water and Diet Coke. The next half hour of waiting I spent drooling over the salad bar contents, which were exactly 3 feet from me, and continuously reassuring Brendyn (our 14-year old waiter and low man on the Pizza Hut totem pole) that no, really, it's okay, we'll wait, no problem. Oh, they dropped the bread sticks again? Well, okay, are they coming any time today? 5 minutes? Okay. What? They burned the pasta? (How in the H-E-double-hockey-sticks do you burn macaroni???) SIGH. Okay. Are we going to get anything we ordered anytime tonight? Brendyn said YES Ma'am, and it's FREE. I looked at Taylor and asked, "Can we go home? Pleeeeeeeeeease?......... No? Well, fine. We'll wait for your pizza. And just so you know, it's the last one you're ever going to eat from Pizza Hut. EVER."

My increasing crabbiness should have been a great forewarning of what was about to ensue, but it wasn't. The last half hour of waiting I spent breaking several personal codes of conduct and shamelessly blaming my daughter for my degenerate behavior because she just couldn't live without having a Personal Pan pepperoni pizza for dinner.

What happened? Well, I went a little postal on the salad bar. At first, I went over to get a couple packs of crackers. I felt entitled to something. For the love of God, we'd been waiting for an hour. I hadn't eaten all day long. While I knew that was my own fault, I also knew that I would not stand for being deprived for very much longer! Can't the fools tell I am absolutely beyond famished??? For some reason, when that first cracker touched my tongue, it was like setting off an explosion in my head. A feeding frenzy ensued that, quite frankly, was as disturbing as it was uncontrollable.

I consumed an entire bin of celery sticks and two bowls of watermelon chunks. I absolutely despise watermelon. Didn't matter. I took the crouton bowl out of the salad bar and ate them at my table like popcorn out of a bucket. I stuffed fistfulls of olives into my mouth and I drank salad dressing like shots of Jack Daniels. I came up for air 15 minutes later to see Brendyn standing at the table with a pizza, looking at me like I was from Mars. I handed back the crouton bowl, looked at the pizza, then looked him square in the eye and said, "Can we get that to go?" I have to give him credit. He said not one word.

10 minutes later we were driving home, Taylor eating free pizza out of a box in the back seat of the car and Brendyn still standing at the cash register at Pizza Hut, wondering if I'd made a mistake or really meant to give him a $20 tip on a $0 ticket. :)

Kristin

She's Seven!

2008-08-24T22:55:00.028-06:00

Oh, the joy!!!

Taylor woke up today with a smile on her face and it has yet to fade. I asked her if being seven years old is as great as she thought it would be. Her answer? "It's even better than I imagined it. It's like being a queen!" Not too shabby then. :)

We started the day off slowly, opening the gift from Grandma and Grandpa Anthony that she has been dying to open ever since it arrived several days ago. And really, who wouldn't want to open something that looked like this?

The Box.
You just know there's something awesome in a box this pretty.

Taylor opened the box and out of the clouds of pink tissue paper emerged even more pink--a ballerina outfit! Taylor immediately stripped down to her underwear and donned the pink garb. After a couple of poses, she flitted and fluttered upstairs to spend the next hour practicing along to her DVD "Zoe's Dance Moves".

Taylor has wanted a new ballerina outfit ever since she outgrew her
first one, given to her when she was 2 years old. My brother fondly
referred to her first tutu as a one-one. :)

After perfecting some moves that would earn her a stint with the Royal Ballet Dance Troupe, we convinced Taylor to put on some hiking gear and pack up her CamelBak for a trip to Lory State Park. John and I planned a day hike for her birthday, complete with a picnic, waterfall and a surprise at the end of the trail. Time to get going!

We decided to stick close to home, since the weather became cooler today and there was a chance our birthday plans would encounter some rain before the day was done. We ate our picnic at one of the Lory State Park picnic sites and loaded up on some chocolate birthday cake carbs before heading up the hill.

Mmmmmm! Seven pink candles on top of a piece of
chocolate decadence.

Our chosen birthday path.

Taylor got to see the waterfall for her birthday.
I was surprised that, at the end of August, any water was running.

Stopping for a pose with Daddy on her seventh birthday.

We thoroughly enjoyed our climb to the top of the trail. Colorado was at her finest today--not too hot, not too cold, just enough sunshine and a light breeze to keep us from melting during the most difficult parts of the trek.

What's this???

We encouraged Taylor to make it to the top of the hiking trail by saying, "You never know what you might find at the top...". We rounded a bend in the trail and she eye-spied this fluffy purple package waiting for her on a rock. Was she ever surprised! We engineered this surprise by having dad walk ahead to 'plant' the gift while Taylor and I lagged behind to, er, use the facilities. Next to the gift in the bag, Taylor claims that learning to pee in the forest was her best birthday gift. :)

Our gift to Taylor this year. A heart shaped peridot on a gold chain.
She loves it!

We had the birthday girl read her card out loud to us, then open her gift. For once, we managed to surprise her. I really don't think she knew what would be in the box. She held her breath for a second after opening the box, then said, "My first real jewel!" Here's a movie clip:

We did finally make it to the top of the trail and stood there, marveling at the beauty of the landscape surrounding our community. As always, we wondered exactly why we don't get out more often, but realized that with work and school, once or twice a week is really about all we can manage. We will be content with that!

A gorgeous view from the top of the trail.

Taylor takes a break on the way back down.

As usual, the trek down was much quicker than the hike up. We stopped to take a break and enjoy the view from the scrub pines, then loaded up the Gas Hog and headed for home. John was scheduled to work tonight and school comes bright and early tomorrow morning! Taylor got the opportunity to receive birthday wishes a la cell phone from Aunt Abby and Grandma Lou, which rounded out the day's events quite nicely.

Life returns to normal tomorrow. After a 10-day birthday marathon that involved family and friends, gifts and giggles, trips to Denver and right in our own back yard, we all feel very blessed. One last hurrah at school tomorrow lets Taylor tell her class about her birthday celebration and hand out ice cream bar treats at the end of the day.

Kristin

Three in FC

2011 Week 6

2011 Week 5

2011 Week 4

2011 Week 3

2011 Week 2

2011 Week 1

The Cookie Pile

Three of a Kind

For You

this is my wish for you:

comfort on difficult days

smiles when sadness intrudes

rainbows to follow the clouds

laughter to kiss your lips

sunsets to warm your heart

hugs when your spirits sag

beauty to enrich your life

friendships to brighten your being

faith to make certain what you hope for

confidence when you doubt

courage to know yourself

patience to accept the truth

and

love to complete your life.

It's a Nice Day...........If You're In the Car!

Getting Ready for Happy Heart Day

A Little Wiggle Room

Starbucks Silliness

| Edit... My Notes:

My Notes

Write a Review! (optional)

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs, canola oil, vanilla and black coffee (cooled) together.

Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder, then add to egg mixture.

Alternate stirring in flour and milk.

Don't worry if batter seems runny to you. This is normal and makes the cake so moist!

Pour batter into two greased 9-inch round cake pans.

If you're making cupcakes, line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

Spoon the batter into the cups about three-quarters full.

Bake the 2 cake pans for 25 minutes or cupcakes for 20-23 minutes. (Toothpick will come out clean when cake is done.).

After cake has cooled, remove and frost with your favorite icing. Remember, at least 3 inches tall on those cupcakes!

A Date

Snuggie Girl and Kong Dog

Christmas 2009 The Prequel

Let's Try This Again, Shall We?

Purple Hair!

Now That's a Fish!

A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing...

Meet Sally

Wonderful Wake Up

Happy Independence Day--Muppet Style!

Say Goodbye to #5

#4 Is A Goner!

Amazing Grace Il Divo Style

Rear Ender Fender Bender

Another Beauty

Flocking au naturel

Cookie Crazy

Happy Heart Day

A New Kind of Ninja

Movie Day with Mom

Trying for Yellow

A Little C, If You Please

Birds, Birds Everywhere

MLKJ Day

A Glorious Sunrise

Is There an Echo in Here?????

Reading Binge

It's That Time of Year Again...

After Christmas Fun

Bonne Annee 2009!

A Heartfelt Thank You

Christmas Morning

The Santa Set-Up

Christmas Caroling 2008

Heaven in Winter

Send Me to the Moon

| Edit...
My Notes: