Friday, July 30, 2010

Back To Normal

This week my youngest returned from camp. He is the kind of kid who talks A LOT (to put it lightly) and I found our house to be way too quiet with him gone.

We missed him.

I'd liked to say that I got a lot done while he was away and while I did walk the beach one morning with a girlfriend, other than that I found myself just wandering aimlessly around.

Oh...and I made a lot of lists of things I was hoping to accomplish at some point in the future, like paint the baseboards and get rid of all the wire hangers.

Weird.

But he's home now and all is more balanced in my little world.

Tomatoes. Tomatoes. Tomatoes.

I'm thinking I've picked close to 75lbs so far and I have a freezer full of homemade marinara to show for it.

Not bad for the chilly summer we've been having. Warm weather, where art thou?

(remind I said that when it comes...ok?)
Today we are hanging with my in-laws and tending to the yard and catching up on laundry and texting our oldest (who is in Florida today...Alabama tomorrow) and paying some bills (cable and electric, in case you were wondering) and cleaning out the car and eating lemon cookies.

Summer rocks.

=0)

Monday, July 26, 2010

Around The House



I finally shipped off 5 boxes to Florida, where they will hopefully catch up with my boy.

He's left Texas and is competing in Louisiana tonight. Mississippi tomorrow.

Todays video is HERE. I miss my boy!
Brian is still away at camp.

He was nominated for this arts camp that only takes 150 kids...50 each week for 3 weeks. They stay on a college campus and are completely submerged in the arts....last night they hung out with the Pacific Symphony (and then played with them!). Pretty cool.
Alex has been working hard at physical therapy...the word as of today (and it changes often) is no medical clearance to play ball anytime in the upcoming future, but when he does get clearance he will play without a brace.

That little bit made him smile.
The tomatoes are coming in...the last picking weighed in at 41 lbs.

=0)

Lots and lots of tomato/mozzarella salads and BLT's...plus I am roasting 4 pans right now for marinara. I'm also craving pappa al pomodoro...tomato bread soup, so I might just make that for supper.

And peanut butter cookies for Alex. Just cuz he asked.

=0)

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Random Things

  1. I'm bored.
  2. My house is SOOOO quiet.
  3. Why is it that I wait and wait for quiet and then once it's here I stare at the walls and wonder what to do with the passing time?
  4. Staring at the walls makes me notice how badly they need to be painted.
  5. Painting the walls makes me think about the fact that my curtain rods need to be raised 3 inches to match the family room ones that were hung higher TWO years ago.
  6. So now I realize that I have been thinking about curtain rods for TWO years but have done nothing about it.
  7. I miss my boys.
  8. One is on tour with a drum and bugle corps and the one is away at camp. One is at the pool.
  9. The camp is a hoity toity camp.
  10. My spell check thinks I am spelling hoity toity incorrectly.
  11. The only child at home is my 16 year old who finally told me that I need to stop staring at him.
  12. Hello? I have no one else to look at!!
  13. Today after church we went out to eat philly cheesesteaks.
  14. Just me, that guy that I like so much and the 16 year old.
  15. One hour of us grilling him.
  16. Not sure which was more enjoyable...the cheesesteak or watching him squirm.
  17. He had nowhere to run.
  18. Not that he can run yet anyway, but his knee is healing beautifully so running might be in his near future.
  19. A bird died in my bathroom sink last week.
  20. The cat brought it in, it panicked and flew into a mirror and landed in the sink.
  21. I have the whole thing on video tape but can't post it because I was screeching, the 16 year old said a bad word and the youngest commented that if his biggest brother were here he would be standing on the bed.
  22. Not appropriate.
  23. We had a small service for the bird. Twice.
  24. Twice because the first time we didn't put the lid back down on the trash can and the cat brought it in a 2nd time.
  25. Diet coke came out of my nose when my 16 year old said, 'Three-peat?"
  26. I am easily humored.
  27. Doesn't hummus sound good?
  28. I'm easily distracted.
  29. I think I'll go buy the paint now.




Saturday, July 24, 2010

Again?

Say. It. Isn't. So.

Another food truck?

I'm tellin' ya...we're either crazy or we're on to something.

Or both.

=0)

Introducing Piaggio. Argentinean meets Italian.

Another pretty straight forward menu. I like that.
I cried when I saw the size of this burrito. Doesn't take much.
That guy that I like so much had the churrasco, which is some ancient recipe handed down from generation to generation and has never been altered.

(said while waiving arms wildly)

I love passionate peoples.

=0)
All in all...if you see the truck , follow it.

=0)

Came home and gathered all the offspring 'round the computer to watch Matthew perform live in Texas.

Though let me say this.

Ignorance truly IS bliss.

Normally he performs and later that night we'll get a text telling us about the show and asking for scores.

But this new live broadcast thing? Nerve-wracking. We watched his group line up and then head back into the tunnel and the announcement to evacuate the stadium...somethin' about lightening and a tornado warning and then pouring rain.

Lovely.

Normally I wouldn't have a clue.

They ended up performing and it all worked out. San Antonio today.


Let's see...I took Brian to Costco with me and came home with not only a boston cream pie but the worlds largest bucket of cheeseballs.
Anyone want some?

=0)

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Sophie Sleeps Over

My 6 year old niece Sophie slept over last night, which meant that by 7:30am I was making chocolate chip pancakes.

I've forgotton that children wake up in the mornings.

=0)

By 8:30am we were feeding the ducks at the lake up the street, coffee in hand.

For me, that is. Her little body bubbles with natural caffeine.
By 9:30am we were doing some serious gardening and I have found my soul mate. She picks and talks and weeds and touches snails and talks and picks.

Sophie...I love you.

=0)
And then we scarred her.

It was food truck time!
Todays menu rocked. What rocked even more was the in depth discussion about the makings of a true risotto with Jason the chef.
Todays menu for the short people:

Subway.

(Sophie chose and Brian is no longer short at 5'2")
Todays menu for us:

a macaroni and cheese sandwich and a fresh beet salad.

(and an unpictured but completely devoured braised pork taco.)

Just like last time we asked Daniel the owner to recommend some things for us. Yum. Can't wait until next week because now I am a stalker.

For reals.
We drove Sophie home and then went to the music store to visit Rick and pick up a few things for Matthew's care package.
And now we are all home just passing time until we can watch Matthew perform live online.

Thank you technology. I love you.

=0)


Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Teaser

Matthew's drum and bugle corps is being featured in a documentary...here's a fun clip:






Keeping Quiet


Yesterday I went to lunch and somewhere between the fava bean hummus and the tzaziki, I lost my voice.

Not my real voice, but the voice in which I speak up and defend my beliefs.

Instead of saying what I was feeling, I just turned into a mute.

A hummus eating mute.

A hummus eating mute who felt very alone.

I hate that.

Not the hummus part...that part I loved.

The not speaking up and alone parts.

But then again, sometimes it's better to just not say anything at all and keep the peace...a lesson I've learned the hard way. Multiple times.

=0)

At the market a little while later, I quite literally bumped into a container of figs. I had thought that my tree would be full of figs this year but it is taking it's sweet time growing branches instead of growing figs.
So I bought some figs and some goat cheese and some fresh honey and we had ourselves a little snack.

Life is good.

And then my youngest shrub had a band concert and I'm sure you are all interested in hearing the JR High version of Marriage of Figaro...it was fabulous by the way, but instead this is what I will share with you:


Cracked me up. She started out by standing right in front of the stage and then moved on up.

=0)

Afterwards...ice cream (a tradition after a concert) with friends.
In Matthew news...still somewhere in Texas. No show tonight.

In Alex news...he got his finger stuck in a nerf gun yesterday. Quite humorous, I must say.

=0)


Monday, July 19, 2010

Forgiven


This is the post in which my mother-in-law will forgive all of her children (and me) for never sending pictures of her grandchildren.

(except for my sister-in-law Joanna. 4 kids AND she sends pictures. Whatever.)

Anywhoo...the northern California cousins drove south for the weekend. My Brian and his cousin Nate are 9 months apart and partners in crime...they pretty much spent the weekend sawing apart Nerf guns and skateboarding and eating and NOT sleeping.

Yikes. Just realized that I liked that tablecloth. Oh well.

Remember how I mentioned my sister-in-law who regularly sends pictures of her kids to our mother-in-law?

Well...I invited all of us over for dinner to her house.

Payback, baby.

=0)

I did offer to bring dessert. Alex wanted yellow cake and chocolate frosting and offered to do the decorating. He's artistic you know...he's even taking ceramics next year at school. He finally fessed up and said all the cute girls take ceramics.

His initials in dinosaur sprinkles. Wierdo.
The older cousins laughed.
The younger cousins played.




Read closely.

=0)
Boy cousins to the rescue! The underwear has been saved.

Hey! My camera has a self timer!

=0)

(missing...the oldest and the youngest. One was sleeping and the other was performing in Arizona.)


The end.

Matthew update...Arizona show last night was rained out, but they performed an exhibition. Houston today and tonight's show has already been canceled due to weather. Temps are in the 100's and stormy. Icky.


Sunday, July 18, 2010

Growing Up

The cousins came to town and our little house is packed to the gills...totally worth it to hear the kids laughing together.

=0)

The younger boys have been swimming and to the movies and to the skatepark and on numerous adventures, plus staying up half the nights being boys. They are having the best time together.

And yowza...a picture!

Matthew performed last night and it was the last time we'll see him perform for the summer...they'll now travel more than 12,000 miles during the next month, sleeping on gym floors and riding on buses and performing most nights across the country.

It was the last time we'll hear his totally awesome solo.

I handled it well until I hugged him goodbye....and then I burst into tears.

He's so grown up...when-oh-when did that happen?
So today I am just sad.

Missing having all my boys home.

Wondering if I have done...and am doing enough.

Hoping they all know how much I love them.

That I pray for them constantly.

And the tears continue to fall...





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