hoe down in Nashville

yogurt ...

what, it's not a face cream?

fun with shadows

Oh Hi!

speaking of spiders ...

this fine specimen found my French door a nice place to hunt. Please, no huminz for dinner.

we've been so blessed. We beem with pride over our kids.

two peas in a lime green pod

Not sure what he was summoning, but I'm sure I heard that scream! (and I love the happy screams and squeals!)
Chicken dance, anyone?

spiders spiders everywhere

I hate arachnids. Especially ones that are about an inch across in my bathroom. The little creepy crawlies appear overnight. Literally. I vaccuumed up 2 of them on Sunday, and then this morning there was another in its EXACT place. These, to my eye, look like brown recluse spiders. I might be sounding paranoid, but it's really not something to wait to find out about. So Gene and I will argue to a point about whether I'm right or wrong - I don't care, but I'll continue to vaccuum everyday. These were shot at 6x zoom and then they were cropped to show detail.

Ernie goes pee on the potty!

Yesterday - the first "real" pee ... it was so awesome, I praised him so much and he was sooo proud of himself! When changing his diaper when he woke up from his nap, I asked him if he wanted to pee on the potty (I've been working on getting him used to the idea for a while) he nodded YES very visably. And you could see from the look in his eyes that he really wanted to try. So off we went and turned on the water and then he went. What a champ. We have 2 terrific kids. I'm so very proud of them!

YAY!

Wow ... 5 years ...

more pictures to follow -- I can't believe my little boy, who was barely pulling himself up on a pawn on his first bday ... is now towering over the king and holding it up like it's styrofoam.

Butterfly on daisy

The birds and the bees

I'm nowhere near ready for "the" talk ... but when the time comes, I'll be ready to have it in pictures.

not what you hope to find on your son

looks like an adult female lone star tick. last year I had one, this year Dru did. We're paying close attention to him over the next few weeks. Pray for no symptoms! It wasn't embedded, I hope that's a good sign. Thanks, Gene. for making him get in the shower with you, and for finding it. you're the best.

Memorial Day 2008

Gene and I had our first date in about a year and a half. The kind where I put on makeup (gah!) and a dress. No kids, fancy restaurant. The works. We're celebrating Gene's new job. CONGRATS !!!!!!! On the way we decide to have a cookout. A day and a half later. Somehow, we had enough food (some leftover!) and enough friends and neighbors to have a fantastic time. Gene played golf on Sunday, I got in touch with people and started planning frenetically. At one point, I was on the phone with someone who wanted a recipe - Gene called in, Dru wanted something or other, Ernie was screaming, I was baking bread (4 loaves), the doorbell rang, it was one of our neighbors who came to the cookout ... 2 people still on the phone ... and I was in my jammies still !

We had about 25 big people and about 15 little people. We fed them all sorts of yummy things -

• ceviche with mango and tomato salsa, together with the yummy spring sweet onions.
• Insalata caprese with basil from my garden,
• hummus - can you have food without hummus?
• marinated and grilled artichokes,
• broccoli salad from Glenda,
• grilled u-15 shrimps with zippy sauce,
• potato salad with eggs from Dave's brother's farm, (and fresh dug potatoes as they're called in these here parts),
• Amish friendship bread - the batch I made and the batch Gigi brought ;),
• roasted root vegetables including beets, rutabaga, turnip, carrot and sweet potato,
• chicken kebobs with Maureen's ginger/garlic/ lemon marinade,
• watermelon,
• burgers, dogs, hobo pork meals
• chips of all different colors, sweet and savory

It was just a food freakin' orgy! The neighbors are starting to think we party like gourmands every weekend. And, with Gene's cooking ... I guess we do. One of our friends said to Dru ... your mom cooks really well. To which young son said, "yeah, she does. But not as well as Daddy!" D'oh! He's right. Gene is amazing in the kitchen -- and anywhere near a grill.

The kids had a blast, the adults had a great time. We are so very thankful for the blessings of the last year. We all speak English. We can discuss politics without fear of reproach. I can enjoy the company of people who go to different churches, and those who don't. We have our military to thank for that. Our freedom isn't free. To those who have served, thank you.

chair dancing

stormy, wool E bull, and a whole lotta fun!!!!!

hockey chanting Ernie
Dru, "I'm on Stormy's team"
Ernie, not to be left out of the fun ... :D
Wool E being goof E

Ernie, the showman

white ribbons for babies

Ernie, the trend setter. He has a new trick up his sleeves. the kitchen table. Oh shit.

you can't make me!

I know I got myself up here. but I refuse to come down! REFUSE!

The plastics in our lives and what all those numbers inside the triangles mean

A few weeks ago a news report broke on the Today program about the dangers of #3, #6, and #7 plastics. I wonder if it's more at the root of early onset of puberty in girls, autism in the US (what I've read suggests that autism is a disease/condition of the 20th century), alzheimers? Whatever the case may be, dishwashers, microwaves and plastics weren't tested in the 1930s ... they didn't exist. It shocks and saddens me that I trusted the "system" and now I feel that I've poisoned my boys. Dru has been unstoppable looking at the bottom of everything plastic in the house and insisting we throw it away if it's a 3, 6, or 7. I'm so proud of him. Print out this chart. I hope it helps your family stay healthier.

1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) Used to make soft drink, water, sports drink, ketchup, and salad dressing bottles, and peanut butter, pickle, jelly and jam jars.
GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

2 High density polyethylene (HDPE)Milk, water, and juice bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners, and grocery, trash, and retail bags.
GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

3 Polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC) Most cling-wrapped meats, cheeses, and other foods sold in delicatessens and groceries are wrapped in PVC.
BAD: To soften into its flexible form, manufacturers add "plasticizers" during production. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of PVC when in contact with foods. According to the National Institutes of Health, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), commonly found in PVC, is a suspected human carcinogen.

4 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)Some bread and frozen food bags and squeezable bottles. OK: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones, but not as widely recycled as #1 or #2.

5 Polypropylene (PP)Some ketchup bottles and yogurt and margarine tubs.
OK: Hazardous during production, but not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2.

6 Polystyrene (PS)Foam insulation and also for hard applications (e.G. Cups, some toys)
BAD: Benzene (material used in production) is a known human carcinogen. Butadiene and styrene (the basic building block of the plastic) are suspected carcinogens. Energy intensive and poor recycling.

7 Other (usually polycarbonate)Baby bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utensils, plastic coating for metal cans
BAD: Made with biphenyl-A, a chemical invented in the 1930s in search for synthetic estrogens. A hormone disruptor. Simulates the action of estrogen when tested in human breast cancer studies. Can leach into food as product ages.
other examples - pediasure, GERBER baby food tubs, hard plastic that looks like glass, and more!

the herbs are planted!

this year we have greek oregano, sweet basil, purple basil, bunch basil, genovese basil (of course), purple basil, thai basil, dill, thyme, lavender, rosemary, chervil, mint, coriander/cilantro, parsley, sage, arugula, marjoram, lemongrass and a few more. The oregano is ginormous this year. Looks more like mint. The rosemary looks awesome, and the basil is going to be in the blender as pesto and the thai basil as nim chow before you know it.

We bought a new toy for Gene in the kitchen. Finally ... he's really needed one for a long time. an 11-qt food processor. He LURVES it. For dinner sunday he used it for stuffed chicken breast, prepared as directed in Cooks Illustrated April 2008. The boys loved it, as did our guests. We followed that with hot out of a 450 degree-oven biscuits with fresh whipped cream and the strawberries we picked on Friday. YUM.