joys and sorrows

head hurts.

back hurts.

throat is starting to hurt.

just realized this morning that the kids DO have school on Friday, despite my careful planning of working today (my typical day off) instead of Friday.

Getting more and more worried about my bro, given the unrest in Egypt. 

In short, not one of my finer days.

On the plus side,

I'm almost done with my first crochet project.

I am sort of looking forward to our little winter storm that's a brewin'.

One bought a decent sized table air hockey game at Target yesterday for $17 (post christmas sale, 75% off) which is currently living in our living room.  It has been a fun diversion.

I resumed my netflix viewing, and I'm enjoying season 3 of Californication (mindless fun).

I am made an easy supper (chicken noodle soup with chicken broth, veggies, egg noodles and shredded chicken) that the kids love.

Kids shoveled for me with little fuss.

I hear Three praying and singing God songs under his breath all the time now.  It's quite sweet.

Glad to see my plus list is longer than my complaints list, but if I put a little more effort into it, I'm sure I could complain some more.  Instead, I'll sign off.  Bob is home.  Thank goodness.

3 for 3, baby

what the heck - I'll go for 3 posts in 3 days... A personal record!

Yesterday started out pretty yuck, but ended really great!  I love it when that happens.  Kids were grumpy, Bob was still sick and I was just sort of not interested in any of it, so I mentally checked out of a bit.  After lunch, I drove the kids over to a nearby huge snow mountain to play "king of the mountain" with some neighbor kids while Bob took himself to urgent care.

Anyway, after lots of fun (outside rough housing for them, inside the car knitting for me), we came home feeling much better about ourselves and each other.  Well, other than Bob, who came home with a bottle full of penicillin to treat his strep throat (poor guy).

Despite being ill, Bob agreed to let Two and I go out on our date, since it's our month.  We went to a nearby bar for, well, bar food.  It was good - Two remembers fondly a hamburger we had there last spring and has been jonesing to return.  After that, we went to a couple of craft stores to get more knitting supplies and soap making supplies.  (oh!  update!  the plans for homemade tonic are set aside.  too hard to find affordably priced quinine powder.)  Two was amazingly patient with me while I wondered the yarn aisles, mumbling to myself.  We squeezed in a trip to Target ("I promise not to whine about getting toys, mom!") and left with a new shirt for him.  We set off looking for mansions, which is one of Two's favorite hobbies.

 It was a lovely night full of sweet moments.  I am so thankful we have this tradition of parent/kid dates.  It gives me a chance to see that kid in his own light, have uninterrupted conversations, make silly memories together.  I take an opportunity here and there to teach a bit about dating etiquette (it's polite to hold the doors open, it's nice to respond when your date asks you a question, it's interesting to both parties when you talk about what your date wants to talk about also).  If you don't date your kid(s), I strongly recommend it.

The house is filled with happy children's voices now.  One is in a book bowl (teams of 4 kids read 15 books and are quizzed on them - winner from their school goes to compete against other schools - everyone reads the same 15 books), so we invited the team over for a practice session.  They ate some pizza, developed some strategy, and are now playing.  More practice is needed.  Hopefully another parent will offer to host also.

I'm off to practice crocheting.  It's harder than I thought it would be.  I like it.

Statistics and Home and Charlie Sheen

I just found the statistics info on my blog-thing.  How interesting to see how many (few) people look at this little blog and to see where they come from/how they find me!  And to see which posts get the most views - though that info is probably skewed because on particularly boring (pre-work) days, I would re-read my posts for lame entertainment.  Please tell me I'm not the only one who does that.

I suppose these statistics would be more interesting if I had more readers, which would mean that I would have to come out of the closet about this little blog.  Very few people in my life know about it.  I'm sort of embarrassed by it.  Why?  Don't know.  Anyone else ever feel embarrassed by their blog?

We had tentative plans to go to a beer/cheese show (how Wisconsin can you get?) today with another couple.  Our kids were going to be babysat together by some poor teenager.  Unfortunately, Bob is still sick and not up for beer and cheese.  And, quite honestly, I was having a little bit of sticker shock at the admission price ($40 apiece).  So, quiet day planned instead.  I would like to run some errands, since all of my errand-running time is now gone.  On my list is:

     1.  KOH lye, to make liquid soap
     2.  more yarn, to finish that scarf
     3.  citric acid, for the tonic I plan to make
     4.  a soap mold, for solid soap making.

Isn't that exciting?

I had 3 small world experiences yesterday, all within the span of about 5 minutes, all within my 2nd grader's classroom.  So, let me summarize...  I mentioned to one of the teachers (it's a combined classroom with 42 kids and 2 wonderful teachers) that Three is attending his preK program nearby at a small catholic school.  She said, "my husband went to school there!"  I said, "my father went to school there!"  She asked my maiden name, and then said, "are you related to Julie N"?  I said, probably - pretty uncommon name and if she's a near-west side Madisonian, then yup, I bet we're related.  Later confirmed with my mom that she is some distant cousin.

Then, a moment later, I was chatting with the other teacher, and she referenced how her Aunt Jean and my mom went to college together.  I knew that already - in fact, Jean is my brother's godmother - but this is small-world connection #2.

THEN, a moment later, I was stuffing take-home folders, and I read the introduction letter from the new student teacher.  I recognized HER last name as being my grandmother's maiden name.  I approached her and asked about relatives of hers.  She told me her grandparents' names.  Came home, checked with my mom, and yes indeed - we're distant cousins!

So, even though winter sucks and I wonder how many more of these I can endure, I can't leave this town.  It is home.

And to randomly wrap up this already random post - it's about damn time Charlie Sheen enters rehab.  That man needs some serious help.

eleven

Hi.
Long time no blog.
Where to start?

1.  A couple of Friday nights ago, Bob gave me the night off.  I threw a bunch of invites out to the wind to see who would join me at a bar for a margarita or two.  I didn't know who would show up or what it would be like.  It turned out to be super fun.  A nice smattering from many walks of my life - old work colleagues, old neighbors, new friends, my cousin MB.  We ended up shutting down one bar and moving to another.  Got home at 1 am.  Now THAT was a successful night!

2.  Work is good.  I was reflecting today that we have all adjusted to this new world order beautifully.  I was promised 20 hours/week thru June (still hired as a provisional employee) and this week it got bumped up to 27, which is about as high as I'd like it to go.  I'm enjoying the work and feeling more comfortable there every day.

3.  Three has started his 4K program at a nearby catholic school - the very same catholic school my father attended until 8th grade.  It is sweetly old fashioned.  There's a lot of Jesus/God/Catholic stuff, which isn't necessarily my thing, but I'm cool with him being exposed to it.  They have a fairly strict dress code, which is kind of stressing me out.  I have noticed the children who attend there are extremely courteous in holding doors open for others - something I've been trying to get my kids to do for a while now.  And, this is weird to admit, but the secretary, who is probably older than my mom, has the best set of boobs I've seen in a long time.  I want to ask her what kind of bra she wears.  I mean - perky!  Looking good, Mrs B!

4.  I probably should delete those last couple of lines.

5.  I finished Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.  What a wild ride that was.  Loved it, but also was fairly exhausted by it too.

6.  When I was in college, I became friends with another student named Doug.  We ended up working together at Toys R Us and I really enjoyed his company.  We even went out to the movies/dinner a few times, but I was dating Bob at the time, so it was strictly platonic.  Great guy.  Really enjoyed hanging out with him but didn't keep up with him post college/Toys R Us.  I noticed he had a terrible cough but didn't really think much about it.  My Toys R Us boss pulled me aside and told me he had cystic fibrosis, which is something Doug never revealed to me himself. Anyway, I started thinking about him recently and  googled him.  I found out that he died this past May.  I also found out that he married someone in the mid 90's (yeah for him) who sounds like a wonderful woman.  She wrote a book about their relationship and experience with CF, including his double lung transplant.  I bought the book on Amazon and I'm sooooooo enjoying reading it.  Dana, his wife, is a wonderful writer, and it's a beautiful story.  I find myself thinking about him now and wishing I had kept in contact with him over the years.

7.  On a lighter note, I haven't made any more soap, nor have I tackled the tonic yet.  Still looking for Quinine powder.  However, I HAVE been knitting again and am getting close to finishing the scarf I started, oh, a year ago.

8.  We had a lovely and unexpected visit from Grandpa John this past weekend, who was up from Arizona to meet his newest granddaughter.  John's visit brought happiness to Bob and I, which has lasted all week.  The kids had a fun time talking with him too, and Two remains impressed with his WWE knowledge.

9.  Speaking of far flung loved ones, my bro is living in Palestine now.  At least, I think he is.  Not sure, but my sis-in-law may be there too.  There was a big flurry of Baltimore activity to tidy up life here to move, and I tried to stay clear of it so as to not distract.  I was unsettled to read his email last week from a layover in Atlanta on the way to Palestine, and that unsettled feeling lasted all day.  Not sure why - he's a big boy and can handle himself in a foreign land - but...  I still worry and fret...  Mark?  Want to let me know you're ok?  And which email you have access to?

10.  On another lighter note, we drove to Milwaukee to do a brewery tour last Saturday of Miller Brewery.  At the end, the kids got free soda and pretzels, and we adults got 3 free beers apiece.  We drove down the street to Saz's bar for food, because we needed to get some food in our bellies and sober up a bit before heading back.  We stopped at the Johnson Creek outlets to do a bit of shopping and scored huge at Old Navy.  Get this -- 2 paris of jeans, 2 puffy vests, 1 long sleeved t-shirt, 1 sweatshirt for $32.  It was a fun day.

11.  I went out with a group of friends tonight, and I hosted Bunco at my house earlier this week.  I am full of gratitude for all of my girlfriends.  Lots of laughs and stories shared and memories made.

I'm off to bed now.  Bob has been sick, and I'm starting to wonder if it's coming my way now too.  Sleep will help.

Goodnight my dearies.

An emotional arc like no other

You guys.
I was just about ready to throw the %$^&%$@# computer out the $%^$&$@ window. 

Why is it that I am the IT person in the household?  I know very little about computers these days.  We have a bit of a computer crisis in this house, which is much too annoying and tedious to review here.  Suffice it to say that I have a pressing need to use the computer and printer, and we had no working computer/printer combo.  So, after several deep breaths and loud sighs and running my hands through my hair, somehow, SOME FRICKING HOW, I was able to make it work. 

And my first instinct was to rush over here and tell you about it.  Don't you feel lucky?

Speaking of lucky, I felt lucky earlier today.  I went to work but my 9 am appt didn't show.  I had nothing to do at work, and it's dreadful to be bored at work, especially when I have a bazillion things to do outside of work.  So, I explained to my boss and she said, "go".  I guess this is an advantage of being provisional.  I do not work; they do not pay me.  I can sort of decide when to stay and go.  Anywho, I dropped off my dead computer (argh!!!!!! but I'm not going into that story) at the fix-it place, and I drove across the street to visit my sweet little old grandma. 

I found my grandma sitting in the dining room of her memory-care-nursing-home.  She smiled and acknowledged me (and I think even recognized me) and then went back to tapping the spoon and fork together on the table.  WTF?  Grandma, I know you have dementia but c'mon!  I'm here! 

So, I tapped her on her arm and yelled, because she is so hard of hearing, "Grandma!  It's me!  Teresa!  Your granddaughter!"  She relied, very cooly, "yes, Teresa, I know it's you."  I wheeled her to her room and after exchanging brief pleasantries (she didn't remember how breakfast was but was able to remember that I had a bunch of boys that were probably at school somewhere), I grabbed a collection of photos of our family to look at with her. 

It was delightful.  She's not always in the mood, but today, she seemed to love it.  She brightened up, smiled, stared for a long time at Ole (her husband of nearly 70 years/my grandfather of 41 years) and said, "Yes, Ole.  I miss him so."  I replied, "I miss him too grandma" and teared up. 

Now, the great thing about someone with dementia is that you can get all teary in front of them and they don't even notice.  We're not a very teary family.  I am, but my mom certainly is not, nor is my grandma.  They are much too practical to get all sentimental.  So, I was able to grab a kleenex and have my moment while she was lost in the pictures. 

She remembered, then forgot, us all.  I pointed out a picture of her father, and she said, "Mr. Augustine!" which was indeed his name, but curious she would call him that.  She said, "I can't wait to see him again."  I explained that I have never met him and she said, "oh, you should!  The trip to see him isn't too bad."  I hope it isn't, grandma. 

She saw an old picture of me and said, "sweet little Teresa."  Again, I grabbed a kleenex while she continued remembering and forgetting again who these people were. 

My mom came by the time I had to leave.  I kissed my grandma goodbye and promised to visit again soon.  "You will see me again, right?"  Of course, grandma.  I am your sweet little Teresa.

things I want to make

1.  tonic, to replicate a most delicious gin and tonic served at the Underground Kitchen

2.  soap.  I went to a friend's house last week to get a brief tutorial about essential oils (she's an herbologist, or something like that).  I am now in possession of 3 lbs of very lovely essential  oils (lavender, lemongrass, and atlas cedarwood), and I can't wait to play with different types of soap, including (drum roll) shampoo and laundry detergent!  


3.  a knitted neck-warmer thing, or a scarf, or something knitted, since I haven't done any knitting in a year.  Yeesh.  That's bad.


4.  granola, inspired by Stephanie


5.  love.  HAHAHA!  Oh, I'm soooo funny.




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


Three just came up to me and asked for something to eat.  I offered him dinner, which is white chicken chili.  Sounds good, no?  He said, "no!  can't I just spend my money and get a hot dog?"  Where exactly does he think we live that he can just go out and buy a hotdog?  This boy is a misplaced New Yorker through and through.

I haven't posted pictured in FOREVER, so here are some from the last month of so..

Our living room, all decorated up for christmas.  That tree was the BEST smelling Christmas tree we've ever had (smelled until we removed it); however, it also dropped the most needles I've ever seen.  I guess beauty comes with a price.

 I found some of these buckeyes in the freezer yesterday.  And yes- they are almost all gone by now.  I am sharing with no one.

 I kind of want this chair for my living room (am having moments of spurlginess with my new job and all).  It's funky and comfy.  But what do you think?  Too office-y?

 Back to the christmas cookies.  My favorites from this year.  They are a lemon shortbready kind of cookie with a light frosting and a pecan tucked underneath as a surprise.  Yummy!

 We've been ice skating a bunch already this winter.  Here's Two in such beautiful form.  He's normally a bit more wobbly than this picture shows, but he's pretty good.  And self-taught!

 Aunt Aisha and Three bonding at the ice rink...

 One and two sledding down the hill (woosh!)...

 Three and One prepare for a race.

 And, finally, Aunt Aisha and Two enjoying a UW men's b'ball game.  They took lots of pictures, some pretty silly, but I think this one is my favorite.