Creature Bug

7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 16)

: 1 :

I'm feeling good about hopping on the blog bandwagon again. I had intended to blog every day in May, but I fell asleep at 9 pm last night. I really do love sleeping.

Fortunately, I got a lovely view of the sun setting out my office window before I fell asleep.

: 2 :

I raved and bragged all over Facebook about this, but in case you are one of the few people who knows me here and not there, let me brag some more: my youngest brother Jake ran the Boston Marathon and finished 93rd.

Ninety-third out of more than 10,000 runners. He ran it in 2:41, which breaks out to 6:09 minute miles, which I am afraid I would never be able to run in my life. My brother is seriously so amazing. I told Jason that I could train my whole life and never run a marathon in under 3 hours.

He laughed hysterically.

I think that means he agreed with me.

I found out later, though, that a 40-year-old woman beat Jake by 20 seconds. And I thought to myself, "In four years, I could be that 40-year-old woman kicking some youngster's fancy kicks to the curb." So. There's hope (albeit small and unrealistic hope since I can't imagine spending the amount of time necessary to compete at that kind of level).

: 3 :

Speaking of marathons, I still am planning on running the Portland Marathon in October. My training has been a bit, um, uninspired. But I have all summer. And I'm relying on the fact that brother Jake and I
share the same genes and somehow that is going to help me cross the finish line this fall. (My brother is rolling his eyes right now and muttering about his delusional older sister.)

: 4 :

I made Jules hide my iPhone from me this morning. I just had stuff I had to get done, and darn it all if that little machine is not the biggest distraction I have. Don't get me wrong. I love my iPhone. But I lack some self-control. I don't know where Jules put my phone, but when I was done with my chores, she went and got it for me.

And you know what I missed while I was separated from my phone?

Nothing. Not a text, email, or emergency Instagram.

You know what I gained? Three hours of uninterrupted time.

Yep.

: 5 :

According to the weather people, it is supposed to be sunny next week. Maybe, MAYBE, even get close to 80 degrees.

If it doesn't happen I will cry.

I will rejoice in the Lord and be thankful for the day He has given, but I will cry. I need some sunshine, people. The rain is good, but the sun is really good.

: 6 :

My plans for all the sunny weather? Work on my garden. So far we have planted carrots and beets and peas. And we have seeds for all sorts of other yummy garden goodness, and I'm going to pick up some tomato starts. Oh joy! Garden food!

: 7 :

Also perfect timing for the cloudless skies? The supermoon! Tomorrow night the moon will be the biggest and brightest it will be all year. I love supermoons. They are one of the most glorious sights to behold.

Happy Friday, friends!

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7 Quick Takes Friday: Christmas Highlights (vol. 15)

A few (but by no means all!) of the highlights from the Christmas season...also, I'm not being quick at all about it. It's what comes of trying to cram a month of blog posts into one post.

: 1 : Christmas Tree Hunting :

I wonder sometimes how my kids will remember the tradition of getting our Christmas tree. There is always mud. There is sometimes rain. And because I absolutely don't want to just pick the first tree I see--even if I do, in fact, love the first tree I see--there is tromping around the Christmas tree farm promising the girls that at the end of the trip there will be hot chocolate and candy canes.

Remarkably, this grumpy face was just for show. She was all about getting the tree. Holiday spirits were high.

The big sister, however, was less than happy about Christmas tree hunting. First off, she stepped into a big muck of mud (see above boots) and when she tried to pull her boot out, she pulled her foot out instead and ended up with a sock full of mud.

I laugh as I type. I laughed then too. Much to Sydney's great indignation.

Jason remarked on Syd's grumpiness. I reminded him that Sydney hates getting the Christmas tree. Every year she's miserable. It's a tradition that I cease to fret about.

: 2 : Portland Zoo Lights :

The Portland Zoo has the best zoo lights! We were lucky enough to go twice this year, once with Jason's parents and once with our dear friends.

We were totally prepared this year with warm clothes and mittens and strollers and snacks and jammies for the girls to change into after we saw the lights so they could fall asleep in the car on the way home and life was merry and bright. We drank hot chocolate, rode the Christmas train, hugged the costumed polar bear and loved it all.

I have the cutest video of Jules narrating part of the Christmas tree lights, and I'll try to get it posted tomorrow.

: 3 : Dry weather :

We had so many nice, cold days. I wished it would have snowed, but at least we didn't have much rain.

(You didn't expect me to write about the month without getting in some weather related news, did you?)

: 4 : The Nutcracker :

Sydney's performances were the first week in December this year, which made for a less stressful month since that freed up the rest of our weekends.

She was a Peppermint and a Mouse, and all the girl cousins from the Family Farm saw Sydney perform and gave her performance gifts. So sweet!

After five performances and two dress rehearsals we thought she'd be all Nutcrackered out. But, no. We continued to listen to the music from the show all through December, and she was still excited to go with Grandma Sharon to see the Oregon Ballet Theatre's performance of The Nutcracker, which is, of course, quite a few steps above her own school's performance (which was still wonderful in it's own way).

: 5 : Family :

We did Christmas Eve Eve with my family, Christmas Eve with Jason's family in Eugene, and then Christmas Day with our own family, our church family, and Jason's parents. I am so thankful for our families! They bring me so much joy.

Addie and Grandma-Great were quite tickled with each other.

: 6 : Birthday Girl :

I know, I already wrote about her birthday. But it's still Christmas fun to have a birthday thrown in the mix. We do extra baking, extra wrapping, extra singing, and extra dancing. It's a birthday/Christmas extravaganza. Jules picked a 50's themed diner for her birthday meal, and got treated to an ice cream sundae surrounded by pictures of Elvis and Shirley Temple and Lucille Ball.

: 7 : Togetherness :

I love Christmas. I love that a school deadline forces me to have my grades in so that I don't have any work hanging over my head (too bad Jason can't say the same--he went in to school three times this week). I love the baking, the carols, the movies, the hot drinks, the pictures and more pictures, and going to church and thinking about this amazing thing of God becoming a little baby.

I loved watching my girls try to figure out what their presents were (yes, we had all their presents wrapped and under the tree a week before Christmas, and THEY LEFT THEM ALONE). Loved that my brother came down from Seattle for a long visit. Loved that I have an international texting app, so I got to text my sister in Scotland. Loved that Jason and I had--for the first time ever!--all three girls staying overnight with Grandparents, so we got to go see Sherlock Holmes.

We were together, and it was just everything I wanted it to be.

Tomorrow is the last day of the year, and I still need to get my end-of-the-year-video done. Better get to it.

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7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 14)

: 1 :

I finally got the girls' silhouettes framed and hung above the piano.

The silhouettes were printed at Costco, and the frames are from IKEA. I love how they turned out.

: 2 :

It's three days before Halloween, and I'm not sure what the girls are going to dress up as. Maybe a princess? Maybe a Norwegian maiden (seriously. that's an actual possibility). Whatever it is, I won't be making it because I am not crafty that way and it doesn't occur to the girls that I should sew something.

They have a Candy Carnival tomorrow night, and Monday night, and also trick-or-treating. There will be a lot of candy in our house.

: 3 :

Our furnace broke earlier this month, so we had someone come out to fix it. Turns out, he only half-way fixed it, so it still wasn't working properly. A different guy came out today, and quickly diagnosed the problem. The only charge was going to be for the new part. After working on it for awhile, he finally turned the power back on. Nothing happened.

He figured that the breaker had been flipped at the box. We went back to flip it back on and *POP!* Sparks flew from the furnace and the breakers flipped off (thank goodness for breakers). Turns out, he had wired it up incorrectly.

Much apologizing and nervousness later, he had it fixed.

He didn't charge me for the new part.

: 4 :

I can't believe the NBA has cancelled all its November games. It's crazy. Quite possibly, Jason won't be playing fantasy basketball this year. I've already devised plans for his extra freetime. (Not really. I just typed that to hear him snort indignantly.)

: 5 :

I have almost made it through this entire month of posting every day. I have lost a fair amount of sleep because of it (if you scroll back through October's posts, you'll see a majority of them were posted past my usual bedtime), and though it was fun, I'm pretty certain I won't be posting every day in November, unless I just start posting photos.

Hope I didn't bore you too much.

: 6 :

Even after seven plus years of loading one or more children into the car, I still feel like it should be easier. Why does it take so long to get three kids in the car?

Why oh why oh why?

Every weekday morning, it's always a frantic rush to get out the door. Even if we aren't late, I have to move into "get into the car right now" mode, or they won't ever get there. It's an art form that I have not yet mastered.

: 7 :

If you like to listen to podcasts, might I recommend this one from Radiolab? It's called Lost and Found, and the whole podcast is really heartwarming. It's the third segment, though, that I love the most. Even if you just listen to that one--it's called Finding Emilie--you won't regret it. I first heard it last January when Addie was in the hospital, and I cried and cried. Twenty minutes of listening. Do it if you can.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 13)

: 1 :

Jamba Juice's Pumpkin Smash smoothie is back, and if you haven't had one, oh my goodness, you should. (Unless you don't like pumpkin pie, in which case, nevermind.) If you, like us, love it so much that you could probably have one every day but don't want to spend money on one every day, then here is a pretty tasty knock-off recipe courtesy Skinny Kitchen.

Blend together:

• 2 cups yogurt (we love using frozen yogurt)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin (fresh pumpkin is the best, of course, though canned would work)
• 1 cup soy (we use low-fat vanilla soy)
• 2 tbl. sugar
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups ice

It's yummy. Note: Jason can tell you from personal experience that should you happen to grab the similarly labelled jar of cumin instead of cinnamon, it will not be yummy. It will taste like pumpkin pie enchiladas.

: 2 :

Sometimes I wonder how much is too much when it comes to Sydney's extra-curricular activities. She has soccer practice two days a week, and then games on Saturdays. On Friday afternoons the girls have back-to-back ballet classes (Jules' class is first, then Sydney's). Now, Nutcrackerrehearsals are every Saturday until Christmas. Sydney is a mouse and bon bon again, so fortunately she won't have to learn new choreography. If she didn't enjoy both soccer and ballet, I'd take her out of them. But she does. So we'll keep at it until she decides she doesn't want to do it anymore, I guess.

: 3 :

I've been researching different methods of painting kitchen cabinets. I really want them to look nice and not crummy and cheap. I don't want the paint to chip, and I don't want the wood texture to show/feel through. I'm not going to pay someone to do it; I can do it myself. I'm just a bit nervous about it. Anyone painted cabinets before and thought they turned out good? Tips?

: 4 :

The other day, I put on some jeans that I haven't been able to wear in a couple years and remarked to Jason that they were pre-pregnancy jeans.

"Do you mean pregnancy jeans?" he asked.

"No," I replied, "PRE-pregnancy jeans."

"Aren't all jeans except pregnancy jeans pre-pregnancy jeans."

"Yes, but these are from before I was pregnant."

"Are you telling me that stores sell pre-pregnancy jeans?"

"NO. I mean, I haven't worn these jeans in a couple years and now I can because I've lost all the weight and my tummy is small again."

"That's what you should have said in the first place."

And that, people, is why women need girlfriends.

: 5 :

I am in a reading funk. I start books and then get bored of them and don't finish. I've been wanting to read something like The Thirteenth Tale, but not The Thirteenth Tale (not because I didn't love it, but because I know what happens in it). I suppose I should just re-read The Thirteenth Tale and be happy with it.

Of course, I just remembered that Andrea recommended I read some Bill Bryson (haven't read any of his stuff). So, maybe I should do that. Even though his stuff isn't even remotely close to being like The Thirteenth Tale.

: 6 :

Speaking of my sister, I miss her. I got a postcard from her last week, and it made me miss her even more. To console myself, I raided her closet at my parents' house and snagged a bunch of her clothes that she didn't take with her to Scotland. I still miss her, but at least I'm missing her in a cozy zip-up black sweater. New clothes for the win.

: 7 :

The Family Farm is in a ladybug migratory path. Last week, per their annual tradition, the ladybugs descended upon us and now we have millions of them all over the outside of our house, and (unfortunately) inside our house too. I don't actually mind ladybugs that much. They don't drive me as crazy as, say, sugar ants do. But when they start dropping on my head while I'm sleeping, that's no good. Or this morning? One crawled out of the microwave vent. Sheesh. I can't bear to kill them, so I just scoop them up and throw them outside hoping they'll smell the proverbial smoke and fly away home.

Interesting linguistic fact of the day: ladybugs are sometimes called ladybirds in the UK.

Happy Friday! Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

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7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 12)

: 1 :

I found it.

This is THE KITCHEN.

And wouldn't you know it, it's Martha Stewart's kitchen line (this particular line is called Ox Hill, named after, I suppose, the oxen that Martha raises on organic greens and buttermilk and taste beautifully in a beef stew paired with red wine).

Of course, we don't have windows in our kitchen, and the ceilings are only 7 1/2 feet tall, but the walls are already that color, we already have white appliances, and the backsplash and flooring will be done as soon as we can find a contractor who will return our calls, and then I will paint the cabinets.

My search is over. Hooray.

(Edited to add: Jason saw this picture and informed me that we can't have that kitchen because it's too big. Yes, I'm aware. So, for all the literalists out there, I'm not duplicating this kitchen EXACTLY. It's just my inspiration.)

: 2 :

I love watching Castle. It's the tv highlight of my week.

: 3:

I know many of you are wondering how Jules is doing, and some of you have been so sweet as to inquire on how we're all doing with her. The short story is this: she's getting better. She is still (mostly) gluten/dairy/red dye #40 free. She still visits a naturopath every other week. She's on vitamins and homeopathic remedies, and has even taken up yoga (seriously. she does it on her own in the living room to calm down). I'm working on a longer write up on her, but she's improving. It's not all roses and fairy dust, but you know. Perspective on where we were last June and where we are today.

: 4 :

The Occupy Wall Street movement confuses me. There's an Occupy Portland movement now. I'm not against them; I just don't understand what they're hoping to accomplish. Are they just protesting just to protest? That's fine, if that's what it is. I'm not sure though. Someone please explain to me what they're doing. Thank you.

: 5 :

I got Addie's silhouette done. Tomorrow I'm printing them and hoping they look nice on photo paper.

I love that I captured her two chins. Scrumptious.

: 6 :

I took a nap today with Addie and Jules. Jules doesn't take naps anymore, but she decided to humor me. It's rare I get to do two of my favorite things at the same time: cuddle my girls and nap. Bliss.

: 7 :

Stumbled across this image this week, and I loved it. 

G. K. Chesterton is right.

: 7 1/2 :

This is my 1300th post at Typepad. I don't know where that ranks in terms of anything, but there you go.

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7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 11)

 

: 1 :

Last Friday, Jason and I, along with brother Ty and SIL Sarah, went to see Jerry Seinfeld's act. We saw him last time he came to Portland, and I laughed so hard I cried. Second time around? Not disappointed. I appreciate that he has a pretty clean act, and that he can make just about anything funny through his physical humor.

: 2 :

Sydney auditioned for her dance school's Nutcracker. Not sure what part she'll end up with, just know that she'll get something. Also not sure if I'm ready for rehearsals every Saturday from now until Christmas, but it'll be fun. I think this year I might actually help out with the backstage stuff since I won't have a newborn baby to take care of.

: 3 :

I got to take pictures of Cedar today for his birth announcements.

I still need to edit these photos a little bit more (I think the lighting is still too harsh), but isn't he so sweet? I kissed him a million times.

: 4 :

I love my classes this semester. I'm still teaching the same ole' speech (aka public speaking) class that I've always taught, but the students are so fabulous. Especially one group. They're hysterical. I love my job.

: 5 :

We're getting new flooring in part of our house, and I am SO EXCITED. No more carpet in the eating areas. HALLELUJAH. Not sure exactly what kind of flooring we'll go with. Either cork or some kind of laminate flooring like Pergo. Must ponder.

: 6 :

Jason's truck has broken down twice in the past few weeks. Blah. And we can't get it fixed until next week. Also? Our furnace stopped working, but was easily repaired. It was just a teeny tiny wire that burned out. In fact, the wire itself only cost us $4. Imagine that! Alas, we had to pay $216 more for the repairman's witty conversation and 60-minute show. He was witty, it's true. But even our Jerry Seinfeld tickets were cheaper than that. I'm just sayin'.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing else breaks down because I REALLY WANT NEW FLOORS. (I don't think I would take "furnace over floors" disappointment as well as Ally Bean did.)

: 7 :

This week I'm changing out the artwork over our piano. I know I want to do silhouettes of the girls, but I'm not quite sure which approach to take.

I found this image on Pinterest and I'm using it as my inspiration:

 

The tutorial that goes with this image is for vinyl silhouettes, which I'm not doing. Probably more along the lines of what Young House Love did. I'll let you know how it goes.

Have a great weekend!

*

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7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 10)

 

: 1 :

It's fireworks season around here, and so we are treated to nightly explosions of neighborhood people combining a thousand firecrackers into one little mound of TNT and lighting it on fire. If I'm outside, sometimes I can actually feel the *boom*, and I'm always a little petrified that someone has just blown off their hand.

: 2 :

Speaking of neighborhood explosions, I was pulling out of our driveway the other day and saw a neighbor across the street staring down at the ground with a rifle slung over his shoulder (I say rifle, but I know nothing about guns except that it had a long barrel). I presume he was hunting moles, and was waiting for it to pop up before shooting its poor little head off.

Between the moles and the duck-hunting (that they do in season at the lake across the street) and assorted other emotional issues, we hear lots of gunshots from our neighbors. Oh country living. How you charm and mystify me.

: 3 :

Ty and Sarah are having their annual 4th of July picnic, and I've been put in charge of the playlist for both the party and the fireworks explosion. The party music will be easy (lots of U2, Springsteen and Mellencamp should do the trick), but the fireworks music will be more specific. Any songs you feel DEFINITELY belong in a musical interlude for fireworks?

: 4 :

Speaking of fireworks (I'm just full of transitions today, aren't I?), if you're thinking of taking pictures of fireworks, I've found Pioneer Woman's Fireworks Tips helpful, as well as the link round-up from Mom & Camera. Remember, just because you don't have a fancy camera doesn't mean you can't take decent photos.

All I have is a 5MP point and shoot, and I took these:

Granted, they aren't amazing, but I was pretty happy with them.

: 5 :

If you're looking for an inexpensive activity to do with (or without) your kids, consider Regal's Summer Movie Express. Twice a week (or three times a week if your city is like ours), Regal runs a PG and/or G-rated film and it's only $1 admission. Last week Jason and the girls saw The Tale of Despereaux (which the girls always love no matter how many times they see it); this week Jason and Jules saw Cats & Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore (which Jason thought wasn't anything great, but Jules thought was funny). Next week I think they're planning on seeing Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

And if you aren't familiar with a film and are wondering if it's safe for your child, I always check out Plugged In. It does a nice job highlighting potential problems.

: 6 :

Sydney and I found ourselves at the doctor's office today (more on that later), and while we were waiting for her prescription, she tried on glasses in the optometry center.

That girl makes me laugh.

: 7 :

My mom got Jason and I started on watching Murdoch. It's a Canadian forensic/crime drama, set in the 1890s. It's pretty clever, and since there appear to be several seasons, I think it'll get us through the summer just nicely.

In fact, I'm off to go watch one now.

Oh, and Jason made some shortcake to eat with our fresh strawberries. Lucky me!

Have a great holiday weekend! (Oh! And happy Independence Day to my Canadian friends!)

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7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 9)

 

: 1 :

Local strawberries are finally in season, and oh boy oh boy oh boy, are they good. It's like eating candy, they're so good.

Feeling as though I should do something with the flat that I bought (other than just eat them), I made 10 jars of strawberry freezer jam with them. It's my very first time EVER making jam, and it was so easy.

Aren't they pretty?

Even Jules, who does not like jam or jelly, declared it quite delicious. The jam is probably a little bit on the *too sweet* side for me, but that's fine.

I'm trying to decide if I should make more jam, but Sydney and I are the only ones who will consistently eat it. So. Maybe 10 is enough.

: 2 :

Jason and I finished watching the British series "Downton Abbey." It was quite good, and I'm looking forward to watching season 2 when it comes out in the fall. As an aside to anyone who has watched it: I hope and pray my three girls are not like the three sisters in Downton Abbey. The oldest two are such wretched creatures to each other, aren't they?

: 3 :

For Father's Day, I got Jason a 60 pound heavy bag (kinda like this one). He and his dad put it up in the basement, and as far as exercise equipment goes, I think it's awesome.

I go down there and punch it and kick it and feel very tough, indeed. I am not tough. But in my mind, I am a secret ninja crime fighter (I almost typed "assassin" and realized that even in my mind that would be a stretch).

Pow!

: 4 :

Even though I still have two more months of vacation, I couldn't help but look online to see how many students have signed up for my classes in the fall.

I was relieved to see that I have enough students in both classes that they won't be in danger of being cancelled. Whew! My life as an adjunct lives on. The economy may be bad for K-12 education, but it seems to be forcing plenty of people into college, even moderately expensive private universities like the one I teach at.

: 5 :

We went to the Oregon Zoo today. Although I don't have much to compare it to, I think the Portland zoo is quite excellent. They seem to work really hard at making the the exhibits exciting and educational.

We haven't been to the zoo since Christmas, and so today was the first time that Sydney was confidently reading all the signs and animal facts. It was so much fun watching her enjoy the zoo as a reader. I get such a kick out of seeing her read.

: 6 :

After a suggestion from Jason's mom, we decided to go red dye-free for Jules (specifically Red Dye #40). Though I will eventually write up a longer post about this, it seems to have made a difference in her mood swings. Do you know how many things have red dye in them? A lot. There are the obvious culprits like fruit snacks and popsicles, but then there are less obvious things. Toothpaste! Mouthwash! Children's medicine! Yogurt! Gum! Doritos!

Twice this week she accidentally got some red dye, and we could definitely tell. I've been researching other food/coloring additives that might cause mood swings in kids, and it may end up that we'll just start avoiding them all. Fortunately, Jules is totally on board, so that's good.

: 7 :

I'm rereading Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. I've forgotten how clever it is. Such a fun read! Sometimes I feel like there are too many wonderful new reads out there that I don't have time to reread books. But then I remember that nobody is the boss of my reading habits and I can do whatever I want. Take that inner English teacher who wants to assign myself some ridiculous summer read like Anna Karenina!

Have a fabulous weekend! Make sure you get outside and get some fresh air. It'll do you good.

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