Viva Las Vegas

You may or may not have noticed, but I've been gone for over a week! Last Friday we headed to Las Vegas to celebrate my Grandma's 90th birthday! All of my sisters and most of my cousins were gathered together and it was so great to see everyone again.  I did my usual trick of taking hardly any pictures at all.  These are a few of the ones I did get, and later I'll add Craig's to the blog.

Bentley playing in my uncle's back yard

Four generations!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!!!!

Enjoying the fountain show at the Bellagio

Who can resist the chance to take a picture with a miniature Eiffel Tower?

Bentley finds the only spot to sit that isn't facing a slot machine.

Kendra with a lady bug made out of carnations

Bentley thought these bees were pretty cool

There's tons more to tell. TONS. But I need to restock our pantry before I spend any more time blogging. I just wanted to let you know that we're back home and expect a lot more posts shortly!

A Short Plea

 From http://xkcd.com/1048/

Can I just say that this graph hit a little too close to home.  Both the little chunk of Joss Whedon over in 2006 (how I miss having Buffy afternoons with my grad school friends!) and then of course the scary gray patch that wells up in 2010.

Phew.  What a year.  I feel like every time I turn around I learn of someone who has cancer.

Readers-- eat those foods that are supposed to have antioxidants or whatever it is that nutrition experts are swearing will help your body fight off cancer, okay?  And wear sunscreen, too!  I don't want to deal with any more cancer in my friends and loved ones!  Down with cancer.

Matching

I just finished folding a load of laundry.  There were ten pairs of socks in it.  And I found the match for every. single. one of them.  Ever since Ryder discovered how fun it is to hide things-- under pillows, between couch cushions, or simply tossed over the side of his stroller-- things like being able to match up all the socks have become minor victories in my life.  So matching all ten pairs now counts that as blinding, raging success.



I realize it's kind of a pathetic thing to get excited over.  But you gotta grab victory wherever you can find it.  Don't you think?

Compensation

Tonight I painted my toenails. This really wouldn't be a very big deal, except I'm pretty sure it's the first time they've been painted since I was 8 months pregnant with Ryder. He's 17 months old now, so that makes for a really long time to not paint your toenails at all.   My Mom once told me that with each child, she noticed that one aspect of keeping house went out the window-- I think when she had me the chore that died was mopping.  I never mopped much to begin with, so I was already screwed in that department.  But apparently with each kid, I'm letting my personal hygiene go?  Or does painting one's toenails even count as hygiene?  Maybe that qualifies as a luxury or something (it's not like I don't cut them!  ...Occasionally).

I think as long as I'm still showering every day, I'm not going to worry too much.

And honestly, who can be bothered worrying about much of anything when you've got such a fun and smiley little Ryder around!

Trying to show how small he is in my big bed

(These were all taken after I made the bed with him in it.  He was delighted by the entire experience.)


Yeah, he's definitely more fun than pretty toes!

Signs of Summer

Last night, driving home from Young Women's with Craig, I saw the first firefly of the season.  Few things herald the coming of summer better in my mind.  And even though it's already a bit on the hot and humid side here (especially for being the very beginning of May!), if that's the price I have to pay for the only bugs that I truly enjoy, then it is well worth it in my mind.

Before I know it, school will be out and there will be time for Craig and I to sit out on the porch watching them flying and glowing and blinking on and off again.  And that's what summer should be about.

Welcome back, little lightning bugs!  I've missed you these last six months!

Conversations with My Children

All three of these conversations happened yesterday.

With Kendra:

Kendra: Mommy, if I pray in the woods, will I get to see Heavenly Father and Jesus?
Apparently she'd been learning about Joseph Smith in her Primary classes.
Me (turning off the car radio so I can actually listen to what she's saying): Well, that's pretty tricky.  I guess if you prayed with lots of faith and you had to ask them something that no one else knew the answer to-- not even Mommy and Daddy-- then maybe they would come and talk to you.
Kendra: Like, could I ask them how to fix my necklace?
Me: You could, but since I'm pretty sure Mommy knows how to fix your necklace, I don't think they'd come and answer that question.

With Ryder:

Me (casually flipping him over for bum-sniff while I carry him up the stairs), "Let's see if you're poopy!"
Sharp, corner wall at bottom of stairs: THWACK.  Right against his forehead.
Ryder: Ahhhhhhh!!!!  (gasps in breath while face turns every known shade of red). aAAaAAAA-

aAAAHHHHHHHHHHHhhHhHhHhHhHh!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me: omigosh, i'm sorryimsorryimsorryimsorry!!!!!

 

Ryder continues to cry hysterically.  Miraculously it didn't end up leaving a bruise.  That surprised me.  I've always been worried that one of these days I would accidentally conk one of my baby's heads against a door jam.  I didn't even think to worry about knocking my toddler into the corner of the wall!

With Bentley:

Me: Good night, Bentley.  I love you.

Bentley: Mommy, why doesn't the Holy Ghost have a body?  When will he get one?

Me: Um.  When God decides to let him have one?  I don't really know.

And this is why I'm so worn out by the end of each day.  And I thought defending my thesis was hard!

A Rainy Thursday Gives Me Time to Upload Videos

I don't usually bother with videos, mostly because I'm usually too lazy to watch them, so I figure no one else does, either.  But I happen to really like this one.  Kendra first started this game, and then Bentley joined in, and then we finally videotaped it.  I think we have a potentially great new Olympic sport!  Also, watch for Ryder's walking-on-uneven-ground toddle and his mischievous smile in the last second!  And ignore the fact that I'm in my pajamas and apron-- geez, I'm classy!




Cheerio!

The First Time I've Ever Wished We Had an HOA

It's even brighter and uglier in person.

I'm not sure which offends me more: the fact that they painted their vinyl, which will peel away as soon as it warms up this summer.  Or the fact that they also painted their bricks, which is just about impossible to undo.  Or the fact that they used the exact same color as painter's tape.

In any case, I guess I should be thankful that you can't see the blue from my house.  If they paint the back or the side towards us, I might just cry.

Blog Secrets

My father-in-law commented that recently I hadn't been blogging nearly as much as I used to.  At the time, I just answered that I'd been too busy, but later I realized that this wasn't entirely true.  Sure, I'm busy, but who isn't?  Show me one person who has ever not felt that their life was busy!  Like most people, I always think I'm busy!  And I used to find time to blog, so that isn't what had changed.

And it's not because I've run out of things to say.  I can't really picture that ever happening, to tell you the truth.

No, my blogging slow-down is really because there are a lot of things happening in my life that have been off-limits for the ol' blog.  For example, Craig and my callings (Elder's Quorum president and YW 2nd counselor, respectively) have us running around in circles these days we're so crazy busy, but it's not anything that I think you would find terribly interesting, so I don't blog about it.  Who wants to read about all the meetings we go to and our Tuesday night activities?  Yeah, I didn't think so.  And I didn't blog about Carla very much during her fight with cancer because I knew she read my blog, and I didn't want to write anything discouraging that she would see.  How awful would it be to check your best friend's blog and read about how she's afraid of you dying?  So other than telling you about my trip to see her and casually mentioning that she was fighting cancer, I mostly kept mum about her until she had passed away.

So, I'm sorry to be so secretive and not be blogging much.  But it's just the way things have to be these days.

But now, I am pleased to announce that there is something I have not been blogging about that I can mention to you:

  Craig just got accepted to 

George Mason University's 

Master of Education program!  

Astute readers will remember that Craig already has a master's degree from George Mason.  It's true, he does.  That degree was mostly just to get the pay raise his school gives to teachers with a master's.  It's good he got that, because I doubt we could survive without that extra income these days.  This new degree will-- hopefully-- put him on track to become a principal some day, which would be fabulous both because it would pay better and ALSO because he would have an even greater chance to make a difference in these kids' lives.  So this will be greatly increasing our level of busy-ness this coming year.  But it's a good and happy thing.

I'm very proud of Craig, both for being accepted and for moving ahead in his career!

Congratulations, Craig!  I love you!

Did You See It?

One of the space shuttles was brought to the DC area today, and will be on display at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum from here on out. Rather than quietly transport it, the Boeing airplane that carries it spent a good hour buzzing around so as many people as possible could see them in flight together. I LOVE that they did this. Apparently traffic on I-66 was a nightmare, but it usually is, so at least this time there was a good reason for it!

Craig had emailed me telling me to watch for it, but I had grocery shopping to be done, so I figured there wasn't any chance I'd see it. No joke, I was just pulling out of my street when it flew right over me! I was so excited I called all my family to tell them about it. Then, when I came out of Target, it buzzed right over the parking lot! That time I took a picture with my phone, but I'm pretty sure it's not a very good picture. I had to try, though. After that, I kept catching glimpses of it here and there as I drove to the library. And it never failed to amaze me. It was one of those moments when you stand in awe and are so proud of your country and its accomplishments.

Here are some pictures Craig managed to take of it (apparently it went right over his classroom twice!):



And if, like me, you just can't get enough, here is a link my sister sent me! (In those pictures, you can see the jet that was accompanying it, so that's also pretty cool.)

God bless America!

Camping

Some of our spring break plans ended up not working out, so we decided to go camping instead! The lovely thing about this trip was that-- unlike most of the times when we go camping-- I wasn't pregnant! (And, um, I'm still not, in case that sounded like it was trying to hint at something.) This made things infinitely more pleasant for me and, consequently, for everyone else as well. We were also lucky enough to have awesome friends, the Scoresbys, who let us borrow pretty much everything you might need for a campout : a sleeping bag for Kendra, an air mattress for me to sleep on (bliss!), a pump and a battery so I could inflate the air mattress, a cook stove, and finally their tent, too, since we weren't sure the air mattress would fit in ours. We were borrowing so much stuff, Craig finally suggested that perhaps we should borrow their linens, dog, and minivan, too. And I suspect if we would have asked, they would have said yes!

Anyway, the best things about this camping trip was the air mattress and the complete and utter lack of any bugs. I'm a big fan of not having to deal with insects.

The bad thing about this campout was that Ryder was fascinated with our campfire and with the dogs both of our neighboring campers had brought. So Ryder-duty was a little bit intense and exhausting. But I managed to keep him from being burned OR bitten the entire time, so I count that as a huge success. (I'll have to try and remind myself of this fact the next time I'm feeling like a rotten mother...!)

The other bad thing was that the low that night was 35 degrees (which I suppose explains why there weren't any bugs)! As I've stated over and over again on this blog, I am a complete wimp when it comes to cold weather. We'd brought every blanket we owned, and I slept with my hood and gloves on, but it was still pretty cold in that tent. And Ryder kept managing to wiggle his hands out of his blankets and then he would begin whimpering in his sleep which both broke my heart and terrified me that perhaps I was freezing my baby. So I didn't really sleep at all. But I don't think I ever have on a campout, so this wasn't much of a shock. And at least this time, while I was busy not sleeping, my hip bone wasn't digging into the hard ground! So the air mattress kept that night from being truly miserable. I really need to buy one for myself...

As soon as the sun came up everything warmed up and all was well. Craig managed to get a fire going AND heat up a bottle for Ryder while I snuggled with the kids inside the tent. Then he made french toast and sausage and hot cocoa for us, which was lovely.

Which brings me to the thing I LOVE about camping: it's the time when I get to be on vacation from any and all cooking duties. I get to sit back and let Craig do it all and I don't even feel guilty about that. He even makes my s'mores for me. Everyone should enjoy such a break!

Anyway, here are a couple pictures we snapped of the occasion:

Ryder digging into his hotdog bun here cracks me up. Normally he won't eat bread, so this was a huge step for him!

Good old fashioned father-son bonding time

Happy Ryder!

You know how some people look good even when they're camping?
Yeah, I'm not one of those people.
And I don't care a bit!

Back home and enjoying the warm weather

My Overly Friendly Neighbor

This post is going to come across as really whiny. I'm not actually apologizing for that-- I just want you to know that yes, I realize I'm being whiny. But I feel justified enough to not care.


Bentley's school is considered a "walking school," which means that there are only a couple buses provided for the kids who live the farthest away, and everyone else is expected to walk their kid to school. I actually really like this, especially when the weather is agreeable. We load Ryder into the stroller and enjoy a nice little walk to and from the school twice a day. It took Kendra a while to be able to handle that much walking with the minimum of whining, but she does fairly well these days and-- especially with the spring weather we've been having-- I really like this excuse to get outside with my kids.

But in the last few months, Kendra has become best friends with a woman, Wanda, who lives exactly halfway between us and the school. Wanda is pleasant. She takes her granddaughter and two neighbor girls to school and usually picks them up. But let's face it-- all I know about Wanda is that she walks with these girls and lives near me. Other than that, she is a complete stranger. And somehow this stranger has caught on to Kendra's insatiable need for love.

Kendra really is a love sponge. She will soak up any hugs, any kisses, any attention you're willing to give her. It's one of those traits that is both sweet and worrisome to a parent: I'm glad she's so friendly, and I love that she's always happy to snuggle with me and Daddy. But I also worry that she's a little too friendly too quickly to too many people. And because Wanda is willing to give Kendra that affection, Kendra now LOVES Wanda. The minute she sees Wanda, she runs up to her, throws her arms around her neck and lets Wanda give her kisses until they are ready to resume their walk, now holding hands.

And here's the thing: I really hate this. I hate the whole situation. And the longer it goes on, the more it makes me grate my teeth in annoyance. I want Wanda to go away. I want to tell her that she is NOT Kendra's grandmother (Kendra already has two wonderful grandmothers who adore her, thank you very much). That, despite all evidence to the contrary, Kendra gets plenty of love and affection at home. And that I don't like that she is essentially teaching my child that it's a good idea to hug strangers. And I don't like a stranger hugging and kissing my girl! A few months ago when Kendra and Ryder both had pneumonia, Ryder got sick just a few days after Wanda had been kissing Kendra and then explaining to me that she had bronchitis! She assured me that she wasn't contagious, but it still seemed really obnoxious. The whole thing left me seething.

Just this Tuesday, Craig came home early from work, so we all went to pick up Bentley together. This is exactly the kind of family together time that I love. But then on the walk home, we were flooded with Wanda and her brood, meaning that I was busy pushing my stroller through four circling kids-- only one of whom was mine-- and trying desperately to not run any of them over, a process which actually made me feel slightly claustrophobic and panicky. Meanwhile, Craig was way behind me, trying to hold one of Kendra's hands while Wanda held the other. This is not the family time I was looking forward to.


Yes, I sound like a grouchy old coot. But it's gotten to the point where I look ahead and dread seeing this woman leaving her house, watching for us, and then waiting to accompany us to school. Yes, I know some of you are probably thinking that I should be thankful to have such nice neighbors. I don't want to hear it. This is what I want: tell me how I can get this woman out of my life.

Please?

Addict

It's no secret that I love peanut butter and chocolate together. When I was in high school, I would frequently have to purchase Reese's peanut butter cups from the vending machines during our morning break time. (How was I so skinny in high school? I swear, I ate nothing but crap!) I still love those, but rarely bother to buy them, usually because I'm just too cheap and don't peruse the candy aisle at the store. When I was pregnant with Ryder and worried about gestational diabetes, I began eating a lot more peanut butter, and during our crazy diet, I discovered the joys of natural peanut butter (which, although no longer healthy, is really good in ice cream!). And of course, most of the desserts I've pinned on Pinterest are some combination of these two.

But this Easter. This Easter, I discovered these:
Which somehow manage to be even better than plain old Reese's PB cups. I think it's because there's even more peanut butter.

Only a couple even found their way into the kids' Easter baskets, and I devoured the rest. And then they were 30% off at Target yesterday, so I bought even more. And Craig has suddenly become more allergic to peanut butter, so I don't even have to share.

They're mine! ALL MINE I SAY!!! BWA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!



Yeah, I've completely lost it.

Some Spring Break Juggling

A couple years ago, Jen* shared this video on her blog, and now I'm sharing it again. It doesn't embed, so I'm just going to give you the link and assume that you are awesome enough to actually click on it. The video sounds simple enough-- just a guy juggling three balls. If you're really into juggling**, that's probably not even very impressive.

But it is!

First of all, he's juggling them to some of my favorite music, the last three tracks on the Beatles' Abbey Road album (well, not including "Her Majesty," which I don't)-- "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight," and "The End." These songs are some of my absolute favorite songs by the Beatles (and I like a heck of a lot of their stuff, so that actually means something!), and they're kind of lesser known, which probably makes me like them even more. I mean, any idiot can appreciate "Good Day Sunshine." But you have to be a real fan to know these songs.

But back to the video-- this guy manages to juggle the balls to the music in a way that really can't be described. You just have to see it, and watch how he makes it work, and also watch for the look on his face because half the time he looks like he's about to drop those balls, even though he's clearly got mad talent.

And then realize that you are grinning from ear to ear at the sheer awesomeness of it all.

Okay, go ahead and click on it now. You'll thank me.



See?





*Years?!?!?! Really??? I've been reading your blog for years now???
**Which I'm not, in all honesty. I mean, I'm super impressed with anyone who can juggle even a little bit. But I've never bothered to even try to juggle, and have no real desire to start. So I certainly can't claim to be a juggling connoisseur.

Spring Time Pictures

I honestly don't have a lot to say right now. (I know, weird, huh?) So I'm going to post some pictures and let them do the talking.

Cheers!

Craig was trying to capture just how blue Ryder's eyes are. I think he got it.

My second attempt at braiding Kendra's hair. I'm so bad at it! And her hair is so fine it's hardly even there...

Dyeing Easter eggs-- one of my favorite things to do

Ryder playing Peek...

...a BOO!

Ryder started to get very upset while we were dyeing eggs. I finally realized he just wanted to get to dye an egg, too! He was very pleased with his egg!

A quick family temple trip. Gotta love those spring colors!

The sun was in Bentley's eyes...

I really like this family shot

And I like this one so well, it's the new picture on my blog's banner!
It's about time-- Ryder was just a tiny baby in the old picture, and you couldn't really see him at all. It's about time we got a picture up here where you can see his face!

For Carla

Carla passed away Wednesday night. I knew that earlier in the day she had been coughing up so much blood that the doctors had finally had to close off one of her lungs and sedate her. So when I found out the next morning that she had died, it wasn't a huge shock. But death is always a little bit shocking, no matter how prepared you ought to be for it. I'm so sad for my friend. I've been missing her for a few weeks now, but the full brunt of that sorrow is starting to weigh down on me now. But I'm also a little relieved to know that she isn't suffering any more.

My sister has a friend who has worked as a midwife and as a hospice worker-- talk about opposite sides of the spectrum! She explained that there is a very spiritual element in both birth and death. And this makes perfect sense to me. Being born forces you through this scary time and then you are lovingly placed in the arms of your mother. I see death as a kind of birth that returns you to the arms of your loving Heavenly Parents. And while I think both must be rather dramatic and-- let's face it-- possibly even terrifying experiences, as soon as it's over, the tears are wiped away and you're surrounded by love and amazement for what just transpired. I hope this is what has happened for Carla.

Even in her death, I am aware of many little blessings for which I am very thankful. And which I am going to list here, mostly to help me remember them.

First and foremost, I'm thankful that I was able to visit Carla. It would have been easy for Craig to tell me it was too expensive or too difficult or that we should wait until spring break or any number of things. But he didn't do that at all. He wrapped his arms around me and asked me when I should go. And then he looked up airline tickets for me. Thank you for understanding, Craig, and for making this happen. I would have been devastated if I wouldn't have had that last chance to see Carla and her children.

I'm thankful that I got to hear Carla's voice one last time on Sunday. She had stopped answering her phone by then-- talking on the phone made her cough too much. So I would call just to leave messages telling her I loved her, but not expecting her to answer. On Sunday, as I was driving home from church I thought to call her (which is unusual, since I don't normally call anyone during that short drive). I was surprised when someone answered-- her sister Cathy had picked up. I asked what the latest news was and told her to please tell Carla that I loved her, and in the background I heard Carla say, "Tell Alanna I love her!" That little sentence brings me so much peace now.

I'm thankful that Carla was able to visit with her children one last time on Sunday, the day before she was placed in the ICU. When I learned she'd been sedated, I worried that she had missed her chance to say any last good-byes. But then I understood that this visit with her children had been that chance. Her sister posted this picture on facebook. It looks like they had a lovely visit and I'm so glad for that.


I'm thankful that I was able to know what was going on these last couple weeks. I'm thankful that Cathy was willing to post updates on facebook. (That seems like such a callous way to spread sad news, but I don't know how else she could have communicated with all the people who were worrying and praying for Carla.) I had worried that if or when this happened, I might not even find out about it for weeks. So I was thankful that Cathy kept everyone informed, and also that I saw her post announcing Carla's passing before other people had a chance to write all over her wall, sending their condolences and messages of grief (it would have been kind of shocking to see one of those posts first!). It's a little thing to worry about, but it's nice that I found everything out in the gentlest way.

Just a few hours before she died, I sent Carla one last email, thanking her for what a wonderful friend she's been. I can't imagine that she ever saw it or heard it, but I'm glad I wrote it, just the same. I'm glad that-- for once-- I didn't put off writing an email that I thought of.

When Carla was a little girl, she sat in her primary class and burst into tears because the teacher kept calling her Carla. Through her tears, she insisted, "My name's not Carla, it's Bobo!" Ever since she told me that story, that's been my favorite nickname for her. And lest you think I have the monopoly on dreadful nicknames, she always called me Alanna-Mahana (all you familiar with Johnny Lingo will get that reference. And yes, it was usually accompanied with, "Alanna-Mahana, you ugly! Come down from that tree!").

Rest in peace, Carla. Thank you, again, for being my best friend. We'll continue this friendship in the hereafter. But until then, I'll miss you forever, Bobo.

Craig Quote

As we watched Ryder trying desperately to run and keep up with Bentley and Kendra, Craig commented, "Do you ever get the feeling that we just shoved a brand new driver onto the autobahn?"

Good luck, kid!

My Cause Right Now

My friend Carla isn't doing well. She's been in and out of the hospital for the last couple weeks, mostly because she's been coughing up blood. Apparently the cancer in her lung has formed a bleeding lesion. They've also found a couple new spots of cancer, too, so that had to have been incredibly disheartening.

Tomorrow is a Sunday which my church devotes to fasting-- it's a time when we go without food or water for about 24 hours and pray with special intent for whatever we feel we need, physically or spiritually. I know of several congregations that will be fasting and praying for Carla tomorrow. If you don't have anything you're already worried about, please consider joining all of us in praying for Carla. I can't imagine anything more difficult that what she is going through right now.

I believe in a God of miracles. I believe that even now, it's not too late for a miracle. And I can admit that I want one for purely selfish reasons: because the idea of a world without Carla in it terrifies me.

Carla has been my best friend since our freshman year in college. She's the kind of friend who, when you're a dumb sophomore, pulls you aside and lovingly tells you to stop being an idiot. And she does it so sweetly that you know she's saying this because she truly does love you. And you can only be grateful to have a friend who does hard things like that for you. Which means you have to actually try to stop being so dumb. The kind of friend who offers to do your laundry for you, the perfect roommate who cleans the apartment when she's stressed out. The person that you plan to live in the same retirement home with some day, so you can enjoy one another's company, but also take turns turning off each other's oxygen and pulling other fun pranks like that. She's the kind of friend who drives 8 hours one-way across Japan just to have lunch with you when you're a missionary. And she brings a suitcase full of American foods and shampoos along with her.

She's the kind of friend who throws you a bridal shower and then a baby shower a year or so later.

At my wedding, my maid of honor

Who, when she's watching your baby at Disneyland, buys him his first set of Mickey Mouse ears to try to keep him happy while you're away on a ride.

We still have Bentley's Mickey Mouse ears. He actually likes to wear them now, too!

She's the kind of friend you almost want to keep all to yourself, but you know she's so great that it doesn't surprise you a bit to look at her facebook group and realize that most everyone else considers her their best friend, too. (But really, I know I'm one of the few who she calls that. Really!) And instead of being jealous, you're just glad to see how many other people recognize how wonderful she is.

A bunch of roommates who all came from St. George the same weekend I came to visit-- yup, she's that popular!

So you can see why I just don't want Heavenly Father to take her away from all of us just yet. The world needs Carla.

I love this picture from her wedding day.

Please pray for Carla.

What Character Would You Be?

I woke up suddenly at 4:48am. Something was not right.

I listened for a moment and realized that I had accidentally gone to sleep with my door shut, the fan running, and the windows open-- a mistake I usually never make. With all three like that, there was no chance that I would hear Ryder if he woke up. I listened for one more moment-- yup, I could barely make out the sound of him screaming.

I quickly warmed up a bottle of milk, cuddled him while he guzzled it down, and put him back to bed. He slept super late the next morning, leaving me wondering just how long he'd been crying before I woke up? Sorry, baby!


Anyway. I can remember when my Mom used to read the Madeline books to me. I always related to Madeline-- I can picture me as a kid falling into the river, enjoying the attention I would get had my appendix ever needed to come out, and certainly not being afraid of the tiger at the zoo or mice. (I certainly have never loved winter, snow, or ice, though!)

But apparently, now, I relate more to Miss Clavel.


That's me! Or since these books take place in Paris, perhaps I should write, "C'est moi!"

Disappointment in the Kitchen

You know you're lazy when your back hurts from laying down too much. In my defense, I was sick today. But that doesn't mean I can't get Lucille Bluth's voice out of my head purring to her daughter that her twin brother had called her, "'A stay-in-bed mom...' Probably because you're lazy and you don't work. His words! Not mine..."

Yup. That was me today. The good news was that I didn't have much of anything going on today, and the kids mostly let me get away with being sick. This would have been worse if I'd had to cancel any big plans for the day. The bad news is that Craig is even worse off than I am, so I still got to be in charge of feeding the kids and putting them to bed. He did, however, conveniently schedule a doctor's appointment for himself tomorrow within ten minutes of Kendra's 4-year-check-up, so I guess we'll have a nice family outing in the morning!

The really annoying thing about all this is that I can't help but blame it on the awful dinner I made last night. Last night's dinner was so sad. I've said before on this blog that my cooking has come a long way since I first got married (when I knew how to make about three dishes, and they all served no less than 12 people). I can make breads and soups from scratch (the key is as much sour cream, heavy whipping cream, and cheese as you think your arteries can handle!), and desserts and all kinds of stuff now. I can even sometimes have it all ready at the same time! So I've also gotten more confident in my ability to spot a yummy recipe. But boy did I fail with this one.

It sounded so good: Thai vegetable curry. Doesn't that sound delicious? And it was from Dr. Fuhrmann's book, so it was healthy, too! Now, at this point, I should probably admit that I did not follow the recipe exactly. Usually when I'm trying something new, I follow it to. the. letter. That way, if I don't like it, I don't have to second-guess myself, wondering if it would have been better if I'd made it properly. So I didn't give Dr. Fuhrmann the chance I usually would give him. But in my defense, I have no idea where to find watercress (so I left it out) or Vegi-Zest seasoning (so I did what I usually do for that, and used a little bit of Mrs. Dash instead). I also used a little extra coconut milk, because I figured why not?

And this recipe was a pain. It called for a ton of ingredients (eggplant! bamboo shoots! watercress! coconut milk!) AND a bunch of fresh spices (mint! basil! cilantro!) so it was expensive to put it all together. And I had to do a lot of chopping, washing, and making rice. Expensive and it took a long time.

But I was excited to try it. I was even willing to inflict peanut butter on Craig for this one (he says this is the other reason he feels lousy today-- guess I can't pull that little trick any more)! I spent money like we had it and slaved away in the kitchen and sat down excitedly to eat this meal. And with the first bite I realized that it tasted...

...like

...nothing.


Seriously. It tasted like absolutely nothing. How could all those ingredients add up to no flavor whatsoever???

I was so disgusted I only ate half of what was on my plate. Then I turned to cereal for a little comfort. And flavor. I couldn't even count on Craig eating the leftovers (thanks to the peanut butter), so I just threw it all away.

What a waste.

So then when I got up this morning and realized that I couldn't stay vertical without feeling dizzy, I went from being disappointed to being utterly disgusted with this meal. When I was at my worst, I couldn't even type out the words "Thai vegetable curry" to Craig without wanting to throw up.

Down with Thai vegetable curry!!!! Down with watercress and coconut milk! I hate you all. Never will I waste my precious time and money on you again.



Okay, I'm finished now. I'm going to go lay back down again.